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THE  CONNECTICUT  VALLEY 


IN    MASSACHUSETTS, 


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SOME    OF    ITS    PROMINENT    MEN    AND    PIONEERS. 


\/    VOL.     II. 


PHI  LA  DRLPH 1  A: 
LOTJIS     HI.    EVEI?.TS. 


1879. 


'i3 


[t 


PRESS  OF  J.  B.  LIPPINCOTT  &  CO.,  PHILADELPHIA. 


CONTENTS    OF    VOLUME    IT 


HISTORY  OF  FRANKLIN  AND  HAMPDEN  COUNTIES. 


FRANKLIN  COUNTY. 


HISTOEY  OF  FKANKLIN 
COUNTY. 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I, — Civil  Organization,  Courts,  C^iuntj'  Com- 
missioners, County  Biiildings,  etc 5G5 

n.— Civil  List 668 

III.— Franklin  District  Medical  Societj- 669 


Town  Histories. 

Greenfield 577 

Deerfleld 592 

Montague 622 

Orange 633 

Shelburne 644 

Northfleld 656 

New  Salem _ 665 

Conway 672 

Sunderland 680 

Bernardston 687 

Buckland 698 

Hawley 704 

Charlemont.- 708 

Whately 721 

Leverett 733 

Ashfield 737 

Coleraine 746 

Leyden 754 

Sliutesbnry 757 

Gill 764 

Erving 768 

Rowe 771 

War«nck 776 

Wendell 782 

Heath 786 

Monroe 792 


BIOGKAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

PAGE 

Peleg  Adams 691 

Eev.  John  F.  Moors 591 

Geo.  W.Jones between  600,  601 

Charles  Jones facing    601 

Charles  Hager "         608 

Zeri  Smith between  608,  609 

Josiah  Fogg "        608,  609 

Elisha  Wells facing    612 

Hiram  Boot "  613 

Charles  E.  Wilbams "         614 

Mra.  Esther  H.  Dickinson "  615 

James  Childs "         618 

George  A.  Williams "         619 

Hon.  Cephas  Clapp 621 

Hon.  George  Sheldon 622 

Richard  N.  Oakman 631 

E.  N.  Oakman,  Jr 632 

Joseph  F.  Bartlett between  632,  633 

George  E.  Marshall 633 

James  H.  Waite between  638,  639 

Rodney  Hunt 641 

Hon.  Andrew  J.  Clark 641 

John  W.  Wheeler 642 

Hiram  Orcutt 643 

Levi  Kilburn 643 

Charles  M.  Duncan,  M.D facing    644 

Stephen  Fellows "  645 

Oscar  Bardwell "         646 

Col.  David  Wells "  647 

Nathan  O.  Newhall "  648 

Daniel  K.  Bardwell "         649 

Solomon  Smead 651 

Ebenezer  Nims 652 

Joseph  W.  Gardner 653 

Or^amus  0.  Bardwell 654 

Elijah  E.  Belding facing    661 

Charles  Chandler "         666 

Horace  Hunt "  667 


PAGE 

Beriah  W.  Fay facing  668 

Rev.  Alpheus  Harding "  669 

EdwinCooley "  672 

Charles  B.  Merritt between  672,  673 

Carlos  Batchelder '     "        672,673 

Chelsea  Cook facing  673 

Richard  M.  Tucker _..    "■  674 

Charles  Parsons,  Jr "  675 

Franklin  Pease "  676 

J.ibez  C.  Newhall "  677 

Clark  W.  Bardwell 679 

Richard  Tucker 679 

Daniel  D.  WHiitmore facing  680 

N.Austin  Smith "  681 

Albert  Montague "  683 

Luther  0.  Chittenden "  684 

Dr.  Nathaniel  G.  Trow "  685 

Nahum  S.  Cutler "  690 

Imla  K.  Brown "  691 

Hon.  Ebenezer  S.  Hulbert 695 

Col.  Aretas  Ferry 695 

-  Hon.  John  H.  Sanderson 696 

Hon.  Henry  W^  Cushman 697 

Josiah  Trow,  M.D facing  702 

Roger  H.  Leavitt ".  708 

John  A.  Winslow "  709 

Orlando  B.  Potter "  712 

Samuel  Potter "  713 

Phinehas  Field,  Jr 720 

Deacon  John  W'hite facing  727 

Hon.  Josiah  Allis 732 

Dennis  Dickinson 733 

William  A.  Hatch facing  735 

Calvin  W.  Shattuck "  751 

Oliver  Chapin .". "  754 

Samuel  F.Dudley 763 

Lorenzo  P.  Munn facing  764 

Leonard  Barton "  766 

Ezekiel  L.  Bascom "  767 


ILIjT7STK.j^TI01SrS- 


The  Connecticut  Valley,  looking  south  from 

the  "  Poet's  Seat"  (frontispiece). ...facing  title. 

GREENFIELD. 

PAGE 

The  Mansion-House facing    677 

Portrait  of  Eev.  John  F.  Moors  (steel)..    "  588 

"  PelegAdams 591 

DEERFIELD. 

Fac-similc  of  Indian  Deed 593 

Record  of  Meeting  held  Nov.  7, 1673 596 

Residence  of  Henry  W.  Wood facing    60O 

"        and  Portrait  of  G.  W.  Jones..bet.  600,  601 

Portrait  of  Charles  Jones facing    601 

Old  Indian  Hou.se  and  Door 605 

Fac-simile  of  John  Sheldon's  Letter,  1705 606 

Residence  and  Portrait  of  Chas.  Hager..facing    608 
"  "  "  Zeri  Smith...bet.  608,  609 

"         of  H.  C.  Haskell "    608,609 

"        and  Portrait  of  Josiah  Fogg..  "    008,  609 

"         of  McClallcu  Brothers facing    009 

Portrait  of  Elisha  Wells "         612 

"         HiramRoot. "         613 


PAGE 

Portrait  and  Res.  of  Chas.  E.  Williams.faciQg  614 

"       of  Esther  Dickinson "  615 

Deerfield  Academy  and  Dickinson  High 

School "  615 

Portrait  of  George  Sheldon  (steel) "  616 

"         James  Childs "  618 

"          George  .\.  W^illiams "  619 

"         Cephas  Clapp 621 

MONTAGUE. 

Montague  Paper-Mills facing  626 

View  of  Turner's  Falls  (double  page)..between 

626,  627 

Russell  Cutlery-Works facing  627 

Portrait  of  Richard  N.  Oakman  (steel)..    "  631 

"         R.  N.  Oaltman,  Jr.  (steel)....    "  632 

"         Joseph  F.  Bartlett between  632,  633 

"         George  E.  Mal-shall  (steel). ..facing  633 

ORANGE. 

Residence  of  J.  S.  Dewing facing  638 

"            Stephen  French "  638 


PAGE 

Gold  Medal  Sewing-Machine  Works-.between 

638,  639 

Portrait  of  James  H.  Waite between  038,  639 

"         Levi  Kilburn facing  639 

Chair-Manufactorj'  of  L.  Kilburn  &  Co.    "  639 

Portrait  of  Rodney  Hunt  (steel) "  640 

"         Hon.  AndrewJ.  Clark  (steel).    "  641 

"         John  W.  Wheeler  (steel) "  642 

"         Hiram  Orcutt 643 

SHELBURNE. 

Portrait  of  Dr.  Charles  M.  Duncan facing  644 

"         Stephen  Fellows "  645 

"         Oscar  Bardwell "  646 

"          David  Wells "  647 

"   and  Eesii-lence  of  N.O.  Newhall.     "  648 

"  of  Daniel  E.  Bardwell "  649 

"         Solomon  Smead  (steel) "  651 

"         Joseph  W.  Gardner  (steel)...    "  653 

"         Ebenezer  Nims 653 

"         Orsamus  0.  Bardwell 6.54 

NORTHFIELD. 

Portrait  of  Elijah  E.  Belding facing  661 


CONTENTS    OF   VOLUME   II. 


iHiijTJSTi^^Tionsrs. 


NEW  SALEM. 

PAGE 

I'l.rtrait  of  Charles  I'liaudlev facing  666 

"          Homce  Hunt "  667 

"         Beriah  W.  Fay "  668 

"         Rev,  .\lpheus  Harding '*  669 

New  Salem  Academy 670 

fONWAY. 

Portrait  of  Edwin  Cooley facing  072 

"  Charles  B.  Merritt between  672,  673 

Carlos  Batchelder "        672,  673 

"         Chelsea  Cook fating  673 

"         Richard  M.  Tucker "  074 

Residence  and  Portrait  of  Charles  Parsons, 

Jr facing  675 

Residence  and  Portrait  of  Franklin  Pease, 

facing  676 
Residence  and  Portrait  of  Jabez  C.  Newhall, 

facing  677 

Portrait  of  R.  M.  Tucker "  678 

Views  of  R.  Tucker  &  Co.'s  Mills...between  678,679 

Portrait  of  Richard  Tucker  (steel) facing  679 

"         Clark  W.  Bardwell 679 

SUNDERLAND. 
Residence  and  Portrait  of  D.  D.  Wliitmore, 

facing  680 
Residence  and  Portrait  of  N.  Austin  Smith, 

facing  681 


p.^GF. 
Residence  and  Poitiait  of  Albert  Montagne, 

facing  6S3 
Residence  and  Portrait  of  Luther  0.  Chitten- 
den  facing  684 

Portrait  of  Dr.  N.  G.  Trow "  685 

BERNARDSTUN. 

Portrait  of  Nahunl  .S.  Cutler facing  690 

"          Imla  K,  Brown "  691 

"         Hon.  Ebenezer  S.  Hulbert  (steel), 

between  694,  695 

Col.  Aretas  Ferry  (steel) bet.  694,  695 

"         Hon.  John  Sanderson  (steel)  facing  696 
"         Hon.  Henry  W.  Cnshman  (steel), 

facing  697 
BUCKLAND. 

Portrait  of  Dr.  Josiah  Trow facing  702 

Residence  of  G.  K.  Ward "  703 

HAWLEY. 

Residence  of  W.  0.  Bassett facing  703 

CHARLEMONT. 

Portraits  of  Roger  H.  Lea\itt ■ facing  708 

John  A.  Winslow "  ■  709 

"          Orlando  B.  Porter ....     "  712 

"         Samuel  Potter "  713 

"         Phinehas  Field 720 


WHATELY. 

;1  PJIGE 

Re.sidence  of  Rufus  Dickinson facing  726 

'■           J.  "W.  Dickinson ''  726 

Portrait  of  Deacon  John  White "  727 

Residence  of  E.  B.  McClellan "  731 

Portrait  of  Hon.  Josiah  Allis  (steel) "  732 

"         Dennis  Dickinson  .   "    "  733 

LEVERETT. 

Residence  of  W.  B.  Stetson facing  734 


Portrait  of  Wm.  A.  Hatch.. 


735 


COLERAINE. 

Portrait  of  Calvin  W.  Shattuck facing    751 

LEYDEN. 
Portrait  and  Residence  of  Oliver  Chapin.. facing    754 

SHUTESBURY. 
I      Portrait  of  Samuel  F.  Dudley 763 


GILL, 

Portrait  of  Lorenzo  P,  Munn facing  764 

"         Leonard  Burton "  766 

"         Ezekiel  L,  Bascom *'  767 

ERVTNG. 

Miller's  Falls  Co.'s  Works facing  768 


HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


HISTOBY  OF  HAMPDEN 
COUNTS'. 

CHAPTER  PAGF, 

I, — Civil     Organization,     Courts,     C^junty 

Buildings,  etc 794 

II,— Hampden  Civil  List 800 

III, — Benevolent  Religious  Associations 802 

IV,— The  Medical  Profession 803 

Town  Histories. 

Springfield 814 

West  Springfield 896 

Holyoko 915 

Westfleld 938 

Chicopee 960 

Palmer 984 

Brimfield 994 

Wilbraham 1005 

Monson 1015 

Ludlow 1031 

Longmeadow 1039 

Agawam 1047 

Chester 1054 

Wales 1065 

Blandford 1074 

Granville 1082 

Southwick  1087 

Montgomery 1093 

Russell 1096 

Holland HOO 

Tolland 1106 

Hampden 1108 

BIOGKAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 

Dr.  James  M.Smith 805 

Elijah  Blake facing    834 

James  E.  Russell "  842 

Philip  and  Pliilo  F.  Wilcox between  842,  843 

Hon.  Warner  C.  Sturtevant facing    843 

David  and  John  Ames "  844 


PAGE 

John  Mulligan facing    845 

John  Goodrich "  846 

Horace  Jacobs,  M.D "  847 

Samuel  Bowles 860 

Dr.  J,  G.  Holland 863 

Hon,  Henry  Morris,  LL,D 885 

Hon,  Chester  W.  Chapin 886 

Hon.  James  M.  Thompson S87 

Hon.  Willis  Phelps 888 

James  D.  Brewer 888 

Lewis  J.  Powers 888 

Rev,  William  Bice,  D,D 889 

Orrick  H,  Greenleaf, 890 

Daniel  B,  Wesson 890 

Daniel  D,  Warren 893 

George  R,  Dickinson 891 

Alexander  Birnie 892 

Warren  H,  Wilkinson 892 

Dr  Henry  A,  Collins 892 

Daniel  Hitchcock 893 

Milton  A.  Clyde 893 

John  B  .Adams 893 

Hon,  Wells  Southworth  894 

Hon,  Edward  Southworth 895 

John  H,  Southworth 895 

Cotton  Ely facing    906 

.\aron  Ashley between  906,  907 

James  P,  Ely "        906,907 

Homer  Ely facing    907 

Henry  A,  Phelon "         913 

Norman  Day 914 

Henian  Day 914 

Col.  Edward  Parsons 914 

Col.  .\aron  Bagg 915 

Samuel  B.  Allyn facing    930 

Hon.  William  Wliiting 934 

George  H.  Smith,  M.D 935 

James  H.  Newton 935 

Moses  Newton 935 

John  C,  Newton 936 


PAGE 

Joseph  C,  Pai-sous 937 

Edward  C,  Taft 937 

Dr.  James  I,  O'Connor 937 

John  Delaney 938 

Hon.  Wm.  G.  Bates 956 

Col.  David  Moseley 958 

Milton  B.  Wliitney 968 

Henry  J,  Bush 959 

George  D,  Tucker,  M,D 959 

Jerome  M'ells 980 

Samuel  -Mvord,  M,D 980 

Samuel  Blaisdell,  Jr 981 

Emerson  Gaylord 982 

Ezekiel  Blake 982 

George  D,  Robinson 983 

George  S,  Taylor 983 

Seth  Bush between  950,  951 

Hiram  Harrison facing    954 

Orange  (['hapin between  980,  981 

Charles  McClallan  (deceased) "        980,  981 

Alonzo  V,  Blanchard facing    992 

John  H,  Woolrich "         993 

Hon,  John  M,  Merrick "       1011 

Charles  H,  Merrick.,. , 1026 

Rufus  F.  Fay 1028 

Joseph  L.  Reynolds 1029 

Dwight  W.Ellis 1029 

William  N.  Flynt 1030 

Cyrus  Bell,  M.D facing  1048 

Lewis  L,  Whitman "       1049 

L.  W.  Fisk "       1060 

Thaddeus  K.  De  Wolf,  M.D ,(./,,("       1063 

Heman  S.  Lucas,  M.D 1064 

Watsun  E.  Boise facing  1076 

Thomas  and  Henry  K.  Herrick "       1077 

John  Boyle "       1088 

Sardis  Gillett "       1089 

Roland  Parks "       1096 

William  V.  Sessions "       1109 

Sumner  Sessions "       1108 


CONTENTS   OF  V0LU3IE  II. 


irjXjTjSTK.^Tionsrs. 


PAGE 

First  (.'(mrt-House,  Imilt  in  1722 795 

Second        "  "  1821 797 

Hanipilen    Cuunty   (. 'a u it-House,   erected    in 

1S74 798 

SPRINGFIELD. 

Portrait  of  Dr.  James  31.  Smith  (etcel).. facing    805 

View  of  Springfield "  814 

City  Library  Building  and  Court-House    "         814 

Fac-simile  of  Indian  Deed,  1636 816 

OJd  Pynchon  Mansion 817 

Blap  of  Springfield,  177G 823 

Springfield  in  1827 facing    824 

Maesasoit  House  (steel) "         825 

Hampden  Coffee-Houee 825 

Residence  of  Col.  J.  M.  Tliompson facing    826 

"  Ricliard  F.  Hawkins "  s27 

'*  J.  H.  Southworth "         828 

Portraits  of  T.  W.  Wason,  Geo.  C.  Fisk,  H.  S. 

Hyde  (steel) facing    831 

The  Wason  Railway-Car  Works  (steel)..    "         831 

Portiait  of  D.  B.  Wesson  (steel) '•         832 

Elijah  Blake "         834 

Residence  of  0.  H.  Groenleaf. "         835 

"  the  late  M.  A.  Clyde "         836 

"  George  R.  Dickinson "         837 

Portrait  of  Rev.  Wm.  Rice,  D.D  (steel)..    "         838 

Residence  of  John  B.  Adams "         840 

"  the  late  Daniel  Hitchcock     "         841 

Portrait  of  James  E.  Russell "         842 

Portraits  of  Philip  and  Philo  F.  Wilcox, 

between       842, 843 
Portrait  of  Hon,  Warner  C.  Sturte van t.. facing    843 

Portrait  of  David  Ames "  844 

Portiait  of  Jolin  jMulligan "         845 

"  John  Goodrich "  846 

"         Horace  Jacobs,  M.D '•         847 

Samuel  Bowles  (steel) "  860 

'*  Di-.  Josiah  G.  Holland  (steel)     "  863 

Springfield  Union  Building 864 

Portrait  of  Hon.  HeTiry  Morris  (steel). ..fiu-ing    885 
"  Hon.   (.'hester  W*.  Chapin   (steel), 

facing    886 
"         Hon.  James  M.  Thompson  (steel), 

facing    887 
"  Hon.  Willis  Phelps  (steel)...     "  888 

James  D.  Brewer  (steel) bet.  888,  889 

"         Lewis  J.  Powers        "    facing    S89 

"  Orrick  H.  Greenleaf  (steel)..     "  890 

"  Daniel  D.  W'arren  (steel) facing  891 

"  George  R.  Dickinson  (steel)  bet.  8iK),  891 

"         Alexander  Birnie  "      facing    892 

"  Warren  H.  Wilkinson   "      bet.  892,  893 

"         Heniy  A.  Collins,  M.D.  (steel), 

bet.  892,  893 
"  Daniel  Hitchcock  (steel)....  "     892,893 

"  John  B.  Adams  "       ....  "    892,  893 

"  Milton  A.  Clyde         ''       facing    893 

"  Hon.   Wells    Southworth    (steel), 

facing    894 
"  Hon.  Edward  Snuthwortli  (steel), 

between  894,  895 
"  John  H.  Southworth  (steel)  facing    805 

Residence  of  AVells  Southworth,  New  Haven, 

Conn facing    896 


WEST   SPRINGFIELD, 
Residence  of  Joseph  Merrick 


-facing 


897 

Portrait  of  Cotton  Ely "  906 

Portrait  of  .\aron  Ashley between  906,  907 

"  James  P.  Ely "        906, 907 

''  Homer  Ely facing    007 

The  Fii-st  Meeting-Honse 908 

Big  Elm-Tree 911 

Ancient  Sehool-Honse 911 

Edson  Clark  Carriage-Manufactory facing    912 

Portrait  of  Henry  A.  Phelon "        913 

"         Norman  Day 914 

"  Heman  Day 914 

"         Col.  Edw'd  Pareons  (steel). ..facing    914 
Cul.  Aaron  Bagg  (steel) "        915 

HOLYOKE. 

City  Hall Tfacing  916 

Windsor  Hotel '. 917 

Holyoke  House 917 

Opera-House T.  917 

Map  of  Holyoke  in  1827 facing  918 

Parsons  Paper  Company  Mills 919 

"  "  Finishing-Mills 919 

Valley  Paper  Ctunpany  Mills 919 

Minting  PaperCompany  Mills  Nos.  1  and  2...  020 

Holyoke  Paper  Ctmiiwiny  Mills 920 

Excelsior  Paper-Mills 021 

Newton  Paper  Company  Mills 922 

Albion  Pai)er  Company  3Iills 922 

Wauregan  Pai)er-Mills 923 

Merrick  Thread-Mille 024 

Holyoke  Machine  Company  Works facing  924 

Residence  of  R.  P.  Crafts "  025 

Prentif's  Wire-Mills 026 

Springfield  Blanket  Company  Mills 927 

Rewdence  of  J.  F.  Allyn facing  928 

Portrait  and  Residence  of  S.  B.  Allyn... 

Country-Seat  of  Timothy  Merrick 

Connecticut  River,  looking  south  from  Holy- 
oke  facing 

Portrait  of  Hon.  William  Whiting    (steel), 

facing 
"  George   H.    Smith,    M.D.    (steel), 

l.tetween  934,  935 

"  James  H.  Newton  (steel) facing  935 

"  Moses  Newton 936 

"  John  C.  Newton  (steel) facing  936 

"  J.  I.  O'Connor,  M.D.  (steel)..bet.  936,  937 

"  Edward  C.  Taft  (steel)..between  936,  937 

'•         Joseph  C.  Parsons  (steel) fticing  937 

"  John  Delaney  (steel) "  938 

-      WESTFIELD. 

Residence  of  Henry  J.  Bush facing  940 

"           the  late  Col.  David  5Ioseley     "  942 

Normal  Hall "  950 

State  Normal  School. "  9.50 

Residence  of  Henry  Pease between  950,  951 

Portrait  and  Residence  of  Seth  Bush..    "    950,  951 

American  Vilnp  Co.'s  Manufactory facing  951 

Crane  Brothei-s'  Paper-Mills 952 

Portrait  of  Hiram  Harrison facing  954 

Residence  of  L.  F.  Thayer "  955 

Portrait  of  Hon.  William  G.  Bates 056 

"         Col.  David  Moseley  (steel). ..facinR  958 


930 
931 


931 


934 


Portrait  of  Milton  B.  Whitney  (steel)..bet.  958,  959 

G.  G.  Tucker,  M.D.  (steel)...   "    958,  959 

"  Henry  J.  Bush  (steel) fiicing    059 

CHICOPEE. 

Resitlence  of  Emerson  Gaylord facing    OGO 

"  JoIiJi  Andei-ton "         961 

The  Gaylord  Manufacturing  Company..     '*  974 

Residence  of  Samuel  Blaisdell,  Jr "  975 

Portrait  of  Jerome  Wells  (steel) "         976 

"  Robert  E.  Bemis  "      "  977 

"  A.  C.  Woodwortii  (stoel) "  978 

"  Saml.  Alvord,  M.D.  (eteel)...     "  980 

"  Orange  Chapin between  980,  981 

"  Chas.  McClallan,  dec'd.       "        980, 981 

"  Saml.  Blaisdell,  Jr.  (steel)... facing    981 

"         Emei-son  Gaylord  (eteel) "        982 

'*  Ezekiel  Blake  (8teel)...between  982,  983 

"  George  S.  Taylor  "     ...       *'        982,  983 

"  George  D.  Robinson  (steel). ..facing    983 

PALMER. 

Portrait  of  Alonzo  V.  Blanchard facing  992 

"         John  H.  Woolrich "  993 

Ridge's  Patent-Food  Factoiy "  993 

WILBRAHAM. 

Wesleyau    Academy     and     Board!  ng-Honse, 

facing  1010 
Portrait  and  Res.  of  John  M.  Merrick       "        1011 

MONSON. 

Portrait  of  Charles  H.  Blenick  (steel). .facing  1020 

KufusF.  Fay  (steel) "        1028 

J.  L.  Reynolds  (steel) bet.  1028, 1020 

Portrait  of  Dwiglit  W.  Ellis  (steel) facing  1029 

"         William  N.  Flynt  (steel) "       1030 

LONGMEADOW. 
Residence  of  F.  T.  Cordis facing  1043 

AGAWAM. 

Portrait  and  Residence  ofDr,  Cyrus  Bell. .facing  1048 

Portrait  of  Lewis  L.  Whitman "      1049 

Portrait  and  Residence  of  L.  W.  Fisk...      '*      1050 
Worthy  Paper  * 'ompany's  Mills,  Mitteneagne, 

facing  1052 
Residence  of  S.  R.  Johnson,  Feeding  Hills    "      1053 

CHESTER. 

Hampden  Emery  Company's  AVorke facing  1062 

Portrait  of  Dr.  Thaddeus  K.  De  W"olf...     '*        1063 
"  Dr.  Heman  S.  Lucas  (steel)    "        1064 

BLAXDFORD. 

Portrait  of  Watson  E.  Boise facing  1076 

Portraits  of  Thos.  and  Henry  K.  HeiTick     "        1077 

SOUTHWICK. 

Portrait  and  Residence  of  John  Boyle-.-faciug  1088 
Portrait  of  SardisGillett "        1089 

RUSSELL. 

Portrait  of  Ridand  Parks facing  1096 

HAMPDEN. 

Portrait  and  Res.  of  Sumner  Sessions... .facing  1108 
Poiti-ait  of  William  V.  Sessions "        1109 


HISTORY 

OF 


FRANKLIN  COUNTY,  MASSACHUSETTS.* 


CHAPTER    I. 

CIVIL  ORGANIZATION  — ORGANIC  ACT- COURTS 
AND  BOARDS  OF  COUNTY  COMMISSIONERS  — 
COUNTY    BUILDINGS-TAXATION. 

The  act  erecting  the  county  of  Franklin  was  approved 
June  24,  1811,  and  toolv  effect  from  and  after  Dec.  2,  1811. 

The  petitioners  for  the  new  county  were  Joshua  Green, 
Roger  Leavitt,  William  Taylor,  Jonathan  McGee,  Robert  L. 
McClellen,  William  Bull,  Hezekiah  Newcomb,  Stephen  Web- 
ster, Gilbert  Stacey,  Solomon  Smead,  Elijah  Alvord  (2d), 
Epaphras  Hoyt,  Medad  Alexander,  Justus  Russell,  Joseph 
Mctcalf,  Clark  Stone,  Asaph  White,  Somes  Root,  Samuel 
Bardwell,  Samuel  Rice,  Varney  Pearce,  and  Isaac  Taylor, 
who,  according  to  the  statement  set  forth  in  the  petition,  were 
inhabitants  of  Buckland,  Charlemont,  Heath,  Rowe,  Cole- 
raine,  Shelburne,  Leyden,  Bernardston,  Gill,  Greenfield, 
Deerfield,  Northfield,  Warwick,  Orange,  Wendell,  ]Mon- 
tague.  New  Salem,  and  the  plantation  of  Erving's  Grant. 

The  reasons  set  forth  for  the  division  of  Hampshire  County 
were  its  great  size,  the  distances  from  the  extremes  of  the  old 
county  to  the  county-seat,  and  the  consequent  expense;  the 
multiplicity  of  actions  and  delaj-s  of  trials.  The  petition  was 
presented  to  the  General  Court  on  the  28th  day  of  January, 
1811. 

Remonstrances,  adopted  in  town-meetings,  against  the  di- 
vision of  Hampshire  and  the  organization  of  Franklin  Coun- 
ties, were  sent  in  by  the  towns  of  Northampton,  Conway, 
Hawley,  Whately,  Leverett,  Easthampton,  Worthington, 
Chester,  Southampton,  Westhampton,  Goshen,  Williams- 
burg, Plainfield,  Cummington,  and  Norwich. 

A  communication  from  Westfield,  favoring  the  division  of 
Hampshire  into  three  counties,  was  also  sent  to  the  Legisla- 
ture. 

The  report  of  the  legislative  committee  in  favor  of  the  di- 
vision was  made  on  the  18th  of  June,  1811,  and  on  the  19th 
the  Senate  and  House  concurred. 

The  act  establishing  the  county  made  Greenfield  the  country- 
seat,  but  it  was  not  allowed  to  carry  off  the  honor  without  a 
long  and  bitter  controversy.  The  most  prominent  contestants 
were  the  towns  of  Greenfield  and  Deerfield.  The  principal 
movers  in  the  contest  were  Richard  E.  Newcomb,  Elijah  Al- 
vord, and  George  Grinnell  on  the  part  of  Greenfield,  and 
Epaphras  Hoyt,  Rufus  Saxton,  and  Pliny  Arms  on  behalf  of 
Deerfield ;  but  the  entire  county  was  stirred  up,  and  took  an 
active  part  in  the  various  movements  for  one  or  the  other  of 
the  principal  towns. 

In  November,  1811,  a  mass  convention  was  held  in  Green- 
field for  the  purpose  of  taking  action  to  procure  a  change  in 
the  organic  act  and  have  the  county-seat  removed  to  Cheap- 
side  (Deerfield)  before  any  public  buildings  were  erected  at 

*  Prepared  by  Saml.  W.  Diirant. 


Greenfield.  With  the  exception  of  two,  every  town  in  the 
county  was  represented  in  that  convention,  and  there  was  a 
great  amount  of  excitement. 

The  first  movement  was  to  draw  up  and  procure  signatures 
to  a  petition  for  the  annexation  of  the  northern  tier  of  towns 
in  Hampshire  County  to  Franklin  County,  but  while  the  in- 
strument was  lying  on  the  table  awaiting  the  signatures  of 
delegates — a  very  few  having  signed  it — it  suddenly  and  mys- 
teriously disappeared,  and  was  never  afterward  seen  or  heard 
of.  But  the  record  of  this  alleged  fraudulent  abstraction,  to- 
gether with  all  other  reasons  urged  for  removal  to  Cheapside, 
were  presented  to  the  Legislature. 

A  summary  of  the  claims  of  the  rival  towns  is  here  pre- 
sented :  For  Cheapside,  it  was  claimed  that  it  was  the  geo- 
graphical and  traveling  centre  of  the  county;  that  the  towns 
east  of  the  Connecticut  and  south  of  the  Deerfield  Rivers  could 
save  toll  by  leaving  their  horses  and  carriages  at  the  bridges 
and  paying  toll  only  as  foot-passengers ;  that  the  water  at 
Cheapside  was  excellent,  while  that  at  Greenfield  was  unfit 
to  use;  that  its  proximity  to  the  villages  of  Deerfield  and 
Greenfield  would  always  prevent  exorbitant  demands  by 
landlords  and  boarding-houses ;  that  all  kinds  of  common 
labor  and  material  were  much  cheaper ;  that  it  was  in  the 
midst  of  excellent  pasturage-lands,  surrounded  by  abundant 
forests  for  fuel,  and  contiguous  to  the  best  hay-fields  in  the 
county,  from  which  Greenfield  received  its  principal  supply ; 
that  it  was  the  head  of  boat-navigation  for  this  part  of  the 
country,  and  portions  of  Vermont ;  that  it  was  growing  in 
commercial  importance,  and  was  the  great  outlet  for  the  pro- 
duce of  the  farmer,  and  the  place  of  deposit  from  which  the 
greater  part  of  the  importations  of  the  country  were  received  ; 
that  it  was  pleasantly  situated  on  the  margin  of  the  Deerfield 
River,  overlooking  the  adjoining  meadows ;  that  the  people 
of  the  south  and  east  portions  of  the  county  would  be  obliged 
to  pass  through  it  to  get  to  Greenfield;  that  two  responsible 
gentlemen  stood  ready  to  build  two  taverns  the  following 
season,  and  that  every  desirable  accommodation  for  courts 
would  soon  be  furnished,  and  at  a  much  cheaper  rate  than  in 
Greenfield,  the  price  of  land  being  as  only  one  to  ten;  that 
Cheapside  subscriptions  in  cash,  land,  and  materials  exceed 
those  of  Greenfield  ;  that  a  large  majority  of  the  towns,  the 
people,  and  the  valuation  of  the  county  favored  the  change ; 
that  it  was  in  the  vicinity  of  a  quarry  of  excellent  stone  for 
building  purposes,  a  running  brook,  and  excellent  materials 
for  the  manufacture  of  brick;  that  it  was  nearer  Erving's 
Gore.t  from  which  most  of  the  necessary  lumber  must  come 
for  the  new  buildings ;  that  wood  was  sixty-seven  cents  per 
cord  and  team-work  twenty-five  per  cent,  cheaper  than  at 
Greenfield,  and  board  for  laborers  fifty  cents  per  week  cheaper; 
and,  finally,  that  a  gentleman  of  undoubted  responsibility  had 
offered,  in  writing,  for  nineteen  hundred  dollars  of  the  Cheap- 
side  subscription,  to  build  a  court-house  as  large  as  the  one  at 


t  Erected  into  the  town  of  Erving,  .\pril  17, 1838. 


5C5 


566 


HISTORY  OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


NorthaMipton,and  n  tiro-proof  clerk's  office,  and  turn  over  tlie 
remainder  of  the  subscription  to  help  build  the  jail. 

On  behalf  of  Greenlield  it  was  claimed:  First,  to  be  the 
territorial  centre.  Second,  the  traveling  centre  of  the  county. 
Tliird,  that  there  were  few  inhabitants  at  Cheapsidc, — being 
onlv  seven  houses,  and  five  of  those  very  small,  and  the  other 
two  unsuitable  for  tlie  accommodation  of  boarders.  Fourth, 
very  desirable  accommodations  at  Greenfield, — twenty  well- 
built,  commodious  dwellings,  and  the  most  considerable  place 
of  trade  in  the  county.  Fifth,  that  the  town  had  expended 
large  sums  in  the  construction  of  roads,  bridges,  and  turn- 
pikes for  the  accommodation  of  the  public ;  that  Greenfield 
had  built  most  of  the  Deerfield  Kiver  bridge  at  Cheapside, 
one-half  of  the  Connecticut  Kiver  bridge  at  Montague,  and 
one-eighth  of  the  great  turnpike  to  Leominster,  which  was 
|)rojccted  in  Greenfield,  and  cost  sixty  thousand  dollars. 

But  after  all  the  excitement  and  the  great  pressure  brought 
to  bear  upon  the  Legislature,  the  petitions  for  the  removal 
from  Greenfield  wore  rejected,  and  the  place  became  firmly 
fixed  as  the  county-seat ;  though  the  battle  between  Green- 
field and  Deerfield  was  continued  in  one  form  or  another  for 
sixty  years  or  more.  Repeated  attempts  have  been  made  to 
procure  the  annexation  of  that  portion  of  Deerfield  lying 
north  of  the  Deerfield  and  east  of  Green  Kiver  to  the  town  of 
Greenfield  ;  but,  notwithstanding  the  many  and  cogent  rea- 
sons given  for  the  necessitj'  of  such  a  step,  Cheapside  still  re- 
mains a  territorial  part  of  the  old  town  of  Deerfield,  though 
really  a  suburb  of  the  county-seat. 

But  the  growth  of  business  and  population  has  been  wholly 
with  Greenfield,  and  it  now  constitutes  one  of  the  busiest,  as 
it  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  and  wealthy,  interior  villages  of 
New  England,  and  the  grand  centre  of  an  assemblage  of  the 
finest  variety  of  scenery — rook,  hill,  mountain,  vale,  and 
waterfall — to  be  found  on  the  continent.  A  ride  of  fifteen 
minutes  from  the  court-house  places  the  tourist  in  the  "  Poet's 
Seat,''  on  the  summit  of  the  curious  trap  ridge  which  here 
skirts  the  "broad  Connecticut,"  and  four  hundred  feet  above 
its  sparkling  waters,  where  he  may  enjoy  a  scene  nowhere 
surpassed  for  beauty  and  variety. 

At  his  feet,  hidden  away  under  its  great  elms,  nestles  the 
picturesque  and  wealthy  village  of  Greenfield ;  over  his  left 
shoulder  lies  the  growing  village  of  Turner's  Falls,  the  coming 
great  city  of  the  valley,  enfolded  in  the  grand  curves  of  the 
Connecticut,  with  its  thundering  waterfall  and  its  Indian 
traditions  ;  on  the  east  and  west  rise  the  majestic  mountains  ; 
to  the  southwest  and  southeast  spread  the  broad  valleys  of  the 
Pocomtuclt  and  the  Connecticut,  with  the  quaint  old  village  of 
Deerfield,  of  historic  memories,  beneath  its  wide,  umbrageous 
trees ;  the  lofty  sand  rock  ridge  of  Deerfield,  and  the  over- 
topping heights  of  Mettawampe  in  the  centre  of  the  picture, 
and  the  dim,  undulating  line  of  hills  and  mountains  bounding 
the  far  horizon.  It  is  a  culmination  of  scenic  beauties  rarely 
equaled,  and  perhaps  nowhere  surpassed,  in  America. 

Between  the  date  of  the  incorporation  of  Franklin  County 
and  the  building  of  the  court-house,  courts  were  accommodated 
in  the  hall  of  the  old  Willard  tavern,  which  stood  on  the  north- 
west corner  of  Main  and  Federal  Streets,  on  ground  now  occu- 
pied by  Hovey's  block  and  the  Franklin  County  National 
Bank.  This  tavern  was  erected  by  Beriah  Willard,  and  was 
long  a  rival  of  the  old  Munn  tavern,  which  stood  on  the  oppo- 
site corner,  on  ground  now  occupied  by  the  Mansion  House. 

The  first  session  of  the  old  Common  Pleas  Court  was  held 
on  the  9th  day  of  March,  1812,  with  Jonathan  Leavitt,  asso- 
ciate justice,  presiding.  Edward  Bangs  was  the  chief-justice. 
Andrew  Adams,  of  Greenfield,  father  of  Peleg  Adams,  was 
foreman  of  the  traverse  jury,  and  Eli.sha  Alexander,  of  North- 
iicld,  was  foreman  of  the  grand  jury.  The  first  action  entered 
in  this  court  and  placed  on  the  record  was  that  of  Jerome 
Uipley,  of  Greenfield,  against  Kansom  Hinman,  of  Lee  ;  an  ac- 
tion on  th('  case.      Richard  English  Newcomh,  Esq.,  appeared 


for  the   plaintiff.      Defendant   was  defaulted,  and  judgment 
rendered  for  $29.11  damages  and  §7.71  costs. 

At  the  date  of  the  erection  of  Franklin  County  all  county 
business  was  transacted  by  the  old  Court  of  Sessions.  The 
fir.st  meeting  of  this  court  was  held  at  Greenfield,  March  3, 
1812,  with  Job  Goodale,  Esq.,  chief-justice,  and  Medad  Alex- 
ander, Ebenezer  Arms,  Joshua  Green,  and  Caleb  Hubbard, 
Esquires,  associate  justices. 

The  first  record  of  business  transacted  shows  that  the  court 
ordered  that,  in  consideration  of  the  payment  of  five  hundred 
dollars,  the  inhabitants  of  Greenfield  should  forever  have  the 
privilege  of  holding  town-meetings  in  the  court-house  about 
to  be  built.* 

The  ne.xt  business  was  to  divide  the  county  into  jury  dis- 
tricts, which  was  done  as  follows  : 

Firsi  Diaii-icf. — Deerfield,  Whately,  Conwaj',  Shelburne, 
Sunderland,  and  Leverett. 

Second  District. — Northfield,  Gill,  Greenfield,  Bcrnardston, 
Coleraine,  and  Leyden. 

Third  District. — Montague,  Wendell,  Shutesbury,  New 
Salem,  Orange,  and  Warwick. 

Fourth  District. — Ashfield,  Hawley,  Charlemont,  Buckland, 
Heath,  and  Kowe. 

A  committee,  consistingof  Eliel  Gilbert,  of  Greenfield;  John 
Arms,  of  Conway;  Ezekiel  Webster,  of  Northfield;  Charles 
E.  Robertson,  of  New  Salem;  John  White,  of  Whately; 
Hezekiah  Newcomb,  of  Leyden  ;  and  Roger  Leavitt,  of  Heath, 
was  appointed  to  procure  plans  for  the  public  buildings. 

At  the  April  meeting,  in  1812,  Eliel  Gilbert,  Esq.,  Capt. 
Ambrose  Ames,  and  Mr.  David  Ripley  were  appointed  a 
committee  to  superintend  the  erection  of  the  public  buildings. 
The  first  licenses  to  innholders  and  retailers  of  liquors  were 
granted  at  this  session,  the  number  of  applicants  amounting, 
in  the  county,  to  about  one  hundred  and  twelve.  The  jail 
limits  were  also  established  at  this  term. 

At  the  March  term  of  1813,  Elijah  Alvord  (2d)  was  ap- 
pointed commissioner  to  meet  the  commissioners  of  Hamp- 
shire and  Hampden  Counties  for  the  purpose  of  adjusting 
unsettled  matters  between  them. 

COUKT-HOL'SES. 

Appropriations  for  county  buildings  were  made  as  follows: 
1813,  12000;  1814,  $2100;  1815,  $1900;  1816,  $2160;  total, 
$8160.  These  amounts  probably  cover  the  cost  of  both  court- 
house and  jail,  which  were  probably  erected  in  1813. 

The  first  court-house  building  for  the  use  of  Franklin 
County  is  now  occupied  by  the  post-office  and  the  Gar-cttc  nnd 
Courier  office.  The  probable  expense  of  this  building  was 
about  $6,500. 

In  1822  the  offices  of  clerk  of  the  courts  and  Probate  were 
removed  from  the  court-house  and  located  in  the  building 
occupied  by  the  Franklin  County  Bank. 

NKW   TOWNS    AND   CHANGE.s. 

The  town  of  Monroe  was  erected  Feb.  21,  1822,  and  the 
town  of  Erving,  from  Erving's  grant,  April  17,  1838. 

On  the  2d  of  April,  18.38,  the  unincorporated  district  of  Zoar 
was  divided,  and  a  part  set  off  to  Charlemont  and  Rowe  in 
Franklin  County,  and  a  part  to  Florida,  Berkshire  Co. 

In  1836  the  commissioners'  books  show  an  expenditure  of 
$800  for  repairs  on  public  buildings,  and  in  1848  an  appropri- 
ation of  $2000  was  made  for  like  purposes,  though  the  record 
is  somewhat  indefinite  as  to  the  particular  building  repaired. 
The  amount  expended  in  1836  was  probably  upon  the  court- 
house. 

In  the  years  1848  and  1849  a  new  court-house  was  erected 
on  the  west  side  of  the  park,  and  on  ground  now  covered  by 

*  In  1814  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Society  of  Greenfield  was  permitted  Iiy  the 
court  to  occupy  llic  court-ronjn  for  u  few  inuntlis  pcinlini;  the  rrccti  >n  of  a  Imusc 
of  worship. 


HISTORY   OF   FRANKLIN    COUNTY. 


507 


the  new  building  erected  in  1872  and  1873,  and  of  which  it 
forms  a  part. 

The  money  raised  for  the  erection  of  the  new  buikling  was 
as  follows:  in  1848,  $3000;  in  1849,  $i300;  in  1850,  §3000; 
in  1851,  S1150;  in  18-32,  |1100;  in  18.33,  .$1,300;  in  18-34, 
$5700;  in  1855,  §5700;  total,  .524,150.  The  two  large  sums 
of  1854-55  most  likely  included  appropriations  for  a  new  jail, 
which  was  erected  in  1856.  The  total  county  tax  for  1848  was 
§9000. 

In  examining  the  books  and  records,  it  is  ne.vt  to  impos- 
sible to  determine  the  e.\act  amount  of  money  expended 
on  the  court-house  of  1848-49,  but  it  was  probably  under 
$20,000. 

Isaac  Damon  was  the  contractor.  The  county  commis- 
sioners of  that  year  were  Thomas  Nims,  Joseph  Stevens,  and 
Ebenezer  Maynard. 

The  amounts  expended  for  a  series  of  years  on  the  public 
buildings  were,  according  to  the  record,  as  follows :  1805, 
?300;  1807,  §-300;  1869,  ?4.30;  1870,  §-300;  1871,  $-300;  1873, 
$•500.  The  sum  for  1873  was  probably  wholly  ex])ended  on  the 
jail  and  house  of  correction. 

In  1872  and  1873  the  old  court-house,  which  had  served  for 
a  period  of  about  twenty-three  years,  was  remodeled,  enlarged, 
and  substantially  rebuilt.  The  lot  belonging  to  the  county 
was  considerably  enlarged,  and  the  space  around  the  building 
made  more  roomy  and  convenient.  The  county  commissioners 
in  office  during  the  time  of  its  construction  were  Nelson  Bur- 
rows, Richard  N.  Oakman,  and  George  D.  Crittenden.  The 
architect  was  Joseph  R.  Richards,  of  Boston;  the  contrac- 
tors, Timothy  E.  Stuart,  mason,  Asa  Lewis,  carpenter,  both 
also  from  Boston.  The  total  cost  of  this  new  and  substantial 
building  has  been  approximately  fifty  thousand  dollars.  Its 
extreme  dimensions,  including  projections  and  portico,  are 
about  one  hundred  and  fifteen  by  seventy-five  feet.  The  base- 
ment is  of  stone,  the  superstructure  of  brick.  It  is  two  stories 
in  height,  with  tower  and  slate  roof.  It  is  a  spacious,  ele- 
gant, and  well-arranged  building,  convenient,  and  well-lighted 
and  ventilated.  The  acoustic  properties  of  the  main  court- 
room appear  to  be  excellent.  It  is  heated  throughout  by 
steam,  lighted  by  gas,  and  supplied  with  abundance  of  the 
pure  "  Leyden  Glen  water,"  which  is  furnished  to-the  village 
from  the  hills  of  Leyden,  several  miles  away.  Altogether,  the 
Franklin  County  court-house,  considering  its  convenience  and 
adaptation,  its  architectural  appearance  and  reasonable  cost, 
is  one  of  the  best  and  most  satisfactory  to  the  people  of  the 
county  of  an3'  in  the  commonwealth,  reflecting  credit  alike 
on  its  projectors  and  builders. 

COUNTY   JAIL    AND    H0U.SE    OF    CORKKCTION. 

The  first  jail  for  Franklin  County  was  erected  probably  in 
the  same  year  with  the  original  court-house,  1813.  It  was 
constructed  of  wood,  and  stood  a  little  south  of  where  the 
Union  Hotel  now  stands.  The  cost  of  the  building  cannot  be 
precisely  determined  from  the  records,  as  the  appropriations 
named  and  expenditures  stated  include  both  court-house  and 
jail,  but  it  was  probably  from  one  thousand  to  fifteen  hundred 
dollars.  This  building  was  occupied  until  1831,  when  a  new 
one  was  erected. 

The  second  jail  was  constructed  of  stone  from  the  quarries 
in  Northfield,  the  amount  used  being  about  three  hundred  and 
fifty  tons,  equivalent  to  about  four  thousand  cubic  feet,  or 
thirty-one  and  one-quarter  cords  of  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
eight  feet  each.  An  appropriation  of  one  thousand  dollars 
was  made  for  the  erection  of  the  buikling  in  December,  1830, 
and  it  was  completed  during  the  following  year,  at  a  total  cost, 
according  to  the  commissioners'  account,  of  ■S4746.65,  of  which 
$770.23  was  paid  for  hauling  the  stone  from  the  quarries.* 


*  The  county  commissioners  at  that  "late  were  Horace  W.  Taft,  Tliomas  Long- 
ley,  John  .\rm6. 


The  building  was  thirty-eight  feet  square,  and  contained 
eleven  rooms.  During  the  period  of  its  construction  the 
prisoners  were  transferred  to  the  Hampshire  County  jail,  at 
Northampton,  for  safe-keeping.  This  structure  was  in  use 
until  the  comjiletion  of  a  third  one,  in  1850.  It  now  forms  a 
part  of  the  Union  Hotel. 

In  1855  the  necessity  for  a  new  and  enlarged  county  prison 
and  a  more  healthy  location  having  become  apparent,  steps 
were  taken  toward  the  necessary  changes  and  improvements, 
and  the  land  on  the  hill  now  occupied  was  purchased  at  a 
cost  of  three  thousand  dollars. 

The  present  county  jail  and  house  of  correction  was  built  in 
185G,  and  the  total  cost,  as  near  as  can  be  readily  ascertained, 
was  about  thirty  thousand  dollars,  including  land. 

The  basement  is  of  stone  and  the  superstructure  of  brick, 
with  stone  trimmings.  The  building  is  in  the  form  of  a  Latin 
cross,  with  additions  on  the  north,  south,  and  east.  The  total 
length  of  the  structure  is  about  ninety-three  feet,  and  the  ex- 
treme width,  not  including  additions,  about  fifty-six  feet.  The 
size  of  the  jail  or  prison  proper  is  thirty-eight  feet  four  inches 
by  fifty-three  feet.  The  front  building  is  two  stories  and  an 
attic,  and  the  prison  portion  two  stories.  There  are  two  tiers 
of  cells,  and  thirty-five  cells  in  all,  including  three  recently 
constructed  in  the  basement  for  the  confinement  of  desperate 
criminals  and  drunkards.  The  upper  story  of  the  prison  is 
occupied  as  a  workshop,  where  the  prisoners  are  at  present 
employed  in  bottoming  cane-seat  chairs.  The  front  building  is 
occupied  on  the  first  floor  by  the  office,  parlor,  sitting-room,  and 
kitchen,  and  on  the  second  floor  by  corresponding  chambers 
and  the  chapel,  which  is  over  the  kitchen.  The  sherift^s  family 
resides  in  the  building.  The  cells  lock  independently,  and 
also  in  sections.  There  is  in  the  centre  of  the  structure  a 
large  circular  tower,  ten  feet  in  diameter,  rising  above  the 
roof,  used  for  ventilating  purposes  and  for  chimney-flues.  The 
premises  are  well  ventilated,  and  connected  with  the  gas-  and 
the  water-works  of  the  town.  The  drainage  and  sewage 
are  good.  The  roof  is  covered  with  slate.  The  entire  estab- 
lishment is  in  thorough  order  in  every  respect,  and  well  con- 
ducted. 

In  man}'  respects  it  greatly  resembles  the  ordinary  State 
penitentiaries,  more  particularly  in  the  arrangement  of  the 
cells,  in  the  custom  of  employing  prisoners  at  some  kind  of 
profitable  labor,  and  in  the  length  of  terms  of  imprisonment, 
which  vary  according  to  the  discretion  of  the  court.  At 
the  present  time  there  is  one  woman  serving  a  term  of  seven 
years. 

When  a  prisoner  is  received  he  or  she  is  measured,  and  a 
minute  description  entered  on  the  records  of  the  institution. 
There  is  perhaps  only  one  unsatisfactory  feature  about  the 
establishment,  and  that  is  the  lack  of  some  provision  whereby 
persons  charged  with  crime  and  awaiting  trial  shall  not  be 
compelled  to  mingle  with  criminals  serving  terms  of  imprison- 
ment. The  location  is  very  fine  and  healthful  one,  and  cer- 
tainly as  unobjectionable  as  could  be  expected  in  one  of  its 
class.  A  chaplain  and  physician  are  provided  for  the  benefit 
of  the  inmates  at  the  expense  of  the  county. 

TAXATION. 

The  increase  in  taxation  for  county  purposes  has  probably 
more  than  kept  pace  with  the  increase  in  population  since  the 
formation  of  the  county.  The  first  account  of  the  treasurer 
in  1812  showed  receipts  of  §817.12.  The  first  county  tax  levied 
in  1812  was  §2.500.  The  following  figures  show  the  amounts 
raised  at  various  periods  for  county  ]iurposes :  1812,  §2500 ; 
1833,  §8000;  1844,  §6000;  1850,  §10,000;  1855,  §18,000;  1860, 
§20,000;  1870,  §25,000;  1873,  §35,000;  1878,  §28,000.  The 
tax  for  1879  is  something  less  than  for  the  previous  year. 
With  good  and  substantial  public  buildings  completed,  it  is 
probable  that  for  many  years  the  county  tax  will  steadily 
diminish. 


568 


HISTORY  OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


CHAPTER   XL 

FKANKLIN    CIVIL   LIST.* 

chief-justices'    COITRT    OF    SESSIONS. 

Jon  GooDAi.B,  1811  to  1818,  inclusive;  John  Hooker,  1819 
to  1821,  inclusive;   Elijah  Pjiino,  18L>2  to  1827,  inclusive. 

COUNTY    COMMISSIONERS. 

The  act  abolishing  Courts  of  Sessions  and  establishing  in 
their  stead  county  commissioners  was  approved  Feb.  26,  1828. 
The  commissioners  were  at  first  appointed  by  the  Governor 
and  council  for  three  years.  The  office  was  made  elective  in 
1835. 

John  Nevers,  Thomas  Longley,  John  Arms,  Horace  W. 
Taft,  Noah  Wells,  Isaac  Newton,  Jonathan  Blake,  Rufus 
Saxton,  Charles  Thompson,  Joseph  Stevens,  Thomas  Nims, 
Kbenezer  Maynard,  Austin  Rice,  Josiah  Goddard,  Lucius 
Nims,  Asia  Severance,  Hart  Leavitt,  Samuel  D.  Bardwell, 
Alfred  R.  Field,  Horace  Hunt,  Ansel  L.  Tyler,  Richard  C. 
Arms,  Davis  Goddard,  Alvan  Hall,  Nelson  Burrows,  George 
D.  Crittenden,  R.  N.  Oakman,  John  M.  Smith,  Carlos  Batch- 
elder,  Lyman  G.  Barton. 

SPECIAL    COMMISSIONERS. 

The  following  is  a  nearly  complete  list  of  those  who  have 
served  as  special  commissioners:-  Thaddeus  Coleman,  Rufus 
Saxton,  Richard  Colton,  Amos  Russell,  Thomas  Nims,  John 
Porter,  David  Wells,  Samuel  Giles,  Elijah  Ingham,  Jonathan 
Budington,  R.  B.  Hubbard,  Gardiner  Dickinson,  Albert  R. 
Albee,  H.  K.  Hoyt,  William  W.  Russell,  Nelson  Burrows, 
John  M.  Smith,  Albert  Montague,  William  C.  Carpenter,  and 
David  L.  Smith. 

Tile  names  of  both  commis.sioners  and  special  commission- 
ers are  only  given  once  ;  many  of  them  have  served  several 
terms  each. 

JUDGES    OF    PROBATE. 

1811. — Solomon  Smead,  of  Greenfield. 
1814. — Jonathan  Leavitt,  of  Greenfield. 
1821.— Richard  E.  Newcomb,  of  Greenfield. 
1849. — George  Grinnell,f  of  Greenfield. 
1853.— Horatio  G.  Parker,t  of  Greenfield. 
1854.— Franklin  Ripley,  of  Greenfield. 
1858.— Charles  Mattoon,  of  Greenfield. 
1870.— Chester  C.  Conant,  of  Greenfield. 

REGISTERS    OF    PROBATE. 

1811. — Isaac  B.  Barber,  of  Coleraine. 
1812.— Elijah  Alvord  (2d),  of  Greenfield. 
1841. — George  Grinnell,  Jr.,  of  Greenfield. 
1849.— Wendell  T.  Davis,  of  Greenfield. 
1851.— Samuel  O.  Lamb,  of  Greenfield. 
1858.- Charles  Mattoon,  of  Greenfield. 
1856.— Charles  Mattoon,J  of  Greenfield. 
1858.— Charles  J.  Ingersoll,J  of  Greenfield. 
1863.— Chester  C.  Conant,t  of  Greenfield. 
1870.— Francis  M.  Thompson,!  "f  Greenfield. 

DISTRICT  AND  COUNTY  ATTORNEYS. 

1811. — Elihu  Lyman,  Jr.,  Greenfield,  county  attorney. 

1811. — John  Nevers,  Northfield,  county  attorney. 

1812. — Samuel  C.  Allen,  New  Salem,  county  attorney. 

1821.— George  Grinnell,  Jr.,  Greenfield,  county  attorney. 

1829. — Richard  E.  Newcomb,  Greenfield,  county  attorney. 

1837^2.- Daniel  Wells,  Greenfield,  attorney  for  Western 
Di.strict  five  years. 

1844.— Wm.  Porter,  Jr.,  Lee,  vice  Wells,  appointed  chief- 
justice  Common  Pleas  Court. 

1849.— Wm.  Porter,  Jr.,  Lee. 


*  For  explanations   and  preliminary  remarks,  see  Chapter  II.,  History  of 
Hampden  County,  in  this  work. 

t  Resigned.  j  Elected, 


1851.- — Increase  Sumner,  Great  Harrington. 

1853.— Wm.  G.  Bates,  Westfield,  vice  Sumner. 

1854. — Henry  L.  Dawes,  Adams,  vice  Bates. 

1855. — Ithaniiir  F.  Conkey,  Amherst,  Northwestern  Dis- 
trict. 

1850. — EIrctnl,  Daniel  W.  Alvord,  Greenfield,  Northwest- 
ern District. 

18.59.— The  same. 

1862-66-08.— Samuel  T.  Spaulding,  Northampton. 

1871.— William  S.  B.  Hopkins,  Greenfield. 

1874.— Samuel  T.  Field,  Shelburne  Falls. 

1877.— Daniel  W.  Bond,  Northampton. § 

SH  ERIFFS. 

1811.— John  Nevers,  Northfield. 

1811. — Elihu  Lyman,  Jr.,  Greenfield. 

1814. — Epaphras  Hoyt,  Deerfield. 

1831-40. — John  Nevers,  Northfield,  sixteen  years. 

1847. — Samuel  H.  Reed,  Rowe,  five  years. 

1851. — James  S.  Whitney,  Conway. 

1853.— Samuel  H.  Reed,  Greenfield. 

1855. — Charles  Pomeroy,  Northfield. 

1856-68.— Samuel  H.  Reed,  Greenfield. 

1868-77.— Solomon  C.  Wells,  Greenfield. 

1877. — George  A.  Kimball,  Greenfield. 

CI-ERKS    OP    THE    COURTS. 

1811. — Rodolpbus  Dickinson,  of  Deerfield. 
1820.— Elijah  Alvord,  of  Greenfield. 
1840. — Henry  Chapman,  of  Greenfield. 
1852. — George  Grinnell,  of  Greenfield. 
1866.— Edward  E.  Lyman,  of  Greenfield. 

COUNTY   TREASURERS. 
1811.— Elijah  Alvord  (2d),  of  Greenfield. 
1812.— Epaphras  Hoyt,  of  Deerfield. 
1815. — Hooker  Leavitt,  of  Greenfield. 
1842. — Almon  Brainard,  of  Greenfield. 
1850. — Lewis  Merriam,  of  Greenfield. 
1802.— Daniel  H.  Newton,  of  Greenfield. 
1865. — Bela  Kellogg,  of  Greenfield. 
1876.— C.  M.  Moody,  of  Greenfield. 

REGISTERS   OF   DEEDS. 

1811.— Epaphras  Hoyt,  of  Deerfield. 

1815. — Hooker  Leavitt,  of  Greenfield. 
1842. — Almon  Brainard,  of  Greenfield. 
1856. — Humphrey  Stevens,  of  Greenfield. 
1872.— Edward  Benton,  of  Greenfield. 

MESSENGERS    OF    THE    COURT. 

Lucius  Dickinson,  John  Pinks,  Thomas  Rockwood,  Dexter 
Marsh,  Jonathan  M.  Mann,  Charles  Prink,  Maj.  H.  Taylor, 
George  S.  Eddy,  Rufus  A.  Lilly,  of  Greenfield. 

TRIAL-JUSTICES. 

The  present  justices  of  the  county  are  as  follows  :  Gorham 
D.  Williams,  Greenfield;  Hiram  Woodward,  Orange  ;  Samuel 
D.  Bardwell,  Shelburne  Falls;  Joseph  Root  and  Wm.  S. 
Dana,  Montague ;  Albert  Montague,  Sunderland  ;  Henry  W. 
Billings,  Conway ;  Silas  Blake,  Ashtiekl ;  Charles  Pomeroy, 
Northfield. 

REPRESENTATIVE   DISTRICTS.  || 

Apportionment  under  the  revised  constitution  of  1857 :  ra- 
tio of  votes  to  each  representative,  eight  hundred  and  fifty. 
— Eight  representatives. 

District  No.  i. — Bernardston,  Coleraine,  Greenfield,  Gill, 
Leyden,  Shelburne. — Two  repre.sentatives. 

§  The  district  now  includes  Hampshire  and  Franklin  Counties. 

II  For  explanations,  see  Chapter  II.,  History  of  Hampden  County,  iu  this  work. 


HISTORY  OF  FRANKLIN   COUNTY. 


569 


ViitrUf.  No.  2. — Buckland,  Charleraont,  Heath,  Monroe, 
Kowe. — One  representative. 

Dhtrir.t  No.  3. — Ashfield,  Conway,  Hawley. — One  represen- 
tative. 

Dintrict  Nil.  4. — DcertielJ,  Wliately. — One  representative. 

District  No.  5. — Leverett,  Shutesbury,  Sunderland,  Wen- 
dell.— One  representative. 

District  No.  6. — Erving,  Montague,  Northficld. — One  re]v 
resentative. 

District  No.  7. — New  Salem,  Orange,  Warwick. — One  rep- 
resentative. 

Under  the  apportionment  of  18G0  the  eount\'  was  allowed 
seven  representatives,  and  the  ratio  of  voters  to  each  was  fi.\ed 
at  ten  hundred  and  thirty  and  five-sevenths. 

Diitfict  No.  1. — Warwick,  Orange,  New  Salem. — One  rep- 
resentative. 

District  No.  2. — Montague,  Sunderland,  Leverett,  Shutes- 
bury, Wendell. — One  representative. 

District  No.  3. — Greenfield,  Coleraine,  Leyden,  Bernards- 
ton,  Gill,  Northficld,  Erving. — Two  representatives. 

District  No.  4. — Decrficid,  Shelburnc,  Whately,  Conway, 
Ashfield,  Hawley. — Two  representatives. 

District  No.  5. — Buckland,  Charlemont,  Heath,  Rowe, 
Monroe. — One  representative. 

Under  the  apportionment  of  1876  the  county  was  allowed 
six  representatives,  and  the  ratio  to  each  was  fixed  at  fourteen 
hundred  and  nineteen. 

District  No.  1. — Warwick,  Erving,  Orange,  New  Salem. 
— One  representative. 

District  No.  2. — Montague,  Sunderland,  Leverett,  Wendell, 
Shutesbury.— One  representative. 

District  No.  3. — Gill,  Greenfield,  Shelburne. — One  repre- 
sentative. 

District  No.  i. — Deerfield,  Conway,  Whately. — One  repre- 
sentative. 

District  No.  5. — Northficld,  Bernardston,  Leyden,  Cole- 
raine, Heath. — One  representative. 

jJistrici  No.  0. — Ashfield,  Buckland,  Charlemont,  Hawluy, 
Kowe,  Monroe. — One  representative. 

For  lists  of  representatives,  see  town  histories. 

In  addition  to  county  officers,  the  county  of  Franklin  has 
furnished  the  following  State  and  national  ofiicers  since  its 
organization : 

Governor. — William  B.  Washburn,  of  Greenfield,  from  1872 
to  1874. 

Licidcnant-Gorernor. — Henry  W.  Cushman,  of  Bernards- 
ton,  from  18-51  to  1853. 

United  States  Senator. — William  B.  Washburn,  1874-75.* 

Attorney-Oeneral. — Charles  Allen,  from  1867  to  1872. 


CHAPTER    III. 

FKANKLIN  DISTKICT  MEDICAL  SOCIETY. 

This  society  was  organized  at  Greenfield,  in  Januar}-,  1851, 
and  the  following  officers  were  elected  :  President,  Stephen  W. 
Williams,  Deerfield;  Secretary  and  Treasurer,  James  Deane, 
Greenfield  ;  Librarian,  Alpheus  F.  Stone,  Greenfield  ;  Coun- 
selors, Alpheus  F.  Stone,  G.  W.  Hamilton,  Stephen  W.  Wil- 
liams ;  Censors,  James  Deane,  E.  W.  Carpenter,  C.  M.  Dun- 
can. The  society  was  legally  sanctioned  and  authorized  by 
the  State  Medical  Society  on  the  3d  of  June  following. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  those  who  have  been  members  of 
the  society.  Those  marked  with  a  star  are  deceased.  Many 
others  have  removed,  and  a  few  who  are  not  marked  may 
have  deceased : 

*  Gov.  Washbura  was  also  a  member  of  the  38th,  3!)th,  40th,  4l8t,  and  42d 
Ct>ngresaes. 

72 


Orange.^ — Edward  Barton,  Robert  Andrews,*  J.  H.  God- 
dard. 

/)c<-;-/7>M.— Stephen  W.  Williams,*  K.  N.  Porter,  John  Q. 
Adams  McAllister,  Charles  A.  Packard,  D.  M.  Elliott,  Geo. 
M.  Read.  The  three  last  mentioned  at  South  Deerfield  vil- 
lage. 

Greenfield. — James  Deane,*  Daniel  Hovey,*  L.  D.  Seymour, 
Charles  H.  Spring,  Joseph  Draper,  Noah  Wells,  Jonathan 
W.  Osgood,  A.  C.  Walker,  C.  L.  Fisk,  Jr.,  Thomas  Wom- 
erslej'. 

Sliellmrne  Fn/l.'s. — Chenery  Puffer,*  Milo  Wilson,*  Stephen 
J.  W.  Tabor,!  J-  W.  Bement,*  A.  H.  Taylor,  Charles  E. 
Severance,  F.  J.  Canedy,  C.  M.  Wilson. 

Shelburne. — Charles  M.  Duncan. 

Ashfield. — Charles  L.  Knowlton,  James  R.  Fairbanks. 

Charlemont. — Stephen  Bates.* 

Buchlond. — Josiah  Trow. 

Coleraine. — A.  C.  Deane,  Charles  T.  Lyons,  Charles  Warren 
Green,  E.  S.  W^eston,  O.  H.  Lamb. 

Rone. — Humphrey  Gould.* 

Montague. — David  Bradford,*  E.  A.  Deane. 

Montague  City. — Charles  A.  Wilson,  E.  C.  Coy. 

Leverett. — Fayette  Clapp,*  David  Rice.* 

Northfiehl.—^\\\^\\  Stratton,*  Marshall  S.  Mead,  A.  B. 
Rice,  R.  C.  Ward. 

Warwick. — Gardner  C.  Hill,  Charles  Barber.* 

Heath. — Cj'rus  Temple. 

New  Salem. — A.  E.  Kemp,  Wni.  H.  Hills. 

Bernard.iton. — Noyes  Barstow,  William  Dwigbt,  Charles 
Bowker,  O.  A.  Wheeler. 

Conway. — E.  D.  Hamilton,  Martin  L.  Mead. 

Sunderland. — N.  G.  Trow. 

Gill.—E.  P.  Burton. 

Turner's  Falls.— S.  Walter  Scott,  C.  E.  Hall,  E.  R.  Camp- 
bell. 

Miller's  Falls. — Doremus  D.  Jacobs,  Charles  W.  Stock- 
man. 

Present  Officers. — President,  A.  C.  Walker;  Vice-President, 
C.  L.  Fisk,  Jr. ;  Secretary,  Treasurer,  and  Librarian,  Charles 
Bowker;  Censors,  C.  M.  Duncan,  Edward  Barton,  C.  E.  Sev- 
erance, A.  C.  Deane,  E.  C.  Coy  ;  Counselors,  J.  W.  Osgood, 
E.  A.  Deane,  F.  J.  Canedy ;  Commissioner  on  Trials,  K.  C. 
Ward;  Counselor  for  Nominating  Committee,  F.  J.  Canedy; 
Reporter,  G.  M.  Keed. 

Dr.  Alpheus  Fletcher  Stone?  was  born  in  Rutland, 
Worcester  Co.,  Mass.,  May  7,  1778.  In  his  younger  days  he 
taught  school  in  Connecticut,  and  probably  had  a  good  com- 
mon education  for  those  days. 

About  1798  or  1799  he  came  to  Greenfield,  where  he  entered 
the  office  of  his  elder  brother,  Dr.  John  Stone,  who  subse- 
quently removed  to  Springfield,  Mass.,  where  he  died.||  He 
continued  his  medical  studies  for  about  two  years,  and  com- 
menced practice  at  Greenfield  on  Christmas-day,  1801.  Here 
he  continued  in  active  business  for  fifty  3'ears,  and  bat'ame  one 
of  the  most  noted  and  successful  practitioners  in  this  region. 
He  was  famous  as  an  obstetrician,  and  probably  had  a  larger 
practice  in  that  line  than  almost  any  other  physician  in  the 
Connecticut  Valley.  He  had  a  great  reputation  in  the  treat- 
ment of  women  and  children,  and  was  a  man  of  most  urbane 
and  gentlemanly  deportment,  and  was  very  popular  among 
all  classes.  He  was  exceedingly  systematic,  and  always  punc- 
tual to  appointments.  During  the  last  twenty-five  years  of  his 
life  his  consulting  practice  was  very  extensive. 

t  The  names  of  towns  indicate  their  place  of  residence  at  the  time  of  uniting 
with  the  society. 

I  Df.  Tabor  is  now  Fourth  Auditor  of  the  Treasury  Department  at  Washing- 
ton, D.  C. 

g  Compiled  from  a  biographical  sketch  by  Stephen  W.  Williams,  M.D.,  written 
in  lyol,  and  puhli.slied  in  the  Boston  Meilicitt  itml  Surgical  Journal. 

1!  For  notice  of  Dr.  John  Stone,  see  Mo.lioal  Chapter  of  Hampden  County 
history. 


570 


HISTORY   OF   THE   CONNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


He  became  a  fellow  of  the  Massachusetts  Medical  Associa- 
tion in  1814,  and  was  one  of  its  counselors  for  twenty-five 
}-ears.  He  took  an  active  part  in  the  formation  of  the 
Franklin  District  Medical  Society,  founded  in  1851,  was  one 
of  its  counselors,  and  served  for  some  time  as  librarian.  In 
1813  lie  was  elected  an  honorary  member  of  the  American 
Esculajiian  Society  of  New  York.  In  18"2;j  he  received  the 
honorary  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine  from  Williams  Col- 
lege ;  in  1849  was  appointed  by  the  Massachusetts  Medical 
Association  a  delegate  to  the  American  Medical  Association  ; 
and  in  January,  1851 ,  was  elected  first  president  of  the  Frank- 
lin District  Medical  Society.  Dr.  Stone  died  Sept.  5,  1851, 
aged  seventy-three  years  and  four  months. 

He  was  three  times  married.  His  first  wife  was  a  daughter 
of  Beriah  Willard,  Esq.,  of  Greenfield;  his  second  was  Har- 
riett lUissell,  of  Itutland,  Mass.;  and  his  third,  Mrs.  Fanny 
C'u.shing  Arms,  widow  of  George  Arms,  Esq.,  of  Deerfield, 
whom  he  married  about  1820. 

His  son,  Charles  Stone,  was  a  graduate  of  "West  Point,  and 
served  during  the  Mexican  war  with  distinction,  rising  to  the 
rank  of  captain  in  the  regular  army.  Subsequently  he  visited 
Europe  to  perfect  his  military  studies.  At  the  opening  of  the 
great  Rebellion  in  1861  he  took  an  active  and  prominent  part, 
and  received  the  commission  of  brigadier-general  of  volun- 
teers. He  commanded  at  the  disastrous  battle  of  Ball's  Bluii', 
which  reverse  to  the  Union  arms  was  more  the  result  of 
errors  on  the  part  of  the  War  Department  than  of  any  fault 
in  the  commander.  He  soon  after  retired  from  the  service, 
and  subsequently  visited  Europe  and  Egypt,  where  he  entered 
the  army  of  the  khedive,  and  has,  by  his  thorough  military 
knowledge  and  soldierly  qualities,  won  the  high  distinction 
of  virtual  commander-in-chief  of  the  Egyptian  army. 

Dr.  Samuel  Stearns,  son  of  Charles  Stearns,  was  born  in 
Leyden,  Franklin  Co.,  Mass.,  June  29,  1792.  He  studied 
medicine  with  Dr.  Samuel  Norris,  of  Homer,  Cortland  Co., 
Jf.  Y.,  for  two  3'ears,  and  afterward  with  Dr.  George  Wins- 
low,  of  Coleraine,  Franklin  Co.,  Mass.  Sept.  22,  181G,  ho 
married  Luseba,  daughter  of  Capt.  Edward  Adams,  of  Cole- 
raine. He  practiced  medicine  in  Brookfleld,  Madison  Co., 
N.  Y.,  and  New  Haven,  Vt.,  previous  to  the  year  1821,  at 
which  date  he  returned  to  Coleraine,  where  he  remained  until 
1835,  when  he  removed  to  Greenfield,  Franklin  Co.,  JIass., 
where  he  continued  the  practice  of  his  profession  until  about 
the  year  1800,  when  he  l-.ecame  incapacitated,  by  reason  of 
spinal  disease,  from  active  business.  This  ditiiculty  was  super- 
induced by  a  fall  from  a  load  of  hay.  His  death  occurred  on 
the  16th  of  June,  1867,  at  the  age  of  seventy-five  years. 

Christopher  Deane,  M.D.,  was  a  native  of  Stonington, 
Conn.,  where  he  was  born  on  the  12th  of  August,  1783.  At 
an  early  age  he  removed  with  his  father  to  Coleraine,  Frank- 
lin Co.,  Mass.,  where  the  family  settled  on  a  farm.  His  edu- 
cation was  obtained  at  the  common  district  school  and  at  the 
Deerfield  Academy.  Succeeding  his  school-days  he  taught  a 
district  school  during  the  winter  months  for  several  years, 
and  studied  medicine  with  Dr.  Samuel  Ross,  the  fir.st  settled 
pliysician  of  the  town  of  Coleraine.  He  commenced  practice 
about  the  year  1807,  and  continued  uninterruptedly  until  his 
death,  July  25,  1854,  a  period  of  almost  half  a  century.  His 
practice  grew  to  extensive  proportions,  though  the  remunera- 
tion was  somewhat  disproportioned  to  the  amount  of  labor 
performed.  He  possessed  an  excellent  library  for  those  days, 
and  kept  himself  fully  abreast  of  the  progress  of  the  age, 
and,  probably,  somewhift  in  advance  of  his  contemporaries  in 
country  practice.  He  was  a  man  of  unassuming  manners, 
quiet  and  gentlemanly  in  his  bearing  toward  all. 

He  married  Sarah,  daughter  of  Dr.  Samuel  Ross,  by  whom 
he  had  thirteen  children, — six  sons  and  seven  daughters.  His 
sons  were  all  business  or  profeseional  men,  only  two  of  whom 
are  now  living, — Dr.  A.  C.  Deane,  of  Greenfield,  Mass.,  and 
one  in  California. 


Dr.  James  Deane. — This  eminent  physician  was  descended 
from  James  Deane,  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  of  Stonington, 
Conn.  Christopher  and  Prudence  Deane,  his  father  and 
nuither,  removed  from  Stonington  early  in  their  married  life 
til  Coleraine,  Franklin  Co.,  Mass.,  where  the  subject  of  this 
notice  was  born,  on  the  24th  of  February,  1801,  being  the 
eighth  child  of  the  family.*  The  home  of  his  cliildliood, 
which  was  a  very  humble  one,  was  situated  near  the  summit 
of  one  of  the  picturesque  hills  of  Western  3Ia.s.sachusetts, 
within  full  view  of  the  Grand  Monadnock  and  the  lesser  up- 
lift of  gray  Wachusett,  while  the  whole  vast  horizon  was 
bounded  by  a  magnificent  line  of  undulating  hills  and  moun- 
tains, with  the  intervening  space  filled  up  with  quiet  vales  and 
beautiful  pastoral  scenery.  He  was  from  his  early  years  a 
close  student  of  Nature,  watching  the  growth  of  the  forest- 
trees,  pondering  the  multitudinous  forms  in  which  she  arrayed 
herself,  and  adapting  himself  but  indift'erently  to  the  busy 
duties  of  farm-life.  His  education  was  such  as  the  district 
schools  of  the  time  aft'orded,  supplemented  by  one  term  at  the 
then  somewhat  noted  Deerfield  Academy.  He  also,  as  bis 
tastes  developed,  was  allowed  the  privilege  of  taking  lessons 
in  the  Latin  language,  under  the  instruction  of  Isaac  B. 
Barber,  Esq.,  an  attorney  of  his  native  tovvn.f  This  last  re- 
quired a  daily  journey  of  three  miles  on  foot  through  the 
woods.  The  entire  family  were  studiously  inclined,  as  is  illu.s- 
trated  by  the  fact  that  each  of  the  sons  became  in  turn  teacher 
in  the  district  school,  while  three  of  them  studied  medicine. 

When  James  was  nineteen  years  of  age  his  father  finally 
gave  up  the  idea  of  making  a  farmer  of  him,  and  consented 
that  he  might  seek  a  more  congenial  occupation.  He  accord- 
ingly made  his  way  to  that  goal  of  a  Yankee's  boy's  ambition , 
the  wonderful  city  of  Boston,  scarcely  comprehending  what 
he  wanted  or  why  he  went.  He  was  disappointed  in  finding 
employment,  and  after  a  few  daj's'  absence  returned  to  his 
father's  house.  About  all  the  remark  he  made  of  the  trip 
was,  that  "he  had  met  with  some  lonesome  places." 

But  he  could  not  content  himself  upon  the  farm,  and  upon 
arriving  at  his  majority  he  bade  adieu  to  his  home,  and,  coming 
to  Greenfield,  offered  his  services  to  Elijah  Alvord,  Esq.,  then 
clerk  of  the  courts  and  register  of  Probate.  Here  he  remained 
during  the  four  succeeding  years,  which  were  among  the 
happiest  of  his  life. 

While  in  the  employ  of  Mr.  Alvord,  he  began  the  study  of 
medicine  as  a  pupil  of  Dr.  Brigham,  an  eminent  practitioner 
of  Greenfield,  spending  a  few  hours  of  each  day  in  this  pur- 
suit. In  1829-30  he  attended  his  first  course  of  medical  lec- 
tures, given  by  Professors'  Delafleld,  Stevens,  Smith,  Beck, 
and  others,  of  New  York.  He  received  the  degree  of  M.D. 
in  March,  1831,  and  immediately  afterward  commenced  prac- 
tice in  Greenfield,  where  he  soon  established  an  excellent  rep- 
utation as  a  physician  and  surgeon,  and  eventually  built  up  a 
large  practice.  A  number  of  respectable  medical  gentlemen, 
at  various  periods,  located  in  the  place,  but  retired  from  com- 
petition with  him  after  brief  experience.  His  success  was 
steady  and  sure,  and  he  soon  took  the  first  rank  as  a  surgeon 
in  this  vicinity. 

His  services  in  the  department  of  surgery,  and  in  rare  and 
difficult  cases  of  disease,  were  in  demand  over  a  region  cover- 
ing a  radius  of  thirty  miles  around  Greenfield.  He  felt  the 
need  of  additional  knowledge,  and  in  1849  spent  several  weeks 
in  New  York,  studying  the  latest  and  most  approved  works, 
and  bringing  himself  fully  up  with  the  advance  thoughts  of 
the  time.  This  was  subsequently  of  immense  advantage  to 
him. 

His  experience  as  a  contributor  to  the  press  began  in  1837, 
with  a  communication  to  the  Boston  Medical  nnd  Surr/ieal 
Joiirnul,  and   continued  until  January,  18-55,  during  which 


*  He  was  half-brother  of  Dr.  Christopher  Deane,  previously  mentioned. 

f  L.itt-r  in  lifo  he  stndii'd  the  French  l.-inguage. 


HISTORY  OF  FRANKLIN  COUNTY. 


571 


period  his  correspondence  with  that  publication  was' extensive 
and  highly  appreciated. 

Asa  member  of  the  Franklin  District  Medical  Society,  and 
the  Massachusetts  Medical  Society  (of  the  latter  of  which  he 
was  vice-president  for  two  years),  he  prepared  and  contributed 
several  interesting  and  valuable  papers  and  addresses,  among 
which  may  be  properly  mentioned  a  communication  in  May, 
1855,  to  the  last-named  society,  upon  "The  Hygienic  Con- 
dition of  the  Survivors  of  Ovariotomy,"  a  paper  evincing  re- 
markable research  and  ability. 

But  Dr.  Deane's  extensive  reputation  did  not  wholly  rest 
upon  his  thorough  knowledge  of,  and  his  masterly  skill  in  the 
practice  of,  medicine  and  surgery. 

Great  as  were  his  attainments  in  his  legitimate  profession, 
he  added  new  laurels  by  his  investigations  in  the  fields  of 
geology  and  ichnology,  for  the  study  of  which  the  regions  of 
the  Connecticut  Valley  and  of  Western  Massachusetts,  gen- 
erally, ofler  most  excellent  opportunities. 

As  early  as  the  beginning  of  1835,  Dr.  D.,  in  common  with 
others,  had  noticed  the  remarkable  impressions  found  in  the 
shaly  strata  of  the  red  sand-rock  formation  of  the  Connecticut 
Valley,  slabs  of  which  had  been  quarried  and  used  as  flagging 
in  the  sidewalks  of  Greenfield.  People  often  noticed  them, 
and  jokingly  spoke  of  them  as  "bird  tracks"  or  "turkey 
tracks,"  without  giving  them  any  further  thought. 

But  Dr.  Deane  was  not  satisfied  with  a  cursory  glance.  To 
his  investigating  mind  here  was  a  leaf  from  Nature's  book 
opening  for  the  student,  which  promised  new  and  wonderful 
discoveries.  He  at  once  began  a  careful  investigation  by  vis- 
iting the  quarries  whence  they  were  procured,  and  on  the  7th 
of  March,  1835,  wrote  to  the  elder  Prof.  Hitchcock,  stating  j 
his  belief  that  the  impressions  were  made  by  the  feet  of  birds. 
To  this  proposition  Prof.  H.  replied  on  the  loth  of  the  month, 
declaring  that  "  they  could  not  be  the  result  of  organization*" 
But  the  doctor  reiterated  his  belief,  and  continued  his  re- 
searches. He  prepared  casts  and  sent  them,  with  a  written 
communication,  not  only  to  Prof.  Hitchcock,  but  likewise  to 
Prof.  Silliman,  editor  of  the  American  Journal  of  Science. 
This  was  in  April,  1835,  and  the  communications  met  with  a 
very  cordial  reception  from  Prof.  Silliman,  and  caused  Prof. 
Hitchcock  to  make  a  visit  to  the  locality  where  the  specimens 
were  obtained.  At  the  request  of  the  latter  gentleman  Dr. 
Deane's  communication  was  not  published  in  the  journal,  he 
promising  to  make  an  investigation  and  furnish  a  "  more  full 
and  satisfactory  paper." 

Dr.  Deane  continued  his  studies,  and  during  subsequent 
years  published  many  interesting  papers,  some  of  thena  ac-  i 
companied  by  most  elaborate  drawings.  In  1845  he  published 
a  paper  giving  a  description  of  what  he  denominated  "a  ba- 
trachian  reptile,"  and  in  1847  and  1848  gave  to  the  world  ac- 
counts of  different  species  of  quadrupeds. 

As  early  as  1842  he  forwarded  specimens,  accompanied  by 
a  letter,  to  Dr.  Mantell,  of  London,  England,  who  laid  them 
before  the  Geological  Society  of  London.  Mr.  Murchison 
subsequently  acknowledged  Dr.  Deane  as  the  "  first  observer" 
of  the  tracks,  and  the  thanks  of  the  society  were  unanimously 
tendered  him. 

In  1849  he  sent  a  verj'  elaborate  memoir,  accompanied  with 
many  plates,  to  the  American  Academy  of  Arts  and  Sciences, 
which  was  published  by  the  society.  Similar  papers  were 
published  in  1850  and  1856  by  the  Academy  of  Natural  Sci- 
ences at  Philadelphia,  in  one  of  which  he  first  describes  the 
minute  tracks  of  insects. 

During  all  these  years  he  was  busy  preparing  descriptions 
and  drawings  of  new  fossil  specimens,  with  a  view  to  future 
publication.  A  large  amount  of  this  work  was  presented  to 
the  Smithsonian  Institution  a  short  time  before  his  death. 

Justice  has  not  been  fully  meted  out  to  Dr.  Deane  by  the 
scientific  world  in  relation  to  his  connections  and  investiga- 
tions in  this  matter;  but  there  is  little  doubt,  among  those 


who  are  best  qualified  to  understand  the  whole  subject,  that 
he  is  justly  entitled  to  the  honor  of  being  the  first  to  investi- 
gate the  fo.ssil  foot-prints  of  the  valley,  and  to  give  scientific 
descriptions  and  conclusions  for  the  benefit  of  the  world. 

Dr.  Deane  married,  in  1836,  Miss  Mary  Clapp  Russell,  of 
Greenfield,  by  whom  he  had  three  children, — daughters,— 
who  all  survived  him.  His  death  occurred  in  the  very  zenith 
of  his  powers,  on  the  8th  of  June,  1858,  when  he  was  fifty- 
.seven  years  of  age.  His  funeral  obsequies  were  attended  by 
a  great  gathering  of  friends  and  acquaintances  from  all  the 
surrounding  region. 

Dr.  Deane  is  described  as  a  man  of  lofty  stature  "and  a 
well-knit  and  compact  frame,"  producing  a  most  commanding 
and  powerful  presence.  He  is  remembered  as  a  "  most  tender 
husband  and  loving  parent,"  who  ever  found  in  the  circle  of 
home  his  greatest  enjoyment.  His  political  and  religious 
opinions  were  based  upon  the  broadest  views  of  humanity,  and 
he  was  wont  to  remark  that  "  he  believed  no  profession  com- 
pared with  a  life  of  goodness."  In  all  the  relations  of  life  he 
bore  an  unblemished  reputation,  and  was  often  spoken  of  by 
his  professional  brethren  as  "the  beloved  physician."  His 
death  was  an  irreparable  loss  to  his  family,  to  the  profession, 
and  to  the  community. 

Dr.  Adam.s  C.  Dkane,  the  son  of  Dr.  Christopher  Deane, 
was  born  in  Coleraine,  Franklin  Co.,  Mass.,  Sept.  23, 1823.  He 
studied  medicine  with  his  father,  and  received  his  collegiate 
education  at  the  L^niversity  of  New  York,  where  he  graduated 
in  1849.  He  began  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  his  native 
town,  in  connection  with  his  father,  and  continued  until  1858, 
when  he  removed  to  Greenfield,  where  he  has  since  resided, 
and  has  built  up  an  extensive  practice  and  an  honorable  repu- 
tation as  a  professional  man  and  prominent  citizen. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Massachusetts  Medical  Association, 
and  has  been  a  member  of  the  Franklin  District  Medical  So- 
ciety since  its  first  organization,  in  1851.  Early  in  the  war  of 
the  Rebellion  he  was  appointed  by  Gov.  Andrew  examining 
surgeon  for  volunteers,  which  position  he  held  through  the 
war.  He  was  also  medical  examiner  for  pensions,  from  the 
organization  of  the  bureau  until  1877,  having  been  the  first 
appointed  in  this  region.  In  1856  he  was  elected  to  the  civil 
position  of  representative  to  the  General  Court  from  his  dis- 
trict. Dr.  Deane  married,  on  the  1st  of  June,  1855,  Maria 
Louise,  daughter  of  Joseph  Griswold,  of  Coleraine. 

Dr.  Jonathan  W.  D.  Osgood  was  born  at  Gardner,  Mass., 
in  1802.  His  father  was  Rev.  Jonathan  Osgood,  a  native  of 
Andover,  Mass.,  and  a  graduate  of  Yale  College.  He  was 
also  a  practitioner  of  medicine  for  thirty  years,  and  a  member 
of  the  Massachusetts  Medical  Association.     He  died  in  1822. 

Dr.  Osgood  entered  the  academical  department  of  Dart- 
mouth College  in  1823,  from  which  he  graduated  in  1826,  un- 
der the  tutelage  of  Dr.  Muzzy.  He  also  attended  and  gradu- 
ated at  the  Pennsylvania  University  in  1826-27.  He  subse- 
quently attended  medical  lectures  at  the  last-named  institution, 
and  visited  the  hospitals  of  Philadelphia  for  eight  months. 
His  regular  jiraclice  began  in  1827,  at  Templeton,  Mass., 
where  he  remained  for  a  period  of  thirty  years.  In  1858  he 
removed  to  Greenfield,  where  he  has  since  continued  in  the 
practice  of  medicine.  He  became  a  member  of  the  Massa- 
chusetts Medical  Association  in  1828,  and  was  its  vice-presi- 
dent in  1876.  He  was  for  a  long  time  connected  with  the 
medical  society  of  Worcester  County,  and  is  a  member  of  the 
Franklin  District  Society. 

When  the  war  of  the  Rebellion  broke  out  he  was  too  old  to 
enter  the  service,  but  visited  New  Orleans  during  the  contest, 
where  he  had  a  son  sick  in  the  service.  Dr.  Osgood  has  been 
in  continuous  practice  for  fifty-two  years,  and  since  1847  has 
been  disabled  from  attending  to  his  business  only  two  days. 
At  the  age  of  seventy-seven  years  he  is  remarkably  well  pre- 
served, both  physically  and  mentally,  and  although  his  hair 
is  white  with  the  frosts  of  almost  fourscore  years  he  is  com- 


573 


HISTORY  OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


pui-fttivcly  liiile  and  hearty,  and  attends  regularly  to  tlie  duties 
of  his  calling. 

Dr.  Osgood  has  been  twice  married.  His  first  wife  was 
Eliza,  daughter  of  Lewis  Barnard,  a  prominent  farmer  of 
Worcester  Co.,  Mass.,  whom  he  married  June  2,  1834,  and 
who  died  April  13,  1885,  leaving  one  son — Walter  B.,  born 
April  (5,  183.5;  died  March  10,  1872.  For  his  second  wife  he 
married,  June  26,  1888,  M.  Florella,  daughter  of  Dr.  James 
Stone,  of  Phillipstown,  Worcester  Co.  She  died  A\ig.  8, 
1808,  leaving  three  children, — two  daughters  and  one  son, — 
all  now  living. 

Dr.  Auuustu.s  C.  Walker  was  born  in  Barnstead,  N.  H., 
June  9,  1833.  He  is  the  son  of  Joseph  A.  Walker,  a  farmer 
of  that,  town,  whose  ancestors  were  among  the  earliest  settlers 
about  Portsmouth,  N.  H.  He  studied  medicine  with  Dr.  L.  J. 
Hill,  of  Dover,  and  Dr.  A.  B.  Crosby,  of  Hanover,  N.  H.,and 
graduated  at  the  medical  department  of  Harvard  University 
in  18(1(3.  During  the  war  he  was  a.ssistant  surgeon  of  the  133d 
New  York  Infantrj-  Volunteers,  and  surgeon  of  the  18th  New 
York  Cavalry.  He  commenced  the  practice  of  medicine  in 
Kew  York  City  in  April,  1806,  but  only  remained  until 
August  of  the  same  year,  when  he  removed  to  Greenfield, 
Mass.,  where  he  has  since  been  in  practice.  He  became  a 
member  of  the  Massachusetts  Medical  Society  in  1806,  and  at 
present  holds  the  position  of  president  of  the  Franklin  Dis- 
trict Medical  Society.  He  has  been  surgeon  of  a  Massachu- 
setts militia  regiment,  and  also  surgeon  for  examining  dis- 
abled soldiers  applying  for  State  aid.  From  1809  to  1879  he 
was  physician  for  the  county  jail  and  house  of  correction. 
Dr.  A.  C.  Deane  succeeded  him  in  1879.  Dr.  Walker  mar- 
ried, Sept.  8,  1802,  Maria  Churchill  Grant,  daughter  of  Sidney 
S.  Grant,  of  Lyme,  N.  H.    They  have  three  children,  all  sons. 

The  Williams  family,  of  Deerfield,  has  produced  a  number 
of  eminent  physicians.  Notices  of  several  of  them  may  be 
found  in  the  history  of  the  town  of  Deerfield,  furnished  to 
this  volume  by  Hon.  George  Sheldon.  The  following  notice 
of  Dr.  William  Stoddard  Williams  is  compiled  from  a  biog- 
raphy by  his  son,  Dr.  Stejihen  W.  Williams,  published  in  his 
"American  Medical  Biography"  in  184-5. 

Dr.  William  Stoddard  Williams,  the  son  of  Dr.  Thos. 
Williams,  the  first  physician  who  settled  in  Deerfield,  was 
born  in  that  historic  town  Oct.  11,  1762.  His  father  died 
while  he  was  very  young,  but  this  untoward  event  did  not 
prevent  him  from  devoting  his  time  to  study.  About  1780  he 
entered  Yale  College,  where  he  continued  a  year  or  two,  but 
never  graduated. 

About  1782-83  he  commenced  the  study  of  medicine  with 
Dr.  Sargeant,  of  Stockhridge,  Mass.,  a  very  eminent  physician, 
and  for  many  years  a  worthy  member  of  the  Massachusetts 
Medical  Society.  Here  he  continued  two  years,  at  that  period 
the  usual  time  of  professional  study.  About  178-5  he  began  to 
practice  his  profession  at  Kichmond,  in  Berkshire  Count}', 
where  he  remained  something  less  than  a  year.  Soon  after, 
he  settled  permanently  in  Deerfield,  where,  in  spite  of  numer- 
ous embarrassments  and  discouragements,  he  finally  established 
an  extensive  and  honorable  business,  which  continued  to  the 
day  of  his  death.  In  the  year  1800  he  was  elected  a  Fellow 
of  the  Massachusetts  Medical  Society,  which  connection  was 
maintained  until  1819,  when  he  resigned  the  position  on  ac- 
count of  the  ditficulties  in  the  way  of  attending  the  society 
meetings,  which  were  held  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  State. 
In  1794  he  was  appointed  by  the  Governor  surgeon  of  the  2d 
Kegiment,  2d  Brigade,  and  4th  Division  of  Massachusetts 
Militia,  which  position  he  held  with  honor  for  sixteen  years. 
He  received  from  Williams  College,  in  1823,  the  honorary 
degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine.  In  the  year  1800  he  was  com- 
missioned a  justice  of  the  peace  for  his  native  town  ;  and  such 
was  his  standing  among  the  jieople  and  with  the  civil  author- 
ties  that  he  ever  afterward  held  the  office. 

He  was  one  of  the  trustees  of  the  Deerfield  Academy  from 


its  incorporation,  in  1797,  and  from  1803  was  secretary  and 
treasurer  of  the  instiution.  He  was  town  clerk  for  nineteen 
years,  and  filled  se.veral  other  important  town  offices  for  many 
years.  He  was  also  for  a  long  period  clerk  of  the  First  Con- 
gregational Society  in  Deerfield. 

He  was  a  great  and  attentive  reader,  and  possessed  one  of 
the  best  medical  libraries  in  the  country,  sending  regularly 
to  Europe  for  standard  works  not  obtainable  (at  that  time)  in 
this  country. 

His  practice  was  extensive,  and  his  services  as  a  counselor 
were  in  greater  demand  than  those  of  any  physician  in  the 
county.  He  was  often  called  to  visit  places  in  the  States  of 
Vermont  and  New  Hampshire,  and  the  various  towns  of 
Franklin,  Bei'kshire,  Hampden,  and  Worcester  Counties,  in 
Massachusetts. 

He  was  verv  attentive  to  his  patients,  and  his  presence  in 
the  sick-room  was  perhaps  of  cqinil  avail  with  his  prescrip- 
tions. He  was  wont  to  spend  hours,  and  sometimes  days,  at 
the  bedside,  watching  with  the  utmost  attention  the  varying 
]ihases  of  disease. 

In  the  department  of  obstetrics  his  practice  was  very  exten- 
sive and  successful,  as  was  also  his  knowledge  and  treatment 
of  children's  diseases. 

He  was  theoretically  well  acquainted  with  surgery,  and  had 
considerable  practice,  but  in  his  later  years  did  not  perform 
many  capital  operations.  In  dressing  and  treating  wounds 
and  amputations  he  held  a  foremost  place  in  the  profession. 

Dr.  Williams  educated  a  large  number  of  students  in  the 
profession,  all  of  whom,  so  far  as  known,  became  good  phj-si- 
cians,  and  many  rose  to  eminence. 

So  solid  was  his  reputation  among  his  professional  brethren 
that  his  son  mentions  it  as  a  well-known  fact  that  he  was  em- 
ployed, first  and  last,  in  the  family  of  nearly  every  physician 
in  this  region.  He  was  very  kind  to  the  poor,  and  as  evidence 
of  this  it  is  stated  by  his  biographer  that  more  than  one-third 
of  his  book  accounts  were  never  collected,  and  could  not  have 
been.  He  was  temperate  and  abstemious  in  his  living,  and 
rarel}'  tasted  liquors  of  any  kind. 

He  died,  after  a  severe  though  brief  illness,  Jan.  8,  1828. 
His  funeral  was  attended,  on  the  11th,  by  a  vast  concourse  of 
friends  and  citizens,  including  no  less  than  eighteen  of  his 
medical  brethren  from  Deerfield  and  the  adjoining  towns. 
His  biographer  closes  an  excellent  notice  of  him  in  these 
words : 

"  As  a  ieIiy;ioils  and  moral  man.  as  a  teii'ler  hnsljand  and  an  afrecti()nate  parent, 
as  an  hotioialde  man  and  an  eminent  plijBivian,  his  family,  his  townsmen,  ami 
the  cammunity  bewail  his  loss  as  one  of  no  ordinary  magnitude." 

Dr.  Ebenezer  Barnard  was  born  at  Deerfield,  Mass.,  in 
1745.  His  father  was  Joseph  Barnard,  whose  ancestors  settled 
on  the  shores  of  Massachusetts  Bay  about  the  year  1630.  A 
branch  of  the  family  came  to  Deerfield  soon  after  the  first  set- 
tlement of  the  place,  in  1672.  Joseph  Barnard,  grandfather 
of  Dr.  Ebenezer,  was  killed  by  the  savages  in  Deerfield  South 
Meadows  in  1095. 

Dr.  Barnard  belonged  to  a  comparative!}'  wealthy  family, 
and  received  an  excellent  education,  graduating  at  Harvard 
University  in  1765,  when  twenty  years  of  age.  He  subse- 
quently studied  medicine  two  years  with  Dr.  Lemuel  Barnard, 
a  relative,  of  Shetfield,  Mass.  About  1767-68  he  established 
himself  in  practice  at  Deerfield,  and  remained  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  in  1790,  when  he  was  only  forty-five  years  of 
age.  He  stood  high  in  his  profession,  and  was  one  of  the  most 
noted  surgeons  of  his  time  in  Western  Massachusetts.  He 
possessed  a  very  fine  library,  and  his  business  was  extensive. 

Dr.  Henry  Wells. — Among  the  eminent  physicians  who 
have  been  citizens  of  Franklin  County  may,  with  great  pro- 
priety, be  mentioned  the  name  of  Dr.  Henry  Wells,  who  was 
born  in  the  city  of  New  York  in  1742.  At  the  remarkably 
early  age  often  years  he  entered  Princeton  College,  New  Jer- 
sey, from  which  he  graduated  at  tlie  age  of  fourteen.     Subse- 


HISTORY  OP  FRANKLIN  COUNTY. 


573 


quentlj'  he  studied  medicine  for  four  years  with  Dr.  Hull,  of 
Connecticut,  and  afterward  studied  for  three  years  in  New 
York  City.  It  is  also  .stated  by  some  of  his  biographers  that 
he  studied  divinity  for  a  short  time. 

His  fatlier  was  an  adherent  of  the  roynl  cause  during  the 
Bevohition,  and  as  a  consequence  had  his  property  confiscated. 

Dr.  Wells,  about  the  time  of  the  war,  removed  to  Brattle- 
boro',  Vt.,  where  he  practiced  for  several  j'ears.  The  duties 
of  a  physician  in  such  a  rough  country  were  very  severe,  and 
he  accordingly  removed  to  Montague,  in  Franklin  Co  ,  ilass., 
where  he  supposed  his  labors  would  be  somewhat  easier. 
Here  his  practice  assumed  important  proportions,  and  he 
often  visited  Albany,  N.  Y.,  Hanover,  N.  H.,  and  many  parts 
of  Vermont,  New  Hampshire,  and  Connecticut.  He  possessed 
in  a  marked  degree  the  confidence  of  his  professional  brethren, 
and  was  much  extolled  by  Dr.  Nathan  Smith,  Dr.  Twitchell, 
and  other  eminent  medical  men.  He  became  a  me]nber  of 
the  Massachusetts  Medical  Society  in  1785,  and  continued  his 
fellowship  until  his  death,  in  1814.  During  a  considerable 
portion  of  the  time  he  occupied  the  position  of  counselor.  In 
1800  he  received  the  honorary  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine 
from  Dartmouth  College. 

Dr.  Wells  belonged  to  the  old  school  of  gentlemen,  and  was 
wont  to  be  called,  by  those  who  knew  him  intiinalely,  one  of 
"  Nature's  noblemen."  His  dress  usually  consisted  of  velvet 
or  buckskin  breeches,  long  jacket,  or  waistcoat,  with  flapped 
pockets,  and  a  broad-brimmed,  low-crowned  hat,  giving  him 
much  the  appearance  of  a  Quaker.  He  was  a  heavy,  broad- 
chested  man,  inclined  to  corpulency,  and  is  said  to  have  greatly 
resembled  Dr.  Franklin,  and  also  the  Eev.  Dr.  Smith,  of 
Princeton,  N.  J.  He  was  urbane,  cheerful,  and  gentlemanly 
in  the  presence  of  his  patients,  many  of  whom  almost  wor- 
shiped him. 

A  most  remarkable  and  deplorable  accident  many  years  after 
his  death  deprived  the  world  of  the  results  of  his  experience. 
All  his  manuscripts  and  account-books  were  in  the  possession 
of  his  son.  Dr.  llichard  Wells,  of  Canandaigua,  N.  Y.  A 
crazy  man  entered  his  oflSce  one  morning,  when  presumably  no 
one  was  in,  where  he  stripped  himself  and  burned  his  own  cloth- 
ing, and  proceeded  to  commit  to  the  flames  the  wearing  apparel 
of  Dr.  Wells'  hired  man,  the  ofhcc  furniture,  books,  manu- 
script, etc.,  including  Dr.  Henry  Wells'  daj'-books  and  ledgers 
from  1824  to  1832,  destroj'ing  completely  nearly  all  the  doc- 
tor's writings. 

Dr.  Wells'  death  occurred  on  the  24th  of  August,  1814,  at 
the  age  of  seventy-two  years. 

Dr.  Samuel  Church  was  born  in  Amherst,  Mass.,  in  1756. 
He  was  a  graduate  of  Harvard  University  in  1778,  and  studied 
medicine  with  Dr.  Coleman,  of  Amherst,  who  was  a  man  of 
some  celebrity.  He  commenced  the  practice  of  his  profession 
in  Sunderland,  where  he  continued  until  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred in  1826,  when  he  was  seventy  years  of  age.  From  1816 
to  1823  he  was  a  member  of  the  Massachusetts  Medical  Asso- 
ciation. He  was  for  many  years  a  justice  of  the  peace  in  Sun- 
derland, and  during  his  later  years  transacted  more  legal  than 
medical  business.  Dr.  Williams,  in  his  medical  biography, 
says  of  him : 

"Dr.  Cliiirch  was  always  a  judicious,  but  ratlier  a  timid,  practitioner  of  medi- 
cine. His  judgment  in  relation  to  diseases  was  disci  iminatiug  and  verj'  correct, 
but  he  never  administered  liis  remedies  with  so  lx)ld  and  unsparing  a  hand  as 
many  of  his  professional  brethren.  In  his  manners  he  was  affable  and  polite, 
but  modest  and  retiring.  He  never  sought  business,  but  was  ready  to  attend  to 
calls  whenever  they  were  made." 

He  was  plain  in  his  dress  and  manners,  and  was  considered 
a  good  and  correct  writer,  though  he  published  very  few  of  the 
productions  of  his  brain.  A  voliune  of  his  medical  notes  was 
lost  with  his  son  and  the  steamer  "Lexington,"  on  Long 
Island  Sound,  in  January,  1840.  He  was  a  poetical  writer  of 
more  than  ordinary  ability,  and  Dr.  Williams  states  that  he 
left  three  manuscript  volumes  of  poems  of  more  than  average 
merit.     lie  had  a  great  vein  of  humor  and  a  most  read}'  wit, 


as  the  following  anecdote,  related  by  his  biographer,  fully 
verifies ; 

"Dr.  Hunt,  of  Northampton,  who  kept  a  dnig-store,  and  of  whom  Dr.  Church 
procured  bis  mcflicine,  wa^  also  a  man  of  unbounded  humor.  He  once  called 
upon  Dr.  Church  for  the  settlement  of  a  bill  in  the  following  words: 

" '  Dr.  Church  ;  Dear  Sir, — I  am  in  want  of  a  fat  hog ;  please  send  it,  or 

"  'Ebenezee  Hum.' 
"  Dr.  Church  replied  as  follows : 

"  '  Dr.  Hunt:  Dear  Sir, — I  have  no  fat  hog;  and  if  I  Imd 

"'SA.MUEI,  Chi-roh.' " 

Dr.  Samuel  Prentiss. — A  prominent  physician  and  sur- 
geon, who  resided  for  a  number  of  years  in  Franklin  County, 
was  Dr.  Samuel  Prentiss,  the  lather  of  Hon.  Samuel  Prentiss, 
United  States  Senator  from  Vermont.  Dr.  Prentiss  was  born 
in  Stonington,  New  London  Co.,  Conn.,  in  1759.  His  father 
was  Col.  Samuel  Prentiss,  who  was  a  soldier,  and  rose  to  the 
rank  of  colonel,  in  the  Kevolutionary  army.  Dr.  Prentiss  re- 
ceived a  good  academical  education,  and  studied  medicine  with 
Dr.  Philip  Turner,  of  Norwich,  Conn.,  one  of  the  most  eminent 
American  surgeons  of  his  day.  The  young  man  entered  the 
army,  and  acted  for  some  time  as  military  waiter  for  his 
father  ;  subsequently,  after  studying  his  profession,  he  entered 
the  service  as  assistant  surgeon,  and  acquired  a  great  amount 
of  practical  knowledge  of  his  profession. 

After  the  war  be  married  a  daughter  of  Capt.  Holmes,  of 
Stonington,  Conn.,  and  soon  after  removed  to  Worcester, 
Mass.,  where  he  resided  several  years. 

About  178lj  he  removed  to  Northfield,  Mass.,  and  during 
the  continiuince  of  the  notorious  Shaj's  rebellion  was  a  zeal- 
ous and  active  supporter  of  the  State  government.  His  prac- 
tice as  a  surgeon  while  living  at  Northfield  was  very  exten- 
sive, and  his  ride  extended  into  all  the  western  counties  of 
Ma.ssaehusetts  and  the  adjacent  parts  of  New  Hampshire  and 
Vermont.  This  was  largely  due  to  the  fact  that  he  was  almost 
the  only  operating  surgeon  then  in  this  region. 

Dr.  Prentiss  was  admitted  a  member  of  the  Massachusetts 
Medical  Society  in  1810,  at  which  time  he  was  a  resident  of 
Bernardston.  This  membership  continued  until  the  time  of 
his  death,  which  occurred  at  Northfield,  in  the  year  1818, 
when  he  was  fifty-nine  years  of  age.  Four  sons  survived  him, 
three  of  whom  rose  to  eminence  at  the  Bar  in  the  States  of 
Vermont  and  New  York  and  in  the  then  Territorj'  of  Wis- 
consin. 

Dr.  Pardon  Haynes. — This  gentleman  was  born  in  New 
London,  Conn.,  Feb.  2,  1762.  When  he  was  fifteen  years  old 
his  father  removed  to  Hoosac.  During  the  Revolutionary  war 
he  served  a  short  enlistment  in  the  American  army. 

He  studied  medicine  with  an  elder  brother,  and  commenced 
practice  in  Hebron,  W^ashington  Co.,  N.  Y.  ;  but,  not  feeling 
satisfied  with  his  situation,  he  soon  removed  to  the  town  of 
Rowe,  Franklin  Co.,  Mass.  In  that  town  he  lived  and  prac- 
ticed for  a  period  of  forty-five  years,  building  up  a  most 
excellent  reputation  and  accumulating  a  competence.  He 
possessed  a  robust  constitution,  and  had  that  quality  of  de- 
termination which  invariably  wins  in  the  business  of  life. 

The  region  around  Rowe  was  at  the  time  he  settled  rough 
and  wild,  and  his  experience  was  in  keeping  with  the  condi- 
tion of  the  country.  His  traveling  was  mostly  on  horseback, 
and  his  perils  and  escapes  by  night  and  by  day  were  something 
wonderful  to  men  of  the  present  daj-.  Sometimes,  when  the 
snows  covered  the  earth  to  a  great  depth,  he  was  compelled  to 
make  his  visits  on  the  Indian  "raquette,"  or  snow-shoe,  and 
the  regular  recompense  was  one  New  England  shilling  per 
mile. 

In  those  days  bridges  were  scarce  over  the  larger  streams, 
and  the  doctor  was  often  obliged  to  ford  the  Deerfield  River  on 
horseback  at  the  imminent  peril  of  his  life  and  that  of  his 
horse. 

He  was  more  particularlj"  distinguished  as  a  practitioner  of 
midwifery,  in  which  department  he  was  probably  unexcelled 
in  the  region.    He  was  regular  in  his  habits  and  always  punc- 


574 


HISTORY   OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


tual  to  his  appointments.  He  was  prominent  in  other  direc- 
tions as  well  as  in  the  practice  of  medicine.  Under  commis- 
sions issued  by  Governors  John  Hancock  and  Samuel  Adams 
he  commanded  a  military  company  in  Kowe  when  the  position 
was  a  most  honorable  one,  and  won  the  then  proud  distinction 
from  Gen.  Mattoon  of  having  the  best-disciplined  company  in 
his  regiment.  Dr.  Haynes  died  on  the  29th  of  December, 
1833,  at  the  age  of  .seventy-one  years.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  Unitarian  Church. 

Dr.  Jo.seph  Allkn  was  born  on  Long  Island  in  1764.  His 
])arents  removed  to  llardwick,  Mass.,  when  he  was  two  years 
of  age,  where  they  remained  until  their  son  grew  to  manhood. 
He  studied  medicine  with  Dr.  Wm.  Kittredge,  of  Conway,  in 
this  county,  who  was  considered  in  his  day  a  very  eminent  sur- 
geon. Dr.  Allen  commenced  practice  in  the  town  of  Coleraine, 
and  continued  for  about  one  year,  when  he  removed  to  Buck- 
land,  where  he  remained  in  practice  until  his  death,  in  1823, 
at  the  age  of  fifty-nine  years.  He  built  up  a  very  e.vtensive 
business  and  accumulated  a  respectable  propertj'.  He  was  in 
feeble  health  for  many  years  previous  to  his  death,  being 
troubled  with  dyspeptic  complaints  ;  but  by  a  rigid  .system  of 
dieting  and  a  careful  husbanding  of  his  resources  he  bore  up 
under  his  difficulties,  and  performed  a  great  amount  of  pro- 
fessional labor  in  a  rough  and  hilly  country.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Massachusetts  Medical  Association  from  1812  to 
1818,  and  was  greatly  esteemed  by  the  profession. 

Dr.  John  Lee. — This  accomplished  gentleman,  who  died 
too  early  for  the  good  of  his  profession,  was  born  in  the  classic 
town  of  Amherst,  Hampshire  Co.,  Mass.,  about  the  year  1786. 
Of  his  early  years  very  little  is  now  known,  except  the  fact 
that  until  his  twentieth  year  he  devoted  himself  almost  wholly 
to  the  pursuit  of  agriculture,  for  which  he  had  an  especial 
fondness.  While  engaged  in  that  labor  he  was  attacked  by 
hemorrhage  of  the  lungs,  which  threatened  to  terminate  in 
pulmonary  consumption,  to  which  he  was  hereditarily  dis- 
posed. His  phj'sicians  advised  a  removal  to  the  sea-board, 
where  he  rapidly  recovered  his  health,  and  soon  returned  to 
Hampshire  County.  Not  long  after,  he  entered  the  office  of 
Dr.  William  Stoddard  Williams,  at  Deerfield,  Franklin  Co., 
along  with  Drs.  Saxton  and  Stephen  W.  Williams,  where  he 
gave  himself  wholly  to  the  study  of  his  chosen  profession,  and 
after  due  course  established  himself  in  practice  in  the  town  of 
Ashfield,  Franklin  Co.  His  business  increased,  and  he  had 
every  prospect  before  him  of  a  most  useful  career  ;  but  in  the 
midst  of  his  duties,  while  actively  engaged  in  trying  to  stay 
the  ravages  of  a  dreaded  disease  which  had  broken  out  in  this 
region,  he  was  himself  taken  down,  and  died  within  a  few 
days,  in  the  month  of  April,  1813,  when  only  twenty-seven 
years  of  age.  He  was  greatly  respected  by  his  professional 
brethren  and  the  conmiunity  generally,  and  had  he  lived 
would  no  doubt  have  been  an  honor  to  his  profession,  which 
he  pursued  with  an  ardor  which  nothing  but  the  conquering 
hand  of  death  could  daunt. 

Amos  Taylor. — Among  the  eminent  medical  men  who 
have  adorned  and  honored  the  profession  in  the  Connecticut 
Valley  was  Dr.  Amos  Taylor,  who  was  born  in  the  town  of 
Chester,  Hampden  Co.,  Mass.,  Oct.  21,  1785.  He  studied 
medicine  and  surgery  with  Dr.  Elihu  Dwight,  of  South  Had- 
ley,  and  attended  the  medical  department  of  Yale  College  in 
1813  and  1814.  He  married,  in  1815,  Polly  Day,  of  South 
Hadley,  and  soon  after  settled  in  the  town  of  Northfield, 
Franklin  Co.,  where  he  practiced  about  one  year,  when 
he  removed  to  Warwick,  in  the  same  county,  where  he  soon 
established  a  reputation  and  an  extensive  and  successful, 
though  not  very  remunerative,  practice. 

In  1820  he  was  commissioned  surgeon  of  the  3d  Infantry 
Regiment,  in  the  2d  Brigade  and  4th  Division  of  Massachu- 
setts Militia,  which  position  beheld  with  distinguished  ability 
until  1830,  when,  at  his  own  request,  ho  was  honorably  dis- 
charged from  military  service.    He  was  for  many  years  a  rejiu- 


table  and  active  member  of  the  Massachusetts  Medical  Society, 
and  held  the  civil  office  of  town  clerk  in  Warwick  for  a  long 
period.  He  was  also  a  prominent  member  of  the  school  com- 
mittee, and  always  took  an  active  part  in  the  interests  of  edu- 
cation. 

His  standing  among  his  professional  brethren  was  excellent, 
and  among  all  classes  he  maintained  the  reputation  of  a 
thorough  and  able  physician,  and  an  upright  and  valuable 
citizen. 

Dr.  John  Long  came  from  Worcester  County  to  Shcl- 
burne  Centre  about  1776.  He  had  served  as  a  surgeon  in  the 
American  army  for  a  short  time  previous  to  his  settlement  in 
Western  Massachusetts.  He  practiced  his  profession  from 
that  time  until  his  death,  which  occurred  about  1807,  and 
bore  a  good  reputation,  both  as  a  physician  and  citizen. 

Dr.  Silas  Long,  son  of  the  foregoing,  studied  with  his 
father,  and  practiced  at  the  centre  for  a  number  of  years. 
He  also  practiced  for  a  considerable  time  in  Greenfield.  His 
whole  term  of  practice  in  Franklin  County  probably  extended 
over  a  period  of  forty  years.  About  1840  he  removed  to 
Illinois,  where  he  recently  died  at  the  advanced  age  of  about 
ninety  years. 

Dr.  Robert  Burns  Severance  was  a  student  with  Dr. 
John  Long,  whose  daughter  he  married ;  and  he  also  prac- 
ticed at  Shelburne  Centre  for  a  considerable  time.  He  died 
about  the  year  1831. 

Dr.  Ebenezer  Childs  was  another  resident  physician  at 
the  centre,  in  Shelburne,  where  he  practiced  for  a  number  of 
years  previous  to  his  death,  which  occurred  about  1813. 

Dr.  Ehenezer  Childs,  Jr.,  son  of  the  last  mentioned, 
studied  with  his  father,  and  practiced  in  Shelburne  from  about 
1813  to  1834.  He  subsequently  removed  to  Western  New 
York,  where  he  resided  for  several  years,  when  he  went  to 
North  Carolina  and  lived  with  a  son  until  his  death,  a  num- 
ber of  years  ago. 

Dr.  Georoe  Bull  was  born  at  the  centre,  in  Shelburne, 
about  1796.  He  was  educated  at  Williams  College,  studied 
medicine  with  Dr.  Robert  B.  Severance,  and  practiced  for 
many  years  at  the  centre,  and  a  number  of  years  at  Shelburne 
Falls.  He  is  now  (April,  1879)  living  in  the  eastern  part  of 
Shelburne,  at  the  age  of  eighty-three  years. 

For  notice  of  Dr.  Charles  M.  Duncan,  see  biography  iii 
another  connection. 

Dr.  Charles  Earl  Severance  was  born  in  the  town  of 
Leyden,  Franklin  Co.,  Mass.,  in  1833.  In  1854  he  entered 
Yale  College  for  the  purpose  of  taking  the  regular  course  of 
instruction  ;  but,  his  eyesight  becoming  seriouslj-  impaired,  he 
was  obliged  to  discontinue  his  studies,  and  subsequently  trav- 
eled extensively  in  the  Southern  States  of  the  Union  for  the 
improvement  of  his  general  health,  continuing  there  for  a 
period  of  nearly  two  years. 

In  consequence  of  the  troubles  in  Kansas  and  the  great  po- 
litical .excitement  of  the  time,  in  many  portions  of  the  South 
a  stranger  was  looked  upon  as  an  intruder,  and,  very  possibly, 
an  emissary  sent  by  some  fanatical  idea  of  human  rights  to 
stir  up  the  blacks  against  the  superior  race  ;  and  he  came  very 
near  experiencing  the  vengeance  of  a  mob  of  two  hundred  en- 
raged people  who  had  gathered  at  Tuscaloosa,  Ala.,  with  tar, 
feathers,  and  other  materials  to  teach  him  a  lesson  in  political 
jurisprudence.  His  departure  from  the  locality  saved  them 
the  trouble. 

Returning,  he  entered  upon  the  study  of  medicine,  and  grad- 
uated, in  1857-58,  from  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Sur- 
geons, and  the  New  York  Medical  College,  in  New  York  City. 
Soon  after  his  graduation  he  visited  Europe,  spending  a 
year  in  London  and  Paris.  On  his  return,  in  1859,  he  was 
appointed  house  physician  at  the  Demilt  Disjiensary,  23d 
Street,  New  York  City,  and  visiting  surgeon  at  the  Eastern 
Dispensary.  In  1860  he  was  elected  to  the  position  of  house 
physician    and    surgeon    at   the    Seaman's   Retreat   Hospital, 


IIISTORY  OF  FRANKLIN   COUNTY. 


5T5 


New  York,  where  he  remained  until  1862,  with  the  exception 

of  three  mmiths  spent  in  the  army  as  surgeon  of  the  73d  New 
York  Volunteers. 

The  atmosphere  and  the  arduous  duties  of  his  position  prov- 
ing very  unfavorable  to  h^s  health,  he  removed,  in  1862,  to  the 
more  healthful  location  of  Shclburne  Falls,  Mass.,  where  ho 
has  since  remained,  and  where  he  has  a  good  country  practice 
and  an  excellent  reputation. 

Dr.  Severance  was  united  in  marriage,  in  1802,  with  Mary 
Ellen,  daughter  of  Dr.  Jlilo  "Wil.son,  of  Shelburne  Falls,  who 
died  in  1872.  In  187.5  he  married  for  his  second  wife  Evelyn 
M.,  daughter  of  Franklin  Sawyer,  of  Brattleboro',  Vt.,  a 
prominent  and  successful  merchant  of  that  thriving  town. 

He  has  had  two  children, — a  son  and  daughter.  The  son. 
Earl  Clarendon,  an  exceedingly  promising  boy,  was  drowned 
in  tlie  Deeriield  Kiver  when  thirteen  years  of  age,  an  event 
which  has  cast  a  deep  gloom  over  the  family.  His  daughter, 
Martha  Helen,  is  now  ten  years  of  age. 

Dr.  Severance  has  been  a  member  of  the  Massachusetts 
Medical  Society  since  1871,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Franklin 
District  Medical  Society.  He  was  also,  while  residing  in  New 
York,  a  member  of  the  Richmond  County  Medical  Society. 
The  doctor  is  something  of  a  scientific  investigator,  particu- 
larly in  the  department  of  mineralogy,  and  has  a  beautiful 
and  well-chosen  cabinet,  mostly  gathered  in  the  vicinity  of 
Shelburne  Falls,  which  locality  is  peculiarly  rich  in  minerals. 

Dr.  Francls  J.  Canedv  is  a  native  of  Halifax,  Windham 
Co.,  Vt.,  where  he  was  born  on  the  9th  of  Juh',  1846.  He 
studied  medicine  with  Dr.  Severance,  of  Greenfield,  Mass., 
and  graduated  at  the  medical  department  of  the  Michigan 
University,  at  Ann  Arbor,  in  1870.  He  commenced  the 
practice  of  his  profession  in  "Whitingham,  Vt.,  where  he  re- 
mained nearly  two  years,  when  he  removed  to  Greenfield, 
Ma.s.s.,  to  take  the  place  of  Dr.  Severance,  who  had  removed 
to  Rochester,  N.  Y. ;  but  the  return  of  Dr.  Severance  to 
Greenfield  made  a  change  necessary,  and  he  settled  in  his 
present  location,  Shelburne  Falls,  where  he  has  a  very  respect- 
able and  increasing  practice  and  a  good  reputation.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Franklin  District  Medical  Society.  Dr.  Canedy 
married,  in  1871,  Emma,  daughter  of  Jacob  Chase,  a  farmer 
of  Whitingham,  Vt.  His  practice  includes  both  medicine 
and  surgery,  and  he  enjoys  the  confidence  of  his  older  pro- 
fessional brethren. 

Dr.  Parley  Barton  was  born  in  Oxford,  Mass.,  March  6, 
1770.  He  studied  medicine  with  Dr.  Greene,  of  Oxford,  and 
also  at  Rutland,  Vt.  He  commenced  the  practice  of  medicine 
and  surgery  at  North  Orange  village  about  1802,  and  contin- 
ued in  the  same  place  until  about  184-5,  when  he  withdrew 
from  active  business.  His  practice  was  extensive,  and  he  bore 
an  excellent  reputation.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Massachu- 
setts Medical  Society.     His  death  occurred  July  12,  18-52. 

Dr.  Barton  was  twice  married.  His  first  wife  was  Lucy 
Sibley,  of  Ward  (now  Auburn),  Worcester  Co.,  Mass.,  who 
died  about  1802,  leaving  one  son.  Parley  Barton,  Jr.,  who 
studied  for  a  physician,  but  eventually  gave  his  attention 
through  life  to  the  profession  of  teaching.  He  was  a  distin- 
guished mathematician.  Dr.  Barton's  second  wife  was  the 
widow  of  John  Goddard,  of  Killingly,  Conn.,  whom  he  mar- 
ried about  1803,  and  by  whom  he  had  eight  children, — five 
sons  and  three  daughters.  The  sons  were  Edward,  John  G., 
Wm.  Henry  Harrison,  Nap61eon  B.,  and  James  Madison,  the 
latter  of  whom  died  in  infancy. 

Dr.  Edward  Barton  was  born  Feb.  -5,  1806  ;  studied  med- 
icine with  his  father,  and  graduated  at  the  Vermont  Medical 
College,  Woodstock,  in  1831.  He  had  previously  attended 
and  graduated  at  the  Berkshire  Medical  Institution.  He  began 
practice  at  Sullivan,  N.  H.,  in  June,  1831,  and  continued 
there  three  years,  when  he  removed  to  North  Orange  village, 
Mass.,  where  he  resided  and  followed  his  profession  until  1838, 
when  he  removed  to  vSouth  Orange  (now  Orange),  where  he  has 


since  resided.  His  practice  extends  to  both  medicine  and  sur- 
gery, though  in  the  latter  there  is,  of  course,  not  an  exten- 
sive practice  in  country  towns.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the 
Massachusetts  Medical  Society  since  1840. 

Dr.  Barton  married,  in  1833,  Harriet  N.  Wilson,  of  Sulli- 
van, N.  H.,  by  whom  he  has  had  three  daughters, — Josephine 
Hortense,  born  July  29,  183.5,  married  Rev.  William  D.  Her- 
rick,  now  of  Gardner,  Mass.  ;  another,  who  was  born  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1841,  and  died  in  infancy  ;  and  Frances  Harriet,  born 
Jan.  10,  18-53,  died  June  3,  1877". 

Dr.  Joun  G.  Barton,  brother  of  Edward,  was  born  in 
1812.  He  studied  with  his  older  brother,  and  graduated  at 
the  Vermont  Medical  College  in  1850.  He  practiced  in  Wen- 
dell and  Erving,  Franklin  Co.,  and  died  at  the  latter  place  in 
September,  18-52.     He  married  Martha  White,  of  Erving. 

Dr.  Napoleon  B.  Barton  was  born  in  1820.  He  also 
studied  with  his  brother  Edward,  and  graduated  at  the  Ver- 
mont Medical  College  at  the  same  time  as  his  brother  John 
G.  He  commenced  practice  at  West  Swanzey,  N.  H.,  but 
lived  only  a  short  time,  his  death  occurring  in  December, 
18-51.     He  married  Miranda  S.  Briggs,  and  left  no  children. 

Dr.  William  Brooks  practiced  for  some  years  previous 
to  1837  in  Orange,  but  we  have  not  been  able  to  learn  any- 
thing of  his  place  or  date  of  birth,  or  what  part  of  the  country 
he  probably  came  from  to  Orange,  though  an  aged  lady,  Mrs. 
Trim,  thinks  he  nuirried  in  Conway.  He  boarded  for  some 
time  with  Capt.  Putnam,  father  of  the  present  proprietor  of 
the  Putnam  House  at  Orange,  who  also  kept  a  public-house. 
He  had  the  reputation  of  a  very  good  physician  and  surgeon, 
and  is  believed  to  have  attended  regular  medical  lectures  pre- 
vious to  commencing  practice,  and  may  have  been  a  graduate. 
He  died  suddenlj'  of  canker  rash,  about  1837,  when  at  the 
probable  age  of  fifty  years.  He  left  one  son  and  two  daugh- 
ters. Those  who  recollect  him  describe  him  as  a  man  of  social 
habits  and  fond  of  jokes  and  frolics. 

Dr.  Robert  Andrews  was  a  native  of  Sangerfield,  Oneida 
Co.,  N.  Y.,  where  he  was  born  in. June,  1802.  His  father, 
Robert  S.  Andrews,  was  an  early  settler  of  that  region,  to 
which  he  emigrated  from  New  Salem,  Franklin  Co.,  Mass. 
His  mother  died  when  he  was  five  years  old,  and  he  lived  for 
three  years  succeeding  that  event  with  his  maternal  grand- 
parents. At  the  age  of  eight  years  he  was  sent  to  live  with 
his  grandparents  on  his  father's  side,  at  New  Salem,  Mass. 
Strange  as  it  may  seem,  his  rehitives  treated  him  with  great 
severity  during  the  six  years  in  which  he  remained  with  them. 
At  the  age  of  fourteen  j-ears  he  had  a  guardian  appointed, — an 
uncle, — and  with  him  he  for  the  first  time  saw  the  inside  of  a 
school-house  and  church.  Here  he  remained  only  one  year. 
At  the  age  of  eighteen  he  had  acquired  sufficient  knowledge 
of  books  to  teach  a  district  school. 

He  studied  medicine  with  Dr.  William  Brooks,  and  grad- 
uated at  Dartmouth  Medical  College  in  1831,  with  the  degree 
of  M.D.  His  medical  practice  commenced  in  1831,  at  New 
Salem,  in  connection  with  Dr.  Brooks,  with  whom  he  con- 
tinued until  his  deatli,  about  1837.  He  removed  to  Orange 
about  1849,  and  remained  about  one  year,  returning  to  New 
Salem,  where  he  continued  until  1859,  when  he  once  more 
located  in  Orange  and  continued  until  his  death,  which  took 
place  April  13,  18G9,  in  his  sixty-seventh  year. 

He  was  a  reputable  practitioner  of  both  medicine  and  sur- 
gery, and  had  an  extensive  practice.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Massachusetts  Medical  Society  for  manj'  years,  and  also  filled 
prominent  civil  positions.  Was  a  member  of  the  House  of 
Representatives  in  the  State  Legislature  for  two  or  three 
terms,  and  a  member  of  the  Constitutional  Convention  of 
1853. 

Dr.  Andrews  was  twice  married.  His  first  wife  was  Orra 
Merriam,  of  New  Salem;  his  second  was  Mary  Angelia,  a 
sister  of  his  first;  both  daughters  of  Benjamin  Merriam,  a 
prominent  farmer  of  New  Salem.     He  left  three  children,  all 


57G 


HISTORY   OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


sons,— E.  Darwin ;  Robert  Poster,  now  in  practice  as  a  physi- 
cian at  Gardner;  and  Warren  Urooks,  now  in  the  drug  busi- 
ness at  Orange.  Dr.  Andrews  was  of  a  jovial,  social  teniper- 
ainent,  noted  for  good-nature  and  love  of  fun  and  frolic. 

Dr.  Jcsiah  H.  Godhabd  was  born  in  Orange,  Franklin 
Co.,  Mass.,  in  1830.  His  father,  who  bore  the  same  name, 
was  a  farmer  of  that  town.-  Dr.  Goddard  studied  under  Pro- 
fessors Albert  Smith,  of  Peterboro',  N.  H.,  and  WilUird 
Parker,  of  New  York  City.  He  graduated  at  Amherst  Col- 
lege in  18.50.  In  18.57-.58  he  was  engaged  in  teaching  in  the 
State  of  Illinois,  from  which  he  subsequently  returned  and 
entered  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  of  New  York 
City,  where  he  graduated  in  March,  1861.  He  began  the 
practice  of  medicine  at  Huntington,  Hampshire  Co.,  Mass., 
in  July,  1861,  and  continued  for  about  fifteen  years,  estab- 
lishing an  excellent  reputation,  though  the  arduous  labor 
of  a  country  physician  among  the  hills  was  a  severe  strain 
upon  his  constitution.  In  the  autumn  of  1875  he  removed  to 
Orano-e,  where  he  has  since  continued,  and  where  bis  practice 
is  largely  confined  to  the  thriving  manufacturing  village 
which  has  grown  up  at  that  point.  Dr.  Goddard  is  a  member 
of  the  Massachusetts  Medical  Society.  He  married,  in  18.57, 
E  Jennie  Corey,  daughter  of  Charles  Corey,  of  Dublin, 
N.  H.     His  practice  includes  both  medicine  and  surgery. 

Dr.  Lucius  Cook  commenced  practice  in  Wendell,  Frank- 
lin Co.,  about  1840.  He  is  believed  to  have  been  from  Am- 
herst, Hampshire  Co.,  and  was  considered  eminent  both  as  a 
physician  and  surgeon.  Some  years  after  his  settlement  at 
Wendell  he  removed  to  Miller's  Falls,  where  he  continued  to 
reside  until  his  death,  about  18.58,  at  the  probable  age  of  fifty- 
five  to  sixty  years.  He  left  no  children.  He  is  remembered 
as  a  stoutly-built  and  very  corpulent  man.  He  was  something 
of  a  pettifogger  in  the  law,  and  held  the  office  of  justice  of  the 
peace  for  several  years. 

Dr.  William  Hamilton  was  the  son  of  Capt.  Robert 
Hamilton,  an  officer  of  the  American  arm}'  in  the  Revolution. 
He  was  born  in  Conway,  Franklin  Co.,  Ma.ss.,  in  1772.  It  is 
said  that  in  consequence  of  lameness  in  early  life  he  devoted 
his  time  to  books.  He  read  medicine  in  the  office  of  Dr.  Cut- 
ler, of  Amherst,  a  fellow  of  the  Massachusetts  Medical  Society, 
and  later  with  Dr.  William  Kittredge,  who  then  resided  in 
Conway.  He  commenced  practice  in  his  native  town,  and  con- 
tinued there  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1810,  when  he 
was  thirty-eight  years  of  age.  He  was  a  popular  physician 
and  citizen,  fond  of  study,  and  a  man  of  careful  reflection. 
He  educated  several  students,  most  of  whom  became  respect- 
able and  successful  practitioners.  In  the  aflairs  of  civil  lite  he 
was  very  popular  among  his  fellow-townsmen,  and  commanded 
their  confidence  through  life.  On  one  occasion,  during  the 
excitement  upon  the  President's  embargo  in  1808,  he  prevented 
by  his  influence  a  serious  and  probably  bloody  riot  among  the 
people.     His  memory  is  held  in  afl'ectionate  remembrance. 

Dr.  Eli  S.  Wing  was  born  in  the  town  of  Harwich,  Barn- 
stable Co.,  Mass.,  in  1758.  Tradition  says  that  he  was  a  great 
lover  of  books  in  his  young  days,  and  had  a  great  aversion  to 
manual  labor,  and,  in  consequence  of  what  would  probably  in 
those  days  been  deemed  his  worthlessness,  his  father,  who  was 
in  comfortable  circumstances,  left  him  no  portion  of  his  estate. 
But,  notwithstanding  his  father's  unjust  treatment,  he  man- 
aged, by  his  own  industry,  to  obtain  a  good  education,  and 
was  for  many  years  engaged  in  teaching  school.  It  was  not 
until  the  unusual  age  of  thirty  years  that  he  began  the  study 
of  medicine  with  Dr.  Samuel  M'are,  of  Conwaj',  Franklin 
Co.,  Mass.  He  was  an  industrious  and  ambitious  scholar,  and 
carried  his  love  of  reading  through  his  whole  life.  In  his 
later  years  he  accumulated  a  very  respectable  library,  mostly 
of  medical  works.  He  also  studied  the  French  language  late 
ill  life.  His  reputation  among  the  profession  was  good.  He 
was  admitted  to  the  Medical  Society  of  Massachusetts  in  1816, 
and  continued  until  his  death,  in  1823,  at  the  age  of  sixty-flve 


years.  Dr.  Wing  practiced  for  many  years,  in  the  town  of 
Lcyden  probably,  as  Dr.  S.  W.  Williams,  in  his  medical 
biography,  speaks  of  him  as  belonging  to  that  town. 

Dr.  Charles  Bowker  was  born  in  Savoy,  Berkshire  Co., 
Mass.,  Sept.  10,  1824.  He  studied_  medicine  with  Dr.  A.  M. 
Bowker,  of  that  town,  since  dead,  and  graduated  at  the  Berk- 
shire Medical  College,  Pittsfield,  Mass.,  in  November,  1854. 
His  medical  practice  has  been  one  year  in  Plainfield,  Mass., 
four  years  in  Savoy,  four  in  Wilbraham,  and  fourteen  in 
Bernardston.  He  was  also  engaged  for  one  year  in  the  mili- 
tary hospital  at  Alexandria,  Va.  Dr.  Bowker  is  at  present 
secretary  of  the  Franklin  District  Medical  Society.  His  repu- 
tation as  a  medical  man  and  citizen  is  excellent,  and  he  has  a 
very  comfortable  practice  in  and  around  Bernardston. 

Among  the  names  of  worthy,  prominent,  and  successful 
physicians  who  have  been  citizens  of  Franklin  County,  men- 
tioned by  Dr.  Stephen  W.  Williams  in  his  medical  biog- 
raphies, are  Dr.  Mattoon,  of  Northfield;  Dr.  Pomeroy,  of 
Warwick;  Dr.  Ebenezer  Barnard  and  Dr.  Elihu  Ashley,  of 
Deerfield  ;  Dr.  Ebenezer  Childs,  of  Shelburne  ;  Dr.  Stephen 
Bates,  of  Charlemont ;  Dr.  Porter,  of  Wendell ;  Dr.  Moses 
Hayden  and  Dr.  Samuel  Ware,  of  Conway  ;  Dr.  Ross,  of 
Coleraine ;  Dr.  Harwood,  of  Whately  ;  and  Dr.  Brooks,  of 
Orange. 

Of  a  few  of  these  we  have  been  able  to  procure  sufficient 
information  for  brief  notices,  and  regret  that  we  cannot  speak 
understandingly  of  all. 

Dr.  Roswell  Field. — In  connection  with  the  wonderful 
fossil  foot-prints  of  the  Connecticut  Valley,  the  name  of  Ros- 
well Field  deserves  honorable  mention. 

He  comes  of  the  Northfield  stock,  and  was  born  in  that 
historic  town  in  1804.  For  the  past  forty-five  years  his  res- 
idence has  been  in  the  vicinity  of  Turner's  Falls  ;  and  for 
thirty-six  years  he  has  lived  on  the  place  now  owned  by  him, 
a  little  over  a  mile  from  the  Falls,  in  the  town  of  Gill,  and 
not  far  from  the  place  where  fossil  foot-marks  were  first  dis- 
covered about  1835,  in  the  shaly  strata  of  the  sand-rock  forma- 
tion underlying  the  valley  from  near  the  north  line  of  Massa- 
chusetts to  Long  Island  Sound.  By  common  consent  Mr. 
Field  has  received  the  honorary  title  of  doctor,  though  he 
never  studied  medicine,  and  makes  no  profession  of  anything 
beyond  what  belongs  to  every  respectable  citizen.  He  believes 
that  the  first  investigations  and  description  of  the  foot-prints 
of  the  valley  were  by  Dr.  James  Deane,  an  eminent  physician 
of  Greenfield,  now  deceased,  though  this  honor  is  accredited 
to  others.  Dr.  Field's  investigations  began  about  1842,  and 
his  practical  and  continuous  connection  with  this  interesting 
subject  has  been  carried  into  extreme  old  age,  with  an  in- 
terest that  has  never  diminished,  and  a  zeal  and  intelligence 
rarely  surpassed.  He  claims  (very  modestly,  however) — and 
no  doubt  justly — to  have  been  the  first  to  advance  the  theory 
that  the  foot-prints  were  those  of  quadrupeds  or  reptiles.  Up 
to  the  year  1845  it  was  generally  supposed  that  they  were 
mostly  those  of  various  species  of  bipeds  now  extinct,  and 
the  elder  Professor  Hitchcock  classified  and  described  many 
varieties. 

The  first  printed  paper  taking  the  ground  that  they  were  the 
tracks  of  quadrupeds  or  reptiles  was  written  by  Dr.  Field,  and 
read  at  a  meeting  of  the  "American  Association  for  the  Ad- 
vancement of  Science,"  held  in  Springfield,  Mass.,  in  August, 
1859,  and  published  in  the  record  of  its  proceedings. 

This  theory,  though  at  first  received  with  almost  univer- 
sal unbelief,  has  at  length  come  to  be  generally  accepted. 
The  late  Professor  Louis  Agassiz  was  among  the  first  to  accept 
the  theory  and  reasoning  of  Dr.  Field  ;  and  it  is  interesting  to 
watch  the  quiet  twinkle  in  the  eye  of  the  veteran  arch;eolo- 
gist  as  he  relates  his  first  interview  with  that  eminent  scientist. 

Many  distinguished  men  have  been  visitors  at  the  Field 
farm,  where  several  quarries  have  been  opened  ;  among  whom 
may  be  mentioned  the  names  of  Professors  Hitchcock,  father 


HISTORY  OF  FRANKLIN   COUNTY. 


577 


and  son,  Agassiz,  Marsh,  Redfield,  Dana,  Huxley,  "Warren, 
and  many  otliers,  "names  known  to  fame,"  who  have  come 
from  near  and  far  to  examine  one  of  the  most  noted  localities 
for  geological  study  to  be  found  in  the  world. 

Dr.  Field  relates  how  Professor  Huxley,  when  first  shown 


the  foot-prints,  called  for  a  piece  of  chalk,  and  rapidly  sketched 
the  saurian  who  might  have  made  them.  Dr.  Field  is  an 
honorary  member  of  the  American  Association  for  the  Ad- 
vancement of  Science,  and  corresponding  member  of  various 
other  scientific  bodies. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWNS  OF  FRANKLIN  COUNTY. 


GREENFIELD.' 


GEOGRAPHICAL. 

Gkkenfield,  the  shire-town  of  Franklin  County,  is  situ- 
ated west  of  the  Connecticut  Kiver.  It  is  bounded  on  the 
north  by  Bernardston  and  Leyden,  on  the  west  by  Shelburne, 
on  the  south  by  Deerfield,  and  on  the  east  by  the  Connecticut 
Kiver  and  Gill.  It  contains  about  17J  square  miles  and  11,325 
acres. 

NATURAL   FEATURES. 

The  Green  River,  a  branch  of  the  Deerfield,  flows  through 
the  west  part,  from  north  to  south.  The  broad  interval  on 
each  side  of  the  river  is  the  most  fertile  portion  of  the  town, 
and  is  well  adap'ted  to  agricultural  purposes.  A  little  stream 
called  Fall  River  flows  through  the  northeast  part  of  the  town 
into  the  Connecticut  River,  opposite  Turner's  Falls.  These 
streams  receive  several  brooks  that  flow  into  them,  so  that  the 
town  is  well  watered.  The  surface  is  moderately  level  except 
along  the  eastern  border,  where  a  ridge  of  trap-rock  extends 
parallel  to  the  Connecticut  River,  and  from  a  few  rods  to  a 
mile  distant  from  it,  rising  quite  abruptly  at  some  points  to  a 
height  of  200  feet  above  the  plain  on  the  west  side,  sloping  ofl" 
more  gradually  to  the  river  on  the  east.  This  ridge  is  called 
"  Rocky  Mountain."  The  highest  point,  about  a  mile  north- 
east of  the  village,  is  known  as  "  Poet's  Seat,"  and  commands 
a  beautiful  view  in  all  directions.  Looking  toward  the  west, 
the  visitor  sees  the  village  of  Greenfield  lying  quite  near,  em- 
bowered in  trees,  the  valley  of  the  Green  River,  with  its  fer- 
tile fields,  and  beyond  them  the  picturesque  Shelburne  Hills  ; 
to  the  north,  the  Leyden  and  Bernardston  Hills ;  to  the  south 
he  sees  the  famous  broad  Deerfield  meadows,  with  the  crooked 
stream  of  the  Deerfield  River  gliding  in  and  out  among  the 
hills  and  trees ;  farther  along,  the  quiet  village  of  old  Deer- 
field, with  its  classic  spire  peering  above  the  forest  of  elms  and 
maples  for  which  the  town  is  justly  celebrated.  Turning  now 
to  the  east,  one  sees  near  at  hand,  though  several  hundred  feet 
below  him,  the  broad  stream  of  the  Connecticut  dashing  over 
the  rocks  and  forming  beautiful  cascades.  Beyond  the  river 
is  the  little  village  of  Montague  City,  a  monument  of  dis- 
appointed hopes  and  ambitions.  Farther  to  the  north  is  the 
new  and  thriving  village  of  Turner's  Falls.  Over  the  roofs  of 
its  factories  is  had  a  distant  view  of  "Mount  Grace,"  and 
farther  on  Monadnock  rears  its  hoary  head.  To  the  south- 
east is  the  village  of  Montague,  and  beyond  it  Mount  Toby 
or  Mettawampe  looms  up  proudly,  and  the  course  of  the 
Connecticut  is  traced  to  Mount  Tom  and  the  Holyoke  range. 
There  is  no  view  in  the  region,  on  the  whole,  so  commanding 
and  beautiful  and  so  easy  of  access  as  the  one  from  "  Poet's 
Seat."     A  carriage-road  is  opened  to  it,  and  it  is  the  daily 


73 


*  By  Eev.jl.  F.  Moore. 


resort  in  summer  of  young  and  old,  seeking  exercise  and 
pleasure. 

The  soil,  especially  near  the  streams,  is  quite  fertile,  but  in 
the  northern  part  of  the  town  it  is  light  and  gravelly.  It  con- 
tains 344  acres  of  unimprovable  land,  chiefly  on  Rocky  Moun- 
tains, while  5389  acres  are  unimproved, — that  is,  lying  idle  or 
in  pasturing.  There  are  1981  acres  of  woodland  and  3-529 
acres  under  crops.  The  people  are  largely  engaged  in  agricul- 
tural pursuits.  It  appears  from  the  census  of  1875  that  the 
yearly  product  of  butter  for  sale  was  48,739  pounds ;  for  home 
use,  10,386  pounds  ;  total,  59,119  pounds.  The  yearly  product 
of  milk  is  62,618  gallons ;  of  tobacco,  98,047  pounds,  of  the 
value  of  §19,000.1 

Manufacturing  is  carried  on  only  to  a  limited  extent.  There 
are  forty-six  manufacturing  establishments  in  town,  represent- 
ing a  capital  of  §354,800,  producing  goods  to  the  value  yearly 
of  §308,634.  The  leading  manufactures  are  of  carpenters' 
planes  and  plow-irons,  with  a  capital  of  §77,800;  value  of 
goods  made  yearly,  .925,000.  Children's  carriages,  with  a  capi- 
tal of  §16,000,  and  an  annual  value  of  goods  made  of  §28,000. 
Hardware  trimmings  for  children's  carriages,  capital  §62, .500; 
goods  made  yearly,  §47,145. 

EARLY  HISTORY. 
The  history  of  Greenfield  up  to  1753  is  identified  with  that 
of  the  mother-town  of  Deerfield,  whose  troublesome  and  way- 
ward child  she  was.  In  1673  a  new  grant  of  land  was  made 
to  Deerfield  by  the  General  Court,  so  that  the  original  8000 
acres  should  make  a  township  seven  miles  square.  In  1665, 
Maj.  Pynchon,  of  Springfield,  had  been  employed  to  survey 
the  land  and  fix  the  boundaries,  and  in  1672  the  present 
boundary-line  was  established  between  Deerfield  and  the 
Green  River  district,  as  it  was  then  called.  The  condition 
of  this  additional  grant  then  was,  "provided  that  an  able 
orthodox  minister  be  settled  among  them  within  three  years, 
and  that  a  farm  of  250  acres  be  laid  out  for  the  country's  use." 
This  grant  includes  the  towns  of  Greenfield,  Gill,  and  a  part 
of  Shelburne.  The  act  of  1673  provides  that  William  Allis 
and  others  be  appointed  "  to  lay  out  the  farm,  admit  inhabi- 
tants, grant  land,  and  order  the  prudential  affairs  till  they 
shall  be  in  a  capacity  of  meet  persons  among  themselves  to 
manage  their  own  afl'airs. " 

The  first  record  of  any  land  granted  to  any  person  within 
the  present  limits  of  Greenfield  is  in  1686, — of  a  "tract  of  20 
acres  to  Mr.  Nathaniel  Brooks,  at  Green  Kiver."  He  was 
probably  the  first  settler.  Tradition  fixes  his  dwelling  on  the 
west  side  of  the  road  to  Cheapeside,  north  of  Turn  Hall.    The 

t  See  General  Chapter  XXIII. 


578 


HISTORY  OP  THE  CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


well  now  existing  there  is  supposed  to  be  the  first  one  dug  in 
this  town.  In  the  siinic  your — 1086 — grants  wore  made  of  20 
acres  eadi  to  John  and  Edward  Allyn,  and  to  Joseph  and 
Robert  Goddard,  on  condition  of  their  paying  taxes.  It  is 
not  known  that  these  grants  were  ever  taken. 

In  1087  the  land  on  the  west  end  of  Main  Street  was  taken 
up.  Beginning  on  the  south  side,  the  first  lot  was  taken  by 
Ebonezer  Wells.  The  house  now  standing  on  that  lot,  and 
known  as  the  Coombs  house,  is  the  oldest  dwelling-house 
in  tJie  village,  and  is  still  often  called  by  the  name  of  its 
builder  and  former  owner, — the  "Wells  house."  The  lot  re- 
mained for  several  generations  in  the  family  of  the  original 
proprietor.  The  second  lot  east  was  taken  by  David  Hoyt,  of 
Deerfield,  who  did  not  become  a  resident;  the  third  and 
fourth  lots  by  William  Brooks,  of  whom  I  can  learn  nothing; 
the  fifth  by  Edward  Allyn.  His  lot  came  up  to  "Arms'  Cor- 
ner." His  house  probably  stood  where  Mr.  Hollister  now 
lives.  He  died  December,  1756,  aged  sixty-nine,  and  was 
buried  in  the  old  cemetery  near  Mr.  Osterhout's  house.  The 
stone  that  marks  his  grave  is  the  oldest  I  find  in  this,  the 
oldest  burial-place  in  town. 

On  the  north  side  of  Main  Street,  the  first  lot — that  on 
which  Maj.  Keith  now  lives — was  taken  by  Samuel  Smead. 
The  next  is  called  on  the  old  records  the  "  Mill  lot."  Why  so 
called  is  not  known.  Then  come  Josiah  and  Robert  Goddard's 
lots.  They  did  not  become  residents.  Then  John  Severance, 
whose  descendants  have  held  the  place  till  quite  recently. 
Then  the  lots  of  Jeremiah  Hall  and  John  Allen.  The  eastern 
boundary  of  the.se  lots  I  do  not  know. 

In  May,  1723,  at  a  meeting  of  the  proprietors  in  Deerfield, 
it  was  voted  "  to  lay  out  to  the  proprietors  a  tract  of  land 
lying  upon  'Green  River,'  bounded  north  upon  the  'Country 
Farms,'  west  by  the  ridge  of  hills  west  of  Green  River, 
the  first  lot  to  begin  at  the  north  end  of  said  plat."  The 
jiroprietors  drew  lots  for  their  land,  and  Judah  Wright,  of 
Deerfield,  drew  the  first  lot. 

It  is  a  mystery  what  became  of  the  farm  of  250  acres  that 
was  set  apart  for  the  country's  use.  It  was  diverted  from  this 
purpose  at  an  early  period,  and  nothing  but  the  name  has  been 
preserved. 

It  would  take  too  long  to  tell  how  the  land  on  both  sides  of 
Green  River  was  distributed,  but  it  can  all  be  found  in  the 
county  register's  office,  copied  from  the  proprietors'  book  by 
the  hand  of  Dr.  Charles  Williams,  lately  deceased,  of  Deer- 
field. 

In  174.3  a  petition  was  presented,  by  those  living  in  what  was 
known  as  the  "  Green  River  district,"  to  be  set  off  as  a  sepa- 
rate town,  and  it  was  voted  in  town-meeting  in  Deerfield, 
November  15th,  to  grant  the  request.  But  for  some  reason' 
nothing  was  done  about  it  till  ten  years  later,  when  a  com- 
mittee of  three  disinterested  persons  was  appointed  to  deter- 
mine where  the  dividing  line  should  be,  where  the  meeting- 
house should  be  placed,  and  various  other  matters.  This 
committee  reported  April  18,  1753,  and  the  following  warrant 
was  issued  : 
"  Hampshire,  88,; 

"  To  Eii8.  Ebeueezer  Smead,  of  the  district  of  G'f'd,  in  the  comity  of  Hamp- 
shire, greeting:  You  are  hereby  required  in  his  Majesty's  name  to  warn  all  the 
freeliolders  and  other  inhabitants  of  said  district  qualified  by  law  to  vote  the 
choice  of  district  offloere  to  meet  together  att  the  house  of  James  Corse,  in  said 
district,  on  Tuesday,  the  3d  day  of  July  next,  att  one  of  the  clock  in  the  after- 
noon, then  and  there,  after  a  moderator  is  chosen,  to  choose  all  such  offlcere  as 
by  law  are  to  be  chose  for  the  managing  the  affair  of  said  district,  also  to  doo 
what  shall  be  thoat  necessary  to  be  done  in  order  to  provide  preaching  in  said 
district.  Hereof  fail  not,  and  make  return  of  this  warrant  att  the  time  and  place 
aforesaid. 

"  Given  under  my  hand  and  seal  att  B'f'd,  this  20tli  day  of  .Tune,  1753.  Ei,ij.ui 
Williams,  who  am  by  law  authorized  to  grant  this  warrant." 

Under  this  order  the  first  town-meeting  was  held  July  3, 
1753.  The  busine.ss  tran.sacted  reveals  the  men  and  public 
measures  of  that  day.  Benjamin  Hastings  was  chosen  mod- 
erator. 


"  Voted  that  Benj.  Hastings  should  l>e  Town  Clark ;  that  EbenozerSmcad,  Sam'l 
Hinsdale,  and  Daniel  Nash  bo  Selectmen  and  Assessors ;  that  Ebenezeer  Arms 
should  be  town  treasurer ;  that  Benjamin  Hastings  should  be  Constable  ;  that  Nji- 
thaniel  Brooks  and  Shubael  Atherton  should  be  tithingmen  ;  th.it  .lames  Corse, 
Johnathan  Smead,  and  Elcazer  Wells  be  fence-viewers ;  that  Amos  Allen  and  Ebe- 
nezer  Wells  be  eui-veyors  of  the  Highways ;  that  Aaron  Denio  should  bo  dear-reaf ; 
that  James  Coree  and  Amos  Allen  should  be  hog-reafs  ;  that  Joshua  Wells  should 
be  sealer  of  weights  and  meawures  ;  that  Beiyamin  Hastings  should  be  sealer  of 
leather;  that  Thomaj^  Nims  and  Gad  Corse  should  be  field-drivers;  that  Daniel 
Graves,  Daniel  Nash,  and  Aaron  Denio  be  a  committee  to  supply  us  with  preach- 
ing for  the  present  year." 

Happy  town-meeting  !  Not  a  word  about  taxes,  nor  roads, 
nor  schools,  which  so  vex  the  spirit  of  the  modern  citizen ; 
and  offices  enough,  apparently,  to  go  round,  giving  each  citi- 
zen at  least  one.  It  is  not  easy  to  see  the  need  of  a  treasurer ; 
but  if  there  was  no  treasury,  there  were  no  debts.  The  meet- 
ing was  held,  as  were  subsequent  meetings,  at  the  house  of 
James  Corse,  which  stood  where  the  Leavitt  House  now 
stands,  east  of  the  Mansion  House. 

The  town  records  were  kept  for  many  years  in  the  clear, 
strong  handwriting  of  Benjamin  Hastings,  who  may  well  be 
considered  one  of  the  fathers  of  the  town.  But  the  records 
are  very  meagre  and  formal.  They  tell  us  with  great  scru- 
pulousness who  were  chosen  hog-reeves,  fence-viewers,  and 
the  like,  but  tell  us  very  little  of  what  we  would  like  to  know 
of  the  people  and  their  way  of  life. 

The  committee  appointed  to  fix  the  conditions  of  separation 
were  not  citizens  of  either  town,  and  doubtless  they  tried  to 
be  fair  and  impartial,  but  their  report  furnished  an  ever- 
fruitful  source  of  controversy  between  the  two  towns  for  more 
than  a  century.  Happily,  to  all  appearance,  the  controversy 
is  ended ;  and  certainly  we,  who  have  inherited  none  of  the 
bad  blood  created  by  either  party,  can  speak  dispassionately 
of  the  subject  in  dispute. 

The  committee  reported  that  the  dividing  Tine  between  the 
two  towns  should  be  what  is  known  as  the  8000-acre  line, 
which  is  the  line  to  this  day  between  these  towns,  and  that 
said  district  shall  have  the  improvement  of  one-half  of  the 
sequestered  lands  of  Deerfield  lying  north  of  Deerfield  River. 

The  report  also  fixed  the  place  for  the  meeting-house  at  a 
place  called  Trap  Plafn,  on  a  spot  in  the  public  highway  op- 
posite the  house  now  occupied  by  Lemuel  A.  Long.  This 
report,  as  I  have  said,  gave  rise  to  great  controversy,  espe- 
cially that  portion  of  it  relating  to  the  sequestered  land, — i.e., 
some  land  set  apart  for  the  use  of  the  ministry,  and  lying  just 
west  of  Green  River  and  south  of  the  lowest  Green  River 
bridge,  in  Cheapside. 

This  report  was  accepted  by  the  town  of  Deerfield  in  De- 
cember, 1753,  and  in  that  year  the  town  of  Greenfield  was  in- 
corporated, but  the  wording  of  the  act  of  incorporation  was 
evidently  not  so  carefully  watched  by  the  Greenfield  people 
as  by  those  of  Deerfield.  It  does  not  appear  on  the  town  rec- 
ords till  ten  years  later,  and  then  it  appears  that  the  act  of 
incorporation  does  not  agree  with  the  conditions  recommended 
in  the  report  of  the  committee.  The  committee  had  reported 
that  Greenfield  should  have  the  improvement  of  one-half  of 
the  sequestered  lands.  In  the  act  of  incorporation  it  reads, 
that  "Greenfield  shall  have  the  improvement  of  one-half  of 
the  sequestered  lands  tmtil  there  shall  be  another  district  or 
parish  made  out  of  the  town  of  Deerfield."  The  Greenfield 
peojile — innocent  souls  1 — thought  that  if  a  third  district  or 
parish  were  to  be  made  out  of  Deerfield,  each  one  would  have 
a  third  part  of  the  income  of  the  sequestered  land. 

In  1767,  Conway  was  set  off,  and  then,  instead  of  dividing 
the  income  of  this  land  into  three  parts,  Deerfield  claimed 
the  whole.  What  must  have  been  the  astonishment  of  our 
wise  and  virtuous  fathers  when  they  saw  their  good  mother, 
whom  they  were  expected  to  revere,  appropriating  what 
they  honestly  thought  was  a  part  of  their  patrimony  1  Who 
should  have  the  crop  from  that  30  acres  of  meadow-land? 
became  the  occasion  of  heated  and  prolonged  controversy. 

Greenfield  sued  for  it  in  the  courts,  but  was  always  defeated 


HISTORY   OF   FRANKLIN   COUNTY. 


579 


at  the  trial.  The  war  was  not  always  with  words  only  ;  but 
tradition  relates  that  when  one  party  had  mowed  the  grass, 
the  other  party  attempted  to  carry  it  off,  and  rakes  and  pitch- 
forks were  freely  used  by  zealous  combatants  on  both  sides. 
The  crop,  when  secured,  was  to  go  to  support  the  minister. 

This  controversy  continued  till  1771,  when  a  final  settle- 
•  ment  was  made  of  all  the  suits  then  pending,  by  the  town  of 
Greenfield  pajing  to  Deerfield  £40  for  all  trespasses  committed 
on  the  town  land  by  any  of  the  inhabitants  of  Greenfield, 
from  the  beginning  of  the  year  1768  till  the  4th  day  of  De- 
cember, 1770 ;  but  this  not  to  afl'ect  the  title  to  said  land. 

The  controversy  did  not  end  with  the  lawsuit  of  1770.  We 
find  frequent  notices  in  the  town  records  of  committees  chosen 
to  examine  and  prosecute  the  claims  of  Greenfield  to  that  land. 
In  1782  it  was  voted  "to  make  a  trial  for  a  certain  piece  of 
land  the  town  of  Deerfield  has  taken,  in  manner  as  followeth: 
that  David  Smead,  Esq.,  is  chosen  to  act  discretionally  for  the 
town,  to  bring  on  a  trial  before  the  General  Court,  and  make 
a  report  of  his  proceedings,  and  likewise  to  keep  an  account 
of  his  expenses."  But  nothing  came  of  it.  The  old  quarrel 
went  on.  People  now  living  recall  the  fact  that  they  received 
it  almost  as  a  dying  legacy  from  their  fathers  not  to  give  up 
that  claim.  Fortunately,  the  rivalries  and  animosities  of 
those  days  have  passed  away.  The  people  of  these  towns  are 
pretty  good  friends  now,  though  if  a  Greenfield  man  should 
speak  the  fatal  word  "  Cheapside"  in  old  Deerfield  Street,  he 
would  possibly  find  that  the  old  fires  only  smouldered,  and 
had  not  gone  entirely  out.  As  for  that  land,  the  water  has 
opened  a  gully  in  the  bank  near  by,  and  the  clay  has  washed 
down  and  covered  the  soil,  so  that  the  land  is  not  worth  much. 
The  Deerfield  people  can  have  it.  The  grapes  the  fox  couldn't 
get  he  pronounced  sour. 

In  1836  an  eftbrt  was  made  in  the  Legislature  by  persons  in 
the  interest  of  Greenfield  to  have  all  that  part  of  Deerfield 
north  of  Deerfield  River,  called  Cheapside,  annexed  to  Green- 
field. The  efl'ort  was  pushed  with  energy  and  resisted  with 
equal  power.  The  attempt  failed,  with  no  result  but  to  renew 
the  old  bitterness  of  feeling  between  the  two  towns.  It  was 
renewed  in  1850  with  like  vigor,  and  with  the  same  result. 
The  old  8000-acre  line  still  remains  the  boundary  between  the 
mother-town  and  her  restless  and  rebellious  child. 

Our  town  had  its  birth  and  childhood  in  a  period  of  colonial 
darkness  and  danger.  It  was  at  the  time  of  the  long,  bloody 
Prench-and-Indian  war.  England  and  France  were  engaged 
in  a  death-struggle  to  secure  supremacy  on  this  continent.  It 
was  just  at  the  time  that  the  name  of  Washington  begins  to 
figure  in  history. 

Braddoek's  defeat  occurred  in  July,  1755,  and  two  years 
earlier,  in  1753,*  the  year  in  which  our  town  was  incorpo- 
rated, at  the  suggestion  of  Franklin,  a  Provincial  Congress 
was  held  at  Albany, — a  remarkable  gathering  of  the  leading 
men  of  that  day, — and  the  first  s<eps  were  taken  for  a  confed- 
eration of  the  colonies. 

Our  fathers  lived  and  had  their  being  in  scenes  of  war  and 
bloodshed.  They  endured  all  the  hardships  of  frontier-life, 
knowing  that  a  savage  foe,  inspired  by  a  rival  nation,  hostile 
in  race,  language,  and  religion,  was  lurking  in  the  forests 
about  them. 

INDIAN  WARFARE. 

Our  town  has  not  a  great  deal  of  exciting  history  of  Indian 
warfare.  In  1676,  during  King  Philip's  war,  the  soldiers 
under  Capt.  Turner,  who  assaulted  the  Indians  at  the  Falls, 
came  up  on  the  west  side  of  the  Green  River  and  crossed  near 
what  is  now  known  as  Nash's  Mill,  then  turned  to  the  east, 
through  the  forest,  following  an  Indian  trail  upon  the  north 
edge  of  the  swamp  till  they  reached  the  level  ground  north- 
west of  Factory   village.      Dismounting   here,   and  leaving 


*  This  convention  was  held  at  Albany,  in  July,  1T54  (see  History  of  Penn- 
sylvania, Ijy  Wm.  H.  Eglc,  page  79).  The  resolutions  were  adopted  on  the  4th 
of  the  month. — Ed. 


their  horses  in  charge  of  a  small  guard,  they  hastened  noise- 
lessly down  into  the  hollow,  forded  Fall  River  just  above  the 
upper  bridge,  scaled  the  abrupt  bank  on  the  opposite  side,  and 
then  reached  the  summit  north  of  where  Mr.  Stoughton's 
house  now  stands,  just  as  the  day  was  dawning. 

The  white  soldiers  were  completely  successful  in  destroying 
the  Indian  camp.  They  returned  to  the  place  where  they  had 
left  their  horses  to  commence  a  triumphant  march  homeward. 
.Just  then  an  unaccountable  panic  seized  upon  the  men,  and 
the  victory  of  the  morning  became  a  stampede  for  personal 
safety.  The  tradition  is  that  a  party  of  the  soldiers  were  lost 
in  the  woods  and  swamps,  were  taken  prisoners,  and  were 
burned  to  death. 

Capt.  William  Turner,  who  commanded  the  English  force, 
was  a  Boston  man,  "a  tailor  by  trade,  but  one  that  for  his 
valor  has  left  behind  him  an  honorable  memory."  He  had 
been  prominent  in  the  controversy  respecting  Baptism  which 
had  agitated  the  Massachusetts  colony  a  few  years  before.  He 
came  from  Dartmouth,  England,  "having  been  a  regular 
walker  in  the  Baptist  order  before  he  came  to  this  country." 
The  magistrates,  with  the  mistaken  idea  that  they  cotild  anni- 
hilate obnoxious  opinions  by  severe  measures  against  the 
holders  of  those  opinions,  proceeded  in  October,  1665,  to 
disfranchise  five  persons  who  held  the  obnoxious  doctrine  of 
baptism  by  immersion ;  of  these,  Wm.  Turner  was  one. 
Shortly  after,  we  find  him  in  prison  for  his  heretical  opinions. 
How  long  he  remained  in  prison  I  am  unable  to  learn  ; 
but  he  seems  to  have  been  active  in  maintaining  worship  after 
the  Baptist  form  in  the  spring  of  1668.  A  public  dispute  was 
held  in  the  meeting-house  of  the  First  Church,  in  Boston,  be- 
tween six  of  the  ministers  of  that  region  and  a  company  of 
Baptists.  The  dispute  lasted  two  days,  and,  strange  to  say, 
came  to  nothing.  The  Baptists  would  not  be  converted  to  the 
doctrines  of  their  opponents,  who,  being  the  stronger  party, 
proceeded  to  sentence  them  to  banishment  from  the  colony,  and 
declared  them  liable  to  imprisonment  if  they  returned.  The 
sentence  of  banishment  is  a  curiosit}'.  I  give  only  the  sub- 
stance :  "  Whereas,  the  council  did  appoint  a  meeting  of  divers 
elders,  and  whereas,  Thomas  Gould,  William  Turner  (and 
others),  obstinate  and  turbulent  Ana-Baptists,  did  assert  their 
former  practice  before  these  elders,  to  the  great  grief  and 
offense  of  the  godly  Orthodox, — to  the  disturbance  and  de- 
struction of  the  churches, — this  council  do  judge  it  neces- 
sary that  they  be  removed  to  some  other  part  of  this  country, 
and  do  accordingly  order  said  Gould,  Turner,  etc.,  to  remove 
themselves  out  of  this  jurisdiction."  Among  those  on  whom 
this  sentence  was  passed  was  Wm.  Turner.  But  so  strong 
was  the  remonstrance  against  such  oppressive  proceedings 
that  the  sentence  was  never  carried  into  execution.  This  was 
the  end  of  the  controversy  with  the  Baptists. 

The  persecuted  tailor  of  1668  appears  again  as  Capt.  Turner 
in  the  spring  of  1G76,  leading  89  foot-soldiers  from  Marlboro' 
to  Northampton,  and  is  soon  in  command  of  the  troops  at 
Hadley.  Bachus,  in  his  "History  of  the  Baptists  of  New 
England,"  from  which  I  get  this  information,  relates  that  "  in 
the  beginning  of  the  war  this  William  Turner  gathered  a 
company  of  volunteers,  but  was  denied  a  commission  and 
discouraged  because  the  chief  of  the  company  were  Ana- 
baptists. Afterward,  when  the  war  grew  more  general  and 
destructive,  and  the  country  in  very  great  distress,  he  was 
desired  to  accept  a  commission."  Under  date  of  April  -25, 
1G76,  he  wrote  to  the  council  of  Massachusetts  as  follows: 
"  The  soldiers  here  are  in  great  distress  for  want  of  clothing, 
both  woolen  and  linen.  Some  has  been  brought  from  Quabaug 
(Brookfield),  but  not  an  eighth  of  what  we  want.  I  beseech 
your  Honors  that  my  wife  may  have  my  wages  due,  to  supply 
the  wants  of  my  family.  I  should  be  glad  if  some  better 
person  might  be  found  for  this  employment,  for  my  weakness 
of  body  and  often  infirmities  will  hardly  sufi'er  me  to  do  my 
duty  as  I  ought,  and  it  would  grieve  me  to  neglect  anything 


580 


HISTORY   OF   THE   CONNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


that  might  be  for  the  good  of  the  country  in  this  day  of  their 
distress."  Tliis  lias  the  ring  of  true  patriotism,  in  spite  of  liis 
imprisonments  and  persecutions.  In  ICC7  the  Baptists  found 
themselves  compelled  to  make  a  defense  against  the  charge  of 
"  disobedience  to  the  government."  In  that  defense  they  say, 
"  Uoth  our  persons  and  estates  are  alwaj's  ready  at  command 
to  be  serviceable  in  the  defense  of  the  country, — yea,  and  have 
voluntarily  offered  on  the  high  places  of  the  iield  in  the  time 
of  the  country's  greatest  extremity ;  among  whom  was  Wil- 
liam Turner,  whom  they  pleased  to  make  captain,  who  had 
been  one  of  the  greatest  sulferers  among  us  for  the  profession 
of  religion.  He  was  a  very  worthy  man  for  soldiery  ;  and 
after  that  by  him  who  was  then  commander-in-chief — an  in- 
strument in  the  hands  of  the  Lord — was  the  greatest  blow 
struck  to  the  Indians  of  any  they  had  received;  for  after  this 
they  were  broken  and  scattered,  so  that  they  were  overcome 
and  subdued  with  ease."  His  wife,  in  a  petition  to  the  coun- 
cil, says  her  husband  voluntarily  and  freely  offered  himself, 
and  was  then  in  the  service  of  the  country  with  his  son  and 
servants.  The  council  granted  her  £7.  When  the  expedition 
started  for  the  Falls,  Capt.  Turner  commanded.  He  seems  to 
have  been  a  man  of  skill  and  courage,  hut,  enfeebled  by  sick- 
ness, he  had  not  bodily  strength  to  act  with  energy.  In  the 
retreat  he  was  shot  by  the  Indians  through  the  thigh  and 
back  as  he  was  passing  Green  River  (near  Nash's  mills).  His 
body  was  afterward  found  not  far  away. 

It  is  thought  that  Mrs.  John  Williams,  the  wife  of  the 
minister  of  Deertield,  who  was  taken  captive  with  her  family 
at  the  destruction  of  the  town  in  1704,  was  killed  at  the  foot 
of  the  Leyden  Hills,  a  mile  or  so  north  of  the  Ballou  farm,  in 
quite  the  north  limit  of  the  town.  Sick  and  faint,  she  was 
unable  to  keep  up  with  the  party,  and  the  Indians,  to  free 
themselves  of  the  incumbrance,  killed  her.  Her  body  was 
recovered,  and  buried  at  Deertield. 

The  year  following  the  incorporation  of  the  town, — i.e.,  1754, 
— at  a  town-meeting  it  was  voted  that  they  picket  three  houses 
in  this  district  forthwith.  That  Joshua  Wells',  James  Cor.se's, 
and  Shubael  Atherton's  be  the  hou.ses  that  are  to  be  picketed. 
James  Coi'se's  house  stood  where  the  Leavitt  House  now  stands, 
nexteast  of  the  Mansion  House;  Shubael  Atherton's,  at  what  is 
known  as  Stocking  Fort,  or  Stockaded  Fort,  opposite  Snow's 
green-bouse ;  and  Jo.shua  Wells',  where  G.  D.  Williams, 
Esq.,  had  lived.  The  well-authenticated  tradition  is  that  a 
subterranean  passage  led  from  the  cellar  of  this  house  to  the 
brow  of  the  hill  north.  These  picketed  houses  were  sur- 
rounded by  a  strong  fence  of  timber,  set  in  the  ground  quite 
close  together,  each  one  sharpened  at  the  top,  eight  or  nine 
feet  high  above  the  ground.  No  Indian  could  get  through, 
nor  over,  these  fences  without  aid.  To  these  houses  the  peo- 
ple could  fly  in  seasons  of  danger,  and  take  refuge  when  they 
feared  a  midnight  attack  from  a  merciless  foe.  Around  these 
houses,  or  in  their  immediate  neighborhood,  the  inhabitants 
gathered.  Their  existence  tells  a  pathetic  tale  of  danger  and 
anxiety  on  the  part  of  the  people. 

In  1756  the  people  improved  their  land  as  fiir  north  as 
Country  Farms,  but  lived  in  the  village  for  safety.  Five  men 
— Benjamin  Hastings,  John  Graves,  Daniel  Graves,  Shubael 
Atherton,  and  Nathaniel  Brooks — were  at  work  on  the  farm 
where  J.  A.  Picket  now  lives.  They  placed  their  guns  against 
a  stack  of  flax,  and  were  busy  in  another  part  of  the  field. 
A  party  of  Indians  concealed  near  by  slipped  in  between  them 
and  their  guns,  and  fired  upon  them.  Deprived  of  their 
weapons,  they  sought  safety  in  flight,  and  proved  themselves 
good  runners  at  least. 

Hastings  and  John  Graves  fled  across  the  river,  and  brought 
up  at  the  Arms  farm,  where  Mr.  John  Thayer  now  lives. 
Hastings  said  the  ferns  in  the  field  over  which  he  passed  grew 
as  high  as  his  waist,  but  that  he  ran  over  the  tops  of  them. 
A  good  story  for  the  deacon  to  tell  I  We  will  at  least  give 
him  credit  for  a  good  use  of  his  legs. 


John  Graves,  a  young  man  then,  who  escaped  with  him, 
was  grandfather  of  our  respected  fellow-citizen.  Deacon  J.  J. 
Graves.  Atherton  concealed  himself  near  the  river  in  some 
brushwood,  but  was  discovered  and  shot.  Daniel  Graves,  the 
father  of  John,  and  Brooks  were  taken  captive.  Graves  was 
old  and  infirm,  and  unable  to  travel ;  he  was  killed  soon  after 
they  left  the  spot,  near  the  Glen  Brook,  just  below  the  gorge. 
Brooks  never  returned,  and  nothing  is  known  of  his  fate.  He 
bears  the  same  name  that  tradition  assigns  to  the  first  settler 
of  the  town.  From  that  time  there  is  no  record  of  any 
trouble  with  the  Indians. 

When  settlements  were  flrst  begun  here,  as  in  other  places  ; 
the  people  gathered  together  in  villages  for  the  purpose  of 
mutual  protection  from  the  Indians.  Here  the  first  settle- 
ments were  on  or'near  Main  Street.  Here  were  the  picketed  j 
houses.  It  is  an  interesting  question  when  families  ventured 
out  of  the  village  to  live  on  the  outlying  farms.  I  can  find 
no  record  of  any  house  built  beyond  the  region  of  the  village 
before  1760,  which  may  be  regarded  as  closing  the  long  and 
terrible  tragedy  of  the  French-and-Indian  war.  For  a  period 
of  one  hundred  and  twenty-four  years,  says  Dr.  Holland,  from 
the  first  settlement  at  Springfield,  in  16.36,  the  inhabitants  of 
old  Hampshire  County  had  been  exposed  to  the  dangers,  fears, 
toils,  and  trials  of  Indian  wars  and  border  depredations. 
Children  had  been  born,  had  grown  up  to  manhood  and  de- 
scended to  old  age,  knowing  little  or  nothing  of  peace  and 
tranquillity.  Hundreds  had  been  killed,  and  large  numbers 
carried  into  captivity. 

Men,  women,  and  children  had  been  butchered  by  scores. 
There  is  hardly  a  square  acre — certainly  not  a  square  mile — in 
the  Connecticut  Valley  that  has  not  been  tracked  by  the 
flying  feet  of  fear,  resounded  with  the  groans  of  the  dying,  or 
served  as  the  scene  of  toils  made  doubly  toilsome  by  an  ap- 
prehension of  danger  which  never  slept.  Among  such  scenes 
and  trials  the  settlements  of  Western  Massachusetts  were 
planted. 

The  end  of  these  dangers  came  when  peace  was  proclaimed, 
in  1763.*  Did  any  of  the  people  of  Greenfield  move  away 
from  their  defenses  before  1763?  Who  knows  ?  If  they  were 
all  concentrated  in  the  village,  it  may  seem  strange  that  the 
committee,  in  1753,  should  have  fixed  the  place  for  erecting  a 
meeting-house  at  "Trap  Plain,"  a  mile  north  of  the  village 
and  away  from  all  roads,  and  strange  that  in  1760  the  people 
should  have  ratified  that  choice  and  laid  out  roads  east  and 
west  to  the  spot.  The  present  road  north  from  the  village, 
called  Federal  Street,  was  not  opened  till  1788.  Before  that 
time  people  reached  the  church  by  going  up  the  Gill  road 
to  the  burying-ground,  or  the  Country  Farms  road  to  Nash's 
mills. 

The  road  known  as  Silver  Street  was  laid  out  in  1760, 
the  very  year  the  town  voted  to  build  the  meeting-house. 
The  explanation  of  locating  the  church  so  far  away  from 
the  settlement  is  found  in  the  fact  that  it  was  the  custom 
to  put  the  meeting-bouse  as  near  as  possible  in  the  territorial 
centre  of  the  town.  "Trap  Plain"  met  the  requirement  in 
this  particular,  seeing  that  the  territory  of  Gill  had  to  be  con- 
sidered. On  account  of  the  swamp,  it  could  not  have  been 
placed  farther  north.  When  it  was  decided  to  build,  the  neces- 
sary roads  were  opened  to  it. 

ROADS. 

The  earliest  road  in  this  town  of  which  we  have  any  knowl- 
edge was  one  from  Deerfield,  passing  just  east  of  "  Pine  Hill," 
and  crossing  the  Deerfield  River  by  a  ford  near  the  north  end  of 
Pine  Hill,  and  on  the  east  side  of  Green  River  to  the  place 
where  the  grist-mill  now  stands.  Of  course  the  early  roads 
were  but  bridle-paths,  cleared  of  trees  and  brush,  and  but  little 
worked.     Reference  is  made  in  the  proprietors'  records  to  the 

*  Treaty  of  peace  signed  Feb.  10, 17(i;i. 


HISTORY   OF   FRANKLIN   COUNTY. 


581 


road  to  Northfield  in  1723.  Something  in  the  way  of  a  road 
must  have  existed  in  this  village  at  the  time  the  first  grants 
were  made,  in  1G87.  But  Main  Street,  in  its  present  sliape,  was 
laid  out  in  1749. 

The  proprietors  voted  to  lay  out  a  road  from  the  west  end 
of  Main  Street  to  Country  Farms  in  1736.  But  an  original 
plan  of  this  road  is  before  me,  bearing  the  date  of  17G3. 
Which  date  is  correct?  Probably  both.  In  1760  the  town 
voted  to  lay  out  a  road  from  the  meeting-house  spot  to  the 
best  place  to  meet  the  proprietors'  road.  It  is  what  we  know 
as  Silver  Street.  The  Country  Farms  road  was  laid  out  in 
1736  as  the  Projji-ietors'  road.  In  1763  it  was  laid  out  as  a 
town  road.  So  both  dates  are  correct.  Up  to  1760  the  only 
roads  in  town  were  the  one  from  Deerfield  to  Main  Street ; 
one  from  the  east  end  of  Main  Street  to  Northfield  ;  a  bridle- 
path ;  one  from  the  west  end  of  Main  Street  to  Country  Farms  ; 
and  one  from  the  same  ]ioint  to  Coleraine.  When  the  church 
was  built  at  Trap  Plain,  the  road  was  built  from  the  burying- 
ground  on  the  Gill  road,  west,  to  intersect  with  the  Coleraine 
road,  so  that  people  from  the  east  and  the  west  end  of  the 
village  could  reach  the  church. 

In  1763  the  road  from  the  meeting-house  north  to  the 
Bernardston  line  was  laid  out,  and  in  the  same  year,  as  I 
have  said,  the  Proprietors'  road  to  Country  Farms  was  ac- 
cepted bj'  the  town,  and  ten  days'  work  laid  out  on  it. 

In  1769  the  road  from  Mrs.  Thomas  Nims'  hou.se  to  the 
Ballou  place  was  laid  out.  And  in  1775  a  road  to  Shelburue 
was  laid  out,  leaving  the  Coleraine  road  near  the  burying- 
ground,  past  where  Mr.  John  Thayer  now  lives,  in  a  north- 
westerly direction  over  the  mountain,  crossing  the  present 
Shelburne  road  just  east  of  Col.  David  Wells'  house.  After 
this  date  the  laying  out  of  roads  was  of  very  frequent  occur- 
rence, and  occupied  a  large  share  of  attention  in  town-meet- 
ings. Federal  Street  was  laid  out  in  1788,  and  was  a  great 
undertaking. 

REVOLUTIONARY  WAR. 

It  is  to  be  regretted  that  the  records  of  the  part  Greenfield 
took  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution  are  so  scanty.  Enough  are 
preserved  to  show  that  our  town  responded  to  the  frequent 
calls  of  the  provincial  Congress  for  men  and  means  to  prose- 
cute the  war  with  the  mother-country.  We  cannot  say 
unanimously  responded,  for  many  prominent  men  here,  as 
elsewhere,  did  not  heartily  approve  of  the  war.  A  few  were 
open  in  their  opposition.  They  looked  forward  to  the  time 
when  the  colonies  would  be  free  from  the  control  of  the  king, 
but  felt  that  the  time  had  not  yet  come  to  enter  upon  a  strug- 
gle to  force  a  separation.  They  distrusted  the  ability  of  the 
colonies — weak,  poor,  and  scattered  as  they  were — to  cope 
with  the  mother-country, — a  powerful  and  united  military 
nation.  As  we  look  back  upon  the  actual  condition  of  things 
at  that  time,  we  cannot  but  have  a  degree  of  sympathy  with 
the  Tories.  ^It  was  a  rash  undertaking  in  which  our  fathers 
engaged.  They  hardly  counted  the  cost.  Had  they  foreseen 
— as  fortunately  they  did  not — the  eight  years  of  struggle  that 
were  before  them,  with  all  the  attendant  losses  and  hardships 
of  war,  possibly  more  of  them  would  have  hesitated  before 
they  embarked  upon  the  perilous  enterprise.  But  the  battle 
at  Concord  aroused  a  spirit  of  patriotism  which  left  no  alter- 
native but  war. 

At  a  town-meeting  in  September,  1774,  a  committee  were 
chosen ;  some  one  or  more  of  them  to  meet  with  the  provincial 
Congress.  In  October  of  that  year  it  was  voted  that  Daniel 
Nash  be  a  delegate  to  represent  us  at  the  provincial  Congress 
to  be  held  at  Concord  upon  the  11th.  That  Congress  met  at 
Salem  on  the  7th  of  October,  and  adjourned  to  meet  at  Con- 
cord on  the  11th.  Finding  the  court-house  too  small  for  their 
purpose,  they  adjourned  to  the  meeting-house,  chose  John 
Hancock  president,  and  Benjamin  Lincoln  clerk.  It  was  a 
time  of  great  excitement.  The  eyes  of  the  whole  country  were 
t\u-ned  upon  Boston,  which  was  the  fountain-head  of  the  Kev- 


olutionary  struggle.  The  cause  in  which  it  suffered  was  re- 
garded as  the  common  cause  of  the  country.  A  hostile  fleet 
lay  in  its  harbor,  hostile  troops  paraded  its  streets.  The  tents 
of  an  army  dotted  its  Common.  Cannon  were  planted  in  com- 
manding positions.  Its  fort  was  closed,  its  wharves  deserted, 
its  commerce  paralyzed,  and  many  were  reduced  from  afflu- 
ence to  poverty. 

No  one  had  more  at  stake  than  John  Hancock,  for  he  was 
the  richest  man  in  the  colony.  The  Congress  over  which  he 
presided  was  memorable  in  our  annals.  The  constables  and 
collectors  throughout  the  province  having  public  moneys  in 
their  hands  were  advised  not  to  pay  them  to  the  authorities 
of  the  Crown,  but  to  retain  them,  subject  to  the  advice  of  the 
constitutional  assembly. 

Arrangements  were  made  for  increasing  the  quantity  of 
warlike  stores.  In  comjdiance  with  this  advice,  the  town  of 
Greenfield  voted  that  tlie  selectmen  purchase  for  the  town 
one  hundred-weight  of  powder  and  one  hundred-weight  of 
lead  over  and  above  what  is  in  the  town  stock,  and  that  the 
sum  of  £12  be  assessed  to  purchase  this  ammunition. 

In  the  April  following  the  war  opened  in  the  memorable 
battle  at  Concord,  where  "  was  fired  the  shot  heard  round  the 
world."  The  news  of  that  battle  was  borne  by  express  to  all 
parts  of  the  province.  The  white  horse  bearing  the  messen- 
ger, bloody  with  spurring  and  dripping  with  sweat,  reached 
Worcester  and  fell  exhausted  by  the  church.  The  bells  were 
rung  in  all  the  towns,  and  the  people  were  called  together. 
Willard,  in  his  history,  has  given  us  a  graphic  description  of 
the  reception  of  the  news  in  Greenfield. 

According  to  his  account,  "Thomas  Loveland,  a  drummer, 
took  his  station  on  the  horse-block  under  an  elm  at  the  south 
end  of  the  common,  and  beat  the  long  roll  for  volunteers, 
and  with  the  desired  result, — very  many  enlisted  on  the  spot. 
Of  the  military  company  then  existing,  of  which  Ebenezer 
Wells  was  captain,  Allen  lieutenant,  and  Severance  ensign, 
most  were  ready  to  hurry  into  the  service  of  the  colony ;  but 
the  officers  stood  aloof,  dissuading  from  the  movement  as 
savoring  of  treason  and  rebellion.  Lieutenant — or,  as  he  then 
was.  Sergeant — Benjamin  Hastings,  the  son  of  the  Benjamin 
Hastings  who  had  been  prominent  in  the  history  of  the  town, 
and  who  had  died  the  year  before,  was  the  first  to  enlist,  and, 
as  the  old  otficers  refused  to  serve,  Hastings  was  chosen  cap- 
tain by  acclamation.  Captain  Wells  said,  '  Sergt.  Hastings, 
you  will  have  your  neck  stretched  for  this.'  We  should  be 
glad  to  know  his  reply.  He  declined  the  office  of  captain  in 
favor  of  Timothy  Childs,  who  had  been  captain  in  a  militia 
company,  and  who  resided  on  the  farm  now  occupied  by  T.  M. 
Stoughton.  Hastings  became  lieutenant,  and  Aaron  Denio 
ensign,  or,  as  we  should  say,  second  lieutenant.  At  daybreak 
on  the  following  morning  they  were  on  their  march  to  join 
the  army  at  Cambridge." 

This  is  a  very  pretty  story,  and  I  am  sorry  to  spoil  it,  but  I 
am  afraid  there  is  very  little  truth  in  it.  It  is  a  home-made 
story  which  authentic  documents  do  not  support.  Let  us  hold 
on  to  Loveland's  long  roll  under  the  tree  opposite  the  post- 
oifice.  We  won't  stop  to  inquire  if  that  tree  is  more  than  one 
hundred  years  old.  The  story  of  Lieut.  Hastings  and  Capt. 
Childs  must  go  overboard. 

In  rummaging  among  the  musty  archives  in  the  State-House 
I  find  these  documents,  which  throw  much  light  on  the  occur- 
rences of  that  day.     The  first  is  as  follows  : 

Capt.  Agrippa  Wells'  muster-roll  in  Col.  Sam  Williams'  regiment  of  Minute- 
Men  who  marched  from  Greenfield  on  the  alarm  April  19,  1775.  Fii-st  on  the 
roll  is  Capt.  Agrippa  Wells,  enlisted  April  "JOth, — the  very  day,  you  observe,  after 
the  Concord  fight ;  term  of  service  ten  days ;  i.e.,  to  May  1.  Then  follow  tbo 
names  of  Ezekiel  Foster,  of  Bernardston,  lieutenant ;  Oliver  Atherton,  Elijah 
Kingsley,  Dan  Corse,  sergeants;  .\saph  Allen,  John  Wells,  Eiieu  Scott,  corpo- 
rals ;  Samuel  Turner,  Samuel  Shattuck,  John  Connabel,  Timothy  Bascom,  Eze- 
kiel Foster,  Jr.,  John  Coats,  Ezni  Ilennell,  Simeon  Nash,  Oliver  Hastings,  Nehe- 
niiah  Andrews,  Frederic  Denio,  John  Burt,  Keuhen  Shattuck,  Daniel  Chapiti, 
Thomas  Hunt,  David  Davis,  Eliphaz  Child,  Samuel  Nichols,  Samuel  Deane,  John 
Duwey.Joseph  Slate,  Joel  Chapin,  Ariel  Hinsdell,  Caleb  Chapiu,  William  Kings? 


582 


HISTORY   OP  THE  CONNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


land,  Samuel  HiwtingB,  ElUnh  Mitcliell,  Hf/.eldali  Cliapin,  Jonntlian  Atliortoii, 
Amns  Sniead,  Tnliul  Nasli,  raniel  riiki'l,  IIc>l>lini  Rider,  Daiiiid  Wcdls,  Firman 
Wond,  Michael  Frizzle,  Jolin  Sovercnee,  Moses  Arms.  Jan.  2, 1776,  made  outh 
that  the  alxive  lit,t  was  true. 

This  company  of  MimUc-Mcii  was  oanecl  into  the  field  iinilcr 
tlve  impulse  of  a  sudtlon  alarm.  At  tlie  end  of  ten  days — i.e., 
May  1st — we  find  a  portion  of  the  same  company  enrolled  in 
the  Continental  army. 

In  the  archives  at  the  State-House  is  the  muster-roll  of  the 
company  under  the  command  of  Capt.  Agrippa  Wells,  in  Col. 
Asa  Whitcomb's  Kegiment.  The  first  name  on  the  roll  is 
Capt.  A.  Wells;  time  of  enlistment,  May  1,  1775.  Traveled 
one  hundred  and  five  miles,  mileage  a  penny  a  mile.  Term  of 
service  three  months  and  eight  days. 

Jacob  Pole,  of  Shelburne,  first  lieutenant ;  Ezekiel  Foster, 
of  Bernardston,  second  lieutenant ;  Oliver  Atherton,  of  Green- 
field, sergeant;  Samuel  Nichols,  of  Greenfield,  drummer; 
and  a  long  list  of  privates  from  Greenfield,  Shelburne,  and 
Bernardston,  containing  such  familiar  names  as  John  Wells, 
Frederic  Denio,  Timothy  Bascom,  Oliver  Hastings,  Tubal 
Nash,  James  Corse. 

The  term  of  service  of  this  company  expired  Aug.  8,  1775. 
A  large  proportion  of  the  officers  and  men  re-enlisted  for 
eight  months'  service, — the  autumn  and  winter  of  the  siege 
of  Boston.  The  heroes  of  Mr.  Willard's  narrative  do  not  ap- 
pear on  the  rolls  at  the  State-Hou.se  as  men  in  service  at  this 
period. 

In  April  of  1770  we  find  that  Massachusetts  is  taking  de- 
cided ground  in  favor  of  national  independence.  The  Gen- 
eral Court  passed  a  resolve  in  April  to  alter  the  style  of  writs 
and  other  legal  processes,  substituting  "  the  people  and  gov- 
ernment of  Massachusetts"  for  George  III.,  and  in  May 
passed  an  order  by  which  the  people  in  the  several  towns  were 
advised  to  give  instructions  to  their  representatives  on  the  sub- 
ject of  independence.  In  Greenfield  it  was  "  voted  to  adopt 
the  measures  and  instructions  to  our  representative  as  is  set 
forth  in  the  newspapers  to  Boston  representatives." 

On  the  26th  of  September,  1776,  it  was  voted  "  that  the  present 
House  of  Kepresentatives,  with  the  council,  jointly  acting  by 
equal  vote,  be  directed  to  proceed  to  form  a  constitution  and 
form  of  government  for  this  State,  and  that  said  court  be  di- 
rected to  publish  said  form  of  government  for  the  inspection 
and  perusal  of  the  public  before  its  ratification."  When  the 
General  Court  convened  a  committee  was  appointed  to  draft 
a  constitution,  consisting  of  four  members  of  the  founcil  and 
eight  members  of  the  House.  But  little  is  known  of  the  pro- 
ceedings of  this  committee.  But  as  the  result  of  their  delib- 
erations a  constitution  was  drafted,  debated  at  length,  and  ap- 
proved by  the  Legislature,  submitted  to  the  people,  and  by 
them  rejected.  In  Greenfield,  in  April,  1778,  jive  voted  for 
the  constitution,  and  eig/ity  against  it. 

The  year  1777  opened  very  darkly  for  the  patriotic  cause. 
The  town  was  required  to  furnish  shirts,  stockings,  and  other 
clothing  for  the  army,  in  the  proportion  of  one  set  for  every 
seven  males  in  town  over  sixteen  years  of  age.  The  town 
hired  men  to  serve  for  six  months. 

In  the  State-House  is  preserved  the  pay-roll  of  Capt. 
Agrippa  Wells'  company  in  Col.  Samuel  Bower's  regiment, 
which  served  at  Ticonderoga  for  three  months  in  1776.  There 
are  72  names  on  the  list. 

One  of  the  great  difficulties  grew  out  of  the  depreciation  of 
the  Continental  money.  This  trouble  was  increased  by  the 
ease  with  which  this  money  was  counterfeited.  The  committee 
of  safety  and  correspondence  had  intimations  that  counterfeit- 
ing was  carried  on  at  a  little  hut  in  the  woods  at  the  right  of 
the  Gill  road,  on  the  hill  just  beyond  the  bridge  at  Factory 
village.     The  remains  of  that  hut  are  now  distinctly  seen. 

The  committee  found  there  all  the  implements  necessary  for 
counterfeiting,  and  arrested  the  proprietor,  one  Harrington  by 
name.     They  took  him  to  Northampton,  but  the  judge  told 


them  that  he  could  not  be  imprisoned  in  the  jail ;  that  it  was 
so  full  of  Tories  it  would  hold  no  more. 

He  directed  them  to  take  their  man  to  the  woods,  this  side 
of  the  village  of  Northampton,  and  administer  as  many  blows 
as  they  thought  best.  Report  says  that  Childs,  Hastings,  and 
Denio,  members  of  the  committee,  gave  light  blows,  while 
Nash  jiUt  on  heavily  and  brought  blood  at  every  stroke.  They 
then  made  him  promise  to  leave  this  part  of  the  country  and 
let  him  go. 

In  this  year  the  town  passed  this  significant  vote:  "Voted 
that  the  town  will  support  the  constable  in  collecting  the 
rates." 

The  summer  and  autumn  of  1777  were  as  important  and 
interesting  as  any  in  the  history  of  the  war.  Burgoyne 
started  from  Canada  with  his  splendid  army  with  the  avowed 
inirpose  of  sweeping  through  New  York  and  separating  New 
England  from  the  rest  of  the  colonies.  Washington  addressed 
circulars  to  the  brigadier-generals  of  militia  in  Western  Mas- 
sachusetts and  Connecticut,  informing  them  of  the  danger 
from  Burgoyne,  and  adds:  "To  the  militia  we  must  look  for 
support  in  this  hour  of  trial.  I  trust  you  will  immediately 
march  with  the  militia  under  your  command  and  rendezvous 
at  Saratoga."  This  call  was  heartily  responded  to,  and  a  large 
army  was  speedily  gathered,  made  up  largely  of  raw  recruits, 
chiefly  farmers,  enlisted  for  two  and  three  months,  and  com- 
manded by  Gen.  Gates.*  Bancroft  says  they  were  well  armed, 
except  that  but  three  soldiers  in  ten  had  bayonets,  but  con- 
scious of  superior  strength.  Eager  for  action,  they  kindled 
with  anger  and  scorn  at  the  barbarities  Burgoj'ne  threatened ; 
above  all,  were  enthusiasts  for  the  freedom  of  their  country, 
now  to  be  secured  by  their  deeds. 

The  success  of  that  campaign  against  Burgoyne  was  secured 
by  the  bravery  and  heroism  of  particular  regiments,  and 
almost  in  spite  of  the  weakness  and  inefficiency  of  the  gen- 
erals in  command. 

During  all  that  year  this  region  was  kept  in  a  con.stant  state 
of  alarm,  and  the  militia  were  frequently  called  out.  I  have 
before  me  the  pay-roll  of  Capt.  Timothy  Childs'  company  in 
Col.  David  Leonard's  regiment,  raised  Feb.  4,  1777,  to  serve 
one  month  and  seventeen  days :  Timothy  Childs,  Captain ; 
Ezekiel  Foster,  Bernardston,  Lieutenant;  Isaac  Newton,  Sim- 
eon Nash,  John  Newton,  Hull  Nimms,  Benjamin  Hastings, 
Aaron  Denio,  Ariel  Hinsdale,  James  Lowe,  and  others. 

Another  roll  of  Capt.  Timothy  Childs'  men  in  Col.  David 
Wicks'  regiment,  raised  May  10,  1777,  for  Ticonderoga,  dis- 
charged July  8,  1777 ;  time  allowed  to  go  home,  making  two 
months  and  eight  days.  The  commander  of  this  regiment, 
Col.  David  Wicks,  of  Shelburne,  was  the  grandfather  of  the 
present  bearer  of  the  same  name  and  title.  The  names  of  the 
42  men  on  this  roll  are  not  names  that  are  familiar  as  Green- 
field names.  The  fortieth  name  is  that  of  Preserved  Smith, 
then  a  young  man,  who  afterward  became  the  minister  at 
Kowe,  and  married  the  daughter  of  his  commanding  officer. 

Another  pay-roll  of  the  militia  of  Greenfield,  when  the  alarm 
was  at  Bennington,  August,  1777,  under  the  command  of  Capt. 
Timothy  Childs,  in  the  regiment  of  which  Col.  David  Field 
was  commander:  Timothy  Childs,  Captain;  Samuel  Allen, 
First  Lieutenant ;  David  Allen,  Second  Lieutenant,  and  55 
men.  The  time  of  the  service  was  four  days,  the  pay  of  the 
privates  5s.  4rf.  each.  The  fact  is  they  started  for  Bennington, 
but  were  too  late,  and  were  recalled. 

In  1779  it  was  voted  to  go  into  some  other  method  to  raise 
our  quota  of  men  now  to  be  raised.  Up  to  this  time  volun- 
teers had  come  forward ;  now  they  must  be  hired.  It  was 
voted  to  raise  the  money  to  hire  the  men  by  a  tax  on  polls  and 
estates.  I  have  before  me  an  order  to  Samuel  Wells,  treas- 
urer, to  pay  certain  persons  the  sums  affixed  to  their  names 
for  hiring  the  six  and  nine  months'  men. 

*  Schuyler  was  in  command  until  the  19th  of  August. 


HISTORY  OF  FRANKLIN   COUNTY. 


583 


In  1780  the  town  voted  that  the  committee  who  hired  the 
nine  months'  men  act  discretionally  ahout  paying  them  ;  and 
a  committee  was  chosen  to  hire  men  for  six  months,  and  to 
pay  for  clothing  and  blankets  when  called  for ;  and  at  another 
meeting,  held  in  July,  it  was  voted  to  give  the  men  that  serve 
in  the  Continental  army  20s.  a  month  in  addition  to  their 
wages,  and  JIOOO  in  paper  money,  tliey  having  paid  these 
sums  for  hiring  the  men.  The  list  is  a  long  one,  and  begins 
with  Samuel  Wells,  £272  15s.  id.  and  amounting  in  all  to 
£1288  18s.  id.  A  large  sum  for  those  days,  but  paid  in  a  de- 
preciated paper  currency.  Signed  by  us,  committee,  Timothy 
Childs,  Ebenezer  Graves,  Benj.  Hastings,  Samuel  Stoughton, 
David  Risley,  Samuel  Wells.  On  the  back  of  this  agreement 
are  the  receipts  for  the  rye.* 

I  have  before  me  similar  contracts  made  at  the  same  time 
with  David  Gibbs,  Isaac  Gibbs,  Daniel  HoUoway,  John 
Moody,  Matthew  Clark. 

It  appears  that  the  General  Court  issued  an  order  for  six 
months'  men  June  5,  1780.  Greenfield  chose  a  committee  to 
hire  these  men.  The  contracts  made  with  them  are  still  in 
the  town  clerk's  office.     I  copy  one  of  them : 

"  Greenfield,  June  25, 1780. 
"  We,  the  subscriber>(,  agree  to  pay  to  William  Kiug,  on  his  two  sons  euliating 
in  the  Continental  Service  and  passing  muster,  viz.,  Ezra  King  and  Cusliing 
King,  for  the  term  of  six  months  from  the  1st  of  July,  without  sooner  discfiarged, 
they  bringing  a  certitieate  from  their  commander  that  they  have  served  that 
time.  We,  the  Committee  of  Greenfield,  levied  ourselves  in  the  behalf  of  the 
town  to  pay  to  said  M'illiam  King  or  his  order  one  hundred  and  si.xty  bushels  of 
rye,  by  the  10th  of  January  next,  delivered  at  the  house  of  Capt.  Agrippa  Wells, 
in  Greenfield." 

In  December  of  that  year,  1780,  the  selectmen  gave  an  order 
to  the  treasurer,  Samuel  Wells,  to  pay  certain  men  the  quantity 
of  wheat  or  r3'e  set  against  their  names,  it  being  due  them  for 
money  paid  by  them  toward  the  hire  of  the  six  months'  men. 
Then  follows  a  long  list,  headed  by  Ebenezer  Graves  with 
thirty  bushels  of  wheat. 

I  have  seen  the  pay-roll  of  Capt.  Isaac  Newton's  company 
in  Col.  Murray's  regiment  of  Massachusetts  militia,  recruited 
for  three  months,  to  reinforce  the  Continental  army.  Their 
term  of  service  began  July  4,  1780.  The  company  was  dis- 
charged Oct.  10,  1870.  Isaac  Newton,  captain,  was  paid  £12  ; 
Robert  Biddle,  first  lieutenant,  £8 ;  Thomas  Dickinson,  second 
lieutenant,  £8;  Moses  Newton,  Joseph  Hastings,  Joseph  Sev- 
erance, sergeants,  £3  each ;  Seth  Nimms  and  101  other  privates 
were  paid  £2. 

In  1781  the  sum  of  £300  was  raised  to  buy  beef  for  the 
army.  In  July  of  the  same  year  it  was  voted  to  raise  a  suffi- 
cient sum  of  money  to  pay  for  a  number  of  horses  that  were 
bought  of  individuals  and  sent  into  the  Continental  service 
last  year ;  but  voted  not  to  buy  another  quota  of  beef  de- 
manded by  the  court.  It  is  quite  a  disappointment  that  we 
cannot  learn  what  was  the  population  of  the  town  at  this  time, . 
and  what  was  the  quota  of  men  required.  It  was  evidently 
hard  to  procure  the  men.  The  means  of  the  country  were 
exhausted. 

The  expedients  of  drafts  and  bounties,  with  which  we  are  so 
painfully  familiar,  were  resorted  to.  Three  months'  men  were 
called  for.  I  find  the  agreement  entered  into  with  Benjamin 
Kneeland,  Samson  Horsley,  Thomas  Horsley,  and  Eli  Hamil- 
ton to  serve  three  months.  The  matter  of  furnishing  beef 
for  the  army  proved  to  be  a  serious  affair  No  less  than  ten 
town-meetings  were  held  in  this  year,  1781.  These  meetings 
were  held  at  various  places, — sometimes  at  the  school-house, 
probably  even  in  this  village,  which  stood  on  the  spot  where 
Mr.  Oren  Wiley's  shop  now  stands,  and  which  was  burned 
early  in  the  century. 

We  have  here  a  list  of  all  the  officers  who  commanded 
companies  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution  from  this  town,  viz. : 
Agrippa  Wells,  Timothy  Childs,  Isaac  Newton. 

*  Probably  referring  to  the  grain  in  which  the  amounts  were  paid. 


PROMINENT   MEN. 

I  think  I  have  become  more  interested  in  Capt.  Agrippa 
Wells — familiarly  known  in  his  day  as  Capt.  "  Grip" — than  in 
any  other  man  in  our  history. 

My  interest  is  increased  by  the  vague,  traditionary,  and 
contradictory  accounts  of  him  which  I  have  received,  and  by 
the  unwearied  but  unsuccessful  pains  I  have  taken,  case-knife 
in  hand,  to  scrape  the  moss  from  old  tombstones,  in  the  hope 
to  find  some  authentic  intelligence  of  his  birth  and  death. 

My  story  of  him  is  partly  authentic  and  partly  traditional. 
I  have  good  reason  for  supposing  that  he  was  horn  about 
1735;  was  a  farmer  on  the  Shelburne  hills,  and  sold  his  farm 
to  David  Wells,  grandfather  of  Col.  David  Wells,  in  1770. 

The  story  has  been  often  told  that  when  a  young  man  he 
served  in  the  old  French  war,  and  was  taken  prisoner  and 
carried  to  Canada,  where  he  was  compelled  to  run  the  gauntlet, 
as  it  was  called, — i.e.,  he  was  compelled  to  run  between  two 
files  of  Indians,  each  one  of  whom  was  to  give  him  a  blow  with 
his  fist  if  he  could. 

As  an  additional  insult,  they  compelled  him  to  strip  off  his 
own  clothes  and  put  on  the  chemise  of  a  squaw.  He  used  to 
tell  the  story  that  he  got  through  the  gauntlet  with  little  per- 
sonal injury.  When  near  the  end  of  the  line  an  old  squaw 
dealt  him  a  severe  blow,  which  he  resented  by  giving  her  a 
sturdy  kick,  at  which  the  Indians  laughed,  as  a  sign  of  appro- 
bation of  his  spirit. 

We  find  that  in  1773  he  was  appointed  by  the  church  to 
"  tune  the  Psalms."  We  know  beyond  question  that  he  has- 
tened to  the  assistance  of  the  colony  at  the  head  of  his  com- 
pany, at  the  alarm  raised  after  the  battle  of  Concord,  and 
commanded  a  company  of  Continentals  at  the  siege  of  Boston. 
Returning  home  on  a  furlough,  the  minister,  Mr.  Newton, 
whose  zeal  in  the  cause  of  his  country  was  quite  lukewarm, 
asked  the  doughty  captain,  "  What  they  were  going  to  do 
with  the  Tories?"  "  Do  with  them?"  he  replied.  "Damn 
them  !   we  are  going  to  hang  the  devils  !" 

The  captain  was  evidently  an  impulsive,  impetuous  man. 
True  to  his  country's  cause  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  in 
the  troublesome  times  that  followed  he  was  seduced  from  his 
allegiance  to  the  government  he  had  fought  to  establish,  and 
joined  in  the  Shays  rebellion.  He  commanded  a  company  in 
the  winter  demonstration  upon  the  arsenal  at  Springfield,  in 
January,  1787.  The  rebels  received  a  hotter  reception  than 
they  anticipated.  Four  men  were  killed,  all  from  this  neigh- 
borhood, viz.,  Ezekiel  Root;  Ariel  Webster,  from  Gill,  then  a 
part  of  Greenfield ;  Jabez  Spicer,  from  Leyden ;  and  John 
Hunter,  from  Shelburne.  I  do  not  know  whether  they  be- 
longed to  Captain  "Grip's"  company  or  not.  As  soon  as  it 
was  seen  that  Gen.  Shephard,  the  commander  of  the  govern- 
ment troops,  was  in  earnest,  the  rebels  broke  up  in  a  sudden 
and  cowardly  retreat.  Capt.  "Grip"  was  left  almost  alone. 
He  waved  his  sword  and,  in  a  voice  of  thunder,  called  to  his 
terrified  men  to  stop;  but  in  vain.  In  emphatic  terms  he  re- 
proached them  for  their  cowardice.  But  he  had  lost  all  con- 
trol of  them.  It  is  said  that  Shays  rode  at  Springfield  on 
that  occasion  a  fine  white  horse,  the  property  of  a  Greenfield 
man,  and  afterward,  when  an  officer  of  the  government  came 
here  to  administer  the  oath  of  allegiance,  he  rode  the  same 
horse  in  the  service  of  the  government. 

Capt.  Wells  is  remembered  at  the  beginning  of  this  century 
as  a  blacksmith,  living  opposite  the  burying-ground  in  the 
South  Meadows,  near  where  Charles  Smead  now  lives.  He 
is  remembered,  about  1810,  as  a  poor  old  man.  He  probably 
died  not  long  after  this,  at  the  age  of  seventy-five  or  so.  I 
have  searched  in  vain  for  his  grave  or  any  record  of  his  death. 

At  the  various  town-meetings  no  name  appears  more  promi- 
nently than  that  of  ('apt.  Timothy  Childs.  He  was  moderator 
of  many  meetings, — the  last,  I  believe,  in  1781.  Now,  who 
was  Captain  Timothy  Childs?  Who  knows  ?  Willardsays 
he  resided  near  the  Falls.     Mr.  Stoughton  thinks  he  owned  a 


584 


HISTOllY   OF  THE   CONNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


farm  there,  but  did  not  live  on  it.  According  to  Willard,  he 
led  the  compiiny  tlmt  hastened  to  Cambridge  after  the  Concord 
tight;  which,  as  I  have  shown,  is  not  true.  But  he  did  com- 
mand a  militia  company,  which  was  out  for  brief  periods  three 
times  in  the  year  1777. 

I  have  sought  in  vain  for  any  record  of  him  beyond  these 
scanty  hints.  Who  knows  anything  of  Capt.  Childs?  One 
of  the .  foremost  men  in  this  town  one  hundred  years  ago, 
where  did  he  live?  Where  did  he  die?  Where  was  he 
buried  ?  It  is  with  a  feeling  of  sadness  that  I  speak  of  one  so 
well  known  and  so  soon  forgotten. 

About  1772,  John  Newton,  Jr.,  came  from  Durham,  Conn., 
a  young  man,  and  settled  on  the  farm  just  north  of  the  old 
meeting-house,  where  his  son,  Deacon  Curtis  Newton,  lived 
after  him.  It  is  reported  that  he  bought  the  farm,  which  was 
a  hemlock-swamp,  for  78.  6d.  an  acre.  The  house  he  built  has 
been  recently  removed.  Of  him  I  can  only  add  that  he  served 
long  enough  in  the  Revolutionary  war  to  secure  a  pension. 
A  brother,  Isaac,  came  with  him,  and  settled  on  a  farm  in  the 
north  part  of  the  town  near  the  Bernardston  line,  and  built  a 
house  on  the  spot  where  Mr.  K.  C.  Osgood  now  lives.  The 
next  year  a  younger  brother  of  these  two,  named  Samuel, 
came  with  his  father,  and  lived  on  what  is  now  Silver  Street. 

Of  these  brothers,  Isaac  seems  to  have  been  the  most  promi- 
nent. He  was  doubtless  a  clear-headed,  wise,  benevolent  man, 
full  of  energy  and  push.  He  was  called  to  all  sorts  of  offices. 
For  twenty-three  years  he  was  assessor,  selectman,  overseer  of 
the  poor,  and  for  many  years  a  member  of  the  Legislature. 
It  is  related  of  him  that  he  cared  not  at  all  for  public  office 
and  never  sought  it,  but  his  fellow-townsmen,  confiding  in  his 
integrity  and  ability,  insisted  upon  his  filling  these  places  of 
trust.  He  was  in  the  army  several  times  for  short  periods. 
He  was  at  West  Point  at  the  time  of  Arnold's  treachery,  and 
when,  in  1777,  Burgoyne  attempted  to  cut  off  New  England 
by  possessing  the  country  from  Canada  to  New  York  City, 
and  the  General  Court  had  ordered  out  the  militia  of  Massa- 
chusetts to  resist  his  advance,  Capt.  Isaac  Newton,  then  at 
home,  rallied  a  company  of  young  men  and  hastened  to  the 
scene  of  action.  It  is  related  that,  not  having  a  suit  of  clothes 
becoming  his  rank,  the  women  of  his  household  hurried  to 
card  and  spin  the  wool  and  weave  the  cloth,  and  cut  and  make 
the  garments,  so  that  when  the  company  was  ready  to  start,  in 
a  very  few  days  the  captain  was  rigged  in  a  full-dress  of  white 
woolen,  the  product  of  home  industry  and  skill,  and  it  was 
his  boast  that  he  was  the  best-dressed  officer  on  the  field.  It 
would  be  very  interesting  if  we  could  trace  the  historj'  of 
Capt.  Newton  and  his  command  in  that  eventful  campaign. 
I  found  no  record  but  the  otficial  pay-roll. 

It  was  after  the  peace  and  as  he  reached  his  maturity  that  he 
became  prominent  in  civil  affairs.  In  the  old  burying-ground, 
on  the  Gill  road,  his  grave  is  still  seen.  He  died  Sept.  23, 
1826,  aged  seventy-eight  years.  It  appears  that  he  lost  two 
young  wives,  both  under  twenty-five  years  of  age, — one  in 
1775,  and  one  in  1781.  A  third  died  in  1824,  aged  seventy-five 
years.  It  would  appear  from  Willard's  history  that  the  father 
of  John,  Isaac,  and  Samuel  Newton  was  a  brother  of  Dr. 
Roger  Newton.  The  present  generation  say  that  the  relation- 
ship was  not  so  near. 

Benjamin  Hastings  was  one  of  the  leading  citizens  of  the 
town  from  its  incorporation  till  his  death  in  1774.  He  came 
from  Hatfield,  and  lived  in  a  house  that  he  probably  built, 
and  which  is  now  utterly  gone.  It  stood  a  few  rods  soutli- 
west  of  where  Snow's  green-house  now  stands.  He  owned  a 
large  tract  of  land  extending  through  the  town  to  the  north 
line.  He  was  moderator  of  most  of  the  town-meetings  for 
the  first  fifteen  years.  He  was  town  clerk  from  1753  to  17()!l. 
He  held  the  offices  of  selectman,  highway  surveyor,  field- 
driver,  hog-reeve,  and  constable.  He  was  the  first  and  only 
deacon  of  the  church  for  many  years ;  was  often  sent  with 
petitions  to  the  General  Court  for  protection  and  relief,  and 


served  on  various  town  committees.  He  died  Aug.  16,  1774, 
in  the  seventy-sixth  year  of  his  age,  and  is  buried  in  the  old 
cemetery  on  the  Gill  road. 

His  son,  Lieut.  Benjumin  Hastings,  was  hardly  less  prom- 
inent in  town  affairs  than  his  father.  He  was  elected  to  some 
office  every  year.  He  was  out  with  the  militia  for  a  short 
time  in  1777.  He  died  Jan.  21,  1806,  and  was  buried  by  the 
side  of  his  father.  In  previous  histories  of  the  town  it  has 
been  reported  that  Benjamin  Hastings  was  the  first  man  to 
enlist  in  the  Revolutionary  struggle,  and  that  he  commanded 
the  first  company  of  volunteers.  But  this  is  not  correct.  The 
senior  Hastings  died  before  the  war  began,  and  his  son  was  in 
the  war  but  a  short  time  with  the  militia  in  1777. 

Aaron  Denio  was  a  famous  man  in  his  day.  He  was  a 
Frenchman  and  came  from  Canada,  and  was  the  tavern- 
keeper  of  the  town  for  many  years.  He  lived  where  Rich- 
ardson's block  now  is.  The  country  tavern  in  those  days  was 
a  place  of  great  interest, — the  centre  of  life  for  the  whole 
neighborhood.  This,  of  Aaron  Denio  was  no  exception. 
More  good  stories  are  told  of  the  landlord  than  of  any  other 
man  of  his  time.  He  was  evidently  of  a  very  quick  temper, 
which  often  got  the  mastery  of  him,  and  which  furnished 
much  fun  for  all  with  whom  he  had  to  do.  On  one  occasion 
he  took  his  grist  to  the  mill  and  looked  on  with  astonishment 
while  the  miller,  Mr.  Wells,  took  toll  oftener  than  he  thought 
was  just,  till  at  length  he  burst  out,  "I  do  sw^ee — r,  Mr. 
Wells,  if  you  will  take  the  grist  and  let  me  have  the  toll,  I 
will  much  thank  you."  Seeing  a  load  of  his  grandchildren 
drive  up  to  his  house  for  a  visit,  he  exclaimed,  "  You  have 
come  to  visit  us,  have  you  ?  Well,  perhaps  your  grandmother 
will  be  glad  to  see  you."  His  wife  was  the  possessor  of  a 
calico  gown, — a  rare  treasure  in  those  days.  One  day  some 
cattle  got  into  his  yard.  "My  dear,"  he  called,  "come  and 
help  me."  Mrs.  Denio,  arrayed  in  the  calico  dress,  tried  to 
assist  in  driving  them  out,  but  only  frightened  them  into 
jumping  into  the  garden.  Whereupon  the  irate  husband  ex- 
claimed, "Get  back  into  the  house,  you  calico  devil!" 

On  one  occasion  his  daughter  had  a  beau,  and  a  fire  was 
kindled  in  the  best  parlor.  In  the  course  of  the  evening  the 
old  man  intruded,  ostensibly  to  see  that  the  fire  was  burning 
well.  He  remarked,  "A  very  good  fire."  Getting  no  re- 
sponse from  those  who  preferred  his  room  to  his  company,  he 
left,  but  returned  after  a  while  and  again  remarked,  "A  very 
good  fire,"  which  was  received  with  provoking  silence.  The 
old  man  retired,  and  soon  came  back  with  a  pail  of  water, 
which  he  dashed  upon  the  fire,  exclaiming,  "  I  do  sweer  there 
is  no  fire  at  all  !" 

Coming  into  the  kitchen  one  day,  the  pot  was  boiling  over 
the  fire.  Addressing  his  wife,  he  asked,  "  My  dear,  what  are 
we  going  to  have  for  dinner  to-day  ?"  "  Victuals,"  was  the 
brief  reply.  His  anger  was  at  once  aroused,  and,  seizing  the 
pot,  he  cried  out,  "  I  do  sweer  I  will  know  what  is  in  the 
pot !"  and,  carrying  it  to  the  door,  he  threw  it  down  into  the 
ravine,  the  contents  scattering  along  the  way.  He  found 
what  was  in  the  pot,  but  lost  his  dinner.  Where  and  when 
he  died  is  unknown.  His  descendants  are  living  witih  us  to 
this  day. 

In  May,  1781,  it  was  voted,  "  It  is  the  mind  of  the  town  to 
have  a  justice  of  the  peace  in  town,"  and  David  Smead  was 
appointed.  He  lived  at  the  time  at  the  east  end  of  the  street, 
in  a  house  which  he  sold  about  1790  to  George  Grinnell, 
father  of  the  late  Judge  Grinnell,  and  moved  into  the 
meadow,  and  lived  on  what  we  have  known  as  the  Solomon 
Smead  house,  near  the  house  of  his  son.  Judge  Solomon 
Smead.  The  esquire  was  an  important  man  in  those  days, — 
his  son  Solomon,  still  more  important.  He  held  conspicuous 
positions, — was  in  both  branches  of  the  Legislature,  a  member 
of  the  council  and  judge  of  Probate,  and  a  zealous  Demo- 
crat. 

The  Bascoms  were  a  prominent  family  in  the  early  days  of 


HISTORY  OF   FRANKLIN    COUNTY. 


585 


Greenfield.  The  first  one  of  whom  there  is  any  knowledge 
was  Deacon  Moses  Bascom,  who  lived  for  a  time  in  a  house 
where  the  .John  Russell  house  now  stands ;  afterward  in  the 
northeast  part  (jf  the  town,  where  the  widow  of  Ezekiel  Bas- 
com lives.  The  only  thing  I  can  stop  to  relate  concerning 
Deacon  Bascom 's  family  is  its  fruitfulness.  He  had  nineteen 
children  in  all.  Seven  daughters  lived  to  grow  up  and  have 
families.  Eunice  had  eleven,  Kebecca  had  ton,  Martha  had 
only  seven,  Marj'  had  onl}'  seven,  Chloe  had  eleven,  Mercy 
had  eleven,  Experience  had  eight ;  total,  sixty-five. 

James  Corse  was  a  man  of  note  in  the  early  history  of  this 
town.  He  lived  where  the  Leavitt  house  now  stands.  His 
house  was  used  for  public  worship  and  for  town  purposes  till 
the  meeting-house  was  built,  and  was  one  of  the  houses  pick- 
eted for  defense.  Corse  was  a  noted  trapper  and  hunter. 
Many  stories  of  his  prowess  have  been  preserved.  He  died 
Sept.  27,  1783,  aged  ninety  years. 

In  Hall's  "  History  of  Eastern  Vermont''  there  is  a  record  of 
a  journey  made  by  one  James  Corse,  from  Fort  Dummer  to 
Lake  Champlain.  It  is  conjectured  that  he  is  the  James  Corse 
of  this  narrative.  He  had  several  children.  Gad  lived  near 
the  Ewers  tavern.  Dun  on  the  Albert  Smead  place,  Ashur 
where  Eber  Larabee  lives,  at  Country  Farms.  Mrs.  H.  C. 
Newton  and  Mrs.  'William  Smead  are  children  of  Ashur 
Corse. 

Gen.  Charles  P.  Stone,  son  of  Dr.  Alphcus  F.  Stone,  was 
born  in  Greenfield  in  1826.  He  gx-aduated  at  West  Point  in 
1845,  and  at  once  entered  the  army  as  lieutenant,  lie  served 
in  the  war  in  Mexico,  and  was  made  captain  for  gallantry  at 
Molino  del  Rey  and  Chapultepeo.  In  18-51  he  was  ordered  to 
California,  and  performed  the  duties  of  chief  of  ordnance  on 
the  Pacific  coast.  Resigning  his  position  in  the  arni}*  in  18.'J6, 
he  engaged  in  banking  in  San  Francisco.  Returning  East  in 
1861,  he  re-entered  the  army,  and  was  appointed  colonel  of  the 
14th  Regiment  United  States  Infantry  and  brigadier-general 
of  volunteers.  In  August,  1861,  he  had  command  of  the 
"corps  of  observation"  guarding  the  upper  Potomac.  In 
February,  1862,  he  was  placed  in  confinement  in  Fort  La- 
fayette, New  York  Harbor,  without  any  charge  preferred 
against  him  or  any  explanation  of  the  cause  of  his  arrest. 
He  was  held  till  August,  1862,  and  then  released,  with  no 
trial,  explanation,  or  apology,  and  ordered  to  dutj'  under  Gen. 
Banks  in  the  department  of  the  Gulf.  Gen.  Banks  made  him 
chief  of  statf.  He  was  afterward  assigned  to  the  command 
of  a  brigade  in  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  but  in  September, 
1864,  he  resigned  his  commission  in  the  regular  army.  In 
1870  he  entered  the  military  service  of  the  khedive  of  Egypt.* 

George  Ripley,  LL.D.,  was  bornjn  Greenfield,  Oct.  3, 1802, 
the  son  of  Jerome  Riplej'.  He  graduated  at  Harvard  Uni- 
versity in  1823,  and  from  the  Cambridge  Theological  School 
in  1826.  Was  pastor  of  a  Unitarian  Church  in  Boston  from 
1828-31.  Published  "  Discourses  on  the  Philosophy  of  Re- 
ligion" in  1839,  "  Letters  to  Andrew  Norton  on  the  Latest 
Form  of  Infidelity"  in  1840.  He  was  associate  editor  of  the 
Dial  in  1840-41 ;  was  the  chief  promoter  of  the  famous 
socialistic  experiment  at  Brook  Farm,  Roxbury,  in  1844-46 ; 
became  literary  editor  of  the  Sfcw  Vork  Tribune  in  1849,  and, 
with  Charles  A.  Dana,  edited  Appletons'  "New  American 
Cyclopaedia,"  16  volumes,  a  new  edition  of  which  appeared 
in  1873-76.  Mr.  Ripley  received  the  degree  of  LL.D.  from 
Lawrence  University  in  1874. 

Dexter  Marsh  deserves  honorable  mention  among  the  promi- 
nent men  of  Greenfield.  He  was  born  in  Montague  in  1806. 
Without  education,  and  by  occupation  a  day-laborer,  his  at- 
tention was  attracted  in  1835  to  foot-prints  which  lie  observed 
in  some  flagging-stones.  He  became  very  much  interested  in 
geological  studies  and  in  gathering  specimens,  in  which  he 
was  very  successful.     His  collection  was  visited  by  scientific 

*  See  Chapter  III.,  General  History  of  Franklin  Ctjnuty. 

74 


men  from  all  parts  of  the  world,  and,  though  he  supplied  many 
cabinets,  his  own,  at  the  time  of  his  death,  was  the  choicest 
collection  of  fossil  foot-prints  and  fishes  then  in  existence. 
It  was  sold  after  his  death  for  §2700.  Many  circumstances  in 
his  career  have  led  to  a  comparison  with  that  of  Hugh  Miller, 
the  noted  Scotch  geologist.  He  died  April  2,  18.j3,  at  the  age 
of  forty-seven. 

Few  men  have  been  more  intimately  identified  with  the 
interests  of  Greenfield  than  Henry  W.  Clapp.  He  was  born 
in  Springfield  in  1798.  His  early  life  was  passed  in  New 
York,  and  his  success  was  such  as  to  enable  him  to  retire  from 
active  business  at  an  early  age.  In  1835  he  came  to  reside  in 
Greenfield,  and  for  many  years  his  name  and  reputation  have 
given  assistance  and  strength  to  almost  every  important  en- 
terprise in  this  region.  He  has  been  called  to  fill  various 
positions  of  honor  and  trust.  He  was  president  of  the  Green- 
field Bank,  of  the  Franklin  Savings  Institution,  the  Connec- 
ticut Railroad  Co.,  the  Franklin  Agricultural  Society,  the 
Greenfield  Gas  Co,  the  Cemetery  Associatiim,  and  the  Library 
Association.  He  was  one  of  the  original  members  of  the  co- 
partnership for  the  manufacture  of  cutlery,  which  has  added 
so  much  to  the  prosperity  of  this  region. 

The  infiuence  he  e.xerted  was  not  acquired  by  ettorts  to  be 
popular,  but  resulted  from  native  force  and  sagacity,  persist- 
ent will,  and  recognized  integrity.  He  died  on  the  17th  of 
March,  1869. 

Hon.  William  Burritt  Washburn  was  born  in  Winchendon, 
Mass.,  Jan.  31,  1820.  He  graduated  at  Yale  College  in  1844, 
and  soon  after  engaged  in  manufacturing  at  Greenfield,  Mass., 
where  he  has  since  resided.  He  has  been  for  many  years  con- 
nected with  the  Bank  of  Greenfield,  and  in  October,  1858, 
W!is  chosen  president,  which  position  he  has  occupied  contin- 
uously to  the  present  time.  In  1864  the  bank  organized  under 
the  national  banking  law,  and  became  the  First  National 
Bank  of  Greenfield. 

He  was  elected  to  the  State  Senate  in  18-30,  and  to  the  House 
of  Representatives  in  1854.  In  1862  he  had  (probably)  the 
unprecedented  honor  of  being  unanimously  elected  to  Con- 
gross,  and  was  successively  re-elected  to  the  39th,  40th,  41st, 
and  42d  Congresses.  In  1870  he  was  elected  Governor  of 
Massachusetts,  in  consequence  of  which  he  resigned  his  seat 
in  the  42d  Congress  on  the  1st  of  January,  1871.  He  was 
again  elected  Governor  in  1872  and  1873,  but  resigned  the 
oflice  to  take  his  place  in  the  United  States  Senate,  t(j  which 
he  had  been  elected  in  the  place  of  Hon.  Charles  Suniner, 
deceased.     His  term  expired  March  3,  1875. 

Among  the  many  offices  filled  by  him  have  been  those  of 
trustee  of  Yale  College,  of  the  Massachusetts  Agricultural 
College  at  Amherst,  and  of  Smith  College  at  Northampton. 
He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Overseers  of  Amherst 
College.  The  degree  of  LL.D.  was  conferred  upon  him  by 
Harvard  University  in  1872. 

Governor  Washburn  is  prominently  connected  with  the 
Congregational  Church  in  Greenfield,  and  was  a  liberal  con- 
tributor to  the  new  and  beautiful  edifice  erected  by  the  society 
to  which  he  belongs.  He  has  recently  erected  and  presented 
to  the  Greenfield  Library  A,ssoeiation  a  fine  building  on  Main 
Street  for  the  exclusive  uses  of  the  society.  He  is  extensively 
engaged  in  manufacturing  at  Orange  and  Erving,  in  Franklin 
County ;  is  one  of  the  prosperous  men  of  Western  Massachu. 
setts,  and  held  in  high  respect  by  the  people.  His  home  in 
Greenfield  is  one  of  the  finest  and  most  commodious  in  the 
beautiful  valley  of  the  Connecticut. 

SCHOOLS   AND    SCHOOL-HOUSES. 

Our  fathers  took  advanced  ground  with  regard  to  public 
schools,  and  adopted  the  early  policy  of  the  Massncliusetts 
colony  to  have  all  tho  children  educated  at  the  public  pxr 
pense. 

As  early  as   1744,  Deerfield   made  uii   appropriiitjou   for  a 


586 


HISTORY   OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


school  at  Green  River,  and  in  1749  the  sum  of  30s.  (old  tenor) 
a  week  was  granted  to  the  school-dame  at  Green  Eiver  for  her 
services.  Do  the  wages  seem  great?  They  are  qualified  by 
the  phrase  old  tenor,  which  implies  that  they  were  paid  in  the 
depreciated  paper  currency  which  had  been  issued  to  defray 
the  expenses  of  the  disastrous  expedition  against  Quebec  in 
1()90,  under  Sir  William  Phipps,  and  which  had  depreciated 
to  about  one-tenth  of  its  nominal  value. 

In  1756  it  was  voted  to  hire  a  schoolmaster  from  the  1st  of 
January  to  the  last  of  March.  In  1757  it  was  voted  to  hire 
a  school-dame  from  the  1st  of  April  to  the  lust  of  August. 

In  1758,  that  the  selectmen  provide  a  school-dame  and  a 
house  to  keep  school  in.  In  1759  it  was  voted  to  have  a 
schoolmaster  three  months.  In  1763  a  vote  was  passed  to 
have  a  school  the  year  round.  In  1767  it  was  voted,  or  so  re- 
corded, that  "  those  people  that  han't  had  their  proportion  of 
schooling  these  three  years  past  shall  have  it  this  year  if  their 
be  money  in  the  treasury;"  and  it  was  voted  that  there  be 
seven  districts  for  schooling, — to  wit,  one  in  the  Street,  three 
in  the  meadows,  one  by  Noah  Allen's,  one  in  the  northeast 
corner,  and  one  at  Ens.  Childs',  at  the  falls. 

But  one  master,  and  he  to  move  to  each  district  according 
to  the  proportion  ;  and  to  have  a  school-dame  the  other  six 
months,  and  she  to  keep  school  in  the  several  districts  accord- 
ing to  their  proportion.  Voted  to  raise  £20  for  schooling. 
In  1774  it  was  voted  to  divide  the  district  into  sqaadrens  for 
the  best  advantage  for  the  public  schools. 

I  have  not  been  able  to  fix  definitely  the  population  of  the 
town  previous  to  1790.  Mr.  Willard,  in  his  history  of  Green- 
field, puts  the  population  in  1763  at  368.  I  do  not  know  on 
what  authority.  At  the  first  census,  taken  by  the  government 
in  1790,  Greenfield  returned  a  population  of  1498, — a  large 
growth  for  twenty-seven  years.  The  return  of  scholars  may 
throw  some  light  on  the  matter. 

I  have  before  me  a  return  made  to  Solomon  Smead,  treasurer 
of  the  selectmen  in  1790,  of  the  school  children  in  town,  as 
follows:  South  School  (Street),  60;  Meeting-House  (Four 
Corners),  45;  Mill  Brook  (Nash's),  43  ;  Ariel  Hinsdale  (North 
Meadow),  40;  Country  Farms,  23;  Log  Plain,  69;  Fall 
Brook  (Factory),  12;  Northeast  (Gill),  173;  total,  465,— the 
money  for  each  scholar,  4s.  id.,  making  £100. 

It  is  difficult  from  these  figures  to  get  at  a  fair  estimate  of 
the  population,  for  the  number  of  children  in  a  family  was 
much  larger  than  now, — at  least  twice  as  large.  It  is  clear 
that  in  1790  the  population  was  well  scattered  over  the  town. 
Log  Plain  returned  more  scholars  than  the  Street.  It  would 
be  a  pleasure  if  one  could  look  in  upon  those  schools  of  the 
last  century.  It  would  be  sure  to  cure  one  of  a  foolish  dispo- 
sition to  complain  that  the  former  days  were  so  much  better 
than  these.  I  am  told,  by  one  whose  memory  goes  back  to 
the  last  century,  that  in  those  schools  there  was  no  arrange- 
ment of  pupils  into  classes.  One  by  one  the  older  scholars 
would  rise  in  their  seats  and  say,  "  Please,  sir,  may  I  read  ?" 
and  if  the  teacher  could  attend  to  him,  he  read  such  a  piece 
as  he  had  selected  from  any  book  he  chose.  Another  would 
say,  "Please,  sir,  show  me  how  to  do  this  sum;"  another, 
"Please,  sir,  set  me  a  copy."  When  the  teacher  could  find 
time  he  called  the  little  ones  to  him  one  by  one  and  initiated 
them  into  the  profound  mysteries  of  A,  B,  C.  No  blackboard, 
no  apparatus,  very  few  text-books,  but  no  lack  of  ferule  and 
rod. 

The  school-house  of  those  days  was  a  rude,  unpainted 
building,  very  often  of  logs,  containing  a  single  room,  at 
one  end  a  huge  fireplace,  on  which  the  great  sticks  of  green 
wood  dug  out  of  the  snow  burned  freely  and  fiercely  when 
once  fairly  kindled,  which  was  often  not  accomplished  till  the 
school-day  was  wellnigh  over.  In  the  mean  time  the  urchins 
and  big  boys  and  girls  sat  shivering  on  benches  made  of  slabs, 
with  sticks  stuck  in  for  legs. 

At   the  close  of  the  last  century  the  school-house   in   the 


Street  stood  on  Franklin  Street,  where  the  shop  of  Ezra  Wiley 
now  stands.     This  house  was  burned  in  1825. 

From  the  first,  Greenfield  has  taken  great  interest  in  her 
public  schools,  and  has  been  liberal  in  appropriations  for  their 
support.  Under  the  district  system  great  difficulty  was  found 
in  dividing  the  school  money  among  the  various  districts. 
Different  plans  prevailed  from  year  to  year. 

In  1844  this  method  was  adopted :  "  Two-twelfths  of  the 
money  are  placed  in  the  hands  of  the  selectmen  and  school 
committee,  to  be  distributed  according  to  the  wants  of  the  dis- 
trict. Ten-twelfths  are  divided, — one-half  according  to  ihe 
number  of  scholars,  one-half  according  to  taxes  paid.  Lowest 
sum  in  any  district,  §67.78."  When  the  district  system  was 
abolished,  in  1869,  all  the  money  was  placed  in  the  hands  of  the 
school  committee. 

HIGH   SCHOOL. 

In  1853  a  high  school  was  established,  and  was  kept  one- 
half  the  year  in  the  village,  and  one-half  in  the  north  parish. 
The  first  teacher  was  Luther  B.  Lincoln,  A.M.  (Harvard 
University,  1822).  The  high-school  house  was  built  on  Chap- 
man Street  in  1857,  and  in  1872  a  new  and  more  commodious 
one  was  erected  on  Pleasant  Street. 

In  1876  the  State  of  Massachusetts  attempted  to  show  at  the 
"  Centennial  Exhibition"  what  it  was  doing  for  public  educa- 
tion and  the  results  attained,  not  only  in  cities,  but  in  a  country 
town  which  was  too  remote  from  any  city  to  be  influenced  by 
it,  and  G  reenfield  was  selected  to  make  an  exhibit,  and  did  so  by 
sending  sixteen  volumes  of  work  done  by  pupils  of  all  grades  in 
all  her  schools,  with  photographs  of  all  the  school-houses.  For 
this  exhibit  a  bronze  medal  was  awarded  to  the  town. 

PRIVATE   SCHOOLS. 

The  Fellenberg  Academy  was  incorporated  in  1832,  as  a 
manual-labor  school.  It  was  very  popular  for  a  while  under 
the  charge  of  James  H.  Coffin,  an  excellent  teacher,  but  in  a 
few  years  it  proved  unsuccessful,  and  was  given  up. 

The  brick  building  erected  for  this  school  on  Main  Street 
served  for  the  public  schools  for  many  years.  A  private 
school  for  young  ladies  was  opened  in  1828,  in  the  Coleman 
house,  now  occupied  by  J.  H.  Hollister,  Esq.  It  was  kept 
for  a  while  by  Rev.  Henry  Jones,  and  afterward  by  Rev.  L. 
L.  Langstroth.     It  was  given  up  in  1845. 

A  school  for  young  ladies  was  kept  by  the  Misses  Stone  in 
their  house,  on  Federal  Street,  for  several  years. 

In  1868  the  estate  of  D.  N.  Carpenter  was  purchased  by 
some  gentlemen,  who  were  incorporated  under  the  title  of 
"Prospect  Hill  School  for  Young  Ladies."  The  first 
principal  was  Miss  Lois  R.  Wright,  who,  in  1872,  was  suc- 
ceeded by  her  sister.  Miss  Sabra  Wright. 

Miss  Ruth  Russell  opened  a  private  school  for  young  ladies 
in  her  house  in  1853,  which  continued  successfully  till  failing 
health  compelled  her  to  give  it  up  in  1866. 

MINISTERS   AND    CHURCHES. 

Before  the  incorporation  of  the  town,  Deerfleld  had  made 
an  appropriation  to  procure  preaching  at  Green  Brier  for  three 
months  each  year.  Immediately  after  the  first  town-meeting 
measures  were  taken  to  form  a  separate  church,  and  Aug.  16, 
1753,  was  set  apart  as  a  daj'  of  prayer  and  fasting. 

Rev.  Mr.  Ashley,  of  Deerfield,  Rev.  Mr.  Ashley,  of  Sun- 
derland, and  Rev.  Mr.  Abercrombie,  of  Pelham,  were  in- 
vited to  assist  in  the  work  of  the  day,  and  to  give  their  advice 
for  some  meet  person  to  settle  in  the  work  of  the  ministry. 

1.  In  the  following  month  a  call  was  extended  to  Rev.  Ed- 
ward Billing  or  Billings.  (He  wrote  it  Billing.  It  is  more 
commonly  written  Billings.) 

A  church  was  organized  in  March,  1764,  and  Mr.  Billings 
installed  as  pastor.  He  had  been  previously  ordained  at  Bel- 
chertown.  Twelve  men  became  members  of  the  "First  Church 
of  Christ,"  viz. :  John  Allen,  Edward  Allen,  Joshua  Wells, 
Daniel  Graves,  Benjamin  Hastings,  Jonathan  Sniead,  Aaron 


HISTORY  OF  FRANKLIN   COUNTY. 


587 


Denio,  Samuel  Munn,  John  Cochrane,  Thomas  Nims,  Daniel 
Nash,  William  Mitchell. 

The  town  voted  a  settlement  of  £000,  old  tenor,  with  a  salary 
of  JE300  and  his  firewood.  This  custom  of  furnishing  the 
minister  firewood  has  come  down  almost  to  our  own  times, 
and  was  a  source  of  constant  annoyance. 

To  this  Mr.  Billings  was  no  exception,  as  we  may  judge  by 
a  vote,  passed  in  1758,  that  a  committee  provide  Mr.  Billings 
with  wood  this  year,  or  hire  him  to  git  his  own  wood.  His 
ministry  was  brief,  and  apparently  not  altogether  a  happy  one. 

It  was  a  time  of  theological  strife  not  without  bitterness. 
The  power  of  Jonathan  Edwards,  one  of  the  greatest  intel- 
lects America  has  produced,  was  felt  in  all  the  region,  and  the 
little  gathering  of  stalwart  men  and  women  on  Sunday,  in 
James  Corse's  best  room,  were  deeply  versed  in  the  mysteries 
of  free-will,  foreordination,  and  the  like. 

A  controversy  was  carried  on  respecting  these  matters 
between  Mr.  Billings  and  Parson  Ashley,  of  Deerfleld,  which 
was  printed, — interesting,  as  showing  what  were  the  "open 
questions,"  in  those  days,  but  the  reading  of  it  now  would  be 
severe  penance. 

Mr.  Billings  drops  out  of  the  record  about  1760,  but  the 
precise  time  of  his  death  is  not  known.  He  was  buried  in  the 
old  yard  on  the  brow  of  the  hill,  near  Mr.  Osterhout's  house, 
but  no  stone  marks  the  spot.  He  lived  at  a  place  called  Stock- 
ing Fort,  on  the  Turner's  Falls  road,  nearly  opposite  Snow's 
green-house.  A  part  of  the  old  house  has  been  recentlj'  torn 
down.  He  had  several  children,  and  some  of  his  grandchil- 
dren are  still  living  among  us. 

Did  Joseph  Severence  march  up  and  down  Main  Street 
Sunday  morning  beating  his  drum?  or  did  he  stand  in  front 
of  James  Corse's  house?  Who  knows?  Should  we  not  like 
to  get  a  glimpse  at  tho.se  sober,  sedate,  earnest  men  and  women 
gathering  together  on  Sunday  morning  for  religious  worship, 
the  men  carrying  their  trusty  muskets  to  defend  themselves 
against  the  savages,  who  might  assail  them  at  any  moment? 
There  were  no  fair-weather  Christians  in  that  little  assembly. 
What  sort  of  a  house  did  James  Corse  offer  for  the  assembled 
worshipers?  Was  it  a  log  house ?  Without  much  question, 
it  was.  Nothing  can  be  learned  about  the  house.  But  the 
story  of  the  famous  old  apple-tree  that  stood  in  the  northeast 
corner  of  the  garden  must  be  told. 

It  is  something  more  than  twenty  years  since  the  venerable 
tree  yielded  to  the  infirmities  of  age.  It  was  believed  that  at 
the  time  of  its  death  it  was  about  one  hundred  years  old.  It 
started  about  the  time  the  town  was  incorporated.  At  a  foot 
above  the  ground  it  measured  eighteen  feet  in  circumference. 
At  five  or  six  feet  from  the  surface  the  stem  divided  into  tTiree 
branches,  one  of  which  was  nine  feet  in  circumference  and 
sixty  feet  high.     One  year  it  bore  140  bushels  of  apples. 

This  story  is  told  on  the  authority  of  Deacon  C.  J.  J.  In- 
gersoll,  who  lived  in  the  Leavitt  house. 

About  the  time  of  Mr.  Billings'  death  or  dismissal  the  work 
of  building  a  meeting-house  was  entered  upon.  It  was  voted 
in  1760  "to  build  a  meeting-house  this  year,  forty-five  feet 
long  and  thirty-five  feet  wide,  upon  the  spot  where  the 
General  Court  had  prefixed  it,  and  to  shingle,  ruff-board,  and 
glaze  it,  and  lay  the  under  floor,  and  to  make  the  doors." 

By  subsequent  vote,  the  same  year,  the  building  was  made 
fifty  feet  long  by  forty  wide.  It  was  evidently  a  great  under- 
taking, and  dragged  heavily.  I  cannot  learn  when  it  was 
first  occupied,  but  in  1769  it  was  voted  to  provide  materials  to 
finish  the  meeting-house.  It  had  doubtless  been  used  before 
this,  but  without  pews  or  seats  other  than  rude  benches. 

In  1775  it  was  voted  "to  seat  the  meeting-house  by  age  and 
estate,  each  man  to  model  his  estate  as  he  sees  fit ;  in  his  own 
family  the  first  three  shall  have  their  first  choice  in  the  pews." 

Voted  "that  one  year's  age  shall  be  equal  to  £3  of  estate, 
and  that  no  minor  shall  be  seated  for  any  estate." 

A  p>lan  of  the  meeting-house  and  of  the  seats  occupied  is  an 


interesting  document,  and  quite  illustrative  of  the  early  days. 
The  old  church  was  a  very  plain,  barn-like  structure,  facing 
the  south,  with  the  pulpit  on  the  north  side.  It  contained  29 
pews,  all  large  and  high-walled.  As  many  as  eight  or  ten 
families  occupied  one  pew.  In  one  larger  than  the  others,  at 
the  right  of  the  pulpit,  reserved  for  the  old  people,  eighteen 
heads  of  families  were  seated ;  in  the  pew  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  pulpit  nine  families  were  accommodated,  or,  rather,  the 
heads  of  families,  for  the  younger  members  were  turned  into 
the  galleries,  where  two  venerable  tithingmen  sat,  each  with 
a  long  pole,  to  keep  the  youngsters  in  order. 

All  the  affairs  of  the  parish  were  regulated  in  town-meeting. 
At  one  town-meeting  it  was  voted  that  the  intermission  should 
be  half  an  hour. 

2.  In  August,  1761,  it  was  voted  in  town-meeting  to  give  Mr. 
Roger  Newton  a  call  to  settle  in  the  ministry.  It  was  also 
voted  to  give  him  £130  6s.  8rf.  as  a  settlement,  and  £66  13s. 
■id.  as  salary,  and  to  increase  it  £1  6s.  8(/.  a  year  till  it  amounts 
to  £80.  Voted  that  Mr.  Newton  shall  have  fifty  loads  of  wood 
yearly.  In  Mr.  Newton's  letter  of  acceptance  of  the  call  he 
says,  "  Depending  upon  your  catholic  sentiments  in  regard  to 
them  who  ditt'er  from  you  about  terms  of  communion,  that 
there  be  no  contention,  provided  no  scandalously  ignorant  or 
immoral  persons  are  admitted  to  your  communion,  and  that 
all  persons  of  competent  knowledge  and  sober  lives  be  allowed 
to  come  who  think  it  their  duty  to  come  to  the  ordinance  of 
the  Lord's  table,  it  is  upon  this  proposal  I  accept  your 
invitation."  He  was  ordained  Nov.  18,  1761.  Mr.  Newton 
was  born  in  Durham,  Conn.,  May  23,  1737,  graduated  at  Yale 
in  1758,  and  remained  in  office  here  till  his  death,  Dec.  10, 
1816, — a  period  of  fifty-five  years. 

Mr.  Newton  lived  in  a  house  now  standing  in  Newton 
Court,  and  which  in  his  day  stood  on  the  site  of  the  court- 
house. For  fifty-two  years  he  was  the  sole  pastor  of  the  town, 
when  its  population  was  at  least  half  what  it  now  is.  For 
these  degenerate  days  it  takes  eight  ministers  to  look  after  the 
morals  of  the  town.  It  may  be  a  question  if  they  are  looked 
after  any  better  than  in  the  good  days  of  Dr.  Newton. 

Mr.  David  Willard,  in  his  history  of  Greenfield,  writing  of 
Dr.  Newton,  in  1838,  says,  "  His  moderation  of  manner,  con- 
ciseness and  perspicuity  of  style,  the  sound  sense  of  his  ser- 
mons, and  tlieir  particular  brevity  in  cold  weather,  as  well  as 
the  dignified  and  venerable  form  of  the  good  man,  are  still 
fresh  in  the  memory  of  many. 

"  Consummate  prudence,  caution,  and  shrewdness  were  dis- 
tinguishing traits  of  his  character.  His  prayers  in  public 
worship  had  much  of  sameness  and  formality.  They  were 
seldom  varied,  except  on  particular  occasions." 

Mr.  Newton  was  not  an  enthusiastic  patriot  through  the 
Revolutionary  war.  It  is  thought  that  he  was  too  much  in- 
fluenced by  his  neighbor.  Parson  Ashley,  of  Deertield,  to  have 
great  zeal  in  the  cause  of  the  colonies.  Patriotism  with  him 
was  not  easily  dissevered  from  loyalty  to  the  king  and  govern- 
ment of  the  mother-country. 

Mr.  Newton  did  not  find  his  path  one  of  roses  in  all  those 
fifty-five  years.  The  matter  of  the  wood  gave  him  trouble,  as 
it  did  his  predecessor.  In  1783  the  town  voted  "that  three- 
fourths  of  a  cord  is  a  middling  load  of  wood,  agreeable  to  a 
vote  of  the  town,  with  Mr.  Newton."  So  his  fifty  loads 
became  thirty-seven  and  a  half  cords.  That  was  all  Mr.  New- 
ton could  burn  in  a  year  at  the  town's  expense.  In  this 
matter  of  the  wood  a  good  story  is  told  of  Dr.  Newton.  One 
day  a  farmer  drove  up  with  one  of  those  middling  loads  of 
wood,  sled  length, — that  is,  eight  feet  long.  Mr.  Newton  saw 
at  a  glance  that  it  was  loaded  very  loosely,  with  large  spaces 
between  the  sticks.  He  wanted  to  give  the  farmer  a  hint  that 
the  load  was  not  as  large  as  it  seemed.  So,  going  behind  the 
sled  and  peering  through  the  load,  he  quietly  remarked,  "An 
excellent  pair  of  cattle  you  have  there,  sir."  He  had  a  good 
look  at  them. 


588 


HISTORY  OF   THE   CONNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


His  salary  sufterod  much  from  the  depreciation  of  the  cur- 
rency, lie  was  tried  by  painful  domestic  afflictions.  His 
diary  is  rather  a  sad  recital  of  personal  grievances.  The  tone 
of  the  diary  gives  one  the  impression  that  the  people  were  not 
all  saints  in  his  day,  and  that  the  minister,  even  in  those  good 
old  times,  did  not  always  live  in  clover,  though  in  some  cases 
they  consulted  his  case.  In  1773  the  town  "voted  to  return 
thanks  to  Mr.  David  Wells  for  the  gift  of  a  cushion  for  Mr. 
Newton  to  lean  on."  Rev.  Dr.  Chandler  gave  a  temperance 
address  about  ISSO,  in  which  he  read  from  an  account  kept  by 
Jerome  Kipley  with  his  minister  fifty  years  before.  On  one 
page  of  the  account  are  39  entries,  of  which  21  were  for  liquors ; 
on  another  page,  11,  and  another,  13,  for  the  same  articles. 
"This  account,"  says  Dr.  Chandler,  "is  that  of  a  venerable 
clergyman,  a  man  of  staid,  sober  character,  of  exemplary 
piety,  and  particularly  temperate  in  his  habits, — yes,  I  say 
particularly  temperate ;  and  probably  the  bills  of  nearly  every 
minister  of  that  day,  if  they  could  be  obtained,  would  show 
like  entries.  It  is  a  curious  illustration  of  the  times.  The 
liquor  was  bought  in  small  quantities,  not  for  the  doctor's  use 
alone,  but  to  meet  the  demands  of  an  ever-pressing  hospitality." 
He  was  buried  in  the  old  yard  south  of  Mr.  Osterhout's  house. 
A  handsome  marble  stone  marks  the  spot, — the  sole  represen- 
tative of  the  old-fashioned  minister,  serving  the  whole  town, 
settled  for  life,  identified  with  all  the  joys  and  sorrows  of  the 
town  for  more  than  half  a  century.  He  had  eight  children. 
His  son,  Roger  Newton,  Jr.,  graduated  at  Yale,  and  was  a 
tutor  there  at  the  time  of  his  death,  at  the  age  of  twenty-seven 
years. 

He  was  a  young  man  of  brilliant  promise.  Very  tender  and 
jiathetic  are  the  references  of  the  father  in  his  diary  to  the 
death  of  this  favorite  son. 

3.  Rev.  Gamaliel  S.  Olds,  a  native  of  Marlboro',  Vt.,  a 
graduate  of  Williams  College,  where  he  was  a  professor  for  a 
while,  was  ordained  as  colleague  with  Dr.  Newton,  in  1813. 
The  first  council  that  was  called  for  his  ordination  dissolved 
without  accomplishing  its  purpose.  Some  of  the  members 
refused  to  sit  with  Rev.  Samuel  Willard,  of  Deerfield,  who 
was  regarded  as  unsound  in  faith.  Mr.  Willard  declined  to 
leave  the  council,  and  so  it  was  dissolved.  Another  council 
of  orthodox  sentiments  was  convened,  and  he  was  ordained. 
His  pastorate  closed  just  before  Dr.  Newton's  death,  in  1816. 
Mr.  Olds  died  at  Circleville,  Ohio,  June  13,  1848,  in  the 
seventy-first  year  of  his  age. 

4.  Rev.  Sylvester  Woodbridge  was  the  fourth  pastor,  settled 
April  23,  1817 ;  a  graduate  of  Williams  in  1813  ;  dismissed 
in  April,  1823.  The  church  was  without  a  pastor  for  nine 
years. 

5.  Rev.  Amariah  Chandler,  D.D.,  was  installed  in  1832. 
He  continued  in  the  service  of  the  church  till  his  death,  Oct. 
20,  18(;4.  Dr.  Chandler  was  one  of  the  noted  characters  of  the 
town.  He  was  respected  and  esteemed  by  the  whole  commu- 
nity. In  1853  he  was  a  delegate  to  the  State  convention  for 
the  revision  of  the  constitution.  His  ministry  was  thirty-two 
years. 

6.  Rev.  D.  H.  Rogan  was  installed  associate  pastor  March 
31,  1863;  dismissed  Sept.  27,  1865. 

7.  Rev.  E.  S.  Potter  was  acting  pastor  from  Dec.  1,  1865,  to 
March  31,  1868. 

8.  Rev.  A.  G.  Loomis,  acting  pastor  from  April  1,  1868,  to 
April  1,  1869. 

9.  Rev.  Elijah  Cutler,  from  June  1,  1869,  to  April  1,  1871. 

10.  Rev.  W.  S.  Kimball  was  installed  pastor  March  7,  1872, 
and  dismissed  Oct.  4,  1875. 

11.  Rev.  Mr.  Belden  was  acting  pastor  for  1876. 

12.  Rev.  W.  Newell,  .acting  pastor,  April  1,  1877. 

As  the  population  increased  on  the  south  border  of  the  town, 
in  what  had  always  been  the  main  street,  the  people  found  it 
a  hardship  to  go  to  church  at  the  old  territorial  centre,  where  the 
First  Church  had  been  built.     As  this  edifice  had  become  inad- 


equate to  the  wants  of  tlie  town,  the  question  of  rebuilding 
began  to  be  agitated,  and  with  it  the  question  of  location, 
which  gave  rise  to  bitter  controversy,  resulting  in  the  forma- 
tion of  the  Second  Congregational  Church  in  January,  1817. 
The  first  meeting-house  of  this  church  was  built  of  brick  in 
1819,  remodeled  in  1843,  and  again  in  1851 ;  torn  down  in 
1870,  and  a  commodious,  attractive  stone  building  erected  in 
its  place.     Its  pastors  have  been, 

1.  Rev.  Charles  Jenkins  (Williams,  1813),  ordained  May 
19,  1820  ;  dismissed  in  July,  1824. 

2.  Rev.  William  Fowler  (Yale,  1816),  settled  in  1825;  dis- 
missed in  1827. 

3.  Rev.  Caleb  S.  Henry,  D.D.  (Dartmouth,  1825),  or- 
dained Jiinuary,  1829  ;  dismissed  1831. 

4.  Rev.  Thomas  Bellows  (Dartmouth,  1827),  ordained 
March  12,  1833 ;  dismissed  Sept.  2,  1834. 

5.  Rev.  Samuel  Washburn ;  educated  for  the  Bar,  but  early 
turned  his  attention  to  the  ministry;  ordained  Aug.  2,  1837  ; 
dismissed  Nov.  23,  1841. 

6.  Rev.  L.  L.  Langstroth  (Yale,  1831),  installed  Dec.  20, 
1843  ;  dismissed  Feb.  15,  1848. 

7.  Rev.  Geo.  C.  Partridge  (Amherst,  1833),  installed  May 
18,  1848  ;  dismissed  in  May,  18-54. 

8.  Rev.  P.  C.  Headley,  March,  1857;  dismissed  March, 
1861. 

9.  Rev.  Artemas  Deane,  September,  1861  ;  dismissed  Jan- 
uary, 1866. 

10.  Rev.  S.  H.  Lee,  March,  1867;  dismissed  March,  1872. 

11.  Rev.  F.  A.  Warfield,  May,  1873;  dismissed  January, 
1876. 

12.  Rev.  W.  A.  McGinley,  January,  1878. 

.SAINT   JAMES    (EPISCOPAL)    CHURCH 

was  organized  in  1812.  The  first  church  edifice  was  erected 
in  1816,  and  the  second,  a  substantial  building  of  stone,  was 
consecrated  May  10,  1849. 

1.  Rev.  Tflus  Strong,  D.D.,  became  rector  in  1815,  and 
died  June  11,  1855,  after  a  faithful  ministry  of  more  than 
forty-one  years. 

2.  Rev.  William  Flint,  D.D.,was  rector  from  July  11,  1855, 
till  his  death,  April  12,  1859. 

3.  Rev.  S.  Russell  Jones  was  rector  from  Dec.  12,  1859,  till 
1863. 

4.  Rev.  Peter  V.  Finch  filled  the  rectorship  very  faithfully 
from  1864  till  October,  1871. 

5.  Rev.  Julius  H.  Waterbury  was  rector  from  1872  to  1874. 

6.  Rev.  Samuel  Hollingsworth,  D.D.,  became  rector  in 
1875. 

THE   THIRD   CONGREGATIONAL   SOCIETY    (UNITARIAN) 

was  organized  in  1825.  The  first  pastor  was  Rev.  Winthrop 
Bailey,  who  was  installed  in  October,  1825,  and  died  March 
16,  1835.  Rev.  John  Parkman  (Harvard,  1832)  was  ordained 
Oct.  11,  1837;  dismissed  1839.  From  this  time  the  pulpit  was 
supplied  at  irregular  intervals  by  Rev.  Frederick  W.  Holland, 
Rev.  C.  Nightingale,  Rev.  Mellish  T.  Motte,  Key.  D.  H. 
Eanney,  and  others,  till  1855,  when  services  were  suspended, 
and  the  organization  was  lost. 

In  18.58,  Rev.  J.  F.  Moors  (Harvard,  1842),  then  pastor  at 
Deerfield,  began  to  hold  services  in  the  church,  and  in  1860 
the  society  was  reorganized.  In  April  of  that  year  Mr. 
Moors  was  installed  pastor. 

A  small  church  edifice  was  built  in  1837.  It  was  enlarged 
in  1861,  and  again  in  1867. 

THE   BAPTIST   CHURCH 

was  organized  Feb.  4,  18-52.  The  house  of  worship  was  built 
in  1855-56.  The  first  pastor  was  Rev.  J.  H.  Seaver.  He  was 
succeeded  by  Rev.  W.  F.  Nelson,  Rev.  W.  W.  Ames,  Rev. 
Geo.  Colesworthy,  Rev.  0.  Tracy,  Rev.  S.  Remington,  Rev. 


>"^^c?^ 


^^'■&Tii-B^tf.'^.iS<rr^2^Sc-<~^ST::S'Y' 


HISTORY   OF  FRANKLIN   COUNTY. 


589 


D.  M.  Crane,  Rev.  C.  M.  Smith,  Eev.  A.  H.  Bull,  Rev.  A.  J. 
Lyon,  and  Rev.  J.  Shepardson. 

A   METHODIST   CHURCH 

was  organized  in  1835,  with  75  members.  A  small  building 
was  put  up  for  public  worship  in  the  east  part  of  Main  Street, 
which  was  afterward  sold  and  removed,  and  is  now  known  as 
"  Davis'  Block."  The  society  bought  in  1849,  and  have  since 
occupied,  tlie  building  formerlj-  used  by  the  Episcopal  Society. 
Their  preachers  have  been  Revs.  Paul  Townsend,  R.  Ransom, 
L.  C.  Collins,  C.  Barnes,  T.  B.  Bigelow,  T.  Marcy,  J.  Mudge, 
K.  Kellen,  S.  Marcy,  J.  Nichols,  D.  Ames,  J.  Paulson,  L. 
Fish,  and  others. 

THE   ROMAN   CATHOLICS 

have  a  large  and  flourishing  congregation.  A  church  edifice 
was  erected  on  Main  Street  for  the  use  of  this  society  in  1868. 
The  pastors  have  been  Fathers  Robinson,  McManus,  and 
Hennebury.  The  German  population  have  had  preaching  in 
their  own  language  during  most  of  the  time  for  several  years. 

THE  PRESS. 

In  1792  a  newspaper  was  started  in  Greenfield  by  Thomas 
Dickman,  called  The  Impartial  Intelligencer.  The  name  was 
soon  changed  to  Greenfield  Gazette.  In  1798  the  name  was 
again  changed  by  adding  A  Register  of  Genuine  Federalism. 
In  1802  the  paper  passed  into  the  hands  of  John  Denio,  who 
dropped  the  party  suffix,  and  it  was  again  the  Greenfield  Ga- 
zette. Mr.  Denio  sold  out  to  Ansel  Phelps  in  1811,  who 
changed  the  name  to  The  Traveller.  On  the  establishment  of 
Franklin  County*  the  paper  appeared  as  the  Franklin  Herald. 
In  1823,  Jonathan  A.  Saxton  was  associated  with  Mr.  Phelps. 
Gen.  Alanson  Clark  was  also  associated  with  Mr.  Phelps  for 
several  years. 

In  1823  another  paper  was  started  under  the  title  of  Green- 
field Gazette,  which  was  united  with  the  Franklin  Herald  in 
"l827. 

In  1833,  Geo.  T.  Davis  started  the  Franklin  Mercury,  and 
carried  it  on  with  abilitj'  till  1837,  when  it  was  united  with 
the  Gazette  and  Herald ;  Charles  J.  J.  Ingersoll  becoming  a 
partner  with  Mr.  Phelps. 

A  new  competitor  for  public  favor  appeared  in  1838,  under 
the  title  of  the  Greenfield  Courier,  established  by  J.  C.  Knee- 
land,  who  soon  sold  out  to  S.  S.  Eastman.  In  1841  this  paper 
was  united  with  its  older  rival  under  the  name  of  Gazette  and 
Courier.  Mr.  Geo.  T.  Davis,  D.  W.  Alvord,  Henry  L.  Dawes, 
and  others,  aided  in  the  editorship  for  a  few  years.  Phelps  and 
Ingersoll  were  joint  owners  and  editors  till  the  nomination  of 
Gen.  Taylor  to  the  Presidency,  whom  Mr.  Phelps  sustained 
and  Mr.  Ingersoll  did  not.  Mr.  Ingersoll  left  the  firm  and 
started  a  Free-Soil  paper  under  the  title  of  the  American  Re- 
public, which  he  sustained  for  several  years.  In  1849,  Mr. 
Phelps  entered  into  partner-ship  with  Mr.  Eastman  in  the  pub- 
lication of  the  Gazette  and  Courier,  which  continued  till  Col. 
Phelps'  death,  in  1868.  In  1869,  Mr.  Eastman  entered  into 
partnership  with  E.  A.  Hall,  which  continued  till  Mr.  East- 
man's death,  in  1876.  Mr.  Hall  is  now  publishing  the  eighty- 
seventh  volume  of  the  Gazette,  and  the  forty-second  of  the 
Courier. 

The  Franklin  Democrat  was  established  in  1840,  and  was 
edited  for  short  periods  by  Whiting  Griswold,  E.  R.  Taylor, 
S.  O.  Lamb,  Joseph  H.  Sprague,  Charles  A.  Merrick,  and 
others.  It  was  discontinued  in  1863.  Several  other  news- 
papers have  started  here,  but  have  been  short-lived  and  un- 
successful. 

BANKS. 

THE    FIRST    NATIONAL    BANK. 

This  bank  was  incorporated  in  1822  as  the  Franklin  Bank, 
with  a  capital  of  ^100,000,  and  commenced  business  in  May 

*  June  24,1811. 


of  that  year  with  fifty  per  cent,  of  the  capital  paid  in ;  the  re- 
maining fiftj'  per  cent,  was  paid  in  the  December  following. 
In  March,  1831,  the  name  was  changed  to  the  Greenfield 
Bank.  In  March,  1833,  the  capital  was  increased  to  §150,000, 
and  in  April,  1849,  again  increased  $50,000,  making  it  §200- 
000.  In  June,  1864,  the  bank  was  reorganized  under  the 
national  bank  act  as  The  First  National  Bank  of  Greenfield. 
In  March,  1865,  the  capital  was  increased  to  §300,000,  at 
which  amount  it  remained  until  March,  1879,  when  it  was 
reduced  to  §200,000. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  presidents  and  cashiers,  with 
their  terms  of  service:  Jonathan  Leavitt,  president  from 
March,  1822,  to  November,  1830;  William  Pomeroy,  Novem- 
ber, 1830,  to  October,  1838;  Henry  W.  Clapp,  October,  1838, 
to  October,  1855  ;  Franklin  Ripley,  October,  1855,  to  October, 
1858;  Wm.  B.  Washburn,  October,  1858,  to  the  present  time. 
Franklin  Ripley,  cashier,  March,  1822,  to  October,  1855;  Geo. 
Ripley,  October,  1855,  to  June,  1857;  E.  W.  Russell,  June, 
1857,  to  July,  1867 ;  Geo.  W.  Ballon,  July,  1867,  to  May, 
1870;  W.  I.  Jenkins,  May,  1870,  to  October,  1874;  J.  W. 
Stevens,  October,  1874,  to  the  present  time. 

THE   FRANKLIN   COnNTY    NATIONAL   BANK 

was  organized  as  a  State  bank,  with  §100,000  capital,  April  24, 
1849.  The  original  directors  were  Henry  W.  Cushman,  John 
B.  Ward,  Ebenezer  Maynard,  Henry  Chapman,  Almon  Brai- 
nard,  Quintus  Allen,  Ira  Abercrombie,  Joel  Fay,  Wendell  T. 
Davis,  Asa  Howland,  Wm.  B.  Washburn,  William  Keith  ; 
President,  Henry  W.  Cushman ;  Cashier,  Andrew  G.  Ham- 
mond. The  capital  was  increased  to  §150,000,  July  1,  1850; 
to  §200,000,  July  1,  1852.  It  was  reorganized  as  a  national 
bank  March  13,  1865. 

Pre-udents. — Henry  W.  Cushman,  Ira  Abercrombie,  Wil- 
liam Keith  (in  office). 

Cashiers. — Andrew  G.  Hammond,  Edwin  Maynard,  Charles 
I.  Fuller,  Rufus  A.  Packard,  Henry  K.  Simons  (in  office). 

May  1,  1879,  the  capital  was  §200,000  ;  surplus  and  profits, 
§100,000;  individual  deposits,  §265,000;  United  States  de- 
posits, $763,000.  It  pays  semi-annual  dividends  at  the  rate 
of  six  per  cent,  per  annum. 

THF,   PACKARD   NATIONAL    BANK 

was  organized  in  1875,  with  a  capital  stock  of  §100,000.  The 
officers  are  :  President,  N.  F.  Henry  ;  Cashier,  R.  A.  Packard , 
Directors,  N.  F.  Henry,  A.  C.  Deane,  George  A.  Kimball, 
Almon  Newcomb,  Jacob  Stever,  R.  A.  Packard. 

THE    FRANKLIN    SAVINGS    INSTITUTION 

was  incorporated  April  2, 1834.  The  first  officers  were :  Presi- 
dent, Elijah  Alvord  ;  Secretary,  Thomas  O.  Sparbawk  ;  Treas- 
urer, Franklin  Ripley.  Mr.  Ripley  continued  to  be  treasurer 
till  his^  death,  in  1860,  and  was  succeeded  by  W.  H.  Allen, 
the  present  treasurer.  The  officers  now  are:  President,  S.  O. 
Lamb;  Secretary,  F.  K.  Allen;  Treasurer,  W.  H.  Allen. 
The  deposits  amount  to  about  §2,800,000. 

THE   GREENFIELD    SAVINGS    BANK 

was  incorporated  March  19,  1869.  The  original  corporators 
were  John  Sanderson,  William  Keith,  Chester  C.  Conant. 

President. — John  Sanderson  (in  olBce). 

Treasurers.— K\xiafi   A.    Packard,   Henry   K.    Simons    (in 

office). 

May  1,  1879,  the  deposits  were  §840,000.  Officers :  Presi- 
dent, John  Sanderson ;  Vice-President,  William  Keith ; 
Treasurer,  Henry  K.  Simons  ;  Secretary,  Chester  C.  Conant ; 
Trustees,  William  Keith,  Quintus  Allen,  Dennis  Dickinson, 
George  H.  Hovey,  Virgil  M.  Howard,  George  A.  Arms, 
Elijah  E.  Belding,  Leonard  Barton,  Eben  A.  Hall,  Lyman  G. 
Barton,  Levi  J.  Gunn,  Francis  M.  Thompson,  Charles  R. 
Lowell,  Charles  Keith,  Henry  K.  Simons. 


590 


HISTORY  OP  THE  CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


SOCIETIES. 
MASONIC. 

Republican  Lodge  of  Free  and  Accepted  Masons  was  organ- 
ized Jan.  28,  1795.  The  institution  languished  in  1821,  and 
the  charter  was  given  up,  or  rather  removed  to  the  town  of 
Gill  for  a  while,  and  then  surrendered.  In  December,  1851, 
after  the  anti-Masonic  excitement  had  passed,  the  lodge  came 
forth  anew.  The  old  charter  was  restored,  and  John  A.  Gam- 
ber  chosen  Master.  Since  that  time  the  lodge  has  had  a 
flourishing  career.  Its  present  officers  are  James  E.  Long, 
W.  M. ;  John  M.  Wells,  S.  W. ;  Charles  L.  Smith,  J.  W. ; 
Charles  P.  Forbes,  Treas.  ;  Luther  L.  Pratt,  Sec. 

The  Franklin  Royul  Arch  Chapter  was  organized  Jan.  11, 
1818.     George  Wilby  was  M.  E.  H.  P. 

Titus  Sti-ong  Council  was  organized  Dec.  9,  1856.  George 
Wilby  was  T.  I.  M. 

Connecticut  Valley  Commandcry  was  organized  Oct.  30, 
1867.     Charles  H.  McLellan  was  E.  C. 

Knights  of  the  Red  Cross. — William  S.  Severance,  Sover- 
eign. 

Connecticut  Valley  Masonic  Relief  Association. —  B.  S. 
Parker,  President ;  E.  H.  Hall,  Vice-President ;  C.  P.  Forbes, 
Treas. ;  L.  C.  Pratt,  Sec. 

ODD-FELLOWS. 

Poco7nptuck  Lodge,  No.  97,  /.  0.  0.  F.,  was  instituted  in 
Greenfield,  May  6,  1845.  Charter  surrendered  August,  1855. 
Reinstituted  Nov.  28,  1870.  Admissions  since  that  time,  160. 
Present  membership,  120.  Income  for  1878,  $952.  Dis- 
bursed to  the  sick  in  1878,  .?112.  The  present  officers  are 
Manly  McClure,  N.  G. ;  Warren  M.  King,  V.  G.  ;  Hopkins 
Woods,  Sec. ;  Charles  Simonds,  Treas. 

TOWN   OFFICERS. 

SELECTMEN. 

Ebenezer  Smead,  1753;  Samuel  Hinsdalo,  1753-54,  1771-72;  Daniel  Nasb, 
1753,  '69,  '62,  '66,  '70,  72 ;  Ebenezer  "WoUs,  1754,  '55,  '56,  '58,  '60,  '61,  '63,  '64,  '67, 
'68, '69, '70, '71, '73, '75 ;  Daniel  Dcnio,  1754;  Benjamin  Hastings,  1755  ;  Timotliy 
Childu,  1755,  '61,  '63 ;  Jonathan  Smead,  1766 ;  Ebenezer  -Yrms,  1756,  '57,  '58,  '60, 
'66,  '72,  '74,  '78,  '79;  David  Wells,  1757;  Thomaa  Nims,  1757,  '68,  '77;  Amos 
Allen,  1758,  '60 ;  Jonathan  Severance,  1750,  '62,  '63,  '64,  '66,  '67,  '68,  '69,  '71 ; 
Samuel  Wells,  1759,  '64,  '74,  '75 ;  Ebenezer  Graves,  1761,  '75,  '78,  '79,  '80,  '84 ; 
David  Smeiid,  1762,  '67,  '72,  '76,  '78,  '79;  Moses  Bascom,  1769,  '82,  '89,  '91,  '92; 
Benjamin  Hastings,  Jr.,  1770,  '72;  David  Ripley,  1773;  Samuel  Field,  1774; 
Samuel  Stougliton,  1774,  '77,  '78,  '83,  '86 ;  Joseph  Wells,  1776  ;  Isaac  Foster,  1776  ; 
Agrippa  Wells,  1777 ;  Lemuel  Smead,  1777,  '81,  '83,  '86,  '86,  '87  ;  Isaac  Newton, 
1777,  '80,  '81,  '82,  '84,  '85,  '87,  '88,  '89,  '90,  '92,  '94,  '95,  '96,  '97,  '98,  '99, 1800,  '1  '2, 
'3,  '8,  '9 ;  Andrew  Putnam,  1781 ;  Moses  Arms,  1782,  '83,  '86,  '88,  '90,  '91, 1804,  '5  ; 
John  Wells,  1784  ;  Ezckiel  Bascom,  1786  ;  Philip  Ballard,  1787,  '88,  "90;  Daniel 
Smead,  1789  ;  William  More,  1790,  '92 ;  Abnor  Wells,  1790-91 ;  Solomon  Smead, 
1793-98,  '80;  William  Smalley,  1793;  Hull  Ninis,  1793,  '99;  Jerome  Eipley, 
1794-96;  Caleb  Alvord,  1797;  Caleb  CLapp,  1798-1800 ;  Quintus  Allen,  1801-3; 
John  Kuesell,  1801-3;  Eliel  Gilbert,  1804-7;  William  Wait,  1807-10;  Thomas 
Smead,  1809-18 ;  Eli  Graves,  1810-13  ;  Diivid  Ripley,  lsll-13  ;  Oliver  Wilkinson, 
1814 ;  Uriah  Martindale,  1814  ;  Sanmcl  Picket,  1815-10,  '22,  '26  ;  Samuel  Wells, 
1815-16 ;  Nathan  Draper,  1817-19 ;  Thaddeus  Coleman,  1819-20,  '37,  '38 ;  Isaac 
Newton,  Jr.,  1820-21, '29, '30, '33, '34 ;  John  Masou,  1820;  Hart  Leavitt,  1821-24; 
Julian  Smead,  1821-24;  Ebenezer  Nash,  1823-24,  '26,  '27,  '28,  '33,  '34,  '35,  '36; 
Charles  Williams,  1825-28 ;  Franklin  Ripley,  1828-29,  '35,  '36,  '37 ;  Asaph  Smead, 
1829-30;  John  Russell,  1830-31 ;  David  Allen,  1831-32;  Russell  Hoitings,  1831 ; 
Thomas  0.  Sparhawk,  1832 ;  J.  J.  Graves,  1832 ;  Ambrose  Ames,  1834 ;  George 
Adams,  1835-40;  David  Long  (2d),  1838^0;  Quintus  Allen,  1839-40  ;  Horatio  G. 
Newcomb,  1841-42;  Thomas  Nims,  1841-42,  '44;  Lemuel  H.  Long,  1841-43; 
J.  J.  Pierce,  1843-46,  '48 ;  Orin  Smith,  1843 ;  David  Aiken,  1844 ;  Hervey  C. 
Newton,  1844-46,  '49,  '55,  '61,  '62,  '63,  '65,  '66  ;  Justin  Root,  1845-46 ;  Priestly 
Newton,  1847-48 ;  Albert  Nims,  1847  ;  Thomas  Wait,  1847-18 ;  David  S.  Jones, 
1848;  George  Grinnell,  1850;  Barnard  A.  Nowell,  1850;  Peleg  Adams,  1850-51, 
'54 ;  Wendell  T.  Davis,  1851-52,  '58,  '69,  '60  ;  George  W.  Potter,  1851-52,  '68,  '60, 
'70,  '71,  '72;  Isa«c  Barton,  1852;  A.  G.  Hammond,  1853;  Alfred  Wells,  1853; 
Ebenezer  Thayer,  1853 ;  Horatio  G.  Parker,  1854  ;  Lucius  Nims,  1854-55,  '68,  '59, 
'60;  P.  P.  Severance,  1855;  Samuel  H.  Reed,  1856-57;  Albert  Smead,  1856-57; 
Roswell  W.  Cook,  1856-57 ;  Alfred  R.  Field,  1861-62  ;  Anson  K.  Warner,  1861- 
63,  '65,  '66,  '67 ;  Humphrey  Stevens,  1863-67 ;  Henry  L.  Pratt,  1864 ;  Frederic  G. 
Smith,  1864,  '67,  '68,  '69 ;  Charles  Mattoon,  1868-69  ;  Chauncey  Bry,ant,  1868 ;  Joel 
S.  Sanderson,  1869  ;  William  Keith,  1870-77  ;  Lyman  G.  Barton,  1870-75  ;  Edwin 
J.  Jones,  1873 ;  Charles  R.  Field,  1874-76 ;  George  A.  Kimball,  1876;  Seorim  B. 
Slate,  1877-79  ;  Levi  J.  Gunn,  1877-78  ;  Manly  McClure,  1878-79 ;  Chailes  Keith, 
1879. 


TOWN   CLERKS. 

Benjamin  Hastings,  1763-69;  Ebenezer  Wells,  1770-72, 1781-82;  .John  Sever- 
ance, 1773-74;  Samuel  Wells,  1775-80 ;  Ebenezer  Graves,  1783 ;  Edward  Billings, 
1784 ;  Mosos  Bojicom,  1785-86 ;  Solomon  Smead,  1787-91 ;  Daniel  Wells,  1792-1808  ; 
John  Russell,  1809-10;  Hooker  Leavitt,  1811-16, 1829^2  ;  David  Willarii,  1817- 
28,  1845-65;  Lewis  C.  Munn,  1843-44;  Noah  S.  Wells,  1856-74;  Franklin  A. 
Poud,  1875-76 ;  Francis  M.  Thompson,  1877. 

TOWN   TREASURERS. 

Ebenezer  Arms,  1753-68 ;  Ebenezer  Wells,  1769-71, 1781 ;  Jonathan  Severance, 
1772-73 ;  Samuel  Hinsdale,  1774-75 ;  Sanmel  Wells,  1776-80 ;  Ebenezer  Graves, 
1782-83  ;  Moses  Bascom,  1784-87 ;  Solomon  Smead,  1788-91  ;  Daniel  Wells,  1792-' 
1808;  John  Russell,  1809-10;  Hooker  Leavitt,  1811-16, 1820-12;  D.avid  Willard, 
1817-28;  Lewis  C.  Munn,  1843-44;  Lewis  Merriam,  1846-16,  1848^9;  Charles 
K.  Grinnell,  1847  ;  Rufus  Howland,  1850-54, 1856-62  ;  Edward  Maynard,  1865  ; 
Bela  Kellogg,  1863-64;  Noah  S.  Wells,  1865-74;  Franklin  A.  Pond,  1875-76; 
Francis  M.  Thompson,  1877. 

MILITARY. 

GREENFIELD   IN   THE   WAR   OF   THE   REBELLION. 

Our  town  shared  heartily  in  the  patriotic  enthusiasm  which 
marked  the  uprising  of  the  nation  to  defend  the  flag  when 
assailed  on  the  11th  of  April,  1861.  Peaceful  citizens  left 
their  usual  avocations,  and  at  once  assumed  the  duties  and 
responsibilities  of  soldiers.  The  sound  of  the  drum  and  fife 
was  heard  daily  in  our  streets.  Armed  men  paraded  every 
day.  All  was  excitement  of  hope  and  fear.  The  fact  of  war 
was  brought  home  to  us  most  distinctly  in  a  bright  summer 
morning  in  June,  1861.  The  first  company — E,  of  the  10th 
Regiment,  under  command  of  Capt.  Day — started  to  join  the~ 
army  in  the  field.  The  company  was  paraded  in  the  street, 
and,  in  the  presence  of  a  crowd  of  neighbors  and  friends,  the 
venerable  Dr.  Chandler  commended  them  in  fervent  prayer 
to  the  care  and  guidance  of  the  infinite  God,  and  in  a  feeling 
address  regretted  that  the  infirmities  of  age  would  not  allow 
him  to  go  with  them,  and  exhorted  them  not  to  be  shot  in  the 
back.  The  company  then,  with  measured  step,  at  beat  of 
drum,  hastened  to  the  station.  It  was  an  occasion  to  be  re- 
membered.    It  brought  the  war  more  directly  before  us. 

Greenfield  sent  into  the  service  of  the  country  about  500 
men.  Of  these,  something  like  100  were  not  residents  of  the 
town,  but  were  secured  by  recruiting  officer  wherever  they 
could  be  found.  About  400  were  residents  here  at  the  time 
of  their  enlistment. 

The  following  is  a  list,  so  far  as  is  known,  of  the  43  Green- 
field men  who  lost  their  lives  in  the  war  : 

Horace  M.  Allen,  Edward  Avery,  Lieut.  William  F.  Barrett,  John  A.  Bascom, 
Geo.  A.  Burnham,  Sergt.  Fernando  B.  Bennett,  Henry  Bowers,  Henry  J. 
Bowers,  William  J.  Bowers,  Amasa  B.  Clifford,  Capt.  Edwin  E,  Day,  Lu- 
cius J.  Eddy,  Henry  E.  Eddy,  Wm.  R.  Elder,  Jacob  Eppler,  Al|ihonso  K. 
Graves,  Charles  Groestick,  James  M.  Hall,  Q.M.  Clerk,  Seth  Haughton, 
Lieut.  Silas  Hannum,  Sergt.  Frederic  W.  Hayden,  Augustus  M.  Howard, 
Geo.  M.  Lander,  Corp.  Christopher  Megrath,  James  Moran,  Corp.  James 
D.  Murray,  Sergt.  Geo.  Nims,  Christopher  Newton,  Lieut.  George  G.  Nut- 
ting, Horace  C.  Packard,  William  Partenheimer,  Geo.  W.  Perigo,  James 
G.  Potter,  Charles  W.  Potter,  Jacob  Bice,  James  E.  Robbins,  Henry  A.. 
Rylher,  Wm.  E.  Ryther,  Edward  Shehan,  Lewis  H.  Stiles,  Maj.  William 
Augustus  Walker,  Brev.  Brig.-Gen.  Geo.  D.  Wells,  Byram  C.  Wright. 

All  these  men  deserve  a  lasting  record  in  the  history  of  the 
town.  But  lack  of  space  forbids  here  mention  of  any  except 
those  who  held  high  positions. 

Capt.  Edwin  E.  Day  was  born  Sept.  3,  1825,  in  Gill.  He 
married  and  lived  at  Factory  village,  in  Greenfield,  and  was 
captain  of  a  militia  company  when  the  war  of  the  Rebellion 
began.  He  was  the  first  man  to  enlist  from  this  town,  and 
was  mustered  into  service  June  21,  1861,  as  captain  of  Com- 
pany G,  10th  Regiment.  In  the  campaign  on  the  Peninsula, 
at  the  first  battle  in  which  the  regiment  was  engaged,  on  the 
last  day  of  May,  1862,  Capt.  Day  was  killed  at  the  head  of 
his  company.  He  received  three  bullet  wounds.  The  second 
was  fatal.  The  third  was  received  after  he  had  been  laid  upon 
a  stretcher  to  be  taken  from  the  field.  In  November,  1865, 
his  remains  were  brought  here  and  buried.  He  was  a  wise 
and  faithful  officer,  and  a  brave  soldier.     He  died  with  his 


HISTORY  OF  FRANKLIN   COUNTY. 


591 


armor  on,  amid  the  din  and  roar  of  battle.     The  fatal  bullet 
pierced  him  as  he  stood  facing  the  foe. 

Maj.  "William  Augustus  Walker  was  born  in  Portsmouth 
in  1827.  He  resided  there  till  be  was  twenty  years  of  age. 
After  a  few  years'  residence  in  Boston  he  came  to  this  town 
in  1853.  He  was  a  young  man  of  cultivated  and  refined 
tastes,  generous  and  public-spirited  to  a  fault.  He  cheerfully 
responded  to  the  call  of  his  country.  He  enlisted  Oct.  16, 
1861,  and  raised  a  company  for  the  27th  Regiment,  and  re- 
ceived a  captain's  commission.  He  accompanied  Burnside  in 
his  expedition  to  North  Carolina,  and  was  appointed  provost- 
marshal  at  Washington,  N.  C.  In  May,  1803,  he  was  pro- 
moted to  major,  and  commanded  the  regiment  in  a  charge 
on  the  rebel  works  at  Gaines'  Mills,  Va.,  June  3,  1863.  He 
had  reached  the  rifle-pits,  when  he  was  pierced  through  the 
neck  by  a  rifle-ball,  and  fell  dead.  The  universal  testimony 
was  that  he  was  a  faithful  and  brave  otficer,  securing  the  re- 
spect and  confidence  of  the  men  under  his  command. 

W^ith  the  name  of  George  Duncan  Wells  is  associated 
a  record  of  a  brief  but  noble  life  of  which  our  town  may 
well  be  proud.  The  son  of  Judge  Daniel  Wells, — a  name  of 
historic  interest  among  us, — he  was  born  Aug.  21,  1826.  He 
graduated  at  Williams  College,  and  at  the  Dane  Law  School 
in  Harvard  University.  He  studied  law  with  his  father,  and 
practiced  for  a  while  in  this  town  with  his  cousin,  Daniel 
Wells  Alvord.  Removing  to  Boston,  he  was  appointed  judge 
of  the  police  court. 

When  the  war  broke  out  Judge  Wells  was  among  the  very 
first  to  offer  his  services  to  the  government.  He  was  mustered 
May  22,  1861.  I  find  on  the  list  of  Massachusetts  Volunteers 
no  name  of  earlier  date  than  this.  He  was  appointed  lieuten- 
ant-colonel of  the  1st  Regiment,  which  position  he  filled  with 
great  honor  and  acceptance  till  July  11,  1862,  when  he  was 
appointed  colonel  of  the  34th,  which  office  he  held  till  his 
death,  which  resulted  from  wounds  received  "in  battle  on  the 
13th  of  October,  1864,  near  Sterling  Farm,  in  West  Virginia. 
His  remains  were  brought  to  Greenfield,  and  buried  among 
the  scenes  familiar  to  his  childhood.  No  man  entered  the 
service  with  nobler  sentiments  of  duty  and  patriotism,  or  with 
a  clearer  perception  of  the  issue  at  stake,  than  Col.  Wells. 
Colonel  we  must  continue  to  call  him,  though  he  was  breveted 
brigadier-general  on  the  day  of  his  fatal  wound.  Few  men 
had  more  to  give  their  country  in  this  great  crisis  ;  no  one  gave 
his  all  more  freely,  more  heartily,  than  Col.  Wells. 

After  the  war  was  closed  the  town  voted  to  erect  a  monu- 
ment to  tlie  memory  of  those  who  lost  their  lives  in  the  service 
of  the  country.  Accordingl}',  a  handsome  and  highly-polished 
shaft  of  Scotch  granite  was  erected  on  the  Common,  surmounted 
by  a  bronze  eagle  cast  in  Munich.  The  pedestal  bears  this  in- 
scription :  "  Greenfield  erects  this  monument  in  grateful  honor 
to  her  patriotic  sons  who  oft'ered  their  lives  in  suppressing  the 
great  Rebellion,  and  for  the  preservation  of  the  National 
Union,  1861-65." 

A  substantial  iron  fence  was  put  about  the  Common  at  the 
same  time.     The  whole  cost  was  $10,000. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 


PELEG  ADAMS 
was  born  in  Northbridge,  Worcester  Co.,  Mass.,  on  the  29th 
of  December,  1799.  He  is  a  son  of  Andrew  and  Betsey  Chapin 
Adams,  and  the  youngest  of  a  family  of  four  children,  con- 
sisting of  three  sons  and  one  daughter.  His  brothers  are  botli 
dead  ;  his  sister  is  living,  and  now  resides  in  Ohio.  His  father 
was  a  native  of  Northbridge,  and  was  there  engaged  in  mer- 
cantile business,  in  which  he  lost  his  entire  property,  but 
through  no  fault  of  his  own.     In  1803  he  removed  to  Green- 


field, Mass.,  where  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life.  He 
engaged  in  agriculture,  accumulated  quite  a  property,  and 
died  in  Greenfield  at  the  age  of  sixty-two. 

The  subject  of  this  notice  received  a  common-school  and 
a  thoroughly-practical  education.  His  minority  was  mostly 
spent  in  working  upon  his  father's  farm.  When  twenty-three 
years  of  age  he  commenced  working  out  by  the  month  at  farm 
labor,  in  which  employment  he  continued  during  the  greater 


^^=^K 


PELEO   ADAMS. 

part  of  six  years.  In  1831  he  purchased  in  the  town  of  Green- 
field the  form  he  now  owns,  and  also  built  the  house  in  which 
he  still  resides.  For  twenty-five  years  he  was  engaged  quite 
successfully  in  the  business  of  a  drover,  and  also  in  the  culti- 
vation of  his  farm.  Mr.  Adams  also  purchased,  a  few  years 
ago,  the  Mansion  House,  in  the  village  of  Greenfield,  which 
he  has  thoroughly  repaired,  and  indeed  is  still  constantly  im- 
proving, thereby  greatly  adding  to  its  value  and  attractiveness. 

He  has  served  the  public  in  the  capacity  of  selectman  and 
assessor,  has  always  maintained  a  reputation  for  honor  and 
strict  integrity,  and  enjoys  the  respect  and  confidence  of  all 
who  know  him. 

Though  not  a  member  of  any  church,  he  has  been  closely 
connected  with  the  Universalist  Society  of  Bernardston,  to 
the  support  of  which  he  has  largely  contributed. 

Mr.  Adams  was  married  on  the  15th  of  February,  1831,  to 
Lucinda  Hancock,  of  Longmeadow  ;  she  died  at  the  age  of 
thirty  years.  By  this  union  there  were  four  children.  His 
second  wife  died  on  the  17th  of  May,  1868,  aged  fifty-three 
years.  His  present  wife,  Jane  W.  Bascora,  was  born  on  the 
21st  of  July,  1813. 


REV.  JOHN  F.  MOORS 
was  born  in  Groton,  Mass.,  Dec.  10,  1819.  He  was  brought 
up  on  a  farm,  and  was  educated  at  the  public  schools  and  at 
the  academy  in  that  place  till  1838,  when  he  entered  Harvard 
College,  where  he  graduated  in  1842.  He  passed  at  once  into 
the  Cambridge  Divinity  School,  where  he  graduated  in  1845. 
The  following  week  he  entered  on  professional  service  in  Deer- 
field,  where  he  was  ordained  over  the  First  Congregational 
(Unitarian)  Society,  Jan.  28,  1846.  He  was  dismissed  in 
April,  1860,  and  on  the  22d  of  that  month  was  installed  over 
the  Third  Congregational  (Unitarian)  Society  in  Greenfield. 


592 


HISTORY    OF   THE   CONNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


In  October,  1862,  he  was  commissioned  chaplain  of  the  52d 
Regiment  of  Massachusetts  Volunteers  by  Gov.  Andrew,  and 
served  with  the  regiment  under  Gen.  Banks  till  it  was  mus- 
tered out,  in  August,  1863.  In  1874  he  served  in  the  lower 
branch  of  the  State  Legislature,  and  in  1877  in  the  upper 
branch. 


Mr.  Moors  was  for  many  years  a  member  of  the  school  com- 
mittee in  Deerfield,  and  afterward  in  Greenfield.  He  was  for 
several  years  president  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  Deerfield 
Academy,  and  the  first  president  of  the  new  board  of  the  con- 
solidated corporation  of  "  Deerfield  Academy  and  Dicliinson 
High  School." 


deerfield; 


GEOGRAPHICAL. 

The  Pocomptuck  of  two  centuries  ago  lay  upon  the  west 
bank  of  "  ye  Grate  River  Quinneticot,"  its  shore-line  being 
about  twenty  miles  long.  Its  south  line  was  the  north  bound 
of  the  Quonquot  purchase  by  Hatfield,  running  from  the  place 
where  the  Pocomptuck  path  crossed  the  Thee-ki-o-an-mick  (or 
Sugar-Loaf  Brook),  seven  miles  westward.  The  north  and 
west  bounds  were  each  about  thirteen  miles  long,  abutting 
against  the  unclaimed  wilderness.  This  territory  of  about  one 
hundred  and  thirty  square  miles  has  been  shorn  of  its  fair 
proportions  from  time  to  time  by  cutting  off  the  towns  of 
Greenfield,  Gill,  Conway,  Shelburne,  and  a  part  of  Whately, 
until  it  now  contains  but  about  thirty-six  square  miles.  Its 
old  boundary  was  territory  now  occupied  by  the  towns  of 
Coleraine,  Lej'den,  Bernardston,  and  Northfleld,  on  the  north  ; 
by  Montague,  Whately,  and  Williamsburg,  on  the  south  ; 
east,  it  was  separated  by  the  Connecticut  River  from  North- 
field,  Erving,  Montague,  and  Sunderland ;  on  the  west  lie 
Goshen,  Ashfiekl,  Buckland,  and  Charlemont.  The  present 
bounds  of  the  town  are  Greenfield,  north;  Whately  and  Con- 
way, south  ;  Montague  and  Sunderland,  east;  Shelburne  and 
Conwa}',  west. 

NATURAL    FEATURES. 

The  topography  of  Pocomptuck  is  peculiar.  Along  the  hank 
of  the  Connecticut  lies  a  fertile  meadow,  about  a  hundred  rods 
wide,  extending  nearly  the  whole  length  of  the  town  ;  from 
this,  to  the  west,  rises  a  range  of  hills  from  one  to  two  miles 
in  width,  running  from  Wequamps  (Sugar-Loaf)  on  the  south 
to  the  Greenfield  line,  rising  about  midway,  at  Pocomptuck 
Rock,  to  a  height  of  seven  hundred  and  fifty  feet.  From  the 
foot  of  this  range  a  plain  or  valley  spreads  westward,  from 
one  to  two  miles  in  width.  Here  the  "  Dedham  Grant"  was 
laid  out,  and  here  are  located  the  "  Old  Street,"  the  principal 
villages,  and  the  famous  "  Deerfield  meadows,"  a  rich  alluvial 
deposit  of  late  geological  formation. 

Still  to  the  westward,  the  surface  rises  in  swelling  hills,  one 
above  the  other,  to  its  western  bounds,  reaching,  at  "  Arthur's 
Seat,"  an  elevation  of  one  thousand  feet.  These  were  the 
"  Sunsick  Hills"  of  the  Indians,  the  "West  Mountains"  of 
to-day,  and  may  be  considered  the  foot-hills  of  the  Hoosack 
Mountains.  These  hills  are  nearlj'  bare  of  forest,  aflbrding 
the  best  of  grazing  land,  while  a  few  good  farms  are  scattered 
in  the  valleys.  The  town  is  well  watered.  The  Connecticut  is 
described  elsewhere.  The  Pocomptuck  (Deerfield),  rising  on 
the  east  slope  of  the  Green  Mountains  in  Vermont,  coming  into 
this  town  from  the  northwest,  has  channeled  for  itself  a  deep 
rocky  bed  through  the  Sunsick  Hills,  and  debouches  upon  the 
central  valley  at  Stillwater;  then,  turning  to  the  northeast, 
continues  a  serpentine  course  across  the  meadows  and  through 
a  remarkable  gorge  at  Cheapside,  reaching  the  Connecticut 
about  eight  miles  from  Stillwater.  Among  the  numerous 
smaller  streams  the  historic  Bloody  Brook  stands  first;  a  few 
other  brooks,   which   have  afforded  mill-sites,   are   Bijah's, 

*  Prepared  by  Hon.  George  Sheldon. 


Roaring,  Parsons',  Taylor's,  Carter's  Land,  Sheldon's,  Field's 
Hill,  Hoyt's  Mill,  and  Turkey-Bin.  Some  of  the  ponds  are 
Broughton's,  Beaman's,  Pine  Hill,  Round,  and  Old  River. 

SETTLEMENT. 
DEDHAM  GRANT. 

To  Christianize  the  natives,  which  was  a  prime  object  with 
the  pious  settlers,  the  apostle  Eliot  was  employed  to  teach  them 
the  doctrines  of  the  Bible.  He  soon  found  this  impossible  with- 
out an  accompanying  civilization,  which  involved  their  giving 
up  their  roving  habits  of  life.  To  this  end  Eliot  asked  grants 
of  land,  on  which  he  could  gather  them  permanently  and 
teach  them  the  arts  of  "civility."  In  answer,  the  General 
Court,  in  1651,  authorized  him  to  lay  out  a  tract  of  two  thou- 
sand acres  at  Natick  and  there  found  a  settlement  of  Indians. 
This  tract  fell  within  the  bounds  of  Dedham,  and  a  long  con- 
troversy in  the  general  and  civil  courts  followed  in  regard  to 
a  compensation  for  that  town.  At  length,  on  the  2d  of  June, 
1663,  the  Genetal  Court  ordered  that  "for  a  finall  issue  of  the 
case  between  Dedham  and  Naticke,  the  Court  judgeth  meete 
to  graunt  Dedham  eight  thousand  acres  of  land  in  any  con- 
venient place  or  places,  not  exceeding  two,  where  it  can  be 
found  free  from  graunts,  provided  Dedham  except  this  ofier." 
The  terms  being  satisfactory  to  Dedham,  the  General  Court, 
at  the  session  in  October,  1663,  appointed  Ens.  John  Everard 
and  Jonathan  Danforth  a  committee  to  lay  out  the  grant. 

After  several  months'  searching  for  a  satisfactory  location,  on 
the  9th  of  November,  1664,  the  selectmen  of  Dedham  report 
that  thej'  had  heard  of  an  available  tract  "about  twelve  or 
fourteen  miles  above  Hadly,"  and  recommend  that  the  grant 
be  laid  out  there.  A  committee  of  eight  men,  four  of  whom 
could  act,  was  appointed  to  carry  out  the  recommendation. 
Some  trouble  arising  .about  the  matter,  at  a  meeting  March  20, 
1665,  it  was  finally  arranged  that  Lieut.  Joshua  Fi-sher,  Ed- 
ward Richards,  Anthony  Fisher,  Jr.,  and  Timothy  Dwite 
should  lay  out  the  grant,  and  should  depart  on  that  mission 
"  the  day  after  Election,  or  the  second  day  of  the  week  follow- 
ing at  the  fartherest."  This  committee  came  to  Pocomptuck, 
located  and  surveyed  the  land,  returning  a  detailed  plan, 
giving  courses  and  distances,  to  the  General  Court  at  their 
session  in  May,  1665.  "The  Court  allows  and  approoves  of 
this  returne,  provided  they  make  a  towne  of  it,  to  majntejne 
the  orddnances  of  Christ  there  once  within  five  years,  and  that 
it  interfere  not  with  Maj'r-Genll  Dennison  and  Hadly  grant." 

The  unusually-accurate  Hoyt,  Holland,  and  others  have 
constantly  asserted  that  the  date  of  this  grant  was  in  1669,  in- 
stead of  1663  ;  but  the  records  are  clear,  fully  according  with 
dates  given  above.  Conveyance  of  land  by  the  natives  was  void 
by  law  without  concurrent  action  by  the  colonial  authorities, 
and  Dedham  would  hardly  have  paid  "  £96  10s."  and  been  at 
the  expense  of  the  survej'  on  such  a  venture. 

INDIAN   PURCHASE. 
Having  laid  out  the  grant  according  to  the  direction  of  the 
court,  Dedham  proceeded  to  perfect  its  title,  according  to  tlie 


HISTORY   OF   FRANKLIN   COUNTY. 


593 


policy  of  the  colony,  bj'  buying  the  land  of  the  native  claim- 
ants. June  4,  lUfit),  two  men  were  appointed  by  the  town  "  to 
employ  the  Worshipful  Col.  Pynchon  to  buy  the  Indian  title 
in  the  SOW  acres."  It  appears  that  on  the  6th  of  June,  UiH7,- 
he  had  expended  £-10  in  this  service.  Previous  to  this  date  he 
had  procured  two  deeds, — one  from  Wat-tam-o-lunck-si.n,  of 
an  unknown  date,  the  other  dated  Feb.  24,  1066-07,  from 
■'  Chank,  Sachem  of  Pncumiur];,''  "  for  himself  and  his  Brother 
Wnji-n-lio-ale.''     This  is  given  below. 


fact  that,  so  closely  did  the  footsteps  of  advancing  civilization 
follow  upon  the  heels  of  retiring  barbarism,  on  the  very  day 
that  the  sachem  of  Pocotnjitiick  set  his  mark  to  the  deed  con- 
veying all  his  Poconiptuck  lands  to  the  English  forever,  the 
people  of  Dedham,  in  town-meeting  as.sembled,  imposed  a  tax 
upon  these  very  lands  for  the  support  of  a  Christian  ministry 
there.  The  vote  ran,  "  That  each  proprietor's  land  there  shall 
pay  annually  toward  the  maintenance  of  an  orthodox  minis- 
ter there  two  shillings  for  every  cow-common  that  he  shall 


June  13,  1667,  another  deed  was  signed  by  Mn-se-a-mot,  alia.s 
Mil-kc-na-wa]i,  conveying  all  his  rights  save  the  liberty  of 
fishing.  On  the  22d  of  July,  1667,  an  unreserved  sale  of  all  his 
land  at  Poconiptuck  was  made  by  A-him-uti-qiidi,  his  brother 
frrin-innc/i-c/iwc  receiving  from  the  pay  "20  fadam,  and  ap- 
proved of  the  sale  of  the  land."  These  three  deeds  were  pro- 
cured by  John  Pynchon,  and  were  made  running  to  "Maj. 
Eleaser  Lusher  and  Daniel  Fisher,  of  Dedham,  their  Associates, 
and  theire  heires  and  assigns  for  ever."  The  consideration 
paid  Col.  Pynchon  for  these  purchases  was  £96  lO.s. 

On  the  Gth  of  August,  1672,  Col.  Pynchon  obtained  from 
Masshalisk,  mother  to  Wuttawohincksin,  the  deed  of  a  large 
lot  of  land  lying  on  the  Connecticut,  in  payment  of  her  son's 
debts  to  Pynchon,  he  being  at  this  time  dead.  Pynchon  does 
not  appear  to  have  ever  laid  claim  to  this  land  under  this  deed, 
and  there  is  reason  to  think  that  it  covered  the  same  tract  pre- 
viously sold  by  Wuttawohincksin  to  Dedham.  The  price  paid 
the  Indians  for  the  Pocoraptuck  lands  seems  trifling  ;  if  the 
deeds  covered  the  whole  grant,  the  price  was  about  three  pence 
per  acre.  The  land  was  of  no  use  to  the  Indians  at  that  time  ; 
they  could  not  occupy  it  as  a  residence  for  fear  of  the  Mo/mwks, 
and  they  reserved  all  that  was  of  real  value  to  them, — the  right 
of  hunting,  fishing,  and  gathering  nuts.  Not  a  very  high 
value  was  put  upon  this  land  by  the  new  owners.  They  paid 
nearly  one-tenth  of  the  whole  grant  for  locating  and  survey-' 
ing  it  ;  and  soon  after  (he  purchase  a  huge  tract,  covering 
some  of  the  choicest  meadow-land,  was  otfered  for  eight  pence 
per  acre.  In  view  of  all  the  facts,  it  appears  that  a  fair  price 
was  paid  the  Pommptucks  for  their  lands. 

Having  taken  these  measures  to  secure  its  title,  Dedham  set 
about  plans  for  a  settlement  on  the  grant.    It  is  an  interesting 

75 


keep  in  his  own  hand,  whether  he  shall  be  living  there  or  at 
Dedham.'  Whether  on  account  of  this  tax,  or  for  other 
reason,  many  cow-commons  (or  rights)  at  Poconiptuck  were 
put  upon  the  market  about  this  time. 

Gov.  Leverett  bought  312  acres,  which  he  sold  to  Col.  Pyn- 
chon, Oct.  31,  1607,  for  "6  pounds  current  money  of  New 
England,  and  for  several  barrels  of  tar  in  hand  paid."  Before 
the  settlement  more  than  2000  acres  had  pa.ssed  from  the  Ded- 
ham owners. 

The  8000-acre  grant  was  made  to  the  "  proprietors  of  Ded- 
ham," and  their  individual  right  in  the  grant  was  the  same 
as  that  by  which  they  held  shares  in  the  common  land  in 
Dedham.  This  latter  was  held  in  o23  shares,  called  "cow- 
commons,"  and  the  same  rule  applied  to  the  newly-acquired 
territory. 

May  23,  1670,  the  proprietors,  who  were  now  a  body  distinct 
from  the  town,  met  and  agreed  to  draw  lots  for  the  location 
of  their  respective  rights.  Through  transfers  of  ownership 
the  whole  number  of  owners  at  this  time  was  but  thirty-one, 
holding  from  three  to  sixty  cow-commons  each.  At  this  meet- 
ing it  was  voted  "  that  an  Artist  be  procured  on  as  Moderate 
terms  as  may  be  that  [shall]  lay  out  the  lots  at  pa-comp-tuck 
to  each  proprietor,  according  to  their  lawful  interest  in  each 
sort  of  land  which  is  to  be  divided,  and  to  draw  and  return  to 
the  town  a  true  [plan]  of  what  he  do  there."  This  work  was 
put  in  charge  of  a  committee  "  empowered  to  order  the  situa- 
tion of  the  town  for  the  most  convenicncy  as  in  their  discres- 
sion  shall  appeare  best,"  "appointing  the  highways  and  lay- 
ing out,  and  a  place  for  the  Meeting-house,  Church  officers' 
lot  or  lots,"  and  "to  proportion  each  several  sorts  of  land 
there  according  to  the  qualitie  therof,  that  equitie  might  be 


594 


HISTORY  OP  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


attended  to  each  proprietor,  according  to  their  proportiiin  in 
every  sort  of  land  divisable." 

The  committee  attended  to  their  duties  in  tlie  summer  of 
lf)70,  and  reported,  May  16,  1071,  the  result:  "For  the  Sit- 
uation of  tlie  Town  plat,"  they  say,  "  it  shall  be  on  that  tract 
of  land  begining  att  the  southerly  side  of  it  att  a  little  brook 
called  Kagle  Brook,  and  so  to  extend  Northerly  to  the  banke 
or  falling  ridge  of  land  at  Samson  Frary's  celer,  and  so  to 
run  from  the  banke  or  ridg  of  land  front,ihg  on  the  Meadow- 
Land  westerlie  to  the  Mountain  easterlie. "  A  "highway  for 
the  common  street"  was  laid  out  six  rods  wide  thi-ough  this 
tract  from  south  to  north.  From  each  end  and  from  the  mid- 
dle of  this  street  a  three-rod  highway  was  laid,  west  to  the 
meadow  and  east  to  the  mountain.  "  That  as  to  more  higher 
sort  of  Land,  called  Intervale  or  plow-land,"  they  ordered 
"  two  divisions  made  of  the  same  out  of  both,  which  all  the 
proprietors  shall  receive  their  proportions."  The  first  division 
covered  the  North  Meadows  east  of  Pine  Hill,  and  the  South 
Meadows  to  Second  Division  Brook.  The  second  division  ex- 
tended across  the  river  westerly  from  this  point  and  south  to 
Long  Hill.  Highways  two  rods  wide  were  laid  out  through 
these  divisions,  "  so  that  every  man  may  come  to  his  land." 

The  committee  found  Samuel  Hinsdale,  a  squatter,  on  the 
tract,  and  recommend  he  be  not  disturbed,  as  he  is  occupying 
but  "3  or  i  acres,  and  he  abating  as  much  in  the  2d  of  his 
division  of  plow-land."  The  lots  were  all  to  run  east  and 
west,  and  no  more  than  twenty  cow-commons  to  be  laid  in 
one  lot.  These  lines,  and  the  highways  laid  out  by  this  com- 
mittee in  1670,  are  essentially  those  of  to-day.  In  drawing 
lots  for  location,  the  first  lot  was  always  on  the  north  end  of 
each  division,  and  the  last  at  the  south,  varying  so  far  on  the 
town-plat  that  the  lots  on  the  east  side  of  the  street  were  num- 
bered from  south  to  north.  The  amount  of  land  assigned  to 
each  cow-common  varied  with  the  size  of  the  division  ;  on  the 
street  it  was  56J  rods,  giving  the  owners  house-lots  of  from 
1  acre  9J  rods  to  7  acres  10  rods,  the  last  being  the  amount  for 
twenty  cow-commons.  The  whole  number  of  house-lots  was 
thirty-nine,  including  the  "  church  lot."  Few,  if  any,  of  these 
lots  are  idejitical  with  those  we  now  occupy,  and  when  they 
are  named  it  is  to  be  considered  but  an  apijroximation. 

The  settlement  had  scarcely  commenced  before  Hatfield 
complained  that  the  grant  encroached  on  her  territory,  and 
an  appeal  was  made  to  the  General  Court  for  redress.  May 
10,  1672,  a  hearing  was  had,  and  a  committee  of  three  ap- 
pointed "to  regulate  and  settle  this  affair,"  This  committee 
reported,  September  20th,  in  favor  of  Hatfield,  and  directed  the 
grant  to  be  extended  northerly.  The  report  was  accepted  Oct. 
y,  1U72,  and  the  present  north  line  of  the  town  was  then  estab- 
lished as  the  north  line  of  the  8000-acre  "  Dedham  Grant." 

Thus  far  the  affairs  of  the  colony  had  been  under  the  direct 
control  of  the  mother-town,  and  all  its  officers  appointed 
there.  Finding  serious  inconvenience  in  this  arrangement, 
Samuel  Hinsdale  was  sent,  with  a  statement  of  these  facts,  to 
Dedham.  Upon  a  consideration  of  this  communication,  a 
committee,  consisting  of  Samuel  Hinsdale  and  Richard  Miller, 
of  Pocomptuck  ;  Peter  Tilton  and  Samuel  Smith,  of  Hadley  ; 
and  Lieut.  William  AUis,  of  Hatfield,  were  appointed  to  have 
a  general  oversight  of  their  affairs.  A  code  of  rules  for  their 
guidance  was  prepared.  One  item  was,  "  This  Committee  and 
the  inhabitants  there,  with  the  advice  of  the  elders  of  the  two 
neighboring  churches,  shall  have  liberty  to  procure  an  ortho- 
dox Minister  to  dispense  the  word  of  God  amongst  them,"  and 
for  this  purpose  "  to  assess  two  shillings  on  each  common  right 
at  Petumtuck." 

This  action  of  Dedham  was  not  .satisfactory  to  the  adven- 
turers, and  they  resolved  to  make  a  bold  stroke  for  ecclesias- 
tical and  territorial  elbow-room  and  power.  Hinsdale  was 
again  sent  down  the  Bay  Path,  this  time  to  invoke  a  higher 
power.  The  success  of  his  mission  may  be  read  in  the  following 
order  passed  by  the  General  Court,  May,  1673  : 


"  In  aiis'  to  the  petition  uf  tlie  inhabitants  of  Paucomptuclte.  Samuel  Hinsdale 
Samson  Fraiy,  Ac,  tlie  (\jurt  jndKeth  it  mecte  to  allow  the  jn-ti'i  mei-s  the  liherty 
of  a  township,  and  doe  therefore  grant  them  such  an  addition  of  land  to  the  eight 
thousand  acres  formerly  granted  to  Dedham,  as  that  the  whole  to  lie  to  the  con- 
■  tent  of  seven  miles  scpiare,  provided  an  able  ami  orthodox  minister  witliin  tliree 
years  be  settled  among  them,  and  that  a  farme  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  acres  bo 
layd  out  for  the  country's  use," 

A  committee  of  six,  Hinsdale  being  one,  was  named,  who 
should  have  power  "to  order  all  their  prudential!  affairs  till 
they  shall  be  in  a  capacity,  by  meete  persons  from  among 
themselves,  to  manage  their  owne  aflfiiirs."  This  committee 
was  only  to  be  adviseil  with  about  settling  a  minister,  leaving 
these  sturdy  independents  free  from  interference  by  the 
churches  at  Hadley,  Hatfield,  or  Northampton. 

This  "liberty  of  a  township,"  in  default  of  any  subsequent 
action  to  that  end,  must  be  taken  as  the  act  of  incorporation 
for  the  town.  The  territory  of  Pocomptuck  as  laid  out  under 
this  grant  is  almost  identical  with  that  now  occupied  by  the 
towns  of  Deerfield,  Greenfield,  and  Gill. 

The  grovirth  of  this  little  hamlet  was  steady;  Samuel  Hins- 
dale, the  pioneer,  breaking  ground  in  1608,  and  building  a 
house  in  1009.  Sampson  Frary,  the  second  settler,  followed 
the  next  year.  In  1073  there  were  at  least  twenty  families  on 
the  ground.  Their  houses,  doubtless  of  logs,  and  covered  with 
thatch,  stood  along  the  plateau  where  stands  the  "  Old  Street" 
to-day.  This  is  about  one  mile  long  and  half  a  mile  wide, 
lying  at  the  west  foot  of  Pocomptuck  Mountain.  On  three 
sides  lay  the  meadows,  spreading  two  miles  north  and  south 
and  about  one  mile  to  the  west.  Beyond  this  narrow  circuit, 
the  unbroken  forest  stretched  away  to  Canada  on  the  north,  to 
the  Hud.son  on  the  west,  and  to  Lancaster  on  the  east  ;  while 
on  the  south  the  nearest  settlement  was  Hatfield,  fourteen 
miles  distant,  through  which  was  the  only  communication 
with  the  civilized  world. 

This  hardy  yeomanry,  some  of  them  born  in  England  and 
well  on  in  years,  all  seeking  a  permanent  home  for  wife  and 
children  in  the  New  World,  appear  to  have  lived  here  in  quiet 
contentment.  Peace  and  plenty  smiled  upon  them.  The  rich 
alluvial  meadow  was  easy  of  cultivation.  The  virgin  soil 
yielded  abundant  harvests  of  wheat,  peas,  rye,  Indian  corn, 
beans,  and  flax.  The  men  became  skilled  in  woodcraft,  and 
the  forests  afforded  an  abundance  of  game,  while  the  waters 
teemed  with  fish.  Highways  were  built,  the  common  field 
inclosed  with  a  substantial  fence,  to  protect  their  crops  from 
their  flocks  and  herds,  which  roamed  in  the  surrounding 
woods.  A  minister  of  their  own  choice  was  going  out  and  in 
before  them,  and  the  young  colony  seemed  firmly  established 
on  an  enduring  foundation  of  prosperity.  The  dark  cloud 
looming  in  the  distance  was  unobserved  or  unnoticed.  The 
settlers  had  lived  on  the  most  friendly  terms  with  the  few 
Indians  with  whom  thej'  came  in  contact,  and  had  no  doubt 
of  their  fidelity.  The  news  of  the  outbreak  in  far-off  Ply- 
mouth brought  no  fears  to  them.  None  dreamed  of  the  de- 
vastation and  war  which  were  so  soon  to  descend  upon  their 
homes. 

MINOR   LOCALITIES. 

That  events  to  be  described  may  be  more  easily  understood, 
a  brief  notice  of  minor  localities  is  necessary.  The  "Street" 
or  "Old  Street,"  about  one  mile  long,  was  laid  out  in  1671. 
The  plateau  on  which  it  is  located  is  inclosed  by  meadows  on 
three  sides,  with  the  Pocomptuck  range  on  the  east.  Two 
miles  to  the  north,  beyond  Pocomptuck  River,  lies  "  Cheap- 
side,"  the  northern  part,  along  the  8000-acre  line,  being  now 
called  "  Green  River."  The  "  Green  River"  of  this  narrative 
is  the  present  Greenfield.  "  Bloody  Brook"  (South  Deerfield) 
lies  three  and  a  half  miles  from  the  street,  extending  two  miles 
south  to  the  Whately  line.  West  to  the  Conway  line  lies 
"  Mill  River,"  and  on  the  east  is  "  Wequamps,"  called  by  the 
white  folks  "Sugar-Loaf,"  which  gives  a  name  to  the  district 
east  to  the  Connecticut  River.  Midway  between  the  street 
and  Bloody  Brook  is  "  Wapping,"  with  "  Turnip  Yard"  to  the 


HISTORY   OF   FRANKLIN   COUNTY. 


505 


southeast  of  it,  and  "  Mill"  and  "  Bars"  west;  and  still  west- 
ward "  Stebbins'  Meadow,"  "  Still-Water,"  and  "Hoosiok," 
reaching  to  Conway  line.  From  the  street,  orer  the  Pocomp- 
tuck  west,  lies  "  Wisdom,"  and  over  the  Pocomptuck  Moun- 
tains northeast  is  "  Great  River,"  and  southeast  "  Pine  Nook." 
North  of  the  Street  lies  "  North  Meadows,"  and  south  of  it 
"South  Meadows." 

To  answer  frequent  inquiry  as  to  the  origin  of  these  names, 
some  information  may  be  given.  "  Cheapside,"  because  land 
lying  beyond  the  Pocomptuck,  and  less  easy  of  access,  had  a 
lower  valuation.  "  Bloody  Brook,"  from  the  massacre  of 
Lothrop  and  the  "  Flower  of  F,ssex."  "  Mill  Run,"  from  the 
first  occupied  mill-site  on  the  stream  by  which  the  district  is 
traversed.  "Sugar-Loaf,"  from  the  shape  of  Wequamps  as 
seen  from  the  south.  "  Wapping"  (first  Plum-tree  Plain), 
supposed  from  a  suburb  of  London.  "  Mill,"  from  the  loca- 
tion of  the  famous  grist-mill  of  the  Stebbins  Brothers. 
"Bars,"  where  the  common  field-fence  crossed  the  road  to 
Hatfield  ;  in  this  fence  was  a  set  of  slip-bars,  for  the  accom- 
modation of  travelers.  In  the  early  days  of  our  history  cattle 
were  fenced  o^lt  instead  of  in.  "Turnip  Yard;"  the  lands 
about  Wequamps  and  east  to  the  Connecticut  were  held  in 
common  for  a  sheep-range  by  the  proprietors  of  Pocomptuck. 
A  field  was  doubtless  inclosed  here,  where  the  shepherd  could 
cultivate  turnips  for  fall  feed  to  his  charge.  "Hoosick," 
probably  a  corruption  of  the  Pocomptuck  "  Sunsick."  "Wis- 
dom;" says  tradition,  from  an  early  settler  named  Wise, 
whose  character  hardly  kept  up  the  reputation  of  his  name. 
"  Great  River"  lies  three  miles  along  the  Connecticut  River. 
"Pine  Nook"  was  an  Indian  "Coassit,"  where  the  settlers 
made  tar  and  turpentine  for  a  xffarket  down  t"6  river. 

"Pine  llili', "  an  eminencH  ni  oo  acres  in  the  centre  of 
North  Meadows.  "  Petty's  Plain,"  a  terrace  to  the  north  of 
Pine  Hill,  across  the  Pocomptuck,  at  the  south  side  of  which 
comes  down  "Sheldon's  Brook"  to  the  river.  "  Hearthstone 
Brook"  enters  the  river  100  rods  below  Cheapside  bridge. 
"Sheldon's  Rocks"  project  half-way  across  the  Connecticut, 
40  rods  below  the  mouth  of  the  Pocomptuck.  "Fort  Hill," 
east  of  the  street,  was  the  last  stronghold  of  the  Pocomptucks 
north  of  Hatfield. 

WOGR.iPUICAL     >OTICES     OF     THE     SETTLERS     PREVIOUS     TO 
PHILIP'S    WAR. 

John  Allen,  son  of  Samuel,  of  Windsor,  an  emigrant 
from  England.  He  married,  Dec.  8,  16G9,  Mary  Hannum, 
of  Northampton;  was  killed  with  Capt.  Lothrop  and  the 
"  Flower  of  Essex"  at  Bloody  Brook,  Sept.  18,  1675.  His  two 
sons,  John  and  Samuel,  settled  at  Enfield,  Conn.  Their  de- 
scendants are  numerous. 

Francis  Barnard,  born  in  England  1617.  An  early  settler 
of  Hartford,  Conn.,  whence  he  removed  with  those  who 
founded  Hadley  in  1659.  He  seenis  to  have  been  a  genuine 
frontiersman,  and  pushed  on  to  Pocomptuck  about  1672.  He 
returned  to  Hadley  when  the  settlement  wa.s  broken  up,  where 
he  died  Feb.  3,  1698.  He  was  the  father  of  the  Barnard 
family  of  the  Connecticut  Valley.  John  Barnard,  son  of 
Francis,  a  young  unmarried  man,  was  killed  with  Lotlu-op. 

Philip  Barsham  was  of  Hatfield,  1672.  He  was  killed  with 
Lothrop,  leaving  a  widow — Sarah — and  ch^dren. 

William  Bartholomew,  a  carpenter  fiom  Roxbury,  married, 
in  1663,  Mary  Johnson.  He  survived  Philip's  war,  and  re- 
turned at  the  second  settlement.  In  1685  he  sold  to  Daniel 
Belding  the  home-lot  he  had  bought  of  Peter  Woodward,  the 
Dedham  proprietor.  It  is  now  known  as  the  James  Stebbins 
place. 

Joshua  Carter,  son  of  Joshua,  of  Dorchester  and  Windsor, 
born  1638.  He  was  of  Northampton,  16G0 ;  came  here  1672; 
constable  1674.  He  married,  Oct.  22,  1663,  Mary  Field  ;  was 
killed  with  Lothrop,  leaving  a  widow  and  several  children. 

Moses    Crafts,    son    of    Griffin,    of    Roxbury,    bom    1641; 


licensed  to  keep  an  ordinary  here  in  1674.  He  married, 
1667,  Rebecca  Gardner.  After  the  war  he  lived  in  Hatfield 
and  Branford,  Conn.  In  1683  he  settled  at  Wethersficld, 
Conn.,  where  he  was  living  in  1702. 

Samuel  Daniels,  an  original  Dedham  proprietor.  He  drew 
house-lot  No.  26,  which  was  owned  by  John  Catlin  in  1704, 
and  is  now  called  the  Orlando  Ware  lot.  His  ancestry  is  not 
identified,  and  nothing  is  known  of  his  subsequent  career. 

John  Farrington,  of  Dedham,  settled  on  lot  No.  18.  On  the 
breaking  up  of  the  settlement  he  returned  to  Dedham,  where 
he  died  in  1676.  In  1693,  Eleazer  Farrington  sold  Isaac 
Sheldon  "eighteen  cow-commons  and  two  sheep-commons." 
As  this  was  the  amount  owned  by  John,  Eleazer  was  doubt- 
less his  son.     C.  A.  Stebbins  now  owns  the  home-lot. 

Zecheriah  Field,  son  of  Zecheriah,  of  England  ;  Dorchester, 
Hartford,  and  Hatfield;  horn  1645.  He  married,  1674,  Sarah 
Webb,  of  Northampton.  He  died  1674.  His  descendants 
removed  to  Connecticut,  and  later  to  Northfield. 

Frary  Samson,  son  of  John,  of  Medficld.  He  married  Mary 
Daniels;  was  of  Hatfield,  1668.  As  he  had  a  "  celer"  here.  May, 
1670,  he  probably  raised  crops  here  in  1669,  and  may  be  con- 
sidered the  second  settler.  The  house  now  standing  on  his 
old  home-lot  was  built  before  1698.  He  had  bought  eleven 
cow-  and  three  sheep-commons  of  Dedham  parties,  and  drew 
house-lot  No.  11,  which  was  not  the  lot  on  which  the  old 
house  stands.  Frary  was  killed  at  the  sacking  of  the  town, 
Feb.  29,  1704. 

.  Joseph  Gillett,  son  of  Jonathan,  of  Dorchester  and  Windsor; 
born  1650.  He  married,  1664,  Elizabeth  Hawks.  He  settled 
on  house-lot  No.  32,  which  his  heii-s,  in  1694,  sold  to  Samuel 
Carter;  now  the  Dr.  Willard  place.  He  fell  with  Lothrop, 
leaving  seven  children,  who  settled  about  AVindsor  and  Sims- 
bury,  and  left  property. 

Samuel  Herrenton  (Harrington)  settled  in  1673.  Ante- 
cedents unknown.  In  the  attack  on  the  town,  Sept.  12,  1675, 
he  was  wounded  in  the  neck.  He  married,  1677,  Hannah, 
widow  of  Nathaniel  Sutliett',  of  Hatfield,  1679.  Not  traced 
later. 

Hinsdale  Roberts,  probably  born  in  England  about  1617.  A 
member  of  the  Ancient  and  Honorable  Artillery  Company, 
1645.  He  was  one  of  the  eight  founders  of  the  church  at 
Dedham  in  1638,  and  one  of  the  founders  of  the  church  in 
Medficld  in  1650.  He  removed  to  Hadley  in  1672,  and  was 
here  the  next  year  with  five  stalwart  sons  and  one  married 
daughter.  He  married  a  second  wife  about  1672, — Elizabeth, 
widow  of  John  Hawks,  of  Hadley, — who  outlived  him.  He, 
with  three  of  his  sons,  fell  at  Bloody  Brook  with  Lothrop. 

Samuel  Hinsdale,  the  son  of  Robert,  removed  to  Hadley 
as  early  as  1666.  He  early  acquired  a  large  interest  in  the 
8000-acre  grant,  and  owned.  May  23,  1670,  one-twelfth  of  the 
entire  property.  He  was  the  first  settler  at  Pocomptuck,  hav- 
ing "made  improvements"  there  before  May  18,  1669,  and 
built  a  house  before  May,  1670.  He  was  one  of  the  committee 
appointed  by  the  General  Court,  in  1673,  to  regulate  the  affairs 
of  the  plantation,  and  was  the  leading  man  of  the  settlers. 
He  married,  in  1660,  Mehitable  Johnson  ;  their  son  Mehuman 
was  the  first  white  man  born  at  Pocomptuck.  He  was  killed  at 
Bloody  Brook,  leaving  six  or  seven  children.  From  Mehu- 
man are  descended  most  of  the  name  in  the  Connecticut  Valley. 
He  drew  three  house-lots,  but  probably  occupied  No.  14,  now 
the  William  Russell  lot. 

Barnabas  Hinsdale,  son  of  Robert,  born  1639.  He  had  a 
farm  in  Hatfield,  where  he  married,  in  1666,  Sarah  Taylor. 
He  probably  located  on  house-lot  No.  9,  which  was  drawn 
by  his  brother  Samuel,  and  owned  by  Barnabas,  Jr.,  in  1686. 
This  is  the  Ralph  Williams  lot.  He  was  killed  with  Lothrop, 
leaving  two  sons  and  three  daughters. 

Experience  Hinsdale,  son  of  Robert,  born  1646.  He  mar- 
ried, at  Hatfield,  1672,  Mary  Hawks,  and  at  once  brought  his 
bride  here.      He  was  a  guide  for  Capt.  Turner  in  his  march  to 


596 


HISTORY  OP  THE  CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


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HISTORY  OP  FRANKLIN  COUNTY. 


597 


Ihc  Falls  fi,<;ht,  May  18,  1076,  and  was  lost  in  that  expedition, 
leaving  a  widow  and  two  daughters. 

John  Hinsdale,  son  of  Robert,  born  16-18;  was  here  1673. 
He  was  killed  at  Bloody  Brook,  leaving  a  family,  of  which 
nothing  has  been  discovered. 

Ephraiin  Hinsdale,  son  of  Robert,  horn  16-50  ;  was  here  1673. 
He  survived  Philip's  war,  and  retired  to  Hattield,  where  he 
married  Mehitable,  daughter  of  John  Plympton,  in  1678,  and 
where  he  died,  in  1681. 

John  Plympton,  sergeant,  of  Dedham,  1642;  came  here 
from  Medfield,  safely  escaping  the  dangers  of  Philip's  war. 
He  had  come  back  to  rebuild  his  house,  when  he  was  taken 
captive,  Sept.  19,  1677,  by  a  party  of  Indians  from  Canada, 
and  hy  them  barbarously  tortured  and  burned  to  death  at 
the  stake.  He  was  called  "Old  Sergt.  Plympton,"  and  he 
was  doubtless  born  in  England.  He  married  Jane  Dummer, 
by  whom  he  had  thirteen  children.  His  son  John  was  a 
soldier  under  Capt.  Mosely,  in  167.5. 

Peter  Plym|iton,  son  of  John,  born  16-52;  was  a  soldier 
under  Capt.  Jlosely,  in  167-5;  came  back  after  the  war,  and 
lived  on  the  lot  owned  by  his  father,  which  he  sold,  in  170-5,  to 
John  Wells.  It  was  subsequently  owned  by  the  Catlins,  and 
is  the  lot  occupied  by  the  heirs  of  Joel  Wells.  He  removed 
to  Marlboro'  about  170-5,  where  he  died  in  1717. 

Jonathan  Plympton,  son  of  John,  born  1057  ;  was  the  vic- 
tim of  this  family  offered  up  at  Bloody  Brook  with  Lothrop. 

Quintus  Stockwell  was  of  Dedham,  1664,  but  not  a  propri- 
etor in  the  grant-  He  probably  settled  on  No.  .31,  drawn  by 
Robert  Hinsdale,  as  he  sold  that  lot  to  Thomas  French  when 
he  left  the  town,  in  1694.  It  is  the  lot  now  occupied  by  the 
orthodo.\  parsonage.  Stockwell,  like  Sergt.  Plympton,  con- 
fident that  the  Indian  troubles  were  over,  had  come  back,  in 
1677,  to  rebuild  his  home,  and  with  him  shared  an  Indian 
captivity,  but  not  his  horrible  death.  He  returned  from  cap- 
tivity, and  published  an  interesting  account  of  his  suft'erings 
and  experiences.  He  removed  to  Branford,  Conn.,  and  later 
to  Suttield,  where  he  died,  in  1715. 

Nathaniel  Sutlieff,  of  Medfield,  1668-71.  He  bought  of 
Joshua  Fisher,  of  Dedham,  six  cow- and  one  sheep-commons, 
in  February,  1672,  and  doubtless  located  on  that  right.  The 
lot  is  now  known  as  the  Col.  Asa  Stebbins  place.  He  married, 
in  1665,  Hannah,  a  daughter  of  Sergt.  John  Plympton.  He 
was  lost  with  Capt.  Turner,  in  1670,  leaving  children  who 
.settled  in  Durham,  Conn. 

William  Smead,  son  of  Widow  .Judith,  of  Dorchester;  was 
of  Northampton,  1600.  In  1674  he  bought  the  house-lot  No. 
25  of  the  Dedham  proprietor,  Thomas  Fuller,  on  which  he 
was  settled  after  and  probably  before  Philip's  war,  where  he 
died  before  1704.  He  married,  1658,  Elizabeth  Lawrence, 
who  was  killed  Feb.  29,  1704.  He  left  a  large  family,  and 
all  of  the  name  early  in  the  country  were  his  descendants. 

William  Smead,  Jr.,  born  1660 ;   was  killed  with  Lothrop. 

James  Tuffts,  son  of  Peter,  of  Charlestown.  He  owned  lot 
No.  37,  drawn  by  Mrs.  Bunker;  this  was  bought  of  his  heirs, 
in  1087,  by  Simon  Beaman.  Here  was  the  site  of  the  first 
known  school-house.  It  is  now  owned  by  Mrs.  Catherine  E. 
B.  Allen. 

Daniel  Weld,  of  Medfield,  1672,  brother  of  "Mr.  Thomas 
Weld,  of  Roxbury."     He  married,  1064,  Mary,  daughter  of. 
Robert  Hinsdale.     His  location  was  about  where  the  Barnard 
house  now  stands.     He  returned  at  the  permanent  .settlement, 
and  died  here  in  1099. 

Richard  Weller,  of  Windsor,  1640;  was  of  Farrington  be- 
fore 1659 ;  of  Northampton,  1662 ;  and  here,  1672.  After 
the  war  he  came  back,  and  died  1690.  He  married,  in  1640, 
Anna  Wilson  ;  and  in  1662  married  Elizabeth  Abel,  at  North- 
ampton. 

John  Weller,  son  of  Richard,  born  1645 ;  came  with  his 
father  to  Pocomptuck ;  escaped  the  dangers  of  Philip's  war, 
and  returned  at  the  new  settlement,  and  died   1685  or  1686. 


His  wife  was  Mary  Alvord,  of  Northampton,  who  bore  him 
seven  children,  the  youngest  five  years  old  at  his  death. 

Thomas  Weller,  son  of  Richard,  born  1653;  was  probably 
killed  with  Lothrop. 

Rev.  Samuel  Mather,  who  was  here  before  Philip's  war, 
will  be  noticed  elsewhere. 

nilLII-'S    WAR. 

As  we  have  said,  the  news  of  the  outbreak  at  Swansea 
caused  no  alarm  here.  The  I'ocotnptur.ks,  scattered  over  the 
valley  as  far  as  the  Connecticut  line,  were  on  friendly  terms 
with  the  English.  Their  intercourse  was  intimate  and  kindly, 
although  they  never  mingled  as  equals  or  had  sympathies  in 
common.  The  inferior  race  were  fully  aware  of  this  fact,  but 
realized  that  contact  with  the  whites  had  been  of  great  ad- 
vantage to  them  by  imparting  some  of  the  arts  of  civiliza- 
tion. The  iron  age  had  succeeded  the  long  age  of  stone,  and 
increased  their  industrial  power  tenfold.  Firearms  had  en- 
abled them  to  procure  food  and  furs  for  trailic  with  greater 
ease,  and  this  traffic  aflkjrded  them  comforts  before  unknown. 
This  tribe  looked  to  the  English  for  protection  against  the 
fierce  Mohawks,  and  crowded  about  the  settlements  to  that  end. 

It  is  true  that  the  laws  of  the  colony  were  irksome  to  the 
lords  of  the  forest.  It  was  galling  to  these  sons  of  freedom  to 
be  hedged  about  by  forms  or  bonds  to  which  they  could  not 
give  an  understanding  assent.  The  unscrupulous  pioneer- 
trader  sold  them  fire-water,  and  cheated  them  when  under  its 
influence.  The  white  man's  cattle  trampled  down  their  corn, 
and  reparation  was  tardy.  The.se  things,  rankling  in  their 
bosoms,  came  uppermost  when  artful  emis-saries  of  Philip  ap- 
peared with  presents  of  wampum  and  goods  pillaged  from  the 
English,  exciting  their  natural  love  of  revenge  and  their 
cupidity.  It  is  not  surprising  that  these  children  of  nature 
joined  that  wily  chieftain  to  gratify  these  feelings. 

On  the  appearance  of  Philip  in  the  Nipnmck  country,  and 
the  burning  of  Brookfield,  Aug.  2,  1675,  the  alarm  became 
general  in  tlie  Connecticut  Valley,  but  no  suspicion  was  felt 
of  the  fidelity  of  the  river  Indians,  and  they  were  even  em- 
ployed as  soldiers  against  the  hostile  Xipmucks.  Here,  how- 
ever, their  treachery  was  exposed  by  the  Mohicans  in  the 
same  service,  and  became  so  apparent  that  an  attempt  was 
made  to  disarm  a  motley  collection  gathered  in  a  fort  at  Nono- 
tuck.  These,  taking  the  alarm,  fled  northward,  pursued  by 
Capts.  Beers  and  Lothrop,  with  100  soldiers.  Still  intending 
a  parley  with  the  fugitives,  the  troops  marched  with  little  or 
no  precaution,  and  when  they  had  reached  a  point  about 
eighty  rods  south  of  Wequamps  wore  suddenly  tired  upon  by 
the  savages  from  an  ambush  in  the  swamp  on  their  right. 
The  English,  covering  themselves  with  trees,  Indian  fashion, 
fought  for  three  hours,  when  the  enemy  retreated.  Seven 
whites  were  killed, — one  shot  in  the  back  by  his  fellows, — and 
two  were  mortally  wounded.  The  Indians  reported  a  loss  of 
twenty-six.  This  aflair  was  on  the  26th  of  August,  and  the 
first  conflict  in  arms  between  the  English  and  Indians  in  the 
Connecticut  Valley. 

The  settlers  at  Pocomptuck  became  fully  alive  to  the  fact  that 
the  horrors  of  an  Indian  war  were  now  upon  them.  Active 
preparations  were  made  for  defense.  Troops  from  Connecti- 
cut were  sent  here,  and  three  of  the  strongest  houses  were 
garrisoned-  The  locations  of  these  garrisons  can  only  be 
guessed,  but  it  will  be  safe  to  conclude  that  one  of  them  was 
on  Meeting-house  Hill,  at  the  house- of  Quintus  Stockwell, 
where  the  young  minister,  Mr.  Mather,  boarded,  and  the 
others  north  and  south  of  this. 

These  precautions  were  taken  none  too  soon.  Nothing  had 
been  heard  of  the  Indians  after  the  Wequamps  fight,  until 
September  1st,  when  they  made  an  attack  on  Pocomptuck.  A 
surprise  was  intended,  but  the  lurking  foe  was  discovered  by 
James  Eggleston,  a  Connecticut  soldier,  who  was  looking 
after  his  horse  in   the  woods.     He   was  shot   down  and   the 


598 


HISTORY   OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


nliirm  given.  The  inhabitsints  rushed  to  tlie  nearest  forts, 
and,  although  with  some  narrow  esiapes,  all  reached  their 
shelter.  Here  they  were  safe,  the  assailants,  after  two  of 
tlieir  men  were  struck,  being  careful  to  keep  out  of  gunshot. 
The  garrisons  not  being  strong  enough  to  sally  out  and  drive 
them  away,  the  settlers  had  the  mortification  of  seeing  the 
enemy  burn  and  destroy  all  they  could  with  safety.  This  was 
the  first  attack  by  the  red  man  on  any  English  town  in  the 
Connecticut  Valley,  and  it  caused  great  consternation.  News 
of  the  atlair  reached  lladley  while  the  inhabitants  were  a.ssem- 
bled  in  the  meeting-house  observing  a  fast.  Mather  says  they 
were  driven  from  the  sanctuary  "by  a  sudden  and  violent 
alarm,  which  routed  them  the  whole  day  after."  This  brief 
remark  of  the  historian  is  the  slender  foundation  on  which 
was  built  the  famous  story  of  the  attack  on  Hadley,  Septem- 
ber 1st,  when  Gen.  Gofle  appeared  as  the  guardian  angel  of 
the  town. 

The  Indians  wlio  made  this  attack  were  PocumpiucJm,  with 
|)Ossibly  a  few  emi-ssaries  from  the  hostile  tribes  east  of  the 
Connecticut.  September  2d,  Northfield  was  attacked;  on  the 
4th,  Capt.  Beers  ambushed  and  slain  ;  and  on  the  6th  the  re- 
nuiining  inhabitants  were  brought  otf  by  Maj.  Treat,  of  Con- 
necticut. 

Pocomptuck  was  now  tlie  frontier,  and  Capt.  Appleton  was 
sent  to  reinforce  the  garrison.  From  its  peculiar  location  it 
was  much  exposed  to  depredation.  The  keen  eyes  of  Indian 
spies  could  see,  from  the  hills  to  the  east  and  west,  every  move- 
ment in  the  valley.  Not  a  messenger  could  come  or  go,  not  a 
party  enter  the  meadow  to  sec\ire  the  crops,  not  a  movement 
between  the  forts,  but  the  lurking  enemy  were  fully  apprised  of. 

Observing  on  the  morning  of  Sunday,  September  12th,  that 
the  soldiers  collected  in  the  Stockwell  fort  for  public  worship, 
a  plan  was  laid  to  take  advantage  of  the  afternoon  service, 
and  a  party  was  posted  in  a  swamp  just  north  of  Stockwell's 
to  waylay  the  north  garrison.  Accordingly,  as  twenty-two 
men  from  the  north  fort  were  passing,  they  were  tired  upon 
from  the  swamp.  All  reached  the  fort,  however,  in  safety, 
except  Samuel  Harrington,  who  was  shot  in  the  neck.  Turn- 
ing toward  the  north  fort,  the  enemy  captured  Nathaniel  Corn- 
bury,  who  had  been  left  as  a  sentinel,  and  was  trying  to  reach 
his  companions.  He  was  never  heard  from  afterward.  As 
soon  as  Capt.  Appleton  could  rally  his  forces  he  drove  oil'  the 
assailants,  but  not  until  the  north  fort  had  been  plundered  and 
set  on  fire,  and  much  stock  killed  or  stolen.  Still  hanging 
round  the  village,  they  burned  two  more  houses,  and  carried 
horse-loads  of  meat  to  their  rendezvous  at  Pine  Hill.  Capt. 
Appleton  was  not  strong  enough  to  guard  the  village  at  all 
points  and  march  also  into  the  meadows.  On  Jlonday  volun- 
teer citizens  and  soldiers  from  Northamjiton  and  Hadley  came 
up  to  relieve  the  beleaguered  settlement.  This  reinforcement 
was  doubtless  reported  by  the  spies  ;  for  when  the  united  force 
marched  to  Pine  Hill,  Tuesday  morning,  the  14th,  the  Indians 
had  fled. 

Capt.  Mosely,  with  a  company  of  Bay  forces,  arrived  at 
Hadley  the  same  day,  and  marched  to  Pocomptuck  the  15th  or 
Kith,  As  yet  we  find  no  signs  of  an  intenticui  to  desert  the 
plantation.  Maj.  Treat,  with  a  considerable  Connecticut  force, 
coming  at  this  time  to  the  headquarters  at  Hadley,  the  stock 
of  provisions  there  was  found  inadequate  to  the  demand.  At 
Pocomptuck  a  large  quantity  of  wheat — Hubbard  says  3000 
bushels — was  standing  in  stack,  which  had  so  far  escaped  de- 
struction, and  Capt.  Lothrop  determined  to  secure  a  part  of  it 
for  supplying  the  troops  at  Hadley,  and  ordered  it  to  be 
threshed  out,  and  on  the  16th  or  17th  marched  with  his  own 
company  to  escort  the  train  to  headquarters,  Pocomptuck 
teams  being  employed  for  transportation. 

I.OTUROP's    MASSACRE. 

Early  in  the  morning,  on  the  18th  of  September,  167.5, — a  day 
memorable  in  our  annals, — Capt.   Lothrop  with  his  "choice 


company  of  young  men,  the  very  flower  of  the  county  of  Es- 
sex," followed  by  a  slow  train  of  ox-carts,  moved  out  of  the 
south  end  of  the  town  street,  two  miles  across  South  Meadows, 
through  the  bars  and  up  Long  Hill,  to  the  wooded  plain 
stretching  away  to  Hatfield  meadows.  The  carts  were  loaded 
with  bags  of  wheat,  and  upon  some  were  feather-beds  and 
other  light  household  stuff.  These  may  have  been  taken  by 
Joshua  Carter  for  his  widowed  sister,  Sarah  Field,  planning 
an  asylum  for  herself  and  helpless  children  in  her  father's 
house  in  Northampton.  Onward  across  the  plain  marched  the 
proud  escort,  confident  that  their  numbers  saved  them  from  all 
danger  of  attack.  Capt.  Lothrop  took  no  precaution  against  a 
surprise,  not  even  throwing  out  vanguard  or  flankers.  Not  a 
movement  of  the  English  troops  for  the  last  three  days  had 
escaped  the  observation  of  the  enemy,  and  this  very  company 
had  been  marked  for  a  prize.  Philip  with  his  WampanongK, 
and  the  Nipinuck  bands  under  Sagamore  Sam,  Mantaup,  One- 
Eyed  John,  Matoonas,  Panquahow,  and  other  minor  sachems, 
had  crossed  the  Connecticut  to  cut  it  oft'  on  the  return  to  Had- 
ley. Keen  eyes  had  seen  the  preparations  for  the  march  at 
Pocomptuck  ;  swift  feet  had  carried  the  news  to  the  chieftains 
below,  who  at  this  moment  were  issuing  their  last  orders  to 
their  warriors  lying  in  the  fatal  ambuscade  at  Bloody  Brook, 
into  which  Lothrop  was  marching  in  hapless  security.  From 
the  top  of  Long  Hill  the  track  lay  through  a  dense  forest  for 
a  mile  and  a  half,  when  it  approached  a  narrow,  swampy 
thicket  on  the  left  flank,  trending  southward,  through  which, 
sluggishly  crept  a  nameless  brook.  Skirting  this  swamp 
another  mile,  a  point  was  reached  where  it  narrowed  and 
turned  to  the  right.  Here  the  road  crossed  it  diagonally, 
leaving  the  marsh  on  the  right.  The  soldiers  had  passed  the 
brook,  and  halted  while  the  teams  should  drag  their  heavy 
loads  through  the  mire.  Meanwhile,  the  silent  morass  on 
either  flank  was  covered  with  the  bodies  of  grim  warriors,  lying 
prone  upon  the  ground,  their  scarlet  plumes  and  crimson  paint 
undistinguishable  from  the  Frost-king's  tints  on  leaf  and  vine. 
Breathless  and  still,  they  waited  the  signal.  The  critical 
moment  arrived.  The  wild  war-whoop  rang  in  the  ears  of 
the  astonished  English  ;  every  bush  and  every  tuft  of  grass  in 
the  peaceful-looking  morass  became  a  living  flame.  The  flower 
of  Essex  withered  before  it,  and  the  nameless  stream  was  bap- 
tized with  blood. 

Mosely,  who  had  remained  with  the  inhabitants,  had  heard 
the  firing,  and,  hastening  to  the  rescue,  found  the  savages  strip- 
ping the  slain  and  plundering  the  carts.  Exulting  in  their 
success,  confiding  in  their  numbers,  the  Indians  dared  him  to 
the  combat,  shouting  "  Come  on,  Mosely,  come  on  I  You  seek 
Indians,  you  want  Indians;  here's  Indians  enough  for  you!" 
Although  eight  or  ten  to  one,  the  gallant  captain  at  once 
rushed  on.  Keeping  his  men  in  a  compact  body,  he  charged 
back  and  forth  through  the  swarming  legions,  cutting  f'own  all 
within  range  of  his  fire,  and  fought  them  in  this  manner  four 
or  five  hours,  defying  all  attempts  to  surround  him,  but  with- 
out being  able  to  drive  the  enemy  from  the  ground.  Ex- 
hausted by  his  ett'orts  and  encumbered  by  his  wounded,  Capt. 
Mosely  was  about  to  retire  ffom  the  field,  when,  "just  in  the 
nick  of  time,"  Maj.  Treat,  with  100  Connecticut  men  and 
50  Mohicans,  under  their  young  chief  Attawamhood,  arrived 
.on  the  ground,  and  the  combat  was  soon  ended.  Mosely  lost 
three  killed  and  several  wounded.  The  united  force  marched 
to  Pocomptuck  for  the  night,  carrying  their  wounded  and  leav- 
ing the  dead  as  they  fell.  Mather  says,  "  This  was  a  black  and 
fatal  day,  wherein  there  was  eight  persons  made  widows  and 
si.K-and-twenty  children  made  orphans,  all  in  one  little  plan- 
tation." This  was  the  heavy  news  which  these  worn  soldiers 
brought  to  the  stricken  inhabitants.  The  next  day,  Sunday, 
Treat  and  Mosely  returned  and  buried  the  dead,  "about  CO," 
says  Mather,  "in  one  dreadful  grave;"  "64  in  all,"  says  a 
letter  from  the  Massachusetts  council,  three  days  after  the 
event.      Rev.   John  Russell,  of  Hadley,  fixes  the  nuiiiber  of 


HISTORY  OF   FRANKLIN   COUNTY. 


599 


Tcilled  at  71.  The  following  list,  copied  from  Mr.  Kussell's 
MS.  letter  in  the  State  archives,  contains  the  names  of  all 
that  are  known  to  have  fallen.  I  have  arranged  the  list 
alphabetically,  and  added  the  residence  whenever  able  to  ascer- 
tain it: 


Capt.  TholiKUS  Lothrop,  Beverly. 
Sergt.  Thomas  Smith,  Newhury. 
Sergt  Sammjl  Sti^veus,  Newhui-y. 
Aliixaiider,  Thomae,  Salem. 
Alh'ii,  John,  DeerfifM. 
Alley,  Solumuii,  Lynn. 
Biilch,  Jo.sepli,  Beverly. 
Barnard,  John,  DeerfieUl. 
Bartham,  Philip,  Decrflelil. 
Bayl«v,  Thomas,  New  London. 
Bennet,  John,  Manchester. 
Bnckley,  Thomas.  Salem. 
Bntton,  Daniel,  Haverhill. 
Ciirter,  Joshua,  Deerfield. 
Clarke,  Adam,  Salem. 
Cole,  George,  Lynn. 
Dodge,  Josiah,  Beverly. 
Dny,  Wm.,  Salem. 
Crnmpton,  Samuel,  Salem. 
Farah,  Ephraim,  Salem. 
Farwell,  Benjamin.  Lynn. 
Friende,  Fmneis,  Salem. 
Giilet,  Joseph,  Deerfield. 
Harriman,  John,  Kowley. 
Hinsdale,  BarnaLias,  Deerfield. 
Hinsdale,  John,  Deerfield. 
Hinsdale,  Robert,  Deerfield. 
Hinsdale,  Samuel,  Deerfield. 
Hobbs,  John,  Ipswich. 
Hobbs,  Thomas,  Ipswich. 


Homes,  Robert,  Newbury. 
Hudson,  Samuel,  Marlboro'. 
Kilbourne,  Jacob,  Rowley. 
Kimball,  Caleb,  Ipswich. 
King,  Joseph,  Salem. 
Lambert,  Richard,  Salem. 
Litheate,  John,  Haverhill. 
Slaning,  Thomas,  Ipswich, 
^laishall,  Eliakim,  Boston. 
Blentor-,  ThonULS,  Ipswich. 
Meriick,  John,  Manchester. 
Mudge,  James,  Blalden. 
Osyer,  Abel,  Salem. 
Plundi,  John,  Salem. 
Plimpton,  John,  Deei-field. 
Itoper,  Benjamin,  Dorchester. 
Ropes,  George,  Salem. 
Sawier,  Ezekiel,  Salem. 
Smeade,  William,  Deerfield. 
Stevens,  Samuel,  Ipswich. 
Trask,  Edwanl,  Beverly. 
TuBTts,  James,  Deerfield. 
Waiascott,  Jacob,  Ipswich. 
Weller,  Thoniiis,  Deerfield. 
AV'ellnian,  Stephen,  Lynn. 
Whiteridge,  Samuel,  Ipswich. 
Williams,  Zebediah,  Deerfield. 
Wilson,  Robert,  Salem. 
Woodbury,  Peter,  Beverly  (oD). 


Peter  Barron,  .John  Gates,  and  one  other  of  Mosely's  men 
were  killed,  and  John  Stevens,  of  Newbury,  and  several  others 
wounded.  Of  Lothrop's  company,  Henry  Bodwell,  of  New- 
bury ;  Robert  Dutch,  of  Ipswich  ;  Richard  Uuss,  of  Wej-- 
mouth  ;  John  Tappan,  of  Newbury,  were  wounded.  John 
Stebbins,  of  Muddy  River,  is  the  only  one  of  this  company 
known  to  have  escaped  unharmed. 

While  Treat  and  Mosely  were  rendering  the  Itst  offices  to 
their  dead  comrades  at  Bloody  Brook,  a  body  of  Indians  ap- 
peared here,  threatening  the  small  garrison  of  22  men  with  an 
assault.  The  officer  in  command  made  a  deceptive  show  of 
force,  and  sounded  his  trumpet  as  if  to  call  more  troops. 
Their  spies  having  relaxed  their  vigilance,  the  enemy  were 
ignorant  of  the  condition  of  affairs,  and  so  the  people  were 
saved  from  an  otherwise  certain  destruction.  About  Septem- 
ber 21st  the  troops  had  orders  to  abandon  the  town  and  bring 
off  the  inhabitants.  These  were  scattered  in  the  towns  below, 
and  the  Pocomptuck  valley  was  restored  to  the  wilderne'ss. 

Here  Philip  established  his  headquarters,  and,  sending  out 
small  parties,  harassed  the  towns  below.  Two  men  were  killed 
at  Northampton,  September  28th  ;  Springfield  was  nearly  de- 
stroyed, October  5tb,  and  on  the  19tli  he  beset  Hatfield,  but 
was  beaten  oft'  after  burning  a  few  buildings  and  killing  7  or 
8  men;  October  27th  there  were  7  killed  at  Westtield,  and  3  at 
Northampton  a  day  or  two  after.  With  these  depredations 
the  campaign  for  the  season  closed. 

Early  in  the  winter,  Philip  and  his  immediate  followers, 
with  the  Piicompfacks,  visited  the  Mohicans,  and  intrigued  in 
vnin  with  the  Molinwks  to  engage  in  the  war.  In  the  spring 
tlie  baffied  diplomat  met  the  Nipmucks  at  Squakheag,  and  on 
the  14th  of  March  sent  a  large  force  to  attack  Northampton, 
with  the  expectation  of  finding  it  an  easy  prey. 

Capt.  Turner  at  Peskcompskut. — The  plan  of  the  confederate 
chieftains  was  to  destroy  all  the  English  towns  in  the  valley, 
that  they  might  plant  and  fish  in  safety,  and  their  wives  and 
children  here  find  shelter  while  the  war  was  pushed  at  the 
east.  With  their  partial  success,  only  Pocomptuck  and  Squak- 
heag could  be  so  occupied.  In  these  meadows  large  areas 
were  planted  with  corn  and  beans  ;  a  great  number  of  the 
natives  were  engaged  in  taking  .shad  and  salmon  at  Peskcomp- 


.skut  (Turner's  Falls  )Jfor  the  summer  supply,  and  the  savages 
were  now  rioting  in  plenty  and  fancied  security.  Escaped 
prisoners  revealing  this  sUite  of  ati'airs,  the  English  determined 
to  attack  them  before  the  close  of  the  fishing  season,  when  it 
was  supposed  they  would  scatter  and  begin  their  murderous 
campaign  for  the  summer.  Accordingly,  by  the  decision  of  a 
council  of  war  at  Hadley,  a  force  was  assembled  at  Hatfield 
for  that  purpose,  consisting  of  about  75garrison  soldiers,  under 
Lieut.  Josiah  Fay,  of  Bo.ston,  with  about  80  men  of  the  neigh- 
boring towns,  under  Capt.  Samuel  Holyoke,  of  Springfield, 
Lieut.  John  Lyman,  of  Northampton,  and  Sergts.  John  Dick- 
inson and  Joseph  Kellogg,  of  Hadley,  with  Rev.  Hope  Ather- 
ton  as  chaplain;  the  whole  under  Capt.  William  Turner,  of 
Boston.  This  force,  about  1.50  mounted  men  and  a  few  foot^ 
men,  with  Benjamin  Wait  and  Experience  Hinsdale  as  guides, 
on  the  17th  of  May,  at  dusk,  began  a  memorable  march.  Up 
the  Pocomptuck  path  to  Wequanips;  through  the  woods  to 
Bloody  Brook,  jiassing  in  pitchy  darkness,  with  bated  breath 
and  clinched  musket,  the  grave  of  Capt.  Lothrop  and  bis  men; 
guided  by  Hinsdale  through  the  mire  which  the  blood  of  his 
father  and  their  brothers  had  softened  eight  months  before; 
up  the  narrow  road  down  which  Lathrop  had  marched  to  the 
fatal  snare;  through  the  desolate  street  of  Pocomptuck,  with 
ranks  closed,  that  the  horses  might  not  stumble  into  the  dark 
cellars  of  the  burned  houses,  seen  fitfully  b}'  the  lightning's 
flash;  across  the  North  Meadows,  where  the  heroic  life  of  the 
other  guide  was  soon  to  lie  fitly  rounded  out;  fording  the  Po- 
comptuck just  below  the  mouth  of  Sheldon's  Brook;  up  the 
steep  hill  to  Petty 's  Plain  ;  along  the  Indian  path  under  Shel- 
burne  Mountain  for  two  miles;  thence  easterly  across  Green 
River,  at  the  mouth  of  Ash  Swamp  Brook;  skirting  the  great 
swamp, — the  company  reached  the  vicinity  of  the  falls  before 
the  break  of  daj'.  Dismounting  his  wet  and  tired  men,  CUpt. 
Turner  led  them  across  Fall  River,  over  an  abrupt  ridge,  and 
just  at  dawn  was  ready  to  fall  upon  the  sleeping  camp  at  the 
head  of  the  falls. 

It  had  been  a  night  of  festivity  with  the  Indians.  They 
had  "  made  themselves  merry  with  new  milk  and  roast  beef," 
the  product  of  a  late  raid  on  Hatfield.  A  party  had  been  en- 
gaged on  a  fishing  frolic,  spearing  salmon  in  the  river  by 
torchlight.  Driven  in  by  a  heavy  shower,  they,  with  the 
others,  were  now  in  a  profound  slumber,  with  no  watch  set. 
From  this  stupid  security  they  were  aroused  by  the  roar  of 
Capt.  Turner's  muskets,  many  of  which  were  fired  into  the 
very  wigwams.  The  survivors  rushed  out  crying,  "  Muhnwks! 
Mohawks!"  thinking  their  old  enemy  was  upon  them,  and  fled 
in  a  panic  toward  the  river.  Many  were  cut  down  upon  the 
bank.  Many,  jumping  into  their  canoes,  pushed  oft"  into  the 
swift  water  without  paddles  ;  in  other  canoes  the  paddlers  were 
shot,  so  that  nearly  the  whole  fleet  was  swept  over  the  cataract 
to  sure  destruction.  A  few  of  the  most  stalwart  escaped  by 
swimming  to  the  opposite  bank.  Wenaquahin,  a  Narraijauscft 
chief,  was  of  this  number.  A  slight  defense  only  was  made,  and 
but  one  of  the  assailants  wounded ;  another,  being  n\istaken 
for  an  Indian  as  he  was  coming  out  of  a  wigwam  in  a  dim 
light,  was  shot  by  his  friends.  The  end,  however,  was  not 
yet.  After  burning  the  wigwams,  destroying  two  forges,  and 
throwing  "pigs  of  lead"  into  the  river,  Capt.  Turner  began 
to  collect  his  command  for  a  return. 

Meanwhile,  the  alarm  had  spread  among  the  Indians,  and 
from  over  the  river,  from  an  island  below  the  falls,  from 
camps  up  the  stream,  the  infuriated  hordes  swarmed  in  a  dark 
fringe  on  flanks  and  rear.  A  report  spread  that  Philip,  with 
1000  warriors,  was  coming  from  Squakheag,  and  a  panic 
ensued  among  the  exhausted  men.  The  officers  lost  the 
command,  and  the  retreat  became  a  rout.  Small  parties  sepa- 
rating from  the  main  body  were  cut  off;  Holyoke,  bravely 
defending  the  rear,  narrowly  escaped  the  clutches  of  the  pur- 
suers, his  horse  being  shot  under  him.  Turner  was  less  for- 
tunate:  in  crossing  Green   River  he  was  shot,  and  fell  alive 


600 


HISTORY   OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


into  the  hands  of  the  Indians.  The  flying  troops  were  followed 
across  the  Pocomptuik  and  as  far  as  the  Bars.  The  loss  on 
reatliini^  Hatfield  was  found  to  be  2  men  mortally  wounded 
and  45  missing;  (i  stragglers  subsequently  ranie  in.  The  total 
loss  was  the  commander  and  40  men.  The  interesting  experi- 
ences of  the  chaplain  and  the  boy-hero,  Jonathan  Wells,  two 
of  those  who  came  in  alone,  must  be  looked  for  in  a  more  ex- 
tended work. 

The  following  is  the  list  of  killed  as  far  as  ascertained : 

Capt.  William  Turner,  Boston;  William  Allis,  Jr.,  Hat- 
field; James  Bennct,  Northampton  ;  George  Buckley,  James 
Burton,  John  Church,  Hatfield;  Jabez  Dunkin,  Worcester  ; 
John  Foster,  Joseph  Fowler,  Peter  Gerring,  Samuel  Gillet, 
Hatfield;  Isaac  Harrison,  Hadley ;  Experience  Hinsdale, 
Deerfleld  ;  William  Howard,  John  Langbury,  Northampton; 
Thomas  Lyon,  Fairfield,  Conn.  ;  John  iMiller,  Northampton; 
Samuel  Eainsford,  Th(jmas  Roberts,  Northampton  ;  Nathaniel 
Sutlietf,  Decrfiekl ;  John  Walker,  John  Whitteridge.  Capt. 
Holyoke  and  John  Munn  each  died  "of  a  surfeit  got  at  the 
Falls  fight,"  some  time  after.  " 

No  intelligent  estimate  can  be  made  of  the  number  of  In- 
dians in  this  affair,  and  no  certainty  exists  as  to  the  loss  ;  per- 
haps 300,  including  women  and  children,  is  a  near  estimate. 
Here  Philip  lost  many  of  his  best  warriors,  Wampanoags  and 
Nitrrar/ansctfs,  and  here  the  power  of  the  Pocomjitiickx  was 
broken.  As  a  tribe  they  never  again  appear  in  history.  The 
remnant  found  refuge  with  the  Mohicans  or  in  Canada. 

The  plans  of  Philip  and  the  Nipmuck  sachems,  of  holding 
this  as  a  place  of  refuge  for  non-combatants  and  depot  of  sup- 
plies, having  failed,  after  an  abortive  attack  on  Hadley,  May 
30th,  open  dissensions  arose  among  the  confederates,  and  the 
discordant  mass  made  its  way  in  detached  parties  aimlessly  to 
the  eastward, — the  Nipmacks  to  their  strongholds  about  Wa- 
chuset,  and  Philip,  with  l^uinapin  and  Wcetemo,  who  con- 
tinued faithful,  moving  toward  Plymouth  County.  Hostilities 
in  the  valley  were  at  an  end.  With  the  death  of  Philip, 
August  12,  1676,  and  the  capture  soon  after  of  Anawan,  his 
great  chief,  "Philip's  war"  ended. 

LEADING    MEN   OF   THE   PERMANENT   SETTLEMENT,   1683. 

John  Allen,  brother  of  Edward,  was  born  in  1060.  He 
married,  Feb.  22,  1682,  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  William 
Pritchard,  of  Ipswich.  He  lived  in  the  Street  with  Edward, 
and  with  him  bought  of  Maj.  Pynchon,  in  1689,  62  acres  at 
the  Bars,  on  which  they  settled.  This  property  remained  in 
the  family  until  the  death  of  Asahel,  in  1854.  He  held  the 
office  of  selectman  and  other  places  of  honor.  He  was  killed 
by  Indians  at  his  home.  May  11,  1704.  His  wife  was  captured 
at  the  same  time,  and  killed  soon  after,  according  to  tradition, 
one  or  two  miles  from  the  place.  As  her  death  is  not  recorded 
with  that  of  her  husband,  it  is  probable  her  fate  was  not 
known  until  some  time  after. 

Edward  Allen,  son  of  Edward,  of  Ipswich,  was  born  in 
1663.  He  married,  November,  1683,  Mercy  Painter.  In 
August,  1685,  he  had  a  grant  of  a  home-lot  at  the  south  end 
of  the  street,  but  before  1704  he  had  removed  to  the  Bars. 
He  was  a  selectman  six  years,  town  clerk  nine  years,  clerk  of 
the  market  a  long  time,  and  often  filled  other  places  of  trust. 
He  was  an  ancestor  of  the  Greenfield  branch  of  the  Allen 
family.     He  died  Feb.  10,  1740. 

William  Arms  was  born  in  1654,  and  first  known  as  a  sol- 
dier in  the  Falls  fight,  May  18,  1676.  He  remained  at  Hat- 
field, where  he  married,  Nov.  21,  1677,  Joanna,  daughter  of 
John  Hawks.  He  had  a  large  landed  estate  in  Hatfield,  which 
he  sold  in  1702.  In  1701  he  bought  of  Hannah  Porter  the 
16  cow-commons  and  home-lot  drawn  by  Kev.  John  Allen,  of 
Dedham,  which  he  sold  in  1708  to  John  Sheldon.  This  is  the 
lot  now  owned  by  George  Sheldon.  He  settled  at  the  south 
end  of  the  street,  on  the  lot  granted  to  John  and  Edward 
Allen.     The  property  is  now  owned  by  a  descendant,  Geo.  A. 


Arms,  of  Greenfield.  He  was  a  member  of  the  school  commit- 
tee, a  tithingman,  etc.  While  in  Hatfield  he  was  prosecuted 
for  "driving  his  cart  into  town  half  an  hour  after  sunset  on 
■  Saturday."  "Having  been  hindered  witli  his  cart,  and  aji- 
pearing  concerned,"  he  was  let  ofl"  with  a  reprimand  and 
2s.  (id.  cash.  He  died  Aug.  25,  1731. 
Joseph  Barnard,  son  of  Francis,  of  Hadley,  was  liorn  in 

1641.  He  was  a  surveyor,  tailor,  and  farmer.  He  married, 
in  1675,  Sarah  Strong,  of  Northampton.  He  was  the  first 
town  clerk, — in  1687, — and  held  the  office  until  his  death,  in 
1695.  He  was  mortally  wounded  at  Indian  Bridge,  August 
18th,  by  a  party  of  Indians  in  ambush,  and  died  Sept.  6, 1695. 
He  was  an  ancestor  of  the  Deerfield  Barnards. 

Hannah  Beaman,  sister  of  Joseph  Barnard,  was  born  in 
1046.  She  married,  in  1607,  Dr.  John  Westcarr,  of  Hadley, 
and,  in  1680,  Simon  Beaman.  She  lived  on  the  lot  No.  37, 
drawn  by  Mrs.  Bunker,  and  now  occupied  by  Mrs.  C.  E.  B. 
Allen.  She  was  the  first  known  school-dame,  and,  with  her 
little  flock,  had  a  narrow  escape  when  Castrine  beset  the  town, 
in  1094.  She  and  her  husband  were  taken  captive  in  1704, 
and  carried  to  Canada;  both  returned.  She  died  in  1739, 
a  widow,  leaving  a  hirge  landed  property  to  the  town  for  a 
school  fund.  The  First  Church  holds  a  piece  of  silver-plate 
which  was  her  gift,  and  bears  her  name. 

Daniel  Belding,  son  of  William,  of  Wethersfield  and  Nor- 
walk.  Conn.  He  married,  in  1670,  Elizabeth  Foote,  of  Weth- 
ersfield, and  came  here,  with  his  wife  and  eight  children,  and 
settled  on  lot  No.  9,  drawn  by  Samuel  Hinsdale,  and  known 
as  the  Kalph  Williams  lot.  On  the  6th  of  September,  1696, 
his  place  was  assaulted  by  Indians,  his  wife  and  three  children 
killed  and  two  wounded,  and  himself,  with  two  children,  cap- 
tured and  carried  to  Canada.  He  returned  in  1698,  and  in 
1699  married  Hepzibah,  widow  of  Lieut.  Wells.  She  was 
captured  in  1704,  and  killed  on  the  march  to  Canada.  Mr. 
Belding  again  married,  Sarah,  widow  of  Philip  Mattoon,  and 
died  in  1734. 

John  Catlin,  son  of  John,  of  Wethersfield,  was  born  about 

1642,  and  tnarried.in  1662,  Mary,  daughter  of  Joseph  Bald- 
win. He  was  with  the  colony  which  went  from  Branford, 
Conn.,  to  Newark,  N.  J.,  about  1607,  where  he  was  pnmi- 
inent  in  town  att'airs.  He  returned  about  1683,  and  settled 
here  the  next  year  on  lot  No.  30,  drawn  by  Isaac  Bullard, 
now  the  Chapin  lot.  He  bore  the  title  of  "Mr.,"  and  was 
called  to  many  places  of  trust  and  honor.  In  1704  his  house 
was  burned,  he  and  two  sons  were  killed,  and  four  children 
captured, — two  of  them  killed  on  the  march.  His  grandson, 
John,  born  in  1704,  was  a  noted  partisan  officer  in  the  border 
wars,  serving  through  Father  Basic's  war  and  both  the 
French-and-Indian  wars.  He  died  at  Burk's  Fort,  Ber- 
nardston,  in  1758. 

Thomas  French,  son  of  John,  of  Northampton,  was  bm-n 
in  1651.  He  married,  1683,  Mary,  daughter  of  John  Catlin, 
and  settled  on  lot  No.  31,  drawn  by  Kobert  Hinsdale,  now  the 
Orthodox  parsonage  lot.  He  was  a  blacksmith  ;  his  shop  stood 
in  the  Street,  in  front  of  his  house,  the  remains  of  which  are 
still  to  be  seen.  He  was  town  clerk  eleven  years,  and  treas- 
urer many  years  after.  With  wife  and  six  children  lie  was 
captured  in  1704.  One  child  and  the  mother  were  killed  on 
the  march.  Mr.  French  with  one  son  was  redeemed ;  the  rest 
never  came  back.  In  1709  he  married  Hannah,  widow  of  Be- 
noni  Stebbins,  and  died  in  1733. 

John  Hawks,  brother  of  Eleazer,  was  born  1643.  He  mar- 
ried, 1667,  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Joseph  Baldwin,  of  Hadley. 
He  settled  in  Hadley,  and  was  active  as  a  soldier  in  Philip's 
war;  was  in  the  Falls  fight,  and  one  of  the  twenty-five  who 
crossed  the  Connecticut  to  succor  Hatfield  when  attacked,  May 
30, 1676,  and  wounded  in  the  meadow.  Removed  here,  and  was 
living  in  the  lane  south  of  the  Dickinson  Academy,  Feb.  29, 
1704.  He  had  married  a  second  wife,  Alice,  widow  of  Samuel 
Allis,  in  1090,  and  his  family  consisted  of  wife,  a  daughter. 


Res.of  HENRY  W.WOOD,  Deerfield.Mass 


George  W.  Jones  was  born  in  Deerfield,  Franklin  Co., 
Mass.,  on  the  31st  of  December,  1824.  He  is  a  son  of 
John  N.  Jones,  and  grandson  of  Jehiel  Jones,  Jr.,  who  was 
a  son  of  Jehiel  Jones. 

Jehiel  Jones  was  a  native  of  Colchester,  Conn.,  and  was 
one  of  a  family  of  fifteen  children.  He  married  Lucretia 
Hamilton  in  1765,  and,  with  sis  of  his  brothers,  removed 
to  Shelburne,  Mass.,  about  the  year  1781.  He  served  in 
the  Revolutionary  war,  and  died  on  the  5th  of  January, 
1835,  at  the  advanced  age  of  ninety-four.  His  wife  lived 
to  the  age  of  eighty,  and  died  on  the  7th  ot  May,  1821. 
They  had  a  family  of  eleven  children.  Jehiel,  Jr.,  the 
eldest,  was  born  on  the  8th  of  December,  1765.  The  other 
children  were  Lorhama,  Lovinah,  Lucretia,  Sallie,  Russel, 
Jabez,  Amos,  James,  Israel,  and  Amasa.  James  and  Amasa 
died  in  childhood,  but  the  others  lived  to  a  very  old  age. 

Jehiel,  Jr.,  was  a  very  prominent  man  in  his  day ;  held 
the  office  of  deacon  in  the  church  ;  was  a  thorough  busi- 
ness man,  and  a  leader  in  civil  and  religious  affiiirs.  He 
died  on  the  20th  of  September,  1840.  His  wife  was  Martha 
L.  Wise,  who  died  Sept.  3,  1849,  aged  eighty-three.  To 
them  were  born  nine  children,  viz. :  James,  Cynthia,  Nancy, 
Guerdon,  Cephas,  John  N.,  Lucinda,  Minerva,  and  Martha 
L.,  all  of  whom  lived  to  a  good  old  age. 

John  N.  Jones  was  born  on  the  20th  of  May,  1800,  and 
died  on  the  3d  of  June,  1862.  He  was  married,  on  the 
6th  of  December,  1821,  to  Betsey  Wolcott,  by  whom  he 
had  twelve  children.  Of  this  family  seven  are  now  living. 
The  eldest  is  George  W.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  The 
others  were  Henry  G.,  Edwin  J.,  Elizabeth  A.,  Mary  H., 
Lucy,  Almira,  Emeline  C,  Anna  M.,  Elmira,  Frank,  and 
Charles. 


The  subject  of  this  notice  has  always  resided  in  Deerfield, 
and  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of  that  town. 
He  is  by  occupation  a  farmer,  and  has  been  identified  with 
the  best  agricultural  interests  of  the  town  and  county,  and 
is  a  member  of  the  Franklin  County  and  Franklin  and 
Hampshire  Agricultural  Societies.  His  residence  is  situ- 
ated in  West  Deerfield,  and  is  considered  one  of  the  finest 
in  that  vicinity. 

Mr.  Jones  takes  an  active  interest  in  the  civil  and  edu- 
cational interests  of  the  town  and  county,  and  has  held 
numerous  offices  of  trust.  From  1863  to  1874  he  served 
as  one  of  the  selectmen  of  the  town.  In  1873  he  was 
elected  to  the  Legislature,  and  re-elected  the  following  year. 
He  was  elected  a  member  of  the  general  school  committee 
in  1877,  re-elected  in  1878  for  one  year,  and  in  1879 
for  three  years.  He  has  also  for  a  number  of  years  held 
the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace.  The  duties  of  these 
various  positions  have  been  discharged  with  fidelity  and 
thoroughness.  Under  the  Dickinson  will  he  was  appointed 
trustee  of  the  Free  High-School  of  Deerfield,  and  upon  the 
expiration  of  the  term  was  elected  to  serve  a  second  time 
in  that  capacity. 

Mr.  Jones  was  formerly  a  Republican,  but  his  election 
to  the  Legislature  was  on  the  independent  ticket.  In  the 
autumn  of  1878  he  was  the  candidate  of  the  independent 
party  for  the  State  Senate,  and  was  defeated  by  a  very 
small  majority. 

He  was  married,  on  the  25th  of  December,  1849,  to 
Ellen  B.  Jones. 

Their  children  are  Frank,  who  died  when  three  years 
of  age  ;  Charley  ;  Clarence  ;  Stella  A. ;  Frank  ;  Allen  P. ; 
and  John  G. 


Photo,  by  r<'piiiii8 


in^^L£A^ 


Charles  Jones  was  born  in  DeerfielJ,  Franklin 
Co.,  Mass.,  July  27,  1820.  His  grandfather,  Jehiel 
Jones,  moved  to  West  Deerfield  from  Connecticnt, 
and  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  that  town. 
Israel  Jones,  his  father,  was  born  in  Deerfield,  March 
6, 1791.  He  was  a  carpenter  by  trade,  a  member  of 
the  Baptist  Church  of  West  Deerfield,  and,  as  a  man, 
was  respected  by  all  who  knew  him.  He  married  for 
his  first  wife,  Eleanor,  daughter  of  John  Broderick, 
of  Conway,  by  whom  he  had  six  children,  tlie 
youngest  of  whom  is  the  subject  of  this  notice.  His 
second  marriage  was  to  Cynthia  Atwood,  relict  of 
Silas  Atwood.  By  this  union  he  had  one  child, 
Ellen,  wife  of  G.  W.  Jones,  of  West  Deerfield. 

Charles  Jones  attended  the  common  schools  and 
academy  of  his  native  town  during  a  part  of  each  year 
until  he  was  eighteen  years  of  age.  He  was  early 
thrown  upon  his  own  resources,  and  whatever  success 
he  has  achieved  is  due  to  his  own  unaided  efforts. 

When  eighteen  years  old  he  was  employed  by  the 


month  to  work  on  a  farm,  and  in  this  he  continued 
four  years.  At  the  expiration  of  that  time  he  com- 
menced farming  upon  his  own  account,  renting  land 
and  working  it  on  shares,  and  in  1857  he  jmrchased 
the  farm  upon  which  he  now  resides.  He  has  en- 
larged and  improved  the  original  property;  lias  been 
engaged  in  general  farming  and  stock-raising,  and, 
financially  speaking,  has  been  moderately  successful. 
He  is  a  Democrat  in  politics,  devoted  to  the  princi- 
ples of  his  party,  and  actively  interested  in  its  local 
and  general  movements. 

He  has  been  a  member  of  the  board  of  selectmen 
twelve  years,  and  during  eight  years  of  that  time 
chairman  of  the  same,  the  duties  of  which  ofiice  he 
has  ably  discharged. 

In  connection  with  the  schools,  churches,  and 
other  public  interests  of  the  town,  Mr.  Jones  has 
been  active,  and  has  done  what  he  could  to  advance 
these  interests.  He  was  married,  Dec.  15,  1857,  to 
Margaret,  daughter  of  Robert  Toombs,  of  Deerfield. 


HISTORY  OP  FRANKLIN   COUNTY. 


COl 


Elizabeth,  a  son,  John,  with  his  wife  and  four  children.  Of 
this  family,  John,  Sr.,  only  escaped.  The  rest  were  "smoth- 
ered in  the  cellar"  of  the  burning  house.  In  his  old  age  he 
removed  to  Connecticut  to  live  with  a  married  daughter,  his 
only  surviving  child,  where  he  died  in  1744. 

Eleazer  Hawks,  son  of  John,  of  Hadley,  was  born  in  1G5.5. 
He  married,  1689,  Judith,  daughter  of  William  Smead,  and 
settled  on  lot  No.  18,  drawn  by  John  Farrington,  where  C.  A. 
Stebbins  now  lives.  He  was  under  Turner  in  the  Falls  fight, 
and  with  all  his  family  escaped  harm  in  1704.  He  was  useful 
in  town  affairs  ;  sixteen  years  selectman,  and  a  long  time  clerk 
of  the  market.  He  was  the  ancestor  of  the  Hawks  families  of 
Franklin  Co.     He  died  in  1729. 

David  Hoyt,  son  of  Nicholas,  of  Windsor,  was  born  in  lO-jl. 
He  married,  1673,  Mary,  sister  of  Lieut.  Thomas  Wells  ;  (2d) 
1678,  Sarah  AVilson;  (3d)  1697,  Abigail,  widow  of  Joshua 
Pomeroy,  deacon  and  lieutenant  in  King  William's  war,  and 
often  in  town  office.  He  settled  on  lot  No.  7,  drawn  by  Tim- 
othy Dwight,  now  occupied  by  John  H.  Stebbins.  In  1704  his 
oldest  son  was  killed,  and  the  rest  of  the  family  taken  captive. 
He  was  starved  to  death  before  reaching  Canada,  and  one 
child  was  killed  on  the  march  and  one  remained  in  Canada. 
Mrs.  Hoyt  and  two  children  were  redeemed.  David  was  an- 
cestor of  all  the  Ho3-ts  hereabouts. 

Godfrey  Nims  was  first  known  as  a  lad  at  Northampton. 
He  married,  1G77,  Widow  Mary  Williams  ;  (2d)  1692,  Widow 
Mehitable  Hull ;  the  lot  on  which  he  settled,  covering  No. 
27,  drawn  by  John  Chickering,  and  No.  28,  by  John  Haward, 
is  the  one  now  owned  by  a  descendant,  on  the  corner  of  the 
"  Street"  and  Memorial  Lane.  His  house  was  burned  in 
1693,  when  a  son  of  his  second  wife  perished  in  the  flames. 
He  was  the  fii-st  constable  of  Deerfield,  then  an  office  of  im- 
portance;  was  a  selectman,  and  held  other  offices.  He  was  a 
brave  man,  and  through  his  coolness  Joseph  Barnard  escaped 
the  scalping-knife  when  wounded  at  Indian  Bridge.  His  son 
John  was  taken  captive  in  1703.  In  1704  four  children  were 
killed,  his  house  burned,  and  his  wife  and  two  children  cap- 
tured. Mrs.  Nims  was  killed  on  the  march.  One  child  never 
returned  from  Canada.  He  died  within  a  year  after  this  dis- 
aster. He  was  probably  the  ancestor  of  all  of  the  name  in  the 
country. 

John  Severance,  son  of  John,  of  Boston,  was  born  in  1647. 
Of  Suffield,  Conn.,  1679,  he  came  thence  to  Deerfield  before 
1687,  and  settled  on  lot  No.  30,  drawn  by  Samuel  Hinsdale,  and 
occupied  by  Joshua  Carter,  now  owned  by  William  Sheldon. 

He  married  Mary  .      His  son  Daniel  was  killed  when 

Castrine  made  his  attack,  in  1694.  He  soon  after  removed  to 
Bedford,  N.  Y.,  where  he  was  living  in  1716.  His  father  was 
ancestor  of  all  bearing  the  name  in  the  country. 

John  Sheldon,  son  of  Isaac,  of  Northampton,  was  born  in 
1658.  He  married,  in  1679,  Hannah,  daughter  of  John  Steb- 
bins, fifteen  and  a  half  years  old.  She  was  killed  in  the  Old 
Indian  House,  Feb.  29,  1704.  He  was  married  again,  in  1708, 
to  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Pratt,  of  Hartford,  Conn.  He  settled  on 
lot  No.  12,  drawn  by  John  Pynchon.  On  this  lot  he  set  up, 
about  1698,  the  historic  building  now  known  far  and  wide  as 
the  "  OW  Indian  House."  Active  and  influential  from  the 
first,  he  was  constantly  in  office ;  was  on  the  first  board  of  se- 
lectmen and  assessors,  deacon  at  the  organization  of  the  church, 
and  ensign  in  the  first  military  company,  appointed  1707.  In 
1704  his  wife  and  one  child  were  killed,  and  four  children  car- 
ried into  captivity.  To  recover  his  children  and  friends  from 
the  enemy,  Ensign  Sheldon  made  a  journey  the  next  winter, 
on  snow-shoes,  through  the  trackless  wilderness  to  Canada, 
returning  in  the  spring  with  one  daughter,  a  daughter  of  his 
minister,  and  several  others.  A  second  journey  was  made  in 
the  winter  of  1706.  August  1st  of  this  year  he  arrived  at 
Boston  by  sea  with  forty-four  captives.  Twice  more  he  was 
sent  on  the  same  errand,  the  last  time  accompanied  by  his  son 
John,  in  1714.  Died  in  Hartford,  1734. 
76 


John  Stebbins,  son  of  John,  of  Northampton,  was  born  in 
1047.  He  married,  about  1684,  Dorothy  Alexander.  He  set- 
tled on  lot  No.  3.5,  drawn  by  Samuel  Hinsdale,  now  occupied 
bj'  David  Sheldon.  In  1704  his  entire  family  was  captured. 
Only  himself,  his  wife,  and  son  John  were  redeemed.  The 
other  five  children  never  came  back.  The  three  sons  were 
alive  in  Canada  in  1723  ;  the  two  daughters  had  families  then. 
His  son,  John,  who  returned  from  captivity,  was  the  ancestor 
of  all  the  Deerfield  tribe  of  Stebbinses.  Mr.  Stebbins  died  in 
1724,  providing  by  will  for  his  son,  John,  and  grandson,  Aaron 
Denio,  with  bequests  to  the  other  children,  provided  they 
return  to  the  English  colonies.  Aaron  Denio,  ancestor  of  all 
of  the  name  in  New  England,  was  a  son  of  his  daughter 
Abigail,  who  married  James  Denio  here  twenty-six  days 
before  the  attack. 

Jonathan  Wells,  son  of  Thomas,  of  Hadley,  was  born  in 
1059.  He  married,  in  1682,  Hepzibah  Colton,  of  Springfield, 
and  again,  in  1698,  Sarah,  widow  of  Joseph  Barnard.  Set- 
tled on  lot  No.  10,  drawn  by  Peter  Woodward ;  now  owned 
by  Josiah  Fogg  and  Mrs.  Higginson.  At  the  age  of  sixteen 
he  was  a  soldier  under  Capt.  Turner,  and  the  boy-hero  of  the 
Falls  fight,  where  he  was  wounded  and  left  behind.  Two 
days  and  nights  of  solitary  wandering  brought  him  home  in 
a  pitiable  condition.  In  1704  his  house  was  fortified  and  suc- 
cessfully defended.  He  had  succeeded  to  his  brother  as  lieu- 
tenant, and  had  command  of  the  garrison  at  this  time,  and 
the  fatal  pursuit  in  the  meadows  was  in  defiance  of  his  orders. 
He  was  a  prominent  figure  in  military  and  civil  aflTairs  for 
more  than  fifty  years.  He  was  the  first  justice  of  the  peace, 
and  in  his  later  years  was  known  as  "Justice  Wells,"  a 
title  higher  than  that  of  captain.  He  was  representative  in 
1092-98.  He  died  1737.  No  representatives  of  this  family 
have  been  here  for  nearly  a  century. 

Thomas  Wells,  brother  of  Jonathan,  was  born  in  16.52.  He 
married,  in  1073,  Hepzibah  Buel,  of  Windsor,  Conn.  As 
lieutenant  he  commanded  the  first  military  company  organized 
here;  his  commission,  signed  by  Andross  in  1688,  is  in  the 
archives  of  the  Pocomptuck  Valley  Memorial  Association. 
He  settled  on  lot  No.  2,  drawn  by  Eleazer  Luther,  and  now 
owned  by  Jonathan  Ashley,  where  a  terrible  tragedy  was 
enacted  June  0,  1094,  his  widow  and  three  children  being 
tomahawked  by  a  party  of  Indians.  His  son,  John,  was  with 
Ensign  Sheldon  on  his  first  journey  to  Canada,  and  was  killed 
while  on  a  scout  up  the  river  in  1709.  Lieut.  Wells  died  in 
1691.  His  son,  Thomas,  a  captain  and  ranger  in  Easle's  war, 
died  in  1750,  the  last  male  descendant. 

PERMANENT   SETTLEMENT. 

Upon  the  return  of  peace  the  scattered  inhabitants  began 
to  look  with  longing  eyes  toward  Pocomptuck,  and  some  of  the 
most  adventurous  returned  and  began  to  rebuild  their  ruined 
homes.  On  the  17th  of  September,  1677,  as  Sergt.  John 
Plympton,  Quintus  Stockwell,  Benoni  Stebbins,  John  Root, 
and  Samuel  Russell  were  so  engaged,  they  were  surprised  by 
a  party  of  Pocomptuck  and  Nipmuck  Indians  under  Asphelon, 
who  fired  upon  them  and  then  rushed  up  with  knife  and  toma- 
hawk. Root  was  killed  and  the  others  captured.  Earlier  in 
the  day  this  same  party  had  made  a  destructive  assault  upon 
Hatfield,  where  they  killed  12,  wounded  4,  and  took  captive 
17  of  its  inhabitants  (all  but  one  of  the  latter  women  and 
children).  The  Pocomptuck  captives  were  soon  joined  with 
these,  when  the  whole  party  began  the  fearful  march  to  Canada, 
the  first  party  of  whites  ever  carried  there  from  New  England. 
It  was  near  dark  when  they  moved,  and  toward  morning  they 
camped  in  a  deep  hollow  near  the  mouth  of  Hearthstone 
Brook.  The  next  morning  the  party  crossed  the  Connecticut 
at  Sheldon's  Rocks,  and  again  at  Peskcompskut,  reaching 
Northfield  Meadows  the  next  night.  Here  they  intended 
stopping  to  hunt,  but,  a  party  of  English  going  in  pursuit, 
thcv  crossed  the  river  and  scattered.     Benoni  Stebbins  made 


602 


HISTORY  OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


his  escape  soon  after.  Upon  reaching  Canada,  Scrgt.  Plymp- 
ton  was  tortured  to  death  hy  fire  at  a  celehration  of  their  suc- 
cess. The  rest  of  the  captives,  save  two  who  sank  on  the 
march,  were  redeemed  through  the  heroic  valor  of  Benjamin 
Wait  and  Stephen  Jennings.  A  full  account  of  their  adven- 
turous journey  may  be  looked  for  in  another  part  of  this 
work. 

This  attempt  of  Stockwell  and  others  to  re-settle  Pocomptuck 
was  not  an  unconsidered  ali'air,  but  fully  in  accord  with  public 
sentiment  and  the  policy  of  the  government.  In  October, 
T677,  the  General  Court  issued  an  order  that  the  inhabitants 
of  Pocomptuck  should  repair  to  that  place  and  prepare  to  settle 
in  the  spring,  and  build  in  a  compact  manner ;  that  stuff 
should  be  got  out,  ready  to  put  up  a  fortification  as  soon  as 
spring  opened,  and  a  garrison  of  20  soldiers  be  posted  there, 
who  are  to  help  the  inhabitants  in  this  work.  A  committee 
was  appointed  to  arrange  the  business,  and  make  due  compen- 
sation to  any  whose  land  is  occupied  in  carrying  out  the  order : 
"Maj.  John  Pynchon,  Lieut.  John  Mosely,  Ens.  Samuel 
Loomis,  Lieut.  William  Clarke,  Mr.  Peter  Tylton,  and  Lieut. 
William  Allis,  or  any  three  of  them,  Maj.  Pynchon  being 
one,"  were  empowered  to  act  in  the  matter.  Nothing  appears 
to  have  been  done  under  this  order.  Probably  the  committee 
did  not  consider  it  prudent.  Oct.  5,  1678,  "the  .small  rem- 
nant that  is  left"  of  Pocomptuck's  "poor  inhabitants"  made 
a  piteous  appeal  to  the  General  Court  for  help,  representing 
that  nearly  half  of  the  best  land  in  the  centre  of  the  town 
belonged  to  those  who  are  "never  likely  to  come  to  a  settle- 
ment among"  them,  "neither  are  like  to  put  such  tenants 
upon  it  as  shall  be  likely  to  advance  the  good  of  the  place, 
in  civil  or  sacred  respects;"  that  they  are  anxious  to  settle 
at  once,  but  it  cannot  be  done  to  advantage  if  these  "  proprie- 
tors may  not  be  begged,  or  will  not  be  bought  (on  very  easy 
terms),  out  of  their  rights."  A  prominent  reason  given  for 
"haste  is  that  "our  reverend  and  esteemed  minister,  Mr. 
Mather,  hath  been  invited  from  us,  and  great  danger  there  is 
from  losing  him,"  but  "  have  had  it  from"  him  "  that  if  the 
place  were  free  from  that  incumberment,  he  could  find  a  suf- 
ficient number  of  men,  pious  and  discreet,  that  would  enter 
into  the  plantation  with  him,  and  so  build  up  a  church  in  the 
place."  They  "  count  it  as  rich  a  tract  of  land  as  any  upon 
the  river,  and  judge  it  sufficient  to  entertain  and  maintain  as 
great  number  of  inhabitants  as  most  of  the  upland  towns." 
The  court  refer  them  to  "  the  proprietors  for  the  attaining  of 
their  interest  in  the  lands."  An  appeal  was  made  to  the  pro- 
prietors, and  individuals  among  them  gave  up  every  tenth 
acre  into  a  common  stock.  The  settlement,  however,  was  still 
delayed.  In  the  spring  of  1680,  Mr.  Mather  being  about  to 
leave  them,  the  inhabitants  made  an  appeal  to  the  County 
Court.  That  body,  under  a  law  passed  the  year  previous, 
appointed  a  new  committee  for  this  plantation.  This  commit- 
tee made  grants  to  encourage  new  settlers,  but  little  else  was 
accomplished,  and  Mr.  Mather  left  them  for  Branford,  Conn. 
In  1681  the  power  of  this  committee  was  confirmed  by  the 
General  Court.  It  was  made  up  of  Lieut.  William  Clarke, 
Peter  Tilton,  Lieut.  Philip  Smith,  Medad  Pumry,  and  John 
Allis. 

In  1682,  Richard  Weller  and  others  made  petition  again  to 
the  General  Court,  respecting  the  land  of  non-residents.  In 
reply  the  court  answer,  "  they  may  not  give  away  other  pro- 
prietjes  without  their  consent,"  and  advise  giving  up  every 
tenth  acre  as  a  good  way  to  further  the  settlement.  "  And  as 
for  the  orphants,"  the  county  court  was  authorized  to  appoint 
guardians  for  such  as  are  too  young  to  choose,  and  said  guar- 
dians are  authorized  to  act  in  the  premises  for  the  best  inter- 
ests of  the  "  orphants." 

For  a  year  or  two  land  was  freely  granted  to  new-comers  by 
the  committee.  The  exact  date  of  re-occupation  is  unknown, — 
probably  in  the  winter  and  spring  of  1683-84.  For  some  two 
years  the  prudential  affairs  of  the  colony  were  managed  by 


the  committee,  and  for  a  short  time  there  was  a  mixed  au- 
thority. 

Dec.  17,  1686,  a  town  organization  was  effected  by  the 
choice  of  William  Smcad,  Joshua  Pumry,  John  Sheldon, 
Benoni  Stcbbins,  Benjamin  Hastings,  and  Thomas  French, 
Selectmen;  Edward  Allen,  Thomas  Broughton,  and  Thomas 
Allison,  Surveyors;  Philip  Mattoon,  Jonathan  Church,  and 
Robert  Alexander,  Haywards.  Jonathan  Wells  and  the 
selectmen  were  made  commissioners  of  rates.  Joseph  Bar- 
nurd  doubtless  acted  as  clerk. 

About  the  middle  of  June,  1086,  the  inhabitants  had  invited 
Mr.  John  Williams  to  be  their  minister,  offering  him  land  and 
to  build  him  a  house  (see  notice  of  Mr.  Williams,  farther  on). 
At  the  December  meeting  more  land  was  granted  Mr.  Wil- 
liams. Jan.  5,  1686-87,  all  these  grants  were  ratified  by  the 
committee,  on  condition  Mr.  Williams  settle  here  in  the  min- 
istry. The  last  act  of  the  committee  was  Dec.  20,  1687,  con- 
firming the  appointment  of  Joseph  Barnard  as  "clerk  and 
recorder."  So  the  leading-strings  were  loosed  and  the  town 
left  to  its  own  devices.  After  preaching  about  twenty-eight 
months,  Mr.  Williams  was  ordained  and  a  church  gathered 
Oct.  17,  1688. 

Down  to  this  time  the  new  settlement  had  prospered  greatly. 
The  planters  had  turned  their  furrows  and  sowed  their  seed 
in  peace.  The  labors  of  the  husbandmen  received  rich  re- 
turns. Their  flocks  and  herds  had  increased  in  safety.  The 
streams  were  stocked  with  choice  fish,  the  forest  abounded  in 
game,  and  no  fear  of  lurking  foes  prevented  full  enjoyment 
of  both.  The  plantation  seemed  grounded  on  a  basis  of  en- 
dui'ing  prosperity.  No  formal  treaty  of  peace  had  been  made 
with  the  river  Indians,  but  friendly  relations  had  gradually 
grown  up  between  their  hunters  and  our  people,  and  it  was  no 
occasion  of  surprise  or  fear  when,  on  the  night  of  July  26, 
1688,  a  party  of  fifteen  came  to  lodge  at  the  house  of  Lieut. 
Thomas  Wells.  It  turned  out  that  part  of  these  were  spies  ; 
those  who  were  friendly  warned  Lieut.  Wells  against  their 
treachery.     Probably  this  notice  saved  the  town  from  attack. 

Three  weeks  later,  these,  with  others,  fell  upon  Northfield 
and  killed  six  people.  This  raid  was  instigated  by  De  Non- 
ville.  Governor  of  Canada,  who  offered  a  bounty  for  every 
scalp,  and  this  after  the  treaty  of  peace  between  France 
and  England,  made  December,  1687,  was  known  in  Canada. 
These  facts  had  been  revealed  by  the  friendly  Indians,  and  the 
alarm  here  was  serious  and  general.  The  woods  were  filled 
with  scouts,  but  no  Indians  were  discovered.  Deerfield  was 
the  frontier  town,  with  little  provision  for  defense.  The 
policy  of  Gov.  Andross  increased  the  distress,  for  it  almost 
invited  invasion.  From  this  source  of  unquiet,  however, 
relief  was  at  hand.  News  that  William  of  Orange  had  landed 
in  England  was  received  at  Boston,  April  12,  1689,  and  on  the 
18th  Andross  was  imprisoned  by  the  people,  and  a  council  of 
safety,  assuming  the  government  of  the  colony,  issued  a  call 
for  representatives  to  meet  at  Boston  on  the  22d  of  May. 

There  is  no  record  of  a  town-meeting,  but  John  Sheldon, 
Benjamin  Hastings,  Benoni  Stebbins,  and  Thomas  French — a 
majority  of  the  selectmen — took  the  responsibility,  appointed 
Lieut.  Thomas  Wells,  and  sent  him,  with  credentials  over 
their  own  hands,  to  join  the  revolutionary  party.  This  was 
a  bold  step.  No  news  had  been  received  of  the  success  of  Wil- 
liam and  of  the  flight  of  James  to  France,  and  this  act  was 
treason,  and  they  subject  to  the  penalty  of  treason  in  case  of 
a  failure  of  the  revolution, — a  penalty  sure  to  fall  upon  Lieut. 
Wells,  for  he  held  his  commission  from  Andross  himself. 
Capt.  John  Bull,  so  well  known  in  Connecticut  history,  was 
here  with  his  company  at  the  same  time,  and  joined  in  the  re- 
volt. June  26th,  the  military  was  reorganized,  the  old  ofli- 
cers  being  chosen  anew.  The  town  was  free  from  Indian 
raids  this  year,  but  watching  and  warding  were  constant,  and 
all  labor  in  the  fields  was  carried  on  under  apprehension  of 
immediate  danger. 


HISTORY   OF   FRANKLIN   COUNTY. 


C()3 


Schenectady  was  burned  by  the  enemy  in  Febniai-}',  1690- 
91.  On  the  '26th,  the  news  having  reached  here,  a  town- 
meeting  was  held,  and  a  vote  passed  to  fortify  Meeting-house 
Hill  by  stockading,  to  be  finished  in  ten  daj's !  To  carry  out 
this  order,  202  rods  of  trench  three  or  four  feet  deep  was  to 
be  dug  in  the  frozen  ground,  4000  or  5000  sticks  of  timber  to 
be  cut,  hauled,  hewed  on  two  sides,  and  set  together  in  the 
trench,  and  the  whole  available  force  not  over  50  men.  This 
year,  Lieut.  Wells  died, — "  a  sad  frown  of  God  in  this  junc- 
ture of  aflairs," — and  his  brother  Jonathan  succeeded  him  in 
otflce.  In  December 'great  excitement  was  created  by  the 
arrival  of  150  Indians,  with  passes  from  the  mayor  of  Albany, 
who  located  on  the  plateau  east  of  Josiah  A.  Allen's  ;  the 
men  engaged  in  hunting,  the  women  and  children  remaining 
in  camp.  Some  were  thought  to  be  old  enemies,  and  trouble 
was  anticipated.  A  minute  company  was  organized,  under 
Capt.  Jona.  Wells,  Lieut.  David  Hoyt,  and  Ens.  John  Shel- 
don. Scouts  were  kept  constantly  out,  and  a  message  of  inquiry 
was  sent  to  Albany.  A  company  of  soldiers  from  the  towns 
below  marched  up,  to  make  a  show  of  strength.  Col.  Pyn- 
chon  issued  a  proclamation,  fi.xing  rules  for  their  guidance, 
warning  them  to  leave  in  the  spring.  No  serious  difficulty 
occurred.  At  one  time  "  nine  or  ten  of  them  were  insolent 
toward  a  lad  of  Deerfield,  and  took  some  of  his  father's  corn  and 
puniking  without  leave."  Early  in  the  spring  a  messenger 
from  Albany  came  to  call  them  home,  bringing  news  tliat 
a  large  army  of  French  and  Indians  were  on  the  march, 
and  would  fall  upon  this  town  about  the  middle  of  May, 
1692.  Capt.  Whiting,  with  50  men  from  Connecticut,  came 
up  about  the  1st  of  February,  and  assisted  in  putting  the 
fortification  in  good  condition,  and  the  people  were  deter- 
mined to  defend  it.  Further  news  carae  that  the  French 
army  of  400  men  miglit  be  expected  Sunday,  May  lOtli.  The 
inhabitants  all  gathered  within  the  stockade;  the  soldiers 
were  ready  for  instant  action.  The  invading  army,  however, 
came  to  surprise  rather  than  fight.  One  of  their  vanguard 
having  been  taken  by  a  party  of  scouts,  and  a  surprise  here 
being  impossible,  the  commander,  turning  toward  the  east, 
succeeded  in  surprising  Wells,  Me.,  on  the  10th  of  June. 

The  spring  of  1692  found  the  people  suffering  from  the  want 
of  the  necessaries  of  life.  For  obvious  reasons,  their  crops  had 
been  growing  less  and  less,  and  in  1692  the  corn  crop — their 
chief  reliance — had  been  cut  ofl' by  worms,  while  consumption 
had  been  largely  increased  b\-  garrison-soldiers  and  scouting- 
parties.  Feb.  8,  1093,  the  General  Court  was  asked  to  furnish 
them  ammunition  and  abate  their  taxes  for  1692,  and  until  "  we 
recover  ourselves  from  the  low  estate  we  are  now  in."  In  re- 
sponse, the  court  directed  the  fortifications  to  be  put  in  repair 
and  ammunition  furnished  at  the  expense  of  the  province. 

Another  descent  from  Canada  was  expected,  and  on  the  8th 
of  March,  1693,  Connecticut  held  loOmen  in  readiness  to  march 
here  on  notice.  It  does  not  appear  that  they  came.  In  May 
of  this  year  a  party  of  Hudson  River  Indians  were  encamped 
at  Carter's  Land,  for  the  purpose  of  bartering  the  furs  col- 
lected in  their  winter's  hunt  for  such  supplies  as  the  white 
settlers  could  furnish.  Capt.  Wells  became  suspicious  that 
mischief  was  brewing  there,  and  employed  Cotasnoh  to  find 
out  what  was  going  on.  He  failed  to  discover  anything,  and 
no  precautions  were  taken.  On  the  night  of  June  6tli  a 
party  of  Indians,  probably  from  this  camp,  made  an  attack 
upon  the  families  of  Thomas  Broughton  and  Widow  Hepzibah 
Wells,  who  lived  where  Messrs.  Amidon  and  Ashley  now 
live,  at  the  north  end  of  the  street.  They  had  no  design  to 
take  prisoners ;  were  only  bent  on  wanton  murder.  One 
Holmes,  who  was  in  the  chamber  at  Broughton's,  heard  "the 
people  plead  for  their  lives :  the  man  pleaded  that  if  his  own 
life  might  not  be  spared,  his  children's  might ;  but  they  an- 
.swered  in  Indian,  'We  don't  care  for  the  children,  and  will 
kill  you  all.'  "  Accordingly,  Broughton,  his  wife,  and  three 
children  were  tomahawked  and  scalped.     Widow  Wells  had 


gone  to  watch  with  a  sick  child  near  by,  leaving  four  children 
at  home, — Mary,  Sarah,  Daniel,  and  Hepzibah, — and  Nathan- 
iel Kellogg,  who  slept  in  the  chamber  with  Daniel.  The  girls 
were  all  tomahawked  and  scalped ;  Kellogg,  jumping  from  the 
window,  escaped.  Daniel,  a  boy  of  ten  years,  slept  soundly 
through  the  whole  horrid  affair  in  the  chamber.  When  the 
alarm  reached  Mrs.  Wells,  the  heroic,  true  mother,  without 
waiting  one  moment  for  aid,  ran  to  the  rescue  of  her  children. 
She  was  too  late  for  assistance,  but  not  too  late  to  share  their 
fate.  Mary  lived  a  day  or  two.  Mrs.  Wells  and  Hepzibah, 
after  years  of  suflering,  finally  recovered.  Young  Hepzibah, 
then  seven  years  old,  married,  about  1717,  John  Dickinson, 
and  was  grandmother  of  "  Uncle  Sid." 

The  next  morning  after  this  assault  two  Indians  were  ar- 
rested at  Carter's  Land,  and  confronted  with  the  mangled 
victims.  Mary  Wells  recognized  one,  and  Broughton,  who 
was  still  living,  the  other.  The  chief,  Ashpelon,  defended 
them,  insisting  that  the  wounded  persons  were  not  in  a  condi- 
tion to  testify.  The  prisoners  were  sent  to  Springfield  and 
confined.  There  was  great  commotion  among  both  whites 
and  Indians  about  Albany  when  the  news  of  these  events 
reached  them.  Gov.  Fletcher  went  up  from  New  York. 
Messengers  were  sent  here  and  to  Boston,  and  much  corre- 
spondence was  had  between  the  governors  of  Massachusetts 
and  New  York.  The  question  of  the  arrest  was  debated  at 
the  grand  council  of  the  Mohawks,  under  whose  protection 
the  prisoners  lived.  A  Dutchman  recognized  the  war-clubs 
found  with  the  murdered  people  as  belonging  to  Canada  In- 
dians. Meanwhile,  the  Indians  escaped  from  prison  and  fied, 
the  controversy  thus  coming  to  an  end,  and  the  feared  rupture 
with  the  Mohawks  was  averted.  The  truth  appears  to  he  that 
Canada  Indians  were  the  murderers,  and  that  some  young 
Indian  bloods  from  Carter's  Land  came  over  to  witness  the 
exploit. 

July  27th,  Brookfield  was  attacked,  and,  on  the  alarm  reach- 
ing here,  Capt.  Wells  with  30  men  made  an  extended  scout 
through  the  eastern  and  northern  woods,  but  failed  to  en- 
counter the  marauders.  There  was  no  safety  outside  the 
stockade,  but  the  crops  must  be  looked  after,  or  starvation 
stared  them  in  the  face;  so  the  settlers  ventured,  at  the  peril 
of  their  lives.  While  thus  employed  at  Wapping  on  the  13th 
of  October,  Martin  Smith  was  captured  and  taken  to  Canada 
Mr.  Williams,  as  it  afterward  appeared,  had  a  narrow  escape 
at  Broughton's  Hill  the  day  before. 

November  6,  1693,  the  town  again  petitioned  the  General 
Court  for  aid,  without  which  they  say  they  "  must  of  necessity 
forsake  their  habitations  and  draw  oft'  to  some  neighboring 
towns."  They  were  relieved  of  taxation,  £40  allowed  toward 
fortification,  and  a  company  of  soldiers  stationed  here  for 
the  winter.  The  spring  and  summer  of  1694  passed  without 
molestation  from  the  enemy.  During  this  period  the  allied 
enemy  had  been  engaged  on  a  successful  foray  to  the  eastward. 
On  their  return,  flushed  with  victory  and  loaded  with  spoil,  an 
expedition  was  suddenly  determined  upon  against  this  town. 
No  notice  of  this  movement  reached  this  frontier.  Eluding  the 
scouts  that  were  ranging  the  woods,  Castrine,  the  commander, 
reached  the  vicinity  of  the  town  undiscovered  September  loth. 
Coming  down  from  the  East  Mountain  to  make  his  attack  at 
the  north  gate,  he  was  discovered  at  the  rear  of  William 
Sheldon's  home-lot  by  Daniel  Severance,  who  was  shot,  and 
the  alarm  given.  Mrs.  Hannah  Beaman,  the  school-dame, 
from  the  lot  next  north  of  Sheldon's,  at  once  started  with  her 
flock  for  the  fort.  It  was  a  race  for  life  or  death, — the  school 
in  the  road,  the  Indians  up  the  swamp  to  intercept  them.  All 
escaped,  but  the  bullets  of  the  pursuers  whistled  about  their 
ears  as  they  crossed  the  causeway  in  front  of  the  present  Grange 
Hall. 

Meanwhile,  within  the  palisades  all  was  activity,  but  not 
confusion.  Capt.  Wells  had  been  for  years  training  the  people 
for  just  such  an  emergency.     Each  yeoman  snatched  his  loaded 


C04 


HISTORY   OF  THE   CONNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


nuiskot  from  its  hooks  on  'he  summer-tree,  his  powder-horn 
iind  bullet-pouch  from  the  mantel-tree,  and  in  an  instant  was 
ready  to  meet  the  invader.  Castrine  had  led  his  army  three 
hundred  miles  through  the  wilderness  to  surprise  this  little 
plantation,  butcher  its  inhabitants,  and  carry  their  scalps  in 
triumph  to  Canada.  Failing  of  a  surprise,  he  was  bravely 
met  and  driven  ignominiously  back  into  the  northern  forest. 
Our  loss  was  John  Beaman  and  Richard  Lyman,  wounded.  It 
was  a  narrow  escape. 

No  large  parties  were  sent  against  New  England  in  lti9.5. 
Small  bands,  however,  lurked  about  the  frontiers,  waylaying 
roads  and  fields.  As  Jo.seph  Barnard,  Godfrey  Nims,  Philip 
Mattoon,  Henry  White,  and  one  other  were  going  on  horse- 
back to  mill,  August  18th,  they  fell  into  an  ambush  at  Indian 
Bridge.  Eight  guns  were  fired  at  them, — Joseph  Barnard  shot 
oft'  his  horse,  and  one  man  thrown  by  his  horse  starting.  One 
called,  as  if  more  were  behind,  which  kept  the  Indians  in  check 
while  Barnard  was  mounted,  and  all  turned  for  home.  A 
second  volley  was  fired  at  this  moment,  and  Barnard's  horse 
killed.  Once  more  Barnard  was  mounted,  with  one  to  hold  him 
on,  and  the  party  started  for  the  garrison.  One  of  the  Indians 
ran  out,  and,  picking  up  Barnard's  gun,  fired,  and  its  owner 
was  again  struck.  All  reached  the  fortification,  where  Bar- 
nard died,  September'  6th.  A  force  at  once  turned  out  in 
pursuit.  Tracks  were  followed  eight  or  nine  miles  up  the 
Pocomptuck  River,  but  the  enemy  were  not  discovered.  They 
were  very  skillful  in  hiding  in  swamps  and  thickets.  Their 
canoes  were  found  and  broken.  At  this  time  the  garrison  was 
but  24  men.  Lieut.  Hollister  came  up  from  Connecticut  with 
38  men  for  three  weeks.  He  left  12  men  to  remain  until  the 
Indian  corn  was  harvested.  The  woods  were  full  of  Indians 
watching  a  chance  for  booty,  and  a  large  part  of  the  garrison 
was  constantly  under  arms.  Indians  appeared  on  the  west 
side  of  the  Pocomptuck,  as  if  to  draw  our  people  into  an 
ambush.  This  was  repeated,  but  Capt.  Wells  suspected  that 
the  tactics  of  the  enemy  were  to  weaken  the  garrison  by  draw- 
ing out  the  soldiers,  then  fall  upon  it  from  another  direction, 
and  take  it. 

About  this  time  a  Maqua  reported  that  an  army  of  GOO 
French  and  Indians  were  on  the  march  to  assault  Albany,  and 
were  to  take  Deerfield  in  the  way.  On  the  25th  of  September, 
Capt.  Clapp,  of  Northampton,  came  up  with  his  company  for 
a  few  days,  and  shortly  after  the  garrison  was  increased  to  .52 
men.     This  activity  and  vigilance  saved  the  town. 

Sept.  16,  1696. — A  small  party  surprised  John  Smead  and 
John  Gillet  upon  Green  Kiver,  and  captured  the  latter;  push- 
ing on  to  the  town,  they  found  most  of  the  inhabitants  collected 
in  the  fort  attending  a  lecture.  Daniel  Belding,  having  just 
come  in  with  his  team,  was  belated,  and  his  family  were  wait- 
ing for  him.  The  Indians  fell  upon  this  party,  and  in  less 
than  fifteen  minutes  they  had  taken  Belding  and  two  children, 
killed  his  wife  and  three  children,  and  wounded  two  others. 
All  this  was  within  gunshot  of  the  palisades,  and  one  Indian 
was  wounded  before  he  got  oft'.  A  return  shot  wounded  Zebe- 
diah  Williams  as  he  was  rushing  out  of  the  gate.  The  assail- 
ants were  pursued,  but  nothing  eft'ected.  The  Beldings  re- 
turned by  the  way  of  Albany  in  June,  1698;  Gillet  by  the 
way  of  France  and  England  a  short  time  before. 

June  12,  1698. — Notice  was  received  of  a  party  on  the  route 
to  this  place.  Not  finding  the  desired  opportunity,  they  passed 
on  to  Hatfield,  where,  on  the  15th  of  July,  they  killed  two  and 
captured  two  more.  Notice  of  this  reaching  this  town,  a 
party  of  fourteen  started  and  made  a  night  march  to  what  is 
now  Vernon,  Vt.,  where,  just  at  dawn,  the  party  of  Indians 
was  discovered  coming  up  the  river  in  canoes.  Several  Indians 
were  shot,  the  two  prisoners  rescued,  but  Nathaniel  Pumeroy 
of  our  town  was  killed.  "  Pomeroy's  Island''  marks  the  place 
of  his  death.     He  was  the  last  man  killed  in  that  war. 

The  close  of  King  William's  war  left  the  inhabitants  in  an 
impoverished  and  destitute  condition.     Their  cultivated  fields 


had  been  neglected  and  were  overgrown,  the  fences  broken 
down,  their  cattle  and  sheep  reduced  in  numbers,  their  pro- 
visions exhausted  by  quartering  soldiers  and  fitting  out  scouts. 
Domestic  industry  had  fared  little  better  ;  were  the  settlers  able 
to  raise  flax  and  wool,  the  overburdened  women,  crowded  into 
the  few  houses  within  the  stockades,  could  neither  card,  spin, 
nor  weave  to  any  advantage.  Their  clothing  was  nearly  worn 
out,  and  their  children  almost  naked.  The  taxes  were  un|)aid, 
the  minister's  salary  largely  in  arrears.  With  a  nominal 
peace  no  one  felt  safe  from  Indian  incursions;  "for,"  writes 
Gov.  Stoughton,  "these  barberous  salvages  are  not  to  be  trusted 
on  their  most  solemn  protestations  of  fidelity  ;"  and  the  mili- 
tary service  was  still  burdensome.  Mr.  Williams,  with  seven 
children,  the  oldest  but  ten,  must  have  shared  all  the  hardships 
of  his  people,  and  conjecture  is  at  a  loss  as  to  how  he  lived  and 
attended  his  official  duties;  still,  on  the  2d  of  March,  1702, 
before  the  death  of  William  III.  could  be  known  and  Queen 
Anne's  war  anticipated,  he  gave  up  several  years'  salary,  and 
caused  an  acquittance  to  be  recorded  on  the  town  book,  "to 
prevent  any  future  trouble;"  "although,"  he  says,  "they 
never  asked  it  of  me." 

CJUEKN   ANNK's    war. 

At  the  opening  of  this  war  the  town  was  in  a  low  condition, 
still  destitute  of  clothing,  deeply  in  debt,  the  palisades  de- 
cayed and  falling  down,  having  been  constructed  of  poor 
material,  doubtless,  in  the  haste  of  erection.  June  22,  1702, 
the  town  voted  "to  right  up"  the  fort, — every  man  his  pro- 
portion as  last  laid  out  to  him, — to  be  done  by  Wednesday 
night,  under  a  penalty  of  'is.  per  rod,  and  Is.  per  rod  for  each 
day's  delay.  June  29th  a  petition  was  sent  to  the  General 
Court,  setting  forth  the  condition  of  the  defenses,  the  presence 
of  an  unusual  number  of  Indians,  and  their  fears  of  some  evil 
design.  In  response.  Col.  Pynchon  was  directed  to  send  his 
lieutenant-colonel  to  Deerfield  to  stay  and  see  that  the  fortifi- 
cations were  put  in  order,  and  "cover  them  with  a  scout  of 
ten  men  while  about  the  work." 

The  most  memorable  event  in  the  history  of  our  town  was 
the  attack  by  French  and  Indians,  Feb.  24,  1703-4.  The..4Aen- 
akis  of  Maine  had  complained  to  the  French  governor  of 
English  aggression,  and  asked  redress.  The  fidelity  of  this 
tribe  had  been  doubtful,  and  De  Vaudreuil  at  once  organized 
an  expedition  of  200  men  to  this  valley.  When  the  place 
was  taken  it  was  given  over  to  the  Indians  for  fire  and 
slaughter,  without  let  or  hindrance.  So  the  Abenakis  were 
revenged,  and  their  friendship  secured  to  the  French  interests. 

The  pali-sades  at  this  time  inclosed  about  15  acres  on  Meet- 
ing-house Hill,  the  north  line  being  at  the  brick  meeting- 
house, the  south  at  the  Wilson  place.  The  population  was 
about  250,  with  20  garrison  soldiers  quartered  among  the  fam- 
ilies. The  snow,  which  lay  three  feet  deep,  was  drifted  against 
the  stockades  and  covered  with  a  hard  crust. 

Hertell  de  Bouville,  the  commander  of  the  French  forces, 
arrived  at  Petty's  Plain  at  night  on  the  28th  of  February, 
where  his  men  deposited  their  packs  and  made  ready  for  the 
attack.  An  hour  before  day  the  next  morning,  Tuesday,  the 
29th,  the  whole  army  stole  silently  across  the  meadows,  and 
on  the  drifted  snow  over  the  stockades,  and  scattered  among 
the  houses.  When  they  were  discovered  by  the  watch,  he  dis- 
charged his  musket  and  cried,  "Arm!  arm!"  This  was  the  sig- 
nal for  the  assault.  Doors  and  windows  were  broken  down  ; 
men,  women,  and  children  dragged  from  their  beds,  murdered 
in  cold  blood,  or  bound  as  captives.  The  main  body  of  the 
French  stood  to  their  arms,  firing  upon  the  houses  and  killing 
all  who  resisted,  shooting  the  cattle  and  sheep,  while  detached 
parties  were  securing  "provisions,  drink,  and  clcathing," 
which  were  packed  up  and  carried  to  their  rendezvous,  others 
collecting  and  guarding  the  prisoners  and  leading  them  to  the 
same  place.  After  overrunning  the  fort,  the  picketed  house 
of  Capt.  Wells,  who  lived  on  the  Fogg  lot,  was  fiercely  as- 


HISTORY  OF   FRANKLIN    COUNTY. 


G05 


saulted,  but  successfully  defended ;  and  little  progress  was 
made  at  the  south  end  of  the  street  by  the  enemy.  The  house 
of  Ens.  John  Sheldon,  more  strongly  built  than  most,  re- 
sisted the  first  onset.  With  their  hatchets  the  assailants 
soon  cut  a  hole  through  the  front  door.  Firing  at  random 
through  this,  Mrs.  Sheldon  was  killed.  Entrance  was  finally 
effected  at  the  back  door,  which  a  frightened  lad  left  unfast- 
ened. Into  this  house  the  captives  were  temporarily  col- 
lected. It  was  here  that  the  wife  of  John  Catlin  performed 
an  act  of  Christian  charity  which  secured  her  release.  A 
French  officer,  severely  wounded,  was  brought  in  and  laid 
upon  the  floor  in  their  midst ;  in  great  distress,  he  called  for 
water.  Mrs.  Catlin  tenderly  supplied  his  wants.  When  re- 
monstrated with  by  her  friends,  she  repeated,  "  '  If  thine  enemy 
hunger  feed  him  ;  if  he  thirst  give  him  water  to  drink.' 
This  house,  which  stood  until  1848,  was  known  far  and  wide 
as  the  Old  Indian  House. 


It  was  now  nearly  eight  o'clock,  and  those  not  engaged  in 
caring  for  the  prisoners,  and  securing  or  wasting  the  contents 
of  the  houses,  had  maintained  a  determined  resolution  to  cap- 
ture the  Stebbins  house,  and  hotly  continued  the  assault.  At 
this  time,  however,  they  were  suddenly  attacked  by  a  party 
from  the  towns  below,  led  on  by  Sergt.  Benjamin  Wait.  The 
enemy  were  soon  driven  from  the  fort,  setting  fire  to  the 
Sheldon  house  as  they  left  it.  This  was  soon  extinguished. 
Thomas  Seldeu  and  Joseph  IngersoU  were  killed  in  this  affair. 
The  siege  being  raised,  the  brave  garrison,  with  men  from 
Capt.  Wells,  joining  their  rescuers,  to  the  number  of  .57  men 
in  all,  at  once  pursued  the  retreating  enemy  across  the  mea- 
dows. Here,  their  small  numbers  being  seen,  De  Rouville 
halted  his  front  and  formed  an  ambuscade.  Into  this  the  ex- 
cited and  exasperated  men,  led  on  by  Sergt.  Wait,  fell,  in  spite 
of  a  command  to  retreat  by  the  cautious  Capt.  Wells.  In 
this  trap  and  on  the  retreat  nine  men  were  lost.     The  enemy 


ILD     I>"DI.V.N     IIoL.sK.    1:111,1     UV     E-N>It,X     .JUH.N 


The  stout  old  door,  hacked  and  scarred  by  the  blows  of  the 
savages,  is  carefullj'  preserved  by  the  Pocomptuck  Valley 
^Memorial  Association  as  a  precious  relic  of  that  awful  night. 

The  house  of  Benoni  Stebbins,  about  eight  rods  southwest 
from  Sheldon's,  was  occupied  by  seven  men,  with  some  women 
and  children.  They  had  a  moment's  notice,  and  the  first  at- 
tack was  repelled,  they  killing  several  of  the  enemy  and 
wounding  the  French  officer  before  spoken  of.  Having  failed 
in  the  surprise,  the  house  was  surrounded,  and  bullets  showered 
upon  it  like  hail.  The  walls  were  lined  with  brick,  and  so  pro- 
tected the  inmates.  In  an  attempt  to  set  the  house  on  fire 
three  or  four  Indians  were  killed.  As  the  light  of  day  in- 
creased the  keen  marksmen,  from  the  loop-holes,  singled  out 
and  shot  down  the  besiegers  until  they  took  shelter  in  the  Old 
Indian  House,  the  meeting-house,  and  the  house  of  Mr.  Wil- 
liams. From  this  shelter  the  attack  was  renewed.  Mr.  Steb- 
bins was  killed,  and  one  man  and  one  woman  wounded ;  but 
the  brave  survivors  had  no  thought  of  accepting  terms  of  capit- 
ulation, which  were  repeatedly  tendered  them.  The  women 
were  busy  in  casting  the  bullets  with  which  the  men  plied  the 
enemy. 

The  touching  account  given  by  Mr.  Williams  in  the  "  Re- 
deemed Captive"  of  the  capture  and  sufferings  of  his  family, 
so  often  published,  need  not  be  repeated,  and  nothing  can  be 
added  to  it. 


DOOR    OF    THK    OLD    IXDLVX    HOUSE, 


in  turn  pursued  the  English  until  tliey  wei-e  within  the  stock- 
ades, and  then  withdrew  to  Petty's  Plain.  The  Stebbins  house, 
which  had  been  so  nobly  defended  for  nearly  four  hours,  took 
fire  while  the  men  were  engaged  in  the  me;\dows  and  was 
burned,  the  women  and  children  having  left  it  and  gone  to 
W'ells'  fort.  The  loss  of  the  enemy  was  three  Frenchmen 
and  about  thirty  savages.  De  Rouville  retreated  the  first 
night,  by  the  Indian  path,  to  the  upper  part  of  Greenfield 
Meadows.  The  next  morning  Mrs.  Williams  was  murdered 
near  the  foot  of  Leyden  Glen,  and  fresh  horrors  accompanied 
each  day's  doleful  march. 

By  midnight,  February  29th,  80  men  had  collected  in  the 
town;  a  pursuit  and  night-surprise  of  the  enemy  were  con- 
sidered, but,  partly  from  want  of  snow-shoes, — for  it  had  begun 
to  thaw, — and  partly  from  fear  of  endangering  the  captives,  it 
was  not  attempted.  By  two  o'clock,  March  1st,  some  250 
soldiers  were  on  the  ground.  Then  the  question  of  a  pursuit 
was  again  taken  up,  but  the  same  reasons  which  before  pre- 
vailed prevented  its  adoption.  March  2d  the  dead,  with  the 
exception  of  Mrs.  Williams,  were  buried  in  one  common 
grave  in  the  burying-ground  at  the  foot  of  Hitchcock  Lane, 
— .54  in  all. 

The  captives  numbered  112;  of  these,  2  escaped  the  same 
day,  about  8  were  murdered  before  leaving  the  valley,  and 
about  12  more  jierished  before  Canada  was  reached. 


006 


HISTOllY   OP  THE   CONNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


The  following  is  ii  list  of  tliosti  who  lost,  their  lives  at  tlie 
attack  or  on  the  march  to  Canada : 

David  Aloxauiler,  Mary  Alexander,  Samuel  AUis,  Hepzibali  Belding,  Robert 
Boltwood,  Samuel  Boltwuod,  Mary  Brooks,  Hauiiah  Carter,  Mary  Carter,  Thom.ia 
Cai-ter,  John  Catlin,  Jonathan  CatUn,  Joseph  Catlin,  Eiizahetli  Corse,  Sarah 
Held,  Mary  Trary,  Samson  Frary,  Samuel  Foot,  John  Freneh,  Mary  French, 
Mary  French,  Jr.,  Alice  Hawks,  Elizabeth  Hawks,  John  Hawks,  John  Hawks, 
Jr.,  Martha  Hawks,  Thankful  Hawks,  Samuel  Hinsdale,  Jacob  Hip,  AWgail 
HoyI,  David  Huyt,  David  Hoyt,  Jr.,  Benoni  Hui-st,  Joseph  IngeraoU,  Jonathan 
Ingrain,  Jonathan  Kellogg,  Pliilip  Mattoon,  Rebecca  Mattoon  (their  infant 
child),  Henry  Nims,  Mary  Nims,  Mehitable  Nims,  Mehitable  Nims,  Jr.,  Mercy 
Nims,  Esther  Pomeroy,  Sanih  Price,  Mary  Koot,  Thomas  Selden,  Hannah  Shel- 
don, Mercy  Sheldon,  Elizabeth  Snicad,  Mary  Sniead,  Sarah  Smead,  William 
Smead,  Martin  Smith,  Benoni  Stebbins,  Andrew  Stevens  (an  Indian),  Benjamin 
Wait.  Nathaniel  \Vai-ner,  Waitstill  Warner,  Mary  Wells,  Eunice  Williams, 
Jernsha  Williams,  John  Williams,  Frank  (a  negro),  Parthena  (bis  wife),  ser- 
vants of  Mr.  Williams. 

Wounded.— John  Bridgman,  Ben,iannn  Church,  .Samuel  Church,  Mary  Iloyt. 


Mr.  Sheldon  returned  in  May,  having  obtained  five  cap- 
tives. Jan.  25,  1706,  with  two  attendants  and  two  French 
prisoners  of  war,  he  again  started  on  foot  for  Canada.  Having 
collected  what  captives  he  could,  on  the  30th  of  May  he  em- 
barked at  Quebec,  and  landed  in  Boston,  August  1st,  with 
40-odd  of  these  exiles,  among  them  Deacon  Thomas  French. 
The  brigaiitine  "Hope"  was  at  once  despatched  for  the  rest 
that  had  been  secvired,  which  returned  November  1st  with 
Mr.  Williams  and  55  others. 

Many  still  remaining  in  captivity.  Governor  Dudley  recom- 
mended the  council  "  having  a  Person  Letjei-  at  Quebec,"  and 
that  "  Mr.  John  Sheldon,  with  a  suitable  retinue,  be  em- 
ployed on  that  service."  This  was  agreed  to,  and  in  April, 
1707,  a  third  journey  by  land  was  made  to  Canada.  With  an 
e.scort  of  six  French  soldiers  and  seven  more  captives,  he  re- 


Of  the  captives  the  following  are  known  to  have  married 
and  had  families  in  Canada:  John  Carter,  Mary  Carter,  Mary 
Harris,  French;  Joan  Kellogg,  Thankful  Stebbins,  Eliza- 
beth Stevens,  Eunice  Williams.  Fifty-eight  were  ultimately 
redeemed,  and  came  back  to  their  old  homes.  Their  redemp- 
tion was  largely  effected  by  Ensign  John  Sheldon,  who  made 
four  journeys  to  that  end.  The  first  was  in  December,  1704, 
by  the  way  of  Albany  and  .Lake  Champlain,  on  snow-shoes, 
with  provision  at  back,  with  John  Wells  for  a  companion  and 
Capt.  Livingstone,  of  Albany,  for  a  guide.  A  letter  which  he 
wrote  at  Quebec,  April  1,  1705,  to  a  daughter  in  captivity,  is 
given  above. 


turned  in  August,  by  canoes,  up  Lake  Champlain  to  Albany. 
Of  his  fourth  expedition  very  little  is  known.* 

After  the  .sacking  of  the  town,  February  29th,  the  remain- 
ing inhabitants  were  ready  to  desert  the  place,  but  Col.  Par- 
tridge iinpressed  the  men  for  soldiers,  and  ordered  them  to 
remain  in  Wells'  fort.  They  received  soldiers'  pay  until,  July, 
1705,  arrangements  were  made  that  two-fifths  of  the  time  they 
could  attend  to  their  husbandry.  Little  could  be  done,  for 
the  enemy  were  lurking  constantly  in  the  woods  watching  for 

*  The  number  of  captives  redeemed  and  returned,  as  stated  by  Mr.  Sheldon, 
probably  included  many  others  in  addition  to  those  taken  on  this  occnsiou. — 

[Editor.] 


HISTORY  OF    FRANKLIN    COUNTY. 


607 


prey.  May  14,  1704,  John  Allen  was  killed  at  the  Bars ;  his 
wife  was  captured  and  killed  soon  after.  A  short  time  after, 
Sergt.  John  Hawks  was  wounded.  Thomas  Eussell,  a  soldier, 
was  killed  while  on  a  scout.  July  19th  the  enemy  were  pur- 
sued and  fired  upon  by  Ens.  Sheldon,  hut  all  got  off. 

While  the  men  were  in  garrison  Kev.  Benj.  Choate  was  sent 
as  chaplain,  and  he  remained  here  until  Mr.  Williams  re- 
turned ;  and  the  General  Court  continued  for  years  to  give 
je40  a  year  toward  the  support  of  Mr.  Williams.  In  1707, 
"  the  people  being  in  a  broken  condition,  most  of  them  having 
houses  to  build  upon  the  former  ruins,"  £30  was  allowed  to- 
ward the  fortifications,  to  be  applied  for  the  benefit  of  the 
poor  "  and  such  as  are  returned  from  captivity." 

During  the  continuation  of  this  war,  drafts  were  constantly 
being  made  upon  the  people  for  the  militarj'  service.  John 
Sheldon,  Jr.,  was  constable  of  the  town,  and  among  his  papers 
are  found  orders  from  Col.  Partridge  which  give  a  good  idea 
of  frontier  life  at  that  time.  Some  of  these  orders  were  :  June 
21,  1706,  to  "impress  such  and  so  many  Deerfield  men  as  are 
well  acqtiainted  with  the  woods  up  the  river  to  pilate  the 
scouts."  July  11th,  to  "impress  three  men,  with  six  pounds  of 
pork  apiece  for  their  present  scouting."  July  20th,  to  "impress 
one  good  able  horse,  bridle,  and  saddle."  August  27th,  to 
"  impress  two  squa  lines  for  two  Frenchmen  going  to  Can- 
ada." September  25th,  "  pork  and  other  provisions,  also  men 
and  horses,  so  much  as  Capt.  Stoddard  shall  require."  Jan. 
10,  1707,  "two  good  buckskins,"  ".shoes  or  moquisons."  In 
all  these  things  he  was  to  "  fayle  not  at  your  Utmost  Per- 
rill." 

In  one  of  these  scouts  up  the  river  Martin  Kellogg  was 
captured,  August,  1708,  and  taken  a  second  time  to  Canada, 
having  been  taken  1704  and  escaped  in  170.5.  October  26th, 
Ebenezer  Field  was  killed  near  Bloody  Brook.  April  11, 
1709,  Mehuman  Hinsdale  was  carried  to  Canada,  from  whence 
he  had  returned  in  1706.  He  now  came  back  again  by  the 
way  of  France  and  England,  in  1712.  In  May,  1709,  Lieut. 
John  Wells  and  John  Burt  were  killed  while  on  a  scout  on 
Lake  Champlain.  June  12th,  Joseph  Clesson  and  John  Arms 
fell  i  nto  an  ambush  near  the  town  and  were  taken.  John  Arms 
came  back  on  parole,  in  1710,  and  two  French  prisoners  were 
sent  back  in  exchange.  Clesson  returned  with  Mr.  Hinsdale. 
June  13th,  Jonathan  Williams  and  Matthew  Clesson  were 
fatally  shot,  and  Isaac  Mattoon  and  Thomas  Taylor  wounded. 
Items  like  these,  better  than  any  narrative,  show  the  condi- 
tion of  Deerfield  people  until  the  close  of  this  war,  in  1713,  by 
the  treaty  of  Utrecht. 

FATHKR   RASLE's   WAR. 

After  a  respite  of  nine  years,  during  which  the  town  had  in 
a  considerable  degree  revived  from  its  low  estate,  war  was  de- 
clared between  France  and  England  in  1722.  Our  situation, 
however,  was  much  improved,  and  we  were  a  less  isolated 
people.  Northfield  and  Sunderland  had  been  settled.  In  the 
winter  of  1 723-24  a  stockaded  fort  was  built  on  the  Connecticut 
Kiver,  about  thirty  miles  northward,  called  Fort  Dummer. 
With  all  this  added  security,  the  town  suffered  great  hard- 
ship and  much  loss.  Our  people  took  an  active  and  prominent 
part  in  the  war.  In  1722,  Capt.  Samuel  Barnard  took  the 
field,  with  Joseph  Kellogg  as  lieutenant,  and  Joseph  Clesson 
as  sergeant.  The  names  of  92  men  are  on  his  rolls  for  1722 
and  1723.  During  the  time  of  their  service  no  enemy  was 
seen  in  this  region.  In  the  winter  of  1723-24  the  garrison 
was  reduced  to  10  men.  These  were  constantly  on  duty, 
watching  and  warding.  February  18th,  10  more  men  were 
added.  April  6th,  news  came  that  Grey-Lock  had  left  his  fort 
and  was  tampering  with  the  Skaffkooks.  These  Indians  were 
intimately  acquainted  with  this  part  of  the  country  and  the 
situation  of  the  inhabitants.  Considerable  alarm  was  felt, 
and  the  garrison  increased.  It  was  expected  the  establish- 
ment of  Fort   Dummer,   from  which   ranging-parties  scoured 


the  woods  to  the  north  and  west,  would  give  security  to  the 
settlements  below.  These  expectations  were  not  realized. 
June  27,  1724,  Ebenezer  Sheldon,  Thomas  Colton,  and  Jere- 
miah English  were  killed  near  Kocky  Mountain,  in  Green- 
field. Soon  after.  Col.  Stoddard  writes,  "  several  houses  were 
rifled  in  Deerfield  village."  July  10th,  Lieut.  Timothy  Childs 
and  Samuel  Allen  were  wounded  by  the  lurking  foe  near 
Pine  Hill.  After  this  it  was  not  considered  safe  for  men  to 
go  on  the  meadows  to  work  in  less  numbers  than  30  or  40 
together,  and  well  armed. 

In  July,  Capt.  Goodrich,  with  75  men,  and  Capt.  Walter 
Butler,  with  30  English  and  42  Indians,  came  up  from  Con- 
necticut to  the  rescue.  With  this  force  the  woods  were  soon 
clear  of  the  enemy.  The  Indians  were  Moliegans  and  Pequots. 
The  latter,  the  people  thought,  "  could  not  compare"  with  the 
former  in  activity  and  woodcraft.  The  Mohegans  were  well 
pleased  in  turn,  and  promised  to  come  up  again.  Maj.  Ben 
Uncas  was  now  sachem  of  this  tribe,  and  cherished  the  friend- 
ship which  his  illustrious  father  had  formed  with  the  whites 
eighty  years  before. 

Lieut.  Kellogg  became  a  captain  in  1724,  with  headquarters 
at  Northfi^ld.  When  the  Connecticut  troops  went  home,  his 
lieutenant,  Timoth}'  Childs,  was  stationed  at  Greenfield  with 
part  of  his  company,  and  with  the  garrison  of  Sunderland 
also  under  his  charge. 

The  last  week  of  March,  1725,  Capt.  Thomas  Wells,  with  a 
party  of  20  men,  left  here  for  a  scout  up  the  river  toward  the 
Canada  frontiers.  He  was  gone  about  a  month,  but  no  jour- 
nal of  his  march  has  been  found.  On  the  return,  a  canoe  with 
6  men  was  overset  on  the  river  at  the  "French  King,"  and 
Simeon  Pomroy,  Thomas  Alexander,  and  Noah  Allen  were 
drowned.  "There  are  8  men  at  Deerfield,  several  of  whom 
are  men  of  estate,  and  have  been  prisoner  with  the  Indians, 
and  know  their  waj's,"  writes  Col.  Stoddard,  February  3d, 
"  who  are  ready  to  go  out."  They  were  doubtless  of  Wells' 
party.  About  September  9th,  "  Capt.  -Wells,  being  in  his 
great  pasture,  heard  a  crackling  of  sticks,  and  saw  the  bushes 
move  within  eight  rods  of  him,  and,  being  apprehensive  of  the 
enemy,  he  ran  home  and  took  sundrj'  men  to  the  place,  where 
they  found  the  tracks  of  two  Indians,  which  they  followed 
across  two  fields  of  corn."  These  were  supposed  by  Justice 
Wells  to  be  "spying  out  our  circumstances."  The  garrison 
not  being  strong  enough  to  send  out- a  large  scout,  Capt. 
Benjamin  Wright,  of  Northfield,  the  noted  ranger,  came 
down  with  his  company  to  search  the  woods.  None  of  the 
enemy  were  found. 

August  2oth,  as  Samuel  Field,  Samuel  Childs,  Joseph  Sev- 
erance, Joshua  Wells,  and  Thomas  Bardwell  were  going  up 
to  Green  River  farms,  they  were  fired  upon  from  an  ambus- 
cade while  on  the  spot  where  the  Greenfield  depot  stands  ;  no 
one  was  hurt  except  Childs,  who  was  slightly  wounded.  This 
was  the  last  irruption  of  the  enemy  during  the  war.  Peace 
was  proclaimed  Sept.  17,  1725. 

The  following  Deerfield  men  are  known  to  have  served  in 
this  war : 

Capt.  Samuel  Bainard,  Capt.  Timothy  Childs,  Capt.  Thomas  Wells,  Sergt. 
■Toseph  Clesson,  John  Allen,  Joseph  Allen,  Samuel  Allen,  Joseph  Ather- 
ton,  John  Beaman,  Daniel  Belding,  John  Brooks,  Nathaniel  Bmoks,  John 
Catiin,  John  Combs,  James  Coree,  Samuel  Dickinson,  Aaron  Denio,  Edwin 
Fogg,  Nathaniel  Hawks,  Michael  Mitchel,  Daniel  Severance,  Asahel 
Stebbins,  George  Swan,  Joshua  Wells. 

With  release  from  harassing  military  service,  our  hardy 
yeomanry  returned  to  the  tillage  of  their  farms.  To  men 
accustomed  to  the  hardships  of  scouting,  bearing  heavy  bur- 
dens for  weeks,  and  hundreds  of  miles  through  the  forests, 
often  in  mid-winter  and  on  snow-shoes,  it  was  mere  pastime 
to  handle  the  axe,  the  hoe,  the  scythe,  and  sickle.  Agricul- 
ture prospered  under  their  willing  and  industrious  hands,  and 
plenty  once  more  smiled  in  the  land.  The  common  land  was 
laid  out  in  several  divisions,  and  settler^  began  to  scatter. 


608 


HISTORY  OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


In  1727  a  settlement  was  made  of  the  lands  now  Greenfield 
Meadows,  and  the  town  voted  to  build  a  bridge  at  Cheapside. 
In  173G  the  east  part  of  Greenfield  and  Gill  was  lotted  out  to 
the  proprietors.  Eight  acres  were  allowed  to  each  cow-com- 
mon, but  no  one  could  locate  more  than  ten  commons  in  one 
body.  Lots  were  cast  for  choice,  and  each  man  had  one  day 
in  which  to  locate  his  "  pitch,"  to  be  laid  out  by  a  committee. 
The  law  of  irregularity  was  strictly  followed  in  this  matter, 
and  the  selected  lots  left  remnants  of  every  possible  variety 
of  size  and  shape, — a  success  in  this  direction  never  before 
achieved.  The  "gerrymander"  of  later  years  was  a  feeble 
failure  of  an  attempt  at  imitation. 

Aug.  25,  173.5,  Gov.  Belcher,  with  a  committee  of  the  coun- 
cil and  house,  met  here  several  tribes  of  Indians,  and  held  a 
conference  for  a  week,  arranging  and  reviewing  treaties  of 
peace.  Col.  Ontawsovgoe  was  spokesman  for  the  Cac/na- 
wagas.  The  Houaatanics  doubtless  had  one  of  the  Kelloggs 
for  interpreter.  At  the  close  of  the  conferences,  on  Sunday 
the  31st,  John  vSergeant  was  ordained  as  missionary  to  the 
Stockbridge  Indians,  under  the  patronage  of  the  "  Society 
for  the  Propagation  of  the  Gospel  in  Foreign  Parts,"  Gov. 
Belcher  being  the  chairman  of  the  commissioners  of  the 
society  in  New  England.  Dr.  Appleton,  of  Cambridge, 
preached  the  sermon,  the  charge  being  given  by  Stephen 
Williams,  of  Longmeadow. 

In  1736,  Ashfield  was  granted  to  Capt.  Samuel  Hunt  and 
others.  The  line  between  "  Huntstown"  and  Deerfleld  soon 
became  a  subject  of  controversy.  May  25,  1737,  Thomas 
Wells  was  chosen  a  committee  to  get  a  plat  of  the  town,  as 
granted  in  1712,  laid  before  the  General  Court  and  confirmed. 
This  was  done,  but  the  question  of  the  actual  boundar^y  was 
not  settled  for  many  years.  In  a  memorial  to  the  General 
Court,  in  1742,  the  Ashfield  agent  says  they  are  clearing  lands 
on  the  easterly  bounds  to  set  the  meeting-house,  so  as  to  be 
near  the  neighboring  towns,  and  the  people  of  Deerfield,  by 
way  of  banter,  tell  ua  to  clear  away  as  fast  as  we  can,  and  that 
they  shall  soon  come  and  take  possession,  "  whereby  many  are 
discouraged  and  drawing  off."  He  also  complains  that  the 
Deerfield  people  would  not  show  them  their  west  line  when 
they  came  to  lay  out  their  grant,  hoping  we  should  "leave 
a  gore  which  they  could  swallow  up." 

In  1738  a  plan  was  agitated  for  building  a  new  court-house 
at  Northampton  for  the  benefit  of  the  northern  towns  of  Old 
Hampshire.  One-half  of  the  cost  was  to  be  paid  b}'  the  county, 
the  rest  by  the  eight  towns  most  accommodated.  Deerfield  op- 
posed the  measure,  and  it  was  given  up. 

OLD    FRENCH    WAR. 

March  15,  1744,  France  declared  war  against  England,  and 
the  colonies  in  America  became  once  more  the  theatre  of  a 
bloody  struggle.  Deerfield  had  increased  in  size  and  impor- 
tance, and  became  the  centre  of  military  operations  on  the  north 
and  west  frontiers,  and  was  comparatively  safe  from  hostile  in- 
cursions. Besides  Fort  Dummer  at  the  north  were  Forts  Hins- 
dale, in  Hinsdale;  Pelham,  at  Kowe;  Shirley,  in  Heath;  with 
the  stockaded  houses  of  Sheldon,  in  Bernardston,  Morrissey's 
and  South  Fort,  in  Coleraine.  These  defenses,  constantly  con- 
nected by  scouting-parties,  formed  a  barrier  difficult  to  pene- 
trate undiscovered.  At  first  Fort  Dummer  was  deserted.  Being 
cut  ott' from  Massachusetts  by  the  new  line  in  1741,  Gov.  Bel- 
cher could  not  well  hold  military  possession  of  New  Hampshire 
territory,  and  the  latter  State  refused  to  furnish  a  garrison. 
A  statement  by  Gov.  Shirley  was  laid  before  the  king  and 
council,  Sept.  6,  1744.  At  this  meeting  New  Hampshire  was 
ordered  to  protect  the  settlements  on  Connecticut  Kiver,  or 
hand  the  territory  over  to  Massachusetts.  Before  this  question 
was  settled  there  was  much  alarm  here,  and  active  measures 
were  taken  to  repel  assault. 

May  15,  1744,  the  town  voted  to  build  "  mounts  '  at  four 
houses, — Mr.   Ashley's,  Capt.  Thomas    Wells',  Capt.  Elijah 


Williams',  and  one  at  the  south  end  ;  John  Arms'  was  finally 
selected.  Also  one  at  Green  River,  and  two  at  Wapping. 
Samuel  Allen  and  the  other  inhabitants  at  the  Bars  were  al- 
lowed a  rebate  of  their  proportion  of  the  cost  of  these  works 
if  "they  would  build  mounts  and  fortify  themselves."  This 
they  did  not  do,  but  sought  the  defenses  in  the  town  for  safety. 
In  June  of  this  year  Indians  were  discovered  lurking  about 
the  town,  but  no  damage  was  done.  November  23d  the  town 
petitions  the  General  Court  for  a  guard  "to  defend  us  from 
the  enemy,  who  may  reasonably  be  expected  before  spring, 
we  being  so  near  Crown  Point."  It  also  asked  reimbursement 
for  expenses  in  fortifying. 

Feb.  5,  1745,  the  military  committee  were  directed  to  inclose 
the  houses  where  mounts  had  been  built,  with  boards  ;  and  in 
March,  not  to  "line  the  forts"  until  further  orders.  Green 
River  was  considered  more  exposed,  and  March  18th  the  com- 
mittee for  building  the  mounts  there  were  instructed  "  to  line 
the  fort  on  the  east  side,  and  so  far  on  the  north  side  of  it  as 
til  the  house  will  defend  it,  and  so  at  each  side  of  the  south 
gate,  and  also  at  each  side  of  the  well."  April  10th,  "  voted 
to  give  Mr.  Ashley  liberty  to  use  what  timber  can  be  found 
among  his  wood  that  will  answer  the  end  for  fortifying,  &c., 
and  pickiting  his  fort." 

After  a  brave  defense  by  Sergt.  John  Hawks,  Fort  Massa- 
chusetts fell  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy,  Aug.  20,  1746. 
About  fifty  of  the  assailants  at  once  came  over  the  mountain 
and  down  the  Pocomptuok  in  search  of  scalps  and  plunder. 
On  Sunday,  the  24th,  they  arrived  in  this  vicinity;  and  recon- 
noitred to  lay  an  ambush.  Seeing  some  new-mown  hay  in 
Stebbins'  meadow,  they  rightly  judged  the  haymakers  would 
come  to  take  care  of  it  the  next  day,  so  placed  themselves  in 
the  woods  near  by.  As  they  were  stealing  down  the  hill,  in- 
tending to  get  between  their  victims  and  their  arms,  surround 
and  capture  the  whole  party,  they  met  Eleazer  Hawks,  who 
was  out  hunting  with  his  gun.  Supposing  they  were  discov- 
ered and  about  to  be  attacked,  they  shot  him,  and  the  alarm 
was  given.  Quickly  discovering  their  mistake,  the  Indians 
rushed  out  after  the  flying  settlers.  Simeon  Amsden  was  the 
first  victim.  Adonijah  Gillet  and  John  Sadler  made  a  stand 
under  the  river-bank  near  the  mill.  Gillet  fell,  and  Sadler  es- 
caped across  the  stream.  Samuel  Allen,  bidding  his  three 
children  fly  for  life,  turned  upon  the  pursuers,  killed  the  fore- 
most, and  checked  the  rest.  It  was  but  for  a  moment,  how- 
ever, and  the  heroic  father  fell  riddled  with  bullets  and  gashed 
with  knives.  Of  his  children,  Caleb  escaped,  Samuel  was 
taken,  and  Eunice  was  tomahawked  and  left  for  dead.  She 
revived  and  lived  to  old  age,  but  never  fully  recovered.  Oliver 
Amsden  was  overtaken  and  seized.  He  made  a  gallant  de- 
fense, but  was  cut  to  pieces.  The  guns  being  heard  in  town, 
the  guard,  under  Capt.  Hopkins,  the  Minute-Men,  under 
Capt.  Clesson  and  Lieut.  Hoyt,  hurried  to  the  scene  of  blood. 
The  enemy  had  fled  up  the  river.  Capt.  Clesson  followed  their 
trail  toward  Gharlemont,  but  could  not  overtake  them. 

Along  the  cordon  of  forts  the  irruptions  of  the  enemy  had 
been  frequent,  and  the  loss  of  the  English  very  serious.  Fre- 
quent " 'larrums"  reached  the  town,  upon  which  our  men 
marched  to  the  threatened  point.  Lieut.  Jona.  Hoyt  led  a 
party  to  Shattuck's  Fort,  March  31,  1747.  May,  1748,  Sergt. 
John  Hawks  led  a  party  over  to  Hosack.  Capt.  John  Catlin 
had  command  at  Fort  Shirley ;  Capt.  Samuel  Childs,  at  Fort 
Pelham;  Lieut.  Daniel  Severance,  at  Coleraine  ;  Elijah  Wil- 
liams was  captain  of  the  snow-shoe  men,  and  commissary  on 
the  death  of  Col.  Stoddard.  Sergt.  John  Hawks  and  Elisha 
Nims  were  wounded  near  Fort  Massachusetts. 

The  following  were  some  of  the  soldiers  serving  in  this  war  : 

Kdward  Allen,  John  Allen,  Zebediah  Allis,  Daniel  Arms,  Thomaa  Arms,  Ado- 
nijali  Atherttm,  Sluibel  Atherton,  Oliver  Avery,  Gideon  Bardwell,  Juliii 
Barnar^I,  .TosepL  Uaniard,  Samuel  Bernard,  Benj.  Barrett,  John  Be.iman, 
Samuel  Belding,  Josiah  Burnham,  Jona.  Burt,  Reuben  Carry,  Ceazer,  Asa 
Childe,  David  Childs,  Samuel  Childs,  Joseph  Clesson,  Mathew  Clcs.<i>n, 
Charles  Coats,  James  Coi-so,  Aaron  Denio,  Richard  Ellis,  David  Field,  Eze- 


Martin  Haqkr,  father  of 
the  subject  of  this  notice,  was 
born  in  Maiden,  Mass.,  De- 
cember, 1778,  and  died  Sept. 
21,  1855.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  Legislature,  and  also 
selectman  three  years.  He 
was  married,  in  1806,  to  Han- 
nah Fairbanks.  She  was 
born  in  Sudbury,  Mass., 
Nov.  13,  1783,  and  died  in 
October,  1848.  They  were 
blessed  with  a  family  of  six 
children,  of  whom  Charles 
Hager,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  was  the  second. 

He  was  born  in  Wendell, 
Franklin  Co.,  Mass.,  Oct.  9, 
1809.  His  educational  ad- 
vantages were  limited  to 
an  attendance  of  the  com- 
mon school  for  ten  or  twelve 
weeks  during  the  winter. 
When  he  reached  his  ma- 
jority he  took  charge  of  his 
father's  farm  until  1855,  when 
they  removed  to  South  Deer- 
field.     In  1857  he  purchased 


'f^m^ 


the  Felton  farm  where  he 
now  resides.  He  has  since 
added  to  it  one  hundred  acres, 
and  expended  $12,000  in 
improvements.  He  has  en- 
gaged in  dairying,  raising 
tobacco,  corn,  etc.,  and  is  a 
successful  farmer.  Mr.  Ha- 
ger has  been  trustee  of  Smith 
Charities  one  year,  and  also 
selectman  the  same  length  of 
time. 

He  was  married,  June  6, 
1838,  to  Myra  H.  Felton. 
She  was  born  in  New  Salem, 
Mass.,  Oct.  15,  1811.  They 
have  a  family  of  two  daugh- 
ters and  three  sons.-  The 
eldest  daughter  died  in  1866. 
The  youngest  daughter  is 
married  to  L.  L.  Eaton,  of 
Whately.  The  three  sons, 
Dexter  F.,  Otis,  and  Martin, 
are  married,  and  live  upon 
their  father's  farm. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hager  are 
members  of  the  Unitarian 
Church  of  Deerfield. 


SOUTH    DEERFIELD,    MASS. 


Alt.  Sugai^Loaf. 


RcsiDtNCE  OF  H.  C.  HASKELL.  Great  River,  Deerfield,  Mass. 


Photo,  by  PopkinSf  Greenfield. 


Zeri  Smith  was  born  in  the  town  of  Deerfield, 
Franklin  Co.,  Mass.,  June  17,  1814.  His  father 
was  born  in  the  same  town,  Aug.  11,  1786,  and  died 
March  13,  1835.  His  mother,  Hannah  Wriglit 
Smith,  was  born  in  Montague,  Nov.  17,  1785,  and 
died  in  Northampton,  July  13,  1871,  at  the  ad- 
vanced age  of  eighty- five  years. 

Mr,  Smith's  educational  advantages  were  limited, 
being  such  only  as  were  afforded  by  the  district 
schools.  He  remained  at  home  assisting  his  father 
until  he  was  twenty  years  old,  and  was  then  em- 
ployed by  the  month  in  the  manufacture  of  brooms, 
in  which  he  continued  three  years.  In  1837  lie 
purchased  the  farm  upon  which  he  still  resides,  and 
commenced  farming  and  also  the  manufacture  of 
brooms.  He  continued  in  that  business  until  1843, 
when  he  abandoned  the  broom  manufacture  and 
engaged  in  lumbering,  and  furnished  the  lumber 
for  the  first  aqueduct  built  in  the  city  of  Springfield 
for  supplying  the  public  with  water.  In  1852  he 
commenced  raising  tobacco,  and  was  among  the  first 
in  the  town  to  introduce  its  cultivation.  In  1860 
he  commenced  buying  tobacco  for  New  York  parties, 
whom  he  still  serves. 


In  his  earlier  business  attempts  he  met  with 
reverses,  but  by  industry  and  perseverance  he  has 
ill  later  yeai's  achieved  the  success  he  deserves.  For 
the  past  three  years  he  has  been  assessor  of  Deer- 
field,  and  has  also  been  a  member  of  the  school  board 
one  term. 

In  politics  he  was  formerly  a  Whig,  but  is  now  a 
Republican,  and  takes  an  active  interest  in  all  the 
questions  of  the  day. 

Although  not  a  member  of  any  church,  he  is 
cliaritable,  public-spirited,  a  good  citizen,  and  is 
respected  l)y  all  who  know  him. 

He  was  married,  Jan.  13, 1841,  to  Lavinia  Rice, 
who  was  born  in  Conway,  Jan.  24,  1815.  By  this 
union  he  iiad  three  children,  two  of  whom  are 
living.  Mrs.  Smith  died  Nov.  29,  1858.  He 
married  his  present  wife,  Clarissa  A.  Jeffords,  June 
21,  1860.  Siie  was  born  in  Hinsdale,  N.  H.,  Sept. 
10,  1825.  His  children  are  Henrietta  L.,  born 
Sept.  11,  1843,  and  died  Jan.  9,  1844;  Edgar  M., 
born  Aug.  12,  1845;  and  Clarence  E.,  born  Jan. 
5,  1851.  The  elder  son  is  married,  and  lives  on 
an  adjoining  farm.  The  younger  resides  with  his 
father. 


JosiAH  Fogg,  son  of  Josiah  and  Hannah  Fogg,  was  born 
in  Raymond,  N.  H.,  March  25,  1811.  His  father  was  a 
house-carpenter,  and  lived  to  the  advanced  age  of  eighty- 
seven,  and  died  in  Deerfield,  in  1866.  His  mother  died  in 
Exeter,  N.  H.,  in  1862.  Mr.  Fogg  is  the  eldest  of  a  fiiniily 
of  eight  children,  two  of  whom  died  in  infancy.  The 
brothers  and  sisters  living  at  present  are  as  follows :  James 
P.  Fogg,  resident  of  Chicago,  engaged  in  the  seed  business  ; 
Lucy  Jane,  wife  of  A.  H.  Dunlap,  Nashua,  N.  H. ; 
Martha  N.  Fogg,  living  in  Greenfield  ;  W.  P.  Fogg,  editor 
and  proprietor  of  the  Cleveland  Herald,  Cleveland,  Ohio. 

Mr.  Fogg  lived  with  his  father  until  he  was  eighteen 
years  of  age,  during  which  time  he  attended  the  common 
school,  and  for  one  year  Phillips'  Exeter  Academy.  He 
also  worked  with  his  father  at  the  carpenter  trade,  which 
he  completed  under  the  Washburue  Bros.,  of  Boston, 
builders  of  the  Masonic  Temple  in  that  city,  in  1832,  re- 
maining with  them  two  years.  In  the  fall  of  1834  he  went 
to  Florida,  where  he  built  the  first  frame  house  in  Jackson- 
ville, on  the  St.  John's  River,  and  resided  there  two  years. 
Upon  the  breaking  out  of  the  Seminole  war  he  was  ap- 
pointed sutler  in  the  army,  and  followed  that  business 
during  the  war,  at  the  close  of  which,  in  1839,  he  left 
Florida  and  went  to  Richmond,  Va.,  where  he  engaged  in 
the  crockery  business  in  connection  with  his  brother,  James 
P.  At  the  end  of  a  year  he  disposed  of  his  interest  to 
his  brotlier,  and  removed  to  Charleston,  S.  C,  where  he 
established  a  similar  business,  and  continued  it  prosperously 
for  about  eight  years.     On  account  of  the  failure  of  his 


health,  caused  by  the  climate,  he  sold  out  and  moved  to 
Deerfield,  where  for  three  years  he  lived  upon  a  farm. 
Having  meanwhile  recovered  his  health,  he  went  to  Cleve- 
land, Ohio,  and  again  engaged  in  the  crockery  business,  in 
company  with  his  brother,  W.  P.  Fogg.  Here  he  remained 
three  years,  when  disposing  of  his  interest  to  his  brother, 
he  returned  to  Deerfield  and  purchased  the  farm  upon 
which  he  has  since  resided.  He  then  commenced  farming 
in  earnest,  and  is  now  one  of  the  most  prominent  farmers 
and  stock-raisers  in  New  England.  His  barn,  when  built, 
was  considered  one  of  the  finest  in  the  State.  In  stock- 
raising  he  now  makes  a  specialty  of  short-horns. 

Although  Mr.  Fogg  has  been  engaged  in  various  kinds 
of  business,  he  considers  that  his  greatest  success  has  been 
as  an  agriculturist,  and  that  it  requires  fully  as  much  talent 
and  judgment  to  achieve  success  as  a  farmer  as  it  does  in 
any  other  business  he  has  ever  followed.  In  1855  and 
1856  he  was  president  of  the  Franklin  County  Agricul- 
tural Society,  and  for  thirty  years  he  has  been  identified 
with  the  agricultural  interests  of  this  section. 

Mr.  Fogg  was  united  in  marriag»,  Sept.  24,  1842,  to 
Mary,  daughter  of  Orlando  Ware.  Mrs.  Fogg  was  born 
in  Deerfield,  March  30,  1815.  Her  father  was  one  of 
the  leading  men  of  Deerfield,  and  settled  here  in  1802. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fogg  are,  and  have  been  for  many  years, 
members  of  the  Unitarian  Church  of  Deerfield. 

They  have  no  children.  In  politics  Mr.  Fogg  is  a  Re- 
publican, but  takes  no  active  part  in  this  direction,  never 
having  been  an  aspirant  for  oflSce. 


HISTORY  OP   FRANKLIN   COUNTY. 


609 


kiel  Foster,  Jacob  Foster,  John  Foster,  Joseph  Gillet,  Daniel  Graves,  Benj. 
Hasting,  Jolin  Hawks,  Joshua  Hawks,  Ebenezer  Hinsdale,  Pavitl  Hoyt, 
Jonathan  Hoyt,  Ehenezer  Meachani,  John  Mnnn,  Daniel  Nash,  Phineaa 
Nash,  Azaiiah  Niuis,  Thomas  Kims,  Abraham  Parker,  Abijali  Prince, 
John  Sadler,  Jona.  Sevoiunce,  Ebenezer  Smead,  William  Smead,  Samuel 
Stcbbins,  Othniel  Tajlor,  Samuel  Taylor,  Jona.  Wells,  Joshua  Wells,  Elijah 
Williams,  Thomas  Williams,  Asaliel  Wright. 

This  war  closed  by  a  treaty  at  Aix-la-Chapellc,  Oct.  7,  1748. 

mVLSIOX    OF    THE    TOWN. 

In  17-13  the  inhabitants  of  Green  River  began  to  move  for  a 
division  of  the  town,  that  they  may  be  set  off  into  a  separate 
municipality,  by  the  name  of  Cheapside,  and  in  November 
asked  bj-  petition  to  the  town  that  the  dividing  line  be  Deer- 
field  River,  from  its  mouth  to  Sheldon".?  Brook  ;  thence  up  that 
brook  west  to  the  .seven-mile  line.  The  town  refused.  After 
the  peace  of  1748  the  question  again  came  up.  The  old  town 
was  willing  to  divide,  the  boundary  to  be  the  north  line  of  the 
'  old  Dedham  8000-acre  graut.  Greenfield  insisted  on  the  river 
and  brook,  as  before.  This  matter  was  linally,  in  1753,  left  to 
a  committee  of  three  from  towns  below,  who  reported  on  the 
10th  of  April  that  the  south  boundary  should  be  the  8000-acre 
line,  the  west  to  include  one  tier  of  lots  beyond  the  seven-mile 
line.  More  trouble  grew  out  of  the  disposition  of  the  seques- 
tered ministerial  lands  in  Cheapside,  with  contests  at  home,  in 
the  Legislature,  and  civil  courts,  which  were  not  settled  until 
1772.  Greenfield,  still  coveting  Cheapside,  has  made  several 
severe  legislative  struggles  for  its  annexation,  but  the  mother- 
town  has  always  successfully  defended  the  integrity  of  the 
ancient  boundary. 

In  1759  a  controversy  arose  with  Hatfield  about  the  boun- 
dary' between  the  towns,  which  was  unsettled  and  caused  con- 
siderable trouble  uutil  17015,  when  it  was  fixed  to  start  fi'om 
the  place  where  the  Pocomptuck  path  cro.ssed  the  Weekioan- 
nuck  Brook,  and  run  westward  jiarallel  to  the  south  line  of 
Hatfield. 

It  was  not  until  the  conquest  of  Canada  that  men  began  to 
locate  in  "  Deerfield  Southwest,''  but  the  district  filled  up  very 
rapidly,  and  in  1767  Conway  was  set  off  as  a  town.  '■  Deer- 
field  Pasture''  or  "  Deerfield  Northwest"  was  inhabited  before 
the  last  French  war,  but  no  permanent  settlement  was  made 
there  until  about  17G2.  A  thriving  colony  soon  grew  up  on 
her  fertile  hills,  and  Shelburne  became  independent  of  the 
mother-town  in  1700.  Gill,  set  ofl'  from  Greenfield  in  1703, 
is  the  youngest  daughter  of  old  Pocomptuck;  perhaps  Gill 
might  be  more  properly  called  a  grandchild.  Minor  changes 
have  been  made  in  the  lines  between  Whately,  Conway,  and 
•  this  town,  which  cannot  be  noted  here,  or  the  several  attempts 
of  Blood}'  Brook  to  be  set  oft'  as  a  town. 

THE    LA.ST    FRENCH    WAR. 

The  peace  of  Aix-la-Chapelle  was  of  short  duration.  French 
encroachments  in  the  West  led  to  reprisals,  which  brought  on 
■  a  general  war  in  1755.  This  brought  to  Deerfield  the  old  tra- 
ditionary fears  and  precautions,  if  not  danger.  Oct.  15,  175G, 
the  town  voted  to  build  four  garrisons  in  the  town  and  one  at 
Wapping,  with  two  mounts  at  each.  These  defenses  were  not 
tested  ;  the  last  Indian  inroad  had  been  made.  Deerfield  was 
made  the  depot  for  military  supplies  for  Northern  Ham]ishire. 
Capt.  Elijah  Williams  was  sub-commissary,  with  rank  of 
major.  He  had  also  charge  of  fitting  out  numerous  scouting- 
parties  to  cover  the  frontier.  Our  townsmen  were  active  and 
vigilant  in  keeping  the  enemj'  at  a  distance.  Much  space 
would  be  occupied  by  giving  details  of  the  part  taken  in  this 
war  by  Deerfield  people ;  their  services  were  prominent  and 
important. 

A  partial  list  of  men  who  served  in  the  last  French  war  is 
as  follows  : 

Cols.  Ebenezer  Ilinsd.ale,  William  Will :anis,  Lieut. -Col.  Thomas  Williams,  Blajs. 
Selali  Bannini,  John  Hawks,  Capls. .John  Catlin, Samuel  Chilils, Timothy 
Childs,  Samuel  Wells,  I.ieuts.  Seth  Catlin,  Mathew  riessun,Serj;ts.  Saml. 
Barnard,  Zadoek  Hawks,  Benjamin  flinnn,  John  Wells,  John  Tavlor,Ca- 

77 


leb  Allen,  Samuel  Allen,  Asahel  Amsdon,  0)nsider  Arms,  David  Arms, 
Eliakini  .\rms,  Elijah  Arms,  Julin  .\rnis,  Jonathan  .\rnis,  Pliineas  .\rms, 
Ebenezer  Barnard,  Samuel  Beldiufr,  Asahel  Eirge,  John  P.  Bull,  Jona- 
than Buriiliam,  Smieon  Burt,  Siiarp  Caleb,  (Ashley)  Cato,  Bicliard  Cary, 
Jonathan  Catlin,  Joseph  Catlin,  (Ashley )Ca?sar,  (Hinsdale)  Ca'sar,  (Hoy t) 
Ca.'Sar,  Moses  Chandler,  Amzi  Childs,  Lebeus  Childs,  Barnul)as  Davidson, 
Abel  Dinsinore,  David  Dickinson,  Nathaniel  Dickinson,  Thomas  Dick- 
inson, Zebediali  Giaves,  A.sa  Hawks,  John  Hawks,  Jr.,  Joshua  Hawks, 
Moses  Hawks,  Paul  Hawks,  Seth  Haw  ks,  Elislia  Hinsdale,  John  Hins- 
dale, Joseph  Holmes,  David  Hoyt,  Ebenezer  3Ieacha?n,  Alvin  Blitchel, 
Elijah  Mitcliel,   Pliineas  IHunn,   John   Newton,  Daniel    Nims,  llenbcn 

Ninis,  Nathaniel  Parker,  Oliver  Pease, Peter,  Abijah  Prince,  Solomon 

Rngg,  John  Knsscll,  John  Sadler,  Martin  Seveiance,  Malliew  Severance, 
Samuel  Sliattnck,  John  Sheldon,  Jonathan  Smead,  John  Stebbins,  Moses 
Stebbins,  Samuel  Stebbins,  (Ashley)  Titus,  Ebenezer  Toliuun,  Amos  Tute, 
James  Tnte,  Zeb.'diah  Williams,  Daniel  Wittiin,  .\ni;nstus  Wells. 

REVOLITIOXAUY    WAR. 

The  opening  of  the  Revolution  found  the  town  divided  in 
sentiment.  Many  of  the  leading  men  were  loyal  to  the  king 
and  opposed  to  the  change  of  government.  They  had  held 
military  and  civil  commissions  in  his  Majesty's  name  and 
were  intimate  with  the  royal  governors.  The  town,  however, 
never  failed  in  its  duty  in  filling  its  quota  of  men  and  sup- 
plies. Oct.  7,  1774,  Samuel  Barnard  was  chosen  delegate  to 
the  Provincial  Congress  at  Salem. 

Jan.  28,  1775,  Col.  David  Field  and  Maj.  David  Wells  were 
chosen  delegates  to  the  Congress  at  Cambridge,  which  was  to 
meet  February  1st,  and  money  voted  to  buy  a  stock  of  powder 
and  lead.  May  5th  the  collectors  were  forbidden  to  pay  out  any 
public  money  without  an  order  from  the  town,  and  soon  after 
were  directed  to  pay  it  to  Henry  Gardner,  of  Stowe.  A  com- 
mittee was  chosen  to  "see  that  the  resolves  of  the  Continental 
Congress  were  strictly  adhered  to."  This  was  called  the  com- 
mittee of  correspondence,  inspection,  and  safety,  and  chosen 
annuall}'  during  the  war.  It  was  invested  with  large  judicial 
and  executive  powers.  David  Field  was  chairman  for  several 
years,  and  kept  a  regular  record  of  its  proceedings. 

On  the  Lexington  alarm  a  company  of  Minute-Men  under 
Capt.  Lock,  Lieut.  Bardwell,  and  Ens.  Stebbins  marched  at 
once  to  Cambridge.  Lock  soon  enlisted  in  the  commissary  de- 
partment, Bardwell  returned,  and  Stebbins  was  made  captain, 
and  began  enlisting  a  company  April  27th,  with  which  he  was 
at  Bunker  Hill.  April  20th,  to  encourage  the  Minute-Men  at 
home,  pay  was  allowed  for  time  spent  in  drilling.  May  23, 
1776,  the  selectmen  wei'e  directed  to  procure  a  supply  of  in- 
trenching-tools. 

June  26th  should  be  our  "Independence  day."  On  that 
day  the  town  voted  to  "solemnly  engage  with  our  lives  and 
fortunes"  to  support  Congress  should  it  "  declare  these  colonies 
free  and  independent  of  Great  Britain."  The  clerk  was  di- 
rected to  forward  a  copy  of  the  vote  to  be  laid  before  the 
Legislature.  October  7th  voted  to  consent  that  the  council 
and  House  should  enact  a  form  of  government,  provided  it  be 
made  public. 

March  3,  1777,  it  was  voted  that  the  town  will  not  dispose 
of  the  two  pieces  of  cannon.  April  20th  a  bounty  of  £20  was 
voted  to  each  volunteer.  April  22,  1778,  the  new  constitution 
was  read  "  paragrajih  by  paragraph,"  and,  in  order  that  it 
be  considered,  the  meeting  adjourned  twelve  days.  May  20th, 
£210  borrowed  to  pay  bounties.  August  12th,  Col.  David 
Field  chosen  delegate  to  the  Constitutional  Convention  at 
Cambridge.  Sept.  1,  1780,  the  new  constitution  was  read 
"  with  pauses  between  paragraphs,"  and  a  committee  of  nine 
chosen  to  examine  it  and  report  what  changes  ought  to  be 
made.  June  5th  voted  not  to  accept  the  third  article  in  the 
Bill  of  Rights,  "  and  that  in  the  qualification  for  governor,  he 
should  declare  himself  to  be  of  the  Protestant  religion  instead 
of  the  Christian."  This  change  was  made  in  the  constitution. 
June  19th  voted  a  bounty  of  §30,  hard  money,  for  three 
years'  men.  July  23,  1781,  voted  £125,  hard  money,  to  buy 
beef  for  the  army,  and  £82  to  pay  for  horses.  September  6th, 
any  persons  furni.shing  articles  of  clothing  called  for  from  the 


610 


HISTORY  OF  THE  CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


town  to  have  the  price  aHowoil  in  their  next  tax.  These  votes 
ilhistrate  the  position  and  action  of  the  town  during  this  eriti- 
eal  period. 

The  following  is  the  roll  of  the  eonipany  which  resjiondcd 
to  the  call  on  the  Lexington  alarm  : 

Capt.  JunjiB  Liick,  Lieut.  Thonms  Burihvrll,  Ens.  .Toseph  Stebbins,  Sei-t^t**.  Abel 
Piirkei-,  .loel  Miiiin,  Ariel  Nitiih,  Kiiwaril  lluse,  Corps.  Tliouuis  Kiiiiiey, 
lefuie  Smith,  Abner  SlieMun,  Isaue  r;»rker,  Drummer  James  Warren,  Filer 
Justin  Ilitelicock,  Trivatcs  John  Taylor,  EHplialet  Uiekinson,  Daniel  Fish, 
Silas  Wright,  Jona.  Wells,  John  lliiisdale,  Thomas  A.  Gates,  Eheiie/er  Fish, 
Jolm  Wells,  Philip  lliek,  Oliver  Smeail,  Elias  Stone,  John  Taylor,  Jr., 
Libeoua  Jennings,  Eben  .Tones,  Reuben  C'hikls,  Neversin  Warren,  Eber 
Allis,  Jona.  Spaflbrd,  Isaac  Lewis,  Paul  Tliayer,  CeiLser  (Uiekinson),  Timo- 
thy Catlin,  Jeremiah  Newton,  John  Newton,  Israel  Ninis,  Amasa  Smith, 
Samuel  Smeail,  Timothy  Fi-ary,  Oliver  Shattiiek,  James  Gibson,  Remem- 
brance Grnndy,  Nathaniel  Parker,  John  Lock,  Adouijah  Taylor,  John 
Henry,  Henry  Allen,  Jesse  Corliss,  Elisha  Nims. 

The  roll  of  Capt.  Joseph  Stebbins'  company  from  September 
23  to  Oct.  18,  1777,  in  the  Burgoyne  campaign,  is  as  follows : 

Capt.  Joseph  Stebtins,  Lieut.  John  Bardwell,  Sergts.  Geo.  Heibeit,  Abel  Parker, 
Daniel  Slate,  Samuel  Turner,  Coqis.  David  Hoyt,  Ziba  Phillips,  Samuel 
Gladding,  Ja^on  Parnienter,  Drummer  James  Warren,  Fifer  .tustin  Ilitrh- 
cock,  Pi'ivates  John  Gault,  David  Gray,  Cephus  Sheldon,  Josej'h  Allen, 
Amasa  Sheldon,  Robert  Gray,  Lemuel  Childs,  Eliphalet  Dickinson,  Timothy 
Catlin,  Levi  Newton,  Eliiis  Stone,  Tilston  Miller,  Ithamar  Buit,  Tbomjis 
Wells,  William  Joiner,  Stejdien  Webster,  William  Orvis,  John  Conna'de, 
John  Taylor,  Nicholas  Andrews,  Jeremiah  Newton,  Phillip  Maxwell, 
Thomas  Faxon,  Thomas  Billings,  Samuel  Wheat,  .Tohn  Beaman,  Daniel 
Bliss,  Nathan  Frary,  Abel  Harding,  Samuel  Bai-ker,  Eliphalet  Taylor, 
Edward  Joiner,  Moses  Tate,  Simeon  Burt,  Joseph  Sanderstui. 

Other  men  who  .served  in  the  army  are  : 

Aaron  Allis,  John  Allis,  Samuel  Bardwell,  Reulten  Bardwell,  Frederick  Barney, 
Elisha  Barnard,  Sanniel  Barnard,  Jesse  Billings,  John  Boyden,  William 
Bull,  Simeon  Carey,  Sylvanus  Cobb,  William  Daiby,  Barnabiis  Davidson, 
Sihas  Dewey,  Consider  Dickinson,  David  Dickinson,  Tliomas  W.  Dickinson, 
Sanuiel  Donelly,  Joseph  Fethergill,  Eleaser  Fraiy,  Nathan  Frary,  'Ir.,  Abel 
Gale,  Abner  Goodenough,  ALijah  Harding,  Samuel  Hart,  James  Hogan, 
John  Johnson,  Leonard  Laufair,  Roswell  Lanfair,  Wm.  Lovcridge,  Thomas 
Mighells,  Francis  Munn,  Moses  Newton,  Wm.  Negus,  Daniel  Nims,  Eben- 
ezer  Nims,  Isaac  Nims,  Seth  Nims,  Samuel  Pratt,  Moses  Bobbins,  Daniel 
Robbinson,  Stephen  Rolph,  David  Saxtan,  Amjisa  Smith,  Elijah  Smith,  Joel 
Smith,  Wm.  Starr,  Joseph  Sweet,  Joshua  Sweet,  Stephen  Taylor,  John 
Victory,  Joseph  Wells,  Reuben  Wells,  Chailes  Warren. 

'Deerfield  people  were  loyal  dviring  the  Shays  rebellion. 
Joseph  Stebbins,  Samuel  Childs,  and  Capt.  [Daniel  ?]  Dickin- 
son commanded  companies  called  out  for  its  suppression.  A 
company  of  37  men  were  here  a  week,  and  on  one  occasion  an 
army  of  9.50  men  were  quartered  among  the  inhabitants  of  the 
town  one  day. 

MINISTERS  AND  CHURCHES. 

The  first  preaching  at  Pocomptuck  of  which  we  have  any 
knowledge  was  by  Kcv.  Samuel  Mather,  in  1G73.  He  was  a 
son  of  Timothy,  of  Dorchester,  born  in  1G51.  He  graduated 
at  Harvard  University  in  1671,  and  was  a  classmate  of  Judge 
Sewall.  On  the  breaking  up  of  the  settlement  he  retired  to 
Hatfield,  to  his  uncle,  Kev.  Hope  Atherton,  the  minister 
there.  Eleazer  Mather,  the  Northampton  pastor,  was  another 
uncle.  With  such  surroundings,  tlie  young  juinistcr  was 
anxious  to  cast  his  lot  again  in  his  first  field  of  labor,  and  ex- 
pected ofl'ers  to  go  elsewhere,  hoping  to  return  and  build  up  a 
church  at  Pocomptuck  with  the  returning  settlers.  So  many 
obstacles,  however,  intervened  that  in  1G80  he  went  to  Bran- 
ford,  Conn.,  and  three  or  four  years  later  settled  at  Windsor. 
He  was  a  trustee  of  Yale  College,  1700-24.     He  died  in  1728. 

Feb.  21,  1684,  Rev.  Noadiah  Kussel!,  a  Harvard  graduate 
of  1681,  was  invited  to  preach  here.  The  result  of  this  invita- 
tion is  not  known.  Eev.  John' Williams  came  about  the 
middle  of  June,  1086. 

"The  Inhabitants  of  Deei field,  to  Encourage  Mr.  John  Williams  to  settle 
amongst  them  to  dispense  the  blessed  word  of  Truth  unto  them,  hiive  mailo 
propositions  unto  liim  as  followeth :  That  they  will  give  him  Ki  cow-commons 
of  meadow-land,  with  a  homc-lott  that  lieth  on  Meeting-hous  hill;  tliat  they 
will  build  him  a  lions  42  fuot  long,  20  foot  wide,  with  a  lentoo  on  the  back  side 
of  the  house,  and  finish  sd  bouse;  to  fence  his  home-lott,  and  within  two  years 
after  this  .agreement  to  build  him  a  tarn,  and  to  break  up  his  plowing  land. 
For  a  yearly  sakary,  to  give  him  GO  pounds  a  year  for  the  first,  and  four  or  Ave 
years  after  this  agreement  to  add  to  his  salary,  and  make  it  80  pounds." 


This  ofler  was  accepted,  and  Mr.  Williams  commenced  his 
eventful  career  in  this  valley  Dec.  17,  1686.  Another  grant 
of  land  was  voted  Jan.  5,  1687.  The  committee  for  the  planta- 
tion consented  to  the  above  grants,  "on  the  condition  Mr. 
Williams  settle  among  them."  After  preaching  about  two 
years  a  church  was  formed,  and  Mr.  Williams  was  ordained 
Oct.  17,  1688.  He  had  married,  the  year  before,  Eunice,  the 
daughter  of  Eleazer  Mather,  of  Northampton,  a  second  cousin 
of  the  first  minister,  Mr.  Mather. 

John  Williams  was  a  son  of  Samuel,  of  Koxbury,  born 
1064.  He  was  a  graduate  of  Harvard  University  in  1683,  and 
came  to  this  town  at  the  age  of  twenty-two  years.  His  cousin 
and  classmate,  William  Williams,  was  settled  minister  at 
Hatfield  about  1687.  Mr.  Williams  shared  the  dangers  and 
the  responsibilities  of  the  new  town  through  the  EevoUition 
of  1688  and  the  Indian  hostilities  which  followed,  taking 
an  active  part  in  its  political  aftairs.  Oct.  21,  1703,  having  a 
hint  of  impending  danger  from  Albany  friends,  Mr.  Williams, 
writing  to  Gov.  Dudlej',  asking  aid  in  their  great  distress  and 
poverty,  says : 

"  I  abated  them  of  my  salary  for  several  years  together,  tho'  they  never  asked 
it  of  me,  and  now  their  children  must  suffer  for  want  of  clothing,  or  the  country 
consider  them,  and  I  abate  them  what  they  are  to  pay  me.  I  never  found  tho 
people  unwilling  to  do  when  they  had  the  ability;  yet  they  have  often  douo 
above  their  ability." 

This  is  a  touching  picture  of  the  character  and  condition  of 
pastor  and  people  at  this  critical  juncture.  In  the  destruction 
of  the  town,  four  months  later,  his  wife  and  two  children  were 
killed,  and  himself  and  five  children  taken  captive  and  car- 
ried to  Canada.  In  his  "  Kedeemcd  Captive,"  published  .soon 
after  his  return,  may  be  found  a  detailed  account  of  the  terri- 
ble winter's  march  to  Canada  and  his  tedious  captivity.  On 
his  return,  November,  1706,  the  town  sent  a  committee  to  in- 
vite him  to  re-settle  with  them,  and  in  January,  1707,  voted 
to  build  him  a  house  "  ivs  big  as  Ens.  John  Sheldon's  ;  a  back 
room  as  big  as  may  be  thought  convenient."  Sept.  10,  1707,- 
Mr.  Williams  married  Mrs.  Abigail  BisselJ,  a  cousin  of  his 
first  wife.  By  her  he  had  five  children,  having  had  eleven 
b}-  Eunice,  his  first  wife.  Mr.  Williams  died  June  12,  1729. 
A  contemporary  speaks  of  his  death  as  a  "  fall  of  one  of  the 
jnllars  of  the  land;"  of  him,  as  "one  who  taught  by  example 
as  well  as  by  preaching ;  an  ardent  lover  of  New  England, 
its  religious  principles,  its  ecclesiastical  and  civil  rights  and 
liberties;"  and  says,  "A  grievous  breach  was  made  upon 
Deerfield."  He  was  a  man  of  fervor,  piety,  and  zeal ;  a  firm 
believer  in  the  supernatural,  often  taking  note  of  events  as  oc- 
curring in  direct  answer  to  pr.aj'cr.  He  left  a  library  of  520 
books  and  pamphlets,  in  English,  Latin,  and  French. 

Rev.  Benjamin  Pierpont,  of  New  Haven,  graduated  at  Yale 
College  in  1726  ;  approbated  to  preach  by  the  New  Haven 
Association  about  1728,  and  was  preaching  as  a  candidate  as 
early  as  Aug.  11,  1729;  and  on  the  20th  was  hired  for  three 
months.  Meanwhile,  Rev.  Mr.  Williams,  of  Hatfield,  was 
using  his  influence  against  Pierpont  as  an  immoral  man.  In 
spite  of  this,  a  call  was  given  him  to  settle,  by  a  vote  of  36  to 
14,  on  the  2-3th  of  Januar}',  1730,  and  the  candidate  was  to 
continue  preaching  until  arrangements  could  be  made  for  a 
settlement.  Mr.  Williams  continued  his  charges  against  Mr. 
Pierpont,  and  more  were  estranged  from  him,  and  protested 
at  the  March  meeting  against  the  settlement.  In  October, 
with  a  vote  of  thanks,  Pierpont  left  town,  and  is  not  afterward 
heard  of. 

Rev.  John  Warren,  who  graduated  at  Harvard  College  in 
1725,  after  preaching  a  few  months,  received  a  unanimous  call 
May  0,  1731.  The  people  took  his  refusal  much  to  heart,  and 
in  July  earnest  ett'orts  were  vainly  made  to  induce  him  to  re- 
consider his  reply,  and  in  August  voted  "to  make  further 
tryal  for  recovering"  Mr.  Warren,  and  "  to  alter  the  proposi- 
tions made  last  spring,"  which  was  sent  August  26th,  by 
Capt.  Jona.  Wells. 


HISTORY  OF  FRANKLIN   COUNTY. 


611 


James  Chandler,  who  graduated  at  Harvard  College  in 
17li8,  was  the  next  candidate.  Nov.  3,  1734,  "chose  the  worthy 
Mr.  James  Chandler  to  be  their  pastor  and  teacher,  by  a  great 
majority."  He  also  declined.  Discouraged  with  Harvard 
ministers,  in  December  Deacon  Samuel  Childs  was  sent  to 
Connecticut  for  a  candidate. 

Kev.  Jonathan  Ashley,  son  of  Jonathan,  of  Westfield,  was 
born  Nov.  II,  1712.  He  graduated  at  Yale  College  in  1730. 
He  married  Dorothy,  daughter  of  Eev.  William  Williams, 
of  Hatfield.  After  preaching  about  three  months  3Ir.  Ash- 
ley received  a  call  to  settle,  April  7,  1732,  and  was  ordained 
Nov.  8,  17.32.  His  settlement  was  £300,  10  acres  of  land,  the 
liberty  of  the  commons,  firewood,  and  the  use  of  the  town- 
lot,  with  an  annual  salary  of  £130;  the  settlement  and  the 
salary  to  be  paid  in  bills  of  public  credit  at  18.s.  the  ounce. 
Almost  from  the  iirst  the  question  of  salary  was  a  troublesome 
one;  the  currency  was  tluctuating,  and  Boston  brokers  were 
often  appealed  to  to  determine  its  value,  compared  with  silver. 
Controversy  and  contention  grew  up,  finally  causing  much 
bitterness  of  feeling.  Troubles  also  existed  about  the  rent  of 
the  town-lot,  and  especially  about  his  firewood.  In  April  or 
May,  1780,  a  council  of  ministers  was  convened  to  settle  these 
affairs.  Benjamin  Trumbull,  the  historian,  was  the  advocate 
of  the  people.  The  scope  of  the  council  has  not  been  deter- 
mined. Their  labors  inust  have  been  prolonged  and  arduous, 
for  they  consumed  "half  a  quire  of  paper  and  9  quarts  of 
rum."  We  are  also  in  the  dark  about  the  result  of  this 
council.  It  appears,  however,  from  the  action  of  the  town 
June  19,  1780,  that  the  pastoral  relation  of  Mr.  Ashley  to  the 
town  was  dissolved.  At  that  date  the  town  chose  a  committee 
of  three  "  to  hire  a  minister  of  the  gospel  to  preach  in  this 
town,  with  discretionary  power  to  hire  one  for  as  long  a  time 
as  they  think  proper."  Jlr.  Ashley  did  not  long  survive  this 
action  ;  he  died  Aug.  28,  1780. 

Mr.  Ashley  was  tall,  of  a  commanding  presence,  with  a 
strong  intellect,  and  scholarly  ;  in  theological  and  biblical 
knowledge  surpassed  by  none  in  the  valley,  save  Jonathan 
Edwards,  of  Northampton.  The  latter  describes  Ashley,  who 
was  his  cousin,  as  "  a  young  gentleman  of  liberal  education 
and  notable  abilities ;  a  fluent  speaker;  a  man  of  lax  principles 
in  religion,  falling  in,  in  some  essential  things,  with  the  Ar- 
minians,  and  is  very  bold  and  open  in  it."  He  was  "bold 
and  open"  in  everything  he  did.  He  was  opposed  to  Edwards 
in  the  great  controversj'  concerning  church  membership,  and 
active  in  procuring  his  dismission  from  Northampton,  and 
was  largely  instrumental  in  the  dismissal  of  Rev.  Edward 
Billings,  an  adherent  of  the  Edwards  party,  from  Belcher- 
town.  It  was  a  terrible  blow  to  him  when  Mr.  Billings, 
taking  the  bull  by  the  horns,  gathered  a  church  and  congre- 
gation from  Mr.  Ashley's  own  flock,  in  1754. 

In  the  Revolution,  Jlr.  Ashley  continued  loyal  to  England. 
He  had  publicly  prayed  for  the  king  weekly  for  forty  years 
in  good  faith,  and  he  could  not  logically  or  conscientiously  turn 
against  him.  After  the  adoption  of  the  State  constitution  he 
was  called  upon  to  read  a  proclamation  with  the  usual  ending, 
"  God  save  the  Commonwealth  !"  Drawing  himself  up  to  his 
full  height,  he  added,  "  And  the  king  too,  or  we  are  an  undone 
people!"  His  Toryism  was  pi'onounced  and  ofl'ensive.  He 
taught  that  a  fearful  doom  awaited  the  rebels  who  fell  at  Bun- 
ker Hill,  and  the  incensed  hearers  nailed  up  the  pulpit-door. 

In  the  church  the  pastor  was,  in  theory  and  practice,  a  strong 
supporter  of  priestly  authority.  He  claimed  the  right  to  en- 
force the  attendance  of  any  church  member  when  required  to 
confer  on  church  matters.  One  man  being  obstinate,  the  church 
voted,  "  that  Oliver  Hastings,  when  refusing  to  come  when  sent 
for  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Ashley,  and  also  in  his  treatment  of  the 
Church  when  before  them,  has  been  guilty  of  contempt  of  the 
authority  Christ  has  instituted  in  his  Church,  and  that  he  ought 
Publiekl}'  to  Humble  and  take  Shame  to  him.self  therefor." 
This  mandate  not  being  obeyed,  "  on  the  Lord's  day,  Febru- 


ary 3d,  I  admonished  him  Publickly,"  says  Mr.  Ashley,  "  and, 
hearing  he  was  going  out  of  town,  went  to  him  and  admon- 
ished him  again."  Mr.  Ashley  was  sustained  by  the  church 
in  such  matters.  Thimias  French  having  entered  a  complaint 
against  the  pastor  "  for  some  things  said  to  him  when  admon- 
ishing him,"  it  was  voted  "  the  complaint  was  not  sustained, 
and  if  it  was,  we  think  the  church  have  no  right  to  act  upon 
it,  since  it  respects  the  pastor  of  this  church."  The  pastor  was 
evidently  the  "  ruling  elder"  in  this  body. 

As  Mr.  Ashley's  family  increased  and  "  became  more  charge- 
able," his  salary  was  increased  from  time  to  time.  In  1750  the 
increase  was  £260  (old  tenor),  in  quarterly  subscriptions.  In 
1702  there  was  a  new  adjustment,  on  the  basis  of  £80  per  an- 
num. The  town  was  delinquent  in  its  contract  with  Mr.  Ash- 
ley, giving  him  just  cause  of  complaint.  The  ten  acres  of 
land  given  in  settlement  was  not  secured  for  more  than  ten 
years ;  the  income  from  the  town-lot  seems  to  have  been 
withheld,  and  no  provision  made  for  flrewood  in  later  years. 
In  1781  his  heirs  presented  a  claim  for  £787  17s.  Orf., — per- 
haps by  decree  of  the  council, — which  was  paid  by  the  town 
in  1782. 

Some  of  his  published  works  are,  "A  Sermon  on  the  Ordina- 
tion of  John  Norton,"  at  Deerfield,  1741;  "The  Great  Duty 
of  Charity,"  1742;  "An  Evening  Lecture  to  the  Negroes,  to 
'  Show  that  Christianity  Allows  the  Relation  of  Master  and 
Servant;'"  two  sermons  preached  at  Northampton,  Feb.  10, 
1751,  to  counteract  the  eft'ect  of  Mr.  Edwards'  evening  lecture 
after  he  was  dismissed  ;  and  again,  June  24,  1753,  "  to  my  own 
people,"  says  the  author,  "  on  the  occasion  of  a  gentleman  of 
Mr.  Edwards'  sentiments  had  been  preaching  to  a  part  of 'my 
congregation  ;"  a  part  of  a  sermon  preached  before  Mr.  Bil- 
lings and  theseceders  about  December,  1753.  He  officiated  at 
221  marriages,  1009  bai)tisms,  and  398  persons  were  admitted 
into  the  church  during  his  ministry. 

Samuel  Goodrich,  of  Yale  College,  1783,  was  preaching 
here  early  in  178.5.  July  18th  he  was  invited  to  settle,  but  de- 
clined this  year.  "  The  town  is  desirous  for  persons  to  qualify 
themselves  for  singing  in  meeting,  and  leave  the  choice  of 
tunes  to  the  leaders." 

Rev.  John  Taylor,  A.M.,  the  thirteenth  child  of  Eldad, 
who  was  the  fourteenth  child  of  Edward,  the  first  minister  of 
Wcstfleld,  was  born  Dec.  23,  1702,  just  one  hundred  and 
twenty  years  after  his  grandfather.  He  was  the  third  settled 
minister.  He  graduated  from  Yale  College  in  1784,  and  was 
ordained  Feb.  14,  1787.  His  settlement  was  £250,  with  a 
salary  of  £100,  and  what  firewood  he  wants,  at  §1  a  cord. 
In  his  letter  of  acceptance,  the  old  division  and  the  happy  re- 
union are  emphasized  by  Mr.  Taylor.  He  spoke  discour- 
agingly  of  the  political  situation,  and  was  filled  "with  the 
most  alarming  apprehensions,"  and  could  not  predict  the  re- 
sult of  the  general  confusion.  Shays'  rebellion  was  then  at 
its  height,  but  its  power  was  broken  before  his  ordination. 
Mr.  Taylor  was  well  acquianted  with  the  political  affairs  of  the 
country,  and  had  a  natural  taste  for  the  study  of  histor}'.  In 
1793  he  published  a  valuable  "  Appendix  to  the  Redeemed 
Captive;"  a  "Thanksgiving  Sermon,"  Nov.  29,  1798,  a 
"Century  Sermon,"  Feb.  29,  1804,  and  a  "Farewell  Ser- 
mon," Aug.  6,  180C,  were  also  published.  The  ministry  of 
Mr.  Taylor  had  been  harmonious,  but  on  account  of  ill  health 
he  asked  a  dismission,  which  was  effected  Aug.  0,  1800,  by  a 
mutual  council.  On  leaving,  the  town  made  him  an  extra 
grant  of  .S0G2.  In  1802,  Mr.  Taylor  made  a  three  months' 
missionary  tour  to  New  York,  visiting  many  settlements  on 
the  Mohawk  and  Black  Rivers.  He  went  on  horseback,  trav- 
eling nearly  one  thousand  miles,  speaking  five  or  six  times  a 
week,  organizing  churches,  ordaining  deacons,  visiting  schools, 
the  sick,  and  the  dying.  With  all  this,  he  found  time  to  visit 
and  describe  natural  curiosities  and  noted  localities.  Of  some, 
drawings  were  made,  notably  the  ruins  of  ancient  forts  or 
mounds  on  the  Sandy  Creek,  near  Lake  Ontario.    On  leaving 


612 


HISTORY   OF  THE   CONNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


Deerfifild,  Mr.  Taylor  engagod  in  farming  in  Enfield,  Conn. 
Here  lie  was  a  loading  man,  often  elected  representative,  and 
several  times  made  .speaker  of  the  llouse.  In  1817  he  re- 
moved to  Mendon,  N.  Y.,  where  ho  was  engaged  in  missinn- 
ary  operations.  In  1832  he  settled  as  minister  at  Bruce, 
Mich.,  where  he  died,  Dec.  20,  1840.  He  married,  June  14, 
1788,  Elizabeth  Terry,  of  Enfield,  Conn. 

Eev.  Samuel  Porter  "Williams,  A.M.,  of  Wethersfiekl, 
Conn.  He  graduated  from  Yale  College  in  1790,  preached 
as  a  candidate  in  the  summer  of  1800,  and  received  an  invita- 
tion to  become  pastor  November  3d.  This  he  had  intended 
to  accept,  but,  on  the  15th,  ho  gave  reasons  why  he  felt  it  his 
duty  to  go  to  Mansfield,  Conn.  He  settled  there  in  1807,  and 
remained  ten  3'ears.     He  died  in  1826. 

Kev.  Samuel  Willard,  D.P.,  eminent  Unitarian  divine  and 
author,  son  of  William,  of  Petersham,  born  April  18,  1776. 
He  graduated  from  Harvard  College  in  1803  ;  was  tutor  at 
Bowdoin  College,  1804-5.  May  18,  1807,  by  a  vote  of  22  to 
1,  the  church  called  him  to  "settle  here  in  the  work  of  the 
gospel  ministry."  This  action  was  ratified  June  4th,  and  a 
salary  of  $606.07  ottered  him.  Mr.  Willard  accepted,  and 
August  12th  was  fixed  as  the  day  for  ordination.  The  coun- 
cil met  August  11th,  and  reported  the  next  day  that  although 
they  found  "  the  pastor  elect  to  be  a  gentleman  of  rich  talents 
and  aquirements  in  theological  knowledge,  of  a  most  .■imiable 
temper  and  disposition,  and  of  an  exemplary  frankness  and 
sincerity  in  communicating  his  opinions,"  "  they  did  not  dis- 
cover in  him  that  belief  in  the  essential  Dicinity  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ" — the  doctrines  of  total  depravity,  the  super- 
natural influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  the  doctrine  of  election, 
and  perseverance  of  the  saints — which  they  consider  necessary, 
and  therefore  they  could  not  proceed  to  ordain  him.  August 
17th  the  church  renewed  the  call,  which  was  concurred  in  by 
the  town,  August  28th,  by  a  vote  of  114  to  84,  the  nays, 
with  a  single  exception,  being  from  Bloody  Brook.  Mr.  Wil- 
lard's  "confession  of  faith"  was  printed  and  sent  out  with  the 
invitations  to  a  new  council,  by  which  he  was  ordained,  Sept. 
23,  1807.  He  married,  May  30,  1808,  Susan,  daughter  of  Dr. 
Joshua  Barker,  of  Hingham.  Soon  after  the  settlement  of 
Mr.  Willard  most  of  the  church  members  from  the  south  part 
of  the  town  withdrew,  and  afterward  united  in  a  church  there. 
Mr.  Willard  became  blind  about  1820,  but  he  continued  his 
pastoral  duty  until  Sept.  23,  1829,  when  he  was  dismissed  at 
his  request.  He  removed  to  Hingham,  whence,  after  a  few 
years  spent  in  teaching,  he  returned  to  Docrfield  in  1836, 
where  he  died,  Oct.  8,  1859. 

The  memory  of  Dr.  Willard  was  wonderful.  He  learned 
the  Bible  by  heart,  and  on  hearing  any  random  line  of  it  could 
at  once  give  the  chapter  and  verse.  He  was  equally  familiar 
with  the  volume  of  hymns  used  in  the  Sunday  service.  Most 
of  his  literary  work  was  done  after  he  became  blind.  Some  of 
his  publications  are  "  Deerfleld  Collection  of  Sacred  Music," 
1814;  "Rudiments  of  Reading,"  1815;  "Original  Hymns," 
1823;  "Sacred  Poetry  and  Music  Reconciled,"  1830;  "Rhet- 
oric," 1831;  "Introduction  to  the  Latin  Language,"  1835; 
"Franklin  Primer,"  "Improved  Reader,"  "General  Class 
Book,"  and  "  Popular  Reader," — a  series  of  school-books  which 
went  through  many  editions, — with  sermons,  pamphlets  on 
various  subjects,  contributions  to  magazines,  etc.,  etc. 

Dr.  Willard  was  a  strong  anti-slavery  man,  an  ardent 
worker  for  temperance,  interested  in  science,  and  a  fellow  of 
the  American  Academy  of  Arts  and  Sciences.  In  person  he 
was  of  marked  figure  and  face,  grave  in  deportment,  kindly 
and  atfable,  a  Christian  gentleman,  and  an  honest  man. 

Eev.  John  Fessenden  graduated  at  Harvard  College  in 
1818;  Cambridge  Theological  School,  1821;  tutor,  1825-27; 
was  the  fifth  pastor  of  the  First  Church,  and  ordained  May 
19,  1830.  Mr.  Fessenden  was  a  man  of  scholarly  attainments. 
His  sermons  were  written  rather  for  the  learned  than  the  com- 
mon people,  and  failed  in  interesting  the  young.     He  was  sin- 


gularly gifted  in  public  prayer,  and  was  amiable,  diffident, 
and  lacking  in  personal  magnetism. 

In  1835  he  preached  before  a  party  of  Indians  from  Canada 
who  claimed  to  he  descendants  of  the  captive  Eunice  Wil- 
liams, and  to  be  on  a  visit  to  the  graves  of  her  father  and 
mother.  This  sermon  was  published.  On  his  dismis.sal,  May 
31,  1840,  Mr.  Fessenden  removed  to  Dedham,  where,  to  some 
extent,  he  engaged  in  teaching. 

Daniel  B.  Parkhurst,  son  of  Dr.  William,  of  Petersham, 
was  born  Feb.  20,  1818.  He  was  two  years  at  Amherst  and 
two  years  at  Yale,  where  he  graduated  in  1836.  He  studied 
at  the  Cambridge  Divinity  School,  and  was  ordained  July  21, 
1841.  He  was  a  man  of  rare  promise,  but  preached  only  nine 
sermons,  dying  of  consumption  at  Keene,  N.  H.,  Feb.  10,  1842. 

James  Blodgett,  A.M.,  graduated  at  Harvard  College  in 
1841  ;  at  Divinity  School,  Cambridge,  in  1843.  He  was  or- 
dained Jan.  17,  1844.  His  health  failing,  he  was  dismissed, 
June  16,  1845.  He  removed  to  Lexington,  where  he  died 
July  11,  1845,  aged  thirty-three.  He  married,  in  1844,  Miss 
Wellington,  of  Lexington.     She  died  Oct.  11,  1845. 

Rev.  John  F.  Moors  was  born  in  Groton ;  graduated  at 
Harvard  College  in  1842;  at  Divinity  School,  Cambridge,  in 
1845.  He  was  ordained  Jan.  28,  1846,  eighth  pastor  of  the 
First  Church  ;  was  dismissed  April  9,  1800,  and  removed  to 
Greenfield.    He  is  further  noticed  in  the  history  of  that  town. 

James  K.  Hosmer,  son  of  Rev.  Dr.  George  Hosmer,  was 
born  in  Northfield,  Jan.  29,  1834.  He  graduated  at  Harvard 
College  in  1855;  at  Divinity  School,  Cambridge,  in  1857.  He 
was  ordained  Sept.  6,  1860.  In  September,  1862,  he  enlisted  in 
Co.  D,  ■52d  Regimentof  Massachusetts  Volunteers,  which  joined 
Gen.  Banks'  Louisiana  Expedition.  Declining  a  position  in 
the  military  household  of  Gen.  Banks,  he  was  made  corporal  of 
the  color-guard,  and  served  through  the  campaign.  He  was 
in  the  actions  of  April  12th  and  14th  on  the  Teche ;  under 
Gen.  Grover,  and  with  him  through  the  Red  River  Expedi- 
tion, and  at  the  siege  and  surrender  of  Port  Hudson,  July  8, 
1863.  Mr.  Hosmer  was  dismissed,  Sept.  2,  1866,  to  take  a  pro- 
fessorship in  Antioch  College.  He  is  now  a  professor  of  the 
State  Univcrsitj'  of  Mi.ssouri,  and  author  of  "The  Color- 
Guard," — one  of  the  most  entertaining  books  which  the  Rebel- 
lion has  brought  forth  ;  Boston,  1864, — "  The  Thinking  Bay- 
onet," 1865;  "A  History  of  German  Literature,"  1879;  and 
is  a  liberal  contributor  to  papers  and  magazines. 

Edgar  Buckingham,  A.B.,  son  of  Joseph  T.,  was  born  at 
Boston,  Aug.  29,  1812.  He  graduated  at  Harvard  College  in 
1831,  and  was  the  principal  of  Northfield  Academy,  1831-32; 
graduated  at  Cambridge  Divinity  School,  1835;  settled  min- 
ister at  Dover,  N.  H.,  1835  ;  in  Trenton,  N.  Y.,  1840  ;  in  Troy, 
N  Y.,  1853  ;  and  Dcertield  in  1868.  He  married,  June  5,  1835, 
Sally  Ann  Hart.  Mr.  Buckingham  has  been  a  voluminous 
writer  for  newspapers  and  magazines.  He  was  an  early  advo- 
cate of  the  abolition  of  slavery,  especially  in  an  oration  deliv- 
ered July  4,  1842.  This  was  printed,  as  have  been  several  of 
his  sermons.  Of  the  Unitarian  denomination,  but  maintains 
the  view  that  "the  religion  of  Jesus  Christ  consists  in  obedi- 
ence to  God,  unconnected  with  sectarian  opinions."  He  has 
an  active,  ingenious  mind  and  scholarly  culture. 

THE   ORTHODOX   SOCIETY. 

Oct.  1,  1838,  a  portion  of  the  First  Congregational  Society- 
organized  a  new  body  under  the  title  of  the  "  Orthodox  Soci- 
ety." A  church  of  the  seceders  had  been  formed  June  2, 
1835.  In  1838  a  meeting-house  was  built  on  Memorial  Lane. 
The  first  stated  supply  for  the  pulpit  of  this  society  was  Rev. 
Pomeroy  Bcldcn,  1837-42. 

Mr.  Belden,  son  of  Aaron,  of  Whately,  was  born  in  1811 ; 
graduated  at  Amherst  College  in  1833  ;  Andover  Theological 
Seminary  in  1836.  He  married,  in  1836,  Louisa  Tenny  ;  (2d) 
1841,  Miranda  Smith,  of  Hadley.  Ordained  evangelist  Aug.  8, 
1837;  installed  pastor  at  Amherst  in  1842;  died  March  2,  1849. 


Plinto.  l.y  roiikins. 


Elisha  WEiJJi  was  Ijoni  in  DeerKekl,  Franklin 
Co.,  Mass.,  Ang.  25,  1821.  His  educational  ad- 
vantage.s  were  very  poor  and  limited  to  an  attend- 
ance of  the  district  school,  in  the  old  brick  school- 
house  on  the  common,  summer  and  winter,  until 
he  was  nine  years  old,  and  during  the  winter 
months  from  that  time  until  seventeen  years  of 
age.  The  inheritance  he  received  from  his  father 
was  continuous  hard  labor  and  severe  discipline, 
which  would  no  doubt  be  a  good  gift  if  not  too 
liberally  bestowed,  as  was  the  case  in  this  instance. 

He  was  hired  out  to  work  upon  a  farm  when 
twelve  years  of  age,  his  father  receiving  his  wages 
until  Elisha  was  twenty-one.  After  he  reached 
his  majority  he  found  employment  with  a  farmer, 
where  he  remained  until  his  employer's  decease, 
two  years  afterward.  Upon  the  settlement  of  the 
estate  he  received  twenty-five  per  cent,  of  his  claim 
against  it;  and  his  dividends  in  later  years  on  "ac- 
commodation" accounts,  indorsed  notes,  and  money 
loaned  to  supposed  friends,  have  ranged  from  zero 
to  forty  per  cent.,  and  generally  the  lower  figure. 

His  religious  belief — without  belonging  to  any 
church — is  to  attend  divine  worship,  and  help  sup- 


port the  same ;  to  "  do  unto  others  as  you  would 
that  they  should  do  unto  you ;"  but  never  to  bor- 
row the  livery  of  Christ  in  which  to  serve  the 
devil,  as  is  instanced  and  illustrated  in  the  many 
recent  defalcations,  forgeries,  and  premeditated  bank- 
ruptcies committed  by  men  holding  high  positions 
in  the  Church. 

In  politics  he  is  independent.  Bound  to  no  party, 
he  casts  his  vote  for  the  candidate  whom  he  con- 
siders best  (qualified  to  fill  the  office.  He  has  never 
sought  office,  but  has  been  honored  by  his  towns- 
men with  the  positions  of  selectman,  town  clerk, 
and  treasurer.  One  or  more  of  these  offices  he  has 
held  each  year  for  the  past  twenty -three  years. 

Of  his  family  history  he  knows  very  little.  What- 
ever success  he  has  gained  in  life  is  the  result  of 
his  own  efforts,  and  whether  his  ancestors  came 
from  England  in  the  Mayflower,  or  from  any 
other  coast  of  the  Old  \Yorld,  is  a  matter  of  indiffer- 
ence to  him. 

Mr.  Wells  was  married,  Jan.  4,  1849,  to  Lois 
H.,  daughter  of  Elisha  Hare,  of  Deerfield,  by 
whom  he  has  four  children, — Charles  A.,  Francis 
B.,  Theron  B.,  and  Mary  W. 


Photo  by  Toiikirn. 


^^c,^-ur^1  M^^'f' 


Hiram  Root  was  born  Oct.  27, 1805,  in  Montague, 
Franklin  Co.,  Mass.  He  was  tlie  son  of  Selah  and 
Elizabeth  Childs  Root.  His  father,  who  was  born 
in  Montague,  Sept.  8,  1766,  was  a  man  of  sterling 
integrity,  a  devoted  Christian,  and  deacon  in  the 
Congregational  Ciuirch  of  Montague.  He  died  in 
Burtonville,  N.  Y.,  Sept.  20,  1842.  Elizabeth 
Childs,  his  mother,  was  born  Feb.  17,  1769,  and 
died  April  19,  1835.  The  parents  of  Hiram  Root 
were  married  Feb.  6,  1794.  They  were  blessed  with 
a  family  of  ten  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this 
memoir  was  the  seventh. 

The  earlier  years  of  Hiram  Root's  life  were  spent 
upon  his  father's  farm  in  Montague.  His  educa- 
tional advantages  were  few,  and  confined  entirely  to 
the  common  schools.  When  he  reached  his  majority 
he  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  hats  and  cloth,  in 
which  he  continued  until  1832,  when  he  removed  to 
Deerfield  to  reside  with  his  uncle,  Simeon  Ciiilds. 
He  was  married  April  30,  1829,  to  Caroline  Hanson, 
who  was  born  in  East  Deerfield,  Oct.  28,  1809. 
They  had  a  family  of  four  children,  all  daughters, 
only  one  of  whom  survives,  viz.,  Helen,  wife  of 
Albert  Stebbins. 

Mr.  Childs,  at  his  decease,  left  his  farm  to  his 
nephew,  but  Mr.  Root,  not  having  any  particular 
taste  for  farming,  leased  the  farm,  and  again  engaged 
in   manufacturing,  first  stoves,  then   lead   pipe,  and 


afterward  straw-cutters.  He  was  the  first  in  the 
Connecticut  Valley  to  cultivate  and  manufacture 
sorghum.  He  was  very  successful  in  business,  and 
accumulated  a  comfortable  fortune.  In  politics  he 
was  a  Republican,  but  never  sought  public  office. 

Mr.  Root's  mechanical  and  inventive  powers  were 
of  a  high  order,  and  he  was  never  so  happy  as 
wiien  surrounded  by  machinery,  with  an  o[)jiortunity 
for  the  study  of  its  mechanism  and  possible  improve- 
ment. He  was  a  man  of  great  liberality,  of  strictest 
integrity,  and  unblemished  reputation.  He  was  of  a 
jiarticularly  energetic  disposition,  never  feeling  that 
anything  was  too  great  for  him  to  undertake,  and  he 
seldom  failed  in  his  endeavors.  Indeed,  so  full  of 
energy  and  activity  was  he,  that  it  was  laughingly 
said  among  his  friends  that  "  he  never  sto|)ped  to 
walk  until  after  he  was  sixty  years  old."  He  wa.s 
social  and  genial,  delighting  in  jokes,  and  was  es- 
pecially fond  of  children  and  pets  of  all  kinds. 

His  sudden  death,  Jan.  13,  1874,  was  a  shock  to 
the  community,  every  member  of  which  felt  it  as  the 
loss  of  a  personal  friend.  He  died  of  heart  disease, 
from  which  he  had  suffered  for  over  two  years. 
His  sufferings  were  borne  with  great  patience,  and 
his  energy  never  left  him.  Indeed,  death  claimed 
him  in  the  midst  of  active  business  and  usefulness. 
He  still  lives  in  the  hearts  of  those  who  knew  and 
loved  him. 


HISTORY  OF  FRANKLIN   COUNTY. 


613 


Efv.  Henr}-  Seymour,  son  of  Horace,  of  Hadley,  was  born 
in  1816  ;  graduated  at  Amherst  College  in  1838  ;  Union  Tbe- 
ological  Seminary,  in  New  York,  in  1842.  He  married,  in 
1844,  Laura  I.  Fish,  of  Shelburne;  (2d)  1851,  Sophia  Wil- 
liams, of  Ashticld.  Settled  pastor  March  1,  1843;  dismissed 
March  14,  1849 ;  settled  at  Hawley  Oct.  3,  1849,  where  he  is 
still  in  charge. 

Rev.  Alfred  E.  Ives  was  born  in  New  Haven  in  1809 ; 
graduated  at  Yale  College  in  1837 ;  studied  theology  at  New 
Haven;  pastor  of  Colebrool<  in  1838-48;  settled  here  Sept.  5, 
1849;  dismissed  in  1855;  removed  to  Castine,  Me. 

Eev.  Robert  Crawford,  D.D.,  was  born  in  Paisley,  Scotland, 
in  1804;  came  with  his  father  to  Canada  in  1821.  After  a  few 
years  of  frontier  life  in  the  woods,  he  became  an  operative  in 
a  cotton-mill  at  Hoosick  Falls,  N.  Y.,  in  1826.  After  three 
j'cars  there,  and  two  or  three  more  in  a  mill  at  Bennington, 
Yt.,  he  entered  "Williams  College,  graduating  in  1836  ;  was  a 
year  or  two  tutor  there.  He  studied  theology  at  Princeton, 
N.  J.,  and  at  the  Union  Theological  Seminary  in  New  York, 
and  was  ordained  pastor  at  North  Adams,  Aug.  20,  1840.  He 
married,  Sept.  30,  1840,  Ellen  M.,  daughter  of  President 
Griffin,  of  Williams  College.  Jan.  13,  1858,  be  was  installed 
in  Deerfield,  where  he  still  remains,  an  example  to  his  fellows 
and  an  honor  to  the  town.  He  received  the  honorary  degree 
of  D.D.  from  Jeft'ersou  College  in  1858;  he  was  State  Senator 
in  1863. 

Meeting-TIouses. — Previous  to  Philip's  war  the  settlers  wor- 
shiped in  the  garrisoned  houses,  and  made  no  attempt,  so 
far  as  we  learn,  to  build  a  meeting-house.  The  first  one 
erected  was  about  1G84 ;  this  was  doubtless  of  logs,  the  walls 
daubed  with  clay,  and  the  roof  thatched.  Oct.  30,  1694,  the 
town  voted  "to  build  a  new  meeting-house"  on  Meeting-house 
Hill  "  the  bigness  of  Hatfield  meeting-house,  only  the  height 
to  be  left  to  ye  judgment  and  determination  of  ye  committee." 
The  location  was  also  left  to  the  same  body.  It  stood  a  few 
rods  west  of  north  from  the  soldiers'  monument,  a  frame 
building  about  tliirty  feet  square,  two  stories  high,  with 
Lipped  roof,  on  the  centre  of  which  rose  a  steeple  with  spire 
and  vane.  Three  doors  led  to  the  interior,  which  was  fur- 
nished with  eight  long  seats  on  each  side  of  a  narrow  aisle, 
running  from  the  front  door  to  the  pulpit,  which  was  perched 
against  the  wall  opposite  ;  a  gallery  occupying  the  other  three 
Bides,  the  front  one  containing  four  rows  of  seats,  and  those 
on  the  side  three  each.  This  building  was  covered  with 
shingles  and  clapboarded.  Two  years  after  the  vote  to  build 
it  was  so  far  finished  that  a  committee  was  chosen  "to  be 
seaters,  to  seat,  y'  is  to  say,  to  determine  where  every  person 
to  be  seated  shall  sit  in  y''  new  meeting-house.  Y'=  Rules  for 
Seating  to  be  Age,  State,  and  Dignity." 

The  galleries  were  not  completed  until  about  1701,  when  a 
new  classification  of  the  sittings  was  required.  At  a  town- 
meeting,  Oct.  2,  1701,  "As  to  estimation  of  seats,  y"  town 
agreed  and  voted  that  y°  fore  seat  in  y'  front  Gallery  shall  be 
equall  in  dignity  with  the  2d  seat  in  the  body  of  the  Meeting- 
House ;  that  y"  fore  seat  in  y"  side  Gallery  shall  be  equall  in 
dignity  with  the  4th  seat  in  the  body  of  the  Meeting-House ; 
that  y"  2d  seat  in  the  front  Gallery,  and  y''  hind  seat  in  the 
front  Gallery,  shall  be  equall  in  dignity  to  y"  5th  seat  in  y" 
Bodj-;"  and  so  on,  gravely  settling  the  grade  of  each  seat 
in  the  house.  A  more  difficult  job,  it  would  seem, — that  of 
"dignifying"  and  grading  the  congregation, — was  left  to  a 
committee  of  Capt.  Wells,  Lieut.  Hoyt,  Ens.  Sheldon,  Sergt. 
Hawks,  and  Deacon  French,  to  be  done  by  "  age,  estate,  place, 
and  qualifications." 

In  1803  the  trustees  of  Deerfield  Academy  had  leave  of  the 
town  to  "  build  pews  for  students  in  the  back  parts  of  the 
North  and  South  Galleries."  The  boys  were  seated  in  the 
former,  the  girls  in  the  latter.  In  this  building  Mr.  Williams 
began  and  ended  his  ministry.  Here,  in  1709,  he  had  leave 
"  to  build  a  pew  for  his  wife  and  family  to  sit  in,  in  one  of 


the  places  left  for  a  guard-seat."  At  the  same  time,  Samuel 
Williams,  Jonathan  Wells,  and  Samuel  Barnard  had  leave  to 
"build  a  sete  or  pue  in  ye  (Sther  gard-seat  place."  In  1713 
the  dignity  of  the  front  gallery  seat  was  lowered  one  peg,  and 
made  equal  only  "  to  the  3d  seat  in  the  Body."' 

Third  Meeting-House.— 1\\(t  town  voted,  Oct.  25,  1728,  to 
build  a  new  meeting-house,  to  be  covered  in  1729.  The  next 
April  the  selectmen  were  instructed  to  "procure  a  suitable 
quantity  of  Drink  and  Cake  to  be  spent  at  y'  Raising  of  y" 
Meeting-house."  This  house  was  forty  by  fifty  feet,  and 
covered  the  spot  on  which  stands  the  soldiers'  monument,  the 
front  on  the  west  line  of  Ihe  street,  the  south  end  ranging  a 
few  feet  south  of  the  Dickinson  Academy,  two  stories  high, 
roof  two-sided,  with  a  steeple  rising  from  the  centre,  sur- 
mounted by  a  brass  ball  and  cock,  the  same  cock  doing  duty 
since  1824  on  the  spire  of  the  brick  meeting-house.  By  this 
arrangement  of  the  steeple,  the  bell-rope  came  down  to  the 
centre  aisle,  in  front  of  the  pulpit.  Like  the  old  house,  there 
were  three  doors  of  entrance  and  galleries  on  three  sides,  the 
pulpit  on  the  west  side,  opposite  the  front  door,  with  deacons' 
seat  in  front,  facing  the  same  way.  Pews  were  gradually 
erected  in  place  of  long  seats,  but  not  until  1787  was  the  whole 
lower  floor  occupied  by  them.  In  1768  the  steeple  was  taken 
down,  and  a  new  one  built  from  the  ground  at  the  north  end  ; 
this  was  square  at  the  bottom,  and  afforded  a  porch  for  the 
north  door,  and  stairs  to  the  north  gallery.  An  elaborate  porch 
was  built  over  the  south  door,  with  stairs  to  the  south  gallery  ; 
the  old  inside  stairs  at  the  northeast  and  southeast  corners 
were  removed.  A  larger  bell  was  procured,  a  clock  bought  by- 
subscription,  the  cock  new  gilded,  and  set  sentinel  over  all. 
The  main  building  was  furni.shed  with  new  windows,  newly 
clapboarded,  and  painted  stone-color,  the  doors  being  choco- 
late. 

In  1818  the  town  was  divided  into  two  parishes.  The  north 
part,  the  "First  Congregational  Parish  in  Deerfield,"  retained 
the  old  meeting-house. 

Fourth  Meeting-House. — December,  1823,  steps  were  taken  in 
this  parish  to  build  a  new  meeting-house,  and  the  corner- 
stone was  laid  with  appropriate  ceremonies,  Jan.  1,  1824. 
The  building,  of  brick,  was  dedicated  Dec.  22,  1824.  The 
cost  of  the  structure  was  about  §6000;  the  site,  paid  for  by  a 
subscription,  §530.  The  old  cock,  with  feathers  new  bur- 
ni.shed,  was  restored  to  his  perch,  where  he  has  seen  the  genera- 
tions of  men  come  and  go,  and  faced  the  storms  of  one  hundred 
and  fifty  years. 

The  Orthodox  Society,  at  the  old  street,  built  a  meeting- 
house on  Memorial  Lane  in  1838. 

The  Second  Congregational  Society,  at  Bloody  Brook,  built 
a  meeting-house  in  1821 ;  this  was  removed  to  a  new  site  in 
1848  ;  large  additions  and  repairs  were  made  in  1865. 

A  meeting-house  was  built  for  the  Monument  Society  in 
1848.  In  1871  it  was  sold  to  the  Catholics,  by  whom  it  is  still 
occupied. 

The  Methodist  meeting-house  at  Bloody  Brook  was  built  in 
1848. 

The  meeting-house  for  the  Baptists  at  Wisdom  was  built  in 
1810-11. 

THE   SECOND   CONGBEaA.TIONAL   SOCIETY    (OKTHODO.X) 

was  organized  at  Bloody  Brook,  June  30,  1818.  As  early  as 
1767  money  was  occasionally  voted  to  hire  preaching  in  the 
south  part  of  the  town  during  the  bad  travel.ing,  and  for  sev- 
eral years  before  1783,  President  Timothy  Dwight,  of  Yale 
College,  then  a  young  man,  was  employed  to  preach  there. 
Rev.  Benjamin  Rice,  the  first  pastor,  was  born  in  Sturbridge 
in  1784;  graduated  at  Brown  University  in  1808,  at  Andover 
Theological  Seminary  in  1811  ;  pastor  at  Skaneateles,  1813- 
17;  installed  here  Feb.  10,  1819;  dismissed  1827;  pastor  at 
Gloucester,  Me.,  1828-35;  at  Buxton,  Me.,  183;5-42  ;  preached 
at  Winchendon,  Mass.,  1843-46.      Mr.  Rice  married  Harriet 


614 


HISTORY  OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


Barrett,  of  Sharon,  Conn. ;  (2d)  Almira  Whipple,  of  Charl- 
ton ;  (3d)  Lncy  Whitney,  of  Winchendon.  He  died  July  12, 
1847. 

Tertius  S.  Clarke  was  born  in  Westhampton  in  1799  ;  grad- 
uated at  Yale  College  in  1824  (D.D.  Hamilton  College, 
1856);  studied  theology  at  Auburn;  ordained  Oct.  3,  1827; 
dismissed  April  1,  1833;  pastor  at  Haddam,  Conn.,  1835-37; 
at  Stockbridgc,  1837-50;  at  Penn  Yan,  N.  Y.,  1850-53;  at 
i>anklin,  N.  Y.,  1853. 

Kev.  William  M.  Richards,  A.M.,  was  born  at  Hartford, 
Conn.,  in  1805;  graduated  at  Williams  College  in  1832; 
.studied  theology  at  Auburn;  ordained  Nov.  25,  1835;  dis- 
missed Sept.  6,  1843;  pastor  at  Norwich,  N.  Y.,  1844-45;  at 
Oxford,  N.  Y.,  184G ;  at  Hamilton,  N.  Y.,  1847-50;  at  Mor- 
risville,  N.  Y.,  1850-52;  removed  to  Waukegan,  Ills.,  1852. 

Eev.  Abraham  Jackson  was  born  in  Carver  in  1793;  grad- 
uated at  Bangor  Theological  Seminary  ;  ordained  pastor  at 
Maehias,  Me.,  1821;  dismissed  1834;  pastor  at  Kingston, 
1834 ;  at  Walpole,  N.  H.,  1838-45  ;  installed  at  Bloody  Brook, 
Oct.  22,  1845;  dismissed  1847;  preached  a  year  or  two  at 
Maehias,  and  until  1852  at  Quechee,  Vt.,  and  after  that  at 
Windsor,  Vt.  He  became  a  Unitarian  after  leaving  here, 
and  was  at  Waverly,  Iowa,  in  1872,  without  a  charge. 

Rev.  Moses  K.  Cross  was  born  in  Danvers  in  1812;  grad- 
uated at  Amherst  College  in  1838,  and  at  the  Theological 
School  of  Andover;  ordained  pastor  at  Palmer  in  1842;  dis- 
missed 1849;   installed  pastor  here,  Sept.  4,  1850;  dismissed. 

Eev.  P.  K.  Clark  graduated  at  Yale  College  in  1838,  where 
he  was  tutor;  installed  June  29,  1859;  dismi-ssed  Sept.  26, 
1805. 

Eev.  Edward  0.  Bartlett,  chaplain  in  the  war  of  the  Rebel- 
lion ;  installed  Jan.  17,  1867  ;  dismissed ,  1868  ;  settled  in 

Providence,  and  was  successor  of  Dr.  Todd  at  Pittsfield ;  now 
pastor  at  Lynnfield. 

Eev.  Simeon  Miller  came  from  the  First  Church  in  Holyoke; 
installed  April  13,  1870 ;  dismissed  1872. 

Rev.  Charles  S.  Brooks  graduated  at  Amherst  College  in 
1863;  installed  Jan.  14,  1873;  dismissed  April  17,  1877; 
settled  pastor  in  Putnam,  Conn. 

Rev.  Spencer  E.  Brownell  graduated  at  Amherst  College 
in  1872;  teacher  in  Japan  several  years;  ordained  tenth 
pastor  of  this  church,  July  2,  1878. 

JIOJfUMENT   CHURCH. 

A  serious  difficulty  arising  in  the  community  at  Bloody 
Brook,  a  party  seceded  from  the  Second  Church,  and  organ- 
ized the  "Monument  Church,"  Jan.  25,  1849. 

Eev.  David  A.  Strong  was  born  at  Haddam,  Conn.,  in  1820; 
graduated  at  William.s  College  in  1845;  at  the  Theological 
Institute  of  Windsor,  Conn.,  in  1843  ;  was  ordained  first  pastor 
March  21,  1849.  This  church  reunited  wifii  the  Second 
Church,  Sept.  26,  1865,  and  Mr.  Strong  was  dismissed.  He 
wa.s  a  representative  to  the  General  Court  from  District  No. 
4  in  1806. 

The  Methodist  Society  at  Bloody  Brook  was  organized  in 
1843. 

THE   BAPTIST    CHURCH    OF   SHELBURNE   AND    DEBRriELD 

was  organized  Feb.  26,  1787.  Deacon  Daniel  Long  was  called 
to  the  pastoral  office,  Aug.  27,  1791,  and  was  ordained  at  his 
own  house  in  Shelburne,  Sept.  19, 1 792.  He  was  a  faithful  min- 
ister of  this  church  until  his  death,  May  31,  1831.  In  1794 
the  question  of  building  a  nieeling-house  began  to  be  agitated. 
Before  1806  one  had  been  partly  built,  and  perhaps  finished. 
In  1809  it  was  agreed  to  build  a  meeting-house  between  Elder 
Long's  and  Aaron  Hawks'.  The  same  year  the  Deerlield 
part  of  the  society  agreed  to  build  a  meeting-house  in  Wis- 
dom. This  was  finished  in  1810.  On  the  death  of  Elder 
Long  the  Shelburne  people  withdrew,  and  the  cliurch  was  re- 
organized in  Wisdom,  under  the  title  of  the  "First  Baptist 
Society  in  Deerfield."     Some  trouble  ari  ing,  a  party  seceded 


and  formed  the  "  Second  Baptist  Society  in  Deerfield."  This 
branch,  Nov.  25,  1833,  took  the  name  of  the  "  Long  Ba|)tist 
Society  of  Deerfield."  Feb.  20,  1834,  the  "First  Baptist 
Church  in  Deerfield"  was  dissolved  by  a  majority  of  one  vote, 
and,  the  minority  applying  to  the  church  at  Sunderland  to  be 
organized  as  a  branch  of  that  church,  a  council  met,  June, 
1834,  and  decided  that  the  church  was  not  dissolved,  and 
could  not  be  by  a  simple  vote.  The  trouble  continuing,  a 
second  council,  August  27th,  advised  aggrieved  members  to 
ask  for  letters  of  dismission. 

Arra  Martin,  who  was  the  first  minister  of  the  First  Chnr<h, 
was  succeeded  in  1837  by  W.  II.  Dalrymple.  Edward  Hale 
was  the  minister  about  1841-45,  when  George  B.  Bills  was 
settled.  Milo  Frary  and  W.  A.  Pease  have  supplied  at  times 
since.     Of  late  there  has  been  no  regular  preaching. 

The  "Long  Baptist  Society"  was  supplied  by  Tristram 
Aldrich  for  about  seven  or  eight  years,  when  the  two  societies 
were  reunited. 

ROMAN    CATHOLIC. 

The  Eoman  Catholic  Church  at  Bloody  Brook  was  organ- 
ized in  1871.  The  society  occupies  the  meeting-house  built 
b}'  the  ^Monument  Society. 

BURIAL-PLACES. 
The  "  Old  Burying-Ground"  is  doubtless  the  spot  where  the 
first  settlers  deposited  their  dead.  It  is  located  at  the  lower 
end  of  Hitchcock  Lane,  and  was  the  west  end  of  the  "  town- 
lot"  set  apart  for  the  use  of  the  ministry.  For  more  than  a 
century  this  was  the  only  "  God's  acre"  in  the  town.  There 
rest  the  fathers  and  mothers  of  the  settlement.  In  one  awful 
grave,  undistinguished  save  by  a  faint  tradition,  lie  the 
ghastly  slain  of  Feb.  29,  1704.  There  the  murdered  Mrs. 
Williams  lies  beside  her  husband,  our  first  minister.  Few  of 
the  earlier  graves  are  marked  by  monuments ;  that  to  Joseph 
Barnard,  killed  b}'  Indians,  1094,  bears  the  oldest  date  to  be 
found.  There  rest  many  other  victims  of  the  Indian  wars, — 
John  Allen  and  wife,  slain  at  the  Bars,  May  11,  1704;  their 
gallant  grandson,  Samuel  Allen,  who  fell  defending  his  chil- 
dren, 1740;  Eleazer  Hawks,  Adonijah  Gillet,  Oliver  and 
Simeon  Amsden,  who  fell  at  the  same  time ;  Ebenczer  Shel- 
don, killed  in  1746.  Many  unmarked  graves  contain  the 
ashes  of  the  Broughtons,  Wellses,  Beldings, 'and  other  vic- 
tims of  inhuman  war.  Here  repose  at  least  nine  soldiers  who 
followed  Turner  through  the  turmoil  and  din  of  the  battle 
which  cost  him  his  life  and  named  the  scene  of  the  conflict, — 
William  Arms,  Eleazer  Hawks,  Philip  Mattoon,  Godfrey 
Nims,  Robert  Price,  William  Smead,  Benjamin  Wait,  Jona- 
than Wells,  the  yo\ing  hero  of  the  occasion,  and  his  brother, 
Thomas  Wells. 

The  first  recorded  notice  of  this  ground  was  made  in  1703.  It 
was  used  by  the  larger  part  of  the  town  until  1800,  when  a  new 
lot  was  opened  on  Fort  Hill,  east  of  the  town  street,  which  has 
since  been  the  princii)al  receptacle  for  our  dead.  The  South 
Wisdom  ground  was  used  for  burial  purposes  about  a  hundred 
years  ago.  This  does  not  appear  to  have  been  town  property. 
It  lies  in  a  pasture,  and  has  long  been  unused;  the  gravestones 
are  in  a  ruinous  conditidn.  About  the  same  time  the  burying- 
ground  in  North  Wisdom,  called  the  "  Robber's  Yard,"  began 
to  be  occupied.  In  1804  the  town  voted  not  to  take  a  deed  of 
this  land.  In  1803  the  old  grave-yard  at  Bloody  Brook,  con- 
taining three-quarters  of  an  acre,  was  bought  by  the  town  of 
Zebediah  Graves.  Probably  it  had  been  occupied  some  years 
before.  The  new  ground  of  four  acres,  near  the  Whately 
line,  was  bought  of  the  same  man  in  1848.  In  a  pasture  at 
Pine  Nook,  on  the  old  Brigham  farm,  lies  a  deserted  grave- 
yard of  unknown  origin,  unused  for  fifty  or  sixty  years.  A 
new  one  was  opened  in  that  district  about  1812.  In  1816  the 
town  voted  §25  to  fence  it,  on  condition  the  owner  give  a  deed 
to  the  town.  No  deed  has  been  found.  In  1811,  E.  H.  Wil- 
liams sold  to  the  town  half  an  acre  north  of  the  Baptist  meet- 


Charles  E.  Williams  was 
born  in  Deerfield,  Franklin  Co., 
Mass.,  Feb.  29,  1824.  He  is 
the  youngest  son  of  Horace 
and  Mary  Williams. 

Horace  Williams,  his  father, 
was  born  in  Deerfield,  July  25, 
1784.  Mary  Nims,  his  mother, 
was  born  in  the  same  town. 
May  9,  1786.  They  were 
married  May  .31,  1811.  Their 
son,  Charles  E.,  received  the 
rudiments  of  his  education  in 
the  common  schools,  and  com- 
pleted it  in  the  Deerfield  Acad- 
emy. He  is  a  farmer,  and  has 
always  lived  upon  the  farm 
which  he  inherited  from  his 
father.  The  property  was 
heavily  encumbered  when  it 
came    into    his   possession,  but 


he  has  satisfied  all  claims  and 
materially  improved  it.  The 
farm  at  present  contains  two 
hundred  and  ten  acres. 

In  politics,  Mr.  Williams  is 
a  Democrat,  and  a  stauncli  sup- 
porter of  his  party.  He  has 
served  in  the  capacity  of  select- 
man for  three  years. 

He  was  married,  Nov.  27, 
1856,  to  Helen  L.  Field.  She 
was  born  in  Conway,  March  2, 
1837.  They  have  five  children, 
all  living.  They  are:  Henry 
F.,  born  July  30,  1858;  Mary 
N.,  born  Dec.  14,  1860; 
Charles  W.,  born  Nov.  8, 
1864;  Nellie  R.,  born  March 
1,  1867,  and  Alice  Maud, 
born    March  26,  1871. 


Plioto.  by  PopkiDs,  Greenfield. 


-J^ 


laigfllBlKl©!!  ©[?   ©Hia^ILlg  E.   WBiy^B 

SOUTH    DEERf'iELO,    MASS. 


Mrs,  Esther  (Harding) 
Dickinson  was  born  in  Whate- 
ly,  Mass.,  Feb.  13, 1790.  She 
was  the  daughter  of  Capt.  Abi- 
jali  Harding,  and  a  descendant 
of  Abraham  Harding,  who  came 
to  this  country  from  England 
in  1023.  She  married  Consider 
Dickinson,  a  successful  farmer 
in  Deerfield,  Jan.  7, 1840,  when 
he  was  seventy-nine  years  old 
and  she  was  fifty.  They  lived 
together  peacefully  and  happily 
until  his  death,  Dec.  16,  1854, 
at  the  age  of  ninety-three  years 
and  ten  months. 

He  left  his  property,  the  accu- 
mulated earnings  and  savings  of 
many  years,  to  his  wife.  She 
lived  in  a  simple,  unostentatious 
way,  a  thoroughly  good  woman, 
honest  and  upright  in  all  her 
dealings.  She  survived  her 
husband  twenty-one  years,  and 
died,  June  15,  1875,  at  the  age 
of  eighty-five.  By  her  will  she 
bequeathed  the  bulk  of  her 
property  —  to   the   amount   of 


Qr/y^T^e/'^ 


C^-n^ 


$60,000  — to  trustees  for  the 
establishment  and  maintenance 
of  a  high  school,  library,  and 
reading-room,  to  be  located  on 
her  "  home  lot"  in  Deerfield. 
The  trustees  also  received  from 
the  Deerfield  Academy,  when 
the  property  was  merged  into 
that  received  from  Mrs.  Dickin- 
son, about  $18,000,  and  in  1878 
they  proceeded  to  eiect  a  build- 
ing for  the  use  of  the  school 
and  library.  This  building, 
with  a  valuable  apparatus,  etc., 
cost  about  $24,000.  It  was 
dedicated  Dec.  31,  1878,  and 
the  school  opened  under  the 
charge  of  J.  Y.  Bergen,  Jr., 
A.M. 

It  is  the  expectation  of  the 
trustees  that  this  will  be  a  first- 
class  institution,  where  pupils 
can  be  fitted  for  college,  for 
scientific  schools,  and  for  busi- 
ness, while  at  the  same  time  it 
furnishes  to  the  inhabitants  of 
Deerfield  a  high  school  without 
cost  to  them. 


DEERFIELD,    MASS. 


IIISTOEY   OF   FRANKLIN   COUNTY. 


G15 


ing-house  for  a  buryiiig-ground.  This  is  now  in  use  for  that 
part  of  the  town.  In  1808  the  town  voted  to  buy  a  burial- 
place  at  Great  Kiver,  near  Jona.  Cobbs',  which  had  been  pre- 
viously occupied.     No  deed  of  this  is  found.     At  Mill  River 

a  burial-yard  was  established  about .     In  1826  the  town 

voted  to  fence  this  ground,  provided  Mr.  JIawks  will  give  it 
a  deed  of  the  land.  In  18-59  the  lot  w^as  enlarged  by  land 
bought  of  Messrs.  Timothy  and  Charles  Phelps.  There  are 
also  several  private  burial-places, — Stebbins',  at  Sugar-Loaf ; 
De  Wolf  and  Hawks',  in  South  "SVi.sdom,  and  two  belonging 
to  the  Catholics,  in  North  Wisdom,  near  the  Greenfield  line; 
and  a  part  of  the  new  "  Greenfield  Cemetery''  lies  within  our 
territory. 

SCHOOLS. 
In  1694,  Mrs.  Hannah  Beaman  was  keeping  school  on  her 
own  home-lot  when  the  town  was  assaulted.  This  is  the  first 
notice  of  a  school.  In  her  will,  dated  172.3,  Mrs.  Beaman  left 
her  lands  to  the  town  for  a  school  fund.  In  1698,  a  scliool- 
house  was  built,  21  by  18  feet, — seven-foot  posts.  Each  head 
of  a  family  was  to  pay  for  the  support  of  schools,  whether  their 
children  attended  or  not.  In  1700,  the  first  school  committee 
was  John  Catlin,  John  Hawks,  and  John  Stebbins.  In  1703, 
Mr.  John  Kichards  was  chosen  to  keep  school  a  year  for  £25, 
to  be  paid  one-third  in  barley,  two-thirds  in  wheat,  corn,  or 
rye, — no  oats  receivable.  In  1717,  the  school-house  was  sold 
to  Joseph  Alexander  for  £.5.  In  1722,  a  master  was  hired  to 
teach  reading,  writing,  and  ciphering.  In  1737,  a  school- 
house  was  built.  Ill  1732,  a  school-dame  was  employed  for 
Green  Kiver,  and  a  schoolmaster  in  1740.  In  1744,  £60  were 
allowed  Green  River  for  schools  and  preaching.  In  1748, 
Betty  Childs  was  emplojed  as  teacher.  In  1749,  evening 
school  was  established.  In  1750,  a  master  the  year  round. 
In  1752,  Eleazer  May  was  master.  In  1758,  Nicholas  Street 
was  master.  In  1754,  Levi  Dickinson.  In  1755,  James  Tay- 
lor was  master.  In  1760,  a  school-house  was  built  south  of 
Meeting-house  Hill, — Seth  Phelps  teacher.  In  1767-70,  Rufus 
"Wells  was  employed.  In  1767,  a  school-house  was  built  at 
Bloody  Brook,  where  a  master  to  teach  reading  and  writing 
was  allowed  iu  1770.  In  1767-68,  Rebecca  Childs  was  school- 
dame.  Before  the  close  of  the  Revolution  the  principal 
teachers  were  David  Dickinson,  Daniel  Cooley,  Samuel  Bar- 
nard, Daniel  Fish,  Elihu  Ashley.  In  1779,  a  school-house 
was  built  at  Wapping.  In  1782,  a  master  was  hired  to  keep  a 
grammar  school.  In  1787,  the  town  was  divided  into  six  dis- 
tricts,— No.  1,  Town  Street  and  Cheapside;  2,  Bloody  Brook; 
3,  Wisdom  ;  4,  Wapping  and  Bars ;  5,  Mill  River ;  6,  Great 
Kiver.  The  number  of  districts  has  been  changed  from  time 
to  time  as  the  original  districts  have  been  subdivided  and  re- 
united. The  district  system  was  continued  until  abolished  by- 
law. In  1790  a  school-house  burned,  and  a  new  one  was  built 
in  1791.  Schools  have  been  kept  in  many  of  the  present  houses 
in  town,  cither  private  or  public.  Gradually  houses  for  schools 
were  built  in  each  district.  All  these  are  now  owned  by  the 
town.  In  1787,  fifteen  citizens  of  the  town,  feeling  the  need 
of  instruction  of  a  higher  grade,  organized  a  company,  and 
built  a  school-house  on  the  spot  where  Philo  Munn's  shop 
stands.  Each  share  representing  two  scholarships,  the  school 
could  not  exceed  30  scholars.  Freegrace  Reynolds,  a  graduate 
of  Yale,  was  employed  as  teacher. 

DEERFIELD   ACADEMY. 

An  act  establishing  this  institution  was  approved  by  Gov. 
Adams,  March  21,  1797.  The  same  year  §2700  were  raised  by 
subscription,  in  sums  from  $20  to  $100,  for  the  building  and  for 
a  fund.  The  school  building  was  put  up — 60  by  28,  of  brick, 
two  stories — in  1798,  and  dedicated  Jan.  1,  1799. 

This  academy  at  once  took  rank  among  the  best  in  the  land. 
The  attendance  of  scholars  the  first  year  was  292,  from  forty- 
one  ditferent  towns.  Many  who  have  held  high  stations  in 
the  community  were  graduates  or  teachers  in  this  school. 


In  1859,  the  academy  was  merged  in  the  town  high  school. 
In  1878,  its  funds  were  transferred  to  the  trustees  of  the  Deer- 
field  Academy  and  Dickinson  High  School,  to  be  used  in  con- 
nection with  the  bequest  of  Mrs.  Esther  Dickin.son.  An  ac- 
count of  this  school  will  be  found  elsewhere. 

The  brick  school-house  that  stood  on  the  common  was  built 
in  18 — ,  and  burned  in  1840. 

A  high  school  was  established  in  1860  at  Bloody  Brook. 

INDUSTRIAL    PURSUITS. 

Agriculture  has  always  been  the  leading  industry  of  our 
population.  The  first  settlers  cultivated  successfully  wheat, 
Indian  corn,  barley,  rye,  and  oats.  Flax  was  a  crop  essential 
to  a  livelihood,  contributing  largely  to  clothing  and  household 
stuff.  Sheep-husbandry  was  equally  necessary  for  the  same 
ends.  Both  continued  indispensable  so  long  as  cloth-making 
was  a  home  industry.  For  more  than  a  century  barlej'-malt 
was  an  article  of  traffic,  and  home-brewed  beer  a  daily  bev- 
erage. Tobacco  was  raised  as  early  as  1694,  and  as  a  field 
crop  about  1790.  For  about  twenty-five  years  this  weed  has 
been  the  staple  crop.  In  1869  our  town  produced  nearly  400 
tons. 

Previous  to  the  reign  of  tobacco,  beef  was  king  for  several 
generations  in  the  valley  of  the  Connecticut.  A  man  of  stand- 
ing was  largely  estimated  by.  the  number,  and  especially  by 
the  quality,  of  his  fat  oxen.  I'nder  this  dynasty  Deertield 
held  many  "lords  of  the  valley"  and  a  few  princes  of  the 
realm.  These  were  well  known  to  the  epicures  of  New  York 
and  Boston. 

In  the  early  days  every  man's  house  was  a  factory,  and  the 
family  all  operatives  ;  the  men  made  their  plows,  yokes,  carts, 
drags,  shovels,  scythe-snaths,  rakes,  forks,  flails,  mortars, 
bowls,  plates,  household  furniture,  fiax-brakes,  corn-fans, 
and  sometimes  spinning-wheels  ;  the  women  carded,  spun, 
wove,  and  made  up  their  garments  of  linen,  tow,  linsey- 
woolsey,  flannel,  and  fulled  cloth.  "Arbs"  furnished  tea, 
and  the  maple  their  sugar.  The  people  lived  oil'  the  land ; 
the  blacksmith  made  the  plowshares,  cart-irons,  chains,  axes, 
hoes,  and  scythes  ;  the  tanner  furnished  the  leather  ;  and  the 
shoemaker  made  shoes, slippers,  moccasins,  and  horse-tackling. 
A  few  articles  of  prime  necessity,  like  rum,  iron,  steel,  brass, 
and  pewter  utensils,  were  imported.  A  division  of  labor  ob- 
tained after  a  while,  and  a  century  ago  we  had  handicraft-men 
in  abundance,  which  increase  with  our  growth, — bakers,  bar- 
bers, button-makers,  blacksmiths,  bookbinders,  brick-makers, 
cabinet-makers,  carpenters,  distillers,  gunsmiths,  gravestone- 
cutters,  hatters,  jewelers,  joiners,  saddlers,  shoemakers,  tailors, 
tanners,  wagon-makers,  weavers,  wig-makers. 

Lumber  was  at  first  sawed  in  ■■  saw-pits,"  corn  pounded  in 
mortars,  or  taken  horseback  to  Hatfield  mill.  In  1690  mills 
were  established  here.  From  time  to  time  mills  have  been 
built  in  differeut  parts  of  the  town  to  supply  its  needs. 
Little  lumber  or  grain  had  been  manufactured  for  exporta- 
tion. Fifty  years  ago  a  large  number  of  brooms  were  made 
from  broom-corn,  with  wliich  our  meadows  were  wellnigh 
covered ;  the  brooms  were  sold  about  the  country  by  ped- 
dlers, and  later  sent  to  New  York  and  Boston  for  a  market. 

Considerable  business  was  done,  171.5-95,  by  Joseph  Steb- 
bins and  Zadock  Hawks,  who  owned  tanneries  on  adjoining 
lots.  Much  of  their  stock  was  worked  up  by  them  into  shoes, 
tump-lines,*  and  soldiers'  accoutrements.  The  Hawks  estab- 
lishment was  carried  on  by  Zenas  Hawks  a  generation  longer. 
At  Bloody  Brook,  Samuel  D.  Billings  carried  on  the  business 
of  tanning  until  his  works  were  burned,  about  1873. 

Pocket-books  of  every  variety  have  been  manufactured  for 
forty  vears  at  this  village.  In  1869,  Charles  Arms  employed 
75  hands,  and  produced  a  value  of  §92,000 ;  Pease  &  Rudduck, 
24  hands,  with  a  product  of  §22,000 ;  L.  L.  Eaton  turned  out 

*  A.  strip  or  lyie  to  put  across  the  f .>reliea«l,  t  >  cn.ibl j  oue  tj  i-arry  a  pa..-li. 


616 


HISTORY   OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


?4000;  North  &  Mishow,  51000;  Hamilton  &  Co.,  with  2G 
hiinds,  produced  a  value  of  940,000.  In  lumber  and  grain, 
D.  L.  Goddard  produced  $3.5,000.  In  two  shops  carriages  to 
the  amount  of  §8000  were  manufactured  the  same  year. 

At  the  Mill  village  R.  N.  Porter  produced  $35,000  manu- 
facturing lumber,  grain,  and  husks,  and  W.  W.  Porter  about 
$.')000  in  grain.  Robert  Child.s,  in  lumber  and  grain,  on  Port 
Hill,  handled  a  value  of  l?2.!J,000.  John  J.  Greenough,  in  the 
same  locality,  made  cider  and  vinegar,  with  sales  of  $1500. 
He  has  since  manufactured  pickles.  From  the  lumber-mills 
of  C.  C.  Bates  and  Smith  &  Phelps  $7000  worth  was  turned 
out.     Wm.  P.  Allen  made  shingles  to  the  amount  of  $3000. 

The  John  Kus.sell  Cutlery  Works,  the  pioneer  in  America, 
established  about  forty  years  ago,  had,  in  1869,  a  capital  of 
$520,000.  It  produced  in  that  year  knives  to  the  value  of 
$721,000,  employing  500  men  and  consuming  $85,000  worth 
of  stock.* 

Before  the  advent  of  railroads,  Cheapside,  being  at  the  head 
of  "  fall  boat"'  navigation  on  the  Pocomptuck,  was  a  place  of 
considerable  trade.  Goods  were  hauled  by  teams  from  here  to 
Greenfield  and  the  towns  to  the  north  and  west.  A  cooper- 
shop,  an  establishment  for  barreling  beef,  and  a  cabinet-shop 
were  located  here,  and  other  industries. 

OBJECTS  OF  INTEREST. 

The  Pocomptuck  Valley  Memorial  Association,  with  head- 
quarters at  DeertieUl,  was  incorporated  by  an  act  of  the  Legis- 
lature in  1870.  The  then  "  Trustees  of  the  Old  Indian  House 
Door" — George  Sheldon,  Robert  Crawford,  Nathaniel  Hitch- 
cook,  Luke  Wright,  and  Samuel  F.  Wells — were  named  as  cor- 
porators. The  meeting  for  organization  was  held  May  20, 
1870.  The  officers  chosen  were  George  Sheldon,  President; 
Josiah  D.  Canning,  of  Gill,  and  James  M.  Crafts,  of  Whately, 
Vice-Presidents ;  Recording  Secretary  and  Treasurer,  Na- 
thaniel Hitchcock ;  Coi-rcsponding  Secretary,  Rev.  Robert 
Crawford,  D. D.  ;  Councillors,  Rev.  P.  N.  Finch,  of  Green- 
field ;  I).  O.  Fish,  of  Shelburne  ;  Jonathan  Johnson,  of  Mon- 
tague ;  Moses  Stebbins,  of  Bloody  Brook  ;  Rev.  Edgar  Buck- 
ingham, L.  W.  Rice,  of  Greenfield.  The  date  of  the  annual 
meeting  was  fixed  for  the  last  Tuesday  in  February.  The 
president,  secretaries,  and  treasurer  have  been  annually  re- 
elected. The  objects  of  the  association  are  collecting  and  pre- 
serving memorials,  books,  papers,  ancient  furniture,  relics, 
implomeiits,  etc.,  which  may  tend  to  illustrate  the  history  of 
bygone  generations,  both  Indian  and  English. 

The  association  has  had  130  members,  scattered  through  the 
Northern  States.  It  now  owns  the  Deerfield  Academy  build- 
ing, which  will  soon  be  fitted  u])  to  receive  the  collections,  and 
be  the  Memorial  Hall. 

No  stranger  comes  to  Deerfield  but  has  heard  of  the  tragic 
events  of  Feb.  29,  1704,  and  has  a  curiosity  to  see  the  "  Old 
Indian  House  Door,"  with  its  rough  carvings  by  Indian 
hatchets.  This  relic— "old,  and  brave,  and  scarred" — is  now 
in  the  hands  of  the  Pocomptuck  Valley  Memorial  Association, 
and  will  soon  be  placed  in  Memorial  Hall. 

Around  the  spot  occupied  by  the  monument  at  Bloody 
Brook,  where  Ca])t.  Lothrop  and  the  flower  of  Essex 

"  their  lifli  currents  gave, 
.\nil  froni  that  stain,  tliat  spread  its  awful  hue 

O'er  streamlet  and  o'er  sod, 
Wliat  stainless  spiiits  wolio  their  way  and  lli-d, 

Triumpliing-,  to  their  God  !" 

The  matchless  oration  of  Edward  Everett  wheu  laying  the 
corner-stone  in  1835,  and  a  poem  by  his  gifted  son  at  the  bi- 
centennial celebration  of  the  massacre,  which  is  one  of  the 
finest  lyrics  in  the  language,  will  always  be  associated  with 
the  fate  of  Lothrop  and  his  men. 

Wequamps,!  an  eminence  of  500feet,  overlooking  the  spot,  is 


*No\v  at  Turner's  Falls. 


f  Sugar  liOaf. 


much  visited  for  the  beautiful  prospect  it  gives.  Pocomptuck 
Rock,  towering  750  feet  above  the  Old  Street,  is  a  locality  un- 
surpassed in  the  quiet  beauty  of  the  landscape  it  presents, 
— "not  excepting  the  Bay  of  Naples,"  says  a  distinguished 
traveler. 

The  scene  of  the  Bars  fight  is  a  point  of  historic  interest, 
and,  near  by,  the  romantic  Stillwater,  where  the  wearied  Po- 
comptuck sleeps  in  a  cradle  wliicli  it  has  quarried  hundreds  of 
feet  dee]i  fnnn  the  solid  rock. 

The  grand  old  trees  which  sentinel  the  Old  Street  and  shade 
its  quiet  walks  are  rarely  excelled,  while  the  Cliampney  elm, 
queen  of  them  all  in  size,  grace,  and  majestic  beauty,  has 
scarce  its  fellow  in  all  New  England. 

LIimARIES. 

Before  the  close  of  the  last  century  there  was  an  agricul- 
tural library  here,  and  another  devoted  to  military  science. 
Soon  after,  there  appears  a  "  Union  Library,''  which,  perhaps, 
absorbed  the  others.  The  Union  was  finally  dissolved  and 
scattered,  and  upon  its  ruins  was  founded  the  "Social  Li- 
brary," which  contained  about  4000  volumes  in  1830.  This 
being  broken  and  getting  behind  the  times,  a  more  radical 
club  was  started  in  1840.  This  now  exists  as  the  "  Deerfield 
Reading  Association,"  with  about  2000  volumes.  Its  main 
features  have  been  periodical  literature  and  history.  It  has  met 
every  Thursday  night  since  its  organization.  Its  librarians 
have  been  Charles  Williams,  E.  H.  Ames,  Geo.  Sheldon,  C. 
M.  Crittenden,  Alanson  Thayer,  C.  S.  Williams,  James  C. 
Hitchcock,  Nathaniel  Hitchcock,  Eliza  D.  Williams,  and 
Martha  G.  Pratt,  who  is  now  serving  her  eighteenth  year. 

A  juvenile  library  was  founded  some  sixty  years  ago,  which 
was  probably  the  foundation  of  the  first  Congregational  Sun- 
day-school library.  A  library  was  established  at  Bloody 
Brook  a  few  j'ears  ago,  which  is  increasing  in  strength  and 
usefulness.  The  new  town  library  of  the  Dickinson  bequest 
will  be  spoken  of  elsewhere. 

MEN  OF  NOTE  BORN  IN  DEERFIELD. 

Maj.  Salah  Barnard,  son  of  Ebenezer,  was  born  in  1725,  and 
was  a  soldier,  merchant,  tavern-keeper,  and  farmer.  He  mar- 
ried, in  1765,  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Jeremiah  Nims.  He  was 
in  the  old  French  war,  and  served  under  Capts.  Thomas  Ste- 
vens, John  Hawks,  and  other  partisan  otficers.  He  was  in  the 
Canada  expeditions  in  the  last  French  war,  in  1757,  as  lieu- 
tenant in  Capt.  Burk's  Rangers;  in  1758,  as  lieutenant  under 
Capt.  John  Catlin,and  on  the  death  of  the  latter  he  was  made 
captain.  With  this  company  he  served  in  Col.  Ruggles'  regi- 
ment, and  was  with  the  army  of  conquest  in  Canada  with  the 
commission  of  a  major.  At  the  fall  of  Fort  William  Henry 
he  narrowly  escaped  the  perfidious  butchery  that  followed  the 
surrender.  He  lived  on  the  old  Frary  lot,  and  about  a  century 
ago  he  enlarged  his  house  to  its  present  dimensions  and  set  up 
tavern-  and  store-keeping.     He  died  in  1795. 

Maj.  Setli  Catlin,  son  of  Capt.  John  Catlin,  was  born  in 
1743.  He  married,  July  1,  1762,  Abigail  Deniu.  In  the  last 
French  war  he  was  a  drummer  in  his  father's  company, — in 
1757-58.  On  the  death  of  the  latter  he  was  appointed  second 
lieutenant,  and  served  under  Amherst  in  the  campaign  of 
1759.  He  was  a  lieutenant  in  the  army  of  conquest,  and  came 
home  with  the  title  of  quartermaster  in  Col.  Ruggles'  regi- 
ment. Maj.  Catlin  was  a  notable  man  in  many  respects.  A 
contemporary  says  of  him,  "  He  was  a  man  of  strict  integrity, 
of  very  strong  feelings, — could  never  pass  a  scene  of  distress 
on  the  other  side."  These  traits  are  proved  by  many  anec- 
dotes. Another  wrote,  "From  sincere  and  honest  motives  he 
was  opposed  to  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  but  he  often  re- 
fused important  offices  in  that  war  from  the  British  govern- 
ment, as  also  from  his  own  country."  He  was  a  gentleman 
from  intuition,  and  his  society  was  sought  by  men  of  all  sta- 
tions.    He  was  selectman   nine  years,  and  a  representative  in 


"^  -5  -   QY  kjSQX.t^i'^l^^  ' 


'^i^t/7- 


(rhjt/j:^i'</'i^ 


HISTORY  OF  FRANKLIN  COUNTY. 


617 


1793.  He  was  a  lover  of  fine  horses.  In  1798  he  was  crushed 
in  a  stall  bj-  a  high-spirited  barb,  of  which  injury  he  .soon  died. 

Capt.  Timothy  Childs  was  born  in  1680,  and  married,  in 
1719,  Hannah  (Chapin),  widow  of  John  Sheldon.  He  was 
an  active  scout  in  Queen  Anne's  war,  serving  under  the  noted 
Capt.  Benjamin  Wright.  He  was  fired  upon  and  slightly 
wounded,  July  10,  1724,  while  in  the  meadow  at  work,  near 
Pine  Hill.  September,  1724,  he  was  a  lieutenant  under  Capt. 
Kellogg,  in  command  of  the  forces  at  Deerfield  and  Sunder- 
land. He  died  in  1766.  His  son  Timothy  settled  in  Gill,  was 
a  captain  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  died  Dec.  12,  1781, 
leaving  a  son,  Timothy,  who  was  a  celebrated  doctor  in  Pitts- 
field. 

Bev.  Eodolphus  Dickinson,  son  of  Thomas  W.,  was  born  in 
17.86,  graduated  from  Yale  College  in  1805,  studied  law,  was 
admitted  to  the  Bar  of  old  Hampshire  County  in  1808,  and 
married,  Nov.  9,  1809,  Nancy,  daughter  of  David  Hoyt. 
He  was  the  first  clerk  of  the  courts  in  Franklin  County,  1811- 
19.  He  was  ordained  an  Epi.scopal  minister  about  this  time, 
settled  in  Pendleton,  S.  C,  about  1822,  and  supplied  the  Epis- 
copal Society  in  Montague  several  years  after  his  return  from 
the  South.  In  1813  he  established  a  printing-oifice  in  Green- 
field, which  he  removed  to  this  town  in  1816.  In  this  office 
many  of  his  own  works  were  printed.  He  was  the  author  of 
a  "Digest  of  the  Powers  and  Duties  of  Sheriffs,  Coroners,  and 
Constables,"  1810,  8vo;  "Elements  of  Geography,"  8vo,  pp. 
360,  1813;  "Compendium  of  the  Bible,"  1814,  18mo,  pp.  2.50, 
which  reached,  in  1817,  six  enlarged  editions;  a  "Digest  of 
Common  Law,"  etc.;  the  "Power  and  Duties  of  Justices  of 
the  Peace,"  8vo,  pp.  521;  "Deerfield, — John  Wilson,"  1818; 
"  The  Columbian  Reader,"  1818;  "The  Christian  and  Miscel- 
laneous Portfolio,"  1823  ;  "A  New  and  Corrected  Version  of 
the  New  Testament,"  8vo,  pp.  500,  Boston,  1831,  with  a  por- 
trait of  the  author,  and  a  list  of  subscribers  headed  by  John 
C.  Calhoun.  Among  his  smaller  works  are  "Law  Tracts," 
1812;  "  View  of  Massachusetts  Proper,"  1813  ;  "Description 
of  Deerfield,"  1818.     He  died  in  1863. 

Col.  David  Field,  son  of  Samuel,  was  born  in  1712,  and 
married,  about  1740,  Thankful,  daughter  of  Thomas  Taylor. 
He  was  a  soldier  in  the  French-and-Indian  wars.  In  the 
Revolution  he  was  an  ardent  Whig ;  was  chairman  of  the 
committee  of  correspondence  and  safety,  1776-78;  was  a 
representative  in  1770;  was  a  delegate  to  the  Massachusetts 
Provincial  Congress  in  May,  1775,  and  on  the  committee  of 
safety  for  the  colony  appointed  by  that  body.  This  commit- 
tee of  thirteen,  with  Gen.  Joseph  Warren  as  its  chairman,  had 
the  control  of  the  civil  and  military  power  of  the  province, 
and  were  on  intimate  relations  with  Washington.  Col.  Field 
was  a  delegate  to  the  constitutional  convention  of  1779,  and 
was  a  selectman  for  twenty-five  years.  In  the  Revolutionary 
army  he  was  active  and  useful  as  a  commissary,  and  was  un- 
der Gen.  Stark  at  Bennington  in  1777.  He  is  said  to  have 
commanded  a  regiment  toward  the  close  of  the  war.  He  died 
in  1792. 

Samuel  Field,  Esq.,  son  of  David,  was  born  in  1743,  grad- 
uated from  Yale  College  in  1762,  and  married,  in  1769,  Sarah, 
daughter  of  Samuel  Childs.  He  studied  divinity  with  his 
pastor,  Mr.  Ashley ;  later,  he  read  law  with  Daniel  Jones,  at 
Hinsdale,  N.  H.,  and  engaged  in  law-practice  and  trade  in 
Deerfield  and  Greenfield.  He  was  a  delegate  to  the  Constitu- 
tional Convention  in  1788  for  the  ratification  of  the  United 
States  Constitution,  and  a  representative  to  the  General  Court 
in  1773-74.  In  1794  he  removed  to  Conway,  where  he  prac- 
ticed law  and  preached  to  a  society  of  Sandemanians.*  He 
was  a  political  writer  and  poet.  A  volume  of  his  miscellane- 
ous writings  was  edited  and  published  by  Rodolphus  Dickin- 
son in  1818,  with  a  sketch  of  the  author  and  creed  of  the 
Sandemanians.     Mr.  Field  died  Sept.  17,  1800. 


78 


*  A  Scotdsh  religious  sect. 


Col.  John  Hawks,  son  of  Eleazer,  was  born  in  1707 ;  he 
married,  in  1730,  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  John  Nims,  an  orig- 
inal proprietor  of  Keene,  N.  H.,  in  1734.  If  he  settled  then, 
he  returned  before  1740.  He  entered  the  military  service  on 
the  opening  of  the  old  French  war,  and  was  stationed  at  Fort 
Massachusetts,  near  which  he  was  wounded  by  Indians,  May 
9,  1746.  In  August  of  that  year  he  was  sergeant  in  command 
of  the  garrison,  when  the  fort  was  attacked  by  De  Vaudreuil 
with  800  French  and  Indians.  After  a  spirited  defense  of 
thirty-six  hours,  in  which  his  ammunition  was  nearl}'  ex- 
hausted, one  man  killed,  and  two  wounded,  the  brave  sergeant 
was  obliged  to  surrender,  the  odds  against  him  being  a  hun- 
dred to  one ;  for,  of  a  garrison  of  22  men,  but  8  were  able  to 
do  duty,  11  being  sick  with  "bloody  flux."  Three  women 
and  five  children  in  the  fort  shared  the  captivity.  All  were 
taken  to  Canada.  Sergt.  Hawks  was  redeemed  in  about  a 
year.  In  1748  he  was  sent  to  Canada  with  John  Taylor  and 
Mathevv  Cle.sson  as  escort  to  Sieur  Raimbault,  a  French  otficer, 
to  negotiate  an  exchange ;  returned  in  April  with  Nathan 
Blake,  of  Keene,  and  Samuel  Allen,  of  Deerfield.  In  May 
he  led  a  scout  of  13  men  as  far  as  the  Dutch  settlements,  on 
an  alarm  of  invasion.  In  the  last  French  war  Hawks  took 
an  active  part ;  he  was  lieutenant  in  command  of  the  Coleraine 
fort  in  1754,  which  was  his  headquarters  for  three  or  four 
years  ;  in  1756  his  command  included  Northfield ;  he  was 
under  Abercrombie  at  the  attack  on  Ticonderoga  in  1758,  and 
was  a  captain  under  Amherst  in  1759.  After  the  fall  of  "  Old 
Ti,"  Amherst  sent  him  to  cut  a  military  road  from  Lake 
Charaplain  to  Charlestown,  N.  H.f  In  1760  be  was  a  major 
and  lieutenant-colonel  in  the  army  of  conquest.  He  re- 
moved from  the  Street  in  1753  to  Wisdom,  where  he  built  a 
house.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he  returned  there,  where  he 
died  in  1784. 

Richard  Hildreth,  historian,  statesman,  and  editor,  son  of 
Hosea,  was  born  June  28,  1807.  He  graduated  at  Harvard 
College  in  1826,  and  was  a  Fellow  of  the  Massachusetts  His- 
torical Society.  He  married,  in  1844,  Caroline  Negus,  of 
Petersham.  He  studied  law  in  Newburyport,  and  practiced 
in  Boston.  He  was  editor  of  the  Boston  Atlas  in  1832-40, 
and  was  the  author  of  "Archy  Moore,  the  White  Slave," 
"Theory  of  Legislation,"  1840;  "A  History  of  Banks," 
"Despotism  in  America,"  1840;  "Theory  of  Morals,"  1844; 
"Theory  of  Politics,"  1853;  "Japan  as  it  Was  and  Is," 
1855.  He  contributed  largelj'  to  newspapers  and  magazines, 
and  for  several  years  was  an  editor  of  the  New  ITork  Tribune. 
His  greatest  work  was  a  "History  of  the  United  States,"  6 
vols.,  1849-56.  He  was  United  States  consul  at  Trieste  in 
1861,  and  died  at  Florence,  Italy,  July  11,  1865. 

Col.  Ebenezer  Hinsdale,  son  of  Samuel,  was  born  in  1707. 
He  graduated  at  Harvard  College  in  1727.  He  married,  about 
1730,  Abigail,  daughter  of  Rev.  John  Williams.  He  was 
ordained,  at  Boston,  missionary  to  the  Indians,  Dec.  11,  1732, 
under  the  auspices  of  the  Society  for  the  Propagation  of  the 
Gospel  in  Foreign  Parts.  Gov.  Belcher,  the  American  agent, 
stationed  him  at  Fort  Dummer,  and  made  him  chaplain  of  the 
post.  In  1742  or  '43  he  built  a  fort  on  the  east  side  of  the 
Connecticut,  at  a  place  called  "  The  Cellars."  This  was  the 
foundation  of  the  town  of  Hinsdale,  N.  H.  Here  he  kept  up 
a  military  establishment  through  the  Indian  wars.  He  also 
had  a  residence  here,  and  kept  a  store  on  the  Ebenezer  Hins- 
dale Williams  lot,  originally  Lot  No.  41,  drawn  by  Ens. 
Daniel  Fisher.  He  rose  to  the  rank  of  colonel  during  the 
wars,  and  did  valuable  service.  He  died  at  Hin.sdale,  Jan.  6, 
1763. 

President  Edward  Hitchcock,  son  of  Justin,  wius  born  in 
1793.  He  was  a  graduate  of  Deerfield  Academy;  A.M.  of 
Yale,  1818;  LL.D.  of  Harvard,  1840;  D.D.  of  Middletown, 
1846.    He  married,  in  1821,  Orra  White,  of  Amherst.   He  was 

t  Then  called  "  Number  Four." 


618 


HISTORY   OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


principal  of  Deorfield  Academy,  1813-19;  pastorof  achiirch  in 
Conwaj',  1821-25,  leaving  there  to  accept  the  professorship  of 
chemistry  and  natural  history  at  Amherst  College.  In  1845 
he  was  made  president,  and  held  this  office  and  the  professor- 
ship of  natural  theology  and  geology  until  1854.  President 
Hitchcock's  entire  school  education  was  obtained  in  six  winter 
terms  of  the  Deerfield  Academy,  working  on  the  farm  the 
rest  of  the  year.  He  was  an  ardent  student,  developing  that 
love  of  the  science  of  nature  which  marked  his  future  career. 
Astronomy  was  a  favorite  study,  in  which  he  was  encouraged 
and  directed  by'his  uncle.  Gen.  Hoyt ;  he  devised  and  made 
astronomical  apparatus  when  that  of  the  academy  failed  to 
meet  his  wants.  He  published  an  almanac,  1813-17,  in  which 
he  corrected,  by  his  own  observations,  calculations  made  by 
European  astronomers,  thereby  entering  on  a  contest  with  the 
magnates  of  that  science  in  the  Old  World,  and  coming  oif 
conqueror.  But  for  a  partial  failure  of  eyesight,  our  young 
astronomer  would,  doubtless,  have  earned  for  himself  a  place 
by  the  side  of  the  first  men  of  the  world  in  his  favorite  field. 
Other  work,  however,  had  been  waiting  for  him  for  untold 
ages, — that  of  interpreting  the  marks  on  the  sandstone  of  his 
native  valley.  In  1823  he  published  "The  Geology  of  the 
Connecticut  Valley."  He  was  State  geologist  of  Massachu- 
setts in  18.30,  and  made  reports  in  1833,  '35,  '38,  and  '41  on 
the  geology  of  the  State.  He  also  published  the  following : 
"  Keport  on  the  Geology  of  Vermont,"  1860,  under  the  direc- 
tion of  that  State  ;  "  Surface  Geology,"  1857*;  "  Elementary 
Geology,"  1840,  which  had  passed  through  .30  editions  in 
1856;  "Religion  of  Geology  and  its  Connected  Sciences," 
1851 ;  "  Wreath  for  the  Tomb  ;"  "  Memoir  of  Mary  Lyon  ;" 
and  many  other  volumes.  He  was  also  a  large  contributor  to 
scientific  and  religious  journals.  His  great  work,  and  the 
one  by  which  his  fame  will  be  the  most  enduringly  established, 
was  the  scientific  exposition  of  the  fossil  foot-prints  in  the 
sandstone  of  the  Connecticut  Valley.  "  The  Ichnology  of 
New  England,"  1858,  published  by  the  State,  fully  illus- 
trates the  labors  of  twenty  years  on  this  subject.  His  views 
were  accepted  by  the  scientists  only  after  a  prolonged  contest, 
which  gave  him  a  world-wide  notoriety.  He  died  Feb.  27, 
1864. 

Hon.  Elihu  Hoyt,  son  of  David,  was  born  in  1771.  He  was 
a  colonel  of  Massachusetts  militia,  surveyor,  and  farmer.  He 
married,  in  1794,  Hannah,  daughter  of  Rev.  James  Taylor; 
was  born,  lived,  and  died  in  the  "Old  Indian  House,"  which 
his  father  received  with  his  wife  from  the  Sheldon  family  in 
1743.  Col.  Hoyt  was  a  prominent  figure  in  town  and  county 
affairs  for  many  years.  He  represented  the  town  in  the  Gen- 
eral Court  twenty-two  years,  was  Senator  twelve  years,  and 
died  in  1833. 

Maj.-Gen.  Epaphras  Hoyt,  brother  of  Elihu,  was  born  in 
1765.  He  was  surveyor,  student,  antiquary,  historian.  He 
married,  1792,  Experience  Harvey.  Was  first  register  of  deeds 
for  Franklin  County,  1811-14;  high-sheriff,  1814-31;  was 
deeply  interested  in  military  science;  was  offered  an  appoint- 
ment in  the  United  States  army  by  Washington,  which  he 
declined.  Publi.shed  in  1798  a  "  Treatise  on  the  Military 
Art,"  for  the  use  of  cavalry.  In  1816  a  new  edition  was 
issued,  with  instructions  in  the  movement  of  regiments  and 
armies  in  actual  service,  and  the  higher  branches  of  the  art  of 
war.  In  1813  he  wrote  an  elaborate  article  on  astronomy,  of 
one  hundred  pages,  as  an  introduction  to  Dickinson's  "  Geog- 
raphy;" was  a  C(mtributor  to  Silliman's  Journal,  and  other 
publications.  In  1824  he  issued  his  best-known  work,  "  An- 
tiquarian Researches."  He  left  an  unpublished  work  on  Bur- 
goyne's  campaign,  and  made  copious  notes  on  the  Freneh-and- 
Indian  wars, — of  which  he  made  an  especial  study, — which 
still  exist  in  manuscript,  if  haply  thej'  have  escaped  the  acci- 
dents of  time.     He  died  Feb.  7,  1850. 

Capt.  Joseph  Kellogg,  son  of  Martin,  born  1791.  Feb.  29, 
1704,  one  brother  was  killed  ;  his  father  and  four  children — of 


whom  he  was  one — were  taken  prisoners  to  Canada.  After 
one  year  with  the  Indians,  Joseph  spent  ten  years  traveling 
among  them  with  French  traders,  and  learned  the  language 
of  all  the  tribes  as  well  as  the  French.  His  brother  Martin, 
who  had  escaped  from  captivity,  accompanied  Capt.  Stod- 
dard and  Mr.  Williams  to  Canada  in  1714,  and  persuaded 
Joseph  to  return  to  New  England  with  the  promise  of  em- 
ployment by  the  government.  He  was  soon  engaged  as  inter- 
preter. In  1723  he  was  lieutenant  under  Capt.  Samuel  Bar- 
nard, and  stationed  at  Northfield.  At  the  close  of  this  war  the 
authorities  of  New  York  made  him  liberal  offers  to  enter  their 
service.  He  was  put  in  charge  of  Fort  Dummer,  as  truck- 
master,  with  a  salary  of  £100.  This  post  was  left  for  a  wider 
field  of  usefulness  as  general  interpreter  to  the  Indian  tribes 
in  1740,  continuing  in  this  service  until  his  death,  at  Schenec- 
tady, in  1756. 

Capt.  Martin  Kellogg,  brother  of  Joseph,  born  in  1686  ;  es- 
caped from  Canada,  May,  1705,  with  three  others,  reaching 
home  in  June  in  a  starving  condition.  He  was  taken  again 
in  August,  1708,  while  on  a  scout  up  the  lakes;  carried  to 
Canada,  where  he  remained  several  years,  and  became  well 
acquainted  with  the  French  and  Indian  languages.  He  acted 
as  interpreter  on  Capt.  Stoddard's  journey  in  1714,  and  con- 
tinued in  public  service  in  that  capacity.  He  married  Doro- 
thy Chester,  and  settled  in  Newington,  Conn.  There  he  took 
charge  of  12  Indian  boys  of  the  Hollis  School,  giving  them 
instruction  for  about  three  years.     He  died  in  17.53. 

Rebecca  Kellogg,  sister  of  Martin,  captured  in  1704,  prob- 
ably returned  with  her  brothers  in  1714.  Their  sister,  Joanna, 
married  an  Indian  chief  at  Cagnawaga,  and  never  came  back. 
Rebecca  married  Capt.  Benjamin  Ashley,  of  Westfield,  and 
both  were  employed  in  the  Indian  school  at  Stookbridge, — she 
as  interpreter.  She  was  also  employed  in  this  capacity  else- 
where, and  died  while  on  a  mission  to  the  Susquehanna  River 
with  Rev.  Gideon  Hawley,  in  1757. 

Hon.  David  Saxton  was  born  in  Somers,  Conn.,  in  1734. 
He  married,  in  1759,  Rebecca  Barnard.  He  kept  a  tavern 
where  Robert  Childs  lives.  He  was  prominent  in  town  affairs 
for  a  generation  ;  an  active  and  influential  Whig,  and  repre- 
sentative of  the  town  during  nearly  the  whole  period  of  the 
Revolution.  He  was  State  Senator  for  thirteen  years,  during 
the  formation-period  of  the  government.  He  died  in  1800. 
Gen.  Rufus  Saxton  of  the  United  States  army  is  a  great-grand- 
son. 

Hon.  James  Whitney,  son  of  Stephen,  was  born  in  1811. 
He  removed  to  Conway,  where  he  was  in  trade,  and  organized 
the  Conway  Mutual  Fire  Insurance  Company.  He  was  early 
interested  in  the  militia,  and  was  brigadier-general  in  1863. 
He  was  sheriff  of  Franklin  County  in  1853-.54;  representative 
1851,  '54;  delegate  to  the  Constitutional  Convention,  1853; 
superintendent  of  the  United  States  armory  at  Springfield  for 
five  years  ;  collector  for  the  port  of  Boston,  1860-61 ;  State 
Senator,  1872  ;  president  of  Boston  Water-Power  Company  ; 
Presidential  elector,  18.52,  '56,  '60.  He  has  been  many  years 
a  leading  politician  in  the  Democratic  party.  He  died  in 
Boston,  Oct.  24,  1878. 

Maj.  Elijah  Williams,  son  of  Rev.  John,  was  born  in  1712. 
He  graduated  at  Harvard  College  in  1732  ;  A.M.,  1758.  He 
married,  in  1736,  Lydia  Dwight,  of  Hatfield  ;  (2d)  1750,  Mar- 
garet Pynchon,  of  Springfield.  He  was  a  man  of  decided 
ability  and  activity;  was  a  civil  engineer;  town  clerk  twenty- 
five  years  ;  selectman  twenty-five  years  ;  representative  seven- 
teen years.  He  lived  on  his  father's  homestead,  and  went  into 
trade  in  a  building  on  the  southwest  corner  of  it,  in  1742.  This 
building,  with  additions,  was  known  to  this  generation  as  the 
Ware  store.  It  was  removed  in  1877,  to  make  way  for  the 
Dickinson  Academy.  Maj.  Williams  took  a  prominent  part 
in  the  French-and-Indian-wars ;  was  captain  of  snow-shoe  men 
in  1743,  and  controlled  the  military  operations  in  this  region 
through  the  war.     He  was  four  or  five  years  in  trade  in  En- 


(^Z-^t-^^cJ 


^A^^o 


<^ 


James  Chilus  was  born  in  Waiiping,  Deerfiuld, 
Mass.,  July  31,  1813.  His  parents,  Erastns  and 
Mercy  (Hawks)  Cliilds,  were  both  natives  of  that 
town.  Tlie  former  was  born-  Oct.  31,  1783,  and 
died  in  1868.  Tiie  latter  was  born  in  June,  1794, 
and  died  in  1854. 

James  Childs,  the  subject  of  this  biography,  was 
the  second  of  a  family  of  seven  children.  He 
spent  his  minority  upon  his  father's  farm.  During 
this  time  he  attended  the  common  school,  and  also 
for  a  number  of  terms  the  Deerfield  Academy. 
At  the  age  of  twenty-one  he  went  to  Wilmington, 
Vt.,  and  engaged  as  a  clerk  in  a  store,  where  he 
remained  but  a  few  months.  Returning  to  Deer- 
field,  he  entered  a  store  in  the  same  capacity,  and 
remained  four  yeais.  He  then  went  to  Hatfield, 
and  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  upon  his 
own  account.  At  tiie  expiratiora  of  a  year  he  dis- 
posed   of  his    interest   aud    returned    to    Wapping, 


Deerfield,  where  he  has  since  resided.  He  has 
been  assessor  of  Deerfield  eleven  years,  and  is  a 
deacon  iu  the  Congregational  Church,  of  which  he 
has  been  a  member  a  number  of  years.  In  politics 
he  is  a  Republican,  but  chooses  rather  to  be  a 
worker  for  the  success  of  others  than  a  seeker  of 
office  for  himself.  As  a  man  he  is  well  and  favor- 
ably known  in  the  town  in  which  he  has  spent 
the  greater  part  of  his  life,  and  he  is  respected 
and  esteemed  by  all  his  associates. 

He  was  united  iu  marriage,  May  22,  1844,  to 
Maronette  Pease,  who  was  born  in  Ashfield,  Nov. 
20,  1813.  They  have  one  child,  a  son,  George  H. 
Childs  (residing  with  his  father),  who,  although  very 
young,  enlisted  in  the  Union  army  in  1863,  and  re- 
mained until  the  close  of  the  war.  In  1864  he  was 
severely  wounded ;  but  his  life,  which  was  so  precious 
to  those  at  home,  was  spared,  and  at  the  close  of 
the  war  he  returned  honorably  discharged. 


^^^^^^^^^^  ^^i^ 


George  A.  Williams  was  born  Jan.  6,  1810,  at 
Williams'  Landing,  Taunton,  Mass.  His  ancestor  Kichard 
Williams,  and  Frances  Dighton,  bis  wife,  settled  at  that 
place  in  1038,  and  the  estate  always  has  been  and  is  still 
in  the  possession  of  the  Williams  family,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  the  part  recently  devoted  to  the  Taunton  Water- 
Works. 

Francis  Williams,  father  of  the  subject  of  tliis  biog- 
raphy, was  born  in  Raynham,  Mass.,  Nov.  12,  17 iD.  He 
married  Louisa  Gilmore,  of  Raynham,  who  was  born  in 
1782.  He  settled  upon  the  family  estate,  where  he  reared 
a  family  of  ten  children, — .seven  sons  and  three  daughters. 
Of  these,  George  A.  is  the  fourtli  son  and  child.  Theirs 
was  a  busy  household,  for  his  father  recognized  no  eight  or 
ten  hours  as  a  day's  work,  but  worked  with  a  steady  hand 
from  earliest  morn  until  dark. 

The  district  scliools  of  that  day  were  vastly  inferior  to 
those  of  the  present,  and  in  the  district  in  which  he  lived 
the  term  consisted  of  from  eight  to  twelve  weeks  during  the 
year.  TJiese  were  the  only  advantages  he  received  until  he 
attained  his  .seventeenth  year.  At  that  time,  as  his  capacity 
for  manual  labor  was  somewhat  impaired  by  illness,  he  was 
set  to  studying  Greek  and  Latin,  and  prepared  for  college. 

Equal  rights  and  strict  justice  were  strong  points  in  his 
father's  character,  and  while  George  was  pursuing  his  studies 
and  preparing  to  enter  the  ministry  he  deemed  it  but  just 
to  the  other  sons  to  charge  him  with  what  he  might  have 
earned  by  his  labor  until  he  became  of  age.  At  the  age  of 
twenty-five,  therefore,  lack  of  wages  and  charges  for  board, 
tuition,  and  other  expenses  stood  against  him.  Dividends 
were  made  by  the  paternal  hand  to  other  members  of  the 
family  at  various  times,  and  an  equal  amount  was  accredited 
to  him,  so  that  the  accounts  were  at  length  licpiidated,  and 
a  fragment  remained  to  him  at  the  settlement  of  the  paternal 
estate.     As  the  period  drew  near  when  he  was  to  make  a 


choice  of  occupation,  the  Congregationalists  were  strongly 
excited  upon  points  of  doctrine,  and,  as  religious  matters 
had  attracted  his  attention,  he  directed  his  reading  that  way. 
His  road  to  school  led  him  past  the  house  of  an  ardent 
Calvinist  who  often  sought  to  discuss  religious  matters, 
and  although  they  might  agree  on  Biblical  authority,  they 
differed  widely  on  Biblical  interpretation,  and  their  tilts 
ended  as  such  contests  usually  do, — in  both  claiming  the 
advantage. 

In  the  discu.ssion  which  sent  the  body  of  the  Congrega- 
tional Church  into  the  Trinitarian  and  Unitarian  sects,  he 
stood  upon  the  Unitarian  side,  and  on  the  3d  of  March, 
183G,  he  was  ordained  over  the  second  parish  in  Saco,  Me., 
where  he  preached  three  years.  At  the  expiration  of  that 
time  an  extended  call  was  made,  but  his  eyesight  was  so 
impaired  that  he  was  obliged  to  decline  its  acceptance.  His 
profession  then  came  nominally  to  an  end,  although  he  sub- 
sequently preached  for  a  short  period  in  Chelmsford,  East 
Bridgewater,  and  Mayland.  The  "  barrel  of  sermons"  had 
been  left  unfilled,  the  barrel-head  was  now  replaced,  and  the 
remaining  parchments  consigned  to  the  garret.  Other 
means  of  procuring  a  livelihood  must  then  be  found,  and  a 
favorable  opportunity  presenting,  he  enteied  the  manufac- 
ture of  chemicals  in  Cambridge,  Mass.,  in  which  he  remained 
about  five  years.  In  May,  1855,  he  removed  to  Deerfield, 
where  he  has  since  resided,  devoting  a  part  of  his  time  to 
farming.  He  has  won  the  respect  and  confidence  of  all 
with  whom  he  has  been  associated. 

He  was  married,  Oct.  27,  1839,  to  Sarah,  second  daughter 
of  Dr.  Pjzra  Dean,  of  Biddeford,  Me.  By  this  union  he 
had  two  children  :  Gorham  D.,  born  June  10,  1842,  at- 
torney-at-law,  living  in  Greenfield  ;  and  Lucia  Greene, 
born  Oct.  2U,  184(j! 

Sept.  2,  1800,  he  married  his  second  wife,  Jane  Dickin- 
son, daughter  of  Rev.  Rodolphus  Dickinson,  of  Deerfield. 


HISTORY   OF   FRANKLIN    COUNTY. 


619 


field,  Conn.  In  the  last  French  war  he  was  commissary,  with 
the  rank  of  major,  and  did  excellent  service.  He  was  a  justice, 
and  did  considerable  business  as  a  magistrate.  He  died  in 
1771. 

Hon.  Ephraira  Williams,  son  of  Dr.  Thomas,  was  born  in 
1760.  He  received  the  honorary  degree  of  A.M.  from  Wil- 
liams College  in  179.5.  He  married  Emily  Woodbridge.  He 
studied  law  with  Judge  Sedgwick,  of  Stockbridge,  and  prac- 
ticed in  partnership  with  him  at  the  Berkshire  Bar.  When 
unjustly  reproved  by  the  judge  one  day  in  court,  and  ordered 
to  take  his  seat,  he  replied:  "I  will  not  sit  down,  but  I  will 
leave  the  Bar  forever,"  and  was  as  good  as  his  word.  He  came 
back,  and  spent  his  daj's  here.  He  was  eminent  in  his  profes- 
sion ;  was  first  reporter  for  the  Supreme  Court ;  representative 
in  1806-7 ;  Senator  in  1816.  He  died  Dec.  27,  183-3.  Bishop 
John  Williams,  of  Connecticut,  is  his  only  son. 

John  Williams,  Esq.,  son  of  Maj.  Elijah,  was  born  in  17-51. 
He  graduated  at  Harvard  College  in  1769,  and  began  to  prac- 
tice law  in  Salem  in  1772.  He  married,  in  177-4,  Elizabeth 
Orne,  of  Salem,  and  returned  to  the  old  homestead  and  his 
father's  store.  Here  he  continued  in  trade  many  years,  mean- 
while doing  a  large  outside  business,  domestic  and  foreign. 
He  was  a  loyalist  in  the  Revolution,  and  indicted  for  sedition 
in  1783 ;  chosen  representative  in  1783 ;  was  refused  a  seat  on 
account  of  his  Toryism  at  the  May  session.  Re-elected  for  the 
next  session,  he  was  again  rejected.  In  1784  he  was  arraigned 
on  the  indictment,  but,  pleading  the  sixth  article  of  the  treaty 
of  peace  with  Great  Britain,  he  was  discharged ;  representative 
1785-86;  register  of  deeds  for  Northern  Hampshire  1787; 
Presidential  elector  1792 ;  as  a  magistrate  his  business  was 
enormous  ;  was  prominent  in  founding  Deerfleld  Academy, 
and  left  it  the  bulk  of  his  estate  at  his  death.  He  was  fellow 
of  the  Massachusetts  Historical  Society.  He  died  July  27, 
1816,  the  last  of  his  father's  family,  leaving  no  descendants. 

Dr.  Stephen  W.  Williams,  son  of  Dr.  William  S.,  was  born 
in  1790.  He  received  the  degree  of  A.M.  at  Williams  College 
in  1824 ;  honorary  member  of  the  New  York  Historical  So- 
ciety and  the  Connecticut  Medical  Society.  He  married,  in 
1818,  Harriet  T.,  daughter  of  Dr.  Joseph  Goodhue  ;  was  pro- 
fessor and  medical  lecturer  in  Berkshire  Medical  Institute, 
Dartmouth  College,  and  several  other  institutions.  Author 
of  "American  Medical  Biography,"  8vo,  1845;  "Memoirs 
of  Rev.  John  Williams,"  1837  ;  "  Genealogy  of  the  Williams 
Family,"  1847;  "  Indigenous  Medical  Botany  of  Massachu- 
setts," 8vo  ;  "Catechism  of  Medical  Jurisprudence,"  1835; 
"  Medical  History  of  Franklin  County."  In  1853  he  published 
a  new  edition  of  the  "Redeemed  Captive,"  with  an  "appendix 
and  notes,"  containing  an  article  on  the  claims  of  Eleazer 
Williams  to  be  the  "dauphin  of  France."  Dr.  Williams 
was  a  graduate  of  Berkshire  Medical  Institute,  and  had  an 
extensive  practice  in  his  native  town  and  county  ;  was  a  volu- 
minous contributor  to  the  medical  and  scientific  journals.  He 
removed  to  Laona,  111.,  in  1853,  where  he  died  July  5,  18-55. 

Dr.  Thomas  Williams,  son  of  Col.  Ephraim,  from  Newton 
and  Stockbridge,  was  born  in  1718.  He  received  the  degree 
of  A.M.  from  Yale  College,  in  1738.  He  married,  in  1740, 
Anna,  daughter  of  Timothy  Childs,  and  was  again  married, 
in  1749,  to  Esther,  daughter  of  Rev.  William  Williams,  of 
Weston.  He  settled  here  in  the  practice  of  his  profession  in 
1739,  where  he  was  the  first  male  physician.  He  had  a  large 
practice ;  was  a  surgeon  in  the  expedition  toward  Canada  in 
1743,  and  of  the  chain  of  forts  on  our  northern  frontier.  He 
left  Fort  Massachusetts  only  two  days  before  its  surrender,  in 
■1746.  In  the  last  French  war  he  was  surgeon  under  Sir  Wil- 
liam Johnson.  He  was  at  the  battle  of  Lake  George,  Sept.  8, 
1755,  and  dressed  the  wounds  of  Baron  Dieskau,  the  unfor- 
tunate commander  of  the  French  army.  Col.  Ephraim  Wil- 
liams, his  brother,  the  founder  of  Williams  College,  was 
killed  the  same  day.  In  the  campaign  of  1756  he  was  lieu- 
tenant-colonel.   He  was  judge  of  the  court  of  Common  Pleas, 


judge  of  Probate,  representative  seventeen  years,  town-clerk, 
and  useful  in  all  local  affairs.     He  died  Sept.  28,  1775. 

Notes  on  many  others  worthy  of  notice  are  omitted  for  lack 
of  space  in  this  brief  abstract  of  our  history. 

CIVIL   LIST. 

DEERFIELD    STATE    SENATOR.S. 

Paviil  Saxton,  17SG-91,  179JH800,  thirteen  yeare;  Ephraim  Williams,  1816  ; 
Elihu  Hoj-t,  1817-19,  1821-23,  1827-.')2,  twelve  years;  Robert  Crawford,  1863; 
Christopher  A.  Stebbius,  1867 ;  George  Sheldon,  1872. 

COUNTY    COMMI.SSIONERS. 

Rufus  Saxton,  Richard  C.  Arms. 

REPRESENTATIVE.S    TO    GENERAL    COURT. 

1688-89,  Lieut.  Thomas  Wells ;  1692-98,  Capt.  Jonathan  Wells;  1716,  John 
"Wells;  1717-19,  Thomas  Wells ;  1720-21,  Samnel  Barnard;  1724-26,1734,  Capt 
Thomas  Wells ;  1737-38,  Thomas  Wells ;  1740,  Ebenezcr  Hinsdale ;  1741^5,  Eli- 
jah Williams ;  1746,  Thomas  Wells  ;  1747,  David  Field ;  1749-50,  Ebenezer  Hins- 
dale ;  17.'j2-55,  Elijah  Williams ;  1756,  Joseph  Itarnard  ;  1757-58,  Elijah  Williams ; 
1759,  Thomas  Williams;  1760-61,  Elijah  Williams;  1762-63,  Jonathan  Ashley, 
Jr. ;  1764,  Elijah  Williams ;  1765,  Jonathan  Ashley,  Jr. ;  1760-67,  Elijah  Williams ; 
1768,  .lonathan  Ashley,  Jr. ;  1769,  Elijah  Williams  ;  1770,  David  Field;  1771-72, 
Samuel  Hinsdale  (Greenfield)  ;  1773-74,  Samnel  Field ;  1775,  Samuel  Hinsdale  ; 
1776-78,  David  Saxton. 

Down  to  this  period  the  territory  covered  by  the  original  Deeriield  was  a  single 
tUstrict,  with  but  one  representative. 

REPRESENTATIVES  AFTER  THE  REVOLUTION. 

1781,  David  Saxton  ;  1783-86,  John  Williams;  1787,  Jonathan  Hoyt;  1788-89, 
John  Bardwell;  1790,  Seth  Catlin  ;  1791,  Samuel  Field;  1792-93,  Jona.  Hoyt; 
1794,  David  Saxton;  1795-96,  Seth  Catlin  ;  1797,  David  Saxton;  1798,  John  Wil- 
liams; 1799-1800,  David  Saxton;  1801,  Jona.  Hoyt;  1802-;!,  John  Williams; 
lSIM-5,  Elihu  Hoyt;  1800-7,  Ephraim  Williams;  1808,  Ebenezer  H.  Williams; 
1809-14,  Elihu  Hoyt ;  1810-19,  Asa  Stebbins ;  1S15,  .\ugustus  Lyman  ;  1810,  Elihu 
Hoyt;  1817,  Ebenezer  Newcomb;  1819,  Orlando  Ware  ;  1820,  Elihu  Hoyt;  1821, 
Rufus  Saxton;  1822-27,  Elihu  Hoyt;  1830,  Rufus  Saxton,  Elihu  Hoyt;  1831, 
Rufus  Saxton,  Stephen  Whitney;  1832-36,  Rufus  Saxton,  Elihu  Hoyt;  1837, 
Rufus  Saxton,  Amos  Russell;  1838,  Rufus  Saxton;  1839,  Amos  Russell,  Asa 
StebbiMS  ;  1840,  George  Dickinson  ;  1841,  Orlando  Ware ;  1842,  Howland  Cowing; 
1843,  Ira  Abercrombie;  1844,  Zebediah  Graves;  1845^0,  Rufus  Saxton;  1847, 
Sumner  Dunlap ;  1848,  Rufus  Saxton  ;  1850,  Ira  Abercrombie ;  1851,  Cephas  Clapp ; 
1852-63,  .\sa  Stebbins ;  1855,  Luther  B.  Lincoln ;  1856,  Edward  W.  Stebbins ;  1857, 
Moses  Stebbins;  1858,  Horatio  Hawks;  1861,  Ira  Abercrombie;  1863,  Cyrus  A. 
Stowell;  1864,  C.  A.  Stebbius;  1860,  David  A.  Strong;  1867,  George  Sheldon; 
1870,  H.  A.  Warrinerj  1871,  Martin  Severance;  1873,  G.  W.  Bardwell;  1876,  G, 
W.  Jones;  1877,  P.  D.  Bridges;  1878-79,  C.  P.  Aldrich. 

TOWX   OFFICERS. 

In  addition  to  those  usually  chosen,  we  have,  as  occasion 
demanded,  deer-reeves,  wardens,  cullers  of  brick,  sealers  of 
leather,  packers,  cullers  of  timber,  surveyors  of  wheat  and 
I  flour,  surveyors  of  clapboards  and  shingles,  measurer,  clerk  of 
the  market,  deer-inspectors,  surveyor  of  hemp  and  flax,  tith- 
ingmen,  men-seaters. 

TOWN  CLERKS. 
Joseph  Barnard,  appointed  by  the  committee,  Dec.  20, 1687,  with  the  consent 
of  the  town;  he  held  the  office  until  he  was  killed  by  Indians,  1696;  Thomas 
French,  1696-1703,  when  he  was  captured  by  Indians  and  carried  to  Canada; 
Edward  Allen,  17(rt-12;  Samuel  Williams,  1713;  John  Catlin,  1715-16;  Thomas 
French,  1717-19  ;  Thomas  French,  Jr.,  1720-32 ;  Elijah  Williams,  1733-47  ;  Thos. 
Williams,  1748-51 ;  Elijah  Williams,  1752-61 ;  Thomas  Williams  1762-74 ;  David 
Dickinson,  1775-78;  Justin  Hitchcock,  1779-81,  1804,1813-21;  John  Williams, 
1782;  Samnel  Barnard,  Jr.,  1783-87;  John  WilUams,  1788-90;  Samuel  Field_ 
1791  i  John  WilUams,  1792;  Wm.  S.  Williams,  1793-1803, 1805-12;  Augustus  Ly- 
man, 1822-27;  Charles  Williams,  1828-31;  Edwin  Nims,  1832-34;  Charles 
Williams,  1836-7tf ;  Elisha  Wells,  1871-79. 

SELECTMEN.* 
1686.— William  Smead,  Joshua  Pumry,  John  Sheldon,  Bcnoni  Stebbins,  Benjamin 

Hastings,  Thomas  French,— to  hold  office  until  others  are  chosen. 
1089,  May  30.— Thomas  Wells,  John  Catlin,  Jona.  Wells,  Samuel  Northam,  Joseph 

Barnard. 
1089,  Dec.  23.— Thomas  Wells,  John  Catlin,  John  Allyn,  Joseph  Barnard. 
1690.^ohn  Sheldon,  David  Hoyt,  Jona.  Wells,  Thos.  Freneh,  Daniel  Belding. 
1691.— John  Sheldon,  Edward  Allyn,  Samson  Frary,  Godfrey  Nims,  Henry  White. 
1692.— John  Sheldon,  David  Hoyt,  Benoni  Stebbins,  Tliomas  French,  Simon 

Be.aman. 
1693.— Thomas  French,  John  Porter,  Jonathan  Wells. 
1694.— John  Catlin,  John  Allyn,  Edward  Allyn. 
1695-90,  March  2.-^ona.  Wells,  Daniel  Belding,  Godfrey  Nims. 


*  Who  were  generally  assessors  also  until  1779;  called  "townmien"  for  many 
years. 


620 


HISTORY    OF   THE    CONiNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


1697. — John  Catliu,  William  Smead,  John  Hawks. 

1698.— Jona.  Wells,  John  SlieMou,  Thomas  French. 

Ifi99.— Jona.  Wells,  David  Iloyt,  Eloazer  Hawks. 

1700. — John  Catlin,  John  Sheldon,  Thomas  French. 

1701. — David  Hoyt,  Eleazer  Hawks,  Beiioni  Stehbins. 

1702.~Johu  Sheldon,  Nathaniel  Sutlicff,  Thomas  French,  John  Richanls. 

1703-4.— Jona.  Wells,  Eleazer  Hawks,  Samuel  Carter. 

1705.— Eleazer  Hawks.  Daniel  Belding,  Edward  Allen. 

1706.— Eleazer  Hawks,  Daniel  Belding,  Jona.  Wells. 

1707. — Jona.  Wells,  Thomas  Wells,  Ebenezer  Smead. 

1708.- Eleazer  Hawks.  Thomas  Wells,  Edward  Allen. 

1709. — Jona.  Wells,  Thomju  French,  Thomas  Wells,  Elienezer  Smead,  Ebenezer 

Brooks. 
1710. — Eleazer  Hawks,  Thos.  French,  Edward  Allen,  Ebenezer  Smead,  Ebenezer 

Brooks. 
1711. — Eleazer  Hawks,  Jona.  Wells,  Thomas  Wells,  John  Smead,  Jos.  Barnard. 
171*2. — Thos.  French,  Ebenezer  Smead,  Judah  Wright,  John  Arms,  Benj.  Mnnn. 
1713.— Thos.  French,  Eleazer  Hawks,  Thos.  Wells,  Sam'l  Field,  Edward  Allen. 
1714. — Eleazer  Hawks,  Ebenezer  Smead,  Sajimel  Cliilds. 
1715. — Jonathan  Wells,  Joseph  Athertun. 
1716. — Ebenezer  Smead,  Edward  Allen,  Eleazer  Hawks. 
1717. — Thomas  Wells,  Ebenezer  Brooks,  Sanniel  Barnard. 
1718.— Samuel  Field,  John  Arms,  John  Catlin. 
1719.— Ebenezer  Smead,  Samuel  Childs,  Junu.  Wells  (2d). 
1720.— Eleazer  Hawks,  Thomas  Wells,  Ebenezer  Wells. 
1S21. — Samuel  Field,  John  Catlin,  Thoma-s  French,  Jr. 
1722. — Thomas  Wells,  John  Arms,  Joseph  Severence. 
172.3. — Eleazer  Hawks,  John  Catlin,  Benjamin  Muun. 
1724. — Samuel  Childs,  Samuel  Taylor,  Ebenezer  Wells. 
1725. — Jona.  Wells,  Moses  Nash,  Thomas  Wells. 
1726. — Eleazer  Hawks,  Benj.  Munn,  John  Catlin. 
1727. — John  Arms,  Jona.  Hoyt,  Ebenezer  Wells. 
1728. — Thuniiis  Wells,  Ebenraer  Sheldon,  John  Beuman. 
1729.— Thomas  French,  Ebenezer  Wells,  John  Nims. 
1730. — Jona.  Hoyt,  Thomas  Wells,  Daniel  Arms. 
1731.— Ebenezer  Wells,  Jolin  Arms,  John  Catliu  (2d), 
1732.— Thomas  Wells,  Sanmel  Taylor,  Ele:izer  Hawks. 
1733.— John  Catliu,  Thomas  French,  Benj.  Hastings. 
1734.— Jona.  Hoyt,  William  Arms,  Ebenezer  Wells. 
1735.— Elijah  Williams,  Jona.  Hoyt,  Ebenezer  Wells. 
1736. — Thomas  Fi'ench,  Elijah  Williams,  Ebenezer  Wells. 
1737.— Eli.iah  Williams,  Tlumuis  French,  Eleazer  Hawks. 
1738.— Elijah  Williams,  ThonuiS  French,  John  Catlin. 
1739. — Jona.  Hoyt,  Elienezer  Wells,  Nathaniel  Hawka. 
1740.— Ebenezer  Wells,  Elijah  Williams,  John  Hawks. 
1741. — Ebenezer  Wells,  Elijah  Williams,  John  Catlin  (2d). 
1742.— Elijah  Williams,  Ebenezer  Wells,  David  Field,  John  Catlin  (2d),  Thomas 

French. 
1743.— Elijah  Williams,  Ebenezer  Wells,  John  Catlin  (2d),  Samuel  Childs,  Thos. 

French. 
1744.— Elijah  Williams,  Ebenezer  Wells,  John  Catlin  (2d),  David  Field,  John 

Catlin. 
1745.— Elijah  Williams,  Ebenezer  Wells,  John  Catlin  (2d),  David  Field,  Mathew 

Clesson. 
1746.— Thomas  French,  Thomas  Williams,  Elijah  Williams. 
1747. — Thomas  French,  Ebenezer  Wells,  Mathew  Clesson,  Samuel  Cliilds,  John 

Sheldon,  Jr. 
1748.— John  Catlin,  Thos.  Williams,  Sam'l  Hinsdale,  David  Field,  Edward  Allen. 
1749. — John  Hawks,  William  Williams,  Mathew  Clesson,  David  Field,  Benjamin 

Hastings. 
1750. — Ebenezer  Hinsdale,  John  Hawks,  Johti  Catlin,  Mathew  Clisson,  Benjamin 

Hastings. 
1751. — Ebenezer  Hinsdale,  William  Williams,  Jona.  Hoyt,  David  Field,  Ebenezer 

Smead. 
1752. — Ebenezer  Hinsdale,  Elijah  Williams,  Jolin  Hawks,  John  Arms,  Jr.,  Daniel 

Arms,  Jr. 
1753. — Joseph  Barnard,  Elijah  Williams,  John  Hawks,  David  Field,  Timothy 

Childs. 
1754. — John  Catlin,  Elijah  Williams,  Jos.  Barnard,  David  Field,  Mathew  Clesson. 
1755. — Mathew  Clesson,  Joseph  Barnard,  Daniel  Arms. 
1756. — Mathew  Clesson,  Joseph  Barujird,  Daniel  Arms,  Elijah  Williams. 
1757.— Elijah  Williams,  Samuel  Childs,  John  Catliu. 

1758. — David  Field,  Daniel  Arms,  Joseph  Barnard,  John  Arms,  Josepli  Stebbins. 
1759. — David  Field,  Daniel  Arms,  Elijah  Williams,  Samuel  Wells,  Jos.  Barnard. 
1760. — David  Field,  Daniel  Arms,  Elijaii  Williams,  John  Arms,  David  Hoyt. 
1701. — Elijah  Williams,  Joseph  Barnard,  Sam'l  Wells,  John  Arms,  Sam'l  Childs. 
1702. — Elijali  Williams,  Daniel  Arms,  Jona.  Hoyt,  Jr.,  Asahel  Wright,  Jeremiah 

Nims. 
1763. — Elijah  Williams,  David  Field,  Jos.  Barnard,  Samuel  Childs,  John  Hawks. 
1764. — Elijah  Williams,  David  Field,  Jos.  Barnard,  Salah  Barnard,  David  Hoyt. 
1705. — Elijah  Williams,  John  Hawks,  Jona.  Ashley,  Salah  Barnard,  David  Hoyt. 
1760.— David  Field,  Daniel  Arms,  Jona.  Hoyt,  Jr.,  Samuel  Childs,  Asahel  Wright. 
1707. — Elijah  Williams,  David  Field,  Jos.  Stel>bins,  John  Hawks,  Jeremiah  Nims. 
1768. — Elijali  Williams,  David  Field,  Jos.  Barnard,  Nathan  Frary,  Salah  Barnard. 
1709. — David  Field,  John  Hawks,  Jona.  Ashley,  Jona.  Arms,  Jona.  Hoyt,  Jr. 
1770. — David  Field,  Jos.  Barnard,  Salah  Barnard,  Jeremiah  Nims,  Asahel  Wright. 
1771. — David  Field,  Jona.  Ashley,  Jona.  Hoyt,  Jr. 
1772. — David  Field,  Jona.  Ashley,  Joseph  Barnard. 


1773. — David  Field,  Joseph  Barnard,  Salah  Barnard. 

1774. — Danii'l  Arms,  Jona.  Hoyt,  Jr.,  Jona.  Arms. 

1775.— David  Field,  Salah  Barnard,  John  Russell. 

1770-77.— David  Field,  Salah  Barnard,  John  Bardwell. 

1778. — .Tos.  Barnard,  David  Field,  Salah  Barnard,  John  Bardwell,  Jeremiah  Nims. 

1779,_Jolin  Sheldon,  Samud  McCall,  David  Saxton,  Asahel  Wright,  Elihu  Field, 

Ebenezer  Wells,  Isaac  Parker. 
1780.— Ehlad  Bardwell,  Thomas  Bardwell,  Eliphalet  Dickinson. 
1781. — Samuel  Harding,  Amzi  Childs,  Joseph  Barnard,  David  Saxton,  Thomaa 

W.  Dickinson,  Levi  Newton. 
1782.— Jos.  Stehbins,  Sam'l  Barnard,  Jeremiah  Nims,  Anizi  C!liilds,  Elihu  Field. 
1783.— David  Hoyt,  Sam'l  Barnard,  Jr.,  Sam'l  Field,  Seth  Catlin,  Elihu  Ashley. 
1784.— David  Huyt,  Sam'l  Barnard,  Jr.,  Paul  Hawks,  Seth  Catlin,  Elihu  Ashley. 
17S.5-86. — David  Hoyt,  Samuel  Barnard,  Jr.,  David  Saxton,  Seth  Catlin,  Thomas 

W.  Dickinson. 
17S7.— David  Hoyt,  Samuel  Barnard,  Jr.,  David  Saxton,  Seth  Catlin,  Jonii.  Arms. 
17SS. — David  Saxton,  Zur  Hawks,  Aaron  Arms,  Abner  Ckjoloy,  Samuel  Childs. 
1789. — Jona.  Arms,  Jos.  Stehbins,  Jr.,  Elihu  Ashley,  Jos.  Barnard,  Amzi  Childs. 
1790.— Joseph  Stehbins,  David  Hoyt,  Elihu  Ashley. 
1791. — Sanmel  Field,  Eliphalet  Dickinson,  Abner  Cooley,  Amzi  Childs,  Moses 

Chandler. 
1792. — Jona.  Arms,  Amzi  Childs,  Joseph  Barnard,  Seth  Nims,  Asahel  Wright,  Jr. 
1793.— Seth  Catlin,  Samuel  Childs,  Elijah  Arms,  Seth  Nims.  David  Hoyt,  Jr. 
1794. — Josepli  Barnard,  David  Saxton,  Jr.,  Eliakim  Arms,  Asa  Stehbins,  Asahel 

Wright,  Jr. 
1795.— David  Saxton,  Zur  Hawks,  Jos.  Stehbins,  William  Tiyon,  Eliakim  Anns. 
1796. — Joseph  Barnard,  Joseph  Stehbins,  Thomas  W.  Dickinson. 
1797. — Joseph  Barnard.  Zur  Hawks,  John  Williams,  Amzi  Childs,  Elijah  Arms. 
1798.— Seth  Catlin,  Thomas  W.  Dickinson,  Seth  Nims. 

1799.— John  Williams,  Jos.  Stehbins,  Amzi  Childs,  Solo.  Williams,  Abner  Cooley. 
1800.— John  Williams,  David  Hoyt,  Elijah  Arms,  Solo.  Williams,  Asahel  Wright. 
1801. — Joseph  Stehbins,  Thomas  W.  Dickinson,  Seth  Nims. 

1802.— Jos.  Stehbins,  W.  S.  Williams,  Asahel  Wright,  Seth  Nims,  Eliakim  Arms. 
1803.— David  Hoyt,  Augustus  Lyman,  Abner  Cooley,  Seth  Nims,  E.  H.  Williams. 
1804. — Seth  Nims,  Asa  Stehbins,  Hez.  W.  Strong,  Elihu  Hoyt,  William  Tr>'on. 
1805. — Seth  Nims,  Asa  Stehbins,  Elijah  Arms,  Sam'l  Wells,  Jr.,  Augustus  Lyman. 
1806. — Seth  Nims,  Asa  Stehbins,  Augustus  Lyman,  Abner  Cooley,  Jr.,  Ebenezer 

H.  Williams. 
1807. — Seth  Nims,  Asa  Stehbins,  T.  W.  Dickinson,  Zur  Hawks,  Eliakim  Arms. 
1808. — Seth  Nims,  Asa  Stehbins,  E.  H.  Williams,  Eli.jah  Arms,  Elihu  Ht>yt. 
1809. — Seth  Nims,  Asa  Stehbins,  Augustus  Lyman,  Elijah  Arms,  EHel  Allen. 
1810. — Seth  Nims,  Asa  Stehbins,  Augustus  Lyman,  Eb'r  Newcomh,  Jr.,  Eli  Cooley. 
1811. — Seth  Nims,  Asa  Stehbins,  Augustus  Lyman,  Ebenezer  Newcomh,  Jr.,  Eli- 
jah Arms,  Jr. 
1812.— Seth  Nims,  Elihu  Hoyt,  Sam'l  Wells,  Eb'r  Newcomh,  Jr.,  Elijah  Anns,  Jr. 
1813.— Seth  Nims,  E.  H.  Williams,  Augustus  Lyman,  Eb'r  Newcomb,  Jr.,  Elijah 

Arms,  Jr. 
1814.— Seth  Nims,  Sam'l  Wells,  Elijah  Arms,  Eb'r  Newcomb,  Jr.,  Asa  Stehbins. 
1815.— Seth  Nims,  Elihu  Hoyt,  Elijah  Arms,  Eb'r  Newcomb,  Jr.,  Augustus  Ly- 
man. 
1810.— Seth  Nims,  Elihu  Hoyt,  Eli.jah  Arms,  John  Nelson,  Augustus  Lyman. 
1817. — Asa  Stehbins,  Ebenezer  H.  Williams,  George  Arms,  Orlando  Ware. 
1818.— Asa  Stehbins,  Eb'r  H.  Williams,  Geo.  Arms,  Orlando  Ware,  Eliakim  Arms. 
1819. — Seth  Nims,  Elijah  Arms,  Stephen  Whitney,  Cha.s.  Hitchcock,  Elihu  Hoyt. 
1820. — Orlando  Ware,  Elijah  Arms,  Stephen  Whitney,  Charles  Hitchcock,  John 

Nelson. 
1821.— Orlando  Ware,  Augustus  Lyman,  Amos  Russell. 
1822-23,— Oriando  Ware,  Stephen  Wliitney,  Charles  Hitchcock. 
1824. — Orlando  Ware,  Dennis  Stehbins,  Zehediah  Graves. 
1825.— Elihu  Hoyt,  Dennis  Stehbins,  Stephen  Wliitney. 
1826-27. — Rufus  Saxton,  Dennis  Stehbins,  Amos  Russell. 
1828. — Orlamlo  Ware,  Dennis  Stehbins,  Amos  Russell. 
1829.- Orlando  Ware,  Elihu  Hoyt,  Amos  Russell. 
1830.— Amos  Russell,  Denni-s  Stehbins,  Seth  Sheldon. 
1831. — Stephen  Whitney,  Asa  Stehbins,  Jr.,  Baxter  Stehbins. 
1832. — Orlando  Ware,  Asa  Stehbins,  Zebina  Stehbins. 
1833.— Stephen  Whitney,  Asa  Stehbins,  Orlando  Ware. 
1834-35. — Dennis  Stehbins,  Alvah  Hawks,  Allen  Mansfield. 
1830. — Dennis  Stehbins,  Alvah   Hawks,  Allen  Mansfield,  George  Wright,  Ira 

Abercrombie. 
1837.— Dennis  Stehbins,  Eli  Cooley,  Jr.,  Epbiaim  MMUiams. 
1838.— Asa  Stehbins,  Jr.,  Eli  Cooley,  Jr.,  Ephraim  Williams. 
1839. — Ephraim  Williams,  Cephas  Clapp,  Ira  Abercrombie. 
1840. — Ephniim  Williams,  Cephas  Clapp,  Amos  Russell. 
1841^4:.— Ephraim  Williams,  Cephas  Clapp,  Ira  Abercrombie. 
1845. — Ira  Abercrombie,  Ceplias  Clapp,  Eli  Wright. 
1840. — Ira  Abercrombie,  Cephas  Clapp,  Chaide^  Williams. 
1847. — Ira  Abercrombie,  Cepluis  Clapp,  Asa  Stehbins. 
1848.- Ira  Abercrombie,  Daniel  Tilton,  H.  K.  Hoyt. 
1849-51.— Ephraim  Williams,  Allen  Mansfield.  Ralph  Clapp. 
1852.— Ephraim  Williams,  William  Sheldon,  Sumner  Duulap. 
1853-54.— Wilham  Sheldon,  Almon  De  Wolf,  Allen  Mansfield. 
1855.— William  Sheldon,  Ralph  Clapp,  Almon  Bryant. 
1850.— William  Sheldon,  Ralph  Clapp,  Allen  Mansfield. 
1857-58.— Horatio  Hawks,  Elisha  Wells,  James  C.  Arms. 
1859-00.— Elisha  Wells,  Allen  Mansfield,  Dexter  Childs. 
1861-02.- Elisha  Wells,  Allen  Mansfield,  Philo  Temple. 
1863-06.— Dexter  Childs,  Geo.  W.  Jones.  Charles  Aims. 


HISTORY  OP   FRANKLIN   COUNTY. 


G21 


1867-69. — Josiah  Brown,  Geo.  W.  Jones,  Cliarles  Jones. 
1870.— Pexter  CIuIiIb,  S.  D.  Billings,  Charles  Jones. 
1871. — Dexter  Cliilds,  Charles  Jones,  Charles  Arms. 
1872.— Charles  Jones,  Geo.  W.  Jones,  Charles  Hager. 
iy73._Charles  Jones,  Geo.  W.  Jones,  Geo.  W.  Smith. 
1874-75.— Chai-les  Jones,  Charles  E.  Williams,  AD^ert  Stebbins. 
1876.— Charles  Jones,  Charles  E.  Williams,  Joel  De  Wolf. 
1877.— Charles  Jonee,  Joel  De  Wolf,  Charles  P.  Aldrich. 
1878.— Cliarles  Jones,  Lester  L.  Laey,  Charles  P.  Aldrich. 
iMT'J. — Charles  P,  Aldrich,  Jonathan  Ashley,  Kobert  Abercrombie. 

WAR    OF    1812-15. 

No  military  organization  from  this  town  served  in  the  war 
of  1812.  A  few  were  drafted,  and  a  few  volunteered.  A  list  is 
given  of  such  as  are  known  : 

Col.  John  W' ilson,  Maj.  John  C.  Hoyt,  Stephen  W.  Williams,  Israel  Boydeu,  Wm. 
Palmer,  Stephen  Smith,  Robert  L.  Lanfair,  Ephraim  Lanfair,  lehabod 
Nelson,  Moses  Hawks,  Lorenzo  S.  Hatch,  Wni.  Loveiidge,  Zur  Sweet, 
Robert  Foot,  Abner  Goodenough,  James  Hayden,  Samuel  Frink. 

A  cavalry  company  here  had  for  officers,  Captain,  Thomas 
AV.  Ashley;  Lieutenant,  Charles  Hitchcock;  Ensign,  Josiah 
L.  Arms.  A  company  of  infantry,  Zebina  Ru.ssell,  Captain; 
Zebediah  Graves,  Lieutenant ;  David  Wright,  Ensign. 

WAR    OF    THE    REBELLION,   1861-65. 

In  the  great  Kebellion,  Deertield  was  not  found  wanting  in 
patriotic  endeavor,  and  furnished  her  full  share  of  men  and 
money  to  put  down  the  wicked  ambition  of  the  South.  A  tit- 
ting  monument,  erected  on  the  common  of  the  Old  Street,  attests 
our  gratitude  to  the  defenders  of  our  country,  and  proclaims 
our  loss,  it  bearing  the  names  of  those  who  perished  in  the 
service.    The  following  is  a  list  of  the  soldiers  from  Deertield  : 

Robert  L.  Adair,  George  N.  Allen,  James  M.  Allen,  Liif:iyette  Anderson,  James 
Armsiruiig,  Charles  S.  Babcock,  Henry  Baker,  Arthur  W.  Ball,  Chailes 
M.  Ball,  Francis  W.  Ball,  Dwight  W.  Bardwe)!,  George  W.  Bardwfl!, 
John  Barnard,  Oliver  Banash,  Leonard  B.  Barns,  Albert  W.  Bates, 
Michael  Behan,  Patrick  Behan,  Charles  A.  Belden,  .James  Beldm,  Henry 
E.  Bolton,  Lois  Boobly,  John  M.  Brazer,  Lorenzo  Bnizer,  Fraiicia  W. 
Briggs,  Henry  E.  Briggs,  Daniel  Bnllard,  Casper  Burghardt,  James  Butler, 
John  M.  Campbell,  George  B.  Canimll,  Al.nzo  Childs,  George  H.  Childs, 
AltVed  D.  Clai)p,  Calvin  S.  Cbipp,  Cliiirles  f'larU,  George  N  Clark,  Henry 
Clark,  Henry  G.  ('lark,  SaniU'd  E.  Cbirk,  Chiistian  Class,  Henry  S. 
Chnrth,  Frederick  Colly,  B.  O.  Conn.  11,  Allt-n  doley,  Richard  Co^teb.w, 
Andrew  I'ay,  Fnincis  Deane,  Henry  Deering,  William  Bernsmore,  Abel 
E.  Be  Wolf,  Charles  L.  Delland.  Ah.nzo  T.  Podge,  Clinton  H.  Bodge, 
Henderson  N.  Dodge,  James  Dououghue,  Daniel  Dotiovun,  Peter  Dono- 
von,  Blathevv  Douley,  Joseph  DuTining,  Orrin  J.  Katnn,  .luhri  Eherlen, 
Edward  Ely,  Joseph  Failander,  D;iniel  Finn,Jtdin  Finn,  Micliail  Finn, 
Edwin  T.  Fuwler,  Suninei  Fiinli,  Frank  B.  Fuller,  John  Kiillei,  Thomas 
Ferguson,  Alonzo  Gay,  Michael  Glasset,  Edward  D.  Guland,  Alfred  B. 
Goodenough,  James  Grady,  Albert  H,  Graves,  Dickin-^on  E.  Giaves, 
Henry  W,  Greenough,  Dexter  F.  Hager,  Charles  E.  Hastings,  George  A. 
Hastings,  Henry  A.  Hastings.  Lorenzo  T.  Hastings,  George  Hawks,  Ed- 
ward Hays,  Andrew  Herman,  .lames  Hitchcock,  Gottlieb  Halle,  Edward 
Hosmer,  Jr.,  James  K.  Ilosiner,  Edward  Hoyt,  George  G.  Hoyt,  Alexis  R, 
Hubbard,  Frederick  A.  Hubbard,  William  N.  Hubbard,  George  Hunter, 
John  W.Jackson,  Frank  L.  Jenks,  Alvord  A.  Jewett,  Gilbert  Jewett,  John 
Johnson,  Alfred  G.  Jones,  Frank  W.  Junes,  Orrey  Jones,  Dexter  Kemp, 
Michael  Kenedy,  Joel  Keyes,  Frank  Labell,  Seth  P.  Lanfair,  Charles 
Leonard,  Warren  Leonard,  William  Leonard,  Henry  C.  Lewey,  Henry 
Lyman,  John  Manhati,  Bathus  Markle,  William  Martin,  Alphunsu  H. 
Melenda,  Harland  W.  Miller,  Otis  Moore,  Martin  Moran,  Edward  E, 
Morton,  William  Muiller,  Richaid  O'Hary,  Edwin  B.  Ockington.  John  B. 
Palmer,  W.  R.  Parker,  Simeon  Peck,  Charles  0.  Phillips,  Dwight  C.  Pe- 
liere,  Horace  Pehere,  Russell  Pehere,  William  Prevo,  Pliilip  Reuth, 
David  L.  Rice,  George  Rice,  Is;iac  D.  Rice,  Luther  Rice,  Charles  Rich- 
ards, Washington  Boss,  Joseph  Rowland,  Lucius  H.  Sanimis,  Edward 
Savage,  Mirand  W.  Saxton,  Orrin  B.  Saxton,  Tlionias  ?axton,  William  P. 
Saxton,  Philip  A.  Sears,  Maurice  Shelian,  James  Shehay,  John  Shehee, 
Robert  Shehee,  James  H.  Sheldon,  Wm.  A.  Simms,  George  Slate,  Charles 
Smith,  David  A.  Smith,  Edwin  A.  Smith,  Edwin  B.  Smith,  Enistua  C. 
Smith,  George  W.  Smith,  Henry  D.  Smith,  Albian  Stebbins,  James  T. 
Stebbins,  Wellington  M.  Stel>bins.  William  H.  H.  Stebbins,  B.  Washing- 
ton Stebbins,  Dana  W.  Sprout,  Edgar  P.  Squires,  Hiram  B.  Stearns,  James 
Stewart,  Charles  Stockwell,  Cliarles  Stowell,  Cyrus  A.  Stowell,  Slyran  A. 
Stowell,  Cornelius  Sullivan,  Josepli  Sullivan,  Patrick  Sullivan,  Henry  W. 
Temple,  William  C.  Thayer,  James  B.  Tilley,  Charles  G  Tilton,  Asa  E. 
Todd,  David  E.  Tudd,  Sieplien  C.  Todd,  William  H.  Todd,  Almon  Van 
Wanger,  George  Vizzard,  Arthur  Wait,  Eiastus  T.  Wait,  John  Ware, 
Cliarles  Warner,  Jr.,  George  M.  Wells,  Ebenezer  E.  Wliitney,  Henry  W' il- 
der,  Jr.,  Charles  L.  Williams,  Epliraim  Williams,  John  Williams,  Martin 
V.  Williams,  Charles  WiUon,  Lyman  Wise,  Justus  Wrisley,  John  Zim- 
merman. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 


HON.  CEPHAS  CLAPP. 
It  has  been  said  that  "a  truthful  representation  of  a 
worthy  life  is  a  legacy  to  humanity;"  and  as  such  we  pre- 
sent a  brief  outline  of  the  life  and  character  of  Cephas  Clapp. 
Ho  was  the  son  of  Erastus  and  Katie  (Ross)  Clapp,  who  were 
natives  of  Deerfield.  His  father  was  born  July  30,  1771 ; 
his  mother.  May  14,  1773.  The  former  died  Sept.  12,  1851, 
and  the  latter  June  17,  1853.  They  were  married  in  Deer- 
field,  May  15,  1794,  and  had  nine  children,  of  whom  the  sub- 
ject of  this  memoir  was  the  second.     Cephas  Clapp  was  born 


vw-. 


L^^^^/iX^     ^^^%^ 


in  Pine  Nook,  Deerfield,  Jan.  1,  1797.  When  he  was  twelve 
years  of  age  his  father  removed  to  Mill  River,  where  he  bought 
a  farm.  Although  an  industrious  and  worthy  man,  he  was 
,  in  straitened  circumstances,  and  could  give  his  son  but  few 
educational  advantages.  Mr.  Clapp's  education  for  this  reason 
was  confined  to  an  attendance  at  the  common  school  during 
the  winter.  He  exhibited,  however,  at  an  early  age  a  deter- 
mined and  enterprising  spirit.  When  twenty-one  years  old 
he  purchased  his  father's  farm,  and  successfully  engaged  in 
farming  and  stock-raising.  By  the  energy  and  integrity  which 
he  displayed  in  all  his  pursuits  he  won  the  confidence  of  his 
townsmen,  and  in  18.50  represented  Deerfield  in  the  Legisla- 
ture. He  served  also  nine  consecutive  years  as  selectman,  and 
was  elected  the  tenth,  but  he  declined  serving.  He  was  for  two 
years  a  trustee  of  Smith  Charities,  and  by  the  sound  judgment 
which  he  displayed  in  discharging  the  duties  pertaining  to 
that  oiBce  he  gained  the  respect  and  esteem  of  all  officers  of 
that  institution.  The  Smith  Charities  and  the  savings-bank 
often  called  into  requisition  his  superior  judgment  to  make 
appraisals  of  property  on  which  loans  were  to  be  made,  and 
it  is  remarkable  that  in  no  instance  was  loss  incurred  when 
his  advice  was  strictly  followed.  He  acted  as  referee  in  nu- 
merous cases,  to  the  satisfaction  of  all  parties  concerned.  He 
was  quick  to  see  the  right,  and  when  once  convinced  no 
amount  of  argument  could  induce  him  to  change  his  de- 
cision.    In  politics  he  was  a  Whig  of  the  staunchest  kind. 

Mr.  Clapp  was  united  in  marriage,  April  17,  1828,  to  Emily 
Boyden,  of  Deerfield.      They  had  seven  children,  of  whom 


622 


HISTORY   OF  THE  CONNECTICUT   VALLEY". 


three  died  in  infancy.  Those  living  are  Cephas  Gerry,  Fran- 
cis, Emilj'  B.,  wife  of  J.  C.  Melendy,  and  Charlotte  M.,  wife 
of  A.  A.  Cooley.  Francis  is  living  upon  the  old  homestead, 
and  contributes  this  memoir  and  the  portrait  of  his  father  to 
this  work. 

Mrs.  Clapp  died  in  1872,  and  her  husband  mourned  her  loss 
so  deeply  as  to  materially  affect  his  health  and  spirits.  He 
survived  her  three  years,  when  after  an  illness  of  but  six  days 
he  died,  March  7,  1875.  The  following,  from  the  Franklin 
Coimfy  Times  of  April  9,  1875,  is  a  just  tribute  to  a  good  man  : 
"The  death  of  Mr.  Cephas  Clapp,  of  South  Deerfield,  an  old 
and  respected  citizen,  was  sudden  and  unexpected,  and  is  a 
loss  to  the  community  which  will  be  long  and  deeply  felt.  He 
was  not  only  loved  and  honored  by  his  own  family,  but  by  all 
who  came  in  contact  with  him  in  social  or  business  relations. 
In  all  his  intercourse  and  dealings  he  was  frank,  open-hearted, 
honest  in  the  strictest  sense  of  the  word,  always  ready  and 
willing  to  do  what  he  thought  right  in  the  face  of  all  opposi- 
tion, and  without  reference  to  any  injury  to  self  which  might 
he  caused  by  so  doing.  He  was  one  of  the  staunch  men  of 
the  past  generation,  deep  in  thought,  high-minded,  pure  in 
heart,  and  a  liberal  supporter  of  the  Congregational  Church, 
of  ivhich  he  was  a  member.  He  was  also  liberal  in  his  aid  to 
the  missionary  cause  and  other  fields  of  labor.  .  .  .  We  can 
all  exclaim,  and  truly,  that  we  have  lost  a  great  and  good 
man,  one  of  the  noblest  of  the  '  noble  works  of  God,'  a  beacon- 
light  whose  rays  will  never  grow  dim  till  those  who  have 
known  and  loved  him  pass  too  over  that  river  to  the  shore 
beyond." 


HON.  GEORGE   SHELDON. 

The  Sheldon  family  have  been  among  the  distinguished  in- 
habitants of  the  Connecticut  Valley.  The  first  of  the  name 
who  settled  in  Deerfield  was  Ensign  John  Sheldon,  in  1684.* 
About  1C98  he  built  the  dwelling  afterward  famous  as  the 
"  Old  Indian  House,"  which  was  removed  about  1848. 

The  original  Sheldon  homestead  passed  into  the  hands  of 
the  Hoyt  family  in  1743,  a  daughter  of  Ebenezer,  who  was  a 
son  of  Ensign  Sheldon,  having  married  one  of  the  family. 
Ebenezer  was  a  boy  of  thirteen  years  when  his  father's  house 
was  so  furiously  assaulted  by  the  French  and  Indians  in  1704, 
and  he  was  taken  prisoner  and  carried  to  Canada  at  that  time. 

George  Sheldon  is  of  the  sixth  generation  from   Ensign 


Sheldon,  and  was  born  on  the  homestead,  which  has  been  in 
the  family  since  1708,  on  the  SOth  of  November,  1818.  His 
father,  Seth  Sheldon,  was  a  farmer,  and  the  young  man  worked 
on  the  farm  until  he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age,  when  an 
accident  disabled  him  from  manual  labor  for  some  ten  years 
of  his  life.  His  early  education  was  obtained  at  the  common 
district  school  and  at  the  Deerfield  Academy,  which  he  attended 
during  several  winter  terms. 

From  1853  to  1858  he  was  employed  in  the  Dwight  Cotton- 
Mills,  at  Chioopee  ;  but  in  the  latter  year  an  injury  received  in 
a  railway  collision  compelled  him  to  return  to  his  father's, 
where  he  subsequently  took  charge  of  the  homestead  for  a 
number  of  years,  until  about  1868,  when  he  relinquished  it  to 
his  son-in-law. 

From  the  lAst-mentioned  date  to  the  present  Mr.  Sheldon 
has  been  engaged  a  large  portion  of  his  time  in  literary  and 
antiquarian  pursuits,  and  has  contributed  m;iny  interesting 
and  valuable  chapters  and  papers  from  time  to  time  on  the 
history  and  archaeology  of  the  Connecticut  Valley,  in  which 
connection  he  occupies  the  foremost  rank  as  a  collator  and 
writer. 

He  was  actively  instrumental  in  founding  and  organizing 
the  "  PocoMPTUCK  Vallby  Memorial  Association,"  which 
assumed  tangible  form  in  1870,  and  has  been  president  of  it 
since  its  organization. f  Mr.  Sheldon  has  also  held  important 
civil  positions.  Has  been  justice  of  the  peace  in  his  native 
town  for  fifteen  or  twenty  years  ;  was  a  member  of  the  Massa- 
chusetts House  of  Representatives  in  18137,  and  of  the  State 
Senate  in  1872.  He  married,  June  11,  1844,  Susan  Stewart, 
daughter  of  John  F.  Stearns,  Esq.,  of  Dummerston,  Vt.  He 
has  two  children, — a  son  and  daughter.  The  son  is  in  busi- 
ness in  Greenfield,  and  the  daughter  and  her  family  live  on 
the  homestead  with  her  father. 

Few  places  in  the  Union  can  compare  with  the  quaint  and 
quiet  old  town  of  Deerfield  in  the  richness  of  its  historical 
memories.  For  many  years  succeeding  1690  it  was  the  grand 
objective-point  in  Western  New  England  against  which  the 
northern  enemy  directed  his  mingled  white  and  dusky  bat- 
talions, and  the  stories  of  its  burnings  and  massacres  are 
among  the  most  thrilling  and  interesting  in  our  annals. 

In  this  rich  field  Mr.  Sheldon  has  ample  scope  for  the  full 
employment  of  his  powers  ;  and  if  his  life  and  health  continue, 
the  results  of  his  labors  will  no  doubt  be  highly  appreciated 
by  the  coming  generations. 


MONTAGUE. 


GEOGRAPHICAL. 

Montague,  one  of  the  eastern  towns  of  Franklin,  lies  on 
the  east  and  south  banks  of  the  Connecticut  River,  and  is 
bounded  on  the  north  by  the  Connecticut,  on  the  south  by 
Sunderland  and  Leverett,  on  the  east  by  Erving  and  Wendell, 
and  on  the  west  by  the  Connecticut  River.  Of  the  16,520  tax- 
able acres  which  the  town  contains,  about  one-half  consists  of 
improved  lands.  The  New  London  Northern  Railroad  crosses 
from  the  Sunderland  line  on  the  south  to  the  village  of  Miller's 
Falls  in  the  northeast;  the  Vermont  and  Massachusetts  branch 
of  the  Fitchburg  Railroad  passes  east  and  west  through  the 
centre  of  the  town ;  and  in  the  northwest  corner  the  Greenfield 
and  Turner's  Falls  branch  of  the  Fitchburg  Railroad  connects 
those  two  villages. 

*  See  history  of  Deerfield. 


NATURAL  FEATURES. 

The  surface  of  the  town  is  generally  level,  save  in  the  east 
and  south,  where  high  hills  cover  the  face  of  that  region  lying 
east  of  the  New  London  Northern  Railroad.  The  only  eleva- 
tion of  consequence  in  the  north  is  Wells'  Hill.  Other  emi- 
nences are  Dry,  Chestnut,  Pine,  and  Country  hills,  but  none 
of  these  rise  to  the  dignity  of  mountains. 

The  Connecticut  River  bounds  the  town  on  the  north  and 
west,  and  Miller's  River,  on  the  northeast,  is  a  rapid  stream 
of  considerable  size,  which  furnishes  the  manufactories  at 
Miller's  Falls  and  other  points  with  valuable  water-power. 
Reference  to  this,  as  well  as  to  the  greater  water-power  of  the 
Connecticut  at  Turner's  Falls,  will  be  found  in  detail  farther 
along. 

t  For  an  account  of  this  association  see  history  of  Deerfield. 


HISTORY   OF  FRANKLIN   COUNTY. 


623 


Trom  the  bills  on  the  castand  south,  richly  picturesque  views 
of  the  windinc;  Connecticut,  its  charming  valley,  and  the  far- 
reaching  and  diversified  landscape  are  obtained.  During  the 
past  few  years  the  timber-land  of  the  town  has  been  industri- 
ously cleared.  Chestnut  is  now  the  principal  growth  found  on 
the  woodlands.  Besides  the  Connecticut  and  Miller's  Kiver, 
there  is  also  Saw-mill  River,  which  flows  through  Southwest 
Montague  and  empties  into  the  Connecticut. 

The  most  important  of  the  natural  features  of  the  town  is 
Lake  Pleasant,  a  lovely  sheet  of  water  covering  about  100 
acres,  and  situated  in  the  midst  of  a  pine  grove,  about  a  mile 
and  a  half  east  of  Montague  Centre,  on  the  line  of  the  Fitch- 
burg  Railroad.  In  1872  the  railroad  company,  recognizing 
the  natural  charms  of  the  spot,  built  upon  the  banks  of  the 
lake  (then  called  Great  Pond),  at  a  cost  of  ?15,000,  bath- 
houses, boat-houses,  neat  cottages,  restaurants,  and  many 
other  conveniences  for  public  entertainment,  supplied  the 
lake  with  boats,  beautified  the  surrounding  grounds,  and 
after,  in  short,  creating  a  delightful  retreat,  the  company 
opened  it  to  the  public  as  a  free  resort,  and  since  that  time  the 
lake  has  been  visited  yearly  every  summer  by  thousands  of 
pleasure-seeking  people,  many  of  whom  take  up  their  abode 
there  for  the  season  in  the  pretty  cottages  on  the  borders  of 
the  lake.  Camp-meetings  are  regularly  held  there  every  sum- 
mer, and,  according  to  the  popular  estimate,  the  average  daily 
population  at  Lake  Pleasant  during  the  season  reaches  full}' 
1200.  The  waters  of  the  lake,  which  are  very  clear  and  said 
to  be  unfathomable,  are  plentifully  stocked  with  black  bass, 
and  furnish  the  angler  with  capital  sport.  Picnic-parties 
journey  to  the  spot  from  far  and  near,  and  altogether  it  is  a 
famous  resort,  of  which  the  town  is  justly  proud. 

Two  important  waterfalls  border  the  town, — Turner's  Falls, 
on  the  Connecticut,  at  the  north,  with  a  fall  of  2.5  feet,  and 
Miller's  Falls,  on  Miller's  River,  at  the  east,  with  a  fall  of  12 
feet.  In  the  eastern  part  of  the  town  is  a  granite  quarry, 
which  furnishes  considerable  valuable  stone. 

Extensive  geological  researches  in  the  northern  part  of  the 
town  have  unearthed  a  multitude  of  early  fossil  imprints  in 
the  red  sandstone,  and  of  these  numerous  collections  are  now 
in  the  possession  of  private  individuals  as  well  as  public 
corporations. 

-  One  of  the  most  important  and  valuable  of  these  collections 
was  made  by  Dexter  Marsh,  a  native  of  Montague,  who  died 
in  Greenfield  in  1853.  Red  sandstone  abounds  in  the  south- 
western part  of  the  town,  and  it  was  in  the  strata  of  this  rock 
that  the  fossil  imprints  referred  to  were  found,  and  where 
they  are  occasionally  found  to  this  day.  Ancient  relics,  such 
as  stone  axes,  arrow-points,  etc,  are  often  found  at  the  present 
day  imbedded  in  the  lands  along  the  river-bottoms. 

EARLY   SETTLEMENT. 

The  earliest  grant  of  land  in  what  is  now  Montague  of 
which  the  records  make  mention  is  under  date  of  March  23, 
1716,  wherein  Samuel  Partridge  and  John  Pynchon,  "the 
committee  of  Swampiield"  (the  original  name  of  Sunderland), 
granted  to  Benjamin  Munn,  Edward  Ailing,  Jr.,  Daniel  Bea- 
mon,  Edward  Ailing,  find  Nathaniel  Frary  the  privileges  of  a 
stream  in  Swampfield,  called  Saw-mill  Brook,  upon  which  a 
saw-mill  was  erected.  They  were  to  have  free  privileges  of 
timber  in  Swampfield,  on  the  north  side  of  Saw-mill  Brook, 
for  the  use  of  said  saw-mill,  conditioned,  however,  that  the 
said  grant  should  not  impede  the  erection  of  a  corn-mill  on 
said  brook.  They  were  to  sell  "  bords"  to  "  the  inhabitants  of 
Swampfield"  at  a  price  not  exceeding  twenty  shillings  per 
thousand,  and  their  grant  was  to  continue  only  as  long  as  they 
continued  the  mill.  As  an  encouragement  to  build  said  mill, 
they  were  further  granted  30  acres  of  land  in  some  con- 
venient place  in  Swampfield.  This  place  alluded  to  was  a 
tract  on  Saw-mill  Brook,  now  in  the  village  of  Montague 


Centre,  and  from  the  foregoing  it  would  appear  that  there  were 
at  that  time  "  inhabitants"  in  that  neighborhood. 

Jan.  16,  1709,  two  divisions  of  land  were  made  on  the  west 
side  of  Hunting  Hills,  lying  on  the  Connecticut  River.  In  the 
first  division  each  lot  contained  three  acres  and  a  half,  and 
grants  therein  were  made  to  the  following  persons :  Thomas 
Hovey,  Benjamin  Graves,  Wm.  Arms,  Samuel  Billings, 
Samuel  Harvey,  Isaac  Graves,  Benjamin  Barrett,  Samuel 
Smith,  Capt.  Field,  Ebenezer  Billings,  Jr.,  Nathaniel  Dick- 
inson, Joseph  Root,  Luke  Smith,  Stephen  Crowfoot,  Samuel 
Taylor,  Samuel  Billings  Smith,  Daniel  "Warner,  Ebenezer 
Marsh,  Daniel  Smith,  Nathaniel  Smith,  Samuel  Graves,  Jos. 
Field,  Jr.,  Joseph  Dickinson,  Mr.  Willard,  Simon  Cooley, 
Daniel  Russell,  James  Bridgman,  Wm.  Scott,  Joseph  Clary, 
Jonathan  Graves,  Nathaniel  Gunn,  Ebenezer  Kellogg,  Isaac 
Hubbard,  Deacon  Hubbard,  Manoah  Bodman,  Lieut.  Eben- 
ezer Billings,  Richard  Scott,  Eleazer  Warner,  Joseph  Smith, 
Wm.  Allis,  Samuel  Gunn,  and  Samuel  Montague.  Grants 
were  made  to  the  same  persons  in  the  second  division,  in  which 
each  lot  contained  ten  acres.  In  each  division  a  ministry  or 
town-lot  was  reserved.  The  tract  embraced  in  the  two  divi- 
sions was  in  the  north  part  of  the  town  of  Sunderland,  where 
now  stands  the  village  of  Montague  Centre,  and  the  first  set- 
tlement of  what  is  now  the  town  of  Montague  appears,  there- 
fore, to  have  been  made  in  1719.  The  majority  of  the  settlers 
named  above  were  also  among  the  early  settlers  of  Sunder- 
land. 

There  was  a  tract  of  State  land  lying  north  of  the  Sunder- 
land line  and  extending  to  the  Connecticut,  and  upon  this 
tract  two  young  men,  Enoch  and  Gideon  Bardwell,  of  Deer- 
field,  settled  at  a  very  early  date.  They  were  persevering  and 
heroic  lads,  and,  although  forced  at  one  time  to  flee  to  Deer- 
field  by  troublesome  Indians,  they  returned  after  a  brief  ab- 
sence, and,  reoccupying  their  lands,  remained,  and  became 
subsequently  the  progenitors  of  a  numerous  race  of  Bardwells, 
some  of  whom  still  reside  in  Montague. 

Further  grants  of  lands  near  Hunting  Hills  were  made  be- 
tween 1730  and  1740,  the  section  being  known  as  part  of  the 
second  precinct  of  Sunderland.  The  name  of  Hunting  Hills 
was  given  to  it  by  reason  of  a  range  of  hills  on  the  eastern 
border,  where  game  was  found  in  abundance. 

On  the  r2th  of  July,  1751,  William  Williams,  justice  of 
the  peace  for  the  county  of  Hampshire,  issued  to  Jonathan 
Root,  of  Sunderland  (husbandman),  an  order,  saying  that,  an 
application  having  been  made  to  him  by  Simeon  King,  David 
Ballard,  Eliphalet  Allis,  Samuel  Smead,  and  Jonathan  Root, 
desiring  a  meeting  of  the  freeholders  and  other  inhabitants 
of  the  second  parish  of  Sunderland  entitled  to  vote  in  town 
affairs,  the  said  Jonathan  Root  was  therefore  required,  in  his 
Majesty's  name,  to  notify  the  freeholders,  etc.,  of  said  parish 
to  meet  at  the  house  of  Joseph  Root,  on  Monday,  July  29, 
1751,  for  the  following  purposes:  "  To  choose  a  moderator; 
to  choose  a  clerk  ;  a  committee  to  call  meetings  for  the  future ; 
to  determine  whether  they  will  have  preaching  in  the  parish ; 
to  grant  such  sum  as  will  defray  present  and  future  charges  ; 
and  to  choose  assessors  and  collectors." 

At  this  meeting,  which  was  held  as  provided.  Deacon  Mat- 
toon  was  chosen  Moderator  ;  Joseph  Root  was  chosen  Clerk  ; 
and  Deacon  Mattoon,  Eliphalet  Allis,  Samuel  Bardwell,  David 
Ballard,  and  Simeon  King  were  chosen  to  give  out  warrants 
for  calling  future  meetings.  It  was  further  resolved  to  raise 
£200,  old  tenor,  to  defray  the  charges  that  "  have  arisen  or 
that  may  arise,  that  the  sura  be  paid  in  the  middle  of  October 
next,  and  that  Josiah  Alvord,  Eliphalet  Allis,  and  Samuel 
Smead  be  cho.sen  to  assess  the  same." 

Upon  the  records,  under  date  of  1745,  there  appears  the 
copy  of  a  division  of  land  on  Miller's  Plain,  surveyed  by 
Nathaniel  Kellogg.  There  were  80  lots  in  this  tract,  divided 
into  two  ranges, — north  and  south.  The  grantees  of  these  lots 
were  Samuel  Harvey,  Jr.,  Nathaniel  Cowdry,  Jonathan  Root, 


624 


HISTORY   OF  THE  CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


Joseph  Dickinson,  Ephraim  Sawyer,  Absalom  Soott,  Aaron 
Leonard,  Israel  Kioliardson,  Jonathan  Graves,  Richard  Scott, 
Thomas  Keet,  Samuel  Taylor,  Isaac  Graves,  John  Giinn,  Isaac 
Barrett,  John  Scott,  Stephen  Smith,  Isaac  Hubbard,  Jr., 
Nathan  Tuttle,  Nathaniel  Gunn,  Daniel  Hubbard,  Daniel 
Smith,  Joseph  Wells,  Noah  Graves,  Ensign  Cooley,  Daniel 
Harvey,  Fellows  Billings,  John  Billings,  John  Marsh,  Zebe- 
diah  Smith,  Charles  Chancy,  John  Bridgman,  Benjamin  Bar- 
ret, Samuel  Downer,  Ebenezer  Graves,  Ebenezer  Billings,  Jr., 
Samuel  Graves,  Samuel  Billings  Smith,  Samuel  Harvey,  Joseph 
Boot,  Josiah  Alvord,  Ezekiel  Smith,  Capt.  Billings,  Jed  Saw- 
yer, Ebenezer  Marsh,  Jr.,  Eliphalet  Allis,  Moses  Dickinson, 
Judah  Wright,  Samuel  Smith,  Wm.  Scott,  Jr.,  Samuel  Bil- 
lings (2d),  William  Allis,  Widow  Harvey,  Jonathan  Bridg- 
man, Samuel  Gunn,  Jonathan  Billings,  Manoah  Bodman, 
Eleazer  Warner,  Joseph  Mitchel,  Jonathan  Barrett,  Jonathan 
Kussell,  Jonathan  Field,  Samuel  Clary,  Benjamin  Graves, 
Wm.  Scott,  Lieut.  Clary,  Joseph  Field,  Samuel  Scott,  Jona- 
than Scott,  Edward  Elmer,  Ebenezer  Mar.sh,  Widow  Gunn, 
Luke  Smith,  Nathaniel  Smith,  Zebediah  Allis,  W^m.  Band, 
Deacon  Montague,  Joshua  Douglass,  Deacon  Hubbard,  Abner 
Cooley. 

Comparatively  few  of  the  descendants  of  Montague's  early 
settlers  are  now  living  in  the  town,  many  having  removed 
westward  early  in  life.  Among  those  now  in  Montague  de- 
scended from  the  pioneers  may  be  noted  Warren  and  Elijah 
Bardwell,  J.  W.  Root,  Harrison  Root,  Solomon  Root,  Zebina, 
Henry  H.,  and  Wm.  F.  Taylor,  Elizur  Soott,  Rodney,  Eras- 
tus,  and  Elijah  Gunn,  Joshua  and  Elijah  Marsh,  and  Liberty 
and  George  Wright. 

REVOLUTIONARY    REMINI8CKNCES. 

April  (i,  1773,  the  inhabitants  held  a  meeting  to  discuss  a 
pamphlet  received  from  the  town  of  Boston,  touching  the 
rights  and  grievances  of  the  colonies.  It  was  decided  to 
choose  a  committee  of  correspondence,  composed  of  Moses 
Gunn,  Elisha  Allis,  Stephen  Tuttle,  Peter  Bishop,  Judah 
Wright,  Nathaniel  Gunn,  Jr.,  and  Moses  Harvey,  and  at  an 
adjourned  meeting  in  April  the  committee  presented  the  draft 
of  a  letter  to  the  committee  of  correspondence  at  Boston,  and 
in  this  letter  it  was  set  forth  in  substance  that  the  committee 
considered  the  infringement  upon  the  rights  of  the  colonies,  as 
set  forth  in  the  pamphlet,  as  being  what  in  reason  and  justice 
ought  to  give  great  concern  to  every  friend  of  his  country,  and 
excite  his  endeavors  in  all  lawful  methods  to  obtain  suitable 
redress. 

In  July,  1774,  the  people  in  town-meeting  adopted  a  non- 
consumption  covenant,  whereby  they  pledged  themselves  to 
suspend  commercial  intercourse  with  Great  Britain  until  the 
repeal  of  the  act  closing  the  port  of  Boston  and  the  restoration 
of  chartered  rights.  They  further  pledged  themselves  not  to 
knowingly  purchase  any  goods  arriving  from  Great  Britain 
after  the  last  day  of  the  ensuing  August.  In  view  of  the  dis- 
tressing condition  of  affairs  throughout  the  country,  it  was 
voted  to  set  apart  the  14th  day  of  July  as  a  day  of  humiliation 
and  pra}'er. 

In  September,  1774,  it  was  voted  to  procure  fifty  pounds  of 
powder,  one  hundred  and  twelve  pounds  of  lead,  and  a  suffi- 
cient number  of  flints,  "  as  a  town  stock  for  the  present."  In 
January,  1775,  it  was  voted  to  raise  six  pounds  to  encourage 
the  Minute-Men  "shortly  to  be  raised  in  Montague."  At 
the  same  meeting  it  was  voted  to  send  Moses  Gunn  to  repre- 
sent the  district  in  the  Provincial  Congress.  Out  of  the  sum 
above  appropriated,  it  was  voted  to  allow  the  Minute-Men  six- 
pence apiece  each  half-day  the}'  attended  military  exercise. 
At  a  meeting  in  April,  177.5,  it  was  voted  to  send  a  wagon 
with  provisions  for  the  use  of  the  army.  To  transport  this 
wagon-load  of  provisions  to  the  army  at  Cambridge,  the  dis- 
trict paid  Elijah  Smith  seven  pounds,  ten  shillings,  and  nine 
pence. 


Tn  1778  it  was  voted  to  abide  by  the  Articles  of  Confeder- 
ation proposed  by  the  Continental  Congress,  except  the  article 
empowering  Congress  to  declare  peace  or  war.  This  power 
the  town  considered  should  be  left  to  the  people,  and  not  en- 
trusted to  any  body  of  men. 

In  the  same  year  it  was  voted  to  provide  twenty-three  pairs 
of  stockings,  twenty-three  pairs  of  shoes,  and  twenty-three 
shirts  for  the  use  of  the  Continental  soldiers.  It  was  agreed 
to  give  twenty  shillings  a  pair  for  stockings,  thirty-six  shil- 
lings a  pair  for  .shoes,  and  eight  shillings  per  yard  for  yard- 
wide  shirting. 

In  May,  1778,  the  town  voted  to  raise  £1.50  to  pay  the 
bounties  for  the  five  soldiers  ordered  by  the  General  Court 
for  the  army. 

In  December,  1778,  it  was  voted  to  pay  seven  dollars  apiece 
for  eight  shirts,  and  eleven  dollars  a  pair  for  shoes,  provided 
for  the  soldiers.*  In  June,  1779,  it  was  agreed  to  raise  £574 
for  bounties  and  mileage  to  the  soldiers  ordered  to  be  raised 
by  the  General  Court.  For  this  money  six  soldiers  were 
raised.  In  the  following  September  the  town  refused  to  adopt 
the  scale  of  prices  fj-xed  for  various  commodities  by  the 
Northampton  convention. 

In  October,  1779,  the  town  borrowed  £360  to  pay  bounties 
for  soldiers  ordered  by  the  General  Court.  Of  this  sum,  the 
town  paid  £40  each  to  eight  soldiers,  as  follows:  Noah  Barnes, 
Joel  Benjamin,  Asa  Fuller,  .lames  Winslow,  Ephraim  Whit- 
ney, Sim  King,  John  Clapp,  and  .Jonathan  Marsh. 

In  June,  1780,  it  was  voted  to  give  each  man  who  should 
turn  out  as  a  volunteer  for  six  months  a  bounty  of  £'206.  No 
one  offering  to  volunteer,  the  bounty  was  raised  to  £300  and 
£3  per  month,  and  the  11  men  required  were  obtained. 

In  July  of  the  same  year  11  additional  men  were  called 
for,  and  a  bounty  of  £150  and  £3  per  month  promised  as 
an  encouragement.  In  October,  3600  pounds  of  beef  were 
bought  for  the  army  under  an  order  from  the  General  Court. 

In  January,  1781,  7  more  soldiers  were  raised  by  boun- 
ties, and  shortly  thereafter  it  was  voted  to  give  as  a  bounty  to 
each  soldier  20  yearling  heifers  or  steers,  in  case  said  soldier 
should  continue  in  the  war  one  year ;  20  two-year-old  neat 
cattle  in  case  he  should  serve  two  years ;  and  20  three-year- 
old  neat  cattle  in  case  he  should  serve  three  years.  In  the 
following  July  a  bounty  of  £3  40s.  per  month  was  offered 
for  three  months'  men. 

In  September,  1781,  20.s.  bounty  and  £30  per  month  were 
offered  for  soldiers  to  serve  in  the  defense  of  the  State  of  Con- 
necticut. In  December,  1783,  the  town  treasurer  was  author- 
ized to  exchange  Continental  money  for  silver  at  the  rate  of 
$120 /or  one  dollar ! 

In  July,  1812,  the  town  in  public  meeting  recorded  its  dis- 
approbation of  the  war  declared  against  Great  Britain,  and 
voted  to  send  a  memorial  to  the  President  and  Congress, 
praying  that  war  might  cease,  and  that  the  blessings  of  peace 
might  be  restored  to  the  land.  Beyond  that  the  records  are 
silent  touching  the  action  of  the  town  as  concerned  that  war. 
It  is,  however,  certain  that  the  town  furnished  16  men  for 
the  service.  Fifteen  of  these  were  drafted  and  one  volun- 
teered, the  volunteer's  name  being  Chester  Taylor. 

Montague  sent  Henry  Wells  as  a  delegate  to  the  Northamp- 
ton convention,  called  by  the  three  river-counties  to  memo- 
rialize the  President  of  the  United  States,  and  to  demand  a 
speedy  conclusion  of  peace. 

NOTEWOKTHY  INCIDENTS. 
Joseph  Root  was  probably  the  first  innkeeper  known  in  the 
early  settlement  of  Montague,  for  the  records  of  1770  allude  to 
a  sale  of  lands  to  be  held  "at  the  house  of  Joseph  Root,  inn- 
holder."  It  may  also  be  noted  that  the  first  meeting  of  the 
inhabitants  of  the  second  parish  of  Sunderland,  in  1751,  was 

*  These  enormous  prices  illustrate  the  relative  value  of  Continental  bills. 


HISTORY  OF   FRANKLIN   COUNTY. 


025 


held  at  his  house.  Martin  Root,  his  son,  kept  the  inn  after 
him.  Tlie  old  tavern  building  yet  stands  on  the  eastern  edge 
of  the  village  of  Montague  Centre,  and  is  still  used  as  a 
dwelling. 

Dec.  1, 1755,  the  district  voted  to  allow  jiay  for  the  building 
of  a  bridge  across  Saw-mill  River,  on  the  road  crossing  the 
Mill  Swamp,  from  Ensign  King's  to  Moses  Taylor's.  The 
pay  allowed  was  "  15  cents  per  summer  day,  and  12  cents  for 
Micklemas  day,  old  tenor." 

Brief  allusion  is  made  in  a  record  of  date  1755  to  certain 
persons  "  enlisted  in  the  services  of  the  war,"  meaning,  doubt- 
less, the  French  war. 

March  8,  1756,  it  was  resolved  to  discontinue  and  alter  the 
road  "  lying  on  the  west  side  of  the  low  swamp,  in  the  Hunt- 
ing Hills  field,  beginning  at  Jonathan  Root's  lot,  and  bearing 
mure  to  the  ea.st  than  the  old  road  was  laid,  and  then  crossing 
the  low  swamp  in  Judah  Wright's  land,  and  coming  into  the 
path  on  the  line  between  Judah  Wright's  land  and  Enos 
Marsh's,  on  the  east  side  of  the  low  swamp." 

One  of  the  earliest  roads  laid  out  in  the  district  is  sup- 
posed to  have  been  the  one  beginning  at  the  west  side  of  Mount 
Toby,  thence  extending  east,  and  then  north  to  Northfield, 
passing  about  half  a  mile  east  of  what  is  now  Montague  vil- 
lage. 

In  March,  1757,  it  was  determined  to  build  a  bridge  across 
Saw-mill  River,  cast  branch,  between  Ensign  King's  and 
Moses  Taylor's.  In  December,  1757,  a  highway  was  ordered 
to  be  laid  out,  to  begin  at  the  common  road  at  the  west  end  of 
Isaac  Barret's  horne-lot,  to  road  bounds  north  on  Benjamin 
Barret's  land,  and  then  east  to  the  little  hill. 

The  first  turnpike  in  the  town  was  the  one  known  as  the 
road  of  the  Fifth  Massachusetts  Turnpike  Corporation,  passing 
from  Greenfield  to  Athol,  by  way  of  Montague.  This  turn- 
pike was  built  in  1799. 

The  first  pound  was  probably  the  one  ordered  December, 
1766,  to  be  built  on  Asahel  Gunn's  lot,  "  at  the  west  end  of 
the  horse-house,  and  near  the  meeting-house."  In  1771  it  was 
voted  to  lay  out  a  road  up  the  river-bank,  near  Brooks'  Ferry, 
south  of  the  old  road.  In  1773  a  petition  was  presented  to  the 
General  Court,  praying  that  Eliphalet  Allis  should  be  licensed 
to  retail  spirituous  liquors  "  without-doors"  in  the  district  of 
Montague. 

In  1775  the  presence  of  a  band  of  counterfeiters  was  sus- 
pected, and  a  committee  was  ai)])()inted  to  inquire  into  the 
conduct  of  certain  persons  suspected  of  making  money,  and  to 
summon  said  persons  to  appear  before  them  and  deal  with 
them  "as  prudence  shall  direct."  In  1777  it  was  voted  that 
Joseph  Root  should  continue  to  keep  the  tavern,  and  it  was 
further  voted  that  the  Governor  should  not  allow  town-dwel- 
lers to  remain  drinking  in  their  houses  after  nine  o'clock  with- 
out some  special  business. 

At  a  meeting  in  1759,  Daniel  Baker  was  chosen  a  "  pit- 
man," to  dig  graves.  In  March,  17G1,  a  highway  was  laid  out 
through  Zebediah  Allis'  home-lot,  running  thence  toward 
the  Saw-mill  River,  to  a  maple-bush  splashed,  on  the  east  side 
of  the  Proprietors'  road,  crossing  the  river,  and  then  on  the 
east  side  of  the  same  to  a  pine-tree,  thence  on  the  old  road 
crossing  the  brook,  and  through  Samuel  Brooks'  and  Zebediah 
Smith's  land.  In  1762  a  road  was  laid  out  around  Harvey's 
Hill  to  Gunn's  Brook.  Twenty-five  pounds  were  raised  in 
1761  for  repairs  to  highways  in  that  year. 

In  1765  it  was  voted  to  provide  wands  for  the  wardens  and 
staves  for  the  tithingmen.  Mention  is  made,  in  a  record 
dated  March  2,  1766,  of  the  appointment  of  a  committee  to 
look  out  for  a  convenient  passage  down  the  bank  near  "  David 
Ballard's  ferry  place."  When  David  Ballard  established  his 
ferry  is  not  stated. 

During  the  prevalence  in  Montague  of  small-pox  in  1777, 
inoculation  was  much  opposed,  and  by  a  vote  the  selectmen 
were  instructed  to  write  to  the  selectmen  of  neighboring  towns, 
79 


showing  the  mind  of  the  town  of  Montague,  and  advising 
them  to  use  their  influence  to  put  a  .stop  to  the  practice  of 
inoculation. 

In  1790  thirty-three  persons  who  attempted  to  take  up  resi- 
dence in  the  town  without  having  obtained  the  town's  consent 
were  warned  to  depart.  This  warning  of  people  to  leave  the 
town  was  a  frequent  occurrence  in  those  days.* 

Elisha  Root,  born  in  1739,  in  what  is  now  Montague,  was 
probably  the  first  child  born  in  the  early  settlement. 

Moses  Root  was  probably  the  first  blacksmith  of  the  town. 
Mention  is  made  in  the  town  records,  under  date  1765,  of  his 
bill  "  for  smith-work." 

In  1812  the  right  to  vote  at  a  general  election  was  limited 
to  such  persons  as  could  show  the  possession  of  estate  valued 
at  §200,  or  an  income  of  §10  annually. 

There'  were  tax  delinquents  even  in  those  days,  for  it  is 
learned  that  lands  of  Richard  Montague,  Moses  Harvey, 
Daniel  Baker,  Ezra  Smead,  John  Clapp,  Jr.,  Daniel  Clajip, 
Daniel  Baker,  and  Benjamin  Alvord  were  sold  to  pay  taxes 
for  1777  and  1778. 

It  appears  from  the  records  that  Israel  Gunn  and  Solomon 
Clapp,  selectmen,  issued,  Oct.  1,  1794,  an  order  to  either  of 
the  constables  of  the  town  of  Montague,  directing  him  to 
warn  and  give  notice  to  David  Arms  and  Sarah,  his  wife,  that, 
"  having  lately  come  into  the  town  for  the  purpose  of  abiding 
there  without  the  town's  consent,  they  must,  within  fifteen 
days,  depart  the  limits  of  the  town,  with  their  children  and 
all  others  under  their  care." 

By  a  vote  taken  in  town-meeting,  December,  1813,  all  per- 
sons were  allowed  to  wear  their  hats  during  the  meeting, 
owing,  perhaps,  to  the  severity  of  the  weather. 

The  first  storekeeper  in  the  town  was  a  Mr.  Easterbrook, 
the  first  physician,  William  Wells,  and  the  first  lawyer,  Jona- 
than Hartwell.  The  first  postmaster  was  Martin  Gunn  ;  the 
second,  Jonathan  Hartwell;  Elisha  Wright,  Jr.,  the  third; 
Washington  Keycs,  the  fourth  ;  and  Isaac  Chenery,  the  pres- 
ent incumbent,  the  fifth.  Jonathan  Hartwell,  who  held  the 
otfice  thirty-six  years,  from  1818,  and  resigned  at  last,  served 
also,  meanwhile,  for  nearly  the  entire  period,  either  as  town 
clerk  or  treasurer,  representative  at  the  General  Court,  or  mem- 
ber of  the  executive  council. 

Montague  was  somewhat  prominent  on  behalf  of  the  in- 
surgents during  the  Shays  rebellion.  Thomas  Grover,  one 
of  Montague's  citizens,  who  was  one  of  the  insurgent  leaders 
in  that  conflict,  issued  an  address  from  Worcester,  in  which 
he  set  forth  that  "  it  had  fallen  to  his  lot  to  bo  employed  in  a 
more  conspicuous  manner  than  some  of  his  fellow-citizens  in 
stepping  forth  in  the  defense  of  the  rights  and  privileges  of 
the  people,  more  especially  of  the  county  of  Hampshire." 
He  referred  to  a  list  of  grievances  already  made  public,  and 
added  a  list  of  proposed  reforms,  "  which,"  he  said,  "  the  peo- 
ple are  determined  to  contend  for."  These  reforms  to  which 
he  pointed  were  such  as  the  revision  of  the  constitution,  the 
total  abolition  of  the  courts  of  Common  Pleas  and  General 
Sessions  of  the  Peace,  the  removal  of  the  General  Court  from 
Boston,  and  the  abolition  of  the  oflice  of  deputy  sheritf,  as 
well  as  that  of  certain  oflSces  connected  with  the  financial 
management  of  the  State.  Among  those  of  the  rebels  sen- 
tenced to  punishment  upon  the  termination  of  the  rebellion 
was  Moses  Harvey,  of  Montague,  who  was  fined  £-50  and  con- 
demned "  to  sit  upon  the  gallows  one  hour  with  a  rope  about 
his  neck."  Harvey  was  the  only  one  of  the  convicted  rebels 
who  actually  suifered  the  execution  of  his  sentence. 

ORGANIZATION. 
On  the  petition  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  northerly  part  of 
Sunderland,  and  sundry  others,  it  was  ordered  in  the  House 

*  This  waa  a  formal  notice  ia  cases  where  persons  were  in  danger  of  becoming 
town  cliarges.  Tbe  warning  relieverl  the  town  of  expense  in  case  of  paupcrit^m, 
but  the  families  were  not  driven  out. 


62G 


HISTORY  OF  THE   CONNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


of  Kepresentativf!S,  June  17,  1751,  that  the  northerly  part  of 
the  town  of  Sunderhmd  he  erected  into  a  separate  and  distinct 
precinct.  It  wns  also  ordered  that  that  part  of  the  precinct 
not  then  appropriated  should  he  sold  to  the  highest  hidders, 
who  should  he  obliged  to  settle  on  the  tract  10  families,  to 
huild  10  houses  18  feet  square  and  7  feet  stud,  and  to  bring*  tit 
for  tillage  5  acres  of  land  for  each  family  within  three  years 
of  the  time  of  said  sale.  This  was  concurred  in  by  the  council 
on  the  same  day. 

Dec.  22,  1753,  the  General  Court  passed  an  act  authorizing 
the  erection  of  the  north  parish  of  Sunderland  into  a  separate 
district,  by  the  name  of  Montague.  The  name  is  said  to  have 
been  chosen  in  honor  of  Capt.  William  Montague,  who  com- 
manded "The  Mermaid"  at  the  taking  of  Cape  Breton. 

The  bounds  of  the  district  were  established  as  follows  :  Be- 
ginning at  the  Connecticut  Kiver  20  rods  north  of  the  mouth 
of  Slatestone  Brook,  thence  east  to  the  east  side  of  the  town 
bounds,  thence  on  the  line  of  the  said  town  to  the  northeast 
corner  of  the  town  bounds,  thence  north  to  Miller's  Kiver, 
thence  westwardly  by  Miller's  lliver  to  its  mouth,  where  it 
enters  the  Connecticut  River,  and  thence  by  the  Connecticut 
Kiver  to  the  first-mentioned  bound. 

The  district  was  authorized  to  enjoy  the  privileges,  etc.,  of 
towns,  that  of  sending  a  representative  to  the  General  Court 
alone  excepted.  The  inhabitants  were,  however,  entitled  to 
join  with  Sunderland  in  sending  a  representative. 

This  tract,  set  apart  as  the  district  of  Montague,  included 
the  second  precinct  of  the  town  of  Sunderland  (set  apart  in 
1751,  as  above  noted)  and  a  tract  of  land  lying  north  thereof, 
between  it  and  the  Connecticut  Eiver,  and  belonging  to  the 
State.  This  tract,  with  the  exception  of  a  small  strip  about 
u  mile  wide,  set  apart  to  Wendell  in  1803,  is  the  tract  now 
occupied  by  the  town  of  Montague. 

SELECTMEN. 

Although  the  district  of  Montague  was  incorporated  in  1753, 
the  earliest  town-meeting  of  which  the  preserved  records  make 
mention  is  of  date  1756.     The  list  of  selectmen  from  that  date 
to  the  present  is  as  follows  : 
1756. — Joseph  Root,  Sumuel  BarcUvL-lI,  Ensigu  King,  Josiah  Alvord,   Saimiol 

1757. — Joi-iah   Alvord,  Joseph   R:)ot,  Ensign   King,  Samuel   Smeed,  EUcnozer 

Slai-sh. 
1738. — Samuel  Biird\vt.'U,  Joseph  Alvord,  Reuben  Scott,  Ensigu  King,  Joseph 

Root. 
1750. — Clark  Alvord,  Lieut.  Carver,  Reuben  Scott,  Samuel  Snioad,  Jueepli  lUtot. 
1760. — Lieut.  Clnpp,  Clark  Alvord,  Joseph  Root. 
1761. — Joseph  Root,  Josiah  Alvord,  Moses  Guon. 
170*2. — Capt.  Root,  Deacon  Guiin,  Moses  Gunn. 
1763-64.— Cajit.  Root,  Scrgt.  Smead,  Neheniiah  Chur-jh. 
1705. — Josiah  Alvord,  Reuben  Scott,  Moses  Ounn. 
1706. — JoBeph  Root,  John  Giuin,  Samuel  Suiead,  Neheniiah  CHuircIi,  Reuben 

Scott. 
1707. — Capt.  Root,  Moses  Gunn,  Moses  Severance. 
17GS.— Capt.  Root,  Clark  Alviud,  Nathan  Smith. 
1709. — Clark  Josijis  Alvord.  Nathan  Smith,  Moses  Gunn. 
1770. — Capt.  Root,  Reuben  Scott,  Muses  Severance. 
1771. — Joseph  Root,  Moses  Gunn,  Asahel  Keet. 

1772. — Capt.  Root,  Reuben  Scott,  Asahel  Keet,  Ebenezer  Billings,  Elijah  Smith. 
1773. — Joseph  Root,  Moses  Severance,  Sergt.  Scott. 
1774-75.— Dr.  Gunn,  Stephen  Tuttle,  Samuel  Bardwoll. 
1776. — Siunuel   liardwell,   Asahel   Gunn,   Nathan   Smith,   Asahel   Keet,  Moses 

Gunn. 
1777. — Deacon  Gunn,  Asahel  Gunn,  Nathan  Smith,  Samuel  Bardwell,  Dr.  Gunn. 
1778. — Moses  Gunn,  Nathaniel  Gunn,  Samuel  Bardwell,  Nathan  Smith,  Israel 

Gunn. 
1779. — Nathaniel  Gunn,  Moses  Gunn,  Gideon  Bardwell,  Benjamin  Alvord;  Philip 

Billiard. 
17S0. — Caleb  Kinsley,  John  Gunn,  Jonathan  Loveland. 
1781. — Pliilip  Ballard,  Natlianiel  Gunn,  Benjamin  Alvord. 
1782. — Moses  Gunn,  Israel  Gunn,  Caleb  Kinsley. 
1783. — Moses  Severance,  Reuben  SL-'Ott,  Elisha  Root. 

1784. — Capt.  Alvord,  Moses  Root,  Elisha  Root,  Dr.  Gunn,  Moses  Sevei-ance. 
1785, — Israel  Gunn,  Capt.  Alvord,  Jotham  Death. 
1786. — Deacon  Gunn,  Capt.  Kinsley,  Elisha  Root. 
1787.— Elisha  Root,  Deacon  Gunn,  Moses  Root. 
1788. — Lieut.  Scutt,  Ensign  Severance,  Asahel  Keet. 
1789, — Moses  Root,  Deacon  Gunn,  Cajit.  Kinsley, 


1790. — Deacon  Gunn,  Moses  Root,  Ensign  Sevoranco. 
1701. — Deacon  Gunn,  Moses  Riot,  Asahel  Gunn. 
1702.— Mcdad  Jlontague,  Most's  Root,  Deacon  Gunn. 
1703. — Deaetui  Gunn,  Moses  Root,  Solomon  Clnpp. 
1794.— Deacon  Gunn,  Lyman  Taft,  Sidonmn  Cl.ipp. 
1795, — Deacon  Gunn,  Moses  Root,  Medad  Blontugue, 
■  1706. — Solomon  Clapp,  Moses  Severance,  Jonathan  Root- 
1707. — Deacon  Gunn,  Sulomon  Chipp,  Medad  Montague, 
1708. — Deacon  Gunn,  Moses  Root,  MeJad  Sloutague. 
1709-1801.— Deacon  Gunn,  Capt.  Clapp,  Jonathan  Root. 
1802. — Moses  Severance,  Ezra  Anderson,  JLirtin  Root. 
1803. — Martin  Root,  Capt.  Severance,  Samuel  Ritsley. 
1804. — Martin  Root,  Moses  Severance,  Ezra  Amlei-son, 
1805, — Martin  Root,  Salmon  Gunn,  Ezra  Anderson. 
1806. — Jonathan  Rtjot,  Nathaniel  Gunn,  Ezra  Anderson. 
1807-8. — Medad  3Iontague,  Salmon  Gunn,  Nathan  Chenery. 
l^OiJ-lO. — Jledad  Montague,  Salmon  Gunn,  Moses  Severance- 
ISll. — Medud  Montague,  Moses  Severance,  Samuel  Wiisley. 
1812. — Me<lad  Montague,  Martin  Root,  Salmon  Gunn. 
1S13. — Mai  tin  Root,  Sjilmon  Gunn,  Sledad  Montague. 
1814, — Salmon  Gunn,  Rodolphus  Biirdwell,  Medad  Montague, 
1815. — Boiiolphiis  Bardwell,  Spencer  Root,  Benjamin  Wells. 
1816-17. — Mwlad  Montague,  Salmon  Gunn,  Rodolphus  Bardwell. 
1S18. — Benjamin  Wells,  Spencer  Root,  Silas  Hosmer, 
1810. — Salmon  Gunn,  AVpel  Bancroft,  Jcromiah  Pratt, 
1820. — Medad  Montague,  Jonathan  Munsell,  Jeremiah  Pratt. 
1821. — Jeremiah  Pratt,  Jonathan  Munsell,  Moses  Severance. 
1822.— Moses  Severance,  Jeremiah  l*ratt,  Eliiiu  Root, 
1823.— Jeremiah  Pratt,  Rodolidnis  Bsirdwell,  Abel  Bancroft. 
1824. — Rodolphus  Bardwell,  Jeremiah  Pratt,  Joseph  Gunn. 
1^%'x — Jeremiah  Pratt,  Nathan  Chenery,  Spencer  Root. 
1826. — Jeremiali  Pratt,  Benjamin  8.  Wells,  ApoUoa  Gunn. 
1827. — Jeremiah  Pratt,  Benjamin  S.  Wells,  Martin  H.  Clapp. 
1S2S.— Jeremiah  Pratt,  Benjamin  S.  Wells,  Cliarles  Timrston. 
1829. — Benjamin  S.  Wells,  Charles  Thurston,  Salmon  Root. 
1830.— Benjamin  S.  Wells,  Salmon  Root,  Rodolphus  Bardwell. 
1831-32. — M.  H.  Clapp,  John  Davis,  Noadiah  Montague. 
lt>33.— ]>!.  H.  tUapp,  Rodolphus  Bardwell,  ApolloB  Gunn,  - 
1834. — Rodolphus  Bardwell,  Apollos  Gunn,  Samuel  Leland. 
1835. — Rodolphus  Bardwell,  Abel  Bancroft,  Epliraim  Stearns. 
1836.— Rodolphus  Bardwell,  Arza  Biirdwell,  Benjamin  S,  Wells, 
1837.— Benjamin  ?.  Wells,  Martin  Grout,  Eliliu  P.  Tliayer. 
1838-39.- Elihu  P.  Thayer,  JIartin  Grout,  E.  L.  Delano. 
1S40.— Elihu  P.  Tliayer,  Enistus  Root,  Eliphaz  Clapp. 
1841.— Elihu  P.  Thayer,  Mai  tin  II.  Clapp,  E.  W.  Cheuery. 
1842.— Elihu  P.  Thayer,  Martin  H.  Clapp,  Martin  Grout. 
1843-44.— :3rai tin  H.  Chipp,  Abel  Bancroft,  Nathan  llosmer. 
1845-46. — Nathan  llosmer,  Elipba/,  Chqip,  Arza  Bardwell. 
1847.— Samuel  D.  Bardwell,  Nathan  Husmer,  William  W.  Thayer. 
1S4S,— Nathan  llosmer,  Bela  Kellogjr,  W,  W.  Tliayer. 
1849.— Abel  B;incroft,  M.  H.  Clapp,  Bela  Kellogg. 
lh'50.— Abuer  Chandler,  W.  W.  Thayer,  R.  N.  Oakmau. 
1851-52, — R.  N.  Oakman,  Alpheus  Moore,  Lucien  H.  Stone. 
1853. — L.  11.  Stone,  S,  C,  Wells,  Jesse  Andrews. 
1854.— S,  C.  Wells,  Jesse  Andrews,  A.  L.  Taft. 
1855.— S.  C.  Wells,  E.  F.  Gunn,  Warren  IJardwclI. 
1856, — R.  N.  Oakman,  Amos  Adams,  Warren  Bardwell. 
1K57:_R.  N.  Oaliiuan,  B.  F.  Pond,  L.  H.  Stone. 
1858.— R.  N.  Oakman,  L.  II.  Stone,  N.  E.  Babbitt. 
1859.— R.  N.  Oakman,  L.  H.  Stone,  S.  S.  Holtim. 
1800.— R.  N.  Oakman,  Sandtord  Guddard,  Richard  Clapp. 
1861.— R.  N.  Oakman,  Richard  Clapp,  Rodolphus  Ball. 
1862-63.— R.  N.  Oakman,  Richard  Clapp,  E.  F.  Gunn, 
1S64.— W.  W.  Thayer,  Seymour  Rockwell,  Rii.-hard  Clapp. 
1805,— Benjamin  Fay,  R.  N.  Oakman,  Richard  Clapp. 
1806. — R.  N,  Oakman,  Amos  Adams,  J,  II.  Root. 
1807.— R.  N.  Oakman,  J.  H.  Root,  Zeliina  Taylor. 
IHOS.- W.  A.  Bancroft,  J.  11.  Root,  R.  N.  Oakman, 
1869-71,— R.  N.  Oakman,  J.  II.  Root,  Amos  Adams. 
1S72. — R,  N.  Oakman,  George  Hance,  Edwin  Demond. 
1873-74.— B.  N.  Oakman,  D.  P.  Abercrombie,  Edwin  Demond. 
1875.— J.  F.  Bartlett,  R.  N.  Oakman,  Edwin  Demond. 
1870-78.— Gurdon  EJgerton,  J.  F.  Bai'tlctt,  Edwin  Demond. 

TOWN    CLERKS. 

Joseph  Root,  1756-01;  Jloses  Gunn,  1701-70;  Elisha  Root,  1770;  Moses  Gunn 
1771-81;  Caleb  Kiugsley,  1781;  Moses  Gunn,  1782;  Joseph  Root,  1783-1805 ; 
MoscB  Severance,  1805-9 ;  Elisha  Root,  Jr.,  1809-11 ;  Salmon  Gunn,  1811 ;  Elislia 
Root,  Jr.,  1812;  Selah  Root,  1813-18;  Cephas  Root,  1818-20;  Isaac  Chenery, 
1820;  Salmon  Root,  1821;  Solomon  Root,  1822 ;  Helaz  Alvord,  182:i-27;  Jona- 
than Ilartwell,  1827-35;  Lathrop  Delano,  1835-37;  E,  W.  Chenery,  18;i7-42; 
Jonathan  Hartwell,  1842-52  ;  J.  C.  Bangs,  1852-02  ;  C.  P.  Wright,  1862-07  ;  J.H. 
Root,  1807-79. 

REPRESENTATIVES    AT    THE    GENERAL    COURT. 
From  1774  to  1857  (when  Montague  became  apait  of  the  Sixth  Representative 
District)  the  town  was  represented  by  the  following:  Moses  Gunn,  Joseph  Root, 
Moses  Harvey,  Caleb  Kinsley,  Henry  Wells,  Martin  Root,  Nathan  t'henery, 


TuRNEPSf^LLS.MASS. 


HISTORY  OF   FRANKLIN   COUNTY. 


627 


Medad  Montague,  Helaz  Alvord,  Jonathan  Hartwell,  Martin  H.  Clapp,  Elisha 
Lfffiu'g^vcll,  Eliliu  P.  Thavfr,  Xatliali  Hornier,  Josi-ph  Ciapp,  AlpIiL-ns  Sloore, 
Erastus  Andiews,  R.  N.  Oakniaa,  Zenith  <'lapp,  George  Clapp,  <_';Uvin  Kiisacll. 

VILLAGES. 
Montague  lias  within  its  limits  fovir  villages,  called  Turner's 
Falls,  Montague  Centre,  Miller's  Falls,  and  Montague  City. 

turner's  falls, 
the  most  important,  most  populous,  and  most  prosperous  vil- 
lage in  the  town,  although  of  recent  growth,  having  been 
founded  in  18(i7,  has  made  rapid  strides  toward  commercial 
greatness,  and  promises  to  become,  at  no  far-distant  day,  one 
of  the  most  important  manufacturing  points  in  America.  The 
magical  rise  and  rapid  progress  of  this  village  were  results 
wrought  by  the  sagacious  energy  and  enterprise  of  Col.  Alva 
Crocker,  of  Fitchburg,  Mass.,  who  died  at  Fitchburg,  Decem- 
ber, 1874,  while  a  member  of  Congress.  Col.  Crocker  was 
distinguished  through  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  common- 
wealth as  a  man  whose  great  wealth  served  the  u.seful  and  val- 
uable purpose  of  promoting  public  enterprise,  and  it  was  while 
per.sonally  engaged  in  searching  for  a  more  direct  railway  route 
between  Miller's  Falls  and  Greenfield  than  the  one  pursued  by 
the  Vermont  and  Massachusetts  Railroad  that  he  was  called 
to  observe  the  magnificent  water-power  possessed  bj-  the  Con- 
necticut River  at  Turner's  Falls,  and,  rightly  concluding  that 
Nature  had  thus  furnished  the  means  at  hand  for  the  founda- 
tion of  a  great  manufacturing  city,  he  entered  at  once,  with 
his  characteristic  promptness  and  vigor,  upon  the  prosecution 
of  the  scheme  which,  to  the  exclusion  of  almost  every  other 
interest,  took  possession  of  his  mind.  In  company  with  other 
capitalists  whom  he  invited  to  join  him,  he  organized  the 
Turner's-  Falls  Company  (the  history  of  which  will  be  nar- 
rated hereafter)  for  the  purpose  of  controlling  and  utilizing 
the  water-power  at  that  point,  expended  largely  of  his  wealth 
in  creating  manufactories,  purchased  large  tracts  of  land  for 
a  village-site,  and,  in  brief,  from  the  date  of  the  incorporation 
of  the  Turner's  Falls  Company,  in  18ii0,  to  the  date  of  his 
death,  in  1874,  he  never  relaxed  his  efforts  to  push  the  in- 
terests of  the  village  briskly  forward.  It  was  the  pet  ambi- 
tion of  his  life,  the  proud  hope  of  his  busy  career,  this  plan 
for  the  promotion  of  the  prosperitj'  of  Turner's  Falls  until  it 
should  not  only  rival  Lowell,  Holyoke,  and  other  great  man- 
ufacturing centres,  but  pass  beyond  and  above  them  as  the 
greatest  of  all.  "What  he  would  have  accomplished  for  the 
place  had  he  been  spared  to  test  his  energies  to  the  full,  no 
man  can  say  ;  but,  estimating  the  probable  results  of  the  future 
from  the  great  achievements  he  had  effected  in  the  few  years 
he  was  permitted  to  devote  to  the  task,  it  cannot  be  denied 
that  he  would  have  left  Turner's  Falls  as  a  splendid  monu- 
ment to  his  greatness.  In  the  midst  of  his  hopes  and  his  am- 
bitions, while  he  was  still  planning  and  devising  with  all  his 
might  for  the  advancement  of  his  favored  work,  he  was  sud- 
denly cut  down,  and  the  village  of  Turner's  Falls  suffered 
a  severe  public  calamity.  Only  a  few  daj-s  previous  to  his 
death  Col.  Crocker  determined  to  expend  §10,000  upon  the 
erection  of  a  public  library'  building  at  the  village,  and  had, 
indeed,  set  on  foot  measures  looking  to  an  early  beginning  of 
the  work,  but  the  execution  of  the  design  was  unfortunately 
prevented  by  death. 

As  before  observed,  Turner's  Falls  village  was  not  founded 
until  1867.  In  that  year  the  Turner's  Falls  Lumber  Com- 
pany located  on  the  Gill  side  of  the  river,  and  initiated  the 
manufacturing  business  at  that  point.  The  removal,  in  18U8, 
of  the  John  Russell  Cutlery  Company  from  Greenfield  to 
Turner's  Falls  marked  a  new  and  important  era,  and  from  that 
time  forward  the  progress  of  the  village  was  rapid. 

The  growth  of  Turner's  Falls,  though  retarded  bj-  the  death 
of  its  founder,  must  continue  to  be  healthful  and  prosperous. 
Circumstances  calculated  to  develop  the  manufacturing  in- 
terests ef  the  country  beyond  a  common  degree  will  naturally 


quiclvcn  its  material  prosperity,  and  rapidly  advance  it  toward 
that  elevated  plane  which  its  projectors  hoped  for  it  in  the 
future. 

The  village  contains  now  (187!))  a  population  of  2000,  two 
large  paper-mills,  employing  together  500  persons,  the  John 
Russell  Cutlery  Company's  Avorks  (the  largest  of  the  kind  in 
this  countrj'),  employing  GOO  people,  but  having  a  capacitj- 
for  1200,  a  manufactory  for  the  production  of  water-wheels, 
saws,  rotary-pumps,  etc.,  a  leatherette  manufactory,  a  cotton- 
mill  of  the  capacity  of  a  thousand  looms,  a  fine  hotel,  two 
banks,  four  church  edifices,  two  handsome  and  costly  school 
buildings,  a  steam  fire-engine  company  of  18  members,  a 
weekly  newspaper  publication,  several  handsome  brick  busi- 
ness blocks,  numerous  stores,  a  public  library,  and  many  ele- 
gant private  residences. 

The  village  is  one  of  the  termini  of  the  Fitchburg  Railroad 
Branch,  connecting  Greenfield  and  Turner's  Falls,  and  at  this 
point,  too,  the  Connecticut  is  spanned  by  two  fine  suspension- 
bridges.  One,  placed  below  the  falls,  connects  Montague  with 
Greenfield,  and  was  built  in  1873,  at  a  cost  of  $30,000.  A 
second  one,  located  above  the  falls,  and  connecting  Montague 
with  Gill,  cost  §42,000,  and  was  completed  in  December,  1878. 

MONTACrE    CEXTRE, 

the  oldest  village  in  the  town,  and  the  site  of  the  town's  ear- 
liest settlement,  is  a  station  on  the  Fitchburg  Railroad  and 
on  the  New  London  Northern  Railroad.  It  was  at  one  time 
a  thriving  manufacturing  village,  but  its  interests  in  that  di- 
rection are  now  limited  to  a  pocket-book  faetorj'  and  a  rake- 
factory.  It  is  attractive  in  its  surroundings,  and  appears  to 
have  been  laid  out  and  embellished  with  an  eye  to  good  taste 
as  well  as  to  picturesque  effect.  Its  community  is  chiefly  com- 
posed of  agriculturists,  many  of  whom  are  wealthy  and  reside 
in  homes  of  substantial  but  not  ostentatious  elegance. 

The  village  contains  a  fine  brick  town-hall,  two  churches, 
a  public  library,  several  stores,  a  saw-mill,  grist-mill,  and 
various  minor  industries. 

MOXTAOUE   CITY, 

a  station  on  the  Greenfield  and  Turner's  Falls  Railroad,  was 
settled  in  1794  by  a  colony  of  Germans,  who  were  attracted 
thither  by  the  promise  that  the  completion  of  the  canal  pass- 
ing around  Turner's  Falls,  and  through  the  tract  now  occu- 
pied by  Montague  Citj-,  would  build  up  and  prosper  that 
region  amazingly.  So  sanguine  were  its  projectors  of  a  bright 
future  for  the  place  that  they  anticipated  greatness  in  the 
bestowal  of  the  high-sounding  name  it  now  bears.  Greatness 
never  greeted  it,  however,  although  it  is  now,  and  always  has 
been,  a  bright  and  cheerful-looking  riu'al  village. 

For  upward  of  twenty  years  previous  to  187-5,  Messrs.  R. 
L.  &  D.  W.  Goss  carried  on  important  and  extensive  enter- 
prises at  Montague  City  in  the  manufacture  of  lumber,  piano- 
cases,  etc.,  in  which  they  employed  75  men.  The  only 
manufacturing  industry  at  that  point  now  is  the  extensive 
brick-yard  of  Messrs.  Adams  &  Son,  who  employ  a  force 
of  50  persons.  The  village  contains  a  post-office,  a  graded 
school,  store,  and  a  small  collection  of  substantial  dwellings,  of 
which  a  few  possess  fair  pretensions  to  elegance.  The  in- 
habitants are  equally  divided  between  agriculturists  and  em- 
ployes at  the  Turner's  Falls  mills  and  Adams  &  Sons' 
Yards. 

MILLERS    FALLS, 

the  fourth  village,  on  Miller's  River,  is  a  station  at  the  junc- 
tion of  the  Fitchburg  and  New  London  and  Northern  Railroads. 
L^p  to  1868  it  was  known  as  Grout's  Corners  ;  but  in  that  year, 
when  there  was  established  in  Erving,  on  the  opposite  shore 
of  the  river,  the  works  of  the  Miller's  Falls  Company,  the  name 
of  the  village  was  changed  to  Miller's  Falls.  Its  inhabitants 
are  chiefly  employes  at  the  works  of  the  Miller's  Falh  Com- 
1  an  .',  and  number  about  200. 


628 


HISTORY  OP  THE   CONNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


It  contains  a  Iiandsome  si'hixil  Ijiiildins;,  four  stores,  n  public 
hall,  liotol,  and  is  withal  a  jilacc  possessing  mucli  energetic 
enterprise. 

CHURCHES. 
The  earliest  mention  touching  the  matter  of  preaching 
occurs  in  the  record  of  a  meeting  in  1751  of  the  freeholder.^ 
of  the  second  parish  of  Sunderland,  when  it  was  resolved  to 
have  preaching,  and  Deacon  Mattoon  was  apjiointed  "  to  get 
a  man  to  preach  with  us." 

Between  that  date  and  Dec.  1,  IT-jS,  the  records  are  silent 
as  concerns  either  preacher  or  meeting-house.  It  is,  however, 
known  that  Rev.  Judah  Nash,  of  Longmeadow,  and  a  grad- 
uate of  Yale  in  1748,  was  ordained  as  pastor  of  the  church  in 
1752.  The  first  meeting-house  is  supposed  to  have  been  erected 
in  1753.  At  the  meeting  above  noted  (1755)  it  was  resolved 
"  to  have  six  windows  on  the  back-side  of  tlie  meeting-house, 
two  of  which  should  be  on  the  back-side  of  the  pulpit."  It 
was  further  resolved  "to  plum  the  Bords  to  Cover  the  Back- 
side of  the  meeting-house."  At  the  same  meeting  liberty 
was  given  to  any  number  of  men  to  build  pews  for  themselves 
in  the  meeting-house,  it  appearing  that  at  that  time  the  dis- 
trict felt  too  poor  to  seat  the  meeting-house.  Further,  it  was 
resolved  to  hire  a  shell  blown  at  Lieut.  Clapp's  for  a  signal  on 
the  Sabbath-day.* 

In  1759  the  district  purchased  this  shell  of  Lieut.  Clapp  for 
£1  10s.,  and  agreed  to  pay  Joseph  Root  206-.  for  blowing  it  one 
year.  In  175-5  it  was  agreed  to  procure  wood  for  Rev.  Judah 
Kash,  and  the  inhabitants  were  notified  by  a  committee  to 
"bring  it  in."  The  price  of  this  wood  was  fixed  at  lorf.  per 
load. 

As  a  vague  indication  of  the  location  of  the  first  meeting- 
house, the  records,  under  date. March,  1757,  speak  of  a  bridge 
over  Saw-mill  River  "  near  the  meeting-house." 

Oct.  3,  1757,  it  was  resolved  to  finish  the  body  of  the  meet- 
ing-house with  pews,  "  except  two  or  three  short  seats  in  the 
body  near  against  the  end  doors." 

In  the  following  November  it  was  agreed  to  choose  nine 
"suitable  and  meet  persons"  to  seat  the  meeting-house.  In 
December  of  that  year  the  selectmen  were  directed  to  buy  a 
cushion  for  the  desk  of  the  pulpit.  In  May,  1758,  Stephen 
Corbin  was  fined  £1  "for  his  neglect  of  attending  public  wor- 
ship on  the  Lord's  Day."  The  money  was  disposed  of  for  the 
benefit  of  the  poor  of  the  district. 

In  1759  the  salary  of  the  Rev.  Judah  Nash  was  increased 
from  £44  16s.  to  £-53  6s.,  at  which  latter  the  rate  was  to  con- 
tinue during  his  ministry.  In  1703  it  was  voted  to  give  Asa- 
hel  Gunn  2s.  for  turning  the  key  of  the  meeting-house  during 
the  year  ensuing.  In  1704  five  young  men — Israel  Gunn, 
Ezra  Smead,  Daniel  Clapp,  and  two  others — were  given  per- 
mission to  erect  a  pew  in  the  meeting-house  at  their  own  ex- 
pense. The  Rev.  Judah  Nash  was  provided  each  year  regu- 
larly, until  1705,  with  about  60  cords  of  wood;  and  one  day 
was  usually  designated  as  the  day  on  which  it  should  be 
hauled  into  the  village  by  the  inhabitants. 

In  1707  the  district  renewed  its  agreement  to  furnish  Rev. 
Judah  Nash  firewood  annually,  and  agreed,  moreover,  to 
allow  him  yearly  £1  4s.,  to  be  laid  out  in  "candle- wood." 
Then,  also,  a  contract  was  made  with  Asahel  Gunn,  who  was 
to  receive  2s.  provided  "he  talces  care  that  the  meeting-house 
doors  be  opened  and  shut  properly  during  the  ensuing  year." 

In  1770,  at  a  town-meeting,  it  was  voted  that  no  child  un- 
der ten  years  of  age  should  be  allowed  to  "go  up  Galary," 
and  that  "the  tithingmen  bring  down  Such  Bois  out  of  the 
Galary  as  are  Disorderly,  and  set  tliem    Before  the  Deacon  - 
Seate." 

It  appears  from  the  records  that  the  members  of  a  Baptist 
society  in  Montague,  worshiping  in  Leverett,  declined  to  con- 
tribute toward  the  support  of  Rev.  Mr.  Nash,  and  the  town 

*  Meaning  a  couch  shell. 


therefore  commenced  legal  proceedings  against  them.  la  1770 
the  proceedings  were  ]irobably  abandoned,  for,  at  a  town- 
meeting  that  year,  it  was  ordered  that  "  the  present  assessors 
be  enabled  to  raise  such  a  sum  of  money  as  those  people  was 
rated  (that  call  themselves  Baptists)  in  the  minister's  rate  the 
last  year,  in  order  to  enable  the  constables  to  discharge  their 
last  year's  rates  without  distraining  on  the  said  Baptists  for 
the  present,  and  that  said  constables  shall  wait  on  said  Bap- 
tists until  they  .shall  have  orders  to  collect  the  same."  At 
the  same  meeting  it  was  voted  "  the  tythingmen  to  take 
their  turns  to  set  in  the  Gallery  this  year." 

June,  1772,  Moses  Harvey  and  Nathaniel  Gunn,  Jr.,  on 
behalf  of  themselves  and  other  Baptists,  entered  their  dissent 
against  converting  the  money  arising  from  the  sale  of  common- 
lands  toward  the  repair  of  the  meeting-house  in  Montague. 
In  1772  it  was  voted  to  "sect"  the  meeting-house  gallery.  In 
1793  it  was  voted  to  "  pant  the  meeting-Hous,"  and  to  "  Cullor 
the  meeting-Hous  the  same  of  Sunderland."  About  the  year 
1800  the  custom  of  blowing  a  shell  as  a  signal  on  Sabbath- 
daj'S  gave  place  to  that  of  ringing  a  bell  from  the  belfry, — a 
boll  having  been  obtained  from  Cabotville.f 

The  old  Congregational  Church  was  undoubtedly  located 
on  the  site  of  the  present  post-office,  in  Montague  Centre,  and 
the  church  which  was  torn  down  in  1834 — the  year  of  the 
erection  of  the  present  Congregational  Church  in  Montague 
Centre — was  probably  the  one  built  in  Montague  in  17-53,  of 
which  Rev.  Judah  Nash  was  the  first  pastor.  The  church 
now  used — above  alluded  to  as  having  been  built  in  1834 — is 
a  commodious  and  substantial  structure,  and  is  the  most  con- 
spicuous edifice  in  the  village.  The  present  pastor.  Rev.  J.  W. 
Kingsbury,  was  installed  in  1877.  Rev.  Judah  Nash  was  the 
pastor  from  1752  to  1805, — the  year  of  his  death.  Following 
him,  to  1877,  the  pastors  were  Aaron  Gates,  Moses  Bradford, 
Benjamin  Holmes,  James  H.  Merrill,  Brown  Emerson,  F.  B.  ■ 
Perkins,  Edward  Norton,  and  Chas.  II.  Daniels.  The  church 
has  now  a  membership  of  180. 

A  Baptist  society  was  organized  in  Montague  as  earl}-  as 
1707,  near  the  line  of  the  town  of  Leverett,  in  which  town 
the  worship  was  conducted.  The  church  was,  in  1791,  called 
the  Baptist  Church  of  Leverett,  and,  later,  the  Baptist  Church 
of  Leverett  and  Montague-  Its  history  will  be  more  fully  set 
forth  in  the  history  of  Leverett. 

An  Episcopal  society  was  organized  in  1815.  It  never  had 
a  house  of  worship,  contained  but  few  members  at  its  best,  and 
became  extinct  shortly  after  1850. 

The  Unitarian  Church  was  organized  in  1828,  but  had  no 
church  building  until  1834.  In  that  year  fix;  Congregational 
Church  members  were  divided  on  the  question  of  locating  the 
proposed  new  Congregational  Church  building,  and  as  a  result 
of  that  division  a  number  of  Episcopalian  and  Unitarian 
attendants  at  the  church  joined  together  and  erected  the 
present  Unitarian  Church  in  Montague  Centre-  Among  the 
pastors  who  have  preached  for  the  society  were  Revs.  Timothy 
Rogers,  Joseph  Field,  Rodolphus  Dickinson,  Luther  Wilson, 
John  A.  Williams,  Wm.  H.  Bradley,  N,  0.  Chaffee,  Davis 
Smith,  Claudius  Bradford,  Orange  Clark,  and  A.  D.  Fuller. 
J.  Q.  Cunimings  is  the  present  pastor,  and  the  number  of 
members  is  about  75. 

There  are  at  Turner's  Falls  four  church  buildings  and  six 
church  societies.  The  English  Methodist  Church,  organized 
in  1869,  has  a  church  building  and  a  membership  of  32.  The 
present  pastor  is  Rev.  C.  R.  Sherman.  The  German  Meth- 
odist Society,  organized  in  1871,  has  a  church  building  and  a 
meniber.ship  of  2.5.  Rev.  A.  Flammann,  pastor  of  the  Ger- 
man Methodist  Church  in  Greenfield,  supplies  the  pulpit. 

The  Roman  Catholic  Church  was  organized  about  1870. 
The  attendants  upon  public  worship  number  about  000. 
Rev.  P.   L.  Quaille  is  the  pastor  in  charge.      The  Baptist 

t  Now  Cbicopeo. 


HISTORY  OF   FRANKLIN   COUNTY. 


029 


Cliuroli  Iniikling  is  owned  by  the  State  Convention.  Kev. 
John  Sliepardson,  pastor  of  the  Baptist  Church  in  Grcenticld, 
supplies  the  preaching.  The  society  includes  about  30  mem- 
bers. There  are  also  at  this  place  a  German  Lutheran  society 
and  an  English  Congregational  society,  neither  having,  how- 
ever, a  church  edifice.  Kev.  A.  Mueller,  pastor  of  the  Ger- 
man Lutheran  Church  at  Greenfield,  preaches  for  the  former, 
and  Rev.  L.  S.  Parker,  of  Miller^s  Falls,  for  the  latter.  There 
is  a  Congregational  society  at  Miller's  Falls,  in  charge  of  Rev. 
L.  S.  Parker.  It  was  organized  about  1870,  and  has  about  40 
members,  who  worship  in  LTnion  Hall.  "Union''  religious 
services  are  held  at  Montague  Citj'  each  Sabbath  in  Goss  Hall, 
at  which  members  of  all  denominations  worship  in  common. 
Rev.  E.  A.  Wyman,  formerly  pastor  of  the  Baptist  Church 
at  Turner's  Falls,  supplied  the  preaching  in  1879. 

SCHOOLS. 

The  first  mention  made  in  the  records  of  school  matters  was 
at  a  meeting  held  Dec.  1,  17-5.5,  when  it  was  resolved  "that 
we  will  hire  a  school  four  months  this  winter,  and  that  we 
give  those  people  a  liberty  to  keep  .school  (that  live  on  Prov- 
ince lands)  on  the  District  charge  so  long  .as  their  portion  of 
said  money  will  allow,  according  to  what  they  pay  in  the 
town-rate."  Under  the  same  date  it  was  agreed  to  allow 
Asahel  Gunn  "  what  was  due  for  his  wife's  keeping  school, 
which  money  was  expected  to  be  paid  by  the  town."  At  the 
same  time  it  was  voted  to  allow  Joseph  Root  £30  2.9.  for 
"keeping  school''  and  for  work  as  assessor  and  treasurer. 

In  March,  1757,  it  was  determined  to  build  a  school-house, 

16  feet  wide  and  18  feet  long,  with  hewed  or  sawed  logs,  and 
"to  set  it  south  of  the  road,  near  Ensign  King's  barn,  and 
near  the  mill  swamp." 

In  December,  1757,  it  was  resolved  "to  hire  a  school  four 
months  this  winter,  to  be  kept  in  Joseph  Root's  corn-house." 
Later  in  the  same  month  the  school  was  ordered  to  be  kept  at 
the  house  of  the  Widow  Smith.  In  March,  1759,  a  committee 
was  appointed  to  buy  John  Scott's  house  (in  which  Widow 
Preston  lived)  for  a  school-house.  If  they  couldn't  buj'  it, 
they  were  to  procure  "stuf"  for  a  school-house.  Scott's 
house  was  probably  purchased,  for  in  1701  a  committee  was 
appointed  to  repair  the  school-house  and  make  it  comfortable 
for  the  winter. 

In  1762  it  was  agreed  to  give  Moses  Gunn  40s.  per  month 
to  teach  school  four  months.  In  17G4,  Deacon  Gunn  was 
allowed  5s.  4d.  to  kindle  the  fire  in  the  school-house  four 
months.  In  1765  it  was  agreed  to  hire  a  "school-dame"  for 
the  summer,  and  that  school  should  be  kept  in  three  different 
parts  of  the  district,  si.\  weeks  in  each  part, — at  Scrgt.  Har- 
vey's, Moses  Taylor's,  and  Dr.  Gunn's. 

In  1765  the  inhabitants  of  the  north  part  of  the  district  were 
allowed  S'Zs.  to  be  emploj-ed  in  schooling.  In  1766  it  was 
voted  to  build  a  school-house  "  of  wood,"  18  feet  in  length  and 

17  in  width.  It  was  decided  to  locate  this  school-house  ad- 
joining to  Deacon  Gunn's  fence,  about  11  rods  southeasterly 
of  the  meeting-house.  In  1767  it  was  voted  to  hire  a  school 
"dame,"  and  to  have  school  taught  that  summer  in  four  dif- 
ferent parts  of  the  district. 

In  1771,  Oliver  Root  was  hired  to  keep  the  school  four 
months,  at  36s.  per  month.  In  1773,  Aaron  Easterbrook  was 
hired  to  teach  school  ten  months.  Oliver  Root  was  again 
hired  to  teach  school  in  1776.  About  this  time  there  were 
probably  schools  in  the  northwestern,  the  northern,  and  the 
northeastern  portions  of  the  district,  for  those  sections  were 
voted  their  proportion  of  the  school  money. 

There  are  now  in  the  town  eighteen  public  schools,  of  which 
one  is  a  high  school,  located  at  Montague  Centre.  This  schotd 
was  created  in  1870,  and  now  occupies  a  handsome  brick  build- 
ing, which  was  erected  in  1873,  at  a  cost  of  §14,000.  The 
building  contains,  besides  the  high  school,  a  primary  and  a 
grammar  school.     A  graded  school  at  Turner's  Falls  occupies 


a  brick  building  that  cost  $15,000,  and  there  is  at  that  place 
also  another  school  building,  whose  construction  cost  §2.500. 
The  graded  school  at  the  Falls,  known  as  a  useful  and  val- 
uable institution  of  learning,  is  called  the  Oakman  School, 
in  honor  of  R.  N.  Oakman,  Esq.,  of  Montague,  who  con- 
tributed liberally  toward  the  erection  of  the  edifice.  There 
is  a  §6000  brick  structure  at  Montague  City,  used  as  a  graded 
school,  and  in  the  eastern  district,  at  Miller's  Falls,  there  is 
a  .$2500  school-house.  The  town  appropriated,  in  1878,  .?7000 
for  school  purposes,  and  in  that  year  the  average  daily  attend- 
ance of  pupils  reached  600. 

PUBLIC  LIBRARIES. 

Montague  Centre  has  a  public  library,  which  contains  about 
1700  volumes.  It  occupies  an  apartment  in  the  town-hall  ' 
building,  and  is  held  in  deserved  popular  favor.  About  ten 
years  ago  a  young  lady  school-teacher  of  the  town,  Miss 
Bailey,  conceived  the  idea  of  founding  a  public  library,  and 
by  her  individual  exertions  succeeded  in  collecting  quite  a 
number  of  books.  Her  efforts  stimulated  others,  and  as  a 
result  a  fair  was  projected  for  the  benefit  of  the  enterprise. 
By  this  fair  upward  of  |1000  was  obtained,  and  with  that 
fund  the  library  was  successfully  established.  It  is  supported 
by  town  contributions  and  receipts  from  members. 

Turner's  Falls  has  a  library  association,  which  was  organized 
in  January,  1876,  and  provided  with' funds  by  private  sub- 
scription. Its  library-rooms  are  in  the  Colla  block,  and  in  its 
library  are  now  about  1000  volumes.  Support  is  derived  in 
part  from  the  town  and  in  part  from  membership  fees. 

BURIAL-PL.ACES. 

There  are  eight  public  burial-grounds  in  the  town, — two  at 
Montague  Centre,  two  at  Turner's  Falls,  one  at  Montague 
City,  one  at  Miller's  Falls,  one  on  Dry  Hill,  and  one  on  Chest- 
nut Hill.  The  first  burying-ground  laid  out  in  the  town,  and 
the  only  one  containing  head-stones  of  a  remote  date,  is  found 
about  a  mile  south  of  Montague  Centre.  Appended  is  a  list 
of  a  few  of  the  oldest  inscriptions  now  to  be  observed  there  : 
Elijah  Root,  1759;  Elisha  Root,  Jr.,  1770;  Lucy  Root,  1776; 
Bildad  Billings,  1783;  Holester  Baker,  1774;  Elknab  Baker, 
1773;  Terzah  Sprague,  1777;  Eunice  Sprague,  1774;  Rev. 
Judah  Nash,  1805;  Mary  Nash,  his  relict,  1824,  aged  ninety- 
seven  ;  Zenas  Nash,  1777;  Mar_v  Kingsley,  1777  ;  Elijah  Bard- 
well, 1786;  Experience  Bardwell,  1783;  Enoch  Bardwell,  1817, 
aged  ninety-five  ;  Martha,  his  wife,  1813,  aged  eighty-nine  ; 
Moses  Severance,  1799;  Abner,  son  of  Jonathan  Root,  1780; 
Rodolphus  Root,  1777 ;  Moses  Gunn,  1783 ;  Eunice  Clapp,  1795 ; 
Hannah,  wife  of  Nathaniel  Gunn,  1783;  Nathaniel  Gunn, 
1779;  John  Clapp,  1791  ;  Samuel  Wrisley,  1796,  aged  ninety- 
two. 

Upon  the  tombstone  of  Elijah  Bardwell,  above  noted,  ap- 
pears the  following  inscription  : 

"In  memory  of  Elijali  B.irdwell,  who  died  Januarj-  2(1,  178G,  in  ye  ■27th  year 
of  his  age, liaviog  but  a  few  days  sunived  ye  fatal  night  when  he  was  flung  from 
his  horse  and  drawn  by  ye  .sturrni)  2r»  rods  along  ye  patli,  as  appeared  b.v  ye  place 
where  his  hat  was  found,  and  hero  he  had  spent  ye  whole  of  ye  following  severe 
cold  night,  treading  down  the  snow  in  a  small  circle." 

SOCIETIES  AND  ORDERS. 
The  societies  or  orders  in  the  town  are  five  in  number,  with 
an  aggregate  membership  of  295.  Bay  State  Lodge,  F.  and 
A.  M.,  was  organized  in  1872,  and  has  now  a  membership  of 
80.  The  other  four  orders  are  located  at  Turner's  Falls,  and 
are  Branch  No.  1,  .4.  0.  H.  (Ancient  Order  Hibernians),  a 
benevolent  society,  organized  in  1871,  and  now  composed  of 
40  members ;  a  benevolent  society  known  as  the  D.  0.  H. 
(Dutch  Order  Harugari),  which  was  organized  in  1872,  and 
has  now  50  members ;  a  benevolent  society  known  as  the 
Independent  Foresters,  organized  in  1878,  whose  membership 
is  75;  and  Mechanics'  Lodge,  F.  and  A.  -1/.,  numbering  50 
members. 


630 


HISTORY   OF  THE   CONNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


INDUSTRIES. 
Tlic  industrinl  centre  of  the  town  is  at  Tui-ner's  Falls,  where 
tlie  maniifafturing  interests  are  extensive  and  important. 
Chief  among  them  is  the  John  Russell  Miinufaciuriny  Com- 
pany, engaged  in  the  production  of  tahle  and  pocket  cutlery 
and  plated  spoon  ware,  the  latter  feature  of  the  manufacture 
having  been  added  in  the  winter  of  1878.  The  origin  of  this 
company  dates  back  to  1828,  when  John  Russell  began  the 
manufacture  of  cutlery  in  a  small  way  at  Greenfield,  Mass. 
In  1834,  Mr.  Kussell's  new  venture  had  assumed  such  propor- 
tions that  he  organized  a  stock  company  for  the  further  de- 
velopment of  the  enterprise,  and  in  that  year  the  company 
built  the  Green  Kiver  Works,  on  the  Green  lliver,  at  Green- 
field, and  entered  largely  upon  the  manufacture  of  cutlery. 
The  business  was  conducted  at  this  point  until  1870,  when  it 
was  transferred  to  the  company's  present  location  at  Turner's 
Falls,  where  the  erection  of  new  works  was  begun  in  1868, 
and  upon  their  completion  in  1870  the  change  of  location  was 
effected,  as  noted.  In  ISfJS,  Mr.  Kussell  retired  from  the 
active  management  of  the  enterprise,  which  continued,  how- 
ever, to  bear  Ihe  impress  of  his  name  by  assuming  the  desig- 
nation of  The  John  Ku.ssell  Manufacturing  Company,  with  a 
capital  of  l?500,000,  and  as  such  is  now  known.  This  estab- 
lishment is  not  <mly  the  oldest  one  of  the  kind  in  this  country, 
but  is  also  the  largest.  The  works  have  a  frontage  ou  the 
Connecticut  River  of  610  feet,  and  are  capable  of  employing 
a  force  of  1200  persons.  But  one-half  that  number  (or  OOOj 
was  employed  in  1878,  and  in  that  year  the  value  of  manu- 
factures reached  S4.j0,000. 

Next  in  importance  is  the  Montague  Paper  Company,  which 
was  projected  in  1870  b}'  Col.  Alva  Crocker,  of  Fitchburg, 
Mass.,  and  Edwin  Bulkley,  of  New  York,  and  organized  in 
May,  1871,  Col.  Crocker  becoming  president,  and  Mr. 
Bulkley  a  member  of  the  board  of  directors.  The  original 
capital  stock  was§125,000,  and  upon  this,  in  1871,  a  three-story 
brick  mill,  128  by  55  feet,  was  erected  just  west  of  the  Kussell 
Company's  works,  and  the  work  of  manufacturing  news- 
printing  paper  begun.  In  1872  the  manufacture  of  book- 
paper  was  inaugurated,  and  to  the  production  of  these  two 
kinds  of  paper  the  mill  is  still  devoted.  In  1874  the  works 
were  enlarged  by  the  addition  of  a  wing  three  stories  in 
height,  and  measuring  100  by  55  feet,  and  in  1875  the  company 
purchased  the  works  of  the  Turner's  Falls  Pulp  Company, 
directly  east,  and  consisting  of  a  two-story  brick  edifice, 
measuring  200  by  55  feet.  The  latter  was  soon  afterward  en- 
larged, so  that  now,  in  1879,  the  company  has  a  front  on  the 
river  of  500  feet.  The  nominal  capital  is  §290,000,  but4he 
actual  investment  in  mills,  etc.,  reaches  upward  of  $500,000. 
Two  hundred  and  fifty  people  are  employed,  and  the  daily 
product  is  10  tons  of  printing-paper  and  6  tons  of  refined 
wood-pulp,  aggregating  an  annual  value  of  §800,000. 

The  Keith  Paper  Company  commenced  operations  in  1874, 
with  a  capital  of  §750,000  invested  in  buildings  and  stock. 
They  employ  250  people,  and  produce  5  tons  of  fine  paper 
daily. 

The  Clark  .f"  Chapman  Machine  Company  manufactures 
rotary  pumps,  turbine  water-whcels,  circular-saw  mills,  etc., 
and  emjiloys  30  hands. 

The  Shawmut  Maniifaeturing  Company  is  the  only  company 
in  this  country  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  leatherette, 
— made  of  paper  to  imitate  leather,  and  used  for  bookbinding, 
fancy  boxes,  picture-frame  covers,  pocket-books,  fans,  wall- 
paper, etc.  The  company,  composed  of  Boston  capitalists, 
began  operations  at  Turner's  Falls  in  1877,  and  employs  a,  force 
of  12  men. 

Mr.  Joseph  Griswold,  a  wealthy  mill-owner  of  Coleraine, 
Mass.,  has  completed  at  Turner's  Falls  the  erection  of  a  brick 
cotton-mill,  four  stories  in  height,  measuring  240  by  72  feet, 
with  an  L  three  stories  in  height,  and  measuring  70  by  50  feet. 
The  mill  has  a  capacity  of  20,000  spindles,  and  was  expected, 


in  the  spring  of  1879,  to  be  in  full  operation  by  mid-summer. 
In  connection  with  the  mill,  Mr.  Griswold  has  erected  brick 
tenements,  which  will  give  homes  to  200  or  jnuro  of  liis 
operatives. 

The  other  noticeable  manufacturing  interests  in  the  town 
are  the  pocket-book  and  wallet  manufactory  of  Emil  Weiss- 
brod,  at  Montague  Centre,  employing  15  hands ;  the  hay- 
rake-factory,  at  the  same  point,  of  Amos  Rugg,  who  employs 
about  0  men ;  and  the  extensive  brick-yards  of  Adams  & 
Son,  at  Montague  City,  where  about  .50  men  are  employed. 

Montague  cannot  be  called  a  great  agricultural  town,  for 
bej'ond  the  production  of  tobacco  on  the  river-lands  the  yield 
of  the  soil  is  limited.  It  is,  however,  a  good  fruit  country, 
and  there  is  also  plenty  of  valuable  pasturage,  while  the 
manufixcture  of  butter,  the  raising  of  stock,  and  the  growing 
of  Indian  corn  are  carried  on  to  some  extent.  There  are  132 
farms  in  the  town,  and  in  1875  the  value  of  agricultural  prod- 
ucts was  $175, 186;  that  of  manufactures,  §1,478,446.  The 
value  of  real  estate  in  1878  was  §1,094,096,  and  of  personal 
estate,  §460,030,  or  a  total  of  §2,154,126,  upon  which  the  total 
State,  county,  and  town  tax  was  §23,493.20,  or  at  the  rate  of 
about  1  per  cent.  The  debt  of  the  town  is  §24,000,  of  which 
§12,000  are  for  school  buildings  and  §8000  for  bridges.  As 
an  indication  of  the  advancement  in  valuation  since  1854,  it 
may  be  observed  that  in  that  year  the  total  tax  was  but  §3380. 
The  Tamer's  Falls  Company,  through  which  all  the  great 
mills  at  the  village  are  supplied  with  water-power,  was  called 
into  existence  in  1866,  through  the  forceful  energy  of  Col. 
Alva  Crocker,  of  Fitchburg,  Mass.,  who,  as  has  already  been 
seen,  conceived,  in  1865,  the  idea  of  making  the  great  water- 
power  of  Turner's  Falls  the  foundation  upon  which  the  wil- 
derness then  lying  adjacent  to  it  upon  either  side  the  Connec- 
ticut should  rise  and  blossom  as  a  rose. 

Accordingly,  in  that  year.  Col.  Crocker,  with  a  few  other 
capitalists,  purchased  the  rights  and  franchises  of  an  old  cor- 
poration known  as  "  The  Proprietors  of  the  Upper  Locks  and 
Canals  on  the  Connecticut  Kiver,  in  the  Count}'  of  Hamp- 
shire," which  was  organized  in  1794  as  a  separate  corporation, 
when  the  corporation  known  as  "  The  Proprietors  of  the  Locks 
and  Canals  on  the  Connecticut  River"  resolved  itself  into  two 
parts.  The  last-named  company  was  created  for  the  purpose 
of  constructing  canals  around  the  falls  at  Hadley  and  Mon- 
tague, on  the  Connecticut  River,  for  the  passage  of  boats  and 
rafts.  The  first  attempt  to  construct  a  dam  at  Montague  was 
made  in  1792,  at  Smead's  Island,  opposite  what  is  now  Mon- 
tague City,  but  the  attempt,  owing  to  the  depth  of  the  water, 
was  abandoned  after  several  months  of  unsuccessful  eft'ort. 
In  the  following  year  a  dam  was  built  at  Turner's  Falls,  and 
in  1794  work  on  the  canal  was  begun.  In  1798  the  canal  was 
opened  to  traffic,  and  from  that  time  until  about  1845  the 
company  pursued  a  profitable  business,  but  with  the  increase 
of  railway  facilities  the  canal  traffic  rapidly  diminished,  and 
the  enterprise  was  shortly  afterward  aliandoned.  The  track 
of  the  old  canal  is  still  clearly  marked,  although  in  many 
places  the  bed  has  been  filled  up. 

As  before  observed.  Col.  Crocker  and  others  purchased  the 
stock  of  this  corpoi'ation  in  1805,  .and  in  1866  obtained  the 
passage  of  an  act  of  the  Legislature,  by  which  the  name  of  the 
corporation  was  changed  to  that  of  "  The  Turner's  Falls  Com- 
pany." In  that  year  the  company  purchased  largely  of  lands 
in  Montague  Ij'ing  on  tlie  river-front  and  adjacent  thereto 
near  the  falls,  and  built  a  bulkhead  at  a  cost  of  §24,000,  and 
on  March  20,  1807,  the  present  dam,  costing  §105,000,  was 
completed.  The  width  from  shore  to  shore  is  upward  of  500 
feet,  but  about  midway  between  the  banks,  and  dividing  the 
falls,  is  Great  Island,  a  rocky  and  picturesque  elevation,  which, 
bedecked  with  foliage,  is,  in  the  bright  seasons  of  the  year,  a 
wildly  romantic-looking  spot,  which  seems  appropriately  set 
in  the  midst  of  the  turbulent  and  mighty  rush  of  the  majestic 
torrent.     The  fall  over  the  dam  is  about  thirty  feet,  and  the 


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HISTORY  OF   FRANKLIN   COUNTY. 


631 


full  power  equal  to  tlie  strength  of  30,000  hoi'ses.  The  entire 
fall  controlled  by  the  company  is  about  eighty  feet.  The  com- 
pany's canal,  occupying  a  portion  of  the  bed  of  the  old  canal, 
had  cost,  up  to  31aroh,  1879,  about  $173,000.  The  company's 
capital,  originally  §200,000,  was  5:300,000  in  1879,  in  which 
3'car  its  assets  included,  besides  the  dam  and  canal,  upward 
of  1300  acres  of  land,  covering  a  long  stretch  of  mill-sites  on 
the  river-front,  and  building-sites  and  other  real  estate  in  the 
village,  as  well  as  the  water-right  at  Factory  village,  in  Green- 
field, on  Fall  River,  just  above  Turner's  Falls. 

BANKS: 
There  are  at  Turner's  Falls  two  banks,  both  of  which  were 
founded  by  Col.  Alva  Crocker,  and  now  bear  his  name.     The 
Crocker  National  Bank  was  organized  in  1872,  has  a  capital 


of  ?300,000,  and  a  deposit  of  account  of  §55,000.  The  Crocker 
Institution  for  Savings  was  organized  in  1873,  and  has  on 
deposit  $105,000. 

NEWSPAPER. 
A,  weekly  newspaper  called  The  Turner's  Falls  Reporter  is 
published  at  Turner's  Falls  village  by  C.  T.  Bagnall,  a  hu- 
morous paragrapher  of  some  note.  The  paper  was  started  in 
July,  1872,  by  A.  D.  Welch,  who  relinquished  it,  in  the  fall  of 
1874,  into  the  hands  of  tlie  present  publisher. 

MILITARY. 
MONTAOTTE'S   WAR   RECORD. 

Appended  will  be  found  a  list  of  soldiers  sent  by  Montague 
into  the  war  of  the  Kebellion  : 


E.  S.  Dewey,  lotli  Mass. 
Henry  Dewey,  loib  Mass. 
0.  E.  Caswen,  :!2d  Mass. 
Guy  BarJwell,  llllli  Mass. 

D.  A.  BosM-ell,  Will  Mass. 
Patrick  Biitt,  lOlli  Mass. 

S.  S.  Waterman,  :!4th  Milss. 
Philip  Alwooil,  Idlh  Mass. 

0.  II.  Liltlejolin.  llltli  Mass. 
J.  W.  roller,  U)lli  JIa.<B. 
David  Burnliani,  lillh  Mass. 
Walter  Pierce,  a4th  Mass. 
Albert  Smith,  lOlh  Ma.s3. 

C.  K.  Burnham,  Iiitli  Mass. 
Alfred  Pierce,  "jTlh  Mass. 
Cyrus  Marsh,  :;4tli  Mass. 
Brigharn  Kililey,  avtli  Mass, 
J.  W.  Ili.rtoii,  37tii  Mass. 
.1.  M.  Mathews,  1st  Miiss. 
L.  H.  Slone,  5_M  Mass. 
C.  W.  Stone,  S2J  Mass. 
H.  W.  Payne,  52d  Muss. 
Geo.  D.  Pa^ln*,  52d  Mass. 
A.  M.  Webster,  52d  Mass. 

1.  P.  Gonld,  52a  Ma<8. 
Henry  Taylor,  52d  RIass. 
Chas.  B.  Wait,  62d  Mass. 
Geo.  F.  Wait,  52d  Mass. 
John  P.  Sawin,  o2d  Mass. 
Truman  Bowman,  52d  BJass. 
Chas.  A.  Murdock,  .'J2d  Mass. 
G.  N.  Watson,  52d  Mass. 
Chas.  P.  Peeler,  .52d  Mass. 

S.  S.  Shaw,  S2d  Mass. 
J.D.  liontwell,  62d  Mass. 
Cliristoi>her  Arnold,  52d  Mass. 
Ileniy  J.  Day,  52.1  Mass. 
A.  U.  Sawm,  .">2<1  Mass. 
J.  S.  P.erce,  52d  Mass. 
Geo.  F.  Adams,  52d  Mass. 
J.  h.  Andrews,  52d  Mass. 

E.  N.  Marsh,  62d  Mass. 
John  A.  Bascoln,  52d  Mass. 
Erastus  Burnbani,  52d  Mass. 


Geo.  S.  Pond,  52J  Mass. 
Parly  H.  Smith,  52d  Mass. 
Frederick  Panderson,  52d  Mass. 

Henry  W.  Saudford, . — . 

P.  H.  Goddard,2Ctli  Mass. 
E.  L.  Goddard,  20th  JIass. 
Otis  Spencer,  27tb  j>Iass. 
Julius  Clapp,  27th  Blass. 
Truman  Ward,  27th  Mass. 
Fred.  A.  Spanlding,  2Gth  Mass. 
Stephen  Spanlding,  2Gth  Mass. 
Joseph  Burns,  2*2<l  Mass, 
Ch.as.  D.  Gunn,  2jtli  Mass. 
Wm  H.  Adams,  Kith  Mass. 
E.  F.  Hartwell,  lUlh  JIass. 
Dwight  Armstrong,  lulli  Mass. 
Geo.  Reyuolds,  loth  Mass. 
David  Pratt,  lotli  Muss. 
Frank  Kipley,  10th  Mass. 
John  Brizzee,  34tli  Sliisa. 
Dwight  Stewart,  27ili  Muss. 
A,  E.  Stevens,  27th  Ma3.s. 
Meander  Patrick,  261  li  Mass. 
Edwal-d  Mawley,  10th  Mass, 
Marcus  Newton,  .'J4tli  Mass, 
Tyler  Williams,  loth  Mass, 
Elhalj  A,  Taft,  :i7tb  Mass, 
Mantou  E.  Tuft,  271h  Mass. 
Levi  Brizzee,  27  ih  Mass. 
E.  D,  Burnham,  lotli  Mass, 
0,  A,  Cla|ip,  loth  Blass, 

0,  E,  Caswell, . 

L,  A.  Dury,  27th  Mass. 
Henry  Dickinson,  loth  Mass. 
Geo,  P,  HoldHU,  27tl.  Mass. 

D.  D.  Uoliien,  27lh  Mass. 
H,  W.  Lovcland,  27lli  Mass, 
Frederick  Loveland,  27th  Mass. 
L.  D.  Phillips,  32d  M.%sa. 

E.  R,  Eockwood,  loth  Mass. 
Manley  Stoweli,  52d  Ma-ss, 
Wui.  U.  Spear,  2l6t  Slass. 
T.  0.  Amsden,  27th  Muss, 
Jos.  F.  Webster,  10th  Mass. 


Chas.  P.  White,  27tb  Mass. 
Chas.  C,  Brewer,  52d  JIass. 
Chas,  B,  Gunn,  o2d  Mass, 
A.  L.  Cooley,  27th  Mass. 
E.  N.  Stevens,  27th  Muss. 

D.  A.  Stevens,  27tli  Mass. 
Oscar  Britt,  27lh  Mass. 

Jjis.  K,  Knowlton, , 

Moses  C,  French,  lOtli  3IaS3, 
Geo,  C.  Kanlliack,  10th  Mass. 
John  P,  Mealy,  ;ilst  Mass, 
Munroo  Wright,  loth  Mass, 
Gains  T,  Wright,  10th  Mass, 

E.  W,  Whitney,  34tb  JIass, 
Geo,  A.  Wright,  loth  .Mass. 
Otis  E,  Munsell,  22d  Mass. 

E.  1'.  Gunn, , 

W,  E,  Bardwell,  2d  H.  Art. 
M.  H.  Bardwell,  2d  H.  Art. 

F,  E,  Wright,  2d  U.  Art. 
Jas.  S.  Day,  2d  H,  Ait, 
Truman  Newton,  34th  Mass, 
Emerson  Newton,  34th  Mass, 
Wm,  G.  Bontwell,  3d  Bat, 
Henry  B,  Graves,  3d  L,  Art, 
W,  J,  Potter.  34th  Mass, 
Edward  L,  Loveland,  1st  H,  Art, 

D,  L,  Warner,  12tli  Mass, 

Charles  Welster, . 

C.  N,  Law.son,27th  Mass. 

E.  N.  Clapp.  .52d  Mass. 
Lauriston  Barnes, . 

Of  the  foregoing,  the  following  lost  their  lives  iu 
the  service:  Guy  Bardwell,  D.  A.  Boswell,  0, 
II,  Littlejohn,  Cyrus  Marsh,  Brighani  Kipley, 
J,  M,  Mathews,  S.  S,  Shaw,  Chr;stopher  Ar- 
nold, John  A,  Biiscom,  P,  M,  Goddard,  F,  A. 
Spanlding,  Dwight  Armstrong,  Frank  Ripley, 
A.  E,  Stevens,  Tyler  William--,  E.  A,  Tall,  M. 
E.  Taft,  T.  O.  Amsden,  D.  A.  Stevens,  Gains  T. 
Wright, E.  P.Gunn.Win.G.  Bontwell,  Warren 
J,  Potter,  Levi  Brizzee. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 


RICHARD  NICKERSON  OAKMAN. 
The  subject  of  the  following  sketch  was  born  in  Wendell, 
Mass.,  Jan.  20,  1818.  His  great-grandfather,  who  was  prob- 
ably the  progenitor  of  the  comptiratively  few  Oakman  fami- 
lies in  this  country,  came  from  Norfolk,  Eng.,  about  a.d. 
1750  ;  was  a  shoemaker  by  trade,  and  settled  in  Lynn,  Mass., 
where  he  left  two  sons — Joseph  and  Eben — trained  iu  his  trade 
or  occupation.  Joseph  eventually  migrated  from  Lynn,  mar- 
ried into  the  Wheeler  fiimily,  of  Phillipston,  Mass.,  and  sub- 
sequently lived  in  Wallingford,Vt.,  where  he  died,  leaving  one 
son  only,  Joseph  Lathe,  who  married  JLiry  Nickerson,  from 
Provincetown,  Mass.,  a.d.  181(5,  and  settled  in  Wendell,  sub- 
sequently living  in  Wallingford  and  Phillipston,  and  finally 
returning  to  Wendell,  where  he  did,  Feb.  21,  1842,  leaving 


four  sons,  of  whom  three  are  now  living,  who,  together  with 
t/icir  four  sons,  constitute  all  the  male  descendants  of  Joseph 
Oakman,  formerly  of  Lynn,  now  bearing  his  name. 

Mary,  widow  of  Joseph  L.,  married  Charles  Holway,  of 
Provincetown,  and  is  now  living,  at  an  advanced  age. 

Richard,  eldest  son  of  Joseph  L,  and  Mary  Oakman,  re- 
ceived his  early  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Wendell, 
then  in  a  flourishing  condition,— so  much  so,  that  before  he 
was  seventeen  years  of  age  he  was  approbated  by  the  consti- 
tuted authorities  as  competent  to  teach  in  the  common  schools 
of  Massachusetts,  and  taught  his  first  school  in  Erving,  in  the 
'winter  of  1834-35.  His  common-school  advantages  were  sup- 
plemented by  two  or  three  years  in  the  aggregate  at  the 
Franklin    Academv    at    Sbelburne    Falls,   when    he   went    to 


632 


HISTORY  OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


Provincetown  and  engaged  as  principal  of  the  Union  Acad- 
emy at  that  phice,  wliere  he  was  employed  for  six  years. 

Aug.  10,  1841,  Mr.  Oakman  married  Julia  P.  Hawkcs,  of 
Hawley,  Mass.,  who  has  been  a  faithful  helpmeet  and  aftec- 
tionate  and  devoted  wife  and  mother.  In  the  spring  of  1840 
they  removed  to  Montague,  purchased  a  farm,  and  engaged 
in  the  arduous  labors  of  their  new  calling.  An  inventory  of 
their  resources  at  the  time  of  their  purchase  might  be  written 
as  follows,  viz. :  good  health,  great  expectations,  some  energy, 
and  seven  hundred  dollars  in  cash ;  and  it  is  said  that  they 
are  among  the  class  of  those  who  have  acquired  a  reasonable 
competence  by  legitimate  farming.  Mr.  Oakman  at  this 
period  possessed  unusual  power  of  physical  endurance,  and, 
in  addition  to  the  labors  of  his  farm,  continued  for  several 
years  to  teach  in  the  district  schools  for  the  winter  season, 
until  he  was  able  to  number  twenty-three  ^ears,  during  a 
part  or  the  whole  of  which  he  had  been  engaged  in  teaching 
in  the  schools  of  Massachusetts. 

In  1850,  Mr.  Oakman  was  first  elected  to  the  several  town 
offices  of  selectman,  assessor,  overseer  of  the  poor,  and  school 
committee,  which  offices  he  continued  to  hold  for  many  years, 
to  the  satisfaction  of  his  fellow-citizens,  as  will  appear  bj-  the 
following  resolution,  passed  unanimously  at  the  annual  March 
meeting,  1876 : 

*'  Wliereas,  R.  N.  Oakman,  haviug  been  elected  to  the  office  of  selectman  of  the 
town  of  Montague  for  the  twenty-seventh  time,  and  having  declined  longer  to 
serve  the  town  in  that  capacity, 

"  Be  it  remlved,  That,  as  citizens  of  the  town,  we  regret  to  lose  the  services  of 
R.  N.  Oakman  as  chairman  of  our  Board  of  Selectmen,  in  which  position  he  has 
so  long,  so  ably,  and  so  successfully  served  the  town,  both  as  its  counselor  and 
financier, — in  a  word,  for  the  town  as  for  himself;  and  that  this  expression  of  our 
appreciation  of  his  services  be  entered  on  the  records  of  the  town." 

In  1857,  the  pauper  expenses  of  the  town  of  Montague 
having  become  a  grievous  burden  to  the  tax-payers,  the  town 
determined  to  try  the  experiment  of  an  almshouse  establish- 
ment, and  for  that  purpose  purchased  a  farm  with  outfits. 
Mr.  Oakman  and  wife  were  induced  to  dispose  of  their  own 
homestead  and  take  the  superintendence  of  this  establishment 
for  the  town, — himself  as  manager  of  the  farm,  and  Mrs.  Oak- 
man as  housekeeper  and  matron.  Hon.  F.  B.  Sanborn,  secre- 
tary of  the  Board  of  State  Charities,  in  his  first  report  to  the 
Legislature,  speaks  of  their  success  as  follows  :  "  Mr.  Oakman, 
for  six  years  the  able  superintendent  of  the  town  farm  in 
Montague,  has  secured  a  financial  success,  which  makes  the 
experience  of  that  town  valuable  to  the  whole  State.  It  ap- 
pears by  the  printed  reports  annually  made  to  the  town  of 
Montague  that  during  the  six  years  that  Mr.  Oakman  and 
wife  have  had  charge  of  the  almshouse  the  cost  of  supporting 
the  inmates  gradually  diminished,  until,  in  1862-63,  it  became 
less  than  nothing.  That  is  to  say,  the  products  of  the  farm 
paid  all  the  expenses,  including  interest  on  the  purchase- 
money,  salaries,  and  support  of  all  the  paupers,  and  there 
remained  a  small  balance  of  profit.  The  explanation  of  it  is 
found  in  the  peculiar  ability  of  the  gentleman  and  lady  re- 
ferred to,  and  in  application  of  principles  which  ought  every- 
where to  prevail.  In  September,  1864,  I  visited  Montague 
for  the  purpose  of  seeing  the  place  of  this  happy  experiment, 
and  the  persons  who  carried  it  on.  I  found  Mr.  Oakman 
still  chairman  of  the  selectmen,  as  he  has  been  for  fourteen 
years  past,  but  that  he  had  ceased  to  manage  the  almshouse 
farm  for  the  town.  That  had  been  sold  to  Mr.  Oakman  for 
ten  thousand  dollars,  being  in  better  condition  than  when  he 
had  taken  it  in  hand,  and  the  town  had  bought  a  cheaper 
farm  not  far  oft".  I  have  dwelt  at  such  length  on  the  interest- 
ing history  of  the  Montague  almshouse  because  it  shows 
what  may  be,  and  what  has  been,  done  to  lighten  the  burdens 
of  pauperism  in  our  towns,  and  introduce  method  and  good 
order  into  this  brairch  of  town  business  by  the  selection  of  a 
good  farm  and  a  good  farmer."  Mr.  Oakman  is  still  the 
owner  of  this  farm,  which,  however,  for  the  past  two  years, 
has  been  under  the  management  of  liis  youngest  son,  while 


he  has  purchased  for  himself  and  wife  a  fine  homestead  about 
a  mile  away,  at  Montague  City. 

Mr.  Oakman  has  represented  his  town  in  the  Legislature, 
served  his  county  one  term  as  commissiimer  and  one  term  as 
special  commissioner,  held  other  positions  of  responsibility 
and  trust,  and  is  now  president  of  the  Crocker  National  Bank, 
and  one  of  the  directors  of  the  Turner's  Falls  Company,  each 
with  a  capital  of  three  hundred  thousand  dollars,  and  both 
located  at  Turner's  Falls,  a  manufacturing  village  in  Mon- 
tague. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Oakman  are  greatly  blessed  in  their  family, — 
two  sons  and  two  daughtei's, — Richard  N.,  Jr.,  Julia  Kate, 
Nellie  Pauline,  and  Frank  Hawkes,  who  have  been  well  edu- 
cated, and  each  and  all  faithful,  obedient,  and  attectionate 
children,  ever  bringing  joy  and  sunshine  to  their  parents' 
hearts  and  home. 

Mr.  Oakman  is  a  man  of  somewhat  positive  opinions  of  his 
own,  with  a  sufficient  command  of  the  blunt  old  Saxon 
tongue  to  make  himself  understood  in  defending  them,  and, 
consequently,  has  usually  been  blessed  with  a  few  active  and 
industrious  opponents  and  enemies.  He  has  always  been 
counted  on  the  side  of  radical  reform  ;  an  anti-slavery  man 
of  the  old  school  ;  by  practice  and  precept  an  advocate  of  total 
abstinence  from  all  intoxicating  liquors  ;  and  always  interested 
in  the  intellectual,  moral,  and  religious  education  and  welfare 
of  the  young. 


R.  N.  OAKMAN,  Jr., 
is  the  eldest  son  of  Richard  N.  and  Julia  P.  (Hawkes)  Oak- 
man, and  was  born  in  the  town  of  Hawley,  Franklin  Co., 
Mass.,  Sept.  23,  1843.  A  biographical  notice  of  his  father, 
Richard  N.  Oakman,  appears  also  in  this  work.  The  family 
moved  from  Provincetown,  Mass.,  and  settled  on  a  farm  in 
the  town  of  Montague,  near  Lake  Pleasant,  where  they  re- 
mained till  the  year  1857,  at  which  time  they  settled  upon 
what  is  known  as  the  Bardwell  farm,  in  the  same  town. 
Until  the  age  of  fifteen,  young  Oakman  worked  upon  the 
farm,  and  attended  the  district  schools  at  Miller's  Falls  and 
at  Montague  Centre.  In  1858  he  entered  Powers'  Institute, 
at  Bernardston,  where  he  remained  for  three  years,  fit- 
ting for  college.  In  1861,  in  a  competitive  examination  at 
Boston,  he  won  the  State  schohirsliip-at-large.  The  same 
year  he  entered  Williams  College,  where  he  remained  about 
two  years,  talcing  the  highest  position  in  his  class.  During 
the  period  of  his  preparation  for  college  he  taught  three  terms 
of  district  schools, — a  term  each  at  Cambridgeport,  Vt.,  Mon- 
tague, and  Belchertown,  Mass. 

For  a  portion  of  the  year  1864  he  was  overseer  of  the  State 
Reform  School  at  Westboro'.  In  December  of  the  same  year 
he  went  to  Kenosha,  Wis.,  and  occupied  the  jiosition  of  teller, 
temporarily  (in  the  absence  of  the  regular  officer),  in  the  First 
National  Bank  of  that  place,  remaining  there  till  April,  1865. 
For  one  month  he  was  overseer  of  Dr.  AUport's  fruit  farm  in 
Michigan  ;  wages,  $25  per  month.  In  Maj-,  1865,  he  was 
book-keeper  for  the  Kenosha  Coal  Companj',  in  La  Salle,  111. 
About  July  of  the  same  year  he  again  filled  the  position  of 
teller  in  the  bank  at  Kenosha,  remaining  there  till  September. 
He  then  went  to  New  York  City,  and  was  connected  for  tno 
years  with  the  house  of  Clement,  Hawkes  &  Maynard,  cutlery 
manufacturers,  the  first  year  as  book-keeper  and  cashier,  the 
last  year  as  traveling  salesman.  In  October,  1867,  he  went  to 
Selma,  Ala.,  and  filled  the  position  of  treasurer  of  the  Cahiiwba 
Coal  Companj'.  In  August,  1869,  he  received  the  appoint- 
ment of  deputy  collector  of  customs  at  Charleston,  S.  C.  In 
September,  1872,  he  came  to  Turner's  Falls,  and  assisted  in 
the  organization  of  the  Crocker  National  Bank,  and  was 
cashier  and  treasurer  of  the  Crocker  Savings  Institution,  in 
that  place,  up  to  Nov.  1,  1874.  For  one  year  of  the  same 
time    he   was    treasurer   of   the   Montague    Paper    Company. 


'^'"'■i  i,  Samuel  .r,-rf«»  '"*" 


^(;iyzJ!^M<] 


Joseph  Freei.and  Bartlett  was  born  in  Wnro, 
Mass.,  July  25,  1843,  the  sixtli  child  of  Marsiiall  J. 
and  Abigail  J.  Bartlett.  Saul  Bartlett,  liis  great- 
grandfather, nioved  from  Rhode  Island  and  settled 
in  Entield,  Mass.,  where  Gideon  P.  Bartlett,  his  grand- 
father, was  born.  His  father  was  also  born  there. 
His  father,  after  marriage,  settled  in  Ware,  where  he 
followed  the  trade  of  a  harness-maker.  He  died, 
while  on  a  visit  at  Amherst,  Oet.  10,  1876. 

His  mother  was  a  daughter  of  Isaiah  Warren, 
a  descendant  of  Gen.  Joseph  Warren.  She  died 
at  the  residence  of  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Charles  Aid- 
rich,  in  Greenfield,  Sept.  10,  1876.  For  eight  years 
previous  to  their  death  his  parents  made  their  home 
with  their  son,  J.  F.  Bartlett,  at  Turner's  Falls. 

Mr.  Bartlett  received  his  education  in  the  common 
schools'  of  Belchertown  and  Wilbraham.  At  the 
age  of  seventeen  he  enlisted  as  private  in  the  10th 
Massachusetts  Infantry,  and  served  for  three  years 
as  private  and  non-commissioned  officer  in  that  regi- 
ment. He  then  received  the  commission  of  second 
lieutenant,  and  was  transferred  to  the  37th  Massa- 
chusetts, with  which  he  remained  until  June,  18G5, 
when  he  was  transferred  to  the  20th  Massachusetts, 
a  regiment  made  up  of  what  was  left  of  the  old 
20th  and  remnants  of  other  regiments,  with  the 
purpose  of  engaging  in  service  on  the  plains.  At 
this  time  he  received  the  commission  of  first  lieu- 
tenant. He  was  in  McClellan's  Peninsular  cam- 
paign, in  the  battles  of  Antietam,  Fredericksburg, 


Gettysburg,  the  Wilderness,  and  in  many  engage- 
ments in  Gen.  Grant's  inarch  upon  Richmond.  He 
was  also  with  Gen.  Sheridan  in  his  campaign  of  the 
Shenandoah  Valley.  He  received  a  number  of 
slight  wounds,  and  was  wounded  severely  at  the 
battle  of  the  Wilderness,  having  his  thigh-bone 
shattered.  He  was  mustered  out  at  Washington, 
Aug.  28,  1865. 

For  four  years  after  leaving  the  army  lie  was  su- 
perintendent of  the  jilating  department  of  Hayden, 
Geer  &  Co.'s  Brass-Factory,  at  Haydenville,  Mass. 
In  1878  he  moved  to  Turner's  Falls,  and  opened  a 
trade  in  glass,  paints,  and  wall  paper,  in  which  busi- 
ness he  is  still  engaged. 

Mr.  Bartlett  has  taken  an  active  interest  in  all  mat- 
ters looking  to  the  prosperity  and  growth  of  Turner's 
Falls.  For  four  years  past  he  has  served  as  select- 
man, overseer  of  the  ])oor,  and  assessor  of  the  town 
of  Montague.  He  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
General  Court  in  1878,  and  served  on  the  committee 
of  military  affairs.  He  is  vice-president,  and  mem- 
ber of  the  finance  committee,  of  the  Crocker  Institu- 
tion for  Savings. 

Mr.  Bartlett  is  emphatically  a  self-made  man,  and 
in  the  conduct  of  ids  own  and  the  public  business 
has  shown  rare  tact  and  good  judgment. 

He  was  married,  June  8,  1868,  to  Orinda  Aldrich, 
daughter  of  Nathaniel  and  Nancy  Aldrich,  of  Bel- 
chertown, Mass.  Mrs.  l^artlett  was  born  there,  Oct. 
1,  1843.     They  have  one  child,— Ida. 


^^  Sa^u-/ S-"'^'^" 


M^ 


'r-A;^^.dC.^<_^ 


-^^    ^ 


HISTORY   OF   FRANKLIN   COUNTY. 


633 


Since  that  time  he  has  occupied  the  position  of  treasurer  and 
general  manager  of  the  John  Hussell  Cutlery  Company, 
making  his  headquarters  during  the  years  I8T0  and  187U  in 
New  York  City.  Since  then,  and  at  the  pi-esent  time,  at  Tur- 
ner's Falls. 

Mr.  Oakman  was  married,  March  17,  1808,  to  Sarah  E. 
Clark,  daughter  of  William  H.  and  Sarah  (Hilton)  Clark,  of 
Exeter,  N.  H.  They  have  one  child,  Anna  C,  horn  in  Selma, 
Ala.,  Jan.  4,  18G9.  Mrs.  Oakman  was  born  in  Exeter,  N.  H., 
March  28,  1840.     She  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  Exeter. 


GEORGE  E.  MARSHALL 
■was  born  in  Lunenburg,  Worcester  Co.,  Ma.ss.,  Noy.  16,  1832, 
the  eldest  child  of  Zachariah  and  Caroline  Marshall.  His  an- 
cestors came  from  England  and  settled  in  Newburyport,  Mass. 
His  grandfather,  Samuel  Marshall,  was  born  there,  and  was 
the  first  of  the  family  who  settled  in  Lunenburg.  His  father 
was  born  in  the  latter  place  in  1808.  He  moved  with  his 
family  to  Kansas,  and  was  among  the  first  settlers  of  that  State. 
The  family  remained  there  about  twenty  years.  At  the  present 
time  he  makes  his  home  with  his  son,  George  E.,  at  Turner's 
Falls.  His  wife's  maiden  name  was  Putnam,  a  daughter  of 
Samuel  and  Hannah  Putnam,  a  branch  of  the  Putnam  family 
of  Reyolutionary  fame.  She  died  at  Groton,  Mass.,  in  1852. 
George  E.  Marshall  receiyed  his  education  at  the  Lawrence 
Academy,  of  Groton,  to  which  place  his  father  removed  when 
he  was  ten  years  of  age.  Rev.  James  Means  was  principal  of 
the  academy  at  that  time.  His  father  being  a  paper  manu- 
facturer, George  E.  became  early  interested  in  that  branch  of 
industry,  and  at  the  age  of  twentj'  had  acquired  a  thorough 
knowledge  of  the  business  as  carried  on  at  that  day.  At 
that  time,  in  company  with  S.  E.  Crocker,  a  son  of  Emmons 
Crocker,  of  Fitchburg,  and  a  brother  of  the  late  Alva  Crocker 
of  the  same  place,  he  went  to  Nashville,  Tenn.,  where  for 
eight  months  he  was  employed  in  the  paper-mill  of  W.  S. 
"Whiteman.  Returning  East,  he  engaged  as  foreman  in  a  new 
paper-mill  at  Lawrence,  Mass.,  owned  by  Crocker,  Briggs  & 
Co.,  where  he  remained  about  four  years.  He  was  next  em- 
ployed as  manager  of  the  paper-mills  of  C.  P.  Markle  &  Sons, 
situated  on  the  Youghiogheny  River,  in  West  Newton,  Pa., 


about  thirty  miles  from  Pittsburg.  He  was  there  three  years. 
He  then  went  to  Louisville,  Ky.,  where  lie  superintended  the 
fitting  up  of  Bremaker,  Moore  &  Co.'s  paper-mills  of  that 
city.  These  mills  were  the  pioneer  works  in  the  West  for  the 
manufacture  of  super-calender  book-papers.  Though  manu- 
facturing a  superior  qvuility  of  paper,  they  were  at  first  obliged 
to  seek  an  Eastern  market.  After  the  Western  buyers  made 
th«  discovery  that  they  were  purchasing  in  New  Y'ork  City 
goods  manufactured  near  at  home,  upon  which  they  were  pay- 
ing two  unnecessary  freights,  it  changed  the  "  order  of  things," 
and  thereafter  the  firm  found  ready  market  for  their  products 
in  the  West. 

Mr.  Marshall  superintended  the  construction  for  the  same 
parties,  in  the  town  of  Laurel,  Ind.,  on  the  Whitewater  River, 
a  mill  for  the  manufacture  of  chemical  wood  and  straw  pulp, 
which  was  also  the  first  of  its  class  built  in  the  West.  He  re- 
mained with  Bremaker,  Moore  «&  Co.  eight  j-ears.  In  1871, 
through  the  solicitation  of  Col.  Alva  Crocker,  founder  of 
Turner's  Falls,  and  president  of  the  Montague  Paper  Com- 
pany in  that  place,  Mr.  Marshall  was  induced  to  take  charge 
of  the  erection  and  fitting  up  of  their  mill,  and  has  been  its 
manager  ever  since.  He  was  elected  treasurer  of  the  company 
January,  1875. 

During  his  long  experience  as  a  paper-manufacturer  Mr. 
Marshall  has  added  many  improvements,  and  has  taken  out 
quite  a  number  of  patents  covering  processes  for  producing 
chemical  and  mechanically-prepared  pulps  for  paper,  and 
improvements  in  paper-machinery.  A  gentleman  who  has 
known  Mr.  Marshall  for  years,  and  is  well  posted  as  to  his 
ability  as  a  paper-manufacturer,  said  to  the  writer,  "  Mr 
Marshall  will  make  more  and  better  paper  out  of  a  given 
amount  of  stock  than  anj'  man  living."  It  will  surely  be  not 
overstating  it  to  say  that  he  enjoys  a  reputation  in  his  specialty 
second  to  none  in  the  countrj'.  Since  he  has  been  a  resident 
of  Turner's  Falls  he  has  taken  an  active  interest  in  all  mat- 
ters which  affected  its  prosperity  and  growth,  and  has  con- 
tributed liberally  of  his  means  toward  the  building  up  and 
sustaining  its  public  institutions. 

He  was  united  in  marriage,  Oct.  4,  1858,  to  Lydia  Farwell, 
daughter  of  John  H.  and  Catharine  Farwell,  of  Ischua,  Cat- 
taraugus Co.,  N.  Y*.     They  have  no  cliildren  living. 


O  E  A  ISr  G  E. 


GEOGR.\PniC.\L. 

Orange,  the  fourth  in  population  of  the  towns  of  Franklin, 
lies  on  the  eastern  border  of  the  county,  and  is  bounded  on 
the  north  by  the  town  of  Warwick  and  the  county  of  Worces- 
ter, on  the  south  by  the  town  of  New  Salem,  on  the  east  by 
Worcester  County,  and  on  the  west  by  Warwick,  Wendell, 
and  Erving. 

The  taxable  area  of  the  town  comprises  20,297  acres,  and  it 
measures  in  length  about  fifteen  miles  from  northeast  to 
southwest,  varying  in  width  from  three  to  ten  miles. 

The  Fitchburg  Railroad,  following  the  course  of  Miller's 
River,  enters  the  town  on  the  west,  and  crosses  it  in  a  south- 
east direction. 

N.\TUR.\L  FEATURE.^. 

Besides  Miller's  River,  which  crosses  the  town  at  Orange 
Centre  and  divides  that  village,  there  are  other  streams,  such 
as  Tully  River  and  Cheney  Brook  in  the  east,  Orcott  and 
Moss  Brooks  in  the  west,  and  Gulf,  Shingle  Swamp,  and  Red 
Brooks  in  the  south,  all  of  which  furnish  good  water-power. 
In  the  east  there  is  a  large  pond  at  Furnace  village,  and 
SO 


Packard  Pond  at  Fryville,  both  of  which  have  outlets  into 
Tully  River.  North  Pond,  in  the  south,  has  an  area  of  78 
acres,  and  is  the  head-spring  of  Swift  River. 

The  most  important  elevation  in  the  town  is  Big  Tully 
Mountain,  in  the  northeast.  There  are  also  numerous  other 
eminences,  as  Pitt's  Hill,  Fall  Hill,  Beach  Hill,  and  Chestnut 
Hill.  The  surface  of  the  town  is  generally  mountainous,  ex- 
cept in  the  southeast  corner,  although  there  is  comparatively 
little  woodland.  In  the  rocky  regions,  gnei.ss  and  granite 
are  found  in  abundance. 

E.\RLY  SETTLEMENT. 

The  history  of  the  early  settlement  of  the  tract  now  em- 
braced within  the  limits  of  Orange  properly  forms  a  part  of 
the  history  of  the  early  settlements  in  the  towns  of  Athol, 
Royalston,  and  Warwick,  since  Orange  was  constructed  mainly 
from  portions  of  those  towns. 

Settlements  upon  the  tract  before  1750  were  made  to  a  very 
limited  extent,  and  not  freely  until  after  1762.  In  the  latter- 
named  year,  Jacob  Hutchins  located  on  the  eastern  part  of  a 


C34 


HISTORY   OP  THE  CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


grant  of  land  includins;  325  acres,  and  lying  on  the  west  line 
of  Alliol  (then  I'liqiKuic).  This  grant  was  issued  by  the  Gen- 
eral Conrt  to  Kev.  Benjamin  Ruggles,  of  Middleboro',  in  1752, 
and,  becoming  in  March,  17(!2,  a  jiortion  of  Athol,  was,  in 
1783,  incUided  in  the  district  of  Orange. 

Ezekiel  Wallingford  is  said  to  have  located  as  early  as  1747, 
and  was  not  long  afterward  killed  by  Indians. 

Ichabod  Dexter,  of  Rochester,  Mass.,  bought  the  right  to 
Wallingford 's  land,  and  lived  upon  it  many  years,  but  event- 
ually sold  it  and  removed  to  Warwick. 

His  brother  Benjamin  settled  in  1769,  upon  what  is  now 
known  as  the  Jesse  Worrick  farm.  Subsequently  he  changed 
his  location  to  the  east  end  of  the  Kuggles  grant,  upon  what 
is  now  known  as  the  Dexter  and  Davis  farms,  which  are  still 
held  in  part  by  his  grandchildren,  Amasa  Dexter  and  Syl- 
vester Davis.  It  is  related  that  upon  Benjamin  Dexter's  set- 
tlement, there  was  no  house  between  his  and  the  Connecticut 
Kiver.  Dexter  was  a  large  farmer,  an  extensive  dealer  in  land, 
and  one  of  the  earliest  selectmen  of  the  district.  He  married 
Hannah  Stone,  of  Kuthuid,  in  1709,  and  of  their  nine  children, 
four  settled  in  Orange  and  became  parents  of  large  families. 

Nearhim  settled  Samuel  Ruggles  in  1780,  and  Lemuel  Kug- 
gles in  178(5. 

In  1770,  Joseph  Metcalf,  of  Milford,  purchased  of  John 
Erving  a  tract  of  five  hundred  acres  lying  east  of  Fall  Hill. 
That  tiact  includes  now  the  farms  of  Willard  Foskett,  Shu- 
bael  Briggs,  Abraham  Putnam,  Harvey  Goddard,  Francis 
Field,  and  portions  of  the  farms  of  Albert  Foskett,  Aaron 
Trim,  the  Widow  Johnson,  E.  P.  Foster,  and  Wilson  Whee- 
ler. He  probably  settled  in  1770,  and  built  a  house  upon  the 
place  now  occupied  by  Shubael  Briggs.  Mr.  Metcalf  was  a 
prominent  man  in  these  parts  for  forty  years  or  more  ;  was  a 
leading  farmer,  a  justice  of  the  peace,  a  land  surveyor  much 
in  demand,  and  a  member  of  the  court  of  Sessions  for  Hamp- 
shire County.  He  was  John  Erving's  land-agent  as  well  as 
land-agent  for  Erving's  heirs,  and  made  in  1788  a  detailed 
survey  and  plan  of  the  Erving  grant.  In  his  latter  years  he 
met  with  business  reverses,  and  died  poor. 

Seth  Ellis  settled  about  1784,  on  the  west  side  of  the  Tully 
Meadows  in  the  northeast,  on  the  place  still  known  as  the 
"  Ellis  farm." 

Ebenezer  Foskett  settled  in  1777,  on  the  farm  now  called 
the  Loren  Shaw  place  in  the  northeast. 

The  "  Goodell  place,''  in  the  northeast  part  of  the  town, 
was  occupied  by  Zina  Goodell  in  1787,  and  is  now  owned  by 
one  of  his  great-grandchildren. 

Nathan  Goddard,  of  Shrewsbury,  bought  a  large  tract  of 
land  in  the  northeast,  at  the  head  of  Tully  Meadows,  where 
he  carried  on  a  thriving  business  with  a  public-house,  a  tan- 
nery, and  a  saw-mill.  Nearly  all  the  Goddards  now  in  Orange 
are  his  descendants. 

The  Cheneys  now  living  in  Orange  are  descendants  of 
Ebenezer  and  Nathaniel  Cheney  of  Milford.  They  settled 
about  1780.  Ebenezer  was  the  father  of  twenty  children,  and 
died  in  1828.    Nathaniel  removed,  in  1802,  to  Wardsboro',  Vt. 

David  and  William  Legg  were  from  Milford  about  1780, 
and  located  near  the  centre  of  the  tract,  at  what  has  since 
been  known  as  the  Legg  Meadow. 

Thomas  Lord  (a  son  of  Dr.  Joseph  Lord,  the  first  proprie- 
tor's clerk  of  Athol)  took  up  a  farm,  in  1781,  near  the  school- 
house  in  school-district  No.  6.     He  died  there  in  1810. 

Elisha  Johnson  located  in  the  extreme  north  in  1776;  Jona- 
than Jones  on  West  Brook,  near  the  centre,  in  178.5;  and  near 
North  Orange,  previous  to  that  time,  there  were  other  settlers, 
including  Savel  Metcalf,  Joseph  French,  with  his  sons  Jo- 
seph and  Jacob,  Job  Maeomber,  Elisha  White,  Daniel  Thayer, 
Jonathan  Jones,  Jr.,  Samuel  and  Asa  Aldrich,  Samuel  Briggs, 
and  Solomon  Johnson.  They  called  the  place  of  their  first 
settlement  Goshen. 

The  earliest  settlement  near  what  is  now  (Jrange  Centre  was 


probably  that  of  Lewis  Barker,  who  took  <ip  a  farm  in  1791, 
on  the  cast  part  of  Hastings  grant,  east  of  what  is  now  Orange 
centre. 

In  1791  the  actual  settlers,  as  shown  by  the  records,  were 
Abner  Morton,  Asa  Aldrich,  Asa  Lord,  Benj.  Dexter,  Daniel 
Thayer,  Daniel  Davidson,  Levi  Chapin,  Ebenezer  Petty, 
Elisha  White,  Joseph  Lord,  Jo-seph  French,  Jonathan  Jones, 
Jonathan  Jones,  Jr.,  Samuel  Kuggles,  Solomon  Johnson, 
Samuel  Knowles,  Zephaniah  Smith,  Thomas  Stow,  David 
Legg,  David  Cheney,  Joseph  Metcalf,  Job  Maeomber,  Jacob 
French,  Joshua  Hill,  Joel  Thayer,  Michael  Malone,  Nathan 
Cheney,  Perez  Richmond,  Savel  Metcalf,  Silas  Metcalf, 
Samuel  Briggs,  Samuel  Pitts,  William  Legg,  W.  Mills,  W. 
Tolly,  Zadock  Haywood,  Job  Maeomber,  Jr.,  Alex.  Whee- 
lock,  Ebenezer  Atwood,  Ebenezer  Cheney,  Ebenezer  Foskett, 
Widow  Demon,  Elijah  Ball,  Elisha  Johnson,  Edward  Ward, 
Hananiah  Temple,  Hezekiah  Coller,  John  Hill,  David  Hill, 
Jacob  Briggs,  John  Forister,  Asa  Heminway,  John  Battle, 
James  Mills,  Levi  Chene}',  Moses  and  Nathaniel  Cheney,  Na- 
than Goddard,  Jr.,  Samuel  Coller,  Timothy  Wheelock,  Uriah 
Coller,  Uriah  Coller,  Jr.,  Wm.  Stearns,  Wm.  Gould,  Zina 
Goodell,  John  Beals,  Abiel  Sadler,  Benjamin  Mayo,  Ben- 
jamin Wood,  David  Bullock,  Ellis  Whitney,  Jonathan  God- 
dard, Hezekiah  Goddard,  Jonathan  Ward,  John  Cutting, 
Justin  Cady,  Jonah  Ford,  Joseph  Dean,  Jason  Harrington, 
Jonathan  Houghton,  James  Foster,  Jeduthan  Holden,  Ma- 
son Goddard,  Nchemiah  Ward,  Shadrach  Baker,  Silas  Mar- 
ble, Timothy  Peters,  Wm.  Lord,  Wm.  Lord,  Jr.,  Preston 
Lord,  Solomon  Gates,  Jonathan  Woodward,  Oliver  Chapin, 
M.  Higgins,  Samuel  Heminway,  Jabez  Whitnej',  Nathaniel 
Stearns,  John  Emerson,  Eben  and  Asa  Goddard,  Martin  Ste- 
vens, Oliver  Esty,  Seth  Thompson,  Asa  Albee,  John  Stow, 
Nathan  Goddard,  Phineas  Hammond,  Seth  Woodward,  Amos 
Woodward.  John  and  Nathan  Ellis,  Sylvanus  Ward,  Witt 
Fuller,  Daniel  Harrington,  Moses  and  Seth  Ellis,  Nathaniel 
Woodcock. 

Of  the  descendants  of  the  early  settlers  now  residing  in 
Orange,  mention  may  be  made  of  the  Goddards,  Forresters, 
Woodwards,  Dextcrs,  Mortons,  Frenchs,  Joneses,  Briggses, 
Lords,  Johnsons,  Smiths,  Cheneys,  Atwoods,  Fosketts, 
Wards,  Temples,  Battles,  Mayos,  Harringtons,  Albees,  Davises, 
and  Eddys. 

NOTEWORTHY    INCIDENTS. 

In  December,  1783,  the  district  raised  £30  to  defray  neces- 
sary charges.  At  the  same  time  arrangements  were  made  to 
obtain  a  training-field.  In  1784,  £-50  were  raised  for  the  pur- 
pose of  reopening  the  highways,  and  the  rates  for  labor  fixed 
at  3.S.  per  day  for  men,  \s.  6rf.  for  oxen,  9rf.  for  a  cart,  and  Is. 
for  a  plow.  The  first  pound  was  the  yard  of  Benjamin  Mayo, 
which  was  in  1784  improved  for  the  purpose.  The  mills  first 
mentioned  in  the  district  records  were  Metcalf's,  Goddard's, 
and  Woodward's  mills. 

In  1795,  Mr.  Forister  agreed  in  open  town-meeting  "to 
erect  bars,  and  to  let  people  pass  through  his  pasture  in  the 
winter  season."  At  that  time  the  selectmen  were  instructed 
to  purchase  a  burying-cloth  for  the  district,  and  that  the  cloth 
should  be  kept  at  Lieut.  Atwood's.  It  was  also  ordered  that 
"  the  assessor  do  abate  '  the  Friends' '  proportion  of  taxes  for 
said  cloth."  In  April,  1795,  the  assessors  were  instructed  to 
nuike  the  taxes  agreeable  to  a  late  act  of  the  General  Court  for 
introducing  the  dollar  and  its  parts  for  the  money  of  account. 
In  the  following  May  the  district  discussed  the  subject  of 
procuring  a  hearse  for  public  use,  but,  as  far  as  the  records 
indicate,  the  hearse  was  not  purchased  until  1810.  The  dis- 
trict refused  in  1806  to  raise  any  nionej'  for  the  support  of  the 
poor  that  year. 

Katy,  daughter  of  Amos  Woodward,  born  February,  1784, 
was  probably  the  first  person  born  in  the  district ;  and  the  first 
couple  married  were  William  Crosbeeand  Mary  Higgins,  who 
were  united  in  wedlock  May,  1784. 


HISTORY   OF   FRANKLIN   COUNTY. 


635 


The  first  dam  across  Miller's  River,  at  Orange,  was  prob- 
ably constructed  by  James  Holmes,  of  New  Salem,  in  1790. 
In  that  year  he  erected  a  saw-  and  grist-mill  on  the  Orange 
side,  and,  after  operating  the  establishment  until  1800,  sold 
out  to  Ahaz  and  Timothy  Thayer,  who  in  turn  disposed  of  the 
mills  to  JIaj.  Joseph  Putnam.  Charles  Sears,  of  Greenwich, 
.set  up  a  clothiers'-works  in  Orange  in  1798,  and  in  this  enter- 
prise he  was  succeeded  by  Ezra  Heminway,  Otis  Butterworth, 
David  Young,  and  others.  Levi  Thurston,  who  began  the 
manufacture  of  scythes  in  1803,  was  the  first  to  introduce 
the  tilt-hammer  in  Orange.  Simeon  Boyden,  of  Northfield, 
.startcxl  a  carding-machine  in  1804;  Abner  and  Jacob  Whitney 
began  the  manufacture  of  palm-leaf  hats  in  180.3  ;  and  in  1811, 
Benjamin  Stow  opened  a  wagon-factory. 

It  niaj-  be  remarked  as  a  singular  circumstance,  in  view  of 
the  fact  that  Western  Massachusetts  towns  were  generally 
indifferent  as  to  tendering  voluntary  service  in  the  war  of 
1812,  that  in  November  of  that  year  Orange  otl'ered  a  bounty 
of  S12  per  man  for  volunteers. 

There  are  now  living  in  the  town  three  survivors  of  that 
war, — Philip  Martin,  Enter  Clark,  and  Ebenezer  Barker, — 
but  neither  of  them  entered  the  service  from  Orange. 

Nathan  Goddard  and  Benjamin  Mayo  vvere  probably  the 
first  storekeepers  at  North  Orange,  one  Foster  the  first  black- 
smith, and  Paddock  and  Barton  among  the  early  doctors. 
David  Goddard,  Humphrey  Mellen,  and  Benjamin  Mayo  are 
said  to  have  been  the  earliest  hotel-keepers.  •  They  kept,  so  it 
is  related,  taverns  at  what  is  now  North  Orange,  and  all  at 
the  same  time,  so  that  the  region  must  have  been  in  those 
early  days  a  popular  one  for  taverns.  The  buildings  in  which 
these  taverns  were  kept  are  still  standing  at  North  Orange. 
The  hotel  at  Orange  Centre,  called  the  Putnam  Hotel,  was 
built  in  1801,  by  Ahaz  Thayer. 

In  1837  a  large  tract  of  land  south  of  Miller's  River,  and 
embracing  the  northern  portion  of  New  Salem,  as  well  as  the 
eastern  portion  of  Erving's  grant,  was  annexed  to  Orange. 
This  was  done  for  the  purpose  of  bringing  South  Orange 
nearer  the  centre  of  the  town ;  for  it  was  in  that  year  that, 
owing  to  the  important  growth  of  South  Orange,  the  seat  of 
town  government  was  removed  to  that  village  from  Orange 
(now  North  ()range),  and  a  town-ball  built  there.  Before 
the  annexation  referred  to.  Miller's  River  was  the  southern 
boundary  of  the  town.  In  184.5  the  name  of  Orange  vil- 
lage, the  place  of  early  settlement,  was  changed  to  North 
Orange,  and  that  of  South  Orange  to  Orange  Centre. 

By  the  side  of  the  highway,  south  of  North  Orange  and 
near  the  old  burying-ground,  a  stone  has  been  erected  to  mark 
the  spot  where  Mrs.  Wheelock,  an  aged  resident  of  Orange, 
was  killed  in  1820  by  being  thrown  from  her  carriage. 

EARLY    ROADS. 

Roads  were  accepted,  March,  1784,  as  follows :  one  from 
Warwick  line,  near  the  top  of  Fall  Hill,  to  the  road  near 
Metcalf's  mills ;  one  from  Miller's  River  northeasterly,  on 
the  lands  of  John  Erving,  to  the  road  near  Ruggles'  house ; 
one  beginning  on  the  north  side  of  the  road,  through  the 
farms  of  Abner  Morton  and  Benjamin  Dexter,  and  then 
through  the  lands  of  Samuel  Aldrich  and  Thomas  Lord 
to  the  saw-mill  dam,  and  so  on  to  the  county  road  ;  one 
from  Ebenezer  Goddard's  dwelling-house  to  Woodward's 
mills.  » 

In  178.J  the  roads  accepted  were :  one  from  Justin  Cady's 
house,  south  and  west  to  the  county  road ;  one  beginning  at 
Jason  Herrington's  house,  and  running  to  the  old  road  near 
Cady's  land  ;  one  from  Ebenezer  Demond's  house  to  the 
Warwick  line,  on  Samuel  Pitt's  land.  In  178.J  the  district 
joined  with  New  Salem  in  building  a  bridge  over  Miller's 
River.  The  highway  of  the  Fifth  Massachusetts  Turnpike 
Corporation,  established  in  1799,  passed  from  Northfield, 
through  Warwick  and  Orange,  to  Athol. 


POST-OFFICES. 

The  first  post-ofiice  was  established  at  what  is  now  North 
Orange  in  1816.  Lyman  Harrington  was  the  first  postmaster, 
and  he  was  succeeded  by  Pynson  Blake,  Josiah  Wheelock, 
Parly  Barton,  Davis  Goddard,  Ilillel  Baker,  and  N.  L.  John- 
son, the  present  incumbent.  A  post-office  was  established  at 
Miller's  Bridge — afterward  South  Orange,  now  Orange  Cen- 
tre— in  1823,  when  Thomas  Cobb  was  appointed  postmaster. 
His  successors  have  been  John  R.  Whipple,  Otis  Brooks, 
Davis  Goddard,  and  Geo.  A.  Whipple.  Mr.  Goddard,  the 
present  postmaster,  has  held  the  office  since  1861.  Of  Mr. 
Cobb,  the  first  postmaster  at  Orange  Centre, — Miller's  Bridge, 
— it  may  be  observed  that  the  otfice  receipts  the  first  quar- 
ter were  thirtj'-one  cents,  and  his   commissions  eight  cents. 

ORG.iNIZ.\TIOX. 

Oct.  15,  1783,  the  southeasterly  part  of  the  town  of  War- 
wick, and  a  tract  of  land  called  Ervingshire,  lying  on  the 
north  side  of  Miller's  River,  in  the  county  of  Hampshire, 
the  northwesterly  part  of  the  town  of  Athol,  and  the  south- 
westerly part  of  the  town  of  Royalston,  in  the  county  of 
Worcester,  were  joined  b}'  act  of  the  Legislature,  and  erected 
into  a  separate  district  by  the  name  of  Orange.  The  act  was 
passed  on  the  petition  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  tracts  above 
referred  to,  who  represented  to  the  court  the  difficulties  they 
labored  under  "  in  their  present  situation,"  and  apprehended 
themselves,  moreover,  to  be  of  sufficient  numbers  and  ability 
to  deserve  the  granting  of  their  petition. 

The  boundaries  designated  for  the  new  district  were  as  fol- 
lows :  Beginning  on  the  west  line  of  the  town  of  Athol,  at 
Miller's  River  ;  thence  on  the  said  line  to  the  road  that  leads 
from  Ruggles'  farms  to  West  Hill,  so  called  ;  thence  bounding 
on  the  said  road,  including  the  same,  to  the  county  road  lead- 
ing from  Athol  to  Warwick  ;  thence  easterly  on  the  said  road 
to  the  south  line  of  Sherebiah  Baker's  land  ;  thence  on  the  said 
south  line,  and  to  extend  the  same  course,  to  Tully  River; 
thence  northerly  on  the  east  branch  of  the  said  Tullj'  River 
to  Royalston  line;  thence  east  on  the  said  Royalston  line  to 
the  southeast  corner  of  lot  No.  23 ;  thence  no'-therly  on  the 
east  line  of  the  same  lot  and  lot  22,  dividing  lot  No.  26 ; 
thence  westerly  on  the  south  end  of  lot  20;  thence  northerly 
on  the  east  line  of  lot  No.  6  ;  thence  westerly  on  the  north 
line  of  the  same  lot ;  thence  northerly  on  the  west  side  of  lot 
No.  9 ;  thence  westerly  on  the  south  line  of  lot  No.  11  to  the 
west  line  of  the  said  town  of  Royalston ;  thence  northerly  on 
the  said  town-line  to  the  northeast  corner  of  lot  No.  45,  in  the 
second  division  in  Warwick  ;  then  westerly  on  the  north  line  of 
the  same  lot  to  the  northwest  corner  thereof;  thence  southerly 
to  the  northeast  corner  of  lot  41  ;  thence  westerly  to  the  north- 
west corner  of  the  same  lot;  thence  southerly  to  the  northeast 
corner  of  lot  -34,  to  the  northwest  corner  of  the  same ;  thence 
southeast  to  the  northeast  corner  of  lot  24 ;  thence  south  to 
the  northeast  corner  of  lot  15;  thence  south,  including  lot  13, 
to  Warwick  south  line  ;  thence  south,  ten  degrees  west,  across 
the  land  of  John  Erving,  Esq.,  to  Miller's  River;  thence  east- 
erly on  Miller's  River  to  the  bounds  first  mentioned. 

The  district  was  named  in  honor  of  William,  prince  of 
Orange,  and  its  first  public  meeting  was  held  Nov.  24,  1783, 
the  warrant  therefor  being  served  by  Nathan  Goddard.  Feb. 
21,  1810,  the  district  was  incorporated  as  a  town,  and  the 
first  town-meeting  was  held  April  2,  1810.  From  1783  to  the 
present  time  the  selectmen  and  clerks  who  have  served  the 
district  and  town  have  been  as  follows  : 

SELKCTMEN. 

1T83,— Savel  Metcalf,  Nathan  Godciard,  Elijah  Ball. 
1784. — Savel  Metcalf,  llaDiiauiah  Temple,  Nathan  Goddard. 
1785. — Jutiii  Davis,  Benjamin  Mayo,  Savel  Metcalf. 
1786-87.— Savel  Metoalf,  .Jonathan  Ward,  John  Davis. 
1788.— Edward  Ward,  Levi  Cheney,  John  Ellis. 
1789. — Save!  Metcalf,  Levi  Cheney,  Amos  Woodard. 


636 


HISTORY  OF  THE  CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


1700. — Iievi  Clieney,  Samiml  Briggs,  Ebcnczer  Foskctt, 

171)1, — Samuel  ISriggB,  Ebfu«;zt;r  Fuskftt,  Itcnjiiriiiii  Dtxten 

1702. — Eheiie/.er  JVskrtt,  nciijitmin  Dexter,  .luMeph  Mctcalf, 

170;i. — Benjamin  Dexter,  Jo8eJ)li  Metcalf,  Junatliai)  Gitddan], 

1794. — Joseph  Bletailf.  Joiiatliiiii  Ootlilanl,  Ni-heniiah  Ward, 

1793. — Jonathan  GmUhird,  Neheniiah  M'jH'il,  Nathaniel  Clieney, 

179G. — Nelienn'ali  Ward,  Nathaniel  Cheney,  Oliver  Chnpiu. 

17!t7, — Nathaniel  Cheney,  Oliver  (*liai>in,  Et)enezer  Atwood, 

179s. — Oliver  Cliapin,  Ebenezer  Atwood,  Siinniel  Bi  i^gs, 

1709. — Ebenezer  Atwood,  Samuel  Briggs,  Amos  Woo^lanl, 

1800. — Samuel  Briggs,  Aliws  Wot»«lard,  Moets  C'hcney, 

It^OI. — Aiiios  Woodard,  Moses  Cheney,  Samuel  Kugglee, 

1802. — Moses  Cheney,  Samuel  Kuggles,  Oliver  Ertey. 

1803-4, — Levi  Cheney,  Oliver  Cbnpili,  Zina  Ooodale, 

1805. — Josijih  Cobb,  Levi  Cheney,  Zina  floodale, 

1806.— Oliver  Clmliin,  Joseph  Mctcalf,  Seth  Elli;;. 

1807, — Josiah  Cobb,  Jtweph  Lord,  Nathan  Cliene,y, 

1808, — JosJah  CoLb,  Amos  Wt'C'dard,  Bf-iijaniin  Dexter, 

1809.— Josiah  CVibb,  Amos  WotKlard,  Pearly  Barton, 

1810-11.- Amos  Woodard,  Pearly  Bai  Ion,  TlioiiiiB  Cobb. 

1812. — Amos  Woodaril,  Pearly  Baitou,  David  Cleaveland, 

1813. — Josiah  Cobb,  Ebenezer  Goddard,  David  Cheney. 

ISli-lo. — David  Clieney,  Ebenezer  God.lard,  Nathan  Ward, 

1816.- Ebenezer  Goddard,  Nathan  Ward,  Peter  Sibley. 

1617-18.— Amos  Wooilard,  Seth  Ellis,  Jr.,  Lymau  Harrington. 

1810. — Amos  Woodard,  Calvin  May,  John  Davis. 

1820. — Nathan  W^ard,  John  Davis,  Muses  Johnson, 

IS21, — Jolin  Davis,  Sloses  Johnson,  Allen  HarringttTO. 

1822. — Moses  Johnson,  Allen  Harrington,  Tliomas  Cobb, 

1823-24. — George  Whcclock,  Moses  Smith,  Nathaniel  Jencrson, 

1825, — George  Wheelock,  Moses  Smith,  Allen  Ilariington- 

182G, — Allen  Han  ington,  Stephen  Bliss,  Natluin  Ward, 

1827.— SteiAen  Bliss,  Nathan  Ward,  J.  K.  Vliipple. 

1828,— J,  B,  Whipple,  Na!han  Ward,  Setli  Ellis,  Jr, 

1829.— J.  B.  Whipple,  Zina  Gooilale,  Daniel  Moore. 

1830. — Zina  Guodale,  Russell  Barns,  Moses  Johnson. 

1831. — Moses  Johnson,  Sherman  Bacon,  Hiram  Woodward, 

3832, — Hiram  Woodward,  Sherman  Bacon,  Moses  Jlortou, 

18:33. — Hir.im  Woodward,  Moses  Morton,  Josiah  GfKldard, 

1834, — Hiram  WtKxlward,  Moses  Morton,  Otis  Brooke. 

1835. — Hiram  Woodward,  Otis  Brooks,  Salmon  Howard, 

1830, — Hiram  Wootlward,  Benjamin  Mayo,  Willard  Ward, 

1837. — Salmon  Howard,  Otis  Bnxtks,  Percival  Blodgett,  Benjamin  Meriam,  Ansel 

Lesure, 
1838, — Salmon  Howard,  Percival  Blodgett,  Benjamin  Meriam. 
1839, — Percival  Blodgett,  Benjamin  Meriam,  Dexter  Davis. 
1840, — Benjamin  Meriam,  Salmon  Howard,  Josiah  Goddard. 
1841. — Josiah  Gixidard,  Salmon  Howard,  James  M,  Hills, 
1842.— Salmon  Howard,  James  M.  Hills,  llillel  Baker. 
1843-45. — Salmon  Howard,  Hillel  Baker,  Joseph  King. 
1846, — Salmon  Howard,  Josiah  Goddard,  Betijamin  G,  Putnam, 
1847,- Josiah  Goddard,  Jonathan  Kendall,  Asa  A.  Ward. 
1848. — Salmon  Howard,  Daniel  Sabin,  Helen  llolbrook. 
1849. — Josiah  Gotldard,  Peter  Moore,  Jonathan  Kendall. 
1850. — Josiah  Goddard,  Salmon  Howard,  Snmner  Curtis, 
1851.— Eodncy  Hunt,  John  D.  Flagg,  Hillol  Baker. 
1852-53, — Daniel  3Iayo,  Enoch  Washburn,  William  Bollard, 
1854.— Philbrook  Woniik,  Thomas  Eildy,  Leonard  Ward. 
1855,— Thomas  Eddy,  John  D.  Flagg,  Boyal  Phinney. 
1856. — John  D.  Flagg,  Royal  Phinney,  Edwin  Stow, 
1857. — Philbrook  Worrie.k,  Thomas  A,  Tenney,  Darwin  Merriani, 
1858-59. — A.  A.  Ward,  Darwin  Meniani,  N.  S.  Howard. 
18G0. — A.  A.  Ward,  Danvin  Meriiam,  James  H.  Clark. 
1861-64. — A.  A.  Ward,  Darwin  3Ieniani,  Davis  Goddard. 
1864. — Davis  Go<ldard,  Darwin  Meriiam,  H.  N.  Moore. 
1865.— A.  J.  Clark,  John  D.  Flagg,  Thomas  E.  Bridge 
1866.— John  D.  Flagg,  Thomas  E.  Biidge,  John  W.  Wheeler. 
1867. — John  D.  Flagg,  Hiram  Woodward,  Henry  W.  Knights. 
1868.— John  D.  Flagg,  Hiram  Woodward,  Leonard  Ward. 
1869.— John  D.  Flagg,  James  N.  Clark,  James  M.  Hills. 
1870.- John  D.  Flagg,  Davis  Goddard,  John  C.  Felt. 
1871. — Davis  Goddard,  Philbrook  Worrick,  James  3L  Emory. 
1872. — Philbrook  Worrick,  Enoch  Washburn,  Hiram  Orcutt, 
1873.— Philbrook  Woniik,  James  H.  Waite,  Ira  Wakefield. 
1874.— John  D.  Flagg,  Noah  W.  Packard,  Beiijamin  M.  Sawin. 
1875.— John  D.  Flagg,  A.  T.  Eddy,  Dari\in  Merriam. 
1876. — Darwin  Merriam,  Hii-am  Orcutt,  Philbrook  Worrick, 
1877.— Darwin  Merriam,  Charles  A.  Towne,  M.  D.  Hen-ick. 
1878. — Charles  A.  Ttiwne,  Philbrook  Worrick,  F.  L.  Waters. 

TOWN   CLERKS. 

Savel  Metcalf,  1783 ;  John  Davis,  1784 ;  Savel  Metcalf,  1785-88 ;  Ebenezer  Fos- 
kett,  1788-90;  Nathaniel  Cheney,  1700-1802;  Amos  Woodard,  1802-13;  Levi 
Cheney,  Jr.,  1S13-27;  George  Blodgett,  1827-:!4 ;  Peter  Cheney,  1834-45  ;  James 
M.  Hills,  1845-47  ;  Davis  Cnjddard,  1847 ;  James  M.  Hills,  1848-51 ;  Davis  God- 
dard, 1851-56;  Henry  D.  Goddard,  1866-60;  Hiram  Woodard,  1850-61 ;  John  W. 
Wheeler,  1861-67 ;  R.  D,  Chase,  1867-70. 


REPBESF.NTATIVBS   AT   THE   GENERAL   COURT. 

Following  is  a  list  of  those  who  represented  Orange  from 
1810  to  18.J8,  when  the  town  became  a  part  of  the  Seventh 
Kepresentative  District : 

.Tosiall  Cobb,  Amos  Woodard,  P.arley  Barton,  Thomas  Cobb,  Hiram  Woodard, 
Jeaee  Worrick,  Josiah  Goddard,  James  C.  Alvord,  Salmon  Howard,  Benjamin 
Mayo,  Joel  Davis,  Rodney  Hunt,  William  B.  Washburn,  Stephen  Emery,  Solo- 
mon A.  Howe,  Admiral  A.  Ward. 

VILLAGES. 
The   villages   proper   in   the   town   are  but  two, — Orange 
Centre  and  North  Orange, — althmigh  there  are  several  small 
settlements  to  which  names  have  been  given. 

OKANOE    CK.NTRE, 

the  largest  village,  is  a  station  on  the  Fitchburg  Kailroad,  and 
is  also  located  on  both  sides  of  Miller's  Eiver,  from  which  it 
gains  the  fine  water-power  which  makes  it  an  important  iiiami- 
facturing  point.  It  is  charmingly  situated  upon  gentle  de- 
clivities, and  its  well-kept  and  bountifully-shaded  avenues 
make  it  a  place  well  calculated  to  attract  the  attention  and 
admiration  of  the  lover  of  the  picturesque.  It  has  a  popuhi- 
tion  of  nearly  2000,  of  which  a  large  part  is  made  up  of  em- 
ployes of  the  manufactories. 

It  contains,  besides  many  fine  residences,  the  town-house, 
built  in  1868,  at  a  cost  of  §52.5,000;  a  high-school  building, 
erected  in  1877,  at  an  expense  of  1^15,000;  Putnam  Block 
(containing  stores  and  a  public  hall),  which  cost  $20,000; 
Whipple  Block,  built  in  1848,  and  remodeled  in  1875  at  a  cost 
of  §6000;  three  churches,  eight  large  factories,  two  hotels,  a 
railway  depot,  a  post-office,  a  graded  school  (with  building 
costing  SGOOO),  a  public  library,  a  steam  tire-engine  and  two 
hiind-engine  comjianies,  water-works,  and  a  numerous  collec- 
tion of  stores  of  various  descriptions. 

NORTH    ORANGE 

is  a  pretty  mountain  village,  and  is  the  spot  where  the  early 
settlers  of  Orange  first  concentrated.  It  has  two  churches, — 
one  of  which  is  supplied  with  a  tower  and  clock, — one  store, 
a  post-office,  and  a  collection  of  neat-looking  dwellings,  one 
of  which,  at  least,  may  be  noted  as  elegant  and  costly. 

About  a  mile  east  is  Furnace  village,  whose  inhabitants  are 
employes  in  Stowell's  Furniture-Factory  and  Holden's  Chair- 
Works,  located  at  that  point. 

A  mile  south  is  Fryville,  where  Kufus  Frost  has  a  shoddy- 
mill.  About  a  mile  west  of  Orange  Centre  is  West  Orange, 
once  a  place  of  some  trade  ;  and  south,  near  the  Athol  line, 
is  a  settlement  called  Eagleville,  the  location  of  the  Eagle 
Mill  Company's  shoddy-factory.  In  the  north  is  a  settle- 
ment called  Tullyville,  where  some  time  ago  two  furniture- 
factories  flourished. 

CnURCIlE.«i. 

At  a  meeting  in  November,  1789,  the  district,  by  a  vote, 
agreed  to  treat  with  the  proprietors  of  the  meeting-house  for 
the  purchase  of  the  same.  In  1790  it  was  voted  to  petition  the 
General  Court  to  discontinue  the  fund  raised  by  the  religious 
society  in  Orange  for  the  support  of  a  minister.  In  1792  the 
committee  appointed  to  purchase  the  meeting-liouse  reported 
it  unadvisable  to  make  the  purchase.  Shortly  thereafter  the 
district  concluded  to  purchase  it,  and  did  so. 

In  1796  it  was  voted  that  Samuel  Pitts  might  bring  into  the 
meeting-house,  two  days  in  a  year,  such  a  minister  as  the  com- 
mittee should  approve.  In  the  same  year,  §150  were  raised 
to  hire  preaching,  and  for  this  all  the  inhtibitants,  except 
"  the  denominations  of  peaple  called  Friends  and  Baptists," 
were  assessed.  In  1798  it  was  voted  to  present  Kev.  Mr.  East- 
erbrook,  of  Athol,  with  J25  for  his  kindness  in  visiting  the 
people  of  Orange  in  times  of  distress. 

In  1799  the  district  ordered  §180  to  be  raised  for  preaching, 
to  be  divided  between  the  Congregational,  Universalist,  and 
Methodist  deiiomiiutfions.     In  1804  the  committee  on  minis- 


HISTORY  OF  FRANKLIN  COUNTY. 


637 


terial  matters  reported  that,  having  maturely  considered  the 
matter,  tliey  recommended  that  a  committee  be  chosen,  to  con- 
sist of  two  Congregationalists,  two  Universalists,  and  one 
Methodist,  to  lay  out  the  nione_y  raised  for  preaching,  and  that 
it  be  the  duty  of  the  committee  to  confer  together  and  en- 
deavor to  procure  a  teacher  or  teachers  who  would  be  likely  to 
unite  all  of  said  societies  into  one,  said  teacher  to  he  a  person 
of  good  education,  steadiness,  and  sobriety,  the  time  for  each 
society  to  occupy  the  meeting-house  to  be  assigned  by  said 
committee.  This  report  was  accepted,  and  a  committee  ap- 
pointed. 

In  1805  it  was  resolved  to  raise  no  money  for  preaching  that 
year,  and  in  1808  a  similar  resolve  was  recorded.  In  1810  it 
was  decided  to  hire  no  preaching  except  for  Thanksgiving 
and  the  succeeding  or  preceding  Sunday. 

THE   FIRST    CONGKEGATIONAL    CUURCn    OF    OKANOE. 

Among  the  earliest  entries  upon  the  records  of  the  First 
Congregational  Church  of  Orange  occurs  the  following  : 

"  Wc,  thfi  subscribers,  inliabitauts  of  the  attjacent  corners  of  Athol,  Warwick, 
and  Royalston,  being  deeply  sensible  of  the  great  disadvantages  we  labor  under, 
by  reason  of  the  great  distance  from  the  meeting-bouses  of  the  several  towns 
to  which  we  belong,  and  expecting  special  advantages  will  accrue  to  each  of  us, 
to  build  a  meeting-house  within  the  bounds  of  Warwick,  on  the  southeast  corner 
of  Benjamin  ^layo's  land,  near  Nathan  Godilard's  west  barn,  therefore  we  whose 
names  are  under-written  do  covenant,  promise,  and  agree  to  pay  to  and  for  the 
purpose  of  building  a  meeting-house  in  said  place  the  sums  nfli.\ed  to  each  of  our 
names  in  this  instrument,  said  sums  to  be  paid  in  merchantable  rye,  at  four  shil- 
lings per  bushel,  or  Indian  corn,  at  2;*.  Sd.  per  bushel,  or  cash  equal  thereto,  in 
timber,  nails,  etc.,  to  the  acceptance  of  the  committee  that  wc  hereby  appoint  to 
accept  the  same." 

The  instrument  provided  further  that  the  house  should  be 
for  a  Congregational  Church  or  Society,  and  that  when  the 
territory  should  be  incorporated  in  any  manner,  the  house 
might  also  be  used  for  corporation-meetings.  The  agreement 
was  made  and  signed  in  January,  1781,  by  Nathan  Goddard 
and  thirty-three  others,  who  pledged  for  the  erection  of  the 
meeting-house  an  aggregate  of  £110.  The  house  was  to  stand 
between  the  houses  of  Nathan  Goddard  and  I'enjamin  Mayo, 
each  of  whom  was  to  receive  £10  for  land  used  for  the  purpose, 
and  the  dimensions  agreed  upon  for  the  structure  were  46  feet 
in  length  and  30  feet  in  width. 

Provision  was  made  that  it  should  be  completed  by  Novem- 
ber, 1781,  but  it  was  not  finished  until  March,  1782.  The 
site  chosen  was  the  one  upon  which  the  Universalist  Church 
at  North  Orange  now  stands ;  and  this  latter  edifice,  it  may 
be  added,  is  the  old  building  remodeled  and  much  improved. 
Directly  after  the  completion  of  the  church  edifice,  the  in- 
habitants voted  "  to  choose  a  committee  to  hire  a  minister  to 
preach  in  or  near  the  new  meeting-house  in  Warwick,  said 
committee  to  agree  with  and  settle  with  said  minister." 

In  November,  1782,  the  Congregational  Society  in  South 
Warwick  voted  to  concur  with  the  church  in  extending  a  call 
to  Kov.  Emerson  Foster,  and,  as  an  inducement,  he  was  to 
have  a  settlement  of  £100,  2.5  cords  of  firewood,  and  a  salary 
of  £60  a  year  for  the  first  two  years,  the  third  year  £05,  the 
fourth  year  £70,  and  at  that  to  stand  thereafter. 

He  accepted  the  call,  and  was  installed  the  following  De- 
cember. He  was  dismissed  in  1790,  and  for  a  period  of  thirty- 
two  years  thereafter,  or  until  1822,  the  church  was  without  a 
settled  pastor. 

In  1822,  the  Unitarian  element  predominating.  Rev.  Joshua 
Chandler,  a  Unitarian  minister,  was  installed,  and  preached 
until  his  disinissal,  in  1827.  From  that  time  forward  the 
church  was  controlled  by  the  Universalists  until  1844,  when 
they  united  with  the  Unitarians,  and  continued  to  use  the 
house  jointly  with  them  until  1858,  when  the  church  was  re- 
organized as 

THE   SECOND    UNIVERSALIST   CHURCH    OF    ORANGE, 

and  as  such  has  continued  to   this  day.      The  church  was 
remodeled  and  beautified  in   18.32,  and  in   1875  was  supplied 


with  a  clock  for  its  tower.  Rev.  William  Jewell  is  the  present 
pastor.     The  attendants  average  from  75  to  100. 

Meanwhile,  the  Congregationalists  at  North  Orange  held 
occasional  public  worship  in  dwelling-houses,  and  were  sup- 
plied by  Revs.  Mr.  Beckwith,  of  Athol,  Mr.  Tracy,  of  Peters- 
ham, and  Mr.  Lincoln,  of  Gardner.  They  met  with  some 
opposition  from  evil-minded  persons,  and  this  opposition  went 
so  far  sometimes  as  to  break  up  their  meetings. 

THIRD   CONGREGATIONAL    CHURCH. 

In  1834  they  fitted  up  a  dwelling  as  a  chapel,  and  in  1843 
organized  the  Third  Congregational  Church.  Revs.  Josiah 
Tucker,  Charles  Boyter,  Samuel  D.  Darling,  Willard  Jones, 
and  Benjamin  F.  Clarke  preached  for  them  until  shortly  after 
18.50,  when  worship  was  discontinued.  The  church  was  reor- 
ganized in  1858,  and  since  that  time  has  been  moderately 
prosperous.  Rev.  John  H.  Garmon  was  the  pastor  in  1879, 
when  the  church  had  an  attendance  of  from  50  to  75. 

A    METHODIST   CLASS 

was  formed  in  Orange  in  1795,  with  Savel  Metcalf  as  leader, 
and  12  others  in  the  class.  In  1822  the  society  began  the  erec- 
tion of  a  meeting-house,  but  did  not  complete  it,  the  structure 
being  eventually  torn  down  in  1852.  A  second  Methodist 
Church  was  organized,  at  what  is  now  West  Orange,  in  18-53. 
Both  organizations  passed  out  of  existence  several  years  ago. 

A  Methodist  Society  was  organized  in  Orange  Centre  in 
1875,  and  has  now  40  members,  who  worship  in  the  town- 
hall.  The  pastors  have  been  Revs.  L.  B.  Frost,  Wm.  E. 
Dwight,  and  H.  S.  Ward,  the  latter  being  the  pastor  in  1879. 

THE   SECOND   CONGREGATIONAL   SOCIETY  OF   ORANGE 

was  organized  at  Irvingsville  (afterward  West  Orange)  in 
1837,  with  21  members.  The  members  built  a  meeting-house 
in  1836,  about  a  year  before  they  effected  an  organization. 
Prior  to  1842  preaching  Avas  supplied  by  Revs.  Salmon  Ben- 
nett, Dyer  Ball,  Abel  Patten,  Warren  Allen,  and  Whitman 
Peck.  Rev.  Josiah  Tucker  was  ordained  as  pastor  in  1842, 
and  preached  also  to  the  Congregational  Church  in  Erving. 
After  his  dismission,  in  1844,  the  pulpit  was  supplied  by  Revs. 
Erastus  Curtis  and  Hiram  Chamberlain  until  1847.  The 
church  struggled  through  a  precarious  existence  until  1860, 
when  it  was  dissolved,  and  the  church  structure  removed  to 
Orange  Centre  and  converted  into  a  shop. 

A   BAPTIST   CHURCH 

was  organized  in  1834,  with  29  members,  and  worshiped  in  the 
house  of  the  Second  Congregational  Society  at  West  Orange 
and  the  Union  meeting-house  at  Orange  Centre  until  1860, 
when  it  was  dissolved.  The  present  Baptist  Church  at  Orange 
Centre  was  organized  in  1870,  and  built  the  present  church- 
edifice  in  1872-73,  at  a  cost,  including  organ,  of  .$10,. 500. 
The  pastors,  since  1870,  have  been  Revs.  J.  H.  Tilton,  T.  B. 
Holland,  D.  C.  Eaton,  and  George  W.  Davis,— the  latter  the 
pastor  now  in  charge.  The  church  has  now  a  membership 
of  70. 

In  1833  a  union  meeting-house  was  built  at  South  Orange 
(now  Orange  Centre),  and  for  several  years  it  was  used  in 
common  by  various  denominations.  The  building,  remodeled 
and  materially  improved  in  1856,  is  now  the  edifice  occupied 
by  the 

FIRST    UNIVERSALIST   CHURCH, 

which  was  organized  in  1858.  The  church  society  was  organ- 
ized in  1851,  and  was  supplied  by  Revs.  O.  W.  Bacon,  C.  W. 
Mcllen,  Lemuel  Willis,  J.  Hemphill,  and  others.  Since  the 
church  organization  the  pastors  have  been  Revs.  Asa  Country- 
man, J.  P.  Atkinson,  Lucius  Holmes,  E.  W.  Coffin,  and  C. 
L.  Wait,  the  latter  the  pastor  in  1879,  when  the  membership 
was  about  75.  The  church  has  a  fund  of  iil2,000  (bequeathed 
by  Phineas  Battle)  and  owns  the  church   building  and  par- 


638 


HISTORY   OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


THE    CENTRAL    EVANGEHnAL   CHURCH,    AT   ORANOE    CENTRE, 

was  organized  there  in  1840,  with  15  members,  and  until  1851 
was  known  as  the  "  VilUige  Church."  Previous  to  1840,  Rev. 
Chas.  Boyter,  who  was  sent  out  by  the.  Home  Missionary  So- 
cietj',  preached  two  years,  and  continued  his  services  two 
j-ears  after  the  church  organization.  Kev.  Marshall  B.  An- 
gier  succeeded  Mr.  Boyter,  and  remained  until  1852,  when 
Eev.  David  Peck  was  ordained  as  the  first  settled  pastor.  In 
1852  the  present  church  edifice  was  erected.  It  cost,  inclusive 
of  land,  clock,  and  organ,  $)24,000.  Mr.  Peck's  successors  in 
the  pastorate  were  Kevs.  Edwin  Dimmock,  N.  A.  Prince, 
Daniel  Phillips,  A.  B.  Foster,  Kobert  C.  Bell,  Marcus  Ames, 
and  A.  P.  Marsh,  the  latter  being  the  pastor  in  1879,  when 
the  membership  was  184. 
A  recently-organized  society,  known  as 

THE   rROGRE.SSIVES, 

numbering   about   100   members,  worship  in   Putnam   Ilall, 
Orange  Centre. 

The  town  records  relate  that  about  1790  a  society  of 
"Friends"  or  Quakers  existed  in  the  south  part  of  the  dis- 
trict. They  were  a  community  by  themselves,  had  a  school, 
and  held  public  worship,  but  how  long  they  contiiuied  as  a 
society  is  not  known. 

SCHOOLS. 

£30  were  raised  in  1784  for  schools,  and  in  the  year  follow- 
ing j£50  were  rai.sed  for  a  like  purpose.  March,  1780,  a  com- 
mittee reported  as  their  opinion  "  that  each  school  ward  build 
them  a  school-house  at  their  own  cost."  The  report  was  ac- 
cepted and  committees  appointed  to  see  to  the  building  of  the 
school-houses,  which  were  completed  in  March,  1787,  at  a  cost, 
for  five  school-houses,  of  £11S.  In  1799  the  district  raised 
$1000  for  building  and  repairing  school-houses. 

In  1791  the  town  was  divided  into  five  school  districts,  or 
wards,  the  first  being  in  the  south,  and  comprising  18  inhab- 
itants; the  second  in  the  north,  and  numbering  19  inhabitants  ; 
the  third  having  29  members ;  the  fourth  in  the  oast,  having 
32  ;  and  the  fifth  in  the  north,  having  19.  In  1800  the  amount 
raised  for  schools  was  $250.  In  1878  the  sum  raised  was  §4100, 
$1100  thereof  being  for  the  support  of  the  high  school. 

There  were  in  the  town  in  1878  a  high  school,  grammar 
school,  intermediate  school,  first  and  second  primary  schools, 
and  eleven  district  schools.  The  average  number  of  scholars 
in  attendance  at  all  the  schools  is  356.  The  average  attendance 
at  the  high  school  is  about  30. 

LIBRARY. 

The  town  has  a  free  public  library,  founded  in  1868  by  town 
aid  and  |)rivate  subscriptions,  and  supported  since  then  by  the 
same  means.  It  is  absolutely  free  to  every  inhabitant  of  the 
town,  contains  about  3000  volumes,  and  occupies  a  portion  of 
the  town-house. 

COLLEGE   GRADUATES. 

Among  the  graduates  in  American  colleges  may  be  noted 
the  following  from  Orange:  Jonathan  Woodward,  Grendell 
Ellis,  J.  H.  Goddard,  Alpheus  Baker  (who  was  a  classmate 
with    Daniel  Webster  at   Hanover),   Samuel  Temple,  Elijah 

Ball,   Ilyder  Ali    Ball,    John   Cheney,    Harrison    Lord, 

Moore,    Cvrus    Chapin,    Theodore    Briggs,    and    George    W. 
Barber. 

BURI.AL. PLACES. 

There  are  five  public  cemeteries  in  the  town, — one  at  Orange 
Centre,  one  at  North  Orange,  one  at  Furnaceville,  one  at  West 
Orange,  and  one  in  the  eastern  part.  Of  these,  the  hand- 
somest is  the  one  at  Orange  Centre.  It  occupies  a  command- 
ing elevation  overlooking  the  village,  is  wellnigh  embowered 
within  the  shade  of  niunerous  pines,  and  contains,  besides  the 
soldiers'  monument,  many  handsome  tombstones,  as  well  as 
smooth  gravel-walks  and  gracefully-embellished  burial-lots. 

The  burial-ground  at  North  Orange  is  the  oldest  one  in  the 


town,  and  contains  the  graves  of  many  of  the  early  set- 
tlers. Among  the  oldest  inscriptions  to  be  found  therein  may 
be  mentioned  the  following:  Cbloe  Ellis,  1780;  Mary  Ellis, 
1780;  Mary  Ward,  1777;  Mary  Lord,  1783  ;  Elizabeth  Cheney, 
1789;  Zina  Goodell,  1789;  Ebenezer  Deming,  1790;  Sarah 
Ward,  1790;  Dolly  Mayo,  1793;  Jonathan  Chapin,  1793; 
Stephen  Nelson,  1793;  Jonathan  Ward,  1797;  Melatiah 
Thayer,  1795;  Priscilla  Harrington,  1793;  Eli.sha  Johnson, 
1800;  Ebenezer  Goddard,  1803;  Wales  Cheney,  1800;  Oronia 
Goddard,  1801. 

INDUSTRIES. 

The  manufactures  of  Orange  are  extensive  and  valuable, 
and  form  the  basis  of  the  town's  present  prosperity.  The 
foremost  representative  of  this  interest  is  the  Gold  Medal 
Sewlng-Machine  Company,  located  on  Miller's  River,  at  Orange 
Centre.  In  1863,  Hon.  Andrew  J.  Clark,  the  president  of  the 
company,  began  with  Wm.  P.  Barker  the  manufacture  of  the 
New  England  single-thread  hand-machine  upon  the  site  of 
the  present  works.  They  employed  but  two  men  at  first,  and 
their  productions  were  small  in  quantity,  but  the  business 
steadily  grew,  and  when,  in  1865,  Mr.  Clark  purchased  Mr. 
Barker's  interest,  the  employes  numbered  forty,  and  the 
aggregate  number  of  machines  made  was  from  300  to  400  ])er 
week.  Mr.  Clark  continued  the  business  alone  until  1807, 
when  he  organized  the  firm  of  Johnson,  Clark  &  Co.,  ma- 
terially enlarged  the  works,  and  began  the  manufacture  of 
the  Gold  Medal  sewing-machine,  in  connection  with  the  New 
England  machine.  In  1869  the  firm  became  a  corporation, 
under  the  name  of  the  Gold  Medal  Sewing-Machine  Com- 
pany, with  Andrew  J.  Clark  as  president,  and  in  1870  re- 
placed the  Gold  Medal  machine  with  the  manufacture  of  the 
Home  machine,  which  in  turn  was  succeeded  in  1877  by  the 
New  Home  machine,  which  is  now  the  chief  product.  The 
manufacture  of  the  New  England  machine  was  discontinued 
in  1877,  and  now,  besides  the  New  Home,  the  company  makes 
also  the  Home  shuttle-machine.  The  production  in  1878  was 
39,000  machines,  the  second  largest  number  returned  by  Ameri- 
can manufacturers  to  the  Seifhiff-Machine  Journal  in  that  year, 
and  for  1879  the  estimate  is  .30,000.  The  main  works,  on  the 
north  side  of  the  river,  cover  three-quarters  of  an  acre.  On 
the  south  side  of  the  river  the  company  has  a  manufactory  of 
sewing-machine  cases  and  machine  wood-work,  and  has  also 
a  half-interest  in  the  Orange  Iron-Foundry  Company,  where 
their  castings  are  made.  The  total  number  of  persons  em- 
ployed in  the  interests  of  the  company  at  Orange  number 
about  450.* 

T/ic  Jiodnry  Hunt  Machine  Cowprtnii,  on  the  south  side  of 
the  river,  is  the  outgrowth  of  a  manufacturing  business  started 
by  Mr.  Rodney  Hunt,  in  1840,  at  Orange  Centre.  The  works 
of  the  company  are  extensive,  and  the  manufacture  is  largely 
of  woolen-mill  machinery,  turbine  water-wheels,  and  general 
mill-work.  The  company's  capital  represents  an  investment 
of  upward  of  $75,000,  and  they  employ  from  75  to  100  men. 
This  company,  with  the  Gold  Medal  Sewing-Machine  Com- 
pany, controls  also  the  Orange  Iron-Foundry  Company,  lo- 
cated on  the  south  side  of  the  river,  and  engaged  in  the  man- 
ufacture of  turbine  water-wheels,  sewing-machine  castings, 
and  general  mill-work.  The  company  has  a  capital  of  $50,000, 
and  employs  a  force  of  from  60  to  70  men. 

L.  K'dburn  <J-  Co.,  on  the  north  side  of  the  river,  do  a  thriv- 
ing business  in  the  manufacture  of  cane-  and  wood-seat  chairs. 
The  firm  was  organized  in  1862,  and  now  occupies  a  factory, 
of  which  the  main  building  is  three  stories  and  a  half  in 
height  and  measures  80  by  45  feet,  the  wing  being  two  sto- 
ries and  a  half  high  and  52  feet  in  length  by  24  feet  in 
width.     In  1878  the  firm  manufactured  fifty  thousand  chairs, 

*An  extensive  conflagration  at  the  village  of  Qniiige,  in  March,  1879,  deBtroyed 
tlie  buildings  of  the  Orange  Blanufaeturing  Company,  operated  hy  tlie  Gold 
Medal  Sewing-JIachine  Company  for  the  production  of  sewing-machine  calinet 
work.    The  total  loss  reached  about  850,000. 


Residence:  of  Stephen  French, orange. franklin  Co., mass. 


I'liuto,  Ijj-  C.  II.  Wtlls,  Uiaugo. 


James  H.  Waite  is  a  native  of  Rhode  Island,  and 
was  horn  in  Providence,  July  1,  1832.  He  is  of 
English  ancestry,  and  belongs  to  the  family  of  the 
eminent  Chief  Justice  Waite.  His  fathei",  John 
Waite,  was  born  in  Whately,  Franklin  Co.,  Mass., 
May  14,  1799,  and  is  a  descendant  of  the  Waites 
who  were  among  the  first  settlers  in  that  town,  who, 
it  is  believed,  located  there  as  early  as  1750.  In  the 
history  of  Whately,  John  and  Simeon  Waite  are 
mentioned  as  two  of  the  first  selectmen  of  that  town, 
having  been  chosen  to  that  office  in  1772. 

His  mother,  Lucinda  Dickinson  Waite,  was  born 
in  Hatfield,  Hampshire  Co.,  Mai'ch  8, 1799.  James 
H.  is  the  third  of  a  family  of  six  children.  When 
he  was  two  years  of  age  his  parents  removed  to 
Leicester,  Mass.,  where  they  remained  until  he  had 
attained  his  twelfth  year.  While  in  that  place  he 
attended  the  common  school,  the  Leicester  Academy, 
and  subsequently  the  Winchendon  School.  They 
then  removed  to  Athol,  where  they  resided  five  years, 
and  during  that  time  James  worked  on  the  farm,  and 
also  attended  school  at  Shelburne  Falls. 

From  Athol  he  came  to  Orange,  where  he  now  re- 
sides. There  he  first  worked  at  the  carpenter  trade 
a  few  years,  but  in  1855  he  commenced  millwright- 
ing  in  the  employ  of  Rodney  Hunt,  and  was  associ- 
ated with  him  seventeen  years.  ]\Ir.  Waite,  as  an 
employe,  discharged  the  duties  devolving  upon  him 
with  thoroughness  and  fixlelity,  winning  not  only  the 
approbation  of  his  employers  and  a  reputation  as  a 
business-man,  but  better  financial  fortune  as  well. 

In  1873  he  established  a  private  bank,  under  the 


firm-name  of  Cheney  &  Waite,  which  in  1875  was 
merged  into  the  Orange  National  Bank,  of  which 
Mr.  Waite  is  cashier.  He  is  also  treasurer  of  the 
Orange  Savings-Bank.  In  politics  he  is  a  Repub- 
lican, and  in  1874  was  a  member  of  the  board  of 
selectmen,  holding  that  office  one  year.  For  eighteen 
years  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  Congregational 
society,  and  is  a  consistent  and  faithful  Christian. 
He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order,  and  an 
earnest  and  progressive  worker  in  that  cause.  He 
enjoys  the  fullest  confidence  of  the  members  of  the 
organization  to  which  he  belongs,  and  has  been 
elected  to  nearly  every  office  in  the  chapter  and  com- 
mandery,  with  that  of  high-priest  and  eminent  com- 
mander. At  present  (1879)  he  is  eminent  com- 
mander of  the  Athol  Commandery. 

Mr.  Waite  is  eminently  a  self-made  man,  and  has 
gained  his  present  position  by  improving,  to  the  best 
of  his  ability,  the  opportunities  offered  him.  He  is 
progressive  and  enterprising  in  business  and  public 
relations,  and  as  a  man  is  honored  and  respected  by 
all  with  whom  he  has  been  associated. 

He  was  married,  in  June,  1854,  to  Amelia  Brooks, 
of  Orange,  who  died  on  the  10th  of  April,  1864, 
aged  thirty  years.  By  this  union  he  had  one  child, 
— Lizzie  Amelia,  born  on  the  15th  of  January,  1864. 

For  his  second  wife  he  married  Katie  P.,  daughter 
of  Horace  Gleason,  of  Chelsea,  Mass.  She  was  born 
on  the  8th  of  August,  1839.  To  them  have  been 
born  two  children,  viz. :  Milton  James,  born  Dec. 
31, 1871,  and  died  Aug.  11, 1872;  and  Loren  Glea- 
son, born  April  12,  1873. 


Llvi  Kilburn. 


L.KILBURN   8c  Co.  CHAIR    MANUFACTORY.  ORANGE, FRANKLIN  CO.MASS 


HISTORY  OF   FRANKLIN   COUNTY. 


639 


and  estimated  its  product  for  1879  at  double  that  number. 
Twoiity-tive  hands  are  employed  in  the  factory,  and  about  2o0 
men,  women,  and  children  are  employed  at  their  homes  as 
seaters.  ICilburn  &  Co.  have  also  an  interest  in  the  Chase 
Turbine  Manufacturing  Company,  and  own  a  saw-mill  in 
New  Salem,  whence  they  obtain  material  for  their  manu- 
factures. 

The  Chase  Turbine  Manufaciiiring  Company,  adjacent  to  the 
works  of  the  Gold  Medal  Sewing-Machine  Company,  was  or- 
ganized in  1874,  as  the  outgrowth  of  the  Turbine  Water- 
Wheel  Manufacturing  Company,  which,  upon  the  same  site, 
began  operations  in  1865.  Turbine  water-wheels,  circular- 
saws,  and  general  mill-machinery  are  among  the  manufactures 
of  this  corporation,  whose  capital  is  §30,000,  and  whose  em- 
ployes number  from  12  to  30. 

A  Co-operative  Furniture  Conyjo^j^,  containing  the  interests 
of  from  15  to  20  people,  has  recently  been  set  in  motion  in 
the  establishment  originally  occupied  by  J.  S.  Dewing  &  Co. 
for  a  similar  industrj'. 

Besides  the  manufacturing  interests  here  named,  which  are 
located  on  Miller's  River,  at  Orange  Centre,  there  is  in  the 
same  village  a  brick  structure,  formerly  used  as  a  steam  fur- 
niture manufactory,  which  was  erected  by  H.  H.  Whitney,  at 
a  cost  of  about  §20,000.  Mr.  Whitney  failed  in  1870,  and 
since  that  date  the  establishment  has  been  idle. 

G.  A.  Whipple,  at  Orange  Centre,  employs  many  people  in 
various  parts  of  the  town  in  the  manufacture  of  palm-leaf 
hats,  of  which  commodity  he  produces  §10,000  worth  annu- 
ally. 

The  Ear/le  Mill  Company,  in  Eagleville,  near  the  Athol 
line,  was  organized  in  1867  with  a  capital  of  §20,000,  and  has 
been  engaged  since  that  time  in  the  manufacture  of  shoddy 
cloth,  of  which  1-50,000  yards  are  produced  yearly.  The  com- 
pany's mill  is  140  by  32  feet,  and  the  average  number  of  hands 
emplojed  is  27. 

At  Fryville  there  is  a  small  shoddy-mill,  under  the  man- 
agement of  Rufus  Frost.  At  Furnaceville,  H.  R.  Stowell 
employs  20  persons  in  the  production  of  furniture,  and  F.  G. 
Holden  6  men  in  the  manufacture  of  chair-stufl',  match-woods, 
etc. 

There  are  many  excellent  and  profitable  farms  in  the  north 
part  of  the  town,  where  agriculture  is  the  chief  interest.  The 
soil  is  sandy  and  loamy,  and  yields  a  fair  return  for  the  labors 
of  the  luLsbandman.  In  1878  the  town  raised  §7500  to  defray 
town  charges,  §2500  for  highways,  §2600  for  interest  on  the 
town  debt,  and  §4100  for  schools. 

BANKS. 
The  town  has  at  Orange  Centre 

THE  ORANGE  NATIONAL  BANK, 

which  was  organized  in  1873,  by  Cheney  &  Waite,  as  a  private 
bank  ;  re-organized  as  a  national  bank  in  1875,  with  a  capital 
of  §100,000.     Its  deposit  account  averages  about  §40,000. 

THE   OKANGE   SAVINGS-BANK, 

which  was  organized  in  1871,  has  now  on  deposit  upward  of 
§107,000,  and  is  one  of  the  few  savings-banks  of  the  country 
that  have  latterly  shown  an  increase  in  deposits. 

NEWSPAPER. 
The  Journal  of  Industry  was  established  by  B.  F.  Stevens 
in  1871,  and  is  still  issued  weekly  by  him  at  Orange  Centre. 

SOCIETIES,  ORDERS,  Etc 
ORANGE  LODGE,  F.  AND  A.  M., 
was  organized  November,  1860,  and  has  now  a  membership 
of  170.  The  officers  for  1879  are  A.  L.  Shattuck,  W.  M.  ; 
Geo.  A.  Drake,  S.  W.  ;  Jos.  A.  Titus,  J.  W.  ;  C.  P.  Putney, 
Sec. ;  Geo.  H.  Brooks,  Treas.  ;  Rev.  C.  L.  Waite,  Chaplain  ; 
R.  W.  Ranel,  Marshal ;  W.  C.  Doane,  S.  D.  ;  C.  L.  Hubbard, 


J.  D. ;  Chas.  Sawyer,  S.  S.  ;  A.  L.  Barrett,  J.  S. ;  C.  H. 
Wells,  Inside  Sentinel  ;  L.  A.  Chamberlain,  Tiler. 

THE   ORANGE   MASONIC   BENEFIT   ASSOCIATION, 

organized  in  1878,  has  officers  as  follows  :  F.  L.  Waters,  Pres. ; 
Geo.  A.  Drake,  Sec.  ;  John  Dunbar,  Treas.  ;  A.  L.  Shattuck, 
W.  L.  Thatcher,  R.  W.  Ranel,  and  O.  S.  Wheeler,  Directors. 

LODGE    182,    I.    O.    O.    F., 

organized  October,  1878,  has  50  members  and  the 'following 
officers :  Jas.  H.  Wheeler,  N.  G. ;  Wm.  H.  Graves,  V.  G.  ; 
Eugene  L.  Eddy,  Sec.  ;  John  Dunbar,  Treas.  ;  A.  H.  Smith, 
Warden ;  H.  H.  Goss,  Outside  Guardian ;  A.  H.  Goddard, 
Inside  Guardian:  A.  D.  Horr,  R.  S.  N.  G.  ;  E.  C.  Burrell, 
L.  S.  N.  G.  ;  Wm.  A.  Cobb,  R.  S.  V.  G.  ;  Jos.  L.  King,  L.  S. 
V.  G. ;  A.  P.  Elliott,  Conductor  ;  Marble  Blodgett,  R.  S.  S. ; 
Wm.  Wardell,  L.  S.  S. ;  Andrew  Mack,  Chaplain  ;  R.  D. 
Chase,  P.  G. 

miller's  RIVEK  lodge  of  good  TEMPLARS, 
now  numbering  50  members,  was  organized  in  1866.  The 
present  officers  are  James  E.  Walker,  W.  C.  T. ;  Miss  Jen- 
nie Gilmore,  W.  V.  T.  ;  Mrs.  Dan.  Adams,  W.  S.  ;  Frank 
Foster,  W.  F.  S. ;  Mrs.  P.  A.  Whipple,  W.  T. ;  Wm.  A. 
Cobb,  W.  C. ;  Miss  Josephine  Mitchell,  W.  I.  G.  ;  Eddie 
King,  W.  O.  G.  ;  Mary  Davis,  W.  A.  S. ;  W.  A.  Loomis,  P. 
W.  C.  T.  ;  Miss  Lillian  Clark,  L.  11.  S.  The  lodge  has  in 
good  standing  51  members. 

EDWARD    GERRISH    POST,    NO.    17,    G.    A.    R., 

was  organized  in  1805,  and  has  75  members. 

Clara  Barton  Post,  Matrons  of  the  Republic,  is  com- 
posed of  the  widows  and  sisters  of  soldiers  who  served  in  the 
late  war. 

The  Temple  of  Honor,  organized  in  1873,  has  50  members, 
and  the  Knights  of  Honor,  organized  in  1877,  has  a  member- 
ship of  50. 

the  sovereigns  of  industry, 

with  125  members  at  present,  was  organized  in  1874,  and  has 
also  a  branch  at  North  Orange,  whore  there  is  al.;o  a  lodge  of 
Good  Templars. 

A  Mutual  Benefit  Association  at  Orange  Centre  was 
organized  April,  1878,  and  has  a  membership  of  200. 

franklin   LODGE,   NO.    516,    K.    OF    H., 

was  instituted  March  14,  1877,  and  has  the  following  officers  : 
S.  B.  French,  P.  D.  ;  Wm.  H.  Lee,  D.  ;  S.  O.  Wheeler,  V.  D. ; 
Chas.  A.  Miles,  Asst.  D. ;  W.  C.  Doane,  Rep.  ;  A.  J.  John- 
son, F.  R.  ;  A.  W.  Ballou,  Treas.  ;  C.  E.  Mack,  Guide;  W. 
Wendell,  Chaplain ;  G.  Lunt,  Guardian ;  C.  E.  Richards, 
Sentinel.     The  lodge  has  40  members,  and  is  in  a  flourishing 

condition. 

fire  department. 

The  first  fire-engine  used  in  Orange  was  made  in  Proctor- 
ville,  Yt.,  in  1833,  and  cost  §200.  It  is  alluded  to  by  an  old 
resident  who  once  worked  upon  its  brakes  as  "  a  tub-like  ar- 
rangement operated  by  cranks."  Voluntary  subscriptions 
purchased  the  machine,  and  directly  upon  its  arrival  in  the 
village  of  Orange  a  volunteer  company  was  organized,  and 
James  M.  Hill,  but  just  then  arrived  in  town,  chosen  fore- 
man. 

The  manner  of  extinguishing  fires  was  rather  primitive.  A 
line  of  men  passing  buckets  of  water  from  a  well  to  the  en- 
gine, and  another  line  passing  the  empty  buckets  back,  was 
the  force  required,  in  addition  to  the  men  who  manned  the 
brakes. 

This  machine  and  a  volunteer  company  without  special  or- 
ganization did  duty  at  fires  up  to  1850,  when,  more  complete 
appointments  being  deemed  necessary,  further  subscriptions 
were  secured,  and  a  hand-engine  was  purchased  from  one  Joslin, 
but  it  failed  to  meet  requirements,  and  was  eventually  dis- 


640 


HISTORY  OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


carded.  In  18C3  the  town  pureliasod  an  engine  of  the  Hun- 
neman  pattern,  and  Jan.  23,  18G4,  a  number  of  citizens  met 
at  the  town-liall  for  tlie  purpose  of  organizing  a  fire  company. 
Previously  the  citizens  generally  considered  themselves  a 
company,  and  turned  out  en  masse  on  the  occasion  of  a  fire. 

The  meeting  was  called  to  order  by  Kodney  Hunt,  Esq., 
and  Luther  P.  Eamsey  was  chosen  Chairman;  Thos.  E. 
Bridge,  See.  H.  H.  Whitney,  Levi  Kilburn,  and  J.  C.  Felt 
were  appointed  a  committee  to  secure  names  of  persons  that 
would  join.  Hiram  Woodward,  Davis  Goddard,  and  Hol- 
brook  Ward  were  chosen  a  committee  to  draft  a  constitution. 
At  the  next  meeting,  on  the  27th,  it  was  voted  to  accept  the 
report  of  the  committee  and  adopt  the  bjf-laws  as  presented. 
Fifty-eight  names  were  secured  to  make  up  the  company, 
which  was  called  the  "  Orange  Fire-Engine  Company."  The 
members  held  their  first  meeting  Jan.  27,  1864,  and  elected 
Rodney  Hunt,  Chief  Engineer ;  Levi  Kilburn,  First  Assist- 
ant ;  Ira  Wakefield,  Second  Assistant ;  E.  R.  Parker,  Fore- 
man ;  First  Assistant,  Wm.  H.  Lamb ;  Second  Assistant,  Geo. 
W.  Kilburn  ;  Clerk,  John  W.  Wheeler ;  Treasurer,  H.  H. 
Whitney  ;  Steward,  John  L.  Williams  ;  Standing  Committee, 
Thomas  H.  White,  Thos.  E.  Bridge,  and  J.  C.  Felt. 

The  first  regular  monthly  meeting  was  held  Feb.  2,  1804. 
This  company  has  since  maintained  its  regular  organization, 
and  has  at  present  the  following  officers :  Foreman,  H.  H. 
Goss  ;  First  Assistant  Foreman,  J.  S.  "Bryant;  Second  Assist- 
ant Foreman,  Charles  Sawyer ;  Clerk,  F.  L.  Waters ;  Trea- 
surer, 11.  C.  French  ;  Steward,  George  W.  Kilburn  ;  Assistant 
Steward,  Geo.  H.  Carleton. 

Orange  Steam  Fire  Cuiiijmiii/  was  organized  Aug.  26,   1871, 


with  the  following  officers:  Foreman,  Denison  Chase;  First 
Assistant  Foreman,  E.  A.  Goddard  ;  Second  Assistant,  C.  W. 
Barber;  Clerk  and  Treasurer,  A.  W.  Kilburn.  About  two 
months  after  the  company's  organization,  Mr.  Cha.se  was  ap- 
pointed to  be  first  engineer,  and  John  L.  Williams  was  chosen 
foreman.  The  present  officers  are  John  Dunbar,  Foreman ; 
C.  W.  Barber,  First  Assistant;  C.  L.  Hubbard,  Second  As- 
sistant ;  A.  Kilburn,  Clerk  and  Treasurer  ;  John  L.  Williams, 
Steward.     The  company's  steamer  is  an  "  Amoskeag." 

MILITARY. 

THE   SOLDIERS'    MOXUMENT. 

Of  the  soldiers  sent  by  Orange  into  the  war  of  the  Rebellion, 
38  lost  their  lives  ;  but  the  town  has  remembered  their  devo- 
tion and  sacrifice  by  the  erection,  in  the  beautiful  cemetery  at 
Orange  Centre,  of  a  handsome  soldiers'  monument,  which  was 
dedicated  in  1870.  It  is  a  massive  shaft  of  Maine  granite, 
rising  to  the  height  of  40  feet,  and  bearing  upon  the  four  faces 
of  the  base  the  legend  "  Orange  remembers  her  soldiers,"  and 
the  names  of  those  in  whose  honor  it  was  erected.  These  names 
are  as  follows : 

E.  B.  Cobb,  II.  C.  Woodward,  W.  A.  Woo.hvard,  L.  Furbush,  W.  L.  IIowo,  P. 
Stciinis,  H.  L.  Teniiilo,  L.  Bowkcr,  E.  0.  Orcutt,  I.  L.  Sljear,  C.  C.  Harris,  W.  H. 
Goddard,  J.  U.  Osmaiid,  C.  II.  Stafford,  B.  E.  Hastings,  M.  H.  Ward,  N.  W.  Ward, 
J.  Turner,  E.  Gerrish,  A.  H.  Terry,  J.  Short,  0.  J.  Howard,  W.  N.  Sniitli,  J.  H. 
Picrct,  J.  L.  Foster,  J.  H.  Boydcn,  J.  SI.  Adams,  E.  Stevens,  H.  Fosliett,  \V.  W. 
Brifc'gs,  A.  Bliss,  D.  D.  Mellon,  J.  A.  Prescott,  J.  Pierce,  E.  S.  War.l,  A.  Baker, 
H.  U.  Mayo,  D.  Barnes. 

WAR   OF   THE    REBELLIOX. 

Appended  is  a  list  of  the  names  of  soldiers  sent  by  Orange 
into  the  war  of  the  Rebellion : 


Samuel  Adams,  21st  Masg. 
Joseph  J[.  Adams,  5th  N.  H. 
A.  B.  Atlwrton,  Htjtll  Miisg. 
Wm.  H.  Blodgett,  21st  Mass. 
J.  D.  Cumniings,  21st  Mass. 
T.  D.  De.\ter,  loth  M;iss. 
Itaii.  Bosworth,  27th  Mass. 
Dwiglit  Barnes,  25th  Slass. 
W.  W.  Briggs,  3Ctli  Mass. 
Henry  Boyden,  3Gth  Mass. 
E.  B.  Cobb,  52d  Mass. 
Ebenezer  Cheney,  52d  Mass. 
E.  W.  Eddy,  Cth  Bat. 
A.  T.  Eddy,  5:id  Mass. 
Heniy  Foskett,  17lh  Mass. 
I'rescott  Furbush,  31st  Mass. 
A.  A.  Ballon,  52d  Mass. 
Albert  Foskett,  3Cth  Mass. 
J.  U.  Foskett,  .V2a  Mass. 
A.  E.  Bliss,  3(ith  Mass. 
Wm.  H.  Goddard,  30th  Mass. 

A.  W.  Goddaid,  30th  Mass. 
Wm.  P.  Ilnntoon,  3Ctb  Mass. 
Jas.  E.  Hills,  3Cth  Mass. 
Wm.  L.  IIowo,  3Ctli  Mass. 
Caleb  C.  Harris,  30tli  Mass. 
Jas.  L.  Foster,  52d  Mass. 
Luke  Furbush,  52d  Mass. 
Dennis  Goddard,  62d  Mass. 
Samuel  Greenhalgh,  52d  Mass. 
Gamaliel  Goddard,  52d  Mass. 
D.  J.  Gilmore,  52d  Mass. 

M.  M.  Howard,  3Clli  Mass. 
II.  J.  Barber,  Navy. 
H.  H.  Hunt,52d  Mass. 
K.  H.  Huntuou,  52d  Mass. 

B.  F.  Hastings,  3ath  Mass. 
Alvin  King,  27tli  Mass. 

C.  H.  King,  52d  Mass. 
Samuel  L.  Lasure,  21st  Mass. 
JI.  A.  Lothrop,  20th  Mass. 
Wm.  II.  Mellen,  21st  Mass. 
Fiank  B.  Martin,  31st  Mass. 
Geo.  A.  Maynard,  10th  Rlass. 
Chas.  Morton,  2oth  Mass. 

J.  U.  Osmond,  52d  Mass. 
Jerome  Pierce,  30th  Mass. 
Job.  H.  Pierce,  3Clh  Mass. 
W.  S.  Phillips,  52d  Mass. 


B.  W.  Mayo,  25lh  Mass. 
Daniel  Mahanna,  24th  Mass, 
Henry  H.  Mayo,  3(lth  Mass. 
J.  W.  Mellon,  3Gth  M;iss. 
Sumner  Moore,  30tli  RIass. 
Chas   Maynard,  52d  Mass. 
David  D.  Mellon,  52d  Mass. 
Converse  Mayo,  21st  Mass. 
Henry  L.  Rawson,  27th  Mass. 
Osgood  Ricli,  3Gth  M;iss. 
Geo.  W.  Reynolds,  52d  Mass. 

B.  W.  Reynolds,  52d  Mass. 
T.  A.  Reynolds,  52d  Mass. 

S.  L.  Underwood,  3eth  Mass. 
Edwin  L.  Spear,  12th  Mass. 
Chas.  T.  S.iwin,  9th  Mass. 
Wm.  N.  Smith,  30th  Mass. 
Edwin  Stevens,  30th  Mass. 
Henry  R.  Stowell,  52d  Slis'. 
Samuel  N.  Slale,  62d  Mass. 
Austin  B.  Swan,  52d  Mass. 
Daniel  Stearns,  52d  Mass. 
F.  W.  Shaw,  52d  Mass. 
John  Turner,  I3th  JIass. 
Aug.  Temple,  25th  .Mass. 
Chas.  Tildon,31»t  Miss. 
.\lvin  Truax,  24th  Mass. 
Aaron  F.  Trim,  o2d  M.i^s, 
Albert  L.  Barrett,  3d  Cav. 

C.  J.  Daily,  57th  Ma<s. 
Franklin  Hill, . 

R.  H.  Huntoon,  271h  Miiss. 

Joseph  Young, . 

John  Short,  57th  Mass. 
Aaron  Terry,  27tli  M.iss. 

Peter  Larraby, , 

Luke  F.  Boorkor,  27th  M.iss. 

Chas.  L.  Flint, . 

H.  L.  Temple,  3d  Cav. 
Dvvight  S.  Felton,  1st  Bat. 
N.  H.  Rand,  1st  B.it. 
R.  W.  Baud,  1st  Bat. 
N.  A.  Cheney,  1st  Bat, 

F.  L.  Spears,  Ist  Bat. 

G.  W.  Mor.mville,  1st  Bat. 
J.  H.  Titus,  1st  Bat. 

H.  J.  Barber,  1st  Bat. 
E.  M.  Leighton,  Ist  B.lt, 


J.  F.  Harlson,  1st  Bat. 
Geo.  li.  Tenney,  1st  Bat. 
Marcus  H.  Ward,  25th  Mass. 
Nathan  W.  Ward,  301h  Mass. 
E.  S.  Ward,  30lli  Mass. 
II.  C.  Woodward,  30th  Mass. 
P.  G.  Woodward,  3eth  Mass. 
W.  C.  Woodward,  30th  Mass. 
W.  A.  Woodward,  27th  Mass. 
Otis  Washburn,  3d  Cav. 
W.  H.  Wliitney,  52d  Mass. 
R.  B.  P.  Wheeler,  52d  Mas-a. 
Salmon  Wakefield,  52.1  Mass. 
Geo.  H.  Wilson,  Otli  Mass. 
Geo.  P.  Ward,  27th  Mass. 
T.  F.  Williams,  10th  Mass. 
Moses  C.  French,  lOtli  Mass. 
Geo.  W.  Barber,  Oth  Mass. 
0.  J.  Howard,  Navy. 
Orange  S.  Oakes,  10th  Sliiss. 
Edwin  C.  Reed,  2l8t  Mass. 
Peter  S.  Ward,  14tli  Mass. 
G.  A.  Stafford,  15th  Miss. 
Erastus  Orcutt,  34th  Mass. 
True  L.  Rice,  34th  Mass. 

E.  S.  Rnssell,  4th  Cav. 
S.  W.  Clark,  4th  Cav. 

Geo.  W.  Pratt,  7th  Mass.  Bat. 
A.  II.  Dudley,  4th  Cav. 
Henry  H.  Turner,  7tli  Mass.  Bit. 
Ch:is.  Blackburn,  7th  Mass.  Bat. 
Jas.  II.  Piper,  Ist  Bat. 

F.  M.  Jennison,  Ut  Bat. 
Geo.  H.  Carleton,  1st  Bat. 
Frank  S.  Field,  1st  Bat. 
Fred.  Sherman,  1st  Bat. 
Ward  S.  Harris,  1st  Bat. 
Geo.  W.  Taylor,  1st  Bat. 

Walter  M.  Crombie,  H.  Art.;  unattached. 

Edward  W.  Jlorse,  4th  Cav. 

J.  D.  Ward,  21st  Mass. 

Joram  A.  Trescott,  21st  Mass. 

J.  H.  Richardson,  27th  Mass. 

A.  W.  Merriam,  2sth  Mass. 

L.  L.  Huntoon,  12th  U.  S. 

Russell  Ward,  120th  111. 

A.  Baker, . 

A.  D.  Foskett,  Navy. 


^U--c/^j^^/  ^^/u^^  f 


^^-— y  7^1^--^ 


HISTORY   OF   FRANKLIN   COUNTY. 


641 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 


RODNEY   HUNT 

was  born  in  Ashbnrnham,  Mass.,  Jul}'  10,  1810.  He  remained 
at  home  upon  the  farm  until  seventeen  years  of  age,  and  at- 
tended the  district  school  five  or  six  weeks  during  each  winter. 
In  1827  he  went  to  West  Boyleston  to  work  for  Ezra  Beaman, 
and  remained  with  him  three  years.  The  first  year  he  received 
ten  dollars  per  month,  the  second  year  eleven,  and  the  third 
year  twelve.  At  the  expiration  of  the  three  years  he  gave  to  his 
father  three  hundred  dollars,  the  amount  of  his  savings  during 
that  time.  He  then  went  to  Berlin,  Mass.,  to  learn  the  mill- 
wright's trade,  where  he  continued  three  years.  In  1833 
his  mother  died,  and  he  returned  to  Ashburnham,  to  reside 
with  his  father.  The  following  year  he  married  Miss  Mar- 
garet Parker,  of  Holden,  Mass.  About  this  time  he  also  made 
a  profession  of  religion,  and  became  connected  with  the  Open- 
Communion  Baptist  Society,  of  which  he  is  still  a  member. 
He  remained  in  the  paternal  home  until  his  father's  decease, 
in  1834,  and  in  1835  removed  to  Wilton,  N.  H.,  and  com- 
menced the  manufacture  of  chairs,  in  partnership  with  John 
Adams.  The  firm  were  forced  to  suspend,  and  compromised 
with  their  creditors,  during  the  crisis  of  1837.  Mr.  Hunt 
lost  his  property,  and,  as  an  instance  of  his  desire  for  honor- 
able dealing,  he  subsequently  paid  the  full  amount  of  their 
liabilities.  In  1838  he  removed  to  A.shby,  Mass.,  his  family 
then  consisting  of  his  wife,  one  child,  and  his  grandmother, 
very  aged  and  feeble,  all  dependent  upon  his  efforts  for  sup- 
port. He  found  employment  in  the  mills  at  Ashby,  where 
he  remained  until  1840,  when  he  went  to  what  was  then  called 
South  Orange,  and  entered  the  employ  of  Keuben  Harris,  and 
afterward  worked  at  millwrighting  for  diflerent  persons,  until, 
in  1843,  he  bought  some  mill  property  in  Harwick,  for  which  he 
paid  §1431,  and  went  in  debt  for  the  whole  amount.  He,  how- 
ever, improved  the  property,  and  in  1844  sold  it  for  $3000.  He 
says  it  was  a  proud  and  happy  da}'  for  himself  and  his  family 
when4hey  were  once  more  out  of  debt  and  not  altogether  penni- 
less. He  then  returned  to  Orange  and  purchased  a  farm,  and 
besides  farming  did  general  millwrighting  in  diflerent  cotton-, 
woolen-,  saw-,  and  grist-mills.  In  1858  he  began  to  build  finish- 
ing machinery  for  woolen-mills,  and  employed  a  few  workmen, 
and  in  1859  he  purchased  a  shop  on  the  south  side  of  the  river, 
made  some  additions  to  it,  and  established  a  machine-shop  and 
foundry  for  doing  all  kinds  of  mill-work.  In  1862  he  formed 
a  copartnership  with  Jas.  H.  Waite,  and,  in  1865,  D.  B.  Flint 
also  became  a  member  of  the  firm,  whicli  from  the  beginning 
has  been  very  prosperous.  It  has  greatly  increased  its  facilities, 
and  from  year  to  year  the  business  has  constantly  been  taking 
a  wider  range.  In  1873  there  was  formed  the  Rodney  Hunt 
Machine  Company,  a  stock  company  with  a  capital  of  §100,000, 
with  Rodney  Hunt  as  President ;  D.  B.  Flint,  Treasurer  ;  and 
Jas.  H.  Waite,  Secretary.  This  company  also  owns  one-half 
the  stock  of  the  Foundry  Company,  of  which  Mr.  Hunt  is  also 
President,  with  A.  J.  Clark,  Treasurer,  and  John  Wheeler, 
Secretary.  Both  of  these  companies  are  doing  a  prosperous 
business,  and  there  has  always  been  the  most  hearty  co-opera- 
tion among  the  members  of  the  same.  Besides  other  improve- 
ments, Mr.  Hunt  has  built  eight  dwelling-houses  in  the  vil- 
lage of  Orange.  He  is  particularly  conscientious  and  honor- 
able in  all  his  dealing,  and  has  won  the  confidence  and  affection 
of  his  associates.  He  has  filled  many  offices  of  trust  with 
credit  to  himself  and  to  those  whom  he  represented.  In  1850, 
18-51,  and  1852  he  was  a  member  of  the  Legislature.  For 
twelve  years  he  has  been  president  of  the  Young  Men's  Chris- 
tian Association;  since  1865  a  director  of  the  Miller's  River 
National  Bank,  and  trustee  of  the  savings-bank  since  its  or- 
ganization.    Mr.  Hunt's  wife  died  in  1865. 

He  married,  for  his  second  wife,  in  1867,  Mrs.  Eliza  P.  Stote, 
81 


a  sister  of  his  first  wife.  By  his  first  marriage  he  had  two 
sons  and  one  daughter,  all  of  whom  are  living,  married,  and 
in  prosperous  circumstances. 


HON.  ANDREW  J.  CLARK, 
president  of  the  Gold  Medal  Sewing-Machine  Company,  of 
Orange,  and  owner  of  the  largest  interest  therein,  was  born 
in  Rutland,  Mass.,  Oct.  9,  1835.  He  traces  his  family  geneal- 
ogy back  to  Hugh  Clark,  who  emigrated,  about  1630,  from 
England  to  America,  and  settled  in  Watertown,  Mass. 

From  this,  the  early  ancestor  of  the  Clarks,  hereinafter  to 
be  mentioned,  descended  in  a  lateral  line  Hon.  Hannibal 
Hamlin,  United  States  Senator  from  Maine,  and  in  1861-65 
Vice-President  of  the  United  States.  His  mother  was  a 
Livermore,  whose  mother  was  a  direct  descendant  of  Hugh 
Clark. 

Andrew  J.  Clark's  grandfather,  Luther,  was  born  in  Hub- 
bardston,  Mass.,  and  his  father,  Ira,  in  Leominster,  Mass.,  in 
1799.  Ira  removed  to  Rutland,  and  in  1835,  as  already  ob- 
served, his  son,  Andrew  J.,  was  born  upon  his  father's  farm 
in  Rutland,  just  over  the  Hubbardston  line. 

His  mother  was  a  daughter  of  Nathaniel  Woods,  of  Hard- 
wick,  Mass.,  who  migrated  to  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  in  1810, 
whence  she,  with  her  sister,  returned  to  Hardwick  in  1813, 
and  in  1827  married  Ira  Clark.  After  his  death,  in  1845,  she 
married  Ethan  Hemingway,  of  Hubbardston,  and  lives  now, 
a  widow,  in  East  Templeton,  Mass. 

Besides  Andrew  J.  there  were  four  children,  daughters,  of 
whom  Lois,  the  widow  of  Simeon  G.  Pomeroy,  lives  in  East 
Templeton,  Ma.ss.  ;  Rebecca  married  A.  M.  Graves,  of  West- 
minster, and  died  in  Dana ;  Calista  is  the  widow  of  Brooks  E. 
Bixhy,  and  resides  in  Templeton ;  Abbie  married  Lafayette 
Williams,  and  died  in  Petersham. 

In  1842,  at  the  early  age  of  seven,  Andrew  entered  upon 
an  active  business  life,  which,  from  that  period  to  the  present, 
for  a  space  of  thirty-eight  years,  has  been  uninterruptedly 
pursued.  His  parents  being  in  straitened  circumstances,  he 
boldly  undertook  to  lift  the  burden  of  his  own  support  from 
their  shoulders,  and  in  1842,  having  in  1841  removed  with 
his  father's  family  to  Ware,  Mass.,  he  entered  the  cotton- 
mill  of  the  Otis  Company,  of  the  latter  place,  and  remained 
until  1845,  when  the  mill  was  destroyed  by  fire.  In  the  spring 
of  1845  he  removed  to  New  England  village,  in  the  town 
of  Grafton,  Mass.,  and  in  July  of  that  year  his  father  died. 
Just  previous  to  that  event,  at  the  age  of  ten  years,  Andrew 
became  an  employe  in  the  cotton-mill  of  Smith  &  Pratt,  at 
New  England  village,  and,  after  serving  them  until  1849, 
again  struck  his  tent,  and  with  his  mother  and  sisters  took  up 
a  residence  in  Bramanville,  town  of  Milbury,  Mass.,  where  he 
once  more  renewed  his  experience  as  a  cotton-mill  operative, 

this  time  in  the  employ  of Golding.     In  1852,  his  mother 

having  meanwhile,  in  1851,  married  Ethan  Hemingway,  of 
Hubbardston,  and  removed  thither,  young  Clark  again 
changed  his  habitation  to  Hubbardston,  where  he  was  em- 
ployed in  the  chair-factory  of  George  Williams,  and,  remain- 
ing with  him  until  18.53,  accepted  an  offer  from  Weller  &  Co., 
chair-manufacturers,  of  East  Templeton,  Mass.,  and  while  in 
their  employ,  in  November,  1855,  married  Abbie  B.,  daughter 
of  Capt.  Cummings  Lesure,  of  Warwick.  About  that  time 
he  transferred  his  services  to  Parker  &  Sawyer,  chair-manufac- 
turers, of  East  Templeton,  and,  continuing  with  them  until 
January,  1857,  removed  to  Orange,  Mass.,  where,  upon  the 
south  sideof  ililler's  River,  he  began  the  manufacture  of  chil- 
dren's carriages  on  his  own  account.  In  1858  he  associated  Mr. 
Jotham  Lord  with  him  in  the  business,  which  the  firm  con- 
tinued successfully  until  1860,  when  Mr.  Clark  disposed  of  his 
interest  and  opened  a  store  in  Carpenter's  block,  where  until 
18G3  he  carried  on  a  trade  in  flour  and  grain,  which  he  then 
disposed  of,  to  commence,  with  William  P.  Barker,  the  manu- 


642 


HISTOKY  OF  THE  CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


facture  of  sewing-machines.  The  firm  leased  a  small  building, 
now  occupied  by  the  Chase  Turbine  Water-Wheel  Company, 
and  began  making  a  low-priced  single-thread  hand  sewing- 
machine,  known  as  the  New  England  single-thread  sewing- 
machine,  in  the  production  of  which  they  employed  at  first 
but  two  men. 

The  business  steadily  expanded,  and  in  1865,  when  Mr. 
Clark  purchased  Mr.  Barker's  interest,  the  employes  num- 
bered about  forty,  and  the  production  of  machines  had  risen 
to  between  three  and  four  hundred  per  week.  From  1865  to 
1867,  Sir.  Clai-k  conducted  the  business  upon  hi.s  individual 
account,  and  in  the  latter  year  the  firm  of  Johnson,  Clark 
&  Co.  was  organized.  This  firm,  purchasing  from  A.  F. 
Johnson  sewing-machine  patents,  etc.,  including  a  patent  on 
a  machine  which  took  the  first  prize  at  the  Mechanics'  Fair, 
in  Boston,  in  1860,  materially  enlarged  the  manufactory  build- 
ings, and  began  to  manufacture  the  Gold  Medal  sewing-ma- 
chine and  the  Home  shuttle-machine,  in  connection  with  the 
New  England  single-thread  machine. 

In  1869,  Johnson,  Clark  &  Co.,  without  making  any 
change,  save  in  the  name  of  the  company,  were  incorporated 
as  the  Gold  Medal  Sewing-Machine  Company,  with  Mr.  An- 
drew J.  Clark  as  president,  which  position  he  has  held  to  the 
present  time. 

In  that  year  the  company  effected  a  compromise  with  what 
was  known  as  the  "  Sewing-Machine  Combination,"  claiming 
certain  patents  over  which  there  had  been  protracted  and  ex- 
pensive litigation,  and  under  the  licen.se  received  from  the 
"Combination"  the  company  operated  until  1877,  when  all 
patents  expired  by  limitation. 

In  1870  the  manufacture  of  the  Gold  Medal  machine  was 
succeeded  by  the  manufacture  of  the  Home  sewing-machine, 
and  this  in  turn,  in  1877,  by  the  New  Home  sewing-machine, 
in  which  year  also  the  manufacture  of  the  New  England  sin- 
gle-thread machine  was  discontinued. 

The  total  number  of  people  employed  in  the  comjiany's  in- 
terests aggregate  upward  of  450,  and  for  1879  the  estimated 
yield  of  machines  is  50,000. 

In  1865,  Mr.  Clark  was  chairman  of  the  Board  of  Selectmen 
of  Orange.  In  186-t  and  1867  he  was  a  member  of  the  House 
of  Representatives,  and  in  1870,  1871,  and  1875  he  repre- 
sented his  district  in  the  State  Senate.  In  1860  he  became 
a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity ;  from  1863  to  1868  he 
was  Worshipful  Master  of  Orange  Lodge,  F.  and  A.  M. ;  and 
from  1868  to  1871  was  District  Deputy  Grand  Master  for  the 
eighth  district.  He  is  president  of  the  Orange  Savings-Bank, 
vice-president  and  director  of  the  Orange  National  Bank,  and 
a  member  of  the  committee  of  the  town  library,  in  whose 
success  he  has  for  years  taken  a  lively  interest. 


JOHN  W.  WHEELER, 

for  many  years  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  Gold  Medal 
Sewing-Machine  Company  of  Orange,  was  the  second  of  a 
family  of  nine  children  born  in  Orange  to  Wilson  Wheeler 
and  Catharine,  his  wife,  a  daughter  of  Mr.  Samuel  Warden, 
of  Worcester.  Wilson  Wheeler  was  bj'  trade  a  car]ienter  and 
builder,  and  in  connection  with  that  business  devoted  con- 
siderable attention  to  the  cultivation  of  his  land,  to  which, 
later  in  his  life,  he  gave  his  exclusive  care. 

In  his  boyhood  days  John,  whose  birth  occurred  Nov.  20, 
1832,  obtained  the  advantages  of  a  common-school  education, 
and  until  reaching  the  age  of  twenty-one — in  November, 
1853 — divided  his  time  and  experience  between  studies  at 
school  and  the  more  practical  pursuits  of  business  under  the 
directing  eye  of  his  father,  who  designed  to  train  him  for  the 
career  of  a  mechanic. 

Being  of  age,  John  ventured  to  launch  out  upon  his  own 
responsibility,  and  in  the  winter  of  that  year  contracted  to 
assist  Mr.  Royal  Richardson  in  building  a  house  at  East  Tem- 


pleton,  Ma.ss. ;  which  service  terminating  in  the  spring  of  1854, 
he  made  a  trip  to  Fitchburg,  Mass.,  and  there  engaged  him- 
self for  the  season  to  a  carpenter  and  builder,  by  name  John 
Parkhurst.  Business  falling  off,  in  the  ensuing  autumn  he 
returned  to  Orange  to  spend  the  winter. 

His  experience  as  a  mechanic  convinced  him  that  the  busi- 
ness was  not,  and  never  would  be,  to  his  liking,  apart  from 
the  consideration  that  he  felt  satisfied  of  his  lack  of  capacity 
to  achieve  anything  more  than  moderate  success,  however  long 
he  might  pursue  his  labors  in  that  direction.  He  felt,  in 
short,  that  he  could  scarcely  hope  to  win  success  in  life  unless 
he  turned  his  energies  toward  a  calling  for  which  he  could  feel 
a  sympathy  and  earnest  interest,  and  so,  resolving  boldly  to 
turn  his  back  forever  upon  the  carpenter's  bench,  he  set  out 
in  the  spring  of  1855,  at  the  age  of  twenty-two,  for  Fitchburg, 
]Hirposing  to  seek  an  engagement  as  clerk  in  a  store, — a  pur- 
suit upon  which  he  had  determined  to  enter  as  the  one  which 
best  suited  his  inclinations  and  judgment. 

Without  much  difficulty  or  delay  he  secured  a  clerkship  in 
the  employment  of  Joseph  Baldwin,  a  dealer  in  groceries  and 
provisions  at  Fitchburg,  at  a  yearly  salary  of  §125,  and  served 
his  employer  so  faithfully  and  satisfactorily  that  at  the  close  of 
the  3'ear  he  received  the  additional  compensation  of  |!25  more 
than  had  been  agreed  upon. 

Receiving  at  this  time  an  advantageous  offer  to  enter  the 
service  of  Mr.  Daniel  Pomeroy,  an  extensive  dealer  of  Orange, 
he  engaged  with  him  in  May,  1856,  and  in  October  of  that  year 
married  Miss  Almira  E.  Johnson,  who  was  one  of  a  family  of 
seven  daughters  of  Daniel  and  Almira  Johnson,  of  Orange, 
born  Dec.  8,  1835. 

Tlie  wedded  life  was  begun  upon  a  limited  stock  of  worldly 
goods,  for  Mr.  Wheeler  had  been  able  to  save  but  little  out  of 
his  two  years'  services  except  his  experience,  but  he  and  his 
wife,  stout  of  heart  and  full  of  hope,  doubted  not  that  steady 
perseverance  and  untiring  energy  would  bring  in  their  own 
good  time  the  prosperous  future  toward  which  they  cheerfully 
looked.  Mrs.  Wheeler,  who  previous  to  her  marriage  had 
been  occupied  as  a  tailoress,  continued  to  follow  tliat  employ- 
ment for  some  time  after  marriage,  while  her  husband  con- 
tinued in  the  service  of  Mr.  Pomeroy.  They  began  by  thrift 
and  economy  to  push  their  way  in  the  world,  and  in  1857  were 
enabled  to  commence  housekeeping. 

Mr.  Wheeler  remained  in  the  emplo}'  of  Mr.  Pomeroy  three 
years,  when  the  latter  retired  and  arranged  to  have  his  clerk 
continue  the  business  in  his  own  name,  and  for  three  years, 
by  the  exercise  of  attentive  care  and  strict  business  integrity, 
Mr.  Wheeler  managed  it  successfully,  and  retired  with  a  well- 
won  reputation  for  business  enterprise  and  sagacity. 

Directly  thereafter  he  engaged  as  a  clerk  for  Mr.  D.  B. 
Cheney,  then  in  the  claim-agency  business  at  Orange,  and 
while  in  that  service,  July  20,  1863,  was  drafted  into  the 
military  service.  To  obtain  his  release  therefrom,  he  yielded 
up  the  entire  savings  (three  hundred  dollars)  which,  with  his 
wife's  aid,  he  had  carefully  and  patiently  garnered  up  since 
their  marriage. 

Far  from  being  discouraged,  and  freshly  resolved  upon  de- 
termined efforts  to  retrieve  his  fortunes,  Mr.  Wheeler,  having 
ended  his  engagement  with  Mr.  Cheney,  cast  about  liim  for  a 
new  venture,  and  purchased  the  store  of  Mr.  A.  J.  Clark  (then 
doing  business  in  Carpenter's  block.  Orange)  with  funds  gen- 
erously loaned  by  D.  B.  Cheney  and  R.  E.  Carpenter. 

It  is  an  eloquent  evidence  of  the  high  standing  occupied  by 
Mr.  Wheeler  as  a  man  of  strict  integrity  that,  although  with- 
out funds,  he  was  enabled  to  effect  these  loans  upon  no  other 
security  than  his  own  pledge  of  repayment,  and  they  were 
extended,  too,  readily  and  unhesitatingly. 

In  this  new  venture  Mr.  Wheeler  met  with  deserved  pros- 
perity, and,  leaving  it  in  June,  1867,  became  interested,  with 
Johnson,  Clark  &  Co.,  in  the  manufacture  of  sewing-ma- 
chines at  Orange ;  and  that  firm  becoming,  in  1869,  incorporated 


t 


'-a 


\ccl/ 


HISTORY   OF  FRANKLIN   COUNTY. 


643 


as  the  Gold  Medal  Sewing-Machine  Company,  Mr.  Wheeler 
became  the  secretary  and  treasurer,  and  in  that  position  has 
since  continued,  being  also  secretary  of  the  Orange  Iron  Com- 
pany, to  which  position  he  was  appointed  upon  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  company,  in  1870. 

When  Mr.  Wheeler  entered,  as  a  partner  in  the  firm  of 
Johnson,  Clark  &  Co.,  into  the  manufacture  of  sewing-ma- 
chines, the  tirm  employed  about  forty  hands,  and  their  pro- 
ductions were  small.  Since  that  time  the  enterprise  has  surely 
and  steadily  grown  in  volume  and  strength,  until  now  its 
employes  number  four  hundred  and  fifty,  and  it  manufactures 
fifty  thousand  machines  annually.  In  this  great  establish- 
ment Mr.  Wheeler  is  one  of  the  largest  owners  and  a  directing 
power;  and  this  place  he  has  reached  within  a  few  years, 
simply  and  purely  through  his  own  unaided  efforts,  which 
have  made  him,  in  truth,  a  self-made  man. 

Mr.  Wheeler  served  as  town  clerk  of  Orange  from  18C1- 
67  ;  was  commissioned  by  Gov.  Andrew  as  justice  of  the 
peace  in  18G4 ;  in  1860  was  chosen  on  the  board  of  selectmen, 
and  in  1876  was  chosen  to  represent  the  First  Franklin  Dis- 
trict at  the  General  Court,  where  he  was  a  member  of  the 
committee  on  finance.  He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  Orange 
Lodge,  F.  and  A.  M.,  organized  in  1859;  was  its  first  secre- 
tary, and  afterward  its  treasurer. 

Mr.  Wheeler's  mother  died  in  Orange,  August,  1876 ;  his 
father  still  resides  in  the  town,  at  the  age  of  seve'Yitj'-four. 

Three  children  have  blessed  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wheeler's  union, 
of  whom  but  one — Lizzie,  a  young  lady  of  bright  promise — 
is  now  living. 

HIEAM   ORCUTT 

was  born  in  Warwick,  Franklin  Co.,  Mass.,  Nov.  14,  1800. 
He  is  the  second  of  a  family  of  twelve  children.  His  father, 
Jonathan  Orcutt,  was  a  native  of  Warwick,  and  was  born 


Oct.  13,  1700.  His  mother,  Sallie  Martin  Orcutt,  was  born 
in  New  Salem,  Franklin  Co.,  Mass.,  April  13,  1787.  In  his 
earlier  years  his  advantages  for  education  were  limited  to  an 
attendance  at  the  district  schools  during  four,  or  at  most  six, 
months  in  the  year.  When  Hiram  was  ten  years  of  age  his 
father  removed  to  Irvingsville,  now  West  Orange.     During 


his  father's  residence  in  that  place  he  attended  the  New 
Salem  Academy  a  number  of  terms.  When  he  reached  his 
majority  he  entered  a  store  in  Warwick  as  clerk,  where  he 
remained  about  six  years.  Afterward  he  went  to  New  Salem 
and  established  a  mercantile  business,  which  he  carried  on 
very  successfully  for  sixteen  years.  He  then  removed  to 
West  Orange,  where  he  now  resides,  and  engaged  in  the  same 
business,  in  which  he  remained  eleven  years.  Although  very 
successful  in  all  his  attempts,  he  abandoned  trade  at  the  expi- 
ration of  over  twenty-seven  years  of  active  business,  and  en- 
gaged in  farming.  In  1872,  '73,  '75,  and  '76  he  was  selectman, 
and  was  also  a  member  of  the  committee  appointed  in  1877 
to  build  the  new  school-house  in  Orange.  In  politics  Mr. 
Orcutt  was  formerly  a  Whig,  but  is  now  a  Democrat.  As  a 
man  he  is  highly  respected  in  all  the  walks  of  life.  He  was 
married,  Oct.  25,  1836,  to  Mary  King.  By  this  union  they  had 
one  child, — a  son, — who  resides  in  New  Salem.  He  married, 
for  his  second  wife,  Oct.  24,  1861,  Mary  F.  Bullard.  They 
have  no  children. 


LEVI   KILBURN, 

the  present  head  of  the  firm  of  L.  Kilburn  &  Co.,  of  Orange, 
was  born  in  Winchendon,  Worcester  Co.,  Mass.,  Jan.  29, 
1816. 

His  father,  John  Kilburn,  was  born  in  Sterling,  Mass.,  in 
1784,  and  died  in  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  in  1867,  aged  eighty-three. 
He  married  Esther,  daughter  of  Mr.  Edmonds,  of  Winchendon, 
Nov.  29,  1810,  and  of  this  union  the  fruits  were  eight  chil- 
dren,— six  sons  and  two  daughters.  Levi,  the  first  born,  died 
when  quite  young;  John,  the  second  son,  resides  in  Win- 
chendon; Levi,  the  third  son,  is  the  subject  of  this  sketch  ; 
Cheney  and  Arteraas  reside  in  Philadelphia ;  Edwin  is  dead. 
Of  the  daughters,  Esther  is  dead  ;  Emily  married  Greenwood 
Partridge,  and  lives  in  Winchendon. 

Levi  was  employed  in  his  boyhood,  and  until  he  reached  the 
age  of  twenty-one,  in  the  pursuit  of  education  as  it  could  be 
gained  with  the  limited  facilities  at  hand  in  his  native  town 
(school  being  taught  but  eight  weeks  in  the  year),  and  in  the 
business  of  assisting  his  father  in  farming  and  in  a  saw-mill 
on  Miller's  River. 

The  practical  lessons  of  life  he,  with  his  elder  brother,  John, 
learned  through  this  thorough  experience,  and  when,  in  1837, 
he  looked  upon  his  twenty-first  year,  he  was  keenly  alive 
to  the  requirements  of  the  business  which  his  father  had  taught 
him ;  and  with  the  savings  which  his  labors  had  gained,  he, 
with  his  brother  John,  purchased  the  old  homestead  and  mill, 
established  the  firm  of  J.  &  L.  Kilburn,  and  entered  upon 
the  business  of  sawing  lumber  and  the  manufacture  of  chair- 
stuff. 

The  old  homestead  still  remains  in  the  possession  of  the  Kil- 
burn family,  and  is  owned  by  the  three  sons, — Levi,  Cheney, 
and  Artemas. 

He  continued  a  member  of  the  firm  until  1841,  when  he 
sold  out  his  interest  and  removed  to  Gardner,  Mass.,  having 
meanwhile  married,  in  1840,  Isabel  R.,  daughter  of  Obadiah 
Walker,  of  Winchendon. 

At  Gardner  he  entered  the  employ  of  L.  Hey  wood,  chair- 
manufacturer,  and,  continuing  there  a  year  and  a  half,  took 
charge  for  that  firm  of  a  chair-manufactory  in  Templeton, 
Mass.,  where  he  remained  until  1849.  He  resided  in  Orange 
in  1850,  and  entered  upon  an  engagement  with  Davis  &  Kil- 
burn, chair-  and  furniture-manufiicturers,  for  whom  he  man- 
aged the  business  until  1852,  when  the  factory  was  destroyed 
by  fire. 

In  that  year  he  began — on  the  south  side  of  the  river,  in  a 
new  building  erected  by  Davis  &  Kilburn,  and  now  occupied 
by  the  Orange  Manufacturing  Company — the  manufacture  of 
chairs  for  his  own  account,  and  in  1855  he  sold  out  and  joined 


644 


HISTORY  OF  THE   CONNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


with  Hamilton  Holt,  of  Worcester,  in  the  lumber  business 
(Mr.  Kilburn  continuing  at  Orange),  which  they  pursued 
profitably  until  1860. 

In  1860,  Mr.  Kilburn  took  the  management  of  a  chair-fac- 
tory— on  the  site  of  the  present  factory  of  Kilburn  &  Co. — for 
the  benefit  of  the  creJitors  of  White,  French  &  Co.,  and  in 
1862  organized  the  firm  of  L.  Kilburn  &  Co.,  with  Eichard 
French  and  George  E.  Poland  as  bis  partners.  Mr.  Poland 
retired  in  1808,  and  in  May  of  that  year  Mr.  L.  E.  Holmes 
was  admitted  as  a  partner. 

In  1869  the  present  manufactory  buildings  were  completed, 
the  main  building  being  three  stories  and  a  half  in  height,  and 
measuring  80  by  45  feet ;  the  wing  being  two  stories  and  a 
half  in  height,  and  52  feet  in  length  by  24  in  breadth. 

In  1865,  L.  Kilburn  &  Co.  added  to  their  busins-ss  the  man- 
ufacture of  miscellaneous  furniture  in  a  building  purchased 


of  R.  E.  Carpenter.  In  this  branch  J.  S.  Dewing  was  a 
partner,  and,  in  1873,  he,  with  others,  purchased  the  interest 
of  L.  Kilburn  &  Co.  therein. 

In  1807,  Kilburn  &  Co.  became  interested  in  the  Turbine 
Water- Wheel  Manufacturing  Company,  now  the  Chase  Tur- 
bine Manufacturing  Company,  in  which  they  maintain  the 
original  interest.  The  firm  operates  also  a  saw-mill  in  New 
Salem  for  supplying  their  factory  with  raw  material. 

They  manufacture  cane-  and  wood-seat  chairs,  and  employ, 
besides  a  force  of  25  factory-hands,  about  250  persons  in  the 
village, — men,  women,  and  children, — known  as  "seaters." 
They  manufactured  .50,000  chairs  in  1878,  which  number  they 
expect  to  double  in  1879.  Mr.  Kilburn  was  one  of  the  found- 
ers of  the  Orange  Savings-Bank,  and  is  one  of  its  trustees  ;  was 
interested  in  the  organization  of  the  Orange  National  Bank, 
and  is  now  a  director  in  that  institution. 


SHELBURNE. 


GEOURAPHICAL. 
The  town  of  Shelburne,  with  a  taxable  area  of  13,882  acres, 
lies  on  the  Deerfield  Kiver,  and  has  for  its  boundaries  Cole- 
raine  on  the  north,  Conway  on  the  south,  Greenfield  and  Deer- 
field  on  the  east,  and  Conway  and  Buckland  on  the  west. 
The  town  has  no  railway-station  within  its  limits,  but  finds 
I   railway  communication   convenient  of  access  at   Shelburne 
Falls   station,  on  the  Troy  and  Greenfield  Eailroad,  which 
touches  the  village  on  the  Buckland  side  of  the  river. 

NATURAL    FEATURES. 

The  surface  of  the  town  is  rugged  and  mountainous,  and 
rises  in  several  localities  into  conspicuous  eminences,  among 
the  most  prominent  of  which  are  Bald  Mountain  in  the  west, 
Greenfield  Mountain  in  the  east.  Dragon  Hill  at  the  centre, 
East  Hill  north  of  that  point,  and  Shingle  and  Brimstone 
Hills  on  the  south. 

The  Deerfield  River,  receiving  at  the  northwest  corner  of 
the  town  the  waters  of  North  River,  flows  thence  along  Shel- 
burne's  entire  western  and  southwestern  border.  At  the  vil- 
lage of  Shelburne  Falls  the  stream  makes  an  abrupt  bend,  and 
there,  descending  to  the  depth  of  forty  feet  over  a  wildly- 
rugged  precipice,  forms  a  romantically-beautiful  cataract 
(called  originally  Salmon  Falls),  features  of  which  have  been 
widely  heralded  in  the  public  prints  and  freely  illustrated  by 
the  photographer's  skill. 

Among  the  many  smaller  streams  are  Dragon,  Shingle,  and 
Sluice  Brooks,  flowing  into  the  Deerfield  River,  and  Allen's 
and  Hinsdale  Brooks,  emptying  into  Green  River. 

Shelburne  is  famed  for  its  scenic  attractions,  and  is  a  favored 
summer  resort. 

EARLY  SETTLEMENT. 

The  territory  now  occupied  by  Shelburne  was  included  in  a 
tract  granted  to  Deerfield  in  1712  (upon  the  petition  of  Rev. 
John  Williams),  which  extended  "  nine  miles  west  to  the 
western  woods."  What  is  now  Shelburne  was  called  Deer- 
field Northwest  or  Deerfield  Pasture,  for  the  tract  was  not  re- 
garded as  worth  much  save  as  a  pasture.  At  all  events,  it 
served  no  other  purpose  to  the  people  of  Deerfield  for  many 
years,  and  scarcely  knew  a  human  tread  save  that  of  the  red 
I,  man  until  some  time  between  1752  and  1750,  when  Jonathan 
Catlin  and  James  Ryder,  of  Deerfield,  made  the  first  settle- 
ments at  Shelburne  Falls,  upon  what  are  now  known  as  the 
Severance  and  Allis  farms. 

Catlin   and   Ryder,  with  their  families,  bravely  faced  the 


difliculties  aiid  troublous  fears  which  beset  them,  but,  driven 
out  at  last  by  the  persistent  savages,  they  returned,  in  1756,  to 
Deerfield.  No  further  attempt  was  made  at  settlement  until 
1760,  when,  the  Indian  troubles  being  ended,  Martin  Sever- 
ance and  Daniel  Ryder,  of  Deerfield,  took  up  the  farms  origi- 
nally occupied  by  Catlin  and  James  Ryder.  About  that  time 
also  Robert  Wilson,  of  Coleraine,  settled  in  the  northeast,  on 
the  place  now  occupied  by  Isaac  T.  Fisk  ;  Archibald  Lawson, 
of  Deerfield,  in  the  north,  on  the  place  now  occupied  by  Chas. 
Hardy  ;  and  Samuel  Wilson,  north  of  Lawsou's  location. 

In  1762,  Daniel  Nims  located  on  the  farm  now  occupied  by 
Elisha  Alvord,  one  of  his  descendants.  John  Taylor,  of  Deer- 
field, settled  near  the  present  place  of  John  and  George 
Taylor,  his  descendants ;  and  Ebenezer  Fisk  and  Watson 
Freeman  located  in  the  northwest,  not  far  from  where  Elisha 
Barnard  now  lives. 

In  1760  the  families  numbered  five  ;  in  1761,  fourteen.  Other 
settlers  about  1762  were  Samuel  Hunter,  John  Wells,  Stephen 
Kellogg,  John  Thompson,  Lawrence  Kemp,  Samuel  Fisk, 
John  Heaton,  Thomas  Wells,  Asa  Childs,  James  Taft,  John 
Allen,  Samuel  Pool,  Oreb  Taylor,  Samuel  Murdock,  David 
Boyd,  Moses  Hawks,  John  Boyd,  Reuben  Nims,  Samuel  Fel- 
lows, Jr.,  Jeremiah  Foster,  Newton  Ransom,  and  Alexander 
Clark. 

The  early  settlers  experienced  some  fearful  apprehensions 
touching  Indian  depredations,  but  they  suffered  no  serious  in- 
juries. They  fled  frequentl}-  to  the  Coleraine  fort  for  safety,  and 
two — Martin  Severance  and  Daniel  Ryder — abandoned  their 
farms  and  returned  to  Deerfield,  as  stated  above,  but  they 
were  back  again  without  much  delay,  and  soon,  in  common 
with  the  other  settlers,  learned  that  there  was  nothing  to  be 
alarmed  about,  except,  perhaps,  wild  beasts,  which,  truth  to 
tell,  annoyed  the  pioneers  amazingly. 

Martin  Severance,  above  alluded  to,  settled  in  1760,  and  is 
said  to  have  conveyed  to  his  new  home,  on  a  horse's  back,  him- 
self, his  family,  and  all  his  household  goods.  Severance  fough-t 
in  the  French-and-Indian  war,  was  taken  a  prisoner  at  Lake 
George,  and  escaped  after  a  two  years'  captivitj'.  He  died  in 
1810,  at  the  age  of  ninety-two. 

Archibald  Lawson,  who  served  also  in  the  Indian  campaign, 
bought  .50 acres  of  land  in  "Northwest,"  giving  50 yards  of  do- 
mestic linen  cloth,  for  which  his  wife  hatcheled  the  flax  and 
spun  the  yarn,  and  which  Lawson  wove,  being  a  weaver  by 
trade.  When  he  bargained  for  his  land  with  the  land-agent 
at  Deerfield,  the  latter  said  he  would  not  go  out  to  the  North- 


Photo,  by  Popkins. 


^^t^i^-^  ^f < M /^^^<-^^^'>^.  ^  ^' 


Dr.  C.  M.  Duncan  was  born  in  Dummerston,  Vt.,  July  1,  1808. 
He  was  the  only  son  of  Dr.  Abel  Duncan,  who  was  emphatically  "  the 
beloved"  and  successful  physician  of  his  day  in  Southern  Vermont. 
He  was  left  to  the  care  and  training  of  his  mother  in  his  early  child- 
hood by  the  death  of  his  father,  who  fell  a  victim  to  the  "spotted 
fever"  epidemic,  in  March,  1813. 

Happily  for  the  boy  the  mother  was  equal  to  her  sacred  trust, 
being  a  woman  largely  endowed  with  the  many  virtues  and  capa- 
bilities of  the  superior  women  of  her  times.  The  mother  often  re- 
marked that  her  son  inherited  largely  some  of  the  distinguishing 
virtues  of  his  father,  conspicuously  his  strict  integrity,  good  judg- 
ment, and  large-heartedness ;  which,  perhaps,  combined  with  the 
quick  perceptions,  and  perseverance  and  faithful  training  from  his  j 
mother,  was  a  rich  legacy  not  available  to  every  young  man.  His  \ 
origin  dated  back  to  the  old  Puritan  stock,  his  maternal  great-grand-  I 
father  having  emigrated  from  Massachusetts  in  the  early  days,  and 
was  aland  agent,  helping  to  do  the  first  work  in  the  settlement  of 
towns  in  Southern  Vermont  and  New  Hampshire,  on  the  Connecticut 
River;  and  planted  himself,  at  length,  where  his  descendants  spread 
around  him,  like  the  mustard-tree  of  Scripture.  Dr.  Duncan's  boy- 
hood was  mostly  spent  on  the  farm  with  his  mother,  having  the 
advantage  of  good  common  schools,  with  now  and  then  a  term  at  the 
academy.  He  was  fond  of  his  books,  often  taking  them  into  the  field 
with  him,  and  would  sit  upon  the  plow  and  read  while  he  rested  his 
team;  sometimes  the  team  had  a  long  rest.  But  farming  was  not 
congenial  to  him,  and  he  early  settled  the  question  in  his  own  mind 
that  he  should  adopt  the  profession  of  his  father.  Probably  it  was 
an  inspiration  with  him  to  be  like  his  father,  whom  he  ever  heard 
spoken  of  as  a  man  superior  in  every  manly  virtue;  and,  possessing 
his  mother's  "can  do,"  with  the  "must  do"  of  the  times,  no  diffi- 
culty could  obstruct  his  onward  way. 

After  suitably  preparing  himself,  he  began  the  preliminary  studies 
of  medicine  with  the  resident  physician  in  the  near  neighborhood. 
Then  he  attended  medical  lectures  at  Boston,  and  Brunswick,  Me., 
and  at  length  took  his  diploma  at  Brunswick.  He  taught  district 
school  some,  which  is  or  was  so  often  the  dernier  rettort  of  the 
unfledged  professional  in  New  England,  and  traveled  some  before  he 
was  through  with  study. 

In  1833  he  was  married  to  the  woman  who  has  ever,  in  all  the 
subsequent  trial  years  no  less  than  the  prosperous  ones,  made  com- 
fort and  cheer  in  his  home, — the  mother  of  his  two  daughters  who,  to- 
day, enrich  his  heart  and  home  with  two  grandsons.  In  1834  he 
located  in  Phclburne,  Mass.;  a  few  solid  friends  held  up  his  hands; 
he  waited,  as  the  young  physician  full  often  must  wait.  But  time 
proved  with  him  that  patience  and  pluck  were  "stock  in  trade." 
He  waited  not  in  vain  ;  the  feeble  rootlets  gathered  strength,  striking 
down  and  reaching  out  into  the  rich  soil  and  affording  a  firm 
foundation  to  the  fair  superstructure  that  he,  in  patience  ami  alraust 
self-sacrificing  labor,  was  day  by  day  building.  Friends  gathered 
around  him  tried  and  true.  It  is  one  of  the  immutable  laws  that 
water  will  find   its  true  level,  and  the  patient  worker  in  the  un- 


mistakable path  of  humanity's  needs  at  length  ascends  the  mount. 
Who  so  naturally  and  so  surely  works  into  the  hearts  and  homes  of 
his  people?  We  love  and  venerate  our  pastor;  he  looks  after  the 
welfare  of  our  souls,  and  with  the  All  Father  we  trust  our  souls  there. 
Our  bodies  are  more  in  our  own  keeping,  and  the  moment  there  is  a 
screw  loose  here  we  fly  to  our  physician ;  he  heals  and  soothes  us :  he 
comes  within  our  homes,  we  take  him  to  our  hearts,  and  how  often 
the  tender-hearted,  sympathizing  physician  is  the  one  to  help  lift  the 
most  serious  and  oppressive  burdens  of  our  lives.  Thus,  often,  is  a 
compact  formed  tenderer,  stronger,  and  more  enduring  than  any  other 
in  our  human  needs.  How  true  has  this  been  with  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  in  his  forty  years  and  over  of  practice  in  the  good  town  of 
Shelburne ! 

In  that  time  he  has  seen  generations  pass  off  and  on  to  the  stage  of 
active  life;  he  has  administered  at  the  bedside  of  the  fathers  who 
stood  by  him  in  his  day  of  weakness  as  they  passed  on  over  the 
river.  The  strength  and  sinew  of  to  day  are  but  the  grown  children 
he  had  laid  upon  their  mothers'  bosoms  when  babes. 

He  grew  among  the  people  but  few  years  before  he  took  his  place 
among  the  leading  men  of  the  town,  and  was  ever  identified  with 
their  interests  in  all  the  questions  of  the  day.  For  more  than  twenty 
years  he  served  as  town  clerk  and  treasurer,  and  in  general  was 
sought  not  more  as  a  physician  than  as  friend  and  counselor.  Per- 
haps this  running  sketch  cannot  be  better  closed  than  in  the  fitting 
words  of  a  valued  friend  of  his,  in  a  congratulatory  letter  to  him  on 
his  seventieth  birthday,  which  occurred  July  1,  1S7S: 

"My  Dear  Friend,  Dr.  Dcscax: 

"How  much  time  have  you  to-day?  Will  this  letter  find  you  sur- 
rounded by  friends  as  your  good  wife  fondly  hoped  a  few  weeks  ago  ? 
If  so,  do  tell  those  friends  with  what  afltectionate  remembrance  you 
are  held  by  one  who  has  known  you  since  she  was  a  child  seven 
years  old. 

"  I  suppose  you  will  have  to  tell  them  she  is  now  on  the  shady 
side  of  fifty;  but  that  is  nothing,  since  you,  yourself,  must  own  to- 
day to  threescore  years  and  ten ;  and  I  congratulate  you  that  you 
have  a  retrospect  so  fair  to  look  upon,  a  lifetime  of  faithful,  earnest, 
conscientious  work, — work,  the  greatest  blessing  granted  to  mankind. 

"Let  me  congratulate  you  also  on  the  remarkable  vigor  and 
youthful  activity,  to  say  nothing  of  looks,  which  mark  this  era  of 
your  life.  One  sees  that  those  physical  laws  of  health,  the  necessity 
of  whose  obedience  you  teach  to  others,  have  not  been  violated  in 
your  own  case. 

•'Shelburne  has.  in  you,  been  blessed  these  more  than  forty  years 
with  a  good  physician,  a  good  citizen,  and  a  good  Democrat;  now 
you  know  how  very  rare  a  combination  that  is. 

"My  husband  desires  to  join  me  in  the  congratulations  suggested 
by  this  day,  and  to  beg  your  acceptance  of  this,  his  last  work,  as  a 
souvenir  of  the  pleasant  hours  he  has  spent  with  you;  and  we  both 
hope  this  anniversary  may  come  around  to  you  here  just  as  long  as 
you  can  greet  it  in  health  and  happiness." 


Photo,  by  Popkins. 


Stephen  Fellows  is  a  native  of  Shelburne,  Franklin  Co., 
Mass.  His  grandfather,  Samnel  Fellows,  who  was  one  of  the 
first  settlers  in  that  town,  served  under  General  Wolfe  at  the 
taking  of  Quebec  ;  was  the  chief  engineer  in  erecting  the 
fortifications,  and  the  second  man  to  enter  the  city  after 
its  surrender.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Congregational 
Church,  and  the  first  who  held  the  office  of  deacon  in  that 
society. 

John  Fellows,  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was 
born  May  11,  1751,  and  died  Oct.  29,  1831.  He  was  a  native 
of  Harvard,  Mass.,  and  came  to  Slielburno  with  his  father  at 
an  early  date.  He  was  a  carpenter  by  trade,  but  also  followed 
agricultural  pursuits.  He  was  a  captain  in  the  militia,  served 
a  number  of  years  in  tlie  Kevolutionary  war,  commanded  a 
company  at  the  battle  of  Stillwater,  and  was  present  at  the 
surrender  of  Burgoyne.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Congrega- 
tional Church,  and  an  earnest  and  consistent  Christian.  He 
married  Mary  Poole,  widow  of  Lieut.  J.  Poole,  Marcli  23, 
1778.  She  was  a  native  of  Connecticut,  and  was  born  June 
IG,  1754.  They  had  a  family  of  seven  children, — Susan,  born 
December,  1778;  John,  Jr.,  born  April  12,  1780  ;  Eunice,  born 
March  12,  1782;  Patty,  born  March  22,1784;  Joel,  born 
March  2,  1791  ;  Igal,  born  July  13,  1792;  and  Stephen,  born 
Dec.  30,  1797,  and  the  only  surviving  member  of  the  family. 
His  advantages,  educationally,  were  very  poor  and  limited  to 
an  irregular  attendance  of  the  common  schools  of  his  native 
town,  but  at  an  early  age  he  showed  a  dis))osition  to  make  his 
way  in  the  world,  and  manifested  the  courage  and  perse- 
verance which  conquers  all  obstacles.  When  seventeen  years 
old  he  went  to  Western  New  York,  then  a  comparatively  new 
country,  traveling  the  entire  distance,  from  Shelburne  to 
Sodus,  Ontario*  Co.,  N.  Y.,  on  foot,  carrying  his  clothing,  etc., 
and  having  barely  enough  money  to  pay  his  necessary  ex- 
penses. He  remained  in  Ontario  County  a  few  months, 
and  in  August  of  the  same  year  went  by  way  of  Niagara 
Falls  to  Queenstown,  and   thence   to   Long  Point  in  Upper 

*  Now  Wttyoe. 


Canada,  where  he  found  employment  and  remained  until  the 
winter  set  in,  when  he  returned  to  Shelburne,  traveling,  as 
before,  afoot.  He  remained  at  home  but  a  year,  and  then 
returned  to  Long  Point,  where  for  a  year  he  worked  at  the 
carpenter  trade.  This  second  journey  was  made  on  horseback, 
— a  rapid  and  easy  mode  of  traveling  compared  with  that  of 
his  first  trip,  but  how  difl^srent  from  the  facilities  of  the 
present  day  !  Subsequently  he  went  to  Fort  Maiden,  Canada. 
The  journey  was  made  on  Lake  Erie  in  a  log  canoe,  in  which 
he  also  carried  his  chest  of  carpenter's  tools,  weighing  five 
hundred  pounds.  There  he  remained  a  year,  at  the  expiration 
of  which  he  returned  to  Shelburne  and  lived  with  his  parents 
until  their  decease.  In  1832  he  removed  to  his  present  resi- 
dence, purchasing  the  farm  of  one  liundred  and  fifty  acres ; 
since  when  he  has  steadily  pursued  the  business  of  farming, 
taking  a  special  interest  in  sheep-raising,  and  for  fifty  years 
has  fed  slieep  for  the  markets.  Mr.  Fellows  has  been  active 
in  public  service  in  the  town,  and  has  discharged  the  duties 
of  the  offices  to  which  he  has  been  called  with  integrity  and 
fidelity.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the  board  of  selectmen 
a  great  many  terms,  assessor  a  number  of  years,  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  school  committee.  He  has  been  connected  with 
the  Congregational  Church  forty-seven  years,  and  is  a  true 
Christian.  He  also  has  been  a  member  of  the  Masonic  lodge 
fifty-five  years,  and  actively  interested  therein.  He  held  a 
commission  of  captaincy  in  the  militia,  and  is  still  known 
among  his  friends  and  townsmen  as  Capt.  Fellows.  He  has 
now  passed  his  eighty-first  birthday,  but  is  in  compara- 
tively good  health,  and  retains  a  good  deal  of  his  youthful 
energy. 

Mr.  Fellows  was  married,  in  December,  1826,  to  Abigail, 
daughter  of  Amos  Allen,  of  Shelburne,  by  whom  he  had  five 
children, — Mary  A.,  born  March  21,  1828;  John,  born  Aug. 
20,  1829;  Miranda  A.,  born  July  11,  1831;  Marcellus,  born 
June  3,  1834;  and  Marion,  born  Aug.  22,  1838. 

Mrs.  Fellows  died  May  6,  1863.  He  married  for  his  second 
wife,  in  1865,  Mrs.  Alvord,  who  died  in  1871. 


HISTORY  OF   FRANKLIN   COUNTY. 


C45 


west  for  all  the  land  there,  and  told  Lawson  to  take  his  50  acres 
where  he  found  a  place  to  suit  him.  Subsequently,  Lawson 
bought  land  enough,  at  the  price  of  a  yard  of  clothi  for  an 
acre  of  land,  to  make  200  acres,  and  the  farm  thus  acquired  is 
now  known  as  the  Hardy  farm. 

Stories  of  the  hardsliips  of  the  early  settlers,  of  their  strange 
and  hazardous  experiences,  of  the  stirring  events,  and  of  the 
difficulties  which  beset  the  mothers  and  fathers  of  Shelburne, 
would  till  volumes,  but  they  would  repeat  simply  the  old 
story,  which  has  often  been  told  about  first  settlers  in  every 
new  country.  They  faced  with  brave  hearts  the  burdens,  the 
trials,  and  the  troubles  of  a  frontier  life,  and  steadily  held 
their  course, — not  without,  perhaps,  many  a  gleam  of  comfort, 
and  even  pleasure,  but  mainly,  it  is  probable,  partaking  of 
the  unpalatable  fruits  of  existence. 

In  February,  1780,  the  settlers  in  Shelburne,  north  of  the 
Deerfield  River,  were  as  follows :  In  the  northwest,  Joseph 
Whitney,  Joseph  Whitney,  Jr.,  Ephraim  Burrows,  Samuel 
Fisk,  Ebenezer  Fisk,  Levi  Fisk,  Ebenezer  Fisk,  Jr.,  Deacon 
Ghilds,  Asa  Childs,  John  Barnard,  Daniel  W.  Wilder,  Elijah 
Severance,  John  Wells,  Elisha  Hinsdale,  Doctor  Childs,  Sam- 
uel Murdock,  Samuel  Hunter,  Oliver  Holland,  William  and 
Thomas  Anderson,  Arcliibald  and  John  Lawson,  Joseph 
Hosley,  Stephen  Long,  James  Heaton,  David  Hosley,  and 
Samuel  Wilson.  In  the  west.  Deacon  and  Ebenezer  Allis, 
Jr.,  Martin  and  Martin  Severance,  Jr.,  Jonathan,  Aaron,  and 
Elisha  Wood,  James  Shays,  Widow  Dodge,  Ezekiel,  Na- 
thaniel, Azariah,  and  Samuel  Dodge,  Jr.,  John  Burdick, 
Joseph  Tubbs,  and  Daniel  Dodge.  In  the  centre,  Moses 
Smith,  Jared  Skinner,  Daniel  Nims,  John,  Benjamin,  and 
Keuel  Allen,  Lawrence  Kemp,  Luke  Taylor,  John  Ransom, 
John  Long,  John  Boyd,  Amasa  Kemp,  and  John  Anderson. 
In  the  northeast,  John  and  Alexander  Thompson,  Robert  and 
James  Wilson,  Sylvanus  Allen,  Alexander  Clark,  John  Stuart, 
Sylvanus  Nash,  Hugh  McGill,  Theodore  Barnard,  Aaron 
Skinner,  Daniel  Worthington,  Adonijah  Atherton,  Benjamin 
Miller,  and  John  Battis.  In  the  east,  Capt.  Wells,  David 
Wells,  Jr.,  Newton,  Jabez,  Eliphalet,  Calvin,  and  Hazael 
Ransom,  Samuel  Boyd,  Abner  Nims,  Ebenezer  Neweomb, 
William  Neweomb,  Stephen  Kellogg,  David  Long,  William 
Boyd,  John  Taylor,  Zeeb  Taylor,  John  Taylor,  Jr.,  Abraham 
Edwards,  and  Jason  Cady.  In  the  southeast,  Moses  Hawks, 
James,  Eliphalet,  and  Haines  Graves,  Enoch,  Ebenezer,  Job, 
Gideon,  and  Reuben  Bardwell,  William  Bibber,  Mr.  Pitch, 
Joshua  and  Samuel  Knight,  Benjamin  Randall,  and  James 
Butler.  Near  Charlemont  road.  Deacon  Samuel  and  Thomas 
Fellows,  Richard  Peck,  David  Boyd,  Jeremiah  Foster,  Daniel 
and  Thaddeus  Merrill,  Samuel  Pool,  John  Fellows,  Benjamin 
Nash,  Parker  Dole,  Job  Coleman,  Josiah  W.  Severance, 
Thomas  Drury,  Reuben  Nims,  Caleb  Thayer,  Roger  Haskell, 
Levi  Kemp,  John  Heaton,  James  Taft,  Simeon  and  Elijah 
Wells,  Widow  Bates,  Hazael  Jones,  Abraham  Blodgett. 

EAKLY    ROADS. 

Among  the  earliest  roads  laid  out  was  one  from  Greenfield 
bounds  to  the  east  road  leading  to  Coleraine,  in  1709  ;  in  the 
same  year  also  one  from  Daniel  Nims'  farm  to  Coleraine 
bounds.  In  1771  one  from  Charlemont  road,  on  Dragon 
Hill,  to  the  meeting-house,  one  from  Ebenezer  Bardwell's  to 
the  county  road,  and  one  from  Charlemont  road  southwest  to 
Daniel  Belding's  farm.  In  1772  one  from  John  Hawks'  to 
the  meeting-house,  one  from  Josiah  Severance's  to  the  meet- 
ing-house, and  one  from  the  Bernardston  line  south.  Other 
early  roads  were  one  from  Conway  line,  by  Lieut.  Foster's 
house,  across  the  Deerfield  River  to  Charlemont  road,  "east 
of  Lieut.  Pool's  saw-mill;"  one  from  the  log  meeting-house 
to  a  road  leading  across  Moses  Smith's  lot ;  one  from  the 
Charlemont  road  to  John  Eaton's  (or  Heaton's)  lot,  and  then 
to  Deerfield  River ;  one  from  Charlemont  road,  on  Dragon 
Hill,  by  Isaac  Porster's  and  Dr.  Long's,  to  the  road  leading 


from  John  Boyd's  to  the  meeting-house;  and  one  from  the 
meeting-house  by  John  Anderson's  and  Elijah  Severance's  to 
a  road  leading  from  Mr.  Fisk's  to  the  Charlemont  road. 

In  1779  it  was  proposed  to  bridge  tlie  Deerfield  River  be- 
tween Shelburne  and  Conway,  and  the  General  Court  was 
petitioned  to  grant  a  lottery,  by  which  money  for  the  bridge 
was  to  be  raised.  Newton  Ransom  and  Thos.  Drury  were  to 
be  paid  £200  for  building  two-thirds  of  the  bridge,  and  tliey 
were  to  be  paid  in  wheat,  at  4s.  a  bushel. 

This  plan  for  securing  a  bridge  proved  a  failure,  but  in 
1789  it  was  tried  again,  and  successfully,  according  to  indica- 
tions in  the  town  records.  Long  before  this  there  was  a  foot- 
bridge at  the  falls,  thrown  across  by  Jonathan  Wood,  the 
builder  of  the  first  mill  at  that  point,  for  the  accommodation 
of  his  patrons. 

REVOLUTIONARY    RECOLLECTIONS. 

In  1773  the  district  appointed  Messrs.  Samuel  Fellows,  David 
Wells,  Robert  Wilson,  Ebenezer  Fisk,  John  Taylor,  Stephen 
Kellogg,  and  Moses  Hawks  a  committee  to  consult  upon  the 
resolves  of  the  House  of  Representatives,  and  their  report  was 
subsequently  transmitted  to  Boston. 

In  1774,  Minute-Men  were  promised  l.s.  in  lawful  money 
for  each  half-day  spent  in  training,  two  half-days  each  week 
for  four  weeks,  and  such  as  failed  to  report  twice  a  week  were 
to  be  fined  2.s.  for  each  half-day  tliey  missed. 

In  1775  the  committee  of  correspondence  consisted  of  David 
Wells,  Ebenezer  Allis,  John  Wells,  Robert  Wilson,  Stephen 
Kellogg,  Aaron  Skinner,  and  John  Burdick.  In  that  year 
Samuel  Fellows  was  chosen  to  attend  the  Congress  at  Water- 
town.  The  General  Court  was  also  requested  "  to  petition 
the  Continental  Congress  to  have  them  take  some  of  the  wages 
of  the  officers  of  our  army." 

In  1776  it  was  voted  that  "this  town  will  stand  by  the 
Honorable  Continental  Congre.ss  with  their  lives  and  fortunes, 
if  their  Honors  think  it  expedient  to  declare  us  independent  of 
the  kingdom  of  Great  Britain,  for  the  safety  of  our  rights  and 
privileges." 

Early  in  1777  the  district  refused  to  raise  any  money  to  hire 
Continental  soldiers,  but  shortly  thereafter  began  to  ofter  a 
bounty  of  £18  each  for  three  years'  men,  £6  to  be  paid  upon 
the  man's  parsing  muster,  and  £G  annually  afterward.  Ste- 
phen Kellogg's  negro  man,  Charles,  was  one  of  the  recruits, 
and  it  was  agreed  that  he  should  have  as  much  as  the  others. 
A  committee  of  five  men  was  chosen  "  to  prosecute  all  breaches 
of  an  act  in  addition  to  and  for  amending  and  more  effectually 
carrying  into  efiect  an  act  entitled  an  act  to  prevent  monopoly 
and  oppression,  and  of  the  act  preventing  monopoly  and  op- 
pression." 

The  last  district  meeting  called  in  his  Majesty's  name  was 
held  in  February,  1776. 

In  1779  the  district  resolved  to  take  the  oath  of  allegiance 
to  the  United  States  of  America,  and  declared  that  all  persons 
refusing  to  take  it  should  be  prosecuted  according  to  law. 
The  General  Court  was  petitioned  touching  the  district's  de- 
linquency of  Continental  soldiers,  and  in  1780  renewed  efforts 
to  secure  men  were  made  by  oftering  £100  per  man  for  three 
months'  men,  and  £200  for  six  months'  men. 

As  an  evidence  of  the  district's  determination  to  be  perse- 
veringly  patriotic,  a  vote  in  1779  recorded  that  "this  town 
will  agree  as  a  town  in  raising  soldiers  from  the  beginning  to 
the  end  of  the  war." 

In  1783  it  was  voted, — 

"  Wliereas,  tliis  town  received  a  resolve  of  the  town  of  Boston  respecting  the 
return  of  conspirators  and  absentees  to  the  State,  therefore  be  it  voted  that  this 
town  will  at  all  times,  as  it  has  done  to  tiie  utmost  of  their  power,  oppose  every 
enemy  to  the  just  rights  and  liberties  of  mankind,  and  it  is  the  opinion  of  tliis 
town  that  those  conspirators  and  absentees  ought  never  to  be  suffered  to  return, 
but  to  be  excluded  from  having  a  lot  or  portion  among  us.'' 

Among  the  citizens  of  Shelburne  who  fought  in  the  war  of 
the  Revolution  were  Martin  Severance,  Samuel  Severance, 


646 


HISTORY   OP   TUB   CONNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


David  Anderson,  James  Anderson,  Abner  Peck,  Col.  David 
Wells,  John  Fellows,  Lieut.  Jacob  Pool,  Samuel  Smead, 
Deacon  William  Long,  Stephen  Long,  Reuben  Bardwell, 
Benjamin  Nash,  Dr.  John  Long  (ai'ni}'  surgeon),  Asa  Nims, 
and  Elisha  Barnard  (who  was  jiresent.  at  the  execution  of 
Maj.  Andre,  the  spy)- 

In  1814  a  draft  was  ordered  for  troops  to  march  to  Boston. 
Capt.  Thaddeus  Merrill  conducted  the  draft,  and  fourteen 
men  were  drawn,  as  follows;  Stebbins  Allen,  Daniel  Ander- 
son, David  Anderson  (2d),  Medad  Bardwell,  Ira  Barnard, 
George  Bull,  George  W.  Carpenter,  Thomas  Goodnow,  David 
Long,  Alexander  Fisk,  William  McCallister,  Samuel  Nims, 
William  Phillips,  Jesse  Wil.son. 

The  town  voted,  in  July,  1812,  that  "  under  existing  cir- 
cumstances we  will  not  support  a  war  and  tight  Great  Britain, 
and  that  we  will  not  form  an  ofl'cnsive  alliance  with  France." 
William  Wells  was  then  chosen  to  attend  the  peace  conven- 
tion at  Northampton. 

At  the  same  meeting  the  records  relate, — 

"Counted  pools  on  the  subject  of  war,  and  there  were  ninety-seven;  and 
Samuel  Dodge,  Amos  Allen,  Stephen  Taylor,  and  Natlian  Drui-y  voted  against 
the  war  measure." 

NOTEWORTHY    INCIDENTS. 

The  first  child  born  in  "Northwest"  (afterward  Shelburne) 
was  a  daughter  to  Archibald  Lawson,  for  many  years  previ- 
ous to  her  death  known  as  the  Widow  Nancy  Long. 

Shelburne  has  suffered  many  periods  of  general  and  fatal 
sickness  among  its  inhabitants,  notably  during  the  years  of 
1777,  1802,  1803,  1808,  and  1814.  In  the  former  year  no  less 
than  sixty-six  persons  died  within  a  space  of  fifty-three  days. 
The  town  is  a  remarkably  healthful  locality  as  a  rule,  and  up 
to  1868  had  recorded  the  deaths  within  its  borders  of  twenty- 
six  persons  who  had  lived  to  be  over  ninety  years  of  age. 

In  1788,  Shelburne  was  visited  with  a  violent  hurricane, 
which  cau.sed  wide-spread  destruction,  and,  leveling  forests, 
fences,  and  dwellings,  entailed  a  great  loss  of  property,  but 
exacted,  happily,  no  sacrifice  of  human  life. 

Concerning  the  times  when  slaveholding  obtained  in  this 
country,  it  is  told  that  a  fugitive  slave  from  New  York 
took  up  his  residence  in  Shelburne,  whence  he  was,  how- 
ever, kidnapped  by  those  who  were  in  search  of  him,  and 
carried  ofl'  toward  New  York.  Shelburne  was  aroused  to  re- 
sentment, and  a  party,  starting  in  pursuit  of  captors  and  cap- 
tured, rescued  the  negro  and  restored  him  to  Shelburne,  where 
he  was  allowed  to  remain  unmolested  until  his  death. 

Until  1822  the  people  of  Shelburne  were  obliged  to  go  to 
Greenfield  for  their  mail,  but  in  that  year  a  postal  station  of 
their  own  was  established. 

When  the  town  used  to  pay  for  the  services  of  its  repre- 
sentative at  the  General  Court,  there  was  frequently  a  dis- 
inclination to  a  re))resentative,  but  a  fine  imposed  in  1788 
for  a  failure  to  choose  one  that  year  effected  a  permanent 
cure  of  that  species  of  neglect. 

Shelburne  has  been  the  birthplace  of  many  who  have  dis- 
tinguished themselves  as  missionaries  in  foreign  lands,  the 
most  notable  of  these  being  Fidelia  Fisk  and  Rev.  Pliny  Fisk, 
who  died  in  Syria  in  1825.  It  is  worthy  of  mention,  too,  that 
Epaphroditus  KaiLsom,  once  Governor  of  Michigan,  was  born 
in  Shelburne. 

Shelburne  took  an  active  part  in  Shays'  rebellion,  and  fur- 
nished much  aid  in  the  way  of  troops  for  the  government  serv- 
ice. One  of  Shelburne's  citizens — John  Hunter  by  name — 
was  among  those  killed  in  the  insurgent  ranks  on  the  occasion 
of  Shays'  attack  upon  Springfield,  in  1787.  Jacob  Walker, 
of  Whately,  who  was  killed  by  Parmenter — a  Shays  rebel — 
while  attempting  the  capture  of  the  latter  in  Bernardston, 
was  the  man  who  completed  the  building  of  the  second  meet- 
ing-house in  Shelburne,  erected  in  Shelburne  Centre. 

Shelburne  boasted  once  a  weekly  newspaper  publication, 
called  the  Shelburne  Falls  Stfmdanl,  which  was  started  at  the 


village  of  Shelburne  Falls  in  1877  by  Maj.  Fleming.  It 
struggled  through  a  feeble  existence,  and  finally  expired  about 
six  months  after  the  date  of  its  first  issue. 

June  21,  1808,  one  hundred  years  after  the  incorporation  of 
Shelburne,  the  town  celebrated  its  centennial  anniversary 
with  jiuhlic  rejoicings,  speeches,  feasting,  and  nuisical  exercises. 

ORGANIZATION. 

Early  in  1708  the  inhabitants  of  "Deerfield  Northwest" 
petitioned  Deerfield  to  be  set  off  as  a  separate  district,  but  the 
petition  was  rejected.  A  second  one,  however,  met  with  a 
better  fate,  and  was  granted  May  !)th  of  that  year,  and,  on  the 
21st  of  June  following,  the  General  Court  incorporated  the 
district  of  Shelburne,  and  in  1780  the  district  became  a  town, 
under  the  act  of  that  year.  The  name  was  chosen  in  honor 
of  William  Fitz-Maurice,  of  England,  second  earl  of  Shel- 
burne, who,  in  return,  sent  a  church-bell,  which,  however, 
never  reached  Shelburne.  The  tract  incorporated  included  a 
section  of  land  on  the  south  side  of  Deerfield  River,  but  this 
portion  was,  in  1780,  set  off  to  Conway. 

The  first  district-meeting  was  held  at  the  house  of  Daniel 
Nims,  Oct.  31,  1768,  and  the  ofBcers  elected  were  as  follows: 
John  Taylor,  Moderator;  John  Wells,  Clerk;  Ebenezer  Fi.<k, 
Constable;  John  Taylor,  John  Wells,  and  Robert  Wilson, 
Selectmen;  Stephen  Kellogg,  Treasurer;  Stephen  Kellogg  and 
Samuel  Fisk,  Wardens  ;  Lawrence  Kemp,  Tithingman  ;  Sam'l 
Hunter  and  John  Wells,  Deer-Reeves ;  Daniel  Nims,  Sealer 
of  Weights  and  Mea.sures  ;  Robert  Wilson,  Sealer  of  Leather  ; 
John  Heaton,  John  Thompson,  and  Daniel  Nims,  Surveyors 
of  Highways;  Thomas  Wells  and  Alex.  Clark,  Hog-Reeves; 
Ebenezer  Fisk  and  .lohn  Taylor,  Howards. 

Appended  hereto  will  be  found  the  names  of  the  persons 
who  have  served  Shelburne  as  selectmen  and  town  clerks 
from  1768  to  1879: 

.SELECTMEN. 

1708-69.— John  Taylor,  John  Wells,  Robert  Wilson. 

1770. — Moses  Hawks,  John  Wells,  Agiippa  Wells. 

1771. — Moses  Hixwks,  John  Taylor,  Agrippa  Wells. 

1772.— John  Wells,  Robert  Wilson,  Eben  Fisk. 

1773.— David  Wells,  Hubert  Wilson,  Samuel  Fellows.  - 

1774. — John  Wells,  David  Wells,  Moses  Hawks. 

1775. — Robert  Wilson,  David  Wells,  Aaron  Skinner. 

1776.— Robert  Wilson,  John  Wells,  Sanniel  Fellows. 

1777. — Robert  Wilson,  Aaron  Skinner,  Ebenezer  Cliilds. 

1778. — John  Long,  John  Wells,  Aaron  Skinner,  John  Taylor,  Lawrence  Kemp. 

1779. — Robert  Wilson,  Aaron  Skinner,  John  Long. 

1780. — John  Wells,  Aaron  Skinner,  John  Long. 

1781.— Robeit  Wilam,  Ebenezer  AUis,  John  Taylor. 

1782. — Robeit  Wilson,  Aaron  Skinner,  John  Wells. 

1783. — Benjamin  Naah,  Aaron  Skinner,  John  Long. 

1784. — John  Wells,  Aaron  Skinner,  Robert  Wilson. 

1785. — John  Wells,  John  Long,  Benjamin  N.ash. 

1786. — Robert  Wilson,  John  Long,  Benjamin  Nash. 

1787. — David  Long,  John  Burdiek,  Elieriezer  Newcomb. 

1788. — John  Burdiek,  Ale.x.  Thompson,  Asa  Childs. 

1789. — John  Burdiek,  Alex.  Thonipsou,  Robeit  Wilson. 

1790.— Samuel  Boyd,  Ale.\.  Thompson,  John  Wells. 

1791. — Samuel  Boyd,  Aaron  Skinner,  Benjamin  Niush. 

1792. — Theodore  Barnard,  Aaron  Skinner,  Benjamin  Nash. 

1793. — Adonijah  Atlieiton,  Aaron  Skinner,  Thomas  Drury. 

1794. — Adonijah  Atliei  tun,  Moses  Hawks,  Samuel  Boyd. 

1795. — John  Fellows,  Moses  Hawks,  .Tared  Skinner. 

179G. — Samuel  Boyd,  Moses  Hawks,  William  Kemp. 

1797. — Martin  Severance,  Jr.,  Moses  Hawks,  Samuel  Fisk. 

1798. — Jabez  Ransom,  Moses  Hawks,  Isaac  Winter. 

1799. — Solomon  Severance,  Moses  Hawks,  Ebenezer  Fisk,  Jr. 

1800. — Samuel  Boyd,  Moses  Hawks,  Solomon  Fellows. 

1801. — Col.  Long,  Moses  Hawks,  Reuben  Nims. 

1802. — David  Anderson,  Moses  Hawks,  Aaron  Long. 

1803. — William  Wells,  Moses  Hawks,  Asa  Nims. 

1804. — Amos  Allen,  Moses  Hawks,  Eiiphalet  Stratton. 

1805. — John  Fellows,  Moses  Hawks,  Julia  Kellogg. 

1.S06. — Solomon  Fellows,  John  Stewart,  Capt.  Allis. 

1807. — Solomon  Fellows,  John  Stewart,  Solomon  Il.awks. 

1808. — Ebenezer  Childs,  James  Dickinson,  Solomon  ILiwks. 

1809. — John  Fellows,  Solomon  Severance,  Solomon  Hawks. 

1810. — Solomon  Hawks,  Constantino  Hardy,  Adonijah  Atlierton. 

1811. — Solomon  Hawks,  Constantine  HiU'dy,  John  Fdlows. 

1S12. — Ebenezer  Cbih's,  Mai  tin  Severance,  Giles  Lyman. 


U/^CA^   ^^^i^^-^^ 


Photo,  by  Popkius. 


Oscar  Baedwell  is  a  native  of  the  State  of 
New  York,  and  is  the  fourth  child  of  Wm.  E.  and 
Melinda  Waite  Bardwell. 

Wm.  E.  Bardwell  was  born  in  Shelburne,  Frank- 
lin Co.,  Mass.,  Sept.  16,  1791.  He  was  a  farmer 
by  occupation,  and  as  a  man  was  highly  esteemed. 
He  was  married  to  Melinda  Waite,  of  Gilmington, 
N.  H.,  in  1813.  She  was  born  in  August,  1791. 
They  were  blessed  with  a  family  of  eight  children. 
Oscar  Bardwell  was  born  in  Ontario  County, 
N.  Y.,  June  3,  1821.  Although  not  a  native-  of 
Shelburne  he  has  been  a  resident  of  that  town 
during  the  greater  part  of  his  life,  and  was  edu- 
cated in  the  common  schools  and  the  Academy  of 
Shelburne  Falls.  He  resides  upon  the  farm  for- 
merly owned  by  his  father,  and  is  one  of  the  most 


successful,  thorougli,  and  enterprising  farmers  in 
that  section.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Congrega- 
tional Church  of  Shelburne,  and  an  earnest  sup- 
porter of  the  cause  of  religion,  and  particularly 
interested  in  the  Sunday-school  connected  with  the 
church,  of  which  he  has  been  superinteudent  three 
years.  In  politics  Mr.  Bardwell  is  a  Republican, 
and  takes  an  intelligent  interest  in  all  the  questions 
of  the  day,  but  has  never  been  an  office-seeker. 

He  married  his  first  wife,  Hannah  Peck,  daughter 
of  Peter  Peck,  of  Shelburne,  June  10,  1852.  He 
married  his  present  wife,  Amanda  Whiting  Kellogg, 
relict  of  Captain  Henry  Kellogg,  of  Illinois,  on 
the  10th  of  November,  1874.  By  this  union  he 
has  one  child,  Ethel  Hannah,  born  April  15, 
1877. 


Pliuto.  by  Popkins. 


^«»|. 


^^-^v  00^ 


Col.  David  Wells  was  born  in  Shelburne,  Franklin  Co.,  Mass.,  on 
the  place  where  he  now  resides,  Dec.  18,  1797.  His  grandfather  (who 
was  also  a  Col.  David  Wells)  was  a  native  of  Connecticut,  and  was 
born  in  Colchester  on  the  20th  of  September,  1723.  He  removed  with 
his  family  to  Shelburne  in  1772,  and  settled  on  the  farm  now  owned 
by  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  He  held  the  rank  of  colonel  in  the 
militia,  and  took  an  active  part  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  during 
which  he  displayed  a  character  of  great  daring  and  bravery;  he 
commanded  a  regiment  at  the  battle  of  Ticonderoga,  and  also  at 
Stillwater,  and  was  present  at  the  surrender  of  Burgoyne.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Continental  Congress,  and  in  many  ways  rendered 
his  country  valuable  service.  We  quote  the  following  from  an 
obituary  notice  in  a  Greenfield  paper  as  a  fitting  tribute  to  his 
memory:  "Died  at  Shelburne,  on  the  10th  inst.  (Jan.,  1814),  Col. 
David  Wells,  in  the  ninety-first  year  of  his  age.  The  life  of  Col. 
Wells  was  jirotracted  to  a  length  which  is  granted  to  but  few  of  our 
countrymen,  and  was  distinguished  by  an  activity  which  is  rarely  to 
be  met  with  among  men  of  his  station.  He  took  an  active  part  in 
the  Revolutionary  contest,  and  was  one  of  those  patriots  who  pledged 
their  lives  and  fortunes  in  establishing  our  national  independence; 
nor  was  his  mind  so  engrossed  by  civil  affairs  as  to  be  unoccupied  by 
those  of  an  ecclesiastical  nature.  He  ofificiated  as  deacon  in  the  church 
of  Christ  in  that  town  for  many  years,  and  was  as  constant  an 
attendant  upon  the  ordinances  of  the  gospel  as  the  infirmities  of 
extreme  age  would  permit,  enjoying  the  use  of  strong  mental  powers 
which  were  little  if  any  impaired  till  a  short  time  before  his 
decease.  He  ever  exhibited,  both  in  precept  and  example,  a  life  of 
integrity  and  piety,  and  when  we  reflect  upon  the  virtues  that  adorned 
the  life  of  this  man,  we  think  that  his  aged  widow,  his  children,  and 
a  large  circle  of  relatives  must  be  led  to  yield  a  more  cheerful 
acquiescence  in  this  dispensation  of  a  righteous  Providence,  trusting 
that  what  they  deem  to  be  their  loss  will  prove  his  gain." 

Col.  Wells  was  married  in  Colchester  on  the  19th  of  January,  1749, 
to  Mary  Taintor.  She  was  born  on  the  17th  of  November,  1727,  and 
died  on  the  10th  of  December,  1S15,  aged  eighty-nine  years.  Their 
son,  William  Wells  (father  of  the  subject  of  this  notice),  was  born  in 
Colchester  on  the  27th  of  July,  1767,  and  was  but  five  years  of  ago 
when  he  came  with  his  father  to  Shelburne.     At  an  early  age  he  was 


imbued  with  the  principles  of  honor  and  integrity,  and  manifested 
those  traits  of  character  for  which  he  was  distinguished  in  later  years. 
Physically  he  was  a  man  of  commanding  presence,  in  manners 
social  and  urbane,  and  readily  won  the  respect  and  esteem  of  his 
associates.  He  held  a  commission  as  captain  in  the  militia  and 
served  about  thirty  sessions  in  the  Legislature,  besides  rendering 
service  to  the  town  as  chairman  of  the  board  of  selectmen,  in  which 
capacity  he  acted  sixteen  years,  and  also  in  other  minor  local  offices.  In 
1812  he  was  a  delegate  to  the  Northampton  convention  appointed  to 
divide  Hampshire  County.  In  public  life  pure,  in  private  life  above 
reproach,  he  will  long  be  remembered  as  one  t»f  the  most  worthy  and 
influential  of  the  old  residents  of  Franklin  County.  He  died  on  the 
11th  of  July,  1848,  He  was  married,  on  the  Sth  of  December,  1794, 
to  Prudence,  daughter  of  Rev.  Eleazer  May,  of  Haddam,  Conn.  She 
was  born  on  the  14th  of  September,  17fiS,  and  died  in  her  ninety- 
fourth  year  (May  16,  1862).  To  them  there  were  born  nine  children, 
of  whom  only  four  are  living  at  the  present  time  (March,  1879). 
Of  this  family,  David  is  the  second  son  and  child ;  he  received  his 
education  in  the  common  schools  of  his  native  town,  and  from  boy- 
hood to  the  present  time  his  occupation  has  been  that  of  a  farmer, 
but  with  agricultural  pursuits  he  has  combined  active  service  in  pro- 
moting all  the  best  interests  of  the  community  in  which  he  lives. 
He  held  the  rank  of  colonel  in  the  militia,  for  six  years  was  special 
commissioner,  has  served  as  member  and  chairman  of  the  board  of 
selectmen  for  many  years,  and  has  also  held  other  local  offices  of 
trust.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican,  as  have  been  all  the  members 
of  the  family  since  the  organization  of  that  party.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Unitarian  society  of  Greenfield,  and,  although  not  as  dis- 
tinguished in  public  service  as  were  his  father  and  grandfather,  he 
exerts  a  strong  influence  in  the  social,  educational,  and  religious 
interests  of  the  community,  and  is  respected  and  esteemed  by  all  who 
know  him.  The  family  are  remarkable  for  longevity,  and  although 
Mr.  Wells  has  passed  his  eighty-first  birthday,  and  but  just  recovered 
from  a  severe  illness,  he  still  possesses  to  a  fair  degree  bodily  vigor 
and  mental  powers. 

He  was  married  on  the  20th   of  July,  18.'^2,  to  Francis   Helena,  ^ 
daughter  of  Amariah  Thwing,  of  Conway,  by  whom  he  has  had  five 
chihlreoj^four  daughters  and  one  son. 


HISTORY  OP  FRANKLIN   COUNTY. 


647 


1S13. — Ebenezer  CliiliU,  Sjlomin  Fyllows,  Giles  Lyman . 
1S14.— Williivm  Wells,  Amos  AUeu,  John  Fello  \V3. 
ISlo.— WiUi.im  Wells,  Amos  Allen,  Robert  Barilwell. 
IslG. — Solumou  FcUnws,  Amos  Allen,  Giles  Lyman. 
1817. — William  Wells,  James  Dickinson,  Israel  Childs. 
1818. — William  Wells,  Salah  Severance,  Isaac  Dole. 
1819.— William  Wells,  Parker  Dole,  Israel  Childs. 
1S20.— William  Wells,  Elihu  Sniead,  Ira  Arms. 
1821.— William  Wells,  Rufus  risk,  Joel  Nims. 
1822.— William  Wells,  Elihu  Smead,  Jos.  Merrill . 
1823. — Daniel  Fisk,  Giles  Lyman,  Joel  Bardwell. 
1824.— William  Wells,  Jos.  Merrill,  Davi.l  Long,  Jr. 
182,').— William  Wells,  Thatldeus  Merrill,  David  Lon^',  Jr. 
182G.— William  Wells,  Tiiaddeus  Merrill,  Joel  Bardwell. 
1S27. — William  Wells,  Tiiaddeus  Merrill,  Oliver  Smead. 
1S2S.— William  Wells,  Ira  Arms,  Joel  Banlwell. 
1829-30. — William  Long,  .Ir.,  Ira  Arms,  Joel  Bardwell. 
1831,- William  Long,  Jr.,  David  Wells,  Joel  Bardwell. 
18.32. — William  Long,  Jr.,  Asa  Severance,  Joel  Bardwell. 
1.8:i3-34.— William  Wells,  Wm.  Long,  Jr.,  Ajiollos  Barnard. 
183.0. — Ira  Arms,  Gad  Townsley,  Gurdon  Jones. 
18:iC.— Davi.l  Wells,  Abuer  Peck,  Jr.,  John  H.  Morse. 
1837.— David  Wells,  Asa  Severance,  William  E.  Bardwell. 
18:!8.— Darid  Wells,  David  Fisk  (2d),  Joseph  Anderson. 
18:19.— Davi.l  Wells,  David  Fisk  (2d),  Abram  Wilcox. 
1840. — Jacob  P.  Kellogg,  James  Bishop,  Joseph  Merrill,  Jr. 
1S41. — J.  P.  Kellogg,  James  Anderson,  J.  Merrill,  Jr. 
1842. — William  Long,  Jr.,  James  Bishop,  ApoUos  Barnard. 
1843. — Joel  Bardwell,  James  Bishop,  Stephen  Fellows . 
1844.^.  B.  Bardwell,  Joseph  Sweet,  David  Wells. 
l.^Jo. — Asa  Severance,  Reuben  Xims,  D.  Wells. 
1846-47.— Asa  Severance,  John  Hardy,  D.  Wells. 
184S.— Zera  Hawks,  J.  B.  Whitney,  .Abner  Peck. 
1849.— Ebenezer  Bardwell,  J.  B.  Whitney,  Abner  Pock. 
18.'»0. — Isa;ic  J.  Hawks,  Zcra  Hawks,  Stephen  Fellows. 
1851.- IsMC  J.  Hawks,  S.  L.  Bardwell,  Hem-y  Wells. 
1852. — Stephen  Fellows,  .loseph  Merrill,  Ruel  Severance. 
1853. — Joseph  Merrill,  Ira  W.  Barnard,  Rodplphus  White. 
1.8.04. — William  Long,  .Jr.,  Nathaniel  Lamson,  Joseph  .Sweet. 
18.55. — Nathaniel  Lamson,  Joseph  Sweet,  0.  0.  Bardwell. 
1850.— Nathaniel  Lamson,  O.  0.  Bardwell,  S.  M.  Long. 
1857-59.—.!.  B.  Whitney,  O.  0.  Bardwell,  Aimer  Peck. 
186(1.- E.  M.  Whitney,  Henry  Wells,  Am,asa  Bardwell. 
ISGl.— E.  M.  Whitney,  Pliny  Fisk,  I.  W.  Barnard. 
18(12-03.— Pliny  Fisk,  B.  B.  Bardwell,  I.  W.  Biirnard. 
1804.- Pliny  Fisk,  R.  B.  Bardwell,  J.  A.  Anderson. 
1805-00.- Pliny  Fisk,  R.  B.  B.ardwel!,  Amasa  Bardwell. 
1807-08.— Pliny  Fisk,  G.  A.  Bates,  Amnsa  Bardwell . 
1809.- Stephen  M.  Long,  H.  S.  Swan,  William  H.  Long. 
1870.— Amasa  Bardwell,  George  A.  Bates,  H.  S.  Swan. 
1871.— Pliny  Fisk,  Ehenezer  Maynard,  George  E.  Tyler. 
1872. — Amasa  Barilwell,  George  A.  Bates,  R.  Streeter. 
1873-74. — Amasa  Bardwell,  Joel  Thayer,  George  G.  Merrill. 
1875.— Edwin  Stratton,  N.  0.  Newhall,  George  E.  Tyler. 
1870.- Am.asa  Bardwell,  R.  Streeter,  L.  T.  Covell. 
1877. — Am.asa  Bardwell,  R.  S.  Streeter,  Ehenezer  Nims. 
1878-79.- Amasa  Bardwell,  J.  K.  Patch,  Ehenezer  Nims. 

TOWN   CLERKS. 

John  Wells,  1768-73 ;  Moses  Hawks,  1773-75 ;  Aaron  Skinner,  1775-88  ;  Jared 
Skinner,  1788-96 ;  John  Wells,  Jr.,  1790-1800  ;  Robert  L.  McLallon,  1800  ;  John 
Merrill,  1801-10;  Joseph  Severance,  lSlO-27;  Elam  Kellogg,  1827-33;  Solomon 
Smead,  1833-37;  Elam  Kellogg,  1837;  Ira  W.  Barnard,  1.838^1;  Charles  M. 
Duncan,  1841-03 ;  Jas.  Andereon,  1803;  CM.  Duncan,  1804-60;  E.  P.  Oonant, 
1866;  A.  K.  Hawkes,  1807-70;  George  W.  Mirick,  1870;  A.  K.  Hawks,  1871-70  ; 
George  W.  Mirick,  1876-79. 

BEPEESENTATIVES   AT   THE   GENERAL   COURT. 

From  1776  to  18.57,  when  Shelburne  became  a  part  of  the 
First  Representative  District,  the  town  was  represented  by 
the  following  persons  : 

David  Wells,  Robert  Wilson,  Dr.  John  Long,  John  Burdick,  Benjamin  Niish, 
John  Wells,  Jr.,  Aaron  Skinner,  J.  A.  Kellogg,  William  Wells,  John  Fellows, 
Theophilus  Paokanl,  Ira  .\rms,  Cyrus  Alden,  Jacob  P.  Kell.igg,  John  H.  Morse, 
Asa  Severance,  Nathaniel  Lamson,  E.  G.  Lamson,  J.  B.  Whitney,  Milo  Wilson, 
Samuel  T.  Field. 

VILLAGES. 

Of  the  two  villages  in  the  town,  Shelburne  Falls  and  Shel- 
burne Centre,  the  latter  is  the  oldest,  and  dates  its  existence 
with  the  erection  of  the  first  meeting-house  in  Shelburne, — 
■  17G0.  It  is  now  but  a  small  rural  settlement,  containing  a 
score  of  houses,  a  chair-factory,  a  church,  and  a  public  hall, 
where  town-meetings  are  held  half  of  the  time.  It  occupies  a 
picturesque  location  and  i.s  acharming  retreat,  but  in  business 


it  has  given  way  to  its  more  prosperous  neighbor,  Shelburne 
Falls. 

The  latter — first  settled  by  the  Shakers  in  17.S2 — is  a  thriving 
manufacturing  village,  numbering  1.500  inhabitants,  located 
upon  both  sides  of  Deerfleld  River,  and  connected  by  an  iron 
bridge.  The  Shelburne  side  of  the  village  contains  about  1000 
people,  and  is  the  chief  business  portion  of  the  place.  Many 
handsome  residences  border  its  finely-shaded  avenues,  and 
upon  its  main  business  tlioroughfarc — Bridge  Street — are 
several  substantial  and  imposing  brick  blocks.  The  Shelburne 
Falls  House,  a  stone  structure,  was  at  one  time  the  finest  and 
most  costly  hotel  in  Franklin  County. 

There  are  also  in  this  portion  of  the  village  the  Shelburne 
Falls  Academy,  two  banks,  three  churches,  two  public  halls, 
numerous  stores,  Gardner's  cutlery-works,  a  silk-twist  manu- 
factory, a  harmonica  manufactory,  a  brace-bit  factory,  a  tan- 
nery, and  other  minor  industries. 

The  Shelburne  side  of  the  village  derives  considerable 
business  support  and  population  from  the  employes  of  the 
Lamson  &  Goodnow  Cutler3'  Company,  whose  works  are  on 
the  Buckland  side  of  the  river. 

Shelburne  Falls  possesses  a  naturally  attractive  location, 
and,  resting  upon  the  sinuous  and  swiftly-flowing  Deerfield, 
within  the  shadows  of  gigantic  hills  which  tower  aloft  upon 
the  east  and  west,  it  presents  to  the  eye  of  the  passing  traveler 
a  picture  upon  which  it  may  rest  with  more  than  ordinary 
pleasure, 

CHURCHES. 

Previous  to  the  incorporation  of  Shelburne  its  inhabitants 
were  compelled  to  go  to  Deerfield  or  adjoining  towns  to  enjoy 
public  religious  worship.  At  the  district's  incorporation  a 
committee  was  appointed  to  provide  preaching,  and  £20  voted. 
Rev.  Robert  Abercrombie  was  doubtless  the  first  preacher  Shel- 
burne had.  In  March,  1769,  John  Taylor  was  chosen  "to 
git  us  a  minister  to  preach  next  summer,"  and  it  Wiis  resolved 
to  build  "  a  round-lug  meeting-house."  Previous  to  this,  ser- 
vices had  been  held  at  the  house  of  Daniel  Nims.  This  house 
was  erected  soon  afterward,  and  stood  on  a  hill  about  a  half- 
mile  north  of  the  present  church  at  Shelburne  Centre.  In 
1770  it  needed  repairs,  but  the  people  declined  to  mend  it, 
although  in  that  year  they  appropriated  £60  for  preaching. 
In  this  year  a  Congregational  Church  was  organized,  and 
Revs.  John  Marrett  and  John  Wj'eth  were  the  preachers. 
The  refusal  to  repair  the  log  meeting-house  may  have  been 
based  upon  a  desire  for  a  new  house  of  worship,  about  the 
building  of  which  there  was  now  some  talk.  The  old  one 
kept  growing  worse,  however,  and  in  1771  it  was  resolved  to 
plaster  up  the  cracks  with  mortar,  to  make  a  door  and  three 
windows,  and  to  build  a  pulpit. 

Shortly  afterward  efiForts  were  renewed,  and  toward  the  end 
of  the  year  it  was  agreed  to  raise  for  the  building  of  a  meeting- 
house a  sufficient  sum;  each  man  to  furnish  his  proportion  in 
wheat,  rye,  Indian  corn,  or  fleece.  In  this  year  Rev.  Jonathan 
Bird  preached  for  the  people. 

After  reflection  it  was  re.solved,  in  1772,  to  do  nothing  about 
building  a  meeting-house,  and  the  log  cabin  continued  to  do 
duty.  In  this  year  Rev.  Caleb  Hotchkiss  occupied  the  pulpit, 
and  was  promised  a  settlement  of  £12.5,  to  be  paid  in  three 
years,  although,  for  some  unknown  reason,  he  was  not  settled. 

In  1772  it  was  voted  "  to  call  Mr.  Hubbard  back  to  preach, 
and  to  be  in  preparation  to  build  a  meeting-house."  This  was 
the  Rev.  Robert  Hubbard  who  had  been  preaching  for  them 
before,  and  upon  his  return  they  concluded  to  give  him  a  call 
to  settle ;  with  an  oft'er  of  £13.3  6s.  8rf.  as  a  settlement,  to  be 
paid  in  two  years,  and  a  salary  of  £60  annually  for  the  first 
two  years,  to  be  raised  yearly  50.5.  until  it  Teached  £70,  to- 
gether with  an  annual  supply  of  firewood.  Mr.  Hubbard 
was  not  settled,  however,  until  1773,  in  which  year  the  new 
frame  meeting-house  was  built  near  where  the  log  house 
stood,  and  was  covered,  so  the  records  say,  by  "a  gift." 


648 


HISTORY  OF   THE   CONNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


In  1779  the  house  needed  a  new  floor,  and,  to  provide  nails 
for  the  work,  £80  wore  apjiropriatod  (wellnigh  a  pound  of 
money  for  a  pound  of  nails) ;  but,  as  Continental  money  rated 
at  $72  for  $1  in  hard  money,  the  X80  would  not  buy  many 
nails.  As  another  example,  it  was  at  this  time  voted  that,  in- 
stead of  paying  Mr.  Hubbard  a  salary  of  £1000,  old  tenor,  he 
should  receive  £70. 

In  1786  a  conch-shell  was  provided  as  a  means  to  call  people 
to  Sabbath  worship,  and  this  method  served  until  180.5,  when 
the  church-steeple  was  furnished  with  a  bell.  The  first  death 
for  which  the  bell  tolled  was  that  of  Lawrence  Kemp. 

The  meeting-house,  although  begun  in  1773,  was  not  entirely 
tini.shed  until  1785.  In  1813  its  tower  was  supplied  with  a 
clock. 

Mr.  Hubbard  remained  the  pastor  until  his  death,  in  1788, 
which  occurred  while  visiting  his  old  home  at  Middletown, 
Conn.  He  was  buried  at  Middletown,  although  a  monument 
erected  to  his  memory  by  Shelburne  stands  in  the  latter  town, 
at  the  centre.     Upon  it  an  inscription  reads  : 

*'Tliis  niouuDicnt  is  erected  by  tlie  town  of  Slielburue  in  memory  of  Rev. 
Robert  Ilubbiird,  liist  pastor  of  tlie  Cluireli  of  Clii  ist  in  tliis  place,  who  died  at 
Middletown  Nov.  2, 1788,  aged  forty-five,  much  lamented  by  his  surviving  friends 
and  people  of  bis  charge,  who  enjoyed  in  him  a  pattern  of  family  juety  and 
order,  an  aflable,  courteons  neigiibor,  and  in  hnnian  view  a  zealous,  faithful 
minister,  who  was  an  example  of  faith,  conversation,  and  doctrine.  'Go  thou 
and  do  likewise.'" 

Eevs.  Hendrick  Dow  and  Sylvester  Sage  supplied  until 
1792,  when  Rev.  Jesse  Townsend  was  ordained  as  the  second 
pastor.  Mr.  Townsend  was  dismissed  in  1797,  and,  after  be- 
ing .supplied  by  Eevs.  Micah  Stone  and  Abraham  Barfield, 
the  church  received,  in  1799,  as  its  third  pastor.  Rev.  Theo- 
philus  Packard,  D.D.  Dr.  Packard  retained  his  pastoral 
connection  with  the  church  until  his  death,  although  his  ac- 
tive pastorate  ceased  in  1842,  four  years  after  which  he 
removed  to  South  Deerfield.  His  son,  Theophilus,  Jr.,  was 
ordained  as  his  colleague  in  1828,  and  occupied  the  pulpit  un- 
til 1853,  when  he  was  dismissed  at  his  own  request. 

In  1832  a  new  meeting-house,  built  upon  the  site  of  the 
present  church  at  Shelburne  Centre,  replaced  the  old  one;  and 
this  new  one,  after  enduring  until  1845,  was  in  March  of  that 
year  destroyed  by  an  accidental  fire  while  the  people  were 
assembled  for  Sabbath  worship.  Its  successor  stands  upon 
the  same  spot,  and  was  built  in  1845.  A  commodious  vestry, 
used  also  for  town-meetings  and  other  public  assemblages, 
was  erected  opposite  the  church  building  in  1847. 

Mr.  Packard's  successor  (Rev.  R.  S.  Billings)  preached 
about  fifteen  years,  and  was  succeeded  by  Revs.  A.  F.  Marsh 
and  George  L.  Clark, — the  latter  being  pastor  in  1879.  The 
church  is  highly  prosperous,  and  the  congregation  averages 
200. 

THE   SECOND   CONGREQATIONAL   CHURCH 

was  organized  at  Shelburne  Palls,  March,  1850,  with  44  mem- 
bers. They  worshiped  in  a  public  hall  until  1851,  when  they 
built  a  church  edifice  at  the  Falls, — the  one  now  in  use.  Un- 
til 1851  Eevs.  Marshal  B.  Angler  and  George  P.  Bronson 
supplied  them.  In  that  year  Mr.  Bronson  was  ordained  as 
the  first  settled  pastor,  but  retired  after  a  brief  pastorate  of 
two  years.  The  church  was  without  a  settled  pastor  until 
185G,  when  Eev.  "Wilbur  P.  Loomis  was  installed.  Mr. 
Loomis  entered  the  armj'  as  chaplain,  and  died  at  Nashville 
in  1864.  His  successor,  and  the  third  pastor  of  the  church, 
was  Rev.  Pliny  S.  Boyd,  who  was  ordained  in  1865.  Other 
and  subsequent  pastors  were  Revs.  E.  E.  Lamb  and  Cyrus  B. 
Whitcomb,  the  latter,  who  was  the  latest  settled  pastor,  hav- 
ing been  dismissed  in  1877.  The  church,  having  in  1879  a 
membership  of  162,  depends  at  present  upon  stated  supplies. 

THE   BAPTISTS   01'   SHELBURNE 
organized  in   1792,  with  the  Baptists  of  Deerfield,  a  church, 
which  was  called  the  Baptist  Church  of  Deerfield  and  Shel- 
burne, and  worshiped  alternately  in  Deerfield  and  Shelburne. 


Elder  David  Long  preached  for  them  from  1792  until  his 
death,  in  1831.  In  1832  it  was  voted  to  divide  the  church  into 
two  bodies,  called  the  Deerfield  Baptist  Church  and  the  Shel- 
burne Baptist  Church.  The  latter  organization  worshiped 
in  a  meeting-bouse  built  in  the  south  part  of  the  town,  about 
1812,  until  1839,  when  the  church  was  dissolved,  and  shortly 
afterward  the  church  building  was  taken  down. 

The  Second  Baptist  Church  at  Shelburne  Falls  was  organ- 
ized November,  1833,  with  19  members,  and  in  less  than 
twenty  years  these  19  had  grown  to  240.  Preachers  have 
served  the  church  since  1835  as  follows :  Revs.  John  Alden, 
William  Heath,  Cyrus  Smith,  Edgar  H.  Gray,  William  H. 
Parmlee,  A.  J.  Sage,  J.  A.  Goodhue,  and  P.  S.  Evans,  since 
whose  dismissal  the  church  has  had  no  settled  pastor.  The 
membership  is  275. 

The  first  church  edifice  was  erected  at  the  Falls  in  1836,  and 
the  second,  now  in  use  and  which  cost  $9000,  in  1852.  It  has 
in  its  tower  a  town  clock,  furnished  by  private  subscriptions, 
and  maintained  by  the  church. 

A   "UNITARIAN   SOCIETY 

was  organized  in  1828,  and  a  church  in  1841,  with  17  mem- 
bers. Worship  was  held  in  halls  and  other  convenient  places 
during  the  existence  of  the  church,  which  became  extinct 
shortly  after  1860.  Among  the  preachers  who  have  supplied 
them  were  Revs.  Daniel  Huntington,  Winthrop  Bailey, 
Henry  Colman,  Samuel  Willard,  Luther  Wilson,  Crawford 
Nightingale,  and  George  P.  Clark. 

THE    METHODIST   CHURCH    OF   SHELBURNE 

was  organized  in  October,  1842,  with  12  members.  Their  house 
of  worship  stands  in  the  Buckland  portion  of  the  village  of  Shel- 
burne Falls.  The  pastors  of  this  church  have  included  Eevs. 
G.  W.  Green,  H.  Clark,  A.  A.  Cooke,  W.  Ward,  Mr.  Taylor, 
S.  Cushman,  A.  G.  Bowles,  S.  W.  Johnson,  William  Butler, 
John  Burke,  and  Mr.  Hemenway.  Eev.  W.  S.  Jagger  was 
the  pastor  in  1879. 

A    UNIVERSALIST   SOCIETY 

was  organized  at  Shelburne  Falls  in  February,  18-53,  and  this 
was  followed,  in  1864,  by  the  organization  of  a  church.  A 
house  of  worship,  costing  $12,000,  inclusive  of  furniture, 
organ,  etc.,  was  completed  in  1870.  The  pastors  of  the  church 
and  society  have  been  Eevs.  J.  H.  Willis,  Judson  Fisher, 
George  H.  Deere,  B.  V.  Stephenson,  H.  B.  Howell,  and  S.  G. 
Davis.  The  latter  pastor  was  dismissed  in  1879,  since  which 
event  the  church  has  depended  upon  supplies.  The  church 
has  now  a  membership  of  64. 

A  SOCIETY  OF   SHAKERS 

located  in  Shelburne  at  the  Falls  in  1782,  and  there  built  a 
house  of  worship.  A  Mr.  Wood  was  a  leading  spirit  among 
them,  and  for  a  brief  period  Ann  Lee  was  with  them.  In 
1785  they  removed  to  New  Lebanon,  N.  Y. 

SCHOOLS. 

The  first  attempt  to  provide  schools  seems  to  have  been 
made  in  1770,  when  it  was  voted  to  divide  the  place  into  four 
parts,  and  to  have  school  one  month  in  each  part.  Watson 
Freeman  taught  school  in  Shelburne  about  this  time,  and  he 
was  probably  the  first  school-teacher  in  these  parts. 

In  1771,  £15  were  raised  for  schooling,  and,  five  school  dis- 
tricts being  created,  each  district  was  permitted  to  draw  £3  for 
school  support,  but,  the  district  failing  to  keep  school,  was  to 
forfeit  all  claim  upon  the  £3. 

In  1777  the  districts  were  still  five,  but  the  annual  appro- 
priation amounted  to  £30. 

During  bis  ministry,  Eev.  Theophilus  Packard,  pastor  of 
the  First  Congregational  Church,  prepared  many  pupils  for 
college,  and  Ihirty-one  for  the  ministry.  Among  the  teachers 
of  select  schools  were  Augustus  Pomeroy,  Elizabeth  Smith, 


Nathan  0.  Newhall  was  born  in 
Shelburne,  Franklin  Co.,  Mass., 
March  17,  1S15.  He  is  the  grand- 
son of  Samuel  Newhall,  who  re- 
moved from  Leieester,  Mass.,  about 
1765,  and  settled  in  Conway,  lo- 
cating on  the  farm  now  owned  by 
Joseph  A.  Newhall.  His  father, 
whose  name  was  also  Nathan,  re- 
moved to  Shelburno  in  1809,  and  on 
the  31st  of  December,  in  that  year, 
married  Greaty,  daughter  of  Chester 
Bardwell,  who  was  the  son  of  Enoch 
Bardwell,  one  of  the  first  settlers  in 
Shelburne.  By  this  union  he  had 
eleven  children, — niue  sons  and  two 
daughters.  Some  of  these  died  in 
infancy,  and  at  the  present  time  (Feb- 
ruary, 1S79)  only  five  are  living. 

Nathan  0.,  the  subject  of  this 
notice,  is  (he  third  son.  He  re- 
mained at  home  working  on  the  farm 
with  his  father,  attending  the  dis- 
trict school  a  part  of  each  year,  and 
one  term  at  Deacon  Clary's  select 
school  in  Conway,  until  he  reached 
his  eighteenth  year.  At  this  time, 
possessing  considerable  mechanical 
ability,  and  having  an  earnest  desire 
to  become  a  carpenter,  he  was  ap- 
prenticed to  Ira  Barnard,  of  Shel- 
burne, to  learn  that  trade.  He 
received  the  munificent  (?)  sum  of 
$30  per  year,  and  when  he  reached 
his  majority  his  entire  capital,  in 
money,  consisted  of  $4.  He  com- 
menced working  at  bis  trade  in  his 
native  town,  and,  by  close  application 
to  business  and  thorough  execution, 
he  soon  I'eeamo  acknowledged  as  the 
Ifeading  carpenter  and  joiner  in  that 
locality,  and  during  the  forty  years 
in  which  he  thus  labored  he  retjvined 
the  confidence  and  patronage  of  his 
first  employer?.  By  his  suggestions 
and  advice  improvements  were  effected 
DOW  being  one  of  the  best-built  farniing- 


I'hoto.by  Popkins, 


C^^.,^.£:^Ze/ 


in  the  style 
towns  in  th 


of  buildin 
e  county 


g,''Shelbur 


spend  the  remainder  of  his  days. 


When  twenty-eight  years  of  age 
he  purchased  what  was  known  ns  the 
Olin  Bardwell  place,  and  in  the  same 
year  (May  4,  1843)  was  married  to 
Dolly  H..  daughter  of  John  Andrews, 
formerly  of  North  Conway.  She  was 
born  in  Shelburne,  May  2,  1821. 
They  have  a  family  of  five  children 
(named  al})habetically),  Alfred  A., 
Byron  N.,  Carilla  J.,  Dumont  0., 
and  Ellen  M. 

At  various  times  he  has  added  to 
his  farm  until  it  now  contains  one 
hundred  and  twenty-five  acres.  By 
industry,  punctualit}-,  and  economy 
he  has  earned  a  competency,  and 
by  a  life  of  integrity  has  won  the 
confidence  and  respect  of  his  asso- 
ciates. 

In  politics  he  is  a  Republican, 
and  a  staunch  supporter  of  the  prin- 
ciples of  that  party.  He  has  been 
a  member  of  the  board  of  selectmen, 
assessor,  and  surveyor,  and  is  now 
justice  of  the  peace.  He  was  the 
prime  mover  in  the  organization 
of  the  Shelburne  Mutual  Fire  Insur- 
ance Company,  nf  which  he  has 
been  presiilont  from  its  organization 
to  the  present  lime.  In  1S76.  his 
health  being  somewhat  imjjaired  by 
constant  labor,  he  took  a  jiuirncy 
across  the  continent  to  San  Francisco. 
From  there  he  traveled  over  the 
mountains  by  stage  to  San  Diego, 
journeyed  up  the  Pacific  coast  by 
steaninr  to  San  Francisco,  and  re- 
turned liome  by  the  way  of  Washing- 
ton, Baltimore,  and  Philadelphia, 
traveling  in  all  over  nine  thousand 
miles,  and  visiting  twenty  difi"erent 
States  and  Territories;  seeing  many 
beautiful  place?,  but  finding  no  spot 
so  pleasant  to  him  as  his  own'  New 
England  home,  where  he  hopes  to 
-not  in  idleness,  but  in  the  leisure  be 


has  earned  by  years  of  incessant  labor. 


KiiwffiiaiLiL,  iKiiitiiyiaKiis,  mh%%. 


^^A^^uooAo^^^^, 


Daniel  R.  Baedwet.l  was  born  May  25,  1831, 
in  the  town  of  Shelburne,  Franklin  Co.,  Mass., 
on  the  })lace  where  he  now  resides.  His  father, 
Ebenezer  Bardwell,  was  born  on  tlie  same  place, 
Jan.  16,  1799,  and  here  also  his  grandfather, 
Zenas  Bardwell,  was  horn,  Jnne  30,  1777.  His 
great-grandfather,  E.  Bardwell,  was  one  of  the 
early  settlers  of  Shelbnrne.  He  was  born  Sept.  2, 
1746. 

Clarinda  D.  Rice,  mother  of  Daniel  R.  Bardwell, 
was  born  in  Conway,  March  12, 1805.  His  parents 
were  married  June  19,  1828,  and  had  five  children, 
— Baxter  E.,  Daniel  R.,  Zenas  D.,  John  K.,  and 
Mary  N.  His  mother  died  Feb.  24,  1844.  Eben- 
ezer Bardwell,  his  father,  married,  for  his  second 
wife,  Mrs.  Mercy  Hammond.  The  subject  of  this 
biography  received  his  education  in  the  common 
schools,  and  at  the  age  of  eighteen  began  to  teach 
school.  He  followed  this  occupation  during  the 
winter,  and  the  remainder  of  the  year  worked  upon 
his  father's  farm.    This  he  continued  five  years,  and 


after  his  father's  death,  Jan.  16,  1873,  he  purchased 
the  estate  by  paying  off  the  other  heirs.  He  is  en- 
gaged in  farming  and  stock-raising,  and  has  been 
moderately  successful. 

Ill  politics  he  is  a  Republican,  but  has  never  been 
an  aspirant  for  office.  He  has  been  assessor  for  two 
years,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Agricultural  Societies 
of  Franklin  County  and  Deerfield  Valley. 

Mr.  Bardwell  has  been  connected  with  the  Con- 
gregational Church  since  1858,  and  now  holds  the 
office  of  deacon.  He  is  an  earnest  laborer  in  the 
Sunday-school,  in  which  he  has  been  a  teacher  for 
more  than  twenty  years.  He  is  ever  ready  to  pro- 
mote the  interests  of  his  town  so  far  as  lies  in  his 
power,  be  they  religious,  charitable,  or  educational. 

He  was  married,  June  1, 1854,  to  Sarah  Ann  New- 
hall,  who  was  born  in  Shelburne,  March  23,  1832. 

They  have  three  children, — Mary  A.,  wife  of  F. 
A.  Alvord,  of  Greenfield,  born  Oct.  18, 1856  ;  Addie 
C,  born  June  10, 1862 ;  and  Ormand  N.,  born  July 
23,  1864. 


HISTORY  OF   FRANKLIN   COUNTY. 


649 


Caroline  Webster,  Marion  Packard,  S.  W.  Kellogg,  Pliny 
Fisk,  and  Rowland  Howes. 

Of  Stephen  Taylor,  who  was  a  tavern-keeper  and  teamster 
as  well  as  a  school-teacher  in  the  long-ago,  it  is  told  that  he 
was  very  fond  of  his  pipe,  and  used  invariably  to  smoke  it 
while  listening  to  the  recitations  of  his  pupils. 

In  1793  the  town  proposed  to  found  an  academy,  and  agreed 
to  raise  £200  for  the  purpose,  conditioned  upon  the  Legisla- 
ture's extending  some  aid  toward  the  project,  but  the  Legis- 
lature declined  to  encourage  the  enterprise,  and  it  was  there- 
fore at  that  time  abandoned;  but  in  1833  local  public  spirit 
proved  equal  to  the  emergency,  and  the  academy  was  incorpo- 
rated in  that  year  as  the  Franklin  Academy,  and  re-chartered 
1  in  1847  as  the  iShelburne  Falls  Academj'. 

This  institution  of  learning,  known  as  the  Shelburne  Falls 
Academj',  was  founded  upon  a  fund  of  $5000,  raised  by  indi- 
vidual subscriptions,  and  of  that  fund  $1,500  were  devoted  to 
the  erection  of  the  academy  building,  and  upon  the  income  of 
the  $3500  residue,  the  academy  has  since  been  maintained. 
Tlie  school  took  high  rank  from  the  outset,  and  was  exceed- 
ingly prosperous  until  the  introduction  of  high  schools  nar- 
rowed its  sphere  of  usefulness.  It  is  now  a  free  school  to  all 
children  in  the  town,  and  is  still  maintained  by  the  original 
fund,  which  is  somewhat  shorn  of  its  proportions,  but  promises 
speedily  to  be  increased  by  the  friends  of  the  enterprise. 

The  Arms  Academy,  for  whose  endowment  Ira  Arms  be- 
queathed, upon  his  death,  in  1859,  a  fund  of  |18,000,  will  be 
erected  during  the  year  1879,  upon  a  handsome  piece  of  ground 
of  about  two  acres  in  area,  and  located  in  the  eastern  portion 
of  Shelburne  Falls  villager  The  Arms  Academy  fund  had 
reached,  in  March,  1879,  upward  of  §40,000,  and  of  that  sum 
it  was  proposed  to  invest  .?10,000  in  an  academy  building,  and 
to  apply  .?10,000  to  the  furnishing  of  the  school  and  the  en- 
gagement of  a  corps  of  teachers.  |I20,000  of  the  sum  is  to 
remain,  under  the  conditions  of  the  will,  upon  permanent  in- 
vestment, the  income  of  which  is  to  be  devoted  to  the  support 
of  the  academy. 

Among  the  college  graduates  natives  of  Shelburne  were 
Lewis  Long,  Robert  Hubbard,  Jr.,  Amariah  Chandler,  Ezra 
and  Pliny  Fisk,  Samuel  I.  "Wells,  William  Wells,  George 
Bull,  Theopbilus  Packard,  Jr.,  Levi  Pratt,  Joseph  Anderson, 
Ciiles  Lyman,  Alvan  S.  Anderson,  Pliny  Fisk  (2d),  Daniel  T. 
Fisk,  S.  W.  Kellogg,  J.  F.  Severance,  Samuel  Fisk,  W.  W. 
Ladden,  D.  W.  Wilcox,  Asa  S.  Fi.sk,  and  Asa  S.  Hardy. 

The  report  of  the  school  committee  in  1878  stated  that 
for  the  scholastic  year  of  1877  and  1878  there  were  eleven 
schools  in  the  town,  including  primary,  grammar,  interme- 
diate, and  high  schools,  for  which  the  expenditures  were  |3700, 
and  at  which  the  average  attendance  was  207. 

PUBLIC  LIBRARY. 
The  Arms  Library,  founded  upon  an  endowment  of  |5000 
bequeathed  in  1859  for  its  perpetual  use,  is  free  to  the  inhabi- 
tants of  the  town,  and  is  a  highly-valued  privilege.  A  social 
library  which  had  flourished  for  several  years  previous  to 
1858  was,  upon  the  creation  of  the  Arms  library,  merged  in 
the  latter.  The  library  rooms  are  conveniently  located  in 
Bank  block,  at  Shelburne  Falls  village,  and  contained  in 
March,  1879,  upward  of  4800  volumes,  at  which  time  the 
Arms  fund  amounted  to  §5400. 

THE  ARMS  BEQDESTS. 
Shelburne  has  good  reason  to  remember  Ira  Arms,  one  of 
its  most  worthy  citizens,  who  returned  to  the  town,  for  its  use 
and  adornment,  the  greater  part  of  the  fortune  which  he  ac- 
quired during  his  existence  in  Shelburne.  During  his  life  he 
donated  to  the  First  Congregational  Church  $300  and  a  silver 
communion  service,  and  to  the  town  the  piece  of  land  at  the 
Falls  known  as  the  Arms  Cemetery.  By  his  will  he  left  to 
each  of  the  two  Congregational  Churches  of  the  town  $500 


for  a  ministerial  library ;  $500  to  the  Second  Congregational 
Church  as  a  permanent  ministerial  fund ;  $1000  as  a  fund 
for  the  repair  and  improvement  of  the  Arms  Cemetery  ;  $5000 
as  a  fund  for  the  support  of  the  Arms  library ;  and  $18,000  as  an 
endowment  for  the  Arras  Academy. 

Mr.  Arms  was  a  native  of  Greenfield,  but  passed  nearly  the 
whole  of  his  life  in  Shelburne,  where  he  died  in  18.59,  and 
where,  in  the  Arms  Cemetery,  a  marble  monument  marks  his 
last  earthly  resting-place. 

BURIAL-PLACES. 

The  first  burying-ground  was  laid  out  at  the  Falls,  in  1768, 
and  the  second,  north  of  the  centre;  These  two  grounds  are 
now  unused.  The  oldest  cemetery  in  use  is  the  one  near  Shel- 
burne Centre.  The  first  person  buried  there  was  the  wife  of 
Reuben  Nims,  in  April,  1774.  There  are  several  burial-places 
in  the  town,  but  the  most  extensive  is  the  Arms  Cemetery,  at 
the  Falls,  which  was  opened  for  public  use  in  1857.  During 
his  lifetime  Ira  Arms  donated  a  piece  of  land  on  the  Buckland 
side  of  Shelburne  Falls  for  a  Shelburne  cemetery,  and  this 
land  was,  with  his  approval,  e.xchanged  for  the  ground  now 
occupied  by  the  Arms  Cemetery.  At  his  death  Mr.  Arms 
left  a  fund  of  $1000,  the  income  of  which  is  devoted  to  repairs 
and  the  improvement  of  the  grounds. 

This  beautiful  city  of  the  dead  is  an  object  of  pride  to  Shel- 
burne's  citizens,  and  deserves,  too,  such  a  tribute,  since  it  is  at 
once  a  spot  of  great  natural  beautj'  and  artistic  adornment. 
Embowered  within  a  pine  grove  and  set  upon  a  commanding 
bluff,  it  overlooks  the  gracefully-winding  Deeriield  River,  and 
incloses  neatly-kept  lawns,  smooth  drives,  and  many  imposing 
monuments. 

SOCIETIE.S,  ORDERS,  Etc 

There  are  in  Shelburne  numerous  societies,  all  of  which  are 
located  at  the  Falls.     They  will  be  found  named  as  follows  : 

MOUNTAIN    LODGE,    F.    AND    A.    M., 

was  organized  in  Rowe  in  1806,  transferred  to  Coleraine  in 
1818,  where,  in  1840,  It  disappeared  from  the  current  of  events, 
and  was  revived  in  1856  at  Shelburne  Falls.  The  lodge  num- 
bers now  70  members,  and  had  as  officers  in  1879  the  follow- 
ing :  Edwin  Baker,  W.  M. ;  George  R.  Pierce,  S.  W.  ;  J.  H. 
Warner,  J.  W. ;  Herbert  Newell,  Treas. ;  J.  H.  Wilder,  Sec. ; 
J.  K.  Patch,  Chap.  ;  F.  W.  Merriam,  Mar.  ;  James  Halligan, 
S.  D. ;  H.  W.  Merrill,  J.  D.  ;  F.  G.  Mitchell,  S.  S. ;  A.  N. 
Sprague,  J.  S.  ;  A.  W.  Ware,  I.  S. ;  H.  O.  Smith,  Organist ; 
L.  T.  Brown,  Tiler. 

THE   GERMAN   TURNVEREIN 

was  organized  in  1868,  and  has  now  a  membership  of  45. 
This  society  is  a  flourishing  one,  and  owns  a  commodious  hall 
at  Shelburne  Falls,  built  in  1874  at  a  cost  of  $2800. 

ATHENAEUM   DIVISION,    NO.    79,    SONS   OF   TEMPERANCE, 

was  organized  December,  1874,  and  has  now  (1879)  74  mem- 
bers. The  officers  are  F.  W.  Bannister,  W.  P. ;  Miss  M.  E. 
Nims,  W.  A.  ;  T.  A.  Montague,  R.  S. ;  Miss  E.  E.  Eldridge, 
A.  R.  S. ;  Charles  E.  Dewsnap,  F.  S. ;  Mrs.  S.  E.  Cummings, 
T.  ;  Miss  Nellie  Dewsnap,  Inside  Sentinel;  Rev.  0.  P.  Emer- 
son, Chaplain ;  W.  S.  Ball,  Con. ;  Miss  Lizzie  Sprague,  A. 
Con.  ;  Albert  Mann,  Outside  Sentinel ;  Rev.  S.  G.  Davis,  P. 
W.  P. 

LOOMIS   LODGE   OF   GOOD   TEMPLARS,    NO.    244, 

was  organized  February,  1867,  and  had  in  1879  a  membership 
of  51,  with  officers  as  follows:  Charles  R.  White,  W.  C.  T. ; 
Mrs.  S.  Huntley,  V. ;  George  Hinde,  R.  S. ;  Mrs.  E.  F.  Stocl, 
F.  S. ;  John  Thompson,  T. ;  James  Martin,  M.  ;  Rev.  N.  F. 
Benson,  Chaplain;  Miss  E.  Shaw,  I.  G. ;  George  Lees,  O.  G. ; 
W.  E.  Cooney,  A.  S. ;  Miss  Agnes  Turton,  D.  M. ;  L.  P. 
Allen,  W.  R.  H.  S.  ;  M.  J.  Tooley,  L.  H.  S. ;  M.  O.  Lamfair, 
P.  W.  C.  T. ;  John  Thompson,  Lodge  Dep. 


650 


HISTOKY  OF  THE  CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


THE    HARUOARI, 

a  Gtrman  organization,  was  organized  in  1873,  and  has  now 
33  members. 

THE    INDEPENDENT    FOKESTERS, 

organized  in  1878,  have  75  members. 

ALETHIAN    LODGE,    I.    O.    O.    F.,    NO.    128, 

meets  on  the  Buckland  side  of  the  Falls,  but  draws  largely  in 
membership  from  Shclburne. 

THE   GKEENLEAF    GUARD  (CO.    E,  SECOND   MASS.    REOT.) 

is  a  fine  military  command  of  62  members,  organized  Septem- 
ber, 1872,  and  named  in  honor  of  Col.  H.  S.  Greenleaf  (now 
residing  in  Rochester,  N.  Y.),  who  went  out  from  Shclburne 
into  the  war  of  the  Kebellion  in  command  of  the  52d  Mass. 
Regt.  This  company  is  handsomely  uniformed  in  gray,  and 
has  a  well-appointed  armory  at  Shelburne  Falls.  The  oiiicers 
are  Frederick  W.  Merriam,  Captain  ;  John  A.  Halligan,  First 
Lieutenant ;  Herbert  W.  Swan,  Second  Lieutenant ;  George 
D.  Eldridge,  Orderly  Sergeant.  Previous  to  the  last  war, 
Shelburne  Falls  had  a  well-drilled  military  organization 
known  as  Co.  H,  10th  Mass.  Eegt. 

OZRO   MILLER   POST,    NO.    93,    G.   A.    R., 

was  organized  in  1869  and  named  after  Ozro  Miller,  who 
went  into  the  last  war  from  Shelburne  as  captain  of  Co.  H, 
10th  Mass  Regt.  ;  was  shortly  afterward  promoted  to  be  a 
major ;  was  wounded  and  captured  in  1862,  at  Malvern  Hill, 
and  died  that  year  in  Libby  Prison,  Richmond,  Va.  The  post 
numbers  42  members,  and  is  commanded  bj'  George  O.  Wilder. 

JESSIE    RUPERT    POST,    MATRONS    OF    THE    REPUBLIC, 

is  composed  of  the  wives,  widows,  and  sisters  of  soldiers  who 
served  in  the  last  war.  The  post  took  its  name  from  Jessie 
Rupert,  who  joined  the  34th  Mass.  Regt.  in  the  Shenandoah 
Valley  during  the  last  war,  and  was  afterward  known  as  the 
daughter  of  that  regiment. 

Shelburne  Falls  has  two  musical  organizations,  known  aS 
the  Mechanics'  Band  and  the  Shelburne  Falls  Cornet 
Band. 

the  fire  department, 

of  which  G.  R.  Pierce  is  chief  engineer,  is  located  at  the  Falls, 
and  includes  two  hand-engine  companies  and  one  hook-and- 
ladder  company. 

Hook-mid- Ladder  No.  1  was  organized  in  1873,  has  now  25 
members,  and  occupies  a  house  with  Neptune  Engine  Com- 
pany, on  the  Shelburne  side  of  the  Falls. 

Neplunc  Engine  Comjmny  was  organized  in  1863,  runs  a 
hand-engine,  and  has  110  members.  Niagara  Engine  belongs 
to  the  department,  but  has  its  engine-house  on  the  Buckland 
side  of  the  Falls.  Its  organization  dates  from  1863,  and  its 
membership  numbers  now  75.  The  Fire  District  was  organ- 
ized in  1854;  the  Fire  Department  in  1863. 

•      INDUSTRIES. 

Shelburne  is  a  town  of  agriculture  and  manufactures,  and 
derives  the  elements  of  its  substantial  prosperity  about  equally 
from  each  industry.  At  Shelburne  Falls  village  the  extensive 
cutlery-works  of  J.  W.  Gardner  furni.sh  employment  to  70 
persons,  and  manufacture  one  hundred  and  twenty  dozens  of 
pocket-knives  daily.  The  works  are  exclusively  devoted  to 
the  production  of  pocket-cutlery, — ^jack-knives  mostly.  Mr. 
Gardner  was  for  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century  previous  to 
1876  interested  with  the  Messrs.  Lamson  in  their  cutlery- 
works  in  Buckland,  and  in  that  year  began  the  manufacture 
of  cutlery  at  his  present  location. 

Streeter  &  Mayhew  occupy  a  commodious  mill  of  two  and 
a  half  stories  for  the  manufacture  of  silk-twist,  of  which  their 
production  is  about  700  pounds  monthly.  The  mill  is  op- 
erated by  steam-power,  and  when  running  to  its  full  capacity 
gives  employment  to  50  persons.      The  firm  of  Streeter  & 


Mayhew  was  organized  in  1870,  and  occupies  the  site  whereon 
A.  W.  Streeter  manufactured  bit-braces  previous  to  1870. 

H.  H.  Mayhew  &  Co.  have  been  engaged  since  1866  as  the 
successors  of  H.  S.  Shepard.son  &  Co.  in  the  manufacture  of 
bits,  braces,  gimlets,  etc.  They  employ  25  men,  and  operate 
with  water-power.  Messrs.  Mayhew  &  Co.  numufacture  the 
double-cut  bit,  patented  by  C.  C.  Tolman,  of  Shelburne,  many 
years  ago,  and  first  made  in  this  country  in  1855  by  Sargent 
&  Foster,  of  Shelburne  Falls. 

The  German  Harmonica  Company,  composed  of  Jacob 
Oefinger  and  H.  M.  Willis,  was  organized  at  Shelburne  Falls 
by  Jacob  Oefinger  in  December,  1877.  Mr.  Oefinger  began 
the  manufacture  of  small  tools,  etc.,  at  the  Falls  in  1874,  and 
in  1876  removed  to  North  Adams,  Mass.,  where,  with  E.  R. 
Tinker,  he  organized  the  American  Harmonica  Company  for 
the  manufacture  of  harmonicas.  The  company  was  dissolved 
in  1877,  in  which  year  Mr.  Oefinger  formed  the  present  com- 
pany, which  is  said  to  be  the  only  one  of  its  kind  in  America, 
and  the  only  one  in  the  world  that  manufactures  harmonicas 
by  other  than  hand-power.  The  present  daily  production  is 
from  two  to  three  gross  of  instruments,  and  the  number  of 
emplo3-es  10,  but,  according  to  expectations,  these  figures  will 
soon  be  increased  fivefold. 

In  the  north  part  of  the  town,  on  North  River,  are  the 
Frankton  Mills,  operated  by  a  corporation  composed  of  Messrs. 
S.  T.  Field,  W.  H.  Gould,  and  T.  D.  Purrington,  and  en- 
gaged in  the  manufacture  of  cotton  prints.  The  company 
was  organized  in  1877,  and  began  business  in  the  present 
mills.  These  were  built  in  1870  by  E.  Wells  &  Co.,  and 
devoted  by  them  until  1873  to  the  manufacture  of  printing- 
paper.  From  1873,  when  the  firm  of  E.  Wells  &  Co.  was 
dissolved,  until  1877,  the  mills  were  idle.  The  capital  stock 
of  the  Frankton  Mills  corporation  is  §30,000;  sixty-four  looms 
are  operated  and  40  people  employed. 

Other  manufacturing  industries  of  the  town  are  the  tannery 
of  Messrs.  A.  Bardwell  &  Son,  at  the  Falls,  and  the  chair- 
factory  of  Messrs.  Alvord  &  Franklin,  at  Shelburne  Centre. 

Agriculturally,  Shelburne  is  somewhat  noted  for  the  pro- 
duction of  fat  cattle,  butter,  and  maple-sugar. 

BANKS,  Etc. 
At  Shelburne  Falls  two  banking  institutions  transact  the 
financial  business  of  the  town. 

THE   SHELBURNE   FALLS   NATIONAL   BANK 

was  organized  as  a  State  bank  in  1855,  and  as  such  began 
business  in  1856  with  a  capital  of  $50,000.  In  1865  it  was 
changed  to  a  national  bank.  Its  capital  is  now  $200,000,  and 
its  deposit  account  $50,0(K). 

THE   SHELBURNE    FALLS    FIVE-CENT   SAVINGS-BANK 

was  organized  in  1856,  and  in  1876  changed  its  name  to  the 
Shelburne  Falls  Savings-Bank.  Its  deposits  in  March,  1879, 
aggregated  .?640,000.  Both  banks  occupy  quarters  in  Bank 
Block,  Shelburne  Falls. 

SHELBURNE    MUTUAL    FIRE    INSURANCE    COMPANY. 

The  Shelburne  Mutual  Fire  Insurance  Company  was  organ- 
ized June  18,  1877,  with  N.  O.  Newhall  as  President ;  I.  W. 
Barnard,  Treasurer;  William  T.  Peck  as  Secretary  ;  and  direc- 
tors as  follows  :   I.  W.  Barnard,  S.  M.  Long,  N.  O.  Newhall, 

0.  0.  Bardwell,  I.  T.  Fisk,  G.  E.  Taylor,  G.  N.  Smith,  W.  T. 
Peck,  John  Fellows,  C.  M.  Long,  and  Ozias  Long.  The 
directors  for  1879  are  I.  W.  Barnard,  N.  O.  Newhall,  W.  T. 
Peck,  O.  O.  Bardwell,  Albert  Peck,  G.  E.  Taylor,  Z.  D.  Bard- 
well, C.  M.  Long,  Ebenezer  Nims,  S.  M.  Long,  G.  N.  Smith. 
N.  O.  Newhall  is  President;  William  T.  Peck,  Secretary ;  and 

1.  W.  Barnard,  Treasurer. 

MILITARY. 

THE    SOLDIERS'    MONUMENT. 

In  1868  the  town  erected  (at  a  cost  of  $2000)  in  the  north 
part  of  Shelburne  Falls  village  a  handsome  granite  monu- 


G' 


o-f^o-yr  CiJ  ■'x^cAC?^ 


HISTORY   OF   FRANKLIN   COUNTY. 


651 


ment,  and  dedicated  it  to  the  memory  of  the  citizens  of  Shel- 
burne  who  lost  tlieir  lives  in  the  military  service  of  the  gov- 
ernment during  the  war  of  the  Kebellion.  Upon  the  four 
sides  of  the  upper  portion  of  the  shaft  are  the  inscriptions : 

"  Fair  Oakfi,  Ulalvern  Hill,  Wilderness,  Petersburg,  Gettj'sburg,  Port  Hudson, 
Antietiuri,  and  Fredericksburg." 

Upon  the  three  lower  sides  are  the  names  of  the  slain 
patriots,  as  follows : 

"  Tenth  Kegt.,  Co.  H,  Maj.  Ozro  Miller,  Lient.  B.  F.  Lcland,  II.  C.  Severance,  A. 
C.  Merrill,  II.  S.  Putney,  E.  M.  Briggs,  Jacob  Bringol,  E.  W.  Fa.v,  James  M.  Wil- 
liams, Sihis  Ninis,  II.  C.  Utley,  Col.  John  Kellogg ;  31st  Kegt.,  Co.  B,  Asa  Tilden, 


George  M.  Lander;  34th  Regt.,  H.  W.  Dodds;  52d  Regt.,  Co.  E,  Nathaniel  Her- 
rick,  L.  E.  Severance,  H.  D.  Culver;  10th  Regt.,  Co.  H,  Ch.\rles  B.  Dole,  Josiah 
S.  Emerson,  John  B.  Campbell ;  Capt.  Henry  N.  Kellogg,  III.  Vols. ;  27th  Regt. 
Co.  B,  Chauncey  L.  Emmons,  Patrick  Sweeney,  T.  E.  Caler,  P.  C.  Collins." 

On  the  fourth  side  appears  the  following : 

"  In  honor  of  the  fallen  sohliei's  of  Shelburne.     Killed  or  died  of  wounds,  14 ; 
died  in  rebel  prisons,  5 ;  total  from  all  causes,  26." 

SHELBURJfE'S    REBELLION   RECORD. 
The  following  are  the  names  of  those  furnished  by  Shel- 
bvirne  for  service  in  the  army  during  the  Rebellion  of  1861-65: 


Ozro  Miller,  10th  Muss. 
Silas  Ninis,  lOtli  Mass. 
Wm.  Streeter,  10th  Mass. 
W.  W.  Carpenter,  10th  Mass. 
Henry  Dantin,  10th  Maas. 
J.  S.  Coleman,  10th  Mass. 
L.  M.  Blackwell,  10th  Mass. 
E.  M.  Briggs,  lOtli  JIass. 
Cha9.  B.  Dole,  loth  Mass. 
E.  W.  Fay,  10th  Mass. 
Wm.  H.  Gragg,  loth  Mass. 
John  Griebel,  10th  Mass. 
Chas.  D.  Hotchkiss,  loth  Mass. 
David  Henry,  loth  Mass. 
Jacob  Haiges,  loth  Mass. 
N.  S.  Putney,  10th  Mass. 
H.  C.  Severance,  loth  Mass. 
Andrew  Sawer,  loth  Mass. 
Elbert  Stevens,  10th  Mass. 
H.  C.  Utley,  10th  Mass. 
Jas.  M.  Williams,  loth  Mass. 
Geo.  W.  Wilson,  10th  Mass. 
Jas.  E.  Wilson,  loth  Mass. 
Adolph  Stempel,  loth  Miiss. 
Asa  C.  Merrill,  loth  Mass. 

Putney,  lotli  Mass. 

Birney  Budiiigton,  10th  Mass. 
Amariah  Chandler,  loth  Mass, 
Pliny  H.  Briggs,  10th  Mass. 
Wm.  Levey,  10th  Mass. 
Robert  Sliehey,  loth  Mass. 
L.  J.  Smith,  lOlh  Mass. 
Charles  Stone,  10th  Mass. 
B.  M.  Powers,  Jr.,  lOlh  Mass. 


Charles  W.  Rupell,  10th  Blass. 
John  R.  Campbell,  10th  Mass. 
Albert  Tolman,  loth  Mass. 
Josiah  P.  Day,  10th  Mass. 
C.  C.  Packard,  10th  JIass. 
Josiah  S.  Emerson,  10th  Mass. 
James  M.  Warner,  lOth  Mass. 
Charles  F.  Powers,  10th  Mass. 

E.  P.  Conant,  10th  Mass. 

F.  D.  Bardwell,  lOtli  Mass. 
J.  A.  Franklin,  10th  Mass. 
A.  J.  Foster,  12th  Mass. 
James  Deane,  18th  Mass. 
Lewis  G.  Pratt,  21st  Mass. 
Thos.  Mclntyre,  27th  Mass. 
Patrick  Sweeney,  27th  Mass. 
Alfred  Bnrdick,27th  Mass. 
Asa  Tilden,  27th  Mass. 
John  Tonio,  27th  Mass. 

P.  C.  Collins,  27th  Mass. 

C.  L.  Emmons,  27th  Mass. 
J.  B.  Slate,  27th  Mass. 

G.  M.  Lander,  3Ist  Mass. 
S.  M.  Ware,  31st  Mass. 

E.  C.  W.  Orcutt,  31st  Mass. 
Addison  Goodaow,  31st  Mass, 
Chas.  H.  Clark,  31st  Mass. 
H.  T.  Brown,  3l6t  Mass. 
Moses  Johnson,  31st  Mass. 

D.  D.  Ware,  31st  Mass. 

E.  H.  Hawks,  34th  Mass. 
Frank  Allen,  34lh  Mass. 
Peter  Ely,  34th  Mass. 

H.  S.  Greenleaf,  52d  Mass. 


E.  II.  Allen,  52d  Mass. 
S.  H.  Blackwell,  62d  Mass. 
H.  D.  Culver,  52d  Mass. 
S.  F.  Daniels,  62d  Mass. 
G.  H.  Fish,  52d  Mass. 
Nathaniel  Ilerrick,  52d  Mass. 
George  F.  Hill,  52d  Mass. 
Joseph  C.  Merrill,  52d  Mass. 

C.  A.  Pratt,  a2d  Mass. 
M.  W.  Bice,  52d  Mass. 
George  F.  Steele,  52d  Mass. 
K  E.  Severance,  52d  Mass. 
G.  A.  Smead,  52d  3Iass. 
George  0.  Wilder,  52d  Mass. 
William  Wells,  52d  Mass. 
H.  C.  Wright,  52d  Mas.s. 
Charles  F.  Alden,  52d  Mass. 
Wm.  B.  Bardwell,  52d  Mass. 
S.  M.  Blackwell,  52d  Mass. 
George  B.  Carter,  52d  Mass. 
Stephen  Ford,  52d  Mass. 
William  H.  Foster,  52d  Mass. 
Silas  C,  Hunter,  52d  Mass. 
P.  C.  Mayuard,  52d  Mass. 
Wm.  A,  Parmenter,  52d  Mass. 
George  B.  Pratt,  52d  Mass. 

D.  W.  Keed,  52d  Mass. 
M.  D.  Shea,  52d  Mass. 

J.  F.  Severance,  52d  Mass. 
Morris  Vincent,  52d  Mass. 
C.  E.  White,  52d  Mass. 
C.  0.  Pellon,  o2d  Mass. 
J.  A.  Pittsinger,  52d  Mass. 
James  Burke,  34th  Mass. 


BIOGKAPHIOAL    SKETCHES. 


SOLOMON  SMEAD, 
during  a  long  and  a  honorable  life,  was  thoroughly  identified 
with  the  business  interests  of  Franklin  County,  and  especially 
with  Shelburne  and  the  neighboring  towns.  He  was  born  in 
Ashfield  in  1792.  He  was  the  son  of  Elihu  Smead  and 
Mercy  Bardwell  Smead,  who  were  born  in  Deerfield.  She 
was  a  descendant  of,  and  was  named  for,  Mercy  Sheldon,  who 
was  taken  prisoner  by  the  Indians,  when  that  town  was  de- 
stroyed, in  1704. 

The  parents  of  Solomon  Smead  began  life  in  a  very  humble 
way,  as  frugality  and  industry  were  necessary  to  support  and 
care  for  so  large  a  family,  fifteen  children  being  born  to  them. 

In  the  early  life  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  the  family 
removed  to  Shelburne.  Upon  arriving  there  the  father  com- 
menced the  manufacture  of  leather  and  of  boots  and  shoes  on 
a  small  scale.  But  by  indomitable  energy  and  perseverance 
the  capital  was  increased  and  business  was  extended  to  other 
branches  of  industry,  bringing  both  patronage  and  money 
into  his  hands.  He  was  a  man  of  strong  mind  and  conser- 
vative character.  He  expected  his  son  and  all  connected  with 
him  to  do  their  part  in  adding  to  the  comfort  and  well-being 
of  the  family.  The  youthful  life  of  the  son  was  like  that  of 
most  New  England  boj's  of  his  time, — the  pure,  quiet,  un- 
eventful life  of  a  New  England  farm,  surrounded  by  those 
healthful  influences  and  good  examples  of  patient  industry 
which  have  molded  many  a  sterling  character  upon  the  New 
England  hills.    His  education  was  that  of  the  common  school. 


the  church,  and  the  family.  Upon  attaining  his  majority  he 
was  admitted  as  a  partner  with  his  father,  which  partnership 
continued  during  the  life  of  the  latter.  By  close  attention  to 
business  conducted  upon  the  strict  principles  of  justice  and 
integrity,  this  firm  was  more  than  usually  prosperous,  and  at 
the  time  of  the  father's  death,  in  1840,  a  large  property  had 
been  accumulated. 

Mr.  Solomon  Smead  continued  to  carry  on  the  same  busi- 
ness, and,  by  the  thoroughness  and  system  which  had  been 
inculcated  from  his  earliest  years,  he  was  enabled  not  only 
to  carry  it  on  successfully,  but  to  add  to  it  the  manufacture 
of  lumber.  Meanwhile,  he  was  gaining  friends  and  increasing 
in  influence  and  prosperity. 

In  1825  he  married  Miss  Dorinda  Dole,  youngest  daughter 
of  Capt.  Parker  Dole  and  Anna  Trowbridge  Dole,  and  was 
peculiarly  happy  in  his  domestic  life.  Capt.  Dole  was  an 
influential  farmer  of  the  town  and  a  nephew  of  Dr.  Dole, 
who  was  killed  by  the  British  in  their  attack  upon  Dorchester 
Heights. 

Mrs.  Smead  was  one  of  the  most  dignified  ladies  in  the  vi- 
cinity, exercising  a  firm  but  quiet  influence  upon  the  society 
in  which  she  moved.  Their  success  in  subsequent  years  was 
largely  due  to  her  cheerful  helpfulness  and  self-denying  exer- 
tions. This  union  was  blessed  with  a  sou  and  two  daughters, 
who  were  given  a  good  education.  The  son,  Elihu  Smead,  was 
associated  with  his  father  in  business  in  his  later  years.  He 
married  Miss  E.  G.  Wright,  a  teacher  in  Boston,  and  daughter 


652 


HISTORY   OF  THE   CONNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


of  Prescott  Wright,  Esq.,  of  Westford.  In  1872  he  became 
a  inerchimt  in  Newton,  Mass.,  where  the  family  have  resided 
since  that  time.  The  elder  daughter,  A.  Amelia  Smead, 
graduated  at  Mount  Holyoke  Seminary,  South  Hadley,  and 
was  a  teacher  at  Lake  Erie  Seminary,  Painesville,  Ohio, 
and  afterward  associate  principal  at  the  Michigan  Female 
Seminary,  Kalamazoo,  Michigan.  She  is  now  (1879)  at  home 
with  her  mother.  The  younger  daughter,  Jennie  W.  Smead, 
graduated  at  Lake  Erie  Seminary,  Painesville,  Ohio,  and  was 
a  teacher  at  the  Michigan  Female  Seminary,  Kalamazoo, 
Mich.     She  married  Mr.  L.  L.  Pierce,  of  Worcester. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smead  recognized  for  their  family  the  impor- 
tance of  a  thorough  education ;  both,  in  this  and  in  their  home- 
life,  kept  abreast  with  New  England  progress,  thought,  and 
culture.  The  home  of  the  family  in  Shelburne  was  a  model 
New  England  country  home.  The  true  spirit  of  unity  and 
ati'ectionate  co-operation  for  the  common  good  pervaded  it. 
The  business,  domestic,  and  social  interests  of  each  member 
of  the  family  were  known  to  all.  With  natural  industry  and 
economy  for  a  foundation,  supplemented  by  steady,  persistent 
efiort  and  thrifty  care  of  honest  earnings,  the  sure  reward  of 
such  industry  followed,  and  Mr.  Smead  was  able  to  enjoy, 
with  his  family,  in  his  later  years, — indeed,  through  most  of 
his  life, — conveniences  and  comforts  in  his  home  far  beyond 
those  enjoyed  by  the  average  New  Englander  in  rural  neigh- 
borhoods, and  to  leave  to  those  he  loved  a  comfortable  fortune. 
He  was  interested  in  financial  institutions  in  Shelburne  Falls 
and  Greenfield.  Was  active  in  the  organization  of  the  bank 
in  former  place,  and  a  director  until  his  death. 

He  held  many  of  the  elective  offices  of  the  town,  and  was 
chosen  on  many  committees  to  oversee  its  business,  in  all  of 
which  he  honored  the  town  and  gained  respect  for  himself. 

In  business  he  was  strictly  just;  thoroughly  systematic  him- 
self and  punctual  in  keeping  all  his  business  engagements,  he 
admired  such  qualities  in  others.  He  believed  in  doing  busi- 
ness in  a  business  way,  and  strictly  in  accordance  with  the 
best  business  rules.  He  was  always  ready  to  aid,  both  by 
means  and  influence,  any  who  desired  his  assistance,  either  in 
establishing  business  or  in  obtaining  an  education,  provided 
they  showed  a  readiness  to  make  the  most  of  the  means  at 
command.  He  was  never  a  speculator ;  but,  as  he  was  able  to 
accumulate  property,  he  sought  to  invest  it  where  the  element 
of  safety  was  most  prominent,  never  being  tempted  to  unwise 
risks  by  the  promise  of  large  income.  The  strictest  integrity 
characterized  all  his  dealings  with  his  fellow-men,  and  he  had 
no  patience  with  dishonesty  and  deception  in  others.  He  ab- 
horred shams  of  every  kind.  Broad  and  charitable  in  his  re- 
ligious views,  thoroughly  devotional  in  his  life,  he  was  never 
wedded  to  any  narrowness  of  doctrine  or  creed.  Keligion  was 
with  him  an  abiding  principle,  not  the  fitful  vagary  of  an 
excited  imagination.  His  was  the  religion  of  the  Bible,  and 
he  acknowledged  its  claims,  reverently  bowed  to  its  teachings, 
and  was  rewarded  by  its  abundant  consolations. 

Always  quiet  and  dignified,  Mr.  Smead  was  never  as  demon- 
strative in  the  manifestation  of  his  emotions  and  aftections  as 
many  men.  But  they  were  none  the  less  strong,  pure,  and 
true.  With  extreme  modesty,  combined  with  courtesy  to  all, 
he  lived  more  for  others  than  for  himself.  His  own  pleasure 
was  an  incident  rather  than  an  end.  He  was  ardent,  yet  careful 
in  expressing  disapprobation  of  anything  which  his  principles 
of  morality  would  not  approve. 

Even  before  temperance  societies  existed  he  was  a  thorough 
temperance  man  in  practice  as  well  as  in  theory.  His  habits 
of  life  were  extremely  simple  and  unostentatious.  Hence,  at 
the  advanced  age  of  seventy-seven,  he  stood  as  erect  and  had 
as  much  vigor  and  strength  as  are  usually  found  in  persons 
much  younger. 

In  politics  he  was  a  member  of  the  old  Whig  party,  whose 
leader  in  Massachusetts  was  Daniel  Webster,  whom  he,  in 
common  with  others,  held  in  that  esteem  which  is  akin  to 


veneration.  In  his  political  views  he  was  clear  and  reliable; 
without  otl'ensively  thrusting  his  opinions  upon  any  one, 
he  was  yet  no  coward  in  the  utterance  of  the  sentiments  he 
thought  right.  When  the  Whig  party  was  merged  into  the 
llepublican  in  Massachusetts,  he  acted  with  the  latter. 

He  was  opposed  to  slavery,  and  a  consistent  and  zealous 
defender  of  the  rights  of  man.  At  the  outbreak  of  the  Ke- 
bellion  he  took  an  active  part  in  its  repression,  using  his  in- 
fluence and  means  to  raise  money  and  to  lit  men  for  the  field. 

Mr.  Smead  was  a  fond  and  devoted  husband  and  father  and 
a  genial  companion,  always  delighting  in  the  society  of  the 
young,  enjoying  heartily  the  comjianionship  of  friends,  and 
taking  a  deep  interest  in  everything  that  had  for  its  motive 
the  good  of  the  community  in  which  he  lived.  Possessing  by 
nature  a  sanguine  temperament  and  a  healthy  mind  and  body, 
he  was  fitted  to  be  a  good  neighbor  and  citizen.  Few  who 
met  him  only  in  ordinary  business  life  knew  of  the  peculiar 
tenderness  of  his  inner  nature.  Those  who  had  the  pleasure 
of  knowing  him  intimately,  who  have  known  something  of 
the  life,  of  his  home,  and  of  his  kindly  interest  in  friends  not 
of  bis  own  blond  whom  he  had  come  to  confidently  trust  and 
love,  remember  with  pleasure  many  manifestations  of  his  deep 
and  tender  affection.  He  loved  to  deal  with  those  he  believed 
to  be  honest  and  true.  Those  who  held  such  a  place  in  his 
regard  remember  him  as  kind,  accommodating,  free  to  offer 
friendly  counsel  and  aid.  Many  feel  that  a  measure  of  their 
own  success  in  life  is  due  to  the  purity  of  his  example, — to  his 
wise  counsel  and  bis  timely  aid  when  the  only  guarantee  they 
could  ofl'er  him  was  evidence  of  industrious  habits,  integrity 
of  character,  and  an  honest  purpose  in  life. 

Mr.  Smead  died  April  26,  1809,  at  the  age  of  seventy-seven, 
in  the  home  in  Shelburne  where  the  whole  of  his  business  and 
domestic  life  had  been  spent. 


EBENEZER  NIMS 


is  of  English  ancestry.  He  is  the  son  of  Joel  Nims,  and  the 
grandson  of  Reuben,  who  was  the  son  of  John,  Jr.,  son  of 
John,  who  was  the  son  of  Godfrey,  who  emigrated  from  Eng- 
land at  an  early  date,  and  is  supposed  to  have  settled  at  Deer- 
field,  Mass.,  between  1665  and  1667. 

Reuben  Nims  was  born  on  the  14th  of  June,  1740,  and 
settled  in  Shelburne  on  a  large  farm,  and  in  connection  with 
the  business  of  farming  kept  a  hotel.  His  house  was  quite  an 
important  point  in  those  days,  and  was  well  known  in  the  sur- 
rounding country  as  "Nims'  Tavern."  He  married  for  his 
first  wife  (on  the  1st  of  July,  1762)  Sarah  Burt,  by  whom  he 
had  five  children,  viz.,  Jonathan,  Reuben,  Joel,  Abigail,  and 
Sarah.  His  wife  died  on  the  2d  of  April,  1774,  and  he  mar- 
ried Deliverance  Gould  on  the  25th  of  January,  1777.  By 
this  union  he  had  four  children, — Elizabeth,  Samuel,  Joel, 
and  Mary. 

Joel,  the  youngest  son  of  the  second  wife,  was  the  father  of 
the  subject  of  this  notice.  He  was  born  in  Shelburne,  Frank- 
lin Co.,  Mass.,  on  the  29th  of  December,  1782.  He  was  a 
farmer,  and  also  kept  the  hotel  after  his  father's  decease.  As 
a  man  he  was  highly  respected,  and  was  for  many  years  a 
member  of  the  Congregational  Church  of  that  town.  He 
was  married,  on  the  29th  of  November,  1806,  to  Betsey  Nims, 
by  whom  he  had  three  children,  viz.,  Abner,  Direxa,  and 
Mary.  His  first  wife  died  on  the  7th  of  December,  1812,  and 
he  married  for  his  second  wife  Lovena,  daughter  of  Reuben 
Bardwell.  By  this  union  he  had  five  children,  all  sons.  They 
are  Joel  B.,  born  Aug.  25,  1815;  Reuben,  boin  Aug.  15, 
1817;  Charles,  born  July  31,  1820;  Ebenezer,  born  on  the 
30th  of  September,  1822;  and  David  W.,  born  May  6,  1824. 

Ebenezer,  as  before  related,  was  born  in  Shelburne,  and 
attended  the  common  schools  of  that  town  until  ten  years  of 
age.     He  then  went  to  Rowe  to  live  with  a  cousin,  and  re- 


'-^2y^-^^^ 


HISTORY   OP   FRANKLIN   COUNTY. 


653 


mained  in  that  town  twenty-nine  years.  At  the  expiration  of 
that  time  he  parchasecl  a  farm  in  the  town  of  C'harlemont,  where 
he  resided  live  years,  when  he  sold  his  property  and  removed 
to  Shelburne,  and  purchased  the  phice  where  he  now  resides. 


c>^ 


■yL^y>/yo^— 


oM. 


iy-yyW 


He  has  been  engaged  in  general  farming,  and  has  by  his  own 
unaided  eflTorts  acquired  a  competency.  As  a  man  he  is  highly 
esteemed  in  the  community  in  which  he  lives.  He  is  a  Re- 
publican in  politics,  and  has  served  in  the  capacity  of  select- 
man twenty-seven  years.  Mr.  Nims  and  his  family  are 
members  of  the  Baptist  Church  of  Shelburne  Falls. 

His  wife  was  Sarah  G.  Brown,  daughter  of  Alfred  Brown, 
of  Rowe,  to  whom  he  was  married  on  the  28th  of  November, 
1844.  They  have  six  children,  viz.,  Sarah  L.,  wife  of  A.  K. 
Sears,  of  Hawley,  Francis  E.,  Mary  E.,  Henry  D.,  Alfred  J., 
Arthur  B. 

They  have  also  three  grandchildren,  viz.,  Frank  H.,  son  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sears,  born  Nov.  9,  1867;  and  Francis  W., 
born  March  19,  1873,  and  Bessie,  born  Sept.  IG,  1878,  children 
of  Dr.  Francis  E.  Nims. 


JOSEPH   WILLIAM   GARDNER 

was  born  in  1823,  in  the  city  of  Birmingham,  England.  The 
Gardners  were  a  Warwick.shire  family,  and,  while  most  of 
them  remained  farmers,  quite  a  number  became  distinguished 
as  engineers,  builders  of  heavy  machinery,  and  in  other 
branches  of  the  mechanic  arts.  The  family  name  on  his 
mother's  side  was  Philpott.  They  seem  to  have  been  of  a 
more  adventurous  disposition,  and  several  members  of  the 
family  emigrated  to  this  country.  Among  others,  the  grand- 
father and  uncle  of  the  subject  of  this  article  came  over  as 
early  as  1830,  going  at  once  to  Pittsburg,  Pa.  The  younger, 
Mr.  William  Philpott,  who  had  been  largely  engaged  in  coal 
and  iron  raining  in  Wales,  at  once  commenced  mining  for 
coal,  having  brought  quite  a  large  force  of  Welsh  miners 
with  him.  He  afterward  removed  to  Middleburg,  Ohio,  where 
he  opened  mines  in  both  coal  and  iron,  and  soon  amassed  a 
fortune. 

Joseph  W.  Gardner  was  the  only  surviving  son  of  a  large 
family  of  children.     After  leaving  school  he  was  apprenticed 


to  a  tool-maker,  where  in  due  time  he  became  proficient  in 
every  part  of  the  business,  having  a  great  aptitude  and  liking 
for  the  mechanical  arts.  In  1843,  having  served  his  appren- 
ticeship and  hearing  glowing  accounts  of  America,  he  came 
to  this  country.  He  landed  in  New  York  on  the  4th  of  July, 
and  his  first  inquiry  was  for  work.  Taking  up  a  newspaper, 
he  saw  an  advertisement  for  workmen  from  J.  Russell  &  Co., 
manufacturers  of  table  cutlery  at  Greenfield,  Mass.  He  left 
for  that  place  almost  immediately,  and  found  no  difBculty  in 
obtaining  the  employment  he  sought.  He  did  not  remain 
long,  however,  but  yielded  to  the  urgent  invitations  of  his 
relatives  in  the  West  to  visit  them. 

There  were  but  few  railroads  at  that  time,  and  the  journey 
to  Ohio  was  made  partly  by  stage  and  partly  by  the  Erie 
Canal  and  Lake  Erie.  Ohio  was  then  a  comparatively  new 
country.  There  were  few,  if  any,  manufactures  and  very 
little  money,  and,  though  his  uncle  offered  him  an  easy  situa- 
tion, he  found  things  so  little  to  his  taste  that,  after  remaining 
six  months,  he  turned  his  face  eastward.  Arriving  in  Pitts- 
burg, after  a  tedious  journey  by  stage  over  what  were  called 
"corduroy"  roads,  he  stopped  there  three  months.  After- 
ward he  proceeded  to  Wheeling,  Va.,  where  he  remained 
about  the  sanie  length  of  time,  and  in  rather  less  than  a  year 
after  leaving  Greenfield  he  was  again  there  at  work  for 
J.  Russell  i&  Co.  Displaying  more  than  common  ability,  he 
was  soon  placed  as  foreman  of  the  hafting  department,  which 
situation  he  retained  as  long  as  he  remained  in  their  employ. 
It  was  during  that  period  that  he  was  married  to  Frances  L. 
Denio,  and  in  the  village  of  Cheapside  his  only  child,  a 
daughter,  was  born. 

In  1848  he  was  threatened  with  pulmonary  disease;  and  was 
pronounced  by  the  doctors  as  incurable,  but  was  advised  to  try 
a  change  of  climate.  He  accordingly  again  visited  his  friends 
in  the  West,  and  after  an  absence  of  three  months  he  returned, 
much  improved  in  health  and  able  to  work,  greatly  to  the 
astonishment  of  every  one.  Not  caring  to  retain  his  position 
with  the  Russell  Company  any  longer,  he  went  at  once  to 
Shelburne  Falls.  Lamson,  Goodnow  &  Co.,  who  for  some 
years  had  been  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  scythe-snathes, 
had  just  commenced  making  butchers'  knives  and  a  few  pat- 
terns of  table  cutlery.  Mr.  William  G.  Clement  had  at  that 
time  the  management  of  the  business,  and  employed  about 
twenty  men  in  making  cutlery,  most  of  whom  were  from 
Sheffield,  England.  Mr.  Gardner  suggested  some  important 
changes  to  him,  and  in  a  short  time,  convinced  that  he  could 
not  do  better,  Mr.  Clement  appointed  Mr.  Gardner  to  the 
superintendency  of  the  cutlery  department.  In  a  year  and 
a  half  they  had  increased  the  number  of  their  workmen  to 
one  hundred  and  thirty.  The  work  was  at  this  time  carried 
on  in  a  few  old  wooden  buildings  on  the  Shelburne  side  of  the 
Deerfield  River,  but  in  two  years  after  Mr.  Gardner's  arrival 
they  commenced  building  the  fine  brick  shops  which  they  now 
occupy  in  Buckland.  About  this  time  he  introduced  a  new 
bolster  for  knives,  known  as  the  concave  bolster,  which  has 
been  very  generally  adopted  both  in  this  country  and  in 
England.  During  the  building  of  the  new  factories,  Mr. 
Gardner  went  to  England  to  negotiate  for  the  purchase  of 
carver-forks  and  steels,  and  also  to  make  arrangements  for 
introducing  into  their  own  manufactories  the  making  of  cast- 
or run-steel  forks  ;  and  also  to  bring  back  with  him  a  number 
of  skillful  workmen.  From  that  time  forward  the  business 
steadily  increased  for  many  years.  Each  year  brought  out 
some  new  invention  in  cutlery,  or  some  machine  for  improv- 
ing and  decreasing  the  cost  of  making  it.  Chief  among  the 
many  patents  are  the  "patent  shell  bolster"  and  "Gardner's 
patent  guard"  carver-fork.  After  the  introduction  of  the 
latter  they  ceased  to  import  carver-forks,  and  have  since  made 
their  own. 

In  1859,  Mr.  William  6.  Clement,  a  most  worthy  gentle- 
man, left  Lamson  &  Goodnow,  and  commenced  business  for 


G54 


HISTOllY  OF  THE   CONNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


himself  in  Northampton.  Mr.  Gardner  was  at  once  installed 
in  his  place,  and  had  the  care  of  the  entire  business.  During 
that  year,  and  again  in  1868,  he  was  sent  to  England  on 
business  for  the  coni])any.  Like  all  other  manufacturers,  they 
have  had  their  losses  by  fires,  floods,  and  commercial  panics  ; 
but  any  and  every  emergency  found  them  ready,  courageous, 
and  hopeful.  At  last,  in  1876,  Mr.  Gardner,  weary  with  long 
service,  and  feeling  that  he  had  earned  the  right  to  take  life 
easier,  yet  too  young  and  too  industrious  to  retire  from  busi- 
ness, and  having  invented  a  new  and  superior  pocket-knife, 
he  left  the  active  management  of  the  Lamson  &  Goodnow 
Com])any,  and  commenced  manufacturing  pocket-cutlery,  in- 
tending at  first  to  employ  only  a  limited  number  of  men,  and 
also  to  make  the  best  knives  in  the  world.  His  first  goods, 
stamped  "Gardner,  1876,"  were  in  the  market  in  the  month 
of  August  of  that  year.  Since  then,  notwithstanding  the 
liard  times,  he  has  had  a  constantly  increasing  demand  for 
them.  In  these  days  of  competition  it  is  no  easy  task  to  do 
the  best  work  and  to  sell  goods  at  the  low  prices  required ; 
but  this  Mr.  Gardner  has  always  been  able  to  do,  and  that 
without  reducing  the  wages  of  his  workmen  to  any  great  ex- 
tent.    His  motto  has  always  been,  "  Good  work  and  fair  pay." 


OKSAMUS  O.  BARDWELL 

was  born  in  Shelburne,  Franklin  Co.,  Mass.,  on  the  29th  of 
March,  1812.  His  birthplace  was  on  the  farm  which  he  now 
owns,  and  which  was  originally  the  estate  of  Gideon  Bard- 
well,  his  grandfather,  who  settled  in  Shelburne  at  an  early 
date.  His  father,  Joel  Bardwell,  was  born  in  Shelburne  on 
the  8th  of  August,  1780.  He  married  Lydia,  daughter  of 
Lieut.  Jabez  Newhall,  by  whom  he  had  seven  children,  viz. : 
Betsey  L.,  born  April  2,  1810,  and  married  Winslow  Clark 
on  the  3d  of  June,  1830;  Orsamus  0.,  subject  of  this  sketch  ; 
Millicent,  born  Dec.  12,  1814,  and  married  Alvah  Hawks  in 
November,  1838  (both  are  deceased) ;  Lydia  L.,  born  July  17, 
1817,  who  married  Ira  W.  Barnard,  June  1,  1840;  Joel  L., 
born  Oct.  27,  1819,  and  Joel  L.,  born  July  14,  1822,  both  of 
whom  died  in  infancy  ;  and  Keziah  P.,  born  March  20,  1824, 
and  married  Elijah  Page  on  the  5th  of  November,  1849. 

Orsamus  0.  received  his  education  in  the  common  schools 
of  his  native  town,  which  he  attended  during  a  part  of  each 
year  until  he  was  seventeen  years  of  age.  When  quite  young 
he  worked  upon  his  father's  farm,  and  continued  to  do  so 
until  he  reached  his  majority.  When  twenty-four  years  of 
age  he  commenced  farming  upon  his  own  account,  and  in 
that  year  (on  the  2d  of  June,  1836)  he  married  Tirzah  Ann 
Jones.  She  was  born  on  the  11th  of  July,  1815,  and  died  on 
the  8th  of  June,  1845.  By  this  union  he  had  one  child,  Ellen 
Maria,  born  on  the  23d  of  December,  1839,  and  died  on  the 
27th  of  September,  1851.  After  his  father's  decease,  which 
occurred  in  March,  1849,  Mr.  Bardwell  purchased  the  pater- 
nal estate  by  paying  off  the  co-heirs.  He  has  devoted  himself 
to  the  improvement  and  cultivation  of  his  farm,  which  he  has 
considerably  enlarged,  and  has  also  entered  largely  into  local 


improvements.  The  ferry  across  the  Deerfield  River  near 
his  residence,  and  known  as  "  Bardwell's  Ferry,"  was  first  in 
charge  of  his  grandfather,  subsequently  of  his  father,  and  in 
due  time  descended  to  him.  He  was  the  first  to  project,  and 
afterward  was  mainly  instrumental  in  procuring,  the  bridge 


across  the  river  near  this  point,  and  the  railroad  station  and 
post-oflBce,  also  known  as  Bardwell's.  The  position  of  post- 
master, which  was  oft'ered  hini,  was  declined  on  account  of  the 
multiplicity  of  his  other  duties. 

In  politics  Mr.  Bardwell  is  a  Republican,  but  has  never 
been  a  seeker  of  office.  He  hixs  held  various  local  positions  of 
trust,  having  been  a  member  of  the  board  of  selectmen  five 
terras,  and  for  a  number  of  years  a  justice  of  the  peace  and 
assessor.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church  nearly 
twenty  years,  and  is  known  as  a  man  of  strict  integrity  of 
character.  He  married  for  his  second  wife,  on  the  1st  of 
February,  1848,  Helen  L.,  daughter  of  Rev.  Daniel  Packer. 
By  this  union  he  had  a  family  of  six  children, — Orsamus  J., 
born  Nov.  3,  1848,  and  died  Sept.  22,  1851 ;  Daniel  P.,  born 
Feb.  20,  1851 ;  Arthur  J.,  born  July  7,  1853  ;  Lucy  S.,  born 
March  6,  1857;  Havelock  O.,  born  Feb.  17,  1859;  and  Evelyn 
H.,  born  July  19,  1861. 

Mrs.  Helen  P.  Bardwell  was  born  on  the  16th  of  August, 
1823,  and  died  March  10,  1875.  She  was  universally  beloved, 
and  is  deeply  mourned  by  her  family  and  a  large  circle  of 
friends. 


NORTHFIELD. 


GEOGRAPHICAL. 

NoRTHFlELD,  one  of  the  largest  and  most  populous  towns 
in  eastern  Franklin,  with  a  taxable  area  of  19,800  acres, 
borders  upon  the  States  of  Vermont  and  New  Hampshire, 
and  has  for  its  northern  boundary  parts  of  the  southern  lines 
of  those  States.  On  the  south  it  has  the  town  of  Erving,  on 
the  east  the  town  of  Warwick,  and  on  the  west  the  towns  of 
Bernardston  and  Gill.  The  New  London  Northern  Railroad 
follows  the  course  of  the  Connecticut  until  just  beyond  North- 
field  village,  and  then,  crossing  the  river,  joins  the  Connecticut 
River  Railroad  at  West  Northfield,  the  latter  railway  travers- 
ing the  northwestern  corner  of  the  town  from  Bernardston  to 
the  Vermont  line. 

The  Connecticut  River  divides  the  northern  portion  of 
Northfield  as  far  south  as  the  southeast  corner  of  Bernardston, 
and  from  thence  forms  Northfield's  western  boundary. 

NATURAL   FEATURES. 

The  surface  of  the  town  is  hilly  in  the  east  and  southeast, 
but  on  the  west,  along  the  river,  there  stretches  a  fertile  plain, 
the  soil  of  which  is  a  deep  alluvial. 

Besides  the  Connecticut,  there  are  innumerable  small  streams, 
mostly  mountain  brooks.  The  hilly  range  which  extends 
through  the  length  of  the  town  on  the  east  contains  many 
prominent  eminences,  such  as  South  Mountain,  Crag  Moun- 
tain, and  Beers  Mountain  (the  latter  so  named  by  reason  of 
Capt.  Richard  Beers  having  been  killed  there  by  the  Indians 
in  1675  and  buried  near)  on  the  south,  and,  passing  farther 
north.  Brush,  Round,  Hemlock,  Notch,  Stratton,  Pine,  and 
other  mountains. 

Among  the  natural  curiosities  may  be  noticed  the  Ice- 
House  and  Rattlesnake  Den,  on  Brush  Mountain,  and  Cold 
Spring,  near,  where,  in  a  mountain  tissure,  snow  and  ice  are 
sometimes  found  as  late  as  August.  There  are  numerous 
rocks,  tracts  of  plain  and  other  spots,  to  which  tradition  has 
given  names,  and  concerning  which  notable  incidents  were 
recorded  in  Northfield's  early  history. 

Clark's  Island,  in  the  Connecticut  River,  north  of  North- 
field  Farms,  was  granted  to  the  town  by  William  Clarke,  in 
1086,  and  was  once  supposed  to  be  one  of  the  many  spots 
where  the  pirate  Kidd  had  deposited  untold  treasures.  It  is 
sometimes  called  Field's  Island  and  Stratton 's  Island.  About 
two  miles  east  of  Northfield  village  Jewell  Basset  owns  a 
quarry,  whence  an  excellent  quality  of  granite  is  taken  in 
considerable  quantity. 

\  EARLY  SETTLEMENT. 
The  territory  now  included  within  the  limits  of  Northfield 
was  occupied  early  in  the  seventeenth  century  by  the  Squak- 
Ac«</ Indians,  and  they  were  in  possession  as  late  as  1669,  when, 
in  consequence  of  the  failure  of  their  expedition  against  the 
Mohawks  (in  return  for  the  depredations  of  the  latter  upon 
the  country  of  the  Sqiiakheags),  the  Sqiiakhcnr/s  abandoned  the 
tract,  and  in  1G09  a  committee  appointed  by  the  General 
Court  to  lay  out  a  plantation  at  what  is  now  Worcester  re- 
ported that  among  other  places  they  had  discovered  a  place 
called  Suckquakege,  ujion  the  Connecticut  River,  and  sug- 
gested to  the  court  that  the  places  discovered  should  be  re- 
served to  make  towns,  the  better  to  strengthen  "  those  inland 
parts."    The  court  approved  the  report,  and  ordered  the  lands 


mentioned  to  be  thus  reserved,  and,  in  1671,  Joseph  Parsons, 
Sr.,  Wm.  Janes,  George  Alexander,  Caleb  Pomeroy,  Micah 
Mudge,  and  others,  of  Northampton,  purchased  this  place 
called  Suckquakege  from  the  native  claimants  for  "  a  valuable 
consideration."  In  the  deed,  signed  by  Massemet,  Panoot, 
Pammok,  Nenepownam  (his  squaw),  Wompely,  and  Nessa- 
coscom,  the  tract  was  described  as  lying  on  both  sides  of  the 
Great  River,  and  bounded  thus  :  "  The  Northerly  end  at  Coas- 
sock,  the  Southerly  end  on  the  east  side  of  the  Great  River 
down  to  Quanotock,  at  the  southerly  end  of  the  west  side  of 
the  Great  River,  butting  against  Mas.sapetot's  land,  and  so 
running  six  miles  into  the  woods  on  both  sides  of  the  river." 

The  tract  herein  conveyed  covered  10,560  acres,  and  in 
1673  a  second  purchase  of  3000  acres  was  made,  from  Asogoa 
(the  daughter  of  Souanaett),  Mashepetol,  Kisquando,  and 
Pampatekerao  (Mashcpetol's  daughter)  for  a  consideration  of 
200  fathoms  of  wampumek.  The  land  described  in  the  deed  lay 
"  at  Squakheag,  called  by  the  Indians  Nallahamcomgon,  and 
is  bounded  with  the  Great  River  on  the  easterly  side  ;  on  the 
westerly  side,  a  great  ledge  of  hills  six  miles  from  the  Great 
River;  on  the  southerly,  to  a  brook  called  by  the  Indians  Nal- 
lahamcomgo,  and  so  straight  into  the  woods  on  the  north  to 
that  land  that  was  Masseraett's  land." 

In  May,  1672,  the  General  Court  authorized  the  laying  out 
of  a  township  upon  the  tract  first  purchased,  conditioned  that 
not  less  than  twenty  families  should  be  settled  within  eighteen 
months  from  the  date  of  the  grant ;  that  the  petitioners  took 
good  care  to  provide  and  maintain  the  preaching  of  the  word 
and  ordinances  of  God  among  them  ;  and  that  a  farm  of  300 
acres  be  reserved  for  the  use  of  the  country.  The  grant  was 
issued  in  October,  1672,  and  provided  that  the  tract  should  be 
equal  to  the  contents  of  six  miles  square,  and  not  be  laid  out 
above  eight  miles  in  length  by  the  river.  The  committee  ap- 
pointed to  lay  out  the  township  attended  to  the  matter  in  the 
autumn  of  1672,  and  reported  as  follows : 

"  We  appointed  and  ordered  a  brook  called  Natanis,  on  the  west  side  of  the 
Great  Kiver,  to  be  the  bounds  at  the  Southerly  end ;  then  we  measured  alwut 
eight  miles  up  the  river,  to  a  little  river  that  runs  into  the  Great  River,  and  ap- 
pointed it  to  run  westerly  three-quarters  of  a  mile  from  the  Great  River ;  on  the 
east  side  of  the  River  to  come  to  the  lower  end  of  the  Three  Little  meadows  tliat 
are  below  the  town's  plot,  and  so  to  nin  up  the  Kiver  eight  miles,  and  three 
miles  and  three-quarters  easterly  from  the  Great  Kiver." 

Prom  a  publication  made  by  Kev.  John  Hubbard,  it  appears 
that  upon  this  tract,  now  known  as  Northfield,  "settlers 
located  in  the  spring  of  1673,  and  built  small  huts  surrounded 
by  a  stockade  and  fort.  In  the  centre  of  their  collection  of 
huts  they  built  one  for  public  worship,  and  employed  Elder 
William  Janes  as  their  preacher."  The  town-plot  was  laid 
out  at  the  southerly  end  of  what  is  now  known  as  Northfield 
Street,  and  the  settlers  who  located  there  in  1673,  and  shortly 
thereafter,  were  Ralph  Hutchinson,  Elder  Wm.  Janes,  Robert 
Lyman,  Cornelius  Merry,  John  Hilyard,  James  Bennett, 
Joseph  Dickinson,  Micah  Mudge,  John  Alexander,  George 
Alexander,  Samuel  Wright,  William  Miller,  Thomas  Bascom, 
William  Smeade,  William  Hurlbut,  Jr.,  and  Thomas  Web- 
ster. 

The  new  settlers  pursued  their  lives  in  peaceful  security 
until  early  in  1675,  when  the  Indians  began  to  grow  trouble- 
some, and  the  news  of  the  destruction  of  Brookfield,  in  August 
of  this  year,  together  with  subsequent  Indian  depredations, 

655 


656 


HISTORY  OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


alarmed  the  Northfield  settlers  to  such  a  degree  that  they 
abandoned  their  settlements  and  fled  to  Hadley  in  the  latter 
part  of  that  year. 

After  its  destruction  and  desertion,  Squakheag  was  a  barren 
waste  for  seven  years,  until  1682,  in  the  spring  of  which  year 
the  original  proprietors  of  the  tract  addressed  a  petition  to  the 
General  Court  asking  that  the  vacancies  on  the  committee 
originally  in  charge  of  the  plantation  might  be  filled,  two  of 
the  members  thereof  having  died.  The  committee  was  accord- 
ingly completed,  and  agreed  in  the  .spring  of  1683  with  the 
proprietors  that  40  families  should  be  settled  upon  the  town- 
plot  by  May  10,  1686,  and  lots  were  accordingly  granted  to 
John  Lyman,  Joseph  Parsons,  Sr.,  Wm.  Janes,  Geo.  Alex- 
ander, Samuel  Wright's  heirs,  John  Alexander,  Robert 
Lyman,  Wm.  Miller,  Jos.  Dickinson's  heirs,  Ralph  Hutchin- 
son, Micah  Mudge,  Cornelius  Merry,  John  Hilyard,  Thos. 
Webster,  Wm.  clarke,  Samuel  Davis,  Nathaniel  Alexander, 
John  Clary,  Jr.,  Samuel  Boltwood,  John  Taylor,  John  Wood- 
ward, Benjamin  Palmer,  Richard  Francis,  Isaac  Warner, 
Richard  Lyman,  Jos.  Pumory,  Eleazer  Warner,  John  Hutch- 
inson, Thos.  Hunt,  Daniel  Warner,  Wm.  Gurley,  Zachary 
Lawrence,  John  Marsh,  Benj.  Wright,  Ebenezer  Wright. 

Of  the  first  settlers,  in  1673,  Samuel  Wright,  Jos.  Dickin- 
son, and  James  Bennett  were  killed  by  the  Indians,  while 
others  had  abandoned  their  rights,  but  the  majority  of  them, 
as  has  been  seen,  participated  in  the  second  settlement  of  the 

tract. 

By  common  consent  very  little  was  done  toward  eflective  set- 
tlement until  May,  1685,  when  John  Woodward,  Wm.  Clarke, 
Jr.,  and  Richard" Lyman  were  granted  the  privilege  of  build- 
ing a  saw-mill,  and  20  acres  of  land  as  an  encouragement. 
In  response  to  the  petition  of  Wm.  Clarke,  "  in  behalfe  of 
those  that  are  preparing  to  resettle  the  village  of  Squakeage," 
the  General  Court  extended  the  southerly  bound  of  the  east 
side  of  the  river  two  and  a  half  miles,  to  Four-mile  Brook. 
About  twenty  families  entered  upon  the  settlement  during 
this  year  (1685),  and  among  them  were  those  of  Micah  Mudge, 
Cornelius  Merry,  John  Alexander,  Wm.  Miller,  Samuel  Davis, 
Benj.  Palmer,  John  Clary,  Jr.,  and  Benj.  Wright. 

A  substantial  fort  was  built,  and  about  this  time,  too,  John 
Clary,  Jr.,  having  received  an  offer  of  20  acres  of  land  for  an 
encouragement,  set  up  a  grist-mill  on  Mill  Brook. 

A  piece  of  land  was  reserved  on  the  meadow  hill  for  a 
burying-place,  and  near  the  spot,  it  is  related,  Sergt.  Samuel 
Wright  was  slain  by  the  Indians  in  1675.  There  he  was 
buried,  and  that  circumstance  decided  the  location  of  the 
public  grave-yard. 

Roads  were  laid  out  in  1685  through  Great  Meadow,  north 
and  south ;  one  between  the  minister's  lot  and  Wm.  Miller's 
lot;  one  through  Bennett's  meadow  ;  and  numerous  others. 

Early  in  1686  a  lot  was  laid  out  on  Moose  Plain  for  a  high- 
way and  a  ferry,  and  a  new  fort  was  also  built  near  John 
Clary's  grist-mill.  Renewed  apprehensions  of  Indian  troubles 
began  to  be  felt  in  May,  1686,  and  all  males  between  the  ages 
of  "sixteen  and  sixty  were  required  to  take  turns  in  standing 
on  watch  at  night,  as  well  as  to  train  during  four  days  in  the 
year.  At  this  time  there  wei-e  29  actual  settlers  in  Squakheag. 
In  August,  1687,  a  third  purchase  of  land  was  made  from 
the  Indians  by  the  proprietors  of  Squakheag  (at  this  time 
called  Northfield),  and  this  land,  containing  65,000  acres,  em- 
braced the  larger  portion  of  original  Squakheag,  and  extin- 
guished the  Indian  title  to  that  tract. 

The  settlement  prospered  fairly,  but  was  doomed  to  a  brief 
existence,  for,  the  signs  of  fresh  Indian  troubles  becoming 
realities  with  the  outbreak  of  King  William's  war  in  168<J, 
Northtield  was  once  more  deserted,  and  her  inhabitants,  fleeing 
to  a  place  of  safety,  found  it  again  at  Hadley.  Queen.Anne's 
war  following  in  1702,  and  continuing  until  1713,  Northtield 
remained  unsettled  and  desolate  for  a  period  of  more  than 
twenty-three  years. 


Late  in  1713  such  of  the  surviving  proprietors  of  Squakheag 
as  had  not  located  permanently  elsewhere  petitioned  the  Gen- 
eral Court  for  a  revival  of  the  former  grant,  and  the  court, 
in  ordering  the  revival,  ordered  also  that  the  town  should  be 
called  Northfield,  that  40  families  should  be  settled  within 
three  years,  and  that  a  minister  be  settled  within  the  same 

time. 

\  Twenty  persons  engaged  to  settle,  but  only  eight  settled 
during  1714,  to  wit:  Benjamin  Wright,  Joseph  Alexander, 
Nathaniel  Alexander,  Isaac  Warner,  Zechariah  Field,  Heze- 
kiah  Stratton ,  Peter  Evans,  Thomas  Taylor.  Eleazer  Mattoon 
was  an  addition  to  the  settlement  in  the  spring  of  1715.  In 
1716  the  new  settlers  were  Benoni  Moore,  Remembrance 
Wright,  Jona.  Patterson,  Benjamin  Janes,  Jonathan  Janes, 
and  Daniel  Wright. 

In  June,  1716,  the  General  Court  directed  that  10  men  in 
the  public  pay  should  be  allowed  for  the  covering  and  en- 
couragement of  the  plantation  of  Northfield.  To  December, 
1716,  the  people  carried  their  grists  to  Hadley,  but  at  that  date 

-■  pteven  Belding,  of  Swampfield  (Sunderland),  built  a  grist-mill 
on  the  site  of  John  Clary's  old  mill.  Late  in  1717,  Jonathan 
Belding,  of  Hatfield,  brother  to  Steven  Belding  above,  put  up 
a  saw-mill  near  the  grist-mill.  In  1728,  Jonathan  bought  out 
his  brother's  interest,  and  the  mill  privileges  thus  aoiuired 
remained  with  him  and  his  descendants  until  1812.  A  pound 
was  built  in  1718,  and  bricks  were  made  from  clay  dug  in  the 

street. 

Ebenezer  Field,  of  Deerfield,  settled  in  Northfield  in  1720, 
and  set  up  the  first  blacksmith-shop  there  in  that  year,  when 
also  Stephen  Crowfoot  opened  a  carpenter-shop.  At  this  time 
the  town  of  Northfield  included  within  its  limits  what  are 
now  portions  of  Vernon,  Vt.,  and  Hinsdale  and  Winchester, 
N.  H.,  the  north  portion  of  Northfield,  which  assisted  in 
making  these  towns,  being  cut  off  in  1740,  when  the  new 
province  line  was  run.  The  original  grant,  in  1672,  made  the 
town  equal  to  six  miles  square,  or  eight  miles  long  by  four  and 
one-half  miles  wide,  and  to  this,  in  1685,  there  was  an  addition 
of  two  and  one-half  miles  to  the  south  end,  east  of  the  river. 
Josiah  King,  stationed  at  Northfield  previous  to  1725,  as 
one  of  the  garrison,  obtained  a  grant  of  a  home-lot  in  that 
year,  and  set  up  in  business  as  a  shoemaker. 

The  earliest  practicing  physician  in  Northfield  was  the  wife 
of  William  Miller.  She  pursued  the  practice  during  both  the 
first  and  second  settlements  of  the  town,  viz.,  between  the 
years  1673  and  1702. 

Father  Rasle's  war,  enduring  from  1723  to  1726,  brought 
Northfield  once  more  face  to  face  with  troublous  experience  ; 
but  the  settlers  stood  their  ground  this  time,  and,  peace  de- 
scending again  in  1726,  the  pursuits  of  home-life  were  pushed 
forward  with  renewed  vigor. 

The  first  paupers  with  which  the  town  was  burdened  were 
Thomas  Stoddard,  his  wife,  and  children,  who  are  noticed  in 
a  record  of  date  1736. 

After  an  interval  of  eighteen  years  of  peace,  the  old  French- 
and-lndian  war  broke  out  in  1744,  terminated  nominally  in 
1749,  was  renewed  in  1754,  and  continued  until  1763.  Dur- 
ing this  extended  period  the  people  of  Northfield  passed 
through  harassing  and  distressing  experiences,  but  they  stood 
the  brunt  bravely,  and,  upon  the  return  of  peace,  began  with 
rapid  strides  to  push  the  settlement  toward  an  abiding  pros- 
perity. 

The  first  tavern  of  which  mention  is  made  was  the  one  kept 
by  Capt.  Samuel  Hunt  in  1762,  and  previous  thereto.  Eben- 
zer  Field  kept  one  in  1771,  as  did  Hezekiah  Stratton  about 
1763.  Elias  Bascom  opened  a  clothier's  shop  in  1770 ;  Hophni 
Kin-  was  the  carpenter  in  1763 ;  and  Dr.  Medad  Pomeroy 
was°a  practicing  physician  here  in  1768.  A  post-oflice  was 
established  in  Northfield  in  1797,  and  Solomon  Vose  appomted 
postmaster  ;  and  in  the  same  year  Solomon  Vose  and  others 
were  incorporated   "Proprietors  of  an  Aqueduct  in   North- 


HISTORY  OF   FRANKLIN   COUNTY. 


C57 


field,"  for  the  purpose  of  conveying  water  by  subterranean 
pipes  in  the  town. 

In  1799  the  Fifth  Massachusetts  Turnpike  Corporation,  com- 
posed larE;ely  of  Northfield  men,  was  organized,  and  author- 
ized to  lay  out  a  road  from  Northfield  through  Warwick, 
Orange,  Athol,  and  other  towns.  The  tirst  pleasure-carriage 
seen  in  the  town  was  a  two-wheeled  chair,  owned  by  Jonathan 
Bclding,  in  17U3,  but  carriages  drawn  by  horses  were  not 
introduced  until  1800,  when  Hezekiah  Stratton  owned  a  two- 
horse  hack. 

In  1811  the  Northfield  Artillery  Companj-  was  organized, 
and  subsequently  entered  the  service  in  1812. 

John  Barrett  was  the  first  lawyer,  and  practiced  from  1784 
to  1815.  The  first  birth  in  the  town,  as  shown  by  records 
o.xtant,  was  that  of  Lydia,  daughter  of  Eemembrance  Wright, 
in  1713;  the  first  marriage,  between  Daniel  Sliattuck  and 
Kebecca  Boltwood ;  and  the  first  death,  Sarah  Meriam,  1719. 

INDIAN  TROUIiLES. 
•  Northfield,  being — as  its  name  implies — one  of  the  extreme 
northern  settlements  in  Massachusetts  Bay  at  the  time  of  its 
English  occupation,  in  1673,  was  called  upon  to  sustain  severe 
trials  and  misfortunes  during  the  Indian  wars  which  raged 
between  the  opening  of  King  Philip's  war,  in  lU7o,  and  the 
final  cessation  of  Indian  hostilities,  in  17(i3.  Twice  was  the 
settlement  abandoned  in  consequence  of  these  wars,  but  the 
people  undertook  heroically  to  pursue  their  fortunes  a  third 
time,  and  remained,  despite  the  fact  tliat  they  were  compelled 
to  pass  through  the  fire  of  three  more  wars  before  peace  be- 
came permanent. 

The  destruction  of  Brookfield  in  August,  1075,  as  one  of 
the  earliest  notes  in  King  Philip's  war,  awakened  anxiety  and 
fear  at  Northfield,  and,  about  the  middle  of  August,  Joseph 
Dickinson  went  down  to  Hadley  to  obtain  troops  for  the  pro- 
tection of  the  settlement.  Meanwhile,  on  the  morning  of 
September  2d,  a  considerable  force  of  Indians  appeared  before 
the  settlement,  and  the  settlers,  unconscious  of  impending 
danger,  being  engaged  in  their  daily  avocations,  fell  an  easy 
prey  to  the  savages.  The  Kev.  John  Hubbard  relates  that 
"some  were  killed  in  their  houses,  others  as  they  were  coming 
out  of  the  meadows.  The  rest — men,  women,  and  cliildren — 
tied  to  the  fort.  The  savages  kept  around  them,  killed  many 
of  their  cattle,  destroyed  their  grain,  burnt  up  the  houses 
outside  the  stockade,  and  laid  all  waste." 

The  whites  killed  in  this  assault  were  Samuel  Wright,  Eben- 
ezer  Janes,  Jonathan  Janes,  Kbenezcr  Parsons,  John  Peck, 
Nathaniel  Curtis,  Thomas  Scott,  and  Benjamin  Dunwich. 

September  4th. — Capt.  Richard  Beers,  in  response  to  Dick- 
inson's appeal  on  behalf  of  Northfield,  having  been  detailed 
from  Hadley  with  a  force  of  3G  mounted  men  to  "fetch  oft' 
the  garrison  and  people  of  Squakheag,"  was  nearing  the  vil- 
lage close  to  what  is  now  known  as  Beers'  Plain,  when  his 
command  fell  into  an  Indian  ambuscade,  at  the  crossing  of 
what  is  now  called  Saw-mill  Brook.  The  whites  rallied  and 
made  a  sharp  stand  at  the  south  end  of  Beers'  Plain,  but  the 
Indians  were  in  overwhelming  force,  and  slaughtered — ac- 
cording to  Rev.  John  Hubbard's  narrative — twenty  of  Capt. 
Beers'  men,  while  the  residue  of  those  in  the  fight — thirteen — 
escaped  to  Hadley.  The  names  of  only  thirteen  of  the  killed 
are  preserved,  to  wit:  Capt.  Richard  Beers,  John  Getchell, 
Benjamin  Crackbone,  Ejihraim  Child,  George  Lickens,  John 
Wilson,  Thomas  Cornich,  John  Ginery,  Jeremiah  Morrell, 
Elisha  Woodward,  Wm.  Markham,  Jr.,  Joseph  Dickinson, 
and  Jas.  Mullard.  Capt.  Beers  fell  fighting  near  a  narrow 
ravine  on  the  south  side  of  Beers'  Hill,  and  there  he  was 
buried.  After  the  fight  the  Indians  committed  great  bar- 
barities upon  the  persons  of  the  dead,  and  from  the  bodies  of 
many  cut  oft'  the  heads  and  stuck  them  upon  poles,  which 
they  placed  in  ghastly  array  along  the  pathway.  One  of  the 
dead  was  found  hung  to  the  limb  of  a  tree  bv  a  chain  lioiikcd 

83 


into  his  jaw  ;  and  of  three  prisoners  taken  by  the  Indians,  tra- 
dition relates  that  they  were  burnt  at  the  stake,  upon  the 
battle-field. 

Upon  receipt  at  Hadley  of  the  news  of  the  disaster,  Jlaj. 
Treat  set  out  from  that  place  on  the  5th  of  September  with 
a  force  of  100  men  to  the  relief  of  the  Squakheag  settle- 
ment. Reaching  there,  he  found  the  inhabitants  safely  lodged 
within  the  stockade,  where  they  had  been  for  five  days, 
and,  taking  them  under  his  protection,  conveyed  them  safely 
to  Hadley.  After  the  departure  of  Maj.  Treat,  the  Indians 
burnt  the  fort  and  remaining  houses  at  Squakheag,  and  thus 
utterly  destroyed  the  little  village  which  had  been  created  amid 
toil  and  hardships. 

Historical  authorities  give  the  number  of  Indians  engaged 
in  the  attack  upon  Capt.  Beers  as  "many  hundreds;"  the 
number  of  their  killed  in  the  engagement  is  more  definitely 
given  as  25.  The  leaders  of  the  Indians  are  stated  to  have 
been  Sagamore  Sam  and  One-eyed  John,  the  latter  of  whom 
was  a  noted  Indian  warrior,  whose  Indian  name  was  Monoco. 

The  Squakheags  took  up  their  winter-quarters  at  Coasset, 
then  a  piece  of  woods  in  Northfield,  but  now  in  Vernon,  Vt., 
and  there,  in  the  following  spring,  the  various  tribes,  with 
Philip  at  their  head,  gathered  for  consultation  and  to  arrange 
plans  for  the  ensuing  campaign. 

After  a  seven  years'  Indian  occupation,  Squakheag  reverted 
to  the  control  of  the  English,  who  began  to  re-settle  the  tract 
in  1683.  They  were  allowed  to  dwell  in  peace,  however,  for 
but  a  brief  space.  In  July,  1688,  rumors  of  fresh  Indian  out- 
bre.iks  near  Springfield  reached  Northfield.  Late  that  month 
a  party  of  strange  Indians  was  seen  near  that  village,  to  the 
great  alarm  of  the  inhabitants,  and  on  the  16th  of  August, 
in  that  year,  the  savages  fell  upon  Northfield  and  killed  three 
men,  two  women,  and  a  girl. 

This  assault  is  supposed  to  have  been  made  at  night  or  early 
in  the  morning,  and  upon  people  residing  near  John  Clary's 
mill.  John  Clary  and  his  daughter  wore  probably  two  of  the 
victims,  but  there  is  no  record  of  the  names  of  the  killed,  nor, 
indeed,  were  the  dead  given  Christian  burial,  for  this  sudden 
and  terrible  onslaught  so  amazed  and  demoralized  the  inhabi- 
tants that  one-half  the  families  at  once  fled  from  the  town  and 
took  refuge  in  Hadley. 

The  day  upon  which  the  attack  was  made,  Samuel  Janes 
and  Josias  Marsh  field  were  sent  from  Northfield  to  Springfield 
to  apprise  Col.  Pynchon  of  the  disaster.  From  Pynclitm' s 
Diary  is  taken  the  following  extract  bearing  upon  his  action  : 
"August  17th,  I  sent  away  Lieut.  Thomas  Colton  with  16 
soldiers  from  Spring''  to  Northfield  to  surprise  and  take  ye 
Indians,  and  pursue  y"',  who  were  upon  yo  service  six  days, 
they  returning  back  ye  23d  of  August.  I  also  ordered  Lieut. 
Taylor  and  his  Troop  of  34  men  to  move  toward  ye  upper 
towns.  I  also  sent  to  Hartford  for  30  or  40  Indians  to  go  to 
Northfield,  but,  only  2  coming  up,  I  disbanded  y'". 

"  August  21st  two  men,  viz.,  Eben''  Graves  and  John 
Petty,  were  sent  from  Spring''  to  garrison  Northfield,  who 
staid  there  till  the  4th  of  September." 

On  the  29th  of  August,  Col.  Pynchon  sent  Sergt.  Bigelow 
with  15  soldiers  from  Hartford  to  garrison  Northfield,  where 
they  remained  until  October  9th.  September  6th  three  men, 
with  25  pounds  of  powder  and  49  pounds  of  bullets,  were  sent 
to  the  Northfield  garrison,  and  on  the  11th  one  man  and  four 
firelocks  were  forwarded  thither. 

Early  in  November,  a  message  reaching  Col.  Pynchon 
from  Northfield  with  the  news  that  the  enemy  was  lurking 
about  the  latter  place,  he  dispatched  40  men  to  the  town;  but 
these  men,  ranging  the  woods  thereabouts  and  discovering 
nothing,  soon  returned  to  Springfield. 

Gov.  Andros  set  out  in  October,  168S,  from  New  York, 
purposing  "  to  inquire  into  the  condition  of  the  Northfield 
plantation,  and  devise  means  for  the  safety  and  welfare  of  the 
distressed  inhabitants  of  the  frontiers." 


658 


IIISTOIIY   OF  THE   CONNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


Oct.  30,  1088,  the  "  Cominittoe  for  Nortlifield,"  composed  of 
Wm.  Clai'kp,  Wm.  Holton,  Jolin  KJni;,  ami  Pi'oservod  Clnp]), 
sent  from  Northiiniptuii  to  Guv.  Aiulros,  ut  Boston,  tlie  fol- 
lowing report : 

"  May  it  iilense  y'  Exi^ellency  to  icnicnilior  when  y  Honor  wiis  at  Hatlloy,  yon 
•was  ijleasetl  toscntl  for  ns,  tlio  committee  inipowered  for  resettling  of  Nortlifield, 
to  come  before  yonrself,  to  give  yon  an  ncconnt  of  what  power  we  liave  jicted  in 
order  to  the  resettlement  of  that  place.  In  ohedience  to  yonr  (lesiie.  we  have 
drawn  nit  a  hi  ief  account  by  what  power  we  have  acted,  and  what  we  have  done 
in  order  thercnnto." 

(Here  follow.s  committee's  report.) 

"  HoN^  Sin, — We  have  had  a  great  deal  of  care  and  tronMc  in  the  resettling 
of  this  Plantation.  Many  have  had  grants  and  have  forfeited  them  again,  so 
that  we  have  had  many  meetings  abont  it,  which  have  not  been  w  ithout  great 
expense  of  time  and  some  charges  to  us.  Bnt  we  are  willing  to  be  at  any  pains 
BO  that  we  conld  settle  the  place. 

"While  wc  were  writing  of  this  we  did  receive  a  paper  ftom  Noithtield  in- 
habitants, wherein  they  did  desire  tlie  inhabitants  wliicli  are  not  there  may  be 
sent  away  (which  have  failed  to  occupy  their  grants  or  have  deserted  the  place, 
may  be  declared  forfeited  of  their  rights),  or  else  it  will  by  hard  for  them  to  hold 
the  place,  because  it  doth  discourage  those  that  are  there ;  they  fear  the  place 
will  be  deserted." 

In  November,  1G88,  Gov.  Andros  ordered  a  company  of  60 
men  to  be  sent  to  the  Northfleld  garrison,  whither  they  were 
dispatched  under  command  of  Capt.  Jonathan  Bull.  They 
remained  there  during  the  winter;  and  although  they  afforded 
ample  protection  to  the  15  families  left  there,  they  ate  up 
about  all  the  subsistence  the  inhabitants  could  collect. 

In  June,  1089,  the  following  petition  was  sent  to  the  General 
Court : 

"  The  teal's,  fears,  and  groans  of  the  broken  remnant  at  Northfield  presenting 
themselves  before  the  Honored  General  Court  at  Boston,  Shew  ;  '  That  we  are 
indeed  obje:^ts  of  your  pity  and  commiseration,  more  than  we  know  how  to  ex- 
press or  maintain  a  due  sense  of ;  the  state  of  our  outward  man  is  very  afflictive, 
and  for  our  souls  we  have  need  to  cry  aloud.  Have  pity  on  iis !  for  the  hand  of 
God  hath  touched  ns,  and  ye  Almighty  hath  dealt  bitterly  with  us !  A  bitter  cup 
of  sorrow,  blood,  and  slaughter  was  reached  forth  to  ns  in  ye  former  Indian  war. 
Our  place  burnt  and  laid  desolate,  our  people  slain  and  ye  rest  driven  away  ;  ye 
town  not  only  left  waste,  but  bearing  also  ead  marks  of  divine  wrath  in  that 
desolation. 

"  Since  which  we  thought  we  saw  ye  Lord  calling  us  to  rebuild  those  wastes, 
went  up  under  an  expectation  of  having  forty  families  speedily  dwelling  there. 
About  25  were  come,  and  we  in  a  hopeful  way,  when  ye  Divine  hand  smote  ns 
again  with  an  amazing  stroke.  Six  persons  slain  in  a  moment  by  Indians  last 
summer,  which  was  astonishment  to  all  ye  rest.  Since  which  half  of  our  small 
number  have  deserted  ns,  yet  keep  the  land  which  by  covenant  is  not  theirs  till 
they  have  dwelt  upon  it  four  years.  Hereby  wo  are  reduced  to  twelve  mean 
families.  Our  small  number,  in  a  place  so  remote,  exposed  ns  to  ye  rage  of  ye 
lieathen,  a-s  it  were,  inviting  them  to  prey  upon  ns.  Our  cst.ates  are  exhaust  by 
maintaining  garrison  soldiers  and  being  kept  from  our  labor.  Our  burdens  of 
watching,  warding,  fencing,  and  highways— we  for  ourselves  and  them  that  are 
absent — overbearing  to  us ;  besides  all  other  hardships  unavoidable  in  a  new 
place.  Our  wives  and  children  (that  we  say  not  ourselves)  ready  to  sink  with 
fears.  We  have  no  soul  food,  nor  see  any  likelihood  of  attaining  any.  ...  If 
you  see  meet  to  order  ns  to  throw  up  all  and  leave  it  wholly  to  the  enemies  and 
their  insulting,  Tho'  it's  hard  (we  feel  it),  we  would  submit.  If  we  stay,  we 
could  humbly  beg,  if  your  Honors  see  meet,  that  those  that  have  lots  among  us 
may  be  caused  either  to  come  and  dwell  on  them,  or  quit  them  to  others  that 
would.  And  that  such  as  come  may  be  ordered  to  have  the  next  lots  to  them 
that  are  now  inhabited.  And  that  we  may  have  a  Committee  for  our  help,  to 
order  our  public  occasions,  in  this  our  weak  beginning.  And  ever  praying  ye 
Lord's  blessing  on  you,  remain, 

"  Y'' humble  Servants, 

"  Samuel  Davis, 

"  MiOAH  MtTDGE. 
"  In  ye  lehalf  of  all  y*  are  left  at  Northfield." 

The  only  relief  afforded  by  the  court  was  the  sending  up  of 
a  few  men  occasionally  on  garrison  duty  during  the  next  few 
months.  In  November,  1089,  the  court  resolved  that  the 
lands  of  those  who  had  deserted  Northfleld  should  be  de- 
clared forfeited,  unless  the  owners  thereof  returned  thither 
within  four  months,  or  provided  men  to  bear  arms  and  do 
service  in  their  stead,  but  the  deserters  declined  to  do  either, 
and  the  feeble  settlement,  after  struggling  through  the  winter, 
constantly  apprehensive  of  danger  and  despairing  of  better 
fortune,  saw  in  the  declaration  of  war  between  France  and 
England,  in  1689  (King  William's  war),  the  death  of  their 
last  hopes,  and  they  utterly  abandoned  the  settlement,  under 
an  order  of  court  issued  June  2.5,  1690. 


For  twenty-three  years  Northfleld  was  deserted,  save  as  it 
knew  the  presence  of  the  roaming  savage,  and  not  until  1714  did 
the  earl^'  proprietors  and  later  grantees  attempt  re-settk-mcnt. 

After  a  peaceful  interval  of  abovit  ten  years,  the  Indian 
troubles  were  renewed  in  June,  1722,  iijioii  the  outbreak  of 
what  was  known  as  Father  Rasle's  war. 

Upon  the  re-settlement  of  Northfleld,  in  1714,  a  small  garri- 
son was  stationed  there,  and  continued  down  to  1722.  In  view, 
however,  of  the  threatened  troubles  in  thi.s  year,  two  stock- 
ades were  built,  and  a  body  of  20  men,  under  command  of 
Lieut.  Joseph  Kellogg,  stationed  in  the  town. 

The  inhabitants  now  enjoyed  a  sense  of  sectirity,  and  began 
to  think  they  would  escape  molestation  ;  but  they  were  rudely 
awakened  to  a  sense  of  danger,  in  August,  1723,  when  two  of 
the  town's  best  citizens — Thomas  Holton  and  Theophilus  Mer- 
riraan — were  waylaid,  near  North'field,  by  Grey-Lock  and  four 
Indians,  and  scalped  and  killed.  The  consternation  and  terror 
following  this  event  had  scarcely  subsided  when,  in  the  fol- 
lowing October,  the  Indians,  descending  upon  a  party  of  har- 
vesters at  work  in  the  flelds  near  Northfleld,  killed  Ebeuezer 
Severance,  wounded  Hezekiah  Stratton  and  Enoch  Hall,  and 
carried  oft'  Samuel  Dickinson  a  prisoner.  This  same  Dickin- 
son hud  been  previously  taken  a  prisoner  by  the  Indians  at 
Hatfleld,  in  1098,  when  he  was  but  eleven  years  old,  although 
subsequently  rescued  from  his  captors. 

This  last  calamity  aroused  the  public  to  the  necessity  of  in- 
creased vigilance  for  the  protection  of  the  Northfleld  settle- 
rnent.  Additional  troops  were  sent  to  the  garrison  at  that 
point,  and  in  December,  1723,  the  General  Court  authorized 
the  construction  of  a  block-house  above  Northfleld,  and  its 
garrisoning  with  a  company  of  40  able-bodied  men.  The 
fort  was  built  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Connecticut,  just 
within  the  southern  limits  of  the  present  town  of  Brattle- 
boro',  Yt.,  and  was  called  Fort  Dummer,  in  honor  of  the  then 
acting  governor  of  Massachusetts. 

The  forts  at  Northfleld  were  rebuilt  and  strongly  fashioned 
early  in  1724 ;  and  there  were  at  this  time  at  Northfleld  4.5 
men  under  Capt.  Kellogg,  whose  business  it  was  to  man  the 
forts  and  to  gtiard  the  settlers  while  at  work  in  the  fields. 
From  that  time  to  the  proclamation  of  peace,  in  1725,  North- 
field  was  suft'ered  to  remain  in  comparative  quiet,  although 
many  of  her  best  citizens  were  actively  employed  in  fighting 
the  Indians  at  other  points  and  in  doing  duty  at  Fort  Dummer. 

Eighteen  years  of  peaceful  history  saw  the  settlement  ad- 
vanced in  prosperity  and  numbers,  when,  in  1744,  war  was 
again  declared  between  France  and  Great  Britain,  and  then 
ensued  what  is  known  as  the  old  French-and-Indian  war. 

In  May,  1744,  the  people  of  Northfield  were  informed  of 
the  declaration  of  war,  and  at  once  set  about  placing  the  town 
in  a  posture  of  defense,  and  soldiers  were  supplied  as  a  gar- 
rison. Although  the  Indians  renewed  their  depredations  in  the 
valley  shortly  after  war  was  declared,  and  fighting  was  sharp 
and  furious  at  many  places  in  that  region,  Northfield  escaped 
serious  molestation  until  Aug.  11,  1746,  when  the  Indians 
killed  young  Benjamin  Wright,  who  had  ventured  out  to  the 
commons  after  his  cows.  On  the  loth  four  whites  were  shot 
at  near  Merry's  meadow,  but  without  harm. 

In  April,  1747,  the  French  and  Indians,  being  repulsed  after 
a  three  days'  attack  upon  the  fort  at  "  No.  4"  (Charlestuwn, 
N.  H.),  turned  toward  Northfield;  and  a  number  of  their 
force,  lying  in  ambush  at  the  north  part  of  the  town,  set  upon 
and  killed  Nathaniel  Dickinson  and  Asahel  Burt,  who  were 
driving  cows  up  from  the  meadows.  The  scene  of  this  tragedy 
is  no-w  marked  by  a  granite  monimient,  which  stands  near  the 
highway-,  about  a  mile  north  of  the  centre  of  Northfleld  vil- 
lage. Upon  one  side  of  the  stone  is  the  inscription,  "  Nathan- 
iel Dickinson  was  killed  and  scalped  by  the  Indians  at  this 
place,  April  15,  1747,  let.  48;"  and  upon  another,  "Asahel, 
son  of  Joseph  Burt,  companion  of  Dickinson  and  sharer  of  his 
fate,  aged  about  40." 


HISTORY   OF   FRANKLIN    COUNTY. 


659 


Upon  the  reception  at  Boston  of  the  news  of  this  sUiughter 
a  company  of  sixty  troopers  were  sent  to  Northfield,  and  other 
measures  taken  for  additional  protection  to  the  settlement. 

Exciting  events  in  the  histurj-  of  the  war  continued  to  fol- 
low in  rapid  succession,  and,  culls  from  other  points  for  men 
having  left  Northfield  badly  protected  in  July,  1748,a  party  of 
Indians  appeared  at  the  upper  end  of  the  village  on  the  23d 
of  that  month,  and  about  sunrise,  meeting  Aaron  Belding, 
who  was  on  his  way  from  Fort  Alexander  to  Mill  Brook, 
killed  him.  The  place  where  he  fell  is  now  marked  by  an 
inscription  cut  in  the  face  of  a  rock  near  by, — "Aaron  Belding 
was  killed  hero  July  23,  1748," — and  this  rock  has  since  been 
known  as  Belding's  Rock. 

A  treaty  of  peace  was  signed  in  1748,  and  the  Northfield 
people  congratulated  themselves  upon  having  seen  the  end  of 
(rouble.  They  entered  with  a  will  upon  a  revival  of  the  in- 
dustrial interests  of  the  settlement,  and  early  in  1753,  con- 
cluding that  the  peace  would  be  lasting,  they  took  down  their 
forts,  because — in  the  language  of  an  early  record — "  the  town 
would  have  no  further  use  for  them."  Their  belief  proved, 
however,  to  bo  a  short-lived  delusion. 

Hostilities  were  renewed  in  1754,  and,  once  more  alarmed, 
the  settlers  rebuilt  their  forts,  which  were  completed  early  in 
175-').  A  garrison  was  provided  for  the  town,  and,  although 
nniny  of  the  settlers  enlisted  in  the  militarj'  service,  the  pro- 
motion of  agricultural  interests  was  not  utterly  neglected, 
albeit  danger  lurked  upon  every  hand,  and  he  who  ventured 
beyond  the  forts  was  more  than  ordinarily  rash.  Zebediah 
Stebbins  and  Reuben  Wright  ventured  out  to  work  in  their 
fields,  Aug.  20,  1756,  and  upon  their  return  homeward  were 
attacked  by  four  Indians  lying  in  ambush.  They  made  a 
good  stand,  however,  and,  putting  the  Indians  to  fiigjit  after 
killing  one  of  them,  escaped  unharmed. 

Among  those  of  Northfield  who  went  into  the  military 
service  in  1756  were  Benoni  Wright,  Uriah  Morse,  Gideon 
Shattuck,  Simeon  Knight,  Zadock  Wright,  Elias  Bascom, 
John  Alexander,  Miles  Alexander,  and  Samuel  Mattoon.  In 
October,  17-56,  orders  were  issued  by  the  Massachusetts  author- 
ities to  impress  men  for  the  support  of  Gen.  Winslow,  and 
from  Northfield  were  taken  the  following:  Thomas  Alexander, 
Moses  Evans,  Ebenezer  Field,  Samuel  Field,  Eliphaz  Wright, 
Amzi  Doolittle,  Samuel  Stratton,  Philip  Mattoon,  Alexander 
Norton,  Asahel  Stebbins,  Jona.  Hunt,  Samuel  Orvis,  Daniel 
Brooks,  Amasa  Wright,  Benjamin  Miller,  Reuben  Wright, 
Thomas  Elgar.  Upon  the  completion  of  the  draft,  Capt.  Seth 
Field  wrote  to  Col.  Israel  Williams  as  follows  : 

"  Sir, — The  men  impressed  ai-e  the  strength  and  su]'ix)it  of  tlie  town.  Many 
of  them  with  great  families,  and  under  the  most  difficult  circumstances  to  leave, 
especially  in  the  frontiers;  but  I  am  obliged  to  take  such  or  none.  Our  people 
are  in  the  utmost  distress  at  the  thought  of  having  this  town  stripped  of  the  best 
men  in  it,  and  there  is  a  general  backwardness  amongst  the  men  to  go  and  leave 
their  families  in  such  situation  and  under  their  difficult  circumstances,  for  as 
soon  as  they  leave  the  town  we  sliall  be  able  to  nuike  but  a  faint  resistance 
against  the  enemy,  and  must  lie  at  his  mercy.  We  have  indeed  forts,  and  hut 
few  feeble  men  to  guard  and  defend  them.  Pity  and  compassion  cries  loud  for 
an  exemption  from  the  double  burden  lying  on  the  frontiers,  and  especially  poor 
Northfield,  who  has  been  wasting  away  by  the  hand  of  the  enemy  these  ten 
years  past.    Sir,  begging  Your  favor  for  this  distressed  town,  I  am 

"  yf  humble  serv', 

"  Seth  Field. 

"Northfield,  Oct.  o,  175G." 

Capt.  John  Burk  mustered  a  company  of  rangers  early  in 
1757,  and  had  in  his  command  Northfield  men  as  follows  :  Za- 
dock Wright,  Zebediah  Stebbins,  Seth  Rose,  Jonathan  Hunt, 
Simeon  Knight,  Azariah  Wright,  Amos  Tute,  Samuel  Taylor, 
John  Bement,  Jr.,  Reuben  Petty,  Obed  Severance,  Ebenezer 
Stoddard,  Thcophilus  Chamberlain,  Rufus  Brown,  Samilel 
Orvis,  Jacob  Elmer,  Michael  Frizzel.  A  portionof  the  above 
men  were  in  Capt.  Burk's  company  at  the  ca]iitulalion  of  Fort 
William  Henry,  in  August,  1757. 

In  March,  17.58,  among  the  forces  dispatched  for  the  con- 
quest of  Canada  were  the  following  from  Northfield,  in  the 
company  of  Capt.  Salah  Barnard,  of  Deerfield  :  Thomas  Alex- 


ander, Eleazar  Patterson,  Job  Smith,  John  Alexander,  Josiah 
Olds,  Nathan  Beach,  Richard  Chamberlain,  Abial  Chamber- 
lain, Jacob  Elmer,  Thomas  Elgar,  Michael  Frizzel,  Benjamin 
Miller,  Samuel  Orvis,  Darius  Wadkins,  Amos  Tute. 

March  6,  1758,  the  house  of  Capt.  Fairbanks  Moor,  on 
West  River,  was  attacked,  the  captain  and  his  son  killed,  and 
the  son's  wife,  with  her  four  small  children,  taken  captive. 
Aug.  27,  1758,  Asahel  Stebbins  was  killed  in  an  attack  on 
"No.  4,"  and  his  wife,  with  Isaac  Parker,  a  garrison  soldier, 
taken  captive. 

Among  the  Nortlifield  men  in  the  service  during  1759  were 
Samuel  Taylor,  Samuel  Merriman,  John  Brown,  Seth  Lyman, 
John  Alexander,  Joel  Alexander,  Jonathan  Burr,  Benjamin 
Burt,  Joel  Holton,  Joseph  Dickinson,  John  Mun,  Jr.,  Aaron 
Petty,  Reuben  Smith,  Joseph  Merchant,  Reuben  Alexander, 
Miles  Alexander,  Moses  Bascom,  Ezekiel  Bascom,  Joel  Baker, 
Nehemiah  How,  Benjamin  Mun,  Solomon  Sartwell,  Job  Smith, 
Amos  Tute,  John  Moffat,  Jonathan  Hunt,  Reuben  Petty, 
Eldad  Wright,  Nathaniel  Chamberlain,  Samuel  Frizzel, 
Aaron  Field,  John  Severance,  Elias  Bascom. 

The  following  Northfield  men  were  in  Gen.  Amherst's  army 
at  the  capture  of  ^Montreal  in  1760;  Samuel  Taylor,  John 
Petty,  Elias  Alexander,  Miles  Alexander,  Asa  Alexander, 
Reuben  Alexander,  Benjamin  Burt,  Thomas  Elgar,  Benjamin 
Gardner,  Eben  Holton,  Uriah  Morse,  Simeon  Olmstead,  Abncr 
Wright,  Daniel  Wright. 

The  war  was  Tirtually  closed  in  1760,  although  the  peace 
treaty  was  not  signed  until  1763  ;  and  thus,  after  a  dire  expe- 
rience of  many  years,  Northfield  found  permanent  release 
from  her  persistent  savage  persecutors. 

REVOLUTIONARY  REMINISCENCES. 

Northfield  bore  a  noble  part  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution, 
and  in  the  early  town  records  the  frequent  narration  of  how 
the  town  pursued  vigorous  measures  on  behalf  of  the  country's 
common  cause  testifies  eloquently  to  the  patriotic  spirit  that 
animated  its  inhabitants.  When  the  revenue  act  was  passed, 
imposing  onerous  duties  upon  necessaries  and  luxuries,  the 
Northfield  people  promptly  resolved  to  forego  the  use  of  many 
of  the  articles  upon  which  taxes  were  laid. 

In  1774,  Phinehas  Wright  was  chosen  to  represent  the  town 
at  the  General  Court,  convened  by  Gov.  Gage,  to  meet  at 
Salem,  October  5th,  and  the  following  year  Ebenezer  Janes 
was  chosen  a  delegate  to  the  Provincial  Congress  to  be  held  at 
Cambridge.  Samuel  Smith,  Phinehas  Wright,  Samuel  Root, 
Thomas  Alexander,  and  Seth  Field  were  that  year  chosen  a 
committee  of  inspection,  and  it  was  also  voted  "  that  the  select- 
men give  orders  that  such  of  the  Minute-Men  belonging  to  this 
town  that  are  not  able  to  supply  themselves  with  ammunition 
for  any  expedition  that  they  may  be  called  to,  be  supplied  out 
of  the  town's  stock  whenever  they  shall  be  called  forth." 

In  the  fall  of  1774  a  company  of  51  Minute-Men — 26  be- 
longing to  Northfield,  and  25  from  Warwick — were  organized, 
and  entered  at  once  upon  a  course  of  training  exercise,  under 
Joseph  Allen  and  Gad  Corse.  The  company  was  commanded 
by  Capt.  Eldad  Wright,  and  ugon  the  alarm  from  Lexington, 
in  April,  1775,  the  long  roll  was  beaten  by  Elihu  Lyman. 
Capt.  Wright  assembled  his  command,  and  on  the  evening  of 
the  day  after  the  battle  of  Lexington,  Capt.  Wright  and  his 
company  were  eii  route  from  Northfield  to  Cambridge,  in  Col. 
Samuel  Williams'  regiment.  The  names  of  the  Northfield 
men  were:  Captain,  Eldad  Wright;  Sergeants,  Eliphaz 
Wright,  Hophni  King ;  Corporals,  John  Holton,  Oliver 
Smith  ;  Fifer,  Cotton  Dickinson  ;  Drummer,  Elihu  Lyman  ; 
and  the  following  privates:  Eldad  Alexander,  Cyrus  Stebbins, 
Moses  Root,  Joseph  Allen,  Augustus  Belding,  Ebenezer  Petty, 
Rufus  Carver,  Elisha  Alexander,  Luther  Fairbanks,  Thomas 
Stebbins,  George  Robbins,  Joseph  Fuller,  Barzillai  Wood, 
Elisha  Stebbins,  Benjamin  Miller,  Elisha  Risley,  Nathan  Fisk, 
William  Clemmens,  David  Gcodenough. 


660 


HISTORY   OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


In  Marcli,  1770,  a  ooriipiuiy  of  03  men,  recruited  at  North- 
fieUl,  Wiirwick,  l!crn:irilstc>n,  and  vicinity,  chose  Thomas 
Alexander  as  captain,  and  marclicd,  under  orders,  to  join  the 
expedition  against  Canada.  The  company  proceeded  to  Ticon- 
deroga,  and  subsequently  to  Morristown,  N.  J.,  where,  in 
December,  1776,  they  joined  Washington's  army.  Of  the  03 
originally  included  in  the  command,  but  18  were  left  when 
Morristown  was  reached. 

Among  the  Nortlilield  men  who  enlisted  for  the  campaign 
of  1770  were  also  Oapt.  Samuel  Jlcrriman,  Jloses  Belding, 
Cephas  Alexander,  Kldad  Alexander,  John  Farrar,  Solomon 
Ilolton,  Augustus  Belding,  Thomas  Stebbins,  Moses  Smith, 
James  Hunt,  Cyrus  Stebbins,  Thomas  Elgar,  Dennis  Stebbin.s, 
Alpheus  Morgan,  Second  Lieut.  Miles  Alexander,  Nathan 
Holton,  Samuel  Frizzel,  Elihu  Boot,  Reuben  Field,  Nathan 
Field,  Nathaniel  Billings,  Stephen  Billings,  Asa  Stratt<m, 
Jonathan  Janes,  Edward  L.  Tiffimy,  Elijah  Stratton,  Noah 
Morgan,  Jona.  Loveland,  Levi  Field,  Ithamar  Goodenough, 
Nathan  Frindle,  Titus  Dickinson,  David  Smith,  Joseph  Kose, 
Moses  Smith,  Samuel  Slarrow, Baldwin,  Samuel  Tem- 
ple,   Ishmael    Turner,    John    Stearns,   Sikes,    William 

King,  Ezra  King,  Simeon  King. 

Among  those  who  enlisted  in  1777  were  Thomas  Elgar,  Jas. 
Lyman,  Samuel  Field,  Thaddeus  Brooks,  Benjamin  Dike, 
Nathaniel  Billings,  Benoni  Dickinson,  Moses  Burt,  Archibald 
Clandanel,  Ebenezer  Field,  Asahel  Stebbins,  John  Mun,  J. 
Church,  and  Joseph  Smead. 

Col.  Phinchas  Wright,  of  Northfield,  was  in  command  of  a 
regiment  in  1777,  and  Moses  Dickinson  Field,  who  was  a 
lieutenant  at  the  battle  of  Bennington,  afterward  maintained 
that  it  was  a  shot  from  his  gun  which  laid  low  Col.  Baum, 
the  German  commander.  Capt.  Samuel  Merriman,  of  North- 
field,  commanded  a  company  of  men  in  Col.  Phinchas 
Wright's  regiment,  which  went  out  in  response  to  Gen. 
Gates'  call  in  September,  1777. 

The  Northfield  men  in  Capt.  Merriman's  command  were : 
Captain,  Samuel  Merriman;  Lieutenant,  Eldad  AVright ; 
Sergeants,  Seth  Lyman,  Oliver  Watriss,  and  George  Field; 
Corporals,  Nathaniel  Billings,  Jas.  Lyman,  John  Holton,  and 
Eldad  Alexander;  and  privates,  Elias  Bascom,  Alpheus 
Brooks,  Ebenezer  Petty,  Thaddeus  Brooks,  Simeon  Alex- 
ander, Jonathan  Janes,  Elijah  Taylor,  John  Evans,  Nathan 
risk,  Elisha  Holton,  Asa  Slratton,  Henry  Allen,  Noah  Mor- 
gan, Elijah  Stratton,  and  Eliphaz  Wright. 

Capt.  Merriman's  company  took  part  in  the  battles  of  Sara- 
toga, and  was  present  at  the  surrender  of  Burgoyne,  Oct.  17, 
1777.  After  Burgoyne's  surrender  several  of  his  men  settled 
in  Northfield,  among  them  John  Woodard,  rt<d)ert  Timson, 
Dennis  McCarty,  and  William  Dorrel.  The  latter  became 
subsequently  a  settler  at  Leyden,  Mass.,  and  the  founder  of  a 
religious  sect  called  the  "  Dorrelites." 

John  Wotton,  an  Englishman,  who  settled  in  Northfield 
about  the  close  of  the  war,  embarked  from  England  with  Bur- 
goyne's army,  but,  the  ship  in  which  he  sailed  being  captured 
by  an  American  cruiser,  he  enlisted,  upon  his  arrival,  in  the 
American  army,  and  was  present  at  Burgoyne's  surrender. 

In  May,  1778,  the  town  raised  £120  lawful  money  to  pay 
for  four  men  to  serve  eight  months.  £100  apiece  were  paid 
to  George  Bobbins,  Solomon  Alexander,  Matthew  Bansom, 
John  Dennis,  and  Ebenezer  Petty  as  a  bounty  for  enlisting. 

In  June  the  bounty  was  raised  to  £120  per  man  for  the  term 
of  the  war,  and  in  July  and  October  nine  men  were  raised  for 
six  months'  service  at  £30  per  man  as  a  bounty.  Among 
those  who  entered  the  service  this  year  (1778)  were  Eldad 
Wright,  Jona.  Belding,  Darius  Stebbins,  Oliver  Garey,  Elihu 
Lyman,  Moses  Boot,  Joseph  Smead,  Joshua  Lyman,  Eliph- 
alet  Stratton,  Sylvanus  Watriss,  Daniel  Ransom,  J.  Church, 
Phinchas  Field,  Obadiah  Janes,  Levi  Merriman,  Alpheus 
Brooks,  Samuel  Merriman,  Eliphaz  Alexander,  Thos.  Alex- 
ander, Francis   Burk,  Levi   Field,  Asa  Field,   Elijah   Field, 


Jonas   Holton,    Ebenezer    Petty,   John    Dickinson,   Franci.s 
Akeley. 

In  1780  the  £120  granted  by  the  General  Court  were  paid 
Jona.  Belding's  son  for  enlisting  as  a  nine  months'  man,  and 
£300;  also  granted  by  the  General  Court,  were  paid  to  three 
other  nine  months'  men. 

Other  men  who  entered  the  service  this  year  (1780)  were 
Moses  Bobbins,  Alpheus  Brooks,  Thaddeus  Brooks,  Daniel 
Warren,  John  Watriss,  John  Moffatt,  Joseph  Myriek,  Seth 
Mun,  Gideon  Putnam,  Alpheus  Morgan,  William  Norce, 
Archibald  Clandanel,  James  Lyman,  Jona.  Belding,  Eldad 
Wright,  Tertius  Lyman,  Jo,sh\ux  Ijyman,  Eliphalet  Stratton, 
Phinchas  Field,  Seth  Field,  Eliphas  Alexander,  Barzillai 
Woods,  Benjamin  Doolittle,  James  Scott,  Moses  Dickinson. 

For  ten  men  required  in  January,  1781,  1000  Spanish  dol- 
lars were  borrowed  to  pay  the  bounties,  and  after  that,  in  the  J 
same  year  (July),  Tertius  Lyman,  Donaldus  Wright,  Moses  1 
Bobbins,  Nathaniel  CoUer,  Beuben  Whitcomb,  William 
Larkin,  Abraham  Parker,  Jona.  Parker,  Richard  Kingsbury, 
Alexander  Best,  and  William  Brown,  enlisted,  and  received — 
the  eight  first  named — a  bounty  of  £12  ea<'h. 

When  the  war  of  1812  broke  out  Northfield  was  the  head- 
quarters of  the  ].5th  Division  Massachusetts  Militia,  com- 
manded by  Maj.-Gen.  John  Nevers,  of  Northfield.  Shortly 
after  the  beginning  of  hostilities,  Capt.  Elisha  Field  opened 
a  recruiting-office  in  Northfield  and  organized  a  company 
known  as  the  "Sea  Fencibles,"  afterward  stationed  at  Fort 
Independence,  in  Boston  Harbor. 

In  September,  1814,  Capt.  Elijah  Mattoon,  Jr.,  set  out  from 
Northfield  for  Boston  in  command  of  an  artillery  company, 
.  composed   of  the  following  men  :    Captain,   Elijah  Mattoon, 
Jr. ;   Lieutenants,  Charles   Bowen   and   Isaac   Gregory  ;    Ser-         J 
geants,  Calvin  Stearns,  King  Harris,  Samuel  Alexander,  Jas.         1 
Horsely,   John   Whiting;   Corporals,  Sharon  Field,    Elmer 
Wait,  Nathan  Simonds,  Ansel  Graves;  and  rank  and  file  as         , 
follows  :  Micajah  Heminway,  Elias  Holton,  John  Holton,  Jr.,        I 
Henry  Wright,  Erastus  Field,  Chapin  Holden,  Wm.  Norton, 
Elijah  Shcpardson,  Arunah  Shepardson,  John  Packard.  Aaron 
Dike,  Jr.,   Edward    Nettleton,   Reuben   Lee,   Adam   Torrey, 
Miner  Butler,  Cyrus  Butler,  Ellsworth  Hunt,  Alanson  Hunt, 
Apollos  Morgan,  Abner  E.  Whiting,   Lucius  Holton,  Wm. 
Hancock,  Thomas  Lyman,  Jabcz  F.  Bissell,  Calvin  Stratton, 
Clark  Fowler,  Obadiah  Morgan,  Bichard  Colton,  Wm.  Hall, 
John  Fowler,  Thomas  Eockwood. 

Others  who  served  in  the  war  from  Northfield  were  Otis 
French,  Adolphus  Lyman,  Ezekiel  Woods,  Thomas  Kendall, 
Charles  Reed,  Moses  Ellis,  Jas.  Mattoon,  Artemas  Moody, 
Apollos  Beach,  Oliver  Kendrick,  George  Nettleton,  Jos.  Perry, 
Jona.  Bobbins,  Ebenezer  Childs,  Solomon  Miller,  Ebenezer 
Dodge,  Eber  Church,  Isaac  Beed,  Aaron  Davis,  Jos.  Bridge, 
Jos.  Cook,  Simeon  Mallory,  Isaac  Kendall,  Zadock  Turner, 
Isaac  Johnson,  John  Fairman,  Samuel  Presson,  Jacob  Miller. 
Northfield  took  no  public  action  in  opposition  to  the  war  of 
1812,  but  Eufus  Stratton  went  as  an  irregular  delegate  to  the 
anti-war  convention  held  at  Northampton,  on  the  14th  of 
July,  in  that  year. 

ORGAMZ.VTION. 
The  incorporation  of  Northfield  as  a  town  dates  from  June 
15,  1723,  and  the  first  town-meeting  for  the  election  of  officers 
was  held  July  22d,  in  that  year.  Previous  to  this  date, 
beginning  with  the  third  settlement,  in  1714,  the  town  officers 
had  been  either  appointed  by  the  committee  placed  in  charge 
of  town  afliiurs  by  the  General  Court,  or  their  selection  sub- 
mitted to  the  committee  for  approval. 

Under  the  act  of  incorporation,  however,  the  town  was  per- 
mitted to  regulate  its  own  afi'airs. 

Mention  has  already  been  made  of  the  elimination  from  the 
town  of  a  hirge  tract  in  the  north  in  1740,  and  Feb.  28,  179.5, 
a  portion  known  as  Grass  Hill,  and  lying  in  the  great  bend 
of  the  Connecticut,  on  its  western  bank,  was  sot  oif  to  the 


662 


HISTORY  OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


Osgood,  Zebulon  Allen,  Simeon  A.  Field,  Earl  Wilde,  M.  S.  Mead,  Jonathan 
Lyman,  S.  S.  IXoltoo,  Elijah  Stratton. 

VILLAGES. 
The  villages  in  Northfield  are  three,  and  they  are  called 
Northfield  Village,  West  Northfield,  and  Northfield  Farms. 

NORTHFIELD   VILLAGE, 

or  Northfield  Street,  as  it  is  sometimes  designated  (a  station 
on  the  New  London  Northern  Eailroad),  is  the  most  impor- 
tant uf  the  three,  and  is,  moreover,  the  point  where  the  early 
settlements  of  the  town  concentrated.  The  inhabitants  reside 
chiefly  upon  one  broad,  handsome  thoroughfare,  known  as  the 
"  Street,"  which  extends  nearly  north  and  south,  and  which  for 
the  space  of  about  a  mile  is  shaded  upon  either  side  by  noble 
elms  and  prettily  embellished  by  numerous  tasteful  dwellings. 
The  village  is  a  place  of  popular  resort  in  the  summer,  when, 
decked  with  leafy  richness  and  blooming  with  bounteous  nat- 
ural beauty,  it  is  indeed  an  inviting  spot. 

The  Connecticut  Kiver  flows  along  the  village  front,  and 
majestic  hills,  rearing  their  heads  iu  the  near  background  and 
in  the  distance  as  far  as  the  eye  can  reach,  complete  a  picture 
such  as  Nature  presents  when  .she  is  seen  at  her  best. 

The  population  of  the  village  is  about  500,  and  there  are 
also  within  its  limits  two  churches,  three  stores,  a  town-hall, 
one  hotel,  a  Masonic  hall,  a  school,  an  agricultural-imple- 
ment manufactory,  a  post-office,  and  a  public  library. 

Here  also  is  one  of  the  oldest  Masonic  lodges  in  Massachu- 
setts, the  Harmony  Lodge,  organized  in  1796,  with  a  present 
membership  of  75.  This  is  said  to  be  about  the  only  lodge 
that  withstood  the  anti-Masonic  wave  which  rolled  over 
"Western  Massachusetts  in  1826-30. 

A  grange  flourished  here  some  years  ago,  but  has  latterly 
shown  symptoms  of  a  serious  decline. 

The  village  was  visited  by  a  disastrous  fire  ou  the  night  of 
Dec.  18,  1878,  wlien  L.  T.  Webster's  store  and  the  post-office 
were  completely  destroyed,  and  a  loss  entailed  to  the  amount 
of  itiynOO. 

WEST    NORTHFIELD 

is  a  small  settlement  in  the  north,  adjoining  the  Vermont 
State  line,  and  west  of  the  Connecticut  River,  which,  at  this 
point,  divides  the  town.  The  Connecticut  River  Eailroad  and 
New  London  Northern  Eailroad  connect  at  this  point. 
There  are  in  the  village  a  store,  school,  and  post-otBce,  and  a 
population  devoted  almost  exclusively  to  agricultural  pursuits. 

NORTHFIELD    FARMS, 
in  the  southwest,   a  station  on  the  New  London   Northern 
Eailroad,  is,  as  its  name  implies,  peopled  with  agriculturists, 
and  has  but  one  store,  in  which  the  post-office  is  located. 

CIJUHCHES. 

Tradition  states  that  the  earliest  settlers  in  1673  had  a 
meeting-house,  but  where  located  or  when  erected  cannot  be 
said.  Tradition  further  says  that  in  the  summer  of  1673 
Elder  William  Janes  used  to  preach  to  the  people  on  Sabbatli 
under  the  Meeting  Oak,  which  was  one  of  a  cluster  of  six  yel- 
low oaks  that  stood  in  the  lower  end  of  what  is  now  Northfield 
village.  This  Meeting  Oak  outlasted  its  fellows,  and  met 
death  by  accidental  fire  in  1869. 

During  the  second  settlement,  in  February,  1688,  it  was 
resolved  to  build  a  meeting-house,  for  which,  and  a  proposed 
bridge  over  Mill  Brook,  £40  5s.  were  to  be  raised,  but 
whether  the  meeting-house  was  built,  no  record  gives  assur- 
ance. Late  in  1688,  Eev.  Warham  Mather  was  sent  from 
Northampton  to  Northfield  "to  be  their  minister  for  half  a 
year,"  and  that  he  served  is  made  manifest  by  a  petition 
which  he  sent  to  the  General  Court  in  1691,  saying  that  the 
people  of  Northfield,  supposing  that  Sir  Edmund  Andros 
(who  had  instructed  Capt.  Nicholson  to  send  the  petitioner  to 
Northfield)  would  see  him  paid,  had  provided  him  only  with 


provisions;  and  the  £15  in  money,  which  Capt.  Nicholson  had 
pledged  him  for  his  services,  he  begged  the  General  Court  to 
allow  him.  The  court  admitted  the  justness  of  the  claim,  but 
deferred  its  payment  until  1700. 

After  the  permanent  settlement  of  Northfield,  it  was  re- 
solved, in  October,  1716,  to  build  a  house  10  feet  long  and 
12  feet  wide,  for  "  the  present  accommodation  of  a  minister," 
and  an  engagement  was  then  made  with  James  Whitmore,  of 
Middletown,  Conn.,  to  preach  half  a  year,  for  which  he  was 
to  have  £25  and  subsistence  for  himself  and  horse. 

Previous  to  the  year  1718,  Sabbath  services  had  been  held 
in  such  houses  as  boasted  the  largest  kitchens ;  but  early  in 
that  year  the  town  agreed  to  build  a  meeting-house  "of  the 
dimensions  of  the  Sunderland  meeting-house,  viz.,  45  feet 
long,  30  feet  wide,  and  18  feet  between  joints."  This  house 
was  erected  in  the  middle  of  thg  street,  near  the  site  of  the 
present  Unitarian  Church  in  Northfield  village,  and,  like  the 
churches  of  those  days,  was  fiTrnished  with  slab  forms  instead 
of  pews.  Pews  were  not  introduced  into  the  church  until 
17.53,  and  then  only  as  individuals  desired  to  build  them  for 
their  own  use. 

Mr.  Whitmore's  successor  was  Mr.  Benjamin  Doolittle,  of 
Wallingford,  Conn.,  who  was  engaged,  November,  1717,  to 
preach  during  the  winter,  and  who,  at  the  conclusion  of  that 
engagement,  was  permanently  settled  as  minister  about  Sep- 
tember, 1718,  when,  it  is  supposed,  a  church  *as  also  organ- 
ized. Mr.  Doolittle  was  to  have  for  a  settlement  £100  in 
money,  a  dwelling-house,  house-lot  and  pasture-lot,  and  a 
salary  of  £05  annually  for  the  first  six  years,  and  £75  annu- 
ally thereafter,  besides  an  annual  supply  of  firewood. 

For  many  years  after  Mr.  Doolittle's  settlement  people 
were  called  to  public  worship  by  the  beat  of  a  drum,  or  bj' 
the  hanging  out  of  a  flag  at  the  meeting-house. 

Mr.  Doolittle  was  a  physician  as  well  as  a  minister,  and  as 
a  physician  enjoyed  a  lucrative  practice.  Fault  began  to  be 
found  with  him  in  1736  by  some  of  his  congregation,  on  the 
ground  that  the  pursuit  of  his  profession  as  a  physician  inter- 
fered with  his  ministerial  duties,  and  directly  other  exceptions 
began  to  be  taken  to  him  as  to  his  religious  views,  and  in  the 
controversy  that  ensued  the  town  was  divided,  a  majority, 
however,  taking  sides  with  Mr.  Doolittle.  The  main  points 
in  the  controversy  were  touching  the  charges  against  him 
that  he  told  the  town  "he  would  not  lay  by  doctoring  and 
chirurgery  under  £400  a  year ;  that  he  refused  to  comply  with 
the  association's  and  the  court's  advice  for  a  mutual  council ; 
his  practice  of  doctoring  and  chirurgery,  and  acting  as  pro- 
prietor's clerk  for  Winchester,  contrary  to  the  town's  mind." 

Mr.  Doolittle  steadily  refused  to  unite  in  calling  an  ecclesi- 
astical council  to  adjust  the  difficulty,  and  in  his  stand  he  was 
strongly  supported  by  many  inhabitants.  The  other  side 
made  many  eft'orts  to  bring  Mr.  Doolittle  into  compliance  with 
their  wishes,  but  to  no  avail,  and  victory  filially  rested  with 
the  pastor,  who,  putting  to  vote  after  a  Sunday  service  in 
February,  1741,  the  question  as  to  whether  he  should  be  sus- 
tained, declared  the  vote  in  the  affirmative,  and  that  was  an 
end  of  the  controversy.  Mr.  Doolittle  died  suddenly,  Jan.  9, 
1749,  in  the  fifty-fourth  year  of  his  age,  and  thirtieth  of  his 
ministry. 

"A  Short  Narrative  of  the  Mischief  Done  by  the  French- 
and-Indian  Enemy  on  the  Western  Frontiers  of  Massachu- 
setts Bay  from  1743  to  1748,"  published  in  17-50,  was  written 
by  Mr.  Doolittle.  But  three  copies  of  the  pamphlet  are  known 
to  be  in  existence,  and  of  these  one  is  in  the  library  of  Har- 
vard College. 

In  the  March  following  Mr.  Doolittle's  death,  JNlr.  Isaac 
Lyman,  of  Northamptim,  was  given  a  call  to  settle;  but  he 
declined,  and  Mr.  John  Hubbard,  of  Hatfield,  was  oft'ered  a 
call,  with  a  settlement  of  £133  6s.  Sd.  and  a  salary  of  £60  13s., 
with  yearly  firewood.  Mr.  Hubbard  accepted  the  call,  and 
was  ordained  May,  17.50. 


HISTORY  OF  FRANKLIN   COUNTY. 


663 


In  August,  17G1,  it  was  resolved  to  -build  a  new  meeting- 
hnusp,  and,  some  difl'erence  of  opinion  arising  touching  its 
place  of  location,  a  disinterested  committee  was  called  in,  and 
a  site  selected  north  of  the  old  house.  There  was  some  dissat- 
isfiution  with  this  location,  and  at  a  town-meeting  called  in 
May,  17(53,  it  was  voted  to  set  the  house  on  the  west  side  of  the 
street  (near  where  the  present  Unitarian  Church  stands).  Two 
barrels  of  New  England  rum  and  four  gallons  of  West  India 
rum  were  used  at  the  raising,  and  the  church  was  provided 
with  a  steeple  as  well  as  a  bell.  The  house  was,  however,  not 
finished  until  1767,  and  not  painted  until  1789. 

Previous  to  1770  it  was  the  custom  in  church  for  the  deacon 
to  "line  the  psalm"  for  the  singers,  but  in  January  of  that 
year  the  town  voted  "that  hei'eafter  the  singers  shall  sing 
altogether,  without  the  deacon's  reading  the  psalm,  line  by 
line,  except  at  the  Lord's  table."  The  training  of  singers  for 
the  church  service  began  then  to  be  a  town  concern,  and,  late 
in  1770,  Seth  Hastings  was  hired  as  a  singing-master. 

The  ministry  of  Mr.  Hubbard  was  unmarked  by  any  im- 
])ortant  incident,  save  the  controversy  which  arose  between 
him  and  his  people  upon  the  breaking  out  of  the  Revolu- 
tionary war.  Previous  to  that  time,  according  to  the  general 
custom,  Mr.  Hubbard  included  in  his  pra3-ers  a  petition  for 
the  divine  blessing  upon  the  king  of  Great  Britain  ;  and 
this  he  continued  to  invoke  after  the  battle  of  Lexington,  to 
the  great  indignation  of  many  members  of  his  congregation. 
He  was  publicly  reproved  at  a  Sabbath  service  by  Deacon 
Samuel  Smith,  and  forbidden  to  recite  the  obnoxious  prayer. 
The  pastor  resented  this  dictation,  and,  declining  to  submit  to 
it,  raised  a  storm  about  his  ears  that  resulted  in  the  calling 
of  a  church  council  in  1779  to  pass  upon  the  merits  of  the 
controversy ;  but  while  the  council  was  deliberating,  the 
trouble  was  adjusted  by  Mr.  Hubbard  and  his  people,  upon 
the  basis  of  his  pledge  to  pray  thereafter  for  the  prosperity  of 
the  American  arms. 

After  a  ministry  of  upward  of  fortj'-four  j-ears,  Mr.  Hub- 
bard died  November,  1794.  His  successor  was  Kev.  Samuel  C. 
Allen,  who  was  ordained  November,  179-3,  and  dismissed  in 
January,  1798,  after  which  he  studied  law  and  became  quite 
successful  at  the  Bar. 

The  next  settled  minister  was  Rev.  Thos.  Mason,  who  was 
ordained  November,  1799,  and  continued  to  be  the  pastor 
until  February,  1830.  In  1801  the  church  received  the  gift 
of  an  organ  from  Samuel  Smith.  From  the  date  of  Mr. 
Mason's  settlement  the  church  became  Unitarian  in  doctrine, 
and  has  thus  remained  to  the  present  day.  Shortly  before  Mr. 
Mason's  dismissal  56  members  of  his  church  withdrew  and 
formed  a  second  Unitarian  Church,  for  which  Rev.  Samuel 
Presbury  preached  from  February,  1828,  to  September,  1829. 
Upon  the  retirement  of  Mr.  Mason,  the  members  of  the  sec- 
ond church,  relinquishing  their  organization,  returned  to  the 
first  church  in  1830,  and  in  that  year  Rev.  Geo.  W.  Hosmer 
was  installed,  and  preached  until  July,  1836. 

Meanwhile,  in  1833,  the  old  meeting-house  was  replaced, 
near  the  same  site,  by  a  new  one,  which  was  built  bj'  Wm. 
Pomeroy,  and  given  to  the  town  in  exchange  for  the  old 
house,  on  condition  that  the  money  received  for  the  sale 
of  pews  (about  S5000)  should  constitute  a  permanent  fund, 
whose  income  should  be  devoted  to  parish  expenses.  This 
latter  house  was  destroyed  by  fire  in  1871,  and  was  succeeded 
by  the  present  imposing  edifice,  built  in  1872,  at  a  cost  of 
$7000.  In  the  latter  year,  Mr.  "Williams  Allen,  of  New 
York,  presented  the  church  with  a  bell,  and  the  town  sup- 
plied the  church-tower  with  a  fine  clock.  In  1836,  Wm.  Pome- 
roy deeded  certain  lands,  mortgages,  etc.,  to  the  church  as  a 
]iermanent  fund,  which  amounts  now  to  upward  of  .fi.jOOO. 

Mr.  Hosnier's  successors  as  pastors  have  been  Kevs.  O.  C. 
Everett,  Wm.  C.  Tenney,  John  Murray,  Chas.  Noyes,  Jabez 
T.  Sunderland,  and  S.  B.  Putnam,  the  latter  the  pastor  in 
January,  1879. 


THE   SECOND   CONGREGATIONAL   CHURCH 

was  organized  November,  182-3,  with  30  members,  and  after 
worshiping  in  Union  Hall,  Northfield  village,  until  1829, 
built  the  present  church  edifice,  which  was  remodeled  in  1849. 
The  first  pastor  was  Rev.  Eli  Moody,  and  succeeding  him  were 
Revs.  Bancroft  Fowler,  Horatio  J.  Lombard,  Nathaniel  Rich- 
ardson, Luther  Farnum,  Willard  Jones,  Isaac  Perry,  and 
Theodore  J.  Clark,  pastor  in  January,  1879. 

A    METHODIST   CHURCH 

was  organized  in  1810,  and  enjoyed  regular  preaching  supply 
until  1844,  when  it  withdrew  from  the  Conference. 

A  branch  of  the  Baptist  Church  of  Leverett  and  Montague 
was  organized  at  Northfield  Farms  in  1829,  and  dissolved  in 
1846. 

It  maybe  appropriate,  in  connection  with  this  church  chap- 
ter, to  note  that  IMoody,  the  famous  revivalist,  was  born  in 
Northfield. 

SCHOOLS. 

The  earliest  recorded  notice  of  public  attention  being  given 
to  educational  matters  dates  back  to  1721,  when  the  wife  of 
Ebenezer  Field,  the  blacksmith,  taught  a  select  school  at  her 
own  house,  and  charged  fourpence  each  week  per  scholar. 

In  1731  there  was  some  talk  by  the  town  of  building  a 
school-house,  but  nothing  came  of  it,  and  it  would  appear 
from  the  records  that  the  town,  being  presented  by  the  county 
in  1736  for  failing  to  have  a  school,  straightway  voted  to  have 
a  schoolmaster,  and  to  build,  buy,  or  hire  a  school-house.  A 
school-house  was  built  and  set  in  the  street  "  against  Samuel 
Hunt's  home-lot,''  and  Seth  Field  employed  as  a  teacher.  In 
1748  a  new  school-house  was  erected  near  the  meeting-house, 
and  another  one  in  1764.  Until  1781  the  town  had  but  one 
school-house  and  one  school  district. 

Between  the  years  173S  and  1785,  the  teachers  were  Seth 
Field  (who  taught  most  of  the  time  between  1736  and  177-5), 
Phinehas  Wright,  Lydia  Warner,  Daniel  Babbit,  and  Abi- 
shai  Colton.  The  first  school  known  to  the  inhabitants  on 
the  west  side  of  the  river  was  taught  in  177-5. 

THE   NORTHFIELD    ACADEMY    OF    USEFUL    KNOWLEDGE 

was  incorporated  June,  1829,  and  opened  in  October  in  the 
building  known  as  Hunt's  Hotel,  at  Northfield  village,  which 
had  been  purchased  and  well  furnished  for  school  purposes. 
The  academy  passed,  in  1835,  into  the  hands  of  Phineas  Allen, 
but  was  discontinued  in  1843.  Latterly,  a  select  school  has  been 
taught  in  a  part  of  the  academy  building,  while  the  other 
portion  has  been  devoted  to  the  manufacture  of  agricultural 
implements. 

There  were,  in  1878,  thirteen  district  schools  in  the  town, 
for  support  of  which  in  1877  the  expenditures  were  §2641.27. 
College  graduates,  natives  of  Northfield,  as  follows :  Seth 
Field,  Thomas  Bridgman,  Ebenezer  Mattoon,  Caleb  Alex- 
ander, Benjamin  Burt,  Frederick  Hunt,  Ebenezer  Janes,  Elihu 
Lyman,  Isaac  B.  Barber,  Joseph  S.  Lyman,  John  Barrett,  Jr., 
Charles  Barrett,  Joseph  Allen,  Fred.  H.  Allen,  Isaiah  Moody, 
Samuel  Prentice,  Caleb  C.  Field,  Thomas  P.  Field,  Dwight 
H.  Olrastead,  Justin  Field,  Frederick  Janes,  James  K.  Hos- 
mer, Edgar  P.  Belding,  Lucius  Field,  E.  H.  Allen. 

PUBLIC  Lllill.4RY. 
Northfield  has  a  free  public  library  of  1600  volumes,  which 
was  founded  by  private  enterprise  as  a  social  library  in  1813, 
and  as  such  continued  until  December,  1878,  when  it  was  do- 
nated to  the  town.  The  original  projector  of  the  enterprise  was 
Thomas  Power,  of  Boston,  who  settled  in  Northfield  in  1812. 

BURI.4L-PLACES. 
There  are  public  grave-yards  at  Northfield  Centre,  West 
Northfield,  and  Northfield  Farms,  of  which  the  oldest  is  at 
Northfield  Centre.     This  burying-ground  is  the  one  origin- 


664 


HISTORY   OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


ally  laid  out  by  the  first  settlers  of  the  town,  and  is  still  used. 
Care  luis  been  taken  to  preserve  the  surroundings  of  the 
ground.  A  neat  fence  incloses  it,  and  the  presence  of  numer- 
ous handsome  monuments  among  the  weather-stained  and 
time-worn  headstones  erected  a  century  and  more  ago,  presents 
a  striking  picture  of  the  mingling  of  modern  and  beautiful  art 
with  the  musty  and  crumbling  relics  of  the  past.  Some  of  the 
old  headstones  are  so  worn  away  that  many  inscriptions  are 
illegible,  but  number.s  of  the  oldest  can  yet  be  traced,  and  of 
these  the  following  are  transcribed  : 

Mrs.  Meriain  Wright,  1720;  Hannah  Stralton,  1720;  Richard  Bemeut,  1732; 
Sft'plien  Belilen,  17:56;  Surah  Stratton,  173G;  Sarali  Lyman,  1738 ;  Zecliaiiah 
Fiekl,  1740;  Mercy  Fiold,  1740;  Peter  Evans,  1752;  Anne  Field,  1755;  Medad 
rielil,  17.50;  Eliezer  Wright,  1753 ;  ."^eth  W.ight,  1740;  Eunice  Wright,  1740; 
.Tulm  Taylor,  1757  ;  Jemima  .Janes,  1748;  Tamar  Stratton,  1759;  Tamar  Stratton, 
1702  (two  dauglitera  of  Ehenezer  Stratton) ;  Martha  Stratton,  1702 ;  Ehenezer 
Janes,  .Jr.,  1700 ;  Sarali  Janes,  1700;  Samuel  Ilolton,  1707 ;  Orea  Harvey,  1705  ; 
Hepzihali  Beldlng,  1701;  Slartlia  Alexander,  1701;  Siirali  Belding,  1762;  Ahi- 
gail  Bellows,  1750;  Suhmit  Field,  1702;  Ehenezer  Field,  1759;  Keziah  Field, 
1755;  Amelia  Field,  1708  ;  Ehenezer  Warner,  1708  ;  Benoni  Wright,  1707;  Seth 
W]  ight,  17:i4 ;  Sarah  Stratton,  1770 ;  Hannah  Janes,  1770;  Sale  Knap,  1770; 
Francis  Field,  1770 ;  Silas  Field,  1773;  Azuhah  Field,  1774;  Electa  Hubhard, 
1773;  Elsworth  Iluhhard,  1772 ;  Samuel  Hunt, 1770;  Esther  Lyman,  1774;  Es- 
ther (her  daughter),  1774;  Lucy  Stratton.  1781  ;  Samuel  Stratton,  1770 ;  Annie 
Wright,  1777;  Azariah  Wright,  1772 ;  Eliz.aheth  Wright,  1772;  Rhoda  Watriss, 
1775  ;  Joshua  Lyman,  1777  ;  Jonathan  Janes,  1776  ;  Roswell  Field,  1780  ;  Sara 
Doolittle,  1773;  Rev.  Benjamin  Doolittle,  1748;  Samuel  Ale.xaniler,  1781;  Sarah 
Field,  1785;  Susann,^h  Field,  1787 ;  Lydia  Stratton,  1783;  Eunice  Alexander, 
17S5;  Rohert  Lyman,  1759  ;  John  Tirss,  1747;  Mary  Smith,  1730;  Hezeldah 
Stratton,  1766;  Lydia  .Stoblins,  1701 ;  Sara  Snjith,  1707;  MeiLaJ  Pomeroy,  1700; 
Isajic  Mattoon,  1767 ;  Mehitahle  Pomroy,  1770  ;  Nathaniel  Blattoon,  1770  ;  Mary 
Lyman,  1777;  TliankfuU  Root,  1770;  Sarah  Smith,  1784 ;  Sarah  Janes,  1779; 
Paul  Field,  1778. 

Among  the  most  aged  pco]ile  buried  here  were  Jona.  Beld- 
ing, ninety-one;  Simeon  Alexander,  ninety-two;  Medad 
Field,  ninety  ;  Sarah  Woodward,  ninety-five ;  Deacon  Sam- 
uel Smith,  ninety-five;  Sarah,  wife  of  Oliver  Smith,  one 
hundred  years  and  five  months ;  Anna  Hunt,  ninety ;  Han- 
nah Mattoon,  ninety-si.x ;  Isaac  Mattoon,  ninety-one ;  Mary 
Lyman,  nrnety-one. 

Upon  the  tombstone  of  Lydia  Harwood  is  the  following  : 

"Lydia  Harwood;  her  fii-st  hnshand,  Asahel  Stebhins,  was  killed  and  she 
taken  prisoner  by  Indians,  Aug.  27, 1757,  at  No.  4,  and  carried  to  Canada.  Saved 
from  torture  at  the  stake  by  her  heroism  and  faith,  she  returned  from  captivity, 
and  in  1750  married  Capt.  Samuel  Merrinuan.  She  died  his  widow,  ISOS,  aged 
seventy-six.  To  keep  her  memory  green  this  stone  is  erected  by  her  great- 
grandchildren, Clesson  Merriman  and  Ella  Mcrriman  Barber,  A.D.  1874." 

Upon  the  tombstone  of  Timothy  Swan  is  inscribed: 

"Sacred  to  tlie  memory  of  Timothy  Swan,  who  died  July  23,1842, aged  eighty- 
four.  He  was  the  author  of  China,  Poland,  and  other  pieces  of  sacred  music. 
'  I  was  dnudi,  because  thou  di  1st  it.' " 

Upon  that  of  Rev.  John  Hubbard,  second  minister  of  the 
town,  who  died  1704,  appears  this  : 

"  A  ni,an  he  was  to  all  his  people  dear ; 
And  passing  rich  with  eirjhti/  pounds  a  year. 
Remote  from  towns  ho  ran  his  godly  race. 
Nor  ever  changed,  or  wished  to  change,  his  place. 
In  duty  faithful,  prompt  at  every  call. 
He  watched  and  wept,  he  prayed  and  felt  for  all ; 
Ho  try'd  each  art,  reproved  each  dull  delay. 
Allured  to  brighter  worlds,  and  led  the  way." 

The  stone  over  the  grave  of  Eev.  Benjamin  Doolittle,  first 
minister  of  Northfield,  who  died  1748,  bears  the  following 
epitaph  : 

"Blessed  with  good  intellectual  parts, 

Well  skilled  in  two  im]>oitant  arts, 

Nobly  he  filled  the  double  station. 

Both  of  a  preacher  and  physician. 

To  cure  men's  sicknesses  and  sins 

He  took  unwearied  care  and  pains. 

And  strove  to  make  bis  patients  whole 

As  well  in  body  as  in  soul. 

He  loved  his  God,  loved  to  do  good, 

To  all  his  friends  vast  kindness  showed ; 

Nor  could  his  enemies  e.xclaim 

And  say  be  was  not  kind  to  them. 


His  lalHirs  met  a  sudden  close ; 
Now  he  enjoys  a  sweet  repose; 
And  when  the  just  to  life  shall  rise. 
Among  the  first  he'll  mount  the  skies." 

SOCIETIES,  ORDERS,  Etc 
HARMONY    LODGE,    F.    AND   A.    M., 

at  Northfield  village,  is  one  of  the  oldest  lodges  in  AVestern 
Massachusetts.  It  was  organized  in  17'JG,  and  has  retained  its 
active  organization  uninterruptedly  ever  since.  Its  member- 
ship in  March,  1879,  was  GO,  and  its  officers  as  follows : 

H.  J.  Evans,  W.  M. ;  George  N.  Richards,  S.  W.  ;  Sumner 
Titus,  J.  W.  ;  George  F.  Alexander,  Sec. ;  Cleston  Merriman, 
Treas. ;  E.  L.  Holton,  S.  D.  ;  H.  G.  Stockwell,  J.  D. ;  E.  W. 
Colton,  Chaplain  ;  William  Merriani,  Marshal ;  Walter  Field, 
Tiler;  E.  J.  Bacon,  I.  S.  ;  Clinton  Ware  and  F.  Holton, 
Stewards. 

A    YOUNG    men's    CHRISTIAN    ASSOCIATION 

was  organized  at  Northfield  village  in  1875,  in  connection 
with  the  Second  Congregational  Church.  The  society  num- 
bers now  (1879)  30  members. 

The  village  has  also  a  musical  organization  known  as  the 
Stratton  Brass  Band,  so  named  in  honor  of  Albert  S.  Stratton, 
from  whom  it  received  early  support. 

Pl'IiLlC    BEQUE.STS. 

In  addition  to  funds  becpieatbed  by  Mr.  Pomeroy  and  others 
to  the  Unitarian  Church,  otlier  juiblic  bequests  were  made  as 
follows  : 

In  1877,  Elisha  Alexander  gave  to  the  town  §1000  as  a  per- 
manent fund,  whose  income  should  be  devoted  to  the  support 
of  needy  widows  and  other  worthy  poor. 

Elisha  Stratton  donated  to  the  district  school  at  Northfield 
Farms  a  fund  of  ?400,  and  Otis  Everett  gave  §100  to  the  Uni- 
tarian society  in  1840,  to  found  a  parish  library.  From  that 
small  beginning  the  library  has  risen  to  a  wide  field  of  use- 
fulness, and  contains  now  1500  volumes. 

INDUSTRIES. 

Northfield  is  a  rich  agricultural  town,  and  the  energies  of 
its  people  are  devoted  almost  entirely  to  the  cultivation  of  the 
soil.  According  to  the  State  reports  of  1875,  the  value  of  ag- 
ricultural and  domestic  products  in  the  town  for  that  year  was 
|2G7,021,  that  of  manufactures  but  S.59,8.j5,  and  the  number 
of  farms  2<JU. 

Ten  years  ago  tobacco-growing  upon  tlic  river  bottom- 
lands, which  extend  north  and  south  through  the  town,  was 
pursued  to  a  great  extent,  and  previous  to  that  time  it  was  a 
highly  profitable  industry,  but  it  has  latterly  much  declined, 
and  during  1878  but  about  100  acres  of  tobacco  were  grown,  or 
less  than  one-fourth  of  the  amount  planted  in  18G8. 

Corn  and  broom-corn  are  extensively  cultivated,  while  the 
yield  of  agricultural  products  generally  is  considerable,  and  the 
condition  of  the  people  accordingly  a  comfortable  and  pros- 
perous one.  There  is  at  Northfield  village  the  manufactory 
of  A.  W.  Ross,  who  makes  horse-hoes  and  cultivators,  and  this 
is,  except  a  few  saw-mills,  the  only  manufacturing  interest  in 
the  town.  Walker  &  Sanderson,  at  Northfield  village,  make 
extensive  purchases  of  the  tobacco-leaf  in  this  and  adjoining 
towns,  and  have  prepared  it  for  otlier  markets. 

The  total  valuation  of  the  town  in  1878  was  §667,085,  of 
which  §586,513  was  on  real  estate.  The  total  tax.  State,  town, 
and  county,  §8124.44,  or  at  the  rate  of  §1.22  per  §100.  The 
total  indebtedness  of  the  town  in  February,  1878,  was  §141.53. 

MIl.ITARY. 

NORTHFIELD'S    WAR    RECORD. 

Northfield  furnished  soldiers  for  service  in  the  war  of  llic 
the  Rebellion,  as  fnllows  : 


HISTORY  OF   FRANKLIN   COUNTY. 


665 


Fred.  K.  Field,  22d  Mass. 

C.  C.  Holton,  52d  Mass. 

Rich.  Fitzgerald,  11th  Mass. 

Silas  W.  Bailey,  22d  Mass. 

J.  M.  Leonard,  52d  Mass. 

John  Lewis,  nth  Mass. 

Frank  Brown.  22d  Maa.s. 

E.  S.  Merriman,  .52d  Mass. 

Geo.  H.  Freeman,  11th  Mass. 

A.  0.  Carter,  22d  Miws. 

Wm.  E.  Merriman,  .'»2d  Mass. 

Francis  Labonte,  llth  Mass, 

C.  S.  Field,  22d  Ma^s. 

Warren  Mattoon,  52d  Mass. 

Addison  Cross,  llth  Mass. 

Geo.  P.  Ficlii,  2'2d  Masn. 

A.  N.Nash,  52.1  Mass. 

John  Serrell,  llth  Mass. 

Chas.  X.  Janes,  22d  Mass. 

Jos.  B.  Pierce,  62d  Mass. 

Freeman  White,  llth  Mass. 

Wm.  B.  Janes,  22d  Blass. 

Chas.  A.  Stinipson,  52d  Mass. 

Chas,  Duchine,  llth  Mass. 

Wm.  n.  Johnson,  22d  Mass. 

Lucius  StimpiO[i,  ."rid  Mass. 

L.  H.  Mann,  llth  Mass. 

D.  D.  Kemp,  22d  Mass. 

Asahel  Sawyer,  52d  Mass. 

E.  H.  Hawcs,  llth  Mass. 

Isaac  Mattoou,  22d  Mass. 

E.  B.  Stearns,  52d  Mass. 

John  Miller,  llth  Mass. 

L.  B.  Kumrill,  22d  Mass. 

Oscar  Wood,  52J  Mass. 

Wni.  Gifford,  llth  Mass. 

W.  L.  Smith,  22d  Mass. 

Chas.  C.  Brewer,  52d  Mass. 

Jas.  Hoyt,  llth  Mass. 

W.  B.  Smith,  22d  Mass. 

Chas.  Dewey,  2d  Cav. 

Chas.  W.  Libby,  llth  Mass. 

Aaron  Stebbins,  22d  Slass. 

Theo.  Fisher,  36th  Mass. 

H.C.Mitchell,  llth  Mass. 

L.  Turner,  22d  Mass. 

J.  A.  Fisher,  Jr  ,  36th  Mass. 

John  GalTney,  llth  Mass. 

Jos.  Young,  22d  Mass. 

L.  C.  Hayden,  30th  Mass. 

Michael  Kiley,  llth  Mass. 

Geo.  Mason,  1st  Cav. 

Geo.  Clark,  36th  Mass. 

Wm.  Spencer,  llth  Mass. 

S.  W.  Copan,  20th  Mass. 

N.  L.  Cutting,  30th  Mass. 

Geo,  E.  Sockling,  llth  Mass. 

C.  B.  Mattoon,  2nth  Mass. 

S.  D.  Dutton,  36th  Mass. 

Jos.  Quigley,  llth  Mass. 

N.  H.  Simonds,  10th  Mass. 

Geo.  A.  Fisher,  36th  Mass. 

C.  K.  Kimpland,  1-lth  Bat. 

M.  A.  Potter,  10th  Mass. 

Jos.  A.  Harris,  30th  Mass. 

Geo.  II.  Mason,  2lBt  Mass. 

G.  W.  Field,  10th  Mass. 

B.  D.  Holton,  36th  Mass. 

Rich.  Heath,  20tli  Mass. 

C.  W.  Grout,  2Ist  M;iss. 

E.  D.  Stone,  36th  Mass. 

Archibald  Watson,  58th  Mass. 

F.W.  Weeks,  21st  Mass. 

J.  D.  Stone,  36th  Miiss. 

Chas.  Barr,  13th  Bat. 

Gardner  Coller,  27th  Mass. 

F.  H.  Turner,  36th  Mass. 

Geo.  Ball,  4th  Cav. 

Jos.  Gates,  27th  Mass. 

J.  H.  Blake,  36th  Mass. 

Thos.  Scanlan,  17th  Mass. 

C.  W.  Harvey,  27th  Mass. 

Henry  JIurdock,  36th  Mass. 

A.  0.  Stimpsoii,  2d  Cav. 

Jas.  S.  Jolinson,  27th  Mass. 

Samuel  Cutting,  Jr.,  30th  Mass. 

John  Whalley,  2d  Cav. 

H.  H.  Johnson,  27th  Mass. 

C.  K.  Spaulding,  30th  Mass. 

John  Timony, . 

C.  H.  Parmentcr,  27th  Mass. 

Geo.  Webster,  36th  Mass. 

Jas.  Canfield, . 

T.  H.  Page,  27th  Mass. 

H.  S.  Caldwell,  31st  Mass  . 

EInahan  Britt,  3l8t  Mass. 

Elijah  Carter,  27th  Mass. 

Matt.  Coughlin,  7th  H.  Art. 

DwightCook,  37th  Mass. 

Frank  LuTejoy,  27tli  Mass. 

Henry  E.  Pierce,  32d  Mass. 

Patrick  Barry, . 

A.  J.  Andrews,  27th  Mass. 

Joshua  Maynard,  34th  Mass. 

Lafayette  Ross, , 

R.  D.  Battles,  30th  Miiss. 

Den.  Harrigan,  20th  Mass. 

Cornelius  Leary,  Vet.  B.  C. 

Michael  Kelliher,  2Sth  Mass. 

Frank  Beaver,  3d  Cav. 

Jos,  F.  Shepard,  Vet.  B.  C. 

M.  S.  Stearns,  .52d  Mass. 

Lewis  Luck,  3d  Cav. 

Edwin  Jones,  Vet,  R,  C. 

Hezekiah  Hastings,  52d  Mass. 

M.  D.  Thompson,  19th  Mass. 

Andrew  Bay,  Vet,  R.  C. 

J.  H.  Robbins,  52d  Mass. 

John  Kenially,  28th  Mass. 

Wm.  E.  Mortheud,  Vet,  R.  C. 

E.  C.  Nash,  52d  Mitss. 

N.  S.  Futchins,  11th  Mass. 

Geo.  A.  Sawia,  Vet.  B.  C. 

McK.Britt,62dMas8. 

Henry  Sarchfleld,  lUh  Mass. 

Martin  Burke,  Vet.  R.  C. 

E.  W.  Chamberlain,  52d  Mass. 

Jos.  Smith,  11th  Mass. 

L.  L.  Fairchild,  Vet.  B.  C. 

Ansel  Field,  52d  Mass. 

Thos.  Haley,  11th  M.ass. 

John  S.  Gilbert,  Vet.  E.  C. 

F.  S.  Field,  52d  Mass. 

Edward  Foster,  11th  .Mass. 

Jas.  L.  King,  Vet.  B.  C. 

Geo.  G.  Felton,  52d  Mass. 

John  Bobertson,  lltli  Mass. 

A.  W.  Brookings,  Vet.  B.  C. 

NEW     SALEM. 


GEOGRAPHICAL. 
New  Salem  occupies  a  mountainous  region,  covering  an 
area  of  1.5,000  acres,  and  forming  tlie  extreme  southeast  corner 
of  Franklin  County.  It  has  Orange  on  the  north,  Hampshire 
County  on  the  south,  "Worcester  County  on  the  east,  and  the 
towns  of  Shutesbury  and  Wendell  on  the  west.  Part  of  its 
eastern  boundary-line  describes  a  sharp  angle,  and  across  this 
angle  passes  the  Athol  and  Springfield  Railroad.  The  original 
tract  of  the  town  wtis  increased  some  years  ago  by  the  addition 
of  a  portion  of  Shutesbury,  but  in  1820  was  decreased  by  the 
elimination  of  a  tract  at  the  south  end  (which  became  a  part 
of  Prescott),  and  in  1837  suffered  a  further  contraction  by 
the  setting  off  to  Orange  and  Athol  of  a  tract  from  the  north 
end.  The  present  territory  equals  about  twenty-three  square 
miles. 

NATURAL    FEATURES. 

The  surface  of  the  town  may  be  aptly  characterized  as  wildly 
rugged,  while  the  scenic  displays  which  Nature  has  lavishly 
scattered  here  are  beautifully  impressive.  The  highest  eleva- 
tion in  the  town  is  Packard's  Mountain  in  the  southwest,  said 
to  be  1273  feet  above  the  sea-level.  Other  pi;ominent  eminences 
are  Fisk  and  Harris  Hills  in  the  north,  and  Rattlesnake  and 
Pitman  Hills  in  the  centre.  The  streams  are, — a  branch  of 
84 


Miller's  River  in  the  west;  the  middle  branch  of  Swift  River, 
flowing  through  the  centre ;  Hop  Brook,  Moose-horn  Brook, 
and  other  small  streams. 

There  are  numerous  ponds, — as  the  Reservoir  in  the  north- 
east, covering  320  acres  ;  Spectacle  Pond,  of  90  acres,  in  the 
east ;  Hacker's  Pond,  south  of  Spectacle  Pond ;  Thomson's 
Pond  of  265  acres  in  the  southeast ;  and  Hop-brook  Pond.  A 
soapstone-bed  exists  on  Rattlesnake  Hill,  but  it  has  never  been 
worked.  The  climate  of  the  town  is  remarkably  salubrious 
and  healthy. 

EARLY   SETTLEMENT. 

Dec.  31,  1734,  the  General  Court  Issued  to  60  persons,  resi- 
dent in  the  town  of  Salem  (now  the  city  of  Salem,  Essex  Co., 
Mass.),  a  grant  for  a  township  equal  to  six  miles  square,  and 
further  issued  an  additional  grant  of  4000  acres.  In  August, 
173.5,  the  proprietors  effected  an  organization  and  located  the 
township  upon  the  territory  now  occupied  by  the  town  of  New 
Salem.  The  tract  was  laid  out  in  an  oblong  form,  and  ex- 
tended north  and  south  about  ten  miles.  The  additional  grant 
above  noted  was  annexed  to  the  northern  end  of  the  new  town, 
which  thus  became  about  thirteen  miles  in  length.  The 
town  was  subsequently  widened  by  the  addition  to  the  west 
side  of  a  portion  of  Shutesbury;  in   1820  shortened  at  the 


666 


HISTORY  OF   THE   CONNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


south  end  by  the  setting  off  therefrom  of  a  tract  to  Prescott ; 
and  further  shortened  in  1837  at  the  north  end,  when  a  tract 
was  taken  off  and  apportioned  to  Athol  and  Orange.  Each  of 
the  tracts  thus  set  off  was  tliree  miles  in  length,  and  the  length 
of  the  town  was  reduced  to  about  seven  miles,  and  made  of  a 
size  and  shape  more  convenient  than  before,  since  the  dis- 
tances from  the  original  extremities  to  the  centre  entailed  no 
little  trouble  to  the  remote  residents  when  called  to  transact 
town  business. 

Of  the  incidents  attendant  ujion  the  early  settlement  of 
New  Salem  there  is  scarcely  any  chronicle  except  as  may  be 
gathered  from  uncertain  traditions,  which,  flowing  through  a 
lapse  of  ncarl}-  one  hundred  and  iifty  years,  become  obscure. 
New  Salem  was  founded  in  1735,  and  received  its  first  settler 
in  1737.  Its  history  at  that  time  and  for  some  years  after  was 
somewhat  meagre  of  eventful  interest,  save  in  such  details  as 
attached  themselves  to  early  settlements  in  general. 

Were  the  records  of  the  first  proprietors  of  New  Salem  ob- 
tainable, a  clear  and  comprehensive  history  of  the  town's 
early  settlement  could  be  gleaned  from  their  pages. 

But  the  records  of  the  New  Salem  proprietors,  as  well  as 
the  town  records,  dating  as  late  as  1855,  were  destroyed  in  a 
fire  at  New  Salem  Centre  in  1856,  and  thus  tbe  only  docu- 
mentary evidence  of  bow  the  settlement  rose  from  obscurity, 
and  of  the  names  of  those  who  were  closely  identified  with  its 
earliest  history,  has  been  utterly  lost. 

Although  the  proprietors  obtained  their  grant  in  1734,  and 
located  it  in  1735,  they  secured  no  settlement  until  the  year 
1737.  It  was  no  easy  matter  to  induce  settlers  to  locate  in  a  vast 
wilderness,  where  no  man  save  the  Indian  had  ever  placed  his 
foot,  and  where,  too,  the  savages  still  held  sway,  and  were  likely 
to  dispute  in  a  fierce  manner  the  entrance  of  the  white  man. 
The  proprietors  made  many  unsuccessful  attempts  to  persuade 
settlers  to  locate  upon  the  grant,  but,  as  before  noted,  they 
waited  two  years  before  receiving  any  encouragement  in  that 
direction.  They  even  offered  a  premium  to  the  one  who 
would  make  the  first  settlement,  believing  that  if  some  stout 
heart  could  be  led  to  make  the  advance,  others  would  not  be 
slow  to  follow.  After  a  patient  waiting  until  they  began  to 
despair,  they  eventually  obtained  the  pledge  of  Jeremiah 
Meacham  to  make  the  first  settlement,  conditioned  upon  a 
present  of  £10  for  so  doing.  Meacham  led  the  way  in  1737, 
and  settled  upon  the  farm  now  occupied  by  Ezra  Hatstat, 
about  one  mile  north  of  the  centre.  •  He  lost  no  time  in  en- 
tering upon  the  arduous  task  of  clearing  his  land,  having  first 
hastily  erected  a  rude  log  cabin,  which,  in  view  of  the  more 
pressing  necessities  of  preparing  the  land  for  cultivation,  long 
awaited  more  than  such  bare  appointments  as  sufficed  for 
actual  shelter. 

This  hardy  pioneer  was  not  without  serious  fears  touching 
probable  assaults  from  Indians,  who,  although  at  no  time 
numerous  in  that  region,  were  nevertheless  to  be  dreaded,  and 
especially  so  since  the  prospect  of  a  settlement  of  the  tract  was 
likely  to  afford  them  the  occasion  for  making  that  locality  a 
more  favored  place  for  visitation  than  it  had  before  been. 

Still,  Meacham  kept  steadily  to  his  purpose,  always  on  the 
alert  for  approaching  danger,  and  hopeful  that  other  settlers 
would  speedily  follow  in  his  train,  and  render  mutual  protec- 
tion against  the  foe  that  made  the  life  of  the  pioneer  one  of 
constant  watching  and  peril,  as  well  as  careful  anxiety. 

In  accordance  with  expectation,  Meacham's  settlement  was 
quickly  followed  by  others.  Amos  Foster  settled  upon  the 
western  part  of  the  grant,  and  Benjamin  Stacy,  who  came  in 
about  the  same  time,  upon  a  place  about  two  and  a  half  miles 
south  of  the  centre,  where  D.  V.  Putnam  now  lives.  Samuel 
King  took  up  a  farm  about  three  miles  from  the  centre,  near 
the  present  village  of  Cooleyville,  and  with  him  came  Samuel 
Pierce,  who  settled  in  the  north.  Daniel  Shaw  located  two 
miles  south  of  the  centre,  and  two  miles  southeast  of  the  latter 
place  a  Sir.  Cary  made  a  settlement  about  the  same  time. 


Amos  Putnam,  James  Cook,  and  Jeremiah  Ballard  were  like- 
wise settlers  contemporaneous  with  Meacham  ;  Ballard  select- 
ing a  home  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  north  of  the  present 
village  of  New  Salem  Centre. 

Thereafter  settlers  multiplied  rapidly,  and  the  proprietors 
were  rejoiced  to  see  how  prosperity  appeared  to  attend  a  ven- 
ture which,  long  after  its  inception,  seemed  to  promise  any- 
thing but  fortune.  Here  and  there  the  wilderness  began  to 
show  garden  spots,  where  the  toiling  forefathers  had,  by  the 
strength  of  right  arms  and  the  earnestness  of  heroic  purpose, 
felled  the  giants  of  the  forests,  and  caused  the  green  earth  to 
smile  with  glowing  promises  of  bountiful  harvests. 

Still,  the  fear  of  Indians  and  stories  of  their  depredations 
near  at  hand  caused  much  painful  uneasiness  and  apprehen- 
sion that  there  was  trouble  in  store.  To  provide  against  such 
emergencies,  and  to  afford  places  of  general  protection,  two 
forts  wore  built,  and,  in  addition  thereto,  the  meeting-house 
was  so  fortified  that  it  could  be  used  as  an  ark  of  temporal 
safety,  while  the  cabins  of  many,  if  not  all,  of  the  settlers 
were  provided  in  some  way  for  repelling  sudden  savage  at- 
tacks in  case  there  was  not  time  to  reach  the  forts. 

Eternal  vigilance  was  the  watchword  in  the  infant  settle- 
ment ;  and  while  the  farmer  tilled  the  soil  or  pursued  kindred 
occupations,  he  watched  continually  for  unseen  danger,  and 
was  prepared  to  meet  it  manfully.  Thus,  when  the  people 
attended  divine  worship  they  went  armed,  for  no  man  could 
tell  when  the  foe  would  appear  ;  and  so,  amid  watching  and 
working,  the  community  grew  ai)ace  and  thrived. 

Fortunately,  the  precautions  taken  by  the  inhabitants 
against  the  savages,  in  resorting  lo  the  forts  at  nightfall,  or 
whenever  reports  of  trouble  filled  the  air,  enabled  them  to 
pass  through  the  trying  ordeal  of  early  experiences  in  back- 
woods life  without  being  seriously  endangered  or  coming  to 
harm.  Many  of  the  settlers  went  from  time  to  time  into  the 
government  service  against  the  Indians  in  other  parts  of  the 
State  and  did  valiant  work,  in  which  not  a  few  were  called 
upon  to  make  severe  sacrifices,  but  New  Salem  itself  escaped 
the  horrors  of  Indian  warfare. 

The  nearest  approach  to  an  Indian  depredation  occurred 
one  night  when  nearly  all  the  male  inhabitants  of  the  settle- 
ment were  out  on  a  scouting  expedition.  Before  departing 
they  saw  that  the  women,  children,  and  aged  men  were 
securely  housed  in  one  of  the  forts,  and  that  the  fort  was  care- 
fully guarded  against  attack.  It  seems,  however,  that  a  band 
of  savages  were  hovering  near,  in  hiding,  and  upon  observing 
the  departure  of  the  men  they  emerged  from  their  retreat 
shortly  after,  and  approached  the  fort,  thinking  that,  as 
it  was  guarded  only  by  women,  it  would  fall  with  them  an 
ea.sy  capture.  The  women  were,  however,  not  made  of  ordi- 
nary material,  for  they  were  pioneers'  wives,  who  had  learned 
important  lessons  in  the  school  of  self-preservation,  and, 
knowing  how  desperate  emergencies  required  desperate  reme- 
dies, knew  also  full  well  how  to  apply  the  remedies. 

One  brave  Amazon,  who  undertook  the  leadership,  so  dis- 
guised her  voice,  and  issued  orders  in  a  loiid  tone  to  an  imagin- 
ary band  of  men,  that  the  savages,  upon  their  approach  to  the 
fort,  were  mystified,  and  began  to  think  that  they  must  have 
been  in  error  in  believing  the  fort  defenseless,  since  the  orders 
they  heard  and  the  preparations  evidentlj'  going  forward  for  de- 
fense seemed  to  betoken  the  presence  in  the  fort  of  many  stal- 
wart defenders.  They  were  ready,  in  their  cowardly,  savage 
nature,  to  make  war  upon  weak  women,  but  armed  men  were 
foes  whom  they  liked  not;  and  while  they  were  gravely  dis- 
cussing the  unforeseen  turn  in  affairs,  a  few  rapid  gunshots 
from  the  fort  in  their  direction  decided  them,  without  further 
argument,  upon  precipitate  flight.  The  coolness  and  bravery 
exhibited  by  the  women  under  such  trying  circumstances  won 
them  a  bloodless  victory,  and  the  recital  now  serves  a  useful 
and  interesting  purpose  in  showing,  not  only  <Vhat  the  women 
of  those  days  had  to  contend  with,  but  how  they  rose  to  the 


.'  y. 


.-r  \' 


Photo,  by  C.  H.  Wells. 


^.A^ecA./cS  xS^A>^^^c/^A^. 


Charles  Chandler,  son  of  Aaron  and  Mary 
Chandler,  was  born  in  Sluitesbnry,  Franklin  Co., 
Mass.,  on  the  17th  of  December,  1828.  His  father 
was  born  in  Petersham,  Mass.,  on  the  28th  of  Janu- 
ary, 1797.  He  was  a  farmer  by  occupation,  and  took 
an  active  interest  in  the  religious  and  educational 
interests  of  the  community  in  which  he  lived.  In 
the  autumn  of  1850  he  removed  to  Wendell,  and 
during  his  residence  in  that  town  held  various  public 
offices ;  among  others  those  of  selectman  and  assessor. 
He  died  in  New  Salem,  on  the  15th  of  October, 
1867.  His  wife  was  a  daughter  of  Luther  Clark, 
of  Leverett,  Mass.,  born  in  that  town  on  the  18th 
of  March,  1795. 

She  was  married  to  Mr.  Chandler  on  the  11th 
of  February,  1823.  To  them  were  born  five  chil- 
dren, of  whom  only  two  are  now  living,  viz. : 
Mary,  the  wife  of  Samuel  H.  Stowell,  and  Charles, 
the  subject  of  this  sketch.  The  latter  remained  in 
the  paternal  home,  working  during  a  part  of  each 
year  for  his  father  on  the  farm,  until  the  latter  re- 
moved to  Wendell. 

Charles   then   united  with  him  in    farming,  and 


also  engaged  in  the  lumbering  business  upon  his  own 
account,  which  he  carried  on  successfully  for  several 
years.  On  the  27th  of  January,  1859,  he  married 
Abbie  S.,  daughter  of  Luther  Wyman,  of  Woburn, 
Mass.  Li  1862,  Mr;  Chandler  removed  to  New 
Salena  and  located  on  West  Street,  on  what  was 
known  as  the  "old  Porter  farm."  He  remained 
there  seven  years,  when,  purchasing  his  present 
property,  he  removed  to  New  Salem  Hill,  where  he 
has  since  resided.  He  has  taken  a  prominent  part 
in  local  public,  religious,  and  educational  interests ; 
has  held  the  offices  of  town-clerk  and  treasurer  three 
years,  and  contributed  largely  to  the  building  of  the 
new  chui'ch  edifice  and  parsonage  in  Lock's  village. 
As  a  citizen  he  is  public-spirited  and  enterprising, 
and  as  a  man  he  is  respected  by  all  for  his  many 
sterling  qualities.  His  mother,  Mrs.  Mary  Chand- 
ler, resides  with  him,  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty- 
four  years. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Chandler  have  two  children,  both 
born  in  New  Salem.  They  are  Mary  S.,  born  Aug. 
24,  1865,  and  Abbie  Belle,  born  on  the  18th  of 
February,  1867. 


Photo,  by  Moffitt. 


9^v— '-   E^/y 


^(juia)  p\!i)uArJD 


The  Hunt  family  is  of  English  origin,  and  has  been  repre- 
sented in  this  country  for  many  years.  William  Hunt,  ances- 
tor of  Horace  Hunt,  was  one  of  three  brothers  who  early  came 
to  this  country  and  settled,  one  at  Concord,  Mass.,  one  at 
Northampton,  Mass.,  and  one  at  Brattleboro',  Vt. 

William  settled  at  Concord,  and  at  one  time  was  the  owner 
of  one-half  of  the  territory  now  occupied  by  that  town,  which 
he  purchased  directly  of  the  Indians. 

Samuel  Hunt,  his  grandfather,  lived  at  various  places,  and 
for  twenty  years  of  his  life  kept  a  public-house  at  Fitchburg, 
Mass.,  and  served  as  a  captain  in  the  French-and-Indian  war. 

David  Hunt,  the  father  of  Horace,  was  born  in  Worcester, 
Mass  ,  in  176G  or  1767.  In  his  youth  he  went  to  New  Salem, 
Mass.,  of  which  be  was  one  of  the  first  settlers.  He  passed  a 
long  and  active  life  in  that  town,  and  died  in  1850,  at  the  ad- 
vanced age  of  eighty-three.  He  married  Abigail,  daughter 
of  Shadrach  Haskins,  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  of  New  Salem, 
and  had  a  number  of  children,  of  whom  but  four  reached 
maturity.  Samuel  H.,  the  eldest  of  these,  is  now  living  at 
Athol,  Mass.,  and  is  ninety  years  of  age.  Luther  passed  his 
life  on  the  old  farm  in  New  Salem,  and  died  in  1849,  at  the 
age  of  fifty-six.  Lorana  married  Levi  Davis,  of  New  Salem, 
and  now  resides  at  Holly,  New  York,  aged  eighty-four. 

Horace  Hunt  was  born  in  New  Salem,  Jan.  15,  1801.  He 
passed  his  early  life  in  hard  work  on  the  paternal  farm,  enjoy- 
ing limited  educational  advantages.  At  the  age  of  seventeen 
he  commenced  school-teaching  in  New  Salem,  having  prepared 
himself  for  that  calling  by  close  application,  rigid  self-disci- 
pline, and  arduous  labor.  This  occupation  he  followed  in  win- 
ter seasons  at  New  Salem  and  Enfield,  Mass.,  and  Casenovia, 
N.  Y.,  filling  up  the  balance  of  the  time  at  work  on  the 
farm.- 

In  1825,  Mr.  Hunt  commenced  keeping  a  general  country 
store  at  Millington,  a  small  village  in  the  town  of  New  Salem. 
He  continued  there  about  fourteen  years,  and  then  removed  to 
North  Prescott,  Mass. ;  established  a  store  about  a  mile  west  of 


the  village  of  North  Prescott,  which  he  kept  for  upward  of 
thirty  years.  During  that  time  Mr.  Hunt  had  the  North 
Prescott  post-office  established,  and  was  the  first  postmaster 
there, — a  statement  that  is  equally  true  of  the  post-office  at 
Millington.  Mr.  Hunt  was  postmaster  at  both  places  for  a 
period,  in  all,  of  twenty  years. 

In  1869,  Mr.  Hunt  transferred  his  mercantile  business  to 
Enfield,  Mass.,  where  he  engaged  in  store-keeping  until  May 
15,  1878,  when  he  disposed  of  it,  and  is  now  living  in  retire- 
ment at  Enfield,  having  attained  the  ripe  age  of  seventy-eight. 
In  the  course  of  his  life  Mr.  Hunt  has  filled  various  offices 
of  trust  and  responsibility.  In  1827  he  was  appointed  a  jus- 
tice of  the  peace, — an  office  that  he  has  held  continuously  since. 
He  has  also  filled  most  of  the  town  offices  of  New  Salem  and 
Prescott,  and  was  a  commissioner  of  Franklin  County  from 
1863  to  1869,  inclusive. 

In  his  church  affiliations  he  is  a  Baptist,  a  member  of  the 
church  of  that  denomination  at  Athol,  Mass.,  and  was  for 
many  years  a  member  of  the  New  Salem  and  Prescott  Baptist 
Church.  He  has  been  married  four  times.  His  first  wife,  Su- 
sannah M.  Fish,  of  New  Salem,  he  married  April  4,  1822,  and 
she  died  Nov.  25,  1825.  His  second  was  Roxana  Chamberlin, 
of  New  Salem,  whom  he  married  Aug.  27,  1829,  and  who  died 
June  13,  1837.  His  third  was  Naomi  Haskins,  of  Prescott, 
whom  he  married  May  22,  1839,  and  who  died  Jan.  17,  1845. 
His  present  wife  was  Mrs.  Sarah  E.  Freeman,  widow  of  Dr.  Na- 
thaniel Freeman,  of  New  Salem,  and  daughter  of  James  Hem- 
enway,  of  the  same  place. 

The  fruits  of  these  various  unions  have  been  nine  children, — 
one  by  the  first  wife,  two  by  the  second,  foui'by  the  third,  and 
two  by  the  fourth.  Of  these  but  four  are  living, — Howard 
Boardman  and  Nelson  Haskins,  wholesale  dealers  in  musical 
instruments,  at  Boston  ;  Lorana  Sophia,  wife  of  Charles  Rich- 
ards, Esq.,  of  Enfield;  and  James  Luther,  dealer  in  musical 
instruments,  at  Athol,  Mass.,  and  also  engaged  in  the  insur- 
ance business  at  the  same  place. 


HISTORY   OF  FRAiNKLIN   COUiNTY. 


667 


requirements  of  the  hour,  and  revealecj  themselves  to  bo 
worthy  companions  of  tlio  men  who  toolc  upon  themselves 
pioneer  hardships. 

With  the  departure  of  the  era  of  Indian  troubles,  and  the 
resumption  in  the  valle}"  of  the  Connecticut  of  the  prosperous 
progress  of  early  settlements,  New  Salem,  in  common  with 
other  towns,  began  to  feel  the  encouraging  influences  of  peace, 
and  moved  onward  in  the  scale  of  material  advancement,  reap- 
ing gratifying  results  at  every  stride. 

One  of  the  earliest  physicians  of  whom  tradition  tells  was 
Dr.  Joseph  Goldthwaite,  whose  field  of  practice  covered  a  wide 
extent  of  territory,  and  who  was  a  man  of  considerable  note 
abroad  as  well  as  at  home.  A  Mr.  Upham,  who  was  an  early 
settler,  was  something  of  a  lawyer,  but  the  scope  for  the  exer- 
cise of  his  legal  talents  was  exceedingly  limited,  and  that  he 
drove  a  very  profitable  trade  is  extremely  problematical. 

Daniel  Shaw,  an  early  settler,  to  whom  reference  has  already 
been  made,  was  a  man  of  considerable  prominence  in  the  com- 
munity, and,  besides  filling  numerous  places  of  public  trust, 
served  as  town  clerk  for  a  period  of  thirty  consecutive  years, 
during  the  whole  of  which  time,  it  is  said,  he  used  but  one 
goose-quill  to  do  his  writing. 

Varney  Pierce,  another  early  comer,  was  the  first  justice  of 
the  peace,  and  dealt  also  in  legal  counsel  to  such  of  his  neigh- 
bors as  felt  the  need  of  a  little  law  to  comfort  them.  For 
thirty-three  years  Mr.  Pierce  occupied  various  public  offices 
within  the  gift  of  the  town,  lived  a  long  and  useful  life  as  an 
honorable  citizen  and  faitliful  public  officer,  and  died  in  1823 
at  a  ripe  old  age. 

Chapters  might  be  written  \ipon  the  early  struggles  of  the 
New  Salem  pioneers,  and  they  would  be  chapters  of  absorbing 
interest  to  those  who  are  to-day  linked  in  memory  and  sym- 
pathy to  the  history  of  tho.se  times;  but  limited  space  in  a 
volume  intended  to  contain  a  history  of  the  early  da_ys  of  the 
Connecticut  Valley  in  Massachusetts  forbids  extended  refer- 
ence in  detail  to  matters  which  would  bear  such  reference 
without  wearying  the  reader.  Stout  hearts  and  willing  hands 
were  the  great  dependences  in  those  days  when  the  conve- 
jiiences  of  refined  civilization  were  few,  and  when  the  only 
path  to  success  lay  through  the  avenues  of  self-denial  and  a 
dogged  determination  to  get  along  in  life  by  the  aid  of  but 
such  surroundings  and  comforts  as  were  absolutely  necessarj', 
while  the  discouraging  obstacles  encountered  upon  every  hand 
were  well  calculated  to  weaken  hearts  not  borne  up  by  a 
trusting  faith  and  hope  that  brighter  skies  were  to  cheer  the 
future. 

The  first  innbolder  in  town  was  James  Cook.  His  tavern  was 
located  on  the  present  place  of  D.  V.  Putnam,  two  miles' south 
of  the  centre.  On  this  place,  or  farm,  James  Cuok  erected 
the  first  grist-mill  ever  built  in  town.  The  original  mill- 
stones can  now  be  seen  lying  in  the  stream  near  the  spot 
wliere  the  mill  was  built.  Before  this  mill  was  built  all  the 
grain  had  to  be  carried  on  horseback  to  North  Hadley,  on  the 
Connecticut  -Biver,  a  distance  of  sixteen  miles  from  New 
Salem,  through  a  trackless  wilderness,  the  course  being 
known  by  means  of  trees  marked  at  convenient  distances. 
Their  path  led  them  to  ford  a  small  stream  near  where  the 
New  Salem  Cheese-Factory  now  stands ;  and,  as  a  matter  of 
,  convenience  to  them.selves,  they  built  a  stone  bridge  over  this 
stream  and  named  it  "  Hadley  Bridge,"  which  it  bears  to  this 
day,  though  few  of  the  present  generation  know  why  the 
bridge  is  so  called. 

"James  Cooke"  left  two  sons,  Samuel  and  Henry.  Henry 
■ivas  a  somnambulist  and  lost  his  life  in  consequence,  at  a  public- 
house  in  Troy;  N.  Y.  He  arose  in  his  sleep,  went  to  an  out- 
side door,  which  he  opened,  and  fell  from  the  third  story  to 
the  sidewalk,  where  he  was  found  dead  next  morning.  His 
remains  were  conveyed  to  New  Salem  for  interment.  Samuel 
kept  for  a  long  period  of  years  a  store  and  public-house  near 
the  old  homestead.     His  first  wife  was  the  daughter  of  the 


Bev.  Samuel  Kendall,  the  first  ordained  minister  in  New 
Salem.  Samuel  Cooke  left  two  sons,  Samuel  and  Robert. 
Samuel  went  to  Houlton,  Me.  He  was  greatly  esteemed,  and 
made  probate  judge  by  the  Governor  of  Massachusetts  (Maine 
was  then  a  part  of  Massachusetts).  Robert  always  lived  in 
New  Salem,  and  by  his  industry  and  perseverance,  combined 
with  large  natural  talent,  accumulated  a  competency,  with 
which  he  was  always  ready  to  assist  those  deserving  and 
meritorious.  He  filled  the  highest  offices  in  town.  His 
widow  and  seven  children  survive  him. 

Dr.  Cowles,  a  graduate  of  Dartmouth  College,  was  one  of 
the  early  physicians  of  New  Salem.  He  built  a  large  house 
in  the  centre,  now  occupied  by  William  T.  Freeman,  and,  leav- 
ing New  Salem,  nothing  is  known  of  his  descendants.  Tradi- 
tion tells  the  following  story  of  the  doctor  and  village  black- 
smith. The  doctor,  being  unmarried,  as  a  matter  of  course 
looked  here  and  there  for  a  helpmeet,  and  fell  in  love  with  a 
Miss  Paige,  a  beautiful  and  accomplished  lady,  but  subse- 
quently became  enamored  of  a  Miss  Putnam,  to  whom  the 
blacksmith  was  paying  attention.  This  is  how  the  doctor 
cheated  the  blacksmith.  It  was  announced  that  there  would 
be  a  ball  at  the  tavern  in  the  centre.  The  doctor  hit  upon  this 
plan.  He  said  to  the  blacksmith,  whose  name  was  Hastings, 
"  Come,  let  us  swap  ladies  for  the  evening  and  see  what  '  gos- 
sips' say."  To  this  the  blacksmith  consented.  So  the  doctor 
went  to  the  ball  with  the  blacksmith's  lady,  and  the  black- 
smith with  the  doctor's.  At  the  ball  the  doctor  "  popped  the 
question"  to  the  blacksmith's  lady,  was  accepted,  and  soon 
married  her.  Hastings  followed  suit,  married  Miss  Paige, 
and  died  in  1810. 

Stephen  Filton  was  one  of  the  earliest  shoemakers  in  New 
Salem.  He  favored  Shays'  rebellion,  in  1780.  He  married 
Sarah  Doland,  only  fifteen  years  of  age.  As  a  girl  she  was 
brought  up  in  the  family  of  Rev.  Samuel  Kendall.  They  had 
a  large  family  of  children,  whose  lives  were  an  honor  alike  to 
themselves  and  the  community  in  which  they  lived.  Two  sons 
are  now  living.  Rev.  George  D.  Filton,  of  Granville,  Mass., 
the  youngest  of  the  family,  and  Ebenezer,  who  lives  in  Enfield, 
Mass.  Stephen  Filton's  grandchildren,  now  living,  and 
prominent  in  the  community,  are  Joseph  Filton,  of  Greenfield, 
Dr.  George  Chamberlain,  of  Brimfield,  Mass.,  Dr.  Cj'rus  N. 
Chamberlain,  of  Lawrence,  Mass.,  and  Dr.  Myron  L.  Chamber- 
lain, of  Boston.  These  last-named  three  doctors  are  brothers, 
and  sons  of  Dr.  Levi  Chamberlain,  of  New  Salem.  Dr.  Cyrus 
N.  Chamberlain  was  medical  director  in  the  Army  of  the  Po- 
tomac, and  was  the  first  surgeon  detailed  to  take  charge  of  the 
hospital  at  Gettysburg,  remaining  there  till  the  government 
established  home  hospitals.  He  was  then  instructed  by  the 
government  to  establish  Home  Hospital,  at  Worcester,  Mass. 
Stephen  Filton,  having  business  abroad  during  the  first  winter 
of  his  marriage,  left  his  young  wife  to  prepare  a  "boiled  dish  ;" 
and  as  she  was  solicited  to  join  a  coasting-party  of  young 
folks,  she  put  everything  into  the  dinner-pot  at  the  same 
time,  and  left  it  over  a  rousing  fire  to  care  for  itself,  which 
did  not  add  to  the  relish  of  the  dinner.  Moral :  When  a  man 
marries  a  child  for  a  wife,  he  must  expect  that  she  will  act 
like  a  child;  which  is  right  and  proper. 

"  Governor"  Curtis,  as  he  was  called,  was  one  of  the  oldest 
or  earliest  carpenters  in  New  Salem.  He  was  framing  a 
building  for  the  Rev.  Mr.  Foster,  the  second  minister  in  town, 
when  the  latter  said  to  him,  "Governor,  you  seem  to  be  a 
man  of  rare  genius.  Could  you  make  a  devil?"  "  Certainly," 
said  the  governor  to  the  minister ;  "just  place  your  feet  on 
this  block,  that  I  may  make  you  cloven-footed;  only  a 
minute's  work  and  all  the  alteration  necessary."  This  anec- 
dote is  taken  from  J.  G.  Holland's  "History  of  the  Four 
Western  Counties  of  Massachusetts." 

Daniel  Ballard,  Esq.,  a  direct  descendant  and  great-great- 
grandson  of  Jeremiah  Ballard,  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  of 
the  town,  has  in  his  possession  the  manuscript  of  several  origi-  ' 


668 


HISTOKY   OF   THE   CONNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


nal  documents  which  refer  in  an  interesting  way  to  the  early 
h  istory  of  New  Salem.  Copies  of  these  documents  are  here- 
with appended,  as  follows : 

DEED    OF    NEORO    JACK. 

*'To  n)l  Cliii'ltnin  Pcoiile  to  whom  tliese  presents  shall  come.  Know  ye  that  I, 
Thomas  Parker,  of  Bracutt,  in  ye  County  of  Middlesex,  within  his  Majaestie's 
Province  of  the  Massachusetts  Bay,  in  New  England,  Clerk,  for  and  in  con- 
nideration  of  the  sum  of  Sixty  pounds  to  me  in  hand  before  the  enseeling  and 
delivery  of  these  presents  by  Jeremiah  Itallanl,  of  Andover,  in  ye  County  of 
Essex,  IIuBbandman,  have  given  grantiMl,  bargained,  sold,  and  by  these 
presents  do  give,  grant,  bargain,  sell  unto  the  b<i  Jeremiah  Ballard,  one  negro 
man,  named  Jack,  to  have  and  to  hold  the  s^  negro  Jack  ;  and  I,  the  b^  Thomas 
Parker,  do  promise  to  bind  &  oldige  myself,  my  heii-s,  executors,  and  ad- 
ministrators, by  these  presents,  to  warrant  and  Defend  the  said  negro  Jack  unto 
the  said  Jeremiah  Ballard  against  the  lawful!  claims  or  demands  of  any  person 
or  persons  whatsoever,  at  any  time  or  times  hereafter.  In  witness  whereof  I, 
the  s^  Thomas  Parker,  have  hereunto  set  my  hand  &  seal  this  fifteenth  day  of 
September,  Anno  Domini  1726,  in  tlie  twelfth  year  of  ye  Reign  of  our  Sovereign 

Lord  George  King. 

"Thomas  Parkek.    [seal.] 
"Signed,  sealed  and  delivered  in  presence  of 

"  Jonathan  Richardson. 

"  John  Dane." 

WARRANT  FOR  MEETING  OF  PROPRIETORS  OF  NEW  SALEM 
AT  TOWN-HALL  IN  SALEM. 
"  Notice  is  Hereby  Given  to  the  Proprietors  of  New  Salem  (so  called).  Laying 
in  the  County  of  Hampshire,  that  they  Assemble  Themselves  Together  on 
Wednesday,  the  Sixth  day  of  June  Next,  at  Two  o'clock  afternoon,  at  the  Town- 
lionse  in  Salem,  To  Choose  a  Committee  to  manage  the  affairs  of  the  Propiiety 
and  to  Call  Futtur  meetings  ;  also  a  Clerk  and  Treasurer  for  the  year  ensuing. 
To  Choose  Surveyors  of  Highways ;  also  to  consider  and  act  upon  the  Petition 
of  (!apt.  Jeremiah  Ballard  and  other  of  the  Inhabitants  for  Finishing  the  Meet- 
ing-House &  Settelinne  the  Lolls  according  to  the  Courte  Grant,  and  Raising 
money  for  making  &,  Repairing  Highways  for  the  Inhabitants;  to  Consider  the 
Petition  of  Jeremiah  Ballard  and  Jeremiah  Meacham  for  a  Grant  for  Building 
a  Saw-mill  on  a  Streame  in  the  undivided  Land  of  s* Propiiety,  and  to  see  whether 
the  Prop'ora  will  Grant  it  or  Not;  to  Raise  such  Sums  of  Money  as  shall  be 
thought  Proper  for  the  Paying  the  Revi  Mr.  Kindall's  Salery,  and  other 
Charges  arising  in  s^  Propriety. 
*'  By  order  of  the  Committee. 

"Thomdik  Procter,  Jk.,^^  Chirk. 
"Salem,  May  14, 1750." 

PETITION    FOR    JAMES    COOK    AS    INNHOLDER. 
"  To  Ihe  Smibl.  Justices  of  the  Sessions  of  tiie  peace  to  be  holdm  at  Norlliampton^  on 
the  thirteenth  instant  ; 

"Whereas,  Mr.  James  Cook,  of  New  Salem,  was  appointed  for  an  Innholder 
in  B^  New  Salem  at  ye  Sessions  in  August  last,  he  not  being  able  of  Body  to 
attend  thereon,  and  the  Reason  why  he  could  not  have  Licence,  he  heard,  was 
because  he  had  not  taken  the  oath  relating  to  taking  the  Bills  of  the  other  Gov- 
ernments. 

"  These  may  Certify  to  your  Honours  that  the  s"*  James  has  taken  s^  oath 
before  Amos  Foster,  Dist.  Clerk  ;  and  if  that  will  answer,  as  he  is  not  able  to 
come  to  the  next  Sessions,  we  pray  your  Honors  to  Grant  him  Licence. 

"  Amos  Foster,  -^ 

"  Jeremiah  Ballard,      >  Selectmen. 
"Benja.  Southwick,Jr.,-' 
"New  Salem,  Nov.  ye  8, 1764." 


TOWN-MEETING    WARRANT. 

"  Notice  is  hereby  given  to  the  Freeholders  and  other  Inhabitants  of  New 
Salem,  qualitied  by  law  to  vote  in  town  affairs,  that  they  assemble  and  meet  to- 
gather  att  the  Publick  Meeting-House  in  New  Salem,  on  Monday, the  Fourth  day 
of  March  next,  at  ten  of  the  clock  forenoon,  to  consider  and  acton  the  following 
articles,  viz. : 

"  Firet,  To  Chuse  such  officers  as  towns  by  Law  are  obliged  to  Chuse  on  the 
month  of  March. 

"  21y,  To  Raise  money  to  Pay  the  Kev.  Mr.  Kendal's  Salary. 

"Sly,  To  Grant  money  to  pay  for  schooling. 

"41y.  To  Grant  money  to  make  and  mend  Highways. 

"  Sly,  To  Know  if  Swine  may  Run  att  Large  this  year. 

"61y,  To  Know  if  the  Districts  will  improve  what  money  the  town  Stock 
Powder  has  been  sold  for  to  Purchase  another  Stock,  or  apply  to  it  any  other  use. 

"  71y,  To  Know  if  the  Districts  will  allow  the  Selectmen  to  lay  out  a  Rode 
from  Samuel  Pierce's  across  Jona^i'  Childe's  and  Darling  Lot's  to  s'*  Childe's,  and 
Exchange  the  Rode  att  the  Ejist  end  of  s**  Lots  for  the  same. 

"  Sly,  To  see  if  the  District  will  open  the  Rode  att  the  East  end  of  BenJa. 
Southwick  House  Lot,  which  David  Felton  Hjis  shut  up. 

"  91y,  To  Bring  in  Town  Debts  and  Grant  money  to  pay  the  same. 

"  Amos  Foster,  -»  Selectmen 

"  Benja.  Sovthwick,  Jr.,  V       of 

"Jeremiah  Ballard,       )  New  Salem. 
"New  Salem,  Feb.  ye  11, 1765." 

ASSESSORS'    WARRANT. 
"  Whereas  Benja.  Southwick,  Constable  for  ye  District  of  New  Salem  for  the 
year  a.d.  175C,  Complains  to   us,   ye   Subscribers,  Assessors  for  s^  District,  & 


eayth  that  Micah  Rice,  of  s^  District  (Blacksmith),  was  rated  for  his  Pole  in 
the  Province  Rate  or  List  Committed  to  him  the  sum  of  Six  Shillings  and  two 
pence,  and  that  ho,  ye  s'^  Benj'^  Southwick,  has  given  him,  ye  s-^  Micah  Rice, 
Seasonable  Notice  and  Warning  to  pay  the  same,  yet  he  Refuses  to  Do  it,  and 
prays  for  a  Warrant  as  ye  Law  Directs  from  us,  the  Subscribers,  to  Distreign  the 
body  of  ye  s**  Micah  Rice,  he,  ye  s**  Benj*  Southwick,  having  made  search,  and 
cannot  tind  any  Estate  of  ye  s"*  Micah  Rice  Whereon  to  make  Distress. 

"This  is  therefore  in  his  Majestie's  Name  to  Impower  and  Require  You,  the 
above  s^  Constable.  Benj*  Southwick,  to  Destreign  the  body  of  ye  s**  Micah 
Rice,  and  it  Commit  to  his  Majesties  Goal,  in  Springfield,  till  he  pay,  or  cause  to 
be  paid,  the  above  s^  sum  of  Six  Shillings  &  two  pence,  and  Cost«  of  the  s^  Com- 
mitment. 

"Joseph  Houlton,)  ,48sc«sor*ro/ 
"  Amos  Foster,       -»  New  Salem. 
"New  Salem,  March  18, 1757." 

REVOLUTIONARY  REMINISCENCES. 

When  the  Lexington  alarm  reached  New  Salem  the  inhab- 
itants were  called  toi^etber,  and  upon  the  village  green  of  New 
Salem  Centre  they  assembled,  guns  in  hand,  ready  to  march 
at  a  moment's  notice.  There  were  at  this  time  two  militia 
companies  in  the  town,  and  of  one  of  these  companies  one 
Goodell  was  captain,  and  "William,  son  of  Benjamin  Stacy, 
who  lived  about  a  mile  southwest  of  the  present  village  of 
Millington,  was  the  lieutenant.  Capt.  Goodell  had  previously 
been  regarded  as  having  leanings  toward  Toryism,  and  when 
his  company  being  gathered  at  the  time  of  the  general  rally 
above  noted,  he  manifested  a  disinclination  to  raise  his  voice 
in  behalf  of  patriotism,  he  was  directly  the  object  of  derision, 
and  promptly  evaded  responsibility  by  slinking  away.  At  this. 
Lieutenant  Stacy,  doffing  his  hat,  drew  his  commission  from 
his  pocket,  and,  tearing  it  to  pieces,  excitedly  exclaimed  while 
he  did  so,  "Fellow-soldiers,  I  don't  know  exactly  how  it  is 
with  the  rest  of  you,  but  as  for  me,  I  will  no  longer  serve  a 
king  who  murders  my  own  countrymen.''  The  effect  of  his 
example  was  to  thrill  the  company  with  patriotic  ardor,  and 
they  hurrahed  and  shouted  their  approval  of  the  lieutenant's 
action.  Capt.  Goodell,  who  appeared  at  this  instant,  endeav- 
ored to  quell  the  enthusiasm  by  an  attempted  exercise  of 
authority,  but  the  blood  of  his  men  was  up  to  fever  heat,  and 
they  waved  him  scornfully  away.  The  company  voted  at  once 
to  march  for  the  seat  of  war,  reorganized  by  choosing  the  gal- 
lant Stacy  as  their  captain,  and  before  the  next  night  he  set 
out  at  their  head  for  Cambridge.  Captain  Stacy  served 
through  the  war,  rose  to  the  rank  of  lieutenant-colonel,  and 
received  from  General  Washington  the  present  of  a  gold  snutl- 
box  as  a  mark  of  esteem.  Shortly  after  the  war  closed  he  re- 
moved to  the  far  West,  and  was  killed  by  the  Indians  near 
Marietta,  Ohio. 

New  Salem  was  opposed  to  the  war  of  1812,  and  sent  Samuel 
C.  Allen  as  a  delegate  to  the  Northampton  anti-war  conven- 
tion. In  1814  a  draft  for  soldiers  was  held  in  the  Baptist 
Church,  when,  among  others,  the  following  were  impressed 
into  the  service:  Wm.  Smith,  John  Shaw,  Samuel  Shaw, 
Joseph  Shaw,  Asa  Powers,  John  Powers,  John  Frye,  and 
Andrew  Newell. 

In  1814,  Col.  Williams'  regiment,  bound  for  Boston,  halted 
in  New  Salem  a  few  days,  and  was  there  joined  by  Rev.  Al- 
pheus  Harding,  who  had  been  chosen  regimental  chaplain. 

ORGANIZATION. 

In  1753  the  two  grants  issued  to  the  original  proprietors 
were  incorporated  as  a  district  and  called  New  Salem,  for  the 
reason  that  its  proprietors  belonged  to  old  Salem.  Under  the 
act  of  1786,  the  district  became  a  town.  Previous  to  the  in- 
corporation, from  1735  to  1753,  the  meetings  of  the  proprietors 
were  held  in  old  Salem.  All  of  the  town  records,  dating 
from  1753  to  1856,  as  well  as  the  proprietors'  records,  were 
destroyed  by  fire  at  New  Salem  Centre  in  1856,  and  the  list 
of  town  officers  can  be  given  only  from  1855  to  1879,  as  fol- 
lows : 

SKLECTMEN. 
1855-5G. — Emerson  Fay,  Joseph  F.  Packard,  Royal  Whitaker. 
is'tT.— Emeison  Fay,  Royal  Wbitaker,  Alpheus  Thomas. 


Photo,  by  C.  H.  Wells,  Orange. 


Beriah  W.  Fay  was  born  in  Athol,  Worcester 
Co.,  Mass.,  on  tlie  2d  of  December,  1819.  His 
father,  Jonas  Fay,  was  also  a  native  of  tliat  town, 
a  farmer  by  occupation,  and  a  man  of  strict  integrity 
and  honor. 

He  married  Anna  R.,  daugliter  of  Alpiieus 
Ward,  of  Athol,  by  whom  he  had  six  children, 
of  whom  the  subject  of  this  notice  was  the  third. 
He  attended  the  common  schools  during  a  part  of 
each  year  until  seventeen  years  of  age.  He  was  then 
employed  in  farm-labor  for  three  years,  after  which 
he  commenced  teaciiing  school  during  the  winter 
months  and  continued  to  work  on  the  flirm  in  the 
summer.  He  continued  these  avocations  until  1850, 
and  had  in  the  mean  time  attended  the  spring  and 
fall  terms  of  the  New  Salem  Academy  about  four 
years. 

He  also  taught  a  class  in  penmanship,  and  select 
schools  in  Athol  and  Orange.  In  1850,  his  health 
having  become  impaired  by  teaching  and  close  con- 
finement to  study,  he  removed  to  New  Salem,  where 
he  had  previously  purchased  some  property,  and 
during  the  following  year  he  bought  the  farm  which 
he  now  owns,  and  where  he  has  since  resided.  He 
subsequently  turned  his  attention  to  surveying,  which 
he  has  practiced  for  twenty  years. 


Mr.  Fay  is  eminently  a  self-made  man,  and  what- 
ever he  has  attempted  in  life  has  been  thoroughly 
and  conscieiitiiiusly  performed.  He  has  always  been 
interested  in  promoting  the  cause  of  education,  in 
which  he  labored  a  number  of  years  as  a  teacher,  and 
since  1855  has  been  a  member  of  the  school  com- 
mittee. 

In  politics  he  is  a  Republican,  and  takes  an  active 
part  in  the  ])olitics  of  the  town  and  county,  and  is 
well  informed  in  the  general  political  movements  of 
the  State  and  nation.  In  a  local  capacity  he  has 
served  as  selectman,  assessor,  and  overseer  of  the 
jioor.  He  has  been  special  county  commissioner  for 
two  terms  of  three  years  each.  In  18(i5  he  repre- 
sented his  district  in  the  Legislature,  the  duties  of 
which  office  he  discharged  in  an  able  manner. 

On  the  1st  of  October,  1868,  he  was  married  to 
Hattie  L.,  daughter  of  Daniel  Ballard,  of  Wendell, 
Muss.  They  have  one  child, — Henry  W.,  born  on 
the  13th  of  June,  1877. 

Mr.  Fay  has  been  a  member  of  the  Congregational 
Society  of  New  Salem  since  1862.  He  is  also  an 
earnest  and  progressive  worker  in  the  Sabbath-school, 
of  which  he  has  for  four  years  been  sujierintendent. 
In  social  and  public  relations  he  has  always  com- 
manded the  respect  and  esteem  of  his  associates. 


^/'^^/Au^'^^'y-'^^^^^:^ 


Eev.  Alpheus  Harding,  son  of  Abijah  and 
Sybil  Adams  Harding,  was  born  in  Barre,  Worces- 
ter Co.,  Mass.,  Jan.  19,  1780.  His  ftither  was  a 
farmer,  and  Alpheus  worked  on  the  farm  nntil 
eighteen  years  of  age.  He  then  commenced  liis 
studies  pre()arat(3ry  to  entering  college,  first  at  Lei- 
cester Academy,  and  afterward  at  New  Salem.  Like 
many  others  of  limited  means,  he  resorted  to  sohool- 
teachina;  diirino-  the  vacations  in  order  to  obtain  the 
funds  with  which  to  prosecute  his  educa-tion. 

In  1801  lie  entered  Dartmouth  College,  and  grad- 
uated with  the  degree  of  A.M.  in  1805.  After  leav- 
ing college  he  taught  tiie  New  Salem  Academy  two 
years,  and  at  the  same  time  studied  divinity  under 
the  direction  of  the  Rev.  Joseph  Lathrop,  D.D.,  of 
West  Springfield,  Mass.  He  was  ordained  pastor 
of  tlie  Congregational  Church  in  New  Salem  (whicli 
in  those  days  meant  a  settlement  for  life),  Dec.  2, 
1807.  After  remaining  in  that  position  forty  years 
he  resigned,  thinking  a  younger  man  could  better 
discharge  the  duties  of  the  office.  He  was  married, 
Oct.  8,  1808,  to  Sarah,  daughter  of  Rev.  Josiah  and 
Irene  M.  Bridge,  by  whom  he  had  seven  children. 
Of  this  family  only  one  survives  him, — a  son,  also 
named  Alpheus  Harding, — to  whom  this  memoir  and 
the  accompanying  portrait  are  due. 

For  more  than  fifty  years  he  was  a  trustee,  and 
during  a  greater  part  of  that  time  also  president,  of 


the  New  Salem  Academy,  and  to  his  persevering 
efforts  and  labors  its  success  was  largely  due.  Dur- 
ing the  same  length  of  time  he  had  the  almost  entire 
charge  of  the  public  schools  of  the  town,  and  main- 
tained an  active  interest  in  them  to  the  day  of  his 
death. 

He  twice  represented  the  town  of  New  Salem  in 
the  Legislature,  and  after  retiring  from  the  ministry 
was  for  many  years  justice  of  the  peace  and  trial- 
justice;  also  doing  much  as  executor  and  adminis- 
trator of  estates,  and  as  guardian  for  many  children. 
His  wife  and  six  children  died  before  him,  and  when 
about  eighty  years  of  age  he  married  tiie  widow  of 
James  Freeman,  of  New  Salem,  who  was  his  con- 
stant companion  during  tlie  remainder  of  his  life, 
and  who  survived  him  a  few  years.  He  died  in 
1869,  having  just  entered  his  ninetieth  year.  Pos- 
sessed of  indomitable  courage  and  perseverance,  he 
never  shrank  from  the  discharge  of  a  duty,  aud  spent 
a  long  aud  active  life  in  doing  good  to  others.  He 
was  a  constant  laborer  in  promoting  the  interests  of 
education,  temperance,  morality,  and  industry,  and 
always  foremost  in  any  cause  which  tended  to  in- 
crease the  prosperity  of  the  people  to  the  service  of 
whom  he  devoted  so  many  years  of  his  life.  He 
was  universally  esteemed  for  his  many  rare  qualities 
of  mind  and  heart,  aud  sincerely  mourned  by  all  who 
knew  him. 


HISTORY   OF  FRANKLIN   COUNTY. 


CG9 


1858. — Alpbeus  Thomas,  William  F.  Freeman,  Joseph  GalloDii. 
18S9-C0.— Elijah  F.  Porter,  F.  R.  Haskell,  William  Whittemore. 
1861.— Elijah  F.  Portei',  William  Whittemore,  V.  V.  Vaughn. 
1862. — Elijali  F.  Porter,  Samuel  Adams,  V.  V.  Vaughn. 
1863.— Elijah  F.  Porter.  Samuel  Adams,  Sylvanus  Sibley. 
1864. — Elijah  F.  Porter,  Samuel  Adams,  Daniel  V.  Putnam. 
1865.— Elijah  F.  Porter,  William  T.  Freemao,  Daniel  V.  Putnam. 
1866.- Elijah  F.  Porter,  Eugene.  Ballard,  Daniel  V.  Putnam. 
1867.— Elijah  F.  Porter,  J.  H.  Carey,  Daniel  V.  Putnam. 
1868-70.— Eoyal  Whitaker,  Beriah  W.  Pay,  Daniel  V.  Putnam. 
1871.— Royal  Whitaker,  E.  D.  Andrews,  Daniel  V.  Putnam. 
1872.— Elijah  F.  Porter,  Samuel  H.  Stowell,  Daniel  V.  Putnam. 
1873.— Elijah  F.  Porter,  Samuel  H.  Stowell,  Lucien  T.  Briggs. 
1874-76. — Nelson  Haskins,  F.  W.  Newland,  William  L.  Powers. 
1877.— H.  A.  Cogswell,  F.  W.  N'ewland,  William  L.  Powers. 
1878.- Daniel  Ballard,  F.  W.  Newland,  Proctor  Whitaker. 

TOWN   CLERKS. 

Charles  A.  Harding,  Jr.,  1865-57 ;  Charles  M.  Pierce,  1757-59 ;  Royal  Whitaker, 
1859-74;  Charles  K.  Shumway,  1874;  F.  A.  Haskell,  1875;  Charles  Cliandler, 
1876-79. 

VILLAGES. 

There  are  four  villages  in  the  town  ;  each  is  a  post-office,  and 
they  are  called  New  Salem  Centre,  North  New  Salem,  Cooley- 
ville,  and  Millington. 

THE   CENTRE 

is  the  oldest  of  the  four  settlements,  and  is  a  brisk  little  vil- 
lage on  the  mountain-top,  containing  two  churches,  the  tovvni- 
house,  one  store,  the  New  Salem  Academy,  and  the  Academy 
boarding-house, — a  handsome  structure.  A  fire  in  1856  de- 
stroyed the  post-office  and  store,  and  in  187ti  another  fire 
destroyed  the  post-office,  two  stores,  and  a  hotel. 

COOLEYVILLE, 

in  the  southwest,  near  the  Shutesbury  line,  has  latterly  be- 
come a  lively  trading-point,  and  boasts  three  stores,  which 
derive  their  main  support  from  neighboring  towns. 

North  New  Salem,  near  the  Orange  line,  has  a  church 
and  .store,  and  Millington,  in  the  southeast,  has  a  store  and 
grist-mill.  It  is  also  the  nearest  point  in  the  town  to  the 
New  Salem  station  of  the  Athol  and  Springfield  Railroad, 
being  two  miles  distant  therefrom. 

CHURCHES. 

Before  the  settlement  of  the  tract  was  fairly  begun  the  pro- 
prietors set  about  providing  a  place  for  public  worship,  and 
in  August,  1730,  they  voted  to  build  a  meeting-house  forth- 
with, 4.5  feet  long,  35  feet  wide,  and  20  feet  stud.  For  some 
reason  the  house  was  not  built  until  late  in  1739,  and  each 
"right,"  it  appears,  was  taxed  £3  to  defray  the  cost  of  the 
edifice.  There  must  have  been  a  gala  time  at  the  raising  of 
the  frame,  for  the  bill  for  expenses  noted  that,  among  other 
things,  "wheat,  sugar,  rum,  molasses,  pork,  beef,  butter,  cheese, 
men,  and  horses  from  Hadley"  were  furnished  at  a  total  cost  of 
£29  13s.  6rf.  The  foundations  of  this  church  may  still  be  seen 
near  the  site  of  the  Universalist  Church  in  New  Salem  Centre. 

Eev.  Samuel  Kendall,  of  Woburn,  a  Harvard  graduate,  was 
the  first  settled  minister,  and  was  ordained  December,  1742, 
at  which  time  the  church  was  probably  organized.  He  served 
the  church  as  its  pastor  until  March,  1776,  when  he  resigned 
his  charge,  but  continued  to  reside  in  New  Salem  until  his 
death,  in  1792.  Mr.  Kendall's  successor  was  Rev.  Joel  Foster, 
who  was  settled  June,  1770,  and  preached  twenty-three  years, 
being  dismissed  in  1802.  During  his  ministration,  in  1788,  a 
church  .society  was  organized  distinct  from  the  town  organiza- 
tion, and  church  affairs  prospered  after  the  new  departure.  In 
1794  a  new  church  of  considerable  pretensions  to  architectural 
elegance  was  built,  and  considered  one  of  the  finest,  if  not 
the  best,  of  all  the  churches  in  Hampshire  County. 

Mr.  Foster  was  a  divine  of  some  prominence,  and  it  was 
said  that  the  incorporation  of  the  New  Salem  Academy  was 
due  chiefly  to  his  efforts.  His  successor  as  pastor  of  the  church 
was  Rev.  Warren  Pierce,  who  was  ordained  in  1804.  He  re- 
signed in  1807,  and  in  December  of  that  year  Rev.  Alpheus 
Harding  was  ordained.    Shortly  previous  to  that  time  a  church 


was  erected  in  the  north,  about  four  miles  from  the  centre, 
near  where  Beriah  W.  Fay  lives,  for  the  accommodation  of 
the  people  in  that  section,  and  at  this  church  Mr.  Harding 
preached  fifteen  Sabbaths  annually  for  about  eighteen  years. 
Meanwhile,  for  about  that  length  of  time,  the  church  parish 
was  somewhat  divided  on  the  question  of  the  relative  merits 
of  the  Trinitarian  and  Unitarian  doctrines.  Mr.  Harding 
inclined  to  Unitarianism,  and  preached  its  faith  to  the  First 
Church  until  January,  1845,  when  he  resigned,  after  a  min- 
istry of  upward  of  thirty-seven  years.  Mr.  Harding  officiated 
in  1868  at  the  funeral  in  New  Salem  of  Mrs.  Daniel  Shaw,  at 
whose  wedding  he  had  likewise  officiated  in  1811.  Rev.  Clau- 
dius Bradford,  ordained  in  1851,  was  the  next  settled  minister 
but  he  continued  only  two  years,  when  he  resigned.     Kev. 

Trask,  the  last  settled  pastor,  was  dismissed  in  1874,  since 

which  date  the  church,  which  is  now  Universalist,  has  de- 
pended upon  periodical  supplies. 

As  has  already  been  noted,  Mr.  Harding  preached  a  portion 
of  each  year  at  a  church  in  the  north  for  eighteen  years, — 
from  1807  to  1824.  This  church  building  was  owned  by  the 
First  Society,  and  when  the  people,  in  1824,  becoming  dissat- 
isfied with  the  condition  of  things,  formed  a  new  and  ortho- 
dox society,  they  purchased  the  church  building  and  removed 
it  to  its  present  location,  in  north  New  Salem.  Since  1842 
there  has  been  no  settled  pastor,  and  latterly  the  building  has 
been  used  in  common  by  Congregationalists  and  Methodists. 
The  first  pastor  was  Levi  French,  who  preached  from  1825  to 
1829,  and  succeeding  him  was  Rev.  Erastus  Brooks,  who 
preached  from  1834  to  1842. 

The  Third  Congregational  Church  was  organized  at 
New  Salem  Centre  in  August,  184.5.  Services  were  held  in 
the  town-house  until  1855,  when  the  present  church  structure 
was  erected.  The  pastors  have  been  Revs.  Wm.  H.  Hayward, 
Erastus  Curtis,  W.  Kemp,  David  Eastman,  and  Samuel  H. 
Amsdell, — the  latter  the  pastor  in  charge  January,  1879. 

In  January,  1772,  a  Baptist  Church  was  organized  in  the 
south  part  of  the  town,  and  in  that  year  a  meeting-house  was 
built,  a  little  south  of  what  is  now  the  Prescott  line.  In 
1800  the  building  was  moved  three  miles  north  of  its  original 
location,  and  in  1822,  when  the  town  of  Prescott  was  incorpo- 
rated, the  church  became  known  as  the  Baptist  Church  of 
New  Salem  and  Prescott.  The  church  building  was  taken 
down  in  1835,  and  in  that  year  a  new  structure  was  erected 
directly  upon  the  line  between  Prescott  and  New  Salem. 

The  church  began  to  decline  a  few  years  ago,  and  previous 
to  1878  became  extinct.  In  that  year  the  building  was  sold 
and  removed  into  Prescott,  where  it  is  now  used  as  a  store. 
Among  the  early  pastors  of  the  church  were  Revs.  Ebenezer 
Smith,  Samuel  Bigelow,  Joel  Butler,  Josiah  Orcutt,  Paul 
Davis,  Calvin  Orcutt,  Asa  Niles,  Stephen  S.  Nelson,  Thos. 

Rand, Dwyer,  George  Doland,  John  Shepardson,  A.  B. 

Eggleston. 

There  is  a  Methodist  Church  building  within  the  borders 
of  New  Salem,  near  the  Prescott  line,  but  it  belongs  to  the 
Methodist  Society  of  North  Prescott,  with  whom  the  Meth- 
odists of  New  Salem  worship. 

The  Universalists  in  the  north  part  of  the  town  organ- 
ized a  society  in  1800,  and  erected  a  meeting-house  frame,  but 
got  no  farther  with  the  building.  It  stood  thus  uncovered  for 
several  years,  when  it  was  sold  and  removed  to  New  Salem 
Centre,  where  it  was  converted  into  a  tavern,  and  destroyed 
by  fire  in  1876. 

In  January,  1879,  measures  were  on  foot  at  the  village  of 
Cooleyville  for  the  organization  of  a  Universalist  society  at 
that  point,  with  a  fair  prospect  of  success.  • 

SCHOOLS. 
THE   NEW   SALEM   ACADE.MY. 

The  early  records  of  the  town  having  been  destroyed,  very 
little  can  be  ascertained  about  the  earlv  historv  of  New  Salem 


G70 


HISTORY   OF   THE   CONNECTICUT    VALLEY. 


schools ;  l)ut  it  is  safe  to  assume  that  here,  in  common  with 
the  towns  in  Western  Massacluisctts,  tlie  growth  of  the  cause 
of  education  developed  slowly  in  the  days  of  the  pioneers. 

Public  concern  touching  the  necessity  and  value  of  schools 
was  awakened  directly  upon  the  settlement  of  the  territory, 
and  such  provision  as  could  be  made  with  the  limited  advan- 
tages at  command  was  attended  to. 

In  1794  the  subject  of  providing  the  town  with  a  school 
possessed  of  superior  advantages  began  to  be  actively  discussed, 
and  to  such  gooA  end  that  a  number  of  enterprising  citizens 
erected  a  commodious  school  building  at  the  Centre,  and  Feb. 
25,  1795,  the  Nkw  S.vlkm  Academy  was  incorporated  under 


The  State  granted  half  a  township  of  land  in  Maine  in  1797 
for  the  benefit  of  the  .school.  This  land  was  placed  in  market 
by  the  trustees,  and  was  purchased  to  a  large  extent  by  citizens 
of  New  Salem,  in  order  to  assist,  by  every  means  in  their 
power,  the  incipient  institution.  This  course  eventually  in- 
volved them  to  such  an  extent  that  many  were  obliged  to  give 
up  their  homes  in  Massachusetts  and  remove  to  the  wild  lands 
of  Maine.  Among  these  was  Capt.  James  Houlton,  after 
whom  the  town  of  Houlton,  in  Maine,  was  named. 

By  the  running  of  a  new  boundary-line  between  the  United 
States  and  the  British  dominions  the  institution  lost  about 
one-half  the  original  grant. 


NEW    SALEM   ACADEMY    AND    BOARDING-HOUSES,    NEW   SALEM,    MASS. 


an  act  which  set  forth  that  the  school  was  to  be  "  for  the  pur- 
pose of  promoting  piety,  religion,  and  morality,  and  for  the 
instruction  of  the  youth  in  such  languages  and  in  such  of  the 
liberal  arts  and  sciences  as  the  trustees  shall  direct."*  The 
trustees  then  appointed  were  Rev.  Joel  Foster,  Eev.  Solomon 
Keed,  Kev.  Joseph  Blodgett,  Rev.  Joseph  Kilburn,  David 
Smead,  John  Goldsbur.y,  Jonathan  Warner,  David  Sexton, 
Ebenezer  Mattoon,  Jr.,  Daniel  Bigelow,  Martin  Kin.sley, 
Ezekiel  Kellogg,  Jr.,  Samuel  Kendall,  Varney  Pearce,  and 
Asa  Meriam. 

Among  the  members  who  were  active  in  procuring  the 
charter  were  Rev.  Joel  Foster,  Deacon  Sanuiel  Kendall, 
Ezekiel  Kellogg,  Jr.,  and  Varney  Pearce.  The  first  record 
is  in  the  handwriting  of  Rev.  Joel  Foster.  The  next  secre- 
tary was  Varney  Pearce,  Esq.,  who,  with  the  exception  of  an 
interval  of  two  years,— 1810-11,— attended  every  meeting  of 
the  board  of  trustees  from  the  organization  to  the  time  of  bis 
death,  in  1823. 


*  The  following  curious  action  appears  of  record  under  date  of  August  18, 
179C:  "Voted  that  the  trustees  do  reeummend  to  the  young  geutlemcu  who 
stud}-  at  New  Salem  Academy,  that  they  abstain  from  wearing  gowns."  At' the 
same  date  the  following:  "  Voted  that  tliis  hoard  do  now  adjourn  to  5  o'clock  to- 
morrow morning." 


The  school  building,  already  mentioned,  was  donated  to  the 
academy,  and  at  the  first  meeting  of  the  trustees,  which  was 
held  at  the  tavern  of  Samuel  Kendall,  in  New  Salem,  measures 
were  taken  to  set  the  institution  upon  an  advanced  plane,  and 
thereby  attract  to  its  support  pupils  from  all  parts  of  the  State. 

This  liberal  and  comprehensive  scheme  bore  immediate  fruit, 
and  the  school  entered  at  once  upon  a  prosperous  career,  gath- 
ering within  its  walls  many  students  from  the  State  at  large 
and  from  other  States ;  occupied  an  enlarged  field  of  useful- 
ness, and  took  a  prominent  place  among  the  institutions  of 
learning  of  that  day. 

In  1837  the  academy  building  was  destroyed  by  fire,  but 
was  promptly  replaced  by  the  present  edifice,  mainly  erected 
from  funds  contributed  by  citizens  of  the  town.  In  1870  the 
academy  received  from  the  State  a  donation  of  $10,000,  from 
the  citizens  of  New  Salem  $5000,  and  from  Ira  Stratton,  Esq., 
of  Cambridgeport,  a  native  of  New  Salem,  iJlOOO.  The  valu- 
able scientific  apparatus  now  in  the  possession  of  the  school 
was  the  gift  of  Mr.  Greenwood,  of  Boston,  a  former  pupil. 
In  the  year  named  (1870)  the  trustees  erected  near  the  academy 
a  handsome  and  spacious  boarding-house,  at  a  cost  of  lj!4000. 
This  structure,  as  well  as  one  of  a  similar  character  built  many 
years  before,  provides  homes  for  the  academy  students. 


I 


HISTORY  OF   FRANKLIN   COUNTY. 


671 


The  free  introduction  of  high  schools  and  the  increase  of 
educational  advantages  elsewhere  have  of  late  somewhat  nar- 
rowed the  tield  of  the  academy's  usefulness,  but  it  still  holds 
a  high  rank,  and  annually  prepares  many  students  for  col- 
lege. 

The  value  of  the  property  belonging  to  the  institution,  in- 
cluding fund  and  buildings,  is  about  ^16,000.  The  south 
building  at  the  right  and  rear  in  the  wood-cut  is  used  as  a 
boarding-house,  and  is  in  charge  of  a  steward.  The  central 
building  contains  rooms  for  those  who  desire  to  board  them- 
selves, and  is  in  charge  of  the  principal. 

The  principals  who  have  served  the  academy  from  its  incor- 
poration, in  1795,  to  1879,  given  in  regular  order,  are  thus 
named :  Fowler  Dickinson,  Proctor  Pierce,  Joel  Foster,  Jo- 
seph Billings,  Alvah  Tobey,  David  Kendall,  Warren  Pierce, 
William  Ritchie,  Alpheus  Harding,  Oliver  Greene,  John 
Wallace,  Joel  Wright,  Leonard  Jewett,  Phineas  Johnson, 
Oliver  Fletcher,  Allen  Gannett,  Constant  Field,  Joseph  An- 
derson, Charles  Osgood,  Alonzo  Andrews,  Luther  Wilson,  J. 
M.  Macomber,  Horace  Blake,  John  Stacey,  Gardner  Rice,  V. 
M.  Howard,  Charles  Whittier,  T.  W.  R.  Marsh,  Joseph  A. 
Shaw,  Andrew  J.  Lathrop,  Henry  M.  Harrington,  D.  G. 
Thompson,  E.  A.  Perry,  F.  F.  Foster,  Lorenzo  White,  F.  E. 
Stratton,  and  William  H.  Smiley,  the  latter  being  the  princi- 
pal in  charge  April  1,  1879. 

The  trustees  in  1879  were  Lyman  E.  Moore,  of  New  Salem ; 
T.  D.  Brooks,  of  At  hoi ;  Willard  Putnam,  William  T.  Free- 
man, and  F.  A.  Haskell,  of  New  Salem  ;  N.  L.  Johnson,  of 
Dana  ;  J.  B.  Root,  of  Greenwich  ;  Thomas  P.  Root,  of  Barre  ; 
Alpheus  Harding,  of  Athol ;  George  A.  Berry,  of  Shutesbury  ; 
A.  J.  Clark,  of  Orange;  Lucien  D.  Trow,  of  Hardwick ;  and 
Edward  F.  Mayo,  of  Warwick.  Among  the  prominent  trus- 
■  tees  not  heretofore  mentioned  have  been  the  following :  Joshua 
Green,  Hon.  N.  F.  Bryant,  Ebenezer  Mattoon,  Gen.  James 
Humphreys,  Hon.  Richard  E.  Newcomb,  Rev.  Luther  Wil- 
son, Rev.  Oliver  Everett,  Rev.  Alpheus  Harding  (who  was 
connected  with  the  school  as  teacher  and  trustee  for  more  than 
sixty  j-ears).  Rev.  John  Goldsbury,  Hon.  Samuel  Giles,  Dea- 
con Asahel  Paige,  Rev.  David  Eastman,  Jabez  Sawyer,  Esq. 
Among  the  alumni  who  have  been  prominent  are  the  follow- 
ing :  Ex-Governor  Alexander  H.  Bullock,  Judge  P.  Emory 
Aldrich,  Hon.  Frederick  Allen,  Hon.  Alpheus  Harding,  Hon. 
Willard  Richardson,  formerly  mayor  of  Galveston,  Texas,  and 
editor  and  proprietor  of  the  Galveston  News;  Rev.  Ozi  W. 
Whittaker,  Bishop  of  Nevada ;  Rev.  Francis  E.  Tower,  Hon. 
N.  L.  Johnson,  Hon.  Edward  A.  Thomas. 

Besides  the  academy,  there  are  in  New  Salem  7  district 
schools,  at  which  the  average  attendance  is  135  scholars,  and 
for  whose  support,  in  1877,  the  sum  of  ?1136.68  was  expended. 

Among  the  students  of  New  Salem  Academy  who  became 
college  graduates  was  Alpheus  Harding,  who  graduated  at 
Dartmouth,  was  afterward  preceptor  at  the  academy,  and  pas- 
tor of  the  First  Ch\irch  in  New  Salem,  in  which  town  he  re- 
sided for  seventy  years.     Of  the  natives  of  New  Salem  who 


received  college  diplomas,  there  were  Warren  Pierce,  Proctor 
Pierce,  Doctor  Coles,  Charles  Pierce,  Solomon  Howe,  Bi.shop 
Ozi  W.  Whittaker,  and  Willard  Putnam. 

The  rates  of  tuition  seem  to  have  changed  considerably ; 
commencing  in  1796  at  from  ^1.25  to  5!1.50  per  term;  after- 
ward declining  to  §1  and  ?1.25  ;  then  gradually  increasing  to 
$5  and  $7  per  term.  Formerly  there  were  four  terms  annually, 
each  of  eleven  weeks;  now  there  are  three  terms, — two  of 
thirteen  weeks,  and  one  of  twelve  weeks. 

The  State  gave  the  institution  §10,000,  ^ind  the  town  of 
New  Salem  and  sundry  friends  gave  §5000  additional.  The 
value  of  the  original  grant  of  lands  by  the  State  was  probably 
about  §5000. 

BURIAL-PLACES. 

Accompanying  are  presented  some  of  the  oldest  inscriptions 
found  upon  the  headstones  in  the  old  grave-yard  at  New 
Salem  Centre : 

John  Townsend,  1700 ;  Aaron  Putnam,  1768 ;  Jos.  Hascal,  1771 ;  Alct.  Conkey, 
1773;  Elizabeth  Foster,  1774;  Adam  Weir,  1775;  Elizabeth  Trask,  1775;  Jona- 
than Townsend,  1770;  .\bigail  Foster,  1777;  Catharine  Kendall,  1777;  Cotton 
Foster,  1781 ;  Lucy  Kendall,  1784 ;  Jonathan  Hascal,  1784 ;  Abigail  .Shaw,  1785 ; 
Mary  Foster,  1785 ;  Elizabeth  Foster,  1785 ;  Amos  Hajscal,  1780 ;  Eunice  Putnam, 
1786 ;  Ehoda  Strceter,  1780 ;  John  Heminway,  1786 ;  Samuel  Haical,  1786  ;  Mary 
Townsend,  1788 ;  Beujaniin  Hascal,  1789 ;  Jeremiah  Strecter,  1790 ;  Sarah  Felton, 
1790;  Anna  Kendall,  1790;  Rev.  Samuel  Kendall,  1792;  Ann  Stacy,  1792;  David 
Felton,  1792;  Molly  Heminway,  1792;  .Sally  Putnam,  1793;  Varney  Putnam, 
1794;  Israel  Trask,  1794;  Lydia  Putnam,  1794;  John  Putnam,  1794;  Melissa 
Putnam,  1795;  Polly  Smith,  1797;  Ubadiah  Townsend,  1798;  Amos  Putnam, 
1799. 

INDUSTKIES. 

According  to  the  State  census  reports,  issued  in  1875,  the 
value  of  the  manufactured  i)roducts  of  New  Salem  for  that 
year  was  15140,550,  and  that  of  agricultural  and  domestic  prod- 
ucts, §89,516.  The  manufactures  are  those  of  lumber — there 
being  nine  saw-mills  in  the  town — and  palm-leaf  hats.  Bacon 
&  Day  started  a  pail-factory  at  Thompson's  Pond  in  1848, 
but  the  mill  was  soon  after  destroyed  by  fire,  and  was  succeeded 
by  Thompson's  saw-mill,  now  operated  by  Kilburn  &  Co. 

There  were  tanneries  in  the  town  some  years  ago,  and  the 
manufacture  of  boots  was  also  carried  on  to  some  extent,  but 
these  industries  are  now  no  more.  New  Salem  used  to  be  a 
great  lumber  region,  and  made  annually  heavy  shipments  of 
that  material  to  other  points,  but  this  interest  has  also  de- 
clined. 

There  are  excellent  farming-lands  in  the  west,  where  the 
soil  is  black  loam  and  gravel,  and  where  the  surface  is  undu- 
lating, while  the  centre  is  less  fertile,  and  the  eastern  section 
fairly  productive.  The  total  assessed  valuation  of  the  town 
is  $322,500,  of  which  S257,800  is  on  real  estate.  The  total  tax 
(State,  county,  and  town)  is  §6012.50,  on  a  rate  of  about 
§18.50  per  §1000.  The  debt  of  the  town,  March  20,  1878,  was 
§7732.23. 

MILITARY. 
NEW   SALEM'S   WAR   RECORD. 

Soldiers  were  furnished  by  New  Salem  for  service  in  the 
war  of  the  Rebellion  as  follows  : 


Austin  A.  Haskell,  42d  Mass 

Henry  Holley, . 

Jason  Hanson, . 

r.  M.  Connei", . 

Charles  Vanghau,  21st  Mass. 
James  Fleet,  2d  Mass. 
James  Golden,  2d  Mass. 
Charles  Scott,  2d  Maas. 
Albert  Fleishman,  2d  Mass. 
Lewis  Chombard,  ISth  Mass. 
Victor  Dupon,  2d  Mass. 
Francis  Marshead,  2d  Mass. 
Francis  W.  Neville,  26th  Mass. 
David  Hntcheson,2d  Mass. 
Charles  Axworthy,  2d  Mass. 
Wilber  H.  Halo,  2d  Mass, 
George  H.  Smith,  23d  Mass. 


F.  A.  Blodgett,  31st  Mass. 

Elbridge  Smith, . 

Charles  Bliss, . 

Bailey, . 

Winslow, . 

Wilson  Upton,  31st  Mass. 
Charles  E.  Tupper,*  3lBt  Mass. 
A.  A.  Bliss,*  21st  Majis. 
H.  D.  Bliss,  21st  Mass. 
Wm.  H.  Sawyer,  21st  Mass. 
Joseph  W.  Haydcn,*  2Ist  Mass. 
F.  S.  Day,  27th  Mass. 
D.  W.  Joslyn,  27th  Mass. 
Adolphus  Porter,  27lh  Mass. 
A.  P.  Pierce,  27th  Mass. 
Jesse  Strong,  1st  Mass. 
William  Harvey,  21st  Mass. 


Erastus  Weeks,  21st  Mass. 
Charles  Davis,  27th  Mass. 
Charles  Griffln,  27th  Mass. 
Orcein  Goodwin,  27th  Mass. 
Alvin  Clark,  26th  Mass. 
A.  B.  Clark,  26tli  Mass. 
David  BIi^^,*  15th  Mass. 
Charles  A.  Stevens,*  31st  Mass. 
A.  M.  Russell,  31st  Mass. 
L3'man  Holden,31st  Mass. 
S.  P.  Williams,  3l8t  Mass. 
Chauncey  Upton,  31st  Mass. 
H.  C.  Joslyn,  31st  Mass. 
r.  W.  Newland,  31st  Mass. 
Asa  F.  Richards,  31st  Mjiss. 
Albronui  Baldwin,  36th  Ma-ss. 
H.  S.  Smith,  53d  Mass. 


*  Died  in  the  service. 


672 


HISTORY  OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


Beiitien  Gibson,  53d  Moss. 

Jesse  C.  Haskius,  53d  Mass. 

Forrester  Hanson, 31st  Mass. 

W.  T.  Pntnaiii,*  53d  Mass. 

H.  W.  Amsdon,  63d  Mass. 

J.  G.  Hayden,  31st  Mass. 

A.  E.  Town,*  o3d  Mase. 

Charles  P.  Bliss,  53d  Mass. 

William  N.  Dexter,  27th  Mass. 

Jamoa  L.  Powers,  53(1  Mass. 

I.  P.  Sampson,  1st  Mass. 

Dwight  Freeman,  27th  Mass. 

David  Hamilton,  Jr.,  53d  Mass. 

Arad  Jolinson,*  34th  Mass. 

A.  Rawson,  36tli  Mass. 

F.  E.  Stratton,  53d  Mass. 

Geo.  R.  Hanson,  20th  Moss. 

William  Leighton, . 

George  C.  Warner,  53d  Mass. 

James  F.  Smith,  Ist  Mass. 

F.  H.  Bliss,  53d  Mass. 

Ciiarles  Fisher,  53d  Mass. 

Hugh  D.  Hasliell, . 

Jolin  T.  Bliss,*  27th  Mass. 

V.  V.  Vaughan,  S3d  Mass. 

Samuel  Iloyt,  31st  Mass. 

William  Bliss,  27lh  Mass. 

F.  C.  Thompson, . 

Wm.  H.  Pierce,  27th  Mass. 

Lafayette  Smith,* . 

X*  l.^  .-«.*«-      LI  n  d-hir  4  .  .n 

Charles  Reynolds,*  27tli  Mass. 
George  W.  Harding,  21st  Mass. 

Henry  Weeks,  27th  Mass. 
A.  W.  King,  36th  Mass. 

Lymaii  C.  Gilibs,*  21st  Mass. 

D.  E.  Morrison,  31st  Mass. 

Jesse  Hayden,  2lBt  Mass. 

Daniel  Bosworth,  27th  Mass. 

J.  F.  Freeman,  5.3d  Mass. 

Merriam  King,  2l3t  Mass. 

K.  G.  Giles,  27th  Mass. 

A.  A.  Washburn,  52d  Mass. 

Reuben  Woelts,  21st  Mass. 

Louriu  Ramsdell,  27tli  Mass. 

L.  D.  Philips,*  32d  Mass. 

\,t         T           /^l«  .>  wk  1«  nnl  n  i  *« 

James  W.  Hayden,  2l8t  Mass. 

H.  L.  Freeman,  27th  Mass. 

Asa  P.  Wheeler,  3l8t  Mass. 

George  Harding,  34th  Mass. 

William  Hemingway, . 

C  O  ]^  W  A  Y. 


GEOGRAPHICAL. 

Conway,  onp  of  the  largest  towns  in  Franklin,  with  an  area 
of  about  23,000  acres,  lies  on  the  southern  border  of  the  county, 
and  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  the  town  of  Shelbiirne  ;  on  the 
south  by  Hampshire  County  and  the  town  of  Whately  in 
Franklin  ;  on  the  east  by  the  town  of  Deerfield ;  and  on  the 
west  by  the  towns  of  Ashfield  and  Buckland.  The  Troy  and 
Greenfield  Railroad  touches  the  northeastern  border  of  the 
town,  along  which  also  flows  the  Deerfield  Kiver.  The  nearest 
railway  depot  is  Bardwell's,  in  Shelburne,  a  station  on  the 
Troy  and  Greenfield  Railroad.  Conway  was  in  1790  the  third 
largest  town,  in  point  of  population,  in  the  county  of  Hamp- 
shire,— now  embraced  within  the  counties  of  Franklin,  Hamp- 
shire, and  Hampden. 

NATURAL  FEATURES. 
Conway  is  a  country  of  hills,  and  occupies,  accordingly,  a 
region  noted  for  its  salubrious  atmosphere.  The  most  con- 
spicuous ele-vations  are  Dry,  Pine,  Cricket,  and  Poplar  Hills, 
from  whose  summits  fine  scenic  views  may  be  obtained.  The 
Deerfield  River  forms  the  northeastern  boundary,  and  flowing 
through  the  town  is  a  valuable  mill-stream  called  the  South 
River,  which,  rising  in  Ashfield,  passes  east  to  Conway  Centre, 
and  thence  north  and  east,  and  empties  into  the  Deerfield 
River.  Bear  River  and  Roaring  Brook  are  the  only  other 
noticeable  mill-streams.  Native  alum,  fluor-spar,  galena,  mica 
slate,  black  limestone,  and  other  minerals  are  sometimes  found, 
but  in  no  considerable  quantities. 

EARLY    SETTLEMENT. 

The  territory  now  occupied  by  Conway  was  originally  a 
portion  of  Deerfield,  and  received,  early  in  1762,  its  first  set- 
tler, Cyrus  Bice,  of  Barre,  who  built  his  house  in  the  east, 
upon  the  slope  of  a  hill  near  the  site  of  the  old  tavero-stand 
long  afterward  known  as  the  "  Hawley  place."  This  territory 
was  included  in  a  grant  made  to  Deerfield  in  1712,  when  its 
domain — in  answer  to  the  petition  of  Rev.  John  Williams — 
was  enlarged  so  as  to  extend  "nine  miles  westward  into  the 
western  vfoods."  The  southern  portion  of  this  grant  came 
to  be  known  as  the  "Southwest  district,"  or  "Southwest," 
and  is  now  the  town  of  Conway. 

There  was  some  agitation  in  Deerfield  in  1753  in  favor  of 
laying  off  the  place  called  "  Southwest"  into  lots,  preparatory 
to  its  settlement,  and  late  in  that  year  the  lots  were  laid  out, 
containing  150  acres  each,  extending  two  hundred  and  forty 
rods  in  length  from  east  to  west,  and  one  hundred  rods  in 
width.    About  that  time  the  proprietors  of  "Southwest"  made 


a  grant  to  John  Blackmore  of  10  acres  of  land  for  a  mill-spot, 
"  at  a  place  just  before  the  crotch  of  South  River,"  but  there 
is  no  evidence  to  show  that  Blackmore  entered  upon  occu- 
pation. There  was  a  road  through  the  tract  in  17.54,  from 
Deerfield  to  Huntstown  (now  Ashfield),  and  in  1763  Deerfield 
appropriated  £4  toward  building  a  bridge  over  South  River, 
'and  "  making  a  county  road  adjacent  to  the  same." 

The  second  settler  was  Josiah  Boyden,  of  Grafton.  Israel 
Gates,  of  Barre,  followed,  and  after  him  John  Wing,  Elijah 
May,  David  Parker,  James  Dickinson,  John  Bond,  Jonas- 
Rice,  John  Boyden,  and  Joseph  Catlin  (who  were  settlers 
upon  the  "  Eastern  district"),  Robert  Hamilton,  Henry  Arms, 
George  Stearns,  Caleb  Rice,  Silas  Rawson,  Joel  Baker,  and 
Adoniram  Bartlett  (settling  north  of  the  "Eastern  district"), 
Jonathan  Koot,  Daniel  Stow,  John  Thwing,  Benjamin  Pul- 
sifer,  Timothy  Thwing,  Israel  Rice,  Timothy  Rice,  Theophilus 
Piige,  Wm.  Warren,  John  Batchelder,  Nathaniel  Goddard, 
John  Broderick,  Michael  Turpej-,  John  Sherman,  Samuel 
Newhall,  David  Harrington,  Jason  Harrington,  Jonathan 
Smith,  Caleb  Allen,  James  Warren,  Daniel  Newhall,  Prince 
Tobey,  Jabez  Newhall,  David  Whitney,  Benjamin  Wells, 
Abner  Forbes,  Thomas  French,  Tertius  French,  Nathaniel 
Field,  Asa  Merrit,  Jonathan  Whitney,  Caleb  Sharp,  Aaron 
Howe,  Jas.  Davis,  Joel  and  Elias  Dickinson,  Elijah  Wells, 
H.  B.  Childs,  Gershom  Farnsworth,  Alexander  Oliver,  Robert 
and  James  Oliver,  James  Look,  Elisha  Clark,  Ebenezer  Allis, 
Lucius  Allis,  Matthew  and  Simeon  Graves,  James  Gilmore, 
Samuel  Wells,  Amos  Allen,  Abel  Dinsniore,  Wm.  Gates, 
Gideon  Cooley,  Nathaniel  Marble,  John  Avery,  Malachi 
Maynard,  Solomon  Goodale,  Samuel  Crittenden,  Isaac  Nel- 
son, Richard  Collins,  Solomon  Hartwell,  Moses  and  Calvin 
Maynard,  Ebenezer  Tolman,  Consider  Arms,  Isaac  and  Elisha 
Amsden,  Solomon  Field,  and  Sylvanus  Cobb. 

The  eastern  half  of  the  tract  was  first  settled,  and  in  1767, 
when  Conway  was  incorporated,  embraced  nearly  all  of  the 
200  people  then  inhabiting  the  district. 

The  first  tavern-keeper  was  Thomas  French,  at  whose  inn 
— which  stood  where  the  Baptist  Church,  in  Conway  Centre, 
now  stands — the  first  district  meeting' was  held,  in  1767,  and  it 
is  probable  that  he  kept  tavern  there  some  time  previous  to 
that  date.  Landlord  French  was  a  great  man  in  those  days, 
and  his  house  a  great  place  of  resort.  It  was  at  one  time  his 
boast  that  he  owned  so  much  land  that  he  could  make  the 
journey  to  Deerfield  without  stepping  oft'  his  own  broad  acres. 
Reverses  overtook  him  later  in  life,  and  he  died  a  pauper. 

The  first  blacksmith  was  Aaron  Howe  ;  the  first  shoemaker, 
Maj.  James  Davis;  and  the  first  frame  house  in  the  district 


Photo,  by  Popkina. 


^Cl^-'^"*^'^ 


Edwin  Cooley  was  born  in  Conway,  Fi-anklin 
Co.,  Mass.,  March  24,  1819.  His  father,  Gideon 
Cooley,  was  also  a  native  of  Conway,  and  was  born 
April  17,  1781.  He  was  married,  in  1808,  to  Julia 
Waite,  who  was  born  in  Hatfield,  Mass.,  Nov.  14, 
1778. 

The  subject  of  this  biography  is  one  of  a  family 
of  nine  children.  He  acquired  the  elements  of  his 
education  in  the  common  schools  of  his  native  town, 
and  was  afterward  classically  instructed  in  the  Con- 
way Select  School  and  Amherst  Academy.  At  the 
age  of  twenty-one  he  commenced  teaching  school 
during  the  winter  months,  and  worked  upon  the 
farm  in  the  summer.  This  he  continued  for  ten 
years,  and  at  the  age  of  twenty-six  assumed  the  entire 
charge  of  the  farm  until  his  father's  decease,  in  1854. 
He  subsequently  purchased  the  property  by  paying 
off  the  other  heirs,  and  has  always  resided  upon  the 
old  homestead.  He  has  filled  many  offices  of  trust 
in  such  a  manner  as  to  gain  public  approbation. 

In  1839  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  board  of 
selectmen,  and  has  filled  that  office,  with  a  few  inter- 
missions, up  to  the  present  time,  a  period  of  thirty 
years,  and  has  also  been  chairman  of  the  board  a 
greater  part  of  the  time.    During  the  same  time  he 


has  been  assessor,  and  also  justice  of  the  peace  two 
terms.  In  politics  he  was  formerly  a  Whig,  as  have 
been  all  the  members  of  the  family  for  a  great  many 
years,  but  he  is  now  a  Republican,  and  in  1845  was 
elected  to  the  Legislature,  and  was  the  first  Repub- 
lican representative  from  the  town  of  Conway.  He 
is  a  man  of  particularly  keen  perceptions  and  sound 
judgment,  and  in  consideration  of  these  qualities  he 
has  frequently  been  called  upon  to  appraise  property 
and  to  settle  up  estates. 

Mr.  Cooley  is  a  deacon  in  the  Congregational 
Church  of  Conway,  of  which  he  has  been  a  member 
thirty  years.  He  is  an  earnest  worker  in  the  cause 
of  religion. 

He  is  also  a  member  of  the  agricultural  society, 
and  has  been  trustee  in  the  same  at  different  times. 

He  married  for  his  first  wife,  Gracie  K.  Vining, 
who  was  born  in  Hawley,  Franklin  Co.,  Mass.,  in 
January,  1824.     She  died  May  14,  1854. 

His  present  wife,  Caroline  E.  Taylor,  is  a  native 
of  Williamsburg,  Mass.,  and  was  born  March  25, 
1826.  By  this  union  he  has  had  three  children, — 
Edwin  Homer,  born  Dec.  1,  1857;  Lizzie  Grace, 
born  July  3,  1859;  and  Clara  White,  born  Oct,  3, 
1862. 


Photo,  by  Popkins. 


^^/^^ 


Ckas.  B.  Meeritt  is  a  native  of  Conway,  Frank- 
lin Co.,  Mass.  He  is  of  English  ancestry,  and  the 
family  to  which  he  belongs  is  descended  from  two 
brothers  who  came  to  this  country  at  the  time  of  the 
Restoration,  or  shortly  before,  one  of  whom  set- 
tled in  Massachnsetts,  and  the  other  in  New  York. 
Of  the  former,  Charles  B.  Merritt  is  a  direct  de- 
scendant. He  is  the  great-grandson  of  Asa  Merritt, 
grandson  of  Simeon  Merritt,  and  son  of  Pliny  Mer- 
ritt. 

Asa  Merritt  was  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  in  Con- 
way, and  removed  to  that  place  from  Brimfieid, 
Mass.,  about  the  year  1768.  He  died  Oct.  17,  1802, 
aged  seventy-four  years. 

Simeon  Merritt  was  born  in  Brimfieid,  Mass.,  in 
July,  17<)2,  and  when  six  years  old  came  to  Conway 
with  his  father.  As  a  man  he  was  noted  for  his 
courage  and  firmness.  He  served  in  the  Revolution, 
and  at  the  time  of  Shays'  rebellion  was  one  of  the 
six  who  stood  for  the  government.  He  was  married 
at  Conway,  on  the  14tli  day  of  November,  1792,  to 
Pamelia  Baker.     He  died  Jan.  29,  1829. 

Pliny  Merritt  was  born  in  Conway,  Jan.  19, 1794, 
and  died  Oct.  14,  18()3.  He  married  Sophia, 
daughter  of  Josiah  Boyden,  on  the  14th  of  October, 
1819.  She  was  born  July  l(i,  1794,  and  died  Feb. 
19,  1867.  They  had  one  child,  Charles  B.,  subject 
of  this  notice. 

Charles  B.  Merritt  was  born  March  3,  1823.  He 
obtained    the   rudiments   of    his   education    in    tlie 


district  school,  and  was  afterward  instructed  in 
Deacon  Clary's  Select  School.  At  the  age  of  eight- 
een he  commenced  teaching  school,  and  taught 
during  the  winter  for  eight  years,  the  remainder  of 
this  time  being  occupied  in  working  upon  his  father's 
farm.  In  1844  he  went  to  Michigan,  and  while 
there  engaged  in  the  lumbering  business.  He  re- 
mained but  a  few  months,  and  then  returned  to  Con- 
way, and  united  with  his  father  in  managing  the 
farm.  At  his  father's  decease  he  inherited  the  prop- 
erty, and  by  industry  and  good  management  he  has 
since  considerably  increased  the  original  estate.  He 
is  at  present  engaged  in  general  farming. 

In  politics  Mr.  Merritt's  ancestors  have  been 
Democrats  since  that  party  was  first  organized,  and 
some  of  them  have  been  among  its  staunchest  sup- 
porters. He  is  also  a  Democrat,  but  not  a  partisan, 
and  caste  his  vote  rather  with  reference  to  the  prin- 
ciples of  the  man  who  is  to  fill  the  office  than  to  the 
party  to  which  lie  belongs. 

Mr.  Merritt  has  held  the  office  of  assessor  for  the 
past  fifteen  years,  and  in  1868  was  also  a  member  of 
the  board  of  selectmen,  and  is  a  member  and  trustee 
of  the  Franklin  County  Agricultural  Society.  He 
is  a  man  of  integrity  and  honor,  and  by  these  qual- 
ities has  won  the  respect  of  his  townsmen. 

He  was  married,  Nov.  26,  1857,  to  Mary  A. 
Stearns,  daughter  of  Joel  Stearns.  She  was  born 
in  Conway,  May  24,  1832.  They  have  one  child, 
Ella  E.,  born  Jan.  14,  1859. 


Photo,  by  Popkins,  Greenfield, 


Kimball  Batchelder,  father  of  the  subject  of 
this  notice,  was  born  in  Francestown,  N.  H.,  on  the  8th 
of  August,  1796.  He  removed  to  Conway,  Mass.,  in 
March,  1825,  and  settled  on  the  Farnum  place.  His 
occupation  was  that  of  a  farmer,  and  he  held  various 
local  offices.  He  was  married,  Nov.  9, 1825,  to  Ar- 
menia, daughter  of  George  Stearns,  of  Conway,  wlio 
was  born  May  4,  1803.  They  had  a  family  of  lour 
daughters  and  one  son,  as  follows:  Mary,  wife  of 
Geo.  A.  Waite,  of  Amherst ;  Carlos  and  Caroline, 
twins ;  Fanny  A.  (deceased) ;  and  Roxie,  wife  of 
Caleb  E.  Forbes,  of  Buckland. 

Carlos  Batchelder  was  born  in  Conway,  Jan. 
16,  1829.  He  received  a  good  education,  which  he 
"  finished,"  technically  speaking,  at  the  age  of  nine- 
teen. When  twenty-two  years  old  he  united  with 
his  father  in  managing  the  farm,  in  which  partner- 
ship he  remained  until  his  father's  decease.  In  poli- 
tics he  is  a  Republican,  and  takes  an  active  interest 
not  only  in  local,  but  also  in  the  general  political 
movements  of  the  State  and  nation. 

In  1869  he  was  elected  to  the  Legislature,  and  by 
his  ability  won  credit  for  himself  and  for  those  whom 


he  represented.  He  was  selectman  from  1861  to 
1870,  and  for  thirty-five  years  has  been  a  member 
and  trustee  of  the  Agricultural  Society.  He  was 
also  one  of  the  commissioners  appointed  by  the 
Legislature  to  superintend  the  building  of  Turner's 
Falls  bridge.  In  1874  he  was  elected  to  the  office 
of  county  commissioner,  and  still  serves  in  that  ca- 
pacity. He  has,  besides,  held  the  office  of  notary  one 
year,  and  has  been  a  director  of  the  Conway  National 
Bank  for  t^vo  years. 

Mr.  Batchelder  is  a  deacon  in  the  Congregational 
Church  of  Conway,  of  which  he  has  been  a  member 
for  thirty-three  yeare. 

He  is  a  man  of  great  business  enterprise,  and  has 
been  uniformly  successful  in  his  undertakings. 

He  was  married,  May  28,  1851,  to  Minerva  A. 
Forbes,  who  was  born  in  Buckland,  Franklin  Co., 
Mass.,  Aug.  25,  1830.  They  have  had  four  chil- 
dren, only  two  of  whom  survive, — Wm.  K.,  born 
Oct.  1,  1854,  who  is  married  and  lives  on  the  old 
homestead,  and  Frederick  C,  born  Aug.  15,  1861. 
Those  deceased  are  Minnie  E.,  born  Dec.  29,  1873, 
and  Carrie,  born  Jan.  11,  1875. 


Stephen  Cook,  father  of  the  subject  of  this 
notice,  was  born  in  Tolland,  Conn.,  in  1784.  He 
was  a  descendant  of  Aaron  Coolc,  one  of  the  early 
settlers  of  Windsor,  Conn.,  and  mai'ried  Elizabeth 
Tueker,  of  Tolland,  by  whom  he  had  seven  children, 
four  sons  and  three  daughters,  viz. :  James,  MarceUus, 
Hiram,  Chelsea,  Sarah,  Harriet,  and  Eliza. 

Chelsea  Cook  was  born  in  Tolland,  March  4, 
1828.  His  father  removed  to  Manchester,  Conn., 
in  1837,  and  engaged  in  manufacturing,  and  there 
the  children  received  a  common-school  education 
and  were  instructed  in  their  fuher's  business.  To 
Chelsea  was  given  the  superintendeucy  of  the  Globe 
Cotton  Mill,  of  South  Manchester. 

He  was  married,  Nov.  24,  1850,  to  Julia  R., 
daughter  of  Eichard  and  Delia  R.  Tucker,  of  South 
Manchaster. 

He  removed  to  Conway,  Franklin  Co.,  Mass.,  Sept. 
1,  1858,  and  there  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of 
cotton  warps  in  company  with  R.  Tucker,  his  father- 
in-law,  under  the  firm-names  of  R.  Tucker  &  Co. 
and  of  Tucker  &  Cook.  The  business  has  always 
been  in  a  flourishing  condition,  and  from  year  to 
year  has  taken  a  wider  range,  and  in  the  twenty 
years  which  liave  elapsed  their  establishment  has 
never  been  closed.  Their  succe:,s  is  due  not  only  to 
good  management  and  perseverance,  but  also  to  the 
excellent  quality  of  the  goods   they  manufacture. 


They  have  devoted  their  attention  exclusively  to  the 
manufacture  of  cotton  warps,  yarns,  and  knitting 
cottons,  of  which  the  firm  turns  out  one-half  million 
pounds  annually. 

In  politics  Mr.  Cook  is  a  Republican,  but  has 
never  sought  political  preferment.  In  the  social, 
religious,  and  educational  enterprises  of  the  town, 
however,  he  has  always  been  actively  interested. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  of  Conway,  to  the  support  of  which  he  has 
been  a  liberal  contributor.  In  the  Sunday-school 
connected  therewith,  of  which  he  is  superintendent, 
he  has  been  an  earnest  worker,  and  has  given  his 
example  and  influence  to  aid  in  the  cause  of  Christi- 
anity and  the  well-being  of  society. 

Mr.  Cook's  first  wife  died  in  1864,  and  he  married, 
for  his  second  wife,  Helen  M.,  daughter  of  Rev. 
Edwin  Jennison,  of  Winchester,  N.  H.  She  was 
born  April  23,  1844. 

Mr.  Cook's  children  were  Arthur  M.,  bookkeeper 
and  paymaster  for  R.  Tucker  &  Co.  and  Tucker  & 
Cook;  Marcellus  T.,  who  died  in  1864;  Richard 
M.,  bookkeeper  for  R.  M.  Tucker;  Charles  L., 
engineer  for  Tucker  &  Cook  ;  Edward  S.,  who  died 
in  1864;  and  Ciiel.sea,  Jr.,  by  his  first  marriage. 

Of  the  present  union  there  are  Julia  R.,  Edwin, 
Cyrus,  Walden,  and  May  Delia.  They  are  all  now 
living  at  home,  February,  1879. 


HISTORY  OF    FRANKLIN    COUNTY. 


673 


was  erected  by  Deacon  Joel  Baker,  about  a  mile  north  of  the 
centre. 

Beulah,  Jaughter  of  Cyrus  Rice,  the  first  settler,  was  the 
first  child;  and  David,  son  of  Josiah  Bo3'den,  was  the  first 
male  child  born  here.  Josiah  Hoyden's  daughter,  Mary,  was 
born  in  1767,  and  died  in  18B9,  the  widow  of  Medad  Critten- 
den, aged  one  hundred  and  one  years  and  six  months. 

The  first  county  road,  laid  out  in  1754,  has  already  been  re- 
ferred to;  the  second  county  road,  laid  out  in  1765,  extended 
from  the  meeting-house  in  Pumpkin  Hollow,  over  the  hill, 
through  what  is  now  Burkeville,  up  the  river,  and  so  on  to 
Ashtield  Roads,  to  Broonishire,  and  south,  was  built  in  1767; 
and  to  West  Street,  Cricket  Hill,  and  Poland  in  1769. 

Traces  of  the  old  stage-road  which  once  passed  from  North- 
ampton to  Ashfield  are  still  to  be  seen  on  the  farms  of  Na- 
thaniel Smith,  Zelotus  Bates,  Charles  Wrisley,  and  the  old 
Crittenden  place. 

The  first  chaise  seen  in  the  town  was  owned  by  Parson 
Emerson,  and  was  of  the  kind  known  as  a  two-wheeled  chair. 
Robert  Hamilton  built  tlie  first  one-horse  wagon  about  1800, 
and  thought  it  was  the  only  one  in  America. 

The  first  grist-mill  was  built  as  early  as  1707,  and  probably 
before,  by  Caleb  Sharp,  a  half  negro  and  half  Indian,  as  he 
was  called,  but  a  wide-awake  and  industrious  citizen.  This 
mill  occupied  a  site  on  South  River,  where  John  Sprague  now 
has  a  grist-mill,  just  below  Burkeville.  The  second  grist-mill 
was  built  in  1770,  on  the  South  River,  near  tlie  Thwing  mill, 
now  in  the  north  part  of  the  town. 

There  are  in  the  town  twelve  farms  now  occuj)ied  bv  de- 
scendants of  the  first  occupants,  the  names  of  the  first  owners 
being  Josiah  Boyden,  John  "Wing,  Consider  Arms,  Israel 
Rice,  Theophilus  Page,  Timothy  Thwing,  Samuel  Newhall, 
Jabez  Newhall,  Solomon  Field,  Richard  Collins,  Malachi 
Maynard,  Lucius  Allis.  The  names  of  the  present  occupants 
in  the  same  order  are  Josiah  Boyden,  Lucius  B.  Wing,  Elijah 
Arms,  Austin  Rice,  Elijah  Page,  Amariah  Thwing,  Joseph 
Newhall,  Rodolphus  Newhall,  Consider  Field,  Hiram  Collins, 
Lucy  Maynard,  and  John  Allis. 

REVOLUTIONARY  RECOLLECTIONS. 

The  first  action  taken  by  the  town  touching  matters  which 
led  to  the  war  of  70  was  Aug.  5,  1774,  when,  the  pamphlet 
from  the  Boston  committee  of  correspondence  being  consid- 
ered, a  committee,  consisting  of  Captain  French,  Deacon 
Wells,  Robert  Oliver,  Mathew  Gould,  and  Consider  Arms, 
was  chosen  and  instructed  to  prepare  a  reply,  which  they  did 
in  the  following  : 

"  Having  roaJ  anil  cousiJereil  the  letters  seut  us  from  Boston,  respecting  tlie 
rights  of  the  colonies,  and  the  infringements  of  those  rights,  we  fully  agree 
with  you  that  those  riglits  anil  privileges  are  invaded,  and  of  this  province  in 
particular.  \Ve  shall  join  with  you  iu  all  lawful  and  salutary  measures  for  the 
recovery  of  those  inestimable  pnvileges  wrested  from  us  and  firmly  to  secure 
those  that  remain,  for  we  are  sensible  that  should  we  renounce  our  liberties 
and  piivileges  we  should  renounce  the  ijuality  of  men  and  the  rights  of  humanity. 
We  fully  pay  our  proportion  of  money  desired  by  the  General  Court,  in  order  to 
the  Buppoit  of  the  Hon.  Committees  of  Congress,  greatly  relying  and  depending 
on  their  resolutions." 

In  September,  1774,  a  committee,  being  appointed  to  "  reg- 
ulate mobs  for  fourteen  days,"  reported  as  follows  : 

"1st.  Hexutrtil,  That  the  Connnitty  have  power  tw  Inspect,  Judge,  and  Deter- 
mine with  respect  to  ye  conduct  of  any  l>erson  or  persons  that  shall  Do  or  speak 
anything  that  tends  to  Hender  uniting  of  the  people  in  opposing  ye  King's  laws 
yt  Infringes  on  our  Eights  Contrary  to  our  Charter;  that  when  any  complaint 
shall  be  presented  tu  sd  Connnitty  against  any  person  or  persons,  sd  persons  shall 
appear  before  said  committy,  and  Ulwn  Having  good  evidence,  they  shall  have 
power  to  apiioint  a  certain  competency  of  punishment  to  be  inflicted  on  them, 
not  e.vceeding  the  Punishmeut  of  contempt  and  neglect,  sj  punishment  to  be 
oi-dered  by  the  sd  couunitty. 

"2d.  Uenalml,  yt  the  sd  Committy  nor  no  other  person  shall  not  have  liberty 
to  go  out  of  this  town,  e.\cept  it  be  to  ii*ii»(  iimiib  iu  the  Geneial  liojd  Cause,  in 
prohipiting  persons  taking  or  holding  commissions  under  the  present  constitu- 
tion, e.\cept  it  be  for  their  own  jiarticnlar  business. 

"3d.  llauhmt.  With  regard  to  the  late  acts  of  Parliament,  we  look  upon  them 
to  be  unconstitutional,  tin  annical,  and  oppressive,  tending  in  their  opperation  to 
tlie  Total  Subvei-sion  of  our  natural  and  Chartered  Eights  ;  Do  look  ui.on  it  our 
85 


duty,  from  a  regard  to  the  tnic  interests  of  our  Selves,  our  country,  and  posteiity, 
to  oppose  ye  sd  crtiil  acts  in  every  vertious  manner  to  prevent  their  taking 
place,  and  we  hereby  manifest  our  Keadiness  and  Resolution,  Reather  than  sub- 
mit to  them,  that  we  will  resist  them,  even  to  the  shedding  of  blood." 

Consider  Arms,  who  was  one  of  this  committee,  and  one  of 
the  first  committee  of  correspondence,  was  also  selected,  in 
1774,  to  attend  the  Provincial  Congress.  Later  on,  as  will 
be  seen,  he  became  a  rank  Tory,  and  with  others  suffered  some 
persecution. 

In  December,  1774,  a  committee  was  chosen  "to  observe 
the  conduct  of  all  persons  in  this  district  touching  the  asso- 
ciation of  the  Continental  Congress." 

In  1775,  Daniel  Dunham  was  chosen  a  delegate  to  the  Con- 
gress at  Concord,  and  it  was  agreed  also  "to  allow  Minute- 
Men  the  assistance  of  one  barrel  of  powder,  lead,  and  flints, 
on  condition  that  they  are  called  to  march  in  defense  of  their 
country  ;  to  provide  them  forty  bayonets  and  forty  cartridge- 
boxes,  and  to  give  them  §40  when  they  march." 

May  24,  1776,  the  town  made  the  declaration  that  "If  the 
Honorable  Continantial  Congress  Should  think  it  Requisit  for 
the  Siifety  of  the  North-american  Coloneys  on  this  Continent 
to  Declare  a  State  of  Independency  of  Greatbriton,  that  we 
will  abide  By  and  Conform  to  their  wisdom  to  the  Expense  of 
our  lives  and  fortunes." 

Conway  was  nobly  patriotic  in  furnishing  men  and  means 
for  the  struggle,  and  at  one  time,  in  1777,  every  able-bodied 
man  within  the  town's  limits  was  under  arms. 

In  the  summer  of  1775  the  Toryism  of  some  of  the  inhab- 
itants began  to  manifest  itself,  and  in  July  of  that  year  it  was 

Voted  "  that  the  town  will  acquiesce  with  what  the  committee  have  done  with 
respect  to  Consider  Arms,  viz.,  taking  away  his  arms;  also,  voted  they  did  right  in 
clearing  Messrs.  Deacon  Dickinson,  Jona.  Oaks,  Sani'l  and  David  Fiekis  ;  also,  in 
what  they  did  in  disarming  James  Oliver;  also,  that  they  did  right  in  wdiat  they 
did  Wm.  Galloway,  Elijah  Wells,  Joseph  Catlin,  and  Ellas  Dickinson,  and  that 
the  resolves  of  the  committee  respecting  Joseph  Brunson  and  Simeon  Hawks 
shall  be  put  into  execution,  which  is  to  commit  them  to  goal." 

Consider  Arms  would  not  willingly  relinquish  his  sword 
when  commanded  to  do  so,  and  hid  it  in  a  grain-bin,  where  it 
was,  however,  found  and  confiscated.  Upon  the  close  of  the 
war  it  was  restored  to  him,  and  is  now  in  the  possession  of 
Elijah  Arms,  Esq.,  of  Conway. 

August,  1777,  it  was  resolved  to  proceed  to  some  measure 
to  secure  "the  inimical  persons  called  Tories,"  it  being  first 
voted  that  those  who  were  "dangerously  inimical  to  the  Amer- 
ican States"  were  Joseph  Catlin,  Elias  Dickinson,  Joseph 
Brunson,  Elijah  Wells,  Elijah  Billings,  James  Dickinson, 
William  Billings,  John  Hamilton,  Jonathan  Oaks,  Capt. 
Consider  Arms,  Ebenezer  Redfield,  and  David  Field. 

It  was  then  voted  "to  draw  a  line  between  the  Continent 
and  Great  Britain,"  and  subsequently, 

"  Voted  tliat  all  those  persons  that  stand  on  the  line  of  the  continent  take  up 
arms,  and  go  on  hand  in  hand  with  us  in  carrying  on  the  war  against  our  un- 
uatural  enemies.  Such  we  receive  as  friends,  and  all  otliers  treat  as  enemies. 
Voted  the  Broad  ally  be  the  line,  and  the  South  end  of  the  meeting-house  he 
the  continent,  and  the  North  end  the  British  side.  Then  moved  for  Tiial,  and 
found  six  persons  to  stund  on  the  British  side,  viz. :  Elijah  Billing,  Jonathan 
Oaks,  William  Billing,  Joseph  Catling,  Joel  Dickinson,  and  Charles  Dickinson. 
Voted  to  set  a  gard  over  those  Enemical  persons.  Voted  that  the  town  clerk 
Emediately  desire  Judge  Marther  to  issue  out  his  warrants  against  those  enem- 
ical persons  i-eturned  to  him  iu  a  list  heretofore." 

As  an  evidence  of  the  depreciation  of  currency  during  the 
war,  it  may  be  mentioned  that  in  1780  it  was  voted  to  give  a 
bounty  of  §700  to  men  drafted  into  the  militia  service,  and  to 
raise  £10,000  to  pay  bounties. 

Among  the  men  of  Conway  who  fought  in  the  first  Revolu- 
tion were  Josiah  and  John  Boyden,  Lieut.  Robert  Hamilton, 
Jason  Harrington,  Daniel  Newhall,  Maj.  James  Davis,  Lieut. 
Alexander  Oliver,  Lucius  Allis,  Amos  Allen,  Abel  Dinsmore, 
Isaac  Nelson,  Moses  Childs,  William  Marble,  and  WilliaLU 
Gates,  the  four  latter  being  killed  in  the  service. 

The  declaration  of  war  in  1812  did  not  meet  Conway's  ap- 
proval, and  in  that  year  Joshua  Billings  and  John  Bannister 
represented  the  town  at  the  Northampton  peace  convention. 


G74 


HISTORY   OF   THE   CONNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


Under  the  draft  ordered  in  1814,  several  Conway  men  went  to 
Boston  prepared  for  active  service,  but  returned  lucl<ily  to 
their  lionies  sliortly  afterward,  without  having  been  called 
upon  to  tulie  part  in  bloody  strife. 

NOTEWORTHY   INCIDENTS. 

Many  interesting  stories  are  still  extant  of  the  peculiar  ex- 
periences that  beset  the  early  settlers  of  Conway,  and  the 
primitive  conveniences  with  which  they  were  compelled  to 
malie  existence  endurable.  Of  one,  William  Warren,  it  is 
said  that  his  entire  stocl<  of  goods  upon  which  to  begin  farm- 
ing consisted  of  a  cow,  an  axe,  hoe,  chain,  and  one  "  bung- 
town  copper."  Oxen  or  horses  were  among  the  sighed-for 
but  unattainable  things,  and  carrying  grist  to  mill  upon  his 
bacli  was,  if  not  a  favorite  performance  by  the  settler  of  the 
period,  a  common  one. 

Amos  Allen  is  reported  to  have  thus  conveyed  three  busliels 
of  rye  from  Hatfield,  from  which  place,  too,  Malachi  Maynard 
carried  to  Conway  nineteen  shad  and  two  good-sized  pigs,  all 
lodged  in  the  same  bag.  For  a  wager  of  £8,  John  Sherman 
ran,  one  hot  daj'  in  1785,  eight  miles  on  the  highway  in  fifty- 
six  and  a  half  minutes,  but  there  appears  no  evidence  tliat 
this  pedestrian  fever  spread  throughout  the  town. 

In  1760,  or  thereabouts,  there  was  one  man  at  least  wliose 
opinion  of  the  value  of  the  territory  now  occupied  by  Conway 
was  graded  very  low.  This  was  Eliphalet  Williams,  who, 
upon  returning  from  a  prospecting  tour  through  "Southwest," 
declared  he  would  not  give  the  horse  he  rode  upon  for  tlie 
entire  tract. 

The  experience  which  met  Israel  Kice  and  William  Warren 
at  tile  outset  was  a  damp  and  di.sagreeable  one.  They  settled 
close  together  in  I'ljtl,  Kice  ])reparing  a  frame  for  his  house  and 
Warren  putting  up  a  log  cabin.  Before  either  could  get  his 
roof  on  rain  set  in,  and  continued  almost  incessantly  for 
twelve  days. 

Gideon  Cooley  made  his  first  appearance  in  the  settlement 
on  the  back  of  a  horse,  upon  which  he  carried  also  his  wife 
and  all  the  goods  he  owned  in  the  world.  Rev.  Mr.  Emerson, 
in  an  early  record,  wrote: 

"These  men  planted  tlieniselves  down  on  new  and  nniniproveil  spots  of  land, 
and  with  small  propel  ty,  bnt  good  residulion,  comDienced  the  arduous  but  honest 
and  respectable  business  of  earning  bread  by  the  sweat  of  their  brows." 

It  was  the  custom  in  the  early  days  for  the  young  maiden 
to  walk  barefoot  to  meeting  on  Sunday,  carrying  her  best 
shoes  in  her  hand,  which,  just  before  reaching  church,  she 
would  put  on  at  some  convenient  place,  and  straightway  march 
into  the  house  of  worship,  conscious  of  the  high  respectability, 
at  least,  of  her  feet-coverings.  Until  a  few  years  ago  the  curious 
might  have  beheld,  at  the  foot  of  the  Jonas  Rice  hill,  a  chest- 
nut-tree whose  spreading  boughs  furnished  full  many  a  time 
and  oft  a  covering  for  the  favorite  "dressing-place"  of  these 
young  women. 

When  Parson  Emersim  took  up  his  residence  in  Conway, 
his  wife  sensationalized  the  community  through  the  possession 
of  a  table-cloth  and  a  silk  umbrella, — articles  which,  because 
of  their  rarity,  continued  long  to  be  objects  of  veneration 
and  awe  among  the  innocent  pioneers. 

During  the  Revolutionary  period  the  Conway  fathers  en- 
deavored to  combat  the  evils  of  paper-money  inflation  by 
fixing  upon  a  schedule  of  prices  for  labor  and  supplies,  as  the 
following  examples  will  show: 

"  Men's  labor,  three  shillings  per  day  in  the  summer  season  ;  fresh  Poark  of 
the  best  quality,  three  pence  per  pound;  good  grass-fed  beef,  two  pence  one 
farthing;  Best  cheas,  six  pence ;  good  Spanish  potatoes,  in  the  fall  of  the  year, 
one  shilling;  Yern  Stockings  of  the  best  sort,  Ei.x  shillings  a  paie;  good  Sap 
beiials,  three  shillings,  and  all  other  cooper  work  in  proportion  ;  good  common 
meals  of  Victuals  at  Taverns,  ExcluKive  of  Sidcr,  nine  pence,  and  other  meals  in 
proportion;  Horsekceping  a  night,  or  twenty-four  houis,  ten  pence;  shoeing 
horses  all  round,  Steal  tow  and  heal,  six  shillings  four  pence;  good  yerd-wide 
toa  cloth,  two  shillings  three  ponce ;"  and  so  on. 

The  plan   mu.st  have  miscarried,  for  not  long  thereafter  it 


was  announced  that  $20  a  day  would  be  paid  for  labor  on  the 
highways. 

Conway  took  a  stand  against  the  general  government  in 
the  controversies  which  led  to  the  Sha\'s  rebellion,  and  in 
April,  1782,  voted  "that  the  Inferior  Court,  at  its  last  sitting 
at  Northampton,  did  go  contrary  to  the  orders  of  the  General 
Court  and  the  County  Convention."  A  committee  was  at 
once  chosen  to  go  to  Northampton  "to  attend  upon  the  Supe- 
rior Court  and  to  form  a  Convention."  This  committee  con- 
sisted of  the  following  persons:  Samuel  Wells,  Samuel  Ware, 
Thomas  French,  Elisha  Amsden,  Oliver  Wetmore,  Malachi 
Maynard,  Prince  Tobey,  Elias  Dickinson,  Elijah  Billings, 
Jesse  Warner,  Aaron  Howe,  James  Gilmore,  Daniel  Dunham, 
Jonathan  Dunham,  Tertius  French,  Elijah  Wells,  Alexander 
Glover,  Noah  Tobey,  Daniel  Newhall,  Samuel  Shattuck,  Jon- 
athan Whitney,  Isaac  Amsden,  Joel  Baker,  Abner  Sheldon, 
Samuel  Wilder,  Samuel  Newhall,  Robert  Hamilton,  John 
Wilcox,  Samuel  Crittenden,  Ebenezer  Maynard,  Sherebiah 
Lee,  Jonas  Rice,  Caleb  Allen,  Silas  Rawson,  George  Stearns, 
Aaron  Hayden,  Abel  Dinsmore,  Wm.  Gates,  Gideon  Cooley, 
David  Parker,  Mathew  Graves,  Elisha  Clark,  Simeon  Graves, 
Elisha  Smith,  and  Jabez  Newhall. 

This  committee  did  service  at  Northampton  as  an  element 
in  the  mob  raised  by  Samuel  Ely  to  disturb  the  sessions  of  the 
courts  there,  and  later,  when  Ely  was  in  prison  at  Springfield 
for  that  oft'ense,  Capt.  Abel  Dinsmore,  of  Conwaj',  was  arrested 
as  one  of  the  leaders  of  another  mob,  which  sought  to  rescue 
him  from  durance  vile.  Still  later,  Capt.  Dinsmore  took  a 
prominent  and  active  part  in  raising  men  for  Shays,  and  ob- 
tained not  a  few  in  Conway. 

Conway  was  the  proud  possessor,  in  1798  and  I'lOO,  of  a  vil- 
lage newspaper,  published  weekly  by  Theodore  Leonard.  It 
was  called  The  Frirmcra'  Ilq/isier,  was  published  at  Pumpkin 
Hollow,  and  on  its  title-page  proclaimed  its  fearless  indepen- 
dence in  the  following  couplet: 

"  Here  tnith  unlicensed  reigns,  and  dares  accost 
Even  kings  themselves,  or  nilere  of  the  free." 

Advertisements  were  few,  and  news  generally  mildewed 
with  age  when  printed  in  The  Regisinr,  although  it  would 
sometimes  get  Washington  news  only  three  weeks  old,  and 
London  items  in  about  ninety  days.  Its  local  columns  were 
one  day  illumined  with  a  bold  notice  from  Asahel  Wood,  a 
negro,  to  the  etl'ect  that  he  would  "  ring  the  bell  but  once  a 
day,  unless  encouragement  were  given  to  him  by  subscription 
or  otherwise." 

The  struggles  for  the  possession  of  the  old  Deerfield  gun 
were  notable  events  in  Conway's  history,  and  stirred  up  much 
bad  blood  between  that  town  and  Deerfield. 

The  gun  was  a  legacy  which  Deerfield  received  in  the  Indian 
wars,  but  the  town,  showing,  after  the  commencement  of  the 
nineteenth  century,  strong  leanings  toward  Federalism,  it  was 
deemed  best  by  Conway — the  child  of  Deerfield — that  the  pre- 
cious relic  should  be  transferred  to  worthier  custodians,  to 
wit,  the  Republicans  of  Conway,  and  the  latter  accordingly 
carrying  ofl"  the  gun  one  day  to  their  native  hills,  aiwakened 
the  echoes  by  its  deep-toned  thunder ;  which  Deerfield  hearing, 
and  directly  learning  of  the  spoliation,  set  out  to  recapture  the 
weapon. 

The  invaders,  in  large  force,  headed  by  Gen.  Hoyt  and 
Sherilf  Saxton,  appeared  in  Conway  and  demanded  the  re- 
turn of  the  gun,  threatening  in  default  thereof  to  take  it 
by  force  of  arms.  Conway  carried  the  apple  of  discord  into 
the  boarding-house  of  old  Bill  Redfield,  who,  determined  to 
have  a  fight  rather  than  yield,  wrought  his  partisans  up  to 
fighting-pitch,  and  would  no  doubt  have  shortly  brought 
on  a  bloody  conflict  had  not  law-abiding  citizens  interfered 
with  counsels  of  submission.  Happily,  therefore,  bloodshed 
was  avoided,  and  Deerfield  got  her  gun  back,  but  found  after- 
ward that  it  required  much  vigilance  and  alertness  to  keep  it 
from  the  hands  of  the  raiders  from  Conway  and  Greenfield. 


Photo,  by  C.  L.  Muore,  Springfield. 


(71  ^. 


RuiiARD  ]\I.  Tucker,  son  of  Riclmrd  and  Delia 
R.  Tncker,  was  born  in  Bozrali,  New  London  Co., 
Conn.,  Aug.  28, 1842.  He  was  educated  in  tiie  com- 
mon schools  of  his  native  town,  and  on  the  1st  of 
September,  1858,  removed  with  his  father  to  Con- 
way, Franklin  Co.,  IMass.  He  soon  after  commenced 
working  in  a  cotton-mill  owned  by  his  father.  He 
acted  in  the  capacity  of  overseer  in  the  spinning-room 
eight  years,  and  at  the  expiration  of  that  time  com- 
menced business  upon  his  own  account.  He  pur- 
chased the  stock  of  merchandise  belonging  to  Lucius 
Smith,  and  formed  a  copartnership  with  Tliomas  A. 
Dickinson.  Two  years  afterward  he  bought  Mr. 
Dickinson's  interest,  and  has  since  that  time  been 
sole  proprietor. 

Although  he  purchased  his  goods  when  prices 
were  high,  and  has  had  to  combat  with  recent  busi- 
ness depression,  he  has  been  uniformly  successful, 
and  from  year  to  year  has  inerea.sed  his  capital, 
and,  by  strict  attention  to  business,  good  judg- 
ment, and  integrity,  gained  a  large  patronage  and 
the  confidence  and  support  of  the  public.  In  poli- 
tics he  is  Rejjublican,  and  a  staunch   supporter  of 


the  men  and  measures  of  that  party,  but  chooses 
rather  to  be  a  worker  for  the  success  of  others  than 
a  seeker  of  office  for  himself.  He  has  been  assistant 
postmaster  in  Conway  eight  years,  and  still  holds 
that  position. 

Mr.  Tucker  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  of  Conway,  in  which  he  is  also  steward 
and  trustee.  He  aided  in  the  erection  of  the  new 
church  edifice,  both  pecuniarily  and  in  other  ways. 
He  is  a  teacher  and  an  earnest  worker  in  the  Sunday- 
school. 

In  the  public  enterj)rises  of  the  town  and  com- 
munity he  takes  a  prominent  jwrt,  and  is  a  liberal 
contributor  to  all  measures  calculated  to  promote  the 
general  welfare.  While  these  varied  interests  occupy 
his  chief  attention,  he  is  not  wholly  absorbed  by  them, 
but  enjoys  with  a  keen  zest  the  amenities  of  social 
life,  and  in  his  intercourse  with  friends  is  one  of  the 
most  hospitable  of  men.  He  was  married,  on  the  4th 
of  November,  1859,  to  Julia  A.  Phillips.  She  is  the 
daughter  of  Philip  M.  Phillips,  formerly  of  Ashfield, 
but  now  a  resident  of  Conway.  They  have  had  one 
child, — Willie  M.  (deceased),  born  Aug.  4,  18(52. 


CHARLES  PARSONS,  Jr.^ 

Chiirlos  ParBona,  Jr.,  wiia  born  in  Con- 
wity,  Franklin  Co.,  Mans.,  April  2,  is:i9. 
Iln  is  of  Engliali  ilesciMit,  anil  traces  his 
anrentr.v  to  Itttnjaiiiin  I'antons,  whom  It  Is 
Kiipposoil  camp  to  this  country  in  the 
Mayllower.  Ho  settled  in  SprinKficM, 
M118H.,  and  bis  nanio  litHt  appcaiR  there  in 
tlio  rccorils  in  KiHfi,  whon  lie  wiis  cliuseii 
lieacon  i>r  a  chnrr.h,  and  ho  was  alter  ward 
known  an  Deacon  Benjamin.  lie  liiul 
sevnn  children,  who  were  born  bt-twccri 
lG:J6and  1G75. 

His  oldest  son,  Samuel,  Bottled  in  Enfield, 
Conn.,  and  married  Hannah  Hitchcock,  by 
whom  he  had  five  children  ;  and  of  these, 
Nathaniel,  the  yonn^eut,  married  Mary 
Pease,  by  whom  he  liad  three  suns,  the 
youngest  of  whom  wasChadwoll,  who  also 
liad  three  children,  viz.,  Chadwoll,  Joel, 
and  Rnth. 

Jnel,  the  second  son,  wa.s  the  gmndfather 
of  the  subject  of  this  notice,  and  was  born 
iti  Soniei-s,  Conn.jon  the  2Sth  of  Jan.,17W. 
He  married  Tiypbena  Booth,  on  the  31st 
of  July,  1775,  and  during  the  ssime  year 
removed  to  Conway,  Miuss.,  making  the 
journey  on  horseback,  carrying  his  wilt 
on  the  horse  behind  him,  and,  upon  hi^ 
arrival  in  that  i)lace,  hail  but  tuenty-fi\ 
cents  in  money  with  which  to  commemi 
husinesa  and  housekeei)ing.  He  was  i 
man  off;reatcouragoand  physical  strength, 
and  very  frequently,  alter  working  all  da\ 
on  the  farm,  would  sj-ienil  the  greater  pai  t 
of  the  night  in  hard  labor  at  his  tmdt, 
wliiclt  was  that  of  a  blacksmith.  He  w  w 
also  scrupnionsly  honest  iu  all  his  deal 
ings,  but  he  believed  in  being  just  to  him 
H-df  118  well  as  to  others,  and  reiiuircd 
prompt  payment  of  what  was  due  him 
Besides  physical  endurance,  lie  possesscil 
conshlerable  financial  ability,  for,  com 
mencing  with  nothing,  he  accumulatid 
what  in  those  days  was  considered  quite 
a  fortune. 

His  snn,  Charles  Parsons,  was  horn  in 
Conway,  on  the  r^d  of  June,  1798.  Pos- 
sessing both  enterprise  and  industry,  ho 
turned  his  attention  entirely  to  agricul- 
ture, and  became  one  of  the  most  thorough 
and  progressive  farmers  in  that  locality. 
He  hiifl  also  taken  a  pronnnent  part  in  the 
various  public  interests  of  the  town,  as- 
sisted in  organizing  the  Conway  Nation- 
al Bank,  the  Coi.way  Fire  Insurance 
Company,  and  also  the   Mutual  Fire  In- 


'V         (7 

/ 


suratice  Company,  of  that  town;  has  been 
a  member  of  the  Bi^aid  of  Selectmen,  and 
assessor,  and  is  liberal  in  his  contributions 
to  the  support  of  churches  and  schools. 

He  married  Sylvia,  daughter  of  Josiah 
Boyden,  of  Conway,  on  the  30th  of  Octo- 
ber, 1820,  by  whom  he  bad  five  children, 
viz.:  Adeline,  wife  of  J,  C.  Newhall,  of 
Conway;  Nancy  (deceased),  who  married 
Guerdon  Edgeiton ;  Tryphena  B.  (de- 
ceased); Charles  Lyman  (deceased);  and 
Charles,  Jr.,  the  youngest  son  and  child, 
and  the  subject  of  this  notice. 

He  was  horn  and  reared  on  the  place 
where  he  now  resides,  and  attended  the 
common  schools  and  tlie  Conway  Acade- 
my. When  Iwenty-tliiee  years  of  age  lio 
united  with  his  father  in  managing  the 
farm,  and  remained  in  that  partnership 
three  years.  At  the  expiration  of  that 
time  he  took  thecntii'e  charge  of  the  farm, 
which  he  has  continued  to  do  to  tlie  i)re8- 
ent  time.  In  1SC7  he  commenced  breeding 
short-liorn,  or  Durham  cattle,  and  is  now 
one  of  the  most  successlul  breeders  in 
Massachusetts.  His  herd  numbers  sixty 
head,  of  whicli  forty  are  thoi'oughbred,  the 
remainder  being  graded  stock. 

His  barns  are  models  of  neatness  and 
adaptation,  being  furnished  with  all  the 
modern  imj)rovements.  Indeed,  Mr.  Par- 
sons is  a  model  farmer,  and  is  identified 
with  all  the  best  farming  interests  of  that 
locality. 

For  the  past  twelve  years  lie  has  been 
a  member  of  the  Franklin  Harvest  Clnh, 
and  is  also  a  member  of  the  Franktin 
County  Agricultural  Society,  of  which  he 
has  been  vice-president  and  trustee  a 
number  of  years. 

In  politics  he  is  a  Republican,  and 
actively  interested  in  the  meiisures  of  that 
party,  but  has  never  sought  office  for 
iiimself. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Congregational 
J^Jhurch  of  Conway,  and  for  twenty  yeai"S 
lias  been  connected  with  the  choir,  of 
which  he  is  now  the  leader. 

Mr.  Parsons  is  also  a  Knight  Templar  in 
tho  Masonic  order,  of  which  ho  has  been 
a  member  since  1862.  He  has  been  Master 
of  the  Lodge  at  Conway^and  was  largely 
instrumental  in  its  organization. 

Ho  was  married,  on  the  29th  of  October, 
ISGl,  to  Helen  A.,  daughter  of  D.  M.  Wick- 
ham,  of  Albion,  N.  Y.,  by  whom  he  has 
five  children.  They  are  Minnie  A,, Charles 
Lyman,  Lizzie,  Lois,  and  Sylvia. 


iaEga©iE3©ig  ©IF  ©KiAifiiLisi  if>aii3§ig)iKi§,  5PIK.,  (DiijJiiywii'i/,  ififiaii^jKiLura  ©(s).,  mm>%. 


HISTORV  OF   FRANKLIN    COUNTY. 


0(9 


Conway  has  become  famous  as  the  home  of  aged  people; 
two  of  its  residents — the  Widow  Farnsworth  and  Widow 
Crittenden — each  lived  upward  of  one  hundred  years.  A 
list,  published  in  18fi7,  of  the  persons  in  Conway  who,  up 
to  that  time,  had  lived  to  be  ninety  and  ov\;v,  places  the  num- 
ber at  48.  Uf  these,  three  were  ninety-nine,  two  were  ninety- 
eight,  one  was  ninety-seven,  two  were  ninety-six,  one  was 
uinety-five,  five  were  ninety-four,  four  were  ninety-three, 
eleven  were  ninety-two,  eight  were  ninety-one,  ten  were 
ninety,  and  one  was  one  hundred.  Thei-e  are  now  in  the 
town  three  persons  each  of  whom  is  more  than  ninety  years 
of  age. 

Conway  celebrated  its  centennial,  June  1(1,  18iJ7,  in  Conway 
Centre  with  a  gala  gathering  of  citizens,  many  of  whom 
owned  the  tfown  as  a  birthplace,  or  as  the  birthplace  of  ances- 
tors. Merry-making,  speech-making,  and  feasting  tilled  the 
measure  of  the  day's  enjoyment. 

In  late  years  two  disastrous  floods  have  visited  Conway. 
The  one  in  1869  worked  serious  damage  to  mill  property, 
bridges,  etc.,  and  later,  in  December,  1878,  the  waters  inun- 
dated Conway  Centre  to  the  depth  of  several  feet,  and,  depop- 
ulating the  village,  put  a  .sudden  stop  to  business  and  in- 
flicted upon  that  section  and  the  surrounding  country  a  serious 
calami  tv. 

ORGANIZATION. 

Early  in  1767  the  inhabitants  of  Southwest,  having  grown 
to  be  quite  numerous,  petitioned  to  Deerlield  to  be  set  oif,  and 
Deerfield,  agreeing  to  the  petition,  suggested  tlic  boundaries 
as  follows  :  "  East  upon  the  seven-mile  line,  so  called,  until  it 
comes  to  Deerfield  River ;  west  upon  Ashfield  bounds,  or  the 
west  line  of  Deerfield;  south  upon  Hatfield  bounds;  north 
partly  upon  Deerfield  line  until  it  conies  to  the  Northwest  di- 
vision, so  called''  (to  the  Shelburne  line),  "  and  thence  by  the 
said  Northwest  division  until  it  comes  to  the  west  line  of  the 
town." 

The  Northwest  division  was  subsequently  incorporated  as 
the  town  of  Shelburne,  and  its  south  line  was  a  straight  one 
crossing  Deerfield  River  at  the  place  now  known  as  Bardwell's. 
In  February,  1781,  the  territory  in  Shelburne  south  of  the 
river  was  annexed  to  Conway.  The  northwest  corner  of  that 
annexation  was  afterward  set  oft'  to  Buckland. 

June  17,  1707,  Conway  was,  in  accordance  with  the  peti- 
\  tion,  incorporated  as  a  district,  and  was  named  in  honor  of 
Gen.  Henry  Conway,  a  member  of  the  British  ministry, 
who  was  popular  in  the  colonies  for  the  prominent  part  he 
assumed  as  the  government  leader  in  the  House  of  Commons 
at  the  repeal  of  the  Stamp  Act. 
\;  Under  the  act  of  1786,  Conway  became  a  town.  The  war- 
rant calling  for  the  first  meeting  of  the  district  was  issued 
Aug.  8,  1767,  by  Elijah  Williams,  a  justice  of  the  peace, 
and,  on  August  24th,  the  meeting  was  held  at  the  house 
of  Thomas  French,  "innholder."  The  officers  chosen  at 
that  meeting  were  Consider  Arms,  Moderator  and  Town 
Clerk;  Cyrus  Rice,  Constable;  Thomas  French,  Consider 
Arms,  and  Samuel  Wells,  Selectmen  and  Assessors ;  Consider 
Arms,  Treasurer;  Israel  Gates,  Thomas  French,  and  Joel 
Baker,  Surveyors  of  Highwaj's;  David  Parker,  Tithingman; 
Elisha  Amsden,AVarden;  Thomas  French  and  Simeon  Graves, 
Fence-Viewers ;  Silas  Rawson,  Sealer  of  Leather ;  Ebenezer 
Allis,  Sealer  of  Weights  and  Measures ;  Jo.seph  Catlin  and 
Joel  Baker,  Hog-Reeves;  Cyrus  Rice,  Deer-Reeve;  James  Gil- 
more  and  Josiah  Boyden,  Hay  wards;  David  Parker  and 
.    Ebenezer  Allis,  Surveyors  of  Lumber. 

The  names  of  the  persons  who  have  served  as  selectmen 
and  town  clerks  from  1767  to  1879  will  be  found  below: 

SELECTMEN. 

1"67. — TIkw.  French,  Cousider  .\rnis,  .Stinniel  Wells. 

17G8.— Th09.  French,  Joel  Baker. 

ITG'J.— Juel  Baker,  Jos.  Catliu,  Eliiis  Dickinson,  Nuthaniel  Field,  Simeon  Graves. 


1770.— Tlios.  French,  Joel  Dickinson,  Cyrus  Rice. 

1T71. — Thos.  French,  Samuel  Wells,  Jonathan  Whitney,  Joal  Baker,  Israel  Itice. 

1772-73. — Jonas  Rice,  Daviil  Parker,  Daniel  Newhall. 

1774. — Consider  Arms,  Israel  Gate.^,  Rjbert  Oliver. 

177.5. — Elislia  Anisden,  Samuel  Wells,  Xoah  Beldiiig. 

177G. — Isaac  .\msJen,  Jonas  Rice,  Sam'l  Crittenden,  Elisha  Clark,  Alex.  Oliver. 

1777. — Cyrus  Rice,  Isaac  Amsden,  Israel  Rice,  Jonas  Rice,  Elisha  Clark. 

177S.— Samuel  Wells,  Jonathaii  Wliitney,  Elisha  Clark. 

1779. — Abel  Dinsmore,  Jouatlian  Whitney,  Israel  Rice. 

17S0. — Elisha  .\msdeu,  Josiah  Btytlen,  Niithauiel  Goddard! 

1781. — Ale.vander  Oliver,  Prince  Tobey,  Lucius  .\llis. 

17S2. — Pl-ince  Tobey,  Alexander  Oliver,  Malachai  Maynard. 

1783. — Israel  Gates,  Al>el  Dinsmore,  Malachai  JUayn.ord. 

17&1. — Caleb  Allen,  .\bel  Dinsmore,  .Jesse  Severance. 

178.'i.— Piince  Tobey,  Caleb  Allen,  George  Starns,  Elisha  Clark,  Josiah  B  .yden. 

1780.— Caleb  Allen,  Oliver  Ro  it,  Timothy  Timing. 

1787. — Lieut.  Clary,  William  Wetmore,  Oliver  Root. 

1788-80.— Ethan  Billing,  Caleb  Allen,  Oliver  Root. 

1790.— William  Gates,  Caleb  Allen,  Oliver  Root. 

1791. — John  Bani^tei-,  Elisha  Clark,  Oliver  Root 

1792-95. — John  Banister,  Caleb  Allen,  Oliver  Root. 

1790.— .\hel  Dinsmore,  Jabez  Newhall,  Oliver  Root. 

1797. — Malachai  Maynard,  Jabez  Newhall,  Oliver  Root 

1798.—  Malachai  BlaynarU,  Reuben  Bardwell,  Oliver  R»jot. 

1799. — Malachai  Slaynard,  Jt»seph  Rice  (2d),  Oliver  Root 

1800. — Caleb  Allen,  Joel  Parsons,  Joel  Adams. 

IfOl.— Caleb  Allen,  Joel  Paisons,  Oliver  Root 

1802.— Prince  Tobey,  Isaiah  Wing,  Oliver  Root. 

180:i-4. — Joel  Parsons,  Jabez  Newhall,  Jos.  Rice  (2d). 

1805. — Joel  P.ai-sons,  Reuben  Bardwell,  Jos.  Rice  (2d). 

1800. — John  .\rnis,  Samuel  Wrisley,  Jos.  Rice  (2d). 

^■'^07-8.— John  .\rms,  David  Cliilils,  Joa.  Rice  (2d). 

1809-10.— Isaivc  Baker,  David  Childs,  Isaiah  Wing. 

1811. — Isaac  Bakel*,  David  Childs,  Nathaniel  Baker. 

1812. — Isaac  Baker,  Joel  Parsons,  Isaiah  Wing. 

1813-14. — Isaac  Baker,  Joel  Pai-sons,  Elijah  Nash. 

1815. — Isaac  Baker,  Joel  Parsons,  Darius  Stearns. 

ISIG. — Charles  E.  Billings,  Joel  Parsons,  Darius  Stearna. 

1817. — Samuel  Warren,  Joel  Parsons,  Darius  Stearns. 

1818.— Elijah  Nash,  Charles  E.  Billings,  D.  Stearns. 

1819. — Elijah  Nash,  Joseph  Rice,  Isaac  Baker. 

1820.— Charles  E.  Billings,  William  Stow,  Noah  Dickinson. 

1821. — C.  E.  Billings,  Joseph  Bice,  Noah  Dickinson. 

1822. — C.  E.  Billings,  Darius  Stearns,  Noah  Dickinson. 

1823. — C.  E.  Billings,  Darius  Stearns,  John  Arms. 

1824.— C.  E.  Billings,  Elisha  Clark,  John  Arms. 

1825. — C.  E.  Billings,  Joseph  Bice,  .Tohn  Arms. 

1826. — Jos.  Avery,  Levi  Page,  Ira  Amsden. 

1827. — Jos.  .Vvery,  C.  E.  Billings,  Darius  Stearns. 

182^.- Austin  Rice,  C.  E.  Billings,  Luther  Bartlett 

1829. — .\ustin  Rice,  John  Arms,  J<js.  .\very. 

1830.— Charles  E.  Billings,  Darius  Stearns,  Luther  Baltlett. 

1831. — Jos.  .ivery,  Darius  Stearns,  Phineas  Bartlett. 

1832-35.— Charles  E.  Billings,  William  Stow,  J^is.  Phillips. 

1835. — C.  E.  Billings,  Jos.  Aveiy,  Charles  Parsons. 

1836. — George  Stearns,  Jos.  Avei-y,  Charles  Parsons. 

1837.— C.  E.  Billings,  Eber  Lee,  Jas.  Phillips. 

183S.— Luther  Bartlett,  Eber  Lee,  Jas.  Phillips. 

18:39. — Jos.  .\very,  Austin  Rice,  George  Stearns. 

1840. — Kimball  Batchelder,  A.  Rice,  Chester  Bement. 

1841.- Luther  Bartlett,  John  Cotton,  C.  Bement 

1842. — Chester  Bement,  Josiah  Dwight,  Joseph  Avery. 

1843. — Jas.  Phillips,  .\ustin  Rice,  John  Allis. 

1844.— Jas.  Phillips,  .\islin  Rice,  Josiah  Dwight 

1845. — Einerj'  Sherman,  A.  Rice,  Daniel  Eldredge. 

1846. — Emery  Sherman,  John  Clary,  D.  Eldredge. 

1847. — Emery  Sheiinan,  John  Clary,  Kimball  Batchelder. 

1848. — Wra.  .\.  Howland,  E.  D.  Hamilton,  Alvin  Dinsmore. 

1849. — Dennis  Lee,  E.  D.  Ilantiltun,  Edwin  Cooley. 

18.30. — \Vm.  C.  Campbell,  Edwin  Cooley,  George  Stearns. 

I8.')l. — Wni.  C.  Campbell,  -\sa  Howland,  George  Stearns. 

1852. — Chester  Bement,  Daniel  Eldredge,  M.  Dickinson. 

1853. — John  Bradford,  L.  L.  Boyden,  M.  Dickinson. 

18^. — Isaac  Farley,  Joel  G.  Rice,  M.  Di.;kin8on. 

18.55. — Emery  Shannon,  Joel  tx.  Kice,  Dennis  Lee. 

18.56. — Wm.  C.  Campbell,  C.<nisider  Arms,  Franklin  Pease. 

1857. — W.  C.  Campbell,  Levi  Page,  Joel  G.  Bice. 

1858.— Asa  Howland,  Levi  Piige. 

1859. — Asa  Howland,  Wm.  A.  Howland,  F.  .\rms. 

ISGO. — Edwin  Cooley,  Paul  Jenkins,  Dennis  Lee. 

1861. — Edwin  Cooley,  W.  C.  Campbell,  t^arlos  Batchelder. 

1802. — Edwin  Cooley,  Newton  Pease,  C.  Batchelder. 

1863-65. — Wm.  C.  Campbell,  Consider  .\rms,  C.  Batchelder. 

18G6.— W.  C.  Campbell,  Wm.  Stearns,  C.  Batchelder. 

1807.— W.  C.  Campbell,  L.  F.  Eldredge,  C.  Batchelder. 

1868.— Charles  B.  Meriitt,  L.  F.  EldriJge,  C.  Batchelder. 

1809.- W.  C.  Campbell,  Thomas  L.  Allis,  C.  Batclielder. 


676 


HISTORY  OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


1S70.— Levi  Page,  Fraukliu  Tease,  L.  F.  Elilredge. 
1871-72— Tlu.niiUi  I,.  Allis,  Clielscii  Cook,  L.  V.  Kldiedgo. 
1873.— T.  L.  Allis,  Echviii  Couley,  Carlos  Batchcldcr. 
1874— T.  L.  Allis,  Kilwiu  Cooley,  T.  S.  Ditkiiison. 
1875. — John  B.  Packard,  Edwin  Cooley,  T.  S.  Dickinson. 
1876.- J.  B.  Packard,  Edwin  Cooley,  Alfred  Baitldt. 
1877-78.— T.  S.  Dickinson,  Edwin  Cooley,  L.  F.  Eldredgo. 
1870.— J.  B.  Packard,  Eilwin  Cooley,  C.  P.  llassoll. 

TOWN    CLERKS. 

Consider  Arms,  1767-76 ;  Oliver  Welmoro,  1776-S4 ;  Oliver  Root,  1784-1807 ; 
David  Chilrls,  1807-27 ;  Elislia  Billings,  1827-37 ;  Otis  Childs,  1837-42 ;  Otis  Leach, 
1842;  Jas.  S.  Whitney,  184,1^52;  E.  F.  Ames,  1S.V2-55;  Enrotas  Wells,  1855; 
Frankliii  Childs,  1806-62;  H.  W.  Billings,  1862-79. 

REPRESENTATIVES    AT   THE   GENERAL    COURT. 

From  1776  to  1857,  when  the  town  lost  its  exclusive  repre- 
sentation, Conway  was  represented  at  the  General  Court  by 
the  following  persons : 

Cyrus  Rice,  Jonathan  Whitney,  Oliver  Wctniore,  Lucius  Allis,  Piince  Tohey, 
Robert  Hamilton,  Consider  Arms,  Wni.  Billings,  Oliver  Root,  Rlaiachai  May- 
naid,  Reuben  Bardwell,  Capt.  Banister,  John  Williams,  Isajic  Baker,  David 
Childs,  Elisha  Billings,  Samuel  Warren,  Joel  Pal-sons,  John  Arms,  Im  .\iusden, 
Joseph  Avery,  Charles  E.  Billings,  Darius  Stearns,  Phiiieas  Bartlett,  Christopher, 
Arms,  E.  D.  Hamilton,  Otis  Childs,  N.  P.  Baker,  John  Clary,  Jas.  S.  Whilucy, 
E.  F.  Ames,  Edwin  Cooley,  and  R.  A.  Cottin. 

VILLAGES. 
The  two  villages  in  the  town — ^Conway  Centre  and  Burke- 
ville — adjoin  each  other,  and  are  usually  regarded  as  one. 

THE  CENTRE 
occupies  a  deep  valley  shut  in  by  towering  hills,  and  is,  in  the 
mild  seasons  of  the  year,  an  inviting  spot.  It  contains  nu- 
merous handsome  dwellings,  two  stores,  a  banlc,  hotel,  public 
library, high  school,  three  churches,  and  afire-engine  company, 
called  Protection,  No.  1,  organized  in  1858,  and  now  number- 
ing upward  of  80  members. 

Just  east  of  the  village  centre  is  the  cotton-mill  of  Tucker 
&  Co.,  and,  beyond  that,  Burkeville,  so  called  because  Ed- 
mund Burke  created  the  village  in  1837,  when  he  built  a  mill 
there.  Here  Delabarre  &  Hackstaff  have  a  cloth-mill  and  a 
store,  and  their  mill-operatives  comprise  the  village  population. 

,     PUMPKIN    HOLLOW, 

half  a  mile  east  of  Conway  Centre,  was  the  chief  village  for 
some  years  after  the  town's  first  settlement,  which  was  made 
at  that  point.  It  now  contains  a  store,  school-house,  and 
half  a  dozen  dwellings. 

An  ettort  was  once  made  to  expunge  the  name  of  Pumpkin 
Hollow,  which  was  then  thought  severely  unpoetical,  and  at 
a  christening-party  held  by  residents  of  the  place  the  village 
received  the  new  designation  of  Church  Green  ;  but  modern 
innovation  has  been  uneiiual  to  the  task  of  beating  down  tra- 
dition, and  thus  the  old  name  has  continued  to  assert  itself. 

CHURCHES. 

As  can  be  best  ascertained,  a  Mr.  Strong  was  the  first 
preacher  who  ministered  to  the  people  of  Conway,  his  minis- 
trations being  conducted  in  1707.  In  1768  a  Mr.  Judson 
preached  early  in  the  year -at  the  house  of  Mr.  Whitney,  and 
in  July  of  that  year  a  Congregational  Church  was  organized, 
with  a  membership  composed  of  16  men  and  16  women.  A 
meeting-house  was  built  in  1769  at  Pumpkin  Hollow,  on  the 
site  of  the  school-house  now  at  that  place. 

The  matter  of  building  a  house  of  worship  was  attended 
with  much  controversy  and  much  uncertainty,  chiefly  because 
of  trouble  in  selecting  a  site  satisfactory  to  all.  At  the  town- 
meeting  of  September,  1767,  it  was  decided  to  build  at  the 
centre  of  the  town,  and  a  committee  was  appointed  to  find 
the  centre.  Their  report  was  rejected,  .as  was  the  report  of  a 
committee  called  from  adjoining  towns  to  settle  the  vexed 
question.  It  was  afterward  decided  to  build  a  small  house 
"near  Jonathan  Whitney's,"  but  this  resolve  was  re-scinded, 
and  early  in  1769  it  was  settled  that  "ye  Nole,  about  fifteen 


or  twenty  rods  north  of  the  southeast  corner  of  ye  Center  lot, 
where  is  a  large  stump,  with  a  stake  Spoted,  standing  within 
ye  s.ame,  bo  established  for  a  spot  to  build  the  meeting-house 
-  upon  ;"  and  upon  that  spot  the  house  was  erected. 

Rev.  John  Emerson  began  to  preach  in  April,  1709,  and 
delivered  his  first  sermon  in  Josiah  Boyden's  barn,  "  which," 
Mr.  Emerson  wrote,  "was  surrounded  with  thick-growing 
wood,  except  a  small  adjacent  spot  cleared,  which  admitted 
ye  light  of  heaven, — a  place  different,  indeed,  from  those 
costly  and  splendid  edifices  erected  and  dedicated  to  the  wor- 
ship of  }'e  Most  High  since  that  day,  and  very  dissimilar  from 
that  in  ye  ancient  church  in  Brattle  Street,  Boston,  where  I 
had  been  called  only  ye  Lord's  day  before  to  preach." 

The  people  were  so  well  pleased  with  his  preaching  that  he 
was  given  acall  to  settle,  and  in  December,  1769,  was  ordained, 
with  "  an  encouragement"  of  a  salary  of  .£50  annually,  to 
advance  £3  yearly  until  it  should  reach  £80,  and  £150  as  a 
.settlement. 

The  meeting-house  was  not  finished  for  several  years  after 
it  was  begun,  and  it  is  said  that  a  carpenter's  bencli  did 
duty  as  a  pulpit  on  the  occasion  of  the  preaching  of  the  first 
.sermon.  The  house  was  not  furnished  with  a  stove  until  1819, 
and  in  the  winter  season  Mr.  Emerson  frequently  preached 
arrayed  in  overcoat  and  mittens. 

Near  the  church  was  a  small  structure  called  the  "  Little 
House,"  or  the  "Sabbath  House,"  where  a  roaring  fire  was 
kept  on  Sundays,  and  where  the  people  gathered  to  get  warm 
before  attending  service. 

Benches  sufficed  for  pews  up  to  1772,  but  in  that  year  a  pro- 
longed agitation  upon  the  subject  of  seating  the  church  and 
]iroviding  it  with  pews  resulted  in  a  determination  to  dispose 
of  the  privileges  to  the  highest  bidders,  and  Dec.  31,  1772,  the 
pew-ground  in  the  meeting-house  was  sold  at  public  vendue 
to  the  following  persons  :  Elias  Dickinson,  James  Davis,  Wni. 
Galloway,  Isaac  Amsden,  Kobert  Hamilton,  George  Stearns, 
Lucius  Allis,  Consider  Arms,  David  Field,  .Jabez  Newhall, 
Samuel  Newhall,  Jonathan  Whitney,  Moses  Hayden,  Benja- 
min Pulsipher,  Israel  Rice,  Timothy  Rice,  Ebenezer  Hart, 
Noah  Belding,  Samuel  Wells,  Sannicl  Crittenden,  Cyrus 
Rice,  Daniel  Davidson,  Samuel  Wares,  Daniel  Newhall,  Eph- 
raim  Smith,  John  Boyden,  Thomas  French,  Joseph  Catlin, 
Elijah  Wells,  Adoniram  Bartlet,  Prince  Freeman,  Amos 
Wilcox,  Roger  Farnam,  Ebenezer  Redtield,  Josiah  Boyden, 
John  Bond,  Jason  Harrington,  Solomon  Goodale,  John  Gil- 
more,  Cornelius  Parker,  Abel  Dinsmore,  Gorham  Farnsworth, 
Timothy  Chadwick,  James  Gilmore,  Joel  Dickinson,  Na- 
thaniel Field,  Aaron  Howe,  James  Oliver,  Oliver  Stephens, 
Alexander  Oliver,  Israel  Gates,  Jonas  Rice,  William  Gates, 
David  Whitney,  Reuben  Hendrake,  John  Sherman,  Sherebiah 
Lee,  Eber  Lee,  John  Langdon,  David  Parker,  James  Dickin- 
son, Robert  Oliver,  Isaac  Nelson,  William  Bancroft,  Jr., 
Ebenezer  Maynard,  Nathan  Gould,  David  Smith,  John  Good- 
ale,  Samuel  Gould,  Joel  Baker,  Elisha  Amsden,  and  Jonathan 
Oaks. 

Mr.  Emerson  served  the  First  Congregationsvl  Church  dur- 
ing the  remarkably  extended  period  of  fifty-seven  years,  from 
1709  to  1826,  in  which  latter  year  he  died,  while  yet  in  the 
pastoral  office. 

During  his  ministry  he  received  580  persons  into  church 
membership,  wrote  upward  of  3500  sermons,  attended  the 
funerals  of  1037  of  his  people,  and  in  the  first  fifty  years  of  his 
service  baptized  1219. 

-  The  church  building  was  enlarged  in  1796,  and  supplied 
with  porches,  .steeple,  and  clock.  In  1842,  the  structure  having 
outlived  its  usefulness,  the  present  edifice  was  erected,  a  short 
distance  north  of  the  old  one,  and  the  latter  taken  down.  Six 
of  the  windows  which  were  in  the  first  church  are  now  set  in 
the  front  of  the  cabinet-shop  of  E.  C.  Foote,  at  Conway  Cen- 
tre, and  the  works  of  the  old  steeple  clock  are  to  be  found  in 
Howland's  carpenter-shop,  at  Pumpkin  Hollow. 


Franklin  Pease  is  the 
youngest  son  of  Asher  and  Eliza- 
beth C.  Pease.  He  was  born  in 
Conway,  Franklin  Co.,  Mass., 
June  27,  1828. 

Asher  Pease,  his  father,  was 
born  in  Enfield,  Conn.,  Sept. 
21,  1781.  Elizabeth  Chaffee, 
his  mother,  was  boru  in  the 
same  town,  in  1782. 

The  earlier  years  of  Mr. 
Pease's  life  were  spent  in  work- 
ing upon  his  father's  farm  in 
Conway.  His  opportunities  for 
acquiring  an  education  were  very 
meagre,  but  such  as  they  were  lie 
well  improved.  When  eighteen 
years  old  he  commenced  teach- 
ing during  the  winters,  and  when 
he  leached  his  majority  was  given 
an  interest  in  his  father's  farm, 
and  remained  in  this  partnersliip 


until  his  father's  decease,  when 
he  inherited  the  property.    '-> 

He  still  resides  upon  the  old 
homestead.  His  occupation  has 
always  been  that  of  a  farmer  and 
stock-dealer,  but  he  has  filled 
various  ofiSces  in  the  town  and 
county.  In  1863  he  was  a  mem 
ber  of  the  Legislature,  and  for 
two  years  past  has  been  select- 
man ;  also  assessor  for  three 
years.  Is  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Epi.scopal  Church, 
and  an  exemplary  Christian. 
He  is  also  an  active  member  of 
the  Agricultural  Society. 

Mr.  Pease  was  married,  Nov.  5, 
1850,  to  Minerva  Ninis,  daugh- 
ter of  Stoddard  Nims,  of  Asli- 
field.  Siie  was  born  in  Ash- 
field,  Franklin  Co.,  Mass.,  June 
22,1824. 


(2^.^.^^^-'^^^^-=^^ 


iaii8[]©isj^rsi£  ©I?  ipiaiiKiiiUKi  iPigj^ise,  ©^qshwah,  mA&s. 


Jabkz  C.  Nkwiiall  was 
born  in  Conway,  Franklin 
Co.,  Mass.,  on  the  12th  of 
August,  1825.  Col.  Jabez 
Newhall,  his  father,  was  born 
in  the  same  town,  on  the  29th 
of  February,  1776.  He  was 
a  farmer  and  holel-liceper, 
and  was  in  llic  la.st-namcd 
business  forty-five  years.  He 
was  colonel  in  the  State  mi- 
litia, and  well  known  and 
highly  respected  in  the  com- 
munity in  which  he  lived. 

He  died  on  the  2d  of  April, 
1858.  Eunice  L.  Tilton,  his 
wife,  was  born  in  Conwaj-, 
Dec.  25,  1786. 

Jabez  C.  Newhall,  subject 
of  this  notice,  was  one  of  a 
family  of  six  children,  all  of 
whom  lived  to  reach  man- 
hood and  womanhood.  He 
received  his  education  in  the 
common     school,     and      his 


time  was  mostly  employed 
in  working  upon  his  father'g 
l';irni.  After  his  father's  de- 
cease he  took  charge  of  the 
farm,  and  has  since  been  en- 
gaged in  dairying  and  stock- 
raising,  in  which  he  has  been 
generallysuccessful.  In  poli- 
tics he  is  Republican,  and  has 
been  assessor  of  Conway  for 
two  years. 

Mr.  Newhall  was  married, 
in  1854,  to  Adeline  Parsons, 
daughter  of  Capt.  Charles 
Parsons,  of  Conway.  She 
was  born  Dec.  29,  1827. 
They  have  a  family  of  four 
children, — Eunice  L.,  born 
March  20,  1857;  Kuth  I., 
born  Oct.  23,  1862;  Anna 
B.,  born  June  12,  1865,  and 
Harry  T.,  born  Jan.  0,  1869. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Newhall  are 
members  of  the  Congrega- 
tional Church  of  Conway. 


lFll§l!©glKI©[I  ©IF  tJ.  ©.  [FfliMKiaiLIL, 
C0NWAY,.FRANKL1N  CO.,  MASS. 


IIISTOliy  OF  FRANKLIN   COUNTY. 


677 


Mr.  Emerson's  successor  and  colleague  was  Kev.  Edward 
Hitchcock,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  who  was  ordained  in  1821  and 
preached  until  1825,  when  he  was  dismissed.  He  became 
subsequently  professor  of  chemistry  and  natural  history  in 
Amherst  College,  and  in  1845  the  president  of  that  institution. 
Prof.  Hitchcock  achieved  also  a  national  distinction  as  an 
author,  especially  of  works  upon  geological  researches.  Among 
his  successors  were  Kevs.  Daniel  Crosby,  Melancthon  S. 
Wheeler,  Samuel  Harris,  Geo.  M.  Adams,  and  Elijah  Cutler. 
Kev.  Arthur  Shirley  is  the  present  pastor  (1879). 

THE  BAPTIST  CHURCH 
was  organized  in  October,  1788,  with  29  members,  of  whom 
18  were  women.  Two  years  afterward  a  meeting-house  was 
built  in  what  is  now  Burkeville,  near  the  present  residence  of 
Elijah  Arms.  Rev.  Amos  Shevi  was  the  fii-st  to  preach  to 
the  congregation,  but  the  first  pastor  of  the  church  was  Rev. 
Calvin  Keyes,  who  was  ordained  November,  1799,  and  con- 
tinued in  the  ministry  until  1819.  Two  important  revivals 
marked  the  term  of  his  service,  in  one  of  which  (1806)  55 
converts  were  added  to  the  church  membership,  and  in  1816 
a  further  addition  of  40  members  was  made. 

In  1810  the  meeting-house  was  removed  to  the  site  of  the 
present  church  building  at  Conway  Centre,  which  was  erected 
in  1840.  In  March,  1819,  the  church  was  dissolved,  but  re- 
organized in  June,  1820,  and  since  then  has  continued  to 
prosper.  Among  those  who  have  preached  for  the  church 
were  Revs.  Amos  Shevi,  John  Leland,  Asa  Todd,  Calvin 
Ke_ves,  Adam  Hamilton,  Josiah  Goddard,  Mr.  Himes,  Mr. 
Grant,  David  Pease,  Abbott  Howe,  Wm.  H.  Rice,  David 
Wright,  Henry  H.  Rouse,  Joel  Kenney,  P.  P.  Sanderson, 
Richard  Lentil,  C.  A.  Buckbee,  M.  Byrne.  The  present 
pastor  (1879)  is  Rev.  Everett  D.  Stearns. 

A    METHODIST   CLASS 

was  formed  in  Conway  in  May,  1852,  and  was  reorganized  in 
185o,  with  17  members.  The  earliest  supplies  were  Revs. 
W^m.  F.  Lacount  and  A.  S.  Flagg.  The  first  quarterly  con- 
ference of  the  Methodist  Church  in  Conway  was  organized 
April  30,  1871,  L.  R.  Thayer,  D.D.,  presiding  elder,  and  Rev. 
Wm.  H.  Cook  pastor  in  charge,  the  membership  at  that  time 
being  16.  The  present  churcli  building  at  Conway  Centre 
was  occupied  December,  1871,  and  dedicated  the  following 
March.  The  structure,  including  furniture,  cost  $11,000.  The 
church's  pastors  have  been  Revs.  W.  H.  Cook,  A.  C.  Munson, 
J.  A.  De  Forest,  E.  R.  Thorndyke,  W.  N.  Richardson,  and 
I.  A.  Mesler, — the  latter  being  in  charge  in  1879,  when  the 
church  membership  was  92. 

THE  BAPTISTS  OF  CONWAY, 
in  common  with  those  of  Western  Massachusetts,  made  their 
way  against  some  opposition;  and  warm  controversies  as  well 
as  legal  prosecutions  followed  their  refusals  to  contribute  for 
the  support  of  the  Congregational  minister.  Passages  in  the 
town  records  dealing  with  these  matters  make  reference  to 
"those  people  calling  themselves  Baptists,"  and  bitter  per- 
sonal feeling  was  frequently  exhibited.  It  is  related  that  even 
Parson  Emerson,  attending  Baptist  preaching  at  the  house  of 
Israel  Rice,  was  so  oti'ensive  in  his  expression  of  sentiments 
that  the  host  unceremoniously  compelled  his  withdrawal  from 
the  assembly. 

SCHOOLS. 
Shortly  after  the  incorporation  of  the  town,  in  September, 
1767,  public  attention  was  directed  toward  the  subject  of  edu- 
cation by  a  vote  which  selected  a  committee  for  the  purpose 
of  hiring  a  "  school-dame"  to  keep  school  five  months.  School 
was  taught  for  some  years  in  private  dwellings, — a  favorite 
place  being  thehouseof  Jonathan  Whitney, — until  1773,  when 
the  first  school-house — 25  by  22 — was  erected  near  the  meeting- 
house in    Pumpkin   Hollow.       A   century   elm   was   in   18G7 


planted  upon  the  exact  spot  supposed  to  have  been  occupied 
by  this  primitive  institution. 

The  sum  of  £7  was  appropriated  in  1767  for  .schooling,  and 
in  1772  the  amount  was  £12.  In  1773  it  was  agreed  that 
school  should  be  kept  six  months  that  year, — two  months  at 
the  centre,  and  four  months  at  various  places  in  the  town.  In 
1774  the  sum  of  £30  was  raised  for  schooling,  which  was  to  be 
one-third  of  the  time  at  the  school-house,  one-third  at  Samuel 
Hooker's,  and  one-third  at  Deacon  Allis'.  In  1776,  after  a 
lapse  of  a  year,  during  which  no  school  was  opened  in  the 
town,  it  was  voted  to  have  a  public  school,  to  divide  the  town 
into  five  equal  parts  or  squadrons,  and  to  raise  £30.  There 
was  but  one  public  school-house — the  one  at  the  centre — until 
1783,  after  which  temples  of  learning  began  to  multiply  to 
meet  the  demands  of  a  rapidly-increasing  population. 

Reading,  writing,  spelling,  and  arithmetic  were  the  subjects 
set  before  the  scholars  of  those  days,  although  about  1791  a 
town  vote  decided  that  Latin  and  Greek  should  be  taught. 
The  absurdity  of  this  remarkable  efi'ort  to  leap  at  a  single 
bound  from  the  rudiments  of  English  into  the  classics  pre- 
sented itself,  however,  without  much  delay,  and  the  vote  was 
hastily  rescinded. 

Who  was  the  first  school-teacher  is  not  known,  but  one  of 
the  early  ones,  known  as  Master  Cole,  is  preserved  in  tra- 
dition as  a  singular  pedagogue.  It  is  told  of  him  that  when 
he  came  over  from  England  he  brought  not  only  his  mil- 
itary manners, — for  he  was  a  soldier  there, — but  his  uniform 
and  his  sword,  and  these  he  used  to  wear  each  morning  to 
school;  where  arriving,  he  would  awe  his  scholars  into  trem- 
bling submission  by  his  fierce  dignity  and  militarj'  discipline, 
and  hold  them  throughout  the  day  in  constant  fear  lest  in  a 
moment  of  more  than  ordinary  fierceness  he  might  descend 
upon  them  with  his  sword  and  stretch  them  headless  upon 
the  school-room  fioor. 

A  noted  select  school  was  the  one  opened  by  Deacon  John 
Clary  in  1831.  He  kept  it  twelve  years,  and  gave  it  such  high 
rank  that  many  pupils  from  towns  other  than  Conway  at- 
tended it.  His  dwelling  was  two  miles  and  a  half  from  the 
school,  to  and  from  which  he  went  each  day,  and  during  the 
twelve  years  he  traveled  about  nine  thousand  miles. 

THE    CONWAY   ACADEMY 

was  incorporated  in  1853,  and  in  that  year  a  handsome  school 
building  was  erected,  by  subscription,  upon  the  lofty  eminence 
overlooking  Conway  village  on  the  south.  The  institution 
flourished  apace,  and  extended  its  labors  over  a  wide  field  of 
usefulness,  but  the  destruction  by  fire,  in  1863,  of  the  school 
building  temporarily  suspended  its  ministrations,  and  although 
the  structure  was  quickly  restored  in  its  present  form,  the 
palmy  days  of  the  academy  had  passed  away,  and  in  1865  it 
was  transferred  to  the  town,  and  became  a  high  school  free  to 
all  children  in  Conway,  and  as  such  it  still  remains. 

Including  the  high  school,  Conway  had,  in  1879,  13  schools, 
with  an  average  daily  attendance  of  188,  and  appropriated  for 
educational  jiurposes  .?2000. 

BURIAL-PLACE.S. 

In  1707  a  small  lot  of  ground  "near  the  saw-mill"  (known 
as  Emerson's  Yard  because  it  adjoined  Rev.  Mr.  Emerson's 
residence  afterward)  was  laid  out  for  a  burial-place.  The  first 
person  buried  therein  was  the  one-year-old  son  of  Israel  Rice, 
in  December,  1767.  The  next  interment  there  was  that  of 
John  Thwing,  in  March,  17R9.  This  graveyard — of  whose 
graves  no  trace  can  now  be  seen — was  abandoned  in  1772, 
when  a  new  ground,  purchased  of  Elias  Dickin.son,  was  laid 
out  at  the  rear  of  the  meeting-house.  This  was  in  turn  aban- 
doned many  years  ago.  It  adjoins  the  school-house  at  Pump- 
kin Hollow,  and  contains  a  score  or  more  of  headstones,  of 
which  the  oldest  bear  inscriptions  as  follows  : 

Siirah  Denliam,  1777;  Kiitli  Dorchester,  1777;  .Sulmiit  Lee,  1777;  Elizabeth 
Pulsiplier,  1770 ;  Riichiiel  Clary,  1782  ;  Gershom  Fanisworth,  1784 ;  Slartlia  Bil- 


678 


HISTORY   OF   THE   CONNECTICUT    VALLEY. 


lings,  1785 ;  Hannah  Lee,  1789  ;  Jemima  Leo,  1791 ;  Elijah  Wells,  1795  ;  Deacon 
Klioiiczer  Clark,  17it(i, 

In  184-5,  Piiu!  Grove  Cemetery,  a  Imnclsomely-shacled  spot, 
was  laid  out,  about  a  mile  north  of  Conway  village,  and  is  the 
ground  now  cliipfiy  used. 

This  burial-ground  is  one  of  which  the  people  of  Conway 
are  proud,  and  to  its  eare  and  adornment  much  attention  is 
given.  Among  its  artistic  features  a  sparkling  fountain,  cast- 
ing up  its  silvery  waters,  is  noticeably  attractive. 

INDUSTRIES. 

Conway  has  been  an  important  manufacturing  town  since 
1837,  and  it  is  in  its  manufacturing  interests  that  the  place 
finds  the  chief  clement  of  its  prosperity.  South  River,  which 
rises  in  Ashfleld,  and,  flowing  east  to  Conway  village,  passes 
north  to  Deerfield  River,  provides  fine  water-power  for  all  the 
town's  manufactories. 

About  midway  between  the  villages  of  Conway  Centre  and 
Burkeville,  Richard  Tucker  &  Co.  are  largely  engaged  in  the 
manufacture  of  cotton  warps  and  yarns,  of  which  they  pro- 
duce annually  250,000  pounds,  and  employ  50  people.  Their 
mills  have  a  river-front  of  about  200  feet,  are  three  stories  in 
height,  and  may  be  operated  by  steam  as  well  as  water, 
steam  being  used,  however,  only  in  time  of  drought. 

Richard  Tucker,  Esq.,  the  present  head  of  the  firm,  started 
the  mills  at  this  point  in  1858,  and  in  18G0  was  suc<?eeded  by 
R.  Tucker  &  Co.  In  that  year,  also,  the  firm  of  Tucker  & 
Cook  was  organized,  and,  occupying  the  site  of  H.  U.  Whit- 
ton's  mill  (built  by  liowland  &  Moss  in  1842),  half  a  mile 
north  of  Conway  Centre,  began  the  manufacture  of  knitting- 
cotton,  in  which  they  employ  40  persons,  and  produce  yearly 
2.50,000  pounds.  Their  mills  have  a  front  of  about  200  feet, 
and  have  facilities  for  operating  with  steam  as  well  as  water- 
power. 

At  Burkeville,  east  uf  Conway  Centre,  Delabarre  &  Hack- 
staff  occupy  the  mill  built  by  the  Conway  Manufacturing 
Company  in  1845.  This  latter  company,  founded  by  Edmund 
Burke  in  1837,  built  their  first  mill  in  that  year,  a  little  west 
of  the  present  mill,  and,  as  noted,  changed  their  location  in 
1845.-  The  company  suspended  in  1857,  and,  in  18.58,  Edmund 
Burke,  reviving  the  business,  continued  until  1867,  in  the 
early  part  of  which  year  the  property  was  purchased  by  Ed- 
ward Delabarre,  who,  in  1871,  was  succeeded  by  the  present 
firm,  Delabarre  &  Hackstafl'.  To  the  main  building — which 
is  four  stories  in  height — they  have  made  additions,  so  that 
they  have  a  front  of  upward  of  300  feet.  They  employ  115 
people,  operate  32  looms-,  and  produce  350,000  yards  of  fancy 
kerseymeres  and  other  cloths  annually.  The  mills  are  lighted 
throughout  with  gas  manufactured  on  the  premises,  and  are 
operated  with  steam  when  water-power  fails. 

T.  J.  Shepardson  has  completed  the  erection  of  a  mill  on 
South  River,  a  mile  from  Bardwell's  Ferry,  where  be  expects 
to  begin,  in  the  summer  of  1879,  the  manufacture  of  cotton 
yarns,  for  which  his  mill  will  have  a  capacity  of  100,000  pounds 
annually. 

Eli  Thwing  operates  a  saw-mill  on  South  River,  in  the  north 
part  of  the  town,  where  he  also  manufactures  hand-rakes  to  a 
limited  extent. 

Conway  occupies  a  fruitful  agricultural  region,  but  is  noted 
especially  as  an  excellent  grazing  town.  Large  quantities  of 
butter  are  yearly  manufactured,  and  stock-raising  is  also 
profitably  pursued.  Tobacco  growing  was  once  an  important 
interest,  but  has  latterl}'  declined,  as  in  other  towns  of  AVest- 
ern  Massachusetts.  The  raising  of  sheep  was  at  one  time  a 
popular  and  profitable  pursuit,  but  receives  now  only  limited 
attention. 

BANKS. 

THE    CONWAY    BANK 

was  organized  Sept.   1,  1854,  with  a  capital  of  55100,000,  and 
in    18G5  was  reorganized  as  a  national   bank.     It  has  now  a 


capital  of  $1-50,000,  with  a  deposit  account  of  ls;25,O00,  and 
occupies  fine  quarters  at  Conway  Centre  in  a  brick  structure 
erected  by  the  bank  in  1878  at  a  cost  of  §3000. 

SOCIETIES. 
MORNING  SUN  LODOE,  A.  F.  AND  A.  M., 
was  organized  in  1870,  at  Conway  Centre,  as  a  revival  of  a  lodge 
bearing  the  same  nuine,  which  passed  out  of  existence  at  the 
same  place  in  1840.  The  membership-roll  now  numbers  60. 
The  officers  for  187'J  were  Arthur  M.  Cook,  W.  M. ;  Alexander 
Sinclair,  S.  W.  ;  Charles  H.  Day,  J.  W.  ;  Chelsea  Cook, 
Treas.  ;  Henry  W.  Billings,  Sec.  ;  Edwin  L.  Munn,  S.  D. ; 
Roswell  G.  Rice,  J.  D.  ;  Carlos  Batchelder,  Chap. ;  Charles 
P.  Allis,  Mar.  ;  Henry  W.  Hopkins,  S.  S.  ;  Arthur  C.  Arms, 
J.  S. ;  Murray  J.  Guildford,  I.  S.  ;  S.  D.  Porter,  Organist ; 
Joel  Rice,  Tiler. 

LIBRARY. 
A  social  library  was  organized  at  Conway  Centre  in  1821, 
and  flourished  until  1878,  when  fire  destroyed  its  stock  of 
books,  numbering  about  800  volumes.  In  that  year  the  town 
organized  the  present  free  library,  which  contains  now  700  vol- 
umes, and  has  quarters  in  the  bank  building. 

THE    CONWAY    BAND. 

,  Conway  boasts  a  musical  organization  known  as  the  Con- 
way Brass  Band,  whoso  headquarters  are  at  Conway  Centre, 
and  whose  skillful  performances  are  frequently  enjoyed  in 
many  other  towns. 

>•  EARLY  INDUSTRIES. 
.  The  first  manufacturing  industry,  other  than  a  saw-  or  grist- 
mill, was  opened  by  Aaron  Hayden,  who  set  up  a  "  fulling" 
mill  on  the  South  River.  Seventeen  _years  later  Dr.  Moses 
Hayden  and  R.  Wells  added  to  it  an  oil-mill.  In  1810  its  site  ' 
was  occupied  by  a  broadcloth-manufactory,  and  later  as  a  cot- 
ton-bag factory,  operated  by  Gen.  Dickinson;  it  was  destroyed 
by  fire  in  1856.  The  mill  stood  within,  the  limits  of  Conway 
Centre.  As  before  noted,  Edmund  Burke  erected  a  woolen-mill 
in  Burkeville  in  1837,  and  in  1842,  at  the  same  place,  Alonzo 
Parker  began  the  manufacture  of  carpenter  and  joiner's  tools, 
and,  shortly  afterward  organizing  the  Conway  Tool  Company, 
the  business  was  so  expanded  that  upward  of  80  men  were 
employed.  In  the  year  1851  the  company  transferred  its  op- 
erations to  Greenfield,  and  there  reorganized  as  the  Greenfield 
Tool  Company. 

T/ic  South  River  Cutlery  Comptmy  erected  extensive  works 
in  Burkeville  in  1851,  and  employed  at  one  time  135  men. 
The  enterprise  failed,  however,  and  not  long  afterward  passed 
out  of  existence. 

Whitney  &  Wells  manufactured  largely  of  seamless  cotton 
bags,  beginning  in  1846,  and  were  succeeded  by  L.  B.  Wright, 
whose  works  were  destroyed  by  fire  in  1856.  The  site  is  now 
occupied  by  the  mills  of  R.  Tucker  &  Co. 

The  Conway  Mutual  Insurance  Cuinpany  was  organized  in 
1849,  and  in  18-54  changed  to  the  Conwaj'  Stock  and  Mutual 
Insurance  Company  ;  in  1860  transferred  its  stock  department 
to  Boston,  and  in  1876  closed  business. 

According  to  the  State  census  reports  of  1875,  the  value  of 
manufactures  in  Conway  for  that  year  aggregated  5!333, 430 ; 
that  of  agricultural  and  domestic  products,  $235,296.  In  1878 
the  assessed  valuation  of  the  town  was  ^667,896,  of  which 
1494,043  were  on  real  estate.  The  total  tax — State,  county, 
and  town — was  $9798,  a  rate  of  $1.46  per  $100. 

MILITARY. 

CONWAY'S    REBKLLION    RECORD. 

Following  are  the  names  of  those  who  went  fr(mi  Conway 
into  the  military  service  during  the  war  of  the  Rebellion, 
1861  to  1865: 


Residence  or  R.M.TUCKER,  Conway,  Franklin  Co., Mass. 


C(^Aa  ^^  (2yuy^yh'^' 


HISTORY  OF   FRANKLIN    COUNTY. 


079 


J.  D.  Allis,*  lOtli  Mnss. 

C.  G.  Wells,  31st  Mass. 

Horace  Hosford.  52d  Mass. 

A.  H.  Wiirren,  lOtli  Mass. 

S,  H,  Dyer,  Slst  Mass, 

0.  P.  Edgerlon,  .Wd  Mass, 

W.  F.  a.ue,*  lOtli  Was", 

Wni,  C,  Maynard,  31st  Mass. 

Wm,  Townsend,  Jr,,  .'j2d  Mass, 

Wm.  II.  .\(lanis,  101  h  Mass. 

L.  Bnrnett,  31st  Mass. 

E,  W,  Richardson,  ,'i2d  Mass, 

n.  W.Graves,  Kilh  Ma.^s. 

Edward  Melivier,  31st  Mass. 

H.  G,  Scott,*  52d  Ma.s8. 

E.  G.  Ha.ldon,  10th  Mass. 

Jhs.  Johnson,  31st  Mass. 

A,  0,  Sites,*  ,i2d  Mass, 

E.  R.  Gardner,*  10th  Mass. 

John  Island, 31st  Mass. 

J.  W.  Bradford,  52d  Mass. 

F.  E.  Hartwi'll,  Kith  Ma33. 

Patrick  Hayes,  31st  Mass. 

E  W.  Hamilton,  52d  Mass, 

AIoiizo  Bates,  llltli  Mass. 

r.  D.  Howland,  31st  Mass. 

Blanley  Guilford,*  52d  Blass. 

W.  R.  Siiiilh,l»th  Mass. 

S.  K,  Walker,  31st  Mass, 

W.  D,  Sanderson,  o2.1  JIass. 

Henry  Ituwiiian,  Suth  Mas.s. 

Ja-s,  F,  Hunter,  31s(  Mass, 

M.S.  Jenkins,  .'i2d  Mass. 

Oei).  K.  .\riiis,  1st  Cav. 

John  White,  31st  Mass. 

H.  C.  Qlunson,  ,o2d  Mass. 

H.  (;.  Allen,  1st  Cav. 

Geo.  W.  Dinsinore,*  5th  N.  Y.  Cay. 

PatricI;  Manning,  52[1  Maes. 

H.  A,  Gra.v,  1st  Cav, 

John  Lanriigar,*  oth  N.  V.  Cav. 

C.  E.  Crittenden,  52d  Mass. 

0.  V.  Reuiingtuli,  1st  Cav. 

Fred  Wiigley,'  2d  N.  Y.  Inf. 

Clias.  A.  Holcunih,  o2d  Mass. 

G.  W.  FhiKg,  1st  Cav. 

Cha.'*.  Rieharilson, Conn. 

Wm.  Watson,  62d  Mass. 

Tyler  Harding,  1st  Cav. 

S.  N.  Peterson,*  .38th  Mass. 

Geo.  F.  Criltendeli,  62d  Mass. 

H. . I.  Wilder,*  Isl  Cav. 

I.  N.  Hitchcock,  :4lh  Mass. 

W.  G.  Field,  52.1  Mass. 

Clms.  M.  Sinilh,  l.st  Cav. 

Peter  Hackett,  34tli  Mass. 

Geo.  Shepiiard,  52d  Mass. 

Ba.vler  IIard;ng,  1st  Cav. 

IVIriik  Oallivan,  34th  Mass. 

A.  J,  Andrews,  52d  Mass. 

E.  L.  Hall,  l»tCav. 

Geo.  II,  Smith,  ti7th  Mass, 

F.  B,  Lee,  .52d  Mass. 

A.  F.  Ilulil.ard,*  1st  Cav. 

J.  W,  Smith,  27111  Mass, 

C.  G.  Townsend,  52d  Jlass. 

Geo.  A.  Al.eil,  1st  Cav. 

Wm.  H.  Averill,*  37th  Mass. 

Nath.  Barlhtt,*  52d  Mass. 

H.  A,  Stearns,  1st  Cav. 

L.  A.  Bradford,  37lh  Mass. 

Geo.  D.  Biaman,  o2d  Mass. 

J.  W.  Jaclcson,  1st  Cav. 

Sam.  Bigelow,  37lh  Mass. 

Jas.  S.  .>itel.hins,*  52d  Mass. 

E,  F.  Bradford,  1st  Cav. 

L,  W,  Merrifield,  37th  Mass. 

Henry  Kye,  52d  Ma.ss. 

E.  A.  Bnrnhaiii,  1st  Cuv. 

F,  E.  Rowe,  37tli  Mas.s, 

Wm  D.  Allis,*S2d  Mass. 

Sain,  Ware,*  Ist  Cav, 

0,  F,  Childs.  37th  Mass, 

Wm.  H.  Clavp,  52d  Mass. 

F,  A,  Clary,*  31st  Mass. 

E,  A,  Blood,*  37tli  Mass, 

Jlareus  Howland,*  52d  Mass. 

J.  W.  Goland,*  31st  Mass. 

Geo.  C,  Johnson,  37th  Mass, 

Oscar  Riehaidson,  52d  Mass. 

S,  M.  Ware,  31st  Mass. 

Sunnier  Warner,*  37lli  Mass, 

H.  F,  Macomljer,  5Jd  M.ass, 

A.  Bailey,  31st  M.ass. 

John  Connelly,  57ih  Mass. 

Mi'.lad  Hill,  ,52d  Mass, 

P.  F.  Nims,  31st  M^iss. 

Jas.  H.  Chipp,  XM  Mass. 

Clias.  Maconiher,  .V^d  Jliiss, 

Chiw.  F,  Wi  ighl,  31st  Mass, 

Uorace  Dill,  11.  Art. 

F,  M.  Patrick,  52d  Mass. 

G,  II,.lohTison,31st  Mass. 

BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 


CLARK   W.  BAKDWELL 

was  born   in   Shelburne,  Franklin  Co.,  Mass.,  on   tlio   7tli   of 
Febniary,  182.5.      His    paternal  grandparents  were  Chester 


.r»«^.  S- 


which  he  was  engaged  for  manj'  years.  In  1840  he  removed 
to  Ashfield,  where  he  remained  until  his  decease,  which  oc- 
curred on  the  2d  of  November,  1878.  For  some  tiiue  previous 
to  his  death  he  was  occupied  in  farming.  He  married  for  his 
first  wife  (on  the  19th  of  February,  1824)  Dolly  Hawks,  who 
was  born  in  Deerficld,  Jlass.,  on  the  22d  of  January,  1795, 
and  died  in  Shelburne,  on  the  7th  of  June,  1832.  By  this 
union  he  had  four  children,  the  oldest  of  whom  is  the  subject 
of  this  notice.  He  married  his  second  wife,  Mary  Hardy,  on 
the  1st  of  May,  18.34,  by  whom  he  had  three  children, — all 
daughters. 

Clark  W.  remained  at  home  on  the  farm,  and  attending 
the  district  schools  of  his  native  town,  until  he  reached  his 
majority.  He  then  united  with  bis  father  in  managing  the 
farm,  and  in  1840  removed  with  him  to  Ashfield,  where  he 
purchased  landed  interests.  On  the  26th  of  October,  1856,  he 
married  P.  Parmelia  Blake,  who  is  a  native  of  Ashfield,  born 
on  the  18th  of  August,  1830.  To  them  have  been  born  four 
children, — Aggie  L.,  born  Aug.  29,  1859;  Chester  0.,  born 
Nov  7,  1860;  Harlan  B.,  born  Oct.  7,  1862  (deceased);  and 
Fred.  H.,  born  May  13,  1869. 

Mr.  Bardwell  has  always  been  engaged  in  agricultural  pur- 
suits, and  has  been  universally  successful.  Commencing  with 
very  little,  he  has  acquired  a  competency.  In  1869  he  pur- 
chased and  removed  to  what  was  then  known  as  the  "  Warren 
place,"  in  Conway,  where  he  has  since  resided. 

He  is  actively  interested  in  all  branches  of  agriculture,  and 
is  a  member  of  the  agricultural  society  of  Franklin  County. 


^^ 


Bardwell,  born  Oct.  C,  1772,  and  Mary  (Hannum)   Bardwell, 
born  March  16,  1704. 

His  father,  Olin    Bardwell,  was   born   in  Shelburne,  on  the 
24th  of  August,  17H('.     His  business  was  that  of  a  clothier,  in 


EICHARD   TUCKER 

was  born  in  Saybrook,  Middlesex  Co.,  Conn.,  Feb,  20,  1812. 
He  is  the  son  of  John  Tucker,  the  grandson  of  Richard 
Tucker,  and  great-grandson  of  John  Tucker,  who  was  one  of 
three  brothers  who  came  from  England  to  this  country  at  a 
very  early  date,  and  settled  in  Connecticut,  John  Tucker, 
father  of  the  subject  of  this  biography,  was  born  in  Saybrook, 


*  Died  in  Iho  service,  or  in  consequence  of  wounds  received  therein. 


680 


HISTORY   OF  THE   CONNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


Conn.,  March  20,  178-5.  He  was  married,  in  1810,  to  Eliza 
Beckwitli,  daughter  of  Elisha  Beckwith,  of  Lebanon,  Conn. 
She  was  born  June  1.5,  1797.  They  had  ten  children,  and  the 
eldest  of  this  family  is  Kichard  Tucker.  He  received  a  com- 
mon-school education  and  remained  at  home  until  he  was 
nineteen  years  old,  at  which  time  he  married,  Nov.  11,  1831, 
Delia  R.  Walden,  daughter  of  Deacon  Silas  Walden.  She 
was  born,  July  25,  1812,  in  Lisbon,  Conn.  They  had  a  fam- 
ily of  three  children,  two  of  whom  are  still  living.  They  are 
Julia  R.  (deceased),  first  wife  of  Chelsea  Cook;  David  K.,  a 
merchant  in  Springfield,  and  Richard  M.,  of  Conway,  also  a 
merchant.  Mr.  Tucker  commenced  his  business  experience 
in  a  cotton-mill,  when  fifteen  years  of  age,  and  remained  in 
this  employment  until  he  reached  his  majority.  Commencing 
in  1846,  he  spent  ten  years  as  a  traveling  merchant,  selling 
his  own  goods.  Sept.  1,  18.38,  he  removed  to  Conway,  Frank- 
lin Co.,  Mass.,  where  he  began,  upon  a  small  scale,  the  manu- 
facture of  cotton  warps,  with  Chelsea  Cook,  his  son-in-law, 
as  partner.  In  1861  they  increased  the  business,  and  at  that 
time  employed  thirty  hands.  In  1862  they  bought  the  old 
Howland  &  Morse  mill,  refitted  it  with  new  machinerj',  and 
employed  in  both  mills  about  eighty  hands.  In  September 
of  1876  thev  commenced  the  manufacture  of  ball  knitting- 


cotton,  or  what  is  now  the  well-known  Tucker  &  Cook's 
knitting-cotton.  They  have  established  a  branch  of  the  busi- 
ness at  Springfield,  and  employ  in  both  places  about  one  hun- 
dred hands.  During  the  universal  depression  in  business  they 
have  continued  prosperous.  Mr.  Tucker  is  also  a  partner 
in  the  firm  of  Maynard,  Damon  «fc  Tucker,  of  Northamjiton, 
manufacturers  of  tapes  and  stay  bindings.  This  firm  employs 
eighty  hands.  In  Conway,  Mr.  Tucker  has  been  postmaster 
eight  years,  and  director  in  the  national  bank  of  that  place 
ten  years,  besides  filling  various  other  offices  in  the  town  in 
such  a  manner  as  to  meet  popular  approbation.  Indeed,  it 
can  well  be  said  that  he  represents  more  ditterent  interests 
than  any  other  man  in  the  town.  He  has  been  a  member  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  for  twenty  years,  and  con- 
tributed generously  to  the  building  of  the  church  in  Conway. 
In  benevolent  and  charitable  interests  he  is  ever  ready  to  lend 
a  helping  hand.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican,  and  takes  an 
active  interest  in  all  the  questions  of  the  day.  With  but 
little  financial  capital  originally,  he  has,  by  the  exerci.se  of 
energy,  industi-y,  and  strict  business  habits,  built  up  a  fortune 
and  carved  out  a  career  to  which  he  may  point  with  pride. 
Mr.  Tucker  is  a  man  of  excellent  judgment,  great  business 
enterprise,  and  strict  integrity. 


SUNDERLAND. 


GEOGRAPHICAL. 

Sunderland,  one  of  the  extreme  southern  towns  in  Frank- 
lin, is  pleasantly  located  on  the  Connecticut  River,  which 
forms  its  entire  western  border.  Its  boundaries  are  Montague 
on  the  north,  Hampshire  County  on  the  south,  Leverett  on 
the  east,  and  Whately  and  Deerfield  (separated  from  Sunder- 
land by  the  Connecticut  River)  on  the  west.  The  town  cov- 
ers an  area  of  fifteen  square  miles,  measures  six  miles  in  length 
by  two  and  a  half  in  width,  and  contains  9600  acres. 

The  New  London  Northern  Railroad  crosses  the  town  at 
its  northeastern  extremity,  but  there  is  no  station  in  the  town. 

NATURAL    FEATURES. 

Sunderland  is  rich  in  natural  beauty,  in  which  mountain, 
plain,  and  stream  present  varied  and  attractive  features.  The 
noble  Connecticut  forms  the  western  border  of  the  town,  shut 
in  on  the  west  by  the  towering  hills  of  Whately  and  Deer- 
field.  In  the  east  are  the  fertile  plains  in  Sunderland's  val- 
ley, overshadowed  on  the  distant  east  by  a  range  of  rugged 
mountains,  among  which  Mount  Toby*  rears  its  majestic 
head  1000  feet  above  the  lowland.  This  noted  eminence  is  a 
favorite  place  of  re-sort  in  the  summer  and  autumn  seasons; 
and  upon  its  apex  there  has  been  erected  for  the  convenience 
of  visitors  a  tower  (known  as  the  Goss  Tower)  70  feet  in  height 
and  containing  six  floors,  of  which  the  uppermost  is  "the 
observatory,"  where  a  fine  telescope  is  at  the  command  of  the 
student  of  nature.  A  well-kept  highway,  leading  from  the 
base  to  the  summit  of  the  mountain,  gives  ready  access  to  the 
tower. 

In  tlie  thick  woods  whjch  envelop  Mount  Toby  upon  every 
side  are  found  charming  cascades  and  glens,  and  many  in- 
viting spots,  which  have  been  improved  by  the  hand  of  art, 
and  which  have  given  to  the  region  thereabout  the  name  of 
"  Sunderland  Park." 

In  the  north  part  of  the  town,  not  far  from  Mount  Toby, 
there  is  a  noted  natural  curiosity  called  Sunderland  Cave.  It 
is  a  cavern  in  the  side  of  a  hill,  and  said  to  be  56  feet  in  depth, 

*  Also  known  by  its  Iiuliuu  Ui'.me,  Mettawanipe. 


and  to  extend  about  150  feet  into  the  interior  of  the  hill.  The 
sides  of  this  cavern  are  formed  of  conglomerate  rock,  consist- 
ing of  rounded  stones  of  various  colors,  embedded  in  and  rest- 
ing upon  a  basis  of  micaceous  sandstone.  The  cave  extends- 
east  and  west,  and  is  covered  at  its  bottom  with  huge  fragments 
of  rock. 

The  smaller  streams  of  the  town  are  Long  Plain,  Mohawk, 
Dry,  Great  Drain,  and  Cranberry  brooks. 

EARLY  SETTLEMENT. 
The  origin  of  tlie  town  of  Sunderland  may  be  given  from  an 
early  entry  in  the  records  now  in  the  keeping  of  the  town,  and 
reading  as  follows: 

"  At  a  General  Court  for  election  held  at  Boston,  7th  May,  1073.  In  ans'  to 
tlie  petition  of  sundry  inhabitants  of  Hadley,  the  Court  judgeth  it  meet  to  grant 
the  petidoners'  request, — i.e.,  the  quantity  of  si.xe  luiles  square  in  the  place  de- 
sired; i.e.,  lying  nere  to  the  noithward  bounds  of  Hadley;  i.e.,  provided  that 
within  seven  years  or  sooner,  if  may  be,  there  be  a  competent  number  of  familys 
settled  here,  and  provide  themselves  of  an  able  and  orthodox  miinster,;  and  for 
their  encouragement  in  so  good  a  worke,  this  Coujt  orders  and  impowers  and 
appoints  Meg.  John  Pynchon,!  Left.  Wni.  Clarke,  and  Mr.  Wm.  Holton  to  be  a 
committee  to  order  in  the  meantime  their  prudential  otficei-s,  granting  of  lotts, 
and  otherwise  reserving  in  some  convenient  Jilace  two  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of 
land  for  a  fiU'ui  for  the  country's  use  and  disposall." 

As  a  first  step  toward  a  settlement  of  the  tract,  the  proprie- 
tors intrusted  to  Maj.  Pynchon  the  task  of  securing  an  extin- 
guishment of  the  Indian  title.  Two  Indian  deeds,  both  of 
date  April  10,  1674,  conveyed  this  title  to  Maj.  Pynchon  on 
behalf  of  the  purchasers.     One  of  the  deeds  reads  as  follows : 

"  Mishalisk,  an  old  woman,  the  mother  of  Wattawchinksin,  deceased,  doth 
hereby  Ijargaiu,  sell,  and  alienate  a  Tract  of  Land  to  John  Pynchon,  of  .Spi  ing- 
tield,  acting  for  and  in  behalf  of  Rjbelt  Boltwood,  Joseph  Kellogg,  John  Hub- 
bird,  and  Thos.  DicUiuson,  of  Hadley,  and  their  associates,  .  .  .  which  land 
begins  at  ye  southerly  end  of  it,  at  ye  brook  Nepeasonneag,  .  .  .  taking  in  all 
ye  land  on  ye  northeily  tide  of  it.  It  runs  up  by  Quinnetticott  river  to  ye 
brook  called  Sawvvat.apskcchuwas  and  Mattamooash,  where  other  Indians  have 
sold  .  .  .  the  whole  tr.att  of  land  from  Ne|.casonncag  on  ye  South,  next  Hadley 
boumls,  to  Sawwatapskechuwas  on  ye  North,  and  beyond  at  Mattirmooa^h,  anil 
from  tjunnetticott  out  into  ye  woods  Eastward  six  miles  from  the  said  river 
Quinnctlicott." 

For  this  tiact  the  old  woman  Mishalisk  received  "a  debtjor  deed  from  her  son 


t  or  Siiringficld. 


Daniel  Dwkiiit  Whitmorf.  was  torn  in 
SuTiiidliitHl,  Fninklin  Co.,  HIjiss.,  on  the 
20lhnf  May,  1816.  He  is  a  son  of  Jesse 
Whiriiiore,  and  grandson  of  Daniel  Whit- 
mure,  who  camo  from  Connecticut  to 
Sunderland  at  an  early  date,  and  settled 
on  tlie  farm  now  owneil  hy  his  grandson. 
He  was  a  man  of  superior  intelligence,  a 
great  reader,  and  took  an  active  interest 
in  educational  suhjects. 

He  was  also  distinguished  in  public 
eervii-e;  held  the  lank  of  colonel  in  tlie 
militia,  was  an  active  psirticijiant  in  the 
Kevolutionary  struggle,  and  was  present 
at  the  surrender  of  Burgoyne.  In  later 
life  he  was  a  nieniher  of  the  Legislature, 
and  heUl  various  town  offices,  among 
others  that  of  justice  of  the  peace,  in 
which  capacity  he  served  many  years.  He 
died  in  May,  ISIG 

His  son,  Jesse  Wbitmore,  was  born  in 
Sunderland,  March  3,  1776.  He  was  a 
milter  hy  trade,  and  owned  wliat  is  known 
as  "AVliitmore's  Mills,"  which  was  for- 
merly tlie  property  of  his  father.  He  held 
a  commission  as  captain  in  the  cavalry 
(militia ),and  wasahvayscalledCapt.  Whit- 
moro.  He  was  a  sincere  Christian,  and 
waa  Olio  of  the  founders  of  the  Bai)tist 
Church  of  North  Snnderland,  of  whicii  he 
was  a  member  for  many  yeai^. 

He  also  took  a  prominent  part  in  pro- 
moting wnd  improving  schools,  and,  indeed, 
was  connected  in  some  manner  with  most 
of  the  best  enterprises  of  the  town  and 
County.  He  died  in  his  eightieth  year,  in 
January,  1856. 

His  wife  was  Hannah  Gunn,  daughter 
of  Nathaniel  Gunn,  of  Montd^'ue.  Tliey 
were  married  Oct.  26,  18u7.  She  died  in 
April,  1860.  To  them  were  born  nine 
children,  of  whom  Daniel  D.  is  the  fifth. 
Only  three  members  of  this  family  are 
now  living. 

The  subject  of  this  notice  was  employed 


in  Working  on  the  farm  and  assisting  in 
the  mills  until  seventeen  years  of  age. 
In  thy  mean  time  ho  had  also  pursued  the 
usual  studies  in  the  public  schools,  in  the 
Greenfield  Academy,  and  at  Shclburno 
Falls.  He  then  entered  the  store  uf  Mr. 
Horatio  Graves,  of  Sunderland,  in  the  ca- 
pacity of  clerk,  and  remained  with  him 
two  years.  Keturningliome,he  remained 
there  about  the  same  longtli  of  time, 
during  which  he  was  engaged  in  the 
manufacture  of  sash,  doors,  and  blinds. 
From  that  time  until  be  reached  hia 
twenty-second  year  he  was  in  no  settled 
business,  but  followed  various  occupa- 
tiona. 

Sept.  17, 1838,  he  was  married  to  Jane, 
daughter  of  Phiueas  and  Prudence  Kcet, 
of  Sunderland.  In  the  same  year  he  re- 
moved to  Walworth  Co.,  Wis.,  where  he 
remained  until  1844,  when  he  returned  to 
Sunderland,  and  located  on  the  old  home- 
stead, where  he  has  j'iuce  been  engaged 
in  farming  and  milling. 

Mr.  Whitmore  has  also  been  i)romi- 
nently  identifiml  with  the  town  and  lo- 
cality in  which  he  lives.  In  I860  he 
represented  his  district  in  the  Legisbi- 
ture,  and  in  local  oflUces  has  served  in  the 
capacity  of  selectman,  assessor,  justice  itf 
the  peace,  etc.  As  a  mendjerof  the  North 
Sunderland  Baptist  Society,  since  1831, 
he  has  given  his  influence  in  the  cause  of 
Christianity. 

By  his  first  wife  Mr.  Whitmore  had  five 
children,  none  of  whom  are  now  li^ing. 
His  wife  died  in  January,  1854,  and  ho 
married  Mrs.  Dolly  A.  Gridley,  widow  of 
Henry  Gridley,  and  daughter  of  Chester 
and  Sarah  Howland,  of  Montgomery, 
Mass.  By  this  union  he  lias  three 
children,  viz.:  Daniel  D.,  Jr.,  born  May 
23,  1857;  Jano  D.,  born  Ajiril  17,  ISGd; 
and  Iiucretia  A.,  born  on  the  2Uth  of 
September,  1864. 


^  f/^J^T^-U^^ 


U\^^m£r:}0^   ^i?    ID.  ID.  W'AVfMOSi'^,  ^4iJj^iD£ai^jJLD,  \i!AA'^^. 


N.  Austin  Smith,  eldest  son  of  Aus- 
tin and  Sallie  Smith,  was  born  in 
Sunderland  Franklin  Co.,  Mass., 
Feb.i:i,  1S21.  His  grandfather.  Elihu 
Smith,  of  Hadley,  married  Anna 
lii'Iden,  of  Whately,  by  whom  he  had 
three  sons  and  one  daughter,  viz., 
Austin.  Elihu.  Horace,  and  Lucretia. 
Austin  was  born  in  Hadley  in  October, 
17U0,  and  removed  to  Sunderland, 
March  29,  ]820.  He  was  a  fanner, 
and  took  a  jirominent  part  in  the 
interests  of  the  town  and  eomniunity 
in  which  he  lived;  held  a  number  of 
town  offices,  and  was  a  member  of  the 
Congregational  Church  for  many 
years.  He  married  Sallie  M.,  daugh- 
ter of  John  Montague,  and  adopted 
daughter  of  Nathaniel  Smith,  The 
members  of  her  family  were  remark- 
able for  longevity.  She  had  three 
sisters  who  lived  to  be  over  eighty- 
five  years  of  age,  and  one  of  them 
lived  to  be  ninety. 

The  suViject  of  this  notice  had  two 
brothers  and  two  sisters.  His  eldest 
brother,  Elihu  (born  April  11,  1823), 
is  now  j>,  banker  in  Worthington, 
Minn.  ;  John  M.,  born  July  6,  1826, 
resides  in  Sunderland;  Thankful  G., 
born  April  16,  18;ill,  married  I>r. 
William  M.  Trow,  now  of  Easthamp- 
ton,  and  died  Oct.  1, 1809;  Mary  B., 
the  youngest  child,  was  born  Jan. 
26,  183-1,  and  died  Jan.  26,  1843. 

N,  Austin  remained  at  liouic  on 
the  farm  until  he  reached  his  twenti- 
eth year,  and  in  the  mean  time  re- 
ceived a  good  education  in  tlie  com- 
mon schools  and  Williston  Seminary. 
He  then  commenced  teaching  school. 


narried  (Nov.  26, 1846)  to  Clara  i 
aughter  of  Stephen  Gunn,  of  I 
eriand.     To  them  has  been  born       i 


I'huto.  by  Popkin 


^:  (^u^Ai-v^ 


which  he  continued  during  the  winter 
months  for  tive  years,  the  remainder 
of  that  time  being  employed  in  farm 
labor.  In  his  twenty-sixth  year  he 
wafl  married  (Nov.  26, 1846)  to  Clara 
J.,  dau 
Sunder 

one  child, — William  Austin,  who  died 
in  infancy.  Hehassinceadoptcd  three 
children, — James  Melville,  who  is 
now  deceased,  Austin  D.,and  Emma. 
After  his  marriage,  Mr.  Smith  united 
with  his  brothers  in  farming  their 
father's^  place,  which  he  continued 
until  1855,  when  they  made  a  di- 
vision of  the  projiert.y,  which  was 
afterward  ratilied  in  their  father'8 
will. 

Mr.  Smith  has  always  resided  in 
Sunderland,  and  has,  during  the 
greater  part  of  his  life,  been  engaged 
in  agricultural  pursuits.  He  takes 
an  active  interest  in  harvest  clubs, 
etc. ;  is  a  member  of  the  Franklin  and 
Hampshire  Agricultural  Societies, 
anci  was  president  of  the  latter  for 
two  years. 

For  forty-one  years  he  has  been  a 
member  of  the  Congregational  Soci- 
ety, and  is  also  an  ardent  and  untiring 
worker  in  the  Sabbath-school,  in 
which  he  has  been  a  teacher  during 
the  greater  part  of  forty  years. 

In  the  civil  as  well  as  in  the  re- 
ligious and  social  interests  of  the 
town  he  takes  an  active  part.  He 
has  been  elected  to  the  offices  of 
selectman,  assessor,  member  of  school 
committee,  collector,  and  treasurer, 
and  is  regarded  as  one  of  Sunder- 
land's most  enterprising  citizens. 


SUNDERLAND,    MASS. 


HISTORY  OF  FRANKLIN  COUNTY. 


681 


WattawoiiiiisUiu  to  Jnha  Pyncbon,  of  Springrficld,  as  also  for  and  in  consMera- 
tiuii  of  one  Large  IinHau  Coat,  ami  several  uthcr  small  tliitigs." 

The  second  deed  reads  a:^  follows  : 

"  These  presents  testify  that  Hettawoini'e,  alias  Nattawassawet,  yc  Iiulian  for 
himself,  &  in  the  bchiUf  of  other  Indians,  viz.;  Wadauiunmiiu,  Sqniskheag,  & 
Sunkkauiainacliiil  &.  for  &  in  consideration  of  eightj-  fathom  of  wampum,  & 
several  other  small  things  to  him  &  them  in  hand  paid,  &  fully  secured,  by  John 
Pyncbon,  of  Springfichl,  in  ye  behalf  &  upon  the  acct.  uf  Rubt.  Bjltwuod,  John 
Ifubbird,  Joseph  Kellogg,  &  Thos.  Dickinson,  of  Hadley  :  Hath  Bargained  and 
sold,  A  Do  by  these  presents  Give,  Grant,  Barg:aine,  &  sell  unto  yo  sd  Uobt.  Bolt- 
wuod,  Jno.  Ilubbird,  Jos.  Kellogg,  &  Thos.  DlL-kinson,  a  cortmn  Tiact  of  Land 
lying  on  ye  Ejtst  si'le  of  Quiinu-ttict>tt  Kiver,  al«:)ut  7  or  8  miles  above  Hadley, 
luijoining  to  a  parccll  of  land  the  sd  Bultwood  &  Company  bought  of  Mishalisk, 
from  tliat  parcell  of  Land  &  Brook,  Sawwatapskechuwas  [Mohawk  Brook],  up 
by  ye  Grt.  Kivcr  Quinnettlcott,  northerly  to  a  little  Brook  called  Tapacontuck- 
quiish  A.  O^mheaggan,  lying  over  against  ye  month  of  Pacomptuck  River,  3Ia!i- 
tfthelas.  The  sd  Mettawompe,  alias  Nattawwassawet,  Doth  Give,  Grant,  Bargain, 
&  eeli  unto  y«  sd  Robt.  Boltwood,  Juo.  ilubbird,  Jos.  Kellogg,  &  Thos.  Dickin- 
son, ifc  their  successors  &  Comiwny,  &  to  their  heire  &  assigns  Forever,  hereby 
resigning  to  them  all  the  Right,  Title,  tt  Interest  in  the  forementioned  Lands 
Called  Mattiimpash,  from  Sawwatapskechuwas,  Anque])inick,  Sankrohokcun, 
Lemuckqnjish,  &  Papacontuckquash,  Corroheaggan,  &  to  Mantahelas,  &  so  out 
into  ye  woods  six  miles  Eastward  from  yc  Great  River  Quinnettlcott.  To  Have 
and  to  Hold  all  j'e  sd  land  to  ye  proper  uses  &  behoof  of  ym  ye  sd  Robt.  Bolt- 
wood,  John  Hubbird,  Jos.  Kellogg,  Thos.  Dickinson  &.  Company,  &  their  heire 
A  Assigns  forever,  with  all  the  Profits,  Cunimodities,  &  advantages  thereof  & 
thereto  belonging  whatsoever  &  yt  forever.  And  ye  said  Mettjiwompe,  alias 
Xattawassawet,  doth  hereby  covenant  &  promise  that  he  will  save  harmlcas  ye 
sd  Robt.  Boltwood,  John  Hubbird,  Jos.  Kellogg,  Thos.  Dickinson,  A  Company  Jt 
their  heira  &  assigns,  nf  and  fnmi  all  manner  of  Claims,  Rights,  Titles  &  In- 
terest of  any  persun  whomsoever,  in  A  to  the  sd  Lands,  and  from  all  incum- 
Iminees  of  Indian's  Rights  to  all  or  any  pait  thereof,  having  full  puwer  &  Lawful 
Right  thus  to  Doe.  And  in  Witness  hereof  affixes  his  hand  &  seal  this  10th  day 
April,  1G74.     The  mark  of  Mettawompe;    X. 

"This  don  &  delivered  in  presence  of  «s. 

"  IsxAc  Morgan. 

"He.vry  Rogers. 

"  ackla3ib0witt : 
"X. 
"  the  mark  of  an  Indian. 

"  Mettawompe,  alias  Nattawassawett,  acknowledged  this  Tnstmment  to  be  his 

act  &  deed,  Relinquishing  &  Resigning  up  all  Right  and  Interest  in  the  premises 
to  the  English  within  named  10th  of  April,  1674,  before  me, 

"Jous  l^Yscnoy^  Assist. 

"This  17th  of  April,  1G74,  Squiskhcag  came  and  acknowledged  the  sale  of  ye 
Land  mentioned  on  ye  other  side,  sold  by  Mettawompe,  &  doth  hereby  confirm 
ye  sale  thereof,  having  rec'd  part  of  ye  pay,  viz.,  Thirty  Fathom  ;  whereupon 
Sqiiiskheag,  for  himself  and  his  Bruthers  Sunckkanianiuchue  &  AVadamummiu, 
sell,  &  by  sale  forever  pass  away  all  ye  Land  mentioned  on  ye  other  side, 
namely,  ye  Land  on  ye  East  side  of  Quinnettlcott  River,  from  Sawwatapskc- 
chuwjis  on  the  south,  northerly  t^i  Right  against  the  mouth  of  Pacomtuck 
Rivei',  called  Mantahelas,  To  have  and  to  Hold  all  ye  sd  Land  from  ye  Grt  River 
six  miles  out  into  ye  woods  Eastward  to  Robt.  Bultwood,  John  Hubbard,  Jos. 
Kellogg,  it  Thos.  Dickinson,  to  them,  their  heirs  &  assigns,  forever,  &  in  witness 
thereof  subscribed  his  hand  and  seal  this  17th  April,  1U74. 

"The  mark  of  Squiske.ig;  X.     [se.\.l.] 
"  In  presence  of  us, 

"John  Pynchon. 

"Jos.  I.  T.  TuoM.is,  his  X  mark." 

Exactly  when  settlements  were  tir.-?t  made  cannot  be  stated, 
for  the  proprietors'  records  have  been  lost,  but  it  seems  a  pretty 
well-established  fact  that  there  were  settlements  upon  the  tract 
previous  to  the  opening  of  Kini;j  Philip's  war.  in  1675. 

By  reason  of  the  presence  of  numerous  swamps  the  place 
was  known  as  "Swampfield,"  and  this  name  was  retained 
until  the  incorporation  of  Sunderland. 

There  is  now  no  clew  to  the  names  of  the  earliest  settlers, 
but  the  fact  that  descendants  of  John  Hubbard  (one  of  the 
original  grantees)  are  still  living  in  Sunderland  indicates 
that  Hubbard  was  a  pioneer.  A  local  historian  concludes  that 
the  first  settlement  was  made  in  1673,  on  the  site  now  occupied 
by  Sunderland  village.  If  so,  the  settlement  was  broken  up 
when  Philip  opened  hostilities  in  1675;  the  settlers  fled  to 
Hadley,  and  the  place  formerly  known  as  Swampfield  relapsed 
again  into  a  wilderness,  which  it  continued  to  be  during  all  the 
succeeding  years  of  Indian  warfare,  until — the  close  of  Queen 
Anne's  war  reviving  the  peaceful  era — steps  were  taken  in 
1713  looking  to  a  resettlement.  A  petition  to  the  General 
Court  by  certain  inhabitants  of  Hadley  for  this  purpose  re- 
sulted in  the  passage  of  the  following  : 

86 


'*  Anno  Uffjni  A»ntx  licgiKfe  Dtiodecimo.  At  a  session  of  the  Great  and  General 
Court  of  Assembly  for  her  Miyesty's  Province  of  Massachusetts  Bay,  held  at  Bos- 
ton npon  Monday',  Fch'y  10,  1713. 

*'  In  Coum:il.  Upon  reading  the  jjetition  of  John  Kellogg,  Isaac  Huhbard, 
and  othci-s,  praying  f»»r  a  resettlement  of  a  village  or  plantation  granted  in  May, 
1073,  northerly  of  Hadley,  formerly  called  Swaniptleld, 

"  Ordered^  that  forasmuch  by  reason  of  the  interruption  given  to  the  settlement 
of  the  within-mentioned  plantation,  gi  anted  in  Slay,  1G73,  by  the  war  and  troubles 
with  the  Indians,  and  desire  of  ye  original  petitioners  and  grantees,  and  also  the 
committee  for  directing  the  same,  since  dead.  The  said  grant  for  a  plantation 
land  is  hereby  revived,  and  Sani'l  Partridge,  John  Pynchon,  and  Samuel  Poiter, 
Ksq.,  are  apiRunted  and  impowered  a  committee  to  receive  ye  challenges  of  all 
persons  to  the  property  and  right  of  land  in  yc  said  plantation,  and  to  enter 
their  names  with  such  ollici-s  as  shall  offer  to  join  with  them  in  settling  of  a 
township  there.  The  names  of  all  to  be  entered  with  the  committee  within  the 
space  of  twelve  months  from  this  time,  giving  preference  to  ye  descendants  of  ye 
original  petitionee  and  grantees.  And  the  said  committee  arc  further  impow- 
ered to  note  ye  place  of  ye  town  upon  small  lots,  so  as  it  may  be  made  defensiljle, 
grant  land  allotments,  order  their  prudentials,  and  what  else  is  necessary  in  es- 
tablishing, receiving,  and  settling  for  the  two  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  land  in 
some  convenient  place,  to  be  in  ye  disposition  of  the  govei-nment.  Provided  al- 
wiues,  That  forty  ftamilies  be  settled  within  three  years  next  coming,  and  that 
they  procure  and  encourage  a  learned  orthodo.x  minister  to  settle  with  them. 
The  town  to  be  called  Swampfield." 

The  proprietors  to  whom  the  renewed  gr,ant  was  issued 
were  39  in  number,  and  nearly  all  residents  of  Hadley  and  Hat- 
field; and  in  April,  1714,  they  signed  an  agreement  making  a 
division  of  the  lands,  providing  for  expenses,  and  agreeing 
further  "  that  ye  town  platt  be  started  from  or  near  a  brook 
above  the  place  where  the  chimneys  are,  running  southward 
in  two  Roes  of  Houses,  with  a  street  of  eight  rods  wide  be- 
twixt said  two  Eoes,  and  the  Home  Lots  to  be  fourteen  rod  at 
front  and  Reer,  and  in  length  as  the  Platt  will  allow  it ;  and 
forty  house  Lotts  to  be  cut  and  Layed,  the  minister's  lot  to 
be  one." 

The  actual  resettlement  of  Swampfield  did  not  take  place 
until  early  in  1715,  and  by  1716  the  larger  part  of  the  39  pro- 
prietors of  tbe  tract  had  become  actual  settleis  thereon.  The 
names  of  the  settlers  who  occu|)ied  the  lots  in  1718  are  given 
as  follows :  Samuel  Graves,  .Joiuilhan  Graves,  Eleazer  Warner, 
Jr.,  Samuel  Harvey,  Luke  Smith,  Philip  Pauton,  William 
Scott,  Isaac  Hubbard,  Benjamin  Barrett,  Joseph  Root,  Jo- 
seph Smith,  Daniel  Smith,  Samuel  Montague,  Daniel  Warner, 
Jr.,  Benjamin  Graves,  Thomas  Harvey,  Jr.,  Samuel  Billings, 
William  Arms,  Simon  Cooley,  Ebenezer  Kellogg,  Stephen 
Crofoot,  Isaac  Graves,  William  Allis,  Samuel  Smith,  Richard 
Scott,  Nathaniel  Dickinson,  Nathaniel  Gunn,  Ebenezer 
Marsh,  Nathaniel  Smith,  Ebenezer  Billings,  Joseph  Field, 
Joseph  Clarj-,  Isaac  Hubbard,  Jr.,  Samuel  Gunn,  Ebenezer 
Billings,  Jr.,  Manoah  Bodman,  Daniel  Russell,  James  Bridg- 
man,  Stephen  Belden,  Jr. 

Of  these,  Ebenezer  Kellogg,  Stephen  Crofoot,  Joseph  Smith, 
Wra.  Arms,  Nathaniel  Dickinson,  Luke  Smith,  Daniel  War- 
ner, and  Samuel  Billings  removed  from  Sunderland  or  died 
previous  to  1740,  and,  leaving  no  descendants  there,  passed 
out  of  the  town's  history. 

When  the  resettlement  was  made,  there  was  no  evidence  of 
the  first  .settlement  save  here  and  there  a  ruined  house.  It  is 
said  that  in  the  fireplace  of  one  of  these  a  basswood-tree  had 
taken  root  and  grown  to  a  foot  in  diameter,  and  that  an 
apple-tree — set  out  by  one  of  the  first  settlers  in  1673 — was 
found  large  and  thrifty  at  the  second  settlement,  and  lived 
until  1850. 

In  17'29  an  additional  grant  increased  the  town's  area  by  a 
tract  on  the  eastern  border  two  miles  wide  and  running  the 
entire  length  of  the  town.  This  made  the  entire  tract  nine 
miles  in  length  and  six  in  width,  embracing  what  is  now  Sun- 
derland, portions  of  the  present  towns  of  Montague  and  Wen- 
dell, and  the  whole  of  the  present  town  of  Leverett. 

The  earliest  settlei-s  in  that  portion  of  Sunderland  now 
within  the  limits  of  Montague  located  there  in  1726.  Their 
names  were  Samuel  Taylor,  Samuel  Harvey,  Richard  Scott, 
Wra.  Allis,  Daniel  Smith,  Nathaniel  Gunn,  Ebenezer  Marsh, 
Josiah  Alvord,  Samuel  and  Emile  Bardwell,  Samuel  Smead, 
Judah  Wright,   David   Balhtrd,   Nathaniel  Tuttle,   Thomas 


682 


HISTORY   OF  THE   CONNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


Nowton,  Simeon  King,  and  the  Kodt,  Barrett,  and  Craves 
i'amilic's. 

Among  tlic  iirst  settlers  in  that  ])orlion  wliieli  is  now  the 
town  of  Leverett  were  Josepli  Hubbard,  Josejili  and  Elisha 
Clary,  Jonathan  Field,  Jonathan  Field  (2d),  Moses  Graves, 
51  OSes  Smith,  Kichard  Montague,  Absalom  Scott,  Stephen  and 
Joseph  Smith,  Jeremiah  Nordbury,  Isaac  Marshall,  and  Solo- 
mon Gould. 

The  first  important  road  through  SundcM-land  was  the  high- 
way from  Northfleld  toHadley,  which  was  probably  laid  out 
as  early  as  1714.  In  1721  there  was  a  road  to  Hunting  HilU, 
and  in  172o  one  "  out  of  the  south  field  with  the  commons  in 
some  convenient  place  in  tlie  lower  division,  and  to  have  it  go 
out  at  the  place  commonly  called  the  horse-path."  There  was 
also  at  this  time  a  road  from  Dry  Brook  to  Stony  Hill.  Of  those 
■who  were  the  pioneers  in  the  second  settlement,  James  Bridg- 
man,  Benjamin  Barrett,  Thos.  Hovey,  and  Joseph  Koot  died 
in  1728,  Samuel  Graves  in  1731,  Joseph  Field  in  1730,  Daniel 
Kussell  in  1737,  Daniel  Smith  in  1740,  Ebenezer  Billings  in 
1745,  Simon  Cooley  in  1740,  Kichard  Scott  in  1750,  Joseph 
Field  (2d)  in  1754,  Deacon  Samuel  Gunn  in  1755,  Benjamin 
Graves  in  1750,  Deacon  Isaac  Hubbard  in  1700,  Isaac  Hub- 
hard,  Jr.,  in  1703,  Manoah  Bodnnin  in  1759,  Deacon  Samuel 
Montague  in  1779,  Deacon  Nathaniel  Smith  in  1799,  aged 
ninety. 

REVOLUTIONARY    REMINISCENCES. 

Capt.  Israel  Hubbard  was  sent  a  delegate  to  the  Provincial 
Congress  in  1774,  and  the  town  placed  on  record  its  approval 
of  the  "  doings"  of  the  Continental  Congress  held  at  Philadel- 
phia, Sept.  5,  1774.  Daniel  Montague  was  sent  to  the  Con- 
gress at  Cambridge  in  1775,  in  which  year  also  the  town 
stocked  up  with  powder,  and  agreed  to  allow  Minute-Men  l.s. 
Gd.  per  day  for  three  days,  to  be  spent  "  in  learning  the  art  of 
exercising  the  firelock,"  and  the  town  agreed  also  to  pay  the 
same  price  per  day  for  four  days  more,  provided  the  Minute- 
Men  applied  themselves  to  the  business,  and  if  not  they  should 
have  no  pay.  Further  provision  was  made  that  if  the  men 
should,  after  spending  their  time  in  training,  refuse  to  serve 
in  the  business  for  which  they  enlisted,  they  should  receive  no 
wages.  A  training-master  was  hired  at  an  expense  of  £1  !js. 
for  one  day  each  week,  and  an  appropriation  was  also  made  to 
pay  for  the  services  of  a  drummer. 

In  1775,  Israel  Hubbard  was  the  delegate  to  the  Congress  at 
Watertown,  and  the  town  committee  of  correspondence  con- 
sisted of  Jedediah  Clark,  Daniel  Montague,  Deacon  Field, 
Stephen  Scott,  and  Daniel  Hubbard.  Dr.  Moses  Gunn,  who 
was  a  representative  in  1774,  received  for  his  services  £3  14s. 
4d.  In  1775  the  Lexington  alarm  found  Sunderland  eager  to 
spring  to  the  rescue.  Troops  were  sent  forward,  and  directly 
thereafter  the  town  voted  "that  we  are  willing  to  do  some- 
thing for  our  soldiers  who  have  gone  forth  to  defend  our 
rights  and  privileges,  and  that  we  send  provisions  to  them." 

In  1777,  Israel  Hubbard  was  chosen  representative,  and  in- 
structed as  follows : 

"  Sir,  Taking  into  our  consideration,  in  tliis  important  crisis,  the  critical  situa- 
tion of  our  bleeding  country,  on  the  account  of  our  Domestic  Enemies,  we  do 
think  it  our  duty  to  instruct  you  to  move  early  in  tliis  session  of  tlie  Great  and 
General  Court  that  they  send  out  a  proper  test  or  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  State, 
to  discover  our  Enemies  from  our  Friends,  so  explicit  that  we  may  discern  them, 
and  that  sometliing  be  done  to  prevent  the  undervaluingof  our  Paper  Currency; 
and  as  to  setting  up  Government,  that  you  take  Common  Sense  for  your  Guide, 
more  especially  that  paragraph  cited  from  Draco, — i.e.,  Thttt  he  tihatl  merit  the  tip- 
pUnme  of  wjes  that  icill  contrive  the  (freatest  deijree  of  imUt'iduol  hapiiiuess  with  the  leaH 
expense;  and  that  we  presume  will  not  bo  in  having  two  houses,  the  one  to 
negative  the  other." 

The  representative  chosen  in  1778  was  instructed  as  follows : 

"  Voted  that  upon  hearing  the  articles  of  Confederation,  together  with  the 
advice  of  the  General  Assembly,  we  will  give  our  Representatives  instructions  in 
that  alTair,  taking  into  consideration  the  expediency  of  a  Confederation  and 
union  of  the  free  States  of  Anu;rica;  think  that  the  necessity  for  sncli  union 
was  never  greater  or  more  evident  than  at  this  day.  Doth  not  our  Salvation 
depend  upon  ilV  All  the  whole  world  wiUiout  this  cannot  save  us,  but  with  it 
we  may  lie  siUc  without  the  assistance  of  any.     We  think  it  a  matter  of  great 


importance  that  our  country  should  he  saved,  and  union  is  the  means  of  safety. 
Compact  the  bond  of  union,  and  this  may  be  the  means  of  preventing  any  fartlier 
attack,  and  our  greater  security  against  them  is  made  ;  for  to  be  in  preparation 
for  defence,  is  defence.  Tliis  will  secure  against  falling  to  pieces,  and  it  is  the 
best  guard  against  the  seeds  of  discord  anil  corruption  our  enemies  would  sow 
among  us;  whereas  to  neglect  the  necessary  means  of  otn-  safety  is  to  invito 
distraction  and  ci  imitially  expose  ourselves  to  its  ravages.  We  therefore  instruct 
you,  Sir,  that  you  use  your  influence  tlnit  tlie  Legislature  of  this  State  authorize 
tlieir  Delegates  in  Congress  of  the  United  States  to  ratify  the  said  thirteen 
artitdes." 

In  1779  six  soldiers  were  wanted  for  "Claverack,"  and  40.s. 
a  month  were  offered  each  man,  in  wheat  at  4s.,  Indian  corn 
at  2s.,  and  the  soldiers  were  under  this  agreement  to  return 
their  State's  wages  to  the  town.  About  this  time  a  bounty  of 
£00  was  paid  to  Joseph  Martehaul,  Jr.,  John  Tuttel,  and 
Eben  Whitney  for  enlisting.  In  1780  nine  six  months'  men 
were  called  for,  and  for  them  the  town  otfered  per  man  £300 
bounty,  and  £3  in  silver  or  gold  per  month,  or  wheat,  rice, 
Indian  corn,  or  neat  cattle  at  silver-money  price,  the  town  to 
draw  the  men's  wages.  Eleven  six  months'  men  were  paid 
£2100  bounty,  and  eight  three  months'  men  were  paid  a 
bounty  of  £1.50  per  man,  with  £1  per  month  in  addition  to 
the  ]iay  from  the  State. 

In  1780  three  horses  were  ordered  by  the  General  Court,  and 
the  town  raised  £4000  to  buy  Continental  beef.  Six  men  were 
raised  early  this  year,  and  then  the  town  resolved  to  inquire 
how  other  towns  procured  soldiers,  and  to  see,  also,  if  other 
towns  in  the  county  were  willing  to  call  a  county  convention. 

In  1781  the  town  consulted  with  six  men  who  had  enlisted, 
about  their  taking  neat  cattle  as  part  of  their  wages.  At  this 
time  the  common  rate  of  exchange  was  one  dollar  in  silver  for 
seventy-five  Continental  dollars.  In  1782,  40s.  per  month 
($10)  and  a  pair  of  shoes  were  offered  per  man  for  soldiers. 

Sunderland  was  opposed  to  the  war  of  1812,  and,  upon 
selecting  Simeon  Ballard  as  a  delegate  to  the  anti-war  con- 
vention at  Northampton,  adopted  the  following: 

"  That,  consideling  the  present  state  of  public  affairs,  the  town  sincerely  dep- 
recates war  with  Great  Britain,  as  it  will  necessarily  bring  us  into  an  alliance 
with  France,  wliich  wo  wish  to  avoid  as  one  of  the  greatest  national  calamities." 

Among  those  who  were  drafted  into  the  service  from  Sun- 
derland in  1814  were  Leslie  Clark,  Levi  Boutwell,  Lieut. 
Thomas  Fields,  Kansom  Bice,  Elijah  Hubbard,  and  Asahel 
Eice.  The  last  of  the  above  to  die  was  Levi  Boutwell,  whose 
death  occurred  in  Leverett  in  1878. 

NOTEWORTHY    INCIDENTS. 

Although  Sunderland  was  not  called  upon  to  suffer  seriously 
from  Indian  depredations  during  the  wars  that  raged  between 
the  years  1722  and  1700,  yet  the  proximity  of  the  town  to  the 
scenes  of  warfare  excited  within  the  breasts  of  the  inhabitants 
dire  apprehensions,  and  called  for  the  exerci.se  of  strict  pre- 
cautionary and  defensive  measures. 

In  July,  1722,  it  was  resolved  to  divide  the  town  into 
three  parts,  each  of  which  was  to  make  a  fort  for  defense 
against  the  enemy.  The  people  were  also  called  upon  to  take 
turns  in  watching  and  warding,  and  many  were  also  detailed 
to  do  scout  duty.  Besides  these  forts  ordered  by  the  town, 
many  houses  were  "forted"  by  the  individual  owners  thereof. 
Alarms  were  frequent,  and,  as  inay  be  imagined,  the  constant 
dread  and  expectation  of  Indian  attacks  interrupted  and  sorely 
disorganized  the  home  pursuits  of  the  settlement. 

In  1724  an  eti'ort  was  made  to  obtain  a  garrison  to  protect 
the  town,  but  without  success.  A  good  many  of  Sunderland's 
citizens  were  engaged  in  the  campaigns  against  the  Indians, 
among  them  being  Stephen  Ashley,  Stephen  Scott,  Matthew 
Scott,  William  Scott,  Jonathan  Field,  Jonathan  Warner,  Jon- 
athan Bridgman,  Huniphrej'  Hobbs,  Samuel  Graves,  Eli  Scott, 
Samuel  Gunn,  and  Nathaniel  Montague,  the  latter  being 
killed  in  battle  at  Lake  George,  Aug.  7,  1757. 

Swampfield's  first  blacksmith  was  Samuel  Billings,  who  set- 
led  in  1718,  in  response  to  an  offer  of  a  lot  fourteen  rods  wide 
as  an  inducement.     The  first  child  born   in  SwanipficUl  was 


ALHKRT   MONTAGUE. 

The  Montagues  iirc  of  French  ancestry, 
and  arodRflcendod  from  Richard  Montncue, 
who  canio  to  this  country  almnt  tho  year 
\M0  and  settled  in  WetherfifieUl,  Conn. 
From  thnt  jilace  hinme  membei-s  of  the 
family  removed  to  ITadley,  Mass.,  and 
thence  to  Sunderland.  There  is  a  tnulitioii 
that  the  name  of  Montapne,  or  Jir"»/(c«T, 
oriEinated  with  a  French  cenornl  who 
won  a  great  battle  on  the  plains  of  Monti- 
cnle,  and  thereafter  received  the  name, 
which  in  course  of  time  has  been  changed 
to  its  present  form. 

Albert,  eldest  child  of  Tra  and  Tabitlia 
Montague,  was  burn  in  Sunderland,  Frank- 
lin Oo„  Mass..  on  the  '2<l  of  October,  1822. 
Paniel  Montague,  his  grandfather,  was 
alBO  a  native  of  that  town,  and  died  there 
at  the  age  of  eighty-two.  Ilia  wife  lived 
to  the  great  age  of  ninety-three. 

Ira  Montague  was  born  on  the  7th  of 
Jatuiary,  1787,  and  died  March  5,  isn.^i. 
He  was  a  man  of  sterling  qnalities,  and 
tool;  an  active  part  in  prumotiTig  the  best 
interests  of  the  town  mid  community. 

He 'married  on  the  18th  of  October, 
181f>,  Tabitha,  daughter  of  Pencon  Eli- 
jah Hubbard,  of  Siindcrbmd.  She  was 
born  on  the  '2Vith  of  September,  1791.  and 
died  Oct.  \2,  1849.  To  them  were  born 
three  children,  of  whom  tlie  only  sun'ivor 
is  the  sul'ject  of  this  sketch. 

He  received  an  excellent  common-school 
and  academic  education,  and.  during  his 
minority,  also  spent  a  part  of  Ihe  time  in 
working  upon  liis  fatlier's  farm.  When 
he  reached  his  majority  he  commenced 
teaching  school ;  continued  it  three  years, — 
teaching  during  the  winter  months,  while 
the  remainder  of  the  year  was  employed 
in  farm  labor. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-fnur  he  took  charge 
of  the  paternal  estate,  and  received  one- 
half  of  the  proceeds  therefrom,  until  the 


dJ^/^^^^y^^  •^^' 


decease  of  his  father.  He  then,  after  pay- 
ing off  the  legacies,  came  into  possession 
of  the  property. 

In  1865  he  Bold  the  farm  and  removed 
to  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  where  he  entered  the 
wholesale  glassware  trade.  He  remained 
in  that  city  two  years,  and,  at  the  expira- 
tion of  that  time,  disposed  of  his  intereet 
in  the  business  and  returned  to  Sunder* 
land,  where  he  has  since  resided,  employed 
in  agricultural  pursuits. 

Ho  has  been  identified  with  the  beet 
interests  of  the  community;  has  held 
nearly  every  elective  town  office,  and,  in 
1874,  represented  his  district  in  the  LegiB- 
lature.  He  is  now  chairman  of  the  board 
of  selectmen,  of  which  he  has  been  a 
member  for  many  years.  For  a  period  of 
twenty  years  he  has  been  trial-justice  and 
justice  of  the  peace  ;  has  held  the  position 
of  special  county  commissioner  one  term, 
and  other  offices  too  numerous  to  mention. 
Mr.  Montague  takes  an  active  interest  in 
agricultiiral  subjects,  and  is  in  fact  one  of 
the  most  enterprising  and  progressive  men 
of  the  town.  He  is  also  a  mend:)er  of  the 
Congregational  Society,  and  has  always 
I'een  a  firm  supporter  of  the  ordinances  of 
tliat  Church. 

He  wMs  married  on  the  8th  of  April, 
1847,  to  Lucinda,  daughter  of  Levi  Wil- 
der, of  Wendell,  and  by  this  union  had 
one  son  and  two  daughters.  The  latter 
only  are  living.  They  are  Abide  T.  and 
Emma  L. 

Mrs.  Montague  died  on  the  Istof  Octo- 
ber, 1805, 

Mr.  Montague's  second  wife  is  Sarah  P., 
daughter  of  Eleazer  Warner,  of  Sunder- 
land, by  whom  he  has  had  three  children, 
viz.:  Fannie  (deceased),  Ida  V.,  and  Albert 
I.  Mr.  ^lontagup  was  largely  instrumen- 
tal in  the  building  of  the  Sunderland 
bridge  across  the  Connecticut  River,  nnd 
was  for  many  years  director  and  trustee  of 
the  bridge  corporation. 


ifiiigJin)^ja'aLg  ©i?"  ihhu^ 


HISTORY  OF   FRANKLIN   COUNTY. 


683 


Ebenezer,  son  of  Jonathiin  Graves,  who  was  born  Sept.  10, 
1717,  and  died  hi  1813,  aged  ninety-six.  The  first  death  is 
supposed  to  have  been  that  of  Pliilip  Pauton,  wlio  was  killed 
by  the  fall  of  ji  tree  in  171.5. 

There  was  probably  a  mill  of  some  kind  at  Swampfield  dur- 
ing; the  first  settlement,  for,  under  date  of  1690,  Maj.  Pynchon 
referred,  in  a  letter,  to  the  fact  that  Indian  tracks  had  been 
discovered  about  "old  Swampfield  Mill."  Where  this  mill 
stood  cannot  be  stated.  In  171-5,  Daniel  Beaman  and  others, 
of  Decrlield,  put  up  a  saw-mill  on  Saw-ilill  Brook  (probably 
in  what  is  now  Montague).  In  1721,  Philip  Smith,  of  Had- 
lej',  built  a  grist-mill  at  the  upper  end  of  Little  Meadow. 
Several  mills  were  authorized  in  1722  and  172.5.  Manoah 
Bodman  and  others  built  a  saw-mill  on  Slatestone  Brook. 

There  was  a  dog  law  in  17.30,  which  provided  that  "  if  any 
man  can  find  a  dog  forty  rods  from  his  master  and  kills  hira, 
the  town  will  pay  the  damages  and  bear  the  man  ovit  in  said 
act,  if  it  can  be  recovered  by  law." 

The  first  physician  in  the  town  was  Dr.  Joseph  Lord,  who 
settled  in  1728,  and  after  him,  previous  to  1780,  came  Drs. 
Samuel  Blodgett,  Samuel  Ware,  and  Benjamin  Dickinson. 

The  first  tavern  was  kept  in  17-32,  by  Simon  Cooley.  Capt. 
Fellows  Billings  kept  tavern  from  1737  to  1770,  on  the  south 
side  of  Middle  Lane.  Richard  Montague,  Capt.  Israel  Hub- 
bard, David  Hubbard,  Samuel  Blodgett,  John  Clary,  and 
Moses  Billings  were  innholders  during  the  eighteenth  cen- 
tury. "Capt."  Billings  must  have  fallen  into  disfavor  in 
177G,  for  in  that  year  the  inhabitants  voted  that  he  should 
not  hold  the  employment  of  innholder  in  the  town  any  longer. 

In  17tjl,  Benjamin  Farrand  was  paid  16js.  forgoing  to  "ye 
committee  of  war  at  Rhode  Island  to  get  money  to  pay  the 
charges  of  a  sick  soldier  who  died  here."  In  1702,  4.s.,  lawful 
monej',  was  the  price  of  "a  middling  load  of  wood."  In 
1763  it  was  voted  to  give  fathers  and  sons  liberty  "  to  put 
their  heads  and  estates  together  and  draw  lots  together  on  the 
plain  east  of  the  south  field."  A  meeting  in  1772  was  ad- 
journed "to  meet  Miinday  next,  at  Son  one  our  high."  In 
177-5  a  committee  was  chosen  to  collect  whatever  specie  the 
inhabitants  might  wish  to  give  for  the  poor  people  of  Boston. 
In  1777  it  was  voted  that  "no  person  shall  take  the  infection 
of  the  small-pox  by  inoculation  unless  leave  be  obtained  from 
the  selectmen." 

A  ferry  across  the  Connecticut  at  Sunderland  was  estab- 
lished as  early  as  1719,  but  who  managed  it  is  not  known. 
Simon  Coolej-  and  Noadiah  Leonard  were  authorized  to  keep 
a  ferry  in  1777,  and  directh'  thereafter  Sergt.  Farrand,  setting 
up  an  unauthorized  opposition  ferry,  was  w-arned  by  the  town 
"  to  take  his  bote  out  of  the  river  and  to  desist  from  ferring, 
and  if  he  refused  to  do  so,  that  he  must  abide  the  consequences." 

The  first  vote  taken  by  the  town  for  Governor — so  the 
records  seem  to  show — was  in  1780.  In  1784,  upon  the  close 
of  the  Revolution,  money  must  have  been  scarce,  since  the  town 
voted  to  receive  grain  in  payment  for  taxes.  Jonathan  Gard- 
ner was  a  pauper  in  179.5,  and,  although  his  son  took  care  of 
him,  the  town  had  to  pay  him  for  doing  it.  A  vote  taken  in 
a  town-meeting  in  1797  notes  the  fact  that  it  was  resolved  "to 
build  a  cage  to  keep  Caleb  Billings  in,"  but  of  what  Caleb  had 
been  guilty  no  mention  is  made.  In  1800  it  was  an  established 
town  ordinance  that  "if  any  geese  infliet  any  damage  upon 
any  man's  property  a  committee  shall  be  appointed  to  appraise 
the  damage,  and  if  the  owner  of  said  geese  shall  refuse  to  pay 
for  said  damage,  the  person  suffering  the  damage  shall  take  as 
many  geese  as  shall  satisfy  him." 

An  important  event  in  the  history  of  the  town  was  the 
meeting  in  Sunderland  village,  Aug.  2.5,  1873,  of  the  Paeomp- 
tuck  ^'all(.y  Memorial  Association,  on  the  occasion  of  the  two 
hundredth  anniversary  of  the  first  settlement  of  the  territory 
now  occupied  by  the  town  of  Sunderland.  The  ceremonies  of 
the  day  consisted  of  addresses,  singing,  social  entertainments, 
and,  at  the  end,  a  grand  picnic  and  banquet. 


The  oldest  structure  in  the  town  is  supposed  to  be  the  rear 
portion  of  the  dwelling  occupied  at  present  (1879)  by  Mr.  A. 
C.  Delano,  in  Sunderland  Street.  This  was  a  part  of  the 
dwelling  erected  in  Sunderland,  in  1717,  for  the  first  minister. 
Rev.  Joseph  Willard,  and  upon  the  site  it  now  occupies,  the 
lot  being  known  from  the  earliest  settlement  as  the  Minister's 
Lot. 

A  mail  was  established  through  Sunderland  in  181.5,  and 
William  Delano  appointed  the  first  postmaster.  John  Mon- 
tague and  HoracevW.  Taft  were  noted  men  in  Sunderland  in 
their  time.  The  fonnier  represented  the  town  in  the  General 
Court  frequently,  and  served  also  as  town  clerk  for  thirty- 
three  consecutive  years,  from  1782  to  1815.  Mr.  Taft  was 
often  chosen  representative,  and  was  also  town  clerk  for  fifty 
years,  from  1815  to  18-52,  and  from  18-53  to  1866. 

ORGANIZ.^TIOX. 

At  the  Maj'  session  of  the  General  Court,  in  1718,  the  in- 
habitants of  Swampfield  presented  a  petition,  claiming  to  have 
fulfilled  the  conditions  of  their  grant,  asked  for  more  land, 
that  the  reservation  of  2-50  acres  might  be  given  them  to  pro- 
mote a  school,  tln\t  they  might  be  exempted  from  tax  for  five 
years,  and  that  they  might  be  incorporated  as  a  town. 

Nov.  12,  1718,  the  General  Court  ordered  "  that  the  prayer 
of  this  petition  be  so  far  granted  that  the  inhabitants  be  in- 
vested with  the  same  power,  privileges,  authorities  to  order, 
direct,  and  manage  all  the  attairs  of  their  township,  that 
other  towns  are  or  ought  to  be  invested  with,  and  that  the 
committee  be  dismissed  from  the  care  of  them,  with  the 
thanks  of  the  court  for  the  good  and  faithful  service,  .  .  . 
and  that  the  name  of  the  town  be  henceforth  called  Sunder- 
land, and  lies  to  the  county  of  Hampshire." 

The  name  is  supposed  to  have  been  selected  as  an  honor  to 
Charles  Spencer,  earl  of  Sunderland,  then  a  member  of  the 
British  cabinet,  and  in  1718  appointed  to  be  first  lord  of  the 
Treasury. 

In  1774  a  tract  of  land  on  the  east  was  set  off  from  Sunder- 
land and  incorporated  as  the  town  of  Leverett.  Previous  to 
that,  in  17.53,  a  portion  of  the  town's  northern  section  was  set 
off  to  the  new  district  of  Montague.  Below  will  be  found  a 
list  of  persons  who  served  the  town  as  selectmen  and  town 
clerks  from  1719  to  1879  : 

SELECTMEN. 

1719. — Deacon  Hubbard,  Deacon  Gunn,  Ens.  Billings,  Joseph  Clary,  Thomas 

Hovey. 
1720. — Deacon  Hubbanl,  Deacon  Gunn,  Joseph  Koot,  Ricb'd  Scott,  Simon  Cooley. 
1721. — Deacon  Hubbard,  .Samuel  Guun,  Sr.,  Joseph  Root,  Lieut.  Billings,  Simon 

Cooley. 
1722. — Deacon  Hubbard,  Samuel  Gunn,  Sr.,  Capt.  Field,  Samuel   Graves,  Sr., 

Joseph  Clary. 
1723. — De.icon  Hubbard,  Samuel  Guun,  Sr.,  Capt.  Field,  Simon  Cooley,  Joseph 

Koot. 
1724. — Deacon  Hubbard,  Samuel  Graves,  Sr.,  Capt.  Billings,  Samuel  Harvey, 

Joseph  Koot. 
1725. — Deacon  Hubbard,  E.  Billings,  .Jr.,  Samuel  Gunn,  Joseph  Dickinson,  Joseph 

Field,  Jr. 
1726. — Joseph  Clarj-,  Capt.  Billings,  Samuel  Gunn,  Joseph  Root,  Nathaniel  Gunn. 
1727. — Deacon  Hubbard,  Simon   Cooley,  Samuel  Gnnn,  Joseph  Root,  Daniel 

Warner. 
1728. — Deacon  Hubbard,  Simon  Cooley,  Ebeu  Billings,  Nathaniel  Gunn,  Joseph 

Field,  Jr. 
1729. — Deacon   Hubbard,  Deacon   Gunn,  Daniel  Warner,  Daniel   Russell,  Ben 

Graves. 
1730. — Richard  Scott,  Joseph  Dickinson,  Samuel  Mont<ague. 
1731. — Deacon  Hubbard,  Joseph  Field,  Jr.,  Samuel  Smith. 
1732. — Deacon  Gunn,  Samuel  Montague.  Daniel  Russell. 
1733. — Deacon  Hubbard,  Benjamin  Graves,  Nathaniel  Smith. 
1734. — Richard  Scott,  Daniel  Warner,  Manoah  Bodman, 
1735. — Deacon  Hubbard,  Ens.  Cooiey,  Lieut.  Field. 
1736. — Samuel  Jlonlague,  Daniel  Russell,  Jonathan  Field. 
1737. — Joseph  Dickinson,  Manoah  Bodnnin,  Sergt.  Field. 
1738. — Samuel  Gnnn,  Richard  Scott,  Jonathan  Field. 
1739. — Joseph  Dickinson,  Maiioah  Bodman,  Sanmel  Montague. 
1740. — Ebenezer  Billings,  Manoah  Bodman,  William  Allis. 
1741. — Joseph  Dickinson,  Nathaniel  Smith,  Deacon  Montague. 
1712.— Richard  Scott,  Samuel  Smith,  Danird  Hubbard. 


6S4 


HISTORY   OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


1743, — Deacon  Montngiie,  Nathanii-l  Smith,  Isaac  HuMiarJ,  Jr. 

1744.— .Fo-sepli  Diokiiiwiii,  Di-acnn  Kirld,  Isaac  Hulilianl,  Jr. 

1746. — Joseph  Diikitisoij,  Nathaniel  Smith,  Daniel  Ilnbbard. 

174G. — Poactm  I-'icM,  Capt,  aiontayue,  iBiuac  Iliibhant. 

1747. — Deajoii  Rluntagiie,  Natliauiel  Smith,  IV-Uuws  CillingB. 

1748. — Samncl  Smith,  Eu.«.  FieUl,  John  Giinn. 

1749. — Isiuic  Iluhharil,  Saunicl  Blontague,  KriB.  Field,  Joseph  Root,  .lolm  Gunn. 

1750. — Daniel  Hubbard,  Samuel  Hontagne,  Nathaniel  Smith, Simeon  King,  John 

Giinn. 
1751. — Daniel  Ilubbanl,  Fellows  Billinipj,  Jonathan  Field,  John  Clary,  .losepli 

U.Kit. 

1752. — David  nubbard,  Capt.  Uronlaglle,  Simeon  King,  .John  Clary,  Joseijh  Root. 
175:J, — Daniel  Hubbard,  lieaeon   Smith,  Simeiui   King,  Simon  Cooley,  Joseph 

BiMt. 

1754. — Daniel  Hubbard,  Capt.  Field,  Deacon  Jlontague. 

1755. — Daniel  llubliard,  Deaeou  Smith,  DeaiMUi  Blontague. 

175G. — Panltd  Hubbard,  Deacon  Smith,  John  tninn. 

1757. — hieut.  Billings,  Simon  Cooley,  .lohu  tiunn. 

\~'>S. — ('apt.  Field,  Daniel  Hubbard,  Simon  Cooley,  John  Clar;',  John  Gunn. 

1759. — Capt,  Field,  Daniel  Hubbard,  Moses  Billings,  J.  Clary,  John  Gunn. 

1760. — Ijicut.  Billings,  Abner  Cooley,  Mosey  Billings,  J.  Clary,  Jonathan  Rnffiell. 

1701. — Dtracon  Smith,  John  Gunn,  .loiin  Clary. 

1702. — Daniel  BIttntague,  De:»?on  Smith,  Israel  Hubbard,  Mofli.?s  Billings,  John 

Clary. 
170;i. — ^Simon  Cooley,  Moses  Billings,  J,  Clary. 
17l"4. — Simon  Cooley,  I.  Hubbard,  Daniel  Montague, 
1765. — Simon  Cooley,  I.  Hubbard,  .Joseph  Field. 
17GG. — Simiui  Cooley,  I.  Hni>bar(l,  .btscph  Clary, 

1707. — Jedcdi.di  Clark,  Simon  Cooley,  I.  Hnbbard,  Moses  Billings,  John  Clary. 
1708-69,— Jcdediah  Clark,  Simon  Cooley,  I.  Hubbard. 

1770. — Abner  Cooley,  Simon  Coolej',  I.  Hnbbani,  Daniel  Montague,  John  Clary. 
1771. — Joseph  Field,  Simon  Cooley,  I.  Hubbard,  Joseph  Clsu-y,  John  Clary. 
1772. — Joseph  Field,  Simon  Cooley,  I.  Hubbard,  Closes  Graves,  John  Clary. 
177:i. — Josc'lih  Field,  Simon  Cooley,  I.  Hnbbard,  Caleb  Montiigue,  John  Clary. 
1774-75. — Simon  Cooley,  Phineas  Gi-aves,  Elish.a  Smith. 
1776. — Simon  Cooley,  Capt.  Hubbard,  Lieut.  Montague. 
1777. — Simon  Cooley,  Capt.  Hubbard,  Capt.  Montague. 

1778.— Capt.  Hubbard,  Simon  Ooolcy,  Deacon  Field,  Klisha  Smith,  En.s.  Strong. 
1779.— GUes    Hubbard,  Jedcdiah    Clark,  Phineas  Graves,  Noah   Baker,  Capt. 

Leonard. 
1780.- C:apt.   Hubbard,  Jcilciliah   Clark,  Phineas   Gjuvcs,  Simon   Cooley,  Giles 

Ifubhanl. 
1781. — Caleb  Jliuitague,  Jede.liah  Clark,  Phineas  Cbaves,  Capt.  Lejnard,  Giles 

Hnbbard. 
1782. — John  Montague,  Jeilediah  Clark,  Phineas  Graves,  Capt.  Leonard,  Giles 

Hnbbard. 
1783. — John  Montague,  Jedcdiah  Clark,  Capt.  Unbliard,  Capt.  Leoinird,  CJiles 

Hubbard, 
1784-87. — John  Jlontagne,  Phineas  Graves,  Giles  Hnbbard, 
1788, — John  Montague,  Ebenezer  Barnaid,  Giles  Hulibard. 
1789-90, — John  Blontague,  Samuel  Church,  Giles  Hnbbard, 
1791, — John  Montagne,  Capt,  Field,  Eleazer  Warner. 
1702-93,— Giles  Hnbbard,  John  Sloutague,  Sclah  Graves. 
1794, — Giles  Hubb.ard,  Lieut.  Cooley,  Eleazer  Warner. 
1795-96, — Selah  Graves,  Lieut.  Cooley,  Eleazer  Warner. 
1797-98.— Selah  C;raves,  Giles  Hubbal-d,  Ele.axer  Wai-ner. 
1799-1803.— John  Montague,  Giles  Hubbard,  Eleazer  Warner. 
1803. — Benjamin  Gravea,  Giles  Hnbbard,  Capt.  Graves. 
1801-5. — John  Montagne,  Giles  Hnbbard,  Capt,  Graves. 
1800,— Selah  Graves,  Giles  Hubbanl,  Doctor  Church. 
1807.— Capt.  Graves,  Giles  Hubbiud,  Dr.  Church. 
1808.— Capt.  Graves,  Capt.  Ballard,  Maj.  Hnbbard. 
1809.— Capt.  Graves,  Ciipt.  Ballard,  Dr.  Church. 
1810.— John  MoEitague,  Capt.  Balliird,  Dr.  Church. 
1811.— Capt.  Graves,  Capt.  Ballard,  Elisha  Hubbard. 
1812,— Col.  Hunt,  Capt.  Ballard,  Elisha  Hubbard. 
1813.— Capt.  Graves,  Capt,  B;ill,aril,  Elisha  Hubbard. 
1814.— Elisha  Alexander,  C-ipt.  Ballard,  Dr.  Church. 
1815,- iilisha  Alexander,  Q>pt,  Ballard,  Ciileb  Uubbarii. 
1816,- Elisha  Hubbard,  Capt.  Billiard,  CaWi  Hubbard, 
1817.— Elisha  Hubbard,  Capt.  Ballard,  Daniel  Montague. 
1818, — Elisha  Hubbard,  Daniel  Montague,  Nathaniel  .Smith. 
1819-20.— Simeon  B.allard,  William  Delano,  N.  Smith, 
1821-22,— Fjastus  Graves,  William  Delano,  JIartin  llubliard. 
1823-24,— Ei-astus  Graves,  Elisha  Rowe,  Martin  Hnbbard. 
1825. — Erastus  Graves,  Samuel  Puffer,  Elisha  Hubbaid, 
1820-29, — Ei"astus  Giaves,  Elisha  Rowc,  Moses  Montagne. 
1829, — Eiastus  Graves,  Elihu  Rowe,  Cephas  Graves. 
1830. — Erastus  Graves,  Alpheus  Rowe,  Lewis  Puffer. 
1831.— Horace  W.  Taft,  Ashley  Hnbbard,  Cephas  Graves. 
1832.T-Elihu  Rowe,  Ashley  Gr,aves,  Ira  Montague. 
1833, — Erastus  Ponieroy,  Lewis  PuObr,  .Tohu  Blontaguo. 
1834. — Ashley  Graves,  Charles  Cooiey,  John  Montague. 
1835. — Lewis  Puffer,  Ira  Montague,  John  Mont.ague. 
1836. — Phineas  Graves,  Marvin  Graves,  John  Montajjue. 
1837. — Erastus  Pomeroy,  Thonuis  E.  Blunsell,  John  Montaguo. 
1838. — Erastus  Pomeroy,  Cephas  Graves,  John  HQnt,'\gue. 
1839.— Elihu  Chirk,  Stephen  Gunn,  Marvin  Graves, 


1840.— Cephas  Graves,  .\ustin  Smith,  Levi  Warner. 
1841.- CSark  Rowe,  Charles  Whitman,  L.  Warner. 
1842.- Moses  Hnbbard  (2d),  Timothy  Graves,  L.  Warner. 
1843. — Erastus  Pomeroy,  Timothy  Ciraves,  Stejdien  Gunn. 
1844. — Erastus  Pomeroy,  Timothy  CJraves.  Blartin  Hut>burd. 
1845,— Charles  Whitman,  Marvin  Graves,  J,  R.  Smith. 
1846. — Horace  Henderson,  Austin  Rnssell,  J.  R.  Prouty. 
1847. — Horace  Henderson.  Stephen  Gunn,  .1.  K.  Prouty. 
1848.— Levi  Warner,  Z,  M.  Hunt,  Daniid  D.  Crocker. 
1840. — Levi  Warner,  Lewis  Puller,  R.  E.  Kowe. 
1850. — Erastus  Pomeroy,  Natlumiel  Smith,  Albert  Blont,ague. 
1.S51. — Erastus  Pomeroy,  N.  Smith,  Moses  Hnbliai-d  (2d). 
1.852.— Erastus  Pomeroy,  Stephen  Gunn,  W.  W.  Rnssell. 
185.3.— John  R.  Smith,  Mclzer  Hunt,  N.  A.  Smith. 
1854,— James  B,  Prouty,  R,  E.  Rowe,  S,  D,  Crocker. 
1855,— Ebenezer  Wiley,  W,  W,  Russell,  Samuel  Jenisjn. 
1850,— Albert  Jlontague,  W,  W.  Ku&scll,  J,  31,  Smith, 
1.S57, — Erastus  Pomeroy,  Stcldien  CJunn,  J,  3(,  Smith, 
18.58,— James  B,  Prouty,  Albert  llobart,  J,  BI.  Smith, 
1859,^ohn  It,  Smith,  Nathaniel  Smith,  S,  D,  Crocker. 
1800, — Erastus  Pomeroy,  Nathaniel  Smith,  S.  D,  Crocker. 
1861,— Albert  Jlontague,  J.  R,  Smith,  1>.  D.  Whitniore, 
1862,- Albert  Blontague,  Elihu  Smith,  W.  R,  Warner, 
1863,— Albert  Blontague,  Elihu  Smith,  G.  L,  liatchelder, 
1864, — .\lhert  Blont;igue,  Erastus  Pomeroy,  S.  D.  Crocker, 
1865, — .Mbert  Blontague,  H,  J.  Graves,  Blerrick  Blontague. 
1800.- Eiastus  PouKiroy,  Albeit  Hobart,  L.  P,  Warner, 
1867,— John  R.  Smith,  William  W,  Russell,  George  L,  Cboley. 
1S6S.— Albert  Blontague,  Albeit  Hobart,  L,  P,  Warner. 
1809,— Elihu  Smith,  BI,  A,  Hunt,  E.  P.  Dickinson. 
1870,— John  R.  Smith,  John  Jl,  Smith,  S,  D,  Crocker. 
1871.— J.  B.  Smith,  Albert  Hobart,  Ebenezer  Wiley. 
1872.- W,  L,  Warner,  L,  W,  Fairchild,  D,  D.  Wliitmore. 
1873.— W,  L,  Warner,  L,  W.  Fairchild,  Alden  Graves. 
1874,— W,  L.  Warner,  B,  C,  Darling,  L.  P,  Warner, 
1875. — John  R.  Smith,  B.  C.  Darling,  Ebenezer  Wiley. 
1870-77.— John  It.  Smith,  .Mbert  Jlontague,  Rufus  Smith. 
1878.— Darwin  BI.  Clark,  .\lbort  Montague,  Ed,  BI,  Smith, 

TOWN    CLERKS. 

Samuel  Giiuu,  1719-29;  Joseph  Lord,  1729;  Nathaniel  Gunn,  1730;  Samuel 
Gunn,173I;  Ebenezer  Billings,  Jr.,  1732-;!4;  Isaac  Hnbbard,  1734-40 ;  ,Jonathan 
Field,  1740-43;  Isaac  Hubbard,  1743-17 ;  Daniel  Hubbard,  1747-49  ;  Isaac  Hub- 
bard, 1749-.53;  JohnGunn,  1753-62;  Rich.ard  Montague,  1702-05 ;  Simon  Cooley, 
1765-G9:  William  Billings,  1769-71;  Simon  Cooley,  1771-80;  JededLah  Clark, 
1780-82 ;  John  Blontague,  1782-1815 ;  Horace  W,  Taft,  1815-52 ;  Horace  Lyman, 
1852;  Horace  W,  Taft,  1853-66 ;  John  M,  Smith,  1866-70, 

REPRESENTATIVES   AT   THE   GENERAL   COURT. 

To  1857,  when  Sunderland  became  a  part  of  the  5th  Repre- 
sentative District,  the  town  was  represented  by  the  following 
persons : 

"Nathaniel  Smith,  Er,astus  Graves,  Horace  W.  Taft,  Gardner  Dorrance,  John 
Blontague,  Jedcfhah  Clark,  Horace  Henderson,  Cephas  Graves,  Horace  Hubbard, 
Horace  Ljtniau,  Timothy  Graves,  Elihu  Smith. 

VILL.^GES. 

There  is  but  one  village  in  the  town,  although  there  is  a 
small  settlement  in  the  north  sometimes  called  North  Sunder- 
land. This  village,  which  is  known  as  Sunderland  Street, 
is  the  spot  where  the  earliest  settlers  located,  and  is  prettily 
laid  out  upon  one  broad  and  handsomel_v-shaded  thoroughfare, 
which  faces  the  winding  Connecticut.  At  this  point  the  river 
is  spanned  by  a  fine  iron  bridge,  built  in  1877,  at  a  cost  of 
§21,000,  to  replace  the  wooden  structure  swept  away  by  a 
tiood  in  1876.  The  first  bridge  built  at  this  place  across  the 
Connecticut  was  erected  in  1812.  The  stone  piers  upon  which 
the  present  bridge  rests  cost,  several  years  ago,  upward  of 
?20,000, 

There  is  at  the  Street  a  fine  brick  school  building  (used  for 
a  graded  school,  and  containing  also  the  town-hall),  which  cost, 
in  1867,  about  §20,000,  The  village  has  also  a  store,  hotel, 
church,  and  post-oflice.  The  railway  station  nearest  the 
"Street"  is  at  South  Dcerfield,  on -the  Connecticut  River 
Railroad,  one  and  a  half  iniles  distant  on  the  west.  North 
Sunderland  contains  a  church,  but  neither  post-office  nor  store. 

CHURCHES. 

The  first  evidence  given  of  public  attention  to  ecclesiastical 
matters  was  in  November,  1715,  when  the  proprietors  resolved 
that  "  we  will  be  at  the  cost  of  hiring  a  minister  this  winter. 


LUTHEB  0.  CHITTENDEN. 

Lnther  0.  Chittenden  was  born  in  Lev- 
erett,  Fnuiklin  Co.,  Ma.'^a.,  June  7,  1821. 
Hia  anceators  were  natives  of  England. 
There  were  three  brothers,  who  came  to 
this  country  at  an  early  date.  One  settled 
in  Vermont,  and  was  afterward  governor 
of  that  State;  one  located  in  New  York; 
and  the  other  in  Massachusetts. 

There  is  no  authentic  record  of  theirde- 
Bcendants  until  we  find  Isaac  Chittenden, 
of  Princeton,  Mass.  He  bad  six  children, 
viz.,  Luther,  Isaac,  Desire,  Betsey,  Mary, 
and  Lucy. 

Isa;ic,  the  second  son,  married  Aseneth 
Brewer,of  Wendell.  They  had  no  children. 
He  died  in  Wendell,  in  1822. 

Luther  Chittenden  removed  to  Wendell 
in  1812,  and  was  married,  on  the  19th  of 
May,  1S14,  to  Mary,  daughter  of  Dea.  Elihu 
Osgood.  In  the  spring  of  1819  he  removed 
to  North  Leverett,  where  he  purchased 
three  hundred  or  more  acres  of  land,  built 
a  house  the  same  year,  and  engaged  in  the 
tanning  business.  He  also  had  a  store,  and 
carried  on  his  trade  I'f  chiiir-making, 
sending  his  chairs  to  various  towns  near 
the  Connecticut  River,  and  as  fur  south  as 
Hartford,  Conn.  He  died  at  the  age  of 
thirly-five.  on  the  3d  of  November,  1824, 
of  cinisumption.  occasioned  partly  by  over- 
work. He  had  two  children, — Otis  and 
Luther  O.,  tlie  latter  of  whom  was  but 
little  more  than  three  years  old  at  the 
time  of  his  father's  decease. 

He  lived  on  the  f;irm,  attending  the  dis- 
trict school,  until  sixteen  years  of  age, 
when  he  attended  the  Shelburne  Falls 
Academy  one  year.  In  April,  1848,  he  and 
his  mother  removed  to  Wendell,  and  there 
he  entered  his  brother's  store  as  a  clerk, 
and  remained  with  him  five  years. 

May  29, 1851,  he  waa  married  to  Maria 
E.,  only  daughter  of  Calvin  Davis,  of 
Rindfie,  N.  H.  They  have  one  child, — Ed- 
gar Davis,  born  on  the  10th  of  November, 
1859. 

In  1852,  Mr.  Otis  Chittenden's  store  and 
other  buildings,  with  most  of  their  con- 
tents, were  destroyed  by  fire.  Luther  then 
removed  to  Stmderland,  where  he  has  since 
resided.    He  purchased  the  farm  which  he 


^■^. 


now  owns,  and  erected  hia  residence  and 
other  buildings. 

Mr.  Chittenden  has  been  mainly  engaged 
in  agriculture,  and  has  devoted  his  atten- 
tion more  particularly  to  the  cultivation 
of  tobacco  than  to  other  branches.  He  is 
a  prosperous  and  influential  citizen,  and 
takes  an  active  and  intelligent  interest  in 
educational  subjects,  and  all  other  matters 
pertaining  to  the  general  welfare.  As  a 
man  he  is  respected  by  all  who  know  him. 

Mr.  Chittenden's  mother  resides  with 
him  in  Sunderland.  Her  life  has  extended 
beyond  the  allotted  "threescore  years  and 
ten,"  she  being  now  (March,  1879)  in  her 
eighty-ninth  year. 

OTIS  CHITTENDEN. 

Otis  Chittenden,  eldest  son  of  Luther 
and  Mary  Chittenden,  was  born  in  Wen- 
dell, Franklin  Co.,  Muss.,  on  the  4th  of 
March,  1815,  and  received  a  common-school 
and  acAdeniicjil  education.  His  early  life 
was  spent  chiefly  upon  his  father's  farm. 

In  1842  he  engaged  in  the  mercantile 
business  in  Wendell,  which  he  carried  on 
very  successfully  until  1852,  wlien,  during 
his  absence,  lii.s  buildings  were  destroyed 
by  fire.  He  erected  new  buildings,  and 
remained  in  that  place  until  1857,  when 
he  removed  to  llolyoke,  wherehe  engnged 
in  trade.  After  a  short  residence  in  that 
town  he  located  in  North  Leverett,  where 
he  has  since  resided. 

He  was  postmaster  in  Wendell  about 
seven  years,  and  has  held  that  office  in 
North  Leverett  twenty  years, and  has  also 
been  town  clerk  and  treasurer. 

As  a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church  he 
tiikea  an  active  interest  in  promoting  the 
welfare  of  thnt  society. 

Mr.  Chittenden  was  married,  in  1843,  to 
Sybil  S.  Parmenter,  who  died  in  1862.  By 
this  union  he  had  one  child, — Corrie  M., 
born  on  the  30tli  of  September,  1S44.  In 
1866  he  was  married  to  Harriet  L.  Field, 
of  Greenfield. 

Corrie  M.  Chittenden  was  married,  on 
the  30th  of  May,  1871,  to  Theodore  L. 
Conant,  of  Shelburne.  They  have  two 
children, — Otis  L.  and  Mary  S. 


^^^□[DgS^J©!  ©IF   IL-   ©.   ©[MiafTllFgiDlSa,   glOIKl^liiaiLaffiO©- 


TJ-Z-O^ 


J.ir 


Photo,  by  PopkinB, 


Dr.  Nathaniel  G.  Trow,  one  of  the  oldest  and  most 
prominent  practitioners  of  Franklin  County,  was  born  in 
Wendell,  N.  H.,  on  the  25th  of  July,  1811. 

His  grandfather,  Josiah  Trow,  was  an  Englishman,  and 
took  an  active  part  in  the  French-and-Indian  war,  and 
also  fought  in  defense  of  the  colonies  during  the  Revolu- 
tionary struggle.  His  wife  was  Elizabeth  Weeker,  a  native 
of  Germany,  by  whom  he  had  eight  children,  four  sons  and 
four  daughters.  The  third  son,  Nathaniel,  was  the  father 
of  the  subject  of  this  notice. 

He  was  born  in  Beverly,  Mass.,  on  the  25th  of  October, 
1775,  and  was  married  in'  Salem,  on  the  13th  of  August, 
179!>,  to  Elizabeth  Gilman,  who  was  a  native  of  Portsmouth, 
N.  H.  To  them  were  born  eight  children,  five  sons  and 
three  daughters.     Four  of  the  sons  became  physicians. 

Nathaniel  G.,  the  eldest  son,  pursued  the  usual  elemen- 
tary branches  of  education  in  the  common  schools  of  his 
native  town,  and  was  instructed  in  the  higher  branches  and 
the  classics  in  the  Cunnington  Academy,  from  which  he 
graduated  when  twenty-four  years  of  age.  Immediately 
afterward  he  commenced  the  study  of  medicine  under  Dr. 
Kittridge,  of  Hinsdale,  Berkshire  Co.,  Mass.,  and  in  the 
mean  time  also  took  three  full  courses  of  lectures  at  the 
Berkshire  Medical  College,  from  which  he  graduated  in 
1837.  In  the  autumn  of  that  year  he  commenced  the 
practice  of  medicine  in  Buckland,  Franklin  Co.,  Mass., 
where  he  remained  over  thirteen  years.  Then,  exchanging 
practice  with  his  brother  Josiah,  he  removed  to  Sunderland, 
where  he  has  since  resided,  in  the  uninterrupted  and  success- 
ful practice  of  his  profession.  It  is  now  nearly  forty-two 
years   since    lie  commenced  to  practice,  and  during  that 


time  ho  has  earned,  by  his  ability  and  good  judgment,  a 
wide  reputation  as  a  physician  and  surgeon,  and  has  also 
won  a  place  in  the  hearts  of  the  people  as  a  man  of  honor 
and  a  Christian.  His  experience  and  superior  ability  are 
frequently  called  into  requisition  for  counsel,  not  only  in 
questions  of  a  medical  nature,  but  also  in  those  of  public 
and  social  import. 

He  has  never  in  any  way  sought  public  office,  preferring 
to  devote  his  attention  to  other  interests.  The  only  posi- 
tion he  has  held  is  that  of  justice  of  the  peace,  in  which 
capacity  he  served  twenty  years.  He  takes  an  interest  in 
educational  subjects,  and  has  always  endeavored  to  raise 
the  standard  of  our  public  schools.  At  different  times  he 
has  had  under  his  tuition  fourteen  medical  students,  among 
others  his  brothers,  Josiah  and  William  M.  They  have  all 
succeeded  in  their  profession,  and  those  now  living  are  in 
successful  practice. 

Dr.  Trow  has  been  a  member  of  the  Congregational 
Society  forty-eight  years,  and  throughout  his  life,  both  by 
precept  and  example,  has  cast  his  influence  on  the  side  of 
Christianity  and  morality.  In  the  Sunday-school  he  has 
been  a  teacher  for  nearly  half  a  century,  and  in  that  cause 
his  zeal  is  indeed  untiring. 

Dr.  Trow  was  married,  on  the  9th  of  April,  1839,  to 
Catharine,  daughter  of  Alpheus  Brooks,  of  Buckland. 
Their  marital  relations  were  blessed  with  sis  children,  of 
whom  four  died  in  infancy. 

The  only  living  son  is  Dr.  Cornelius  G.  Trow.  He  was 
born  in  Buckland  in  March,  1 847,  and  practices  his  profession 
in  Sunderland,  where  he  is  highly  esteemed.  He  is  married 
to  Genevra,  daughter  of  S.  A.  Shaw,  of  Springfield,  Mass. 


HISTORY  OF  FRANKLIN  COUNTY. 


685 


to  dispense  the  Word  to  those  that  are  removed  hither,  if  one 
can  be  conveniently  procured  on  reasonable  terms."  A  com- 
mittee was  thereupon  appointed  "  to  seek  after  and  procure  a 
minister."  No  record  indicates  that  a  minister  was  procured 
lit  that  time,  and  in  November,  1710,  it  was  voted  "that 
Goodman  Arms  and  Sergt.  Isaac  Hubbard  do  take  a  journey 
to  ye  President  of  ye  College  in  Camhridge,  with  letters  to 
him  to  advise  where  and  whom  they  may  obtain  to  he  a  min- 
ister in  Swampfield  at  Lest  for  this  winter  half-year,  our  said 
Messengers  to  proceed  accordingly,  and  if  no  success  there, 
then  to  come  home  hy  waj-  of  Norwich  to  Mr.  Willard  or 
any  other  likely  man  in  Connecticut,  and  if  possible,  to  hring 
him  home  with  them." 

It  was  in  November,  1716,  also,  that  it  was  resolved  to 
build  a  meeting-house  "thirty  foot  wide  and  forty-five  foot 
long,  and  in  height  eighteen  foot  betwixt  joints."  At  a  meet- 
ing held  June  13,  1717,  it  was  agreed  "  that  all  the  proprietors 
of  Swampfield  shall  appear  early  in  the  morning  the  next 
Tuesday  to  assist  in  raising  the  meeting-house,  or  else  each 
man  that  ahsents  himself  to  pay  the  sum  of  four  shillings  per 
day." 

According  to  this,  therefore,  the  first  meeting-house  was 
erected  June  18,  1717.  It  stood  in  the  Street,  a  little  northeast 
of  where  the  present  Congregational  Church  in  Sunderland 
village  stands.  Shortly  after  this  date.  Rev.  Joseph  Willard, 
of  Norwich,  Conn.,  who  had  doubtless  been  preaching  at 
Swampfield  previously,  was  offered  a  call  to  settle  perma- 
nently, and  he  was  ordained  Jan.  1,  1718,  and  received  for  a 
settlement  the  gift  of  the  minister-lot  and  £170  to  huild  a 
house  thereon.*  His  salary  was  to  be  £G5  a  year  and  his  fire- 
wood. No  mention  is  made  of  there  being  any  difficulty 
between  Mr.  Willard  and  the  town,  hut  he  retired  in  17"21, 
and  removed  to  Kutland,  Mass.,  where,  in  172-3,  he  was  slain 
hy  Indians. 

The  task  of  seating  the  church  to  the  satisfaction  of  every- 
bod3'  was  a  d^fiicult  one,  and  created  no  end  of  complaint  and 
a  vast  deal  of  trouble.  In  1722  it  was  voted  "that  the  house 
be  seated  ;  that  the  (galler}-)  pews  shall  be  esteamed  in  Dignity 
to  be  oipuiU  with  the  third  seate  in  the  Body  of  the  House,  and 
that  the  Kule  which  the  scatters  shall  gow  in  by  seatting  shall 
gow  by  age,  estate,  and  Qualifications."  Until  1737  the  sexes 
were  always  apart  at  the  church  services,^he  women  on  one 
side  the  house,  the  men  on  the  other. 

The  signal  for  calling  people  to  church  in  1734  was  a  flag, 
which  was  hung  outside  the  meeting-house  just  before  the 
holding  of  services.  Widow  Root  was,  in  1734,  employed  to 
"  tend  the  Flagg,"  and  received  for  her  services  that  year  £1 
10s.  The  Widow  Barrett  performed  this  service  in  1736,  and 
in  1744  a  contract  was  made  with  Samuel  Clary,  who  agreed 
"  to  sweepe  the  meeting-house  and  blow  the  Conk-shell  on  the 
Sabbath  for  £2  lOs.  during  that  year."  Later,  Jonathan 
Graves  was  engaged  to  sweep  the  meeting-house  and  beat  the 
drum  each  Sabbath. 

In  17-51  the  town  purchased  a  bell  for  the  church,  and  to 
raise  the  purchase-money  (irdered  the  sale  of  "the  Little  Bog- 
gle Meadow."  It  was  further  voted  "  to  sell  as  much  land  at 
Hunting  Hills  as  will  procure  as  much  money  as  Little  Bog- 
gie  Meadow  fetcheth,  to  be  improved  either  to  the  building  a 
Mceting-House  or  settling  a  Minister  there."  The  bell  was 
placed  in  the  church-tower  in  1754. 

Rev.  Wm.  Kand  began  to  preach  in  Sunderland  in  xVugust, 
1723,  and  in  May,  1724,  was  ordained  as  Mr.  Willard's  suc- 
cessor. He  preached  until  1746,  when — there  arising  between 
him  and  the  town's  people  ditl'erences  touching  the  new  re- 
ligious sentiments  created  by  the  advent  in  New  England  of 
George  Whitcfield — he  resigned  and  removed  to  Kingston, 
where  he  died  in  1779. 


*  Tliis  lot  is  the  first  one  north  of  tlie  Congregational  Church.    The  first  min- 
ister's house  wiLs  the  one  now  occuj^icd  hy  E.  A.  Delano. 


In  December,  1742,  the  town  voted  that  "  we  are  inclined  to 
allow  traveling  preachers  to  preach  among  us;"  and  this,  it 
is  believed,  is  the  rock  upon  which  Mr.  Rand  and  the  town 
split-  Rev.  Joseph  Ashley,  a  native  of  Westficld  and  gradu- 
ate of  Yale,  was  installed  in  November,  1747,  as  Mr.  Rand's 
successor,  and  received  a  settlement  of  £700  and  the  promise 
of  a  salary  of  £240,  all  in  old  tenor. 

In  1761  the  town  authorized  Deacon  Samuel  Montague  "  to 
get  all  the  necessary  work  done,  and  prevent  the  meeting-house 
from  spreading  any  further."  In  1764,  Rev.  Mr.  Ashley's  sal- 
ary was  £-500,  old  tenor,  equiil  to  £66  13s.  Ad.  In  1773  it  was 
voted  by  the  town  to  sequester,  during  the  town's  pleasure, 
for  the  use  of  the  singers,  "  the  two  fore  and  the  two  second 
seats  in  the  front  gallery,  and  the  two  fore  seats  in  the  south 
gallery,  and  the  fore  seat  in  the  lower  tier  and  the  second  seat 
in  the  upper  tier  in  the  north  gallery." 

In  1780  the  town  began  to  look  with  disfavor  upon  Rev. 
Mr.  Ashley,  but  the  cause  of  the  displeasure  is  not  revealed. 
In  that  year  a  committee  was  appointed  to  ask  the  pastor  upon 
what  terms  he  would  desist  from  officiating  in  his  ministerial 
office.  Nothing  seems  to  have  come  of  this  request,  for  Mr. 
Ashley  continued  to  preach  as  formerly ;  but  in  1784,  upon  a 
second  request  to  him  to  desist  from  preaching,  he  answered 
that  he  would  stop  preaching  if  the  town  would  agree  to  give 
him  a  yearly  sum  of  £35  and  30  cords  of  wood  until  another 
minister  should  be  settled,  and  after  that  he  would  take  one- 
half  of  his  agreed  annual  salary  during  the  rest  of  his  life. 
To  this  the  town  refused  to  agree,  and,  after  determining  to 
dismiss  Mr.  Ashley,  a  change  of  resolution  was  eti'ected,  and 
an  agreement  made  to  leave  the  controversy  to  a  church 
council  for  decision. 

Meanwhile,  Mr.  Ashley  sued  the  town  for  salary  which  had 
been  withheld  from  him,  gained  his  suit,  and  then  renewed 
his  oflTer  to  desist  from  preaching,  conditioned  that  he  should 
receive  one-half  his  usual  salary  and  -30  cords  of  wood  yearly. 
The  council  was  not  called,  but  the  matter  was  left  for  settle- 
ment to  an  arbitration,  and,  according  to  the  committee's 
decision,  Mr.  Ashley  refrained  from  preaching,  and  received 
yearly  thereafter  until  his  death,  in  1797,  one-halt'  his  agreed 
salary  and  -30  cords  of  wood. 

The  second  meeting-house  was  built  in  1792,  and  was  sup- 
plied with  a  steeple  and  tower  at  one  end,  a  porch  at  the  other, 
35  windows,  each  containing  40  squares  of  7  by  9  glass,  and  it 
contained  on  the  lower  floor  41  pews. 

Rev.  Asa  Lyon  was  ordained  in  October,  1792,  as  Mr.  Ash- 
ley's successor,  and  was  to  have  a  settlement  of  £200,  a  salary 
of  £80  while  Mr.  Ashley  lived,  and  £90  after  Mr.  Ashley's 
death.  There  was  some  trouble  with  Mr.  Lyon,  and  in 
August,  1793,  it  was  voted  "to  call  a  council  to  determine 
the  immoral  conduct  of  Mr.  Lyon."  He  was  dismissed  in 
October  of  that  year.  After  him.  Rev.  David  H.  Williston 
was  settled  in  1804,  just  previous  to  which  time  the  meeting- 
house tower  was  supplied  with  a  clock  "  with  three  faces." 
Mr.  Williston  preached  two  years,  and  was  succeeded  by  Rev. 
James  Taylor,  who  was  ordained  in  1807,  and  died  while  in 
the  pastoral  office,  in  1831.  His  successors  have  been  the 
Revs.  Henry  B.  Holmes,  Solomon  B.  Ingram,  Austin  Carey, 
Henry  B.  Hosford,  Sereno  D.  Clark,  E.  D.  Root,  David  Peck, 
.and  Wm.  F.  Arms,  the  latter  being  the  pastor  in  charge  in 
1879. 

The  First  Church  has  adhered  steadfastly  to  the  orthodox 
faith,  from  the  date  of  erection  of  the  first  meeting-house,  in 
1717,  to  the  present  time  (1879).  The  second  meeting-house, 
erected  in  1792,  w-as  replaced  in  1835  by  the  present  structure, 
By  a  vote  in  town-meeting  in  1831,  the  church  society  was  in- 
structed to  form  a  parish  separate  from  the  town,  and  the 
measure  was  at  once  carried  into  eflTect. 

There  were  Baptists  in  Sunderland  in  1783,  and  they  objected 
to  paying  the  town  rate  assessed  for  the  minister's  support, 
whereupon  legal  measures  were  brought  to  bear  upon  them ; 


686 


HISTORY  OP  THE  CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


but  they  triumplied  over  the  town,  and  in  1784  it  was  voted 
to  relieve  tlio  Baptists  ol'  the  minister's  rate. 

A  Baptist  C'luirch  was  organized  in  the  north  part  of  the 
town  in  1822,  near  the  Montague  line,  and  was  long  known  as 
the  Sunderland  and  Montague  Baptist  Church.  A  chureh 
edifice  was  built  in  1822,  and  since  that  time  the  society  has 
continued  to  flourish.  Among  the  early  pastors  were  Kevs. 
Hosea  Trumbull,  David  Pease,  Elias  Johnson,  Elijah  Mon- 
tague, Moses  Curtis,  Erastus  Andrews,  L.  W.  Wheeler, 
Lorenzo  Kice,  J.  J).  Donovan,  Artemas  Piper,  Charles  Farrar, 
A.  W.  Goodnow,  and  Samuel  Everett.  The  present  pastor 
(1879)  is  Rev.  J.  Robinson  ;  number  of  i)resent  members,  42. 

PCnOOLS. 

Although  in  their  ]ietition  for  incorporation,  in  1718,  the  in- 
habitants petitioned  for  land  for  school  purposes,  they  took  no 
public  action  concerning  educational  matters  until  December, 
1719,  when  it  was  determined  to  hire  a  schoolmaster  for  the 
winter,  on  condition  that  writers  should  pay  id.  a  week, 
readers  S)/.,  "  the  rest  to  be  paid  by  the  town."  Joseph  Root 
taught  school  in  1721,  1722,  and  172.3,  but  who  preceded  him 
— for  it  is  likelj'  that  there  was  a  teacher  before  him — is  not 
known. 

The  first  school-house  was  probablj'  erected  in  1731,  and  its 
location  "as  near  as  convenient  to  the  middle  of  the  street, 
near  about  the  south  side  of  Capt.  Scott's  home-lot."  This 
school-house,  which  was  destroyed  by  fire  in  1762,  was  used 
until  1749  as  an  exclusive  winter  school,  after  which  date 
summer  schools  came  into  favor.  It  was  located  on  the  Street, 
near  the  road  now  leading  to  the  Sunderland  bridge.  For 
manj'  years  there  was  but  one  school-house  in  the  town,  but 
in  December,  1700,  £4  were  appropriated  for  schooling  in  the 
east  part  of  the  town,  which  is  now  Leverett. 

A  new  school-house — to  succeed  the  one  destroyed  by  fire — 
was  built  in  1703,  and  set  in  the  town  street  north  of  the  meet- 
ing-house, "on  a  certain  heap  of  earth  carried  there,  known 
as  the  monument."  In  1771,  when  Caleb  Billings  taught  the 
school,  it  was  voted  to  build  a  school-house  in  the  east  part 
of  the  town  ;  but  this  vote  was  rescinded,  for  the  reason  that 
one  school  was  thought  to  be  as  many  as  the  town  could  afford 
to  support.  In  1779,  John  Montague  received  $G  a  month  for 
keeping  school  in  the  wiiiter,  and  he  taught,  it  is  said,  as  many 
as  100  scholars. 

In  1791  the  town  was  divided  into  three  school  districts,  the 
first  including  all  north  of  Clay  Brook  ;  the  second,  all  south 
of  Clay  Brook  to  what  is  now  Cold  Spring;  and  the  third, 
all  south  of  the  latter  point.  In  that  year,  too,  the  old  sehool- 
hou.se  was  sold  to  Melzar  Hunt,  at  jiublic  vendue,  for  £2  10s. 
Its  successor,  built  in  1791,  did  duty  in  Sunderland  village  as 
the  shoe-shop  of  Ira  Beaman  until  1875,  when  it  was  taken 
down.  Between  1816  and  1862  the  districts  provided  their 
own  schools,  engaged  teachers,  etc.,  but  in  1862  the  charge  of 
town  schools  passed  to  the  care  of  the  town.  The  first  school- 
mistress of  whom  mention  is  made  was  Elizabeth  Wair,  who 
taught  in  1779. 

There  were  in  the  town  in  1879  four  school  districts,  in 
which,  during  1878,  20-5  scholars  attended  school.  There  is  at 
Sunderland  Street  an  excellent  graded  school,  divided  into 
three  dejiartments,  and  popularly  known  as  the  high  school. 
For  the  support  of  schools  during  1877  the  town  expended 
$1008. 

The  town  has  an  excellent  public  library,  containing  1000 
volumes.  It  was  founded  in  1869  by  a  donation  of  .§1000  from 
Rufus  R.  and  Augustus  Graves,  descendants  of  Erastus  Graves, 
one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Sunderland.  To  this  was  added 
$200,  oflered  by  the  late  Horace  Greeley  to  the  town  first  re- 
porting to  him  the  growth  of  two  grape-vines  upon  each  home- 
stead within  its  borders.  Later,  Mr.  A.  J.  Johnson  donated 
§.500,  and  from  the  estate  of  the  late  R.  R.  Graves  5(2000  were 
received  as  a  perpetual  fund  for  tlie  use  of  the  lihrarv. 


Among  the  natives  of  Sunderland  who  became  college  grad- 
uates were  Rev.  E.  Billings,  the  first  minister  of  Greenfield, 
Mass.,  William  Billings,  Elisba  Billings,  Rufus  Graves,  Rev. 
Joseph  Field,  Rev.  Eli  F.  Cooley,  Rev.  H.  N.  Graves,  Rev. 
A.  O.  Hubbard,  Rev.  Jonathan  Hubbard,  Rev.  O.  G.  Hub- 
bard, R.  B.  Hubbard,  and  Nathaniel  Smith. 

BUEIAL-PLACES. 

The  oldest  burying-ground  in  Sunderland  is  found  at  Sun- 
derland Street,  where  it  occupies  a  commanding  and  pictur- 
esque site  upon  the  east  bank  of  the  Connecticut,  about  half  a 
mile  from  the  village.  The  oldest  headstone  is  one  recording 
the  death  of  Elizabeth  Graves,  in  1722.  Another  old  stone 
bears  in  roughly-cut  letters  the  words,  "  of  Lebanon  C.  C, 
1734,"  and  still  another  simply  "  E.  S.,  1767."  Otlior  old  in- 
scriptions are  here  given  as  follows  : 

H.innah  Clary,  1747  ;  Lieut.  Joseph  Clary,  1748;  Mrs.  Isaac  llulibani,  1744  ; 
Joseph  Dickinson,  llfjb,  Thomas  Ilovey,  1727;  Deacon  Joseph  Fielil,  1754;  Wil- 
liam Scott,  1750;  Elizabeth  Scott,  17G2;  Miriam  Graves,  17(30;  Benjamin  Graves, 
175C ;  Abigail  Smith,  17S7  ;  Elizahetli  Montague,  1753  ;  Mary  Graves,  1700  ;  Mrs. 
Moses  Clark,  17.54;  I.s.aac  Hubbiird,  1703;  Slary  Field,  1707;  Elizabeth  Leonard, 
1770;  Sarah  Clark,  1772;  Moses  Clark,  Jr.,  1770  ;  Jeremiah  Ballard,  1774  ;  Ste- 
phen Cooley,  1770;  Zinas  Cooley,  1777;  Oliver  Cooley,  1778;  Zebina  Leonard, 
1777  ;  Samuel  Graham  1781 ;  Moses  Clark,  Sr.,  1785 ;  Lieut.  Abncr  Cooley,  178S  ; 
Catlierine  Smitli,  1787;  Eunice  Kussell,  17t'C;  Tryphena  Hubbard, 1788  ;  Anna 
Ashley,  1701  ;  Lieut.  Lemuel  Delano,  1702;  Hnlilab  Graves,  1703;  Deacon  Samuel 
Montague,  1780;  David  Hubbard,  17s7  ;  Lieut. -Col.  Xoadiah  Leonard,  1700. 

There  are  said  to  be  in  this  burying-ground  about  nine  hun- 
dred graves,  and  among  those  buried  therein  are  42  Hubbards, 
35  Montagues,  85  Graves,  and  31  Smiths.  Six  clergymen — 
Revs.  Jos.  Ashley,  Jas.  Taylor,  Solomon  Ingram,  Austin  Cary, 
and  Wm.  Hawley — lie  buried  there,  as  do  twelve  deacons.  Of 
the  forty  persons  who  made  the  first  settlements  in  Sunder- 
land, the  graves  of  but  seven  thereof  can  be  found  in  the  old 
church-yard.  There  is  a  cemetery  fund  of  ^ilOOO  left  to  the 
town  by  the  late  R.  R.  Graves.  The  income  of  the  fund  is 
used  to  keep  the  cemetery  in  repair  and  to  beautify  it  from 
time  to  time. 

IXDU.STR1ES. 

The  industrial  pursuits  of  Sunderland  are  confined  almost 
exclusively  to  agriculture.  There  are  a  few  saw-mills,  but  no 
other  manufactories.  There  was  at  North  Sunderland,  several 
years  ago,  the  wicking-factory  of  Thos.  E.  Munsell,  but  it  has 
been  abandoned. 

Along  the  valley  of  the  Connecticut  the  lands  are  fertile 
and  richly  productive,  while  generally  the  farming  interest 
is  a  prosperous  one,  and  the  inhabitants  of  the  town  a  thrifty 
and  well-to-do  people. 

The  town  contains  135  farms,  which,  in  -1875,  yielded  agri- 
cultural and  domestic  products  of  the  value  of  |184,.520.  For 
the  same  year  the  value  of  manufactures  was  but  §800.  The 
total  assessed  valuation  of  the  town  in  1878  was  55398,402,  of 
which  the  value  of  real  estate  was  $349,073.  The  total  tax — 
State,  county,  and  town — was  $5780.87,  or  a  rate  of  about 
$1.66  per  $100.  The  debt  of  the  town,  March  1,  1878,  was 
$12,334. 

Sunderland  has  a  flourishing  Farmers'  Club,  which  was 
organized  in  1800,  and  which  since  that  date  has  continued 
to  have  periodical  assemblies,  at  which  the  members  discuss 
agricultural  topics  and  exchange  opinions  upon  proposed 
schemes  or  newly-discovered  ideas  for  the  advancement  of  the 
interest  of  agriculture.  It  includes  upon  its  membership-roll 
nearly  every  farmer  in  the  town. 

MILITARY. 

SUNDERLAND'S    REBELLION    RECORD. 
The  following  list  of  soldiers  who  served  during  the  war  of 
the  Rebellion,  1801-05,  is  taken  from  the  adjutant-general's 
report  : 


HISTORY  OP   FRANKLIN   COUNTY. 


687 


James  W.  Stebbins,  1st  sergt.,  enl.  Oct.  11,  1802, 

.V2d  Regt.,  Co.  G  ;  (liscli.  June  11,  1SG3,  fur  J  s- 

ability. 
Kdgar  J.  Pomeroy,  1st  sergt.,  eul.  Oct.  11, 1H62,  52d 

Itegt.,  Co.  G ;  Uiscli.  Aug.  14,  1803. 
A.  .Smilli  Muiisell,  corp.,  enl.  Oct.  11,  1S62,  52d 

Regt ,  Co.  G  ;  di.4Cli.  .iiig.  U,  1S63. 
James  B.  Whittemore,  corp,  enl.  Oct.  11, 1SC2,  52d 

Kcgt.,  Co.  G  ;  discli.  Atig.  14,  186:1. 
James  11.   Winner,   Corp.,   enl.  Oct,  11,  1863,  52il 

Kcgt.,  Oo.  G  ;  disch,  Aug.  14, 1863. 
James  Sla^^oti  Armstrong,  enl.  Oct.  11,  1862,  52d 

Eegt.,  Co.  G ;  disch.  Aug.  14, 1863. 
John  U.  Banks,  enl.  Oct.  II,  1862, 52d  Kegt.,  Co.  G ; 

disch.  Ang.  14,  1861. 
William  V.  B.nvnian,  enl.  Oct.  11,  1862,  62d  Regt., 

Co.  li;  ilisch.  Ang.  14,  1863. 
Leander  Brigham,  enl.  Oct.  11, 1862,  52d  Eegt.,  Co. 

G;  disch.  Ang.  14,  1863. 
Israel  Childs,  enl.  Oct.  11,  1862,  .?2d  Rcgt.,  Co.  G; 

disch.  Aug.  14,  1863. 
Jesse  L.  Delano,  enl.  Oct.  11, 1802,  ,'i2d  Regt.,  Co.  G  ; 

disch.  Aug.  14,  1863. 
Heniy  J.  Grover,  enl.  Oct.  11, 1862,  52d  Begt,  Co. 

G;  discli.  Aug.  14,1863. 
Parker  D.  llulihard,  enl.  Oct.  11,1862,  52d  Regt., 

Co.  G;  disch.  Aug.  14,  1803. 


George  W.  Miller,  enl.  Oct.  11, 1862,  52d  Regt.,  Co. 

G;  di^ch.  Aug.  14,  1803. 
Arthur  Montague,  enl.  Oct.  11, 1862,  52d  Regt.,  Co. 

G  ;  di-ch.  Feb.  27,  186 1,  for  disability. 
Merrick  Montague,  enl.  Oct.   11, 1802,  o2d  Regt, 

Co.  G;  disch.  April  11, 1863,  for  di-abilily. 
Charles  L.  Russell,  enl.  Oct.  11, 1802, 52d  Regt.,  Co. 

G;  disch.  Aug.  14,1863. 
Wylie  J.  Russell,  enl.  Oct.  11,  1802,  62d  Regt.,  Co. 

G;  discli.  Ang.  14,  1863. 
Austin  N.  Russell,  enl.  Oct.  11, 1862,  o2d  Regt.,  Co. 

G;  disch.  Aug.  14, 1803. 
Waters  Tower,  enl.  Oct.  11, 1862,  52d  Itegt.,  Co.  G ; 

disch.  Aug.  14,  1863. 
Edwin  W.  Ball,  artif.,  enl.  Feb.  23, 1864,  Co.  L,  1st 

II.  Art.;  died  Sept.  1(1,  1804,  at  City  Point,  Va. 
Otto  Peterson,  enl.  .Sept.  3,  1801,  2d  Inf,  Co.  G; 

disch.  July  10,  1804. 
Samuel  Graves,  enl.  .lune  21, 1801, 10th  Eegt.,  Co. 

C;  disch.  July  1, 1864. 
John  Hemenway,  enl.  June  21,  1861,10th  Inf.,  Co. 

G  ;  disch.  to  re-enl.  Dec.  21, 1803;   trans.  Jane 

20,1864,  lo37tli  Inf, 
Abraham  C.  Puffer,  enl.  June  21, 1861,  lOlh  Inf., Co. 

G  ;  died  Nov.  2S,  ISO],  at  Washington,  D.  C. 
Charles  M.  Whitmore,  enl.  June  21,  1801,  lOtU 

Inf.,  Co.  G  ;  disch.  Nov.  21, 1802,  fur  disability. 


George  A.  Whitmore,  enl.  Jnno  21,1861, 10th  Inf., 

Co.  G;  disch.  July  1.1804. 
James  Harrington,  enl.  May  14, 1864, 19th  Inf. 
Charles  Wood,  enl.  Aug.  23, 1801,  2Ist  Inf,  Co.  D; 

disch.  Aug.  30,  1864. 
George  II.  Page,  enl.  Feb.  0,  1805,  24th  Inf,  Co.  I. 
John  Walsh,  enl.  .Sept.  12, 1804,  24th  Inf. 
James  Hill,  enl.  Sept.  3,  lS63,32d  Inf,  Co.  A  ;  died 

of  wounds.  May  12,  1804,  at  Laurel  Hill,  Va. 
Richard  N.  Blodgett,  enl.  Nov.  12, 1861,  32d  Inf., 

Co.  C;  disch.  Dec.  22,  1862,  for  disability. 
Thomas  Archibald,  enl.  Jan.  2,  1864,  34th  Inf.,  Co. 

G  ;  died  of  wounds  April  20, 1865. 
Geo.  L.  Coolpy,  enl.  Aug.  30,  1862,  37th  Inf.,  Co.  F ; 

disch.  June  21,  I860, 
Frederick  B.  Crocker,  enl.  Aug.  30,  lS02,37lh  Inf., 

Co.  K;  killed  June  21,1804,  at  Petersburg,  Va. 
Martin  S.  Hubbard,  elii.  Ang.  30,  1802,  37th  Inf., 

Co.  F  ;  killed  May  12,  1864,  at  Spottsylvania, 

Va. 
Geo.  D.  Whitmore,  enl.  Aug.  30,1862,.37lh  Iiif.,Co. 

F  ;  died  of  wounds,  April  13,  1865,  at  Peters- 
burg, Va. 
James  P.  Thorne,  enl.  Aug.  26,  1864,  54th  Inf.; 

trans,  to  55tli  Inf. 
Anson  S.  Munsell,  2d  lieut,  enl.  May  16, 1865,  61st 

Inf  ;  disch.  June  4, 1805. 


BERNARDSTON. 


GEOGRAPHICAL. 

BernakdsTon,  one  of  the  northern  towns  of  Franklin 
County,  borders  upon  the  State  of  Vermont,  which  is  its 
northern  boundary,  and  has  upon  the  south  the  towns  of 
Greenfield  and  Gill,  upon  the  east  the  town  of  Northtield, 
and  upon  the  west  the  town  of  Leyden.  Fall  River,  an  im- 
portant mill  stream,  enters  the  town  in  the  north,  near  the 
village  of  North  Bernardston,  and,  flowing  almost  due  south, 
empties  into  the  Connecticut  at  Turner's  Falls. 

The  Connecticut  River  Railroad  enters  Bernardston  in  the 
southwest,  and,  touching  at  Bernardston  village,  passes  out  on 
the  southeast  at  the  Northtield  line.  The  area  of  the  town  is 
equivalent  to  about  five  miles  square,  and  covers  about  1G,000 
acres. 

N.\TURAL    FEATURES. 

The  town  abounds  in  attractive  natural  features,  and  in 
the  valley  through  which  Fall  River  pursues  its  way,  or  in 
the  mountiiinous  regions  which  lie  on  the  east  and  the  west, 
varied  and  picturesque  displays  of  charming  scenery  meet  the 
eye  upon  every  hand.  West  Mountain,  which  overlooks 
Bernardston  village  on  the  west,  is  a  notable  eminence,  779 
feet  ill  height  above  the  village  level ;  Bald  Mountain,  in  the 
northwest,  is  said  to  be  still  higher;  and  "Wild  Cat  Mountain, 
just  north  of  West  Mountain,  although  the  lowest  of  the 
three  elevations,  is  a  hill  of  more  than  ordinary  pretensions. 
Besides  Fall  River,  already  noticed,  there  are  many  smaller 
streams,  such  as  Dry  Brook,  Mill  Brook,  and  Shattuck  Brook. 

Clay  slate,  calcareous  gneiss,  lower  sandstone,  and  lime- 
stone abound,  and  in  the  east  there  is  »  quarry  whence  an  ex- 
cellent quality  of  sidewalk-flagging  is  taken  in  considerable 
quantities.  About  a  mile  and  a  half  north  of  Bernardston 
village  there  is  a  bed  of  iron-ore,  but  as  it  is  heavily  charged 
with  sulphur  it  is  not  much  valued. 

Bernardston  is  a  popular  summer  resort,  especially  at  a  place 
called  iSylvan  Grove,  about  half  a  mile  west  of  Bernardston 
village.  Here,  in  a  delightful  grove  on  the  line  of  the  rail- 
wa}',  the  Connecticut  River  Railroad  Company  expended 
several  tlion.sand  dollars,  in   1870,  in  the  construction  of  in- 


viting picnic-grounds,  and  liitlier  come  every  summer  great 
numbers  of  people,  bent  upon  healllif'ul  and  pleasant  recrea- 
tion. 

EARLY    SETTLEMENT. 

In  November,  1734,  the  following  was  presented  to  the 
General  Court : 

"  A  petition  of  Samuel  Hu-nt,  of  Billerica,  for  himself  and  other  sKrrirors  of 
the  officers  and  soldiers  that  belonged  to  the  company  of  Capt.  Turner,  and  the 
representatives  of  them  that  are  dead,  shewing  that  the  said  company  in  1076 
engaged  the  Indian  enemy  at  a  place  above  Decrfield,  and  destroyed  above  three 
hundred  of  them,  and,  therefore,  praying  that  this  court  would  grant  them  a 
tract  of  land  above  Deerfield  suitable  to  make  a  township." 


The  petition  was  answered  and 
Court  as  follows  : 


n-anted  bv  the  General 


"  Voted  that  the  prayer  thereof  be  so  far  granted  as  that  the  petitioners  have 
leave  by  a  surveyor  and  chaionian  upon  oath  to  l.iy  out  a  township  of  the  con- 
tents of  six  miles  square,  to  the  northward  of  the  town  of  Decrfield,  in  the  un- 
appropriated lands  of  the  Province,  and  return  a  plat  thereof  to  this  Court  for 
contirmation  within  twelve  months,  and  that  the  said  township  is  hereby  granted 
to  the  petitioners  and  such  other  officers  and  soldiei-s  that  were  in  said  fight 
above  Deerfield,  commonly  called  the  Falls  Fight,  and  to  the  descendants  of 
any  of  the  officers  and  soldiers  that  were  in  said  fight  and  are  deceased,  that 
shall  be  admitted  by  the  committee  hereafter  named: 

"  Provukd  the  grantees  do  within  four  years  settle  si.\ty  families  in  s.^id  town- 
sliip,  and  have  each  of  them  a  house  eighteen  feet  square,  and  five  acres  brought 
to  English  grass,  or  broken  up  by  plowing,  and  also  build  a  convenient  meeting- 
house, and  settle  a  learned  orthodox  minister  among  them,  laying  out  a  home- 
lot  for  the  firet  settled  minister,  and  another  fur  the  ministry,  each  of  which  to 
draw  a  seventieth  part  of  said  township;  also  a  lot  for  the  school,  of  one  liun- 
tU"ed  acres,  the  remainder  to  be  diviiled  into  equal  parts  among  those  that  are 
admitted,  and  that  John  Stoddard,  Joseph  Dwight,  Charles  Church,  and  Samuel 
Danforth,  Esqrs.,  with  such  as  shall  be  appointed  by  the  Honorable  Board,  be  .a 
committee  to  receive  the  claims  of  all  such  as  shall  challenge  by  this  grant, 
and  are  empowered  and  required  to  admit  all  such  ulliceis  and  soltUers  as  shall 
within  twelve  months  from  this  time  put  in  their  claims  and  give  a  satisfactory 
account  of  their  being  in  the  fight, and  shall  also  admit  one,  and  only  one,  of  the 
descendants  of  each  of  the  utficers  and  soldiei-s  that  were  killed  in  said  fight,  or 
since  deceased,  provided  they  put  in  their  claiuis  and  make  their  challenge 
within  twelve  months  as  aforesaid.  And  the  committee  are  fuither  directed 
always  to  give  preference  to  the  oldest  of  the  sons  of  each  officer  and  soldier,  de- 
ceased, that  shall  put  in  their  claims,  and  in  case  no  son  does  put  in  his  claim 
within  twelve  months,  then  to  give  preference  to  the  oldest  male  desccnilant 
from  any  such  officer  or  soldier,  deceased,  that  -sliiill  put  in  their  claims  as  afore- 
said, and  all  othere  shall  be  excluded." 


688 


HISTORY   OF  THE  CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


Thursday,  Nov.  28,  17.34.— Tlie  committee  appointed  by 
tlio  General  Court  to  ascertain  the  names  of  the  claimants 
under  tlie  grant  reported  the  following: 

*'  .logt'pli  Atliertv>n,  of  Decrfield,  only  son  of  IIojio  Athei-ton;  Natlmiilel  Al- 
examler,  of  Nortluinipton,  son  of  Nathanit'l  Alexajidcr;  Thomas  Alvard,  Jlid- 
dleton,  eldt'st  son  of  Thomas  Alvard ;  .Tolm  Arms,  Itoerfitdd,  son  of  William 
Arms;  .Tohn  JtaUer,  Nortliam|)ton,  son  of  Timothy  Baker;  Samnel  Bedortba, 
Spiinglic'ld,  son  of  Samuel  Bedoitha;  John  Fiohl,  Deerfleld,  descendant  of 
James  Bennet;  John  Barher,  Spiingfield,  son  of  John  Earlier;  John  Bradshaw, 
Mcdford,  son  of  John  Bradsliaw  ;  Isaac  litirnap.AVindhani,  son  of  John  Burnap; 
Samuel  Clesson,  Northampton,  descendant  of  Peter  Biishrod;  Sanuiel  Boltwood, 
Iladloy,  son  of  Sanuiel  Boltwood;  S,anracl  BanUvell,  Deerfield,  son  of  Kohort  . 
Bardwell ;  John  Ilitrheock,  S|irin[;tield,  descendant  of  Sanuiel  Ball ;  Stephen 

Beldeii,  II.itfieM,  s f  Stc-phen  Beldeu ;  Kieliard  lieers,  Watertown,  son  of  El- 

nathan  Beers;  Samuel  Bcldin,  Hatfield,  son  of  Sanmel  Beldin;  Pieserved 
Clain>,  Noithamiiton,  son  of  Preserved  Cla|ip;  Thomas  C'liapin,  SprinRfield,  son 
of  Japhet  C'hapin ;  Samuel  Crow,  Hartley,  son  of  Samuel  Crow  ;  Joseph  Crow- 
foot, Wethcrsflckl,  descendant  of  Joseph  Crowfoot;  Wm.  Clark,  Lelmnon,  son  of 

'  Wm.  Claik ;  Noah  Cook,  H,adley,  descendant  of  Noah  Colnian ;  Benjamin 
Chamhcrlain,  Colchester,  son  of  lienjaniiu  Cliamlieilain ;  Nathaniel  Camher- 
lain,  descendant  of  Joseph  Clianiherlaiu ;  Samuel  Cuniball,  Boston,  son  of 
John  Cunihall ;  John  Chase,  Newliury.  son  of  John  Chase;  Willi.ani  Dickeson, 
Iladley,  son  of  Neheniiah  Dickeson  ;  Samuel  Jellet,  Hatfield,  descendant  of 
John  Dickeson;  Benjamin  Kdwards,  Northampton,  son  of  Benjamin  Edwards; 
Joseph  Fuller,  Newtown,  son  of  Joseph  Fuller;  Samuel  Field,  Deerfield,  son  of 
Samuel  Field  ;  Nathaniel  Foot,  Colchester,  son  of  Nathaniel  Foot ;  John  Flan- 
ders, Kingston,  son  of  John  Flandei-s  ;  Isa.ac  Gleason,  Enfield,  son  of  Isaac  Glea- 
Bon ;  Richard  Church,  Hadley,  descendant  of  Isaac  Uariison;  Simon  Grover, 
Maiden,  son  of  Simon  GroTer;  Samuel  Giiffin,  Koxhnry,  son  of  Joseph  Griffin; 
John  Hitchcock,  Siuingfield,  son  of  John  Hitchcock  ;  Luke  Hitchcock,  Spring- 
field, son  of  Luke  Hitchcock;  Jonathan  Hoit,  Deerfield,  son  of  David  Hoit; 
Jonathan  Scott,  Waterbnry,  descendant  of  John  Hiiwks;  Eleazer  Hawks,  Deer- 
field, son  of  Eleazer  Hawks ;  James  Harwood,  Concord,  son  of  James  Harwood  ; 
.Tohn  Doud,  Bliddleton,  descendant  of  Experience  Hindal ;  Samuel  Hunt,  Tewks- 
bury,  sou  of  Samuel  Hunt;  Wm.  James,  Lebanon,  son  of  Abell  James;  John 
Ingram,  Hadley,  son  of  John  Ingram;  Samuel  Jellet,  Hatfield,  son  of  Samuel 
Jellet ;  Wm.  Jones,  Almsbury,  son  of  Robert  Jones ;  Medad  King,  Nortbamii- 
ton,  son  of  John  King  ;  Francis  Keet,  Northampton,  son  of  Francis  Keot ;  Mar- 
tin Kellogg,  SnfRekl,  son  of  Joseiib  Kellogg  ;  John  Lee,  Westfield,  son  of  John 
Lee;  John  Lyman,  Noilliampton,  son  of  John  Lyman;  Joseph  Leeds,  Dorches- 
ter, sun  of  Joseph  Leeds;  Josiah  Leonard,  Springfield,  son  of  Josiall  Leonard; 
John  Rlerry,  Long  Island,  son  of  Cornelius  Merry  ;  Steiilien  Noble,  formerly  of 
Enfield,  descendant  of  Isaac  Morgan ;  Jonathan  Morgan,  Springfield,  son  of 
Jonathan  Morgan  ;  Thomas  Miller,  Springfield,  son  of  Thomas  Sliller;  James 
Btun,  Colchester,  sou  of  James  Mun;  Benjamin  Blun,  Deeiiield,  son  of  John 
Mun ;  John  JIattoon,  Wallingford,  son  of  Philip  M.attoon;  John  Nims,  Deer- 
field, son  of  Godfrey  Ninis;  Ebenezer  Pnmroy,  Northampton,  son  of  Medad 
Pumroy;  Samuel  Puniroy,  N.  H.,  son  of  Caleb  Pinuroy  ;  Sanuiel  Price,  Gbisten- 
bury,  son  of  Robert  Price;  Samuel  Preston.  Hadley,  descendant  of  John  Pres- 
ton ;  Thomas  Pi  att.  Maiden,  son  of  John  Pratt ;  Jolin  Pressey,  Almsburj',  son  of 
John  Piessey;  Henry  Rogers,  Spring-field,  son  of  Henry  Rogers;  John  Read, 
Westford,  son  of  Thomas  Reed;  Nathaniel  Sikes,  Sliringfield,  son  of  Nathaniel 
Sikes ;  Nathaniel  SutlifT,  Durham,  son  of  Nathaniel  Sutliff;  Samuel  Stebliins. 
Springfield,  son  of  Samuel  Stehbius;  Luke  Noble,  Westfield,  descendant  of  Thos. 
Stebbins ;  Ebenezer  Smead,  Deerfield,  son  of  William  Smead ;  Joseph  Smith, 
Hatfield,  son  of  John  Smith ;  James  Stephenson,  Springfielii,  son  of  James 
Steldicnson  ;  Thomas  Seldon,  Haddam,  son  of  Joseph  Seldon  ;  Josiah  Scott,  H.at- 
field,  son  of  Wm.  Scott ;  John  Salter,  Charlestown,  son  of  Jolin  Salter;  Wm. 
Turner,  Swanzey,  grandson  of  Capt.  Turner ;  Benjamin  Thomas,  Str.atford,  son 
of  Benjamin  Thomas ;  Joseph  Winchell,  Jr.,  Suftield,  descendant  of  Jonathan 

'  Tailor ;  Samuel  Tyley,  Boston,  sun  of  Sanuiel  Tyley ;  Preserved  Wrigl^t,  N.  H., 
son  of  James  Wright;  Cornelius  Webb,  Spiingfield,  son  of  John  Webb;  Jona- 
than Wel'ib,  Stamford,  son  of  Richard  Webb;  John  Wait,  Hatfield,  son  of  Ben- 
jamin Wait;  Eleazer  Weller,  Westfield,  son  of  Eleazer  Welter;  Thomas  Wells, 
Deerfield,  son  of  Thomas  Wells;  Ebenezer  Warriner,  Enfield,  son  of  Joseph 
Warriner;  Jonathan  Wells,  Deerfield,  son  of  Jonathan  Wells;  Wm,  Worthiug- 
ton,  Colchester,  son  of  Nicholas  Worthington  ;  John  Scott,  Elbows,  grandson  of 
John  Scott ;  Samuel  Colby,  .\lmsbury  ;  Irgal  Newberry,  Maldeu." 

Tlie  report  was  made  in  June,  17.3-5,  and,  being  accepted  by 
the  court,  the  grant  was  finally  confirmed,  Jan.  21,  173(i. 
January  27th,  of  the  same  year,  the  proprietors  held  their 
first  meeting  at  the  house  of  Benjamin  Stebbins,  in  North- 
ampton, and  chose  Ebenezer  Pomeroy  moderator,  and  propri- 
etors' clerk  as  well.  A  committee  was  appointed  to  survey 
the  tract,  and  at  the  next  meeting,  in  October,  1736,  it  was 
agreed  to  lay  it  out  in  fifty-acre  h<mie-lots,  save  the  meadow- 
lands  on  Fall  Eiver,  which  were  to  be  laid  out  in  five-acre 
lots.  The  tract  included  the  present  towns  of  Bernardston 
and  Leyden,  and  a  portion  of  the  town  of  Coleraine,  and, 
according  to  the  grant,  was  of  the  contents  of  about  si.\  miles 
square.  The  place  was  at  first  called  Palls  Fight  township, 
and  this  name  it  retained   until  (Jet.  22,  1741,  when  the  name 


of  Falltown  wa.s  substituted,  and  as  such  it  was  known  until 
the  incorporation  of  Bernardston,  in  1702. 

In  October,  1730,  the  proprietors  petitioned  the  General 
Court  for  an  additional  grant  of  land,  on  the  plea  that  the 
grantees  of  Falls  Fight  township  were  more  numerous  than 
the  grantees  of  other  tracts  granted  on  account  of  similar 
meritorious  services,  but  the  petition  seems  to  have  been 
rejected. 

In  May,  1737,  the  proprietors,  numbering  97,  determined 
to  make  the  number  of  lots  100,  so  that  the  ministry  should 
have  two  and  the  school  one.  The  proprietors  accordingly 
drew  for  their  lots,  and  it  was  agreed  about  this  time  that  00 
of  the  proprietors  should  settle  upon  the  land,  and  that  the 
remaining  37  should  be  relieved  of  the  obligation  to  settle 
upon  the  payment  of  £18  each  toward  the  building  of  a 
meeting-house  and  settlement  of  a  minister. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  proprietor's,  held  in  Deerfield  in  Octo- 
ber, 1737,  it  was  decided  to  raise  JE40  for  the  building  of  a 
\  saw-mill  on  Fall  Kiver  near  the  meadow-lands,  and  a  com- 
mittee appointed  for  the  purpose  was  instructed  to  have  the 
mill  set  up  by  the  following  summer,  and  to  agree  with  ■Tosepli 
Mitchell  or  some  other  person  to  do  the  work.  The  committee 
was  further  directed  to  see  about  the  erection  of  a  grist-mill, 
to  be  devoted  to  the  use  of  the  proprietors,  near  the  saw- 
mill ;  and  it  was  conditioned  further  that  the  person  who  set 
up  the  saw-mill  should  be  entitled  to  the  e.xclusive  mill- 
privileges  of  that  part  of  Fall  Kiver  only  in  the  event  of  his 
setting  up  the  grist-mill  for  the  benefit  of  the  proprietors. 
For  the  purpose  of  erecting  the  grist-mill  each  proprietor  was 
taxed  10s. 

At  a  meeting  in  February,  1738,  it  being  reported  that  00 
settlers  could  not  be  obtained  for  the  fund  created  by  the 
assessment  of  jE18  apiece  against  the  37  proprietors  relieved 
from  the  obligation  of  settling,  it  was  voted  to  increase  that 
assessment  to  £22  each.  These  37  non-settlers  were  to  give 
bonds  for  the  abov&  amount,  each  payable  May  1,  1739,  and 
the  60  settlers  were  to  give  bonds  of  £100  each  for  the  faithful 
performance  of  the  injunctions  laid  upon  the  proprietors  by 
act  of  General  Court  in  issuing  the  grant. 

The  following  persons  thereupon  agreed  to  settle  in  the 
township,  and  gave  the  required  bonds:  Thos.  Miller,  Reuben 
Lockwood,  Samuel  Bardwell,  Judah  Wright,  Elijah  Wil- 
liams, Thomas  French,  Benjamin  Munn,  Elizer  Hawks, 
Joseph  Ba.scom,  John  Nims,  Jr.,  Joshua  Wells,  John  Catlin 
(3d),  Nathaniel  Foot,  Thomas  Wells,  Chas.  Coats,  Adonijah 
Atherton,  Ebenezer  Smead,  Jr.,  Josiah  Scott,  David  Field, 
Hezekiah  Newcomb,  Aaron  Smith,  John  Hitchcock,  Jr., 
John  Hitchcock,  Aaron  Stebbins,  Nathan  Tuttle,  Jonathan, 
Clary,  John  Wait,  Shem  Chapin,  John  Burk,  Nathaniel 
Sikes,  Ebenezer  Sheldon,  Hezekiah  Wright,  Eleazer  Weller, 
Hezekiah  Lanphear,  Samuel  Smith,  Simeon  Wait,  Noah 
Cook,  Wm.  Janes,  Thos.  Alvard,  John  Ely,  Jonathan  White, 
Stephen  Belden,  Ichabod  Allies,  Samuel  Connable,  William 
Jones,  John  Lyman,  Josiah  Leonard,  Samuel  Bennett,  Henry 
Rogers,  John  Reed,  Nathaniel  Sutlift",  Joseph  Winchell,  Jos. 
Mitchell,  Wm.  .Scott,  Benjamin  Rugg.  These  settlers  took 
up  the  GO  lots  required  to  be  occupied,  and  in  the  autumn  of 
1738  the  township  received  its  first  settlers  in  the  persons  of 
.  Maj.  John  Burk,  Lieut.  Ehenezer  Sheldon,  Deacon  (probably 
Elisha)  Sheldon,  and  Samuel  Connable,  who  built  the  first 
houses  of  the  settlement. 

-  At  this  time  the  saw-mill  was  doubtless  completed  j  but  the 
grist-mill  was  not  begun,  and,  nothing  being  done  toward  it 
as  late  as  October,  1740,  a  new  committee  was  appointed  to 
push  the  project.  A  bridge  was  ordered  to  be  built  over  Fall 
River  near  the  saw-mill,  in  October,  1740,  and  highways  were 
ordered  to  be  laid  out  in  the  town.ship  as  the  committee  should 
think  proper.  Settlements  not  being  made  to  any  extent  by 
October,  1740,  the  proprietors  decided  to  assess  each  right 
("except  ye  ]iublick  rights")  £22  for  the  piir|'OSe  of  encour- 


HISTORY  OF  FRANKLIN   COUNTY. 


689 


I 


asjing  settlers  building  the  bridge  over  Fall  River,  finishing 
the  meeting-house,  and  paying  other  charges. 

A  proprietors'  meeting  was  held  Oct.  16,  1740,  in  the  house 
of  Ebenezer  Sheldon,  in  Tails  Fight  township,  and  at  the 
next  meeting,  October  19th,  in  Decrlield.  Thomas  Wells  was 
employed  to  petition  the  General  Court  for  an  additional  grant 
of  land  lying  between  Falls  Fight  township  and  Boston  town- 
ship No.  2  (Coleraine),  and  for  his  services  in  securing  the 
grant  he  was  to  have  150  acres  in  said  grant.  At  this  meet- 
ing a  committee  was  appointed  to  lay  out  a  burying-ground 
of  about  3  acres.  The  additional  grant  (known  as  The  Gore) 
above  petitioned  for  was  obtained  by  Thomas  Wells  for  the 
proprietors,  but,  for  some  reason  unexplained,  they  refused  to 
give  him  the  150  acres  as  the  price  of  his  services  in  the  pre- 
mises.    Subsequently,  they  paid  him  £50  for  his  trouble. 

The  grist-mill  project  was  still  in  embryo  in  September, 
1742,  when  a  new  committee  was  chosen,  and  instructed  to 
have  the  mill  set  up  by  "some  meet  person''  within  eighteen 
months. 

The  settlement  was  seriously  disturbed  during  the  exciting 
period  of  Indian  warfare  between  1745  and  1750,  and,  many 
of  the  settlers  retiring  temporarily  to  towns  of  greater  security, 
those  who  remained  busied  themselves  chiefly  in  effecting 
measures  for  protection  against  apprehended  Indian  attacks. 
The  settlement  was,  however,  not  much  of  a  suti'erer  at  the 
bands  of  the  savages,  and  in  1750  the  wanderers  therefrom 
had  returned,  and  the  business  of  pushing  the  settlement  for- 
ward was  briskly  resumed. 

Among  the  earliest  roads  laid  out  were:  one  from  Lieut. 
Sheldon's  to'the  saw-mill  ;  one  from  the  country-road  by  the 
saw-mill  to  Simeon  Hall's;  one  from  the  saw-mill  to  Sergt. 
Allen's;  one  from  Moses  Scott's  to  Deacon  Sheldon's;  one  from 
Samuel  Hastings'  to  Dry  Brook  ;  one  from  the  country-road  to 
Anlasa  Sheldon's  ;  one  from  Benjamin  Green's  southward;  and 
the  road  from  Deerfield  to  Coleraine,  which  passed  through 
Fall  town. 

NOTEWORTHY   INCIDENTS. 

In  1771  certain  persons  residing  in  Bernardston  petitioned 
the  General  Court  to  be  set  oS  to  Coleraine,  but  Bernardston 
opposed  the  petition  successfully  at  that  time,  although  later, 
in  1779,  the  petition  was  renewed  and  granted  in  accordance 
with  a  vote  of  the  town  of  Bernardston,  by  which  2570  acres 
of  land  belonging  to  that  town,  and  lying  west  of  Green  Iliver, 
were  set  oil'  to  Coleraine.  Although  ett'orts  were  frequently 
made  during  the  earlier  years  of  the  settlement  of  Falltown 
for  the  erection  of  a  grist-mill,  the  enterprise  appears  to  have 
remained  unrealized  until  1770  or  thereabouts.  This  mill  was 
owned  by  Samuel  Connablo,  and  was  located  on  the  northwest 
branch  of  Fall  River.  The  first  tavern  in  the  town  was  kept 
by  Elijah  (or  Elisha)  .Sheldon  as  early  as  1700,  and  perhaps 
previous  to  that  date,  near  Huckle  Hill. 

Maj.  John  Burk,  one  of  the  first  settlers  in  the  Falls  Fight 
township,  and  for  many  years  an  important  man  in  the  af- 
fairs of  Bernardston,  kept  a  tavern  in  1703  in  the  centre  of 
the  town,  just  south  of  where  Weatherhead's  saw-mill  now  is. 
The  sign  which  used  to  swing  in  front  of  Maj.  Burk's  tavern 
is  still  preserved  among  the  curious  relics  owned  by  the  Po- 
comptuck  Valley  Association  at  Deerfield,  Mass. 

The  first  mention  of  a  physician  dates  from  about  1777,  when 
Dr.  Polyearpus  Cushman  fiouvished  in  Bernardston.  In  1779 
it  was  voted  to  divide  the  land  of  the  town,  east  of  Green 
River,  into  two  towns  or  districts,  as  follows,  viz.  : 

"To  set  oflf  at  the  south  line  of  tlie  town,  one  mile  wTst  of  Zi^buljn  Allen's 
house,  and  so  to  run  a  line  nortlierly  that  will  extend  half  a  mile  west  of  Jofieljh 
Edwards'  house,  and  so  to  extend  the  ^ame  course  to  the  north  line  of  the  U)Wn." 

The  first  recorded  birth  in  Falltown  was  that  of  Ebenezer, 
son  to  Moses  and  Miriam  Scott,  September,  1743  ;  and  the  first 
death,  that  of  Seth,  son  of  Job  Wright,  in  August,  1763.  It 
is  worthy  of  mention  that  when  the  first  meeting-bouse  was 
erected  on  Iluckle  Hill,  in  1740,  an  approach  to  it  was  made, 
87 


under  town  orders,. by  cutting  and  burning  the  brush  which 
surrounded  it  upon  every  side.  This  meeting-house,  it  may  be 
added,  was  the  first  frame  building  erected  in  the  town.  Apro- 
pos of  the  erection  of  the  first  dwellings  in  the  town,  else- 
where noted  ; 

Lieut  Ebenezer  .Sheldon  located  in  the  east  part,  Deacon 
.Sheldon  oii  Huckle  Hill,  Maj.  John  Burk  in  the  centre,  on 
the  highway  leading  to  Brattleboro',  and  Samuel  Connable 
in  the  north.  Near  the  house  of  each  of  these  four  settlers 
was  subsequently  built  a  town  fort,  to  which  the  inhabitants 
in  the  vicinity  repaired  every  night  during  the  periods  of  In- 
dian troubles.  Maj.  Burk's  fort  (so  called  because  near  his 
house),  the  largest  of  these  forts,  was  located  on  the  west  bank 
of  Fall  River,  on  the  site  now  occupied  by  L.  M.  Weather- 
head's  saw-mill.  It  was  six  rods  square,  and  constructed  of 
timber  12  feet  in  length.  In  174G  an  attack  was  made  on  this 
fort  by  a  large  force  of  Indians,  and,  although  there  were  in 
the  fort  only  two  men  besides  Maj.  Burk,  the  savages  were 
beaten  oft'  with  the  lo.ss  of  two  of  their  number. 

In  1747,  Eliakim,  son  of  Lieut.  Ebenezer  Sheldon,  was  shot 
by  the  Indians  while  he  was  walking  near  his  father's  house, 
and  about  the  same  time  a  band  of  savages  attempted  to  de- 
stroy Deacon  Elisha  Sheldon's  house  on  Huckle  Hill,  but 
were  routed  by  Lieut.  Ebenezer  Sheldon,  who  appeared  on 
the  scene  with  aid  just  in  the  nick  of  time.  Lieut.  Sheldon 
was  famous  as  an  Indian-fighter,  and  was  known  far  and  near 
as  the  Old  Indian-Hunter.  Maj.  Burk  was  widely  noted  for 
skill  and  daring  in  Indian  warfare,  and  frequently  served  in 
campaigns  against  the  Indians. 

Among  the  inhabitants  of  Bernardston  who  went  into  the 
service  against  the  Indians  were  Caleb  Chapin  and  his  two 
sons,  Joel  and  Hezekiah.  They  were  with  Col.  Ephraim 
Williams  at  Lake  George  in  1755,  where  Caleb  Chapin  was 
killed.  He  was  wounded  in  the  thick  of  battle  while  fight- 
ing by  the  side  of  his  sons,  and  when  he  fell  they  sought  to 
bear  him  away,  but  he  sternly  commanded  them  to  save  them- 
selves and  leave  him  to  his  fate.  They  left  him  accordingly 
where  he  fell,  and  when,  after  the  fight,  they  returned  in 
search  of  him,  they  found  hini  dead,  with  a  tomahawk  buried 
in  his  brain.  This  tomahawk  is  still  preserved  in  the  cabinet 
of  the  New  England  Antiquarian  Society  at  Worcester. 

Bernardston  lent  a  helping  hand  to  the  insurgents  during 
the  Shays  rebellion,  and  Capt.  Jason  Parmenter,  a  citizen  of 
Bernardston,  was  conspicuous  as  one  of  Sha3's'  chief  sup- 
ports. Toward  the  close  of  the  rebellion,  in  1787,  a  party  of 
government  authorities  visited  Bernardston  for  the  purpose  of 
apprehending  Parmenter.  The  latter,  being  overtaken  while 
attempting  to  escape,  fired  upon  his  pursuers  and  killed  one,- 
Jacob  Walker,  of  Whately.  He  then  fled  for  safety  to  Ver- 
mont, but  was  captured  the  next  day  and  conveyed  to  jail  at 
Northampton.  He  was  subsequently  condemned  to  death, 
but  eventually  pardoned. 

The  first  census  of  Bernardston  was  taken  in  17G5,  when 
the  population  was  shown  to  be  230,  and  of  these  a  majority 
were  settled  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  town,  probably  near 
Huckle  Hill.  Bernardston  celebrated,  Aug.  20,  1862,  the 
centennial  of  its  civil  organization,  on  which  occasion  there 
was  a  large  gathering  of  people  in  Bernardston  village.  Ley- 
den  taking  also  a  conspicuous  part.  The  features  of  the  cele- 
bration were  a  procession,  picnic,  addresses,  and  a  collation. 

REVOLUTIONARY    REMINISCENCES. 

The  records  show  but  vaguely  the  action  of  the  town  during 
the  stirring  years  of  the  American  Revolution,  but  they  show 
that  Bernardston  was  prompt  and  patriotic  in  dealing  with  the 
issues  of  the  day,  and  in  devoting  its  energies  to  a  noble  con- 
tribution of  men  and  means  in  behalf  of  the  common  cause. 

The  committee  of  correspondence  in  1776  consisted  of  Capt. 
Elisha  Burnbam,  Aaron  Field,  Lieut.  Joseph  Slate,  Daniel 
Newcomb,  and  Caleb  Chapin.     In  1778  a  bounty  of  £50  per 


690 


HISTORY  OF  THE  CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


man  was  offered  for  oi},'lit  months'  men.  Quite  a  number  of  men 
wore  fined  for  failing  to  enter  the  service  when  drafted,  and 
from  these  fines  a  fund  was  raised  to  pay  bounties  for  tlirce 
nine  months'  men  early  in  1778.  Samuel  Connable  and  ln.i 
son,  John,  were  exeu.sed  from  fine  upon  the  elder  Connable's 
sending  his  son,  Samuel  Barnard,  into  the  service  for  nine 
months,  and  he  was  further  repaid  the  sum  of  £40,  which  he 
had  paid  the  town  in  fines.  It  was  determined  to  take  a  new 
average  in  the  tovvn  with  respect  to  the  charges  of  the  war,  and 
that  a  poll  should  be  estimated  at  £10,  as  money  went  in  1774, 
and  that  ,£Hi(i  Ins.  id.  of  estate  of  the  same  money,  free  of  all 
charges,  should  be  reckoned  equal  to  a  poll.  The  committee 
appointed  to  make  the  average  was  directed  to  take  into  con- 
sideration what  each  man  had  done  in  the  war,  the  time  he  had 
served,  and  the  wages  he  received,  the  bounties  he  had  ob- 
tained, the  value  of  the  money,  and  the  hardship  be  had  en- 
dured, and  the  extraordinary  expense  he  was  at  in  purchasing 
necessaries  for  his  subsistence;  the  fines  paid  by  drafted  men 
and  the  value  of  the  money  when  it  was  paid. 

William  Fox  was  allowed  the  privilege  of  joining  with 
three  other  men  to  make  one  man  to  serve  as  a  militia  soldier 
for  the  term  of  eight  months,  and  Stephen  Webster,  Jr.,  was 
allowed  £03,  out  of  the  money  collected  by  fines,-  for  serving 
as  a  militia  soldier  eight  months.  Joshua  Wells,  Jr.,  went 
out  also  at  this  time  as  an  eight  months'  man,  and  the  west 
part  of  the  town  was  instructed  to  make  him  "  a  reasonable 
satisfaction"  for  so  doing.  Joseph  Allen,  Jr.,  was  likewise 
permitted  the  privilege  of  joining  with  throe  other  men  to 
make  ono  man  to  serve  eight  months. 

Aug.  10,  1779,  tho  town  placed  on  record  its  disapproval  of 
tho  doings  of  the  convention  at  Concord  in  July  of  that  year, 
and  chose  a  committee  to  write  to  tho  convention  called  to 
meet  in  Concord,  October,  1779,  giving  the  town's  reasons  for 
the  disapproval.  It  was  voted  to  send  a  committee  to  Boston 
to  make  a  claim  in  behalf  of  the  town  to  Samuel  Farrar  and 
Jonathan  Wright,  or  any  other  soldier  returned  by  this  and 
some  other  town  ;  and  it  was  further  agreed  to  prepare  a 
petition  to  the  General  Court  asking  to  be  eai-ed  of  the  great 
burden  laid  upon  them,  above  other  towns  in  the  State,  re- 
specting the  charge  of  the  war.  In  December,  1779,  it  was 
determined  not  to  do  anything  touching  the  resolves  of  the 
Concord  Convention,  and  the  town  also  refused  to  pay  the 
money  subscribed  to  hire  soldiers. 

In  June,  1780,  40.'!.  silver  money  per  month  were  oflTered  as 
wages  to  such  as  would  enlist,  and,  at  this  rate,  11  Conti- 
nental, and  11  militia  soldiers  were  hired.  In  January,  1781, 
the  bounty  oflcrcd  was  £00  silver  money  for  each  soldier  who 
would  enlist  for  tliree  years  or  during  the  war,  £20  to  be 
paid  at  the  beginning  of  each  year  for  three  years.  Six  more 
three  years'  men  were  sent  out  in  July,  1781,  and  they  were 
given  $10  in  silver  per  man  as  a  bounty.  In  December,  1781, 
the  town  purchased  three  horses  for  the  army, — one  from 
Lieut.  David  Rider  for  £0  14s.,  one  from  Ensign  John  Con- 
nabel  for  £0,  and  one  from  Aaron  Field  for  £0. 

That  Bernardston  sent  men  into  the  service  promptly  upon 
the  sounding  of  the  Lexington  alarm  is  evidenced  by  an 
entry  in  tho  town  records  under  date  of  May,  1775,  resolving 
that  "  the  town  shall  provide  10  men,  with  what  have  already 
enlisted;"  and  later,  "those  persons  who  took  powder  from 
the  common  stock  last  spring  in  the  alarm,  and  returned  home 
soon  after  from  Cambridge,  are  to  be  accountable  to  the  town 
for  the  same." 

Capt.  Joseph  Slate,  who  served  heroically  through  the 
French-and-Indian  war,  was  plowing  on  the  cast  side  of  West 
Mountain  on  the  day  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill  was  being 
fought,  and,  without  knowing  anything  about  it,  he  declared 
that  fighting  was  going  on  somewhere,  and  that  ho  could  hear 
the  sounds  of  tlie  conflict.  So  impressed  was  he  with  this 
conviction  that  before  nightfall  ho  was  en  route  to  Deerfield 
to  satisfy  himself,  and,  there  learning  that  his  conjectures  were 


correct,  ho  set  out  the  following  day  for  Boston,  where  he 
joined  the  army.  There  were,  it  is  said,  six  Tories  in  Ber- 
nardston at  the  breaking  out  of  the  Revolution,  but  they 
were  heavily  overawed  by  the  patriotic  citizens,  and  wisely 
kept  their  own  counsels. 

There  are  now  living  in  Bernardston  two  survivors  of  the 
war  of  1812, — Hosea  Aldrich,  aged  eighty-six,  who  went  from 
Bernardston,  and  David  Pratt,  aged  ninety-one,  who  entered 
the  service  from  Shutcsbury.  The  town  took  no  formal  action 
in  the  opposition  to  the  declaration  of  war  in  1812,  although 
Hezekiah  Newcomb  and  Caleb  Chapin  were  self-chosen  dele- 
gates to  the  anti-war  convention  at  Northani]iton,  and  claimed 
to  represent  Bernardston. 

"-     ORGAMZATION. 
December  10,  1701,  "some  of  tho  proprietors  of  Falltown" 
presented  to  the  General  Court  the  following  petition : 

"  To  lire  EXfF.Li.KNX'Y  FnANris  BAitNOIin,  E.SQ.,  Ctipl'tiu-Gciieral,  tW  : 

"  To  the  llominthle  hk  M'ijrsli/\  Coiniril  mid  limine  of  Iteprc^iitatii-ce:  The  nio- 
moriiil  of  some  of  the  propiietoiB  of  Falltown  lliiuihly  Sheweth  tlmt  whereaH 
the  ]iropiii;tor8  of  Falltown  iliil,  in  the  year  1741,  settle  a  tuiniister  who  was 
obliged  to  leave  .said  town  on  account  of  ye  war,  and  the  saiil  propiictoii*  did  the 
last  year  settle  another  minister,  which  Inis  been  very  heavy  upon  ye  said  pro- 
prietore,  yonr  Slemoiialists  therefore  humbly  pray  that  the  inh.-ihitant8  of  siud 
Falltown  may  be  incorjiorated  into  a  town  by  the  name  of  Barnard,  and  be  in- 
vested with  all  the  privile;j:e3  of  the  rest  of  the  Towns  in  this  province,  and  may 
be  directed  to  raise  their  ta-ves  and  defray  their  charges  as  the  rest  of  the  towns 
do,  excepting  a  reasonable  tax  upon  the  nniniproved  lands  for  the  present ;  and 
considering  the  large  number  of  propiietors  in  said  township,  their  great  ex- 
pense in  settling  two  mini.sters,  and  a  large  tract  of  land  falling  into  New 
Hampshire,  your  Memo]-i.aIists  hnmbly  ask  that  the  proprietors  of  said  FalltoMU 
may  have  a  tract  of  land  granted  to  them,  to  make  them  equal  with  other 
grantees  of  the  government,  for  service  done,  etc. 


"Ebenezer  Shklden,  Jk. 
John  SEVEn.\xcE. 
Eli.taii  Shei.pen. 
Joseph  Alle.v. 


John  Burk. 
Daniel  IIexteh. 
JoNA.  A.  Ashley. 
Ti[oMAS  Williams. 


"Falltown,  Dec.  10, 1701." 

In  accordance  with  the  foregoing  petition,  tho  town  was  in- 
corporated March  0,  1702,  and  called  Bernardston,  honoring, 
as  will  he  seen,  Francis  Bernard,  then  governor  of  tho  prov- 
ince. The  boundaries  given  in  the  act  were  the  province  line 
on  the  north,  Greenfield  and  Deerfield  on  tho  south.  North- 
field  on  the  east,  and  Coleraine  on  the  west.  This  tract  in- 
cluded what  is  now  Bernardston  and  Leyden,  a  part  of  Cole- 
raine, then  known  as  Falltown  Gore,  and  a  strip  on  tho  north 
about  half  a  mile  wide,  afterward  found  to  belong  to  Ver- 
mont. It  was  in  1701  that,  upon  a  survey,  the  north  line  of 
Massachusetts  was  found  to  be  farther  south  than  supposed, 
and  a  strip  half  a  mile  wide,  on  the  north  side  of  Falls  Fight 
township  (or  Bernardston),  was  decided  to  belong  to  New 
Hampshire,  which  then  claimed  what  is  now  the  State  of  Ver- 
mont. To  compensate  tho  proprietors  for  this  strip  of  land | 
the  General  Court  gave  them  7500  acres  in  what  is  now  Flor-j 
ida,  Mass.  The  original  tract  above  noted  contained  36, 
square  miles. 

In  1779  the  Falltown  Gore  (so  called),  containing  2570 
acres,  was  set  ofi'  to  Coleraine,  and  in  1784  Leyden  was  set 
off  as  a  district,  leaving  to  Bernardston  about  24  square  miles. 

I  To  this  tract  a  few  acres  were  added  from  the  northeast  corner 

I  of  Greenfield,  in  1839. 

Ebenczer  Sheldon,  Jr.,  served  the  warrant  for  the  first  town- 
meeting,  which  was  held  at  the  house  of  Lieut.  Ebenezor 
Sheldon,  May  11,  1702.  The  names  of  those  who  have  served 
the  town  as  selectmen  and  clerks  from  that  time  to  1879  will 
be  found  here  api)endpd  : 

SELECTMEN. 

1702. — John  Burk,  Moses  Scott,  Kemembrance  Sheldon. 
1703. — Zebulou  Allen,  Moses  Scott,  Eememhrance  Sheldon. 
1704. — John  Burk,  Zebulon  Allen,  Remembrance  Sheldon. 
1705. — John  Severance,  Aaron  Field,  .\masa  Sheldon. 
17G0. — John  Burk,  Remcinbranee  Sheldon,  Zebulon  Allen. 
1707. — John  Burk,  Ebenczer  Sheldon,  Sampson  Howe. 
1708. — John  Burk,  Ebenczer  Shehlon,  Itemembrance  Sheldon. 
1709. — John  Burk,  James  Couch,  John  Severance. 


rhoto.  by  PopkiuB. 


jh    sf  ^  ^  ^c^U:^6e.^ 


Nahum  S.  Cutler  was  born  in  Vernon,  Vt.,  on  the  7th 
of  April,  1837.  His  grandfather,  Thomas  Cutler,  was  a 
native  of  Guilford,  Vt.,  and  was  born  on  the  24th  of  May, 
1774.  His  great-grandfather,  whose  name  was  also  Thomas, 
was  a  native  of  Paxton,  Mass.,  and  removed  to  Guilford, 
Vt.,  where  he  and  his  brothers  were  the  first  settlers. 
Zenas  Cutler,  his  father,  was  born  in  Wilmington,  Vt.,  on 
the  18th  of  March,  1804.  He  was  married  on  the  5th  of 
December,  1826,  to  Lucy,  daughter  of  Thomas  Wood,  of 
Warwick,  by  whom  he  had  seven  children,  viz.  :  Lucy  J., 
born  Oct.  14, 1828  (deceased) ;  George  T.,  born  Oct.  9, 1830 
(deceased)  ;  Leroy  Z.,  born  Aug.  14,  1834,  and  is  now  a 
resident  of  Springfield,  Mass. ;  Nahum  S. ;  Laura  S.,  born 
Dec.  16,  1840,  and  married  D.  C.  Warner,  of  Springfield ; 
George  T.  born  Aug.  18,  1844,  and  now  re.siding  in 
Nebraska;  and  Ella  B.,  born  Nov.  21,  1849  (deceased). 

Mr.  Zenas  Cutler  removed  to  Vernon,  Vt.,  in  1840,  and 
thence  to  Bernardston,  and  bought  wliat  was  known  as 
the  Connable  farm,  in  the  north  part  of  the  town,  where  he 
resided  until  his  children  reached  their  majority.  He  now 
lives  with  his  son,  and,  at  the  advanced  age  of  seventy-five 
years,  retains  a  fair  degree  of  health  and  vigor.  He  has 
occupied  various  town-offices,  and  now  holds  the  oflSce  of 
deacon  in  the  Unitarian  Church,  of  which  he  has  been  a 
member  for  many  years,  and  as  a  man  is  highly  esteemed 
by  all  who  know  him. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch,  after  pursuing  the  usual  ele- 
mentary branches  in  the  common  schools,  was  also  clas- 
sically instructed  in  the  Goodale  Academy  and  Powers' 
Institute. 

A  part  of  his  minority  was  spent  on  the  ftirm.  He  also 
taught  school  two  winters.  When  he  reached  his  majority 
he  entered    the  employ  of   L.    C.    Smith,  of  Springfield, 


Mass.,  as  clerk  in  his  boot  and  shoe  store,  and  remained 
with  him  three  years,  when  he  formed  a  copartnership  with 
his  brother-in-law,  D.  C.  Warner,  in  the  same  business. 

He  remained  with  Mr.  Warner  something  over  two  years, 
when  they  sold  out,  and  engaged  in  the  wholesale  boot  and 
shoe  trade  as  members  of  the  firm  of  Cutler,  Mcintosh  & 
Co.  They  also  manufactured  a  few  goods,  and  the  busi- 
ness was  carried  on  very  successfully  for  nine  years,  at  which 
time  Mr.  Cutler  withdrew  from  the  firm,  and  removed  to 
Bernardston,  where  he  purchased  what  was  known  as  the 
"  Dr.  John  Brooks'  place,"  and  established  a  manufactory 
of  ladies',  misses',  and  children's  fine  shoes.  His  goods 
have  always  been  in  good  demand,  being  made  of  first-class 
material  and  by  good  workmen.  He  employs  from  thirty- 
five  to  sixty  hands,  and  turns  out  from  two  hundred  to  three 
hundred  pair  of  shoes  per  day. 

Mr.  Cutler  is  a  thorough  business  man,  but  also  takes 
an  active  part  in  promoting  the  social  and  educational  inter- 
ests of  the  community  in  which  he  lives.  He  is  a  trustee 
of  Powers'  Institute,  and  has  been  prominent  in  all  the  im- 
portant public  enterprises  of  his  town.  He  is  a  great  lover 
of  music  and  a  good  musician,  possesses  a  genial  and 
generous  disposition,  and  throughout  his  life  has  been  gov- 
erned by  principles  of  honor  and  integrity. 

He  was  married  on  the  24th  of  November,  1864,  to 
Hattie  I.  Hoyt,  by  whom  he  has  two  children, — Lucy  J., 
born  Oct,  3,  18G6,  and  Henry  H.,  born  Oct.  15,  1868. 

Mrs.  Cutler  is  a  daughter  of  Richard  Hoyt,  of  Ber- 
nardston, who  is  a  descendant  of  the  Deerfield  family  of 
that  name  renowned  in  the  Indian  war,  and  a  prominent 
and  influential  citizen  ;  he  has  held  many  public  offices  of 
trust,  is  now  a  member  of  the  Legislature,  a  trustee  of 
Powers'  Institute  and  of  the  Cushman  Library. 


Photo,  by  Popkins. 


Imla  K.  Brown  was  born  in  Guilford,  Vt.,  May  4, 
1815.  Isaac  Brown,  his  grandfather,  removed  to  Guil- 
ford from  Dover,  about  the  year  1803.  His  father,  whose 
name  was  also  Isaac,  was  born  in  Dover,  Vt.,  March  1, 
1793,  and  was  ten  years  old  when  he  went  to  Guilford, 
where  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life.  He  was  a  farmer, 
and  as  a  man  was  widely  known  and  respected.  He  was 
ever  active  in  promoting  the  public  and  social  interests  of 
the  community  in  which  he  lived.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  Episcopal  Church,  and  in  the  town  held  various  public 
offices,  serving  as  selectman  thirty  successive  terms.  He 
also  held,  in  1813,  a  commission  as  captain  in  an  indepen- 
dent company  of  militia  in  Guilford.  He  married  Delinda 
Keep,  who  was  born  in  Groton,  Mass.,  in  August,  1790. 
They  had  a  family  of  seven  children,  viz. :  Imla  K.,  Han- 
nah D.,  Mary  M.,  Isaac  E.  (deceased),  Abigail  A.  (deceased)^ 
George  R.  (deceased),  and  Alfred  S.,  who  resides  on  the 
old  homestead  in  Vermont. 

Imla  K.,  like  most  farmers'  lads,  and  particularly  elder 
sons,  was  required  at  an  early  age  to  assist  in  the  farm 
labor.  He,  however,  attended  the  district  schools  a  portion 
of  each  year  until  he  was  nineteen  years  of  age.  Subse- 
quently he  attended  the  academies  of  Brattleboro'  and 
Townsend,  and  during  the  winters  of  1837  and  1838  he 
taught  school  in  Bernardston,  Franklin  Co.,  Mass.  While 
there  he  was  married,  March  27,  1838,  to  Emma  Eunice, 
daughter  of  Captain  Jonathan  and  Aseneth  Connable,  who 
was  born  in  Bernardston,  July  2,  1814.  To  them  were  born 
three  children, — two  daughters  and  one  son, — all  of  whom 
are   living.     They   are   Laura   K.,  born   Jan.    16,    1841  ; 


Emma  W.,  born  April  2,  1846 ;  and  Abbott  E.,  born 
April  23,  1849.  Immediately  after  his  marriage  Mr.  Brown 
removed  to  Bernardston,  and  located  on  the  place  where 
he  now  resides,  and  which  at  that  time  was  owned  by  Mr. 
Connable,  his  father-in-law.  He  afterward  purchased  the 
property,  which  he  has  considerably  improved.  He  has 
devoted  his  attention  to  farming,  and  has  been  uniformly 
successful. 

In  politics  he  is  a  Republican,  but  not  a  partisan  or 
office-seeker,  his  aim  being  rather  to  promote  the  best  in- 
terests of  the  community  without  reference  to  party  or  creed, 
and  the  offices  he  has  held  are  such  only  as  contribute  to 
the  general  welfiire  of  the  town  in  which  he  lives.  He  has 
been  a  trustee  of  the  Powers'  Institute  since  its  establish- 
ment, and  is  a  trustee  of  the  Cushman  Library,  of  which 
he  has  also  been  president  since  the  decease  of  Mr.  Cushman 
in  1866,  and  is,  besides,  agent  for  the  town  of  Bernardston 
in  the  Cushman  estate.  Mr.  Brown  is  a  member  of  the 
New  England  and  the  Franklin  County  Agricultural 
Societies,  and  for  two  years  has  been  president  of  the  latter. 
He  has  also  for  three  years  represented  the  county  in  the 
State  Board  of  Agriculture  at  Boston.  He  has  been  a 
member  of  the  board  of  selectmen  a  number  of  terms,  and 
in  the  various  positions  to  which  he  has  been  called  he  has 
won,  by  the  fidelity  with  which  he  has  discharged  the  duties 
of  each,  the  confidence  and  respect  of  the  people. 

His  first  wife  died  June  4,  1872.  He  married  for  his 
second  wife,  Nov.  17,  1874,  Hallie  C,  youngest  daughter 
of  Capt.  Hart  and  Clarissa  Larrabee,  who  was  born  in 
Greenfield,  March  26,  1838. 


HISTORY  OF   FRANKLIN   COUNTY. 


691 


1770. — John  Biirk,  Aaron  Fielil,  John  Scvemnce. 

I77I.— Jiiliii  Iliirk,  Elijiih  .SlicMiin,  Joi'l  Chiipin. 

177;i. — John  Iliirk,  Elijiih  Slu-Iditn,  James  Couch. 

1773. — John  Burk,  Saniuol  Ihvstings,  Moses  Scott. 

1774. — Elislia  Duruhani,  Klijali  Kingsley,  Caleb  Cliapin. 

1775. — Elijah  liiirnhiuu,  David  lUiler,  Ezekiel  Foster. 

177fi. — John  IJnrk,  Aaion  Fiehl,  Jona.  Sheldon. 

1777. — John  Ituik,  Elisha  Uuniham,  Aniasa  Shelilon. 

1778. — Moses  Scott,  Ezekiel  Foster,  Samuel  Hastings. 

1779. — Uezekiali  Chapiu,  Uezekiuh  Newcomh,  John  Burk,  Joseph  Slate,  James 

Conch. 
1780. — Aaron  Field,  Moses  Scott,  Elisha  Burnhani. 
1781. — Caleb  Chapin,  Samuel  Guild,  Daniel  Loomis. 
1782. — Am:isji  Sheldon,  Joseph  Slate,  Hezekiah  Ch.apin,  Jared  Crandall. 
178.3. — Daviii  Rider,  Hezekiah  Chapin,  .Mphens  Barstow,   Hezekiah  Ncuconib, 

Charles  Packer. 
1784,— Aaron  Field,  Reuben  Shattuck,  Zehulon  Allen. 
17S.'i. — J<d>  Wrij^ht,  Jonathan  Sheldon,  Zehulon  Allen. 
17SIJ. — Job  \\'ri;,;lit,  Asaph  ,\llen,  Ai'teni;is  Cushmau. 
17.'s7. — Job  M'liglit,  Josepii  Slate,  Hezekiah  Newcomh. 
17S8. — Eli?ha  Uiiridiam,  Samuel  Hastings,  Artemas  Cnshniall. 
1789.— Job  Wiight,  Hezekiah  Xeneomb,  Joseph  Allen. 
179(J. — Jonathan  Sheldon.  Artemas  Cushinati,  Sebti  .\lleu. 
1791. — Jonathan  Slieldon,  Caleb  Chapin,  Jr.,  Seba  Allen. 
1792. — Joseph  Slate,  Ai tenuis  Cushman,  Seba  .\lleD. 
1793.— Josepli  Slate,  Caleb  Alvord,  Seba  Allen. 
1794. — .\sapli  Allen.  Caleb  Alvord,  Sanuiet  Hastings. 
179'j. — Elijis  Parmeuter,  Caleb  Alvord,  Siiniuel  Hastings. 
1791!.— Elias  I'armenter,  Caleb  Alvord,  Seba  Allen. 
1797. — David  Severance,  Plince  Snow,  Seba  .\llen. 
1798-99. — David  Severance,  Stephen  Webster,  (Jidcon  Ryther. 
180U. — Samnel  Hastings,  Caleb  Chapin  (2d},  Jona.  Allen. 
18ul. — Thoniiis  Hoseley,  Gideon  Ryther,  David  Severance. 
1802.— Samuel  Flagg,  Stephen  Webster,  David  Severance. 
1S03. — Samuel  Flagg,  Stephen  Webster,  Samuel  Sykes,  Jr. 
1804. — Thoniiis  Hoseley,  Gideon  Ryther,  .Jonathan  Allen. 
1S0.J-G. — Siimuel  Sykes,  Jr.,  Gideon  Ryther,  David  Severance. 
1807. — Samuel  Sykes,  Stephen  Webster,  Jona.  Allen. 
180S. — John  Hiunilton,  Stephen  Webster,  Oliver  Cooley. 
1809. — John  Hiimilton,  Gideon  Ryther,  George  Alexander. 
1810. — Samuel  Root,  P.  L.  Cushman,  George  Ale.\andei-. 
1811.— Samuel  Root,  S.  Webster,  Ezra  Purple,  .Ii-. 
1812. — John  Hiimilton,  Sanmel  Green,  Ezra  Purple,  Jr. 
1813. — John  Hiimilton,  S.  Webster,  Jona.  Allen. 
1814. — John  Hiimilton,  S.  Webster,  Socrates  Sheblon. 
1815.— John  Hamilton,  Job  O.jodiile,  Diivid  Denison. 
181G.— John  Hamilton,  Joiiiitlian  .Mien,  P.  L.  Irishman. 
1817. — P.  L.  Cushmau,  Joiiiithan  Allen,  Rufus  liiistings. 
1818. — Job  Goodale,  Ralph  Cushman,  Orra  Sheldon. 
1819. — Jonathiiii  Allen,  Hatsel  Purple,  Gejrge  Parmenter. 
1820.— .Jonathan  .\llen,  Hiitsel  Purple,  John  Hamilton. 
1821.— Jonathan  Allen,  Hatsel  Purple,  Oliver  Root. 
1822.— Pliney  Warner,  Hatsel  Purple,  John  Hamilton. 
182:3. — George  Piirmenter,  Josepli  Connable,  John  Hamilton. 
1824. — George  Parmeuter,  Joseph  Connable,  Z.  C.  Newcomb. 
1825. — Hatsel  Purple,  Elizcr  Chamberlain,  Samnel  Root. 
1826-28. — Hatsel  Purple,  Elizer  Chamberlain,  Jona.  Allen. 
1829. — Hatsel  Purple,  Isaac  Burrows,  Josejdi  Shite. 
1830. — Oliver  Root,  Isaac  Burrows,  Adolphus  Hide. 
1831. — Ralph  Cushman,  Isajic  Burrows,  Hatsel  Purple. 
1S32. — Ralph  Cushman,  Isiuic  Burrows,  .\doiphus  Hale. 
1833.— Oliver  Root,  Josejih  Slate,  Rufus  Chase. 
1834.— Oliver  Root,  Adolphus  Hale,  Rufus  Chase. 
1835-37. — Isaac  Burrows,  Adolphus  Hale,  Rufus  Chiise. 
1838. — Ralph  Cushman,  Adolphus  Hale,  Joseph  Slate. 
1839. — Luke  Gore,  Adolphus  Hale,  Isaac  Burrows. 
1840.— Otis  Warner,  Adolphus  Hale,  S.  B.  Slate. 

1841. — Otis  Warner,  Adolphus  Hale,  Isaac  Burrows. 

1842.— A.  E.  Parmenter,  A.  Hale,  D.  W.  Temple. 

1843. — A.  E.  Parmenter,  Isaiic  Burrows,  D.  W.  Temple. 

1844.- A.  E.  Parmenter,  A.  R.  Kingsley,  John  E.  Burk. 

1845.— D.  W.  Temple,  Rufus  Chiise,  John  E.  Bnrk. 

184(i.— D.  W.  Temple,  John  S.  Allen,  John  E.  Bnrk. 

1847.— D.  W.  Temple,  John  S.  Allen,  A.  E.  Parmenter. 

1848. — D.  W.  Temple,  Isiuic  Burrows,  Richard  Montirgue. 

1849-51. — John  E.  Burk,  Samuel  I.  Green,  Ed.  H.  Snow. 

1852. — John  E.  Burk,  Joel  N.  Dewey,  L.  H.  Spnigiie. 

1853.— D.  W.  Temple,  Israel  P.  Halo,  R.  R.  Park." 

1854.— D.  W.  Temple,  Israel  P.  Hale,  S.  B.  Slate. 

1855-56.— S.  B.  Slate,  Israel  P.  Hale,  Zenas  Cutler. 

1857. — S.  B.  Slate,  Samnel  J.  Lyons,  I.  K.  Brown. 

1858-59.— Marcus  Chiipin,  P.  L.  Cushman,  I.  K.  Brown. 

1860. — Lathrop  Cushman,  P.  L.  Cushman,  S.  J.  Lyons. 

1801.— Imla  K.  Brown,  P.  L.  Cushman,  S.  J.  Lyons. 

1802.— J.  M.  Slate,  P.  L.  Cushman,  G.  J.  Green. 

1803.- J.  M.  Slate,  P.  L.  Cushman,  John  F.  Hale. 

1804.— J.  M.  Slate,  B.  S.  Burrows,  J.  F.  Hale. 

1865.— H.  B.  Butle:-,  B.  S.  Burrows,  J.  F.  Hale. 


1800.— H.  B.  Butler,  R.  H.  Hoyt,  Henry  0.  Boot. 
1807-72.- .\linoli  Xowc.unb,  R.  II.  Hoyt,  H.  0.  Root. 
1S72-78.— E.  S.  Hidbert,  S.  II.  Atheiton,  II.  0.  Riot. 
1878.— E.  S.  Hulbert,  C.  R.  Hills,  H.  O.  Root. 

TOWN    CLERKS. 

Jliij.  John  Bulk,  1703-85;  Job  Wright,  1785-8S;  Seba  Allen,  1788-90:  Job 
Wright,  1790;  Seba  Allen,  1791-98;  Gideon  Ryther,  1798-1.801 ;  Jonathan  .\llen, 
1801 ;  Gideon  Ryther,  lS(r>-10;  Jonathan  Allen,  1810-13  ;  Ralph  Cushman,  1S13- 
19;  Jonathan  Allen,  1819-22;  Ralph  Cushman,  li-22;  Jonatlian  Allen,  182:!; 
Zebina  C.  Xewcomb,  1824;  Jonathan  Allen,  1825;  Kidph  Cushman,  l«26-:i4; 
Henry  W.  Cushman,  1834-53;  Silas  N.  Brooks,  185:t-72 ;  S.  J.  Green,  1872-77; 
Henry  Slate,  1877-79. 

KEPRESENTATIVES    AT    THE    GEXERAL    COURT. 

Bernardston  was  fir.^t  represented  at  the  General  Court  in 
17IJ4,  when  Maj.  .Jnhu  Burk  was  the  representative.  From 
that  date  to  1857,  when  Bernardston  became  a  part  of  district 
No.  1,  the  town  was  represented  by  the  following  persons: 

Elisha  Burnhani,  Hezekiah  Newcomb,  Alphens  Barstow,  Ciileli  Alvard,  .Toua- 
than  Bucangton,  Lemuel  Foster,  Giileon  Ryther,  Stephen  Welister,  George 
Alexander,  John  Ibimiltou,  P.  L.  Cushman,  lliit..icl  Purple,  John  Brooks,  Jonil- 
than  Allen,  Henry  W.  Cushmau,  Adolphus  Hide,  Daniel  W.  Temple,  Isaac 
Burrows,  John  K  Burk,  .Samuel  S.  Wiiglit,  K  S.  Hulbert. 

In  1784,  Leyden  was  set  off  from  Bernardston  as  a  district, 
and  in  1809  became  a  town.  Between  tliose  years  Bernardston 
and  Leyden  joined  in  the  election  of  a  representative. 

VILLAGES. 

Of  the  two  villages  in  the  town,  Berxardstos  Tillage,  on 
Fall  liivcr,  and  about  a  mile  and  a  half  from  tlie  Gi-eenficld 
line,  is  the  most  important.  It  is  a  station  on  the  Connecticut 
Kiver  Bailroad,  is  tlie  seat  of  town  government,  and  ]ieopled 
chiefly  by  thrifty  and  prosperous  farmers,  whose  neat  and 
homelike  residences  materially  beautify  tlie  village,  which 
covers  a  broad  sweep  of  river  valley  overlooked  on  both  the 
east  and  the  west  by  towering  hills. 

Here,  too,  are  a  fine  town-house,  built  in  1877,  at  a  c<jst  of 
$3000,  the  Powers  Institute,  Cushman  Hall,  the  Cushman  Li- 
brary, Cushman  Park,  five  churches,  three  stores,  one  hotel, 
and  a  large  shoe-factor}'.  It  is  worthy  of  mention  tliat  its  two 
chief  thoroughfares,  Main  and  Church  Streets,  are  lighted  at 
night  with  street-lamps  provided  by  individual  enterprise. 

North  Berxardstox",  near  the  Vermont  line,  a  small  ag- 
ricultural settlement,  contains,  besides  about  a  dozen  dwell- 
ings, a  store  and  a  liotel,  the  latter  familiar  for  years  as  "  the  old 

Chase  tavern." 

CHURCHES. 

At  a  proprietors'  meeting  in  June,  1739,  a  committee  was 
chosen  to  see  to  tlie  building  of  a  meeting-house,  which  was 
to  be  50  feet  in  length,  40  feet  in  breadth,  and  23  feet  between 
joints.  This  house  was  set  up  and  framed  in  the  fall  of  1739, 
and,  after  some  discussion,  it  was  finally  set  upon  lot  No.  3, 
owned  by  Capt.  Wells,  on  Huckle  Hill,  and  on  land  now 
owned  (1879)  bj'  P.  L.  Cushman.  It  is  northeast  of  Ber- 
nardston vilhige  and  a  half-mile  south  of  where  J.  B.  Field 
lives.  The  house  was  finished  in  the  summer  of  1740,  when 
£20  where  appropriated  to  jirocure  preaching  for  the  en- 
suing winter.  In  September,  1741,  it  was  agreed  to  engage 
Rev.  John  Norton,  of  Berlin,  Conn.,  to  settle  in  the  ministry. 
As  a  settlement  he  was  to  have  a  seventieth  part  of  the  town- 
ship, or  an  equal  part  of  the  town.ship  with  each  proprietor, 
the  use  of  the  ministry  right  during  his  abode  in  the  ministry, 
and  JE200,  of  which  latter  one-half  was  to  be  in  money,  and 
one-half  in  labor  or  materials  for  building.  His  salary  was 
to  be  £130  per  annum  for  the  first  five  j'ears,  and  then  to 
advance  £5  yearly  until  it  amounted  to  £170  (the  bills  to  be 
equal  to  silver  at  29.^■.  per  ounce),  and  his  firewood  brought  to 
his  door.  Mr.  Nurton,  accepting  the  call,  was  ordained  in 
Deerfield,  November,  1741,  and  at  the  same  time  a  church  was 
organized.  In  March,  174-5,  it  was  decided,  owing  to  the 
distractions  brought  about  by  the  Indian  war,  to  abandon  the 
efl'orts  heretofore  made  in  support  of  the  ministry,  and  a  com- 
mittee was  appointed  to  ascertain  from  Mr.  Norton  upon  what 


692 


HISTORY  OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


terms  he  would  cdiiseiit  "to  remove  from  the  work  of  the 
ministry  in  Falltown  f<'r  tlie  present."  What  the  agreed 
terms  were  does  not  appear,  but  Mr.  Norton  relinquislii'd  liis 
eharge,  and  .shortly  thereafter  was  appointed  to  lie  cliaphiin  at 
Fort  Massachusetts,  and  was  there  subsequently  captured  by  the 
Indians  and  taken  a  prisoner  to  Canada,  whence  he  returned, 
and  settled  in  Chatham,  Conn. 

The  jirevalencc  of  Indian  troubles  between  ITJo  and  1750 
caused  a  partial  abandonment  of  the  township,  and  it  was  not 
i\-  until  1750  that  anything  more  was  done  touching  church 
matters,  when  the  proprietors  appointed  a  committee  to  pro- 
cure some  person  to  preach  for  them.  There  was,  however,  no 
settled  preacher  until  1701,  when  Kev.  Job  "Wright,  of  East- 
hampton,  was  settled,  with  a  salary  of  £00  13.5.  id.  yearly, 
together  with  40  cords  of  wood  and  a  settlement  of  £133  6s. 
8rf.  Incidental  to  the  preparations  for  the  ordination  of  Mr. 
Wright,  in  July,  1761,  it  was  voted  "  to  carry  8000  of  hoards 
to  lay  in  the  galleries  of  the  meeting-house,  so  that  the  people 
may  set  with  more  convenience  at  the  time  of  the  ordination." 

In  the  latter  part  of  17C4  the  meeting-house  was  much  out 
of  repair,  and  during  the  winter  of  that  year  it  was  not  used 
for  worship,  services  being  held  at  the  houses  of  Joel  Chapin 
and  Hcxekiah  Cbajiin,  who  were  paid  Is.  Gd.  each  for  every 
Sabbath  their  houses  were  so  used.  In  the  spring  of  1707  the 
meeting-house  had  doubtless  been  repaired,  but  of  pews  there 
were  probably  none.  The  town  voted  "  that  any  two  persons, 
— that  is,  heads  of  families, — or  any  four  young  men  that  are 
agreed  to  set  together,  they  belonging  to  this  town,  .shall  have 
liberty  to  build  a  pew  in  the  meeting-house,  but  that  they 
shall  be  entitled  to  that  place  no  longer  than  the  town  shall 
give  liberty."  The  meeting-house  must  have  been  in  disfavor 
again  in  the  winter  of  1767,  when  Sabbath  worship  was  held 
at  the  houses  of  Joel  Chapin  and  Remembrance  Sheldon.  Pre- 
vious to  that  time  and  for  several  years  thereafter,  there  was  a 
vast  deal  of  discussion  about  repairing  and  moving  the  meet- 
ing-house to  some  location  more  convenient  for  those  residing 
in  the  east  part  of  the  town.  There  was  a  great  waste  of 
words  in  the  controversy,  committees  were  appointed  to  name 
a  location  for  the  house,  and  their  reports  were  subsequently 
rejected;  all  proposed  plans  met  with  sturdy  opposition,  and 
the  meeting-house  remained  where  it  was,  and  in  such  bad 
condition  that  it  was  unfit  for  use  in  the  winter  season.  These 
fruitless  discussions  about  locating  the  meeting-house  con- 
tinued until  1772,  when,  a  committee  from  neighboring  towns 
being  called  in  to  choose  a  location,  the  vexed  question  was 
settled,  and  in  December,  1772,  the  structure  was  moved  bodil}', 
by  men  alone,  from  Huckle  Ilill  to  a  spot  just  south,  near 
where  Albert  G.  Chapin  now  lives.  It  took  some  time  to  make 
the  meeting-house  fit  to  meet  in  after  its  removal,  and  mean- 
while public  worship  was  held  at  the  houses  of  Deacon  Shel- 
don, Samuel  Connable,  and  Eemembrance  Sheldon. 

In  December,  1773,  it  was  voted  "to  fling  up  the  plan  the 
pews  in  the  meeting-house  were  builded  upon,  and  the  seat- 
ing, and  go  altogether  upon  a  new  plan,  and  that  the  pews 
shall  be  built  the  same  for  largeness  every  way  as  the  pews  in 
the  Greenfield  meeting-house."  Those  who  chose  to  build 
pews  were  to  have  the  use  of  them  for  one  year,  and  the  seat- 
ing committee  were  enjoined  to  be  governed  in  seating  the 
house  by  the  rule  of  age,  estate,  and  qualification. 

In  1779  the  meeting-house  began  to  run  to  ruin  again,  and 
a  committee  was  chosen  "  to  nail  on  the  boards  that  are  come 
otf ;  to  nail  up  the  windows,  and  ye  windows  in  ye  lower  part 
to  he  made  so  as  to  slip  up."  In  1781  it  was  agreed  that  the 
people  in  the  west  part  of  the  town  should  he  relieved  from 
the  minister  rate,  and  have  preaching  amsng  themselves.  In 
1782,  Eev.  Mr.  Wright,  who  had  served  the  church  twenty- 
one  years,  was  dismissed  at  his  own  request,  brouglit  about  by 
reason  of  the  town's  being  largely  in  arrears  to  him,  on  salary. 
Mr.  Wright  continued,  however,  to  reside  in  the  town. 

Kev.  Amasa  Cook,  of  Hadley,  was  ordained  December,  1783, 


as  Mr.  Wright's  successor,  and  received  a  settlement  of  X140 
and  the  promise  of  a  salary  of  £00,  which  was  to  be  increased 
£3  yearly  until  it  reached  £75. 

In  1791  the  meeting-house  was  again  moved,  to  the  forks, 
just  south  of  Mr.  John  Morey's  place.  Here  it  remained  un- 
disturbed until  1823,  when,  following  the  concentration  of  the 
town's  settlement,  it  was  removed  to  the  site  now  occupied  by 
the  Unitarian  Church  in  Bernardston  village. 

Eev.  Mr.  Cook  served  the  church  until  1805,  when  he  was 
dismissed  by  reason  of  certain  alleged  immoralities.  His  suc- 
cessor, Eev.  Timothy  F.  Eogers,  was  ordained  in  1800,  and 
continued  in  the  ministry  until  his  death,  in  1847.  During 
Mr.  Eogers'  term  of  service  the  church  became  Unitarian,  in 
obedience  to  his  teachings,  and  as  such  has  always  remained 
since  his  time. 

The  church  was  rebuilt  in  1824,  and  in  1850  it  was  re- 
modeled, repaired,  and  enlarged,  as  it  now  appears.  Mr. 
Eogers'  successors  were  Eevs.  Asarelah  Bridge,  Thomas  Wes- 
ton, William  Hubbard,  Mr.  Eenney,  John  B.  Green,  Charles 
Canfield,  S.  Barker,  Henry  F.  Campbell,  and  Samuel  B. 
Flagg,  the  latter  being  now  in  eharge,  1879.  This  church 
has  a  fund  of  5>0000,  of  which  the  income  goes  toward  the  s>ip- 
port  of  the  pastor.  Its  Sunday-school  has  a  fund  of  §500,  and 
the  church  owns  also  a  fine  parsonage,  the  former  residence  of 
Hon.  H.  W.  Cushman.  The  funds  and  the  parsonage  were 
left  to  the  church  by  Mr.  Cushman  upon  his  death,  in  1863. 
The  church  structure  is  supplied  with  a  fine  pipe-organ  pur- 
chased in  1871,  at  a  cost  of  551200. 

THK    BAPTISTS 

flourished  in  Bernardston  as  early  as  1782,  when  the  town 
generously  voted  to  relieve  the  people  of  that  faith  from  the 
payment  of  a  minister's  tax.  In  1788,  however,  they  were 
called  upon  to  paj'  the  tax,  but  in. 1789,  at  the  request  of  Eev. 
Ama.su  Cook,  the  Baptists  were  again  relieved,  and  were  not 
afterward  called  upon  to  pay  it.  A  Baptist  society  was  or- 
ganized in  that  year,  and  in  1790  a  meeting-house  was  erected,  -J 
although  a  church  was  not  organized  until  1808.  The  first 
[church  building,  which  was  located  near  where  the  present 
Baptist  Church  stands  in  Bernardston  village,  gave  place  to 
a  new  one  in  1817,  and  this  latter  to  the  present  edifice  in 
I  1851.  The  building  erected  in  1817,  and  replaced  in  1851,  is 
now  occupied  as  a  residence  by  Mrs.  I.  Phillips.  The  last  of 
the  members  composing  the  church  at  its  organization,  in 
1808,  died  in  Bernardston  village  in  1878.  His  name  was 
Eeuben  Park,  and  his  age  was  ninety-eight.  The  other 
members  present  with  him  at  the  church  organization  were 
Moses  Smith,  William  Fox,  Samuel  Sikes,  Jr.,  Jonathan 
Sanderson,  Selah  Hastings,  Eeuben  Alger,  Eunice  Smith, 
Mary  Park,  Susanna  Hastings,  Abigail  Green,  Eachel  Carey, 
and  Louisa  Darling.  Elder  Hodge,  who  was  the  society's  first 
pastor,  was  ordained  in  1790,  and  remained  in  the  pastorate 
until  1800.  After  him  the  ministers  were  Eevs.  Peter  Eogers, 
Edward  Green,  B.  L.  Eemington,  Aaron  Burbank,  Erastus 
Andrews,  Charles  Farrar,  John  Green,  George  E.  Fuller, 
Calvin  L.  Baker,  Henry  Crowley,  George  Stoekwell,  George 
L.  Euberg,  Thomas  Wrinkle,  B.  L.  Tuck,  and  J.  H.  Par- 
melee,  the  latter  being  the  present  pastor  (1879). 

A    METHODIST    CLASS 

is  said  to  have  been  formed  in  Bernardston  as  early  as  1799, 
although  existing  records  do. not  mention  a  society  previous 
to  1811,  when  there  was  a  class  numbering  13,  of  whom  8 
resided  in  Bernardston  and  5  in  Gill,  the  teacher  being  Peter 
.lacohs,  of  Bernardston.  A  church  was,  however,  not  organ- 
I  izcd  until  1852,  in  which  year  also  the  present  house  of  wor- 
ship in  Bernardston  village  was  built.  Among  the  early  pas- 
tors were  Eevs.  Bromley,  Ward,  J.  S.  Day,  John  Beckwith, 
Horace  Smith,  and  Randall  Mitchell.  The  present  jiastor  is 
Kev.  Icbabod  Marcy.  The  church  owns  a  neat  parsonage, 
erected  in  1873,  at  a  cost  of  §1500. 


HISTORY   OF  FRANKLIN   COUNTY. 


693 


THE    UNlVEBSAtlST   SOCIETY   OF    BERNARDHTON 

was  organized  in  1820,  and  in  1823  the  present  church  edifice 
in  Bernardston  village  was  erected.  A  church  organization 
was  not  effected  until  1872".  The  pastors  have  heen  Kevs. 
Jacob  Wood,  John  Brooks,  Orin  Perkins,  H.  B.  Butler, 
Edwin  White,  John  B.  Thompson,  Edward  T.  Danforth,  Lu- 
cius Holmes,  and  E.  W.  Coffin,  the  latter  heing  the  pastor 
in  1879. 

THE    ORTUODOX    CHURCH 

was  revived  in  1824  by  the  organization  of  the  Second  Con- 
gregational Church,  but  no  church  building  was  erected  until 
1833,  previous  to  which  time  the  church  worshiped  in  the 
Baptist  meeting-house.  The  first  settled  pastor  was  Rev.  Vin- 
cent Gould.  Among  his  successors  were  Kevs.  Bancroft  Fow- 
ler, Frederic  Janes,  Chas.  Kendall,  W.  Brigham,  H.  Green- 
ough  Park,  T.  J.  Clark,  D.  H.  Eogan,  A.  B.  Foster,  T.  A. 
Merrill,  and  L.  M.  Pierce.  Mr.  Pierce,  the  present  pastor 
(1879),  entered  upon  his  charge  in  November,  1873.  The 
church  building  now  occupied — enlarged  and  improved  in 
184-1 — was  built  in  1833  by  Mr.  Job  Goodale,  and  presented  to 
the  society.  The  parsonage  belonging  to  the  church  was  the 
gift  of  the  heirs  of  Mr.  Goodale.  The  church  has  a  fine  organ, 
bought  in  1870  for  §900. 

Joseph  P.  Hale,  a  native  of  Bernardston,  now  residing  in 
New  York,  donated  to  the  religious  societies  of  Bernardston 
.91000,  the  interest  of  which  is  to  be  expended  for  an  annual 
picnic  of  all  the  Sundaj'-schools  of  the  town. 

SCUOOLS. 
There  was  some  discussion  in  the  winter  of  1769  about  pro- 
viding a  schoolmaster  "  to  teach  the  youth  of  the  town,"  but 
nothing  more  was  done  in  the  matter  until  December,  1770, 
when  £C)  were  appropriated  for  the  use  of  a  school,  and  the 
selectmen  were  instructed  to  provide  a  schoolmaster,  and  to 
appoint  a  time  and  place  for  keeping  said  school.  In  Decem- 
ber, 1772,  it  was 

Voted  "  to  raise  cue  sliilling  and  six  pence  for  each  scholar  in  town  for  school- 
ing, which  is  £7  10s,,  and  that  b()ys  from  six  to  sixteen  years  of  age,  and  gu-Is 
from  six  to  twelve  years  of  age,  shall  he  reckoned  as  scliolars,  and  that  the 
scholars  at  ye  south  end  of  ye  town,  up  as  f;ir  as  Maj.  Burk  and  Daniel  Looniid 
on  ye  river,  and  on  ye  east  side  of  ye  town  up  as  far  as  .\raasa  Sheldon's,  shall 
go  to  3Ir.  Remembrance  Sheldon's  house  to  school ;  and  that  all  the  scholars  on 
ye  hill  from  Mr.  Wright's,  north,  shall  go  to  Sergt.  John  Severance's  house  to 
school ;  and  tliat  all  ye  scholars  from  Benjamin  Green's,  north,  and  so  out  to  Sim- 
eon Edwards',  shall  go  to  Samuel  Connable's  house  to  school ;  and  that  those 
people  in  ye  west  part  of  ye  town  may  have  a  school  where  they  can  agree,  and 
if  the  money  that  has  been  raised  and  is  now  raised  for  schooling  is  not  expended 
for  that  pui-pose  in  the  term  of  one  year  from  this  time,  the  scholars  shall  not  be 
entitled  to  said  money." 

December,  1773,  it  was 

Voted  that  "  all  the  schoolers  south  of  ensign  Shelden  and  Daniel  Loomis  shall 
go  to  one  school,  and  all  the  schoolers  north  of  Win.  Wright's  shall  go  to  one 
school  on  the  hill;  and  all  the  schoolers  north  of  Benjamin  Green  shall  go  to 
one  school  on  the  river;  and  all  the  schoolers  on  Beaver  meadow  and  on 
Frizzel's  hill  shall  go  to  one  school ;  also,  that  all  schoolers  joining  on  Colraiu  be 
allowed  their  proportion  of  the  school  money." 

Nothing  appears  to  have  been  done  by  the  town  about  school 
affairs  between  1773  and  1784;  but  in  the  latter  year  it  was 
ordered  that  the  town  should  be  divided  into  four  school  dis- 
tricts, and  that  each  district  should  build  a  school-house  at  its 
own  cost.  In  1786  an  appropriation  of  £20  for  schools  was 
the  first  made  for  that  purpose  since  1772. 

Bernardston  now  enjoys  educational  advantages  far  superior 
to  those  ordinarily  possessed  by  towns  of  its  size,  and,  while 
the  cost  of  those  advantages  is  now  but  nominal,  as  will  be 
seen  farther  along,  ]lrovi^ion  has  already  been  made  whereby 
that  cost  will,  one  day  in  the  future,  be  reduced  to  almost 
nothing. 

There  is,  firstly,  a  school  fund  of  §710,  created  by  the  sale 
of  school  lands  as  far  back  as  the  latter  part  of  the  eighteenth 
century,  and  the  income  of  this  fund  must  forever  be  devoted 
to  the  support  of  schools.  Secondly,  the  common  schools  re- 
ceive the  income  of  $-3000,  bequeathed  by  Edward  E.  Powers, 


a  citizen  of  Columbus,  Ga.,  but  a  native  of  Bernardston. 
Thirdly,  the  town  has  a  fine  classical  school  at  Bernardston 
village,  called  the  Powers  Institute,  which  is  free  to  the  in- 
habitants of  Bernardston,  and  to  its  support  Mr.  Powers, 
above  named,  bequeathed  the  income  forever'of  g.jOOO  ;  and, 
fourthly,  Mr.  Job  Goodale,  a  resident  of  Bernardston,  gave 
the  town,  in  1836,  |200,  conditioned  that  the  fund  be  allowed 
to  accumulate  until  it  should  reach  the  sum  of  §20,000,  after 
which  the  income  of  the  §20,000  is  to  be  devoted  to  the  support 
of  schools,  the  town  poor,  and  the  town  library. 

As  the  town  raises  now  but  §5.50  for  schools,  it  will  he  seen 
that  by  the  time  the  Goodale  fund  becomes  available,  the  cost 
to  the  town  for  the  support  of  its  schools  will  be  trifling. 

The  Powers  Institute  receives,  in  addition  to  home  students, 
many  pupils  from  other  towns,  and  enjoys  high  distinction  as 
an  institution  of  learning.  The  school  building  was  erected  by 
the  town  in  1856,  at  a  cost,  including  furniture,  of  56700. 
The  lot  upon  which  it  stands  was  donated  by  Col.  A.  Ferry, 
and  its  valuable  scientific  apparatus  was  the  gift  of  Mr.  John 
Sanderson.  A  large  boarding-house,  connected  with  the  in- 
stitute and  situated  opposite  thereto,  was  bequeathed  to  the 
town  by  Hon.  Henry  W.  Cushman,  and  in  his  honor  is  called 
Cushman  Hall. 

Bernardston  had  in  1833  a  school  of  some  note  called  the 
Goodale  Academy,  which  was  endowed  in  1833  by  Job  Good- 
ale, conditioned  that  the  pjtstor  of  the  Congregational  Church 
should  be  the  preceptor,  and  should  have  the  benefit  of  tuition 
fees.  The  school  continued  to  prosper  from  1833  to  185C, 
when  the  Powers  Institute  entered  upon  its  career. 

Bernardston  has,  besides  the  Powers  Institute,  six  common 
schools,  with  an  average  daily  attendance  of  141  pupils. 
The  institute  had,  in  the  winter  term  of  1878  and  1879,  90 
pupils,  of  whom  47  were  from  Bernardston  and  43  from  other 
towns. 

The  town  has  also  a  free  public  library,  containing  upward 
of  3500  volumes.  It  was  founded  in  1802,  upon  a  donation 
by  Hon.  Henry  W.  Cushman  of  §1000  for  the  purchase  of 
books  ;  another  one  of  §500,  by  the  same  donor,  for  the  erec- 
tion of  a  library  building;  and  a  third  one,  by  which  he 
agreed,  if  he  lived  so  long,  to  give  §100  a  year  for  ten  years, 
for  the  support  of  the  library.  Dying  in  1863,  Mr.  Cushman 
left  for  the  library  a  fund  of  §2-500,  the  annual  income  of 
which  was  to  go  toward  the  purchase  of  hooks.  The  library 
building,  a  neat  brick  edifice  in  Bernardston  village,  is  owned 
in  part  by  the  town  and  in  part  by  John  Sanderson,  Esq., 
who  added  to  the  structure  a  second  story,  known  as  Sander- 
son Hall. 

EMINENT  MEN. 

Among  the  noted  men  to  whom  Bernardston  has  given 
birth,  none  hold  so  firm  a  place  in  the  grateful  remembrance 
of  the  town  as  Hon.  Henry  W.  Cushman.  His  father  was 
Hon.  Polycarpus  L.  Cushman,  a  native  of  Bernardston,  a 
man  of  considerable  local  distinction,  and  for  many  years 
landlord  of  the  tavern  still  standing  in  Bernardston  village. 
This  tavern  was  first  kept  by  a  Mr.  Cooley,  of  Worcester, 
previous  to  the  year  1800,  and  after  him  by  Stephen  Webster, 
who  was  in  turn  succeeded  by  P.  L.  Cushman.  The  tavern 
passed  into  the  hands  of  Henry  AV.  Cushman,  who  for  many 
years  conducted  it  prosperously,  and  who,  by  that  and  other 
business  enterprises,  acquired  a  handsome  competence,  of 
which,  as  will  be  hereafter  seen,  he  bequeathed  a  large  share 
to  his  native  town.  Mr.  Cushman  frequently  represented 
Bernardston  in  the  State  Legislature ;  was  State  Senator  in 
1844,  lieutenant-governor  of  the  State  in  1851  and  1852,  and 
fulfilled,  during  his  life,  many  important  public  trusts  at 
home.  Upon  his  death,  in  1863,  it  was  found  that  he  had 
bequeathed  to  the  town  of  Bernardston  §2500  for  the  support 
of  the  Cushman  Library,  in  addition  to  §2-500  donated  for 
the  same  purpose  in  18C2 ;  the  structure  known  as  Cushman 
Hall ;  a  large  plat  of  ground  in  Bernardston  village,  known 


694 


HISTOEY  OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


as  Cushman  Park,  and  $1000  for  the  benefit  of  Hernarclston 
Cemetery.  He  left,  also,  to  tlie  Unitarian  C'liunh  a  fund  of 
$0000,  a  parsonage  (his  own  former  residence),  and  $500  for 
a  Sunday-school  fund. 

He  provided  further,  in  his  will,  that  upon  the  decease  of 
his  widow,  |10,000  of  the  bequest  made  to  her  should  be 
given  to  the  town  of  Bernardston,  should  the  town  change 
its  name  to  that  of  Cushman.  In  the  event  of  Bei-nardston's 
declining  to  accept  tlie  conditions  of  the  bequest,  then  any 
town  in  the  United  States  of  over  1000  inhabitants,  first  ful- 
filling the  conditions,  shall  be  entitled  to  the  fund. 

Another  of  Bernardston 's  benefactors  was  Mr.  Edward 
Powers,  who,  in  1855,  left  §20,000  to  the  town  as  a  perma- 
nent fund  for  the  support  of  schools  and  for  the  foundation 
of  the  present  Powers  Institute. 

Edward  E.  Powers,  a  citizen  of  Columbus,  Ga.,  but  a  native 
of  Bernardston,  bequeathed  to  the  latter  town,  in  1836,  a  fund 
of  §200,  which  is  to  remain  on  investment  until  it  reaches 
$20,000,  and  thereafter  the  income  is  to  be  devoted  to  the 
supjiort  of  schools,  the  town  poor,  and  a  public  library.  He 
bequeathed  also  to  the  town  five  acres  of  land  to  found  a 
school  of  useful  sciences,  a  farm  for  the  support  of  the  town 
poor,  and  gave  also  to  the  Congregational  Church  a  meeting- 
house and  the  land  upon  which  it  was  erected. 

Tlie  oldest  man  known  in  Bernardston's  history  was  Israel 
Bagg,  who  died  there,  in  1878,  at  the  age  of  one  hundred  and 
one  years.  Keuben  Park  died  the  same  year,  aged  ninety- 
eight  years.  The  oldest  living  persons  now  in  the  town  are 
Daniel  Pratt  and  the  widow  of  Seorim  Cushman,  each  aged 
ninety-two  years. 

BURIAL-PLACES. 

Of  the  two  public  burying-grounds  in  the  town,  one  is  in 
Bernardston  village  and  the  other  about  a  mile  north  of  the 

village.    The  former  was  laid  out  in ,  and  is  the  only  one  in 

general  use.  It  is  a  beautifully-shaded  spot  on  an  eminence 
between  the  Baptist  and  Unitarian  Churches,  and  contains 
numerous  handsome  monuments.  The  latter  is  the  "old 
burying-ground,"  and  since  the  laying  out  of  the  new  ceme- 
tery has  been  little  used,  principally  because  of  its  out-of-the- 
way  location,  although  it  was  convenient  enough  previous  to 
the  removal  of  the  First  Church  from  the  Huckle  Hill  region  to 
Bernardston  village.  Among  the  names  to  be  found  on  the 
oldest  headstones  in  this  burying-ground  are  the  following: 

Seth  Wright,  17G3 ;  Reuben  Slate,  1775 ;  Tliaddeus  Parmentcr,  1775 ;  Nehc- 
miah  Wright,  1777 ;  Samuel  Wright,  1777  ;  Sybil  Parnioutur,  1775  ;  Saluia  Par- 
nifuter,  1775  ;  Saiah  Cliapiu,  1781 ;  Samuel  Hale,  178.3 ;  Joel  .Slate,  1781 ;  .Joanna 
Pinks,  1785 ;  Miriam  Wright,  1785 ;  Sophia  Allen,  1782 ;  Hulilah  Parmcnter,  1785 ; 
Zcbulon  .\llen,178C;  Esther  Webster,  1782;  John  X.  l'armenter,17So;  Blaj.  John 
Burk,  17.S4;  Joseph  Allen,  1780;  .Sarah  Fox,  1783;  Mehitable  Sheldon,  1787; 
Elizabetli  Webster,  1787  ;  Luther  Edwards,  1792  ;  Hannah  Allen,  1700 ;  Roger 
Fo.\,  1705 ;  Reuben  Keeny,  1797  ;  Seba  Allen,  1708  ;  Polycarpus  Cushman,  1707  ; 


Chas.  O.  Frizzell,  21st  Mass. 
Jas.  W.  Hale,*  21st  Jlass. 
Lucius  C.  Hale,*  21  st  Mass. 
John  Manning,  27tli  Mass. 
Geo.  W.  Wells,  KlMi  Mass. 
Cluis.  C.  llariis,*  luUi  Jlass. 
Edward  Lafhore,*  21st  Mass. 
Geotfiey  Vaile,  21st  Blass. 
Geo.  B.  Hale,*  2lBt  Mass. 
Dennis  Biirtis,  21st  Mass. 
W,  A.  Thompson,  27th  Blasa. 
Wm.  H.Scott,  loth  Mass. 
Henry  lialdwin,  :ilst  Mass. 
D.  R.  Scott,  lotli  Mass. 
F.  I).  Hale,  21st  Mass. 
J.  J.  AlJrich,  :i7lh  Mass. 

C.  0.  Haley,  4th  Vt. 
John  Haley,  4tli  Vt. 

H.  G.  Uorton,  31d  Mass. 
C.J.  Hiitchins,  :l:id  Mass. 
T.  L.  Sheldon,  3:)d  Mass. 

D.  L.  Fairuian,  :i:Id  Mass. 


J.  C.  Fairnian,  3;Jd  Mass. 
J.  H.  Weeks,  3:id  Mass. 
Enos  H.  Burt,  33d  Mass. 

A.  F.  Thompson,  33d  Mass. 
David  Newell,  33d  Mass. 
Chas.  A.  B.iyle,*  lolh  Conn. 

B.  R.  Morrison,  lOtli  Mass. 
L.  B.  Slreeter,  loth  JIass. 
M.  F.  Slate,*  loth  Mass. 
Mason  Drnry,  33d  Mixss. 
Geo.  Thompson,  10th  Mass. 
H.  J.  Ilale,*  0th  Mass. 
Z.  A.  Bntterfield,  91h  Mass. 

E.  S.  Hnlbert,  52d  Miiss. 
R.  F.  Neweomli,  52d  Mass. 
Dwight  Paik,  62d  JIass. 
H.  P.  Lyon«,  52d  Mass. 
Wm.  F.  Oaks,  .')2d  Mass. 
D.  H.  Wheeler,  52d  Mass. 
L.  P.  Chase,  52d  Mass. 
J .  S.  Slate,  52d  Mass. 

F.  R.  Park,  62d  Mass. 


Abigail  Squires,  1798  ;  Sophronia  Parmenter,  170S  ;  Sarah  Couch,  1799  ;  Charity 
Keeny,  1700  ;  Capt.  Moses  Scott,  1790. 

There  are  also  three  very  old  and  well-worn  headstones,  in- 
scribed respectively,  as  can  best  be  deciphered,  D.,  E.  S.,  and 
J.  E.  S.  In  1803,  Hon.  Henry  W.  Cushman  bequeathed  to 
the  Bernardstown  Cemetery  Corporation  $1000,  the  income  of 
which  is  devoted  to  the  repair  and  improvement  of  the  ceme- 
tery in  Bernardston  village. 

-       INDUSTRIES. 

Bernardston  is  a  prosperous  agricultural  town,  and  contains 
many  rich  farms,  both  on  the  lowlands  in  the  Fall  River  val- 
ley and  on  the  elevated  region  which  skirts  the  western  border. 
The  soil,  which  is  chiefly  loam  and  gravelly,  produces  abun- 
dantly, corn  being  the  principal  product,  although  tobacco 
(which  is  now  but  little  cultivated)  took  the  lead  some  years 
ago.  Butter  and  cheese  are  manufactured  to  some  extent, 
and  fat  cattle  are  conspicuous  among  the  products  of  the 
Bernardston  agriculturists.  The  great  o.x  "Constitution," 
which  was  killed  in  New  York  City  in  April,  18G2,  and  sold 
for  the  benefit  of  the  families  of  New  York  volunteers  in  the 
war  of  the  P>ebellion,  was  raised  by  Mr.  John  Sanderson,  of 
Bernardston.  It  weighed  3800  pounds,  and  was  said  to  have 
been  the  largest  animal  of  its  kind  raised  in  this  country. 

There  is  in  Bernardston  village  an  important  shoe-manu- 
factory, which  was  established  in  1873  by  Mr.  N.  S.  Cutler,  who 
still  controls  it.  In  that  year  he  employed  fourteen  people, 
and  manufactured  about  10,000  pairs  of  shoes;  in  1878  his 
force  was  thirt3'-eight  people,  and  the  product  82,000  pairs 
of  shoes.  This  product  is  the  present  year  (1879)  to  be  in- 
creased to  about  50,000  pairs.  Mr.  Cutler  manufactures  noth- 
ing but  ladies'  shoes,  which  find  their  principal  market  in  the 
West. 

E.  S.  Hulbert  is  engaged — in  the  south  part  of  the  town, 
near  the  Greenfield  line — in  the  manufacture  of  steel  hoes, 
corn-knives,  and  rakes,  in  the  production  of  which  he  employs 
fifteen  men.  Mr.  Hulbert  started  in  this  business  at  his  pres- 
ent location  iti  18.53,  and  since  that  year  has  continued  it  un- 
interruptedly. The  annual  jiroduct  of  his  manufactory  will 
aggregate  $25,000. 

The  value  of  the  town's  manufactures  in  1875  was  $103,700, 
and  in  the  same  year  the  value  of  agricultural  and  domestic 
products  was  $114,46.5.  The  total  assessed  valuation  in  1878 
was  $378,184,  of  which  $298,872  was  on  real  estate.  The 
State,  county,  and  town  tax  was  $4850.53,  or  a  rate  of  .0128, 
while  the  town  was  (in  1879)  entirely  clear  of  debt. 

MILITARY. 

BF.RXAUDSTOX'S    WAR    KKCORD. 

Bernardston  furnished  soldiers  for  the  government  in  the 
war  of  the  Rebellion  as  follows  : 

I.  L.  Thomas,  52d  Mass. 

E.  C.  Newton,  52d  Mass. 
H.  W.  Hale,  52.1  JIass, 
L.  M.  Weatlierhead,  52d  Mass. 
Jas.  M.  Tlninipson,*  52d  Mass. 

F.  C.  Slate,  52d  Mass. 
Geo.  W.  Thornily,  62d  Mass. 
C.  R.  Gould,  52d  Mass. 
Q.  W.  Benjamin,  52d  Mass. 
L.  B.  Grout,  52d  Mass. 
Rev.  A.  N.  Field,  Glh  Mass. 

Hector  Muiphy, Conn. 

A.  W.  Kingsley,  52d  Mass. 
W.  S   Whitcomli,  52d  Mass. 
Wm.  Woodrongh,*  SOtli  Blass. 
Geo.  W.  Woodrongh,*  50th  Mass. 
Wm.  Vanall,3d  Cav. 
Ficd.  Hale,*  41h  Cav. 
A  N.  Johnsrm,  31st  Mass. 
Anson  Hooter,  57th  Mass. 
Wm.  II.  Wall.riilge,  Ulh  Bat. 
Geo.  W.  HasUins,  4th  Cav. 


*  Died  in  the  service. 


^^^^-'6y?-/~' 


HISTORY  OF  FRANKLIN   COUNTY. 


695 


Ilcnry  T.  Sheldon,*  2d  H.  Art. 

John  W.  Temple,  2r!d  Mass. 

Mich.  Sullivan,  2Tlh  Mass. 

Chiis.  T.  Scott, -Al  II.  Art. 

Geo.  A,  Willey,*  2<1  U.  Art. 

Dnight  A.  Uecd,27lh  .Mass. 

Cha».  Illlbpr, . 

Joel  N.  Nash,  2d  H.  Art. 

John  Albett,  27th  Mass. 

J„»iiih  P.  Day,  luth  M.ias. 

Asa  L.  Hiiskins,  4th  C'av. 

Geo.  Hughes,  Ist  H.  Art. 

Henrj  0.  Snecter,  2:id  Mass. 

■\Vni.  I'Hlnier,  2d  H.  Art. 

Geo.  Norwood,  .57 1  h  Mass. 

Joseph  Slate,  2:ld  Mnas. 

Jas.  Quilin,2d  H.  Art. 

Bart.  Sullivan,  371  h  Mass. 

A.  T.  SlcCIiire,  2;-d  Mass. 

K.  C.  BriggB,  27tli  Mass. 

U.  A.  Wolf,  37th  Mass. 

BIOGRAPHICAL    SXETCHES. 


HON.  EBENEZER  S.  HULBEKT 
was  born  in  Burlington,  Otsego  Co.,  N.  Y.,  May  21,  1820. 
His  mnternal  grandfather  was  Jonathan  Sheldon,  son  of  Eb- 
ene/.er,  who  was  a  son  of  Lieut.  Ebenezer,  the  great  Indian- 
tiy;litcr.  The  latter  was  a  son  of  the  John  Sheldon  whose 
family  was  captured  by  the  Indians  at  Deerfiekl,  and  was  de- 
scended from  l.saac  Sheldon,  one  of  three  brothers  who  came 
to  this  country  about  the  j'ear  1020. 

William  Uulbert,  one  of  his  paternal  ancestors,  emigrated 
to  this  country  and  landed  in  Boston  in  1626.  He  was  a  na- 
tive of  Wales,  and  a  blacksmith  by  trade.  It  is  somewhat  re- 
markable that  in  every  generation  of  his  descendants  up  to 
the  present  time,  one  or  more  members  of  each  family  have 
followed  that  trade. 

Amhro.se  Hulbert,  grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
was  born  in  Bennington,  Yt.  He  served  as  a  private  soldier 
in  the  l»evolutii>nary  war,  and  died  in  the  service  in  1780. 
He  was  a  blacksmith,  and  above  the  average  in  mechani- 
cal ability.  He  made  the  swords  for  the  officers  of  his  regi- 
ment, and  their  silver  shoe-buckles  with  the  owners'  names 
engraved  upon  them.  Indeed,  he  fashioned  almost  any  metal 
article  then  in  use.  His  son,  whose  name  was  also  Ambrose, 
was  born  in  Beiinington,  on  the  26th  of  February,  1781.  He 
learned  his  father's  trade,  and  when  eighteen  years  of  age  re- 
moved to  Burlington,  Otsego  Co.,  N.  Y.,  where  he  spent  the 
remainder  of  his  life,  and  died  there  at  the  age  of  eighty-eight 
years.  His  wife  was  Elizabeth  Sheldon,  of  Bernardston, 
Mass.  They  were  married  in  September,  1814,  and  had  a 
family  of  five  children, — two  sons  and  three  daughters, — viz. : 
Ebenezer  S.  ;  Louisa  N.,  born  Feb.  17,  1823,  wife  of  Edward 
Colban,  of  Plainfield,  N.  Y.  ;  Charles,  born  March  30,  1826, 
now  residing  in  Kushford,  Minn.  ;  Mary  M.,  born  Oct.  15, 
1831,  wife  of  O.  B.  Green,  of  Gill,  Mass.  ;  and  Abbie  L.,  born 
April  2,  1835,  now  residing  in  Bernardston. 

The  subject  of  this  notice  had  the  advantages  of  a  good 
common-school  education,  and  during  his  minority  worked 
with  his  father  in  the  latter's  foundry  and  blacksmith-shop. 
When  twenty-two  years  old  he  went  to  Chicago,  111.,  and 
was  there  employed  as  clerk  in  a  dry-goods  store,  in  which 
position  be,  however,  remained  but  one  year,  and  then,  re- 
turning to  Burlington,  worked  with  his  father  until  August, 
1846.  He  then  moved  to  Waterville,  N.  Y.,  where  his  ser- 
vices were  engaged  by  E.  and  J.  Wilber  &  Co.  in  the  manu- 
facture of  hoes.  In  this  employment  he  remained  three  years, 
after  which  he  entered  into  partnership  with  S.  A.  Willard, 
in  Clayville,  Oneida  Co.,  with  whom  he  was  associated  three 
years  in  the  same  business.  In  December  of  1852  he  removed 
to  Bernardston,  Franklin  Co.,  Mass.,  where  he  established  a 
manufactory  of  hoes,  under  the  firm-name  of  E.  S.  Hulbert  & 
Co.  Thus  the  firm  remained  until  1864,  when  Mr.  Hul- 
bert assumed  the  entire  control  of  the  business,  which  he  has 
continued  to  the  present  time  (1879J.  In  the  mean  time 
he  has  greatly  increased  the  business,  and  in  connection  with 
hoes  now  manufactures  brick-  and  plastering-trowels  and 
corn-cutters,  turning  out  two  thousand  dozen  hoes  and  one 
thousand  dozen  corn-cutters  and  trowels  per  annum. 

Mr.  Hulbert  is  a  thorough  business-man,  and  has  been 
identified  with  most  of  the  leading  interests  of  Bernardston 
since  he  has  been  a  resident  of  the  town.     He  is  a  trustee  of 


Powers  Institute,  and  also  of  the  Cushman  Library.  In 
1854  he  was  elected  to  the  Legislature,  in  which  he  served  one 
term.  He  has  also  held  the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace 
twelve  years,  and  has  served  eight  terms  as  member  of  the 
board  of  selectmen. 

Upon  the  breaking  out  of  the  Rebellion  he  at  once  espoused 
the  cause  of  the  Union,  and  in  1862  was  commissioned  lieu- 
tenant in  Co.  A  of  the  52d  Regiment  of  Massachusetts  Vol- 
unteer Infantry.  The  duties  of  that  office  he  most  honorably 
and  faithfull}'  discharged,  taking  part  in  the  siege  of  Port 
Hudson  and  in  the  campaigns  of  1862-03  in  Louisiana. 

Mr.  Hulbert  was  married,  in  December,  1803,  to  Laura 
Burr,  daughter  of  Chauncey  P.  Burr,  of  Mercer,  Maine. 
They  have  one  child,  Julia  B.,  born  on  the  6th  of  July,  1867. 


COL.    ARETAS   FERRY 

was  born  in  Granby,  Mass.,  on  the  19th  of  June,  1800.  The 
family  of  which  he  is  a  member  is  descended  on  the  paternal 
side  from  Charles  Ferry,  Sr.,  who  was  a  native  of  Holland, 
and  came  to  this  country  about  the  year  1660.  He  stopped 
for  a  short  time  in  Wethersfield,  Conn.,  but  soon  removed  to 
Hartford,  and  subsequentlj'  settled  in  Springfield,  Mass., 
where  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life.  Noah  Ferry, 
grandfather  of  Aretas  Ferry,  was  born  in  Springfield  in  1712. 
He  removed  to  Granby,  and  died  in  that  place  on  the  4th  of 
November,  1798,  at  the  age  of  eighty-six.  He  married  Ex- 
perience Allis  in  1736.  She  was  born  on  the  11th  of  March, 
1711,  and  her  death  occurred  exactly  four  years  previous  to 
that  of  her  husband,  in  the  sairie  month,  and  on  the  same  day 
of  the  month.  Noah  Ferrj',  Jr.,  father  of  the  subject  of  this 
memoir,  was  born  in  Granby,  Mass.,  on  the  18th  of  October, 
1748.  He  was  a  man  of  great  benevolence  of  character,  and 
actively  concerned  in  promoting  the  social  interests  of  the 
community  in  which  he  lived.  He  died  on  the  29th  of  Octo- 
ber, 1819.  His  wife  was  Hannah  Montague,  daughter  of 
James  Montague,  of  Granby.  They  were  married  on  the  9th 
of  December,  1776,  and  had  a  family  of  nine  sons  and  one 
daughter,  viz. :  Abner,  born  Nov.  4,  1777 ;  Simon,  born  Aug. 
16,  1779;  Amos,  born  July  3,  1781  ;  Alpheus,  born  Nov.  30, 
1783;  Heman,  born  Aug.  4,  1786;  Zenas,  born  Sept.  9,  1789; 
Medad,  born  Nov.  22,  1791;  Hannah  M.,  born  March  18, 
1794;  William  Montague,  born  Sept.  8,  1796;  and  Aretas, 
subject  of  this  notice,  and  the  onlj'  one  now  living.  William 
Montague  (the  eighth  son)  removed  to  Michigan,  and  Senator 
Ferry  of  thatState  (who  was  also  Vice-President  during  John- 
son's administration)  is  his  son.  Aretas  Ferry  received  his 
education  in  the  common  schools  of  his  native  town,  which 
he  attended  during  the  winter  months  of  each  year  until  fif- 
teen years  of  age.  The  schools  of  Granby  were  perhaps  as 
good  as  any  of  the  country  schools  of  that  day,  but  they  were 
certainly  of  a  very  inferior  order,  and  it  was  only  to  the  few 
who  were  gifted  with  great  perseverance,  and  possessed  of  that 
thirst  for  knowledge  which  overcomes  all  difficulties,  that  they 
were  of  any  benefit,  and  to  these  they  were  but  the  stepping- 
stones  to  something  higher. 

When  sixteen  years  of  age,  he  was  employed  to  work  on 
the  farm  by  the  month.  He  remained  two  years,  when  his 
health  failed  and  he  was  obliged  to  discontinue  hard  labor  for 


G96 


HISTORY   OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


two  years.  In  his  twentieth  year  he  entered  the  employ  of 
Capt.  Luther  Henry,  as  cleric  in  a  store.  At  the  expiration 
of  fourteen  months  he  established  a  partnership  with  his  em- 
ployer in  the  same  business,  in  Granby,  and  remained  with 
him  in  that  capacity  four  years,  when  the  partnership  was 
dissolved,  and  he  removed  to  Montague,  Mass.,  where  he  re- 
mained for  twelve  years,  engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits.  In 
1837  he  located  in  Bernardston,  where  he  entered  the  same 
business,  and  also  for  fifteen  years  manufiictured  scythe-snathes. 
In  18i;7  he  retired  therefrom,  and  has  since  devoted  his  atten- 
tion to  agriculture,  with  which  he  has  also  combined  public 
service  and  an  active  assistance  in  promoting  the  best  interests 
of  the  town. 

He  donated  the  ground  upon  which  Powers  Institute  is 
built,  and  has  been  a  trustee  of  that  institution  for  many 
years,  and  also  of  the  Cushman  Library.  In  18U8  he  repre- 
sented his  district  in  the  Legislature,  and  was  renominated  for 
a  second  term,  but  declined  to  serve  longer  in  that  capacity. 
He  has  been  agent  of  the  town  a  number  of  years,  and  has 
held  the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace  forty  years.  It  may  be 
added  that  during  that  time  there  has  never  been  an  appeal 
from  any  of  his  decisions.  He  was  a  member  of  the  State 
militia  (3d  Regiment,  2d  Brigade,  4th  Division),  first  in 
the  capacity  of  paymaster,  after  as  adjutant,  then  lieutenant- 
colonel,  and  then  colonel,  subsequently  declining  the  promo- 
tion to  the  office  of  brigadier-general.  Mr.  Ferry  is  public- 
spirited,  warm-hearted,  and  courteous  and  agreeable  in  bis 
social  and  business  intercourse.  He  is  seldom  if  ever  called 
upon  in  vain  to  aid  any  worthy  charity,  and  for  these  and 
other  excellent  qualities  is  highly  esteemed  by  a  large  circle 
of  friends  and  acquaintainces.  He  was  married  in  1821  to 
Mary  J.  Ward.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Wm.  Ward,  of  Shutes- 
bury,  a  lawyer  by  pi-ofession,  and  a  nephew  of  the  famous  Gen. 
Artemas  Ward.  They  have  two  children, — Susan  Sanderson, 
born  Jan.  13,  1822,  and  Ward  A.,  born  Aug.  21,  1829.  The 
son  resides  with  his  father  in  Bernardston.  The  daughter 
(by  whom  this  biography  and  the  accompanying  portrait  are 
contributed)  was  first  married  to  Judge  Henry  Perkins,  of 
Hartford,  Conn.,  and  is  now  the  wife  of  Kev.  Dr.  George  H. 
Clark,  also  of  Hartford. 


HON.  JOHN  H.  SANDERSON 
was  born  in  Petersham,  Worcester  Co.,  Mass.,  on  the  10th  of 
July,  1814.  His  paternal  grandparents  were  Jonathan  Sand- 
erson (born  Sept.  C,  1740)  and  Molly  Curtis,  his  wife  (born 
March  13,  1748).  Jonathan  was  a  Revolutionary  soldier. 
His  maternal  grandfather  was  Dr.  Joshua  Morton,  who  re- 
moved from  Hatfield,  Mass.,  to  Athol,  and  was  one  of  the  early 
settlers  of  that  town. 

John  Sanderson,  Sr.,  was  the  eldest  of  six  children,  and  was 
born  May  21,  1769.  He  married  Lydia  Morton,  and  had  two 
sons,  the  elder  of  whom  is  the  subject  of  this  biography  ;  the 
younger  died  in  boyhood.  John  Sanderson,  Sr.,  was  a  man  of 
sterling  integrity  and  great  financial  ability.  He  started  in 
life  comparatively  poor,  and  during  his  comparatively  short 
life  amassed  what  was  considered  quite  a  property  in  his  time. 
He  acquired  this  principally  in  working  at  the  tanner's  trade, 
which  he  learned  from  a  colored  man  in  his  employ,  and  uftei-- 
ward  in  farming.  He  was  among  the  first  to  join  in  the 
temperance  reform  and  to  give  up  the  custom  of  supplying 
the  men  in  his  employ  with  intoxicating  drinks.  He  was 
killed  in  his  own  barn  by  a  pair  of  oxen  on  the  2.5th  of  Julv, 
1831. 

Thus,  at  the  early  age  of  seventeen,  the  subject  of  this  notice 
was  called  upon  to  take  charge  of  a  somewhat  extensive  busi- 
ness (his  mother  having  been  appointed  adrainistratri.x  of  the 
estate),  and  in  addition  the  care  of  liis  grandparents,  then 
living  at  a  very  advanced  age,  both  feeble  and  infirm.  After 
their  decease  he  removed  with  his  mother  to  Bernardston,  and 


for  several  years  resided  in  the  familj'  of  Col.  Aretas  Ferry. 
In  October,  1840,  he  married  Mary  Osgood,  daughter  of  Elihu 
Osgood,  of  Wendell,  Mass.,  and  finally  settled  in  Bernardston. 
His  homestead  consists  of  a  valuable  piece  of  meadow-land  in 
the  very  centre  of  the  village  (which  was  reclaimed  by  him 
from  an  almost  worthless  swamp  and  brought  to  a  high  state 
of  cultivation),  a  fine  house-lot,  and  substantial  buildings,  his 
barn  being  perhaps  the  first  in  that  vicinity  built  with  an 
underground  cellar  and  a  slate  roof.  These,  with  large  pas- 
tures, woodlands,  etc.,  in  other  parts  of  the  town,  constitute 
one  of  the  largest,  most  valuable,  and  finest  estates  in  that 
section.  This  being  especially  a  grass-farm,  he  has  devoted  his 
attention  to  stock-raising,  and  in  addition  to  this  he  has  a 
farm  in  Barre,  Mass.,  of  about  four  hundred  acres,  also  well 
adapted  to  grazing,  etc.  As  a  product  of  his  farm  he  raised 
in  1862,  and  sold  to  Bryan  Lawrence,  of  New  York  City,  the 
great  ox  "Constitution,"  pronounced  the  handsomest,  as  his 
dre-ssed  weight  showed  that  he  was  the  largest,  ox  ever 
slaughtered  in  America.  His  live  weight,  upon  shipment 
from  Bernardston,  was  three  thousand  eight  hundred  and 
.sixty  pounds.  Mr.  Lawrence  at  first  intended  to  give  the 
beef  to  the  needy  families  of  absent  volunteers  from  New  York 
City,  but,  as  it  brought  a  very  high  price,  he  used  the  proceeds 
therefrom,  with  which  he  purchased  over  twelve  thousand 
jiounds  of  meat.  The  animal's  skin  was  stuffed  and  placed  in 
a  building  in  Central  Park. 

Mr.  Sanderson  has  never  held  any  regular  town  office, 
thoigh  often  solicited  to  do  so  ;  but  he  has  been  constantly 
connected  with  many  public  interests  of  the  town,  and  has 
aided  pecuniarily  and  otherwise  almost  all  valuable  enter- 
prises therein.  He  has  contributed  liberally  to  the  support 
of  Powers  Institute,  and  has  been  especially  instrumental  in 
obtaining  for  it  good  teachers.  At  one  time,  in  order  to  se- 
cure the  services  of  Prof.  L.  F.  Ward,  one 'of  the  earliest, 
ablest,  and  best  known  of  its  teachers,  he  paid  a  bonus  of  three 
hundred  dollars  over  and  above  what  the  trustees  had  been 
able  to  olfer. 

He  has  been  closely  identified  with  the  First  Congrega- 
tional (Unitarian)  Society,  though  not  a  member  of  the 
church,  having  been  parish  clerk  and  treasurer  for  twenty 
years  or  more,  and  has  been  known  as  one  anxious  to  obtain 
and  keep  good,  sound  preachers  of  the  gospel.  In  addition 
to  this  he  was  one  of  the  committee  appointed  to  build  the 
church  edifice  for  the  Baptist  Society,  of  which  his  mother  and 
wife  were  members,  and  here,  as  elsewhere,  he  gave  unosten- 
tatiously, but  with  a  liberal  hand,  besides  taking  upon  him- 
self much  pecuniary  risk  in  building  the  same.  The  present 
Sanderson  Hall,  over  Cushman's  Library,  was  built  by  him 
fully  as  much  in  the  interests  of  the  town  as  in  his  own,  they 
having  the  privilege  at  any  time  to  buy  it  at  cost.  In  public 
enterprise  and  in  charitable  interests  he  has  always  been  among 
the  first  to  be  called  upon  to  contribute,  and  although  he  al- 
ways exercises  good  judgment  in  giving  he  has  seldom  failed 
to  respond  in  a  substantial  and  liberal  manner.  Mr.  Sander- 
son was  president  of  Powers  Institute  from  the  decease  of 
Gov.  Cushman,  the  first  president,  until  1877,  a  period  of 
nearly  ten  years,  and  has  been  a  member  of  the  board  of 
trustees  of  that  institution  from  its  beginning;  is  trustee  of 
the  Cushman  Library,  and  was  appointed  one  of  the  executors 
of  the  will  of  the  late  Henry  W.  Cushman.  He  is  president 
of  the  Bernardston  Cemetery  Association,  and  has  held  the 
same  office  in  the  Farmers'  Club  for  many  years. 

Mr.  Sanderson  was  Senator  from  Franklin  County  during 
the  important  period  of  1861.  He  is  honorary  trustee  and 
life-member  of  the  Franklin  County  Agricultural  Society, 
and  life-member  of  the  Worcester  West  Agricultural  Society. 
He  was  formerly  trustee  in  the  Franklin  Institute  fin-  Savings, 
but  upon  the  organization  of  the  Greenfield  Savings-Bank 
he  became  president  of  the  latter,  and  has  since  that  time 
been  annuallv  chosen  to  fill  that  office.     He  is  also  a  director 


x7 


'^t^^^^^^    ^^y^;i>?-T^/-tyL^^t'<i^ 


<••  v«J 


.^, 


'^  ii^//\admtc  ^^^ 


HISTORY   OF   FRANKLIN   COUNTY. 


697 


of  the  Franklin  County  National  Bank.  It  can  be  said  with- 
out exaijgeration  that  the  interests  with  which  he  has  been 
connected  are  almost  numberless,  and  that,  like  the  "tree  whose 
branches  are  shaken  by  the  storms  of  many  winters,"  he  has 
taken  deep  root  in  the  confidence  and  affection  of  the  commu- 
nity. Of  the  nine  children  born  to  him  only  seven  are  living 
at  present  (February,  1879).  They  were  John,  Horatio  (now 
one  of  the  "Warner  Manufacturing  Company,  of  Greenfield), 
La  Valette  O.  (died  Oct.  14,  1874),  Lucion  Morton  (died  Feb. 
in,  1857),  Henry  Hunt  (a  farmer  residing  in  Bernardston), 
Mary  Osgood  (wife  of  A.  J.  Woods,  late  of  Bath,  N.  H., 
now  of  Bernardston),  Ellery  Herbert  (member  of  the  firm  of 
Walker  &  Sanderson,  of  Northfield),  Maria  Cushman,  at 
home,  L3-dia,  wife  of  Charles  W.  Scott,  of  Dummerston, 
Vt.,  and  Lucien,  clerk  in  the  employ  of  H.  A.  Turner  &  Co., 
of  Boston. 


HON.  HENRY   W.  CUSHMAN, 

the  only  child  of  Hon.  Polycarpus  L.  Cushman  and  Sally 
Wyles  Cushman,  born  iu  Bernardston,  Aug.  9,  1805,  was 
in  his  day,  and  fur  man^y  j'ears,  one  of  the  most  active,  in- 
fluential, and  useful  citizens  of  Bernardston,  and  no  citizen 
of  the  town  was  more  widely  known  or  more  highly  respected.' 

He  was  a  lineal  descendant  of  Kobert  Cushman, — the  first 
of  the  name  who  came  to  this  countr\',  and  who  was  "  one  of 
the  most  active  promoters  of  the  migration  from  Holland,  in 
1620,  of  the  Pilgrims  of  the '  Mayflower,' '' — as  follows :  Robert 
Cushman,  Elder  Thomas  Cushman,  Rev.  Isaac  Cushman, 
Lieut.  Isaac  Cushman,  Capt.  Nathaniel  Cushman,  Dc.  Polj- 
carpus  Cushman,  Hon.  Polycarpus  Cushman,  and  Henry 
Wj'les  Cushman. 

He  received  his  early  education  in  the  common  schools,  and 
in  the  well-known  academies  of  Deerfield  and  New  Salem. 
At  the  age  of  eighteen  he  enter.ed  the  military  academy  of 
Capt.  Alden  Partridge,  at  Norwich,  Vt.,  where  he  pursued 
his  studies  for  two  years.  From  this  institution,  in  1827,  he 
received  the  honorary  degree  of  Master  of  Arts. 

After  leaving  the  military  academj',  he  for  some  years 
labored  on  his  father's  farm  in  the  summei-s  and  taught  school 
in  the  winters.  Then,  for  a  short  time,  he  had  charge  of  a 
public-house  in  Bernardston,  which,  under  his  care,  was  noted 
for  perfection  of  management ;  then,  and  to  the  close  of  his 
life,  he  devoted  himself  to  political  and  public  trusts,  to  the 
care  of  his  own  means  and  of  the  means  of  others,  to  literary 
and  antiquarian  researches,  to  a  round  of  recurring  duties, 
public  and  private,  which  he  discharged  with  unfailing  pre- 
cision, honesty,  and  judgment.  The  mention  of  a  portion  of 
the  offices  and  trusts  which  lie  filled  will  best  indicate  the 
amount  and  variety  of  his  labors.  He  was  for  nineteen  years 
the  clerk  and  treasurer  of  his  town,  and  for  flfteen  years  a 
member  of  its  school  committee.  In  1837,  1839,  1840,  and 
1844  he  represented  his  town  in  the  State  Legislature.  In  1844 
he  was  chosen  by  the  Legislature  to  fill  a  vacancy  in  the  Sen- 
ate caused  by  the  death  of  Hon.  William  Whitaker.  Here, 
by  a  singular  coincidence,  he  sat  side  by  side  with  his  father, 
Hon.  P.  L.  Cushman,  of  opposite  polities,  who  had  been  elected 
to  the  Senate  for  that  term  by  the  votes  of  the  people  of  Frank- 
lin County.  In  1847,  and  for  five  years  thereafter,  he  was  the 
Democratic  candidate  for  lieutenant-governor ;  and  in  1851- 
52,  there  having  been  no  choice  by  the  people,  he  was  elected 
by  the  Legislature  to  that  ofiicc.  In  1853  he  represented  his 
town  as  a  delegate  to  the  convention  held  for  the  purpose  of 
revising  the  State  constitution.  His  legislative  record  is  that 
of  an  industrious  and  judicious  legislator.  He  was  a  director 
of  the  State  Life  Assurance  Company,  at  Worcester,  and  of  the 
Conway  Fire  Insurance  Companv,  and  a  member  of  the  State 
88 


Board  of  Agriculture,  which"  he  actively  aided  in  founding  in 
1852.  He  was  a  trustee  of  the  New  Salem  and  Dcerfield 
Academies,  a  resident  member  of  the  New  England  Historic 
Genealogical  Society,  and  a  corresponding  member  of  the 
State  Historical  Society  of  Wisconsin.  He  became,  in  1849, 
the  first  president  of  the  Franklin  County  Bank,  located  at 
Greenfield,  and  so  continued  by  annual  re-elections  till  his 
death.  He  was  for  many  j-ears  a  trustee  of  the  Franklin 
Savings  Institution,  and  president  of  it  when  he  died.  He 
was  also  for  many  years  president  of  the  Franklin  County 
Agricultural  Society,  and  held  that  position  when  he  died. 
He  held  for  many  years  the  position  of  a  trustee  of  the  State 
Reform  School  at  Westboro'.  He  gave  much  of  his  time  and 
attention  to  the  Powers  Institute,  an  institution  of  education 
situated  in  his  own  town,  and  also  to  the  Common  School 
Association  of  Franklin  County.  In  his  own  religious  de- 
nomination his  views  were  well  defined,  and  his  labors  inces- 
sant. For  many  years  he  was  superintendent  of  the  Sabbath- 
school  of  his  religious  society.  He  was  a  life  member  of  the 
American  Unitarian  Association  and  of  the  American  Bible 
Society.  He  was  much  re-sorted  to  for  the  settlement  and 
management  of  estates,  and  as  an  arbiter  in  controversies  be- 
tween men;  and  all  that  he  undertook  to  do  was  sure  to  be 
faithfully  and  exactly  performed. 

In  1834,  Mr.  Cushman  published  in  the  Franklin  Mercury, 
a  newspaper  printed  in  Greenfield,  an  historical  sketch  of  Ber- 
nardston, carefully  prepared  and  constituting  the  foundation 
of  a  more  elaborate  work,  which  he  had  nearly  completed  at 
the  time  of  his  death.  He  prepared  and  delivered  several 
able  and  instructive  lectures,  among  them  a  lecture  on  "  The 
Shays  Insurrection,"  which  combined  and  preserved  many 
interesting  local  details.  He  prepared  and  published,  in  1855, 
in  a  volume  of  fl-jO  pages,  embodying  a  vast  amount  of  labor, 
a  genealogy  of  the  Cushman  family,  from  1617  to  1855,  a  work 
remarkable  for  accuracj-  and  thoroughness.  In  1855  and  1858 
he  was  active  in  promoting,  and  presided  at,  the  great  gather- 
ings, at  Plymouth,  Mass.,  of  members  of  the  Cushman  family, 
who  then  assembled  from  all  parts  of  the  United  States  to  do 
honor  to  the  ancestry  whose  virtues  had  rendered  the  name 
illustrious. 

In  August,  1863,  one  of  the  most  cherished  plans  of  his 
life  took  shape  in  the  completion  and  dedication  of  a  public 
library,  now  well  known  as  the  "Cushman  Library,"  which 
he  had  endowed  and  presented  to  the  town  of  Bernardston, 
under  conditions  and  limitations  which  make  it  practically 
certain  that  all  the  people,  without  distinction  of  sect  or  posi- 
tion, will,  for  generations  to  come,  enjoy  the  benefits  of  his 
wise  beneficence. 

In  his  domestic  relations  Mr.  Cu.shman  was  fortunate  and 
happy.  In  1828,  June  16th,  he  married  Miss  Maria  Louisa 
Diekman,  daughter  of  Thomas  Dickman,  Esq.,  whose  tomb- 
stone bears  the  record  that  he  was  "the  first  printer,  the  firs.t 
bookseller,  and  the  first  postmaster  of  Greenfield."  This  ladj- 
died  Oct.  11,  1855.  In  1858,  June  2d,  he  married  Miss  Anne 
Williams  Fettyplace,  daughter  of  the  late  Thomas  Fettyplace, 
Esq.,  of  Salem,  who  is  (in  1879)  still  living.  He  left  no  chil- 
dren. He  died  in  Bernardston,  Nov.  21,  1863,  after  a  severe 
illness  of  some  weeks'  duration,  and  was  followed  to  the  grave 
by  the  regrets  of  the  community  in  which  his  life  had  been 
passed,  and  on  which  he  had  exerted  an  influence  equally  con- 
spicuous and  beneficial.  In  his  will,  prepared  by  himself  not 
long  before  his  death,  leaving  the  bulk  of  his  large  estate  to 
public  uses,  is  embodied  the  prevailing  idea  to  which  the  labors 
and  economies  of  his  life  were  mainly  directed, — that,  in  the 
region  where  he  and  so  many  successive  generations  of  his 
ancestors  had  lived,  the  name  of  Cushman  "  should  be  identi- 
fied from  generation  to  generation,  and  from  age  to  age,  with 
education,  and  with  the  moral  and  industrial  progress  of  the 
people."     "  And  his  works  do  follow  him.'' 


BUCKLAND. 


GEOdRAPIIICAL. 

This  town  occiipios  an  interior  position  west  of  the  centre 
of  tlie  county,  and  lies  south  and  west  of  Deertield  River, 
which  separates  it  from  Charlemont  and  Shelburne.  On  the 
southeast  is  the  town  of  Conway,  south  is  Ashficld,  and  west 
are  the  towns  of  Hawley  and  that  part  of  Cliarlemont  lying 
south  of  the  Deertield  River. 

As  incorporated  April  14,  1779,  it  embraced  a  part  of  Charle- 
mont and  the  unsurveyed  territory  lying  between  that  town 
and  Ashtield,  known  as  "No  Town."  The  area  is  small, 
and  the  surface  is  broken  by  many  hills,  rising  to  a  height 
which  renders  them  untiUable.  The  mo.st  prominent  are 
Moonshine,  in  the  southeast,  Putnam,  near  the  centre,  and 
Johnson's  Hill,  in  the  northeastern  part,  all  terminating  in 
well-defined  peaks.  West  of  the  centre  of  the  town  is  a  range 
of  hills  of  great  elevation  extending  nearly  acro-ss  the  town. 
These  modify  the  course  of  the  principal  stream,  Clesson's 
Brook,  which,  flowing  from  Hawley  eastward,  is  bent  to  the 
southern  line  of  the  town,  and  then  tlows  northward  to  the 
Deerfield  River,  through  a  small  but  fertile  valley.  In  this 
valley,  and  along  the  Deertield,  are  the  principal  settlements. 
Other  streams  are  the  First,  Second,  Third,  and  Clark's 
Brooks,  all  draining  into  the  Deertield  River.  Agriculture 
is  at  present  the  chief  pursuit  of  the  people. 

E.ARLY  SETTLEiMENT. 

The  better  parts  of  the  present  town  were  originally  c<im- 
prised  in  snuill  grants,  whose  bounds  were  extremely  vague. 
In  that  part  belonging  to  Charlemont  were  the  Taylor  grants 
and  several  public  lots,  one  of  the  latter  being  at  Shelburne 
Falls.  South  of  the  Taylor  grant,  along  Clesson's  Brook, 
was  a  tract  of  400  acres  belonging  to  parties  in  Hatfield,  the 
southern  line  of  which  was  described  as  Ashfield  ;  and  in  the 
southwestern  part  of  the  town  Col.  Jonathan  Ward,  of  South 
Boro',  had  received  a  grant  of  400  acres,  located  almost  in  the 
form  of  a  square.  On  this  the  first  settlement  was  made, 
about  nuO,  by  Capt.  Nahum  Ward,  of  Upton.  He  was  ii 
relative  of  General  Artenias  Ward,  and  had  served  in  the 
French-and-Indian  war  when  a  minor.  He  located  east  of 
the  present  residence  of  G.  K.  Ward,  who  is  a  descendant  of 
the  same  family.  Here  was  born,  Jan.  24,  1770,  the  first 
child,  which  was  named  .lonathan  Ward.  Another  child, 
Anna  Ward,  was  born  here  in  1773.  About  1774,  Capt.  Ward 
moved  to  Charlemont,  and  seven  years  later  returned  to 
Upton,  where  he  died. 

About  the  same  time  Ger.'ihom  Ward  settled  on  the  western 
part  of  the  Ward  grant,  and  died  in  that  part  of  the  town  in 
1806.  It  is  said  that  one  of  his  children  died  soon  after  his 
settlement,  and  this  was  probably  the  first  death  in  the  town. 

About  1773,  John  Ward  brought  his  family  from  Upton 
and  settled  on  the  place  now  owned  by  Arnold  Smith,  where 
he  died  in  1805.  He  had  sons  named  Luke,  Jeremiah,  and 
Josiah.  The  first  removed  to  the  West  in  1800;  the  others 
renuiined. 

Daniel  Ward,  a  brother  of  the  above,  came  at  a  later  period, 
and  settled  on  Clesson's  Brook,  on  the  present  E.  M.  Smith 
farm.  His  sons,  living  in  Buckland,  were  John  and  Alexan- 
der. From  this  family  came  the  Rev.  Windsor  Ward,  a 
Methodist  clergyman  of  distinction. 
698 


In  1780,  Kcrly  Ward,  a  nephew  of  Capt.  Nalium  Ward,  the 
first  settler,  came  from  Upton,  with  his  family, — consisting  of 
Hannah,  John,  Graham,  Jonathan,  Jesse,  Samuel,  Catherine, 
and  Jane, — and  settled  on  tlie  Ward  grant.  Much  of  this 
became  the  property  of  Jonathan,  and  is  now  owned  by  his 
son,  Graham  K.  Ward. 

In  1783,  Edward  Forbes  settled  near  the  east  end  of  what  is 
now  known  as  High  Street,  on  the  farm  at  present  owned 
by  his  grandson,  Caleb  E.  Forbes,  and  which  has  never  been 
out  of  the  family.  Edward  Forbes  had  three  children, — a 
daughter,  named  Sarah;  Edward,  who  became  a  famous 
teacher  in  Boston,  and  was  known  as  Master  Forbes ;  and 
William,  who  remained  on  the  homestead. 

Other  early  settlers  in  this  part  of  the  town  were  ElLsha 
Smith,  Amos  Wood,  Joseph  Shepard,  Seth  Knowles,  and 
Jasper  Taylor. 

At  the  centre  Samuel  Taylor  was  an  early  settler,  and  in 
his  day  one  of  the  most  prominent  men  in  town.  He  was  a 
son  of  Capt.  Othniel  Taylor,  of  Charlemont;  was  born  in 
Deerfield  in  Sejitember,  1744;  and  died  at  Buckland  in  1837. 
His  wife  (Esther  White)  died  in  18.30.  They  reared  a  large 
family.  The  oldest  daughter,  Mary,  married  the  Rev.  Jona- 
than Grout,  of  Hawley.  One  of  their  sons,  Samuel,  lived  to 
be  more  than  ninety  years  old,  and  another,  Henry,  about 
eighty.  One  of  the  latter's  sons,  Lawrence,  is  still  a  resident 
of  town,  nearly  all  the  rest  of  the  once  numerous  Taylor 
familv  having  removed  or  died. 

Lemuel  Taylor,  born  in  1749,  married  Abigail  White,  and 
settled  in  the  northern  part  of  the  town,  on  the  present  Deacon 
Purrington  place.  He  was  a  brother  of  Samuel,  and  the 
second  son  of  Capt.  Taylor,  and  was  also  prominent  in  early 
town  affairs.  He  had  sons  named  Lemuel,  Othniel,  and  Eras- 
tus,  none  of  whom  remained  in  town.  Lemuel  Taylor  died 
July  20,  1834. 

A  third  son  of  Capt.  Taylor,  Enos,  lived  in  Buckland,  on 
the  Eber  Stratton  place.  He  was  born  in  Charlemont  in  1751, 
and  died  at  his  home  in  1831.  His  wife  was  Eunice  Longley, 
of  Hawley,  and  they  had  sons  named  Asa,  Enos,  Joseph,  and 
Josephus,  and  two  daughters. 

William  Taylor,  a  brother  of  the  foregoing,  was  born  in 
1758,  lived  in  Buckland,  on  the  R.  N.  Allen  place,  and  died 
in  1826.  He  had  sons  named  Orrin  and  Hart,  and  five 
daughters. 

John  Taylor,  of  another  family,  was  an  early  settler  on  the 
the  tract  owned  by  H.  S.  Warfleld.  His  father.  Rev.  James 
Taylor,  visited  him  in  1785,  and  while  assisting  in  clearing  a 
piece  of  ground  was  killed  by  a  falling  limb.  This  is  said  to 
have  been  the  first  death  of  an  adult  in  town.  John  Taylor 
soon  after  removed  to  New  York. 

In  1772,  Gardner  Wilder,  of  Worcester  County,  purchased 
200  acres  of  land,  south  of  the  Taylor  grant,  on  Clesson's 
Brook,  and  some  years  after  came  to  live  with  his  two  sons 
and  two  daughters.  One  of  his  sons,  Nathaniel,  moved  to 
New  York;  the  other,  Gardner,  remained  on  the  homestead, 
which  is  now  occupied  by  his  son,  Charles.  His  brother, 
Gardner,  lives  near  the  centre  of  the  town.  Wilder  was  ac- 
companied from  Leominster  by  Elias  and  Elisha  Carter.  The 
former  lived  until  his  death  on  the  Samuel  Wood  place,  and 
Elisha  on  a  farm  near  the  village.     Both  were  active  citizens. 

West  of  the  village  were  Samuel,  James,  Benjamin,  Nathan, 


HISTORY   OF  FRANKLIN   COUNTY. 


699 


and  .Tcinntlian  Bracket, — early  settlers  and  partieijiaiits  in  the 
Hevolulioiiary  struggle. 

In  the  northern  part  of  the  town,  east  of  the  Clessoii  Brook, 
Josiah  Johnson,  wlio  married  Martha,  the  daiigliter  of  C'apt. 
Othniel  Taylor,  settled  after  1774.  lie  had  a  family  of  four- 
teen children,  and  his  son,  Josiah,  had  sixteen.  Near  by 
lived  Othniel  Johnson,  a  brother  of  the  former,  with  a  family 
of  thirteeit  children.  Farther  eastward  were  Elijali  Thayer 
and  his  son  Elijah  and  Capt.  Zebulon  White,  a  mariner, — all 
early  settlers.  The  latter  was  killed  near  his  home  by  a  fall- 
ing tree.  Daniel  Woodward  also  lived  in  this  locality;  and 
near  the  Falls  were  Nathaniel  and  Gershom  Coleman  and  Ste- 
phen Allix,  pioneers  in  that  part  of  the  town. 

Daniel  Trowbridge  came  from  Deerfield  to  Buckland  about 
1783,  and  settled  on  the  place  now  occupied  by  his  son.  Deacon 
Silas,  who  was  born  there,  in  1799.  Another  son,  Rufus,  died 
in  town,  at  the  age  of  eighty-seven. 

At  the  "Pine  Mills,"  Benjamin  Ellis  was  an  early  settler, 
and  later  lived  here  Capt.  Levi  White,  the  father  of  seven 
sons,  the  youngest  of  whom,  Bushnell,  became  a  noted  lawyer 
in  Ohio.  In  the  northern  part  of  the  town  were  also  Solo- 
mon Hastings  and  Daniel  Townsley,  the  latter  having  sons 
named  Dan,  Newell,  Abner,  Enoch,  and  Gad,  some  of  whom 
bacame  largely  identified  with  the  interests  of  the  town.  In 
the  northwest  part  Benjamin  and  Joseph  Ballard  are  re- 
ported among  the  first  settlers,  and  descendants  of  the  latter 
still  remain. 

In  the  neighborhood  of  the  village  lived  Nathan  Batchelor, 
with  whom  was  John  Porter,  as  an  adopted  son;  and  about 
1785,  Elias  Griswold,  of  Litchfield,  Conn.,  with  his  sons  Elias, 
Simeon,  Whiting,  Horace,  and  Joseph,  came  to  this  locality. 
The  latter  reared  a  large  family,  and  some  of  the  sons  became 
men  of  note  in  the  county.  Among  his  neighbors  were  the 
Brooks  families,  Alpheus  having  sixteen  children,  and  Jabez 
a  less  number,  whose  worth  is  well  remembered.  Southeast, 
on  the  hill  which  yet  bears  his  name,  settled  Wm.  Putnam, 
the  father  of  Elisha,  William,  Abner,  and  Daniel  Putnam. 
The  latter  married  a  sisFer  of  Mary  Lyon,  and  also  lived  in 
this  ncighbiirhood. 

Beyond  the  hill,  and  not  far  from  the  Ashfield  line,  settled 
Nathan  and  Aaron  Lyon,  some  time  about  1780.  They  were 
farmers  of  small  means,  but  bore  excellent  characters,  and  were 
much  esteemed  for  their  integritj'.  The  latter  died  here  in 
1802.  He  was  the  father  of  that  noble  Christian  woman, 
Mary  Lyon,  who  was  born  on  this  bleak  mountain  farm  Feb. 
28,  1797,  the  fifth  of  seven  children,  one  of  w'hom  was  a  son, 
who  moved  to  New  York  in  1819.  The  life  and  character  of 
Mary  Lyon,  better  known  as  the  founder  of  Mount  Holyoke 
Female  Seminary,  are  elsewhere  portrayed  in  this  book,  but  the 
honor  of  having  given  birth  to  one  of  the  purest  and  most 
worthy  women  of  the  State  must  ever  belong  to  Buckland. 
The  old  Lyon  place  has  been  altogether  abandoned,  hardly 
anything  of  the  original  surroundings  remaining  except  a 
few  apple-trees  and  the  old  stone  fence,  near  where  the  little 
brown  house  stood. 

Down  the  slope  of  the  hill,  and  in  the  "Four  Corners" 
neighborhood,  lived  Peter  Butler,  a  Kevolutionary  pensioner, 
Enos  Pomeroy,  Chandler  Burgin,  Jonathan  Whiting,  Jacob 
Spallord,  Thomas  Orcutt,  Seth  Wynian,  and  Samuel  Perkins, 
—all  early  settlers.  There  were  also  in  town  at  that  period 
(1784)  Eli  Butler,  Isaac  Alden,  John  Blackmer,  six  families 
bearing  the  name  of  Cook,  Abel  Cro.ss,  Josiah  Drake,  Jesse 
Edson,  and  the  Jones,  McNitt,  Sprague,  Savage,  Ware,  Wood, 
and  Veber  families,  all  living  east  of  Clesson  Brook.  In  1790 
the  population  was  718,  and  rapidly  increased  during  the  fol- 
lowing years.     It  is  now  nearly  treble  that  number. 

CIVIL  (iOVERNMEXT. 
The  entire  records  of  the   town  from  its  organization,  in 
1779,  to  July  22, 1876, — a  period  of  almost  one  hundred  years, 


— were  destroyed  by  fire  at  the  last-mentioned  date  ;  and  the 
possibility  of  giving  a  civil  list  and  much  other  matter  of 
interest  pertaining  to  roads,  schools,  etc.,  is,  therefore,  pre- 
cluded. It  is  said  that  Samuel  Taylor  held  the  office  of  town 
clerk  from  1779-1820,  and  that  the  subsequent  clerks  were 
John  Porter,  Ames  Shepard,  Ezra  Howes,  William  Sherwin, 
EbenezerMaynard,  Josiah  W.  Griswold,  Samuel  L.  Bardwell, 
Samuel  Tobey,  and,  since  1868,  K.  L.  Packard. 

The  selectmen  since  1876  have  been  J.  W.  Griswold,  A.  W. 
Ward,  E.  D.  Bement.and,  in  1878,  S.  W.  McKnight,  William 
B.  Caswell,  and  Zophar  Woodward. 

Lemuel  Tryon  and  Samuel  Taylor  were  among  the  early 
justices,  and  the  latter  was  also  one  of  the  first  representatives 
to  the  General  Court. 

The  basement  of  the  Congregational  Church  at  the  centre  is 
used  for  a  town-hall ;  and  there  is  a  poor-farm  of  70  acres,  half 
a  mile  west  of  this  place,  which  is  the  property  of  the  town, 
and  on  w'hich  from  ten  to  fifteen  persons  are  supported  an- 
nually. The  entire  amount  expended  for  this  purpose  in  1878 
was  91830.47,  which  gave  full  support  to  13  persons,  partial  to 
22,  and  relieved  189  vagrants. 

The  town  has  a  debt  of  §lo,000,  and  in  1878  appropriated 
15000  to  defray  its  expenses,  §1600  for  schools,  and  .$1000  for 
highways.  Most  of  the  roads  are  in  good  condition,  and  the 
streams  are  well  bridged.  The  town  owns  half  of  the  bridge 
at  Scott's,  which  was  first  built  in  1830,  and  also  of  the  one  at 
Shelburne  Falls,  first  built  in  1822,  both  spanning  the  Deer- 
field  River.  At  the  latter  place  is  a  fine  iron  structure,  erec- 
ted after  the  freshet  in  1869,  and  improved  three  years  later. 

The  Tro}'  and  Greenfiel''  Railroad  traverses  the  town  along 
the  Deerfield  River,  and  has  a  well-appointed  station  at  Shel- 
burne Falls,  where  the  company  has  an  engine-house  with 
two  stalls  and  a  small  repair-shop.  Here  is  one  of  the  best 
shipping-points  in  the  county. 

M.\XUFACTURIXG  INTERESTS. 
Clesson's  River,  in  Buckland,  allords  much  water-power, 
which  was  well  improved  at  an  early  day.  Near  the  Haw- 
ley  line,  and  at  what  was  called  the  "  Upper  City,"  Silas 
Dodge  had  a  saw-mill,  and  handle-factories  were  carried  on  by 
Alpheus  Smith  and  others.  A  trip-hammer  and  a  forge  were 
also  operated.  At  a  power  lower  down  on  that  stream  was  a 
grist-mill,  having  two  run  of  stones,  which  was  erected  by 
Josiah  Davis  about  1800.  The  Ruddocks  thoroughly  repaired 
it  in  1827,  and  it  was  last  operated  by  Harris  White,  about 
1868.  About  1835  this  power  also  drove  eloth-dressing  and 
fulling  machinery  for  Abel  Parker,  and  afterward  broom-  and 
brush-handles  were  turned  here  by  Smith,  Ames,  and  others. 
On  the  opposite  bank  was  a  small  saw-mill.  An  eighth  of  a 
mile  below,  a  member  of  the  Ruddock  family  had  a  saw-mill, 
and  A.  Davis  the  turning-shop,  which  is  yet  standing.  Eighty 
rods  lower  down,  Silas  Smith  had  carding-machines,  a  cider- 
mill,  a  turning-shopi  and  flax-dressing  machinery;  and  yet  a 
little  below  was  a  saw-mill  operated  by  Silas  Smith  and  Josiah 
Pratt.  Near  by,  J.  T.  Ward  had  a  saw-mill,  and  at  a  power 
below  was  a  grist-mill,  the  latter  aband<med  many  years  ago. 
One  hundred  rods  farther  down  the  stream,  Amos  Wood  had 
a  grist-mill,  near  where  Lilley  &  Kinney's  saw-mill  and  turn- 
ing-shop now  are ;  and  still  farther  below,  on  the  site  of  a 
former  turning-shop,  are  a  cider-mill,  brandj'-still,  and  me- 
chanic shop,  owned  by  Arnold  Smith.  A  quarter  of  a  mile 
below,  Zur  Hitchcock  built  a  shop,  in  1847,  for  grinding  and 
polishing  cutlery.  Two  fatal  accidents  occurred  here:  A. 
Perkins  was  killed  by  the  bursting  of  a  grindstone,  and  Oscar 
Hitchct>ck  by  being  caught  in  the  belting.  The  building  is  at 
present  used  for  a  dwelling.  Farther  down.  Perry  &  Dera- 
niing  built  a  wooden-ware  shop,  in  which  the  Goodeil  Bros, 
began  the  manufacture  of  their  patent  bit-brace.  Close  by, 
Enos  Pomeroy  had  a  carding-machine  and  cloth-dressing 
works.     The  manufacture  of  files  is  at  present  carried  on  here 


700 


HISTORY   OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


by  William  Clark,  antl  formerly  gave  employment  to  six  men. 
Aaron  Chambers  also  made  tiles  at  tliis  |inint  in  former  years; 
and  smitboast  from  the  "corners"  was  a  wood-  and  iron-turn- 
iu'j:  shop,  carried  on  by  Peter  Butler.  Here,  too,  was  formerly 
a  shop  for  the  manufacture  of  sash  and  blinds,  operated  by 
Joseph  Griswold  and  others,  and  at  one  time  this  place  promised 
to  become  a  manufacturing  cent  re.  Hctween  this  point  and 
the  village  of  Buckland  was  one  of  the  first  improved  powers 
in  town,  which  operated  a  good  saw-mill,  and  a  grist-mill 
having  two  run  of  stone,  for  John  Ward.  In  later  years 
Horace  F.  Taylor  carried  on  a  grist-mill  and  turning-shop. 
The  flood  of  December,  1878,  destroyed  this  power,  and  the 
machinery  has  been  removed. 

At  the  village  Newell  Townsley  improved  the  waler-power 
for  tannery  purposes  about  18-.i8.  In  this  branch  of  business 
he  was  succeeded  by  Wm.  B.  Caswell,  who  enlarged  the  works 
and  carried  them  on  until  about  1808,  when  the  tannery  was 
abandoned.  About  1835  a  part  of  the  water-power  was  sold 
to  Newton  Griswold,  who  erected  a  large  two-story  building 
for  a  sash-and-blind  factory,  and  for  the  manufacture  of 
wooden-ware.  In  after-years  mill  machinery  was  supplied, 
and  this  is  at  present  operated  by  Horace  Elmer. 

The  power  below  the  village  was  improved  some  time  before 
1840,  by  Porter,  Ballard  &  Lazell,  for  a  saw-mill.  Among  the 
later  owners  were  John  Porter,  Bartlett  Ballard,  Palmer 
Ware,  and  Sumner  Ward.  The  latter's  family  now  carry  it 
on,  and  it  is  doing  a  hirge  business. 

Near  the  mouth  of  Clesson's  Eiver,  in  the  midst  of  a  pine 
forest,  a  pioneer  saw-mill  was  built  before  1790,  by  Samuel 
Taylor,  Josiah  Johnson,  Daniel  Trowbridge,  and  others, 
which  was  widely  known  as  the  "Pine  Mill."  After  1800, 
Levi  White  became  the  owner,  and  carried  on  these  mills — 
saw  and  grist — many  years.  After  the  old  mills  had  become 
useless  David  Crittenden  erected  a  saw-  and  shingle-mill. 
Subsequently,  H.  S.  Swan  erected  a  large  building,  in  which 
was  first  mill  machinery,  but  which  was  afterwaid  used  to 
finish  cutlery.  Later,  Fred  Earner  here  made  surgical  instru- 
ments.    The  freshet  of  1869  destroyed  this  power. 

HAMLETS  AND  VILLAGES. 
In  the  northern  part  of  the  town  was  formerly  a  business 
point,  called  the  "Mill-Yard,"  where  Henry  Taylor  was 
engaged  as  a  merchant,  and  was  followed  by  Ebenezer  May- 
nard,  who  for  many  years  transacted  a  large  busine.«s.  This 
trade  was  diverted  to  other  places,  and  the  little  hamlet  in 
consequence  declined.  Near  the  southern  extreme  of  the 
town  were  shops,  mills,  and  other  adjuncts  constituting  a 
hamlet,  the  last  store  being  kept  by  W^illiam  Patch,  but  when 
these  became  inoperative  the  place  became,  in  fact  as  well  as 
in  name,  simply  a  "  four  corner;"  nor  did  the  busy  and  once 
promising  hamlet  at  the  Hawley  line  continue  to  live  to  merit 
.  the  name  of  "Buckland  Upper  City."  One  after  the  other 
of  its  industries  passed  away,  and  the  place  has  long  borne  a 
deserted  appearance.  A  store  was  formerly  kept  here  by 
Harvey  White,  and  on  the  road  below  was  a  public-house 
kept  by  Elias  Smith. 

IirCKLAND 

is  a  small  but  pleasantly  located  village  on  both  sides  of 
Clessou  Kiver,  near  the  centre  of  the  town,  four  miles  from 
Shelburne  Falls.  It  contains  Congregational  and  Methodist 
Churches,  a  good  school-house,  three  stores,  shops,  and  a  num- 
ber of  fine  residences.  Samuel  Taylor  was  one  of  the  promi- 
nent settlers  in  early  days,  and  after  the  custom  of  those  times 
was  an  innkeeper.  His  house  stood  on  the  lot  now  occupied 
by  Dr.  Trow's  residence.  Other  hotels  have  been  kept  by 
Joseph  Hubbard,  and  the  last  by  Zenos  Graham. 

The  first  to  engage  in  trade  was  Alfred  Jones,  in  a  small 
building  on  the  cast  side  of  the  street.  Joseph  Hubbard  and 
Zur  Hitchcock  established  a  trade  in  a  long,  low  building, 
nearly  opposite,  at  an  earlj-  day.     Near  by,  Lorenzo  Griswold 


engaged  in  business.  Other  merchants  have  been  Ebeiiezer 
Maynard,  Frank  Ballard,  Samuel  Townsley,  Henry  Maynard, 
W.B.  Caswell,  S.  B.  Taylor,  John  Temple,  and  Elisha  Harris. 

The  Buckland  post-otfice  was  established  at  the  "Mill- 
Yard,"  in  the  store  of  Henry  Taylor,  who  was  appointed  the 
first  postmaster.  Joseph  Hubbard  was  the  next  appointed, 
and  removed  the  office  to  the  present  village.  The  subsequent 
postmasters  have  been  N.  G.  Trow,  Ebenezer  Maynard,  Josiah 
Trow, -Samuel  Townsley,  Henry  Maynard,  Alanson  W.Wood, 
William  B.  Caswell,  John  Porter,  Samuel  B.  Taylor,  and 
John  Temple.  The  office  has  a  daily  mail  from  Shelburne 
Falls. 

The  first  resident  iihysician  was  Dr.  Silas  Holbrook,  about 
1800.  Dr.  Joseph  Allen  came  next,  and,  soon  after.  Dr.  Law- 
son  Long.  About  1830,  Sylvester  Axtell  located  as  a  physi- 
cian, and,  ten  years  later.  Dr.  N.  G.  Trow.  Since  1851,  Dr. 
Josiah  Trow  has  been  the  resident  phj'sician. 

Among  the  ph^-sicians  originating  here  have  been  Waj'ne 
Griswold  and  Sidney  Brooks;  and  attorneys.  Whiting  Gris- 
wold, Abner  Taylor,  and  Enos  Pomeroy. 

SHELHURNE    FALLS. 

About  half  of  this  flourishing  village  is  on  the  Buckland 
side,  the  two  parts  being  connected  by  a  very  fine  iron  bridge. 
In  Buckland  are  the  railwa_y  depot,  the  Methodist  Church, 
Odd-Fellows'  Hall,  and  the  interests  detailed  below.  There 
are  about  1000  inhabitants. 

The  village  site  was  formerly  embraced  in  the  Coleman  farms, 
and,  aside  from  the  Coleman  house,  but  few  buildings  were 
erected  before  1850;  since  then  the  growth  has  been  steady, 
notwithstanding  several  fires  have  somewhat  checked  it.  The 
most  destructive  of  these  occurred  July  22,  1876,  about  eight 
o'clock  in  the  evening,  and  before  eleven  had  completely  de- 
stroyed Anawansctt  Block,  containing  the  town  clerk's  office, 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  Woodward's  Hotel,  and  sev- 
eral dwelling-houses.  It  is  said  the  reflected  light  from  this 
fire  could  be  seen  twenty-eight  miles. 

Anawansett  Block  was  erected  in  1853,  of  brick,  42  by  60 
feet,  and  three  stories  high,  and  contained  the  first  stores  in 
the  Buckland  portion  of  Shelburne  Falls.  These  were  kept 
by  L.  M.  Packard  and  Chase  &  Green.  When  burned,  the 
Newell  Bros,  occupied  it,  and  did  a  heavy  business.  This 
firm,  A.  W.  Ward,  and  Andrew  Sauer  are  the  present  mer- 
chants. 

On  the  site  of  Odd-Fellows'  Hall  a  hotel  was  opened  by  Am- 
brose Kelley,  and  subsequently  continued  by  Ariel,  Abner, 
and  Philip  Woodward.  The  latter  is  still  the  keeper  of  a 
public-house  near  his  old  stand. 

The  principal  interest  in  the  place  is  the  Lamson  &  Good- 
now  Manufacturing  Company's  cutlery  establishment.  This 
enterprise  was  inaugurated  by  Ebcnezcr  G.  and  Nathaniel  Lam- 
son, sons  of  Silas  Lamson,  inventor  of  the  bent  scythe-snathe. 
About  1835  the  Lamsons  came  to  this  place  and  began  the 
manufacture  of  snathes  on  the  east  side  of  the  river,  and  were 
long  engaged  in  this  branch  of  business,  aggregating  some 
years  as  many  as  20,000  snathes.  This  work  necessitated  the 
employment  of  iron-  andbrasr-working  machinery,  and,  about 
1842,  the  manufacture  of  cutlery  was  begun  in  this  connection, 
the  work  being  done  after  the  manner  of  that  day.  At  that 
time  it  was  not  thought  possible  for  American  artisans  to  pro- 
duce anything  in  cutlery  which  would  equal  European  pro- 
ducts, and  the  demand  for  the  work  of  this  shop  was  so  small 
that  only  40  persons  were  employed. 

In  1844,  A.  F.  Goodnow  was  associated  with  the  Lamsons, 
the  firm  becoming  Lamson,  Goodnow  &  Co.,  and  by  the  in- 
troduction of  machinery,  most  of  which  was  invented  and 
manufactured  by  the  firm,  the  establishment  was  enabled  to 
produce  work  of  uniformly  good  quality,  at  prices  which  al- 
lowed it  to  compete  with  foreign  countries,  where  skillful 
labor  was  more  abundant  and  less  expensive.     The  firm  has 


HISTORY  OF  FRANKLIN   COUNTY. 


701 


oric;inated  niiinj'  devices  in  the  cutlery  business,  making  the 
applicatii-in  of  machinery  so  general  that  this  branch  of  manu- 
facturing lias  been  completely  revolutionized,  not  only  in  this 
country,  but  in  Europe. 

One  of  the  most  important  was  the  invention,  by  J.  W. 
Gardner,  of  their  firm,  of  a  machine  for  forging  the  bolster 
of  knives  and  forks,  so  as  to  leave  them  in  the  required  form 
and  shape  by  the  simple  operation  of  the  machine.  This  bol- 
ster permits  the  handles  to  be  fastened  so  firmly  that  they  can- 
not become  loose,  and  the  control  of  this  valuable  device  has 
given  the  company  great  superiority  in  its  manufactures. 
Tlie  establishment  also  claims  excellence  for  the  methods 
employed  in  getting  an  exact,  evenly  and  uniformly  finished 
blade,  which  is  hardened  by  a  process  peculiarly  its  own.  In 
every  department  of  the  work  the  most  perfect  mechanism 
and  skillful  supervision  are  employed  to  produce  the  most 
superior  work.  More  than  500  styles  of  cutlery  for  table  use, 
cook-,  butcher-,  hunting-  and  carving-knives  are  made,  from 
the  common  to  the  most  elaborate  kinds,  consuming  annually 
in  their  manufacture  iiOO  tons  of  steel,  1800  pounds  of  ivory, 
l.jO  tons  of  ebony,  300  tons  of  rosewood,  .300  tons  of  cocoanut, 
400  tons  of  coal,  100  tons  of  grindstones,  10  tons  of  emerj-, 
.5  tons  of  sheet  brass  and  brass  wire,  and  about  300,000  pieces 
of  shin-bones. 

Until  18.31  the  establishment  was  carried  on  in  the  old  snathe- 
shops,  which  had  been  greatly  enlarged,  but  the  growth  of  the 
trade  demanded  larger  facilities,  and  in  that  year  the  present 
works  on  the  Buckland  side'were  occupied.  In  1804  the  old 
buildings  were  burned. 

The  shops  are  arranged  in  the  form  of  a  hollow  square,  and 
cover  about  7  acres  of  ground.  The  main  building  is  45  by  ^08 
feet,  two  stories  high,  and  forms  the  north  side  of  the  square; 
on  the  east  is  the  forging-shop,  45  by  128  feet,  in  which  are 
21  trip-hammers,  10  drop-hammers,  and  the  heavy  machinery 
used ;  opposite  this,  and  joining  at  the  west  end  of  the  main 
building,  is  the  polishing-shop,  25  by  116  feet,  containing  two 
rows  of  polishers ;  and  in  front  are  a  shop  for  hand-forging 
and  blade-tempering,  and  a  building  containing  store-rooms 
and  well-appointed  offices.  The  buildings  are  substantial, 
constructed  of  brick,  and  heated  by  steam.  They  accommo- 
date at  present  about  .300  workmen,  but  have  capacity  for 
several  hundred  more. 

The  power  of  the  works  is  furnished  by  a  skillfully-con- 
structed dam  across  the  Ueerfield  River  at  the  Falls,  from  four 
to  fourteen  feet  high,  of  massive  thickness,  and  about  -JOO  feet 
long.  A  raceway  leads  to  three  water-wheels,  whose  force 
combined  is  equal  to  150  horse-power. 

Since  October,  1855,  the  business  has  been  carried  on  by 
the  present  incorporated  stock  company,  whose  only  president 
has  been  E.  D.  Lamson.  The  first  treasurer  was  A.  F.  Good- 
now,  and  since  1860  this  office  has  been  held  by  F.  A.  Ball. 
The  superintendents  have  been  W.  T.  Clement,  J.  W.  Gardner, 
and  H.  O.  Smith,  in  the  order  named,  the  latter  since  1870. 

Richmond  <J-  Mcrriam's  Sash-and-Duor  Factory. — Before 
1800,  Murdock  &  Greene  put  up  a  planing-mill  on  the  site  of 
this  factory,  which  became  the  property  of  Tobey  &  Kich- 
mond,  who  added  saw-mill  machinery.  That  building  was 
burned  in  1803,  and  the  present  one  erected  by  Samuel  Tobey, 
who,  in  addition  to  the  former  machinery,  added  a  stone  for 
grinding,  but  the  whole  was  allowed  to  become  idle  in  a  few 
years. 

In  1808,  J.  A.  Richmond  &  Co.  purchased  the  property, 
and,  with  some  changes  in  the  firm-name,  have  since  success- 
fully operated  it  as  a  planing-mill  and  sash-and-door  factory. 
The  ])ower  is  furnished  by  an  18-horse-power  engine.  The 
firm  are  also  builders  and  lumber-dealers,  and  employ  from  10 
to  15  men. 

At  the  railroad  station  there  is  a  small  car-repair  shop,  and 
the  usual  mechanic-shops  are  also  carried  on,  giving  the  place 
a  busy  appearance. 


EDUCATIONAL. 

Nothing  definite  concerning  the  early  schools  can  be  given. 
Districts  were  formed  soon  after  the  town  was  organized,  and 
an  unusual  degree  of  interest  was  manifested  in  early  times, 
the  schools  being  well  attended  and  the  instruction,  for  those 
times,  thorough.  At  present  the  interest  is  not  so  great,  and 
the  amount  appropriated  per  scholar  attending  the  schools 
falls  below  that  of  most  towns  in  the  county.  In  1870  the 
number  of  children  of  school  age — between  five  and  fifteen 
years — was  421.  Of  this  number  310  were  in  the  Shelburne 
Falls  district.  The  average  attendance  was  326 ;  the  entire 
cost,  §2448.  At  the  Falls  are  five  schools,  graded  from  pri- 
mary to  grammar  departments,  taught  in  convenient  and  sub- 
stantial buildings,  and  in  the  four  other  districts  are  comfort- 
able houses. 

It  is  said  that  Mary  Lyon  began  her  career  as  a  teacher  in 
her  native  town,  teaching  a  school  near  the  Falls  for  the 
princely  salary  of  seventy-five  cents  per  week. 

THE   BUCKLAND    FEMALE   SCHOOL 

was  established  by  her  in  Graham's  Hall,  at  the  centre,  in  the 
fall  of  1826.  It  was  attended  by  about  50  pupils,  and  was 
very  successful,  but  the  prospect  of  a  more  extended  field  of 
labor  induced  her  to  leave  for  a  few  years.  In  the  fall  of 
1829  the  school  was  again  opened  with  nearly  100  pupils, 
living  not  only  in  the  surrounding  towns,  but  in  States  even 
so  remote  as  Michigan.  Miss  Lyon  Was  assisted  by  Louisa  S. 
Billings  and  Hannah  White  as  teachers,  and  Clarissa  Rannej', 
Jerusha  W.  Billings,  Mary  W.  Billings,  Lucinda  Butler,  and 
Susan  N.  Smith,  pupil-teachers.  Fourteen  girls  from  Buck- 
land  attended,  and  a  prosperous  future  awaited  the  school, 
but  it  could  not  be  here  continued  for  lack  of  accommodation, 
and  in  1830  it  was  permanently  removed. 

RELIGIOUS  SOCIETIES. 
The  early  settlers  of  Buckland  were  long  dependent  on  the 
neighboring  towns  for  their  religious  instruction,  many  be- 
longing to  the  churches  in  Charlemont  and  Ashfield,  and  a 
few  to  the  Shelburne  Church.     But  in  October,  1785, 

THE    CONGKEQATIONAL    CHURCH    OF   CHRIST 

was  formed,  with  the  following  constituent  membership: 
Samuel  Taylor,  Lemuel  Taylor,  Thomp.son  Maxwell,  James 
Butler,  Enos  Taylor,  Elias  Carter,  Tertius  Taylor,  Josiah 
Brown,  Nathan  Brackett,  Jonathan  Brackett,  Anna  Carter, 
Sybil  Maxwell,  Martha  Johnson,  Sarah  Butler,  Eunice  Tay- 
lor, Deborah  Carter,  Susannah  Brown,  Hannah  Brackett,  and 
Samuel  Carter. 

From  this  period  till  1800  other  members  were  added,  as 
follows:  Jonathan  Whiting,  Othniel  Taylor,  Samuel  Edson, 
Eliza  Griswold,  Rhoda  Griswold,  Abra'ham  Stebbins,  Lydia 
Stebbins,  Chandler  and  Jemima  Burgin,  Elias  Carter,  Benja- 
min Ballard,  Jacob  Spafford,  Seth  and  Mary  Wyman,  Samuel 
Truesdell,  Abigail  Carter,  David  Johnson,  Prudence  John- 
son, Dina  and  Rebecca  Whiting,  Sarah  Harris,  Lucy  Pom- 
eroy,  Mrs.  J.  Spaulding,  Joseph  Shepard,  Edward  Damon, 
James  Brackett,  Zebulon  White,  Joseph  Taylor,  William 
Flower,  Samuel  Moody,  .Joseph  F.  Griswold,  and  Mrs.  John 
Wood. 

In  the  winter  of  1799  a  revival  took  place,  by  means  of 
which  17  members  were  added  to  the  church.  In  the  same 
way  there  was  an  addition  of  66  in  1822,  and  44  in  1842. 
In  1851  the  church  had  more  than  200  members,  but  this 
number  was  diminished  by  removals  and  other  causes  until 
there  were  less  than  100.  In  the  winter  and  spring  of  1876 
a  general  revival  prevailed,  which  increased  the  member- 
ship by  the  addition  of  45.  There  were,  Jan.  1,  1879,  55  male 
and  84  female  members,  16  of  whom  were  non-residents. 

On  the  23d  of  June,  1793,  Elias  Griswold  and  Chandler  Bur- 
gin  were  appointed  deacons.  Four  years  thereafter  these  of- 
fices were  held  by  Benjamin  Ballard  and  Lemuel  Taylor.     In 


702 


HISTORY  OF  THE  CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


1807,  Nathan  Sherwin  was  a  deacon  ;  and  at  later  periods 
Enos  I'onioro}',  Joseph  Griswold,  John  Potter,  Silas  Trow- 
bridge, F.  Forbes,  U.  L.  Wariield,  and  Cliarles  Howes  have 
served  in  that  capacity. 

The  church  was  first  supplied  with  preaching  by  the  Revs. 
Jacob  Sherwin,  of  Ashtiekl,  and  Jonathan  Leavitt,  of  Heath, 
but  on  the  1.5th  of  October,  1794,  the  Rev.  Josiah  Spaulding  was 
installed  the  first  pastor,  and  remained  with  the  church  until 
his  death,  May  8,  1823,  aged  seventy-two  years.  He  was  a  na- 
tive of  Plaintield,  Conn.  ;  graduated  at  Yale  in  1778,  and  was 
ordained  to  preach  in  1780.  Previous  to  coming  to  Buckland 
he  had  been  settled  over  the  churches  of  Uxbridge  and  Wor- 
thington.  He  was  an  author  of  merit,  as  a  Christian  was 
irreproachable,  and  his  ministry  of  twenty-eight  years  had  a 
powerful  influence  in  Buckland.  His  tombstone  is  inscribed 
with  this  epitaph  :  "  Merciful  men  are  taken  away,  none  con- 
sidering that  the  righteous  is  taken  away  from  the  evil  to 
come." 

The  Rev.  Benjamin  F.  Clarke  was  ordained  as  pastor  of  the 
ch\irch  Feb.  4,  1824,  and  was  dismissed  Hay  2,  1839.  He  was 
born  in  Granby,  Jan.  18,  1792,  graduated  at  Williams  in 
1820,  and  finished  his  theological  course  at  Andoverin  1823. 

The  third  pastor  was  the  Rev.  Preston  Cummings,  who  was 
installed  Jan.  1,  1840,  and  remained  until  Dec.  31,  1847.  He 
was  a  native  of  Seekonk,  a  graduate  of  Brown  University  in 
1822,  and  ordained  to  the  pastoral  otfice  Aug.  22,  182.5,  at 
Lebanon,  N.  Y. 

The  Rev.  Asa  B.  Smith  was  next  installed,  March  22,  1848, 
and  remained  until  the  summer  of  18.59.  He  was  a  native  of 
Williamstown,  Vt.,  and  graduated  at  Middlebury  in  1834. 
He  was  ordained  as  missionary  in  1837,  and  labored  in  Ore- 
gon and  the  Sandwich  Islands  until  ill  healtli  compelled  him 
to  return  to  this  country. 

In  the  fall  of  1859  the  Rev.  P.  Cummings  became  the  act- 
ing pastor  of  the  church,  and  served  in  that  capacity  several 
years. 

In  1804  the  Rev.  Charles  Lord  was  settled  as  the  pastor, 
and  continued  in  this  relation  until  his  death,  in  April,  1872, 
while  he  was  on  a  visit  to  New  York. 

Since  1873  the  Rev.  L.  C.  Guild  has  been  the  acting  pastor 
of  the  Buckland  and  East  Charlemont  Churches. 

The  first  meetings  of  the  ehui-ch  were  held  in  dwellings, 
and  for  a  short  time  in  a  barn.  In  1793  the  frame  of  a-meet- 
ing-house  was  put  up  at  the  village  of  Buckland  by  Col.  John 
Ames,  in  which  worship  was  thereafter  held,  although  the 
house  was  not  completed  until  1800.  The  nails  used  in  this 
building  were  wrought  by  hand  by  Jabez  Brooks.  There  is  a 
tradition  that  the  town  appointed  a  meeting.to  decide  whether 
a  house  should  be  built  that  year,  and  that  so  anxious  were 
the  people  of  the  northern  part  of  the  town  to  have  a  house, 
and  to  have  it  located  at  a  point  no  farther  from  them  than 
the  centre,  that  they  emphasized  their  opinions  by  bringing 
building  material  with  them  ;  and  at  a  later  period  their  zeal 
to  complete  the  house  led  to  the  death  of  one  of  the  young 
men  of  the  town.  While  several  teams  were  engaged  in 
drawing  lumber  the  wagons  came  in  contact  with  each  other 
at  the  creek  crossing,  near  Deacon  Forbes'  present  place,  with 
such  force  that  one  of  the  drivers,  Thomas  Carter,  was  thrown 
oil'  and  killed. 

The  meeting-house  was  used  at  its  old  site,  on  the  south 
side  of  the  square,  until  1840,  when  it  was  rebuilt  in  its  pres- 
ent location;  and  subsequent  repairs  have  rendered  it  an  at- 
tractive and  comfortable  place  of  worship.  The  basement 
has  been  fitted  up  for  a  hall  for  town-meetings  and  other  ap- 
propriate public  gatherings.  A  Snnday-,scbool  is  held  in  the 
church,  having  at  present  125  members,  and  H.  L.  Warfield 
as  superintendent. 

The  Congregational  ministers  bailing  from  Buckland  have 
been  the  following:  Rev.  Jesse  Edson,  who  graduated  at 
Dartmouth  in  1794,  was  licensed  to  preach  in  1795,  and  died 


while  pastor  of  the  Halifax,  Vt.,  Church,  in  180.5,  aged  thirty- 
two  years. 

Rev.  Washington  A.  Nichols,  who  was  born  in  Buckland 
in  1808,  graduated  at  Amherst  in  1834,  and  at  Andover  in 
1838,  and  removed  to  Chicago. 

Rev.  Lebbeus  R.  Phillips  was  born  in  Ashfield,  but  in  early 
life  moved  to  Buckland,  graduated  at  W'illiams  in  1830,  and 
was  licensed  soon  after. 

Rev.  David  Rood  was  born  in  Buckland,  April  25,  1818, 
graduated  at  Williams  in  1844,  and  was  ordained  a  foreign 
missionary  in  1847.  In  that  year  he  embarked  for  his  field 
of  labor  among  the  Zulus  of  South  Africa. 

Rev.  Lathrop  Taylor  was  born  in  Buckland,  Aug.  3,  1813, 
graduated  at  Middlebury,  Vt.,  in  1839,  and  at  Andover  in 
1842,  and  was  ordained  the  following  year. 

THE  BAPTIST  CHURCH  OF  BUCKLAND. 
The  organization  of  this  body  is  obscured  by  contradictory 
statements,  one  account  placing  the  origin  as  early  as  the  22d 
of  July,  1789,  "  when  10  persons  were  delegated  from  the 
Ashfield  Church  to  form  a  branch  in  Buckland."  It  is  [iroba- 
ble  that  the  mission  was  not  successful,  and  that  the  church 
was  not  permanently  established  until  November  21,  1828, 
although  occasional  Baptist  niieetings  may  have  been  held 
meanwhile  in  the  southeastern  part  of  the  town.  There  being 
no  records,  a  full  -list  of  the  constituent  membership  cannot 
be  produced ;  but  among  the  early  members  were  Deaciuis 
.Japhet  Chapin,  Harris  Wright,  William  Putnam,  and  Na- 
thaniel Dodge;  Heman  Farnnni,  William  Farnum,  Dr.  Law- 
son  Long,  Samuel  Taylor,  Henry  Green,  Newell  Townsley, 
Mantor  Ware,  Lurana  Putnam,  Elmina  Wright,  Julia  Far- 
num, Lucy  Ware,  Mary  Dole,  Esther  Green,  Louisa  Long, 
Submit  Townsley,  Rachel  Willis,  Lydia  Daniels,  Noah  Willis, 
and  Rufus  Trowbridge. 

The  meetings  were  first  held  in  the  school-house,  butscune 
time  about  1832  a  small  church  was  built  at  the  centre,  which 
was  occupied  as  long  as  the  church  maintained  an  existence. 
It  was  then  used  for  other  purjioses  until  1809,  when  it  was 
taken  down  and  removed  to  Ashfield,  where  it  was  rebuilt  for 
a  Baptist  Church. 

Among  the  clergymen  who  served  the  Baptist  Church  in 
Buckland  were  the  Revs.  Linus  Austin,  James  M.  Cooley, 
Benjamin  F.  Remington,  John  K.  Price,  Amherst  Lamb, 
A.  B.  Eggleston,  P.  P.  Sanderson,  James  Parker,  James 
Clark,  and  one  or  two  others  for  a  short  time.  No  regular 
meetings  were  held  after  1800,  and  at  present  but  one  member 
of  the  extinct  church  is  left  in  towTi. 

Rev.  William  Wilder,  a  Baptist  minister,  was  from  Buck- 
land. 

BUCKLAND  METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH. 
Methodist  meetings  were  held  as  early  as  179-5,  though  no 
church  organization  was  formed  until  many  3'ears  after, — 
probal^ly  not  until  1820.  Lorenzo  Dow  was  one  of  the  early 
preachers  who  proclaimed  the  word  in  the  western  part  of  the 
town,  in  a  grove,  or  at  the  house  of  Edward  Forbes,  who  was 
one  of  the  early  members,  if  not  the  first,  in  Buckland. 

After  182.5  the  future  of  the  society  was  so  encouraging  that 
measures  were  taken  to  build  a  church,  but  not  until  April  3, 
1828,  was  this  purpose  acted  upon.  At  that  time  a  committee, 
composed  of  Eliphan  Woodard,  Levi  Sprague,  Jonathan 
Y'ouman,  Alexander  Ward,  James  Clark,  Cale  Pelton,  and 
Oliver  Rawson,  was  appointed  to  build  a  house  on  the  last 
street  at  the  centre,  at  the  foot  of  the  street  leading  up  Put- 
nam Hill.  It  was  completed  in  that  year,  and  u.sed  until  the 
sununer  of  1849,  when  it  was  taken  down  and  more  eligibly 
located  on  the  upper  street.  Recent  improvements-  have 
changed  its  appearance  and  rendered  it  an  attractive  place  of 
worship,  and  it  is  said  to  be  valued  at  §2000.  The  society  also 
owns  a  parsonage  in  the  village,  rated  at  ?o00.  The  trustees 
are  Graham  K.  Ward,  Alfred  Rood,  S.  A.  Ruddock,  Anson 


Photo,  by  I'upkiii.s 


tC       pl^y^/^y 


Dr.  Josiah  Trow  is  a  well-known  and  successful  phy- 
sician of  Franklin  Co.,  Mass.  He  was  born  in  Wendell, 
N.  H.,  July  15, 181G.  His  paternal  grandfather  (whose  name 
was  also  Josiah  Trow)  was  an  Englishman,  and  took  an 
active  part  in  the  French-and-Indian  war,  and  was  also  a 
soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  army.  He  married  Elizabeth 
Meeker,  who  was  a  native  of  Germany,  and  by  whom  he 
had  four  sons  and  four  daughters.  Of  this  family  tlie 
third  son,  Nathaniel,  was  the  father  of  the  subject  of  this 
sketch.  He  was  born  in  Beverly,  Mass.,  Oct.  25,  1775, 
and  was  married  in  Salem,  Aug.  13,  1799,  to  Elizabeth 
Gilman,  who  was  a  native  of  Portsmouth,  N.  H.  To  them 
were  born  eight  children  (five  sons  and  three  daughters) 
who  reached  the  age  of  manhood  and  womanhood.  Four 
of  the  sons  became  physicians. 

The  subject  of  this  notice  received  a  common-school  and 
academical  education,  and  when  eighteen  years  of  age  com- 
menced teaching  school,  which  he  continued  to  do  during 
the  winter  months  of  each  year  until  1841,  a  period  of 
seven  years.  In  the  mean  time  he  pursued  the  study  of 
medicine  and  attended  the  academy,  and  in  1840  graduated 
from  the  Berkshire  Medical  College.  During  the  follow- 
ing year  he  commenced  the  practice  of  his  profession  in 
Windham,  Conn.,  but  remained  there  only  two  and  one- 
half  years.  In  1842  (June  21)  he  was  married  to  Caroline 
A.,  daughter  of  Alpheus  Brooks,  of  Buckland,  Mass.,  by 
whom  he  has  had  three  -children,  viz. :  infant  son  (not 
named),  born  May  26,  1843,  and  died  June  1,  1843; 
Lucy  E.,  born  Oct.  25,  1845  ;  and  Francis  W.,  born  Jan. 
22,  1847. 


From  Windham  he  removed  to  Sunderland,  and  his  two 
younger  children  were  born  in  that  town,  where  he  remained 
eight  years,  after  which  he  exchanged  with  a  brother  in 
practice  and  removed  to  Buckland,  where  he  has  since  re- 
sided, a  period  of  twenty-seven  years,  making  in  all  thirty- 
nine  years  of  active  practice.  Dr.  Trow  has  gained  not 
only  as  a  physician  the  confidence  and  patronage  of  the 
people,  but  has  also  won  their  respect  and  aifection  as  a 
man  of  sterling  qualities  and  unaffected  piety.  He  is  a 
firm  supporter  of  the  ordinances  of  the  Christian  Church, 
and  a  member  of  the  Congregational  Society  of  Buckland, 
as  are  also  Iiis  children.  He  has  been  actively  interested 
in  Sunday-school  work,  and  has  taught  a  class  in  Buckland 
twenty-seven  years. 

In  politics  he  is  a  Republican,  but  has  subordinated  poli- 
tics to  the  duties  of  his  profession,  and  has  never  been  a 
partisan  or  an  ofiice-seeker.  The  only  public  office  he  has 
held  is  that  of  justice  of  the  peace,  in  which  capacity  he 
served  twenty-six  years. 

Greatly  interested  in  agriculture,  he  has  from  early  life 
familiarized  himself  with  both  the  science  and  practice  of 
farming,  and  when  the  Deerfield  Valley  Agricultural  Society 
was  organized  he  was  chosen  its  first  president.  Subse- 
quently he  held  the  oflice  of  vice-president  and  trustee  of 
that  society  at  different  times.  He  is  public-spirited,  and 
ever  ready  to  promote,  to  the  extent  of  his  ability,  all  the 
best  enterprises  of  the  town,  and  is  thoroughly  identified 
with  the  people  of  his  locality.  In  his  profession  he  is 
well  informed  and  independent,  and  commands  the  raspect 
and  esteem  of  his  associates. 


Res.ofG-K.WARD.  Buckland.Franklin  Co..Mass. 


Res   of    W.O.BASSETT,  Hawley,  Franklin  CO.Mass 


HISTOKY  OF  FRANKLIN   COUNTY. 


703 


Goodell,  William  B.  Caswell,  Joseph  Ballard,  Cyrus  Howes, 
Jonathan  Howes,  and  Alfred  Perkins. 

Buckland,  first  connected  with  other  points  in  forming  a 
circuit,  finally  became  a  separate  station,  and  since  1873  has 
been  connected  with  the  church  at  .Shelburne  Falls.  The 
ministers  who  have  preached  in  town  have  been  the  Revs.  Ibri 
Cannon,  Orrin  Peir,  Henry  Hatfield,  John  Nixon,  Samuel 
Avery,  John  J.  Matthias,  Moses  Amidon,  Robert  Travis,  .J. 
B.  Husted,  Alexander  Hulin,  Elias  Crawford,  John  Luckey, 
John  Parker,  H.  H.  White,  William  Todd,  Joel  Knight, 
Noble  Shepard,  Philo  Hawks,  Ziba  Loveland,  Erastus  Otis, 
Otis  Wilder,  Windsor  Ward,  Daniel   Graves,  Simon  Pike, 

Wni.  Gordon, Oakes,  C.  C.  Barnes,  Wm.  Taylor,  E.  K. 

Avery,  S.  Drake,  Leonard  Frost,  Proctor  Marsh,  P.  R.  Saw- 
yer, Henry  S.  Shedd,  George  W.  Green,  Homer  W.  Clarke, 
Moses  Palmer,  A.  G.  Bowles,  Solomon  W.  Johnson,  Solomon 
Cushman,  George  E.  Chapman,  A.  S.  Flagg,  M.  Letfingwell, 
Austin  F.  Herrick,  L.  Fish,  J.  Capen,  J.  H.  Gaylord,  J.  W. 
Lee,  E.  J.  Moore,  W.  D.  Bridge,  C.  N.  Merrifield,  J.  H. 
Lord,  Fayette  Nichols,  John  Cadwell,  J.  M.  Avann,  W.  H. 
Cook,  W.  J.  Parkinson,  and  (1878)  W.  S.  Jagger. 

The  number  of  members  reported  was  41  ;  in  the  Sunday- 
school,  40.     Graham  K.  Ward  superintendent. 

THE    SHELBtJRXE    FALLS    METHODIST    EPISCOPAL    CHURCH 

has  its  house  of  worship  on  the  Buckland  side,  the  member- 
ship of  the  church  being  from  both  towns.  It  was  organized 
in  the  fall  of  1842,  with  12  members,  but  a  board  of  trustees 
was  not  chosen  until  ten  j'ears  later.  This  was  composed  of 
John  Kellett,  Albert  Pelton,  E.  A.  Baldwin,  Zorah  Scott, 
Edward  Bannister,  Samuel  J.  Mantor,  Luther  Ballard,  Peter 
Edwards,  D.  A.  Barnard.  Their  first  meeting-house  was  built 
about  this  time,  and  was  destroyed  by  the  great  fire,  July  22, 
1876.  The  present  house  was  immediately  built  on  the  old 
site.  It  is  a  large  two-story  frame,  containing  below  two  busi- 
ness rooms,  and  in  the  front  above  several  otfices.  It  is  valued 
at  .?4000.  The  trustees  in  1878  were  Edwin  A.  Stebbins.  A. 
W.  Ward,  Alvin  Goodnow,  Lester  T.  Brown,  Nelson  Sprague, 
Jared  G.  Gragg,  Walter  Turton,  and  Oswin  Johnson. 

In  addition  to  the  regular  preaching  which  is  here  main- 
tained, the  church  supports  a  Sunday-school,  which  has  88 
members,  and  which  is  superintended  by  Edwin  A.  Stebbins. 
In  1878  the  church  membership  was  77,  and  the  Eev.  W.  S. 
dagger  was  the  pastor.     Other  clergy  have  been,  in  the  order 


named,  from  1842  to  1878,  the  Rev.  G.  W.  Green,  H.  Clark, 

A.  A.  Cooke,  W.  Ward,  Taylor,  S.  Cushman,  A.  G. 

Bowles,  S.  W.  Johnson,  Wm.  Butler,  John  Butler,  P.  Wal- 
lingford,  L.  Fish,  L.  Brewster,  J.  H.  Gaylord,  W.  J.  Pom- 
fret,  D.  K.  Merrill,  C.  H.  Vinton,  E.  W.  Virgin,  J.  W.  Fenn, 
J.  M.  Avann,  William  H.  Cook,  W.  J.  Parkinson,  W.  S. 
Jagger. 

Rev.  Lucius  Carter,  an  Episcopalian,  and  Rev.  Windsor 
Ward,  a  Methodist,  were  from  this  town. 

SECRET   ORDERS. 

At  the  village  of  Shelburne  Falls,  on  the  Buckland  side,  the 
order  of  Odd-Fellows  instituted,  Sept.  16,  1848, 

ALETHIAN    LODGE,    NO.    128, 

with  eight  charter  members,  and  S.  L.  Bardwell,  N.  G. ;  Levi 
Smith,  Sec.  ;  E.  M.  Whitney,  Treas. 

Four  members  were  initiated  at  the  first  meeting,  and  the 
lodge  at  onee  entered  upon  a  career  of  uninterrupted  pros- 
perity, the  meetings  ever  since  having  been  regularly  main- 
tained. 

The  lodge-room  and  all  its  contents,  in  Anawansett  Block, 
were  destroyed  by  fire,  July  22,  1876,  and  for  a  time  the  meet- 
ings were  held  in  Shelburne,  in  Masonic  Hall,  but  on  the  1st 
of  May,  1877,  the  present  room  was  occupied.  It  is  in  a  large 
three-story  block  which  was  erected  by  the  lodge, — which 
became  a  corporate  body  in  March,  1877, — and  occupies  the 
site  of  the  old  hall. 

Alethian  Lodge  has  at  present  IGO  members,  and  its  officers 
are  J.  C.  Perry^N.  G.  ;  J.  H.  Tooley,  V.  G. ;  H.  A.  Bowcn, 
Sec.  ;  and  G.  W.  Jenks,  Treas. 

ALETHIAN    ENCAMPMENT,    NO.    35, 

was  instituted  in  Anawansett  Hall,  Dec.  5,  1865.  It  has  been 
moderately  prosperous,  but  suffered  in  the  fire  of  1876.  There 
are  now  60  members,  and  the  following  ofiicers  :  G.  R.  Pierce, 
C.  P.  ;  N.  F.Buzzell,  H.  P. ;  E.  G.  Ost,  S.  W. ;  A.  H.  Smith, 
J.  W.  ;  S.  Stevens,  Sec. ;  and  G.  W.  Jenks,  Treas.  The  meet- 
ings are  held  in  Odd-Fellows'  Hall. 

MILIT.\RY. 

BUCKLAND    REBELLION    RECORD. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  those  who  served  in  the  L^nion 
army  during  the  war  of  1861-65 : 


Josiah  A.  Kichmond,  1st  lieut ,  must.  Oct.  11,  1862, 

52cl  Regt.,  Co.  E;  pro.  capt.  Oct.  23. 
Samuel  A.  Liltle,  1st  sergt.,  must.  Oct.  II,  ISC2,52d 

Regt.,  Co.  E. 
Joseph  \V.  Whiting,  sergt.,  must.  Oct.  ll,18C2,52d 

Kegt.,  Co.  E. 
Jno.  U.  Bingham,  must.  Oct.  II, '02,. 52d  Begt.,Co.  E. 
Herbert  L.  Brooks,  must.  Oct.  II,  1802,  62d  Kegt., 

Co.  E. 
Geo.  B.  Carter,  must.  Oct.  II ,  1802, 52d  Kegt.,  Co.  E. 
S.  C.Clenieuts.must.  Oct.  11, 1802,  62d  Regl.,Co.  E. 
Milford  J.  Cranson,  must.  Oct.  II,  1802,  52d  Kegt., 

Co.  E., 
Iliraui  .\.  Davis,  must,  Oct.  11,  '02,  .')2d  Kegt.,  Co.  E. 
George  C.  Farmim,  must.  Oct.  II,  1802,  52d  llegl., 

Co.  E;  died  March  7,  180:!. 
Charles  B.  Guciii,  must.  Nov.  10, 1802,  52d  Regt., 

C).  E. 
Wm.  Halligan,  must.  Oct.  U,  1802, .52d  Kegt.,  Co.  B. 
Juo.  A.  Hall jgaii, must. Oct.  II,  '62,52d  Kegt.,  Co.  E. 
Horace  HolUrook,  must.  Oct.  11,  1802,  52d  Kegt, 

Co.  E. 
Charles  B.  Hubhard,  must.  Oct.  II,  1802, 62d  Kegt., 

Co.  E. 
Thomas  Joyce,  must.  Oct.  1 1 ,  1862,  .i2d  Kegt.,  Co.  E. 
Austin  S.  Majnard,  must.  Oct.  II,  18C2,  52d  Kegt., 

Co.  E. 
Dwight  L.  Meekins, must. Oct.  II,  ISC2,  .Wd  Itegt., 

Co.  E. 
Joseph  K.  Meekins,  must.  Oft.  U,  1802,  o2d  Regt., 

Co.  E. 


Wm.  N.  Richmond,  must.  Oct.  II,  1802,  52d  Regt., 

Co.  E ;  died  at  sea  Dec.  Ttli. 
Edward  Ritchie,  must.Oct.  II,  1802, 52d  Kegt.,  Co.  E. 
Orland  C.  Sweet,  niu-t.  Oct.  Il,'02,52d  Regt., Co.  E. 
Henry  D.  Townsley,  must.  Oct  II,  1802,  52d  Kegt., 

Co.  E. 
Joseph  G.  Wilder,  must.  Oct.  U,  1802,  52d  Kegt., 

Co.  E;  died  June  19,  I80X 
Winsor  Woodward,  must.  Oct.  II,  1802,  52d  Regt., 

Co.  B. 
Michael  Atkins,  must.  Dec.  5,  1803,  H.  Art.,  Co.  B. 
William  Tracy,  must.  Dec.  5,  1803,  H.  Art.,  Co.  B. 
Wm.  U.  Bollard,  must.  Feb.  1861,  1st  Regt.  Cav., 

Co.  E. 
John  M.  Herman,  must.  Feb.  1804,  1st  Regt.  Cav., 

Co.  E. 
Walter  T.  Young,  Corp.,  mu.st.  Feb.  1804,  2d  Regt. 

Cav.,  Co.  G. 
Alexander  Johnson,  lieut.,  must.  April  9,  I8C3,  o4lh 

Regt. 
William  Johniion,  must.  April  9,  1863,  51th  Regt. 
EliJ!\hBrigham,  Jr.,  must.  June 21, 1801,  lU'.h  Regt., 

Co.  H. 
Charles  D.  Cutler,  1st  sergt.,  must.  June  21,  ISOl, 

Ilitli  Regt.,  Co.  H  ;  killed  at  Fair  Oaks. 
Michael  3Iurpliy,  sergt.,  must.  June  21,  1801,  10th 

Regt.,  Co.  II. 
Valentine  Auger,  must.  June  21,  IS61,  lutli  Regt., 

Co.  H. 
Jacob  Bring.df,  must.  June  21,  IS6I,  lOth  Regt., 

Co.  H;  killed  at  Fair  Oaks. 


Jno.  Bringolf,  must.  June  21,  '61, 10th  Regt.,  Co.  H. 
Michael   D.  Doherty,  must.  June  21,  1861,  lOlh 

Regt.,  Co.  H;  died  at  Washington. 
Charles  G.  James,  must.  June  21,  1861,  lUth  Regt., 

Co.  H. 
Anthony  Leddy,  must.  Feb.  29,  18C4,  lOlh  Regt., 

Co.  H. 
William  Mehan,  must.  June  21,  1801, 10th  Regt., 

Co.  H;  died  at  Washuiglon. 
Emory  C.  Morton,  must.  June  21, 1801,  loth  Regt., 

Co.  11. 
John  Murphy,  must.  Feb.  1804,  10th  Regt.,  Co.  H. 
Jas.  Nelson,  must.  June 21, 1861,  lOlh  Refit.,  Co.  H. 
Jacob  Riedell,  must.  June  21,  1861,  lolh  Regt.,  Co. 

H;  killed  at  Chancellorsville. 
Andrew  Sawen,  must.  June  21,  I80I,  10th  Regt., 

Co.  H. 
John.  Sheean,  must.  Feb.  20, '62, 10th  Regt.,  Co.  H. 
William  E.  Willi-,  must.  June  21, 1861, 10th  Regt., 

Co.  11;  died  in  Virginia. 
Eliphaz  Woodward,  must.  June  21,  I80I ,  lOtli  Regt., 

Co.  U. 
Marcus  M.  Woodward,  must.  June  21,  ISOI,  10th 

Regt.,  Co.  H. 
Jas.  P.  Stevens,  must.  Jan.  5, 1805,  ITth  Regt.,  Co.  B. 
Marlin  Hitzinger,  IDIli  llegt.,  Co.  G;  died  I860. 
Thomas  Robertson,  lOtli  Regt.,  Co.  H. 
Micdniel  Murphy,  must.  iSlarcli  21, 1804,  2Ulh  Regt., 

Co.  C. 
'  Ferdinand  Chausen,  must.  July  30,  It03,2Olh  Ri'gt., 

Co.  E. 


704 


HISTORY  OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


Heury  W.  Curtis,  must.  .Ian.  4,  1804,  2YtU  Ilogt , 

Co.  C. 
John  Di'pot,  must.  Oct.  1,  1801,  27th  Eogt,  C).  C ; 

killed  in  Louisianii  in  1SIJ4. 
Lutlifr  E.  Eaily,  must.  Nov.  21,  1801,  31st  Eogt., 

Co.  C. 
Jns.  noiiifr,  must.  Nov.  21,  1801,  Slst  Kegt.,  Co.  C. 
Austin  M.  Itico,  must.  Jan.  20, '02, 31st  Uogt.,Co.  C. 
Wm.IUmmely, must.  Jan.  20,  '02,  31st  Regt.Co.C. 
Win.  Sandfoi-J,  Jr.,  must.  Nov.  20,  1801,  SIst  licgt., 

Co.  C. 
Elijah  Shaw,  Jr.,  must.  Nov.  20, 1801,  31st  Kcgt., 

Co.C. 


William  L.  Stetson,  must.  Nov.  20, 18UI,  31st  llegt., 

Co.C. 
Clias.  S.  Townsley,  must.  Nov.  20,  ISOI,  31st  Begf., 

Co.  C. 
Heniy  Wpigle,must.  Jan.  17,  lS0.i,3l6t  Ki>gt.,  Co.  C. 
Joscpli  L.  Pliillipa,corp.,  must.  July  31, 1SG2,  34tli 

Kegt.,  Co.  F. 
Edwin  L.  Tobey,  Corp.,  must.  July  31,  1802,  34tli 

Ilegt.,  Co.  1'". 
Tlios.  Cai  le,  must.  Dec.  23,  1803,  :i7lli  Regt.,  Co.  II. 
Augustus  0.  Dole,  must.  Aug.  30, 1802,  37lli  Kegt., 

Co.  II. 


Calvin  Perkins,  must.  Aug.  30,  1802,  37th  Kegt., 

Co.  H. 
Chas.  T.  Wing,  must.  Aug.  30, 18C2, 37tli  Kegt.,  Co. 

II ;  killed  at  SpottsylvaTiia. 
J.  Murpljy,  must.  Jan.  20,  1804,  37th  Begt.,  Co.  I. 
Michael  Branman,  must.  Jan.  4,  ISOS,  68th  Begt., 

Co.  K. 
John  Jiickson,must.  Jan.4,1805,.58tli  Kegt.,  Co.  K. 
Dennis  Harrington,  must.  Sept.  1,  1804,  Vet.  R.  C. 
Jerome  Leavilt,  must.  Jan.  13,  1805,  Vet.  R.  C. 
Jefferson  Simpson,  must.  Jan.  5, 186,'i,  Vet.  R.  C. 
George  Wiesel,  must.  July  18,  1804,  Vet.  K.  C. 


H  A  W  L  E  Y. 


GEOGR.-iPIIICAL. 
This  town  is;  situated  in  the  western  part  of  the  county,  and 
has  for  its  northern  boundary  the  town  of  Charlemont;  oast 
are  the  towns  of  Buclsland  and  Ashfield  ;  south,  Ashfield  and 
the  town  of  Plainfield,  in  Hampshire  County  ;  and  on  the 
west  is  Savoy,  in  Berlishire  County.  It  was  known  as  Town- 
ship No.  7  of  the  ten  townships  sold  by  order  of  the  General 
Court,  June  2,  1702,  and  was  purchased  by  Moses  Parsons 
for  a  consideration  of  £875.  Parsons  in  turn  sold  to  other 
land-speculators ;  but  the  records  of  their  proprietorship  are 
not  attainable,  and  the  names  of  but  few  are  known.  It  is 
believed  that  none  of  them  became  actual  settlers.  The  town 
was  incorporated  Feb.  7,  1792,  with  its  present  mime,  in  honor 
of  the  Hon.  Joseph  Hawley,  of  Northampton,  and  was  duly 
organized  in  the  following  April. 

NATURAL  FEATURES. 

The  surface  of  Hawley  is  elevated,  and  very  much  broken, 
in  the  west  and  the  north,  by  high  hills.  In  the  southeast 
the  land  is  comparatively  level,  and  here  are  some  fine  farms. 
West  of  the  centre  is  a  hill  containing  a  rich  deposit  of  iron 
ore,  which  was  mined  to  supply  a  furnace  near  by  about 
1800,  and  which  gave  the  name  of  "Forge  Hill"  to  this 
locality. 

The  streams  of  the  town  drain  north  and  east.  The  princi- 
pal one  is  Chickley's  Eiver,  rising  on  the  mountains  in  Berk- 
shire, and  flowing  east  until  it  has  taken  the  waters  of  King's 
Brook,  from  the  south,  when  it  bears  a  northerly  course 
to  the  Deerfield  Kiver,  in  Charlemont.  Clesson's  Brook  rises 
in  the  town  south  of  the  centre  and  flows  into  the  town  of 
Bucklaiid.  In  the  northern  part  is  Bozrah  Brook,  a  small 
stream  flowing  into  the  Deerlicld  Kiver.  It  received  its  name 
from  Bozrah,  Conn.  The  other  streams  were  named  after  the 
early  land-owners.  They  all  aftord  limited  water-power.  In 
the  southwestern  part  of  the  town  is  Moody  Spring,  which 
possesses  strong  medicinal  properties,  and  is  said  to  be  a  cer- 
tain specific  for  salt-rheum  and  other  cutaneous  diseases.  Its 
location  among  the  hills  has  prevented  it  from  being  much 
patronized.  The  soil  of  the  tillable  parts  of  the  town  is  gen- 
erally fertile,  and  agriculture  at  present  constitutes  the  lead- 
ing pursuit. 

EARLY   SETTLEMENT. 

The  first  settlement  was  made  about  1770,  by  Samuel  Hitch- 
cock, In  the  northeastern  part  of  the  town,  where  he  lived 
until  his  death,  Sept.  13,  1819.  He  had  sons  named  Eli, 
Erastus,  and  Ethan.  The  latter  was  born  Oct.  18,  1773,  and 
was  the  first  male  child  born  in  town.  He  lived  to  be  more 
than  ninety  years  of  age,  and  died  at  Shclburne  Falls.  Arthur 
Hitchcock  settled  a  little  farther  northwest.  Daniel  Burt  and 
Noah  Strickland  came  about  the  same  time,  but  their  location 
is  not  remembered.     In  the  north  part  of  the  town  settlement 


was  made,  before  177fi,  by  Asa  Blood,  Abel  Parker,  Zepheniah 
Lathrop,  Zebedee  Wood,  and,  later,  b_v  Simeon  Crittenden, 
Oliver  and  Ezekiel  Edgarton,  and  Ichabod  Hawks.  Many 
of  these  were  from  Bozrah,  Conn.,  and  the  locality  is  still 
known  by  that  name.  Southeast  from  here  settled  Reuben 
Cooley,  the  father  of  Calvin  Cooley,  who  became  prominent 
in  town  affairs,  and  nearer  the  centre  was  Abraham  Parker ; 
south  of  this  locality  was  Josiah  Graves,  and  in  the  northwest 
Noah  Cooley.  In  later  years  Joseph  and  Zenoa  Bangs  settled 
in  this  part  of  the  town,  coming  from  Dennis,  both  remaining 
until  their  death.  The  latter  had  a  family  of  21  children,  the 
youngest  of  whom  became  a  well-known  judge  in  Chicago. 
Eufus  Sears,  then  but  eleven  years  old,  came  with  Joseph 
Bangs  in  1781,  and  lived  in  town  until  his  death,  at  the  age 
of  eighty  years.  A  son,  F.  H.  Sears,  now  occupies  this  place. 
Ebenezer  Hall  also  lived  with  Joseph  Bangs,  and  taught  the 
first  school  in  town,  in  the  locality  sometimes  called  "  Pudding 
Hollow."  After  his  marriage  he  lived  on  the  place  now 
occupied  by  Sylvester  Pvice.  He  was  one  of  the  leading  men 
of  the  town  in  his  day.  His  half-brother,  Itoland  Sears,  was 
also  an  earl}'  settler. 

In  the  southern  part  of  the  town  lived  Thomas  King,  as 
early  as  177G,  where  he  reared  sons  named  Jonas,  Amos,  John, 
and  Ezra.  Jonas  King  was  the  father  of  the  celebrated  mis- 
sionary, also  named  Jonas,  who  was  born  in  Hawley,  July  29, 
1792.  At  a  later  period  Elijah  Harmon  settled  in  this  part  of 
the  town,  on  the  farm  now  occupied  by  Enos  Harmon. 

After  1780,  Edmund  Longley  settled  in  the  eastern  part  of 
Hawley,  and  his  family  became  the  most  prominent  in  the 
town.  His  sons  were  Capt.  Edmund,  who  had  a  family  of 
nine  children;  Gen.  Thomas,  who  had  eight  children;  Col. 
Joshua,  the  father  of  six  children;  and  Luther,  who  had  a 
family  of  eight.  These  all  lived  on  the  highway  from  the 
meeting-house  to  the  Ashfield  line,  near  which  lived  Joseph 
Longley,  a  brother  of  Edmund,  Sr.  Gen.  Thomas  Longley 
took  rank  among  the  leading  men  of  the  county,  and  held 
also  important  civil  offices.  He  died  September,  1818,  aged 
seventy-four  years. 

The  town  settled  so  rajiidly  that  in  1790  there  were  .539 
inhabitants  ;  in  1820,  1089  ;  but  at  present  it  has  only  a  little 
more  than  GOO. 

CIVIL    GOVERNMENT. 

The  warrant  to  call  the  first  meeting  of  the  town  was  ad- 
dressed to  Edmund  Longley,  and  directed  that  the  voters 
should  assemble  at  Longl^y's  house,  April  2,  1792,  to  transact 
business  and  elect  officers  for  the  year  ensuing.  This  warrant 
was  signed  by  David  Se.xton,  a  justice  of  the  peace  of  Deer- 
field,  who  also  served  as  moderator  at  the  meeting. 

The  election  resulted  as  follows:  Edmund  Longley,  Town 
Clerk  ;  Thomas  King,  Joseph  Longley,  Zebedee  Wood,  Amos 
Crittenden,  and  Ebenezer  Hall,  Selectmen  ;  Joseph  Longley, 


HISTORY   OF   FRANKLIN   COUNTY. 


705 


Treasurer  ;  James  Parker,  Constable ;  Zeiias  Ban2;s,  Samuel 
IlitolK-ock,  Zcpheniah  Luthrop,  Assessors;  David  Parker, 
Wlialeii  Hawks,  John  Burroughs,  Joseph  Ban;^s,  Thomas 
Kin;;,  Tithinu;men  ;  Zenas  Bang?,  Saaler  of  Leather  ;  Nathan 
West,  Elisha  Wells,  Lumber  Inspectors. 

SELECTMEN. 


town  from  1793  to  1878: 

17D:1. — .Tossph  Longlcy.  Thomxs  King,  X.it'ian  West. 

1704.— J.isupli  LoTigle.v,  Tlioiiius  Ki;ig,  Elienezer  Hull. 

1T0.">. — Ilezelijjili  AViiniiK.T,  Zt'pheniati  Liithrop,  Ebeiiezer  Halt. 

ITOO-i)-.— HezL-ki  ili  'Wiirnncr,  Mosi-s  Clark,  Ebeiiezer  Hall. 

1798-99.— HfZekiah  Waniner,  ZepheniaU  Latlirop,  Elienezer  Hall. 

l^aO. — Hezekiah  Warriner,  Mcises  Clark,  Elfenezer  Hall. 

1^01. — Hezekiah  Warriner,  ZepUeniah  Latlirop,  Ebenezer  Hall. 

1802.— Edmund  Lonsley,  Syh-anns  Smith,  Elienezer  Hall. 

1J03. — Edmund  Longley,  Hezekiah  Waniner,  Elienezer  Hall. 

1S04. — Edmund  Longley,  Sylvanus  Smith,  Joseidi  Bangs. 

Ijoij. — Nathaniel  Newton,  Hezekiah  Waniner,  Joseph  Bangs. 

l!^0G-7. — Nathaniel  Newton,  Hezekiah  Waniner,  Joseph  Buttrick. 

1803.— Edmund  Longley,  Hezekiah  Waniner,  Josi'ph  Bnttiick. 

1S09. — Edmund  Lungtey,  HezeUiah  Waniner,  Zena-s  Bangs. 

1810. — Nathaniel  Newton,  Hezekiah  Warijuer,  Zenas  Bangs. 

1811.— Zepheniah  Lathrop,  Hezekiah  Waniner,  ZL-nas  Bangs. 

1812. — Joseph  Buttrick,  Hezekiah  Waniner,  Zenas  Bangs. 

18i:i. — Joseph  Buttrick,  Zepheniali  Lathrop,  Zenas  Bangs. 

1814.— Hezekiah  Warriner,  Ehenezer  Hall,  Zenas  Bangs. 

1815. — Zepheniah  Lathrop,  Josepli  Buttrick,  Noah  Joy. 

1810. — Hezeki.ih  Waniner,  Zeinis  Bangs,  Noah  Joy. 

1817.— E  Imnnd  L  uigley,  Jr.,  Zenas  Bangs,  Noah  Joy. 

1818.— Edninnd  Longley,  Jr.,  William  Bnssttt,  Noah  Joy. 

1819-21.— Zenas  Bang.s,  William  B^issctt,  Noah  .(oy. 

1822.— Edmund  Longley,  Jr.,  William  Biissett,  Hezekiah  Warriner. 

182:).— Edmund  Longley,  Jr.,  William  Bassett,  John  Tobey. 

1824-25.- Edninnd  Longley,  Jr.,  Noah  Joy,  John  Tobey. 

1820.— Wni.  Sanford,  Noah  Joy,  John  Toljey. 

1827-28.— Edmund  Longley,  Jr.,  Noah  Joy,  John  Tobey. 

1820.— John  Vincent,  Noah  Joy,  John  Tobey. 

18;i0.— Till  Unas  Longley,  Noah  Joy,  Waniner  King. 

1S:31.— p^ilmiind  Longley,  Jr.,  Calvin  Cooley,  John  Vincent. 

1832. — Waniner  King,  John  Tobey,  John  Vincent. 

18:i3.— Waniner  King,  Calvin  Cooley,  John  Vincent. 

1834.— John  Tobey,  Samuel  Hall,  Joshua  Vincent. 

IH^i. — Jonas  Jones,  Calvin  Cooley,  Joshua  Vincent. 

1830.— Edmund  Longley,  Jr.,  Clark  Seai-s,  Joshua  Vincent. 

1837.— Thomas  Longley,  Waniner  King,  John  Vincent. 

1833.— Calvin  CotJey,  George  L.atlirop,  John  Vincent. 

1839.— Calvin  Cooley,  George  Lathrof,  Samuel  Hall. 

1.'40.— Calvin  Cooley,  John  Vincent,  William  F.  Longley. 

1841.— Tliom.xs  Langley,  Warriner  King,  Francis  Mautor. 

1842,- John  Tobey,  Clark  Scars,  Samuel  Hall, 

1843.— Levi  Harmon,  Clark  Sears,  George  Lathrop. 

1844.— Levi  Harmon,  Clark  Sears,  Calvin  Cooley. 

1845.— John  Vincent,  George  Lathrop,  Freeman  .\tkins. 

1840. — Clark  Sears,  George  Lathrop,  Freeman  Longley. 

1847.— .Samuel  Williams.  George  Lathrop,  Freeman  Longley. 

1848.- Claik  Seats,  Levi  Harmon,  Wni.  0.  Bassett. 

1849.— John  Vincent,  Freeman  Atkins,  Nelson  Joy. 

I860.— Claik  Sears,  Fre^-man  .\tkiiis,  Samuel  Clark. 

1851.— Clark  Sears,  Otis  Ljiigluy,  Milo  T.  Carter. 

1'''52,— Wni.  0.  B.tssett,  Harvey  Baker,  Joshua  W.  Tobey. 

1853.— William  0.  Ba-^sett,  Nathan  Vincent,  Joshua  W.  Tohey. 

1S54.— William  O.  Basselt,  Joshua  W.  ToI.ey,  Harvey  Baker. 

1855.— William  0.  Bassett,  Joshua  W.  Tohey.  J.  G.  Longlcy. 

1^50.- ^\■illiam  0.  Bassett,  Joshua  W.  Tobey,  Harvey  Baker. 

1857.— William  0.  Bassett,  John  Vincent,  Charles  Baker. 

1858.— S.  A.  Clark,  John  Vincent,  B.  P.  Mansfield. 

1859.— Calvin  E.  Cooley,  John  Vincent,  David  Vincent. 

leCO.— Charles  Baker,  John  Vincent,  A.  G.  Ayres, 

1801.- V  illiani  0.  Bassett,  Cliailes  Crittenden,  Elijah  Field. 

1802.— William  0.  Bassett,  Charles  Crittenden,  F.  H.  Sears. 

1803. — Clark  Sears,  A.  G.  Ayres,  V\  illis  Vincent. 

1804.- Chailes  Baker,  Edwin  Scott,  A.  G.  Ayres. 

1SG5.— Chailes  Baker,  E.hiin  Scott,  Elijah  Field. 

1800.— Clark  Sears,  W.  E.  Mansfield.  Willis  Vincent. 

1S07.— William  O.  Bassett,  W.  E.  Mansfield,  Harvey  Baker. 

1868.- William  O.  Bassett,  E.  S.  Carter,  Harvey  Baker. 

1809.- Wiiliiim  0.  Basselt,  E.  S.  Carter,  E.  P,  Hunt. 

1^70.- William  0.  Bitssett,  John  Vinrent,  E.  S.  Ca;ter. 

1871.- W.  E.  Mansfield,  F.  H.  Sears,  Willis  Vincent. 

187-;!.- W.  E.  Mansfield,  E.  S.  Caiter,  Harmon  Barnes. 

1S73.— Charles  Ciittenden,  E.  S.  Carter,  C.  H.  Dodge. 

1S74.— CImiles  Ciittenden,  M.  H.  Vincent,  C.  H.  Dodge. 

1S75-70.— William  O.  Bassett,  Lewis  J,  Hall,  Walter  Sears. 

8y 


1S77.— William  0.  Bassett,  Lewis  J.  Hall,  Isaac  C.  Vincent. 
187S.— Chailes  Ciittenden,  Lewis  J.  Hall,  Clinton  H.  Dodge. 

TOWN    CLERKS. 

1792-1.304.  Edmund  Longley  ;  ISOo-G,  Elienezer  Hall ;  1807-2=1,  Thomas  Long- 
ley  ;  1829  30,  Moses  Smith;  l-3l-:i0,  Thomas  Longley;  1637-40,  Moses  Smith; 
1:41,  Edmund  Longley,  Jr.,  1-42,  Anson  D.ver;  ls43  40;  Calvin  S.  Longley; 
1847,  John  Vincent;  1848,  C.  S.  Longley,  lS4il-60,  George  Lathrop;  1851-58,  C. 
S.  Longley  ;  1850-00,  Dennis  M.  Baker;  1807-08,  F.  H.  Sears;  1809-70,  Freeman 
Atkins  ;  1871,  Harvey  Baker ;  1872-74,  Edwin  Scott ;  1876-78,  J.  W.  Doane. 

In  May,  1794,  Edmund  Longley  was  chosen  representative 
to  the  General  Court.  In  that  year  it  was  also  voted  to  pro- 
vide a  town  stock  of  powder,  lead,  and  flints. 

"V^oted  to  allow  Capt.  James  Barker  20  sliiliings  for  warning  parties  out  of 
town  who  have  not  received  license  to  rennlin." 

The  town  owns  a  hall,  built  about  184.3,  near  the  cemetery, 
and  a  poor-farm  in  the  southwestern  part  of  the  town,  where 
from  four  to  six  persons  are  maintained  annually.  The  debt 
of  Hawlej'  is  about  $4500. 

PUBLIC  HIGHWAYS. 
At  the  first  town-meeting,  in  1792,  Oliver  Edgarton,  George 
Eddy,  Amos  King,  Elienezer  Burroughs,  Arthur  Hitchcock, 
Josiah  'V^'illard,  David  Parker,  A.  Rogers,  and  John  Taylor 
were  appointed  surveyors  of  roads.  Three  years  later  the 
appropriations  for  highways  amounted  to  £200;  and  in  1878, 
51200  was  voted  for  the  same  purpose,  which  has  placed  the 
roads  in  gotxl  repair.  The  town  has  no  railroad,  but  is  afl'orded 
suflScient  shipping  facilities  at  Charlemont. 

IXDUSTRIAL   PURSUITS. 

Before  1790,  Moses  Rogers  had  in  operation  a  grist-mill  near 
the  centre  of  the  town,  on  Chickley's  River,  about  where  L. 
J.  Hall's  saw-mill  now  stands.  AVhile  attempting  some  re- 
pairs on  his  dam  Mr.  Rogers  was  drowned.  At  this  point 
were  formerly  clothing-works,  operated  by  Harvey  Barker, 
Ebenezer  Dickinson,  and  others,  which  have  long  since  been 
discontinued. 

In  the  vicinity  of  tlie  West  Hawley  church  was  a  furnace 
and  forge,  at  the  beginning  of  the  present  century,  which 
manufactured  iron  from  the  ore  mined  near  by.  Among  the 
operators  was  Elias  Goodspeed.  The  buildings  were  burned 
and  work  discontinued  before  1825.  Martin  Brackett  had  at 
this  place  a  saw-mill,  and  at  a  later  day  Viricent  &  Baker  put 
in  operation  a  mill,  which  is  yet  continued,  as  well  as  the  man- 
ufacture of  handles  of  various  kinds.  Here  Austin  Pease 
built  a  tannery  about  183.5,  which  was  afterward  operated  by 
Howes  &  Sears,  and  abandoned  in  1855. 

At  the  ne-xt  water-power  above,  Clark  Fuller,  A.  Sears,  and 
others  have  had  saw-mills  and  turning-shops,  and,  west  of  this 
place,  John  Miller  and  C.  Peck  erected  lumber-mills.  South- 
ward, on  King's  Brook,  Horace  Thayer  built  a  turning-shop, 
which  is  now  operated  by  the  Larrabees ;  and  above,  on  the 
same  stream,  Warriner  King  had  a  saw-mill,  which  is  yet 
operated,  and  a  wooden-ware  shop,  which  has  been  abandoned. 
Still  farther  above,  near  the  Hampshire  line,  is  an  excellent 
water-power,  which  formerly  operated  saw-  and  grist-mills, 
belonging  to  King,  Crittenden,  Rice,  and  others.  About  1840, 
L.  Hallock  became  the  proprietor  of  these  privileges,  and  put 
up  a  large  tannery,  which  for  a  time  did  a  good  business ;  but 
nothing  has  been  done  here  for  many  years  past. 

On  Clesson's  Brook,  Levi  Eldridge  erected  a  saw-mill  about 
1812,  which  has  since  been  carried  on  by  his  family;  and  be- 
low that  power  was  another  mill,  owned  by  Joshua  Vincent 
and  Healy  Newton.  Another  abandoned  mill-site  was  im- 
proved by  Abraham  Parker,  near  the  old  meeting-house,  and 
on  Bozrah  Brook  were  also  small  powers,  emplo3'ed  to  operate 
clothing-works  and  shops.  A  saw-mill  is  here  carried  on  by 
Charles  Crittenden.  The  foregoing  industries  employed  many 
persons,  and  their  discontinuance  has  been  a  prominent  cause 
of  the  diminished  population. 


706 


HISTORY  OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


STORES  AND  POST-OFFICES. 

There  is  no  village  in  the  town,  and  the  stores  and  post- 
offices  are  kept  in  the  eastern  and  the  western  parts,  in  the 
neighborhood  of  the  churehes.  Soon  after  1800  an  attempt 
was  made  to  found  a  village  in  the  vicinity  of  the  old  church, 
and  here  was  opened  the  first  store,  by  Joseph  Hubbard.  This 
stand  was  afterward  occupied  by  Joshua,  William,  and  Cal- 
vin S.  Longley  in  the  order  named ;  and  they  were  also  the 
postmasters  while  the  office  reinained  here.  Some  time  before 
1830,  William  Sanford  had  an  opposition  store  and  tavern 
across  the  way  from  the  Longley  place,  where  was  also  kept  a 
tavern.  At  that  time  there  were  also  several  mechanic  shops, 
and  the  pUice  had  a  promising  future,  which  can^e  to  a  sudden 
termination  by  the  location  of  the  churches  elsewhere. 

At  Kast  Hawley  merchandising  was  begun  about  1833,  by 
Whitney  Hitchcock  and  Jonas  Jones.  They  were  succeeded 
by  Lucius  L.  Clark,  and  he  by  William  Longley  and  Leonard 
Campbell.  Calvin  S.  Longley  becoming  the  proprietor,  closed 
his  business  at  the  old  stand  and  moved  here  with  the  Hawley 
post-office.  Both  the  store  and  office  are  now  kept  by  Edwin 
Scott.     A  tri-weekly  mail  is  supplied  from  Shelburne  Falls. 

The  West  Hawley  office  was  established  in  18(jl,  at  the 
house  of  Willis  Vincent,  where  it  has  since  been  kept,  receiv- 
ing three  mails  per  week  from  Charlemont.  In  this  part  of 
the  town  stores  have  been  kept  by  Harvey  Baker,  Aaron 
Ayers,  Clark  Fuller,  and  Foster  King,  the  latter  si  ill  in  business. 

About  1830  the  South  Hawley  post-office  was  established  at 
the  house  of  Col.  Noah  Joy,  an  innkeeper.  It  was  afterward 
in  charge  of  jSTelson  Joy,  Levi  Holden,  and  Henry  Clark. 
While  the  latter  owned  the  house  it  was  burned,  and  the  office 
was  suspended  about  18(32. 

After  1800  a  Dr.  Forbes  located  as  a  physician  in  town, 
living  on  the  place  now  occupied  by  J.  W.  Doane.  After  his 
death  his  widow  married  Dr.  Mo.ses  King,  who  was  a  prac- 
ticing physician  in  Hawley  from  1820  till  1849.  In  the  same 
period  Drs.  George  Hill  and  Charles  Knowlton  were  also 
practitioners.   Since  1850  there  has  been  no  resident  physician. 

SCHOOLS. 
In  1792,  £30  were  voted  for  the  support  of  schools,  and  Ed- 
mund Longley,  Abel  Parker,  Amos  Crittenden,  Zebedee 
Wood,  Abel  Warner,  Ebenezer  Hall,  and  Jonathan  Fuller  were 
chosen  a  committee  to  divide  the  town  into  school  districts. 
Three  years  later  £60  was  voted  and  the  following  persons 
appointed  to  build  school-houses :  District  No.  1,  Keuben 
Cooley,  Zenas  Bangs,  Ebenezer  Hall ;  No.  2,  Joseph  Latbrop, 
Ichabod  Hawks;  No.  3,  Elijah  Hammond,  Asa  Blood,  Asher 
Russell ;  No.  4,  Hezekiuh  Warriner,  Samuel  Hitchcock,  David 
Parker;  No.  5,  Arthur  Hitchcock,  Phineas  Scott;  No.  6,  Eben- 
ezer Borland,  John  Campbell  ;  No.  7,  Thomas  King,  Simeon 
Crittenden. 

"  Vuted  tliat  the  several  sjhool-housc*  be  built  fit  to  keep  a  winter  school  in 
by  the  first  of  November  next." 

In  1878  the  town  appropriated  §1000  for  the  support  of 

schools,  and  the  committee,  composed  of  Messrs.  H.  S.  Barton, 

Charles  Crittenden,  and  J.  W.  Doane,  reported  eight  districts 

in  which  schools  of  six  months  each  had  been  taught.     The 

number  attending  school  was  104,  and  the  average  attendance 

188. 

RELIGIOUS    SOCIETIES. 

The  formation  of  the  first  society  antedates  the  organization 
of  the  town  about  fourteen  years.  On  the  16th  of  September, 
1778,  at  a  council  called  for  this  purpose,  at  which  were  pres- 
ent the  Revs.  Nehemiah  Porter  and  Jacob  Sherwin,  of  Ash- 
field,  Jonathan  Leavitt,  of  Charlemont,  and  John  Emerson, 
of  Conway,  was  formed 

THE    FIRST    CONGREGATIONAL    CHURCH    IN    HAWLEY. 

The  articles  of  faith  and  covenant  were  signed  by  Thomas 
King,  Nathaniel  Rudd,  Daniel  Burt,  Silas  Hitchcock,  Samuel 


Hitchcock,  Abel  Parker,  Daniel  Parker,  Benjamin  Smith, 
Nathaniel  Parker,  Josiah  Graves,  Mary  Burt,  Mary  Hitch- 
cock, Phebe  Parker,  Sarah  Parker,  Thankful  Hitchcock, 
Martha  Parker,  Rebecca  Parker,  Abigail  Graves,  Sarah 
Cooley,  and  Elizabeth  Smith. 

The  following  additional  names  are  reported:  1779,  Na- 
thaniel Hitchcock,  Thomas  King,  Jr.,  Jane  (Jilmore,  Timothy 
Baker,  Widow  Sarah  Strickland,  Mrs.  Noah  Cooley  ;  1780, 
Lucy  King,  Elizabeth  Taylor ;  1781,  Phineas  Scott,  Mrs.  Hosea 
Curtis.  From  1781  to  1793  the  records  are  lost;  1794,  Cath- 
arine Warriner,  Jonathan  Spaft'ord,  Edward  Porter,  Wm. 
Farnsworth,  Deborah  Farnsworfh,  Noah  Cooley,  Jr.,  Asa 
Blood,  Rhoda  Blood,  Elijah  Harmon,  Israel  Clark,  Dorcas 
Clark;  1794,  Mary  Longley,  Molly  Crosby,  Elijah  Ford, 
Mercy  King,  Phebe  Crowell ;  1795,  Sarah  Longley,  .loshua 
Scott,  Rulland  Sears,  Thankful  Sears,  Nathan  West,  Sarah 
West,  Martha  Ruddock,  Noah  Pixley,  Lydia  Pixley,  Zenas 
Bangs,  Ruth  Bangs;  1796,  Urbane  Hitchcock,  A.  Hall, 
.lotham  Clark,  Moses  Clark  ;  1797,  Lucy  Longley,  Stephen 
Jenkins,  Amos  Marsh,  Josiah  Wilcox,  Priscilla  Sears,  Polly 
Grout,  Rufus  Baker;  1798,  Elijah  Field,  Daniel  Smith,  John 
Farnsworth,  Rebecca  Hall,  Mrs.  Samuel  Nims,  and  Mrs. 
Moses  Clark. 

The  first  meetings  were  held  in  dwellings  and  barns,  and 
the  Rev.  Jacob  .Sherwin,  of  Ashfield,  was  the  preacher, 
although  not  having  a  regular  appointment.  In  1792  the 
town  voted  to  have  preaching,  and  that  half  the  meetings 
should  be  held  at  Col.  Longley's,  and  the  rest  at  the  house  of 
Abraham  Parker;  and  £20  were  voted  to  support  the  gospel. 
This  year  measures  were  taken  to  build  a  meeting-house,  and 
Samuel  Taylor,  of  Buckland,  Aaron  Rice,  of  Charlemont,  and 
Wm.  Wood  were  appointed  a  committee  to  pitch  a  meeting- 
house spot.  After  much  controversy,  it  was  decided  in  1796 
to  build  the  meeting-house  on  2J  acres  of  ground  purchased 
of  Abraham  Parker,  "  who  reserved  the  spruce  growing  on 
the  same  when  the  lot  shall  be  cleared  up."  The  house  was 
"  to  be  40  by  50  feet,  and  to  be  built  by  .loseph  Longley,  Ed- 
ward Longley,  Thomas  King,  Nathan  West,  and  Hezekiah 
Warriner." 

This  house  was  used  until  1824,  when  it  was  replaced  by 
another  edifice,  near  the  old  spot'.  In  1847  the  present  house 
of  worship  was  built,  in  the  southeastern  part  of  the  town. 
It  is  surmounted  by  a  tower,  and  has  a  basement  for  vestry 
purposes.  The  house  presents  an  attractive  appearance,  and 
has  ample  accommodations  for  250  persons. 

On  the  23d  of  October,  1793,  the  Rev.  Jonathan  Grout  was 
ordained  the  first  pastor  of  the  church,  and  continued  in  that 
relation  until  his  death,  June  6,  1835.  A  few  years  previous 
to  that  event  he  had  the  assistance  of  a  colleague.  He  was 
born  in  AVestboro'  in  1763,  and  graduated  from  Cambridge 
in  1790,  receiving  his  license  to  preach  Aug.  7,  1792.  His 
entire  ministerial  life,  consequently,  was  spent  in  Hawley. 
The  people  whom  he  so  long  served  erected  a  fine  tombstone 
to  his  memory,  bearing  this  epitaph  : 

"  This  Btone  was  erected  by  tlte  first  parish  in  Hawley  to  the  memory  of  the 
Rev.  Jonathan  Grout,  who  departed  this  life  June  G,  1835,  in  the  73d  year  of  his 
age,  and  the  42d  of  his  ministry.  He  was  the  first  minister  in  Hawley.  Great 
unanimity  among  his  people  prevailed  during  the  ministry  of  this  devoted  ser- 
vant of  Christ." 

The  Rev.  Tyler  Thatcher  was  installed  the  second  pastor, 
May  14,  1834,  and  was  dismissed  Jan.  31,  1843.  He  was  a 
native  of  Princeton,  where  he  was  born  Sept.  11,  1801,  and 
his  ancestors  for  ten  successive  generations  had  been  minis- 
ters. He  graduated  from  Brown  University  in  1824,  and  was 
licensed  to  preach  in  1825. 

After  Mr.  Thatcher's  connection  had  been  dissolved  the 
church  was  without  a  pastor  six  years,  and  was  supplied  four 
years  by  the  Rev.  John  Eastman  and  two  years  by  the  Rev. 
William  A.  Hawley.  The  third  and  present  pastor,  the  Rev. 
Henry  Seymour,  was  installed  Oct.  3,  1849,  and  has  since  been 


HISTORY  OF   FRANKLIN  COUNTY. 


7U7 


its  faithful  minister.  He  was  born  in  Hiidley,  Oct.  20,  1816, 
and  graduated  from  Amherst  in  1838,  finishing  his  studies  at 
the  Union  Theological  Seminary,  New  York,  in  1842. 

Tlie  original  membership  of  the  church  was  much  augmented 
by  frequent  revivals.  In  1807,  33  were  added;  in  1831,  64; 
in  1832,  31  ;  and  in  1816  the  large  number  of  118.  In  that 
year  the  membership  was  reported  at  265. 

In  1825,  19  male  and  2.3  female  members  were  dismissed  to 
form  the  West  Hawley  Church,  and  the  following  year  only 
179  were  reported. 

The  members  in  1878  were:  males  28,  females  48;  non-resi- 
dent, 17.  A  Sunday-school,  organized  in  1819,  has  been 
pretty  successfully  maintained  since,  and  is  at  present  super- 
intended by  Enos  Harmon.  It  has  60  members.  The  church 
clerk  is  S.  A.  Clark. 

THE    WEST   HAWLEY   CHURCH 

was  organized  Aug.  24,  1825,  to  accommodate  the  people  liv- 
ing in  that  part  of  the  town,  and  embraced,  originally,  the  44 
members  that  had  withdrawn  from  the  First  Church  for  this 
purpose.  In  1831  the  membership  was  increased  by  12,  the 
fruits  of  a  revival,  and  in  1843  a  like  number  was  added  from 
the  same  source.  In  1878  there  were  reported  18  male  and  23 
female  members,  of  whom  7  were  non-resident.  The  church 
clerk  was  Willis  Vincent,  and  the  deacon  Samuel  Williams. 
This  office  was  held  by  Ebenezer  Hall  and  Zenas  Bangs,  and 
at  later  periods  by  Samuel  Hall  and  Ebenezer  Crosby. 

For  the  first  fifteen  years  of  its  existence  the  church  was  de- 
pendent on  ministerial  supplies,  the  Kevs.  Urbane  Hitchcock, 
Dr.  Packard,  T.  Packard,  Jr.,  Anson  Dyer,  and  Joshua  Crosby 
serving  in  this  relation.  The  Kev.  Moses  Miller  was  installed 
as  the  first  pastor.  May  20,  1840,  and  retained  his  connection 
until  Oct.  20,  1846.  He  was,  prior  to  this  settlement,  the 
pastor  of  the  church  in  Heath,  and  is  mentioned  at  greater 
length  in  a  sketch  of  that  town. 

After  a  vacancy  of  a  little  more  than  a  year,  the  pulpit  was 
again  occupied  by  a  regular  pastor.  The  Kev.  John  Eastman 
was  installed  Nov.  11,  1847,  and  continued  with  the  church 
about  eight  years.  He  was  born  at  Amherst,  July  19,  1803, 
and  had  the  honorary  degree  of  A.M.  conferred  on  him  by  the 
college  of  that  place  in  1851.  He  was  li.ceused  by  tlie  Frank- 
lin association  in  1833,  and  ordained  as  an  evangelist  the  fol- 
lowing year.  After  he  left  the  church,  the  Revs.  Lewis 
Bridgman,  Joseph  Baldwin,  Piobert  Council,  Kobert  Samuels, 
John  Eastman,  and  Lincoln  Harlow  supplied  this  people,  the 
interest  not  being  strong  enough  to  maintain  a  regular  pastor. 

The  first  meeting-house  was  erected  in  1825,  and  used  until 
1847,  when  the  present  structure  was  built.  Repairs  made 
subsequently  render  it  a  very  comfortable  place  of  worship. 

No  other  church  has  been  formallj'  organized  in  town,  al- 
though preaching  has  been  maintained  by  the  Methodists  and 
other  denominations.  The  town,  however,  has  produced  a 
long  list  of  ministers,  who  are  briefly  sketched  below. 

THE    CONGREGATIONAL    CLERGYMEN 
have  been  as  follows: 

Rev.  Urbane  Hitchcock  was  born  in  Hawley  in  1782;  grad- 
uated at  Williams  in  1806  ;  was  ordained  to  the  ministry  at 
Dover,  Vt.,  in  1808. 

Kev.  Jonas  King,  D.D.,  was  born  in  Hawley,  July  29, 1792 ; 
read  the  Bible  through  before  he  was  six  years  old,  and  every 
year  thereafter ;  graduated  at  Williams  College  in  1810 ; 
studied  theology  at  Andover;  was  ordained  an  evangelist  in 
Charlestown  in  1819;   went  as  a  missionary  with  Pliny  Fisk 

Wra.  J.  Doane,  cnl.  Sept.  4,  1S62,  Co.  E,  52(1  Regt. 
Geo.  C.  Braymiin,  cill.  Sept.  4,  '02,  Co.  E,  52ii  Regt. 
Henry  C.  DauJon,  erjl.  Sept.  4,  '62,  Co.  E,  62d  Regt. 
Homer  F.  Dumon,  eiil.  Sept.  4,  '62,  Co.  E,  o2d  Regt. 
Edwin  Warrinor,  eiil.  Sept.  4,  '62,  Co.  E,  52d  Regt. 
David  C.  Clark,  enl.  Sejit.  4,  1862,  Co.  E,  62d  Regt. 
Lucius  Hunt,  enl.  Sept.  4,  1SG2,  Co.  E,  52d  Regt. 


to  Jerusalem  in  1823;  and  in  1828  became  a  missionary  to 
Greece,  where  his  labors  in  behalf  of  the  struggling  Greeks 
attracted  much  attention,  and  resulted  in  promoting  the  wel- 
fare of  the  oppressed  inhabitants. 

Kev.  Pindar  Field  was  born  in  Sunderland,  May  1,  1794, 
but  removed  to  Hawley  the  following  year;  studied  at  Wil- 
liams, but  graduated  at  Amherst  in  1822,  and  was  licensed 
December,  1824. 

Rev.  Isaac  Oakes  was  born  in  Iladley,  June  10, 1795;  grad- 
uated at  Williams  in  1820,  and  was  ordained  at  Salem  in 
1823. 

Rev.  Thomas  H.  Wood  was  born  at  Bozrah,  Conn.,  in  1772, 
but  removed  with  his  parents  to  Hawley  in  1775;  graduated 
at  Williams  in  1779,  and  was  licensed  to  preach  in  1803;  he 
died  in  1840. 

Rev.  Marshall  L.  Farnswortb  was  born  in  Hawley  in  1799; 
graduated  at  Union  in  1825,  and  was  soon  thereafter  licensed. 
He  died  at  Danby,  N.  Y.,  in  1838. 

Rev.  Oliver  A.  Taylor  was  born  at  Yarmouth,  Aug.  18, 
1801,  but  became  a  resident  of  Hawley  when  he  was  two  years 
old.  His  parents  were  poor  and  unable  to  educate  their  chil- 
dren, but  gave  them  the  example  of  devout,  consistent  lives, 
and  encouraged  them  in  their  eftbrt.s  to  educate  themselves,  with 
what  success  is  shown  by  the  four  ministers  the  family  pro- 
duced. At  the  age  of  twenty,.01iver  started  to  walk  five  hun- 
dred miles  to  enter  Allegheny  College,  Pa.,  but  graduated  at 
Union  in  1825;  studied  at  Andover,  completing  in  1829,  and 
was  licensed  in  April  that  year.  He  became  very  learned,  and 
died  in  1851. 

Rev.  Timothy  A.  Taylor  was  born  in  Hawley,  Sept.  7, 
1809  ;  graduated  at  Amherst  in  1835,  and  at  Andover  in  1838. 

Rev.  Rufus  Taylor  was  born  in  Hawley,  March  24,  1811  ; 
graduated  at  Amherst  in  1837,  and  at  Princeton  in  1840. 

Rev.  Jeremiah  Taylor,  the  fourth  brother  of  this  noted 
family,  was  born  at  Hawley,  June  11,  1817;  graduated  at 
Amherst  in  1843,  and  at  Princeton  in  1847. 

Rev.  Alvah  C  Page  was  born  in  Hawley,  March  17,  1806; 
and  was  ordained  as  an  evangelist  at  Charlemont  in  1831. 

Rev.  Thomas  A.  Hall  was  born  in  Hawley,  Sept.  2,  1813  ; 
graduated  at  Williams  in  1838,  and  was  licensed  in  1840. 

Rev.  O.  W.  Cooley  was  born  in  Hawley,  June  18,  1816  ; 
graduated  at  Williams  in  1841,  and  was  licensed  in  1845. 

Rev.  Foster  Lilley  was  born  in  Hawley,  June  6,  1812; 
graduated  at  Williams  in  1838,  and  was  licensed  in  1840. 

Rev.  Alfred  Longley  was  born  in  Hawley,  Nov.  10,  1809; 
studied  at  Oberlin,  and  was  licensed  in  1843.  He  died  March 
16,  1851. 

Rev.  Moses  M.  Longley  was  born  in  Hawley,  June  14,  1815, 
studied  at  Amherst,  and  graduated  at  Oberlin  in  1845.  He 
was  ordained  an  evangelist  in  1840. 

Rev.  Elijah  Harmon,  a  native  of  Hawley,  graduated  at 
Amherst,  and  is  the  pastor  of  a  church  in  New  Hampshire. 

Rev.  Joseph  Longley  became  a  Congregational  minister, 
but  died  before  he  had  engaged  in  pastoral  labors. 

As  Methodist*,  the  Revs.  Judali  Crosby,  Silas  Leonard,  and 
Proctor  Marsh  originated  from  Hawley. 

Josiah  Hunt  and  Henry  F.  Sears,  natives  of  the  town,  grad- 
uated at  Amherst,  and  became  successful  teachers. 

MILITARY. 
HAWLEY    REBELLION    RECORD. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  those  who  served  in  the  Union 
army  during  the  war  of  1861-65: 


Natlian  Baker,  enl.  Sept.  4,  1SG2,  Co.  E,  52d  Uegt. 
Theoilore  Marsli,  enl.  Sept.  4,  '62,  Co.  E,  52d  Regt. 
Ncrah  Baker,  enl.  Sept.  4,  1862,  Co.  E,  62d  Begt. 
Edwin  Baker,  enl.  Sept.  4,  1862,  Co.  B,  62d  Regt. 
Thomas  A.  Hall,  enl.  Sept.  4,  '62,  Co.  E,  52d  Regt. 
Elijah  Ilannon,  enl.  Sept.  4,  '02,  Co.  E,  .52d  Rej;t. 
Thaxter  ScotI,  enl.  Sept.  4,  18G2,  Cj.  E,  52d  Eegt. 


Clinton  H.  Dodge,  enl.  Sept.  4,  '62,  Co.  D,52d  Regt. 
Otis  li.  Ward,  enl.  .lune  14,  '61,  Co.  H,  10th  Begt. 
'Albert  Clark,  enl.  April  :ill,  '61,  Co.  H,  10th  Regt. 
Newell  S.  Rice,  enl.  May  3,  1861,  Co.  E,  luth  Regt. 
John  H.  Larrabee,  enl.  May  28,  1861,  Co.  B,  10th 

Regt. 
Edwin  B.  Cobb,  enl.  Oct.  1,  1861,  Co.  C,  27th  Eegt. 


ro8 


HISTORY   OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


Alfrid   L.  Sliitilor,  inl.  Orl.  1,  1801,  Co.  C,  27tli 

IXi-Sit:  killrd  nt  IVtcral.ur;.-. 
rriimia  \V.  Miuilur,  ci.l.  Oct.  I,  ISf.l,  Co.  C,  27(h 

liest.:  tlii'd  ill  Norlli  Ciiroliiia. 
LnllicM-  E.M.\,  cnl.  Oct.  1,  ISIJl,  Co.  C,  271h  lii'gt. 
Si. 111.  W.illeiulcii.  .-nLOit.  l,'(il,Oi,  C,  27lli  Ki-k(. 
EclliiiiTiil    I.OMglo.v,  cnl.   Oct.  1,  1801,   Co.  C,  27tli 

llegt.;  ilieil  in  tin- service. 
Jolin  A.  Gioiit,  Mil.  Jiilj'  2,  lsn2,  C...  C,  27111  Rcgt. 
CluiB.  H.  ^^  liile,  cnl.  .Iiilj-  2,  '02,  Co.  C,  27tli  licgt. 
Win.  J.  Snnfoid,  cnl.  N"V.  l:l,  '01,  Co.  C,  :il.st  Bcgt. 
Eolicrt  II.  ElUiiilgc,  cnl.  Nov.  21,  I.sol,  Co.  B,  :ilst 

Itegt. 
CIiukF.Sprngnc,  eiil.  Nc.v.22, 'OI.Co.  n,31st  Regt. 
Aslicr  B.  S|iiiigiie,  cnl.  Nov.  22,  1801,  Co.  I!,  :nst 

Kcgt. 


Allielt  E,  II.irnli.onl.Nov.  22,T,I,ro.  B,.3Ist  Itcgt. 
Hcni'.v  C.  Mii«oii,ciiI.  N,iv.  I:;, '01,01.  Ii,:ll?t  Kcgt. 
t'lianillei-  lliilliawiiv,  cnl.  Oct.  l.'>,  ISOl,  Co.  C,  3Ut 

Itegt. 
Eriistiis  Ilcnncy,  cnl.  July  24,  1802,  Co.  E,  34tli 

Rest. 
CImnrllcr  IT.  BlancliarJ,  cnl.  July  24,  1802,  Co.  F, 

:i4th  Kcgt. 
Peter  I,.  I!:ilicr.  enl.  .Inlv24, 1802,  Co.  r,  :illli  Regt. 
Alonzo  Heliiic.s,eiil.  July  24,1802, Co,  K,;i411i  Itcgt. 
Siuniicl  HI.  1  hill,  cnl.  July  24. '02,  Co.  I'",:!4ili  Ilcgt. 
Everett  W.  Bliiucliiird,  enl.  Oct.  1S0:J,  Co.  V,  34th 

Rcgt. 
Frceinaii  L.  Cobb.  enl.  Aug.  14,1802,  Co.  II,  .37tli 

Rcgt. 


Siilney  I".  Wooil,  enl.  Aug.  14,  1862,  Co.  H,  f.7tli 

Ucgte 
Edw.ir.l    I'ecU,   enl.  Aug.   14,   1802,  Co.   II,   37lli 

licgt. 
Edlliiind  II.  Scars,  ciil.  Aug.  14,  1802,  Co.  II,  37lh 

Ucgt. 
Ir.i  Lukiiia,  enl.  Aug.  II,  1S02,  Co. II,  37tli  Rcgt. 
Albert  Vincent,  enl.  Aug  14,  '02,Ci.  II,  :i7lli  Rgt. 
Frecinai   Urackctt,  enl.  Aug.  14,  1802,  Co.  II,  37th 

R-gt. 
Aloil7,o  F.  Turner,  enl.  Aug.  14,  1802,  Co.  H,  37th 

Kcgt. 
WiUi.ini  A.  Ilallock,  cnl.  Aug.  14, 1802,  Co.  K,  23a 

Rcgt. 
John  Brown,  enl.  Sept.  2,  1804,  Co.  C,  17th  Regt. 


■  ■>"ca8p-t»--~''" 


CHAELEMONT. 


GEOGRAPHICAL  AND  TOPOGRAI'IIICAL. 

Charlemont  lies  on  the  western  border  of  the  county, 
south  of  the  towns  of  Kowe,  Heath,  and  Coleraine,  and  west 
of  Shelburne  ;  on  the  south  are  the  towns  of  Hawley  and 
Bucklaiid,  beinj;  separated  from  the  hitter  by  Deerlicld  Kiver. 
The  town  is  chiefly  on  the  north  side  of  that  stream,  e.xtetid- 
ing  froin  east  to  west  abuut  eleven  miles,  and  varying  from 
one  to  four  miles  in  width.     It  presents  an  irregular  shape. 

The  arable  parts  of  the  town  are  mostly  along  the  Deerfield 
River,  and  consist  of  alluvial  flats  froiii  10  to  80  rods  wide. 
Here  are  the  best  improvements,  along  the  winding  river  and 
street,  whose  borders  are  adorned  by  large  maple-trees,  and, 
with  the  picturesque  hills  in  the  background,  form  one  of 
the  most  charming  sections  in  New  England.  The  uplands 
are  broken  by  high  hills  and  intervals,  trending  generally 
north  and  south.  They  are  best  adapted  for  grazing  and  fruit- 
culture,  the  apple  especially  yielding  bountifully. 

The  principal  elevations  are  Mount  Peak,  in  the  southwest- 
ern part  of  the  town,  over  1000  feet  high  ;  Bald  Mountain,  in 
the  central  part;  and  Pocomptuck,  in  the  northeast.  The  lat- 
ter is  reported  1888  feet  high  above  tidewater.  Its  sides  are 
bold  and  rugged,  and  it  is  one  of  the  grandest  hills  in  the 
county.  The  surface  in  the  western  part  of  the  town  is 
somewhat  mountainous,  and  here  are  Coon  Hill,  Todd's  and 
Hawks'  Mountains,  and  Blue- Berry  Peak,  all  several  hundred 
feet  above  the  general  level.  The  greater  part  of  the  surface 
of  the  town  was  formerly  covered  with  a  fine  growth  of  tim- 
ber, and  on  the  hills  a  liberal  supply  yet  remains. 

Deerfield  River  is  the  principal  stream.  It  enters  at  the 
western  extremity,  flows  southeast,  and  forms  the  southern 
boundary  for  about  five  miles.  It  is  a  very  rapid  mountain- 
stream,  !ind  its  power  cannot  be  advantageously  employed. 
In  Charlemont  its  tributary  streams  on  the  north  are  Pelham, 
Rice,  Mill,  Hartwell,  Wilder,  and  Taylor  Brooks;  and  flow- 
ing from  the  south  are  Cold  and  Chickley's  Rivers  and  Hawks' 
Brook.  Most  of  these  streams  have  been  improved  to  operate 
machinery.  There  is  also  a  liberal  supply  of  springs  and 
small  brooks,  and  the  town  has  good  draintige. 

ORIGIXAL  BOUNDS,  TITLE.S,  AND  PROPRIETOKS. 
The  original  town  was  one  of  three  townships  grtinted  by 
the  General  Court,  .lune  27,  1735,  to  the  town  of  Boston,  each 
of  which  was  to  be  si. x  miles  square,  "and  to  be  laid  out  in 
some  suitable  place  or  places  in  the  unappropriated  lands  of 
the  Province;"  provided  the  town  of  Boston  would,  within 
five  years  from  the  confirmation  of  the  plan  of  survey,  by 
the  General  Court,  "  settle  on  each  of  said  towns  60  families 
of  his  Majesty's  good  subjects,  inhabitants  of  this  Province,  in 
as  regular  and  defensible  manner  as  the  lands  will  admit  of. 


each  of  said  60  families  to  build  and  finish  a  dwelling-house 
on  his  hoine-lot  of  the  following  dimensions,  viz.  :  18  feet 
square  and  7  feet  stud  at  the  least;  and  fence  and  cultivate  at 
least  .5  acres  of  the  home-lot,  and  be  an  actual  resident.'' 
Five  hundred  acres  were  to  be  reserved  for  schools,  .500  for 
the  support  of  the  ministry,  and  500  for  the  first  minister. 

A  survey  was  accordingly  made  by  Nathaniel  Kellogg,  and 
on  the  17th  of  June,  17-36,  his  plat  was  laid  before  the  General 
Court  for  approval.  This  tract  of  land  had  a  southern  border 
of  9.93  miles,  an  eastern  of  5.32  miles,  a  northern  of  7.-54 
miles,  contained  23,040  acres  of  land,  and  was  bounded  on  all 
sides  but  the  east  by  the  unappropriated  lands  of  the  prov- 
ince. It  was  styled  "  Boston  Township,  No.  1,"  and  on  the 
east  was  "  Boston  Township,  No.  2." 

The  new  town  was  known  by  vtirious  names,  in  addition  to 
the  foregoing,  as  Chickley's  Town,  Charley  Mount,  Chearley's 
Mont,  etc.,  but,  about  1740,  the  present  term,  Charlemont, 
was  fixed  upon, — in  honor,  it  is  said,  of  the  earl  of  Charlemont. 

Instead  of  carrying  out  the  provisions  of  the  grant,  the  town 
of  Boston  decided,  May  3,  1737,  to  sell  "Township  No.  1," 
and  on  the  14th  of  July  following  the  selectmen  conveyed 
it  to  John  Read,  Esq.,  for  £1020,  binding  him  to  comply  with 
the  conditions  of  the  original  grant.  This  obligiition  was,  in 
turn,  transmitted  by  Read  to  Juhn  Chickley  and  Gershom 
Keyes,  to  whom  lie  conveyed,  Dfc.  14,  1737,  tl  e  whole  of  the 
township,  except  1760  acres  which  he  reserved  in  the  north- 
west part  of  the  grant.  Three  da3»s  later  these  sold  to  Thomas 
Hancock  "500  acres  at  least"  on  the  east  line  of  the  township. 

No  other  sales  are  recorded  until  Nov.  16,  1738,  when  Keyes 
made  a  reservation  of  6000  acres  for  actual  settlers,  jind  sold 
the  remainder  of  the  unsold  and  unreserved  township  to  Ben- 
jamin Wood,  and,  in  December  following,  Chickley  gave  Keyes 
a  power  of  attorney  to  deed  the  a'  ove  6000  acres  to  settlers. 

In  his  capacity  as  attorney  Keyes  sold,  April  23,  1741,  to 
Moses  Rice,  of  Rutland,  Worcester  Co.,  2200  acres  of  land, 
extending  from  a  point  nearly  opposite  the  mouth  of  Chickley's 
River  down  the  Deerfield  to  a  point  about  half  a  mile  below 
the  present  village  of  Charlemont,  and  also  50  acres  on  the 
river,  a  mile  farther  east. 

To  Nathaniel  Cunningham,  Benjamin  Clark,  and  Ebenezer 
Storer,  Keyes  sold  1.584  jicres  in  the  northeast  part  of  the  town 
the  same  year,  and  on  the  18th  of  November  he  sold  to  Phineas 
Stevens,  of  Deerfield,  .500  acres,  lying  south  of  the  river  in 
the  southeast  part  of  the  town,  and  500  acres  on  the  north  side 
of  the  river,  directly  opposite.  This  tract  of  land  was  sold  by 
Stevens,  Nov.  3,  1742,  to  Othniel  Taylor,  of  Deerfield,  fur  the 
sum  of  £1000,  old  tenor.* 

*  The  ratio  of  "  old  tenor"  to  legal  money  wrs  as  7J^  to  1. 


The  Leavitt  family  have  been  distinguished  for  their  literary  at- 
tainments,— particularly  for  their  independence  of  thought;  and  not 

the  least  distinguished  of  their  members  is  the  subject  of  this  notice, 

Roger  Hooker  Leavitt.  He  was  born  in  Heath,  Franklin  Co.,  Mass., 
on  the  21st  of  July,  1805.  His  maternal  grandfather  was  Col.  Hugh 
Maxwell,  of  Revolutionary  fame.  A  native  of  Ireland,  born  April 
27,  1733,  he  was  but  six  weeks  old  when  his  parents  embarked  for 
this  country.  He  was  a  devoted  patriot,  and  rendered  his  country 
valuable  service  in  the  French  war,  as  well  as  in  the  Revolution.  He 
married  Bridget  Monroe,  of  Lexington,  by  whom  he  had  seven  children. 

Mr.  Leavitt  is  a  grandson  of  Rev.  Jonathan  Leavitt.  of  Revolution- 
ary notoriety,  who  was  born  in  Suffield,  Conn.,  in  17.^1,  graduated  at 
Yale  College  in  176S,  and  in  I7(U  located  in  Walpole  N.  H.,  where  he 
remained  four  years.  At  the  expiration  of  that  time  he  removed  to 
Charlemont,  where  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life. 

He  married  Sarah  Hooker,  of  Farmington,  Conn,  (a  descendant  of 
Rev.  Thomas  Hooker,  first  minister  of  Hartford),  by  whom  he  had 
eleven  sons  and  one  daughter,  and  of  these  Roger,  the  third  son,  was 
the  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  He  was  born  in  Heath,  on 
the  12th  of  January,  1771.  His  educational  advantages  were  limited, 
but  he  possessed  a  mind  of  more  than  ordinary  power,  and  a  retentive 
memory,  and,  although  by  occupation  a  farmer,  he  was  active  in  pub- 
lic service.  Was  a  member  of  the  Legislature  four  terms,  served  as 
member  of  the  board  of  selectmen,  and  held  other  local  offices.  In 
18-iO  he  was  the  candidate  of  the  Liberty  party  for  lieutenant-governor. 
In  religious  interests  as  well  as  civil  affairs  he  took  a  prominent  part, 
and  for  thirty-two  years  was  a  member  of  the  Congregational  Church. 
He  died  June  1,  1S4().  His  wife  was  Chloe  Maxwell,  whom  he  mar- 
ried on  the  21st  of  June,  1 793,  and  by  whom  he  had  six  children,  viz.) 
Joshua,  Chloe  (who  died  in  infancy),  Clarissa,  Chloe  Maxwell,  Roger 
Hooker,  and  Hart. 

Joshua,  the  oldest  of  this  family,  became  a  minister  of  considerable 
prominence,  was  for  many  years  editor  of  the  New  York  Independent, 
and  a  well-known  pioneer  in  the  anti-slavery  cause. 

Roger  H.,  after  attending  the  common  schools  of  his  native  town, 
was  also  classically  instructed  m  the  Hopkins  Academy  at  Hadley. 
Reared  on  his  father's  farm,  he  at  an  early  age  assisted  in  the  farm 
hibor,  and  when  he  reached  his  nineteenth  year  taught  school  during 
the  winter  months.  This  he  continued  to  do  nine  years,  teaching  one 
term  near  Auburn.  N.  Y'.,  and  in  the  mean  time  studied  and  practiced 
surveying.  In  1835  he  removed  to  his  present  place  of  residence  in 
Charlemont,  where  he  has  devoted  a  part  of  his  time  to  farming,  and 
has  been  for  many  years  prominently  identified  with  the  agricultural 
interests  of  the  county.  He  has  been  forward  in  getting  up  local 
cattle  shows  and  fairs  for  Charlemont  and  neighboring  towns.  When 
the  Deerfield  Valley  Agricultural  Society  was  chartered  he  was  chosen 
its  first  president,  and  the  following  year  was  re-elected  by  a  unani- 
mous vote.  He  was  also  for  three  years  the  delegate  of  this  society 
to  the  State  Board  of  Agriculture.  With  agricultural  pursuits  he  has 
combined  active  public  service,  and  has  done  his  full  share  in  advan- 
cing the  schools,  charitable  institutions,  and  manufacturing  and  com- 
mercial interests  of  tl  e  town  and  county.     He  was  one  of  the  first  to 


engage  in  the  anti-slavery  movement,  and  throughout  the  Rebellion 
made  his  influence  felt  in  favor  of  the  Northern  cause.  The  spirit 
which  filled  the  hearts  of  the  "fathers"  during  the  days  of  the  Revo- 
lution animated  him  during  our  late  civil  war.  In  local  offices  he  has 
served  as  selectman,  and  held  nearly  all  the  other  minor  town  offices. 
In  the  militia  he  held  the  rank  of  colonel.  He  was  a  director  of  the 
Troy  and  Greenfield  Railroad,  and  one  of  the  three  corporators  men- 
tioned in  the  charter,  the  other  two  being  Judge  Grinnell  and  Sheriff 
Reed,  of  Greenfield.  In  1866  he  served  in  the  State  Senate,  and  in 
IS68  represented  his  district  in  the  lower  house,  and  was  unanimously 
re-elected  for  the  next  term,  in  a  district  composed  of  five  towns,  and 
in  which  he  is  the  only  man  ever  returned  for  a  second  term  since  its 
organization.  Mr.  Leavitt  was  early  convinced  of  the  practicability 
of  the  Hoosac  Tunnel  as  projected  by  that  great  civil  engineer,  Loami 
Baldwin. 

In  1847,  at  a  convention  at  North  Adams,  held  with  reference  to 
building  a  railroad  from  Greenfield  to  Troy,  he  predicted  the  success 
of  the  enterprise,  and  said:  "This  will  eventually  become  the  great 
thoroughfare  across  the  continent,  and  more,  from  Liverpool  to  Pekin  ; 
and  the  English  mail  and  English  ambassadors  will  pass  up  the 
Deerfield  valley  on  their  way  to  China.'* 

He  spent  much  time  and  money  in  the  early  days  of  its  struggles, 
and  in  his  "farewell  address"  advised  that  "the  ownership  and  con- 
trol of  the  Hoosac  Tunnel  should  always  remain  the  property  of  the 
commonwealth." 

A  true  history  will  accord  to  R.  H.  Leavitt  and  John  Porter  the 
credit  that  belongs  to  them,  not  only  as  pioneers,  but  as  most  faith- 
ful workers  in  the  cause ;  and  we  trust  their  names  will  take  the  pre- 
cedence of  those  who  have  sailed  in,  since  favoring  breezes  began 
to  blow. 

In  the  discharge  of  his  official  duties  Mr.  Leavitt  was  always  fear- 
less and  independent,  taking  what  he  deemed  the  right  course,  with- 
out consulting  public  opinion.  He  has  ever  felt  an  earnest  desire  to 
promote  the  welfare  of  society,  and,  believing  that  all  permanent 
civilization  is  based  on  morality  as  taught  in  the  Bible,  has  through 
life  supported  the  institutions  and  ordinances  of  the  Christian  Church, 
of  which  he  has  been  a  member  fifty  years,  and  also  deacon. 

He  was  married,  in  182II.  to  Keziah,  daughter  of  William  Hunt,  of 
Heath,  by  whom  he  had  three  children.  Mrs.  Leavitt  died  in  No- 
vember, 1838,  and  he  married  her  sister,  Eliza  Hunt,  on  the  29th  of 
March,  1839.  She  died  June  1,  1866.  He  was  married  to  his  present 
wife,  Mrs.  H.  Ryland  Warriner,  of  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  and  daughter  of 
Capt.  Edmund  Longley,  of  Hawley,  Mass.,  on  the  28th  of  February, 
1877. 

But  two  of  Mr.  Leavitt's  children  are  now  living  (March,  1879). 
His  eldest  son,  John  Hooker  (born  Oct.  11,  1831),  is  a  resident  of 
Waterloo,  Iowa,  and  a  member  of  the  banking-house  of  Leavitt  & 
Johnson,  of  that  place,  and  has  served  one  term  in  the  Iowa  State 
Senate.  William  Hunt  (born  Sept.  4,  1834)  is  a  farmer  in  Cedar 
Valley,  Iowa.  Henry  Jenkins,  the  youngest  son  (born  Ai»g.  8,  1836), 
was  a  lawyer  in  Chicago,  and  served  two  years  in  the  war  of  the 
Rebellion.     He  died  in  Yazoo,  Miss.,  July  8,  1866. 


f^^y-^  J^^k>yi^^ 


John  A.  Winslow  was  born  in  Dover,  Vt.,  on 
the  7th  of  September,  1807.  Joshua  Winslow,  his 
grandfather,  was  a  noted  sea-captain,  wiio  spent  tlie 
greater  part  of  his  life  on  the  "ocean  wave,"  and 
died  during  a  sea-voyage.  He  was  a  cousin  of  Ed- 
ward Winslow,  the  second  Governor  of  Massachu- 
setts. His  son  Elisha,  father  of  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  was  born  on  Cape  Cod,  Mass.,  but  removed 
to  Worcester  County  at  an  early  date,  and  there 
learned  the  trade  of  carpenter  and  joiner.  He  en- 
gaged also,  to  some  extent,  in  agriculture,  and  attained 
considerable  prominence.  He  always  promoted,  so 
far  as  lay  in  his  power,  all  social  reforms  and  public 
enterprises,  but  was  of  a  retiring  disposition,  and 
delighted  to  perform  his  acts  of  benevolence  in  secret. 
He  held  various  local  offices,  and  was  active  in  for- 
warding the  interests  of  education  and  of  the  Masonic 
order,  of  which  he  was  a  member. 

He  married  Olive,  daughter  of  Whitney  Jones,  of 
Milford,  Mass.,  by  whom  he  had  seven  children.  Of 
this  family  the  third  is  John  A. 

His  educational  advantages  were  veiy  jwor,  and, 
with  the  exception  of  two  terms  of  select  school 
taugiit  by  the  clergyman  of  their  church,  were  con- 
fined to  an  attendance  at  the  public  schools  during 
the  winter  months. 

When  seventeen  years  old  he  suflPcred  from  a 
•severe  attack  of  inflammatory  rheumatism,  and  as 
soon  as  he  was  sufficiently  recovered  he  journeyed  to 
Chautauqua  Co.,  N.  Y.,  where  he  remained  a  short 
time.     After  he  returned  he  was  again  prostrated  by 


the  same  disease,  and  was  unable  to  perform  any 
labor  for  a  year.  He  remained  at  home  until  he 
reached  his  majority,  after  which  he  worked  on  a 
farm  for  three  years.  He  was  then  married,  on  the 
22d  of  November,  1831,  to  Wealthy  Eice,  daughter 
of  Artemas  Rice,  of  Charlemont,  Mass.,  and  in  the 
same  year  removed  to  Howe,  where  he  purchased  a 
farm.  He  remained  there  thirty-one  years  in  agri- 
cultural pursuits,  and  by  industry  and  frugality  ac- 
quired a  competency.  In  1862  he  sold  his  farm, 
and  took  a  trip  to  the  West.  After  an  absence  of 
two  months  he  returned  to  Rowe,  where  he  resided 
for  two  years,  at  the  expiration  of  which  time  he 
removed  to  Charlemont,  and  bought  the  property  he 
now  owns,  and  built  his  present  residence. 

He  is  a  man  of  strict  integrity  of  character,  and 
for  thirty-five  years  has  been  a  member  of  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  Church,  holding  various  offices  therein. 
He  has  also  rendered  valuable  public  service  in  the 
capacity  of  selectman,  assessor,  member  of  school 
committees,  and  trial-justice;  and  never,  while  hold- 
ing the  latter  office,  was  an  appeal  taken  from  any 
decision  he  made.  He  assisted  in  organizing  the 
Conway  National  Bank,  in  which  he  is  a  stock- 
holder, and  also  in  the  Shelburne  Falls  National 
Bank. 

Mr.  Winslow  is  strictly  a  self-made  man,  and  has 
attained  his  present  prosperity  through  his  own  un- 
aided efforts.  While  farming  he  dealt  largely  in 
cattle  and  wool,  and  in  all  branches  of  agriculture 
was  particularly  successi'ul. 


HISTORY   OF   FRANKLIN    COUNTY. 


ro9 


Sales  of  land  wore  made  by  Keyes,  as  a  proprietor  and  as 
attorney  for  Cliiekley,  in  174:2-43,  to  William  Ward,  David 
Baldwin,  Nathaniel  Martin,  John  Stearns,  Benjamin  Hay- 
ward,  and  Klisha  Dyer,  and  on  the  27th  of  January,  1743,  he 
sold  all  his  remaining  interests  to  William  W^ard,  as  shown  by 
the  following  memorandum  : 

"The  contents  of  a  deed  from  Gerslioin  Keyes  to  "Williani  Ward,  flated  ^"th 
January,  1743;  Tlie  one  nitiety  or  Inilf  liait  of  a  ceilaiu  townt^hip  called  Cliaile- 
moiit,  ]}  ing  on  Deei  field  Kiver,  in  tlie  county  of  Hani]  shii  e,  it  being  the  wliole 
I  purchased  uf  John  Keed.  as  may  appear  liy  a  deed  of  sale  heal  ing  date  the  14th 
day  of  Deceniler,  1737,  and  lecorded  at  Springfield  the  30!h  day  of  the  above 
December.  Excepting  my  jait  uf  all  that  is  sold  to  Mr.  Tlionias  Hancocks, 
Capt.  Kice,  John  Stearns,  and  to  a  number  of  other  persons,  as  Diay  appear  by 
their  deeds  recorded  at  Springfield." 

About  ten  years  later  Joseph  Wilder,  Jr.,  became  the  pro- 
prietor of  a  large  part  of  the  Ward  purchases  and  the  remain- 
ing interests  of  John  Chickley. 

With  the  exception  of  a  few  of  these  proprietors,  their  lands 
had  been  purchased  for  speculation,  and  as  yet  no  steps  had 
been  taken  to  fulfill  even  the  least  provisions  of  the  grant. 
No  permanent  homes  had  been  reared,  and  the  Indian  yet 
held  undisputed  sway  in  the  beautiful  Deerlield  valley.  But 
the  eve  of  settlement  was  nigh.  A  few  months  later,  in  the 
spring  of  1743,  came  Capt.  Moses  Kice  and  his  faniily  from 
Rutland,  Worcester  Co.,  as 

PIOXEEK  SETTLERS, 
and  were  the  first  to  locate  permanently  in  town.  It  is  be- 
lieved that  Capt.  Kice  and  his  older  sons  had  spent  some  time 
on  their  land  tlie  previous  summer,  and  had  put  up  a  tempo- 
rary house  near  the  buttonwood-tree,  which  sheltered  tl.em 
until  other  accommodations  were  provided.  This  venerable 
tree  is  yet  standing  near  the  Long  Bridge,  at  the  village.  His 
home  was  on  the  extreme  frontier,  and  eastward  there  was  no 
house  nearer  than  Coleraine,  at  that  time  also  a  feeble  settle- 
ment. His  supplies  had  all  to  be  brought  from  Deerfield,  distant 
twenty-two  miles,  and  thither  he  had  to  carry  his  corn  to  mill 
over  roads  but  little  used,  and  very  often  no  more  than  mere 
bridle-paths.  Yet  with  undaunted  courage  he  apjdied  himself 
to  the  work  of  clearing  his  lands  and  erecting  buildings,  cheered 
by  the  thought  that  i)lenty  would  soon  abound,  when  the 
hostile  Indians  of  the  north,  urged  on  by  their  French  allies, 
made  an  incursion  into  the  province.  On  the  20th  of  August, 
174(;,  they  invested  Fort  Massachusetts  (the  most  westerly  of 
the  chains  of  forts  erected  in  1744  in  this  section)  and  com- 
pelled its  surrender.  The  approach  of  the  enemy  warned 
Capt.  Kice  and  his  family  to  flee  to  Deertield,  the  latter  part 
of  the  same  month,  just  in  time  to  save  their  lives.  His  house 
was  burned  by  the  savages,  and  his  "crop  of  grain, — at  least 
300  bushels, — with  all  his  hay,  husbandry  tools,  and  many 
other  things,  were  destroyed,  his  loss  being  at  least  =£1.500, 
old  tenor." 

After  the  desolation  of  his  home  ('apt.  Rice  returned  with 
his  family  to  Rutland,  where  he  remained  abuut  three  years, 
till  the  close  of  the  war.  Meantime,  his  second  son,  Aaron, 
was  engaged  as  a  volunteer  in  garrisoning  Fort  Pelham,  in 
Rowe,  serving  more  than  a  year.  Peace  having  been  settled, 
Capt.  Rice  and  his  faniily  came  bitek  to  their  homestead  in 
Charleraont,  and  vigorously  began  the  work  of  restoration. 
A  new  house  was  built  on  the  site  of  the  old  one  in  1749,  and 
another  house  was  put  upon  the  meadow,  farther  east,  for  the 
accommodation  of  his  oldest  son,  Samuel.*     They  had   not 

*  Samuel  Rice  was  born  at  Siulbuiy,  .\ug.  10,  1720.  In  1741  he  man  led  Doro- 
thy Mai  tin,  of  Rutland,  and  had,  when  they  moved  to  Cha;  leniont,  thiee  chil- 
dren, Moses,  .\s)i,  and  Martin.  Their  sou  Saumel  was  born  April,  1753,  and  was 
the  thi-d  child  boiu  of  white  parents  in  town.  Their  other  childien  were  Arte- 
mas,  Rachel,  and  Lucy.  Samuel  Bi^e,  Sr.,  died  at  Charlemont,  Sept.  20,  1793, 
and  part  of  hii  homestead  is  now  occupied  by  his  gi  eat-graudsoa. 

Aaion,  the  second  son  of  Capt.  Rice,  wjis  Lorn  Jan.  31, 172o,  and  nuirried  Free- 
dom French,  of  Dee:  field,  in  17o4.  He  li\ed  uj  on  the  Innieslead,  in  the  western 
pait  of  the  Rice  pnrchase,  aiui  wjo^,  in  his  day,  one  of  the  must  nseful  men  in  the 
town,  as  will  tie  seen  in  this  sketch,  showing  his  eonuecti  lU  with  vaiious  inter- 
ests.   Id  1780  he  helped  form  the  State  constitution.    His  children  were  Sarah, 


long  to  remain  alone.  Others  came  to  share  their  hardships 
and  help  reap  the  promised  reward.  The  first  to  permanently 
locate  were  Othniel  and  Jonathan  Taylor,  of  Deertield,  who 
came  in  1749  to  improve  the  land  purchased  by  the  former 
seven  yetirs  before.  They  built  themselves  houses  directly 
opposite  the  present  Buckland  station,  and  here  they  became 
to  the  eastern  part  of  the  town  what  the  Rices  were  to  the 
western  part. 

Othniel  Taylor  was  born  Ajiril  ID,  1710,  and  in  1743  mar- 
ried Martha  Arms,  of  Deerfield.  They  had  three  children 
before  their  removal,  viz  ,  Samuel,  born  Sept. 21,  1744;  Lem- 
uel, born  Feb.  11,  1748;  and  Mary,  born  June  23,  1746.  Both 
of  the  sons  became  citizens  of  Buckland,  and  are  noticed  in 
that  connection.  The  fourth  child  of  Othniel  Taylor,  Enos, 
was  born  Feb.  3,  1751,  and  was  the  first  white  child  born 
in  town.  The  other  children  were  Othniel,  born  Jan.  10, 
1753;  Tertius,  born  July  25,  1754;  Martha,  born  Dec.  21, 
17-56;  William,  born  Jan.  27,  1758;  Lydia,  born  March  16, 
1760;  Rufus,  born  April  3,  1763;  Lucinda,  born  Nov.  26, 
1765;  Tirzah,  born  Jan.  2,  1769;  and  Dolly,  horn  Dec.  12, 
1772, — "  in  all  thirteen,  every  one  of  whom  lived  to  old  age, 
the  youngest  dying  at  sixty-six  and  the  oldest  at  ninety-two. 
Their  average  age  was  seventy-seven,  and  their  aggregate 
ages  one  thotisand  years."  The  last  to  depart  this  life  was 
Tirzah,  the  wife  of  Dr.  Silas  Holbrook,  who  died  in  1853. 
Enos,  the  first  born  in  Charlemont,  iriarricd  Eunice  Longley, 
of  Hawley,  and  lived  in  Buckland  ;  Rufus  lived  in  Charle- 
mont, on  the  place  now  occupied  by  S.  B.  Rice;  and  Tertius 
remained  on  the  homestead,  where  Capt.  Othniel  Taylor  died 
in  1788,  and  his  wife  (Martha  Arms)  in  1802.  The  sons  of 
Tertius  Taylor  were  Elias  and  Tertius.  The  former  lived  on 
the  old  Tiiylor  place,  which  was  afterward  occupied  by  his 
son,  Milner,  and  is  now  the  property  of  the  hitter's  descend- 
ants, thus  having  been  occupied  by  six  generations  of  Tay- 
lors. 

Jonathan  Taylor  removed  to  Heath  some  time  about  1760, 
and  is  more  fully  noticed  in  that  town. 

Not  long  after  the  settlement  of  the  Taylors,  probably  in 
the  fall  of  1750,  Eleazer  Hawksf  and  his  sons,  Gcrshom, 
Seth,  and  Joshua,  came  from  Deerfield,  and  settled  on  both 
sides  of  the  river,  above  the  Rice  grant.  Their  first  houses 
probably  stood  near  the  present  residence  of  N.  Warner. 
About  1777,  Gershom  built  the  large  house  now  occtijiicd  by 
Myron  Hawks,  his  great-grandson  ;  and  Joshua  built  himself 
a  more  substantial  home  near  the  old  place.  Others  of  the 
Hawkses  made  improvements  on  the  south  side  of  the  Deertield 

John,  Anua,  Eunice,  Aaron,  Joseph,  .Luke,  Silas,  and  Freedom.  Deacon  Aaron 
Rice  died  in  180S,  iiged  eighty-four  yea:s. 

The  third  son  of  Capt.  Rice,  Sylvanus,  was  born  Jan.  G,  1729,  and  nianied 
Esther  Nims  in  17C0.  He  lived  on  the  site  of  the  pi&ent  village,  and  oicd  in 
town  in  1819,  and  his  wife  iu  1S24.  Their  chiMren  we:e  Luther,  who  died  at 
AVe-t  Point,  i;.  t  .e  Revolution,  Cidvin,  Al  igail.  Quartos,  .\lfied,  and  Slatheu-. 

Artemas,  the  fourth  son,  W!;s  born  Oct.  22,  1734,  and  was  therefore  nine  years 
(dd  when  his  Jather  move,!  to  Charlemont.  He  mariieJ  3Iary  Stevens,  of  Deer- 
tield, and  livei  on  the  eastern  part  of  the  Rice  grant.  His  children  were  Lucie- 
tia,  Lydia,  Anna,  David,  Paul,  Dinah,  ami  Ezra,     .\rtemiis  Rice  died  in  li^.Ol. 

Aliigail,  the  oldest  daughter  of  Capt.  Rice,  was  born  in  1723,  and  manicd 
James  Heaton,  in  1743.  They  were  the  parents  of  Dr.  Moses  Ileaton,  the  fiist 
physician  of  Cha;lemoijt. 

The  other  daughters  were  Dinjih  and  Tamar,  whose  husbands  lived  in  Rutland 
and  Shelbnrne.  Tlte  wiiow  of  Cajit.  Rice  (Sarah  King)  died  at  the  lesideiice  of 
Deacon  Aaron  Rice,  about  1788. 

The  Rices  inteim.inied  with  sonic  of  the  oldest  families  in  Clia:Iemont,  and 
their  descendants  have  .always  lanked  among  the  must  useful  citizens. 

t  Eleazer  Hawks  Wiis  horn  in  Deerfield  in  l(i93.  and  was  an  older  brother  of 
Col.  John  Haw-ks,  the  defender  of  Fort  Massiichusetts.  His  sons  coining  to 
Charlemont  were  Gel^honi,  born  Feb.  2;l,  1710 ;  man  ied  Thankfnl  Corse,  i>f  Deer- 
flehl,  in  1744.  He  died  in  1799,  and  Ids  w  ife  in  I.SQG.  Their  children  were  Cer- 
shoin,  Jonathan,  Elihu,  Isiael,  Rnfus.  Ephraim,  an  1  Renben.  Joshua,  born  .Ian. 
25, 1722 ;  married  ,\Ligail  Hastings  in  1744.  Thi-ir  children  were  .\l  igail,  Eleaver. 
Joshua,  .Tared,  born  March  17, 1752, — the  second  child  born  in  Chai  leinout,— and 
die  1  in  1828,  JVsa,  and  Ichabod.  Seth,  hoi  n  Oct.  5,  1729,  married  Elizabeth 
Belding  in  1701.  He  had  seveml  child!  en,  but,  as  he  remained  in  town  only  a 
few  yeais,  no  farther  account  of  him  is  here  given.  Eleazer  Hawks  had  also  si.t 
daughters. 


710 


HISTORY   OP  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


Kiver  at  an  early  day.  The  descendants  of  this  family  became 
very  numerous,  and  have  always  been  proTninent  in  the  town. 

Other  settlers  joined  the  foregoing,  so  that  in  175U  there 
were  at  least  a  dozen  freemen  living  iu  Oharlemont,  who  had 
to  contend  with  many  disadvantages,  arising  from  a  non-com- 
pliance with  the  conditions  of  the  proprietorship.  Aid  came 
in  response  to  a  petition  to  the  General  Court,  which  voted  a 
penny  tax  on  every  acre  of  land  in  the  town,  to  build  roads 
and  mills,  and  to  supply  the  necessary  educational  and  relig- 
ious facilities.  When  this  tax  was  collected,  and  the  proprie- 
tors were  now  required  to  attend  more  strictly  to  the  affairs  of 
their  plantation,  the  humble  home  of  the  pioneer  arose  in 
every  part  of  the  valley,  and  even  on  the  hills  a  colony  was 
about  to  locate  itself,  a  few  having  already  come  and  built 
comfortable  houses.  But  this  prosperity  was  suddenly  checked. 
The  peace  that  had  inspired  the  pioneers  with  dreams  of  a 
happy  future  was  suddenly  broken,  and  the  country  was  again 
thrown  on  the  defensive  to  ward  oft"  the  blows  of  the  savage 
foe.  For  the  better  protection  of  the  people  of  Charlemont, 
Forts  Pelham  and  Shirley  were  abandoned  in  175-t,  and  the 
settlers  in  the  valley  were  advised  to  build  forts  around  their 
homes  or  strengthen  them  for  defense  by  surrounding  them 
with  picke;s.  This  was  at  once  done  by  the  three  families 
already  named.  Gershom,  Joshua,  and  Seth  Hawks  moved 
the  two  houses  they  occupied  nearer  each  other  and  "  pallisaded 
from  one  house  to  the  other  on  one  side,  and  made  a  parade 
with  boards  on  the  other,"  and,  after  building  a  mount  and 
watch-box,  inclosed  the  whole  with  pickets.  On  the  17tb  of 
October,  1754,  they  asked  the  General  Court  to  pay  for  this 
work,  done  and  proposed,  and  that  a  garrison  of  soldiers 
might  be  provided  for  the  defense  of  their  fort,  and  to  scout 
to  the  other  forts,  erected  in  a  similar  manner  by  Capt.  Moses 
Rice  around  the  house  under  the  hill,  and  the  Taylors.  On 
the  18th  of  the  same  month  Othniel  Taylor  presented  a  like 
petition  to  the  General  Court,  stating  that  he  had  expended 
£10  is.  id.  in  preparing  his  defenses,  and  accompanied  the 
bill  with  a  plan  of  his  fort.  His  house  and  that  of  his  brother 
Jonathan  were  made  to  serve  as  the  ends  of  the  fort  proper, 
the  sides  being  inclosed  by  a  stockade.  At  the  end  of  Jona- 
than Taylor's  house  was  the  watch-box,  so  built  that  it  com- 
manded a  view  of  the  road  up  and  down  the  river.  The 
whole  was  inclosed  with  pickets,  the  line  being  140  feet  long 
and  80  feet  wide. 

The  General  Court  did  not  regard  the  settlers  on  this  fron- 
tier as  being  in  immediate  danger,  and  paid  no  heed  to  these 
petitions  for  protection,  although  the  inhabitants  lived  in 
constant  apprehension.  Spring  coming  on,  in  1755  they 
began  work  on  their  farms,  not  without  fear,  knowing  that 
the  enemy  was  lurking  around  and  needed  but  a  favorable 
moment  to  gratify  his  murderous  desires.  They  carried  their 
muskets  with  them  when  they  went  to  work  in  their  fields, 
and  the  women  and  children  were  not  allowed  to  go  outside 
the  inclosure  without  guard.  Thus  had  passed  many  weeks 
of  that  spring  season,  and,  though  the  settlers  had  not  alto- 
gether lost  their  vigilance,  they  had,  jierhaps,  become  less 
apprehensive  of  immediate  danger,  and  had  been  lulled  into 
a  sense  of  security.  But  this  illusion  was  soon  and  sadly  dis- 
pelled. 

"On  Wednesday  moniing,  the  lltli  of  June,  1755,  Capt.  Moses  Riee,  his  son, 
Artenias  Rice,  his  grandson,  Asa  Rice, — a  boy  nine  yeais  of  age, — Titus  King, 
Phineas  Arms,  and  otliers,  went  into  tlie  meadow  which  lius  south  of  the  road 
in  the  village,  having  Mill  Brook  on  the  east  and  Rice's  Brook  on  the  west,  for 
the  purpose  of  hoeing  corn.  Capt.  Rice  \v;is  plowing,  and  the  hoy  riding  the 
horse;  the  others  were  engaged  in  hoeing,  e.xcept  one  who  acted  as  sentinel, 
passing  through  the  field  from  brook  to  brook  with  musket  iu  hand,  while  the 
firearms  of  the  others  were  placed  against  a  pile  of  logs  near  the  western  brook. 
This,  instead  of  flowing  in  a  direct  line  to  the  river,  as  at  present,  entered  the 
field  at  some  distance  below  where  the  road  now  runs,  and  passed  in  a  south- 
easterly direction  nearly  to  the  mouth  of  Mill  Brook.  Meanwhile,  a  party  of 
six  Indians,  according  to  tradition,  having  carefully  observed  their  vivtims  froui 
the  neighboring  hill,  stole  cautiously  down  the  western  brook  (Rice's),  and,  con- 
cealed by  the  thick  brushwood  upon  its  banks,  watched  till  the  working-party 


were  near  to  Mill  Brook  and  farthest  from  their  firearms,  wdien  they  suddenly 
fired  and  rushed  upon  the  defenseless  party. 

"  Pliineas  Arms  fell  dead  in  the  corn-lield ;  Capt.  Rice  received  a  severe  wound 
in  tlie  tliigh,  and  was  taken  prisoner,  together  with  the  lad,  Asa,  on  the  horse, 
and  Titus  King,  a  young  man  related  to  Cajit.  Rice.  Artemas  Rice  escaped  after 
a  hot  pursuit,  and  reached  Taylor's  Fort  at  noon.  The  inmates  of  the  liouse  in 
the  ajijoining  field,  hearing  the  firing,  fled  into  the  fort,  one  of  the  daughters, 
Dinah,  making  jumps  of  from  fourteen  to  eighteen  feet  in  her  flight. 

"The  Indians,  however,  made  no  further  attack,  but  withdrew  with  their 
three  captives  to  the  liigh  plain  in  the  rear  of  the  present  public-house.  Here 
the  aged  and  wounded  man  was  left  alone,  with  a  single  savage,  to  meet  his 
fate.  After  a  feartul  struggle  be  fell  beneath  the  tomahawk,  and  was  left, 
scalped  and  I)leediug,  b)  die.  Late  in  the  day  he  was  found  yet  alive,  and  was 
brought  to  his  son's  house,  where  he  expired  in  the  evening. 

"The  other  prisoners  were  led  to  Crown  Point,  and  thence  to  Canada.  The 
lad  was  ransomed  after  a  captivity  of  six  years. 

"King  was  carried  to  France",  thence  to  England,  whence  be  at  length  re- 
turned to  Northampton,  his  native  place."* 

On  receiving  the  news  of  the  attack,  Othniel  Taylor  at  once 
hastened  to  Deerfield  for  help,  and  returned  the  same  night 
with  a  force  of  25  men.  The  next  morning  they  proceeded 
up  the  river,  but  the  enemy  had  fled,  and  nothing  was  left  for 
them  to  do  but  a.ssist  in  burying  the  dead.  They  laid  them 
in  graves  dug  on  the  hillside,  near  the  dwelling  of  the  fallen 
sire,  where  their  remains  repose  to  this  day. 

In  this  sad  manner  were  the  infant  settlements  deprived  of 
one  of  their  most  useful,  energetic  men.  Capt.  Moses  Rice 
was  born  at  Sudbury,  Oct.  27,  1694,  and  was,  therefore,  at  his 
death  in  the  sixty-flrst  year  of  his  age.  He  married  Sarah 
King,  Nov.  16,  1719,  and  removed  from  Sudbury  to  Worcester, 
where  he  kept  a  tavern,  and  while  living  there  became  the 
captain  of  a  company  of  cavalry.  He  subsequently  removed 
to  Eutland,  and  from  there  to  Charlemont,  as  we  have  seen  in 
the  narrative. 

Happily,  the  people  of  the  town  suflered  no  further  Indian 
depredations  after  Capt.  Eice's  death.  The  campaign  against 
the  allies  of  the  North  transferred  the  contest  to  Canada,  and 
there  was  thenceforth  to  lie  no  more  blood  shed  in  Charlemont. 
But  to  assure  the  alarmed  settlers  24  men  were  stationed  in 
the  town,  none,  however,  at  Rice's  Fort.  Its  location  was 
deemed  too  exposed  for  prudent  defense.  Having  the  promise 
of  a  garrison  of  soldiers  if  a  new  fort  should  be  erected  on  a 
more  favorable  spot,  Samuel  Rice  and  bis  brothers  removed 
the  timbers  around  their  father's  house  to  the  house  on  the 
meadow,  in  the  summer  of  1756.  The  following  year  the 
province  allowed  Samuel  Rice  to  enlist  6  men  to  be  stationed 
at  this  fort,  who  were  "to  receive  the  same  pay,  and  be  dis- 
charged at  the  same  time,  as  the  other  soldiers  stationed  in  the 
town." 

Although  the  town  had  now  subsided  into  a  state  of  com- 
parative security,  but  little  progress  in  its  settlement  was  made, 
and  the  improvements  begun  by  the  proprietors  were  at  a 
standstill  until  after  1762,  when  matters  took  a  more  hopeful 
turn.  There  were  now  30  families  in  town,  and  application 
for  a  charter  was  to  be  nutde.  The  act  of  incorporation  was 
duly  granted  June  21,  1765.  Nine  years  later  (in  1774)  the 
following  were  the  residents  of  the  town  subject  to  taxation : 

Oliver  Avery,  John  Brooks,  Sanuiel  Brooks,  Joseph  Bingham,  Jeremiah  Bing- 
ham, Calvin  Bingham,  Joseph  Butler,  William  Brown,  John  Brown,  William 
Buck,  Nathaniel  Corbett,  Eliphalet  (_'ntting,  Champion  Crocker,  Josiah  David- 
son, Ebenezer  Fales,  Jeremiah  Gould,  Thomas  Gleason,  Gershom  Hawks,  Ger- 
shom Hawks,  Jr.,  Reuben  Hawks,  Joshua  Hawks,  Jared  Hawks,  Samuel  Hunt, 
Jonathan  Hastings,  Nathaniel  Harris,  Stephen  Harris,  Valentino  Harris,  Wil- 
liam Haitwell,  Moses  Heaton,  David  Kingslcy,  James  Hannan,  Steplten  Keys, 
Isaiic  Lind,  Beiijamin  Leland,  Hugh  Maxwell,  Thomas  Nichols,  John  Nichols, 
William  Negus,  Samuel  Negus,  Abner  Nims,  Samuel  Pierce,  Gershom  Pierce,  Jo- 
siah Pierce,  Samuel  Rice,  Aaron  Rice,  Sylvanus  Rice,  .\rtemas  Rice,  ULartin  Rice, 
Paul  Rice,  Reuben  Rudd,  Edward  Shinar,  Othniel  Taylor,  Samuel  Taylor,  Lemuel 
Tayloi-,  Enos  Taylor,  Jonathan  Taylor,  Jonathan  Thayer,  Jonah  Thayer,  Asahel 
Thayer,  Dependence  Thayer,  Seth  Temple,  Solomon  Temple,  Job  Warfield,  Josiah 
Warlield,  John  Ward,  Gershom  AVard,  Nahum  Ward,  Josiah  Ward,  James  White, 
Asaph  White,  Benjamin  AVbite. 

The  Rev.  Jonathan  Leavitt  had  come  as  the  town's  minister 
in  1767,  and  very  many  of  the  foregoing  had  located  before 

*  Hon.  Joseph  Wliite's  Historical  Discourse. 


HISTORY   OF  FRANKLIN   COUNTY. 


711 


that  period.  It  is  impossible,  in  most  instances,  to  give  the 
time  of  their  settlement  with  any  accuracy.  Nearly  all  came 
from  the  eastern  part  of  the  State  and  from  Worcester  County, 
while  a  few  came  from  Connecticut. 

At  a  later  day  were  added  to  the  settlers  of  Charlemont, 
Josiah  Upton,  Edward  and  John  Giles,  and  members  of  the 
Ballard  family.  The  scope  of  this  sketch  prevents  a  more  ex- 
tended mention  of  the  settlement  of  Charlemont.  In  1790, 
with  a  territory  much  reduced  by  the  formation  of  the  sur- 
roundins  towns,  the  population  was  743 ;  in  1820  it  was  at  its 
maximum,  12.31;  and  at  present  (1878)  there  are  but  a  few 
hundred  inhabitants  more  than  there  were  almost  a  eentur}' 

ago. 

CIVIL  ORGANIZATION. 

The  first  organization  for  the  purposes  of  civil  government 
was  under  the  proprietors  of  the  town,  in  obedience  to  the  fol- 
lowing warrant : 

"  Mlierexs,  the  GreJit  and  General  Conrt,  on  the  first  of  December  cnrrent, 
upon  the  petitiim  of  Moses  Kice,  of  a  place  called  Charlemont,  in  the  Connty  of 
Hampshire,  being  Boston  Township,  No.  1,  in  behalf  of  himself  and  others,  did 
vote  a  t.ax  of  one  penny  per  acre,  lawfnl  money,  to  be  laid  upon  all  the  land  in 
the  within-named  township  (the  public  lands  only  excepted)  for  the  space  of 
three  years  ne.\t  to  come,  and  that  the  money  so  l-aised  shall  be  improved  for  the 
following  piiposes,  viz.:  for  finishing  the  meeting-house  already  agreed  and  en- 
gaged to  be  put  up  in  said  Township,  for  support  of  preaching.  Encouraging 
the  building  of  Mills,  and  for  laying  out  .and  clearing  Highways  and  otlier  roads 
there,  and  in  such  manner  and  proportion  as  the  Proprietors  of  the  lands  there 
.shall  order  and  determine  at  their  meetings  for  such  purposes  called  and  held. 
And  the  said  court  did  also  empower  the  said  Moses  Kice  to  call  a  meeting  of 
said  proprietors,  to  be  held  in  said  Township,  at  some  reasonable  future  time  (by 
posting  up  notifications  of  the  time  and  place  and  purjwsesof  holding  the  same, 
at  said  Charlemont,  and  at  Lancaster,  in  the  county  of  Worcester),  and  that  the 
Proprietors  so  met  have  power  to  choose  a  Clerk,  Treasurer,  .\ssessiu-s  and  Col- 
lectors, and  all  other  officers  necessary  for  the  assessing,  levying,  and  collecting 
said  tax  from  time  to  time,  and  to  agree  upon  and  determine  the  disposition  of 
the  money  raised  by  said  tax  as  they  shall  see  meet,  only  for  purposes  aforesaid, 
and  to  agree  upon  any  proper  method  of  calling  meetings  for  the  future.  These 
are,  therefore  (by  virtue  of  said  order  of  court  we  thereto  impowering),  to  warn 
and  give  notice  to  the  Proprietors  of  said  Charlemont  that  they  meet  at  said 
Charlemont,  at  the  house  of  Moses  Rice,  on  Wednesday,  seventeenth  day  of  Jan- 
uary next,  at  ten  o'clock  in  the  forenoon,  then  and  there  to  act  upon  the  partic- 
nlars  aforesaid,  and  agreeable  to  the  power  given  them  by  said  court. 

"Moses  Rice. 

"  Dec.  9, 1732." 

At  the  above  appointed  meeting  C'apt.  Kice  was  chosen 
moderator,  and  the  following  officers  elected  :  Joseph  Wilder, 
Jr.,  Proprietors'  Clerk;  Othniel  Taylor,  Treasurer;  Eleazer 
Hawks,  Moses  Rice,  and  Joseph  Wilder,  Jr.,  Assessors  ;  Jona- 
than White  and  Gershom  Hawks,  Collectors. 

It  was  agreed  that  all  the  proprietors'  meetings  should  be 
held  in  Charlemont,  on  the  notice  of  five  of  the  proprietors, 
at  least  fourteen  days  before  the  time  appointed  for  the 
meeting. 

For  the  following  thirteen  years  the  town  was  under  the 
nominal  rule  of  the  proprietors,  and  the  records  of  the  most 
of  their  meetings  have  been  lost.  The  last  meeting  was  held 
June  5,  1765,  at  the  house  of  David  White,  when  Col.  White, 
Othniel  Taylor,  and  Aaron  Rice  were  appointed  to  secure 
the  incorporation  of  the  town,  which  was  eflected  June  21, 
17G5.  Under  this  act  a  warrant  was  issued  by  Thos.  Williams 
for  the  first  meeting,  to  be  held  at  the  house  of  David  White, 
Jan.  6,  1766.  At  this  meeting  Aaron  Rice  was  Moderator, 
and  Sylvanus  Rice  was  chosen  Town  Clerk  ;  Aaron  Rice,  Jona- 
than Taylor,  and  Othniel  Taylor,  Selectmen  and  Assessors ; 
David  White,  Treasurer  ;  Daniel  Kingsley,  Constable;  David 
White  and  Jonathan  Thayer,  Highway  Surveyors;  Jona- 
than Hastings  and  William  Brown,  Tithingmen ;  Peter 
Rice  and  Artemas  Rice,  Fence-Viewers;  Wm.  Brown,  Sealer 
of  Leather ;  Othniel  Taylor,  Gershom  Hawks,  and  Depend- 
ence Thayer,  Wardens  ;  Caleb  Thayer,  and  Thomas  Nichols, 
Hog-Reeves ;  Oliver  Avery  and  Jonathan  Taylor,  Deer- 
Reeves. 

SELECTMEN. 

The  selectmen  of  Charlemont,  from  1767  to  1878,  have  been 
as  follows : 


1767. — Aaron  Rice,  Jonathan  Hastings,  Gershom  Hawks. 
17G8. — Aaron  Rice,  Othniel  Taylor,  Gershom  Hawks. 
1769. — Aaron  Rice,  Othniel  Taylor,  Asaph  Thayer. 
1770. — Aaron  Rice,  Othniel  Taylor,  Sylvanus  Rice. 
1771-71. — Aaron  Rice,  Othniel  Taylor,  James  White. 
177o. — Aaron  Rice,  Sylvanus  Rice,  James  White. 
1776. — Aaron  Rice,  Jonathan  Hastings,  James  ^Vliite. 
1777-78. — Aaron  Rice,  Othniel  Taylor,  James  White. 
1779. — Sylvanus  Rice,  Benjamin  Maxwell,  Thomas  Nichols. 
1780. — Aaron  Rice,  Othniel  Taylor,  Jonathan  Taylor. 
1781. — Artemas  Rice,  George  Kennan,  Jonathan  Taylor. 
1782. — Artemas  Rice,  Josiah  Upton,  Joshua  Hawks. 
1783. — .Vrtemus  Rice,  Josiah  Upton,  Je.*se  King. 
1784. — Aaron  Rice,  James  White,  George  Kennan. 
17.S0. — Aaron  Rice,  Othniel  Taylor,  Jesse  King. 
1786. — Aaron  Rice,  George  Kennan,  Jonathan  Hastings. 
17S7. — Nathan  Kudd,  Jesse  King,  Jonathan  Hastings. 
1788. — Artemas  Rice,  Joseph  Nash,  Edward  Ileckwith. 
17S9. — Artemas  Rice,  Joseph  Nash,  Nathan  Rudd. 
1790. — John  Rice,  Joseph  Nash,  Jesse  King. 
1791. — Nathan  Rudd,  Joseph  N-ash,  Jared  Hawks. 
1792.— Nathan  Rudd,  Joseph  Nash,  Josiah  White. 
1793. — Jesse  King,  Joseph  Nash,  Josiah  White. 
1794. — Jesse  King,  Joseph  Nash,  Artemas  Rice. 
1795.— Joshua  Hawks,  Joseph  Nash,  .\ndrew  Rudd. 
1796. — Calvin  Rice,  Joseph  Nash,  Andrew  Rudd. 
1797. — Calvin  Rice,  .Joseph  Nash,  Stephen  Bates. 
179S. — Jared  Hawks,  Joseph  Nash,  Stephen  Bates. 
1799.— William  Williams,  .losiah  Wliite,  James  Parker. 
1800.— William  Williams,  Josiah  White,  Joseph  Nash. 
1801.— William  Williams,  Calvin  Rice,  James  Parker. 
1802-3. — Joseph  Nash,  Freeborn  Mayhew,  James  Parker. 
1804.— Amos  Avery,  Freeborn  Mayhew,  James  Parker. 
1805. — Amos  Avery,  Fitch  Comstock,  James  Parker. 
1806. — Amos  .Vvery,  Fitch  C^>mstock,  Libbeus  Rudd. 
1807. — .\saliel  Jndd,  Jared  H.awks,  Libbeus  Rudd. 
1808.— Samnel  Riddle,  Sylvester  Maxwell,  Libbeus  Rudd. 

1X09. — Freeborn  Mayhew,  Sylvester  Slaxwell,  Libbeus  Rudd. 
1810-11.- .\-5aheI  Jndd,  Sylvester  Maxwell,  Libbeus  Rudd. 

1812.— Sannu>l  Riddle,  Sylvester  Maxwell,  Libbeus  Rudd. 

1,S13. — Calvin  Hawks,  Sylvester  Maxwell,  Libbeus  Rudd. 

1S14.— Calvin  Hawks,  Sylvester  Maxwell,  Amos  Avery. 

1815.- Ebenezer  Williams,  Sylvester  Maxwell,  Amos  Avery. 

1816, — Samuel  Riddle,  Sylvester  Maxwell,  Levi  Stearns. 

1817.— Aaron  Lyman,  Rufus  Barber,  Wm.  W.  Fitch. 

1818-19.— Sylvester  JIaxwell,  Rufus  Barber,  Wm.  W.  Fitch. 

1820.— Lucius  Allis,  Asaliel  Judd,  Seth  Pierce. 

1821.— Samuel  Riddle,  Wm.  W.  Fitch,  Seth  Pierce. 

1K22. — Samuel  Riddle,  Stephen  Bates,  Sylvester  JIaxwell. 

1823.— W.  W.  Fitcli,  John  Fisher,  Sylvester  Maxwell. 

1824.— .\sahel  Judd,  John  Fisher,  .\lex.  P.  Maxwell. 

1825. — Consider  Scott,  Sylvester  Maxwell,  Alexander  P.  Maxwell. 

1826-29.— Asahel  Judd,  Samuel  Potter,  Alexander  P.  Maxwell. 

1830.— Ruel  Thayer,  James  Hawks,  Alexander  P.  Maxwell. 

1S31.— Rucl  Thayer,  Philemon  Rice,  Alexander  P.  ilaxwell. 

lS;!2-33.— Josiah  Ballard,  John  Fisher,  Leonard  Rice. 

1.S34.— Asahel  Judd,  A.  P.  Maxwell,  Obadiah  Dickinson. 

1835.— Alfred  Olds,  Samuel  Upton,  Isaac  J.  Hawks. 

1836.— Josiah  Ballard,  Asuhel  Judd,  Silas  Hawks. 

1837.- A.  P.  Maxwell,  Asahel  Judd,  Silas  Hawks. 

183S. — A.  P.  Maxwell,  Asahel  Jndd,  Jr.,  George  Upton. 

1S,'19. — Robert  L.  Bishop,  Asahel  Judd,  Jr.,  Isaac  J.  Hawks. 

1840.— A.  P.  Maxwell,  Obadiah  Dickinson,  A.  H.  Taylor. 

1841.— Leonard  Rice,  Holmes  Mayhew,  R.  Houghton,  Jr. 

1,S42. — Elias  Taylor,  Philemon  Rice,  E.  A.  Hawks. 

1843. — Roger  H.  Leavitt,  Pliilemon  Rice,  Asahel  Judd. 

1844.— Josiah  Ballard,  R.ibert  L.  Bisliop, Taylor. 

184o. — Josiah  Ballard,  Robert  L.  Bishop,  Asahel  Judd,  Jr. 

1846. — Roger  H.  Leavitt,  Samuel  Potter,  John  Smith. 

1847._Asahel  Judd,  Jr.,  Samuel  Potter,  A.  P.  Maxwell. 

1,«48.— Samuel  Upton,  Holmes  Mayhew,  Peter  Wilder. 

1849.— Luther  Bodman,  Asahel  Judd,  Jr,  John  Smith. 

1850.— Samuel  Upton,  Asalicl  Judd,  Jr.,  Robert  L.  Bishop. 

1851.— Samuel  Upton,  .\5ahel  Judd,  Jr.,  Levi  Smith. 

1852.— A.  P.  Maxwell,  Philemon  Rice,  George  Hillman. 

1853.— Hart  Leavitt,  Samuel  Upton,  David  B.  Hawks. 

1854.— Fred  W.  White,  Samuel  Upton,  Leonard  B.  Rice. 

1855.— Royal  Thomas,  Samuel  Upton,  Leonard  B.  Kice. 

1856.- Fred  W.  White,  Peter  Wilder,  Royal  Thomas. 

1857.- Roger  H.  Leavitt,  H.  H.  Mayhew,  6.  .\.  W'hite. 

1858.— Josiah  Ballard,  M.  V,  Taylor,  B.  A.  Farnsworth. 

1859-60.— A.  L.  Tyler,  M.  V.  Taylor,  E.  D.  Hawks. 

1861-62. — A.  L.  Tyler,  Samuel  Potter,  Leonard  B.  Ri.:e. 

1863.— .\.  L.  Tyler,  Samuel  Potter,  Hart  Leavitt. 

1864.— A.  L.Tyler,  Mathew Kingman,  Leonard  B.  Rice. 

1865. — A.  L.  Tyler,  H.  H.  Mayhew,  Leonard  B.  Rice. 

1866-68.- A.  L.  Tyler,  H.  H.  Mayhew,  Alonzo  Thayer. 

1869. — Da^id  Todd,  David  Dunnell,  Lorenzo  Richmond. 


ri2 


HISTORY   OF   THE   CONNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


1S70.— Oilvin  K.  Co  ilc.v,  E.  E.  Wiivfi.-M,  Lorenzo  Ki^hmou]. 
1S71-72.— A.  L.  T.vLt,  Leon^ml  1!.  Iti  -i',  E.  C.  Hawks. 
lS7.i.— D.  W.  liii'ier,  .\.  C.  B  Aer,  E.  C.  Iliiwks. 
1874-75.— I).  W.  Bilker,  A.  C.  Diiker,  Cahi.i  E.  Cooley. 
1870.— E.  It.  0  10  liiow,  A.  C.  Dakcr,  Calvin  E.  Cc«iU"y. 
1877-78.— J.  II.  Kemp,  Leouanl  B.  Itiec,  Culviii  E.  Cooley. 

TOWN   CLEKKS. 

l"r.r,-"n,  S.vlvnmis  Rice;  1777,  .Iimies  Wliitc;  177S-S1,  Jonathim  Hnstings; 
17S2-8G,  Arteniiis  lii-c;  17S7-n.S,  J.  White;  17!)9-18:i,  Lil.beiis  Rndd  ;  1812-14, 
Andrew  Riidd  ;  1«15,  Horace  Rudd;  lSlO-28,  Consi  lor  S.;ott;  lS29-;il,  A.  P. 
Muxwell;  1832-34,  'Waitstill  IlastiiiKs;  l«.i,  Almnn  Atkins;  1830,  Lewis  Bod- 
man;  1837,  Sylvester  Maxwell;  183<-43,  Wiiits:ill  Hastings;  1S44  47,  Stephen 
B.ates;  184^-04,  Ansel  L.  Tyler;  l.^o,  II.  II.  Mayliew  ;  ItoO-Ul,  F.  W.  \Vliite; 
1802-04,  Gnstaviis  A.  White;  1805-09,  II.  II.  JIayliew  ;  1870-73,  B.  A.  Farjis- 
wortli;  1874-78,  W.  E.  Niles. 

THE  TOWN  RECORDS 
contain  much  interestins;  nnd  instructive  matter,  which  is 
given  in  connection  with  appropriate  topics.  Dec.  23,  177.3, 
a  special  meeting  was  held,  when  it  was  agreed  to  mal^e 
application  to  the  General  Court  to  secure  the  annexation  of 
3000  acres  of  land,  lying  on  the  south  of  the  town,  granted 
to  Hezekiah  Ward  and  others,  to  the  town  of  Charleniont. 
Asaph  AVhite  was  emploj-ed  to  secure  the  annexation, 

"  Upon  conditions  that  he  can  get  it  done  as  cheap  as  he  can  ;  and  not  to  ex- 
ceed forty-eijrht  shillings;  and  if  he  don't  get  it,  not  to  have  anything  fur  hie 
cost  or  tronble." 

In  1774,  Lieut.  Hugh  Maxwell,  for  attending  the  Provincial 
Congress,  was  allowed  £0  Ss.  Deacon  Aaron  Eice,  for  making 
rates  and  perambulating  the  town  line,  was  allowed  6s. 

In  1775,  Samuel  Taylor,  for  attending  the  Congress  in  April, 
was  allowed  £2  1.5s.  Id. ;  Samuel  Bnjoks,  for  sweeping  the 
meeting-house  two  years,  O.f. 

In  1778  "  it  was  agreed  and  voted  that  whoever  shall  kill  a 
grown  wolf  within  the  bounds  of  the  town  within  the  term 
of  twelve  months,  and  .shall  produce  a  certificate  that  the  same 
was  cropped  by  the  constable,  in  presence  of  one  of  the  select- 
men, shall  be  entitled  to  the  sum  of  one  hundred  dollars." 

In  1878  the  liabilities  of  the  town  were  reported  at  .522,847.39, 
and  the  resources  at  ^•5360..50.  The  latter  item  includes  the 
poor-farm,  valued  at  ^l.'jOO.  It  is  located  in  the  northern  part 
of  the  town,  and  is  substantially  improved.  From  tive  to 
eight  poor  are  maintained  yearly,  at  a  cost  of  about  §160 
each  ;  and  nearly  §-500  per  year  are  expended  for  the  support 
of  the  poor  outside  of  the  town-farm. 

IHGIIW.WS. 

At  the  meeting  of  the  proprietors,  Jan.  17,  1753,  Deacon 
Israel  Houghton,  Capt.  Jonathan  White,  and  Joseph  Wilder, 
Jr.,  were  appointed  to  lay  out  highways  and  other  roads  in 
the  north  part  of  the  township,  and  Othniel  Taylor,  Gcrshora 
Hawks,  and  Aaron  Rice  were  to  perform  a  like  service  in  the 
south  part  of  the  township.  The  same  year  Capt.  Moses  Eice 
was  allowed  "  to  work  six  pounds,  thirteen  shillings,  and  eight 
pence  of  his  first  year's  tax,  on  the  land  belonging  to  him  and 
his  sons,  in  making  convenient  ways  to  the  mills  that  his  son 
Aaron  hath  built  and  engaged  to  build  for  the  highway  he 
hath  marked  into  the  centre  of  the  town." 

In  June,  17-54,  the  proprietors  voted  that  Othniel  Taylor 
and  Jonathan  White  "lay  out  and  mend  the  way  up  to  the 
meeting-house,  and  to  mend  the  public  road  in  said  town." 

"  Voted  to  accept  the  town  i"oad,  from  the  county  road  by  the  river  np  to  y« 
meeting-honse  frame,  as  neur  the  way  that  is  now  niarked  as  may  be  with  con- 
venience, .and  tliat  tlioss  that  work  at  said  way  shall  have  twenty  shillings,  old 
tenor,  a  day,  they  working  ten  Iiours  a  day,  whijh  sh.all  be  accounted  a  day's 
work." 

It  will  be  seen  from  the  above  vote  that  what  is  yet  the 
principal  highway — the  river  road — was  located  before  that 
early  period.  In  regard  to  what  was  called  the  town  road  it 
was  voted,  in  1763,  "  to  discontinue  the  road  laid  out  from  the 
river  so  far  as  Col.  White's  house,  and  order  it  laid  out  east 
and  west  from  said  White's  house  to  the  county  road,  as  near 
where  it  is  now  trud  as  ijiav  be  with  convenience." 


In  September,  1703,  the  following  bill  was  rendered : 

"The  Propi  -toys  of  Charley  Mount,  Dr.  To  two  days'  work  in  June  at  the 
highways  in  Cliarleymount,  and  then  la  August,  1703,  l:j.i.  4il. 

"  Timothy  Thayf-r." 

In  1709  "it  was  agreed  and  voted  to  accept  tlie  roads  hii !  out  iiy  the  Select- 
men from  Dea.'on  Geisluni  Hawks',  upon  the  line  between  him  and  Deacon 
Aaron  Ri;e,to  the  footof  llie  liill,  and  then,  as  it  is  marked,  to  Mrs.  Rice's;  and 
another,  jis  it  is  uiarke  1,  from  Sylvanus  Rice  to  William  Hartwell ;  and  another, 
from  Richard  Dana,  Esq.,  and  the  public  lot  north  of  the  meeting-house,  from 
the  old  town  road  to  the  west  en<l  of  the  lot,  and  then  as  it  is  marked  by  the  se- 
lectmen through  the  lots  belonging  to  .Joseph  Wilder  and  Joseph  Butler  to  Caleb 
Thayer,  through  Nathaniel  Cot  belt's  lot  to  Champion  Crocker's. 

"  Voted  that  tlie  road  from  the  house  of  the  late  Davi  1  White  to  the  house  of 
Asaph  Wli  ite  be  five  rods  wide."    £30  were  raised  for  the  suppoi  t  of  these  roads. 

The  town  has  a  bridge  across  the  Deerfield,  near  Zoar,  one 
at  Cbarlemont  village,  and  an  interest  in  a  bridge  near  the 
Shelburne  line,  whose  support  has  been  a  heavy  burden,  as 
they  have  been  frequently  injured  or  destroyed  by  floods.  In 
1878  the  town  contained  twenty  road  districts,  and  the  amount 
appropriated  for  highways  was  §1600. 

The  Troy  and  Greenfield  Railroad  traverses  the  town  on  the 
south  side  of  the  Deerfield  to  a  puint  east  of  Zoar,  when  it 
crosses  the  stream  and  passes  along  on  the  north  side  into  the 
town  of  Kowe,  near  the  Hoosac  Tunnel.  The  company  has 
provided  convenient  stations  at  Zoar  and  C'harlemont  villages. 

MANUFACTURING    INDUSTRIES. 

Aaron  Eice  made  the  first  improvement  for  operating  ma- 
chinery in  the  town.  Before  17.53  he  began  building  a. corn- 
mill  on  Mill  Brook,  at  what  is  now  the  village,  and  near  the 
present  mill-sites.  The  proprietors  deemed  his  enterprise  of 
such  importance  that  they  gave  him  a  bonus  of  £21  \Ss.  id., 
and  promised  further  aid  if  he  would  keep  the  mill  in  repair 
ten  years,  "  and  grind  at  all  convenient  times  for  the  proprie- 
tors, taking  one-sixteenth  part  for  toll  and  no  more."  In  May, 
1753,  the  proprietors  met  at  the  mill  to  examine  the  work  al- 
ready done  and  what  was  necessary  to  complete  the  mill. 
"After  debates  on  that  affair,  it  was  voted  to  give  Eice  £13 
6s.  Sd.  on  the  conditions  above,  and  have  him,  also,  build  a 
saw-mill."  For  the  latter  purpose  it  was  voted  "  to  give  said 
Aaron  Eice  the  saw-mill  irons  belonging  to  y'  proprietors,  and 
to  ccmipleat  the  set,  he  engaging  to  build  a  saw-mill  on  the 
brook  he  hath  built  his  corn-mill  on,  and  to  saw  bords  for  the 
proprietors  at  y=  same  price,  and  sell  hords  at  y"  same  prices 
that  they  are  sold  for  at  Deerfield,  for  y=  space  of  ten  years 
next  ensuing."  For  the  performance  of  these  conditions  and 
the  faithful  use  of  the  £40  and  the  "  compleat  set  of  mill- 
irons,"  Aaron  Eice  gave  his  bond  for  £100,  and  soon  com- 
menced grinding  for  the  "one-sixteenth  part"  and  sawing 
"bords"  at  the  customary  prices.  The  mill  was  swept  away 
by  a  tlood  in  1775,  and  it  is  said  that  Sylvanus  Eice  erected 
the  second  mill  on  the  east  side  of  the  stream,  which  had  two 
run  of  stones,  and  which  was  operated  until  1822,  when  the 
present  mill  was  liuilt  by  David  Crittenden.  In  a  repaired 
condition  it  is  now  operated  by  Preston  Baker. 

Several  saw-mills  have  been  operated  since  the  first  one,  by 
Sylvanus  Eice,  Artemas  Rice,  Jonathan  Hawks,  and  others. 
An  excellent  lumber-mill  is  now  carried  on  by  Dennis  Baker, 
and  chair-stoek  material  is  also  manufactured  here.  The 
power  at  this  point  was  formerly  employed  to  operate  other 
industries.  About  1800,  Aaron  Lyman  carded  wool  in  a  small 
building  attached  to  the  saw-mill ;  and,  later,  his  son,  Josiah, 
carried  on  the  same  trade  in  a  room  in  the  grist-mill.  At  a 
point  below,  about  the  same  time,  the  power  was  used  to  work 
a  scythe-factory,  and  was  afterward  employed  by  Capt.  Jo- 
seph White  to  operate  clothing-works.  His  buildings,  and 
others  wliich  had  been  used  by  Eugene  Field  for  a  snathe-fac- 
tory, and  a  trip-hammer  by  Fuller  &  Eudd,  were  destroyed 
by  fire.  Above  the  grist-mill  Eugene  Field  had  a  carding- 
machine,  about  18."U,  which  became  the  property  of  Dexter 
Hawks,  who  supplied  machinery  for  making  cloths.  This 
was    burned    in    1852,       Below    the    lower    bridge,    on    Mill 


YCCou 


Orlando  B.  Potter,  was  born  in  Charlemont,  Franklin 
Co.,  Mass.,  on  the  10th  of  March,  1823.  He  was  fitted 
for  college  in  the  Buckland  and  Shelburne  select  schools  and 
the  East  Bennington  Academy.  At  the  age  of  eighteen 
he  left  his  father's  farm,  and  has  since  made  his  own  way 
without  any  aid,  except  from  a  kind  Providence.  He 
studied  at  Williams  College,  and  at  Dane  Law  School, 
Cambridge.  Subsequently  he  practiced  law  for  about  five 
years  in  the  city  of  Boston,  after  which  he  became  interested 
in  manufacturing,  and  devoted  himself  almost  exclusively 
to  that  business  for  twenty-five  years. 

In  1853  he  removed  to  New  York  City,  where  he  has 
since  resided.  He  is  an  honored  and  respected  citizen,  well 
known  to  the  thousands  of  merchants,  mechanics,  and 
laborers  with  whom  his  busy  mercantile  life  of  a  quarter 
of  a  century  has  brought  him  in  contact.  The  manage- 
ment of  the  large  interests  that  devolved  upon  him  de- 
veloped his  faculties  as  a  financier,  and  there  are  few  men 
in  any  walk  of  life  more  thoroughly  posted,  or  who  enter- 
tain sounder  principles  on  financial  questions. 

Mr.  Potter  is  a  man  of  great  enterprise  and  remarkable 
prudence.  He  never  goes  beyond  his  own  ability  to  per- 
form, has  never  failed  to  meet  an  obligation  at  maturity,  and 
has  never  been  embarrassed  through  the  vicissitudes  of 
business.  He  has  always  been  confident  and  hopeful  when 
want  of  confidence  prevailed  about  him.  He  borrowed 
money  and  continued  building  in  New  York  City,  and  sus- 
tained its  labor  during  the  panic  and  distress  of  1857. 
In  that  year  he  built  the  "  World"  building  ;  and  later,  at  a 
time  when  all  enterprise  was  brought  to  a  standstill  and 
capitalists  feared  to  invest  a  dollar  in  anything  but  govern- 
ment bonds ;  when  business  generally  was  in  the  lowest 
state  of  depression  following  the  panic  of  1873;  when  in- 
dustry was  paralyzed,  and  there  was  no  employment  for 
mechanic  or  laborer,  he  had  the  boldness  to  buy  the  largo 


property  on  the  corner  of  Astor  Place  and  Lafayette  Place, 
and  when  scarcely  another  building  was  being  put  up  in 
that  city  he  set  his  laborers  and  mechanics  to  work,  and 
erected  the  imposing  structure  which  is  now  one  of  the 
landmarks  of  the  city. 

He  is  a  man  of  great  force  of  character,  and  of  clear  and 
eai'nest  convictions,  which  he  always  acts  upon,  and  acts  up 
to.  He  has  ever  sympathized  with  the  workingman,  and 
his  greatest  wish  is  that  he  should  be  remuneratively  em- 
ployed. During  his  life  he  has  employed  thousands  of 
workmen  and  clerks,  and  has  paid  them  the  highest  wages. 
His  motto  is  "  Live  and  let  live,"  and  he  asks  not  of  what  re- 
ligion, nativity,  or  politics  are  those  who  work  for  him  ;  the 
only  qualities  he  requires  are  honesty  and  capability. 

As  a  workingman  himself,  Mr.  Potter  has  ne  superior. 
He  is  never  idle.  In  the  midst  of  the  cares  and  anxieties 
of  business  he  has  been  watchful  of  the  interests  of  the 
country,  the  State,  and  especially  of  the  city  government. 

In  1861  he  made  valuable  suggestions  to  the  rulers  of 
the  nation,  and  has  since,  from  time  to  time,  been  in  corre- 
spondence on  finance  and  kindr«d  subjects  with  the  leading 
men  in  Congress.  He  has  always  been  a  consistent  Demo- 
crat, and  an  uncompromising  enemy  of  fraud.  He  has  de- 
voted both  time  and  money  without  stint  in  endeavoring  to 
obtain  better  government  for  New  York  City.  He  has  been 
a  most  active  member  of  the  council  of  political  reform,  and 
through  his  efforts  mainly  the  bonded  indebtedness  bill  was 
passed  through  the  Legislature  and  became  a  law. 

Mr.  Potter  was  married,  Oct.  28,  1828,  to  Martha  G. 
Wiley,  daughter  of  Benjamin  Brown,  of  South  Reading, 
Middlesex  Co.,  Mass.  To  them  were  born  seven  children, 
of  whom  only  four  are  now  living. 

Mrs.  Potter  died  on  the  12th  day  of  February,  1879. 
She  was  universally  esteemed,  and  is  sincerely  mourned  by 
all  who  knew  her. 


1, 

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V   V\v^^ 

"^'■N-SSS--" 

^VSSS-^^ 

Photo,  by  Popkina,  Greenfield. 


"I/^<_^^-vi--«-</'t^      yyuC'^ 


Samuel  Potter  was  born  in  Hampden,  Conn.,  Oct.  24, 
1794,  and  has  therefore  passed  his  eighty-fourth  birthdaj'. 

His  father,  Abel  Potter,  was  also  a  native  of  Connecticut, 
and  was  born  in  Hampden,  June  1-5,  1750.  He  removed  to 
Wallingford,  in  the  same  State,  and  died  there  Aug.  29,  1818. 
His  wife  was  Mary,  daughter  of  Abram  Turner,  of  Hampden, 
and  was  born  in  that  town,  June  21,  1765;  she  died  Oct.  7, 
1831,  in  her  sixty-seventh  year.  Her  father  was  a  prominent 
man  in  his  day,  and  served  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  taking 
part  in  the  battle  at  New  Haven. 

To  Abel  and  Mary  Potter  were  born  nine  children,  viz.: 
Abel,  Jr.,  Sallie  G.,  Elam  (who  died  in  infancy),  Rhoda 
T.,  Samuel  (subject  of  this  notice),  Polly  A.,  Mary  E.,  Elam, 
and  Rebecca  M. 

Samuel  Potter  enjoyed  but  few  opportunities  for  obtaining 
an  education  in  his  early  years.  His  father  being  in  straitened 
circumstances,  and  with  a  large  family  dependent  upon  him 
for  support,  was  forced  to  put  his  sons  to  work  at  a  very 
youthful  age,  and  Samuel  thus,  when  only  six  years  old,  was 
"hired  out"  to  ride  a  horse  in  the  fields  for  other  farmers, 
and  in  that  way  earned  six  and  a  quarter  cents  per  day  for 
his  father.  A  paltry  sum  it  would  seem  even  for  a  child  of 
that  age;  bui  in  those  days,  when  almost  every  article  of 
clothing  and  also  most  all  hou.sehold  utensils  were  made  by  the 
family,  a  little  money  went  a  great  way,  and  twenty-five 
cents  per  daj'  was  considered  good  wages  for  a  man's  labor. 

When  ten  years  of  age  the  subject  of  this  notice  performed 
the  greater  part  of  the  work  on  his  father's  farm,  of  which, 
four  years  later,  he  took  the  entire  charge.  This  he  continued 
until  he  reached  his  majority,  after  which  he  worked  six 
months  for  his  father,  for  which  he  received  wages.  He  then, 
desiring  to  add  to  his  stock  of  knowledge,  entered  the  public 
school  at  Waterbury,  Conn.,  and  while  there  paid  for  his 
tuition  and  other  expenses  with  the  money  he  had  earned. 

He  subsequently  returned  to  Hamjiden  and  leased  his 
father's  farm,  upon  whii'h  he  remained,  taking  care  of  his 
parents  and  tbe  family  until  his  father's  decease. 

Soon  after  the  death  of  his  father  Samuel  sold  the  piroperty, 
and  removed,  in  1819,  to  Charlemont,  Franklin  Co.,  Mass. 
He  was  married  in  that  town,  Feb.  21,  1819,  to  SopMa,  daugh- 
ter of  Samuel  Rice.     He  then  bought  a  farm  in  Charlemont, 


on  Leggett  Hill,  where  he  remained  twenty  years,  engaged 
mostly  in  agricultural  pursuits.  At  the  expiration  of  that 
time  he  purchased  the  place  in  the  same  town  where  he  now 
resides.  Although  not  a  wealthy  man,  Mr.  Potter  now  owns 
a  fair  share  of  "  worldly  goods,"  and  possesses  the  satisfaction 
of  knowing  that  what  he  has  garnered  has  been  the  work  of 
his  own  hands.  He  has  alwaj's  been  active  in  forwarding 
educational  interests,  and  has  delighted  in  giving  his  children 
the  advantages  of  the  superior  facilities  for  learning  which 
were  denied  to  him.  He  has  always  been  a  strong  advocate 
of  the  principles  of  temperance,  and  these  he  put  into  practice 
without  consulting  popular  customs  long  before  the  temper- 
ance movement  became  general. 

In  his  earlier  life  Mr.  Potter  was  a  Democrat,  but  since 
the  formation  of  the  Republican  party  has  voted  that  ticket. 
He  has  held  the  offices  of  selectman,  assessor,  agent  of  the 
town,  and  also  that  of  deputy-sherifl'  twenty-three  years,  in 
which  latter  capacity  he  served  both  in  Hampshire  and  Frank- 
lin Counties.  He  was  town  collector  and  constable  si.\  j'cars, 
and  indeed  has  been  identified  with  most  of  the  leading  inter- 
ests of  the  town.  He  took  an  active  part  in  forwarding  the 
building  of  the  Troy  and  Greenfield  Railroad,  and  took  the 
first  subscription  for  it  in  the  town  of  Charlemont.  He  was 
also  one  of  the  first  directors  of  that  road. 

He  has  been  liberal  in  support  of  churches  and  religious 
interests,  and  was  also  in  early  life  a  worker  in  the  Sunday- 
school  cause.  For  forty  years  he  has  been  a  member  of  the 
Congregational  society,  and  now  in  his  declining  years  can 
indeed  look  back  with  pleasure  over  a  long  life  spent  in  active 
labor  and  good  works. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Potter  were  born  ten  children,  viz. : 
Merritt  F.,  June  19, 1820,  who  is  now  a  physician  in  Hinckley, 
111. ;  Polly  A.,  Dec.  25, 1821,  who  died  Aug.  7,  1824  ;  Orlando 
B.,  March  lu,  1823,  who  is  a  lawyer  and  resides  in  New  York 
City;  Samuel  L.,  Dec.  22,  1825,  who  died  July  20,  1854; 
Hillyer  H.,  Sept.  7,  1826,  who  is  in  trade  in  Peoria,  111.; 
Waymes  N.,  April  28,  1828,  who  resides  in  Greenfield  and  is 
a  commission  merchant;  Mary  A.,  Jan.  31,  1830,  who  is  at 
home;  Celestia  M.,  Sept.  28,  1831,  who  died  May  7,  1862; 
Direxa  V.,  June  25,  1833,  who  died  Oct.  17,  1839;  and  Craige 
D.,  June  26,  183G,  who  is  now  in  business  in  Boston. 


HISTORY  OP   FRANKLIN   COUNTY. 


713 


Brook,  Asa  Taylor  built  a  tannery,  which  had  among  its  sub- 
sequent owners  Alfred  Olds  and  Charles  Kichards,  and  in  the 
eastern  part  of  the  village  Nathaniel  Kice  had  a  small  tannery 
which  was  operated  by  horse-power. 

Besides  the  mills  mentioned  as  being  in  operation  at  the 
village,  Leonard  &  Green  have  a  chair-stock  factory  on  Mill 
Brook,  on  a  site  which  was  improved  by  Eoyal  Thomas  about 
1845;  on  Rice's  Brook,  Roswell  Rice  put  up  a  saw-mill  about 
1840,  which  is  now  carried  on  hy  Hart  Rice.  He  has,  also,  a 
cider-mill  and  a  still  for  making  apple-brandy.  In  the  same 
locality  is  R.  Edwards'  snath-factory,  which  gives  employ- 
ment to  half  a  dozen  hands,  and  produces  1000  snaths  per 
week. 

At  East  Charlemont,  Othniel  Taylor  had  a  saw-mill  on 
the  brook  which  hears  his  name,  before  the  Revolution,  and 
at  a  later  period  the  Taylors  had  a  pottery  near  the  public- 
house  kept  by  Capt.  Taylor.  Farther  west,  Uzziah  Simonds 
built  a  saw-mill  soon  after  1800,  which  had  among  its  opera- 
tors Ruel  Thayer  and  his  sons.  About  1812,  Kuel  Thayer 
and  William  Coney  started  a  foundry  at  this  place  for 
making  castings  for  mills  and  farm-machinery.  At  a  later 
day  they  cast  stoves.  It  was  last  carried  on  by  David,  Alon- 
zo,  and  Ruel  Thayer. 

Axes  and  scythes  were  made  at  East  Charlemont  about 
1835  by  Josiah  Pratt,  who  had  a  trip-hammer,  and  employed 
a  number  of  hands.  In  the  place  was  also  a  tannery,  started 
by  Azariah  and  Noah  Parsons,  who  were  followed  by  Walter 
Pelton  and  Calvin  and  Alfred  Walker.  Some  of  these  manu- 
factured shoes  on  a  large  scale.  Hats  were  made  by  Jonathan 
Avery,  a  Revolutionary  soldier,  and  the  wag  of  the  place. 
"Hatter  Avery"  had  the  faculty  of  expressing  himself  in 
rhymes,  and  once  produced  these  pertinent  lines  on  the  char- 
acter of  a  parsimonious  neighbor  : 

"  On  the  flour  of  a  grain  of  mustard-seed, 
With  the  leg  of  a  flea  for  bacon, 
His  soul  would  feast  eternally, 
If  I  am  not  mistaken  !" 

Other  hatters  at  the  hamlet  were  Solomon  Rand,  Lucius 
Hartwell,  Jonathan  Wheelock,  Dexter  Daniels,  and  Merrill 
G.  Mayhew. 

About  1790,  Ward  Hartwell  had  a  grist-mill  on  Hartwell 
Brook,  near  where  Bassett's  saw-mill  now  is.  The  latter  was 
put  up  in  1869  by  Henry  Bassett  &  Son,  and  is  now  operated 
by  the  sou.  Below  this  power  was  formerly  a  shop  for  the 
manufacture  of  hoes,  by  Booth  &  Upton,  and  handles  by  E. 
Field. 

On  Willow  Brook,  David  Howard  has  in  operation  a 
shingle-mill,  and  on  the  upper  part  of  Mill  Brook  A.  P. 
Maxwell  formerly  had  a  small  saw-mill.  In  early  times  the 
Goulds  had  a  tannery  in  the  northern  part  of  the  town.  Ben- 
nett Edson  had  a  grist-mill  on  Chickley's  River,  near  its 
mouth,  about  1815,  and  here  a  saw-  and  feed-mill  is  now 
carried  on  by  the  Grant  Brothers. 

On  Cold  River,  E.  C.  Hawks  erected  a  lumber-mill,  in  1850, 
which  he  has  operated  since,  employing  at  present  10  hands; 
and  on  the  same  stream,  below,  E.  D.  Hawks  has  carried  on 
a  mill  for  about  the  same  length  of  time. 

At  Zoar,  on  Pelham  Brook,  Aaron  Negus  put  in  operation 
a  saw-mill  before  1820,  which  is  now  the  property  of  E.  A.  & 
S.  D.  Negus.  On  the  same  stream,  above,  E.  H.  Hawks  put 
up  a  saw-mill  after  1850,  which  was  burned,  and  a  new  mill 
erected  by  King  Brothers,  which  is  at  present  operated  by 
H.  L.  Bradford  &  Co.  It  contains  also  a  run  of  stones  for 
grinding. 

About  1815,  Ebenezer  S.  Hawks  put  up  a  tannery  at  Zoar, 
which  was  afterward  carried  on  by  Alfred  Old  and  Benjamin 
Tilton,  the  latter  being  pretty  extensively  engaged,  and  also 
made  shoes  on  a  large  scale.  Among  other  things  formerly 
at  this  place  was  a  carding-machine  by  E.  S.  Hawks,  which 
was  operated  but  a  few  years. 
90 


The  records  of  Charlemont  contain  an  account  of  a  brick- 
yard, established  by  the  town  in  1767.  The  laborers  were  sup- 
plied by  the  town  with  the  necessary  stimulants,  procured  at 
Deerfield  by  David  White.  His  bill  shows  that  he  charged 
5s.  8d.  for  his  time  going,  and  3s.  8d.  for  the  "Rhuni." 
Gershom  Hawks,  Artemas  Rice,  Aaron  Rice,  and  others,  fur- 
nished laborers  on  the  brick-yard.  On  the  20th  of  May,  1768, 
the  town  sold  the  brick  at  vendue  for  about  12.?.  Sd.  per 
thousand. 

HAMLETS  AND  VILLAGES. 
EAST  CHARLEMONT 
is  a  beautiful  hamlet,  built  in  a  straggling  manner  on  the 
river  road,  about  three  miles  from  the  east  line  of  the  town, 
and  about  the  same  distance  from  Shelburne  Falls.  Buckland 
Station,  on  the  Troy  and  Greenlield  Railroad,  is  on  the  oppo- 
site side  of  the  stream,  and  is  reached  bj'  means  of  a  ferry. 
East  Charlemont  was  probably  the  first  business  point  in  the 
town,  and  once  possessed  considerable  importance,  having 
stores,  taverns,  and  shops,  which  have  been  discontinued, 
leaving  the  hamlet  a  simple  farm  settlement  with  a  post-office, 
school-house,  and  Congregational  Church. 

About  1760,  Capt.  Othniel  Taylor  opened  a  public-house  in 
a  building  which  stood  on  the  site  of  A.  C.  Baker's  residence. 
His  account-book,  running  from  1760  to  1785,  shows  a  large 
patronage,  and  that  the  use  of  ardent  spirits  was  almost  uni- 
versal, the  drinks  named  "flip,"  "toddy,"  and  "sider"  being 
held  in  great  estimation.  Pertaining  to  the  traffic  in  rum  are 
the  following  interesting  papers,  found  among  the  records 
belonging  to  Capt.  Taylor  : 

*'  Boston,  19th  June,  1771. 
"Othniel  Taylor,  Esq. 

"Sir, — I  received  youi-a  by  Mr.  White,  and  now  send  you  three  barrel-s  rum, 
amount  of  which  is  below. 

"  I  am,  your  humble  ser^-ant, 

"ISA.\c  Winston. 
£   s.    d. 

"005^  gallons  @20<i 8    7    3 

"3  barrels  @  4s 0  12    0" 

"  To  the  Hon.  Justices  of  ye  Peace  for  the  county  of  Hampshire,  in  the  State 
of  Massachusetts  Bay.  We,  the  subscribers,  Recommend  Lieut.  Asaph  White,  of 
Charlemont,  as  a  Pel-son  of  Sober  Life  and  Conversation,  one  who  has  always  ap- 
peared Friendly  to  the  American  Cause,  and  Suitably  Quaiifled  and  Provided  as 
a  Retailer  of  Spirituous  Liquors. 

"  0th.  T.\ylor, 


'  James  White, 


Selectmen. 


■'  Charlemont,  Nov.  4, 1778.'' 


Mr.  White  also  furnished  liquor  at  wholesale  to  his  neigh- 
bors, and  in  1781  asks  Capt.  Taylor,  "  Can  you  spare  any 
money  towards  the  barrel  of  rum  you  had  etc.  Please  deliver 
to  the  bearer,  Jonathan  Thayer." 

Capt.  Taylor  not  only  entertained  man  and  beast,  but  he 
was  also  a  general  trader.  In  1767  appears  an  entry  against 
the  name  of  Rev.  Jonathan  Leavitt  for  "one  silk  hd'kf  and 
twenty  apple-trees,"  and  other  accounts  indicate  that  he  dealt 
in  all  the  commodities  necessary  in  a  new  settlement. 

At  a  later  day  Joel  Hall  had  a  tavern  at  East  Charlemont, 
in  the  building  now  occupied  by  L.  Merriam.  His  sign  was 
that  of  a  lion  devouring  a  lamb,  which,  considering  the  habits 
prevalent  in  those  days,  was  only  too  true.  The  substance  of 
many  was  wasted  through  the  liquor  obtained  at  the  "  Lion." 

Erastus  Taylor  had  a  good  store  in  the  gambrel-roofed  house 
now  used  as  a  summer  residence  by  John  O.  Merriam,  of  Troy. 
It  was  closed  before  1825. 

The  post-office  at  East  Charlemont  was  not  established  until 
after  1840.  Peter  Wilder  was  the  first  postmaster.  The  office 
has  since  been  held  by  Horace  Wells,  Mrs.  Horace  Wells, 
Lorin  Merriam,  and  Joseph  T.  Packard.  It  receives  its 
mails  from  Shelburne  Falls'. 

ZOAR 

is  a  small  hamlet  near  the  western  extremity  of  the  town,  on 
the  north  bank  of  the  Deerfield,  and  along  Pelham  Brook. 
Settlement  was  first  made  by  the  Peirce,  Negus,  anfl  Havyks 


714 


HISTORY  OP  THE  CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


families,  but  the  place  did  not  attain  much  importance  until 
the  railroad  located  a  station  here  in  1868.  Besides  the  indus- 
tries elsewhere  mentioned,  E.  S.  Hawks  opened  a  tavern  about 
1812,  which  he  continued  more  than  thirty  years.  Then  the 
place  was  without  an  inn  until  18G0,  when  H.  M.  Livermore 
opened  a  public-house  and  store  and  secured  a  post-office,  all 
of  which  were  discontinued  in  a  few  years.  Merchandising 
was  then  carried  on  by  S.  D.  Negus.  I.  D.  Hawk.s  and  J.  C. 
Bryant  &  Co.  are  at  present  in  trade. 

In  January,  1809,  the  Zoar  post-otfice  was  re-established, 
with  I.  D.  Hawks  postmaster,  who  has  held  the  position  ever 
since. 

CHARLEMONT 
has  a  charming  location  on  the  north  bank  of  the  Decrfleld 
Kiver,  west  of  the  centre  of  the  town,  and  on  Rice  and  Mill 
Brooks.  The  village  is  surrounded  by  some  of  the  most  pic- 
turesque scenery  in  the  county,  which  serves  as  a  beautiful 
background,  and  helps  to  make  this  a  very  attractive  place. 
It  is  a  station  on  the  Troy  and  Greeniield  Railroad,  about 
twenty  miles  from  the  latter  place,  and  about  eight  from  Shel- 
burne  Falls.  There  are  mills,  stores,  a  tavern,  a  good  school- 
house,  Baptist,  Methodist,  and  Congregational  Churches,  and 
about  400  inhabitants. 

Aaron  Rice  is  credited  with  having  sold  the  first  goods  in 
the  place,  although  not  having  a  regular  store.  One  of  the 
first  to  engage  in  trade  on  a  larger  scale  was  Samuel  Rath- 
bone,  who,  about  1800,  opened  a  store  in  the  building  now  oc- 
cupied by  Nathan  Ballard.  The  next  store  was  opened  by 
Henry  Sheldon,  in  the  present  tavern  building.  The  third 
was  on  the  site  of  Dr.  Dample's  office,  by  George  and  Anthon 
Mayhew.  Other  stores  were  soon  opened  at  the  stands  now 
occupied  by  A.  L.  Tyler  and  Wells  ;  and  about  1852  the  Maj'- 
hews  built  a  large  business  house,  which  is  now  occupied  by 
Amos  Avery.  Tlie  place  has  had  numerous  merchants,  and 
at  present  supports  five  stores. 

It  is  said  that  Ephraim  Brown  was  the  first  innkeeper,  his 
place  being  the  present  Dalrymple  tavern.  Other  landlords 
were  members  of  the  Hawks  family,  Capt.  Montague,  Henry 
Sheldon,  Ebenezer  Thayer,  and  Richard  Houghton. 

Samuel  Rathbone  was  the  first  postmaster,  appointed  prob- 
ably in  1816,  after  he  opened  his  store.  Others  holding  the 
office  have  been  Waitstill  Hastings,  Anthon  Mayhew,  Luther 
Bodman,  David  Hawks,  and  A.  L.  Tyler,  the  latter  being  the 
present  incumbent.     The  office  has  good  mail  facilities. 

THE    PROFESSIONS. 

Some  time  before  the  Revolution,  Dr.  Moses  Heaton  located 
in  Charlemont  as  the  physician  of  the  town.  He  was  followed 
by  Dr.  Stephen  Bates,  who  lived  a  mile  cast  of  the  village,  and 
who  was  in  practice  until  after  1820.  He  was  succeeded  by 
his  son,  William  K.,  and  he  in  turn  by  his  brother,  Stephen, 
Jr.,  the  latter  living  at  the  village  at  the  time  of  his  death. 
Others  in  practice  have  been  Drs.  George  Winslow,  Merritt 
v.  Potter,  David  B.  Hawks,  Ashmun  H.  Taylor,  George  M. 
Hanner,  and  James  N.  Fitch.  At  present  Dr.  H.  Temple  is 
in  practice  here. 

Those  practicing  law  in  town  have  been  Joseph  Bridgman^ 
Joseph  P.  Allen,  Emory  Washburn,  Edwin  H.  Porter,  and 
Sylvester  Ma.xwell,  the  latter  for  many  years  an  able  and 
honored  lawyer. 

Among  the  graduates  of  colleges  have  been  Jedediah  Bush- 
nell,  Roswell  Hawks,  Samuel  Leonard,  Constant  Field,  James 
Ballard,  Stephen  Bates,  Joseph  White,  Joseph  Hawks,  Daniel 
Rice,  M.  F.  Potter,  Theron  M.  Hawks,  Wra.  Legate,  etc. 

Aaron  Rice  was  a  member  of  the  Constitutional  Convention 
in  1780,  Asahel  Judd  in  1820,  and  Rev.  Aaron  Foster  in 
1853. 

EDUCATIONAL. 

It  appears  that  the  proprietors  did  not  make  any  appropria- 
tion for  public  schools,  and  that  the  town  did  not  take  action 


for  their  support  until  1770.  At  the  March  meeting  in  that 
year,  £9  were  voted  to  be  divided  among  the  three  districts, — 
the  upper,  the  lower,  and  the  hill.  In  1773,  £5  were  raised  for 
the  school  at  the  upper  end  of  the  town,  £4i  for  the  lower 
school,  and  J25i  for  the  hill  school. 

In  1778,  £34  were  to  be  laid  out  for  schooling,  as  follows: 
jei2  on  the  hill,  £W  at  the  west  end  of  the  town,  £8  at  the 
east  end,  and  £4  on  the  south  side  of  the  river.  The  school 
rights  in  public  lands  were  ordered  to  be  sold. 

In  1822,  Calvin  Hawks,  Sylvester  Maxwell,  and  William  B. 
Bates  were  appointed  to  inspect  schools  and  examine  teachers. 

In  1878,  the  school  committee,  D.  A.  Vcber,  L.  B.  Rice, 
and  C.  P.  C.  Miner,  reported  that  the  number  of  children  be- 
tween five  and  fifteen  years  was  129  ;  over  fifteen  years,  53  ;  of 
all  ages  in  school,  186  ;  the  average  attendance,  133.  There 
were  eight  schools  in  town,  taught  fifty-four  and  a  half  weeks, 
and  for  their  support  S>1666.47  were  expended. 

About  1845  an  academy  was  built  at  the  village  of  Charle- 
mont by  a  stock  company,  in  which  a  select  school  was  taught 
several  years.  The  house  was  a  two-story  frame,  and  base- 
ment, and  stood  north  of  the  Mayhew  Block.  For  a  number 
of  years  it  was  unoccupied,  and  was  finally  destroyed  by  fire. 
The  bell  which  formerly  belonged  to  it  is  now  in  use  on  the 
public-school  building. 

CHARLEMONT    LIBRARY 

was  opened  to  the  public  in  February,  1879,  with  nearly  100 
volumes.  It  is  controlled  by  an  association,  legally  organized 
in  December,  1878,  and  has  for  its  first  officers  E.  A.  Field, 
President;  Hiram  Temple,  Vice-President;  C.  S.  Cooley,  Sec- 
retary ;  S.  W.  Hawks,  Treasurer ;  Jennie  Baker,  Librarian  ; 
Lysander  Hillman,  Hiram  Temple,  and  Miss  A.  W.  Maxwell, 
Book  Committee.     The  members  number  40. 

THE  DEERrrELD  VALLEY  AGRICULTURAL  SOCIETY'. 

The  movement  which  led  to  the  formation  of  this  society 
originated  at  a  cattle  show  held  at  Charlemont,  Oct.  13,  1870, 
when  the  following  gentlemen  were  appointed  to  give  effect  to 
the  purpose  of  founding  a  society  "  whose  object  shall  be  the 
attainment  and  diffusion  of  scientific  and  practical  knowledge 
of  the  cultivation  of  the  soil,  and  all  the  departments  pertain- 
ing thereto ;  and  to  encourage  the  mechanic  and  fine  arts  and 
domestic  manufactures  :"  Charlemont,  R.  H.  Leavitt,  John  A. 
Winslow;  Hawley,  W.  E.  Mansfield,  Willis  Vincent ;  Buck- 
land,  Samuel  Ward,  E.  D.  Bement ;  Heath,  John  Reed,  E. 
M.Vincent;  Rome,  Charles  Demons,  William  Hicks;  Monroe, 
David  Goodell,  Joseph  E.  Hicks ;  Coleraine,  R.  Smith,  0.  J. 
Davenport;  Plaintield,  Joseph  Sears,  Francis  Joy;  Savoy, 
Ebenezer  Ingraham,  N.  B.  Baker. 

This  committee  appointed  agents  in  the  above  towns  to  so- 
licit life  members  for  the  above  society,  and  it  was  resolved 
that  when  100  had  been  secured  the  organization  should  take 
place.  A  meeting  for  this  purpose  was  warned  by  Justice 
Tyler,  Nov.  26,  1870,  when  a  constitution  was  adopted,  and 
E.  H.  Leavitt,  A.  L.  Tyler,  and  S.  P.  Everett  were  appointed 
to  secure  a  proper  charter  from  the  State.  Having  secured 
recognition  from  the  State  authorities,  the  following  were 
elected  as  the  first  board  of  officers  :  President,  E.  H.  Leavitt, 
of  Charlemont ;  Vice-Presidents,  Willis  Vincent,  of  Hawlsy ; 
E.  M.  Vincent,  of  Heath  ;  Josiah  Trow,  of  Buckland  ;  Jesse 
B.  Kemp,  of  Florida  ;  Secretary,  W.  E.  Mansfield,  of  Hawley ; 
Treasurer,  C.  H.  Rice,  of  Charlemont;  Auditors,  M.  M.  Man- 
tor,  of  Charlemont ;  Sylvanus  Clark,  of  Florida  ;  Wm.  Hunt, 
of  Heath. 

In  1872  the  society  had  435  male  and  21  female  life  mem- 
bers, the  fees  from  whom,  and  the  liberal  donations  received 
from  various  sources,  enabled  it  to  carry  out  the  designs  of  its 
founders.  Seventeen  acres  of  beautifully  located  land  at  Char- 
lemont village  had  been  inclosed  for  fair  purposes,  a  half-mile 
track  located,  and  appropriate  buildings  erected.  Here  was 
held,  Oct.  10  and  11,  1871,  the  first  annual  exhibition  of  the 


HISTORY  OP  FRANKLIN  COUNTY. 


715 


society.  The  address  was  delivered  by  the  Hon.  George  B. 
Loring,  of  Salem,  and  the  fair  throughout  was  very  successful. 
Nearly  ?f500  were  awarded  in  premiums.  Since  that  period 
the  society  has  held  annual  exhibitions,  which  have  been  at- 
tended with  unabated  interest.  The  grounds  have  been  sub- 
stantially improved,  and  are  now  valued  at  98000. 

The  otficers  of  the  society  in  1878  were :  President,  David 
L.  Smith,  Coleraine;  Vice-Presidents,  C.  B.  Mayhew,  Charle- 
mont ;  R.  W.  Field,  Buckland  ;  N.  B.  Baker,  Savoy ;  C.  C. 
Wheaton,  Kowe ;  Secretary,  M.  M.  Mantor,  Charlemont ; 
Treasurer,  H.  N.  Warner,  Charlemont ;  Auditors,  L.  H. 
Richmond,  Charlemont;  Dennis  Canedy,  Heath;  P.  M. 
Simpson,  Hawley. 

The  society  meets  statedly  for  the  discussion  of  all  ques- 
tions of  interest  pertaining  to  the  farmers  and  mechanics  of 
this  part  of  the  county,  and  much  benefit  has  been  derived 
from  the  knowledge  disseminated  by  this  means. 

RELIGIOUS   SOCIETIES. 

One  of  the  conditions  of  the  act  of  June  27,  1735,  granting 
certain  tracts  of  land  to  the  town  of  Boston,  provided  that 
within  five  years  from  the  confirmation  of  the  plan  the  pro- 
prietors should  "build  and  finish  a  suitable  and  convenient 
house  for  the  public  worship  of  God,  and  settle  a  learned  or- 
thodo-x  minister  in  each  of  said  towns,  and  provide  for  their 
honorable  and  comfortable  support ;  and  also  lay  out  three 
house-lots  in  each  of  said  towns,  each  of  which  is  to  draw  a 
sixty-third  part  of  said  town  in  all  future  divisions, — one  to 
be  for  the  first  settled  minister,  one  for  the  ministry,  and  one 
for  the  school."  It  seems  that,  so  far  as  Charlemont  was  con- 
cerned, no  attempt  was  made  by  the  early  proprietors  to  fulfill 
these  conditions,  and  that  the  settlers  themselves  were  obliged 
to  provide  the  means  of  education  and  the  privileges  of  public 
worship.  One  of  the  most  prominent  of  these,  Capt.  Moses 
Rice,  memorialized  the  Genera!  Court,  June  5,  1752,  setting 
forth  the  non-compliance  of  the  proprietors,  and  earnestly 
praying  for  a  tax  to  help  carry  out  the  promised  measures. 

In  answer  the  General  Court,  on  the  4th  of  December,  1752, 
ordered  a  penny  tax  on  everj'  acre  of  land  not  set  aside  for 
public  purposes  for  the  space  of  three  years,  and  that  a  portion 
of  the  money  so  raised  should  be  used  for  the  "  meeting-house 
already  agreed  and  engaged  to  be  set  up  in  said  township." 
Accordingly,  at  the  first  meeting  of  the  proprietors,  after  this 
order,  Jan.  17,  1753,  £100,  old  tenor,  of  the  first  year's  tax, 
were  appropriated  for  preaching,  and  Eleazer  Hawks,  Moses 
Kice,  and  Joseph  Wilder,  Jr.,  were  appointed  "to  provide  for 
the  same  the  current  year ;"  and  on  the  8d  of  May,  the  same 
year,  the  proprietors  assembled  at  the  place  where  it  was  pro- 
posed to  set  the  meeting-house,  "  which  place  is  a  little  south 
of  y=  south  line  of  Hancock's  farm,  between  it  and  y'  north 
line  of  Thomas  Stearns'  land."  They  voted  "  that  the  house 
should  be  five  and  thirty  feet  long,  thirty  feet  wide,  and 
eighteen  feet  stud."  Moses  Rice,  Thomas  Stearns,  and 
Joseph  Wilder,  Jr.,  were  chosen  to  agree  with  Thomas  Dick, 
of  Pelham,  "  to  set  up  a  frame  and  finish  said  house  on  the 
outside  and  lay  the  lower  floor."  The  frame  was  set  up  by 
Mr.  Dick  in  the  summer  of  1753,  but  he  did  not  complete  the 
house  that  year.  In  fact,  it  was  never  finished,  although  the 
proprietors  endeavored  to  have  it  done,  and  the  following  year 
"  voted  that  Mr.  Dick  be  notified  to  cover  the  roof  of  the 
meeting-house  with  boards  and  shingles,  and  to  board  the 
gable  ends." 

The  same  year,  1754,  a  minister's  lot  was  set  aside,  near 
this  frame,  "to  be  200  rods  long  and  80  rods  wide."  This 
property  was  located  in  the  southern  part  of  the  present  town 
of  Heath,  the  farm  being  at  present  the  property  of  William 
Bassett.     One  hundred  pounds  were  also  voted  for  jireaching. 

The  troublous  events  of  the  French-and-Indiau  war,  coming 
on  about  this  time,  prevented  anything  further  being  done 
until  May,  1762.     In  that  month  the  proprietors  held  a  meet- 


ing and  appointed  Col.  White,  Joseph  Wilder,  and  Aaron 
Rice  a  committee  "to  see  to  covering  the  meeting-house,  or, 
if  the  former  frame  will  not  do,  to  set  up  a  new  frame  and 
cover  it."  The  committee,  having  decided  that  the  old  frame 
would  not  do,  contracted  with  Mr.  Dick,  in  1762,  to  build  a 
new  house  as  follows  : 

"  Know  all  men  by  these  presents  that  I,  Thomas  Dick,  of  Pelham,  in  the 
County  of  Hampshire,  Innlioliier,  For  ami  in  consideration  of  a  former  obliga- 
tion I  gave  to  Mr.  Othniel  Taylor,  Treasurer  of  Charlemont,  to  builil  a  meeting- 
house in  Charlemont,  do  by  these  i)resents  covenant  and  engage  to  set  up  a 
frame  in  said  town, in  the  pla^e  where  the  old  frame  now  stands,  it  being  Xj  feet 
by  30,  and  18  feet  post,  to  cover  the  outside  with  chamferred  boards  and  the  roof 
witli  boards  and  shingles,  and  put  up  weather  boards,  to  laj'  the  lower  flour  with 
boards  on  sleepers  or  joice  well  supported,  and  to  complete  the  same,  workman 
like,  by  the  last  day  of  September  next.  Otherwise,  on  failure  thereof,  to  pay 
said  Treasurer  26  pounds  for  the  use  of  said  Proprietors.  Thomas  Dick. 

"N.  B.  The  proprietors  are  to  find  boards,  nails,  and  shingles,  and  itnit  /or 
the  rauhuj" 

This  house  was  erected  on  the  site  of  the  old  frame,  but  it, 
too,  was  never  completed,  and  in  1769  it  was  sold  to  Col. 
Asaph  White,  who  removed  it  to  his  farm  near  by,  and  re- 
modeled it  for  a  dwelling,  which  was  long  occupied  by  hira 
and  his  family. 

Meanwhile  the  town  had  become  incorporated,  and  as  there 
was  now  prospect  that  the  taxes  for  the  support  of  the  gospel 
would  be  regularly  levied  and  collected,  measures  were  taken 
to  provide  a  pastor.  Until  this  period  (1766),  preaching  had 
been  supplied  by  various  ministers, — in  1753  by  the  Rev.  C. 
M.  Smith,  of  Hatfield,  and  at  later  periods  by  the  Revs. 
Eleazer  May,  Mr.  Treat,  Mr.  Dickinson,  Mr.  Swan,  Simeon 
Strong,  and  Eliphalet  Huntington.  The  meetings  were  held 
at  the  houses  of  the  principal  inhabitants,  and,  for  a  short 
time,  in  the  unfinished  meeting-house. 

On  the  16th  of  March,  1767,  David  White  was  sent  by  the  town  to  "Waljwlc, 
N.  H.,  to  invite  the  Kev.  Jonathan  Leavitt  to  (ireach  as  a  candidate.  An  invita- 
tion to  settle  as  a  pastor  followed,  and  in  case  of  acceptance  it  was  voted  to  give 
him  "One  hundred  pounds  settlement," — sixty  pounds  the  first  year,  and  forty 
the  second  ;  also  a  salary  as  follows:  "  Fifty  pounds  the  firet  year,  and  to  raise 
two  pounds  a  year  for  five  years,  and  there  to  continue  until  there  are  sixty 
families  in  town  ;  and  to  rise  one  pound  upon  each  family  tliat  shall  be  added 
alwve  sixty  until  it  comes  to  eighty  pounds  a  year,  aud  there  to  remain  during 
his  continuance  with  us  in  the  work  of  the  ministry;  and  likewise  to  find 
him  his  wood." 

Mr.  Leavitt  having  accepted  this  proposition,  Aaron  Rice, 
Othniel  Taylor,  and  Gershom  Hawks  were  appointed  to  pro- 
vide for  his  installation.  It  was  also  agreed  to  build  him  a 
house  on  the  lot  of  100  acres  before  mentioned,  and  to  wh  ich 
he  was  entitled  as  the  first  minister  in  town.  The  church, 
probably,  was  organized  about  this  time,  September,  1767,  and 
had  as  its  deacons  Aaron  Rice  and  Gershom  Hawks.  The  in- 
stallation, which  took  place  soon  after,  was  preceded  by  a  sol- 
emn fast,  and  was  closed  with  feasting  and  rejoicing,  according 
to  the  custom  of  that  day.  The  pastor,  the  Rev.  Jonathan 
Leavitt,  was  a  native  of  Sutfield,  Conn.,  had  graduated  at  Yale 
in  1758,  and  was  ordained  to  the  ministry  at  Walpole,  N.  H., 
from  which  place  he  was  dismissed  in  1765.  His  sermons 
were  learned,  and  it  is  said  that  his  prayers  were  incredibly 
long.  A  fellow-minister  said  of  him ;  "  He  dressed  in  the 
costume  of  his  day,  wore  a  great  white  wig  and  a  cocked-up 
hat,  making  an  elegant  appearance.  He  could  do  more  exe- 
cution with  one  nod  of  his  wig  than  you  or  I  could  talking 
half  an  hour."  He  remained  with  the  church  until  its  dissolu- 
tion, about  1785,  and  died  in  Heath  in  1801. 

Before  the  settlement  of  Mr.  Leavitt  the  town  had  decided 
to  build  a  new  meeting-house.  Aug.  8,  1767,  it  was  "  voted 
to  build  another  meeting-house,  half-way  from  the  one  already 
built  to  Mr.  David  White's  dwelling-house,  or  the  nearest 
convenient  place  thereto,  45  feet  long,  35  feet  wide,  and  20 
feet  posts."  Aaron  Rice,  Jonathan  Taylor,  and  Jonathan 
Hastings  were  appointed  "to  settle  the  place,"  and  Aaron 
Rice,  David  White,  and  Timothy  Thayer  to  oversee  and  carry 
on  the  meeting-house.  It  was  occupied  in  the  fall  of  17G',t, 
but  was  not  completed  before  1772.     In  that  year,  Samuel 


716 


HISTORY  OF  THE  CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


Hunt,  Asaph  White,  and  Asahel  Thayer  were  selected  hy  the 
town  to  iinish  it.  In  the  division  of  Charlemont  the  house 
fell  within  the  bounds  of  Heath,  and  that  town  took  the 
building  to  Heath  hamlet  in  1789,  where  it  was  used  as  a 
meeting-house  until  1833. 

No  records  having  been  preserved,  it  is  not  possible  to  give 
a  full  history  of  the  church  over  which  Mr.  Leavitt  presided 
about  fifteen  years,  and  of  which  he  was  the  only  pastor. 
Various  causes  tended  to  bring  it  to  an  end.  Some  accused 
Mr.  Leavitt  of  Arminianism,  and  others  questioned  his  loyalty 
to  the  patriot  cause ;  but  it  is  probable  that  neither  was  the 
case.  It  is  more  likely  that  the  people  found  it  inconvenient 
to  pay  him  his  salary,  and  for  that  reason  wished  to  termi- 
nate his  pastorate.  It  appears  that  he  was  not  willing  to 
have  his  pastoral  relations  dissolved  until  his  arrearages  were 
paid  and  their  supposed  grievances  had  been  submitted  to 
a  regular  council  of  the  neighboring  churches.  The  town, 
however,  assumed  the  right  to  dismiss  Mr.  Leavitt,  and  in 
1780  approved  the  action  of  the  selectmen  in  shutting  up  the 
meeting-house,  so  that  Mr.  Leavitt  could  no  longer  preach 
from  its  pulpit.  But  he  continued  his  ministrations  in  the 
school-house  near  by  and  at  his  own  house,  and  when  the  town 
would  not  agree  to  a  proper  settlement,  he  sued  to  recover  his 
salary.  It  was  awarded  him  by  the  Supreme  Court,  which 
held  the  inability  of  the  town  to  dismiss  a  minister  without 
the  consent  and  concurrence  of  an  ecclesiastical  council. 

These  unfortunate  dissensions  had  a  depressing  eifect  on  the 
religious  interests  of  the  town,  causing  the  dissolution  of  the 
church  and  preventing,  for  several  years,  the  formation  of  a 
new  society.  For  about  three  years  the  town  had  no  church 
within  its  bounds,  but  on  the  6th  of  June,  1788,  was  organized 
what  became  known  as 

THE    FIRST   CONGRKQATIONAL    CHURCH    IN    CHARLEMONT. 

It  embraced  originally  10  members,  and  the  council  which 
organized  it  was  composed  of  the  Kevs.  Nehemiah  Porter, 
John  Emerson,  and  Koger  Newton,  who  were  in  session  three 
days.  In  the  fall  of  1788  the  church-roll  contained  the  names 
of  Gershom  Hawks,  Elizabeth  Nichols,  William  Negus,  Oli- 
ver Avery,  Martha  Taylor,  Fanny  Brooks,  Jesse  Reed,  Eli- 
phalet  Cutting,  Mary  Taylor,  Dorothy  Leonard,  Joanna 
Crocker,  Esther  Rice,  Samuel  Kice,  Dorothy  Rice,  Freedom 
Bice,  Joshua  Hawks,  Reuben  Hawks,  Abigail  Avery,  William 
Rush,  Hannah  Thayer,  Aaron  Rice,  Sylvanus  Rice,  Jonathan 
Hastings,  Champion  Crocker,  Paul  Kice,  Dinah  Rice,  Abigail 
Thayer,  Jonathan  Hawks,  Samuel  Peirce,  Abigail  Peirce, 
John  Ellis,  Ruth  Peirce,  Miriam  Peirce,  Andrew  Rudd, 
James  Fales,  Nathan  Gould,  Martha  Gould,  Josiah  White, 
Rebecca  White,  Aaron  Gould,  Lydia  Gould,  Abel  Wilder, 
E.  W.  Farland,  Josiah  Upton,  Joseph  Upton,  Nathaniel 
Upton,  Ebenezer  Green,  and  Phebe  Green.  Of  this  church, 
too,  Aaron  Rice  and  Gershom  Hawks  were  the  first  deacons, 
and  Aaron  Rice  the  church  clerk.  In  1796,  Ebenezer  Fales 
was  elected  deacon,  and  at  a  later  date  Abel  Wilder  was 
ordained  to  the  same  otBce. 

As  early  as  1786  the  town  took  steps  to  build  a  new  meeting- 
house at  some  central  point.  Joshua  Hawks,  Artemas  Rice, 
and  George  Kennan  were  appointed  to  select  a  site.  They 
reported  a  suitable  place  between  Artemas  Rice's  and  John 
Brooke's,  and  it  was  voted  that  the  house  have  the  same 
dimensions  as  the  old  one, — the  Heath  meeting-house.  The 
house  was  located  about  two  miles  east  of  the  village,  and  was 
erected  under  the  direction  of  Thomas  Nichols,  Gershom 
Hawks,  and  Othniel  Taylor.  It  was  not  wholly  finished  until 
1804.  In  that  year  the  committee  reported  their  work  com- 
pleted, and  that  they  had  rented  31  pews  below,  and  16  in  the 
gallery  of  the  church.  This  house  was  used  as  a  place  of 
worship  until  184-5,  when  the  present  edifice  in  the  village  of 
Charlemont  was  erected.  In  that  year  42  members  withdrew 
to  form  a  church  at  East  Charlemont,  and  for  a  number  of 


years  the  town  maintained  two  flourishing  Congregational 
Churches.  Then  followed  a  season  of  declining  interest, 
leaving  the  parent  church  often  in  a  struggling  condition. 
At  present  it  is  again  fairly  prosperous,  and,  in  1878,  reported 
31  male  and  66  female  members. 

The  Rev.  Isaac  Babbitt  was  settled  as  the  first  pastor  of  the 
church,  Feb.  24,  1796,  and  was  dismissed  June  7,  1798.  He 
was  a  native  of  Easton,  Conn.,  graduated  at  Dartmouth  in 
1783,  and  studied  theology  with  Dr.  Burroughs.  He  was  a 
strict  Calvinist,  a  plain  but  not  a  forcible  preacher. 

The  second  pastor  of  the  church  was  the  Rev.  Joseph  Field, 
who  was  installed  Dec.  4,  1799,  and  dismissed  July  10,  1823. 
He  was  born  in  Sunderland  in  1772,  graduated  at  Dartmouth 
in  1792,  and  entered  the  ministry  soon  after.  He  married  a 
daughter  of  the  Rev.  John  Emerson,  of  Conway.  He  was 
the  author  of  several  valuable  books,  one  of  the  best  known 
being  a  "Treatise  on  the  Trinity."  While  pastor  of  the 
church  he  embraced  Unitarianism,  and  was  dismissed  on  ac- 
count of  his  views.  He  remained  in  town  until  his  death, 
representing  Charlemont  in  the  Legislature  seven  terms,  after 
1828,  and  occasionally  supplying  the  pulpit  of  the  Unitarian 
Church. 

The  Rev.  Wales  Tileston  was  ordained  the  third  pastor, 
March  16,  1825,  and  dismissed  March  22,  1837.  He  was  a 
native  of  Williamsburg,  graduated  at  Union  College  in  1822, 
at  Andover  in  1823,  and  began  preaching  soon  after.  His 
ministry  at  Charlemont  was  blessed  with  many  conversions. 

The  fourth  pastor,  the  Rev.  Stephen  T.  Allen,  was  ordained 
April  18, 1838,  and  dismissed  April  24,  1839.  He  was  a  native 
of  Heath,  graduated  at  Amherst  in  1833,  and,  after  leaving 
Charlemont,  became  the  editor  of  Merry's  Museum. 

The  Rev.  John  D.  Smith  was  ordained  Nov.  20,  1839,  dis- 
missed Aug.  11,  1844,  resettled  June  21,  1848,  and  again  dis- 
missed May  19,  1852.  He  was  born  in  1812,  graduated  at 
Yale  in  1832,  studied  theology  at  New  Haven  and  Andover,  ' 
and  began  to  preach  soon  after.  He  was  a  son  of  Nathan 
Smith,  31. D.,*  and  himself  became  a  physician.  After  his 
dismission  he  lived  in  Charlemont,  and  represented  the  town 
in  the  Legislature. 

The  Rev.  Mathew  Kingman  was  ordained  the  next  pastor, 
June  6,  1854,  and  was  dismissed  Dec.  24,  1861.  He  was  a  man 
of  ability  and  worth,  but  the  church  had  become  too  weak  to 
longer  retain  him. 

The  church  was  supplied  with  preaching  for  the  next  six 
years  by  the  Revs.  W.  F.  Bacon  and  A.  P.  Johnson.  May 
21,  1867,  the  Rev.  Benjamin  W.  Pond  was  installed,  and  re- 
signed April  17,  1870. 

The  Rev.  P.  K.  Clark  was  next  installed,  Aug.  16,  1871, 
and  died  while  pastor  of  the  church,  Jan.  6,  1872.  He  was 
interred  at  South  Deerfield,  where  he  formerly  served  as  a 
pastor,  leaving  a  wife,  son,  and  two  daughters,  surviving 
members  of  his  family. 

The  Rev.  Henry  G.  Marshall  was  installed  as  his  successor, 
Sept.  4,  1872,  and  was  dismissed  June  18,  1877.  The  Rev. 
Rufus  Taylor  then  supplied  the  pulpit  four  months  ;  and  since 
April  21,  1878,  Rev.  Lincoln  Harlow  has  been  acting  pastor. 

Besides  those  mentioned  as  supplies  of  the  church,  the  Revs. 
John  Tatlock,  George  Lj'man,  T.  J.  Clarke,  Edward  Clarke, 
Levi  Packard,  and  Samuel  Fisk  have  served  in  that  capacity. 

The  clerk  and  treasurer  of  the  church  in  1878  was  J.  H. 
Smead,  and  the  pi'udential  committee  was  composed  of  J.  H. 
Smead,  A.  W.  Leonard,  and  E.  F.  Loiig.  The  number  of 
resident  members  was  75,  and  a  Sunday-school,  having  85 
members,  was  maintained.     M.  M.  Mantor,  superintendent. 

THE  CONGREGATIONAL   CHURCH   OF  CHRIST  IN    EAST    CHARLE- 
MONT. 

This  body  was  organized  Aug.  6,  1845,  with  43  members, 
nearly  all  of  whom  had  withdrawn  from  the  old  church  for 

*  See  medical  chapter,  History  of  Hampden  County. 


HISTORY   OF   FRANKLIN   COUNTY. 


717 


this  purpose.  The  first  meetings  were  held  in  the  school- 
house,  and  the  Kev.  Nathaniel  A.  Keys  supplied  the  church 
with  preaching.  He  had  previously  been  a  missionary  to 
Syria.  In  1847  the  church  erected  its  present  meeting-house, 
whose  attractiveness  and  exterior  appearance  are  equal  to  the 
average  country  churches  in  this  part  of  the  State,  and  has 
since  occupied  it  for  public  worship.  On  the  17th  of  March, 
that  year,  the  Rev.  Moses  H.  Wilder  was  installed  the  first 
pastor,  and  continued  that  relation  until  Oct.  3,  1848.  He 
was  a  native  of  Winchendon,  Mass.,  and  was  licensed  to  preach 
in  Indiana  in  1831.  For  a  number  of  years  he  was  a  success- 
ful missionary  of  the  Home  Society,  and  labored  as  an  agent 
of  various  benevolent  associations. 

After  a  vacancy  of  a  little  more  than  a  year,  the  Rev.  Aaron 
Foster  was  installed  the  second  pastor,  Feb.  13,  1850,  and  was 
dismissed  3Iarch  19,  1870,  on  account  of  ill  health.  He  was 
born  in  Hillsboro',  N.  H.,  March  19,  1794,  and  reared  accord- 
ing to  the  practices  of  the  Friends.  In  1822  he  graduated  at 
Dartmouth,  finished  his  studies  at  Andover  in  1825,  and  was 
ordained  an  evangelist  in  that  year.  After  laboring  in  the 
South  as  a  missionary,  and  in  the  North  as  a  pastor,  he  became 
the  agent  of  the  American  Peace  Society  in  1844,  and  in 
1851  was  a  delegate  to  the  World's  Peace  Convention  in 
London.  In  18.53  he  was  a  member  of  the  Massachusetts 
Constitutional  Convention,  and  subsequently  held  other  pub- 
lic trusts,  discharging  their  duties  with  marked  ability. 

His  pastorate  was  very  successful,  and  under  his  ministra- 
tion the  church  greatly  prospered. 

In  1870  the  church  was  supplied  for  six  months  by  the  Rev. 
Thomas  Smith,  and  four  months  by  the  Rev.  Daniel  Savage. 

In  the  spring  of  1871  the  Rev.  Elijah  Cutler  became  con- 
nected with  the  church  as  a  supply,  and  served  in  that  con- 
'nection  until  1873.  In  May,  1873,  the  Rev.  Wellington 
Newell  received  a  call  to  the  pastorate,  and  Sept.  3d,  of  the  same 
year,  was  installed.  He  filled  the  pastoral  office  until  Sept. 
18,  1877,  and  since  that  period  Rev.  L.  C.  Guild  has  supplied 
this  church  in  connection  with  the  one  in  Buckland. 

The  deacons  of  the  church  have  been  Sylvester  Maxwell 
and  Elihu  Smead,  elected  Aug.  29,  1845;  Zenos  L.  Parker, 
Phineas  Field,  L.  Rice,  R.  H.  Leavitt,  Levi  Smith,  George 
Hillman,  David  Avery,  and  Edward  H.  Leavitt. 

A  Sundaj'-school  of  40  members  is  maintained.  In  1878, 
Emery  F.  Packard  was  the  superintendent. 

The  following  Congregational  ministers,  with  one  exception, 
were  born  in  Charleniont :  the  Kev.  James  Ballard,  who  was 
born  in  town  in  1805,  graduated  at  Williams  in  1827,  and, 
after  being  a  teacher  ten  years,  studied  theology,  and  was 
licensed  to  preach  in  1837.  After  a  number  of  years  of  min- 
isterial labor  he  settled  at  Grand  Rapids,  Mich.,  and  again 
engaged  in  teaching. 

Rev.  Roswell  Hawks  was  born  in  Charlemont  in  1788, 
graduated  at  Williams  in  1811,  and  was  ordained  to  the  min- 
istry in  1815. 

Rev.  Theron  M.  Hawks  was  born  Oct.  24,  1821,  graduated 
at  Williams  in  1844,  and  finished  his  studies  at  Union  Theo- 
logical Seminary,  New  York  City,  afterward  becoming  a 
teacher  there. 

Rev.  Lemuel  Leonard  was  born  in  town  Nov.  23,  1812, 
was  at  Amherst  from  1830-32,  and  was  licensed  to  preach  in 
1^38. 

Rev.  Daniel  Rice  was  born  in  Conway,  Oct.  13,  1816,  but 
his  parents  removed  to  Charlemont  in  1818,  and  he  lived  there 
till  manhood.  He  graduated  at  Amherst  in  1837,  and  finished 
his  theological  studies  at  Lane,  Ohio,  in  1842. 

CHARLEMONT   BAPTIST   CHURCH. 

The  exact  date  of  the  organization  of  this  body  cannot  be 
determined  from  the  society  records.  By  some  the  time  is 
fixed  as  early  as  1791,  but  it  is  probable  that  it  was  a  few 
years  later.     In  1800,  Elder  John  Green  is  mentioned  as  the 


minister  who  agreed,  three  years  later,  to  build  a  meeting- 
house. This  was  erected  about  a  mile  west  of  the  village, 
and  in  1819  was  removed  to  its  present  location.  In  1805, 
the  church-roll  contained  the  following  names  : 

Iclialiod  Packard,  Wm.  Williams,  Fitch  Comstock,  Jonathan  Comstock,  Elisha 
Pike,  Moses  Barber,  Ebenezer  Williams,  Ebenezer  Montague,  David  G.  Chnrch, 
Phineaa  W.  Hart%Yell,  Jacob  Hunt,  Jr.,  Jason  Fuller,  Samuel  Riddel,  Hezekjah 
Ilastiugs,  Elijah  Steel,  Samuel  Rathbone,  Samuel  Hale,  John  Frary,  Edward 
Beckwith,  Zenos  .\twoud,  Jacob  Hunt,  Wm.  W.  Fit<h,  .\ndrew  Sniitb,  Ephraim 
Church,  Edward  Giles,  John  Giles,  John  Barber,  Benjamin  Comstock,  Samuel 
Ford,  Elihu  Hawks,  Giles  Farrer,  Silaa  Beckwith,  Abigail  Hastings,  Wm.  "Wil- 
liams, Jr.,  Asa  Paine,  Ephraim  Hale,  Joseph  Hawley,  Samuel  Xegus,  Jr.,  Samp- 
son Spaulding,  Wm.  Middleditch,  Elihu  Booth,  Aaron  Bass,  Joseph  Nast,  Jonah 
Hill,  Hannah  Hawks,  Nathan  Lyon,  Jr.,  Jonathan  Crosby,  Nathaniel  White, 
Alonzo  Reed,  Wm.  Green,  Thomas  Ault,  Thomas  Goodenough,  Nathaniel  Cobb, 
Timothy  Stearns,  Julius  "Willard,  Rufus  Hawks,  Ezekiel  Edgerton,  Jonathan 
Hartw  ell,  John  C<pbb,  Jonathan  Hawks,  Silas  Shirtlif,  Moses  Stanford,  Wm.  Hart- 
well,  Uzziel  Simons,  James  Briggfl,  Ebenezer  Upton,  Rodolfus  Nichols,  Martin 
Howard,  Christopher  Shippee,  Jr.,  John  Pike,  Charles  AVinchester,  Billey  John- 
son, Timothy  Knowlton,  Ichabod  Hill,  Samuel  P.  Nims,  Nathaniel  Rice,  Silas 
Pratt,  Noah  Parsons,  Isiiac  Cooper,  Valentine  Goodenough,  Jonathan  Thompson, 
Calvin  Hawley,  Nathan  Shippee,  Israel  Hawks,  Joseph  Edgerton,  Jr.,  Eliphalet 
Tliayer,  Benjamin  Harris,  Barins  Edgerton,  Benoni  Flagg,  Zebina  Hastings, 
Orin  Kegel's,  Bennet  Edson,  Reuben  Farley,  Jonas  Leonard,  Wra,  .\rms,  Stephen 
Sprague,  John  Howes,  John  Fisher,  Alpheus  Clark,  Jonathan  Howard,  Eliab 
Leach,  Ruel  Thayer,  Caleb  Hill,  Valentine  W.  Rathbone,  Rufus  Hawks,  James 
A.  Riddle,  Lot  C^ittle,  Fairbanks  Dart,  John  Giles,  Ebenezer  Beckwith,  Nathan- 
iel Green,  Asa  P.  Church,  Philemon  W.  Frost,  Moses  W.  Ward,  Isaac  J.  Hawks, 
Alvah  Pike,  Rufus  Bardwell,  Josiah  Upton,  David  Harris,  Jonathan  Weston, 
John  Luscombe. 

The  aggregate  membership  of  the  church  has  been  about 
250.  In  1819,  when  the  meeting-house  was  removed,  there 
were  60  members.  In  1878  there  were  73  reported.  The  Sun- 
day-school had  60  members,  and  N.  B.  Ballard  was  superin- 
tendent. 

As  near  as  can  be  ascertained,  the  first  deacons  of  the  church 
were  Ebenezer  Williams,  Jonathan  Hawks,  and  William 
Hartwell.  The  subsequent  deacons  have  been  David  Harris, 
Jonathan  Ballard,  Edmund  Hartwell,  Jonathan  Hartwell, 
Nathan  A.  Ballard,  Chandler  A.  Brown,  and  N.  B.  Ballard. 

The  first  pastor  of  the  church  was  the  Rev.  John  Green, 
who  remained  until  1803.  He  was  succeeded  by  Elders 
Wheeler  and  Palmer,  and,  in  1806,  hy  Elder  Ebenezer  Hall. 
In  1807  the  Rev.  Rathbone  preached,  and  soon  after  the  Rev. 
Samuel  Carpenter.  In  1816  the  Rev.  Nathaniel  Rice  assumed 
the  pastoral  relation,  and  was  with  the  church  until  April,  1824. 
For  a  time  the  pulpit  was  supplied  by  the  Revs.  Savory,  Ab- 
bott, Goodnow,  and  Trumbull,  but  in  October,  1827,  the  Rev. 
N.  McCullock  became  the  pastor,  and  continued  until  1830. 
His  succe.ssor  was  the  Rev.  D.  Dunbar,  and  from  1831-33  the 
Rev.  David  Pease  was  the  pastor.  In  1836  the  Rev.  Amherst 
Lamb  was  installed,  and  was  dismissed  in  April,  1845.  Since 
that  period  the  pastors  and  ministers  of  the  church  have  been 
as  follows:  184:5-49,  Rev.  B.  F.  Remington;  1850-51,  Rev. 
James  Parker  ;  18-52-54,  Rev.  Harvey  Crowley  ;  1860,  Rev. 
John  Fairman  ;  1861,  Nathaniel  Chapman;  1864-65,  Rev.  C. 
Brooks ;  1866,  Rev.  Washington  S.  Coburn  ;  1869,  Rev. 
Alfred  Free  ;  1872,  Rev.  James  Monroe ;  1873-77,  Kev.  H.  V. 
Baker ;  1877-78,  Rev.  J.  H.  Parmelee ;  and  since  Sept.  9, 
1878,  Rev.  C.  J.  Wilson. 

In  addition  to  the  foregoing,  the  Revs.  James  M.  Cooley, 
K.  P.  Hartley,  S.  Bentley,  M.  J.  Kelley,  Abijah  Hall,  and  a 
few  others  have  supplied  the  pulpit. 

The  Rev.  Philander  Hartwell,  a  Baptist,  was  a  native  of 
Charlemont. 

CHARLEMONT   METHODIST   EPISCOPAL   CHURCH. 

It  is  supposed  that  Methodist  meetings  were  held  in  this 
town  as  early  as  1806,  but  it  does  not  appear  that  a  class  was 
formed  or  an  organization  effected  until  1825.  In  that  year 
the  preachers  laboring  on  the  Rowe  circuit  gathered  a  few 
members  into  a  class  on  Legate  Hill,  and  supplied  them  with 
preaching  as  occasion  permitted.  The  work  prospered,  and  in 
1831  Charlemont  became  a  part  of  the  Gill  circuit,  with  a 
regular  preaching-place  at  the  house  of  Chester  Upton,  in 


718 


HISTOKY  OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


Gould  Hollow,  near  the  south  line  of  Heath.  At  this  time 
the  Kev.  William  Todd  was  the  preacher  in  charge.  The  Uni- 
tarian meeting-house,  south  of  this  place,  was  next  occupied, 
and  after  much  difficulty  the  brick  school-house  at  the  village 
was  secured,  as  a  place  for  the  meetings  of  the  Methodists, 
whose  membership  was  increasing  rapidly.  In  1833  a  great 
revival  occurred,  from  which  the  church  received  50  additions, 
and,  the  school-house  becoming  too  small  to  accommodate  the 
congregation,  the  use  of  the  Baptist  meeting-house  was  se- 
cured, and  it  was  occupied  a  short  time ;  but  in  1834  the  frame 
of  a  meeting-house,  38  by  44  feet,  was  put  up  on  the  site  of 
the  present  edifice  and  supplied  with  rough  seats,  and  wor- 
ship was  maintained  until  1837,  when  it  was  fully  completed, 
and  consecrated  by  the  Kev.  K.  Ransom. 

The  several  classes  were  about  this  time  constituted  the 
Charleraont  circuit,  embracing  appointments  in  other  towns. 
Six  years  later  the  church  began  extending  its  work  into  the 
adjoining  country,  and  the  following  year  these  efforts  were 
attended  by  a  revival  in  Heath,  whereby  from  70  to  80  persons 
were  converted ;  and  in  Charleniont  40  more  were  converted 
the  same  year. 

In  1849  a  class  of  Methodists  was  formed  at  East  Charle- 
mont,  and,  with  those  coming  from  Heath,  the  member.ship  was 
now  increased  to  168.  The  following  ten  years  was  a  period 
of  encouraging  prosperity,  firmly  establishing  the  church.  In 
1861  one  of  the  members,  Rosetta  H.  Maj'hew,  presented  the 
society  with  a  house  and  lot  for  a  parsonage,  which  was  made 
habitable  by  the  Rev.  R.  Mitchell,  at  that  time  the  preacher 
in  charge.  But  the  prosperity  of  the  church  was  destined  to 
be  checked  in  the  same  year.  In  the  winter  the  meeting- 
house, which  had  but  a  short  time  before  been  placed  in  good 
repair,  was  burned  to  the  ground,  inflicting  a  heavy  loss  on 
the  society.  The  following  summer  the  unoccupied  Unitarian 
meeting-house  was  purchased  and  moved  to  the  site  of  the  old 
edifice,  and  in  a  remodeled  state  is  the  present  house  of  wor- 
ship. For  a  number  of  years  the  condition  of  the  society  was 
not  prosperous,  on  account  of  the  expenses  attending  the  erec- 
tion of  the  new  church,  and  the  membership  became  reduced  ; 
but  in  1868  there  was  again  an  encouraging  increase,  the 
fruits  of  a  revival.  In  1878  the  number  of  members  was  re- 
ported as  00.  The  church  was  valued  at  $2-500,  and  the  par- 
sonage at  $1000.  The  trustees  were  R.  R.  Edwards,  J.  M. 
Wheeler,  E.  E.  Warfield,  W.  S.  Warfiekl,  W.  E.  Niles,  H. 
Temple,  and  1).  A.  Veber.  The  present  pastor  is  the  Rev.  J. 
W.  Cole,  and  the  superintendent  of  the  Sunday-school  J.  M. 
Wheeler. 

The  Methodist  preachers  in  Charlemont,  from  the  organ- 
ization of  the  first  class  to  the  present,  have  been  the  fol- 
lowing: The  Revs.  Samuel  Eighmy,  John  Nixon,  A.  Har- 
lin,  E.  Andrews,  J.  B.  Husted,  E.  Crawford,  J.  C.  Bonticou, 
S.  H.  Sizer,  William  Todd,  A.  C.  Bosworth,  Windsor  Ward, 
Horace  Moulton,  E.  P.  Stevens,  Samuel  Heath,  D.  K.  Ban- 
nister, William  Kimball,  C.  Hayward,  W.  Willcutt,  Lyman 
Wing,  J.  W.  Lewis,  W.  Taylor,  E.  Bugbee,  E.  K.  Avery, 
C.  C.  Barnes,  Proctor  Marsh,  L.  Frost,  Porter  R.  Sawyer, 
David  Mason,  G-.  W.  Green,  Moses  Palmer,  William  Bard- 
well,  E.  A.  Manning,  Ichabod  Marcy,  Amasa  Taylor,  A.  A. 
Cook,  David  K.  Merrill,  William  Pentecost,  John  Goodwin, 
George  McNamara,  Rufus  Gerrish,  Samuel  Jackson,  Charles 
Morse,  William  B.  Fowlman,  R.  Mitchell,  C.  N.  Merrifield, 
John  H.  Gaj'lord,  John  Cadwell,  George  E.  Chapman,  Icha- 
bod Marcy,  W.  T.  Miller,  and  J.  W.  Cole. 

Among  the  Methodist  ministers  who  were  natives  of  Charle- 
mont have  been  the  Revs.  Daniel  Graves,  Philo  Hawks, 
David  L.  Winslow,  Otis  Legate,  and  William  Legate. 

THE   INDEPENDENT   CONGREGATIONAL   SOCIETY  (UNITARIAN) 

OF    CHARLEMONT 
was   formally   organized    March,    1825,    with    the   following 
officers:  Joseph   P.  Allen,  Moderator;  Anderson    Mayhew, 


Clerk  ;  Samuel  Rice,  Treasurer  ;  Holmes  Mayhew,  Joel  Hall, 
George  Mayhew,  Assessors;  Samuel  Potter,  Collector ^  Jo- 
seph P.  Allen,  Anson  Mayhew,  Joel  Hall,  Committee  on  Mem- 
bership; and  Anson  Mayhew,  Thomas  Mayhew,  Eugene  Field, 
Committee  on  Preaching. 

In  1830  the  society  had  sixty-four  contributing  members, 
among  them  being 

Koswell  Rice,  Samuel  Ford,  Enistua  Rice,  Samuel  Putter,  Njlthaniel  Unm- 
mouJ,  Joel  H.all,  Nichola-s  Graves,  Gersliom  Howes,  Amos  Avery,  Elihu  Avery, 
Eli  Thayer,  David  Clements,  Seth  Nichols,  Chester  Rice,  Washington  Hill,  Hart 
Rice,  John  Mayhew,  Samuel  Rice,  Eugene  Field,  John  Steel,  Constant  Fiehi, 
John  Ninis,  David  Smith,  Isaac  Allis,  Rufus  Barber,  Pardon  Haynes,  Josiah 
Judd,  0.  Bingham,  Josiah  Pratt,  John  Pike,  Jonathan  Howard,  Moses  Cole, 
Luther  Parker,  George  Winslow,  Chester  Marsh,  Benjamin  Allba,  Matthew  R. 
Fuller,  Calvin  Jolinson,  and  Aaron  C.  HammoDd. 

About  this  period  (1830)  a  house  of  wor.ship  was  erected 
near  the  cemetery,  in  the  centre  of  the  town,  in  which  meet- 
ings were  held  with  greater  or  less  regularity  until  about  1850. 
After  that  it  stood  unoccupied  until  the  summer  of  1861,  when 
it  was  sold  to  the  Methodists  of  Charlemont,  who  moved  it  to 
the  village  for  the  use  of  their  denomination.  Since  that 
period  a  few  Unitarian  meetings  have  been  held,  but  the 
organization  of  the  society  is  no  longer  maintained.  The  last 
regular  meeting  was  held  July  27,  1869,  and  was  presided  over 
by  Eugene  Field  ;  Henry  Bassett  was  chosen  clerk. 

Among  the  clergy  who  have  ministered  to  the  society  have 
been  the  Revs.  Joseph  Field,  C.  Nightingale,  William  Gush- 
ing, Benjamin  Parsons,  George  F.  Clarke,  R.  Bacon,  Hervey, 
and  Emerson.  The  clergymen  of  this  faith,  natives  of  Char- 
lemont, have  been  the  Revs.  William  Barber  and  Joseph 
Barber. 

CEMETERIES. 
The  oldest  burying-ground  in  town  is  a  little  west  of  Charle-  _ 
mont  village,  on  the  hill-slope,  overlooking  the  surrounding 
country.  Here  are  buried  the  men  massacred  by  the  Indians, 
half  a  mile  east,  in  1755,  and  others  interred  subsequently  to 
the  number  of  a  dozen,  chiefly  members  of  the  Rice  family. 
A  plain  tombstone,  engraved  after  the  rude  manner  of  those 
days,  is  inscribed, 

"In Memory  of  Cap*  Moses  Rico,  who  was  kill'd  by  the  Indians  in  this  place, 
June  y«  11th,  1755,  in  yo  61»t  year  of  his  ago,  and  lies  at  the  right  hand."  "  lu 
Memory  of  M'  Phineas  Arms,  who  wua  kill'd  by  the  Indians  in  this  place,  Juno 
y"  ll**",  1755,  in  y«  24''i  year  of  his  age,  and  lies  at  the  left  hand." 

This  event  is  better  commemorated  by  a  square  granite 
monument,  about  12  feet  high,  which  was  erected  over  their 
graves  in  1872,  by  Orlando  B.  Potter,  of  New  York,  a  native 
of  Charlemont,  and  a  descendant  of  Capt.  Rice  on  the  female 
side.     On  the  south  face  of  the  monument  is  this  inscription  : 

"Capt.  Moses  Rice, 

the  first  settler  of 

Charlemont. 

Born  at  Sudbury,  Oct.  27, 1694. 

M.  .Sarah  King,  of  S., 

Nov.  16,  1719, 

Remove'l  to  Charlemont  1742, 

Killed  by  the  Indians 

June  11, 1755." 

The  west  face  is  devoted  to  Phineas  Arms,  and  the  remain- 
ing sides  to  the  Rice  family. 

In  this  ground  is  also  a  plain  stone, 

"  Sacred  to  the  memory  of  Deacon  Aaron  Rice  and  Freedom,  his  wife,  who, 
having  sustained  the  hardships  of  an  infant  frontier  settlement  in  time  of  war, 
having  reared  a  family  of  eleven  children,  ei-v  of  whom  are  interred  in  this 
ground,  and  lived  together  in  happy  wedlock  fifty  years,  departed  this  life,  the 
first,  Dec.  9, 1808,  aged  eighty-four ;  and  the  other,  Sept.  15, 1809,  aged  seventy- 
nine. 

"  '  Write,  Blessed  are  the  dead  which  die  in  tho  Lord.'  " 

A  few  years  ago  tho  town  appointed  a  committee  to  inclose 
this  ground  with  a  stone  fence,  but  this  has  not  yet  been 
done. 

The  oldest  public  cemetery  is  about  two  miles  east  of  the 
village,  and  was  presented  to  the  town  before  1771  by  Col. 
Jonathan  White.     It  has  been  inclosed  by  a  substantial  stone 


HISTORY   OF   FRANKLIN   COUNTY. 


719 


fence,  and  its  general  appearance  is  quite  attractive.  In  the 
same  locality  is  another  cemetery,  and  at  East  Charlemont, 
by  the  church,  is  a  well-kept  place  of  interment.  At  the  vil- 
lage of  Charlemont  is  a  tine  burying-ground,  and  west  of  this 
place,  toward  and  near  Zoar,  are  three  more  small  cemeteries, 
making  eight  in  all  in  the  town.  This  large  number  has  pre- 
vented any  of  them  from  being  as  neatly  kept  as  they  might 
be  under  more  favorable  circumstances,  yet  none  of  them  are 
suifering  from  neglect. 

MILITARY. 

On  the  I8th  of  January,  177.3,  Othniel  Taylor  was  commis- 
sioned captain  of  a  military  company  organized  in  Charle- 
mont. The  loss  of  the  muster-roll  prevents  us  from  giving 
the  names  of  the  members,  but  no  doubt  they  were  essentially 
the  same  as  those  given  elsewhere  as  settlers. 

The  questions  agitating  the  country  during  several  years 
before  the  stirring  events  of  the  Revolution  received  proper 
consideration  in  Charlemont.  On  the  4th  of  October,  1773, 
a  meeting  was  held  "  to  take  into  consideration  the  melancholy 
state  of  the  province  of  Massachusetts  Bay,  occasioned  by  the 
unnatural  oppression  of  the  parent  state  of  this  province." 
After  deliberation  the  town  declared  its  "  respect  for  the 
sacred  person,  crown,  and  dignity  of  our  right  and  lawful 
sovereign,  King  George  the  Third,"  and  that  they  harbored 
no  thought  of  separating  from  the  parent  state;  but  they  set 
forth  their  grievances,  as  follows  : 

'*  That  the  inhabitants  of  tliis  town  hold  sacred  our  excellent  Constitution,  so 
dearly  jiurchased  by  our  forefathers  ;  that  we  also  hold  dear  our  possessions,  so 
dearly  purchased  by  ourselves,  when,  to  settle  this  town,  and  make  it  more 
advantageous  to  his  ministry,  and  profitable  to  ourselves  and  posterity,  we  have 
been  alarmed  by  the  yells  of  the  savage  about  our  ears,  and  been  shocked  with 
scenes  of  our  dearest  friends  and  nearest  relatives  butchered,  scalped,  and  cap- 
tivated before  our  eyes ;  we,  our  wives,  and  children  forced  to  fly  to  garrison  for 
safety.  Therefore,  we  must  hold  the  man  in  the  greatest  scorn  and  contempt 
who  shall  endeavor  to  rob  us  either  of  liberty  or  property,  and  that  we  look 
upon  it  as  a  great  frown  of  Almighty  God  to  permit  a  man  to  govern  us  who 
seems  so  much  bent  to  ruin  the  people." 

They  concluded  with  a  prayer  for  repentance  "of  all  our 
sins,  especially  those  that  pulldown  such  a  heavy  judgment 
on  us  as  an  oppressive  governor." 

After  the  report  was  "repeatedly  read,"  it  was  unanimously 
adopted,  recorded  in  the  town  book,  and  a  copy  forwarded  to 
the  committee  of  correspondence  at  Boston. 

March  11,  1776,  Sylvanus  Rice,  Asaph  White,  John  Brooks, 
Jonathan  Hastings,  Artemas  Rice,  Aaron  Rice,  James  Mc- 
Kennan,  William  Brown,  Oliver  Avery,  Othniel  Taylor, 
James  White,  and  Nahum  Ward  were  appointed  a  commit- 
tee of  correspondence  and  safety,  and  on  the  20th  of  Decem- 
ber of  the  same  year,  "agreed  and  voted  to  raise  the  sum  of 
£40  in  order  to  provide  a  town  stock  of  ammunition." 

At  the  legal  meeting,  April  8,  1777,  the  question  being  put 
whether  the  town  will  give  encouragement  as  a  town  toward 
raising  soldiers,  it  passed  in  the  negative. 

March  10,  1778,  "  it  was  voted  to  choose  five  men  as  a  com- 
mittee to  settle  what  has  been  done  in  the  war,  and  to  instruct 
them  to  estimate  the  service  according  to  the  value  of  time, 
having  regard  to  the  seasons  of  the  year."  The  committee 
was  Elias  Carter,  Thompson  Maxwell,  Jonathan  Hastings, 
Asahel  Thayer,  and  Benjamin  3Iaxwell. 

In  1780,  Capt.  Sylvanus  Rice,  Lieut.  Thomas  Nichols,  Ben- 


jamin Maxwell,  and  Artemas  Rice  were  appointed  a  commit- 
tee of  safety,  and  it  was 

"  Voted  to  raise  two  hundred  pounds  its  an  encouragement  to  each  man  who 
will  enlist  to  serve  six  months  as  a  soldier  in  the  Continental  service." 

In  the  same  year  it  was  "  voted  that  the  best  shoes  for  sol- 
diers shall  cost  ?i72  per  pair,  the  others  $47  per  pair."* 

In  1774,  Hugh  Maxwell  represented  the  town  in  the  Pro- 
vincial Congress,  and  the  following  year  Samuel  Taylor  was 
the  representative. 

At  the  outbreak  of  the  war  a  company  of  Minute-Men  was 
formed  in  this  part  of  the  county,  which  had  among  its  members 
a  number  of  the  citizens  of  Charlemont.  Oliver  Avery  was  in 
command  and  Hugh  Maxwell  was  a  lieutenant.  They  marched 
to  Cambridge  in  May,  1775,  and  when  the  army  was  reorgan- 
ized a  portion  of  the  Charlemont  men  enlisted  in  Col.  Pres- 
cott's  regiment,  in  which  Hugh  Maxwell  was  a  captain  and 
Joseph  Stebbins  a  lieutenant,  their  commissions  bearing  date 
May  20,  1775.  Capt.  Avery  and  some  of  the  men  returned 
home,  but  others  remained  to  participate  in  the  battle  of  Bun- 
ker Hill.  In  this  engagement  Capt.  Maxwell  was  wounded 
and  Ebenezer  Fales  killed.  Josiah  Pierce,  a  celebrated 
marksman,  fired  forty-seven  bullets  at  the  enemy  with  un- 
erring aim,  and  lived  to  be  present  at  the  laying  of  the  corner- 
stone of  the  monument  which  commemorates  that  battle  and 
the  death  of  Gen.  Joseph  Warren. 

"Sylvanus  Rice  was  the  captain  of  a  company  of  Minute- 
Men,  and  was  frequently  employed  for  short  terms  of  service. 
He  led  his  company  at  one  time  to  New  London,  mortgaging 
his  farm  in  order  to  raise  the  neces.sary  means  of  equipment." 
His  son  Lvrther  died  in  the  service  at  West  Point. 

Moses  and  Samuel  Rice  hastened  to  Bennington  with  such 
speed  that  they  were  able  to  join  in  pursuit  of  the  Hessians. 
Samuel  Rice  and  Lemuel  Roberts,  of  Charlemont,  with  others, 
were  captured  the  succeeding  fall  and  carried  to  Canada,  suf- 
fering intensely  from  the  cold.  The  former  managed  to  es- 
cape the  following  spring,  and,  after  many  hardships,  reached 
his  home  in  the  early  summer. 

Martin  Rice  was  at  Bunker  Hill,  and  Eleazer  Hawks  at 
Bennington.  Ephraim  Hawks,  Eliphalet  Cutting,  Joel  Da- 
vidson, Eliphalet  Cutting,  Jr.,  Jonathan  Howard,  and  Caleb 
Fish  were  also  Continental  soldiers.  Tertius  Taylor  served 
through  the  war,  holding  a  lieutenant's  commission.  Among 
other  battles,  he  was  at  Stillwater  and  Stony  Point.  His 
brother,  Othniel,  was  a  captain,  and  led  his  company  into 
many  engagements  during  the  northern  campaign  of  1777. 

Many  others  whose  names  cannot  be  here  produced  served 
in  the  Revolution  ;  and  in  the  struggle  from  1812-15  the  town 
was  fairly  represented.  In  the  late  civil  war  Charlemont's 
quotas  were  promptly  filled.  It  is  believed  that  the  following 
list  embraces  the  names  of  all  who  were  credited  to  the  town. 
No  record  of  names  having  been  preserved  in  the  clerk's 
office,  it  has  been  compiled  from  the  State  reports. 

In  the  compilation  of  the  foregoing  sketch  of  the  town's 
history,  the  writer  has  been  much  assisted  by  the  "  Historical 
Discourse"  of  the  Hon.  Joseph  White,  and  by  information  re- 
ceived from  Messrs.  Eugene  A.  Field,  Phineas  Field,  E.  C. 
Hawks,  Levi  Smith,  Henry  Bassett,  R.  H.  Leavitt,  A.  L. 
Tyler,  Samuel  Potter,  M.  Hawks,  Mrs.  Milner  Taylor,  and 
W.  E.  Niles. 


AEMT  LIST,  1861-05. 
Bissell,  A.  H.,  must.  Oct.  2,  1862,  Co.  A,  52d  Eegt. 
Rice,  Leonard  B.,  lieut.,  must.  Oct.  2, 1862,  Co.  B, 

62d  Regt. 
■Williams,  John  T.,  corp.,  must.  Oct.  2,  lSG2,Co.  B, 

62d  Regt. 
Leavitt,  Edward  A.,  Corp.,  must.  Oct.  2, 1862,  Co. 

B,  62d  Regt. 
Albee,  Henry  M.,must.  Oct.  2,  1862,  Co.  B,  52d 

Regt, ;  died  July  26,  1863. 
Avery,  H.  G.,  must.  Oct.  2, 1862,  Co.  B,  52d  Regt. 


Booth,  Wm.  H.,  must.  Oct.  2,  '62,  Co.  B,  52d  Begt. 
Booth,  Edwin  W.,  must.  Oct.  2,1862,  Co.  B,  52d 

Regt.  ;  died  April  26,  1863. 
Bassett,  Sam.,  must.  Oct.  2,  '62,  Co.  B,  62d  Kegt. 
Coates,  Geo.  E.,  must.  Oct.  2,  '62,  Co.  B,  52d  Regt. 
Crittenden,  James  R.,  must.  Oct.  2,  1862,  Co.  B, 

52d  Regt. 
Field,  Edwin  A.,  must.  Oct.  2,  '02,  Co.  B,  52d  Kegt. 
Hawks,  E.  D.,  must.  Oct.  2,  1862,  Co.  B,  52d  Regt. 
Keyes,  Chas.  L.,  must.  Oct.  2,  '02,  Co.  B,02d  Eegt. 
Legate,  Jos.  M.,  must.  Oct.  2,  '62,  Co.  B,  52d  Regt. 


Lilley,  Albert,  must.  Oct.  2, 1862,  Co.  B,52d  Regt. ; 

died  June  24, 1863. 
Merriam,  Fred.  W.,  must.  Oct.  2, 1862,  Co.  B,  62d 

Kegt. 
Morrison,  Clark  E.,  m\ist.  Oct.  2, 1862,  Co.  B,  52d 

Kegt. 
Newstend,  George   H.,  must.  Oct.  2,  1862,  Co.  B. 

62d  Regt. 
King,  Jas.  M.,must.  Oct.  2, 1802,  Co.  E,  .'i2d  Kegt. 
Wilder,  Geo.  O.,  musl.  Oct.  2,  '62,  Co.  E,  o2d  Regt. 
Mead,  George  W.,  must.  Sept.  2, 1864,  4th  Cav. 


*  Continental  bills. 


720 


HISTORY  OF  THE   CONNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


Avery,  John,  must,  Juno  21,  '01,  Co.  H,  10th  Regt. 
Blodgutt,  Jo3.  L.,  must.  Juno  21,  1861,  Co.  II,  loth 

Eegt. 
Edwards,  Lewis    H.,  must.  June  21,1801,  Co.  11, 

Kith  Regt. 
Upton,  Goo.  E.,  must.  June  21,  1S61,  Co.  H,  10th 

Regt. 
Vober,  Elias  E.,  must.  June  21,  1801,  Co.  H,  lOtli 

Regt. 
Vebcr,  Goorgo  A.,  must.,  June  21, 1801,  Co.  U,  lOtli 

Regt. ;  killed,  Fair  Oaks. 
King,  Edw.  R.,  must.  Aug.  29,  'Gl, Co.  E,  20th  Regt. 
PoMer,  George  H.,  niu«t.  July  19,  1801,  Co.  K,  21dt 

Regt.;  died  Nov.  13,  1863. 
Doiin,  Pat.,  must.  Aug.  25,  '64,  Co.  B,  24tb  Regt. 
Avery,  Frantis  D.,  must.  Sept.  13, 1801,  Co.  C,  27tll 

R.'gl.;  jiro.  1st  heut.,  1805. 
Norcross,  A.  B.,  sergt.,  must.  Sept.  13,  1801,  Co.  C, 

-.iVth  Regt. 
Loomis,  0.  M.,  Corp.,  mnst.  March  24,  1864,  Co.  C, 

27th  Regt. 
Barnard,  Edward,  must.  Sept.  23, 1801,  Co.  C,  27th 

Regt. 
Clark,  Wm.  W.,  mnst.  Sept.  13, 1861,  Co.  C,  2"lh 

Regt. 
Coates,  Alonzo,  must.  Oct.  1,  '01,  Co.  C,  27th  Regt. 
Edwards,  P.  0.,  mnst.  Oct.  1,  '61,  Co.  C,  27th  Regt. 
Harris,  A.  M.,  must.  Sept.  20,  '61,  Co.  C,27th  Regt. 
Merritt,  Mahlon  M.,  must.  Feb.  26,  1864,  Co.  C, 

27th  Regt. 


Pbipps,  M.  M.,  niual.   Feb.  26,  1864,   Co.  C,  27th 

Regt.;  died  at  Alidersonville. 
Woffenden,  Richard,  must.  Sept.  24,  1801,  Co.  C, 

27lli  Regt. 
Woffenden,  Samuel,  must.  Sept.  24, 1801,  Co.  C,  27th 

Regt. 
Leavitt,  Joshua,  lient.,  must.  Nov.  21, 1861,  Co.  C, 

31st  Regt. 
Hatliaway,  Chandler,  Corp., must.  Nov. 21, 1861,  Co. 

C,  3l8t  Regt. ;  died  at  Baton  Rouge. 
Hawks,  Joshua  W.,  Corp  ,  must.  Nov.  21, 1801,  Co, 

C,  3l8t  Regt. 
Hawks,  John  F.,  must.  Nov.  21,  1861,  Co.  C,  Slst 

Regt. ;  died  at  New  Orleans. 
Hillman,  Fordyce  L.,  mnst.  Nov.  21,  1801,  Co.  C, 

31st  Regt. ;  killed  at  Alexandria,  La. 
Murphy,  Lawrence,  mnst.  Nov.  21, 1861,  Co.  C,  Slst 

Regt.;  drowned  in  Louisiana. 
Dennell,  Lausun,  must.  July  31,  1862,  Co.  F,  34th 

Regt. 
Coates,  A.,  must.  Sept.  24,  1863,  Co.  F,  34th  Regt. 
Cuate.s  l>avid  F.,  must.  Sept.  24,  1863,  Co.  F,  34th 

Regt. ;  killed  July  18,  1864. 
Damon,  Otis,  must.  Dec.  10, 1863,  Co.  F,  34tli  Regt. 
Fitzgerald,  John,  must.  July  31,1862,  Co.  F,  34th 

Regt.;  killed  Feb.  10,  1863. 
Gleason,  Abijah   W.,  must.  July  31,  1862,  Co.  F, 

34lh  Regt. 
Pbipps,  VVm.  A.,  must.  July  31,  1862,  Co.  F,  34th 

Regt.;  killed  Oct.  13,  1864. 


Taylor,  Thomas  A.,  must.  July  31, 1862,  Co.  F,  34lh 

Regt. 
Veber,  Elias  E.,  must.  Dec.  25,  1863,  Co.  F.  34th 

Regt. 
Veber,  Wm.,  mnst.  Dec.  22,  '63,  Co.  K,  34th  Regt. 
Williams,  Enos  B.,  must.  July  31, 1862,  Co.  F,  34th 

Regt. 
Dix,  Stillman  E.,  must.  June  27,  1864,  Co.  II,  37lh 

Regt. 
Wright,  Edward  II.,  mnst.  Jan.  6, 1865,  Co.  H,37th 

Regt. 
Henderson,  George  F.,  sergt.,  must.  Jan.  5, 1865, 

Co.  H,  61st  Regt. 
Burgess,  Alonzo,  must.  Jan.  5.  1865,  Co.  H,  61st 

Begt. 
Quinn,  Wm.   T..  must.  Jan.  5,  1865,  Co.  H,  61at 

Regt. 
McDonongti,  Thomas,  must.  Jan.  5,  1865,  Co.  H, 

elst  Regt. 
Childs,  All>ert,  mnst.  1864,  Vet.  R.  C. 
Cox,  James,  must.  1864,  Vet.  R.  0. 
Dodge,  Luke  E.,  mnst.  1864,  Vet.  R.  C. 
Ferris,  Abraham  K.,  mnst.  1864,  Vet.  R.  C. 
Hewitt,  Rcjliert,  must.  1864,  Vet.  R.  C. 
Jessey,  John,  must.  1864,  Vet.  R.  C. 
Slerrill,  Charles,  must.  1864,  Vet.  R.  C. 
IJuirin,  John  P..  must.  1864,  Vet.  R.  C. 
Tyrrell,  Isaac  B.,  mnst.  1864,  Vet.  R.  C. 
Wells,  Alonzo,  must.  1.S64,  Vet.  R.  C. 
Herkes,  John  11.,  must.  1864,  U.  S.  A. 


BIOGEAPHICAL    SKETCH. 


PHINEHAS  FIELD,  Jr., 
was  born  in  Northfield,  Franklin  Co.,  Mass.,  on  the  14tb  of 
April,  1799.  He  traces  his  descent  from  Zechariah  Field, 
who  was  born  in  England  in  1600,  settled  in  Hartford,  Conn., 
between  1639-49,  removed  to 
Northampton,  Mass.,  in  1659, 
and  thence  to  Hatfield  in  1663. 
He  died  in  that  town  in  1666. 
He  had  five  children,  of  whom 
Samuel,  t^ie  third  son,  was 
killed  by  Indians  in  June, 
1769.  His  wife  was  Sarah, 
daughter  of  Thomas  Gilbert, 
of  Springfield,  by  whom  he 
had  eight  children, — Samuel, 
Thomas,  Sarah,  Zechariah, 
Ebenezer,  Mary,  Josias,  and 
Joshua.  Samuel,  the  eldest, 
was  called  the  "  Poet,"  and 
in  order  to  perpetuate  the 
names  of  the  family  of  which 
he  was  a  member,  he  arranged 
them  in  order,  so  as  to  i'- 
sung  to  the  tune  known  as  llu; 
"  Rogue's  March,"  as  fol- 
lows : 

Sam,  Thorn,  and  Silrab, 

Zeck,  Neb,  and  Miiry, 
Josias,  Josh, — pumpkin  squash, 

Quite  cuntriiriiy  !* 

This  ditty  has  been  faith- 
fully handed  down  by  tradi- 
tion in  the  Field  families. 
Ebenezer,  the  fourth  son,  set- 
tled in  Deerfield,  and  married 
Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Wil- 
liam Arms,  of  that  town,  by 
whom  he  had  five  children. 

In  the  twilight,  on  Northfield  Street,  he  was  mistaken  for  an 
Indian,  and  shot  by  a  sentry  at  one  of  the  forts.     He  was  taken 

*  Repeat  two  laat  lines  in  singing. 


' Xi 


to  Deerfield,  and  died  soon  after,  on  the  12th  of  September, 
1723.  Moses,  son  of  Ebenezer,  was  born  in  1719,  and  married 
for  his  first  wife  Anna  Dickinson,  of  Hatfield,  by  whom  he 
had  seven  children.    He  was  married  the  second  time,  in  1756, 

to  Martlia  Root,  of  Sunder- 
land, and  by  this  union  had 
four  children,  of  whom  Phin- 
ehas,  father  of  the  subject  of 
this  notice,  was  the  youngest. 
He  was  born  in  Northfield  on 
the  29th  of  November,  1760. 
He  was  a  farmer  by  occupa- 
tion, and  married  Diadema, 
daughter  of  Reuben  Morgan. 
She  died  on  the  1st  of  Au- 
gust, 1788.  He  was  married 
the  second  time,  to  Eunice, 
daughter  of  Capt.  Setli  Ly- 
man, of  Northfield.  She  was 
born  April  17,  1770,  and  died 
Sept.  18, 1830.  By  this  union 
he  had  ten  children :  Diade- 
ma, Lucy,  Lucius,  and  Laura 
triplets,  of  whom  Lucy  and 
jucius  died  in  infancy ),  Lucy 
nd  Lucius  (twins),  Phine- 
as,  Jr.,  Eunice,  Mary,  and 
loses.  Of  this  family  only 
two  are  now  living.  Pliine- 
has,  the  subject  of  this  notice, 
being  one  of  a  large  family, 
was  early  thrown  upon  his 
own  resources.  His  only 
school  advantages  were  such 
as  were  afl'orded  by  the  dis- 
trict schools,  which  he  at- 
tended during  the  summer 
months  until  seven  years  old, 
and  after  that,  in  the  winter,  until  he  reached  his  si.Kteenth 
year.  He  then  took  charge  of  his  father's  farm,  and  the  sup- 
port of  his  parents  devolved  upon  him.  He  remained  in  that 
position  until  1837,  when  he  removed  to  Shelburne  Falls. 


OJ  (!/''U.£ct 


HISTORY  OP  FRANKLIN   COUNTY. 


721 


Meiiiiwhile,  he  married  (on  the  11th  of  May,  1831)  Chloe 
Maxwell,  daugliter  of  Col.  Koger  Leavitt,  of  Heath.  After 
a  residence  of  one  year  in  Shelburne  Falls,  he  removed  to 
Charlemont,  where  he  has  since  resided. 

He  has  been  practically  engaged  in  agriculture,  but  has  also 
devoted  a  great  deal  of  time  to  public  service  and  literary  pur- 
. suits.  He  has  never  held  any  regular  public  office,  though 
often  solicited  to  do  so,  but  he  has  been  constantly  identified 
with  all  the  interests  of  the  community,  both  social  and  re- 
ligious. He  has  always  been  a  Kepublican  in  politics,  and  was 
one  of  the  first  to  adopt  and  advocate  abolition  principles.  He 
has  for  manv  years  been  an  active  and  earnest  worker  in  the 
cause  of  temperance,  and  was  one  of  the  first  in  the  town  of 
Northfield  to  abolish  the  practice  of  Laving  intoxicating 
drinks  at  "raisings,"  etc.,  and  he  has  advocated  these  princi- 
ples by  both  precept  and  practice. 

Mr.  Field  has  been  a  member  of  the  Congregational  So- 
ciety sixty-two  years,  and  was  ordained  deacon  by  council  in 
182-5,  in  Northfield.  He  was  subsequently  chosen  to  the  same 
otfice  in  Charlemont,  and  .served  in  that  capacity  until  seventy 
years  of  age,  when  he  was,  at  his  own  request,  released  from 
service.  He  is  not  content  to  be  idle,  but  still  takes  an  active 
part  in  religious  work.  He  has  been  a  delegate  to  the  National 
Congregational  Councils  at  Albany,  Boston,  and  New  Haven, 
and  assisted  in  the  formation  of  the  American  Missionary  As- 
sociation at  Albany.  As  a  delegate  of  the  Christian  Commis- 
sion he  spent  eight  months  in  the  South  during  the  latter 
part  of  the  Rebellion.  He  was  then  in  his  sixty-fifth  year, 
and,  although  past  the  "  fighting-age,"  he  was  not  one  to  stand 
idle  when  his  country  needed  help. 

He  was  present  at  the  re-taking  of  Port  Stedman  in  March, 
1865,  and  was  in  the  lines  in  front  of  Petersburg  on  the  2d  of 
April,  and  entered  that  place  on  the  3d. 

While  in  front  of  Petersburg  he  was  four  times  a  mark  for 
the  rebel  sharpshooters,  but  escaped  unhurt.  His  eight  months' 
labor  for  the  Christian  Conunission  was  without  any  pecuniary 
com]iensation,  but  was  freely  given  in  the  cause  of  freedom 
and  right.  Mr.  Field  has  been  a  contributor  to  the  Nciv  Eng- 
land Farmer  and  other  local  papers,  and  much  that  he  has 
written  has  been  extensively  copied  into  other  periodicals.  He 
is  a  good  musician,  and  has  led  the  singing  in  the  church 


since  182-5,  and  has  also  instructed  many  new  beginners  gratui- 
tously. On  various  occasions  he  has  written  hymns  that  were 
sung  in  public,  and  has  also  composed  several  pieces  of  music, 
some  of  which  he  has,  by  request,  sung  in  public  this  winter 
(1879).  He  is  a  member  of  the  Pocumptuck  Valley  Memorial 
Association,  and  has  furnished  for  that  association  many 
legends  and  traditions  of  the  Indians,  and  of  the  early  settlers 
of  Northfield,  that  otherwise  would  have  been  lost. 

Mr.  Field  is  now  in  his  eightieth  year,  possessing  undimin- 
ished mental  powers,  a  remarkable  memory,  a  step  as  elastic 
as  that  of  most  men  of  half  his  age,  and  an  erect  and  com- 
manding carriage.  He  is  not  wealthy  in  this  world's  goods, 
but  is  rich  in  the  possession  of  a  mind  stored  with  treasures  of 
knowledge,  a  varied  experience,  and  the  esteem  and  respect  of 
a  large  circle  of  acquaintances  and  friends. 

Mrs.  Field  died  on  the  4th  of  July,  1876,  aged  seventy- 
three  }-ears. 

The  following  lines  are  a  recent  production  of  Mr.  Field's 

pen  : 

LIFE'S  CEOWNISG  BEAl'TY. 

I  love  the  opening  muiiths  of  spring. 

The  snn^hine  ami  the  showei-s 
Th.at  renovate  the  earth,  and  hring 

The  foliage  and  the  floweie. 

I  love  the  balmy  month  of  .Tnne, 

I  love  the  warm  .Inly, 
And  Angnst,  with  her  luirvest-inoon 

Gilding  the  azure  sky. 

Yet  autumn,  with  her  golden  sheen, 

Outshines  the  vernal  spring; 
And  June,  arrayed  in  brightest  green. 

Can  no  such  vestments  bring. 

But  give  me  winter  old  and  gray, 

Witli  all  its  garners  full : 
I'll  smile  upon  the  paj^t,  and  say 

It  far  excels  the  whole  ! ! ! 

The  iKiund  of  earthly  life  we  trace 

At  *'  threescore  years  and  ten," 
And  all  beyontl  that  narrow  space 

Is  winter-time  witli  men  ! 
The  "hoary  head,"  the  silver  hairs, — . 

If  found  "in  righteousness," — 
E'en  now  a  "  crown  of  glory"  wears, 

Awaiting  heavenly  rest 


W  H  A  T  E  L  Y. 


GEOGRAPHICAL. 

Whately  lies  on  the  west  hank  of  the  Connecticut  River, 
on  the  southern  border  of  the  count}',  in  the  form  of  an  irregu- 
lar rectangle,  whose  average  width,  from  jiorth  to  south,  is  a 
little  more  than  three  miles,  and  whose  extreme  length  is 
about  six  miles.  The  northern  bounds  of  the  town  are  Con- 
way and  Deerfield ;  on  the  east  is  Sunderland,  separated  by 
the  Connecticut  River ;  and  on  the  south  and  west  are  the 
towns  of  Hatfield  and  "Williamsburg,  in  Hampshire  County. 
About  one-third  of  the  surface  of  the  town  consists  of  meadow- 
lands,  one-third  of  uplands,  and  the  remainder  of  hills,  whose 
sides  are  too  steep  and  rocky  to  admit  of  profitable  cultiva- 
tion. 

The  principal  elevations  arc  Mount  Esther,  in  the  north- 
western part,  nearly  1000  feet  high;  Chestnut  Mountain,  in 
tlie  southern  part;  Prospect  Hill,  near  the  centre;  Hog 
Mountain  and  Poplar  Hill,  in  the  western  part.  To  other 
hills  in  town  the  names  of  Dry  Grass,  Round,  Staddle,  Spruce, 
Gutter,    and    Hopewell  were  early  applied.     They  are  coin- 

91 


posed  of  the  rock   coiumon  to  this  section,   and  in  several 
localities  limestone  of  excellent  quality  is  obtained. 

NATl'RAI-  FEATURES. 
The  drainage  of  the  town  is  afforded  chiefly  by  Mill  River 
and  its  tributaries.  It  is  a  sluggish  stream,  flowing  south, 
east  of  the  centre,  and  receives  the  waters  of  Bloody  Brook 
from  the  northeast,  near  the  Deerfield  line ;  of  Roaring  Brook, 
from  the  southeastern  part  of  Conway,  on  the  west;  and 
farther  south,  on  the  same  side,  it  takes  the  waters  of  Gutter, 
School-house,  and  West  Brooks,  all  having  a  southeasterly 
course,  and  flowing  from  the  hills  of  West  Whately.  West 
Brook  is  fed  by  many  springs,  and  its  flow  through  town  is 
marked  by  many  valuable  mill-sites.  The  other  streams  do 
not  yield  good  power.  Hopewell  Brook,  emptying  into  the 
Connecticut,  is  the  outlet  of  the  swamps  that  border  on  the 
west  side  of  the  river  meadows.  Beyond  these  and  the  low- 
lands along  Mill  River  is  a  strip  of  plain-land  calli-il  the 
"Straits."  A  large  portion  of  the  swamp-lands  has  been  re- 
claimed and  rendered  productive  by  artificial  drainage.     In 


722 


HISTORY  OP  THE  CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


the  cast  part  of  town  are  several  springs,  possessing  strong 
mineral  properties,  ohiefiy  iron.  Here,  also,  is  a  small  deposit 
of  mineral  paint — umber  and  sienna — which  is  esteemed 
valuable  in  fresco-painting.  In  the  western  part  of  the  town 
are  small  deposits  of  galena.  The  soil  is  fertile,  producing 
abundantly  the  general  crops  of  this  section. 

EARLY  SETTLEMENT. 
ORIGINAL    HOUNDS,  LAND-OWNERS,  AND   PIONEERS. 

Until  April  24,  1771,  the  greater  portion  of  the  present 
town  formed  the  northern  part  of  Hatfield,  and  much  of  its 
early  history  is  so  closely  associated  with  that  town  that  it  is 
detailed  in  that  connection,  and  here  omitted  to  avoid  repeti- 
tion. At  the  date  mentioned  Whately  was  incorporated,  re- 
ceiving its  name  from  Gov.  Hutchinson  in  compliment  to  his 
friend,  Thomas  Whately,  at  that  time  in  the  employ  of  the 
British  government,  in  London.  In  1810  a  small  part  of 
Dcertield  was  annexed  to  the  original  town  of  Whately, 
giving  it  the  bounds  before  described. 

Down  to  11)84  the  town  was  regarded  as  the  commons  of 
Hatfield,  but  on  the  21st  of  October  in  that  year  the  territory 
was  divided  among  the  inhabitants  of  tlie  lower  part  of  Hat- 
field, each  one  receiving  a  portion  according  to  the  valuation 
of  his  estates.  As  there  were  at  that  time  69  inhabitants 
holding  ratable  estates,  each  one  of  the  divisions  formed  in  the 
survey  contained  that  number  of  lots,  whose  width,  on  the 
ten-rod  highways,  was  from  4  to  52  rods!  All  the  lands  west 
of  the  river  meadows  were  thus  allotted  at  that  early  period, 
and  subsequently  confirmed  to  the  grantees, — the  last  time,  in 
17o.5.  As  but  few  of  the  original  owners  came  to  improve 
their  lands,  their  names  are  here  omitted.  The  greater  part 
of  the  river  meadows  was  included  in  the  grants  made  to  Simon 
Bradstreet  and  Daniel  Denison,  in  16-59,  about  1500  acres  in 
all.  After  the  latter's  death,  in  1082,  his  land  became  the 
property  of  John  Field,  William  Arms,  Robert  Bardwell, 
Daniel  Warner,  Samuel  Field,  Samuel  Gunn,  Joseph  Field, 
and  Andrew  Warner,  and  was  managed  by  them  and  their 
successors  until  after  173o  as  joint  property. 

Gov.  Bradstreet  died  in  1G97,  and  his  land  soon  became  the 
property  of  others.  In  1719  the  proprietors  were  Samuel 
Gunn,  Josiah  Scott,  Ebenezer  Bardwell,  Samuel  Belden, 
John  Crafts,  John  Wait,  Ebenezer  Morton,  Nathaniel  Cole- 
man, Thomas  Field,  Jonathan  Smith,  Zachery  Field,  Joseph 
Smith,  John  Belden,  John  White,  John  Smith,  and  Jonathan 
Cole. 

Other  early  land-owners  were  Samuel  Partridge,  Eleazer 
Frar}',  Daniel  White,  John  Grave.?,  Samuel  Graves,  and 
Samuel  Dickinson. 

The  improvements  the  proprietors  had  projected  were  not 
carried  out  on  account  of  Indian  troubles  ;  and  the  town  was 
for  many  years  neutral  ground,  roamed  over  by  the  Indians, 
and  at  best  of  no  more  service  to  the  Hatfield  proprietors 
than  to  yield  an  occasional  load  of  hay.  While  a  party 
were  engaged,  June  18,  1724,  loading  hay,  about  three  miles 
north  of  Hatfield  Street,  they  were  attacked  by  the  Indians. 
Benjamin  Smith  was  killed,  and  Aaron  Wells  and  Joseph  Allis 
taken  prisoners.  Noother  incursion  appears  to  have  been  made, 
and  soon  peace  was  so  well  assured  that  the  settlements  in  the 
northern  towns  were  firmly  established,  giving  Hatfield  a 
greater  sense  of  secui'ity. 

The  settlement  of  Whately  was  now  projected,  and,  about 
1736,  Ebenezer  Bardwell  and  Josiah  Scott  built  log  houses,  on 
the  Deerfield  road,  north  of  the  Bartlett  place  ;  not  long  after, 
a  settlement  was  made  on  the  "Strait"  by  Benjamin  Scott, 
David  Graves,  Elisha  Smith,  John  Wait,  and  Joseph  Belding, 
who  built  their  houses  close  together  for  mutual  protection. 
It  is  supposed  that  all  these  families  left  after  the  breaking  out 
of  the  French-and-Indian  war,  in  1744.  They  returned  to  the 
village  of  Hatfield,  but  came  back  to  their  humes  before  1750; 


and  these  were  the  first  permanent  settlers  of  the  present  town 
of  Whately. 

Lieut.  Ebenezer  Bardwell  sold  his  place  to  Ma.^ter  David 
Scott,  the  carpenter  of  the  town,  in  17.52,  and  built  a  small  house 
on  the  Chestnut  Plains  Street.  The  same  year  Joel  Dickinson 
built  at  the  hamlet,  and  Benoni  Crafts  a  mile  north.  A  brother 
of  the  latter,  Thomas  Crafts,  put  up  a  house  nearer  the  hamlet. 
The  position  of  these  four  fiiniilies  was  deemed  so  exposed  that 
the  Hatfield  selectmen  moved  them  back  to  the  village  before 
snow  fell,  but  allowed  them  to  return  in  the  spring.  In  17.54 
a  strong  picket  was  built  around  Deacon  Dickinson's  house 
and  barn,  which  served  the  four  families  as  a  fort,  where  they 
could  drive  in  their  cattle  and  lodge  themselves  at  niglit  while 
the  country  was  alarmed  by  fears  of  Indian  depredations. 

When  Thomas  Crafts  came  from  Hatfield  he  brought  with 
him  several  hives' of  bees,  the  swarms  of  which  have  been 
kept  in  the  families  of  his  descendants  ever  since,  and  have 
always  been  housed  within  a  short  distance  of  the  place 
where  the}'  were  first  set  down. 

Both  the  Crafts  remained  in  Whately,  and  have  now  many 
descendants  living  in  the  town.  Dickinson  removed  to  Con- 
way, and  Bardwell  to  Deerfield,  but  the  latter  returned  to 
Staddle  Hill,  where  he  died  in  1789,  at  the  age  of  eighty-two 
years.  One  of  his  three  sons,  Ebenezer,  in  1778  built  the 
house  on  Claverack  Street  which  is  now  occupied  by  Walter 
W.  Bardwell.  It  is  said  to  be  the  oldest  building  in  the  town. 
Among  others  who  joined  the  Chestnut  Plains  settlement  were 
Daniel  Morton,  in  1759,  who  opened  the  first  public-house  in 
the  town,  a  little  south  of  Thomas  Crafts';  Oliver  Morton, 
in  1761,  building  his  liouse  south  of  the  cemetery;  Oliver 
Graves,  in  1761,  on  the  east  side  of  the  road  from  Thomas 
Crafts ;  Capt.  Lucius  Allis,  on  Spruce  Hill ;  and  Capt. 
Salmon  White,  south  of  the  hamlet,  on  the  present  White 
place. 

In  1749,  Abraham  Parker  came  from  Groton,  and  settled  in 
the  locality  since  called  "  Canterbury."  Eight  years  later  he 
was  drowned  while  attempting  to  cross  the  Connecticut  on  the 
ice.  In  1752  his  brother-in-law,  Joseph  Sanderson,  locaited  in 
the  same  neighborhood.  In  17G5,  Joshua  Belding  settled  on 
the  river  road,  where  Elihu  Belding  now  lives,  and  the  same 
year  Nathaniel  Coleman  became  a  resident  of  the  same  neigh- 
borhood. 

In  1760,  David  Scott  purchased  Lieut.  Bardwell's  Chestnut 
Plains  property,  and,  a  short  time  before,  Noah  Wells  had 
built  a  house  west  of  the  Scott  place.  About  this  time 
Moses,  Abner,  and  Gideon  Dickinson  settled  in  town,  and,  in 
1762,  Deacon  Simeon  Wait  settled  in  Christian  Lane,  and,  a 
short  time  after.  Deacon  Nathan  Graves  on  Chestnut  Moun- 
tain, and  John  Wait  on  the  "Straits." 

In  the  western  part  of  the  town  settlement  was  made  before 
1765  by  Edward  Brown,  Peter  Train,  Abraham  Turner,  and 
Adonijah  Taylor.  The  Smith  families,  Elisha  Belding,  Sam- 
uel Carley,  Henry  Stiles,  and  others  whose  names  appear  in 
the  following  pages,  became  residents  of  Whately. 

The  number  of  settlers  in  Whately  in  1771,  and  their  po.s- 
sessions,  are  clearly  shown  in  the  appended  table: 

Acres.  Acres,  Acres. 
Names.            Houses.  Tillage  Laud.  Mowing  Land.  Pasturage. 

Daniel  Morton 1                 12  12  2U 

Oliver  Graves 1                 li  6  12 

David  Giaves 1                 12  3  0 

Elislja  lidding 1                 11  2  4 

John  Crafts 3  10 

Jusepli  Crafts 3 

Isiael  Graves 10^  4  20 

Simeon  Wait 1                 2U  13  20 

Henry  Stiles 14  (18 

Oliver  Morton 1                   8,>/i       ■  11  2.'i 

lienj.  Smith,  Jr 18  11 

Bloses  Crafts 

J'eter  Train 15  15  211 

Eilvfard  Brown 14  li  211 

Abraham  Turner 4  lU  4 

Benoui  Crafts 10  R  1 

I'aul  Belding 1                   :i  '<  12 

Ezi-a  Turner 2  1  l''ij 

Hosea  Curtis G 

Joseph  Kellogg 


HISTORY   OF   FRANKLIN   COUNTY". 


723 


Acres.  Acres.  Acroa. 

Name.>.  Huuscs.  Tillage  Land.  Mowing  Land.  Pastinage. 

.T.iselili  Hel.Iiiig,  Jr 1  2:1  10  10 

Natliatiicl.-^iiitle 1  12  iy, 

Thuriias.Sanlersuu 1  21  9  "  3 

Natlianiel  Cnleniun 

ALel  I'arker 20  4  10 

.lonath.an  Smitli 16  0  7 

Elislia  Fmry 15  7  12 

Lemuel  Wells 

John  Wait 1  22  7  2 

Joseph  Scott 1  14  2  5 

Scth  Wait 1  20  6  1(> 

Thomas  Crafts 18  0  8 

Philip  Smith 1  10  6  0 

David  Scott 1  11  18  12 

Noah  Bardwell 10  0  ao 

Paul  Smith 14  3  20 

Nathan  Graves 1  8 

Widow  Lois  Parker 17  0  3 

John  Wait,  Jr 3 

J.ishna  Beldin 1  20  10  30 

Beujaniiu  Scott 1  23  7 

Benjamin  Scott,  Jr 1  17 

Klisha  Sndth 1  111  3 

Martin  Graves 1  10  5  3 

Salmon  White 1  11  11  18 

Perez  Bardwell IS  20  8 

Samuel  Carley 1 

Benjamin  Smith... 1  11 

Thomas  Allen 1  2 

W'illiam  Kellog 

John  Graves 30 

Elihu  Graves 

David  Scott,  Jr 0 

Four  residents  were  not  taxed:  Rev.  Kufiis  Wells,  Joseph 
Sanderson,  Sr.,  Joseph  Belding,  Sr.,  and  Richard  Chauncej'. 

Pasturages  in  town  were  owned  by  the  following  non-resi- 
dents : 

Elisha  AUis,  Nathaniel  Hawks,  Reuhen  Belding,  Gideon  Dickinson,  Simeon 
Morton,  Noah  Coleman,  ,\hner  Dickinson,  Eleazer  Frary,  Daniel  Graves,  Samuel 
Dickinson,  Rememhrance  Bardwell,  Eleazer  Allis,  Elijah  Morton,  Joseph  Bil- 
lings, Jonathan  Allis,  Joseph  Smith,  Benj.  "Wait,  Jr.,  David  Billings,  Kliakim 
Field,  Medad  Field,  Samuel  Church,  Noah  Nash,  Elijah  Dickinson,  Benj.  M'ait, 
Jonatlian  Morton,  Moses  Wait,  Israel  Williams,  David  Morton,  Ohadiah  Dickin- 
son, Mary  Smith,  Elisha  Wait,  Moses  Frary. 

The  entire  number  of  dwellings  in  1771  was  40.  They  were 
occupied  by  48  families,  and  sheltered  320  inhabitants.  There 
was  a  tan-house  owned  by  Paul  Belding,  a  saw-  and  grist-mill 
by  Reuben  Belding,  and  a  saw-mill  by  Edward  Brown. 

In  1790  there  were  120  dwellings  and  130  families;  the  in- 
habitants numbered  735. 

In  1850  the  town  had  its  greatest  population, — 1129;  in  187o 
there  were  204  dwellings,  210  families,  and  a  population  of 
958.  In  1820  the  total  valuation  of  the  town  was  ?206,858, 
and  in  1875  it  was  S7G9,3G1. 

The  total  number  of  deaths  for  the  hundred  years  ending  in 
1871  was  1375, — a  number  greater  than  the  population  of  the 
town  has  been  in  any  one  year.  Of  this  number,  141  were 
between  the  ages  of  seventy  and  eighty  years;  114  between 
eighty  and  ninety  years;  23  between  ninety  and  one  hundred 
years;  and  1,  Hannah  Lesure,  who  died  in  1865,  was  more 
than  one  hundred  and  one  yi?ars  and  four  months  old.  Mrs. 
Mary  Waite  was  ninety-nine  years  and  nine  months  old,  and 
left  150  descendants.  David  Scott  was  upward  of  ninety- 
four  years  old  at  his  death.  He  had  11  children,  86  grand- 
children, 109  great-grandchildren,  and  12  great-great-grand- 
children,—in  all  212. 

CIVIL  ORGANIZATION. 
The  act  incorporating  the  town  of  Whatcly,  approved  by 
the  governor  April  24,  1771,  invested  the  inhabitants  with  all 
the  privileges  and  powers  enjoyed  by  the  towns  of  the  prov- 
ince, except  that  of  sending  a  representative  to  the  General 
Court.  This  privilege  was  to  be  shared  with  the  town  of  Hat- 
tield  from  time  to  time  inditl'erently,  each  town  bearing  its 
proportion  of  the  expense  of  sending  a  member  according  to 
their  respective  proportion  of  the  province  tax.  The  taxes 
levied  by  the  town  of  Hatfield,  before  Whately  was  set  ofi", 
were  to  be  collected  by  the  ofiicers  of  the  old  town,  and  proper 
division  of  the  same  was  to  be  made  with  Whately.  William 
Williams,  Esq.,  was  empowered  to  warn  the  first  town-meet- 
ing, and  only  such  as  were  recognized  inhabitants  of  the  town 
of  Hatfield,  at  the  passage  of  the  incorporating  act,  were  to 
claim  the  privileges  of  inhabitants  at  the  meeting  in  Whately. 


The  town  was  also  empowered  to  proceed  against  all  persons 
residing  in  town  without  proper  license,  and  secure  their  re- 
moval in  the  same  manner  that  it  might  have  been  done  in 
Hatfield. 

In  1810,  "  Thomas  Sanderson,  Ebenezor  Barnard,  and  Jus- 
tin Morton,  with  all  their  polls  and  estates  together,  with  all 
the  lands  and  the  inhabitants  thereon,"  were  taken  from  the 
town  of  Deerfield  and  annexed  to  Whately. 

In  pursuance  of  the  warrant  by  Esquire  AVilliams,  the  first 
election  of  town  officers  was  held  at  the  house  of  Daniel  Mor- 
ton, the  first  innholder.  May  6,  1771,  with  the  following  re- 
sult:  Selectmen,  John  Wait,  Simeon  Wait,  Edward  Brown, 
Salmon  White,  Philip  Smith  ;  Town  Clerk  and  Treasurer, 
Salmon  White  ;  Assessors,  Edward  Brown,  Philip  Smith,  and 
Salmon  White;  Constables,  Joseph  Belding,  Jr.,  and  Henry 
Stiles;  Sealerof  Weights  and  Measures,  Thomas  Crafts;  Sealer 
of  Leather,  Thomas  Sanderson  ;  Surveyors  of  Highways, 
Peter  Train,  Oliver  Graves,  and  Benjamin  Smith  ;  Fence- 
Viewers,  Israel  Graves,  Noah  Bardwell,  and  John  Wait,  Jr.  ; 
Field-Drivers,  Benjamin  Scott,  Jr.,  John  Brown,  and  Joseph 
Crafts;  Tithingmen,  Elisha  Belding,  and  Noah  Bardwell; 
Wardens,  Benjamin  Smith,  Perez  Bardwell,  and  Abraham 
Turner  ;  Deer-Reeves,  John  Crafts,  Martin  Graves,  and  Eli- 
sha Frary  ;  Surveyor  of  Shingles,  Thomas  Crafts ;  Hog-Reeves, 
Peter  Train,  Gad  Smith,  and  Lemuel  Wells. 

TIIK    TOWN    RECORDS 

contain  appropriate  legislation  on  the  various  town  interests, 
much  of  which  is  quoted  in  chapters  devoted  to  those  mat- 
ters. Other  action,  showing  the  characteri.sties  of  those  times, 
and  how  faithful  the  people  were  in  the  performance  of  little 
things,  is  here  produced.    At  some  of  the  early  meetings  it  was 

"  Voted  to  build  a  pound  foity  feet  square. 

"  Voted  to  provide  a  grave-cloth  for  the  use  of  the  town. 

"Voted  that  David  Scott  and  Joseph  Scott  be  a  Committee  to  provide  two  biers 

for  the  use  of  the  town. 
"Voted  that  hogs  may  run  at  large  from  May  1st  to  Oct.  15th,  being  properly 

yoked  and  rung. 

"Voted  to  let  two  milch  cows  to  a  family  run  on  the  commons. 

"  Jlay  19, 17S0. — An  uucimmon  darkness  was  over  the  earth  for  some  hours, 

"  In  1791  the  town  voted  that  Thonuis  Siiuderson  be  a  delegate  to  attend  a 

meeting  at  the  house  of  Caleb  Alvord,  in  Greenfield,  to  consult  on  the  propriety 

of  petitioning  the  General  Court  for  a  lottery  for  the  purpose  of  building  a 

bridge  over  Deerfield  River. 

"In  1797  the  town  voted  that  it  would  not  give  liberty  to  inoculate  for  the 

small-pox." 

1798. — "Voted  to  give  a  bounty  of  si.\  shillings  for  wild-cats." 

ISOl.— "  A  wolf  Wiis  killed  in  Whately.     The  bounty  paid  by  the  town  was  $10." 

Ifr04. — "Voted  to  build  three  horse-blocks  near  the  meeting-house." 

1812. — "Voted  that  every  man  have  liberty  to  wear  his  hat  in  town-meeting." 

In  1790  the  town  voted  that  "all  persons  that  are  found 
seized  of  the  freehold  estate  of  the  clear  annual  income  of  X3 
shall  be  entitled  to  habitance,  to  every  intent  and  purpose." 
Persons  not  so  possessed  "  were  warned  and  cautioned  as  the 
law  directs,"  to  prevent  them  from  gaining  a  settlement  and 
making  the  town  liable  for  their  support,  as  the  following 
warrant  will  show  : 

"  IIA3IPSUIRE,  ss. — To  either  of  the  constables  of  the  town  of  Whjitely,  in  said 

county.  Greeting:  In  the  name  of  the  Commonwealth  of  Massachusetts,  You  are 

directed  to  warn  Samuel  Brass  and  Sal)ra  Andross,  transient  peisons,  lately  come 

into  this  town  for  the  purpose  of  abiiling  therein,  not  having  tlie  town's  consent 

therefor, that  they  depivrt  the  limits  thereof  with  tlieir children  and  others  under 

tlieir  care  within  fifteen  days,  and  make  duo  return  of  your  doings  to  the  clerk 

of  the  town. 

"Signed  by  the  Selectmen." 

After  the  Shays  rebellion  a  number  of  persons  were 
"  warned"  to  depart  the  town  to  [jrevent  them  regaining  a 
settlement. 

The  town  owns  a  good  hall  at  Whately  hamlet,  which  was 
enlarged  in  187.Lto  a  commodious  two-story  building.  The 
upper  part  is  used  for  public  meetings,  and  the  lower  story 
is  divided  into  a  school-room  and  town  offices.  In  one  of  the 
latter  is  kept  the  town  library,  containing  a  few  hundred  vol- 
umes, and  for  the  support  of  which  a  yearly  appropriation  of 
from  $30  to  §60  is  made. 


724 


HISTORY   OF  THE   CONNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


Whatt'ly  has  a  poor-farm,  valued  at  nearly  95000,  and 
makes  an  annual  allowance  of  from  §1200  to  $1900  for  the 
maintenance  of  the  poor  of  the  town. 

In  1879  the  selectmen  reported  the  assets  of  Whately  at 
$0873.52,  and  the  liabilities  at  |11, 350.01. 

In  1872  nearly  $1500  was  voted  by  the  town  to  .secure  the 
publication  of  the  Rev.  J.  H.  Temple's  "History  of  Whately," 
read  at  the  celebration,  July  4,  1871,  the  first  centennial  of  the 
town's  existence. 

The  principal  town  officers  of  Whately,  from  the  first  meet- 
ing, in  1771,  to  1879,  have  been  as  follows; 

SELECTMEN. 

John  Wait,  1771;  Edwai-d  Brown,  1771;  Simeon  Wait,  1771;  Pliilip  Smitli, 
1771-72 ;  Salmon  Wljite,  1771,  '7.j,  1777-78,  '84,  '80,  '00,  '02,  'i)4 ;  Noah  Wells,  1772, 
'75,  '78,  '82,  '8:!,  '88  ;  David  Seott,  1772 ;  Elislia  Fl'ary,  1772,  '80 ;  Tliouins  Sander- 
son, 1773,  '75,  1777-78,  1783-87,  'SO,  '00,  1702-00,  '08, 1803, 1812-17  ;  Oliver  Graves, 
1770-77  ;  Josc|ih  Belding,  Jr.,  1770-77,  '83  ;  John  Smith,  1770-77,  'SO,  1787-89  ; 
Perez  Chapin,  1780;  Silas  Smith,  1781;  Noah  Bardwell,  1781,  1790-91, '03, '00 ; 
Tavid  Graves,  Jr.,  1781-82;  Col.  Josiiih  Allis,  1783-80,  1701-93;  Major  Phineas 
Frar.v,  1794-90,  1803-0, '0, 1812-15 ;  Asa  Sanderson,  1705,  1803-.5, '12, '13 ;  John 
White,  1795,  1708-1800,  1802-11;  Capt.  Seth  Frary,  1800-2, 1804-5,  1814-15;  Levi 
Slorton,  1801,  '3 ;  Bczalcel  Smith,  1804,  '5,  '11 ;  Gideon  Dickinson,  lSOO-8, 1810-11 ; 
Zenas  Field,  1807-8,  1810-11,  '10;  Oliver  Graves,  Jr.,  1809,  '10,  '18,  '19;  Capt.  Ku- 
fus  Smith,  1811 ;  Consider  Blorton,  1812-13;  Capt.  Salmon  Graves,  1812-13;  Oliver 
Morton,  1814-10 ;  Orange  Biirdwell,  1814-15  ;  Lemuel  Wait,  1810,  '18 ;  Isaac  Frary, 
1817,  '19 ;  Silas  Frary,  1817-18,  '20 ;  Scth  Smith,  1819-21, 1824-27 ;  Thomas  Crafts, 
1820-22,  '25,  '28,  '30,  18:52-30;  Capt.  William  Fay,  1S21,  '20;  Charles  Morton, 
1822  ;  Deacon  James  Smith,  1822;  David  Stockl.ridge,  1823-20,  '28,  '31,  '40,  '43  ; 
Deacon  Justus  White,  182:j-24,  '31;  De-Nter  Morton,  1823;  Dr.  Chestei-  Banlwell, 
1820;  Calvin  Wells,  1827,  1835-30,  '45;  David  Saunders,  1827;  Daniel  Brown, 
1828-29,  '.30,  '45  ;  Levi  Bush,  Jr.,  1829 ;  Capt.  Luke  Wells,  18.30 ;  Chester  Brown, 
1831-30,  1840-41;  Luke  B.  White,  1832-34;  Hiram  Smith,  1837-39,  '40,  '66,  '01; 
J.  C.  Saudetsou,  1837,  1.844-45,  1.S49-50 ;  Arnold  Morton,  1838,  '30,  18*J-44,  '47, 
'61;  De-iter  Crafts,  1S40;  Kufus  Graves,  1841, '40, '01 ;  Stnlham  Allis,  1841 ;  Eo- 
dolphus  Sanderson,  1842,  '47 ;  Plyna  Graves,  1842  ;  Capt.  Seth  Bardwell,  1842,  '51, 
1875-70;  Lyman  Dickinson,  1843-44,  ^3.'>;  Daniel  F.  Jlorton,  1840;  Thomas  Wait, 
1847,  1840-50,  1852-53 ;  Samuel  B.  Wliite,  184.S-50,  1852-5,3,  lSoC-57,  1801-00, 
1808-09 ;  Joh  n  Field,  1848 ;  Abel  W.  Nash,  1848 ;  Cai)t.  Asa  Parker,  1851 ;  Stephen 
Bclden,  1852-53,  '50;  Elliot  C.  Allis,  1854,  '74;  Zeldna  W.  Bartlett,  1854,  '07; 
Isaac  Frary,  Jr.,  1854 ;  James  M.  Crafts,  1855 ;  Bufus  Dickinson,  1850-57,  '59,  '09 ; 
J.  W.  C.  Allis,  1850, 1808-00 ;  Alonzo  Crafts,  1857,  '00,  1802-04,  '07 ;  Alfred  Belden, 
1858;  Dennis  Dickinson,  1858,  '72;  Edward  Bardwell,  1858-00,  1802-07,  1870-73, 
'70;  L.  W.  Hanuum,  1800-01 ;  Elihu  Belden,  1805;  Eliphas  H.  Wood,  1800;  Har- 
vey Moor,  1808;  Samuel  Lesure,  1870;  Samuel  C.Wood,  1870;  ElUridgo  G.  Crafts, 
1.S71,  '73 ;  David  Ashcraft,  1871  ;  S.  W.  Allis,  1872-70 ;  Chester  K.  Waite,  1874-78 ; 
Uirain  Bardwell,  1877-78;  K.  M.  Swift,  1870. 

TOWN    CLERKS. 

Salmon  White,  1771-70  ;  Dr.  Perez  Chapiii,  1780-81 ;  Thomas  Sanderson,  1782, 
'80, 1780-98, 1800-1 ;  Col.  Josiah  Allis,  1787-88 ;  Dr.  Benj.  Dickinson,  1790 ;  William 
Mather,  18O2-0, 1812-13 ;  Elijah  Allis,  1810-11 ;  Thomas  Wells,  1814  ;  Luke  Wells, 
1815-25  ;  Edward  Phelps,  1820 ;  Chester  Wells,  1827-30 ;  Martin  Woods,  1831-32 ; 
Eurotas  Morton,  1833-34;  Dr.  Myron  Harwood,  1835-30,  1838-41;  Stalham  Allis, 
1837;  Samuel  Lesure,  1842-50,  lSCO-71,  '79;  Dennis  Dickinson,  1857-50. 

RKPRESENTATIVES  TO  THE  GENERAL  COURT. 
John  Smith,  1783;  Tliomas  Sanderaon,  1784,  1812-13;  Capt.  Salmon  White, 
1785;  Col.  Josiah  Allis,  1787-88;  M:y.  Phineas  Frary,  1805,  '8,  '10,  '14;  John 
White,  1825 ;  Rev.  L.  P.  Bates,  1829 ;  David  Stockhridge,  1830 ;  Thomas  Crafts,  1831 ; 
Capt  Luke  Wells,  1832;  Chester  Brown,  1833;  Leauder  Clark,  1834,  '40;  Calvin 
Wells,  1835 ;  .\sa  Dickinson,  1830 ;  Rodolphus  Sanderson,  1837 ;  Samuel  B.  White, 
1838,  '40 ;  Elijah  Allis,  l.»39 ;  Thomas  Nash,  1842  ;  Jabez  Pease,  1844 ;  Dr.  Chester 
Bardwell,  1847-48,  '51 ;  Deacon  Justus  White,  1849  ;  Ahel  W.  Nash,  1852 ;  Josiah 
Allis,  1853 ;  Edwin  Bardwell,  1854  ;  Hiram  Smith,  1855 ;  William  H.  Fuller,  1858- 
59;  L.  W.  Hannum,  1801;  Capt.  Seth  Bardwell,  1804;  Alfred  Belden,  1808;  Scth 
B.  Crafl.s  1871 ;  E.  H.  Wood,  1875. 

DELEGATES    TO    CONSTITUTIONAL    CONVENTIONS. 
Col.  Josiah  Allis  was  delegate  to  the  convention  to  ratify  the  Federal  Consti- 
tution in  1788.    Doiicun  Thomas  Sandeisou  was  delegate  to  the  convention  to 
revise  the  Constitution  of  Blassachusetts,  1820. 

THOROUGHFARES. 

The  early  roads  of  the  town  appear  to  have  been  located 
with  the  idea  of  giving  every  lot-owner  easy  access  to  his 
land,  and  were  designed  to  run  with  the  cardinal  points  of  the 
compass  as  nearly  as  the  nature  of  the  country  admitted.  As 
the  plan  was  projected  by  the  town  of  Hatfield  before  the 
commons  were  allotted,  this  could  be  done  without  trouble; 
yet  subsequent  circumstances  have  much  modified  the  courses 


of  these  roads,  but  our  space  will  not  allow  us  to  note  the 
changes  which  have  taken  place. 

Among  the  first  north-and-south  roads  were  the  "Straits" 
and  "Chestnut  Plains"  Streets,  each  projected  ten  rods  wide. 
The  latter  is  on  the  plains,  along  the  base  of  the  hills,  near 
the  centre  of  the  town,  and  retains  its  original  width  a  short 
distance.  The  former  is  on  the  old  Indian  trail,  on  the  land 
which  divides  the  meadows  from  the  uplands,  and  was  the 
most  direct  route  from  Hadley  to  Deerficld.  Between  these 
two  another  road  was  opened  about  1779,  which  was  named 
the  "  Claverack"  by  the  soldiers  returning  home  from  that 
place.*  The  Poplar  Hill  road,  in  the  western  part  of  the 
town,  was  opened  to  the  public  about  1773,  and  the  river  road 
was  opened  at  various  times  from  1756  to  1806.  The  earliest 
east-and-west  roads  are  the  one  by  Mount  Esther  and  the 
"Christian  Lane,"  laid  out  in  1710,  and  designed  to  be  ten 
rods  wide.  Other  roads  were  located  as  the  interests  of  the 
town  demanded. 

The  first  appropriation  for  the  highway  was  made  in  1771, 
when  £16  were  voted,  sufficient  to  furnish  ]'28  days'  labor  ;  but 
the  future  allowances  were  more  liberal,  and  included  the 
construction  of  bridges,  the  streams  at  first  having  been 
forded.  In  1878  the  town  voted  $1600  for  the  support  of 
roads  and  bridges,  and  placed  them  in  charge  of  twelve 
surveyors. 

The  Connecticut  River  Railroad  was  opened  through 
Whately  in  1840.  It  runs  parallel  with  the  river,  about  two 
miles  from  it,  and  has  a  station  at  East  Whately,  where  good 
shipping  facilities  are  provided.  The  passengers  arriving  and 
departing  per  year  aggregate  about  4500.  Before  the  rail- 
road was  built  the  river  aflbrded  communication  with  the 
markets  on  the  south.  After  the  South  Hadley  Canal  was 
built,  in  1795,  freighting  was  carried  on  in  flat-bottomed 
boats,  about  10  feet  wide  and  40  feet  long,  and  rigged  with 
two  short  masts  and  sails.  They  had  a  stopping-place  at  Bel- 
den's  Landing  and  at  David  Stockbridge's  wharf,  just  east  of 
his  tavern.  The  opening  and  closing  of  mtvigation  occasioned 
many  a  merrj'-making  and  carousal  at  the  taverns  near  the 
wharves. 

In  1785,  Joshua  Belden  established  a  ferry  across  the  river, 
near  his  house,  the  boat  being  propelled  by  poles.  Afterward 
it  was  worked  by  means  of  a  wire;  and  in  1820  the  business 
was  so  great  that  it  gave  constant  employment  for  a  ferry- 
man. About  this  time  Samuel  Bartlett  had  it  in  charge.  The 
ferry  was  discontinued  before  1830. 

INDILSTRIAL  PURSUITS. 
Agriculture  has  always  been  the  principal  occupation  of  the 
people  of  Whately,  although  other  interests  have  received  con- 
siderable attention.  The  abundant  yield  of  hay  in  the  meadows, 
and  the  good  grazing  qualities  of  the  uplands,  early  directed 
attention  to  dairying  and  stock-raising-.  But  these  interests 
did  not  maintain  their  prominence,  and  gave  way  to  other 
pursuits,  chiefly  to 

TOBACCO    CULTURE. 

This  plant  was  cultivated  and  used  in  town  before  the  Revo- 
lution, but  it  was  not  grown  for  the  market  much  before  1800. 
About  that  time  Joshua  Belden,  Levi  Morton,  and  Perez 
Wells  were  among  the  largest  growers,  and  sent  the  tobacco 
out  by  peddlers  for  sale  in  the  hill-towns  of  the  county,  but  it 
was  not  until  1845  that  the  culture  of  seed-leaf  tobacco  as  a 
field  crop  was  introduced.  Horace  Dickinson  and  Lewis 
Wells  procured  some  seed  from  Connecticut,  and  planted 
about  an  acre  apiece,  selling  the  crop  at  two  cents  per  pound 
for  fillers  and  six  cents  for  wrappers.  The  next  crop  was  sold 
at  an  advance,  and  the  acreage  was  largely  increased.  At  the 
end  of  ten  years  69  acres  were  in  cultivation,  from  which 
$9105  were  realized.     In  1805,  with  tobacco  selling  at  twenty 

*  Now  the  city  of  Hudson,  N.  Y. 


HISTORY  OF   FRANKLIN   COUNTY. 


725 


cents  (icr  pound,  the  value  of  the  crop  in  Whtitely  was  $105,- 
344.  About  300  acres  are  now  cultivated  annually,  yielding 
1000  pounds  per  acre,  the  variety  beini;  the  Connecticut-seed 
leaf,  althou'^h  lately  the  culture  of  Havana-seed  leaf  has  been 
begun.  Among  the  principal  growers  are  J.  W.  C.  &  S.  W. 
AUis,  cultivating  20  acres,  and  preparing  It  for  the  manufac- 
turer; Elihu  Belden,  who  owns  a  warehouse  holding  600 
cases;  Alfred  Belden,  employing  from  10  to  30  men ;  Rufus 
Dickinson  &  Sons,  .John  White  &  Sons,  Henry  K.  White, 
Walter  &  Alonzo  Crafts,  S.  E.  Allis,  E.  G.  Crafts,  E.  H. 
AVood,  and  others. 

The  raising  of  broom-corn  and  the  manufacture  of  brooms 
was  begun  in  W'hately  about  180-3  by  the  Belden  Brothers, 
but  the  business  did  not  assume  much  importance  before  1827, 
when  Francis  Belden  devised  machinery  which  enabled  them 
to  produce  a  better  and  neater  article  at  a  smaller  cost.  Others 
engaged  in  growing  the  corn  and  manufacturing  brooms, 
among  them  being  R.  T.  Morton,  Abel  W.  Kash,  Solomon 
Mosher,  Carlos  Swift,  J.  M.  Cooler,  Lucius  Graves,  and  Eli- 
phas  H.  Wood.  The  latter  is  yet  engaged  in  the  business  at 
East  Whately,  his  sales  in  some  years  amounting  to  §30,000, 
but  the  general  cultivation  of  broom-corn  has  greatly  decreased, 
and  now  reaches  only  a  fraction  of  its  former  proportions. 

MAXUF.VCTl'RIXG. 

The  first  improvement  of  the  water-power  in  the  town  was 
made  near  Indian  Hill,  oi^  Roaring  Brook,  bj'  Adonijah  Tay- 
lor, about  1703,  and  was  employed  to  operate  a  grist-mill.  A 
few  years  later  Mr.  Taylor  also  built  a  saw-mill  at  this  place. 
In  1803,  Thomas  Sanderson  became  the  proprietor  of  these 
privileges,  and  the  mills  have  since  been  carried  on  bj-  that 
famil}'.  At  present  they  are  operated  by  Elon  0.  Sanderson. 
Before  1820,  Eli  Sanderson  had  a  mill  for  wool-carding  and 
cloth-dressing  near  the  present  mills. 

The  best  stream  in  the  town,  and  one  of  the  best  for  its  vol- 
ume in  the  State,  is  West  Brook.  In  its  course  of  four  and  a 
half  miles  within  the  town  it  furnishes  more  than  a  dozen 
good  sites  for  manufacturing.  Each  privilege  has  an  average 
of  seventeen  feet  fall,  whose  power  is  constant,  and  not  subject 
to  much  interruption  by  freshets.  Beginning  at  the  upper 
part  of  the  stream,  among  the  most  noteworthy'  interests  have 
been  the  following:  A  saw-mill,  by  De.\ter  Morton,  was  put 
in  operation  about  1830 ;  is  now  operated  by  E.  A.  Warner. 
The  ne.xt  power  was  improved  by  Reuben  Jenney  about  1822 
to  operate  a  trip-hammer;  here  is  now  a  wood-turning  shop, 
by  E.  A.  Jenney.  The  power  below  this  was  used  by  Elihu 
Harvey  and  others,  but  is  at  present  idle.  On  the  fourth  power 
Thomas  Nash  had  a  woolpu-mill,  which  was  destroyed  by  fire 
in  1845. 

On  the  next  power  below,  Jonathan  Wait  had  cloth-dressing 
machinery  about  1811.  It  was  afterward  otherwise  employed 
by  James  Cutter,  Austin  Allis,  Capt.  Seth  Bardwell,  Thomas 
Nash,  and  others  ;  Sumner  Smith's  jobbing-shop  is  at  present 
located  here.  The  sixth  power  was  one  of  the  first  improved 
in  town.  About  17G5,  Edward  Brown  erected  a  saw-mill, 
which  he  sold  in  1791  to  Noah  Bardwell,  Asa  Sanderson,  and 
Moses  Munson.     It  is  now  t^ie  property  of  Luther  Sanderson. 

As  early  as  1784,  Moses  Munson  built  a  grist-mill  on  the 
next  power  below,  selling  it  to  James  Smith  in  1805.  Twenty- 
five  years  later  the  building  was  transfonued  into  a  gimlet- 
factorj'.  At  present  it  is  a  planing-mill  and  jobbing-shop,  by 
Covell  &  Smith. 

The  next  two  powers  were  early  improved,  and  were  used 
principally  to  operate  clothing-works  and  knitting-machinery 
for  Amos  Pratt,  Morton  &  White,  H.  L.  James,  and  others. 

On  the  tenth  privilege  Seth  Bardwell,  Levi  Bush,  Jr.,  and 
David  Wells  built  a  woolen-mill  in  1833,  which  had  ten 
looms.  It  was  burned  in  1839,  and  was  rebuilt  by  Capt. 
Bardwell  and  supplied  with  twenty  looms.  In  1872  it  was 
again  destroyed  by  fire. 


Below  the  last  named,  Noah  Bardwell  put  up  an  oil-mill 
about  1780.  Afterward  flax-dressing,  iron-casting,  and  to- 
bacco-manufacturing were  here  carried  on.  It  was  destroyed 
by  fire  in  1877. 

The  twelfth  power  was  first  made  to  operate  a  lathe  for  Hi- 
ram Smith,  and  thereafter  a  hu.sk-mill.  At  this  place  Harvey- 
Moor  &  Son  have  at  present  grist-  and  cider-mills. 

The  next  privilege  has  a  fall  of  about  forty  feet,  and  was 
employed  about  1708  to  operate  saw-  and  grist-mills  for  the 
Beldings,  of  Hatfield.  In  1792  the  property  passed  into  the 
hands  of  a  company,  but  was  owned  before  1800  by  Isaac 
■Frary.  The  mills  were  last  owned  by  the  Wells  Brothers,  and 
were  destroyed  by  the  freshet  of  December,  1878. 

At  the  power  below,  Charles  and  Perez  M.  Wells  have  a 
grist-mill,  having  three  run  of  stones,  which  is  supplied  with 
good  machinery,  and  does  a  large  amount  of  business  annu- 
ally. 

The  fifteenth  site  was  improved  about  1800,  and  has  been 
employed  to  operate  cloth-dressing  and  wool-carding  ma- 
chinery, a  comb-factory,  wood-working  machines,  etc.  Here 
Justin  Wait  has  at  present  a  jobbing-shop. 

Below  is  another  power,  on  the  Hatfield  line.  On  the 
W'hately  side  were  iron-works  at  an  early  day,  and  William 
Wing's  fulling-mill. 

On  Hopewell  Brook,  Joshua  Belden  got  in  operation  a  small 
saw-mill  in  1797,  which  was  improved  after  1800.  In  1850, 
Charles  D.  Stockbridge  here  carried  on  the  manufacture  of 
paste  blacking,  and  at  a  later  day  Elisha  Belden  used  the 
power  to  grind  the  mineral  paint  found  in  this  locality. 

Tanneries  were  built  in  town  before  the  Revolution  by  Paul 
Belden*  and  Thomas  Sanderson.  The  hitter's  business  was 
continued  by  his  son,  Thomas,  and  his  grandson,  John  Chap- 
man. Solomon  Adkins,  Jr.,  had  a  tannery  at  the  hamlet  be- 
fore 1790,  which  was  afterward  carried  on  by  Stalham  Allis  and 
Dexter  Frary,  on  West  Street.  Asa  Sanderson  had  a  tannery 
and  shoe-shop  about  1795,  which  were  very  profitable  to  the 
proprietor. 

From  1785  to  1792,  Amasa  Smith,  hatter,  carried  on  his 
business  in  the  town.  After  this  period  hats  were  made  in 
Whately  at  the  shops  of  Benjamin  and  Joseph  Mather,  at  the 
hamlet ;  Benjamin  Munson,  in  the  Straits  ;  and  Joel  Mun.son, 
in  the  southwest  district. 

Small  distilleries  have  been  carried  on  at  different  times  and 
places  by  Reuben  and  Aaron  Belden,  Zenas  Field,  Levi  Mor- 
ton, John  Brown,  and  Peter  Wing.  At  the  hamlet  Edward 
Phelps  had  a  distillery  about  1818,  and  in  later  years  the  busi- 
ness was  carried  on  by  Dexter  and  Noah  Crafts.  In  1826, 
R.  B.  and  J.  F.  Harwood  began  the  manufacture  of  wallets 
and  pocket-books  on  a  small  scale,  increasing  their  business 
until  it  formed  an  important  industry.  Others  engaged  in  this 
branch  of  business  were  Stephen  Belden,  Lemuel  Graves, 
Miles  B.  Morton,  and  W.  F.  Bardwell. 

As  early  as  1778,  John  Locke  made  bricks  in  town,  near 
Capt.  Stiles'  house.  He  was  succeeded  by  Daniel  Morton, 
Jr.,  and  Lewis  Stiles,  and  at  later  dates  Thomas  Crafts,  Jus- 
tus Crafts,  Chester  Wells,  Oliver  Dickinson,  Levi  Bush,  and 
Luke  Wells  were  brick-makers. 

Stephen  Orcutt  was  the  first  to  engage  in  the  manufacture 
of  common  pottery,  about  1777.  Thomas  Crafts  started  a 
pottery  in  the  Lane  in  1802,  and  from  1821  to  1832  he  made 
a  large  number  of  black  tea-pots.  Their  manufacture  was 
begun  about  1820  by  Sanford  S.  Perry  &  Co.  In  1833, 
Thomas  Crafts  began  the  manufacture  of  stone-ware,  and 
continued  it  fifteen  years.  Afterward,  his  son,  James  M., 
was  extensively  engaged  as  a  stone-ware  and  tile-manufac- 
turer, employing  about  a  dozen  hands.  Other  potters  have 
been  Quartus  Graves,  Heman  Swift,  Obed  Wait,  Luke  W^ait, 
Justus  Crafts,  and  Ralph  E.  Crafts. 

*  This  name  waa  written  in  early  days  Bdding. 


726 


HISTORY   OF  THE   CONMECTICUT   VALLEY. 


Before  1820,  Eihviivd  Plielps  made  needles,  probably  in  the 
Straits,  maiviiig  the  head  flat  instead  of  round.  A  few  of 
these  needles  are  yet  in  the  possession  of  James  M.  Crafts. 

Most  of  the  foregoing  interests  have  long  since  passed  away, 
and  comparatively  little  manufacturing  is  at  present  carried 
on.  Besides  those  mentioned,  the  Dickinson  Brothers  are  en- 
gaged in  preparing  corn-husks  for  use  in  mattresses,  and  Seth 
D.  Crafts  manufactures  broouis.  The  town  is  well  supplied 
with  the  ordinary  mechanic-shops. 

STORES,  TAVERNS,  AND  rOST-OFFICES. 
The  only  hamlet  in  town  is  Whately.  It  is  situated  near 
the  centre,  and  has  a  very  tine  location  along  Chestnut  Plains 
Street,  which  is  here  10  rods  wide.  The  place  contains  the 
public  buildings  of  the  town,  a  hotel,  store,  post-office,  and  a 
few  hundred  inhabitants.  A  mile  east  is  the  railroad  station, 
where  is  also  a  store  and  a  post-office,  called  East  Whately, 
which  was  established  about  1820.  David  Stockbridge  was 
the  first  postmaster,  and  the  office  has  since  been  held  by 
Josiah  AUis,  Caleb  L.  Thayer,  Horace  Hastings,  and  Elihu 
Belden,  who  has  L.  L.  Eaton*  as  his  deputy.  The  stores  here 
have  been  kept  by  E.  H.  Wood,  Caleb  L.  Thayer,  H.  H. 
Hastings,  and  L.  L.  Eaton. 

The  town  enjoyed  mail  facilities  as  early  as  1789,  but  the 
first  regular  post-office  was  established  at  the  hamlet,  with 
the  name  of  the  town,  about  1814,  and  had  Reuben  Winchell 
as  first  postmaster.  His  successors  were  Elijah  Allis,  Levi 
Bush,  Jr.,  Samuel  Lesure,  Dennis  Dickinson,  Ashley  Hayden, 
and  Samuel  Lesure.     Two  mails  per  day  are  supplied. 

A  post-office,  in  charge  of  Chester  Brown,  was  kept  a  short 
time  at  the  house  of  Asa  Sanderson,  in  West  Whatelj-. 
Stores  were  kept  in  this  part  of  the  town  after  1808  by  Jesse 
Lull,  Reuben  Winchell,  and  Reuben  Jenney ;  and  Noah 
Bardwell  had  a  tavern  from  1783  to  170',t,  wliile  John  Smith 
kept  a  public-house  at  a  later  day. 

Near  the  hamlet  Daniel  Morton  opened  the  first  tavern  in 
town,  probably  soon  after  he  liuilt  his  house,  in  1759,  and  con- 
tinued it  many  years.  In  this  locality  John  Lamson  opened 
another  public-house,  about  1779,  nearer  the  centre  of  the  ham- 
let. He  was  succeeded,  about  1788,  by  John  Crafts;  and  ten 
years  later  Samuel  Grimes  opened  a  tavern  on  the  Leonard 
Loomis  place,  having  also  a  store.  In  1818,  Elijah  Allis 
opened  a  tavern  opposite  Winchell's  store,  and  several  years 
after  built  the  present  hotel,  in  which  he  was  followed  by 
Levi  Bush.  Loren  Hayden  rebuilt  the  house,  v/hich  is  at 
present  kept  by  E.  F.  Orcutt. 

Lemuel  and  Justin  Clark  are  credited  with  opening  the  first 
store  at  the  hamlet.  From  1790  to  about  1802  they  were  in 
trade  opposite  the  present  Unitarian  Church.  The  next 
tradesman  was  Samuel  Grimes,  who  was  succeeded  by  Loomis, 
Huntington,  and  Phelps.  From  1813  to  1824,  Reuben  Win- 
chell had  a  store  in  the  brick  house,  and  opposite  were  Elijah 
Allis  and  Chester  Wells.  At  later  periods  Eurotus  Morton, 
Samuel  B.  White,  Wm.  W.  Sanderson,  Levi  Bush,  Samuel 
Lesure,  Darius  Stone,  Ralph  Childs,  Albert  W.  Crafts,  and 
others,  have  here  been  in  trade. 

The  first  store  in  town  was  opened  by  Gad  Smith,  in  his 
tavern  on  the  "  Straits,"  about  1779.  A  short  time  after,  Joel 
Wait  opened  a  tavern  in  the  next  house  north,  which  became 
the  stopping-place  for  stages,  and  had  a  wide  reputation. 
The  David  Graves  place,  south  of  Gad  Smith's,  was  bought  by 
David  Stockbridge,  after  1800,  who  opened  a  tavern  there,  and 
continued  it  until  1833,  when  he  opened  a  public-house  on  the 
river  road,  which  he  kept  a  number  of  years.  On  the  road 
south  Joshua  Belden  opened  a  tavern  about  1790,  which  was 
kept  by  him  and  his  sons  a  number  of  years. 

Other  places  of  entertainment  have  been  kept,  but  the  fore- 
going have  been  the  principal  ones. 

*  Mr.  Eaton  was  appointed  postnuistor  in  place  of  Belden,  removed,  Apiil  20, 
1870. 


The  town  has  never  had  many  professional  men. 

Dr.  Perez  Chapin  was  the  first  physician,  practicing  from 
1778  to  1788.  The  other  phj'sicians  have  been  Dr.  Benjamin 
Dickinson,  from  1787  till  1804;  Dr.  Oliver  Norton,  from  1788 
till  1789;  Dr.  Francis  Harwood,  from  1794  till  1835;  Dr. 
Richard  Emmons,  from  1812  till  1815;  Dr.  Joshua  D.  Har- 
wood, from  1814  till  1820;  Dr.  Chester  Bardwell,  from  1810 
till  1804  ;  Dr.  Myron  Harwood,  from  1827  till  1877.  Since 
that  period  Dr.  J.  Dwight  has  followed  his  ])rofe.ssion  in  town. 
.Justin  W.  Clark,  Henry  Barnum,  and  Hiram  Stockbridge 
have  been  counselors  in  Whately. 

SOCIETIES    AND    ORDERS. 
None  of  the  secret  orders  have  ever  organized  a  society  in 
Whately,  but  in  the  anti-Masonic  times,  from  1825  to  1833, 

JKRUSALEM     LODGE    OF    MASONS,    OF    NORTUAMPTOX, 

held  soine  of  its  meetings  in  the  tavern  of  David  Stockbridge, 
on  the  "  Straits,"  in  a  room  which  had  been  fitted  up  for  this 
purpose. 

THE  WUATELY  FARMERS'  OLUB 
was  organized  Nov.  30,  1800,  with  the  following  officers  :  E. 
G.  Crafts,  President ;  James  Monroe,  Secretary ;  Chester 
Bardwell,  Treasurer.  These  offices  are  at  present  filled  by 
Edwin  Bardwell,  President;  James  M.  Crafts,  Secretary; 
and  Charles  D.  Bartlett,  Vice-President.  The  club  numbers 
45  members,  and  has  a  total  enrollment  of  72  members.  In 
1800  and  1807  successful  fairs  were  held,  and  the  regular 
meetings  of  the  club  are  attended  with  much  interest. 

EDUCATIONAL. 

It  is  probable  that  schools  were  taught  in  town  before  its 
organization,  but  no  account  appears  on  record  earlier  than  the 
actiim  taken  at  the  March  meeting  in  1772,  when  it  was  voted 
"  to  raise  £13  Gs.  8'/.  for  schooling,  and  that  the  selectmen  lay 
out  the  money  in  Chestnut  Plains,  Straits,  and  Poplar  Hill 
Streets,  said  school-money  being  proportioned  to  each  street 
agreeably  to  what  they  paid  respectively  in  the  last  year's 
rate."  These  schools  were  first  taught  in  private  houses,  but 
in  the  latter  part  of  1772  the  frame  of  a  school-house  was  put 
up  at  the  present  hamlet.  The  building,  however,  was  not 
completed  in  that  year;  and,  indeed,  it  was  unfinished  for  a 
number  of  years,  on  account  of  the  inability  of  the  town  to 
build  both  the  church  and  the  school-house  at  the  same  time. 

In  1775,  Benjamin  Smith,  Joseph  Scott,  Joseph  Belding, 
.Ir.,  Thomas  Crafts,  Elisha  Belding,  Perez  Bardwell,  .John 
Smith,  Peter  Train,  and  Nathan  Graves  were  chosen  a  school 
committee ;  but  no  appropriations  for  schools  were  made  in 
that  year  or  in  the  few  years  next  following,  the  war  having 
necessitated  the  use  of  the  public  funds  in  other  directions. 
In  1780  an  efl'ort  was  made  to  secure  the  erection  of  three 
school-houses  in  town,  but  the  purpose  was  not  accomplished, 
and,  so  far  as  known,  only  one  house  was  huilt,  about  1782. 
It  was  on  the  Straits,  and  was  16  feet  square.  On  Poplar 
Hill  a  small  house  was  built  by  individuals  on  their  own  ac- 
count, which  became  the  property  of  the  town  in  1790,  and 
in  the  same  year  provision  was  made  for  school-houses  on 
Spruce  Hill  and  Grass  Hill.  For  the  support  of  these  five 
schools,  £30  were  appropriated,  the  money  to  be  apportioned 
upon  the  number  of  children  from  eight  to  twenty-one  years 
of  age. 

Mary  White,  Jr.,  taught  the  Chestnut  Plains  school  in  1782, 
and  Zilpah  Stiles,  Rebecca  Baker,  Electa  Allis,  Thos.  Clark, 
John  Parmenter,  Benjamin  Mather,  Thomas  Sanderson,  and 
a  Mr.  Osgood  were  also  early  teachers. 

In  1798  "  the  town  voted  £20  to  revive  singing  in  the  town  ; 
that  4  pounds  of  it  be  laid  out  in  the  east  part  of  the  town  for 
the  above  purpose ;  and  40  shillings  be  laid  out  in  the  west 
part  to  support  a  cyphering-school  or  a  singing-school,  as  the 
inhabitants  of  that  part  shall  decide,  both  schools  to  be  free  to 


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Popkins,  Photographer,  Greeiifielil. 


^^r^  4hlMJZL 


Deacon  John  White  was  born  in  Wliately,  Franklin 
Co.,  Mass.,  Aug.  2, 1804.  He  is  of  English  descent,  and  the 
son  of  Deacon  John  White,  who  was  the  son  of  Deacon 
Salmon  White,  who  was  descended  from  Peregrine  White, 
who  came  to  this  country  in  the  "  Mayflower."  Salmon 
White  was  baptized  Oct.  31,  1731,  and  settled  in  Whately, 
on  the  Luke  B.  White  place,  about  17G2.  He  was  a  deacon, 
a  captain  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  a  leading  man  in  the 
new  settlement,  and  died  June  21,  1815. 

John  White,  father  of  the  subject  of  this  notice,  was 
born  in  Hatfield  (now  Whately),  Jan.  9, 1762,  and  died  in 
April,  1836.  He  was  a  deacon,  lieutenant,  representative, 
and  selectman.  He  married  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Samuel 
Brown,  of  Worcester,  Mass.  She  died  March  26,  1853, 
aged  eighty-three.  They  had  for  children  :  Luke  Brown, 
born  May  8,  1797  ;  Elizabeth  Mary,  born  Jan.  23,  1799  ; 
Judith  (first),  born  Nov.  17,  1800;  Maria,  born  Oct.  31, 
1802;  John,  born  Aug  2,  1804;  Elvira,  born  Oct.  19, 
1806;  Eunice  (first),  born  1809;  Samuel  Brooks,  born 
Jan.  9,  1811  ;  Judith  (second),  born  May  18,  1813;  and 
Eunice  (second),  born  Dee.  24,  1819. 

Deacon  John  White  received  a  practical  education  in  the 
common  schools.  When  sixteen  years  old  he  commenced 
working  upon  the  farm  for  his  father,  and  after  he  became 
of  age  he  received  one  hundred  dollars  per  year  and  his 
board  and  clothing,  for  five  years.     At  the  expiration  of 


that  time  he,  in  connection  with  his  brothers,  Luke  B.  and 
Samuel  B.,  took  charge  of  the  farm,  and  received  the  pro- 
ceeds therefrom  as  their  compensation.  In  this  partnership 
he  remained  until  his  father's  decease,  in  1836.  He  then 
removed  to  the  Justus  White  place,  where  he  now  resides. 
He  has  added  considerably  to  the  original  property.  In 
1877  Mr.  White  was  trustee  of  the  Smith  Charities.  He 
has  been  connected  with  the  Congregational  Church  for 
forty  years,  and  has  served  as  deacon  since  1851.  His 
family  are  also  members  of  that  church.  He  is  an  ener- 
getic, industrious  man,  prompt  in  all  business  transactions, 
and  of  the  strictest  integrity. 

Mr.  White  was  married,  Jan.  6,  1836,  to  Cornelia, 
daughter  of  Deacon  Justus  White,  and  granddaughter  of 
Salmon  White  (the  sixth).  Deacon  Justus  White  was 
born  in  Whately,  June,  1787  ;  he  was  a  farmer,  and  held 
various  town  offices.  Salmon  White  (the  sixth)  was  born 
in  Whately,  Sept.  22,  1760.  He  was  an  earnest  Christian 
and  a  prominent  man  in  the  town. 

Cornelia  White  received  an  excellent  education  under  the 
tuition  of  Miss  Lyon,  founder  of  the  Mount  Holyoke  Sem- 
inary. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  White  have  a  family  of  two  daughters  and 
one  son.  They  are  Lydia  Amsden,  born  Nov.  22,  1838  ; 
Salmon  Phelps,  born  Feb.  1,  1841;  and  Cornelia  Maria, 
born  Sept.  13,  1853. 


HISTORY   OF   FRANKLIN   COUNTY. 


727 


all  parts  of  the  town,  and  be  under  the  direction  of  the  select- 
men." 

In  1789,  £50  were  voted  to  build  a  school-house  on  Chest- 
nut Plains  Street.  It  was  24  by  30  feet,  rough-boarded  and 
clap-boarded  and  shingled,  and  had  a  chimney  and  hearth. 
There  were  glazed  windows,  each  having  twenty  lights,  with 
outside  shutters,  and  the  outside  door  swung  on  hinges.  For 
those  limes  it  was  a  miKje),  and  a  costly  building,  and  was  prob- 
ably the  first  in  which  winter  schools  were  maintained.  On 
account  of  the  fireplace,  application  was  made  by  some  of  the 
church-going  people  living  at  a  distance  to  use  the  school- 
house  for  a  "  noon-room."  The  denial  of  this  request  ha'd  the 
eflect  of  determining  the  people  in  other  parts  of  the  town  to 
possess  houses  as  good  as  or  better  than  the  one  by  the  church, 
and  soon  the  town  was  asked  for  aid  in  building  theni<'~€rlazed 
windows  and  fireplaces  were  supplied,  and  some  o^lhe  Ijouses 
had  two  hearths.  Between  this  period  and  1820  several  very 
comfortable  brick  houses  were  built,  and  liberal  provisions 
for  schools  were  made.    This  interest  has  been  well  maintained. 

In  1878  the  entire  amount  devoted  to  schools  was  S1.31Ij.i50, 
which  was  expended  on  six  districts,  except  $50  paid  for  in- 
struction out  of  town. 

At  the  meeting  Dec.  1,  1777,  the  town  voted  to  accept  the 
piece  of  land  given  by  Reuben  Belding,  deceased,  of  Hatfield, 
for  the  use  of  schools,  but  subsequently  failed  to  comply  with 
the  conditions  of  the  will,  and  forfeited  the  bequest. 

The  question  of  establishing  a  high  school  was  agitated 
as  early  as  1828,  and  in  the  following  year  the  town  gave 
its  consent  to  have  a  house  for  this  purpose  put  up  at  Bartlett's 
Corners.  The  project  did  not  succeed,  and  in  the  winter  of 
1838  the  necessary  funds  were  subscribed  by  citizens,  who 
built  a  house  for  a  select  school  on  the  West  Lane.  In  the 
fall  and  winter  of  1839-40,  Addison  Ballard  taught  a  school 
in  this  building,  and  thereafter,  for  a  number  of  years,  one 
term  per  year  was  maintained.  About  18o4  the  house  was 
converted  into  a  dwelling. 

In  1871  the  town-hall  at  the  hamlet  was  so  arranged  as  to 
atibrd  a  school-room;  and  the  following  year  Miss  Abbie 
Smith  opened  a  select  school  there,  which  she  continued  five 
terms.  The  subsequent  teachers  have  been  Miss  Clara  Ste- 
vens, Charles  W.  Wight,  and  others.  The  school  was  at 
first  conducted  as  an  individual  enterpi'ise,  but  in  1879  the 
town  voted  i?100  toward  its  support  as  a  graded  .school,  to  be 
under  the  supervision  of  the  school  board  of  the  town. 

RELIGIOUS    SOCIETIES. 

The  early  settlers  of  Whately  did  not  possess  many  church 
privileges  before  the  incorporation  of  the  town,  but  attended 
meetings  in  Hatfield  and  Deerfield,  going  over  foot-paths, 
and  fording  the  streams  on  the  way.  The  elders  rode  on 
horseback,  but  the  younger  members  of  the  family  trudged 
along  on  foot,  carrying  their  shoes  iu  their  hands  until  near 
the  meeting-house,  when  they  put  them  on  ;  and  after  the 
meeting  they  removed  them  again  on  their  return  home  at 
the  same  place.  But,  anticipating  the  organization  of  the 
town,  David  Scott  secured  the  Rev.  Rufus  Wells,  of  Deerfield, 
to  preach  for  the  people  eight  Sabbaths,  from  March  6th  to 
April  28th,  at  £1  per  service,  w-hich  was  paid  by  him  and  his 
neighbors.  But,  on  the  9th  of  May,  1771,  the  town  voted  to 
raise  £30  for  preaching  ;  and  on  the  4th  of  June  it  was  voted 
to  hire  Mr.  Wells  to  preach  six  weeks  on  probation,  and  to 
provide  him  a  boarding-place  in  town.  They  engaged  board 
at  OS.  per  week,  at  Daniel  ilorton's,  and  also  arranged  to  have 
the  first  meetings  held  near  there. 

At  the  expiration  of  the  six  weeks'  probation,  the  town 
voted  to  give  Mr.  Rufus  Wells  a  call  to  settle  in  the  gospel 
ministry.  The  conditions  offered  were  as  follows:  a  "settle- 
ment," as  it  was  termed,  of  £133  6s.  8rf. ;  a  salanj  of  £55  for 
the  first  year ;  and  to  rise  40.'i.  yearly  till  it  amounted  to  £75. 
It  was  also  voted  "that  Mr.  Wells  be  allowed  £6  yearly /or 


wood,  to  take  place  at  such  time  as  he  sets  up  housckeep. 
ing."  The  committee  to  make  these  proposals  to  Mr.  Wells 
were  Nathan  Graves,  Daniel  Morton,  and  Salmon  White. 

The  settlement  was  paid  in  land,  the  town  giving  to  Mr. 
Wells  60  acres  lying  east  of  the  old  parsonage  at  the  hamlet. 
The  approval  of  the  ministers  of  Deerfield,  Sunderland,  and 
Conway  having  been  obtained,  Mr.  Wells  was  duly  recog- 
nized as  the  settled  minister  of  the  town,  and  steps  for  the 
organization  of  a  church  were  taken.  A  town-meeting  was 
accordingly  held,  Aug.  13,  1771,  when  it  was  voted  "  that 
Wednesday,  the  21st  of  this  August,  be  kept  as  a  day  of  fast- 
ing and  prayer  by  y'  inhabitants  of  y°  town  of  Whately." 

"Voted  that  Messrs.  David  Parsons,  of  Amherst,  Joseph 
Ashley,  of  Sunderland,  Jonathan  Ashley,  of  Deerfield,  and 
John  Emerson,  of  Conway,  be  the  persons  to  perform  the  ser- 
vices of  the  daj'  of  fasting." 

On  the  appointed  day,  the  invited  ministers  being  present, 
after  the  exercises  had  been  concluded,  a  number  of  persons, 
dismissed  from  the  church  in  Hatfield,  were  embodied  into 

THE    CHURCH   OF   CHRI.ST   IN   WHATELY. 

The  articles  of  faith  and  covenant  were  signed,  or  consented 
to,  by  the  following  persons ;  Salmon  White,  Simeon  Wait, 
Richard  Chauncey,  Nathan  Graves,  David  Scott,  Thomas 
Crafts,  Daniel  Morton,  Israel  Graves,  Benjamin  Smith,  Philip 
Smith,  Elisha  Frary,  Joshua  Belding,  John  Wait,  Jr.,  David 
Graves,  Jr.,  Elisha  Belding,  Oliver  Graves,  David  Graves,  Sr., 
Joseph  Belding,  Sr.,  Rebecca  Graves,  Ebenezer  Bardwell, 
Elizabeth  Bardwell,  Elizabeth  Belding,  Submit  Scott,  Abi- 
gail Smith,  Martha  Wait,  Eunice  Graves,  Mary  White,  Ruth 
Belding,  Mary  Wait,  Abigail  Crafts,  Lydia  Stiles,  Ruth 
Stiles,  George  Prutt,  Sarah  Smith,  Sarah  Smith,  Jr.,  Abigail 
Graves,  Jemima  Scott,  Abigail  Scott,  Anna  Belding,  31ar- 
garet  Belding,  Sarah  Wells,  Eleanor  Morton,  Miriam  Frary, 
Elizabeth  Chauncey,  and  Abigail  Smith, — 45  in  all. 

A  council  for  the  ordination  of  Mr.  Wells  was  called,  which 
met  Sept.  25,  1771,  at  a  place  prepared  under  the  shade  of  two 
large  oaks  standing  near  where  the  church  was  afterward 
built,  and,  in  a  solemn  manner,  set  him  apart  to  the  "  work  of 
thQ  ministry, — being  made  an  overseer  of  the  church  or  flock 
of  Christ  in  Whately  by  the  laying  on  of  the  hands  of  the 
Presbytery. 

The  Rev.  Rufus  Wells  was  born  in  Deerfield,  in  September, 
1743,  and  was  a  son  of  Dr.  Thomas  Wells,  the  first  physician 
of  that  town.  He  graduated  at  Harvard  in  1764,  and  was 
licensed  to  preach  in  1769.  He  married  Sarah  Porter,  of 
Ashfield,  in  1770,  who  died  in  1796,  which  greatly  afflicted 
him  and  caused  him  to  become  temporarily  deranged.  Hap- 
pily, he  was  completely  restored,  and  in  1802  married  Mrs. 
Temperance  Severance  for  his  second  wife.  In  1822  a  col- 
league was  appointed  him,  but  he  continued  his  pastoral  rela- 
tion until  his  death,  Nov.  8,  1834,  having  spent  sixty  years  of 
his  ministerial  life  in  Whately.  He  wrote  more  than  3000 
sermons,  the  last  one,  bj"  a  strange  coincidence,  being  on  the 
text  from  Hebrews  iv.  9:  "  There  remaineth  therefore  a  rest 
to  tlie  people  of  God."  In  his  ministry  he  baptized  956  per- 
sons and  married  305  couples.  His  last  recorded  public  act 
was  the  performance  of  the  ceremony  at  the  marriage  of  his 
granddaughter,  Sarah  Wells,  to  Silas  Rice,  Nov.  8,  1831.  In 
accordance  with  the  custom  of  those  times,  Mr.  Wells  com- 
bined other  work  with  his  ministerial  duties,  managing  a 
large  farm  and  being  a  conveyancer,  and  was  as  successful 
a  business-man  as  a  minister.  He  was  the  father  of  nine 
children,  and  closed  his  long  and  eventful  life  universally 
respected. 

Mr.  Wells'  colleague  was  the  Rev.  Lemuel  P.  Bates,  who 
was  ordained  Feb.  13,  1822,  and  was  dismissed  Oct.  17,  1832. 
He  graduated  at  AVilliams  College  iu  1818,  and  also  at  Prince- 
ton. He  removed  to  the  West,  and  died  at  Alton,  111.,  in 
1860. 


728 


HISTORY   OF  THE   CONNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


For  iibout  finir  years  the  church  was  destitute  of  a  pastor, 
— the  pulpit  beinj;  supplied  in  the  mean  time  by  Kevs.  Pacl^ard 
and  Eastman,— but  on  the  16th  of  March,  1836,  the  Kev. 
John  Ferguson  was  installed  the  third  pastor,  and  preserved 
that  connection  until  June  17,  1840.  He  was  born  in  Scot- 
land in  1785,  and  came  to  America  in  1806.  After  he  left 
"VVhately  he  became  an  agent  of  the  American  Tract  Society. 

Again  a  vacancy  followed,  extending  thr<iugh  live  years,  in 
which  time  the  supplies  were  the  faculty  of  Amherst  College, 
and  the  Revs.  Moses  Chase,  Sumner,  Lincoln,  and  others. 

Sept.  30,  1845,  the  Rev.  J.  H.  Temple,  of  Framingham,  was 
ordained  the  fourth  pastor,  and  was  dismissed  March  24,  1852. 
He  was  born  March  2,  1815,  and  fitted  to  enter  college  in  1836, 
but  was  prevented  by  his  eyesight  failing.  He  attended  lec- 
tures at  Amherst  and  became  a  successful  teacher,  and  was 
the  author  of  several  te.'ct-books  and  historical  works. 

His  successor  in  the  pastoral  office  at  Whately  was  the  Rev. 
Charles  N.  Seymour,  who  was  installed  March  9,  1853,  and 
dismissed  April  27,  1859.  He  graduated  at  Trinity  College  in 
1841,  and  studied  theology  at  Now  Haven.  After  leaving 
"Whately  he  removed  to  Brooklyn,  Windham  Co  ,  Conn. 

The  sixth  and  last  regular  pastor,  up  to  this  period  (1879), 
was  the  Rev.  John  William  Lane,  who  graduated  at  Amherst 
in  1856,  and  at  Andover  in  1859.  He  was  ordained  Oct.  17, 
1860,  and  dismissed  in  March,  1878.  Since  that  period  the 
pulpit  has  been  supplied  by  Prof  Tyler,  of  Northampton, 
and  others. 

The  meetings  of  the  church  were  held  at  Oliver  Jlortnn's 
house  for  a  number  of  years,  and  probably  for  a  short  time  at 
the  house  of  the  pastor.  In  December,  1771,  provision  was 
made  for  a  meeting-house,  and  David  Scott,  Thomas  Crafts, 
Joseph  Belding,  Noah  Bard  well,  and  David  Graves,  Jr.,  were 
appointed  to  carry  out  the  purpo.se  of  the  town.  Boards  and 
joists  were  sawed  at  the  mill  of  Adonijah  Taylor,  and  the 
next  year  .shingles  were  purchased.  Oct.  5, 1772,  it  was  decided 
to  set  up  the  meeting-house  the  next  spring  in  the  Chestnut 
Plains  Street,  between  the  house  of  Oliver  Morton  and  that 
occupied  by  the  pastor.  Salmon  White,  Edward  Brown, 
Oliver  Graves,  Joseph  Belding,  Jr.,  and  David  Scott  were 
chosen  a  building  committee,  and  the  town  voted  a  tax  of  £80 
on  the  ratable  polls  and  property  of  the  inhabitants  to  erect 
the  house. 

"  During  the  winter  of  1772- 7.'i  tlie  timber  and  materials  were  collected,  and 
at  a  meeting  held  May  10, 1773,  the  town  granted  additional  money,  and  voted 
that  David  Scott  be  iiiaster-workmau  to  frame  the  house.  The  building  was 
framed  by  wh.at  was  called  the  'try  rule,'  or  the  rule  of  blc^  etyhl,  and  tvit — i.e., 
the  sills,  jiosts,  and  beams  were  framed  and  tried,  and  the  braces  were  laid  on  to 
mark  their  bevels  and  lengtli.  (Master  Scott's  printc  precept  was,  '  Slake  great 
mortises  and  little  tenons,  and  your  work  will  go  together  dmrmwrj  msij  T)  In 
the  course  of  the  two  following  months  the  liouse  was  fianied,  raised,  and  par- 
tially covered.  At  a  town-meeting  held  July  8, 1773,  it  was  voted  to  raise  40 
pounds  to  go  on  and  finish  the  meeting-house.  The  'finish'  then  put  on,  how- 
ever, was  not  of  the  highest  order,  as  will  be  seen  in  the  particular  description 
which  f(dlows:  On  the  outside  the  roof  was  well  shingled,  though  it  had  no 
steeple  or  tower;  the  sides  and  ends  were  covered  with  rough  hoards  chamfered 
together.  The  windows  in  the  lower  story  were  pretty  fully  gl.azed;  those  in 
the  upper  story  were  honrdal  up.  There  were  three  doors  to  tlie  house,  one  each 
on  the  north,  east,  and  south  shies,  that  on  the  eiust  side  being  reckonctl  the 
front  door.  These  were  made  of  rough  boards,  and  not  very  tightly  fitteil.  Thus 
«*»yor?«  was  the  covering  upon  the  outside.  The  inside  had  no 'finish' at  all, 
except  a  gronnd-Iloor.  The  sides  were  destitute  of  both  plasteiing  and  laths, 
aiid  the  framework  of  the  galleries,  the  beams,  girths,  and  rafters  were  all 
naked.  A  rough  board  pulpit,  raised  a  few  feet,  was  placed  in  the  centic  of  the 
west  side.  Directly  in  front  of  the  pulpit  a  carpenter's  work-bench  wjis  left. 
The  seat  which  was  placed  before  this  bench  was  claimed  by  the  old  ladies, 
that  they  might  hear  better  and  have  a  support  for  the  liack.  The  seats  were 
nothing  more  than  low  slab  forms;  these  were  arranged  without  much  regard 
to  order,  and  were  free  to  all.  After  some  years,  Mr.  Wells  nailed  up  a  conplo 
of  boards  on  the  left  of  the  pulpit  for  the  better  accommodation  of  his  wife; 
and  a  sort  of  pew,  or  bench  with  a  back  fixed  to  it,  was  fitted  up  by  a  few  of 
the  young  men,  on  the  east  side  near  the  door,  capable  of  seating  six  or  eight 
persons." 

In  this  state  the  house  remained  twenty-five  years,  resem- 
bling a  barn,  and  in  summer  was  the  abode  of  hundreds  of 
swallows,  who  made  such  a  twittering  noise  that  Mr.  Wells 


never  exchanged  with  any  one  during  their  stay,  fearing  that 
they  would  annoy  the  visiting  minister. 

In  1797  the  house  was  finished,  and  for  the  first  time  regu- 
larly consecrated.  The  pews  were  not  sold,  but  each  family  or 
person  was  assigned  a  particular  seat,  by  a  coinmittee,  accord- 
ing to  his  age  or  property.  This  arrangement  proved  so  un- 
satisfactory to  some  that  they  absented  themselves  from  the 
meetings,  and  in  1819  the  practice  of  selling  the  pews  was 
adopted.  A  portion  of  the  proceeds  from  this  source  was  ap- 
plied to  building  a  steeple  upon  the  south  end  of  the  meeting- 
house, which  was  supplied  with  a  bell  in  1821.  At  first  tlie 
signal  was  given  by  blowing  a  large  conch  an  hour  before  ser- 
vice and  again  just  before  preaching  began  ;  but,  in  1795,  the 
town  voted  that  we  "  will  not  improve  any  body  to  blow  the 
conch  as  a  signal  for  meeting,''  and  from  that  period  until  the 
bell  was  placed  in  position  the  people  came  at  their  pleasure. 

In  1843  the  meeting-house  was  remodeled,  but  the  frame, 
put  up  in  1773,  being  found  perfectly  sound,  was  left  unaltered. 
The  bouse  stood  in  the  luiddle  of  the  street,  at  the  hamlet, 
until  1807,  when  it  was  sold  and  removed.  In  that  year  the 
church  purchased,  and  has  since  occupied,  the  meeting-house 
at  the  hamlet  erected  by  the  Second  Congregational  Church, 
which  had  dissolved  a  few  years  previous. 

From  1778  until  March  18,  1816,  the  custom  of  "  covenant 
privileges"  prevailed  in  the  church,  by  means  of  which  a  per- 
son might  obtain  a  "half-way"  membership. 

"An  individual  of  good  moral  standing  in  society,  who  would  acknowleilge  a 
belief  in  the  doctrines  of  the  gospel  as  set  forth  in  the  Confession  of  Faith,  and 
would  assent  in  part  to  the  covenant,  might  be  received  by  vote  as  a  member  in 
a  limited  sense,  lie  thus  became  a  subject  for  discipline,  and  might  he  coni- 
Iilained  against  by  full  members.  He  liail  the  privilege  of  baptism  for  himself 
and  family,  but  was  deltarred  from  the  communion  of  the  Lord's  Supper." 

In  1788,  25  members  of  the  church,  living  in  the  western 
part  of  Whately,  becoming  dissatisfied  with  the  vote  of  the 
town  retaining  the  meeting-house  at  the  hamlet,  withdrew,  and 
afterward  biecame  Baptists.  In  1842  and  thereafter  75  mem- 
bers withdrew  to  form  the  Second  Congregational  Church. 
The  membership  has  frequently  been  augmented  by  revivals, 
and  aggregates  nearly  a  thousand  persons.  At  present  (March, 
1879)  there  are  145  members,  25  of  whom  are  non-residents. 

Nathan  Graves,  elected  in  October,  1771,  was  the  first  deacon 
of  the  church  ;  Salmon  Wliite,  elected  in  1773,  was  the  second. 
The  subsequent  deacons  have  been  Thomas  Sanderson,  Levi 
Morton,  John  White,  Eleazer  Frary,  James  Smith,  Justus 
White,  David  Sanders,  Reuben  H.  Belden,  Elias  A.  Dickin- 
son, L.  W.  Hannum,  Elihu  Belden,  John  White,  Jlyron 
Harwood,  and  Francis  G.  Bard  well. 

About  1820,  Chloe  Adkins  and  Kuth  Dickinson  gathered  a 
number  of  children  together  for  instruction  in  the  Scriptures, 
but  it  is  thought  that  no  regular  Sunday-school  was  organized 
until  about  1826.  It  has  usually  been  well  attended,  and  at 
present  has  80  members,  under  the  superintendence  of  Chester 
K.  Waite.  From  1800  to  1877,  Elihu  Belden  was  the  sujier- 
intendent.     The  school  has  a  library  of  200  volumes. 

The  prudential  committee  of  the  church  is  composed  of  S. 
W.  AUis,  Chester  K.  Waite,  and  Salmon  P.  White.  Porter 
Wells  is  the  parish  clerk. 

THE   SECOND   CONGREGATIONAL   CHURCH 

was  organized,  by  a  council,  Nov.  10,  1842,  and  was  composed 
of  members  who  had  withdrawn  from  the  First  Church.  The 
original  number  was  17,  and  105  were  reported  in  1848.  The 
church  was  very  prosperous  for  a  number  of  years,  but  re- 
movals and  dismissions  impaired  its  strength  to  such  an  extent 
that  on  the  28th  of  January,  1864,  it  was  disbanded,  most  of 
the  remaining  members  uniting  with  the  old  church,  which 
had  already  absorbed  a  great  deal  of  its  strength. 

The  church  had  two  pastors.  The  first,  the  Rev.  Jonathan 
S.  Judd,  was  ordained  Oct.  12,  1843,  and,  after  a  very  success- 
ful pastorate,  was  dismissed  Oct.  23,  1855.     He  was  a  native  of 


HISTORY  OF  FEANKLIN   COUNT  7. 


729 


Westhampton,  and  descended  from  the  Rev.  Jonathan  Judd's 
family.  He  graduated  at  Williams  College  in  1839,  and  at 
East  Windsor  in  1842.  From  Whatelj'  he  went  to  Middle- 
bury,  Conn.,  where  he  died.  May  11,  18G4. 

The  Kev.  Charles  Lord,  the  second  pastor,  was  installed 
March  20,  l.Sofi,  and  dismissed  Jan.  14,  1860.  He  graduated 
at  Amherst  in  1838  and  at  Andover  in  1842,  and  before  com- 
ing to  Whately  had  served  as  a  missionary. 

The  meeting-house  was  erected  in  the  summer  of  1843,  and 
enlarged  in  1867  by  the  First  Church,  which  has  used  it  as  a 
place  of  worship  since  that  period.  It  is  attractive  in  its  ap- 
pearance, and  is  supplied  with  a  thousand-dollar  pipe-organ. 

The  Congregational  ministers  who  were  natives  of  Whately 
have  been  the  following:  Rev.  Alvan  Sanderson  was  born 
Dec.  13,  1780;  graduated  at  Williams  College  in  1802;  was 
licensed  to  preach  in  1804,  and  ordained  an  evangelist  in 
1807.  He  became  pastor  of  the  church  in  Ashfield  in  1808; 
founded  Sanderson  Academy,  and  died  there  in  1817. 

Rev.  Perez  Chapin  was  born  in  Whately,  April  29,  1783, 
hut  removed  before  1797.  He  graduated  at  Middlebury,  Vt., 
in  1808,  and  was  licensed  to  preach  in  1810 ;  was  ordained 
pastor  at  Pownal,  Me.,  March  20,  1811,  and  died  there  in  that 
capacity  in  1839. 

Rev.  Pomeroy  Belden  was  born  in  Whately  in  1811  ;  grad- 
uated at  Amherst  in  1833,  and  at  Andover  in  1836 ;  was  or- 
diiined  an  evangelist  at  Warwick  in  1837,  and  died  while  the 
pastor  of  the  East  Amherst  Church,  March,  1849. 

Rev.  Lucius  W.  Chapman  was  born  in  Whately,  Jan.  7, 
1820;  studied  at  Shelburne  Falls  Academy;  was  licensed  a 
Baptist  minister  in  Pennsylvania  in  1842,  but  became  a  Pres- 
byterian in  1849. 

Rev.  Rufus  Porter  Wells,  a  grandson  of  the  Rev.  Rufus 
Wells,  was  born  in  Whately  in  1818;  graduated  at  Amherst 
in  1842;  studied  at  Union  Theological  Seminary,  N.  Y. ; 
was  ordained  pastor  of  the  Jonesborough  (East  Tennessee) 
Presbyterian  Church  in  1850 ;  suifered  much  persecution  in 
the  Rebellion,  and  was  forced  to  flee  for  his  life,  finally  settling 
in  the  North. 

THK    BAPTIST   CHURCH   OF   WHATELY 

was  organized  May  5,  1789,  and  originally  embraced  the 
twenty-five  members  who  withdrew  from  the  Congregational 
Church  the  year  before,  and  others,  living  in  the  western  part 
of  the  town,  as  follows:  Silas  Smith,  Benjamin  Smith,  John 
Graves,  Elisha  Smith,  Benjamin  Bacon,  Jesse  Warner,  Caleb 
Ward,  Russell  Wells,  Simeon  Dean,  Russell  Ellis,  Elijah 
Warner,  Joel  Wright,  Benoni  Graves,  Thomas  Dickinson, 
Thomas  Wild,  John  Stark,  Abraham  Olds,  George  Rogers, 
John  Williams,  Ruphy  Warner,  Stephen  Green,  Elisha  Baker, 
Asa  Todd,  Adna  Smith,  Ephraim  Fisher,  Jonathan  Bagley, 
Sarah  Warner,  Abigail  Brown,  Lois  Graves,  Lydia  Frary, 
Mary  Smith,  E.  C.  Brown,  Louisa  Smith,  Mary  Brown, 
Elizabeth  Smith,  Jerusha  Wells,  Anna  Tator,  Jerusha  Brown, 
Lovina  Smith,  Abigail  Hanson,  Lydia  Allen,  Abigail  Todd, 
Phebe  Dean,  Hagar  Robbins,  Elizabeth  Fuller,  Ruth  Baker, 
Jemima  Clark,  Triphenia  Stark,  Anna  Rogers,  Marah  Baker, 
Nancy  Fisher,  Miriam  Cassell,  Marion  Church,  Mary  Wil- 
liams, and  Sarah  Gunn. 

The  meetings  were  first  held  in  the  school-house,  but  about 
1790  an  old-fashioned  meeting-house  was  erected  on  the  Poplar 
Hill  road.  In  1817  the  lower  parts  of  the  posts  were  cut  oft" 
about  four  feet,  and  the  house  lowered  and  modernized.  It 
was  re-dedicated,  October,  1817,  by  the  Rev.  David  Pease.  The 
house  was  demolished  some  years  since. 

July  6,  1789,  Titus  Doolittle,  clerk  of  the  Westfield  Church, 
recommended  Asa  Todd,  the  first  pastor,  in  the  following 
letter:  "Brother  Asa  Todd  is  in  good  and  wholesome  stand- 
ing, and  of  good  report  of  them  that  are  without  sin."  He 
was  ordained  Sept.  9,  1789.  The  Rev.  Stephen  Barker  was 
installed  in  1807;  Rev.  John  R.  Goodnough,  ordained  Aug. 
92 


26,  1823 ;  and  Rev.  Lorenzo  Rice,  Feb.  8,  1837.  After  this 
the  Revs.  James  Parker  and  George  Bills  supplied  the  church, 
each  two  years ;  and  after  a  few  years  of  abating  interest,  the 
church  was  disbanded,  Aug.  23,  1850. 

A  METHODIST  SOCIETY 
was  proposed  in  the  spring  of  1818  by  James  Cutler,  Moses 
Hill,  Joel  Wait  (3d),  and  John  Buel ;  but  beyond  a  statement 
of  the  purpose  nothing  further  was  done,  although  meetings 
were  occasionally  held  about  that  time  and  at  subsequent 
periods. 

Rev.  William  Bardwell,  a  Methodist,  was  born  in  Whately, 
Oct.  13,  1813,  and  was  ordained  to  the  ministry  in  May,  1846. 
He  died  in  1851. 

THE    FIRST    UNIVERSALI.ST    SOCIETY    IN    WHATELY 

was  organized  May  20,  1839,  with  Elihu  Harvey,  Clerk; 
Charles  Bardwell,  Treasurer;  E.  G.  Crafts,  Elihu  Harvey, 
David  D.  Gardiner,  Standing  Committee;  and  Henry  Smith, 
Collector. 

The  object  of  the  society  was  stated  as  "being  the  pron)o- 
tion  of  truth  and  morality  among  its  members,  and  also  in 
the  world  at  large ;  and  as  the  Gospel  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
is  calculated  above  all  truth  to  inspire  the  heart  with  the  emo- 
tions of  benevolence  and  virtue,  this  society  shall  deem  it  one 
of  the  main  objects  to  support  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel 
according  to  the  society's  ability,  and  to  aid  in  anj'  other 
practicable  way  in  spreading  a  knowledge  of  it  among  men." 

The  constitution  was  signed  by  Charles  Bardwell,  Elihu' 
Harvey,  Henry  Smith,  E.  G.  Crafts,  Allen  Belding,  William 
Belding,  Austin  Crafts,  Franklin  Brown,  Otis  Moore,  Joseph 
Belding,  Josiah  Jewett,  Lathrop  Smith,  David  Belding,  Hor- 
ace Sanderson,  Moses  Morton,  James  M.  Crafts,  Chester 
Brown,  Otis  Bardwell,  Benjamin  Dean,  James  Moore,  Isaac 
S.  Harvey,  David  D.  Wells,  Graves  Crafts,  and  Thomas 
Crafts. 

Meetings  were  held  in  school-houses,  the  old  Baptist  Church, 
and  the  town-hall,  the  ministers  being  the  Revs.  John  Peirce, 
L.  W.  Mason,  Earl  Guilford,  John  H.  Willis,  William  Wil- 
cox, and  others.  When  the  Unitarian  Society  was  formed 
most  of  the  members  attached  themselves  to  that  body,  and 
the  Universalist  Society  was  allowed  to  go  dow.n. 

THE    UNITARIAN    CONOREGATIONAL    S9CIETY 

was  formed  Jan.  9,  1866,  when  a  constitution  and  by-laws 
were  adopted,  but  the  first  meeting  of  the  persons  entertaining 
that  belief  was  held  April  23,  1865,  and  the  services  were  con- 
ducted by  the  Rev.  J.  F.  Moors,  of  Greenfield.  Regular 
preaching  was  established  by  the  Rev.  E.  B.  Fairchild,  July 
9,  1865.  Jan.  17,  1866,  the  society  elected  its  first  officers,  viz. : 
David  D.  Wells,  Clerk  ;  Dennis  Dickinson,  Treasurer ;  James 
Scott,  Myron  Brown,  Alonzo  Crafts,  Assessors  ;  Asa  Dickin- 
son, Collector. 

In  the  summer  of  1866  a  neat  frame  church  was  erected  in 
the  hamlet,  on  a  lot  given  for  this  purpose  by  Dennis  Dickin- 
son. It  was  dedicated  Jan.  17,  1867.  Mr.  Fairchild  remained 
with  the  society  about  three  years,  and  was  followed  by  the 
Rev.  George  H.  Eldridge,  who  preached  nearly  two  years. 
Rev.  Leonard  W.  Brigham  and  others  have  since  served  as 
supplies. 

THE   CEMETEKIES. 

The  town  is  provided  with  a  cemetei-y  at  the  hamlet,  another 
at  the  Straits,  and  a  third  place  for  interment  on  the  west 
street.  Probably  all  these  grounds  were  selected  for  their 
convenience  rather  than  for  fitness  of  location,  although  they 
have  all  been  improved  to  render  them  attractive.  The  cem- 
etery at  the  hamlet  is  provided  with  a  neat  hearse-house,  and 
contains  some  very  fine  monuments  belonging  to  the  Belden, 
Dickin.son,  and  other  honored  families  of  the  town.  The  old- 
est grave  in  this  ground  is  said  to  be  that  of  Hester  Morton, 


730 


HISTORY   OF  THE  CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


who  died  Oct.  21,  1762;  and  the  oldest  stone  marks  the  grave 
of  Jemima  Allis,  who  died  June  9,  1764.  In  the  east  ceme- 
tery, the  oldest  stone  and  grave  are  those  of  Joseph  Sander- 
son, dated  March  20,  1772.  Here,  also,  are  some  handsome 
monuments,  one  of  them  costing  $10tX).  In  the  west  ground, 
the  oldest  stone  marks  the  grave  of  Clarissa  Bardwell,  who 
died  Dec.  15,  1776. 

MILITARY  HISTORY. 
Although  the  French-and-Indian  war,  from  1754  to  1763, 
antedates  the  incorporation  of  the  town,  yet  some  of  the  citi- 
zens of  Hattield,  residing  in  what  is  now  Whately,  partici- 
pated in  that  struggle  ;  and  as  others  who  afterward  hecame 
settlers  of  the  town  were  engaged,  their  names  may  appro- 
priately be  given : 

Abraham  Parker,  Henry  Stiles,  Ricliarrt  Carey,  Philip  Smith,  Simeon  Graves, 
Joel  Dickinson,  Samuel  Carley,  Robert  Hazard,  Gains  Crafts,  Perez  Bard- 
well, Panl  Smith,  David  Graves,  Seth  Wait,  Ebenezer  Bardwell,  Ebenezer 
Bardwell,  Jr.,  Reuben  Dickinson,  Nathaniel  Dickinson,  Joseph  BeUling, 
Nathaniel  Sartwell,  Israel  Scott,  Israel  Graves,  Salmon  White,  Elisha 
Frary,  Abner  Dickinson,  Joseph  Byram,  Julius  Allis,  Samuel  Bardwell, 
Oliver  Graves,  Nathan  Graves,  Paul  Belding,  Silas  Smith,  Jeremiah  Wait. 

The  training  in  warfare  which  these  men  received  was 
turned  to  good  account  in 

THE  WAR  OF  THE  REVOLUTION 
which  so  soon  followed.  The  people  early  took  a  deep  interest 
in  the  impending  contest,  and  were  among  the  first  to  respond 
to  the  alarm  of  danger  at  the  threatened  destruction  of  their 
.liberties.  In  reply  to  the  circular  of  the  "  Boston  Committee 
of  Correspondence  and  Inquiry,"  which  called  attention  to  the 
"  rights  of  the  colonists  and  the  infringement  thereon,"  the 
town  forwarded  the  following  letter,  which  was  prepared  by 
Edward  Brown,  Eli.sha  Frary,  and  Joseph  Belding,  Jr.,  and 
approved  by  a  meeting  held  in  the  spring  of  1773 : 

"Gentlemen, — The  proceedings  of  the  town  of  Boston  under  the  present 
exigencies,  we  esteem  very  laudable  and  worthy  of  a  metropolis.  We  concur 
in  general  with  your  sentiments  in  stating  the  rights  of  the  colonists  and  prov- 
ince, and  of  the  infringements  of  these  rights.  Wo  hold  fast  loyally  to  our 
sovereign ;  yet  we  groan  under  our  burden,  but  do  not  despair  of  redress.  If 
the  importunity  of  a  poor  widow  may  move  an  unjust  judge  to  avenge  her,  how 
much  more  may  we  hope  for  redress  by  frequent  application  to  a  gracjous  king ! 
We  shall  at  all  times  heartily  join  with  you  in  all  legal  and  constitutional  meas- 
ures for  the  keeping  of  those  inestimable  privileges  wrested  from  us,  and  tirmly 
to  secure  those  that  remain.  For  we  are  sensible  that,  should  we  renounce  our 
liberty  and  privileges,  we  should  renounce  the  rights  of  man,  the  riglits  of 
humanity,  and  even  our  duty  to  God  and  man.  We  have  no  doubts  but  that  the 
Parliament  of  Great  Britilin  will  hereby  uuderetaud  that  'tis  not  the  discon- 
tentedness  of  a  faction,  but  that  the  whole  people  are  sensible  of  the  burdens 
they  labor  under." 

The  people  of  Whately  conformed  themselves  to  the  spirit 
of  the  above,  and  discarded  many  things  of  foreign  produc- 
tion, becoming  more  reliant  and  independent,  while  the  prep- 
arations for  possible  resistance  to  usurped  power  went  on.  In 
1774,  Oliver  Graves  was  chosen  deputy  to  attend  the  Provin- 
cial Congress  to  be  held  at  Concord  in  October ;  Elisha  Frary 
was  a  delegate  to  the  second  Congress,  at  Cambridge,  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1775;  and  Noah  Wells  and  Salmon  White  attended 
the  third  Congress,  at  Watertown,  in  May  of  the  same  year. 

In  the  fall  of  1774  a  company  of  "  Minute-Men"  was  or- 
ganized ;  and,  at  a  meeting  in  December,  it  was 

"  Voted  to  provide  one  hundred  weight  of  lead  and  two  hundred  flints  fur  the 
use  of  the  t<>wn." 

In  January  following  it  was 

"Voted  to  raise  money  for  the  Minute-Men." 

"Voted  that  the  Winute-Men  be  allowetl  Sd.  for  each  half-day  spent;  to  the 
sergeants,  lOrf. ,  to  the  lieutenants,  12d." 

"  Voted  that  tho  Minute-Men  train  four  half-days  between  this  and  the  1st  of 
May  next." 

Oliver  Graves,  Benjamin  Smith,  Oliver  Morton,  Joshua 
Belding,  John  Smith,  Elisha  Frary,  and  Paul  Smith  were  the 
committee  of  correspondence  in  1775. 

The  news  of  the  battle  of  Lexington  reached  Whately  late 
on  the  20th  of  April,  and  early  the  next  morning  the  Minute- 
Men  marched,  and  after  having  proceeded  forty  miles,  being 


told  they  were  not  needed,  returned  home,  reaching  it  on  the 
23d. 

The  company  was  composed  of  the  following  : 

C'apt.,  Henry  Stiles ;  Lieut.,  Noah  Bardwell ;  Sergts.,  Jolin  Lamson,  John  Brown ; 
privates,  Thomarf  Sanderson,  Paul  Belding,  Ebenezer  Bardwell,  Jr.,  John 
Wait,  Simeon  Wells,  Ebenezer  Dickinson,  Niles  Coleman,  Boswell  Smith, 
Benjamin  Smith,  Joel  Wait,  Daniel  Wells,  Salmon  Wliite,  Edward  Brown, 
David  Ingraliam. 

Besides  these,  a  number  of  the  citizens  belonged  to  com- 
panies in  the  adjoining  towns,  and  were  also  out  from  two  to 
thirty  days.    In  Capt.  Perez  Graves'  Hatfield  company  were: 

Sergt.,  Silas  Smith ;  privates,  Gideon  Dickinson,  Gains  Crafts,  Jacob  Mosher, 
John  Smith,  Benjamin  Smith,  .lonathan  Edson,  Joel  Wait,  Elisha  Smith. 

In  Capt.  Israel  Chapin's  company  (Col.  Fellows'  regi- 
ment) were : 

Lieut.,  Perez  Bardwell;  Sergts.,  Nathaniel  Sartle,  Joseph  Belding,  Jr. ;  Corp., 
Abel  Scott;  Dnimmer,  Phinciis  Frary;  Fifer,  Eleazar  Frary;  privates, 
Zenas  Field,  Josiah  Brown,  David  Morton,  Abel  Bacon,  Simeon  Morton, 
John  Crafts,  Joseph  Grafts,  Noah  Field,  Selah  Graves,  John  Sanderson, 
Joel  Scott,  Solomon  Snow,  Elijah  Scott,  Elisha  Smith,  Elisba  Wait. 

In  Capt.  Jonas  Locke's  Deerfield  company  were  Oliver 
Shattuck,  John  Locke,  Adonijah  Taylor,  Jonathan  Spafford. 

In  Capt.  Seth  Murray's  Hatfield  company  were — in  service 
from  April  29th  till  August  25th — Joel  and  Keuben  Dickinson, 
Caleb  Beals,  Jonathan  Edson,  Elisha  Wells,  and  Jacob 
Walker.  ' 

Ebenezer  Bardwell  was  in  the  Sunderland  company. 

The  Whately  men  engaged  at  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill 
were  Elisha  Wells,  Jonathan  Spafford,  Jonathan  Edson,  Sr., 
and  Jonathan  Edson,  Jr. 

The  action  of  the  town  throughout  the  Revolution  was  in 
harmony  with  the  patriotic  spirit  of  its  citizens.  On  the  6th 
of  July,  1776,  before  the  news  of  the  Declaration  of  Independ- 
ence had  been  received,  it  was  voted,  in  a  special  meeting, 

"  That  in  case  the  Continental  Congress  shall  declare  the  colonies  to  be  in  an 
independent  state  from  Great  Britain,  we  will  support  the  declaration  with  our 
lives  and  fortunes." 

Before  this  meeting  was  held, — probably  in  June,  1776, — 
Ebenezer  Dickinson,  Joseph  Crafts,  Joel  Morton,  Samuel  G. 
Morton,  Phineas  Scott,  Elijah  Scott,  Luther  Scott,  Philo 
Bacon,  and  Asa  Sanderson  were  enlisted  to  march  against 
Canada,  receiving  a  bounty  of  £7  from  the  State ;  and  the 
town  "  voted  j£54  for  their  encouragement." 

Other  men  who  enlisted  in  that  year  to  fill  the  town's  quota, 
or  who  served  in  1776,  were  : 

Bernice  Snow,  Ebenezer  Bardwell,  Jr.,  Solomon  Snow,  Zeph.  Snow,  Oliver 
Train,  Henry  Jones,  Joab  Bragg,  John  Hawley,  Edward  Brown,  Abel 
Bacon,  Thomas  Harrington,  Joab  Belding,  Bezaleel  Phelps,  Samuel  Black- 
man,  Amos  Fuller,  Oliver  Morton,  Adna  Smith,  William  Brown,  Benjamin 
Parker,  Phineas  Smith,  Bezaleel  Smith,  Abiaham  Parker,  Mathew  Graves, 
James  Sandei-son,  Aaron  Pratt,  Elisba  Smith,  Julius  Frary,  and  others. 

In  1777  a  company  of  57  men,  under  Capt.  Salmon  White, 
was  at  Ticonderoga  several   months.     Those   from  Whately 

were : 

Elisha  SmiHi,  Abijah  Brown,  Samuel  Ckdeman,  Zenas  Field,  Joel  Morton,  Elijah 
Scott,  Perez  Wells,  Moses  Crafts,  Philo  Bacon,  Richard  Carey,  John  Lam- 
son, Samuel  G.  Morton,  Joseldi  Scott,  Simeon  Wells,  Keuben  Crafts,  Jehu 
Dickinson,  Jacob  A.  Faxon,  Benjamin  Parker,  Abel  Scott. 

David  Stockbridge  was  a  corporal  in  the  Northern  ariiiy 
from  May  7th  to  July  8th.  Capt.  Seth  Murray's  company, 
when  it  marched  to  Port  Edward,  July  9  to  Aug.  12,  1777, 
hiid  the  following  Whately  men  : 

Lieuts.,  Thomas  Sanderson,  Noah  Bardwell ;  Sergts.,  John  Wait,  Noah  Field ; 
privates,  Elisha  Wells,  Abraham  Turner,  Daniel  Mort»in,  Levi  Mortun, 
Joel  Wait,  Jonathan  Edson,  Elibu  Wait,  Seth  Frary,  Lemuel  Wells,  Simeon 
Morton,  David  Morton,  Jataib  Walker,  ReuL'sn  Graves,  Josiali  Brown, 
Elijah  Smith,  Paul  Belding,  Graves  Crafts,  SeJah  Graves,  John  Graves, 
Selah  Scott,  Roswell  Smith,  Ebenezer  Scott,  I'anl  Belding,  Jr.,  David 
Ingraham. 
A  number  of  Whately  men  were  in  reac  ines.s  to  march  at 

the  order  of  Gen.  Gates,  Aug.  17,  1777,  but  only  Paul  Gibbs, 

Moses  Crafts,  Phineas  Scott,  and  Simeon   Wells  .served  any 

length  of  time  in  the  Northern  army. 

On  the  20th  of  September,  1777,  the  Whately  company  of 


I 


HISTORY   OF  FRANKLIN   COUNTY. 


731 


militia  went  to  Saratoga,  remaining  until  October  14th  of  that 
j-ear.     The  muster-roll  contained  the  names  of 

Capt.,  Salmon  White ;  Lieuts.,  Thomas  SauderBou,  Kuah  Bardwell ;  Sergts., 
LeDiuel  "VV'ells,  John  Crafts,  Eleazer  Frary,  Martin  Graves;  Corps.,  Eb- 
euezer  Bardwell,  Eli,jah  Scott,  Elisha  Wells;  privates,  Joseph  Kellogg, 
Ebenezer  Dickinson,  Gad  Smith,  Joshna  Belding,  Philo  Bacon,  Adna 
Smith,  Nathan  Graves,  Jr.,  Phiueas  Smith,  Reuben  Crafts,  John  Smith, 
Russell  Allis,  Jonathan  Smith,  Gad  Scott,  Elisha  Smith,  Abijah  Brown, 
Levi  Handy,  David  Ingraham,  Oliver  Griives,  Asa  Sanderson,  Nathan 
Graves,  Benjamin  Bacon,  Samuel  G.  Morton,  Ezra  Turner,  Joel  Wait. 

Other  Whately  men  at  Saratoga  were : 

David  Morton,  Zenas  Field,  Seth  Frary,  James  Sanderson,  Elisha  Smith,  Caleb 
Beats,  John  Sandereon,  Lucius  Allis,  Simeon  Graves,  Timothy  Shattuck, 
.\bel  AUis,  William  Brown,  Abraham  Parker,  Ebenozor  Bardwell,  Jr., 
Stephen  Keyes. 

In  1778  the  men  enlisted  were: 

Nathaniel  Dickinson.  Jonathan  Edson,  Abel  Scott,  Nathaniel  Sartle,  Philo 
Bacon,  Benjamin  Parker,  Isaac  Sanderson,  David  Ingraham,  Seth  Wright. 

A  number  of  levies  were  made  in  1779,  and  the  town 

"  Voted  to  allow  three  men,  that  will  engage  nine  months  in  the  Continental 
army,  40s.  per  month,  with  the  addition  of  the  bounty  and  mileage  allowed  by 
the  General  Court." 

On  the  19th  of  October  it  was  voted  "  to  raise  two  thousand 
four  hundred  pounds  for  soldiers  gone  and  going  into  the 
army."  Besides  those  in  service  a  short  time  at  New  London, 
Conn.,  the  enlisted  men  in  this  year  were  Samuel  G.  Morton, 
Gardner  Marcy,  Simeon  Wells,  Joseph  Scott,  Abijah  Hard- 
ing, Allen  Faxon,  Dr.  Perez  Chapin,  and  others. 

Jan.  6,  1780,  the  town  chose  a  committee  to  settle  with  the 
men  that  went  to  New  London  and  those  that  went  to 
Claverack. 

May  11th  it  was  voted  to  give  notes  on  interest  to  those 
soldiers  to  whom  the  town  is  indebted. 

A  liberal  bounty  to  volunteers  was  also  voted,  and  Benja- 
min Scott,  Jr.,  oflered  to  give  a  bonus  of  |700  to  seven  soldiers 
who  should  enlist.  This  was  paid  to  Abel  Scott,  Oliver 
Graves,  Graves  Crafts,  Philo  Bacon,  Salmon  White,  Jr., 
Amasa  Edson,  Abijah  Brown,  who  enlisted  for  six  months. 
Paul  Harvey,  Bezaleel  Smith,  Elijah  Smith  enlisted  for  three 
months.  William  Giles  and  Stephen  Orcutt  enlisted  in  the 
Continental  army. 

In  August,  1780,  the  town  voted  to  raise  £3600  to  provide 
beef  for  the  army,  and  appointed  Elisha  Frary,  Salmon  White, 
and  Perez  Chapin  a  purchasing  committee  ;  and  in  September 
"  it  was  voted  to  raise  one  hundred  and  twenty-seven  pounds, 
in  silver  money,  to  pay  the  soldiers  that  the  town  is  indebted 
to  for  service  done  or  doing  in  the  army." 

In  addition  to  those  already  named,  the  Whately  men  in 
service  in  1780  were  Reuben  Crafts,  Reuben  Graves,  John 
Wallis,  Samuel  Mclntire,  Moses  Crafts,  John  Brown,  Jona- 
than Bacon,  and  Henry  Green. 

In  1781  the  town  paid  £293  7s.,  in  silver,  bount_y  to  Jona- 
than Bacon,  Bernice  Snow,  Stephen  Keyes,  and  Gershom 
Keyes,  and  a  smaller  bounty  to  Asa  Crafts. 

Among  others  who  enlisted  in  this  year  were  Abel  Scott, 


Elisha  Belding,  Oliver  Shattuck,  Abial  Harding,  Abel  Bacon, 
and  Abraham  Parker. 

Among  those  who  had  served  in  the  Revolutionary  army 
and  became  settlers  after  the  war  were  Josiah  Gibert,  Nathan 
Harwood,  Francis  Harwood,  and  Joseph  Barnard. 

No  official  mention  is  made  of  Shays'  rebellion,  but  Capt. 
Shattuck,  Capt.  Brown,  John  Taylor,  and  Nathaniel  Cole- 
man are  remembered  as  having  been  friendly  to  that  move- 
ment. A  citizen  of  Whately,  Jacob  Walker,  was  killed  at 
Bernardston,  while  aiding  in  the  arrest  of  Capt.  Jason  Par- 
menter,  a  leader  of  the  disafl'ected  men.  He  was  buried  in 
Hatfield. 

THK    WAR   OK    1812 

did  not  tind  much  favor  with  the  people  of  Whately.  They 
protested  against  the  measure,  and  sent  Phineas  Frary  as  a 
delegate  to  the  Northampton  Convention,  in  July,  1812.  After 
the  war  had  been  in  progress  for  some  time,  Aaron  Wait, 
Chester  Nash,  Melzar  Smith,  and  Alvin  Smith  were  enlisted 
as  three  years'  men  ;  and  in  obedience  to  the  order  of  the 
Governor  of  the  State,  calling  on  the  State  militia  to  protect 
the  exposed  sea-coast,  the  Whately  Rifle  Greens  marched  to 
Boston,  Sept.  15,  1814,  for  a  three  months'  campaign,  but 
were  discharged  October  28th.    The  company  was  composed  of 

Capt.,  Amos  Pratt;  Lieut.,  Asa  Parker;  Ens.,Plyna  Graves;  Sergts.,  J. C.  Loomis, 
Perez  Graves,  Martin  Woods;  Drummer,  Simeon  Reed;  Fifer,  Sylvester 
Morton  ;  privates,  Arnold  Morton,  William  Starks,  Henry  Hannum,  Row- 
land Graves,  Robert  Smith,  Spencer  Hannum,  Edward  Phelps,  Chester 
Smith,  Aniasa  Wade,  Jr.,  Justus  Starks,  Horace  Smith,  Quartus  Ingram, 
Jona.  Wood,  William  Loomis,  Jona.  S.  .\dams,  Joseph  Belden,  Erastus 
Hubbard,  Sylvester  Morton,  Justus  Graves,  Charles  Graves,  John  Dixon, 
John  Graves,  Otis  Taylor,  John  Stearns,  John  Munson,  Theoph.  Bodman, 
Samuel  Sanderson,  Luther  Warner,  Phinea.s  Nash,  Calvin  Morton,  Michael 
Smith,  Jona.  A.  Gillett,  Oliver  Graves,  Reuben  Graves,  Jr.,  Roswell  Train, 
.'Samuel  Coole,  Benjamin  Larrabee,  William  Graves,  Justin  Smith,  Erastus 
Hillman. 

From  the  Whately  militia  there  were  in  .service. 
Ens.,  Elijah  Sanderson;  privates, Thomas  Crafts, Phineas  Smith, Giles  DickiDson, 
Joel  Wait,  Harris  Allis,  Israel  Wells,  Levi  Green,  Allen  Sanderson,  Enos 
Wait,  Richard  Bunce,  Henry  Wait,  Ashley  Smith. 

Others  from  town  in  the  war  were  Elihu  Harvey,  Daniel 
McCoy,  and  Isaac  Marsh. 

WHATELY    REBELLION    RECORD. 

The  town  gave  a  prompt  and  cheerful  response  to  every  call 
for  troops  to  aid  in  suppressing  the  Rebellion  of  1861-65.  It 
is  believed  that  the  appended  list  contains  the  names  of  all 
resident  soldiers  of  Whately,  with  date  of  their  enlistment  and 
regimental  connection. 

Much  of  the  matter  in  this  sketch  of  Whately  has  been  com- 
piled from  the  excellent  history  of  the  town,  prepared  in  1871, 
by  the  Rev.  J.  H.  Temple,  the  fourth  pastor  of  the  Congrega- 
tional Church  of  Whately.  For  valuable  additional  informa- 
tion the  writer  is  indebted  to  James  M.  Crafts,  Dennis  Dick- 
inson, S.  W.  Allis,  C.  K.  Waite,  Elihu  Belden,  and  Samuel 
Lesure. 


NINE  MONTHS'  MEN,  52d  REGT.,  M.  V.  M. 
Charles  M.  Elder,  eul.  Aug.  27,  1802,  Co.  D. 
Chester  G.  Crafts,  coip.,  enl.  Sept.  »,  1802,  Co.  D. 
Lutlier  Crafts,  enl.  Sept.  8,  1802,  Co.  D. 
Edwin  M.  Belden,  1st  sergt ,  enl.  Sept.  8,  '02,  Co  D. 
Henry  C.  Belden,  enl.  Sept.  8, 1802,  Co.  D. 
Stephen  R.  Harvey,  enl.  Sept.  8,  1802,  Co.  D. 
Edward  E.  Smith,  enl.  Sept.  8,  1862,  Co.  D. 
Wni.  F.  Bhoads,  enl.  Sept.  8,  1802,  Co.  D. 
Bela  K.  Crafts,  enl.  Sept.  8,  1862,  Co.  D. 
Asa  K.  Smith,  sergt.,  enl.  Sept.  8,  1862,  Co.  D. 
Sumner  W.  Crafts,  enl.  Sept.  8,  1862,  Co.  D. 
Charles  B.  Newton,  enl.  Sept. 8. 1862,  Co.  D. 
John  N.  Miner,  enl.  Sept.  8,  1862,  Co.  D. 
Albert  S.  Fox,  enl.  Sept.  8,  1802,  Co.  D. 
Elbriclge  G.  Smith,  enl.  Sept.  8, 1862,  Co.  D. 
Samuel  S.  Smith,  enl.  Sept.  8,  1802,  Co.  D. 
Lorenzo  L.  Payne,  enl.  Sept.  8,  1802,  Co.  D;  died 

at  Baton  Rouge,  L:i.,  June  20,  1863. 
Joseph  L.  Longly,  enl.  Oct.  11,  1862,  Co.  D. 


Henry  Lyman,  enl.  Oct.  11,  1862,  Co.  D;  died  at 

Baton  Rouge,  La.,  May  2,  180:!. 
Harrison  G.  Scott,  enl.  Oct.  11,  1802,  Co.  D. 
Chas.  A.  Macombcr,  enl.  Aug.  27,  1862,  Co.  G. 
George  M.  Crafts,  coip  ,  enl.  Oct.  11,  1862,  Co.  H. 
Jas.  A.  Crump,  post  stew'd,  enl.  Sept.  8,  1862,  Co.  I. 
Wm.  D.  Adams,  enl.  Sept.  8, 1862,  Co.  I. 
Josiah  H.  Potter,  enl.  Sept.  8,  1802,  Co.  I. 
Ira  N.  Gnillow,  enl  Sept.  8, 1862,  Co.  I. 
Wm.  A.  Pearson,  enl.  Sept.  17,  1862,  Co.  I. 
Francis  G.  Bardwell,  enl.  Oct.  11,  1862,  Co.  I. 

THREE   YEARS'  MEN. 
Wm.  A.  P.  Foster,  enl.  Aug.  17,  1861,  lOtli  Kegt., 

Co.  C. 
Dwight  Morton,  enl.  July  13,  '63, 10th  Rogt.,  Co.  C. 
Frank  D.  Bardwell,  enl.  Aug.  28,  1862,  lljlh  Rogt., 

Co.  H ;  had  arm  shattered  in  battle. 
Henry  R.  Sanderson, enl.  April!  1, 1.802, 17th  Regt., 

Co.G. 


Wm.  T.  Parks,  sergt.,  enl.  Not.  17, 1864, 17th  Regt., 

Co.  D. 
Chas.  R.  Crafts,  enl.  Aug.  23,  '61,  21st  Regt.,  Co.  G. 
Jas.  L.  Wait,  enl.  March  12, 1862,  21st  Regt.,  Co.  I. 
John  Huxley,  eid.  March  3,  1862,  21st  Regt.,  Co.  I. 
David  Amell,  enl.  March  7,  1802,  21st  Regt,  Co.  F. 
Jas.  Lyndon,  enl.  Feb.  26,1864,  21st  Regt.,  Co.  I. 
Irving  B.  Crafts,  enl.  Sept.  24,  1861,  27th  Eegt,  • 

Co.  I. 
Wm.  McCoy,  enl.  Aug.  23, 1801,  27th  Regt.,  Co.  I. 
Arthur  A.  Wait,  enl.  March  15,  1862,  27th  Begt., 

Co.  I ;  died  in  North  Carolina. 
B;irtliOlonien-  O'Connell,  enl.  Sept.  18,  1861,  27tb 

Begt.,  Co.  I ;  killed  at  Kinston,  N.  C. 
Patrick  Murphy,  enl.  Sept.  24,  1801,  27th  Regt., 

Co.  I ;  died  at  Andersonville. 
Andrew  M.  Wethorell,  enl.  Sept.  24, '61, 27th  Regt., 

Co.  I;  died  at  Andersonville. 
Chauncy  Wait,  enl.  July  21,  1862,  :i7lh  Regt.,  Co. 

F;  killed  at  Wilderness. 


732 


HISTORY   OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


Clina.  S.  Bardwcll,  sergt.,  enl.  July  22,  1862,  37th 

Kpgt.,  Co.  F;  killed  at  Winchester. 
Stephen  G.  Stearns,  onl.  Jul.v  22,  1802,  37th  Regt., 

Co.  r. 
Nehemiah  J.  Tililen,  enl.  .lul.v  22, 1SC2,  3"th  Kegf., 

Co.  K  ;  killed  at  White  Oak  Swamp. 
Henry  Amell,  enl.  July  22, 1862,  :)7th  Regt.,  Co.  F. 
Lnther  G.  Stearns,  enl.  July  22,  1862,  37th  Regt., 

Co.  F. 
Sam'l  E.  Sanderaon,  enl.  July  22, 18C2,  37th  Regt., 

Co.  F. 
Ernest  A.  AUis,  enl.  jTily  22,  1802,  37tli    Regt., 

Co.  F. 
John  F.  Pease,  enl.  July  21, 1SC2,  37th  Regt.,  Co.  F. 
Edgar  W.  Field,  enl.  July  21,  1802,  37th  Regt.,  Co. 

F;  died  at  Andersonville. 
Edward  C.Sanderson,  enl.  July  21,1802,  37th  Regt., 

Co.  F. 
Orange  Baidwell,  enl.  July  23, 1862, 37th  Regt.,  Co. 

F;  killed  at  Wilderness. 
Austin  A.  Wait,  eiil.  July  23, 1862,37th  Regt.,  Co.  F. 


Frederick  A.  Farley,  sergt.,  onl  Aug.  1, 1802,  37th 

Regt.,  Co.  F. 
Robert  Brown,  enl.  Nov.  10, 1803,37th  Regt.,  Co.  F. 
Chaa.  H.  Walker,  enl.  Not.  23,  1803,  37tll  Regt., 

Co.  H. 
Henry  M.  Wood,  eul.  Oct.  9, 1861,  37th  Kegt.,  Co.  F. 
Sylvester  R.  Walker,  onl.  Nov.  20,  1861 ,  3!3t  Regt., 

Co.  0. 
Henry  R.  Sanderson,  Corp.,  enl.  Feb.  18, 1864,  57th 

Regt.,  Co.  C. 
Henry  D.  Smith,  enl.  Aug.  8, 1862,  Ist  Mass.  Cav., 

Co.  G. 
Wm.  A.  Pearson,  enl.  Nov.  12,  1803,  Ist  Mass.  H. 

Art.,  Co.  C. 
Foster  Meekins,  sergt.,  enl.  Jan.  22,  1862,  34th 

Regt.,  Co.  F. 
Dw'ight  L.  Dickinson,  enl,  July  31, 1802,  34th  Regt., 

Co.  G. 
Samuel  S.  Smith,  enl.  June  25,  '04, 57tb  Regt.,  Co.  E. 
John  Brown,  enl.  Jan.  25,  1804,  57th  Regt.,  Co.  E; 

died  at  Andersonville. 


Franklin  E.  Weston,  enl.  Nr)T.  22,1861,  31st  Regt., 
Co.  B. 

Wm.  R.  Wait,  enl.  Jan.  6,  1864,  3d  Regt.,  Co.  B; 
killed  at  Petersburg. 

Alonzo  J.  Hale,  enl.  Jan.  4,  1864,  5th  Bat.  L.  Art. 

John  Brown,  enl.  Sept.  1862,  8th  Regt.,  Co.  H. 

I.athrop  Smith,  enl.  June,  1861,  lutb  Regt.,  Co.  C; 
died  Sept.  1861. 

In  addition  to  the  foregoing,  the  town  had  the 
benefit  of  twenty-seven  non-resident  soldiers, 
secured  to  fill  its  quotas  under  some  of  the 
later  calls.  The  total  sum  paid  by  the  town 
for  enlisted  men  and  recruits  under  all  the 
calls  was  812,100. 

The  fidlowiug  Wbately  men  wore  in  the  service, 
but  were  credited  to  other  places:  Moses  W. 
Jewett,  Henry  A.  Brown,  Frederick  R.  Brown, 
Francis  C.  Brown,  James  E.  Brown,  Henry 
A.  Dickinson,  Oscar  F.  Doane,  Lucius  Allis, 
Dwigbt  W.  Bardwell,  Wells  Clark,  and  Alvali 
S.  Frary. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 


HON.  JOSIAH  ALLIS, 
who  died  in  his  native  town,  May  23,  1866,  was  a  direct  de- 
scendant of  William  Allis,  who,  emigrating  from  England 
to  America  about  1040,  settled  in  Braintree,  Ma.ss.,  and,  ac- 
cording to  the  family  genealogy,  "was  made  a  freeman"  in 
that  town  May  13,  1640.  With  his  wife,  Mary,  he  removed, 
in  1061,  to  Hattield,  of  which  he  was  one  of  the  earliest  set- 
tlers, and  received  therein,  as  an  assignment,  a  hoine-Iot  of 
eight  acres  on  the  west  side  of  the  main  street. 

He  died  in  Hatfield  in  1678,  and  left  a  family  of  eight  chil- 
dren, of  whom  John  was  born  at  Braintree,  March  5,  1042, 
and,  marrying  in  Hatfield  in  1609,  died  there  in  1091.  Twelve 
children  were  born  to  him,  and  of  these  Ichabod— born  July 
10,  1075,  married  about  1098,  and  deceased  in  Hatfield  1747 
—had  a  family  of  eight  children,  one  of  whom,  Elisha,  was 
the  great-grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this  notice.  Elisha 
was  born  in  Hatfield,  Dec.  3,  1716,  and,  marrying  in  1744, 
he  purchased  of  Thomas  Crafts  a  farm  on  Spruce  Hill  (now 
known  as  the  Elliot  C.  Allis  farm),  in  Wbately,  and  removed 
thither  with  his  family.  He  was  the  owner  of  twelve  negro 
slaves,  and  was  distinguished  as  a  man  of  considerable  pos- 
sessions, and  of  weighty  influence  in  the  community.  He 
died  in  Wbately  in  1784,  and  left  six  children,— Josiah, 
born  in  Hatfield  in  1754,  being  one  of  them.  He  married 
in  1774,  and  early  in  life  became  a  prominent  citizen  of  his 
native  town.  He  was  known  as  Col.  Josiah  Allis ;  was  chosen 
to  represent  Whately  in  the  State  Constitutional  Convention 
of  1788,  and  fulfilled  during  his  life  many  important  local 
public  trusts.  His  son,  Elijah,  born  in  Whately,  Oct.  21, 
1775,  was  the  father  of  Josiah  Allis,  whose  portrait  is  here 
presented. 

Josiah,  who  was  born  upon  the  Spruce  Hill  farm  in  Whately, 
July  17,  1803,  passed  his  youthful  days  tliere,  and,  like  most 
boys  of  that  period  and  place,  divided  his  time  between  the 
village  school  and  the  pursuit  of  such  labors  as  his  father's 
agricultural  interests  called  him  to  perform. 

Early  in  life,  however,  he  was  summoned  to  face  alone  the 
serious  responsibilities  of  existence,  and  at  the  age  of  fifteen 
was  apprenticed  to  a  blacksmith  in  Whately.  He  entered  at 
once  with  eager  interest  and  industrious  inclination  upon  the 
undertaking,  and,  passing  creditably  through  the  term  of  his 
apprenticeship,  labored  successively  as  a  journeyman  black- 
smith in  Asbfield,  and  in  Hatfield  carried  on  the  business  in 
connection  with  his  brother,  Salmon  White,  and  Eurotas 
Hastings.  In  the  latter  town  he  married,  April  13,  1826, 
Eliza,  daughter  of  Ebenezer  White,  of  Hatfield.  Upon  his 
marriage  he  returned  to  Whately  Centre,  where  his  father 
was  keeping  the  village  hotel  and  store,  and,  assisting  him  in 
the  management  of  the  business,  remained  until  1830,  when 


he  purchased  the  property  in  Whately  now  known  as  the  Allis 
farm,  and  still  occupied  by  his  sons  Justin  W.  C.  and  Silas 
W.  D. 

Upon  this  farm  he  renewed  his  agricultural  labors,  and  there 
continued  in  the  uneventful  tenor  of  his  way  until  1836,  when, 
becoming  affected  with  the  "Western  fever,"  he  turned  his 
face  toward  the  setting  sun,  with  the  intention  of  exploring 
the  far-off  country  which  was  at  that  time  freely  inviting  the 
attention  of  the  dwellers  in  the  East. 

Leaving  his  farm  in  charge  of  his  father,  who  had  taken  up 
his  residence  with  him,  he  set  out  for  Detroit,  Mich.,  and, 
temporarily  abiding  there,  he  entered  at  once  upon  the  business 
of  locating  lands,  and,  following  the  natural  bent  of  his  im- 
pulses as  a  trader,  he  was  soon  engaged  largely  in  the  purchase 
and  shipment  of  traders'  supplies.  His  business  interests  rap- 
idly extended,  and  the  energetic  force  of  his  character  occupied 
itself  in  pushing  him  forward  as  a  representative  business- 
man. 

In  connection  with  his  other  enterprises  he  engaged  exten- 
sively in  the  lumber  trade,  and  was  soon  a  prominent  member 
of  the  St.  Clair  Lumber  Company,  whose  headquarters  were 
at  Detroit,  and  whose  operations  were  extensive. 

Remaining  in  Detroit  six  years,  or  until  1842,  Mr.  Allis  re- 
turned to  his  home  in  Whately,  and  once  more  settled  in  the 
routine  of  a  farmer's  life. 

The  spirit  of  trade  would,  however,  give  him  no  rest,  and 
shortly  after  his  return  home  he  engaged  in  the  manufac- 
ture of  brooms,  and  upon  his  farm  erected  a  factory,  where  he 
employed  a  large  number  of  people.  He  made  extensive  pur- 
chases of  broom-corn,  and  created,  in  the  country  adjacent  to 
him,  a  spirited  revival  of  agricultural  industry  in  the  cultiva- 
tion of  the  material  required  for  his  factory. 

This  business  Mr.  Allis  carried  on  successfully,  in  connec- 
tion with  farming,  until  1855,  when  he  turned  his  attention 
toward  the  tobacco  trade,  and  not  only  devoted  his  farm 
largely  to  the  cultivation  of  the  plant,  but  was  one  of  the 
largest  purchasers  thereof  in  the  Connecticut  Valley. 

This  jiursuit  was  the  chief  business  interest  of  the  remainder 
of  his  life,  and,  after  an  active,  honorable,  and  useful  career, 
he  died  May  23,  1860,  aged  sixty-three. 

His  wife  survived  him  but  a  few  months,  dying  Aug.  9, 
1866,  at  the  age  of  sixty-five. 

Six  children  were  born  to  them,  three  of  whom,  Justin  W. 
C,  Silas  W.  D.,  and  Mary  Eliza  White,  still  reside  upon  the 
old  Allis  farm  in  Whately.  Lewis  Edward  Sikes  died  April 
7,  1860,  aged  twenty-eight;  Edmund  B.  died  at  the  age  of 
six  months  ;  and  the  last  son,  also  Edmund  B.,  born  Dec.  11, 
1835,  died  Oct.  12,  1861,  just  after  he  had  graduated  at  Yale. 

In  public  life  Mr.  Allis  acquired  considerable  prominence, 


^(^/H^  ^^^^i-^^ 


^^.^T^a  x^^'c^A^. 


'-(^o-r^  o-y-L, 


HISTORY  OF   FRANKLIN   COUNTY. 


733 


and  represented  his  native  town  frequently,  in  offices  of  trust, 
at  home  and  abroad.  He  represented  "U'hately  in  the  State 
Constitutional  Convention  of  1853,  was  a  representative  at 
the  General  Court  in  1854,  and  was  run  on  the  Douglas  ticket 
for  representative  to  Congress,  in  the  10th  Congressional 
District,  in  1860. 

In  politics  he  was  ever  a  Democrat  and  a  warm  friend  of 
Stephen  A.  Douglas,  and,  being  chosen  in  1852  a  delegate  to 
the  National  Democratic  Convention,  which  nominated 
Franklin  Pierce  to  the  Presidency,  he  was  subsequently,  to 
the  time  of  his  death,  sent  as  a  delegate  to  every  National  Dem- 
ocratic convention,  his  attendance  being  last  given  at  the  con- 
vention, in  June,  1860,  at  Charleston,  S.  C,  where,  perhaps 
more  than  on  any  other  occasion  in  his  life,  he  distinguished 
himself  by  his  strict  fidelity  to  principle  and  devotion  to  the 
Constitution  and  Union.  And  when  treason  assailed  the  flag 
he  loved  and  honored,  he  was  one  of  the  very  first  of  the 
party  which  adhered  to  the  fortunes  of  Mr.  Douglas  to  an- 
nounce his  unflinching  loyalt}-  to  the  government  and  the 
integrity  of  the  Union. 

He  served  also  quite  often  at  State  conventions,  and  held 
the  ofl[ice  of  postmaster  at  Whately  from  Franklin  Pierce's 
time  down  to,  and  partly  through,  Abraham  Lincoln's  first 
term. 

He  .served  Whately  several  years  as  town  clerk  and  town 
assessor,  and  from  1858  to  1865  added  to  his  other  functions 
that  of  general  and  locating  agent  for  the  Conway  Fire  In- 
surance Company.  Mr.  Allis  took  a  prominent  part  in  the  war 
of  the  Eebellion  by  contributing  liberally  of  his  means  and  en- 
ergies toward  supplying  soldiers,  and  is  gratefully  and  warmly 
remembered  for  his  heroic  devotion  to  the  cause  of  the  Union. 

The  story  of  the  life  of  Josiah  Allis  is  a  lesson  which  may 
be  profitably  laid  to  the  heart  of  every  young  man  of  the  pres- 
ent day,  since  it  teaches  in  eloquent  language  the  value  of  a 
well-directed  ambition,  urged  forward  by  inflexible  purpose, 
persevering  industry,  and  honorable  impulses. 

Sterling  integrity  was  the  ruling  purpose  of  his  life,  which 
was  a  valuable  and  useful  one,  and  when  he  laid  it  down  he 
left  to  his  children  the  noble  heritage  of  a  spotless  name,  to 
which  they  miiy  ever  point  with  pride. 


DENNIS   DICKINSON 
is  the  oldest  son  of  Daniel  and  Polly  Dickinson,  and  was  born 
in  Whately,  Franklin  Co.,  Mass.,  May  25,  1814. 

His  father  was  born  in  Whately,  Aug.  28,  1778,  and  died 
Nov.  4,  1830.  He  married,  Nov.  9,  1813,  Polly  Scott,  of 
Whately.  She  was  born  May  24,  1784,  and  died  Sept.  7, 
1859.  They  had  a  family  of  seven  children,  only  three  of 
whom  are  living  at  prese'nt.  They  are  Dennis,  Rufus,  and 
Daniel.  Those  deceased  were  Electa,  wife  of  Jerry  Graves ; 
Elvira  (who  died  in  infancy);  Elvira,  wife  of  Elliott  C.  Allis; 
and  Esther,  wife  of  Thos.  L.  Allis,  of  Conway. 

Dennis  Dickinson's  educational  advantages  were  few  and 
such  as  were  afforded  by  the  common  schools,  and  after  he 
reached  the  age  of  nine  years  his  attendance  was  confined  to 
the  winter  terms,  as  his  assistance  was  required  at  home  dur- 
ing the  remainder  of  the  year.  At  his  father's  decease,  which 
occurred  when  Dennis  was  sixteen  years  old,  with  his  brother 
Rufus,  he  took  charge  of  the  farm.  He  remained  in  this 
partnership  until  1843,  when  he  bought  the  interests  of  the 
other  heirs  and  commenced  farming  upon  his  own  account. 
In  1846  he  sold  the  farm,  and  for  five  years  resided  with  his 
brother  Rufus.  At  the  expiration  of  that  time  he  was  married, 
June  8,  1851,  to  Elvira  Graves.  She  was  horn  in  Whately, 
Nov.  3,  1812.     They  have  no  children  living. 

Mr.  Dickinson  soon  after  purchased  the  property  known  as 
the  Dr.  Bardwell  place,  where  he  has  since  resided. 

He  is  known  as  a  man  of  strict  integrity  and  excellence,  as 
is  testified  by  the  numerous  offices  of  public  trust  to  which  he 
has  been  called.  He  has  been  postmaster  in  Whately  for  six 
years,  assessor  three  years,  selectman  two  years,  and  since  1873 
has  been  a  trustee  of  the  Smith  Chiirities.  In  1876  he  was 
elected  clerk  of  the  town,  and  still  fills  that  office.  He  has 
been  a  director  in  the  Franklin  County  Bank  for  fifteen  years, 
and  is  a  member  of  the  present  financial  committee.  In  con- 
nection with  his  numerous  other  duties  he  has  attended  to  the 
settlement  of  a  great  many  estates,  and  has  also  appraised  a 
great  deal  of  property. 

In  politics  Mr.  Dickinson  is  a  Democrat,  and  a  firm  sup- 
porter of  the  principles  of  his  party.  He  also  takes  an  active 
part  in  promoting  the  interests  of  the  town  in  which  he  resides. 


L  E  V  E  R  E  T  T. 


GEOGRAPHICAL. 

Leverett,  one  of  the  mountainous  towns  of  southeastern 
Franklin,  is  bounded  north  by  Montague,  south  by  Amherst 
and  Shutesbury,  east  by  Shutesbury,  and  west  by  Sunderland. 
The  New  London  Northern  Railroad  traverses  its  western 
border,  and  Saw-mill  River  its  northeastern  section.  The 
town  covers  an  area  of  about  16,000  acres,  more  than  one-half 
of  which  are  unimproved,  while  woodland  abounds  in  pro- 
fusion. 

NATURAL  FEATURES. 
High  hills  are  found  in  nearly  every  part  of  the  town  save 
on  the  west,  where  Long  Plain,  a  narrow  valley,  diversifies 
the  landscape.  The  only  stream  of  importance  in  the  town 
is  Saw-mill  River,  in  the  northeast.  Roaring  Brook,  in  the 
southeast,  supplies  good  water-power.  ;  Fish  Pond,  near  Lev- 
erett village,  is  a  small  sheet  of  clear  and  deep  water,  and,  as 
its  name  implies,  is  excellent  fishing-ground.  Pine  and  chest- 
nut grow  in  abundance  on  the  hills,  and  also  every  variety  of 
timber  common  to  this  region.  Gravel  and  sand\-  loam  are 
the  general  characteristics  of  the  soil,  while  grazing-lands  are 


rich  and  abundant.     The  hills  of  Leverett  afford  charming 
scenery,  and  are  themselves  wildly  rugged  and  picturesque. 

Lead  has  been  found  in  small  quantities  in  the  south  part 
of  the  town,  and  some  years  ago  it  was  mined  by  a  company 
organized  in  New  York  ;  but  the  enterprise  failed  to  be  remu- 
nerative, and  has  long  since  been  abandoned.  Near  Long 
Plain  is  the  White  Rock  quarry,  from  which  is  taken  sulphate 
of  baryta,  used  in  the  manufacture  of  white  lead.  The  quarry 
is  still  worked,  but  not  extensively. 

EARLY  SETTLEMENT. 
Settlements  were  made  as  early  as  1727  upon  the  tract  now 
occupied  by  Leverett,  when  it  was  within  the  limits  of  the 
town  of  Sunderland.  From  that  date  to  1774  grants  were 
made  to  Samuel  Montague,  Daniel  Warner,  Isaac  Hubbard, 
Samuel  Smith,  Benjamin  Graves,  Joseph  Field,  .Jonathan 
Field,  Ebenezer  Billings,  Samuel  Billings,  Samuel  Gunn, 
Daniel  Russell,  Isaac  Graves,  Benjamin  Barrett,  Jos.  Clary, 
Nathaniel  Dickinson.  Joseph  Dickinson,  Nathaniel  Gunn, 
Ebenezer  Billings,  Jr.,  Joseph  Lord,  William  Scott,  Daniel 
Hubbard,  John   Billings,  Samuel  Graves,  Jr.,  Benj.  Graves, 


734 


HISTORY  OF  THE  CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


Nathaniel  Smith,  Jonathan  Briclgman,  William  Scott,  Jr., 
James  Bridgman,  Samuel  Gunn,  John  Gunn  (-d),  Samuel 
Smith  (2d),  Samuel  Smith,  Samuel  Scott  (2d),  John  Scott, 
Edward  Elmer,  William  Kand,  Israel  Richardson,  Daniel 
Hubbard,  Fellows  Billings,  Eleazer  Warner,  Widow  Deborah 
Gunn,  Luke  Smith,  Richard  Scott,  Noah  Graves,  Simon 
Cooley,  Samuel  Blodgett,  Elisha  Clary,  Samuel  Clary,  David 
Smith,  Silas  Graves,  Richard  Montague,  Nathaniel  Barstow, 
Nathan  Adams,  Seth  Field,  Jonathan  Gilbert,  Jas.  Converse, 
Widow  Root,  Samuel  Taylor,  Sanuiel  Harvey,  Widow  Bar- 
rett, Josiah  Alvord,  William  Allis,  Ebenezer  Marsh,  John 
Marsh,  Benjamin  Barrett,  Zadock  Sanborne,  Benoni  Dickin- 
son, Manoah  Bodnian,  Aimer  Cooley,  Wm.  Bowman,  Solo- 
mon Gould,  John  Woodbury. 

The  first  permanent  settlement  of  the  tract  was  probably 
made  in  1750.  Nathan  Adams,  Moses  Graves,  Solomon 
Gould,  Elisha  Clary,  Joseph  Clary,  Joel  Smith,  Moses  Smith, 
Jeremiah  Woodbury,  Joseph  Hubbard,  Isaac  Marshall,  Jona- 
than Hubbard,  Richard  Montague,  Barnard  Wilde,  and  Ab- 
saloxn  Scott  took  up  their  residence  in  that  year.  The  ma- 
jority of  them  settled  in  the  neighborhood  of  what  is  now 
Leverett  village,  although  settlements  were  made  at  the  same 
time  in  the  north  and  east.  Long  Plain,  about  a  mile  south- 
west of  Leverett  village,  was  settled  shortly  after  1750, 
Josiah  Cowles,  Jonathan  Field,  Stephen  Ashley,  and  others, 
being  the  pioneers  of  that  section. 

Among  the  residents  of  Leverett  claiming  descent  from  the 
early  settlers  of  the  town  may  be  noted  the  Montagues, 
Graveses,  Fields,  Clarys,  Dickinsons,  Richardsons,  Adamses, 
Gilberts,  Goulds,  Woodburys,  Keetses,  and  Ashleys. 

Early  roads  were  laid  out  as  follows  :  In  1774,  one  from  the 
country  road  leading  to  Shutesbury,  running  west  from  Israel 
Hubbard's  land,  through  the  lowland  across  the  river  into 
land  occupied  by  Isaac  Marshall :  one  beginning  at  the  road 
by  the  south  end  of  the  fish-pond,  turning  easterly  into  Nathan 
Adams'  land,  continuing  in  the  old  foot-path ;  then  easterly 
through  Adams'  grass-land ;  thence  through  Nie's  land ; 
thence  into  Mr.  Hunt's  land,  and  then  to  the  country  road 
near  the  Shutesbury  line :  one  beginning  at  the  south  end  of 
Clary's  Hill,  running  southwardly  by  the  river,  and  then  by 
the  swamp-bank  some  ways  ;  then  on  the  plain  straight  to  the 
mill-dam ;  thence  over  the  river,  turning  northwesterly  to  a 
brook  under  Cave  Hill ;  then  around  the  south  end  of  the 
hill,  and  thence  to  Joseph  Clary's  house  :  one  in  the  west  part 
of  the  town,  beginning  at  the  country  road  at  Silas  Graves' 
house ;  then  around  Graves'  field  west,  thence  south  into  the 
old  riding  road  west  of  Ingram's  pond,  and  then  by  marked 
trees  to  the  three-square  plain :  one  beginning  at  the  north- 
west corner  of  Jeremiah  Woodbury's  lot  on  Cave  Hill,  run- 
ning south  to  the  road  coming  from  Clary's  Mill.  In  1778, 
one  beginning  at  the  northeast  corner  of  Adam  Negroe's  land, 
running  easterly  into  the  county  road,  near  Wm.  Hubbard's 
house:  one  from  the  road  at  Jonathan  Hubbard's  house  north 
to  the  highway,  and  then  to  the  meeting-house :  one  from 
David  Boynton's  house,  by  Elijah  Cutter's  house,  into  the 
mill-road :  one  from  the  county  road  at  Barnard  Wilde's 
house,  east  across  the  river;  then  south  up  the  hill  into 
Eleazer  Packard's  lot ;  then  east  to  Joseph  Abbott's  house. 
Twenty  pounds  were  raised  in  1774,  to  be  expended  on  high- 
ways that  year.  In  1775  it  was  resolved  to  expend  no  money 
on  the  highways  that  year.  In  1778  the  amount  raised  for 
work  on  roads  was  £150,  and  in  1780  it  was  £1000. 

NOTEWORTHY  INCIDENTS. 
In  September,  1774,  the  town-meeting  was  held  in  Mr. 
Hubbard's  barn.  In  that  year  Joseph  Clary  received  3s.  for 
his  services  as  town  clerk,  and  Richard  Montague  9s.  for  his 
services  at  the  Northampton  Congress.  In  1770  town-meet- 
ings were  held  in  the  new  meeting-house.  Before  that  they 
had  been  held  at  private  liouses.     In  1778  the  town  let  the 


sugar-trees  on  the  town  lot  to  the  highest  bidder.  In  1782 
it  was  voted  to  approve  the  Confession  Act  for  the  collection 
of  debts.  In  March,  1783,  a  bounty  of  40s.  was  offered  for 
each  wolf's  head  delivered  to  the  selectmen.  At  the  same 
time  the  selectmen  were  instructed  to  "  approbate  Dr.  Ball  to 
keep  a  public-house  until  a  legal  license  could  be  obtained." 

The  first  pound  was  built  in  1788,  and  located  on  the  north 
side  of  the  meeting-house.  In  1789  it  was  decided  to  build  a 
"stocks."  Leverett,  in  1813,  put  up  the  keeping  of  nine 
paupers  at  auction.  The  town  paid  for  their  support  from  .50 
to  80  cents  each  per  week.  Esther  Gould  was  a  pauper,  and 
at  one  time  the  town  consulted  eminent  counsel  and  made 
desperate  eflbrts  in  a  determination  to  get  Esther  "  upon  Sun- 
derland." 

Moses  Graves,  who  died  in  1803,  was  one  of  the  most  promi- 
nent men  in  the  town  during  his  time.  He  served  for  twenty- 
eight  successive  years — from  1774  to  1802 — either  as  select- 
man, treasurer,  or  assessor. 

Mention  is  made  in  a  record,  dated  1774,  of  Joseph  Clary's 
mill.  If  there  were  mills  in  Leverett  at  an  earlier  date,  the 
records  do  not  note  the  fact. 

(^Lucius  Field  kept  a  tavern  in  Leverett  before  1800,  and  it 
is  likely  that  he  was  the  first  innkeeper.  At  present  there  is 
no  hotel  in  the  town.i 

Leverett  ailbrded  material  assistance  to  the  insurgents  during 
Shays'  rebellion,  and  furnished  several_volunteers. 

Among  the  men  of  note  whom  Leverett  has  produced  may 
be  mentioned  Gideon  Lee,  mayor  of  New  York  City  in  1833, 
and  a  representative  subsequently  in  Congress;  Martin  Field, 
an  eminent  Vermont  lawyer,  son  of  Seth  Field ;  Abiel  Buck- 
man  and  Tilly  Lynde,  once  members  of  the  judiciary  of  the 
State  of  New  York. 

The  oldest  house  in  North  Leverett  was  torn  down  in  1873. 
It  was  built  in  1748,  and  was  for  many  years  the  residence  of 
Richard  Montague,  of  Revolutionary  fame,  and  one  of  Ethan 
Allen's  command  when  that  redoubtable  chieftain  took  Fort 
Ticonderoga.  The  house  was  also  much  used  in  the  early 
da3's  as  a  place  of  worship  by  the  Baptists,  of  whom  Richard 
Montague  was  one.  In  opposing  for  himself  and  his  fellow- 
religionists  the  payment  of  the  ministers'  rate,  Montague  is 
said  to  have  excited  by  his  warm  demonstrations  the  respect 
and  fear  of  many  a  constable  who  sought  in  vain  to  make  the 
Baptists  pay  the  rate. 

REVOLUTIONARY   REMINISCENCES. 

In  September,  1774,  the  town  voted  to  "  lend  our  minds  in 
writing  to  the  Provincial  Congress  by  a  Committee."  The 
committee  was  composed  of  Richard  Montague,  Jeremiah 
Woodbury,  Moses  Graves,  Joseph  Clary,  and  Stephen  Ashley. 

In  January,  1775,  it  was  voted  "to  adhere  to  the  resolves 
of  the  Continental  Congress."  Minute-Men  were  allowed 
nine  pence  per  half-day  for  training  once  a  week.  •  Elisha 
Clary,  Jonathan  Field  (2d),  and  Jonathan  Field,  Jr.,  were  at 
this  time  appointed  a  committee  of  safety. 

Aug.  20,  1776,  the  town  resolved  to  obtain  a  stock  of  pow- 
der and  lead,  —  a  half-pound  for  each  effective  able-bodied 
man.  A  vote  of  Jan.  10,  1777,  set  forth, — "voted  unani- 
mously that  we  risk  our  lives  and  fortunes  in  defense  of  our 
rights  and  liberties,  wherewith  God  and  nature  hath  made  us 
free,  and  that  we  show  our  minds  to  the  General  Assembly  of 
the  State." 

December,  1777,  it  was  resolved  to  make  provision  for  the 
Continental  families,  and,  further,  to  disapprove  of  calling  in 
the  State  money ;  to  which  end  a  committee  was  chosen  to 
show  the  court  the  town's  disapprobation  of  the  same. 

In  1778  the  General  Court  was  petitioned  for  some  redress 
with  regard  to  the  Continental  soldiers'  families  of  the  town. 
In  1779  the  town  raised  £100  for  their  support.  In  De- 
cember, of  that  year,  it  was  resolved  to  make  an  etlbrt  to 
procure   clothing   for  soldiers.     In   December,   1780,   it  was 


^-^IJ^^-^  Ai'^. 


Pliotu.  by  Pupkins. 


William  A.  Hatch,  son  of  Nathaniel  and  Melinda 
Hatcli,  was  born  in  Springfield,  Vt.,  Dec.  13,  1817.  This 
family  is  of  Scottish  origin,  and  its  various  branches  are 
the  descendants  of  three  brothers,  who  came  to  this  country 
about  the  year  1667,  one  of  whom  became  a  sailor,  another 
a  farmer,  and  the  third  a  merchant. 

Natlianiel  Hatch  was  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  and  was 
born  on  the  11th  of  May,  1779.  He  was  a  blacksmith  by 
trade,  and  when  quite  young  lived  in  Westmoreland,  N.  H. 
From  there  he  removed  to  Springfield,  Vt.,  afterward  to 
Wethersfield,  Conn.,  and  thence  to  Sunderland,  Mass.,  in 
1825  ;  after  which  he  resided  for  a  short  time  in  Vermont. 
He  then  settled  in  Leverctt,  Mass.,  where  he  spent  the 
remainder  of  his  life.  He  died  on  the  25th  of  September, 
1848.  In  November,  1804,  he  married  Melinda,  daughter 
of  Captain  Elisha  Mack,  of  Montague,  Mass.  They  had  a 
family  of  eight  children,  of  whom  William  A.  was  the  sixth. 

When  very  young  he  commenced  to  work  on  the  form, 
and  the  amount  of  labor  he  was  required  to  perform  was 
increased  each  year.  When  twelve  years  old  he  was 
hired  out  to  work  by  the  month,  and  the  only  education  he 
received  was  what  he  obtained  by  an  irregular  attendance 
of  the  very  inferior  common  schools  of  that  day. 

When  sixteen  years  of  age  he  commenced  work  in  a 
woolen  factory  in  Wethersfield,  and  remained  in  that  em- 
ployment, working  a  part  of  that  time  in  a  Springfield 
factory,  until  he  reached  his  twenty-second  year. 

He  then  went  to  Leverett,  Mass.,  and  located  on  a  farm, 
and  also  engaged  in  trade  at  North  Leverett,  in  company 
with  his  brother  Elisha,  with  whom  he  was  associated  until 
November,  1850.  He  then  entered  into  partnership  with 
C.  M.  Graves,  of  Leverett,  in  the  manufacture  of  steel  hoes, 
which  they  carried  on  successfully  for  about  four  years. 


In  1854,  Mr.  Hatch  and  Mr.  Graves  went  to  North- 
ampton to  take  charge  of  the  agricultural  implement  depart- 
ment of  the  Bay  State  Tool  Co.'s  Works.  After  remaining 
in  that  position  three  years,  Mr.  Hatch,  wishing  to  see 
.something  of  the  Western  country,  removed  to  Iowa  City, 
Iowa.  Soon  after  his  arrival  there  he  engaged  on  his  own 
account  in  the  commission  business,  and  later  in  company 
with  his  brother  Elisha.  After  remaining  two  years  in 
Iowa  he  removed,  in  April,  1859,  to  Columbus,  Ohio,  and 
there  obtained  the  position  in  the  penitentiary  of  foreman 
in  the  department  for  the  manufacture  of  agricultural  im- 
plements. He  discharged  the  duties  pertaining  thereto  in 
a  most  satisflietory  manner,  and  after  remaining  in  that 
position  about  twelve  years  he  became  desirous  of  a  change 
of  occupation,  and  in  September,  1871,  he  returned  to 
Massachusetts  and  located  in  Leverett,  where  he  has  since 
resided,  engaged  in  agriculture  and  in  the  manufacture  of 
wood  chair  bottoms. 

Mr.  Hatch  possessed  a  high  order  of  mechanical  skill  and 
considerable  inventive  ability.  In  his  later  years  he  has 
acquired  a  thorough,  practical  education  through  the 
medium  of  travel,  close  observation,  and  a  varied  experience. 
With  but  few  advantages,  socially  or  educationally,  he  has 
by  perseverance  and  skill  risen  to  a  position  of  independ- 
ence, and  well  deserves  the  title  of  a  self-made  man.  In 
his  social  and  business  relations  Mr.  Hatch  has  always  com- 
manded the  respect  and  esteem  of  his  associates. 

He  was  first  married  to  Abigail  Wheeler,  of  Pittsfield, 
Vt.,  by  whom  he  had  two  children.  Both  died  in  infancy. 
Mrs.  Hatch  died  on  the  22d  of  November,  1S42. 

He  married  his  .second  wife,  Helen  Clark,  daughter  of 
Aaron  Clark,  of  Montague,  Dec.  5,  1843.  By  this  union 
he  has  had  seven  children,  of  whom  only  two  are  now  living. 


HISTORY  OF  FRANKLIN  COUNTY. 


735 


voted  to  appoint  a  committee  of  seven  men  "to  be  looking  out 
to  procure  anyhow"  four  men  for  the  Continental  service,  as 
ordered  by  the  General  Court.  The  committee  was  enjoined 
to  "be  looking  out"  earnestly  for  the  four  men,  and  to  hire 
them  "  consistent  witli  reason." 

It  was  resolved,  May,  1781,  to  form  the  town,  into  three 
classes  to  procure  Continental  men.  It  was  voted  in  the  Sep- 
tember following  to  give  the  12  militia-men  "  who  ware  raised 
on  ye  present  alarm"  40s.  per  month,  hard  money,  while  they 
served,  and  a  bounty  of  three  hard  dollars  each'  man.  In 
April,  1782,  a  town-meeting  was  held  for  the  purpose  of 
hiring  "a  Continental  man"  for  the  term  of  three  years,  and 
to  eflect  the  object  Stephen  Ashley  was  chosen  head  of  a  class 
to  hire  said  man,  and  a  committee  of  seven  men  was  at  the 
same  time  appointed  to  find  the  man  and  hire  him.  In  the 
December  following,  a  committee  was  chosen  to  "  talk  with 
John  Gill,  relative  to  his  belonging  to  the  Continental  ser- 
vice." In  Ma}',  1783,  it  was  voted  unanimously  that  "the 
Tories  and  absentees  who  have  taken  protection  under  his 
Brittanic  Majesty  shall  not  return  to  this  Commonwealth 
again."  In  December,  1783,  it  was  voted  to  choose  a  com- 
mittee to  assist  the  selectmen  to  receive  the  accounts  of  men 
"  that  has  been  in  the  service  the  last  past  unnatural  war." 

Dr.  Silas  Ball,  of  Leverett,  served  in  the  war  of  1776  as  a 
surgeon,  and  Richard  Montague,  also  of  Leverett,  held  the 
rank  of  major  in  the  service. 

WAR  OF  1812. 

In  July,  1812,  the  town  passed  resolutions  in  support  of 
the  General  Government  in  declaring  war  against  Great 
Britain.  In  1813  every  man  liable  to  do  military  duty  was 
obliged  to  keep  a  stock  of  powder  and  ball  on  hand.  In 
1814  it  was  voted  to  raise  the  wages  of  soldiers  to  §15  per 
month,  with  what  the  State  allowed.  In  obedience  to  a  requi- 
sition from  Gov.  Strong,  the  following  detached  soldiers  were 
sent  to  Boston, — Jonathan  Conant,  sergt.,  Lucius  Field,  Eli- 
jah Gardner,  Charles  Stockwell,  Luther  Broad,  Gideon  Han- 
derson,  Earle  Wilde,  Samuel  Leland,  Abraham  Ball,  Asa 
Commins,  Peter  Hobart,  Lyman  Richardson. 

Touching  the  action  of  the  town  in  the  war  of  1812,  it  may 
be  noted  that  Rufus  Graves  claimed  to  represent  Leverett  at 
the  Northampton  (anti-war)  convention  in  1812,  but  he  was 
\,  not  sent  there  by  the  town. 

ORGANIZATION. 
In  1773  the  residents  of  the  tract  now  occupied  by  Leverett 
presented  a  petition  to  the  town  of  Sunderland,  praying  for 
liberty  to  be  set  off  into  a  new  town,  for  a  grant  of  the  com- 
mon lands  within  its  boundaries,  and  an  equitable  proportion 
of  the  town  property.  In  accordance  with  this  petition  the 
town  of  Leverett  was  incorporated  March  .5,  1774.  The  sign- 
ers of  the  petition  alluded  to  were  Jonathan  Hubbard,  Moses 
Graves,  Nathan  Adams,  John  Keet,  Jonathan  Field,  William 
Field,  Jonathan  Field,  Jr.,  Jonathan  Field  (3d),  Stephen 
Ashley,  Josiah  Cowls,  Seth  Field,  Joseph  Clary,  Joseph  Clary, 
Jr.,  Elisha  Clary,  Jonathan  Graves,  Moses  Field,  Daniel 
Smith,  Absalom  Scott,  Jeremiah  Woodbury,  Joel  Smith,  Sol- 
omon Gould,  and  Moses  Keep.  This  list,  it  is  probable,  in- 
cluded the  names  of  all  the  settlers  on  the  tract  at  that  time. 
The  town  was  named  in  honor  of  John  Leverett,  president  of 
Harvard  University. 

SELECTMEN. 

1774-75. — Moses  Graves,  Joseph  Clary,  Stephen  Ashley. 
1776. — Joel  Smith,  Moses  Graves,  Joseph  Clary. 
1777-78. — Moses  Graves,  Stephen  Ashley,  Joseph  Clary. 
1779. — Joel  Smith,  Capt.  Graves,  Wm.  Bowman. 
1780. — Moses  Graves,  Wm.  Bowman,  Wm.  Field. 
1781. — Moses  Graves,  Ebenezer  Curtis,  Wm.  Bowman. 
1782. — Moses  Graves,  Stephen  Ashley,  Joel  Smith. 
1783. — Capt.  Graves,  Joel  Smith,  Ebenezer  Curtis. 
1784. — Capt.  Gl-aves,  Stephen  Ashley,  Joel  Smith. 


1785.. — Moses  Graves,  Wm.  Bowman,  Stephen  Ashley. 
17SG. — Moses  Graves,  Joel  Smith,  Ebenezer  Curtis. 
1787. — Moses  Graves,  Jonathan  Field,  Ebenezer  Curtis. 
1788. — Moses  Graves,  Jonathan  Field,  Joel  Smith. 
1789. — Moses  Graves,  Joel  Smith,  Hezekiah  Howard. 
1790. — Moses  Graves,  .Toel  Smith,  Jonathan  Field. 
1791. — Moses  Graves,  Joel  Smith,  Richard  Montague, 
1792. — Moses  Graves,  Joel  Smith,  Capt.  Howard. 
1793. — Ebenezer  Curtis,  Stephen  Fay,  Moses  Field. 
1794. — Stephen  Fay,  Moses  Field,  Joshua  Thayer. 
1795. — Moses  Graves,  Moses  Field,  Joshua  Thayer. 
1796-1801.— Deacon  Graves,  Moses  Field,  John  Woodbury. 
1801. — Hezekiah  Howard,  Moses  Field,  James  Curtis. 
1802. — Moses  Field,  Hezekiah  Howard,  John  Woodbury. 
1803-7. — John  Woodbury,  Moses  Field,  Roswell  Field. 
1807.— John  Woodbury,  Eoswell  Field,  Jonathan  Field  (2d). 
1808. — Roswell  Field,  John  Woodbury,  Moses  Field. 
1809.— Roswell  Field,  Jonathan  Field  (2d),  .losiah  Kice. 
1810-11.— Jonathan  Field,  Roswell  Field,  .Toshna  Thayer. 
1812. — Jonathan  Field  (2d),  Joshua  Thayer,  Aaron  Howard. 
1813. — Roswell  Field,  James  Comins,  Alvin  Moore. 
1814. — John  Woodbury,  Wm.  Hubbard,  Moses  Field. 
1815-22. — Roswell  Field,  Enos  Graves,  Sylvanus  Field. 
1822. — Enos  Graves,  Asa  Ober,  Elijah  Ingram. 
1823.— Roswell  Field,  Silas  Ball,  Is.aac  Woodbury. 
1824. — Enos  Graves,  Roswell  Field,  Silas  Ball. 
1825. — Enos  Graves,  Samuel  Leland,  Alphous  Field. 
1826. — Isaac  Woodbury,  Elijah  Ingram,  Samuel  Leland. 
1827. — Charles  Lee,  Alpheus  Field,  Wm.  Heminway. 
1828. — Alpheus  Field,  Charles  Lee,  Moses  Field,  Jr. 
1829. — Wm.  Hubbard,  Isaac  Woodburj',  Charles  Lee. 
1830.— Alpheus  Field,  Isaac  Woodbury,  WmJIubbard. 
1831.— Wm.  Hubbard,  Sila£  Ball,  Alpheus  Field. 
1832. — Silaa  Ball,  Sylvanus  Field,  Wm.  M.  Hemingway. 
1833.— Otis  Bradford,  Horatio  Watson,  .Silas  Ball. 
1834. — John  Woodbury,  Alpheus  Field,  Otis  Bradford. 
1835.— John  Woodbury,  Otis  Bradford,  Asa  L.  Field. 
1836-37. — John  Woodbury,  Asa  L.  Field,  Jedediah  Darling. 
1838.— John  Woodbury,  Silas  Ball,  H.  N.  Watson. 
1839.— John  Woodbury,  H.  N.  Watson,  Asa  L.  Field. 
1840. — Asa  L.  Field,  Peter  Herbert,  Sylvanus  Field. 
1841-42.- Silas  Ball,  Abner  Gilbert,  H.  N.  Watson. 
1843.— Siliis  Ball,  Jr.,  H.  N.  W.at8on,  Silas  Morgan. 
I844.45. — Peter  Hobart,  Jedediah  Darling,  Asa  L.  Field. 
1846.— Asa  L.  Field,  Silas  Ball,  Jesse  Marvel. 
1847-60.— Asa  L.  Field,  Silas  Ball,  Timothy  B.  Rice. 
1851-52.— H.  N.  Watson,  H.  0.  Fields,  Silas  Ball. 
1853.— A.  L.  Field,  Luther  Dudley,  C.  C.  Adams 
1854. — Asa  L.  Field,  Christopher  Adams,  Jefferson  Moore. 
1865-56.— Asa  L.  Field,  A.  C.  Field,  Jefferson  Moore. 
1857.— A.  L.  Field,  A.  C.  Field,  Luther  Duiiley. 
1858. — Elihu  Heminway,  Jr.,  Silas  Ball,  Frary  Field. 
1859.— Asa  L.  Field,  Silas  Ball,  Elihn  Heminway. 
1860-61.— A.  L.  Field,  Timothy  Putnam,  Luther  Dudley. 
1862.— Silas  Ball,  Elihu  Heminway,  Luther  Dudley. 
1803.— Timothy  B.  Rice,  A.  C.  Field,  Wm.  H.  Smith. 
1864.— T.  B.  Rice,  F.  W.  Field,  Charles  Lawton. 
1865.- Luther  Dudley,  A.  C.  Field,  F.  W.  Field. 
1868.— F.  W.  Field,  EUhu  Heminway,  Charles  Ball. 
1867.— F.  W.  Field,  Elihu  Heminway,  Edward  Field. 
1868.— F.  W.  Field,  Dan  Field,  C.  P.  Manel. 
1869.— Dan  Field,  Luther  Dudley  C.  P.  Miirvel. 
1870.— Dan  Field,  F.  W.  Field,  C.  P.  Marvel. 
1871-72!^A.  C.  Field,  A.  L.  Field,  Isaac  Dudley. 
1873.— Dan  Field,  C.  P.  Marvel,  George  E,  Field. 
18TC— CrPrSrJfvel,  F.  W.  FieU,  Wm.  B.  Stetson. 
1875-77.— F.  W.  Field,  C.  P.  Marvel,  R.  A.  Field. 
1878.— F.  W.  Field,  C.  P.  Marvel,  Sawyer  Field. 

TOWN   CLERKS. 

Joseph  Clary,  Jr.,  1774-80;  Wm.  Bowman,  1781;  Silas  Ball,  1782-83;  Wm. 
Hubbard,  1784 ;  Wm.  Bow  man,  1785-87 ;  Silas  Ball,  1788-1807  ;  Zebina  M.  Ball, 
1808  ;  Josiah  Dewey,  1809-10;  Walter  Gunn,  1811-13  ;  Zebina  M.  Ball,  1814-16  ; 
Alpheus  Field,  1817-21 ;  Isaac  Woodbury,  1822 ;  Zebina  M.  Ball,  1823-26 ;  Eliph- 
alet  S.  D,arling,  1827-29 ;  Samuel  D.  King,  1830-32 ;  Stilhnan  Field,  1833-35 ; 
Butler  Wilmarth,  1836-37 ;  Jefferson  Moore,  1838-43 ;  Walter  Graves,  1844 ; 
Jefferson  Moore,  1845-52 ;  Elisha  Ingram,  1862-62 ;  Levi  M.  Graves,  1863 ;  Charles 
H.  Field,  1864-66;  Elisha  ft.  Ingram,  1867-79. 

REPRESENTATIVES    AT    THE   GENERAL   COURT. 

From  1809  to  1857,  when  Leverett  became  a  portion  of  the  Fifth  Representa- 
tive District,  the  town  was  represented  successively  by  the  following :  Roswell 
Field,  Rnfus  Field,  E.  S.  Darling,  Alpheus  Field,  Isaac  Woodbuiy,  Silas  Ball, 
Rufus  Fitts,  Asa  L.  Field,  Jonathan  Conant,  Horatio  N.  Watson,  Lucius 
Field,  Timothy  Rice,  Rjinsom  Adams,  Jefferson  Moore,  Alden  C.  Field,  E.  M. 
Ingram. 


736 


HISTORY   OF   THE   CONNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


VILLAGES. 
The  villages  in  the  town  are  three  in  number, — Leverett 
Centre,  North  Leverett,  and  East  Leverett,  the  lirst  two  only 
being  post-oflSces. 

LEVERETT   CENTRE, 

the  scene  of  the  first  settlement  of  importance,  is  a  station  on 
the  New  London  and  Northern  Railroad,  although  about  a 
mile  distant  from  the  depot.  The  village  contains,  besides  a 
small  collection  of  houses,  a  po.st-office,  a  church,  the  town- 
hall,  one  store,  and  the  New  England  Box  Company's  factory. 

NORTH    LEVERETT, 

on  Saw-mill  Kiver,  near  the  Montague  line,  contains  a  church, 
two  stores,  a  post-office,  two  factories,  saw-mills,  etc.  Although 
the  village  has  suffered  a  decline  through  the  loss,  by  with- 
drawal lately,  of  some  of  her  manufacturing  industries,  it  is  a 
moderately  prosperous  community,  and  its  people  thriving  and 
industrious. 

East  Leverett  is  likewise  devoted  somewhat  to  manufac- 
ture, and  boasts  the  most  extensive  saw-mill  in  the  town,  two 
factories,  one  store,  and  minor  business  interests. 

There  is  a  small  settlement  on  the  line  of  the  New  Lon- 
don and  Northern  Railroad,  about  a  mile  west  of  Leverett 
Centre.  This  locality  is  called  Long  Plain,  where  there  are  a 
railway-station,  a  store,  and  about  a  dozen  houses.  Here  also 
is  one  of  the  oldest  cemeteries  in  the  town.  The  earliest  settlers 
concentrated  in  this  region,  as  the  land  is  generally  more  pro- 
ductive than  that  of  any  other  portion  of  Leverett^' 

CHURCHES. 
In  March,  1774,  it  was  agreed  to  devote  £15  to  the  hire  of 
preaching  for  the  ensuing  summer.  In  September,  1774,  it 
was  agreed  to  add  an  extra  £5  to  the  preaching  fund,  and  to 
build  a  house  for  public  worship.  It  was  voted  the  house 
should  be  50  feet  long  by  40  feet  wide,  or  "as  big  as  the 
Whatelj'  meeting-house."  £40  were  appropriated  to  build  the 
house,  and  2s.  per  day  was  agreed  as  the  price  which  should  be 
paid  for  work  on  the  frame.  In  October,  1774,  it  was  voted, 
"  by  a  great  majority,  to  set  the  house  for  public  worship  on 
the  hill  near  the  southeast  corner  of  the  fish-pond,  in  the  cor- 
ner where  two  roads  meet  the  county  road  through  the  town 
north  and  south."  In  June,  1775,  it  was  voted  to  provide  for 
the  raising  of  the  meeting-house,  and  further  that  "  we  pro- 
vide meat  and  peas  or  beans,  and  some  cake,  if  needed,  for 
raising  dinner  or  dinners  ;  that  we  have  three  barrels  of 
cider,  and  that  we  make  fourteen  bushels  of  cake  for  raising 
said  meeting-house,  meaning  any  man  whoever  provides  ye 
above  articles  for  raising  is  to  keep  a  particular  account  of  ye 
same,  to  settle  with  ye  committee  appointed  for  ye  nieeting- 

J  house  work,  and  have  his  credit  and  pay  for  ye  same."  In 
1776  it  was  voted  to  reconsider  £15  of  the  £20  voted  in  1775 
to  hire  preaching.  There  was,  it  seems,  a  warm  controversy 
touching  the  seating  of  the  meeting-house,  and  a  committee 
consisting  of  three  persons — one  from  Amherst,  one  from 
Shutesbury,  and  one  from  Northfleld — was  called  in  to  decide 
the  matter. 

Sept.  13,  1776,  it  was  voted  that  "it  be  our  mind  to  settle 
the  gospel  among  us  as  soon  as  may  be,  and  that  we  invite 
Mr.  Hays  a  candidate  to  that  purpose."  Mr.  Hays,  however, 
declined  the  call.  In  March,  1777,  a  committee  was  appointed 
to  provide  a  ministerial  settlement,  and  Mr.  Hays  was  at  the 
same  time  invited  to  return  and  preach  the  following  spring, 
and  promised  40s.  per  Sabbath  for  what  preaching  he  had 
Jdone  since  the  previous  spring.  From  this  it  appears  that 
\  Mr.  Hays  had  been  preaching  occasionally  at  Leverett. 

In  March,  1778,  another  resolve  was  made  to  come  into 
some  method  to  purchase  a  ministerial  settlement.  In  June 
of  that  year  another  effort  was  made  to  induce  Mr.  Hays  to 
settle  with  the  church,  but  a  second  time  he  declined.  In  the 
following  December,  £60  were  raised   to  hire  preaching.     In 


\J^ 


1780  it  was  voted  "  we  will  provide  some  boards  for  ye  meet- 
ing-house." Shortly  thereafter  it  was  voted  "we  will  do 
something  to  ye  meeting-house." 

It  was  resolved  in  1781  to  invite  Mr.  Lyon  to  return  and 
preach  on  probation.  In  1785  the  town  gave  its  full  leave  and 
consent  to  any  gentleman  or  men,  in  town  or  out  of  town,  to 
build  a  handsome  porch  over  the  front  door  of  the  meeting- 
house. At  the  same  time  the  town  promised  to  color  the 
meeting-house  the  next  spring,  to  glaze  it,  to  erect  handsome 
pillars  under  the  gallery  beams,  and  to  lay  the  gallery  floor. 

The  organization  of  the  Congregational  Church  dates  from 
1774,  but  the  settlement  of  the  first  pastor  did  not  take  place 
until  1784.  This  pastor  was  Rev.  Henry  "Williams,  who,  after 
serving  the  church  twenty-seven  years,  died  in  1811.  Among 
his  successors  were  Joel  Wright,  Joseph  Sawyer,  Jonas  Col- 
burn,  Freegrace  Reynolds,  and  David  Eastman.  The  old 
church  stood  until  1838,  when  it  was  replaced  by  the  present 
edifice.  The  pastor  now  in  charge  is  Rev.  A.  E.  Clark.  The 
church  membership  is  89. 

The  origin  of  the  First  Baptist  Church  at  North  Leverett 
dates  back  as  far  as  1767,  when  it  was  organized  in  Montague, 
by  people  of  that  town  and  of  Leverett  living  near  the  pres- 
ent Leverett  line.     In  1791  the  centre  of  the  organization  was 
removed  to  North  Leverett,  and  the  name  changed  to  the  Bap- 
tist Church  of  Leverett,  although  it  was  also  known  as  the 
Baptist  Church  of  Leverett  and  Montague.     The  first  church 
building  was  erected  in  North  Leverett  in  1795,  and  in  1836 
the  present  structure  replaced  it.     Since  1791  the  pastors  of 
the  church  have  been  Simeon  Combs,  Elijah  Montague,  Elias 
McGregory,  Aaron  Burbank,  N.  B.  Jones,  B.  P.  Remington, 
Samuel  Everett,  and  Baxter  Newton,  the  latter,  who  is  the 
present  pastor,  having  occupied  the  pulpit  of  this  church  for 
about  thirty  years.     The  church  membership  is  about  100.    A 
Free- Will  Baptist  Church  organized  in  the  east  in  1835,  a 
Unitarian  Society,  and  a  Universalist  Society,  organized  about 
the  same  time,  are  now  extinct,  having  passed  out  of  existence 
about  twenty  years  ago.     The  Baptists,  in  common  with  those  \ 
of  other  towns,  were  in  frequent  controversies  with  the  town    I 
authorities   because  of   their  unwillingness  to  pay  the   town    / 
tax  for  the  support  of  the  "  orthodox"  minister.     Suits  at  \^^y  ■ 
were  brought  against  them  by  the  town  to  compel  the  pay- 
ment of  the  tax,  but  the  verdict  (il_J,he  law  generally  up- 
held the  Baptists.  ~~- 
SCHOOLS. 

In  March,  1774,  it  was  voted  to  raise  £10  for  schooling  for 
the  year  ensuing.  In  July,  1774,  a  committee  was  appointed 
"  to  view  a  proper  place  to  move  the  school-house,"  which  was 
probably  built  by  Sunderland  before  the  incorporation  of  Lev- 
erett. In  the  following  September  the  "  South"  school-house 
was  moved  "to  where  the  west  road  from  Long  Plain  comes 
into  the  county  road  north  of  Capt.  Graves'  house." 

In  1775  it  was  agreed  to  keep  school  in  three  places,  to  wit : 
at  Moses  Graves'  house,  at  Barnard  Wilde's  house,  and  at 
Joseph  Harrow's  house.  Ten  pounds  were  raised  for  schooling 
that  year,  and  a  committee  was  appointed  to  each  school  "  to 
see  that  the  money  was  prudently  spent."  In  1776  the  South 
school-house  was  ordered  to  be  sold  to  John  Keet,  for  the 
reason,  probably,  that  it  had  become  sad)}'  dilapidated. 

In  1778,  £80  were  raised  for  schooling  for  the  year,  and  the 
money  divided  by  the  "  scollar"  from  five  years  old  to  sixteen. 
In  December,  1780,  it  was  resolved  to  raise  £1000  for  school— f~^ 
ing  the  next  year.*  In  1782  it  was  resolved  not  to  raise  any  \ 
■  money  for  schooling  the  ensuing  year.  In  1786,  £20  were 
raised  for  schooling.  In  1788  it  was  voted  to  divide  the 
schools  into  squadrons,  and  that  the  matter  about  building 
a  scbool-hou.se  be  dropped.  The  school-house  was  not  built 
until  about  1800. 

*  Tliis  largo  sum  wiis  no  doubt "  Coutiuoutal"  monoy,  which  had  greatly 
ilepreciated. 


HISTORY  OF   FKANKLIN   COUNTY. 


737 


The  mimboi'  of  school  districts  in  the  town  in  1878  was  six, 
tlie  average  daily  attendance  of  scholars  117,  and  the  amount 
expended  for  the  siijuwirt  of  schools  SlOpG. 

BURIAL-PLACES. 
There  are  six  cemeteries  in  the  town, — public  and  private, — 
but  of  these  only  two — one  at  Leverctt  Centre  and  one  at 
North  Leverett — lay  any  claim  to  early  origin.  Even  in 
these  there  are  no  headstones  bearing  dates  contemporary  with 
the  early  settlement  of  the  town.  The  pioneers  of  Leverett 
marked  the  resting-places  of  their  dead  with  only  cheap  head- 
stones, or  in  many  instances  with  none  at  all.  The  stones 
have  either  crumbled  away  or  had  their  inscriptions  effaced 
by  the  destroying  hand  of  time.  Among  the  oldest  now  to 
be  observed  are  the  following : 

I'apt.  Joiiathim  Fielil.  1.781 ;  Estheivliis  widuw,  1705 ;  Miirtili  Willaixt,  1794; 
jVInses  Graves,  Jr.,  1794;  Electa,  daughter  of  3Iuses  Fielil,  1781;  Lucy,  wife  of 
Joseph  Willard,  1793;  Lucy,  daughter  of  Eev.  Henry  Williams,  1792;  Elihu 
Field,  17S9;  Eebccca  Field,  1788;  Electa,  daughter  of  Josiah  Cowles,  17S3; 
Isaiah  .Vd;uii.s,  1808,  aged  eighty-four;  As.a,  son  of  Scth  Wood.  1802;  Christiana, 
wife  of  Josiidi  Cowles,  1803;  Moses  Graves,  1803;  Rehecca,  wife  of  Giles  Hub- 
hard,  1810;  I'liine.ls  Field,  1808;  Vtaniel  tl.lintt  lso9;  Naomi,  his  wife,  1S04; 
Jlary,  wife  of  Setli  Field,  1803 ;  Scth  Field,  1813;  Seth,  son  of  Moses  Field,  1793 ; 
Dolly,  wife  of  Moses  Field,  Jr.,  ISlcntevTlienry  Williams,  1811 ;  Deacon  Jon- 
athan Field,  1814;  Jason,  son  of  Gideon  Huhbard,  1818;  Josiah  Cowles,  1822; 
Josiah  Cowles,  Jr.,  1818 ;  Deacon  Hezeliiah  Howard,  1810;  Elizabeth  Howard, 
1802,  aged  si.xty-three ;  Mary,  widow  of  Hezckiah  Howard,  1818 ;  Capt.  Solomon 
Dewey,  1813. 

INDUSTRIES. 


The  manufacturing  interes 
fered  a  decline,  but  are  still 

Cephas  Porter,  31st  Mass. 
Isaac  H.  Cardnei-,  27th  Mass. 
n.  S.  Leach,  62d  Mass. 
J.  S.  Brewer,  -7lh  Mass. 
Henry  Aniidoii,  27tli  Miiss. 
H.  G.  Goodnow,  27th  Mass. 
A.  L.  Williams,  loth  Mivss. 
Levi  Jloore,  2GIh  5Ias3. 
M.  Patrick,  2Clh  Mass. 
C.  F.  Williams,  31st  MiUts. 
Francis  Smith,  '21st  Mass. 
H,  W.  Holden,  21st  Mass. 
John  llemenwiiy,  lotli  Mass. 
Jas.  Kilroy,  loth  Mass. 
Dan  Wood,  31st  Mass. 
Chas.  F.  Field,  31st  Mass. 
E.  D.Graves,  31.st  Mass. 
Lyman  Pierce,  1st  Cav. 
Henry  liartlet,  10th  N.  Y. 


ts  of  Leverett  have  latterly  suf- 
the  most  important  elements  in 

Putnam  Field,  lotli  N.  Y. 
John  A.  Glazier,  37lli  Mass. 
Chas.  J.  Gunn,37lh  M;ts8. 
E.  E.  Taylor,  27th  Mass. 
I.  H.  Gardner,  27th  Mass. 
J.  M.  Pierce,  27tli  Mass. 

E.  0.  Dickinson,  27tb  Mass. 
M.  Blodgett,  27th  Mass. 
H.  M.  Hart,  27lh  Mass. 
J.  J.  Uichardson,  27tli  Mass. 
Joseph  Briggs,  27th  Mass. 

F.  C.  Ilartwell,  loth  Mass. 
C.  L.  Hartwell,  10th  Mass. 
R.  Noble,  52d  Mass. 
H.  A.  Newton,  52<1  Mass. 
H.  B.  llaskel,  52d  Mass. 
H.  W.  Field,  52d  Mass. 
J:is.  Thompson,  52d  Mass. 
Jus.  H.  Reed,  02d  Mass. 


the  town's  industries.  At  North  Leverett  Jie  chair-factory 
of  Wm.  Hatch,  the  pail-manufactory  of  S.  S.  Graves,  who 
also  operates  a  scythe-nib  factory,  and  several  saw-mills  on  Saw- 
mill Eiver,  give  employment  to  about  50  persons.  Wm.  B. 
Stetson,  of  East  Leverett,  has  operated  an  extensive  saw-mill 
at  that  point  for  the  past  fifteen  years,  and  employs  therein  at 
present  15  hands.  At  the  same  place,  A.  C.  Field  &  Son  have 
a  small  establishment  for  the  manufacture  of  yarn  and  satinet, 
and  Kodolphus  Turner  manufactures  extension-tables,  churns, 
etc.  Leverett  Centre  has  one  manufactory,  owned  by  the  New« 
England  Box  Company,  which  began  operations  there  in  1875, 
and  employs  20  persons  in  the  production  of  tig-boxes  and 
similar  light  receptacles,  to  the  value  of  about  §15,000  yearly. 
The  agricultural  interests  of  the  town  are  embraced  in  the 
production  of  tobacco  in  a  small  way,  the  raising  of  stock, 
and  the  manufacture  by  farmers  of  butter  and  cheese.  The 
growth  of  grain  and  other  farm  products  is  not  beyond  the 
demands  of  local  consumption.  The  State  census  reports 
of  1875  give  the  following  statistics:  Number  of  farms, 
179 ;  value  of  agricultural  and  domestic  products  for  1875, 
§84,150;  value  of  manufactures,  §32,004.  The  total  valua- 
tion of  the  town  in  1878  was  .§303,950,  of  which  $.52,135  was 
in  personal  and  |251,815  in  real  estate.  The  total  tax — State, 
county,  and  town — was  IJ4115.16,  or  at  the  rate  of  §1.30  per 
§100. 

MILITARY. 

LEVERETT'S    WAR    RECORD. 

Leverett  provided  soldiers  for  the  war  of  the  Rebellion,  as 
follows : 

Eph.  Slaisli,  Jr.,  52d  Mass. 
C.  J.  Uice,  52d  Mass. 
A.  W.  G6odnow,  52d  Mass. 
A.  J.  Woodard,  52d  Mass. 
J.  E.  Wales,  52d  Mass. 
P.  M.  Dodge,  loth  Mass. 
Andrew  Gardner,  2Gth  Mass. 
Win.  R.  Comins,  22d  Mass. 

J.  L.  Woodbury, . 

Geo.  W.  Wood,  3d  Cav. 
Loammi  Woodard,  31st  Mass. 
Wm.  R.  Glazier,  37th  Mass. 
H.  B.  Glazier,  37th  MiiSs. 
C.  B.  Cutter,  37th  Mass. 


/" 


Of  tliQ  foreguing,  tlie  following  lost  tlicir  lives  in 
the  service :  Henry  Amiilun,  Levi  Bloore, 
Francis  Smith,  Chas.  C.  FicUI,  J.  J.  Riclmrd- 
son,  Ephraim  Marsh,  Jr. 


ASHFIELD. 


GEOGRAPHICAL. 

This  town  is  situated  in  the  southwestern  part  of  Franklin 
County,  and  is  one  of  the  .southern  tier  of  towns  in  that 
county.  It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  the  towns  of  Hawley, 
Buckland,  and  Conway,  in  the  same  county;  on  the  south  by 
the  towns  of  Goshen  and  Cummington,  in  Hamiishirc  County, 
and  Conway,  in  Franklin  County  ;  on  the  east  by  the  town  of 
Conway,  Franklin  Co.  ;  and  on  the  west  by  the  towns  of 
I'lainSeld,  Hampshire  Co.,  and  Hawley,  Franklin  Co. 

BOUNDARIES. 
Beginning  at  the  southeast  corner  of  the  town,  the  line  runs 
north,  19°  20'  east,  0  miles  and  300  rods,  sejiarating  it  from 
Conway  and  Shelburne  on  the  east;  thence  in  a  nearly  west 
direction  about  seven  miles,  separating  it  from  Shelburne, 
Buckland,  and  Hawley  on  the  north.    On  the  south,  beginning 


nt  the  southeast  corner,  it  runs  north,  68°  west,  201  rods; 
thence  north,  171°  east,  28  rods;  thence  north,  69°  41'  west, 
870  rods  ;  thence  south,  12°  west,  14  rods ;  thence  north,  67^° 
west,  410  rods,  dividing  the  town  from  Goshen  ;  thence  in 
the  same  direction  2-39  rods,  dividing  it  from  Cummington ; 
thence  north,  30'  west,  517  rods ;  thence  westerly  85  rods  ; 
thence  due  north  122  rods;  thence  north,  6°  east,  329  rods. 

The  town,  if  reduced  to  regular  dimensions,  would  form 
a  .square  whose  sides  would  extend  six  luiles  and  one-fifth, 
inclosing  an  area  of  24,60U,  acres. 

The  nearest  railway  stations  are  Buckland,  seven  miles  dis- 
tant from  the  centre  of  the  town,  Shelburne  Falls,  nine  miles 
distant,  and  South  Deertield,  twelve  miles. 

NATURAL   FE.\TURES. 
The  town  is  well  watered,  though  po.ssessiiig  no  great  water- 
power.     The  principal  streams  are   Bear  liiver,  in  the  north- 


93 


\ 


738 


HISTORY  OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


\ 


east  part  of  the  town,  which  flows  northeasterly  through  Con- 
way into  Deerfield  Kiver;  South  lliver,  which  takes  its  rise 
in  Great  Pond,  near  tlie  "  Plains,"  and,  flowing  first  south 
and  then  cast,  is  a  prominent  tributary  to  the  same  river;  and 
Swift  Kiver,  in  the  western  part  of  the  town,  which  flows 
south  into  Hampshire  County  and  Westfield  Kiver.  All  of 
these  streams  have  been  utilized  to  a  greater  or  loss  extent  for 
small  manufacturing  enterprises.  A  large  number  of  brooks 
traverse  the  dilforent  sections  of  the  town.  The  principal 
pond  is  "Great  Pond,"  nearly  in  the  geographical  centre  of 
the  town.  It  has,  by  an  embankment  twelve  feet  high,  been 
made  into  a  reservoir. 

The  town  occupies  an  elevation  of  about  1200  feet  high  above 
tide-water.  The  highest  part  in  it  is  Peter's  Hill,  situated  a 
little  northwest  of  the  centre,  and  which  is  1740  feet  above 
tide-water.  Numerous  other  hills  exist  in  the  town.  Men- 
tion may  be  made  of  Pumpkin  Hill,  near  the  northern  bound- 
ary ;  Ridge  Hill,  about  a  mile  and  a  half  east ;  Mount  Owen, 
in  the  eastern  part  of  the  town  ;  Mill  Hill,  about  a  mile  north- 
east of  Asbfield  Plains;  and  Brier  Hill,  in  the  southeast 
section. 

The  surface  of  the  town  is  broken  into  hills  and  valleys, 
and  contains  but  a  comparatively  small  portion  of  arable 
land.  Indian  corn  succeeds  well,  but  English  grain  is  of 
secondary  quality.  Wheat  is  seldom  sown.  Grazing  may  be 
said  to  be  a  principal  object  with  the  farming  interest.  The 
town  has  many  fine  dairies,  and  holds  high  rank  as  a  butter- 
making  country.  Many  tons  of  the  finest  wool  are  annually 
furnished  to  the  manufactories.  Agriculture  is  the  leading 
interest.  The  soil  is  of  that  hard  and  rocky  nature  which 
is  generally  found  on  the  slopes  and  plains  and  in  the  valleys 
of  the  Iloosac  Mountains.  The  farms  in  general  are  well  cul- 
tivated. Wool,  lambs,  neat  stock,  horses,  butter,  cheese,  and 
maple-sugar  are  the  chief  articles  of  export,  the  latter  being 
taken  from  the  trees  of  that  variety  with  which  the  town 
abounds.  Corn  and  oats  are  rarely  raised  beyond  individual 
wants.  Potatoes,  to  some  extent,  are  an  article  of  commerce, 
and  are  usually  of  good  qualitj'. 

The  summers  are  cool  and  enjoyable,  and  attract  many  visi- 
tors to  the  town.  The  winters  are  long,  severe,  and  trying. 
The  snow  usually  lasts  from  the  1st  of  December  to  the  1st  of 
April,  and  the  ])ublic  roads  are  frequently  almost  impassable. 
The  prevailing  disease  with  the  middle-aged  may  be  said  to  be 
the  consumption,  probably  because  of  the  variable  winters. 
Many,  however,  live  to  advanced  ages  in  the  town. 

EARLY    SETTLEMENT. 

The  precise  year  when  the  first  permanent  settlement  was 
made  in  the  town  is  not  known.  It  is  believed  that  it  was 
made  in  174:3,  and  a  grist-mill  is  said  to  have  been  erected  the 
same  year,  and  stood  about  one  hundred  rods  northeast  of  the 
present  Episcopal  Church. 

A  few  notes  from  the  "  Proprietors'  Kecords"  will  best  indi- 
cate the  date  of  the  first  settlement,  as  well  as  show  the  meas- 
ures taken  by  the  proprietors  to  induce  settlement  and  make 
it  permanent. 

May  28,  1741.— "Vuted  that  Williiuii  Curtis  he  employed  in  mending  Tlio 
Way  tu  suid  Tuwnsliip,  the  Labour  done  on  said  way  by  liim  not  to  E.>:ecod  ten 
pounds." 

"  Voted  that  One  Hund""i  &  twenty  pounds  he  assessed  on  ye  Proprietors,  as  an 
Incouragenient  to  liini  or  tliem  yt  shall  build  a  saw-mill  in  some  convenient 
place  &  Convenient  to  ye  Lots  allready  Laid  out ;  Provided,  The  Owner  or 
Owners  of  said  mill  saw  fur  the  Propriet"  for  the  first  seven  yeiirs  For  twenty 
shillings  per  Thousand;  Provided,  also,  that  yo  said  miller  or  milleres,  viz't, 
Owner  or  Owners,  do  keep  said  null  in  ord'  for  buisness  for  seven  years,  and  as 
he  or  they  shall  have  water;  &  if  said  Proprietors  do  bring  Logs,  that  he  or  they 
saw  them  !is  afore-s**.    Past  in  ye  affirmative." 

May,  1712.—"  Voted  tliat  a  giiod  Wliipsaw  be  prooured  at  the  Charge  of  the 
Proprietore,  and  tliat  Samuel  White  &  Job  Porli-r  have  said  saw  delivered  to 
thcni  for  sawing  bords  for  tlie  Propi  ietoi-s.  Provided  they  saw  s*  bords  for  said 
prop"  Fur  four  pounds  old  tenor  per  Thousand,  and  when  said  propriet"  shall 
Kequirc  To  Return  said  saw  to  them,  or  their  Order,  In  good  Order  and  souud. 
Provided,  also,  that,  viz't,  S'l  White  and  Porter  Give  Bond  fur  Returning  s'l  .Saw 
in  good  Order  and  sound  &  soon  as  above  said." 


The  vote  to  encourage  a  saw-mill,  etc.,  was  rescinded  September,  1742. 
Same  date  ISd.  per  pound  was  granted  to  Richard  Elis  "  for  a  goorl  iron  Crank 
&  gudgeon  for  a  saw-mill." 

June  2, 1743. — "  Voted  that  tliey  will  proceed  this  Present  year  to  build  a  Corn- 
Mill  in  said  Iluntstown,  on  the  Pond  Brook,  so  Call'',  when  a  Cuuiu-^o  fur  that 
jiuipose  shall  Think  Pn)per." 

Tu  the  pei-sou  that  would  eng.oge  in  this  enterprise,  10(1  acres  of  land  aLUoining 
the  mill  were  voted,  and  a  sum  of  money  not  exceeding  £100,  old  tenor,  together 
with  the  use  of  the  bruidt  fur  "jjiHr/JHj/." 

A  comnnttee  was  appointed  at  the  same  meeting  "  to  take  Care  that  no  White 
pine  timber  be  Cutt  and  Convey'd  out  of  the  Town,  and  to  Prosecute  all  such 
otfenders." 

April  12, 175.'i. — One  hundred  acres  uf  land  and  the  curn-mill  on  the  uiill-lirook 
were  voted  to  .John  Blaekmer  ui)on  couditiuns,  and  a  committee  was  appointed 
to  lay  out  the  land  and  take  security. 

Sixteen  acres  of  laud  lying  near  or  at  the  end  of  Richard  Allis'  lot,  together 
with  the  right  of  the  stream  called  Bear  River  at  that  point,  were  appropriated 
to  Nathaniel  and  William  Church  upon  coiulition  that  they  would  erect  and  set 
up  a  saw-mill  there,  etc. 

May  29,  1754. — Voted  the  mill  and  appurtenances  (togetlier  with  the  land) 
iiist  built,  one-half  to  Chileab  Smith,  his  heirs  and  assigns  forever;  one-quarter 
tu  Eliphalet  Cary,  of  Briilgewater,  his  heirs  and  assigns  forever;  and  one-quarter 
to  David  Alden,  Jr.,  and  Barnabas  .\lden,  both  of  Stafford,  their  heirs  and  assigns 
furever.  Also,  the  IG-acre  lot  near  Bear  River  (above  referred  to),  one-half  to 
C'bilcab  Smith,  bis  heirs  and  assigns  furever;  one-quarter  to  Daniel  Alden ;  aud 
une-quarter  to  Eliphalet  Carey. 

The  names  of  the  oiiginal  proprietors  in  1739  were  John  Hunt,  Thomas 
White,  Nathaniel  Wales,  Ben.).  Luddcn,  Gideon  Turret,  Richard  Fo.\oii,  Wil- 
liam Crane,  Ebenencr  Hunt,  Rev.  Joseph  Belcher,  Jonathan  Webb,  Seth  Cha- 
pen,  .lobn  Piiillips,  John  Ilerrick,  Zechariah  Briggs,  Ebenezer  Hunt,  Job 
Otis,  Joiuxthan  Dawse,.Ilebr.  Piat,  Ilichjird  Davenport,  Ezra  Whitman,  Sulomon 
Leonard,  James  Meares,  Joseph  Good,  Thomjts  Bolter,  Ephraim  Eniei-son,  Benja. 
Beal,  Barnabas  Daily,  John  Miller,  Jusiah  Owen,  Samuel  Thayer.  Ephraim  Cope- 
land,  James  Ilayward,  Samuel  Gay,  Ebenezer  Staples,  Samuel  Stajdes,  John 
King,  Samuel  Niles,  Jr.,  James  Mears,  Moses  Penidman,  Joshua  Philli|)s,  Win. 

Linfield,  Ebenezer  Owen,  Samuel  Darby,  Jonathan  Webb,  John  Biiss, Keith, 

.T._  French,  Atmos  Stutson,  Joseph  Drake,  Thomas  Wells,  Samuel  .\ndrews,  John 

White,  Benj.  Stuart,  Joseph  Veckery,  Joseph  Lobdle,  Joseph  Milton,  and  John 

Bartlet. 

Two  lots  were  set  off  for  the  ministry  and  one  fur  a  schuul  lot. 

n       The  first  family  to  locate  permanently  in  the  town  was  that 

'  of  Kichard  Ellis,  a  native  of  Dublin,  Ireland.     He  probably 

I  made  his  settlement  between  the  years  1742  and  1744.     Tradi- 

'  tion  has  handed  down  the  following   account  of  him  :   Mr. 

Ellis  was  the  only  son  of  a  widow.    A  wealthy  planter,  living 

in  Virginia,  a  native  of  Ireland,  and  having  no  children,  made 

application  to  a  friend  in  Dublin  to  send  him  over  a  youth  of 

promise,  to  he  adopted  into  his  family  and  brought  up  under 

his  care  and  patronage.    Young  Ellis  was  selected,  and  started 

for  this  country.     On  his  embarkaticui  his  p;issage  was  paid 

and  an  agreement  made  with  the  captain  of  the  ship  to  land 

him  safely  on  the  coast  of  Virginia.     But  he  proved  faithless 

to  his  trust,  brought  the  youth  to  Boston,  and  there  sold  him 

for  his  passage-money.     After  serving  the  time  thus  unjustly 

extorted  from  him,  he  removed  from  Boston,  and  at  length 

settled  in  Easton,  where  ho  married.     From  Easton  he  came 

to  Asbfield,  then  called  Huntstown. 

The  first  tree  was  felled  by  his  hands  on  White  Brook,  a 
small  stream  which  ran  a  little  to  the  east  of  the  present  resi- 
dence of  Samuel  A.  Hall.  He  built  for  his  family  the  first 
habitation  in  the  northeast  section  of  the  town, — a  log  cabin, 
partly  under-ground,  on  the  side  of  the  hill,  a  few  rods  east  of 
whore  L.  D.  Lanfair  now  resides,  near  the  ancient  burying- 
ground.     He  died  Oct.  7,  1797,  aged  ninety-three. 

A  further  account  of  Mr.  Ellis  is  given  by  Mr.  Aaron 
Smith,  of  Stockton,  N.  Y.,  one  of  his  descendants.  From 
this  it  appears  that  he  was  born  in  Ireland,  Aug.  KJ,  -1704, 
and  was  thirteen  years  of  age  when  he  landed  in  this  country. 
He  had  a  family  of  eight  children,  among  whom  were  John, 
Keuben,  Jane,  Hannah,  and  Kemember.  Jane  married  a  Ful- 
ton, Hannah  married  a  Rockwood.  They  settled  in  Wood- 
stock, Vt.  John  lived  in  Asbfield  and  had  four  children, — 
Dimick,  ,John,  Hannah,  and  Sylva.  Keuben  had  a  son — 
David — who  formerly  lived  where  John  H.  Mann  now  resides. 
The  family  intermarried  with  the  Smith,  Belding,  and  Phillips 
families. 

The  next  i)ioncer  to  plant  himself  in  the  town  was  Thomas 
Phillips,  of  Easton,  whose  sister  Ellis  had  married.    He  built 


I 


HISTORY  OP   FRANKLIN   COUNTY. 


739 


J&  log  house  about  one-half  a  mile  to  the  north  of  the  dwelling 
of  his  only  fellow-townsman. 

Soon  ii  third  family  was  added,  that  of  Chileab  Smith,  from 
that  part  of  Hadley  known  now  as  South  Hadley.  He  was  horn 
May  8,  1708,  and  died  in  Ashfield,  Aug.  19,  1800,  in  his  ninety- 
third  year,  leaving  eight  children,  forty-six  grandchildren,  and 
ninety-one  great-grandchildren.  A  large  number  of  his  de- 
scendants became  ministers.  He  was  a  brotlier  of  James 
Smith,  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  Granby,  in  Hampshire 
County,  and  a  great-grandson  of  Eev.  Henr}-  Smith,  of  North- 
field.  Mr.  Smith  settled  upon  the  spot  which  the  house  of  his 
son  Chileab  afterward  occupied.  This  son  was  about  eight 
years  old  when  his  father  came  to  the  town,  and  lived  until 
184.3,  reaching  the  advanced  age  of  one  hundred  years  and 
eight  months.  This  would  fix  the  date  of  his  father's  settle- 
ment at  about  the  year  1750.  The  father  was  the  most  prom- 
inent man  in  the  town  for  the  first  thirty  years  after  its  settle- 
ment ;  wa¥  a  member  of  many  committees ;  held  important 

;  offices  under  the  proprietors  and  the  town,  and  operated  one 

1  of  the  first  saw-  and  grist-mills  in  the  settlement,  if  not  f/w 
first. 

Among  the  earliest  accessions  to  the  settleinent  after  tlieso 
three  families  were  Deacon  Ebenezer  Belding,  from  Hatfield, 
and  Samuel  Belding,  from  Deerfield,  with  their  families. 
Other  settlers  came  in  from  time  to  time  from  different  quar- 
ters. A  number  of  families  joined  them  from  the  southern 
part  of  Connecticut,  so  that  by  the  year  175-1  the  settlement 
numbered  from  ten  to  fifteen  families  and  nearly  100  persons. 
The  year  1751  was  memorable  for  the  breaking  out  of  fresh 
hostilities  between  the  French  and  English.  This  war  again 
let  loose  the  savages  upon  the  defenseless  frontier  settlements 
of  the  north.  During  the  month  of  June,  of  this  year,  a 
party  of  men  at  work  near  Rice's  Fort,  in  the  upper  part  of 
Charlemont,  was  attacked  by  a  body  of  Indians,  two  of  their 
number  slain,  and  two  taken  prisoners.  The  tidings  of  the 
afi'air,  quickly  reaching  the  settlement  in  Huntstown,  occa- 
sioned great  alarm.  Being  few  in  numbers,  and  with  small 
\  .  means  of  defense,  they  had  no  other  alternative  than  to  seek 
safety  within  the  confines  of  the  older  settlements.  Accord- 
ingly, on  the  same  afternoon  in  which  they  received  the  news 
from  Charlemont,  they  abandoned  their  houses,  improvements, 
and  stores,  except  such  as  could  be  transported  on  horseback, 
and  set  out  for  the  older  towns.  A  middle-aged  woman,  the 
wife  of  Cliileab  Smith,  traveled  ten  miles  on  foot  before  they 
encamped  for  the  night.  What  is  now  Conway  was  then  a 
part  of  Decrfield,  a  howling  wilderness,  without  an  inhabitant 
or  a  shelter  to  protect  the  refugees.  Their  first  halt  was  at 
Bloody  Brook,  where  they  spent  the  night.  Early  the  next 
morning  the  few  inhabitants  of  the  place  abandoned  their 
dwellings  and  joined  them,  finally  reaching  with  them  places 

•  of  security.* 

■  \  The  settlers  were  absent  between  two  and  three  years.  It  is 
likely  that  individuals  of  them  may  have  returned  in  the 
mean  time  on  a  tour  of  inspection,  but  they  did  not  bring 
back  their  families  until  the  time  specified.  After  the  return 
of  the  refugees  to  their  homes  in  Huntstown,  the  war  still 
,     continuing,  their  first  object  was  to  erect  a  fort  for  their  com- 

-  mon  defense.  This  was  accomplished  on  the  ground  occupied 
by  Mr.  Smith,  and  principally  at  his  own  expense.  The  area 
inclosed  by  the  fort  was  a  piece  of  ground  containing  81  square 
rods.  It  was  constructed  of  upright  logs  of  sufficient  thick- 
ness to  be  bullet-proof,  set  three  feet  into  the  earth,  and  ri.sing 
twelve  feet  above.  The  inclosure  had  but  one  gate,  opening 
to  the  south,  which  was  always  shut  and  strongly  barred 
during  the  night.  Within  the  fort  stood  the  dwelling  of  Mr. 
Smith,  which  served  as  barracks,  where  the  settlers  felt  secure 

*  Among  the  refugees  were  Cliileab  Smith  and  his  family.  He  buried  an  iron 
bar  and  a  froe,  which  he  could  never  afterward  find.  After  his  death  thoy  wore 
found,  in  1.S02,  by  one  of  his  grandsons,  about  twelve  rods  from  wliere  he  snp- 
l)osed  he  buried  them. 


from  attack  during  the  night.  Upon  its  roof  was  constructed 
of  logs  a  tower  of  sufficient  size  to  contain  six  men  with  their 
arms.  Port-holes  were  so  arranged  in  its  sides  as  to  afford  its 
inmates  a  fair  aim  at  their  assailants  without,  while  secure 
from  their  balls  within. 

After  remaining  in  this  state  about  a  year,  laboring  by  day 
and  keeping  watch  by  night,  they  solicited  and  obtained  from 
the  authorities  of  the  colony  a  squad  of  nine  soldiers,  under 
Sergt.  Allen,  who  was  under  the  general  command  of  Col. 
Israel  Williams.  These  continued  with  them,  protecting 
them  by  day  while  at  their  labors,  and  watching  over  them 
by  night,  for  nearly  two  years,  and  until  the  close  of  the  war. 
_  Before  the  close  of  hostilities  another  fort,  six  rods  square, 
was  built  by  the  settlers,  in  the  same  manner  as  the  first, 
about  tvvo  hundred  rods  south,  on  land  now  owned  by  Emory 
Church  &  Son.  It  was  used  for  the  same  purposes  as  the 
other. 

No  Indians  were  discovered  near  the  settlement,  except  in 
one  instance,  during  this  period.  As  a  daughter  of  Mr.  Smith 
was  walking  out  one  evening  as  the  sun  was  setting,  she  saw 
an  Indian  within  about  twenty  rods  of  the  fort  surveying  it 
very  attentivelj'.  In  great  haste  and  terror  she  returned  to 
the  fort  and  cried,  "  The  Indians  are  upon  us  !"  The  soldiers 
immediately  rallied  and  commenced  pursuit,  but,  darkness  soon 
coming  on,  they  returned  without  discovering  the  enemy.  The 
next  day  they  discovered  the  trail  of  a  small  scouting-party, 
which  had  probably  been  sent  to  reconnoitre  the  settlement, 
but,  finding  it  well  garrisoned,  did  not  attempt  to  molest  it. 

TAVERNS. 

The  first  house  of  public  entertainment  in  the  town  is  be- 
lieved to  have  been  kept  by  Joseph  Mitchell,  as  early  as  1763, 
on  the  east  side  of  Bellows'  Hill,  above  where  Elias  and  Charles 
Rogers  now  live,  in  the  northeast  part  of  the  town.  The  first 
precinct-meetings  of  Ashfield  were  held  there.     Timoth}-  Per- 

,  kins  had  one  on  '-the  Plains"  in  1778,  and  perhaps  earlier. 
Capt.  Moses  Fuller  kept  one  in  a  two-story  house  on  the  site 
now  occupied  by  the  house  of  Moses  Cook,  as  early  as  1767, 
and  probably  until  his  death,  in  1794.  A  tavern  was  kept 
where  Eev.  Mr.  Green  now  resides,  the  latter  part  of  the  last 

.'  century,  by  Seth  Wait.  Zachariah  Field  built  the  house — or 
a  part  of  it — now  occupied  by  Henry  S.  Ranney,  in  1792,  and 
kept  a  tavern  and  store  there  until  1808.  He  was  then  suc- 
ceeded by  A.  &  D.  White,  who  also  had  a  store  in  the  same 
building.  John  Williams  followed  next,  in  the  same  place 
and  business,  in  the  year  1816,  and  was  succeeded  by  Harrison 
Foote,  about  the  year  1838,  who  kept  it  until  about  1846. 

.  These  were  all  at  or  near  Ashfield  Plains. 

Others  have  been  kept  in  difl'ercnt  sections  of  the  town. 
One  of  two  stores  was  built  by  Asa  Newton,  at  Spruce  Cor- 
ners, the  early  part  of  the  present  century,  and  was  kept  by 
hini,  and  afterward  by  Jonathan  and  Joshua  Bond  in  turn. 

..  About  1820,  or  1825,  Whiting  Kellogg  also  had  one  in  South 
Ashfield, — the  house  now  owned  by  Nathan  Sears.  About 
the  same  time  one  was  kept  in  the  east  part  of  the  town — 
where  Champion  Rice  and  son  now  reside — by  Russell  Bement. 

.  George  Barrus  kept  a  tavern  near  the  Congregational  meeting- 
house, at  the  centre,  in  the  house  now  owned  by  J.  Kilborn, 
from  about  the  year  1820  to  1838.  In  the  northwest  part  of 
the  town  Ezra  Williams  had  a  tavern  for  a  number  of  years, 
at  the  close  of  the  first  quarter  of  the  present  century,  and 
until  about  the  year  1850.  The  only  tavern  now  in  the  town 
is  what  is  known  as  the  "Ashfield  House,"  at  the  "Plains." 
Lyman  Cross  first  kept  it,  as  early  as  1831,  and  was  succeeded 
bv  his  son  Lemuel  for  a  number  of  years.  For  the  last  decade 
it  has  been  acceptably  kept  by  the  present  pro])rictor,  Allen 
Phillips,  who  married  a  daughter  of  Lyman  Cross. 

STORKS. 

No  attempt  will  be  made  to  mention  all  of  the  stores  that 
have  existed  in  the  town.     Among  the  first  to  trade  in  the 


740 


HISTORY   OF  THE   CONNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


Hi 


town   was   Gad   Wait,  who   failed,   and   gave   up   business. 
Abraham   and   David   White   kept    store   as    early   as   1808 
where  H.  S.  Kanney  now  resides.     John  Williams  succeeded 
them  in  1816.     Selah  Norton  had  a  store  in  1793  where  the 
Widow  Frank  Bassett  now  lives.    John  and  Charles  Baldwin, 
Charles  Williams,  and  Samuel  Hall  kept  there  afterward. 
At  South  Ashfield  a  man  named  Cooley  established  a  store 
about  182ti.      He  failed,   and  was  f,.llowcd  ,by   Maj.   Dana, 
Charles  Keed,  and  Gardner  A:  Guilford.     About  185.3  there 
was  a  co-operative  store  established  there,  which  was  conducted 
by  Foster  K.  King.    Chandler  A.  Ward  then  followed  in  trade, 
and  still  remains  there.    About  1830,  Alvan  Hall  was  in  trade 
in  the  building  now  occupied  by  Church  &  AVait,  at  the 
"Plains."      Jasper   Benient  followed  in   1835,   and  died   in 
1851.      He  was  succeeded  by  Joseph  Beraent,  his  son.     Jo- 
sephus  Crafts  had  the  store  at  the  "Plains,"  now  occupied 
by  Albert  W.  Crafts,  as  early  as  1835.     Alvan  Perry  had  one 
later  where  his  widow  now  resides.     Albert  W.  Crafts  suc- 
ceeded Josephus,  and  traded  for  the  last  twenty-five  years. 
From  1842  to  1847,  Cook  &  Kanney  occupied  the  building 
where  Mrs.   Perry  now  resides,  for  trading  purposes.      In 
1851,  and  later.  Hall  &  Kanney  traded  in  the  same  place. 
Almon  E.  Bronson  went  into  trade  about  1860,  and  continued 
until  1878,  when  ho  was  succeeded  by  his  brother,  Chester  A. 
Bronson. 

PHY.SICIAXS. 

A  large  number  of  physicians  have  practiced  in  the  town  ;  of 
these  th^e  first  was  Dr.  Phineas  Bartlet,  who  is  mentioned  in 
the  town  records  as  early  as  1706,  and  who  remained  in  prac- 
tice until  the  time  of  his  death  (in  a  fit),  in  1799.  He  re- 
sided on  the  "  Plain,"  in  what  is  now  known  as  the  "Nor- 
ton place."  He  was  largely  identified  with  public  afiairs, 
represented  the  town  in  the  General  Court,  was  town  clerk 
a  great  many  years  and  at  the  time  of  his  death,  and  filled 
other  iiositions  of  responsibility.  His  sudden  death  was 
greatly  lamented. 

A  contemporary  of  Dr.  Bartlet  was  Dr.  Moses  Hayden, 
who  was  in  practice  in  1706,  and  perhaps  earlier.  He  lived  at 
South  Ashfield,  was  in  practice  about  fifteen  years,  and  re- 
moved to  Conway. 

The  next  physician  was  probably  Dr.  Francis  Mantor,  who 
was  in  practice  at  the  close  of  the  last  century.  Dr.  Enos  Smith 
probably  came  next,  and  was  in  practice  many  years.  He 
lived  on  the  "  Plain"  where  Lemuel  Cross  now  resides,  and 
also  where  Mrs.  Thompson  now  lives.  About  the  same  time 
as  Dr.  Smith,  Dr.  Kivera  Nash  engaged  in  practice  in  the 
town.  Dr.  David  Dickinson  was  also  in  practice  contempora- 
neously with  Drs.  Smith  and  Nash. 

Dr.  Cornelius  Luce  was  in  practice  about  1810  for  a  few 
years,  and  lived  about  half  a  mile  north  of  the  "  Plain."  Dr. 
Wm.  A.  Hamilton  followed  a  little  later.  Then  came  Dr. 
Atherton  Clark,  who  married  a  daughter  of  Dr.  Smith,  and 
first  enn-aged  in  practice  in  the  town  about  1816.  He  lived 
where  Lemuel  Cross  now  resides,  and  was  in  practice  many 
years.  President  William  S.  Clark,  of  Amherst  Agricultural 
College,  is  a  son  of  Dr.  Clark. 

Dr.  Jared  Bement  also  married  a  daughter  of  Dr.  Smith, 
and  engaged  in  practice  about  1830-33.  He  resided  where 
Soth  Miles  now  lives.  Dr.  Charles  Knowlton  and  Dr.  Kos- 
well  Shepard  were  in  practice  about  the  same  time,— the  lat- 
ter for  a  few  years  only.  They  were  in  partnership  for  a 
time.  Dr.  Knowlton  remained  in  town,  and  died  in  1850.. 
He  was  succeeded  by  his  son.  Dr.  Charles  L.  Knowlton,  who 
removed  to  Northampton,  where  he  still  is  (in  1879).  Dr. 
Bement  was  succeeded  by  Dr.  Milo  Wilson,  to  whom  he  dis- 
posed of  his  business  about  1838.  A  Dr.  King  was  in  practice 
for  about  two  years  at  South  Ashfield,  and  a  Dr.  Lee  died  in 
town  in  1810,  after  a  short  practice. 

Dr.   Sidney   Brooks,  a  relative   of   Buckland,    bought    the 
homestead  and  practice  of  Dr.  Wilson  in  1845.     He  rcnuiined 


until  1855.  While  here  he  built  the  two  houses  now  occupied 
by  Levi  Gardner  and  Edwin  Sears. 

Dr.  Stephen  J.  W.  Tabor,  a  native  of  Vermont,  studied 
medicine  with  Dr.  Charles  Knowlton  about  1840,  married  his 
daughter,  and  practiced  here  a  few  years.  He  went  into 
practice  at  Shelburne  Falls,  and  then  at  Independence,  in 
Iowa,  where  he  became  a  judge.  He  was,  about  the  year 
1803,  appointed  fourth  auditor  in  the  Treasury  Department 
at  Washington,  in  which  position  he  yet  continues. 

The  present  physician,  Dr.  James  K.  Fairbanks,  was  born 
in  Pittsfield,  subsequently  engaged  in  practice  in  Connecticut, 
and  settled  in  Ashfield  in  the  spring  of  1808. 

LAWVKRS. 

The  lawyers  who  have  practiced  in  the  town  have  been 
much  less  numerous.  One  remained  but  a  few  months.  The 
Hon.  Elijah  Paine  spent  his  entire  public  life  in  the  town, 
from  1793  to  1846,  and  died  in  that  year  at  the  advanced  age 
of  eighty-five.  Hon.  David  Akin,  now  of  Greenfield,  and  a 
former  justice  of  the  Superior  Court  of  Massachusetts,  prac- 
ticed in  town  for  a  short  time  about  the  year  1833. 

v  KOADS,  MILLS,  STAGK-ROIITES,  POST-OFFICES. 
^  The  first  road  ever  laid  out  in  the  town  was  the  continua- 
tion of  an  early  thoroughfare  that  passed  from  Hatfield  into 
Deerfield,  and  thence  into  Ashfield.  An  old  map  of  the  town, 
made  in  1794,  shows  the  following  county  roads :  A  county  road 
entering  the  town  from  Conway,  just  south  of  Bear  Kivcr, 
and  passing,  first  westerly,  then  northerly,  into  the  town  of 
Buckland;  another  passing  from  Conway  by  way  of  South 
River,  and  taking  a  westerly  course  through  the  town  into 
Plainfield;  another  entering  the  town  from  Go.shen,  crossing 
the  southwest  corner  of  Ashfield  for  three  miles,  and  going 
thence  into  Plainfield ;  and  a  small  one  passing  thnmgh  the 
extreme  northeast  corner  of  the  town  for  about  half  a  mile. 
Tbe  same  unip  shows  the  following 

EARLY  MILLS  OF  TUB  LAST  CENTURY. 
\  A  grist-mill  on  Bear  Kiver,  and  another  on  South  River,  a 
half-mile  north  of  the  "Plain"  village,  and  saw-mills  as  fol- 
lows: one  on  South  River,  a  half-mile  from  Conway  line;  one 
near  Buckland,  now  owned  by  Jonathan  Howes ;  and  two  in 
"Spruce  Corner." 

The  first  regular  stage-route  through  the  town  was  a  private 
weekly  post-route  which  passed  between  Northampton  and 
Ashfield,  rla  Whatcly  Centre,  in  1789.  On  March  23,  1824, 
the  daily  mail-stage  from  CTi-eenfield  to  Troy  passed  through 
the  town  for  the  first  time,  on  the  central  county  road. 

The  post-office  at  Ashfield  Plain  was  established  about  1815, 
and  the  mail  was  carried  from  Northampton,  via  Whately, 
Conway,  Ashfield,  and  Buckland,  to  Hawley  once  a  week 
each  way.  The  first  postmaster  was  Levi  Cook,  who  kept  tlic 
office  in  his  house.  He  was  succeeded  in  1842  by  his  son, 
Richard  Cook,  who  was  followed  by  George  G.  Hall  for  a  short 
time.  Moses  G.  Cook  (son  of  Richard)  then  held  the  office 
until  a  recent  period.  The  present  incumbent  is  Miss  Eliza 
Jane  Cook  (daughter  of  Richard). 

The  post-office  at  South  Ashfield  was  established  about 
1866.  The  only  postmaster  has  been  the  present  incumbent, 
Chandler  A.  Ward. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  voters  in  the  year  1798.  There 
being  then  a  property  qualification,  this  list  does  not  include 
the  names  of  all  tbe  men  of  the  proper  age  for  voting : 

Pavifl  Alduii,  David  Alden,  Jr..  Jol.n  Aldeii,  Ens.  J.-inies  Andrews,  Samnel  An- 
able,  Samind  Analde,  ,Tr.,  Barualias  AnaWe,  Al.el  Allis,  Ueniy  Alden,  Solomon 
Aldrich,  Benjamin  Aldiich,  Lemuel  Allis,  Otis  Andrews,  Kanmbns  Alden,  Elihn 
Barber,  Elislia  Bassett,  Deacon  Jolin  Bement,  Pliinehas  Bement,  John  Bement, 
Jr.,  Eenben  Bement,  Joseph  Bishop,  Samuel  Barton,  Samuel  Bel.ling,  EI.enezer 
Bidding,  John  Bcldinif,  Samuel  Bardwcll,  Bezcr  Benton,  Beth.-l  Benton,  Lot 
Bassett,  Lieut.  Zel.nlon  Brvant,  Samnil  Bachelor,  David  Baldwin,  Lemuel 
Brown,  Benjamin  Braekett,  Davis  Butler,  Dr.  I'hinehas  Bartlet,  Jcdin  Bal.Iwin, 
Archibald  Bnrnet,  Daniel  Belding,  lloi'er  Brownson,  Silas  Blake,  Davi.l  Bald- 


HISTORY  OF  FRANKLIN   COUNTY. 


r4i 


win,  Jr.,  Jiinies  Case,  Levi  Cuok,  Elisha  Crauson,  Jr.,  Capt.  Asa  Cianson,  Alner 
Craiisoii,  Jonathan  Cranson,  Stcplien  Cross,  CV'i)lms  Crus.^,  Alvan  Clark,  Silas 
Clark,  Ifaac  Ci  ittcnden,  Josiah  Cobb,  Caleb  Church,  Joseph  ( 'nllins,  Josiah  Drak*.-, 
Bi'iijaniin  Dyer,  Jesse  Dyer,  Edwai'il  Damon,  Josiah  Divull,  Dr.  David  Dickinson, 
Alpheus  Darling,  Liout.  John  Ellis,  Licnt.  David  El li^,  Levi  Eldrodge,  Siimuel 
Eldrcdgc,  Eli  Eldredge,  Samuel  Elmer,  t?:anucd  Elmer,  Jr.,  Zenas  Eliuer,  Gad 
Elmer,  Ebenczer  Forbush,  Solomon  Fuller,  Josiah  Fuller,  Zaehariah  Field,  Capt. 
Lanirock  Flower,  Maj-  Wni.  Flower,  "Wm.  Foster,  Lewis  Foster,  Robert  Gray, 
Jonathan  Gmy,  Samuel  Guilford,  Eldad  F.  Goodwin,  Ens.  Randal  Graves,  Joseph 
Ilali,  Kind'idl  Howes,  Deacou  Anthony  Howes,  Zaehariah  Howes,  Samuel  Howes, 
Hemiiti  Howes,  Ezekiel  Howes,  Mark  Howes,  Ruulieu  HalJ,  Solomon  Hinckley, 
Alexander  Hamilton,  Dudley  Hosford,  Samuel  Hall,  Reuben  Halbcii,  Abuer 
Kelley,  Danitd  Kellogg,  Eiiocli  King,  John  King,  Amos  Karr,  Jacob  Kilbourne, 
Joshua  Knowlton,  John  Loomis,  Josiah  Looniis,  Jonathan  Tiyon,  Eliakim  Lilly, 
.(itnics  Leland,  Jonathan  Lilly,  Jeremiah  Look,  Lieut.  David  Lyon,  Lieut.  IJi-th- 
iiel  Lilly,  Aaron  Lyon,  Josiali  Bloody,  Lieut.  Jereiiiiah  Mantor,  John  L.  Mantor, 
Daniel  Wighclls,  John  Migliells,  Stephen  Meirill,  Pai-son  Miinsfield,  Augustus 
JIcKinslry,  Capt.  Selah  Norton,  Asa  Newton,  Elijah  Paine,  Philip  Pliillips,  Esq., 
David  Pbilliprt,  Simeon  Phillips,  Thomas  Phillips,  Elijah  Phillips,  Abner  Phil- 
lips, Lemuel  Phillijis,  IMiilip  Phillips,  Jr.,  Israel  PhiUi|is,  Rufus  Perkins,  Deacon 
Joliu  Poller,  Vespasian  Phillips,  Spencer  Phillips,  Caleb  Phillips,  Timothy  Per- 
kins, A«i  IVirter,  Deacon  Abiezer  Perkins,  Eliab  Perkins,  Elisha  Parker,  Joseph 
Paine,  Caleb  Packard,  Joseph  R.  Paine,  Sanmel  Porter,  Joaepli  Porter,  Ebcn- 
ezer  Putney.  John  Perry,  Sylvester  Phillips,  John  Porter  {2d),  Daniel  Plullips, 
Joshua  Phillips,  George  Rauney,  Thomas  Raniiey,  Francis  Ranney,  Calvin 
Reckord,  Lebbeus  Rude,  Benjamin  Rogere,  Tliaddens  Rude,  Ashbel  Rice,  Levi 
Steel,  Joseph  Smith,  Jr.,  Abraham  Stocking,  Lenmel  Stocking,  Amos  Stocking, 
Cliipnian  Smith,  Davi  1  Smith,  Chileab  Suiitli,  Jr.,  Jeiluthan  Smith,  Chileab 
Sinitli  (;id),  Israel  Standish,  Elijah  Smith,  Mailin  Smith,  Deacon  Isiuie  Shepard, 
Joshua  Sjidler,  Isaac  Shepard,  Nathaniel  Sherwin,  Noah  Wright  Sadler,  John 
Sadlei",  Rowland  Seaif,  Paul  Seal's,  Euos  Soai-s,  Abner  Smith,  Jonathan  Smith, 
Jr.,  .\sa  Sehh'U,  Lemuel  Spurr,  Ebenezer  Smith,  Jr.,  Jonatlian  Sears,  Ebenozer 
Taylor,  I.saiah  Taylor,  Stephen  Taylor,  Ezokiel  Taylor,  John  .J.  S.  Taylor,  Sanmel 
Tenuey,  Eli.iah  Tobey,  David  Vincent,  Joseph  Vincent,  Elijah  Wait,  Ei)hraim 
Wilhaius,  Esq.,  Apolljs  Williams,  Stephen  Warren,  Josejdi  M'arren,  Joseph  War- 
ren, Jr..  Gail  AVait,  Seth  Wait,  Jr.,  Joshua  WhelJen,  Alexander  Ward,  Mctses 
Ward,  Elijah  Ward,  Caleb  Ward,  Liciit.  Jonathan  Yeonious. 

PROMINENT  MEN. 
The  town  has  pruduced  a  goodly  number  of  men  wha  have 
attained  distinutiun  and  become  ornaments  to  soeiety.  From 
tliia  town  lias  originated  a  larger  number  of  evangelical  min- 
isters of  the  gospel  than  from  any  other  town  in  the  county. 
Prof.  Al  van  Clark,  thewidely-known  astronomer  and  telescope- 
manufacturer,  of  Cambridge,  is  a  native  of  the  town.  Presi- 
dent William  S.  Clark,  of  Amherst  Agricultural  College,  was 
also  born  in  the  town,  and  is  a  sou  of  Dr.  Atherton  Clark. 

CIVIL    ORGANIZATION. 

The  records  of  the  town  prior  to  177G  are  in  a  very  incom- 
plete state,  and  only  scraps  of  them  can  be  ft)und. 

Tlie  first  recorded  meeting  was  held  at  the  house  of  Jona- 
than Sprague,  March  8,  176:2.  Ebenezer  Belding  was  chosen 
Moderator  ;  Samuel  Belding,  Town  Clerk;  Ebenezer  Belding, 
Chileab  Smith,  Philip  Phillips,  Assessors;  John  Sadler,  Col- 
lector; John  Sadler,  Nathan  Chapin,  Josiah  Kockwood,  and 
Moses  Smith,  Hog-Keeves.  At  the  same  meeting  it  was  "  voted 
that  hoggs  shall  run  from  the  first  of  April ;"  also,  '*  to  give 
ten  pound  for  a  bull  and  three  pound  for  a  boar.'' 

The  town  was  incorporated,  in  compliance  with  the  petition 

r>f  Ebenezer  Hunt  and  others,  on  June  1^1,  1705,  by  the  name 

"f  Ashtield,  a  name  derived  from  the  existence  of  large  quan- 

.  tities  of  ash  timber  in  the  town  at  the  time  of  the  incorpora- 

^  lion.     Prior  to  that  time  it  had  been  known  as  Huntstown. 

The  bounds  described  in  the  act  of  incorporation  were  "  east 
by  Deerfield,  south  partly  by  Narragansett  township,  Number 
Four,  and  partly  by  Province  Land,  west  partly  by  Province 
Land,  partly  by  Bernard's  and  JIayhew's  and  Hatfield  Land, 
and  nurtli  b}'  Province  Land.'' 

The  first  regular  town-meeting  after  the  incorporation  of  the 
town  was  held  Jan.  0,  1700,  at  the  house  of  Joseph  Mitchell, 
innholder,  pursuant  to  a  warrant  directed  to  Samuel  Belding, 
of  Ashfield,  by  Thomas  Williams,  a  justice  of  the  peace,  dated 
Dec.  21,  1765.  No  record  has  been  preserved  of  business  trans- 
acted under  the  warrant. 

The  first  regular  March  meeting  for  choice  of  officers,  etc., 
was  held  March  Ml,  170(1,  at  the  house  of  Joseph  Mitcliell. 
Bcuj.  Phillips  was  chosen  Town  Clerk  ;  Chileab  Smith,  Moses 


Fuller,  Thomas  Phillips,  Selectmen  ;  Richard  Phillips,  Aaron 
Lyon,  Nathan  Chapin,  Assessors;  Moses  Smith,  Constable; 
Jonathan  Edson,  Nathan  Chapin,  Wardens  ;  Moses  Smith, 
Jr.,  Jonathan  Yeomons,  Tithingmen  ;  Kichard  Phillips,  Clerk 
of  the  Market;  Jonathan  Yeomons,  Leather-Sealer;  John 
Briggs,  Chileab  Smith,  Fence-Viewers;  Samuel  Snow,  Israel 
Standish,  John  Ellis,  and  Jeremiah  Wait,  Hog-Reeves;  Miles 
Standish,  David  Alden,  Deer-Keeves.  At  the  same  meeting 
£4  were  voted  for  a  school,  and  £1  to  build  a  pound. 

The   following  persons  Inive  filled  the  jirincipal    offices  of 
Ashfield,  and  represented  the  town  in  tlie  General  Court: 

SKLKCTMKN. 

1762.— Ebenezer  Belding,  Chileab  Smith,  Pliilip  PliiUips. 

17G3.— Nathan  Wait,  Keuben  Ellis,  Samuel  Behling. 

17G4. — Reuben  Ellis,  Jonathan  ElIsou,  Nathan  Cliapiii. 

17G5. — Samuel  Belding,  Jouathaii  Yeomons,  Ebenezer  Belding.* 

17GG.— (Jan.  6th)  Eheuezer  BelJing,  Timothy  Lewis,  Samuel  Belding. 

1700.— (March  31st)  Chileab  Smith,  Moses  Fuller,  Thoma.s  Bhillips. 

1707. — Chileab  Smith,  Timothy  Lewis,  Thomas  Phillips. 

1708. — Ebenezer  Belding,  Reuben  Ellis,  Nathan  Chapin,  Philip  Phillips,  Moses 

Fuller. 
1769. — Ebenezer  Belding,  Timothy  Lewis,  Is;uac  Shepard. 
1770. — Samuel  Belding,  Isaac  Sliepard,  Samuel  Allen. 
1772. — Samuel  Belding,  Jonathan  Taylor,  Aaron  Lyon. 
1773. — Samuel  Belding.  Jonathan  Taylor,  Samuel  Allen. 
1774. — Samuel  Belding,  Reuben  Ellis,  Jonathan  Taylor. 
1775. — Jasber  Taylor,  Aaron  Lyon,  Elisha  Cranson. 
1770. — Jiisher  Taylor,  Aan)n  Lyon,  Beiij.  I'hilliits. 
1777. — Aaron  Lyon,  Peter  Cross,  Dr.  Phiiieas  Bartlet. 
1778. — Benj.  Phillips,  Jaeob  Sherwin,  Vv.  Phincas  Bartlet. 
1779. — Jasher  Taylor,  Jolin  Bement,  Isaac  Shepard. 
17S0. — Beijj.  Phillips,  Aaron  Lyon,  Roland  Seal's. 
1781. — Warren  Green,  Jr.,  Uriah  Goodwin,  Juhn  Sherwin. 
1782. — .Tacob  Sherwin,  Benj.  Phillips,  Samuel  Allen. 
1783. — Thomas  Stocking,  Capt.  Jiisher  Taylor,  Benj.  Rogers. 
ll^A. — Thoniiis  Stocking,  Chileab  Smith,  Jr.,  John  Ellis. 
1780. — Warren  Green,  Ephraiin  AVilliams,  Ciiileab  Smith,  Jr. 
1786-87.- Thomas  Stocking,  Wm.  Fh)wer,  Chileab  Sndtli,  Jr. 
1788. — Ephraim  Williams,  Roland  Sears,  Philip  Phillips. 
1789. — Roland  Seal's,  Ephraim  Williams,  Chileab  Smith,  Jr. 
1790. — Roland  Sears,  Ephraim  W'llliams,  John  Ellis. 
1791-92.~Rolan(i  Sears,  Ephraim  Williams,  Chileab  Smith,  Jr. 
1793. — Warren  Green,  John  Bement,  Lemuel  Spurr. 
1794-95. — Ephraim  Williams,  Rolaud  Sears,  Chileab  Smith,  Jr. 
1790. — Abner  Kelly,  Joshua  Howes,  Abiezer  Perkins. 
1797.— Joshua  Howes,  Abner  Kelly,  Elijah  Paine. 
1798-99.— Joshua  Howes,  Abner  Kelly,  Eplimim  Williams. 
1800-1.— Samuel  Guilford,  Chileab  Smith,  Abner  Kelly. 
1802-5. — Samuel  Guilford,  Abner  Kelly,  Ebenezer  Smith. 
1806. — Abner  Kelly,  Samuel  Guilford,  John  Alden. 
1807-8.— John  Alden,  Abner  Kelly,  Thomas  White. 
1809-11.— Tbom-as  White,  Bethuel  Lilly,  Josiah  Drake. 
1812-15.— Thomas  Wliite,  Chipman  Smith,  Nathaniel  Holmes. 
1816-19.— Nathaniel  Holmes,  Dimmink  Ellis,  Bethuel  Lilly. 
1820. — Bethuel  Lilly,  Roswcll  Ranney,  Jonathan  Scare. 
1821-22.— Roswell  Eauuey,  Jonathan  Seara,  Samuel  Eldredge. 
1823.— Jonathan  Sears,  Samuel  Eldredge,  Simeon  Phillips. 
1824.- Samuel  Eldredge,  Jonathan  Sears,  Roswcll  Rjinuey. 
1825. — Samuel  Eldredge,  Thomas  White,  Jonathan  Scars. 
1826. — Thomas  White,  Jonathan  Scars,  Nathaniel  Holmes. 
1827.— Thomas  White,  Nathaniel  Holmes,  Sanfiu'd  Boice. 
1828.— Thomiis  White,  Sanford  Buice,  Austin  Lilly. 
1829. — Thomas  White,  Jonathan  Scai-s,  Austin  Lilly. 
1830 -31. -Jonathan  Sears,  Seth  Church,  George  Hall. 
1832-33.— Seth  Church,  George  Hall,  Wm.  Biissett. 
1834,_Sanford  Boice,  Daniel  Williams,  Joseph  Hall. 
1835-37. — Chester  Sanderson,  Anson  Bement,  Isaac  Taylor. 
183S. — Chester  Sanderson,  Sanford  Boice,  Fdend  Knowlton. 
1839.— Sanford  Boice,  Friend  Knowlton,  Joseph  Hall. 
1840. — Chester  Sanderson,  Anson  Bement,  David  Gray. 
1841.— W'ait  Bement,  David  Gray,  Salmon  3Iiller. 
l}<4o__^Vtiit  Bement,  Hosca  Blake,  Alvan  Perry. 
184:3.— Hosea  Blake,  John  Guilford,  Nathan  Viuncnt. 
1844.— W'ait  Bement,  Hosea  Blake,  Lot  Ba-ssett. 
lS4o._X,ot  Baasett,  Alvan  Pern',  Alvan  Hall. 
184(i.— Hosea  Blake,  Ephrainr  Williams,  Sanford  Boice. 
1847, — Hosea  Blake,  Chester  Sanderson,  Sanford  Boice. 
7843. — Sanford  Boice,  David  Gray,  Wm.  Bassett. 
1849-50.— David  Gray,  Henry  Paiue,  Fiiend  Knowlton. 
1851.— Henry  Paine,  Alvau  Perry,  Nathan  Knowlton. 

'  The  foregoing  officei-s  served  prior  to  the  incorporation  of  the  town,  being 
called  assessors. 


742 


HISTORY  OF  THE   CONNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


1852. — Henry  PiiiiK',  Nutliim  Kiiowltoii,  Foster  U.  Kiiiji;. 
1S53.— Xutliun  Knuwltcin,  Kiinln-l  II.  Howes,  OivMlo  Hall. 
1854. — Alvan  Ilall,  Henry  S.  Riiliuoy.  Addisiui  (jiiuvcs. 
1855. — Henry  J'liine,  Aililison  Graves,  Siliu*  Blake. 
1856. — Henry  I'aine,  Orville  Hall,  Addison  Graves. 
1857-08.— Nathan  Knowlt.in,  Orville  Hall,  Daniel  Williams,  Jr. 
1859. — Frederiik  Forties.  Flecuian  \Villianis,  Chauncey  Boico. 
1860. — Nelson  Gardner,  Joscphns  Grafts,  Ghauncey  Buiee. 
1861. — Josephns  Crafts,  Atnion  Howes,  Lorenzo  AN'ait. 
1862. — Joseplina  Crafts,  Moses  Cook,  Dai  ins  Williams. 
1863. — Josephus  Crafts,  Nathan  Knowlton,  Alnion  Howes. 
1864. — Nathan  Knowlton,  Almon  Howes,  .Josiali  Cros.s. 
1865.— Alvan  Hall,  Freilerick  O.  Howes,  .Tosiall  Gross. 
18G6.— Nathan  Knowlton,  V.  G.  Howes,  Orville  Hall. 
1SG7. — Heiny  I'aine,  .\lnion  Howes,  .\ddison  G.  Hall. 
1808.— Almon  IL.wes,  A.ldis.n  G.  Hall,  Moses  Ciwk. 
1869.- Addison  G.  Hall,  ,I,.seph  Blake,  Allieit  W.  Ciafts. 
lSTO-71.— Aildi»..Ti  G.  Hall,  .losepli  Blake,  Wail  Itenn-nt. 
1872.— Addison  G.  Hall,  Natlian  Knowlton,  Orville  Hall. 
187.1. — Addison  G.  Hall,  Nathan  Knowlton,  CliarU-s  Howes. 
1874.— Cyrus  A.  Hall,  Fre.lciiek  G.  Howes,  Silas  Blake. 
1875.— Nathan  Knowlton,  Charles  Howes,  Silas  Blake. 
1876.- Nathan  Knowlton,  Orville  Hall,  Alvan  Hall. 
1877.— OiTille  Hall,  Levant  F.  Giay,  Alvan  Hall. 
1878. — Levant  F.  Gray,  Alvan  Hall,  Almon  Howes. 
1879. — Levant  F.  Gray,  Chauncey  Boiee,  Charles  Howes. 

TOWN  CLERKS. 
1702,  Samuel  BeldinK;*  1766,  Benjamin  Phillips:  177.3.  Samuel  Belding:  1770, 
Di-.  riiineas  Bartlet ;  1778,  Jacob  .Shcrwin  ;  ns2.  Dr.  I'hincas  Bartlct ;  17'.I4,  Dr. 
Fmncis  Mantor  ;  1795,  Dr.  Pliineas  B.artlet ;  1799,  Levi  Cook  ;  1802,  Eli.iali  I'aine ; 
ISOli,  Selah  Norton  ;  1807,  Henry  Bassett;  1813,  Lewis  Williams;  1S14,  Dr.  Enos 
Smith  ;  1816,  He[iryBa.saett;  182:i,  Dimmick  Ellis;  1820,  James  McFarland  ;  1830, 
Bnssell  Bement;  1.S32,  Wait  Bement;  1836,  Samuel  Barber;  1839,  Henry  S. 
Itanney;  1847,  Nelson  GardTier;  1852,  Sidney  Brooks;  1853,  Henry  S.  Ranney; 
1870,  Moses  G.  Cook;  1873,  Henry  S.  Riinney. 

REPRESENTATIVES. 
1775,  Capt.  Klisha  Cranston;  1779,  Jonathan  Taylor;  1780,  Jaeob  Slierwin; 
1782,  Benj.  Rogers;  1783-86,  Capt.  Elisha  Cranston;  17S7,  Chileab  Smith,  Jr.; 
17.S9, Capt. Philip  Phillips;  1790-97, '99, 1801-2, '4,  Elijah  Paine;  1S06-7,  Ephraim 
AVilliams;  ISO.S,  Ephraim  Williams,  Elijah  I'aine;  1809,  Ephraim  Williams, 
Thomas  White  ;  1810,  Ephraim  Williams,  Henry  B;u.sett;  lSU-12,  Thus.  White, 
Henry  Biissctt ;  1814,  Enos  Smith  ;  1816,  Enos  Smith,  Henry  Bassett ;  1817,  Enos 
Smith;  1820,  Henry  Biissett;  182!,  Diuimiok  Ellis;  1827,  Henry  Bassett;  1829 
(May  4tli),  Dr.  Enos  Smith,  Capt.  Roswell  Ranni-y ;  1829-30,  Enos  Smith,  Samuel 
Bement ;  1831,  Roswell  Ranney,  Henry  Bassett ;  1831  (November),  Henry  Bas- 
sett, Chester  Sandeison ;  1832.  Chester  Sandei-son,  Jonathan  Sears;  1833,  Seth 
Church,  Anson  Bement;  1834,  Justus  Smith,  Judah  T.aylor;  1835,  Jonathan 
Seal's,  Wait  Bement ;  1836,  Anson  Bement,  Wait  Bement ;  1837,  Roswell  Ranney ; 
1838,  Wm.  Bivssett,  Friend  Knowlton;  1839,  Fiiend  Knowlton;  1840,  Sanford 
Boice;  1844,  Jasper  Bement;  1S47,  Sanmel  W.  Hall;  1848,  Sanuiel  Barber; 
1849-50,  Hosea  Blake;  1851,  Henry  S.  Ranney;  1852,  Anson  Bement;  1853, 
Nelson  Gardner;  1855,  Mauley  Guilford;  1856,  Philip  Bassett;  1858,  Nathan 
Knowlton;  1800,  Joseph  Vincent,  Jr.;  1863,  Chauncey  Boiee;  1865,  David  S. 
Howes;  1807,  Henry  S.  Ranney  ;  1870,  Levi  Gardner;  1874,  Fredeiiek  G.  Howes; 
1877,  Nelson  Gardner. 

VILLAGES    AXD    HAMLETS. 
ASHFIELD   PLAIN.s, 

the  principiil  village  in  the  town,  is  situated  a  little  east  of 
the  geooTa])hical  centre.  It  comprises  three  churches, — Con- 
gregationalist,  Baptist,  and  Protestant  Episcopal, — a  town- 
hall,  three  stores,  a  post-otfioc,  a  hotel,  and  a  large  number  of 
substantial  dwelling-houses.  The  principal  street  is  shaded 
by  rows  of  beautiful  maple-trees,  and  a  handsome  soldiers' 
monument  adorns  the  village. 

South  Ashfield  is  a.  small  village  one  niile  and  a  half 
south  of  the  centre.  There  are  a  store  and  post-otfice  there, 
several  mills,  and  a  number  of  residences. 

HowEsviLLE  and  Spruce  Corners  are  small  hamlets, — the 
former  in  the  north  part  of  the  town,  and  the  latter  in  the 
southwest  section. 

EDUCATIONAL  HISTORY. 
It  has  already  been  seen  that  provision  was  made  in  the 
original  allotment  of  the  town  land  for  a  school  lot.  The 
first  vote  recorded  appropriating  money  to  the  support  of  a 
school  was  on  March  31,  176lj,  when  the  sum  of  £1  was  so 
appropriated.  In  JIarch,  ITtJS,  £12  were  appropriated  "for 
the  use  of  a  school  and  other  necessary  town  charges." 

*  Served  until  the  incorporation  of  the  town. 


On  Feb.  5,  1772,  it  was  voted  to  divide  the  town  into  three 
school  districts,  to  build  three  school-houses,  and  "  that  Tim- 
othy Lewis,  Samuel  Belding,  and  Aaron  Lyon  be  a  committee 
to  build  said  houses."  On  March  1,  1773,  £15  were  appro- 
priated for  a  school.  In  1777  a  committee  was  chosen  to 
divide  the  town  into  school  districts,  and  a  similar  committee 
was  chosen  in  1787.  The  ajjpropriation  for  schools  in  1789 
was  £40;  in  1790,  £80;  in  1791,  £100;  in  1794,  £120;  in 
179(5,  £150;  in  1798,  |400,  and  SdO  for  a  music  teacher;  in 
1802,  $4.50,  and  by  a  gradual  increase  until,  in  1879,  it  reached 
$1600.  The  school  fund,  resulting  from  the  land  set  apart  for 
educational  purposes,  has  produced  an  annual  average  of 
about  ?80. 

Among  some  of  the  early  teachers  of  the  district  schools  of 
the  town,  mention  should  be  made  of  Gen.  Longley  (of  Haw- 
ley),  Isaac  Taylor,  Bethuel  Lilly,  Abigail  White,  afterward 
the  wife  of  Capt.  Kiinbal  Howes,  Wait  Bement,  Lj'dia  Bas- 
sett,f  afterward  the  wife  of  Lucius  Smith,  Betsey  Smith, 
Samuel  and  William  Bassett,  Polly  Hall,  and  David  Wil- 
liams. 

At  the  present  time  there  are  fourteen  school  districts  in 
the  town,  liaving  in  attcnd:ince  2:38  pujiils,  at  an  average  cost 
per  scholar  of  $8.42. 

\      SANDERSON'S   ACADEMY, 

an  institution  of  character  and  standing,  was  incorporated  in 
1821.  It  derives  its  name  from  Rev.  Alvan  Sanderson,  a 
former  minister  of  the  town,  who  did  much  to  advance  the 
cause  of  education  therein.  While  3'et  actively  engaged  in 
the  discharge  of  his  pastoral  duties,  he  was  accustomed  to 
gather  the  young  together  to  instruct  them  personally  in  the 
rudiments  of  education.  In  some  sections  of  the  town  he 
held  evening  .schools.  When  his  labors  ceased,  because  of 
a  cimsumptive  tendency,  he  put  in  operation  measures  to  es- 
tablish the  academy.    He  purchased  a  building  on  the  hill,  near 

fwhere  the  meeting-house  then  stood,  removed  it  to  its  present 
site,  put  it  into  a  convenient  form,  and  opened  a  grammar  and 
classical  school  in  181(5.  The  experiment  proved  a  success. 
Many  residents  of  Ashfield  and  adjoining  towns  availed  them- 
selves of  its  privileges,  and  Mary  Lyon  is  said  to  have  re- 
ceived her  first  educational  impressions  and  impulses  there, 
and  was  for  a  time  its  teacher.  Many  were  prepared  for  col- 
lege in  the  academy,  and  have  served  in  the  various  profes- 

"sions  and  in  business  with  honor  and  success.  The  institution 
is  still  sustained. 

""  In  1815  a  circulating  library  was  gathered  in  the  town,  and 
from  time  to  time  valuible  additions  were  made,  until  it  be- 
came an  important  auxiliary  in  dift'using  knowledge  and  cul- 
ture. 

From  want  of  proper  organization,  however,  it  had  begun 
to  decline,  and  was  succeeded  by  T/ic  Ashfield  Lilirnri/  Asuo- 
clntion,  which  was  formed  in  18(5G.  By  generous  contribu- 
tions from  Slessrs.  George  William  CurtisJ  and  Charles  Eliot 
Norton,  both  of  books  and  gratuitous  lectures,  means  were 
obtained  to  make  a  beginning,  and,  the  fees  of  membership, 
555  each,  being  added,  the  library  was  opened  with  GOO  or  700 
volumes. 

From  that  time  books  have  been  annually  added,  until,  at 
the  present  time  (1879),  the  library  consists  of  about  1800 
volumes  of  miscellaneous  books,  besides  about  200  volumes  of 
public  documents,  printed  and  bound  by  order  of  the  United 
States  Congress.  Messrs.  Curtis  and  Norton  have  continued 
their  benefactions,  and  Mr.  Curtis  has  lectured  every  year, 
with  the  exception  of  two,  since  the  association  was  formed, 
in  behalf  of  the  library.  Mr.  Alonzo  Lilly  has  also  been  a 
generous  donor.  With  a  very  moderate  income,  it  continues 
to  flourish,  and  to  furnish  valuable  readiiig  matter  to  all  at 
small  charge. 

t  Danghter  of  Lot,  born  in  1794,  still  a  resident  of  the  town. 
\  Ashfield  is  a  favorite  summer  resort  of  Mr.  Curtis. 


HISTORY  OF   FRANKLIN   COUNTY. 


743 


cnrRciiE8. 

The  religious  history  of  the  town  is  coeval  with  its  first  set- 
tlement. In  1751  11  sum  of  money  was  appropriated  to  supply 
preaching.  The  first  minister  employed  was  Rev.  Mr.  Dick- 
inson, a  Congregationalist  of  Hadley,  who  was  followed  by 
Kev.  Mr.  Streeter,  of  the  same  denomination.  Religious  ser- 
vices were  first  held  in  the  house  of  Deacon  Ebenczer  Beld- 
ing,  which  st'>oJ  un  the  site  of  the  dwelling  now  occupied  by 
Joshua  Hall. 

THE    BAPTISTS. 

The  first  denomination  to  establish  themselves  in  the  town 
were  the  Baptists.  A  church  was  formed  in  July,  1761,  con- 
sisting of  9  members.  The  first  minister  of  the  church  was 
Kev.  Ebenezcr  Smith,  son  of  Chiloab  Smith,  whose  ministry 
continued  thirty-seven  years.  He  was  dismis.sed  in  1708,  and 
removed  into  the  western  part  of  the  State  of  New  York.  He 
was  succeeded  as  pastor  of  the  church,  on  Jan.  14,  1798,  by 
his  brother.  Rev.  Enos  Smith,  who  served  faitlifully  in  that 
capacity  for  forty  years. 

In  1814  a  second  Baptist  Church  was  constituted,  the  place 
of  worship  being  in  South  Ashfield.  For  several  j-ears  Elder 
Loomis,  a  resident  of  the  town,  served  the  society  in  the  work 
of  the  ministry.  Removing  to  the  State  of  New  York,  he 
was  succeeded  by  Rev.  Orra  Martin,  of  Bristol,  Conn.,  who 
labored  with  the  society  for  several  years. 

-  The  present  Baptist  society  was  organized  Jan.  13,  18G7, 
and  was  comprised  of  members  of  the  diflerent  Baptist 
Churches  in  the  neighborhood,  and  of  the  original  Baptist 
Church.  The  first  preacher  for  the  society  was  Rev.  David 
Peace,  who  was  succeeded,  on  Maj'  2,  18G8,  by  Rev.  E.  N. 
Jenks.  Mr.  Jenks  remained  until  May  5,  1870,  when  Mr. 
Peace  ofEciated  again,  together  with  Elder  Frary  and  otljers. 
On  Feb.  1,  1871,  Rev.  T.  H.  Goodwin  was  ordained  pastor. 
Rev.  George  A.  Willard,  the  present  pastor,  commenced  his 
labors  Feb.  1,  1874.  The  present  membership  of  the  church 
is  68;  of  Sabbath-school,  about  50;  number  of  volumes  in  the 
library,  about  200;  superintendent  of  Sabbath-school,  J.  L. 
Howes. 

The  first  Baptist  house  of  worship  stood  about  40  rods  north 
of  the  present  residence  of  Deacon  Ziba  Smith,  and  the  sec- 
ond house  stood  a  half-mile  farther  to  the  southeast.  The 
present  one  was  erected  in  1809,  and  is  at  Ashfield  Plains. 

C0N0REGATI0X.\L. 

This  church  was  constituted  Feb.  22,  1703,  with  a  member- 
ship of  15.  On  the  following  daj'  Rev.  Jacob  Sherwin  was 
ordained  its  pastor  by  the  same  council  tliat  constituted  the 
church.  Among  its  original  members  were  Jacob  Sherwin, 
Thomas  Phillips,  Nathan  AYaite,  Ebenczer  Belding,  Timotb3' 
Lewis,  and  Joseph  Mitchell. 

-  The  first  Congregational  meeting-house  was  raised  in  1700. 
It  was  originally  placed  on  "the  northerly  end  of  house-lot 
No.  13,  first  division,''  which  was  near  the  top  of  the  hill 
northeasterly   of  "  Mill   Hill,'   called    Bellows'  Hill.     This 

,  frame  was  removed  in  1767  to  "  h>t  No.  18,  first  division," 
which  site  is  now  occupied  by  the  cemetery,  about  50  rods 
north  of  the  "  Plain."  It  was  used  as  a  place  of  worship 
until  1814.  The  foundations  of  a  new  house  of  worship  were 
laid  in  1812  on  "the  Hill,"  about  half  a  mile  southwest  of 
the  "  Plain."  It  was  long  in  building,  the  contractor  com- 
mitting suicide  during  its  erection.  It  was  occupied  tem- 
porarily in  the  winter  of  1813-14,  while  yet  in  an  unfinished 
state.  It  was  completed  during  the  following  .season,  and  per- 
manently occupied  as  a  place  of  worship  about  Thanksgiving 
time  of  the  year  1814.  This,  with  such  repairs  and  modifica- 
tions as  it  has  since  undergone,  constitutes  the  present  town- 
hall.     The  present  house  of  worship  was  erected  in  1850. 

Rev.  Jacob  Sherwin,  of  Hebron,  Conn.,  the  first  pastor  of 
the  church,  was  ordained  Feb.  23,  1763.  He  was  born  April 
11,  1738;  graduated  at  Yale  College  in  1759;  was  dismissed 


from  his  pastoral  relation  in  Ashfield,  May  17,  1774,  but  re- 
sided for  several  years  afterward  in  the  town,  officiating  as 
representative  in  General  Court,  town  clerk,  selectman,  and 
justice  of  the  peace.  He  was  installed  pastor  of  a  Congrega- 
tional Church  in  Sunderland,  Vt.,  March  18,  1790,  and  died 
there  Jan.  7,  1803,  aged  si.vty-five. 

Rev.  Nehemiali  Porter,  the  second  pastor,  was  installed  over 
the  church  Dec.  21,  1774.  He  was  born  in  Ipswich,  Mass., 
Marcli.22,  1720;  was  graduated  at  Yale  College  in  1745;  was 
ordained  in  Ipswich,  Chebacco  Parish,  Jan.  3,  1750,  and  was 
dismissed  from  his  charge  in  that  place  in  June,  1766.  He 
afterward  preached  for  several  years  to  emigrants  at  Cape 
Canso,  Nova  Scotia.  He  lived  to  have  two  pastors  successively 
settled  as  colleagues  with  liim  in  Ashfield.  He  was  in  his 
one  hundredth  year  at  the  time  of  the  settlement  of  the  last, 
and  exhorted  his  people  to  live  in  peace  among  themselves 
from  the  pulpit  on  that  day.  He  died  at  Aslifield,  Feb.  29, 
1820,  aged  one  hundred  years,  lacking  twenty-two  days.  The 
following  epitaph  is  inscribed  on  his  tombstone: 

"  Mr.  Porter  was  a  faiUifitl  minister  of  Christ.  Witli  long  life  he  was  satisfied. 
He  fell  asleep  in  Jesus,  in  hope  of  a  jttyful  resurrection  and  a  blessed  immor- 
tality. 

"  The  righteous  shall  Le  in  everh^tiiig  remembrance." 

Rev.  Alvan  Sanderson,  the  third  pastor,  was  installed  over 
the  church  June  22,  1808.  He  was  born  in  Whately,  Dec.  13, 
1780;  was  graduated  at  Williams  College  in  1802;  studied 
theology  with  Rev.  Alvan  Hyde,  D.D.,  of  Lee,  and  for  a  short 
time  with  Rev.  Joseph  Lyman,  D.D.,  of  Hatfield.  He  was 
licensed  by  the  Berkshire  Association,  Oct.  17,  1804,  and  was 
ordained  as  an  evangelist  at  Westhampton,  Feb.  4,  1807.  In 
1814  he  was  attacked  with  hemorrhage  of  the  lungs,  and  was 
obliged  to  suspend  his  pastoral  labors.  His  feeble  health  led 
to  his  dismission  Jan.  3,  1816.  He  died  June  22,  1817,  on  the 
anniversary  of  his  installation,  aged  thirty-six. 

Rev.  Thomas  Shepard  was  the  fourth  pastor,  and  was  or- 
dained over  the  church  June  16,  1819.  He  was  born  in  Nor- 
ton in  1792;  was  graduated  at  Brown  University  in  1813,  and 
finished  his  theological  course  at  Andover  in  1816.  He  was 
dismissed  May  8,  1833,  from  his  pastoral  charge  in  Ashfield, 
and  was  for  several  years  employed  as  an  agent  for  the  Amer- 
ican Bible  Society  in  New  England.  He  afterward  filled  the 
pastoral  relation  at  Bristol,  R.  I.,  where  he  now  resides. 

Rev.  Mason  Grosvenor,  the  fifth  pastor,  was  settled  over 
the  church  May  9,  1833.  He  was  born  in  Craftsbury,  Vt., 
in  1800;  was  graduated  at  Yale  College  in  1827.  He  was 
dismissed  from  his  pastoral  charge  in  Ashfield,  July  16,  1835. 

Rev.  Burr  Baldwin,  the  si.\th  pastor,  was  installed  over 
the  church  April  20,  1836.  He  was  born  in  Weston,  Conn., 
in  1789;  was  graduated  at  Yale  College  in  1809.  Previous 
to  his  settlement  in  A.shfield  he  was  settled  as  pastor  in  Mon- 
trose, Pa.,  and  was  installed  as  pastor  in  New  Hartford,  Conn  , 
Feb.  17,  1830,  and  dismissed  from  his  pastoral  charge  in  Ash- 
field in  September,1838. 

Rev.  Sereno  D.  Clark,  the  seventh  pastor,  was  ordained 
over  the  church  June  11,  1840.  He  was  born  in  Southamp- 
ton in  1809;  was  graduated  at  Amherst  College  in  1835,  and 
pursued  his  theological  studies  in  part  at  Andover.  He  was 
dismissed  from  his  Ashfield  charge  April  22,  1851. 

Rev.  William  H.  Gilbert,  the  eighth  pastor,  was  installed 
over  the  church  Dec.  3,  1851.  He  was  born  in  Weston,  Conn., 
in  1817,  graduated  at  Yale  College  in  1841,  studied  theology 
at  Andover  and  New  Haven,  and  previous  to  his  .settlement 
in  Ashfield  had  been  pastor  of  a  church  in  AVestminster,  Vt. 
He  was  dismissed  from  the  Ashfield  Church  in  1855. 

During  that  year  a  division  occurred  in  the  church,  and  a    ] 
new  Co;igregational  Societj'  was  formed,  which  erected  a  house    J 
of  worship  in  1856, — the  same  now  occupied  by  the  Congre- 
gational Church.     The  other  Congregational   meeting-house 
has  become  the  town-hall.      The  second  church  had  several 
pastors,  but  the  two  bodies  were  finally  reunited. 


744 


HISTORY  OF  THE   CONNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


The  Kev.  Mr.  Gilbert  was  succeeded  as  pastor  in  1856  by 
Rev.  Wilbird  Bris-ham,  who  was  followed  by  Kev.  Edward  C. 
Ewing,  now  pastor  of  the  church  at  Enfield,  Mass.  • 

Rev.  Web.ster  Woodbury  became  the  first  pastor  of  the  re- 
united churcli,  Sept.  9,  1808,  and  was  dismissed  Auj;.  ?>,  1870. 
Rev.  James  Uingwell  was  installed  pastor  Aug.  28,  187U,  and 
dismissed  Nov.  30,  1877.  Rev.  J.  "Wadhams,  the  present 
pastor,  was  installed  Nov.  0,  1878. 

The  present  membership  of  the  church  is  about  1!J0;  of 
Sabbath-school,  150  ;  volumes  in  the  library,  several  hundred  ; 
superintendent  of 'Sabbath -school,  Fred.JI.  Smith.  Some  of 
the  deacons  of  the  church  have  been  Ebenezer  Belding,  Jo.shua 
Sherwin,  John  Bement,  Jonathan  Taylor,  John  Porter,  Enos 
Smith,  Elijah  Paine,  Samuel  Bement,  Daniel  Williams,  Jared 
Bement,  Asa  Sanderson,  Alvan  Perry,  Daniel  Howes,  Joseph 
Vincent,  Jr. 

I'ROTKSTANT    EPISCOPAL. 

This  society  was  organized  in  the  town  in  IS'20,  and  in  1829 
a  neat  and  commodious  house  of  worship  was  erected,  and  con- 
secrated by  the  bishop  as  St.  John's  Church.  This  has  since 
undeigone  changes  and  repairs,  and  is  still  used  by  the  society. 

Rev.  Silas  Blaisdell,  the  first  regular  pastor  of  the  church, 
began  to  officiate  Sept.  26,  1830.  Rev.  Jacob  Pearson  assumed 
charge  July  10,  1836.  Rev.  Joseph  A.  Storrs  became  the 
pastor  Aug.  29,  1847.  He  was  admitted  by  Bishop  Eastburn, 
at  Roxbury,  Mass.,  June  26,  1848.     He  resigned  Aug.  1, 1849. 

The  parish  was  in  charge  of  Rev.  William  Witliington 
during  1850,  and  for  some  time  following.  In  1853,  Rev. 
Charles  Cleveland  became  the  pastor,  and  continued  until 
about  1858  or  1859,  when  the  parish  was  supplied  for  sev- 
eral months  by  Rev.  John  Reynolds.  Rev.  Charles  H.  Gar- 
diner commenced  to  officiate  Nov.  20,  1859,  and  resigned  Oct. 
28,  1861.  Rev.  Brinton  Elower  entered  upon  the  discharge  of 
pa.storal  duties  June   13,   1862,  and  died  suddenly  June  23, 

1863.  On  May  29,  1864,  O.  H.  Dutton,  a  deacon  of  the  Prot- 
estant Episcopal  Church  of  the  diocese  of  New  York,  began 
to  officiate  as  temporary  supply.  Rev.  Levi-is  Green,  the  pres- 
ent pastor  of  the  church,  commenced  his  duties  in  October, 

1864.  The  jiarish  is  small,  comprising  a  mcuibershiji  of  about 
30. 

THE   METHODISTS 

erected  a  house  of  worship  and  held  services  in  the  southeast 
corner  of  the  town  about  1830,  and  the  Universalists  organ- 
ized a  society  about  the  year  1831,  which  was  in  existence  for 
several  years,  and  worshiped  in  the  house  at  South  Ashfield, 
formerly  used  by  the  second  Baptist  Society. 

BURIAL-PLACES. 

The  oldest  is  in  the  northeast  corner  of  the  town,  and  was 
probably  laid  out  at  the  time  of  the  organization  of  the  Bap- 
tist Church  in  that  locality  in  1761.     It  comprises  about  half 
an  acre  of  land.     Some  of  the  earliest  settlers  of  the  town  are 
buried  there.     The  following  inscription  is  to  be  found  : 
"  Aaron  Lyon,  died  Dec.  21, 1S02,  aged  45, 
"  A  loving  husband,  kind  and  true, 
A  tender  father  was,  also  ; 
A  faithful  son,  a  brother  dear, 
A  peaceful  neigtibor  was  while  here. 
Tliough  now  his  body  liere  doth  rest, 
W'e  trust  liis  soul's  among  the  blest." 

The  next  burying-place,  in  point  of  age,  is  a  mile  and  a  half 
south  of  the  first  named.  Richard  Ellis,  the  first  settler  of 
the  town,  and  several  of  that  name,  were  interred  there ;  also 
the  Beldings,  and  other  early  settlers  of  the  town.  It  was 
laid  out  about  the  same  time  as  the  other,  comprises  about  an 
acre,  and  is  still  in  use. 

The  burying-ground  near  the  "  Plains"  was  in  use  as  early 
as  1767,  though  not  formally  devoted  to  public  use  until  1770, 
in  accordance  with  the  following  vote  of  the  town  : 

"Dec.  17, 1709.— Voted  to  purcliase  a  piece  of  Land  by  the  IHeetiiig-Honse  for 
a  Burying-place ;  also,  voteil  and  C^lioose  Mr.  Natlian  Weight  and  C'apt.  Moses 
Fuller  &  Tiuiotliy  rerkins  a  f'ouiniittee  to  purchase  &  lay  out  sJ  Duryiug-Place." 


The  fiillowiiig  year  one  acre  and  a  half  of  land  was  pur- 
chased cif  Sanuu'l  Lilly  for  30.s.  The  first  person  buried 
there  was  an  infant  child  of  .Jonathan  Lilly  which  died  in 
1767.  'Some  of  the  earliest  graves  are  not  marked.  Dr. 
Bartlet,  the  first  physician  of  the  town,  was  buried  there  in 
1799.  The  tombstone  of  Deacon  David  Aldcn,  who  died  Aug. 
12,  1809,  bears  the  following  inscription  : 

"  Tender  Were  his  Feelings, 

Tlic  Christian  Wiis  hU  Friend, 
Honest  Were  Iiis  Dealings, 
And  Happy  Wjis  liis  end." 

The  next  burying-ground  in  point  of  age  is  in  what  is 
known  as  the  "northwest  district"  of  the  town.  One  of 
the  earliest  burials  there  was  that  of  Thomas  Howes,  who  died 
in  1793,  aged  sixty-three.  The  ground  comprises  about  half 
an  acre. 

The  Spruce  Corner  burying-ground,  in  the  southwest  part 
of  the  town,  was  laid  out  near  the  close  of  the  last  century. 
The  wife  of  Capt.  Elisha  Cranson  was  buried  there  in  1792, 
.lonathan  Cranson  in  1799,  ami  Capt.  Elisha  Cranson  in  1804. 
The  Cranson  family  were  early  settlers  of  that  jiart  of  the 
town. 

The  cemetery  on  Brier  Hill,  in  the  south  part  of  the  town, 
comprising  about  an  acre,  was  laiil  out  about  1825,  or  earlier. 

The  cemetery  at  the  geographical  centre  of  the  town  was 
laid  out  about  1813,  the  year  that  the  meeting-house  was  built. 
Alansim  Lilly,  son  of  Capt.  Bethuel  Lilly,  who  died  March 
21,  1814,  was  the  first  buried  there.  The  tombstone  of  Abner 
Kelly,  who  died  Eeb.  5,  1825,  aged  seventy-three,  bears  the 
following  inscription: 

"  An  apoplectic  siez*"  my  powers, 
■\Vlicn  I  was  not  exi)ecting  deatli, 
The  conflict  lasted  twenty  hours, 
And  then  I  yielded  up  my  breatli." 

In  this  cemetery  lie  buried  the  remains  of  Rev.  Nehemiah 
Porter  and  Rev.  Alvan  Sanderson. 

The  cemetery  at  South  Ashfield,  comprising  about  two 
acres,  was  laid  out  about  twenty  years  ago. 

NOTES    FROM    THE    RECORDS. 
The  "  valuation  list"  of  1766  shows  that  there  were  71  tax- 
able inhabitants  then  in  the  town,  having  estates  amounting 
to  £1633. 

The  names  of  these  inhabitants  were  David  Alden,  Samuel 
Anable,  Lamberton  Allen,  Enoch  Allen,  Ebenezer  Belding, 
Ebenezer  Belding,  .Ir.,  .John  Blackmer,  Dr.  Phineas  Bartlet, 
John  Bement,  Moses  Bacon,  Asa  Bacon,  Zebulon  Bryant, 
Roland  Blackmer,  Samuel  Belding,  Samuel  Batchelder, 
John  Briggs,  John  Belding,  Nathan  Chapin,  Isaac  Chaneey, 
Isaac  Crittenden,  Isaac  Crittenden,  Jr.,  Reuben  Ellis,  John 
Ellis,  Jonathan  Edson,  Moses  Fuller,  Nathan  Fuller,  Aaron 
Fuller,  Nathaniel  Harvey,  Dr.  Moses  Hayden,  Joel  Kellogg, 
Timothy  Lewis,  Aaron  Lyon,  Samuel  Lillie,  Jonathan  Lillie, 
Daniel  Lazell,  Joseph  Mitchell,  John  Marble,  Thonuis  Phil- 
lips, Richard  Phillips,  Benjamin  Phillips,  Philip  Phillips,  Sim- 
eon Phillips,  Chileab  Smith,  Jr.,  Miles  Standish,  Israel  Stand- 
ish,  Lemuel  Snow,  Joshua  Sherwin,  John  Sadler,  Moses 
Smith,  Jonathan  Sprague,  Jonathan  Sprague,  Jr.,  Ebenezer 
Sprague,  Jonathan  Taylor,  Samuel  Truesdell,  Nathan  Wait, 
Jeremiah  Wait,  Elijah  Wait,  Samuel  Washburn,  Nehemiah 
Washburn,  Jacob  Washburn,  William  Ward,  William  Ward, 
Jr.,  John  Wilkie,  Simeon  Wood,  Samuel  Washburn,  Jr., 
Jonathan  Yeomons,  John  Colburn,  Joseph  Row,  Isaac  Shep- 
ard. 

Aug.  22,  1777.—"  Voted  that  tlie  Town  will  do  all  y'  lies  in  '.heir  power  to  sup- 
press vice,  and  y'  tliey  will  use  their  endeavors  to  prevent  profane  Cul-sing  and 
Swearing,  tliat  the  name  of  God  be  not  blasphemed  amongst  them." 

Juno  2, 177S.— "  Voted  to  build  a  roiuul  back  of  ye  Meeting-House,  on  Abie- 
zer's  lot,  ho  consenting  to  it." 

Dec.  25,  1787.—"  Voted  to  Kaise  a  bounty  of  four  dollars  for  eacli  wolf  tliat 
may  be  liereafter  killed  I'y  the  inliabitants  of  tlie  town  of  Asiificld  witiiin  tlio 
limit  of  tlie  town  of  Aslifiehi." 


HISTORY   OF   FRANKLIN   COUNTY. 


745 


April  18, 1791.— ■' Voted  to  Imilil  a  iirmu,!  35  ft.  sq,  &  7  ft.  high,  hack  of  Selh 
Wait's  '  hoise-house.' " 

April  2.3, 1813. — *'  Voted  that  the  Selectmeu  be  authorized  U)  put  up  a  Log  Hut 
oil  the  Town's  land  formerly  owned  by  Mr.  Jenkins,  for  Tim  Warren,  to  move 
him  on,  and  see  that  he  gets  a  support  for  himself  and  family  with  as  little 
expense  to  the  Town  as  possible." 

INCIDENTS. 

In  the  month  of  May,  1828,  five  individuals  lost  their  lives 
by  drowning  in  the  pond  a  short  distance  west  of  the  "  Plain." 
They  were  Deacon  David  Lyon,  aged  sixty-three,  and  his  son 
William,  aged  eighteen;  Arnold  Drake,  aged  twenty-eight, 
and  two  sons  of  Eli  Gray, — William  and  Eobert, — aged  respec- 
tively fifteen  and  thirteen.  They  had  gone  to  the  pond  to- 
gether, with  two  others  (who  escaped),  for  the  purpose  of 
washing  sheep,  and,  with  the  exception  of  Mr.  Lyon,  ■were 
frolicking  a  little  way  from  the  shore  in  a  small  log  canoe, 
which  was  upset.  Mr.  Lyon,  seeing  the  danger  they  were  in, 
lost  his  life  in  .attempting  to  save  the  others.  Other  casualties 
have  occurred  in  the  town. 

On  Dec.  10,  1878,  a  great  freshet  swept  over  the  Green- 
Mountain  region  of  this  State,  caused  by  a  powerful  rain 
falling  upon  fifteen  inches  of  newly-fallen  .snow.  As  even- 
ing came  on  the  temperature  rapidly  grew  warm,  the  ther- 
mometer rose  2.5°  in  two  hours,  and  the  melting  snow,  filled 
by  the  accumtilated  rainfall  of  the  day,  came  down  the  hill- 
.sides  in  torrents.  At  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening  the  "Great 
Pond''  reservoir,  in  this  town,  on  South  River,  gave  way, 
immediately  draining  oil"  the  75  acres  of  water  that  had 
there  been  held  in  check,  thus  precipitating  a  great  flood  into 
—.;^  the  valley  below.  The  grist-mill  of  A.  D.  Flower  and  the 
tannery  of  L.  C.  Sanderson,  at  the  centre  village,  were  de- 
stroyed. At  South  Ashfleld  three  dwelling-houses,  two 
barns,  and  a  blacksmith-shop  were  swept  away  on  the  in- 
stant th.at  the  flood  reached  them.  In  the  southwest  part  of 
the  town  Darius  Williams'  reservoir  broke  away,  carrying  his 
large  saw-mill  to  destruction.  The  roads  and  bridges  here 
and  throughout  the  region  were  greatly  damaged.  Through 
the  valley,  in  the  course  of  South  Kiver,  the  fields,  fences, 
and  bridges  sufl'ered  almost  total  destruction. 

In  June,  18."0,  a  full-sized  hear  was  captured  and  killed. 
He  was  discovered  when  crossing  the  road  near  the  present 
residence  of  L.  W.  Goodwin,  chased  into  a  tree  near  by  where 
Stephen  Jackscm  lives,  and  soon  made  to  smell  powder. 

^      INDUSTRIAL   PURSUITS. 
As  has  been  already  remarked,  the  leading  industrial  in- 
terest of  the  town  is  that  of  agriculture.     The  want  of  ample 
\  water-power  has  prevented  capital  of  much  amount  from  being 
invested  in  manufacturing  enterprises.     Saw-mills  are  erected 

-  on  the  streams,  and  considerable  timber  is  sawed  during  the 
season  of  high  water  and  carried  to  other  places  for  sale. 

—  Grist-mills  have  also  always  existed  in  the  town.  The  first 
was  built  in  1743,  to  supply  the  first  settlers  of  the  town  with 
meal,  and  stood  about  one  hundred  rods  northeasterly  of  the 
site  of  the  present  Episcopal  Church,  and  was  in  use  until 
about  the  year  1830.  In  1753  a  saw-mill  stood  upon  Bear 
River,  one-fourth  of  a  mile  east  of  the  dwelling-house  of 
Solomon  H.  Deming.  At  the  present  time  A.  D.  Flower  has 
a  grist-mill  at  South  Ashfield  ;  L.  &  J.  S.  Gardner  a  saw-mill 
at  South  Ashfield  ;  Nelson  Gardner  a  saw-mill  at  Spruce  Cor- 
ner ;  William  E.  Ford  a  saw-mill  in  the  west  part  of  the  town, 
and  Jonathan  Howes  one  near  the  Buckland  line.  Besides 
these,  difterent  varieties  of  wooden-ware  are  manufactured  in 
the  town  by  Nelson  Gardner,  Marcus  T.  Parker,  Walter  Guil- 
ford, and  Charles  H.  Day. 

Many  considerable  fortunes  were  made  in  former  portions 
of  the  present  century  in  the  traffic  of  various  essences  and 
oils.  There  were  several  distilleries  where  all  kinds  of  herbs 
and  plants  that  could  find  a  market  were  made  to  contribute 
of  their  peculiarities.  Ashfield  essence-peddlers  could  be 
94 


found  all  over  this  and  neighboring  States,  and  many  even 
sought  the  West  and  South.* 

MILITARY. 

The  exact  part  which  the  town  took  in  the  earliest  wars  that 
agitated  this  section  of  country  is  not  definitely  known. 
Reference  has  already  been  made  to  the  trials  which  the  in- 
habitants of  the  town  underwent  during  the  French-and- 
Indian  war,  and  there  is  reason  to  believe  that  a  large  pro- 
portion of  the  male  inhabitants  served  in  the  war. 

THE    REVOLUTION. 

The  inhabitants  took  an  early  and  active  part  in  the  war. 
The  following  preamble  and  resolutions,  drawn  up  as  early 
as  1774,  and  signed  by  Benjamin  Phillips  and  64  other  citizens, 
will  show  something  of  their  spirit : 

"  We,  the  subscribers,  inhabitants  of  the  town  of  Ashlreld,  from  a  principle  of 
self-preservation,  the  dictates  of  natural  conscience,  and  a  sacred  reg.ard  to  the 
constitution  .and  laws  of  our  country,  which  were  instituted  for  the  security  of 
our  lives  and  property,  do  severally  and  mutually  covenant,  promise,  and  engage 
with  each  other  and  all  of  us, 

'*  1st.  That  we  profess  ourselves  subject  to  our  sovereign  lord  the  king,  and 
htdd  ourselves  in  duty  bound  to  yield  obedience  to  all  his  good  and  wholesome 
hiws. 

"  •2d.  Th.at  we  bear  testimony  against  all  the  oppressive  and  unconstitutional 
laws  of  the  British  Parliament  whereby  the  chartered  privileges  of  this  Province 
are  stnick  at  and  cashiered. 

"3d.  That  we  will  not  be  aiding  nor  in  any  way  assisting  in  any  trade  with 
the  island  of  Great  Britain  until  she  withdraw  her  oppressive  hand,  or  until  a 
trade  is  come  into  by  the  several  colonies. 

"4th.  Thatwe  will  join  with  our  neighboring  towns  in  this  province  and  sister 
colonies  in  America  in  contending  for  and  defending  our  rights  and  privileges, 
civil  and  religious,  whicli  we  have  a  just  right  to  both  by  nature  and  by  charter. 

"  5th.  That  we  will  make  prepai'ation  that  we  may  be  equipped  with  ammu- 
nition and  other  necessaries,  at  town  cost,  for  the  above  purposes. 

"  6th.  That  we  will  do  all  we  can  to  suppress  petty  mobs,  trifling  and  causeless." 

A  number  of  other  votes  passed  by  the  town  during  this 
stirring  period  will  further  illustrate  the  activity  and  patriot- 
ism of  the  people.  May  29, 1775,  Elisha  Cranson  was  chosen  to 
attend  the  convention  at  Watertown,  and  again  on  July  10th. 
June  1, 1775,  at  a  meeting  of  the  committee  of  correspondence, 
the  following  votes  were  passed,  viz.  : 

1st,  Voted  "  not  to  take  any  Notice  of  Ephraim  Williams,  a  suspected  Tory." 

Aug.  22, 1775. — "  Voted  to  send  a  man  to  Albenah  to  procure  Guns  &  amanison 
upon  the  town's  Credit." 

July  10,  1777. — "  Voted  to  accept  of  the  list  e-\hibited  to  the  town  of  Cei-tain 
Persons  who  are  thought  to  be  inimical  to  ye  American  States." 

Aug.  22,  1777. — "  Voted  by  the  Town  y*  in  their  esteem  the  following  persons 
exhibited  to  the  Town  in  the  meeting  by  the  Selectmen  do  appear  so  unfriendly 
to  ye  American  St,ates  that  they  ought  to  be  brought  to  proper  trial,  viz.,  .Sam"' 
Belding,  Seth  Wait,  Lieut.  Philip  Phillips,  .Sam"' Anable,  Jr.,  Wait  Broughton, 
Asa  Bacon,  Elijah  Wait,  Jesse  Edson,  and  Daniel  Bacon. 

"  Voted  yt  the  above-named  Persons  he  committed  to  close  Contineraent  in 
this  Town. 

"  Voted  that  Capt.  Bartlet's  house  be  the  place  of  their  confinement. 

"  Voted  yt  the  Selectmen  make  Provision  fur  the  supportof  those  who  are  put 
under  confinement,  as  also  for  the  Guard  which  shall  have  the  Care  of  them, 
upon  the  Town's  cost." 

May  24,  17bl. — "  Voted  to  allow  Elisha  Bartlet  £7  for  going  to  Surrotoga  to 
Carry  Packs  to  the  Soldiers. 

"  Voted  to  allow  £14  as  Rations  for  fourteen  Men  from  Ashfield  to  Ticonderoga 
in  Feb.,  a.d.  1776,  &c." 

A  large  number  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  town  served  in 
the  army,  and  the  town  promptly  furnished  its  proportion  of 

supplies. 

WAR  OF   1812. 

With  this  war  the  town  was  not  in  sympathy,  and  reluct- 
antly furnished  the  men  required  by  the  government.    Among 

*  About  the  year  1814,  Samuel  lianney  introduced  here,  upon  his  farm,  the 
culture  and  distillation  of  the  peppermint  herb,  which  was  found  to  be  for  many 
years  quite  a  profitable  pursuit.  For  a  number  of  years  the  price  of  oil  of  pep- 
permint was  from  S6  to  S16  per  pound.  Its  production  was  continued  to  a  con- 
siderable extent  until  about  the  year  1833,  many  acres  being  raised  each  year. 
At  that  time  and  before,  its  cultivation  had  been  commenced  in  Phelps,  N.  Y., 
where  the  soil  and  the  climate  wore  bettor  suited  to  its  growth,  and  where  it 
was  produced  at  much  less  expense.  Of  late  yoai-s  the  crop  is  largely  raised  in 
St.  Josephs  Co.,  Mich. 


746 


HISTOKY  OF  THE  CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


these  were  David  Vincent,  Josiah  Kelley,  George  Hall,  Ely 
Eldredge,  Anson  Bement. 

WAR  OP  1861-65. 
In  the  suppression  of  the  Southern  Rebellion,  the  town 
manifested  the  same  sterling  patriotism  which  their  ancestors 
did  in  the  Eevolutionary  period.  Men  and  money  were  freely 
furnished  to  answer  government  demands.  After  the  close  of 
the  war  a  handsome  monument  was  erected  in  memory  of  those 
who  perished  in  the  war,  as  the  following  vote  indicates ; 

March  5,  1866.— "  Voted  to  raise  S650  (six  hunilrcd  and  fifty  dollars)  for  the 
purpose  of  erecting  and  establishing  a  monument  or  memorial  to  perpetuate  the 
memory  of  those  persons  of  this  town  whose  lives  have  been  sacrificed  in  the 
effort  to  sustain  the  government  against  the  slave-holders'  Rebellion." 

The  following  list,  culled  from  the  adjutant-general's  list,  is 
believed  to  be  approximately  correct: 

Wm.  H.  Ford,  Rufns  A.  Lilley,  Lewis  Eldridge,  Edward  F.  Hale,  Elisha  B. 
Howes,  John  L,  Howes,  Sylvester  Howes,  Henry  F.  Kilbourn,  Alfred  C. 


Thayer,  Elon  S.  Williams,  Lewis  Williams,  all  in  52d  Ma«s.;  Levi  Elmer, 
James  M.  Howes,  Micajah  H.  Vincent,  Cyrus  B.  Cone,  Lcandor  V.  Hill, 
Daniel  0.  Howes,  Henry  Parsons,  Horace  V.  Taylor,  David  M.  Vincent, 
Wm.  T,  Vincent,  all  in  loth  Mass. ;  Joel  Wing,  in  27th  Mass. ;  Sumner 
H.  Bardwell,  Luther  D.  Cliapin,  Harvey  E.  Bailey,  Leroy  C.  Beals,  Henry 
Guilfcud,  Wm.  R.  Harris,  Wm.  L.  Luce,  Ephniini  Taylor,  Reuben  W.  Tay- 
lor, Wells  P.  Taylor,  Jam»s  A.  Treat,  Levi  Warren,  Milo  F.  Warren,  Oli- 
ver Warren,  all  in  :ilst  Mass. ;  George  Ward,  Norris  E  Chapin,  Lafayette 
Eddy,  Mitchell  Corn,  Riilph  II.  Banney,  Roswell  L.  Church,  Alphonzo 
Churcli,  in  31tli  Mass.;  Murray  J.  Guilford,  Darius  W.Taylor,  Caspar 
Lilly,  Joel  Lilly,  James  McCormick,  all  in  the  :J7th  Mass.;  besides  Ste- 
phen Bates,  Levi  S.  Elmer,  R.  Bi'meut  Smith,  R.  W.  Lawrence,  Orange 
Richardson,  William  Willis,  Albert  Lilly,  Charles  Bichai-dson,  Harvey 
Hadlock,  Henry  Hallett,  Emery  H.  Bement,  Thomas  L.  Munsell,  Henry 
L.  Luce,  Cyrus  B.  Cone,  Eliae  T.  Yeamans. 

In  the  compilation  of  this  town  history,  the  writer  is  chiefly 
indebted  for  assistance  to  Henry  S.  Ranney,  town  clerlv,  and 
for  access  to  interesting  and  useful  documents.  Thanlis  are 
also  due  to  other  citizens  of  the  town. 


COLERAINE. 


(iEOGRAPHICAL. 

CoLERAiNE,  one  of  the  largest  towns  in  Franklin,  with  a 
taxable  area  of  2-5,280  acres,  lies  on  the  northern  line  of  the 
county,  and  is  bounded  north  by  the  Vermont  State  line, 
south  by  the  towns  of  Charlemont,  Shelburne,  and  Green- 
field, east  by  the  town  of  Leyden,  and  west  by  the  towns  of 
Charlemont  and  Heath  The  town  has  no  railway  facilities 
within  its  borders,  nor  railway  communication  nearer  than 
Shelburne  Falls  depot,  in  the  town  of  Buckland,  six  miles 
from  Coleraine  Centre. 

Coleraine  has  long  been  an  important  manufacturing  point, 
but  its  population  has  shown  an  almost  steady  decline  since 
1840,  largely  due  to  removals  to  the  Far  West. 

NATURAL    FEATURES. 

Coleraine  is  hilly  in  nearly  every  part  of  its  extensive 
domain,  and,  like  other  mountainous  towns  in  Massachu- 
setts, is  a  place  much  visited  by  tourists  and  searchers  after 
the  picturesque  in  nature. 

The  most  important  stream  is  North  River,  which  flows 
almost  directly  south  through  the  middle  of  the  town,  from 
the  Vermont  line  to  the  Shelburne  line.  It  furnishes  abun- 
dant water-power,  which  is  used  by  several  large  manufac- 
turing enterprises,  as  well  as  saw-mills,  etc.  Green  River, 
which  rises  in  Windham  Co.,  Vt.,  flows  along  the  eastern 
border  of  the  town,  dividing  it  from  Leyden,  but  its  water- 
power  is  not  used  to  any  considerable  extent. 

The  principal  eminences  are  Catamount  Hill,  in  the  south- 
west,  and  Christian  Hill,  northwest  of  the  centre,  both  names 
referring,  however,  to  hilly  ranges  rather  than  to  any  particular 
elevations. 

EARLY   SETTLEMENT. 

The  first  settlement  upon  the  tract  now  occupied  by  Cole- 
raine is  said  to  have  been  made  by  two  brothers,  Andrew  and 
John  Smith,  residents  of  Deerfield,  who,  displeased  with  the 
management  of  atfairs  in  that  town,  removed  beyond  it,  north- 
ward, and  located  in  17.32  on  what  is  now  the  William  Coombs 
farm,  in  Coleraine,  near  the  Shelburne  line,  about  a  mile  east 
of  Shattuckville.  They  pursued  their  way  in  the  wilderness 
for  nearly  two  years,  when  incursion.s  by  the  Indians  made 
their  new  home  undesirable,  and  they  abandoned  it  in  1734  for 
a  safer  locality. 
The  brothers  Smith  returned   to  Coleraine   upon  its  per- 


manent settlement  in  the  year  1736.  A  birch  log,  sunk  by 
these  brothers  in  1732  in  a  well  on  their  farm,  occupies  still 
about  the  same  position,  and  is  in  a  state  of  good  preserva- 
;  tion,  its  location  being  near  William  Coombs'  barn.  The 
spring  which  spouted  its  waters  through  this  log  still  bubbles 
as  merrily  as  ever.  It  is  said  that  during  the  days  of  their 
first  settlement  the  brothers  never  mustered  a  more  formidable 
weapon  than  a  pitchforlc,  never  felt  very  much  afraid  of 
Indians,  and  never  took  to  the  forts  in  hours  of  danger.  An- 
drew became  afterward  a  prominent  man  in  the  settlement. 
John  was  afflicted  with  palsy,  and  was  known  as  "Shaking 
John." 

Andrew's  wife  was  a  woman  of  great  courage  and  nerve. 
One  day,  while  riding  home  from  a  visit  to  a  neighbor's, 
Indians  attacked  her,  and,  although  she  was  shot  through  the 
thigh,  and  must  have  suilered  great  agony,  she  stuck  to  her 
horse  bravely,  urged  him  wildly  forward,  and  safely  escaped 
her  savage  pursuers.  When  she  reached  the  fort  she  fainted, 
and,  upon  examination,  it  was  found  that  the  bullet  had  gone 
through  her  thigh  and  the  saddle,  and  buried  itself  in  the 
horse's  side.  The  hardy  woman  got  well  and  lived  to  a  good 
old  age. 

June  17,  173.5,  the  General  Court  granted  to  the  town  of 
'■Boston  three  townships,  in  response  to  the  petition  of  the  in- 
habitants of  that  town  asking  for  land  grants  by  reason  of 
their  paj'ing  about  one-fifth  of  the  colony  tax,  their  burden- 
some expenditures  for  schooling,  and  the  support  of  paupers. 
The  larger  portion  of  the  present  territory  of  Coleraine  was  set 
apart  as  the  second  of  these  townships,  and  was  therefore 
known  at  first  as  "Boston  Town.ship,  No.  2."  Charlemont 
was  No.  1,  and  Pittsfield  No.  3. 

-  The  east  line  of  Coleraine  (or  Boston  Township,  No.  2)  be- 
gan at  a  point  on  the  line  of  the  State  of  Vermont,  a  short  dis- 
tance east  of  Green  River,  and,  thence  passing  south,  touched 
a  point  just  east  of  Albert  B.  Nelson's  place,  and  farther 
along  a  point  just  west  of  the  house  of  Edgar  F.  Copeland, 
and  intersected  the  Deerfield  on  land  now  owned  by  Stephen 
M.  Long. 

That  part  of  Coleraine  now  lying  east  of  this  line  was  orig- 
inally a  portion  of  Bernardston,  and  was  called  "the  Gore." 
This  tract  and  a  gore  on  the  north  side  of  the  original  grant, 
with  the  land  first  granted  for  Boston  Township,  No.  2,  are 
now  comprised  within  the  limits  of  Coleraine. 


HISTORY   OF  FRANKLIN   COUNTY. 


747 


M 


The  earliest  permanent  settlers  other  than  the  brothers 
Smith  were  from  the  Scotch-Irish  colony  brought  over  from 
Ireland  by  Gov.  Shupeto  settle  Londonderry,  N.  H.  They 
located  upon  a  tract  near  the  present  Shelburne  line,  and  just 
south  of  what  is  called  Meeting-house  Hill. 

They  came  over  from  Ireland  (County  Ulster)  as  early  as 
1719,  settling  mainly  in  New  Hampshire.  From  London- 
derry and  Peterboro'  to  C'oleraine  moved  the  McKowens, 
McCollisters,  McGrews,  McClellans,  McCrillisons,  ilcCul- 
loughs,  McDonegals,  McDonalds,  McLanthams,  Morrisons, 
Clarks,  Wilsons,  Wallaces,  Lukes,  Worknians,  and  Stew- 
arts. The  Thompsons  came  from  Pelham,  the  Millers  from 
Stowe,  the  Bells  and  Williams  from  Roxbur}",  Mass.,  the 
Miners  from  Stonington,  Conn.,  the  Smiths  from  Woodstock, 
Conn.,  the  Browns  from  Khode  Island,(and  the  Boltons  from 
Lancashire,  England.^ 

Hugh  Bolton,  who  resided  in  the  latter  county,  was  a  physi- 
cian, and  a  dissenter  as  well.  Refusing  one  day  to  pay  tithes, 
his  house  was  invaded  by  a  constable,  who  sought  to  levy 
upon  the  doctor's  property.  The  latter  resisted  the  officer 
with  physical  force,  and  put  him  to  flight.  His  victory  was, 
however,  short-lived  in  its  fruits,  for  the  outraged  majesty 
of  the  law  clamored  for  vengeance  in  such  an  emphatic  man- 
ner that  the  doctor  abandoned  his  home,  and  at  the  verj'  ear- 
liest opportunity  sailed  for  America.  He  landed  in  Boston, 
and,  going  directly  to  Coleraine,  settled  there,  and  entered  at 
once  upon  the  practice  of  his  profession,  which  he  pursued 
until  his  death. 

Among  other  early  settlers  were  James  Barry,  Alexander 
Harroun,  John  Pennell,  Hugh  Henry,  John  Henderson, 
Thomas  Cochran,  Robert  Hunter,  and  John  Newman.  As  a 
rule,  the  first  settlers  were  tall  and  robust  men  with  iron  con- 
stitutions, but  a  notable  exception  was  John  Newman,  who 
was  a  very  small  man  in  stature.  He  was,  however,  a  man  of 
wonderful  courage,  and  many  stories  are  still  extant  telling 
of  his  remarkable  exploits  as  a  successful  fighter  against  wild 
beasts.  His  favorite  game  was  catamounts,  and  with  these 
fierce  animals  he  had  many  encounters,  one  in  particular  being 
worthy  of  mention.  He  was  passing  through  a  woods  one  day 
unarmed,  when,  espying  a  catamount  in  a  high  tree,  he  pro- 
vided himself  with  a  cudgel,  climbed  the  tree,  fought  the  brute 
desperately,  and,  finally  winning  the  battle,  carried  his  prize 
oft"  in  triumph  to  the  house  of  Lieut.  John  Pennell. 

Nathaniel  Smith  and  John  Thompson  were  two  remarkably 
strong  men  ;  and  once  upon  a  time,  representing  Coleraine  at 
Deerfield  in  trials  of  strength,  they  forced  the  men  of  the 
latter  town  to  acknowledge  that  Coleraine  was  entitled  to  the 
palm. 

It  is  said  that  the  settlers  in  Coleraine  who  came  from 
Londonderry  were  the  first  to  introduce  the  foot  spinning- 
wheel  and  the  manufacture  of  linen-cioth,  and  the  first  to 
cultivate  the  potato  in  that  part  of  the  country. 

The  first  choice  of  land  in  the  township  appears,  from  the 
original  plan  of  the  township  on  file  in  the  office  of  the  Secre- 
\,  tary  of  State,  to  have  been  given  to  five  persons,  named  Wild, 
Miller,  Fairservice,  Clark,  and  Morrison. 

A  petition  for  a  meeting  of  the  settlers  was  prepared  in  1738, 
and  signed  by  Andrew  Smith,  John  Clark,  James  Barry,  Alex- 
ander Harroun,  Alexander  Clark,  John  Pennell,  Samuel  Clark, 
Matthew  Clark,  Hugh  Henry,  John  Henderson,  James  Clark, 
Wm.  Clark,  Thomas  Cochran,  and  Robert  Hunter.  Thomas 
Wells  issued  the  warrant  for  the  meeting,  which  was  held  in 
1738,  at  the  house  of  Hugh  Henry.  At  this  meeting  a  com- 
mittee was  chosen  to  manage  the  affiiirs  of  the  settlement,  and 
prompt  attention  was  likewise  bestowed  upon  church  matters 
by  setting  apart  a  ministry  lot.  Hugh  Henry  was  the  mod- 
erator, and  Andrew  Smith  the  settlers'  clerk. 

In  1742,  £8  6s.  lid.  were  assessed  on  each  lot  to  defray 
public  charges  for  the  year  "  past  and  present."  In  that  year 
It  was  agreed  to  make  an  appropriation  to  any  person  who 


would  build  a  grist-mill,  and,  soon  after,  James  Fairlove  put 
up  one  on  the  site  now  occupied  by  F.  Purington's  mill,  near 
Lyonsville.     It  was  burned  by  the  Indians  in  1757. 

Among  the  public  roads  first  opened  was  one  to  North 
River,  one  from  the  meeting-house  to  "  the  furder  side"  of 
John  Henry's  lot,  one  between  No.  7  and  No.  8,  to  the  east 
line  of  the  town,  and  a  road  to  Deertield. 

The  first  child  born  in  the  settlement  was  Martha,  daughter 
of  Hugh  and  Martha  Morrison,  June  29,  1740.  Abraham, 
son  of  John  and  Sarah  Pennell,  the  first  male  child,  was  born 
March  21,  1741. 

The  name  of  the  settlement  was  changed  in  February, 
1743,  from  Boston  Township,  No  2,  to  "Colrain,"  in  honor 
of  Baron  Coleraine,  who  promised  to  donate  a  bell  for  the 
meeting-house.  The  records  up  to  the  time  of  the  incor- 
poration of  the  town  designated  the  locality  as  "  Colrain, 
alias  Boston  Township,  No.  2,  adjoining  the  north  side  of 
Deerfield." 

In  November,  1751,  Samuel  Clark  was  chosen  to  draw  the 
lots  in  the  second  division,  which  he  did  to  the  following : 
Matthew  Bolton,  David  Field,  Samuel  Stewart,  Edward  East, 
John  Morehead,  Robert  Fulton,  Jennat  Clark,  John  Ander- 
son, Hugh  Morrison,  Edward  Goodward,  Andrew  Luckes, 
John  Morrison,  George  Clark,  Thomas  Bell,  John  Henry, 
Sr.,  Ebenezer  Barnard,  Thomas  McGee,  John  Henry,  Jr., 
James  Stewart,  Hugh  PauT,"Tohn  Kately,  Robert  Hays, 
Samuel  Clark,  James  Breckenridge,  Timothy  Childs,  Archi- 
bald Pennell,  Alexander  Harroun,  James  Clark,  Joseph  Heath, 
David  Wells,  John_Mills,  Charles  Stewart,  John  Pennell,  Al- 
exander Clark,  Robert  Mjlls.  William  McCreles,  Andrew 
Smith,  Asa  Bowker. 

The  lots  were  each  of  the  area  of  50  acres,  and  laid  in  four 
ranges  from  the  east  to  the  west  sides  of  the  town  ;  "  the  roads 
between  the  ranges  four  rods  wide,  and  the  roads  between  the 
lots  two  rods  wide,  and  at  the  side  of  every  fourth  lot  there 
was  a  road,  the  land  for  the  roads  being  taken  from  the  whole 
one  hundred  acres  to  a  right  of  every  man." 

The  committee  ai)pointed  to  lay  out  the  lots  were  to  have 
"three  shillings  two  pence  half-penny  per  day,  or  one  day 
and  a  half's  work  at  the  same  time  to  be  wrought  at  home  for 

said  committee." 

INDIAN    TROUBLES. 

The  early  settlers  of  Coleraine  were  much  harassed  by  In- 
dians, and  for  better  protection  built  three  forts.  The  first  of 
these  was  built  perhaps  as  early  as  1740,  in  the  centre  of  the 
little  settlement,  near  the  present  Shelburne  line,  about  a  mile 
due  south  of  where  the  first  meeting-house  was  subsequently 
erected.  Traces  of  the  cellar  of  this  old  fort  are,  it  is  said  by 
some,  still  to  be  seen,  but  they  are  scarcely  positive  enough  to 
satisfy  the  critical  observer.  The  second  fort — Fort  Lucas — 
was  set  just  east  of  Meeting-house  Hill,  and  the  third — called 
Fort  Morrison — was  near  North  River,  about  a  mile  north  of 
what  is  now  Coleraine  Centre. 

Upon  the  first  intimation  of  savage  menace,  which  was 
watched  for  with  vigilant  care,  the  settlers  would  promptly 
fiee  to  the  nearest  fort;  and,  once  therein,  safety  was  well 
assured,  since  the  Indians  seldom  ventured  to  attack  such 
strongholds  when  adequately  manned. 

In  1740,  on  the  10th  of  May,  a  band  of  Indians,  returning 
from  an  unsuccessful  attack  upon  Major  Burke's  fort  in  Fall- 
town  (Bernardston),  passed  through  C'oleraine,  and,  ambus- 
cading a  party  consisting  of  Matthew  Clark,  his  wife  and  child, 
and  two  soldiers  (who,  having  been  alarmed  by  the  reported 
approach  of  Indians,  were  seeking  the  safe  shelter  of  Fort 
Lucas),  killed  Clark,  but  in  turn  lost  one  of  their  number, 
while  the  soldiers,  with  Mrs.  Clark  and  child,  gained  the  fort. 

Not  long  after  (in  August,  1747),  John  Mills,  a  settler,  was 
attacked  by  Indians  and  killed  near  his  house,  and  about  the 
same  time  a  woman  named  Pennell  disappeared  from  the  set- 
tlement, and,  nothing  being  heard  or  seen  of  her  after,  the 


^ 


748 


HISTORY   OF  THE   CONNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


belief  was  general  that  she  had  been  carried  into  captivity  by 
Indians. 

The  story  is  told  of  nn  Indian  who,  seeking  to  lure  a  cow- 
hunting  settler  to  his  fate  by  ringing  a  bell  which  he  had 
taken  from  the  very  cow  for  which  the  settler  was  searching, 
was  himself  first  discovered  by  the  latter  and  shut  dead  in  his 
tracks. 

The  renewal  of  Indian  hostilities  in  1755  brought  fresh  and 
alarming  troubles  to  the  Coleraine  settlement,  and,  during  the 
last  French-and-Indian  war,  the  constant  care  and  vigilance 
which  the  settlers  were  called  upon  to  exercise  permitted 
them  scarcely  any  leisure  for  the  pursuit  of  business  avoca- 
tions, and  the  settlement  made  but  little  advancement  during 
that  period. 

A  number  of  Coleraine  men,  including  Jolin  Bolton  and 
David  Morris,  went  into  the  service,  and  fought  under  Wolfe, 
at  Quebec,  in  a  company  known  as  '*  Rogers'  Rangers,""' 
March  20,  1758.  Indians  appeared  in  the  vicinity  of  Fort 
Morrison,  and  the  inmates  thereupon  sent  Capt.  John  Mor- 
rison and  John  Henry  to  warn  the  people  lodged  in  the  other 
forts  of  threatened  danger.  Upon  sallying  out,  Morrison  and 
Henry  were  discovered  by  the  savages,  but,  although  hotly  pur- 
sued and  fired  upon,  the  two  men,  mounting  an  estray  horse 
which  they  happened  fortunatel}'  to  encounter,  escaped  in 
safety  to  Fort  Lucas,  Morrison  receiving,  however,  a  shot 
that  broke  his  right  arm.  Added  to  that  misfortune,  the 
Indians  burned  Morrison's  house  and  barn  and  killed  all  his 
cattle. 

On  the  following  day,  March  21st,  Indians  appeared  in  force 
on  the  high  hill  west  of  Fort  Morrison,  and,  conjecturing  it  to 
be  illy  defended,  made  a  njght  attack  upon  it.  Of  the  inci- 
dents which  ensued  Dr.  Holland  has  given  a  graphic  report, 
as  follows  : 

"  There  were  but  three  iiien  in  tlie  fort, — Msg.  WiUaril,  of  Defifichl,  Deiicrm 
Hulbert,  and  Joseph  McGown.  Maj.WiUard  wixs  wounded  soon  after  the  attack, 
BO  that  he  was  unable  to  render  any  assistance.  Some  of  the  women  in  the  fort 
melted  their  tcaputs  and  made  bullets  ;  others  of  them  loaded  the  guns,  and  the 
two  men  fired  su  fa^st  that  the  sav:iges  were  led  to  believe  that  the  fort  was  full 
of  men ;  and  to  confirm  this  belief  the  more,  Deacon  HnUiert,  who  was  a  largo 
and  powerful  man,  and  who  had  a  voice  of  thunder,  would  cry  out  to  the  red- 
skins to  'come  on,'  as  they  were  'ready  for  them.'  Much  of  the  night  wiis 
passed  in  this  kind  of  fighting,  until,  finally,  the  savages  r-oncluded  that  they 
must  adopt  some  other  means  to  accuinjilish  their  purpose.  They  went  to  some 
barns  in  the  vicinity,  and  piled  upon  a  cart  a  load  of  swingling  tow,  believing 
that  by  keeping  the  load  in  front  of  them,  so  as  to  protect  them  from  the  guns 
of  the  fort,  they  might,  with  safety,  place  it  in  immediate  contact  with  it,  and 
then,  by  setting  it  on  fire,  tliey  would  burn  the  fort  and  those  in  it,  or  compel 
them  to  surrender.  Daylight  coming  before  the  Indians  got  their  load  to  the 
fort,  and  not  deeming  it  safe  to  go  within  gun-shot  of  the  whites  after  this  time, 
they  relinquished  their  intentions,  and  withdrew  into  the  forest.  Early  in  the 
attack  Maj.  Willard  caused  the  children  to  be  warmly  clad,  not  doubting  that 
before  morning  they  would  be  in  the  liands  of  the  savages  and  on  their  way  to 
Canada.  Soon  after  this  night  conflict  Joseph  McCowen,  wife,  and  a  son  six 
months  old,  were  surprised  and  taken  prisonere  by  the  Indians.  Mre.  McC'owen 
was  a  corpulent  woman,  and  before  the  close  of  the  first  day's  march  sb'e  became 
ao  much  exhausted  as  to  be  unable  to  reach  their  lamp  fur  tlie  night.  The 
savages  permitted  her  husband  to  go  back  and  remain  with  her  a  short  time,  but 
would  not  allow  him  to  assist  her  in  reaching  the  camp.  He  was  soon  com- 
pelled to  leave  her,  and,  as  soon  as  he  turned  his  back,  the  savages  buried  their 
tomahawks  in  her  head.  He  was  taken  to  Canada,  and,  after  a  few  yeare,  re- 
turned to  the  home  of  his  early  life.  The  child  was  kindly  cared  for  by  the 
savages,  and  was  sold  to  a  French  lady,  who  adopted  him  as  her  own.  The 
father  was  permitted  to  see  him  occasionally  as  long  as  he  remained  in  captivity. 
After  the  close  of  the  war,  Mr.  McCowen  went  to  ('anada  to  procure  his  child, 
but  was  unable  to  find  him.  He  again  returned  to  Coleraine,  and  soon  learned 
that  his  boy,  who  had  grown  to  be  a  tall  lad,  had  been  secreted  and  kept  from 
his  sight.     Another  attempt  to  reclaim  his  child  proved  equally  fruitless." 

Many  of  the  inhabitants  of  Coleraine  abandoned  the  settle- 
ment during  the  season  of  Indian  warfare  for  places  of  better 
security,  but  upon  the  termination  of  hostilities  promptly 
returned,  and  with  them  came  new  settlers  in  considerable 

*  This  same  Capt.  Robert  Rogers  was  the  man  who,  in  lYOO,  commanded  the 
detachment  sent  by  Geu.  Amierst  to  take  possession  of  the  French  post,  Detroit, 
and  who  met  on  bis  way,  near  where  the  city  of  Cleveland,  0.,  now  stands,  the 
celebrated  OttAtwa  chief,  Pontiac  Kogers  rose  to  the  rank  of  major.  He  was 
afterward  charged  with  attempting  to  sell  or  betray  Mackinaw  to  the  Spaniards, 
and  in  the  Bevohitiouaj-y  war  deserted  to  the  British. 


I  numbers,  so  that,  by  1767,  90  farms  were  occupied  and  nearly 
.  1000  acres  cleared. 

REVOLUTIONARY    REMINISCENCES. 
In  1773  the  first  committee  of  correspondence  was  chosen, 

and  consisted  of  William  Stewart,  James  Stewart,  Hezekiah 
Smith,  John  Woods,  John  Morrison,  Daniel  Donelson,  and 
Thomas  Bell.  In  answer  to  a  communication  from  IJoston, 
this  committee  transmitted  the  following: 

"Although  we  are  an  infant  settlement,  we  look  upon  our  liberties  as  dear  to 
us  as  if  we  wore  the  oldest  in  the  province,  and  do,  with  the  most  sincere  regard, 
acknowledge  the  vigilance  and  care  discovered  by  the  town  of  Boston  respecting 
publick  rights  and  liberties,  and  would  inform  you  that  this  town  do  and  will 
heartily  concur  with  you  in  all  salutary,  constitutional,  proper  measures  for  the 
redress  of  those  intolerable  grievances  which  threaten  us  with  t^jtal  destruction. 
We  would  ever  esteem  onrselvesobliged  t<3  the  town  of  Boston,  the  capital  of  this 
province;  may  she  rejoice  in  perpetual  prosperity,  may  wisdom  direct  her  in  all 
her  consultations,  may  her  spirited  prudence  render  her  a  terror  to  the  enemies 
of  our  Constitution,  and  may  every  town  and  every  colony  in  America  be  awak- 
ened to  a  sense  of  danger,  and  unite  in  the  glorious  cause  of  liberty;  may  this 
land  be  purged  from  evil  and  designing  men,  tliat  want  to  bring  slavery  on  a 
loyal  and  dutiful  people  to  his  Majesty,  and  may  righteousness  be  exalted,  that 
God  Almighty  may  be  our  Uod,  as  he  was  the  Goduf  our  forefathers,  and  may  we 
be  possessed  with  virtue,  religion,  and  publick  spirit,  which  warmed  and  animated 
our  ancestors.  We  conclude  with  expressing  our  gratitude  to  all  that  have  been 
instnimental  in  bringing  to  light  things  that  have  been  hid,  and  hope  by  uniting 
we  may  stand." 

Jan.  31,  1774,  the  town  passed  resolves  as  follows: 

"  After  receiving  the  lettere  sent  by  tlie  committee  of  correspondence  of  Boston 
to  the  committee  of  correspondence  of  Colrain,  and  tlie  pmceedings  of  the  town 
of  Boston  also,  the  proceedings  of  a  body  of  the  good  people  of  the  province  were 
read ;  a  motion  was  made  whether  this  town  will  conform  to  the  firm  lesolutions 
of  our  respectable  brethren  at  Boston;  the  question,  being  put,  unanimously 
passed  in  the  affirmative. 

"  Upon  a  sei  i  jus  consideration  and  due  sense  of  our  just  rights,  liberties,  and 
properties,  look  upon  oureelves  by  the  laws  of  natural  reason  and  common  sense 
to  cast  in  our  mite  wlien  our  eyes  behold  the  daring  insults  of  extravagant  men, 
not  only  those  the  other  side  the  water,  but  men  biu-n  and  brought  up  as  breth- 
ren with  us,  whose  famous  abilities  gave  us  just  expectations  that  they  would  die 
with  us  rather  than  deny  us  (but,  alas!  our  hopes  are  gone;  designing  men  had 
rather  sacrifice  their  whole  country,  that  was  bought  by  their  and  our  glorious 
ancestry  at  the  price  of  their  blood,  than  give  up  so  small  a  profit),  since  they 
could  not  obtain  their  former  desires,  as  they  should  get  by  a  little  detestable  tea 
sent  out  by  the  East  India  Company  upon  conditions  unknown.  We  are  sorry 
to  see  or  hear  of  any  of  Adam's  posterity  so  blinded  (if  the  light  that  is  in  men 
be  darkness,  how  great  is  that  darkness).  Now,  in  the  present  posture  of  our 
political  affairs,  it  plainly  appears  to  us  that  it  is  the  design  of  this  present  min- 
istry to  serve  us  as  they  have  our  brethren  in  Ireland, — first  to  raise  a  revenue 
from  us  sufficient  to  support  a  standing  army,  as  well  as  placemen  and  pension- 
ere,  and  then  laugh  at  our  calamities  and  glut  themselves  on  our  spoil,  many  of 
us  in  this  town  being  eye-witnesses  of  those  cruel  and  remorseless  enemies. 

'*  From  just  apprehension  of  the  horrors  and  terror  of  slavery  we  are  induced 
to  make  the  following  resolves  : 

"  Firet. — llesolced.  That  as  freemen  and  Englishmen  we  have  a  right  to  the  dis- 
posal of  what  is  our  own,  are  certain  there  is  no  property  in  that  which  another 
can  of  right  take  from  us  without  our  consent,  and  that  the  measures  of  late  pui- 
sued  by  the  Ministry  of  Great  Britain,  in  their  attempts  to  subject  the  colonies 
to  taxation  by  the  sole  authority  of  British  Parliament,  is  unjust,  arbitrary,  in- 
consistent, and  nn constitutional. 

"Secondly.— Rrsohed,  That  by  landing  teas  in  America,  imposing  a  duty  by  an 
act  of  Parliament  (as  is  said),  made  for  tlie  support  of  government,  etc.,  has  a 
direct  tendency  to  subvert  our  Constitution  and  to  render  our  General  Assembly 
useless  and  goveinment  arbitrary,  as  well  as  bondage  and  slavery  which  never 
was  designed  by  Heaven  or  earth. 

"Thirdly. — Jiesolved,  That  raising  a  revenue  in  America  to  support  placemen 
and  pensioners,  who,  no  doubt,  when  their  scheme  is  once  established,  will  be  as 
merciless  as  those  task-masters  in  Egypt,  and  will  silence  the  murmui-s  of  the 
people  by  laying  on  them  greater  burdens. 

"  Fourthly. — Unsolved,  That  we  do  discountenance  mobs,  unlawful  and  riotous 
assemblies;  but  when  our  valuable  liberties  and  privileges  are  trod  underfoot, 
and  all  petitions  and  remonstrances  are  rejected  and  treated  with  infamy  and 
scorn,  it  is  the  duty  of  every  true-hearted  American  (if  possible)  to  free  them- 
selves from  impending  ruin. 

"  Fifthly. — Itesolved,  That  the  late  proceedings  of  the  town  of  Boston,  assem- 
bled at  Boston,  to  consult  measures  against  the  East  India  Company,  have  gained 
the  approbation  and  applause  of  every  true-hearted,  honest  man,  and  as  their 
struggle  is  for  the  rights  purchased  by  our  renowned  ancestors,  which  we  esteem 
as  dear  as  life  itself,  do  fully  express  our  satisfaction. 

"Sixthly. — Jtesoloed,  That  we  will  not,  by  ourselves  or  any  under  us,  directly 
or  indirectly,  purchase  any  tea,  neither  will  we  use  any  on  any  occasion,  until 
that  uurighteous  act  be  repealed,  and  will  use  our  utmost  endeavors  with  every 
person  in  our  town  as  we  have  opportunity,  that  they  shall  do  the  same,  and 
those  that  buy  and  sell  teas  contrary  to  our  true  intent  and  meaning,  shall  be 
viewed  as  enemies  to  their  country,  and  shall  be  treated  as  such." 


HISTORY  OF  FRANKLIN    COUNTY. 


749 


A  committee  was  chosen  "to  post  such  persons  as  shall  sell 
or  consume  that  unnecessary  article  tea,"  a  committee  of  cor- 
respondence selected,  to  consist  of  James  Stewart,  Hezekiah 
Smith,  George  Clark,  Joseph  Caldwell,  and  John  Harroun, 
and  Thomas  Bell  sent  as  a  delegate  to  the  Provincial  Con- 
gress. 

In  Februar}',  1775,  it  was  agreed  to  grant  20.s.  per  week  to 
Minute-Men,  provided  18  men  enlisted  previous  to  the  annual 
meeting;  but  in  case  that  number  could  not  be  secured,  none 
of  them  was  to  have  any  pay.  The  excited  state  of  public 
feeling  in  the  autumn  of  1774  is  shown  in  a  record  which 
tolls  of  the  selection  of  a  committee  "to  prevent  mobs  and 
riotous  assemblies  in  this  town." 

Upon  the  sounding  of  the  Lexington  alarm  in  1775,  Capt. 
Hugh  McLellan  raised  in  Coleraine  and  Shelburne  a  com- 
pany of  Minute-Men,  who  were  mustered  into  Col.  Samuel 
Williams'  regiment  and  marched  for  Boston,  April  20th.* 
The  names  of  the  men  in  the  company  were  as  below : 
Hugh  McLellan,  Captain;  Jacob  Pool,  Lieutenant;  Abra- 
ham Pennell,  Second  Lieutenant;  John  Stewart,  Samuel 
Boyd,  David  Morris,  and  Amasa  Kemp,  Sergeants ;  John 
Patterson,  Archibald  Pennell,  and  Elisha  Kansom,  Corporals  ; 
with  the  following  privates:  William  Anderson,  Thomas 
Barber,  Matthew  Chirk,  Robert  Fulton,  William  Fulton, 
John  Henderson,  John  Kateley,  Isaac  Pennell,  James  Pen- 
nell, Samuel  Stewart,  James  White,  James  Wilde,  Daniel 
Morrison,  Joseph  Caldwell,  John  Fulton,  AVilliara  Clark, 
Robert  Miller,  James  Walles,  William  Stewart,  John  Har- 
roun,. Lawrence  Kemp,  John  Burdoch,  Job  Coleman,  John 
Herton,  David  Hunter,  John  Long,  John  Taylor,  Jabez  Ran- 
.som,  Benjamin  Nash,  Benjamin  Allen,  Stephen  Kellogg, 
Noah  Wells,  Jonathan  Fisk,  William  Hitten. 

In  the  summer  of  1775  the  town  passed  a  resolution  "that 
any  constable  or  collector  who  refuses  to  take  assessments  shall 
be  viewed  as  an  enemy  to  his  country,  and  their  estates  shall 
be  declared  forfeited." 

About  this  time  the  General  Court  ordered  men  to  be  raised 
"  for  Canada,"  but  Coleraine  refused  to  offer  anj'  bountj'  for 
the  men  required  as  its  quota,  although  it  is  presumed  that  the 
men  were  obtained. 

In  Capt.  Lawrence  Kemp's  company  of  6(3  men,  which 
served  at  Ticonderoga  forty-seven  days,  beginning  February 
23  and  ending  April  10,  1777,  were  the  following  Coleraine 
men:  John  Stewart,  First  Lieutenant;  Samuel  Stewart,  Ser- 
geant;  Isaac  Pennell  and  Archibald  Pennell,  Corporals;  and 
Privates  David  Harroun,  Gawn  Riddle,  Rominer  Smith,  James 
Stewart,  David  Morrison,  David  McGee,  John  Caldwell,  John 
Call,  Moses  Ruinger,  Wm.  Wilson,  Robert  Patterson,  Peter 
Wilson,  John  Walles. 

It  is  said  that  when  the  battle  of  Bennington  was  fought, 
Aug.  l(i,  1777,  the  roar  of  the  conflict  was  heard  at  Coleraine, 
whereupon  Capt.  Hugh  McLellan's  company,  in  Col.  David 
Field's  regiment,  set  out  for  Bennington,  August  17th.  In 
that  company  were  the  following  Coleraine  men  :  Hugh 
McLellan,  Captain;  Mathew  Clark  and  Hugh  Morrison, 
Sergeants ;  and  Privates  David  Morrison,  James  Walles, 
Thoniiis  Fox,  Gawn  Riddle,  Eli.sha  Fohes,  James  Pennell, 
Archibald  Pennell,  David  Morris,  Andrew  Henry,  John  Ful- 
ton, Wm.  Fulton,  Wm.  Mcllwaine,  Hugh  Henry,  Abner 
Carswell,  David  Smith,  Joseph  Caldwell,  Jas.  Stewart,  Hugh 
Stewart,  David  McGce,  John  Newman,  James  White,  Joseph 
Henry,  John  Call,  Moses  Fulton,  Moses  Ruinger,  John  Bol- 
ton, John  Mathews,  Andrew  Neilson,  Robert  Riddle. 

Capt.  Hugh  McLellan's  company,  which  served  in  Col. 
David  Wells'  regiment  from  Sept.  20  to  Oct.   18,   1777,  in- 


*  There  is  some  mistake  in  tliis  date.  The  battle  of  Lexington  was  fouglit  on 
the  19tli  of  April;  the  settlement  was  nearly  one  hundred  miles  from  Boston; 
and  if  the  comi>any  was  reci-uited  after  the  news  arrived, — which  wonhl  have 
taken  some  time, — it  could  not  have  started  for  Boston  on  the  day  succeeding  the 
battle. 


eluded  the  following:  Hugh  McLellan,  Captain  ;  John  Stew- 
art, Lieutenant;  John  Patterson,  Hugh  Morrison,  David 
Harroun,  and  James  Pennell,  Sergeants  ;  Thos.  Fox,  William 
Fulton,  and  Thos.  McGee,  Corporals  ;  and  Privates  Jas.  Mc- 
Cullough,  Wm.  Shearer,  Seth  Clark,  Wm.  McElwaine,  John 
Walles,  Seth  Denio,  Walter  Bell,  David  Smith,  Henry  Walles, 
John  Call,  Josiah  Kennedy,  John  Love,  Hugh  Stewart,  Jas. 
Harkness,  Hugh  Henry,  John  Harroun,  John  Neilson,  Abner 
Carswell,  W^m.  McCrelles,  Joseph  Henry,  Matthew  Donelson, 
Daniel  Clark,  Nathaniel  Smith,  Wm.  Pierce,  Moses  Johnson, 
Gawn  Riddle,  Jonathan  McGee,  James  Stewart,  Wm.  Clark, 
Nathaniel  Turner,  Joseph  Thompson,  Moses  Fulton,  Silas 
Kellogg,  Robert  Pennell,  John  McDonald,  Hugh  Morrison, 
Jas.  Mathews. 

There  were  Tories  in  the  town,  but  they  were  so  completely 
overawed  that  they  contented  themselves  with  observing  a 
peaceful  neutrality.  Suspected  persons  were  prosecuted  by 
a  town  committee  chosen  for  that  especial  business. 

Coleraine  was  ardently  patriotic  during  the  Revolution, 
and  gave  wellnigh  all  her  able-bodied  men  to  the  .service. 
Besides  those  heretofore  enumerated,  many  Coleraine  men 
enlisted  in  commands  recruited  in  distant  towns. 

In  1777,  John  Wood  rai.sed  and  commanded  a  company  of 
Coleraine  artificers,  and,  with  John  Bolton  as  his  second  in 
command,  entered  the  service  in  September  of  that  year.  The 
company  was  assigned  to  W'est  Point,  and  remained  there 
until  the  close  of  the  war,  in  1783.  Ca])tain  Wood,  retiring 
from  the  service  a  few  months  after  reaching  West  Point, 
gave  place  to  Lieut.  Bolton,  who  remained  thereafter  in  chief 
command.  He  was  enlisted  heart  and  soul  in  the  cause  of 
liberty,  and,  the  general  government  failing  to  pay  his  men, 
he  mortgaged  his  property  in  Coleraine,  and  himself,  to  his 
own  impoverishment,  maintained  them.  He  was  the  direct- 
ing spirit  in  the  construction  of  the  works  of  defense  at  West 
Point,  and  in  the  building  of  the  Croton  River  bridge.  He 
was,  however,  illy  rewarded  for  his  devotion,  his  patriotism, 
and  his  sacrifices.  Not  only  were  his  men  denied  payment 
for  their  closing  services,  but  they  were  left  by  the  govern- 
ment to  reach  their  homes  as  best  they  could,  without  money, 
and  frequently  without  food,  while  Bolton,  having  sacrificed 
all  his  property  to  his  country's  cause,  found  himself  a  pauper 
and  homeless  at  the  close  of  the  struggle.  His  last  days  were 
spent  with  his  children  in  New  York,  where  he  died  in  1807. 

Capt.  Hugh  McLellan  took  a  conspicuous  part  in  the  stir- 
ring scenes  of  the  Revolution,  and  from  first  to  last  was  the 
foremost  man  in  Coleraine  in  the  business  of  raising  troops 
for  the  service,  himself  commanding  at  least  three  companies 
sent  from  that  town  on  as  many  occasions.  Dr.  Holland  re- 
lates the  following  of  him  : 

"  lie  was  at  the  battle  of  Stillwater,  and  wji.s  on  several  occasions  chosen  to 
perform  perilous  duty.  After  the  battle  Gen.  Bm-goyne  sent  forward  a  com- 
pany of  ai"tificers,  protected  by  a  strong  guard,  to  prepare  a  way  of  reU-eat.  It 
became  necessary  for  the  American  cjmmander  1^  have  those  works,  so  far  as 
they  had  been  completed,  destroyed.  Capt.  McLellan  and  his  company  were 
chosen  to  perform  this  duty.  Under  cover  of  niglit,  they  went  and  destroyed  a 
bridge  which  the  enemy  had  erected.  On  their  return  to  the  American  camp, 
they  passed  a  house  in  which  Capt.  3L  conjectured  a  part  of  the  guard  sent  for- 
ward by  Gen.  Burgoyne  might  be  stationed.  He  placed  his  men  around  the 
house,  so  that  no  one  could  escape,  and  then  ordered  two  of  them  to  fire  at  the 
door;  upon  wliich  a  company  of  31  men  came  out.  A  battle  ensued,  in  which 
all  of  the  enemy  were  killed  save  two,  who  were  taken  prisonera.  These  two 
afterward  joined  the  American  army,  and  Capt.  McLellan's  company,  and  when 
he  returned  to  Coleraine,  they  came  with  him.  The  name  of  one  was  Harris 
the  other  Bond,— father  of  James  Bond,  recently  of  Heath.  Capt.  McLellan, 
for  many  years,  was  one  of  the  principal  men  of  the  town.  He  w;ts  a  man  of 
sterling  integrity,  kind  and  affable  mannei-s,  and  was  beloved  by  all  who  knew 
him." 

In  1779  the  town  resolved  that 

"No  person  belonging  to  any  other  town  shall  imrchase  cattle  or  any  other 
provisions  in  this  town  unless  such  person  shall  produce  a  certificate  from  the 
town  to  which  he  belongs  that  he  is  not  a  monopolizer  or  foreataller,  and  that 
he  is  a  friend  to  the  United  States." 

At  the  close  of  the  war,  in  1783,  it  was  voted  that  "  the  people 


750 


HISTORY   OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


called  refugees  that  have  gone  to  the  British  shall   not  return 
to  live  among  us." 

NOTEWORTHY  INCIDENTS. 

In  1753,  on  April  12th,  the  members  of  the  settlement  ob- 
served a  day  of  fasting  and  prayer,  and  a  record  relates  that 
Mr.  Abercrombie  and  Mr.  Ashley,  of  Deerfield,  were  invited 
"  to  come  and  keep  the  fast ;"  but  nothing  is  recorded  to  show 
why  the  fast  and  prayer  were  ordered.* 

Hugh  Morrison  must  have  Icept  a  house  of  entertainment 
very  soon  after  the  earliest  settlement,  for  he  presented  a  bill 
in  1753  "  for  hording  the  ministers  and  some  likyure  spent  at 
the  ordenation." 

A  bridge  was  built  over  North  Kiver  in  1752,  and  for  the 
"  Rhumb"  furnished  by  him  on  the  occasion  of  the  raising  of 
the  bridge-frame  Hugh  McLellan  presented  a  bill. 

Upon  the  beginning,  in  1782,  of  the  controversies  which 
subsequently  led  to  the  Shays  rebellion,  the  town  voted  its 
opinion  to  be  that  the  county  courts  ought  not  to  sit  in  the 
county  of  Hampshire  on  civil  cases  until  the  grievances  suf- 
fered by  the  town  should  be  redressed.  A  consultation  was 
held  with  other  towns,  and  it  was  agreed  that  such  persons  as 
should  go  to  Northampton  at  the  time  fixed  for  the  sessions 
of  the  courts  should  be  provided  with  ammunition  out  of  the 
town-stock.  Material  support  was  given  by  Coieraine  to  the 
Shays  cause,  but  there  were  also  Coieraine  men  in  the  ser- 
vice as  government  soldiers  during  the  rebellion.  Among 
them  were  Col.  Hugh  McLellan,  Lieut. -Col.  Jo.seph  Stebbins, 
and  William  Stevens,  James  Stewart,  James  McGee,  David 
Harrouu,  Jonathan  McGee,  "William  S.  Williams,  and  Jas. 
Hall. 

On  the  insurgent  side,  Capt.  Clarke  was  conspicuous  as  one 
of  the  committee  appointed  to  raise  troops,  and  James  White, 
also  of  Coieraine,  was  among  those  of  the  insurgents  who 
were,  upon  the  suppression  of  the  rebellion,  tried  by  the  gov- 
ernment and  sentenced  to  death. j- 

A  notable  incident  in  the  later  history  of  Coieraine  was 
the  murder  of  Klmira  A.  Cheney  by  Simeon  Peck,  at  Gris- 
woldville,  in  1867.  It  appears  that  Peck  lived  unhappily 
with  his  wife  in  the  village  of  Griswoldville,  where  both 
were  mill-operatives,  and,  urged  by  her  reproaches  and  her 
declarations  that  she  would  seek  a  separation,  he  left  the  vil- 
lage, saying  he  would  return  no  more.  He  did  return,  how- 
ever, not  many  days  afterward,  and,  upon  being  again  repu- 
diated by  his  wife  after  a  sudden  appearance  before  her  at  her 
home,  he  broke  into  a  violent  rage,  and  in  its  first  outburst  lie 
attacked  Miss  Cheney,  who  was  present  in  the  apartment, 
with  a  stick  of  wood.  After  beating  her  insensible  he  pur- 
sued his  wife,  who  had  fled  at  the  first  assault,  and  after 
seriously  wounding  her  he  sought  to  escape.  He  was  happily 
captured  before  he  had  gone  far,  and,  Miss  Cheney  dying  a 
few  hours  after  the  assault.  Peck  was  tried  for  the  murder, 
but,  being  adjudged  insane,  was  lodged  in  an  insane  asylum; 
whence  being  dismissed  in  1872,  he  was  again  placed  on  trial 
for  the  murder  of  Miss  Cheney,  and  upon  conviction  was 
sentenced  to  the  State's  prison  fur  life. 

ORGANIZATION. 
Originally  called  Boston  Township,  No.  2,  the  name  of  the 
settlement  was  changed  in  1712  to  Coieraine  (then  written 
Colrain),  in  honor  of  Baron  Coieraine,  of  Ireland,  who  prom- 
ised in  advance  to  send  over  the  gift  of  a  church-bell.  It  is 
said  that  the  bell  was  sent,  but  it  never  reached  its  intended 
destination,  although  the  honor  was  permitted  to  remain  with 
Baron  Coieraine,  and  later  on  was  ratified  when,  June  30, 
1761,  the  town  was  incorporated  with  the  name  it  now  bears. 
The  tract  incorporated  was  increased  in  1779  by  the  addition 
of  a  strip  of  land  called  the  Gore,  taken  from  that  part  of 

*  Probably  the  usual  annual  fast. 

t  The  death  peualty  was  remitted,  no  one  being  e.Yecuted. 


Bernardston  lying  west  of  Green  River,  by  which  the  town 
became  one  of  the  largest  in  the  county. 

SELKCTMEN. 

17G1. — Thomas  Morris,  George  Clark,  John  Pennell,  .Jr.,  Robert  Fulton,  William 

JlcOreli-s  (2d). 
17G2.— James  Stewart,  AVilliam  Ht-nry,  John  Pennell,  Jr.,  Thomas  Morris,  Samuel 

Eayrs. 
1703. — George  Clark,  John  Clark,  John  Cochran,  Mathew  Bolton,  John  McCreles. 
17t>l. — James  Stewart,  George  Clark,  John  Morrison. 
17G5. — William  Henry,  Riehard  Ellis,  John  McCreles,  Mathew  Bolton. 
17G6. — Thomas   Morris,  George  Breckonridge,  William   McCreles  (2d),  Andrew 

Lukes,  David  Harroun. 
1767. — Thomas  McGee,  William  Henry,  Robert  Fulton,  George  Clark,  James 

Clai-k. 
1708. — John  Clark,  Hezekiali  Smith,  Thomas  McGee,  James  Stewart,  Jr.,  John 

Anderson. 
1709.— Robert  Fulton,  George  Clark,  William  Claik,  William  Stewart,  Thomas 

Monis. 
1770. — Joseph  Caldwell,  James  Stewart,  Janies  Bell,  David  Harroun,  Hugh 

Bolton. 
1771. — Thomas  Morris,  Thomas  McGee,  James  Bell,  John  Morrison,  Hugli  Mc- 
Lellan, 
1772.— James  Stewart,  .Toseph  Caldwell,  Hugh  Riddle,  John  (3arU,  H.  McLellan. 
1773. — George  Clark,  Joseph  Caldwell,  Jatnes  Stewait,  John  Mori  ison,  H.  Mc- 
Lellan. 
1774. — George  Clark,  Joseph  Caldwell,  James  Stewart,  Hugh  Riddle,  H.  McLellan. 
1775. — John   Harroun,  Robert  Pennell,  John  Morrison,  William  McCrales  (2d), 

Joseph  Thompson. 
1770. — John  Harroun,  Hugh  McLellan,  John  Morrison,  David  Harroun,  Abialiam 

Pennell. 
1777. — William  Mireles,  George  Clai'k,  Hugh  Riddle,  David  Wilson,  Jas.  Stewart. 
1778. — John  Morrison,  Capt.  McLellan,  Daniel  Donelson,  Robert  Miller,  James 

Stewart. 
1779. — Orrin  Smith,  Capt.  McLellan,  Wm.  Stewart,  Deacon  Clark,  James  Stewart. 
17S0. — Hezekiah  Smith,  Capt.  McLellan,  James  Stew  art,  Hugh  Riddle,  David 

Harroun. 
1781. — John  Morrison,  Hugh  McLellan,  William  Stewart,  Daniel  Douelson,  Oliver 

Newell. 
1782. — William  Caldwell,Hugh  McLellan,  Janies  Stewart,  George  Pattison,  David 

Wilson. 
1783. — Jona.  McGee,  Deacon  Harroun,  William  Stewart,  Hugh  Morrison,  James 

Fulton. 
1784. — Joseph  Caldwell,  Geo.  Pattison,  Wm.  Stewart,  David  Wilson,  John  Gragg. 
1785. — Jos.  Caldwell,  Col.  McLellan,  Wm.  Caldwell,  David  Wilson,  Jona.  McGee. 
1780. — Joseph  Caldwell,  James  Stewart,  William  Stewart,  David  Wilson,  George 

Pattison. 
1787.- — Joseph  Caldwell,  Jona.  McGee,  Col.  McLellan,  Wm.  Stevens,  Oreu  Smith. 
1788. — George  Pattison,  Moses  Johnson,  Jona.  Wilson,  Josiah  Cooledge,  David 

Wilson. 
1789.— Hugh  McLellan,  Matthew  Clark,  Samuel  Eddy,  Jacob  Gragg,  D.  Wilson. 
1790. — Hugh  McLellan,  Jona^McGee,  Samuel  Eddy,  David  Smith,  D.  Wilson. 
1791. — Hugh  McLellan,  Mathew  Clark,  Jona.  Wilson,  David  Smith,  D.  Wilson. 
1792.— Hugh  McLellan,  Mathew  Clark,  Wm.  Caldwell, David  Morrison,  D.  Wilson. 
1793. — Hugh  McLellan,  Jona.  Wilson,  Samuel  Eddy,  Oren  Smith,  D.  Wilson. 
1794. —  Hugh  McLellan,  Jona.  Wilson,  David  Smith,  Moses  Ranger,  D.  Wilson. 
1795.— Hugh  McLellan,  David  Wilson,  Oien  Smith,  David  Smith,  M.  G.  Riddle. 
1790. — Hugh    SlcLellau,  David   Wilson,  Jona.  Patteraon,  David  Smith,  Robert 

Miller. 
1797. — H.  McLellan,  David  Wilson,  David  Smith,  Jona.  McGee,  Hugh  Thompson. 
1798. — Jona.  Pattison,  Oliver  HoUors,  David  Smith,  Jas.  Taggart,  Mathew  Clark. 
1799. — Hugh  McLellan,  David  Smith,  David  Wilson,  Jona.  Patterson,  Nathaniel 

Smith. 
1800.— Hugh  McLellan,  David  Smith,  Clark  Chandler,  David  Wilson,  Jona.  Pat- 

tei-son. 
1801. — Hugh  McLellan,  David  Smith,  Jona.  Patterson,  David   Wilson,  Calvin 

Smith. 
1802. — Hugh  McLellan,  David  Smith,  David  Wilson,  Calvin  Smith. 
1803. — Hugh   McLellan,   Adam    Pattison,   Calvin  Smith,  David  Smith,   Clark 

Chandler. 
1804. — Hugh  McLellan,  Adam  Pattison,  Daniel  Wilson,  David  Smith,  Abel  Shat- 

tuck. 
1805. — Samuel  Ross,  Adam  Pattison,  Daniel  Willis,  David  Smith,  Robert  Miller. 
1800. — Samuel  Ross,  Adam  Pattison,  Daniel  Willis,  David  Smith,  Elias  Bardwell. 
1807. — Samuel  Ross,  R.  L.  McLellan,  Daniel  Willis,  David  Smith,  Calvin  Smith. 
1808. — Samuel  Ross,  R.  L.  McLellan,  Levi  McGee,  David  Smith,  Calvin  Smith. 
1809. — Thomas  Miller,  R.  L.  McLellan,  James  Wliite,  David  Smith,  Calvin  Smith. 
1810. — Robert  Miller,  Jona.  Peterson,  Jas.  Wliite,  David  Smith,  Elias  Bardwell. 
1811. — Robert  Miller,  Jona.  Peterson,   Hugh  McLellan,  David   Smith,  Daniel 

WilUs. 
1812.— Robert  Miller,  L.  S.  McGee,  Hugh  McLellan,  David  Smith,  Daniel  WilUs. 
1813,— Robert  Miller,  L.  S.  McGee,  John  Drury,  David  Smith,  Daniel  Willis. 
1814. — Robert  Miller,  R.  L.  McLellan,  George  W^alkup,  David  Smith,  Daniel 

Willis. 
1815.— Robert  Miller,  R.  L.  McLellan,  L.  S.  McGee,  Hussel  Avery,  D.  Willis. 
1810. — Robert  Miller,  Calvin  Smith,  Samuel  Pierce. 
1817-18. — Calvin  Smith,  Samuel  Pierce,  Michael  McLellan. 


^■-^-^^ 


This  gentleman  is  descended  in  a  direct  line  (the  eighth 
generation")  from  William  Shattuek,  who  was  born  in  England 
in  1621  or  1622,  died  in  Watertown,  Mass.,  Aug.  14, 1672, 
and  was  the  progenitor  of  those  who  have  borne  his  name 
in  America.  The  line  is  as  follows  :  1st,  William  Shattuek  ; 
2d,  John  Shattuek,  born  in  Watertown,  Feb.  11,  1G47,  and 
drowned  Sept.  14,  1675  ;  3d,  William  Shattuek,  born  in 
Watertown,  Sept.  11,  1670,  died  in  Groton  in  1744;  4th, 
John  Shattuek,  born  in  Watertown  in  1696,  a  mason  and 
Airmer,  died  about  1759  ;  5th,  Thomas  Shattuek,  born  in 
Marlboro',  Marcli  3,  1724,  died  in  Petersham ;  6th,  Ezra 
Shattuek,  born  in  Petersham,  Aug.  5,  1751,  a  miller  and 
farmer  in  the  town  of  Leyden,  and  died  there  Aug.  8, 
1816;  7th,  Luther  Shattuek,  born  in  Lejden,  April  18, 
1787,  died  March  10,  1834;  8th,  Calvin  W.  Shattuek, 
who  was  born  in  Leyden,  Franklin  Co.,  Mas.s.,  Feb.  15, 
ISll,  the  eldest  child  of  Luther  and  31argery  Shattuek. 

Ezra  Shattuek,  liis  grandfather,  was  one  of  the  first 
settlers  of  the  town  of  Leyden.  He  built  there  a  grist- 
and  saw-mill,  and  carried  on  a  farm.  His  fiither,  Luther 
Shattuek,  was  a  millwright  by  trade,  and  lived  and  died  in 
Leyden. 

Calvin  W.  Shattuek  remained  at  home  until  seventeen 
years  old,  to  which  period  he  was  employed  in  his  fiuher's 
mills  and  on  the  farm,  receiving  his  education  in  the  district 
schools  of  the  neighborhood.  In  1828  he  left  home  and  was 
clerk  in  a  store  at  Guilford,  Vt.,  where  be  remained  about 
two  years  and  a  half.  Jan.  1,  1831,  he  was  clerk  in  C.  & 
H.  Thompson's  store  in  Coleraine  City,  and  remained  there 
until  May,  1832,  when  he  commenced  trade  on  his  own 
account  at  Shelburne  Falls,  where  he  remained  two  j'e;irs. 
He  then  began  merchandising  at  Coleraine,  and  continued 
therein  trade  until  1848.     In  1837  he  purchased  an  interest 


with  his  old  employers,  the  Messrs.  Thompson,  in  a  cotton- 
mill  in  that  portion  of  Coleraine  now  known  as  Shattuck- 
ville,  and  in  the  spring  of  1849  he  moved  there,  and  has 
continued  to  reside  there  since.  In  1869  the  entire  prop- 
erty, valued  at  one  hundred  thousand  dollars,  was  swept 
away  by  a  flood.  Mr.  Shattuek  rebuilt  the  factory,  enlarg- 
ing it  to  nearly  double  its  former  capacity.  The  factory 
has  one  hundred  and  seventy-eight  looms,  and  employs  about 
one  hundred  hands. 

Mr.  Shattuek  was  married,  Oct.  14, 1834,  to  Mary  Thomp- 
son, daughter  of  Charles  and  Mary  Thompson.  Mrs.  Shat- 
tuek was  born  in  Coleraine,  June  11,  1815.  Their  chil- 
dren are  Charles  W.,  born  March  25,  1837,  a  merchant 
in  Shattuckville ;  Luther  T.,  born  Aug.  19,  1840,  a  com- 
mission merchant  in  New  York ;  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Harvey 
Ingalls,  born  Nov.  14,  1843,  resides  in  Khinebeck,  N.  Y. ; 
John  W.,  born  Aug.  18,  1846,  in  company  with  Luther 
T.  in  New  York.     Mrs.  Shattuek  died  Aug.  14,  1876. 

Mr.  Shattuek  has  filled  various  positions  of  public  trust. 
He  was  twenty-one  years  a  justice  of  the  peace,  and  post- 
master from  1837,  for  most  of  the  time,  to  1860.  He  was 
town  clerk  for  many  yeare,  and  was  elected  a  representative 
to  the  State  Legislature  for  the  session  of  1876. 

In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat ;  in  religion  a  Universalist. 
Few  men  of  Coleraine  have  been  more  closely  identified 
with  the  growth  and  upbuilding  of  the  town  than  has  Mr. 
Shattuek.  Starting  as  a  clerk  in  a  store,  then  proprietor,  -- 
afterward  an  owner  in  a  large  cotton-mill ;  and  follow- 
ing up  the  total  loss  of  the  same,  the  result  of  years  of 
labor,  with  a  foresight  and  pluck  so  characteristic  of  the 
New  England  manufiicturer,  has  enabled  him  to  replace  the 
property  much  enlarged,  and  is  now  the  honored  proprietor 
of  the  thriviua;  hamlet  to  which  he  has  given  a  name. 


HISTORY  OF   FRANKLIN  COUNTY. 


751 


1819. — R.  L.  McLellan,  Isaac  Johnson,  George  Echs. 
1S20. — R.  L.  SIcLellan,  John  Wilson,  George  Echs. 
1821-2.3.— E.  L.  McLellan,  Darid  Denison,  George  Echs. 
182-4-2.^. — Charles  Thompson,  Samuel  Pierce,  John  Wilson. 
1826. — Charles  Thompson,  Samuel  Pierce,  Michael  McLellan. 
1827. — Joseph  Smith,  Samuel  Pierce,  Michael  McLellan. 
1828. — John  Wilson,  George  Echs,  Michael  McLellan. 
1829. — Samuel  Pierce,  David  Purington,  Michael  McLellan. 
1830. — John  Wilson,  Joseph  Smith,  .Tames  Shearer. 
1831. — Samuel  Pierce,  John  Wilson,  Amos  Stewart. 
1832. — Joseph  Smith,  Amos  Stewart,  Jona.  Johnson. 
1833. — Joseph  Smith,  Amos  Stewai^,  Joel  Farley. 
1834-37. — Amos  Stewart,  Joel  Farley,  Jesse  Spain. 
1838.— Amos  Stewart,  Thomas  Barber,  Baxter  Bardwell. 
1839. — Ba-xter  Bardwell,  Stephen  Shepardson,  Joel  Farley. 
1840. — Baxter  Bardwell,  Lucius  Lyon,  Levi  Thompson. 
1841. — John  Wilson,  Jonathan  Johnson,  Hugh  McElvaine. 
1842. — John  Wilson,  Amos  Stewart,  Aaron  Lyons. 
1843. — John  Wilson,  Amos  Stewart,  William  Coonil>s. 
1844. — James  Barber,  Hezekiah  Smitli,  David  Thompson,  Jr. 
1845.— Daniel  Wilson,  Hezekiah  Smith,  Darid  S.  Pierce. 
184€. — Hugh  McLellan,  Amos  Stewart,  Morris  Pierce . 
1847. — .lonathan  Totman,  Thomas  Fox,  Asaph  W.  Snow. 
1848^9.— Dexter  Wilson,  Hezekiah  Smith,  A.  W.  Snow. 
1850.— Joseph  Smith,  F.  S.  Hillman,  Gurdon  Thompson. 
1851. — Morris  Pierce,  Asaph  W.  Snow,  S.  W.  Gleason. 
1852.— Hezekiah  Smith,  George  W.  Miller,  Charles  Hillman. 
18,53. — Hezekiah  Smith,  Franklin  Newell,  D.  A.  Denison. 
1854. — John  Wilson,  David  Nelson,  .Jonathan  Johnson. 
18.55. — Joseph  Smith,  George  W.  Miller,  .lohn  Cromack. 
18.56. — David  L.  Smith,  David  Nelson,  Thomas  Purington. 
1857. — Rominer  Smith,  David  Nelson,  Nelson  Peterson. 
1858. — Hezekiah  Smith,  David  Nelson,  Nelson  Peterson. 
1859.— Hezekiah  Smith,  Asaph  W.  Snow,  C.  S.  Patterson. 
1860-61.— Samuel  D.  Cole,  Samuel  N.  Wilson,  E.  H.  Thompson. 
1862.— Samuel  D.  Cole,  Dennis  Wilson,  Hugh  McLellan. 
1863.— Amos  Stewart,  E.  H.  Thompson,  David  L.  Smith. 
1864.— S.  D.  Cole,  O.  F.  Morrison,  Hugh  McLellan. 
186,5-06.— David  L.  Smith.  S.  D.  Handy,  .Tosoph  B.  Clark. 
1867.— D.  L.  Smith,  S.  D.  Handy,  E.  II.  Thompson. 
1868.— William  Stewart,  Nelson  Peterson,  E.  H.  Thompson. 
1869.- William  Stewart,  A.  C.  Smith,  Morris  Pierce. 
1870.^Jo8eph  Griswold,  William  S.  Gleason,  S.  W.  Wheel  er. 
1871.— Joseph  Griswold,  E.  H.  Thompson,  S.  W.  Wheeler. 
1872.— Dennis  Wilson,  William  Stewart,  S.  W.  Wheeler. 
1873.— Dennis  Wilson,  William  Stewart,  Joseph  B.  Clark. 
1874-75.— J.  B.  Clark,  Eari  Shearer,  George  H.  Phillips. 
1876.— J.  A.  Dwight,  Earl  Shearer,  H.  M.  Peterson. 
1877-79. — J.  Dwight,  Earl  Shearer,  Lorenzo  Spurr. 

TOWN  CLERKS. 
John  Pennell,  Jr.,  1761  to  1762 ;  Mathew  Bolton,  1763  ;  James  Stewart,  1764  to 
1780;  William  Caldwell.  1781 ;  James  Stewart,  1782  to  1787  ;  Thomas  Bell,  Jr., 
1788  to  1790;  Jonathan  McGee,  1791  to  1803;  Clark  Chandler,  1801  to  1818; 
Samuel  Pierce,  1819  to  1828 ;  Jonathan  Totman,  1829 ;  Hallis  Thompson,  1830  to 
1841;  C.  W.  ShatlMck,  1842 ;  Samuel  Coohdge,  1843  ;  C.  W.  Shattuck,  1844 ;  J. 
W.  McGce,  1845  to  1846;  Samuel  Coolidge,  1847  to  1S4S ;  Horatio  Flagg,  1849  to 
1855;  Jesse  Cone,  1856  to  1865;  A.  C.  Smith,  1866  to  1879. 

REPRESENTATIVES   AT   THE   GENERAL   COURT. 

In  1764  the  selectmen  were  empowered  to  appoint  a  man 
to  "go  to  the  "next  General  Court,"  but  who  was  selected  is 
not  indicated.  The  first  representative  named  in  the  records 
was  Joseph  Caldwell,  who  was  chosen  in  1775.  Between  that 
year  and  1857,  when  Coleraine  became  a  part  of  the  First 
Representative  District,  the  town  was  represented  by  the  fol- 
lowing persons  in  succession : 

Joseph  Caldwell,  Hezekiah  Smith,  James  Stewart,  Hugh  McLellan,  Clark 
Chandler,  David  Smith,  Jonathan  McGee,  Robert  L.  McLellan,  Daniel  Willis, 
Calvin  Smith,  Samuel  Pierce,  Charles  Thompson,  Michael  McLellan,  .John  Wilson, 
Joel  Farley,  Jonathan  Johnson,  Joseph  Smith,  Amos  Stewart,  Amos  Bardwell, 
F.  Newell,  Presbury  Hillman,  Arad  Town,  William  J.  Davis,  Horatio  Fhigg, 
Rominer  Smith,  H.  S.  Denison,  A.  C.  Deane,  D.  A.  Denison. 

VILLAGES. 
There  are  in  the  town  seven  villages,   to  wit :    Coleraine 
Centre,  Elm  Grove,  Griswoldville,  Shattuckville,  Adamsvillc, 
Lyonsville,   and   Foundry   village,   of   which   the   first   five 
named  are  postal  stations. 

COLERAINE   CENTRE 

is  the  oldest  settlement,  and  is  peopled  and  supported  chiefly 
by  agriculturists.    Here  are  the  town-hall,  three  stores,  an  ex- 


cellent hotel,  and  two  churches  ;  the  town  business  is  done  at 
this  place. 

FOUNDRY   VILLAGE, 

now  a  rural  settlement  (although  at  an  early  date  the  location 
of  an  iron-foundry,  operated  by  George  Hastings  in  1834,  and 
later  by  U.  Thomas,  when  it  was  swept  away  by  a  flood  in 
1869),  is  a  mile  west  of  the  centre,  and  contains  a  Baptist 
Church  and  a  few  business  places.  Near  here,  at  what  is 
known  as  Willis  Place,  is  one  of  the  cotton-mills  of  the  Gris- 
woldville Manufacturing  Company,  whose  employes,  to  the 
number  of  100,  reside  in  substantial  brick  tenements  dose  at 
hand,  and  owned  by  the  company. 

LYONSVILLE, 

half  a  mile  south  of  Willis  Place,  is  a  small  hamlet  of  half  a 
dozen  houses,  without  features  of  especial  interest,  and  .south 
of  this,  about  a  mile,  is 

GRI.SWOLDVILLE, 

the  location  of  the  main  mills  of  the  Griswoldville  Manufac- 
turing Company.  The  handsome  residences  of  the  Messrs. 
Griswold,  and  the  many  neat  tenements  and  cottages  occupied 
by  the  employes,  prettily  embellish  the  village,  while  the 
bu.sy  hum  of  the  great  mills  animates  and  enlivens  the  place. 

SHATTUCKVILLE, 

a  mile  south  of  Griswoldville,  is  a  manufacturing  point,  where 
Mr.  C.  W.  Shattuck  has,  since  1837,  operated  an  extensive 
cotton-mill,  in  which  100  persons  are  employed.  Here  there 
are  a  store  and  post-office,  and  the  population  is  mainly  com- 
posed of  employes  in  Mr.  Shattuck's  mill. 

The  villages  above  named  are  located  on  the  North  River, 
from  which  the  factories  mentioned  obtain  their  water-power. 
In  the  west,  Adamsville  is  a  small  agricultural  settlement, 
as  is  also  Elm  Grove,  in  the  northeast. 

CHURCHES. 

The  first  move  made  by  the  early  settlers  toward  the  en- 
couragement of  public  worship  was  early  in  1742,  when  a 
committee  was  appointed  to  provide  preaching;  and  a  com- 
mittee was  also  appointed  to  treat  with  "the  gentlemen"  for 
a  ministry  lot.  About  that  time  a  committee  was  appointed 
to  see  "the  gentlemen"  (the  Coleraine  proprietors)  and  ascer- 
tain what  ofi'ers  they  would  make  to  give  encouragement  for 
the  settlement  of  a  minister. 

In  that  year  a  meeting-house  was  built  on  what  is  now 
sometimes  called  Meeting-house  Hill,  about  a  mile  east  of 
Coleraine  Centre,  and  west  of  the  old  burying-ground.  There 
was  some  fear  that  the  completion  of  the  house  would  fail, 
and  "the  gentlemen"  were  again  appealed  to  to  assist  in 
building  the  church. 

Whether  the  aid  was  furnished  or  not  is  not  known,  but  it 
is  certain  that  the  structure  was  not  wholly  finished  and  fur- 
nished until  1769. 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Morri-son  was  probably  the  first  preacher  to 
occupy  the  pulpit  of  the  first  church,  for  an  entry  in  the  pro- 
prietors' records,  dated  Feb.  21,  1743,  sets  forth  that  "  we  will 
continue  Rev.  Mr.  Morrison  some  time  longer." 

In  1744  it  was  voted  to  have  transient  preaching,  and  in 
1745  the  proprietors  sent  to  the  Boston  Presbytery  for  a  min- 
ister, making  at  the  same  time  an  appropriation  of  £120  to 
meet  the  charge  of  a  minister.  In  May,  1746,  a  Mr.  Graham 
was  the  pastor,  but  how  long  he  served  cannot  be  told.  In 
1750  the  Boston  Presbytery  appointed  Rev.  Mr.  Abercrombie, 
of  Pelham,  "  to  ordain  the  elders  at  Coleraine  and  prepare  the 
way  for  the  administration  of  the  Lord's  Supper."  In  1752 
the  sum  of  j£120,  old  tenor,  was  granted  for  "  the  charges  of 
the  gospel,"  and  to  Rev.  Daniel  Mitchell  (who  had  supplied 
the  preaching  in  1749,  1750,  and  1751)  an  oft'er  of  a  settlement 
was  made,  with  the  promise,  as  a  salary,  of  .$210,  30  bu.sliels  of 
wheat,  and  60  days'  work  yearly,  but  the  Presbytery  declined 


752 


HISTORY  OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


to  consent  to  the  settleniKUt.  Early  in  ITTiS  it  was  decided  to 
extend  a  call  to  Rev.  Alexander  McDowell,  who  had  been 
preaching,  to  the  church,  which  was  organized  as  a  Presby- 
terian Church  about  1750,  and  in  September  of  that  year  he 
was  ordained.  He  preached  until  the  summer  of  1701,  when 
he  was  dismissed.  He  died  in  17012,  and  was  buried  in  the  old 
cemetery  on  the  hill,  but  no  stone  has  ever  marked  the  spot 
where  he  lies.  Mr.  McDowell's  annual  .salary  was  £200,  old 
tenor,  or  £26  13s.  4rf.,  lawful  money,  40  bushels  of  wheat,  and 
60  days'  work.  In  1768  the  town,  discussing  the  question  of 
Mr.  McDowell's  neglected  grave,  voted  not  to  get  gravestones 
for  it. 

In  1703,  Kev.  Mr.  Abercrombie  preached  occasionally,  and 
he  was  boarded,  according  to  town  agreement,  at  Deacon 
McGee's  ;  but  for  some  reason  he  failed  to  give  satisfaction, 
and  the  town,  deciding  that  he  should  preach  no  longer,  sent 
for  Eev.  Mr.  Thompson,  of  Nassau  Hall,  N.  J. 

In  1764  it  was  announced  that  any  man  who  would  take  the 
-shingles  otf  the  south  side  of  the  meeting-house  might  have 
them  if  he  would  return  the  nails  to  the  town.  Eev.  Mr.  Kin- 
kead  was  supplying  the  preaching  that  year,  and  was  chosen 
a  commissioner  "to  do  his  indevor  to  invite  a  minister  from 
pensilvania  to  preach  with  us  and  also  to  settle  with  us,  if  we 
like  each  other."  At  the  same  time  £45  were  raised  for  a  set- 
tlement, and  £40  salary  promised  for  such  minister  as  should 
be  settled.  At  this  time  Mathew  Bolton  was  directed  to 
"  frame  in  a  cell"  in  the  south  side  of  the  meeting-house,  and 
it  was  further  decided  to  color  the  meeting-house  "  Blew." 

There  was  much  apparent  difSculty  attendant  upon  the  se- 
curing of  a  pastor,  and,  in  1705,  Abner  Newton,  with  whom 
the  minister  boarded  in  1764,  was  sent  to  the  Presbytery  at 
Pelham,  at  a  cost  of  £2,  to  "do  the  business  of  obtaining  a 
preacher."  Rev.  Jonathan  Leavitt  was  invited  to  preach  in 
1760,  and,  in  1767,  Rev.  Simeon  Miller  was  given  a  call,  with 
the  promise  of  a  settlement  of  £100  and  a  salary  of  £40. 
There  was,  however,  no  settled  pastor  until  1709,  when  Rev. 
Daniel  McLellan  was  ordained.  It  is  related  that  Mr.  Mc- 
Lellan,  having  also  another  call  besides  that  of  Coleraine, 
was  undecided  which  to  accept,  and,  finally  setting  a  stick  on 
end,  it  fell  toward  Coleraine,  whereupon  ho  determined  to  go 
thither.  He  died  in  1773,  while  in  the  pastoral  charge,  and 
from  that  date  until  1777,  when  Rev.  Samuel  Taggart  was 
ordained,  the  church  depended  upon  supplies. 

Shortly  after  Mr.  Taggart's  settlement,  in  1779,  there  was 
some  agitation  in  favor  of  building  a  new  meeting-house  on 
the  west  side  of  North  River,  because  of  the  change  in  the 
centre  of  the  town's  population,  but  the  project  was  deferred 
until  1788,  when,  the  matter  being  revived,  the  building  of  a 
new  house  was  decided  upon,  and  a  committee  ajipointed  to 
direct  the  enterprise.  Meanwhile,  in  1784,  dissensions  arose 
in  the  first  church,  and  several  members  withdrew,  but,  be- 
yond reference  to  the  appointment  of  a  committee  to  settle  the 
controversy,  the  records  throw  no  light  upon  the  matter  at 
issue.  It  is  supposed  the  trouble  was  owing  to  objections  by 
some  members  to  the  choice  of  location  for  the  meeting-house. 
The  breach  widened,  however,  and  some  time  thereafter  the 
seceders  built  a  church  of  their  own,  about  two  miles  south- 
east of  the  site  of  the  present  Congregational  Church. 

Mr.  Taggart  was,  in  1784,  directed  by  the  town  to  preach 
one-third  of  the  time  on  the  west  side  of  the  river,  although 
there  was  no  church  there.  In  1786,  Mr.  Taggart  preached 
there  one-half  the  time  at  the  house  of  George  Pattison,  and 
in  1788  or  thereabouts,  as  related,  the  new  meeting-house  was 
built  on  that  side  the  river. 

There  were,  therefore,  at  this  time  two  meeting-houses  in 
town, — one  owned  by  the  town,  and  one  owned  by  those  who 
withdrew  from  the  first  church.  These  latter  returned,  how- 
ever, to  the  mother-church  in  1827. 

Mr.  Taggart  maintained  his  pastoral  connection  with  the 
first   church    for   a   period   of    upward   of   forty-one    years, 


although  for  fourteen  years  from  1804 — during  which  time  he 
represented  his  district  in  Congress — his  pulpit  was  supplied 
by  others.  He  was  dismissed  in  1818,  and,  continuing  to  reside 
in  Coleraine,  died  there  in  1825.  Among  his  immediate  suc- 
cessors were  Revs.  Aretas  Loomis,  Horatio  Flagg,  and  C.  W. 
Allen. 

In  December,  1819,  the  church  dis.solved  its  connection  with 
the  Presbytery  and  was  changed  in  its  organization  to  a  Con- 
gregational Church. 

The  church  building,  erected  in  1788,  was  replaced  in  1834 
by  the  structure  now  standing  in  Coleraine  Centre,  which  lat- 
ter was  remodeled  and  enlarged  in  1853.  The  pastor  now  in 
charge  is  Rev.  David  Strong. 

Among  the  Congregational  ministers  originating  in  Cole- 
raine were  Revs.  Oren  Johnson,  Aretas  G.  Loomis,  Elihu 
Loomis,  Lorenzo  Lyons,  Luke  Lyons,  Jonathan  McGee,  Wm. 
Riddel,  Hugh  Wallis. 

THE    FIRST    BAPTI.ST    CHURCH 

was  organized  in  September,  1780,  and  had  then  a  membership 
of  19  persons,  whose  names  were  Hezekiah  Smith,  John  Call, 
Thomas  Fox,  Oren  Smith,  Hezekiah  Smith,  Jr.,  Nathaniel 
Smith,  David  Smith,  Abner  Atwood,  Calvin  Smith,  Stephen 
Call,  Sarah  Pennell,  Eunice  Smith,  Lucy  Call,  Grace  Fox, 
Kezia  Smith,  Elizabeth  Burrows,  Elizabeth  Call,  Esther 
Smith,  and  Sarah  Pennell  (2d). 

A  church  edifice  was  erected  near  where  Mr.  0.  J.  Daven- 
port now  lives,  where  worship  was  observed  until  1848,  when 
the  present  structure  in  Foundry  village  was  built. 

Among  the  early  ministers  were  Revs.  E.  Smith,  Obed  War- 
ren, John  Green,  R.  Freeman,  Thomas  Purrington,  George 
Witherill,  James  Parsons,  George  Robinson,  J.  M.  Purring- 
ton, Joseph  Hodges,  Francis  Smith,  Milo  Frary,  A.  V.  Dim- 
mock,  and  Wm.  E.  Stowe.  The  pastor  now  in  charge  (1879) 
is  Rev.  S.  P.  Everett. 

THE   SECOND   BAPTIST   CHURCH 

was  organized  in  1786,  and  some  time  thereafter  a  house  of 
worship  was  erected  just  north  of  Christian  Hill,  where  there 
is  now  a  neat  and  substantial  edifice.  Some  of  the  early  min- 
isters were  Rev.  Edmond  Littlefield  (who  preached  eighteen 
years).  Rev.  Edward  Davenport  (who  served  nearly  thirty- 
five  years),  and  Revs.  Mr.  Smith,  Arad  Hall,  D.  H.  Grant, 
Nathaniel  Ripley,  E.  L.  Baker,  and  A.  W.  Goodenow.  For 
some  time  past  the  church  has  been  without  regular  preaching. 
In  October,  1797,  the  Baptists  were  exempted  by  the  town 
from  payment  of  the  minister  rate,  previous  to  which  a  com- 
mittee was  appointed  by  the  town  "to  agree  on  reference  with 
those  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  town  that  profess  to  be  of 
another  denomination,  and  feel  themselves  grieved  by  being 
taxed  in  the  meeting-house  tax." 

A    METHODI.ST   CLASS 

was  formed  in  1832,  and  from  that  time  to  1836  public  serv- 
ices were  held  in  school-houses  and  the  Foundry  Village  Bap- 
list  Church.  In  1836  a  church  was  organized,  and  in  that 
year  the  church  building  now  in  use  at  Coleraine  Centre  was 
erected.  The  early  ministers  were  Revs.  J.  D.  Bridge,  E. 
Mason,  Freeman  Nutting,  D.  E.  Chapin,  H.  P.  Hall,  John 
Cadwell,  W.  A.  Braman,  A.  S.  Flagg,  W.  M.  Hubbard,  and 
Mr.  Middleton.     The  present  pastor  is  Eev.  John  Capen. 

SCUOpLS. 
The  first  recorded  evidence  of  any  action  by  the  "Colrain" 
proprietors  looking  to  the  encouragement  of  public  education 
is  dated  March,  1753,  when  it  was  agreed  to  have  a  school; 
but  against  this  decision  a  protest  was  entered  by  Hugh  Mor- 
rison, James  Breckenridge,  Archibald  Pennell,  and  John  Mc- 
Crcles,  who  objected  to  having  the  schoolmaster  or  school- 
mistress paid  except  by  the  scholars  who  attended  the  school. 


HISTORY  OF  FRANKLIN  COUNTY. 


753 


r 


It  w;i.<,  however,  decided  to  appropriate  £8  for  scliooliiig,  to 
be  paid  by  assessment  upon  each  of  the  sixty  lots. 

The  tirst  sclioolmaster  is  said  to  have  been  James  Stewart, 
who  taught  scliool  at  his  house.  The  dwelling  is  still  occu- 
pied as  a  residence  by  W.  B.  ^XIcGee,  Esq.,  and  occupies  its 
original  site  on  the  Greenfield  road,  a  mile  south  of  the  old 
burying-ground.  In  the  summer  of  17G1,  school  having  in 
the  mean  while  been  taught  in  dwellings,  the  town  built  a 
school-house  18  feet  long  by  16  feet  wide,  composed  of  round 
logs  and  covered  with  long  shingles.  Two  shillings  per  daj- 
were  allowed  to  each  man  for  working  upon  the  school-house, 
and  it  was  because  of  the  expense  incurred  in  erecting  the 
building  that  the  town  decided  not  to  build  that  year  the  pub- 
lic pound,  which  had  been  decided  upon.  £8  12.5.  were  raised 
for  schooling,  and  it  was  resolved  that  "all  Parsons  who  Send 
Schoolers  to  the  School  Shall  Provide  wood,  according  to  the 
preportion  of  there  Schoolers,  and  Cut  it  fit  for  the  fire." 

The  school  term  usually  extended  from  July  to  January, 
for  which  the  ordinary  appropriation  was  £10.  This  school- 
house  stood  at  the  foot  of  Meeting-house  Hill. 

In  1708  it  was  resolved  to  build  three  school-houses,  and 
that  each  school-squadron  should  build  and  maintain  its  own 
school-house  and  choose  its  own  teacher. 

In  1771  a  new  school-house  was  built  at  the  centre,  between 
John  Clark's  and  Nathaniel  Carswell's;  in  the  same  year 
another  one  was  built,  "on  the  North  River;"  and  in  1774 
another  was  built,  near  the  meeting-house. 

In  1797  the  town  had  so  advanced  in  population  that  it  was 
divided  into  11  school-classes  or  districts,  and  for  the  support 
of  education  £140  were  raised.  In  1800  a  school-house  was 
built  on  the  river,  near  Jas.  McCiillough's,  and  another  near 
Jesse  Lyon's. 

Coleraine  expended,  in  1877,  .?2C04.14  for  the  support  of  1-5 
schools,  at  which  the  average  total  daily  attendance  was  272. 

BURIAL-PLACES. 

Of  the  numerous  burying-grounds  in  the  town,  the  oldest 
is  the  one  on  what  is  called  "Meeting-house  Hill,"  about  a 
mile  east  of  Coleraine  Centre.  This  ground  was  laid  out  in 
1743,  just  south  of  the  first  raeeting-house,  which  was  built  in 
1742.  The  ground  is  now  in  a  bad  state  of  repair  and  sadly 
neglected.  Doubtless  there  were  burials  there  as  early  as  1743 
or  previous  ;  but  if  the  graves  made  there  then,  and  for  thirty 
years  afterward,  were  marked  by  headstones,  time  and  man's 
neglect  have  extinguished  the  signs  by  which  the  early  resting- 
places  of  the  dead  might  be  found  to-day,  for  the  oldest  head- 
stone to  be  seen  there  now  bears  date  177.5.  Among  the  earliest 
traceable  inscriptions  are  the  following: 

Hiigli  Riiidel,  1775  ;  Joseijh  Wilson,  1777  ;  James  Wilson,  1777  ;  Eleanor  Wil- 
liams, 17S1 ;  Esther  Bell,  17S2;  Lie\it.  John  Thornton,  178.3;  Wnl.  Miller.  1783: 
Agnes  Stewart,' nsTTCaljt.  Benjiiniin  Claik,  17!;G  ;  Anna  Caldwell,  17SS;  Thos. 
Hell,  17ti9;  Joseph  McEwcii,  17'J1 ;  Margaret  Wilson,  1795;  John  Patterson, 
1797;  Robert  Miller,  1798;  Eleanor  Patterson,  1796;  Abraham  Peck,  1798; 
DeatonTlioraas  McGee,  1798 ;  James  Bell,  1793 ;  Ann  Biddell,  1790 ;  Rev.  Saml. 

Tagsart,  1825^ 

IXDU.STRIES. 

The  chief  element  of  Colerainc's  industries  is  that  of  manu- 
factures,'which,  in  187.5,  yielded  a  closely  estimated  value  in 
products  of  5390,022,  while  the  value  of  agricultural  and  do- 
mestic products  for  the  same  year  aggregated  .§183,900, — an 
excellent  showing  in  both  departments. 

The  largest  and  most  important  manufacturing  interest  is 


that  of  the  Griswoldville  Manufacturing  Company,  of  which 
Mr.  Joseph  Griswold  is,  and  always  has  been,  the  head.  . 

In  1828,  Mr.  Griswold  located  in  Coleraine,  at  what  is  now  i 
Griswoldville,  and  began  the  manufacture  of  sash,  doors,  and 
blinds.  In  1830  he  began  to  make  also  augers,  gimlets,  and 
shaving-boxes,  and  in  1832  he  erected  a  cotton-mill  with  10 
looms,  and  before  the  close  of  the  year  doubled  its  capa- 
city. In  183.5  he  added  a  second  mill,  and  in  1840  he  organ- 
ized the  Griswoldville  Manufacturing  Company.  In  1851 
theniill  first  erected  was  destroyed  by  fire,  but  in  the  short 
space  of  twelve  working-days  was  rebuilt.  In  18-50  the 
second  mill,  built  in  1835,  was  burned  to  the  ground,  but  in 
1858  it  was  restored  in  its  present  enlarged  form.  The  main 
building,  of  brick,  is  2.')0  by  50  feet,  two  and  a  half  stories 
high;  there  is  a  brick  L,  CO  by  40  feet,  and  there  are  also  a 
boiler-house,  cotton-house,  sheds,  etc. 

In  1805  the  company  erected  at  Willis  Place  a  second  brick 
cotton-mill,  200  by  52  feet,  three  stories  in  height,  with  an  ex- 
tension 70  by  40  feet.  Both  mills  are  on  the  North  River,  and 
are  operated  by  water-power,  although  supplied  with  powerful 
Corliss  engines,  to  serve  in  an  emergency.  Their  combined 
annual  product  is  about  0,000,000  yards  of  printing-cloths  and 
sheetings. 

About  200  persons  are  employed  at  both  mills,  and  of  these 
a  majority  reside  in  the  company's  brick  tenements,  of  which 
there  are  21  at  Willis  Place  and  34  at  Griswoldville. 

The  first  cotton-mill  in  Franklin  County  was  built  in  1814, 
by  Johnson  &  Wing,  on  the  North  River,  at  what  is  now 
Shattuckville.  Cotton  yarn  was  spun  there,  and  woven  by 
hand  among  the  residents  thereabout. 

In  1832,  Hollister  &  Johnson  built  a  mill  with  14  looms, 
just  above  the  old  one,  and  shortly  thereafter  enlarged  its 
capacity  to  32  looms.  In  1837,  C.  and  H.  Thompson  and  C. 
W.  Shattuck  purchased  the  mill,  enlarged  its  capacity  in 
1844  to  64  looms,  and  still  further  in  1800  to  100  looms. 

Oct.  4,  1864,  the  dam,  mill,  machinery,  and  a  large  stock  of 
goods  were  entirely  swept  away  by  the  disastrous  flood  of  that 
day,  the  entire  loss  involved  reaching  to  upward  of  §100,000. 
In  1870,  Mr.  C.  W.  Shattuck  built  upon  the  old  site  the 
present  frame  structure,  which  contains  200  looms,  produces 
3,000,000  j-ards  of  cotton  sheetings  and  shirtings  yearl)-,  and 
gives  employment  to  100  persons.  The  mill-building  meas- 
ures 122  feet  in  length,  50  feet  in  width,  and  .56  feet  in  height, 
with  additions  for  dressing-room,  wheel-pit,  picker-  and  cot- 
ton-rooms. 

Coleraine  is  an  excellent  grazing-town,  and  much  of  the 
attention  of  farmers  is  therefore  given  to  the  raising  of  stock 
and  production  of  butter.  The  soil,  which  is  loamy  on  the 
hills  and  sandy  on  the  bottoms,  produces  a  fair  yield  of  tobacco 
and  general  farm  products. 

The  minor  manufacturing  industries  of  the  town  include 
the  foundry  of  Milo  Smith,  several  saw-mills,  and  the  butter- 
box  factories  of  F.  Purington  and  Pierce  Bros. 

The  assessed  valuation  of  Coleraine  in  1878  was  $547,093, 
of  which  §381,475  was  on  real  estate.  The  total  tax — State, 
county,  and  town — was  §7473.33, — a  rate  of  §1.30  per  §100. 

MILITAKV. 
coleraine's  war  record. 
Appended  will  be  found  the  names  of  the  soldiers  furnished 
by  Coleraine  for  service  in  the  war  of  the  Rebellion  of  1801 : 


Francis  J.  Hosmer,  4th  Vt. 

B.  F.  Kolierts,  31st  Mass. 

William  Call,  Vt.  Cav. 

Edwin  Carl,  Vt,  Cav. 

0.  F.  Slraltoli,  loth  Mass. 

L.  Cliurchill,  :ilst  Mass. 

I'etiT  Hard,  lllth  Mass. 

J.  E.  lIoIilL-n,:U-t  .Mass. 

Jiim.s  T.  Langstrotli,  10th  Mas^. 

Asa  li.  .Snow,  luili  JIass. 

John  S.  Daniels,  isth  Mass. 

95 


Sidney  Esta,  10th  Mass. 
John  H.  Curtis,  llllh  Mass. 
Thomas  Easton,  18th  Mass. 
James  E.  Ea-^Nn,  18th  3Iasa. 
Ch.  Houghtaling,  U)tli  Mass. 
F.  E.  Chirk,  2l^t  Mass. 
Lewis  Jilsun,  34th  Mass. 
David  Jilson,  .Ir.,  34th  Mass. 
Wm.  11.  Bradley,  .34lh  Mass. 
Walter  Nichols,  34tli  Mass. 
Ed.  R.  King,  2Utli  Mass. 


Thomas  Majorly,  loth  Mass. 
E.  Emerson,  2d  Vt. 
Cephas  Parker,  34th  Mass. 
Thomas  Itrown,  Jr.,  N.  Y.  V. 
James  Stone,  loth  M.ass. 
lienry  Grover,  10th  Mass, 
Levi  Ileffron. 
W.  M.  Lamli,  lOlh  Mass. 
Jiihli  WuUace,  lOtll  JIass. 
.Fames  W.  ^Vallace,  10th  Mass. 
James  II.  Carrier. 


754 


HISTORY  OF  THE  CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


Thomas  Carl. 

C.  B.  Denison,  fi2d  Ma^ss. 

Hoyt  Sumner,  o2d  Mass. 

KoiltxMi  Barnes. 

James  H.  Davis,  f>2d  j^Ijisa. 

Charles  S.  Stetson ,  .'•j2d  Mass. 

S.  C.  JilsoTi,  34111  Mass. 

M.  M.  Fisk,  5-.'d  Mass. 

It.  W.  Thompson,  52d  Muss. 

A.  P.  Nelson,  r)*2d  Miias. 

H.  A.  Howard,  .52d  Mass. 

V.  D.  Thompson,  52d  Mass. 

Geo.  W.  AdatuB,  52il  Miisa. 

George  Jeffs,  .'J2d  Ma-ss. 

T.  P.  Thompson,  52d  Mass. 

James  T.  Avery,  H'M  Mas.s, 

Samuel  A.  Mirier,  52d  Mass. 

A.  A.  White,  52d  Mass. 

E  W.  Boolli,*  6i!d  Mass. 

n.  L.  Mcliond,  62d  Mass. 

E.  J.  Wilson,  52d  Mass. 

Will.  Il.Bootll,52d  Mass. 

L.  B.  Moore,  .'>2d  Mass. 

P.  York,  52.1  Mass. 

E.  P.  Browning,*  6'2d  Mass. 

S.  H.  Moore,  52d  Mass. 

A   Bardwell,  Jr.,  62d  Mass. 

Alvin  Brown,  .^2d  Mass. 

r.  0.  Miller,*  52d  Mass. 

James  B.  Minor,  52d  Mass. 

0.  VV.  Clark,  52d  Mass. 

H.  M.  Peterson,  62d  Mass. 

F.  T.  Merriam,  o2d  Mass. 

H.  C.  Croniack,  52d  Mass. 

H.  F.  Puiiogton,  52d  Mass. 

(_'harles  II.  Porter,  52d  Miiss. 

Levi  E.  Call,  52d  Mass. 

Dudley  Preston,*  52d  Mass. 

11.  M.  Howard,  52d  Mass. 

Joel  L.  Clark,  62d  MasB. 

\Vm.  A.  Russell,  S2d  Mass. 

B.  F.  Minor,  62d  Mass. 

J.  H.  Ciirlis,  Sid  Mass. 

J.  W.  Kugg,  52d  Mass. 

Iia  S.  OiT,  52d  Mass. 

James  W.  Carpent'T,  {i2d  Mass. 

Wni.  H.  Stone,*  52<1  Mass. 

Alonzo  Brown, -Vid  Mass. 

E.  Pavenporl,  52d  Mass. 

A.  A.  Smith,  52il  Mass. 

II.  M.  Barber,  52d  Miiss. 

Z.  J.  Uunton,  52d  Mass. 

John  Sniead,52d  Mass. 

Setli  A.  Curtis,*  o2d  Mass. 

L  E  Y  D  E  N, 


GEOGRAPIIICAT.. 

Leyden  is  one  of  the  smtille.st  towns  in  nortliern  Pranli- 
lin,  its  population  being  524,  and  its  area  9684  acre.s.  It  is 
bounded  nortli  by  the  Vermont  State  line,  south  by  the  town 
of  Greenfield,  east  by  the  town  of  Bernardston,  and  west  by 
the  town  of  Coleraine. 

Green  Kiver,  which  winds  along  the  western  border  of  the 
town,  is  the  only  stream  of  any  consequence.  The  nearest 
railway-stations  are  Bernardston  village,  on  the  Connecticut 
River  Railroad,  seven  miles,  and  Greenfield  village,  in  the 
town  of  that  name,  nine  miles,  from  Leyden  Centre. 

NATURAL  FEATURES. 

Leyden,  greater  than  Rome  in  one  respect,  is  set  upon  more 
than  a  score  of  hills,  which  dot  the  town  upon  the  north  and 
the  south,  upon  the  east  and  the  west.  It  occupies  a  region 
noted  for  its  salubrious  atmosphere  and  for  its  delightful 
landscapes.  From  the  highest  eminence,  in  the  western  part 
of  the  town,  the  view  includes  portions  of  Vermont,  New 
Hamp.shire,  Massachusetts,  and  Connecticut, — an  area  of 
charming  country  in  which  mountains,  valleys,  and  streams 
combine  to  present  a  picture  of  rare  beauty. 

A  famous  natural  curiosity  is  Leyden  Glen,  on  the  south, 
near  the  Greenfield  line.  At  this  place  the  brook  has  worn  a 
passage  through  the  high  rocks  fifteen  feet  in  width  and  from 
thirty  to  fifty  feet  in  depth.  This  gorge,  which  is  forty  rods 
in  length,  is  a  wildly  romantic  spot,  and  the  beautiful  glen 
presents  a  delightful  retreat,  where  tourists  make  annual  sum- 
mer pilgrimages.  At  the  head  of  the  glen  the  waters  of  the 
brook  are  confined  within  the  limits  of  a  reservoir,  whence 
the  village  of  Greenfield  obtains  an  abundant  supply  of  pure 
water. 

Green  River,  which  has  its  head-waters  in  Coleraine  and 
Leyden  (West  Hollow  Brook  in  the  latter  being  one  of  its 
sources),  flows  southward  and  empties  into  the  Deerfield  River 
near  Greenfield.  Stone  was  quarried  to  some  extent  for  the 
bridge  of  the  Connecticut  River  Railroad  Co.  in  Bernardston, 
but  the  lack  of  transportation  facilities — Leyden  having  no 
railway  communication — limits  the  usefulness  of  the  quarrj'. 
A  curiosity  that  has  for  years  attracted  wide  attention  is  "  the 
hanging  rock,"  on  the  farm  of  Mr.  Jonathan  Biulington.  This 
rock,  which  weighs  upward  of  twenty  tons,  and  is  so  set  that 
a  slight  pressure  of  the  human  hand  moves  without  displacing 
it,  is  said  to  have  maintained  that  condition  since  the  year 
1800. 


EARLY   SETTLEMENT. 

The  settlement  of  Leyden  is  necessarily  a  part  of  the  early 
history  of  the  town  of  Bernardston,  since  Leyden  was  set  off 
from  Bernardston,  and  until  1784  was  a  part  of  that  town. 
An  old  record  gives  the  names  of  the  following  persons  as 
havingsettled  in  the  district  of  Leyden  in  the  years  1784,  1785, 
1787,  and  1788: 

In  1784,  John  B.  Demontal,  Mary,  his  wife,  and  Eliza- 
beth, Abigail,  and  Charlotte,  their  children,  from  Shelburne, 
Mass. ;  John  Moore  and  his  wife,  with  their  children,  David 
and  Alexander,  Mary  Moore  and  her  children,  Thomas, 
James,  and  Mary,  from  Palmer,  Mass.  ;  Sylvester  Crandall 
ajid  Mary,  his  wife,  with  their  children,  from  Guilford,  Vt. ; 
John  Wells  with  Desire,  his  wife,  and  their  children,  David 
and  Sena,  from  Springfield,  Vt.  ;  Jchial  and  Polly  Nilos, 
from  Connecticut ;  Oliver  and  Thankful  Noj'es,  with  their 
children,  from  Guilford,  Vt.  ;  Daniel  Edwards  with  Mehitabel, 
his  wife,  and  their  children,  from  Coventry,  in  Connecticut; 
Solomon  Dimmock,  Bedgood  Bulfish  and  his  wife,  Ellen,  and 
Sarah  Cole,  from  Enfield,  Conn. ;  Levi  Brooks,  wife,  and 
three  children,  with  Thomas  Brooks  and  wife,  from  Guilford, 
Vt. ;  Benjamin  Grinnel  and  wife,  from  Rhode  Island  ;  and 
James  Philips  and  wife,  from  Springfield,  Mass.  In  1785, 
Joshua  Noyes,  wife,  and  four  children,  from  Guilford,  Vt.  ; 
David  Denison,  wife,  and  children,  and  John  Burrows,  wife, 
and  children,  from  the  same  town. 

In  1787  the  new  settlers  included  John  Saunders,  wife,  and 
children,  from  Rhode  Island;  Peter  Brown,  wife,  and  chil- 
dren, from  Montague,  Mtiss. ;  Jabez  Knapp,  wife,  and  chil- 
dreri,  Enoch  Childs,  wife,  and  children,  and  Joseph  Engley, 
all  of  Taunton,  Mass.  The  record  states  further  that  these 
new-comers  were  "  received"  by  Nathaniel  Carpenter,  Lieut. 
Daniel  Newcomb,  and  Lieut.  Reuben  Shattuck.  The  first 
person  born  in  Leyden  was  Polly,  daughter  of  Richard  and 
Patience  Grinnel,  July  31,  1784,  and  the  first  marriage  that 
of  Caleb  Adams  to  Catherine  Davenport,  whose  "  inten- 
tions" were  published  April  6,  1780.  An  earlier  record 
states  that  "Samuel  Guild,  Jr.,  of  Leyden,  was  married 
to  Mrs.  Lydia  Esen,  of  Bernardston,  May  25,  1782."  The 
first  four  frame  houses   built  in  the  town  were  erected  by 

Enoch  Briggs,  Squire   Packer,  Bliss,  and  Page. 

The  house  built  by  Briggs  is  the  one  now  occupied  by  Hervey 
Wilbur;  the  one  built  by  Squire  Packer  is  the  one  in  which 
A.  P.  Shattuck  resides,  and  the  one  built  by  Page  is  now  the 
residence  of  Edward  Gary,  at  Beaver  Meadow.     The  house 


*  Died  in  the  service,  or  iu  consequence  of  wounds  received  in  tho  service. 


Elisha  Chapin,  father  of 
the  subject  of  this  uotice,  was 
boru  iu  Leyden,  Franklin  Co.^ 
Mass.,  May  24,  1782.  He 
was  the  son  of  Selah  and 
Jerusha  Chapin,  and  grand- 
son of  Caleb  and  Catliarine 
Chapin. 

Elisha  Chapin  was  a  promi- 
nent man  in  the  town,  and 
held  various  offices  of  trust ; 
he  was  a  member  of  the  Legis- 
lature four  years,  and,  in  1820, 
assisted  in  revising  the  consti- 
tution of  the  State  ;  he  was 
justice  of  the  peace  fifteen  years, 
and  a  member  of  the  board  of 
selectmen  thirteen  terms. 

Oliver  Chapin  was  born  in 
Leyden,  on  the  place  where  he 
now  resides,  Feb.  12,1811.  He 
received  a  common-school  edu- 
cation, and  also  attended  the 
Northfield  Academy  two  terms. 
When  he  reached  his  majority 
he  was  employed  by  his  father 
to  work  upon  the  farm  during 
the  summer,  and  received  for 
his  labor  eleven  dollars  per 
month.    This  he  continued  two 


years,  and  in  the  mean  time 
taught  school  during  the  win- 
ter months ;  he  afterward  took 
charge  of  the  farm,  receiving 
a  monthly  salary  until  his 
father's  decease,  which  occurred 
in  1835.  He  then  assumed 
the  management  of  the  estate, 
and  subsequently  bought  the 
farm,  consisting  of  one  hundred 
and  fifty  acres,  by  paying  off 
the  co-heirs.  He  has  since 
been  engaged  in  farming.  He 
has  served  in  the  capacity  of 
selectman  eleven  years.  Is  a 
man  of  strict  integrity,  and  has 
been  uniformly  successful  in 
his  undertakings  ;  takes  an  act- 
ive interest  in  educational  mat- 
ters, and  in  all  things  pertaining 
to  the  benefit  of  the  community 
in  which  he  lives. 

He  was  married,  June  13, 
1843,  to  Caroline  L.,  daughter 
of  James  C.  Root,  of  Bernards 
ton.     They  have   no   children. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Chapin  are 
members  of  the  Universalist 
Church  of  Leyden,  and  contrib- 
ute liberally  to  its  support. 


LEYDEN,    MASS. 


HISTORY  OF  FRANKLIN  COUNTY. 


755 


erected  by  Bliss  stood  upon  the  site  of  the  present  residence 
of  David  Mowry,  Esq.  Garner  Champlin,  who  was  the  first 
carjicnter,  built  the  house  of  Nathan  Mowry,  about  a  mile  west 
of  Leyden  Centre,  but  whether  he  assisted  in  building  the 
others  referred  to  cannot  now  be  told.  The  first  tavern  is  sup- 
posed to  have  been  kejit  by  Thomas  AVells,  in  the  south  part  of 
the  town,  and  the  second  by  David  Carpenter,  in  the  west.  The 
first  store  was  set  up  at  Beaver  Meadow  by  one  Fuller.  For 
some  years  after  the  incorporation  of  Leyden,  the  mail  for  that 
district  was  conveyed  from  Greenfield  by  Elisha  Burnham,  of 
Bernardston,  who  is  said  to  have  performed,  his  journeys  on 
foot.     The  first  postmaster  was  Reuben  Sheldon. 

Earlier  settlers  than  above  stated  were  from  Khnde  Island 
and  Connecticut.  One  Coolidge,  of  Rhode  Island,  is  reported 
to  have  taken  up  the  first  farm.  It  passed  afterward  into 
the  po.sscssion  of  Enoch  Briggs,  and  is  the  farm  now  owned 
and  occupied  by  Herve}'  Wilbur,  whose  ancestor,  Uriah  Wil- 
bur, of  Connecticut,  settled  on  the  Leyden  tract  in  1780. 
Other  early  settlers  were  the  Babcocks,  Barstows,  Vinings, 
Ingrahams,  Gateses,  Spices,  Henrys,  Fosters,  and  Cunnables. 
The  first  important  highway  laid  out  was  the  county  road  from 
Greenfield,  Ma.ss.,  to  Guilford,  Yt.,  still  the  route  between 
those  points. 

NOTEWORTHY    INCIDENTS. 

Upon  the  breaking  out  of  the  Shays  rebellion  in  178G,  Le}-- 
den  voted  "  to  do  something  about  the  difficulties  and  tumults 
in  the  State,  and  to  chose  a  committee  for  that  purpose." 
It  was  voted  shortly  after  that  "  we  are  uneasie  with  the  pres- 
ent administration  of  the  government,  and  that  if  any  men 
are  called  for  and  turn  out  in  support  of  our  priviledges  they 
shall  be  paid  for  their  time  and  supplied  with  provisions  by  the 
town."  Of  the  three  insurgents  killed  in  Shays'  attack  upon 
Springfield,  in  January,  1787,  one  was  JabezSpicer,  of  Leyden. 

In  1787  the  people  chose  a  committee  to  lay  the  circum- 
stances of  the  district  before  the  General  Court,  and  to  petition 
for  relief,  but  what  relief  they  obtained  is  not  clear.  About 
this  time  the  district  was  visited  with  a  disastrous  hurricane, 
which  leveled  thousands  of  trees,  destroyed  houses  and  crops, 
and  worked  much  damage,  and  it  may  have  been  because  of 
that  calamity  that  relief  was  asked  for. 

Shortl}'  after  1790,  Leyden  was  much  excited  by  the  advent 
therein  of  one  AVilliam  Dorrel,  once  a  private  in  the  army  of 
Gen.  Burgoyne,  and  a  settler,  shortly  after  that  chieftain's  sur- 
render at  Saratoga,  in  the  town  of  Northfield,  Mass.  Thence 
he  removed  to  Leyden,  and  shortly  after  his  location  there 
began  to  publicly  teach  a  doctrine  alleged  to  be  founded 
upon  free  love,  and  a  belief  that  the  taking  of  animal  life 
under  any  circumstances  was  a  grievous  sin.  Although  an 
ignorant  man  and  given  to  intemiiorance  and  other  debasing 
vices,  he  obtained  many  adherents,  and  upon  their  credulity 
established  a  sect  known  as  the  Dorrelites.  Among  other 
things,  he  taught  that  to  each  generation  of  man  was  appointed 
a  Messiah,  and  that  for  his  generation  he  was  the  Messiah. 
The  believers  in  the  faith  held  property  in  common,  repudiated 
the  use  of  anything  whatsoever  resulting  from  the  taking  of 
animal  life,  dressed  in  tow-cloth,  wore  wooden  shoes,  drank, 
danced,  and  caroused  in  their  religious  exercises,  which  were 
led  by  Dorrel,  and  conducted  themselves,  in  short,  like  fa- 
natics. 

The  Dorrelites  were  extinguished  by  Ezekiel  Foster,  of 
Lej-den,  at  a  meeting  of  the  sect  held  some  time  during  the 
year  1800.  Dorrel  was  holding  forth  as  usual  in  a  wildly  en- 
thusiastic manner,  and,  claiming  the  protection  of  a  mysteri- 
ous power,  defied  mortal  flesh  to  harm  him,  whereupon  Foster 
lifted  his  strong  right  arm  and  smote  the  apostle  Dorrel  to  the 
earth.  This  broke  the  charm  by  which  Dorrel  had  enslaved 
his  followers,  and  they,  realizing  that  their  leader  was  an 
impostor,  returned  to  their  sober  senses,  and  the  sect  of  Dor- 
relites became  a  thing  of  the  past.  Dorrel  afterward  admitted 
that  he  had  no  faith   in  the  doctrines  he  promulgated,  but 


undertook  their  dissemination  simply  to  show  how  easily  he 
could  delude  people.  After  his  fall  he  lived  in  humble  retire- 
ment in  Leyden,  and  during  the  last  few  years  of  his  life  was 
so  reduced  in  circumstances  that  lie  was  a  town  charge.  He 
died  in  184G,  at  the  advanced  age  of  ninety-five,  from  a  self- 
imposed  starvation,  which  he  sought  on  the  plea  that  he  had 
lived  long  enough,  and  was  buried  in  the  Beaver  Meadow 
Cemeter3'. 

Other  very  old  persons  who  have  lived  in  Leyden  were 
the  Widow  Burns,  who  died  in  1840,  aged  one  hundred, 
and  Mary  Ellis,  in  1802,  at  the  age  of  ninety-seven.  The 
oldest  person  now  living  in  Leyden  is  Aunt  Hannah  Mowry, 
aged  ninety.  Mr.  Jesse  Henry,  now  living,  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
five,  in  Lej'den  (1879),  was  a  lieutenant  in  the  local  militia 
at  the  time  of  the  draft  in  1814  for  soldiers  to  serve  in  the 
second  war  with  Great  Britain.  The  draft  in  Leyden  took 
place  on  a  Sunday,  in  front  of  the  old  meeting-house;  and  of 
the  eight  persons  who  were  drafted  on  that  occasion,  the  names 
of  six  are  here  given,  as  follows :  Stephen  Doyle,  Ira  Gaut, 
Briggs  Potter,  Adin  Eason,  Lincoln  Fields,  and  Nathan  Bud- 
dington.  The  last  survivor  of  the  six  named  was  Stephen 
Doyle,  who  died  in  Leyden  in  1870. 

Among  the  men  of  mark  who  have  originated  in  Leyden 

may  be  mentioned  Henry  Kirke  Brown,  a  sculptor,  and  John 

L.   liiddell,   the    inventor  of   the   binocular   microscope   and 

magnifving-glass. 

ORGANIZATION. 

In  response  to  a  petition  of  certain  inhabitants  of  Ber- 
nardston, setting  forth  that  they  labored  under  difficulties 
and  inconveniences  in  their  present  situation,  the  Legislature 
passed  an  act,  March  12,  1784,  erecting  a  part  of  Bernardston 
into  a  district  with  the  name  of  Leyden.  The  boundaries 
were  laid  out  to  be  as  follows  : 

"  Boginniiig  at  the  northwest  comer  of  Bernardston,  fioni  thence  to  nin  sontii, 
eighty  degrees  east,  three  miles  and  two  hundred  and  eiglity  rods  on  the  New 
Hampstiirc  line*  (so  called),  to  a  beecli-trt^e,  tlicu  south  to  the  south  line  of  said 
town,  then  west  on  the  lirie  between  said  Bernardston  and  Greenfield  to  Green 
River  (so  called),  which  i.s  tlie  said  boundage  between  the  said  Bernardston  and 
Colrain,  then  northerly  along  by  said  Green  Kivcr  to  the  northeast  corner  of 
Bernardston." 

The  town  was  named  in  honor  of  Leyden,  in  Holland, 
where  the  Puritan  ancestors  of  many  of  the  settlers  of  Mas- 
sachusetts lived  for  some  time  previous  to  emigrating  to 
America.  The  first  town-meeting  was  held  April  20,  1784, 
and  the  warrant  therefor  was  served  by  Caleb  Adams,  under 
instructions  from  David  Smead,  Justice  of  the  Peace. 

The  names  of  the  persons  who  served  the  town  as  selectmen 

and  town  clerks  in  succession  from  1704  to  1789  will  be  found 

appended. 

SELECTMEN. 

17S4.— Agrippa  Wells,  Chiis.  Packer,  Reuben  Shatluck. 
1785. — Agrippa  Wells,  Ebenezer  Vining,  Oliver.Babcock. 
17SG. — Alpheus  Barstow,  Chas.  Packer,  Reuben  Ingraham. 
1787. — Alpheus  Barstow,  Samuel  Guild,  David  Gates. 
1788.— Agrippa  Wells,  David  Gates,  Ezra  Shattuck. 
1789.— Alpheus  Barstow,  David  Gates,  Ezra  Shattuck. 
1700. — .\lpheus  Barstow,  Chas.  Piurker,  .\ndre\v  Henry. 
1791.— Agrijipa  Wells,  Peleg  Bahcock,  Ezra  Shattuck. 
1792.— Andrew  Henry,  Chas.  Packer,  Alpheus  Barstow. 
1793.— Ezra  Shattuck,  David  Gates,  Richard  Esen. 
1794.— Ezra  Shattuck,  David  Gates,  Lemuel  Foster. 
1795.— Sanniel  Cunable,  David  Gates,  Lemuel  Foster. 
1796-97.— Simeon  Allen,  David  Gates,  Richard  Esen. 
1798.— Hezekiah  Ncwconib,  David  Gates,  Richard  Esen. 
1799.— Lemuel  Foster,  Jonathan  OInistead,  Richard  Esen. 
ISOO.— David  Denison,  Matthew  Severance,  Oliver  Bahcock. 
Iy0i_ — David  Denison,  Chas.  Packer,  Hezekiah  Newcomb. 
1802-3. — David  Denison,  Peleg  Bahcock,  Hezekiah  Newconib. 
1Sl4. — Davitl  Denison,  Peleg  Bahcock,  Lemuel  Foster. 
1805-G. — David  Denison,  Hezekiah  Newcomb,  Jos.  Green. 
1S07. — Peter  Gates,  Hezekiah  Newcomb,  Jos.  Green. 
1SU8. — Peter  Gates,  .-Vmos  Burrows,  David  Denison. 
Iti09.— Hezekiah  Newomb,  Amos  Burrows,  Salmon  Sheldon. 
1810.— Selah  Chapin,  Jr.,  John  Eason,  N.  Carpenter,  Jr. 

*  Vermont  was  then  called  "  The  New  Hampsbirc  Grant." 


756 


HISTORY  OP  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


1811. — Sclali  Cliapiii,  Jr.,  Amos  BaiTowjt,  Tlezekiali  Neweoinb. 

181*2. — Si:ltili  CImpin,  Jr.,  Salmuu  ShcUlon,  NutJianiel  Avery. 

1813.— Sulah  Cliapiii,  Jr.,  Uriah  Wilbur,  Jr.,  K/.ro  Fustor. 

1814.— SuhUi  Clml)iii,  Jr.,  Uriah  Wilbur,  Jr.,  lluzekiah  Newcomb. 

1815. — llufus  Sbattuck,  Urhih  Wilbur,  Jr.,  llczykiali  Xewctiinb. 

181G. — Tabor  IJabcoek,  Elisba  rhnpiti,  Ile/ekiali  Ncweomb. 

1817-18. — Tabor  Babcock,  Uriah  Wilbur,  Ht^zekiah  Newconib. 

ISia.— Ezra  Sbattuck,  Uriah  Wilbur,  Lconaril  Bliss. 

1820. — George  Mowry,  Elisha  Chajtiu  ('.iil),  Eli  Wiiit;. 

1821. — George  Mowry,  Elisha  Chaliiu  (2(1),  Hezi-kiab  Nowcouib. 

1822. — George  Mowry,  Eli.sbu  Cbapiu  (2il),  Jobu  Barstow. 

182.3. — George  Mowry,  Elisha  Ohapiu  (2il),  Salmon  Shehlon. 

1824. — Jusiah  Avery,  Elisha  Ohapin  (2il),  Elijah  Brown. 

1825. — George  Mowry,  Elisha  Chapin  (2ii),  Elijah  Brown. 

1826-27. — George  Mowry,  Elisha  Cbapiu  (2il),  IJezekiab  Xewcoinb. 

1828.— Josiah  Avery  (2il),  B.  Ohapin  (2il),  Jesse  Henry. 

1.829.— Josiah  Avery  (2il),  Geo.  Mowry,  Elijah  Brown. 

1830. — Josiah  Avery  (2d),  Geo.  Mowry,  Hezekiah  Xewcomb. 

1831. — Jesse  Henry,  Edward  Denison,  Jr.,  Jos.  Babeock. 

1832. — Elisha  Chapin,  Josiah  Avery,  John  Hale. 

1833. — Rufus  Hastings,  Josiah  Avery,  Smith  Langley. 

1834. — Hezekiah  Newcomb,  Elisha  Chapin,  Smith  Langley. 

18.'i5. — Josiah  Avery,  Elisha  ('hapin.  Smith  Langley. 

183G. — Josiah  Avery,  Edward  Denison,  Clias.  Manly. 

1837. — Jonathan  Buddington,  Eli  W.  Packer,  Horace  Potter. 

18.38-39.- Kcnben  Sheldon,  Geo.  Jlowry,  Josiah  Avery. 

1840. — Jesse  Henry,  John  Barstow,  Rufus  Frizzel. 

1841. — Jesse  Henry,  Hoi-ace  Potter,  llufus  Frizzel. 

1842. — Jesse  Henry,  A.  P.  Sbattuck,  Rnfus  Fiizzel. 

1843. — Josiah  Avery,  Edward  Denison,  Horace  Potter. 

1844. — Jesse  Henry,  Hoiace  Potter. 

1845.— A.  P.  Shattuck,  Horace  Potter,  E.  A.  Gates. 

lS4n.— A.  P.  Shattuck,  Russell  Ricbmoml,  E.  A.  Gates. 

1847. — Jesse  Henry,  F.  W.  Carleton,  Gervis  Uarstow. 

184S.— Jesse  Henry,  F.  W.  Carleton,  A.  P.  Shattuck. 

1849. — Jesse  Henry,  Josiah  Avery,  A.  P.  Shattuck.  ^ 

1850. — Jesse  Henry,  Edward  Denison,  Chester  Severance. 

1851. — Jos.  Green,  Edward  Denison,  Chester  Severance. 

1852. — Cyrus  C.  Miner,  Edward  Denison,  Chester  Severance. 

1853. — Jesse  Henry,  Jos.  Green,  E.  A.  Gates. 

1854. — Jesse  Henry,  Oliver  Ohapin,  S.  C.  Brown. 

18.55. — Jos.  Green,  Oliver  Chapin,  E.  A.  Gates. 

185G. — David  Mowry,  Chester  Severance,  F.  W.  Carlton. 

1857. — David  Mowry,  Henry  Sheldon,  Samuel  Newton. 

1858-59. — David  Mowry,  Henry  Sheldon,  S.  0.  Brown. 

1860. — Jesse  Henry,  Edw.ard  Denison,  Chester  Severance. 

18G1-C3.— David  Mowry,  Oliver  Chapin,  Russell  Richmond. 

18G4. — Henry  Sheldon,  Edward  Denison,  Zadock  King, 

18G5. — Oliver  Chapin,  A.  J.  Denison,  Zadock  King. 

186G-67. — David  Mowry,  A.  J.  Denison,  Henry  Sheldon. 

1SG3-69.— D.  N.  Carpenter,  A.  J.  Deiiison,  Henry  Sheldon. 

1870. — D.  N.  Carpenter,  Oliver  t'hapin,  Henry  Sheldon. 

1871.— D.  N.  Carpenter,  David  Mowry,  C.  W.  Severance. 

1872. — D.  N.  Carpenter,' Henry  Sheldon,  C.  W.  Severance. 

1873. — D.  N.  Carpenter,  David  Mowi-y. 

1874. — 1>.  N.  Carpenter,  David  Mowry,  C.  \V.  Severance. 

1875. — D.  K.  Carpenter,  David  Mowry,  Oliver  Chapin. 

187G.— S.  B.  Buddington,  A.  J.  Denison,  Oliver  Clnipin. 

1877. — D.  N.  Carpenter,  C.  W.  Severance,  Oliver  Cbapiu. 

1878.— D.  N.  Carpentei-,  C.  W.  Severance,  David  Mowry. 

TOWN    CLERKS. 

Alpheus  Barstow,  1784-87 ;  Andrew  Henry,  1788;  Alpbous  Barstow,  1789-97 
Lemuel  Foster,  179S ;  Alpheus  Barstow,  1799-1801 ;  Joseph  Babcock  (2d),  1802-4 
Joseph  Shei)liardson,  1805-7 ;  Asa  Hebard,  1808 ;  Nathaniel  Carpenter,  Jr.,  1809 
Benjamin  Green,  1810  ;  Nathaniel  Carpenter,  Jr.,  1811 ;  Benjamin  Green,  1812-14 
John  Barstow,  1815-20 ;  Hezekiah  Newcomb,  1821-22 ;  Reuben  Sheldon,  Jr.,  1823- 
25 ;  .lob n  Barstow,  1826-29 ;  Briggs  Potter,  18.'i0 ;  Albert  G.  Gree n,  1831-32 ;  Horace 
Potter,  1833 ;  Willard  A.  Wilkins,  1834-39 ;  E.  W.  Packer,  1840-G7;  David  Mowry, 
1808;  U.  T.  Darling,  Jr.,  18G9-79. 

REPRESENTATIVES    AT   THK   GENERAL   COURT. 

Between  the  year  1809  (when  Leyden  was  incorporated  as 
a  town)  and  the  year  1857  (when  it  became  a  part  of  Repre- 
sentative District  No.  1),  it  was  represented  at  tlie  General 
Court  by  the  following  in  succession  : 

•  Hezekiah  Newcomb,  Selab  Chapin.  Jr.,  George  Mowry,  Elisha  Chapin,  Hezekiah 
Newcomb,  Jr.,  Rufus  Hastings,  John  Barstow,  Reuben  Shelilon,  David  N.  Carpen- 
ter, Jesse  Henry,  E.  W.  Packer,  S.  L.  Shattuck,  F.  W.  Carlton. 

VILLAGES. 
LEYDEN    CENTRE 
is  the  only  village  in  the  trnvii  having  a  post-otBco.     It  occu- 
pies a  commanding  ]iosition   upon  a  lofty  eminence,  whence 
the  view  of  the  surrounding  country  is  expansive  and  inviting. 


The  only  church  building  in  the  town  is  located  here,  and  in 
this  building  is  a  hall  used  for  town-meetings,  lyceum  debates, 
etc.  Here  is,  too,  the  Glen  Spring  Cheese  factory-building, 
unused,  however,  at  ])resent.  There  is  also  a  store  at  this  point, 
— the  only  store  in  Leyden. 

Ueaver  Meadow  Settlement,  in  the  northeast,  is  also  a 
small  rural  village,  and,  as  in  Leyden  Centre,  the  inhabitants 
have  surrounded  their  homes  with  many  evidences  of  taste  as 
well  as  comfort. 

CIIUKCIIES. 

No  action  touching  church  affairs  seems  to  have  been  taken 
until  the  year  1785,  when  the  district  discussed  the  question  of 
building  a  meeting-house,  but  nothing  was  done.  In  1789 
the  subject  was  revived,  and  there  was  some  talk  about  selling 
the  ministry  lands  for  the  purpose  of  building  a  meeting-house, 
but,  as  before,  the  discussion  was  fruitless.  In  1791  there  was 
another  revival  of  the  matter,  when  it  was  decided  that  no 
meeting-house  should  be  built.  Previous  to  that  date,  how- 
ever, in  July,  1780,  a  Baptist  Church  was  organized.  The 
members  of  the  church  worshiped  probably  in  Coleraine,  as 
well  as  in  dwelling-houses  at  home,  until  the  erection,  by  a 
company  of  individuals  called  "the  meeting-house  proprie- 
tors," of  a  chtirch  Imilding  in  Leyden,  in  1797.  In  1796  the 
district  again  took  up  the  church  question  and  voted  to  build 
a  meeting-house,  4(3  feet  long  by  30  feet  wide,  with  two  "good 
and  convenient  stories." 

There  was  a  protracted  discussion  touching  the  place  the 
house  should  occupy,  and,  after  appointing  local  committees 
to  fix  upon  a  site  and  rejecting  their  reports,  a  committee 
from  neighboring  towns  was  solicited  for  the  purpose  of  ad- 
justing the  difficulty,  but  the  report  of  this  committee,  too, 
was  rejected;  and,  after  more  wrangling,  it  was  eventually 
decided  to  raise  £3-50  to  build  a  meeting-house,  and  to  locate 
it  near  where  the  Leyden  church  now  stands.  A  committee, 
consisting  of  Peleg  Babcock,  John  Buddington,  and  Ezra  Fos- 
ter, was  chosen  to  procure  the  limber;  but  lo,  after  the  timber 
was  obtained  and  conveyed  to  the  appointed  ground,  the  dis- 
trict concluded  to  abandon  the  meeting-house  project.  Shortly 
thereafter,  in  1797,  a  number  of  persons,  concluding  that  the 
district  would  never  build  a  house,  purchased  the  timbers,  and, 
without  further  delay,  erected  a  church  edifice  upon  one  of  the 
highest  points  of  ground  in  Leyden,  half  a  mile  west  of  where 
the  present  church  stands,  and  near  where  Mr.  John  Newcomb 
now  lives.  Not  long  after  the  completion  of  the  meeting- 
house, the  district  voted  to  raise  §1000  to  purchase  it,  but 
almost  immediately  reconsidered  the  vote ;  and  that,  it  appears, 
was  the  final  eft'ort  made  by  the  district  to  obtain  a  house  of 
worship. 

The  people  in  Leyden  at  this  time  were  chiefly  Baptists,  and 
they  began,  therefore,  to  worship  in  the  new  meeting-house, 
which  was,  however,  known  as  the  Leyden  meeting-house 
then,  and  always  thereafter;  and  by  that  designation  too,  it 
may  be  ob.served,  the  present  meeting-house  has  been  known 
since  its  erection,  in  1841.  Previous  to  1790,  Elder  Joseph 
Green  preached  for  some  years  to  the  Baptists  in  Leyden.  The 
district  records  set  forth  that,  in  April,  1798,  "Elder  Asa 
Hebard,  with  his  family,  came  to  Leyden  from  Putney,  Vt., 
and  took  pastoral  care  of  the  church  and  people  of  said  Lej'- 
den."  Elder  Hebard  preached  to  the  people  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  in  1830.  During  his  ministrations.  Bap- 
tists, Congregationalists,  Methodists,  and  Universalists  wor- 
shiped in  the  meeting-house  and  under  his  teachings.  Shortly 
after  his  death,  the  Baptist  Church  being  dissolved,  no  effort 
was  made  to  continue  preaching  in  the  meeting-house,  which, 
after  remaining  unused  for  a  long  time,  was  torn  down  about 
the  year  18.50.  Although  the  Baptists  were  largely  in  tlie  ma- 
jority in  the  early  days,  there  is  now  (1879)  but  one  person — 
Lura  Worden — of  that  persuasion  in  the  town. 

Early  in  this  century  the  Methodists  in  Leyden  began 
to  have  occasional  public  worship,  sometimes  in  dwellings. 


HISTORY  OF  FRANKLIN  COUNTY. 


757 


;ind  at  times  in  groves  and  barns.  A  cliurch  organization 
was  effected  in  1810,  but  no  church  building  was  used  by 
tlie  organization  until  1841,  when  the  present  Leyden  meet- 
ing-house, erected  in  that  year,  was  occupied.  A  Universiilist 
Society  was  organized  in  Leyden  in  18S0,  but  endured  only 
three  years.  Thirty-four  years  afterward,  in  Januarj-,  18G7, 
the  Universalist  Church  of  Leyden  was  organized  with  24 
members.  The  Leyden  meeting-house  is  used  by  the  Uni- 
versalists  and  Methodists.  The  latter,  whose  pastor,  in  1879, 
was  I'ev.  Emery  Uoward,  occupy  the  house  three  Sabbaths  of 
each  month,  while  the  Universalists,  who  depend  for  preach- 
ijig  upon  periodica!  supplies,  occupy  one  Sabbath  each  month. 
No  Congregational  society  or  church  has  ever  been  organ- 
ized within  the  town, — a  singular  circumstance,  since  the 
Orthodo.f  or  Congregational  Church  was  the  first  established 
in  the  early  .settlements  of  nearly  all  the  towns  in  western 
Ma.ssachusetts. 

SCHOOLS. 

Not  much  can  be  written  touching  the  early  history  of 
schools  in  Leyden,  since  the  public  records  make  scarcely  any 
reference  to  educational  matters.  The  reason  for  this  is  found 
in  the  fact  that  shortly  after  the  incorporation  of  Leyden  the 
district  was  divided  into  four  school  districts,  and  each  school 
district  was  charged  with  the  conduct  of  its  own  educational 
interests.  Tlie  only  public  appropriation  for  the  support  of 
schools  for  many  years  after  its  incorporation  was  in  1789, 
when  £50  were  set  apart  for  the  purpose. 

Tliere  are  now  (1879)  five  school  districts  in  the  town,  and 
for  the  support  of  schools  in  1878  seven  hundred  dollars  were 
appropriated.  The  daily  attendance  of  pupils  at  tlie  public 
schools  in  that  j^ear  was  about  one  hundred.  An  e.vcellent 
select  school  at  Leyden  Centre  has  been  well  supported  for 
many  years. 

BURI.\L-PL.\CES. 

Altliough  the  first  district  burying-ground  was  established 
in  1788,  there  was  a  burying-placc  at  Beaver  Meadow  as  early 
as  1770.  The  one  first  referred  to  is  probably  the  ground  south 
of  Leyden  Centre,  on  the  Greenfield  road.  Besides  tliis  ceme- 
tery there  are  three  others  in  the  town :  one  at  Beaver  Meadow, 
one  in  the  west,  and  one  near  Frizzel  Hill.  Among  the  oldest 
tombstone  inscriptions  are  the  following:  Priscilla  Budding- 
ton,  1798;  Mary  Henry,  1797;  Mary  Ellis,  1802;  Mattliew 
Severance,  1801  ;  Kcul  Severance,  1800;  Kobert  Corss,  1800; 
Azell  AVashburn,  180-3  ;  Sally  Corss,  1804  ;  Elizabeth  Morton, 
1805;  Cephas  Severance,  1807;  Miranda  Severance,  1797; 
Mehitable  Severance,  1805;  Mary  Morton,  1808;  Capt.  John 
Budington,  1810. 

INDUSTRIES. 

Although  Leyden  is  an  exceedingly  hilly  town,  it  contains 
much  excellent  farming-land,  and  manj-  of  its  farmers  have 


grown  wealthy  upon  the  fruits  of  their  agricultural  labors.  It 
is  a  natural  fruit-and-grass  region,  and  of  these  products  the 
annual  yield  is  large.  Much  attention  is  paid  to  the  raising 
of  stock  and  the  manufacture  of  butter  and  cheese.  The 
"  Glen  Spring  Cheese-Factory"  was  erected  at  Leyden  Centre 
in  1870,  but  the  enterprise  did  not  prosper,  and  in  1876  it 
was  abandoned.  The  general  character  of  the  soil  is  loamy, 
and  it  has  yielded  profitable  crops  of  tobacco,  but  very  little 
of  the  "  weed"  is  now  grown  in  the  town.  Leyden  was  also 
quite  famous  at  one  time  for  sheep-raising,  and  produced 
yearly  large  quantities  of  wool.  The  onlj'  manufactories  in 
the  town  in  1879  were  three  saw-mills  and  three  grist-mills.  In 
1875  the  products  of  the  manufactories  were  valued  at  §2454, 
and  the  value  of  the  agricultural  and  domestic  products 
§95,260.  The  total  assessed  valuation  in  1878  was  §194,378, 
of  which  §103,912  was  on  real  estate.  The  total  tax — State, 
county,  and  town — was  §3138.04,  a  rate  of  about  §1.00  per 
§100. 

MILITARY. 
LEYDEN    REBELLION   RECORD. 

The  following  list  of  soldiers  who  served  during  the  war  of 
1861-65  is  taken  from  the  adjutant-general's  report : 

Eli.jah  Brown,  enl.  Oct.  11, 18C2, 52(1  Begt.,  Co.  A  ;  (liscli.  Aug.  U,  1803. 

Edwin  C.  Xewtoii,  euL  Oct.  2,  1862,  52(1  llegt.,  Co.  A. 

Joliu  W.  Buddington,  2d  lieut.,  eul.  Oct.  11,  1802,  52d  Kcgt.,  Co.  B;  disch.  Aug. 

14,  1S03. 

Uriah  T.  Darling,  corii.,  enl.  Oct.  11,  1802,  52d  Ecgt.,  Co.  B;   disch.  Aug.  14, 

1863. 
Simon  S.  Keet,  mu3.,  eul.  Oct.  11, 1802,  52d  Eegt.,  Co.  B;  disch.  Aug.  14,  1863. 
Albert  K.  Eohertson,  eul.  Oct.  11,  1802,  52a  Kegt,,  Co.  B;  disch.  Aug.  14,  1803. 
James  P.  Robertson,  onl.  Oct.  11, 1802,  52d  R(!gt.,  Co.  B ;  disch.  Aug.  14,  1863. 
Samuel  C.  Severance,  enl.  Oct.  11,  1802,  a2d  Kegt.,  Co.  B;  disch.  Aug.  14,  1863. 
Wm.  H.  Severance,  eul.  Oct.  11, 1803,  52d  Begt.,  Co.  B ;  disch.  Aug.  14,  1803. 
Ezra  A.  Shattuck,  enl.  Oct.  11,  1802,  52d  Begt.,  Co.  B ;  disch.  Aug.  14,  l.sia. 
Charles  Conncis,  enl.  Dec.  24,  1864,  1st  E.  H.  A. 

Wm.  0.  Cook,  eul.  Jan.  22,  1804,  1st  Cav.,  Co.  E ;  disch.  June  20,  1805. 
Chas.  S.  Babcock,  enl.  March  12, 1802,  Co.  I,  21st  Inf. ;  disch.  to  re-eulist  March 

15,  1864. 

Keuben  W.  De  Volfe, sergt.,  enl.  Sept,  20,  1861,  Co.  C,  27th  Inf.;  disch.  Nov.  5, 
1S62,  for  disability. 

David  C.  Mowry,  Corp.,  enl.  Sept.  13,  1861,  Co.  C,  27th  luf.;  died  Oct.  10,  1862, 
at  AVjishiugtou,  N.  C. 

Peter  F.  Baker,  enl.  Sept.  20,  1801,  Co.  C,  27th  Inf.;  died  Feb.  4,  1862,  at  An- 
napolis, Md. 

Frank  C.  Brown,  enl.  Aug.  4, 1862,  Co.  C,  27th  Inf. ;  died  Oct.  8,  1802,  at  Wash- 
ington, D.  C. 

Eugene  T.  Morey,  eul.  Sept.  13, 1861,  Co.  C,  27th  Inf. 

Hart  E.  Morey,  enl.  .Aug.  4,  1862,  Co.  C,  27tli  luf.  ;  disch.  May,  1805. 

Franklin  D.  Hamilton,  eul.  Feb.  29,  1804,  Co.  B,  28th  Inf.;  disch.  June  1,  18«5. 

Calvin  L.  Uamiltuu,  eul.  March  3,  1804,  Co.  D,  2Sth  luf.;  disch.  June  1,  1865. 

PhiUp  Hayes,  eul.  Dec.  24, 18M,  Co.  A,  37th  Inf. ;  trans.  Juno  20,  1865,  to  20th 
luf. 

\Vm.  B.  Wood,  eul.  Aug.  13,  1804,  Co.  H,  37th  Inf.;  disch.  May  16,  1865,  for  dis- 
ability. 

Wm.  Owen,  enl.  Dec.  24,  1804,  J4th  luf. 


SHUTESBURY. 


CEOGRAPIIICAL. 
SutTESBURY,  like  a  majority  of  the  towns  of  eastern 
Franklin,  covers  a  hilly  region,  and  includes  within  its  borders 
many  elevations  of  more  than  ordinarj-  magnitude.  It  occu- 
pies one  of  the  southeastern  sections  of  Franklin  County,  and 
by  the  projecti(jn  of  its  southern  border  makes  a  conspicuous 
break,  and  the  only  one  in  the  otherwise  straight  line  de- 
scribed on  that  porti.on  of  the  southern  border  of  Franklin. 
It  is  hounded  on  the  north  by  Wendell,  on  the  south  by 
Hampshire  County,  on  the.  east  by  New  Salem  and  Hamp- 
.-liire  County,  and  on  the  west  by  Leverett  and  Hampshire 
County.  It  is  untouched  by  railways,  nor  is  it  possessed  of 
water-courses  more  important  than  mountain  streams.     The 


town  contains  about  26  S(iuare  miles  of  territory,  covering 
16,120  acres. 

NATURAL  FEATURES.  • 
The  surface  of  the  t(5wn  is  rocky  and  mountainous,  and  of 
its  many  prominent  elevations,  Morse  Hill,  which  overlooks 
Lock's  village  in  the  northwest,  is  the  greatest.  Near  here  a 
species  of  mineral  called  molybdenite  is  found,  and  here  also 
may  be  seen  in  profusion  immense  rocky  bowlders,  ^  which 
it  is  the  popular  belief  that  they  were  conveyed  to  their  pres- 
ent resting-places,  by  a  vast  but  reinote  upheaval  of  nature, 
from  some  distant  quarter.*    East  of  Lock's  Pond  and  near  the 

*  They  are  simply  relics  of  the  great  drift  period.    See  geological  chapter,  la 
the  general  history.  ,-  .  •' 


758 


HISTORY   OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


northern  boundary  of  the  town  is  Mount  Mineral  Spring;, 
famous  in  days  gone  by  as  a  place  of  resort  for  invalids,  and 
believed  to  possess  remarkable  curati\'e  properties.  Its  chief 
ingredient  is  tnitnat(>^of  lime,  with  which  it  is  strongly  im- 
pregnated. 

A  fine  large  hotel  was  kept  at  this  point  for  several  years, 
up  to  187G,  when  it  was  destroyed  by  fire,  and  since  that  time 
the  property  has  been  abandoned,  although  measures  were 
afoot  in  the  winter  of  1878  looking  to  its  restoration.  -Tlie' 
company  owning  the  proper!}',  known  as  the  Mount  Mineral 
Spring  Company,  was  incorporated  in  18()7. 

A  mineral  spring  possessing  similar  properties  was  discov- 
ered about  the  year  J808,  in  the  village  of  Shiitesbury  Centre, 
and  a  hptej  built  upon  the  spot,  and  -^iH  known  as  the  Pool 
Tavern,  was  for  years  much  visited  by  invalids  from  far  and 
near.  An  earth-cave  filled  the  well  some  time  ago,  and  since 
then  the  Pool  Tavern  has  been  used  as  a  private  dwelling. 

Shutesbury  has  long  been  noted  for  the  healthful ness  of  its 
climate,  and  instances  of  extreme  longevity  among  its  inhab- 
itants are  plentiful,  one  of  its  citizens,  Ephraim  Pratt,  having 
reached  the  remarkable  age  of  upward  of  one  hundred  and 
si.xteen  years. 

Swift  River,  furnishing  good  water-power,  fringes  the  east- 
ern border  of  the  town,  and  Roaring  Brook  performs  similar 
but  less  important  service,  while  in  the  northwest  Lock's  Pond 
is  a  noticeable  natural  feature.  Gravel  and  sand  are  the  char- 
acteristics of  the  soil,  and  of  woodland  there  is  a  great  abun- 
dance. Soapstone  has  been  found,  but  not  in  quantity  sufficient 
to  warrant  the  business  of  quarrying  it. 

The  hills  of  Shutesbury  otter  charming  dispUu-s  of  wildly 
picturesque  scenery,  and  the  region  is  much  visited  in  sum- 
mer and  autumn  by  tourists  as  well  as  by  those  who  seek  the 
beneficial  etlccts  of  a  salubrious  climate. 

EARLY    SETTLEiMENT. 

About  the  year  173.3,  95  persons,  a  majority  of  whom  re- 
sided in  Lancaster,  constructed  a  public  highwaj'  from  that 
town  to  the  Connecticut  River,  and  ujion  tlie  plea  that  their 
private  enterprise,  efiected  at  c(msidorable  cost,  had  resulted  in 
great  public  hcncfit  in  shortening  the  distance  frojn  certain 
towns  in  Hampshire  County  to  Boston,  they  joined  in  a  p6- 
tition  to  the  General  Court  asking  for  an  appropriation  of 
lands  to  recompense  them  for  their  outlay.  The  petition  was 
presented  by  William  Richardson,  and  im  Dee.  11,  1734,  the 
House  of  Representatives  ordered  "  tluit  the  petition  be  granted 
and  the  jietiticmers  allowed  and  empowered  by  a  surveyor  and 
chainman,  on  oath,  to  survey  and  lay  out  a  tract  of  the  un- 
appropriated lands  of  this  province  of  the  contents  of  six  miles 
square."  The  conditions  of  the  grant  were  that  it  should  em- 
brace land  near  the  highway  laid  out  by  the  petitioners,  that 
four  years  after  the  return  and  acceptance  of  the  plat  GO  fam- 
ilies should  be  settled,  and  that  each  family  sliould  build  a 
house  18  feet  square  and  7  feet  stud,  and  clear  and  break  four 
acres  of  land  for  tillage  and  four  acres  for  English  gra.ss.  The 
settlers  were  also  to  laj"  out  a  lot  for  the  first  settled  minister, 
one  for  the  ministry,  and  one  for  a  school,  to  build  a  meeting- 
house, to  settle  a  learned  and  orthodox  minister,  and  to  fit  the 
road,  upon  which  the  grant  was  based,  for  a  cart-way, — all  to 
be  dcme  within  the  space  of  four  years.  The  council  declined 
to  concur  in  the  order  then,  but  did  so  in  173-'),  and  on  the  13th 
of  May  of  that  year  the  proprietors  held  their  first  meeting,  in 
Lancaster,  at  the  house  of  William  Richardson.  Capt.  Oliver 
Wilder  was  chosen  moderator,  and  Jonathan  Houghton  pro- 
prietors' cleric. 

As  before  noted,  the  original  petition  to  the  General  Co\irt 
bore  the  names  of  ninety-five  persons,  as  follows : 

Bunjamiii  BallunI,  Oliver  Wilder,  Ezra  Siiwyer,  Joshua  Church,  Niitliiiniel 
■Wilder.  Kicliaril  Wilde,  I'eter  Atlicrton,  John  Gohs,  William  Guss,  Joiiathau 
Houghton,  Samuel  Sawyer,  Joseph  Moore,  NatluiTiiel  Sawyer,  Joiiathau  Osgood, 
JoliD  Wilder,  Jr.,  John  Fletcher,  Josiah  Eichardsou,  Shiibael  Baylcy,  Eheiiezer 
I'olley,  Benjamin  Houghton,  Jr.,  Ephi-aim  Wilder,  Jr.,  James  Etiss,  Benjamiu 


Atherton,  Thomiis  .Sawyer,  Naham  "Willard,  Gamaliel  Beaman,  Ephraim  Wilder, 
Ilavid  Osgooil,  .Tonathnn  I'owers,  Daniel  Itugg.  .loshua  Ilon;^hton,  Benjamin 
Houghton,  Thomas  Fairhaiik,  Ile/.ekiah  Gatei*,  I>aiiiel  Aha-rt,  .t^din  Kugg^ 
Joseph  Bennett,  I'eter  Joslin,  Nathaniel  t'urter,  Hi-zehiah  Whiteomh,  William 
Kiehardson,  Josliua  Osgood,  .Tosiali  Osgood,  Fairliank  Moore,  Hookei'  Osgcnal.  Jr., 
Oliver  Moore,  Thomnfl  Tooker,  Daniel  lloughUui,  Andrew  Wilder,  Jonathan 
Houghton,  Ji-.,  John  Shtpw,  Ephraim  Wheeler,  John  Sawyer,  John  Whiteomb, 
Sanniel  Carter,  Samuel  Willard,  Jr.,  Edward  PheliK,  Bezaliel  Sawyer,  Moses 
Osgood,  Gai'dner  Wilder,  .Tosiah  Wilder,  Ahner  Sawyer,  Jonathan  Whiteomb, 
Thomas  Carter,  Ephraim  Sawyer,  Jonathan  Bayley,  nenjaniiu  Osgood,  .lonathaa 
Wilder,  Tliomas  Wiight,  John  Kugg,  Ahijah  Willard,  .Icdm  Bennett,  Thomas 
Dix,  Joshua  IMiclps,  Janu's  Wilder,  .Tr.,  Jtinathan  Sawyer,  Benjamin  Whiteomb, 
Tlioma.s  Wells,  llr.  Thomas  Wcdls,  Jonathan  Burl,  John  Banuiril,  Eheuezor 
Sheldon,  .Jomithan  I»iekinson.  I)avi<l  Sniilh,  Jonas  Iloughtjji,  Bezaliel  Wilder, 
Thomas  Templ(\  .Joseph  Clary,  .Tohu  Toon,  James  Warren,  Shuhael  Gorham, 
Andrew  Belcher,  John  Little,  Elisha  Bigliy. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  proprietors  in  October,  1735,  it  was 
voted  that  the  persons  named  above,  together  with  three  asso- 
ciates,— to  wit,  Col.  Job  Amey,  Thomas  Dudley,  and  John 
Chandler, — he  declared  the  proprietors  of  the  new  township 
in  equal  parts,  each  paying  an  equal  proportion  of  the  past 
charges,  and  being  subject  to  the  conditions  of  the  grant  re- 
sjiecting  the  settlement,  Joseph  Clary  and  Thomas  Wells 
being  alone  excused  from  said  obligations.  The  tract  secured 
by  the  petitioners  in  the  grant  was  more  than  six  miles  square, 
and  included,  besides  the  tract  now  covered  by  Shutesbury, 
the  southern  portion  of  the  present  town  of  Wendell,  and  a 
.strip  of  land  set  off  on  the  east  to  New  Salem.  It  was  about 
ten  miles  long,  and  six  miles  wide  at  its  widest  part. 

At  the  first  meeting  of  the  proprietors,  in  May,  1735,  a  com- 
mittee was  appointed  to  lay  out  the  tract  in  lots  to  be  appor- 
tioned to  the  proprietors,  no  one  of  whom,  however,  was  to 
draw  his  lot  until  he  had  ]iaid  into  the  common  treasury  X5 
10s.  for  past  and  future  charges.  From  this  payment  Col. 
Dudley  and  Andrew  Belcher  were  relieved  on  account  of  ser- 
vices rendered  the  proprietors!  By  reason  of  the  grant  being 
made  on  account  of  a  highway  the  place  was  first  called  Road- 
town,  and  that  name  it  retained  until  the  incorporation  of  the 
town.    - 

Lots  were  drawn  by  the  proprietors,  Oct.  30,  1735,  and  in 
the  proprietors'  record  of  the  assignment  of  lots  it  is  shown 
that  .59  jiersons  agreed  to  settle  upon  the  lots  drawn  by  them, 
but  who  of  them  actually  settled  it  is  difficult  to  determine 
from  the  records.  Many  of  them  did  not  settle  as  they  agreed 
to,  and  the  pro|)rietors,  as  will  be  hereafter  shown,  used  urgent 
measures  to  compel  them  to  do  so.  Porty-four  of  the  persons 
who  drew  lots  chose  to  be  relieved  from  the  obligation  of  set- 
tling, and  were  thus  relieved  by  giving  the  proprietors  their 
notes  at  two  years,  pledging  the  ])ayment  of  £18  each  for  the 
concession,  it  being  understood  that  the  money  received  for 
the  notes  was  to  be  used  in  building" a  meeting-house.  After 
the  apportionment  of  lots  and  the  payment  of  all  debts  the 
treasury  of  the  proprietors  had  on  hand  a  surplus  of  £119  13s. 
'  The  first  actual  settlers  were  undoubtedly  Jonathan  Burt 
and  Bezaliel  AVilder.  Each  was  granted  a  lot,  conditioned 
"  that  he  build  a  house  upon  it.and  dwell  therein  as  a  settler 
by  May,  1737."  The  road  from  Lancaster  to  Sunderland  was, 
according  to  the  order  of  the  General  Court,  improved  and 
cleared  in  1735,  and  in  this  work  the  proprietors  paid  for  labor 
7s.  per  day  to  each  man,  "he  to  find  his  own  subsistence." 

In  the  assignment  of  lots,  a  tract  of  500  acres  lying  .south 
of  the  road  from  Lancaster  to  Sunderland  was  reserved  for  the 
use  of  the  then  governor,  Andrew  Belcher.  This  tract  was 
known  as  "  the  governor's  farm,"  and  out  of  it  the  governor 
deeded  4  acres  adjoining  the  road  to  the  inhabitants  of  Koad- 
town  "for  the  building  of  the  meeting-house  and  school- 
house,  and  for  a  burying-place  and  training-field,  forever." 
Besides  Burt  and  Wilder,  Thomas  Tensile,  John  Barnard, 
Benjamin  Houghton,  the  Osgoods,  and  the  Sawyers  settled  as 
early  as  1737. 

A  saw-mill  was  built  on  the  south  branch  of  Roaring  Brook 

'   in  1737  by  Jonathan   Burt,  Bezaliel  Wilder,  Nathan   Farrar, 

nd  James  Wilder,  who,  as  an  encouragement  thereto,  were 


r. 


HISTORY  OF  FRANKLIN   COUNTY. 


759 


granted  20  acres  of  land  and  £oO.  The  saw-mill  proprietors 
were  to  furnish  the  settlers  good  pine  boards  at  40.s-.  per  thou- 
sand for  ten  years,  or  "saw  W  the  halves,"  or  for  20s.,  the 
settlers  findins;  the  lojrs. 

The  proprietors'  meetings' were  held  in  Lancaster  until  Sept. 
C,  17;J8,  and  after  that  they  were  held  in  Roadtown,  the  first 
one  being  at  .Jonathan  Burt's  house,  .June  6,  1739.  From 
this  fact  it  would  seem  that  by  the  latter  date  there  must 
have  been  a  considerable  settlement  in  Roadtown. 

In  1740  the  proprietors,  seeing  that  many  persons  who  had 
agreed  to  settle  upon  the  tract  had  neglected  to  do  so,  peti- 
tioned the  General  Court  for  measures  to  compel  the  delin- 
quents to  fulfill  their  obligations.  Several  of  those,  too,  who 
had  given  their  notes  to  be  free  from  obligations  to  settle,  had 
refused  to  pay  the  notes  at  maturity,  and  suits  were  instituted 
against  them. 

lu  174-t  it  was  agreed  that  timber  which  should  fall  and  lie 
twelve  months  unclaimed  should  be  "any  man's."  In  this 
year  1.5s.  were  assessed  upon  each  original  right,  to  defray  the 
charges  of  the  ensuing  j'ear. 

In  1743,  Bezaliel  Sawyer  was  granted  120  acres  of  land  to 
encourage  him  in  the  building  of  a  corn-mill,  but,  he  failing  to 
ratify  the  contract,  the  grant  was  transferred  to  Benjamin 
Harris  in  1747,  and  in  that  year  Mr.  Harris  built  a  grist-mill 
in  the  southeast  part  of  Roadtown,  on  what  was  known  as 
Harris'  Brook.  In  17.J4,  Jonas  Lock  built  a  grist-mill  at  what 
is  now  known  as  Lock's  Pond. 

Roads  were  built  in  1756  from  the  meeting-house  to  the 
north  line  of  the  tract,  from  the  meeting-house  to  the  south 
line,  and  from  New  Salem  west  line  to  Sunderland  east  line.  On 
these  roads  men  were  paid  2s.  per  daj' for  labor.  In  1758  the 
Quarter  Sessions  was  applied  to  for  a  county  road  through 
Roadtown,  and  in  that  year  another  effort  was  made,  by  peti- 
tion to  the  General  Court,  to  compel  those  who  had  promised 
but  failed  to  settle  to  do  their  duty  in  the  matter.  A  road 
was  opened  in  the  north  end  in  1756,  another  in  17G3,  and  in 
1706  there  was  one  from  the  north  line  to  Caleb  Whitney's,  and 
one  from  Oliver  Wetherbee's  to  the  middle  county  road.  The 
non-settling  proprietoi-s  caused  much  vexation,  and  in  17G5 
they  were  proceeded  against  to  compel  them  to  settle,  but  with 
what  success  is  not  recorded.  Two  of  Roadtowu's  early  set- 
tlers—Richard and  James  "Wilde — enlisted  at  Northfield, 
1760,  in  Capt.  Salah  Barnard's  compaii3-,  and  marched  in 
Gen..  Amherst's  army  upon  Montreal,  which,  in  September  of 
that  year,  passed,  with  the  entire  province  of  Canada,  into  the 
possession  of  the  British  crown. 

NOTEWORTHY    INCIDENTS. 

The  town  never  suft'ered  from  Indian  depredations,  but  as 
a  precautionary  measure  a  fort  was  built  in  1748,  near  the 
residence  of  Rev.  Abraham  Hill,  and  his  house  picketed. 
The  fort  occupied  a  site  close  to  where  Mr.  J.  Hayden  now 
liv«s,  about  a  half-mile  north  of  Shutesbury  Centre. 

The  first  pound  was  built  in  1761,  30  feet  "squair,"  and 
located  near  the  meeting-house.  About  that  time  it  was  re- 
solved to  i)rovide  eonstabks  and  wardens  with  staves,  and  3k. 
were  a)ipropriated  for  the  purpose.  In  176-')  the  town  built 
"stocks,"  and  in  the  same  year  empowered  Joseph  Lock  to 
apply  to  the  court  of  General  Sessions  to  secure  the  town 
from  any  charge  to  which  it  might  become  exposed  on  account 
of  a  child  of  Elizabeth  Wilder,  born  out  of  wedlock. 

In  1767  the  General  Court  was  petitioned  for  relief  from 
province  taxes.  In  1768  but  j£6  5s.  8il.  were  raised  to  defray 
necessary  town  charges,  and  in  1769  the  sum  raised  was 
£6  6s.  8-/. 

The  question  of  clearing  and  inclosing  the  burying-ground 

'  was  agitatedin  1763,  and  continued  to  be  discussed  until  1771, 

when  it  was  resolved  not  to  do  the  work.     In  1781  the  tract 

known  as  the   North   End   was   set  oft'  from   Shutesbury  !ind 

apportioned  to  the  town  of  Wendell. 


The  records  of  1778  refer  to  a  Dr.  Robert  Cutler  as  a  resi- 
dent, and  it  is  likely  that  he  was  the  first  settled  physician. 
In  that  year,  the  supply  of  grain  threatening  to  give  out,  a 
committee  was  appointed  "  to  search  and  examine  every  man's 
store  of  grain  and  corn,  and  to  make  a  computation  of  what 
grain  is  necessary  to  s\ipport  the  town  until  the  next  Engli.sh 
harvest,  and  supply  each  family."  The  committee  reporting 
that  they  had  found  984  bushels,  and  that  1182  bushels  would 
be  required  to  support  the  town  until  the  next  Engli-sh  har- 
vest, a  coriimittee  was  forthwith  appointed  to  confer  with 
other  towns  and  come  to  some  plan  for  supplying  the  need. 

In  1779,  Rev.  Abraham  Hill,  refusing  to  pay  his  taxes,  was 
forced  to  do  so  under  threat  of  seizure,  and  he  subsequently 
brought,  in  the  court  of  Common  Pleas,  at  Northampton,  an 
action  against  the  town  to  compel  the  restitution  of  the 
moneys  thus  obtained.  In  response  to  a  citation  to  appear, 
the  town  transmitted  to  the  court,  through  a  committee,  an 
answer  setting  forth  that  the  town  did  not  recognize  the  Brit- 
ish laws  under  which  the  court  was  framed,  and  would  not 
submit  the  case  to  it.     That  was  the  last  heard  of  the  matter. 

In  1782  the  town  voted  not  to  accept  the  Excise  Act  passed 
by  the  Legislature,  and  in  that  year,  too,  financial  pressure 
compelled  the  sale  of  the  ministerial  and  school  lands. 

Besides  the  tract  set  oft'  to  Wendell,  Shutesbury  was  also 
shorn  of  a  tract  on  the  east  for  addition  to  New  Salem. 

The  first  justice  of  the  peace  in  the  town  was,  prob.ably, 
John  Powers,  Jr.,  who  was  appointed  in  1783.  The  first 
birth  in  what  is  Shutesbury  appears  (from  the  records)  to 
have  been  Lucy,  daughter  of  Jonathan  Dickinson,  born 
Nov.  9,  1746;  the  first  death,  Sarah  Harris,  in  1762;  and 
the  first  marriage.  Silent  Wilde,  of  Shutesbury,  and  Eunice 
Strong,  of  Union,  Conn.,  in  1763.  It  is  probable  that  there 
were  births,  marriages,  and  deaths  previous  to  these  dates, 
but  the  records  do  not  mention  them. 

William  Ward  is  supposed  to  have  been  the  first  lawyer, 
one  Marks  the  first  blacksmith,  and  among  the  physicians 
Drs.  Day  and  Carter  flourished  at  an  early  period.  The  first 
tavern  is  said  to  have  been  kept  by  a  Capt.  Allen,  a  short  dis- 
tance north  of  what  is  now  Shutesbury  Centre.  It  is  related 
that  a  body  of  Shays  men,  passing  through  Shutesbury, 
rested  at  Capt.  Allen's  tavern,  and  the  leader  of  the  band,  es- 
pying Rev.  Mr.  Smallidge  standing  near,  cried  out  to  him, 
"Whose  side  are  you  on?"  "Sir,"  returned  the  reverend 
gentleman,  "  I  am  on  the  side  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ." 

Capt.  Samson,  of  Shutesbury,  was  one  of  the  first  to  join 
Shays'  cause,  and  was  one  of  its  stauncjjest  supporters, 
as  was  also  Capt.  Powers,  of  Shutesbury.  I  The  Rev.  John 
Taylor,  Congregational  minister,  was  also  postmaster  in  1816. 
An  ancient  structure,  now  standing  in  Shutesbury  Centre 
next  the  school-house,  was  built  by  Thomas  Kibbcy  about 
1700,  and  there  for  many  years  he  kept  tavern.   , 

The  oldest  person  now  living  in  the  town  is  "Aunt"  Lydia 
Pratt,  aged  ninety-six,  and  the  widow  of  Jonas  Pratt,  who'v 
served  in  the  war  of  1812  from  Shutesbury.  The  Hon.  Paul 
Dillingham,  Governor  of  Vermont  in  1865,  was  a  native  of 
Shutesbury,  and  there  were  doubtless  other  natives  of  the 
town  who  achieved  distinction,  but  their  names  are  not  at 
hand.  Apropos  of  the  war  of  1812,  Shutesbury  protested 
against  it,  and  sent  William  Ward  as  a  delegate  to  the  North- 
ampton anti-war  convention.  ^ 

REV0L1ITI0N.\RY  RE.MINISCENCE.-3. 
In  1773,  Shutesbury  gave  abundant  evidence  of  its  patriotio 
principles  in  its  replj'  to  the  pamphlet  sent  out  to  the  towns 
by  the  committee  of  correspondence  at  Boston.     In  that  reply 
the  language  was : 

"Fully  st'iiHiblc  as  we  arc  in  this  town  of  owr  inability  to  Jo  anytliing  coii- 
»i'IeraMe  toward  the  suppirt  of  liberty,  yet  we  shouM  in  our  esteem  be  greatly 
wanting  to  our  country,  ourselves,  anil  posterity  should  we  neglect  or  refuse  to 
give  our  free  sentiments  at  this  time  of  the  sense  we  have  of  our  liberties  and 
privileges.    The  'nhabitants  of  this  town  are  as  loyal  andns  tlntifnl  as  any  of 


760 


HISTORY  OF  THE  CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


tiis  Miijcvty's  8ulij<™-t»  in  Groat  Ilritniii,  and  desire  notliing  more  tliiiu  to  cnjuy 
the  t-ame  rights  and  privilepre  as  those  do  in  Great  Hiitain,  hnt,  unhappily  for 
us,  wo  are  denied  tlicm.  "We  also  view  with  glatittide  and  pleasure  the  nohle 
stjind  the  llonomhle  Couneil  and  House  of  Uei)resentatives  have  made  in  this 
truly  critical  time,  and  the  groat  wisdom  and  fortitude  they  have  discovered  in 
80  tirndy  standing  for  our  invaluahle  constitutional  rights  and  privileges  gives 
us  some  ground  to  Iiope  that  our  grievances  may  he  redressed."  .  .  . 

For  some  iiiioxpl!iiiied  reason,  the  town  refused  in  1774  to 
send  a  delegate  to  tlie  Provincial  Congress  which  assembled 
at  Concord,  and  refused  in  177o  to  ott'er,  as  other  towns  did, 
to  pay  the  Minute-Men  for  the  time  occupied  in  training  ex- 
ercises. The  first  committee  of  correspondence  was  chosen  in 
1775,  and  was  composed  of  Joseph  Loclv,  Samuel  Coney,  Jona- 
than Dickinson,  Moses  Wilder,  and  John  Powers.  The  same 
year  Samuel  Coney,  John  Hamilton,  and  Joseph  Lock  were 
sent  to  the  Provincial  Congress.  The  last  town-meeting  called 
in  his  Majesty's  name  wits  held  in  February,  1770. 

In  1778  a  bounty  of  £30  was  offered  per  man  for  soldiers, 
and  committees  were  appointed  to  provide  provisions  for  the 
support  of  the  families  of  Continental  soldiers.  In  1780  the 
bounty  for  soldiers  was  raised  to  £200  per  man,  and  in  the 
same  year  the  town  voted  to  raise  £10,000  to  pay  bounties  to 
Continental  soldiers.  At  this  time  wheat  was  worth  $C^0  per 
bushel,  rye  §40,  Indian  corn  §32,  oats  |!20,  and  flour  $10  per 
])Ound.*  In  1781  a  committee  was  appointed  to  confer  with 
neighboring  towns  about  raising  soldiers,  and  a  second  com- 
mittee appointed  "  to  look  and  find  how  they  could  get  seven 
Continental  soldiers  for  three  years,"  for  whom  bounties  were 
oftered  of  £100,  in  hard  money,  per  man. 

In  the  same  year  it  was  resolved  to  credit  minors  fur  their 
services  in  the  war,  and  not  to  give  the  credit  to  masters  for 
minors.  £60  in  bounty  were  offered  later  on,  and  then  the 
committee  were  instructed  to  procure  men  on  the  best  terms 
possible.  In  1782  the  town  began  to  groan  under  war  burdens, 
and  protested  to  the  Legislature  that  it  should  not  compel 
the  town  to  incur  expenditures  which  could  not  be  met  by 
taxation. 

It  was  in  this  year  that  the  town,  "considering  the  peculiar 
circumstances  of  the  present  day,"  deemed  it  inexpedient  to 
give  in  any  votes  for  governor,  lieutenant-governor,  and  sena- 
tors, and  in  1784  and  1785  similar  action  was  taken.  In  1/82 
Abraham  Merrifield  and  Thomas  Shaw  contracted  to  furnish 
a  man  for  three  years  or  the  war,  and  for  him  they  were  to 
have  £6  in  hand  and  £59  in  stock.  Among  those  who  went 
into  the  service  from  the  town  were  Silas  Temple,  Frederick 
Temple,  and  Enoch  Curtis. 

The  town  records  abound  with  evidences  of  the  strong  ef- 
forts put  forth  by  Shutesbury  in  upholding  the  Revolutionary 
cause,  and  these  efforts  were  cheerfully  made,  despite  the  fact 
that  they  wellnigh  impoverished  a  people  not  particularly 
blessed  with  worldly  goods  at  best. 

Among  those  of  Shutesbury  who  entered  the  service  in  the 
war  of  1812  were  Jonas  Pratt,  Benjamin  Winter,  John  Ras- 
kins, Luther  Pierce,  Ephraim  Pratt,  Jr.,  Patrick  Gray,  Noah 
Pratt,  Paul  Macomber,  Capt.  Enos  Mayo,  Bradyell  Smith, 
Zadeck  Pierce,  Seth  Fish,  and  Watson  Leonard.  The  latter, 
now  aged  eighty-five,  is  the  only  survivor  of  the  war  of  1812 
now  living  in  Shutesbury.  Zaccheus  Crocker,  of  Shutesbury, 
was  a  lieutenant  in  a  company  of  CI  men,  from  Amherst, 
Shutesbury,  and  Leverett,  commanded  by  Capt.  Reuben  Dick- 
inson, of  Amherst,  in  the  war  of  1776. 

ORGANIZATION. 

The  town  was  incorporated  June  30, 1761,  and  called  Shutes- 
bury in  honor  of  Samuel  Shute,  who  was  Governor  of  Mas- 
sachusetts Bay  forty  years  previous  to  that  date.  In  recogni- 
tion of  this  honor,  Gov.  Shute's  niece,  who  was  the  wife  of 
Gov.  Bernard,  in  1761  presented  to  the  town  a  handsome 
Bible,  which  is  still  in  its  possession. 

The  warrant  for  the  first  town-meeting  was  dated  Sept.  20, 


"KAU  estimated  in  "  Continental"  money. 


17iil,  and  was  issued  by  Eleazer  Porter  to  Jonathan  Dickin- 
son. The  first  town-meeting  was  held  in  the  meeting-house 
Oct.  5,  1761,  and  uf  this  meeting  Ebenezer  Childs  was  chosen 
moderator. 

A  list  of  tlie  selectmen  and  town  clerks  chosen  by  the  town 
from  1761  to  tlic  present  time  is  hereto  appended  ; 

SELECTMEN. 

17G1.— Ehenezer  Clnl  Is,  Jonathan   DiL:kinsin,  .T.iseph    Whitney,  Jonas   ImM, 

Joseph  Lock. 
17G2. — Ebenezer  Childs,  .loseph  Whitney,  Jonas  Lock. 
17G3. — Jonathan  Dickinson,  Zacclieus  Cro-ker,  Bezaliel  Wilder,  Daniel  Fisk, 

Joseph  Lock. 
17G4. — Joseph  Lock,  John  Barnard,  John  Powei-s. 
1765. — Ebenezer  Childs,  .toseph  Lock,  John  Barnard. 
1766. — Daniel  Fisk,  Joseph  Lock,  John  Chandjerlain. 
17G7. — Zaccheus  CTOcker,  John  Barnard,  Lieut.  Dickiusou. 
17GS. — Ebenezer  Chills,  John  Powei-s,  .Tohn  Barnard. 
1760.— John  Barnard,  Silent  Wild,  Ebimezer  Oldlds. 
177().— Bezaliel  Wilder,  Jolin  Chamberlain,  .lohn  Crosby. 
1771. — Deai'pn  Cliilds,  John  Barnard,  Zaccheus  Crocker,  Jr. 
1772. — John  Barnard,  Joseph  Lock,  Zaccheus  Crocker,  Jr. 
1773. — I)eacon  Childs,  .lohn  Barnard,  Joseph  Lock. 
1774. — Joseph  Lock,  Moses  Wilder,  John  Ross. 
1775. — .Tohn  Haniiltou.  Joseph  Lock,  Samuel  Coney. 
1776. — John  Hamilton,  Capt.  Z.  Cmeker,  James  Koss,  Jr. 
1777. — John  Powers,  Jr.,  Bloses  Wilder,  James  Rosj,  Jr.,  Jonathan  Osgood,  J. 

Dickinson,  Jr. 
177S. — Asa  Powers,  Simeon  Vaughan,  Nathan  Haskins. 
1779.— Jonathan  Osgood,  James  Bo.=8,  Seth  Pierce,  John  Witt,  Asa  Powers. 
1780.— Seth  Pierce,  Eph.  Wheeler,  Sim.  Vaughan,  Lott  Paine,  Abner  Stone. 
17S1.— Seth  Pierce,  John  Powers,  Lott  Paine,  Abner  Stone. 
1782.— John  Wilt,  Nathan  Haskins,  George  Bri.lgo. 
1783.— Josiah  MaKhall,  Job  Smith,  Thomas  Shaw. 
1784. — Seth  Pierce,  John  Powers,  Jr.,  Siinejn  Vaaghan. 
1785.— Philip  Hathway,  Simeon  Vaughan,  Tijeoph;  Crocker. 
1786. — .\sa  Powers,  Joseph  Blanchard,  Oliver  .\llen. 
1787. — Asjvph  Lyon,  Joseph  Pettee.  Isiiac  Ciiurrii. 

1788.— Andrew  Hamilton,  Matthew  Pratt,  Job  Smith,  James  Shaw.  Ed.  Crossett. 
1789. — Andrew  Hamilton,  J'aul  Dillingham,  James  Sliaw. 
1700. — Andrew  Hamilton,  Paul  Dillingham,  Samuel  Swinerton. 
1791. — Andrew  Hamilton,  John  Powers,' Jr.,  Ed.  Crossett. 
1702.— Andrew  Hamilton,  John  Powere,  Jr.,  Eliphalet  Day. 
1793.— Andrew  Hamilton,  Nathaniel  Smith,  Tliomas  Kibbey. 
1794.— Jesse  Winter.  Theophilus  Crocker,  Jr.,  Thomas  Kibbey. 
1705. — Luther  Hoar,  Theophilus  Crocker,  Jr..  Thomis  Kibbey. 
1796. — .Vndiew  Hamilton,  Jesse  AVinter,  Tliomas  Kibbey. 
1707.— Andiew  Hamilton,  Gejrgo  Macomber,  Thomas  Kibbey. 
1798. — Luther  Hoar.  George  aiacomber,  Thonais  Kibbey. 
1799-1801.- Paul  Dillingham,  Geirge  Macomber,  Thomas  Kibbey. 
1802. — Luther  Hoar,  Asa  Powers,  Thomas  Kibbey, 
1803.— Andrew  Uiunilton,  Henry  Ward,  Thco.  Crocker. 
1804. — Andrew  Hamilton,  Henry  Ward,  Gejrgc  Macomber. 
1805. — Eli  Spear,  Henry  Ward,  Thomas  Richardson. 
1806.- Ephraim  Wheeler,  Abner  Smith,  Th  mv.w  Rich.ardsin. 
1807.— Paul  Macomber,  .\bner  Snnth.  Peter  Lamb. 
1803.— Paul  Macomber,  Joseph  Haskins.  Peter  Lamb. 
1809. — Paul  Macomber,  .\sa  Powel-s,  Peter  Lamb. 
1810. — Paul  Slacomber,  Abner  Snnth,  Peter  Lamb. 
1811. — Joseph  Haskins,  Aimer  Smith,  Elidia  Bogne. 
1812. — Luther  Cliapin.  .\bner  Smith,  Josiah  Bcaman. 
181.3. — Elisha  Bugue,  Luther  Henry,  Josiah  Beaman. 
1814. — Liscom  Brigham,  Luther  Heniy,  Penter  Sampson. 
1S15. — Liscom  Brigham,  Abner  Smith,  John  Corkey. 
1816. — Liscom  Brigham,  Wm.  Ward,  Jolin  Corkey. 
1817. — NathaniLd  Ulacjmber,  Josiah  Beaman,  Jr.,  Phin.  Heminway. 
1818-19.— Abner  Smith.  Josiah  Beaitiao,  Jr..  Ph.  Heminway. 
1820. — Li:<cora  Brigham,  As.l  Adams,  Esek  Baker. 
1821.— .\bner  Smith,  .lohn  Conkey,  Archs.  Leonard. 
1822. — Abner  Snnth,  Josiah  Beaman,  Jr.,  Esek  Baker. 
1823. — .^bner  Smith,  Phincas  Heminway,  Nathaniel  Macomber. 
1824-25.— Asa  .\dams.  Jr.,  Jonas  Winter,  John  Conkey. 
1826-27. — .\sa  .\dams,  Jr.,  Jonas  Winter,  Paul  Macomber. 
182*!.- William  Keai,  Gideon  Stetson,  Samuel  Hamilton. 
1829.— Williiim  Read,  Liscom  Brigham,  Samuel  Hanulton. 
1830.— Paul  Mauomber,  Joel  CiKlding,  Saumel  Hamilton. 
1831.— Benjamin  Winter,  Jr.,  Joel  O.idding,  Gideon  Stetson. 
1832.— Nathaidel  Slacouilper,  Willard  Raymond,  Josiah  Beaman. 
1833.— Nathan  Paul,  Willaril  Raymond,  Josiah  Beaman. 
1834.— Nathan  Paul,  Willard  Eaymoud,  Jc&ie  Marvel. 
1835-36.- Jonas  Winter,  Willard  Raymonil,  Joseph  Adams. 
1837. — Jos.  L.  Smallidge,  Watson  Leouartl,  Bouj.  Winter. 
1838.— Natluui  Paul,  Wation  Leonard,  Bouj.  Winter. 
1830.— Benjamin  Dune,  Watson  Leonaril,  J.  S.  Baker. 
1840.— Thomas  E.  Winchester,  Watson  Leonard,  J.  S.  Baker. 
1S41. — Benjamin  Winter,  Josiah  Beaman,  .Mvah  Haskins. 


HISTORY  OF  FRANKLIN   COUNTY. 


761 


1842.— Jonathan  S.  Baker.  Wm.  H.  Beaman,  AWah  Haskins. 

1843. — Benjamin  Winter,  Tapcal  Marvel,  Saninel  F.  Dndley. 

lt'44.— Jonathan  S.  Baker,  James  P.  Hemiiiway,  S.  F.  Dudley. 

1845.— J.  S.  Baker,  Katlian  Paul,  S.  F.  Dudley. 

1S46. — J.  S.  Baker,  Jonas  H.  Winter,  S.  F.  Dudley. 

1847.— Benjamin  Winter,  Alvah  Baskin.'^,  S.  F.  Dudley. 

1848.- Benjamin  Winter,  Jonathan  S.  Baker,  Johu_H.  Davie. 

1849.— Benjamin  Winter,  Alvah  Haskins,  Wm.  H.  Beanian. 

1850.— Benjamin  Winter,  John  H.  Davie,  Wm.  H.  Beaman. 

1851.— Alvah  Haskins,  S.  F.  Dudley,  N.  D.  Adams. 

1852.— Alvah  Haskins,  S.  F.  Dudley,  E.  C.  Kellogg. 

1853.— Benjamin  Winter,  S.  F.  Dudley,  S.  H.  Stowell. 

1864.— Alvah  Haskins,  Henry  Pierce,  S.  H.  Stowell. 

1865.— Nathan  Paul,  D.  Hamilton,  Jr.,  S.  H.  Stowell. 

1856.— H.  G.  0.  Powers,  L.  H.  Stetson,  Benjamin  Winter. 

1857.— Sathan  Paul,  Thomas  Keynolds,  J.  P.  Heminway. 

1858.- James  Fisk,  S.  H.  Stowell,  J.  E.  Spear. 

1869.— J.  H.  Davis,  Wm.  A.  Gray,  D.  N.  Hamilton. 

1860-61.— J.  H.  Davis,  S,  F.  Dudley,  S.  H.  Stowell. 

1862.— Wm.  H.  Beaman,  S.  F.  Dudley,  S.  H.  Stowell. 

1863.— Benjamin  Winter,  E.  P.  Spear,  J.  A.  Haskins. 

1864.— John  H.  Davis,  Samuel  H,  Stowell,  S.  W.  Adams; 

1866.— John  H.  Davis,  Benjamin  Wiutei-,  S.  F.  Dudley. 

1866.— Henry  O.  Winter,  Samuel  H.  Stowell,  S.  F.  Dudley. 

1867.— Henry  C.  Winter,  John  H.  Davis,  S.  F.  Dudley. 

1868.— Han  ison  Hamilton,  John  H.  Davis,  Seth  Leonard. 

1869.— Harris.jn  Hamilton,  John  H.  Davis,  S.  F.  Dudley. 

1870.— Harrison  Hamilton,  N.  A.  Briggs,  J.  G.  Eeed.  (^ 

1871.— Charles  Felton,  H.  C.  Winter,  J.  G.  Eeed. 

1872.— George  A.  Beri-j-,  H.  C.  Winter,  J.  H.  Davis.  ,  ' '         /  yj. 

1873-75.— George  A.  Berry,  J.  G.  Keed,  Warren  Ames.  i  ^  V  '  \ 

1876.— George  A.  Berry,  J.  G.  Eeed,  H.  N.  Kimball.  \'J'^       ^ 

1877.— Harrison  Hamilton,  J.  M.  Atkins,  H.  N.  Kimballi  . 

1878.— .1.  G.  Keed,  J.  M.  Atkins,  G.  A.  Berry. 

l^  ■' 

TOSTN   CLERKS-y^-t*-"    <,. 

Jonas  Lock,  1761-63;  DaDJel  RskJ^?^;  Jonas  Iock;i764:  Ebenezer  Childs, 
1765;  Daniel  Fisk,  1766  ;"~!SccBeu8  Crocker,  1767-68;  John  Barnard,  1769; 
Zacchcus  Crocker,  Jr.,  1770;  John  Barnard,  1771-74;  Joseph  Lock,  1774;  Daniel 
Coney,  1775-77;  John  Powers,Jr.,  1777-85 ;  Philip  Hatbway,1785;  John  Powers, 
Jr.,  1786 ;  Asaph  Lyon,  1787 ;  Jesse  Wintel-,  1788-91 ;  John  Powers,  Jr.,  1791-93 ; 
Jesse  Winter,  1793-95;  Thomas  Kibbey,  1795-1811;  Hugh  Cunningham,  1611; 
Thomas  KiLbey,  1812-13;  .John  Conkey,  1814;  Joseph  Haskins,  1816;  Josiah 
Beaman,  Jr., 1816-20;  Eliphalet  S.  Darling,  1821-23;  Josiah  Beaman,  Jr.,  1824^ 
27;  Joseph  L.  Smallidge,  1828;  Nathaniel  Macomber,  1829-31;  Josiah  Beaman, 
Jr.,  1832-37;  Henry  AlLard,  1838-39;  Hardin  Heminway,  1840-48;  Harrison 
Hamilton,  1.S49-51 ;  Henry  Pierce,  1.S52-63 ;  Hardin  Heminway,  1854-55;  Henry 
Pierce,  1855;  Harrison  Hamilton,  1856;  Hardin  Heminway,  1867;  Henry  Pierce, 
1868;  Josiah  Beaman,  1869;  Jos.  A.  Haskins,  1860-64;  Samuel  H.  Stowell,  1865- 
66;  Horace  Yeaton,  1866;  Samuel  H.  Crandall,  1867;  J.  A.  Haskins,  1868-69 ; 
A.  P.  Brown,  1870-72 ;  S.  H.  Crandall,  1873-75 ;  G.  A.  Berry,  1876-77  ;  George  a' 
PauU,  1878-79.    - 

REPRESENTATIVES    AT   THE   GENERAL   COURT. 

From  1783  to  1855,  when  Shutesbury  became  a  part  of  the 
Fifth  Representative  District,  the  town  was  represented  at  the 
court  by 

Seth  Pierce,  John  Powers,  Jr.,  Theophilus  Crocker,  John  Powers,  Asaph  Lyon, 
Wm.  Ward,  Peter  Lamb,  Josiah  Beaman,  John  Conkey,  Nathaniel  Macomber, 
Benjamin  Winter,  Jr.,  Willard  Raymond,  Joseph  Adams,  Joseph  L.  Smallidge! 
Jonas  Winter,  Phineas  Heminway,  Benjiimin  Dune,  Thomas  E.  Winchester, 
James  P.  Heminway,  Samuel  F.  Dudley,  Hardin  Heminway,  James  H.  Winter^ 
Edwin  C.  Kellogg,  Samuel  H.  Stowell,  Samuel  W.  White. 

VILLAGES. 
The  villages  in  the  town  are  Shutesbury  Centre  and  Lock's 
vi  llage,  both  of  which  are  postal  stations,  although  the  Lock's 
village  post-office  building  is  in  Wendell. 

THE  CENTRE 

is  located  upon  an  eminence,  whence  a  charming  view  of  the 
surrounding  hills  and  valleys  is  obtained,  and  contains  a  col- 
lection of  thirty  or  forty  dwellings,  two  churches,  the  town- 
hall,  one  store,  a  school,  and  a  hotel.  It  is  an  attractive  place 
m  the  summer,  when  the  presence  of  pleasure-seeking  visitors 
gives  it  a  gay  and  lively  aspect. 

lock's  VILLAGE, 
so  called  from  Jonas  Lock,  the  proprietor  of  the  first  grist- 
mill there,  in  1754,  is  in  the  northwest,  close  to  the  Wendell 
line,  and  near  a  sheet  of  water  called  Lock's  Pond.  The 
settlement  is  small,  and  is  made  up  of  farmers  and  saw-mill 
employes. 

96 


CHURCHES.  '^ 

As  early  as  1735  the  proprietors  resolved  to  build  a  meeting- 
house 40  feet  long,  .30  feet  wide,  and  20  feet  stud,  and  to  place 
the  house  as  near  the  centre  of  the  tract  as  might  be.  Capt. 
Jonas  Houghton,  Dr.  Thomas  Wells,  and  David  Farrar  were 
chosen  a  committee  "to  let  out  said  meeting-house,  and  to 
oblige  him  or  them  that  shall  undertake  to  make  and  raise  the 
frame  thereof,  and  to  finish  the  outside  of  said  meeting-house, 
and  to  lay  the  floor,  all  workmanlike,  and  that  on  or  before 
Oct..27,  1738."  Despite  this  action,  the  voting  of  £380  for  the 
expense  of  building  the  house,  and  the  awarding  of  the  build- 
ing contract  to  3Ir.  D.  Dix,  the  scheme  for  some  reason  failed, 
and  nothing  was  done  toward  furthering  the  enterprise  until 
September,  1738. 

At  the  last-named  date  it  was  resolved  to  make  a  change  in 
the  proposed  location  from  the  centre  to  "the  Governor's 
Farm,"  near  Jonathan  Burt's;  and  it  was  further  agreed  to 
pay  for  the  raising  out  of  "  the  public  stock."  The  building 
was  probably  completed  early  in  1739,  for  in  June  of  that 
year  it  was  voted  to  add  5  feet  to  the  length  and  5  feet  to  the 
width  of  the  house,  and  to  allow  Mr.  Dix  £(J0  in  addition  to 
the  contract  price,  provided  he  made  the  windows  larger  ac- 
cording to  the  proportions  of  the  house.  In  1740  steps  were 
taken  to  procure  preaching,  and  it  was  agreed  to  give  to  the 
preacher  who  would  preach  eight  Sabbaths  £2  10s.  per  Sab- 
bath. The  church  building  above  referred  to  was  erected 
very  near  the  site  now  occupied  by  the  Baptist  Church  at 
Shutesbury  Centre. 

In  furtherance  of  the  plan  to  obtain  preaching,  a  committee 
was  chosen  "  to  manage  the  affair  of  hiring  a  man  to  supply 
the  pulpit,"  and  they  were  instructed  to  take  the  advice  of 
the  "  Reverend  Association  of  Ministers"  of  the  county  in  the 
premises.  It  would  appear  that  the  church  building  was  not 
furnished  with  pews  until  1740.  In  that  year  Jonathan  Burt 
was  awarded  the  privilege  of  building  "  a  convenient  pew  at 
the  left  hand  of  the  fore  or  south  door,  upon  condition  that  he 
give  some  land  on  the  back-side  of  the  meeting-house  for  the 
use  of  the  proprietors ;  said  piece  to  be  one  and  a  half  rods 
wide,  and  running  the  whole  length  of  the  four  acres  given 
by  Gov.  Belcher." 

In  March,  1742,  it  was  voted  to  extend  a  call  to  Rev.  Abram 
Hill,  of  Cambridge  (a  Harvard  graduate),  who  had  been  sup- 
plying the  preaching  previously.  After  considerable  bargain- 
ing touching  the  terms  of  his  settlement,  it  was  finally  agreed 
that  he  should  have  a  settlement  of  £87  10s.,  a  salary  of  £40, 
and  the  minister's  lo't  as  it  lay.  In  his  letter  of  acceptance  he 
said  "  he  depended  on  their  goodness  that  they  would  not  let 
him  suffer  on  any  account."  The  church  was  organized  as  a 
Congregational  Church  in  October,  1742,  and  at  that  time 
Mr.  Hill  was  ordained.  Meanwhile,  the  church  building  re- 
mained in  an  unfinished  state,  and,  the  matter  being  brought 
up  at  a  proprietors'  meeting  in  174-5,  it  was  voted  "  not  to 
finish  the  meeting-house."  In  1749  a  cushion  was  provided 
for  the  pulpit,  a  communion-service  was  purchased  for  £6,  and 
£320  were  appropriated  to  finish  the  lower  part  of  the  meeting- 
house and  to  build  convenient  seats.  In  1752,  Mr.  Hill's  salary 
was  increased  to  £.52,  and  it  was  voted  to  sell  at  auction  places 
suitable  for  building  pews.  But  this  scheme  fell  through;  and 
as  various  individuals  subsequently  built  pews  here  and  there, 
the  body  of  the  house  must  have  presented  a  singular  appear- 
ance. Further  efforts  were  made  in  17G1  and  1703  to  finish 
the  meeting-house  interior;  but  the  building  was  never  fully 
completed,  and  was  torn  down  in  1820. 

The  records  show  that  for  some  time  previous  to  the  organi- 
zation of  the  town,  in  1701,  the  proprietors  failed  to  pay  Mr. 
Hill's  salary,  and  after  the  organization  he  endeavored  to 
compel  the  town  pay  his  back  salary, — without  avail,  however. 
In  1705  the  inhabitants  of  the  North  End  (afterward  set  off 
to  Wendell)  were  allowed  to  have  Mr.  Hill  preach  to  them 
four  Sabbaths  in  the  year,  and  he  continued  to  preach  for 


762 


HISTORY   OF  THE  CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


them  occasionally  for  several  years  thereafter.     In  that  year 

/  (1765)  the  town  ordered  a  church  Bible  from  Cambridge,  and 

allowed  Ebenezer  Crocker  6^.-.  for  transporting  the  same  to  the 

town.     In  1767  the  town  petitioned  Mr.  Hill  to  ease  them  of 

)    the  heavy  tax  they  paid  for  his  support,  but  it  does  not  api)ear 

'    that  Mr.  Hill  agreed  to  the  petition. 

Upon  the  breaking  out  of  the  Revolutionary  war,  in  177.5, 
it  was  discovered  that  Mr.  Hill  was  a  strong  royalist,  and,  a 
committee  being  chosen  to  discourse  with  him  touching  his 
conduct,  they  reported  that  they  had  been  unable  to  turn  him 
from  his  views,  whereupon  the  town  resolved  to  discontinue 
the  payment  of  his  salary,  and  requested  him  to  resign.  Mr. 
Hill  not  only  declined  to  resign,  but  adhered  with  even  more 
firmness  to  his  political  principles,  and  a  committee  was  ap- 
pointed to  compel  him  to  quit  preaching,  and,  in  the  event  of 
his  refusal,  to  have  the  meeting-house  shut  up.  Mr.  Hill  re- 
mained more  obdurate  than  ever,  and  refused  the  town's  re- 
quest to  have  a  church  council  called  to  act  on  his  case.  A 
committee  was  thereupon  appointed  (May,  1775)  to  prevent 
his  further  preaching,  and  to  prevent  his  leaving  the  town; 
and  in  furtherance  of  the  latter  purpose  he  was  for  a  time 
confined  in  the  public  pound,  and  forced  to  live  on  herrings 
thrown  to  him  over  the  fence.  Meanwhile,  the  town  sought 
to  obtain  another  preacher,  and  voted  money  for  the  purpose ; 
but,  several  inhabitants  protesting  that  Mr.  Hill  was  still  the 
minister,  the  purjiose,  as  the  records  indicate,  was  not  effected. 

In  this  condition  matters  remained,  Mr.  Hill  still  holding  out 
obdurately,  and  claiming  that  he  had  done  nothing  to  warrant 
his  dismissal,  until  1778,  when  the  town  succeeded  in  assem- 
bling an  ecclesiastical  council  composed  of  the  pastors  of 
neighboring  churches,  and,  Mr.  Hill's  case  being  discussed,  it 
was  decided  that  his  relations  with  the  church  of  Shuiesbury 
should  be  forfeited.  Mr.  Hill  thereupon  removed  to  Brook- 
fleld,  and  carried  away  the  church  records  and  Bible,  which, 
although  importuned  to  do  so,  he  refused  to  return,  and  for 
this  reason  the  early  church  records  are  unobtainable.  For 
three  years  previous  to  his  removal  the  town  had  withheld 
his  salary,  and  for  this  he  brought  suit  in  1778,  and  gained  it. 
Mention  may  be  made  here  that,  previous  to  the  engagement 
of  Mr.  Hill  in  1742,  Hobart  Estabrook,  of  Mansfield,  preached 
in  1739,  and  he  was  probably  the  first  preacher  the  town  had. 

As  before  noted,  the  old  meeting-house  was  taken  down 
about  1820,  and  it  was  not  until  1826  that  another  structure 
was  erected,  when,  the  town  declining  to  undertake  the  task, 
the  Baptists,  Congregationalists,  Unitarians,  and  Universal- 
ists  combined  and  built  the  house  now  used  by  the  Baptists, 
the  Baptists  becoming  owners  of  half  of  it,  and  the  other  de- 
nominations of  the  remainder,  each  denomination  to  use  it 
according  to  the  proportion  of  proprietorship. 

After  Mr.  Hill's  dismissal  in  1778,  the  Congregational 
Church  enjoyed  no  regular  preaching,  and  it  continued  to 
decline  steadily  in  membership  until  1806,  when  there  was  but 
one  member  left.  In  February  of  that  year  it  was  reorganized, 
hut  had  no  settled  pastor  until  1810,  when  Rev.  John  Taylor, 
of  New  Salem,  was  installed,  and  he  continued  to  preac^h  until 
1822.  From  that  period  till  1848,  when  Kev.  Ezra  Newton 
was  settled,  the  preaching  was  supplied  by  Revs.  Silas  Shores, 
Martyn  Cushman,  and  Lot  B.  Sullivan.  Mr.  Newton  was 
succeed  in  1850  by  Rev.  James  Tisdale.  The  last  settled  pa.s- 
tor  was  Rev.  Wm.  Barrett,  but  for  several  years  the  church 
has  had  to  depend  upon  periodical  supply,  which  is  the  case  at 
present.  In  1836  the  Congregationalists  disposed  of  to  the 
Baptists  their  interest  in  the  Union  meeting-house,  and  in  that 
year  erected  the  one  now  occupied  by  them  at  Shutesbury 
Centre. 

THE    BAPTIST    CHUKCH   OF  SUUTE.SBURY 

was  organized  in  1787,  after  having  existed  from  1778  to  that 
time  as  a  branch  of  the  New  Salem  Church.  Previous  to  the 
latter  date  there  were  in  the  town  persons  calling  themselves 
Anti-Pedobaptists,  for  as  early  as  1771  the  town  refused  by  a 


vote  to  remit  the  minister's  rate  to  the  Anti-Pedobaptists. 
The  church  took  the  name  of  Anti-Pedobaptist  at  its  organ- 
ization, and  had  then,  it  is  said,  but  five  male  members.  Elder 
Bwen,  a  Scotchman  (and  according  to  tradition  one  of  Brad- 
dock's  aids  at  Fort  Duquesne),  was  the  first  minister,  but 
there  was  no  settled  minister  until  1785,  when  Rev.  Joseph 
Smallidge  was  ordained.  He  continued  to  serve  the  church  as 
its  pastor  until  his  death,  in  1829.  Since  that  time  the  church 
has  been  supplied  by  Revs.  Austin,  Munroe,  Grant  Green, 
Branch,  Coombs,  Jones,  Pease,  Holdsworthy,  and  Goodenow. 
The  present  house  of  worship  was  built  by  the  four  societies 
of  the  town  in  1826,  and  since  1836  has  been  owned  by  the 
Baptists.. 

A    UNIVERSALIST   SOCIETY 

was  organized  in  1829,  and  still  holds  occasional  meetings  in 
the  town-house^  no  church  building  halving  ever  been  erected 
by  them. 

A   METHODIST    CHURCH 

was  organized  at  Lock's  village  in  1849,  and  in  1851  a  meet- 
ing-house was  erected  by  Methodists  from  Leverett,  Wendell, 
and  Shutesbury. 

SCHOOLS. 

The  first  entry  on  the  records  touching  the  matter  of  public 
education  was  made  in  1762,  when  it  was  voted  to  "  do  some- 
thing in  order  to  the  having  a  school  in  the  town  for  the  ben- 
efit of  the  children."  No  action  was,  however,  taken  upon 
this  resolution,  and  it  was  not  until  1765  that  another  effort 
was  made  on  education's  behalf,  when  £6  were  raised  for 
schooling.  In  1767  the  town,  by  a  vote,  refused  to  raise  any 
money  for  the  support  of  schools  that  year,  but  in  1768  it  was 
agreed  to  raise  £i  for  a  school.  In  1771,  £6  were  raised,  but 
a  resolution  to  build  a  school-house  was  voted  down.  In  1774 
the  interests  of  education  began  to  improve,  for  in  that  year 
£10  were  raised  for  their  adv^cement. 

During  this  year  school  was  kept  in  the  meeting-house  and 
at  John  Wilde's  house.  In  1777  education  lagged  again,  for 
the  town  declined  then  to  raise  funds  for  its  support,  and  pur- 
sued a  similar  course  in  1779  and  1780,  but  in  1781  there  was 
a  reawakening,  and  £12  were  raised  and  divided  between  the 
North  End  and  the  centre.  The  allowance  for  schools  fell  in 
1782  to  £9,  and  in  that  year,  too,  the  school  lands  were  sold, 
although  shortly  thereafter  educational  interests  brightened 
again  through  a  gratuity  of  l!il040,  received  by  the  town  from 
the  clerk  of  the  Court  of  General  Sessions. 

In  1784  the  town  declined  to  raise  funds  for  the  support  of 
schools,  and  in  1788  created  five  school  districts,  the  first  being 
east  of  Swift  River,  the  second  east  of  the  meeting-house,  the 
third  west  of  the  meeting-house,  the  fourth  east  of  the  second, 
and  the  fifth  west  of  the  third  and  fourth.'^^The  number  of 
districts  was  increased  in  1791  to  six.  _^ 

The  number  of  school  districts  in  the  town  in  1878  was 
seven,  the  amount  of  money  set  apart  for  school  support  in 
1877  was  11122,  and  the  average  daily  attendance  95  scholars. 
Among  the  graduates  at  American  colleges  from  Shutesbury 
may  be  noted  Samuel  Leonard,  Sanford  Leach,  Elijah  Fish, 
James  Spear,  and  Diah  Ball.  The  latter  went  out  to  China  as  a 
missionary,  and  died  there  some  years  ago.  There  is  at  Shutes- 
bury Centre  a  small  town  library,  founded  by  Jlr.  John 
Brown,  of  Boston  (a  former  resident  of  Shutesbury),  who,  in 
1832,  presented  the  town  with  100  books.  _ 

BURIAL-PLACES. 
The  only  public  burial-ground  in  the  town  is  at  Shutesbury 
Centre.  The  burying-ground  originally  laid  out  by  the  early 
settlers,  in  the  rear  of  where  the  school-house  at  the  centre 
now  stands,  was  abandoned  many  years  ago,  when  many  of 
the  remains  lying  therein  were  removed  to  the  present  burial- 
place,  a  short  distance  west,  although  in  the  old  ground  still 
stand  a  few  ancient  gravestones.  Among  the  oldest  inscrip- 
tions to  be  seen  in  the  cemetery  now  used  are  the  following : 


HISTORY  OF  FRANKLIN  COUNTY. 


7G3 


Abel  Cole,  1781 ;  Jacob  Coney,  1777  ;  Samuel  Cady,  1799 ;  Joseph  Wilder,  1793 ; 
Ephraim  Wheeler,  1798;  Joshua  Jones,  1796;  Lucy  Pierce,  1799;  Ruth  Dilling- 
ham, 1796;  Lydia  Hamilton,  1796;  Setli  Fish,  1797;  Joseph  Allen,  1804;  Robert 
Cole,  1S06;  Sarah  SmalUdge,  ISOO ;  Eliziibcth  Richardson,  1801;  Dr.  John  Carter, 
1808;  Seth  Leonard,  1803 ;  Obadiah  Bates,  1*03;  Abiah  Reed,  If 09;  Benjamin 
Beed,  1807;  Ephraim  Pratt,  1804,  aged  one  hundred  and  sixteen. 

Upon  the  gravestone  of  Ephraim  Pratt  it  is  recorded  that 
"He  was  born  in  Sudburj-  in  1687,  swung  a  scythe  for  one  hundred  and  one 
consecutive  years,  and  at  the  age  of  one  hundeed  and  ten  mounted  a  horse 
with  ease." 

It  is  said,  moreover,  that  he  was  cheerful  and  temperate, 
and  lived  to  know  himself  the  progenitor  of  1500  descendants. 
The  stones  which  marked  the  earliest  graves  have  disappeared, 
and  thus  the  list  of  early  inscriptions  deals  with  those  of  but 
comparatively  recent  date. 

INDUSTRIES. 
Apart  from  the  manufacture  of  lumber  by  several  saw-mills, 
and  the  braiding  of  palm-leaf  hats  by  the  female  members  of 
many  families,  the  industries  of  Shutesbury  are,  and  always 
have  been,  purely  agricultural.  In  1875  the  value  of  manu- 
factures was  S10,0u7,  and  that  of  agricultural  and  domestic 
products  $.54,1141',  the  number  of  farms  being  140.  The  town 
is  somewhat  noted  for  a  lavish  yield  of  whortleberries,  and 
many  inhabitants  devote  their  energies  in  the  season  to  the 
picking  of  this  fruit  and  carrying  it  to  market.  The  total 
valuation  of  the  town  in  1878  was  $174,538,  of  which  §157,- 
058  was  on  real  estate.  The  total  tax  thereon— State,  county, 
and  town— was  §3449.72,  or  at  the  rate  of  nearly  two  cents 
on  the  dollar.  Railway  ties  and  charcoal  used  to  be  furnished 
in  considerable  quantities  some  years  ago,  but  the  yield  of 
those  products  has  latterly  much  diminished. 

MILITARY. 
SHUTE.SBUKY    REBELLION    RECORD. 

The  following  list  of  soldiers  who  served  during  the  Rebel- 
lion (1861-65)  is  taken  from  the  adjutant-general's  report: 
Wni.  F.  Reed,  enl.  Oct.  11,  1862,  52d  Rogt.,  Co.  K  ;  disch.  Aug.  14, 1863. 
Joseph  F.  Spear,  enl.  Dec.  26, 1861,  Ist  Cav.,  Co.  E;  re-eul.  Dec.  28, 1803;  disch. 

June  26,  1805.  ■"    >j 

"William  DeMois,  enl.  Jan.  24,  1865. 

Joseph  Douglas,  enl.  May  14,  1804,  Ox  U,  19th  Inf.;  di.«tli.  July  15, 1865. 
Lewis  R.  Haskell,  enl.  Aug.  6,  1801,  Co.  H,  21st  Inf.;  disch.  Aug.  10, 1863. 
Charles  Phelps,  enl.  Aug.  5,  1861,  Co.  H,  21st  Inf. ;  disch.  Jan,  1,  '64,  to  re^nlist. 
John  Sanborn,  enl.  Jan,  21,  1865,  Co.  A,  20th  Inf. ;  disch.  Aug.  20,  1865. 
John  W.  Brizzee,  enl.  Jan.  2, 1864,  Co.  B,  27th  Inf. ;  died  Aug.  15,  1864,  Ander" 

sonville,Oa. 
Martin  0.  Makley,  enl.  Dec.  8, 1863,  Co.  B,  27th  Inf. ;  disch.  June  26, 1865. 
Alouzo  J.  Thomas,  enl.  Nov.  18,1862,  Co.  B,  27th  Inf. ;  disch.  Sept.  27, 1864. 
Seth  W.  Pratt,  enl.  Sept.  5,  1864,  Co.  C,  27th  Inf.;  disch.  June  26,  1865. 
Frank  H.  Leonard,  enl.  Dec.  15,  1863,  Co.  D,  27th  Inf. ;  disch.  June  20,  1865 
Jeremiah  .Stockwell,  enl.  Aug.  25, 1802,  Co.  D,  27th  Inf. ;  disch.  Sept.  27, 1804. 
Charles  Pratt,  enl.  Aug.  20,  1862,  Co.  G,  27th  Inf. ;  re-eril.  March  2,  1864 ;  die<l 

Jan.  2,  1865,  at  .\nnapolis,  Md 
James  E.  Green,  enl.  Sept.  5, 1804,  Co.  F,  34th  Inf.;  disch.  June  16, 1805. 
Charles  H.  Stowell,  enl.  Nov.  10, 1863,  Co.  F,  34th  Inf. ;  trans.  June  14, 1805  to 

24th  Inf. 
Franklin  D.  Waterman,  enl.  Sept.  3,  1803,  Co.  F,  34tli  Inf. ;  ,lisch.  Jlay  18, 1866, 

by  order  of  War  Department. 
Horton  Waterman,  enl.  Feb.  4,  1864,  Co.  F,  34th  Inf.;  trans.  June  14,  1865    to 

24th  Inf. 
David  N.  Gilmure,  enl.  Dec.  20,  1863,  Co.  K,  34th  Inf.;  killed  Mav  1.5,  1S04  at 

New  Market,  Va. 
Lyman  Matthews,  enl.  Sept.  2, 1862,  Co.  A,  37th  Inf. ;  died  June  14, 1804,  at  Fort 

Powhattan,  Va. 
Reuben  E.  Bartlett,  enl.  Aug  30, 1862,  Co.  F,  37th  Inf. ;  disch.  June  21,  1865 
Joel  Crandall,  enl.  Aug.  30, 1862,  Co.  F,  37th  Inf. ;  disch,  June  21,  ISOo 
Albert  A,  Pratt,  enl.  Feb.  16,  im,  Co.  F,  37th  Inf. ;  died  Sept.  5, 1804,  at  Read- 

ville,  Mass. 

BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCH. 

SAMUEL  F.  DUDLEY, 

son  of  Aaron  and  Sophia  Dudley,  was  born  in  Leverett, 
Franklin  Co.,  Mass.,  on  the  21st  of  October,  1812.  His  father 
was  born  in  Framingham,  Mass.,  and  died  in  Leverett  in  1874. 
He  married  Sophia,  daughter  of  Samuel  Frail,  of  Hopkinton, 
Mass.,  by  whom  he  had  nine  children,— Martha  (deceased);' 


Aaron,  lives  in  Leverett ;  Samuel  F. ;  Isaac  (deceased) ;  Lutlier, 
resides  in  Leverett ;  Hannah,  lives  on  the  old  homestead  in 
Leverett ;  Maria,  wife  of  Newall  Hunt,  of  Montague  ;  Wil- 
liam E.,  resides  in  Montague  ;  and  Ransom  and  Nathan,  both 
deceased. 


•"Vi* 


.^ 


Ilu/'^^^ 


Samuel  F.  Dudley's  educational  advantages  were  very 
meagre.  He-attended  school  but  two  months  during  the  year, 
and  that  in  the  winter  season.  He  had  also  to  walk  a  distance 
of  two  and  one-half  miles  to  the  school-house,  but  never- 
theless attended  in  that  manner  until  he  was  seventeen  years 
old.  He  then  began  to  work  for  farmers  by  the  month,  and 
continued  in  that  employment  until  he  reached  his  majority, 
wheahe  commenced  business  upon  his  own  account.  He  pur- 
chased a  small  farm  in  Leverett,  and  also  engaged  to  some  ex- 
tent in  lumbering.  In  early  days  he  ran  his  lumber  down  the 
Connecticut  River  in  rafts.  He  subsequently  sold  his  farm 
and  purchased  one  in  Shutesbury  adjoining  Leverett,  where 
he  has  since  resided,  engaged  in  the  same  business.  He  has 
been  moderately  successful  financially,  and  in  public  relations 
has  been  largely  identified  with  the  best  interests  of  the  town 
and  county.  In  1844  he  served  in  the  Legislature,  and  was 
re-elected  in  18.52.  He  was  a  member  of  the  board  of  select- 
men nine  years  in  succession,  and  has  also  served  in  that 
capacity  at  various  other  times.  He  has  been  special  county 
commissioner  one  term,  and  has  held  other  offices  of  trust. 
Mr.  Dudley  also  held  a  commission  as  colonel  in  the  State 
volunteer  militia  for  three  years,  and  that  of  lieutenant-col- 
onel seven  years,  prior  to  which  he  held  at  different  times  the 
positions  of  captain,  sergeant,  and  corporal.  He  is  Republi- 
can in  politics,  and  takes  an  active  interest  in  the  political 
movements  of  the  day,  and  also  in  educational  subjects. 

Mr.  Dudley  married,  on  the  8th  of  March,  1838,  Jemima, 
daughter  of  Richard  Prouty,  of  Shutesbury.  To  them  have 
been  born  eight  children.  They  are  George  S.,  born  Jan.  30, 
1839  ;  Richard  A.,  born  March  23,  1841 ;  Sophia  J.,  born  June 
8,  1843  ;  Angie  M.,  born  Aug.  26,  1845 ;  Murial  O.,  born  June 
10,  1848,  and  died  July  9,  1849;  Rosella  V.,  born  July  8, 
1850 ;  Alfred  P.,  born  July  18, 1853  ;  jind  Arthur  B.,  born  on 
the  18th  of  December,  185.5.  All  are  married  excepting  one 
son  and  one  daughter. 


GILL. 


GEOGRAPHICAL. 

The  town  of  Gill  lies  a  short  distance  northeast  of  the  centre 
of  Franklin  County,  in  the  great  bend  of  the  Connecticut 
River,  by  which,  and  Fall  River,  it  is  surrounded  on  three 
sides.  Its  superlieial  area  is  8-396  acres.  On  the  north  its 
boundaries  are  Bernardston  and  Northfield,  on  the  south 
the  Connecticut  River,  separating  it  from  Montague  and  Er- 
ving,  on  the  east  the  Connecticut,  separating  it  from  North- 
field,  and  on  the  west  Greenfield,  from  which  it  is  separated 
by  Fall  River. 
\  No  i-ailway  touches  the  town,  but  railway  communication 
is  ea-sy  of  access  at  Bernardston,  Turner's  Falls,  and  North- 
field  Farms,  neither  station  being  more  than  four  miles  from 
Gill  Centre. 

NATURAL    FEATURES. 

The  surface  of  the  town  is  beautifully  diversified  with  hill 
and  plain,  without  being  marked  by  any  very  lofty  eminence. 
Pisgah,  Grass  Hill,  Stacy's  Mountain,  Barnard's  Hill,  and 
Darby  Hill  are  the  most  conspicuous  elevations.  Among  the 
(  numerous  small  interior  water-courses  may  be  mentioned 
Otter,  Beaver,  Ashucla,  and  Unadilla  Brooks,  which  perform 
useful  service  as  mill-streams. 

In  respect  to  discoveries  in  geology,  Gill  has  been  a  fruitful 
field,  and  thence  have  been  taken,  by  Dr.  James  Deane,  Prof. 
Hitchcock,  Mr.  Marsh,  Dr.  L.  Field,  and  others,  some  of  the 
finest  fossil  specimens  to  be  found  in  the  geological  cabinets  of 
the  country.  Nature  has  done  much  for  Gill  in  making  it  a 
place  where  upon  every  hand  delightful  views  unfold  them- 
selves before  the  eye.  On  the  south  and  east  the  sinuous  and 
silvery  Connecticut,  with  its  broad  reach  of  sweeping  valley, 
presents  to  the  beholder  a  picture  of  rare  beauty,  while  in 
other  directions  there  is  bountiful  evidence  that  nature  has 
been  lavish  in  her  brightest  manifestations.  Fall  River, 
which  flows  along  the  entire  western  border  of  the  town,  dis- 
charges into  the  Connecticut  nt  Turner's  Falls,  where  the 
noble  old  river  rushes  in  mad  abandon  over  jagged  rocks,  and 
hurls  its  waters  with  resistless  strength  into  the  abyss  below. 

THE  TURNER'S  FALLS  FIGHT. 
In  May,  1676,  about  a  year  after  the  opening  of  "King 
Philip's  war,"  intelligence  was  conveyed  to  Hadley  that  the 
Indians  were  located  in  force  at  Deerfleld,  where  thej'  had  for 
some  days  been  engaged  in  planting,  and  that  on  both  sides 
of  the  Connecticut  River  at  the  falls  (now  Turner's  Falls) 
they  were  in  considerable  numbers  engaged  in  fishing,  for 
which  that  point  was  and  had  been  famous.  Although  King 
Philip  was  in  Eastern  Massachusetts,  the  Indians  at  the  falls 
feared  no  attack  from  the  whites,  since  they  were  aware  that 
the  English  forces  on  the  Connecticut  had  been  materially 
weakened,  and  that  thej'  were  scarcely  prepared  to  make  any 
aggressive  movements.  Nevertheless,  Capt.  William  Tur- 
ner (a  citizen  of  Boston,  who,  earlier  captain  of  a  company 
of  Massachusetts  troops,  was  at  this  time  in  command  of  the 
English  troops  at  Hadley)  determined  to  move  on  the  savages 
in  the  absence  of  Philip,  and,  having  assembled  a  force  of  180 
men  at  Hatfield,  with  Capt.  Samuel  Holyoke,  of  Springfield, 
as  his  second  in  command,  set  out,  on  the  evening  of  the  17th 
of  May,  for  the  falls.  Journeying  all  that  night,  Capt.  Tur- 
ner and  his  command  reached  the  banks  of  Fall  River  at  day- 
break, and,  dismounting,  moved  on  rapidlj'  to  the  falls. 
764 


Their  arrival  was  signalized  by  a  concentrated  attack  upon 
the  unsuspecting  and  sleeping  Indians,  who,  aroused  from 
their  slumbers  by  the  roar  of  the  English  musketry,  fled  in 
confusion  to  the  river  and  plunged  in,  some  taking  to  their 
canoes,  others  swimming,  while  many  sought  safety  under  the 
overhanging  rocks  upon  the  river's  bank.  Very  few,  how- 
ever, managed  to  escape.  Of  those  who  were  not  slain  at 
the  first  assault  upon  the  encampment,  it  is  supposed  that  140 
were  either  killed  while  trying  to  cross  the  river  or  carried 
over  the  falls  to  destruction.  "When  the  brief  struggle  was 
over,  a  hundred  Indians  lay  dead  upon  the  ground,  and,  ac- 
cording to  historical  authority,  fully  300  savages  were  de- 
stro3'ed  on  that  occasion  by  the  rolling  flood  and  the  guns  of 
the  English.  The  loss  of  the  whites  was  but  one  man,  so  com- 
plete and  thorough  was  the  surprise,  and  so  powerless  were 
the  Indians  to  attempt  anything  like  a  resistance. 

Unhappily,  the  glorious  victory  was  destined  to  be  followed 
by  a  disastrous  defeat.  Capt.  Turner,  knowing  full  well  that 
formidable  bodies  of  Indians  were  in  the  neighborhood,  and 
were  likely  to  attack  him,  tarried  after  the  fight  but  long 
Enough  to  destroy  the  Indian  camp,  and  then  gave  the  order 
for  the  return  march.  By  this  time,  however,  the  Indians  on 
the  east  bank  of  the  river,  and  others  from  below  the  scene 
of  the  fight,  were  gathering  to  attack  the  English,  and  it  was 
not  without  some  difficulty  that  the  whjtes  reached  the  place 
where  they  had  left  their  horses,  for  they  were  twice  attacked 
while  en  route,  although  in  each  case  they  successfully  repulsed 
their  assailants.  Shortly  after  mounting  and  taking  up  the 
return  journey  for  Hatfield,  Capt.  Turner,  who  had  earlier 
in  the  day  manifested  signs  of  physical  indisposition,  grew  so 
ill  that  it  was  with  diflBculty  he  was  enabled  to  keep  his  seat 
on  his  horse.  At  this  juncture,  the  command  having  reached 
Smead's  Island,  opposite  where  Montague  City  now  stands,  a 
sudden  attack  in  large  force  was  made  by  Indians,  and,  a  re- 
port circulating  that  the  attack  was  led  in  person  by  Philip, 
at  the  head  of  a  thousand  savages,  the  whites  became  panic- 
stricken,  and,  separating  into  small  bodies,  fled  in  the  wildest 
disorder. 

The  passage  from  Smead's  Island  to  Green  River  was  little 
short  of  slaughter.  The  savages,  pursuing,  shot  down  the  fly- 
ing foe  or  took  them  into  captivity,  and  when  at  last  Green 
River  was  reached,  the  English  ranks  had  been  reduced  to  less 
than  150  men.  Hero  Capt.  Turner  received  his  death  wound, 
and  fell  in  Greenfield  Meadow,  near  the  mouth  of  Green 
River,  where  his  body  was  subsequently  found  by  the  English 
and  tenderly  cared  for. 

Upon  the  fall  of  Capt.  Turner,  Capt.  Holyoke,  assuming 
command,  rallied  the  scattered  remnants  of  the  band,  and, 
although  constantly  beset  by  savage  attacks,  conducted  the 
retreat  with  skillful  tact  and  bravery,  and  eventually  reached 
Hatfield,  with  38  men  missing  from  his  command. 

Capt.  Turner's  name  was  perpetuated  and  honored  by  being 
afterward  bestowed  upon  the  falls  beside  the  roar  of  whose 
waters  he  had  effected  a  great  Indian  slaughter ;  and  sixty 
years  afterward,  in  1736,  the  General  Court  remembered  the 
services  of  the  soldiers  who  were  engaged  in  the  fight  by 
granting  to  their  descendants,  to  the  number  of  97,  the  tract 
of  land  first  called  Falltown,  now  Bernardston. 

The  village  of  Riverside,  in  Gill,  is  supposed  to  occupy  the 
spot  where  the  fight  took  place,  and  in  that  village  a  grove 


Plioto.  by  Popkiiia, 


Lorenzo  P.  Munn  was  born  in  the  town  of  GUI,  Franklin  Co., 
Mass.,  Sept.  2, 1815,  theseconil  child,  and  only  son,  of  Seth  :ind  Gratia 
Munn.  The  family  descended  in  direct  line  from,  1st,  Benjamin 
Munn,  a  soldier  in  the  Pequot  war,  in  1637  ;  lived  in  Hartfnrd,  Conn., 
in  16.39;  removed  tti  .Springfield,  Mass.,  in  16-49;  was  fined  there,  in 
1653,  5ff.  "  for  taking  tobacco  on  his  hay-cock;"  in  1665,  being  then 
very  aged  and  weak,  he  was  excused  frum  military  service ;  died  in 
November,  1675. 

2d.  John  Munn,  born  iu  1052;  settled  in  Westfield.  He  lost  horse, 
saddle,  and  bridle  in  the  Falls  fight;  aid  was  askcil  of  the  General 
Court  in  1683.  The  statement  was  made  that  "  he  is  under  a  wasting 
sickness  by  reason  of  a  surfeit  got  at  the  Falls  tight,  and  will  decline 
into  an  incurable  consumption  ;'*  died  in  16S4. 

3d.  Benjamin  Munn,  born  in  1683;  settled  in  Dcorfield;  removed 
late  in  life  to  Northfield,  where  he  died,  Feb.  5,  1774.  He  married 
Thankful,  daughter  of  Godfrey  Nims,  by  whom  he  had  eleven 
children. 

4th.  John  Munn,  born  in  1712;  soldier  at  Furt  Dummer,  1730  to  1736; 
removed  from  Deerficld  to  that  portion  of  Northfield  which  has  since 
been  set  otf  to  Gill,  in  1740.  He  married  Mary,  daughter  of  William 
Holton,  by  whom  ho  had  children  as  follows  :  John,  Mary,  Noah, 
Oliver,  Elisha,  Abigail,  and  Seth.  Of  these,  John,  Elisha,  and  Noah 
raised  large  families,  and  lived  in  Gill. 

5th.  Seth  Munn,  the  youngest  of  the  above,  was  born  in  1754  ;  Rev- 
olutionary soldier  in  1779  ;  married.  Dec.  18,  1782,  Salina,  daughter  of 
Ebenezer  Janes,  by  whom  he  had  children  as  follows:  Otis,  Sylvia, 
Seth,  Sophia,  Urra,  Rhoda,  Obadiah,  and  Luther. 

Otis  married  Melinda  Janes,  and  settled  in  the  West.  Sylvia  mar- 
ried Samuel  Chapin,  of  Gill.  Sophia  died  in  childhood.  Orra,  wife 
of  Oralana  Horsely,  moved  from  Gill  to  Canton,  St.  Lawrence  Co., 
N.  Y.  Rhoda,  wife  of  Henry  Bascom,  of  Gill.  Obadiah  married 
Orilla  Adgate,  and  settled  in  East  Rockport,  Ohio.  Luther  married 
Lucinda  Mayo  ;  was  a  successful  stonemason. 

6th.  Seth  Munn,  born  August,  17S9;  married  Gratia  Wright, 
daughter  of  Oliver  Wright,  of  Northfield,  an  exemplary  Christian 
woman.  Dee.  4.  1811.  Their  children,  in  the  order  of  birth,  were 
Sarah  Sophia,  Lorenzo  P.,  Lucretia  P.,  Hepzibah  8.,  Gratia  M.,  and 
Abigail  A.  Sarah  Sophia  antl  Hepzibah  S.  are  deceased.  The  three 
sisters  living  are  married,  and  have  families.  Gratia  Munn,  the 
mother,  died  March  20,  1838,  aged  fifty-three  years.  Mr.  Munn  was 
married  a  secontl  and  third  time.  His  second  wife  was  Melitta  Gris- 
wold;  his  third,  Elvira  Phillips,  both  of  whom  were  active  Christian 
women,  well  beloved  by  all  who  knew  them. 

John  Munn,  the  great-grandfather,  settled  on  lands  in  the  town  of 


Gill  (then  Northfield)  in  1740,  which  have  been  owned  and  occupied 
by  the  Munn  family  ever  since. 

Seth  Munn,  the  father  of  Lorenzo  P.,  secured  the  laying  out  of  the 
"  Munn  Ferry"  road  on  condition  of  establishing  a  ferry  at  that  point 
on  tlie  Connecticut  River.  He  was  ferryman  for  forty  years.  He 
died  June  6,  1876,  aged  eighty-six  years.  The  grandfather  and  the 
grandmother,  also  the  father  and  the  mother,  are  buried  in  the  burial- 
ground  situated  on  the  road  one  mile  north  of  Gill  Centre. 

Lorenzo  P.  Munn  has  always  lived  on  the  old  Munn  homestead, 
in  the  town  of  (i'lW.  During  his  minority  he  assisted  in  carrying  on 
the  farm  and  running  the  ferry.  He  received  his  education  in  the 
district  school  of  the  neighborhood,  and  in  a  select  school  taught  by 
Josiah  W.  Cunning,  at  Gill  Centre.  He  was  first  married,  Oct.  31, 
183S,  to  Ruth  Severance,  daughter  of  Orin  and  Chloe  Severance,  of  the 
town  of  Gill.  Mrs.  Munn  was  born  April,  1S16.  By  her  he  had  children 
as  follows  :  Sarah  Sophia,  born  Dee.  3,  1840  ;  wife  of  John  Dolvy,  a 
farmer  and  meohanic,  living  in  Gill.  They  have  four  children,  viz., 
Nellie,  John,  Eliza,  and  Isabel.  Charles  S.,  horn  May  26,  1844; 
married  Sarah  Ripley  ;  have  three  children, — Grace  J.,  Frank  L.,  and 
Mary  S;  he  owns  and  occupies  a  portion  of  the  homestead  farm. 
Chandler  S.,  born  July  31,  1846  ;  married  Ellen  A.  Moore:  have  two 
children, — Louis  Chandler  and  Lucy  Sophia;  lives  at  the  homestead, 
and,  with  his  father,  carries  on  the  farm.  Sarah  R.,  born  March  24, 
1853  ;  living  in  Florence,  Hampshire  Co. 

Tbe  old  residence,  built  by  the  grandfather,  was  torn  down  in  1824, 
and  a  new  one  built  by  Seth  Munn,  which  Lr»renzo  B.,  the  son,  has 
since  improved,  and  which  is  now  occupied  by  Chandler  S.  Mr. 
Munn's  first  wife  died  Sept.  12,  1870.  He  was  married,  Dec.  10, 
1872,  to  Sarah  C,  daughter  of  Luther  M.  and  Orpha  Claflin.  Her 
father  was  a  native  of  Petersham,  Mass.;  her  mother,  of  Sandgate, 
Vt.  Mrs.  Munn  was  born  in  Canada,  June  10,  1825.  Wben  three 
years  of  age  the  family  moved  to  Pierrepont,  St.  Lawrence  Co., 
N.  Y. ;  from  tbencc  to  Canton,  in  the  riamc  county,  where  both 
her  father  and  mother  died.  Mr.  Munn  built  his  present  residence, 
near  the  homestead,  in  1876. 

In  politics  he  was  a  AVhig.  but  has  been  identified  with  the  Re- 
publican i>arty  since  its  organization.  Though  often  solicited  he 
has  uniformly  declined  to  accept  public  positions,  preferring  to  devote 
his  whole  attention  to  his  chosen  pursuit  of  farming.  For  about 
seventeen  years  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  of  Gill  Centre,  and  has  been  one  of  its  principal  supporters. 
A  kind  husband,  an  indulgent  father,  an  obliging  neighbor,  he  well 
deserves  the  esteem  in  which  he  is  held  by  the  entire  neighborhood 
in  which  he  lives. 


HISTORY  OF  FRANKLIN   COUNTY. 


765 


used  by  picnic  parties  is  said  to  mark  the  precise  locality  of 
Capt.  Turner's  first  attack  upon  the  Indian  camp. 

EARLY    SETTLEMENT. 

The  greater  portion  of  the  tract  now  occupied  by  Gill  was 
at  one  time  included  within  the  limits  of  Deerfield,  and  later 
was  a  part  of  the  town  of  Greenfield,  from  wliich  it  was  set  oiF 
in  1793. 

It  is  supposed  that  the  farms  now  occupied  by  G.  Stacy  near 
the  river  on  the  east,  and  by  H.  H.  Howland  near  the  river 
in  the  south,  were  occupied  by  settlers  previous  to  the  Turner's 
Falls  fight  in  1670,  and  the  settlements  thereon  were  undoubt- 
edly the  earliest  made  in  what  is  now  the  town  of  Gill.  These 
settlers  were  named  respectively  Howland  and  Stacy,  but  their 
term  of  abode  after  first  settling  was  abruptly  shortened  by 
Indian  depredations,  and  they  returned  to  Deerfield.  At  a 
later  date  they  reoccupied  their  farms  in  this  town.  The  farms 
next  settled  were  those  now  occupied  by  Mrs.  Obed  Sever- 
ance, east  of  Barnard's  Hill,  and  the  old  Bascom  homestead, 
near  Fall  River  on  the  northwest,  upon  which  Mrs.  E.  L. 
Bascom  now  resides. 

The  great-great-grandfather  of  Obed  Severance  took  up  a 
farm  on  Grass  Hill,  where,  not  long  afterward,  he  was  killed 
by  Indians.  About  this  time  one  Brooks  and  his  wife  came 
up  from  the  southern  part  of  Deerfield  and  settled  near  the 
river,  on  the  southeast.  Brooks  was  employed  by  some  Deer- 
field people  as  a  herdsman,  and  built  a  hut  on  the  site  now  oc- 
cupied by  Charles  Hayward's  barn,  on  his  river-farm,  in  the 
southeast.  Brooks  killed  an  Indian  whom  he  discovered 
lurking  near  Stacy's  Mountain,  and  then,  affrighted  at  the 
probable  consequences  of  the  act,  he  fled  with  his  wife  to 
Deerfield.  His  escape  was  made  none  too  soon,  for  the  In- 
dians in  the  vicinity,  upon  learning  of  the  death  of  Brooks' 
victim,  descended  upon  the  river  settlements  in  that  region, 
drove  off  the  settlers,  burned  their  huts,  and  destroyed  their 
crops. 

The  early  settlements  b}'  Severance,  Brooks,  and  others,  of 
which  mention  has  been  made  in  the  foregoing,  must  have 
been  effected  during  the  years  of  the  Indian  troubles,  for 
it  is  related  that  the  river  settlers  were  much  harassed  by 
Indians,  and  frequently  fled  to  the  forts  at  Northfield  for 
safety. 

Although  settlements  were  made  previous  to  1676,  they 
were  not  permanent,  and,  from  the  best  evidence  obtainable, 
it  appears  the  territory  was  not  fairly  opened  b\'  settlers  until 
fully  a  century  subsequent  to  that  date. 

The  first  permanent  settlers  of  whom  there  is  any  trace  were 
David  Wrisley  and  his  four  sons,  who  moved  up  from  Con- 
-  neoticut  about  1776.  David  Wrisley,  Sr.,  settled  near  where 
Mr.  A.  L.  Hosley  lives,  west  of  the  centre.  The  old  well  dug 
by  Mr.  Wrisley  is  still  used  by  Mr.  Hosley,  and  is  famous 
in  that  section  for  the  purity  and  coldness  of  its  water.  Of 
David's  four  sons,  David,  Jr.,  settled  near  his  father  ;  Asahel 
near  where  Abel  Thornton  lives ;  Eleazer  where  the  late  H 
E.  Purple  lived;  and  Elijah  northwest  of  Arms'  Pond,  on 
land  now  owned  by  A.  E.  Deane.  The  sons  raised  large  fam- 
ilies, and  the  name  of  Wrisley  was  at  one  time  so  common 
that  fully  one-fifth  of  the  inhabitants  of  Gil!  either  bore  the 
name  or  were  blood-relations  to  possessors  of  it.  At  this  day 
there  is  not  known  to  be  a  person  in  the  town  bearing  the 
name. 

It  is  worthy  of  note  that  one  David  Wrisley  built  the  first 
tavern  in  Saratoga,  N.  Y.,  and  Charles  Wrisley  laid  the  cap- 
stone  of  Bunker   Hill   monument,   both  of  these   Wrisleys 
being  natives  of  the  territory  now  occupied  by  Gill. 
^       About  1776  the  settlers   u])on  the  tract  included  Hosley, 
'    Childs,  Combs,   Sprague,   Warner,   Sage,   Gains,   Thornton, 
Ballard,  Bates,  Field,  Munn,  Roberts,  the  Wrisleys,  Rich- 
ards, Allen,  Stoughton,  Squires,  Smalley,  and  Shattuck. 
\       Among  the  early  roads  laid  out  in  1795  was  one  from  Wood- 


ard  (now  TJnadilla)  Brook  to  the  Iron- Works  bridge,  on  Fall 
River  in  the  northwest ;  one  from  the  Falls  to  Northfield;  one 
from  Mr.  Wrisley's  to  Mr.  Brooks' ;  and  one  from  the  house 
of  David  Wrisley  (3d)  to  the  Bernardston  line. 

NOTEWORTHY  INCIDENTS. 

The  first  grist-mill  in  the  town  was  built  by  Ithamar  Allen, 
on  what  is  now  Josiah  D.  Canning's  farm,  near  the  "Basin." 
Traces  of  the  old  mill-flume  are  still  seen  in  the  oaken  planks 
which  composed  its  bed,  and  which  are  still  in  their  original 
positions. 

In  the  early  days,  when  shad  and  salmon  used  to  ascend 
the  Connecticut  River  in  countless  numbers,  one  of  the  great 
fishing-grounds  was  at  Turner's  Falls.  There  the  Indians 
were  to  be  found  at  almost  all  seasons  engaged  in  spearing 
fish  ;  and  later,  on  general  election-day,  in  Maj',  the  whites 
turned  their  energies  toward  the  sport  with  such  unanimity 
and  general  jollification  that  the  annual  period  was  long  re- 
garded as  a  time  of  general  enjoyment.  Salmon  and  shad, 
which  were  commonly  alluded  to  as  "gill-pork,"  were  so 
plentiful  that  people  were  often  ashamed  to  be  seen  eating 
them ;  and  many  amusing  stories  are  now  told  of  how  house- 
wives were  humiliated  when  discovered  by  visitors  frying 
shad. 

An  entry  upon  the  town  records  in  1803,  in  keeping  with  a 
general  custom,  set  forth  that  "  those  that  killed  crows  should 
be  entitled  to  the  bounty  (twelve  cents  for  old  and  six  cents 
for  young)  by  carrying  the  crows'  heads  to  the  selectmen  to 
have  their  bills  cut  oft'." 

By  a  town  vote  in  1806  it  was  decided  to  observe  the  first 
Wednesday  of  June  in  that  year  as  a  day  of  fasting,  but  in 
observance  of  what  particular  purpose  is  not  shown. 

The  first  postmaster  was  Benjamin  Brainard ;  the  first 
storekeeper,  Benjamin  Jacobs  ;  the  first  landlord,  one  Squires; 
and  the  first  doctor,  Joel  Lj'ons  ;  all  of  whom  resided  near  the 
centre. 

Gill  favored  the  cause  of  Sha\'s'  rebellion,  and  furnished  men 
and  means.  Two  of  the  four  insurgents  killed  in  Shays'  attack 
upon  the  Springfield  arsenal,  in  1787,  were  Ezekiel  Root  and 
Ariel  Webster,  of  that  part  of  Greenfield  afterward  known  as 
Gill. 

Gill  was  conspicuously  patriotic  in  1814,  when,  in  obedience 
to  the  Governor's  call  for  troops  to  defend  Boston,  the  town 
contributed  volunteers,  and  was  the  only  town  in  Franklin 
County,  besides  Charlemont,  that  did  send  volunteers  into  the 
service  in  response  to  the  Governor's  call.  The  names  of  these 
volunteers  were  Alvah  Ballard,  Seth  Munn,  Zelotes  Ballard, 
Orra  Hosley,  Asahel  Stanhope,  Samuel  Walker,  Ripley 
Walker,  Henry  Tiftany,  Elisha  Wrisley,  and  Lewis  Scott. 

Although  furnishing  volunteers  for  the  service,  Gill  never- 
theless sent  Gilbert  Stacy  as  a  delegate  to  the  anti-war  con- 
vention at  Northampton  in  1812. 


\j 


ORCJANIZATION. 

In  May,  1793,  the  town  of  Greenfield  voted  to  set  off  as  the 
northeast  district  that  part  of  the  town  lying  east  of  Fall 
River.  In  September  of  that  year  this  territory  was  incor- 
porated with  the  name  of  Gill,  in  honor  of  the  then  Lieuten- 
ant-Governor, Moses  Gill,  who,  in  return  for  that  honor,  pre- 
sented the  town,  for  its  first  meeting-house,  nails,  glass,  a  Bible, 
and  a  communion-service.  The  Bible  is  still  preserved  and  in 
the  possession  of  Mr.  Josiah  D.  Canning,  whose  father  was 
one  of  the  early  pastors  of  the  first  church  in  Gill. 

Feb.  28,  1795,  that  part  of  Northfield  west  of  the  Connect- 
icut River,  known  as  Grass  Hill,  was  annexed  to  Gill,  and  in 
response  to  a  petition  the  Legislature  (March  14,  1805)  granted 
Great  Island,  which  divides  Turner's  Falls  from  the  Connecti- 
cut, to  be  a  part  of  the  territory  of  Gill,  and  as  such  it  has 
remained  to  this  day. 

In  March,  1858,  there  was  before  the  town  a  propositioi) 


766 


HISTORY   OF  THE  CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


by  those  who  deemed  Gill  too  prosaic  a  title  to  petition  the 
Legislature  for  a  change  of  name  to  Glencoe,  "or  something 
else,"  but  the  proposition  was  voted  down. 

A  list  of  the  names  of  the  persons  who  have  served  the 
town  in  succession  as  selectmen  and  town  clerks  from  1793  to 
1878  will  be  found  hereto  annexed: 

SELECTMEN. 

1793-94. — Moses  Bascom,  'William  Smawley,  Noah  Muna. 
1795.— Noah  Munn,  Philip  Ballard,  David  Wrisloy  (2d). 
179(;-97.— Noiili  Munn,  Philip  Ballard,  Rcnhen  Sliattuck. 
1798. — Nojih  Munn,  3Ioses  Bast-oni,  Gilbert  Stacy. 
1799.— Noah  Muun,  Philip  Ballard,  Gilbert  Stacy. 
1800-1.— Noah  Munn,  Reuhen  Shattuck,  Gilhcrt  Stacy. 
1802.— Job  Gooilalf,  Samuel  Stoughton,  Gilbert  Stacy. 
1803. — Noah  Munn,  Mose3  Bascom,  Gilbert  Stacy. 
1804. — Noah  Munn,  Philip  Ballard,  Ebenezer  Chapin. 
1805. — Noah  Munn,  Capt.  Rowland,  El  enezer  Oiiapin. 
180G.— Gilbert  Stacy,  Capt.  Howland,  Eldad  Munn. 
1807. — Gilbeit  Stacy,  dipt,  llowland,  Sjimuel  Janes. 
1808.— Henry  White,  Capt.  How  land,  Samuel  Janes. 
1809-10.— Gilbert  Stacy,  Capt.  Rowland,  Samuel  Janes. 
1811. — Jos.  Ewers,  Capt.  Rowland,  Samuel  Janes. 
1812. — Moses  Bascom,  Capt.  Rowland,  Eldad  Munn. 
1813. — Moses  Bascom,  John  Barnes,  Eldad  Munn. 
1814.— Calvin  Rowland,  John  Barnes,  Eldad  Munn. 
1815.— Calvin  Rowland,  Ezra  Purple,  Jr.,  Eldad  Munn. 
18in.— Calvin  Rowland,  Betlmel  Slate,  Eldad  Munn. 
1817.— Seth  S.  Rowland,  Elijah  Ballard,  S.  Mallard. 
1818.— Samuel  G.  Chapin,  Elijah  Ballard,  S.  Mallard. 
1819.— John  Bates,  Elijah  Ballard,  Ezia  Pui-ple. 
1820. — John  Bates,  Josiah  Pomeroy,  Jr.,  Ezra  Purple. 
1821. — .John  Bates,  Samuel  G.  Chapin,  Ezra  Purple. 
1822. — Joel  Lyon.'*,  Reuben  Kenney,  Ezra  Purple. 
1823-24. — Dorus  Bascom,  Josiah  Pomeroy,  S.  G.  Chapin. 
1825. — Ezra  Purple,  Josiali  Clark,  Smith  Hodges. 
1826.— Ezra  Pui-ple,  Alva  Ballard,  Smith  Hodges. 
1827.— Ezra  Purple,  Bcthuel  Slate,  S.  S.  Rowland. 
1828. — Jotiiah  Pomeroy,  Alfred  Goodrich,  S.  S.  Rowland. 
1829-30. — Josiah  Pomeroy,  Alfred  Alvord,  Roevvell  Purple. 
1831. — Alfred  Alvord,  lloswell  Puri^le,  Doi'us  Bascomb. 
1832.— Ezra  Purple,  Alvah  Ballanl,  Siimuel  Stratton. 
1833. — Joseph  Sprague,  Alvah  Ballard,  Samviel  Stratt*>n. 
1834. — Ezra  Purple,  Borus  Bascom,  Ratsel  Pui-ple. 
1835. — Samuel  Janes,  Jr.,  I»orus  Bascom,  Hatsel  Purple. 
1836. — Samuel  Janes,  Jr.,  Ezra  Purple,  Ro-swell  Purple. 
1837. — Joel  Lyons,  Edward  F.  Henry,  John  A.  Tenney. 
1838. — Alvah  Balbtrd,  Samuel  .Janes,  Jr.,  Henry  Bascom. 
1839.— Samuel  Stratton  (2il),  E.  S.  Darling,  Henry  Bascom. 
1840. — Loren  Rale,  E.  S.  Bailing,  Henl-y  Bascom. 
1841. — Benjamin  Barton,  E.  S.  Barling,  Henry  Bascom. 
1842. — Benjamin  Barton,  T.  M.  Stougbton,  Henry  Bascom. 
1843-44. — Nelson  Burrows,  T.  M.  Stougbton,  Henry  Bascom. 
1845-48, — E.  S.  Darling,  Leonard  Barton,  Lathrop  C\tsbman. 
1848.— Noble  P.  Phillips,  Lwinard  Barton,  Pascall  Marvell. 
18491. — Henry  Bascom,  T.  M.  Stougbton,  Nelson  Burrows. 
1850. — Leonard  Bartou,  Lathrop  Cushman,  Pascall  MarvelL 
1851. — Leonard  Barton,  Lathrop  Cushman,  J.  S.  Purple. 
1852-53.- Prentice  Slate,  William  E.  Goodrich,  J.  S.  Purple. 
18.54. — Prentice  Slate,  William  E.  Gotidrjch,  Henry  Biiscom. 
1855. — J.  S.  Pui-ple,  Benjamin  B.  Biirton,  Samuel  P.  Stratton. 
1856.— Ezra  O.  Purple,  Benjamin  B.  Barton,  S.  P.  Stratton. 
1857. — Henry  Bascom,  Dexter  A.  Clark,  Ozias  Roberts. 
1858. — Henry  Bascom,  Simon  C.  Phillips,  Ozias  Roberts. 
1859. — Leonard  Barton,  Samuel  P.  Stratton,  Ozias  Roberts. 
1860-63. — Leonard  Barton,  Samuel  P.  Stratton,  Ezra  O.  Purple. 
1863.— Henry  Bascom,  S.  P.  Stratton,  Ozias  Roberts. 
1864.— Ezra  O.  Purple,  S.  P.  Stratton,  S.  C.  Phillips. 
1S65.— A.  E.  Deane,  Joseph  B.  Marble,  S.  C.  Pliillips. 
1866.— Ezra  0.  Pui-ple,  Samuel  P.  Stratton,  S.  C.  Phillips. 
1867-73.— Ezra  0.  Purple,  S.  P.  Stratton,  Leoiinrd  Barton. 
1873-77.— E'/,ekicl  L.  Bascom,  S.  P.  Stratton,  J.  H.  Clark. 
1877-78.- R.  Goodlicb,  S.  P.  Stratton,  J.  H.  Clark. 

TOWN   CLERKS. 

Moses  Bascom,  Jr.,  1793-1800  ;  Philip  Ballard,  1801-10;  Gilbert  Stacy,  1811- 
12 ;  Seth  S.  Rowland,  1S13-27  ;  Ozias  Roberts,  1828-42 ;  E.  S.  Darling,  1843-51  ; 
Ozias  Roberts,  1852;  Leonard  Barton,  1853-54;  Josiah  D.  Canning,  1855-65- 
Simon  C.  Phillips,  1866  ;  Josiah  D.  Canning,  1867-72 ;  Otis  F.  Hale,  1873-78. 

REPRESENTATIVES    AT    THE    GENERAL    COURT. 

Between  the  years  1811  and  18o7,  when  Gill  became  a  part 
of  Representative  District  No.  1,  the  town  was  represented  at 
the  General  Court  bv  the  followins;: 


Gilbert  Stacy,  James  Gould,  Moses  Bascom,  .Seth  S.  Rowland,  Josiah  Clark, 
Joel  Lyons,  Alvah  Ballard,  Hatsell  Purple,  Josiah  Pomeroy,  Eliphalet  S.  Dar- 
ling, Dorus  Bascomb,  John  Clark,  J.  S.  Pui-ple. 

,     VILLAGES. 
GILL    CENTRE, 

the  oldest  village  in  the  town,  is  set  upon  a  gently-undulating 
plain,  and  in  the  midst  of  a  hilly  region,  which  frames  with 
wild  adornment  the  nestling  hamlet  upon  which  it  looks. 
There  are  here  two  churches,  a  tine  town-hall,  completed  in 
1868  at  a  cost  of  $3500,  a  store,  public  library,  and  post-office. 

RIVERSIDE, 

opposite  the  village  of  Turner's  Falls,  occupies  the  site  of  the 
historical  fight  in  1676,  to  which  detailed  reference  is  made 
elsewhere.  Although  there  are  in  Massachusetts  several 
places  known  as  Riverside,  this  is  the  only  post-otfice  in  the 
State  bearing  the  name.  At  this  point  a  tine  suspension 
bridge,  completed  in  1878,  and  costing  642,000,  spans  the 
Connecticut  above  the  falls,  and  otl'ers  easy  communication 
between  Montague  and  Gill.  The  village,  which  is  rapidly 
growing  into  favor  among  the  business-men  at  Turner's  Falls 
village  as  a  place  of  suburban  residence,  is  admirably  situated 
for  that  purpose  on  a  commanding  elevation,  overlooking  the 
Connecticut,  and  at  no  distant  day,  when  the  village  of  Tur- 
ner's Falls  reaches  the  metropolitan  distinction  for  which  it 
is  destined.  Riverside  will  be  a  rich  garden  blooming  with 
natural  and  architectural  beauty.  The  mills  of  the  Turner's 
Falls  Lumber  Company  are  here,  and  there  are  also  two  stores, 
having  a  flourishing  trade. 

CHURCHES. 

Early  in  1794,  shortly  after  the  incorporation  of  the  town, 
church  matters  came  up  for  consideration,  and  it  was  at  once 
voted  to  raise  £50  to  procure  materials  for  a  meeting-house. 
In  May  of  that  year  it  was  decided  to  locate  the  meeting- 
house "between  Mr.  David  Squires'  and  the  school-house, 
near  Woodard's  Brook,  on  condition  that  Ebenezer  Field,  Jr., 
and  others  belonging  to  the  to-wn  of  Northfield,  are  annexed 
to  the  town  of  Gill." 

For  some  reason  this  plan  came  to  naught,  for  in  September, 
1794,  there  was  a  fresh  resolve  "to  build  a  meeting-house 
50  feet  long,  and  40  feet  wide,  that  a  committee  be  appointed 
to  procure  step-stones  and  underpinning,  and  that  a  committee 
be  appointed  to  set  up  the  frame,  cover  it  completel}'  with 
boards,  frames  and  sashes,  and  shingles."  This  project  was, 
however,  opposed  and  delayed  by  a  wrangle  over  the  question 
of  locating  the  structure,  and,  unable  to  settle  the  matter 
among  themselves,  the  townspeople  were  forced  to  call  in  a 
committee  from  adjoining  towns,  consisting  of  David  Saxton, 
of  Deerfield,  Hugh  McLellan,  of  Coleraine,  and  Elisha  Root, 
of  Montague.  They  reported  that  "if  that  part  of  North- 
field  called  Grass  Hill  should  be  annexed  to  Gill,  the  meet- 
ing-house ought  to  stand  between  Mr.  Squires'  and  the  school- 
house,  and  that  if  Grass  Hill  should  not  be  annexed,  the  house 
should  be  on  the  hill  near  Mr.  Bates'  barn." 

Mr.  Squires'  house  occupied  the  site  upon  which  the  par- 
sonage of  the  Congregational  Church  at  the  centre  now  stands, 
and  the  school-house  stood  at  the  east  end  of  the  common.  It 
was  between  these  two  points  that  the  house  was  erected  shortly 
after  a  meeting  held  in  March,  1795,  when  X170  were  appro- 
priated for  its  construction  and  £15  voted  to  hire  preaching. 
Work  upon  the  building  progressed  slowly,  and  it  was  not 
until  1798  that  it  was  occupied,  while  it  was  not  thoroughly 
completed  until  1805.  It  was  voted  in  April,  1795,  to  build 
a  belfry  for  the  meeting-house  in  case  of  a  £30  subscription, 
but  there  was  no  bell  in  the  belfry  until  1816.  Gov.  Gill 
presented  the  town  a  Bible,  communion-service,  etc.,  for  the 
church,  and  a  bell  was  also  expected  from  him,  but  the  people 
eventually  themselves  provided  a  bell,  as  has  been  seen,  in 
1816. 


Photo,  by  Popkinfc 


A 


cS 


v^cnuuXcLScotoj^w 


Leonard  Barton  is  the  oldest  son  of  Benjamin  and  Sarah  (Parsons) 
Barton,  and  was  born  in  Bernardston,  Franklin  Co.,  Mass.,  Dec.  21, 
1S14.  He  is  lineally  descended  from  that  Samuel  Barton  who  re- 
moved from  Framingham  to  Oxford,  Mass.,  early  in  the  eighteenth 
century,  and  there  founded  a  family  whose  branches  are  widespread, 
and  members  of  which  to-day  hold  positions  of  honor  and  trust  in 
almost  every  State  in  the  Union. 

When  Leonard  was  about  ten  years  of  age,  his  father,  a  stuVdy  far- 
mer who  knew  well  the  difference  between  sterile  uplands  and  fertile 
meadows,  purchased,  and  removed  his  family  to,  a  farm  in  the  south- 
westerly part  of  the  adjoining  town  of  Gill,  upon  the  banks  of  the  Con- 
necticut, near  the  Falls,  on  the  very  spot  where  Captain  Turner  made 
his  famous  attack  upon  the  Indians,  one  of  the  richest  and  most  pic- 
turesque parts  of  that  fruitful  and  beautiful  valley.  This  farm,  enlarged 
by  subsequent  purchases  and  enriched  by  careful  cultivation,  has  from 
that  day  to  this  remained  the  property  and  the  homestead  of  this 
branch  of  the  family,  and  here  from  an  early  age,  prominently  associ- 
ated with  the  welfare  and  interests  of  his  town,  Leonard  Barton  has, 
with  only  occasional  brief  absences,  mainly  passed  his  life.  In  the 
fifty  years  during  which  he  has  dwelt  here  great  changes  have  come 
Ov'er  the  surrounding  country.  Forests  have  disappeared,  villages 
have  sprung  up  upon  their  sites,  and  where  from  his  farm  a  dozen 
years  ago  the  prospect  was  a  howling  wilderness,  to-day  he  looks  out 
upon  the  roofs  of  the  fast-growing  city  of  Turner's  Falls,  and  listens 
to  the  hum  of  its  machinery.  His  education  beyond  the  common 
school  was  obtained  in  the  old  academies  at  Monson,  Deerfield,  Shel- 
burne  Falls,  and  Brattleboro',  at  each  of  which  he  was  for  more  or  less 
time  a  student.  During  some  fourteen  years  of  his  early  life  he 
spent  a  part  of  the  time  in  school-teaching  in  this  State,  in  Connecti- 
cut, and  lor  about  a  year  in  Michigan.  He  has  always  taken  a  keen 
and  lively  interest  in  the  affairs  of  his  town,  and  exercised  no  little 
influence  therein.  For  about  eighteen  years  he  was  one  of  its  seleot- 
menand  assessors,  and  for  most  of  that  time  chairman  of  the  board;  he 
has  been  one  of  the  superintending  school  committee  of  the  town  for 
upward  of  twenty-five  years,  and  for  several  consecutive  years  held 
the  office  of  town  clerk  and  treasurer.  In  1870  he  was  chosen  to  rep- 
resent his  district  in  the  Massachusetts  House  of  Representatives,  and 
served  in  the  Legislature  of  1871.  His  main  business  is  and  always 
has  been  that  of  a  farmer. 

Perhaps  the  natural  fertility  of  the  soil  in  that  favored  part  of 


New  England  in  which  he  lived,  no  less  than  his  native  energy,  pru- 
dence, and  good  judgment,  has  tended  to  make  farming  with  him  a 
success.  At  any  rate,  he  has  achieved  it.  One  of  the  earliest  raisers 
of  tobacco  Id  this  part  of  the  Connecticut  Valley,  he  has  patiently, 
I)ersistently,  and  profitably  continued  its  cultivation  from  the  first.  He 
has  also  been  largely  and  successfully  interested  in  fruit-culture,  as 
visitors  to  his  hospitable  home  in  the  season  can  abundantly  testify. 
A  member  of  the  Congregational  Society  of  Gill,  he  has  always  taken 
a  deep,  earnest,  and  active  interest  in  the  promotion  of  improvement 
and  reform.  In  politics  he  was  originally  an  old  Whig,  and  after  the 
demise  of  that  party  attached  himself  to  the  Republican  party,  and 
has  since  joined  with  and  supported  it  in  its  efforts  for  good  govern- 
ment, while  he  has  never  been  unwilling  or  afraid  to  criticise  its  errors 
and  shortcomings,  and  the  inefficiency  of  its  leaders.  Party  fealty  has 
never  blinded  him  to  party  folly.  At  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  he 
was  above  the  age  of  enlistment,  but  he  supported  the  Union  cause  by 
every  effort  in  his  power.  He  was  one  of  the  agents  to  fill  the  quota 
of  his  town,  and  spent  freely  of  his  time  and  substance  in  forwarding 
the  work.  After  the  building  of  the  dam  and  mills  at  Turner's  Falls, 
and  when  it  began  to  be  evident  that  time  only  was  necessary  for  the 
growth  of  a  flourishing  manufacturing  city  at  that  place,  he  was  one 
of  the  first  to  realize  the  importance  to  his  town  of  having  additional 
avenues  of  communication,  to  take  advantage  of  and  facilitate  the 
increasing  business,  and,  at  the  expense  of  no  little  opposition  and 
blame,  he  forcibly,  earnestly,  and  finally  successfully,  advocated  the 
project  of  building  the  bridge  which  now  spans  the  river  above  the 
Falls.  He  has  been  and  is  still  an  officer  in  several  of  the  neighboring 
banks.     He  has  never  married. 

A  careful  man,  of  excellent  judgment,  a  good  friend,  and,  if  need  be, 
a  bitter  enemy ;  tenacious  of  his  rights  while  mindful  of  those  of  others  ; 
earing  for  the  public  rather  than  for  himself  when  public  interests 
are  in  his  hands;  in  short,  one  of  those  hard-headed  Yankees  whose 
energy  and  astuteness  have  made  our  town -meetings  the  best  schools 
of  the  people,  and  our  town  governments  the  best  republics  in  the 
world, — he  was,  withal,  of  that  sterling  integrity  which  Pope  embalmed 
in  the  verse, 

"An  honest  ni.'in  's  the  noblest  work  of  God," 

and  belongs  to  that  type  of  manhood  which,  not  uncommon  in  its  bor- 
ders, makes  New  England,  like  Sparta,  the  mother  of  men. 


Phuto.  by  Popkiua. 


EZEKIEL   L.    BASCOM. 


This  gentleman  traces  his  ancestry  back  eight  gen- 
erations, as  follows : 

1st.  Thomas  Bascom,  who  emigrated  to  this 
country  about  the  year  1634,  and  finally  settled  in 
Northampton,  Mass.,  where  he  died  May  9,  1682. 

2d.  Thomas  Bascom,  Jr.,  his  only  son,  who  died 
at  Northampton,  Sept.  11, 1689. 

3d.  Thomas  Bascom,  his  eldest  son ;  died  at  North- 
ampton, Feb.  3,  1714. 

4th.  Ezekiel  Bascom,  fourth  son  of  the  preceding ; 
died  at  Greenfield  or  Deerfield,  in  1746. 

5th.  Moses  Bascom,  eldest  son  of  Ezekiel,  for 
many  years  a  deacon  in  the  church  at  Greenfield  ; 
died  Sept  19,  1805. 

6th.  Moses  Bascom,  his  eldest  son,  the  first  of  the 
family  who  settled  in  the  town  of  Gill,  and  who  died 
there,  March  8,  1814. 

7th.  Dorus  Bascom,  born  in  Greenfield,  Sept.  15, 
1784;  died  June  27,  1870. 

8th.  Ezekiel  L.  Bascom. 

Dorus  Bascom  was  a  life-long  farmer,  and  one  of 
the  most  prominent  and  influential  citizens  of  Gill. 
His  children  were  Asher  Newton,  born  April  12, 
1808,  died  Aug.  12, 1810;  Cyrus  Spellman,  born  Oct. 
15,  1810,  a  farmer,  living  in  Gill ;  Jane  Wells,  born 


July  21,  1813,  wife  of  Peleg  Adams,  of  Greenfield; 
Moses  Dwiglit,  born  May,  1817,  died  Oct.  9,  1827. 

Ezekiel  L.  Bascom  was  born  in  the  town  of  Gill, 
Franklin  Co.,  April  16,  1820,  and  followed  the 
business  of  stone-cutting  and  farming.  He  owned 
and  occupied  a  farm  near  Gill  Centre  for  about 
eleven  years,  and  in  1864,  disposing  of  it,  settled 
upon  what  is  known  as  the  homestead  farm.  He 
served  as  one  of  the  selectmen  of  the  town  of  Gill 
for  a  number  of  years,  and  held  the  position  at  the 
time  of  his  death.  In  politics  he  was  a  Democrat. 
In  his  religious  belief  he  was  a  Universalist. 

Mr.  Bascom  was  married  in  Boston,  April  23, 
1850,  to  Tlieresa  L.  Ballard,  daughter  of  Amaziah 
and  Martha  Ballard,  who  were  residents  of  Gill. 

Mrs.  Bascom  was  the  eighth  child  in  a  family  of 
elefven,  daughters.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bascom  had  chil- 
dren as  follows :  Lizzie  M.,  born  May  1,  1851,  wife 
of  Almond  D.  Hale,  a  farmer  of  Bernardston ; 
two  children,  viz.,  Irwin  Bascom  and  Theresa  M. 
Frank  Newton,  born  Oct.  21,  1856,  who  has  carried 
on  the  homestead  farm  since  the  death  of  his  father. 

Mr.  Bascom  came  to  his  death,  Oct.  22,  1876,  by 
being  thrown  from  his  carriage.  His  loss  was  deeply 
felt  by  the  entire  community  in  which  he  lived. 


HISTORY  OF  FRANKLIN  COUNTY. 


767 


The  first  minister  engaged  by  the  town  was  a  Mr.  Baker, 
of  Greenfield,  toucliing  whom  a  record  dated  September,  1794, 
savs,  "  Voted  to  appoint  a  committee  to  notify  Mr.  Baker,  of 
Greenfield,  that  it  is  the  mind  of  the  people  of  this  town  to 
hire  him  to  preach  next  summer  on  probation.'' 

The  church  was  probably  not  organized  until  1796,  since  in 
May  of  that  year  the  First  Church,  at  Greenfield,  voted  that 
"  members  of  this  church  residing  in  Gill  may  organize  a 
church  among  themselves."  It  is,  however,  supposed  by  some 
that  the  church  was  organized  as  early  as  1793. 

The  first  settled  pastor  was  Rev.  Zephaniah  Swift,  who  was 
settled  shortly  after  July,  1796,  and  promised  a  salary  of  £110 
annually.  The  early  church  records  being  lost,  no  record 
shows  when  he  was  dismissed  ;  but  it  is  nevertheless  certain 
that  he  did  not  preach  long,  for  the  Rev.  John  Jackson  was 
called  in  1797,  and  ordained  in  1798.  In  that  year  the  town 
appropriated  £20  to  be  expended  for  singing.  He  was  suc- 
ceeded in  1802  by  Rev.  Jabez  Munsell,  who  was  in  turn  suc- 
ceeded, in  1806,  by  Rev.  Josiah  W.  Canning.  Mr.  Canning 
preached  until  1827,  when  he  was  dismissed  at  his  own  re- 
quest. Rev.  F.  S.  Whiting  followed  him  in  1827,  and  in  1829 
Rev.  James  Sandford  was  settled,  and  remained  until  1831. 
In  1832,  Rev.  Mr.  Canning  returned,  and  preached  as  stated 
supply  until  1839.  He  was  resettled  in  the  latter  year,  and 
continued  in  the  pastoral  charge  until  1846,  when  a  paralytic 
stroke  compelled  his  retirement,  although  he  retained  his  pas- 
toral connection  to  the  day  of  his  death,  in  1834.  Rev.  Wm. 
Miller  preached  from  1849  to  1850,  and  following  him  were 
Revs.  Mr.  Leland,  Edward  F.  Brooks,  A.  B.  Foster,  A. 
Stowell,  S.  R.  Asbury,  and  Edward  J.  Giddings.  The  pastor 
now  in  charge  of  the  church  (1879)  is  Rev.  James  Cushing. 

The  church  building  now  used  for  Congregational  worship 
at  Gill  Centre  is  the  building  erected  by  the  town  in  1795, 
having  been  remodeled  and  improved  in  1848. 

A   METHODIST   CHURCH 

was  organized  in  1803,  and  in  1826  the  house  at  Gill  Centre 
now  used  was  erected.  Among  the  early  pastors  were  Revs. 
John  Nixon,  Alexander  Hulin,  Elisha  Andrews,  John  B. 
Husted,  F.  W.  Sizev,  James  C.  Bontecou,  Wm.  Todd,  O.  E. 
Bosworth,  Windsor  Ward,  and  Horace  Moulton.  The  present 
pastor  is  Rev.  C.  N.  Merrifield. 

The  history  of  the  church  has  been  an  uneventful  one,  and 
"  in  the  even  tenor  of  their  way"  the  members  have  lived 
with  faithful  adherence  to  the  church,  and  watched  its  pro- 
gress since  the  day  of  its  creation. 

Mention  is  made  in  early  records  of  the  existence,of  Baptists 
in  the  town,  and  of  the  fact  that  they  were  excused  from  pay- 
ing the  minister-rate,  but  no  evidence  is  at  hand  to  show  that 
they  ever  organized  either  a  church  or  society. 

SCHOOLS. 

During  the  early  settlement  of  Gill  educational  advantages 
were  not  lavished  upon  the  youth  of  the  period,  for  those  were 
stirring  times,  in  which  the  serious  interests  of  the  day  ab- 
sorbed wellnigh  all  the  energies  and  cares  of  the  hardy  pioneer. 
Still,  schooling  was  provided,  and,  in  lieu  of  school-houses,  the 


George  B.  Hale,  Corp.,  enl.  Oct.  2, 1862,  Co.  A,  52d 

Kegt.;  discb.  Aug.  14,  1863. 
Charles  M.  Billings,  enl.  Oct.  2,  1862,  Co.  A,  62d 

Regt.;  Oisch.  Aug.  14,  186:!. 
Henry  A.  Dean,  enl.  Oct.  2, 1862,  Co.  A,52d  Regt.; 

disch.  Aug.  14,  186.3. 
Ellsworth  0.  Fairman,  enl.  Oct.  2, 1862,  Co.  A,  S2d 

Regt.;  disch.  Aug.  14,  1863. 
James  W.  Knowlton,  enl.  Oct.  2,  1862,  Co.  A,  B2d 

Kegt.;  disch.  Aug.  14,  1863. 
Eufus  A.  Coolidgc,  enl.  Aug.  8,  1864,  Co.  F,  Ist  H. 

Art. ;  disch.  June  4, 1865. 
Charles  W.  Lander,  enl.  Aug.  211,  1864,  Co.  H,  2d 

H.  Art. ;  disch.  June  26,  18Gj. 
James  H.  Gary,  enl.  Sept.  25,  ISGl,  Co.  F,  1st  CaT.; 

disch.  April  11, 1863,  for  disiibility. 


David  F.  Tierney,  enl.  Sept.  2, 1864,  Co.  D,2d  Cav.; 

disch.  June  9,  1865. 
Thomas  O'Donnell,  enl.  Aug.  31,  1864,  2d  Cav.  ; 

disch.  May  18,  186.'). 
Edward  J.  Everett,  q.m.-sergt.,  enl.  Jan.  2,  1865, 

Co.  L,  3d  Car.;  pro.  to  2d  lieut.,  Oct.  S,  1865. 
Herman  Clapp,  enl.  Dec.  31, 1864,  Co.  L,  3J  Car.; 

disch.  Sept.  28,  1865. 
Ralph  L.  Atherton,  enl.  June  21, 1861,  Co.  G,  10th 

Inf. ;  disch.  July  8,  1862,  for  disability. 
William  B.  Alherton,  enl.  June  21,  1861,  Co.  G, 

10th  Inf.;  disch. Sept.  4,  1862,  for  disaliillty. 
Oscar  Hale,  enl.  June  21,  1861,  Co.  G,  10th  Inf.; 

disch.  July  1, 1864  ;  absent  wounded. 
William  C.  Marvoll,  enl.  Aug.  9, 1862,  Co.  G,  lOtb 

Inf.;  disch.  July  1,  1864. 


dwellings  of  those  who  could  spare  them  for  the  purpose  were 
the  mystic  precincts  wherein  the  rural  pedagogue  taught  the 
young  idea  how  to  climb  the  dizzy  heights  of  learning. 
Usually  the  part  of  the  house  built  expressly  for  the  accommo- 
dation of  the  loom  was  the  place  selected  for  the  school-room. 
'  The  first  school-house  was  probabh*  the  one  built  at  the 
centre  of  the  town,  in  1793,  or  previously.  The  records  of 
that  year  speak  of  posting  notices  upon  each  school-house  in 
■  town.  The  town  was  not  divided  into  school  districts  until 
.  1823.  Gill  has  never  enjoj-ed  educationsil  privileges  beyond 
those  offered  by  common  district  schools.  There  were  in  1878 
six  schools,  and  for  that  year  $800  were  appropriated  to  support 
them.  The  town  possesses  a  free  library  of  about  400  volumes, 
supported  by  the  fund  arising  from  the  dog  tax. 

BURIAL-PLACES. 
There  are  four  public  burying-grounds  in  the  town, — one  in 
the  northeast,  one  in  the  northwest,  one  at  the  centre,  and  one 
in  the  southwest.  The  one  in  the  northwest  was  originally  on 
the  farm  of  Daniel  Brooks,  and  the  ground  therefor  was 
bought  by  the  town  of  Mr.  Brooks  for  $i  in  1802.  The  land 
for  the  ground  in  the  northeast  was  bought  in  1804,  and  the 
one  in  the  southwest  in  1806  for  16  shillings.  The  ground  at 
the  centre,  and  the  handsomest  one  in  the  town,  was  pur- 
chased in  1811,  by  a  company  of  individuals,  and  is  the  one 
now  chiefiy  used.  Among  the  oldest  headstone  inscriptions 
to  be  observed  are  the  following : 

Olive  Scott,  1802 ;  Obadiah  Scott,  1802 ;  Eunice  Bascom,  1802 ;  Lysander  Hos- 
mer,  1804  :  Deacon  Moses  Bascom,  1805 ;  Capt.  Moses  Richards,  1802 ;  Henrietta 
Clark,  1807;  Asher  N.  Bascom,  1810;  Wm.  Gooih-ich,  1814;  Moses  Bascom,  1814; 
Ralph  Goodrich,  1814 ;  Betsey  Luce,  1812 ;  Deacon  Reuben  Shattuck,  1814 ;  Lu- 
cinda  Goodrich,  1814  :  Ruth  Shattuck,  1815 ;  George  Howland,  1815 ;  Moses  Scott, 
1817 ;  Experience  Ilosmer,  1822. 

\,  INDUSTRIES. 
-  As  an  agricultural  town.  Gill  is  more  than  ordinarily  fruit- 
ful, and  the  chief  support  of  her  inhabitants  is  gained  from 
the  soil.  The  soil  is  deep  and  strong,  and  in  the  Connecticut 
..valley  is  especially  valuable  for  the  production  of  tobacco,  of 
which,  however,  the  cultivation  has  latterly  materially  dimin- 
ished. According  to  the  census  of  1875,  the  value  of  agricul- 
tural and  domestic  products  in  Gill  for  that  year  was  $148,348, 
and  of  manufactures  $18,.500. 

The  most  important  manufacturing  interest  is  that  of  the 
Turner's  Falls  Lumber  Company,  w^hich  began  operations  at 
Riverside,  on  the  Gill  shore  of  the  river,  at  the  F:ills,  in  1867. 
Running  to  its  full  capacity,  the  company's  mill  employs  the 
services  of  forty  men,  and  produces  from  30,000  to  40,000  feet 
of  lumber  daily. 

The  assessed  valuation  of  the  town  in  1878  was  §460,766, 

of  which  $390,694  was  on  real  estate.    The  total  State,  county, 

and  town  tax  was  $4889.66,  or  a  rate  of  a  trifie  over  one  per 

cent. 

MILITARY. 

gill's  rebellion  record. 
The  following  list  of  the  soldiers  who  served  during  the  Re- 
bellion of  1861-65  is  taken  from  the  adjutant-general's  re- 
port : 

Nicholas  Paulus,  enl.  Aug.  9, 1862,  Co.  G,  10th  Inf. ; 

trans.  Oct  9, 1863,  to  'Vet.  Res.  Corps. 
Frederick  W.  Toller,  enl.  Aug.  11, 180-2, Co.  G,  10th 

Inf.;  disch.  July  1,  1S64. 
William   H.   Scotl,   enl.  Sept.  5,  1861,  Co.  G,  10th 

Inf.;  trans.  June  20,  1864,  to  37lh  Inf. 
William  K.  Smith,  enl.  Juno  21, 1861,  Co.  G,  10th 

Inf.;  disch. for  disability. 
Francis  Williams,  enl.  Aug.  8,  1862,  Co.  G,  10th 

Inf.;  discli.  July  1, 1854. 
Geo.  W.  Harris,  enl.  Aug.  9, 1862,  Co.  H,  10th  Inf. ; 

disch.  July  1,  1804. 
Alexander   C.  Sheldon,  enl.  Sept.  2,  1862,  Co.  H, 

loth  Inf.;  disch.  Dec.  7,  1863,  for  disability. 
Nathan  W.  Smith,  enl.  Aug.  7,  1862,  Co.  H,  10th 

Inf.;  disch.  July  1,1864. 


768 


HISTORY  OF   THE   CONNECTICUT    VALLEY. 


John  Newton  (2d),  onl.  Aug.  9,  1802,  10th  Inf.; 

(iiscli.  Jan.  24,  18Gy,  for  ilisaljility. 
Albert  W.  Hnle,  onl.  Aug.  19,  1861,  Co.  I,  2l8t  Inf. 
George  M.  Lander,  onl.  Jan.  2,  1804,  Co.  K,  2lBt 

Inf.;  killed  May  31,1804,«t  Gniucs'  Mills,  Va. 
James  Stewart,  etil.  Jan.  13, 1805,  Co.  D,  24th  Inf. 
Chailee  U.  Keenan,  enl.  Jan.  14,  18G5,  Co,  K,  24th 

Inf. 
Daniel  Case,  enl.  Jan.  13,  1865,  Co.  K,  24th  Inf. ; 

disch.  May  19, 1865,  for  disability. 
Timothy  Whelan,enl.  Jan.  13,  '65,  Co.  K,  24th  Inf. 
John  Callighan,  enl.  Aug.  11,1862,  Co.C,27th  Inf.; 

discli.  to  re-eul.  Jan.  1,  18G4. 
John  Callighan,  Corp.,  enl.  Jan.  2, 1804,  Co.  C,27lh 

Inf.;  disch.  Juno  26, 1865. 


Dwight  H.  How  land,  mH8.,  enl.  Sept.  20, 1861,  Co. 

C,  27tb   Inf.;    disch.  to  re-i  nl.  Jan.  1,  18C4; 

disch.  May  18,'G4;q.  ni.  s.  3Slh  U.S.  C.  troops; 
Dennis  C.  Carter,  enl.  Sept.  28,  1861,  Co.  C,  27th 

Inf. ;  died  Dec.  27,  1802,  Annapolis,  Md. 
John  C.  Delvy,  enl.  Oct.  1,  18G1,  Co.  C,  271b  Inf. ; 

disch.  March  27,  1868,  for  disability. 
John  H.  Gary,  enl.  Sept.  20,  1861,  Co.  C,  27lh  Inf. 
Harrison  II.  White,  enl.  Jan.  2,  1864,  Co.  C, 27th 

Inf.;    re-enl.   Jan.  2,  1804;    disch.  Juno  20, 

1805. 
Wra.  H.  Scott,  enl.  Sept.  5, 1861,  37th  Inf.;  disch. 

Sept.  10,  1864. 
Anson  J.  Bishop,  enl.  April  6,  '64,  Co.  C,  57th  Inf. ; 

disch.  July  SO,  1865. 


JabozBuIlis,  enl.  Feb.  18,  ]f64,  Co.  C,  B7lhlnf. 

ditch.  .July  30, 1865. 
Joseph  Denio,  enl.  March  10,1864,  Co.  1, 67th  Inf. 

disch.  July  SO,  1866. 
James  W.  Ellis,  enl.  April  12, 1804,  Co.  1, 67th  Inf. 

disch.  July  30,1865. 
Adolphus  Legrove,  enl.  March  10,1864,  Co.  I,  67th 

Inf. ;  disch.  July  30, 1865. 
David  Sanconib,  enl.  March  10,  '64,  Co.  I,  67th  Inf. 

killed  May  24,  1864,  North  Anna  KiTer,  Va. 
William  Pike,  enl.  April  6,  1864,  Co.  K,  67th  Inf. 

disch.  July  30, 1865. 
James  W.  Ellis,  enl.  April  2, 1864,  Co.  I,  59th  Inf. 

trans.  June  1, 1805,  to  57th  Inf. 
Lucas  Barren,  enl.  March  8, 1865, 1st  N.  C.  Art. 


E  R  V  I  N  G. 


GEOGRAPHICAL. 

Erving,  one  of  the  central  towns  in  eastern  Franklin,  is 
likewise  one  of  the  smallest  in  area  and  in  population  in  the 
county. 

It  is  bounded  north  by  Northfield,  south  by  Wendell  and 
Montague,  east  by  Warwick  and  a  part  of  Orange,  and  west 
by  Montague  and  Gill,  being  separated  from  them  by  Miller's 
Kiver  and  the  Connecticut. 

The  town  is  crossed  on  the  west  by  the  New  London  North- 
ern Kailroad,  and  on  the  south  by  the  Fitchburg  Kailroad,  on 
which  latter  Erving  Centre  is  a  station. 

NATURAL  FEATURES. 
Erving  is  a  town  of  hills,  but  none  of  them  are  conspicu- 
ously lofty  elevations.  In  a  range  occupying  the  centre  of 
the  town  there  is  a  resort  for  the  curious,  known  as  Erving 
Castle,  or  the  Hermit's  Cave.  A  person  who  calls  himself 
a  hermit  has  long  resided  in  this  hole  in  a  side-hill,  and 
prides  himself  upon  having  withdrawn  from  the  world  and 
its  fleeting  show,  while  he  subsists  in  a  precarious  and  prim- 
itive way  upon  herbs  and  such  other  light  nourishment  sis 
nature  has  provided  in  that  region.  The  Connecticut  touches 
the  town's  western  border,  and  Miller's  Kiver,  a  rapid  and 
powerful  mill-stream,  forms  a  portion  of  the  western  and 
all  of  the  southern  boundary.  At  the  village  of  Miller's 
Falls  this  stream  makes  an  abrupt  descent  of  twelve  feet,  and 
provides  at  that  point  a  fine  water-power  for  the  Miller's  Falls 
Company,  as  it  does  also,  at  Erving  Centre  and  beyond,  to 
several  large  manufactories. 

EARLY  SETTLEMENT. 

The  first  settlement  of  Erving  does  not  date  back  to  a  very 
remote  period,  and  its  history  therefore  does  not  admit  of 
much  elaboration.  The  tract  occupied  by  the  town  of  Erv- 
ing, and  portions  of  surrounding  towns,  measuring  twelve 
miles  long  and  two  miles  in  width,  was  bought  by  a  company 
of  proprietors  from  the  province  in  1751,  who  sold  it  shortly 
thereafter  to  John  Erving,  of  Boston,  whose  grant  was  con- 
firmed by  the  General  Court  in  January,  1752. 

The  first  settlement  of  that  portion  now  inchided  within 
the  limits  of  Erving  was  probably  not  made  until  1801,  when 
Col.  Asaph  White,  of  Heath,  located  there,  a  solitary  settler 
in  a  howling  wilderness.  Mr.  White  is  said  to  have  entered 
at  once  upon  a  brisk  and  energetic  elTort  to  promote  the  pros- 
perity of  that  section.  In  1803  he  threw  a  dam  across  Miller's 
River,  built  a  saw-mill,  and  later  kept  a  public-house.  Be- 
fore his  removal  to  Erving,  in  1797,  he  was  one  of  the  incor- 
porators of  the  Second  Massachusetts  Turnpike  Corporation, 


and  later,  in  1799,  one  of  the  incorporators  of  the  Fifth  Mas- 
sachusetts Turnpike  Corporation. 

The  first  mention  in  the  records  of  a  tavern-keeper  was 
under  date  of  February,  1816,  when  the  first  meeting  of  the 
freeholders  of  Erving's  Grant  was  held  at  Alfred  Alvord's 
tavern,  although  tradition  says  that  Asaph  White  kept  a 
tavern  there  as  early  as  1803. 

After  the  advent  of  Mr.  White  settlers  began  to  locate  on 
the  grant,  but  not  rapidly. 

Under  dateof  December,  1815,  the  records  show  that  Phinea-s 
Battel,  collector  of  Erving's  Grant,  was  ordered  by  Shawinon 
Battel,  Amos  Piper,  and  Calvin  Ewings,  assessors  of  Erving's 
Grant,  to  collect  taxes  on  real  and  personal  estate  against  the 
following  persons  then  occupying  land  within  the  limits  of 
what  is  now  Erving :  Ephraim  Sawyer,  Israel  Sawyer,  Jon- 
athan White,  Wm.  Crosby,  Beriah  Buggies,  Joseph  Rawsou, 
Amos  Piper,  Asa  Piper,  Rufus  Field,  Jr.,  Joseph  Brown, 
Darius  Carter,  Abner  Jennings,  Calvin  Priest,  Asa  Robbins, 
John  Barrett,  Rufus  Field  &  Son,  Samuel  Coy,  Gad  White- 
head, Samson  Packard,  Ebenezer  Cheney,.  Zachariah  Nichols, 
Wm.  Fleming,  Reuben  Goss,  Lurez  Ostings,  Welcome  Ma- 
son, Earle  Olby,  John  Wheelock,  Levi  Benjamin,  Comfort 
Hunter,  Ira  Benjamin,  Samuel  Rawson,  Turner  Rawson, 
Peter  Brown,  Thomas  Durgey,  Abel  Drury,  A.  Lured,  T. 
Benjamin,  Elijah  Printer,  John  Holden,  Calvin  Ewing,  John 
Williams,  Hezekiah  and  Elijah  Hotten,  Rufus  Stratton,  Heze- 
kiah  Stratton,  Elisha  Hutten,  Elisha  Hotten,  Jr.,  Rufus  Ty- 
ler, Alden  Rumels,  Cyrus  Phiney,  Reuben  Bridge,  Ansel 
Phiney,  Ja.son  Phiney,  Noah  Phinney,  Washington  Runiels, 
Ebenezer  Tarney,  Artemas  Fay,  Ann  Stewart's  heirs,  Sarah 
Waldo. 

Feb.  5,  1816,  the  inhabitants  of  Erving's  Grant  and  all 
unincorporated  places  thereto  annexed  were  warned  to  meet  at 
Alvord's  tavern.  The  names  of  the  clerks  chosen  at  that  time 
and  subsequent  meetings  until  the  incorporation  of  Erving 
will  be  found  hereto  appended  :  Samson  Packard,  1816;  An- 
sel Leserve,  1818  to  1822  ;  Jonah  White,  1823  to  1829  ;  Asaph 
Coy,  1830;  Fordyce  Alexander,  1831  to  1832;  Mosely  Clapp, 
1833 ;  Asa  Fisher,  1834  to  1838. 

The  settlements  made  about  1815  must  have  been  well  scat- 
tered, for  Mr.  Darling,  now  living  in  Erving,  at  the  age  of 
eighty-nine,  says  he  passed  through  Erving  village  in  1819, 
when  it  contained  three  dwelling-houses,  a  blacksmith-shop,  a 
store,  and  a  hotel.  The  latter  was  a  log  tavern,  occupying  the 
site  of  the  present  hotel,  and  was  kept  by  Elisha  Alexander. 
The  store  was  kept  by  Mosely  Clapp,  and  the  blacksmith-shop 
by  Elihu  Holton;  these  two  latter  were  probably  respectively 
the  first  storekeeper  and  the  first  blacksmith.     The  records 


HISTORY  OF  FRANKLIN   COUNTF. 


7C9 


of  1819  nientinn  Lord's  tavern  and  I'oot's  tavern  as  being  in 
tlie  neighborhood. 

The  first  physician  was  a  Dr.  Noyes,  but,  as  far  as  known, 
the  town  never  had  a  lawyer.  The  first  postmaster  was  For- 
dyce  Alexander,  who  was  appointed  about  1830.  His  suc- 
cessors were  David  Blaekmer,  Josepli  Kankin,  James  Miller, 
L.  A.  Bates,  and  Noah  Kankin,  the  latter  being  the  present 
incumlK>nt,  who  was  appointed  in  18(!2. 

In  181ij  the  right  to  vote  was  based  upon  the  possession  by 
the  voter  of  an  income  of  £3,  or  an  estate  valued  at  £00. 

Among  tlie  early  roads  laid  out  were, — one  from  the  turn- 
pike near  Phineas  Battle's,  running  northward  to  Benjamin 
Goddard's,  and  intersecting  the  road  from  Warwick;  one  be- 
ginning at  the  turnpike  near  Lyman  Lord's  tavern,  and  run- 
ning northeast  by  Samuel  Briggs'  to  intersect  the  road  from 
AV'arwick;  one  beginning  at  tlie  turnpike  near  where  Morse's 
Brook  crosses  it,  and  thence  running  northwest  to  intersect 
the  road  from  Warwick  at  Jonathan  Orcutt's.  The  road  laid 
out  by  the  Fifth  Ma.ssachusetts  Turnjiiive  Corporation  in  1709 
passed  from  Greenfield  to  Athol  by  way  of  Erving. 

In  1815,  $34  sufficed  to  pay  the  expenses  of  the  district  for 
that  year,  and  in  1820  the  requirement  wa.s  but  .flO.  In  1822 
the  district  voted  to  pay  its  proportion  of  the  cost  of  a  bridge 
"across  Miller's  Kiver,  near  Peleg  Jennings',  in  New  Salem." 

Very  few  of  the  descendants  of  the  early  settlers  are  now  to 
be  found  in  the  town.  There  are  the  Priests,  the  Browns  and 
Coolidgcs,  but  none  others.  The  persons  who  compose  the 
present  population  of  the  town  date  their  settlement,  save 
with  the  exceptions  above  noted,  from  1845,  or  later. 

ORGANIZATION. 

The  tract  now  occupied  by  Erving  was  originally  a  portion 
of  what  was  known  as  Erving's  Grant,  and  by  the  latter  name 
was  called  until  Erving  was  incorporated,  April  17,  1838,  the 
perpetuation  of  the  name  being  designed  as  a  memorial  to 
John  Erving,  who  bought  the  territory  of  the  original  pur- 
chasers. It  is  the  youngest  town  in  Franklin  County,  Mon- 
roe, which  comes  next  with  respect  to  paucity  of  years,  having 
been  incorporated  in  1822. 

No  events  of  stirring  or  novel  interest  have  entered  into  the 
history  of  Erving,  since  the  town  had  no  very  early  history, 
and  it  cannot,  therefore,  furnish  those  fruitful  reminiscences 
which  are  found  in  the  musty  and  time-worn  volumes  of  other 
towns. 

The  names  of  the  persons  who  have  served  Erving  as  town 
clerks  and  selectmen  in  succession  from  1838  to  1879  will  be 
found  hereunto  appended : 

.SELECTMEN. 

1838-10.— Asa  Ralier,  Oiilvin  Pripst,  Jr.,  David  Blackmail. 

1840.— Elisha  Sjiiitli,  Noiili  W.  Packard,  Asa  II.  Allwe. 

1841.— Elisha  Smilli,  Ciilviu  Priest,  Asa  H.  .\lbi;e. 

1842. — Calvin  Priest,  Karl  Alliee,  Nathaniel  Jennings. 

184.-!.— Calvin  Priest,  Earl  Alliee,  Daviil  Blackniar. 

1844.— Calvin  Priest,  Jr.,  David  Blaekniar,  Elisha  Smith. 

184o.— Calvin  Hunter,  Judah  NjlsIi,  Jr.,  Nathaniel  Jennings. 

184G.— Calvin  Hunter,  Judah  Nash,  Jr.,  Roheit  Day. 

1S47.— Calvin  Priest,  Jr.,  John  Snow,  Jr.,  Asa  H.  Albee. 

1848.— Calvin  Priest,  Albert  R.  Albee,  Loring  Briggs. 

1849.- L.  L.  Alexander,  A,  R.  Albee,  J.  B.  Marble. 

18o().— .\.  R.  Albee,  Calvin  Priest,  Jr.,  Helon  Uolbrook. 

1851. — Helon  Hollirook,  Fordyce  Alexander,  David  Blackmar. 

1852.— Albert  R.  Albee,  Calvin  Priest,  Jr.,  Henry  H.  Holton. 

18a:!.— A.  R.  Albee,  Helon  Holbrook,  Calvin  Priest,  Jr. 

1864.— A.  R.  Albee,  H.  H.  Holton,  L.  A.  Bates. 

1855.— .v.  R.  Albee,  H.  H.  Holton,  LoriJig  Briggs. 

185C.— A.  S.  Packard,  Josc|ih  E.  Stone,  H.  H.  Holton.  . 

1857.— H.  H.  Holton,  Calvin  Priest,  Jr.,  Josciili  Rankin. 

1858.— H.  H.  Holton,  S.  H.  Wood,  N.  J.  Benjamin. 

1850-00.- A.  R.  Albee,  Chas.  A.  Eddy,  Lewis  Jennings. 

18G1.— A.  R.  Albee,  Ch.Ts.  A.  Eildy,  S.  D.  Comings. 

18G2.— Calvin  Priest,  Cha.«.  A.  Eildy,  Lewis  ^Miitncy. 

1803 —Calvin  Priest,  H.  H.  Holton,  S.  II.  Woodward. 

1864.- A.  R.  Albee,  H.  II.  Holton,  J.  E.  Stone. 

1805.— A.  R.  Albee,  S.  H.  Woodward,  Noah  Rankin. 

1800.- Chas.  A.  Eddy,  James  Moore,  Lewis  Jennings. 

97 


1867.— Chas. 

1868. 

-L.A. 

1869.- 

-A.  R. 

1.8-n- 

-A.  R. 

1871. 

-A.  R. 

1872.- 

-A.  R. 

1873.- 

-H.  H. 

1874.- 

-A.  R. 

1875.- 

-S.  G. 

1870. 

-T.  H. 

1877. 

-T.  H. 

1878 

-L.  L. 

A.  Eddy,  H.  H.  Holton,  Frederick  Hunt. 

Bates,  N.  J.  Benjamin,  S.  Goldtliwaite. 

Albee,  Loiing  Briggs,  L.  T.  Thayer. 

Albee,  U.  H.  Holton,  L.  T.  Thayer. 

Albee,  W.  U.  Adams,  Noah  Rankin. 

Albee,  Frederick  Hubbard,  E.  U.  Spring. 
.  Holton,  L.  L.  Perry,  S.  G.  Titus. 

Albeo,  L.  L.  Perrj-,  T.  H.  King. 
Titus,  T.  H.  King,  W.  F.  Curtis. 

King,  S.  H.  Woodward,  11.  D.  Reynolds. 

King,  A.  B.  Parker,  II.  D.  Reynolds. 

Perry,  H.  D.  Reynolds,  T.  H.  King. 

TOWN    CLERKS. 

Asa  Fisher,  1838-39 ;  Elisha  Smith,  1840-45 ;  Luther  L.  Alexander,  1840  ;  John 
Snow,  Jr.,  1847-48 ;  Luther  L.  Alexander,  1849-50 ;  J.  G.  Barton,  1851-52 ;  Helon 
Holbrook,  1853 ;  Joliu  B.  Day,  1854  :  E.  M.  Alexander,  1855-n50 ;  Charles  A.  Moul- 
ton,  1857  ;  Noah  Rjinkiu,  1858  ;  J.  M.  Tenney,  1859-Gl ;  Noah  Rankin,  1862-74; 
J.  B.  Hunt,  1875-79. 

REPRESENTATIVES    AT   THE   GENERAL   COURT. 

Erving  had  exclusive  representation  at  the  General  Court, 
between  1838  and  1857,  in  the  following  persons: 

Elisha  Smith,  Calvin  Priest,  Jr.,  Fordyce  Alexander,  John  H.  Willis,  and  .Albert 
R.  Albee. 

VILLAGES. 

There  are  two  villages  in  the  town,  and  both  are  manufac- 
turing points. 

EuviNG  Centre,  a  station  on  the  Fitchbtirg  Railroad,  lies 
also  on  Miller's  Eiver,  ;ind  gains  its  chief  support  from  four 
wooden-ware  manufactories,  located  on  the  stream  near  the 
village.  The  village  is  the  scat  of  town  government,  and  has 
a  fine  town-hall,  which  was  built  in  1874,  at  a  cost  of  514,500. 
There  are  also  here  two  stores,  a  hotel,  a  church,  and  two 
schools. 

The  second  village  is  Miller's  Falls,  on  Miller's  River, 
opposite  Miller's  Falls  village  in  Montague.  Here  are  located 
the  extensive  works  of  the  Miller's  Falls  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany, and  of  many  of  the  employes  at  this  establishment  the 
population  of  the  village  is  composed. 

Both  Erving  Centre  and  Miller's  Falls  village  rest,  as  has 
been  seen,  for  substantial  support  upon  the  interests  of  manu- 
facture, which  have  prospered  at  both  points  uninterruptedly 
since  1868,  and  which  promise  to  maintain  and  iiuprove,  in 
time  to  come,  the  healthful  growth  and  substance  of  both 
villages. 

CHURCHES. 

The  church  history  of  Erving  may  be  briefly  told.  There 
mav  have  been  occasional  public  worship  in  the  town  previous 
to  1818,  but,  in  the  absence  of  evidence  upon  that  head,  it  is 
probable  that  the  earlier  settlers  attended  religious  services 
in  adjoining  towns.  In  1818,  Elder  David  Goddard,  of  Wen- 
dell, began  to  supply  Baptist  services  to  the  people,  and  with 
Elder  Andrews,  of  Hinsdale,  N.  H.,  continued  to  serve  them 
more  or  less  in  that  respect  until  1830,  although  after  1820 
the  Msissachusetts  Missionary  Society  furnished  some  assist- 
ance. In  1830,  Revs.  Dr.  Packard  and  T.  Packard,  Jr.,  of 
Shelburne,  preached  occasionally',  and  in  September,  1832,  a 
Congregational  Church  was  organized  with  15  members. 

Worship  continued  to  be  held  in  school-houses  and  other 
places  most  convenient — as  it  had  been  held  since  1818 — until 
1842,  when  the  present  Congregational  Church  edifice  was 
erected  in  the  village  of  Erving.  Neighboring  ministers  sup- 
plied to  that  j-ear,  when  Rev.  Josiah  Tucker  was  settled  as  the 
pastor  of  the  Erving  Church  and  of  a  Congregational  Church 
at  Irvingsville,  in  the  town  of  Orange,  preaching  alternately 
in  the  two  villages.  Following  him,  preaching  was  provided 
by  Prof.  William  Tyler,  of  Amherst  College,  and  Revs. 
Charles  Chamberlain,  A.  B.  Foster,  John  H.  Stratton,  George 
Trask,  Ochus  G.  Hubbard,  K.  G.  Hayward,  and  others. 

The  church  began  to  wane  in  18.53,  and  in  18-54  a  press  of 
financial  ditficulties  led  to  a  sale  of  the  church  building,  then 
owned  by  a  company  of  proprietors.  A  revival  occurring 
shortly  afterward,  the  church  building  was  repurchased,  and 


770 


HISTORY   OF  THE   CONxNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


since  then  the  church,  which  now  numbers  4S  members,  has 
prospereil  fiiirly.  Since  1805,  Hev.  A.  iStowell,  who  preaches 
also  for  the  Congrcijational  Clnii-cli  of  Wendell,  has  been  the 
pastor. 

A  Baptist  Church  was  organized  as  a  branch  of  the  South 
Orange  Church  in  1835,  and  after  a  brief  existence  of  four 
years  became  extinct  in  1839.  There  is  now  in  Erving  the 
Baptist  Mission  Society,  a  branch  of  the  Baptist  Church  of 
Wendell.  It  numbers  15  memliers,  and  is  supplied  with 
preaching  by  Kev.  Mr.  Davi.«,  of  Wendell. 

A  Universalist  Society  was  organized  in  1836,  and  con- 
tinued until  18-18,  when,  by  reason  of  a  material  decline,  it  was 

dissolved. 

SCHOOLS. 

Education  does  not  seem  to  have  received  in  Erving  that 
attention  usual  with  the  early  settlers  in  a  majority  of  New 
England  towns.  The  first  public  appropriation  for  schools 
was  made  in  1815,  when  the  grant  was  divided  into  three 
school  districts,  and  $30  raised  for  schooling.  "Aunt"  Lu- 
crctia  White,  who  died  in  1876,  aged  eighty,  was  the  iirst 
school-danie,  and  taught  school  at  Erving  village  in  1815,  or 
earlier.  The  youth  were  taught,  perhaps,  previous  to  that 
year,  but  educational  advantages  then,  and  for  some  time 
thereafter,  were  exceedingly  limited.  Schools  occupy  at  the 
present  time  a  satisfactory  standard  of  excellence. 

There  were  in  the  town,  in  1878,  six  schools,  two  at  Erving 
village,  one  of  these  being  a  grammar  school.  In  that  year 
$1500  were  appropriated  for  schools,  at  which  the  average  daily 
attendance  numbered  100. 

miRIAL-PLACES. 
The  burying-ground  first  laid  out  is  at  Erving  village,  and 
is  the  only  public  burial-place  in  the  town.  Although  in- 
terments were  made  in  the  ground  as  early  as  the  year  1800, 
or  shortly  after,  the  oldest  headstone  bears  the  date  of  1814. 
The  cemetery  occupies  the  declivity  of  a  hill  a  short  distance 
north  of  the  village,  and  is  admirably  adapted  by  nature  as 
an  appropriate  resting-place  for  the  dead.  Among  the  oldest 
inscriptions  are  the  following:  Elizabeth  Field,  1814;  Sally 
risk,  1818;  Hannah  Hammond,  1826;  Rufus  Field,  1820; 
Ira  B.  Packard,  18-33;  Jonathan  White,  1829;  Eunice Holden, 
1832;  John  Packard,  1849. 

SOCIETIES,    ORDERS,    Etc. 

At  Erving  Centre  is  the  General  Sedgwick  Lodge  of  Good 
Templars,  which  was  organized  in  1867  with  13  members,  and 
had,  in  1879,  91.  The  first  board  of  officers  was  composed  of 
the  foUowing:  Thos.  W.  Burnham,  W.  C.  T. ;  Mrs.  T.  W. 
Burnham,  W.  V.  T. ;  Walter  E.  Stone,  W.  S. ;  J.  B.  Hunt, 
W.  M.  ;  J.  H.  Brazier,  W.  T. ;  Kev.  A.  Stowell,  W.  C. ;  Mrs. 
E.  W.  Hunt,  W.  F.  S. 

There  is  also  at  the  centre  a  hand  fire-engine  company, 
known  as  Erving  No.  1,  It  was  organized  in  1808,  and  num- 
bers now  00  memliers.  Erving  No.  1  has  achieved  consider- 
able local  fame  as  the  winner  of  numerous  prizes  at  firemen's 
musters  in  Franklin  County. 

The  Erving  Brass  Band,  likewise  well  known,  was  organ- 
ized in  August,  1877,  under  the  instruction  of  Wm.  L.  Day, 
of  Greentield,  and  still  retains  him  as  instructor.  The  leader 
is  M.  F.  B.  Howe,  and  tlie  number  of  pieces  in  the  band  is 
twenty-two. 

INDUSTRIES. 

Manufacturing  is  the  chief  interest  of  the  town,  and  in  this 
department  the  most  important  enterprise  is  carried  on  at 


Miller's  Falls  by  the  Miller's  Falls  Company,  controlled  prin- 
cipally by  Greenfield  capitalists.  The  works,  which  are  ex- 
tensive, are  located  on  Miller's  Kiver,  opposite  Miller's  Falls 
village,  in  Montague,  and  employ  about  150  hands  in  the 
manufacture  of  saws  and  small  hardware  of  variinis  descrip- 
tions, brace-bits  being  a  special  feature.  The  company  was 
organized  in  18G8,  and  the  location  of  the  manufactory  at 
Miller's  Falls  in  that  year  gave  that  locality  its  first  sub- 
stantial growth.  The  capital  invested  in  buildings  and 
stock  aggregates  55185,000.  The  fine  water-power  gained  at 
this  point  from  Miller's  Falls  is  controlled  by  the  Miller's 
Falls  Company,  whose  dam  and  canal  were  constructed  in 
1808.  There  are  numerous  advantageous  mill-sites,  and  in 
time  they  will  doubtless  attract  in  no  small  degree  the  atten- 
tion of  manufacturers  and  capitalists. 

Messrs.  J.  E.  Stone  &  Sons  are  engaged  to  a  considerable 
extent  in  the  manufacture  of  piano-cases,  piano-legs,  and  bil- 
liard-table legs  and  frames  on  Miller's  Kiver,  about  a  mile 
east  of  Erving  village.  Their  works  occupy  ground  in  both 
Erving  and  Wendell,  the  dividing  line  being  the  river.  They 
give  employment  to  40  persons,  and  have  about  §75,000  in- 
vested in  the  enterpri.se.  The  firm  of  J.  E.  Stone  &  Sons  con- 
tinues the  business  originated  by  Washburn,  Stone  &  Co.  upon 
the  same  site  in  1851. 

Wm.  B.  Washburn  &  Co.,  employing  15  men  and  a  capital 
of  S>100,000,  have  been  engaged  at  Erving  Centre  since  1850 
in  the  manufacture  of  lumber,  door-sash,  pails,  etc.,  of  which 
they  produce  yearly  wares  to  the  value  of  $20,000.  At  the 
same  point  Washburn,*  Eddy  &  Co.,  organized  in  1859, 
having  a  capital  of  $10,000,  and  employing  15  men,  manufac- 
ture annually  about  .520,000  worth  of  sash  and  doors. 

The  Washburn  and  Heywood  Chair  Company,  organized 
in  1870  with  a  capital  of  $40,000,  manufacture  annually  the 
value  of  S-50,000  cane-  and  wood-seat  chairs.  Seventy-five 
men  find  employment  in  this  establishment,  which  has  been 
since  its  foundation  the  most  important  industry  at  Erving 
Centre.  Noah  Rankin  has  been  engaged  at  Erving  village 
since  1860  in  manufacturing  chairs.  He  employs  15  men,  and 
produces  .$25,000  worth  of  chairs  annually. 

The  agricultural  interests  of  Erving  are  not  very  important. 
Tobacco  and  small  grains  are  grown  to  a  limited  extent,  and 
grazing-lands  provide  for  the  production  of  considerable  butter 
and  the  raising  of  stock,  to  which  pursuits  the  agriculturists 
are  chiefly  devoted.  The  farms  numbered  42  in  1875,  the 
dwelling-houses  155,  and  the  taxable  acres  in  1878  amounted 
to  8811. 

The  total  assessed  valuation  of  the  town  is  .$289,128,  of 
which  $55,887  is  jierscmal  and  $233,241  real  estate.  The  total 
tax  is  $7700.-50,  or  at  the  rate  of  about  .020.  The  State  cen- 
sus of  1875  reports  the  value  of  manufactured  products  in 
Erving  for  that  year  at  $272,145,  and  the  capital  employed 
therein  at  $292,225.  The  same  report  gives  the  value  of  agri- 
cultural products  for  that  year  as  $34,210. 

There  are  several  saw-mills  in  the  town,  and  the  manufac- 
ture of  lumber,  as  well  as  of  railroad-ties  and  telegraph-poles, 
is  carried  on  to  a  considerable  extent. 

MILITARY. 
AR.MY    RECORD. 
The  following  list  of  soldiers  who  served  during  the  Re- 
bellion of  1801-05  is  taken  from  the  report  of  the  adjutant- 
general  : 


Thomas  Noycs,  Jr.,  enl.  Oct.  2,  1802,  Co.  A,  52d 

Itt-jjt. ;  liiach.  Aug.  U,  ISIja. 
Clmrlea  H.  Clcv.laiid,  Corp.,  onl.  Oct.  II,  1662,  Cu. 

K,  62d  Kfgt. ;  disch.  Aug.  14,  ISGil. 
Mark  P.  Benjamin,  enl.  Oct.  11,  1S02,  Co.  F,  52d 

Kcgt. ;  diach.  Aug.  14, 1803. 


Mitchell  Cnmmings,  enl.  Oct.  11,  18G2,  Co.  F,  52d 

Regt. ;  disch,  .\iij:.  14,  I8G:!. 
Nichidiis  Liinx,  enl.  Oct.  11,1802,  Co.  F,  52d  Regt.; 

disch.  Aug.  14,  1863. 
John  Palmer,  enl.  Aug.  20,  186:1,  Co.  I,  9th  Regt.; 

trans.  June  10,  1804,  to  32d  Inf. 


Alonzo  Mead,  enl.  1803. 

Albert  A.  Field,  Corp.,  enl.  June  21,  1801,  Co.  G, 

loth  Regt.;  disch.  July  1,  1804. 
Aru-mas  Bodnian,  enl.  June  21,  1801,  Co.  G,  10th 

Regt.;  disch.  Feb.  23,  1803,  for  disability. 
Andrew  J.    Briggs,  enl.   June  21,  1801,  Co.  G, 


*  Ex-Gov.  W.  B.  Waahljui-n,  of  Greenfield. 


HISTORY   OF   FRANKLIN    COUNTY. 


i71 


inth  Inf.;  killed  May  31,  18G2,  at  F.iir  Oaks, 

Va. 
Ea«-aril  Coolidgc,  enl.  Juria  21,  1801,  Co.  G,  lOtli 

Inf.;  discli.  July  1,  1S04. 
Luciati  M.  Packard,  enl  June  21,  1801,  Co.  O,  lOlli 

Inf.;  dii-d  Dec.  20,  I8C4,  at  Annapolis,  JI.I. 
Edward  F.  Potter,  enl.  June  21,  1801,  C«.  G,  lOtll 

Inf.;  di-cli.  June  I,  ISli:!,  for  disil.ilily. 
James  W.  Willjur,  enl.  June  21,  1801,  Co.  G,  lutli 

Inf.;  disch.  July  1,  1801. 
James  Smith,  enl.  Mardi  28, 1804,  lOtll  Inf. ;  trans. 

April  2^.,  186t,  to  Navy. 
John  Kri-eman,  enl.  Aug.  2i,  ISGl.Co.  E,  21>t  Inf.; 

discli.  Aug.  30,  18M. 
Charles  S.  Brighani,  enl.  Aug.  1,  IS02,  2Ist  Inf; 

died  of  wounds,  Sept.  17,  1802,  at  Autielam, 

Md. 
Henry  1).  Potter,  C(.rp ,  enl.  Oct.  7,  1801.  Co.  K, 

20th  Inf.;  ili>cli.  Apiil  10,  18u2,  for  disaljilily. 
George  T.  Cowles,  enl.  Sept.  IS,  1801,  Co.  K,  20lli 

Inf.;  disch.  Nov.  lo,  1801,  for  disibility. 
Walter  D.  Crane,  enl.  Sept.  IS,  1801,  Co.  K,  2Clh 

Inf.;  disch.  Jan.  3,  1804,  to  re-enlist. 
Wilson  J.  Hale,  eul.  Oct.  7,  1801,  Co.  K,  2Cth  Inf.; 

died  .\iig.  13,  1803,  at  New  Orleans,  La. 
Henry  Lewis,  enl.  Oct.  7,  1801,  Co.  K,  20:li  Inf.; 

died  May  20,  1803,  at  New  Orleans,  La. 


Henry  S.  Benjamin,  Ist  sergt.,  onl.  Sept.  20, 1601, 

Co.  B,  27lh  Inf.;  disch.  Sept.  25,  1802,  for  dis- 

.abiiity. 
Mark  Itankins,  Ist  sergt.,  enl.  Oct.  12,  1861,  Co.  B, 

27tli  Inf. ;  d.ed  Nov.  11,  1864,  at  Millen,  Ga. 
George  W.  Beard,  enl.  Apiil  0,  1S02,  Co.  B,  27lU 

Inf.;  dsch,  April  9,  1805. 
George  Britton,  enl.  Sept.  20, 1801,  Co.  B,  27th  Inf. ; 

d.sch.Si-pt.  27,  1804. 
James  Miller,  enl.  Sept.  20,  1801,  Co.  B,  27th  Inf. ; 

disch.  to  re-eni ,  Dec.  23,  I80;i;  disch.  .lunu  20, 

ISCi. 
William  Whipple,  enl.  Sept.  20,  1801,  Co.  B,  27th 

Inf;  disch.  April  0,  1802,  for  disability. 
Henry  Laplant,  ejil.  Oct.  3,  1801,  Co.  C,  27th  Inf.; 

d  sch.  to  re-enl.  Dec. 23,  *0  5;  disch.  July  14,  '05. 
Merrick  A.  Packard,  enl.  Feb.  0,  1804,  Co.  C,  27th 

Inf.;  died  Aug.  11,  1801,  Andei-sonv^lle,  Ga. 
Lewis  Seymour,  enl.  Oct.  1,  1801,  Co.  O,  27th  Inf.; 

died  Jan.  29,  180 i,  Newberu,  N.  C. 
Lyman  H.  Clay,  enl.  Feb.  27.  1804,  27lh  Inf. 
Willard  Packard,  enl.  Nov.  2(1,  IXOI,  Co.  B,  31st 

Inf;  died  March  19,  1802,  at  sea. 
Robert  G.  Curtis,  enl.  Jau.  4,  1804, Co.  D,34tli  Inf.; 

di-ch.  June  2,  1805,  for  disabiliry. 
Joseph  B.  Green,  enl.  Aug.  7, 1802,  Co.  F,  -34111  Inf. ; 

disch.  Julie  10, 1SG5. 


John  Murphy,  enl.  July  31,  1802,  Co.  F,  34lll  Inf. ; 

died  of  wounds,  Oct.  19, 1804,  Winchejiler,  Va. 
Michael  Murphy,  onl.  July  l:i,  1802,  Co.  F,  34th 

Inf.;  disoli.  June  10,  1805. 
Ferd.nand   G.  Packard,   enl.  July  13,  ISG2,  Co.  F, 

34lli  Inf;  disch.  June  10, 1805. 
Frank  B.  Packard,  enl.  July  l:i,  1802,  Co.  F,  34th 

Inf;  die.lScpt.l5.1803,at  Harper's  Ferry,  V.a. 
Peter  Itichards,  enl.  July  31, 18U2,Co.F,  34tli  Inf.; 

discli.  June  10,  1805. 
Thomas  Staflord,  enl.  March  1, 1805,  Ist  Art.  U.S.A. 
Peter  Dyer,  enl.  July  24,1803, 1st  N.O.Inf.;  disch. 

June  1, 1800. 
0.  A.  Tr.isk,  null  Inf 
Charles  F.  Moore,  27th  luf ;  died. 
Charles  A.  Whitlaker,  34lh  Inf 

B.  F.  Green,  34tli  Inf. 
Joseph  B.  Green,  34th  Inf. 
M.  Moonan,  28tli  Inf 
John  Mali)ney,  3d  Cav. 
.Tohn  Gelliiigs,  .id  Cav. 
Paul  Tatro,  34th  Inf 
Henry  Coolidge,  :Uth  Inf 
J.  II.  Trask,  27th  Inf 

C.  D.  Gilniore,  27tli  Inf 
Jno.  E.  Trask,  27lli  Iiif. 

C  W.  Wheeler,  Jr.,  27lh  Inf. 


R  O  W  E. 


This 


GEOGllAPJIICAL. 
i.s   one  of   the   hill   towns   in   the   northwestern   yiart 


of  the  county,  .ind  is  bounded  north  by  Vermont,  eixst  by 
Heath,  south  by  Charlemont,  and  west  by  Deerfield  Kiver, 
which  separates  it  from  Monroe  and  Florida.  The  general 
surface  is  elevated  and  bears  a  mountainous  aspect,  some  of 
the  peaks  attaining  a  height  of  nearly  2000  feet.  The  most 
conspicuous  ranges  are  the  Adams  Mountains  in  the  south- 
east, and  the  hills  along  the  Deerfield  River,  which  are  in 
many  places  marked  by  abrupt  precipices,  molded  in  gro- 
tesque and  fanciful  forms.  One  of  these — Pulpit  Rock — is  a 
natural  curiosity,  and  very  closely  resembles  a  canopied  pulpit 
of  the  olden  times.  From  its  friendly  shelter  may  be  seen  a 
region  of  country,  stretching  many  miles  away,  varied  and 
beautiful, — a  section  of  the  finest  scenery  in  the  State. 

The  drainage  of  Rowe  is  chiefly  through  the  Pelham  Brook, 
which  rises  in  the  northeastern  part  of  the  town,  and  has  a 
general  southwesterly  direction,  receiving  the  waters  of  many 
tributary  brooks  in  its  course  through  the  town.  It  has  a 
good  volume,  and  affords  several  excellent  mill-sites.  The 
nature  of  the  town  best  adapts  it  for  grazing,  and  dairying 
forms  the  chief  industiy  of  the  people. 

OLD  FORTIFICATIONS. 
In  1744  the  province  of  Massachusetts  erected  a  fort  in  this 
town  in  its  chain  of  defenses  against  the  French  and  Indians. 
It  was  of  the  nature  of  a  stockade,  and  was  called  Fort  Pel- 
ham.  Although  occupied  for  several  years,  it  is  believed  that 
no  enemy  ever  appeared  in  its  neighborhood,  and  the  garrison 
was  permanently  withdrawn  before  17,54.  The  location  of  this 
fortification,  near  tlie  brook  on  the  f:irm  of  Edward  Wright, 
may  still  be  seen.  The  site  commands  a  good  view  of  the 
surrounding  country,  and  it  was  probably  designed  to  cut  off 
the  passage  of  the  enemy  down  the  brook.  The  garrison  was 
supplied  with  water  by  means  of  a  well  inside  the  fort,  which 
has  been  filled  up  with  stones  and  is  now  scarcely  visible. 

ORIGINAL    TITLES    AND    BOUNDS. 
On  the  2d  of  June,  17(32,  the  greater  portion  of  the  present 
town  of  Rowe  was  sold  at  auction,  by  order  of  the  General 


Court,  and  was  purchased  by  the  Rev.  Cornelius  Jones,  of 
Siindisfield,  for  £380.  The  tract  was  known  as  Township  No. 
10,  and  was  about  four  miles  square,  bounded  south  by  Char- 
lemont, and  west  by  the  mountains  in  Monroe.  Mr.  Jones 
called  his  grant  Myrifield,  and  this  name  the  town  retained 
until  it  was  incorporated,  Feb.  9,  1785,  with  the  name  of 
Rowe.  It  was  then  made  to  embrace  200  rods  more  on  the 
east,  taken  from  the  Green  and  WtUker  grant,  and  a  like 
width  on  the  south,  taken  from  Charlemont.  These  bounds 
were  modified  in  1822,  when  all  that  part  of  Rowe  lying  west 
of  the  Deerfield  River  wtis  taken  off  to  form  Monroe,  and  by 
the  annexation  on  the  southwest,  in  1838,  of  a  tract  of  unin- 
corporated land  called  Zoar. 

Mr.  Jones  offered  liis  lands  for  settlement  on  favorable  terms, 
and  in  February,  1779,  he  sold  the  remainder  of  his  grant — 
about  4000  acres — to  Wm.  Parkhurst  &  Co.,  of  Brookfield, 
for  "nine  thousand  pounds,  current  money  of  the  State;'' 
and  as  much  of  the  land  sold  to  the  settlers  had  also  been 
paid  with  Continental  money,  which  proved  worthless,  Mr. 
Jones  was  left  in  his  old  age  in  straitened  circumstances. 

EARLY   SETTLEMENT. 

The  proprietor  of  Myrifield  was  also  the  first  settler,  coming 
from  Sandisfield  with  his  family  about  1770.  He  built  a  house 
of  split  timbers  about  half  a  mile  east  of  the  centre  of  the 
town,  the  entire  structure  being  of  this  material,  in  which  be 
lived  several  years  in  pioneer  simplicity.  He  had  two  daugh- 
ters, named  Abigail  and  Hannah,  and  sons  named  Jacob, 
Daniel,  Reuben,  John,  Ezra,  and  Marah.  In  1773,  Mr.  Jones 
built  the  first  frame  barn  in  town,  having  all  the  men  within 
its  bounds — six  men  and  the  carpenter — to  assist  in  raising  the 
building,  which  was  a  large  structure.  The  Revolution 
coming  on,  Mr.  Jones  supported  the  patriot  cause  with  much 
zeal,  and  himself  hastened,  accompanied  by  his  sons  Daniel 
and  Reuben,  to  Saratoga  to  aid  in  repulsing  Burgoyne. 
Daniel  lost  his  life  at  the  battle  of  Stillwater,  but  the  others 
returned  to  Rowe.  Rev.  Jones  resided  in  town  as  pastor  of 
the  church  until  1780,  when  he  removed  to  Whitehall,  N.  Y., 
where  he  died  not  many  years  after.  Ho  was  a  native  of 
Bellingham,  and  graduated  from  Harvard  in  1752. 


772 


HISTORY   OF   THE    CONNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


EUlad  Cdrbi't  oainc  a  few  months  aft<'r  Jones,  and  settled 
near  liim,  l)ut  did  not  remain  very  long.  At  a  later  period 
Deacon  Archibald  Thomas  came  from  Coleraine,  and  settled 
in  the  northern  part  of  the  town.  He  was  born  Jan.  31, 
1708,  and  died  July  19,  1793.  Eli7-abeth  (Watson),  the  wile 
of  Deacon  Thomas,  died  Dec.  1,  1815,  at  the  extreme  age  of 
one  hundred  and  six  years.  Their  son,  John,  was  horn  in 
Rowe  in  1774,  and  this  was  the  first  birth  in  town.  He  also 
became  a  deacon,  and  was  \iniversully  esteemed  as  an  upright 
and  useful  man.  Joseph  Thomas,  a  brother  of  Deacon  Archi- 
bald, settled  near  him  about  the  same  time. 

Three  brothers— Shadrach,  Gideon,  and  Abner  Chapin — 
came  before  1774,  and  settled  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  town, 
where  they  became  active  citizens,  and  near  them  were  the 
Taylors,  also  from  Worcester  County.  William  Taylor  was 
an  orderly  sergeant  in  the  American  army,  and  had  the  com- 
mand of  a  company  in  the  trenches  at  Bunker  Hill,  being  one 
of  the  last  to  leave  in  the  retreat.  He  afterward  became  a 
captain,  and  with  this  rank  was  familiarly  known  until  his 
death.  His  brother  John  accompanied  the  Joneses  to  Saratoga, 
and  died  before  his  return  home.  A  thii-d  brother  was  Humph- 
rey, who  did  not  engage  in  the  Kevolution. 

In  the  northeastern  part  of  Kowe  settled  Jfathew  Barr, 
with  several  sons,  one  of  whom,  Aaron,  was  with  Sergt.  Wil- 
liam Taylor  at  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  where  he  was  mor- 
tally wounded,  and  was  the  first  man  carried  to  Cambridge. 
He  was  stnick  by  a  cannon-shot,  and  died  the  same  day. 

Artemus  Ward  settled  about  the  same  time,  near  the  present 
village.  Here  he  built  an  early  saw-mil!  on  the  brook,  which 
still  bears  his  name  ;  and  about  the  same  period  Abiah,  Levi, 
Jedediah,  and  Jonathan  Lamb  became  residents  of  Myritield. 

In  1774,  Jonas  and  Aaron  Gleason  came  from  Worcester 
County,  the  latter  settling  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  town,  and 
the  former  on  the  fiirm  now  owned  by  Ruel  Bullard.  His  was 
the  twenty-first  family  in  town.  Descendants  of  these  fami- 
lies still  live  in  Kowe. 

Michael  Wilson  was  in  the  town  before  1776,  and  in  1797 
Martin  Wilson  erected  the  house  now  occupied  by  Solomon 
Aniidon  at  the  village.  John  Adams  was  an  early  settler. 
East  of  the  centre  of  the  town  John  Wells  was  a  prominent 
early  settler.  Col.  Noah  Wells  was  one  of  his  sons.  Of  the 
sons  of  the  latter,  John  graduated  from  Williams  College,  and 
became  a  judge  of  the  Supreme  Court.*  Another  son,  Robert, 
is  now  a  resident  of  the  town. 

Obed  Foot  is  remembered  as  an  early  settler,  and  as  the  man 
who  built  the  first  two-story  house  in  town.  Nathan  Howard, 
James  Thayer,  Ephraim  Hill,  Nathan  Foster,  Eli  Town,  Am- 
brose Potter,  I.  W.  Clary,  and  Rufus  Streeter  are  also  named 
among  the  pioneers.  Many  settlers  came  in  after  the  Revolu- 
tion, and  in  1790  the  population  was  443.  The  town  had 
attained  its  zenith  in  1820,  when  the  population  was  851. 
Frona  that  period  it  has  decreased,  having  in  1875  only  92 
farms  and  -581  inhabitants. 

CIVIL    GOVERNMENT. 

The  warrant  for  the  first  town-meeting  was  issued  March 
25,  1785,  by  Samuel  Taylor,  of  Buckland,  and  was  directed 
to  Ambrose  Potter,  "  one  of  the  Principle  Inhabitants  of  a 
Plantation  called  Myrifield,  in  said  county  of  Hampshire, 
lately  incorporated  into  a  Town  by  the  name  of  Rowe  by  an 
Act  of  the  General  Court  of  the  Commonwealth  of  Massa- 
chusetts." The  inhabitants  were  "to  assemble  at  the  meet- 
ing-house on  Wednesday,  the  30th  of  March  instant." 

In  pursuance  of  this  warrant,  the  inhabitants  assembled 
and  chose  Nathan  Taylor  town  clerk,  who  was  duly  sworn  by 
Justice  Taylor,  after  which  Benjamin  Brown  was  chosen  mod- 
erator for  the  remainder  of  the  meeting. 

"  Voted  Deacon  .Jonas  Glenson  Treasurer. 

"Voted  Capt.  William  Taj-lur,  Moses  Langdon,  Mosos  Streeter  Selectmen. 


*  See  chapter  aq  {he  Bar. 


"  Voted  Nathan  FoKter,  Benj.  Brown,  and  Ambrose  Potter  AssefBors. 

•'  Voted  Archihald  Thomas  ConttaMe, 

"  V()ti'd  Nitllian  I'lister  and  Benjamin  Shiimway  Wardens, 

*'  Voted  Jude  Foster  and  Moses  Streeter  Tytliingmcn. 

"  Voted  Eldad  Corbet,  Daniel  Coons,  Slathew  Barr,  Abner  Chal'in,  and  Ambrojie 
Potter  Highway  Surveyors. 

"  Voted  Capt.  Mathew  Barr  Sealer  of  Leather, 

"  Voted  .John  Merrill  and  Daniel  Gleason  Hog-reeves. 

"Voted  to  adjourn  this  meeting  to  Monda,v,  the  fourth  day  of  April  ne.xt,  at 
nine  o'clock  in  the  forenoon,  at  Landlord  Potter's," 

From  1786  to  the  present  time  the  selectmen  have  been  as 
follows  : 

SELECTMEN. 

17sn.— William  Taylor,  Aimer  (TlLipin,  John  Wells, 

llHl. — Archibald  Thomas,  Blichael  Wilson,  Jonas  Gleason. 

1788. — Archibald  Thomas,  John  Hibbard,  Jonas  Gleason. 

1789. — Jonathan  White,  John  Wells,  Jonas  Gleitson, 

1790,— Jonathan  White,  John  Wells,  Thaddeus  Sleirill. 

1791.— William  T.iylor,  John  Well.",  Thaddeus  Meriill, 

170'2, — Nathan  Foster,  Archibald  Thoma,s,  Henry  Wilson. 

1793. — Nathan  Foster,  Noah  Brown,  Henry  Wilson. 

1794,— Nathan  Foster,  Noali  Brown,  William  Taylor. 

1795.— Nathan  Foster,  Zebulon  Benton,  William  Taylor. 

1790.— Nathan  Foster,  Abner  Chapin,  William  Taylor. 

1797. — Parilon  llaynes,  Jonas  Gleiison,  Siunnel  Brown. 

1798, — Nathan  Foster,  Noah  Brown,  Zebulon  Benti)n, 

1799,- William  Taylor,  Archibald  Thomas,  John  Hibbard. 

18U0. — Jonas  Gleason,  William  Taylor,  Noah  Brown. 

ISOl.— John  Wells,  William  Taylor,  Noah  Brown. 

18112.— Titus  Todd,  William  Taylor,  Nathan  Foster. 

1803.- Titus  Todd,  Caleb  Blakesiee,  Nathan  Foster. 

1804.- Titus  Todd,  William  Taylor,  .lames  ISrown, 

1805. — John  Wells,  Moses  Streeter,  James  Brown. 

1806. — Jon.ia  Gleason,  William  Taylor,  James  Brown. 

1807. — Josiah  Carpenter,  William  Taylor,  .John  Cheney. 

180S. — Josiah  Carpenter,  William  Taylor,  Noah  Brown. 

1809. — Pardon  Haynes,  William  Taylor,  Noah  Brown. 

1810, — John  Wells,  John  Cheney,  John  Thomiis. 

1811, — John  Wells,  Josiah  Carpenter,  John  Thomas, 

1812, — Jedediah  Bassett,  Josiah  Carpenter,  John  Thomas, 

1813, — John  Wells,  Josiah  Carpenter,  John  Thomas, 

1814.— Sylvester  Hart,  Josiah  Carpenter,  John  Thomas. 

1815. — lames  Brown,  Jesse  Gleason,  John  Thomas. 

1816-18. — Josiah  Carpenter,  Jesse  Gleason,  Isaac  Pierpont. 

1819.— John  Thomas,  Ebenezcr  Merrill,  Noah  Wells. 

1820. — Jesse  Gleason,  Ebenezer  Merrill,  James  Brown, 

1821-22. — Noah  Wells,  Ebenezer  Merrill,  John  Thomas. 

1823. — James  Brown,  Ebenezer  Merrill,  John  Thomas. 

1824. — James  Brown,  Isaac  Pierpont,  John  Thomas. 

1825. — Noah  Wells,  Apidlo  Carpenter,  Jedediah  liarrett. 

1826-28.- Noah  Wells,  William  Taylor,  Jr.,  Jedediah  Barrett. 

1829. — Isaac  Pierpont,  Ebenezer  Merrill,  Jededi.ah  Barrett. 

1830. — Isaac  Pierpont,  Siuuuel  H.  Keed,  Jedediah  Barrett. 

1S31. — Isa-tc  Pierpont,  Samuel  H.  Reed,  Ebenezer  Merrill. 

1832,— Obed  Peck,  Siimuel  H.  Keed,  Elijah  W.  Hibbard. 

18.3.3. — John  Thomjis,  James  Brown,  Moses  Gleiison. 

1834. — Siunuel  H.  Keed,  Elisha  Brown,  Kobert  L,  Bisliop. 

1835. — Siimuel  H.  Keed,  Solomon  Aniidon,  Jr.,  Kobert  L,  Bishop. 

1836. — James  Brown,  Isaac  Pierpont,  Samuel  Hall. 

1837, — John  Thomas,  Ebenezer  Starr,  James  Ford, 

1838.- William  Taylor,  Ebenezer  Starr,  De,xter  W.  Brown. 

1839.- Siimuel  Hall,  Ebenezer  Starr,  De.xter  W.  Brown. 

1S4U. — John  Thomas,  Alauson  Hibbard,  Araunah  Ide. 

1841. — Dexter  W.  Brown,  Alanson  Hibbard,  Araunah  Ide. 

lb'42. — Solomon  Anddon,  Jr.,  Ahanson  Hibbard,  Araunah  Ide, 

1,843. — Alanson  Hibbard,  Ebenezer  Stan-,  Araunah  Ide. 

1844. — William  Taylor,  Ebenezer  Starr,  John  \.  Winslow. 

1845. — Samuel  H.  Reed,  Asa  Kendriek,  Thomas  Scott. 

1846. — Samuel  H.  Reeil,  Elias  Keith,  Thomas  Scott. 

1847, — Ebenezer  Starr,  Elias  Keith,  Dwight  H,  Hicks. 

1848. — Ebenezer  Starr,  Elias  Keith,  Arad  Hall. 

1849.— E,  H,  Stanford,  EliiB  Keith,  Arad  Hall, 

1850. — Solomon  Aniidon,  Chauncey  Pierpont,  Arad  Hall. 

1851. — Elias  Keith,  Hezekiah  Brown,  Horace  Browning. 

1852.- Elias  Keith,  Hezekiah  Brown,  Arad  Hall. 

1853.— Elhas  Keith,  John  Ballon,  William  Porter. 

1854.— Elias  Keith,  John  Ballon,  Arad  Hall, 

1855-56, — Elias  Keith,  John  Ballon,  Lynum  Sears, 

1857.— Daniel  Gale,  William  H.  Sanford,  Ansel  Bollard. 

1868-59.— Daniel  Gale,  William  H.  Sanford,  Elias  Keith, 

18G0. — Daniel  Gale,  William  H.  Sanford,  Charles  Demons. 

1861.— John  Ballon,  William  H.  Sanford,  Charles  Demons, 

1862.- Samuel  P.  Everett,  William  H,  Sanford,  E,  H.  Stanford, 

180:!,— John  Ballon,  V.  M,  P.u  ter,  Elias  Keith, 

1864. — Lyman  Sears,  L.  S.  Blakesiee,  Elias  Keith. 

1865,- Chailes  Demons,  L.  S.  Blakesiee,  Elias  Keith, 


HISTORY  OF   FRANKLIN  COUNTY. 


18C6.— Charles  Demons,  L.  S.  Blukeslce,  Jolin  liiillou. 
1SC7-6S.— Cvrns  BalliiH,  S.  1'.  EviTctt,  Julin  Ballou. 
ISOO— J.  C.  Rice,  II.  A.  Kc-inliick,  .Tolni  B;iUou. 
1870-71.— Elias  Keitli,  ^^■illiam  Bulti.n,  .John  Ballou. 
1S72.— Elias  Keith,  Eph.  Tni.s.lell,  Jolm  Ballou. 
187:!.— V.  M.  Porter,  Ezra  G.  Bcniis,  Cyras  Ballou. 
1874-75.— V.  M.  Porter,  Lorenzo  S.  Blakcslee,  Peter  J.  Streeter. 
1876-77. — V.  M.  Porter,  Lorenzo  S.  Blakeslee,  Lester  Smith. 
1878.- V.  M.  Porter,  Lorenzo  S.  Bhikeslce,  Noyes  Wheeler. 

TOWN  CLEKKS. 
178l)-87,  Nathan  roster;  1788, 1.  Ward  Clary ;  17a)-94,  John  Wells;  1705-1800, 
Nathan  Foster;  ltOl-5,  Jonas  Gleason;  l.'OO,  John  Wells  ;  11'07,  Benjamin  OlJs; 
1808,  John  Wells;  1809-14,  Solomon  Reed;  1815,  Josiah  Carpenter;  lSlG-17, 
John  Tlionias;  1818-40,  Solomon  Reed;  1847,  Samuel  H.  Reed ;  1848,  Solomon 
B.  Drury;  1849-53,  John  C.  Drnry ;  1864-50,  Sumner  Lincoln;  18C0-C2,  Hum- 
phrey Gould;  18G3-00,  James  M.  F.ud;  16C7,  E.  E.  Aniidou;  1808,  James  M. 
Ford;  1800,  Samuel  P.  Everett;  1870,  W.  M.  Bicknell;  1871-76,  Charles  H. 
Scott;  1877-78,  Horace  A.  Smith,  1879. 

EXTRACTS    FROM    THE    TOWN    RBCORDS. 

At  the  April  meeting,  178o,  £130  was  voted  to  defray  town 
charges  the  ensuing  year. 

"  Voted  to  hire  preaehiug  two  months  the  ensuing  year.'' 

*'  Voted  to  choose  a  committee  to  provide  a  candidate.  Chose  Asa  Fowler,  Dr. 
I.  Ward  Clary,  and  Isjuic  Langdon. 

"  Voted  that  Ambrose  Potter,  Asa  Foster,  and  Nathaniel  Merrill  he  a  committee 
to  build  a  pound  at  the  northwest  corner  of  the  meeting-house,  thirty  feet  square, 
with  poles." 

Oct.  2, 178G. — "Voted  to  choose  a  committee  of  safety  to  inspect  any  disorder 
that  may  arise  in  this  town  at  this  juncture  of  time,  iu  which  civil  law  is  much 
disturbed,  and  to  suppress  criminality  as  much  as  possible  ;  and  to  choose  Deacon 
Jonas  Gleason,  Nathan  Foster,  Ehlad  Corbet,  Joseph  Nash,  and  Nathaniel  Merrill 
the  committee." 

1788. — "  Voted  to  give  John  Wells  £5  9s.  for  entert.aining  the  ordaining  Coun- 
cil and  the  Rev.  Preserved  Smith's  friends,  at  the  time  of  ordination." 

In  1701  tlie  building  of  a  new  house  of  worship  occasioned 
a  good  deal  of  discussion,  and  the  appointment  of  a  number 
of  committees  to  select  a  site,  whose  reports  were  usually  re- 
jected by  the  town.  A  committee  of  gentlemen  from  the  sur- 
rounding towns  was  then  chosen,  who  reported,  October  19th, 
as  follows : 

"We,  the  subscribers,  being  assembled  as  a  committee  for  the  pni-pose  of  ap- 
propriating a  spot  of  ground  for  the  inhabitants  of  the  town  of  Rowe  to  build 
their  meeting-house,  are  unanimously  of  the  opinion  that  the  properest  and  most 
convenient  place  for  that  purpose  is  where  the  old  meeting-house  now  stands,  or 
as  near  as  the  ground  will  admit. 

"Benjamin  Maxwell, 
"  Hugh  McClellen, 
"Samuel  Taylor." 

In  1793  a  tinal  committee,  composed  of  Edmund  Longley, 
Williatu  Kittridge,  and  David  Hoyt,  reported  that  they  had 
selected  a  meeting-house  spot,  and  in  their  report  expressed 
the  hope  that  their  work  would  be  acceptable  and  that  the 
people  would  "  perfectly  harmonize  in  erecting  a  house,  one 
important  design  of  which  was  to  promote  mutual  benevo- 
lence and  peace." 

Jan.  10, 1796.—"  Reported  by  the  committee  that  Deacon  Gleason  be  allowed 
for  damages  sustained  by  his  o.ven  being  taken  for  a  town  debt  £1  15«.  Grf. 

"  Moses  Streeter, 
"Ariel  Thomas, 
"  Benjamin  Brown, 
"Nathan  Foster." 
In  1878  the  town  appropriated   |1200  for  contingent  ex- 
penses, §700  for  highways,  and  §700  for  schools.     There  was  a 
debt  of  5>0000,  and  the  rate  of  taxation  was  §2  per  hundred. 

HIGHWAYS. 

The  records  concerning  the  roads  are  fragmentary  and  not 
very  satisfactory.  In  1808  the  sum  of  §-300  was  voted  to  re- 
pair and  maintain  the  roads  ;  and  in  1817  it  was  voted  "  that 
the  town  is  willing  to  unite  with  Buckland  and  other  towns 
in  a  petition  to  the  General  Court  for  a  lottery  to  build  three 
bridges  over  Deertield  Kivor,  and  that  the  town  clerk  be  au- 
thorized to  sign  a  petition  in  behalf  of  the  town,  if  one  shall 
be  presented." 

The  highways  are  generally  in  a  passable  condition,  and  in 
1878  were  in  charge  of  ten  road  surveyors. 

The  Troy  and  Greenfield  Kailroad  passes  through  the  south- 


western part  of  the  town,  and  has  a  station  at  the  Hoosac 
Tunnel,  whose  eastern  terminus  is  netir  this  town  line. 

CEMETERIES. 

In  1777  the  Rev.  Cornelius  Jones  set  aside  two  acres  for  a 
burial-ground,  and  in  1785  a  second  place  for  interments  was 
secured  by  the  selectmen.  A  third  lot  was  set  aside  at  a  later 
day  in  the  northern  part  of  town,  and  by  the  Methodist  Church, 
in  the  eastern  part  of  the  town,  is  a  cemetery  which  was 
formed  in  1828. 

It  is  said  that  Reuben  Gleason  was  the  first  adult  who  died 
in  the  town,  and  that  Deacon  Archibald  Thomas  dug  his 
grave.  In  the  cemeteries  are  the  graves  of  several  centena- 
rians:  Mrs.  Archibald  Thomas  (Elizabeth)  died  in  1815,  aged 
one  hundred  and  six  years;  a  Mr.  Dodge,  at  the  age  of  one 
hundred  and  one ;  and  the  Widow  Goodspeed,  aged  one  hun- 
dred and  two  years.  They  contain  also  the  graves  of  several 
persons  who  met  with  accidental  deaths :  Amos  Gleason,  a 
youth,  was  lost  in  the  woods  soon  after  the  country  was  set- 
tled, and  perished  before  he  was  found  ;  a  Mrs.  Knowlton  and 
a  Miss  Shurtletf  were  drowned  while  crossing  the  Deerfield, 
from  Monroe,  some  time  after  1820 ;  and  on  the  8th  of  October, 
18G9,  Rufus  Hyde  and  his  wife  were  swept  away  by  the  freshet 
which  destroj'cd  his  saw-mill  on  Pelham  Brook,  and  carried 
many  rods  down  the  turbulent  stream.  It  appears  that,  fear- 
ing his  mill  might  be  lost,  Mr.  Hyde  endeavored  to  save  some 
of  the  movable  machinery  ;  while  thus  engaged,  the  furious 
waters  washed  out  a  new  channel  between  him  and  his  house, 
and  his  wife,  seeing  the  impending  danger,  hastened  to  the 
edge  of  the  stream  to  save  him.  She  threw  him  a  line,  by 
means  of  which  she  hoped  to  pilot  him  to  safety.  The  ill-fated 
man  plunged  into  the  current,  only  to  be  ruthlessly  swept 
awa}',  and  with  him  his  devoted  wife,  who  had  maintained  her 
hold  on  the  line. 

MANUFACTURING    INTERESTS. 

The  water-power  of  Pelham  Brook  ha^  been  utilized  to 
good  advantage,  and  was  made  to  operate  a  saw-iLiill  at  the 
village  soon  after  the  town  was  settled.  A  small  grist-mill 
was  also  put  into  operation  before  1780.  The  early  owners 
were  the  Chapins  and  the  Thomases.  In  later  years  the  Reeds 
became  the  proprietors,- who  sold  the  grist-mill  to  Abijah  Bur- 
nap.  It  was  destroyed  by  fire  and  rebuilt  by  him,  and  after 
being  changed  for  other  purposes  was  again  consumed  by  fire 
in  1872.  This  privilege  is  now  unemplo3'ed.  The  power  above 
operates  a  saw-mill,  built  by  Ambrose  Stone,  and  in  which 
machinery  for  grinding  was  placed  in  1871,  by  David  Henry. 
The  establishment  is  now  carried  on  by  Moses  Bollard. 

In  a  few  years  after  the  above  power  was  improved  a  saw- 
mill was  erected  on  the  brook  flowing  from  the  northwest,  by 
a  man  named  Ward.  From  this  circumstance  the  brook  took 
its  name.     The  power  has  long  since  been  abandoned. 

A  mile  below  the  village  Ephraim  Fellows  had  a  lumber- 
mill  at  an  early  day,  which  after  many  changes  was  destroyed 
by  the  freshet  of  18G9,  causing  the  loss  of  the  lives  of  Rufus 
Hyde  and  his  wife. 

East  of  the  centre  of  the  town,  on  Pelham  Brook,  the 
Chapin  Brothers  built  a  mill,  which  has  had  among  its  ope- 
rators Royal  Stone,  H.  A.  Kendrick,  C.  E.  Graves,  and  Jude 
Tuttle ;  and  above  this  point  John  Cheney  formerly  had  a 
chair-factory. 

At  the  centre,  S.  Nash  had  a  small  tannery  before  1800, 
which  was  afterward  operated  on  a  more  extensive  scale  by 
Asa  Foster  (2d).  Other  proprietors  were  Enos  Adams,  Alfred 
Olds,  and  Thomas  Harrington.  About  the  same  time  Alfred 
Olds  established  a  tannery  at  the  village,  which  has  been  suc- 
cessively carried  on  by  Pliny  and  Joel  Wells,  Hitchcock  & 
Maxwell,  and  by  the  present  proprietors,  Messrs.  Scott  &  Son, 
under  whose  management  it  forms  a  considerable  industry. 
Tanning  had  also  been  carried  on  below  this  place  by  Jude 
Cooper. 


774 


HISTOKY  OF  THE   CONNP]CTICUT   VALLEY. 


About  1808,  Sclah  Munson  built  a  fulling-mill  at  the  village, 
but  soon  after  sold  his  interests  to  Ebenezer  Ninis.  After  1812, 
Erastus  and  Moses  Gleason  enlarged  the  business,  and  added 
sixty  spindles  for  the  manufacture  of  satinets.  The  machin- 
ery for  carding  was  then  removed  and  the  clothing-works  car- 
ried on  by  Solomon  Aniidon  and  Moses  Gleason,  who  changed 
the  location  of  the  factory  to  a  point  farther  up  the  stream, 
where  it  was  successfully  operated. 

In  183G,  Solomon  Amidon  and  Joseph  Burton  erected  the 
present  factory  building, — a  large  three-story  frame  structure, 
— and  supplied  it  with  good  machinery  for  the  manufacture 
of  satinets.  This  business  was  afterward  carried  on  by  a 
stock  company, 'which  was  discontinued  before  1848.  Subse- 
quently the  factory  lias  been  partially  operated  by  S.  P.  Day. 

Wooden-ware  has  been  manufactured  here,  and  it  is  said 
that  an  invoice  of  bowls  was  sent  to  California  for  use  in  the 
placer-washings  when  gold  was  first  discovered.  Cut  nails 
have  also  been  made  by  Erastus  Gleason.  Other  small  in- 
dustries flourished  for  a  short  time  between  1825  and  1850. 
The  town  is  yet  well  supplied  with  the  ordinary  mechanic- 
shops. 

HAMLETS. 

The  pioneers  of  Rowe  endeavored  to  locate  the  business  of 
the  town  at  or  near  the  geographical  centre.  There  the  first 
stores  and  taverns  were  kept  until  more  important  industries 
attracted  them  to  points  better  adapted  for  business  centres. 

The  geographical  ccnti-e  of  the  town  is  north  of  the  present 
village.  There  the  first  church  was  erected,  and  there  is  now 
located  the  Unitarian  Church,  around  which  are  clustered  half 
a  dozen  buildings.  The  place  was  formerly  much  larger  than 
at  present,  and  was  locally  known  as 

MIDDLE    ROWE. 

Here,  before  1790,  was  opened  the  first  store  in  town,  by  a 
man  named  Ransom.  The  business  was  continued  by  William 
Langdon.  Afterward  the  Tuttles  put  up  a  large  building  for 
mercantile  yiurposes,  a  part  of  which  yet  remains,  and  forms 
the  public-hall.  In  this  have  traded  Langdon  &  Bradley, 
Olds,  Barrett  &  Hall,  Reed  &  Chandler,  Reed  Bros.,  S.  R.  & 
J.  C.  Drury,  Ruel  Barling,  and  John  Ballou,  being  the  last, 
about  1863. 

Ambrose  Potter  had  the  first  public-house  in  town,  near 
where  Dr.  Gould  afterward  lived,  as  early  as  1780.  At  the 
centre,  Ezra  Tuttle  kept  an  inn,  and  was  followed  by  Thomas 
Riddle.  On  the  road  cast,  the  Langdons  and  others  kept 
taverns. 

ROWE    VILLAGE 

is  pleasantly  situated  a  mile  south  of  the  centre,  on  Pelham 
Brook,  and  contains  a  Baptist  Church,  a  good  school-house,  a 
store,  factory,  tannery,  and  mills.  The  population  is  about 
125.  A  store  was  opened  here  about  1845,  by  Cyrus  Ballou, 
in  a  building  which  has  been  occupied  since  1853  by  E.  E. 
Amidon,  at  present  one  of  the  oldest  merchants  in  the  county. 
A  "Sovereigns'  •'  store  was  kept  a  short  time,  under  the  man- 
agement of  H.  E.  Nelson. 

The  post-office  was  established  at  the  centre,  and  remained 
there  until  1874,  since  which  it  has  been  kept  at  the  vil- 
lage by  E.  E.  Amidon.  The  postmasters  at  the  centre  have 
been  Solomon  Reed,  Samuel  Reed,  Solomon  R.  Drurj',  J.  C. 
Drury,  John  Ballou,  Edwaj-d  Wright ;  George  Ballou  is  the 
present  incumbent.  A  daily  mail  is  supplied  from  Zoar,  in 
Charlemont.  At  the  Hoosac  Tunnel  a  post-office  has  lately 
been  established  in  connection  with  a  hotel. 

The  people  of  Rowe  were  at  first  dependent  on  Charlemont 
for  the  services  of  a  physician,  cmplo3ing  Dr.  Moses  Heaton 
about  1780.  A  few  years  later.  Dr.  Isaac  Ward  Clary,  living 
in  the  eastern  part  of  the  town,  was  the  practitioner.  From 
1790  until  his  death,  in  1834,  Dr.  Pardon  Haynes  was  the 
regular  physician.  He  was  succeeded  by  Dr.  Humphrey 
Govild,  who  settled  here  in  1832,  and  also  remained  until  his 


death,  a  few  years  ago.  He  was  born  iji  Berkshire  County  in 
1797,  educated  at  Williams  College,  and  studied  medicine  at 
Boston.  He  was  an  excellent  physician,  and  for  many  years 
one  of  the  prominent  men  of  the  town.  Drs.  Wheeler,  Reed, 
Sheldon,  and  Barber  were  also  in  practice  a  short  time,  but 
did  not  remain  long  enough  to  become  identified  with  the 
town. 

EDUCATIONAL. 

It  is  generally  believed  that  Rev.  Cornelius  Jones  taught 
the  first  school  in  Rowe,  in  a  small  cabin  near  the  centre, 
some  time  before  the  Revolution.  Sept.  14,  1785,  the  town 
voted  to  have  three  school  divisions,  to  be  formed  by  Jonas 
Gleason,  Benjamin  Brown,  and  William  Taylor.  The  report 
of  this  committee,  made  the  following  year,  denominated 
the  districts  as  the  north,  the  east,  and  the  west  divis- 
ions. In  the  two  last  named  school-houses  were  built  soon 
after,  and,  in  1789,  three  months'  school  were  taught  in  each 
of  them  at  the  expense  of  the  town.  The  school-house  in  the 
east  district  was  of  stone,  and  stood  near  the  old  Wells  place. 

In  1790  the  town  voted  to  paj  Isaac  Langdon  13.<t.  for  board- 
ing the  schoolmaster  and  his  horse  two  weeks,  and  made  an 
appropriation  of  £30  for  schooling.  Seven  years  later  three 
school-houses  were  ordered  to  be  built,  and  the  following  year 
it  was  "  Voted  that  the  tax  laid  on  dogs  the  present  year  bo 
appropriated  to  the  support  of  schools,  each  division  to  be  en- 
titled to  the  money  that  it  pays  for  said  animals." 

In  1878  the  town  had  seven  school  districts,  in  each  of  which 
two  terms  of  school  were  maintained  per  3'ear,  at  a  cost  of 
about  flOOO.  The  total  number  of  scholars  enrolled  was  226, 
and  the  supervising  committee  was  composed  of  V.  M.  Porter, 
L.  E.  Henry,  and  J.  A.  Stanford. 

ROWE   SOCIAL   LIBRARY 

was  organized  Dec.  18,  1797,  with  the  following  members : 
John  Wells,  Preserved  Smith,  Asa  Foster  (2d),  Moses  Streeter, 
Pardon  Haynes,  Standish  Foster,  William  Langdon,  William 
Taylor,  Lewis  Chandler,  Jonas  Gleason,  Zebulon  Benton, 
Samuel  Barrett,  Nathan  Foster,  Sylvester  Nash,  Caleb  Blakes- 
lee,  Noah  Brown,  Abel  Bassett,  Joel  Hall,  John  Thomas, 
Jonathan  White,  Benjamin  Olds,  James  Smith,  Amos  Negus, 
Mathew  Middleditch,  and  Ezra  Brown,  and  the  officers  named 
below.  Col.  John  Wells,  Librarian  ;  William  Langdon, 
Clerk;  Asa  Foster  (2d),  Treasurer;  James  Gleason,  Censor; 
and  Rev.  P.  Smith,  Capt.  Willam  Taylor,  and  Dr.  Pardon 
Haynes,  Judges. 

In  1806  the  library  contained  130  volumes,  chiefly  works  on 
history,  travels,  philosophy,  and  theology.  It  was  success- 
fully continued  by  the  association  until  March,  1869,  when 
the  town  assumed  charge,  agreeing  to  pay  $25  annually  for  its 
support,  and  to  provide  a  librarian.  Under  this  arrangement 
it  has  since  been  successfully  conducted,  and  is  at  present  es- 
tablished at  the  village,  with  Horace  A.  Smith  librarian.  It 
contains  about  700  volumes  of  well-selected  books. 

EELIGIOUS    SOCIETIES. 

The  first  religious  society  dates  from  the  settlement  of  the 
Rev.  Cornelius  Jones,  in  1770.  He  and  his  family  composed 
the  first  members  of  the  Church  of  Christ  in  Myrifield,  which 
was  formally  organized  about  1774  with  a  few  additional 
members,  viz. :  Deacon  Archibald  Thomas  and  his  wife, 
Elizabeth ;  Deacon  Jonas  Gleason  and  his  wife,  Lucy ;  and  one 
or  two  others. 

In  the  fall  of  1770  the  church-roll  contained  the  names  of 
Aaron  and  Eunice  Gleason,  William  and  Mary  Hartwell, 
Abiah  and  Abigail  Lamb,  James  and  Thankful  Thayer,  Han- 
nah Thomas,  Mary  McAllister,  Jedediah,  Elizabeth,  and 
Rachel  Lamb,  Mary  Wilson,  Lucy  Chapin,  Esther  Eddy^ 
Gideon  Chapin,  Sarah  Chapin,  Abigail  and  Henry  Wilson. 

The  meetings  were  first  held  at  the  house  of  Rev.  Mr.  Jones, 
but  a  plain  meeting-house  was  built  soon  after  the  church  was 


HISTORY   OF  FRANKLIN   COUNTY". 


775 


formed,  and  was  u.sed  as  a  place  of  public  worship — uncom- 
fortable and  rude  as  it  was — until  1793,  when  the  town  built 
its  first  meeting-house,  as  will  be  seen  by  reference  to  the  ex- 
tracts from  the  town-books.  Mr.  Jones  served  the  people  of 
Myrifield  until  his  removal  in  1780.  Occasional  preaching 
was  then  had  until  Nov.  21,  1787,  when  the  Rev.  Preserved 
Smith,  who  had  graduated  at  Brown  University  the  year  be- 
fore, was  installed  the  first  pastor  of  what  is  yet  known  as 

THE  CHURCH  OF  CHRIST  IN  ROWE, 
at  that  time  orthodox  Congregational,  but  since  18.33  Uni- 
tarian in  belief.  The  members  of  the  church  at  that  period, 
and  before  1800,  in  addition  to  the  foregoing,  were  Obed  Foot, 
James  Tackett,  Eliasaph  Barker,  Humphrey  Taylor,  Caleb 
Rogers,  Eli  Town,  Abigail  Town,  Isaac  and  Mary  Cum- 
mings,  John  and  Elizabeth  Adams,  Nathan  and  Abigail  Fos- 
ter, Molly  Wells,  Ephraim  Hill,  Isaac  W.  Clary,  Benjamin 
Shuniway,  Milo  Streeter,  Eunice  Smith,  Paul  Thayer,  Han- 
nah Merrill,  Nathan  Wheeler,  Chas.  Handy,  Stephen  Glea- 
son,  Jonathan  Cressy,  Isaac  Langdon,  Eliphalet  Cutting,  Joel 
Hall,  Caleb  Blakeslee,  Joshua  Dodge,  Rhoda  Dodge,  Silas 
Munson,  Festus  Foster,  David  Tuttle,  and  John  W.  Blodgett. 

The  withdrawal  of  the  orthodox  element  of  the  church  and 
other  causes  had  a  depressing  effect  upon  the  membership 
of  the  church,  and  left  the  society  in  a  weak  condition.  In 
1878  but  2.5  members  were  reported,  who  were  under  the  pas- 
toral care  of  the  Rev.  W.  M.  Bicknell,  who  has  maintained 
this  relation  since  December,  1807. 

The  Rev.  Preserved  Smith  entered  upon  his  pastorate  in  the 
fall  of  1787,  and  after  a  useful  ministry  of  more  than  sixteen 
years  he  asked  for  a  dismissal,  which  was  given  May  30, 
1804.  A  vacancy  of  a  few  years  followed.  On  the  6th  of 
January,  1808,  the  Rev.  Jonathan  Keith  was  settled  as  pastor, 
but  only  remained  till  Jan.  10,  1812.  The  following  Decem- 
ber the  church  recalled  the  Rev.  Preserved  Smith,  and  he 
entered  upon  a  second  pastorate,  which  extended  through 
more  than  twenty  years,  and  was  terminated  only  on  account 
of  the  infirmities  of  age.  Mr.  Smith  was  a  man  of  great  force 
of  character  and  strong  logical  powers.  Toward  the  close  of 
his  ministry  he  discarded  Trinitarian  views,  but  did  not  avow 
himself  a  Unitarian,  and  the  church  was  nominally  Congre- 
gational until  his  pastorship  had  been  terminated. 

The  settlement  of  the  Rev.  William  L.  Stearns,  Jan.  29, 
1833,  induced  the  orthodox  element  to  withdraw  and  settle  a 
minister  of  their  own,  the  Unitarians  retaining  the  original 
title  of  the  church  and  the  property  secured  by  it.  Mr. 
Stearns  was  dismissed  Dec.  14,  1849,  and  on  the  r2th  of  June 
following,  the  Rev.  Slillman  Barber  was  inducted  to  the  pas- 
toral office,  which  he  occupied  but  two  years.  The  Rev. 
Sumner  Lincoln  then  became  the  pastor,  and  served  the 
church  until  18U0.  In  that  year  the  Rev.  Addison  Brown 
supplied  the  church,  and  the  following  two  years  the  Rev. 
Hiram  Norton  maintained  the  same  relation.  After  a  vacancy 
of  several  years,  the  present  pastor,  the  Rev.  W.  M.  Bicknell, 
was  settled. 

The  society  worshiped  in  the  old  meeting-house  until  the 
summer  of  184.5,  when  the  present  church  was  erected,  the 
old  house  being  used  for  town  purposes  until  ten  years  later, 
when  some  of  its  staunch  timbers  were  employed  to  repair 
the  new  church.  This  is  now  an  attractive  edifice,  with  sit- 
tings for  225  persons,  and  is  valued  at  91500.  Adjoining  is  a 
neat  and  comfortable  parsonage. 

The  first  deacon  of  the  church  was  Archibald  Thomas,  who 
had  formerly  filled  that  office  in  Mr.  Morehead's  church  in 
Boston.  His  colleague  at  Rowe  was  Deacon  Jonas  Gleason. 
They  were  succeeded  by  Nathan  Foster,  Silas  Nash,  John 
Thomas,  and  Moses  Gleason.  Daniel  Gale  is  the  present  act- 
ing deacon.  A  Sabbath-school  is  maintained  by  the  church 
in  summer.  It  has  from  40  to  .50  members,  and  supports  a 
library  of  200  volumes. 


THE   COXGREGATIONAL    EVANGELICAL   SOCIETY. 

The  movement  to  form  this  society  was  made  in  the  early 
part  of  1833,  by  Daniel  G.  Spooner,  Lewis  Goodenough,  and 
Pardon  Haynes,  the  petition  being  signed  March  4,  1833,  by 
Isaac  Pierpont,  Gideon  Langdon,  Sylvester  Nash,  Amzi  Lang- 
don, Thomas  Harrington,  John  A.  Winslow,  Abijah  Burnap, 
A.  Ide,  Anson  Browning,  and  Josiah  Carpenter.  The  organi- 
zation was  effected  March  11,  1833,  when  Anson  Browning 
was  elected  Clerk;  Thomas  Harrington,  Treasurer;  Sylves- 
ter Nash,  Amzi  Langdon,  and  Isaac  Pierpont,  Prudential 
Committee. 

This  was  the  beginning  of  the  Second  or  Orthodox  Congre- 
gational Church  of  Rowe.  The  following  summer,  meetings 
were  held  in  the  barn  of  Thomas  Harrington,  the  preaching 
being  supplied  by  the  Revs.  Erastus  Dickinson  and  Samuel 
Ware.  In  1834  a  meeting-house  was  built  a  little  south  of 
the  old  house  of  wor.*hip,  which  was  used  for  church  purposes 
until  1856.  It  then  became  a  public  hall,  and  ten  years  later 
was  removed  to  the  village  of  Rowe,  where  it  is  now  known 
as  "  Union  Hall." 

The  first  pastor  of  the  church  was  the  Rev.  John  C.  Thomp- 
son, who  was  ordained  Oct.  28,  1835.  He  remained  not  quite 
two  years,  terminating  his  connection  June  19,  1837.  The 
Rev.  Andrew  Govan  was  installed  the  second  pastor,  Sept.  5, 
1838,  and  dismissed  Aug.  29,  1842.  After  an  interim  of  seven 
years  the  Rev.  Benjamin  F.  Clark  was  installed,  but  only  re- 
mained with  the  church  until  October,  1850.  The  pulpit  was 
thereafter  supplied  by  the  Revs.  Noah  Cressy  and  Jeremiah 
Pomeroy,  but  removals  and  deaths  diminished  the  membership 
to  such  an  extent  that  it  was  not  deemed  advisable  to  continue 
the  organfzation,  and  the  church  was  dissolved  about  1856. 

ROWE   METHODIST   EPISCOPAL    CHURCH. 

The  early  records  of  this  body  have  not  been  preserved; 
but  it  is  said  that  a  class  of  ten  members  was  formed  as  early 
as  1800,  and  that  preaching  was  supplied  in  connection  with 
other  classes  in  the  western  part  of  the  county,  forming  a 
circuit.  The  meetings  were  held  at  the  houses  of  the  mem- 
bers, principally  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  town.  But  on  the 
31st  of  March,  1828,  Solomon  Reed  executed  a  deed  for  a 
church-lot  to  Elisha  Brown,  Horace  Blakeslee,  Josiah  W. 
Reed,  and  John  I.  Bassett,  the  trustees  of  the  Methodist 
Society,  on  which  a  plain  frame  meeting-house  was  erected 
in  that  year.  It  has  since  been  thoroughly  repaired,  and  is 
valued  at  §1000.  The  present  trustees  are  James  Streeter, 
Thomas  Wilcox,  J.  W.  Fisk,  Andrew  Stone,  and  Samuel 
Woffendon. 

No  list  of  members  prior  to  1840  has  been  preserved.  In 
that  year  Horace  Blakeslee  was  the  class-leader,  and  John 
A.  Winslow  and  Levi  Carpenter  stewards.  There  were  in 
addition  31  members.  In  1878,  James  Streeter  was  the  class- 
leader,  and  28  persons  comprised  the  membership.  A  Sun- 
day-school is  maintained  through  the  year,  which  has  about 
35  members,  and  a  library  of  200  volumes. 

As  near  as  can  be  determined,  the  clergymen  employed  here 
have  been  the  Revs.  Elijah  Ward,  Timothy  Carpenter,  Sam- 
uel Carpenter,  Shadrach  Bostwiek,  Peter  Van  Ness,  Michael 
Coates,  Joseph  Mitchell,  Joseph  Crawford,  Freeman  Bishop, 
Elijah  R.  Sabin,  Daniel  Ostrander,  Daniel  Brumley,  C.  Ham- 
mond, J.  W.  Lewis,  William  Bardwell,  Edward  A.  Manning, 
L.  B.  Clarke,  J.  W.  Jordan,  Edward  Day,  Moses  Spencer,  G. 
R.  Bent,  Lorenzo  Wliite,  Randall  M-itchell,  E.  J.  Stevens, 
N.  J.  Merrill,  John  H.  Lord,  W.  H.  Adams,  Alfred  Noon, 
A.  M.  Osgood,  W.  E.  Dwight,  AV.  E.  Knox,  Burtis  Judd, 
and  L.  P.  Frost. 

THE    KOWE    B.iPTIST    CHURCH 

was  organized  in  the  western  part  of  the  town,  July  15,  1810, 
with  27  members,  among  them  being  Samuel  Carpenter, 
Rhoda   Carpenter,   Asa  and   Hannah   Paine,   Ebenezer  and 


776 


HISTORY   OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


Sally  Rice,  Lucy  and  Lydia  Coi-bct,  Nahum  White,  Enfus 
Scott,  Iclnibod  Hill,  Ephriiim  Fellows,  Sylvia  Hibbard, 
Epbniiiii  Hill,  and  Olive  Scott. 

The  first  meeting-house  and  parsoange  were  erected  in  the 
western  part  of  the  town,  but  in  1876  a  very  neat  little  church 
was  built  in  the  lower  part  of  the  village,  which  was  conse- 
crated in  November  of  that  year.  Here  regular  services  are 
maintained  and  attended  by  34  members,  under  the  spiritual 
direction  of  the  Rev.  Jacob  Davis,  since  1877  the  pastor.  A 
Sunday-school  of  70  members  is  also  attached  to  it, — C.  H. 
Scott,  s\iperintendent. 

In  addition  to  the  pastor  mentioned,  the  church  has  had  the 
following  ministers  :  the  Revs.  Samuel  Carpenter,  Arad  Hall, 
Edward  Davenport,  Nathaniel  Ripley,  B.  F.  Remington, 
James  Burke,  George  Carpenter,  E.  D.  Eish,  Charles  Brooks, 
J.  M.  Wilmarth,  S.  P.  Everett,  Wm.  A.  Millard,  Rufus 
Smith,  and  H.  C.  Coombs. 

The  native  or  resident  ministers  of  Rowe  have  been  the  fol- 
lowing: Rev.  Joseph  W.  ("lary,  born  in  Rowe  in  November, 
1780;  graduated  at  Jliddlebury  in  1808  and  at  Andover  in 
1811.     He  died  at  Cornish,  N.  H.,  1835. 

Rev.  Noah  Cre.ssy  became  a  resident  of  Rowe  at  the  age  of 
eight  years  (about  1785),  and  lived  here  until  he  had  grown  to 
manhood,  when  he  removed  to  Charlemont.  He  graduated 
at  Williams  College  in  1805,  and  was  licensed  to  preach  in 
1806. 

-Rev.  Sereno  W.  Streeter  was  born  in  Rowe  in  1810,  and 
graduated  from  Oberlin,  Ohio,  in  1836.  These  three  were 
Congregationalists. 

Rev.  Preserved  Smith,  Jr.,  was  born  in  Rowe  in  1789,  grad- 
uated at  Brown  University  in  1812,  and  was  licensed  as  a  Con- 
gregationalist  in  1813,  but  became  a  Unitarian  in  the  follow- 
ing year.  Rev.  Festus  Foster,  another  Unitarian,  was  also  a 
resident  of  Kowe. 


From  this  town  have  gone  as  Methodist  ministers  the  Revs. 
Laban  C.  Cheney  and  David  Todd. 

MILITARY. 
Mention  has  been  made  in  the  account  of  the  early  settlers 
of  those  who  rendered  service  in  the  struggle  for  independence. 
The  town  manifested  much  interest  in  militia  matters,  and 
had,  at  one  time,  an  excellent  company.  The  first  officers 
were:  Captain,  N.  Corbett ;  First  Lieutenant,  A.  Chapin; 
Second  Lieutenant,  N.  Merrill.  The  subsequent  captains  have 
been  Paul  Thayer,  John  Wells,  Pardon  Haynes,  Zcbulon 
Benton,  J.  Marsh,  Stephen  Brown,  James  Brown,  Solomon 
Reed,  Noah  Wells,  Samuel  H.  Reed,  John  Taylor,  Wm.  Tay- 
lor, M.  Shumway,  S.  Wheeler,  and  J.  W.  Wheeler. 

SOLDIERS'    LIST WAK    OF    1861-65. 

Bliss,  Abel  C,  must.  Oct.  11, 1862,  Co.  B,  62il  Regt. 

Bruwn,  Joseph  F.,  sergt.,  must.  Oct.  II,  1802,  Co.  B,  .52(1  Begt. 

BrowD,  Newton  L.,  must.  Oct.  11, 18G2,  Co.  B,  .')2d  Eegt. 

Hntheway,  Charles  H.,  must.  Oct.  11,  18C2,  Co.  B,  52il  Regt. 

Fish,  Rodolphus  D,  must.  Oct.  11, 1S62,  Co.  B,  62il  Regt. 

Paine,  James  H.,  must.  Oct.  11,  1862,  Co.  B,  .52d  Regt. 

Rice,  Nathaniel  R.,  must.  Oct.  11,  1802,  Co.  B,  62d  Regt. 

Stanford,  L.  S.,  must.  Oct.  11,  1802,  Co.  B,  62d  Regt. 

Andrews,  Emory  P.,  must.  Fell.  1862,  1st  lieut.,  Co.  C,  31st  Regt. 

Miller,  Jasper  C,  Corp.,  must.  Nov.  21, 1861,  Co.  C,  31st  Regt. 

Scott,  Alhert,  Corp.,  must.  Nov.  21, 1861,  Co.  C,  31st  Regt. 

Scott,  Thomas,  Corp.,  must.  Nov.  21,  1861,  Co.  C,  31st  Regt. 

Allen,  James  M.,  nmst.  Nov.  21,  1861,  Co.  C,  31st  Regt. 

Scott,  Charles  H.,  must.  Nov.  21, 18CI,  Co.  C,  31st  Regt. 

Glcason,  Adoniram,  J.,  must.  July  31, 1862,  Co.  F,  34th  Regt. ;  died  Feh.  28,  '63. 

Sears,  Russell,  must.  Nov.  20, 1861,  Signal  Corps. 

Sibley,  Philo,  Jr.,  must.  Bee.  15, 1863,  Co.  G,  34th  Begt. 

Stafford,  Luther,  must.  Dec.  8, 1863,  Co.  G,  34th  Kegt. 

Stafford,  Chauncy,  Jr.,  must.  Dec.  8,  1863,  Co.  H,  34th  Begt. 

Willson,  R.  M.,  must.  Dec.  8,  1S63,  Co.  H,  34th  Regt. 

l^iclussijied. — J.  Harrington,  William   Kelley,  Thomas  Love,  William    Lynet. 

Judson  Loveley,  John  Leonard,  H.  II.  Hicks,  H.  C.  AVright,  George  A. 

Wilco.\,  George  R.  Jefford.s,  R.  Bullard,  Royal  W.  Stone,  John  Fitzgerald. 


WARWICK. 


GEOGRAPHICAL. 
Warwick,  bedecked  with  hills,  occupies  the  northeastern 
corner  of  Franklin  County,  and  has  the  State  of  New  Hamp- 
shire on  its  northern  boundary,  Worcester  County  and  the 
town  of  Orange  on  the  east,  Orange  on  the  south,  and  North- 
field  and  Erving  on  the  west.  The  town  is  as  yet  innocent  of 
railways,  the  station  nearest  the  centre  being  Wendell  depot, 
six  miles  distant,  and  because  of  the  general  mountainous 
character  of  its  surface  is  likely  to  remain  so  for  some  time  to 
come.  The  town  covers  an  area  of  21,350  acres,  and  em- 
braces the  entire  original  tract  of  Gardner's  Canada,  save  the 
section  in  the  southern  portion  set  off  to  Orange  in  1781. 

NATURAL    FEATURES. 

No  town  in  Franklin  is  more  thoroughly  mountainous  than 
Warwick.  Mount  Grace,  about  a  mile  northwest  of  the  cen- 
tre, has  the  greatest  elevation,  and  is  said  to  be  1628  feet  above 
the  sea.  There  are  also  conspicuous  eminences  such  as  Bol- 
ster Hill,  Flour  Hill,  Beach  Hill,  Barber  Hill,  and  Chestnut 
Hill. 

Water-courses  are  plentiful,  the  most  important  being  Tully 
Brook  on  the  east.  Valley  Mountain  and  Kidder  Brooks  on 
the  north,  Hedge,  Grace,  and  Wilson  Brooks  in  the  centre, 
and  Mo.ss  and  Gales  Brooks  in  the  south.  There  are  thirteen 
large  ponds  in  the  town,  among  them  being  Lake  Moore, 
Delva  Pond,  Harris  Pond,  and  Long  Pond  in  the  south,  and 
Hastings  Pond  in  the  centre. 


The  minerals  are  calcareous  gneiss,  granite,  and  quartz, 
with  indications  also  of  iron,  brimstone,  copperas,  and  graph- 
ite. Freestone  or  steatite  is  found  in  considerable  quantities, 
and  it  is  said  that  some  years  ago  iron  ore  was  found  near  the 
centre.  Radiated  tourmaline*  exists  on  Mount  Grace,  and 
on  the  old  Wilder  Stevens  farm  in  the  solid  rock.  Indian  or 
prehistoric  mortars  are  also  found,  some  of  them  four  feet  in 
depth,  and  the  largest  two  feet  iii  width. 

Wild  and  variegated  scenery  meets  the  eye  upon  every  hand, 
and  from  the  top  of  Mount  Grace  the  view  is  wonderfully  ex- 
pansive and  charming,  in  which  the  winding  Connecticut 
and  the  hills  and  vales  of  New  Hampshire  are  conspicuous 
features. 

A  natural  curiosity  of  the  town  is  the  Bear's  Den,  abwut  a 
hundred  yards  north  of  Stevens'  mill-pond.  The  cavity, 
which  is  of  con.siderable  size,  is  covered  by  a  shelving  rock, 
under  which,  report  says,  five  hundred  men  could  find  shelter. 
There  is  also,  on  the  old  Atwood  farm  near  the  Winchester 
line,  a  curiosity  called  the  swinging  rock, — a  bowlder  of  a  hun- 
dred tons'  weight, — which  is  so  placed  that  a  person  may,  with 
one  hand,  easily  rock  it. 

The  climate  of  Warwick  is  salubrious  and  he.ilthy,  and  sta- 
tistics show  it  to  be  conducive  to  remarkable  longevity.  In 
summer  the  town  is  a  favorite  resort  of  tourists  in  search  of 
health  and  recreation. 

•  More  probably  staurolite. 


HISTORY  OF  FRANKLIN   COUNTY. 


777 


EARLY  SETTLEMENT. 
Til  the  year  1735,  in  answer  to  the  petitions  of  Samuel  New- 
all,  Thomas  Tileston,  Samuel  Gallop,  and   Abraham  Tiiton, 
the  General  Court  voted  as  follows  : 

"That  four  several  tracts  of  land  fur  towixi^hips,  each  of  the  contents  of  six 
miles  s<]Uare,  be  hud  out  in  suitable  places  in  the  western  jiart  of  this  province,  and 
that  the  whole  of  each  town  be  laid  out  into  sixty-three  equal  shares,  one  share 
of  which  to  be  for  the  first  settled  minister,  one  for  the  use  of  the  ministry,  and 
one  for  schools,  and  that  on  the  other  sixty  shares  in  each  town  there  be  sixty 
settlers  admitted,  and  in  admission  thereof  pi-eferenco  to  he  given  to  the  peti- 
tioiiere,  .lud  such  as  .ire  the  descenil;ints  of  the  otficei's  and  soldier's  who  served 
in  the  exliedition  to  Canada,  in  the  year  1G90  (viz.,  one  of  said  townships  to  each 
of  the  aforesiiiil  persons,  with  such  others  its  joined  witli  tiu-ni  in  tlie  petitions), 
and  in  cjise  there  he  not  a  snfficicnt  numltcr  named  in  the  s;ud  four  petitions  as 
were  either  officeiB  or  soldiers  in  said  expedition,  or  the  descendants  of  such  as 
were  lost,  or  are  since  deceased,  so  as  to  make  sixty  settlers  for  eacli  town,  that 
then  such  others  as  were  in  the  expedition,  or  their  descendants,  he  admitted 
settlers  there,  until  sixty  persons  in  each  township  be  admitted ;  and  iinismuch  as 
the  officers  jind  soldiers  in  that  exjicdition  were  great  suflerei-s  and  underwent 
uncommon  hardships,  Voted,  That  this  Pi'ovince  he  at  the  sole  charge  of  laying 
out  the  sjiid  four  townshilis,  and  of  admitting  settlers.  That  the  settlers  or  gran- 
tees Ije,  and  hereby  are,  obliged  to  biing  forward  the  settlements  of  the  said  four 
townships  in  as  regular  and  defencible  manner  as  the  situation  .and  circum- 
stances will  adndt  of,  and  that  in  the  following  manner,  viz. ;  that  they  he  on  the 
granted  premises  respectively,  and  have  each  of  them  an  house  eighteen  feet 
sijuare,  and  seven  feet  stud  at  the  le.'ist ;  that  each  tight  or  grant  have  six  acres 
of  land  ploughed  and  brought  to  English  grass,  and  fitted  for  mowing ;  that  they 
respectively  settle  in  each  plantation  or  township  a  leiirned  orthodox  minister, 
and  build  a  convenient  meeting-house  for  the  woisliip  of  God  in  each  townslup." 

The.se  conditions  were  to  be  fulfilled  within  five  years  after 
the  confirmation  of  the  surveys,  and  from  each  settler  the 
province  exacted  a  bond  of  £20  as  security  for  the  faithful 
performance  of  the  obligations  named,  a  further  penalty  iu 
case  of  failure  being  the  utter  forfeiture  of  title. 

One  of  the  aforesaid  four  grants  was  issued  to  Samuel 
Ncwall  and  as.sociates,  and  was  the  tract  now  called  Warwick. 
Samuel  New.ill,  it  is  said,  was  the  only  survivor  of  39  men 
of  Iloxbury,  Ma.ss.,  who  engaged  under  Capt.  Andrew  Gard- 
ner in  the  Canada  expedition  of  ItjOO,  the  rest  having  perished 
in  the  expedition.  The  petitioners  associated  with  Mr.  Newall 
were  descendants  of  those  who  took  part  in  the  expedition. 
There  is,  however,  as  opposed  to  the  statement  that  the  38  men 
from  Koxbury  perished  in  the  expedition,  an  early  record 
U]ion  the  proprietors'  books  which  furnishes  a  list  of  33  names, 
and  calls  theui  the  names  of  "  the  petitioners  of  Roxbury  and 
Brookline  who  were  in  the  Canada  expedition  of  10".)0." 
These  names  are  as  follows :  Samuel  Griften,  John  Bowen, 
Thomas  Hammond,  Thomas  Mayo,  Benjamin  Wilson,  .John 
Wilson,  Robert  Pierpont,  Thomas  Aspinwall,  Ebenezer  Gore, 
William  Marean,  Jr.,  Joseph  Stevens,  Lsaac  Stedman,  Thomas 
Marean,  Joseph  Wilson,  Edmond  Weld,  Jr.,  William  Sharpe, 
Robert  Case,  Samuel  Newall,  Thomas  Gardner,  Nathaniel 
Craft,  James  Frizzell,  Shubael  Seaver,  Robert  Harris,  Thomas 
Bugbee,  Timothy  Whiting,  Nathaniel  Stearns,  John  Searle, 
Benjamin  White,  Benjamin  Smith,  Samuel  Perry,  Eleazer 
Hammond,  Robert  Harpe,  William  Heath. 

Instead  of  having  been  in  the  expedition,  those  named 
above  were  possibly  descendants  of  the  members  of  the  ex- 
pedition and  associates  with  Mr.  Newall  in  the  petition.  The 
grant  made  to  these  petitioners  was  known  from  the  outset  as 
"  Rcixbury  Canada''  and  "  Gardner's  Canada,"  and  was  thus 
known  until  the  incorporation  of  the  tract  as  the  town  of 
Warwick. 

The  first  meeting  of  the  proprietors  was  held  in  Roxbury, 
September,  1736,  at  the  house  of  James  Jarvis,  at  which  meet- 
ing Capt.  Robert  Sharp  was  chosen  moderator,  and  William 
Dudley  proprietors'  clerk.  A  committee  was  chosen  to  lay 
out  the  "  home-lots,"  each  lot  to  contain  not  less  than  50  nor 
more  than  CO  acres,  and  esieh  proprietor  to  be  taxed  23.s.  for 
necessarj'  charges. 

In  October,  1737,  the  proprietors  drew  for  their  lots,  their 
names  being  as  follows:  Samuel  Stevens,  Benjamin  Smith, 
Gresham  Davis,  William  Dudley,  Joseph  Weld,  Joseph  Gard- 
ner,   Eleazer   Hammond,   Josiah   Chenej-,    Peter  Aspinwall, 

98 


John  Wilson,  William  Sharp,  Ebenezer  Smith,  Samuel  Grif- 
fin, Ebenezer  Case,  Samuel  Newall,  Edward  White,  Samuel 
Fisher,  Ebenezer  Crafts,  Samuel  Peacock,  John  Parker,  Jo- 
seph Heath,  Samuel  Wight,  Isatic  Steadman,  Samuel  Davis, 
Samuel  Clark,  John  Shepard,  Thomas  Hartshorn,  John  Gay, 
Edward  Morris,  Ebenezer  Mande,  James  Frizzell,  Thomas 
Mayo,  John  Seaver,  Israel  Hearsay,  Benjamin  White,  Robert 
Harris,  John  Masecroft,  Benjamin  Bugbee,  Joseph  Daniels, 
John  Chandler,  Timothy  Mosman,  Samuel  Perry,  Timothy 
Whitney,  Robert  Sharp,  John  Allen,  Shubtxel  Seaver,  Thomas 
Taft,  Andrew  Gardner,  Robert  Daniels,  Andrew  Seaver,  John 
Ruggles. 

The  boundaries  of  the  original  tract  were  Northfield  and 
Erving's  Grant  on  the  west,  what  are  now  Royalstoii  and  Athol 
on  the  east.  New  Hampshire  on  the  north,  and  Erving's  Grant 
on  the  south,  and  in  the  tract  were  contained  23,000  acres, 
exclusive  of  a  tract  of  1000  acres  previously  granted  to  one 
Johnson  and  his  military  company,  for  certain  services.  In 
the  same  autumn  (of  1737)  a  second  division  of  lots  was 
eflfected,  and  these  lots,  conttiining  from  100  to  200  acres  each, 
according  to  the  quality  of  land,  were  called  farms. 

Although  lots  were  laid  out,  as  noted,  as  early  as  1737, 
they  remained  unsettled  until  shortly  previous  to  17-14,  but 
the  precise  date  of  the  first  settlements  cannot  be  ascertained, 
since  the  proprietors'  records  fail  to  show  the  history  of  the 
tract  from  1740  to  1749.  Among  those  who  first  settled  were 
Joseph  Goodell,  Samuel  Bennet,  Deacon  James  Ball,  Amos 
Marsh,  Solomon  Eager,  Thomas  Rich,  Moses  Leonard,  Col. 
Samuel  Williams,  Deacon  Silas  Towne,  Col.  Joseph  Mayo, 
Caleb  Mayo,  Capt.  John  Goldsbury,  Mark  Moore,  Jonathan 
Moore.  The  proprietors  exerted  themselves  in  a  vigorous 
manner  to  induce  settlements,  and  in  1738,  besides  appointing 
a  committee  to  find  out  the  nearest  route  from  Roxbury  to  the 
new  tract,  it  was  agreed  that  each  of  the  (iO  proprietors  should 
be  taxed  £0  apiece,  as  a  bounty  to  encourage  the  first  10  pro- 
prietors who  should  .settle  and  comply  with  existing  con- 
ditions. 

In  1740,  Deacon  Davis  was  empowered  to  mark  out  a  way 
from  Pequeage  (now  Athol),  through  Gardner's  Canada,  to 
Northfield,  and,  settlements  having  meanwhile  progressed 
very  s.lowly,  the  proprietors  oflered  in  1749  a  bounty  of  £20 
to  each  person  who  should  settle,  £10  to  be  paid  in  advance, 
£5  in  rme  year,  and  £5  in  two  years  after  settlement.  Even 
these  inducements  failed  to  push  the  settlement  as  was  hoped, 
and  in  1751  the  bounty  was  increased  to  £30,  old  tenor.  After 
this  settlers  began  to  multiply,  and  in  1753  the  proprietors 
raised  £50  to  build  a  saw-mill,  chose  a  committee  to  build  a 
meeting-house,  and  another  committee  to  lay  out  and  clear  a 
road  to  Pequeage. 

The  saw-mill  committee  contracted  with  Ebenezer  Locke 
to  build  the  structure,  but  he  was  frightened  out  of  the  un- 
dertaking by  reports  of  Indian  depredations  near  where  he 
proposed  to  build  the  mill,  and  abandoned  the  work.  The 
proprietors  decided  to  prosecute  him  for  his  failure,  but,  upon 
learning  of  the  obstacles  he  had  met  with,  especially  the  In- 
dian encroachments  in  his  vicinity,  they  relieved  him  of  the 
obligation. 

A  second  attempt  to  build  the  mill  was,  however,  successful, 
and  according  to  the  records  it  was  "got  a-going"  in  1759. 
Previous  to  this,  in  1757,  the  proprietors  appropriated  £8  "  to 
fortify  Samuel  Scott's  house  by  making  a  good  picketed  fort, 
encompassing  the  same  four  rods  square,  for  the  safety  of  the 
inhabitants."  This  fort  was  the  only  one  ever  built  in  W'ar- 
wick,  and  was  located  on  what  is  now  the  Samuel  Reed  place. 
In  1759,  £20  13.s.  id.  were  appropriated  by  the  proprietors  to 
build  a  grist-mill.  In  1761  the  proprietors,  having  pre- 
viously transacted  their  business  in  Roxbury,  held  their  meet- 
ings in  the  meeting-house  at  Gardner's  Canada,  and  continued 
to  hold  them  there  afterward. 

There  were  at  that  time  37  settled  families  on  the  first  divis- 


778 


HISTORY   OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


ion  of  lots,  iimong  them  being  Joseph  Pi^rry,  George  Kob- 
bins,  Ebenezer  Davis,  Edward  Allen,  Thos.  Rich,  Barnabas 
Russell,  Moses  Leonard,  David  Ayres,  and  David  Ayres,  Jr. 
The  grist-mill,  projected  in  1759,  was  finished  in  1701,  and 
located  on  Hlack  Brook,  where  also  the  first  saw-mill  was 
placed.  Prior  to  the  erection  of  the  grist-mill,  the  inhabit- 
ants were  compelled  to  go  to  Norlhfield  and  Athol  with  their 
grain,  and  not  only  to  go  on  foot,  but  to  carry  home  on  their 
backs  their  grain,  and  even  hay,  which  they  were  obliged  to 
buy  for  their  cattle.  The  last  vote  on  record,  concerning 
transactions  of  the  original  proprietors,  was  under  date  of 
1700,  and  related  to  the  slips  originally  opened  for  roads. 

KEVOLUTIONARY  REMINISCENCES. 
Warwick  was  patriotic  and  untiring  in  energy  during  the 
Revolutionary  struggle,  and  upon  the  first  alarm  sounded  at 
Lexington  sprang  to  arms,  bold  of  purpose  and  enthusiastic 
of  will.  In  September,  1774,  the  town  met  to  consider  the 
pamphlet  sent  out  by  the  committee  of  correspondence  in 
Boston,  and,  after  resolving  first  to  procure  a  town  stock  of 
powder  and  lead,  it  was  voted  as  follows  : 

"  To  atlliere  strictly  to  our  cliaitercd  i iglits  anrl  privileges  and  to  defend  tiiem 
to  the  utmost  of  our  capacity,  and  tliat  we  will  be  in  readiness  to  iififord  relief 
forthwith  should  our  brethren  in  Boston  or  elsewhere  be  distressed  by  troops 
sent  to  enforce  a  compliance  with  the  linconstitutionul  and  oppressive  acts  of 
the  Bi itisli  Palliainent." 

It  was  further  voted  to  chouse  a  captain  (Samuel  Williams), 
a  lieutenant  (James  Ball),  and  ensign  (Amzi  Doolittle),  and 
to  enlist  a  company  of  50  men  to  go  at  a  minute's  warning  to 
the  relief  of  "our  brethren  in  the  province." 

In  the  autumn  of  1774,  25  Warwick  men  joined  a  company 
of  Minute-Men  organized  at  Northfield,  under  the  command 
of  Capt.  Eldad  Wright.  They  marched  with  the  cotnpany  to 
Cambridge  soon  after  the  fight  at  Lexington,  and  as  a  mat- 
ter of  record  the  names  of  the  25  are  here  given  :  Lieutenant 
Thomas  Rich  ;  Sergeants  Joseph  Mayo  and  Abraham  Barns; 
Corporals  Seth  Peck  and  Henry  Burnet ;  and  the  following- 
named  privates:  Daniel  Whiting,  John  Whiting,  Samuel 
Denny,  William  Pitcher,  Jotham  Mcrriam,  Isaac  Burnet, 
Wm.  Burnet,  Asahel  Newton,  Simeon  Stearns,  Francis 
Leonard,  Wilder  Stevens,  Jonathan  Gale,  Caleb  Rich,  Stephen 
Gould,  Peter  Ripley,  Gove  Stephens,  John  Mayo,  Jedediah 
Gould,  Samuel  Griffiths,  Wm.  Bradley. 

In  1774,  Capt.  Samuel  Williams  was  sent  as  Warwick's 
delegate  to  the  Provincial  Congress  at  Concord,  and  in  No- 
vember of  the  same  year  an  election  for  officers  of  the  ifiilitia 
resulted  in  the  choice  of  Samuel  Williams  as  captain;  Peter 
Proctor  and  Reuben  Petty  as  lieutenants  ;  Thomas  Rich,  en- 
sign ;  and  Amos  Marsh,  clerk. 

In  1775,  Samuel  Williams  was  a  delegate  to  the  Provincial 
Congress  at  Cambridge,  and  at  this  time  also  Rev.  Lemuel 
Hedge,  the  Congregational  minister,  having  evinced  a  strong 
Toryism,  was  disarmed  and  confined,  and  further  prevented 
from  leaving  the  town  except  by  permission  of  the  com- 
mittee of  correspondence,  which  was  composed  of  Reuben 
Petty,  Seth  Peck,  Josiah  Pomeroy,  Thomas  Rich,  and  Amos 
.Marsh.  This  action  touching  Mr.  Hedge  was  partly  in  ac- 
cordance with  recommendations  and  resolves  passed  by  the 
towns  of  Northfield  and  Athol.  A  committee  chosen  to  set- 
tle the  difficulties  between  the  people  and  Mr.  Hedge  reported 
that  Mr.  Hedge  would  agree,  provided  his  liberty  were  ac- 
corded him,  to  refrain  from  attempting  to  prejudice  the  minds 
of  the  people  against  the  country's  common  cause,  and  to 
further  submit  his  case  for  decision  to  the  General  Assembly, 
to  a  mutual  council,  or  to  any  set  of  judicious  men.  The 
town  rejected  his  proposition  and  left  his  case  status  quo. 

Not  long  after  this,  a  body  of  about  forty  men  seized  upon 
Mr.  Hedge  and  conveyed  him  from  Warwick  to  Northamp- 
ton, with  a  view  to  lodging  him  in  prison,  but  they  were  com- 
pelled to  release  him.  The  excitements  and  distress  of  this 
period  of  his  existence  so  impaired  his  health,  it  is  said,  that 


(removing  to  Hardwick  not  long  thereafter)  he  died  in  Octo- 
ber, 1777. 

Mr.  Hedge  was  a  friend  and  college  classmate  of  Gen. 
Warren,  and  it  is  said  that  when  the  latter  fell  at  Bunker 
Hill,  he  had  in  his  pocket  a  letter  from  Mr.  Hedge  professing 
a  deep  interest  in  his  country's  liberty,  but  doubting  the  fiiuil 
issue. 

May  24,  1770,  the  town-meeting  then  held  had  been  called 
in  the  name  of  the  government  and  people  of  Mas.sachusetts 
Bay.  Previous  to  that  date  town-meetings  had  been  called  in 
the  name  of  his  Majesty.  Lieut.  Thomas  Rich  was  this  year 
chosen  a  representative  at  the  General  Court,  and  instructed 
"  to  do  his  endeavor  that  no  acts  should  be  passed  encroaching 
on  the  liberties  or  in  any  measure  invading  the  rights  of  the 
people."  He  was  further  instructed  to  grant  all  supplies 
necessary  for  the  safety  of  America  under  her  distressing  cir- 
cumstances, but  that  he  should  not  be  extravagant  in  said 
grants. 

July  4,  177li,  in  compliance  with  a  resolve  of  the  General 
Court,  the  town  inhabitants  met  for  the  purpose  of  expressing 
their  sentiments  upon  the  matter  of  the  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence, and  to  a  man  voted  in  its  favor. 

In  1779  the  town  petitioned  the  General  Court  for  the  re- 
linquishment of  a  heavy  fine  that  had  been  imposed  for  a 
failure  to  raise  the  required  quota  of  men  for  the  Continental 
army,  the  cause  of  the  failure  being  an  inability  to  raise 
money  required  for  bounties.  The  petition  was  probably  re- 
jected, for  directly  afterward  the  town  began  to  raise  money 
for  bounties  to  soldiers,  £700  being  thus  raised  in  November, 
1779,  and  in  July  and  September,  1780.;  the  sums  raised  ag- 
gregated upward  of  £21,000,  all  in  the  depreciated  currency 
of  that  period.  Fifteen  pounds  each  in  hard  money  were 
offered  in  June,  1780,  as  a  bounty  for  six  months'  men  ;  Jan- 
uary, 1781,  the  town  raised  £3100  for  horses  for  the  Conti- 
nental armj',  and  shortly  thereafter  raised  a  number  of  three 
years'  men. 

The  major  part  of  the  people  of  Warwick  were  opposed  to 
the  war  of  1812,  but  the  town,  nevertheless,  sent  volunteers 
into    the  service,  among   them    being   John   Ager,   George 

Stockwell,  Henry  Whipple,  and  Parmenter  (privates), 

Benjamin  Eddy  (drum-major),  and  Obadiah  Bass  (musician). 
Among  those  who  were  ordered  to  Boston  on  detached  service 
were  Ebenezer  Stearns,  Ebenezer  Barber,  Ephraim  Tuel, 
Manning  Wheelock,  Jonas  Leonard,  Willard  Packard,  De.x- 
ter  Fisk,  David  Gale,  Jr.,  Stephen  Ball,  William  Boyle,  Abi- 
jah  Eddy,  Jonas  Conant,  Samuel  Abbott,  Peter  Warrick, 
Daniel  Smith,  Artemas  Baker,  Abner  Goodale,  Nathan  At- 
wood,  Stephen  Williams,  Joseph  Williams,  Jr.,  James  Ball, 
Jr.,  Samuel  Ball,  Ezra  Ripley,  Eli  Stockwell,  and Max- 
well. Some  of  the  above  found  substitutes,  among  whom  were 
Stephen  Gale,  Benoni  Ballon,  George  Jaseph,  Joseph  Ja- 
seph,  and  James  Fuller.  Samuel  Lesure,  one  of  the  early 
settlers  of  Warwick,  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolution.  His 
widow  died  in  Whately,  Mass.,  in  1805,  at  the  age  of  one  hun- 
dred and  one  years,  and  it  is  said  of  her  that  in  that  year  she 
knitted  socks  for  the  soldiers  sent  by  Warwick  into  the  war 
of  the  Rebellion. 

NOTEWORTHY    INCIDENTS. 

Concerning  a  tradition  relating  to  the  burial  of  Mrs.  Row- 
landson's  child,  Grace,  at  the  foot  of  Mount  Grace,  and  the  con- 
sequent christening  of  the  mountain  with  the  name  it  bears,  it 
may  be  well  to  remark  that  Mrs.  Rowlandson's  history  of  her 
captivity  fails  to  confirm  it,  and  the  inference  is  perhaps 
reasonable  that  the  story  was  a  fancy.  According  to  the 
story,  the  child  died  in  her  mother's  arms,  near  Mount  Grace, 
while  the  latter  was  being  carried  into  captivity  by  the  In- 
dians. 

Mr.  Enoch  Keltoii,  one  of  the  early  settlers,  was  a  land-sur- 
veyor, and  the  settlement  made  by  him  and  five  of  his  sons,  in 


HISTOllY  OF  FRANKLIN   COUNTY. 


779 


the  nort]ieast,  is  still  known  as  Kclton  Corner.  Mr.  Kelton's 
wife  was  bed-ridden  for  lift}'  _years  before  lier  death,  and  is  said 
to  have  never  left  it  during  that  extended  period. 

The  first  town  road  on  record  was  laid  out  in  1703,  begin- 
ning near  the  line  of  Richmond,  N.  H.,  and  running  southerly 
to  Samuel  Ball's  house.  Another  road  was  laid  out  in  1764, 
beginning  at  the  town  common  and  running  south  to  Morse 
Pond  and  Loclce's  mills. 

The  fii-st  paupers  in  the  town  were  Elizabeth  Rumble  and 
her  children,  for  whose  keeping  the  town  raised  £10  8.?.,  in 
nC-J.  The  town  must  have  felt  poor  in  1777,  inasmuch  as  the 
General  Court  was  petitioned  to  furnish  the  inhabitants  with 
salt ;  and,  the  .salt  being  donated,  it  was  conveyed  from  Boston 
to  Warwick  by  Josiah  Cobb  and  Asahel  Newton,  at  an 
e.\pense  to  the  town  of  £12  12s. 

About  1778  the  town  was  scandalized  by  the  advent  of  one 
Elder  Ili.v,  who,  claiming  to  be  a  Baptist  preacher,  excited 
the  community  by  his  remarkable  religious  enthusiasm,  and 
so  agitated  the  people  that  a  reIigiou.s  mania  or  infection  pre- 
vailed upon  every  hand;  the  practical  pursuits  of  life  were 
wellnigh  unheeded,  religious  meetings  were  held  at  all  hours 
of  the  day  and  night,  and  the  town  driven,  in  short,  almost 
wild.  At  this  juncture  Elder  Hix  eloped  with  a  young  girl 
whom  he  had  betrayed,  a  Mi.ss  Doolittle;  Amos  Mar.sh,  one 
of  his  disciples,  ran  off  with  the  girl's  mother,  and,  to  cap  the 
climax,  the  girl's  father,  Amzi  Doolittle,  disappeared  with  the 
wife  of  Thomas  Barber.  The  foolish  followers  of  Hix  and 
his  doctrine  of  spiritual  love  or  double  marriages,  spiritual 
and  temporal,  were  cured,  and  they  again  returned  to  the 
domain  of  rational  beings.  Amos  Marsh  and  Mi-s.  Doolittle 
were  captured,  convicted  of  adultery,  and  condemned  to  pay 
a.  fine  and  sit  upon  the  gallows.  Marsh  being  additionally 
sentenced  to  wear  thereafter  the  letter  A  upon  the  breast  of 
his  coat. 

In  1781  the  town  agreed  to  set  off  4060  acres  of  land,  with 
the  inhabitants  upon  the  same,  to  be  incorporated  into  the 
new  town  of  Orange.  The  town  was  divided  in  178C  upon 
the  subject  of  the  Shays  rebellion,  and  furnished  to  that 
cause  considerable  support  in  men  and  money.  When,  in 
May,  1 788,  preparations  were  made  at  Northampton  for  the 
execution  of  .several  of  Shays'  followers,  a  party  of  Shays' 
men,  under  the  command  of  Col.  Smith,  of  New  Salem,  made 
a  raid  upon  Warwick,  and,  cajituring  Dr.  Mcdad  Pomeroy 
and  Joseph  Metcalf,  carried  them  off,  proposing  to  detain 
them  as  hostages  for  the  lives  of  two  rebels — Jason  Parmenter 
and  Henry  MoCulloch — then  under  sentence  of  death.  These 
convicts  being  afterward  reprieved,  the  two  AVarwick  men 
were  released.  It  was  in  1786  that  the  selectmen  of  the  town 
were  imprisoned  for  "  acting  in  their  office,"  piesumably  upon 
some  question  in  support  of  the  Shays  rebellion  against  the 
general  government. 

The  town  voted  in  1792  for  the  first  time  for  electors  of 
President  and  Vice-President.  The  first  funeral-carriage  in 
the  town  was  built  in  1703,  and  in  1795  the  first,  guide-posts 
authorized  by  the  town  were  erected,  in  which  year  also  a 
pound  was  built. 

In  1812.  Dr.  Ebenezer  Hall,  a  practicing  physician  living  in 
Warwick,  concluded  that  glass  could  be  made  in  the  town, 
and,  interesting  many  citizens  in  the  enterprise,  organized  the 
Franklin  Gla.ss-Manufaeturing  Company  of  Warwick,  and 
erected  works  upon  the  ground  now  occupied  by  the  Conore- 
gational  Church.  The  business  prospered  for  a  while,  but  de- 
pression followed  for  lack  of  capital,  and  it  finally  terminated 
in  a  disastrous  failure. 

In  September,  1821,  Warwick  was  visited  by  a  violent  wind- 
storm, amounting  to  a  tornado.  It  destroyed  several  dwell- 
ings and  outhouses,  eighteen  in  number,  killed  a  daughter  of 
Mr.  Elislui  Brown  in  Warwick  and  a  Miss  Stearns  living  in 
the  northwestern  portion  of  Orange,  and  laid  waste  a  broad 
belt  of  country. 


In  1862  the  town  received  from  Col.  McKim,  who  married 
a  daughter  of  Lemuel  AV'heelock,  once  a  resident  of  Warwick, 
the  present  of  a  bell,  which  was  captured  by  the  United  States 
troops  at  New  Orleans  (during  the  last  war)  while  it  was  being 
conveyed  to  a  foundry  to  be  recast  into  shot  and  shell.  Ac- 
cording to  the  donor's  wish,  the  bell  was  hung  in  the  dome 
of  the  village  school-house  at  Warwick  Centre,  and  still  does 
service  there. 

A  destructive  hail-storm  visited  Warwick  in  July,  1866, 
when  crops  were  destroj'cd  and  damage  to  property  inflicted 
to  the  extent  of  §5000.  A  still  more  destructive  rain-storm 
descended  upon  the  town  in  1869. 

Dr.  Medad  Pomeroy,  who  flourished  about  1780,  was  the 
first  physician  the  town  had,  Henry  Barnard  the  only  lawyer 
who  ever  settled  in  Warwick,  and  William  Cobb,  who  was 
appointed  about  1808  and  served  nearly  fifty  years,  the  first 
postmaster.  Mr.  Cobb  served  also  as  town  treasurer  for  forty- 
seven  years.  Hon.  Jonathan  Blake,  "  the  historian  of  War- 
wick," was  born  in  Dorchester,  Ma.ss.,  1780,  resided  in  War- 
wick seventy-three  years,  and  died  in  Brattleboro',  Vt.,  1864, 
aged  eighty-four.  During  his  residence  in  Warwick  he  was 
town  clerk  fifteen  years,  acting  justice  of  the  peace  forty-two 
years,  State  Senator  two  years.  Representative  two  years,  and 
filled,  besides,  numerous  other  public  trusts  at  home.  Levi 
Hedge,  a  writer  of  some  note,  Sumner  Lincoln,  a  poet,  and 
Amory  Dwight  Mayo,  author  and  divine,  were  natives  of 
Warwick. 

Concerning  the  longevity  obtained  by  the  people  of  War- 
wick, it  will  be  interesting  to  observe  that  in  February,  1854, 
there  were  59  persons  in  the  town  over  seventy  j'ears  of  age, 
and  of  these  2  were  over  ninety  and  11  over  eighty.  In 
1872  there  were  4  citizens  upward  of  ninety  j-ears  of  age, 
the  eldest  being  ninety-five,  3  of  them  being  natives ;  15  up- 
ward of  eighty,  and  27  over  seventy,  out  of  a  population  of 
less  than  800. 

OUGANIZATIOiV. 

Dec.  27,  1762,  the  proprietors  of  the  tract  joined  with  the 
inhabitants  in  petitioning  the  General  Court  to  incorporate 
the  plantation  as  a  town,  and  Feb.  17,  1763,  the  town  of  War- 
wii'k  was  duly  incorporated.  Common  belief  ascribes  the  or- 
igin of  the  town's  name  to  the  desire  of  the  inhabitants  for 
honoring  either  AVarwick  in  England,  or  Guy,  earl  of  War- 
wick. There  is,  however,  no  record  to  show  what  was  the 
real  origin  of  the  name.  The  first  town-meeting  was  held 
Ma3'  9,  1763,  and  Seth  Field  was  moderator.  The  warrant 
for  the  meeting  was  issued  by  Seth  Field,  of  Northtield,  to 
James  Ball,  of  Warwick.  From  that  date,  1703,  to  the  present 
time  the  persons  who  have  served  the  town  as  selectmen  and 
town  clerks  will  be  found  named,  as  follows; 

SELECTMEN. 

llfhi. — SI06C&  Evans,  Jcduthan  Moree,  Jas.  Ball. 

17(H-0(>. — Benjamin  Conant,  Jeduthan  Morse,  Jas.  Ball. 

1707. — IJenjainin   Conaut,  JeduUian  Morse,  Amos   Marsh,  A.  Doolittle,  Moses 

Leonard. 
1708.— Job  Gilbert,  JeUutban  Morse,  Jas.  Ball. 
1700.— Tboma.s  Eicli,  Jeduthan  Morse,  Jas.  Ball. 
1770. — Jas.  Ball,  Dr.  Medad  Pomeroy,  Job  Gilbert. 
1771. — Jas.  Ball,  Dr.  Medad  IVnieroy,  Samuel  Williams. 
1772. — John  Gouldsburj',  Ezra  Conant,  Jonathan  Woochvard. 
1773. — J;is.  Ball,  Medad  Pomeroy,  Ezra  Conant. 
1774. — Jas.  Ball,  Medad  Pomeroy,  Amos  M-ansh. 

177.'». — .losiah  Pvtmeroy,  Thomas  Rich,  David  Cobb,  S.  Williami*,  Amos  Marsh. 
1770.— Seth  Peck,  A.  Doolittle,  David  C^bb.  D.  Buckniau,  Amos  Mal-sh. 
1777. — Seth  Peck,  Josiah  Pomeroy,  Thomas  Rich,  John  Ormsbee,  .\mo8  Marsh. 
1778. — Caleb  Ma.yo,  Josiah  Pomoroy,  Thomas  Rich,  Jos.  Mayo,  Amos  Marsh. 
1779. — Samuel  Williams,  Jos.  Blayo,  Thomas  Rich. 
1780. — Thomas  Rich,  Josiah  Pomeroy,  Nathaniel  Rich,  Josiah  Cobb,  Ebenezer 

Cheney. 
17S1. — Capt.  Gouldsbury,  Nathaniel  Rich,  Josiah  Cobb. 
1782. — Capt.  Gouldsbury,  Capt.  Langlo.v,  Dr.  Pomeroy. 
17S3. — Capt.  Gouldsbury,  Josiah  Cobb,  Jacob  Rich. 
1784-8.5. — Samuel  Langley,  Josiah  Cobb,  Dr.  Pomeroy. 
1780. — Thomas  Rich,  Josiah  Cobb,  Dr.  Pomeroy. 
1787. — Thomas  Rich,  Josiah  Cobb,  Jas.  Gouldsbury. 


780 


HISTORY   OF  THE  CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


1788-JH.— N.  G.  SleVCTB,  J.  Gale,  Mark  Moore,  .ToBiah  Colili,  .Ins.  Couldnbury. 
17114.— .losiili  ('ol)l),  lU-uljTO  Slialtudc,  Blurk  M<«in-,  Ik'H^.  Simoiida,  .Iiia  Gould»- 

I'liry. 
1705. — Bely.  .'^iiiiomls,  Juiiw  Wliitney,  flinrk  3I»«iro,  Joshua  Atwtitnl,  .liis.Guuliis.- 

Imry. 
17!»(i. — /nfiiili  CVM).  ■TiiiKilIiali  Gatf,  Bonjiiniin  .'^imnnda. 
17'JT. — I'lilcli  Jluvu.  .K.lm  \\  ilwm.  lieujaliiin  Simnn(U. 
17'.IK.— .Iiittlll  C'ulili,  .InliU  \Vil«i||,  EtiCIic-Z«-  WilliilllM. 

170'J.— .loliu  WilBjii.  .Ir..  Elieuracr  WillmniK,  .Ta».  lioiiWAury. 

180O.— Slark  Mihmc,  Eliciic-/.['r  Wflliinus,  .lux.  G.nililslpiirj-. 

1801. — Jaciili  Ertoy,  Eb<-iir7,t'r  Willvini*',  /ai-haiiali  Uarber- 

1S02^.— Abraluini  Stevens,  E.  ^Vil)i;llllS,  Caleb  IVIayn, 

1805.— Abi  aliani  Stevens,  Willtun  Cobb,  .Ii-..  falri.  Maya 

l!-UG. — Abraham  Elevens,  Vitliant  Ct.bb.,Ji-..  Justus  Russell. 

1807. — t'aleb  Mayis  Ebeiieze-r  J'teree,  .lustus  Kusseth 

1808-9. — Ii.iliua  .VI\v>»k1,  Samuel  Ball,  Jnslus  Russell. 

1810.— Jk»sliua  .\tW(.K»l,  J^xialliitu  Blake,  Jr.,  Benjamin  Sini*»U3. 

1811. — Jtteltua  AtwmHl,  .Iwnallian  Blalie,  Jr.,  Pei'ez  JVUcu. 

1812. — Eliiis  Kiiowllon..!.  Blake,  Jr.,  Jusiali  Proetw-r. 

isia.— Jonliua  Atvnn«l,  .1.  Blake,  Jr.,  Caltl.  llayin. 

1814.— Aslibt4  Ward,  J.  Blake,  Jr,  Caleb  Slayo. 

1815. — ,\shbel  M'ai-d,  .lusltua  Atwuod,  Ebene^e-r  Stearn»,  Jr. 

181U-17.— iVslil  «4  Waid.  Junallian  Blake,  E.  Stearns.  Jr. 

1818.— Astdiel  Ward,.lMsiali  Pri«.tor,  Willuiui  Bururt,  Jr. 

1819.- Aslibel  \Vard,.Iv«kili  I'roetor,  Elijah  FWi. 

1S20.— Asbbel  Ward,  Joshua  At»-ood,  Juirtus  Russell, 

1821. — Jusiali  rre<.-tur,  Ji  sliua  Atwuod,  .lusrtns  Russt^l. 

1822-2a— Aslibd  Ward,  Ebeiie/tT  BarVr,  Ja*  Guuliluburj-. 

1824.— Lnuuird  Wlii-el«;k,E.  Barber,  Jai  Guuldsbury. 

1825.— Leonard  Wliei-loek,  Ashiiel  Ward,  Jos. SleTens. 

1826-28. — LeuiarU  Wlieeloek,  .Vnior^-  (Jale,  Jus.  Stevens. 

1829.— Leinard  Wlm-l..ek.  Attn>rj-  Gale,.Jc«!l  Pierre. 

1830. — Leunard  WUeelock,  Jonatlian  Blate,  Jr.,  .Vusel  Lesiite. 

1831. — Abijali  Edily,  J.  Blalie,  Jr.,  Ana.-!  Lesiu'a 

1832-33.— Abijab  Jjlily,  Jus.  Stelens,  Jacul>  K.  Gale. 

1834. — Sauulel  Blafce,  Jus.  Stevens,  J.  K  tllale. 

1815.— Saiuud  Blalie,  Abijah  Edily,  J.  R.  Gale. 

183G.— Samut4  Blake,  Altijah  Edrly,  Jas^ier  LdaniL 

1837. — Ira  Draper,  Abijah  Edily,  .laspti-  Lekm^L 

1838-'ffl.— William  E.  Russell.  .Vbijah  Edily,  J.  Leliuii 

1840.— William  E.  Uusieil.  David  Gale,  Jr.,  J.  Lelaijd. 

1841.- Willuiui  E.  Riissell,  David  Giile,  Jr.,  Davil  Burnett. 

1842-43.— Ira  Draper,  Jacob  B.  Gale,  D.  Burnrtt. 

1844.— Ira  Draper,  David  Gale,  Abijah  Eddy. 

1845. — Joel  Fierce,  Harvey  Conant,  Abijah  E*Uly. 

1846. — Ira  Draper,  Asa  Wheeler,  Jas.  Stuekwell. 

1847.— Clark  Stearns,  Asa  Whit4er,  Janits  Sbx-kwdL 

184s.— Claik  Stearns.  Hai-vej-  Barber,  J.  St^ickweil. 

1849. — Clai  k  Stearns,  Harvey  Barber,  George  W\  Moore. 

185&-51.— John  G.  Cale,  Haivey  Barber,  G.  W.  Moora. 

1852.— E.  F.  Mayo,  Jas.  Stoetwell.S.  N.  Atwood. 

1853.— E.  F.  Mayu,  Julm  G.  Gale,  S.  N.  Atwcod. 

1854.— E.  r.  Mayu,  Ibri  Baker,  S.  N,  Atwood. 

1855.— E.  F.  Mavo,  Ibli  Baker,  Clark  Stearns, 

1856.— Jas.  S.  Wheeler,  Ibri  Baker,  Clark  Stearns. 

1857-59.— Henry  G.  Slallard,  N.  E.  Stevens,  S.  W.  Wilson. 

1860.— Edward  V.  Mayo,  William  H.  Bass,  Sylvanus  S.  AtwooiL 

1861-62.— Charles  U.  Gale,  W.  H.  Bass,  S.  S.  Atwood. 

1863.— Charles  K.  Gale,  E.  G.  Ball,  Hervey  Barber. 

1864.- J.  F.  Bridge,  E.  G.  Ball,  Hervey  Barber. 

1865.— J.  F.  Bridge,  William  H.  Gale.  E.  F.  Mayo. 

1866.- Lyman  Atwood,  W.  H.  Gale,  E.  F.  Mayo. 

1867.— Lyinau  Atwood,  W.  II.  Gale,  J.  S.  Wheeler. 

1808.— Lyman  Atwood,  E.  F.  Mayo,  J.  S.  Wheeler. 

1809.- H.  H.  Jilson,  E.  F.  Slayo,  J.  S.  Wheeler. 

1870.— Jus.  S.  Wheeler,  E.  F.  Mayo,  H.  II.  JiLsun. 

1871.- Jesse  F.  Bridge,  E.  F.  Jlayo,  H.  H.  Jilson. 

1872.— J.  F.  Biidge,  J.  L.  Stuekwell,  H.  H.  Jilson. 

1873.— J.  F.  Biidge,  J.  L.  Stixkwell,  William  K.  Taylor. 

1874.— William  H.  Gale,  J.  L.  Stuekwell,  W.  K.  Taylor. 

1875.— William  H.  Gale,  E.  F.  Mayo,  W.  K.  Taylur. 

1S76.— J.  L.  Stockwell,  E.  F.  Mayo,  A.C.  White. 

1877.— J.  L.  Stockwell,  Darius  Stone,  A.  C.  White. 

1878.— J.  L.  Stockwell,  E.  F.  Slayo,  C.  A.  Williams. 

TOWN   CLERKS. 

Jas.  Ball,  1763-75  ;  Amos  Marsh,  1775-70 ;  Ezra  Conant,  1779-81 ;  Samuel  Wil- 
liams, 1781-83;  John  Conant,  1783-87:  Ezra  Conant,  1787-03;  John  Conant, 
1793-98 ;  Josiali  Pomeroy,  Jr.,  1798-18U5 ;  Jonathan  Blake,  Jr.,  1805-8 :  Ebenczer 
Hall,  1808-12;  Josiah  Pomeroy,  Jr.,  1812-18;  J.  Blake,  Jr.,  1818-21 ;  Asa  Thayer, 
1821 ;  J.  Blake,  Jr.,  1822-29;  Amos  Taylor,  1829-38;  Lemuel  Wheelock,  1838-40 ; 
Abijah  Eddy,  1840-46 ;  Gm.rge  L.  Cliesebro,  1846-49 ;  Ira  Draper,  1840-58;  H. Q. 
Mallard,  185S;  Ira  Draper,  1850-61;  E.  F.  Mayo,  1861-68;  A.  J.  Atherton,  1868- 
74 ;  E.  F.  Mayo,  1874-76 ;  Samuel  Hastings,  1870-70. 

REPRESENTATIVES    AT    THE    GENERAL    COURT. 

From  1770  to  18.57,  when  Warwick  beonme  n  part  of  tlic 


Eleventh  Keprcsentativc  District,  the  town  was  represented 

h_y  thn  fdlluwing  : 

Jotiali  Cobb,  Thomas  Rich,  Jaliics  Bull,  Samuel  Williams,  .luhn  Gonldsburj', 
Nalhaiiie!  Cheney, Oliver  Cliapin, Caleb  Mayu,Ebenezer  Williams, .Tustus  Kusstdl, 
.loiiathan  Blake,  .Ir.,  .Tuseph  Stevens,  Lemuel  Wheelock,  .\shbel  Ward,  Clark 
Stearns,  Ansel  Davis,  Samuel  W.  S[Hioiier,  William  E.  Russell,  Ira  Draper,  John 
G.  Gale,  Jacob  C.  Gale,  Abijah  Eddy. 

VILL.\GES. 

WARWICK    CENTRE, 

tlie  only  village  in  the  town,  is  delightfully  situated  upon  a 
commanding  eminence,  whence  the  eye  may  satisfy  itself  with 
a  charming  view  of  hills  and  valleys,  and  compass  a  varied 
and  picturesque  mountain  landscape,  which  reaches  into  the 
distance  upon  every  hand. 

In  the  centre,  containing  two  divisions,  commonlj-  alluded 
to  as  the  upper  and  lower  villages,  are  three  churches,  a  school- 
house,  a  hotel,  store,  post-otiice,  boot-manufactory,  and  a  col- 
lection of  perhaps  fifty  dwellings,  which  arc  for  the  most  part 
attractive  in  appearance  and  surrounded  by  neatly-kept 
grounds.  Warwick  Centre  boasted  for  five  years — from  18-52 
to  1857 — the  possession  of  a  militia  company,  called  the  War- 
wick Light  Infantry,  and  of  this  company  the  town  was 
justly  proud.  There  is  still  left,  however,  the  Warwick  Cor- 
net Band,  organized  in  1852,  famous  in  the  neighboring  towns 
as  a  noted  musical  organization. 

CIIURCIIE5. 

The  first  mention  in  the  records  touching  church  matters  ap- 
pears under  date  of  1753,  when  the  committee  appointed  for 
the  building  of  a  meeting-house  was  instructed  to  proceed  in 
that  business.  The  house  was  to  be  35  feet  long  and  30  feet 
wide,  with  19  foot  posts.  In  August,  1754,  the  church  com- 
mittee reported  thtit  a  contract  had  been  made  with  Messrs. 
Mason  &  Perry  for  the  building  of  the  church  as  provided, 
and  that  the  contract  price  was  £26  13.'!.  id.,  the  proprietors 
to  defray  the  expense  of  procuring  the  slit-work  on  the  spot. 
The  contractors  agreed  to  have  the  frame  ready  by  the  1st  of 
the  ensuing  October,  and  the  proprietors  agreed  to  pay  for  the 
raising  entertainment.  So  fttr  from  having  the  frame  ready 
as  stipulated,  the  contractors  had,  by  March,  1755,  only  cut 
ten  or  twenty  trees  toward  the  frame,  but,  being  given  mere 
time,  finished  it  late  in  17.55,  and  in  April,  1756,  after  some 
controversy  touching  the  location  of  the  house,  the  frame  was 
raised  by  towns-people  and  persons  from  Northfield  and  other 
places,  and  located  where  the  road  from  Koyalston  to  North- 
field  was  intersected  by  the  road  to  the  pond.  The  present 
Unitarian  Church  stands  near  the  site  of  the  church  above 
referred  to. 

Although  the  frame  was  raised  in  April,  1756,  and  although 
the  proprietors  voted  in  1757  to  appropriate  £4  for  inclosing 
the  meeting-house,  the  frame  was  still  uncovered  early  in  1759, 
although  properly  inclosed  shortly  afterward.  In  May,  1760, 
it  was  resolved  by  the  proprietors  "to  raise  the  sum  of  £18 
lawful  money  to  defray  the  charge  of  some  suitable  orthodox 
minister's  preaching  upon  probation  v,'ithin  said  township 
during  the  summer  season."  Although  the  records  do  not  say 
so,  yet  it  is  likely  the  Rev.  Lemuel  Hedge,  of  Hardwick,  and 
a  graduate  of  Harvard,  was  engaged  to  preach  upon  probation, 
since  in  September,  1760,  the  proprietors  gave  Mr.  Hedge  a 
call  to  settle,  and  proposed  to  give  him  a  yearly  salary  of  £60 
for  five  years,  besides  a  settlement  of  £80  and  the  privilege  of 
laying  out  100  acres  of  land  near  the  meeting-house,  in  lieu 
of  the  100  acres  in  the  second  division  falling  to  the  minister's 
right.  To  this  ofler  the  inhabitants  agreed  to  add  35  cords  of 
firewood  annually,  and  Mr.  Hedge,  accepting  the  terms,  was 
ordained  Dec.  3,  1760,  on  which  date,  also,  the  First  Congre- 
gational Church  was  organized  with  26  members.  Mr.  Hedge 
— touching  whose  Toryism  during  the  KevoUition  recital  is 
made  elsewhere — was  pastor  nearly  seventeen  years,  and  died 
in  Hardwick,  in  October,   1777,  although  he  was  buried  in 


HISTORY  OF   FRANKLIN   COUNTY. 


781 


Warwick,  where  a  tablet,  erected  in  the  Fisk  cemetery  by 
his  children,  commemorates  his  virtues.  In  1701,  £72  were 
voted  to  finish  the  meeting-house,  and  it  was  agreed  to  build 
a  pew  for  Mr.  Hedge. 

At  the  second  town-meeting,  in  1763,  it  was  agreed  to  pay 
Mr.  Hedge  a  salary  of  £60  until  such  time  as  there  should  be 
80  settled  families  in  the  town,  and  after  that  his  salary  was 
to  be  increased  at  the  rate  of  13s.  14d.  for  each  additional  fam- 
ily settled  in  the  town.  In  this  year  it  was  again  resolved  to 
iinish  the  meeting-house. 

The  church  was  without  the  services  of  a  settled  minister 
from  the  time  of  Mr.  Hedge's  defection  until  September, 
1779,  when  Kev.  Samuel  Kecd,  of  Middleboro',  and  a  grad- 
uate of  Yale,  was  ordained,  the  call  having  been  extended  to 
him  the  previous  December,  and  the  ofl'er  of  £075  (Continen- 
tal money)  as  a  settlement  having  been  tendered  him,  with  a 
salary  of  £60  the  first  year  and  £70  thereafter,  said  salary  to 
be  paid  in  money  equal  to  r3-e  at  three  shillings  and  sixpence 
per  bushel,  and  corn  at  two  and  eighfpence  per  bushel,  30 
cords  of  wood  yearly  being  also  promised  him.  In  1786  a 
contract  was  made  with  Capt.  Samuel  Langley  for  the  erec- 
tion of  a  new  nieeling-house,  which  was  to  be  58  feet  long 
and  i'2  feet  wide,  with  a  porch  on  the  front  of  the  house  suf- 
ficient to  contain  convenient  stairs  to  go  up  into  the  galleries. 
The  church  was  to  contain  39  pews  on  the  ground-floor  and 
20  in  the  gallery,  and  was  to  be  finished  in  two  years,  at  a 
contract  price  of  $1500.  Capt.  Langley  finished  the  house 
according  to  contract,  but  at  a  pecuniary  loss.  This  meet- 
ing-house was  built  for  the  church  society,  and  to  it  the  town 
agreed  to  donate  the  old  meeting-house,  conditioned  that  the 
society  gave  to  the  town  a  deed  of  all  the  privileges  in  the 
new  house,  and  permitted  members  of  all  Christian  denomi- 
nations to  worship  in  the  building. 

For  some  years  previous  to  1792,  Rev.  Samuel  Eeed  had 
been  supported  by  a  fund  created  from  the  interest  on  certain 
notes  issued  by  those  who  wished  to  support  him  to  the  amount 
which  each  wished  to  contribute.  In  August  of  this  year  it 
was  agreed  that  the  fund  heretofore  raised  for  the  support  of 
a  Congregational  minister  should  be  withdrawn.  In  1793  a 
committee  reported  that  305  acres  of  the  ministry  land  had 
been  sold  for  £239,  and  the  income  of  this  fund  has  since  been 
devoted  to  the  support  of  the  ministry.  In  1794,  Rev.  Mr. 
Reed  became,  by  agreement,  the  town's  minister,  instead  of 
the  society's,  and  he  was  to  have  for  his  yearly  salary  £70  in 
silver,  at  si.x  shillings  and  eightpence  an  ounce,  20  cords  of 
wood,  and  the  money  for  which  the  ministry  lands  had  been 
sold  as  a  loan,  upon  which  latter  he  was  to  pa}-  the  interest  to 
the  town. 

In  this  3'ear,  also,  the  General  Court  was  petitioned  to  repeal 
the  act  incorporating  the  Congregational  Society  of  Warwick, 
and  the  ministry  fund  created  by  the  same.  In  1798,  Rev. 
Mr.  Reed  claimed  that  the  town  had  failed  to  support  him  ac- 
cording to  contract,  and  requested  his  dismissal,  but  this  re- 
quest he  subsequently  withdrew.  While  still  pastor  of  the 
church.  Rev.  Mr.  Eeed  died  in  July,  1812,  and  in  June,  1814, 
Rev,  Preserved  Smith,  Jr.,  being  otl'pred  a  call,  was  ordained 
the  following  October  as  the  next  settled  minister.  About 
this  time  the  church  changed  its  creed  to  Unitarianism,  and 
it  has  thus  remained  to  the  present  day. 

In  1836  a  new  church  building  (the  present  Unitarian 
edifice)  was  erected  near  the  site  of  the  old  one,  at  a  cost  of 
fi.3000,  and  jirovided  with  a  bell,  which  was  the  first  church 
bell  brought  into  Warwick. 

Rev,  Preserved  Smith  continued  to  serve  the  Unitarian  So- 
ciety until  1844,  when  he  was  dismissed  at  his  own  request. 
Mr.  Smith  is  still  living  in  Greenfield,  Mass.,  at  the  age  of 
ninety.  Since  his  retirement,  preaching  has  been  supplied  by 
Revs.  D,  H.  Barlow,  Samuel  F,  Clark,  G.  F.  Clark,  Luther 
Wilson,  Abraham  Jackson,  John  Goldsbury,  J.  S,  Lincoln, 
J.  B.  Willard,  W,  A,  P.  Willard,  and  others. 


The  Unitarian  ministers  who  originated  in  Warwick  were 
Revs.  John  Goldsbury,  Nathan  Ball,  Amory  Gale,  Stillman 
Barber,  Amory  D.  Mayo,  and  Henry  H.  Barber,  Preaching  is 
at  present  supplied  to  the  society  by  Rev,  A,  Tufts,  The 
church  membership  numbers  about  40,  The  society  received 
in  1864,  from  Mrs.  Mary  Clapp,  of  Dorchester,  Mass,  (but  a 
native  of  Warwick),  a  donation  of  §1(K)0,  and  in  1868,  upon 
her  eighty-fourth  birthday,  another  similar  donation.  In 
the  latter  year,  also,  Miss  Mary  Ann  Hastings,  of  Fi-aming- 
ham,  Mass.,  bequeathed  the  society  §1000, 

THE   BAPTIST   SOCIETY   OF    WARWICK, 

which  was  partly  in  Warwick  and  partly  in  Royalston,  was, 
by  the  town's  consent,  incorporated  in  1806,  There  were 
Baptists  in  Warwick  as  fiir  back  as  1774,  for  under  that  date 
an  article  in  the  town-warrant  read, — "  to  see  if  the  town  will 
take  into  consideration  the  certificates  of  the  ditfering  societies 
of  those  persons  that  call  themselves  Baptists,  and  pass  any 
votes  respecting  their  being  taxed  to  the  minister,  any  or  all 
of  them,"  The  tax  was  probably  not  remitted,  for  in  1775 
members  of  the  Baptist  Society  sued  the  town  to  recover  the 
minister's  tax  which  had  been  collected  from  them,  and  not 
long  afterward  the  Baptists  were  relieved  of  the  fax. 

The  Warwick  Baptists  worshiped  at  the  West  Royalston 
Church,  and,  in  1798,  22  members  of  this  church  withdrew  for 
the  purpose  of  organizing  a  church  in  Warwick.  The  church 
was  accordingly  organized,  but  in  1803  united  with  the  West 
Royalston  Church,  although  the  Warwick  Baptists  enjoyed 
occasional  preaching  in  their  town  after  the  reunion. 

In  January,  1843,  14  members  of  the  Baptist  Church  of 
Royalston  and  Warwick  petitioned  to  be  set  oft'  as  a  branch 
church  at  Warwick  Centre,  and  in  August  of  that  year  the 
church  at  Warwick  was  organized  with  23  members.  Rev. 
E.  M.  Burnham  was  the  first  pastor,  and  among  his  successors 
have  been  Revs.  L.  Fay,  S.  S.  Kingsley,  Caleb  Sawyer,  J.  G. 
Bennett,  E.  J.  Emory,  G.  B.  Mills,  Lyman  Culver,  Erastus 
Andrews,  L.  F.  Sbepardson,  E.  D.  Daniels,  H.  H.  Woodbury, 

C,  Fiirrar,  Rev,  Mr,  Watrous  is  the  present  pastor.  The 
society  owns  a  house  of  worship  at  Warwick  Centre,  and  has 
a  fund  of  §1000,  bequeathed  in  1872  by  Daniel  Pierce,  Revs. 
Ebcnezer  Barber,  Henry  Holman,  and  Jonathan  Blake  (Bap- 
tist ministers)  originated  in  Warwick. 

THE    UNIVEKSALIST    SOCIETY    OF    WARWICK 

was  incorporated  in  1814.  Revs.  Robert  Bartlett,  John 
Brooks,  Stillman  Clark,  T.  Barrow,  E.  Davis,  and  John  H. 
Willis  were  the  preachers  to  1852,  since  which  time  the  society 
has  had  only  occasional  preaching,  and  never  owned  a  meet- 
ing-house. Revs.  Caleb  Rich,  Robert  Bartlett,  Ebenezer  Wil- 
liams, and  John  Williams,  from  Warwick,  became  Universalist 
ministers. 

THE    SECOND   CONGREGATIONAL   CHURCH 

was  organized  in  1829,  with  30  members,  the  most  of  whom 
had  withdrawn  from  the  Unitarian  Church,  and  in  1833  the 
church  edifice,  now  located  in  the  upper  village,  at  Warwick 
Centre,  was  built.  The  first  settled  pastor  was  Rev.  Samuel 
Kingsbury,  in  November,  1833,  previous  to  whom,  however, 
preaching  had  been  furnished  by  Kevs.  A.  C.  Page,  Job  Cush- 
man,  Eliphalet  Strong,  and  others.  Rev.  Roger  C.  Hatch 
succeeded  Mr.  Kingsbury  in  1835,  and  preached  until  1853, 
Mr.  Hatch  continued  to  reside  in  Warwick,  and  died  in  1868, 
aged  eighty.     The  preachers  who  followed  him  included  Revs. 

D,  C.  Frost,  Henry  M,  Bridge,  E.  H.  Bhmchard,  Mr.  Bissell, 

E,  K.  Bassett,  and  others.  Rev.  John  Garmon,  of  Orange, 
supplies  the  preaching  at  present. 

Among  the  Congregatioiuil  ministers  who  have  been  natives 
of  Warwick  may  be  noted  the  following:  Revs,  John  Fiske, 
Moses  Fiske,  Swan  L,  Pomeroy,  Nahum  Gould,  Junius  L, 
Hatch,  John  Leonard,  Francis  Leonard,  Levi  Wheaton,  and 
Geo.  W.  Barber.     It  may  likewise  he  noted  that  Rev.  Levi 


782 


HISTORY  OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


B.  Stimson,  an  Episcopiiliiin  minister,  was  a  native  of  War- 
wick. 

SCHOOLS. 

"NVlion  tlic  tract  now  Warwiclc  was  first  granted  to  the 
original  owners,  in  1735,  one  of  the  sixty-three  equal  shares 
of  land  was  ordered  set  apart  for  schools,  but  the  first  move 
made  by  the  town  toward  supporting  education  was  in  17G8, 
when  £10  were  appropriated  for  that  purpose,  and  it  was 
further  decided  to  have  a  moving  school,  and  to  have  a  master 
in  the  winter  and  a  mistress  in  the  summer.  In  this  _year  Mrs. 
Hannah  Kawson  was  employed  to  teach  the  summer  school, 
at  is.  G(l.  per  week. 

In  1773  the  town  was  divided  into  school  districts,  and  in 
1774  educational  interests  had  so  far  improved  that  £24  were 
appropriated  for  schools.  In  1785  the  school  districts  num- 
bered nine,  and  in  this  year  a  committee  reported  that  291 
acres  of  school  land  had  been  sold  for  £128,  and  the  income  of 
this  fund,  it  may  be  remarked,  has  ever  since  been  devoted  to 
the  support  of  schools,  each  of  the  nine  districts  receiving 
about  l?3  from  the  fund. 

In  1850  the  school  districts  were  surveyed  by  the  selectmen, 
and  the  boundaries  at  each  corner  marked  by  a  stone  monu- 
ment bearing  the  number  of  the  district.  Six  years  later,  in 
1856,  the  school-house  now  standing  opposite  the  Unitarian 
Church  was  erected.  In  1878  the  town  devoted  ^1000  to  the 
support  of  schools. 

Among  the  college  graduates  who  were  natives  of  Warwick 

were  John  Gould.sbury, Gould,  Stillman  Barber,  H.  H. 

Barber,  Nathan  Ball,  Levi  Wheaton,  C.  C.  Wheaton.  A 
town  library,  now  containing  1.500  volumes,  was  founded  in 
1870  upon  a  town  appropriation  of  .SlOO,  and  since  that  the 
enterprise  has  been  supported  by  town  and  individual  sub- 
scriptions. 

BURIAL-PLACES. 

The  burying-ground  first  laid  out  in  1766,  in  what  is  now 
Warwick,  occupied  a  lot  adjoining  the  present  Unitarian 
Church  in  Warwick  village,  but  it  was  abandoned  in  1782, 
and  many  of  the  remains  were  transferred,  with  the  old  head- 
stones, to  the  risk  Cemetery,  opposite  the  Congregational 
Church,  in  the  upper  village,  donated  in  part  by  Moses  Leon- 
ard and  in  part  (in  1864)  by  Mrs.  E.  C.  Fisk.  There  is  but 
one  headstone  standing  in  the  old  burial-place,  and  it  records 
the  death,  in  1777,  of  Abel  Stevens. 

Among  the  oldest  inscriptions  seen  in  the  new  cemetery  (the 
only  public  burial-place  in  the  town)  are  the  following: 

Eev.  Lumuol  Iledgo,  1777;  Mnry  Proctor,  1782;  .\niie  Davenport,  1784;  Chris- 
topher GoiiUsbury,  17S2;  Hiinnah  Whitney,  1784;  Ilannali  Roberts,  1784;  Mary 
Stevens,  1782;  Lucy  Ball,  1782;  Moses  Leonard,  1788;  Plirehe  Bancroft,'  1788; 
Samuel  Williams,  1780 ;  Itohert  Burnet,  1700;  Josiall  Gale,  1794;  Sally  Pierce^ 
1705;  Jas.  Ball,  1797:  Elizabeth  Gale,  179S;  Leonard  Bancroft,  1798;  Malinda 
Gale,  1799;  Elizabetli  Stevens,  1793;  Elijah  Whitney,  1792;  Samuel  Ball,  1799; 
LuccbaPenniman,  1792;  Simeon  Stearns,  1800 ;  Joniia  Ball,  1803;  Caleb  Mayo' 
1803;  .John  Gouldsbnry,  1802.  ' 

In  1871,  Mrs.  Slary  Blake  Clapp,  of  Boston,  donated  .$.500  to 
the  town  of  Warwick  as  a  fund  whose  income  should  be  set 


apart  for  beautifying  and  keeping  the  cemetery  in  repair,  and 
in  1872  she  made  a  second  donation  of  .J.jOO  for  the  same  pur- 
pose. 

INDUSTRIES. 

The  value  of  the  yearly  products  of  the  town's  industries 
is  about  equally  divided  between  agriculture  and  manufac- 
tures. The  value  of  the  former  was,  in  1875,  about  !ii72,000, 
and  of  the  latter  §86,810,  the  number  of  farms  being  153. 
There  are  a  number  of  saw-mills  in  the  town,  and,  among 
these,  the  mills  of  G.  W.  Moore,  C.  W.  Delvey,  and  Geo.  N. 
Kichards  produce  also  pail-staves  and  heading,  and  that  of  A. 
C.  White  chair-stuft".  A  boot-factory  at  Warwick  village, 
conducted  by  Nahuni  Jones,  who  established  it  at  that  point  in 
18-54,  provides  employment  for  about  forty  persons,  and  pro- 
duces annually  about  20,000  pairs  of  boots,  of  the  estimated 
value  of  §-50,000.  George  M.  Wheeler  manufactures  brush- 
woods in  the  south  part  of  the  town,  to  the  value  of  about 
$6000  yearly,  and  employs  from  6  to  8  men.  The  braiding  of 
straw  hats  is  an  industry  that  is  briskly  pursued  by  the  women 
of  Warwick.  The  products  of  agriculture  are  limited  in 
quantity  to  furnishing  the  supply  for  home  demand,  although 
some  shipments  of  cattle,  butter,  and  cheese  are  made.  War- 
wick was  noted  for  her  fat  cattle  some  years  ago,  and  in  1800 
and  1801  held  two  important  cattle-shows. 

The  total  value  of  the  town,  in  1878,  was  |i252,241,  of  which 
5>210,-'525  was  in  real  estate.  The  total  tax — State,  county, 
and  town— was  16439.22,  or  at  the  rate  of  .02-5. 

WARWICK'S   WAR   RECORD. 
Below  will  be  found  a  list  of  the  names  of  the  soldiers  sent 
by  Warwick  into  the  war  of  the  I'ebellion  : 

Lyman  Mason,  Nathaniel  M.  Pond,  Henry  H.  Jillson,  Dwight  S.  Jennings,  Itayal 
E.  Stimson,  Jesse  F.  Bridge,  George  .lennings,  George  E.  Cook,  Howard  S. 
Proctor,  Joseph  A.  Williams,  William  Dugan,  .Joseph  Spencer,  Henry 
0.  Cook,  George  Mason,  Frederick  Qninn,  Amory  Gould  (2d),  Alplionzo 
Rjiyncr,  Richards  Miiyo,  Henry  Witherell,  .\lonzo  Scott,  Dwight  E.  Stone, 
Orrin  Curtis,  Charles  E.  Randall,  Charles  Lawrence,  Theodore  Putnam, 
Jairns  Hammond,  Albert  C.  Barber,  Artema^  W.  Ward,  Richard  M^eeks, 
Jr.,  William  Weeks,  Francis  S.  Fuller,  Joseph  Putnam,  R.  H.  Barber, 
11.  W.  Kidder,  A.J.  Cuitis,  George  Severance,  Alex.  Cooper,  George  B. 
Cobb,  Sumner  Lincoln,  Peter  Dyer,  John  Farnsworth,  Lewis  Atwood, 
William  H.  Mason,  A.  R.  Jennings,  Joseph  Adams,  S.  T.  Underwood, 
Amos  Taylor  (3d),  Alfred  Houghton,  Elliot  Stone,  Charles  W.  Uiggins, 
Albert  L.  Hunt,  Silas  Jennings,  Samuel  Adams,  Henry  W.  Lawrence,* 
Francis  L.  Moore,*  Levi  E.  Switzer,*  Frederic  Williams,*  Benjamin  Hast- 
ings,* La  Fayette  Nelson,*  Edward  N.  Coller,*Setli  A.  Woodward,*  Henry 
H.  Manning,*  Jas.  D.  Delvee,*  Chailes  Jones,*  James  H.  Fuller,*  Willard 
Packard,*  Franklin  Pierce,*  J.  B.  Caldwell,*  W.  H.  Blake,*  Jos.  W.  Saw- 
yer,* L.  S.  Jillson,*  M.  S.  Cushing,*  M.  L.  B.  Partridge,*  Joseph  Dr.ake,* 
Edwards  Davis,*  James  M.  Cliajiin,*  J.  S.  Rayner,  Jr.,*  S.  P.  Shepardstju, 
Jr.,*  Jos.  W  Ellis.* 

The  last  20  names,  marked  with  a  *,  are  the  names  of  tho.se 
who  died  in  the  service.  These  names  are  inscribed  on  a  sol- 
diers' monument  erected  in  1866  in  the  Fisk  Cemetery  at  War- 
wick village.  The  monument  is  a  handsome  shaft  of  New 
Hampshire  granite,  and  was  constructed  at  a  cost  of  $1336. 
The  amount  raised  by  Warwick  to  furnish  soldiers  for  the  war 
was  §17,827.37. 


WENDELL. 


GEOGRAPHICAL. 
AVendjsll  is  one  of  tlic  most  hilly  towns  in  eastern  Franlv- 
lin,  and  the  smallest  in  point  of  population.  It  is  bounded 
north  by  Erving,  south  by  Shutesbury  and  Leverett,  east  by 
Orange  and  New  Salem,  and  west  by  Montague.  Its  popula- 
tion in  1875  was  less  than  it  was  in  1790.  In  1790  it  was 
519.  In  1875  it  was  503.  In  1800  it  was  737.  In  1810  it  rose 
to  983.     In  1820  it  declined  to  958,  and  in  1830  to  874.      In 


1840  there  was  an  advance  to  875,  and  again  in  18-50  to 
920.  It  declined  in  1800  to  704,  in  1870  to  539,  and  in  1875 
to  -503. 

Miller's  River  forms  the  entire  northern  boundary  of  the 
town,  separating  it  from  Erving,  and  about  half  the  distance 
across  the  northern  border  the  town  is  traversed  by  the  Fitch- 
burg  Kailroad.  The  town  measures  about  six  and  a  half  miles 
in  length,  and  about  five  and  a  half  in  width. 


HISTORY  OF  FRANKLIN   COUNTY. 


783 


NATURAL    FEATURES. 

"Wendell  is  mountainous,  and  abounds  in  wild  and  rugged 
scenery.  Almost  the  entire  surface  of  the  town  rests  upon  a 
bed  of  gneiss,  except  at  the  northeast,  where  it  passes  into 
granite.  There  are  fifteen  distinct  elevations  among  the  hills 
of  Wendell,  of  which  the  most  important  is  Bear  Mountain, 
that  rises  1281  feet  above  the  sea-level.  From  the  summit  of 
this  eminence  the  tourist  may  obtain  a  delightful  and  exten- 
sive view  of  the  Miller's  Kiver  valley  and  the  neighboring 
country. 

Mountain  brooks  abound.  Among  them  may  be  men- 
tioned Swift  Eiver,  Whetstone,  Wickett,  and  Osgood  Brooks. 
Wickctt  Pond,  west  of  Wendell  Centre,  is  the  largest  sheet 
of  water  in  the  town.  Of  timber  there  is  no  lack,  the  chief 
growth  being  beach,  pine,  chestnut,  and  rock-maple.  About 
two  years  ago  there  was  some  agitation  over  the  reported  dis- 
covery of  a  silver  mine  in  the  northeast,  but  patient  research 
by  a  company  organized  to  work  it  ended  in  failure. 

EARLY  SETTLEMENT. 
The  earliest  settlers  of  Wendell  are  said  to  have  removed 
thither  chiefly  from  the  towns  of  Lancaster,  Sterling,  West- 
minster, Leominster,  and  Lexington,  in  the  counties  of  Mid- 
dlesex and  Worcester,  Mass.  Thomas  Osgood,  Kichard  Moore, 
and  William  Larned.  of  New  Salem,  settled  in  the  north  part 
of  the  town  as  early  as  1754,  upon  that  portion  known  as 
Ervingshire.  A  settlement  was  made  shortly  after  near 
Wickett  Pond,  then  in  the  north  part  of  Shutesbury,  by 
James  Ross, Locke,  Silas  AVildcr,  Lemuel  Beaman,  Ben- 
jamin Glazier,  John  Wetherbee, Hamilton,  and  others. 

The  settlers  upon  Ervingshire  looked  upon  themselves  as 
belonging,  after  a  fashion,  to  Shutesbury  (or  Eoadtown),  and 
did  belong  at  first  to  the  ecclesiastical  organization  of  that 
town. 

One  of  the  most  prominent  men  among  the  early  settlers 
was  Judge  Joshua  Green,  a  native  of  Boston,  and  a  graduate 
of  Harvard  in  1784.  He  settled  in  Wendell  in  1790,  and  from 
that  period  until  1830,  continued  for  forty  years  to  serve  the 
town  uninterruptedly  as  selectman,  treasurer,  assessor,  or 
representative  to  the  General  Court.  Failing  health  alone 
caused  his  retirement  to  private  life,  and  after  an  extended, 
useful,  and  honored  existence,  he  passed  away  in  1847.  Daniel 
Porter,  mentioned  as  one  of  the  tirst  physicians  in  Wendell, 
served  as  town  clerk  for  thirty-five  successive  vears,  from  1788 
to  182.3. 

Few  descendants  of  the  early  settlers  of  Wendell  remain  in 
the  town  at  this  day.  Among  them  may  be  noted  Joseph 
Wilder,  aged  ninety,  the  Drurys,  Stones,  Needhams,  Austins, 
Deaths,  and  Caswells. 

Previous  to  1784  marriages  in  this  town  averaged  about 
three  per  annum,  and  the  births  about  fifteen. 

NOTEWORTHY    INCIDENTS. 

In  July,  1781,  £40,  hard  money,  were  raised  to  defra}' charges 
that  had  arisen  or  might  arise.  At  the  same  time  a  committee 
was  chosen  to  purchase  land  for  a  burying-ground,  who  se- 
cured the  ground  which  now  adjoins  the  Congregational 
Church  in  Wendell  Centre.  The  land  was  probably  purchased 
from  Jonathan  Osgood,  for  which  the  town  paid  him  £8  an 
acre.  In  November,  1782,  it  was  voted  to  build  a  work-house, 
18  feet  by  30.  The  first  stoc/cs  were  built  about  March,  1786. 
In  July  following  a  dog-pound  was  ordered  to  be  built,  30  feet 
square.  In  1788  it  was  agreed  in  town-meeting  that  the  right 
to  vote  in  town  affairs  should  be  possessed  only  by  such  per- 
sons as  were  in  possession  of  landed  interests. 

J.  Fisk  and  Daniel  Porter  were  phjsicians  in  Wendell  about 
1786,  and  in  the  same  year  Thomas  Atherton  was  a  black- 
smith there.  These  were  probably  the  earliest  representatives 
of  those  callings  in  Wendell's  historv-  In  December,  1790, 
about  40  persons  (alluded  to  as  laborers),  and  the  wives  of  sev- 


eral of  them,  sought  to  take  up  their  residences  in  Wendell 
without  obtaining  the  town's  consent,  and  they  were  accord- 
ingly notified  by  the  town  constable  to  depart  from  its  limits.* 
A  certain  Lieut.  Blodgett  is  mentioned  in  the  records  of  1800 
as  having  had  a  blacksmith-shop  in  the  town,  but  where  is 
not  mentioned. 

In  1812  the  keeping  of  Terence  Allen  and  her  child  (pau- 
pers) was  put  up  at  public  vendue,  and  struck  oft"  to  John 
Goss  at  a  dollar  a  week.  It  was  voted  at  the  samp,  time  that 
"  if  any  man  will  take  the  Widow  Allen  for  5200,  and  exempt 
the  town  from  any  further  expense,  they  will  give  said  sum, 
the  selectmen  to  superintend  the  matter." 

The  first  road  opened  into  the  tract  now  occupied  by  Wen- 
dell was  from  Roadtown  (Shutesbury)  to  the  North  End,  in 
1706.  In  the  same  year  a  road  was  opened  through  the  south 
part,  from  Montague  to  New  Salem.  The  old  road  from  New 
Salem  through  what  is  now  Wendell  Centre  to  Montague 
was  begun  in  1762.  ,  Previous  to  1850  the  town  had  expended 
upward  of  §40,000  in  constructing  and  repairing  highways. 

Nathaniel  Wilder,  a  Revolutionary  soldier,  of  Wendell, 
lived  to  be  the  veritable  "  oldest  inhabitant,"  his  age  at  the 
time  of  his  death,  in  1851,  being  one  hundred  years  and  two 
days.  Several  of  the  citizens  of  the  town  served  in  the  insur- 
gent forces  of  Shays. 

The  Congregational  Church  of  Wendell  observed  its  cen- 
tennial Dec.  2,  1874,  on  which  occasion  the  celebration  was 
marked  by  an  address  of  welcome  by  the  pastor,  Rev.  B.  B. 
Cutler  ;  a  historical  discourse  upon  the  town's  rise  and  growth, 
by  Rev.  W.  H.  Beaman  ;  a  poem,  by  Dr.  Y.  W.  Leach  ;  and 
a  banquet  at  the  town-hall. 

REVOLUTIONARY  REMINISCENCES. 

The  first  reference  in  the  records  touching  the  Revolutionary 
struggle  was  made  July,  1781,  when  it  was  voted  to  raise  £72, 
hard  money,  to  procure  the  town's  proportion  of  beef  for  the 
army.  In  the  following  month  it  was  agreed  to  pay  '-the 
men  raised  by  Capt.  Sweetser"  the  value  of  16  bushels  of 
rye  and  20s.  in  hard  money  a  month.  A  committee  was 
chosen  to  procure  Continental  clothing. 

In  March,  1788,  James  Ross  was  allowed  £9  for  money  he 
paid  to  soldiers  for  bounty  and  mileage.  Besides  Capt.  Sweet- 
ser, already  mentioned,  the  names  of  Samuel  Orcut,  Nathaniel 
Wilder,  Zedekiah  Fisk,  Samuel  Reed,  and  Jacob  Harwood 
are  recalled  as  having  represented  Wendell  in  the  first  Revo- 
lutionary struggle. 

WAR   OF    1S12. 

Like  many  of  her  sister  towns,  Wendell  was  opposed  to  the 
war  of  1812,  and  sent  Joshua  Green  as  a  delegate  to  the  North- 
ampton Convention,  called  in  July,  1812,  to  protest  against 
the  war,  and  to  demand  a  speedy  treaty  of  peace.  In  March, 
1812,  it  was  resolved  that  powder  and  balls  should  be  provided 
for  the  soldiers  when  inspected.  In  1814  the  town  sent  to  the 
General  Court  a  memorial  concerning  "  the  present  situation 
of  publick  affairs."  Wendell  sent  15  men  for  the  defense  of 
Boston  in  1814,  and  the  names  of  11  are  here  given,  as  fol- 
lows:  Joseph  Needham,  Luther  Osgood,  Martin  Hager,  Silas 
Whitcomb,  Thomas  Walkup,  Martin  Fisk,  William  Farr, 
Willard  Thompson,  William  Putnam,  Silas  Osgood,  and  Amos 
Scranton.  Of  the  15  the  only  known  survivor  is  Joseph 
Needham  who  is  still  living,  at  Wendell  Centre,  hale  and 
hearty,  at  the  age  of  eighty-four. 

ORGANIZATION. 
The  act  of  incorporation  was  passed  May  8,  1781,  and  pro- 
vided for  the  erection  of  the  northerly  part  of  the  town  of 
Shutesbury,  and  that  part  of  a  tract  of  land  called  Erving- 
shire lying  on  the  south  side  of  Miller's  River,  into  a  town, 
by  the  name  of  Wendell. 

*  Til  is  was  a  mere  formal  notice,  necessarj-  to  prevent  tlieni  from  being  cliarge- 
able  to  tliis  town  if  they  became  paupers.    No  one  was  driven  out  by  it. 


784 


HISTORY  OF  THE  CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


The  boundaries  were  prescribed  as  follows:  Beginning  at  the 
south  side  of  Jliller's  Kiver,  at  the  northwest  corner  of  John 
Erving's  land,  and  thence  extending  south,  fourteen  degrees 
cast,  2100  rods,  or  until  it  conies  in  a  direct  line  with  the 
south  end  of  the  lots  Nos.  2,  3,  7,  9,  2G,  and  27  ;  thence  run- 
ning east  on  the  south  line  of  said  lots  1311  rods  to  New  Sa- 
lem town-line;  thence  running  northerly  by  New  Salem  line 
to  Miller's  River  2084  rods,  and  thence  by  said  river  until  it 
comes  to  the  place  of  beginning. 

The  act  further  provided  that  Moses  Gunn  should  be  au- 
thorized to  issue  his  warrant  to  one  of  the  principal  inhabit- 
ants of  the  town,  requiring  him  to  notify  the  freeholders  and 
other  inhabitants  to  meet  for  the  selection  of  town  officers, 
etc.  In  accordance  therewith,  Moses  Gunn,  who  was  a  justice 
of  the  peace,  notified  Joseph  Johnson  to  call  the  meeting, 
which  was  held  June  14,  1781,  at  Deacon  Jonathan  Osgood's 
house.  The  incorporation  act,  so  the  records  indicate,  was 
procured  by  Daniel  Denny,  who  was  ordered  to  be  paid  for  his 
trouble. 

The  town  was  named  in  honor  of  Judge  Oliver  Wendell, 
of  Boston.  He  was  the  owner  of  much  land  in  and  about 
Wendell,  and  is  said  to  have  been  a  great  patron  of  the  town, 
which  he  frequently  visited.  The  only  donations  he  made, 
as  far  as  the  records  show,  were  a  christening-basin  and 
pulpit  Bible  to  the  Congregational  Church.  In  1803  a  tract 
of  land  called  "  Benjamin  Hill  Gore,"  and  a  tract  a  mile  in 
width,  taken  from  Montague,  were  added  to  the  tract  origi- 
nally incorporated  as  Wendell,  and  so  it  now  remains. 

SKLECTMEN. 

1781.— Lot  Pjiine,  John  Ross,  Caniel  Denuy. 

1782. — Kicliard  Moor,  .Josiah  Osgood,  John  Ross. 

1783. — No  record  of  any  election. 

1784. — Josiali  Osgood,  Jolin  Ross,  Nathan  Brewer. 

178.5. — Josiali  Osgood,  Daniel  Porter,  Thomas  Atherton. 

178U.— Daniel  Porter,  Hananiali  Rand,  David  Whittaker. 

1787. — Henry  Sweetser,  Josiah  Osgood,  David  Whittaker. 

1788. — Daniel  Porter,  Jonathan  Crosbee,  Benjamin  Stiles. 

1789-90.— David  Whittaker,  Edmund  Stiles,  John  Ross. 

1791. — Edmund  Stiles,  John  Ross,  Sanuiel  Caswell. 

1792. — Kdnmnd  Stiles,  David  Whittaker,  Joshua  Green, 

1793. — John  Ross,  Joshua  Green,  Samuel  Osgood. 

1794-9.'). — John  Ross,  .loshua  Green,  David  Whittaker. 

179G-1801. — Joshua  Green,  Jolin  Ross,  Nathan  Brewer. 

1801-2. — Joshua  Green,  Nathan  Brewer,  Pliineas  Stiles. 

1803-9. — Nathan  Brewer,  Joshua  Green,  David  Whittaker. 

1809. — Jushu.a  Green,  Nathan  Brewer,  Joseph  Sawyer. 

1810. — Joshua  Green,  Nathan  Brewer,  Timothy  ,\rmstrong. 

ISll.— Joshua  Green,  Nathan  Brewer,  David  WhitUaker. 

1812. — Joshua  Green,  Nathan  Brewer,  Levi  Benjamin. 

1813. — .Toshua  Green,  Levi  Benjamin,  Clark  Stone. 

1814. — Joshua  Green,  Levi  Benjamin,  .Joseph  Sawyer. 

1815. — Joshua  Green.  Levi  Benjamin,  Joel  Bent. 

1816-19. — Joshua  Green,  Joel  Bent,  Samuel  Brewer. 

1819-20. — Joshua  Green,  Luther  Osgood,  Samuel  Brewer. 

1821. — Joshua  Green,  Samuel  Brewer,  Joel  Bent. 

1822. — Joshua  Green,  John  Beanian,  Bezaliel  Lock. 

1823.^oshua  Green,  Martin  Hagar,  Timothy  Taft. 

1824. — Joshua  Green,  Martin  Hagar,  Samuel  Brewer. 

1S25-26.— Joshua  Green,  Martin  Hagar,  Timothy  Taft. 

1827.— Joshua  Green,  Timothy  Taft,  Samuel  Brewer. 

1828.— Timothy  Taft,  Martin  Grout,  Joel  Drury. 

1829. — Joshua  Green,  Jonathan  Whittaker,  Ira  Benjamin. 

1830-31.— Martin  Grout,  Jonathan  Whittaker,  Ira  Benjamin. 

1832-33. — Jonathan  Whittaker,  Samuel  Brewei',  Noah  Porter. 

1834.— Martin  Grout,  Joel  Howe,  Elihu  Osgood. 

1835-30. — Joel  Howe,  Jabei  Sawyer,  Jr.,  Ira  Benjamin. 

1837. — Jonathan  Whittaker,  Ira  Benjamin,  Wm.  L.  Bent. 

1838. — Jabez  Sawyer,  Jr.,  Joel  Howe,  Silas  Balljird. 

1839. — Joel  Howe,  Jabez  Sawyer,  Lansford  Armstrong. 

1840.— Otis  Brooks,  Joel  Howe,  Gardner  Leach. 

1841. — Samuel  Brewer,  Ivers  Benjamin,  Geo.  B.  Richardson. 

1842. — Jabez  Sawyer,  Moses  Stone,  .Joseph  Needham. 

1843. — Joel  Howe,  Joseph  Needham,  Luther  Stt^ne. 

1844. — Samuel  Hinsdale,  Jabez  Sawyer,  Jr.,  Luther  Stone. 

1845. — Luther  Stone,  Samuel  Brewer,  Joseph  Fisk  (2d). 

1846.— Samuel  Brewer,  Wm.  Fleming,  Joseph  Fisk  (2d). 

1847. — Jjibez  Sawyer,  Jr.,  Luther  Stone.  Isaac  Dudley. 

1848. — Lansford  Armstrong,  Joseph  Fisk  (2d),  Chester  Leach. 

1849. — Lucius  Cooke,  Jonathan  Whittaker,  Thomas  D.  Brooks. 


1850. — Joel  Howe,  Luke  Leach,  Adin  Whitt^tkor. 
1851. — Luther  Stone,  Wm.  Putnam,  Erastus  L.  Orcutt. 
1852. — Wm.  Putnam,  Adin  Whittaker,  Alonzo  Fleming. 
1853. — Aaron  Chandler,  Joseph  Fisk  (2d),  Ivors  Beiyamin. 
1854. — Jabez  Sawyer,  Aaron  Chandler,  Joseph  Fisk  (2d). 
1855. — Jabez  Sawyer,  Aaron  Chandler,  John  Howe. 
1850.- Wni.  H.  Phelps,  Clark  Stone,  Adin  Wliitaker. 
1857. — Joel  Howe,  Ivers  Benjamin,  Cluis.  A.  Eddy. 
1858. — Aaron  Chandler,  Lewis  Leonard,  Ebenezer  Lock. 
1.S.59. — Jabez  Sawyer,  Luther  Stone,  J.  31.  King. 
1.SC0.— Aaron  Chandler,  J.  R.  Reynolds,  Clark  Stone. 
1801.— J.  R.  Reynolds,  Joseph  Fisk  (2d),  Alonzo  Fleming. 
1802.— Alonzo  Fleming,  Joseph  Fisk  (2d),  Adin  Whittaker. 
1803.- J.  Reynolds,  T.  H.  Bartlett,  Clark  Stone. 
18C4.— J.  R.  Reynolds,  T.  H.  Bartlett,  N.  E.  Sweetser. 
18G5. — Andrew  Bok,  Orin  Andrews,  Clark  Stone. 
18G6. — Luke  Leach,  Danforth  Putnam,  Andrew  Baker. 
18G7.— T.  H.  Bartlett,  Wm.  D.  Andrews,  F.  K.  Fleming. 
1808.— Edwin  L.  Gates,  Wm.  Fleming,  Hollis  Wrisley. 
18C9.— Aaron  Pike,  T.  H.  Bartlett,  A.  H.  Haskell. 
1870. — .\aron  Pike,  Andrew  Baker,  Tiunnm  Bartlett. 
1871.— M.  M.  Stebbins,  D.  P.  Austin,  Andrew  Baker. 
1872.— Andrew  Baker,  Daniel  Ballard,  M.  M.  Stebbins. 
1873.— J.  C.  Holston,  Alonzo  Flenung,  T.  H.  Bartlett. 
1874. — T.  H.  Bartlett,  Alonzo  Fleming,  Andrew  Baker. 
1875. — J.  C.  Brown,  Clark  Stone,  Nicholas  Lanx. 
187G. — Andrew  Baker,  Orin  Andrews,  Nicholas  Laux. 
1877. — Orin  Andrews,  Andrew  Baker,  C.  E.  Rogers. 
1878. — John  C.  Holston,  Chester  Clark,  Nicholas  Laux. 

TOWN   CLERKS. 

James  Ross,  1781-88 ;  Daniel  Porter,  1788-1823 ;  Josiah  Richardson,  1823-25  ; 
John  Jletcalf,  Jr.,  1820-32;  Calvin  Hnnter,  1833-3G  ;  Solomon  Barrett,  1837-38; 
Mason  Buss,  1839-43 ;  Otis  Brooks,  1844  ;  Jonathan  Whittaker,  1845;  George  B. 
Richardson,  1846-51 ;  Theodore  W.  Lyman,  1852  ;  TlKUnas  D.  Brooks,  1853 ;  Lcb- 
beus  Spooner,  1854-55;  Otis  Chittenden,  1856-57;  James  E.  Clark,  1858;  John 
Hunt,  1859-G2 ;  J.  H.  Dodge,  18G3 ;  H.  F.  Brooks,  1804-G.5 ;  W'illard  Brigham, 
18GG;  SLarcus  M.  Stebbins,  1SG7-GS;  Oiin  Andrews,  1809-70;  A.  T.  Beniis,  1871 ; 
Lyman  G.  Gould,  1872-73;  Alburn  Fiske,  1874-75;  Hiram  Willis,  1876-79. 

REPRESENTATIVES   AT   THE   GENERAL   COURT. 

The  town's  first  representative  at  the  General  Court  was 
Joshua  Green,  who  was  sent  thither  in  1806.  Besides  Mr. 
Green,  the  representatives  from  1800  to  1857  (when  Wendell 
became  a  part  of  the  Fifth  Representative  District)  have  been 
as  follows; 

Clark  Stone,  Jonathan  Whittaker,  Jonathan  Brown,  Jabez  .Sawyer,  Jr.,  Ama- 
riah  Sawyer,  Ivers  Benjanun,  Gardner  Leach,  Martin  Hager,  Moses  Stone,  Lu- 
ther Stone,  Lyman  Fisk,  George  A.  Green,  Samuel  Brewer,  Wm.  Putiuini,  Addison 
Leach,  Jas.  E.  Clark. 

VILLAGES. 

WENDELL    CENTRE, 

the  locality  of  the  earliest  .settlement,  and  now  the  seat  of 
town  government,  occupies  an  elevated  region  four  miles  from 
Wendell  Depot,  where  the  Fitchburg  Railroad  touches  the 
town.  The  centre  contains  the  only  two  churches  in  Wendell, 
the  town-ball,  one  store  and  post-office,  and  a  hotel.  It  is  a 
place  of  some  resort  in  the  summer  season,  because  of  its  lofty 
elevation  and  healthful  climate. 

Wendell  Depot,  a  station  on  the  Fitchburg  Railroad, 
contains  a  store,  a  public  hall,  and  post-office,  and  is  pleasantly 
located  in  a  valley  on  the  south  bank  of  Miller's  River. 

Lock's  Village,  on  the  northern  line  of  Shutesburj-,  is 
partlj'  also  in  Wendell. 

CHURCHES. 

In  November,  1774,  a  Congregational  Church  was  organ- 
ized in  what  is  now  Wendell,  by  James  Ro.ss,  John  Crosbee, 
Jonathim  and  Josiah  Osgood,  Silas  Wilder,  Thomas  Osgood, 
Richard  Moore,  Wm.  Larned,  Henry  Sweetser,  James  Ross, 
Jr.,  Joseph  Russell,  Francis  Kidder,  John  Wetherbee,  Moses 
Sawyer,  John  Ross,  Nathan  Brewer,  Lemuel  Beaman,  Zach- 
ariah  Drury,  Benjamin  Glazier,  and  Luke  Osgood, — 20  in  all, 
to  whom  were  a  few  days  later  added  13  females.  On  the  20th 
of  November,  1774,  a  council,  convened  at  Shutcsbury,  from 
churches  in  Montague,  New  Salem,  Westminster,  and  War- 
wick, received  the  organization  as  a  "  visible,  regular  Church 
of  Christ."     Rev.  Abrajiam  Hill,  of  Shutcsbury,  preached  to 


I 


HISTORY  OF   FKANKLIN   COUNTY. 


785 


them  occasionally,  but,  by  reason  of  bis  Toryism  later  on,  he 
lost  favor  with  them.  During  Mr.  Kilburns  term  the  church 
appointed  a  committee  "  to  treat  with  those  members,  whether 
communicants  or  otherwise,  who  publicly  neglect  their  duty, 
or  have  been  guilty  of  moral  scandal  publicly  known." 

In  July,  1781,  the  town  resolved  to  hire  "  more  preaching," 
and  further,  that  "the  meeting-house  spot"  be  on  the  north 
side  of  the  county  road,  and  the  east  side  of  the  town.  This 
is  the  site  occupied  by  the  present  Congregational  Church  in 
Wendell  Centre. 

In  October,  1781,  it  was  decided  to  build  a  meeting-house, 
55  feet  long  by  40  wide,  and  to  raise  £50  to  set  up  the  frame  to 
inclose  it,  and  to  lay  the  lower  floor.  Mr.  Babcock,  who  was 
called  in  January,  1782,  to  settle  in  the  ministry,  was  to  have 
a  settlement  of  £100,  and  his  salary  to  be  £40  a  year  for  the 
first  three  years,  and  then  to  rise  40s.  annually  until  it  reached 
£00.  AVhen  the  meeting-house  was  about  to  be  raised,  in 
1783,  it  was  agreed  to  allow  Jonathan  Crosbee  for  what  rum 
might  be  expended  iu  raising  the  house. 

In  1791,  Maj.  Erving  by  will  bequeathed  to  the  town  of 
"Wendell,  for  the  benefit  of  the  clergyman  of  the  parish  and 
his  descendants  in  that  oiEco,  a  lot  of  land.  His  will  set  forth 
that,— 

"I  mil  induced  to  do  tliis  with  a  view  that  in  time  they  may  get  men  of 
superior  eminence  as  divines  for  your  pastoi-s,  likewise  men  of  pliilo.'joiiliiciil 
learning,  who  may  enalde  you  liy  tlieir  instructions  to  exjdorG  the  bowels  of  tlic 
eartli  and  discover  the  riches  tliereof,  and  be  furtlier  useful  to  you  in  agriculture 
or  any  cither  biuncli  of  natural  history." 

In  1795  the  seats  in  the  front  gallery  east  of  the  division, 
and  the  .south  half  of  the  seats  in  the  women's  side  gallery, 
were  appropriated  to  the  use  of  the  singers.  In  1795  the 
owners  of  pews  in  the  meeting-house  were  Joseph  Sawyer, 
LemueT  Beaman,  Elisha  Washburn,  Lemuel  Leach,  John 
Prentice,  Joshua  Green,  Edmund  Stiles,  Zachariah  Drury, 
Luke  Osgood,  Jonathan  Crosbee,  Abel  Howe,  Joseph  John- 
son, Josiah  Austin,  Josiah  Osgood,  Nathan  Brewer,  Elihu 
Osgood,  Samuel  O.sgood,  Nathaniel  Johnson,  Jr.,  Richard 
Moore,  Daniel  Porter,  Nathan  Wilder,  Jr.,  Henry  Sweetser, 
Ezra  Allen,  Zedckiah  Eisk,  Wm.  Lawrence,  Luke  Osgood, 
Samuel  Harris,  Oliver  Dresser,  Jonathan  Orcutt,  A.  Fisher, 
Ephraira  Howe,  Josiah  Ballard,  Jonathan  Osgood,  John 
Ross,  Calvin  Butler,  Isaac  Rogers,  Oliver  Dresser,  Jr.,  Han- 
naniah  Rand,  Silas  Wright,  Stephen  Whitney,  Ephraim 
Ross,  Josiah  Ballard,  Sanuiel  Pearks,  Daniel  Fisk,  Ephraim 
Lock,  David  Wliittaker.  In  18r2  the  pew  belonging  to  the 
town  was  sold  to  Samuel  Cobb  for  one  year  for  ?2.90. 

Although  the  old  church  building  was  begun  in  1783,  it 
was  not  completely  finished  until  nearly  ten  3-ears  thereafter. 
In  184G  it  was  replaced  by  the  present  edifice,  and  it  was  in 
that  year  that  the  church-bell  first  sounded  in  Wendell. 

Rev.  Jo.seph  Kilburn,  the  first  pastor  of  the  church,  was 
installed  in  October,  1783,  and  continued  in  its  service  until  his 
death,  in  1810.  Mr.  Kilburn  was  succeeded  by  Revs.  Hervey 
AVilbur,  John  Duncklee,  William  Claggett,  Salmon  Bennett, 
N.  S.  Dickinson,  B.  B.  Cutler,  and  others.  Rev.  A.  Stowell 
supplies  the  preaching  at  present,  and  preaches  as  well  at 
Erving.  The  attendants  number  about  80.  It  is  worthy  of 
reference  that  Jonathan  Osgood  was  a  deacon  of  the  church 
from  1781  to  1808,  a  period  of  twenty-seven  years  ;  Nathan 
Brewer  served  thirty-seven  years ;  Levi  Stone  and  Joshua 
Green  each  twenty-nine  years. 

THE  liAPTlST  CUrRCH. 
The  origin  of  the  Baptist  Church  in  Wendell  may  be  traced 
to  June  11,  1799,  when,  at  the  request  of  the  Baptist  Church  in 
Shutesbury,  a  council  was  convened  at  Wendell  "to  advise 
with  said  church  and  sundry  members  thereof,  who  have 
manifested  their  desire  of  embodying  into  a  church  by  them- 
selves." After  inquiry  into  "  the  circumstances  of  the  brethren 
and  friends  in  Wendell,"  it  was  voted  without  dissension  tlntt 
99 


"this  council  view  it  expedient  and  promising  to  tend  to  the 
upbuilding  of  the  cause  of  Christianity  for  the  brethren  and 
sisters  in  Wendell  to  embody  themselves  into  a  church  by  the 
name  of  '  The  Baptist  Church  of  Christ  in  Wendell.'  "  The 
names  of  those  who  formed  the  church  were  David  Boynton, 
Foxwell  Thomas,  Aaron  Fisher,  Jonas  Fisk,  Ephraim  Locke, 
Jason  Phillips,  Cornelius  Moore,  Jabez  Sawyer,  Aaron  Fisher, 
Jr.,  and  17  women, — 20  in  all.  Among  the  pastors  who  served 
the  church  after  its  organization  may  be  noted  Ezra  Kendall, 
Samuel  King,  David  Goddard,  Aaron  Burbank,  Lysander 
Fay,  William  Leach,  Norman  Clark,  John  Hunt.  Rev.  H. 
S.  Davis  is  now  the  pastor.  The  average  number  of  attend- 
ants is  about  80.  Tlie  church  held  occasional  public  worship 
in  school-houses  and  other  places  until  1819,  when  a  meeting- 
house was  erected  about  half  a  mile  east  of  Wendell  Centre. 
In  1845  the  building  was  removed  to  the  present  site,  and  re- 
modeled and  improved  as  it  now  appears. 

The  town  records  note  the  existence  in  Wendell  in  1812  of 
a  Methodist  Church  society,  and  of  a  Universalist  society  in 
1819,  but  beyond  such  brief  notices  no  further  historical  data 
can  be  obtained  save  that  among  the  members  of  the  former 

were  Luther  Stone,  Joel  Drury  (1st),  Joel  Drury  (2d), 

Needham,  Abel  and  Silas  Drury,  Ebenezer  Johnson,  James 
Austin,  Abel  Death,  and  Nelly  Stone. 

SCHOOLS. 

The  record  of  the  first  annual  town-meeting,  held  ]\Iareh, 
1782,  refers  to  the  existence  of  a  school-house  in  the  town,  on 
the  site,  probabh-,  of  the  present  north  school-house.  Twelve 
pounds  were  raised  that  year  for  schooling,  and  in  the  au- 
tumn of  the  same  year  measures  were  instituted  for  the  division 
of  the  town  into  four  school  squadrons  or  districts.  In  1791 
the  will  of  Major  William  Erving  gave  to  the  town  a  school 
lot  of  120  acres  on  Whetstone  Hill,  about  a  mile  east  of  Wen- 
dell Centre.  The  donor  in  his  will  set  forth  as  a  reason  that, 
"  thinking  it  of  the  highesj,  consequence  that  learning  should 
be  preserved,  for  fear,  from  the  great  inattention  thereto,  that 
the  people  might  relapse  into  a  state  of  barbarism,  he  be- 
queathed," etc. 

In  that  year,  too,  the  town  voted  £200  for  building  school- 
houses,  of  which  it  appears  there  were  to  be  five, — north, 
south,  east,  west,  and  centre.  In  1827  the  number  of  dis- 
tricts was  raised  to  ten,  but  since  then  it  has  returned  to  the 
old  standard, — five.  The  schools  are  now  known  as  the 
Centre,  North,  Mormon  Hollow,  South,  and  Southwest 
schools.  The  average  daily  attendance  of  scholars  in  1878 
was  108,  and  the  amount  raised  for  school  expenses  $772,  ex- 
clusive of  ?209  received  from  the  State.  A  social  library  was 
established  in  the  town  in  1824,  and  has  since  then  continued 
to  prosper  in  a  gratifying  way. 

BURIAL-PLACES. 
There  are  but  two  public  cemeteries  in  the  town, — one  at 
Wendell  Centre  and  one  near  Lock's  village,  in  the  south. 
The  fo.rmer  is  the  ground  laid  out  at  the  early  settlement  of 
the  town.  The  first  person  buried  therein  was  James  Ross, 
in  1782,  the  headstone  over  his  grave  still  bearing  an  in- 
scription testifying  to  that  fact.  Other  old  inscriptions  are  as 
follows  : 

Beulah  Sweetser,  171*7  ;  Nathan  John.son,  1797 ;  Elizabeth  Wilder,  1797  ;  Beu- 
jiuiiiu  I'orter,  1793;  Prudence  Johnson,  1798;  Artemas  Osgood,  1798;  Eunice 
Brewer,  1790;  Susannah  Watkins,  1798;  Lucy  Sweetser,  1707;  Aaron  Moore, 
1799;  Hannah  Howe,  1801;  Joseph  Kilburn,  Jr.,  1790;  Lemuel  Beaman,  1801; 
Abigail  Wilder,  1804;  Joshua  Green,  180G;  Capt.  Henry  Sweetser,  182(1,  aged 
ninety;  Lucy,  his  widow,  18:33,  aged  ninety-four;  Marcy  Porter,  1811,  aged 
ninety-two;  .\braliani  Stone,  1838,  aged  ninety;  John  Stune,  1819,  aged  ninety- 
six;  Deacon  Nathan  Brewer,  1832,  aged  eighty-tive;  .lonathan  Crosbee,  1808' 
Jonathan  Osgood,  1812 ;  John  Stone,  1819,  aged  ninety -six ;  .\braham  Stone,  18.38, 
aged  ninet.v. 

INDUSTRIES. 

For  fifty  years  after  the  incorporation  the  industrial  interests 
of  the  town  of  Wendell  were  almost  exclusively  agricultural, 


786 


HISTORY  OF   THE    CONxNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


and  tlicy  were,  moreover,  profitably  pursued.  Now,  although 
there  is  much  excellent  farming-land  in  the  town,  it  is  not 
cultivated  to  a  very  great  extent.  In  1875  the  value  of  the 
agricultural  products  of  the  town  aggregated  $46,005.  In 
1815,  John  Sawin  made  chaises,  and  later  manufactured  car- 
riages ;  but  that  industry  closed  at  his  death.  J.  E.  Stone's 
piano-case  manufactory,  situated  partly  in  Krving  and  partly 
in  Wendell,  has  already  been  treated  of  in  the  history  of 
Erving.  There  are  seven  saw-mills  in  the  town,  and  be- 
yond these  there  are  no  manufactories  of  any  description. 
Palm-leaf  hats  are  braided  by  a  majority  of  the  female  portion 

Daniel  B.  Wliittnkcr,  cnl.  Oct.  11, 1862,  Co.  F,  62il 

Ri-gt. ;  died  July  22,1801,  Hi  Port  Hudson,  Lil. 
Lorriston    Biirnes,  eul.  Oct.  11,  1802,   Co.  G,  ,')2d 

Regt.;  disch.  Aug.  14,  1803. 
Michael  Carey,  enl.  Aug.  12,  1804,  Co.  L,  1st  II. 

Art. 
Trank  Longdo,  enl.  July  29. 1864;  trans,  to  17tli 

Inf. 
Herbert  F.  Brooks,  enl.  June  21,  1801,  Co.  G,  lOlh 

Inf.;  disch.  Sept.  11, 1802,  for  disability. 
Charles  E.Green,  enl.  June  21,  18G1,  Co.  G,  10th 

Inf.;  disrh.  July  1,1804. 
Amos  L.  Williams,  enl,  Juno  21, 1801,  Co.  G,  lOlh 

Inf ;  discli.  July  1,1804. 
Tyler  F.  Williams,  enl.  June  21,  18G1,  Co.  G,  lOtli 

Inf.;  disch  July  14, 1802,  for  disability. 
Chester  A.  Ellis,  enl.  April  5, 1802,  Co.  I,21st  Inf.; 

died  July  10,  1802,  at  Newl.ern,  N.  C. 
Marcus  M.  Stebbius,  sergt.,  enl.  Oct.  5, 1801,  Co.  K, 

20th   Inf;    disch.  to   re-enl.,   Dec.   31,   1863; 

disch.  July  S,  1865,  for  disability. 
Lyman  White,  corp.,  eul.  Oct.  19,  ISOl,  Co.  K,  20th 

Inf. ;  disch.  Oct.  10, 1802,  for  disability. 
■Walter  D.  Crane,  enl.  Jan.  4, 1804,  Co.  K,  26th  Inf.; 

disch.  Aug.  20,  1805. 


of  the  community,  but  the  yield  is  small.  The  total  value 
of  manufactures  in  1875  was  $67,785.  The  total  valuation  of 
the  town  in  1878  was  $169,721, — of  which  $150,000  was  in  real 
estate.  The  total  tax — State,  town,  and  county — was  3i50.'J8.Gri ; 
the  number  of  farms,  l.il  ;  and  the  number  of  dwellings,  131. 

MILITARY. 

■WENDELL'S    REBELLIOS    KEOORD. 

The  following  list  of  soldiers  who  served  during  the  Re- 
bellion of  1861-65  is  taken  from  the  adjutant-general's 
report : 


John  L.  Grcuit,  enl.  Oct. 7,  1801,  Co.  K,  20th  Inf; 

disch.  April  10,  1803,  for  disability. 
William  Hildreth,  enl.  Sept.  10,  1801,  Co.  K,  20lh 

Inf ;  died  Oct.  0,"l803,  at  Now  Orleans,  La. 
Elisha  B.  Leach,  enl.  Oct.  8, 1801,  Co.  K,  2011i  Inf; 

disch  Jan.  31,  1804,  to  re-euli<t. 
Lafayette  C.  SteWiins,  enl.  Sept.  18,  1861,  Co.  K, 

20th  Iiif  ;   trans.  Jan.  G,  1SG4,  to  the   Signal 

Corps. 
Eli  White,  enl.  Oct.  7, 1801,  Co.  K,  20th  Inf  ;  disch. 

Oct  10, 1862,  for  disability. 
Luciau   Williams  enl.  Oct.  27,  1801,  Co.  K,  20th 

Inf  ;  died  Sept.  7,  1802,  at  New  Orleans. 
Horace  B.  Allen,  enl.  Sept.  23,  1861,  Co.  B,  27tii 

Inf.;  disch.  Sept.  2-2,  1802,  for  disability. 
David  Blair,  enl.  Sept.  20,  1861,  Co.  B,  27tli  Inf.; 

died  July  24,  18G4,  at  .\ndei-sonville,  Ga. 
Iliram  Blair,  enl  Sept.  20, 18G1,  Co.  B,  271h  Inf  ; 

disch.  Dec.  23,  180 1,  to  re-enl. ;  disch.  Juno  20, 

180,';. 
Dc.\ter  Oaks,  eul.  Sept.  20,  1801,  Co.  B,  27lh  Inf; 

disch.  Jan.  1,  1804,  to  re-enl.  ;  disch.  June  20, 

1805  (Prescott). 
Horace  Kice,  enl.  Oct.  0,  1801,  Co.  B,  27lh   !uf ; 

disch.  April  3,  1802,  for  disability. 


William  Stone,  enl.  April  9,  1802,  Co.  B,  27tll  Inf. ; 

died  Feb.  2,  186.5,  at  Newbern,  N.  C. 
Horace  W.  Wliittaker,  enl.  Sept.  2(1,  1801,  Co.  B, 

27th  Inf;  di.sch.  April  6,  1862,  for  disability. 
George  M.  Williams,  enl.  Sept.  20,  1801,  Co.  B,-.d7th 

Inf  ;  disch.  Aug.  4,  1802,  for  disability. 
Ebeuezer  Winslow,  enl.  Aug.  11,  1862,  Co.  B,  27tli 

Inf. ;  disch.  Sept.  27, 1804. 
Daniel  E.  Ball,  enl.  Aug.  4, 1802,  Co.  C,  27th  Inf  ; 

disch.  to  re-enl.,  Jan.  1,1804;  died  Oct. 5,1804, 

at  Charleston,  S.  C. 
Joseph  W.Blair,  enl.  Jan.  4,  1864,  Co  C,27thlnf  J 

died  July  15, 18G4,  at  Anders,, nville,  Ga. 
Alvah  B.  Oatuuin,  enl.  Aug.  11,  1862,  Co.  C,  27th 

Inf  ;  disch.  Sept.  27, 1804. 
Henry  W.  Stevens,  enl.  Aug.  11,  IS62,  Co.  C,  27tli 

Inf;   disch.  Sept.  27,  1804. 
Frederick   II.  Wymaii,  enl.  Aug.  11,  1802,  Co.  C, 

27lh  Inf;  trans.  Aug.  14,  1803,  to  Vet.  Kes. 

Corp^. 
Edwin  A.  Pifier,  enl.  April  1,1804, Co.  B,28th  Inf.; 

killed  Jlay  12,  1804,  at  Siwttsylvanin,  Va. 
Myron  Howe,  enl.  Dec.  30,  ISKi,  Co.  D,  34lh  Inf  ; 

trans.  June  14,  1865,  to  24th  Inf 
John  Sullivan,  enl.  May  31,  '64,  Co.  A,  3d  U.  S.  Art. 


HEATH. 


GEOQUAPIIICAL. 

This  town  is  the  third  from  the  west,  bordering  on  Vermont, 
and  has  Coleraine  for  its  eastern  boundary',  while  south  and 
west  are  Charlemont  and  Rowe.  Originally  the  greater  part 
of  Heath  belonged  to  Charlemont,  but,  after  the  Eevohition, 
Col.  Hugh  Maxwell  was  selected,  in  1784,  by  his  neighbors, 
living  on  the  hills  of  Charlemont,  to  attend  the  General 
Court,  at  Boston,  and  procure  the  foi-mation  of  a  new  town. 
His  mission  was  successful,  and  on  the  14th  of  February,  1785, 
Heath  was  incorporated  to  embrace,  besides  the  territory  taken 
from  Charlemont,  all  that  tract  of  land  lying  north  to  the  Ver- 
mont line,  known  as  the  "Green  and  Walker  Grant,"  and 
heretofore  unincorporated.  The  name  was  bestowed  in  com- 
pliment to  Gen.  William  Heath,  of  Koxbury,  who  was  at 
that  time  a  member  of  the  General  Court,  and  active  in  pro- 
moting the  incorporation  of  the  town.  It  was  fully  organized 
the  following  April.  The  surface  is  elevated  and  hilly,  and, 
although  generall}'  tillable,  the  town  is  best  adapted  for 
grazing,  and  dairying  has  for  many  years  been  the  chief  in- 
dustry of  the  people.  The  principal  streams  of  the  town  are 
West  Branch  Brook  and  its  afHuents  in  the  north,  having  a 
general  easterly  course  ;  and  Wilder,  Avery,  and  Mill  Brooks, 
flowing  south.  All  are  small  and  furnish  but  little  water- 
power,  but  their  general  distribution  secures  good  drainage. 

The  town  contained  one  of  the  cordon  of  forts,  erected  in 
1744,  in  the  northern  parts  of  Berkshire  and  Franklin  Coun- 
ties, by  the  province,  for  defense  against  the  Indians.  The 
one  in  Heath  was  named  Fort  Shirle_v,  in  honor  of  the  Gov- 
ernor of  the  province,  and  was  probably  nothing  more  than 
a  well-constructed  stockade.     Some  of  the  timbers  were  pine. 


hewed  to  measure  7  by  15  inches,  and  were  removed  bj'  the 
eiirly  settlers  to  construct  their  barns.  It  is  said  that  some  of 
these  logs  may  yet  be  found  in  a  barn  built  by  David  White, 
and  at  present  owned  by  O.  Maxwell.  The  fort  was  on  a  piece 
of  ground  near  the  brook,  between  the  farms  of  Win.  Ken- 
drick  and  W.  L.  Cook,  and  was  abandoned  before  1754. 

LAND  TITLES  AND  I'lONEER  SETTLERS. 
The  lower  part  of  the  town  was  embraced  in  Charlemont, 
and  was  therefore  subject  to  the  proprietorship  of  that  town  ; 
and  the  names  of  some  of  the  first  landholders  are  given  in 
that  connection.  The  "Green  and  Walker"  tract  was  origi- 
nally owned  by  men  bearing  these  names,  but  was  parceled 
out  in  smaller  lots,  most  of  which  'were  owned  by  people 
residing  outside  the  province,  and  general  settlement  was  not 
made  until  after  1790.  In  the  Charlemont  part  improve- 
ments were  made  as  early  as  1754,  but  no  permanent  settle- 
ment was  established  much  before  1760,  or  about  that  period. 
Jonathan  Taylor,  who  lived  with  his  brother,  Othniel,  in  the 
fort,  in  Charlemont,  after  1754,  located  on  a  tract  of  land  east 
of  the  centre,  on  what  is  now  known  as  the  Elmer  place.  It 
is  said  that  the  level  nature  of  the  land  here  kd  him  to  believe 
that  it  was  a  meadow ;  but  he  found  the  soil  cold  and  unpro- 
ductive. At  first  Mr.  Taylor  lived  in  a  rude  house  of  split 
logs,  roofed  with  hemlock  bark,  and  having  a  stone  chimney 
laid  up  without  mortar.  His  wife  possessed  great  conversa- 
tional powers,  and,  fearing  that  they  would  decay  by  disuse, — 
not  having  any  neighbors  to  converse  with, — exercised  them 
by  talking  to  trees  and  other  objects,  and  thus  preserved  the 
gift  of  which  the  sex  is  so  jealous.     Mr.  Taylor  lived  to  be  an 


HISTORY  OF   FRANKLIN    COUNTY. 


787 


aaed  man.  Of  his  sons  are  remembered  Jonathan,  who  moved 
to  Michigan,  and  Thomas  and  Samuel,  who  became  physi- 
cians and  settled  in  other  localities.  His  daughter,  Sal!}-, 
married  John  Temple,  and  Huldah,  Joseph  White. 

Some  years  before  this  period  of  settlement  Col.  Jonathan 
White,  of  Leominster,  became  one  of  the  proprietors  of  Char- 
lemont,  and  soon  after  Taj'lor's  settlement  his  sons  came  here 
to  live,  locating  in  what  is  now  the  southwestern  part  of 
Heath.  At  the  house  of  the  oldest  of  these,  David  White, 
who  lived  on  the  present  O.  Maxwell  place,  was  held  the  first 
Charlemont  town-meeting,  in  1766.  Two  years  later  Mr. 
W^hite  was  drowned  in  the  Deerlield  Kiver,  leaving  an  only 
daughter.  In  the  neighborhood  also  lived  the  other  sons, 
James  and  Asaph.  The  former  was  better  known  by  the  title 
of  "  Deacon,"  and  died  in  Heath,  May  1,  1824.  His  children 
were  Jonathan,  Kuth,  Esther,  Rebecca,  Pollj',  Clarissa, 
Nabby,  Sally,  James,  and  Gardner. 

Asaph  White  became  a  colonel  of  the  militia,  and  was  best 
known  by  that  title.  He  died  in  Heath,  Sept.  18,  1828.  His 
children  by  his  first  wife  (Lucretia  Bingham)  were  David, 
Joseph,  Asaph,  Jonathan,  James,  and  Lucretia.  Esther  and 
Abigail,  daughters  of  Col.  Jonathan  White,  married  Samuel 
and  Leonard  Taylor,  of  Buckland. 

Col.  White  was  born  at  Lancaster  in  1700,  and  married 
Esther  Wilder  of  that  place  in  1732,  and  in  their  old  age  they 
lived  with  their  sons  in  Heath,  both  dying  in  the  fall  of  1788. 
Col.  White  held  a  commission  in  Gen.  Ruggles'  regiment, 
which  marched  against  Crown  Point  in  17.5.5,  and  was  engaged 
at  the  battle  of  Lake  George.  He  was  an  active  man,  and  his 
enterprise  greatly  promoted  the  early  prosperity  of  the  town. 

In  the  western  part  of  the  town  AVm.  Buck  was  the  first 
settler,  and  a  little  later  the  Thayer  family  located  on  what  is 
now  the  "poor-farm."  Its  descendants  became  very  numer- 
ous, but  most  of  them  removed  years  ago. 

In  1767  the  Rev.  Jonathan  Leavitt,  a  native  of  SuflSeld, 
Conn.,  settled  on  the  present  William  Bassett  place  as  the 
orthodox  minister  of  the  town  of  Charlemont,  and  resided 
here  until  his  death,  Sept.  9,  1802.  He  had  a  family  of  one 
daughter  and  eleven  sons,  named  Clarissa,  Jonathan,  Hart, 
Joshua,  David,  Roger,  Erastus,  Roswell,  Thomas,  Samuel, 
Horatio,  and  Hooker,  all  of  whom  attained  mature  j-ears  and 
became  useful  citizens. 

On  the  16th  of  November,  1772,  Hugh  Maxwell,  who  was 
born  in  Ireland,  April  27,  1733,  came  from  Bedford  and  pur- 
chased a  tract  of  land,  which  is  now  in  part  occupied  by  his 
descendants,  and  on  the  16th  of  the  June  following  he  brought 
his  family,  consisting  of  his  wife  and  six  children,  the  journey 
from  Bedford  occupj'ing  six  days.  Hugh  Maxwell  first  lived 
in  a  small  house,  having  one  room  and  a  closet,  but  his  intel- 
ligence and  enterprise  made  him  a  prominent  man  among  his 
neighbors,  who  frequented  his  little  home  to  discuss  the  start- 
ling condition  of  the  country  which  so  soon  followed  his  set- 
tlement. Soon  after  the  battle  of  Lexington  a  company  of 
Blinute-Men  marched  from  this  part  of  the  county  under  com- 
mand of  Capt.  Oliver  Avery  and  Lieut.  Hugh  Maxwell,  and 
when  the  regular  army  was  organized  many  of  these  enrolled 
themselves  to  form  the  second  company  in  Col.  Prescott's  regi- 
ment. Of  this  Hugh  Maxwell  was  captain  and  Joseph  Steb- 
bins  lieutenant.  At  Bunker  Hill;  Capt.  Maxwell  was  danger- 
ously wounded,  but  served  through  the  war,  and  was  at  Sara- 
toga, Trenton,  Princeton,  and  endured  the  horrors  of  Valley 
Forge.  He  had  the  friendship  of  Washington,  and  was  pro- 
moted to  the  rank  of  lieutenant-colonel.  After  the  war  he 
returned  to  Heath,  and  lived  there  until  the  fall  of  1799,  when 
he  embarked  with  a  cargo  of  horses  for  the  West  Indies,  and 
died  while  at  sea. 

The  children  of  Col.  Maxwell  were  Hannah,  who  married 
Calvin  Rice,  of  Charlemont;  Lilly,  who  married  Alfred 
Jones,  of  Buckland  ;  Dorcas,  who  married  Samuel  Kirkland  ; 
Priscilla,  died  Feb.  7,  18.52;  Hugh,  married  Olive  Newhall,  of 


Conway,  and  lived  on  the  homestead  at  Heath,  which  is  now 
occupied  by  his  son,  William  Monroe,  and  has  never  been  out 
of  the  Maxwell  family ;  Chloe,  who  married  Roger  Leavitt, 
the  father  of  Joshua,  Roger  H.,  and  Hart,  all  well-known 
citizens;  and  Sylvester,  who  was  born  in  Heath  in  1775, 
graduated  at  Yale  in  1797,  studied  law,  and  followed  his  pro- 
fession in  Charlemont  until  his  death,  in  1858.  Two  of  his 
daughters,  Tizah  and  Abigail,  yet  live  in  that  town. 

Benjamin  Maxwell,  a  brother  of  the  colonel,  also  did  ser- 
vice in  the  French-and-Indian  wars,  and  was  a  lieutenant  in 
the  company  of  Minute-Men.  He  lived  in  Heath,  near  his 
brother,  on  the  place  now  owned  by  his  granddaughter,  Mary. 
His  sons  were  Winslow,  Benjamin,  and  Park.  The  latter 
removed  to  Charlemont,  on  the  place  now  owned  by  A.  P. 
Maxwell. 

William  Temple  was  an  early  settler  in  Heath,  living  on 
the  Aaron  Dickinson  place,  where  he  reared  sons  named  Sal- 
mon, Seth,  and  Solomon.  The  former  settled  in  the  northern 
part  of  the  town,  and  had  a  son  named  Tillotson.  Seth  lived 
near  the  homestead,  and  his  sons  were  Seth,  John,  David,  and 
Rufus,  all  of  whom  remained  in  the  town.  The  third  son, 
Solomon,  settled  in  the  southern  part  of  the  town,  on  the 
place  afterward  owned  by  his  son,  Solomon.  Other  sons 
were  Nathaniel,  Richard,  Benjamin,  and  Asa.  David  Temple, 
a  .son  of  Nathaniel,  now  resides  in  the  western  part  of  Heath, 
on  the  farm  first  occupied  by  Deacon  John  Chapin,  also  an 
early  settler.  The  Temples  became,  and  are  yet,  one  of  the 
most  numerous  families  in  the  town. 

Another  large  family,  the  Goulds,  settled  early  in  "  Gould 
Hollow,"  in  Charlemont,  among  the  sons  being  Samuel, 
Isaac,  and  Eli.  The  latter  settled  on  Burnt  Hill,  in  Heath, 
and  two  of  his  sons,  Henry  D.  and  George  G.,  now  live  in 
the  southern  part  of  the  town.  Other  early  prominent  settlers 
were  Reuben  Rugg,  Joshua  Warfield,  Daniel  Spooner,  Thomas 
Harrington,  Willis  Wilder,  William  Hunt,  Peter  Hunt,  Par- 
ley Hunt,  David  Baldwin,  Joseph  Butler,  John  Brown,  Sol- 
omon Gleason,  Silas  Allen,  and,  at  a  later  day,  Luther,  Daniel, 
and  Jesse  Gale.  The  names  of  others  appear  in  the  church 
history.  In  1790  the  town  had  379  inhabitants;  in  1830, 
1199.  In  1837  the  population  had  decreased  to  9-53,  of  which 
16  were  town  paupers.  The  largest  family  was  that  of  Abijah 
Gleason,  which  had  14  members.  The  families  of  Rufus  Bar- 
ker, Solomon  Temple,  John  Temple,  David  Snow,  Horace 
Lawrence,  David  Rugg,  Asahel  Thaj'cr,  Ezra  Lamb,  Phineas 
Baldwin,  Edward  Tucker,  William  Thompson,  David  Gould, 
Squire  Benson,  Luther  Thompson,  Oliver  Kendriek,  Elijah 
Allen,  and  Job  W^arfield  each  had  10  or  more  members. 

CIVIL  GOVERNMENT. 

By  virtue  of  the  authority  reposed  in  Samuel  Taylor,  justice 
of  the  peace  of  Buckland,  he  directed  Asahel  Thayer  to  warn 
the  citizens  of  the  new  town  of  Heath  to  assemble  at  the 
school-house,  near  Solomon  Hayward's,  on  Monday,  March 
21,  1785,  to  hold  their  first  annual  meeting. 

At  the  appointed  time  Hugh  Maxwell  was  chosen  mod- 
erator, and  the  following  oflicers  were  elected  : 

James  White,  Town  Clerk  ;  Hugh  Maxwell,  Asaph  White, 
John  Brown,  Selectmen  and  Assessors  ;  James  White,  Treas- 
urer; William  Buck,  Warden;  Joseph  Butler,  Constable; 
Benjamin  White,  Tithingman;  Jonathan  Thayer,  William 
Buck,  Jr.,  and  Joseph  Butler,  Surveyors  of  Highways  ;  and 
Parley  Hunt  and  Luke  White,  Hog-Reeves. 

.SELECTMEX. 

The  following  have  been  the  selectmen  from  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  town  to  the  present  time : 

1780.— Hugh  JIaxwoll,  Asapli  Wliitc,  John  Brown, 
1787. — Jauies  "White,  I5fnj.iniin  White,  Tliom;is  Haniiiytuli. 
1788. — James  White,  Asal^li  White,  Thomas  Harrington. 
1789.— Beiijainin  Wiiite,  Asaph  White,  William  Buck. 
1700. — Beiyamin  White,  Afaph  White,  Thomas  Harrington. 


788 


HISTORY   OF   THE   CONNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


1791-92.— .laincs  Wliiti',  Iliigli  MiKwcll,  Willis  Wilder. 

l"!);l-94.— liciijiiiiiin  While,  Hu(-li  Jt.i.'iWL-ll,  .liicoli  Cha|)in. 

179.">. — B*'iijinniTi  Wliitc,  Tluiuias  lliiniii^tniiT  .laculi  ('lt;i{iin. 

17tM». — Briijiiiuiii  Wliitis  Tliomna  HiuTiiiytim,  Willium  Buck,  .Ir. 

1797.— lV-iij;iriiiii  Wliitir,  .Vsipli  Wjiile,  .Ii.lin  Bronii. 

17'.>S. — lV-ii.i;uiiiii  Wliitf,  Tliuiuiis  llarrili^t.m,  .lucoli  C^inpiii. 

1709.— Brnjamiii  White.  Thouwxs  Ilariiiigtoii,  William  Hunt. 

lSOO-1. — Bciijmiiiu  White,  Ri.){;er  Leiivilt,  Williuin  lliitit. 

1802. — Btn\iiimiu  White,  Kogur  Leavitt,  Benjiimiii  Btju\well. 

l.SO."J. — Bt-iij;uiiiii  White,  Roger  Leuvitt,  .I:ia>b  Chapiii. 

ISM.— DilvU  White.  RuECr  Lesivitt,  TlluliuiB  llalliligt.JU. 

1805.- l);ivW  White,  William  Hunt,  T1i..iiuls  llunijigt..]i. 

180G.— Bejijiuuiu  White,  William  Hunt,  Eht-nezc-r  Tucker. 

1807. — Bi-iijauiiii  White,  Davitl  White,  liaviil  Ileiiry. 

180S.— Beujauiiu  White,  Koger  Leavitt,  Ephraim  Hastings, 

IJrOO. — Lnthcr  Ciale,  Ilogcr  Loavitt,  Ephiaiui  llaelings. 

lSlO-11.— Thomas  Hanington, Roger  Leavitt,  William  Hunt. 

lSl2-li.— Ephniini  Hastings,  Luther  Gale,  Peter  Ituut. 

1814.— Daviil  White,  William  Hunt.  Jesse  Gale. 

1815.- ISoger  Leavitt,  Beuljeu  Poi  ter,  David  White. 

181G.— Iliigli  Jljixwell,  Luther  tide,  Ephraim  Hastings. 

1817.— Sulomou  Gleason,  Luther  Gale,  David  W'hitc. 

1818.— Aiu-on  Brown,  Daniel  Rugg,  Winslow  3Ia.\\vell. 

1819.— Luther  lide,  David  Henry,  Winsluvt  Ma.\well. 

1820. — Roger  Leavitt,  Aarou  Brown,  David  Thayer. 

1821. — Lulher  Gale,  .\aron  Bri>wn,  Ephraim  Hastings. 

1822. — Daniel  Gale,  Aaron  Bi-owii,  Benjantin  Maxwell. 

1825. — Daniel  Gale,  .Samuel  Hiistings,  Benjamin  MaxwelL 

1824. — Roger  Leavitt,  Ephraim  IListinga,  David  Rugg. 

182i>. — Luther  Gale,  Ephraim  Hastings,  Joseph  W.  Hunt. 

182G.— David  Rugg,  Sullivan  Tiift,  Jeiseidi  W.  Hunt. 

1827. — Benjamin  Maxwell,  -Sullivan  T;ilt,  Timothy  B.  HaiTingtjn. 

1828.— Joseph  W.  Hunt,  Luttier  title,  Enos  .\dam,s. 

1829. — David  Temple,  Roger  II.  Leavitt,  Asa  Kendrick. 

1830. — Benjaiuiu  Miixwell,  Daniel  Gale,  Peter  Hunt. 

1831. — Benjamin  Ma.\well,  Daniel  Gale,  George  Eiiton. 

1832.— Joseph  W.  Hunt,  Luther  Gale,  Roger  H.  Leavitt. 

183:1. — Benjamin  MjLxwell,  Winslow  Buck,  Roger  H   Leavitt. 

1834. — B*.'njaniiu  Maxwell,  Winslow  Buck,  George  Eiiton. 

183o. — Joseph  W.  Hunt,  John  Henry,  tleorge  Eaton. 

1830.- Joseph  W.  Hunt,  Luther  Gale,  John  Temple. 

1837.— Winslow  Buck,  David  Gould,  William  Gleason. 

1838.— Winslow  Buck,  Josei>h  W.  Hunt,  Blward  Tucker. 

1839.— Rodolphus  White,  Josejih  W.  Hunt,  Edward  Tucker. 

1840. — Joseph  Ghapiit,  David  Rugg,  John  Henry. 

1841.— Edward  Tucker,  Hart  Leavitt,  David  While. 

1842.— Eilward  Tucker,  Hart  Leavitt,  Joseph  W.  Hunt. 

1843. — ^Benjamin  StaxwelU  .\aron  Smith,  Jr.,  David  Temple. 

1844.- David  Temple,  Edw.irU  Tucker,  Jcseph  W.  Hunt. 

184.^j. — Hart  Leavitt,  Presbury  Hillman,  Joseph  W.  Hunt. 

1846. — Ahijah  Gleason,  Aaron  Smith,  Joseph  W.  Hunt. 

1847.— David  A.  D;rlrymple,  David  Temple,  Hart  Leavitt. 

1848. — .Joseph  W.  Hunt,  John  Henry,  Hart  Brown. 

1849. — David  Temple,  William  Gleason,  Halt  Brown. 

I860.— David  Temide,  David  Rugg,  R.  M.  Wilsiui. 

1851.— Joseph  W.  Hunt.  Edward  Tucker,  Davi.l  Gould. 

1852.— David  Temjile,  William  Ruwett,  John  Reed. 

1853.— Benjamin  A.  Farnswortli.  David  Gould,  Joseph  P.  White. 

1854.— Joseph  W.  Haul.  John  Reed,  .lohn  Burrington. 

1855.— Joseph  W.  Hunt,  David  Temple,  John  Burrington. 

1856.— Joseph  W.  Hunt,  .\rad  Hall,  William  Biissett. 

1857.— John  Reed,  Arad  Hall,  David  Temple. 

1858.— Joseph  Bohldns,  William  Rassett,  George  C.  Gale. 

1859. — Arad  H.all,  John  Henry,  John  Burrington. 

1860. — Horace  McGee,  John  Henry,  David  Temple. 

1801.— Ai-ail  Hall,  John  Henry,  Joseph  Robbins. 

18G2. — David  Temple,  Horace  McGee,  David  M.  Sprague. 

1863.— David  Temple.  Cyrus  Temple,  John  Reeil. 

1864.— E,  P.  Thompson,  John  Henry,  H.  L.  Warfleld. 

1866.— E.  P.  Thompson,  Arad  Hall,  William  S.  Gleason. 

1866-67.— David  Temple,  John  Reed,  Cyrus  Temple. 

1868.- Hugh  Maxwell,  John  Reeil,  Daniel  Gale. 

1809.— Hugh  Maxwell,  John  Reed,  Samuel  K.  Gleasi>n. 

1870-71. — Orsamus  Maxwell,  John  Reed,  E.  M.  Vincent. 

1872. — Orsamus  Maxwell,  John  Reed,  Horace  McGee. 

1873.— William  S.  Gleason,  Isaac  W.  Stetson,  Daniel  Gale. 

1874.— William  S.  Gleason,  John  Reed,  E.  M.  Vincent. 

1875. — William  S.  Gleason,  Jonathan  Peterson,  William  K.  Hunt. 

1870.— David  Temple,  Hugh  Maxwell,  Edward  M.  Vincent. 

1877. — John  Reed,  Hugh  Maxwell,  Jonathan  Peterson. 

1878. — John  Reed,  William  S.  Gleason,  Albert  J.  Burrington. 

TOWN    CLERKS. 

1786-93,  James  White ;  1794,  Daniel  Spooner  ;  1796-99,  Hugh  Maxwell ;  1800- 

25,  Thomas  Harrington;  1826-35,  Winslow  Maxwell;  1836-41,  John  Hastings, 

Jr.;  1842-49,  Lysander- M.  Ward  ;  1850,  Benjamin  F.  Coolidge;   1851-52,  Aaron 

Dickin.wn;    1853-54,  Cyrus   Temple;    1855-59,  Aaron   Smith;   1860-05,  Aaron 


Dicklnsju;  1806-67,  Cyrus  Temple;  1868-71,  Ephraim  Scott;  1872-78,  Amos 
Temple. 

THE   TOWN    RECORD.S 
cont;iiii   much   interesting  matter,  from   which  excerpts  litivo 
been  made  as  follows  : 

May  17,  1785. — "  Voted  to  raise  £20  for  preiudiing,  and  that  Lieuts.  Maxwell, 
White,  and  Gould  be  chosen  a  committee  to  secure  the  same." 

Dec.  lyth,  the  following  iu:counts  were  audited  : 

f     f.  a. 

Col.  Maxwell 0     16    0 

Reuben  Rugg 110 

Jonathan  Thaver 18    8 

A.saph  W'hite.'. 6    0 

John  Brown 0    0 

Wm.  Buck 12      8    1 

Asaph  White,  for  services  performed  before  the  town  was  incorporated,  £20 
13«.  Id. 

Dec.  18, 1786. — Asaph  White,  Asahel  Thayer,  Jonathan  Taylor,  Benjamin  Max- 
well, and  Wm.  Buck  were  chosen  a  committee  to  select  a  site  for  the  meeting- 
house. 

1787. — '*  Voted  to  give  Lieut.  B.  Maxwell  850  for  one  acre  of  land,  to  set  the 
meeting-honse  on."  "  Voteil  to  raise  the  sum  of  £.7>0  to  jiay  for  moving  the  meet- 
ing-house." 

In  1788,  Lieut.  Benj.  Maxwell  and  Seth  Temple  were  ap- 
pointed a  committee  to  act  in  behalf  of  the  town  in  a  suit 
brought  against  it  by  Rev.  Jonathan  Leavitt. 

October  28th,  Mr.  Leavitt  made  this  proposition : 

"  Gentlemen, — If  you  will  cease  rating  me  agreeable  to  the  vote  of  .\pril  14, 
1785,  and  give  me  an  order  for  what  1  am  rateil  in  two  assessments,  not  collected, 
contrary  to  the  above-mentioned  vote,  I  will  settle  the  execution  I  now  have 
against  you  in  the  following  manner,  viz.:  in  good  beef  cattle  (bulls  and  stjigs 
excepted)  delivered  at  my  mansion  house  in  this  town,  £9,  at  fifteen  shillings  per 
hundred  weight  to  be  paid  down,  and  the  remainder,  with  interest,  on  the  20th 
day  of  Oct.  next,  at  seventeen  shillings  per  hundred  weight,  the  whole  esti- 
mated on  the  foot  by  indifferent  men." 

Capt.  Asaph  White,  Benjamin  Maxwell,  and  Thomas  Har- 
rington were  appointed  to  settle  on  the  above  terras. 

May  17,  1790,  the  town  settled  the  Rev.  Joseph  Strong  as 
its  minister,  at  a  salary  of  £120,  in  cash  or  in  produce,  at  the 
following  prices :  pork  at  6.«.  per  score,  beef  at  1.5.s.  per  hun- 
dred weight,  wheat  at  4x.  per  bushel,  rye  at  3.s-.,  and  Indian 
corn  at  2.<.  Gil. 

In  1792  thirtj'-six  families  were  warned  to  depart  from  the 
town  because  they  did  not  have  proper  license  to  remain  and 
become  citizens. 

In  1800  a  company  muster  was  held  in  town,  at  which 
Ens.  Isaac  Chapin  furnished  two  barrels  of  cider  at  the  expense 
of  Heath.  "  Likewise,  voted  to  pay  Capt.  Benjamin  White 
for  carrying  the  same  and  the  baggage  of  the  company." 

In  1808  the  town  sold  its  paupers  to  the  lowest  bidders,  at 
tibout  5«.  ill.  per  week. 

July  7,  1812,  a  public  meeting  was  held  to  consider  the  state 
of  the  country,  and  give  expression  to  the  sense  of  the  town 
regarding  the  same.  Col.  Roger  Leavitt  was  appointed  mod- 
erator, and  Luther  Gale,  Ephraim  Hastings,  and  Medad  Dick- 
inson a  committee  to  prepare  a  memorial  to  lay  before  the 
meeting.  The  report  was  accepted  by  a  vote  of  114  yeas  and 
3  nays.  The  first  resolution  recites,  "That  it  is  the  sense  of 
this  meeting  that  the  declaration  of  war  by  the  Congress  of 
the  United  States  against  Great  Britain  was  unnecessary,  im- 
politic, and  ruinous,  and  that  it  was  not  demanded  either  by 
the  honor  or  the  interests  of  the  nation."  A  further  resolu- 
tion tidvised  Congress  "to  wheel  to  the  right,"  and  not  favor 
France,  to  the  disadvantage  of  other  powers. 

In  1835  the  sum  of  §300  was  voted,  and  the  proceeds  arising 
from  the  sale  of  the  old  church  appropriated  to  erect  a  town- 
hall,  under  the  direction  of  Aaron  Brow'n,  Asa  Kendrick, 
Elijah  Allen,  Winslow  Buck,  and  Lulher  Thompson,  as  a 
building  committee.  This  house  was  repaired  in  1808,  and 
is  yet  used  for  its  intended  purpose.  It  is  located  at  Heath 
hamlet. 

Aid  to  volunteers  and  drafted  men  was  voted  from  time 
to  time,  and  at  the  March  meeting  in  18G3,  §600  was  appro- 
priated for  the  benefit  of  the  families  of  the  soldiers  of  the 
Union  serving  from  the  town.     In  1878  the  affairs  of  the  town 


I 


HISTORY  OF   FRANKLIN  COUNTY. 


789 


were  reported  in  a  healthy  condition,  there  heing  no  public 
debt,  and  the  town  owned  a  good  hull  and  a  well-ordered  poor- 
farm.  The  latter  is  situated  in  the  southwestern  part  of  Heath, 
contains  about  150  acres,  and  was  secured  in  1852,  at  a  cost  of 
$2475.     The  cost  of  maintuining  the  town's  poor  in  1878  was 

$042. 

PUBLIC    RO.\DS. 

As  early  as  1754  a  road  was  located  up  the  hill  to  the  old 
meeting-house  from  Charlemont.  In  1765  it  was  extended  to 
the  centre  of  the  town,  and  a  road  built  east  to  Jonathan  Tay- 
lor's. At  the  March  meeting  in  1785,  £20  was  voted  to  be 
expended  in  the  improvement  of  the  roads,  "  labor  to  be  paid 
at  the  rate  of  4*.  per  day,  and  that  a  yoke  of  oxen  shall  be 
half  the  price  of  a  man." 

"  Voted  tu  accept  the  road  from  Isaac  Gould's  to  Mr.  Whelock's  mill,  as  it  was 
laid  out  by  the  seleetuien  of  Chark-nuint ;  also  the  road  from  Josiah  Davidson's 
to  George  Keniian's  as  far  as  the  south  Hue  of  Heath." 

In  178C  the  road  from  Heath  to  Rowo  was  located,  and  nine 
years  later  the  road  to  Hartwell's  mill.  In  1795  boys  under 
the  age  of  sixteen  were  not  to  be  permitted  to  worlc  on  the 
roads,  and,  in  1799,  §-525  were  voted  to  place  the  highways  in 
repair. 

In  1858  the  town  subscribed  §7200  to  the  capital  stock  of 
the  projected  road  from  Troy  to  Boston  on  conditions  which 
voided  the  subscription.  Shelburne  Falls,  distant  seven  miles, 
is  the  principal  railway  point  of  the  town. 

A  yearly  appropriation  of  about  §.500  places  the  roads  of  the 
town  in  a  passable  condition,  and  in  1878  they  were  under  the 
direction  of  fourteen  surveyors. 

CE.METERIES. 
The  first  burying-ground  was  opened  in  the  southern  part 
of  the  town,  on  land  donated  by  Col.  Hugh  Maxwell,  in  1791, 
and,  in  1798,  Hugh  Maxwell,  Jr.,  Roger  Leavitt,  and  James 
White  were  appointed  a  committee  to  inclose  this  ground. 
The  same  year  an  acre  of  ground  was  purchased  of  Benjamin 
Maxwell,  near  Joseph  Wilder's  place,  north  of  the  centre  of 
the  town,  for  the  second  burial-place.  At  a  later  period  the 
third  cemetery  was  established,  in  the  northern  part  of  the  town. 
In  these  grounds  are  interred  manj*  of  the  town's  respected 
dead,  and  their  graves  are  marked  by  fine  and  appropriate 
monuments. 

THE  MANUFACTURIXG  IXTERESTS 
of  the  town  have  been  few  and  comparatively  unimportant. 
On  Avery  Brook,  Ephraim  Hastings  built  a  small  grist-mill, 
about  1800,  which  was  operated  by  Thomas  White.  After  a 
number  of  j'ears  the  mill  was  abandoned,  but  the  single  run 
of  stones  with  which  it  was  supplied  still  lie  in  this  locality. 
On  the  same  stream,  at  a  later  period,  Col.  David  Snow  had  a 
saw-mill,  which  became  the  property  of  the  Temples. 

At  the  hamlet  Enos  Adams  put  a  tannery  in  operation  about 
1820,  which  was  afterward  conducted  by  Rufus  and  Samuel 
Barber.  On  the  North  Branch  and  its  affluents  saw-mills  have 
been  operated  by  the  Flaggs  and  others.  Near  w'here  Dwight 
Hitchcock's  saw-mill  now  is  Richard  Temple  built  a  saw-mill 
soon  after  1800, — the  first  in  those  parts.  Farther  up  this  stream 
was  a  small  mill,  operated  by  Asahel  Hawks  and  Samuel 
Haines.  Near  where  Henry  Fairbank's  mill  is  Joel  Rugg 
had  a  small  tannery  ;  and,  about  1840,  Seymour  Benson  had  a 
tannery  in  that  part  of  the  town,  which  contained  20  vats. 
Afterward  chairs  were  made  there  by  L.  M.  Ward  &  Co. 

On  Mill  Brook,  at  Holland  Dell,  a  grist-mill  was  put  up 
about  1800,  by  Ephraim  Hastings,  which  was  afterward  oper- 
ated by  Calvin  G.  Coates.  Here  his  son,  Charles  P.  Coates, 
now  operates  a  mill,  having  two  runs  of  stone  and  a  fair 
grinding  capacity.  On  a  water-power  a  short  distance  below 
David  Snow  had  a  saw-mill,  on  the  site  of  the  present  Wm. 
O.  Bent  mill.  At  the  upper  power  Hugh  Maxwell  had  a 
carding-machine,  about  1830,  which  was  operated  as  long  as 
there  was  a  demand  for  such  an  industry.     The  power  is  now 


employed  to  operate  a  feed-  and  cider-mill,  owned  by  F.  E. 
Benson. 

Besides  the  cluster  of  houses  around  the  mills  at  Holland 
Dell,  the  only  hamlet  in  the  town  is 


or,  as  it  is  locallj-  known,  Middle  Heath.  Here  have  centred 
the  principal  interests  of  the  town  aside  from  those  named. 
The  place  contains  Congregational,  Methodist,  and  Baptist 
Churches,  the  town-hall,  a  store  and  post-otfice,  which  are 
built  round  a  common,  and  about  twenty  buildings,  built 
in  a  straggling  manner  along  the  cross  streets. 

Stores  have  been  kept  at  the  hamlet  by  a  man  named  Shep- 
ard,  David  Thayer,  Ephraim  Smith,  Obadiah  Dickinson  and 
John  Hastings,  Lysander  M.  Ward,  John  Drury,  Frank 
Coolidge,  Augustus  Smith,  Daniel  Rugg,  Elijah  Carpenter, 
Cyrus  Temple,  and  Horace  G.  McGee.  In  the  building  now 
owned  by  John  Burrington  as  a  dwelling  Winslow  Buck  had 
a  store.  In  the  northern  part  of  the  town  a  man  named 
Thompson  had  a  store  after  1820. 

In  the  old  red  house  at  the  hamlet,  taverns  were  kept  by 
Shepard,  Thompson  Smith,  David  Thayer,  and  Augustus 
Smith.  For  many  years  past  the  town  has  been  without  a 
public-house. 

The  Heath  post-office  was  established  after  1820,  and  was 
first  kept  by  Sylvanus  Maxwell,  in  a  building  nearly  opposite 
the  Baptist  meeting-house.  Usually  the  merchants  of  the 
place  have  also  been  the  postmasters.  Hugh  Maxwell  is  the 
present  official.  Three  mails  per  week  are  supplied  from 
Shelburne  Falls. 

THE    PKOFESSIOXS. 

The  first  physician  was  Joseph  Lathrop,  who  was  in  prac- 
tice as  early  as  1780.  Three  years  later  Dr.  Stephen  Bates 
established  himself  in  practice  ;  and  from  1799  until  after 
1805,  Dr.  Benjamin  Dickinson  lived  in  the  town.  After  1800, 
Dr.  Elijah  Heaton  commenced  a  practice,  which  was  termi- 
nated by  his  removal  before  1807.  A  year  before,  Dr.  Joseph 
Emerson  located  in  town,  and  followed  his  profession  until  hi.s 
death,  in  1842,  which  occurred  just  as  he  was  about  to  visit  a 
patient.  Before  this  period,  Dr.  George  Hill  was  in  practice 
a  short  time.  After  1830,  Drs.  Simeon  Strong,  Samuel  Reed, 
and  Ashman  H.  Taylor  were  practitioners.  One  of  the  latter's 
students  was  Dr.  Cyrus  Temple,  who  also  followed  his  pro- 
fession about  a  dozen  years  prior  to  1807.  Since  that  date 
Dr.  Frederick  Temple  has  resided  here,  although  not  regu- 
larly in  practice. 

The  physicians  of  Heath  have  been  Jonas  Brown,  Ebenczer 
Tucker,  Reuben  Nims,  Henry  Maxwell,  Harrington  Brown, 
Thomas  Taylor,  Samuel  Taylor,  Joseph  E.  Fisk,  David  Allen, 
Roswell  Leavitt,  Thomas  Leavitt,  Horace  Smith,  Loren  Allen, 
Roswell  Trask,  Cyrus  K.  Fisk,  J.  G.  Holland,  Jonathan 
Temple,  Cyrus  Temple,  Theron  Temple,  Frederick  Temple, 
Hiram  Temple,  Francis  J.  Caneday,  Ora  Lamb,  and  David 
Kinsman. 

The  lawyers  from  this  town  have  been  Hon.  Jonathan  Lea- 
vitt, judge  of  the  Supreme  Court,  Sylvester  :Maxwell,  Hooker 
Leavitt,  Joshua  Leavitt,  Henry  Temple,  John  M.  Emerson, 
and  John  Thompson.  Joshua  Leavitt  had  an  office  for  the 
practice  of  law  at  the  hamlet  a  short  time.  He  is  better  known 
as  an  editor  of  the  New  York  Independent.  Other  well-known 
editors  from  the  town  have  been  S.  T.  Allen  and  J.  G.  Hol- 
land. Another  native,  Thomas  S.  Jlillcr,  became  a  tutor  in 
Amherst  College,  and  Wm.  W.  Snow  a  member  of  Congress. 

PUBLIC    SCHOOLS. 
At  the  organization  of  the  town  there  was  a  school-house  in 
the  southern  part,  known  as  Hayward's,  on  which  was  yet  rest- 
ing a  considerable  debt.     Dec.  19,  1785,  a  meeting  was  held  to 
consider  school  measures,  when  it  was  voted  to  pay  the  old 
I    house  debt  and  build  a  new  house  near  the  centre  of  the  town. 


790 


HISTORY   OF  THE   CONNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


The  following  year  "£20  was  voted  for  schooling,  £7  is.  of 
which  shall  be  laid  out  for  summer  schools,  half  each  to  the 
north  and  the  south  schools."  Asaph  White,  Asahcl  Thayer, 
and  Joseph  Uutler  were  appointed  a  school  committee. 

In  1787,  "  j£20  was  voted  for  scliools,  enough  of  which  shall 
be  devoted  for  reading-schools,  and  the  balance  for  writing- 
schools."  In  1789,  "  £1  is.  voted  for  a  school  in  the  east  end 
of  the  town,  if  the  people  desire  it."  It  appears  that  no 
school  was  establi.shed  there  until  the  summer  of  1791,  and  the 
privilege  was  given  the  Taylor,  Allen,  Davidson,  and  Thayer 
families  to  send  to  the  centre  school  in  the  winter.  In  1793 
the  town  was  divided  into  four  districts.  In  179-5,  £9  was 
voted  to  hire  a  singing-teacher,  and  Deacon  John  Brown  was 
appointed  to  .secure  his  services.  "The  singing-master  and 
the  selectmen  were  to  appoint  a  plan  for  the  school,  and  agree 
upon  such  rules  and  regulations  as  shall  be  decent  and  proper." 
An  appropriation  of  |166.G6  was  made  for  schools,  and  Hugh 
Maxwell,  Peter  Hunt,  Jcmah  Thayer,  and  Seth  Hunt  were  to 
provide  instruction,  each  in  his  own  district,  and  superintend 
the  schools. 

In  1878  the  school  committee,  composed  of  Amos  Temple, 
William  Bassett,  Charles  P.  Coates,  Daniel  Gale,  and  Jona- 
than Peterson,  reported  that  eight  schools,  of  two  terms  each, 
had  been  taught  that  year ;  that  the  number  of  children  of 
school-age  was  108;  and  that  for  the  maintenance  of  these 
schools  §1144.50  was  expended  ;  and  that  most  of  the  school 
buildings  were  in  a  good  state  of  repair. 

RELIGIOUS  SOCIETIES. 
The  people  of  the  town  were  formerly  connected  with  the 
churcli  of  Charlemont,  and  the  first  meeting-house  of  that 
town  was  erected  in  what  is  now  the  southern  part  of  Heath. 
Here  they  had  the  ministerial  labors  of  the  Rev.  Jonathan 
Leavitt,  tirst  as  pastor  of  the  old  church,  and  later  as  an  oc- 
casional preacher,  Mr.  Leavitt  being  a  resident  of  the  town. 
After  it  was  determined  to  form  a  new  town,  Jonathan  Leavitt, 
Hugh  Maxwell,  Asaph  White,  Nathan  Gould,  and  Roger 
White  were  appointed  to  memorialize  the  Charlemont  church 
for  liberty  to  form  a  new  church.  This  favor  was  granted, 
and  on  the  l.jth  of  April,  178.3,  was  duly  organized 

THE    CHURCH   OF   CHRIST    IN    HEATH. 

The  covenant  and  articles  of  faith  were  signed  by  Jonathan 
Leavitt,  Samuel  Hunt,  Samuel  Gould,  Hugh  Maxwell,  John 
Brown,  Valentine  Harris,  Asahel  Thayer,  Eli  Gould,  Josiah 
Davidson,  Asaph  White,  Joseph  Butler,  Benjamin  White, 
Jonathan  Thayer,  Seth  Lathrop,  Isaac  Gould,  Durand  Bates, 
William  Buck,  J.  Hart  Leavitt,  Joshua  Leavitt,  Sarah  Lea- 
vitt, Eunice  Hunt,  Priscilla  Maxwell,  Sarah  Gould,  Esther 
Thayer,  Lydia  Gould,  Lucy  Brown,  Abigail  White,  Agnes 
Thayer,  Elizabeth  Butler,  Elizabeth  Rugg,  Olive  Gould, 
Clarissa  Leavitt,  Lilly  Maxwell,  and  Abigail  Ballard.  It  is 
said  that  the  foregoing  constituted  all  the  families  but  one  at 
that  time  in  town. 

Meantime,  the  meetings  were  held  in  the  old  church,  which, 
as  will  be  seen  by  reference  to  the  town  records,  was  moved  to 
Heath  Centre  in  1789  and  fully  completed  in  1790,  under  the 
direction  of  Col.  Asaph  White,  John  Brown,  Daniel  Spooner, 
Hugh  Maxwell,  and  Jonathan  Thayer.  These  were  instructed 
by  the  town  "  to  set  eighteen  pews  adjoining  the  walls  below, 
and  eight  in  the  body,  with  three  seats  in  front ;  in  the  gallery, 
one  pew  over  each  stairway,  and  twelve  against  the  walls, 
with  two  seats  in  front,  the  whole  to  be  laid  out  with  the 
greatest  conveniency." 

These  pews  were  sold  to  the  highest  bidders  by  Willis  Wil- 
der, Thomas  Harrington,  and  Asahel  Thayer,  and  the  choice 
was  secured  by  the  Rev.  Jonathan  Leavitt  for  £8  Gs.,  who  se- 
lected No.  9.  The  other  pews  were  owned  as  follows  :  No.  1, 
the  minister  ;  2,  Asahel  Thayer  ;  3,  Peter  Hunt ;  4,  Jonathan 
Taylor;    5,    Josiah    Davidson;    0,    David    Baldwin,    Thomas 


Harrington  ;  7,  Silas  Thayer  ;  8,  Stephen  Bates  ;  10,  Jonathan 
Leavitt;  11,  Willis  Wilder  ;  12,  Parley  Hunt ;  13,  Benjamin 
White;  14,  Hugh  Maxwell;  1.5,  Luke  White;  IG,  Joseph 
Butler;  17,  Hugh  Maxwell;  18,  William  Buck;  19,  Isaac 
Gould  ;  20,  Benjamin  Maxwell  ;  21,  Isaac  Chapin  ;  22,  James 
White;  23,  Daniel  Spooner;  24,  Silas  Allen;  26,  Jacob 
Chapin.  Gallery:  No.  4,  Solomon  Hay  ward  ;  C,  Artenjas 
Thayer;  8,  John  Buck;  12,  Solomon  Gleason  ;  14,  Ezra 
Gleason.  This  house  of  worship  was  used  until  1833,  when 
the  present  edifice  was  erected,  almost  directly  north  of  the 
old  church.  It  has  lately  been  remodeled,  and  now  presents 
an  attractive  and  inviting  appearance. 

The  original  menibership  of  the  church  was  soon  and  fre- 
quently increased  by  revivals.  In  1792,  78  were  added,  and 
at  other  periods  from  40  to  GO,  so  that  in  1832  the  church  had 
31G  members, — .said  to  be  a  greater  number  than  any  other 
church  in  the  count}'.  The  Sunday-school  of  this  period  is 
said  to  have  been  the  largest  in  the  church  outside  of  Boston, 
having  had  more  than  500  members.  But  various  causes  re- 
duced this  grand  membership  of  the  church  and  the  school, 
and  in  the  light  of  the  former  prosperity  their  jiresent  condi- 
tion appears  insignificant.  In  1878  the  church  had  but  28 
members,  and  the  Sunday-school  only  40.  This  change  has 
been  brought  about  chiefly  by  removals,  although  disaft'ection 
among  the  members  and  the  formation  of  other  societies  have 
aided  materially.  In  1844  a  number  felt  dissatisfied  with  the 
settlement  of  the  Rev.  Josiah  Fisher,  and  withdrew  to  form  a 
new  church.  Two  years  later  most  of  them  returned  to  the 
old  church,  having  been  supplied  with  preaching  b}'  the  Rev. 
Salmon  Bennett  meanwhile,  but  the  church  never  afterward 
attained  its  former  harmonious  and  prospero\is  condition. 

The  first  deacons  of  the  church  were  Hugh  Maxwell  and 
John  Brown.  The'  subsequent  deacons  have  been  James 
White,  Medad  Dickinson,  Jonathan  Thaj'er,  Jacob  Chapin, 
Samuel  Hastings,  Ephraim  Smith,  David  Rugg,  Moses  Smith, 
David  White,  Aaron  Dickinson,  Joel  Rugg,  Hart  Brown, 
and  W.  H.  Hunt,  the  latter  being  the  present  deacon. 

The  Rev.  Joseph  Strong  was  settled  as  the  first  pastor  of 
the  church  Oct.  27,  1790,  and  was  dismissed  June  10,  1803. 
He  graduated  from  Yale  in  1784,  and  died  at  the  house  of  his 
son.  Prof.  Theodore  Strong,  at  Clinton,  N.  Y.,  Dec.  19,  1823, 
aged  sixty-eight  years. 

The  second  pastor,  the  Rev.  Moses  Miller,  was  installed 
Dec.  2G,  1804,  and  remained  with  the  church  thirty-five 
years,  his  ministry  being  terminated  April  21,  1840.  He  was 
born  in  Worcester,  Nov.  23,  1776,  and  graduated  at  Brown 
Universitj'  in  1800.  During  the  last  few  years  of  his  pastor- 
ate he  was  assisted  by  the  Rev.  Calvin  Butler,  whose  connec- 
tion with  the  church  ended  March  17,  1840.  He  was  a  native 
of  Pelham,  and  graduated  at  Dartmouth. 

The  Rev.  Samuel  M.  Emerson  was  ordained  the  fourth  pas- 
tor, Sept.  16,  1840,  and  died  at  Heath,  July  20,  1841,  aged 
fifty-five  years.  He  was  born  in  Conwa}',  Nov.  17,  1785, 
graduated  from  W'illiams  College  in  1810,  and  ordained  to 
the  ministry  in  1815.  "  He  was  an  active  and  faithful  pastor, 
a  disinterested  man,  a  devoted  Christian." 

The  fifth  pastor,  the  Rev.  Josiah  Fisher,  was  settled  Sept. 
7,  1842,  and  dismissed  Aug.  27,  1845.  He  graduated  from 
Bowdoin  College,  Maine,  in  1828,  and  was  licensed  to  preach 
at  Boston,  April  20,  1831. 

The  Rev.  Alpheus  Graves  became  the  sixth  pastor,  June  18, 
1851,  and  continued  that  relation  until  September,  1854.  His 
immediate  successor  was  the  Rev.  E.  B  Emerson,  who  was 
installed  Jan.  24,  18-55,  and  resigned  Nov.  26,  1857.  Then 
followed  the  Revs.  William  P.  Aleott,  Eli  Moody,  William 
F.  Avery,  B.  B.  Cutler,  D.  P.  Noyes,  and  others,  as  acting 
pastors  or  supplies.  The  present  acting  pastor,  the  Rev.  J.  C. 
Edgar,  was  ordained  June  14,  187-5.  He  graduated  at  Oxford, 
England,  in  1864,  and  from  the  seminary  at  Bangor,  Me.,  in 
1875. 


I 


HISTORY  OF   FRANKLIN   COUNTY. 


791 


In  the  history  of  the  church,  the  'Revs.  Ebenczer  Tucker, 
A.  A.  Gaylord,  Dana  Grosell,  and  Zolva  Whitmore  also 
served  as  supplies. 

The  Congregational  mini.sters  natives  of  Heath  have  been 
as  follows:  Rev.  Stephen  T.  Allen,  born  in  Heath  in  1809, 
graduated  at  Amherst  in  1833,  and  at  Andover  in  1837.  He 
became  an  editor  of  household  literature  in  New  York.  Kev. 
Joshua  Leavitt,  born  in  Heath,  Sept.  8,  1794,  graduated  at 
Yale  in  1814,  studied  law,  hut  became  a  minister  in  1823,  and 
is  better  known  as  editor  of  the  Independent.  Kev.  Lowell 
Smith,  born  in  Heath,  Nov.  27,  1802.  He  graduated  at  Wil- 
liams in  1829,  and  was  ordained  a  missionary  to  the  Sandwich 
Islands  at  Heath,  Sept.  20,  1832.  Rev.  David  H.  Thayer,  born 
in  Heath,  May  21,  182").  He  graduated  at  Union  in  1849, 
and  studied  theology  at  New  Haven.  Rev.  John  C.  Thomp- 
son, born  in  Heath,  Sept.  27,  1804.  He  graduated  at  Amherst 
in  1829,  and  was  licen,sed  to  preach  in  183.5.  Rev.  Cornelius 
E.  Dickinson,  born  in  Heath  in  183-3.  He  graduated  at  Am- 
herst in  1860.  Rev.  Samuel  P.  Dickinson,  born  in  town  in 
1839,  and  studied  at  Ann  Arbor,  Mich.  Rev.  George  L.  Dick- 
inson, born  in  Heath  in  August,  1840,  and  studied  theology 
at  Andover  and  Bangor. 

THE  HEATH  BAPTIST  CHURCH 
was  organized  Sept.  9,  1801,  but  the  record  of  its  history  has 
been  so  imperfectly  kept  that  no  satisfactory  account  can  be 
here  given.  Among  the  early  members  were  Stephen  Barker, 
Vernon  Gleason,  Sampson  Spaulding,  David  Eddy,  Joseph 
Barker,  Moses  Eldred,  Aaron  Gleason,  David  Streeter,  Daniel 
Lyon,  Isaac  Chapin,  John  Pease,  John  Barber,  Frasier  Max- 
well, Alexander  P.  Maxwell,  Stephen  Gerry,  Joshua  AVarner, 
Cassius  Harrington,  Ebenezcr  Eddy,  James  Bond,  John  Bar- 
ber, Asa  Marsh,  Thompson  Smith,  Jesse  Gale,  David  Lake, 
and  Isaac  Davis.  In  18.30  the  church  had  100  members,  but 
they  constantly  decreased  until  but  half  a  dozen  are  left,  and 
tlie  organization  is  no  longer  strictly  kefrt  up.  The  meeting- 
house was  erected  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  town,  on  the  farm 
of  William  Eisk  (at  present  owned  by  Fred.  Tanner),  but 
was  moved  to  the  hamlet  of  Heath  years  ago,  and  now  stands 
there  in  a  dilapidated  condition,  and  lately  has  been  altogether 
unoccupied. 

Among  the  clergy  who  have  served  this  church  are  remem- 
bered the  Revs.  Bemus,  Montague,  Long,  Smith,  Hibbard, 
Carpenter,  Barker,  Wetherill,  Bruce,  Davenport,  Wilson, 
Hall,  Lamb,  Austin,  Robinson,  Nelson,  Branch,  McCulloch, 
Case,  Howe,  Eisk,  Chandler,  Frary,  Remington,  Stearns, 
Lamb,  Chapman,  Converse,  Ball,  Pease,  and  Smith  in  1873. 
The  Rev.  George  Benton,  a  Baptist  minister,  was  a  native  of 
Heath. 

In  182.5  the  Unitarians  organized  a  society,  and  for  a  short 
time  had  preaching  by  the  Revs.  Bailey,  Huntington,  Colman, 
Field,  and  Willard.  The  organization  never  was  strong,  and 
long  since  became  extinct. 

THE    HEATH    METHODIST    EPISCOPAL    CHURCH 

was  formally  organized  by  the  Rev.  Moses  Spencer,  at  that 
time  serving  Rowe  and  Heath  Circuit,  April  14,  1859.  Samuel 
Brown  was  the  leader  of  the  class.  The  stewards  were  Georo-e 


R.  Brown,  Horace  Temple,  William  Darling,  E.  E.  Warficld, 
George  Temple,  William  Kendrick,  Joel  Rugg,  Joseph  Rob- 
bins,  and  Noble  Fisk.     The  members  numbered  40. 

The  first  and  present  meeting-house  was  erected  in  1873-74 
by  a  building  committee  composed  of  John  Burrington,  Henry 
D.  Gould,  and  L.  D.  Wetmore,  and  was  consecrated  July  23, 
1874,  by  the  Revs.  R.  R.  Meredith,  L.  R.  Thayer,  L.  P.  Frost, 
and  others.  It  is  a  very  neat  frame  of  shapely  proportions, 
and  cost  §4.500.  The  lot  on  which  it  stands,  at  the  hamlet, 
was  given  for  this  purpose  by  the  Rev.  Ephraim  Scott.  A 
parsonage  in  the  hamlet  was  purchased  about  1860.  These 
temporalities  are  in  charge  of  a  board  of  trustees,  at  present 
composed  of  John  Burrington,  Jonathan  Peterson,  Henry  D. 
Gould,  Amos  Temple,  Abraham  Tanner,  L.  D.  Wetmore, 
Horace  Burrington,  William  Burrington,  and  Frederick 
Tanner. 

The  church  had,  in  1878,  nearly  60  members,  under  the 
pastoral  care  of  the  Rev.  L.  P.  Frost,  and  maintained  a  Sun- 
day-school of  100  members,  of  which  Amos  Temple  was 
superintendent. 

The  preachers  on  the  Heath  and  Rowe  Circuit,  from  its 
formation  to  the  present,  were  as  follows:  18-59-60,  Moses 
Spencer;  1860-61,  G.  R.  Bent;  1861-64,  Lorenzo  White; 
1804-66,  Randall  Mitchell  ;  1806-67,  E.  J.  Stevens  ;  1867-68, 
N-  J.  Merrill ;  1868-69,  John  H.  Lord  ;  1809-71,  William  H. 
Adams ;  1871-73,  Alfred  Noon ;  1873-74,  A.  M.  Osgood  ; 
1874-75,  W.  E.  Dwight;  1875-70,  W.  E.  Knox;  1876-77, 
Burtis  Judd  ;  1877,  L.  P.  Frost. 

MILITARY. 

WAR    or    THE    REBELLIOJT. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  soldiers  who  served  in  the  war 
of  1801-65: 

Amos  Temple,  Corp.,  must.  Oct.  11, 1SG2,  Co.  B,  52d  Regt. 
Charles  Hamilton,  coip.,  must.  Oct.  11,  1862,  Co.  B,  52.1  Rogt. 
Patrick  Conle.v,  Corp.,  must,  Oct.  II,  1862,  Co.  B,52il  Regt. ;  killed  June  15, 1SC3. 
Edward  H.  Gleason,  nrast.  Oct.  11,  1SG2,  Co.  B,.52d  Regt.;  died  in  hospital. 
Henry  Ruslnvorth,  must.  Oct.  11,  1662,  Co.  B,  52il  Regt. 
Henry  M.  Temple,  must.  Oct.  11, 1862,  Co.  B,  52d  Kcgt. 
William  H.  Temple,  must.  Oct.  11,  1802,  Co.  B.52d  Regt. 
Abraliam  Tanner,  must.  Oct.  11,  1802,  Co.  B,  a2d  Regt. 
Edwin  M,  Sumner,  must.  Oct.  11, 1862,  Co.  B,  52d  Kegt. 
Samuel  S.  Gould,  must,  Oct,  11, 1862,  Co.  E,  52d  Regt. 
Aaron  Trask,  must,  Oct.  II,  1802,  Co.  E,  o2d  Regt. 
Lemuel  M.  Bolton,  must.  Sept.  12,  1801,  Co.  F,  lOtll  Regt. 
Thomas  S.  Gleason,  must,  Sept.  12, 1861,  Co.  F,  10th  Regt.;  killed  at  Fair  Oaks. 
Charles  F.  Gleason,  must.  Sept.  12,  1801,  Co.  F,  10th  Regt. 
Cliarlcs  H.  RoUiins,  must.  Sept,  12,  1801,  Co,  F,  Kith  Regt. 
Richard  M.  Powers,  must,  Sept.  12,  1861,  Co.  I,  Kith  Regt. 
Charles  F.  Powers,  must.  Aug.  D,  1861,  Co.  H,  10th  Regt. 
Thomas  F.  Harrington,  must,  June  21, 1861,  Co.  H,  KItli  Regt. 
Herman  A.  Spooner,  must.  June  21,  '61,  Co.  H,  10th  Regt. ;  killed  at  Fair  Oaks. 
John  H.  Underwood,  corp,,  nmst,  Nov,  20,  1801,  Co.  C,  3Ist  Regt. 
Sanford  M,  Underwood,  must.  Nov,  20,  1861,  Co.  C,  31st  Regt, ;  died  in  1863. 
\V,  0,  Hawkes,  must.  Nov.  20,  1S61,  Co,  C,  31st  Regt, 
John  Palmer,  must,  Nov,  20,  ISOI,  Co.  C,  31st  Regt. 
Martin  O.  Brown,  must.  July  31,  1S02,  Co.  F,  34th  Regt. 
John  L.  Hawks,  sergt.,  must,  July  31,  1802,  Co,  F,  34th  Kegt. 
A,  S,  Mandell,  must.  Aug,  1,  1802,  Co,  K,  30th  Kcgt, 
Viiclitiis(lied. — Nathan  Chapin,*  A.  J.  Gleason,*  Henry  B.  Kinsman,*  John  L. 

Harris,*  Luzern   Fairbanks,*  Almon   Hawks,   Elihu   Porter,  George  S. 

Eddy,  Flavel  Woodward,  Edwin  Fairbanks,  William  H.  Bolton,  Henry  D. 

Barker,  Timothy  M.  Harrington,  Aarou  S.  Cooley. 

*  Died  in  the  service. 


MONROE. 


GEOGRAPHICAL. 

This  town  is  situated  in  the  extreme  northwestern  part  of 
the  county,  west  of  the  Deerfield  River,  and  principally  on 
the  eastern  slope  of  the  Hoosac  Mountain.  It  is  bounded  on 
the  north  by  "\'erniont,  on  the  west  and  south  by  Florida,  in 
Berkshire  County,  and  on  the  east  by  tlie  town  of  Rowe,  of 
which  it  formerly  constituted  a  part.  Monroe  was  incorpo- 
rated Feb.  21,  1822,  to  embrace  all  that  part  of  Rowe  lying 
west  of  the  Deerfield,  and  an  unincorporated  tract  of  land, 
called  "  the  Gore,"  receiving  its  name  from  the  President  of 
the  United  States.  Its  area  is  small,  embracing  only  about 
twelve  square  miles,  and  but  a  small  portion  admits  of  easy 
or  proHtable  cultivation.  Along  the  river  are  some  fertile 
lands,  having  a  loamy  soil,  and  near  the  centre  of  the  town  is 
a  tract  of  arable  land,  though  of  a  somewhat  less  productive 
nature.  The  remainder  has  been  valuable  chiefly  for  the 
timber  growing  upon  it,  and  since  that  has  been  removed  is 
esteemed  of  little  consequence.  Mill  Brook  is  the  principal 
stream.  It  crosses  the  town  in  a  diagonal  course  from  the 
northwest  to  the  southeast,  and  affords  a  number  of  small  mill- 
sites,  whose  improvement  has  given  employment  to  many 
people  of  the  town. 

EARLY  SETTLERS. 

The  rugged  nature  of  the  town  presented  few  attractions  to 
the  pioneer,  and  it  was  not  until  about  1800  that  an  attempt  at 
permanent  settlement  was  made.  About  that  j)eriod  Daniel 
Caneday,  of  Coleraine,  brought  in  his  family,  and  was  fol- 
lowed soon  after  by  Ebenezer  Howard,  Samuel  Gore,  and 
Daniel  Gore.  Some  of  these  left  town  early ;  the  latter  re- 
mained until  his  death.  He  lived  a  little  south  of  the  centre, 
and  reared  a  number  of  sons,  among  them  being  Hiram, 
Lowell,  Moses,  Asahel,  and  Luther.  The  latter  moved  to 
Ohio,  where  he  became  a  noted  lawj'er. 

Three  brothers  of  the  Ballou  family — David,  Benjamin,  and 
Nathan — came  from  Richmond,  N.  H.,  about  the  same  time, 
and  settled  within  half  a  mile  of  one  another,  near  the  present 
school-house  in  District  No.  2.  Benjamin  lived  on  the  road 
west,  on  the  place  afterward  occupied  by  his  son,  Martin,  and 
where  the  latter's  son,  Martin  M.,  now  resides.  David  Ballou 
lived  north  of  the  school-house,  on  the  place  now  owned  by 
Alfred  Phelps.  His  sons  were  David,  a  Universalist  minister, 
Lcavitf,  Moses,  and  John.  The  third  brother,  Nathan,  lived 
southeast  of  the  school-house.  He  had  three  sons — Nathan, 
Hosea,  and  Maturin — and  seven  daughters.  The  last-named 
son,  Maturin,  drove  a  stage  across  the  mountain,  from  Green- 
field to  North  Adams,  seventeen  years.  His  home  was  in  the 
eastern  part  of  the  town.  One  of  his  sons,  Cyrus,  is  a  well- 
known  citizen  of  Rowe.  Hosea  F.  Ballou,  a  son  of  the  noted 
Boston  clergyman,  was  a  resident  of  Monroe  a  number  of 
years. 

Jonathan  Hicks  is  also  named  among  the  early  settlers.  He 
lived  in  the  northern  part  of  the  town,  and  had  sons  named 
Joseph,  Daniel,  and  Albert,  the  latter  being  still  a  resident  of 
Monroe.  In  his  neighborhood,  Levi  Whitcomb  was  one  of 
the  first  settlers.  He  had  sons  named  Stillman,  Nathan, 
Samuel,  and  Myron,  nearly  all  of  whom  live  in  the  town.  At 
a  little  later  period  Dana  Phelps  settled  south  of  the  centre, 
where  he  reared  a  large  family,  the  sons  being  Dana,  Frank, 
Cyrus,   Charles,   Newell,    Hiram,   Alfred,    Asa,   and   Darius. 

792 


The  last  three  named  yet  live  in  town,  and,  with  their  de- 
scendants, constitute  a  large  share  of  the  population  at  the 
present  time. 

At  the  centre  and  near  that  point  were  Thomas  Stafford  and 
his  sons  Isaac,  Thomas,  Ezekiel,  James,  Elijah,  and  Nathan  ; 
Jacob  Bryant  and  his  sons,  Martin,  Asahel,  and  Roswell  ; 
Rufus  Spaulding  and  his  sons,  Ansel  and  Thomas;  Thomas 
Hines  and  his  sons,  Maranda  and  Arnold  ;  Elisha  Bryant  and 
bis  sons,  Benjamin,  Elisha,  and  Arad  ;  Isaiah  Dunbar,  Charles 
Dunbar,  Thaddeus  Dunbar,  Nathan  and  Elkany  Bullock, 
Gilson  and  Elnathan  Taylor,  and  James  Sheldon,  all  of  whom 
may  he  properly  classed  among  the  early  settlers  of  the  town. 

In  1840  the  town  had  282  inhabitants,  and  every  subsequent 
decade  showed  a  diminished  population,  the  inhabitants  at 
present  numbering  only  190. 

CIVIL    ORGANIZATION. 

Under  the  act  incorporating  Monroe,  the  warrant  to  call 
the  first  town-meeting  was  issued  to  Martin  Ballou  by  Jesse 
King,  a  justice  of  the  peace  in  Berkshire  County.  The  voters 
were  directed  to  assemble  at  the  house  of  Martin  Ballou, 
April  4,  1822,  to  elect  officers  and  transact  such  town  busi- 
ness as  the  welfare  of  the  new  town  demanded. 

At  the  stated  time  Rev.  David  Ballou  was  chosen  modera- 
tor, and  the  following  ofScers  elected  : 

Martin  Ballou,  Town  Clerk  ;  Nathan  Ballou,  Maturin 
Ballou,  and  David  Canedaj',  Selectmen ;  Martin  Ballou, 
Hosea  F.  Ballou,  Asa  Bullock,  Assessors ;  Martin  Ballou 
Treasurer  ;  David  Caneday,  Collector  and  Constable. 

SELECTMEN. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  selectmen  from  182:)  to  the 
present  time : 

1S23.— Miituiin  Eiillou,  Muitiii  n,illoii,  Hosea  F.  B:illou. 
1824.— Erastus  Hall,  Martiu  Ballou,  Ilosca  F.  Ballon. 
1825.— Maturin  Ballou,  Martin  Ballou,  Hose.a  F.  Ballou. 
1820.— David  Caneday,  Martin  Ballou,  Hosea  F.  Ballon. 
1827. — Daniel  Gore,  Martin  Ballon,  Hosea  F.  Ballou. 
1828.— Daniel  Gore,  Mai  tin  Ballou,  Blaturin  Ballou. 
1829-30.— Daniel  Gore,  Joseph  Barber,  Slaturin  Billion. 
1831. — Hosea  F.  Ballon,  Joseph  Barber,  Martin  Ballon. 
1832.— Hosea  F.  Ballou,  Isaac  StafTord,  Jonathan  Hicks. 
1833.— Martiu  Ballou,  Thomas  Staffoid,  Joinithan  Hicks. 
1834.— David  Ballon,  Jr.,  M.  Hines,  Jonathan  IHcks. 
183o. — Thomas  J.  Spankling,  M.  Hines,  James  K.  Sheldon. 
183G. — Thomas  J.  Spaulding,  Charles  Phelps,  James  K.  Sheldon. 
1837.— Martin  Bryant,  Charles  Dunbar,  Ezekiel  Stafford. 
1838.— Hiram  Gore,  Joseph  H.  Hicks,  Jonathan  Hail. 
1839.— Martin  Bryant,  Martin  M.  Ballou,  David  Ballou. 
1840. — Hosea  Ballon,  Martin  Bl.  Ballou,  Daniel  Gore. 
1841. — John  Ballou,  Josei>h  H.  Hicks,  Samuel  Stockwell. 
1842.— Maranda  Hines,  Henry  B.  Dunbar,  Ezekiel  Stafford. 
1843.— Martin  M.  Ballou,  Isaac  Stafl'ord,  Samuel  Stockwell. 
1844. — Asahel  Gore,  Joseph  H.  Hicks,  James  K.  Sheldon. 
1845. — Chester  Hinsdale,  Joseph  H.  Hicks,  Maranda  Hinct*. 
184C.— Chester  Hinsdale,  Hosea  Ballon,  Jeremi.ah  Gifford. 
1847. — Thomas  Hines,  Daniel  Gore,  Jeremiah  GitTord. 
1848. — Maranda  Hines,  Joseph  H.  Hicks,  Biley  Boyd. 
1849.— Asahel  Gore,  Martin  M.  Ballou,  David  Itollou. 
1850.— Asahel  Gore,  Joseph  H.  Hicks,  Martin  Kingsley. 
1861. — Asahel  Gore,  Joseph  H.  Hicks,  James  K.  Sheldon. 
1852. — Maranda  Hines,  Gilson  Taylor,  James  K.  Sheldon. 
1853.— Alfred  Phelps,  Joseph  H.  Hicks,  Charles  Walcott. 
1854. — Chailes  Legate,  Joseph  H.  Hicks,  Asahel  Gore. 
1855.— Tyler  Walcott,  Hiram  G.  Phelps,  Asahel  Gore. 
1S5G. — Alfred  Phelps,  Stephen  J.  Ballou,  Asahel  Gore. 
1867.— James  K.  Sheldon,  Ileiuy  Hinsdale,  Martin  M.  Ballou. 


HISTORY  OF  FRANKLIN   COUNTY. 


793 


1858.— S.  J.  Ballou,  David  Ballou,  Martin  M.  Ballon. 
1859. — James  StatTord,  Cliarlee  Legate,  Cyrua  Phelps. 
1860.— Janies  K.  Sheldon,  Joseph  H.  Hicks,  .Samuel  Stocliwell. 
1861.— David  Ballon,  Joseph  H.  Hicks,  Martin  Kingsle.v. 
1862.— Maranda  Hines,  Joseph  H.  Hicks,  Henry  Hinsdale. 
1863.— B.  A.  Stafford,  Joseph  H.  Hicks,  Jeremiah  Gifford. 
1864. — Alvin  Tower,  David  Goodell,  Jeremiah  Gifford. 
1865.— Maranda  Hines,  Henry  A.  Legate,  Albert  A.  Hicks. 
1866.— Allred  Phelps,  Martin  M.  Ballou,  Simeon  Barker. 
1867.— Martin  Kingsley,  Charles  WatMell,  Charles  B.  Stafford. 
1868.— Charles  I.  Wakott,  Josiah  Hamilton,  Emerson  J.  Hicks. 
1869. — Asahel  Gore,  Josiah  Hamilton,  Emerson  J.  Hicks. 
1870.— Asahel  Gore,  David  Goodell,  Charles  B.  Stafford. 
1871.— Charles  J.  Walcott,  David  Goodell,  Stillman  Whitcomb. 
1872.— Martin  M.  Ballou,  Warren  F.  Tower,  Henry  Hinsdale. 
1873.— Emerson  J.  Hicks,  David  Goodell,  Albert  A.  Hicke. 
1874.- Charles  B.  Stafford,  Stillman  Whitwjmb,  John  Taylor. 
1875.— Charles  B.  Stafford,  Stillman  Whitcomb,  Truman  A.  King. 
1876.— Charles  B.  Stafford,  Stillman  Whitcomb,  O.  T.  Negus. 
1877-78.— W.  r.  Tower,  Henry  Hinsdale,  Samuel  Stafford. 

TOWN   CLERKS. 

The  town  clerks  since  the  first  meeting  have  been  as  fol- 
lows ; 

1823-43,  Martin  Ballou;  1844-47,  Martin  Briant;  1848-50,  Charles  Phelps; 
1861-53,  Hosea  G.  Ballou  ;  1854-56,  Asahel  Gore ;  1857,  Samuel  Stafford  ;  1858-6oi 
H.  G.  Ballou;  1861,  George  H.  Ballou;  1862-65,  Henry  Hinsdale;  1866,  George 
H.  Ballou  ;  1867-73,  Joseph  H.  Hicks;  1874-78,  H.  G.  Phelps. 

At  the  meeting  held  April  4,  1822,  "  Nathan  Ballou  was 
appointed  to  examine  into  and  ascertain  the  state  of  Rowe  as 
it  respects  our  connection  with  that  town,  according  to  the 
Incorporating  Act." 

In  1848  it  was  decided  to  erect  a  new  town-house  as  near 
the  centre  of  the  town  as  possible,  and  to  use  for  this  purpose 
the  surplus  money  received  from  the  Treasury  of  the  United 
States.  The  selectmen  were  empowered  to  serve  as  a  building 
committee.  This  house  is  yet  used  for  public  purposes  as 
well  as  for  religious  meetings. 

ROADS   AND  CEMETERIES. 

At  the  first  meeting  the  town  was  divided  into  four  high- 
way districts,  having  Jonathan  Hicks  as  the  surveyor  of  No.  1, 
David  Ballou  of  No.  2,  Elisha  Bryant  of  No.  3,  and  Harvey 
Goodell  of  No.  4. 

One  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  were  appropriated  for  the  im- 
provement of  the  roads,  labor  on  which  was  to  be  compen- 
sated at  ten  cents  per  hour.  In  1878  the  town  had  nine  road 
surveyors,  and  about  $.500  per  year  has  been  appropriated  an- 
nually for  the  improvement  of  the  highways.  The  expense 
of  keeping  these  in  repair  has  been  a  heavy  burden  to  the 
sparsely-settled  town,  and  is  the  chief  cause  of  the  burden- 
some taxation  which  prevails.  In  1878  the  rate  was  S-S-g  per 
cent,  on  the  valuation. 

The  town  is  supplied  with  two  public  cemeteries,  which  arfe 
conveniently  located  and  moderately  well  cared  for. 

THE  MANUFACTURrXG  INTERESTS 
of  Monroe  have  been  limited  by  the  water-power  of  its  single 
stream  to  the  common  industry  of  this  part  of  the  State,— the 
manufacture  of  lumber.  Beginning  at  the  northwestern  point 
of  Mill  Brook,  there  have  been  the  following  improvements : 
a  saw-mill,  built  soon  after  the  town  was  settled  by  Daniel 
Gore,  which  was  replaced  by  a  mill  erected  by  Levi  Whit- 
100 


comb,  and  which  is  now  operated  by  A.  A.  Hicks ;  the  next 
power  was  improved  by  Jonathan  Hall,  and  the  mill  is  now 
carried  on  by  Charles  Stafford  ;  at  the  third  power  a  mill  was 
put  up  by  Gilbert  Balluu,  which  is  at  present  owned  by  War- 
ren Tower  ;  Stillman  Whitcomb  improved  the  fourth  power, 
and  still  operates  the  mill  he  built ;  below  this  point  Isaiah 
Dunbar  put  up  a  mill  where  Emerson  Stafford  now  has  a  saw- 
mill ;  and  still  lower,  on  the  same  stream,  Amos  Mason  has 
in  operation  a  saw-mill.  Most  of  these  are  small,  and  the 
total  quantity  manufactured  annually  will  not  exceed  200,000 
feet.  Many  years  ago  Thomas  Stafford  had  a  small  grist-mill 
south  of  the  centre  of  the  town,  which  was  long  since  aban- 
doned. 

SCHOOLS  AND  RELIGIOUS  SOCIETIES. 
On  the  nth  of  April,  1823,  the  town  was  divided  into  two 
school  districts,  and  $-50  appropriated  for  the  support  of 
schools.  The  following  year  a  new  district  was  formed,  and 
a  school-house  erected  at  the  "four  corners"  by  a  building 
committee  composed  of  Hosea  F.  Ballou,  John  Hicks,  and 
David  Caneday.  Three  districts  are  yet  maintained,  although 
there  were  four  twenty  years  ago,  and,  in  1878,  54  children  of 
school  age  were  reported.  For  the  support  of  the  schools 
appropriations  are  made  by  the  town  to  maintain  them  in 
summer  only. 

No  church  has  ever  been  formally  organized  in  town. 
About  1810  the  Kev.  David  Ballou,  at  that  time  a  resident  of 
Monroe,  formed  a  Universalist  Society,  which  maintained  its 
existence  about  forty  years.  The  meetings  of  this  society 
were  held  at  the  town-house  and  other  places,  and  the  officia- 
ting ministers  were  the  Revs.  David  Ballou,  Hosea  F.  Ballou, 
Joseph  Barber,  Joy  Bishop,  Jeremiah  Gifford,  Charles  O. 
French,  and  Jonathan  Hicks.  Of  these,  Hosea  F.  Ballou, 
Jonathan  Hicks,  and  Moses  Ballou  were  Universalist  clergy- 
men, and  Russell  A.  Ballou  was  a  Unitarian  minister.  In 
late  years  religious  meetings  have  only  been  occasionally 
held. 

There  are  no  villages  in  Monroe,  and  no  mercantile  busi- 
ness or  mechanic-shops. 

THE   MONROE  POST-OFFICE 

is  kept  as  near  the  centre  of  the  town  as  the  residences  of  the 
different  postmasters  permit.  The  office  has  been  held  by 
Martin  Ballou,  Samuel  Stafford,  Emerson  Stafford,  Stillman 
Whitcomb,  and  David  Sherman.  A  semi-weekly  mail  is  sup- 
plied from  the  Hooaac  Tunnel,  via  Readsboro',  Yt. 

MILITARY. 

MONROE'S    REBELLION   RECORD. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  soldiers  who  served  during 
the  war  of  1861-65  : 

Alonzo  Axtell,  Corp.,  enl.  Oct.  11,  1862,  Co.  B,  52d  Begt. 
Eben.  Gifford,  enl.  Oct.  11, 1862,  Co.  B,  62d  Begt. 
Moses  Nichols,  enl.  Oct.  11, 1862,  Co.  B,  62d  Begt. ;  died  in  the  service. 
Isaac  B.  Stafford,  enl.  Oct.  II,  1862,  Co.  B,  52d  Begt. ;  died  in  service. 
Henry  D.  Thayer,  enl.  Oct.  11,  1862,  Co.  B,  52d  Begt. ;  died  Feb.  5, 1863. 
Warren  Tower,  enl.  Oct.  II,  1862,  Co.  B,  62d  Begt. 
Not  «peci/ied.— Henry  Hicks,*  Allen  Phelps,*  Nathaniel  Whitcomb,  Myron 
Whitcomb. 


*  Died  in  the  service. 


HISTORY 

OF 


HAMPDEN  COUNTY,  MASSACHUSETTS.' 


CHAPTER   I. 

CIVIL  ORGANIZATION-OKGANIC  ACTS— COURTS 
AND  BOARD  OF  COUNTY  COMMISSIONERS- 
COUNTS    BUILDINGS-TAXATION. 

The  act  organizing  the  county  of  Hampden  was  passed  on 
the  25th  of  February,  1812,  and  took  effect  from  and  after  the 
1st  of  August  following.  For  the  principal  portions  of  this 
act  see  Chapter  II.,  General  History  of  the  Valley. 

Supplementary  acts  were  passed  June  23,  1812,  relating  to 
the  courts,  and  June  24,  1812,  relating  to  the  registry  of 
deeds  for  the  town  of  Chester.  The  external  boundaries  of 
the  county  have  been  changed  in  one  particular  since  the  or- 
ganization, which  change  is  set  forth  in  the  following  act, 
passed  May  25,  1853,  to  wit : 

•'  An  Act  to  set  of  a  part  of  the  Towng  of  Chester  and  Bland/ord,  and  annex  Ote 
same  to  Norwich, 

"Sect.  1.  So  much  of  the  towns  of  Chester  and  Blandford,  in  the  county  of 
Hampden,  with  the  inhahitantg  thereon,  as  lies  witliin  the  following  described 
line,  is  hereby  set  off  from  said  towns  of  Chester  and  Blandford  and  annexed  to 
the  town  of  Norwich,  in  the  county  of  Hampshire,  and  made  a  part  of  the  said 
county  of  Hampshire,  to  wit; 

"Beginning  at  the  southwest  corner  of  Norwich,  at  a  stone  monument  in  the 
river  at  Chester  village,  and  running  thence  north,  six  degrees  four  minutes 
east,  in  the  line  between  Chester  and  Norwich,  six  hundred  and  ninety  rods  to 
a  point  forty-four  rotia  north  of  the  grist-mill  in  Norwich  known  as  the  Red 
Mill ;  thence  south,  fifty  degrees  forty-five  minutes  west,  seven  hundred  and 
eighty  rods  to  a  point  in  the  line  between  Cheater  and  Blandford  ;  thence  south, 
forty-three  degrees  forty  minutes  east,  eight  hundred  and  thirty-flve  rods  and 
thirteen  links  to  the  angle  in  the  line  between  Blandford  and  Russell,  designated 
by  a  tree  known  as  '  Love  and  Unity  tree;'  thence  north,  twenty-eiglit  degrees 
forty-one  minutes  east,  in  the  line  between  Blandford  and  Russell  and  Bland- 
ford and  Montgomery,  three  hundred  and  seventy-five  rods  to  the  corner  known 
as  Rock-house  Corner;  thence  north,  seventy  degrees  west,  in  the  line  between 
Blandford  and  Norwich,  two  hundred  and  forty  rods  to  the  firBt  mentioned 
bound:  provided,  however,  that  all  taxes  heretofore  assessed,  or  that  may  be 
assessed  within  thirty  days  from  the  passage  of  this  Act,  shall  be  paid  in  the 
same  manner  as  heretofore,  and  the  towns  of  Chester  and  Blandford,  respect- 
ively, shall  be  holden  to  make  the  same  appropriations  on  the  territory  thus  set 
ofi'  for  roads,  bridges,  and  schools  the  current  year  as  though  this  act  had  not 
passed;  a.ai provided,  aim,  that  the  territory  thus  set  off  shall  remain  a  part  of 
Chester  and  Blandford  respectively,  for  the  purpose  of  electing  governor,  lieu- 
tenant-governor, and  representatives  to  the  General  Court,  until  the  next  de- 
cennial census  shall  be  taken  in  pursuance  of  the  thirteenth  article  of  amend- 
ment to  the  constitution,  and  for  the  purpose  of  electing  senators  so  long  as  the 
present  senatorial  districts  shall  by  the  constitution  be  required  to  be  perma- 
nent; and  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  selectmen  of  Norwich  to  make  true  lists 
of  the  persons,  residing  in  the  territory  hereby  sot  to  the  town  of  Norwich, 
qualified  to  vote  in  such  elections,  and  deliver  the  same  to  the  selectmen  of 
Chester  and  Blandford,  respectively,  seven  days  at  least  before  any  such  elections, 
and  the  said  lists  shall  be  taken,  revised,  and  used  in  the  same  manner  as  if  pre- 
pared by  the  selectmen  of  Chester  and  Blandford. 

"  Sect.  2.  The  town  of  Norwich  shall,  for  the  territory  thus  set  off,  pay  annu- 
ally on  or  before  the  1st  day  of  November,  commencing  with  the  year  1S54,  to 
the  treasurers  of  the  towns  of  Chester  and  Blandford  the  following  sums,  to 
wit :  to  the  town  of  Chester  a  sum  equal  to  thirteen  per  cent.,  and  t.)  the  town 
of  Blandford  a  sum  equal  to  two  and  three-fourths  per  cent.,  of  all  State  and 
county  taxes  which  said  towns  of  Chester  and  Blandford  shall  be  holden  to  pay, 
until  the  taking  and  apportionment  of  the  next  State  valuation. 

J*  Sect.  3.  All  persons  whoso  settlement  was  gained  by  or  derived  from  a  resi- 


794 


'  Prepared  by  Samuel  W.  Durant. 


dence  on  the  territory  thus  set  off  shall  be  considered  as  holding  a  lawful  settle- 
ment in  the  town  of  Norwich." 
To  take  effect  from  and  after  its  passage. 

Among  the  first  acts  of  the  counties  of  Hampshire  and 
Hampden,  after  the  passage  of  the  act  organizing  Hampden 
County,  was  the  appointment  of  a  committee  from  each 
county  to  make  an  equitable  division  of  the  public  property. 
The  following  were  the  parties  appointed :  Hampshire  County, 
Joseph  Lyman,  Thomas  Shepard,  Daniel  Wright;  Hampden 
County,  George  Bliss,  John  Hooker,  John  IngersoU. 

On  the  12th  of  November,  1812,  they  reported  the  amount 
of  money  in  the  treasury  of  Hampshire  County  to  be  about 
12300,  of  which  $1182.38,  according  to  the  amount  of  taxes 
paid  by  the  respective  counties,  was  the  amount  belonging  to 
Hampden  County. 

The  amounts  due  from  unpaid  taxes,  expenses  of  courts, 
keeping  of  criminals,  etc.,  were  to  be  equally  divided  between 
the  two  counties. 

The  act  incorporating  the  new  county  of  Hampden  was 
passed  in  a  time  of  great  political  excitement.  Hon.  Elbridge 
Gerry  had  recently  been  elected  Governor,  and  the  Democratic 
party  was  in  the  ascendency  in  the  State ;  and  notwithstanding 
the  common  belief  that  our  ancestors  were  more  upright  in 
the  management  of  political  atfairs  than  the  politicians  of  to- 
day, it  would  seem  that  even  then  the  great  object  to  be  arrived 
at  by  the  victors  in  a  political  contest  was  the  possession  of  the 
offices. 

The  organic  act,  though  nominally  correct  and  comprehen- 
sive, seemed  to  have  a  weak  point  or  two  in  the  arrangement 
of  details,  particularly  in  the  case  of  the  sheriff,  where  it  was 
claimed  by  the  Federal  party  that  it  failed  to  make  the  neces- 
sary provisions  setting  forth  his  exact  authority  and  jurisdic- 
tion. 

The  act  of  incorporation,  according  to  its  terms,  was  to  be 
in  force  from  and  after  the  1st  day  of  August,  1812.  On  the 
23d  day  of  May  of  that  year  the  new  Governor  appointed 
Jonathan  Smith,  Jr.,  sheriff  of  the  county.  On  the  20th  of 
the  same  month  he  had  also  appointed  Hon.  Samuel  Fowler 
judge  of  probate  for  the  county. 

These  appointments,  occurring  as  they  did  several  months 
before  the  county  was  really  and  fully  in  existence,  aroused, 
among  the  political  opponents  of  Governor  Gerry,  a  deter- 
mined spirit  of  resistance,  and  the  necessary  steps  were  at  once 
taken  to  test  the  legality  of  the  proceedings. 

On  the  4th  of  February,  1813,  an  order  was  passed  in  the 
House  of  Representatives  requiring  the  attorney-  or  solicitor- 
general  to  file  information,  in  the  nature  of  a  quo  warranto, 
to  know  by  what  authority  the  Hon.  Samuel  Fowler,  Jona- 
than Smith,  Jr.,  and  divers  other  persons  exercised  the  offices 
to  which  they  had  been  appointed.  The  officers  mentioned 
refused  to  file  the  information  officially,  on  the  ground  that 
they  had  not  been  requested  to  do  so  by  both  branches  of  the 
Legislature,  and  they  prayed  the  advice  of  the  court  in  the 
premises,  which  prayer  the  court  refused  to  answer  until  the 


HISTORY  OF   HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


795 


persons  appointed  to  the  several  offices  should  he  heard  in  the 
premises,  whereupon  the  proceedings  were  dismissed. 

The  next  move,  which  was  against  Smith  individually,  was 
a  plea  in  abatement,  in  the  case  of  Fowler  rs.  Beehe  et  al. 
On  the  17th  of  August,  1812,  one  Day,  a  deputy,  had  served 
a  writ  in  the  case  of  Fowler  vs.  Beebe  ;  and  at  the  return  term 
thereof,  on  the  last  of  the  same  month,  Beebe  pleaded  in 
abatement  that  Smith  had  received  a  pretended  commission, 
dated  May  23,  1812,  from  one  Eibridge  Gerry,  with  the 
advice  of  the  council,  appointing  him  sheritf  of  the  county  of 
Hampden ;  and  on  the  14th  day  of  August  next  following 
Smith  appointed  Day  a  deputy-sheriff;  whereas  on  the  day 
of  said  first  appointment  there  was  no  such  county  as  Hamp- 
den, nor  any  such  office  as  sheriff.  To  this  plea  the  plaintiff 
demurred.  The  counsel  in  the  case  were  Hon.  Samuel  Lath- 
rop  for  the  plaintifl",  and  Hon.  George  Bliss  for  the  defendants. 
This  case  was  technically  decided  in  favor  of  Smith,  who  was 
thereby  assumed  to  be  the  dc  facto  sheriff. 

In  the  case  of  the  Hon.  Samuel  Fowler,  appointed  to  the 
office  of  judge  of  probate  at  the  April  term  of  the  Supreme 
Judicial  Court,  held  at  Northampton  in  1813,  the  solicitor- 
general  filed  a  quo  warranto  requiring  him  to  show  by  what 
warrant  he  claimed  to  fill  the  office. 

After  the  service  of  summons,  Hon.  Eli  P.  Ashmun  moved 
to  quash  the  information  upon  technical  grounds.  Mr.  Bliss, 
in  the  absence  of  the  solicitor-general,  replied,  and  the  court 
overruled  the  motion.  Ashmun  then  pleaded  in  bar  that,  on 
the  20th  day  of  May,  1812,  the  said  Fowler  was  duly  ap- 
pointed b}'  Governor  Gerry  to  the  office  of  judge  of  probate, 
with  the  advice  of  the  council,  and  was  sworn  by  "William 
Gray,  the  lieutenant-governor,  to  discharge  the  duties.  After 
a  hearing  of  the  commission  and  certificate,  the  solicitor- 
general  demurred,  and  the  respondent  joined  in  demurrer. 

Messrs.  Bliss  and  Ashmun  argued  the  cause  at  length,  and 
with  signal  ability;  and  the  court,  after  listening  patiently, 
adjudged  the  appointment  without  legal  authority,  and  con- 
sequently void.  Mr.  Ashmun  moved  an  arrest  of  judgment, 
and  the  case  was  continued;  but  at  the  next  term  the  court 
overruled  the  motion  in  arrest,  enjoined  Fowler  from  receiv- 
ing or  holding  the  office,  and  ordered  judgment  entered  against 
him  for  costs. 

This  ended  the  controversy.  The  residue  of  the  offices  were 
abandoned,  and  the  Federalists  retained  peaceable  possession. 

COUNTY    LEGI.SLATURE. 

The  general  business  of  counties  in  Massachusetts  has  been, 
like  that  of  many  other  States,  transacted  under  a  variety  of 
forms.  From  the  earliest  formation  of  counties  down  to  the 
year  1814,  Courts  of  Sessions,  or  of  General  Sessions  of  the 
Peace,  managed  county  affairs.  These  courts  were  made  up 
of  a  certain  number  of  justices  of  the  peace  from  the  several 
towns  of  the  county,  who  met  at  the  county-seat  at  stated 
periods.* 

Prom  April  28,  1814,  to  Feb.  21,  1819,  the  county  legisla- 
tive body  was  known  as  the  Circuit  Court  of  Common  Pleas, 
which  was  changed  to  "Court  of  Sessions"  Feb.  21,  1819,  and 
remained  substantially  the  same  (with  unimportant  modifica- 
tions) until  Feb.  26,  1828,  when  an  act  was  passed  by  the  Gen- 
eral Court  repealing  the  act  of  1819,  and  establishing,  for  the 
transaction  and  management  of  county  business,  a  board  of 
commissioners  for  each  county  in  the  State,  consisting,  in  the 
case  of  Hampden  County,  of  three  persons,  to  be  appointed  by 
the  Governor  and  council,  and  to  hold  their  respective  offices 
for  the  period  of  three  years  ;  vacancies  to  be  filled  by  the  same 
authority.     They  were  clotl>ed  with  (substantially)  the  same 


powers  a.s  the  Courts  of  Sessions  which  they  superseded. 
They  were  to  meet  at  stated  periods,  corresponding  with  the 
meetings  of  the  Courts  of  Sessions,  and  the  clerks  of  the  Courts 
of  Common  Pleas  were  made  clerks  of  the  boards  of  commis- 
sioners. 

Under  the  provisions  of  the  ninth  section  of  the  organic  act, 
in  cases  of  emergency,  where  the  regular  commissioners  could 
not  legally  determine  questions  concerning  public  highways, 
two  special  commissioners  were  to  be  appointed  in  certain 
counties,  including  Hampden,  and  clothed  with  the  same 
powers  as  the  regular  commissioners,  who  were  to  be  sworn 
and  act  in  such  cases. 

The  county  commissioners  have  control  over  the  public 
buildings  and  all  property  belonging  to  the  county ;  and  also 
exercise  jurisdiction  over  all  highways,  public  bridges,  etc., 
and  in  case  of  abandoned  turnpikes  take  possession  of  and  es- 
tablish the  same  as  public  highways  or  common  roads. 

Under  the  Courts  of  Sessions  committees  were  appointed  to 
take  charge  of  special  highway  matters,  which  were  some- 
times known  as  highway  commissioners,  though  only  acting 
in  a  subordinate  and  temporary  capacity  under  direction  of 
the  county  commissioners. 

By  an  act  of  March  11,  1854,  the  county  commissioners 
were  made  elective,  and  divided  into  three  classes.  At  the 
first  election  held  in  that  year  they  were  all  elected  at  the 
same  time  for  one,  two,  and  three  years,  respectively,  since 
which  one  commissioner  has  been  elected  annually.  The  first 
election  for  special  commissioners  was  held  in  1856.  They  are 
both  elected  at  the  same  time,  and  hold  their  offices  for  three 
years.  The  chairman  of  the  board  is  elected  by  ballot  from 
among  its  members. 

COURT-HOUSES. 

The  earliest  courts  in  the  region  constituting  the  old  county  of 
Hampshire  were  held  in  Springfield,  and  probably  in  the  house 
of  "ye  worshipful  William  Pynchon,"  who  was  the  first 
magistrate.  Subsequent  to  the  organization  of  Hampshire 
County,  in  1662,  they  were  held  alternately  at  Springfield  and 
Northampton.  From  1792  to  1813  all  the  courts  were  held  at 
Northampton. 


*  As  early  as  1652,  according  to  Hon.  George  Bliss,  and  before  the  erection  of 
Hampshire  County,  three  commissioners  were  appointed  to  transact  public 
business  for  the  people  of  the  Connecticut  River  settlements.  These  conimis- 
Biouers  succeeded  the  early  magistrates,  and  continued  until  the  erection  of 
Hampshire  County,  in  1662. 


FIRST   COURT-HOUSE,  BUILT    1722. 

There  was  no  court-house  in  Springfield  until  1722,  an*d  the 
courts  were  held  wherever  they  could  be  best  accommodated. 
The  earliest  legislation  we  find  touching  the  erection  of  a 
court-house  is  under  date  of  1721,  when  the  following  appears 
of  record : 

Nov.  29, 1721. — "  Voted  that  we  will  build  a  Court-House,  provided  our  neigh- 
boring towns,  viz. :  Westfield,  Suffield,  Eutield,  and  Brookfield,  be  assisting  to  us 
in  doeing  of  it.  Voted,  also,  that  this  town  will  be  at  half  the  cost  and  charge 
of  said  House.  Voted  that  Capt.  Luke  Hitchcock  and  Joseph  Williston,  and 
John  Worthington,  be  a  committee  to  inform  the  Towns  of  Westfield,  Suffield, 
Enfield,  and  Brookfield  of  the  vote  of  this  town,  and  to  see  what  the  said  tow  1X8 
will  Doe  or  give  to  the  Building  of  said  House,  and  to  make  Return  thereof  to 
this  Town." 

**0n  the  26th  of  December,  1721,  the  Inhabitants  aforesaid  being  assembled 
together,  It  was  voted  that  Wliereas  the  Inhabitants  being  lawfully  assembled 
together  on  Nov.  29,  1791,  Did  vote  they  would  build  a  Court-House,  provided 
our  neighboring  towns,  Westtield,  Suffield,  Enfield,  &  Brookfield,  be  assisting  to 
us  in  Doeing  of  it ;  It  is  now  also  voted  the  said  Coui-t-House  shall  be  fourty /oot 
long,  and  thirty  foot  wide,  and  Seventeen  foot  stud.  It  was  also  voted  that 
Joseph  Williston  &  John  Worthington,  &  Luke  Hitchcock,  Sr.,  t^  a  committee 


796 


HISTORY   OF  THE   CONxMECTICUT  VALLEY. 


to  make  provision  for  and  effect  the  Building  and  finishing  of  the  Court-Honso  ; 
and  it  was  also  voted  that  the  sM  committee  appoint,  &  they  have  full  power  to 
Ciiuclude  upon  and  determine  the  place  where  the  said  Court-House  shall  stand  ; 
&  also  hefore  the  meeting  wan  dismissed  or  dissolved,  there  was  delivered  to  the 
meeting  a  list  of  the  names  of  Sf>me  persons  who  did  enter  their  Dissent  against 
the  Rate  for  Building  a  Court-House  and  Raising  of  Money;  whonie  these  per- 
sons are  may  further  appear  by  said  list. 

**  Voted  that  there  be  money  diuwn  out  of  the  Town  Treasury  to  be  improved 
toward  Building  the  Court-House. 

"  Voted  there  be  Twenty  Pounds  Drawn  out  of  the  Town  Treasury,  if  it  be 
there  to  be  had,  and  that  it  be  delivered  to  the  Committee  that  were  chosen  to 
etfect  the  building  of  ye  said  Court-House." 

It  does  not  appear  that  the  outside  towns  made  a  favorable 
response  to  the  request  of  Springfield  ;  and  from  the  following 
legislation  it  would  seem  that  the  latter  town  was  at  all  the 
expense  of  erecting  the  building: 

Sept.  10, 1722. — "  Voted  that  there  be  a  Committee  Chosen  to  consider  of  and 
propose  some  method  or  way  to  compose  the  Differences  that  have  bin  or  may 
arise  about  the  Court-House,  &  to  make  Report  of  their  proposalls  to  the  Town. 
Voteil  that  there  be  Ten  in  Said  Committee.  Voted  that  Lieut.  Ephraim  Colton, 
Peletiah  Bliss,  Increase  Sikes,  Capt.  Jidin  Merick,  Lieut.  Joseph  Cooley,  Samuel 
Day,  Deacon  Joseph  Ely,  Ensign  John  Miller,  Ensign  James  Merrick,  &  Jona- 
than Worthington  be  the  said  Committee;  and  then  the  meeting  was  adjourned 
to  the  2d  Monday  in  October  next  ensuing,  At  one  of  the  clock  in  the  afternoon, 
being  the  8th  day  of  the  said  month ;  and  according  to  the  adjournment  on  said 
day,  the  Inhabitants  above  being  assembled  together,  tlie  Committee  aforesaid 
Did  present  their  Proposalls  to  the  Town,  which  was  as  follows,  viz. :  That  some 
part  of  our  Inward  Commons  be  put  under  Good  Regulations  &  be  exposed  to 
sale  toward  the  Defreigliing  the  charge  of  Building  said  Court-House,  viz. :  that 
so  much  be  sold  on  the  West  Side  of  the  Gr't  River  as  to  advance  the  sum  of 
Thirty  pounds,  and  so  much  be  sold  on  the  east  side  of  the  Gr't  River  as  to  ad- 
vance the  sum  of  sixty  pounds;  and  that  a  Committee  be  chosen  to  regulate  and 
manage  said  matter  to  as  Little  Dammage  as  may  be  to  the  Iidiabit^Luts ;  &  if  the 
said  sums  of  thirty  Pounds  &  Sixty  Pounds  be  more  than  will  be  needful  to  finish 
&  complete  said  House,  with  what  is  already  given  and  granted,  that  the  over- 
plus be  paid  into  the  Town  Treasury;  and  if  the  said  sums  of  Thirty  &.  Sixty 
pounds  will  not  be  enough  to  fitiish  arul  complete  said  House,  there  be  money 
drawn  out  of  the  Town  Treasury  to  Compleat  and  finish  sjiid  House;  and  that 
a  meet  person  be  chosen  on  the  west  side  of  the  great  River  to  joyne  with  the 
Committee  for  Building  &  finishing  said  Court-House  ;  the  Inhabitants  aforesaid 
taking  the  said  proposalls  into  consideration,  and  It  was  voted  tiie  said  proposalls 
of  the  said  Committee  be  accepted  by  the  Town  ;  and  it  was  voted  that  Deacon 
Parsons  be  one  of  the  Committee  for  Building  and  finishing  said  Court-House." 

Dec.  12,  1723. — "  Voted  that  Samuel  Day,  Lieut.  Ephraim  Coltt)n,  &  Thomas 
Horton  be  a  Committee  to  examine  the  accounts  of  the  Committee  for  Building 
the  Court-House. 

Jan.  6,  1724. — "  Voted  that  the  Selectmen  doe  from  Time  to  Time  agree  with 
some  persen  to  sweep  and  keep  clean  the  Court-House. 

Jan.  7,  1724.—"  Voted  that  the  Report  of  the  Committee,  viz. :  Samul  Day, 
Lieut.  Ephrain  Colton,  &  Thos.  Horton,  Respecting  the  Committee  of  the  Court- 
House,  be  accepted. 

"May  8,  1724. — "Voted  that  the  Assessors  doe  assess  the  Inhabitants  the  sum 
of  Forty  &  Seven  Pounds  Ten  Shillings  &  Eleven  pence  to  Defray  the  cost  & 
charges  of  Building  the  Court-House." 

This  vote  was  rescinded  Jan.  28,  1724. 

Dec.  2, 1726.— "Voted  that  the  Removing  the  Seats  *  Inlargeing  the  Seat  for 
the  Judges  to  sit  on  in  the  Court-house  be  Don  and  effected  at  the  Cost  &  charge 
of  the  Town,  and  Lieut.  James  Warriner  &  Thos.  Murich,  Sen',  be  a  Committee 
to  effect  said  work. 

M.ay  16, 1733.—"  Voted  that  the  Committee  appointed  to  Repair  the  under- 
pinning of  the  Town-  or  Court-House  cause  the  same  to  be  done  by  Square 
Pillars  under  each  Post  on  tlie  Back  side  of  the  House,  and  near  the  Brook,  at 
each  end  of  the  House,  with  good  stone,  laid  in  lime,  to  be  done  m  they  judge 
needful,  and  all  at  the  expense  of  the  titwn." 

From  all  this  it  would  appear  that  the  building  was  erected 
at  the  expense  of  the  town  of  Springfield,  principally,  at  least, 
and  individuals  probabl}'  gave,  as  their  means  afforded,  money, 
building  material,  and  labor  toward  its  construction.  The 
cost  can  only  be  conjectured ;  but  it  would  seem  that  the 
amount  paid  by  the  town  was  in  the  neighborhood  of  one 
hundred  and  thirty  pounds.  Allowing  liberally  for  contribu- 
tion, the  building  and  lot  cost  probably  less  than  one  thousand 
dollars.  It  appears  to  have  been  erected  during  the  years 
1722,  1723,  and  1724.  Possibly  it  may  have  been  finished  in 
1723. 

This  building  originally  stood  on  ground  now  occupied  by 
Sanford  Street,  where  it  enters  Main  Street,  and  the  front 
projected  somewhat  beyond  the  east  line  of  the  latter  street. 

There  are  many  conflicting  statements  concerning  the  old 
building;  but  it  is  probable  that  the  terms  "  Old  Parish- 
House"  and  "  Old  Court-H()U3e"  had  reference  to  it.     The 


statement  of  one  writer  that  it  was  sold  to  the  first  parish 
about  the  time  of  its  erection  is  certainly  erroneous,  for  the 
town  still  owned  it  in  1726,  as  is  apparent  from  legislation 
concerning  it. 

Dr.  Booth,  who  collected  many  interesting  facts  regarding 
the  early  history  of  Springfield,  says  it  was  occupied  for  court 
purposes  upon  the  erection  of  the  second  court-house  in  1821, 
and  afterward,  until  1828,*  by  the  town  for  a  hall  for  public 
business.  In  that  year  a  new  town-hall  was  erected,  and  the 
old  court-house  was  sold  to  the  First  Congregational  Parish, 
which  owned  it  until  1848. 

It  was  used  as  a  chapel  and  for  common-school  purposes, 
and  singing-schools  were  also  taught  in  it.  When  the  courts 
were  removed  from  Springfield  to  Northampton,  in  1792,  it 
was  abandoned  fur  court  purposes,  but  was  probably  used  for 
a  town-hall  until  the  organization  of  Hampden  County,  in 
1812.  About  the  year  last  named  it  was  moved  to  the  line  of 
the  east  side  of  Market  Street,  and  when  Sanford  Street  was 
extended  eastward  it  was  once  more  removed  to  the  north  side 
of  that  street. 

About  184.3  the  first  parish  sold  it  to  Col.  Ithamar  Good- 
man, who  shortly  after  sold  it  to  Philo  F.  Wilcox,  who  re- 
moved it  back  to  Berlin  Street  and  fitted  it  up  for  mechanics' 
shops,  raising  it  up  and  putting  additional  doors  and  windows 
in  the  first  story.  It  was  afterward  used  as  a  carriage-shop 
by  the  Messrs.  Loomis. 

In  May,  1872,  a  part  or  the  whole  of  the  old  building  was 
sold  to  William  Mattoon,  taken  down,  and  re-erected  on  the 
"Continental  Field,"  being  the  place  where  a  force  of  in- 
surgents encamped  during  the  celebrated  Shays  rebellion.  It 
was  during  that  rebellion  that  a  body  of  men  under  Shays 
himself,  or  Capt.  Luke  Day,  took  possession  of  the  old  court- 
house on  the  28th  of  September,  1786,  in  order  to  prevent  the 
sitting  of  the  Supreme  Judicial  Court. 

It  was  never  a  convenient  building  for  court  purposes. 
From  the  way  the  windows  upon  the  sides  were  arranged,  it 
would  appear  that  it  was  erected  more  with  a  view  to  accom- 
modate religious  meetings  than  for  other  purposes.  The  last 
window  in  the  rear,  it  will  be  seen,  is  above  the  line  of  the 
others,  and  this  was  probably  caused  by  a  raised  platform,  or 
gallery,  for  the  accommodation  of  the  church-singers,  or  other 
similar  use. 

That  the  old  building  was  used  more  or  less  by  the  courts, 
upon  the  incorporation  of  Hampden  County,  is  apparent  from 
entries  upon  the  records  in  the  clerk's  office ;  and  it  is  prob- 
able that  the  county  leased  or  rented  it  and  used  it  a  portion 
of  the  time,  until  the  new  court-house  of  1821  was  completed. 
It  is  said  that  the  original  site  of  the  old  court-house  cost 
thirty  pounds. 

There  was  a  very  active  and  exciting  competition  upon  the 
location  of  the  new  building,  commencing  about  1819,  some 
account  of  which  may  be  interesting  to  the  readers  of  this 
work.  We  find  in  one  of  the  local  papers,  of  date  May  31, 
1858,  an  interesting  account  of  this  controversy,  from  which 
we  have  compiled  the  following  paragraphs.  The  article  was 
prepared  by  Charles  Stearns,  of  Springfield,  and  is  no  doubt 
substantially  correct. 

It  appears  that  one  party  favored  the  location  finally  chosen, 
and  another  a  site  on  State  Street,  east  of  the  Unitarian 
Church,  and  the  writer  intimates  that  the  division  of  the 
first  parish  and  the  organization  of  the  Unitarian  Society 
had  something  to  do  with  the  controversy  upon  the  location. 

At  that  time  the  principal  part  of  the  ground  now  occupied 
by  Court  Square  was  occupied  on  the  southerly  part  by  the 
old  Stage  tavern  and  its  outbuildings,  and  on  the  northerly 
portions  by  the  dwelling  of  Zenas  Parsons,  who  died  soon 
afterward.     The  tavern  stood  near  the  big  elm  still  standing 


*  The  date  of  the  transfer  of  the  old  court-house  to  the  first  parish  is  uncer- 
tain ;  some  accQUQta  would  indicate  that  it  waa  about  1826. 


HISTORY   OF  HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


797 


near  the  southeasterly  corner  of  the  square,  and  the  Parsons 
dwelling  stood  a  little  north  of  the  other  large  elm  and  partly 
in  what  is  now  Court  Street.  The  old  First  Church  stood  in 
front  of  the  present  building,  and  occupied  what  is  now  the 
street  passing  in  front  of  the  modern  church,  leading  from 
Elm  to  Court  Streets.  The  old  church  was  sold  at  auction  to 
Ebenezer  Phelps  and  Alexander  Rumrill  for  §500,  and  imme- 
diately demolished.  The  timbers  were  many  of  them  used  in 
the  construction  of  other  buildings. 

The  old  tavern  was  also  sold  to  Col.  Ithamar  Goodman  and 
Capt.  George  Gardner,  and  removed.  The  Parsons  dwelling 
was  removed  to  the  opposite  side  of  the  street,  where  it  was 
known  as  the  "old  bake-house."  Erastus  Chapin  at  that 
time  was  the  owner  of  the  old  hotel,  and  was  paid  JI3000  in 
cash  and  the  fee-simple  of  the  lot  afterward  occupied  by  the 
"  Hampden  House." 

In  order  to  secure  the  location  of  the  court-house  on  the 
spot  where  it  was  finally  erected,  it  became  necessary  to  or- 
ganize and  purchase  the  property  now  occupied  by  Court 
Square  and  make  it  over  to  the  county  ;  and  to  do  this  it  was 
found  would  involve  an  outlay  of  about  ^10,000. 

The  advocates  of  the  "  Dwight  location,'  as  it  was  called, 
on  State  Street,  were  very  active,  and  it  required  the  utmost 
diligence  to  prevent  the  success  of  their  schemes.  We  quote 
from  Mr.  Stearns : 

"  Two  subscription  papers  were  started,  the  subscribers  to  the  first  forming  au 
associatiou  to  take  the  risk  of  the  whole,  and  after  the  sale  of  the  lots  on  Court 
Street,  and  the  avails  of  the  old  building,  &c.,  to  pay,  or  receive,  as  the  case 
might  be,  the  deficiency,  or  surplus ;  and  the  other,  for  those  who  chose  to  pay 
what  they  subscribed  without  risk.  The  conditions  were  that  the  land  fenced 
in  should  alw.ays  remain  open  and  unincumbered  as  a  public  syuare,  and  that  a 
site  for  a  court-house,  of  suitable  dimensions,  should  be  tendered  to  the  County, 
the  Square  to  be  conveyed  in  trust  to  the  County. 

"The  balance  of  the  land  on  Court  Street  was  to  be  laid  out  into  building-lots, 
and  sold  to  pay,  as  far  it  might,  the  e-vpenses.  The  extension  from  Court  Street 
to  the  bridge  of  what  wu:*  the  commencement  of  Water  Street  was  a  natural 
result,  and  was  soon  after  carried  through." 

The  project  succeeded,  and  the  court-house  was  built  in 
1821. 

The  following  is  a  list,  with  amounts  subscribed,  of  the  sub- 
scribers to  the  fund  for  the  purchase  of  the  property  :  Edward 
Pynchon,  ?800;  Daniel  Bontecou,  $800;  Eleazer  Williams, 
$400;  Elijah  Blake,  $250;  Justice  Willard,  $100;  Thomas 
Dickman,  $100;  James  Wells,  $200;  John  Ingersoll,  $100; 
Henry  Brewer,  §50  ;  David  Ames,  $C00;  Solomon  Warriner, 
$200;  Sylvester  Clark,  $.50;  Elisha  Edwards,  $50;  Samuel 
Osgood,  $100;  Japhet  Chapin,  $100;  Daniel  C.  Brewer,  $1.50; 
Dr.  John  Stone,  §100;  Moses  Howe,  $100;  Alexander  Bliss, 
$200;  John  Hooker,  $700;  Thomas  Sargent,  §100;  F.  A. 
Packard,  $50;  Elisha  Curtis,  $100;  Ebenezer  Russell,  $100; 
John  Hooker,  Jr.,  $.50;  Joseph  Pease,  $50;  Quartus  Chapin, 
$25;  Lewis  Ferre,  Jr.,  $25;  Pliny  Chapin,  §50;  Charles 
Stearns,  $100 ;  Simon  Sanborn,  $100;  Joseph  Carver,  §100; 
I.«rael  E.  Trask,  $300. 

On  the  second  paper  the  subscriptions  were  as  follows  :  Dr. 
Joshua  Frost,  $2.50;  Jonas  Coolidge,  $100;  Edward  Bliss, 
$20;  A.  G.  Tannatt,  $20;  Francis  Bliss,  $20;  Daniel  Lom- 
bard, $100;  Robert  W.  Bowhill,  $20;  Jacob  Bliss,  $20;  Ros- 
well  Lombard,  $20;  James  Chapin,  $20;  Roger  Adams,  $20; 
Ebenezer  Tucker,  $75;  Oliver  B.  Morris,  $.30  ;  George  Blake, 
$20. 

The  trees  in  the  square,  excepting  the  two  large  elms,  were 
planted  by  various  individuals,  prominent  among  whom  was 
Mr.  Samuel  Reynolds.  The  iron  fence  around  the  square  was 
erected  about  1859. 

The  old  court-house  was  the  subject  of  frequent  legislation, 
and  we  find  among  the  acts  of  the  county  board  for  1814  the 
appointment  of  Joshua  Foot,  Esq.,  as  a  committee  to  provide 
tables  and  benches  for  the  "  lobbies  in  the  court-house." 

At  the  September  session  of  1814  a  committee  was  appointed 
to  consider  the  advisability  of  erecting  "  fire-proof  public 
buildings,"  which  reported  adversely,  and  recommended  that 


a  room  in  the  "  bank"  be  rented  for  the  use  of  the  clerk ;  and 
it  would  appear  that  the  necessary  arrangements  were  made, 
and  the  sum  of  $40  was  agreed  to  be  paid  annually  for  the  use 
of  the  necessary  rooms  in  the  Springfield  Bank.  In  1817  the 
bar  of  the  old  court-house  was  enlarged  to  accommodate  the 
increasing  business. 

At  the  March  terra  of  1820,  it  would  appear  from  the  pro- 
ceedings of  the  Court  of  Sessions  that  they  had  become  con- 
vinced of  the  necessity  of  erecting  new  buildings;  for  we  find 
that  a  committee,  consisting  of  John  Phelps,  Enos  Foot, 
Samuel  Lathrop,  Jonathan  Dwight,  Jr.,  Joel  Norcross,  Amos 
Hamilton,  and  Daniel  Collins,  were  appointed  to  consider  the 
propriety  of  such  a  course. 

From  the  following  entry  on  the  record  for  the  above  term, 
it  would  also  appear  that  the  matter  had  been  taken  into  con- 
sideration by  the  attorney-general : 

''Ordered:  That  Sam*  Lathrop  be,  and  he  is  hereby  appointed  agent  for  the 
County  of  Hampden,  to  appear  at  the  next  Supreme  judicial  term  for  said 
County,  and  answer  to  the  several  informations  filed  by  the  Attorney-General 
against  the  Court  of  Sessions,  and  against  the  County  of  Hampden,  for  neglect 
to  erect  a  court-house  and  fire-proof  buildings  for  the  public  offices." 


SECOND    COURT-HOUSK,  BUILT    1821. 

At  the  December  term  of  1820  the  following  appears  of 
record : 

''Ordered:  That  tliere  be  erected  in  the  Town  of  Springfield,  and  completed 
with  reasonable  dispatch,  for  the  use  of  the  county,  a  Court-House  of  brick,  and 
such  hewn  and  other  stone  as  are  necessary  and  proper  for  the  foundation,  cel- 
lar, and  other  parts  thereof,  having  suitable  fire-proof  rooms,  with  alcoves,  cases, 
and  boxes  for  the  safe-keeping  of  the  Judical  and  other  public  Records  and  doc- 
uments of  the  CVjunty,  agreeably  to  the  requirements  aud  provisions  of  law. 

"Ordered:  That  the  Court-House  be  located  on  the  Parsons  or  Sheldon  lot,  so 
called,  near  to  and  fronting  and  ranging  with  the  Rev.  Mr.  Osgood's  meeting- 
house, so  called, — prodded  the  ground  in  front  of  the  same  l>e  cleared  of  its 
buildings,  and  its  hollows  filled  up  and  leveled  without  expense  to  the  County. 
The  ground  to  be  cleared  and  fitted  up  by  the  time  the  building  is  completed, 
and  security  taken  by  the  deed  committee  that  it  shall  be  done,  and  made  a  pub- 
lic common,  agreeably  to  a  plan  heretofore  made  by  Mr.  Damon,  and  now  before 
the  Court;  and  provided,  al8<j,  the  Proprietors  of  the  land  give  a  deed  to  the 
County,  conveying  and  securing  to  it  a  title  to  the  land  so  to  be  made  a  comniOD, 
as  aforesaid,  and  for  that  sole  use  forever ;  and  also  an  inalienable  title  to  the  land 
on  which  the  Court-House  is  to  be  located,  and  the  land  westerly  of,  and  of  its 
width,  four  rods;  and  also  to  the  land  on  the  north  side  between  the  Court- 
House  and  the  contemplated  road  towards  the  river. 

"  Ordered :  That  George  Bliss,  Esq.,  and  John  Ingersol,  Esq.,  and  each  of  them, 
be  a  committee  to  procure,  in  reasonable  time,  a  deed,  or  deeds,  securing  a  title 
to  said  lands,  as  aforesaid,  to  said  CotnUij. 

"Ordered:  That  the  Court-House  be  built  by  contract,  and  that  Jonathan 
Dwight,  Jun.,  Thomas  Sargent,  Daniel  Bontecou,  Joel  Norcross,  and  John 
Phell>8  be  a  committee  to  issue  proposals,  and  to  contract  for  the  erection  and 
completion  of  said  buildings, — not  to  exceed  in  size  the  plans  which  have  been 
presented, — the  work  to  be  commenced  next  spring:  And  that  John  Phelps,  Jon- 
athan Dwight,  Jun.,  and  Daniel  Bontecou  be  a  committee  to  superintend  the 
work,  and  see  that  it  be  done  in  a  faithful,  substantial  manner,  and  that  they  be 
authorized  to  draw  on  the  Treasurer  of  the  County  for  any  money  which  may  be 
needed  to  carry  the  contract  into  effect;  And  it  is  also  ordered  that  the  Ctjunty 
Treasurer  be  authorized  to  borrow,  on  the  best  terms  he  can,  and  on  the  credit 
of  the  County,  from  time  to  time,  such  sums  of  money  as  may  be  needed  to 
effect  the  above  object, — not,  however,  to  exceed  in  the  whole,  without  the  fur- 
ther order  Of  the  Court,  the  sum  of  Seven  Thoumud  Dollars. 

"Ordered:  That  if,  in  the  opinion  of  the  Contracting  Committee,  any  considt 


798 


HISTORY   OF  THE  CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


erable  expense  may  be  secured  and  saved  to  the  County  from  not  completing  the 
Court-House  during  the  next  season,  that  they  liave  a  discretion  in  making  the 
contract  in  STicli  a  manner  as  tliat  tlie  contractor  who  undertakes  to  Ijuild  may 
not  be  obliged  to  tinish  it  during  the  next  season. 

*^Ordvred:  That  the  sum  of  twu  thousand  dollais  be  added  to  tlie  County  esti- 
mate reported  in  August  last." 

Tho  orders  respecting  the  court-house  lots  and  common 
were  subsequently  so  modilied  as  to  allow  of  fencing  and 
planting  trees  and  shrubbery. 

The  property  named  in  the  foregoing  orders  was  conveyed 
to  the  county  by  three  warranty  deeds,  dated  April  23,  1821, 
and  March  19,  1822,  and 
signed  by  the  following 
parties:  Edward  Pyn- 
chon,  Daniel  Bontecou, 
Eleazer  Williams,  Jus- 
tin Willard,  Jas.  Wells, 
Susan  Pynchon,  Har- 
riet Bontecou,  Charlotte 
Williams,  Sally  L.  Wil- 
lard, Kebecca  Wells, 
Erastus  Chapin,  Giles  S. 
Chapin,  Ulrica  Chapin, 
Betsey  Chapin. 

The  total  considera- 
tion amounted  to  twelve 
dollars,  paid  by  the 
county. 

The  contract  for  the 
construction  was  signed 
on  the  21st  of  February, 
1821,  and  the  work  was 
to  be  completed  by  the 
1st  of  December  of  that 
year.  The  size  of  the 
building  was  sixty-two 
by  forty-eight  feet,  and 
thirty-one  feet  to  the 
eaves.     Material,  brick. 

The  building  had  a 
cellar  six  feet  in  depth 
under  the  whole  struc- 
ture, and  a  fine  Ionic 
portico  of  six  columns 
adorned  the  front.  A 
bell  of  two  hundred  and 
fifty  pounds  was  hung 
in  the  tower  soon  after 
its  completion.  The  con- 
tract price  was  eight 
thousand  three  hundred 
and  seventy-five  dollars, 
and  the  building  com- 
mittee was  Messrs.  Jona- 
than Dwight,  Jr.,  John 
Phelps,  and  Dan.  Bonte- 
cou, as  previously  stated. 

According  to  the  con- 
tract, the  payments  for 
the  work  were  to  be  made  in  seven  installments, — six  of  one 
thousand  dollars  each,  and  one  of  two  thousand  three  hundred 
and  seventy-five  dollars,  to  be  made  when  the  building  was 
completed. 

The  new  court-house  was  first  occupied  at  the  March  term 
of  the  Common  Pleas,  in  1822,  Hon.  Solomon  Strong  presiding. 

In  1851  the  building  was  enlarged  by  extending  to  the  rear, 
and  other  improvements  made,  at  a  total  expenditure  of 
five  thousand  dollars.* 


THE   NEW   COURT-HOUSE. 

The  court-house  of  1821  continued  to  answer  the  purposes 
for  which  it  was  designed  until  about  the  year  1870,  when  the 
great  increase  of  population  and  business  rendered  the  erec- 
tion of  a  more  roomy  and  substantial  structure  imperatively 
necessary,  and  the  authorities  took  the  initiatory  steps  for  the 
consummation  of  tho  desired  end.  In  everything  excepting 
the  location  (which  might  have  been  more  satisfactory)  the 
plans  were  well  laid,  and  the  completed  structure  will  stand 
for  generations,  a  monument  to  the  liberal  public  spirit  and 

good  taste  of  the  people 
of  Hampden  County, 
and  of  the  officials  who 
outlined  and  superin- 
tended the  work. 

The  act  authorizing 
the  construction  of  the 
new  building  was  passed 
March  3,  1871.  The 
first  step  necessary  after 
the  passage  of  the  act 
was  to  secure  a  proper 
site,  and  this  was  finally 
settled  by  the  purchase 
from  various  owners  of 
the  ground  lying  be- 
tween Elm  and  State 
Street,  measuring  about 
one  hundred  and  thirty- 
six  by  two  hundred  and 
thirty-five  feet,  and  cov- 
ering an  area  of  about 
thirty-two  thousand 
square  feet.  The  follow- 
ing statement  shows  the 
names  of  the  various 
owners  and  the  amount 
paid  to  each,  taken  from 
the  records : 

City  of  Springfield, 
for  lot  occupied  by 
one    of    t!ie    city 

schools J17,500.0O 

George  R.  Townsley  10,000.00 

IaI.I.iiis  C.  Smith....  15,000.00 

Kliiilialet  Trask 10,000.0(1 

Elizabeth  Adams 16,425.7.1 

Interest,  about 7ii0.72 


HAMPDEN   COUNTY   COURT-HOUSE,    ERECTED    187-J. 


*  The  second  court-house  is  still  standing  where  it  was  erected.    It  is  at  present 
(1879)  occupied  by  the  Springfield  Collegiate  Institute. 


Total  cost  of  land....  875,716.37 
To   this  add  cost  of 
court-house  build- 
ing   214,068.93 

Cost  of  furniture 14,757.99 

And  we  have  an  ag- 

gregate  of J30t,543.29 

From  this  sum  may 
be  deducted  a  small 
amount  realized  from 
the  sale  of  some  of  the 
buildings  purchased 
with  the  lots  upon  which 
they  stood,  leaving  the 
actual  cost  of  the  site 
and  building,  completely  furnished,  something  over  three 
hundred  thousand  dollars. 

The  building  is,  in  extreme  outside  dimensions,  about  ninety 
by  one  hundred  and  sixty  feet,  and  covers  an  area  of  not  far 
from  thirteen  thousand  square  feet.  It  was  erected  between 
the  passage  of  the  act,  March  3,  1871,  and  April,  1874,  in 
which  latter  month  it  was  first  opened  for  public  use.  It  is 
constructed,  "  from  turret  to  foundation-stone,"  of  the  beau- 
tiful, stratified  gray  gneiss  from  the  celebrated  Monson  quar- 
ries, in  the  eastern  part  of  the  county,  and  sometimes,  though 
erroneously,  called  "  Monson  granite."  This  excellent  build- 
ing material  is  being  extensively  used  in  the  construction  of 


HISTORY  OP   HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


vyj 


many  public  buildings,  business  blocks,  etc.,  among  which 
may  be  mentioned  the  office  building  of  the  Boston  and  Al- 
bany Railway  Company,  and  the  front  of  the  line  new  office 
of  the  Springfield  Republican,  both  in  Springfield. 

The  new  court-house  is  in  the  modified  mediaeval  Italian 
style,  with  massive  central  tower,  steep  roof,  and  dormer- 
windows.  There  are  two  principal  stories,  exclusive  of  a 
spacious  basement  and  lofty  attic,  and  the  second  story  and 
tower  are  crowned  with  crenellated  battlements,  after  the 
manner  of  the  feudal  ages.  The  general  appearance  of  the 
building  conveys  to  the  beholder  the  ideas  of  good  taste,  solid- 
ity, and  durability. 

The  main  entrance,  on  Elm  Street,  is  through  a  triple- 
arched  portico  resting  upon  two  immen.se  square  columns  with 
capitals  ornamented  after  the  Egyptian  mode,  and  opening 
into  a  spacious  court,  which  is  floored  with  colored  tiling, 
bordered  with  tasteful  designs  in  mosaic.  This  court  con- 
nects in  the  centre  with  a  main  hall,  which  traverses  the 
building  longitudinally,  and  from  which  ample  staircases 
reach  the  second  story. 

On  the  first  floor,  opening  upon  this  hall-way,  are  the  rooms 
of  the  Probate  Court  and  Court  of  Insolvencj',  those  of  the 
County  Commissioners  and  the  Grand  Jury,  the  Police  Court 
and  Justices'  rooms,  the  offices  of  the  Clerk  of  the  Courts, 
Register  of  Deeds,  and  Judge  of  Probate,  and  rooms  occupied 
by  deputy  sheriffs. 

On  the  second  floor  are  the  principal  court-room,  the  room 
occupied  by  the  county  Bar,  the  law  library,  judges'  rooms. 
County  Treasurer's  office,  SherilTs  and  witness  rooms,  and 
those  occupied  by  the  janitor. 

Several  of  the  narrow  windows  in  the  front  angles  of  the 
building  are  furnished  with  beautiful  colored  glass,  producing 
a  charming  effect  upon  the  interior.  A  spacious  circular 
opening  in  the  base  of  the  tower  suggests  preparations  for  a 
public  clock ;  two  memorial  tablets  (unfinished)  are  set  above 
the  groins  of  the  arches  of  the  front  portico,  and  the  Latin 
word  LEX  appears  in  large  raised  letters  at  the  foot  of  the 
tower,  indicating  the  purpose  for  which  the  building  was 
designed, — a  temple  of  law. 

The  building  is  well  furnished  throughout,  heated  by  steam, 
and  supplied  with  gas  and  water  from  the  city  works.  It  is 
intended  to  be  entirely  fire-proof,  and  is  undoubtedly  as 
nearly  such  as  thorough  construction  and  indestructible  ma- 
terial can  make  it. 

COUNTY   JAIL   AND    HOUSE   OF   CORRECTION.* 

The  earliest  legislation  upon  the  subject  of  a  county  jail 
which  we  find  in  the  records  of  Hampden  County  was  at  the 
September  term  of  181.3,  when  Jonathan  Smith,  Jr.,  Jonathan 
Dwight,  Jr.,  and  Daniel  Lombard  were  appointed  a  commit- 
tee, with  power  to  select  a  plan  and  to  contract  for  the  build- 
ing of  a  jail,  "subject  to  further  order  of  the  court."f 

This  committee  reported  in  favor  of  a  jail  thirty  by  eighteen 
feet  in  dimensions  within  the  walls,  two  stories  in  height,  and 
to  be  constructed  of  stone.  They  estimated  the  cost  at  §36.33.33, 
including  $333.33  for  a  site  containing  one  acre  of  land. 

At  the  November  term  Jonathan  Dwight,  Jr.,  Oliver  B. 
Morris,  and  John  Phelps,  Esqs.,  were  appointed  a  committee 
to  estimate  the  cost  of  a  new  jail,  and  on  the  1.5th  of  the  month 
reported  the  sum  at  ?.5283.  This  report  was  accepted,  and  the 
sum  of  $2,500  ordered  to  be  raised  by  tax  the  ensuing  year. 
The  treasurer  was  also  authorized  to  borrow  $1000  additional. 

*  According  to  a  statement  in  the  journal  of  Dr.  Alfred  Booth,  the  first  jail  in 
the  county  waa  built  on  Maple  Street,  in  front  of  the  residence  once  occupied  by 
Hon.  O.  B.  Morris,  and  was  burned  by  the  Indians  at  the  time  the  town  was  de- 
stroyed, in  October,  1675,  during  King  Philip's  war.  The  old  log  jtiil  of  the  Rev- 
olution was  the  rear  part  of  the  old  tavern  which  stood  partly  on  Bliss  Street 
and  partly  on  Union  House  corner.  When  Bliss  Street  was  opened  it  was  set 
back,  and  subsequently  moved  to  Central  Street. 

+  For  account  of  the  first  house  of  correction  of  old  Hampshire  County, 
erected  in  Springfield  about  1662,  see  History  of  Hampshire  County,  Chap"  I. 


The  foregoing  committee  appears  to  have  been  discharged 
and  another  appointed,  consisting  of  Messrs.  Jonathan  Dwight, 
Jr.,  William  Sheldon,  and  Heman  Day,  who  were  authorized 
to  procure  a  plan  and  make  contracts  for  the  work. 

This  committee  reported  in  December  of  the  same  year 
(1813)  that  one  and  a  half  acres  of  ground  could  be  procured 
of  Joseph  Hopkins  for  the  sum  of  $.500,  which  report  was 
accepted,  and  the  land  soon  after  purchased  at  the  stipulated 
sum.  A  new  committee,  consisting  of  George  Blake,  William 
Sheldon,  and  John  Phelps,  was  appointed  to  superintend  the 
erection  of  the  jail,  and  the  county  treasurer  was  authorized 
to  borrow  an  additicmal  $1000  if  necessary. 

It  appears  that  the  building  committee  made  a  contract 
with  one  Israel  Reed,  which  was  subsequently  annulled  and 
set  aside  by  the  court  after  Reed  had  proceeded  for  some  time 
with  the  work,  and  he  thereupon  commenced  suit  against  the 
county,  which  was  continued  until  1818,  when  it  was  settled 
by  arbitration.  Reed  receiving  the  sum  of  $30. 

Subsequently  another  story  of  brick  was  added  by  order  of 
the  court,  and  the  jail  was  completed  according  to  the  original 
design  with  this  exception.  At  the  September  term  of  1815  the 
committee  of  construction  reported  the  total  cost  at  $14,164.06. 
It  was  made  a  house  of  correction,  probably,  from  the  date  of 
completion. 

At  the  fall  session  of  1814  a  committee  of  three — consisting 
of  Messrs.  Heman  Day,  William  Ely,  and  George  Bliss — was 
appointed  to  fix  the  jail  limits.  In  those  days,  and  for  many 
years  afterward,  imprisonment  for  debt  was  considered,  if  not 
a  satisfactory  way  of  collecting  a  debt,  at  least  the  proper 
mode  of  punishment  for  those  who,  not  having  the  fear  of  the 
law  before  their  ej'cs,  involved  themselves  beyond  their  ability 
to  pay. 

After  an  incarceration  in  close  jail  for  a  certain  length  of 
time  such  debtors  were  allowed  the  liberty  of  the  jail  limits, 
or  "yard,"  which  comprised  a  fi.xed  area  on  all  sides  around 
the  jail. 

The  first  described  limits  which  we  find  recorded  are  em- 
bodied in  the  following  report  of  the  above-named  committee  : 

"That  the  following  be  assigned  as  thelimitsof  the  said  jail,  to  wit:  First,  that 
the  whole  of  the  land  purchased  by  the  county,  and  on  which  the  said  jail  stands, 
be  included  in  said  limits ;  and  also,  that  the  said  limits  include  the  whole  of  the 
road  passing  in  front  of  the  Prison  House,  between  a  line  drawn  from  the 
east  end  of  the  dwelling-house  of  John  Stebbins  on  the  southerly  side  of  said 
road,  and  in  the  course  of  said  east  end  of  said  house,  across  said  road  to  the  land 
lately  owned  by  Capt.  James  Byers  on  the  east,  and  a  line  drawn  from  the  north- 
easterly corner  of  the  home-lot  of  Jonathan  Dwight,  Jr.,  Esq.,  across  said  road 
to  a  Buttonwood-tree  standing  on  the  northerly  side  of  said  road,  in  the  land  of 
William  Slieldon,  Esq.,  so  as  to  include  the  whole  of  said  road  between  said 
boundaries  in  the  Prison  limits,  and  excluding  the  lands  adjoining  said  road,  ex- 
cept said  county  land,  and  the  same  to  he  occupied  as  the  Prison  limits  in  tha 
daij-time  only,  except  the  said  county  land." 

"  The  committee  also  report  that  the  limits  be  so  far  extended  as  that  prisoners 
having  the  liberty  of  the  yard  may,  on  the  Sabbath,  in  the  day-time  only,  go  in 
the  public  road  to  the  meetiug-house  in  the  first  Parish  in  Springfield,  and  at- 
tend public  worship,  then  returning  immediately  after  said  worship  is  concluded." 

This  report  was  accepted  and  adopted. 

The  jail  was  somewhat  enlarged  about  the  year  1830,  and 
considerable  sums  have  been  from  time  to  time  appropriated 
for  subsequent  enlargements  and  improvements,  until  the 
present  structure  represents  a  total  outlay  of  over  $50,000. 
In  18G1,  $14,000  were  appropriated  for  enlargement  of  the 
jail  and  house  of  correction,  which  are  both  under  one  roof. 
The  following  statement  is  from  the  record,  and  shows  the 
expenditures  on  the  building  in  the  several  years  .from  1863 
to  1877,  inclusive,  with  the  single  exception  of  the  year  1865  : 
1863,  $1245.81 ;  1864,  $894.48  ;  1866,  $616.23  ;  1867,  $798.89  ; 
1868,  $1078.39;  1869,  $1613.26;  1870,  $676.11  ;  1871,  $1634.46; 
1872,  $349.93  ;  1873,  $1390.79  ;  1874,  $9646.87  ;  1875,  $542.01 ; 
1876,  $828.05  ;  1877,  $680.17  ;  total,  $21,995.45.  The  jail  con- 
tains 114  single  cells,  but  has  been  crowded  at  times  with  as 
many  as  200  prisoners.  The  institution  has  a  regularly- 
appointed  chaplain,  who  receives  for  his  services  an  annual 


800 


HISTORY  OP  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


salary  of  $360,  and  also  an  attending  physician,  who  receives 
a  salary  of  $160  annually. 

THE   COURT   OF   SESSIONS. 

The  first  meeting  of  the  Court  of  Sessions  for  the  county  of 
Hampden  convened  on  the  14th  of  September,  1812.  Hon. 
Samuel  Fowler  was  the  chief-justice,  and  the  assistants  were 
Gideon  Butler,  Isaac  Coit,  Joshua  Frost,  and  Abel  Bliss,  Jr., 
Esqs.  Edward  Pynchon,  Esq.,  was  appointed  County  Treas- 
urer and  John  Ingersoll  Clerk. 

At  this  session  the  county  was  divided  into  jury  districts, 
four  in  number,  and  constituted  as  follows  : 

First  Dintrii-t. — Springfield,  Longmeadow,  and  Wilbraham. 

&co?«/Z);.s?'nVi!.— West  Springfield,  Westfield,  Montgomery, 

and  Russell. 

Third  Districi.—'Monson,  Holland,  Brimfield,  South  Brim- 
field,  Palmer,  and  Ludlow. 

Fourth  X)iA-<r(et— Blandford,  Granville,  Southwick,  Tol- 
land, and  Chester. 

At  this  term  fifty-three  persons  were  licensed  as  innkeepers 
in  various  purls  of  the  county. 

The  first  tax  assessed  for  county  purposes  was  fi-xed  at  the 
recommendation  of  the  committee  at  §2000,  and  apportioned 
among  the  various  towns  as  per  statement  below  :  Springfield, 
$226.66;  Brimfield,  5!108.13;  Longmeadow,  184.86;  South 
Brimfield,  §52.83;  Wilbraham,  $145.47;  Holland,  $.34.40; 
Monson,  $137.12;  Ludlow,  $69.80;  Palmer,  .$91.26;  West 
Springfield,  $2.54.69 ;  Granville,  $123.20 ;  Montgomery,  $48.73 ; 
Westfleld,  $174.47;  Blandford,  $132.13;  Chester,  $125.65; 
Southwick,  .$100.67  ;  Russell,  $34.57  ;  Tolland,  $65.36.  Total, 
$2000.  It  will  be  noticed  that  the  relative  standing  of  the 
various  towns  was  essentially  difterent  from  what  it  is  at  the 
present  day,  West  Springfield  being  first  on  the  list. 

Warrants  were  issued  for  the  several  amounts,  directed  to 
the  selectmen  and  assessors  who  superintended  their  assess- 
ment and  collection  in  their  respective  towns. 

The  amount  assessed  for  the  year  1814  was  $1500,  to  which 
the  court  added  the  further  sum  of  $2500,  making  a  total  of 
$4000  ;  and  it  was  estimated  that  licenses  (of  which  sixty-two 
were  granted  the  previous  year),  bills  of  costs,  duties,  etc., 
would  produce  an  additional  $64-5. 

The  following  statement  shows  the  amount  of  tax  levied  for 
county  purposes  for  various  years:  For  the  year  1812,  $2000; 
1814,  $4000;  1816,  $7000;  1817,  $3500;  1821,  $5000;  1830, 
$8000;  1840,  $13,000;  1851,  $29,200;  1860,  $32,000;  1863, 
$27,000;  1874,  $89,958  ;  1876,  $80,000. 

The  tax  for  1878  was  $80,000,  distributed  among  the 
several  towns  according  to  the  following  statement:  Ag- 
awam,  $1319.40;  Blandford,  $427.40;  Brimfield,  $613.23; 
Chester,  $576.06;  Chicopee,  $6002.33;  Granville,  $44.5.98; 
Holland,  $130.07;  Holyoke,  $10,703.85;  Longmeadow, 
$1412.31;  Ludlow,  $.576.06;  Monson,  $1505.22;  Montgom- 
ery, $148.65 ;  Palmer,  $1932.63 ;  Russell,  $427.41 ;  South- 
wick, $650.40;  Springfield,  $40,938.55;  Tolland,  $241.57; 
Wales,  $464.56;  Westfield,  $7377.48;  West  Springfield, 
$3084.78;  Wilbraham,*  $1022.06  ;  total,  $80,000. 

This  table  exhibits  in  a  striking  manner  the  changes  which 
have  occurred  since  the  first  county  apportionment  of  taxes  in 
1812.  Springfield,  from  being  second  in  the  list,  with  an  as- 
sessment of  two  hundred  and  twenty-six  dollars  and  sixty-six 
cents,  has  advanced  to  the  first  place,  with  a  tax  of  forty-one 
thousand  dollars,  or  nearly  four  times  greater  than  that  of  any 
other  in  the  county.  Holyoke,  unknown  until  1850,  now 
stands  second  on  the  list,  while  Westfield  and  Chicopee  are  far 
in  advance  of  West  Springfield,  which  now  occupies  the  fifth 
rank  among  her  sister-towns.  It  should  be  remembered,  how- 
ever, that  the  towns  of  Holyoke  and  Agawam  have  been  set 
otf  from  West  Springfield  since  the  formation  of  the  county. 
Chicopee  has  also  been  set  ofiT  from  Springfield. 

*  Including  what  is  now  Hampden. 


CHAPTER     IL 

HAMPDEN    CIVIL    LIST. 

Since  the  organization  of  Hampden  County  there  have  been 
numerous  changes  in  the  county  offices.  The  Probate  Court 
originally  only  had  jurisdiction  in  matters  of  probate.  Sub- 
sequently for  several  years  its  jurisdiction  was  extended  to 
insolvency  cases.  From  1856  to  1859  there  was  an  Insolvency 
Court,  with  judge  and  register.  During  the  continuance  of 
the  General  Bankrupt  Law  there  was  verj*  little  business  in  the 
insolvency  department.  Since  the  repeal  of  that  law  the  in- 
solvency branch  has  again  become  active.  At  present  the 
Probate  Courts  are  courts  of  both  probate  and  insolvency.f 

The  offices  of  county  treasurer  and  register  of  deeds  have 
been  elective  since  1785.  County  commissioners  were  ap- 
pointed by  the  Governor  and  council  until  1854,  since  which 
time  they  have  been  elected  by  the  people. 

The  following  otBces  have  been  elective  since  the  adoption 
of  the  amended  constitution  in  1857 :  commissioners  of  in- 
solvency duting  their  continuance,  sheriff,  register  of  probate 
and  insolvency,  district  attorney,  clerk  of  courts.  Coroners 
and  medical  examiners  are  appointed  by  the  Governor  and 
council. 

The  office  of  county  attorney  was  abolished  in  1832,  and 
that  of  district  attorney  substituted.  The  district  now  em- 
braces Hampden  County. 

The  following  list  comprises  the  names  and  terms  of  service 
of  the  various  county  officials  who  have  served  since  the  or- 
ganization of  the  county  in  1812,  with  the  single  exception  of 
coroners  and  medical  examiners  : 

JUDGES   OF    PROBATE. 

1812.— Samuel  Fowler,  Westfield. 
1813. — John  Hooker,  Springfield. 
1829.— Oliver  B.  Morris,  Springfield. 

JUDGES  OF  PROBATE  AND  INSOLVENCY. 

1858.— John  Wells,  Chicopee. 

1863.— William  S.  Shurtleff,  Springfield. 


1856-59.- 


JUDGES   or    IN.SOLVENCY. 

-John  M.  Stebbins. 


REGISTERS   OF    PROBATE. 

1812.— William  Blair,  Westfield. 
1813.- Oliver  B.  Morris,  Springfield. 
1829.— Justice  Willard,  Springfield. 
1851._-VVilliam  L.  Smith,  Springfield. 
1853.— Henry  Smith,  Springfield. 
1855. — Charles  A.  Winchester,  Springfield. 
1857.— Charles  R.  Ladd,  Springfield. 

REGISTERS    OF   PROBATE   AND   INSOLVENCY. 

1859.— William  S.  Shurtleff,  Springfield. 
1863. — Samuel  B.  Spooner,  Springfield. 

REGISTERS   OF    INSOLVENCY. 

1856-57.— C.  A.  Winchester. 
1857-59.— William  S.  Shurtlefi'. 

COUNTY   ATTORNEYS. 

1812. — Oliver  B.  Morris,  Springfield. 
1812. — George  Bliss,  Springfield. 
1817. — Samuel  Lathrop,  West  Springfield. 
1821. — Oliver  B.  Morris,  Springfield. 

DISTRICT    ATTORNEYS. 

1832. — Charles  A.  Dewey,  Northampton. 
1837.— Daniel  Wells,  Greenfield. 
1844.— William  Porter,  Jr.,  Lee. 

t  For  information  upon  other  county  matters,  see  under  head  of  County  Legis- 
lature. 


HISTORY  OF   HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


801 


1851. — Increa.se  Sumner,  Great  Barrington. 
18-53.— William  G.  Bates,  Westfield. 
1854. — Henry  L-  Dawes,  Adams. 
1857.— Edward  B.  Gillett,  Westfield. 
1872. — Geoi-ge  M.  Stearns,  Chicopee. 
1874. — N.  A.  Leonard,  Sjirini^tiekl. 
1875.— E.  H.  Lathrop. 
1878.— N.  A.  Leonard. 

JUSTICES   OF    THE   COURT   OP  SESSION. 

1812-13.— Samuel  Fowler,  Westfield. 
1812-13. — Gideon  Burt,  Longmeadow. 
1812-13. — Isaac  Coit,  Southwick. 
1812-13.— Joshua  Frost,  Springfield. 
1812-13.— Abel  Bliss,  Wilbrahara. 
1813-19. — Abner  Brown,  Jlonson. 
1813-28.— Heman  Day,  West  Springfield. 
1813-14. — Ethan  Ely,  Longmeadow. 
1814-18.— William  Ely,  Springfield. 
1819-20.— Amos  Hamilton,  Palmer. 
1819-23.— Stephen  Pynchon,  Brimfield. 
1819-2.5. — Sylvester  Emmons,  Chester. 
1823-28.— James  Stebbins,  Palmer. 
1826-28. — Joseph  Forward,  Southwick. 

COUNTY    CO.MMI.SSIONERS. 

1828-31.— Caleb  Rice,  West  Springfield. 
1828-35. — Joel  Norcross,  Monson. 
1828-35.— Keuben  Boies,  Jr.,  Blandford. 
1831-35.— William  Bliss,  Springfield. 
1835-38. — James  W.  Crooks,  Springfield. 
183:5-38. — Gideon  Stiles,  Southwick. 
1835-38.— Cyrus  Knox,  Palmer. 
1838-44.— John  Ward,  Palmer. 
1841-44.— Patrick  Boise,  Westfield. 
1841-44.— Forbes  Kyle,  Chester. 
1844-47.— Willis  Phelps,  Springfield. 
1844-50.— Samuel  Root,  Granville. 
1844-47. — Austin  Fuller,  Monson. 
1847-50. — Benning  Leavitt,  Chicopee. 
1847-50.— John  McCray,  Wilbraham. 
1850-53. — Norman  T.  Leonard,  Westfield. 
1850-53.— William  V.  Sessions,  Wilbraham. 
1850-53. — Melvin  Copeland,  Chester. 
1853-55.— William  B.  Calhoun,  Springfield. 
1853-57.— Alured  Homer,  Brimfield. 
1853-56.— George  C.  Gibbs,  Blandford. 
1855-58. — Francis  Brewer,  Springfield. 
18.56-59.— Henry  Fuller,  Westfield. 
1857-60.— Henry  F.  Brown,  Brimfield. 
1858-64.— Nelson  D.  Parks,  Russell. 
1859-62. — Henry  Charles,  Ludlow. 
1860-63.— Henry  Fuller,  Westfield. 
1862-65. — Benning  Leavitt,  Chicopee. 
1863-69.— Daniel  G.  Potter,  Monson. 
1864-67. — Charles  C.  Wright,  Agawam. 
1865-68. — Ambrose  N.  Merrick,  Springfield. 
1867-76.— William  M.  Lewis,  Blandford. 
1868-71. — Phineas  Stedman,  Chicopee. 
1869-71. — Randolph  Stebbins,  Longmeadow. 
1871-74. — George  R.  Townsley,  Springfield. 
1871-74. — James  S.  Loomis,  Palmer. 
1873-76. — Lawson  Sibley,  Springfield. 
1874-77.— John  O.  Donnell,  Holyoke. 
1875-78.— L.  F.  Thayer,  Westfield. 
1876.— N.  S.  Hubbard,  Brimfield. 

COUNTY   TREASURERS. 
1812.— Edward  Pynchon,  Springfield. 
1830. — David  Paine,  Springfield. 
1835. — George  Collon,  Springfield. 

101 


1838.— William  Rice,  Springfield. 
1856. — Norman  Norton,  Springfield. 
1859.— Charles  R.  Ladd,  Springfield. 
1867.— M.  Wells  Bridge,  Springfield. 

REGISTERS    OF    DEEDS. 

1812. — Edward  Pynchon,  Springfield. 
1830.— David  Paine,  Springfield. 
1831. — William  Rice,  Springfield. 
1858. — James  E.  Russell,  Springfield. 

SHERIFFS. 

1812. — Jonathan  Smith,  Jr.,  Springfield. 
1814.— John  Phelps,  Granville. 
1831.— Caleb  Rice,  Springfield. 
1851.- Justin  Wilson,  Blandford. 
1853.— Patrick  Boise,  Westfield. 
1855. — Nathaniel  Cutler,  Chicopee. 
1857.— Robert  G.  Marsh,  Holyoke. 
I860.— Frederick  Bush,  Westfield. 
1869.— A.  M.  Bradley,  Springfield. 
1878.— H.  Q.  Sanderson. 

CLERKS    OF    THE   COURT. 

1812. — John  IngersoU,  Springfield. 
1841.— Richard  Bliss,  Springfield. 
1852. — George  B.  Morris,  Springfield. 
1872. — Robert  0.  Morris,  Springfield. 

TRIAL-JUSTICES. 

The  oflice  of  trial-justice  was  established  by  an  act  of  the 
General  Court,  passed  May  3, 1850.  They  were  to  be  appointed 
by  the  Governor,  to  hold  office  during  seven  years.  This  act 
was  repealed  May  24,  1851. 

A  similar  act  was  passed  in  18-58,  establishing  a  certain 
number  in  each  county,  the  number  in  Hampden  being  re- 
stricted to  ten,  to  be  appointed  by -the  Governor  and  council, 
and  to  hold  oflice  for  three  years. 

Under  this  act  the  jurisdiction  of  such  trial-justices  ex- 
tended to  all  offenses  subject  to  the  penalties  of  fine  and  for- 
feiture, not  exceeding  fifty  dollars,  or  imprisonment  in  the  jail 
or  house  of  correction  for  a  term  not  exceeding  six  months. 
The  present  justices  and  the  towns  where  they  have  jurisdic- 
tion are  as  follows  : 

Westfield. — Henry  Fuller,  Henry  B.  Lewis,  Homer  B.  Ste- 
vens. 

Granrille. — J.  M.  Goodwin. 

Chester. — Rufus  Smith. 

LEGISLATIVE    DISTRICTS   AND    REPRESENTATION. 

Every  incorporated  town  existing  at  the  adoption  of  the 
constitution  of  1779  was  entitled  to  one  representative  in  the 
General  Court.  From  that  date,  every  town  having  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  ratable  polls  was  entitled  to  a  representative, 
and  an  additional  one  was  allowed  for  every  additional  two 
hundred  and  twenty-five  ratable  polls.  From  the  adoption 
of  the  constitution  no  new  town  could  be  organized  having 
less  than  the  one  hundred  and  fifty  ratable  polls,  but  all  towns 
then  in  existence  were  allowed  one  representative,  without  re- 
gard to  the  number  of  polls. 

Under  the  amended  constitution  of  1857*  the  State  was 
divided  into  representative  districts  by  counties,  the  Legisla- 
ture fixing  the  number  of  representatives  to  which  each  county 
was  entitled  according  to  population,  and  the  County  Com- 
missioners were  empowered  and  authorized  to  subdivide  their 
respective  counties  into  districts  in  proportion  to  the  number 
of  legal  voters  in  such  manner  as  would  best  accommodate  the 
population.  The  first  apportionment,  made  in  1857,  was  as 
follows,  the  county  being  entitled  to  twelve  representatives : 

*  Passed  by  the  Legislature  May  23, 1855  ;  ratified  by  the  people  in  1857. 


802 


IlISTOllY   OP   THE   CONNECTICUT   VALLKY. 


First  lilsfrie.f. — The  towns  of  Brimfield,  Monson,  HolUuid. 
and  Wales. — To  be  entitled  to  one  representative. 

Second  District. — The  town  of  Palmer. — One  representative. 

Third  District. — The  towns  of  Wilbraham  and  Long- 
meadow. — One  representative. 

Fourth  District. — The  First  and  Second  Wards  of  the  city 
of  Springfield. — One  representative. 

Fifth  District.— The  Third  and  Fourth  Wards.— One  rep- 
resentative. 

Sixth  District.— The  Fifth,  Sixth,  Seventh,  and  Eighth 
Wards. — One  representative. 

Seventh  District. — The  towns  of  Chicopee  and  Ludlow. — 
Two  representatives. 

Eiijlith  District. — The  towns  of  Holyoke  and  West  Spring- 
field.— One  representative. 

Ninth  District. — The  towns  of  Agawani,  Southwick,  and 
Granville. — One  representative. 

Tenth  District. — The  town  of  Westfield. — One  representa- 
tive. 

Eleventh  District. — The  towns  of  Chester,  Blandford,  Tol- 
land, Montgomery,  and  Russell. — One  representative. 

Under  the  apportionment  of  18Gb  the  county  was  allowed 
the  same  number  of  representatives,  and  the  commissioners 
divided  it  into  nine  districts,  as  follows  : 

First  District. — The  towns  of  Brimfield,  Monson,  Holland, 
and  Wales. — With  one  representative. 

Second  District. — The  towns  of  Palmer  and  Wilbraham. — 
One  representative. 

Third  Di.'stricf.— The  First,  Second,  and  Third  Wards  of 
the  city  of  Springfield. — Two  representatives. 

Fourth  District.— The  Fourth  and  Sixth  Wards  of  the  city 
of  Springfield. — One  representative. 

Fifth  District.— The  Fifth,  Seventh,  and  Eighth  Wards 
of  the  city  of  Springfield. — One  representative. 

Sixth  District. — The  towns  of  Holyoke,  Chicopee,  and  Lud- 
low.— Two  representatives. 

Seventh  District. — The  towns  of  Granville,  Southwick, 
Agawam,  West  Springfield,  and  Longnieadow. — Two  repre- 
sentatives. 

Eighth  District. — The  town  of  Westfield. — One  represent- 
ative. 

Ninth  District. — The  towns  of  Chester,  Blandford,  Mont- 
gomery, llussell,  and  Tolland. — One  representative. 

The  third  apportionment,  made  in  1876,  gives  the  county 
twelve  representatives,  as  before;  and  the  commissioners 
divided  it  into  eleven  districts,  as  follows : 

First  District. — The  towns  of  Monson,  Brimfield,  Holland, 
and  Wales. — One  representative. 

Second  District. — The  towns  of  Palmer,  Wilbraham,  and 
Ludlow. — One  representative.* 

Third  District. — The  town  of  Chicopee. — Two  representa- 
tives. 

Fourth  District. — The  First  and  Second  Wards  of  the  city 
of  Springfield. — One  representative. 

Fifth  District.— The  Third  and  Sixth  Wards  of  the  city 
of  Springfield. — One  representative. 

Sixth  District.— The  Fourth  and  Seventh  Wards  of  the 
city  of  Springfield. — One  representative. 

Seventh  District.— The  Fifth  and  Eighth  Wards  of  the  city 
of  Springfield. — One  representative. 

Eighth  District— The  First,  Second,  Third,  Fourth,  and 
Fifth  Wards  of  the  city  of  Holyoke. — One  representative. 

Ninth  District— The  Sixth  and   Seventh  Wards  of  Hol- 
yoke, and  the  town  of  West  Springfield. — One  representative. 
Tenth  District.— The  towns  of  Westfield,   Agawam,   and 
Montgomery. — Two  representatives. 

Eleve7ith  District. — The  towns  of  Southwick,  Granville,  Tol- 
land, Blandford,  Chester,  and  Russell. — One  representative. 


For  list  of  representatives,  see  histories  of  towns. 

In  addition  to  the  regular  county  officers,  the  county  of 
Hampden  has  furnished  the  following  State  officers  : 

Lieutenant-Governor. — Eliphalet  Trask,  Hampden  County, 
from  1858  to  1861. 

Secretaiy  of  State. — William  B.  Calhoun,  of  Hampden 
County,  from  1848  to  1851. 


*  This  district  includes  the  new  town  of  Hampde 


CHAPTER   III. 

BENEVOLENT    KELIGIOUS    ASSOCIATIONS. 

Various  societies  and  associations  have  been  in  existence 
for  many  years  in  connection  with  the  religious  organizations 
of  the  Connecticut  Valley  in  Massachusetts.  An  as.sociation 
of  Christian  ministers  was  in  existence  before  1800,  for  we 
find  that  at  a  meeting  held  in  Springfield,  Feb.  12,  1799,  at 
"  the  request  of  some  gentlemen  residing  in  the  new  settle- 
ments," it  was 

"  Voted  I.  That  we  will  encourage  a  mission  to  the  Mohawk  River,  in  the 
vicinity  of  Fort  Stanwix  [now  Rome],  not  exceeding  four  months. 

"  II.  That  we  will  endeavor,  with  the  consent  of  our  people,  to  supply  the 
pulpit  of  the  gentleman  who  shall  undertake  the  mission  during  his  ahseuce. 

"III.  That  we  will  endeavor  to  collect  from  our  respective  parishes  eitjhly 
dollars  as  a  compensation  for  the  four  months." 

Under  these  resolutions  the  Rev.  Joel  Baker,  of  Middle 
Granville,  went  as  the  missionary,  and  was  paid  sixty  dollars, 
as  he  was  absent  only  three  months,  the  amount  being  dis- 
tributed among  the  various  towns  of  what  is  now  Hampden 
County.  At  another  tiine  the  Rev.  Dr.  Cooley,  of  East 
Granville,  labored  as  a  missionary  for  three  months  in  the 
vicinity  of  Utica,  N.  Y. 

Upon  the  division  of  Old  Hampshire  County,  in  1811-12, 
the  early  organizations  of  the  original  county  were  subdivided 
into  three  county  organizations.  Previous  to  the  division 
.  there  was  a  Hampshire  missionary  societ}',  and  undoubtedly 
a  Bible  society,  and  perhaps  other  associations  for  benevolent 
purposes. 

The  Hampden  County  Home  Missionary  Society  was  or- 
ganized at  the  court-house  in  Springfield  on  the  19th  day  of 
May,  1831,  bj"  a  convention  of  pastors  and  delegates.  The 
first  annual  meeting  was  held  in  the  following  October. 

The  Hampden  County  Bible  Society,  and  the  Foreign  Mis- 
sionary Society  of  Hampden  County,  had  also  been  organized 
for  a  considerable  time ;  and  soon  after  the  formation  of  the 
Home  Missionary  Society  the  three  organizations  held  their 
annual  meetings  in  concert,  and  pjublished  their  reports  to- 
gether. 

In  1843  all  the  religious  benevolent  associations  and  so- 
cieties, with  a  few  exceptions,  were  consolidated  under  the 
name  of  "  The  Bknevolent  Association  or  Hampden 
County." 

The  first  officers  of  the  Hampden  Home  Missionary  Society, 
organized  in  1831,  were;  President,  Hon.  Saml.  Lathrop;  Vice- 
President,  Rev.  Timothy  M.  Cooley,  D.D.  ;  Secretary,  Rev. 
Hervey  Smith  ;  Treasurer,  Henry  Brewer,  Jr.  Its  directors 
were  Rev.  Alfred  Ely,  Rev.  Saml.  Osgood,  D.D.,  Daniel  Bon- 
tecou,  Rev.  Isaac  Kiiapp,  Augustus  Collins,  Esq.,  Orrin  Sage, 
Esq.,  Rev.  Alexander  Phenix,  Rev.  Thomas  E.  Vermilye, 
Justin  Ely,  Esq.,  Rev.  R.  S.  Hazen,  Elisha  Burnham,  Esq., 
and  Col.  Galen  Ames. 

From  1850  to  1861  the  Conference  of  the  Congregational 
Churches  of  Hampden  County  acted  in  concert  with  the  Be- 
nevolent Association,  and  in  the  latter  year  united  with  that 
organization.  The  prominent  organizations  of  the  county  are 
at  the  present  time  the  Hampden  County  Home  Missionary 
Society,  the  Hampden  County  Bible  Society,  and  the  For- 
eign Missionary  Society ;  and  around  these  has  grown  up  the 
system  of  religious  charities  and  home  evangelization. 

Within  the  forty  years  from  1831  to  1871  the  Congrega- 
tional Churches  in  Hampden  County  increased  from  twenty- 


HISTORY   OF  HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


803 


three  to  twenty-eight,  and  from  a  membership  of  three  ihou- 
pand  three  hundred  and  seven  to  iive  thousand  seven  hundred 
and  twenty-eight,  and  their  Sabbalh-school  membership  from 
tlirce  thousand  seven  hundred  and  forty-three  to  six  thousand 
four  hundred  and  fifty-eight.  These  figures  have  been  since 
somewhat  increased.  The  total  contributions  of  the  Benevo- 
lent Association  for  the  year  ending  Oct.  20,  1878,  were  twelve 
thousand  seven  hundred  and  fifty-one  dollars  and  forty-one 
cents. 

The  present  officers  of  the  association  are  as  follows:  Pres- 
ident, Eev.  Aaron  W.  Field  ;  Scribe  and  Treasurer  of  Con- 
ference, Rev.  John  W.  Harding  ;  Treasurer  of  the  Benevolent 
Association,  Charles  Marsh  ;  Auditors,  Henry  Brewer,  Henry 
S.  Lee. 

The  total  contributions  of  the  Congregational  Churches  of 
Hampden  for  benevolent  purposes  in  the  forty  years  between 
1831  and  1871  were  four  hundred  and  eight  thousand  four 
hundred  and  sixty-two  dollars  and  thirtv-seven  cents. 


CHAPTER    IV. 

THE    MEDICAL    PROFESSION. 
THE    HAMPDEN    DISTRICT   MEDICAL   SOCIETY. 

This  society  was  instituted  May  30,  1840,  under  a  charter 
granted  by  the  Councilors  of  the  Massachusetts  Medical  So- 
ciety to  Joseph  H.  Flint,  William  Bridgnian,  George  Hooker, 
Aaron  King,  Bela  B.  Jones,  Keuben  Chanijiion,  John  Apple- 
ton,  and  L.  W.  Huniphrej-s.  It  is  composed  of  the  Fellows 
of  the  Massachusetts  Society  residing  in  the  county  of  Hamp- 
den.* The  society  is  in  a  flourishing  condition,  and  occupies 
a  high  position  among  the  medical  associations  of  Mas.sachu- 
setts.     Its  olBcers  since  its  organization  have  been  as  follows : 


Presidents. 


Elected.    Besigued. 

Reuben  rhampiou...ie40 .1841 

Aaron  King 1841 1842 

Joseph  H.  Flint 1842 1843 

David  Beniis 1843 1845 

Julin  Smith It46 1846 

William  Bridgnian. ..1846 1848 

Silas  P.  Wright 1848 ...1>49 

Je&se  W.  Rice 1849 1851 

James  M.  Smith 1851 1S54 

William  Bridgman...l864 1857 

Nathan  Adams 1857 1859 

Allied  Lauilert 1859 1860 


Elected.    Resigned. 

P.  Le  B.  Stickney 1860 1862 

E.  G.  Pierce 18B2 1862 

Cyrus  Bell 1863 1866 

David  P.  Smith 1866 1867 

William  G.  Breck 1867 1869 

A.  S.  McLean 1869 1871 

V.  L.  Owen 1871 1872 

T.  L.  Chapman 1872 1874 

W.  J.  Savvin 1874 1876 

David  Clark 1876 1877 

H.  G,  Stiukney 1877 1878 

Sanfuid  Lawton 1878 


Vice-Presidents. 


Elected.    Resigned. 

William  Bridgnian. ..1840 1841 

T.  B.  Biidgman 1848 1849 

Thad.  K.  De  Wolf.. ..1857 1858 

Thos.  L.  Chapman. ..1858 1859 

P.  Le  B.  Stickney 1859 1860 

D.  P.  Smith 1860 1861 

Cyrus  Bell 1862 1863 

Alfred  Lambert 1864 

George  G.  Tucker 1866 1867 


Elected.    Resigned. 

A.  S.  McLean 1867 1869 

William  J.  Savvin 1S69 1870 

V.  L.  Owen 1870 1871 

T.  L.  Chapman 1871 1872 

A.  R.  Rice 1872 1874 

H.  G.  Stickneyt 1874 1876 

G.  S.  Stebbins 1876 1877 

G.  W.  Davis 1877 1878 

Harlow  Gamwell 1878 


Secretaries  and  Treasurers. 


Elected.    Resigned. 

John  Applet™ 1840 1842 

William  A.  Davis 1842 1845 

J.  G.  Holland 1845 1847 

Thos.  L.  Chapman....l847 1849 

Alfred  Lambert 1849 1854 

William  G.  Breck 1854 1856 

George  A.  Otis 1856 1861 

A.  S.  McLean 1861 1863 


Elected.    Resigned. 

William  G.  Breck 1863 1864 

H.  G.  Stickney 1804 

A.  R.Rice 18C6 1869 

George  V.  Jelly 1809 1809 

Charles  P.  Kemp 1809 1871 

Geo.  S.  Stebbins 1872 1876 

F.  W.  Chapiu 1870 


Me??i6e;\9,  April,  1878. — John  Curran  Beach,  Springfield  ;J 
Herbert  Chauncey  Belden,  West  Springfield ;  Cyrus  Bell, 
Feeding  Hills ;  Charles  Blodgett,  Holyoke  ;  Charles  Wesley 
Bowen,  Granville  Corners ;  Stephen  Wallace  Bowles,  Theo- 
dore Frelinghuysen  Breck,  William  Oilman  Breck,  Lawton 
Stickney  Brooks,  Samuel  Doolittle  Brooks,  James  Ka3-mond 
Brown,  Marshall  Calkins,  Frederic  Wilcox  Chapin,  Spring- 
field ;  Thomas  Luce  Chapman,  Longmeadow  ;   David  Clark, 

*  From  pamphlet  hy-laws  and  list  of  members  for  1878. 
t  Died  in  December,  1878.  t  Retired. 


Springfield  ;  George  Washington  Davis,  Holyoke;  Thaddeus 
Kingsley  De  Wolf,  Chester  Centre;  Francis  Frye  Dole, 
Chicopee ;  Edgar  Leroy  Draper,  Holyoke ;  .lames  Monroe 
Fay,  Chester;  James  Milton  Foster,  Wilbrahain  ;  Harlow 
Gamwell,  Westfield ;  William  Wallace  Gardner,  Spring- 
field;! George  Hooker,  Longmeadow;  John  Hooker,  Spring- 
field ;  Luther  Frink  Hume.ston,  Holyoke ;  John  Francis 
Hurley,  Chicopee ;  Charles  Parke  Kemp,  Sanford  Lawton, 
George  Chesley  McLean,  Springfield  ;  Walter  Jenks  Nor- 
folk, Westfield;  .lames  John  O'Connor,  Holyoke;  Varillas 
Linus  Owen,  Springfield;  Francis  Follam  Parker,  Chicopee; 
Stejihen  Franklin  Pomeroy,  Springfield;  Andrew  Fairfield 
Reed,  Holyoke;  Albert  Raymond  Rice,  Frederick  Eugene 
Rice,  Springfield;  Joseph  William  Rockwell,  Southwick ; 
Alvan  Smith, §  Monson ;  David  Paige  Smith,  Springfield; 
Samuel  Finley  Smith,  Indian  Orchard ;  William  George 
Smith,  Chicopee;!  George  Stanford  Stebbins,  Horatio  Gates 
Stickney, II  Pierre  Le  Breton  Stickney,  Springfield;  George 
Grenville  Tucker,  Westfield;  Edward  Goodrich  Uft'ord,! 
Agawam  ;  Henry  Robert  Vaile,  Springfield  ;  James  Henry 
Waterman,  Westfield;  John  Ricord  Wilbur,  Chicopee  Falls. 
The  following  brief  notices  of  members  of  the  regular  pro- 
fession,— including  the  early  practitioners,  and  several  of  the 
present  day, — in  various  parts  of  the  county,  have  been  com- 
piled from  many  sources.  The  want  of  a  written  history  of 
the  medical  profession  has  been  a  serious  drawback  in  collect- 
ing materials,  and  a  large  share  of  the  information  has  been 
picked  up  among  old  and  young  by  word  of  mouth,  and  culled 
from  old  account-books,  newspaper  articles,  and  fragmentary 
sketches  here  and  there.  Many  of  the  physicians  who  have 
practiced  in  the  county  are  spoken  of  in  their  respective  towns, 
and  more  especially  in  the  eastern  portion  of  the  county.  To 
all  who  have  assisted  us  in  our  researches  we  tender  our  obli- 
gations. 

PHYSICIANS    OF    SPRINGFIELD. 

Col.  John  Pynchon,  of  the  fourth  generation  from  Wil- 
liam Pynchon,  the  founder  of  Springfield,  had  two  sons  who 
entered  the  medical  profession,  and  of  whom  Dr.  Joseph  C. 
Pynchon  furnishes  the  following  particulars  : 

Dr.  Joseph  Pynchon  was  born  on  the  7th  day  of  February 
(O.  S.),  1705,  in  the  "Old  Fort"  in  Springfield.  He  studied 
both  medicine  and  divinity,  and  graduated  at  Harvard  Col- 
lege. He  followed  the  ministerial  profession  for  a  time,  and 
afterward  practiced  medicine  in  the  town  of  Longmeadow. 
Dr.  Pynchon  was  a  member  of  the  General  Court,  and  died 
while  in  the  discharge  of  his  duties. 

Dr.  Charles  Pynchon,  son  of  Col.  John  Pynchon,  and 
brother  of  the  preceding,  was  born  Jan.  31,  1719,  in  the  "  Old 
Fort,"  or  Pynchon  mansion,  in  Springfield.  It  is  not  known 
where  he  was  educated,  but  he  practiced  medicine  in  Spring- 
field and  the  surrounding  country.  He  died  Aug.  19,  1783. 
The  oflSce  which  he  occupied  is  still  standing,  on  the  east  side 
of  Main  Street,  the  second  building  above  Ferry  Street.  Dr. 
Charles  Pynchon  appears  to  have  had  an  extensive  practice 
and  quite  a  number  of  students,  first  and  last. 

Dr.  Chauncey  Brewer  was  born  in  Springfield,  Mass., 
May  5,  1743.  He  studied  medicine  with  Dr.  Chafles  Pyn- 
chon, of  Springfield,  and  graduated  at  Yale  College  in  1762. 

He  beo-an  practice  in  West  Springfield,  but  about  the  com- 
mencement of  the  Revolutionary  war  removed  to  Springfield. 
He  was  a  prominent  man  in  the  atfairs  of  the  colony  previous 
to  the  war,  and  represented  this  region  in  the  First,  Second, 
and  Third  Provincial  Congresses  of  Massachusetts.  His 
father  was  a  stone-cutter,  and  his  grandfather  the  Rev.  Daniel 
Brewer,  who  came  from  Roxbury,  and  was  the  first  settled 
minister,  or  one  of  the  first,  in  West  Springfield. 

Dr.  Brewer  was  an  uncompromising  friend  of  the  colonies 
in  their  struggle  for  independence,  and  was  considered  the 

8  Retired.  11  Since  dead. 


804 


HISTORY    OF   THE   CONNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


most  eminent  practitioner  of  liis  time  in  Western  Massachu- 
setts. He  was  the  family  physician  of  Kev.  Josepli  Latlirop, 
and  a  member  of  his  church.  It  is  related  of  him  that  he 
often  officiated  for  his  pastor  when  the  latter  was  disabled  or 
absent  from  his  place.  They  were  warm  friends.  The  doctor 
was  a  very  attentive  reader  of  the  Scriptures.  After  his  re- 
moval to  Springfield  he  united  with  the  First  Church,  of 
which  he  was  afterward  a  deacon.  His  mental  and  physical 
faculties  were  well  preserved  to  the  day  of  his  death,  which 
took  place  on  the  l.'jth  of  March,  1830,  in  his  eighty-seventh 
year. 

Many  interesting  anecdotes  are  told  of  him.  On  a  certain 
occasion,  in  the  early  times,  a  man  who  was  very  sick  in  West 
Springfield  had  employed  a  somewhat  noted  Indian  doctor  to 
attend  him ;  but,  not  improving  as  rapidly  as  was  expected 
under  his  treatment,  his  friends  became  anxious,  and  deter- 
mined to  call  in  some  of  the  Springfield  physicians.  Tradi- 
tion says  that  among  those  who  were  called  for  consultation 
was  Dr.  Chauncey  Brewer.  The  party  crossed  the  river  on 
the  ferry,  made  a  careful  examination  of  the  case,  and  con- 
cluded that  the  Indian's  manner  of  procedure  was  not  the 
proper  one.  Dr.  Brewer  was  something  of  a  wag,  and  loved 
a  good  joke,  and,  probably  at  his  suggestion,  the  diagnosis  of 
the  case  and  the  proper  treatment  were  written  out  in  Latin, 
and  the  family  werp  instructed  to  lay  the  papers  before  the 
red  man  and  desire  his  opinion. 

Soon  after,  the  Indian  came  to  see  his  patient,  and  the  elab- 
orate document  was  laid  before  him,  with  the  request  that  he 
examine  carefully  what  his  learned  white  contemporaries  had 
concluded  upon.  Now,  the  Indian  was  evidently  a  shrewd 
observer  of  human  nature,  and,  though  the  papers  were  as 
illegible  to  him  as  the  Egyptian  hieroglyphics,  he  took  them 
and  proceeded  to  examine  the  contents  with  all  the  apparent 
interest  and  solemn  dignity  of  a  veteran  M.I). 

At  the  concUision  of  his  reading  he  called  for  pen  and  paper 
and  proceeded  to  write  down  his  opinion  of  the  white  man's 
remedies,  together  with  his  own  diagnosis  of  the  case,  and  a 
statement  of  the  proper  remedies,  all  in  the  Indian  langimye, 
and,  giving  the  papers  into  the  hands  of  the  friends  of  the 
patient,  bade  them  good-day.  What  was  the  result  of  the 
white  doctor's  examination  of  the  Indian  documents  we  can- 
not say,  but  they  evidently  respected  the  shrewdness  which 
had  so  ingeniously  turned  the  tables  upon  them.  It  is  said 
the  patient  recovered. 

Dr.  Brewer,  we  believe,  was  the  man  whom  the  insurgents, 
under  Capt.  Luke  Day,  captured  in  the  winter  of  178C-87, 
while  they  were  in  occupation  of  West  Springfield,  and  en- 
deavored to  convert  to  their  revolutionary  belief,  but  in  which 
they  were  disappointed,  as  neither  threats  nor  persuasions 
could  stir  him  from  his  position,  and  they  soon  released  him. 

Another  incident  is  related  of  him  by  the  Brewer  brothers, 
druggists,  opposite  Court-House  Square:  At  a  period  when 
Rev.  Joseph  Lathrop  had  become  well  advanced  in  years,  he 
stepped  into  Dr.  Brewer's  office,  which  was  near  the  ferry,  to 
wait  for  the  boat,  then  on  the  other  side.  The  two  men  were 
chatting  and  joking  pleasantly,  when  suddenly  Dr.  Brewer 
remarked  :  "  Mr.  Lathrop,  I  have  an  old  grudge  against  you  : 
you  once  punished  me  in  your  school  when  I  did  not  deserve 
it,  and  I  said  when  I  got  old  enough  I  would  take  my  re- 
venge." "Well,"  said  the  aged  parson,  rising  and  pulling 
off  his  coat,  "we  might  as  well  settle  it  now  as  any  time." 
The  doctor  laughed,  and  the  joke  was  heartily  enjoyed  by  the 
bystanders. 

Dr.  Brewer  married  Amy  White,  by  whom  he  had  eleven 
childen.  His  wife  died  in  1821,  aged  seventy-six  years.  His 
son,  Daniel  Chauncey  Brewer,  was  educated  for  a  physician, 
but  did  not  practice  long,  giving  up  the  profession  to  engage 
in  the  drug  business  with  Dr.  Joshua  Frost.  The  old  doctor 
was  a  member  of  the  Massachusetts  Medical  Association,  to 
which  he  was  admitted  in  1785. 


Dr.  Nathan  Smith. — Among  the  earnest  and  successful 
workers  who  have  added  lustre  to  New  England's  "  Roll  of 
Honor"  stands  the  subject  of  this  brief  notice.  Dr.  Nathan 
Smith,  the  following  mention  of  whom  has  been  compiled 
from  a  memoir  published  by  Professor  Nathan  R.  Smith,  of 
the  University  of  Maryland,  a  son  of  the  first  named,  in 
1824.  The  memoir  contains  an  eulogium  of  Dr.  Nathan 
Smith,  pronounced  by  his  friend  and  fellow-laborer,  Pro- 
fessor J.  Knight,  of  Yale  College,  from  which  we  have 
freely  drawn  : 

Dr.  Nathan  Smith  was  born  in  Rehoboth,  Mass.,  Sept.  30, 
1702.  While  he  was  yet  young  his  parents  removed  to  Ches- 
ter, Windsor  Co.,  Vt.,  where  they  continued  to  reside  until 
their  deaths. 

Little  is  known  of  his  early  life,  except  that  he  occupied  his 
time  in  agricultural  pursuits,  and  in  acquiring  the  scanty 
education  afforded  by  the  common  schools  of  the  day. 

Previous  to  his  arrival  at  manhood  he  served  in  the  Ver- 
mont militia  upon  the  borders,  against  the  Indians,  where  he 
was  exposed  with  his  comrades  to  all  the  hardships  incident  to 
a  soldier's  life,  during  which  service  he  contracted  a  disease 
which  disabled  him  for  several  months.  Later  he  taught  a 
district  school,  and  evidently  made  the  most  of  his  oppor- 
tunities. 

The  turning-point  of  his  life  was  his  almost  accidental  pres- 
ence at  a  surgical  operation  performed  by  Dr.  Josiah  Goodhue, 
of  Putney,  Vt.,  long  the  most  skillful  surgeon  in  that  region. 
The  interest  awakened  at  that  time  determined  his  future 
career.  He  resolved  to  be  a  physician.  Soon  after,  he  men- 
tioned his  intentions  to  Dr.  Goodhue,  and  desired  permission 
to  enter  his  office  as  a  student.  The  doctor  advised  him  to 
first  prepare  himself  with  some  responsible  teacher  to  enter 
the  freshman  class  of  Harvard  University,  when  he  would 
willingly  receive  him  as  a  student.  This  sound  advice  he  fol- 
lowed, and  chose  as  his  tutor  the  Rev.  Mr.  Whiting,  of  Rock- 
ingham, Vt.  After  a  course  of  studies  with  him,  he  entered 
the  office  of  Dr.  Goodhue,  and  applied  himself  diligently  to 
his  work  for  a  period  of  three  yeai^s.  He  began  the  active 
practice  of  his  profession  at  Cornish,  N.  H.,  where  he  re- 
mained two  or  three  years.  At  this  time  he  attended  lectures 
upon  medicine,  surger}',  and  natural  philosophy  at  Harvard 
University. 

At  the  close  of  the  college  term  he  read  an  inaugural  dis- 
sertation on  "  The  Circulation  of  the  Blood,"  which  received 
the  approbation  of  the  faculty,  and  was  published  at  their 
request.  He  returned  to  Cornish,  bearing  the  degree  of  Bach- 
elor of  Medicine,  and  engaged  anew  in  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession. 

In  those  days  the  practice  of  medicine  was  at  a  low  ebb, 
both  in  New  Hampshire  and  Vermont,  and  he  conceived  the 
idea  of  establishing  a  medical  institution  for  the  purpose  of 
remedying  the  evil.  With  this  object  in  view  he  projected 
and  carried  to  a  successful  accomplishment  the  establishment 
of  the  medical  school  since  connected  with  Dartmouth  Col- 
lege, at  Hanover,  N.  H.  The  initial  steps  were  taken  about 
1796,  and  the  school  put  in  operation,  probably,  in  the  next 
year.  In  1798  he  was  appointed  professor  of  medicine,  and 
the  degree  of  Master  of  Arts  was  also  conferred  upon  him  in 
the  same  year. 

The  school  was  conducted  for  several  years  in  one  of  the 
rooms  of  Dartmouth  Hall,  belonging  to  the  college. 

In  1797-98  the  doctor  visited  Europe,  and  spent  a  year  at 
Edinburgh  and  London  in  the  schools  and  hospitals.  In  1801 
he  received  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine  from  Dartmouth 
College.  His  salary  as  Professor  of  Medicine  was  at  first  fifty 
dollars  per  annum;  but  this  was  subsequently  increased,  in 
1804,  to  two  hundred  dollars. 

After  long  and  persistent  efforts  he  succeeded,  in  1809,  in 
getting  the  Legislature  to  make  an  appropriation  of  three 
thousand  four  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  toward  the  erection 


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HISTORY  OF   HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


805 


of  ft  suitable  building  fur  the  accommodation  of  the  school, 
which  was  completed  somewhere  about  1812.  The  appro- 
priation was  supplemented  by  the  additional  sum  of  twelve 
hundred  and  seventeen  dollars  and  fourteen  cents,  which 
the  doctor  raised  and  applied  in  its  construction  ;  and  he  also 
contributed  an  acre  of  land  for  the  site,  and  his  chemical  and 
anatomical  apparatus  for  the  use  of  the  institution, — the  latter 
valued  at  fifteen  hundred  dollars. 

From  1798  to  1810  he  supported  the  school  by  his  own  in- 
defatigable exertions.  In  1813  he  accepted  a  chair  in  the 
medical  institution  in  connection  with  Yale  College,  where 
he  continued  until  his  death,  in  1829,  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
seven  years. 

He  was  an  able  writer  upon  all  subjects  pertaining  to  his 
profession,  and  in  1824  published  an  elaborate  and  valuable 
work  on  "Typhus  Fever  and  its  Treatment,"  which  is  still 
authority.  He  is  believed  to  have  been  the  first  to  introduce 
an  improved  treatment  of  that  disease  in  this  country. 

Dr.  Smith  was  a  remarkable  man.  His  acquaintance  with 
all  classes  of  society  was  extensive,  probably  exceeding  that 
of  any  man  in  New  England  in  his  day  ;  and  it  has  been  said 
of  him  that  his  influence  for  the  benefit  of  physic  and  surgerj' 
was  greater  than  that  of  any  other  medical  man  in  the  New 
England  States. 

His  biographer  .says  of  him  :  "  To  him  the  sick  and  sufier- 
ing,  whether  rich  or  poor,  were  equally  objects  of  attention 
and  compassion.  He  regarded  all  alike — the  rich,  the  poor, 
the  beggar,  and  the  outcast — when  his  services  were  required 
to  relieve  their  distresses.  He  acted  in  accordance  with  an 
opinion  which  I  have  more  than  once  heard  him  express,  that 
the  great  object  of  intercourse  of  man  with  his  fellow-men 
should  be  to  do  them  good." 

He  was  a  most  skillful  and  thorough  surgeon,  and  performed 
many  difficult  operations,  requiring  the  greatest  knowledge 
and  the  most  delicate  skill ;  among  others  thirty  cases  of  lith- 
otomy, only  three  of  which  proved  fatal.  "  It  is  believed  that 
he  was  the  first  in  this  country  to  perform  the  bold  operation 
of  extirpating  the  ovarian  tumor." 

Dr.  James  Morven  Smith  was  born  in  Hanover,  N.  H., 
in  1806.  He  graduated,  it  is  believed,  at  Yale  College,  and 
first  became  known  in  this  region  about  1830,  when  he  settled 
in  Westfield  in  the  practice  of  his  profession,  and  remained 
until  1838,  well  sustaining  himself  in  medicine  and  surgery, 
when  he  removed  to  Baltimore,  Md.,  for  the  purpose  of  assist- 
ing his  older  brother,  the  celebrated  Prof.  Nathan  R.  Smith. 

He  remained  in  Baltimore  about  three  years,  a  part  of  the 
time  taking  sole  charge  of  his  brother's  business  while  the 
former  was  absent  in  Kentucky  delivering  lectures  on  surgery. 

While  in  Baltimore  he  sustained  the  surgical  traditions  of 
his  family  by  performing  successfully  the  unparalleled  opera- 
tion of  amputating  both  thighs  in  the  upper  thirds.  His  tastes, 
however,  and  the  relinquishment  of  his  brother's  engagement 
as  professor  in  Kentucky,  led  him  to  again  seek  New  England, 
and  he  came  to  Springfield  about  the  j'ear  1841.  Here  he 
established  his  permanent  home,  and  resided  until  his  death 
in  the  terrible  railway  disaster  at  Norwalk,  Conn.,  in  1853. 

He  died  too  early,  for,  although  slow  in  maturing,  he  gave 
promise  of  a  mental  stature  quite  the  equal  of  his  brother  and 
father.  He  had  strong  common  sense,  and,  while  eminently 
conservative,  his  hardihood  when  roused  by  emergencies  was 
fully  equal  to  that  of  any  of  the  more  celebrated  professors 
of  his  art.  His  extreme  modesty,  however,  interfered  with  a 
full  appreciation  of  his  sterling  qualities  except  by  those  who 
knew  him  intimately.  There  are,  however,  living,  at  the  pres- 
ent time,  physicians  who  well  remember  his  extreme  coolness 
in  the  hour  of  danger, — how  quietly  his  fingers  stopped  the 
gushing  artery,  and  how  completely  equal  to  the  emergency 
his  courage  met  every  difficulty.  He  was  well  and  widely 
known,  and  perhaps  no  man  better  understood  or  held  more 
sacred  the  obligations  of  a  physician  to  his  patients.     He  found 


his  place  so  completely  in  the  sick-room  that  he  never  aspired 
to  any  public  position. 

Dr.  Smith  possessed  in  a  very  great  degree  that  love  of 
humanity  which  was  the  striking  characteristic  of  his  father. 
His  patients  found  in  him,  not  only  the  skillful  physician,  but 
the  sympathizing  friend,  and  he  was  often  resorted  to  for  ad- 
vice in  other  than  strictly  professional  matters. 

If  his  time  and  strength  had  not  been  so  completely  monop- 
olized by  the  varied  cares  of  country  practice,  he  would  un- 
questionably have  made  a  reputation  in  surgery  second  to 
none  in  this  portion  of  the  country.  He  was  singularly  free 
from  all  outward  show. 

Dr.  David  Paige  Smith  was  born  in  Westfield,  Mass., 
Oct.  1,  1880.  He  graduated  at  Yale  College  in  18-51,  and  at 
Jefferson  Medical  College,  Philadelphia,  in  1853.  His  father 
dying  soon  after  his  graduation,  he  remained  in  his  office  and 
continued  his  practice,  marrying  Miss  Eunice  Brewer  in  18-54. 

Early  in  1800  he  left  Springfield  for  Edinburgh,  Scotland, 
and  remained  at  its  celebrated  university  for  a  period  of  six 
months,  going  from  there  to  London,  and  thence  to  Paris. 
The  firing  upon  Fort  Sumter  brought  him  home  with  other 
Americans,  and  he  at  once  went  into  the  volunteer  service  as 
surgeon  of  the  18th  Massachusetts  Infantry,  and  joined  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac.  He  was  soon  promoted  to  be  brigade 
surgeon,  and  ordered  to  report  to  Gen.  George  H.  Thomas, 
reaching  him  immediately  after  the  battle  of  Fishing  Creek, 
Ky. 

He  was  soon  gazetted  as  medical  director  of  his  column,  and 
went  with  Gen.  Thomas  through  the  campaign  ending  with 
the  occupation  of  Corinth,  doing  arduous  service  at  the  battle 
of  Pittsburg  Landing  (Shiloh).  Being  very  ill  after  the  occu- 
pation of  Corinth,  he  came  East  on  sick-leave ;  but,  meeting 
intelligence  of  the  disastrous  campaign  of  McClellan  on  the 
Chickahominy,  he  at  once  reported  for  duty,  and  was  put  in 
charge  of  Fairfax  Seminary  Hospital,  near  Alexandria,  Va. 

Although  at  times  detached  on  other  duty,  he  was  in  charge 
of  this  hospital  nearly  the  whole  time,  and  closed  it  at  the 
end  of  the  war,  retiring  from  the  service  with  the  brevet  rank 
of  lieutenant-colonel. 

Returning  to  Springfield,  he  engaged  actively  in  the  prac- 
tice of  his  profession  until  1872,  when  he  made  another  voy- 
age to  Europe,  accompanied  by  his  wife  and  boy,  his  farthest 
objective  point  being  Vienna.  Returning  in  1873,  he  lost  his 
onlv  child,  a  bereavement  which  shadowed  his  whole  life.* 

In  1873  he  accepted  the  appointment  of  Professor  of  the 
Theory  and  Practice  of  Medicine  in  Yale  College,  which  chair 
he  held  until  1877,  when  he  was  unanimously  transferred  to 
the  chair  of  Surgery,  which  double  appointment,  in  a  remark- 
able degree,  recalled  the  fact  that  his  grandfather,  Nathan 
Smith,  was  Professor  of  Ph3'sic  in  the  same  institution  from 
1813  to  his  death,  in  1829. 

In  1878  he  was,  in  addition  to  his  other  duties,  appointed 
lecturer  upon  Medical  Jurisprudence.  He  is  at  the  present 
time  vice-president  of  the  Massachusetts  Medical  Society,  post 
surgeon  of  the  United  States  Armory  in  Springfield,  president 
of  the  board  of  examiners  for  pensions,  and  medical  director 
of  the  Massachusetts  Mutual  Life  Insurance  Company. 

The  most  striking  natural  characteristic  of  Dr.  Smith  is  a 
marvelous  quickness  of  comprehension  and  correctness  of 
diagnosis,  joined  with  an  intuitive  knowledge  of  the  proba- 
bilities and  possibilities  of  his  case.  The  absorbed  personality, 
the  introspection  of  the  man,  at  times  causes  him  to  think 
aloud,  and  his  patients  and  their  friends  get  the  benefit  of  his 
thoughts^  while  he  may  be  wholly  unconscious  of  the  fact. 
He  is  quick  in  his  conclusions  and  rapid  and  skillful  in  his 
operations,  bold  in  action  as  original  in  conception,  dauntless 
to  the  verge  of  audacity.    He  possesses  a  firm  hand  and  steady 


*  Tliis  child,  an  unusujilly  prujuii^iiig  boy,  was  nami-ii  in  honor  of  fien.  George 
H.  Tliom.18,  whom  Dr.  giuitli  greatly  reepected. 


8U6 


HISTORY  OF  THE  CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


nerve,  united  with  great  endurance,  has  the  most  minute 
knowleda;e  of  the  luuiian  anatomy,  and  his  eye  is  never  at 
fault.  These  remarkable  qualities,  united  in  perfect  combina- 
tion, constitute  him  the  eminent  physician  and  surgeon  which 
he  is. 

Before  closing  our  account  of  the  family,  it  would  be  well, 
for  a  moment,  to  advert  to  the  sons  of  Nathan  Smith. 

Professor  N.  R.  Smith,  of  Baltimore,  Md.  This  gentle- 
man early  showed  the  same  remarkable  traits  of  character 
which  distinguished  his  father.  Commencing  his  career  in 
Burlington,  Vt.,  as  Professor  of  Surgery  in  the  State  Univer- 
sity, he  soon  after  moved  to  Philadelphia,  where,  for  a  short 
period,  he  occupied  the  chair  of  Professor  of  Anatomy  in 
Jefferson  Medical  College.  After  a  year  or  two  spent  in  that 
city,  having  been  appointed  Professor  of  Surgery  in  the  Uni- 
versity of  Maryland,  he  removed  to  Baltimore,  where,  for 
about  fifty  years,  he,  in  a  wide  and  ample  field,  carried  out 
many  of  the  suggestions  and  elaborated  many  of  the  half- 
finished  procedures  of  his  father.  For  this  period  of  time 
he  unrjuestionably  occupied  the  foremost  place  in  the  profes- 
sion of  surgery  throughout  the  entire  South,  visiting,  profes- 
sionally, nearly  every  Southern  State. 

It  is  curious  to  see  that  in  his  many  operations  for  lithot- 
omy, and  in  his  apparatus  for  fractures,  he  appears  to  have 
taken  up  the  unfinished  work  of  his  father  and  carried  it  to 
the  last  degree  of  usefulness. 

Wonderfully  successful  in  his  operations  for  stone,  in  his 
treatment  of  fractures,  and  in  his  ligations  of  the  large  arte- 
ries, he  has  left  behind  him  a  reputation  which  will  probably 
never  in  this  country  be  surpassed. 

Another  son  of  Dr.  Nathan  Smith  was  John  D.  Smith, 
who  studied  for  the  ministry  at  New  Hsiven  and  Andover, 
and  graduated  at  Yale  in  1832.  He  ministered  for  several 
years  in  Charlemont,  Franklin  Co.,  and  subsequently  studied 
medicine.     He  represented  that  town  in  the  Legislature.* 

Dr.  Joshua  Frost  was  born  in  Fryeburg,  Maine,  in  1767. 
He  came  of  English  stock.  His  grandfather,  Samuel  Frost, 
was  one  of  three  brothers  who  came  from  England  at  a  very 
early  date  and  settled,  one  in  Maine,  one  in  New  Hampshire, 
and  one  in  Massachusetts. 

He  studied  at  Hanover,  N.  H.,  where  he  probably  gradu- 
ated, though  we  have  been  unable  to  determine  this  fact.  He 
settled  in  Longmeadow  about  1795,  and  after  a  short  time 
removed  to  Springfield,  where  he  practiced  until  his  death,  in 
1832.  For  many  years  he  was  also  engaged  in  the  drug  busi- 
ness in  connection  with  Dr.  Daniel  Chauncey  Brewer.  He 
was  an  eminent  physician,  and  held  many  offices  of  honor  and 
trust  in  a  civil  capacity,  among  others,  that  of  State  Senator. 

His  first  wife  was  Sarah  Lombard,  of  Springfield.  After 
her  death  he  married  Mrs.  Watson,  a  widow,  of  Hartford, 
Conn.  His  residence  stood  on  ground  now  occupied  by  the 
opera-house. 

Dr.  George  Frost,  son  of  the  preceding,  was  born  in 
Longmeadow  in  1800.  He  read  medicine  with  Dr.  Nathan 
Smith  for  seven  years,  and  accompanied  that  noted  practi- 
tioner on  his  lecturing  tours.  He  attended  lectures  at  Yale 
College,  and  commenced  practice  in  SpringHT?ld  in  1823.  He 
became  an  excellent  surgeon,  and  practiced  his  profession  until 
a  short  time  previous  to  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1840. 

He  was  a  capable  and  faithful  student,  and  his  close  appli- 
cation to  his  studies  resulted  unfavorably  to  a  constitution  never 
remarkable  for  vigor,  and  eventually  developed  pulmonary 
difiiculties  which  terminated  his  life  in  the  prime  of  his  man- 
hood. He  was  a  member  of  the  Unitarian  Church  in  Spring- 
field. His  widow,  Caroline  A.,  daughter  of  Col.  Roswell  Lee, 
is  living  in  Springfield,  the  last  of  her  family. 

Their  son,  George  L.  Frost,  removed  some  years  since  to 
Madison,  Wis.,  where  he  became  prominent  in  the  legal  pro- 

*  See  history  of  Charlemont,  in  tliis  worlc. 


fession,  and  was  a  member  of  both  houses  of  the  State  Legis- 
lature. He  died  in  February,  187'J,  at  the  age  of  forty-eight 
years. 

In  this  connection  it  may  not  be  improper  to  speak  briefly 
<5f  Col.  Koswell  Lee,  the  father  of  Mrs.  Frost. 

Col.  Lee  was  born  in  Canaan,  Columbia  Co.,  N.  Y.,  in 
1777.  He  early  developed  remarkable  military  taste  and 
talent,  and  was  for  some  time  during  the  war  of  1812-15  in 
command  of  Fort  Griswold,  at  New  London,  Conn.  He  was 
also  stationed  at  Sacket's  Harbor,  on  Lake  Ontario,  for  a 
short  time.  He  held  the  office  of  major  in  the  militia  before 
that  war.  In  1815  ho  was  placed  in  charge  of  the  Springfield 
Arsenal,  where  he  remained  until  his  death,  in  1834,  at  the 
age  of  fifty-seven  years. 

Mrs.  Frost  remembers  her  father  as  a  man  of  magnificent 
physique, — every  inch  a  soldier.f  His  son,  Henry  Washing- 
ton Lee,  was  first  Episcopal  bishop  of  Iowa,  which  office  he 
held  at  the  time  of  his  death,  in  1875.  Col.  Lee  was  a  prom- 
inent member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity.  Boswell  Lee  Lodge, 
in  Springfield,  was  named  in  his  honor.  The  family  is  con- 
nected with  the  Virginia  family  of  the  same  name. 

Dr.  Samuel  Kingsbury  was  born  in  Tolland,  Conn.,  in 
1782.  He  attended  medical  lectures,  but  did  not  have  the  ad- 
vantages of  a  collegiate  course.  His  father  was  in  ordinary 
circumstances,  and  he  was  obliged  to  depend  upon  his  own 
exertions.  He  came  to  Springfield  when  quite  young  and 
engaged  in  practice,  rising  rapidly  in  his  profession.  His 
practice,  which  eventually  grew  to  important  proportions, 
extended  over  a  period  of  some  fifteen  years  or  more,  from 
about  1810  to  1828. 

He  married  Mrs.  Jeminja  Chapin,  widow  of  Charles  P. 
Lyman,  who  survived  her  husband  until  Jan.  20,  1846.  Dr. 
Kingsbury  died  in  June,  1828,  at  the  early  age  of  forty-six 
years,  leaving  a  wife  and  seven  children  to  mourn  his  loss. 
His  children  consii-ted  of  four  sons  and  three  daughters. 
During  his  residence  in  Springfield  he  lived  in  State  Street.         I 

Dr.  Joseph  Henshaw  Flint  was  born  in  Leicester, 
Worcester  Co.,  Mass.,  April  20,  1786,  and  died  at  his  father's 
house  in  Leicester,  Nov.  11,  1846.  He  was  the  son  of  Austin 
Flint,  who  was  also  a  physician,  and  graduated  at  Harvard. 

He  commenced  practice  in  Petersham,  where  he  married 
his  first  wife.  After  a  few  years  he  removed  to  Northampton, 
where  he  remained  until  about  1887,  when  he  removed  to 
Springfield  and  continued  the  practice  of  his  profession  until 
a  short  time  before  his  death.  He  bore  the  reputation  of  a 
skillful  surgeon  and  physician,  and  was  a  member  of  the  Mas- 
sachusetts Medical  Association.  He  married  for  his  second 
wife  Amelia  Dwight,  of  Northampton.  Dr.  Austin  Flint, 
now  of  New  York,  is  a  son  by  his  first  wife. 

Dr.  Flint  had  a  very  extensive  individual  practice  in  North- 
ampton, and  an  important  consulting  practice  throughout  the 
country.  For  some  years  Dr.  Bela  Jones  was  a.ssociated  with 
him  as  a  partner.  He  was  by  far  the  ablest  physician  of  the 
name  before  or  since  his  time. 

Dr.  Flint  was  one  of  the  original  or  charter  members  of  the 
Hampden  District  Medical  Society. 

Dr.  Jefferson  Church  was  born  in  Middlefield,  Hamp- 
shire Co.,  Mass.,  in  1802.  He  was  the  son  of  Green  H.  Church. 
His  linowledge  of  medicine  was  obtained  at  the  Berkshire 
Medical  Institution,  from  which  he  graduated  in  1825. 

His  first  experience  as  a  practitioner  was  in  the  town  of 
Peru,  Berkshire  Co.,  where  he  remained  something  more  than 
a  year,  when  he  removed  to  Springfield,  Mass.,  where  he  has 
since  resided.  Dr.  Chu.-ch  married  for  his  first  wife,  in  1823, 
Betsey,  daughter  of  Joseph  Little,  of  Middlefield.  She  died 
in  1826.  In  18.50  he  married  Eliza  Houpt,  daughter  of  Sam- 
uel Houpt,  a  farmer  of  Herkimer  Co.,  N.  Y.  In  company  with 
Dr.  Seeger  he  edited  and  published  "  Tully's  Materia  Med- 


f  See  notice  of  the  United  States  Armory  in  history  of  Springfield. 


HISTORY  OF   HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


807 


ica"  for  some  time.  Dr.  Church  is  a  man  of  great  resources, 
and  possesses  an  extensive  knowledge  of  medicine.  At  the 
advanced  age  of  seventj'-seven  he  has  given  up  the  practice  of 
his  profession,  after  an  experience  of  fifty  years. 

Dk.  Edwin  Seeoer  wiis  born  at  Northampton,  Mass.,  in 
1811.  His  father  was  a  native  of  Germany,  and  also  a  physi- 
cian, who  settled  early  in  the  present  century.  Dr.  Seeger 
graduated  from  the  Jefferson  Medical  School,  of  Philadel- 
phia, in  1832,  and  began  practice  the  same  year  in  Spring- 
field, where  he  remained  until  his  death,  September  26th,  at 
the  age  of  fiftj'-five  years. 

The  following  paragraphs  are  taken  from  a  notice  written 
by  Samuel  Bowles  at  the  time  of  his  death,  and  no  doubt 
truthfully  express  the  estimation  in  which  he  was  held  by  the 
community  where  he  lived  : 

"  He  had  many  noble  qualities  as  a  man  and  a  physician, — simplicity,  truth, 
and  duty  seemed  as  natural  to  him  as  breathing ;  there  was  no  guile,  no  false- 
ness, no  qualification  in  him  or  his  acts.  He  prescribed  for  the  patient,  not  for 
the  family  or  friends.  Not  knowing  how  to  placate  as  an  art,  without  brilliant 
pttpidar  gifts,  only  simple  and  true  to  himself  and  to  his  knowledge,  he  never 
had  a  large  practice ;  but  all  respected  him,  and  those  who  knew  him  best  revered 
antl  loved  him. 

"  In  all  things  he  was  as  in  his  profession, — he  saw  simply  and  clearly,  reasoned 
directly,  and  acted  faithfully.  He  was  one  of  the  earliest  of  our  citizens  to  act  with 
the  Alxdition  and  Free-Soil  parties,  but  be  was  never  dogmatic  and  illil>eral  in 
expressing  his  convictions,  though  none  held  to  them  more  firmly  or  would  sacri- 
fice more  to  sustain  them.  His  religious  life  was  equally  positive  and  equally 
unobtrusive, — a  submission  as  firm  and  restful  as  his  devotion  to  truth  and  duty 
was  its  characteristic, — and  canied  him  through  a  very  painful  and  ti'ying  illness 
to  a  peaceful,  welcome  close.*  His  disease  was  an  aggravated  cancerous  affec- 
tion of  the  thn.)at,  closing  its  avenues,  extending  to  all  the  neighboring  tissues, 
and  causing  terrible  sufferings,  under  which  a  firm  life  slowly  wiisted  away.  Dr. 
Seeger  was  twice  married;  bis  firet  wife  was  the  sister  of  Mr.  Homer  Foot,  uf 
this  city,  and  bis  second  and  suniving  one  the  daughter  of  John  II.  Wliite,  of 
Lanciister,  N.  H.,  for  many  yeai"S  in  public  life  in  that  State. 

"  Springfield  was  but  a  village  when  he  came  to  it ;  for  thirty-four  years  he  has 
lived  and  mitiistered  among  us  in  the  tenderest  and  most  sacred  relations,  an  illus- 
tration and  an  example  of  intelligent  patience,  fidelity,  truth,  duty,  and  submis- 
sion such  as  is  rare  to  find  in  any  community,  such  as  we  may  all  feel  proud  to 
have  had  with  us,  and  such  as  we  should  preserve  in  grateful  and  honored 
memory." 

Dr.  Seeger  was  a  very  able  man,  both  as  a  medical  practi- 
titioner  and  writer,  and,  together  with  Dr.  Jefferson  Church, 
edited  and  published  forsome  time  "  Tull}''s  Materia  Medica." 
He  is  well  spoken  of  by  the  profession. 

Dr.  C.  C.  Chaffee  was  born  in  Saratoga,  Saratoga  Co., 
N.  Y.,  on  the  28th  of  August,  1811.  His  father  was  a  farmer. 
He  studied  medicine  with  Dr.  William  Atcheson,  of  Saxton's 
Kiver,  Windham  Co.,  Vt. ;  who  dying  at  the  end  of  the  first 
year,  he  went  to  Utica,  N.  Y.,  and  finished  his  preliminary 
studies  with  Dr.  Patrick  McCraith.  He  graduated  at  the 
Vermont  Medical  College,  at  Woodstock,  Windsor  Co.,  in 
1835. 

He  began  the  practice  of  his  profession  at  the  little  village 
of  Oriskany,  in  Oneida  Co.,  N.  Y.,  where  he  remained  about 
one  year,  and  removed  to  Allegany  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  practiced 
for  ten  years.  In  1847  he  settled  in  Springfield,  Mass.,  where 
he  has  since  resided. 

In  1854  and  1856  he  was  elected  to  the  Thirty-fourth  and 
Thirty-fifth  Congresses,  where  he  served  witli  fidelitj'  and 
ability. 

In  1836  he  married  Clara  S.,  daughter  of  Daniel  Nourse, 
of  Rockingham,  Vt.,  who  died  in  1848.  In  18-50  he  married 
Irene,  daughter  of  Alexander  Sanford,  of  Missouri,  a  Vir- 
ginia family. 

Of  Dr.  Chaffee,  a  brother  in  the  profession  makes  the  fol- 
lowing remarks  : 

"  Dr.  Chaffee  came  to  this  city  in  1S47,  and  at  once  made  for  himself  nalne  and 
place.  Having  been  for  years  demonstrator  of  anatomy  in  a  medical  ci)llege, 
and  for  a  long  time  in  the  constant  practice  of  surgery,  he  came  to  this  place 
Itren  (ttipie  roluntkis. 

"  Of  eniineut  uiental  gifts,  ready  for  any  emergency,  he  at  once  took  a  com- 
manding position  in  the  profession,  divided  the  practice  of  surgery  with  Dr.  .1. 
M.  Smith,  and  at  his  death  assumed  it  all,  until,  feeling  cramped  and  dwarfed  Ity 

*  Dr.  Seeger  was  a  member  of  the  Unitarian  Church  in  Springfield. 


the  atraightness  of  his  surroundings,  and  aspiring  to  '  green  fields  and  pastures 
new,'  he  accepted  a  political  nomination,  was  elected  to  Congress,  and  resigned 
the  practice  of  his  profession,  giving  up  feeling  for  the  pulses  of  his  patients  to 
take  the  pulse  of  the  nation.    He  was  a  loss  to  the  profession." 

Dr.  Chafi'ee  was  the  choice  of  Secretary  Stanton  for  surgeon- 
general  of  the  army,  and,  in  fact,  his  commission  was  being 
made  out  when  the  officers  of  the  regular  array,  getting 
knowledge  of  it,  made  such  an  outcry  that  the  President 
peremptorily  ordered  the  appointment  of  the  present  incum- 
bent of  the  ofiice. 

Dr.  Chaffee  was  for  ten  years  the  confidential  physician  and 
surgeon  of  the  Boston  and  Albany  Railroad  Company,  and 
was  succeeded  in  the  position  by  Dr.  W.  G.  Breck.  He  is 
also  a  member  of  the  examining  board  for  pensions. 

Dr.  Chaffee's  son,  Clemens  Chaffee,  was  a  graduate  of  West 
Point  as  lieutenant  of  engineers,  but,  preferring  the  ordnance 
department,  entered  that  branch  of  the  service.  He  entered 
the  army  when  the  Rebellion  broke  out,  and  was  appointed 
on  Gen.  Grant's  staft"  at  Vicksburg,  but  during  the  siege  was 
transferred  to  the  staff  of  Gen.  W.  T.  Sherman,  as  chief  of 
engineers.  He  was  attacked  with  dysentery,  and  finally  sent 
to  the  officers'  hospital  at  Memphis,  where  he  remained  for 
about  a  month,  when  he  returned  to  Vicksburg,  and  took 
charge  of  all  the  ordnance  stores  accumulated  at  that  point, 
amounting  to  many  millions  in  value. 

He  left  Vicksburg  in  March,  1804,  under  orders  for  the 
Allegheny  Arsenal,  at  Pittsburg,  where  he  remained  until 
June,  1865,  when  he  was  ordered  to  New  England,  and  at 
New  Haven,  Conn.,  received  the  ordnance  turned  over  to  the 
United  States.  After  a  few  months'  service  at  this  point  he 
was  ordered  to  the  United  States  Arsenal  at  Springfield, 
where  he  served  as  ordnance  officer  for  two  years,  when  he 
died  of  pulmonary  disease,  brought  on  by  exposure  in  the  ser- 
vice, July  6,  1867,  at  the  age  of  twenty-six  years.  In  April 
preceding  his  death  he  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  captain. 
He  was  a  promising  young  man,  and  his  death  fell  heavily 
upon  his  parents  and  friends. 

Dr.  William  Gilmoee  Brkck  is  a  native  of  Franklin 
Co.,  Vt., — that  land  of  robust  and  vigorous  physical  men,  of 
industry  and  independence, — where  he  was  born  in  Novem- 
ber, 1818.  He  received  his  preliminary  education  at  the  cele- 
brated school  of  Oberlin,  Ohio,  and  graduated  at  Harvard 
University.  He  attended  lectures  in  the  city  of  New  York, 
and  established  himself  for  a  short  time  in  the  practice  of 
medicine  in  New  Orleans,  La.,  in  1844—45. 

In  the  spring  of  1846  he  located  in  Springfield,  Mass., 
where  he  has  since  resided,  and  engaged  in  the  practice  of 
medicine  and  surgery. 

Under  the  direction  of  Gov.  Andrew  be  filled  an  impor- 
tant position  in  the  Union  army  during  the  Rebellion,  and 
saw  a  great  amount  of  arduous  service.  He  was  present  at 
the  battles  of  Pittsburg  Landing  (or  Shilob),  Antietam,  the 
second  Bull  Run,  and  Gettysburg.  He  filled  the  important 
position  of  director  of  camps,  and  accomplished  much  as 
assistant  and  consulting  surgeon  in  difficult  operations  and 
general  practice. 

In  1843  Dr.  Breck  married  Mary,  daughter  of  Jacob  Van 
De  Venter,  of  Penn  Y'an,  N.  Y. 

For  the  past  twenty-five  years  he  has  been  in  the  employ  of 
the  Boston  and  Albany,  and  the  New  Y^ork,  New  Haven  and 
Hartford  Railroad  Companies,  as  surgeon  and  medical  adviser. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Massachusetts  Medical  Association, 
and  of  the  Hampden  District  Medical  Society,  of  which  latter 
body  he  has  been  president.  During  the  civil  war  he  exam- 
ined nearly  all  the  recruits  from  this  region. 

A  member  of  the  medical  profession  says  of  him,  "Dr. 
William  G.  Breck  came  to  Springfield  in  1846,  and,  after  sev- 
eral years  of  waiting,  came  prominently  into  notice  upon  the 
death  of  Dr.  J.  M.  Smith  and  the  removal  of  Dr.  Chaffee 
from  the  city. 


808 


HISTORY  OP  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


"About  this  time  lie  went  to  Boston,  where  he  became  the 
private  pupil  of  Dr.  Warren  for  a  considerable  length  of  time, 
and  on  his  return  to  Springfield  at  once  assumed  a  prominent 
place  in  the  profession. 

"Gifted  by  nature  with  a  very  robust  physique,  cheerful- 
ness of  disposition,  and  a  good  I<novvledge  of  his  profession, 
he  very  soon  rose  to  eminence,  and  for  a  long  time,  especially 
during  the  absence  of  Dr.  David  P.  Smith  in  Eumpe  and  in 
the  army,  substantially  monopolized  the  practice  of  surgery 
in  the  river  counties. 

"  He  has  carried  the  activities  of  youth  into  comparative 
old  age,  and  now,  beyond  the  age  of  si.\ty  years,  is  active  in 
the  practice  of  his  profession, — more  so  than  the  majority  of 
young  men." 

Theodore  Frelinqhuysen,  the  son  of  Dr.  William  G. 
Breck,  graduated  at  Harvard  in  18fi6.  In  1869  he  visited 
Europe,  where  he  remained  two  and  a  half  years,  studying  the 
profession  of  medicine  at  Berlin,  Vienna,  Paris,  and  London. 
During  the  war  of  the  Kebellion  he  was  assistant  surgeon  in 
charge  of  the  sanitary  condition  of  the  ports  of  Norfolk  and 
Portsmouth,  in  Virginia,  including  the  jails  and  prisons,  being 
detailed  for  the  position  by  Gen.  E.  O.  C.  Ord. 

He  commenced  the  practice  of  medicine  in  Springfield  in 
1869,  making  a  specialty  of  surgery.  He  holds  the  position, 
by  appointment  from  the  Governor,  of  medical  examiner  of 
Hampden  County,  an  office  which  takes  the  place  of  coroner. 

Dr.  Samuel  D.  Brooks  was  born  in  Pittsfleld,  Mass.,  in 
1817.  He  studied  with  President  Childs  and  others  at  the 
Berkshire  Medical  Institution,  where  he  graduated  in  1841. 
His  first  practice  was  in  Norwich,  Chenango  Co.,  N.  Y., 
where  he  remained  about  one  year,  when  he  removed  to  Nor- 
wich (now  Huntington),  Hampshire  Co.,  Mass.,  where  he 
practiced  his  profession  until  May,  1848,  when  he  removed  to 
South  Hadley,  where  he  was  connected  with  Mount  Holyoke 
Seminar)'.  Here  he  remained  until  18.54,  when  he  went  to 
Monson  to  take  charge  of  the  State  Almshouse.  In  this  po- 
sition he  continued  until  June  1,  18.58,  when  he  removed  to  the 
city  of  New  York,  where  he  superintended  the  New  York 
Juvenile  Asylum,  and  continued  until  1871.  He  subsequently 
was  superintendent  and  resident  physician  of  the  New  York 
Deaf  and  Dumb  Institution.  His  health  suffering  severely 
from  malaria,  he  resigned  his  position  after  two  years,  and 
settled  in  Springfield,  Mass.,  where  he  has  since  been  in  prac- 
tice. He  is  a  member  of  the  State  board  of  inspection  of 
the  State  primary  school  at  Monson. 

Dr.  Brooks  is  the  son  of  Reuben  Brooks,  a  soldier  of  the 
Revolution,  and  who  also  served  during  the  war  of  1812-15 
in  the  valley  of  Lake  Champlain.  He  married  Eliza  Jane, 
daughter  of  Dr.  Caleb  H.  Stickney,  and  sister  of  Dr.  Horatio 
G.  Stickney. 

Dr.  Alfred  Booth  was  a  son  of  Edwin  Booth,  a  bat  and 
cap  manufacturer  and  dealer,  and  was  born  about  1825,  in 
Springfield.  He  studied  medicine  in  Philadelphia,  and  opened 
an  office  in  Springfield,  but  his  tastes  were  more  for  literary 
and  scientific  matters  than  for  the  practice  of  medicine.  He 
was  connected  with  a  Springfield  publication,  and  wrote  many 
valuable  articles  upon  various  subjects,  including  interesting 
historical  sketches  and  reminiscences  of  Springfield,  its  early 
inhabitants  and  institutions,  many  of  which  are  preserved  in 
the  city  library,  to  which  he  presented  a  copy  of  his  "  scrap- 
book."  He  removed  to  Boston  a  few  years  ago,  where  it  is 
understood  he  is  connected  with  a  prominent  newspaper.  Dr. 
Booth  is  an  able,  expressive,  and  interestilig  writer. 

Dr.  Horatio  Gates  Stickney  was  born  in  Huntington, 
Hampshire  Co.,  Mass.,  in  1834.  He  studied  medicine  with 
Dr.  S.  D.  Brooks,  attended  lectures  at  the  Berk.shire  Medical 
Institution,  and  at  the  New  York  College  of  Physicians  and 
Surgeons,  where  he  graduated  about  1859.  He  commenced 
■practice  in  the  city  of  Providence,  R.  I.  When  the  Rebellion 
broke  out  he  was  appointed  surgeon  of  the  3d  Rhode  Island 


Artillery,  and  served  about  two  years  and  a  half  in  the  field, 
and  six  months  on  the  marshal's  staff  at  home.  He  settled  in 
Springfield  after  the  war,  where  he  practiced  until  his  death, 
Dec.  13,  1878,  at  the  age  of  forty-four  years. 

Dr.  John  Stone*  was  born  in  the  town  of  Ruthmd,  Wor- 
cester Co.,  Mass.,  in  1763.  He  received  a  good  academical  edu- 
cation, and  studied  medicine  with  Dr.  John  Frink,  of  Rutland, 
a  distinguished  member  the  Massachusetts  Medical  Society. 
He  began  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  Greenfield,  Franklin 
Co.,  Mass.  (then  Hampshire  County),  and  soon  built  up  an 
extensive  business.  An  attack  of  haemoptysis  obliged  him  to 
give  up  his  practice  in  Greenfield,  and  he  removed  to  the  city 
of  New  York,  about  the  year  1805,  where  he  remained  some 
two  years,  during  which  period  he  became  an  active  member 
of  the  New  York  Medical  Society,  and  established  a  consider- 
able busine-ss.  His  health  becoming  re-established,  he  returned 
to  Greenfield  and  resumed  practice,  continuing  until  1819, 
when  lie  sold  his  property  and  good-will  to  Dr.  Seth  Wash- 
burn, who  died  in  1825. 

He  removed  to  Providence,  R.  I.,  where  he  remained  only 
a  year  or  two,  and  then  settled  permanently  in  Springfield, 
Mass.,  where  he  continued  in  an  extensive  and  lucrative  prac- 
tice until  the  time  of  his  death,  in  1838.f 

He  became  a  member  of  the  Massachusetts  Medical  Society 
in  1803,  and  continued  in  active  connection  with  it  until  his 
death.  At  the  recommendation  of  his  professional  brethren, 
the  honorary  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine  was  conferred  upon 
him  in  1824,  by  Williams  College.  He  instructed  a  number  of 
students  in  the  profession,  among  others  Dr.  Alpheus  F.  Stone, 
of  Greenfield,  a  distinguished  fellow  and  councilor  of  the 
Massachusetts  Medical  Society,  and  an  only  son,  who  after- 
ward entered  the  army  and  died  at  the  South.  He  had  a  large 
and  valuable  library,  and  his  business  as  a  consulting  physi- 
cian was  very  extensive. 

His  biographer.  Dr.  Williams,  said  of  him  :  "  In  his  man- 
ners Dr.  Stone  was  a  perfect  pattern  of  a  gentleman  ;  and  no 
one  could  approach  him,  however  humble  his  sphere  and  con- 
dition, without  receiving  a  share  of  his  urbanity  and  partic- 
ular attention.  In  his  person  he  was  tall  and  erect,  and  he 
was  proverbially  one  of  the  neatest  and  most  fashionable  men 
in  his  dress  in  the  country.  He  was  always  ready  at  the  call 
of  any  one,  and  there  are  but  few  physicians  living  who  could 
or  did  do  a  greater  amount  of  business  in  a  given  time.  His 
faculties  continued  bright  to  the  close  of  life,  and  he  was  able 
to  transact  business  till  within  a  short  time  previous  to  his 
death.     He  died  universally  lamented." 

Dr.  Ezra  Osborne  was  a  native  of  Springfield,  and  lived 
and  died  on  what  is  known  as  Long  Hill.  He  was  not  a  reg- 
ularly-educated physician,  but  possessed  good  natural  abilities 
and  had  quite  an  extensive  practice.  He  probably  studied 
medicine  with  Dr.  Joshua  Frost.  His  practice  extended  over 
a  period  of  some  fifteen  years,  from  about  1815  to  1830.  He 
filled  the  civil  position  of  tax-collector  for  many  years. 

Dr.  Loring  also  lived  on  the  hill  in  Springfield,  and  prac- 
ticed for  a  short  time  about  1825.  It  is  not  known  to  what 
place  he  removed. 

Dr.  Chapin  also  practiced  for  a  short  time  about  1827- 
30.  He  afterward  gave  up  his  practice  and  removed  to  Brat- 
tleboro',  Vt.,  where  he  is  supposed  to  be  still  living.  He  was 
something  of  a  sporting-man,  and  a  great  admirer  of  fine 
horses.     While  in  Springfield  he  enjoyed  a  good  practice. 

A  Dr.  Wm.  Bridgman,  from  Belchertown,  was  a  resident 
of  Springfield  from  about  1830  to  1840,  and  had  quite  an  ex- 
tensive ride.     He  died  in  the  place  probably  about  1840. 

There  was  at  one  time  a  Dr.  Swan,  who  lived  on  Spring- 
field Hill,  where  he  practiced  medicine  for  a  number  of  years, 

*  Compiled  from  "  American  Medical  Biography,"  by  Stephen  W.  Williams, 
M.D.,  1845. 

f  In  another  connection  his  death  is  stated  to  have  occurred  in  1833.  This 
thereforo  may  l>e  a  typognipliical  error. 


HISTORY  OF  HAMPDEN  COUNTY. 


809 


and  did  a  considerable  business.  He  is  remembered  by  some 
of  the  old  residents  as  a  man  of  many  peculiarities,  but  pos- 
sessed of  considerable  abilit}'. 

Dr.  Samuel  Beldkn,  who  practiced  in  Springfield  for  a 
number  of  years  about  1840,  came  from  Wethersfield,  Conn., 
or  its  vicinity.  His  residence  was  on  the  corner  of  Main  and 
Bridge  Streets,  where  Gill's  new  block  now  stands. 

A  Db.  Sparhawk  also  practiced  in  Springfield  for  several 
years  about  1820.  He  is  remembered  as  a  line  gentleman  and 
a  physician  of  most  excellent  reputation.  He  died  in  Spring- 
field, probably  previous  to  1830. 

Dk.  Lemuel  Whittlesey  Belden  was  born  in  "Wethers- 
field, Conn.,  in  September,  1801.  "He  was  the  son  of  Dr. 
Joshua  Belden,  of  that  place,  a  very  respectable  physician  and 
worthy  man,  who  died  of  malignant  spotted  fever  in  June, 
1808,  in  the  midst  of  his  usefulness." 

Dr.  Belden  entered  as  a  freshman  at  Yale  College  in  1817, 
when  sixteen  years  of  age.  He  obtained  his  first  degree  in 
1821,  and  soon  after  took  charge  of  an  academy  at  New  Ca- 
naan, in  his  native  State,  where  he  continued  two  years.  In 
the  autumn  of  1823  he  entered  the  office  of  Dr.  Woodward, 
of  Wethersfield,  subsequently  superintendent  of  the  State 
Lunatic  Hospital  at  Worcester,  Mass.  He  attended  medical 
lectures  in  Boston,  in  the  winter  of  182-5.  The  following 
winter  he  passed  in  New  Haven,  attending  lectures  at  Tale 
College,  and  in  March,  182(3,  received  the  degree  of  Doctor  of 
Medicine.  His  reputation  as  a  scholar  was  high,  and  at  his 
graduation  he  took  the  first  rank  in  his  class. 

In  the  autumn  of  1827  he  settled  in  Springfield,  Mass.,  and 
soon  gained  a  respectable  practice,  including  among  his  patrons 
many  of  the  best  families  of  the  town. 

He  was  always  a  close  student,  carrying  his  habits  of  reading 
and  study  into  the  later  years  of  his  life.  He  was  a  prominent 
member  of  the  Massachusetts  Medical  Society,  and  introduced 
important  changes  into  the  practice  of  the  profession.  He 
died  of  malignant  typhus  fever,  in  Springfield,  about  1840. 

He  married  in  May,  1829,  Catherine,  daughter  of  Stephen 
Chester,  Esq.,  at  one  time  sherifl"  of  Hartford,  Co.,  Conn. 

Dr.  James  Henry  Pierrepont,  for  many  years  one  of 
the  most  distinguished  physicians  of  Portsmouth,  N.  H.,  was 
a  native  of  Springfield,  Mass.,  but  the  date  of  his  birth  we 
have  not  been  able  to  ascertain,  though  it  was  probably  about 
the  year  1780.  He  died  in  Portsmouth,  in  1839.  The  Eev. 
Dr.  Burroughs,  of  that  town,  at  the  special  request  of  the 
medical  profession,  delivered  an  eulogj'  upon  him  and  pub- 
lished a  memoir. 

Dr.  Marshall  Calkins  was  born  Sept.  2,  1828,  in  the 
town  of  Wilbraham,  Mass.  He  is  the  son  of  Luke  and  Polly 
Calkins.  He  was  a  student  with  Dr.  Calvin  Newton,  of 
Worcester,  and  graduated  at  the  Worcester  Medical  Institu- 
tion in  1848;  at  Union  College,  Schenectady,  N.  Y.,  In  1853, 
with  the  degree  of  A.B.,  and  at  Dartmouth  Medical  College, 
Hanover,  N.  H..  in  1867.  He  also  attended  the  Pennsylvania 
Hospital,  at  Philadelphia,  in  1857.  In  1856  Union  College 
conferred  upon  him  the  degree  of  A.M. 

He  commenced  practice  at  Monson,  Mass.,  in  1848,  and  re- 
mained at  that  place  a  year  and  a  half  previous  to  entering 
the  Wesleyan  University,  at  Middletown,  Conn.,  where  he 
attended  two  terms  in- 1850.  From  1854  to  1860  he  was  located 
in  Philadelphia,  where  he  practiced  and  attended  the  hospitals. 
In  1860  he  settled  in  Springfield,  Mass.,  where  he  has  since  re- 
sided. In  1862  he  became  a  member  of  the  Massachusetts  Med- 
ical Association.  He  was  a  member  of  the  examining  board 
of  pensions  in  1871-72,  during  which  years  the  board  met  at 
Northampton,  and  is  at  present  one  of  the  four  physicians 
of  the  Springfield  Home  for  Friendless  Women  and  Children. 
He  is  an  honorary  member  of  the  Vermont  State  Medical  So- 
ciety, corresponding  member  of  the  Gynaecological  Society  of 
Boston,  and  member  of  the  "Congres  Periodique  International 
(ies  Sciences  Medicates,"  which  held  its  last  meeting  at  Brus- 
102 


sels,  Belgium.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  American  Medical 
Association. 

From  1873  to  1878  he  filled  the  chair  of  Physiology  and 
Microscopic  Anatomy  in  the  University  of  Vermont,  which 
he  resigned  on  account  of  the  pressure  of  professional  duties 
at  home,  receiving,  on  his  retirement,  a  complimentary  ac- 
knowledgment from  the  faculty. 

Dr.  Calkins  married,  in  1855,  Adelaide  Augusta,  daughter 
of  Gen.  E.  M.  Hosmer,  of  West  Boylston,  Mass. 

Mrs.  Calkins  is  a  member  of  the  State  advisory  board  of 
women  for  inspecting  and  examining  the  State  Primary 
School  at  Monson,  the  Westboro'  Reform  School,  and  the 
Tewksbui-}'  Almshouse.  She  was  associated  for  a  consider- 
able period  in  this  connection  with  Mrs.  Eobert  C.  Winthrop 
and  Miss  Georgiana  Boutwell,  daughter  of  Ex-Gov.  Bout- 
well.  At  the  present  writing  Mrs.  Calkins  is  chairman  of  the 
board.  She  has  also  been  recently  appointed  one  of  tlic  three 
female  trustees  of  the  Springfield  Hospital. 

WEST    SPRINGFIELD. 

The  following  paragraphs  concerning  the  medical  gentle- 
men who  have  practiced  in  West  Springfield  are  compiled 
from  the  remarks  of  Dr.  P.  Le  B.  Stickney,  of  Springfield,  at 
the  West  Springfield  centennial  celebration,  in  1874,  called 
out  by  a  toast — "  T/tc  Medical  Profession" — at  the  banquet: 

Dr.  John  Van  Horn  was  the  first  practitioner  after  the 
town  was  incorporated  as  a  separate  organization.  He  was 
the  son  of  Sumner  Van  Horn,  and  was  born  in  Springfield  in 
1726.  He  was  a  graduate  of  Yale  College  in  1749.  After  at- 
tending the  necessarj"  course  of  medical  lectures,  he  located 
in  West  Springfield,  where  he  continued  to  practice  his  pro- 
fession for  a  period  of  nearly  sixty  years.  He  had  the  reputa- 
tion of  being  a  well-educated  and  skillful  physician  for  the 
times  in  which  he  lived.  He  was  the  first  town  clerk,  and 
was  a  scholarly  man,  and  considerably  given  to  literary  pur- 
suits. In  the  later  years  of  his  life  he  became  hypochon- 
driacal, and  imagined  himself  incapable  of  any  physical  or 
mental  eftbrt,  taking  to  his  bed,  where  he  died  in  1805  at  the 
age  of  seventy-nine  years. 

Dr.  Seth  Lathrop  was  a  son  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Joseph 
Lathrop,  and  was  born  in  1762,  in  what  is  now  West  Spring- 
field, then  the  second  parish  of  Springfield,  of  which  his  father 
was  pastor.  He  was  a  student  of  Dr.  Van  Horn,  and  after- 
ward his  partner,  and  succeeded  him  in  practice.  Dr.  Bron- 
son  said  of  him  ;  "  He  had  a  strong  mind,  sound  judgment, 
and  excellent  common  sense ;  was  frank,  social  and  fond  of 
anecdote,  and  well  read  in  the  medical  literature  of  the  last 
half  of  the  century  ;  an  able  and  acceptable  practitioner. 
More  than  six  feet  high,  with  a  large  frame  and  straight,  his 
figure  was  imposing,  his  very  appearance  inspiring  in  him  a 
reliable  confidence."  He  was  very  successful  in  his  practice, 
a  natural  result  of  his  strong  common  sense,  which  often 
takes  the  place  of  learning  and  accomplishments.  He  con- 
tinued during  his  life  in  his  native  town,  and  was  for  many 
years  in  practice.  He  died  in  1831,  at  the  age  of  sixty-nine 
years. 

Dr.  Reuben  Champion  (according  to  Dr.  Stickney)  was 
the  first  physician  who  was  born  in  the  town  of  West  Spring- 
field subsequent  to  its  organization,  having  been  born  in 
1784,  ten  years  after  that  event.  He  was  the  second  son  of 
Reuben  Champion.  His  grandfather  was  Reuben  Champion, 
M.D.,  who  removed  from  Springfield,  Mass.,  to  Saybrook, 
Conn.,  early  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  in  order  that  his 
family  might  be  as  far  retired  as  possible  from  the  turmoils 
of  war.  He  served  with  distinguished  success  as  a  surgeon 
in  the  American  army,  and  died  while  in  service  at  Ticon- 
deroga,  in  1777,  at  the  age  of  fifty  years.  He  left  two  sons, 
Reuben  and  Medes,  both  of  whom,  though  quite  young,  also 
served  in  the  armj'. 

Dr.  Reuben  Champion  (2d)  was  educated  at  the  Westfleld 


810 


HISTORY   OF   THE   CONNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


Academy,  and  afterward  studied  medicine  with  Dr.  Sumner, 
of  that  town.  He  attended  medical  lectures  at  the  school 
connected  with  Dartmouth  College,  then  under  the  charge  of 
the  celebrated  surgeon  Dr.  Nathan  Smith,  who  was  the 
founder  of  the  school.  During  attendance  there  he  was  a 
private  pupil  of  Dr.  Smith,  who  carefully  instructed  him  in 
what  was  then  termed  the  new  method  of  treating  tj'phus 
fever, — a  method  which,  with  few  modifications,  prevails  at 
the  present  time. 

After  concluding  his  course  at  Dartmouth,  he  attended  lec- 
tures in  New  York  City,  and. subsequently,  at  the  urgent  re- 
quest of  his  fellow-citizens,  returned  to  his  native  town  and 
commenced  the  practice  of  medicine  in  1809. 

He  introduced  the  new  fever  treatment,  though  against 
strong  opposition  from  not  only  the  medical  profession,  but 
the  community  generally  ;  but  he  continued,  and  by  his  great 
success  established  an  enviable  reputation.  He  was  an  ardent 
politician  of  the  Jeffei'sonian  school,  and  took  an  active  part 
in  local  politics.  His  abilities  were  recognized,  and  he  served 
his  native  town  in  many  positions  of  honor  and  trust.  He 
was  a  justice  of  the  peace,  and  also  served  as  a  Senator  in  the 
State  Legislature.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Massachusetts 
Medical  Society,  and  continued  in  the  practice  of  medicine 
nearly  fifty  years.  His  death  occurred  in  1865,  at  the  age  of 
eighty-one  years. 

Dr.  Hekuy  Bronson  settled  in  West  Springfield  in  1827. 
After  a  preparatory  course  of  study  he  entered  the  Medical 
Institute  of  Yale  College,  from  which  he  graduated  in  1827. 
His  stay  and  practice  in  West  Springfield  were  short.  In 
1830  he  removed  to  Albany,  N.  Y.  By  his  gentlemanly 
deportment  and  cultivation  he  rapidly  grew  into  favor  in  his 
new  field  and  gained  a  large  practice.  His  tastes  inclined 
greatly  to  literary  and  scientific  pursuits,  and  much  of  his 
spare  time  was  devoted  to  those  subjects,  and  in  this  direction 
he  soon  gained  an  enviable  reputation.  In  1872  he  was  ap- 
pointed Professor  of  Materia  Medica  in  the  Medical  Institute 
of  Yale  College, — a  chair  which  he  adorned  by  his  e.xtensive 
and  varied  learning  and  admirable  style  of  lecturing.  He 
gave  up  the  regular  practice  of  medicine  in  1800,  since  which 
time  he  has  given  his  attention  to  more  general  and  scientific 
subjects. 

Dr.  Ebenezer  Jones  was  born  in  West  Springfield,  where 
he  settled  in  practice  after  the  usual  preparatory  studies. 
After  a  residence  of  about  twelve  years  he  removed  to  the 
eastern  part  of  the  State. 

Dr.  Timothy  Horton  was  the  son  of  a  ])hysician,  and  a 
practitioner  of  considerable  ability.  He  was  a  man  of  abun- 
dant means,  and  particularly  noted  for  the  small  charges  made 
for  his  medical  attendance.  It  is  said  that  his  regular  fee  in 
his  own  neighborhood  was  twelve  and  a  half  cents  for  each 
visit,  rarely  charging  over  thirty-three  and  a  third  cents  (two 
New  England  shillings),  no  matter  how  ditBcult  the  case  or 
how  far  he  traveled.  Frequently  he  would  go  a  distance  of 
four  or  five  miles,  hold  a  consultation  with  a  brother  practi- 
tioner, and  charge  one  shilling  (sixteen  and  two-third  cents). 
He  was  much  respected  by  his  fellow-citizens. 

Among  the  physicians  of  whom  little  is  known  was  a  Dr. 
Dunham,  who  died  about  1825.  He  practiced  in  what  was 
then  Ireland  Parish,  now  in  the  town  of  Holyoke.  He  bore 
a  good  reputation  among  those  who  enjoyed  his  acquaint- 
ance. 

Dr.  Calvin  Wheeler  settled  in  Feeding  Hills  Parish, 
now  in  the  town  of  Agawam.  He  served  as  a  surgeon  in  the 
American  army  during  the  war  of  1812-15.  He  was  a  man 
of  limited  education,  but  made  up  the  deficiency  by  his  strong 
mind  and  good  sense,  and  had  the  respect  of  his  friends  and 
patrons.     He  died  in  1851. 

Dr.  Edwin  McCrea  settled  in  what  is  now  Agawam  in 
1832,  and  practiced  about  twelve  years.  He  had  the  reputa- 
tion of  an  able  practitioner  and  a  genial  neighbor  and  citizen, 


but  his  health  was  infirm,  and  he  was  unable  to  attend  as 
faithfully  to  his  practice  as  he  wished.     He  died  in  18-")9. 

Dr.  Cyrus  Bell  settled  in  the  parish  of  Feeding  Hills 
about  1840,  and  is  still  located  there.  For  an  interesting 
account  of  him,  see  biography  in  connection  with  the  history 
of  Agawam. 

Dr.  Su.mner  Ives  was  born  in  Ireland  Parish  (then  a  part 
of  West  Springfield).  He  practiced  in  the  town  from  182(3 
to  about  1831,  when  he  removed  to  SufEeld,  Conn.,  where  he 
continued  until  his  death,  in  1845. 

Dr.  Solo.mon  Chapman  succeeded  Dr.Tves  in  1832,  in  the 
parish  of  Ireland,  where  he  practiced  about  ten  years,  when 
he  removed  to  Easthamptou,  where  he  died. 

Dr.  Lawson  Long  followed  Dr.  Chapman  in  18.50,  and 
located  in  the  same  parish,  now  a  part  of  the  city  of  Holyoke, 
where  he  still  continues. 

Dr.  Chauncey  Belden  was  a  graduate  of  the  Yale  Medi- 
cal Institute  in  1829.  He  was  a  private  pupil  of  Dr.  Wood- 
ward, of  Wethersfield,  Conn.  After  he  left  college  he  was  for 
a  time  an  assistant  in  the  Hartford  Retreat  for  the  Insane.  He 
settled  in  W^est  Springfield  in  1832,  and  remained  until  1842, 
when  he  removed  to  South  Hadley,  where  he  died  of  consump- 
tion in  1845.  He  was  well  educated  and  fond  of  scientific 
pursuits.  He  was  a  practitioner  of  excellent  judgment  and 
great  skill,  and  very  successful  in  his  practice. 

Dr.  Edward  Strong  was  a  native  of  Northampton,  and 
settled  in  West  Springfield  in  1839.  He  graduated  at  Williams 
College  in  1834,  and  afterward  studied  medicine  at  the  Har- 
vard Medical  School,  in  Boston,  where  he  graduated  in  1838. 
He  was  in  practice  until  1845,  when  he  relinquished  it  on 
account  of  ill  health.  He  has  since  been  engaged  in  the  State 
Department  of  "Vital  Statistics"  in  Boston. 

The  Stickney  family  is  of  Norman  extraction,  the  ear- 
liest name  on  record  being  John  de  Stickney.  William 
Stickney,  the  English  ancestor  of  the  name  in  America,  was 
christened  at  St.  Mary's  Church,  in  the  parish  of  Frampton, 
near  Boston,  Lincolnshire,  England,  in  1592.  He  sailed  from 
the  port  of  Hull,  in  Yorkshire,  for  Massachusetts,  or  at  least 
some  part  of  New  England,  in  1637. 

Several  of  the  family  have  been  eminent  in  the  medical  pro- 
fession in  this  country.  The  father  of  Dr.  P.  Le  Breton 
Stickney  was  a  captain  of  marines  in  the  war  of  1812-15.  His 
name  was  David. 

Dr.  p.  Le  B.  Stickney  settled  in  West  Springfield  in  1845. 
He  was  a  graduate  of  Dartmouth  College  in  1839,  and  studied 
his  profession  at  the  Jefterson  Medical  College,  in  Philadelphia, 
Pa.,  where  he  graduated  in  1842.  He  commenced  the  practice 
of  medicine  at  the  Blockley  Hospital,  in  that  city,  where  he 
filled  the  position  of  outdoor  physician  and  surgeon. 

Subsequently  he  returned  and  located  in  West  Springfield, 
where  he  practiced  six  years,  when  he  removed  to  the  city  of 
Springfield,  where  he  now  resides. 

Dr.  Nathaniel  Downs  graduated  at  Harvard  Scliool ; 
settled  in  West  Springfield  in  1857.  He  remained  only  a  few 
years,  and  removed  to  Harvard,  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  State. 

Dr.  Edward  G.  Ufford  settled  in  West  Springfield  in 
1855.  He  remained  in  the  town  until  1872,  and  had  a  good 
practice,  but  on  account  of  poor  health  was  compelled  to  give 
up  his  profession.     He  removed  to  South  Hadley. 

Dr.  Herbert  C.  Belden,  son  of  Dr.  Chauncey  Belden, 
studied  in  New  York,  and  was  a  graduate  of  the  College  of 
Physicians  and  Surgeons  of  that  city  in  1867.  He  served  a 
year  as  assistant  surgeon  in  the  Nursery  Hospital,  at  Randall's 
Island,  N.  Y.,  and  subsequently  visited  Europe,  spending 
considerable  time  in  Vienna,  and,  returning  home,  settled  in 
West  Springfield  in  1871. 

physicians  of  westfield. 
The  first  physician,  so  far  as  we  are  able  to  find,  who  located 
in  Westfield  was  Dr.  George  Filer  (or  Fyler),  who  seems 


HISTORY   OF   HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


811 


to  have  come  from  Northampton  to  "Westfield  about  1666. 
His  residence  was  in  Main  Street.  Subsequently  he  joined 
the  Quakers  and  removed  to  Shelter  Island,  at  the  east  end  of 
Long  Island,  in  167-1,  after  which  we  have  no  account  of  him. 
Dr.  Israel  Ashley  was  born  in  1710,  in  Westfield.  He 
was  the  son  of  Deacon  David  Ashley  and  Mary  (Dewey) 
Ashley.  He  graduated  at  Yale  College  in  1730-31,  and  died 
at  Stillwater,  N.  Y.,  in  1758,  while  serving  in  Gen.  Abcr- 
crombie's  army  as  a  regimental  surgeon.  His  reputation  was 
that  of  a  distinguished  and  able  physician,  ranking  with  the 
first  practitioners  of  his  day.  He  also  held  the  office  of  justice 
of  the  peace. 

Dr.  Samuel  Mather  practiced  in  the  place  about  1756, 
possibly  succeeding  Dr.  Ashley  when  he  entered  the  array. 
But  little  is  known  of  him  or  of  the  length  of  time  he  resided 
in  Westfield.  It  is  not  known  that  there  were  any  physicians 
located  here  between  the  time  of  Dr.  Filer  and  Dr.  Ashley. 

Dr.  William  Atwater  was  a  resident  practitioner  from 
about  1811-12  to  about  1832.  He  was  the  son  of  Rev.  Noah 
Atwater,  of  Westfield,  born  about  1787.  He  studied  medicine, 
and  graduated  at  Yale  College  about  the  year  1808.  He  was 
a  shrewd  and  witty  man,  affable  and  kindly  with  his  patients, 
and  bore  an  excellent  reputation  among  his  brethren  in  the 
profession.     He  died  about  1832. 

Coincident  with  the  last  named  was  Dr.  Joshua  Sumner, 
who  came  from  Windham,  Conn.,  and  settled  in  Westfield, 
where  he  remained  until  his  death.  He  was  somewhat  cele- 
brated as  a  surgeon,  and  was  prominent  in  the  profession. 

Dk.  Lucius  Wright  is  probably  the  oldest  living  physi- 
cian in  Hampden  County,  having  been  born  Jan.  18,  1793, 
near  the  Willimansett  Bridge  over  the  Connecticut  in  the 
town  of  Chicopee,  and  is  consequently  now  in  his  eighty-sev- 
enth year.  His  residence  is  at  Westfield  Farms,  where  he 
has  resided  since  1830.  He  studied  medicine  with  Dr.  Joshua 
Daj',  of  West  Springfield,  and  also  with  Dr.  Jacob  Kittredge, 
of  North  Brookfield,  Mass.,  whose  daughter  Mary  he  married 
for  his  first  wife.  He  was  a  fine  scholar  for  his  day,  having  a 
knowledge  of  Greek,  Latin,  and  Hebrew.  He  commenced 
the  practice  of  his  profession  in  West  Springfield.  Subse- 
quently he  practiced  for  about  two  years  in  Salem,  Mass., 
from  whence  he  removed  to  Willimansett,  and  soon  after, 
about  1824,  to  Montgomery,  where  he  practiced  for  about  six 
years,  when  he  removed  to  Westfield  Farms,  where  he  has 
since  resided. 

Dr.  Wright  was  a  prominent,  able  politician  of  the  Jefferson 
school,  and  represented  his  district  in  the  General  Court  for 
two  terms.  He  was  also  a  candidate  for  Congress  in  the  cele- 
brated campaign  of  1840. 

The  Hollands. — The  Holland  family  has  been  remark- 
able for  the  number  of  medical  men  which  it  has  produced. 

The  first.  Dr.  James  Holland,  was  born  in  1762.  He 
studied  medicine  with  Dr.  Brewster,  of  Becket,  and  practiced 
for  a  short  time  in  what  was  then  Chester  village,  now  Hunt- 
ington, and  subsequently  in  Worthington,  from  which  he  re- 
turned to  Huntington,  and  remained  one  year.  He  settled  in 
Westfield  in  1815.  His  wife  was  Lydia  Stow,  of  Chester,  who 
bore  him  ten  children,  four  of  whom  entered  the  medical  pro- 
fession.    Dr.  Holland  died  at  Westfield,  June  18,  1840. 

Dr.  Homer  Holland,  son  of  the  preceding,  was  born  in 
Blaudford,  April  25,  1799.  He  read  medicine  with  his  father, 
attended  lectures  at  New  Haven,  and  graduated  at  the  Berk- 
shire Medical  Institution.  He  settled  in  Westfield,  where  he 
practiced  medicine  from  1842  to  1856.  He  also  practiced  den- 
tistry. His  inclination  was  to  the  study  of  chemistry,  in  which 
branch  of  science  he  was  quite  celebrated.  He  married,  in 
1823,  Lucinda  Allen,  of  Enfield,  Conn.  He  died  in  Charlotte, 
N.  C,  where  he  was  interested  in  gold-mining  in  the  capacity 
of  physician  and  chemist. 

Dr.  Virgil  Holland,  son  of  the  first  James  Holland,  was 
born   at  Norwich   (now  Huntington)  in  1803.      He  studied 


medicine  with  his  father,  and  graduated  at  the  academical  and 
medical  departments  of  Harvard  College,  and  had  the  reputa- 
tion of  a  most  excellent  scholar,  but  he  did  not  survive  very 
long,  dying  in  1832,  soon  after  his  graduation. 

Dr.  James  Holl.and,  another  son,  was  born  in  Westfield 
in  1815.  He  studied  with  his  father  and  brother  Homer,  and 
graduated  at  the  New  York  Universit}-,  soon  after  which  he 
settled  in  Westfield,  in  1843,  where  he  has  since  remained.  He 
has  an  extensive  practice,  and  stands  at  the  head  of  the  pro- 
fession in  the  thriving  town,  both  by  virtue  of  his  age  and 
extensive  experience.  He  has  also  been  honored  with  several 
offices  in  the  county,  and  has  been  for  many  years  an  honored 
member  of  the  Massachusetts  Medical  Association.  The  doctor 
married,  for  his  second  wife,  Miss  Leonard,  of  Feeding  Hills, 
now  in  the  town  of  Agawam.  His  medical  experience  extends 
over  a  period  of  fifty  years. 

Charles  Jenkins  Holland,  fourth  son  of  the  first  Dr. 
James  Holland,  was  born  in  Westfield  in  1819.  He  had  the 
advantage  of  his  father's  knowledge,  and  prepared  himself  for 
the  practice  of  medicine,  graduating  at  the  Medical  College 
of  Montreal,  Canada.  But  he  did  not  live  to  see  the  meridian 
of  his  days,  dying  in  1855,  at  the  age  of  thirty-six  years. 

Dr.  Eugene  Holland,  eldest  son  of  Dr.  Homer  Holland, 
was  born  in  Westfield  in  1824.  He  studied  with  his  father, 
and  graduated  at  Harvard  College  in  18.52.  He  practiced  a 
short  time,  and  in  1853  removed  to  California,  and  from  thence 
to  Colorado  in  1860,  where  he  now  resides,  at  Idaho  Springs. 
He  has  never  married. 

Henry  Holland,  second  son  of  Dr.  Homer  Holland,  was 
born  in  Westfield  in  1827.  He  graduated  from  the  New  York 
College  of  Pharmacy  in  1851.  He  engaged  in  the  drug  busi- 
ness in  1841,  when  a  young  man,  and  has  continued  to  the 
present  time  (April,  1879).  Mr.  Holland  is  a  man  of  good 
natural  abilities,  with  an  enthusiastic  love  for  the  study  of 
archaeology,  and  his  contributions  in  various  ways  to  the  cur- 
rent literature  of  the  day  and  to  the  library  of  his  native 
town  have  been  valuable.  Nothing  of  interest  touching  the 
early  history  of  Westfield  and  the  adjacent  region  escapes 
him,  and  his  researches  among  the  musty  records  of  the  past 
are  doing  much  toward  rescuing  from  oblivion  some  of  the 
most  interesting  chapters  in  the  early  history  of  the  valley  of 
the  Agawam. 

William  Holl.i.nd,  third  son  of  Homer,  lived  to  the 
opening  years  of  manhood  and  died  in  1861,  at  the  age  of 
twenty-four  years.  He  was  engaged  in  the  drug  business 
with  his  brother  Henry  at  the  time  of  his  death. 

Dr.  M.  L.  Kobin.son  was  born  in  the  town  of  Pompey, 
Onondaga  Co.,  N.  Y.  (which  had  also  the  honor  of  giving 
birth  to  Hon.  Horatio  Seymour,  of  Deerfleld,  N.  Y.),  June 
29,  1818.  He  was  a  son  of  Millard  Robinson,  a  farmer  of 
that  town,  who  died  there  about  1870,  aged  seventy-seven 
years.  The  family  is  of  English  origin.  Dr.  Robinson  studied 
medicine  in  Cardiff  and  Tully,  with  Dr.  Samuel  Farnham,  of 
the  former  place,  and  with  Dr.  Harmon  Van  Deusen,  of  Tully. 
Attended  medical  lectures  at  Geneva,  N.  Y.,  and  received  a 
diploma  from  the  medical  society  of  the  State,  June  15,  1843. 
He  commenced  practice  in  Westfield,  Mass.,  in  the  same 
month,  and  has  continued  to  the  present. 

He  at  first  located  at  Westfield  Farms,  where  he  married 
Julia  Ann,  daughter  of  Dr.  Lucius  Wright.  He  remained 
at  that  place  until  March,  1868,  when  he  removed  to  West^ 
field  village,  where  he  is  still  in  practice.     He  married  for  his 

second  wife  Mrs.  Rebecca  K ,  a  widow  and  daughter  of 

Luther  P.  Pellett,  of  Worcester  County.  The  doctor  has 
held  the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace  for  the  past  twenty 
years. 

On  the  20th  of  May,  1864,  he  united  with  Mount  Moriah 
Lodge,  A.  F.  and  A.  M.  He  is  also  a  member  of  Morning  Star 
Chapter,  Royal  Arch  Masons,  the  Council  of  Royal  and  Select 
Masters,  and  of  the  Springfield  Commandery,  Knights  Tem^ 


812 


HISTORY   OF  THE   CONNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


plar,  all  of  Springfield;  Chapter  Eose  Croix,  Boston,  the 
Massachusetts  Consistory,  and  several  minor  organizations  of 
the  craft.  He  has  held  several  town  offices,  and  is  at  j)resent 
physician  to  the  poor  of  the  town. 

Dk.  James  Morvin  Smith,  father  of  Dr.  David  P.  Smith, 
of  Springfield,  was  a  resident  of  Westfield  for  a  short  time 
previous  to  1838.* 

Dr.  Simkon  Shurtlefk  was  born  in  Blandf'ord.  His  early 
education  was  obtained  at  Rev.  Dr.  Cooley's  school  in  Gran- 
ville. He  studied  medicine  with  Dr.  Hall,  of  Blandford,  and 
graduated  at  Amherst  College  in  the  same  class  with  Rev. 
Henry  Ward  Beecher.  He  was  also  a  graduate  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  New  York. 

He  practiced  medicine  at  Simsbury,  Conn.,  a  few  years,  and 
about  1836  married  Mary  Ann  Phelps,  of  that  town.  About 
1837  he  removed  to  Westfield,  where  he  practiced  until  about 

1860,  when  he  removed  to  Simsbury,  where  he  died  in  1864. 
Dr.  Shurtleff  was  somewhat  of  a  naturalist,  and  made  a 

special  study  of  conchology.  His  collection  of  shells  was  said 
to  have  been  one  of  the  finest  in  America.  It  is  now  in  the 
cabinet  of  Middletown  (Conn.)  University. 

Dh.  James  Henry  Waterman,  son  of  James  H.  Water- 
man, was  born  in  Ware,  Mass.,  Sept.  11,  1837.  He  was  edu- 
cated mainly  at  Monson  Academy,  and  at  the  University  of 
the  City  of  BuflTalo,  N.  Y.  He  studied  medicine  with  Prof. 
Julius  F.  Miner,  of  Buffalo,  and  graduated  from  the  medical 
department  of  the  universitj'  in  February,  1860.  He  com- 
menced practice  in  Westfield,  Mass.,  in  March  of  the  same 
year. 

In  November,  1862,  he  was  appointed  surgeon  of  the  46th 
Massachusetts  Infantry  Volunteers,  and  was  in  the  service  of 
the  government,  in  the  field  and  at  home,  for  a  period  of  two 
years.  His  present  residence  is  Westfield  village,  where  he 
has  a  large  and  increasing  practice. 

He  is  a  great  lover  of  fine  horses,  and  probably  no  physi- 
cian in  the  valley  can  take  the  road  in  better  shape,  or  reach 
his  patients  with  greater  speed  and  promptness.  Dr.  Water- 
man has  been  twice  married.  His  first  wife  was  Miss  Izetta, 
daughter  of  Hiram  Harrison,  who  died  in  December,  1874. 
In  December,  1876,  he  married  Miss  Louise  Clark,  of  Green- 
field, Mass.  Dr.  Waterman  is  a  member  of  the  Massachusetts 
Medical  Association. 

Dr.  William  Orton  Bell  settled  in  Westfield  in  1861. 
He  was  born  in  Chester,  Mass.,  and  graduated  from  the  Berk- 
shire Medical  Institution.  His  first  practice  was  in  the  town 
of  Becket,  in  Berkshire  County,  from  whence  he  removed  to 
Huntington,  in  Hampshire  County,  where  he  remained  until 

1861,  when  he  removed  to  Westfield.  Here  he  continued 
practice  until  his  failing  health  compelled  the  relinquishment 
of  his  profession.  He  died  in  1877,  with  the  reputation  of  an 
able  physician  and  a  good  citizen. 

Dr.  Harlow  Gamwell  was  born  in  Washington,  Berk- 
shire Co.,  Mass.,  in  1834.  He  is  the  son  of  Martin  Gamwell, 
who  was  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution.  He  studied  medicine  in 
Pittsfield,  and  graduated  at  the  Berkshire  Medical  Institution 
in  1858,  under  President  Childs.  In  1859  he  commenced 
practice  at  Huntington,  where  he  remained  until  the  breaking 
out  of  the  war  of  the  Rebellion,  when  he  was  appointed  assist- 
ant surgeon  of  the  2d  Massachusetts  Cavalry,  and  was  subse- 
quently promoted  to  surgeon  of  the  5th  Cavalry,  with  which 
he  remained  until  his  term  of  service  expired,  when  he  re- 
turned to  Huntington,  where  he  practiced  until  October,  1873, 
and  removed  to  Westfield,  where  he  still  continues,  and  com- 
mands a  good  practice  and  an  excellent  reputation  as  a  man 
and  citizen. 

Dr.  Gamwell  married,  in  1859,  Alice,  daughter  of  Gilbert 
Lewis,  of  Huntington,  who  died  in  1867.  In  1868  he  married 
a  second  time, — Sarah  A.,  daughter  of  Dr.  Thaddeus  K.  De 

*  See  in  connection  with  Springfield  physicians. 


Wolf,  of  Chester.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Massachusetts 
Medical  Association. 

For  notice  of  Dr.  G.  G.  Tucker,  see  biography  in  another 
connection  in  this  volume. 

Dr.  Ellery  Channing  Clarke  is  a  native  of  Win- 
chester, N.  H.,  where  he  was  born  in  1836.  He  is  a  son  of 
Rev.  Stillman  Clarke,  a  Unitarian  clergyman,  who  died  at 
Concord,  N.  H.,  in  1871,  aged  sixty-two  years.  Dr.  Clarke 
studied  with  Professor  Albert  Smith,  of  Peterboro',  N.  H., 
and  subsequently  attended  Dartmouth  College.  He  graduated 
at  the  State  University  of  Vermont,  at  Burlington,  in  1860, 
and  afterward  attended  a  course  of  lectures  at  Harvard. 
He  began  practice,  in  1860,  at  Wilton,  N.  H.,  where  he  re- 
mained until  the  opening  of  the  war  of  the  Rebellion,  when 
he  entered  the  army  as  assistant  surgeon  in  the  8th  New 
Hampshire  Infantry  Volunteers.  He  was  soon  after  pro- 
moted surgeon  of  the  2d  New  Hampshire  Cavalry,  in  which 
capacity  he  served  through  the  war.  Upon  leaving  the  army 
he  located  in  Pepperill,  Mass.,  and  remained  until  1867,  when 
he  removed  to  Holliston,  Mass.,  where  he  continued  practice 
until  1870,  when  he  removed  to  Westfield,  where  he  has  since 
remained. 

He  married,  in  1861,  Sarah  P.,  a  daughter  of  Benjamin 
Kendrick,  of  Amherst,  N.  H.,  who  died  in  November,  1866. 
He  married  a  second  time,  in  September,  1867, — Mrs.  Carrie 
Loring  AlcCammon,  a  daughter  of  John  Loring,  of  Pepperill, 
Mass. 

The  earliest  notice  we  can  find  concerning  the  practice 
of  medicine  in  Southwick  is  in  connection  with  Dk.  Isaac 
CoiT,  who  died  in  that  town  on  the  25th  of  April,  1813,  aged 
fifty-eight  years.  There  is  a  brief  notice  of  him  in  Barber's 
historical  collections.  It  appears  that  he  was  a  surgeon  in  the 
American  army  during  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  probably 
settled  in  Southwick  village  soon  after  its  close.  The  house 
occupied  by  him  stood  on  the  ground  now  occupied  by  the 
dwelling  of  Mrs.  Asahel  Granger.  His  widow  survived  him 
until  about  1860.  Her  maiden  name  was  Sally  Stiles,  and  she 
was  a  native  of  Southwick.  Dr.  Coit  held  the  office  of  justice 
of  the  peace  for  a  number  of  years.  The  following  is  the  epi- 
taph on  the  doctor's  tombstone  in  the  centre  burying-ground  : 

"In  memory  of  Isaac  Coit,  Esq.,  an  eminent  physician,  wlio  died  25th  April, 
1813,  aged  58. 

"  Beflection  long  shall  hover  o'er  his  urn, 
And  faithful  friendship  boast  her  power  to  mourn  ; 
Peace  to  his  shade;  while  tnith  shall  paint  the  rest, 
Lamented  most  by  those  who  knew  him  best." 

There  is  in  the  possession  of  Dr.  J.  W.  Rockwell,  of  South- 
wick, an  old  account-book  which  belonged  to  one  of  the  ear- 
liest physicians  of  that  town, — Dr.  Jonathan  Bill, — from 
which  it  appears  that  he  began  practice  in  November,  1796, 
and  went  away  in  September,  1797.  He  came  from  Connec- 
ticut, but  we  have  not  been  able  to  find  any  record  of  his  place 
of  birth  or  of  the  antecedents  of  the  family.  It  is  probable 
that  he  removed  to  the  State  of  New  York.  While  residing 
in  Southwick  he  boarded  in  the  family  of  Capt.  Reuben  Clark, 
a  mile  south  of  the  centre.  He  appears  not  to  have  been  in 
very  affluent  circumstances,  for  we  find  a  memorandum  in 
his  account-book  of  having  his  breeches  and  vest  mended,  and 
coat  turned  and  repaired. 

A  Dr.  Norton  settled  in  Southwick  soon  after  the  death 
of  Dr.  Coit,  and  practiced  until  his  death,  about  1817  or  1818. 
He  lived  in  the  same  house  with  Dr.  Colt's  family.  He  left  a 
wife  and  one  child. 

Dr.  Levi  W.  Humphreys  was  born  in  Simsbury,  Conn., 
April  28,  1792.  He  was  the  son  of  Levi  Humphreys.  Studied 
medicine  with  Dr.  Bestor,  of  Simsbury,  and  located  in  South- 
wick in  1818.  He  was  a  graduate  of  a  medical  school,  and 
rose  to  eminence  in  his  profession.  He  practiced  in  Southwick 
village  until  within  a  few  years  of  his  death,  which  occurred 
April  2,  1850,  at  the  age  of  fifty-eight  years.     He  was  a  man 


HISTORY   OF  HAMPDEN  COUNTY. 


813 


of  good  natural  abilities  and  a  respected  citizen.  He  served 
as  representative  to  the  General  Court  for  one  term.  Was 
also  a  member  of  the  Massachusetts  Medical  Society.  Pro- 
fessor John  Stoddard,  of  Smith  College,  Northampton,  is  a 
grandson  of  Dr.  Humphreys. 

Dr.  Joseph  William  RocKveELL  was  born  July  22,  1810, 
about  half  a  mile  south  of  the  village  of  Southwick,  Mass. 
He  was  the  son  of  Uzal  Rockwell,  a  farmer,  who  was  born  in 
Colebrook,  Conn.,  and  settled  in  Southwick  in  1792. 

Dr.  Rockwell  studied  with  Dr.  Humphreys,  and  graduated 
at  the  Berkshire  Medical  Institution  in  1833.  He  first  settled 
at  Harrisville  (now  Lodi),  Medina  Co.,  Ohio,  in  1835,  where 
he  remained  until  1842,  when  he  removed  to  Cabotville  (now 
Chicopee),  Mass.,  where  he  practiced  until  1844,  when,  at  the 
solicitation  of  Dr.  Humphrej-s,  whose  health  was  failing,  he 
settled  in  Southwick  village,  vrhere  he  has  since  remained. 

The  doctor  has  filled  several  civil  offices,  among  them  jus- 
tice of  the  peace  (both  in  Ohio  and  Massachusetts),  selectman, 
school  committee,  etc.  He  married,  in  1834,  Elizabeth  Wells, 
daughter  of  Jared  Wells,  of  Canton,  Conn. 

The  first  of  the  family  to  settle  in  New  England  was  Deacon 
William  Rockwell,  who  was  one  of  the  Massachusetts  colony 
which  settled  Boston  in  1630,  from  which  he  removed  to  Meri- 
den,  Conn.,  in  1635.  Among  the  physicians  of  this  name 
have  been  Dr.  William  H.  Rockwell,  of  Brattleboro',  Vt. ; 
Dr.  Rockwell,  of  Windsor,  Conn. ;  and  Dr.  Samuel  Rock- 
well, of  Sharon,  Conn, 

There  have  been  a  number  of  physicians  who  practiced  in 
the  town  of  Granville,  the  earliest  of  whom  we  find  any  ac- 
count being  Dr.  Vincent  Holcombe,  who  was  born  in  East 
Granville  about  the  year  1797.  He  read  medicine  with  Dr. 
Benjamin,  of  Granby,  Conn.,  and  Dr.  Humphrey,  of  East 
Hartland,  in  the  same  State.  He  began  practice  in  East 
Granville  about  1818,  when  only  twenty-one  years  of  age, 
and  soon  after  removed  to  West  Granville,  where  he  remained 
until  his  death,  in  September,  18G3. 

He  bore  the  reputation  of  an  eminent  physician  and  worthy 
citizen,  and  was  quite  prominent  as  a  politician.  He  served 
one  term  as  a  member  of  the  State  Senate.  In  February,  1818, 
he  married  Susannah  Wills,  a  sister  of  Mrs.  Dr.  Rockwell. 

His  eldest  son.  Dr.  Hubert  Holcombe,  was  a  surgeon  in  the 
army  during  the  Rebellion,  and  died  in  Bradford  in  1874. 
Dr.  C.  C.  Holcombe,  another  son,  is  also  a  prominent  physi- 
cian of  Lee,  Mass. 

Dr.  Barlow,  now  of  New  York,  practiced  medicine  in 
Granville  after  Dr.  Holcombe  left  the  east  village,  about  1830 
or  1832.  He  subsequently  removed  to  New  York  City,  where 
he  changed  his  practice  to  the  homoeopathic  system,  and  be- 
came quite  distinguished  in  that  school. 

Dr.  Dwight,  now  of  Lee,  Berkshire  Co.,  also  practiced  for 
a  short  time  in  Granville. 

Dr.  Johnson  succeeded  Dr.  Dwight,  and  practiced  in  the 
town  and  adjacent  country  until  his  death,  about  1874. 

Dr.  Calvin  King  succeeded  Dr.  Holcombe,  and  practiced 
a  number  of  years,  when  he  removed  to  Otis,  where  he  is  now 
in  practice.  He  was  a  native  of  Ware,  where  he  studied  with 
Dr.  D.  W.  Miner.  He  was  a  college  graduate,  but  we  are 
unable  to  give  the  name  of  the  institution  he  attended. 

CHESTER. 

The  town  of  Chester  has  probably  had  as  many  and  promi- 
nent medical  men  within  its  borders  as  any  other  lying  west 
of  Westfield.     We  find  some  interesting  reminiscences  of  the 


early  physicians  in  a  series  of  historical  articles  written  by 
Samuel  Quigley  about  1870,  and  published  in  the  Hampshire 
Gazette. 

From  those  letters  it  appears  that  one  Dr.  Shepard  was 
the  first  settled  physician  in  the  town ;  but  the  date  of  his 
settlement  or  the  length  of  time  in  which  he  practiced  is  not 
known. 

Dr.  William  Holland  commenced  practice  at  Chester 
Centre  during  Dr.  Shepard's  lifetime,  but  did  not  long  remain. 
It  is  said  that  he  and  Dr.  Phelps,  of  Belchertowii,  Hampshire 
Co.,  exchanged  places. 

Dr.  Martin  Phelps  was  a  remarkable  man,  from  all  ac- 
counts. He  appears  to  have  been  a  cultured  gentleman,  and 
was  quite  an  enthusiast  in  the  study  and  discussion  of  meta- 
physics. He  was  also  an  ardent  and  prominent  politician  of 
the  Democratic  school,  and  served  at  least  one  term  in  the 
Legislature.  He  was  a  prominent  member  of  the  Orthodox 
Church,  from  which,  however,  he  subsequently  withdrew, 
and  united  with  the  Baptists.  His  latter  years  were  passed 
upon  the  banks  of  the  Agawam  River,  a  short  distance  above 
the  village  of  Huntington.  The  Phelps  family  has  been 
quite  prominent  in  Massachusetts.  Dr.  Phelps  died  in  1838, 
aged  eight3'-two  years. 

Dk.  Anson  Boies  was  a  native  of  Blandford,  from  whence 
he  removed  to  Chester,  where  he  practiced  his  profession  until 
his  decease,  in  1820.  He  married,  at  different  times,  two 
daughters  of  Rev.  Aaron  Bascom.  His  daughter,  Charlotte, 
married  Dr.  William  C.  Bell,  of  Middletown,  Conn. 

Dr.  Ballard,  a  dignified,  thoughtful,  and  well-educated 
gentleman,  succeeded  Dr.  Boies,  but  died  after  a  short  resi- 
dence. He  married  Lavinia,  a  daughter  of  Rev.  Samuel 
Clark.  Dr.  Ballard  was  in  practice  when  Dr.  De  Wolf  settled 
in  the  town. 

Prof.  Ebenezer  Emmons,  the  eminent  geologist,  now  of 
Albany,  N.  Y.,  was  an  M.D.,  and  practiced  medicine  in  Ches- 
ter for  some  time,  about  1830-32.  He  subsequently  removed 
to  Williamstown,  Ma.ss.,  to  take  a  chair  as  Professor  of  Chem- 
istry in  Williams  College.* 

Dr.  Thaddeus  K.  De  Wolf.  (See  his  biography  in  an- 
other place.) 

Dr.  Asahel  Parmexter,  a  son  of  Deacon  Parmenter, 
studied  medicine  with  Dr.  Anson  Boies,  but  did  not  remain 
long  in  Chester.  He  removed  to  Pennsylvania,  and  subse- 
quently to  the  State  of  New  York. 

Dr.  Joseph  C.  Abbott,  the  eldest  son  of  Joseph  Abbott, 
studied  medicine,  and  became  a  very  skillful  and  successful 
physician,  but  died  at  an  early  age. 

i)R.  H.  S.  Lucas,  a  resident  of  Chester  village,  is  a  well- 
known  gentleman  of  scientific  attainments,  and  particularly 
in  connection  with  geology  and  mineralogy.  He  is  at  present 
extensively  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  emery  in  Chester. 
Dr.  Lucas  practiced  medicine  from  1844  to  1878,  when  he 
gave  up  the  business  of  his  profession  to  devote  himself  to 
other  duties.f 

Drs.  Hall  and  Wright  were  practicing  in  Blandford  in 
1832,  and  for  many  years  afterward.  They  were  eminent  in 
their  profession,  and  bore  the  character  of  most  estimable  and 
valuable  citizens.  The  earliest  physician  in  that  town  is  be- 
lieved to  have  been  Dr.  Ashley,  who  was  there  as  early  as 
1745. 
For  notice  of  Dr.  Amos  Taylor,  see  another  page. 


*  Prof.  Emmons  was  born  in  Middlefield,  Mass. 


f  See  biography. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWNS  OF  HAMPDEN  COUNTY. 


SPEINGFIELD. 


It  is  not  our  purpose  to  give  the  cause  of  nor  to  refer  in 
detail  to  that  movement  which,  in  the  name  of  religion,  led 
to  the  emigration  to  America  of  that  sturdy  band  of  pioneers 
who  early  in  the  seventeenth  century  left  the  mother-country 
and  landed  upon  the  shores  of  the  old  Bay  State.  It  is  our 
purpose,  however,  to  trace  the  history  of  a  town  which  reck- 
oned among  its  founders  a  few  of  that  noble  band  who,  in 
what  was  then  known  as  the  western  wilderness,  first  planted 
the  standard  of  civilization  and  reared  a  home  on  the  banks 
of  the  Quinnetficot. 

In  1630  the  settlements  at  Boston,  Charlestown,  Cambridge, 
Dorchester,  and  Roxbury  were  increasing  in  population  with 
such  rapidity  that  it  required  no  prophetic  vision  to  discern 
that  the  time  was  not  far  distant  when  the  penetration  of  the 
wilderness  would  become  a  necessity  in  the  founding  of  settle- 
ments farther  west.  In  the  words  of  Cotton  Mather,  "the 
Massachusetts  colony  is  become  like  an  hive  overstocked  with 
bees,  and  many  of  the  new  inhabitants  entertain  thoughts  of 
swarming  into  plantations  extending  farther  into  the  country." 

The  first  of  these  adventurous  colonists  who  threaded  their 
way  through  the  wilderness  westward  were  John  Oldham  and 
Samuel  Hall,  together  with  two  others  whose  names  have 
not  come  down  to  us,  all  residents  of  Dorchester.  These  inde- 
fatigable explorers  traversed  the  State  as  far  west  as  the  Con- 
necticut Biver,  and  were  without  doubt  the  first  white  men 
who  set  foot  on  the  soil  of  this  charming  valley.  These  explo- 
rers found  the  Indians  in  this  vicinity  friendly,  who  enter- 
tained them  with  much  hospitality,  made  them  presents  of 
beavers,  and  in  various  ways  rendered  their  sta}'  pleasant  and 
profitable.  They  also  found  the  valley  fertile,  and,  in  the  rich 
meadows,  were  surprised  to  find  hemp  growing  in  great  luxu- 
riance, some  of  which  was  carried  with  them  upon  their  return 
to  the  Bay. 

These  men  returned  to  the  settlements  with  glowing  descrip- 
tions of  the  country  through  which  they  had  passed  ;  and  not 
much  time  elapsed  ere  little  bands  were  leaving  the  parent 
settlement  for  the  west,  anxious  to  rear  their  homes  in  the 
valley  of  the  "famous  river,"  as  Cotton  Mather  called  the 
Connecticut. 

In  163.5,  Mr.  William  Pynchon,  the  founder  of  Roxbury, 
received  the  consent  of  the  General  Court  to  remove  to  the 
Connecticut  River,  and  dispatched  two  men,  John  Cable  and 
John  Woodcock,  to  the  wilderness  for  the  purpose  of  erecting 
a  habitation  and  preparing  for  those  who  were  to  follow. 
These  men  erected  a  rude  structure  on  the  west  side  of  the 
Connecticut,  in  the  meadow  which  from  this  circumstance 
was  subsequently  called  House-meadow.  The  house  was 
doubtless  occupied  by  Cable  and  Woodcock  during  the  summer, 
hut,  being  informed  by  the  Indians  that  the  site  was  subject  to 
inundation,  it  was  abandoned,  and  a  new  location  selected  and 
a  house  erected  on  the  east  side  of  the  river.  The  location 
of  the  first  house  is  described  in  an  entry  made  by  John 
Holyoke  in  the  Registry  of  Deeds  in  1779  "  as  that  meadow 
on  the  south  of  Agawam  River  where  the  English  did  first 
build  a  house,"  and  also  where  "  the  English  kept  their  resi- 
dence who  first  came  to  settle  and  plant  at  Springfield,  now 
so  called."  As  to  the  probability  of  Cable  and  Woodcock 
having  been  the  first  whites  who  came  to  this  section  after 
the  exploration  of  Oldham  and  Hall,  O.  B.  Morris,  father  of 
814 


Hon.  Henry  Morris, — to  both  of  whom,  father  and  son,  the 
people  of  Springfield  owe  a  debt  of  gratitude  for  their  many 
contributions  to  the  historic  literature  of  the  city  and  valley, 
— says :  "From  a  somewhat  critical  examination  of  our  ancient 
records  and  manuscripts,  I  am  induced  to  believe  that  Mr. 
Pynchon,  with  his  son-in-law,  Henry  Smith,  and  Jehu  Burr, 
and  perhaps  others  of  Roxbury,  visited  this  river  in  1634, 
exploi-ed  the  valley,  and  selected  a  place  for  their  future 
settlement." 

April  26,  1636,  Mr.  William  Pynchon,  who  was  the  "  father 
of  the  settlement,"  shipped  his  goods  from  Boston  to  the 
proposed  settlement  on  Gov.  Winthrop's  vessel,  the  "Bless- 
ing of  the  Bay,"  and  with  his  devoted  and  resolute  associates 
set  out  through  the  dense  wilderness  for  their  future  un- 
tried forest  abode.  The  persons  who  accompanied  Mr.  Pyn- 
chon were  his  son-in-law,  Henry  Smith,  Mathew  Mitchell, 
Jehu  Burr,  William  Blake,  Edmund  Wood,  Thomas  Uftbrd, 
and  John  Cable.  The  exact  date  of  their  arrival  is  not  known, 
but  on  the  14th  of  May  of  the  same  year  they  entered  into  an 
agreement  for  the  government  of  the  settlement,  allotment  of 
lands,  etc.  This  in  some  respects  remarkable  document  was 
signed  by  eight  persons,  and  with  the  exception  of  the  two 
concluding  lines  is  in  the  handwriting  of  Henry  Smith.  The 
following  is  a  copy  of  the  document : 

"May  the  14th,  1636. — We,  whose  names  are  underwritten,  being  by  God's 
Providence  iugaged  together  to  make  a  plantation  at  and  over  against  Agaam^ 
on  Conecticot,  doe  mutually  agree  to  certayne  articles  and  orders  to  be  observed 
and  kept  by  us  and  by  otir  successors,  except  wee  and  every  of  us,  for  ourselves 
and  in  oure  persons,  shall  think  meet  uppon  better  reasons  to  alter  our  present 
resolutions. 

"lly.  Wee  intend,  by  God's  grace,  :is  soon  as  we  can,  with  all  convenient 
speede,  to  procure  some  Godly  and  faithfuU  minister,  with  whome  we  purpose  to 
joyne  in  church  covenant,  to  walk  in  all  the  ways  of  Christ. 

"  21y.  Wee  intend  that  our  towne  shall  be  composed  of  fourty  familys,  or  if 
wee  think  nieete  after  to  alter  our  purpose ;  yet  not  to  exceed  the  number  of 
fifty  familys,  rich  and  poore. 

"31y.  That  every  inhabitant  shall  have  a  convenient  proportion  for  a  honse- 
lott  as  wo  shall  see  meete  for  every  ones  quality  and  estate. 

"41y.  That  everyone  that  hath  a  house-lott  shall  h.ive  a  proportion  of  the 
Cow  pasture  to  the  north  of  End  brook,  lying  northward  from  the  town;  and 
also  that  every  one  shall  have  a  share  of  the  hasseky  viarish  over  agaynst  his 
lott,  if  it  be  to  be  had,  and  every  one  to  have  his  proportionable  share  of  all  the 
woodland. 

"51y.  That  every  one  sh.ill  have  a  share  of  the  meddow,  or  planting-ground, 
over  against  them  iis  nigh  as  may  be  on  Ag-oam  side. 

"61y.  That  the  Longmeddowe  called  Maaacksick,  lying  in  the  way  to  Dor- 
ch&iter*  shall  be  distributed  to  every  man  as  wee  shall  think  meete,  except  we 
sliall  find  other  conveniences  for  some  for  theyre  milch  cattayle  and  other 
cattayle  also. 

"  7iy.  That  the  meddowe  and  pasture  called  Naytu,  towards  Patuckett,  on  ye 
Bide  of  Agaam,  lyeinge  about  fower  miles  above  in  the  ridge,  shall  be  distributed" 
[erasure  of  six  and  a  half  lines],  "as  above  said,  in  the  former  order,  and  this 
was  altered  and  with  consent  before  the  hands  were  set  to  it. 

"  Sly.  That  all  rates  that  shall  arise  upon  the  town  shall  be  layed  upon  lands 
according  to  every  ones  proportion,  aker  for  aker  of  howse-lotts,  and  aker  for 
aker  of  meddowe,  both  alike  on  this  side  and  both  alike  on  the  other  side;  and 
for  farmes  that  shall  lye  farther  oft',  a  less  proportion,  as  wee  shall  after  agree, 
except  wee  shall  see  meete  to  remitt  one-half  of  the  rate  from  land  to  other 
estate. 

"  91y.  Tliat  whereas  Mr.  William  Pynchon,  Jehu  Burr,  and  Henry  Smith 
have  constantly  continued  to  prosecute  the  same  at  grcate  charges  and  at  greate 
personal  adventure,  therefore  it  is  mutually  agreed  that  fourty  acres  of  meddowe 
lying  on  the  south  of  End  brooke,  under  a  hill-side,  shall  belonge  to  the  said 
partys  free  from  all  charges  forever.    That  is  to  say,  twenty  akers  to  Mr.  William 


*  Windsor,  then  called  Dorchester. 


HISTORY   OF   HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


815 


PyDchon  and  his  heyres  and  assigns  forever,  and  ten  akers  to  Jebiie  Burr,  and 
ten  akei-s  to  Henry  Smith,  and  to  their  heyree  and  assigns  forever,  which  said 
forty  akei-s  is  not  disposed  to  them  as  any  allotment  of  towne  lands;  but  they 
are  to  have  their  acfommodations  in  all  other  places  notwithstanding. 

"lOly.  That  whereas  a  bouse  was  built  at  a  common  charge  which  cost  £6, 
and  also  the  Indians  demand  a  grate  some  to  bye  their  right  in  the  said  lands, 
and  also  a  greate  shallope,  which  was  rellui^ite  for  the  first  planting,  the  value 
of  which  engagements  is  to  he  borne  by  each  inhabitant  at  thcyre  first  en- 
trance, as  tbey  shall  be  rated  by  us  till  the  said  disbursements  shall  be  satisfyed, 
or  else  in  case  the  eaid  bowse  and  boat  be  not  so  satisfyed  for,  then  so  much 
meddow  to  be  sett  out  about  the  said  howse  as  may  countervayle  the  said 
extraordinarj'  charge. 

"Illy.  It  is  agreed  that  no  man,  except  Mr. 'William  Pynchon,  shall  have 
above  ten  acres  for  bis  house-lot. 

"121y.  Anulled. 

"131y.  Whereas  there  are  two  Cowe  pastures,  the  one  lying  towards  Dorches- 
ter, and  the  other  Northward  from  End  brooke.  It  is  agreed  that  both  these 
pastures  shall  not  be  fed  at  once;  but  that  the  time  shall  be  ordered  by  us  in 
the  disposing  of  it  for  ^'0168  and  eeasons  till  it  be  lotted  out  and  fenced  in 
severalty. 

"  141y.  May  16, 1636.— It  is  agreed  that  after  this  day  wee  shall  observe  this 
rule  about  dividing  of  planting-ground  and  meddowe  in  all  planting-ground,  to 
regard  chiefly  persons  who  are  most  apt  to  use  such  ground.  And  in  all  med- 
dowe and  pasture  to  regard  chiefly  cattel  and  estate,  because  estate  is  like  to  be 
improved  in  cattel,  and  such  ground  is  aptest  for  their  use.  And  yet  wee  agree 
that  no  person  that  is  master  of  a  lott,  though  he  hath  not  cattel,  shall  have  leas 
than  tliree  acres  of  planting-ground,  and  none  that  have  cowes,  steeres,  or  year- 
olds  shall  have  under  one  acre  a  piece,  and  all  horses  not  less  than  four  akere, 
and  this  order  in  dividing  meddow  by  cattell,  to  take  place  the  last  of  May  next, 
soe  that  all  cattayle  that  then  appeare  and  all  estates  that  shall  then  truly 
appeare  at  £20,  a  Cow  shall  have  this  proportion  in  the  medowe  on  Agawam 
side,  and  in  the  large  meadow  Blasacksick,  and  in  the  other  long  meddowe 
called  Nayas,  and  in  the  pasture  at  the  north  end  of  the  town  called  End 
bi-ook. 

"loly.  It  is  ordered  that  for  the  disposinge  of  the  hassaky  mariah  and  the 
granting  of  home-lots,  these  five  men  under-named,  or  theyre  Deput>'s,  are 
appoynted,  to  have  full  power,  namely,  Mr.  Pynchon,  Mr.  Michell,  Jehue  Burr, 
William  Blake,  Henry  Smith. 

"  It  is  ordered  that  William  Blake  shall  have  sixteen  poUe  in  bredth  for  hia 
home-lott,  and  all  the  maisb  in  bredth  abuttinge  at  the  end  of  it  to  the  next 
highland,  and  three  acres  more  in  some  other  place. 

"  Next  the  lott  of  William  Blake,  Northward  lys  the  lot  of  Thomas  Woodford, 
being  twelve  polls  broade.  and  all  the  niarish  before  it  to  the  upland.  Next  the 
lott  of  Thomas  Woodford  lys  the  lott  of  Thomas  Uffbrd,  beinge  fourteen  rod 
broade,  and  all  the  marish  before  it  to  the  upland.  Next  the  lot  of  Thomas 
Ufford  lyes  the  lott  of  Henry  Smith,  being  twenty  rod  in  breadth,  and  all  the 
marish  before  it,  and  to  run  up  in  the  upland  on  the  other  side  to  make  up  his 
upland  lott  ten  acres. 

"  Next  the  lott  of  Henrj'  Smith  lyes  the  lott  of  Jehue  Burr,  being  twenty  rods 
in  breadth,  and  all  the  marish  in  bredth  abuttinge  at  the  end  of  it,  and  as  much 
upland  ground  on  the  other  side  as  shall  make  up  his  lott  ten  acres. 

"Next  the  lott  of  Jehue  Burr  lyes  the  lot  of  Mr.  William  Pynchon,  beinge 
thirty  rod  in  bredth,  and  all  the  niarish  at  the  east  end  of  it,  and  an  addition  at 
the  fuither  end  of  as  much  marish  as  make  the  whole  twenty-foure  acres,  and 
as  much  upland  adjoining  as  makes  the  foiTuer  howse-lott  thirty  acres, — in  all 
togeather  fifty-fowre  acres. 

"Next  the  loit  of  Mr.  Pynchon  lyes  the  lott  of  John  Cabel,  fowreteene  rod  in 
breadth,  and  fowre  acres  and  halfe  of  marish  at  the  end  of  his  lott. 

"Next  the  lott  of  John  Cable  lys  the  lott  of  John  Reader,  beinge  twelve 
rod  in  breadth,  and  fowre  acres  and  a  halfe  in  marish  at  the  fore  end  of  his 
home-lot. 

"The  lotts  of  Mr.  Matthew  Michell,  Samuel  Butterfield,  Edmund  Wood,  and 
Jonas  Wood  are  ordered  to  lye  adjoining  to  mill  brooke,  the  whole  being  to  the 
number  of  twenty-five  acres,  to  begin  three  of  them  on  the  greate  river,  and 
the  fowrth  on  the  other  side  of  the  small  river. 

"  It  is  ordered  that  for  all  highways  that  shall  be  thought  necessary  by  the 
five  men  above  named,  they  shall  have  liberty  and  power  to  lay  them  out  when 
they  shall  see  meete,  though  it  be  at  the  end  of  mens  lotts,  giveing  them  alow- 
ance  for  so  much  ground. 

"We  testifie  to  the  order  above  said  being  all  of  the  first  adventurers  and 
undertakers  for  this  Plantation. 


ynvr/ 


'^If'oek 


■-^^j 


It  is  a  singular  fact  that  only  three  of  the  original  settlers 
remained  over  three  years,  and  what  is  still  more  strange  is 
the  fact  that  none  of  them  died  here.  During  a  considerable 
period  the  settlement  was  known  as  the  "  Plantation  of  Aga- 
wam," and  the  court  which  granted  the  permission  for  the 
removal  of  these  pioneers  from  Roxbury  issued  a  commission 
to  eight  persons  for  the  government  of  the  new  colony,  of 
whom  William  Pynchon  was  the  second  named  and  Henry 
Smith  the  fifth.  This  commission  was  empowered  to  exercise 
jurisdiction  for  one  year.  The  first  on  the  list  was  Roger  Lud- 
low, who  settled  in  Windsor.  The  government  of  the  embryo 
settlement  was  administered  by  this  body  during  a  period  of 
two  years,  and  when  in  1638  the  conflicting  claims  to  territory 
between  Connecticut  and  Massachusetts  having  been  adjusted, 
and  Springfield  left  within  the  jurisdiction  of  the  latter  State, 
before  the  General  Court  could  issue  a  commission  for  the 
guidance  of  this  settlement,  the  planters  with  one  consent 
voted  "to  ordain  Mr.  William  Pynchon  to  execute  the  office 
of  magistrate  in  this  our  plantation  of  Agawam."  The  fol- 
lowing is  a  copy  of  the  resolution  or  article  adopted  : 

February  the  14th,  1638.—"  We,  the  Inhabitantes  of  Agaam  uppou  Quinnet- 
ticot,  takinge  into  consideration  the  manifould  inconveniences  that  may  fall 
uppon  us  for  want  of  some  fit  magistracy  amonge  us :  Beinge  now  by  Codes 
providence  fallen  into  the  line  of  the  Ma.ssachusett  jurisdiction:  &  it  beinge  farr 
of  to  repayer  thither  in  such  cases  of  iustice  as  may  often  fall  out  amonge  us 
doe  therefore  thinke  it  meete  by  a  geuerall  consent  &  vote  to  ordaine  (till  we 
receive  further  directions  from  the  generall  court  in  the  Massachuset  Bay)  Mr. 
William  Pyucbon  to  execute  the  office  of  a  magistrate  iu  this  our  plantation  of 
Agaam,  viz. : 

"  To  give  oathes  to  constables  or  military  oflRcers  to  direct  warrantes,  both 
process,  executions,  &  attachmeutes,  to  heare  &  examine  misdemenours  to  depose 
witnes.ses  &  uppon  proofe  of  misdemenor  to  inflict  corporall  punishment,  as 
■whipping,  stockinge,  byndiege  to  the  peace,  or  good  behaviour,  &  in  some  cases  to 
require  sureties,  &  if  the  offence  require  to  commit  to  prison,  &  in  detault  of 
a  common  prison  to  commit  delinquentes  to  the  charge  of  some  fit  person  or  per- 
sons till  iustice  may  be  satisfied,  also  in  the  Ti-j-all  of  actions  for  debt  or  trespasse, 
to  give  oaths,  direct  juries,  depose  witnesses,  take  verdictes,  &  keepe  Recorde  of 
verdicts,  judgmentes,  executions;  &  whatever  else  may  tend  to  the  keepinge 
peace,  4  the  manifestation  of  our  fidellity  to  the  Bay  Jurisdiction,  &  the  restrain- 
inge  of  any  that  shall  violate  Codes  laws;  or  lastely  whatsoever  else  may  fall 
within  the  power  of  an  asj<istant  in  the  Massachuset. 

"  It  is  also  agreed  uppon  by  a  mntuall  consent,  that  in  case  any  action  of  debt 
or  trespasse  be  to  be  tryed;  seeinge  a  jury  of  12  fit  persons  cannot  be  had  at 
present  among  us  :  That  six  persons  shall  be  esteemed  &.  held  a  sufficient  Jury 
to  trj-  any  ac-tion  under  the  some  of  Ten  pounde  till  we  shall  see  cause  to  y  con- 
trary &  by  common  consent  shall  alter  this  number  of  Jurors,  or  shall  be  other- 
wise directed  from  the  generall  court  in  the  Massachusetts." 

Under  this  resolution  of  the  people  Mr.  Pynchon  performed 
the  duties  of  magistrate  until  June,  1041,  when  he  was  duly 
commissioned  by  the  General  Court  with  practically  the  same 
authority  as  that  conferred  by  the  people. 

It  is  evident  from  the  provisions  of  this  document  that  due 
regard  was  made  for  the  adjustment  of  whatever  difficulties 
might  arise  among  the  inhabitants  of  the  little  settlement,  and 
although  neither  the  records  nor  tradition  tell  us  that  in  this 
early  period  there  were  any  Gamaliels  of  the  law  here,  still, 
then,  as  now,  there  were 

"  Doubtful  balances  of  rights  and  wrongs," 
as  the  first  record  in  the  book  kept  by  William  Pynchon  as 
magistrate  was  that  of  a  litigation,  and  what  is  still  more  sin- 
gular was  an  action  brought  by  Woodcock  against  Cabel  for 
services  rendered  in  the  erection  of  the  first  building  in  the 
settlement.     The  following  is  a  copy  of  the  record  : 

Nov.  14,  1639. — "  A  meetinge  to  order  some  Towne  affaii-s,  and  to  try  causes  by 
Jury. 

"The  Jurj',— Henry  Smith,  Henry  Gregory,  Jo.  Leonard,  Jo.  Searle,  Samuel 
Hubbard,  Samuel  Wright. 

"The  Action, — John  Woodcock  complaines  against  Jo  Cable  in  an  action  of 
the  case  for  wages  due  to  him  for  certaine  work  he  did  to  a  house  that  was  built 
on  Agawam  side  for  the  Plantation. 

"The  Verdict, — The  Jury  finds  for  the  defendant — But  withal  they  find  the 
promise  that  Jo  Cable  made  to  the  plaintife  to  see  him  paid  for  his  work  firmo 
&  good.  But  as  for  the  5  dayes  in  coming  up  with  John  Cable  we  find  them  not 
due  to  be  paid,  for  he  came  not  up  purposely,  but  in  his  coming  he  aimed  at  a 
lott,  wob  end  of  his  he  did  attain.  Moreover,  we  agree  that  Jo  Cable  is  ingaged 
to  the  plaintif  for  work  done  about  the  house ;  yet  we  also  judge  that  Jo  Wood- 
coke  is  fully  satisfied;  in  regard  he  hath  had  the  use  of  the  ould  (Indian?) 
ground  &  of  the  house  all  that  sommer  as  far  as  Jo  Cable  had  himselfe." 


816 


HISTORY   OF  THE  CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


\^^ 


Mr.  Pynchon  evidently  manifested  a  humane  interest  in 
the  children  of  the  forest  who  roamed  about  the  shores  of  the 
Connecticut  in  this  vicinity,  always  dealing  fairly  with  them, 
ever  showing  them  that  consideration  due  from  the  white 
brother  who  invaded  the  wilderness  seeking  their  lands  and 
furs.  To  the  lasting  honor  of  Mr.  Pynchon,  it  may  truthfully 
be  written  that  he  made  no  use  of  the  demoralizing  agencies 
in  his  intercourse  with  the  Indians  that  characterized  the 
transactions  of  Indian  traders  in  later  days,  w)io  dealt  to 
the  red  man  the  accursed  "flre-water,"  and  took  his  lands 
and  furs  in  return.  Soon  after  arriving  at  the  place,  which 
had  now  taken  on  the 
dignity  of  a  "settle- 
ment," he  entered  in- 
to negotiations  with 
the  Indians  for  a  large 
tract  of  territory,  em- 
bracing a  portion  of 
the  present  site  of  the 
city,  and  hinds  in  the 
vicinity.  This  was 
the  first  deed  from 
the  Indians  to  lands 
in  this  commonwealth 
west  of  the  bay.  The 
accompanying  is  a  fac- 
simile of  the  original 
deed. 

The  following  in- 
teresting document  is 
a  copy  of  the  mort- 
gage given  by  the  In- 
dians who  executed 
the  first  deeds  to  the 
whites  of  lands  in  thi.s 
section : 


_J 


t-H. 


*•«»,*,/ 


tT"^  f^:"  ^ ^'  ^  '>^»^-'^  -^^>a^  ^yi^-^rrt 


\'^^cn^^,  it  i^u.U  ^ftt  u'Xq, 


"  April  2,16G1.— This  writ- 
ing declaretli  that  I,  Cutti> 
mia,  &  I,  Coo,  &  I.  Muttagua 
Manant,  &  I,  Qleniig,  &  I, 
Wallny,  &  I,  .laguallough, 
do  all  of  us  jointly  niorgage 
all  our  lauds  in  this  Town, 
both  new  and  oM,  within 
the  hounds  of  this  Towno 
to  Samuel  Marshfield,  of 
Springfield,  his  heire  or  as- 
signs, for  sevei'al  debts  wcli 
wee  owe  Samuel  Mai^hfiehl 
for  goods  already  received, 
wch  wee  did  ing.age  to  pay 
in  hever,  &  we  do  still  ingagc 
to  doe  the  same,  if  we  can 
gett  it  any  tyme  this  suni- 
mor ;  or  else  we  doe  ingage 
to  pay  him  in  Corne,  at  &. 
ye  boshel  by  Yeayrs,  or  if  in 
wampum,  then  do  allow  the 
said  Samuel  six  fathom  feu- 
every  five  fathom  due  unto 
him,  or  if  we  can  gett  moose- 
skins,  or  otter,  or  good  deer- 
skins, then  to  pay  them  unto 
him  at  a  reasonable  rate,  or 

guns,  wch  the  afore8.aid  Samuel  hath  in  his  hands,  wch  if  he  do  send  to  any  of 
us,  we  engage  to  return  them  to  him  when  he  shall  call  for  them;  and  if  we  do 
not  pay  the  aforesaid  Samuel  in  any  of  those  pays  to  his  content,  by  Michelmas 
ne\t  after  the  date  hereof,  then  we  give  the  aforesaid  Samuell  full  power  to  seize 
on  all  our  lands  &  come  to  his  proper  right,  and  if  that  we  Indians,  whose  names 
are  above  written,  doe  ingage  that  if  wee  and  the  aforesaid  Samuell  cannot  agree 
about  the  price  of  any  of  the  above  mentioned  pay,  then  we  will  stand  to  what 
Captayne  Pynchon  &  Lieuteant  Holyoke  shall  appoynt. 

"  In  witness  whereof  the  said  Indians  have  hereunto  Sete  there  liands  the  day 
A  years  above  written." 

Here  follow  the  signatures  of  the  various  Indians  named  in 
the  body  of  the  instrument.  It  was  recorded  by  Elizur  Hol- 
yoke, recorder,  under  date  of  May  2,  1661. 


'h-  ^A 


INDIAN    DEED,  1636. 


For  the  first  few  j'ears  the  growth  of  the  settlement  was  not 
rapid,  and,  although  many  of  the  first  settlers  removed,  their 
places  were  supplied  by  others,  and  the  "  Plantation  of  Aga- 
wam,"  as  it  was  at  that  time  designated,  was  in  a  healthy 
condition.  The  inhabitants  were  industrious  and  law-abiding, 
and  the  chief  magistrate  and  ruling  spirit  of  the  colony  was  a 
man  well  qualified  for  the  position  he  held,  and  in  whom  the 
people  reposed  the  utmost  confidence. 

The  causes  which  led  to  their  emigration  from  the  Old  World 
were  still  fresh  in  their  minds,  and  in  16.37  the  little  band  of 
religious  zealots  organized  a  church  society,  and  in  164.5  erec- 
ted a  church  building, 
"  which,"  says  Judge 
Morris,  "stood  near 
the  southeasterly  cor- 
ner of  Court  Square, 
on  ground  now  partly 
in  the.square  and  part- 
ly in  Elm  Street."* 
The  people  assembled 
for  worship  at  the 
sound  of  the  drum,  as 
shown  by  the  follow- 
ing record,  under  date 
of  Jan.  8,  1646: 

"  It  is  agreed  by  the  plan- 
tation with  .John  Matliews 
t4j  beate  the  drum  for  the 
meetings  for  a  year's  space 
at  10  of  the  clock  on  the  lec- 
ture days,  and  at  9  o'clock  on 
the  Lord's  days  in  the  fore- 
noons only,  and  he  is  to  beate 
it  from  Mr.  Mo.xou'sf  to  R. 
Stebbins'  house,  and  ye 
meetings  to  begin  within 
half  an  houre  after,  for 
which  his  payns  he  is  to 
have4rf.  in  wampumof  eveiy 
family  in  the  town,  or  a  peck 
of  Indian  corn  of  thay  who 
)i.ave  not  wampum." 

The  settlement  was 
known  as  the  "Plan- 
tation of  Agawam" 
until  1640,  when  by  a 
vote  of  the  people  it 
was  given  the  name  of 
Springfield,  in  honor 
of  Mr.  Pynchon,  who 
had  resided  at  a  place 
of  that  name  in  Eng- 
land. 

The  date  of  the  in- 
corporation of  the 
town  is  shrouded  in 
obscurity,  if  in  fact  it 
was  ever  incorporated. 
Mr.  Bliss,  in  his  ad- 
dress delivered  at  the 
opening  of  the  town- 
hall,  in  1828,  doubtless 

after  diligent  search,  says:   "After  searching  thoroughly  in 

Massachusetts  and  Connecticut,  I  have  come  to  the  conclusion 

that  the  town  was  never  incorporated." 

"  Were  I  to  fix  the  date  it  would  be  1641,  as  from  that  time 

it  was  recognized  by  the  name  of  the  town  of  Springfield  by 

the  Legislature." 

Few  events  of  importance  happened,  save  those  narrated 

above,  until  1651,  when  one  transpired  which,  had  the  inhab- 

*  See  history  of  this  church  elsewhere. 

t  The  house  of  Mr.  Moxon  stood  near  the  head  of  Vernon  Street  (Judge 
Morris). 


HISTORY  OF  HAMPDEN  COUNTY. 


817 


itaiits  been  possessed  of  less  sterling  qualities,  would  have 
demoralized  and  doubtless  ruined  the  plantation.  Mr.  Pyn- 
chon,  who  had  been  the  father  of  the  settlement,  fell  under 
the  ban  of  disfavor  with  the  government  at  the  Bay,  in  conse- 
quence of  a  bonk*  written  by  him,  which  had  recently  been 
issued  in  England,  and  found  its  way  to  Boston.  The  doc- 
trines of  this  work  were  deemed  heretical,  and  in  the  failure  to 
extract  a  full  renunciation  from  Mr.  Pynchon  his  commis- 
sion was  taken  from  him,  and  he  left  the  settlement  in  1652 
and  returned  to  England,  where  he  died.  He  was  accom- 
panied to  England  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Mo.xon,  whose  children 
had  fallen  under  the  baneful  influence  of  that  blot  on  the 
fair  fame  of  this  old  commonwealth, — witchcraft, — and  he 
did  not  longer  desire  to  remain  in  the  place.  Johnson,  in 
his  "Wonderworking  Providence,"  says:  "There  hath  of 
late  been  more  than  one  or  two  in  this  town  (Springfield) 
greatly  suspected  of  witchcraft,  .yet  have  they  used  much 
diligence,  both  for  the  finding  them  out,  and  for  the  Lord's 
assisting  them  against  their  witchery ;  yet  they  have,  as  is 
supposed,  bewitched  not  a  few  persons,  among  whom,  two  of 
the  revereiid  elder's  children."  Upon  the  revocation  by  the 
General  Court  of  the  commission  of  Mr.  Pynchon,  it  was 
issued  to  his  son-in-law,  Henry  Smith,  who,  however,  did  not 
exercise  any  of  its  functions,  but  returned  with  Mr.  P.  to 
England. 

William  Pynchon,  who  is  properly  styled  the  founder  of  the 
settlement  here,  came  from  England  with  Gov.  Winthrop, 
and  became  one  of  the  founders  of  Roxbury.  He  was  a  man 
of  great  strength  of  character,  indomitable  will,  untiring  per- 
severance, and  in  every  particular  was  well  qualified  for  the 
discharge  of  the  duties  which  wore  subsequently  thrust  upon 
him.  He  was  one  of  the  patentees  named  in  the  colony  char- 
ter of  l(i27,  and  also  in  that  of  1628,  and  was  appointed  mag- 
istrate and  assistant  in  October,  1629,  before  leaving  England. 
Henry  Smith  was  a  man  well  qualified  to  direct  the  affairs 
of  the  new  settlement,  and  was  appointed  by  the  General 
Court  in  March,  1636,  as  one  of  the  commissioners  to  admin- 
ister the  settlements  on  the  Connecticut  River. 

Not  of  the  least  importance  among  the  pioneers  was  Jehu 
Burr,  a  carpenter,  who  came  from  Roxbury,  and,  in  the  lan- 
guage of  Judge  Morris,  "  during  the  two  or  three  years  of  his 
residence  here  was  evidently  a  man  of  some  consequence.  He 
left  Springfield  in  1640,  and  went  to  Connecticut." 

The  agent  of  the  settlement  in  the  erection  of  the  first  build- 
ing, mentioned  on  a  previous  page,  was  John  Cable,  who  first 
officiated  in  the  capacity  of  constable  in  the  town. 

John  Woodcock,  who  appeared  as  plainfifl'  in  the  first  case 
tried  in  the  plantation,  seems  to  have  kept  the  magistrate  ex- 
ceedingly busy.  He  not  only  appeared  as  plaintiff  in  the 
first  case  tried  in  the  new  settlement,  but  he  figured  as  de- 
fendant in  a  slander  case  brought  against  him  by  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Moxon,  and  later  as  plaintiff  in  a  similar  case,  in  which 
Henrj'  Gregory  was  defendant.  He  was  also  engaged  in  a 
suit  with  the  said  Gregory  in  which  a  "  pigge"  and  a  "  hogge" 
seemed  to  have  been  the  bone  of  contention.  There  was  also 
more  litigation  in  which  he  played  a  prominent  role.  William 
Blake  and  Mathew  Mitchell  remained  but  a  short  time  ;  the 
former  returned  to  Dorchester,  and  the  latter  removed  to 
Connecticut. 

The  loss  sustained  by  the  departure  of  three  so  prominent 
and  influential  citizens  as  Pynchon,  Moxon,  and  Smith,  in 
the  words  of  Judge  Morris, 

"  although  a  very  seriuus  one,  and  at  the  time  deeply  felt,  did  not  permanently 
check  the  growth  and  prosperity  of  the  town.  The  place  of  William  Pynchon 
was  Boon  filled  by  bis  son  John,  with  distinguished  ability  and  success,  and  the 
loss  of  Mr.  Moxon  was  fully  compensated  by  the  arrival,  in  1659,  of  Rev.  Pela- 
tiah  Glover,  who  soon  after  succeeded  to  Mr.  Moxon's  pulpit,  aud  occupied  his 
dwelling-house.  .  .  .  Johu  Pynchon,  although  a  young  man  at  the  time  of  his 
father's  departure,  was  a  jierson  of  very  superior  character  and  abilities,  and 
fully  qualified  for  the  responsible  stations  to  which  he  was  immediately  called. 

*  "  Tho  Meretorious  Price  of  Our  Redemption,  Justification,  etc." 

103 


He  was  at  once  placed  at  the  head  of  a  commission,  with  Elizur  Holyoke  and 
Samuel  Chapia  as  his  associates,  with  full  authority  to  administer  the  government 
of  this  town.  He  was  soon  after  elected  lieutenant  of  the  military  company  at 
Springfield,  and  so,  in  the  absence  of  his  brother-in-law,  Henry  Smith,  who  had 
been  appointed  captain  before  he  left  for  England,  bcL'ame  the  chief  military 
officer  here,  holding  successively  the  offices  of  captain,  m^or,  and  eventually  of 
colonel  and  commander-in-chief  of  the  forces  in  this  part  of  the  State.'' f 

During  the  first  forty  years  the  settlement  did  not  increase 
with  much  rapiditj',  and  besides  the  church  mentioned  previ- 
ously, there  was  but  one  public  building  erected  here  during 
that  period, — the  jail,  or  house  of  correction,  built  soon  after 
1662.  Judge  Morris  states  that  it  was  "located  near  what  is 
now  the  intersection  of  Maple  and  Temple  Streets,"  and  is  of 
the  opinion  that  it  "stood  not  far  from  the  site  of  the  house 
of  Mr.  William  Gunn." 

In  addition  to  these  buildings,  there  was  one  other  that  is 
deserving  of  especial  mention  in  this  connection,  which,  from 
the  fact  of  its  having  served  as  a  place  of  refuge  for  the  in- 
habitants in  the  memorable  King  Philip  war,  was  sometimes 
called  the  "Old  Fort."  This  was  the  private  residence  of  John 
Pynchon,  a  cut  of  which  is  shown  below,  and  was  the  first 


OLD   PYNCHON   MANSION. 

brick  building  erected  in  the  Connecticut  Valley.  It  was  lo- 
cated on  the  west  side  of  Main  Street,  a  short  distance  north 
of  Fort  Street,  and  remained  in  the  possession  of  the  Pynchon 
family  until  it  was  demolished  in  1831. 

During  the  above-named  period  the  history  of  the  little  col- 
ony was  one  of  peace  and  prosperity.  No  internal  dissensions 
marred  the  harmony  of  the  people,  and  the  friendly  intercourse 
auspiciously  begun  with  the  Indians  by  William  Pynchon 
was  continued  by  his  son  John.  At  last,  however,  the  savage 
spirit  of  the  Indians  was  aroused  against  the  white  settlers 
throughout  the  valley  by  Philip,  chief  of  the  Wam.panoags, 
and  in  June,  1675,  began  what  has  gone  down  in  history 
as  King  Philip's  war. 

In  this  connection  Judge  Morris,  in  his  "Historical  Ad- 
dress," says: 

"  Notwithstanding  the  defensele.ss  condition  of  Springfield,  and  the  tendency 
of  current  events  to  awaken  anxiety,  its  inhabitants  seem  to  have  felt  no  serious 
apprehension  of  danger  threatening  this  town.  Philip  and  his  warriors  were 
understood  to  be  engaged  in  operations  against  the  towns  up  the  river,  where  he 
had  the  sympathy  and  co-operation  of  the  Indians  of  that  vicinity. 

"The  Springfield  Indians  were  their  own  neighboi-s,  with  whom  for  nearly 
forty  years  they  had  lived  in  daily  and  friendly  intercoui-se.  .  .  . 

"  Whatever  anxieties  the  disturbances  north  of  them  may  at  first  have  occa- 
sioned, the  people  here  felt  that,  so  long  as  the  Springfield  Indians  were  true  to 
them,  Philip  could  do  them  no  harm. 

"  Such  was  the  feeling  of  security  with  which  the  inhabitants  of  this  town  re- 
tired to  their  rest  on  the  eve[liiig  of  Monday,  tlie  itb  of  t)ctober,  1675.  Their 
sympatliies  were  warmly  enlisted  for  the  settlere  in  other  towns,  less  favorably 

t  "  Most  Worshipful  Major"  Pynchon,  as  he  waa  sometimes  called,  was  a 
prominent  and  influential  citizen,  aud  did  much  to  advance  the  interests  of 
Springfield  and  We-steru  Massachusetts;.     He  iUed  in  17u;j. 


818 


HISTOEY  OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


eituuted,  to  whose  i-eliof  their  huhbands  mid  brothers  and  Bons  bad  gone,  and 
tln-y  tloubtlosB  offered  fervent  jiiayers  that  they  might  bo  preserved  from  the 
dangery  tliat  threatened  them.  For  themselves  and  their  families  here  they  felt 
safe,  and  so  they  laid  themselves  down  on  that  memorable  Monday  night  to  a 
qniet  sleep. 

"While  such  was  the  feeling  of  composure  here,  twenty  miles  down  the  river, 
at  Windsor,  there  was  one  perBon  whose  bosom  wjxs  agitated  with  emotions  so 
powei-fiil  tliat  they  could  not  be  concealed.  Tliis  person  was  an  Indian,  named 
Toto,  who  was  domesticated  in  the  family  of  Mr.  Wokott,  and  was  friendly  to  the 
Knglish.  He  was  in  possession  of  a  secret  that  stirred  the  very  depths  of  his 
nature.  Upon  being  questioned  by  the  family,  and  urged  to  explain  the  cause  of 
his  manifest  distress,  he  at  length  revealed  the  fact,  which  had  in  some  way  be- 
come known  ttj  him,  tliat  a  plot  had  been  formed  to  destroy  Springfield,  and  that 
for  this  purpose  a  large  body  uf  Philip's  men  had  been  treacherously  admitted 
by  the  Springfield  Indians  to  their  fort.  This  fort  was  situated  on  Long  Hill, 
about  a  mile  eonth  from  the  centra!  part  of  the  town.  The  precise  location  is 
Biipposetl  to  have  been  at  the  head  of  a  ravine,  niuning  down  from  the  biow  of 
the  hill,  west  of  the  present  Long  Hill  Street,  toward  the  Connecticut  River. 

"  Upon  the  disclosure  of  this  plot  by  Toto,  immediately  a  swift  messenger  was 
dispatched  to  warn  the  people  here  of  their  danger,  and  another  sent  to  Maj. 
Treat  with  similar  information.  The  messenger  arrived  here  in  the  night.  The 
alarm  W!is  immediately  given  to  all  the  inhabitants,  and  a  messenger  sent  to 
Maj.  Pynchon,  at  Hadley,  for  help. 

"At  that  time  there  were  three  fortified  houses  here.  One  was  the  brick 
house  of  Maj.  Pynchon,  already  noticed,  standing  near  the  head  of  Fort  Street. 
Two  others  were  near  the  southerly  end  of  Main  Street,  the  luwer  one  perhaps 
not  far  from  Broad  Street. 

"Boused  at  midnight  from  their  Bhinil)er8  by  notice  of  the  impending  danger, 
the  villagers  tied  at  once  to  these  fortified  houses,  taking  with  tliem  in  their 
flight  such  of  their  more  valuable  effects  as  they  could  readily  remove.  Every 
preparation  was  made  for  defense  that  the  nature  of  the  case  would  admit  of. 
But  there  was  a  painful  cunsciousncss  that  if  an  imnie<iiate  assault  was  made  by 
the  Indians  the  issue  would  be  doubtful.  There  were  some  brave  men  and  heroic 
wiimen  within  the  forts.  Some  of  the  leading  men  of  the  town  were  there. 
Deacon  Samuel  Cliapin,  one  of  the  associates  of  Maj.  Pynchon  in  the  magistracy, 
and  ancestor  of  all  of  tliat  name  in  this  countrj-,  was  one  of  tliis  number.  Jon- 
athan Burt,  for  a  time  the  t^iwn  clerk,  was  another.  Theie,  too,  was  Thomas 
Cooper,  the  lieutenant  of  the  militaiy  company,  who  had  but  a  short  time  before 
led  a  party  of  soldiers  that  marched  from  Springfield  to  the  relief  of  burning 
Brookfield.  These  were  wise  and  courageous  men,  but  they  were  considerably 
advanced  in  life.  The  young  and  able-bodied  men,  who  composed  the  military 
force  of  the  town,  were  mostly  absent  with  Maj.  Pj-nchon  at  Hadley.  Elizur 
Holyoke,  the  captain  of  the  company,  although  not  a  young  man,  was  probably 
with  his  command,  and  his  son,  Samuel  Holyoke,  who  distinguished  himself  so 
much  the  next  year  in  the  famous  fight  at  Turner's  Falls,  undoubtedly  was  with 
the  troops  at  Hadley.  More  than  all,  the  people  at  Springfield  felt  the  absence 
of  Maj.  Pynclion  himself,  who,  beyond  any  nther  man,  possessed  their  confi- 
dence. Under  these  circumstances  the  people  in  tlie  fortified  houses  watched 
with  sleepless  anxiety  for  any  indication  of  an  enemy. 

"  The  night  wore  away,  and  the  morning  of  Tuesday,  October  5th,  dawned  upon 
the  watchers.  It  brought  no  confirmation  of  their  fears ;  the  risen  sun  disclosed 
no  savage  foes.  The  houses,  stretched  along  the  street,  showed  no  signs  of  having 
been  molested.  Everything  remained  so  quiet  that  the  impression  prevailed  in 
many  minds  that  the  alarm  was  a  false  one.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Glover,  the  minister, 
was  so  certain  that  there  was  no  real  danger  to  be  apprehended,  that  he  removed 
back  to  liis  own  house  his  library,  w^hich  had  been  transferred  for  safety  to  Maj. 
Pynchon's  house.  This  opinion  of  one  so  much  respected  doubtless  tended  ranch 
to  shake  the  faith  of  others  in  the  reality  of  the  danger.  Of  the  number  that 
questioned  the  truth  of  the  report  from  Windsor  was  Lieut,  Cooper,  who 
determined  to  test  its  accuracy  by  a  personal  visit  to  the  Indian  fort.  Taking 
w  ith  him  Thomas  Miller,  the  two  set  out  on  horseback  down  the  main  street  to- 
w  ard  Long  Hill.  They  had  passed  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  beyond  the  most 
southerly  house,  and  entered  the  woods,  which  then  skirted  the  settlement  in 
that  direction,  but  had  not  crossed  Mill  River,  when  their  further  progress  was 
suddenly  arrested  by  a  discharge  of  firearms  from  some  unseen  foes.  Miller  was 
instantly  killed.  Cooper  was  fatally  shot,  and  fell  from  his  horse,  but,  being  an 
athletic  and  resolute  man,  he  contrived  to  mount  again,  and  turned  and  rode  at 
full  speed  back  to  the  nearest  fort.  Before  reaching  it  he  received  a  second  shot 
from  the  savages,  who  were  in  full  pursuit,  and  died  as  he  reached  the  fort. 

"  The  Indians  then  burst  upon  the  town  with  the  greatest  fury. 

"Unable  to  gratify  their  tliiret  for  blood  by  the  slaughter  of  the  people  within 
the  forts,  they  began  the  work  of  destroying  their  undefended  houses,  barns,  and 
other  property.  The  whole  number  of  dwelling-houses  in  the  town  was  forty- 
five,  and  in  a  short  time  thirty-two  of  these  dwellings  and  twenty -four  or  twenty- 
five  barns  were  in  flames. 

"  The  house  of  correction  was  destroyed. 

"Maj.  Pj-nchon's  corn-mill  and  saw-mill  were  burned,  and  m  general  the  corn 
and  hay,  in  store  for  the  coming  winter,  were  consumed. 

"Besides  Cooper  and  Miller,  one  woman,  Pentecost  Matthews,  wife  of  John 
Matthews,  the  drummer,  who  lived  near  the  south  end  of  the  street,  was  killed. 
Four  other  persons  were  wounded,  one  of  them,  Edmund  Pringrydays,  so  severely 
that  he  died  a  few  days  afterward. 

"From  one  end  of  the  street  to  the  other,  this  scene  of  havoc  and  devastation 
was  exhibited.  Tlie  beleaguered  people  looked  out  guardedly  from  the  windows 
and  loop-holesof  the  fortified  houses,  and  saw  the  Indians,  whom  they  liad  known 
familiarly  as  neighbors  and  friends  for  years— to  whom  they  had  done  no  wrong 
— ruthlessly  apply  the  torch  to  their  dwelJings.and  consign  them,  with  their  fur- 
niture, their  stores  of  food,  and  all  those  little  provisions  they  had  made  for  the 


comfort  of  their  families  during  the  approaching  winter,  to  a  remorseless  de- 
struction. 

*'  In  this  diabolical  work  the  Springfield  Indians,  some  forty  in  number,  were 
not  a  whit  behind  the  strangers  whom  tiiey  had  admitted  to  their  tort.  Indeed, 
first  and  foremost  in  this  work,  'the  ringleader  in  word  and  deed,'  as  Rev.  John 
Russell, of  Hadley,  wrote  the  next  day  toGov.Leverett,  was  "WequogaUjthe  chief 
sachem  of  the  Springfield  Indians, 'a  man  in  whom  as  much  confidence  Iiad  been 
placed  by  the  settlers  as  in  any-of  the  Indians.'  Another  chief,  well  known  to 
our  people,  while  actively  engaged  in  this  mischief,  loudly  proclaimed  to  them 
that  he  was  one  who  had  burned  Quaboag,  and  would  sen-e  them  the  same  way. 

"The  assailants  did  not  go  entirely  unscathed  in  this  work  of  destruction. 
Some  of  them  w  ere  shot  from  the  fortified  houses.  It  is  said  that  one  of  them, 
who  had  taken  a  large  pewter  platter  from  one  of  the  deserted  houses,  received 
a  mortal  woun  d  by  a  bullet  through  the  platter,  which  he  was  vainly  using  as  a 
shield.  Hoyt,  in  his  'History  of  Ihe  Indian  Wars,'  states  that  at  the  time  he 
wrote,  this  platt  er,  w  ith  a  bnllet-hole  through  it.  was  still  preserved  in  Springfield 
as  a  memento  of  that  day." 

The  following  is  a  copy  of  a  letter  written  by  Maj.  Pynchon 

to  Rev.  John  Russell,  of  Hadley,  the  day  after  the  burning  of 

Springfield: 

"Springfield,  Octo, 5,  '75. 

"  REVEEENn  S'. — The  L''  will  haue  vs  ly  in  ye  dust  before  him  ;  we  y'  were  full 
are  emptyed.  But  it  is  y"  Ld  &  bleti^sed  he  his  holy  name ;  we  came  to  a  La- 
mentable &  woefuU  sight.  The  Towne  in  flames,  not  a  house  nor  Barne  standing 
except  old  Goodm.  Branches  till  we  came  to  my  house,  &  then  M"",  Glovers,  John 
Hitchcocks  &  Goodm.  Stewart,  burnt  dowue  wtb  Barnes,  Corne,  &  all  they  bail ; 
a  few  standing  alwmt  y«  Meeting-house,  &  then  from  Mirick's  downward  all 
burnt  to  2  Garrison  houses  at  y"  Lower  end  of  y"  Towne,  my  Grist-Mill  &  Corne- 
Mill  Burnt  downe,  w^^  some  other  houses  &  Barns  I  had  let  out  to  Tenants.  All 
M"^.  Glover's  libi  ary  Burnt  wf"  all  his  Ci>rne,  so  y'  he  hath  none  to  live  on,  as  well 
as  myselfe  &  Many  more ;  y»  haue  not  for  subsistence  they  tell  me  32  houses  & 
ye  Barns  belonging  to  y™  are  Burnt,  &  all  y"  Livelihood  of  y  owners,  &  what 
more  may  meete  w^h  ye  same  stroaks  y  Ld  only  knows. 

"  many  more  had  there  estats  Burnt  in  these  iiouses  ;  so  y*  I  beleene  40  famy- 
lys  are  vttcrly  destitute  of  Subsistence ;  y*  Ld  shew  mercy  to  vs !  I  se  not  how  it  is 
Posible  for  vs  to  live  here  this  winter,  &  If  so  the  sooner  we  were  holpen  off  y^ 
Better. 

"  S'',  I  Pray  acqvaint  o""  Honord  Gov  wth  tliis  dispensation  of  God.  I  know  nut 
how  to  write,  neither  can  I  be  able  to  attend  any  Publike  senice.  The  Li^  in 
mercy  speake  to  my  heart  &  to  all  o^  hearts  is  y  Reall  desire  of 

"  ToJ'B  to  eerve  yo", 

"John  PyNCHON. 

"  I  Pray  send  downe  by  ye  Post  my  doblet,  Cote  Linnen,  &c.,  I  left  there,  & 
Papers,  &c." 

The  destruction  of  their  dwellings,  barns,  mills,  hay,  grain, 
etc.,  was  a  severe  blow,  and  in  the  following  year  they  peti- 
tioned the  General  Court  for  leave  to  remove  from  the  place. 
The  following  is  a  copy  of  the  original  petition : 

"  To  ye  Honorable  Governor  &  CovnceU  at  Boston  or  General  Covrt  Assembled  : 

"  The  Inhabitants  of  Springfield  Humbly  present  your  Honours  with  Sundry 
Grievances  Cravipg  your  serious  Consideration  thereof,  &  Redres  therein  wch 
are  as  follow : 

"  Fii-st.  The  non  allowance  of  pay  For  quartering  Garison  Souldiers  to  bee 
considered :  Whether  they  were  for  ye  towne  beneffit,  or  ye  Countries  more  pi  in- 
cipally  ;  the  Towne  being  the  greatest  part  layd  in  ye  ashes,  &  ye  farms  left  to  ye 
mercy  of  ye  Indeans,  that  had  it  not  been  thought  of  great  Concernment  for  ye 
Country  to  have  garisons  here  for  ye  releef  of  Armys  Conveighing  araunition, 
provision,  &c.,  as  the  Army  should  stand  in  need  ;  the  inhabitants  had  deserted 
ye  place  &  betooke  ymselves  elsewhere,  where  they  might  have  secured  them- 
selves from  yi  danger  they  dayly  run  in  (which  hath  lost  severall  their  lives)  & 
have  advantaged  themselves  more  elsewhere.  They  being  many  Forced  to  hyre 
land  here  there  own  being  so  remote,  &  to  be  as  garison  souldiers  themselves 
where  they  had  no  Concerns. 

"2d'ly.  Wee  humbly  Conceive  (yt  wee  being  detained  in  Garrison  upon  a 
Country  Concerns  as  aforesayd  in  obedience  to  a  law  made  to  yt  end)  That  all 
such  as  had  no  houses  or  Concerns  in  ye  town  ought  rather  to  be  allowed  for 
keeping  Garrison  (as  well  as  Garrison  Souldiers)  They  being  put  of  from  their 
lands  J:  having  no  way  to  get  a  livelihood,  yet  were  detayned  in  ye  place  by 
vertue  of  sayd  law. 

"  3Iy.  No  town  in  these  parts  have  had  ye  Indeans  so  Constantly  skulking 
about  them  as  wee  have,  which  hath  iinployed  our  t<^)wnsmcn  in  joyning  wth  yo 
souldiers  in  hunting  after  them  a  great  part  of  ye  summer,  night  &  day,  pureu- 
ing  &  hunting  of  them,  killing  some,  &  frighting  others  away. 

"4thly.  The  great  los  wee  have  sustained  in  our  catle,  wch  wee  had  prevented 
had  wee  had  liberty  to  have  removed.  The  Indeans  having  killed  &  driven 
away  so  many  catle  &  horses,  that  wee  are  much  impoverisht  thereby. 

"  Sthly.  Upon  ye  premised  Considerations  as  wee  Conceive  in  Justice  we  ought 
to  be  exempted  from  keeping  Garrison  sould.  (viz)  bearing  their  diet,  &  alsoe  to 
have  allowance  some  Measure  for  such  of  our  inhabitants  keeping  Garison  yt 
had  no  Concerns  in  yo  place.  Otherwise  many,  nay,  the  Generality  of  the  in- 
habitants are  absolutely  unable  to  deffray  such  Country  Rates  iis  Legally  shal 
bee  layd  upon  them. 

"Gthiy.  Another  Grievance  is  ye  inequality  yt  is  made  by  the  Comittee  be- 
twixt disbursements  and  payments,  &  They  allowing  us  but  4s.  Gd.  pr  weeke  ye 
usuaW  Rate  for  diet  for  pastoring  hoi-ses,  Ac,  which  was  usually  given  amongst 


I 


HISTORY  OF  HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


819 


US  at  our  rates  of  corn  (viz)  wheat  at  Zsh.  Gd.  pr  bushel.  &  indean  corn  at  2«/i.  p. 
Imshell,  &  ordering  for  ye  payment  of  thees  disbui-sements  wheat  U>  passe  at  6s/(. 
pr  hushell,  &  ludean  at  Z^h.  6J.  pr  bushell,  when  other  counties  have  5sh.  Ad.  per 
weeke.  Wee  humbly  Crave  your  serious  Consideration  of  yo  premises  and  yt 
fiuch  Redres  may  bee  afforded  as  may  incourag  our  people  to  stay  &  build  up  their 
ruins,  otherwise  wee  shall  be  disinabled  &  discouraged  either  to  stay  or  make 
payment  of  Legall  demands. 

*'  Wee  are  your  Your  Honours  Huble  suppliants, 
The  selectmen,  by  the  towns  appointment, 

"Dr.  BENJAMIN    COOLY, 

"August  ye  30th,  "Samuell  Marshfield, 

1676,  "  JONATIIA  Beebe, 

Springfield.  "Anthony  Dorhestor. 

"John  Hitchcock." 

This  petition  for  removal  was  not  granted,  and  when  at  the 
close  of  the  war  peace  once  more  threw  its  charitable  mantle 
over  the  valley,  the  inhabitants  of  Springfield  sought  to  re- 
trieve the  great  loss  they  had  sustained,  and  in  a  few  years 
marks  of  the  desolation  and  ruin  of  that  October  day  were  ob- 
literated, and  prosperity  again  reigned  among  the  persevering 
members  of  this  unfortunate  settlement. 

ORIGINAL   ALLOTMENTS. 

During  the  first  half-century  the  dwelling-houses  of  the 
town  were  all  situated  on  the  west  side  of  what  is  now  Main 
Street,  with  lots  extending  back  to  the  river.  There  were 
forty-tive  grants  of  lots  in  the  original  settlement  of  the 
street,  and  were  in  width  as  follows:  one,  six  rods;  twenty- 
five,  eight  rods ;  twelve,  ten  rods ;  three,  fourteen  rods  ;  while 
Mr.  Pynchon's  was  thirty  rods;  Elizur  Holyoke's,  twenty 
rods;  and  Harry  Smith's,  twenty  rods. 

These  grants  were  probably  all  made  between  the  years 
163G  and  1652,  and  it  is  evident  that  allotments  were  made  to 
many  who  were  not  here  until  many  years  after  the  first  set- 
tlement, for  but  thirteen  persons  were  assessed  when  a  tax 
was  levied  in  1G39.  Of  this  tax,  which  amounted  to  £41 
4^.,  Mr.  Pynchon  paid  more  than  half. 

"Two  years  afterward  allotments  of  planting  lands  were  made  to  17  persona, 
and  in  1643  there  were  22.  In  1646,  42  persons  were  assessed  to  pay  for  the  pur- 
chase of  the  Indians,  and  there  were  6  vacant  lots  also  assessed.  In  1656  there 
were  52  who  had  taken  the  oath  of  fidelity.  In  1664  there  were  recorded  as  ad- 
mitted inhabitants,  74  persons.  These  were  all  there  were  in  different  parts  of 
the  town." 

"  The  rule  of  allotting  and  dividing  the  lands  in  the  town,  before  the  year  16S5, 
is  nowhere  laid  down"  (says  Hon.  George  Bliss  in  his  address),  "  except  what  is 
stated  in  the  original  agreement,  in  1636.  A  power  was,  however,  given  to  per- 
sons designated  from  time  to  time,  to  admit  inhabitants  and  to  make  allotments 
of  lauds,  according  to  the  original  agreement.  This  must  have  been  done  in  very 
many  instances  without  l>eing  entered  on  the  town  records.  In  regard  to  the 
greater  part  of  the  original  settlers  on  the  town  street,  the  only  evidence  of  their 
title  is  in  the  record  of  the  town  recorder,  and  there  is  commonly  neither  the 
date  of  the  grant  nor  the  time  of  recording  mentioned  upon  record.  The  entry 
is  usually  in  this  form:  A.  B.  is  by  grant  of  the  plantation  possessed  of  a  house- 
lot,  8  rods  broad  and  80  roils  long,  e.\.tending  from  the  street  to  the  river,  and  of 
a  piece  of  meadow,  opposite  thereto,  of  equal  breadth,  extending  east  from  the 
street  40  rods,  to  the  foot  of  the  hill,  and  of  a  wood-lot  in  the  rear  thereof,  in  the 
same  direction,  uf  the  same  breadth,  80  rods;  and  also  of  a  lot  over  against  his 
house-lot  on  the  west  side  of  the  river,  extending  from  the  great  river  to  Aga- 
wam  River,  all  bounded  on  the  north  by  C.  D.,  and  on  the  south  by  E.  F." 

EARLY    REGULATIONS    AND    BY-LAWS. 
The  early  regulations  of  the  settlement  were  as  varied  as 
they  were  extensive.     In  one  of  the  earliest  records,  Oct.  17, 
1638,  an  anxiety  is  manifested  about  the  scarcity  of  timber. 

"  It  is  ordered,  with  the  consent  of  the  plantation,  that  from  this  day  forward 
noe  trees  shall  be  cut  down,  or  taken  away  by  any  man  in  the  compass  of  grounds 
from  the  Mill  River  upward  to  John  Reader's  lutt,  which  parsall  of  ground  Ls 
appointed  for  house-luts,  and  in  case  any  man  shall  tresspass,  contrary  to  this 
order,  he  shall  be  liable  to  the  fine  of  five  shillings." 

Nov.  23, 1638. — "  It  is  ordered  that  a  foot-path  and  stiles  be  allowed  at  every 
man's  lotts,  and  next  the  greate  River." 

Feb.  14, 1639.—"  It  is  ordered  that  it  shall  be  lawful  for  any  inhabitant  to  fall 
any  canoe-trees  and  make  them  for  his  own  use  or  for  the  use  of  an  inhabitant, 
y t  grow  ou  ye  common,  but  not  to  sell  or  anyways  pass  away  any  canoe  out  of  ye 
plantation  until  it  be  five  years  old,  and  in  case  any  transgress  this  order  after 
this  day  he  shall  be  Hable  to  a  fine  of  twenty  shillings. 

"  It  is  also  ordered  yt  it  shall  be  lawfull  for  any  man  to  put  over  horse,  cowes 
or  younger  cattle,  on  the  other  side  of  the  river  at  the  first  of  November  and  to 
ake  tbem  away  thi^nce  on  the  14th  of  April,  and  if  any  shall  trespass  this  order 
he  shall  be  liable  to  pay  any  damages  that  shall  appear  to  be  done  by  his  cattayle." 


"  It  is  ordered  that  all  jt  leave  a  ditch  by  the  highway  before  their  doors  shall 
keep  it  well  scoured  for  the  ready  piu^sage  of  the  water,  that  it  may  not  be  pent 
up  to  flowe  the  meadowe.'" 

Nov.  14, 1639.—"  It  is  mutually  agreed  on  by  the  plantation  that  ye  sealed  Peck 
which  Mr.  Pynchon  hath,  shall  be  the  ordinary  peck  to  buy  and  sell  by  in  the 
plantation,  and  whoever  \vill  may  repayre  to  the  constable  and  have  his  peck 
sealed,  pajing  his  2d.  for  his  lal-or  with  ye  seal." 

Particular  attention  was  also  given  to  the  matter  of  train- 
ing, as, 

"It  is  also  ordered  yt  ye  exercise  of  training  shall  be  practiced  one  day  in 
every  month,  and  if  occasions  doe  sometimes  hinder  then  the  like  space  of  tyme 
shall  be  observed  another  tyme,  though  it  be  two  days  after  one  another.  And 
yt  this  tyme  of  training  is  referred  to  ye  discretion  of  Henry  Smith,  who  is 
chosen  by  mutual  consent  to  be  Searg-.-ant  of  the  Company,  who  shall  have  power 
to  choose  a  Corporal  for  his  assistant.  And  whosoever  shall  absent  himself  with- 
out a  lawful  excuse,  shall  furfeit  twelve  pence,  and  yt  all  above  15  years  of  age 
shall  be  counted  for  soldiers,  and  the  time  to  begin  the  first  Thursday  in  Decem- 
ber next." 

"  It  is  also  mutually  a^eed  on  yt  no  person  in  this  plantation  shall  trade,  give, 
or  lend  to  any  Indian  any  quantity  of  Powder,  little  or  great,  under  ye  penalty 
of  40s.  for  any  tyme  yt  any  person  shall  be  found  a  transgressor  in  this  kind." 

It  seems  that  in  the  early  days  "  y«  people"  of  the  town 
jointly  made  arrangement  for  the  grinding  of  their  grain,  as 
is  shown  by  the  following  quaint  record  found  in  the  old  town 
book,  under  date  of  "June  4,  UJ06:" 

"At  a  Towne  meeting  Purposely  to  settle  something  about  y^  mill.  It  is 
agreed  that  Mr.  Holyoke,  or  his  assignes,  shall  well  grind  wliat  Come  of  this 
Towne  of  Springfield  shall  be  brought  to  bis  mill,  and  thereby  furnish  y«  Xowne 
v!*^  good  meale  for  Ten  years;  except  something  extra/:>rdinary  doe  interveene 
to  hinder,  as  fire,  or  floods,  or  extreme  drought,  that  makes  y*  water  to  fail 
thereby,  when  as  ye  drought  is  not  by  reason  of  y*  Bank  or  ditches  being  faulty, 
and  in  case  People  are  damaged  to  get  meale  from  other  Places  by  reason  of  this 
mill  being  defective,  Mr.  Holyoke  shall  allow  for  it.  In  consideration  whereof 
ye  towne  doth  engage  to  allow  y*  sd  Mr.  Holyoke  y^  eleventh  part  of  whatever 
Corne  shall  be  ground  at  y^  sd  mill  for  y>  terme  of  Ten  years,  as  aforesaid. 
And  hertoe  Mr.  Holyoke  did  ingage  himself  in  y  Towne-meeting,  viz.:  to  per- 
fonne  what  in  the  agreement  concerns  himself,  his  heirs,  and  assigns,  And  y* 
Towne  did  by  a  full  and  clean  vote  declar  their  a.*aent  to  what  in  the  agreement 
concerns  themselves.  Moreover  y>  towne  ordered  this  agreement  to  be  then 
entered  in  y*  Towne  book.  How  that  Mr.  Holyoke  should  set  his  hand  to  it, 
thereby  iogaging  himself  and  his  heirs.  And  y«  Towne  designated  John  Pyn- 
chon, Geo,  Colton,  Kobt.  Ashley,  Miles  Morgan,  an  Samuel  Marshfield  to  set 
theire  hands  to  y*  in  yt  behaffe  of  y'  Towne,  and  theire  hands  being  to  it,  this 
ingagement  is  firme  to  all  intents  and  constructions  in  Law.  According  hereunto 
y«  aforementioned  persons  have  hereunto  set  their  hands  the  4th  day  of  June, 

1662. 

"EuzTtt  Holyoke. 

"  John  Ptnchon. 

"Geoege  Coltos. 

"Ito 

BEET  ' 

"  Miles  0 E  Moec.vn,  his  marke. 


1      Ashley,  his  mark. 


^Samuel  Marshfield. 


In  behaffe 
of  ye  Towne.'' 


The  town  ordered  and  appointed  Benjamin  Parsons,  Samuel 
Marshfield,  and  Robert  Ashley  the  sealers  "to  mak  a  Tole 
with  true  and  exact  to  y«  twelfth  p*  of  y^  bushell,  and  to  seal 
it  with  y«  Towne  scale." 

"  By  the  Townsmen,  Jan.  30, 1650. 

"  It  is  agreed  that  these  rates  that  are  under-expressed  shall  be  gathered  this 

present  year,  viz.,  by  March  25th: 

£      s. 
"Mr.Moxon's  maintenance TO    00 


"Mr.  William  Pynchon  for  the  Bell 05    00 

For  Mr.  Moxon  wh'^''  he  paid  for  ye  Towne  upon  ye 
close  of  last  year 10    00 


"  Mr.  John  Pynchon  for  a  barrell  of  powder  for  a  towne 

stock 

1  qr.  11  lb.  of  muskett  buUett  and  ye  caske 01 

50  lbs.  of  match  at  8d.  £ 


for  ye  cartway  to  ye  foot  of  ye  falls 10    00    OQ 

£  8.  d. 
"  For  charges  about  repayring  the  mee tinge-house,  hangr 

inge  the  bell,  &  other  charges 18  00  OQ 

For  kilUug  5  wolves 05  00  00 

Totall 129    03    06 

"  It  is  agreed  and  ordered  that  the  prices  of  corue  for  payment  of  rates  shall 
be,  wheate,  at  3s.  10  pence  ye  bu.;  pease,  at  3s.  ye  bu.;  Imlian,  at  2«.  6  pence  ye 
bu-    Only  Mr.  Mqxou'b  rate  we  are  to  agree  with  him.    The  persons  appoynted 


15 

00 

£ 

s. 

d. 

07 

12 

6 

01 

17 

6 

01 

13 

6 

21 

03 

6 

820 


HISTORY   OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


to  take  account  of  men's  estates  and  piiro  CattpII  nm  Mr.  Holiokc,  Nalliani»'l 
Bli88,  John  Stebbins. 
"  The  rate  for  ye  wolves  is  to  be  raised  only  on  cattill. 

"  George  Langdon  &  Jno.  Slebbins  are  chosen  Snrveigliors  of  tbr  liigbways  of 
the  Tuwne  for  the  year  ensuinge.  William  Waniner  &  Robeit  As^hley  are 
chos«n  Oveieeers  of  fences  for  yc  fieldH  apiieitaining  to  ye  uiiper  pait  of  tlie 
Town  fmm  ye  Meeting-ilcmse  iipward. 

"  Joseph  Parsons  &  John  Chirke  are  chosen  overseeisof  the  fences  from  ye 
meetiiig-houBe  downeward,  who  are  to  take  direction  from  ye  Townsmen  for 
ordeiing  tliese  fences." 

"At  a  meeting  of  ye  Selectmen,  Feb'y  22, 16G3,  vis.,  Deacon  Clmpin,  Nathaniel 
Ely,  George  C'olton,  Rowland  Thomas,  &  Elizur  Holyuke, 

"Tiie  Selectmen,  considering  the  great  damage  done  to  ye  glaes  windows  of 
ye  meetinge-hoiise  by  children's  playing  about  ye  meeting-house, 

"They  doe  order  that  if  any  persons,  (-hildien  or  others,  sliall  be  found  play- 
ing at  any  spots  about  ye  meeting,  whereby  ye  glass  windows  thereof  may  Ite 
damaged,  Such  persons  sliall  tie  liable  to  a  fine  of  12  pence  apeace  for  each  tynie 
they  shall  be  found  soe  playing,  which  fyne  is  to  be  paid  within  3  days  after  such 
default,  &  if  the  Govennors  of  any  youth  that  soe  offend  sliall  refuse  to  pay  the 
said  fyne,  such  youth  shall  be  liable  to  he  wliipt  by  tlie  Constable  before  3  or 
more  of  tlie  Selectmen,  who  shall  detei  mine  the  nuiuber(tf  stripes  to  be  inflicted, 
and  if  any  otlier  person  soe  offending  shall  refuse  to  pay  ye  said  fyne,  as  aforesaid, 
they  shall  be  liable  to  ye  like  punishment,  as  aforesaid,  and  all  such  fynes  shall 
goe,  one-halfe  to  ye  informer  and  the  other  halfe  to  ye  Selectmen  for  ye  use  of 
ye  Towne  in  bearing  puldick  charge.s." 

"  By  ye  Selectmen,  3lith  Jan'y,  10G5,  John  Pynebon,  Geo.  Coltor,  Benj.  Cooley, 
Sam'l  Marshfield,  &  Lawrence  Bliss. 

"For  as  much  as  order  is  beautiful,  &  especially  in  ye  house  of  God,  and  ye 
want  thereof  is  displeasing  to  God  and  breeds  disturbance  among  men.  And, 
whereas,  it  doth  appear  that  Divers  young  peisuns,  &  sometimes  others,  Not- 
withstanding there  being  called  upon.  Doe  yet  neglect  to  attend  unto  such  order 
as  is  insciibed  them,  either  for  their  sitting  in  ye  meeting-house,  or  for  their  re- 
forming of  disorders  in  &  about  ye  meeting-house  in  tynie  of  God's  Publick  wor- 
ship: It  is  therefore  hereby  ordered,  that  whosoever  of  this  Towneship  shall  not, 
from  tyme  to  tynie,  in  respect  of  their  sitting  in  ye  meeting-house,  Submit  them- 
selves to  the  01  del  iug  of  ye  Selectmen  &  Deacons,  or  such  as  wei  e  empowered  to 
seate  and  order  persons  in  ye  meeting-house ;  All  such  persons  as  shall  refuse  or 
neglect  to  attend  unto  order  as  aforesaid,  Shall  foifeite  as  is  hereafter  expressed, 
viz.,  Hee  or  shee  that  shall  not  take  his  or  her  seate  ordered  them  from  tyme  to 
tyme.  But  shall,  on  ye  days  or  tymes  of  God's  publick  worship,  Goe  into  or  abide 
in  any  other  seat  appointed  for  some  other,  Such  disorderly  person  or  persons,  for 
ye  first  offence,  shall  forfeite  three  shillings  four  pence  to  ye  Towne  Treasury, 
which  shall  be  exacted  by  warrant  from  ye  Selectmen,  directeii  to  ye  Constable 
to  Levy  ye  same.  And  if  afterwards  Hee  or  Shee  shall  still  persist  in  such  dis- 
order, they  shall  pay  Sixe  shillings  eight  pence,  as  a  fine  to  ye  Towne,  to  be  ex- 
a*ted  as  aforesaid,  and  if  a  3d  tyme  they  shall  persist  in  such  obstinacy,  snch 
person  to  pay  Ten  Shillings  to  ye  Towne,  to  he  exacted  as  aforesaid;  And  if 
afterward  they  shall  still  pei-sist  in  such  obstinacy,  ye  Selectmen  are  iiereby  or- 
dered tocomplayne  of  such  person  to  ye  Magistrate  or  County  Court  todeale  with 
them  as  they  shall  judge  meete. 

"And,  whereas,  the  seate  which  was  made  by  ye  Towne  at  a  common  Towne 
Charge  (formerly  called  the  Guard  Seate)  is  now  appointed  by  the  Selectmen  (who 
accordingly  have  ye  disposing  of  that  Seate)  for  Boys  to  sit  in,  &  ye  Selectmen 
having  declaied  that  the  smaller  Boys  should  sit  there,  that  they  may  be  more 
in  sight  of  ye  Congregation,  &  having  warned  all  men  out  of  ye  sd  Seate,  both 
marryed  and  otlier  growne  persons,  some  and  whereof  doe  still  continue  to  sit 
there,  and  seeme  as  if  they  did  it  with  a  high  hand, 

"It  is  therefore  hereby  ordered,  that  noe  person  of  this  Towneship  above  ye 
age  of  14  or  15  yeais  shall  sit  in  ye  Seate  aforesaid,  fiirmerly  called  ye  Guard 
Seate,  unless  he  be  ordered  to  sit  there  to  look  to  ye  Boys.  And  if  any  person 
henceforward  shall  presume  there  to  sit,  contrary  to  this  order,  he  shall,  for  ye 
first  offence  therein  (after  Publication  hereof),  furfeite  and  pay  to  the  Towne 
Treasury  Sixe  shilling  eight  pence ;  and  if  afterward  ye  same  person  shall  offend 
therein,  Hee  shall  for  ye  2d  offence  pay  to  ye  Towne  Thirteen  shilling  four  pence, 
and  for  ye  3d  offence,  Twenty  Shillings.  All  ye  aforesaid  penaltys,  by  warrant 
under  ye  hands  of  ye  Selectmen,  to  be  levyed  by  ye  Constable  for  the  Towne's 
use.  And  if  after  this  any  shall  still  persist  in  obstinacy  or  contemptuous  ne-. 
gleet  of  attending  this  order,  the  Selectmen  are  ordeiud  to  complayne  of  such 
contemptuous  person  to  ye  Magistiate  or  County  Court.  And  it  is  further  or- 
dered, that  if  such  young  men  shall  offend  against  this  order  as  have  noe  estate 
or  are  under  their  Parents'  or  Goveruours'  charge,  Iff  theire  Parents  or  (iov- 
ernours  shall  refuse  to  pay  ye  aforesaid  Penaltys,  the  Selectmen  shall  present 
such  peisjns  to  ye  Magistiate,  to  deal  with  them  as  he  shall  judge  meet.  This 
order  was  Published  on  a  lecture  day,  ye  31st  of  January,  1665." 

"  At  a  meeting  of  ye  Selectmen,  April  7, 1669,  Miles  Morgan  and  Jonathan  Burt 
are  ordered  to  sit  up  in  ye  gallery  to  give  a  check  to  disorders  in  youth  and  young 
men  in  tyme  of  God's  Publick  worship.  Anthony  Dorchester,  to  sit  on  ye  Guard 
Seate  for  like  end." 

"Eliakim  Hitchcock,  of  New  Haven,  desiiing  to  be  admitted  into  this  Towne- 
ship to  dwell,  hath  Liberty,  provided  he  being  certified  from  New  Haven,  if 
he  is  an  orderly  Liver  there,  &  if  his  father  there  desires  it,  »fe  appoint- him 
on  his  remove,  &,  provided  also  that  he  secure  two  sufficient  men  of  this  Towne 
to  enter  into  30£  Bond  to  secure  ye  Township  by  sd  Hitchcock  or  any  of  his 
family." 

At  the  meeting  of  selectmen  in  1664  it  was  voted  that  a 
penalty  be  imposed  upon  persons  absenting  themselves  from 


town-meetings,  and  20s.  was  also  the  penalty  for  failing  to 
serve  in  offices  to  which  any  person  should  be  chosen. 

The  inhabitants  of  the  little  plantation,  in  1664,  evidently 
manifested  a  decided  interest  in  the  moral  welfare  of  the  place, 
it  being  ordered  "  that  if  any  man  of  this  township,  or  any 
proprietors  of  land  in  the  Towne,  or  any  that  shall  or  may 
dispose  of  land  here,  shall,  under  color  of  friendship,  or 
otherwise,  enterlayne  any  person  or  persons  here  to  abide  as 
inmates,  or  shall  subdivide  their  house-lots,  or  any  other  of 
their  lots,  to  entertayn  them  as  tenants,  or  otherwise,  for  longer 
time  than  one  month,  or  thirty  days,  without  consent  or  allow- 
ance of  the  selectmen,  shall  forfeit  20s.  to  the  Towne."  An- 
other regulation  of  this  period  was,  that  no  persons  should 
come  into  the  settlement  and  there  remain  more  than  thirty 
days  without  the  consent  of  the  selectmen.  Not  only  did  the 
selectmen  designate  who  should  come  into  the  settlement,  but 
also  who  should  not  remain  therein,  as  the  records  of  1692 
show  that  about  60  families  were  ordered  out  of  the  place. 
These  various  persons  were  designated  by  name  and  occupa- 
tion. Some  were  designated  as  laborers,  barbers,  gentlemen^ 
etc.,  etc. 

"  Towne-meeling,  Feb'y  4th,  1672: 

"Whereas,  by  a  late  law  of  the  country  made,  It  is  ordered  that  such  persors 
as  have  liberty  of  voting  in  Towne  aflairs,  must  be  of  fJ-O  estate,  rateable  to  a 
single  countrey  rate,  yet  not  to  cutt  ofl  the  said  privileges  from  them  that  had 
liberty  by  a  former  law  wherein  is  expressed,  that  if  persons  have  £20  estate 
rateable  to  a  single  countrey  rate,  with  other  conditions,  they  shall  have  ye  same 
privileges, 

"This  towne  doth  now  order  yt  ihe  Recorder  for  ye  Towne  shall  joyn  T,\ith  ye 
Selectmen  to  examine  by  former  rates  to  ye  countrey  what  persons  of  this  Plan- 
tation now  residing  amongst  us  have  at  any  tyme  had  by  law  that  priviledge, 
And  that  then  the  Recorder  shall  enter  their  names  in  ye  Towne  Books. 

"  Their  names  see  next  page. 

"  Here  followeth  a  List  of  ye  Names  of  the  present  Inhabitants  of  this  Towne 
of  Springfield,  who,  according  to  ye  provision  k  tearmes  of  a  late  law  of  the  coun- 
trey made,  have  ye  priviledge  of  voting  in  Towne  af.aiis,  and  whose  names  by 
ye  Towne  and  in  ye  foimer  page  were  to  be  entered  in  this  hooke; 

"The  Worshippful  Major  John  Pynchon,  Mr.  Pelatiah  Glover,  Rowland 
Thomas,  Jeremy  Horton,  Abel  Wiight,  Japhet  Chaj. in,  Henry  Chapin,  Joseph 
Crowfoote,  William  Brookes,  Samuel  Ely,  Nathaniel  Burt,  Samuel  Bliss,  Jr., 
Samuel  Stebbins,  Luke  Hitchcoik,  Isaak  Cakebrcad,  John  Warner,  David 
Morgan,  Joseph  Stebbins,  John  Bagg,  Rice  Bedortha,  John  or  Joseph  Riley, 
Samuel  Marshfield,  Griffith  Jones,  Obadiah  Miller.  John  Barber,  Sen'r.  Rich'd 
Exell,  John  Dumbleton,  Jonathan  Taylor,  Edward  Foster,  Thtnias  Miller,  John 
Leonard,  Lieut.  Cooper,  Joseph  Leonard,  Thomas  Cooper,  Jun.,  Samuel  Terry, 
John  Lamb,  Rob't  Ashley,  Jonathan  Ashley,  Sergeant  Morgan,  William  Branch, 
Elizur  Holyoke,  Timothy  Cooper,  Deacon  Chapin,  John  Hitclicock,  William 
Waxrincr,  James  Warriner,  Sergeant  Thos.  Stebbins,  Beiy.  Mun,  Sam'l  Bell, 
Thomas  Day,  Charles  Ferry,  Thomas  Merrick,  Nathaniel  Ely,  John  Clark,  Law- 
rence Bliss,  John  Matthews,  James  Osborne,  John  Harman,  Nathaniel  Pritchard, 
Benj.  Parsons,  Sam'l  Bliss,  Sen'r,  Anthony  Dorchester,  Rich'd  Sikes,  Increase 
Sikes,  Sergeant  Jonathan  Burt,  David  Lumbard,  Ensign  Cooley, Obadiah  Cooley, 
John  Bliss,  Quartermaster  Colton,  Isaak  Colton,  Ephraim  Colton,  Thos.  Colton, 
John  Keepe." 

"Apl.  26, 1685.— It  was  further  voted  and  granted  that  Deacon  Burt,  Miles 
Morgan,  Thos.  Mirrick,  Sen.,  Charles  Terrey,  and  John  Warner  have  liberty  of 
the  Fisliing  places  at  Agawam  Eiver  and  Checkuppi  River  to  make  any  reixson- 
able  benefits  they  may  or  can  of  those  fishing  places,  and  that  no  body  should 
hinder  them  herein,  nor  they  to  refuse  any  other  person  joining  with  them." 

"Feb'y  1st,  1GS6.— It  was  further  voted  and  agreed  that  Henry  Chapin,  Row- 
land Thomas,  Charles  Terrey,  and  Obadiah  Cooley  shall  have  the  liberty  and 
piivilege  of  Checkuppi  River  as  far  as  Schonungonuck  fall  or  Bar-,  for  makeing 
and  erecting  of  wards  for  catching  of  Fish,  they  supplying  siicli  of  the  Towne 
with  Fish  as  desire  it,  on  reasonable  terms.  This  privilege  &  Liberty  is  granted 
to  them  and  to  such  as  they  shall  take  in  with  them  for  five  years,  without  mo- 
lestation from  others.  And  at  the  five  years'  end  if  they  desire  a  further  grant, 
it  is  to  be  continued  to  them  upon  meet  allowance  before  any  others. 

"  And  the  spring  and  summer  comeing  they  are  toe  (mter  upon  and  goe  on 
with  their  designs  its  the  season  will  allow,  or  otherwise  this  grant  shall  be  voyd. 
And  for  other  Rivers  or  places  for  fishing  within  this  t^twnship.  It  is  left  with 
the  Selectmen  to  grant  special  Liberty  &  privilege  to  such  of  the  Inhabitant  as 
may  appear  to  attend  said  work  of  Fishing  as  the  Selectmen  shall  see  meet." 

BY-LAWS. 

The  following  is  a  compilation  of  the  ancient  by-laws  of  the 
town,  as  given  by  the  late  Hon.  George  Bliss,  Sr.,  in  an  ad- 
dress delivered  at  the  opening  of  the  old  town-hall  in  1828  : 

"  Febry.  the  5th,  1649.— A  copy  of  such  orders  as  are  made  and  confirmed  by 
the  Inhabitants  of  Spiingfield  the  day  and  year  above  written. 

"  1.  For  the  prevention  of  disordera  in  puttinge  cattell  to  pasture  at  the  other 


I 


HISTORY  OF  HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


821 


side  of  the  great  river,  to  the  prejudice  of  men's  come  ;  and  yet,  that  men  may 
have  the  benefit  of  the  p.isture,  ordered,  that  no  person  shal  pnt  over  any  cattell 
on  tlie  other  side  of  the  great  liver  to  Pasture  there,  until  the  15th  day  of  Oc- 
toher  yearly,  and  from  thence  until  the  eighth  day  of  March  they  may  continue 
there,  hy  which  day  the  fields  tliere  are  to  he  cleared  of  cattell  of  all  sorts,  and 
if  any  cattell  shall  be  found  there  going  at  liberty,  and  not  under  the  hand  of  a 
keeper,  or  in  an  inclosed  piece  of  ground,  before  or  after  the  days  abovesayd, 
the  owners  of  tlie  said  cattell  shall  be  lyable  to  a  fine  of  12(1.  a  head  for  all  that 
shall  he  found  within  a  100  rodd  of  any  come  or  meddowe,  one  halfe  of  the  fine 
to  the  infonner,and  ye  other  halfe  to  the  towne,and  shall  make  goode  whatever 
damadge  sliall  appeare  to  te  done  by  theyre  said  cattell  in  that  tyme. 

"2.  Whereas,  the  planting  of  Indian  corne  in  the  meddows  and  swamps  on 
the  other  side  of  Agawam  river,  hath  occationed  a  long  stay  after  mowing  tyme, 
before  men  can  put  theyre  cattell  thither  to  pasture.  Therefore,  it  is  ordered 
(with  the  consent  of  all  those  that  have  planting  ground  there),  that  no  more 
Indian  corn  shall  be  planted  there  either  in  the  meddows  or  swamps  that  soe 
the  cattell  that  have  allotments  there  may  be  put  over  by  the  15th  day  of  Sep- 
tember yearly,  provided  they  take  a  sure  course  to  pi  event  theyre  cattell  from 
goinge  over  the  river,  either  by  fencing,  or  a  keeper  in  the  day  tyme,  and  by 
seeming  them  in  some  inclosure  in  the  night.  Eut  there  is  liberty  for  calves  to 
be  put  over  thither  by  the  14th  of  August.  And  in  case  any  person  shall  put 
cattell  there  before  the  day  expressed,  he  shall  forfeit  2«.  6rf.  by  the  head  for 
evei-}'  such  default,  and  also  be  lyable  to  fay  all  damage  that  his  cattell  shall 
doe  on  either  side  of  the  river.  [This  order  was  soon  changed,  and  the  same 
rule  adopted  as  in  the  first  regulation.] 

"3.  It  is  ordered  that  if  any  Inhabitant  shall  desire  to  make  a  Cannoe,  he 
may  have  libeity  to  fell  any  tree  or  trees  in  the  towne  commons, and  make  it  or 
them  into  Cannoes  for  Ins  own  use,  or  for  the  use  of  any  Inhabitant.  But  no 
such  inhabitant  shall  have  liberty  to  sell  or  in  any  kinde  to  pass  away  any  Can- 
noe soe  made  out  of  the  tuwne  until!  it  be  full  five  yeais  old,  or,  if  he  lend  his 
cannoe,  it  shall  be  returned  within  a  month.  And  in  case  any  shall  transgress 
this  order  he  shall  be  lyable  to  a  penalty  of  20s.  for  every  default. 

"4.  It  is  ordered,  that  whosoever  shall  take  away  or  make  use  of  any  man's 
Cannue  without  his  leave  shall  forfeit  unto  the  owner 2«.  Gd.  for  every  such  default. 

"5.  It  is  ordered  that  there  shall  be  no  bams  or  howseing  built  or  set  up  in 
the  highway  betwixt  the  streete  fence  and  the  brooke,  except  there  be  soe  much 
room  as  they  can  leave  4  rod  for  the  streete  or  highway,  and  then  men  may 
make  use  of  that  side  next  the  brooke  for  what  building  they  please.  And  if 
any  shall  transgress  tliis  order,  it  shall  be  lawful!  for  the  selectmen  to  appoynt 
men  to  pull  downe  and  demolish  such  building. 

"6.  For  the  prevention  of  sundry  evills  that  May  befall  this  Township,  through 
ill-disposed  persons,  that  may  thrust  themselves  in  amongst  us  agaynst  the  likinge 
and  consent  of  the  generality  of  the  iniiabitants,  or  select  Townsmen,  by  pur- 
chasing a  iott,  or  a  place  of  habitation,  &c.  It  is  therefore  ordered  and  declared, 
that  no  inhabitant  shall  sell  or  in  any  kind  pass  away  his  house  lot,  or  any  part 
of  it,  or  any  other  of  his  allotments  to  any  stranger  before  he  have  made  the  select 
Towusnieu  acquainted  who  his  chapman  is,  and  they  accordingly  allow  of  his 
admission,  under  penalty  of  paying  twenty  shillings  for  every  j)arcell  of  land 
so  sold,  or  furfeitinge  his  land  soe  sunld  or  passed  away.  But  if  the  select 
Townsmen  see  grounde  to  ditalowe  of  the  admission  of  the  said  chapman,  then 
the  toun  or  the  Inhabitants  shall  have  30  days'  tyme  to  resolve  whither  they  will 
buy  the  said  alluttnients,  which  said  alottmenta  they  may  buy,  as  indifferent 
partys  shall  apprise  them.  But  in  case  the  Inhabitants  shall  delay  to  make  a 
purchase  of  the  said  lands  above  30  days  after  the  propounding  of  it  to  the  se- 
lect Tounsmen,  then  the  gaid  seller  shall  have  his  liberty  to  take  his  chapman, 
and  such  chapman  or  stranger  shall  be  esteemed  as  entertained  and  alowed  of 
by  the  toune  as  an  Inhabitant. 

"7.  It  is  ordered  that  if  any  man  of  this  tounship,  or  any  proprietor  of  land 
here,  or  any  that  shall  or  may  dispose  of  land  heie,  shall  under  the  colour  of 
friendship,  or  any  other  ways,  entertaiue  any  person  or  persons  here,  to  abide  as 
inmate-",  or  shall  subdivide  their  bowse  lotts,  to  eutertaine  them  as  tenants  or 
other  ways  for  a  longer  time  than  one  month,  or  30  days,  without  the  consent 
or  allowance  of  the  select  Tounsmen  (children  or  seivants  of  the  family  that 
remain,  single  persons  excepted),  shall  forfeit  for  the  first  default  20«.  to  the 
Tuwne,  and  alsoe  he  shall  forfeite  20s.  per  month  for  every  month  that  any  such 
person  or  persons  shall  soe  continue  in  this  Tounship  without  the  consent  of  the 
select  Tounsmen  ;  and  if  in  tyme  of  their  abode  after  the  limitation  abovesaid, 
they  shall  neede  relief,  not  beinge  able  to  maiutaine  themselves,  then  he  or  they 
that  entertained  such  i)ersons  shall  be  lyable  to  be  rated  by  the  selectmen  for  the 
reliefe  and  maintenance  uf  the  said  party  or  paitys  so  entertained,  as  they  in 
their  discretion  shall  judge  meete. 

"8.  For  the  regulating  of  workmens  and  lalx)uiers  wages.  It  is  ordered.  I. 
That  all  workmen  shall  worke  the  whole  day,  allowing  convenient  tyme  for  food 
and  rest.  2d.  Thatt  all  husbandmen  and  ordinary  labourers  from  the  first  day  of 
November  to  the  first  of  March  shall  not  take  above  16d.  by  the  day  wages,  for 
the  others  months  they  shall  not  take  above  20rf.  by  the  day,  except  in  time  of 
hanest  for  reaping  and  mowing,  or  for  other  extraordinary  worke,  such  as  are 
sutficient  workmen  are  allowed  2s.  pr.  day.  3.  That  all  carpenters,  joyners, 
sawers,  wheelrights,  or  such  like  artificers,  from  the  first  day  uf  November  to 
the  first  of  March,  shall  not  take  above  20tZ.  pr.  day  wages,  and  for  the  other  8 
months  not  above  2s.  pr.  day.  Taylors  not  to  exceed  12d.  pr.  day  throughout  the 
year.  4.  That  all  teames,  consisting  of  4  cattell  with  one  man,  shall  not  take 
above  Gs.  a  day  wages;  Fronr  May  till  October  to  worke  8  hours,  and  the  other 
part  of  the  year  six  houres  for  theyre  day's  worke. 

"And  it  is  further  ordered,  that  whosoever  shall,  either  by  giveing  or  taking, 
exceede  these  rates,  he  shall  be  lyable  to  be  punished  by  the  magistrate,  accord- 
ing U>  the  quality  and  nature  of  the  offence. 
"9.  It  is  ordered  that  every  householder  shall  have  in  a  readyness,  about  his 


house,  a  mificienl  ladder,  for  length  suitable  to  his  bowsing,  to  prevent  the  danger 
of  fire,  on  penalty  for  every  neglect  5«. 

"10.  It  is  ordered  that  if  any  person  shall  be  taken  notice  of,  to  carry  fire  in 
the  streete,  or  from  house  to  house,  not  being  sufficiently  covered,  see  as  to  pre- 
vent doinge  hurt  thereby,  he  shall  forfeite  5s.  for  every  such  offence  proved 
against  him,  besides  all  damages,  for  what  hurt  may  come  thereby. 

"11.  It  is  ordered,  that  if  any  trees  be  felled  in  the  common,  having  no  other 
worke  bestowed  on  them,  above  six  months,  it  shall  be  lawfuU  for  any  man  to 
take  them,  but  any  Timlier  that  is  cross  crrtt  or  firewood  that  is  cutt  out,  or  set 
on  heaps,  or  rayles,  or  clefts,  or  poles,  no  man  may  take  any  of  them  till  they 
have  lyen  18  months  after  it  is  so  cross  cut  or  cloven.  And  in  case  any  person 
shall  be  found  to  take  away  or  convert  to  his  own  use  any  timber  or  fyrewood, 
&c.,  as  aforesaid,  before  the  tyme  al>ove  limited,  he  shal!  be  liable  to  make  satis- 
faction in  kinde  or  othei"wise,  to  his  content,  and  shal!  also  forfeite  10«.  to  the 
Toune  Treasury  for  every  such  parcel  of  tymber,  rayles,  boltes,  or  firewood  that 
he  shall  soe  disorderly  take  away  and  convert  to  his  own  use.  [N.  B.  This  order 
was  in  some  respects  modified  in  11560,  but  substantially  continued.] 

"12.  Whereas,  there  is  olisen'ation  taken  of  the  scarcity  of  Tymber  about  the 
Toune  for  buildinge,  sawing,  shingles,  ami  such  like,  it  is  therefore  ordered  that 
no  person  shall  hencefoitli  transport,  out  of  the  toune  to  other  places,  any  build- 
ing-tj-mber,  bord-loggs,  or  sawen  boards,  or  planks,  or  shingle  Tymber,  or  pipe 
staves  which  shall  be  growing  in  the  Ttmne  commons,  viz.,  from  Chicknppe  river 
to  freshwater  bntoke,  and  six  miles  east  from  the  great  river;  and  if  any  man 
shall  be  found  to  transgress  this  order  he  shall  be  lyable  to  a  fine  of  20h.  for  every 
freight  or  loade  of  such  Tymber,  boards,  shingle,  or  such  like,  by  him  so  trans- 
ported. 

"13.  To  the  end  that  such  camUewood  as  lyeth  near  the  Towne  may  not  be 
wasted  by  such  as  burne  Tarr,  Ac,  to  ye  prejudice  of  ye  Inhabitants,  It  is,  there- 
fore, ordered  that  no  person  sliall  have  libeity  to  gather,  or  havinge  soe  gathered, 
to  burn  any  candlewood  for  the  makinge  of  Tarr,  Pitch,  or  Coale,  within  the  com- 
pass of  six  miles  east  of  the  great  river,  and  soe  extending  from  Chicknppe  river 
to  the  Longmeadow  brooke;  and  if  any  shal!  be  found  to  burne  any  candlewood 
soe  gathered,  within  the  limits  or  bounds  above  expressed,  he  shall  forl'eite  20s. 
for  eveiy  I«ad  of  candlewood  soe  gathered  and  burnt  for  Tar,  Pitch,  or  Coal,  or 
ye  like  use.  Provided,  notwithstanding,  that  every  Inhabitant  may  gather  can- 
dlewood for  his  own  family  use  where  lie  pleaseth. 

"14.  Whereas,  it  is  judged  offensive  and  noisome  for  flax  and  hempe  to  be 
watered  or  washed  in  or  by  the  brooke,  before  men's  doors  which  is  for  ordinary 
use,  for  dressinge  meate  therefore  it  is  ordered  that  no  person  henceforth,  shall 
water  or  wash  any  flax  or  hemp  in  the  said  brooke,  either  on  the  east  or  west 
side  of  the  streete  or  any  where  near  adjoyninge  to  it,  and  if  any  person  shall 
be  found  transgreseinge  herein,  he  shall  be  liable  to  a  fine  of  6«.8d.  for  every  such 
default. 

"  15.  It  is  ordered  that  no  person  shall  gather  any  hopps  that  grow  in  the 
swamps  or  any  common  grounds,  untill  the  fifth  day  of  September  yearly,  upon 
payne  of  forfeitinge  what  they  shall  soe  disorderly  gather,  and  2k.  M.  for  breach 
of  order,  the  forfeiture  to  the  informer,  the  2s.  6<1  to  the  Toune  treasurer. 

"16.  Whereas,  it  is  judged  needful  in  sundry  respects  that  each  Inhabitant 
should  have  the  several!  parcells  of  his  land  recorded,  therefore  for  prevention 
of  future  inconveniences.  It  is  ordered,  that  every  particular  inliabitant  of  this 
townsliip  shall  repayre  to  tlie  recorder  tliat  is  chosen  and  appoynted  by  the  toune 
for  that  purpose,  who,  upon  information  given  him  by  each  person  of  his  several! 
parcells  of  land,  the  number  of  acres,  with  the  length  and  breadth  of  ye  said 
alotments,  and  who  are  borderinge  on  each  side  of  him,  shall  by  virtue  of  his 
oflBce  fairly  record  each  parcell  of  land,  with  the  limits,  bounds,  and  situation 
thereof  in  a  book  for  that  purpose,  for  which  his  pains,  tlie  owner  of  the  said 
lands  shall  pay  unto  the  Recorder  two  pence  for  every  parcell  of  his  land  soo 
recorded.  And,  if  any  person  shall  neglect  the  recording  of  his  lands  longer 
than  six  months  after  ye  grant  of  it,  he  shall  be  lyable  to  a  fine  of  3s.  for  every 
parcell  of  his  land  tliat  is  not  then  recorded,  and  if  after  that  he  shall  neglect  to 
record  it  he  shall  pay  Vld.  pr.  month  for  every  months  neglecte  of  any  parcel!. 
And  auncient  grants  are  all  to  be  recorded  by  the  last  of  May  nest,  upon  like 
penalty. 

"17.  It  is  ordered  that  if  any  person  whose  house-lott  lyes  inclosed  in  a  gen- 
eral fence,  shall  desire  to  inclose  a  i>art  of  it  for  yards,  gardens,  or  orchard,  his 
neighbor  on  each  hand  of  him  shall  be  compellable  to  make  and  sufficiently 
maintain  the  one-half  of  the  said  fence  from  tj-me  to  tyme,  provided  his  share 
of  fence  amount  not  to  above  ten  rods,  provided,  alsoe,  that  ye  said  fence  ex- 
ceede not  the  charge  of  a  sufficient  five-foot  pale,  or  five  rayles.  And  in  case  any 
neighbour  shall  refuse  to  doe  his  share  of  ye  said  fence  within  3  months  after 
due  notice  given  him  of  it,  he  shall  be  lyable  to  pay  what  damailge  his  neigh- 
bour shall  sustaine  through  his  default;  and  alsoe  5s.  per  month  soe  long  as  he 
shall  neglect  for  contempt  of  order. 

"  18  and  19.  [The  18th  and  19th  are  respecting  fences,  and  the  oversight  and 
repair  of  them,  and  have  nothing  peculiar  in  them.] 

"  20.  For  the  better  carryinge  on  of  Toune  meetings,  it  is  ordered  that  when- 
soever there  shall  any  public  notice  be  given  to  the  Inhabitants  by  the  select 
Tounsmen,  or  any  other  in  theyre  behalfe,  of  some  necessary  occation  wherein 
the  selectmen  desire  to  advise  with  the  Inhabitant-*,  and  tlie  day,  tyme,  and 
place  of  meetinge  be  appoynted.  It  is  expected  that  all  the  Inhabitants  attend 
personally  such  meetinge  soe  appoynted.  And,  in  case  the  tyme  and  houre  of 
meetinge  be  come,  though  there  be  but  nine  of  the  Inhabitants  assembled,  it 
shall  be  lawftrll  for  them  to  pR>ceed  in  agitation  of  whatever  busyness  isthere 
propounded  to  them,  and  what  the  major  part  of  the  Assembly  there  mett  shall 
agree  upon,  It  shall  be  taken  as  the  act  of  the  whole  toune,  and  binding  to  all. 
"21.  Tlie  first  Tuesday  in  November  yearly  [alt«red  afterward  to  Februarj] 
is  mutually  agreed  on  and  appoynted  to  be  a  general  toune-meetinge  for  the 
choyce  of  Toune  officers,  making,  continuing  and  publishing  of  orders,  &c.,  on 


822 


HISTORY  OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


wliich  day  it  is  more  especiall}  expected  that  each  inhabitant  give  his  pei-sonall 
attendance,  and  if  any  shall  be  abaent  at  the  tymo  of  calling,  or  absent  himself 
without  consent  of  the  miyor  part,  ho  shall  bo  lyablti  tt)  a  fine  of  2s.  Gd. 

"  \i2.  It  is  alsoe  ordered  that  on  the  fii"wt  Tuesday  in  Novendjei",  there  shall  be 
yearly  chosen  by  the  Inhalatiints  two  wise  discroL-te  men,  wlm  sliall  by  virtue  of 
an  oath  imposed  ou  them  by  the  magistrate  for  that  purpose,  faithfully  present 
on  the  Court  days,  all  such  breaches  of  Court  or  tonne  ordere,  or  any  other  mis- 
denienors  as  shall  come  to  tlieir  knowledge,  either  by  their  own  observation,  or 
by  credible  information  of  othere,  and  shall  take  out  process  for  the  appearance 
of  such  as  are  delinquents  or  witnesses,  to  appeare  the  sayd  (lay :  when  all  such 
presentments  by  the  sayd  partys  shall  be  judicially  heard  and  examined  by  the 
magistrate,  and  warrants  for  distresses  granted  fur  the  levying  of  such  fines  or 
penaltys  as  are  annexed  to  the  orders  violated,  or  which  shall  seem  meete  and 
reasonable  to  the  magistrate  to  impose  or  inflict  according  to  the  nature  of  the 
ofTence.  Tliese  to  stand  in  this  office  for  a  year  or  till  others  be  chosen  in  their 
roome. 

"23.  It  is  ordered  and  declared  that  when  any  man  shall  be  fairly  and  clearly 
chosen  to  any  office  or  place  of  sei-vice  in  and  to  the  toune,  if  he  shall  refuse  to 
accept  the  place,  or  shall  afterwards  neglect  to  serve  in  that  office  to  which  he 
shall  be  chosen,  every  such  peraon  shall  pay  208.  fine  for  refusal!  to  the  Toune 
Treasurer,  unless  ho  has  served  in  that  office  the  yeare  before;  no  person  being 
to  be  compelled  to  serve  two  yeare  together  in  the  same  office,  except  selectmen, 
two  whereof,  if  chosen  againe,  are  to  stand  two  yeares  togetlier,  that  st>  there 
may  be  always  some  of  the  old  selectmen  who  are  acquainted  with  the  Toune 
afl'aires,  joining  with  the  new. 

"  24.  [Relates  to  the  regulation  of  swine,  and  is  not  necessary  to  be  transcribed. 
An  oflicer,  unusual  in  later  years,  was  chosen  as  a  general  swine-ringer,  and  his 
fees  stated.] 

"25.  To  the  end  that  the  common  Highways  of  the  Toune  may  be  layed  out 
where  they  may  be  most  convenient  and  advantagiose  for  the  general  use  of  the 
toune,  it  is  therefore  ordered  that  the  select  Tounsmen  shall  liave  full  power 
and  authority  to  lay  out  all  common  highways  for  the  Toune,  where  and  how 
they  shall  judge  most  convenient  and  useful  for  the  Inhabitjints,  though  it  be 
through  or  at  the  end  of  men's  lotts ;  Provided,  tliey  give  them  reasonable  sat- 
isfaction according  to  equity  ;  but  if  the  iiai-ty  like  not  thereof,  then  it  shall  be 
referred  to  the  Judgment  of  indiflferent  partys  mutually  chosen  by  the  partye 
and  the  select  Tounsmen,  and  if  those  two  iudiflerent  partys  do  not  agree,  they 
ehail  pitch  upon  a  3d  pei-son  to  join  with  them  and  determine  it. 

"26.  And  the  Select  Tounsmen  are  allowed  liberty  to  set  a  certaiue  toll  on 
carts  that  shall  pass  any  highway,  which  shall  appeare  more  than  ordinary 
chargeable  in  the  reparation  of  it. 

"27.  For  the  equall  and  indiflferent  carryinge  on  and  bearinge  the  charge  of 
makinge  and  repayreing  such  common  highways  and  bridges  as  are  or  shall  be 
thought  needful  to  be  made  or  repayred  from  tyme  to  tyme  within  this  town- 
ship, it  is  ordered  that  every  householder  that  hath  or  keepeth  in  his  use  or 
possession  a  Teame  consistinge  of  four  cattell  shall,  on  due  warninge  given  him 
by  the  surveyor,  send  at  every  day  and  place  appoynted  bis  said  teame,  with  his 
cart  and  such  necessary  tuoles-as  the  surveyor  shall  alowe  of,  and  an  able  man 
therewith  to  doe  such  work  as  the  surveyor  shall  appoynt  him.  The  like  is  to 
be  done  by  those  that  have  but  lialfe  teames.  And  it  is  furtlier  ordered  that 
every  other  householder  wljo  hath  no  teame  shall,  by  himself  or  some  other 
faithful  labourer,  attend  the  worke  appoynted  him  by  the  surveyors  on  every 
day  that  he  shall  be  called  or  required  sue  to  worke.  And  it  is  alsoe  ordered 
that  all  persons  inhabitinge.in  the  toune  who  are  above  £100  estate  in  other 
rates,  and  yet  have  no  teame,  every  such  pereon  shall  be  compellable  to  send  one 
sufficient  labourer  to  the  highway  worke  on  every  day  that  he  shall  be  duly 
warned  tlierennto,  accordinge  to  his  proportion  with  other  men. 

"  It  is  alsoe  further  ordered  that  every  person  shall  cut  downe  his  stubbs  and 
cleare  the  highway  before  his  lott  of  tymber  wood,  standing  trees  (which  are 
hereby  declared  to  be  a  man's  oun)  or  any  other  offensive  matter  that  the  sur- 
veyors shall  warne  him  of,  within  three  days  after  notice  given  him,  or  else  be 
lyable  to  a  fine  of  12d.  for  every  defect. 

"  28.  Whereas  there  are  surveyors,  chosen  yearly,  for  the  oversight  and  amend- 
inge  of  liighways,  bildges,  and  other  defects  of  that  nature,  that  soe  the  common 
highways  of  the  Toune  may  be  kept  in  coutinuall  reparation.  To  that  end,  and 
for  the  regulatinge  of  surveyois  in  the  discharge  of  their  office,  It  is  ordered  yt 
ye  surveyors  for  the  tyme  beinge  shall  take  care,  1.  That  highways,  bridges, 
wharfs,  &c.,  belonging  to  theyre  care  be  made,  repayred,  and  amended  suffi- 
ciently, accordinge  to  theyr6  discretion  or  as  they  shall  be  directed  by  the  select 
Tounsmen.  2.  That  all  highways  be  kept  clear  from  trees.  Timber,  wood,  earth, 
stone,  or  any  other  offensive  matter  yt  shall  annoy  the  highway  within  a  mile 
of  any  dwelling-house.  3.  That  if  any  person,  upon  notice  given  him  by  the 
surveyor,  shall  neglect  to  remove  or  cleare  away  any  such  annoyance  to  the 
highway,  or  offensive  matter  by  him  caused,  longer  than  3  days,  then  the  sur- 
veyor shall  due  it,  and  have  double  recompense  for  all  his  labor,  cost,  and  charge 
from  the  party  so  neglecting,  besides  the  12d.  which  the  party  is  to  pay  in  way 
of  fine  for  neglect,  according  to  the  order  forementioned.  4.  That  the  surveyor 
shall  give  three  days'  warninge  to  such  as  they  call  for  and  require  to  come  to 
the  highway  worke,  viz.,  the  day  of  warning  and  a  day  more,  soe  that  men  must 
.come  the  3d  day  after  warning,  unless  the  surveyors  give  them  longer  tyme. 
5.  That  they  shall  require  no  householder  to  worke  above  6  days  in  a  yeare,  nor 
more  of  these  six  days  than  shall  in  a  due  proportion  fall  to  hie  share.  0.  That 
the  surveyoi-s  shall  require  no  man  to  worke  above  two  days  in  a  weeke.  7.  That 
they  call  for  these  G  days,  for  es  many  of  them  as  shall  serve,  within  the  com- 
pass of  tyme  betwixt  the  20th  of  May  and  20th  of  June,  yearly,  and  not  at  any 
other  tyme,  unless  by  the  consent  of  the  miyor  part  of  the  select  Tounsmen  it 
be  agreed  unto,  and  yet  inasmuch  as  sometimes  ways  suddenly  become  defective, 
that  they  may  not  too  long  be  neglected,  it  is  declared  that  three  of  ye  selectmen 


meetinge,  and  any  two  of  them  agreeing,  may  appoynt  and  allow  the  surveigh- 
ours  t<}  repaire  such  defective  ways.  8.  That  they  duly  present  to  the  select 
Tounsmen  all  defects  of  pereons  or  teamew  that  on  lawful!  warning  given  neglect 
to  come  to  the  worke  appoynted,  who  shall  give  warrant  to  the  constable  for 
present  distress  of  2s.  fine  for  a  man,  and  6fi.  for  a  man  and  teame,  to  be  employed 
in  the  next  worke  that  is  to  be  done  about  liighways.  9.  That  they  give  in 
theyre  accounts  yearly  to  the  selectmen  at  the  general  meetinge  in  November, 
when  they  yield  up  their  office  another  yeare." 

THE    REVOLUTION. 

As  the  Revolutionary  period,  so  far  as  it  bears  upon  the  his- 
tory of  this  valley,  is  presented  in  full  in  the  general  history, 
it  is  only  necessary  in  this  connection  to  refer  to  the  arduous 
struggle. 

The  citizens  of  Springfield  were  alive  to  the  exigency  of  the 
times,  and,  July  12,  1774,  held  a  meeting,  at  which  a  long 
series  of  resolutions  were  adopted  as  expressive  of  the  senti- 
ment of  the  town.  The  following  extract  is  clipped  from  the 
last  resolution : 

"And  though  we  should  injure  no  man  in  his  person  or  property  for  a  diversity 
of  opinion,  yet  we  shall  not  think  ourselves  bound  to  continue  our  favora  to  any 
gentleman  who,  lost  to  the  sentiments  of  gratitude  and  humanity,  can  coldly 
sacrifice  his  country's  liberties  to  his  own  private  emolument." 

The  town  clerk  was  directed  to  transmit  a  copy  to  the  town 
clerk  at  Boston.  At  a  meeting  held  Jan.  3,  1775,  at  "ye 
court-house,"  a  committee  was  appointed  to  see  "  that  a  strict 
observance  he  had  to  the  resolves  of  the  Continental  Congress," 
and  another  committee  was  also  appointed  to  receive  subscrip- 
tions for  the  suffering  poor  of  Boston  and  Charlestown.  Im- 
mediately after  the  Lexington  alarm  the  following  dispatch 
was  received  here : 

"  Watertown,  Wednesday  morning. — To  all  the  friends  of  American  Liberty, 
he  it  known  that  this  morning,  before  break  of  day,  a  brigade  consisting  of 
about  1000  or  1200  men  landed  at  Pbipps'  farm,  in  t'ambridge,  and  marched  to 
Lexington,  where  they  found  a  company  of  our  colony  militia  in  arms,  upou 
whom  they  fired  without  any  provocatii>n  and  killed  six,  and  wounded  four  others. 
By  an  express  this  moment  from  Boston,  we  find  another  brigade  are  now  on 
the  march  from  Boston,  supposed  to  be  about  1000.  The  bearer,  Mr.  Isaac  Bis- 
sell,  is  charged  to  alarm  the  country  quite  to  Connecticut,  and  all  pereons  are 
desired  to  furnish  him  with  such  horses  as  they  may  Ije  needed.  I  have  spoke 
with  several  persons  who  have  seen  the  dead  and  wounded.  Pray,  let  the  dele- 
gates from  this  colony  to  C<innecticut  see  this ;  they  know. 

"Z.  Palmer,  one  of  the  Committee  of  Safety. 

"  Col.  Foster  is  one  of  the  delegates." 

A  company  of  Minute-Men  was  immediately  marched  to 
Boston.  This  company  consisted  of  sixty  men,  and  was  offi- 
cered as  follows:  Captain,  Gideon  Burt;  First  Lieutenant, 
Walter  Pynchon  ;  Second  Lieutenant,  Aaron  Steele.  From 
this  time  until  the  close  of  the  war  heavy  drafts  were  made  on 
Springfield  for  men  and  stores.  At  one  time  the  male  portion 
of  the  town  old  enough  to  carry  a  musket  was  so  nearly  de- 
populated that  many  of  the  men  who  were  drafted  paid  their 
fines,  being  compelled  to  this  course,  or  leave  their  families  in 
abject  poverty. 

The  town  responded  promptly  to  the  various  calls,  and 
Nov.  14,  1775,  the  sum  of  £52  14.s.  6rf.  was  appropriated  for 
paying  the  Minute-Men  and  providing  for  the  soldiers. 

In  January,  1770,  the  town  was  called  upon  to  furnish  12 
blankets.  In  the  following  June  a  call  for  44  men  was  made. 
These  each  received,  as  bounty,  £7. 

In  1778,  £780  were  voted  for  bounty  to  13  men.  Under  the 
call  for  troops  June  5th,  the  following  were  appointed  a  com- 
mittee to  assist  the  militia  officers  in  raising  the  men  :  Ensign 
P.  Chapin,  Capt.  Thomas  Stebbins,  Thomas  Williston,  Wil- 
liam Pynchon,  Jr.,  Capt.  David  Burt,  Maj.  Gideon  Burt,  and 
Luke  Bliss. 

Jan.  29,  1780,  |2400  in  "  hard  money,"  or  an  equivalent  in 
paper,  was  raised  for  men. 

SPRINGFIELD  IN  1776. 
The  village  of  Springfield  in  177G  was  but  a  collection  of 
about  150  houses,  a  court-house,  school-house,  and  a  solitary 
church.  Most  of  these  were  on  the  west  side  of  the  main  street, 
and  were  on  the  "home-lots,"  reaching  from  the  irregular 
main  street  back  to  the  river,  the  rear  of  which  was  used  for 


HISTORY   OF  HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


823 


pasture-lands.  On  the  east  side  of  the  main  street  was  the 
town  brcioli  and  the  "  hasseky  marish."  What  is  now  State 
Street  was  known  as  the  "causeway,"  from  the  fact  that  a 
corduroy-road  was  laid  across  the  marsh.  This  road  ran  over 
the  meadow,  over  Armory  Hill,  at  that  time  but  a  pine  plain, 
and  through  the  woods  to  the  Bay  Path.  Ferry  Lane  ran  from 
the  main  street  down  to  the  ferry  that  was  established  in  1G83. 
The  common  was  a  part  of  what  is  now  Court  Square.  The 
court-house,  built  in  17'2'2-23,  stood  in  the  middle  of  what  is 
now  Sanford  Street  and  jutting  out  into  the  road,  where  it 
was  occupied  for  many  j'cars,  and  about  1826,  after  the  erec- 
tion of  the  new  court-house,  was  transferred  to  the  parish. 
There  were  two  whipping-posts  near  this  temple  of  justice, 
one  directly  in  front  of  it,  the  other  an  elm-tree  which  was 
desecrated  by  that  use,  in  front  of  where  now  stands  H.  &  J. 
Brewer's  drug-store.  Near  the  court-house  and  a  little  south- 
east stood  the  school-house.  Near  the  buildings  and  on  the 
corner,  where  stands  the  savings-bank  building,  J.  &  J. 
Dwight  had  a  small  red  house  that  was  used  for  a  store.  On 
the  common  near  the  large  elm  stood  the  celebrated  Parsons 
tavern  which  afterward  became  famous  for  its  peripatetic 
changes,  and  now  finally  rests  on  Court  Street,  having  out- 
lived its  usefulness,  and  had  the  honor  of  sheltering  Wash- 
ington under  its  roof  May  21,  1789.  On  the  southwest  corner 
of  the  common  stood  the  church,  built  about  1750.  The  main 
entrance  was  toward  the  east.  The  square,  straight-backed 
pews,  high  pulpit,  huge  sounding-board,  broad  galleries,  and 
division  line  between  the  males  and  females,  were  all  there,  as 
was  customary  in  churches  of  that  day.  The  Kev.  Kobert 
Breck,  pastor  of  the  church,  occupied  the  parsonage,  where 
now  is  situated  the  Fallon  Block.  This  old  building  is  now 
on  Ilillman  Street,  between  Main  and  Dwight,  and  is  doing 
duty  as  a  laundry.  Clustered  around  the  old  Parsons  tavern, 
and  not  far  from  it,  were  the  tavern  kept  by  Moses  Church, 
where  Tinkham's  store  now  stands,  and  the  Worthington 
tavern,  near  the  corner  of  what  is  now  Bridge  and  Main 
Streets,  the  residences  of  Deacon  Daniel  Harris,  Daniel  Lom- 
bard, on  the  south  corner  of  Pynchon  and  Main  Streets, 
Wm.  Pynchon,  Jr.,  where  the  Haynes  House  now  stands,  and 
John  Pynchon,  across  the  way.  The  lots  on  which  these  dwell- 
ings were  built  were  mostly  original  home-lots.  Hon.  George 
Pynchon  lived  on  the  site  occupied  by  the  Goodrich  Block,  and 
Dr.  Chas.  Pynchon  on  the  corner  of  Main  Street  and  Ferry 
Lane,  in  whose  building  an  apothecary-store  was  kept. 

Nathaniel  Brewer  lived  down  Ferry  Lane,  on  the  bank  of 
the  river.  The  men  whose  names  are  here  given  are  found 
prominently  mentioned  in  the  early  legislation  of  the  town, 
and  connected  with  the  important  and  statesmanlike  views 
that  were  uttered  and  issued  at  the  agitation  of  the  Kevolu- 
tionary  war.  A  copy  of  the  action  of  the  several  committees, 
as  taken  from  the  Springfield  town  records  of  that  date,  will 
be  found  in  the  general  history. 

Above  these  residences,  along  the  line  of  the  street,  on  the 
west  side,  were  situated  the  dwellings  of  Joseph  Moores  and 
Thomas  Stebbins,  the  latter  of  whom  had  a  pottery  opposite 
his  place. 

Jonathan  Dwight  lived  where  Homer  Foote  &  Co.'s  block 
stands;  next  stood  the  Collins'  homestead  and  the  "  Old  Gaol" 
tavern,  and  the  Moses  Bliss  place,  and  Josiah  Dwight's  house, 
with  his  distillery  across  the  way. 

Luke  Bliss  lived  in  a  dwelling  opposite  the  Dwight  store, 
where  the  Webber  drug-store  stands.  Scattered  along  the 
river-side  toward  Mill  Kiver  lived  the  Elys,  Warners,  Burts, 
Ferrys,  Cooleys,  and  Jedediah  Bliss  and  others. 

The  village  at  this  time  had  but  six  streets,  the  plan  of 
which  is  shown  below.  Leading  westerly  from  Main  Street 
were  three  narrow  lanes, — Ferry  Lane  (Cypress  Street),  Meet- 
ing-House  Lane  (Elm  Street),  and  the  Lower  Landing,  or 
York  Street.  Leading  easterly  from  Main,  there  was  but  one 
street, — State.    This  was  laid  out  early,  across  what  was  known 


as  "hasseky  marish,"  and  was  made  passable  by  corduroy 
bridges.  It  was  a  toll  road.  In  addition  to  these  there  was 
the  beginning  of  Maple  Street,  or  what  was  then  known  as 
the  "road  to  Charles  Brewer's." 


MAP   OF   SPRINGFIELD,  1776. 

WASHINGTON'S   VISIT    TO    SPRINGFIELD. 
The  following  are  extracts  from  Washington's  diary,  refer- 
ring to  his  visit  to  this  town  and  its  neighborhood  in  the  fall 

of  1789: 

"Wednesday,  Oct.  21. — By  promise,  I  was  to  bare  breakfasted  at  Mr.  Ells- 
worth's, at  Wiodsor,  on  my  way  to  Springfield,  but  the  morning  proving  very 
wet,  and  the  rain  not  ceasing  till  past  10  o'clock,  I  did  not  set  out  till  half-after 
that  hour.  I  called,  however,  ou  Mr.  Ellsworth,  and  stayed  there  near  an  hour; 
reached  Springfield  by  4  o'clock,  and  while  dinuer  was  getting  examined  the 
Continental  stores  at  this  pliice,  which  I  found  in  very  good  order  at  the  build- 
ings (on  the  hill  above  the  town),  which  belong  to  the  United  States. 

"  The  barracks  (also  public  property)  are  going  fast  to  destruction,  and  in  a 
little  time  will  be  no  more,  without  repair. 

"  The  laboratory,  which  seems  to  be  a  good  building,  is  in  tolerably  good  re- 
pair, and  the  powder-magazine,  which  is  of  brick,  seems  to  be  in  excellent  order, 
and  the  powder  in  it  very  dry. 

"A  Col.  Worthington,  Col.  Williams,  Adjt.-Gen'l  of  the  State  of  Massachu- 
setts, Gen.  Shepherd,  Mr.  Lyman,  and  many  other  gentlemen,  sat  an  hour  or 
two  with  me  in  the  evening  at  Parson's  tavern,  where  I  lodged,  and  which  is  a 
good  house. 

"  About  six  miles  before  I  came  to  Springfield  I  left  the  State  of  Connecticut 
and  entered  that  of  Massachusetts.  The  distance  from  Hartford  to  Springfield 
is  28  miles.  At  the  latter  the  river  is  crossed  in  scows  set  over  with  poles,  and  is 
about  80  rods  wide.  Between  the  two  places  is  a  fall,  and  others  above  that, 
again, — nothwithstanding  which,  much  use  is  made  of  the  navigation  for  trans- 
portation in  flats  of  about  five  tons'  burden.  Seven  miles  on  this  side  Haitford 
is  Windsor,  a  tuleral'ly  pleasant  but  not  a  large  village.  Between  Windsor  and 
Suffleld  you  pass  through  a  level,  barren,  uncultivated  plain  for  several  miles. 

"  SufBeld  stands  high  and  pleasant;  the  land  good.  From  hence  you  descend 
into  another  plain,  where  the  lands— being  good— are  much  better  cultivated. 
The  whole  road  from  Hartford  to  Springfield  is  level  and  good,  except  being  too 
sandy  in  places,— and  the  fields  inclosed  with  posts  and  rails  generally,  there  not 
being  much  stone.  The  crops  of  corn,  except  on  the  interval  lands  on  the 
river,  are  more  indifferent  (though  not  bad)  in  the  eastern  than  we  found  in  the 
western  part  of  the  State  of  Connecticut. 

"  There  is  a  great  equality  in  the  people  of  this  State.  Few  or  no  opulent  men, 
and  no  poor.  Great  similitude  in  their  buildings,  the  general  fashion  of  which 
is  a  chimney  (always  of  brick  or  stone),  and  door  in  the  middle,  with  a  staircase 
fronting  the  latter,  running  up  by  the  side  of  the  former ;  two  flush  stories,  with 
a  very  good  show  of  sash  and  glass-windows ;  the  size  generally  from  30  to  50 
feet  in  length,  and  from  20  to  30  in  width,  exclusive  of  a  back  shed,  which 
seems  to  be  added  as  the  family  increases. 

"The  farms,  by  the  contiguity  of  the  houses,  are  small,  not  averaging  more 
than  100  acres.  They  are  worked  chiefly  by  oxen  (which  have  no  other  feed  than 
hay),  with  a  horse,  and  sometimes  two,  before  them,  both  in  plow  and  cart.  In 
their  light  lands  and  in  their  sleighs  they  work  horses,  but  find  them  much 
more  expensive  than  oxen. 

"  Springfield  is  on  the  east  side  of  Connecticut  River,  before  you  come  to  which 
a  large  branch  of  it,  called  Agawam,  is  crossed  by  a  bridge.  It  stands  under  the 
hill  on  the  interval  land,  and  has  only  one  meeting-house." 

EARLY  RESIDENTS. 
In  addition  to  William  Pynchon  and  his  son  John,  Henry 
Smith,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Moxon,  and  others  mentioned  on  a  pre- 
vious page,  there  were  several  other  early  residents,  though  at 
a  later  day  than  those  noted  above,  who  are  entitled  to  espe- 
cial mention. 


824 


HISTORY  OF  THE  CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


Prominent  among  the  number  who  figured  conspicuously  in 
the  aflairs  of  this  section  of  the  State  at  the  beginning  of  the 
Kevolution  Wiis  Hon.  Jolin  Worthington.  He  was  a  graduate 
of  Yale  College,  and  was  bred  to  the  Bar,  was  a  member  of 
the  Governor's  council,  colonel  in  the  militia,  and  a  magis- 
trate of  distinction  and  ability.  He  was  a  wealthy  man,  and 
is  said  to  have  been  of  a  haughty  and  imperious  nature,  and 
Avas  called  one  of  the  gods  of  the  Connecticut  Valley.  His  sway 
seemed  to  be  complete  over  this  town,  and  Joseph  Ferre  once 
exclaimed,  "  John  Worthington  rules  this  town  with  a  rod  of 
iron  I"  It  is  said  that  at  the  brealving  out  of  the  Revolution 
his  sympathies  were  with  Great  Britain,  but  whether  this  was 
true  or  not,  certain  it  is  that  when  questioned  by  the  town 
committee  in  regard  to  his  politics,  he  explained  his  position 
in  so  satisfactory  a  manner  that  the  committee,  bj'  Nathaniel 
Brewer,  its  chairman,  "  recommended  him  to  the  favorable 
opinion  of  the  public,  and  to  the  treatment  and  respect  due  to 
a  friend  of  his  country."  "  This  town,  having  heard  him  on 
the  same  matters,  voted  themselves  also  satisfied  therewith." 

Col.  Worthington  owned  the  first  umbrella  in  the  town, 
— not,  however,  for  use  in  rain,  but  as  a  sunshade.  Of  his 
daughters,  one  married  Jonathan  Bli.ss,  one  Col.  Thomas 
Dwight,  another  the  celebrated  Fisher  Ames,  while  the 
youngest  became  the  wife  of  a  Mr.  Williams,  of  Wethers- 
field,  Conn.     He  died  in  April,  1800. 

A  prominent  representative  of  "ye  olden  time,"  and  about 
the  last  of  the  "  silk-stocking,  short-breeches,  and  silver-shoe- 
buckle  gentry,"  was  Jonathan  Dwight.  He  was  a  native  of 
Dedham,  Mass.,  although  he  came  here  from  Halifax,  Nova 
Scotia,  at  about  the  age  of  ten  years.  As  mentioned  on  a 
previous  page,  he  was  one  of  the  firm  of  J.  &  J.  Dwight,  whose 
store  was  located  on  the  site  now  occupied  by  the  savings- 
bank  building.  "He  was  of  small  stature,"  says  Dr.  Alfred 
Booth,  in  his  .sketches  of  Springfield,  "  active  habits,  nervous 
temperament,  a  great  smoker,  lighting  his  pipe  in  summer 
with  a  burning-glass,'  and  described  by  many  who  remember 
him  as  often  crossing  the  street  in  such  a  cloud  of  smoke  as  to 
be  nearly  invisible. "  After  speaking  of  his  custom  of  wearing 
short  breeches  and  silk  stockings,  Dr.  Booth  adds:  "Rather 
scant  clothing,  the  boys  thought,  who  knew  of  his  practice  of 
going  out  to  fodder  the  cows  before  daylight  or  breakfast,  cold 
winter  mornings,  with  his  stockings  down  about  his  heels,  and 
rubbing  his  legs  when  he  came  in  to  get  up  a  circulation,  as 
he  said."  He  was  the  chief  mover  in  the  organization  of 
the  Unitarian  Church,  and  built  the  church  edifice  and  pre- 
sented it  to  the  society.  He  died  in  1831,  aged  eighty-eight 
years.  He  was  grandfather  of  George  Dwight  and  Mrs. 
Homer  Foot,  both  of  whom  are  residents  of  this  city.  An- 
other grandchild,  now  deceased,  was  the  wife  of  Hon.  George 
Bancroft,  United  States  Minister  to  Prussia,  who  at  one  time 
was  a  resident  of  Springfield.  The  other  member  of  the  old- 
time  house  of  J.  &.  J.  Dwight  was  Josiah  Dwight,  a  cousin 
of  Jonathan,  through  whose  influence  the  latter  came  to  this 
place.  He  was  here  in  the  mercantile  business  as  early  as 
1753. 

One  of  the  ablest  lawyers  prior  to  the  Revolution  was  Jon- 
athan Bliss,  who  studied  his  profession  with  Col.  John  Worth- 
ington. He  represented  the  town  at  Boston  several  times,  and 
in  1768  was  stigmatized  as  one  of  the  famous  "  rescinders." 
It  seems  that  a  measure  which  was  regarded  as  revolutionary 
in  its  character  had  been  passed  by  the  General  Court,  and 
when  the  king  and  council  called  for  the  rescinding  of  the 
action,  17  voted  aye, — Bliss  being  among  the  number, — to  90 
in  the  negative.  This  course  rendered  him  somewhat  unpop- 
ular, and  he  went  to  England,  and  subsequently  located  in 
Fredericton,  New  Brunswick,  where  he  was  chosen  king's 
attorney,  afterward  chief-justice  of  the  Court  of  King's 
Bench.  He  married  a  daughter  of  Col.  Worthington,  in 
1791.  One  of  his  sons  became  a  lawyer  in  London  ;  another, 
chief-justice  of  the  Court  of  Queen's  Bench  in  Nova  Scotia. 


Luke  Bliss,  brother  of  Jonathan,  was  also  prominently 
identified  with  the  interests  of  Springfield,  and  at  various 
times  represented  the  town  in  the  General  Court  at  Boston. 

Among  other  early  residents,  most  of  whom  were  promi- 
nently identified  with  the  atfairs  of  the  old  town,  are  men- 
tioned the  names  of  Moses  Church,  Maj.  William,  Maj. 
William,  Jr.,  Walter,  Edward,  and  Dr.  Charles  Pynchon, 
Rev.  B.  Howard,  Rev.  Robert  Breck,  Nathaniel  Brewer, 
Samuel  Lyman,  Joseph  Stebbins,  Thomas  Stebbins,  Elizur 
Williams,  Col.  William  Smith,  numerous  members  of  the 
Chapin  family,  etc. 

Among  the  prominent  men  who  have  b^en  residents  of 
Springfield,  other  than  those  whose  names  appear  in  the  chap- 
ters on  the  war,  press,  medical  profession,  and  churches,  may 
be  mentioned  the  names  of  Enos  Hitchcock,  D.D.,  Calvin 
Chapin,  D.D.,  William  Harris,  D.D.,  Hon.  Benjamin  P. 
Wade,  United  States  Senator  from  Ohio,  Francis  Warriner, 
an  able  writer,  Worthington  Hooljer,  M.D.,  and  Hon.  David 
A.  Wells. 

INITIAL  EVENTS. 

During  the  Revolutionary  times  the  inhabitants  were  de- 
barred of  man}'  of  the  conveniences  of  life  which  had  here- 
tofore been  supplied  from  the  mother-country,  and  not  among 
the  least  of  these  was  the  common  red  earthenware,  and  it 
was  no  trivial  event  in  the  history  of  the  little  hamlet  when 
a  pottery  was  established  by  Capt.  Thomas  Stebbins.  It  was 
located  at  the  east  side  of  the  town  street.  The  clay,  which 
was  brought  from  Long  Hill,  was  pulverized  by  a  mill  similar 
to  the  old  bark-mills,  and  was  then  moulded  into  crocks  and 
baked. 

It  is  evident  that  clocks  were  not  among  the  household 
goods  of  the  first  settlers.  There  was  but  one  in  the  place  as 
late  as  1753.  It  was  owned  by  Josiah  Dwight,  and  was  a 
great  curiosity  to  the  people,  who  used  to  stop  and  hear  it 
strike. 

It  was  as  late  as  1810  when  the  first  piano  was  brought  in 
the  village.  It  belonged  to  David  Ames,  and  it  seems  was 
quite  a  wonder,  as  the  people  would  stop  and  listen  to  the 
sounds.  The  second  one  in  the  village,  in  1822,  was  that  of 
James  S.  Dwight. 

Cooking-stoves  were  introduced  here  in  about  the  year  1810, 
but  did  not  come  into  general  use  until  many  years  later. 
About  ten  years  ago  the  plates  of  an  old  cooking-stove,  which 
for  a  long  time  had  been  in  the  possession  of  Justin  Ely,  in 
West  Springfield,  were  in  the  possession  of  Mr.  W.  L.  Wil- 
cox. The  stove  was  doubtless  one  of  the  earliest  in  this  sec- 
tion, as  one  of  the  plates  bore  the  stamp  of  "Philadelphia, 
1774."  The  castings  of  this  stove  probably  weighed  800  or 
900  pounds. 

One  of  the  first  dealers  in  stoves  was  Daniel  Bontecou. 
Philip  Wilcox  was  also  an  early  dealer  in  and  inventor  of 
stoves. 

The  first  dentist  who  administered  to  the  wants  of  the  peo- 
ple was  Dr.  Appleton,  in  1825.  He  was  followed,  in  1826, 
by  Dr.  Darrah.  Otis  H.  Cooley  made  the  first  daguerreotypes 
in  1843. 

EARLY  TAVERNS. 

One  of  the  earliest  taverns  in  this  place  was  known  as  the 
Parson's  Inn,  and  stood  near  the  centre  of  what  is  now  Court 
Square.  Here  Gen.  Washington  lodged  upon  his  visit  to  the 
town  in  1789. 

Another  of  the  representative  inns  of  "  ye  olden  time"  was 
that  kept  by  John  Worthington,  father  of  Col.  Worthington, 
who  was  styled  one  of  the  "  River  Gods."  This  was  located  on 
lands  between  Bridge  and  Worthington  Streets,  originally 
allotted  to  Jehu  Burr.  In  this  building  Col.  Worthington 
died.  After  his  death  it  was  clo.sed  for  a  time,  but  during  the 
war  of  1812  was  reopened  and  kept  by  Elijah  Goodrich. 

One  of  the  places  of  "entertainment  for  man  and  beast" 


HISTORY  OF  HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


825 


])iior  to  tlic  Itcvdliitiun  was  the  tavern  of  Maj.  Joseph  Steb- 
bius,  which  was  located  on  the  west  side  of  the  "  town  street," 
nearly  opposite  the  present  Carew  Street.  The  old  tavern 
and  its  hospitable  landlurd  tigured  somewhat  conspicuously 
during  the  I'evolution.  It  is  said  that  at  one  time  Maj. 
Stebbins  had  his  cellar  full  of  rum  and  molasses,  the  plun- 
der of  American  privateers.  It  was  stored  far  inland  to 
avoid  seizure  by  the  British.  An  army  paymaster  once  left 
several  thousand  dollars  with  Maj.  Stebbins,  in  Continental 
moiie}',  until  he  should  return,  and  the  landlord  rested  uneasy 
MS  the  custodian  of  so  much  wealth,  until  its  depreciation 
rendered  it  worthless.  During  Shays'  insurrection  a  party 
under  the  command  of  Parsons  were  at  one  time  quartered  in 
this  old  house. 

The  old  building  known  in  1774  as  the  Hitchcock  House 
occupied  the  present  site  of  Emei-y  Court.  A  barn  in  the 
rear  of  this  building  was  used  as  a  laboratory  for  the  manu- 
facture of  cartridges.  This  house  was  purchased  in  1774  of 
Moses  Church  by  Ebenezer  Stebbins. 

The  "Old  Gaol  Tavern"  was  another  famous  resort.  The 
jail  was  built  of  logs,  and  was  anne.ved  to  the  rear  of  the 
Uivern.  In  1792,  when  the  courts  were  removed  to  North- 
ampton, the  jail  was  abolished,  but  tlio  tavern  was  still  open 
as  late  as  1810,  and  was  kept  bj-  William  Colton.  Another 
old  hostelry  of  this  period  was  the  Bates  Tavern,  which  was 
located  on  the  site  now  occupied  by  the  Fort  Block.  This  was 
one  of  the  most  noted  hotels  in  all  New  England,  rendered 
famous  by  the  royal  entertainment  given  travelers  b}'  "  Uncle 
Jerry"  and  "Aunt  Pliebe,"  as  the  host  and  hostess  were 
familiarly  called. 

In  1821  the  "  Hampden  Coffee-House"  was  erected.  It 
stood  on  the  nortii  side  of  Court  Square.  Below  is  given  a 
cut  of  the  building. 


HAMl'UKN 


iFrKK-iiorsK. 


As  time  passed  on,  and  the  city  grew  in  wealth  and  popula- 
tion, it  soon  became  evident  that  the  importance  of  the  place 
demanded  additional  hotel  accommodations  of  a  better  class, 
and  in  1841  the  Massasoit  House  enterprise  was  started.  The 
Judge  Hooker  property  was  purchased  by  Israel  M.  Par- 
sons and  Marvin  Chapin,  in  1841,  for  the  sum  of  $8000,  and 
in  the  same  year  a  contract  made  with  Capt.  Chas.  McClallan, 
of  Chicopee,  for  the  erection  of  a  building.  The  financial  de- 
pression of  1842  came,  which  seemed  to  paralyze  the  enterprise 
for  a  time,  and  finally  Mr.  Chapin  purchased  Mr.  Parsons'  in- 
terest, and  took  into  partnership  with  him  his  brother,  Ethan 
S.,  at  that  time  keeping  a  hotel  at  Chicopee.  Under  this  i3rm 
the  erection  of  the  building  w^as  commenced,  and  the  first  room 
completed  was  the  barber-shop,  in  the  basement,  early  in  June, 
1843.  During  the  same  month  the  hotel  was  opened.  Some 
difficulty  was  experienced  in  securing  a  name  for  the  building, 
and  finally  a  gentleman  from  Boston  suggested  Massasoit,  and 
soon  after  the  barber  inquired  the  name  of  the  house,  as  he 
wanted  to  advertise  his  shop,  and,  upon  being  told  that  the 
name  of  Massasoit  had  been  mentioned,  announced  the  open- 
ing of  his  shop  under  the  Massasoit  House. 

Thus  was  the  name  given  to  a  house  whieli  has  since  become 
famous  both  in  this  country  and  Europe,  and  nuich  credit  is 
104 


due  to  its  enterprising  progenitors,  and  those  through  whose 
labor  and  influence  it  has  reached  its  present  enviable  reputa- 
tion. Numerous  locally-famous  banquets  have  been  served  at 
the  Massasoit,  and  Kossuth  once  held  a  reception  here. 
Among  the  distinguished  men  who  have  spoken  from  the 
balcony  may  be  mentioned  Daniel  Webster,  Edward  Everett, 
Jefferson  Davis,  Wendell  Phillips,  Andrew  Johnson,  Kossuth, 
Gen.  Benjamin  P.  Butler,  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  Gen.  Mc- 
Clellan,  and  Gen.  Sherman.  Gen.  Grant  has  also  bowed  his 
acknowledgments  from  this  balcony,  and  in  addition  to  other 
distinguished  men  Secretary  Seward  and  Charles  Dickens  have 
been  housed  under  its  hospitable  roof. 

HAYNE.S'    HOTEL. 

This  large  and  commodious  hotel  was  erected  by  Tilly 
Haynes.  In  1870  it  was  purchased  by  Emerson  Gaylord  and 
E.  C.  Goodman.  It  present  proprietors  are  C.  H.  Goodman 
&Co. 

THE   COOLEY    HOTEL 

was  erected  by  J.  M.  Coole}'  in  1849,  and  he  has  since  been 
its  proprietor. 

Other  hotels  are  the  Belmont,  Evans  House,  Mansion 
House,  Converse  House,  Marshall  House,  Pynchon  Hou.se,  etc. 

SLAVERY  IX  SPRINGFIELD. 

"Slaveholders"  lived  in  Massachusetts  during  the  Kevo- 
lutiimary  period,  as  well  as  in  the  sunny  South,  but  they  were 
few  in  number.  Jonathan  Dwight  was  a  slaveholder  to  the 
extent  of  one  genuine  negro,  named  Andrew.  Mr.  Dwight, 
it  is  said,  was  among  the  number  who  doubted  the  policy  of 
arming  against  Great  Britain,  and,  hearing  that  his  cattle  were 
to  be  seized  by  the  colonists,  he  dispatched  the  negr.j  Andrew 
with  them  to  Stafi'ord,  Conn.  It  is  also  said  that  ho  removed 
his  best  furniture  thither. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  present  century  a  runaway  slave 
woman  from  Schenectady,  N.  Y.,  came  to  this  town,  bringing 
her  son,  then  a  small  boy.  She  subsequently  married  old  Jack, 
a  negro,  who  is  said  to  have  been  a  slave  in  Longmeadow.  In 
February,  1808,  her  old  master,  Peter  Van  Gej-scling,  hear- 
ing of  her  whereabouts,  came  and  arrested  her.  She  was  ar- 
raigned before  John  Hooker,  and,  says  Dr.  Alfred  Booth, 
"  when  asked  by  her  master  if  he  had  not  alwa3's  used  her 
well,  replied,  'yes,  hut  her  mistress  hadn't.'  Old  Jack  cried, 
and  Oliver  B.  Morris,  then  a  young  man,  finding  out  what 
was  going  on,  gave  the  master  a  sharp  lecture  on  his  con- 
duct." 

The  case  doubtless  created  considerable  excitement  in  the 
town,  as  a  subscription  was  started  by  the  Itev.  Mr.  Howard, 
for  the  purpose  of  raising  §100,  for  which  amount  Mr.  Van 
Gej'seling  agreed  to  relinquish  his  title  to  the  "property." 
Charles  Howard,  son  of  the  parson,  circulated  the  paper,  the 
money  was  raised,  a  bill  of  sale  given  to  the  selectmen  of  the 
town,  John  Hooker,  Thomas  Dwight,  and  George  Bliss,  "  of 
a  negro  woman,  called  Jenny,  about  thirty  years  of  age." 
The  sums  subscribed  were  as  follows  :  Bezaleel  Howard,  Jas. 
Byers,  Jr.,  Thomas  Dwight,  and  Daniel  Lombard,  §10  each  ; 
0.  B.  Morris,  Ebenezer  Tucker,  James  Byers,  Mary  Lyman, 
Daniel  Bontecou,  Solomon  AVarriner,  Mrs.  Worthington, 
Mrs.  Dwight,  Geo.  Bli.ss,  §5  each;  W.  Cooley,  Mary  Smith, 
Sarah  Hooker,  Jemima  Lyman,  |!3  each;  William  Pynchon, 
and  Simon  Negro,  §2  each.  The  original  hill  and  subscrip- 
tion paper  are  in  the  City  Library.  The  master  subsequently 
came  for  the  boy,  but  he  fled  to  the  mountains  in  Wilbraham, 
where  he  was  living  with  a  Mr.  Beebe,  and  the  pursuit  was 
abandoned. 

The  spirit  of  abolition  which  manifested  itself  at  such  an 
early  period  assumed  definite  shape  about  the  year  1840, 
when  the  first  political  abolition  organization  in  the  town  was 
eft'ected,  and  was  known  as  The  Liberty  Party.  The  follow- 
ing is  a  copy  of  the  original  document : 


826 


HISTORY   OF  THE   CONNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


"We,  the  sulieciiltore,  legal  voteiB  of  llie  town  of  Siiijutctiolil,  hereliy  jilerigo 
ourselves  to  sustain  the  pririeiptes  of  the  IJbeity  pnrty  ly  our  votes  at  the 
l)olls:  Jonas  C'ooli>It;e,  George  \V.  ("allcuiler,  Iletij.  Itiitliliuii,  llorat-e  Gel-onne, 
James  Sanderson,  F.  F.  Itiiler,  Channcey  t'luipiii,  Janu-s  (inild,  1-yniaii  Ilitcli- 

coik,  I.ntlier   Hliss,  fieorge  A.  Cresset,  B.  A.  linllaril,  Harvey  I ke,  Amos  Hire, 

Otis  Loraliar.l,  C'alvin  Hunter,  Aina/.ii  Mayo,  li.  L.  Warner,  laitlier  Culler, 
KnCus  Elmer,  II.  I).  Ilriiman,  Noiman  Noiton,  John  M.  Woo.l,  I).  Ti.  liiee,  Tlios. 
Collier,  Geo.  Stelil.ins,  Klionezer  Graves,  Harvey  lirewer,  B.  C.  M.  Uupp,  J.  A. 
Jli.xter,  N.  A.  Welhnan.  Jolin  Ashley,  St.'phen  Hills,  John  Miisteis,  Samuel  O. 
Gay,  Kl>hraim  Lyon,  A.  W.  WaK-ott,  HI.  (■l(^ugll,  Geoige  Cooley,  R.  White,  .lames 
S.  Curtis,  James  Pease,  Annis  Call,  O.  Baitlett,  S.  I'.  Hood,  .lames  Sikes,  II.  A. 
Ferre,  Luther  liliss,  .Ir.,  Rilfus  Riie,  Win.  Mellen,  Joel  Miller,  Oliver  liaTtlett, 
Koljert  Crossett,  1).  A.  Adams,  Kd«  in  Klls,  Chas.  Ashley,  James  Cliapin,  Mai  viu 
Welliuan,  E.  W.  Ilickiiison,  Elisha  Bliss,  Jr.,  Martin  Clia|iin,  O.  Baker,  Sanniel 
Daniels,  lien.iainin  Kldridge,  Mark  N.  Staples,  Amaziah  Bollens.  Aslihel  Eaton, 

George  Miller,   11.  E.  Ladd.   M.  I' Met Ilopliiii   Searl,  V.   Streeter,  Edwin 

Booth,  Karl  Woodwi.itli,  llavid  Smith,  Ei.hiaim  Bullard,  Julius  Appleton,  E.  I". 
Jenks,  Thomas  I),  llawkes,  L.  N.  Croeker.  Dennis  Cook,  Horace  W.  Ladd,  Orin 
Wilson,  John  Ivilhon,  H.  G.  Amadou,  A.  D.  Sheld.in,  Isaae  C.  Bridge,  Amos  (>. 
Bridge,  John  W.  Biidgc,  Orriii  Newton,  S.  B.  Pratt,  A.  A.  Cook,  N.  Braueli,  Sr., 
J.  G.  Taylor,  Chester  Osljorue,  Lyman  Wood,  Lewis  Dart,  Henry  Apideton,  S.  P. 
Chapiii,  A.  B.  (^laiie,  II.  Dilihle,  J.  Ililihle,  Benjamin  Hall,  James  P.  Chapman, 

Z.  Wood,  K.  Pratt,  Joli  n  Wi  ight.  It.  JI.  Cooley, \\'ilder,  James  Osgood,  F. 

B.  Bacon,  .T.  K.  llixon,  Wm.  Bryant,  A.  Tonilinson,  B.  Hnhbard,  L.  Mclntyre, 
Luther  C.  C!ai)p,  Win.  Gilmore,  Lnman  Danks,  Hiram  Daiiks,  L.  A.  Hubbard, 
1>.  Elleiiwociil,  Austin  Ely,  Eber  Wright,  Gibis  S.  Chapin,  W.  P.  Addison,  Olis 
Skeelc,  Samuel  Clark,  Jr.,  Eraj^tus  Stebbiiis,  Daniel  Rathbone,  Ste]ihen  Ferre, 
tirrin  Doane,  A.  W.  Rice,  Martin  Chapin,  Daniel  Goss,  Samuel  Walker,  John 
Hall,  Richard  Walkley,  Moses  Hitchcock." 

BANKS    AND    INSURANCE    COMPANIES. 

THE    FIRST    NATIONAL    BANK 

of  this  city  was  the  fourteenth  bank  organized  iintler  the 
national  banlcing  system,  April  4,  1803.  The  Urst  board  of 
directors  was  as  follows :  James  Kirkham,  Henry  Morris,  O. 
H.  Greenlief,  Daniel  B.  Wesson,  Samuel  Norris,  William  K. 
Baker,  and  George  E.  Howard.  The  first  jiresident  was  Jas. 
Kirkham,  and  the  first  cashier  James  D.  Salford.  The 
latter  wa.s  succeeded  by  D.  A.  Folsom,  who  in  turn  was  suc- 
ceeded by  the  present  cashier,  Julius  H.  Appleton.  The 
present  board  of  directors  (1878)  is  as  follows:  James  Kirk- 
ham (president),  Henry  Morris,  Tim.  Henry,  E.  Trask,  O.  H. 
Greenlief,  John  Olmstead,  George  E.  Howard,  Julius  H.  Ap- 
pleton, and  W.  H.  Wesson.     Capital,  §400,000. 

THK  SECOND  NATIONAL  BANK 
is  the  successor  of  the  old  "Springfield  Bank,"  which  was 
organized  in  1814,  with  Jonathan  Dwight  as  president  and 
Edward  Pynchon  cashier.  The  first  board  of  directors  was 
composed  of  Jonathan  Dwight,  John  Hooker,  James  Byers, 
Jonathan  Dwight,  Jr.,  and  Moses  Bliss,  Jr.  The  original 
capital  of  the  bank  was  $100,000.  This  was  increased  to 
.51-50,000  in  1819,  to  §250,000  in  IS'iS,  and  to  §300,000  in  1849. 
The  officers  of  the  old  bank  from  its  organization  to  1864  were 
as  follows:  Presidents,  Jonathan  Dwight,  1814-17;  John 
Hooker,  1817-29;  Jonathan  Dwight,  Jr.,  1829-3.3;  James 
Byers,  1833-36;  John  Howard,  1836-49;  Benjamin  Day, 
1849-56;  E.' A.  Morris,  1850-59 ;  Henry  Alexander,  18.59-64. 
Cashiers,  Edward  Pynchon,  1814-15;  Moses  Bliss,  1815-16 ; 
Benjamin  Day,  18113-21  ;  John  How;ird,  1821-30  ;  Lewis 
Warriner,  1830-04. 

The  bank  was  reorganized  as  the  Sccotid  National  Bank 
Jan.  5,  1864,  with  Mr.  Alexander  president  and  Mr.  Warriner 
cashier.  Mr.  Alexander  died  in  July,  1878,  and  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Alfred  Rowe,  the  present  president.  Mr.  Warriner 
is  the  present  cashier,  having  ofliciated  in  that  capacity  more 
than  forty  .years,  beginning  as  cashier  of  the  old  Springfield 
Bank  in  1830.  The  present  board  is  as  follows  :  Alfred  Kowe, 
Gordon  Bill,  William  Gunn,  Horace  Kibbe,  Hinsdale  Smith, 
Albert  D.  Briggs,  Albert  T.  Folsom,  Henry  M.  Philipps,  and 
Virgil  Perkins.     Capital,  .§300,000. 

THE    TIIIKD    NATIONAL    BANK 

was  organized  March  10,  18-54,  and  the  following  composed 
the  first  board  of  directors:  George  Walker,  John  Wells,  E. 
Freeman,  Joseph  C.  Parsons,  Aaron  Bagg,  Joseph  Carew, 


and  Clark  W.  Bryan.  The  bank  has  had  but  two  presidents, — 
George  Walker,  served  from  1804  to  1872,  and  was  succeeded 
by  the  present  incumbent,  Joseph  C.  Parsons,  who  was  chosen 
Jan.  15, 1872.  F.  H.  Harris,  the  present  cashier,  has  officiated 
in  that  capacity  since  the  organization  of  the  bank. 

The  present  board  of  directors  is  as  follows  :  Aanm  Bagg,- 
Joseph  Carew,  Henry  A.  Gould,  James  H.  Newton,  N.  A. 
IjConaid,  J.  S.  McElwain,  C.  L.  Covell,  and  F.  H.  Harris. 
Cajiital,  §500,000. 

THE    JOHN    HANCOCK    NATIONAL    BANK 

is  the  successor  of  the  "John  Hancock  Bank"  which  was  or- 
ganized in  1850,  with  J.  M.  Thompson  as  ]iresident,  and  E.  D. 
Chapin  cashier.  The  bank  was  reorganized  as  a  national 
bank  in  1865,  and  Col.  Thompson  was  succeeded  by  K.  S. 
Moore,  who  is  the  present  president.  E.  D.  Chapin  remained 
as  cashier,  and  is  the  present  cashier.  The  present  board  of 
directors  is  as  follows:  E.  S.  Moore,  Col.  J.  M.  Thompson, 

E.  Gunn,  W.  W.  Wilkinson,  A.  L.  Soule,  John  Kimberly, 
and  E.  C.  Kogers. 

THE  CHICOPEE  NATIONAL  BANK 
is  the  successor  of  the  "  Chicopee  Bank,"  which  was  organized 
May  2,  1830.  The  first  directors  were  as  follows  :  George 
Bliss,  Wells  Lathrop,  Edward  A.  Morris,  James  Brewer, 
Albert  Morgan,  Sable  Eogers,  W^illiam  Bryant,  and  Elislui 
Edwards  ;  George  Bliss,  President;  Henry  Seymour,  Cashier. 

Mr.  Seymour  resigned  Jan.  23,  1841,  and  March  19,  1841, 
Mr.  B.  F.  Warner  was  elected  cashier ;  and  April  1,  1846, 
Mr.  George  Bliss  resigned  the  presidency,  and  Theodore  Bliss 
was  elected  in  his  ph^ce ;  Feb.  29,  18-56,  B.  F.  Warner  re- 
signed as  cashier,  and  T.  Warner,  Jr.,  was  elected  to  fill  the 
vacancy,  and  is  at  present  cashier.  In  June,  1850,  Mr.  Theo- 
dore Bliss,  the  president,  died,  and  Mr.  P.  F.  Wilcox  was 
designated  to  act  as  a  special  director  of  the  bank  until 
further  action.  Oct.  9,  1850,  Mr.  P.  F.  Wilcox  was  elected 
president ;  Dec.  31,  1865,  Mr.  Wilcox  resigned  the  presidency, 
and  Mr.  James  D.  Brewer  was  elected  to  fill  the  vacancy,  Jan. 
2,  1865.  Jan.  22,  1806,  Mr.  J.  D.  Brewer  declined  a  re-elec- 
tion, and  Mr.  Henry  S.  Lee  was,  at  this  meeting,  chosen  presi- 
dent. Jan.  12,  1869,  Mr.  Lee  declined  a  re-election,  and  Mr. 
Henry  Fuller,  Jr.,  was  chosen  president  pi-o  tern.,  and  Jan. 
11,  1870,  Mr.  Fuller  was  chosen  president,  and  continues  as 
such. 

The  directors  in  1878  were  Henry  Fuller,  Jr.,  James  D. 
Brewer,  Henry  S.  Lee,  Horace  Smith,  George  L.  Wright, 
Varnum  N.  Taylor,  Andrew  J.  Mcintosh.  Henry  Fuller, 
Jr.,  was  president;  Thomas  Warner,  Jr.,  cashier;  Arthur 
B.  West,  assistant  cashier.     The  capital  is  $400,000. 

THE  PYNCHON  NATIONAL  BANK 
was  organized  June  18,  1853,  as  a  "State  bank,"  and  the  first 
directors  were  H.  N.  Case,  Willis  Phelps,  Jas.  B.  Kumrill, 
Jos.  C.  Pynchon,  E.  W.  Bond,  Charles  Merriam,  William 
Stowe,  R.  S.  Moore,  Horner  Foot.  The  following  is  a  list  of 
the  presidents  and  cashiers  from  its  organization  to  1879; 
Presidents:  H.  N.  Case,  1853-57;  James  Kirkham,  1857-62; 
H.  N.  Case,  1862-78.     Cashiers:  H.  Alexander,  Jr.,  1853-58; 

F.  H.  Harris,  1858-64;  J.  D.  Safibrd,  1864-66;  Charles 
Marsh,  1866. 

The  bank  was  reorganized  as  a  national  bank,  April  28, 
1805.  The  original  capital  was  §1-50,000,  which  was  increased 
to  §200,000,  Oct-  11,  1809- 

THE  AQAWAM  NATIONAL  BANK 
is  the  successor  of  the  old  "  Agawam  Bank,"  which  was  or- 
ganized March  11,  1840,  with  a  capital  of  §100,000.  The  first 
board  of  directors  was  as  follows :  C.  W.  Chapin,  Jas.  Barnes, 
Horatio  Lyon,  Wells  Southworth,  Albert  Morgan,  J.  B. 
Vinton,  John  L.  King,  and  Addison  Ware.  C.  W.  Chapin 
was  the  first  president,  and  F.  S.  Bailey  cashier.   April  20, 1865, 


r 


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■|i|i| 


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HISTORY   OF   HAMPDEN    COUNTY. 


the  institution  was  reorganized  as  a  national  tank,  with  a 
capital  of  §300,000,  with  Marvin  Chapin  as  president,  and 
Mr.  Bailey  continuinfc  as  cashier.  Mr.  Chapin  was  subse- 
quently succeeded  by  tlie  present  president,  Sir.  H.  S.  Hyde. 
The  first  hoard  of  directors  of  the  national  bank  was  as  fol- 
lows: D.  L.  Harris,  J.  B.  M.  Stebbins,  J.  E.  Vinton,  S.  C. 
Bemis,  M.  Chapin,  Lombard  Dale,  Edward  Southworth,  R. 
Ashley,  and  J.  A.  Kumrill.  The  present  board  is  as  follows  : 
H.  S.  Hyde,  Marvin  Chapin,  Cliiirlcs  O.  Chapin,  T.  M.  Brown, 
P.  S.  Bailey,  D.  E.  Smith,  John  H.  Southworth,  G.  B.  Hol- 
brook,  and  L.  J.  Powers.     Present  capital,  $.500,000. 

THE    SPRINGFIELD    IN.STITVTIOX    FOR   SAVIXOS 

was  incorporated  June  10,  1827.  The  incorporators  were  as 
follows:  Barzaleel  Howard,  Israel  E.  Trask,  Daniel  Bontecou, 
Daniel  Lambert,  Robert  Enery,  Frederick  A.  Ponchard, 
John  Ingersoll,  Joshua  Frost,  Oliver  B.  Morris,  Samuel 
Orne,  John  B.  Kirkham,  and  Henry  Brewer.  The  first 
president  was  Jolin  Hooker,  and  the  first  vice-presidents  were 
George  Bliss,  J.  Dwight,  Jr.,  Daniel  Ames,  Roswell  Lee,  J. 
Chatt'ee,  Joshua  Frost,  Robert  Enery,  and  John  Ingersoll. 
The  trustees  were  Daniel  Bontecou,  J.  B.  Kirkham,  Diah 
Allen,  Samuel  Han.sliaw,  AVilliam  Child,  Joseph  "Weather- 
head,  Benjamin  Day,  William  F.  Wokott,  George  Bliss,  Jr., 
Charles  Stearns,  Moses  Bliss  {'2d),  Oliver  B.  Marsh,  Justus 
"Willard,  and  Samuel  Reynolds.  John  Howard  was  the  first 
treasurer,  and  Samuel  Reynolds  secretary.  The  following 
have  served  as  presidents  from  its  organization  to  the  present 
time,  viz. :  John  Hooker,  George  Bliss,  Theo.  Bliss,  J.  Hooker, 
and  Col.  J.  M.  Thompson.  President  Hooker  died  in  1870, 
after  having  served  twenty-six  years,  and  was  succeeded  by 
Col.  J.  M.  Thompson,  the  present  president. 

The  first  depositor  was  Marshall  Blake,  now  collector  of 
internal  revenue  for  New  York  City, — amount,  §-10.  The 
total  amount  of  deposits  for  the  year  1828  was  §-520.50.  The 
ninth  depositor  was  Judge  Henry  Morris,  and  the  tenth  James 
D.  Brewer.  In  18J4,  'William  Dwight,  Robert  E.  Bemis, 
and  T.  W.  Carter  were  appointed  agents  to  receive  deposits 
from  Cabotville  and  Chicojiee  Falls.  In  this  year  Henry 
Vose  was  dioscn  secretary.  In  184!),  when  the  institution 
was  moved  from  the  Springfield  Bank  to  the  Foster  Block, 
corner  of  Main  and  State  Streets,  the  deposits  amounted  to 
§180,958.  In  1849,  Edward  A.  Morris  was  chosen  treasurer, 
but  declined  to  serve,  and  Henry  Stearns  was  elected  instead. 
In  1858,  Mr.  Stearns  resigned,  and  May  10th,  the  same  year, 
Henry  S.  Lee  was  elected  treasurer,  and  still  continues.  The 
deposits  this  year  were  S(i09,0C4.C0.  In  1853,  W.  S.  Shurtletf 
was  chosen  secretary,  and  is  the  present  secretary.  In  1867, 
when  the  bank  moved  to  its  present  location,  the  deposits 
amounted  to  §1,836,022.88.  In  1870,  Mr.  Hooker,  who  had 
officiated  as  president  twenty-six  years,  died,  and  Col.  J.  M. 
Thompson  was  chosen  his  successor.  The  fiftieth,  or  semi- 
centennial, report  of  the  treasurer  shows  that  the  total  amount 
of  deposits  since  the  opening  of  the  institution  is  §20,788,464.03. 
Since  1858  the  deposits  have  been  §17,251,984.89;  interest 
and  dividends,  .93,008,.344.71  ;  payments,  §14,238,641.47.  The 
total  cash  transactions  for  the  fifty  years  have  been  over 
$78,000,000,  and  the  total  number  of  depositors  .52,500. 

The  present  (1878)  officers  are  as  follows  :  James  M.  Thomp- 
son, President ;  John  B.  Stebbins,  Vice-President ;  Henry  S. 
Lee,  Treasurer;  Wm.  S.  Shurtleif,  Secretary;  James  M. 
Thompson,  John  B.  Stebbins,  Wm.  Gunn,  Geo.  Dwight, 
Charles  Marsh,  J.  H.  Appleton,  Lawson  Sibley,  Henry  S. 
Lee,  Horace  Smith,  Trustees;  Homer  Foot,  J.  D.  Brewer,  J. 
D.  Safford,  Auditors. 

THE    SPRIN'GFIKLD    FIVE-CENT    SAVINGS-B.-iNK 

was  incorporated  in  1854.  The  incorporators  were  as  follows  : 
George  W.  Rice,*  William  B.  Calhoun,*  Harvey  Danks,*  J. 


T.  Rockwood,  Ephraim  W.  Bond,  S.  S.  Rollins,*  Horace 
Cutler,*  J.  Stearns,*  Daniel  Bontecou,*  Joseph  C.  Pynchon, 
C.  0.  Chapin,  and  E.  Brighani,  only  five  of  whom  are  now  liv- 
ing. The  first  year  the  deposits  amounted  to  §99,406.63.  The 
first  depositor  was  Geo.  W.  Rice  ;  amount,  §100.  In  1878  the 
deposits  amounted  to  §1,250,000.  The  bank  has  had  but  two 
presidents,  Mr.  Willis  Pheliis,  and  the  present  president,  Dr. 
Joseph  C.  Pynchon.  There  have  been  three  treasurers.  Dr. 
Joseph  C.  Pynchon,  Chas.  Marsh,  and  the  present  treasurer, 
Daniel  J.  Marsh,  who  was  elected  in  1857.  The  ])resent  offi- 
cers of  the  bank  are  as  follows  :  Joseph  C.  Pynchon,  Presi- 
dent ;  Willis  Phelps,  Aaron  Bagg,  A.  W.  Chapin,  Vice- 
Presidents;  Daniel  Pynchon,  T.  Warner,  Jr.,  Henry  Fuller, 
Jr.,  Charles  Marsh,  George  B.  Morris,  B.  K.  Bliss,  David 
Smith,  Wm.  L.  Smith,  James  E.  Russell,  Trustees;  E.  W. 
Bond,  Secretary;  Daniel  J.  Marsh,  Treasurer. 

THE    HAMPDEN    SAVINGS-BANK 

was  incorporated  April  15,  18.52.  The  incorporators  were  as 
follows  :  Albert  Morgan,  Chester  W.  Chapin,  Samuel  S.  Day. 
The  first  president  was  Albert  Morgan,  and  the  first  vice- 
presidents  James  T.  Ames,  C.  W.  Chapin,  F.  Morgan,  and 
E.  Trask.  The  first  trustees  v/ere  Samuel  S.  Day,  William 
Malcher,  H.  Q.  Sanderson,  Henry  Gray,  E.  W.  Bond,  Thomas 
W.  Wasson,  E.  Blake,  Gilman  Jaquith,  S.  Adams,  A.  Hun- 
tingdon, S.  C.  Bemis,  E.  S<nithworth,  A.  L.  Soule.  The  first 
secretary  was  Augustus  L.  Soule.  Mr.  Morgan  was  succeeded 
in  1856  b}'  S.  C.  Bemis,  who  served  as  president  until  1870, 
when  he  was  succeeded  by  the  present  president,  Hon.  E.  Trask. 
A.  L.  Soule  was  the  first  secretarj',  and  F.  S.  Bailey  treasurer. 
The  latter  was  succeeded  by  Peter  S.  Bailey,  the  present  sec- 
retary, in  1871.  The  deposits  for  the  first  year  were  about 
§24,000.  The  first  deposit  was  by  Edward  Dahm  ;  amount, 
§60.     The  present  deposits  amount  to  §1, -500,000. 

THE   CHAPIN   BANKING    AND   TRUST   COMPANl'. 

The  first  meeting  to  consider  the  feasibility  of  organizing 
this  institution  was  held  May  24,  1872,  the  following  persons 
being  present,  viz.  :  Chester  W.  Chapin,  Col.  J.  M.  Thomp- 
son, Eliphalet  Trask,  Henry  Fuller,  Jr.,  Henry  S.  Hyde, 
William  R.  Baker,  H.  S.  Lee,  B.  F.  Bowles,  J.  D.  Sattbrd, 
and  J.  A.  Rumrill.  Chester  W.  Chapin  was  chosen  chair- 
man of  the  meeting,  and  James  A.  Rumrill  secretary.  This 
meeting  was  adjourned  to  June  1st,  when  the  capital  stock 
was  fixed  at  §800,000.  At  this  meeting  the  institution  was 
named  by  Col.  J.  M.  Thompson  the  Chapin  Banking  and 
Trust  Company.  Business  was  commenced  in  August,  1872, 
but  the  bank  was  not  incorporated  until  May  13,  1873.  The 
charter  of  this  institution  gives  it  special  advantages  not  en- 
joyed by  banking  institutions  generally.  Among  the  numer- 
ous special  privileges  accorded  is  that  of  acting  as  executors 
of  wills,  which  is  an  important  and  distinctive  feature. 

The  first  board  of  directors  was  chosen  June  1,  1872,  as  fol- 
lows :  Chester  W.  Chapin,  W.  K.  Baker,  Col.  J.  M.  Thomp- 
son, J.  A.  Rumrill,  J.  B.  Stebbins,  D.  L.  Harris,  H.  S.  Lee, 
Geo.  C.  Fiske,  B.  F.  Bowles,  C.  0.  Russell,  and  W.  H. 
Wesson. 

The  incorporators  were  Chester  W.  Chapin,  J.  M.  Thomp- 
son, John  B.  Stebbins,  Daniel  L.Harris,  Clark  W.Bryan, 
Henry  S.  Lee,  H.  S.  Hyde,  H.  N.  Case,  Henry  Alexander,  Jr., 
W.  K.  Baker,  B.  F.  Bowles,  J.  A.  Rumrill,  Henry  Fuller, 
Jr.,  M.  P.  Knowlton,  Chas.  Merriam,  C.  O.  Russell,  Geo.  M. 
Stearns,  and  J.  D.  Safibrd.  C.  W.  Chapin  was  chosen  pres- 
ident, and  continued  in  that  position  until  July  24,  1878, 
when  he  declined  a  re-election,  and  was  succeeded  bj'  the 
present  president,  Col.  J.  M.  Thompson.  Mr.  James  D.  Saf- 
ford was  the  first  cashier,  and  still  officiates  in  that  capacity. 
The  present  board  of  directors  (1878)  is  as  follows  :  J.  M. 
Thompson,  Chester  W.  Chapin,  J.  B.  Stebbins,  J.  A.  Rum- 
rill, Daniel  L.  Harris,  Henry  S.  Lee,  William  K.  Baker,  E. 


828 


HISTORY  OF  THE  CONNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


S.  Cliapin,  William  Wliitins:;,  Clias.  0.  llusscll,  and  (Jeo.  C. 
Fisk.  Capital,  $500,000,  with  privilege  of  increasing  it  to 
S  1,000,000. 

THE   MUTUAL    FIRE    ASSURANCE    COMPANY    OF    SPRINOITEI-D 

was  incorporated  in  February,  1827,  and  was  the  fourth  Mu- 
tual Insurance  Company  organized  in  the  State.*  The  incor- 
porators were  as  follows  :  Zebina  Stebbins,  Joseph  Carew, 
David  Ames,  Festus  Stebbins,  Walter  Stebbins,  J(jhn  New- 
bury, Sable  Eogers,  and  Jacob  Bli.s.s.  The  charter  of  the  com- 
pany was  extended  twenty  years  by  act  of  Feb.  16,  1847,  and 
made  perpttual  by  act  June  3,  1850.  The  following  is  a  list 
of  officers  of  the  company  from  its  organization  to  the  present 
time,  viz.  : 

Presidcnis. — Zebina  Stebbins,  from  May  15,  18"27,  to  July 
25th  same  year,  resigned  ;  Joseph  Carew,  1827-29 ;  George  Col- 
ton,  1829-38,  resigned ;  William  Child,  1838-41  ;  Samuel 
Keynolds  and  Chas.  Howard,  elected  and  declined  ;  Philo  F. 
Wilcox,  1841-50;  Elijah  Blake,  1850-09;  W.  C.  Sturdevant, 
1809,  present  incumbent. 

.Scvrfan'c.s.— William  Bliss,  1827,  died  in  1838;  Justice 
Willard,  1838-49,  resigned;  Lewis  Gorham,  1849-08,  died 
Jan.  27,  1808;  Lewis  A.  Tift,  1808-74,  died  Aug.  31,  1874; 
Frank  R.  Young,  1874,  present  incumbent.  The  first  treas- 
urer elected  was  William  Bliss,  who  declined  the  office,  and 
Sable  Rogers  was  chosen  instead,  and  served  until  the  consoli- 
dation of  the  office  with  that  of  secretary,  Oct.- 2,  1848. 

The  present  (1878)  board  of  directors  is  as  follows;  W.  C. 
Sturdevant,  Henry  Fuller,  Jr.,  Henry  S.  Lee,  Elijah  Blake, 
Eliphalet  Trask,  Henry  Morris,  Chas.  L.  Shaw,  Alfred  Rowe, 
and  James  Kirkham.  The  cash  assets  in  1878  were  §100,014.92, 
and  the  whole  amount  of  risks  outstanding  were  §3,914,475. 
The  total  income  for  1877  was  §18,305.34,  and  the  total  ex- 
penditures $13,339.05. 

This  company  insures  only  first-class  farm  dwellings,  in 
amount  not  to  exceed  §4000  on  any  one  building.  Private 
barns  are  insured  in  amount  not  to  exceed  §500,  and  these  are 
not  taken  unless  with  dwellings.  No  agents  are  employed, 
the  business  being  done  directly  with  the  assured.  When  the 
fact  is  stated  that  for  fifty-two  years  an  average  dividend  has 
been  returned  of  seventy  per  cent,  of  all  the  premiums  paid, 
and  from  the  twenty-five  per  cent,  retained  all  the  losses  and 
expenses  have  been  paid,  and  cash  assets  to  the  amount  of 
§100,000  accumulated  (of  which  sum  §67,000  is  surplus  over  all 
liabilities),  it  is  proof  sufficient  of  the  very  careful  and  judi- 
cious management  of  the  company,  both  in  the  selection  of 
risks  and  care  of  the  funds. 

SPRINGFIELD    FIRE    AND    MARINE    INSURANCE    COMPANY. 

In  the  month  of  March,  1849,  the  Springfield  Fire  and  Ma- 
rine Insurance  Company,  of  Springfield,  Massachusetts,  re- 
ceived its  charter  from  the  Legislature  upon  application  of 
Edmund  Freeman,  George  Dwiglit,  and  John  L.  King,. the 
persons  named  in  the  act  of  incorporation.  The  first  meeting 
of  the  subscribers  to  the  stock  of  the  company  was  held  at  the 
Massasoit  House,  April,  9,  1851,  when  the  following-named 
gentleman  were  elected  directors;  Edmund  Freeman,  Daniel 
L.  Harris,  Marvin  Chapin,  Chester  W.  Chapin,  Andrew 
Huntington,  Edward  Southworth,  John  L.  King,  J.  B.  Mer- 
rick, Albert  Morgan,  Waitstill  Hastings,  and  George  Walker, 
all  of  whom  were  thorough  business-men  and  of  marked  abil- 
ity and  influence, — men  who  felt  the  responsibility  of  their  po- 
sition, and  were  ever  faithful  to  discharge  the  duties  imposed 
upon  them.  During  the  twenty-seven  years  since  the  organ- 
ization of  the  company,  five  of  the  original  directors  have 
been  removed  by  death,  namely,  Huntington,  Southworth, 
King,  Morgan,  and  Merrick,  and  three  only  remain  in  the 

*  The  three  companies  preceding  tliis  in  date  of  organization  were  tlie  Wor- 
cester Mutual,  in  1S23,  the  Ilingluun  Mutual,  and  Middletow  n  "Mutual,  of  Con. 
cord,  in  1826. 


direction,  Messrs.  M.  Chapin,  C.  W.  Chapin,  and  D.  L.  Har- 
ris. The  vacant  places  in  the  board  from  deaths  and  other 
causes  have  been  filled  by  men  honored  and  esteemed  in  their 
respective  positions,  having  the  same  spirit  of  enterprise, 
cheerfully  working  with  the  executive  officers  in  the  various 
plans  proposed  from  time  to  time  to  promote  the  interests  and 
welfare  of  the  company, — such  men  as  William  Birnie,  Sam- 
uel S.  Day,  Willis  Phelps,  James  Brewer,  George  C.  S.  South- 
worth,  Dwight  R.  Smith,  William  Stowe,  A.  D.  Briggs,  C. 
L.  Covell,  F.  H.  Harris,  Lombard  Dale,  Charles  Merriam, 
N.  A.  Leonard,  George  A.  Hull,  and  Henry  E.  Russell. 

Messrs.  Stowe  and  Dale  remained  in  the  board  until  they 
died,  the  former  in  November,  1871,  and  Mr.  Dale  in  October, 
1876.  Messrs.  Birnie,  Briggs,  Covell,  Harris,  and  Leonard 
are  members  at  this  time. 

Mr.  Freeman,  above  mentioned,  was  chosen  first  president, 
and  continued  in  office  until  1874,  when  failing  health  com- 
pelled him  to  resign  the  position,  which  was  filled  by  Dwight 
R.  Smith,  the  then  acting  vice-president;  the  continued  pros- 
pcritj'  of  the  company  under  his  management  showing  the 
wisdom  of  the  board  in  electing  him  to  that  office.  Mr. 
Freeman's  record  at  the  head  of  the  company  was  a  noble 
one,  covering  a  quarter  of  a  century,  and  a  period  of  develop- 
ment in  insurance  rarely  paralleled  in  any  business.  His 
associate,  Mr.  William  Conner,  Jr.,  held  the  office  of  secre- 
tary from  the  organization  of  the  company  until  1800,  when 
he  resigned  to  take  a  similar  position  in  the  New  York  and 
Yonkers  Insurance  Company. 

The  company  was  quite  prosperous  during  the  fifteen  years 
he  was  connected  with  it,  no  great  conflagrations  having  oc- 
curred during  that  period  save  the  one  at  Troy,  N.  Y.,  in 
1862.  The  "  fiery  trials"  came  after  this,  as  did  also  the  strong 
competition  for  business.  Mr.  J.  N.  Dunham  succeeded  Mr. 
Conner  as  secretary,  and  was  a  very  efficient  officer,  but,  having 
private  business  at  his  home  in  Berkshire  County  which  re- 
quired his  attention,  he  resigned  in  1808,  when  Mr.  S.  J.  Hall, 
who  commenced  the  insurance  business  as  far  back  as  1851, 
was  elected  in  his  place,  and  holds  that  position  at  the  present 
time,  proving  himself  a  worthy  officer.  Mr.  A.  J.  Wright, 
the  treasurer,  came  to  the  company  as  clerk  in  1804,  but  was 
soon  promoted  to  the  position  of  book-keeper,  and  in  1872  was 
elected  treasurer. 

It  will  be  seen  that  few  changes  have  been  made  in  the  ex- 
ecutive officers  during  the  history  of  the  company.  In  all 
these  years  a  wonderful  degree  of  harmcmy  has  prevailed  in 
the  board  ;  not  a  ripple  of  discord  has  ever  occurred  to  mar  its 
proceedings,  which  fact  has  contributed  in  no  small  degree  to 
the  success  of  the  company. 

If  space  permitted,  mention  might  be  made  of  the  general 
and  special  agents  of  the  company,  and  especiall}'  of  the  local 
agents,  many  of  whom  have  served  the  company  from  the 
beginning,  and  in  a  most  devoted  and  faithful  manner,  caring 
for  its  interests  as  they  would  for  their  own.  The  original  cap- 
ital stock  was  §150,000,  which  has  been  increased  from  time  to 
time  up  to  §750,000,  §2.30,000  having  been  added  from  the 
surplus  funds.  The  premiums  for  the  first  year's  business  were 
§38,095.28.  From  these  small  beginnings  the  company  has 
not  only  advanced  and  taken  a  position  at  the  head  of  all 
other  Massachusetts  companies,  but  stands  in  the  very  front  rank 
of  the  strongest  companies  in  the  country,  and  has  an  enviable 
reputation  for  fair  and  honest  dealing  with  its  patrons. 

The  great  fire  at  Chicago  in  1871  drew  heavily  upon  the 
funds  of  this  company,  as  did  also  the  great  fire  at  Boston,  one 
year  later.  The  board  of  directors  did  not  for  one  moment  hesi- 
tate in  either  case  as  to  the  course  to  be  pursued,  and  that  was 
to  pay  the  losses  promptly,  and  assess  the  stockholders  to  make 
good  the  deficiency,  and  their  views  were  unanimously  adopted 
at  the  stockholders'  meeting,  the  assessment  in  both  cases 
amounting  to  ninety-five  per  cent,  of  the  capital  stock. 

Tlie  subsequent  success  of  the  company  has   proved   the 


HISTORY  OF   HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


829 


wisdom  of  this  decisive  act.  Jan.  1,  1876,  a  Western  depart- 
ment was  established,  with  headquarters  at  Chieagd,  111.,  A. 
J.  Harding,  Esq.,  being  appointed  general  agent  and  manager, 
who  was  well  qualified  from  long  experience  in  the  business 
of  underwriting  to  take  the  position.  Active  measures  were 
at  once  taken  to  establish  agencies  at  all  desirable  jioints 
not  already  occupied  by  the  company,  and  the  result  of  the 
business  thus  far  has  been  very  satisfactory. 

The  total  premiums  received  from  the  commencement  of 
business  amount  to  ^10,087,741;  amount  of  losses  paid, 
$6,703,740 ;  interest  received  on  capital  and  surplus,  .91,193,034. 
The  cash  dividends  paid  to  stockholders  amount  to  §1,242,041, 
and  stock  dividends  from  the  surplus  fund  amount  to  5!25O,0OO, 
leaving  a  clear  surplus  now  in  hand,  above  all  liabilities,  of 
more  than  ;r300,000. 

THE   MASSACHUSETTS    MUTUAL   LIFE  INSflRANCE    COMPANY, 

an  institution  which  has  recently  completed  its  iirst  quarter 
of  a  century  of  business,  was  incorporated  May  1.5,  18.51,  and 
its  first  policy  was  issued  August  1st  of  the  same  year.  It  has 
been  a  settled  principle  of  Massachusetts  insurance  legisla- 
tion that  life  companies  should  begin  with  a  guarantee  capital 
of  IJilOOjOOO,  so  that  in  the  reports  of  this  company  up  to  1867 
allowance  has  to  be  made  for  this  item.  "SVith  this  explana- 
tion, we  can  now  turn  to  the  consideration  of  the  organization 
and  progress  of  the  company'. 

As  in  the  ease  of  the  other  Massachusetts  companies,  we 
find  that  there  have  been  few  official  changes  in  the  Massa- 
chusetts Mutual  Life.    The  scanty  list  of  officers  is  as  follows : 

Pi-esidcnta. — Caleb  Rice,  elected  July,  18-31  ;  retired  March 
1,  1873  (died).     E.  W.  Bond,  elected  March  4,  1873. 

Vice-Presidents. — E.  D.  Beach,  elected  July,  18.51 ;  retired 
September,  1867  (died).  E.  W.  Bond,  elected  October,  1867; 
retired  March  4, 1873  (elected  president).  C.  McLean  Knox, 
elected  March  4,  1873  ;  resigned  January,  1874.  H.  Fuller, 
Jr.,  elected  January,  1874. 

Secretaries. — P.  B.  Bacon,  elected  July,  18-51  ;  retired  Jan- 
uary, 1870  (died).  C.  McLean  Knox,  elected  January,  1870; 
retired  March  4,  1873  (elected  vice-president).  Avery  J. 
Smith,  elected  Marcli  4,  1873. 

Actuaries. — James  Weir  Mason,  elected  1809 ;  resigned 
1872.     Oscar  B.  Ireland,  elected  1872. 

In  the  preceding  list,  embracing  all  who  have  in  the  25 
years  of  the  compan3''s  existence  tilled  the  four  principal 
ofiices,  we  find  but  nine  names,  five  of  whom  are  still  in 
the  service  of  the  companj'.  Of  these,  one  held  his  position 
22  years,  another  held  his  19,  both  dying  while  in  office ;  two 
vacated  their  positions  on  account  of  election  to  the  next 
higher  office  ;  one,  Charles  McLean  Knox,  dissolved  official 
connection  with  the  company  for  the  purpose  of  entering  its 
service  in  the  agenc}'  field  ;  and  the  present  secretary  had  for 
some  years  prior  to  his  election  to  his  present  office  held  the 
position  of  assistant  secretary. 

The  first  administration  of  the  company,  that  of  Caleb 
Kice,  extends  from  1851  to  1873,  a  period  of  21  years  and  7 
months.  For  all  purposes  of  comparison  we  shall  assume 
that  it  closed  with  the  year  1872,  and  that  Mr.  Bond's  admin- 
istration began  with  1873,  as  the  figures  for  these  dates  are  the 
more  easily  accessible.  During  19  years  of  this  period  the 
secretary  of  the  company  was  F.  B.  Bacon,  an  earnest  worker 
and  able  coadjutor  of  the  president.  For  most  of  the  period 
Mr.  Bacon  discharged  the  duties  of  secretary  and  actuary, 
and  much  of  the  future  success  of  the  company  was  due  to 
the  thoroughness  with  which  he  performed  the  work  that  fell 
to  him.  All  know  with  what  skill  and  thorough  integrity  Mr. 
Rice  discharged  the  duties  of  president ;  and  by  the  faithful 
labors  of  these  two  officials,  it  may  be  safely  said,  the  foun- 
dations of  the  company  were  laid  strong  and  unshakable. 

The  beginnings  of  the  company  were  small.  During  its 
first  year  it  wrote  but  312  policies,  and  during  the  second 


but  223.  The  assets  at  the  close  of  the  first  year  were  but 
?105,031,  and  at  the  close  of  the  second  but  §108,397,  while 
during  the  first  five  years  of  business  the  premium  income  was 
but  little  in  excess  of  !5il00,000 ;  yet  in  these  years  were  laid 
the  foundations  of  the  company's  success,  the  basis  whicli 
made  the  after-building  comparatively  easy,  and  without 
which  no  building  would  have  been  possible.  Mr.  Rice's 
management  was  conservative,  but  not  in  unwise  directions. 
The  natural,  healthy  growth  of  the  company  he  never  aimed 
to  check,  but  rather  always  to  provide  for  and  to  foster  by  such 
means  as  could  be  wisely  and  safely  employed ;  and  if  it  some- 
times seemed  as  if  the  company  was  slow  in  comparison  with 
some  of  its  rivals,  the  end  has  proved  that  it  was  the  slowness 
of  sound  growth,  and  the  management  has  been  fully  justified 
in  its  course  b}'  its  success  in  keeping  the  company  clear  from 
those  numerous  complications  in  which  an  eager  rush  for  new 
business  and  an  eager  desire  for  rapid  growth  have  involved 
so  many  promising  companies  during  the  past  few  years. 
Many  a  man  who  adopts  the  wise  course  adopted  by  Mr.  Rice 
does  not  live  to  see  it  bear  fruit.  Mr.  Rice  was  happily  more 
fortunate.  For  many  years  before  his  administration  closed, 
the  Massachusetts  Mutual  Life  transacted  a  business  satis- 
factory in  magnitude  and  excellent  in  quality,  and  the  last 
report  to  which  he  subscribed  his  name  presented  results 
which  he  could  but  have  felt  were  an  ample  reward  for  his 
labors  and  a  full  justification  of  the  course  he  had  steadfastly 
pursued.  At  the  time  that  this  report  was  made  the  assets  had 
grown  to  §4,120,410.14,  the  annual  income  to  §1,571,461.02, 
the  annual  payments  to  policy-holders  to  S77o,62o.37,  and  tlie 
amount  at  risk  to  $33,196,008.  The  policies  issued  during  the 
last  3ear  of  Mr.  Rice's  administration  had  been  3204  in  num- 
ber, covering  $7,130,000  of  insurance,  the  largest  new  business 
done  by  any  Massachusetts  company. 

AVith  Mr.  Rice's  death  Mr.  E.  W.  Bond,  who  had  been  for 
many  j'ears  vice-president  of  the  company,  became  president, 
and  his  administration  of  its  afl'airs  extends  to  the  present 
time,  beginning  in  1873. 

Mr.  Bond  was  succeeded  in  the  vice-presidency  by  Charles 
McLean  Knox,  who  had  been  secretary  since  the  death  of  Mr. 
Bacon,  in  1870,  and  Mr.  Knox  was  succeeded  in  the  secretary- 
ship by  Avery  J.  Smith,  who  for  some  years  past  had  been 
assistant  secretary.  Mr.  Oscar  B.  Ireland,  who  had  been 
elected  actuary  in  1872,  retained  that  position  ;  so  that  there 
was,  in  reality,  the  smallest  possible  change  in  the  administra- 
tion of  the  company's  afl'airs. 

The  report  for  the  year  1875  shows  the  company's  assets  to 
amount  to  56,102,914.63;  its  annual  income  to  $1,512,783.43; 
its  total  payments  to  policy-holders  to  §776,267.34;  its  policies 
in  force  to  §14,744;  and  its  insurance  in  force  to  §35,029,074. 

As  showing  its  annual  growth  in  assets,  the  following  is 
also  of  interest : 


y  F..\  R. 

1852 

185:i 


A.SSETS.  INCRE.4SE. 

8105,031        s.i,reii 

10S,:)'J7  3,:3i;6 

-  '  8,308 

9.529 

24,.;41 

:i:i,7.7 

311.7.58 

50,3:i« 

72,015 

97.268 

34,514 

l-29,!-03 

The  data  furnished  by  the  preceding  table  enable   us   to 
make  the  following  exhibit : 

Auiuunt  received  from  policy-holders 812,345,855 

Amount  of  losses  paid $3,205,76(i 

Aiiioimt  of  dividends  appoitioned 1,745,985 

Amount  paid  for  surreudei-s,  etc 1,470,^98 

6,422,640 


18.55 

126  2:34 

1856 

....      150,475 

18.57 

....      lS4,-i02 

1858 

....      2-20,960 

1859 

....      271,298 

1860 

....      34:!,313 

1861 

....      440,-581 

1862 

....    *475,095 

18Ki 

....      604.898 

YEAR. 

ASSETS. 

INCREASE 

1864 

5912,681 

-  S;!(j7,783 

1865 

l,-i86,502 

373,821 

1866 

11,481,497 

194,995 

1867 

11,857,714 

376,217 

1868 

§2,446,:«5 

688,641 

1S69 

2,.S79,957 

433,602 

1870 

3,-llfl,:!04 

639,347 

1871 

4,075,818 

666,514 

1872 

4,501,909 

4i6,081 

1873 

5,000,4.38 

498,529 

1874 

5,-565,937 

665,499 

1875 

6.l0a.915 

646.978 

Excess  of  premium  receipts &5,9'2;l,206 

Assets  Dec.  31, 1875 6,102,915 

Excess  of  assets. $179,709 


«  Paid  its  first  dividend,  ?53,617. 

X  ReliieJ  its  guarontce  aipital,  4100,000. 


t  Paid  second  dividend,  S258,450. 
g  liegiin  paying  annual  dividends. 


J  "^  '/K^ 


^^,  C.  ^^^y^ 


HISTORY  OF   HAMPDEN  COUNTV. 


831 


quality,  and  in  quantity  amply  sufficient  for  the  demand.  The 
impetus  given  the  city  by  the  completion  of  the  Western 
Kailroad  in  1839,  and  the  rapidly  increasing  population  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  depot,  soon  revealed  the  fact  that  no  good  water 
could  be  obtained  on  the  lowlands  east  of  Main  Street.  Not- 
withstanding this  no  move  was  made  by  the  town  in  the  mat- 
ter, and  in  June,  1843,  the  late  Hon.  Charles  Stearns,  a  public- 
spirited  and  energetic  citizen,  undertook  to  supply  the  need 
by  private  enterprise.  The  immediate  result  of  this  scheme 
is  shown  by  the  following  extract  from  the  report  of  the  water 
commissioners  in  1874: 

"  In  June,  1843,  he  commenced  building  a  resen'oir  on  the  site  of  the  present 
Lomlard  Reser\'uir,  and  in  September  laid  a  line  of  log  pipes  therefrom  to  the 
depot,  down  Main  as  far  as  Howard  Street,  and  in  lateral  streets  le.iding  from 
Main  ;  putting  in  altogether  three  miles  and  814  feet  of  pipe;  the  first  IDO  feet 
being  of  seven-inch  caliber,  then  2IK)  feet  of  six-inch, and  the  remainder  to  Main 
Street  of  four-inch  caliber.  The  capacity  of  the  reservoir  was  estinnited  at  2(NH) 
hogsheafis,  and  in  December  of  the  same  year  it  supplied  the  Western  Railroad 
depot,  the  American  and  Mas.sasoit  Hotels,  besides  thirty  other  houses  and  stores. 
It  w.Ts  considered  of  great  benefit  as  a  protection  against  fire,  though  the  Ni.igaiu 
Fire  Engine  Conip;iny,  upon  a  challenge  from  Mr,  Stearns,  proved  their  ability 
to  dispose  of  more  water  than  cmdd  lie  supplied  fiom  his  hydnint.s. 

"  In  the  winter  of  184S,  Mr.  Stearns  and  his  as.sociates  applied  to  the  Legisla- 
ture for  an  act  of  incoi-porafion  for  tiie  purpose  of  supidving  the  *  village  of 
Springfield  with  pure  water.'  .\fter  much  opposition  a  charter  was  granted, 
Way  Intli ;  and  in  June,  1S4S,  '  The  Springfield  .\<piednct  Company'  was  organ- 
izcil,  with  a  capital  of  S2.5,(HX),  all  of  which  was  paid  to  fllr.  Stearns  for  land,res- 
ervoiis,  rights  of  w.ay,  pipes,  fixtures,  and  the  privileges  under  the  ch.arter.  These 
included  the  Lombard,  Ileywood,  Stebbius,  Chapin,  and  Worthington  Reservoirs 
and  springs,  and  about  eleven  miles  of  pipe.  The  number  of  families  and  con- 
cerns taking  water  at  the  lime  was  7{X),  and  the  amount  of  rents  wits  :if2700  per 
year." 

The  rapidly  increasing  demand  for  water  compelled  the  com- 
pany to  enlarge  its  capital  and  increase  its  facilities.  In  Jtily, 
1804,  the  capital  stood  at  §30,000,  which,  in  18fJ7,  had  increased 
to  8137,800.  .  Soon  after  the  east  Van  Horn  reservoir  was  con- 
structed, with  an  estimated  ca[iacity  of  4.3,000,000 gallons  ;  the 
Lombard  reservoir  was  enlarged  ;  the  west  Van  Horn  reservoir 
built;  the  capital  increased  in  1870  to  §184,800,  and  July  1, 
1872,  when  the  property  was  sold  to  the  city,  it  stood  at  §211,- 
200.  Although  the  purchase  dated  from  July  1,  1872,  actual 
possession  was  not  taken  until  June,  1873. 

Although  various  plans  had  been  suggested  by  dift'erent 
persons  in  the  matter  of  supplying  the  city  with  water,  no 
municipal  action  was  taken  until  18(J0,  when  the  council  ap- 
pointed a  committee,  consisting  of  i).  L.  Harris,  Mayor  ;  Wil- 
liam Hitchcock,  Alderman  ;  and  N.  A.  Leonard,  H.  S.  Noyes, 
and  Charles  Woodman,  "  to  make  investigations  regarding  a 
supply  of  water  from  the  'hill,'  estimate  the  cost  of  water- 
works, and  communicate  such  facts  to  the  council  as  they 
may  deem  approjiriate."  About  this  time  a  well  twenty  feet 
deep  and  ten  feet  in  diameter  was  sunk  at  the  intersection  of 
State  and  Stebbins  Streets  for  fire  purposes,  and  it  was  esti- 
mated that  water  flowed  into  it  at  the  rate  of  fifty  gallons  per 
minute.  The  surface  of  water  in  Lake  Como,  then  known  as 
Goose  Pond,  stood  five  feet  above  the  water  in  this  well,  and 
as  the  sand  plain  was  estimated  at  three  square  miles,  while 
only  a  few  feet  below  its  surface  an  abundance  of  water  was 
obtained,  the  committee  reported  that  the  hill  would  "supply 
an  abundance  of  the  purest  and  best  water  fur  all  domestic, 
mechanical,  industrial,  and  sanitary  purposes."  The  result 
of  this  report  was  an  organization,  Sept.  10,  1860,  of  the  City 
Aqueduct  Company,  composed  of  K.  A.  Chapman,  P.  B. 
Tyler,  G.  R.  Townsley,  and  D.  L.  Harris.  On  the  20th  of 
the  following  November  19-50  feet  of  seven-inch  pipe  had  been 
laid,  and  for  more  than  six  months  the  flow  down  the  State 
Street  pipe  averaged  forty  gallons  per  minute.  This  enter- 
prise is  thus  spoken  of  in  the  report  of  the  water  commis- 
sioners for  1874  : 

"The  project  encountered  strong  opp;'si;i.)n  from  persons  residing  on  the  hill, 
who  claimed  that  their  wells  were  draineil  by  the  new  works,  and  a  remonstrance 
against  further  effort  in  this  direction  was  sent  to  the  City  Government,  rejire- 
senling  that  such  a  diminution  of  water  had  been  caused  a.s  led  to  fears  of  '  the 
nitiniate  destnictiun  of  all  shale  trees  and  vegetalijn  in  t'.ie  neigliborboi,!!,'  and 


praying  for  a  restoration  of  the  former  condition.  In  June,  18C1,  a  roimrt  upon 
this  remonstrance  and  petilinn  w,ts  made  to  the  City  Council  (Hon.  S.  C.  llemis, 
Mayor).  This  report  recounnended  that  the  City  purcha.se  the  works  iw  they 
then  stood,  and  .accoclingly,  on  tlie  Kith  of  June,  lsr,l,  the  City  .\qneiluct  Com- 
pany was  p.aid  the  sum  of  ?2!I21.12,  and  turned  over  its  property  to  the  City. 
On  account  of  the  continued  ami  bitter  opposition  to  the  '  Hanis  plan,'  as  the 
bill  iliainage  scheme  was  called,  nothing  fnrthor  was  done  with  that  syBteni,  and 
in  August,  ISIil,  the  flow  of  water  suddenly  and  mysteriously  stopped,  though 
the  well  was  full,  and,  so  far  as  is  known,  has  been  in  that  condition  ever  since." 

The  question  of  a  more  adeqtiiite  water-supply  was  agitated 
from  time  to  time,  and,  in  1862,  Mr.  W.  E.  Worthen,  an  engi- 
neer from  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  instituted  a  careful  investigation 
of  the  various  sources  of  supply.  No  action  was,  however, 
taken  on  his  report,  and,  in  1871,  Engineer  Clemens  Herschell, 
of  Boston,  made  an  examination  of  the  supply,  and,  at  a 
later  period,  George  Eaymond,  of  Fitchburg,  Mass.,  also 
made  examination.  The  celebrated  "  Holly  system"  of  water- 
works, manufactured  at  Lockport,  N.  Y.,  was  also  investi- 
gated. 

At  the  conclusion  of  all  the  examinations,  it  was  decided 
that  Higher  and  Broad  Brooks,  tributaries  of  Chicopee  Kiver, 
in  the  town  of  Ludlow,  were  the  most  available  and  valuable 
sources  of  supply.  Accordingly,  the  necessary  steps  were 
taken,  and  a  reservoir  at  Ludlow  was  completed  in  187-5,  and 
convejed  to  the  city  through  pipes  by  gravitation.  This  is 
known  as  the  high  service.  The  low  service  supply  is  taken 
from  the  reservoirs  purchased  of  the  Springfield  Aqueduct 
Company. 

The  capacity  of  the  Ludlow  reservoir  is  2,132,817,000  gal- 
lons ;  of  the  lower  Van  Horn  reservoir,  73,655,095;  the 
upper  Van  Horn,  27,952,720;  and  the  Lombard  reservoir, 
8,970,262.  The  water  commissioners'  report  for  1878  shows 
that  the  total  length  of  pipe  laid  throughcut  the  city  is  61  jy,j'jj 
miles.  The  gravitation  system  has  proved  a  success  in  every 
respect,  affording  an  abundance  of  water  unsurpas.sed  by  the 
water-supply  of  any  cit_v  in  the  State  for  clearness  and 
purity. 

The  works  are  under  the  management  of  a  board  of  water 
commissioners,  at  present  constituted  as  follows ;  Charles  O. 
Chapin,  N.  W.  Talcott,  and  Samuel  W.  Porter.  Mr.  Chapin 
is  jiresident,  and  Mr.  Porter  secretary. 

LEADING  MANUFACTURING  INTERESTS. 
THE   WASON   MANDFACTURINQ   COMPANY. 

The  founder  of  this  immense  industry,  Thomas  W.  Wason, 
was  born  in  Hancock,  N.  H.,  Dec.  28,  1811.  He  worked  at 
the  carpenter's  trade  until  thirty  years  of  age,  when  he  became 
foreman  of  the  Cabot  Manufacturing  Company,  at  what  was 
then  known  as  Cabotci/lc,  now  Chicopee,  Mass.  In  1845  he 
removed  to  Springfield,  where  he  formed  a  copartnership  with 
his  brother  Charles,  for  the  manufacture  of  railway-cars.  It 
is  said  that  their  first  shop  was  so  small  that  a  single  finished 
car  would  more  than  fill  the  building.  The  first  year  they 
manufactured  six  single  and  two  double  freight-cars,  for  the 
Connecticut  Eiver  Kailroad,  for  which  they  received  the  sum 
of  §4700.  In  1846  the  firm  built  a  brick  block  in  Liberty 
Street,  where  the  business  was  continued  until  1848,  when  it 
was  moved  to  a  part  of  a  large  building  which  had  been 
erected  for  the  Springfield  Car  and  Engine  Company.  Hero 
the  business  was  continued  under  the  firm-name  of  T.  &  C. 
Wason  until  1851,  when  Charles  Wason  removed  to  Cleve- 
land, O.,  and  Thomas  carried  on  the  manufacture  two  years 
alone,  until  18-53,  when  George  C.  Fisk,-  L.  O.  Hanson,  and 
Josiah  Bumstead  became  associated  with  him,  and  the  firm 
became  T.  Wason  &  Co.  The  business  rapidly  increased,  and 
in  1859  the  firm  jiurchased  the  premises  occupied  by  them, 
also  adjoining  lands,  atnounting  to  nearly  four  acres.  Mr. 
Wason  also  carried  on  a  foundry,  under  the  firm-name  of 
Wason,  Ladd  &  Co.,  where  the  iron-work  used  in  the  car- 
shop  was  cast. 

The  Wason  Manufacturing  Company  was  organized  in  1863, 


832 


HISTORY  OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


with  Thomas  W.  Wason,  President ;  George  C.  Fisli,  Treas- 
urer; Henry  C.  Ilyde,  Secretary;  Levi  O.  Hanson,  Super- 
intendent; and  Josiah  IJunistead,  Assistant  Superintendent. 
The  business  of  Wason,  Ladd  &  Co.  was  consolidated  with 
the  company  in  1868,  and  in  tlie  same  year  Messrs.  Hanson  & 
Bumstead  retired. 

The  steadily  incrcasinp;  liiisiiiess  of  the  firm  necessitated 
more  commodious  quarters,  and  in  1871  the  company  pur- 
chased 10  acres  of  land  lying  along  the  Connecticut  Itiver,  in 
the  northern  suburbs  of  the  city,  where  commodious,  sub- 
stantial, and  elegant  buildings  were  erected.  These  buildings, 
which  are  in  all  their  appointments  the  most  complete  and 
perfect  of  their  kind  in  this  country,  were  designed  and  ar- 
ranged by  Mr.  Fisk,  the  present  president  of  the  company. 
"Without  entering  into  detail,  the  magnitude  of  the  establish- 
ment may  be  seen  by  the  following  dimensions  of  the  various 
buildings:  The  foundry  is  170  feet  in  length  by  62  in  width, 
32  feet  high,  with  a  daily  capacity  of  100  car-wheels  and  10 
tons  of  other  castings.  The  foundry  supply-shed  is  83  by  33 
feet;  coal-shed,  83  by  40  feet;  machine-shop,  96  by  45  feet, 
two  stories  high  ;  smithery,  150  by  45  feet,  85  feet  high  ;  piis- 
.senger-car  shop,  117  by  75  feet ;  building  for  setting  up  trucks, 
60  by  45  feet;  building  devoted  to  wood- working  machinery 
and  cabinet-work,  200  by  62  feet,  two  stories ;  lumber-shed, 
420  by  40  feet ;  paint-shop,  500  by  75  feet,  35  feet  high. 

In  this  last  building  thirty-two  of  the  largest-sized  pas- 
senger-coaches can  be  undergoing  decoration  at  the  same 
time.  There  are  also  two  other  buildings  devoted  to  the  con- 
struction and  painting  of  freight-cars,  each  180  by  42  feet. 
The  machinery  of  this  maramoth  establishment  is  driven  bj' 
a  1.50-horse-power  engine. 

The  quality  of  cars  manufactured  by  this  company  has  not 
only  attracted  the  attention  of  our  own  country,  but  produced  a 
foreign  demand.  They  recently  filled  a  contract  with  Egypt 
for  sixty  passenger-cars  and  one  liundred  freight-c-ars,  and  for 
the  royal  car  of  the  khedive.  Numerous  manufactories  and 
residences  have  been  erected  in  the  vicinity  of  the  company's 
shops;  a  post-office  has  been  established,  a  dejiot  built,  and 
the  village  has  received  the  name  of  Brightwood. 

Aug.  21,  1870,  Mr.  Wason,  the  founder  of  the  establi.sh- 
ment,  died,  and  was  succeeded  in  the  presidency  by  Geo. 
C.  Fisk,  a  native  of  Hinsdale,  N.  H.,  born  March  4,  1831. 
He  entered  the  employment  of  Mr.  Wason  in  1852  as  book- 
keeper and  cashier,  and  soon  after  became  a  partner.  On  the 
organization  of  the  company  in  1803,  he  was  elected  treasurer, 
and  in  1809  became  vice-president,  and,  as  stated  above,  in 
1870  he  was  chosen  president.  Mr.  Fisk  has  general  charge 
of  the  business  at  the  home  office. 

The  secretarj'  and  treasurer  of  the  company,  Henry  S. 
Hyde,  was  born  in  Mount  Hope,  N.  Y.,  Aug.  18,  1837,  and 
while  j'et  a  small  lad  went  to  Detroit,  Mich.,  of  which  city 
his  father  was  elected  mayor  three  terms.  Mr.  Hyde  was  edu- 
cated for  the  Bar,  but,  upon  uniting  in  marriage  with  Jennie 
S.,  daughter  of  Thomas  W.  Wason,  he  became  as.sociated  with- 
Mr.  Wason  in  business,  and  upon  the  organization  of  the 
company  was  chosen  its  secretary,  and  in  1869  succeeded  Mr. 
Fisk  as  treasurer.  In  addition  to  being  the  financial  man- 
ager of  the  Wason  Company,  he  is  largely  identified  with 
various  interests  in  Springfield,  being  president  of  the  Agawam 
National  Bank,  the  Springfield  Clearing-House,  vice-president 
of  the  Hampden  Savings-Bank,  etc.,  etc. 

The  present  officers  and  working-staff  are  as  follows  :  George 
C.  Fisk,  President ;  Henry  S.  Hyde,  Secretary  and  Treasurer  ; 
Wm.  H.  Paige,  General  Superintendent  of  Manufactory  ;  A. 
C.  Reed,  Foreman  of  Passenger-  and  Freight-Car  Body  Build- 
ing; A.  Nutting,  Foreman  of  the  Cabinet-Room  ;  Chas.  II. 
Wheeler,  Foreman  of  the  Paint-Shops;  S:  D.  Wilson,  Fore- 
man of  the  Blacksmith-Shop;  AVm.  T.  Parker,  Foreman  of 
the  Machine-Shop;  P.  O'Connell,  Foreman  of  the  Foundry  ; 
G.  Goodwin,  Foreman  of  the  Yard  ;   E.  C.  Pij^rce  and  Elisha 


Childs,  Decorative  Painters;  Louis  C.  Hyde,  Book-Keeper; 
and  Charles  A.  Fisk,  Purchaser  and  Cashier. 

SMITH    &    WKSSON    REVOLVER    MANUFACTORY. 

This  establishment  was  founded  in  1857,  by  Smith  &  Wes- 
son, by  whom  it  was  continued  until  1874,  when  Mr.  Smith 
retired,  and  the  business  has  since  been  conducted  by  Mr.  D. 
B.  AVesson.  The  value  of  the  annual  product  at  the  begin- 
ning of  business  was  §150,000.  The  present  annual  product 
amounts  to  §800,000.  The  number  of  persons  employed  in  the 
beginning  was  75.  and  has  now  increased  to  4.30.  The  arms 
manufactured  in  this  establishment  are  un.^urpassed  in  quality 
and  beauty  of  workmanship.  It  has  ever  been  a  leading  char- 
acteristic of  Mr.  Wesson  to  manufacture  none  but  the  very 
best  quality  of  goods,  and  the  result  is  the  building  up  of  one 
of  the  largest  institutions  of  its  kind  in  existence,  and  one  that 
reflects  great  credit  upon  its  enterprising  proprietor,  and  does 
its  share  in  rendering  Springfield  famous  at  home  and  abroad. 

THE    HAMPDEN    WATCH   COMPANY. 

A  comparatively  new  but  representative  industry  in  this 
city  is  the  manufacture  of  watches.  This  company  is  the 
successor  of  the  New  York  Watch  Company,  which  was  organ- 
ized in  1867.  The  business  was  continued  under  this  organ- 
ization with  varied  success  until  1877,  when  the  present 
company  was  formed,  with  a  capital  of  §210,000.  Homer 
Foot,  President ;  Chas.  D.  Rood,  Treasurer;  and  John  C. 
Perry,  Superintendent.  At  the  present  time,  after  meeting 
with  numerous  discouragements, — fire  and  financial  depres- 
sion,— the  establishment  is  in  a  prosperous  condition,  and  the 
Hampden  watches  are  acknowledged  equal  in  every  respect 
to  those  manufactured  by  the  more  extensive  and  older  com- 
panies. 

The  establishment  of  this  institution  and  its  present  pros- 
perous condition  are  duo  chiefly  to  Homer  Foot,  Esq.,  who  has 
lavishly  bestowed  both  time  and  money  upon  it.  It  is  an  in- 
dustry which  the  citizens  of  this  city  may  well  bo  proud  of. 

G.    &   C.    MERRIAM. 

Prominent  among  the  leading  business  firms  which  have 
rendered  Springfield  famous,  both  in  this  country  and  in 
Europe,  is  that  of  G.  &  C.  Merriam,  publishers  of  Webs'ter's 
Dictionary.  The  Merriams  inherited  the  business  of  book- 
making,  for,  as  early  as  1795,  Ebenezer  &  D.  Merriam — the 
former  an  uncle  and  the  latter  father  of  the  three  brothers, 
George,  Charles,  and  Homer,  the  present  firm — established  a 
job-printing  office  and  book-store  in  Brookfield,  Mass.,  which 
they  conducted  for  more  than  half  a  century. 

In  1831,  George  and  Chas.  Merriam  came  to  Springtiold 
and  established  a  book-store  and  printing-office,  and  in  the 
following  year  took  the  firm-name  of  G.  &  C.  Merriam,  which 
has  since  continued,  although  a  younger  brother,  Homer  Mer- 
riam, joined  the  firm  in  18-56,  he  having  previously  been  en- 
gaged in  book-selling  in  Troy,  N.  Y.  Thus  the  name  has 
stood  for  forty-six  years,  and  is  a  synonym  for  honorable  deal- 
ing, keen  biisiness  foresight,  and  energy.  Their  business  was 
established  by  the  publication  of  a  series  of  law-books,  one  of 
which  was  Chitty's  Pleadings.  The  house  has  also  published 
more  than  200,000  copies  of  the  Bible,  a  series  of  readers  known 
as  the  Springfield  series,  and  many  other  publications. 

The  work,  however,  the  publication  of  which  has  given  them 
the  world-wide  reputation  they  so  justly  merit,  is  Webster's 
Dictionary.  Dr.  Noah  Webster,  up  to  the  time  of  his  death, 
was  virtually  the  publisher  of  his  own  works.  After  his  death 
the  right  of  jiublication  and  the  works  then  unsold  were  dis- 
posed of  to  J.  S.  &  C.  Adams,  of  Amherst,  Mass.,  who  in  turn 
sold  them  to  the  Merriams.  They  saw  at  a  glance  that  the 
work,  both  in  a  pecuniary  and  literary  sense,  might  be 
greatly  benefited  by  the  adoption  of  modern  improvements  in 
book-making;  and,  although  the  enterprise  seemed  too  haz- 


HISTORY  OF   HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


833 


ardous  to  such  firms  as  Harper  &  Bros.,  and  other  metropoli- 
tan publishers,  the  Merriams  invested  a  larc;eamount  of  money, 
and  bent  their  energy  to  the  task,  believing  that  in  the  end 
financial  remuneration  would  result.  As  mentioned  above,  in 
1844  they  purcha.sed  the  stock  remaining  unsold  at  Dr.  Web- 
ster's death,  and  the  right  to  publisli  the  large  dictionary.  The 
revision  which  was  projected  b}'  the  author  was  carried  for- 
ward by  Prof.  Chauncey  A.  Goodrich,  of  Yale  College,  a  son- 
in-law  of  Dr.  Webster,  to  which  he  devoted  three  years.  It 
was  issued  in  1847,  and  proved  a  success.  Two  other  editions 
were  issued,  in  1856  and  18-59,  under  the  direction  of  Prof 
Goodrich,  the  latter  containing  illustrations. 

These  editions,  notwithstanding  the  immense  amount  of 
labor  and  expense  involved  in  bringing  them  out,  were  con- 
sidered minor  alFuirs  when  compared  with  the  great  revision 
which  was  printed  in  1864.  The  labor  on  this  occupied  more 
than  ten  years,  involving  an  aggregate  of  more  than  thirty 
j'cars  of  literary  labor,  distributed  among  nearly  fifty  individ- 
uals. Dr.  Mahn,  of  Berlin,  an  eminent  European  scholar, 
spent  five  years  upon  the  etymologies  alone.  This  revision  was 
al.so  undertaken  by  Prof.  Goodrich,  but  he  died  in  1860,  and 
Prof.  Porter,  of  Yale  College,  succeeded  to  the  editorship. 
Among  the  many  learned  men  who  assisted  in  the  work 
may  be  mentioned  the  names  of  William  G.  Webster,  a  son 
of  the  author.  Rev.  C.  Goodrich,  son  of  the  first  editor.  Profs. 
C.  S.  Lyman,  Gilman,  Whitney,  Hadley,  and  Mr.  William 
A.  Wheeler. 

The  Merriams  also  publish  the  national  pictorial  edition,  and 
have  a  proprietary  right  in  all  the  series.  It  is  said  that  the 
sales  of  Webster's  Dictionarj'  exceed  those  of  any  other  printed 
in  the  English  language.  Since  the  death  of  Dr.  Webster,  in 
1843,  the  publishers  have  paid  his  family  over  a  quarter  of 
a  million  dollars  as  their  share  of  the  coj>yright  money.  The 
work  is  printed  at  the  "  Riverside  Press"  of  Houghton  &  Co., 
Cambridge,  Mass. 

THE  MORGAN  ENVELOPE  COMPANY 

was  organized  in  1865,  by  E.  Morgan  &  Co.,  Mr.  Chester  W. 
Chapin  being  the  special  partner,  and  began  the  manufacture 
of  envelopes  on  Hilman  Street.  In  1866  the  business  was 
moved  to  Tajlor  Street,  occupying  a  number  of  rooms  in  Emer- 
son Wright's  extensive  buildings.  A  stock  company  was 
formed  in  1869,  and  a  year  later  the  works  were  moved. into 
Wright's  buildings,  on  Worthington  Street.  The  firm  manu- 
factures envelopes  of  every  description,  employs,  when  running 
full,  from  1-50  to  200  hands,  and  made  the  first  postal-card  used 
in  this  country.  Since  1874  it  has  had  half  the  contract  for 
making  the  stamped  envelopes  sold  by  the  government,  which 
are  turned  out  at  the  Plympton  works,  in  Hartford,  the  present 
contract  for  which  will  expire  Oct.  1,  1882.  The  postal-card 
manufacture  was  carried  on  from  1873  to  1877.  Ex-Mayor 
Emerson  Wright  is  president  of  the  company,  and  Elislia 
Morgan  treasurer. 

THE   AMERICAN   PAPETERIE   COMPANY. 

While  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  envelopes,  the  Mor- 
gan company  turned  its  attention  to  putting  up  note-paper 
and  envelopes  in  attractive  boxes,  and  from  that  business 
sprang  the  present  extensive  trade  in  papeterie.  Emulating 
their  example,  other  similar  concerns  started  up,  and  the 
result  is  the  well-known  American  Papeterie  Company.  The 
first  papeterie  thrown  upon  the  market  in  the  United  States 
was  sent  out  by  the  Morgan  Envelope  Company,  in  1866. 

In  March,  1878,  the  American  Papeterie  Company  was 
organized  by  the  consolidation  of  the  papeterie  departments 
of  the  Morgan  Envelope  and  the  Powers  Paper  Comjjany,  of 
Springfield,  and  the  Plympton  Manufacturing  Company,  of 
Hartford.  Besides  manufacturing  elegant  toilet-cases,  glove- 
and  handkerchief-boxes  of  delicate  workmanship,  and  a  hun- 
dred and  one  articles  containing  paper,  the  company  has 
105 


recently  commenced  publishing  magic  toy-books.  Eli.sha 
Morgan  is  president  and  treasurer  of  the  company. 

THE   NATIONAL    NEEDLE   COMPANY, 

the  largest  establishment  for  the  manufacture  of  sewing-ma- 
chine needles  in  the  world,  was  organized  September,  1873, 
with  John  S.  Abbott,  of  Boston,  President,  and  John  F. 
Trow,  of  New  York,  Treasurer.  Work  was  commenced  in 
the  Burbank  spectacle-building,  at  the  corner  of  Willow  and 
Stockbridge  Streets,  with  six  employes.  Since  that  date  the 
business  has  increased  rapidly,  principal!}'  through  the  man- 
agement of  George  H.  Blelock,  and  to-day,  at  the  works  on 
the  corner  of  Emery  and  Fulton  Streets,  to  which  they  were 
removed  in  1874,  110  hands  find  steady  work,  at  good  wages. 
The  first  year  there  were  2,551,000  needles,  for  all  known 
kinds  of  sewing-machines  turned  out.  In  1878  the  produc- 
tion was  5,663,000;  and  the  product  for  1879  will  be  6,000,000. 
It  is  a  noticeable  fact  that  no  traveling  salesmen  are  ever  em- 
ployed by  the  company,  and  when  this  is  considered  the  rapid 
growth  of  the  business  is  certainly  remarkable.  When  the 
works  were  first  started  England  controlled  the  market  of  the 
world  ;  to-day  the  National  Company's  needles  do  so,  and  are 
known  in  every  quarter  of  the  globe  where  the  sewing-ma- 
chine is  heard  of.  Slost  of  the  stock  of  the  company  is  held 
by  Springfield  parties.  The  superintendent  of  the  works  is 
John  Berry,  formerly  of  Barney  &  Berry,  skate  manufactu- 
rers. 

R.   F.    HAWKINS'    IRON-WORKS. 

Few  establishments  are  more  widely  known  than  E.  P. 
Hawkins'  Iron-Works,  on  Liberty  Street.  Mr.  Hawkins 
came  to  this  city  from  Lowell  when  a  child,  and  has  devoted 
the  best  portion  of  his  life  to  his  business,  which  embraces  the 
manufacture  of  steam-boilers,  pumps,  iron-  and  brass-castings, 
machinery,  mill-work,  and  bridges.  The  works  were  estab- 
lished by  Stone  &  Harris,  in  1846,  for  the  especial  manufac- 
ture of  the  Howe  truss  bridge.  To  them  have  been  added 
from  time  to  time  the  other  branches. 

Mr.  Hawkins  went  into  the  office  of  Stone  &  Harris  when 
sixteen  years  old  ;  became  a  partner  of  D.  L.  Harris,  their  suc- 
cessor, in  1863,  and  took  the  business  for  himself  in  1868. 
Most  of  the  earlier  railroad  and  highway  bridges,  engine- 
houses,  car-houses,  and  turn-tables  in  New  England  were 
built  by  this  establishment.  The  boiler-making  and  extensive 
foundry  business  of  the  concern  make  an  important  element 
in  the  business  of  the  city,  and  bring  in  a  large  amount  of 
work  from  abroad. 

E.  H.  BARNEY,  MANUFACTURER  OF  THE  FAMOUS  BARNEY"  & 
BERRY  SKATE, 

is  located  at  the  foot  of  Broad  Street.  This  skate  business 
was  first  started  by  Barney  &  Berry  in  1864,  Mr.  Berry  retir- 
ing from  the  firm  in  1869.  The  first  skates  made  were 
manufactured  at  what  is  now  the  Papier-mache  Works,  at 
Pecowsic;  but  in  1865  the  works  were  moved  up  to  Main 
Street,  near  the  junction  with  Mill  River,  and  on  the  site  now 
occupied  by  the  Bemis  &  Call  Company.  The  first  season 
there  were  500  pairs  of  skates  made,  all  the  work  being  done 
by  hand  by  eight  employes.  In  1872,  Mr.  Barney  built  the 
present  extensive  works,  at  the  foot  of  Broad  Street,  and  in 
the  season  of  1878  turned  out  80,000  pairs  of  skates,  the  num- 
ber of  men  employed  being  35.  The  skates  made  at  this  estab- 
lishment, the  most  famous  of  which  are  the  Ice  King,  are 
known  all  over  the  globe  where  water  freezes,  and  have  taken 
prizes  at  the  Vienna,  Philadelphia,  and  Paris  Expositions. 

W.  H.  WRIGHT,  THE  CIGAR-MAKER, 

who  has  undoubtedly  revolutionized  the  cigar  trade  of  New 
England  since  his  connection  with  the  business,  started  in 
1858,  in  a  wooden  building,  where  Patton's  block  now  stands, 
on  Main  Street,  with  Calvin  Loomis  for  a  partner.     In  1864, 


834 


HISTORY  OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


George  Mai-genini's  stand,  opposite  the  Exchange  Hotel,  was 
liurchascil,  and,  two  years  hiter,  Mr.  Looniis  dying,  Mr. 
Wright  continued  the  business  alone.  His  cigars  have  alvvaya 
commanded  a  nuirket,  because  manufactured  of  the  best  im- 
ported material,  and  about  .10  bales  of  choice  Havana  stock 
is  used  a  month  by  the  8.5  employes  when  business  is  fair. 
Out  of  his  business  Mr.  Wright  has  amassed  a  fortune,  and 
he  may  be  considered  a  self-made  man  in  every  respect. 

SERPENTINE    PAINT    AND    EIRE-BRICK    COMPANY. 

Kather  a  queer  name,  but  that  was  the  first  title  the  present 
Hampden  Paint  and  Chemical  Company  had.  This  company 
was  organized  in  1852  by  special  charter,  the  original  corpora- 
tors being  the  late  Chief-Justice  R.  A.  Chapman,  Hon.  C.  C. 
Chatl'ee,  Heman  S.  Lucas,  and  Charles  Phelps.  The  paint  was 
manufactured  from  the  product  of  a  mine  at  Chester,  which  the 
company  still  own,  but  which  is  unused.  The  name  of  the 
company  was  afterward  changed  to  its  present  title,  and  paint 
has  since  been  manufactured  from  chemicals  at  the  works,  at 
the  junction  of  Armory  Street  with  the  Boston  and  Albany 
Kailroad.  This  company  was  the  first  to  manufacture  a  green 
paint  to  take  the  place  of  Paris  green,  which,  from  its  poison- 
ous nature,  was  falling  into  disrepute,  and  in  that  way  was 
the  celebrated  "  Hampden  Green"  started.  The  company  also 
makes  the  green  used  for  printing  the  government  greenbacks. 
About  five  tons  of  colors  are  turned  out  at  the  establishment 
daily,  and  the  company  officers  have  been.  President,  E. 
Southworth,  and  E.  W.  Bond  Secretary  and  Treasurer ; 
George  T.  Bond  and  E.  P.  Chapin. 

THE   TAYLOR   &   NICHOLS   PAPETERIE   COMPANY 
manufactures  first-class  goods,  and  was  organized  in  January, 
1876,  the  firm  being  J.  E.  Taylor  and  Elijah  Nichols.     The 
business  is  steadily  increasing,  and  from  75  to  100  hands  are 
employed. 

D.  H.  BRIGHAM  &  CO. 
The  manufacture  of  paper  collars  in  this  city  was  begun  by 
D.  H.  Brigham  &  Co.  in  1803,  the  firm  being  D.  H.  Brigham, 
Charles  Brigham,  and  George  W.  Kay.  D.  H.  Brigham  sold 
out  his  portion  of  the  business  to  the  other  two  members  of 
the  firm,  and,  in  1865,  Varnum  N.  Taylor  bought  out  Charles 
Brigham,  and  the  firm-name  was  changed  to  Kay  &  Taylor. 
The  business,  which  had  been  commenced  in  Kibbe  Brothers' 
building,  at  the  corner  of  Main  Street  and  Harrison  Avenue, 
was  removed  to  Hilman  Street  in  1866,  and  built  up  and 
strengthened,  until  it  soon  became  one  of  the  most  important 
interests  in  the  city.  Such  a  steady  increase  of  business  soon 
demanded  larger  accomnrndations,  and  the  firm  built  a  large 
and  commodious  building  on  Worthington  Street,  which  they 
occupied  in  1870.  George  W.  Ray  sold  his  interest  to  V.  N. 
Taylor  in  1874,  and  in  July,  1878,  the  establishment  was 
moved  to  Taylor  Street.  In  its  busiest  time  the  works  pro- 
duce 150,000  collars  a  day,  and  keep  25  persons  at  work,  with 
the  best  and  latest  improved  machinery. 

THE   SPRINGFIELD   COLLAR   COMPANY 

was  started  by  George  Harrington,  who  for  nine  years  had  been 
in  the  employ  of  Ray  &  Taylor,  and  a  stock  company  with 
$40,000  capital  was  organized,  Oct.  15,  1872.  The  works  were 
first  located  in  Carr's  block,  in  Worthington  Street,  but  in 
1877  a  building  at  the  corner  of  Worthington  Street  and 
Stearns  Park  was  purchased.  About  100,000  collars  are 
turned  out  daily,  and  from  .50  to  75  hands  are  employed. 

DWIGHT   &   HOYT    IRON-WORKS. 

The  extensive  iron-works  on  Hillman  Street  of  Dwight  & 
Hoyt  are  the  outgrowth  of  the  American  Corrugated  Iron 
Company,  which  was  brought  to  this  city  in  1871  by  George 
Dwight,  Jr.  The  work  is  principally  the  manufacture  of  cor- 
rugated iron  buildings,  cornices,  etc.,  a  specialty  being  made 
of  fire-proof  work  and  the  building  of  railroad  depots.     Mr. 


Dwight's  partner  is  J.  W.  Hoyt.  As  many  as  500  men  are 
employed  at  times  in  putting  up  work  turned  out  at  the  estab- 
lishment, Jand  which  is  a  credit  to  the  firm  engaged  in  its 
manufacture. 

THE   NKWELL    BROS.'  BUTTON-FACTORY', 
located  at  the  foot  of  Howard  Street,  is  a  large  institution,  and 
is  doing  u  fiourishing  business. 

SOCIETIES. 
MA.S0NIC. 

The  Freemasons  of  Springfield  first  held  their  meetings  in 
tlie  building  now  standing  on  the  southeast  corner  of  Main 
and  State  Streets  (over  Webber's  drug-store),  in  what  was 
called  Hampden  Hall.  May  15,  1827,  the  corner-stone  of  the 
t"wn-hall  build. ng,  on  State  Street,  was  laid  by  Past  Master 
Oliver  B.  Morris,  Rev.  Bro.  Samuel  Osgood,  D.D.,  delivering 
the  address  cm  the  occasion.  The  third  story  of  the  building 
is  owned  by  and  was  dedicated  to  the  use  of  the  fraternity  on 
its  completion.  The  premises  now  occupied  by  the  Masons, 
in  the  building  of  the  Massachusetts  Life  Insurance  Com- 
pany, on  Main  Street,  were  dedicated  June  24, 1874,  the  lower 
hall  by  M.  W.  Grand  Master  Sereno  D.  Nickerson,  and  the 
upper  hall  by  Past  Grand  Commander  Rev.  Charles  H.  Titus. 
A  procession  composed  of — besides  the  local  commandery  and 
lodges — Newburyport,  Washington  (of  Hartford),  Connecti- 
cut Valley  (of  Greenfield),  Northampton,  Trinity  (of  Hud- 
son, Mass.)  commanderies,  and  Chicopee  and  Ionic  (of  East- 
hampton)  lodges,  under  the  chief  marshalship  of  Sir  Kt.  E.  P. 
Chapin.  A  collation  for  the  Templars  at  the  City  Hall,  and 
for  the  Masons  in  the  south  store  under  the  Masonic  Hall, 
signalized  the  occasion.  We  give  a  brief  sketch  of  each  of 
the  Masonic  organizations  in  the  city,  in  the  order  of  their 
formation. 

Hampden  Lodge,  F.  and  A.  M. — Date  of  charter,  March  11, 
1817,  signed  by  Francis  J.  Oliver,  G.  M.  Charter  members: 
Roswell  Lee,  Ezra  Osborne,  Jr.,  Joseph  Hopkins,  Alba  Fish, 
Joel  Brown,  Chester  B.  Chappell,  John  Burt,  George  Colton, 
Warren  Church,  William  H.  Foster,  Diah  Allen,  Stephen 
Cooley,  Jr.,  John  Hawkins,  .John  Newbury.  The  first  meet- 
ing under  the  charter  was  held  March  16,  1817,  and  the  fol- 
lowing Masons  admitted  to  membership  :  Benjamin  Belcher, 
Joseph  Carew,  Benjamin  A.  Bullard,  Joseph  Guild,  Marvin 
Mudge,  Enoch  Chapin,  Justice  Willard,  Elisha  Tobcy,  Za- 
dock  Dymon,  William  Ball,  Phineas  Tyler,  Calvin  Shattuck, 
and  John  Bennett.  The  otflcers  were  Roswell  Lee,  W.  M.  ; 
Justice  Willard,  S.  W.  ;  Elisha  Tobey,  J.  W.  ;  Joseph  Carew, 
Treas. ;  George  Colton,  Sec. ;  Warren  Church,  S.  D. ;  Diah 
Allen,  J.  D. ;  John  Newbury,  S.  S. ;  William  Ball,  J.  S.  ; 
Joseph  Hopkins,  Tyler. 

The  Past  Masters  are  Roswell  Lee,  Justice  Willard,  ().  B. 
Morris,  Diah  Allen,  Calvin  Shattuck,  John  B.  Kirkham, 
Ocran  Dickinson,  Charles  Ball,  David  Wood,  A.  G.  Tannatt, 
C.  B.  Stebbins,  J.  A.  Gamber,  Daniel  Reynolds,  F.  A.  Strong, 
Samuel  E.  Bailey,  J.  W.  Crooks,  J.  J.  Twiss,  A.  L.  Soule, 
William  S.  Wood,  W.  S.  Shurtleff,  A.  E.  Haywood,  F.  T. 
Merrick,  W.  II.  Spooner,  W.  E.  Granger,  H.  M.  Hutchinson, 
R.  H.  Bailey,  Henry  S.  Lee,  L.  W.  Hatch,  Ashur  Bartlett. 
Past  Treasurers:  Joseph  Carew,  Henry  Kirkham,  J.  B. 
Kirkham,  Lewis  Gorham,  Samuel  Bowles,  S.  E.  Bailey, 
Roswell  Lombard,  Thomas  Warner,  Jr.,  H.  S.  Lee,  P.  S. 
Bailey,  H.  W.  Hallett,  W.  E.  Granger.  Past  Secretaries  : 
George  Colton,  Henry  Brewer,  L.  C.  Allin,  John  B.  Kirk- 
ham, Aaron  Wilbur,  J.  H.  Freeland,  John  West,  Horace 
S.  Taylor,  Smith  W.  Clapp,  Geo.  W.  Wilson,  Clark  W. 
Bryan,  A.  H.  Kirkham,  W.  T.  Ingraham,  H.  A.  Chapin, 
George  B.  Reynolds,  Joseph  M.  Hall,  H.  A.  Bowdoin,  Wilbur 
R.  Ladd,  William  H.  Spooner,  P.  S.  Bailey,  H.  K.  Simons, 
Charles  Taylor. 

The  present  officers   are   E.   P.   Kendrick,  W.   M.  ;   E.  A. 


Elijah  Blake,  the  oldest  living  resident  of  the  city  of 
Springfield  in  1878,  was  bom  in  Torrington,  Litchfield  Co., 
Conn.,  June  26,  1784.  He  was  one  of  a  family  of  ten 
children  of  Elijah  and  Sarah  (Hamlin)  Blake,  who  were 
married  Sept.  27,  1779.  The  former,  a  native  of  Middle- 
town,  removed  to  Torrington  in  early  life ;  afterward  he 
went  to  Winchester.  He  was  a  tanner  by  trade,  and  died 
Oct.  2,  1833,  aged  seventy-seven.  The  latter  was  a  native 
of  Middletown,  and  died  Oct.  27,  1811,  aged  fifty-three. 

Mr.  Blake  spent  his  minority  at  home,  learning  the  trade 
of  a  tanner  and  also  of  a  shoemaker,  and  received  a  very 
limited  opportunity  for  getting  an  education  from  books. 
After  three  years  spent  as  a  journeyman  at  his  trade,  upon 
reaching  his  majority  be  came  to  Springfield,  which,  by 
including  Chicopee  and  the  surrounding  country,  numbered 
some  four  thousand  inhabitants.  Soon  after  coming  to 
Springfield,  in  1808,  he  was  married  to  Amelia  Brouson,  of 
Winchester,  Conn.,  with  whom  he  lived  until  the  year 


fire  department  of  the  village  and  city  for  some  thirty-one 
years ;  and  upon  his  retiring  from  the  active  duties  of  the 
department,  as  a  permanent  token  of  respect  for  his  daring 
and  courage,  and  his  long-continued  connection  with  it,  the 
citizens  presented  him  with  a  silver  pitcher,  on  which  was 
engraved,  "  Presented  by  Citizens  of  Springfield  to  Elijah 
Blake,  in  token  of  their  regard  for  his  long  devotion  to  the 
duties  of  Chief  Engineer  of  the  Fire  Department,  July  4, 
1844." 

Mr.  Blake  was  wholly  given  to  a  business  life.  He  was, 
in  the  days  of  the  Federal  party,  a  supporter  of  its  prin- 
ciples, and  represented  Springfield  one  term  in  the  Massa- 
chusetts Legislature.  He  was  president  of  the  Mutual 
Fire  Insurance  Company  for  twenty  years,  and  is  now  a 
director. 

He  has  always  taken  a  deep  interest  in  the  improvements 
of  the  city,  and  in  the  support  of  its  churches  and  kindred 
institutions.     As  he  looks  over  the  living  of  the  city,  he 


1852,  when  she  died,  aged  sixty-fiveT  By  this  union  there 
were  born  seven  children,  four  of  whom  are  now  living : 
WUliam  Blake,  of  New  York;  Marshall  B.  Blake,  col- 
lector of  internal  revenue.  New  York ;  Hamlin  Blake, 
of  New  York ;  and  Charles  Blake,  broker,  and  financial 
editor  of  the  New  York  Tribune. 

Mr.  Blake  opened  a  store  in  Springfield,  in  1808,  in 
the  shoe  and  leather  business,  which  he  began  in  a  small 
way,  and  with  very  limited  means.  Industry  and  economy, 
with  integrity  of  purpose  in  all  his  business  transactions, 
soon  won  the  confidence  of  the  citizens  ;  his  trade  increased, 
and  he  remained  a  merchant  in  Springfield  for  over  half  a 
century,  with  a  steady  and  successful  business  career. 

Mr.  Blake  refers  with  pride  to  his  connection  with  the 


can  find  only  one — Edmund  Allen — who  contributed  with 
him  to  the  erection  of  the  First  Church. 

Mr.  Blake  is  now  in  his  ninety-fifth  year,  and  resides  on 
State  Street,  where  he  built  his  residence  in  1819.  For 
his  second  wife  he  married,  in  the  year  1854,  Miss  Chloe 
Bliss,  of  Springfield,  who  is  some  fourteen  years  his  junior. 

Few  men  live  to  be  as  old,  and  fewer  at  such  an  age  are 
able  to  give  facts  in  detail  for  a  sketch. 

Mr.  Blake  deserves  notice  for  his  valor  in  the  capture 
of  some  burglars  who  had  made  several  depredations  in 
Springfield,  and  had  eluded  the  officials.  In  this  matter  he 
planned  and  carried  into  execution  the  arrest  of  the  thieves, 
— Stevens  and  Ball, — both  of  whom  were  sent  to  State- 
prison  for  life. 


HISTORY  OF   HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


835 


Lewis,  S.  W.  ;  H.  W.  Bullock,  J.  W.  ;  Geo.  A.  Owen,  Chap- 
lain; W.  E.  Granger,  Treas. ;  H.  M.  Yates,  Sec;  M.  M. 
Brown,  S.  1).  ;  George  Greeley,  Jr.,  J.  D. ;  Francis  Gleeson, 

5.  S.  ;  J.  R.  Sollace,  J.  S. ;  J.  C.  Shamp,  Marshal  ;  W.  F. 
Andrews,  Organist ;  M.  L.  Burt,  Tyler. 

Permission  was  given  for  the  establishment  of  new  lodges 
in  this  vicinity,  as  follows:  July  2,  1847,  North  Adams  ;  Dec. 

6,  1848,  Chicopee;  Jan.  20,  1856,  Westflcld  ;  March  1,  18G4, 
Koswell  Lee,  Springfield ;  Nov.  1,  1870,  Wilbraham. 

MOKNING   STAK   CHAPTER   OF    ROYAL   AKCH    MASONS. 

The  first  recorded  meeting  of  the  chapter  was  held  Sept.  1.5, 
1817.  The  charter  is  dated  June  29,  1818,  is  signed  by  J.  J. 
Loring,  Grand  High-Priest,  and  Andrew  Sigournell,  Grand 
Sec,  and  bears  the  names  of  Samuel  Osgood,  Joseph  Buckc- 
lew,  Gideon  Burt,  Jr.,  Alexander  Stocking,  Warren  Church, 
John  B.  Kirkham,  Harold  Jenks,  Thomas  Knight,  Roswell 
Leo,  and  William  Sizer  as  charter  members;  companions 
O.sgood,  Lee,  and  Church,  respectively,  being  named  therein 
as  the  first  High-Priest,  King,  and  Scribe. 

The  Past  High-Priests  have  been  Samuel  Osgood,  CD.,  Ros- 
well Lee,  S.  Colton,  John  Newbury,  John  B.  Kirkham,  Calvin 
Shattuck,  Ocran  Dickinson,  James  W.  Crooks,  A.  L.  Soule, 
William  S.  Shurtleff,  Isaac  D.  Gibbons,  James  H.  Call,  Albert 
E.  Foth,  Hiram  A.  Keith,  Richard  H.  Bailey,  Henry  Clark, 
George  T.  Weaver,  William  Hamilton,  Albert  R.  Rice,  M.D. 
Past  Treasuroi-s :  Jose|ih  Carew,  Eldad  Goodman,  Charles 
Stearns,  Samuel  E.  Bailey,  Daniel  Reynolds,  Thimias  War- 
ner, Jr.,  Henrj-  S.  Lee,  Edward  P.  Chapin,  G.  Frank  Adams. 
Past  Secretaries;  George  Colton,  Elisha  Tobey,  Henry  Brewer, 
Stephen  C.  Bemis,  Samuel  Bowles,  John  B.  Kirkham,  H.  S. 
Taylor,  George  W.  Wilson,  Henry  C.  Smith,  Robert  B. 
Treadwell,  Joseph  M.  Hall,  Joel  E.  Cooledge,  E.  W.  Abbott, 
O.  K.  Merrill,  Charles  Taylor,  Edmund  P.  Kendrick,  Robert 
W.  Day. 

The  present  officers  are  E.  P.  Kendrick,  H.  P. ;  G.  N.  Par- 
sons, K. ;  H.  M.  Coney,  S.  ;  M.  Wells  Bridge,  Treas. ;  E.  H. 
Colson,  Sec  ;  0.  K.  Merrill,  C.  H.  ;  G.  F.  Adams,  P.  S. ; 
W.  H.  Doty,  R.  A.  C. ;  M.  M.  Brown,  H.  W.  Eddy,  M.  J. 
Otto,  Masters  of  the  Vs. ;  J.  G.  Wilson,  Organist ;  George 
T.  Weaver,  Tiler. 

Springfield  Council  of  Royal  and  Select  Maslers. — A  war- 
rant from  Jeremy  L.  Cross,  D.  G.  P.,  dated  May  28,  1818,  re- 
cites : 

"  That  by  the  high  powers  in  me  vestefl  by  the  Thrice  Illnstriuua  and  Grand 
Puissant  in  ttie  Grand  Council  uf  Select  Mastel-s,  held  at  the  City  of  Baltimore, 
in  the  State  of  Maryland,  North  America,  I  do  hereby  constitute  and  empower 
tlie  within-named  companions  to  form  themselves  into  a  Council  of  Select  Mas- 
ters; and  I  do  appoint  my  worthy  Companion,  Roswell  Lee,  to  be  the  firet 
T.  I.  G.  M. ;  John  Newbury,  to  bo  the  first  I.  D.  G.  M. ;  and  Warren  Church,  to 
be  the  Principal  Conductor,  to  confer  the  degree  of  Select  Master  at  Springfield 
in  the  County  of  Hampden  and  C/ommonwealth  of  Massachusetts." 

The  first  board  of  officers,  besides  those  named  in  the  war- 
rant, were  Oliver  B.  Morris,  C.  of  G.  ;  Joseph  Carew,  Treas- 
urer; Sylvester  Clark,  Recorder;  and  Elisha  Tobey,  Tyler. 
The  council  worked  under  this  warrant  of  dispensation  until 
Dec.  13,  1820,  when  its  charter  was  issued,  signed  by  Abra- 
ham A.  Dame,  M.  I.  G.  M.  ;  George  Bliss,  Jr.,  R.  I.  G.  M.  ; 
Edward  A.  Raymond,  I.  6.  M.  ;  Thomas  Payson,  Grand 
Recorder,  empowering  "our  worthy  companions  composing 
the  Council  in  Springfield,"  without  naming  them,  "with 
such  others  as  may  hereafter  join  them,  to  continue  to  open 
and  hold  a  council,"  etc. 

The  first  officers  elected  under  the  charter  were  as  follows  : 
J.  Newbury,  T.  I.  G.  M.  ;  C.  Shattuck,  D.  I.  G.  M.  ;  0. 
Dickinson,  P.  C.  ;  A.  Nettleton,  C.  G.  ;  Jos.  Carew,  Treas- 
urer ;  Samuel  Reynolds,  Recorder ;  Rev.  L.  R.  Page,  Chap- 
lain ;  Jas.  W.  Crooks,  G.  S.  T. 

The  Past  Thrice  Illustrious  Masters  are  Roswell  Lee,  John 
B.  Kirkham,  Geo.  Bliss,  Jr.,  John  Newbury,  Calvin  Shat- 
tuck, Ocran   Dickinson,  Albert  H.  Kirkham,  Thomas  Snow, 


Rev.  Josiah  Marvin,  E.  W.  Clarke,  H.  A.  Keith,  Chas.  E. 
Bailey,  John  A.  Gamber,  Robert  Morris,  A.  W.  Griswold, 
W.  S.  Holbrook,  S.  B.  Spooner.  Past  Treasurers:  Joseph 
Carew,  Charles  Stearns,  A.  G.  Tanuatt,  Daniel  Reynolds, 
S.  E.  Bailey,  F.  T.  Merrick,  Thos.  Warner,  Jr.,  H.  S.  Lee, 
Henry  M.  Phillips,  Geo.  W.  Ray,  S.  L.  Kenyon,  W.  S.  Hol- 
brook, E.  P.  Chapin.  Past  Recorders:  Sylvester  Clark,  El- 
dad Stebbins,  Diah  Allen,  Galen  Ames,  Samuel  Reynolds, 
A.  G.  Tannatt,  Geo.  Colton,  Daniel  Reynolds,  Wilbur  R. 
Ladd,  W.  T.  Ingraham,  Chas.  A.  Call,  Jas.  C.  Drake,  J.  E. 
Cooledge,  E.  W.  Abbott,  0.  K.  Merrill,  E.  P.  Kendrick,  G. 
F.  Adams. 

The  present  officers  (1879)  are  S.  B.  Spooner,  T.  I.  M. ; 
J.  E.  Shipman,  Dep.  M. ;  G.  N.  Parsons,  P.  C.  of  W. ;  E.  P. 
Chapin,  Treasurer;  G.  F.  Adams,  Recorder;  H.  W.  Eddy, 
C.  of  G.  ;  G.  H.  Kendall,  C.  of  C.  ;  W.  F.  Bowers,  Chaplain ; 
J.  R.  Sollace,  Steward ;  Geo.  T.  Weaver,  Sent. ;  C.  C.  Spell- 
man,  Organist. 

Tiie  council  meets  first  Wednesday  evening  of  each  month. 

Springfield  Co>nma?ideri/  of  Knighti  Temjilar.  —  June  19, 
1826,  a  charter  for  an  encampment  was  granted  to  the  follow- 
ing petitioners  :  Roswell  Lee,  Arnold  Jencks,  Henry  Dwight, 
John  B.  Kirkham,  Alpheus  Nettleton,  Abiram  Morgan,  Maj. 
Goodsell,  Amasa  Holcomb,  Amasa  Cady,  and  P.  Tyler,  upon 
the  recommendation  of  Greenwich  Encampment.  The  first 
regular  board  of  officers  after  the  by-laws  were  adopted  was 
elected  April  13,  1827,  viz. :  Henry  Dwight,  M.  E.  G.  C.  ; 
J.  B.  Kirkham,  Gen'l.  ;  J.  Howard,  C.  G.  ;  John  Newbury, 
Prel.  ;  C.  Stearns,  Treas. ;  H.  Brewer,  Rec. ;  M.  Goodsell, 
S.  W. ;  A.  Nettleton,  J.  W. ;  J.  M.  Forward,  S.-B.  ;  W.  H. 
Foster,  Sw.-B.  ;  O.  Dickinson,  3d  G. ;  C.  Shattuck,  2d  G. ; 

A.  Morgan,  1st  G.  ;  P.  Tyler,  Sent. ;  J.  W.  Crooks,  W. 
The  Past  Eminent  Commanders  are  Sirs  Henry  Dwight,* 

John  Newbury,*  J.  W.  Crooks,*  J.  B.  Kirkham,*  Ocran 
Dickinson,  W.  S.  Shurtlefl',  A.  H.  Kirkham,  I.  D.  Gibbons,* 
Wilbur  R.  Ladd,  Daniel  Reynolds,  A.  E.  Foth,  S.  B.  Spooner, 
Geo.W.  Ray,  P.  S.  Bailey,  H.  H.  Banks,  E.  P.  Chapin.  Past 
Treasurers:  J.  S.  Dwight,  Galen  Ames,  John  B.  Kirkham, 
Daniel  Reynolds,  Henry  S.  Lee,  Chas.  Stearns,  H.  S.  Taylor, 
S.  E.  Bailey,  Thos.  Warner,  Jr.,  E.  P.  Chapin.  Past  Record- 
ers :  Henry  Brewer,  S.  E.  Bailey,  John  B.  Kirkham,  A.  H. 
Kirkham,  W.  R.  Ladd,  H.  D.  Miller,  J.  E.  Cooledge,  P. 
Tyler,  H.  S.  Taylor,  Daniel  Reynolds,  Amos  Call,  W.  T.  In- 
graham. 

The  present  officers  (1879)  are  Sirs  E.  P.  Chapin,  Eminent 
Commander;  W.  E.  Granger,  Generali.ssimo ;  C.  C.  Spell- 
man,  Captain  General ;  Daniel  Reynolds,  Prelate  ;  J.  E.  Ship- 
man,  Assistant  Prelate;  H.  M.  Coney,  Senior  Warden;  E. 

B.  Maynard,  Junior  Warden  ;  Thomas  Warner,  Jr.,  Treas- 
urer; O.  K.  Merrill,  Recorder;  Charles  A.  Call,  Standard- 
Bearer  ;  George  M.  Smith,  Sword-Bearer ;  S.  B.  Hutchinson, 
Warder ;  W.  H.  Dickinson,  First  Guard ;  W.  M.  Stebbins, 
Second  Guard;  V.  W.  Van  Horn,  Third  Guard;  W.  D. 
Slater,  Musical  Director;  E.  M.  Tinkham,  Armorer;  George 
T.  Weaver,  Sentinel. 

Roswell  Lee  Lodge,  Free  a7id  Accepted  Masons. — At  a  meet- 
ing held  March  21,  1864,  in  answer  to  a  petition  drafted  at  a 
meeting  of  Master  Masons,  held  on  the  29th  of  February, 
1864,  a  dispensation  was  received  from  the  Grand  Master  au- 
thorizing and  empowering  the  petitioners  to  wit :  E.  W. 
Clark,  I.  D.  Gibbons,  W.  T.  Ingraham,  Robert  E.  Ingraham, 
Burrall  Riggs,  I.  H.  Lawrence,  J.  B.  Hunt,  S.  B.  Spooner, 
H.  S.  Lee,  W.  H.  Smith,  J.  E.  Taylor,  O.  H.  Greenleaf,  S. 
W.  Porter,  Marshall  Elmer,  Wm.  E.  Granger,  George  T. 
Weaver,  J.  R.  Dearborn,  A.  E.  Foth,  C.  A.  Call,  and  Robert 
Morris,  to  form  and  open  a  lodge  after  the  manner  of  Free  and 
Accepted  Masons,  according  to  the  ancient  customs,  and  not 
otherwise ;   said  disjiensaticm  to  continue  in  force  until  the 

*  Deceased. 


8;i6 


HISTORY  OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


regular  quarterly  communiciition  of  the  Grand  Lodge  in 
March,  a.d.  1805,  and  appointing  E.  W.  Clark  to  be  the  first 
Master,  I.  D.  Gibbons  to  be  the  first  S.  W.,  and  W.  T.  Ingra- 
ham  to  be  the  first  J.  W.  This  dispensation  was  read,  and, 
on  motion  of  Brother  Riggs,  unanimously  accepted.  The  W. 
M.  then  announced  the  following  appointments  :  0.  H.  Green- 
leaf,  Treas.  ;  S.  B.  Spooner,  Sec.  ;  Burrall  Riggs,  S.  T>.  ; 
Chas.  A.  Call,  J.  D.  ;  Robert  Morris,  S.  S.  ;  Geo.  T.  Weaver, 
J.  S. ;  J.  K.  Taylor,  Chaplain  ;  P.  H.  Lawrence,  Marshal ; 
George  I).  Rollins,  Tyler. 

The  charter  was  received  March  14,  186-5,  the  lodge  consti- 
tuted, and  the  officers  installed  by  Most  Worshipful  Grand 
Master  William  Parkman,  as  follows: 

E.  W.  Clark,  W.  M.  ;  S.  B.  Spooner,  S.  W.  ;  J.  B.  Hunt, 
J.  W. ;  A.  E.  Foth,  Treas.  ;  W.  T.  Ingraham,  Sec.  ;  Geo.  T, 
Weaver,  S.  D.  ;  Robert  Morris,  J.  D. ;  H.  G.  Shaw,  S.  S. ; 
Edwin  Cady,  J.  S.  ;  James  M.  Porter,  Marshal ;  George  D. 
Rollins,  Tyler.  After  the  installation  a  banquet  was  held  at 
the  Union  House. 

Brothers  Lee,  Smith,  and  Granger,  whose  names  appeared 
in  the  warrant  of  dispensation,  did  not  become  charter  mem- 
bers of  the  lodge,  but  remained  affiliated  with  Hampden  Lodge. 
The  occasion  for  the  formation  of  this  new  lodge  was  the  ex- 
traordinary amount  of  work  which  Hampden  Lodge  was  then 
doing,  having  made  in  one  year  eighty  Masons.  The  lodge 
was  named  for  Roswell  Lee,  the  first  Master  of  Hampden 
Lodge,  of  which  lodge  most  of  the  petitioners  for  the  new 
lodge  were  members. 

The  Past  Masters  of  the  lodge  have  been  E.  W.  Clark,  S.  B. 
Spooner,  George  T.  Weaver,  J.   H.   Cooper,  J.   E.  Sliipman, 

B.  S.  Haskins,  E.  P.  Chapin,  J.  A.  Hall.  Past  Treasurers: 
A.  E.  Foth,  H.  G.  Shaw,  E.  S.  Batchelder.  Past  Secretaries: 
W.  T.  Ingraham,  J.  M.  Porter,  J.  H.  Cooper,  H.  M.  Phil- 
lips, J.  A?  Hall,  E.  S.  Batchelder,  G.  F.  Adams,  C.  H.  Lang. 

The  present  officers  of  the  lodge  are  C.  C.  Spellman,  W.  M. ; 

F.  G.  Southmayd,  S.  W. ;  D.  W.  Ware,  J.  W. ;  J.  A.  Hall, 
Treas.;  C.  H.  Churchill,  Sec;  A.  F.  Ball,  S.  D. ;  H.  O. 
Turner,  J.  D.  ;  G.  A.  Kilburn,  S.  S.  ;  J.  C.  Miller,  J.  S. ; 
David  Clark,  Chaplain  ;   G.  Remkus,  Marshal  ;   C.  Otto,  I.  S. ; 

C.  J.  Sanderson,  Organist;  George  T.  Weaver,  Tyler. 
Evening  Star  Lodge  of  Perfection. — Date  of  charter,  May  18, 

1866,  signed  by  K.  H.  Van  Rensselaer,  M.  P.  Sov.  Gr.  Com- 
mander ;  Nathaniel  B.  Shurtleff,  111.  Gr.  Sec-General ;  Wni. 
Sewell  Gardner,  111.  Deputy  for  the  State  of  Massachusetts. 

The  charter  members  were  William  H.  Spooner,  Daniel 
Reynolds,  Albert  E.  Foth,  Robert  Morris,  James  M.  Porter, 
Samuel  E.  Bailey,  Alphcus  L.  Parker,  John  E.  Taylor,  Hiram 
A.  Keith,  James  A.  Merrill,  Henry  D.  Miller,  George  D.  Rol- 
lins, Samuel  C.  Fleming,  Henry  M.  Chapin,  Henrj'  W.  Chajiin, 
Marshall  Elmer,  Frederick  Bush,  Asa  Sessions,  Daniel  W. 
Hale. 

The  first  officers  were  William  H.  Spooner,  T.  P.  G.  M ; 
Daniel  Reynolds,  D.  G.  M. ;  Albert  E.  Foth,  V.  S.  G.  W. ; 
Robert  Morris,  V.  J.  G.  W.  ;  James  M.  Porter,  G.  K.  of  S. ; 
S.  E.  Bailey,  G.  Treas.  ;  A.  L.  Parker,  G.  Sec.  ;  John  E. 
Taylor,  G.  Orator;  Hiram  A.  Keith,  G.  M.  of  C.  ;  James  A. 
Merrill,  G.  C.  of  G. ;  Henry  D.  Miller,  G.  H.  B. ;  Geo.  D.  Rol- 
lins, G.  Tyler. 

The  Past  T.  P.  G.  M.'s  have  been  William  H.  Spooner,  John 
E.  Taylor,  Robert  Morris,  James  M.  Porter,  Samuel  B.  Spooner, 
Juliai}  J.  Anderson,  John  E.  Shipman.  Treasurers:  S.  E. 
Bailey,  Henry  S.  Le6,  Charles  S.  Marsh.  Secretaries :  A.  L. 
Parker,  Henry  D.  Miller,  F.  A.  Judd,  Joel  E.  Cooledge, 
Charles  S.  Marsh,  E.  P.  Kendrick. 

The  present  officers  are  John  E.  Shipman,  T.  P.  G.  M. ;  C. 
C.  Spellman,  D.  G.  M. ;  Charles  E.  Moore,  V.  S.  G.  W.  ;  E. 
E.  Town,  V.  J.  G.  W. ;  Daniel  Reynolds,  G.  Orator;  Charles 
S.  Marsh,  G.  Treas.  ;  E.  P.  Kendrick,  G.  Sec  ;  George  T. 
Weaver,  G.  M.  of  C. ;  A.  C.  Ru.ssell,  G.  C.  of  G.  ;  Amos  Cole, 

G.  H.  B. ;  J.  G.  Wilson,  G.  Organist ;  Robert  Morris,  G.  Tyler. 


Masxasoit  Council,  Princes  of  Jenixalon. — Omitting  the 
name  of  Wm.  H.  Spooner,  and  adding  those  of  Charles  E. 
Bailey  and  Richard  H.  Bailey,  the  charter  members  of  this 
body  are  identical  with  those  named  in  the  charter  for  the 
Lodge  of  Perfection.  Its  charter  was  issued  by  the  same 
grand  officers.  May  10,  1806. 

Past  M.  E.  S.  P.  G.  M.'s  are  Albert  E.  Foth,  Hiram  A. 
Keith. 

The  present  officers  are  George  W.  Ray,  M.  E.  S.  P.  G.  M. ; 
Charles  C.  Spellman,  G.  H.  P.  D.  G.  M. ;  Robert  Morris,  M. 
E.  S.  G.  W.  ;  William  Grover,  M.  E.  J.  G.  W.  ;  E.  H. 
Young,  V.  G.  T.  ;  J.  E.  Shipman,  V.  G.  S.  K.  of  S.  and  A.  ; 
Albert  E.  Foth,  V.  G.  M.  of  C. ;  Charles  S.  Marsh,  V.  G. 
M.  of  E.  ;  Daniel  Reynolds,  V.  G.  H.  B  ;  J.  C.  Lutz,  G.  Tyler. 

Grand  Sovereign  N.  G.  Tucker,  assisted  by  Brother  George 
E.  Boyden,  in  the  year  1873  established  Unity  Conclave  of  the 
Knights  of  the  Red  Cross  of  Rome  anil  Constantine,  and  the 
following  is  the  list  of  its  present  officers:  H.  H.  Banks,  Sov. ; 
P.  S.  Bailey,  V.  U. ;  E.  P.  Chapin,  Treas.  ;  S.  B.  Spooner,  S. 
G.  ;  Robert  Morris,  J.  G.  ;  Henry  Clark,  H.  P.  ;  William 
Pierce,  P.  ;  C.  C.  Spellman,  H.  ;  George  Harrington,  S.  B. 

ODD-FELLOWS. 

The  first  lodge  of  this  ancient  and  honorable  order  in  this 
city  was  Hampden  Lodge,  No.  27,  instituted  Feb.  7,  1844, 
under  a  dispensation  issued  by  E.  H.  Chapin,  Grand  Master. 
A  charter  was  granted  at  the  next  session  of  the  Grand  Lodge 
of  Massachusetts.  The  charter  members  were  Addison  W^are, 
James  M.  Thompson,  Albert  C.  Cole,  Josiah  Hunt,  Thomas 
Hassard,  Jr.,  and  James  Henr}'.  The  officers  installed  were 
Addison  Ware,  N.  G.  ;  James  M.  Thompson,  V.  G. ;  Thomas 
Ha.ssard,  Jr.,  Sec. ;  and  Josiah  Hunt,  Treas. 

In  1845,  Thomas  Hassard,  Jr.,  with  others,  withdrew,  and 
established  a  lodge  at  Pittsfield,  Mass.,  as  Berkshire  Lodge, 
No.  57.  In  the  same  year  the  Grand  Lodge  granted  a  charter 
to  Samuel  Wells  and  others  as  Nonotiick  Lodge,  No.  61,  at 
Northampton;  also  one  to  A.  A.  Folsoni  and  others  as  St. 
John's  Lodge,  No.  62,  at  Cabotville,  now  Chicopee,  but  at  that 
time  part  of  Springfield. 

At  the  ilay  session,  1845,  a  charter  was  granted  to  W.  T. 
Davis  and  others,  who  had  withdrawn  and  established  a  lodge 
at  Greenfield,  as  Pocomjituck  Lodge,  No.  67. 

At  the  February  session,  1870,  of  the  Grand  Lodge  the 
charter  of  St.  John's  Lodge,  No.  62,  which  had  been  surren- 
dered to  that  body  some  years  previously,  was  returned  to 
some  of  the  old  members. 

Through  the  influence  of  R.  W.  Ball  and  others,  who  with- 
drew for  that  purpose,  a  charter  was  granted,  in  1871,  to  Le 
Roy  S.  Drew  and  others,  as  De  Soto  Lodge,  No.  155.  The 
present  (1878)  officers  of  the  lodge  are  George  Smith,  N.  G. ; 
Ira  Harvey,  V.  G. ;  Wm.  Gray,  P.  S.  ;  J.  Miller,  Jr.,  E.  S. ; 
John  Lobsitz,  Treas.  Subsequently  the  Grand  Lodge  granted 
a  charter  to  F.  A.  Burt  and  others,  of  De  Soto  Lodge,  No.  155, 
and  J.  H.  Haskins  and  others,  of  Hampden  Lodge,  No.  27, 
as  Amity  Lodge,  No.  172.  The  present  (1878)  officers  of 
Amity  Lodge  are  as  follows :  Walter  D.  Davis,  N.  G. ;  Hor- 
ace W.  Bullock,  V.  G.  ;  Chas.  H.  Rust,  R.  S.  ;  Geo.  F.  Far- 
mer, P.  S.  ;  H.  P.  Robinson,  Treas. ;  L.  D.  Robinson,  R.  S. 
Syms,  and  J.  M.  Currier,  Trustees. 

Since  the  institution  of  Hampden  Lodge  to  the  present  time 
(Nov.  1, 1878),  1040  persons  have  become  members  by  initiation 
or  deposit  of  card,  about  150  have  withdrawn,  and  .50  have 
died. 

The  present  officers  are  R.  B.  Hopkins,  N.  G. ;  F.  A.  C. 
Judd,  V.  G.  ;  F.  S.  Crane,  Sec. ;  A.  H.  Clark,  Per.  Sec.  ; 
Wm.  Fernald,  Treas. 

Morning  Star  Lodge,  No.  5,  D  of  R.,  was  instituted  in  1878. 
The  present  officers  (1878)  are  as  follows:  Mrs.  Harriet  Heath, 
N.  G. ;  Mrs.  Solomon  Stebbins,  V.  G.  ;  Mrs.  E.  G.  Cook,  Sec. ; 
Mrs.  Sarah  Fernald,  Treas. 


HISTORY   OF   HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


837 


Agawani  Em-ampmevt,  No.  25,  /.  0.  0.  F.,  was  instituted 
Jan.  G,  1847.  The  charter  members  were  James  M.  Thomp- 
son, Winiam  Hankerson,  George  Smith,  B.  K.  Bliss,  Addison 
Ware,  S.  K.  Holman,  H.  T.  Gardner,  George  W.  Wilson,  of 
Siiringtield  ;  John  F.  Comstock,  A.  A.  Upson,  John  Grant, 
T.  A.  Lewis,  J.  K.  Rand,  Lyman  Lewis,  Charles  Dickerman, 
of  Westfleld. 

The  first  officers  installed  were  James  M.  Thompson,  C.  P. ; 
John  F.  Comstock,  H.  P.  ;  Addison  Ware,  S.  W.  ;  George 
W.  Wilson,  Scribe  ;  S.  D.  Holland,  Treas.  ;  William  Hanker- 
son,  J.  W. 

At  the  session  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  the  United  States  in 
1871,  permission  was  granted  to  the  members  of  the  subordinate 
encampments  to  procure  uniforms  for  street  parades.  Quite 
a  number  of  patriarchs  have  availed  themselves  of  this  privi- 
lege and  taken  excursions  to  New  Haven  and  Meriden,  Conn., 
Providence,  R.  I.,  and  Worcester,  Ma.ss.  ;  also  have  received 
visits  from  the  uniformed  patriarchs  of  the  above-named  places. 
The  membership,  Nov.  1,  1878,  was  180.  The  present  officers 
are  F.  S.  Hatfield,  C.  P. ;  Harrison  Johnson,  H.  P.  ;  J. 
Schamp,  S.  W. ;  F.  S.  Crane,  Scribe;  M.  B.  Crane,  Financial 
Scribe. 

Golden  Cliabi  Lodge,  G.  V.  0.  of  0.  F.,  was  instituted  July 
14, 1873.  The  present  officers  (1878)  are  as  follows,  viz.  :  James 
Henderson,  P.  N.  F.  ;  F.  G.  Brown,  N.  F.  ;  A.  N.  Brown, 
P.  N.  G. ;  Thomas  Pollard,  N.  G.  ;  A.  Smith,  V.  G. ;  Albert 
Parker,  E.  S.  ;  William  M.  Tatten,  P.  S.  ;  Cyrus  Hughes, 
Treas.  This  is  a  lodge  of  Odd-Fellows  composed  of  colored 
men,  who  received  their  charter  from  England,  and  who  have 
no  connection  with  the  I.  O.  of  O.  F. 

COLORED    MASON.s. 

Sumner  Lodge,  Free  ami  Accepicd  Masons. — On  the  21st  day 
of  June,  186(3,  Lewis  Hayden,  M.  W.  Grand  Master,  and 
Edward  C.  Ruhler,  Grand  Secretary-,  of  "  Prince  Hall  Grand 
Lodge  of  the  Most  Ancient  and  Honorable  Society  of  Free 
and  Accepted  Masons,  for  the  State  of  Massachusetts,"  issued 
a  charter  to  Eli  S.  Baptist,  Thomas  Thomas,  George  H.  Queen, 
W.  H.  Montague,  Isaiah  J.  Baptist,  Charles  W.  Hall,  A.  E. 
Glasco,  H.  O.  Thicraan,  and  C.  A.  Purvis,  under  the  name  of 
Sumner  Lodge  of  F.  and  A.  M. 

The  Past  Masters  have  been  Eli  S.  Baptist,  Thomas  Thomas, 
Geo.  H.  Queen,  I.  J.  Baptist,  Davis  Jennings,  and  Peyton 
Washington.  Past  Treasurers  :  W.  H.  Montague,  J.  D.  Ray- 
mond, J.  N.  Howard,  and  Thomas  Thomas.  Past  Secretaries: 
Davis  Jennings,  Gustavus  Booth,  W.  D.  Montague,  Talcott 
Williams,  and  J.  H.  Turner. 

The  present  officers  are  Davis  Jennings,  W.  M. ;  J.  B. 
Jackson,  S.  W. ;  A.  D.  Morrison,  J.  W. ;  Thomas  Thomas, 
Treas. ;  J.  H.  Williams,  Sec. ;  J.  Gray,  S.  D. ;  J.  N.  Shepard, 
J.  D. ;  E.  L.  Montague,  Chaplain  ;  J.  H.  Thornton,  Marshal: 
G.  W.  Frazier,  S.  S.  ;  J.  R.  Williams,  J.  S. ;  T.  Simmons, 
Tyler. 

TEMPERANCE   SOCIETIES. 

King  Solomon  Lodge,  No.  12,  /.  0.  G.  S.  (colored).— W.  P.  C, 
Willis  Bolden. 

Morni7ig  Star  Degree  Lodge,  No.  4,  I.  0.  G.  S.  (colored). — 
G.  M.,  William  Thompson. 

Springfield  Reform  Club. — Officers :  President,  William  B. 
Crook  ;  Vice-Presidents,  J.  D.  Parkes,  Sumner  Clark,  William 
B.  Watts;  Secretary,  E.  B.  Downing;  Treasurer,  George  H. 
Allyn. 

Armory  Hill  Reform  Club,  an  open  society,  hold  their 
meetings  at  the  call  of  the  president,  Dr.  V.  L.  Owen, 

Women's  Christian  Temperanee  Union. — President,  Mrs. 
Daniel  Gay. 

Beacon  Lodge,  No.  69,  7.  O.  of  G.  T.— W.  C.  T.,  H.  C. 
Dickinson. 

Crescent  Lodge,  No.  130,  /.  O.  of  G.  T.— W.  C.  T.,  J.  B. 
Lamb.     Membership,  100. 


Liquid  Light  Division,  No.  37,  .S'.  of  r.— W.  P.,  Rev.  G.  W. 
Perry. 

Ma.Hsasoit  Temple  of  Honor,  No.  46. — Instituted  Nov.  7, 
1874.     W.  C.  T.,  Albert  A.  Patten. 

Bethlehem  Council  of  Select  Templars. — C.  of  C,  Rev.  G. 
W.  Perry. 

SOVEREIGNS   OF    INDUSTRY. 

Springfield  Council,  No.  1. — Organized  Jan.  16,  1874.  Presi- 
dent, Dr.  George  Dutton.     Membership,  32.5. 

Eureka  Council,  No.  5. — Organized  Jan.  23,  1874.  Presi- 
dent, W.  R.  Wheaton.     Membership,  212. 

U7tioti  Council,  No.  6. — Organized  Jan.  26,  1874.  Presi- 
dent, D.  W.  Ware.     Membership,  194. 

Armory  Hill  Council,  No.  9.— Organized  Jan.  29,  1874. 
President,  J.  F.  Cranston.     Membership,  250. 

ANCIENT   ORDER   OF    HIBERNIANS. 

Division  No.  1. — President,  Daniel  Kervick. 
Germania  Lodge,  No.  380,  D.  O.  i/.— F.  Schwatzka,  O.  B. 
Alembership,  65. 

INDEPENDENT    ORDER    OF    FORESTERS. 

Court  J/os.s«so(7.— Instituted  May  10,  1878.— W.  C.  R., 
R.  D.  Whitney. 

KNIGHTS   OF   HONOR. 
Orient  Lodge,  No.  230.— Organized  Feb.   16,  1876.     P.   D., 
William  B.  Crook. 

ROTAL    ARCANUM. 

Equity  Couitcil,  No.  96.— Instituted  May  29,  1878.  R., 
J.  Lyman  Smith. 

RELIEF   ASSOCIATIONS. 

Firemen's  Mutual  Relief  Association. — Object,  to  provide 
for  members  of  the  Fire  Department  who  are  disabled  in  the 
discharge  of  duly.  Officers :  President,  L.  H.  Powers ;  Sec- 
retary, A.  P.  Leshure;  Treasurer,  Henry  S.  Lee. 

Masonic  Mutual  Relief  A.isociation  of  Western  3Iassachu- 
setts. — Organized  in  1870,  and  composed  exclusively  of  Ma- 
sons. Officers  :  President,  George  W.  Ray  ;  Vice-President, 
Henry  S.  Lee  ;  2d  Vice-President,  E.  P.  Chapin  ;  Treasurer, 
Thomas  Warner,  Jr.  ;  Secretary,  J.  0.  Taylor. 

Ma.iuiiic  Hall  Association. — Officers:  President,  H.Alexan- 
der; Treasurer,  John  A.  Hall;  Clerk,  S.  B.  Spooner;  Direc- 
tors, H.  Alexander,  E.  S.  Batchelder,  Henry  Clark,  E.  P. 
Chapin,  S.  B.  Spooner,  H.  II.  Banks,  Amos  Call,  H.  S.  Lee, 
J.  Q.  A.  Sexton. 

Odd-Fellows'  Mutual  Relief  Association  of  the  Connecticut 
River  Valley. — Officers:  John  M.  Wood,  President,  Hampden 
Lodge,  Springfield ;  Harrison  Johnson,  1st  Vice-President, 
Hampden  Lodge,  Springfield ;  J.  F.  Severance,  2d  Vice- 
President,  Alethian  Lodge,  Shelburne  Falls,  Mass.;  Henry  S. 
Lee,  Treasurer,  Hampden  Lodge,  Springfield ;  William  W. 
Gardner,  Secretary,  De  Soto  Lodge,  Springfield. 

Union  Relief  Association.— This  association  is  an  organiza- 
tion for  the  systematic  dispensation  of  charity  throughout  the 
city.  It  has  an  office  in  the  city  hall,  in  charge  of  Edward 
Osgood.  The  President  is  A.  D.  Briggs ;  Secretary,  Edwai-d 
S.  Osgood  ;  Treasurer,  Albert  T.  Folsom.  The  Board  of  Man- 
agers are  A.  D.  Briggs,  H.  W.  Hallett,  Dr.  C.  C.  ChafJee, 
Rev.  Washington  Gladden,  Dr.  S.  W.  Bowles,  A.  D.  Stone, 
A.  T.  Folsom,  Charles  Hall,  John  M.  Stebbins. 

Voung  Catholic's  Friend  .Soci'd^y.— Sacred  Heart  Parish. 
President,  Rev.  J.  J.  McDerniott.  Distribution  of  relief  in 
charge  of  a  committee  of  members  from  the  different  streets 
in  the  parish.  Cathedral  Parish  officers:  President,  Rev. 
Charles  E.  Burke ;  Secretary,  Angus  McKay ;  Treasurer, 
John  F.  Donahue. 

The  Roman  Catholic  Mutual  Insurance  Corporation  of 
Hampden  County. —  Organized  May  24,  1877.  President, 
Right  Rev.  P.  T.  O'Reilly. 

Mutual  Relief  A.isocialion  of  the  Employes  of   the  B.  and 


838 


HISTORY   OF  THE  CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


A.  B.  n.  Co.— Trustees,  C.  0.  Russell,  J.  "VV.  Clark,  H.  C. 
Hauiiltou,  A.  S.  Bryant,  W.  H.  Stearns,  Robert  Ecclcs,  Mar- 
cus Caldwell ;  Secretary  and  Treasurer,  Albert  Holt.  Mem- 
bership, 720. 

Tlie  Hampden  Conference  ami  Benevolent  Association. — Was 
organized  in  1831,  and  represents  the  38  Congregational 
Churohes  of  the  county,  in  annual  convention. 

Union  Mutual  Beneficial  Society  (colored).— Organized  in 
1866.  Officers  in  1878:  President,  Eli  S.  Baptist;  Secretary, 
Mrs.  Jane  Lawyer ;  Treasurer,  Mrs.  Harriet  Thomas. 

St.  Jean  Baptistc  Benevolent  Soc/cfi/.— Organized  1864.  L. 
N.  L'heureux,  President.     Membership,  120. 

Daughters  of  Cyrus  (colored). —  President,  Mrs.  Anna 
Holmes. 

St.  Jean  Baptiste  Benevolent  Society  of  Indian  Orchard.— 
Organized  May,  1874.  Louis  Rieutard,  President.  Member- 
ship, 90. 

THE    ROD    AND    UUN    CLUB 

is  an  organization  having  for  its  object  the  enforcement  of  all 
laws  and  ordinances  for  the  protection  of  game  and  fish,  pro- 
motion of  skill  in  shooting  and  fishing,  and  for  the  re-stocking 
of  the  forests  and  streams  in  this  vicinity  with  game,  birds, 
and  fish.  Its  officers  for  1878  are  as  follows,  viz. :  E.  H. 
Lathrop,  President;  Elisha  Gunn  and  R.  O.  Morris,  Vice- 
Presidents  ;  William  M.  Williams,  Secretary  and  Treasurer. 
The  above,  with  W.  W.  Colburn  and  S.  T.  Hammond,  consti- 
tute the  executive  committee. 

THE   .SPRINGFBLD   BOTANICAL    SjOCIETY 

was  organized  April  20,  1877.  Its  present  officers,  1878,  are 
E.  W.  Seeger,  President ;  E.  A.  Thompson,  Vice-President ; 
and  Miss  Lizzie  Tapley,  Secretary  and  Treasurer. 

There  are  also  four  social  clubs  in  the  city,  viz.  :  the  Spring- 
field Club,  Atheneum  Club,  Ours  Club,  and  the  Young  Men's 
Catholic  Lyceum. 

THE  CITY  LIBRARY  ASSOCIATION  OF  SPRINGFIELD.* 
The  earliest  library  in  Springfield  of  which  any  record  can 
be  found  is  the  collection  of  the  Springfield  Library  Company, 
which  published  a  catalogue  in  1796.  It  seems  to  have  been 
a  small  library,  to  which  only  the  proprietors  had  access. 
The  catalogue  contained  the  regulations  of  the  library  and  a 
classified  list  of  books.     The  regulations  were  as  follows: 

"  The  hours  in  which  the  Librarian  delivers  books  to  the  Pi-opnet^irs  are  from 
fi>ur  to  seven  o'cluclc  on  the  la.st  Saturdays  of  the  montlis  of  April,  May,  June, 
July,  August,  anil  September,  and  from  two  to  five  o'eloek  on  the  last  Saturdays 
of  the  months  of  Ortober,  November,  December,  January,  February,  anil  March. 
Each  proprietor  is  allowed  by  the  by-laws  of  the  company  to  take  out  earh  day 
of  delivery  for  each  share  ho  may  own  two  folios  or  tliree  quartos,  or  one  quarto 
and  two  octavos,  or  one  quarto  and  four  duodecimos,  or  three  octavos,  or  two 
octavos  and  three  duodecimos,  or  one  octJivo  and  four  duodecimos,  or  si.^  duode- 
cimos." 

The  catalogue  contains  the  titles  of  320  volumes,  classified 
under  the  following  divisions;  divinity  and  ethics:  history, 
biography,  voyages,  and  travels  ;  poetry  ;  novels ;  and  mis- 
cellaneous.    What  became  of  this  library  is  unknown. 

The  second  library  organization  of  which  any  record  remains 
was  the  Franklin  Library  Association,  which  was  composed 
of  the  workmen  in  the  United  States  Armory.  The  date  of 
the  establishment  of  this  library  is  unknown.  It  existed  as  a 
separate  library  until  the  year  1844,  when  it  was  made  over 
to  the  Young  Men's  Institute. 

In  January,  1824,  the  Hampden  Mechanics'  Association 
was  established.  It  founded  a  library  called  the  Apprentices' 
Library.  It  had  for  a  time,  also,  a  weekly  evening  school  for 
apprentices  and  annual  courses  of  lectures.  This  association 
continued  in  existence  until  1849,  but  in  1845  its  library  was 
transferred  to  the  I'oung  Men's  Institute.  A  catalogue  of 
the  Apprentices'  Library,  published  in  1834,  gives  627  as  the 
number  of  books. 

The  Young  Men's  Institute  was  founded  in  1843.     It  was 

»  By  Kev.  William  Bice,  D.D. 


an  association  for  the  improvement  of  its  members.  It  estab- 
lished a  library  and  reading-room,  and  had  its  debates  and 
courses  of  literary  and  scientific  lectures. 

In  1854  the  Young  Men's  Literary  Association  was  organ- 
ized. Its  objects  were  similar  to  those  of  the  institute.  It 
also  established  a  library  and  reading-room,  and  had  its 
debates  and  lectures. 

The  libraries  belonging  to  these  various  institutions  were 
comparatively  small,  and  they  were  accessible  only  to  the 
members.  The  desirableness  of  a  public  library,  however, 
began  to  attract  attention  and  awaken  popular  discussion  in 
connection  with  the  efforts  to  increase  the  interest  in  these 
associations.  As  the  result  of  these  discussions  a  petition  of 
1200  citizens  was  presented  to  the  city  government  in  1855, 
asking  for  the  establishment  of  a  city  library.  The  petition 
was  referred  to  the  committee  on  education,  who  reported  in 
favor  of  the  object,  and  on  October  15th  the  report  was  adopted 
by  both  branches  of  the  city  council,  but  it  was  found  that  by 
reason  of  some  technical  informalities  the  appropriation  could 
not  be  made  that  year.  The  following  year  the  city  hall  was 
erected,  and  in  the  plans  which  were  adopted  a  room  was  set 
apart  for  a  public  library,  but  no  action  was  had  by  the  city 
o-overnment  making  provision  for  its  establishment.  The  fol- 
lowing year  the  subject  was  introduced  to  the  notice  of  the 
city  council  in  the  inaugural  address  of  Mayor  Ansel  Phelps, 
who  stated  that  he  had  been  requested  to  call  attention  to  this 
subject,  and  to  recommend  that  an  appropriation  of  §2000  be 
made  for  a  library,  but  that  he  did  not  deem  it  expedient  to 
recommend  the  appropriation  at  that  time,  in  view  of  the 
heavy  indebtedness  of  the  city,  and  concluded  with  the  sug- 
gestion that  "the  creation  and  maintenance  of  a  city  library 
be  deferred  till  a  more  convenient  season."  This  suggestion 
of  the  inayor  was  approved  by  the  city  government,  and  no 
appropriation  was  made. 

The. friends  of  the  city  library  enterprise,  disappointed  in 
this  direction,  determined  to  make  a  vigorous  etVort  for  the 
establishment  of  a  public  library  by  means  of  a  voluntary 
association,  and  by  seeking  private  subscriptions.  For  this 
purpose  the  City  Library  Association  was  organized,  Nov.  27, 
1857.  The  members  of  the  Springfield  Institute  and  the  Y'oung 
Men's  Literary  Association  united  in  the  new  enterprise,  and 
their  libraries  were  made  over  to  the  City  Library  Association. 
A  committee  was  also  appointed  to  solicit  subscriptions  among 
the  citizens.  A  considerable  sum  was  raised,  and  accessions 
were  also  made  to  the  library  by  donations  of  books. 

In  1859,  Mayor  W.  B.  Calhoun  in  his  inaugural  refers  to 
the  association,  and  recommends  that  the  city  should  stand 
forth  as  the  acknowledged  patron  of  the  library  by  an  appro- 
priation for  its  support,  and  argues  "  that,  in  view  of  the  bene- 
fits of  a  public  library  as  the  fruitful  source,  not  of  the  ordi- 
nary and  acknowledged  blessings  of  intelligence  merely,  but 
of  an  efficient  and  all-pervading  economy,  it  would  be  liter- 
ally an  institution  of  saving."  But  in  view,  probably,  of  the 
continued  heavy  indebtedness  of  the  city,  and  the  necessity  of 
large  appropriations  for  the  current  expenses,  no  action  was 
had  upon  this  recommendation. 

During  the  year,  however,  the  library  of  the  association, 
now  numbering  about  1500  volumes,  with  the  consent  and 
approbation  of  the  mayor  and  the  committee  on  city  property, 
was  removed  to  the  library-room  in  the  city  hall.  From  the 
period  of  removal  the  city  furnished  rent,  and  during  most  of 
the  time  fuel,  lights,  and  the  services  of  a  janitor,  free  of 
charge  to  the  association. 

Simultaneously  with  the  occupancy  of  these  rooms  com- 
menced an  earnest  and  persistent  series  of  efforts  to  increase 
the  resources  and  extend  the  usefulness  of  the  library.  ^  A 
subscription  of  about  $8000  was  raised,  and  in  the  following 
year  a  fair  was  held  by  the  ladies  of  the  city  for  the  benefit 
of  the  association,  the  result  of  which  was  a  gain  to  the  funds 
of  the  association  of  about  $1800. 


7r,Mic 


cor>^  J I  cccy 


e- 


HISTORY   OP   HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


839 


A  reference  theological  department  was  commenced,  and 
donations,. either  in  money  or  books,  were  secured  from  vari- 
ous religious  societies.  The  agricultural  department  was  also 
largely  increased  by  the  addition  of  the  Hampden  Agricultu- 
ral Library,  which  was  transferred  by  vote  of  the  stockholders 
to  the  City  Library  Association.  Donations  of  books  from 
individual  citizens  were  also  received,  and  among  these  dona- 
tions may  be  found  some  of  the  most  expensive  and  valuable 
works  in  the  library.  A  special  effort  was  made  to  increase 
the  number  of  annual  subscriptions,  and  the  small  fee  of  SI 
per  year,  which  was  charged  for  the  use  of  books,  became  the 
source  of  considerable  revenue.  A  course  of  lectures  was  also 
given  for  several  years,  which  resulted  in  a  considerable 
income.  Subsequent  to  18G4  the  city  also  made  an  annual 
appropriation.  The  aggregate  receipts  of  the  association  from 
all  sources  from  1857  to  1871,  when  the  library  was  removed 
to  the  new  building,  amounted  to  about  $50,000,  and  a  large 
portion  of  this  amount  was  expended  for  books.  To  this  sum 
should  be  added  at  least  $0000, — the  value  of  books  donated 
to  the  library  during  the  same  period.  As  the  result  of  these 
efforts,  the  number  of  volumes  in  the  library  increased  during 
these  years  from  1.500  to  30,000  volumes. 

A  museum  of  Ethnology  and  Natural  History  was  founded 
in  1859,  under  the  auspices  of  the  association,  in  which  were 
gathered  collections  of  much  interest  and  value,  especially  in 
some  departments  of  local  zoologj'. 

The  rooms  in  the  city  hall,  ample  at  first,  soon  became 
crowded  by  the  rapid  growth  of  the  library  and  museum,  and 
the  necessity  for  more  commodious  quarters  became  obvious. 
It  was  now  apparent  that  the  library  was  an  established  insti- 
tution, and  it  was  felt  that  provision  should  be  made  for  its  per- 
manent accommodation  and  its  continued  growth.  The  associa- 
tion was  therefore  reorganized  under  a  new  charter,  which  con- 
stituted it  a  corporation  for  the  purpose  of  "  establishing  and 
maintaining  a  library  for  the  difl'usion  of  knowledge  and  the 
promotion  of  intellectual  improvement  in  the  city  of  Spring- 
Held."  The  corporation  was  authorized  "  to  hold  real  and 
personal  estate  to  the  amount  of  §150,000,  exclusive  of  the 
books  in  its  library,  and  the  collections  of  natural  history 
and  works  of  art  in  its  museum."  And  all  its  real  and  per- 
sonal estate  were  to  be  held  in  trust  "for  the  uses  and  pur- 
poses appropriate  for  a  public  and  social  library  and  museum, 
to  be  used  and  enjoyed  by  the  inhabitants  of  Springfield,  under 
such  regulations  as  the  corporation  might  from  lime  to  time 
prescribe."  The  city  of  Springfield  was  authorized  to  make 
appropriations  for  its  maintenance  so  long  as  the  corporation 
allowed  the  inhabitants  of  the  city  free  access  to  the  library  at 
reasonable  hours,  for  the  purpose  of  using  the  same  on  the 
premises. 

The  new  organization  was  effected  in  May,  18C4,  and  the  fol- 
lowing board  of  officers  were  elected  :  John  L.  King,  President ; 
D.  L.  Harris,  Vice-President ;  Wm.  Rice,  Clerk  and  Librarian  ; 
J.  D.  Safford,  Treasurer  ;  George  Bliss,  0.  W.  Chapin,  J.  M. 
Thompson,  Chas.  Merriam,  Geo.  Walker,  E.  W.  Bond,  J. 
G.  Holland,  J.  B.  Stebbins,  James  Kirkham,  and  P.  B.  Tyler, 
Directors  ;  O.  H.  Greenleaf  and  Henry  Smith,  Auditors.  The 
officers  of  the  society  at  this  first  meeting  received  a  commu- 
nication from  Hon.  Geo.  Bliss  offering  to  donate  a  lot  of  land 
for  a  library  building.  A  committee  was  at  once  appointed  to 
confer  with  architects  and  to  obtain  plans  for  a  building. 
The  president  of  the  association  was  also  requested  by  the 
directors  to  secure  subscriptions.  Many  of  the  citizens  re- 
sponded liberally  to  this  appeal,  and  in  February,  1805,  the 
sum  of  $77,000  was  raised,  more  than  half  this  amount  hav- 
ing been  subscribed  by  the  board  of  officers.  Considerable 
delay  was  occasioned  by  the  difficulty  of  obtaining  a  plan  for 
the  building,  but  the  one  finally  accepted  was  by  George  Ha- 
thorne,  of  New  York.  The  building  committee,  in  October, 
1867,  contracted  for  the  erection  of  the  building  with  Ama- 
ziah  Mayo.     It  was  completed  in  the  spring  of  1871,  at  an 


expense  of  .?100,000,  and  the  library  was  opened  to  the  public 
in  the  fall  of  the  same  year. 

The  library  building  is  on  State  Street.  It  is  100  feet  long 
and  05  feet  deep,  standing  some  12  or  15  feet  above  the  general 
level  of  the  street,  and  00  feet  back  from  the  front  of  the  lot. 
Two  flights  of  broad  granite  steps  a.scend  from  the  street  to  an 
arched  stone  porch  before  the  central  tower.  The  building  is 
of  Monson  gneiss  to  the  height  of  the  water-table  ;  above,  it 
is  constructed  of  good  faced  brick,  relieved  by  strongly  con- 
trasting and  richly  cvit  and  carved  light  sandstone,  from  quar- 
ries at  Amherst,  O.  The  graceful  porch,  the  bay-windows  on 
the  west  and  east  ends,  the  arch-stones,  panels,  moldings, 
bands,  dormers,  and  tracery  are  all  of  this  delicate-tinted 
stone.  The  roof  is  the  most  peculiar  and  picturesque  feature 
of  the  building,  and  is  trimmed  with  light  iron  finials  and 
railings,  decorated  and  gilded.  The  architecture  is  the  mod- 
ern adaptation  of  the  Gothic,  prevalent  in  the  Middle  Ages  on 
the  continent,  and  in  England  at  the  present  time,  and  is 
known  as  the  media;val  revival.*  It  is  admirably  adapted  to 
isolated  public  buildings  like  this,  by  its  free  and  varied  out- 
line and  its  opportunity  for  elaborate  ornamentation. 

The  entrance-hall  is  25  feet  wide,  extending  from  front  to 
rear  of  the  building.  Opening  from  the  hall  on  the  right  is 
the  museum-room,  20  by  50  feet,  furnished  with  alcoves  and 
cases.  On  the  west  is  a  similar  though  smaller  hall,  to  be 
used  as  a  reading-room,  while  beyond,  and  also  entered  from 
the  entrance-hall,  is  the  janitor's  room. 

Entering  the  library  proper  by  the  spacious  stairway,  the 
visitor  stands  in  one  of  the  most  beautiful  library  interiors  in 
this  country.  It  occupies  the  entire  building  above  the  first 
floor,  extending  therefrom  to  the  oblong  dome.  A  clear  space 
of  GO  feet  by  20  on  the  floor,  and  50  feet  in  height,  is  surrounded 
bj'  alcoves  15  feet  deep.  A  series  of  clusters  of  columns  en- 
compa.ss  this  open  space,  and  from  their  carved,  leafy  capitals, 
each  different  and  all  beautiful,  spring  arched  ribs,  which 
meet  and  intersect  beneath  the  glass  dome.  From  these  col- 
umns radiate  in  every  direction  the  alcoves  and  galleries  of 
the  library.  In  the  centre  and  front  of  the  building,  opposite 
the  stairway,  occupying  the  room  of  two  alcoves,  is  the  dis- 
tributing centre,  faced  with  a  counter  for  the  librarian  and 
attendants.  A  winding  iron  staircase  connects  this  with  the 
galleries,  with  the  floor  above,  and  with  the  tower. 

The  centre  alcoves  at  each  end  extend  beyond  the  line  of 
the  building  in  a  ba3'-window,  which  gives  additional  appa- 
rent length  to  the  room  and  space  for  a  table  and  chairs. 
Each  alcove  has  a  height  of  17  feet,  with  two  divisions,  the 
upper  accessible  from  a  light  gallery,  from  which  in  each 
corner  alcove  a  circular  staircase  leads  to  the  floor  below. 
The  galleries  form  an  unbroken  connection  one  with  the 
other,  and  entirely  surround  the  library. 

A  remarkable  feature  of  this  library  is  the  abundance  of 
light, — a  rare  thing  in  such  structures.  The  dome  is  a  large 
central  skj'light,  some  50  feet  in  length,  of  ground  glass; 
this  is  covered  above  at  a  height  of  six  or  seven  feet  by  a 
larger  frame-work  containing  an  outer  skylight.  By  this  ar- 
rangement the  heating  and  ventilation  arc  more  thoroughly 
controlled  in  winter,  the  direct  rays  of  the  sun  tempered  in 
summer,  and  at  all  times  a  softer  and  better  light  secured. 
In  addition  to  the  centre  light,  the  alcoves  have  also  a  more 
direct  light,  one  or  more  windows  being  arranged  in  each 
alcove.  A  great  defect  largely  experienced  in  most  existing 
libraries,  namely,  dark  alcoves,  has  been  entirely  remedied  hy 
this  arrangement.  The  shelves  throughout  arc  movable,  se- 
cured by  square-headed  oak  pins,  which  are  let  into  the  under 
side  of  the  shelves  flush,  the  divisions  and  also  all  other  por- 
tions of  the  cases  having  been  carefully  fitted,  so  that  there 
are  no  projecting  corners  or  edges  to  mar  the  books. 

But  the  crowning  beauty  of  this  tine  interior  is  the  artistic 

*  Or  RonnalBSance. 


840 


HISTORY   OF   THE    CONNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


excellence  of  the  fresco-painting.  It  is  the  work  of  Mr.  Gui- 
seppe  Guribiildi,  of  New  York,  and  its  brilliant  and  harmoni- 
ous combinations  of  color  have  added  the  very  touch  needed 
to  meet  the  architect's  ideal  and  lift  the  arches,  columns,  and 
carved  capitals  into  definite  grace  and  ornate  splendor.  The 
city  may  well  be  proud  of  so  beautiful  a  repository  for  its  treas- 
ures of  the  wisdom  and  wit  of  the  world. 

The  association  was  about  §25,000  in  debt  at  the  conijile- 
tion  of  the  building,  and  measures  were  immediately  taken  to 
secure  subscriptions  to  meet  the  indebtedness.  Hon.  D.  L. 
Harris,  who  was  elected  president  on  the  death  of  Mr.  King, 
was  appointed  to  solicit  subscriptions,  and  devoted  himself 
with  such  enthusiasm  and  persistence  to  this  work  that  at  the 
annual  meeting  in  1873  he  was  able  to  report  that  the  entire 
amount  had  been  obtained. 

In  1809  a  donation  of  $0000  was  made  to  the  association  by 
Miss  Mary  Bryant,  of  Boston,  with  the  condition  that  this 
amount  be  invested,  and  the  interest  only  be  used  for  the  pur- 
chase of  books.  This  was  the  first  donation  made  to  the  asso- 
ciation looking  toward  an  endowment.  In  1878  a  donation  of 
$1000  was  also  made  to  the  permanent  funds  by  Charles  Mer- 
riam,  on  condition  that  the  interest  on  the  investment  should 
be  used  under  the  direction  of  the  librarian,  for  the  issue  of 
free  subscriptions  to  worthy  persons. 

Simultaneously  with  the  opening  of  the  librarj'  in  tlie  new 
building  a  catalogue  was  published,  prepared  by  the  libra- 
rian. The  catalogue  is  upon  what  is  called  the  dictionary 
plan.  The  books  are  entered  under  the  name  of  the  author 
and  title,  and  they  are  arranged  also  under  subjects,  where  the 
nature  of  the  title  will  admit  of  it.  To  add  to  the  value  of 
the  catalogue  for  practical  purposes,  the  scientific,  philosophi- 
cal, and  theological  departments  are  thoroughly  classified,  and 
appropriate  cross-references  are  made.  For  the  further  con- 
venience of  the  reader  lists  of  authors  and  titles  of  anony- 
mous works  are  given,  under  poetry,  fiction,  and  juveniles; 
and  lists  of  authors  also,  under  religion  and  drama.  The 
library  was  opened  in  the  new  building  with  31,400  volumes 
upon  the  shelves.  Since  that  period  there  has  been  an  annual 
increase,  and  it  now  numbers  (1878)  42,000  volumes. 

In  addition  to  the  volumes  belonging  to  the  association,  the 
library  contains  a  collection  of  the  public  documents  of  the 
United  States,  placed  on  deposit  for  reference,  by  the  trustees 
of  the  State  Library.  This  collection  now  numbers  more 
than  2000  volumes,  and  is  one  of  the  most  complete  in  the 
United  States.  The  library  also  contains  the  "  Reports  of 
Drawings  and  Specifications,"  published  by  the  United  States 
Patent-Otfice.  The  rcaling-room  department  connected  with 
the  institution  is  well  supplied  with  papers,  magazines,  and 
reviews. 

There  have  been  but  few  changes  in  the  board  of  otRcers. 
The  present  list  is  as  follows  :  1).  h.  Harris,  President ;  E.  W. 
Bond,  Vice-President;  William  Rice,  Clerlv  and  Librarian; 
J.  D.  Saft'ord,  Treasurer;  J.  M.  Thompson,  Charles  Merriam, 
Chester  W.  Cbapin,  John  B.  Stebbins,  James  Kirkbam, 
Charles  O.  Chapin,  Horace  Smith,  O.  H.  Greenleaf,  George 
E.  Howard,  and  Samuel  Bowles,  Directors;  R.  F.' Hawkins 
and  J.  H.  Appleton,  Auditors. 

By  a  change  of  the  by-laws,  adopted  at  the  annual  meet- 
ing in  1873,  the  mayor  of  the  city,  the  president  of  the  com- 
mon council,  and  the  chairman  of  the  school  committee  are 
also  constituted  members  e.r-ojfir-io  of  the  board  of  directors. 

Rev.  William  Rice,  D.D.,  was  elected  librarian  a  few 
months  after  the  establishment  of  the  library  in  the  city-hall, 
and  has  remained  in  charge  until  the  present  time. 

The  affairs  of  the  association  have  been  conducted  on  a 
broad  and  liberal  basis.  The  directors  have  steadily  adhered 
to  one  purpose,  that  of  building  up  a  valuable  public  library, 
which  should  furnish  means  not  only  for  the  gratification  of 
taste,  but  also  for  the  acquisition  of  substantial  knowledge. 
They  have  not  been  content  to  establish  a  mere  circulating 


library,  provided  with  the  current  literature  of  the  day,  but 
have  labored  for  a  far  higher  and  nobler  end,  viz.,  the  accu- 
nuilation  of  a  library  of  permanent  value,  which  would  sup- 
ply the  most  earnest  and  serious  needs  of  the  community,  and 
furnish  ample  scope  for  research  and  investigation  in  the  vari- 
ous departments  of  literature,  science,  art,  philosophy,  and 
religion. 

They  have  been  eminently  successful  in  this  work,  and  the 
City  Library  of  Sjiriugfield  may  be  regarded  as  one  of  the 
best-selected  and  valuable  libraries  of  its  size  in  the  State,  or 
in  the  country. 

THE   CONNECTICUT   VALLEY    UISTOIilCAL   SOCIETY.* 

The  Connecticut  Valley  Historical  Society  was  organized 
by  the  adoption  of  by-laws  and  the  choice  of  oflScers  at  a 
meeting  held  at  the  City  Library  in  Springfield  on  the  21st  of 
April,  1870.  A  charter  was  secured  from  the  Secretary  of  the 
Commonwealth  under  Chapter  375  of  the  Acts  and  Resolves 
of  1874,  and  the  society  thus  became  a  corporation  legally  es- 
tablished under  the  laws  of  the  Commonwealth  of  Massachu- 
setts, May  9,  1876.  The  otficers  of  the  corporation  elected  at 
its  organization  were  the  following:  President,  Judge  Henry 
Morris;  Vice-Presidents,  Judge  A.  L.  Soule,  Hon.  William 
L.  Smith,  and  Samuel  Bowles;  Clerk  and  Treasurer,  Rev. 
Wm.  Rice,  D.D. ;  Executive  Committee,  Rev.  S.  G.  Buck- 
ingham, D.D.,  Rev.  E.  A.  Reed,  Homer  Merriam,  Joseph  C. 
Pynchon,  Henry  S.  Lee,  Cliarles  Marsh. 

The  reasons  which  led  to  the  organization  of  this  society  and 
the  importance  of  tlie  objects  which  it  contemplates  are  so  ad- 
mirably set  forth  in  the  opening  .iddre.ss  of  the  president. 
Judge  Henry  Morris,  that  we  cannot  do  better  than  to  present 
a  considerable  part  of  that  address  as  a  portion  of  this  brief 
history : 

"The  valley  of  the  Counecticut  presents  a  field  fur  historic  research  equaled 
Ijy  few,  siirp-assed  hy  none.  True,  we  have  no  Revuhitionary  battle-lields  conse- 
crated in  the  great  strnggle  for  independence.  Tlie  armies  of  England  never 
penetrated  so  far  into  the  interior.  The  only  British  sjldiei-s  who  came  here 
came  as  prisoners,  and  some  of  these  took  so  kindly  to  onr  valley  that  they 
settled  among  us  ob  citizens,  married  wives,  established  homes,  and  raised  fami- 
lies. Some  of  their  descendants  are  with  ns  at  this  day,  tilling  positions  of 
responsibility  and  usefulness. 

"  But  while  we  have  in  the  valley  no  battle-grounds  famous  in  Revolutionary 
annals,  we  are  rich  in  memorials  of  earlier  trials.  We  can  point  to  many  a  si)ot 
where  the  war-whoop  of  the  savage  has  echoed  in  peaceful  villages  and  startled 
the  settler  by  Ins  fireside,  or  at  his  labor  in  the  field,  to  seek  protection  for  his 
wife  and  children. 

"The  tomahawk  and  the  torch  were  active  instruments  in  those  days  in  the 
work  of  destruction.  Here,  too,  i^  soil  that  has  witnessed  the  fierce  and  pro- 
tracted conflict  with  the  savage  foe,  and  been  wet  with  the  mingled  blood  of 
white  men  and  red  men.  The  horroi-s  of  that  early  warfare  have  had  few  parallels 
iu  later  times,  unless  it  be  in  the  atrocities  recently  perpetrated  in  the  Old  World 
upon  a  professedly  Christian  people. 

"  These  early  wars  have  been  tt)  a  large  e.xtent  chronicled  by  writers  whose 
works  have  been  published.  I  apprehend,  however,  tliat  there  are  many  inter- 
esting details  to  be  gathered  and  localities  marked  which  have  never  yet  been 
preserved  in  a  form  that  will  secure  their  transmission  t^)  those  who  shall  come 
after  us. 

"Aside  from  the  annals  of  Indian  warfare,  this  valley  has  been  the  scene  of 
many  important  events  that  merit  a  fuller  record  than  they  have  yet  received. 
How  little  is  known  of  tlie  part  taken  in  the  old  French  war  by  the  people  resid- 
ing iu  this  valley  !  Yet  it  is  a  fact  that  in  the  single  year  1745  eighteen  of  our 
young  men  of  Springfield  met  with  death  during  the  siege  and  at  the  capture  of 
the  fortress  of  Louisburg.  How  m;iny  incidents  connecting  the  valley  with  the 
American  Revolution  have  failed  of  any  permanent  record  !  And  yet  it  is  safe  to 
say  that  there  is  not  a  town  in  this  part  of  the  State  that  did  not  send  its  sons 
into  onr  armies  to  tight  the  battles  for  independence,  numbers  of  whom  perished 
on  the  field  or  fell  victims  to  the  diseases  and  hardships  of  camp-life.  Is  it  too 
late  to  rescue  the  names  of  these  heroic  men  from  oblivion ?  And  then  that 
trouble  known  as  Shays'  rebellion,  wliich  followed  so  soon  after  the  war  of  the 
Revolution, — are  there  not  some  traditions  to  be  gathered  concerning  it  which 
have  found  no  record  in  the  pages  of  Minot  or  any  other  aunjilist  ? 

"  It  is  not,  however,  in  wal"S  and  tunnilts  alone  that  the  true  antiriuarian 
will  seek  subjects  for  his  diligent  study.  The  multifarious  transactions  of  civil 
life,  in  whiih  the  men  who  have  passed  aw.ay  from  among  us  took  part, — trans- 
actions which  iu  their  time  attracted  geneial  attention  and  interest;  nay,  the 
very  men  tliemselves,  the  actors  in  these  transactions,  who  in  the  two  centuries 
before  t!ie  present,  atid  some  even  in  the  present  century,  planned  and  organ- 

*  By  Kev.  William  Bice,  D.D. 


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HISTORY   OF   HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


841 


i/.o<l  our  civil  iustitutions,  inaug:ur.iteil  and  coinUu'tetl  the  various  enterprises 
of  tlit'ir  time,  and  guve  shaiJe  anil  tone  to  its  social  life, — is  tliere  not  much  to  bo 
collected  and  presei'vcd  concerning  them,  that  those  who  nniy  couie  after  us  may 
not  be  left  in  profound  ignorance  that  such  men  have  lived  and  acted  their  part 
liere  ? 

"It  is  one  of  the  marked  peculiarities  of  this  centetniial  eiu  that  it  has  drawn 
the  attention  of  our  countrymen  so  much  to  the  past,  and  h;is  awakened  sosti'onij: 
a  desire  to  preserve  the  fragmentary  memorials  that  yet  remain.  Everywhere  is 
manifested  an  anxiety  to  secure  the  local  annjils.  Wilters  arc  busy  iuvesli;iating 
records  .and  documents  that  have  been  neglected  .-tnd  forgotten  for  ycaT-s.  Many 
town  histories  have  been  published.  Others  are  in  cuurec  of  preparation.  Ilis- 
toiical  discour.ses  have  been  delivered  by  clergj'men  in  tlieif"  various  parishes. 
The  addresses  before  the  various  professional  and  social  oi'g.anizations  existing 
among  us  have  largely  taken  on  a  historical  type,  and  the  public  inind  generally 
is  becoming  more  inipiisitive,  and  so  better  informed,  about  the  jiast.  It  was  in 
sympatliy  with  this  sentiment  that  this  society  had  its  origin.  Deeply  impressed 
with  the  importance  of  preserving  our  local  annals,  anil  appreciating  in  .some 
degree  the  value  of  the  tield  for  investigation  afforiled  by  the  valley  of  tlie  Con- 
necticut, a  few  gentlemen  associated  themselves  as  the  Connecticut  Valley  His- 
torical >So(^icty,  and  organized  as  a  corporation  under  the  laws  of  tliis  Conmion- 
wealtli.  A  good  degree  of  interest  has  been  manifested  in  the  object,  which, 
ronsidcring  the  general  depression  in  almost  every  kind  of  business  at  present 
prevailing,  is  an  encouraging  omen  of  success  in  our  enterprise.  Whether  this 
success  shall  be  achieved  depends  mainly  upon  thespiiit  with  wliich  the  membei-s 
uf  the  society  eng.age  in  the  work  contemplated  by  our  constitution.  One  very 
important  part  of  this  work  is  the  collection  and  pieservation  of  ancient  leco;  ds 
and  documents  of  every  kind  that  may  in  any  way  illustrate  ancient  transac- 
tions and  the  habits  of  life  and  modes  of  business  that  characterized  yeais  long 
jiast,  M.any  an  important  historical  fact  has  been  derived  from  some  old  letter 
which  lias  been  preserved  among  the  family  treasures,  or  from  some  entry  made 
in  some  court  record,  or  in  the  diary  of  some  individu.al  made  for  a  very  different 
puriKAse.  For  instance,  it  has  been  regarded  as  .in  interesting  fact,  in  connection 
with  the  early  history  of  Springfield,  that  the  pioneers  who  first  came  to  this  valley 
imrposcd  to  locate  their  settlement  on  the  west  side  of  the  liver,  and  actually 
built  their  first  house  there.  The  evidence  of  that  fact  rests  almost  entirely,  as 
I  suppose,  upon  tin:  entiy  made  in  the  old  ryuchon  record  of  a  lawsuit  about 
the  building  of  that  house.  There  arc  many  similar  cases.  I  have  no  doubt 
that  if  all  the  old  account-books,  newspapers,  and  documents  of  vaii  jus  kinds 
which  had  lain  dormant  in  the  garrets  of  our  old  houses  for  many  years  before 
uur  late  civil  war,  but  which  were  hunted  up  and  sold  for  paper-stock  when 
paper-stock  was  high,  were  now  in  existence,  and  could  be  sub.iected  to  a. careful 
ecrutiny  by  peraons  skilled  in  antiqu.arian  lore,  very  many  valuable  facts  illustra- 
ting the  jMLSt  histoiy  of  our  land,  and  the  ch;iracters  of  the  men  and  women  who 
were  conspicuous  actors  on  the  stage  of  life  before  the  beginning  of  the  present 
century,  would  be  brought  to  light.  Much,  very  much,  that  would  have  been 
valuable  lijis  been  lost  iLi  this  way  witliin  the  last  fifteen  years.  Hindi,  however, 
yet  remains  and  may  be  saved.  Let  us  endeavor  to  gather  from  their  dark  and 
dusty  depositories  these  relics  of  the  pjist  and  pl.ace  them  in  the  archives  of  this 
society,  where  they  will  be  carefully  preserved  and  made  available  to  future 
historians,  who  shall  undertake  the  office  of  recording  in  a  permanent  folln  the 
transactions  of  a  past  age. 

"In  this  entei'inis?  we  invite  the  co-operation  and  solicit  the  aid  of  all  gentle- 
men residing  in  the  Connecticut  V.alley  who  feel  an  interest  in  the  object.  We 
should  gladly  welcome  them  to  our  membership.  Nor  do  we  confine  this  iiivi- 
tjition  to  our  se.x.  Kemembenng  what  has  been  wrought  by  woman  in  this  de- 
l)artment  of  research,  we  extend  to  the  ladies  of  this  valley  a  cordial  invitation 
to  encourage  and  .assist  us  in  this  enterprise.  Are  there  not  women  scattered  up 
and  down  the  old  county  of  Hampshire  who  will  do  for  the  towns  where  they 
reside  what  has  been  done  by  Miss  Caulkins  for  the  city  of  Norwich,  and  by 
IMise  Jones  for  the  town  of  Stock  biidge,  in  writing  out  the  annals  of  their  towns? 
Nor  is  there  anything  in  our  organization  that  excludes  from  our  society  those 
wdio  have  not  the  privilege  of  living  in  the  valley  of  the  Connecticut.  While 
we  reg.ard  this  as  our  peculiar  field,  we  are  happy  to  receive  into  our  membership 
tlic  dwellers  in  the  regijus  on  either  side  of  this  valley.  Wherever  there  is  an 
individual  who  .sympathi/es  with  our  purposes,  and  desires  to  aid  us  in  historical 
research,  we  shall  gladly  welcome  him  as  a  co-laborer." 

The  society  commenced  its  oiierations  with  11  members.  It 
has  steadily  increased  in  the  number  of  its  members,  and  now 
comprises  many  of  the  most  intelligent  and  cultivated  citi- 
zens of  the  Connecticut  Valley.  Its  history  has  been  brief, 
eight  regular  meetings  only  having  been  held  since  its  organ- 
ization. 

The.se  meetings  have  been  well  attended,  and  have  been  ex- 
ceedingly interesting.  Valuable  papers  have  been  presented 
and  discussed  upon  the  following  topics,  viz.  :  "  Shad  and 
Salmon  in  the  Connecticut  River  in  the  Olden  Times,"  by  Dr. 
A.  liooth  ;  "  llev.  Stephen  Williams  and  his  Journal"  (three 
papers),  by  l!ev.  .1.  W.  Harding  ;  "  The  Old  Fire  Department 
of  SpringlieUl,"  by  J.  K.  Newell;  "The  Old  Pri.son  on 
Main  and  liliss  Streets,  in  Springfield,"  by  Judge  II.  Morris; 
"  The  lireclv  Controversy  in  the  First  Parish  in  Springfield  in 
173-j,"  by  M.  A.  Green  ;  "  The  Derivation  of  English  Names," 
by  Hon.  Joseph  White  ;  "  Early  Navigation  of  the  Connecti- 
106 


cut  River,"  by  T.  M.  Dewey;  "Major  Elizur  Holyoke,"  by 
Judge  H.  Morris  ;  "  Springfield  during  the  Rebellion  of  178(!, 
known  as  the  Shays  Rebellion,"  by  Hon.  William  L.  Smith  ; 
"  The  Beginnings  of  the  Common  School  in  America,"  by 
Rev.  A.  D.  Mayo  ;  "  Rev.  Samuel  Peters  and  his  History  of 
Connecticut,"  by  Rev.  C.  Hammond;  "  Biographical  Sketch 
of  the  late  William  Ru.ssell,"  by  Rev.  M.  C.  Stebbins ;  "  The 
Old  Pynchon  House  and  its  Builders,"  by  Judge  H.  Morris  ; 
"  Count  Rumford  during  the  Revolution,"  by  E.  A.  Thomp- 
son ;  "  Slavery  in  the  Connecticut  Valley  during  the  Sev- 
enteenth and  Eighteenth  Centuries,"  by  Judge  H.  Morris; 
"Dartmouth  College  and  the  State  of  New  Connecticut," 
by  John  L.  Rice;  Col.  D.  M.  Bryant's  "Reminiscences  of 
Ancient  Matters  of  Local  Interest"  (read  by  the  president). 

Several  of  these  papers  are  in  possession  of  the  society, 
and  it  is  hoped  will  hereafter  find  a  permanent  record  in  its 
printed  proceedings. 

EDUCATIONAL.^ 

To  the  early  settlers  of  Massachusetts  no  subject  was  dearer 
than  the  careful  training  and  education  of  their  children.  This 
is  apparent  in  the  early  history  of  the  Plymouth  tvnd  the  Bay 
colonies,  and  is  eqiuilly  true,  also,  of  the  pioneers  who  began 
the  settlement  of  Springfield.  The  first  records  of  the  town 
are  evidence  of  their  earlj'  attention  to  this  subject.  In  a 
memorandum  which  is  suppo.sed  to  belong  to  1G41,  the  year 
of  the  town's  recognition  by  the  General  Court,  there  is  an 
enumeration  of  "Acts  ajip.  [appertaining?]  to  ye  selectmen 
by  order  of  court,"  among  which  are  the  following :  "  To  see 
that  all  children  be  taught  to  read  and  learn  a  chattechisme,  to 
place  forth  unruly  children  and  servants,  to  take  account  of 
their  sittings,  to  see  schools  erected  and  maintained." 

In  1644,  on  the  "  26  of  yc  7  m.,"  some  of  the  duties  of  the 
selectmen  were  defined  b)'  a  "  generall  vote  of  ye  towne,"  by 
•which  it  was  incumbent  upon  them,  in  addition  to  other 
duties,  "  to  see  to  ye  scouring  of  ditches,  and  to  ye  killing  of 
wolves,  and  to  ye  training  of  ye  children." 

It  does  not  appear  upon  the  records  at  what  particular  date 
the  first  school  was  established,  but  there  were  early  appro- 
priations for  the  payment  of  teachers  and  for  other  school  pur- 
poses. The  town  took  action  "  March  ye  13,  1G|J,"  concerning 
"A  parsell  of  land  over  ye  grate  river,  at  ye  lower  end  of 
Chickkuppy  plaine."  This  tract  of  land  consisted  of  30  acres, 
and  it  voted  "  that  ye  towne  do  hereby  order  that  ye  aforesaid 
land  shall  be  reserved  in  ye  towne's  hands,  as  ye  Towne's  land 
for  ye  Towne's  use,  either  for  ye  helping  to  maintain  a  school- 
master or  ruling  elder,  or  to  help  bear  any  other  towne  charges, 
according  as  it  shall  be  hereafter  concluded."  The  proceeds 
of  this  land  were  for  some  time  devoted  in  part  to  the  support 
of  schools,  but  were  subsequently  diverted  to  other  uses. 

May  2,  1677,  the  town  "  voted  the  admittance  and  eutertaiir- 
ment  of  Wm.  Maddison  as  schoolmaster,  he  taking  three  pence 
of  those  per  weeke  whom  he  teaches  to  read  English,  and  four 
pence  per  weeke  of  those  he  teaches  both  to  read  and  write,  as 
also  four  pence  of  those  whom  he  teaches  writing  wholely,  the 
parents  or  persons  being  to  allow  no  more  ;  but  the  towne  for 
this  year,  as  an  Incouragement  for  Him  in  ye  work,  do  agree 
to  allow  Him  ye  Rent  of  ye  towne  land  in  Chickupy." 

The  next  teacher  employed  received  a  stated  salaiy,  as  ap- 
pears from  the  following  : 

"April  10, 1678. — At  a  meeting  of  the  inhabitants  wherein  they  were  desired 
to  remain  after  lecture,  It  was  voted  and  confirmed  to  give  to  Mr.  David  Denton 
twenty  pounds  salary  for  his  encouragement  in  the  worke  of  schoolmaster." 

The  record  then  states  that  it  was  stipulated  that  in  case  a 
school  could  not  be  kept  open  for  him  all  the  time,  he  was 
to  have  "  half  of  said  pounds,  and  time  to  plant  and  dress 
two  acres  of  Indian  corn."  As  the  accounts  of  the  town 
show  that  he  was  paid  only  £10,  it  is  presumed  that  he  had 
time  to  "  plant  and  dress"  his  corn. 

*  By  A.  P.  Stono. 


842 


HISTORY  OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


In  1G82,  "The  selectmen  agreed  with  Goodwife  Mirricke, 
to  eneourage  her  in  the  good  worU  of  training  up  of  children 
and  teaching  children  to  read,  that  she  should  have  3d.  a  weekc 
for  every  child  that  she  takes  to  jierforni  this  good  work  for." 

In  1083,  John  Richard  was  engaged  as  schoolmaster,  and 
was  employed  in  that  capacity  for  several  years.  Although 
the  salary  of  £20,  mentioned  ahove,  may  he  regarded  as  a 
very  fair  compensation  for  the  time,  it  would  seem  probable 
that  some  ditficulty  was  experienced  in  obtaining  a  suitable 
teacher  for  .that  sum,  for  in  March,  1690,  instructions  were 
given  to  the  "selectmen  to  engage  a  school ma.ster,  and  they 
may  give  or  engage  to  give  more  than  £20,  the  sum  by  which 
they  are  stinted." 

The  moral  training  of  children  was  carefully  attended  to, 
and  a  strict  watch  was  kept  over  young  persons  when  in  pub- 
lic assemblies.  In  1G79  the  town  records  say,  "  It  is  also  or- 
dered by  ye  selectmen  that  all  youths  and  boys  under  the  age, 
12  years  of  age,  sit  on  that  seat  under  the  deacon's  scat,  and 
also  on  that  seat  against,  and  on  the  stairs,  only  they  must  not 
block  up  the  stairs  when  minister  Glover  comes."  "Deacon 
Parsons"  and  others  were  ordered  "to  have  an  eye  on  the 
boys." 

The  following  extract  from  the  records  of  the  same  year 
would  seem  to  imply  that  there  were  some  persons  whose 
moral  training  had  not  been  successful,  and  that  the  town 
resorted  toother  means  than  schools  and  tifhingmen  for  their 
correction  :  "  The  Towne  is  Dr.  To  Goodman  Miirshfield,  by 
mending  the  stockes,  and  a  staple,  Ss.  dd." 

It  is  supposed  that  the  first  schools  were  kept  in  private 
houses,  or  in  rooms  hired  for  that  purpose.  In  1679  there 
was  paid  "  to  Goodman  Merricke  for  his  house  for  schooling, 
10s.  fid.;''  and,  soon  after,  to  "Samuel  Ely,  £1  10s.  9;/.,  of 
which  9s.  is  for  a  school  in  his  house."  There  was  also  a 
school  in  the  tower  of  the  meeting-house,  as  appears  from  the 
record  of  a  town-meeting,  bearing  date  of  Oct.  9,  1678. 

The  first  school-house,  properly  so  called,  was  erected  in 
1679,  and  the  action  of  the  town  in  relation  to  the  same  is 
recorded,  with  considerable  minuteness,  as  follows : 

May  7, 1679. — "At  a  towne-mceiing,  being  a  legal  meeting,  It  was  voted  and 
consented  that  there  should  be  an  house  erected  for  that  noble  design  and  use  of 
learning  in  thtisc  so  necessary  pieces  or  parts  of  learning,  viilel.,  rea(Hug,  and 
writing,  and  that  this  house  should  be  twenty  and  two  foot  in  leugtli  and 
eighteen  foot  in  breadth." 

June2, 1G79. — "At  a  meeting  of  the  Selectmen,  being  Gent.  Deacon  IJenj. 
Pai-sons,  .Ino.  Dtimbleton,  Henry  Chapin,  Jno.  Holyoke,  it  having  been  formerly 
at  a  Towne-ineeting  propounded  to  ye  Towne  that  they  would  set  up  a  school- 
house  for  ye  towne,  and  they  concluded  that  such  a  house  should  be  erected,  and 
appiiinted  to  ye  selectmen  to  bargain  with  any  meet  person  or  persons  to  build 
such  an  liouse  fur  such  a  use;  iwculiliugly,  they  have  bargained  with  Thomas 
Stebbins  for  to  get  timber  for  such  a  building  anil  frame  it,  whose  length  is  to  be 
twenty-two  foot,  and  breadth  seventeen  fi  Kit,  and  stud  six  foot  and  halfe;  and  he, 
the  said  Thomas  Stebbins,  is  to  carry  the  frame  to  place  and  nail  the  clapboards 
close  on  to  both  sides,  and  to  lath  it,  and  shingle  the  roofe,  and  to  make 
three  light  spaces  on  one  side  and  two  on  one  end,  and  to  set  up  a  nmntletree, 
and  set  up  a  rung  chimney  and  daub  it,  and  the  said  Thomas  is  to  have  for  his 
worke  so  done  fourteen  pounds  paid  by  the  Towne,  and  in  case  it  so  prove  that 
the  said  Thomas  Stebbins  shall  have  a  hard  bargain,  it  is  hereby  agreed  that  he 
shall  have  lUf.  more  of  the  Towne. 

"Thomas  Stebiuns." 

Aug.  4,  1C,70. — "It  was  voted  and  concluded  that  the  school-house  shall  be  set 
somewhere  in  the  lane  going  to  the  upper  wharfe,  and  the  Selectmen  to  agree 
about  and  deternune  the  particular  pl:n:e." 

The  lane  spoken  of  above  was  the  Ferry  Street  of  the  early 
town,  now  Cypress  Street,  north  of  the  railroad,  and  leading 
from  Main  Street  to  the  river.  The  school-house  was  erected 
soon  afterward,  as  the  following  accounts  show  : 

"  Dec.  29,  1G79.— The  Towne  is  Dr. : 


'  To  Thomas  Stebbins,  Jun.,forhi8  worke  al>ontye  school- 
hous" 

'  To  Goodman  Lamb,  carting,  1  day,  clay  for  ye  school- 
house 

'To  Sum.  Ely,  for  entertaining  the  school-house  raisers.. 


£    s. 

.;. 

10     0 

u 

0    0 
0    3 

1) 

8" 

The  location  of  this  school-house  was  almost  at  the  uorthorn 
extremity  of  the  population  as  it  was  then  distributed  in  the 
main  settlement  of  the  town,  and  it  is  not  improbable  that  it 


was  unsatisfactory  in  that  respect,  for  at  a  town-meeting  held 
Feb.  1,  1080,  it  was  proposed  to  have  the  building  removed  to 
the  "  middle  of  ye  towne,"  provided  any  person  would  do  so 
"  without  any  charge  to  ye  towne." 

It  is  not  recorded,  nor  known,  whether  such  a  removal  took 
place,  but  there  is  a  tradition  that  the  house  was  removed  to 
the  south  side  of  Elm  Street,  near  Main,  in  the  rear  of  the 
liresent  location  of  the  t'liicopec  National  Bank.  But  it  is 
more  probable  that  a  building  Avas  purchased  there  and  used 
for  a  school ;  for,  Oct.  21,  1685,  it  was  voted  to  purchase  a 
house  built  by  Edward  Stebbins,  on  the  land  of  Samuel  Ball, 
"for  a  school-house,  for  twenty-five  pounds." 

The  early  residents  of  Springfield  believed  in  compulsory 
education,  for,  "April  24,  1085,  It  was  voted  that  all  parents 
and  householders  be  enjoined  to  send  their  children  and  ser- 
vants to  school,  and  that  all  persons  from  the  Round  Hill  to 
the  Jlill  River  who  do  not  send  such  children  sis  are  over  five 
j'cars  and  under  nine  years  shall  pay  at  the  rate  of  two  pence 
per  week  for  the  space  of  half  a  year."  Very  similar  action 
was  again  taken  May  19,  1092. 

The  following  action  of  the  town  is  more  formal  in  its 
character,  and  shows  a  deep  interest  on  the  ]iart  of  the  people 
in  the  education  of  their  children: 

"To  the  General  Quarter  Sessions  of  the  Peace,  sitting  for  Springfield,  3Iay 
2n,  171)7. 

"  Rules  &  ordci-s  made  &  agreed  on  by  the  Freeholders  &  Inhabitants  of  the 
town  of  Springfield,  rpialified  for  voters  in  town  affairs,  at  their  meeting  May  0, 
1707,  duly  warned  for  that  end  &  agreed  on  to  be  presented  to  the  General  Quar- 
ter Sessijns,  sitting  at  Springfield,  May  20, 1707. 

"Inasnuich  as  the  law  of  the  Province  oliligcs  this  town  to  keep  &  maintain  a 
Grammar  school,  wilting  school,  ,V  leading  schoid,  ,t  that  the  schoolnuisters  bo 
suitably  Incouragcd  &  i>aid  by  the  inhabitants  of  said  town,  Now,  for  ye  better 
support  of  s'd  school  &  Incouragenielitof  learnitig,  It  is  agreed  &  voted  that  tiie 
Parents  of  every  scholar  going  to  said  school  shall  pay  three  pence  per  weeke  in 
towne  pay;  &  for  the  enabling  tlie  towne  to  recover  such  dues  for  each  sclitilar,  It 
is  agreed  that  tlie  schoollnaster  that  shall  be  hired  from  time  to  time  shall  keep 
an  e.vact  account  of  every  scholar's  coming  to  saiil  school  &  leaving  said  school ; 
and  up, in  the  demand  of  the  selectmen  such  schoolmaster  shall  deliver  to  said 
selectmen,  under  liis  hand,  an  account  of  the  scholars  as  aforesaid  said  account 
shall  be  obliging  as  to  the  time  of  said  scholar's  attendance,  &  the  selectmen  or 
lu-se.^flol's  from  lime  to  time  are  hereby  ordered  &  Impowered  to  assess  the  said 
sum  or  sums  upon  the  Parents  &  nuistcre  of  said  sclmlars,  &  to  affix  or  add  the 
said  sum  &  sums  to  their  towne  rates  that  shall  be  granted  from  time  to  time  Ity 
the  towne,  for  assest-iiig  and  raising  sucli  further  sums  for  compleating  tlie  school- 
master's ful  dues,  &  that  shall  be  due  to  him  ;  &  it  is  further  ordered  &  agreed 
that  the  selectmen  consider  who  aie  such  children  or  scholars  as  to  be  piiviledged 
and  that  the  selectmen  do  exempt  their  parents  &  masters  from  paying  for  sucii 
children  going  to  school,  in  whole  or  in  part.^Al>proved  Blay  20,  1707." 

A  vote  was  passed,  Nov.  30,  1708,  requiring  "  Each  person 
sending  a  child  to  school  to  send  a  load  of  wood  within  two 
weeks,  or  pay  enough  to  buy  a  load." 

Dec.  1,  1709,  the  salary  of  John  Sherman,  '•  Grammar- 
school  master,"  was  fixed  at  "£40  in  grain,  viz..  Pease,  Rye, 
Indian  Corn,  &  Barley,  at  the  town  price." 

In  1716  the  town  was  divided  into  precincts  (in  addition  to 
the  main  village)  as  follows  :  "1.  The  west  side  of  the  greate 
river.  2.  The  Longmeadow.  3.  The  west  side  of  Agawam 
River.  4.  The  Upper  Chicope.  5.  The  Lower  Chicope. 
6.  Skipmuck."  Each  precinct  was  required  to  support  one 
school,  and  in  case  of  neglect  the  money  raised  was  to  return 
to  the  town  treasury.  The  amount  of  money  raised  for 
schools  this  year  was  £82. 

From  the  above  date  during  the  remainder  of  the  century 
there  is  recorded  little  of  special  interest  concerning  the  schools. 
A  grammar  school  was  maintained,  except  at  short  intervals, 
until  about  1820,  and  some  (jf  its  teachers  were  men  of  ability. 
These  grammar  schools,  like  those  before  mentioned,  were  not 
like  the  schools  now  known  by  that  name,  but  were  of  a  higher 
grade,  embracing,  in  part  at  least,  the  work  of  high  schools,  and 
were  maintained  in  accordance  with  the  law  of  1047,  requir- 
ing towns  of  100  families  or  more  "  to  set  up  a  grammar 
schoole,  the  ma.ster  thereof  being  able  to  instruct  youth  so  farr 
as  they  can  be  fited  for  y'  university." 

The  schooh  were  usuallv  under  the  oversight  of  the  select- 


Hyf/yi^JU)  S. 


1 


The  subject  of  this  sketch,  son  of  Stephen  0.  and  Mary 
McCray  Russell,  was  born  in  Ellington,  Conn.,  in  1821. 
When  he  was  four  years  of  age  his  parents  removed  to 
Springfield,  and  his  father  became  prominently  identified 
with  the  interests  of  the  town,  and  occupied  many  positions 
of  trust  and  responsibility.  James  E.  received  his  educa- 
tion at  the  city  schools,  and  by  his  diligence  and  application 
acquired  an  education  that  well  qualified  him  for  his  subse- 
quent active  business  career.  He  early  developed  traits  of 
character  that  stamped  him  as  a  forthcoming  active  business 
man,  and  while  he  was  attending  school  he  turned  an  honest 
penny  by  carrying  the  mail  from  the  post-office  to  the 
neighbors  residing  in  the  vicinity  of  his  home.  Every 
morning  at  eight  o'clock  he  appeared  at  the  office  for  the 
mail,  and  was  prompt  and  methodical  in  the  discharge  of 
his  duty. 

At  the  age  of  sixteen  he  assisted  in  running  the  line  fur 
the  Hartford  and  Springfield  Railroad,  and  also  that  of  the 
Boston  and  Albany,  between  Springfield  and  Westfield. 
Two  years  later  he  accepted  a  position  in  the  Springfield 
post-office,  under  Albert  Morgan.  He  remained  here  about 
three  years,  and  wa.s  then  appointed  mail-agent  on  the  Boston 
and  Albany  Railroad,  and  was  one  of  two  first  appointed 
in  this  State,  and  probably  first  in  the  United  States.  He 
occupied  this  position  until  1845,  when,  in  consequence  of 
an  accident  wherein  he  came  near  losing  his  life,  he  re- 
signed his  office,  and  upon  recovering  his  health  accepted  a 


position  as  conductor  on  the  Boston  and  Albany  road,  and 
run  the  first  passenger  express  train  on  the  New  York  line 
from  Boston  to  Springfield.  In  this  business  he  displayed 
the  same  watchful  care  and  method  that  marked  his  pre- 
vious life,  and  was  considered  one  of  the  most  trustworthy 
and  popular  conductors  on  the  road.  Honorable  with  his 
employers,  and  popular  and  gentlemanly  with  the  public, 
he  officiated  in  tliis  capacity  until  1857,  when  he  came  to 
Springfield  and  took  charge  of  the  old  American  House, 
remaining  there  but  a  few  months,  when,  in  1858,  he  was 
elected  to  the  office  of  register  of  deeds,  and  has  held  that 
office  continuously  since,  and  discharged  the  duties  with 
great  credit  to  himself  and  the  entire  satisfaction  of  the 
people. 

It  is  evident  that  Mr.  Russell  commands  the  respect  of 
his  fellow-citizens  in  a  remarkable  degree,  from  the  fact  that 
he  has  been  successively  chosen  to  this  important  office  for 
nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century,  and  received  the  votes  of  all 
classes  irrespective  of  party. 

Although  Mr.  Russell  has  confined  himself  closely  to  the 
discharge  of  his  duties  as  a  public  officer,  he  has  manifested 
a  lively  interest  in  matters  tending  to  promote  the  welfare 
of  the  city  and  county.  Honorable  and  upright  in  busi- 
ness, genial  and  .social  in  nature,  ever  ready  to  assist  with 
means  within  his  power  all  those  who  ask,  he  has  won 
the  confidence,  and  justly  merits  the  universal  esteem  in 
which  he  is  held  by  tlie  people. 


Philip  Wilcox  was  born  Sept.  2,  1800,  at  East 
Berlin,  Conn.  He  was  a  lineal  descenriant  of  tlie 
fonrtli  generation  from  Daniel  Wilcox,  who  emi- 
grated from  England  and  settled  in  Middletown, 
Conn.,  then  an  unbroken  wilderness.  His  son 
Daniel,  Jr.,  snbsequently  settled  at  Berlin,  then 
a  part  of  New  Britain.  He  died  at  the  age  of 
seventy-four,  and  on  his  tombstone  is  found  the 
following  inscrij)tion : 

"  I  gave  this  ground,  I'm  laid  liere  first, 
Soon  my  remaius  will  turn  to  dust; 
My  wife  and  progeny  around, 
Come  sleep  with  me  in  this  cold  ground." 

At  the  time  of  his  wife's  death  she  was  the  mother 
of  children,  grandchildren,  and  great-grandchildren 
to  the  number  of  two  hundred  and  ninety-two. 
His  wife  died  in  1807,  aged  ninety-two. 

Philip  Wilcox  came  to  Springfield  in  182.3,  and 
started  the  tinwai'e  business  on  State  Street  oppo- 
site the  United  States  armory,  that  being  a  favor- 
able location  at  that  time  for  business.  After  a  few 
years  he  followed  the  direction  of  the  business 
centre  of  the  village,  and  moved  down  on  State 
Street  near  Main.  His  brother  Philo  F.,  having 
learned  his  trade  of  him  (Philij)),  established  him- 
self in  the  same  business  on  Main  Street. 

The  Wilcoxes  were  the  first  to  manufacture 
stoves  in  this  vicinity,  which  was  for  many  years 
an  important  branch  of  trade  ;  but  upon  the  com- 
pletion  of  the   Boston   and   Albany  Railroad,   the 


(?<^^' 


cheapness  of  coal  and  iron  at  the  latter  place  led  to 
unequal  competition,  and  Mr.  Wilcox  abandoned 
the  manufacture  of  stoves.  He  was  very  much  in- 
terested in  the  construction  of  that  railroad,  im- 
pressed with  the  idea  that  it  would  be  a  great  bene- 
fit to  Springfield,  as  its  construction  has  since  proved 
to  be  the  making  of  the  city.  His  death  came  at 
about  the  time  of  its  completion  and  in  the  midst 
of  his  most  active  and  successful  business  career,  he 
being  only  forty-two  years  of  age.  Mr.  Wilcox 
was  interested  in  all  enterprises  tending  to  build  up 
and  beautify  Springfield,  and  in  tiie  various  asso- 
ciations iiere,  among  which  was  the  Hampden 
Mechanics'  Association.  He  was  connected  with 
the  South  Congregationalist  Church,  of  which  he 
was  one  of  the  original  trustees.  In  his  death 
Springfield  lost  one  of  its  most  enterprising  and 
esteemed  citizens  ;  a  man  of  strict  integrity  of  pur- 
pose in  all  his  business  relations,  and  uniformly 
respected  by  all  who  knew  him. 

He  was  married  to  Eliza  Parmelee,  of  Middle- 
town,  Conn.,  June  26,  182.3.  She  died  Nov.  19, 
1842,  aged  forty-two.  Their  children  were  William 
L.,  Mrs.  C.  M.  Lee  (deceased),  John  P.,  and  Mrs. 
J.  K.  Dexter,  of  Holyoke.  The  sons  are  in  business 
in  the  old  stand  occupied  by  their  father  prior  to 
his  dentil,  having  charge  of  the  same  at  an  early  age 
in  life.  They  are  among  the  leading  business  men 
of  the  city,  and  have  carried  to  a  successful  and 
profitable  completion  the  trade  opened  by  their 
father  over  half  a  century  ago. 


^^^ 


Philo  F.  Wilcox  was  a  native  of  East  Berlin, 
Conn.,  and  came  to  this  city  wlien  less  tiian  twenty 
years  of  age,  following  his  elder  brother,  Pliilip, 
founder  of  the  stove  and  tinware  trade  conducted 
by  his  sons  (William  L.  and  John  P.)  to  this  day. 
Philo  served  his  brother  at  this  trade  for  some  time; 
was  subsequently  associated  with  him,  and  after- 
wards purchased  a  branch  of  the  business  and  car- 
ried it  on  in  a  store  opposite  Foote's  Block,  on 
Main  Street.  From  this  he  retired  about  the  year 
1840,  having  secured  a  sufficient  competence  to 
place  him  beyond  the  apprehension  of  want. 

Soon  after  the  Chicopee  Bank  was  organized  Mr. 
Wilcox  was  chosen  one  of  its  directors,  an  office 
he  held  until  his  death,  being  also  for  more  than 
twenty  years  its  president,  and  for  about  ten  years 
vice-president  of  the  Springfield  Institution  for 
Savings.  He  was  also  vice-president  for  many 
years  of  the  Springfield  Mutual  Insurance  Com- 
pany. He  was  a  Republican  in  politics,  and  rep- 
resented the  city  for  two  terms  in  the  State  Legis- 


lature of  Massachusetts  just  prior  to  the  war. 
Mr.  Wilcox  was  largely  interested  in  the  interests 
of  the  city,  and  upon  his  retirement  from  business 
invested  much  of  his  capital  in  real  estate,  which  by 
the  rapid  rise  in  value  proved  a  profitable  invest- 
ment. He  was  a  man  of  keen  judgment,  posses- 
sing a  business  sagacity  and  a  will  to  carry  forward 
whatever  he  conceived  to  be  right.  His  father 
being  a  farmer,  Ijoth  he  and  his  brother  Philip 
enjoyed  only  liiniled  opportunities  for  education 
from  books,  but  while  young  men  they  laid  well 
the  foundation  for  successful  business  careers,  and 
were  men  of  stability  and  prudence  in  all  the  re- 
lations of  life. 

In  the  year  1826,  November  9,  he  married  Miss 
Orpha  J.,  daughter  of  Asa  Wood,  of  Springfield. 
They  had  seven  children,  all  of  whoni  are  deceased 
but  one,  Mrs.  Utley  Cadwell,  of  New  York.  One 
son,  E.  P.  Wilcox,  died  Sept.  13,  1870;  another 
son,  Frank  P.,  died  April,  1876.  Mr.  Wilcox  died 
Jan.  1,  1871,  aged  sixty-five. 


Hon.  Warner  C.  Sturtevant  was  born  in  Keene, 
Cheshire  Co.,  N.  H.,  Jan.  23,  1809.  His  grandfather, 
Cornelius  Sturtevant,  was  a  native  of  Belfast,  Me.,  set- 
tled in  Keene,  N.  H.,  about  the  year  1787,  where  he 
lived  as  a  farmer  during  the  remainder  of  his  life,  and  died 
at  the  advanced  age  of  ninety-one,  in  the  year  1822.  His 
father,  Luther  Sturtevant,  was  a  ship  carpenter  by  trade, 
and  spent  the  time  until  he  was  fifty  years  of  age  at  that 
busine.ss,  when  he  bought  a  farm  and  followed  agricultural 
pursuits  the  remainder  of  his  life.  He  was  married  to 
Azubah  Claflin,  formerly  of  Hopkinton,  Mass.  She  was 
a  cousin  of  H.  B.  Claflin,  of  New  York,  and  also  of  Gov- 
ernor Claflin,  of  Massachusetts. 

Their  children  were  four  sons  and  three  daughters,  of 
whom  the  subject  of  this  narrative  was  the  youngest.  The 
father  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-nine,  in  the  year  1867; 
the  mother  died  about  1858,  aged  seventy-six. 

At  the  age  of  fourteen  Mr.  Sturtevant  apprenticed  him- 
self to  learn  the  business  of  the  manufacture  of  crackers. 
At  the  end  of  seven  years  he  was  engaged  as  journeyman 
in  the  same  business,  and  continued  for  six  years,  when 
he  commenced  business  for  himself  in  Bath,  N.  H.  After 
some  four  years'  business  in  that  place,  he  spent  five  years 
in  Hanover,  N.  H. 

In  the  year  1844  he  came  to  Springfield  and  established 
himself  in  the  same  business,  opening  a  wholesale  and  retail 
house,  with  a  trade  reaching  to  various  parts  of  this  State, 
and  the  States  of  New  York  and  Connecticut.  This  he  con- 
tinued for  some  sixteen  years,  and  retired  from  the  busi- 
ness. Since  that  time  he  has  built  a  fine  brick  block  on 
Main  Street,  Springfield,  and  a  residence  on  the  corner  of 
Spring  and  Pearl  Streets. 


During  the  past  nine  years  Mr.  Sturtevant  has  been 
president  of  the  Springfield  Mutual  Fire  Assurance  Com- 
pany, and  he  was  one  of  the  guarantee  capitalists  of  the 
Massachusetts  Mutual  Life  Insurance  Company  upon  its 
organization,  and  a  director  ever  since.  Upon  the  organiza- 
tion of  Springfield  as  a  city  he  was  for  two  years  following 
a  member  of  the  city  council,  and  for  one  term  alderman. 
In  1864  he  represented  wards  One  and  Two  of  the  city  in 
the  State  Legislature,  and  in  1872  he  was  chosen  to  the 
Legislature  from  wards  Four  and  Six. 

Mr.  Sturtevant  has  never  been  considered  in  any  sense 
of  the  term  a  professional  politician,  but  always  interested 
in  the  great  political  questions  of  the  day.  He  was  identi- 
fied in  politics  with  the  Democratic  party  from  his  first  vote 
until  1852,  when  upon  the  agitation  of  the  slavery  question 
he  favored  the  opposition  to  human  bondage,  and  upon  the 
formation  of  the  Republican  party  became  a  supporter  of 
its  platform.  He  has  been  a  subscriber  to  the  educational 
interests  of  the  city,  and  always  favors  public  enterprises 
tending  to  promote  the  well-being  of  society.  Although 
his  opportunities  for  education  were  limited  while  young, 
he  cultivated  a  taste  for  reading,  and  during  his  life 
he  has  made  himself  familiar  with  the  best  authors  of 
history. 

In  the  year  1833  he  married  Abigail,  daughter  of 
Captain  Lyon,  of  Northborough,  Mass.  By  this  union 
there  were  born  three  children,— Hannah  L.,  died  young; 
Warner  F.,  a  merchant,  of  Springfield  ;  and  Albert  L.,  at 
the  head  of  the  Stationery  Bureau,  at  Washington.  Mrs. 
Sturtevant  died  in  1842.  For  his  second  wife  he  mar- 
ried Nancy  H.  Bicker,  of  Bath,  N.  H.  Their  children 
were  Mary  (died  at  the  age  of  six),  and  Abbie  Martica. 


HISTORY  OF  HAMPDEN  COUNTY. 


843 


men,  who  were  the  general  managers  of  town  aft'airs.  Some- 
times special  committees  were  appointed  to  look  after  them  ; 
but  school  committees  as  now  known  date  only  from  1826-27. 

Until  the  early  part  of  the  present  century  there  were  few 
private  schools  in  the  town,  except  for  girls,  and  those  were  of 
a  temporary  character. 

In  1812  an  academy  for  both  sexes  was  opened  ii\  a  building, 
now  used  as  a  dwelling-house,  on  the  north  side  of  Elm  Street, 
a  few  rods  west  of  the  First  Church.  Tliis  school  continued 
until  about  1824,  and  its  list  of  teachers  included  the  names 
of  Benjamin  Day,  Mr.  Lusk,  Mr.  Olmstead,  Mr.  Morley, 
Miss  Martha  Ely,  and  J.  W.  Crooks.  Many  persons  are  now 
living  who  were  pupils  at  that  school.  Some  written  lists  of 
the  pupils  still  preserved  contain  tlie  names  of  Maj.  E.  In- 
gersoll,  of  the  United  States  Arinory,  Henry  and  James 
Brewer,  many  bearing  the  names  of  Bliss  and  Chapin,  and 
others.  A  Lancasterian  or  Monitorial  school  was  attempted 
in  1827,  but  continued  only  a  year  or  two. 

In  1829  a  private  school  of  a  high  order,  for  young  ladies, 
was  opened,  under  the  direction  of  an  association  of  gentle- 
men, in  a  building,  still  standing,  on  the  east  side  of  Maple 
Street,  between  Union  and  High  Streets.  Miss  Julia  Hawkes, 
the  first  teacher,  left  in  1833  to  open  a  school  in  Philadelphia, 
and  was  followed  by  Kev.  Mr.  Eaton.  In  183-3  this  school 
was  succeeded  by  one  taught  by  Eev.  George  Nichols  and 
wife,  in  a  building  at  the  southeast  corner  of  Main  and  State 
Streets.  In  the  following  year  it  was  removed  to  the  build- 
ing next  west  of  the  court-house,  on  Court  Street.  In  1840, 
Mr.  Nichols  died,  qnd  the  school,  which  has  continued  to 
the  present  time,  was  subsequently  taught  by  Mrs.  Nichols, 
Miss  H.  S.  Avery,  Miss  Elizabeth  Stebbins,  Misses  Celia  and 
Mary  Campbell,  Mr.  E.  D.  Bangs,  and  Mr.  C.  C.  Burnett, 
the  present  principal.  For  many  years  it  has  been  a  school 
for  both  sexes,  and  has  been  known  as  the  English  and  Clas- 
sical Institute. 

In  April,  1825,  the  town  appointed  a  committee  "  to  enquire 
into  the  existing  administration  of  the  town  schools,  and  to 
digest  such  improvements  in  the  same  as  in  their  judgment 
may  be  proper."  This  committee  presented,  August  15th, 
through  their  chairman,  William  B.  Calhoun,  a  lengtliy  and 
able  report,  in  wliich  they  stated  th:it  they  had  pursued  their 
investigations  under  twelve  heads.  They  complain  of  limited 
appropriations,  want  of  system  and  of  supervisory  power,  and 
that  "  none  of  the  schools  have  kept  pace  with  the  improve- 
ment and  advancement  in  the  science  of  instruction."  As  to 
the  statute  regarding  morals  and  manners,  they  were  "  unable 
to  find  a  single  instructor  who  had  ever  read  the  statute  or 
was  even  aware  of  its  existence."  The  town  chose  William 
B.  Calhoun,  George  Colton,  Josepli  Hall,  Jr.,  Joshua  Frost, 
Frederic  A.  Orchard,  James  W.  Crooks,  and  Justice  AVil- 
liams  a  committee,  "  to  be  joined  by  the  stated  clergymen  of 
the  town,"  to  have  charge  of  and  conduct  the  schools. 

For  a  quarter  of  a  century  following  this  action  the  schools 
constituted  a  subject  of  much  discussion  and  legislation  in 
town-  and  district-meetings.  It  was  emphatically  the  revo- 
lutionary period  of  the  schools.  There  are  many  people  now 
living  who  have  a  vivid  recollection  of  the  stirring  debates 
of  those  times,  and  of  the  very  able  advocacy  of  advanced  views 
of  education  by  leading  citizens. 

In  1827  the  town  voted  "  thai  it  is  expedient  to  establish  a 
high  school,  to  be  kept  permanently  in  one  place."  Land 
was  purchased  of  Simeon  Sanborn  on  School  Street,  and  a 
house  was  erected,  in  which  a  school  for  boys  was  opened  in 
1828,  and  continued  until  about  1837.  The  principal  teachers 
of  the  school  were  Storey  Hebard,  S.  H.  Calhoun-,  Mr.  Mor- 
ley, Mr.  Knox,  Henry  K.  Vaille,  J.  N.  Sikes,  and  C.  C.  Bur- 
nett. Many  of  the  leading  citizens  of  Springfield  for  the  past 
forty  years  were  pupils  of  that  scliool. 

Springfield  was  the  first  place  in  Massachusetts  to  employ 
a  superintendent  of  schools,  having  elected  to  that  position. 


in  1840,  Mr.  S.  S.  Green,  now  professor  in  Brown  University, 
who  entered  upon  his  duties  in  August  of  that  year.  After 
the  second  year,  the  office  was  discontinued  for  the  want  of 
an  appropriation.  Mr.  Green's  two  annual  reports  show  him 
to  have  been  an  intelligent  educator  and  an  eflicient  worker 
in  the  .schools. 

In  1841  a  high  school  for  the  centre  district  of  the  town  was 
opened  in  the  school-house  on  Elm  Street,  on  the  site  of  the 
present  court-house.  Rev.  Sanford  Lawton,  who  since  1835 
had  taught  a  private  school  in  the  building  now  occupied 
as  a  book-store,  at  the  corner  of  Main  and  State  Streets,  was 
the  first  teacher.  He  was  succeeded,  in  1844,  by  Ariel  Par- 
rish.  A  new  building  for  the  school  was  erected  on  Court 
Street,  and  dedicated  Sept.  0,  1848. 

In  1849  the  .school  committee,  Josiali  Hooker,  chairman, 
called  the  attention  of  the  town  to  the  law — then  recently 
passed — requiring  towns  of  500  or  more  families  to  support  a 
high  school  for  the  benefit  of  the  whole  town.  Immediate 
action  was  taken,  and  an  arrangement  was  made  with  the 
centre  district  by  which  such  a  school  was  opened  May  5th, 
occupying  a  part  of  the  school-house  on  Court  Street.  The 
first  formal  graduation  from  the  school  was  in  18-30,  by  a  class 
of  nine  pupils. 

Jlr.  Parrish  continued  in  charge  of  the  high  school  until 
August,  1865,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  Kev.  M.  C.  Steb- 
bins, who  continued  its  principal  until  July,  1874.  The 
growth  of  the  school  having  rendered  the  building  on  Court 
Street  insufficient  for  its  accommodation,  a  new  and  spacious 
building  was  erected  on  State  Street,  and  dedicated  Aug.  31, 
1874,  at  which  time  Mr.  W^.  W.  Calhoun,  the  present  princi- 
pal of  the  school,  entered  upon  his  duties.  The  cost  of  the 
building  was  $142,000;  of  the  lot,  528,000 ;  total,  §170,000. 
The  number  of  pupils  enrolled  in  the  school  during  the  school 
year  ending  July,  1879,  was  418 ;  graduates,  .34. 

For  several  j-ears  subsequent  to  18-30  the  school  authorities 
urged  the  importance  of  a  superintendent  of  schools.  Josiah 
Hooker,  Esq.,  was  unceasing  in  his  efforts  in  that  direction 
until  1865,  when  the  office  was  re-established,  and  E.  A.  Hub- 
bard was  elected  to  the  jihice.  Mr.  Hubbard's  administration 
was  one  of  activity,  reconstruction,  and  progress.  A  new 
code  of  regulations  and  a  course  of  study  were  prepared  for 
the  schools,  and  much  attention  given  to  methods  of  instruc- 
tion and  management.  The  accommodations  for  the  school, 
had  become  insufficient  in  extent  and  kind.  During  Mr. 
Hubbard's  term  of  service  five  spacious  and  convenient  gram- 
mar-school buildings  were  erected, — the  Hooker  school-house 
on  North  Main  Street;  the  houses  on  Elm,  Oak,  Central,  and 
Worthington  Streets;  and  the  house  at  Indian  Orchard  vil- 
lage. The  new  high-school  building  was  also  commenced. 
Mr.  Hubbard  resigned  in  1873,  and  was  succeeded  by  A.  P. 
Stone,  the  present  incumbent. 

In  addition  to  the  private  schools  heretofore  mentioned,  two 
others  have  been  more  recentl}'  established, — a  day-  and  board- 
ing-school for  young  ladies,  by  the  Misses  Howard,  at  the 
corner  of  Union  and  School  Streets,  and  the  Collegiate  In- 
stitute, which  prepares  young  people  for  college  and  for  busi- 
ness, established  by  Kev.  31.  C.  Stebbins  in  1874,  and  now 
located  in  the  old  court-house,  on  the  west  side  of  Court 
Square. 

There  has  been  a  steady  growth  of  the  schools  in  numbers 
and  character.  In  1840,  19.50  dift'erent  pupils  were  taught,  at 
an  expense  of  §8947  ;  while  in  1875,  probably  the  year  of 
the  city's  greatest  population,  there  were  5C90  pupils,  taught 
by  133  teachers,  and  the  current  expenses  were  §115,788. 
The  present  value  of  the  school-houses,  lots,  and  furniture  is 
§5-50,000- 

Tbe  character  and  scope  of  the  instruction  given  in  the 
schools  will  compare  favorably  with  those  in  any  portion  of 
the  State.  In  the  primary  schools,  covering  a  period  of  four 
j-ears,  and  in  the  grammar  schools,  five  years,  instruction  is 


844 


HISTORY  OP  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


given  in  reading,  spelling,  pcnmansliip,  arithmetic,  geography, 
English  grammar  ami  language,  United  States  history,  bool<- 
keeping,  musio,  and  drawing.  Tlie  high  school,  four  years, 
has  a  classical  course  preparatory  to  college,  and  lui  academic 
course,  comprising  mathematics,  the  sciences,  Knglish  language 
and  literature,  metaphysics,  and  political  economy,  with  the 
ancient  and  modern  languages  as  optional  brandies.  Evening 
schools  for  adults  have  been  supported  since  1850,  and  there  is 
an  evening  school  for  instruction  in  industrial  and  mechanical 
drawing. 

In  the  long  list  of  teachers  employed  in  the  public  schools 
there  are  many  who  have  done  a  noble  worii  for  their  schools 
and  for  the  community  ;  and  there  are  some  who  have  had  a 
litting  recognition  of  their  labors  by  a  long  term  of  service. 
Mr.  Charles  Barrows,  principal  of  the  Oak  Street  Grammar 
School,  began  his  duties  in  18o9,  and  has  taught  forty  years. 
Miss  Margaret  Bliss  taught  thirty-six  years,  at  first  in  the 
lower  grades  and  then  as  assistant  in  the  high  school,  from  its 
organization  until  her  resignation,  in  1877.  Mr.  Parrish  was 
principal  of  the  high  school  for  more  than  twenty  years.  Mr. 
E.  F.  Foster,  of  the  Worthington  Street  School,  has  taught 
twenty-five  years,  and  Mr.  Stratton,  of  the  Hooker  School, 
more  than  twenty  years. 

The  history  of  the  Springfield  schools  is  a  creditable  feature 
in  the  development  of  the  town  and  city  ;  but  the  necessary 
limits  of  this  sketch  preclude  the  introduction,  from  the  records, 
of  much  material  of  intense  interest.  Good  schools  have  been 
appreciated,  and  liberal  appropriations  made;  the  teachers 
have  found  fair  social  recognition,  and  many  of  the  ablest 
citizens  have  been  unwavering  friends  and  advocates  of  a 
high  order  of  schools,  and  have  been  selected  to  take  part  in 
their  management.  In  the  large  list  of  persons  who  have 
served  upon  the  school  committee  there  are  some  whose  names 
are  prominent  in  the  records.  Among  tliese  are  William  B. 
Calhoun,  Henry  W.  Lee  (late  bishop  of  Illinois),  Rev.  Sam- 
uel Osgood,  C.  A.  Winchester,  Rev.  W.  B.  O.  Peabody, 
Josiah  Hooker  (especially  active  and  efficient).  Rev.  M  .G. 
Clark,  S.  McNary,  Marcellus  Pinney,  John  E.  Taylor,  Henry 
K.  Vaille,  J.  E.  Mclntire,  John  L.  King,  Rev.  William  Rice, 
Rev.  S.  G.  Buckingham,  and  others.  The  committee  for  the 
current  year  are  John  E.  Taylor  (chairman),  A.  D.  Mayo, 
William  Rice,  S.  Lawton,  Jr.,  T.  M.  Brown,  L.  H.  Cone, 
J.  6.  Chase,  A.  M.  Copeland,  Charles  J.  Goodwin. 

THE    UXITED    STATES    ARMORY. 

The  United  States  Armory  located  in  this  city  is  the  rep- 
resentative institution  of  its  kind  in  the  United  States,  and, 
with  the  exception,  perhaps,  of  railroads,  no  element  has  con- 
tributed so  largely  to  the  material  development  and  prosperity 
of  Springfield. 

The  estal)lishmcnt  dates  its  origin  back  to  177l!.  In  that 
year  Col.  David  Mason,  of  Boston,  who  had  distinguished 
himself  in  the  service  of  the  colonial  army,  was  ordered  by 
Gen.  Washington  to  select  a  site  somewhere  in  New  England 
for  the  founding  of  works  for  the  manufacture  of  such  ammu- 
nition, etc.,  as  might  be  wanted.  Gen.  Washington  and  the 
Continental  Congress  were  inclined  to  locate  the  works  at 
Hartford,  and  in  fact  preparations  had  already  begun  at  that 
place  for  this  establishment,  when,  upon  Col.  Mason's  repre- 
sentation to  Gen.  Knox  that  Springfield  was  the  most  suitable 
place,  being  easy  of  access  both  by  land  and  water.  Congress 
was  induced  to  change  the  location  from  Hartford  to  this 
place.  Col.  Mason  superintended  the  starting  of  the  work, 
and  remained  in  charge  five  years. 

He  was  well  qualified  for  the  duties  assigned  him,  having 
been  an  artillery  otficer  in  the  French  war,  and  the  founder  of 
an  artillery  company  in  Boston  in  17i!3.  He  was  appointed 
by  the  committee  of  safety,  with  title  of  engineer,  Nov.  17, 
1774,  as  the  most  proper  person  to  collect  military  stores,  etc. 
The  cannon  which  the  British  endeavored  to  secure  at  Salem 


in  February,  1775,  had  been  purchased  by  him,  and  were  in 
his  keeping.  Fearing  further  trouble  of  the  same  kind,  he 
ordered  collections  to  be  stored  at  Lexington  and  Concord, 
which  resulted  in  the  battles  at  those  places.  Col.  Mason  died 
in  Boston,  Sept.  IG,  1704,  aged  eighty-nine. 

Imiiiediately  after  the  locat'on  of  the  works  was  definitely 
settled,  a  laboratory  where  cartridges  and  fireworks  were  man- 
ufactured was  started  in  a  barn  belonging  to  Ebenczer  Steb- 
bins,  located  a  short  distance  north  of  the  present  railroad 
dejiot.  Col.  Mason  purchased  10  acres  of  land  on  the  hill, 
and  within  two  or  three  years  the  "laboratory"  was  transferred 
from  its  down-town  quarters  to  the  commanding  eminence 
now  occupied  by  the  armory  buildings.  The  oldest  record  in 
the  armory  bool<s  relates  to  v/ork  done  in  this  "laboratory" 
in  April,  1778,  the  product  of  the  first  weelc's  work  being 
7584  cartridges.  The  armory  was  established  by  act  of  Con- 
gress, pa.sscd  in  April,  1704,  and  the  first  deed  of  land  to  the 
United  States  was  recorded  in  1795,  and  was  the  sale  of  one 
and  one-half  acres  of  land  near  the  lower  water-shops  by 
Nathaniel  Patten,  of  Hartford,  for  the  sum  of  §400. 

The  State  granted  the  general  government  the  right  to  take 
GOO  acres  of  land,  and  in  1800  the  town  of  Springfield  ap- 
pointed George  Bliss,  John  Hooker,  and  William  Elj-  a  com- 
mittee to  sell  the  government  such  land  as  niightbe  needed. 
The  whole  grant,  however,  has  not  been  appropriated.  The 
lands  now  comprise  300  acres. 

As  stated  above,  the  armory  was  established  in  1704,  and, 
although  the  works  had  been  in  operation  on  the  hill  eight 
years,  in  making  cartridges,  etc.,  it  was  not  until  1795  that 
arms  were  first  manufactured.  The  records  of  that  year  show 
that  40  hands  were  employed,  and  that  245  muskets  were  man- 
ufactured. 

The  armory  was  now  upon  a  sure  basis,  and  its  history  from 
that  time  to  the  present  is  that  of  rapid  development  in.  the 
manufacture  of  small-arms.  As  valuable  improvements  from 
time  to  time  in  this  manufacture  sprang  into  being  they  were 
adopted  by  the  armory,  and  from  the  old  musket  to  the  present 
perfect  breech-loading  rifle  the  Springfield  arms  have  occupied 
the  front  rank  both  in  Europe  and  America. 

The  following  valuable  table  exhibits  the  number  of  arras 
manufactured  annually  from  1795  to  1878:  1795,  245;  1796, 
838;  1797,  1028;  1798,  1044;  1799,  4595;  1800,  48G2  ;  1801, 
3205;  1802,43.58;  1803,4775;  1804,  3.3GG;  1805,3535;  1800, 
2018;  1807,5092;  1808,5870;  1800,7070;  1810,0700;  1811, 
12,020;  1812,  10,140;  1813,  0020;  1814,  9585;  1815,  7279; 
1810,7199;  1817,  13,015;  1818,  12,000;  1819,  12,000;  1820, 
13,200;  1821,  13,000;  1822,  13,200;  1823,  14,000;  1824,  14,000; 
182.5,  15,000;  1826,  15,-500;  1827,  14,500;  1828,  15,500;  1829, 
10,500;  1830,  16,500;  1831,  10,200;  1832,  13,600;  1833,  12,400; 
1834,  14,000;  1835,  13,000;  1830,  13,-500;  1837,  14,500;  1838, 
15,000;  1839,  10,000;  1840  (to  September  30th),  .5907;  1841 
(to  September  30th),  10,700;  1842  (to  September  30th),  9720; 
1843  (to  June  30th),  4001;  1844,  7090;  1845,  12,077;  1840, 
14,205;  1847,14,293;  1848,15,018;  1849,15,215;  18-50,18,155; 
1851,21,000;  1852,19,800;  1853,14,500;  18-54,11,000;  18-5-5, 
8624;  1850,  3723;  1857,  2015;  1858,  11,198;  1859,  11,500; 
1800,  93-38;  1801,  13,802;  18G2,  102,410;  1863,  217,783;  1804, 
276,830;  186-5,  195,-341;  1800,  200.  1860,  cadet  rifles  made, 
500.  1860,  rifles  altered  to  breech-loaders  (cal.  .-50),  22-59  ;  1807, 
23,880;  1868,  27,848;  1869,  18.     1869,  cadet  made  new,  500. 

1870,  rifles  altered  to  breech-loaders  (model  '60),  500;  1870 
(model  '08),  45,937.     1870,  cadet  made  new  (model  '69),  310. 

1871,  rifles  altered  to  breech-loaders,  31,992;  1872,  14,047; 
1S73  (cal.  .45),  10,015;  1874,28,830;  1875,20,002;  1876,15,144; 
1877,  70-50  ■,  1878,  13,005. 

There  have  been  seventeen  superintendents  of  the  armory, 
as  follows,  viz.  : 

David  Ames,  from  1794  to  Oct.  31, -1802  ;  Joseph  Morgan, 
from  Nov.  1,  1802,  to  Oct.  31,  1805;  Benjamin  Prescott,  from 
Nov.  1,  1805,  to  Aug.  31,  1813  ;   Henry  Lechler,  from  Sept.  1, 


^^ 


DAVID  AND  JOHN  AMES. 


Among  the  prominent  manufactures  which  have 
conduced  most  to  New  England  wealth  and  repute, 
that  of  paper  stands  high. 

It  began  in  the  very  infancy  of  manufacturing  in 
the  Connecticut  Valley,  and  to  this  day  is  continued 
with  ardor  and  success.  For  more  than  fifty  years, 
D.  &  J.  Ames'  paper  was  known  and  used,  far  and 
wide,  in  the  United  States. 

They  were  sons  of  David  Ames  and  Rebecca 
Johnson.  The  father,  first  superintendent  of  the 
U.  S.  Armory  at  Springfield,  appointed  by  Presi- 
dent Washington,  and  holder  of  the  ofiice  for  nine 
years,  came  to  Springfield  from  West  Bridgewater, 
Mass.,  in  1795,  and  founded  the  business  in  a  little 
factory  on  Mill  River. 

The  elder  son,  David,  born  at  West  Bridgewater, 
Aug.  25,  1792,  married  Mary  Orr  Mitchell,  of  East 
Bridgewater,  daughter  of  Hon.  Nahum  Mitchell. 

At  maturity  he  espoused  with  zeal  the  occupation 
he  was  bred  to  inherit  and  advance.  To  his  com- 
prehensive judgment  and  indomitable  energy  the 
success  of  the  firm  was  in  a  great  measure  due. 

Paper  of  their  manufacture  was  unsurpassed  in 
quality.  A  lady  one  day  exhibited  at  his  house  a 
specimen  of  beautiful  French  note  paper,  purchased 


in  New  York.  He  held  it  to  the  light,  and,  to  her 
great  astonishment,  pointed  out  the  water-mark  of 
his  firm  indelibly  impressed  thereon. 

John  Ames,  the  junior  partner,  was  born  at  Spring- 
field, Sept.  2,  1800,  and  was  distinguished  for  his 
inventive  faculty. 

All  kinds  of  paper  were  then  made  by  hand.  His 
cylinder-machine,  patented  in  1822,  revolutionized 
the  method,  and  introduced  economy,  speed,  and 
power. 

He  brought  out  the  cylinder  washer,  the  calendar 
finishing-machine,  as  well  as  new  ruling-  and  stamp- 
ing-machines. What  is  commonly  known  as  the 
"  Fourdrinier"  trimming-machine  was  also  of  his 
invention,  but  he  neglected  to  patent  it,  and  the 
glory  was  assigned  to  the  foreigner. 

David  and  John  both  yet  live,  fit  and  striking 
representatives  of  that  early  generation  of  great 
manufacturers  which  served  mankind  well  by  its 
skill,  and  set  example  of  thrift  and  enterprise,  by 
which  its  followers  have  amassed  colossal  fortunes 
and  lined  the  streams  of  New  England  with  happy 
villages ;  the  products  of  whose  industry  commerce 
bears  to  every  spot  on  the  globe  where  civilized  man 
has  a  home. 


.MMMilMlWl 


^ix.^./:^^yct  a^c^^ 


John  Mulligan  was  born  in  Hartford,  Conn.,  Jan.  12, 
1820,  and  was  the  first  child  born  of  Irish  parents  in  that 
city.  His  father,  John  Mulligan,  was  a  native  of  the  North 
of  Ireland ;  came  to  this  country  in  the  year  1819,  and 
settled  in  Hartford,  where  he  lived  the  remainder  of  his 
life,  dying  in  1841,  aged  forty-three.  His  mother  was  also 
a  native  of  Ireland,  coming  to  this  country  soon  after  her 
marriage.  She  lived  to  the  advanced  age  of  eighty,  and 
died  in  1875. 

Their  family  consisted  of  five  sons  and  two  daughters,  of 
whom  only  four  are  living.  Mr.  Mulligan  was  the  eldest 
son  of  this  family,  and  had  the  advantages  of  the  common 
schools  of  Hartford  until  he,  was  sixteen  years  of  age,  when 
he  was  apprenticed  to  Daniel  Copeland,  of  Hartford,  a 
manufacturer  of  steam-engines  and  machinery,  remaining 
with  him  about  three  years.  He  was  subsequently  with 
Guild  &  Douglas,  of  Middletown,  Conn.,  also  manufac- 
turers of  steam-engines  and  machinery,  and  spent  some  two 
years  in  Philadelphia  with  William  Norris,  the  celebrated 
locomotive  manufacturer.  During  these  years  he  became 
strongly  impressed  with  the  idea  of  being  an  engineer, 
and  in  1841,  returning  to  Hartford,  engaged  as  such  on  a 
tow-boat  called  the  "  William  Hall,"  plying  between  Hart- 


ford and  Willimansett  Falls.  The  following  season  he  ran 
a  passenger  boat  between  Springfield  and  Hartford,  called 
"  Phoenix,"  for  Hon.  C.  W.  Chapin. 

From  1842  to  1852  he  was  employed  as  locomotive  en- 
gineer on  the  Boston  and  Albany  Railroad  ;  from  that  time 
until  1 868  as  master  mechanic  of  the  Connecticut  River 
Railroad  ;  from  the  latter  date  until  1872  he  acted  as  mas- 
ter mechanic,  and  also  as  superintendent,  of  the  same  road, 
and  still  retains  the  latter  position. 

He  has  been  called  to  fill  important  offices  for  many 
years  past,  having  served  in  the  Springfield  city  govern- 
ment,— two  years  as  alderman  and  five  years  as  councilman. 
In  1878  he  was  chosen  one  of  the  trustees  of  the  Hampden 
Savings  Bank. 

Mr.  Mulligan  owes  his  present  position  to  his  own 
exertions,  his  perseverance,  integrity,  and  uprightness  in 
all  his  business  relations ;  retaining  the  confidence,  since 
his  start  in  business  life,  of  all  with  whom  he  has  been 
associated. 

In  the  year  1845  he  married  Lydia  A.,  daughter  of 
Hastings  Bridges,  of  Worcester  Co.,  Mass. 

Their  children  are  Mrs.  J.  M.  Fuller  and  Charles  H., 
superintendent  of  the  Hawkins  Foundry,  Springfield. 


HISTORY  OF  HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


845 


1813,  to  Jan.  15,  1815;  Benjamin  Prcscott,  from  Jan.  IG, 
1815,  to  May  31,  1815;  Lieut. -Col.  Koswcll  Lee,  from  June 
1,  1815,  to  Aug.  25,  1833  ;  Lieut.-Col.  George  Talcott,— acting, 
—to  Oct.  31,  1833;  John  Robb,  from  Nov.  1,  1833,  to  April 
15,  1841  ;  Lieut.-Col.  J.  W.  Eiiiley,  from  April  IG,  1841,  to 
Aug.  16,  1854;  E.  S.  AUin,— acting,— from  Aug.  17,  1854, 
to  Oct.  18,  1854;  Gen.  James  S.  Whitney,  from  Oct.  19,  1854, 
to  March  1,  1860;  E.  S.  Allin,— acting,— from  March  1,  1860, 
to  June  27,  1860;  Col.  I.  H.  Wright,  from  June  27,  1860,  to 
April  25,  1861 ;  George  Dwiglit,  from  April  25,  1861,  to  Aug. 
21,  1861  ;  Capt.  A.  B.  Dyer,  from  Aug.  21,  18G1,  to  Oct.  27, 
1864 ;  Col.  T.  T.  S.  Laidley,  Oct.  27,  1864,  to  May  14,  1866 ; 
Capt.  C.  C.  Chaifeo,  Jr., — acting, — from  May  14,  1866,  to  June 
14,  18GG  ;  Col.  James  G.  Benton,  June  14,  1866,  present  in- 
cumbent. The  present  commanding  officers  are  as  follows  : 
Col.  James  G.  Benton,  Commandant;  Capt.  George  W.  Mc- 
Kee  and  Lieuts.  John  E.  Greer  and  David  A.  Lyle,  Assist- 
ants ;  Maj.  Edward  Ingersoll,  Ordnance  Storekeeper  and 
Paymaster;  E.  S.  Allin,  Master-Armorer. 

During  the  Rebellion  the  works  were  run  day  and  night; 
3400  men  were  employed  and  1000  muskets  made  daily,  and 
the  pay-roll  amounted  to  .5200,000.  The  present  production 
is  about  100  carbines  and  rifles  per  day.  The  breech-loading 
model  was  adopted  in  1873,  and  is  .said  to  be  the  most  perfect 
breech-loading  tirearm  in  the  world. 

The  main  building,  where  the  arms  are  stored,  was  com- 
menced in  1846,  and  completed  a  few  years  later.  The  last 
building  erected  was  the  west  building,  fronting  State  Street. 
The  buildings  east  were  originally  erected  for  arsenals, 
but  were  subsequently  enlarged  and  made  into  workshops. 
The  present  arrangement  of  the  office  building  was  efl'ected  in 
18G3-64,  althongh  the  building  proper  was  erected  previously. 
The  small  dwellings  and  Maj.  Ingersoll's  home  were  built  in 
1834,  and  the  residence  of  the  commanding  otEcers  in  184G. 
The  storehouse  was  built  during  the  administration  of  Col. 
Kipley,  and  two  wings  were  subsequently  added, — one  in 
1861,  and  the  other  in  1863.  In  the  latter  year,  also,  the 
forge-shops  were  completed,  and  in  the  following  j-ear  the 
carpenter-shops  and  stocking-department  were  built.  The 
water-shops,  where  the  heavy  casting  is  done,  are  located  on 
Mill  Kiver,  and  the  present  main  building  was  erected  in 
1857.     The  additions  were  made  in  1862-63. 

But  one  attempt  was  ever  made  to  capture  the  armory,  and 
that  was  by  Daniel  Shays,  Jan.  25,  1787.  At  this  time  the 
arsenal  was  occupied  by  Gen.  Shepard  with  a  force  of  1100 
men.  The  capture  of  the  armory  w'as  planned  by  Luke  Day, 
who,  with  a  force  of  400  men,  was  across  the  river  in  West 
Springlield,  and  Shays,  with  a  force  of  over  1000,  was  at 
Chicopeo.  The  following  message  was  sent  to  Gen.  Shepard 
by  Day  : 

"The  budy  of  tlie  i^eoiJle,  a&semilcil  in  arms,  adhering  to  the  first  principles 
of  niitute, — self-preservalion, — do,  in  tlie  most  peremptory  manner,  demand: 
1st.  That  tile  troops  in  SpiingficlJ  lay  down  their  arms.  2d.  That  their  arms  be 
deposited  in  the  public  stores,  under  the  care  of  tile  proper  officers,  to  be  returned 
to  tile  owners  at  the  termination  of  the  present  contest,  yd.  Tliat  the  troops  re- 
turn to  their  liunies  on  parole." 

On  the  morning  of  the  25th  of  January,  without  the  co- 
operation of  Day,  Shays  marched  toward  Springfield,  and  upon 
arriving  near  the  armory  was  met  by  me.?sengcrs  from  Gen. 
Shepard,  demanding  his  intentions,  with  a  declaration  that 
if  he  continued  a  forward  movement  he  should  fire  upon  the 
column.  Shays'  reply  to  the  messenger  was,  "  I  propose  to 
capture  the  bill,  and  to-night  I  shall  sleep  in  the  barracks  !" 

The  invading  columns  pressed  forward,  and  finally,  thinking 
to  frighten  them,  Gen.  Shepard  ordered  a  discharge  of  can- 
non at  their  right  and  left  and  over  their  heads.  This  did 
not,  however,  in  the  least  check  their  forward  movement, 
and  Gen.  Shepard,  convinced  at  last  that  Shays  was  deter- 
mined on  the  consummation  of  his  plot,  brought  his  artillery 
to  bear  upon  the  advancing  forces  and  fired.  One  discharge 
was  sufficient  to  convince  the  mischief-working  Shays  that 


Shepard  intended  to  hold  the  arsenal  at  any  hazard.  Three 
men  were  killed,  and  the  ranks  broke  in  utter  confusion  and 
fled  to  the  hills  of  Lddlow,  ten  miles  distant,  and  no  fvirther 
attempt  w'as  luade  to  capture  the  armory. 

The  following  history  of  the  Springfield  gun  is  copied  from 
the  columns  of  the  Sprinrificld  Rrpublicaii,  and  may  be  relied 
upon  as  accurate : 

"  Among  the  most  important  improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  tlie  gtm  is 
the  machine  for  making  the  stocks,  indented  liy  the  late  Thomas  Blanchard,  of 
Boston  and  tins  city,  and  the  present  inclliud  of  making  the  barrels,  which,  for 
a  wonder,  was  introduced  from  England.  The  old  process  was  to  take  a  scalp  or 
plate  of  iron,  two  feet  long  and  three  inches  wide,  roll  it  over  an  iron  bar  while 
heated,  and  then  weld  the  edges  together  under  a  heavy  hammer.  A  few  yeais 
before  the  last  war  an  olficer  returned  from  England  and  reported  that  they  had 
a  machine  there  for  rolling  barrels,  when  the  late  James  T.  Ames,  of  Ch\copee, 
was  sent  over  by  the  goveinment  to  look  at  it.  Ho  brought  home  with  him  a 
set  of  rollers,  and  an  Irishman  lutnicd  Onion  to  operate  it.  With  this  machine  a 
scalp  only  one  foot  long  is  used,wlucli  is  heated  almost  to  the  melting-pi-int  and 
pie-sed  through  the  rollers.  These  force  it  to  its  projjcr  shape  and  size,  and  the 
metal  is  made  entirely  homogeneous  throughout  the  length  of  the  barrel.  Down 
to  the  breaking  out  of  the  war,  Onion  was  the  only  man  in  the  country  who  knew 
how  to  operate  tlie  rollers,  as  he  guarded  the  secret  very  closely;  but  when  the 
work  increased  so  fiist,  other  nnichiiies  had  to  be  made  and  men  taught  to  run 
them.  But  England  has  had  more  than  one  machine  from  us.  In  1855,  Jeffer- 
s^'U  Davis,  then  Secretary  of  War,  allowed  agents  of  the  Biitisli  government  to 
take  draughts  of  the  entire  establishment  here,  in  order  to  duplicate  the  machi- 
nery for  their  works  at  Enfield,  and  colics  of  the  most  novel  machines  were  made 
for  them  at  Chicopee,  while  an  AnieUL-an  mechanic  wsis  taken  over  to  supei  in- 
tend their  operation.  It  is  said  that  Prince  Albert  used  to  sit  bonis  watching 
thcni,  being  especially  iiitere.sted  in  the  machine  for  making  the  stocks.  Another 
very  important  improvement  in  the  manufacture  of  the  musket  was  the  system 
of  making  all  the  parts  interchangeable.  This  was  introducc-d  during  the  time 
of  John  Robb,  mainly  through  the  skill  and  enterprise  of  Thomas  Warner,  still 
living  in  this  city,  and  fatlier  of  Thomas  Warner,  Jr.,  cashier  of  the  Chicopee 
Kational  Bank.  Although  the  improvement  had  been  used  at  Harper's  Ferry 
for  some  years,  the  matter  was  kept  so  secret  that  the  officers  here  did  not  know 
of  it  until  it  was  fully  in  operation  at  this  ainiory. 

"  The  history  of  the  arm  itself  and  of  tlic  changes  that  have  been  made  in  it 
is  an  interesting  one.  From  the  establishment  of  the  armory  down  to  l)i42  the 
smooth-bore,  flint-lock  muskets  were  made,  and,  although  they  were  supei'seded 
then  by  the  percussion-cap,  Gen.  Scott  used  them  in  the  Mexican  war,  five  years 
afterward,  in  preference  to  the  new  guns,  which,  lie  said,  had  not  been  tried.  It 
is  said,  too,  that  the  people  of  Slexico  and  Texas  preferred  the  flint-locks  for 
many  years,  because  flints  arc  so  plenty  there  they  can  pick  them  up  almost  any- 
where to  repair  the  locks.  The  next  radical  change  was  made  in  1855,  when  the 
old  smooth-bore  gave  way  to  the  lifled  musket,  though  the  system  had  been  used 
for  many  yeare  in  Hall's  rifleil  carldne,  which  was  made  at  Harper's  Ferry.  Dur- 
ing the  Rebellion  the  government  bought  a  good  many  lireecb-loading  guns  of 
different  make,  and  in  18G5  the  historic  Spiingtield  musket,  which  had  aided  so 
materially  in  carrying  the  country  through  the  war,  was  voted  obsolete,  and  tho 
more  modern  breech-loader  was  ordered  to  be  made  in  its  place.  This  gun — tho 
latest  model  being  that  of  1873— is  the  one  now  manufactured,  and  it  is  consid- 
ered the  best  single-loader  in  the  world,  having  been  adopted  by  a  competent 
board  of  officers,  after  a  long  series  of  experiments  with  all  the  best  guns  they 
could  get.  But  even  this  is  likely  soon  to  be  dipplaced  by  the  magazine  gun,  and 
the  oificei-s  say  it  is  not  safe,  in  these  days,  to  get  many  of  any  kind  of  firearm 
made  ahead  of  present  needs.  Col.  Benton  and  Capt.  Greer  have  been  vei-y  much 
interested,  for  some  time,  in  experiments  with  magazine  guns,  and  a  small 
amount  was  allowed  by  the  last  aj  propi  iation  to  make  some  of  them  and  put 
them  into  the  field  for  trial.  The  Ilotchkiss  gun,  which  is  thought  to  be  the  best 
there  is,  has  been  selected  for  the  tlial.  and,  to  save  the  expense  of  alteiing  the 
machinery  here,  most  of  the  parts  are  bouglit  from  the  Winchester  Eepeating- 
Arms  Company,  of  New  Haven,  and  brought  here  to  be  put  together  and  finished. 
Tlie  magazine  holds  five  cartridges,  and  the  gun  can  he  used  as  a  single-loader  if 
desired,  leaving  the  magazine  full  for  an  emergency.  If  the  gun  is  as  successful 
in  the  field  as  the  officers  here  expect  it  to  be,  it  will  piobatily  be  adopted  and 
manufactured  in  place  of  the  single-loader.  But  it  is  stated  by  some  that  the 
present  gun  can  be  fired  about  as  fiist  as  one  with  a  magazine,  and  that  the  many 
objections  to  a  magazine  gun  as  an  arm  for  every-<lay  service  will  prevent  its 
adoption  for  general  use,  though  some  regiments  of  an  army,  on  special  service, 
might  use  it  with  profit.  All  the  European  nations  use  ar  present  thc'single- 
loader,  except  Switzerland,  whose  cnlife  army  is  furnished  w  ith  a  magazine  gnu. 
"Tlirough  all  its  changes  tho  Springfield  musket  has  h.ad  a  woi Id-wide  repu- 
tation, and  the  government  has  generally  succeeded  in  making  a  more  perfect 
arm  than  any  other  nation,  by  taking  advantage  of  every  improvement  which  tho 
inventive  genius  and  mechanical  ingenuity  of  the  couiiti  y  have  been  able  to  sug- 
gest. During  the  war  the  ScienCific  Amerkmi  once  said  that  the  government  de- 
manded such  perfection  in  making  the  Springfield  muskets  that,  foraccuiacy 
and  general  beauty  of  w  orkmansbip,  thoy  w  ould  bear  conipm  ison  with  any  niatli- 
ematical  instruments  ever  made." 

The  armory  grounds  proper  embrace  74  acres,  delightfully 
kcated  on  an  elevated  plateau  overlooking  the  city.  The 
various  buildings  are  pleasantly  located,  and  a  handsoiue 
park  adds  to  the  beauty  of  the  location.     It  consists  of  a  few 


846 


HISTOKY  OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


acres  nicely  shaded  by  trees,  but  devoid  of  ornaments  save 
here  and  tliere  a  cannon.  From  the  tower  of  the  arsenal  buiUl- 
inii;  is  attnrded  a  commanding  view  of  the'surroundiiic:  eovintry. 
To  the  north  and  only  three  miles  distant  lies  the  village  of 
Chicopee,  while  live  miles  farther  in  the  same  direction  rise 
the  spires  of  the  manufacturing  city  of  Holyoke,  and  in  the 
distance  the  peaks  of  Mounts  Tom  and  Holyoke  rise  against 
the  blue  horizon.  To  the  west  may  be  seen  the  villages  of 
West  Springtield,  and  Agawam,  while  at  your  feet  lies  the 
pleasant  city  of  Springfield,  with  the  grand  sweep  of  its  noble 
Connecticut  wending  its  way  oceanward,  presenting,  all  in  all, 
a  panoramic  view  unsurpassed  iu  beaut}'  and  grandeur  by  any 
in  the  Connecticut  Valley. 

THE  CITY  HOSPITAL. 
The  City  Hospital  property  was  purchased  in  18G9,  and 
consisted  of  a  dwelling-house  and  two  acres  of  land.  Since 
the  building  was  erected  it  has  been  remodeled  and  added  to, 
and  is  now  complete  in  all  respects,  and  will  accommodate 
ten  or  twelve  patients.  It  is  located  on  the  Boston  road, 
about  one  and  a  luilf  miles  from  the  centre  of  the  city.  Su- 
perintendent, S.  P.  Howard  ;   Matron,  Mrs.  S.  P.  Howard. 

THE    CITY    ALMSHOUSE 
and  Farm  are  located  on  the  Boston  road,  two  miles  from  the 
city-hall.    The  almshouse  is  a  briek  structure,  and  was  erected 
in  1873,  at  a  cost,  including  the  land,  of  ^.39,488.     The  house 
and  farm  are  under  the  management  of  A.  S.  Pease. 

THE  SPRINGFIELD  GAS-LIGHT  COMPANY 
was  organized  in  1848,  and  commenced  the  manufacture  of 
gas  from  rosin,  which  method  was  continued  until  1850,  when 
coal  was  substituted.  This  was  one  of  the  first  companies  or- 
ganized in  the  State  outside  of  Boston.  At  iirst  there  were 
75  consumers,  which  number  has  now  increased  to  2500.  The 
first  gasometer  had  a  capacit}'  of  GOOO  feet,  and  the  present 
one  has  a  capacity  300,000  feet. 

The  first  officers  of  the  c<mipany  were  as  follows  :  Lyman 
Merrick,  President ;  Theodore  Stebbins,  Clerk,  and  George 
Dwight,  Treasurer.  Mr.  Merrick  was  succeeded  b}-^  James  D. 
Brewer.  Mr.  Brewer  was  followed  by  Marvin  Chapin,  who 
was  succeeded  by  the  present  president,  Col.  James  M.  Thomp- 
son. Mr.  Stebbins  was  succeeded  by  the  present  clerk,  George 
Dwight,  who  is  also  superintendent.  Mr.  Dwight,  the  first 
treasurer,  was  followed  by  James  D.  Brewer,  the  present  in- 
cumbent. The  present  board  of  directors  are  James  M. 
Thompson,  Cliarles  AV. Chapin, Marvin  Chapin,  J.  D.  Brewer, 
\Vm.  Merrick,  George  Dwiglit,  and  Elisha  Gunn.  The  com- 
pany is  in  a  flourishing  condition,  and  thirty  miles  of  pipe 
are  now  being  operated.  The  works  are  located  on  Water 
Street,  foot  of  State. 

THE    STREET    RAILWAY    COMPANY. 

This  corporation  was  organized  in  1859,  with  a  capital 
stock  of  §100,000,  only  §50,000  of  which  has  been  issued.  The 
route  of  the  railway  extends  from  Brightwood  along  Main 
Street  and  Locust  to  Mill  Street,  and  from  Main  up  State 
Street  to  Winchester  Park.  The  present  oiheers  of  the  corpo- 
ration are  John  Olmsted,  President  ;  G.  M.  Atwater,  Homer 
Foot,  C.  L.  Corel],  James  Kirkham,  and  John  Olmsted,  Di- 
rectors; F.  E.  King,  Superintendent;  A.  E.  Smith,  Cashier  ; 
and  Gideon  AVells,  Clerk. 

ECCLESIASTICAL  HISTORY. 

THE    FIRST    CHURCH. 

The  following  account  of  the  First  Church  of  Springfield  is 
abridged  from  a  history  written  by  Judge  Henry  Morris,  and 
])ubli.siicd  by  permission  of  Messrs.  Whitney  *fc  Adams,  pro- 
prietors of  the  "  Old  Corner  Book-Store,"  Springfield,  Mass. : 
"  When  tlie  first  seUlyrs  of  Spiingfii.lil,  under  th^  leal  uf  William  Pyndiou, 
Liiuie  lieie  IVuin  Kuxbury,  in  lG3li,  ami  founded  a  new  town,  they  broiitjht  with 


them  the  religious  principles  whieh  had  induced  them,  yeate  previous,  to  for- 
sake their  native  land' and  seek  a  home  in  Anieiica.  Appreciating  the  impor- 
tance of  a  Clirrstian  church  and  a  Christian  niinisti'y  to  the  proBperity,  both 
spiiitiial  antl  temporal,  of  their  new  comnxunity,  they  early  made  provision  for 
their  estalilishnH-nt. 

"  Accordingly,  they  drew  up  and  (signed  an  agreement  containing  tiftoeu  articles 
for  the  regulation  of  their  town  aftairs,  the  first  of  which  is  in  these  words: 
'  Wee  intend  by  God's  grace,  as  soon  as  we  can,  with  all  convenient  spccde,  to 
procure  Bome  Godly  and  faithfull  minister,  with  whom  we  purpose  to  joyne  in 
church  covenant  to  walk  in  all  the  ways  of  Christ.'  This  agreement  bears 
date  IMay  14,  1030,  and  was  signed  as  au  original  document  by  eight  of  the 
twelve  settlers  who  first  came  here. 

*'  Precisely  at  what  time  this  purpose  wns  accomplished  by  the  orgainzation  of 
a  church,  no  record  informs  us.  If  any  separate  record  was  kept  of  the  trans- 
actions of  the  church  in  that  early  period  of  its  hist^^iry,  it  was  long  since  lost  or 
destroyed.  None  can  now  be  found  relating  to  transactions  earlier  than  Jan. 
27, 1735.  There  can  be  little  doubt  that  the  church  was  oiganized  about  the 
time  when  Kev.  George  Moxon,  its  first  minister,  settled  here,  in  1G37.  In  that 
year  he  came  to  this  country  from  Yorkshire,  England,  bringing  with  him  a 
wife  and  two  daughters.  He  had  been  educated  at  Sidney  College,  in  the  Uni- 
veifiity  of  Cambridge,  where  he  took  his  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts  in  1G23. 
He  went  first  to  Dorchester,  pel  Imps  wjtii  tin-  intention  ot  making  that  place 
his  homo,  but  after  a  biicf  sojourn  theic,  he  was  induced  by  iiis  attachment  to 
Mr.  Pynchon,  with  whom  he  was  intimate,  to  follow  that  gentleman  to  Spring- 
field, and  to  become  the  minister  of  the  church  hero.  He  had  received  ordina- 
tion in  England,  and,  on  his  ariival  here,  at  Ihc  age  of  thirty-five  years,  was 
prepared  at  once  to  enter  upon  the  work  of  his  ministry  with  this  people.  He 
remained  here  the  pastor  of  this  church  fifteen  years,  till  the  year  1652,  when 
he  accompanied  Mr.  Pynchon  to  England,  from  which  neither  of  them  ever 
returned.* 

"  At  this  distance  of  time,  and  in  the  absence  of  any  ecclesiastical  records,  it  ia 
exceedingly  dilficult,  if  not  impossilile,  to  form  anj'  adequate  conception  of  the 
character  of  Mr.  Moxon,  or  of  the  value  of  his  ministeiial  labors  in  this  church. 
From  the  declared  pui-pose  of  the  first  setllei-s  to  procure  'some  godly  and 
faithful  minister,'  and  from  the  fact  that  he  had  been  long  and  intimately 
known  to  Mr.  Pynchon,  it  may  fairly  be  inferred  that  Mr.  Mo.\on  was  a  man  of 
that  stamp.  That  he  enjoyed  the  confidence  and  respect  of  the  people  here  is 
numifest  from  the  fact  that  in  Apiil,  1638,  they  chose  him  a  deputy  to  represent 
them  in  tlie  General  Court  at  Hartford,  within  which  jurisdiction  Springfield 
was  then  thought  to  fall.  Another  token  of  their  regard  is  found  in  the  cir- 
cumstance tliat  they  assigned  him  a  home-lot  of  nearly  double  the  usual  width, 
and  in  iri39,  by  a  voluntary  assessment,  built  him  a  house  35  by  15  feet  in  size, 
Iniving  a  porch  and  study.  In  this  house,  located  on  the  westerly  side  of  Main 
Street,  near  what  is  now  Vernon  Street,  the  nunister. lived  during  the  last  thir- 
teen years  of  his  residence  here,  and  in  the  first  meeting-house,  erected  in  1045, 
about  where  the  large  elm  stands,  near  the  southeasterly  corner  of  Court  Square, 
he  met  his  peojile,  as  they  assembled  on  the  Sabbath  at  the  sound  of  the  drum, 
and  prochiimed  to  them  the  words  of  eternal  life.  This  meeting-house  was 
forty  feet  long  and  twenty-five  feet  wide,  and  faced  south  on  the  one-rod  road 
leading  to  the  training-field  and  burial-ground,  since  made  wider  and  called 
Elm  Street.  It  had  two  large  windows  on  each  side,  and  one  smaller  one  at  each 
end;  one  large  door  on  the  southerly  side,  and  two  smaller  ones;  it  had  a 
shingle  roof^a  rare  thing  iu  that  day— and  two  turrets,  one  designed  for  a  bell, 
the  other  for  a  watch-tower.  Among  the  people  to  whom  Mr.  Moxon  minis- 
tered, and  whose  confidence  he  enjoyed,  there  were  some  eminent  not  only  for 
their  piety,  but  fiir  their  intelligence.  William  Pynchon  and  his  son,  Ji>hn 
Pynchon,  his  two  sons-in-law,  Henry  Smith  and  Eliznr  Holyoke,  and  the  two 
deacons  of  the  church,  Samuel  Chapin  and  Samuel  Wright,  were  all  men  of 
more  than  ordinary  capacity,  capable  of  conducting  the  worship  of  the  sanctu- 
ary or  the  municipal  concerns  of  the  town.  In  those  days  there  was  accorded 
to  the  clergyman,  as  incident  to  his  office,  a  degree  of  respect  and  consideration, 
amounting  almost  to  reverence,  i-arely  manifested  at  present. 

"There  is  recorded  in  the  private  record,  wluLrh  William  Pyuchon  kept  of  va- 
rious matters  that  came  under  his  cognizance  as  a  magistrate,  an  entry  in  his 
hand  under  date  of  Sept.  24,  1G40,  of  a  trial  before  him.  and  a  jury  of  six  men, 
whicli  is  interesting,  not  only  as  illustrating  the  primitive  character  of  litigation 
iu  those  days  in  this  remote  settlement,  but  as  alsa  showing  the  kind  of  super- 
vision which  the  minister  exercised  over  his  people.  It  seems  that  John  Wood- 
cock, one  of  the  early  settlers,  of  a  litigious  turn,  had  a  controversy  with  Henry 
Gregory,  another  early  settler,  about  sume  hogs,  and  had  brought  two  suits 
against  Gregory  to  recover  damages.  The  two  cases  were  tried  before  Mr.  Pyn- 
chon and  a  jury  of  six,  comprising  Deacon  Samuel  Wright  and  five  other  re- 
spectable inhabitants.  The  jury  rendered  a  verdict  against  Gregory  in  each  Jiction 
for  some  20  shillings  and  costs.  The  record  says,  'Henry  Gregory,  after  the  ver- 
dict, was  much  moved,  and  said,  "I  marvel  with  what  conscience  the  jury  can 
give  such  damages;  seeinge  in  the  caseof  John  Searles  I  had  of  him  but  twenty 

shilling's  for  three  slanders;"  and  he  added,  "But  such  juries "  He  was  about 

to  speake  more,  but  Mr.  Moxon  bid  him  "  take  heed,  take  heed,"  and  so  gave  him 
a  grave  admonition.  Presently,  after  the  admonition,  Henry  Gregory  acknowl- 
edged his  fault  and  earnestly  craved  pardon,  and  promised  more  care  and  watch- 
fulness for  tyme  to  come;  and  so  all  the  juiy  acknowledged  satisfaction  in  hope 
of  reformation.' 

"It  M'as  not  always  in  the  character  of  a  si)ectator,  or  to  give  grave  admoni- 
tions to  unsuccessful  but  irritated  litigants,  that  Mr.  Moxoil  attended  these  primi- 
tive courts.  He  was  himself  at  one  time  an  interested  party,  seeking  to  vindicatp 

*  See  General  History, 


:^^~"^'^ 


'o^^iC^     ^c^^M^^'^-^^ 


John  Goodrich  was  born  in  West  Springfield, 
Oct.  22,  1802.  His  grandfather  Goodrich  was  a 
native  of  Sharon,  Conn.,  where  he  resided  for  many 
years,  and  removed  to  Delhi,  N.  Y.,  where  he  lived 
to  be  nearly  one  hundred  years  of  age.  The  ances- 
tors in  America  of  the  Goodrich  family  first  settled 
in  Wethersfield,  Conn.,  where  they  landed  upon 
coming  to  this  country.  They  are  of  Scotch  and 
English  descent.  His  father,  Elijah  Goodrich,  was 
born  at  Sharon,  Conn. ;  settled  in  West  Springfield 
about  the  year  1796  ;  was  married  to  Rachel,  daugh- 
ter of  Major  John  Lloyd,  of  New  York  (who  served 
through  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  died  in  West 
Springfield,  at  the  house  of  his  son-in-law,  Mr.  Ed- 
mund Palmer,  Aug.  11,  1817,  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
four),  and  raised  a  family  of  four  sons  and  five 
daughters,  of  whom  only  the  subject  of  this  narra- 
tive is  now  living  (1878).  His  father,  Elijah,  was 
among  the  first  in  the  staging  business  between  Al- 
bany and  Boston  before  the  days  of  railroads.  He 
kept  a  public-house  in  Springfield  for  many  years, 
and  occupied  the  corner  of  Main  and  State  Streets, 
and  also  the  corner  of  Main  and  Worthington  Streets; 
the  latter  he  occupied  during  the  war  of  1812-14. 
Mr.  Goodrich  spent  his  minority  at  home  and  until 


the  death  of  his  father,  in  1835,  engaging  most  of  the 
time  after  reaching  his  majority  in  the  livery  busi- 
ness. On  the  same  day  that  the  Boston  and  Albany 
Railroad  was  opened,  Oct.  16,  1839,  he  opened  a 
public-house  on  the  corner  of  Main  and  Hampden 
Streets,  which,  however,  he  continued  only  some 
two  years. 

Since  leaving  the  public-house  he  has  been  en- 
gaged in  a  general  business  way,  mostly  in  dealing 
in  real  estate.  His  life  has  been  one  of  activity  and 
industry,  and  characterized  by  such  integrity  of  ac- 
tion in  all  his  dealings  and  sagacity  in  business 
transactions  as  to  secure  the  confidence  of  the  citizens 
of  Springfield. 

Mr.  Goodrich  has  never  been  an  active  politician, 
but  supported  the  old  Whig  party,  and  upon  the 
formation  of  the  Republican  party  became  one  of  its 
members. 

In  the  year  1826,  September  18,  he  married 
Miss  Betsey,  daughter  of  Elisha  Curtis,  of  Spring- 
field, Mass.     She  was  born  June  7,  1806. 

His  children  were  Henry  (killed  in  1853,  in  his 
twenty-sixth  year,  by  a  railroad  accident  in  Indiana, 
the  cars  going  through  a  bridge) ;  James  W. ;  and 
Mrs.  E.  B.  Vinton,  of  Springfield. 


g^?'^- 


i^,^_^.A--^v 


Horace  Jacobs  was  born  in  Royalston,  Worcester  Co., 
Mass.,  April  5,  1816.  His  paternal  grandfather  was  a 
native  of  Connecticut;  in  early  life  moved  to  Oneida  Co., 
N.  Y.,  and  was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  that  section  of  the 
State.  For  some  forty  years  he  was  an  active  laborer  as  a 
clergyman  of  the  Baptist  Church,  and  preached  his  last 
sermon  on  his  seventy-fifth  anniversary,  at  Floyd,  in  that 
county,  and  died  at  the  age  of  seventy-seven. 

His  maternal  grandfather,  Enoch  Kenuey,  was  also  a 
Baptist  clergyman ;  was  supposed  to  be  a  native  of  Roy- 
alston, Mass.,  where  he  preached  many  years,  and  died  in 
the  place  of  his  nativity. 

His  father,  Simeon  Jacobs,  was  a  native  of  Royalston, 
Mass. ;  was  married  to  Mary  Kenney,  of  that  place  ;  spent 
his  life  as  an  agriculturist.  There  were  nine  children  of 
the  family,  all  sons,  and  all  grew  to  manhood,  of  whom  only 
three  are  living  in  1878, — Simeon,  of  Columbia,  Conn. ; 
Enoch,  of  Sacramento,  Cal. ;  and  the  subject  of  this  nar- 
rative. 

Dr.  Jacobs  spent  his  boyhood  until  he  was  ten  years  of 
age  at  home,  at  which  time  his  father  died,  and  thencefor- 
ward until  he  reached  his  majority  he  lived  with  his  uncle. 
Dr.  Isaac  Jacobs,  of  Exeter,  Me.,  for  several  years,  and 
the  balance  of  the  time  taught  school  winters  and  labored 
on  a  farm  summers.  While  with  his  uncle.  Dr.  Jacobs 
became  accustomed  to  the  preparation  of  bills  of  medicine, 
and  then  first  became  impressed  with  the  idea  of  being  a 
physician. 


At  the  age  of  twenty-one  he  began  the  study  of  medicine 
with  his  brother,  Sumner  Jacobs,  of  South  Hadley,  Mass., 
and  after  two  years  entered  into  the  practice  of  medicine 
with  him,  which  partnership  continued  for  five  years,  when 
Dr.  Jacobs  removed  to  Chicopee  Falls,  and  afterward  to 
Chicopee,'  where  he  practiced  as  an  eclectic  physician  for 
some  fifteen  years.  After  two  years'  partial  respite  from 
practice,  residing  in  Westfield,  he  removed  in  the  year 
1857  to  Springfield,  where  he  opened  an  oflice  for  the 
practice  of  his  particular  theory  of  medicine,  and  was  the 
first  representative  of  the  eclectic  practice  in  Springfield,  as 
his  brother,  with  whom  he  studied,  had  been  in  the  Con- 
necticut Valley  of  Massachusetts. 

As  is  usual  with  any  new  theory.  Dr.  Jacobs  met  with 
strong  opposition  from  the  practitioners  of  other  schools  of 
medicine ;  but  time  alone  has  not  only  developed  the  feasi- 
bility and  benefit  of  this  new  theory,  but  has  gradually 
overcome  all  opposition,  and  deservedly  commanded  the 
confidence  of  the  public.  Prom  a  meagre  support,  Dr. 
Jacobs  has,  by  his  integrity  of  purpose  and  skill  in  his  pro- 
fession, for  many  years  enjoyed  the  support  of  a  large 
circle  of  friends,  including  in  its  numbers  many  of  the 
most  intelligent  families  of  the  country. 

In  the  year  1849,  Dec.  23,  he  married  Emily  L., 
daughter  of  Abijah  Owen,  of  Westfield.  By  this  union 
there  were  born  five  children,  now  living, — Chauncey  A., 
a  practicing  physician,  of  Boston  ;  Mary  L. ;  Mrs.  Charles 
Rice,  of  Neponset ;  Rachel  B. ;  and  Horace  H. 


HISTORY   OF  HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


847 


liisowngooil  Dame  from  the  aspersione  of  a  elaiidorer.  It  wns  on  this  wise: 
The  same  Joliii  Woodcock  had  liad  a  lawsuit  at  Ilartfurd.in  which  Blr.  Moxon 
was  a  witness  against  liirn.  Prnhably  Woodcock  was  defeated  in  tliis  Hartford 
suit,  and,  heing  an  unprincipled  fellow,  sought  his  revenge  by  circulating  a  re- 
]nn1  that  the  minister  had  taken  a  false  oath.  This  produced  a  decided  sensation 
among  the  gmid  people  of  this  plantation  of  Agawam,  as  Springfield  was  then 
c-alled.  WfHxicock  was  summoned  l»y  a  warrant  to  appear  before  3Ir.  Pynchon,the 
magistrate,  to  answer  for  this  slander.  Desirous,  if  possible,  to  avoid  a  trial  before 
a  jury  of  their  neighbors,  to  whom  they  were  both  well  known,  he  '  desyrcd,'  as 
the  old  Pynchon  record  slates,  'that  this  difference  might  be  tried  by  a  piivate 
liearing  below  in  the  River — ,"  meaning  at  Windsor  or  Hartford,  these  being  then 
the  nearest  settlements  down  the  river.  'Mr.  Moxon,'  continues  the  record,  're- 
tV-rreil  himself  to  the  judgment  of  ye  plantation  present  whether  it  were  fitter  to 
he  heard  by  a  private  refferenee  below  in  the  river,  or  tryed  here  publickly  by  a 
Jury.  The  general  voat  of  the  plantation  is  that,  seeing  the  matter  is  puMik,  it 
should  be  publikly  herd  and  tiyed  here  by  a  Jury.  Liberty  is  granted  to  John 
Woddcocke  to  produce  his  witnesses  against  this  day  fortnight,  being  the  2G  of 
l)erembcr.  Also  at  the  said  tyme  Jo.  Woodcocke  is  warned  to  answer  for  his 
laugbinge  in  sermon  tyme,— this  day  at  the  Lecture.  Also  he  is  then  to  answer 
lor  his  misdenicnorof  idlenessc.'  The  trial  of  this  important  suit  wsis  afterward 
defen-eil  to  the  2d  of  January,  at  which  time  Mr.  Moxon  produced  the  testimony 
of  five  witnesses,  and  the  jury  rendered  a  verdict  in  his  favor  for  £G  138.  iil. 

"In  the  absenceof  any  church  records,  there  exist  no  materials  for  a  biography 
of  the  first  minister  of  this  church  for  the  next  eleven  yeai-s.  It  may  fairly  be 
presumed  that  he  was  engaged  during  this  period  in  the  ordinary  duties  of  a 
l>iustor,  enjoying  the  i-e^pect  of  his  people,  sharing  in  their  joys  and  sympathi/ing 
in  their  sorrows,  preaching  to  them  on  the  Sabbath,  morning  and  afternoon,  be- 
sides delivering  the  usual  lecture  every  Thursday,  at  half-past  ten  in  the  forenoon. 
In  addition  to  the  family  which  he  brought  with  him  when  he  first  came  here, 
he  had  tliree  children  born  to  him  here — all  sons.  He  had  certainly  three  ohler 
children,  one  a  son,  bearing  his  father's  Christian  uiune,  and  following  his  father's 
voca-tion  afterward  in  England.  There  were  also  two  daughters,  Martha  and 
Rebeckah.  These  two  girls  passed  through  an  experience  that  was  remarkable 
even  in  their  day,  and  appears  sti-anger  still  to  us.  In  fact,  they  became  the 
early,  if  not  the  very  first,  viclims,  as  was  supix>?ed,  of  that  d(dus>ion  which  for 
a  lime  createtl  an  intense  excitement  in  the  Massachusettscolony,  and  culminated 
in  the  most  fearful  tragedies,  Connected  with  the  famous  Salem  witchcraft.  One 
Mary  Parsons,  wife  of  Hugh  Pareons,  who  lived  quite  at  the  south  end  of  Main 
Street,  was  suspected  of  having  bewitched  these  two  girls.  She  had  killed  her 
own  child,  and  was  probably  dei-anged.  Her  strange  conduct  wfis  ascribed  to  her 
familiarity  with  the  evil  one,  and  some  disuiders,  real  or  imaginaiy,  with  which 
3Ir.  Sloxon's  daughters  were  aftlicled,  were  imputed,  in  accordance  with  the  pre- 
vailing superstition,  to  Mary  Pai^sons,  as  an  agent  of  the  devil.  She  wiis  accord- 
ingly wmuiitted  to  prison,  charged  with  witchcraft  and  the  murder  of  her  own 
child ;  for  both  which  offences  she  was  tried  before  the  General  Court  at  Boston, 

"What  part  Mr.  Jloxon  took  in  this  prosecution  is  not  known.  Tliat  he  sym- 
pathized with  bis  children  in  their  sufferings,  and  believed  in  the  reality  of  the 
demoniacal  influence,  to  which  the  common  supei-stition  of  the  times  ascribed 
them,  can  hardly  be  doubted.  It  was  a  weakness  that  infected  some  of  the 
strongest  minds  of  that  age.  A  poet  of  that  day  has  left  to  us  the  following 
tribute  to  Mr.  Jloxon's  character,  written  shortly  before  his  departure,  in  which 
may  Ite  detected  an  allusion  to  the  peculiar  domestic  vi.-itatiuii  that  made  the 
last  year  of  the  minister's  residence  in  Springfield  sj  unhappy  : 

"'As  thou  with  strong  and  ahle  parts  art  made, 

Thy  pers  jn,  stout  with  toyl  and  lalwur,  shall,  , 
With  lielp  of  Christ,  through  ditficulties  wade. 

Then  spend  for  him ;  spare  not  thyself  at  all. 
When  errors  crowd  close  to  thyself  and  fiiends. 

Take  up  truth's  sword,  trifle  not  time,  for  why  ? 
Christ  called  his  people  hither  for  those  ends 

To  tell  the  world  that  Babel's  fall  is  nigh. 
And  that  his  churches  through  the  world  shall  spread 

Maugre  the  might  of  wirked  men  and  devils. 
Then  Muxon  thou  need'st  not  at  all  to  dread. 

But  be  avenged  on  Satan  for  his  evils. 
Tliy  Lord  Christ  will  under  thy  feet  hini  tread.' 

"Tlie  departure  of  three  such  men  as  William  Pynchon,  Heniy  Smith,  his 
son-in-law,  and  Mr.  Moxon  was  a  serious  loss  to  the  church  and  the  town. 
There  is  a  tradition,  mentioned  by  3Ir.  Breck  in  his  century  sermon,  that  it  came 
near  to  breaking  up  the  settlement.  But  the  shock,  though  severe,  was  not 
fatal.  Xeither  the  temporal  nor  the  spiritual  prosperity  of  this  people  suffered 
any  iiermanent  check.  The  wise  leadei-ship  that  liad  been  e.xereised  by  the  elder 
Pynchon  was  devolved  upon  his  son  John,  then  a  young  man  of  twenty-six,  of 
sterling  (pialities,  who,  through  all  that  century  and  down  to  the  time  of  his 
death,  maintained  an  influence,  not  only  in  Springfield,  but  in  all  this  region, 
that  justly  entitled  him  to  the  appellation  by  which  he  is  distinguished  in  the 
recon],  '  the  woi-shipfnl.'  Xor  were  the  religious  interests  of  the  people  neg- 
lected. The  deacons,  Chapin  and  Wright,  with  Elizur  Holyoke,  son-in-law  of 
William  Pynchon,  were  jiious  and  capable  men,  and  the  people  gatheied  in  their 
sanctuary  us  they  had  been  accustomed  to  do  before,  to  hoar  the  word  of  God 
expounded  by  them.  In  February-,  1053,  less  than  five  months  alter  Mr.  Moxon's 
departure,  Rev.  William  Hosford  was  preaching  here  as  a  supply.  Precisely 
when  his  laboi-s  here  began  and  when  they  endeil  is  not  known.  His  stay  did 
not  exceed  one  year  at  the  longest.  He  was  succeeded  by  Ilev.  William  Thomp- 
.•^on.  whu  graduated  at  Harvard  College  in  1G53,  and  is  supposed  to  have  been  the 
son  of  a  minister  of  the  same  name  at  Braintree.     He  was  here  in  November, 


1G55.  On  the  loth  of  that  month  the  town  records  say,  'At  a  town-meeting  it 
was  voted  and  concluded  y'  Mr.  Thompson,  during  his  continuance  a  jireaching 
minister  in  Springfield,  shall  jjossess  and  enjoy  y  Towne  house-lot  and  housing 
.  .  .  which  formerly  y^  towne  bought  of  Mr.  Moxon.'  'As  also  they  intend  by 
yo  help  of  God  to  continue  BIr.  Thompson's  nmintenance  £50  pr  annum,  and  to 
give  him  a  parcel  of  ground  by  reason  of  the  inability  of  y  towne  to  increase 
his  maintenance.' 

"  This,  although  perhaps  a  liberal  salary  for  those  days,  did  not  insure  Mr. 
Thompson's  '  continuance  as  a  preaching  minister'  for  a  very  long  peiiod.  He 
left  his  people  under  such  circumstances  as  led  the  t<iwu,  on  the  "i-ith  March, 
1656,  to  pass  the  following  vote  to  provide  for  the  supply  of  ite  spiritual  needs: 
'  It  is  agreed  by  joynt  consideration  of  y"  Plantation  that  seeing  Mr.  Thompson 
hath  deserted  this  Plantation  and  soe  we  are  left  destitute  in  respect  of  any 
ministry  of  y«  word  for  continuance,  that  therefore  these  persons  under  wiitten 
shall  take  counsel  among  themselves  wliat  coui-sc  may  be  taken  for  a  supply  in 
ye  work,  and  that  they  shall  take  that  course  that  to  them  shall  seem  good  by 
sending  abroad  for  advice  in  this  matter;  and  sue  accordingly  they  shall  give 
information  to  the  town  w*  they  have  done  or  think  convenient  to  he  done. 
The  persons  hereunto  chosen  are  Mr.  Pynchon,  Deacon  Chapin,  George  Colton, 
Benjamin  Cjoley,  Deacon  Wright,  and  Elizur  Holyoke.  It  was  further  voted 
and  agreed,'  continues  the  record, '  that  whereas  yesterday  being  the  Lord's  day, 
Deacon  Wright  was  chosen  to  dispense  the  word  of  God  in  this  place  till  some 
other  should  be  gott  for  y*  worke,  y'  deacon  Wright  shall  have  for  his  labor  in  y« 
employment  50'''  y*'  month  for  such  tyme  as  he  attends  on  y«  saitl  work.' 

"  Good  Deacon  Wright,  who  had  settled  here  in  lO^iVi,  and  had  been  one  of  the 
deacons  of  this  church  through  all  tlie  sulisciiuent  years  of  BIr.  Moxon's  min- 
istiy,  did  not  continue  long  to 'dispense  the  word' in  Springfield.  Soon  after 
the  passage  of  this  vote  he  emigrated  with  his  family  to  Northampton,  where, 
on  the  17th  of  October,  1065,  he  died,  as  the  record  says, '  when  asleep  in  his 
chair.'  Deprived  of  the  ministrations  of  Deacon  Wright  by  liis  removal  to 
another  field  of  usefulness,  the  town  voted  in  Kebnmry,  1057, '  that  Mr.  UoUy- 
ock  and  Henry  Burt  should  carry  on  tlie  work  of  the  Sabbath  in  this  phice ;  but 
in  case  that  through  any  proviilence  of  God  either  of  them  should  be  disenabled, 
that  decon  Chapin  should  supply  that  i>resent  vacancy.'  A  little  later,  in  No- 
vember, 1657,  the  record  says,  'Mr.  Holyoke  is  n)ade  choise  of  to  carry  on  ye 
work  of  y  Sabbath  once  every  Sahbatli-day,  which  he  accepts  of.  Mr.  Pynchon 
is  made  ehuise  of  for  one  part  of  y  day  once  a  fortnight,  wi>  he  w  ill  endeavor  to 
in  tyme  by  reading  notes  and  somewliat  of  his  owne  meditations  till  March  next. 
Deacon  Chapin  and  Hemy  Burt  are  made  choise  of  to  carry  on  y"  other  p'  of  yo 
day  once  a  fortnight.' 

"However  profitable,  in  a  spiritual  point  of  view,  the  labors  of  these  intelli- 
gent laymen  may  have  been,  the  church  still  aimed  at  securing  the  services  of 
some 'Godly  and  faithful  minister,'  who  should  become  its  peimanent  pastor. 
Nor  was  it  long  before  a  young  man  was  found  whose  ministi  ations  were  so 
acceptable  that  the  people,  with  great  unanimity,  extended  to  him  a  call.  This 
was  Mr.  Siimuel  Hooker,  a  son  of  Rev.  Thomas  Hooker,  of  Uaitford,  whom 
Cotton  Mather  styles  '  the  Light  of  the  Western  Churches  and  Pillar  of  Con- 
necticut Colony.'  3Ir.  Hooker  was  finst  cmi)loyed  to  supply  the  puljnt  for  a 
period  of  three  months,  with  especial  reference  to  his  settlement.  The  record 
is  very  complimentary  to  the  candidate.  It  reads  as  follows ;  '  At  a  Towne-meet- 
ing  Feb.  7,105s'  (or  1059,  according  to  tlie  present  division  uf  the  yea; ), '  Theie  was 
a  full  and  unanimous  acceptance  of  Mr.  Hooker  tu  dispense  y^  word  of  God  to  us ; 
and  whe:eas  he  at  present  will  not  certainly  ingage  to  us  longer  than  :i  months, 
the  Towne  doe  agree  and  ingage  to  give  or  allow  him  20^^  pr  y^  sil  Three  months, 
&  w"-  all  manifest  thei.e  desires  &  hopes  of  his  further  continuance  among  us, 
&  being  willing  to  continue,  y*  like  further  allowance  up.)n  his  further  continu- 
ance w**"  us.  And  Mr.  Pynchon,  Mr.  Holyoke,  &  Deacon  Chapin  were  appointed 
to  signifie  y*  Towne's  mind  &  desires  U  air.  Hooker,  who  accordingly  did  it,  & 
Mr.  Hooker  manilested  his  willingness  to  help  us  three  mouths,  as  aforesaid,  & 
for  y*^  present  could  resolve  noe  furtlier,  but  his  conuiig  to  a  resjhilijn  should 
take  rise  from  this  tyme  '  It  is  said  of  Mr.  Hooker  tliat  he  was  'an  animated 
and  pious  divine,  an  excelleut  preacher,  his  composition  good,  his  address 
pathetic,  warm,  and  engaging.'  In  preparing  his  sermons,  as  he  told  a  friend, 
he  made  it  arule  to  do  three  things, '  write  them,  commit  them  unto  his  memory, 
and  get  them  into  his  heart.'  But,  in  the  providence  of  God,  Mr.  Hooker  was 
not  to  be  the  pastor  of  this  church.  For  reasons  which  do  not  appear  he  pre- 
ferred anotlier  field  of  labor,  and  went  tu  Farniington,  Conn.,  where  he  was 
installed  pastor  of  that  church  In  July,  1001. 

"The  snnmier  of  1050  found  this  church  still  without  a  pastor.  Seven  yeais 
had  elapsed  since  the  departure  of  Mr.  Moxon,  and  all  the  efforts  of  tlie  people 
to  secure  a  setUed  ministiy  had  proved  abortive.  It  cannot  be  doubted,  how- 
ever, that  witli  every  new  failure  they  recurred  to  their  well-qmtlified  laymen, 
and  that  the  word  of  God  was  '  dispensed'  and  the  work  of  the  Sabbath  '  canied 
on'  as  Wfure.  According  to  Mr.  Breck,  Jlr.  Pelatiah  Glover  wjis  here  eatly  in 
July,  1059,  and  preached  his  first  sermon  July  :Jd,  from  Jer.  iv.  14.  He  was  at 
first  engaged  for  one  year,  hut  afterward  accepted  a  more  permanent  relation. 
According  to  that  learned  antijuary,  James  Savage,  Mr.  Glover  was  ordained  as 
the  second  minister  of  Springfield,  .June  18,  1001.  But  as  the  town,  as  early  as 
Dec.  12,  IGOO,  made  proviti.jn  fur  his  n)ainlenance  he:e,  as  f.»r  its  settled  minis- 
ter, assigning  to  him  the  use  of  the  ministry  house  and  land,  and  stipulating  for 
his  Bujiport  the  payment  of  a  yearly  salary  uf  £?'0,  to  cummence  from  the  20th  of 
September,  1000,  to  this  last  date,  perhaps,  his  settlement  should  bo  referred.  Mr. 
Glover  was  the  son  of  John  Glover,  an  early  and  prominent  settler  uf  Dorchester. 
He  received  his  educ.ition  at  Harvaid  Collcige,  but  did  not  take  his  ilegree  theie. 
He  wiLS  nut  far  from  twenty-four  ycais  of  age  when  he  cumnieuced  his  laUns  as 
the  minister  of  this  town.  He  was  settled,  as  all  ministei*s  lh(!n  and  for  nniny 
years  afterward  were  settled,  for  life,  and  for  muie  than  thirty  years  he  per- 
formed here  the  duties  of  the  jiastoral  office.    There  now  exist  no  mate.ials  for 


848 


HISTORY  OF  TUB   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


a  personal  liiography  of  Mr.  Glover,  or  a  detailed  history  of  the  church  while  ho 
wiis  its  iiiiiiiater. 

"  Tlicro  were  some  stirring  events  during  this  period,  events  the  like  of  wliich 
have  never  lu-en  witnessed  here  during  the  ministry  of  any  other  man.  It  was 
a  day  of  terror  and  ti-ouhle  when,  on  the  .Oth  of  0(.:tolier,  1075,  ohi  style,  the 
Springfield  Indians,  till  tlicn  peaceful  and  fiiendly,  liaving  admitted  to  their 
fort  on  Lung  II  ill  a  body  of  King  Pliilip's  hoslilt;  Indians,  "initfd  with  them  in 
a  fiiiddon  and  niurdcruus  attack  iipnn  this  Bftllrincnt.  Notified  hy  a  messenger 
from  ^VindHor,  who  ariivrd  at  niiihdghl,  that  this  place  was  to  be  attacked,  most 
of  tlio  inhabitants  fled  to  tlio  fortified  houses,  but,  seeing  no  iumicdiatc  move- 
ment, the  firet  alarm  had  partially  suhsideil,  and  some  had  retui'ued  to  their  own 
houses.  Of  tliis  nundier  was  Ikfr.  Glover,  who  had  moved  his  family  and  Ids 
'brave'  library,  as  Ilubliard  calls  it,  to  a  place  of  safety,  but,  deeming  the  alarm 
groundless,  and  '  being  impatient  for  want  of  his  books,'  Inid  moved  the  latter 
batk  again  to  his  own  house.  Comparatively  few  of  the  settlers  lost  tlicir  lives, 
but  the  destruction  of  buihlitigs  and  property  was  great.  About  30  houses  and 
\i!>  barns,  with  their  contents,  were  bni-ned.  The  house  of  5Ir.  Glover,  witli  his 
valnalile  )il)iary,  was  consumed.  Tlie  meeting-house,  which  was  foitified,  es- 
caped the  contlagration.  Great  distress  prevailed.  Tlie  people  were  discouraged 
and  ontertaineil  the  idea  of  abandoning  the  settlement  altogether,  as  too  nuich 
exposed  to  the  incui-sions  of  the  savages.  Some  actually  left,  but  the  greater 
part  of  the  inhabitants,  encouraged  by  the  sympathy  and  aid  of  the  colonial 
government,  and  trusting  in  the  care  of  an  overruling  Providence,  determined 
to  hold  on.  A  letter  of  Jolin  Pynchon  to  his  son,  then  in  England,  written  about 
two  weeks  after  this  calamity,  breathes  a  spiiit  of  ferveut  jiiety  and  subnussiou 
to  the  divine  will.  Jonathan  Burt,  tlien  or  soon  after  a  deacon  of  the  church, 
in  a  brief  nanative  of  the  facts  entered  upon  a  fly-leaf  of  the  records,  which  is 
signed  'Jonathan  Burt,  an  eye-witness  of  the  same,'  recognizes  devoutly  the 
good  providence  of  God  in  preserving  the  lives  of  the  people. 

"An  event  of  importance  to  tho  church,  that  occurred  a  few  days  after  the 
burning  of  the  town,  was  the  death  of  Deacon  Samuel  Chapin,  which  took  place 
on  the  11th  of  November  of  the  same  year.  From  a  very  early  peiijd  ho  Inid 
been  one  of  the  deacons  of  this  church,  one  of  its  most  useful  and  influential 
niembeis.  Savage  calls  him  'a  man  of  distinction,'  and  when  we  consider  the 
responsible  trusts  reposed  in  him  by  the  churcli  and  the  government,  the  appel- 
lation seems  highly  ajipropriate.  lie  was  not  only  associated  with  Mr.  Pynchon 
in  the  adnunistiatiou  of  the  temporalities  of  the  town,  but  he  was  one  whom  the 
church  designated  often  to  carry  on  the  work  of  the  Sabbath.  The  loss  of  sucli 
a  man,  occurring  as  it  did  so  soon  after  tne  great  calamity,  must  liave  Iteen 
deeply  felt.  The  deacons  during  the  remainder  of  Mr.  Glover's  pastorate  appear 
to  have  been  Jonathan  Burt,  already  named,  and  Benjamin  Pars;)ns.  Deacon 
Parsons  died  in  1G89,  and  was  succeeded  in  othce  liy  John  Hitchcock.  Deacons 
Burt  and  Ilitclicock  survived  Mr.  Glover  more  than  twenty  years.  Hitchcock 
held  the  ndlitary  office  of  ensign  and  lieutenant,  in  addition  to  that  of  deacon. 
He  and  Deacon  Burt  were  Ijoth  men  of  some  note.  Both  have  representatives 
in  tliis  church  among  their  descendants. 

"Soon  after  the  destruction  of  the  town  hy  the  Indians,  in  1G75,  the  original 
meeting-house,  winch  had  escaped  the  flames,  was  taken  down  and  a  larger  and 
moic  commodious  stmcture  erected  faither  west,  mostly  if  not  wholly  within 
the  limits  of  what  is  now  Cijurt  Square,  very  near  its  southwestern  angle.  It 
was  built  ill  1677.  A  very  strong  attachment  subsisted  between  Mr.  Glover  and 
his  people.  In  1GG9,  finding  himself  straitened  in  Ins  means  of  living,  on  ac- 
count of  the  smallness  of  his  salary,  yet  aware  of  the  inability  of  the  people  to 
increase  it  at  that  time,  ho  addressed  to  tlieni  a  communication  in  which  lie  e.x- 
pressed  his  desire  to  remove  to  another  field  of  labor  on  that  account. 

"To  this  the  town,  by  the  hand  of  Mr.  llolyoke,  sent  the  following  reply: 

'• '  S*", — Wee  are  much  affected  w  ith  tins  sad  ])rovidonce  by  this  motion  of  yours 
for  leaving  nr*,  and  the  rather  beinge  sensible  of  our  general  inability  to  increase 
your  stipend  at  y"  present  by  reasons  of  Gud's  hand  upon  us  by  the  flood  and 
blast,  and  at  such 'a  tyme  as  we  have  taken  in  hand  the  building  of  a  house  for 
you,  which  through  the  help  of  God  we  shall  goe  on  with,  tho  cost  whereof  will 
he  neere  one  hundred  pounds  to  us,  besules  the  £S0  of  y  s^pcud,  \v*^^  by  the 
Lord's  jissistance  wee  shall  endeavour  punctually  to  present  and  make  good  in 
y«  best  manner  we  can,  notwithstanding  all  the  diflicnltys  of  the  yeare  w^''  doe 
letai'd  our  doing  further  or  more  at  present;  but  yet,  if  the  Lord  enable  ns,  wo 
eludl  for  future,  according  as  y  needs  call  for  it,'  enlarge  and  doe  to  our  utmost 
ability,  and  that  according  as  God  shall  bless  us;  that  soe  you  may  live  honor- 
ably and  with  uit  distraction  in  your  employment.  And  we  intreat  your  accept- 
ance of  these  our  synsero  intentions,  and  the  manifestatims  of  your  love  and 
affections  to  us  hyy  cheerful  going  on  in  y  ministerial  work  in  this  place,  which 
we  take  soe  much  content  in,  and  cannot  neither  dare  quitt  our  interest  in,  but 
must  according  to  God  liold  it  fiist  to  our  utmost,  all  words  of  parting  being  like 
darts,  forlid  the  thoughts  of  change. 

'"Elizcr  Holyoke,  liccorder, 
"'in  the  name  anil  Ijy  y<^  appoyntmeut  of  tho  town. 

" '  Springfield,  month  4,  IKth,  lOGO.' 

"In  regard  to  the  character  of  Mr.  Glover  as  the  pastor  of  this  church  and 
people,  Hubbard,  a  contemporiu-y  historian,  says:  'He  was  a  great  student,  and 
much  given  to  books;'  and  Breck  adds, 'lie  lived  in  great  harmony  with  our 
fatliers,  and  highly  esteemed.'  John  Pynchon,  wlio  knew  him  better  and  moie 
intinuitely  than  either  of  them,  an  1  whose  judgment  was  uiisurpassed,  in  hi^ 
private  book  of  records  calls  him  '  the  Reverend  Teacher  of  y"  church  of  Spring- 
field,' 'a  faithful  nunister  of  tlic  gospell  and  teacher  of  y  church  of  Springfield.' 
This  is  surely  high  conimendaticui  for  this  servant  of  God.  It  neeils  no  expan- 
sion or  addition.  But  there  is  a  t.iurhing  expression  in  the  entry  upon  our  pul- 
Vwi  recoid  of  his  death  which  nuist  not  be  t)niitted.  It  is  in  these  words,  *The 
Ecvercml  Mr.  Pcletiiih  CHover  fidl  asleeii  in  Jesus,  March  2il,  1G92.' 


"  It  is  not  strange  that,  after  the  death  of  their  revered  pastor,  Mr.  Glover,  his 
]ieople  should  have  sought  for  his  successor  one  who  was  neaily  allied  \u  him. 
Accord) ugly,  Mr.  John  Haynes,  who  became  tlie  liusband  of  Mr.  Glover's  youngest 
daughter,  Blary,  soon  after  her  father's  death,  was  invited  to  fill  the  vacant  pas- 
torate;  but  this  call, although  iicrsistenfly  urged,  was  unsuccessful.  A  spiiitual 
teacher  and  guide  was,  however,  goon  found,  as  the  record  reads.  The  town 
'voted  to  send  Captain  Thomiu? CoUon and  Sergeant  Luke  Hitchcock  to  the  Bay 
for  the  procuring  a  minister  to  preach  the  word  of  God  to  this  town ;  and  that 
they  aj'ply  thi'mstdvcs  to  thi!  Kev'd  the  President  of  the  College,  witli  the  rest  of 
the  eldcis  in  Boston,  for  their  help  for  the  obtaining  a  nunister  that  may  pro- 
mote conversion  among  us.'  Mr.  Daniel  Brewer,  a  nativeofRuxbury,  a  graduate 
at  Ilai-vard  College  of  the  year  1687,  came  here  in  response  to  this  appeal.  Tho 
town  voted  to  give  him  'an  invitation  iM  carry  on  the  work  of  tlie  Gospel  in 
this  place,'  and  ofTeied  him  a  salary  of  £80  and  the  use  of  the  ministry  land. 
The  committee  by  whom  this  call  was  communicated  to  Mr.  Brewer,  in  their 
report  say  that  he  answered  that  'pruviJed  we  were  unanimous,  he  was  inclin- 
able to  compliance  with  tlus  town's  proffer,  and  in  order  to  continuance  with 
lis,  if  he  shall  furtlier  find  God  leading  him  to  doe  so.'  And  thereupon j Col. 
John  Pynchon,  Esip,  and  Deacon  Jonathan  Buitwere  appointed  to  declare  to 
Mr.  Daniel  Brewer  the  town's  good  resentment  of  Mr.  Daniel  Brewer  his  answer 
to  the  town's  invitation,  and  to  give  him  thanks  for  the  same.'  With  a  candi- 
date thus 'inclinable  to  compliance,' and  this  '  good  resentment' on  the  jiart  of 
the  people,  a  settlement  was  sure  to  come,  and  on  the  IGth  day  of  May,  1004,  Mr. 
Daniel  Brewer  was  ordained  minister  of  this  church  and  people.  He  was  at  tin; 
time  of  his  ordination  twenty-five  years  of  age,  and  unmarried.  About  five 
years  afterward  he  mariied  Catharine  Chauncey.  From  this  iiniun  sprung  all 
of  the  name  of  Brewer  in  tlii-  town  and  vi  .inity,  including  two  deai-ons  of  tlie 
church,  one  of  whom  united  in  his  jierson  both  these  names.  Bev.  Daniel 
Brewer's  ministry  here  coidinued  till  his  death,  on  the  5th  Noveudier,  1733, 
nearly  forty  years. 

"  Compared  with  the  stining  times  of  Mr.  Glover's  nunistry,  this  was  a  lime 
of  quiet  and  growth.  The  settlers,  at  first  limited  to  a  narrow  space,  had  now 
spread  themselves  in  every  direction,  and  laid  the  foundation  of  new  parishes, 
soon  to  require  each  their  own  separate  pastors.  This  condition  of  things  led  to 
the  most  important  event  of  whi.h  the  records  take  any  notice  during  Mr. 
Brewer's  nuni:^try,  to  wit;  the  formation  of  a  new  paiish  on  the  west  side  of  the 
river,  and  the  subsequent,  although  not  immediate,  separation  of  this  fii-st  parrsh 
from  the  town,  which  liad  before  transacted  both  municii»al  and  parochial  afl^airs 
under  one  and  the  same  organization.  There  had  been  for  some  years  a  feeling 
among  the  settlers  on  the  west -side  of  the  liver  that  they  were  subjected  to  pe- 
culiar inconveniences,  if  not  dangers,  in  being  obliged  to  cress  the  i  iver  to  attend 
public  worship  on  this  side.  As  caily  as  May,  1G74,  they  had  brought  before  the 
town  this'subject,  and  a  committee  was  appointed  to  consider  the  propriety  of  tho 
town's  furiushing,  at  the  common  charge,  a  boat  to  convey  them  acroes  the  river, 
to  attend  worship  on  the  Sabbath  and  other  public  occasions.  There  is  a  tradi- 
tion that  several  jiersons  had  lost  their  lives  in  attemjits  to  cross. 

"In  the  year  lG9o  tlie  people  on  the  west  side  of  the  river  presented  to  tho 
Gc-ieral  ('onrt,  at  Boston,  their  petition  for  leave  to  procure  a  minister  for  tliat 
jiart  of  the  town.  Those  living  on  this  side  did  not  feel  willing  to  part  with  so 
large  and  sub8ta,iitial  a  part  of  the  ecclesisistical  boJy,  and,  being  a  nnijoiity, 
they  passed  a  vote  in  town-meeting  that  'something'  should  be  drawn  up  to  send 
to  the  General  Court  to  answer  this  petition  of  their '  neigbboi's  on  the  west  side 
of  the  great  liver,'  and  they  appointed  Deacon  Burt  and  Lieut.  Abel  Wn'ght  to 
draw  up  this  'something.'  At  a  subsequent  meeting  in  May,  1G9G,  Sergt.  Luke 
Hitchcock  was  chosen  the  agent  of  the  town  to  '  give  in  reasons  and  objections' 
against  said  jtctition,  and,  that  there  might  be  a  good  nnderstani'ing  and  unan- 
imity of  seniinieiit  on  this  important  question  among  the  dwellers  on  the  east 
side,  a  comniiltee  was  appointed  to  meet  the  people  at  the  school-house  and  ac- 
quaint them  with  the  objections.  Whatever  may  have  been  the  objeclicms,  they 
wero  unavailing  against  the  petition  from  the  west  side  cf  the  river.  The  peti- 
tion was  granted  by  tlu-  General  Court,  and  a  second  parish  or  precinct  estah- 
]idhed  in  what  is  now  West  Spiingfield,  in  1G9G,  over  which  the  Rev.  John  Wood- 
bridge  was  ordained  pastor  in  169S.  The  creation  of  a  new  paiish  legally  dissolved 
the  relation  of  the  town  tu  the  old  parish.  They  were  no  longer  identical  orgai.- 
izations.  The  iuhabiianls  of  the  town,  as  such,  could  not  properly  transact  tho 
butriness  of  the  original  parish  as  they  had  heretofore  done  in  town -meetings. 
But  this  was  not  at  once  realized..  The  town  books  continued  for  some  time  to 
record  the  transactions  of  the  fiist  ]miish.  The  meetings,  however,  piiri>ort  to 
have  been  of  'the  inhabitants  of  Spiingfield  on  the  east  side  of  the  liver,'  and 
when  soon  afterward  a  third  parish  was  created  in  what  is  now  Longmeailow, 
the  style  was  further  changed,  and  the  record  reads:  'At  a  meeting  of  the  in- 
habitants of  the  town  on  the  cast  side  of  the  liver,  the  precinct  of  Longmeadow 
excluded,'  it  was  voted,  etc.  The  latest  record  of  this  kind  upon  our  town 
records  is  under  date  of  Jan.  1,  1717.  The  oldest  palish  record  (properly  so 
called)  begins  Aug.  7, 1734,  after  the  death  of  Mr.  Brewer  and  the  ordination  of 
his  successor.  The  eailiest  church  record  now  in  existence  bears  date  Jan.  1, 
173G,  and  is,  with  one  or  two  exceptions,  merely  a  record  kept  by  the  pastors  of 
admissions  to  the  church,  mani.iges,  baptisms,  and  deaths. 

"  At  the  time  of  Mr.  Brewer's  ordination,  in  1G04,  one  of  the  deacons  of  tho 
church  wjis  Jonathan  Buit,  who  had  served  in  that  capacity  under  the  udnistiy 
of  Mr.  Glover.  He  undoubtedly  continued  in  that  ofhce  until  his  death,  Oct.  19, 
1715,  at  an  advanced  age.  He  was  a  man  of  some  prominence,  and  served  for  a 
time  as  clerk  of  tho  town.  Another  deacon  in  the  early  pait  of  Mr.  Brewer's 
ministry  was  John  Hitchcock,  already  named,  who  held  vaiions  civil  and  mili- 
tary offices,  and  at  one  time  repiesented  the  town  in  the  General  Court.  The 
successors  of  Deacons  Buit  and  Hitchcock  were  James  Wariinor  and  Nathaniel 
Munn.  Deacon  Warriner  died  May  14, 1727,  before  the  close  of  Mr.  Biewer's 
miriiritry.    Deaci  n  Munn  survived  Mr.  Brewer  about  ten  ye:  rs,  and  served  in 


HISTORY  OF  HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


849 


that  office  under  his  8Ucc!?s3or  till  the  last  day  of  December,  1743,  when  he  died 
at  the  !Lge  of  eighty-two.  Before  the  close  of  Mr.  Brewer's  pastorate  the  dea- 
conship  pa-3sed  again  into  the  Burt  family,  in  the  person  of  Henry  Burt,  son  of 
Deacon  Jonatlian. 

"The  harmooy  which  had  subsisted  in  this  church  and  parish  during  the 
ministry  of  Mr.  Brewer  was  destined  soon  to  a  serious  interruption.  The  settle- 
ment of  a  successor  was  attended  with  unusual  difficulties,  and  produced  an  ex- 
citement not  only  here,  but  very  extensively  throughout  this  region.     In  May, 

1734,  Mr.  Robert  Breck,  a  young  man  then  nit  quite  twenty-one  years  of  age,  a 
son  of  Rev.  Robert  Breck,  of  Marlboro',  Mass.,  was  invited  to  preach  here  witli 
reference  to  a  settlement.  He  had  graduated  at  Cambridge  in  1730,  at  the  early 
age  of  seventeen.  Before  he  was  invited  here  he  had  been  preaching  at  Scot- 
land, a  pariali  of  Windham,  Conn.  He  preached  his  first  sermon  in  Springfield,  on 
the  26th  of  May,  1734.  On  the  30th  of  July  following  the  church  made  choice 
of  him  for  its  pastor,  and  on  the  7th  of  August  the  parish  concurred  in  this 
choice,  and  proposed  to  him  terms  of  settlement,  which,  although  at  first  de- 
clined for  other  reasons,  were  ultimately  accepted.  Soon  after  Mr.  Breck  com- 
menced preaching  here  as  a  candidate,  reports  prejudicial  to  his  chanicter  for 
orthodoxy  began  to  be  circulated  in  this  town  and  among  the  neighboring  clergy. 
The  autliority  for  these  reports  was  Rev.  Thomas  Clap,  of  Windham,  afterward 
presidentof  Yale  College.  The  effect  of  these  rumors  was  to  disaffect  a  minority 
of  the  parish  with  Mr.  Breck,  and  to  create  so  strong  an  opposition  among  the 
ministers  of  this  vicinity  that,  for  the  time,  the  project  of  his  settlement  was 
abandoned,  and  a  call  extended  to  Mr.  Joseph  Pynchon.  This  being  declined, 
the  attention  of  the  church  and  parish  was  again  directed  to  Mr.  Brock,  and  he 
was  again  in\ited  to  preach  as  a  candidate.     At  the  parish  meeting  in  March, 

1735,  a  committee  was  appointed  to  wait  on  the  reverend  ministore  of  the  county, 
at  their  next  meeting  in  April,  to  get  what  information  they  could  relating  to 
the  charges  exhibited  against  Mr.  Breck  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Clap  and  others,  and 
to  ascertain  the  sentiments  of  the  ministere.  It  does  not  appear  from  the  parish 
reairds  that  this  committee  ever  made  a  report.  Pi\>bably  they  never  acted 
under  their  appointment.  The  opposition  of  so  large  and  respectable  a  number 
of  ministers  as  the  association  of  the  old  county  of  Hampshire  did  not  deter 
this  church  and  itarish  from  their  purpose.  With  all  their  reverence  for  the 
clergy,  they  appreciated  their  own  right  as  Congregational ists  to  choose  their 
own  pastor,  and  their  hearts  were  fully  set  upon  Mr.  Breck  as  the  man.  Accord- 
ingly the  church,  on  tlie  17tb  April,  1735,  fnrmally  renewed  their  call  to  him, 
and  the  parish,  one  week  afterward,  concurred  in  the  call. 

"  All  his  endeavors  to  remove  the  obstructions  to  his  settlement  having  failed 
of  Bucce^  Mr.  Breck,  on  the  2Sth  of  July,  1735,  in  a  letter  which  is  recorded  at 
length  in  the  parish  records,  accepted  the  call. 

"  Arrangements  were  made  for  his  ordination  on  the  14th  of  October  following. 
On  that  day  acouncil  assembled  for  this  purpose,  coiLsisting  of  seven  clergymen, 
namely,  Messrs.  Chauncey,  of  Hadley,  Devotion,  of  Suffield,  Rand,  of  Sunder- 
land, Cook,  of  Sudbury,  and  Cooper,  Welstead,  and  Mather,  of  Boston,  with  their 
delegates.  Then  ensued  a  scene  such,  perhaps,  as  never  occurred  in  an  ecclesias- 
tical council  in  New  England  before  or  since.  In  the  midst  of  its  deliberations, 
a  civil  officer  entered  the  council  armed  with  a  warrant  from  a  magistrate,  ar- 
rested Mr.  Breck,  and  carried,  or  attempted  to  carry,  him  off  to  Connecticut, 
'there  to  answer  to  such  things  as  should  be  objected  against  him.'  The  church 
and  parish  were  justly  indignant  at  this  flagrant  attempt  to  deprive  them  of  their 
chosen  pastor.  ■  At  a  meeting  of  the  church,  held  two  weeks  afterward,  two  of 
its  leading  members  were  appnuted  to  go  to  Bjston  and  present  to  the  General 
Assembly  of  the  province  the  remonstrance  of  this  church  and  precinct  against 
these  proceedings,  and  to  assert  the  rights  and  privileges  of  the  church  and  parish 
to  choose  their  own  minister  and  have  a  council  ordain  him.  Tlie  result  was 
that  the  council  was  again  convened,  and  Mr.  Breck  ordained  on  the  27th  of 
January,  1736  Rev.  Dr.  Cooper,  of  Bjston,  preache  1  the  ordination  sermon, 
which  was  published. 

"The  opposition  to  Mr.  Breok  in  his  own  churcli  and  parish  did  not  at  once 
subside  after  his  settlement.  A  few  leading  men,  who  had  failed  to  secure  his 
rejection  by  the  ecclesiastical  council,  appear  to  have  been  guilty  of  the  folly  of 
seeking  to  defeat  his  settlement  by  an  appeal  to  a  legal  tribunal.  It  was  in  this 
way :  A  provincial  statute  made  it  obligatory  upon  every  parish  to  he  provided 
with  an  orthodox  minister,  under  penalty  of  being  liable  to  a  prosecution  for 
non-compliance.  Complaint  was  made  that  the  parish  wjw  not  provided  with 
such  an  orthodox  minister,  and  a  summins  was  served  upon  it  to  appear  before 
the  Court  of  General  Sessinus  of  the  Peace  for  the  County  of  Hampshire  to  an- 
swer to  this  complaint.  The  parish  appointed  a  committee  of  five  to  represent 
and  defend  the  parish,  authorizing  them  '  by  all  ways  and  means,  witli  the  best 
advice  that  may  be  had  in  the  law,  to  answer  to  this  complaint,  and  at  the  charge 
of  the  Precinct  to  appear,  defend,  and  pursue  the  said  cause  from  court  to  court, 
and  to  carry  the  same  before  any  proper  authority  whatsoever,  and  whore  they 
may  think  it  necessary  in  order  to  a  final  issue  and  determination  of  the  matter. 
And  that  they  have  power  to  prosecute  and  defend  as  aforesaid,  in  any  cause  or 
action  that  may  arise  by  the  virtue  of  the  said  complaint  or  controversy,  or  in 
the  manf^jement  thereof  William  Pynchon,  Sr.  (a  great-grandson  of  the  first 
Pynchon),  was  made  chairman  of  this  committee.* 

"  The  severe  ordeal  through  which  Mr.  Breck  passed  at  the  commencement  of 
his  ministry  here  undoubtedly  exerted  a  very  favorable  influence  upon  his 
character.  If  he  had  been  rash  and  imprudent  before  he  was  ordained,  he  was 
prudent  and  discreet  afterward.  By  his  careful  and  conciliatory  couree  he  soon 
disarmed  all  opposition  among  his  own  people,  and  established  himself  firmly  in 

*  At  the  trial  of  this  complaint,  which  occurred  soon  afterward,  "the  Court 
of  General  Sessions  of  the  Peace"  decided  that  the  parish  was  provided  with  an 
orthodox  minister,  and  dismissed  the  complaint. 

107 


their  confidence  and  affection.  One  of  the  first  measures  adopted  by  him  to  in- 
gratiate himself  with  his  flock  was  prompted  probably  more  by  his  heart  than 
by  his  head.  Within  a  few  weeks  after  his  ordination  he  took  to  wife  Eunice 
Brewer,  the  daughter  of  his  predecessor,  with  whose  widowed  mother  he  had 
boarded  while  preaching  as  a  candidate.  Another  method  that  he  adopted  to 
conciliate  his  opponents  in  the  parish  was  this,  which  proved  to  be  quite  efl'ectual. 
If  he  wished  any  favor,  he  would  be  careful  to  ask  it  of  some  one  of  his  people 
whom  he  had  reason  to  believe  unfriendly,  rather  than  of  those  regarded  as  his 
staunch  supporters.  This  expression  of  his  confidence  in  them  soon  won  their 
confidence  in  him,  and  in  a  short  time  harmony  and  mutual  regard  marked  all 
their  intercourse.  He  was  a  man  of  uncommon  talents.  Dr.  Lathrop,  of  West 
Springfield,  who  studied  theology  with  Mr.  Breck,  says  of  him,  'His  intellectual 
powers,  which  were  naturally  supeiior,  were  brightened  by  his  education,  and 
enlarged  by  an  extensive  acquaintance  with  men  and  books.  As  he  accustomed 
himself  bi  a  close  manner  of  thinking  and  reasoning,  and  filled  up  his  time 
with  diligent  application,  so  he  acquired  a  rich  furniture  of  the  most  useful 
knowledge.'  '  He  was  easy  of  access,  given  to  hospitality,  faithful  in  hi.s  friend- 
ships, tender  and  attentive  in  all  domestic  relations,  compassionate  to  the  dis- 
tressed, and  a  lover  of  mankind.  In  a  word,  he  was  an  accomplished  gentleman 
and  exemplary  Christian.'  Mr.  Breck  entered  upon  his  ministry  with  a  church 
of  sixty-seven  members,— thirty-two  male  and  thirty-five  female  members.  Na- 
thaniel Munn  and  Henry  Burt  were  the  deacons.  In  tlie  course  of  his  ministry 
of  forty-eight  years  there  were  adnutted  to  full  communion,  by  letter  and  by 
profession,  three  hundred  and  thirty-one. 

"  Deacon  Munn  died  on  the  last  day  uf  December,  1743,  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
two,  and  Deacon  Henry  Burt  about  five  yeare  later  (Dec.  11, 1748),  at  the  ago  of 
eighty-five.  Contemporary  with  them  during  the  latter  part  of  their  lives  was 
Deacon  Nathaniel  Brewer,  a  son  of  the  former  minister,  and  brother-in-law  of 
Mr.  Breck.  He  was  by  trade  a  carpenter,  and  much  employed  as  such  in  the 
repairs  of  the  meeting-house,  and  the  house  owned  by  the  parish  and  occupied 
by  the  minister.  He  appeai-s  tt»  Iiave  been  a  man  highly  respected  in  the  church 
and  parish.  He  survived  Mr.  Brejk,  and  died  on  the  8th  of  March,  1796,  at  the 
age  of  eighty-five  years.  Jonathan  Cliurch  was  a  deacon  early  in  the  ministry 
of  Mr.  Breck.  He  is  mentioned  in  that  capacity  in  May,  1747.  He  was  admitted 
from  the  church  in  Longmeadow,  March  3,  1742,  and  died  Oct.  27,  1761.  Josiah 
Dwight  united  with  this  church  by  letter  fruin  the  church  in  liatfield,  Sept.  25, 
1743,  and  was  afterward  chosen  a  dea<^oii.  The  date  of  the  choice  is  not  stated. 
He  is  more  frequently  mentioned  in  tlie  records  hy  his  military  title  of  culonel 
and  his  civil  title  of  esquire.  He  died  Sept.  28, 1768,  aged  fifty-two  yeare.  Prob- 
ably he  was  elected  after  the  death  of  Deacon  Church,  and  if  so,  his  term  of 
office  was  comparatively  brief.  Daniel  Harris  joined  the  church  by  profession 
Feb.  24,  1765.  He  was  a  deacon  of  tiie  church  certainly  as  early  as  March,  1773, 
as  he  is  so  called  in  connection  with  his  elei-fion  at  that  time  as  parish  Hseessor. 
He  had  previously  served  several  years  as  parish  clerk.  He  was  one  of  three 
deacons  who,  after  the  death  of  Mr.  Breck,  took  an  aclive  part  in  extending  a 
call  to  his  successor.  Deacon  Harris  died  mi  the  22d  uf  June,  17^5,  at  the  age  of 
fifty-three.  Moses  Bliss  was  admitted  to  the  church  Oct.  13,  1754,  being  then  a 
student  at  Yale  College.  There  is  no  record  of  his  election  as  deacon.  In  fact, 
there  is  none  of  any  electron  to  that  oflice  at  so  eaily  a  period.  But  he  is  spoken 
of  as  a  deacon  iu  August,  1780,  when  his  daughter  was  baptized.  He  continued 
to  hold  the  office  until  his  death,  on  the  3d  of  July,  1814,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
nine  years.  He  was  by  profession  a  lawyer,  and  was  for  many  yeare  a  judge  of 
the  local  court  in  the  old  county  of  Hampshire. 

"  The  first  record  of  the  church  now  extant  is  one  kept  by  Mr.  Breck.  With 
the  exception  of  two  or  three  cases  of  discipline,  the  entries  in  it  are  only  of 
admissions  to  the  church,  baptisms,  marriages,  and  deaths.  In  a  female  hand, 
perhaps  of  his  wife  or  daughter,  is  entered  under  date  of  April  23, 1784,  '  Died, 
the  Rev*  Rob*  Breck,  Pastor  of  the  Fii-st  church  in  Springfield,  in  the  71^^  year 
of  his  age  and  40'i'  of  his  ministry.'  At  his  funeral  a  sermon  was  preached  by 
Dr.  Lathrop,  from  II.  Timothy,  4th  chapter,  6th,  7th,  and  8th  verses.  An  im- 
portant event  during  the  ministry  of  Mr.  Breck  was  the  building  of  a  new 
meeting-house.  The  parish  passed  the  vote  to  build  it  in  April,  1749.  It  was 
erected  the  same  year  or  the  year  following,  so  far  as  to  be  ready  for  use,  although 
not  entirely  finished  until  1752.  It  was  60  feet  long  by  40  wide,  and  26  feet 
high  between  joints.  This  house,  the  third  built,  was  the  immediate  predeces- 
sor of  the  present  meeting-house,  and  stood  directly  east  of  the  ground  now 
occupied.  The  principal  entrance  was  on  the  east  side,  but  there  was  also  an  en- 
trance through  the  tt>wer.  Some  of  our  older  inhabitants  remember  well  this 
house,  with  its  high  pulpit  and  square  pews. 

"  On  the  8th  day  of  November,  1784,  the  church  '  voted  unanimously  to  choose 
Mr.  Bezaleel  Howard  to  be  their  minister.  On  the  same  day  the  parish  voted 
to  concur  in  this  choice,  and  to  oflFor  Mr.  Howard  one  hundred  and  fifty  pounds 
for  a  settlement,  and  one  hundred  pounds  lawful  silver  money  annually  for  his 
salarj',  together  with  the  use  and  improvement  of  the  parsonage  house  and 
lands,  so  long  as  he  should  continue  in  the  office  of  a  gospel  minister.'  The 
answer  of  Mr.  Howard,  accepting  this  call,  was  communicated  on  the  27th  Jan- 
uary, 1785.  The  satisfaction  with  which  the  new  pastor  looked  forward  to  his 
future  residence  in  Springfield  was  strongly  in  contrast  with  his  firet  impres- 
sions of  the  place.  He  came  here  at  first  an  entire  stranger  to  the  village  and 
its  inhabitants,  sent  by  the  president  of  his  college  to  supply  the  vacant  pulpit 
for  six  Sabbaths.  His  journey  was  on  horseback.  The  road  was  solitary,  and 
the  approach  to  the  town  from  the  east  far  from  attractive.  He  rode  down  the 
hill  to  the  main  street,  then  the  only  settlement,  and  looked  up  and  down  the 
street.  The  buildings  were  mostly  unpainted,  and  many  of  them  dilapidated. 
The  aspect  was  chilling  to  the  young  minister,  and  he  said  to  himself  that  the 
day  when  the  six  weeks  of  liis  engagement  should  he  ended  would  be  a  hapjty 
day  to  him.  Directly  opposite  the  road  by  which  lie  entered  the  village  he  saw 
one  white  house  of  a  more  cheerful  aspect.     At  the  door  of  this  mansion  he 


850 


HISTORY   OF   THE   CONNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


prcsonted  himself,  and  announced  his  name  and  errand.  'You  have  come  to 
the  right  i)hice,'  implied  tlie  proprietor,  and  at  ont'o  extended  to  liim  the  hospi- 
talities oi"  his  house.  The  six  weeks  were  spent  pU-asantly.  The  luU  to  settle 
folluwvd,  and  in  that  white  house  the  young  pjwtor  found  his  future  wife.  It 
was  to  him  indeed  '  the  right  place.'  Mr.  Howard  was  a  native  of  Bridgewater, 
a  giadunte  of  Uar\ard  College  in  HSl,  wheie  he  was  afteiward  a  tutor,  and 
WJiB  ordained  pastor  of  this  clinrih  April  27, 17f-5.  The  ordination  sermon  wjis 
preached  hy  llov.  Timothy  Ililliard,  from  Titus,  '2d  chapter,  the  last  clause  of  the 
15th  Teree, — 'Let  no  man  despise  fhee.' 

"  In  the  year  1803  the  health  of  Mr.  Howard  failed,  and  the  parish  was  ohliged 
to  provide  for  the  supply  of  the  pulpit  by  other  clergymen.  His  disability 
proved  to  be  of  a  more  serious  and  permanent  character  than  vfus  at  tirst  antici- 
pated, and  at  its  meeting  in  April,  1?05.  a  committee  was  appointed  to  confer 
with  him,  and  consider  the  expediency  of  dissolving  his  relation  to  the  parish, 
and  the  terms  upon  which  it  should  be  done.  At  an  adjourned  meeting  in  May, 
1805,  this  committee,  through  their  chairman,  the  Hon.  John  Hooker,  reported 
that  they  had  made  an  agi cement  with  Mr.  Howard,  by  which  he  was  to  bo  re- 
lieved from  pjistoral  labor,  relinquish  all  claim  for  his  salary  and  for  the  use  of 
the  parsonage  house  and  lands,  and  was  to  be  paid  the  sum  of  82000  in  three  an- 
nual installment's.  The  pastoral  relation,  however,  was  to  continue  until  the 
eettlement  of  another  minister,  and  then  be  dissolved  without  further  terms  or 
conditions.  This  agieenient  was  duly  confirmed  by  the  piii  ish,  and  Mr.  Howard 
continued  to  be  nominally  the  pastor  of  the  church  until  the  ordination  of  his 
successor,  in  IHOO. 

"Mr.  Howard  received  the  honorary  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity  from  Har- 
vard College  in  1824,  and  was  usually  spoken  of  as  Dr.  Howard  in  the  later 
years  of  his  life.  He  died  in  1837,  at  his  house  on  Elm  Street,  close  by  the 
church, — the  same  now  owned  and  occupied  by  Mr.  Henry  Fuller.  At  the  com- 
mencement of  his  ministi-y,  in  1785,  the  membership  (tf  the  church  was  117.  At 
the  time  of  the  settlement  of  his  successor,  in  180I>,  it  was  not  far  from  177, 
showing  an  increase  of  50  in  twenty-four  years. 

"The  deacons  at  the  commencement  of  Mr.  Howard's  ministry,  as  already 
stated,  were  Nathaniel  Brewer,  Daniel  Harris,  and  Moses  Bliss.  The  vacancy 
caused  by  the  death  of  Deacon  Harris,  in  1785,  was  filled  the  same  year  by  the 
election  of  William  I'yuchon,  Esq.,  to  that  office.  Mr.  Pynchon  was  a  lineal 
descendant  from  the  original  founder  of  Springfield,  and  from  his  distinguished 
son,  John  Pynchon.  He  was  for  tliii  ty  yeais  the  parish  clerk,  and  most  of  that 
time  its  treasurer.  He  also  held  the  otticcs  of  town  clerk  and  treasurer  and 
register  of  deeds.  He  died  March  4,  180S,  at  the  age  of  sixty-eight  years. 
Chauncey  Brewer,  son  of  Deacon  Nathaniel  Brewer,  and  grandson  of  Rev.  Dan- 
iel Brewer,  was  a  deacon  of  the  church  during  the  jiastorate  of  Mr.  Howard. 
He  was  a  physician,  and  attained  considerable  eminence  in  his  profession.  He 
died  in  March,  1830,  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-seven.  His  venerable  form 
is  well  remembered,  as  he  appeared  when  he  occupied  his  pew  on  the  Sabbath, 
on  the  south  side  of  the  pulpit,  in  the  j)rp8ent  meeting-house. 

"On  the  24th  of  November,  1S08,  the  church,  by  a  unanimous  vote,  invited 
Mr.  Samuel  Osgood  to  settle  with  them  in  the  work  of  the  gospel  ministi"y,  and 
Chauncey  Brewer,  George  Bliss,  and  John  Hooker  (then  the  deacons  of  the 
church  in  active  service)  were  appointed  a  committee  to  inform  him  of  the  vote. 
This  call  was  given  after  he  had  preached  here  two  Sabbaths,  aud,  considering 
the  fact  that  he  was  the  thirty-seventh  minister  who  had  been  preaching  here, 
either  as  a  candidate  or  a  supply,  since  the  resignation  of  Dr.  Howard,  it  was 
certainly  a  very  complimentary  vote.  Mr.  Osgood — or,  as  he  is  more  frequently 
called,  Dr.  Osgood — was  born  at  Fryeburg,  Me.,  Feb.  3, 1784.  He  completed  his 
studies,  preparatory  to  entering  college,  under  the  instruction  of  Daniel  Web- 
ster, who,  in  after-years,  was  accustomed,  whenever  in  this  town  on  the  Sabbath, 
to  attend  this  church,  and  listen  to  the  preaching  of  his  former  scholar  and  life- 
long friend.  Dr.  Osgood  graduated  at  Dartmouth  College  in  1805,  having  joined 
his  class  during  its  junior  year.  He  at  first  inclined  to  the  law  ns  a  profession, 
and  actually  commenced  the  study  in  a  lawyer's  office.  He  soon,  however, 
abandoned  it,  and  commenced  a  theological  courae  with  Rev,  Dr.  Harris,  of  Dor- 
chester. He  was  licensed  to  preach  in  1S06,  and  preached  his  first  sermon  in 
Roxbury;  his  second  in  Quincy,  where  he  had  for  hearers  ex-President  John 
Adams  and  his  son,  afterward  President  John  Quincy  Adams.  He  soon  after  went 
to  Piinceton,  where  he  completed  his  theological  studies.  Returning  to  Massa- 
chusetts, he  was  a  candidate  in  three  different  places  for  settlement,  including 
this,  toward  which  the  scale  eventually  turned.  He  was  ordained  here  on  the 
25th  of  January,  1809.  His  former  theological  instructor,  Dr.  Harris,  preached 
the  sermon,  Dr.  Lathrop,  of  West  Springfield,  gave  the  charge,  and  Rev.  Ezra 
Witter,  of  Wilbraham,  the  right  hand  of  fellowship. 

"  The  ministry  of  Mr.  Osgood  commenced  under  most  auspicious  circumstances. 
He  was  then  in  the  vigor  of  youthful  manhood,  with  a  constitution  that  gave 
promise  of  uniform  health, — a  promise  that  hiid  a  remarkable  fulfillment  for  more 
than  half  a  century  of  his  after-life.  His  mental  powers  wore  solid  aud  strong 
ratlier  than  showy.  He  had  a  church  of  225  members.  His  parish  (then  terri- 
torial) embraced  the  whole  population  of  the  town, — from  Chicopee  River  on  the 
nortli  toLongmeadow  on  the  south,  and  from  Wilbraham  line  on  the  esist  to  the 
Connecticut  River, — comprising  about  2200  souls.  The  officere  of  the  church 
were  men  of  fervent  piety  and  cultured  intellect,  and  held  stations  in  the  church 
and  in  the  world  of  wide  and  commanding  influence.  One  of  them.  Judge  Moses 
Bliss,  had  reached  an  advanced  age,  which  disqualified  him  in  a  measure  from 
the  active  duties  of  the  deaconship.  Dr.  Chauncey  Brewer,  not  yet  threescore- 
and-ten,  was  still  able  to  officiate  at  the  Lord's  table  on  communion  Sabbaths, 
and  to  peiform  other  services  pertaining  to  the  office. 

"George  Bliss  and  John  Hooker,  both  men  of  large  culture,  high  standing, 
and  influence,  were  then  in  the  full  vigor  cf  middle  life.  Of  the  times  of  their 
election  to  the  ottice  of  deacon  the  record  makes  no  mention.  But  there  can  be 
no  question  that  they  held  the  ottice  at  the  very  beginning  of  Mr.  Osgood's  pas- 


torate, and  probiibly  before.  They  were  both  of  the  legal  profession,  anrl  ranked 
among  the  fiist  of  its  members.  Mr.  Hooker  was  for  eighteen  yeare  the  judge 
of  probate  for  this  county,  and  one  of  original  corporators  of  the  American  Board 
of  Commissioners  of  Foreign  Missions. 

"At  the  time  of  Mr.  Osgood's  settlement  many  of  the  ministers  and  churches 
in  this  commonwealth  were  drifting  away  froni  Trinitarian  orthodoxy  toward 
Unitarian  views.  Mr.  Osgood,  although  holding  in  the  nuiin  with  those  who 
adhered  to  the  Trinitarian  doctrine,  was  at  first  regarded  as  more  liberal  than 
many  of  his  ministerial  brethren ;  but  as  the  breach  widened  between  those  who 
claimed  the  appellation  of  Liberal  Christians  and  those  who  held  the  old  ortho- 
dox stiuidards,  Mr.  Osgood  had  no  hesitation  in  ranging  himself  with  those  who 
adhered  to  the  tenets  of  John  Calvin. 

"When  the  old  meeting-house  was  found  too  strait  and  too  uncomfortable  for 
the  congregation,  and  the  parish  decided  to  build  the  present  edifice,  the  storm, 
which  had  been  for  some  time  gathering,  burst.  In  August,  1819,  about  25  mem- 
bers of  the  church,  comprising  some  of  its  most  respectable  and  influential  mem- 
bers, including  the  venerable  ex-pastor,  made  application  for  a  certificate  of  their 
regularstanding.and  a  recommendation  to  the  people  of  God  as  in  full  commun- 
ion, that  they  might  be  fonned  into  a  separate  church.  It  was  known  that  there 
were  others  who  stood  ready  to  join  in  this  movement  when  it  should  be  success- 
fully inaugurated.  The  result  was  a  secession,  formidable,  not  in  numbers,  but 
in  the  standing  and  influence  of  those  concerned  in  it.  In  the  language  of  Dr. 
Osgood,  uttered  thirty  years  aftei-ward, 'This  was  a  trying  time  to  me  and  to 
many  of  my  parishioners.  Families,  who  had  long  worehiped  in  the  same  sanc- 
tuary, aud  wdio  had  enjoyed  most  familiar  and  delightful  intercourse,  and  some 
of  whom  were  united  in  the  tenderest  bonds  of  consanguinity,  were  sundered 
for  a  time.  If  no  speeches  of  recrimination  were  made,  there  were  bitter  feel- 
ings with  some  on  both  sides.'  In  this  cri^■is  it  was  fortunate  for  the  stability  of 
this  church  aud  its  pastor  tliat  the  officers  of  the  church  were  not  only  good  men, 
but  wise  men.  They  stood  firm,  and  the  pastor  felt  that  his  hands  were 
strengthened.  It  was  also  fortunate  that  the  minister  who  was  settled  over  the 
new  Unitarian  Society  was  a  gentleman  of  peculiar  amiability  and  disposeil  to 
peace.  The  era  of  ill  feeling  gradually  passed  away,  and  forbearance  and  cour- 
tesy eventually  characterized  the  intercourse  of  the  parties. 

"  In  1827,  Mr.  Osgood  received  the  houorary  degree  of  D.D.  from  Princeton 
College,  and  was  afterward  usually  addressed  and  spoken  of  by  that  title.  The 
active  pastorate  of  Dr.  Osgood  continued  down  to  May,  1854,  a  period  of  forty- 
five  years.  At  that  time,  when  he  had  reached  the  full  period  of  threescore-and- 
ten  years,  he  retired  from  the  active  duties  of  the  pastoral  office,  although  con- 
tinuing still  to  retain  the  pastoral  relation  to  tht;  end  of  his  life.  His  death 
occurred  on  the  8th  of  December,  1862.  It  might  have  been  said  of  him,  '  His 
eye  wa«  not  dim,  or  his  natural  force  abated.'  It  is  rare  that  the  death  of  a 
minister,  or  indeed  of  any  citizen,  leaves  so  wide  a  gap  in  the  community  where 
he  has  resided  as  did  that  of  Dr.  Osgood.  For  more  than  half  a  century  he  had 
taken  a  prominent  part  in  the  moral  and  religious  movements  of  this  town.  No 
man  was  so  universally  known  to  the  people  as  he.  Few  had  so  strong  a  hold 
upon  their  respect  and  sympathy.  He  was  ever  prompt  to  extend  a  helping 
hand  to  the  sufTering  poor  who  came  under  his  observation  ;  his  hospitality  was 
unstinted,  although  often  severely  taxed.  Occupying  as  he  did  the  position  of 
minister  of  the  first  parish  of  the  largest  town  in  Western  Massachusetts,  at  the 
confluence  of  travel  from  every  quarter  of  the  compass,  his  house  was  pre- 
eminently a  minister's  tavern.  He  was  a  genial  man,  social  in  ids  tastes  and 
habits,  fond  of  conversation,  and  ready  to  take  an  active  part  in  it.  He  possessed 
an  immense  fund  of  anecdote,  with  which  he  was  accustomed  tt^  interest  and 
amuse  those  in  whose  company  he  chanced  to  be.  His  own  peculiar  traits  of 
character  have  made  him  the  subject  of  many  anecdotes.  Dr.  Osgootl  enjoyed, 
to  a  remarkable  extent,  the  most  robust  health  during  the  whole  of  his  minis- 
terial life.  In  reviewing  his  ministry  at  the  end  of  forty  years,  he  claimed,  and 
with  justice,  that  ho  had  never  been  detained  from  his  pulpit  a  single  Sabbath 
on  account  of  sickness.  His  person  was  manly,  indicating  uncommon  physical 
strength.  I  have  heard  it  said  of  him  that  in  his  prime  ho  was  the  most  athletic 
man  in  Springfield.  Many  anecdotes  are  told  of  him  in  this  regard,  some  of 
them  quite  amusing.  In  any  notice  of  Dr.  Osgood,  as  the  psist^r  of  this  church 
and  minister  of  this  parish,  a  position  affording  a  field  of  great  usefulness  so 
long  filled  by  him  with  acceptance,  it  is  proper  that  tliere  should  be  some  men- 
tion of  the  invaluable  aid  which  he  derived  from  his  wife.  She  was,  indeed,  an 
exemplary  woman,  one  who  may  be  safely  held  up  as  a  model  to  the  wives  of 
ministers  all  over  the  land.  This  parish  appreciated  her  usefulness  in  the 
station  she  filled  here,  and  as  some  expression  of  its  respect  for  her  continued 
to  her  during  her  life  a  considerable  part  of  the  annuity  which  had  been  paid 
to  her  husband.  She  survived  him  between  eight  and  nine  years.  Although 
Dr.  Osgood  wrote  more  than  two  thousand  sennons,  some  of  them  of  rare 
ability,  and  delivered  on  occjtsions  of  unusual  public  interest,  yet,  with  only  one 
or  two  exceptions,  none  of  them  were  ever  published.  He  had  an  almost  in- 
vincible repugnance  to  having  liis  sermons  printed.  At  the  close  of  the  fortieth 
year  of  his  ministry  he  preached  a  discourse  from  Acts,  20th  chapter,  26th  and 
27th  verses,  in  which  he  reviewed  his  ministry  from  his  settlement  down  to  that 
time.  It  wiis  a  discourse  of  great  interest  and  power,  and  the  church  strongly 
solicited  and  obtained  his  consent  to  its  publication. 

"  It  has  been  already  stated  that  the  deacons  officiating  during  the  earlier  por- 
tion of  Dr.  Osgood's  pastcuate  were  Chauncey  Brewer,  George  Bliss,  aud  John 
Hooker. 

"  Deacon  Hooker  died  on  the  6th  of  March,  1829,  at  the  age  of  sixty-seven. 
Deacon  George  Bliss  survived  him  one  year,  and  died  on  the  8th  of  Mai'ch,  1830, 
at  the  age  of  sixty-five.  Eight  days  afterwai-d  Deiu;on  Chauncey  Brewer  died, 
on  the  IGlli  of  March,  1830,  at  the  age  of  eighty-seven.  Owing  to  his  age  and 
infirmities  he  had  retired  from  active  duty  in  the  office  for  some  yeai's,  and, 
about  the  year  1822,  Col.  Solomon  Warriner  was  chosen  a  deacon  to  take  his 


HISTORY   OP   HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


851 


phiee.  Col,  Warriuer  was  a  native  of  Wilbraham,  from  which  place  he  removed 
to  Springfit-'M  about  the  year  ISOO.  From  Springfii^M  he  removed  to  Pittsfield, 
and  resided  there  until  Deceniber,  1820,  when  he  returned  to  SpringfieUl,  and 
resided  here  iluring  the  remainder  of  his  life.  Before  leaving  Springfield  he  had 
been  the  leader  of  the  choir,  and  upon  his  return  he  was  reinstited  in  the  same 
position,  and  continued  to  preside  over  the  music  of  this  church  for  more  than 
a  quarter  of  a  rentury.  During  nearly  the  same  period  of  time  he  held  tlie  office 
of  deacon.  He  was  also  for  many  years  superintendent  of  the  Sabbath-school. 
In  September,  1849,  he  took  a  dismission  to  the  South  Churcti  in  this  city.  He 
died  June  14,  ISOO,  at  the  age  of  eighty-two.  Buardnian  Hubbanl  was  chosen  a 
demon  April  5,  1826,  thus  increasing  the  number  of  deacons  performing  actual 
service,  from  three  to  four.  Deacon  Hubbard  was  employed  in  the  United  States 
Armory,  and  resided  on  the  hill.  He  united  with  this  church  hy  letter  from  a 
church  in  Middletown,  in  March,  1824,  and  was  dismissed  to  the  Fourth  Church, 
now  the  (.)livet  Church,  at  some  time  between  1836  and  1844,  probably  about 
1841.  Daniel  Bontecou  and  George  Merriam  were  elected  deacons  March  5, 1833. 
Mr.  Merriam  held  the  office  until  March  6, 1842,  when,  with  thirty-two  other 
members,  he  was  dismissed  to  unite  in  the  organization  of  the  Soutli  Church. 
Deacon  Bontecou  continued  to  officiate  until  May  2, 1845,  when  he,  too,  was  dis- 
missed to  the  South  Cliurch.     He  died  Nov.  24,  1857. 

"  To  fill  the  place  vacated  by  De;icon  Merriam,  Benjamin  Eldridge  was  elected 
April  13, 1842,  and  still  retains  the  office  of  a  deacon  of  tliis  church,  although, 
by  reason  of  intirmity,  he  has  for  several  years  retired  from  all  active  service. 
At  this  period  it  was  the  usage  of  the  church  to  have  four  deacons,  but  it  wiis 
rare  that  the  office  was  filled  by  that  number.  Lay  members  were  often  called 
upon  to  officiate  at  communion  seasons.  There  being  but  three  incumhents  in 
November,  1843,  the  church  attempted  to  secure  a  sufficient  number  of  officers 
by  electing  three  additional  deacons,  but  only  one,  Elijah  W.  Dickinson,  accepted 
the  office.  He  held  it  until  he  was  dismissed  to  join  the  North  Church.  Chaun- 
cey  Chapin  united  with  the  church  by  profession  May  5,  1844,  being  then  past 
middle  life.  Three  years  afterward  he  was  chosen  the  clerk  of  the  church,  and, 
on  the  21st  of  April,  1848,  he  was  elected  a  deacon.  Both  uf  these  offices  he  held 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  May  6, 1851,  at  the  age  of  sixty-two. 

"About  this  time  there  was  an  important  change  in  the  policy  of  the  church 
as  to  the  tenure  of  the  office  uf  deacon.  From  the  earliest  period  of  its  existence 
this  office  had  always  been  regarded  as  one  to  be  held  for  life.  For  some  yeara 
great  difficulty  had  been  experienced  in  finding  men  qualified  who  were  willing 
to  undertake  its  duties.  Vacancies  were  frequently  occurring,  and  most  of  those 
whom  the  church  selected  to  fill  them  were  unwilling  to  accept  the  office.  In 
the  hope  to  obviate  this  difficulty,  it  was  decided,  at  a  meeting  held  July  12, 1850. 
to  elect  two  deacons  for  the  term  of  five  yeare.  Daniel  Reynoldw  was  elected, 
and  accepted  the  office.  Two  othere  were  successively  chosen,  but  both  of  them 
declined.  From  that  time  to  tlie  present  the  church  has  adhered  to  the  policy  of 
electing  its  deacons  for  limited  terms,  sometimes  for  tive  years,  sometimes  for 
three  years.  By  a  permanent  rule  of  the  church,  adopted  in  1871,  the  tenure  is 
now  fixed  at  six  yeare.  Under  the  limited-term  system  thirteen  diffi^rent  per- 
sons have  held  this  office. 

"  Upon  the  retirement  of  Dr.  Osgood  from  the  active  duties  of  his  pastorate, 
the  church  and  parish  with  great  unanimity  extended  a  call  to  Rev.  Henry  M. 
Parsons,  then  a  student  in  the  Theological  Seminary  at  East  Windsor,  to  be  his 
succeasor.  That  call  was  accepted,  and  Mr.  Parsons  ordained  on  the  15th  of  No- 
vember, 1854.  He  continued  here  just  sLxteen  years,  enjoying  the  afiection  and 
confidence— ever  increasing — of  this  church  and  people,  when,  from  a  conviction 
that  duty  called  him  to  another  field  of  labor,  he  sought  and  obtained  the  reluc- 
tant consent  of  his  people  to  a  dissolution  of  his  pastoral  relation  to  this  church. 
The  history  of  his  laboi-s  here  must  be  to  left  tu  later  times.  To  him  succeeded 
Rev.  Edward  Allen  Reed.  Mr.  Reed  was  dismissed  July  11,  1878,  at  his  own 
request,  very  much  against  the  desire  of  his  people.  Rev.  Dr.  Edward  P.  Ter- 
hune  was  installed  April  30, 1879. 

"  Having  now  brought  down  this  history  of  the  church  and  parish  as  far  as  I 
propose,  I  now  recur  briefly  to  an  eailier  period,  in  order  to  state  some  matters 
of  interest  that  could  nut  be  conveniently  introduced  in  the  regular  coui-se  of 
the  narrative.  There  are  some  things  in  our  early  parochial  history  which  ap- 
pear strange  to  our  modern  ideas.  One  of  these  is  the  practice  that,  fium  the  time 
of  the  erection  of  the  fii-st  meeting-house  down  to  the  present  one,  seems  to  have 
prevailed,  of  a  periodical  assignment  of  seats  tu  the  congregation.  Thus,  in 
1U04,  when  the  tuwn  and  paiish  were  identical,  a  vote  of  tins  kind  is  recorded  : 
'  Dec.  30,  1604.  It  is  ordered  y^  the  Selectmen  and  Deacon  or  deacons  shall  from 
tyme  to  tyme  seate  persons  in  y  meeting-hou.se  either  higher  or  lower  accord- 
ing as  in  their  sound  discretion  tliey  shall  judge  most  meete.'  What  a  strange 
jumble  uf  officials  here,  selectmen  and  deacons,  uniting  in  this  delicate  and  diffi- 
cult duty  uf  seating  persons  '  higher  or  lower,'  at  their  discretion  !  A  month 
later,  in  January,  1665,  is  found  recorded  an  order  of  the  selectmen,  which  I 
transcribe  in  full  as  a  eurious  specimen  of  the  way  in  which  the  parochial  poUce 
uf  those  days  was  administered.  It  is  in  these  words:  'Forasmuch  as  order  is 
beautifull,  &  especially  in  y"  house  of  God,  &  y^  want  thereoH"  is  displeasing  to 
God  A  breeds  disturbance  among  men ;  And  whereas  it  doth  appear  y'  divers 
young  persons  aud  sometimes  othei-s,  uotwithstandiug  their  being  called  upon, 
Doe  yet  neglect  to  attend  unto  such  order  as  is  prescribed  them,  either  for  their 
sitting  iu  y^  meeting-house,  or  for  their  reforming  of  disorders  in  &  about  y« 
meeting-house  in  tyme  of  God's  Publike  woi-ship ;  It  is  therefore  hereby  ordered 
that  whosoever  of  this  Township  shall  not,  from  tyme  to  tyme  to  their  sitting  in 
y»  meeting-house,  submit  themselves  to  the  ordering  of  y«  Selectmen  &  Deacons, 
or  such  as  are  impowered  to  seate  &.  order  persons  in  y"  meeting  house,  All  such 
persons  as  shall  refuse  or  neglect  to  attend  unto  order  as  aforesaid  shall  forfeite 
as  is  herein  alter  expressed,  viz. :  Hee  or  shee  that  shall  not  take  his  or  her  seate 
ordered  y"  fio  tyme  to  tyr.ie,  but  shall  iu  y^  days  or  tymes  of  God's  Publiko  wor- 
ship Gue  into  &  abide  in  any  etiier  seate,  appointed  for  sonic  otlu-r,  Sudi  disor- 


derly person  or  persons  for  y«  first  offence  shall  forfeit  three  shillings  four  pence 
to  y  towne's  treasury.'  By  the  same  authority  it  was  ordered  that  the  seat 
formerly  called  the  guard  seat  should  he  for  the  smaller  lioys  to  sit  in, '  that  they 
may  be  more  in  sight  of  y"  congregation.'  In  this  seat  none  were  permitted  to 
sit  'above  y  age  of  14  or  15  yeares.'* 

'*  It  appeal's  that  in  the  earlier  period  of  our  parochial  history  care  was  taken 
that  the  men  and  women  should  he  seated  in  separate  seats.  The  first  innova- 
tion upon  this  practice  appeal's  to  have  been  in  the  year  1751,  when  the  parish 
'  voted  that  the  committee  for  seating  the  meeting-house  be  directed  to  seat  the 
men  and  women  promiscuonsly.'  But  iu  order  that  those  of  tender  sensibilities 
should  not  he  shocked  by  so  great  a  departure  from  long-estiiblished  custom,  the 
committee  were  directed,  upon  application  being  made  to  them  by  any  person  or 
persons  desiring  '  not  to  he  seated  promiscuously,  to  "gratifie"  them  as  near  as 
they  can.'  It  is  not  surprising  that  the  parish  selected  John  Worthington,  Esq., 
and  Mr.  Luke  Bliss,  two  of  the  wisest  and  most  popular  men  of  the  town,  to 
perform  this  delicate  duty  under  this  new  condition  of  things.  After  a  time  this 
matter  of  new-seating  the  meeting-house  camo  to  be  attended  with  a  good  deal 
of  difficulty.  At  a  parish  meeting  in  December,  1790,  the  patish  voted  to  choose 
a  seating  committee  of  five  pei-sons.  Twenty-two  were  chosen  to  the  office,  all 
of  whom  refused  to  serve.  The  meeting  was  then  adjourned  two  days.  At  the 
adjourned  meeting  it  was  voted  to  reconsider  the  vote  providing  for  a  committee 
of  five,  and  as  a  substitute,  it  was  determined  that  a  committee  of  three  should 
nominate  a  committee  of  twenty-one  persons,  of  which  the  nominating  commit- 
tee should  be  themselves  members,  and  from  these  twenty-one  seven  pei-sons 
were  to  be  drawn  (by  lot  I  suppose),  who  shouhl  seat  the  meeting-house,  and  re- 
port an  adjourned  meeting  about  one  month  later.  This  was  done,  and  the  re- 
port of  this  committee,  charged  with  this  delicate  duty,  was  finally  accepted 
This  seating  held  good  for  four  years;  but  in  1794  it  was  found  necessary  to  re- 
seat, and  substantially  the  same  process  was  repeated.  The  practice  of  seating 
the  meeting-house  continued  until  the  er.-'ction  of  the  present  house,  in  1819.  A 
record  of  a  parish  meeting  held  April  5, 1737,  indicates  the  rule  by  which  the  as- 
signment of  seats  was  then  regulated.  It  was  '  voted  that  the  age  of  Persons  and 
theire  own  Estates,  as  they  stand  upon  the  list  (Negros  Excepted),  are  the  Prin- 
cipal Rule  that  said  Com^  are  to  be  governed  by  in  theire  proseedings,  aud  any 
other  Dignity  that  any  Parsons  may  be  Clothed  or  attended  withall  shall  be  Left 
Discressionary  with  sd  Committee.' 

"In  these  modern  days,  when  our  city  maintains  with  so  large,  and  yet  at 
so  reasonable  and  proper,  an  expenditure  its  organized  and  paid  tire  depart- 
ment, with  all  its  equipment  of  fire-steamers,  reservoirs,  hydrants,  and  tele- 
graphic fire-alarms,  but  few,  if  any,  among  the  present  inhabitants  of  our  city 
are  aware  how  largely  the  means  for  extinguishing  fires,  not  a  century  since, 
were  provided  and  controlled  by  this  parish.  Yet  the  record  shows  that  in  No- 
vember, 1792,  the  parish  granted  for  the  purpose  of  defraying  the  expense  of 
building  the  engine-house  the  sum  of  six  pounds  eleven  shilling  two  pence 
aud  two  farthings ;  and  in  March,  1794,  voted  to  pay  the  expense  of  five  poles 
for  the  fire-wards,  and  also  to  pay  for  two  fire-hooks  and  six  leather  buckets  for 
the  use  of  the  fire-engine.  And  the  same  year  Pitt  Bliss  was  paid  two  pounds 
twelve  shillings  aud  six  pence  for  the  six  buckets, '  and  for  repairing  the  hose 
to  the  engine.'  Not  cantent  with  repairing  the  old  hose,  the  parish,  in  1798, 
voted  that '  Jonathan  Dwight,  Esq.,  William  Ely,  and  Pitt  Blis?  be  a  committee 
to  examine  the  hose  belonging  to  the  engine,  and,  if  they  judge  it  necessarj',  to 
procure  a  new  one  at  the  expense  of  the  Parish.'  Precisely  how  the  extinguish- 
ing of  fires  came  to  be  regarded  as  a  parochial  duty  may  not  be  quite  clear,  hut 
certainly  there  can  be  nothing  in  it  inconsistent  with  practical  Christianity. 

"  Looking  back  from  the  stand-point  we  now  occupy  upon  the  past  history  of 
this  church,  and  tracing  it  throngh  all  the  vicissitudes  of  two  hundred  and 
thirty-eight  years  down  to  the  present  moment,  we  can  see  that  while  it  has 
had  its  alternations  of  prosperity  and  trial,— sometimes  depressed  by  disasters 
the  most  discouraging,  at  other  times  rejoicing  in  the  consciousness  of  vigonjus 
growth,— the  tokens  of  a  kind  Providence,  watching  constantly  over  and  pro- 
tecting it,  have  ever  been  conspicuous.  Many  colonies  have  gone  out  fiom  it 
that  have  become  strong  and  prosperous  churches.  To  some  of  these  in  their 
infancy  this  church  extended  a  helping  hand,  until  they  ceased  to  need  help. 
All  of  them,  without  exception,  have  become  centres  of  influence,  diffusing 
Christian  light  and  love  through  the  conmmuity  around  them.  To  all  these 
this  church  can  point  with  maternal  affection  and  pride,  and  say, '  These  are 
my  jewels.'  These  repeated  drafts  that  have  been  riiade  upon  the  numbera  of 
this  ancient  church  have  not  in  any  degree  exhausted  its  resources  or  impaired 
its  strength.  It  stands  to-day— on  the  spot  where  it  had  its  birth,  and  where, 
through  almost  two  centuries  and  a  half,  it  ha.s  ever  stood— with  a  larger  mem- 
bership than  ever  before.  United  in  itself,  and  united  in  a  pastor  whom  it 
loves  and  honore,  it  can  with  reverent  gratitude  to  God  exclaim,— 

"  '  How  are  thy  servants  blessed,  0  Lord  ! 
How  sure  is  their  defense  ! 
Eternal  wisdom  is  their  guide. 
Their  help,  Omnipotence.' " 

THE    OLIVET    CONGREGATIONAL    CHURCH. 

This  church  was  organized  Jan.  8,  1833,  with  19  members, 
only  5  of  whom  are  now  living.  The  first  pastor  was  Kev. 
Abram  C.  Baldwin,  who  was  ordained  Dec.  4th  of  the  same 
year.     He  remained  until  January,  1839,  and  was  succeeded 


*  This  passagi 
field. 


:e,  through  inadvert.-nre,  appcar-s  twice  in  the  history  of  Spring 


852 


HISTORY   OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


by  Ezekicl  Kiissell,  of  South  "WiUiraham,  ordained  May  15, 
1839.  He  ofliciutcd  until  184'J,  and  was  followed  by  Kev. 
Samuel  Strong,  of  Somers,  who  was  installed  in  1850,  but,  in 
consequence  of  ill  health,  resigned  in  1852.  H.  B.  Elliott 
then  served  for  a  time  as  stated  supply.  The  pastors  from  this 
time  to  the  present  have  been  as  follows,  viz. :  Geo.  D.  Fol- 
som,  W.  W.  Woodworth,  Geo.  H.  Soule,  W.  K.  Hall,  James 
A.  Hamilton,  and  the  present  incumbent,  Rev.  L.  H.  Cone, 
who  was  installed  Oct.  30,  1867.  The  church  edifice  was 
erected  in  1834,  remodeled  in  1854,  and  is  at  the  present  time 
(November,  1878)  undergoing  repairs.  The  church  is  in  a 
prosperous  condition,  and  has  a  membership  of  about  325. 

The  officers  are  as  follows,  viz.  :  Deacons,  William  A. 
Spooner,  Geo.  B.  Kilboon,  S.  D.  Brooks,  and  Chauncey  K. 
Camp;  Parish  Committee,  Dr.  S.  D.  Brooks,  Benj.  Hannis, 
Edward  K.  Lee,  William  M.  Gray,  and  Alexander  B.  Fobes; 
Clerk,  P.  H.  M.  Brooks.  Location,  State  Street,  opposite 
Armory  Grounds. 

THE    SOUTH    CONGREGATIONAL    CHURCH. 

This  church  is  an  otishoot  from  the  First  Church  of  this  city, 
and  was  organized  at  the  parish  house  of  the  First  Church 
by  an  ecclesiastical  council,  called  by  letter  for  this  purpose, 
March  23,  1842,  and  consisted  of   the  following  members: 
Kev.  Sandtora  L,awton,  Mrs.  Mary  Ann  Lawton,  Ashley  P. 
Graves,  Mrs.  Mary  A.  Graves,  Mrs.  Lucy  Graves  (Searle), 
Henry  Woodman,  Jr.,  Mrs.  Mary  A.  Woodman,  Charles  K. 
Crocker,   Mrs.  Julia  Ann   Crocker,   William  Stowe,*  Mrs. 
Hannah  E:  Stowe,*  Charles  Merriam,  Mrs.  Sophia  E.  Mer- 
riam,*  George  Merriam,  Keuben  A.  Chapman,*  Mrs.  Eliza- 
beth Chapman,  Mrs.  Mary  M.  Sargeant,  Henry  Brewer,  Jr., 
Mrs.  Cynthia  A.  Brewer,  James  Brewer,  Samuel  E.  Bailey, 
Mrs.  Huldah  T.  Bailey,  Philip  Wilcox,*  Mrs.  Eliza  P.  Wil- 
cox,* Hannah  A.  Fuller  (Severance),*  Andalusia  F.  Fuller,* 
Mrs.   Naomi  C.  Grant  (Miller),*  Elijah  W.  Bliss,*  Mrs.  Or- 
phana  Bliss,*  Mrs.  Sally  Elliot,*  Augusta  C.  Elliot,  Asa  F. 
Cowles,  Mrs.  Lucy   A.  Cowles,*  David   C.  M.  Kupp,  Mrs. 
Martha  Hunt,  Silas  Hibbard,  Mrs.  D.  B.  Nichols  (Knapp), 
Abel  Sweetzer,*  Mrs.  Eunice  M.  Sweetzer,  Mrs.  Mary  Chase.* 
From  the  December  prior  to  the  formation  of  the  society, 
services  were  held  in  the  old  parish  house,  which  was  given 
them  by  the  mother-church.     This  old  building  was  the  first 
court-house  in  Springfield,  and  stood  on  Sanford  Street,  where 
it  is  now  crossed  by  Market.     The  first  church  edifice  was 
erected  on  Bliss  Street,  at  a  cost,  including  chapel,  of  |8813, 
and  was  dedicated  June   12,  1843,  by  the  Kev.  Noah  Porter, 
the  first  pastor.     The  present  church  edifice  was  completed  in 
1874,  at  a  cost  of  about  §145,000.     Both  its  exterior  and  inte- 
rior present  a  model  of  beauty  and  elegance  seldom  surpassed. 
It  it  said  to  be  one  of  the  most  complete  religious  edifices  in 
New  England, — convenient  in  its  arrangement  and  perfect  in 
its  decorations. 

As  stated  previously.  Rev.  Noah  Porter  was  the  first  pastor 
of  the  church,  who  remained  four  years,  when,  having  re- 
ceived a  call  from  Yale  College  to  the  professorship  of  mental 
and  moral  philosophy,  which  he  accepted,  he  resigned  his 
pastorate,  and  was  succeeded  by  Kev.  Samuel  G.  Bucking- 
ham, D.D.,  who  has  since  remained  in  charge  of  the  church, 
and  is  the  present  incumbent  of  the  pastoral  ofiice.  Dr. 
Buckingham's  pastorate  has  been  a  long  and  successful  one. 
More  than  thirty  years  he  has  labored  among  this  people,  and 
with  the  best  results.  He  has  witnessed  the  growth  of  the 
South  Church  from  a  few  followers, to  a  large  and  influential 
body,  which  is  annually  extending  its  sphere  of  usefulness  ; 
and  it  may  truthfully  be  written  that  much  of  its  present 
prosperity  is  due  to  the  untiring  efi'orts  put  forth  in  its  behalf 
by  Dr.  Buckingham. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  deacons,  from  the  organization 
of  the  church  to  the  present  time :  George  Merriam,f  Abel 


*  Deceased. 


t  Resigned. 


Sweetzer,*  Daniel  Bontecou,*  Erastus  Hayes,*  Henry  A.  Rob- 
in.son,f  Alexander  S.  McClean,t  Ariel  Parish.t  Asa  F.  Cowles, 
Obadiah  W.  Wilcox,  Eli  H.  Patch,  Charles  Marsh,  George  H. 
Dcane,  James  Brewer. 

Location  of  church,  corner  Maple  and  High  Streets. 

Among  those  who  were  first  interested  in  the  organization 
of  this  church  and  who  rendered  it  valuable  service  were  Rev. 
Sandford  Lawton,  who  is  still  living  in  the  city  ;  the  late 
Chief-Justice  Chapman,  and  William  Stowe,  an  editor,  and 
for  a  number  of  years  clerk  of  the  Massachusetts  House  of 
Representatives;  also  G.  &  C.  Merriam,  the  publishers  of 
Webster's  Dictionary,  as  well  as  H.  &  I.  Brewer,  both  of 
which  are  still  well-known  business  firms  here.  Other  valu- 
able helpers  came  to  their  aid,  who  have  since  died,  among 
whom  may  be  mentioned  Thomas  Bond,  Daniel  Bontecou, 
Edward  Morris,  Samuel  Reynolds. 

The  results  of  the  enterprise  have  justified  their  wisdom, 
and  the  wisdom  of  those  who  were  associated  with  them,  in 
founding  such  a  church,  while  all  who  have  aided  in  building 
it  up  have  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  it  well  established  and 
another  strong  church  added  to  the  many  in  this  city,  whose 
Christian  teachings  and  mission  work  and  charities  and  health- 
ful influence  are  making  this  a  good  community  wherein  to 
reside. 

,        THE   NORTH    CONGREGATIONAL   CHURCH. 

Meetings  for  consultation  on  the  religious  wants  of  Spring- 
field, held  at  frequent  intervals  from  May,  1846,  till  the  Octo- 
ber following,  resulted  in  the  adoption  by  10  brethren  of  the 
constitution  and  articles  of  faith  of  a  proposed  new  church, 
with  a  view  to  whose  organization  the  ministerial  services  of 
the  Rev.  Robert  H.  Conklin,  of  Warsaw,  N.  Y.,  were  secured  ; 
and  the  first  public  service  was  held  Sunday,  Sept.  20,  1846, 
in  "  Frost's  Hall,"  the  third  story  of  a  building  on  the  corner 
of  Main  and  Sanford  Streets. 

The  church  thus  contemplated  was  organized  Oct.  28,  1846, 
by  a  council  of  churches  convened  at  the  South  Church,  of 
which  the  Rev.  Dr.  Samuel  Osgood,  then  pastor  of  the  First 
Church,  was  moderator,  and  the  Rev.  Dr.  Ezekiel  Russell, 
then  pastor  of  the  Olivet  Church,  was  scribe.  The  Rev.  Dr. 
John  Todd,  pastor  of  the  First  Church,  Pittsfield,  preached 
the  sermon.  22  persons — 11  men,  11  women — were  organized 
into  the  new  church. 

The  Sunday-school  was  organized  Nov.  1, 1846  ;  and  George 
H.  White  was  the  first  superintendent. 

The  church,  then  acting  also  in  capacity  of  a  parish,  voted 
in  September,  1847,  to  purchase  a  lot  of  land  on  the  southeast 
corner  of  Main  and  Worthington  Streets  and  build  its  chapel 
thereon  ;  and  in  the  month  following  it  hired  for  temporary 
use  through  the  winter  the  edifice  then  known  as  the  "  Free 
Church,"  in  Sanford  Street.  In  November  following  it  was 
voted  to  sell  the  lot  above  mentioned,  and  purchase  a  site  on 
the  west  side  of  Main  Street,  north  of  Bridge  Street.  In 
March,  1848,  the  temporal  business  of  the  church  was  trans- 
ferred to  the  parish,  which  had  then  become  legally  or- 
ganized. 

The  Rev.  Dr.  Raymond  H.  Seeley,  of  Bristol,  Conn.,  was 
installed  as  the  first  pastor  by  "a  council  which  met  March  1, 
1849,  for  deliberation  in  the  chapel  of  the  First  Church,  and 
which  held  the  public  service  of  installation  in  the  evening, 
in  the  new  church,  then  first  opened  for  divine  worship.  Dr. 
Seeley,  having  resigned  his  pastorate  to  take  charge  of  the 
American  Chapel,  Paris,  France,  was  dismissed  by  a  council, 
Jan.  26,  18.58. 

The  Rev.  James  Drummond,  of  Lewiston,  Me.,  was  installed 
pastor  by  a  council,  June  16,  1858.  His  pastorate  was  ended 
by  death,  December,  1861. 

The  Rev.  L.  Clark  Seelye  was  ordained  pastor  by  a  coun- 
cil, Jan.  20,  1863.  Having  resigned  to  accept  a  professor- 
ship in  Amherst  College,  he  was  dismissed  by  a  council.  May 
31,  1865. 


HISTORY   OF  HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


A  colony  of  55  members  of  this  church  was  organized  into 
"The  Memorial  Church"  by  a  council  held  in  the  vestry  of 
the  North  Church,  Oct.  27,  1865.  The  new  organization 
erected  a  stone  house  of  worship  on  North  Main  Street  during 
the  year  1867,  and  has  reached  a  high  degree  of  usefulness 
and  power. 

The  Rev.  Richard  G.  Greene,  of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  after  sup- 
plying the  pulpit  from  May  13,  1866,  was  installed  pastor  by 
a  council,  Sept.  19,  1866. 

The  society,  at  its  annual  meeting,  March  6,  1871,  ap- 
pointed a  committee  to  sell  the  church  property  on  Main 
Street  and  select  a  site  for  a  new  edifice.  On  May  29th  of 
the  same  year  the  committee  reported  the  purchase  of  a  lot 
on  the  corner  of  Salem  Street  and  Salem  Avenue,  at  a  cost  of 
$26,000.  The  property  on  Main  Street  was  subsequently  sold 
for  $46,000. 

June  6th  of  the  same  year  Charles  S.  Ferry,  George  W. 
Ray,  George  H.  Deane,  Edwin  McElwain,  and  Joseph  Stone 
were  appointed  a  building  committee. 

October  3d  of  the  same  year  the  report  of  the  boilding  com- 
mittee, with  plans,  was  accepted,  and  the  committee  was  au- 
thorized to  proceed  with  the  erection  of  the  church  edifice. 

Religious  services  were  held  for  the  last  time  in  the  old 
church  the  last  Sunday  in  1872.  For  the  next  six  months  the 
congregation  worshiped  in  the  Opera-House. 

The  new  church  was  dedicated  Sept.  18,  1873,  the  sermon 
being  preached  by  the  Rev.  Joseph  Parker,  D.D.,  of  London. 

The  designs  for  the  building  were  furnished  by  Messrs. 
Gambrill  &  Richardson,  of  New  York,  and  the  builders  were 
Norcross  Brothers,  of  Worcester.  The  material  is  freestone, 
the  style  is  Norman,  and  the  shape  is  cruciform,  with  a  mas- 
sive tower  in  the  angle  between  the  nave  and  the  south 
transept.  It  is,  in  all  its  appointments,  a  complete  church 
edifice,  and  was  erected,  including  the  chapel,  at  a  cost  of 
$53,398.28. 

The  Rev.  Richard  G.  Greene  was  dismissed  by  a  council, 
October,  1874. 

The  Rev.  Washington  Gladden  was  called  to  the  pastorate 
Jan.  2,  1875.  Having  supplied  the  pulpit  from  Dec.  13,  1874, 
he  entered,  Feb.  1,  1875,  upon  the  active  duties  of  the  pastor- 
ate, and  was  installed  by  a  council  September  20th  of  the 
same  year,  and  is  the  present  otficial  pastor. 

The  officers  of  the  church  for  1878  were  as  follows  :  Dea- 
cons, Ephraim  G.  Norton,  Oliver  D.  Morse,  L.  Sterns  Stowe, 
Samuel  K.  Foster  ;  Clerk,  Harlan  P.  Stone ;  Treasurer,  Eph- 
raim G.  Norton  ;  Auditor,  L.  Sterns  Stowe. 

The  parish  officers  for  1878  were  as  follows :  Parish  Com- 
mittee, William  S.  Marsh,  P.  P.  Kellogg,  William  M.  Pom- 
eroy,  Charles  J.  Blackstone,  Samuel  N.  Hey  wood;  Clerk  and 
Treasurer,  William  C.  Warren. 

HOPE    CONOREQATIOKAL   CHURCH. 

Hope  Congregational  Church  is  the  outgrowth  of  a  mission 
Sunday-school  begun  on  yuincy  Street,  east  of  Hancock,  in 
June,  1865,  by  Messrs.  William  Kirkham,  Henry  S.  Lee,  and 
Markham  Moody,  under  the  auspices  of  the  South  Congrega- 
tional Church. 

There  were  16  scholars  the  first  Sunday.  Mr.  Kirkham  was 
the  first  superintendent.  After  several  changes  in  location, 
from  an  upper  room  on  Quincy  to  a  kitchen  on  Adams  Street 
(now  East  Union),  and  then  back  to  Quincy,  a  barn,  standing 
on  the  site  afterward  occupied  by  Hope  Chapel,  on  East  Union 
Street,  near  Eastern  Avenue,  was  purchased  in  1867,  and  occu- 
pied by  the  school  till  the  completion  of  the  chapel. 

In  1870  a  chapel  was  built  by  the  friends  of  the  enterprise, 
at  a  cost  of  about  $1500. 

Hope  Chapel — the  name  having  been  proposed  by  Mr. 
Charles  Merriam — was  dedicated  in  July  and  occupied  by  the 
school,  with  Mr.  H.  S.  Lee  as  superintendent.  The  barn 
which  served  as  a  school-room  for  three  years  now  stands  on 


Colton  Street,  at  the  head  of  Quincy.  During  the  next  five 
years  the  progress  of  the  .school  was  very  encouraging,  aver- 
aging over  200  in  attendance. 

Preaching  services  were  held  in  the  chapel  as  a  supply  could 
be  furnished.  In  the  winter  of  1873,  under  the  conduct  of 
Mr.  Earle,  the  evangelist,  a  revival  of  great  power  was  ex- 
perienced, resulting  in  the  hopeful  conversion  of  many  mem- 
bers of  the  school.     About  25  united  with  the  South  Church. 

In  June  of  1875,  Mr.  Charles  L.  Morgan,  a  graduate  of 
Yale  Theological  Seminary  of  that  year,  and  of  Beloit  College, 
1871,  was  called  by  the  Hope  Chapel  committee  of  the  South 
Church  to  take  charge  of  the  chapel  work  for  one  year. 

During  the  ensuing  winter  of  1875-76  a  deep  religious  in- 
terest prevailed,  resulting  in  so  many  conversions  that  it  was 
decided  to  organize  a  church  and  settle  Mr.  Morgan  as  pastor. 
The  usual  steps  having  been  taken,  a  council  was  calleil  for 
March  15,  1876,  consisting  of  the  Congregational  Churches  of 
Springfield,  of  East  and  West  Longmeadow,  also  Dr.  Leonard 
Bacon,  Rev.  William  Rice,  and  Rev.  S.  P.  Wilder. 

This  council  met  on  March  15th,  reviewed  the  action  taken, 
examined  the  candidate,  and  proceeded  in  the  afternoon  to 
confirm  the  organization  of  81  persons  into  a  body  to  be 
known  as  the  Hope  Congregational  Church,  40  presenting 
letters  from  other  churches,  41  uniting  on  profession  of  their 
faith.  Mr.  Henry  S.  Lee,  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Sunday- 
school,  received  in  behalf  of  the  church  the  right  hand  of  fel- 
lowship from  the  pastor  of  the  parent  church.  Dr.  S.  G. 
Buckingham.  Rev.  Washington  Gladden  addressed  the 
church.  In  the  evening  the  council  assisted  in  ordaining  Mr. 
Morgan,  a  member  of  the  church,  to  the  otBce  of  pastor  and 
teacher.  The  ordaining  prayer  was  offered  by  Rev.  L.  W. 
Cone ;  sermon  by  Rev.  J.  M.  Eustis  ;  charge  to  pastor  by 
Rev.  E.  A.  Reed  ;  to  people  by  Rev.  John  W.  Harding ;  right 
hand  of  fellowship  by  Rev.  S.  P.  Wilder. 

During  the  summer  of  1876  the  failure  of  various  sources 
of  past  help  made  apparent  the  necessity  of  removing  the 
chapel  to  a  more  central  and  inviting  location.  The  use  for 
five  years  of  a  favorable  site,  on  the  corner  of  State  and  Win- 
chester Streets,  was  offered  the  church  by  friends.  This  offer 
was  accepted,  and  by  vote  of  the.  church  the  chapel  was  re- 
moved to  the  site  offered  and  since  occupied. 

In  October  of  1877  a  parish  society  was  organized,  and  a 
strong  effort  made  to  enlist  the  co-operation  of  all  the  families 
of  the  chapel  vicinity.  The  result  was  greatly  increased  in- 
terest and  rapid  progress. 

Hope  Church  was  organized  upon  abroad  evangelical  basis, 
with  a  creed  to  which  every  Christian  accepting  the  Bible  can 
subscribe.  Although  Congregational  in  government,  in  faith, 
Hope  Church  is  simply  Christian,  and  therefore  in  the  truest 
sense  a  union  church. 

At  its  organization  the  officers  were  Rev.  Charles  L.  Jlorgan, 
Pastor ;  Andrew  J.  Plummer,  Horace  E.  Bugbee,  Deacons ; 
A.  H.  Dodge,  H.  Dwight  Bugbee,  Committee;  Jacob  Easley, 
Clerk.  In  1878  the  officers  were  Rev.  Charles  L.  Morgan, 
Pastor ;  Andrew  J.  Plummer,  Horace  E.  Bugbee,  Deacons ; 
William  E.  Smith,  John  Henry  Robbins,  Committee;  H. 
Dwight  Bugbee,  Clerk.  Membership  at  organization,  81 ; 
membership  in  November,  1878,  126. 

SANFORD  STREET  CHURCH 
was  founded  in  1849  as  a  Methodist  Church.  Pastors,  while  it 
was  connected  with  that  denomination,  were  Revs.  Leonard 
Collins,  John  N.  Mars,  George  Spiwood,  Daniel  Vandever, 
John  A.  Williams,  Samuel  Grauf,  Robert  R.  Morris,  Wm. 
Butler,  and  James  A.  Jones.  In  1864  the  church  was  reor- 
ganized as  Congregational,  with  the  pastor  Rev.  W.  W.  Mal- 
lory.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Mallory  was  called  to  labor  in  the  South 
shortly  after  the  close  of  the  war.  Since  then  the  church  has 
had  no  settled  pastor,  until  June  21,  1877,  when  Rev.  John 
H.  Docher  was  installed  as  pastor.     This  church  has  about  80 


854 


HISTORY   OF   THE   CONNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


members,  with  3  deacons, — W.  Francis,  Eli  S.  Baptist,  and 
George  U.  Green.  The  Sundiiy-school  numbers  over  60 
scliolars  and  teachers. 

THK   MEMORIAL   CHURCH.* 

Steps  were  taken  for  organizing  tlie  Memorial  Church, 
Oct.  15,  1865,  in  the  upper  rooms  of  the  dwelling  of  the 
late  Horatio  Sargeant,  on  the  corner  of  Main  and  Sargeant 
Streets,  by  persons  whose  names  appear  in  the  list  hereafter 
given.  Joseph  D.  Stratton,  Melvin  M.  Tracy,  and  Horace 
Kude  were  chosen  deacons;  George  M.  Atwater,  Horace  J. 
Chapin,  William  Dearden  were  the  standing  committee  of 
the  church ;  J.  G.  Holland,  O.  D.  Adams,  S.  H.  Mosely,  A. 
F.  Niles,  and  D.  W.  Crosby  were  the  business  committee. 
The  parish  committee  were  as  follows :  George  M.  Atwater, 
William  Dearden,  C.  K.  Wilkinson.  The  first  minister  was 
Eev.  Mark  Trafton. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  members  at  the  organization :  G. 
M.  Atwater,  Mrs.  H.  R.  Atwater,  Solomon  B.  Davis,  Mrs. 
S.  B.  Davis,  Miss  Susan  Allen,  Luther  Clark,  Horace  Rude, 
Mrs.  M.  M.  Rude,  Horace  J.  Chapin,  Mrs.  Lydia  S.  Chapin, 
J.  G.  Holland,  Mrs.  E.  H.  Holland,  Mrs.  Anna  Holland, 
Mrs.  Sarah  J.  Knight,  Miss  Frances  Drummond,  A.  C. 
Hunt,  Mrs.  A.  C.  Hunt,  William  Dearden,  W.  H.  Allis, 
Mrs.  Mary  H.  Sheldon,  Miss  Hannah  L.  Clark,  William 
Sidney  Dearden,  Mrs.  Eliza  Dearden,  Horace  Putnam,  Mrs. 
Louise  Putnam,  Mrs.  Mary  E.  Ross,  Martin  L.  Childs, 
Mrs.  Mary  H.  Childs,  Augustus  L.  Childs,  Miss  Julia  E. 
Childs,  Tyler  Childs,  Mrs.  Nancy  Childs,  Miss  Carrie  A. 
Brackett,  Levi  Graves,  Charles  H.  Hill,  Mrs.  Jane  Hill,  Mrs. 
Angle  Thomas,  Mrs.  H.  S.  [Lawrence,  Levi  B.  Coe,  Mrs. 
Mary  L.  Coe,  A.  D.  Miller,  Mrs.  Martha  Miller,  Mrs.  Electa 
M.  Graves,  Edwin  W.  Shattuck,  Fred  S.  Hazen,  Mrs.  Mary 
A.  Morton,  Mrs.  Levi  Graves,  Mrs.  Mary  S.  Kemp,  Dwight 
Clark,  Mrs.  Decia  M.  Clark,  Elizabeth  F.  Needham,  Mrs. 
Sarah  L.  Shattuck,  Mrs.  Sarah  A.  Cate,  Mrs.  Harriet  Niles, 
Mrs.  Jane  Jones. 

The  first  services  were  held  in  the  upper  chambers  of  the 
Sargeant  Street  house,  afterward  in  the  Auburn  Street  school- 
house  and  in  the  hall  of  the  Hooker  school-house.  The  cor- 
ner-stone of  the  church  edifice  was  laid  July  7,  1807,  followed 
by  consecration  services,  held  in  the  city-hall,  conducted  by 
Rev.  William  T.  Feet,  D.D.,  Rev.  William  Adams,  D.D.,  of 
New  York,  and  representatives  from  the  neighboring  churches. 

The  building  was  completed  in  1868,  at  a  cost  of  about 
$80,000.  It  is  in  the  Gothic  style  of  architecture,  cruciform 
plan,  and  built  of  unhewn  granite.  It  has  about  1000  sit- 
tings.    Richard  Upjohn  was  the  architect. 

The  reasons  for  organizing  the  church  are  set  forth  in  the 
records  of  Oct.  29,  1865,  as  follows : 

"  Believing  that  tlie  interests  of  religion  require  the  formation  of  a  church  in 
Ward  One,  we,  a  company  of  believers  who  profess  faith  in  Christ  and  acknowl- 
edge liim  to  be  the  Saviour  of  mankind,  to  eflect  this  purpose  in  connection  with 
the  society  which  has  been  formed  to  build  a  house  of  worship  in  said  ward,  do 
hereby  organize  ourselves  into  a  Church  of  Christ." 

The  characteristics  of  the  church  are  clearly  set  forth  in 
the  following  resolutions,  as  shown  by  the  records,  Oct.  29, 
1866: 

"1.  lieeolved.  That  the  ftlemorial  Church  of  Springfield,  having  declared  in  its 
creed  its  belief  in  the  Holy  Catholic  Church,  welcomes  bi  its  membership  and 
communion  all  who  love  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  in  sincerity  and  truth,  and  who 
agree  with  it  concerning  the  essential  doctrines  of  the  Christian  religion,  by 
whatever  name  they  may  be  called. 

"  2.  That  the  success  of  the  church  upon  this  basis  during  the  first  year  of  ita 
history — a  success  which  lias  brought  at  least  five  denominations  into  a  happy 
communion  of  personal  feeling  and  action — is  our  sutficient  justification  for  re- 
affirming this  basis  as  a  ground  of  Christian  liberality,  a  guide  to  a  wise  and 
sound  policy,  and  especially  as  the  true  basis  for  organized  Christian  effort  in  the 
ward  in  which  our  church  is  located." 

By  a  unanimous  vote  of  the  church,  and  also  of  the  con- 
gregation, a  plate  bearing  the  following  inscription  was  de- 
posited in  the  corner-stone : 

*  Prepared  by  G.  M.  Atwater. 


"Inscription :  From  love  to  God  and  good-will  to  men  a  company  of  believers 
who  profess  faitli  in  Christ,  the  Saviour  of  mankind,  by  the  aid  of  the  churches 
in  Springfield  and  other  friends  of  the  enterprise,  build  this  house  of  worship 
for  the  Memorial  Church. 

"  This  church,  constituted  by  the  fellowship  of  Christiane  of  different  denomi- 
nations, was  organized  Oct.  29,  A.D.  18G5,  and  named  the  Memorial  Church,  in 
memory  of  deceased  ministers  of  Christ  in  New  England. 

"  '  Other  foundation  can  no  man  lay  than  that  is  laid,  which  is  Jesus  Christ.* 
1st  Corinthians,  3d  chap.,  2d  verse. 

"  '  The  Lord  be  with  us  as  he  was  with  our  fathers :  let  him  not  leave  us  nor 
forsake  us.'  1st  Kings,  8th  chap.,  57th  verse." 

The  present  deacons  of  the  church  are  Joshua  Grant,  J.  D. 
Stratton,  A.  F.  Niles,  D.  J.  Bartlett,  E.  W.  Shattuck,  and 
E.  Dewitt ;  Standing  Committee,  G.  M.  Atwater,  J.  H. 
Foulds,  and  Dwight  Clark.  The  church  has  a  membership 
of  350.  The  present  pastor.  Rev.  Wm.  T.  Eustis,  was  settled 
in  the  year  1869. 

CHURCH    OF   THE    UNITY. 

The  Third  Congregational  Society,  styled  the  Church  of 
the  Unity,  had  its  origin  in  a  disaifection  of  a  part  of  the 
members  of  the  First  Congregational  Church  with  the  teach- 
ings of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Osgood.  It  was  claimed  by  the  seceders 
that  the  tenor  of  Dr.  Osgood's  teachings  had  changed  since  he 
preached  as  a  candidate  ;  and,  in  the  memorial  presented  to  the 
Legislature  by  them,  June  15,  1815,  praying  for  the  organiza- 
tion of  a  new  church,  they  set  forth  that  they  were  dissatisfied 
and  could  not  profit  by  Dr.  Osgood's  ministry.  This  petition 
to  the  Legislature  was  signed  by  54  member.?.  A  clause  in  this 
petition,  which  doubtless  added  fresh  fuel  to  the  ill  feeling 
already  engendered  on  the  part  of  the  First  Church,  prayed 
that  a  part  of  the  funds  of  the  first  parish  might  be  assigned 
them.  The  Legislature  served  an  order  on  the  first  parish  to 
show  cause  at  the  winter  session  why  the  order  of  the  peti- 
tioners should  not  be  granted.  December  24th  a  meeting  of 
the  first  parish  was  held  to  take  the  matter  into  consideration. 
The  disatt'ected  were  willing  to  remain  in  the  church  provided 
the  services  of  some  other  than  Dr.  Osgood  were  secured.  It 
is  said  the  meeting  was  a  stormy  and  unpleasant  one. 

"  Many  grievous  words  and  hard  speeches  wei'e  uttered,  and  a  spirit  of  oppres- 
sion and  hostility  to  the  petitioners  seemed  to  pervade  the  minds  of  the  majority. 
They  treated  the  aggrieved  as  a  company  of  unprincipled  men,  who  had  no  claim 
to  the  rights  and  privileges  of  brethren  and  Christians.  Dr.  HoWal-d,-|-  being  very 
anxious  to  prevent  a  division  of  the  parish,  and  being  unable  to  speak  in  the 
meeting  by  reason  of  the  weakness  of  his  voice,  presented  to  the  moderator,  in 
writing,  a  conciliatory  address  ;  but  one  of  the  leaders  of  the  majority  objected  to 
its  being  read,  and  they  voted  not  to  hear  it." 

It  at  once  became  evident  to  the  petitioners  that  further  con- 
sideration of  the  matter  with  the  first  parish  was  useless,  and, 
within  a  week  after  this  parish-meeting,  Jonathan  Dwight, 
Esq.,  who  had  been  foremost  among  the  petitioners,  made 
them  the  following  generous  proposition :  "  That  he  would 
build  a  meeting-house  of  such  dimensions  and  elegance  as 
they  should  direct,  wholly  at  his  own  expense,  and  present 
the  same  to  them  as  a  free  gift,  provided  they  would  establish 
an  ample  fund  for  the  permanent  support  of  a  minister."  The 
proposition  was  at  once  accepted,  and  a  fund  of  §16,000  was 
raised,  and  Rev.  Bezaleel  Howard,  Joshua  Frost,  and  Robert 
Emery,  Esqs.,  were  appointed  a  committee  to  advise  with 
Mr.  Dwight  respecting  the  building  of  the  meeting-house. 

The  society  was  incorporated  as  the  Second  Congregational 
Church  of  Springfield,  Feb.  15,  1819,  and  the  following  indi- 
viduals were  named  in  the  act  of  incorporation :  Jonathan 
Dwight,  Bezaleel  Howard,  Samuel  Orne,  James  S.  Dwight, 
Jonathan  Dwight,  Jr.,  Joshua  Frost,  Daniel  Lombard,  Festus 
Stebbins,  James  Wells,  Robert  Emery,  Benjamin  Day,  John 
Howard,  Eldad  Stebbins,  Samuel  Benton,  Daniel  M.  Leonard, 
Ira  Mede,  Austin  Peck,  Harvey  Benjamin,  Joseph  M.  San- 
born, Samuel  Kingsbury,  Samuel  Lyman,  Charles  Rice,  Ju- 
dah  Ely,  Ezra  Osborn,  Jr.,  Simon  Sanborn,  Daniel  Pease, 
John  Rice,  Jonathan  Strickland,  Solomon  McQuivey,  Seneca 
Cooley,  John  M.  Hendrick,  Elihu  Collins,  Henry  Dwight, 

t  Pastor  of  the  First  Church  from  1785  to  1803. 


HISTORY  OF  HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


855 


Nathaniel  S.  Jenks,  Daniel  Farmer,  Joel  Fuller,  Joel  Davis, 
Daniel  Swetland,  Oran  Eaton,  Elam  Sikes,  Wells  Lathrop, 
Charles  Howard,  William  Eice,  Walter  Stebbins,  Prentice 
Pond,  Ariel  Cooley,  Edmund  Allin,  Lemuel  Stebbins,  Lem- 
uel Charter,  Daniel  Hartung,  Jr.,  John  Crooks,  Joel  Allin, 
Edward  Parsons,  Thomas  Bates,  Joseph  Hopkins,  John  Steb- 
bins, Apollos  Marsh,  Silas  W.  Searl,  Henrj'  Sterns,  Aaron  J. 
Miller,  John  Hall,  Israel  Hosfield,  Lemuel  G.  Robbins,  David 
Barber,  Zenas  Hancock,  Lyman  Cutler,  Wait  Dart,  Josiah 
Bliss,  Joseph  Bangs,  Simeon  Prior,  Amos  Rice,  Elizabeth 
Sheldon,  Asahel  Goodrich,  Hannah  Dwight,  Levi  Pinney, 
Jacob  Cooley,  Elias  Ensign,  Ezekiol  Keith,  Julius  Dart,  Sol- 
omon Woodward,  Harvey  Bates,  James  Melvin,  James  Mel- 
vin,  Jr.,  Daniel  Ashle\',  George  Cooley,  Jr.,  David  Newcomb, 
Joseph  Stephenson,  William  Butler,  Daniel  Austin,  Jr., 
Daniel  Field,  Samuel  Dale,  Eliakim  Benton,  Samuel  Mc- 
Gregory,  Isaac  White,  Allen  Bangs,  Ruel  Horton,  Samuel 
M.  Morgan,  Daniel  Chapin,  Ira  Daniels,  Epaphras  Buckland, 
Anson  Snow,  Jason  Eddy,  Paul  G.  Simons,  Horace  King, 
Benjamin  Jenks,  Joseph  Buckland,  Zebulon  W.  Slafter,  Noah 
Paulk,  Amos  Jenks,  Asa  Talcot,  Charles  Russell,  Ephraim 
Corning,  Washington  Jenks,  and  Jonathan  Benton. 

The  church  building  was  dedicated  Jan.  -5,  1820,  and  on  the 
31st  day  of  the  same  month  the  name  of  the  society  was 
changed  to  the  Third  Congregational  Society,  as  it  was  found 
that  the  society  in  Chicopee,  which  at  that  time  was  a  part  of 
Springfield,  had  of  right  the  designation  "  Second  Congrega- 
tional Society."  The  church  building  was  repaired  in  1842, 
and  again  in  1852.  In  January,  1866,  a  movement  was  started 
for  the  erection  of  a  new  church,  and  on  March  1,  1867,  the 
corner-stone  of  the  present  edifice  was  laid,  and  the  name 
"  Church  of  the  Unity"  given  to  the  building.  This  was  just 
forty-eight  years  from  the  laying  of  the  corner-stone  of  the  old 
church.  The  church  was  dedicated  Feb.  17,  1869,  the  dedi- 
catory address  being  delivered  by  Kev.  Charles  A.  Humphreys. 
The  building  is  of  Gothic  architecture,  with  solid  walls  and 
spire  of  Longmeadow  sandstone,  and  in  beauty  of  interior  and 
exterior  is  perhaps  unsurpassed  by  any  religions  edifice  in  this 
section. 

The  pastors  of  the  church  from  its  organization  to  the  pres- 
ent time  have  been  as  follows,  viz.  :  Rev.  Wm.  B.  0.  Pea- 
body,*  D.D.,  1820-47  ;  Rev.  Geo.  F.  Simmons,  1847-51 ;  Rev. 
Francis  Tiffany,  1852-63;  Rev.  Chas.  A.  Humphreys,  1865; 
Rev.  A.  D.  Mayo,  1874,  present  pastor.  The  parish  commit- 
tee for  1878  was  as  follows,  viz.  :  J.  R.  Smith,  Samuel  Bigelow, 
James  E.  Russell,  Chas.  Hall,  and  Homer  Foot,  Jr. ;  Oscar 
B.  Ireland,  Clerk ;  and  John  C.  Griswold,  Treasurer.  Loca- 
tion, State  Street  above  Maple. 

CHRIST    CHURCH    (EPISCOPAL). 

The  first  Episcopal  service  in  this  place  was  held  as  early  as 
1817,  by  Rev.  Titus  Strong,  of  Greenfield,  Mass.  A  year  or 
two  previous  to  this.  Col.  Roswell  Lee,  an  earnest  and  devoted 
churchman,  who  was  at  that  time  superintendent  of  the  U.  S. 
Armory,  obtained  permission  of  the  government  to  fit  up  one  of 
the  upper  rooms  in  the  armory  buildings  for  a  chapel.  This 
room  was  set  apart  for  religious  worship,  with  appropriate  ser- 
vices, by  the  clergyman  already  named,  about  the  time  we 
have  specified.  Springfield  was  then  comparatively  a  small 
village,  and,  with  one  exception,  this  was  the  only  place  of 
worship  in  the  whole  town. 

From  1817  to  1821  services  were  held  occasionally  in  the 
chapel  as  clergymen  could  be  procured.  Among  those  who 
officiated  at  intervals  during  this  time  we  find  the  names  of 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Doane,  then  professor  in  Washington  College, 
which  is  now  Trinity,  who  afterward  became  bishop  of  New 
Jersey ;  the  Rev.  Mr.  Chase,  now  bishoii  of  New  Hampshire, 
and  the  Rev.  Messrs.  Fuller,  Marshall,  and  Pinney. 

*  Died  May  28, 1847. 


In  February,  1821,  Rev.  Edward  Rutledge  entered  upon 
his  duties  as  minister  of  the  parish.  May  24th  of  the  same 
year  the  church  was  organized,  and  in  all  probability  Col. 
Roswell  Lee  and  Dr.  John  Stone,  or  Diah  Allin,  were  elected 
wardens.  Mr.  Rutledge  resigned  in  January,  1822,  and  from 
that  time  until  1835  no  regular  services  were  held.  In  this 
latter  year.  Rev.  Samuel  McBirney  was  sent  here  as  a  mis- 
sionary, and  services  were  held  in  the  old  court-house  one 
year.  In  1838,  two  years  after  the  resignation  of  Mr.  McBir- 
ney, Rev.  Mr.  Lee  resumed  the  services,  and  November  28th, 
in  the  same  year,  the  parish  was  reorganized  under  the  name 
it  now  bears,  with  the  following  officers :  Diah  Allin  and 
Samuel  McNary,  Wardens;  Erasmus  D.  Beach,  Maj.  Good- 
sell,  Ezra  Kimberly,  Reuben  T.  Saftord,  and  Marcus  Tal- 
mage.  Vestrymen ;  William  W.  Lee,  Clerk  ;  Lucius  Allin, 
Treasurer. 

A  church  edifice  was  soon  after  erected,  and  was  consecrated 
April  1,  1840.  The  following  day  Rev.  Henry  W.  Lee  was 
installed  as  rector  of  the  parish,  and  remained  as  such  until 
1847.  In  1854  he  was  consecrated  bishop  of  the  diocese  of 
Iowa.  He  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  Henry  W.  Adams,  who  re- 
mained until  1848.  Rev.  A.  N.  Littlejohnf  became  rector  in 
Januar}',  1850,  and  in  the  following  year  resigned.  Sept.  29, 
1851,  Rev.  William  S.  Child  was  chosen  his  successor,  and  re- 
mained until  April,  1859.  During  the  rectorship  of  Rev.  Mr. 
Littlejohn  the  enlargement  of  the  church  edifice  was  com- 
menced, and  completed  soon  after  Mr.  Child  became  rector. 

In  September,  1859,  Rev.  Geo.  H.  McKnight  became  rector 
of  the  parish,  and  remained  until  June  14,  1869,  when  he  was 
succeeded  by  Rev.  Alexander  Burgess,  who  officiated  in  that 
capacity  until  May  15,  1878,  when  he  was  consecrated  bishop 
of  Quincy,  111.  The  church  is  now  (Nov.  16,  1878)  without 
a  settled  rector.  A  new  church  edifice  was  completed  in  1876, 
at  a  cost  of  about  §75,000.  It  is  mainly  of  the  Norman  style 
of  architecture,  built  of  Longmeadow  stone,  with  a  rich  variety 
of  cut-stone  trimmings.  It  is  one  of  the  finest  church  edifices 
in  New  England.  The  present  membership  of  the  church  is 
about  500.     Location,  Chestnut  Street  near  State. 

FIRST   BAPTIST   CHURCH. 

This  church  was  organized  in  1819  with  19  persons.  Meet- 
ings were  held  in  churches  and  private  houses  until  1821,  when 
a  church  edifice  26  by  30  feet  was  erected  on  Central  Street, 
east  of  Pine.  The  ministers  during  this  time  were  Elders 
Rand,  Hubbard,  Niles,  Sawyer,  and  Atwell.  In  1832  the 
society  had  increased  to  about  50  members,  and  Rev.  Allen 
Hough  was  appointed  regular  pastor,  and  soon  after  a  new 
church  edifice  was  erected  on  the  corner  of  Maple  and  Mul- 
berry Streets.  In  1846  the  present  church  building  was  built 
on  the  corner  of  Main  Street  and  Harrison  Avenue,  and  was 
dedicated  in  the  following  year. 

The  following  have  officiated  as  pastors  from  the  organiza- 
tion to  the  present  time,  viz.  :  Allen  Hough,  Joseph  Hough, 
Nicholas  Branch,  Benj.  Putnam,  Dwight  Ives,  Hiram  A. 
Graves,  J.  W.  Eaton,  Humphrey  Richards,  M.  G.  Clark,  E. 
E.  Cummings,  George  B.  Ide,  Geo.  E.  Merrill,  and  C.  W. 
Anable,  present  pastor. 

The  church  has  a  membership  of  over  500.  The  present 
deacons  (1878)  are  as  follows,  viz. :  Harvey  Foster,  John  E. 
Taylor,  Isaac  E.  Williams,  and  H.  C.  Martin. 

THE   STATE   STREET   BAPTIST   CHURCH. 

This  church  was  organized  in  1864,  and  services  were  held 
in  Union  Hall  until  the  chapel  of  the  present  elegant  church 
edifice  was  dedicated,  July  8,  1866.  The  first  pastor  of  this 
church  was  Rev.  A.  K.  Potter,  installed  in  January,  1865, 
and  is  the  preseut  incumbent  of  the  pastoral  office.  The 
present  (1878)  officers  of  the  church  are  as  follows,  viz. : 
Nathan   G.   Corning,   John   H.   Lawton,  Alpheus   Hawkes, 

t  Now  bishop  of  Loug  Island. 


856 


HISTORY  OF  THE  CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


Jonas  H.  Hastings,  D.  M.  Chapin,  and  Andrew  Titus,  Dea- 
cons ;  E.  F.  Foster,  Clerk  and  Treasurer.  Location,  State 
Street,  opposite  Dwight  Street. 

THE   PILGRIM   BAPTIST    CHURCH. 

This  church  was  organized  in  1872.  The  old  South  Church 
building,  on  Bliss  Street,  is  occupied  as  a  house  of  worship. 
The  pastors  have  been  Revs.  Spencer  Harris  and  Peter  Smith. 
The  latter  is  the  present  incumbent,  and  was  installed  in  1874. 
The  deacons  are  William  Clark,  James  Branch,  and  Albert 
W.  Parker;  standing  committee,  J.  B.  Nullis,  "William  Tut- 
ten,  and  M.  Mathews. 

ST.    PAUL'S   CHURCH    (UNIVERSALIST). 

The  Universalist  Church  in  this  city  dates  its  origin  back  to 
1827,  when  services  were  held  in  the  armory  chapel,  which 
at  that  time  was  occupied  by  the  Episcopalians  as  a  place  of 
worship.  The  society  afterward  worshiped  in  Military  Hall 
until  184-1,  when  a  new  building  was  erected.  The  present 
church  edifice  was  dedicated  in  18G9. 

The  first  regular  pastor  was  Rev.  D.  J.  Mandell.  The  fol- 
lowing have  served  as  pastors  successively  from  that  time  to 
the  present,  viz.,  A.  A.  Folsom,  R.  P.  Ambler,  J.  W.  Ford, 
J.  Twiss,  J.  Marvin,  H.  R.  Nye,  0.  F.  Saftbrd,  J.  L.  Seward 
(supply),  A.  H.  Sweetser,  Benton  Smith,  and  George  W. 
Perry,  present  pastor. 

The  deacons  of  the  church  (1878 ,i  are  as  follows:  William 
S.  Davis,  George  S.  Lewis,  Sr.,  W.  H.  Winans,  J.  M.  Cur- 
rier, and  W.  B.  Sibley.     Henry  V.  Lewis,  clerk. 

The  present  officers  of  the  society  are  as  follows :  Eliphalet 
Trask,  President;  Dr.  W.  W.  Gardner,  Vice-President;  H. 
S.  Hyde,  George  S.  Lewis;  J.  H.  Lewis,  Clerk;  and  H.  F. 
Trask,  Treasurer. 

THE    METHODIST   EPLSCOPAL   CHURCHES.* 

The  Methodist  denomination  owes  its  origin  to  John  and 
Charles  Wesley,  who,  with  their  associates,  began  a  religious 
movement  in  Oxford  (Eng.)  as  early  as  1729.  The  first 
Methodist  sermon  in  the  United  States  was  preached  in  New 
York  in  1766  by  Philip  Embury,  an  Irish  emigrant.  The  first 
chapel  was  erected  in  John  Street,  New  York,  and  was  dedi- 
cated in  17G8.  The  first  General  Conference  was  held,  and  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  the  United  States  was  organ- 
ized, in  1784.  The  denomination  then  numbered  84  ministers 
and  1.5,000  members.  The  various  Methodist  bodies  in  the 
United  States  now  number  more  than  18,000  ministers  and 
2,500,000  communicants. 

The  early  history  of  Methodism  in  Springfield  is  somewhat 
obscure.  It  is  known  that  Bishop  Asbury  visited  this  town 
as  early  as  1791,  and  preached  his  first  sermon  here  July  15th 
of  that  year.  He  makes  this  record  of  the  service  in  his  jour- 
nal :  ''The  people  were  moved,  and  one  individual  was  under 
deep  conviction."  Bishop  Asbury  was  soon  followed  by  other 
Methodist  itinerants.  The  earliest  of  these  whose  names  can 
now  be  gathered,  who  visited  Springfield  between  the  years 
1791  and  1797,  were  A.  Hunt,  Joshua  Hall,  Thomas  Cooper, 
Menzies  Raynor,  Joseph  Lovel,  H.  Smith,  George  Pickering, 
N.  Snethen,  Hope  Hull,  and  John  Finnegan.  It  is  probable 
also  that  Jesse  Lee,  the  apostle  of  New  England  Methodism, 
visited  Springfield  during  this  period. 

Preaching  services  were  held  in  the  houses  of  Mr.  Sykes 
and  Deacon  John  Ashley,  and  a  class  of  about  15  members 
was  organized. 

In  "Stevens'  Memorial  of  Methodism,"  we  are  informed  that 
in  1796  a  daughter  of  this  Deacon  Ashley,  who  had  married 
Mr.  John  Langdon  and  removed  to  Vermont,  received  a  letter 
from  her  father  stating  that  "a  new  sect  of  preachers  had 
visited  Springfield,  called  Methodists,  and  that  they  went  out 
two  and  two  like  the  apostles  of  old,  traveled  circuits,  and 

*  By  Eev.  William  Eira,  D.D. 


preached  free  salvation  to  all  men."  Langdon  became  so  in- 
terested to  know  something  of  this  new  sect  that  he  immedi- 
ately started  for  Springfield,  and  traveled  over  two  hundred 
miles  that  he  might  hear  the  new  preachers  for  himself. 
Through  their  preaching  he  was  converted  to  the  new  faith, 
and  be<'ame  himself  a  Methodist  minister. 

A  little  later  than  this  period  we  find  the  names  of  Rev. 
Messrs.  George  Roberts,  Henry  Eames,  and  Augustus  Joselyn 
among  the  ministers  who  visited  Springfield.  Owing  to 
deaths  and  removals  to  the  West  the  little  society  subsequently 
dwindled,  and  Springfield  ceased  to  be  visited  by  the  circuit 
preachers.  We  find,  however,  that  from  1801  to  1815  occa- 
sional services  continued  to  be  held  by  local  preachers  living 
in  the  neighboring  towns. 

In  1815  the  society  was  reorganized  by  Rev.  Wm.  Marsh, 
and  connected  with  the  Tolland  (Conn.)  circuit,  to  which  the 
following  ministers  were  appointed  :  in  1815,  William  Marsh 
and  Orrin  Roberts :  in  1810,  S.  Winchester  and  Nathan  Paine, 
and  probably  Timothy  Merritt  for  a  portion  of  the  year ;  in 
1817,  Benjamin  Sabin  and  S.  Winchester;  in  1818,  Leonard 
Bennett  and  Hezekiah  Davis. 

Springfield  became  a  separate  station  in  1819,  and  Rev. 
Daniel  Dorchester,  father  of  the  present  pastor  of  the  State 
Street  Methodist  Church,  was  appointed  preacher.  The  meet- 
ings were  held  alternately  at  the  "water-shops"  and  in  the 
armory  chapel  on  the  "Hill."  At  the  "  water-shops"  the 
meetings  were  held  in  the  old  school-house,  which  stood  near 
the  corner  of  Hancock  and  Central  Streets,  until  it  was  closed 
against  them  by  vote  of  the  district ;  then  in  private  houses, 
sometimes  in  the  barn  of  David  Rice,  and  sometimes  in  a 
grove.  In  the  winter  of  1819,  Mr.  Dorchester,  in  addition  to 
the  duties  of  his  pastorate,  taught  a  school  in  the  old  block- 
house on  the  armory-grounds.  In  the  spring  of  1820,  77 
members  were  reported  to  the  Conference. 

In  the  summer  of  1820,  Rev.  Moses  Fifield  was  appointed  to 
this  charge.  He  held  services  at  the  "  water-shops,"  at  the  ar- 
mory chapel,  and  also  at  the  old  court-house.  During  this  year 
a  chapel  was  erected  at  the  "  water-shops,"  which  was  sub- 
sequently called  Asbury  Chapel.  This  chapel  was  28  feet  b3' 
36,  a  plain  structure,  unpainted  in  the  interior.  The  subscrip- 
tion for  its  erection  was  signed  by  27  persons,  and  the  amount 
subscribed  was  $300.  The  members  in  those  days  were  few  in 
numbers  and  feeble  in  their  pecuniary  ability,  as  indeed  at 
that  time  was  the  denomination  they  represented.  In  all 
Massachusetts,  the  year  this  chapel  was  erected,  there  were 
but  15  Methodist  churches. 

Mr.  Fifield  was  reappointed  in  1821,  and  was  assisted  by 
Rev.  Thomas  Asbury,  a  local  preacher,  who  was  employed  by 
the  presiding  elder.  During  this  year  preaching  services  were 
held  by  them  in  the  surrounding  towns  also,  and  a  society  was 
organized  at  Warehouse  Point,  in  Connecticut,  which  became 
the  ne.\t  year  a  separate  church.  Mr.  Fifield  was  followed  in 
1822  by  Rev.  Thomas  C.  Pierce,  and  in  1823  and  1824  by 
Rev.  John  W.  Hardy. 

In  1823,  during  the  ministry  of  Mr.  Hardy,  a  new  church 
was  erected  on  Union  Street,  and  to  this  new  house  the  old 
organization  was  transferred,  although  meetings  were  occa- 
sionally held  at  the  "water-shops."  In  1825,  Rev.  D.  Dor- 
chester was  once  more  stationed  over  this  society,  which  then 
numbered  131  members.  He  was  followed  in  1826  by  Rev. 
Daniel  Webb ;  in  1827  and  1828  by  Rev.  Timothy  Merritt ; 
and  in  1829  by  Rev.  Orange  Scott.  Under  the  labors  of  Mr. 
Scott  a  great  revival  occurred,  and  about  75  persons  were 
added  to  the  church.  In  1830,  Rev.  Thomas  C.  Pierce  was 
reappointed  to  this  charge,  and  was  continued  in  the  pastorate 
in  1831.  In  1832  and  1833,  Rev.  Hiram  H.  White  was  the 
pastor. 

Preaching  was  resumed  at  A.sbury  Chapel,  and  Mr.  White 
was  assisted  in  1832  by  Rev.  Sanford  Benton,  and  in  1833  by 
Rev.  M.  Dwight.     In  1834,  Rev.  Bartholomew  Otheman  was 


HISTORY  OF   HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


857 


the  pastor,  and  Kev.  George  F.  Poole  was  the  assistant.  During 
these  years  preaching  was  maintained  in  both  houses,  but 
there  was  only  one  church  organization,  and  the  ministers 
exchanged  pulpits,  preaching  half  of  the  day  at  each  chapel. 
Another  great  revival  occurred  in  1834,  and  the  membership 
was  increased  to  346.  The  following  j-ear  the  society  was  di- 
vided into  two  separate  churches,  and  a  pastor  was  appointed 
to  each. 

We  have  now  traced  the  history  of  the  society  down  to  the 
time  when  a  second  separate  church  was  organized.  We  find, 
by  a  reference  to  the  old  records,  that  the  salaries  paid  to  the 
ministers  during  this  early  period  were  very  small.  In  1826 
the  estimate  for  the  preacher  was  §200,  and  the  same  estimate 
was  made  in  1828,  and  at  no  period  down  to  1834  was  it  prob- 
ably more  than  §3-50  or  |400. 

This  church  became  interested  at  an  early  date  in  the  tem- 
perance movement.  One  of  the  first  temperance  societies  in 
the  United  States  was  the  American  Temperance  Union,  or- 
ganized in  Boston  in  1826.  We  find  that  the  Quarterly  Con- 
ference of  the  Methodist  Church  in  Springfield  in  the  same 
year  voted  to  discountenance  the  use  of  intoxicating  drinks, 
and  appointed  a  committee  to  make  arrangements  for  the  for- 
mation of  a  temperance  society.  The  early  records  of  the 
church  show  also  that  provision  was  made  for  the  formation 
of  Sunday-.schools  connected  with  the  congregation,  and  in 
the  remote  districts  of  the  town;  and  that  an  interest  was 
taken  in  the  great  benevolent  enterprises  of  the  church.  At 
a  very  early  date.  Missionary,  Tract,  and  Bible  Societies  were 
organized  auxiliary  to  the  parent  societies  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church.  Careful  and  systematic  provision  ■was  also 
made  for  the  relief  of  the  poor  connected  with  the  congrega- 
tion. 

About  the  close  of  this  period  the  anti-slavery  discu.ssion 
began  to  agitate  the  Northern  churches.  We  find  at  a  Quar- 
terly Conference,  in  July,  1835,  at  Asbury  Chapel,  the  follow- 
ing resolution  was  passed:  "Voted,  to  close  the  house  to  all 
lectures  on  Colonization  and  Abolition,  unless  a  majority  of 
the  society  shall  vote  to  have  it  opened  to  the  same."  As  an 
indication  of  the  rapid  progress  of  anti-slavery  sentiment,  we 
find  that  before  the  year  closed  this  action  was  rescinded. 
Henceforth  the  Springfield  Methodist  Church,  in  common 
with  the  Methodist  Churches  of  New  England  generally, 
was  in  S3mpathy  with  the  anti-slavery  movement. 

The  presiding  elders  of  the  Springfield  district  of  the  New 
England  Conference  from  1815  to  1834  were  Rev.  Asa  Kent, 
Kev.  E.  Otis,  Eev.  J.  A.  Merrill,  Kev.  John  Lindsey,  Bev.  I). 
Kilbon,  and  Rev.  O.  Scott. 

ASBURY    CHAPEL    (NOW   FLORENCE   STREET)    METHODIST 
EPISCOPAL   CHURCH. 

The  pastors  at  Asbury  Chapel  from  1835  to  1844  were  the 
following :  1835,  Rev.  Ebenezer  Blake ;  1836  and  1837,  Rev. 
Hiram  H.  White;  1838,  Rev.  Jonathan  D.  Bridge;  1839, 
Rev.  W.  H.  Richards:  1840  and  1841,  Rev.  E.  Potter;  1842, 
Rev.  J.  Fleming;  1843,  Rev.  Edward  A.  Manning. 

In  1844  a  new  church  was  organized  (now  Trinity  Church), 
and  a  new  church  edifice  was  erected  on  Pynchon  Street,  and 
the  membership  of  Asbury  Chapel  was  transferred  to  the  new 
organization.  About  the  year  1856  preaching  was  resumed 
at  Asbury  Chapel,  and  the  pulpit  was  supplied  by  Rev.  Miner 
Haymond,  D.D.,  principal  of  the  Wesleyiin  Academy,  at  Wil- 
braham. 

.  In  1860  the  society  was  constituted  once  more  a  separate 
church,  and  Rev.  Samuel  Jackson  became  pastor.  He  was 
reappointed  in  1861.  Rev.  John  C.  Smith  was  appointed  to 
the  church  in  1862  and  1863,  Rev.  Pliny  Wood  in  1864  and 
1865,  and  Rev.  N.  Fellows  in  1866.  In  1866  a  new  church 
edifice  was  erected  on  Florence  Street,  which  was  dedicated  in 
November,  Bishop  Simpson  preaching  the  dedication  sermon. 
The  name  of  the  church  was  now  changed  from  Asbury 
108 


Chapel  to  Florence  Street.  The  pastors  from  1867  to  the 
present  time  have  been  the  following :  1867,  Rev.  N.  Fel- 
lows ;  1868-69,  Rev.  Samuel  Roy ;  1870-72,  Rev.  Charles  D. 
Hills.  In  1871  the  church  edifice  was  remodeled  and  beau- 
tified, and  a  new  and  convenient  chapel  was  erected.  In 
1873-75,  Rev.  F.  K.  Stratton  was  the  pastor;  1876-77,  Kev. 
W.  C.  High.  In  1878,  Rev.  Joseph  Scott,  the  present  pastor, 
Avas  appointed  to  the  charge.  The  present  number  of  church 
members  is  207.  The  Sabbath-school  numbers  23  oflicers  and 
teachers  and  268  scholars,  and  has  a  library  of  about  500 
volumes.  The  church  edifice  is  valued  at  lj25,000.  The 
board  of  trustees  are  Horace  Smith,  Amos  Crosby,  C.  V. 
R.  Au.stin,  A.  J.  White,  J.  M.  Foster,  George  Nye,  Marcus 
Mills,  Marcellus  Piuney,  Samuel  Chapin. 

UNION    STREET    (NOW   STATE    STREET)    METHODIST    EPISCOPAL 
CHURCH. 

The  pastoi's  at  the  Union  Street  Church,  after  the  final  sep- 
aration from  Asbury  Chapel  in  1835,  were  as  follows :  183-5- 
36,  Kev.  A.  D.  Jlerrill ;  1837,  Kev.  William  Livesey ;  1838- 
39,  Rev.  John  Rice  ;  1840,  Rev.  Charles  K.  True,  D.D. ;  1841- 
42,  Rev.  Mark  Staples;  1843,  Rev.  Daniel  Wise,  D.D.;  1844, 
Kev.  K.  S.  Rust,  D.D. ;  1845,  Rev.  A.  D.  Merrill ;  1846,  Rev. 
W.  R.  Clarke,  D.D. ;  1847-48,  Rev.  George  Landon;  1849-50, 
Rev.  J.  W.  Mowrey;  1851,  Rev.  Francis  A.  Griswold;  18-52- 
53,  Rev.  M.  Dwight;  18-54-55,  Rev.  Charles  P.  Bragden;  1856, 
Kev.  Jonas  M.  Bailey;  1857,  Rev.  Oliver  S.  Howe;  1858-59, 
Eev.  A.  0.  Hamilton;  1860-61,  Rev.  Daniel  Steel,  D.D. ; 
1862,  Rev.  Isaac  Cushman ;  1863-65,  Rev.  Nelson  Stutson ; 
1866-68,  Rev.  Joseph  Scott ;  1869-71,  Rev.  Joseph  H.  Mans- 
field; 1872,  Kev.  John  C.  Smith;  1873-75,  Rev.  R.  R.  Mere- 
dith. In  1871  an  eifort  was  begun  for  the  erection  of  a  new 
church  edifice  on  State  Street.  The  building  was  completed 
in  1873,  and  was  dedicated  Nov.  25th  of  that  year.  The  ded- 
ication sermon  was  preached  by  Bishoj)  Wiley.  The  new 
church  is  a  convenient  and  beautiful  structure,  especially  in 
its  interior  arrangements,  and  was  erected  at  a  cost  of  .$70,000. 
It  seats  about  1000  people.  In  1876,  Rev.  M.  Hulburd  be- 
came the  pastor,  followed  in  1877  by  Hev.  J.  H.  Twombly, 
D.D.  In  1878  the  present  pastor,  Kev.  Daniel  Dorchester, 
D.D.,  was  appointed  to  the  charge.  The  present  number  of 
church  members  is  320;  probationers,  16.  There  are  two 
Sabbath-schools  connected  with  the  church,  with  42  otficers 
and  teachers  and  362  scholars,  and  about  600  volumes  in  the 
library.  The  trustees  are  Willis  Phelps,  Henry  W.  Phelps, 
Amaziah  Mayo,  J.  Q.  A.  Sexton,  C.  M.  Mather,  M.  Hough- 
ton, J.  S.  Carr,  A.  G.  Bennett,  A.  P.  Leshure. 

PYNCHON   STREET    (NOW   TRINITY)    METHODIST    EPISCOPAL 
CHURCH. 

The  Pynchon  Street  Church  was  organized  in  1844,  and 
numbered  at  its  organization  about  forty  members.  Some  of 
the  first  services  of  the  society  were  held  in  the  Worthington 
Street  grove.  The  church  on  Pynchon  Street  was  comiileted 
and  dedicated  in  March,  1845.  The  dedication  sermon  was 
preached  by  Rev.  Dr.  Olin,  president  of  the  Wesleyan  Uni- 
versity. Rev.  Jefl'erson  Haskell,  D.D.,  was  the  first  pastor. 
He  was  followed  in  1845  by  Rev.  George  Landon,  who  was 
reappointed  in  1846.  In  1847-48,  Rev.  Mark  Trafton,  D.D., 
was  pastor.  In  1849--50,  Rev.  Isaac  A.  Savage ;  in  1851-52, 
Rev.  J.  D.  Bridge;  1853-54,  Rev.  Fales  II.  Newhall,  D.D. 

During  the  pastorate  of  Mr.  Newhall  the  church  edifice  was 
enlarged  and  improved.  In  1855,  Rev.  J.  Hascall,  D.D.,  was 
appointed,  and  remained  through  1856.  In  1857  and  1858, 
Kev.  Mark  Trafton,  D.D.,  was  pastor.  In  1859-60,  Kev.  N. 
Stutson  ;  1861,  Rev.  J.  S.  Barrows ;  1862-63,  Rev.  A.  McKeon, 
D.D.  ;  1864-66,  Rev.  W.  R.  Clarke,  D.D. ;  1867-69,  Rev. 
Chas.  D.  Hills. 

In  1869  the  Pynchon  Street  Church  erected  a  new  church 
edifice  on  Bridge  Street.     The  new  church  is  of  the  Roman- 


858 


HISTORY  OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


esque  style  of  architecture,  122  feet  long  and  74  feet  wide, 
with  a  tower  and  spire  185  feet  high.  It  is  admirably  lighted 
and  ventilated,  has  a  vestry-room  68  by  70|.a  juvenile  Sunday- 
school  room,  and  various  other  conveniences  for  social  and 
business  meetings.  The  new  edifice  cost,  including  the 
land,  §73,000.  The  name  of  the  church  was  changed,  on  its 
removal  to  the  new  building,  from  Pynchon  Street  to  Trinity 
Church.  The  pastors  in  the  new  church  have  been  the  follow- 
ing :  1809,  Kev.  C.  D.  Hills;  1870-75,  Key.  J.  O.  Peek,  U.D.  ; 
1873-75,  Rev.  Merritt  Hulburd ;  1876-78,  Rev.  S.  F.  Upham, 
D.D. 

The  membership  now  numbers  481 ;  probationers,  44.  There 
are  two  Sunday-schools  connected  with  the  church,  with  50 
officers  and  teachers,  425  scholars,  and  600  volumes  in  its 
library.  The  trustees  are  L.  E.  Ladd,  Dr.  Horace  Jacobs, 
G.  B.  Treadwell,  Wm.  H.  Smith,  Milton  Bradley,  L.  C. 
Smith,  George  L.  Wright,  and  Warner  F.  Sturtevant.  The 
society  owns  a  parsonage  on  Elliot  Street,  valued  at  |12,000. 

GRACE   METHODIST    EPISCOPAL   CHURCH. 

The  Grace  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  was  organized  in 
1867,  with  29  members,  who  had  previously  been  connected 
with  the  Pynchon  Street  (now  Trinity)  Church.  Tlie  first 
services  of  the  new  organization  were  held  in  Union  Hall, 
where  the  society  worshiped  for  two  years.  They  then  re- 
moved to  Institute  Hall,  where  they  remained  for  six  months. 
They  then  removed  to  the  old  Universalist  Church,  on  Main 
Street,  where  they  remained  until  the  completion  of  the  vestry 
of  the  new  and  beautiful  church  edifice  erected  by  the  society 
at  the  corner  of  Main  and  Winthrop  Streets.  The  new  church 
is  68  by  110  feet,  with  a  tower  182  feet  high.  It  is  of  the 
Romanesque  style  of  architecture,  and  was  erected  at  an  ex- 
pense of  about  $70,000.  The  vestry  was  opened  for  public 
worship  in  October,  1874,  and  the  church  was  completed  the 
following  winter,  and  was  dedicated  Jan.  19,  1875,  Bishop 
Bowman  preaching  the  dedication  sermon. 

Before  the  erection  of  the  new  building,  the  church  was 
known  as  the  Central  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  The 
pastors  have  been  as  follows:  1867-68,  Rev.  Chas.  A.  Merrill ; 
1869,  Rev.  Miner  Raymond,  D.D.  ;  1870-71,  Rev.  Charles  T. 
Johnson  ;  1872,  J.  K.  Liddy  ;  1873-75,  Rev.  J.  A.  Cass  ;  1876- 
77,  Rev.  E.  A.  Smith ;  1878,  Rev.  J.  O.  Knowles. 

The  present  number  of  members  is  219,  and  probationers 
29.  The  Sabbath-school  connected  with  the  church  has  28 
officers  and  teachers,  302  scholars,  and  500  volumes  in  the 
library.  The  trustees  are  A.  J.  Pease,  Elijah  Nichols,  C.  W. 
Horsington,  W.  B.  Crook,  O.  K.  Merrill,  Alonzo  Converse, 
Wm.  H.  Smith,  G.  P.  Stebbins. 

The  presiding  elders  of  the  Springfield  district  of  the  New 
England  Conference  from  1834  to  1879  were  Revs.  J.  A.  Mer- 
ritt, D.  Dorchester,  R.  Ransom,  A.  D.  Sargeant,  Amos  Bin- 
ney,  P.  Crandall,  Charles  Baker,  Thomas  Marcy,  William 
Gordon,  R.  W.  Allen,  David  Sherman,  D.D.,  L.  R.  Thayer, 
D.D.,  G.  Whitaker,  and  D.  H.  Ela,  D.D. 

UNION  AMERICAN  METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH  (COLORED). 

This  church  was  organized  in  1865,  and  during  the  same 
year  the  "  Soldiers'  Rest"  building  was  purchased,  and  moved 
to  Loring  Street  and  fitted  up  for  worship.  The  first  pastor 
was  Rev.  George  Bailey.  Other  pastors  have  been  as  follows  : 
Wm,  H.  Thompson,  Wm.  Walker,  and  J.  H.  Cook,  present 
pastor. 

The  present  membership  is  about  24.  The  trustees  for  1878 
were  as  follows :  I.  J.  Wilmore,  Wm.  H.  Thompson,  Chas. 
Rhodes,  Chas.  L.  Lawson,  Geo.  Washington,  Edward  J. 
Williams,  and  Samuel  Debtor. 

ST.  MICHAEL'S   CATHEDRAL    (CATHOLIC). 

Mass  was  first  said  in  this  city  in  about  the  year  1856.  Ser- 
vices were  first  held  in  Military  Hall,  and  in  1847  the  Baptist 
Church  building,  corner  Maple  and   Mulberry  Streets,  was 


purchased,  and  moved  to  East  Main,  where  it  was  refitted 
and  dedicated  in  April  of  the  same  year. 

The  church  was  called  St.  Benedict's,  and  G.  T.  Kiorden 
was  first  pastor.  He  was  followed  by  J.  J.  Doherty,  M. 
Blenkinsop,  and  M.  P.  Gallagher.  The  rapid  increase  of  the 
society  soon  necessitated  the  erection  of  a  much  larger  church 
edifice,  and  a  lot  was  purchased  on  the  corner  of  State  and 
Elliott  Streets,  and  a  new  building  commenced,  which  was 
dedicated  Sept.  29,  1866,  as  St.  Michael's  Cathedral.  This 
church  building  is  beautifully  located  on  State  Street,  and  is 
one  of  the  finest  and  largest  cathedrals  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
Church  in  New  England.  Father  Gallagher  died  in  1869, 
and  from  this  time  until  the  arrival  of  the  bishop,  in  1870, 
the  parish  was  under  the  charge  of  Very  Rev.  Patrick  Healey, 
Vicar-General. 

The  cathedral  is  under  charge  of  Right  Rev.  P.  T.  O'Reilly, 
D.D.,  bishop  of  Springfield,  who,  as  mentioned  above,  as- 
sumed control  in  1870.  Bishop  O'Reilly  is  assisted  by  Revs. 
C.  E.  Burke  and  J.  McCarty.  The  congregation  numbers 
neifrly  6000. 

THE    CHAPEL    OF   THE   SACRED    HEART    (CATHOLIc). 

This  church  was  founded  in  1874,  and  is  an  oifshoot  from 
St.  Michael's  Cathedral.  It  is  located  on  Everett  Street,  and 
is  under  the  charge  of  Rev.  J.  J.  McDermott,  assisted  by  Rev. 
James  F.  Fitzgerald.  It  has  a  congregation  of  about  4500 
and  a  Sunday-school  of  700. 

ST.  JOSEPH'S    CHURCH  (FRENCH    CATHOLIC) 

is  located  on  Howard  Street,  near  Water.  There  is  a  large 
French  population  in  the  city,  of  whom  700  are  communi- 
cants here.     The  present  pastor  is  Rev.  L.  G.  Gagnier. 

THE   SECOND   ADVENT   SOCIETY 

was  organized  in  about  the  year  1860,  and  its  first  pastor  was 
J.  G.  Adams.  The  society  at  present  worships  in  Central 
Hall. 

THE   NEW   JERUSALEM    CHURCH,    OR   SWEDENBORGIAN, 

was  founded  in  1853.  The  pastor  and  the  services  of  this 
church  are  supported  by  voluntary  offerings.  The  present 
pastor  is  Rev.  Stephen  Jepson. 

THE    FREE    RELIGIOUS   SOCIETY    OF   SPIRITUALISTS 

holds  meetings  in  Sovereigns'  Hall.     Membership,  100. 

FAITH    CHAPEL 

is  located  at  the  south  end  corner  of  Pleasant  Avenue,  and  was 
formerly  connected  with  the  South  Congregational  Church, 
but  for  the  past  four  years  has  been  self-supporting.  S. 
Warner,  superintendent  of  Sabbath-school. 

BURIAL-PLACES. 
THE   SPRINGFIELD   CEMETERY. 

Not  only  did  the  stout-hearted  pioneers  of  1636  early 
manifest  an  interest  in  educational  and  religious  matters,  but 
a  desirable  location  for  the  burial  of  their  dead  was  imme- 
diately sought,  and  what  was  known  as  the  old  burying- 
ground,  on  the  river-bank,  was  doubtless  opened  in  the  first 
years  of  the  settlement. 

The  first  death  recorded  in  the  early  records  of  Springfield 
is  as  follows:  "John  Hoble  [or  Noble]  dyed  2  mo.  24  day, 
and  buryed  y*  2.5th,  1041."  This  was  five  years  after  the  set- 
tlement of  the  town  ;  and  it  seems  improbable  that,  in  a  colony 
at  that  time  numbering  27  families,  no  death  should  have  oc- 
curred during  that  period. 

It  is  not  a  little  singular  that  none  of  the  twelve  persons'to 
whom  allotments  of  land  were  made  in  1030  died  or  were 
buried  here,  and  none,  it  is  believed,  except  Mr.  Pynchon,  left 
descendants  who  died  here. 

The  oldest  monument  found  in  the  old  grounds,  and  re- 
moved to  the  new  cemetery,  was  to  the  memory  of  Mrs.  Mary 


HISTORY  OF  HAMPDEN  COUNTY. 


859 


Holyoke,  a  daughter  of  William   Pynchon,  a  fac-similc  of 
which,  with  its  inscription,  may  be  found  on  page  32. 

In  1834  the  subject  of  providing  a  new  cemetery  was  first 
presented  to  the  people  of  the  then  thriving  village  of  Spring- 
field by  Kev.  William  B.  0.  Peabody.  It  required  no  pro- 
phetic vision  to  see  that  the  day  was  not  far  distant  when  the 
resting-places  of  the  "forefathers  of  the  hamlet"  would  be 
encroached  upon  by  the  march  of  progress,  as  the  village  at 
that  time  was  extending  its  limits  and  rapidly  increasing  in 
population.  The  movement  thus  inaugurated  by  the  vener- 
able divine  assumed  no  tangible  form  until  Oct.  4,  1840,  when 
an  informal  meeting  of  a  few  citizens  was  held  to  consider  the 
feasibility  of  purchasing  grounds  and  organizing  a  cemetery 
association.  At  this  meeting  committees  were  appointed  to 
select  and  report  a  location,  and  to  prepare  articles  of  associa- 
tion. 

At  a  meeting  held  March  28,  1841,  it  was  voted  to  purchase 
of  Alexander  Bliss  that  portion  of  the  present  premises  known 
as  "  Martha's  Dingle,"  being  about  20  acres  in  extent.  Suit- 
able access  to  the  same  was  provided  for,  and  measures  taken 
to  perfect  a  legal  organization. 

At  a  meeting,  over  which  Hon.  George  Ashmun  presided, 
a  committee,  consisting  of  John  Howard,  Justice  Willard, 
Elijah  Blake,  Chester  W.  Chapin,  and  Asa  Flagg,  presented 
substantially  the  present  system  of  organization,  and  it  was 
adopted.  A  board  of  seven  trustees  was  provided  for  and 
chosen,  and  the  Eev.  W.  B.  0.  Peabody  elected  president, — an 
office  which  he  continued  to  fill  till  his  death,  in  1847.  Elijah 
Blake  was  elected  treasurer,  and  the  following  gentlemen  com- 
posed the  first  board  of  trustees,  to  wit :  Chester  Harding, 
Philip  Wilcox,  George  Dwight,  Joseph  Weatherhead,  George 
Eaton,  Samuel  Raynolds,  and  Walter  H.  Bowdoin.  Subscrip- 
tions were  opened  for  shares  at  §10  each,  which,  on  the  1st  day 
of  June,  1841,  amounted  to  .53070. 

Sept.  5,  1841,  the  cemetery  was  appropriately  consecrated, 
the  dedicatory  address  being  delivered  by  Eev.  Mr.  Peabody. 
The  work  of  laying  out,  grading,  planting,  ornamenting,  and 
fencing  was  commenced  at  once,  and  has  been  continued  to 
the  present  time.  The  grounds  have  been  enlarged  by  several 
subsequent  purchases,  and  by  the  annexation  of  the  old  bury- 
ing-ground  belonging  to  the  Union  Street  Methodist  Episcopal 
Society,  at  a  nominal  price,  in  18-58,  after  negotiations  extend- 
ing through  thirteen  years,  and  they  now  contain  about  39 
acres  of  land,  at  a  total  original  cost  of  about  §10,300,  and  in- 
clude the  premises  on  Mulberry  Street,  occupied  by  the  superin- 
tendent. The  Methodist  burying-ground,  adjoining  the  ceme- 
tery, contained  about  three  and  one-fourth  acres.  It  was 
dedicated  and  first  used  for  burial  purposes  in  1825.  The  first 
person  buried  therein  was  an  infant  child  of  Samuel  McNary, 
who  died  on  the  12th  of  December,  1825. 

A  receiving  vault  was  constructed  in  1841,  and  was  enlarged 
in  1856.  In  1873  the  present  vault  was  built,  at  a  cost,  aside 
from  the  necessary  grading,  of  |11,50.5.58.  It  was  constructed 
in  the  best  manner  and  upon  the  most  approved  model, — that 
of  Forest  Hills  Cemetery,  Boston. 

In  1848  the  title  to  the  old  burying-ground  was  conveyed  to 
the  proprietors  of  the  new  cemetery,  and  2404  bodies  were  re- 
moved to  the  new  grounds.  Five  hundred  and  seventeen  old 
monuments  and  tablets  were  also  removed.  All  remains  hav- 
ing no  monuments  and  not  recognized  were  deposited  together, 
and  a  common  monument  erected  designating  the  fact.  The 
whole  inclosure  was  surrounded  by  a  hedge,  and  a  monument 
commemorative  of  these  removals  and  reinterments  was  erected 
near  the  entrance  on  Pine  Street. 

The  whole  number  of  lots  sold  from  1841  to  1878  is  2037 ;  to 
which  adding  the  number  of  lots  in  the  Methodist  ground  at 
the  time  of  its  annexation  makes  the  total  number,  May  1, 
1878,  2300.  The  total  number  of  burials  to  Jan.  1,  1878,  was 
9902. 

While,  perhaps,  it  cannot  be  said  that  any  of  those  buried 


in  the  Springfield  Cemetery  have  "controlled  the  destinies  of 
the  nation,"  yet  there  are  many  who  have  exercised  not  a  little 
influence,  especially  in  this  locality,  in  the  various  walks  of 
life,  and  left  the  impress  of  their  character  upon  the  times  in 
which  they  lived. 

A  beautiful  and  appropriate  monument  to  the  memory  of 
the  soldiers  and  sailors  of  the  late  Rebellion  who  were  buried 
in  the  cemetery  was  completed  and  placed  in  a  conspicuous 
position  near  the  Maple  Street  entrance,  and  dedicated  on 
"  Decoration  Day,"  1877.  The  expense  of  it,  $4200,  was  paid 
from  the  balance  of  what  is  known  as  the  "  Soldiers'  Rest 
Fund,"  which  had  its  origin  in  a  fair  held  in  this  city  in  1864, 
on  December  19th  to  24th  inclusive,  to  establish  a  "soldiers" 
rest"  near  the  railroad  station,  where  soldiers  going  to  or  com- 
ing from  "  the  front,"  and  needing  rest  or  medical  assistance, 
could  receive  it.  After  the  close  of  the  war  the  income  of  the 
fund  so  far  as  needed  was  used  in  various  ways  in  alleviating 
the  wants  of  soldiers  and  their  families,  and  finally  the  balance 
in  the  hands  of  the  treasurer,  Henry  S.  Lee,  Esq.,  was  ex- 
pended as  above.  The  four  bronze  cannon  and  the  shot  placed 
on  the  lot  near  the  monument  were  presented  by  the  United 
States  government,  at  the  solicitation  of  Hon.  C.  C.  ChaflTee 
and  Hon.  H.  L.  Dawes. 

The  history  of  the  cemetery  would  be  incomplete  without 
mention  of  those  who  labored  for  its  organization  and  develop- 
ment, and  aided  to  make  it  an  institution  worthy  of  the  support 
and  an  object  of  pride  to  the  citizens  of  Springfield, — notably  of 
Eev.  Wm.  B.  O.  Peabody,  the  founder  and  steadfast  friend  of 
the  institution  ;  Hon.  George  Bliss,  to  whom  the  association 
is  indebted  for  much  of  the  labor  in  perfecting  and  conduct- 
ing the  enterprise  ;  and  of  George  Eaton,  who,  in  its  early 
days,  devoted  himself  with  untiring  assiduity  to  the  laying 
out,  planting,  and  ornamenting  of  the  grounds  ;  and  of  Apol- 
los  Marsh,  who  so  faithfully  discharged  the  difficult  duties  of 
superintendent  for  a  period  of  more  than  28  years,  to  the  en- 
tire satisfaction  of  all  who  had  to  do  with  the  affairs  of  the 
association. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  officers  of  the  association  from 
its  organization  to  1878  :  Presidents  :  William  B.  0.  Peabody, 
1841_4-  (died  in  office) ;  George  Bliss,  1847-73  (died  in  office) ; 
Albert  D.  Briggs,  1873.  Treasurers:  Elijah  Blake,  1841-42; 
Lewis  Warriner,  1842-50;  Lewis  Gorham,  18-50-68  (died  in 
office)  ;  Frederick  H.  Harris,  1868.  Clerks :  Lewis  Warriner, 
1841-50;  Lewis  Gorham  18-50-68  (died  in  office);  Frederick 
H.Harris,  1868.  Superintendents:  Apollos  Marsh,  1841-69 
(died  in  office) ;  Joseph  Marsh,  1869-70  (died  in  office) ;  James 

C.  Shamp,  1870. 

While  the  natural  beauty  of  the  cenietery  is  unsurpassed, 
it  seems  that  Art  has  vied  with  Nature  in  rendering  it  one  of 
the  most  enchanting  burial-places  in  the  States.  What  Mount 
Hope  is  to  Rochester,  Greenwood  to  New  York,  or  Laurel 
Hill  to  Philadelphia  is  the  Springfield  Cemetery  to  this  beau- 
tiful and  famous  city.  (The  above  history  was  compiled  from 
the  excellent  "Historical  Memoirs  of  the  Springfield  Ceme- 
tery," written  by  the  president  of  the  Association,  Mr.  Albert 

D.  Briggs.) 

THE  PRESS. 

The  first  paper  published  in  Western  Massachusetts  was  the 
Massac/iusetts  Gazette  or  The  Springfield  and  Northampton 
General  Advertiser,  established  in  Springfield  in  May,  1782. 
It  was  Issued  by  Babcock  &  Haswell,  and  had  for  its  motto, 
"  'Tis  not  in  mortals  to  command  success,  but  we'll  do  more, 
—deserve  it."  In  August,  1782,  the  name  of  the  paper  was 
changed  to  Massachusetts  Gazette  and  General  Adcertiser. 
In  1784,  Mr.  Haswell  had  retired,  and  some  time  during  the 
same  year  Mr.  Babcock  disposed  of  the  concern  to  Brooks  & 
Russeil,  and  on  the  1st  of  January  of  the  following  year  the 
name  of  the  Massachusetts  Gazette  was  changed  to  the  Hamp- 
shire Herald  and  Weekly  Advertiser.  In  June  the  paper  ap^ 
peared  with  the  name  of  John  Russell  only,  and  in  August, 


860 


HISTORY   OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


1786,  it  bore  the  imprint  of  Stebliins  &  Russell.  It  was  dis- 
continued in  1787. 

Tlir.  Hampshire  U/iroiiicte  viaa  establislicd  in  March,  1787, 
by  John  Russell,  of  the  firm  of  Stebbins  &  Russell,  the  pub- 
lishers of  the  Advertiser,  mentioned  above.  It  passed  into 
the  hands  of  Welds  &  Thomas  in  1788,  their  printing-office 
occupying  the  present  site  of  the  Chicopee  National  Bank, 
corner  of  Main  and  Elm  Streets.  In  1790,  Mr.  Welds  issued 
the  sheet  alone,  and  in  1792  it  appeared  as  the  Hampshire 
and  Berkshire  Chronicle.  In  179.3  it  was  issued  by  Edward 
Grey,  and  soon  after  discontinued. 

The  Federal  Spy  was  established  by  J.  R.  Hutebins,  in 
Januai-y,  1793,  and,  like  its  predecessors,  its  change  of  pro- 
prietorship was  frequent.  It  was  successively  published  by 
John  Worthington  Hooker  &  Francis  Stebbins,  Francis 
Stebbins  alone,  Timothy  Ashley,  Henry  Brewer,  and  Thos. 
Dickman.  Mr.  Dickman  changed  its  name  to  the  Hampshire 
Federalist,  and  continued  its  publication  until  1819,  when  he 
sold  it  to  Frederick  A.  Packard.  About  this  time  A.  G. 
Tannatt  became  a  partner,  and  the  paper  was  issued  by  A. 
G.  Tannatt  &  Co.,  and  changed  to  the  Hampden  Federalist. 
It  was  afterward  published  by  Mr.  Packard  alone,  then  by 
Wood  &  Tyman,  who  changed  its  name  to  Hampden  Journal. 
It  was  resold  to  Mr.  Packard,  and  subsequently  passed  into 
the  hands  of  Packard  &  Tannatt.  In  1829,  Mr.  Tannatt  be- 
came sole  editor  and  proprietor,  and  remained  as  such  until 
1830,  when  it  again  came  into  the  possession  of  Mr.  Packard; 
and  was,  in  the  same  year,  sold  to  Samuel  Bowles,  and  merged 
with  the  Republican. 

The  Hampden  Patriot  was  started  in  1818,  by  Ira  Daniels. 
In  about  two  years  it  passed  into  the  hands  of  a  company  erf 
gentlemen,  with  Justice  Willard  as  editor.  In  1822  it  was 
issued  by  Mr.  Tannatt,  and  about  two  years  later  was  dis- 
continued. 

HISTOKY   OF   THE   SPRINGFIELD   KEPUBLICAN,    AND   SKETCH 
OF    THE    LIFE    OF    SAMUEL    BOWLES. 

Intimately  associated  with  the  history  of  the  Connecticut 
Valley  during  the  last  half-century  is  the  growth  of  TIte 
Springfield  Republican.  The  rapidly-increasing  population  and 
great  industrial  development  of  this  period  have  aftbrded  in 
liberal  measure  that  sustenance  and  life-blood  without  which 
no  newspaper  can  flourish,  and  in  return  The  Republican  has 
mirrored  with  a  completeness  and  faithfulness  rarely  equaled 
the  richly-varied  and  busy  life  of  all  this  region.  Wrapped 
up  in  the  paper  is  the  story  of  two  men's  lives, — that  of  Sam- 
uel Bowles,  its  founder,  but  far  more  conspicuously  still  that 
of  Samuel  Bowles,  his  son,  whose  whole  life-energy  was 
lavishly  given  to  the  upbuilding  of  a  character  and  reputation 
for  The  Republican.  Briefly  stated,  the  chronology  of  the  paper 
is  as  follows  :  The  Weekly  Republican  was  established  by  Sam- 
uel Bowles,  the  second  of  that  name,  Sept.  8,  1824.  He  was 
born  at  Hartford,  June  8,  1797,  and  died  in  Springfield,  Sept. 
8,  1851.  The  Daily  Republican,  substantially  the  creation  of 
Samuel  Bowles  third,  was  started  April  1,  1844,  Mr.  Bowles 
having  been  born  Feb.  9,  1826,  and  dying  Jan.  16,  1878.  The 
publication  of  The  Sunday  Repuhlican,  the  latest  concession 
made  by  the  paper  to  the  growth  of  modern  journalism,  was 
begun  Sept.  1-5, 1878,  by  Samuel  Bowles,  the  fourth  to  perpetu- 
ate the  name  of  Samuel  in  the  family,  and  who  is  the  present 
jiublisher  and  general  manager  of  The  Republican. 

The  Republican  came  into  existence  as  the  doubtful  venture 
of  a  man  who  had  hitherto  met  with  discouragement  and 
failure  in  other  places.  In  1824,  at  the  age  of  twenty-seven, 
Samuel  Bowles  sailed  up  from  Hartford,  bringing  with  him 
the  first  lever-press  ever  set  up  in  Springfield  and  a  young 
family  to  support  by  his  exertions.  At  sixteen  he  had  ap- 
prenticed himself  to  a  printer,  after  serving  his  father  a  year 
in  the  store  kept  by  him  at  Hartford.  Having  acquired  his 
trade,  he  had  worked  as  a  journeyman  printej'  and  foreman. 


at  times  achieving  proprietorship  in  a  small  way,  both  in 
Hartford  and  New  Haven.  Busine.ss  misfortunes,  however, 
pei'sistently  pursued  the  young  printer,  largely  owing,  it  is 
said,  to  the  poor  character  of  his  associates.  The  Repuhliean 
began  life  in  the  face  of  the  discouraging  circumstance  that 
the  Hampden  Patriot,  the  only  Whig  paper  of  Springfield, 
had  lately  been  discontinued  for  lack  of  patronage.  The  pa- 
per started  out  with  a  subscription-list  of  tliree  hundred  and 
fifty,  and  thenceforward  it  met  with  a  steadily-increasing 
prosperity.  In  naming  his  journal  The  Republican  the  founder 
builded  better  than  he  knew  ;  for  in  place  of  the  ephemeral 
significance  of  the  term  at  that  early  period,  it  eventually 
grew  to  be  the  distinctive  title  of  the  long-lived  and  dominating 
party  with  whose  best  aims  the  paper  has  for  more  than  twenty 
years  been  in  .sympathetic  accord.  In  its  verj'  germ  may  be 
discovered  some  of  the  chief  characteristics  which  have  won 
for  The  Republieati  its  peculiar  influence  and  reputation  as 
one  of  the  foremost  journals  of  the  country.  A  disposition 
toward  fair  play  and  toleration  in  all  the  questions  of  the  day, 
for  instance,  is  perceptible  from  the  first.  The  young  editor 
announces  in  one  of  the  earliest  numbers  of  his  paper  that 
his  columns  are  open  to  both  sides  for  temperate  and  dignified 
political  discussion  ;  while,  turning  from  politics  to  religion, 
he  assures  the  bitter  controversialists  of  those  days  that  The 
Republican  will  not  be  allowed  to  become  the  mouthpiece  of 
any  one  sect  for  the  attack  of  others.  Mr.  Bowles'  antago- 
nism to  the  waning  Federalists  was,  however,  of  a  pronounced 
character,  and  found  a  somewhat  amusing  expression  in  the 
publication  for  several  successive  years,  upon  its  anniversary, 
of  the  names  of  the  members  of  the  famous  Hartford  Con- 
vention, holding  them  upas  "a  beacon  to  the  present  and 
future  generations,  to  remind  them  that  the  people  frowned 
indignantly  on  a  combination  against  the  government  in  time 
of  national  calamity."  Dr.  J.  G.  Holland,  who  became  con- 
nected with  Tlie  Republican  a  year  or  two  before  the  death  of 
Mr.  Bowles,  at  the  age  of  fifty-four,  thus  fittingly  and  briefly 
touches  upon  the  personality  of  the  founder  of  The  Reptibli- 
can  in  his  "History  of  Western  Massachusetts  :" 

"  His  parents  were  not  rich  in  worldly  goods,  and  in  some  memoi*auda  of  his 
early  life  he  has  chronicled  the  fact  that  all  he  received  of  any  importance  from  his 
father's  estate  was  his  gold  watch  and  the  family  Bible.  In  the  obituary  notice 
of  him  from  the  pen  of  Hon.  "Wm.  B.  Calhoun,  this  fact  is  shaped  into  a  bcauti- 
•ful  tiibute  in  the  words,  '  Few  have  been  the  men  who  have  fallen  in  our  way 
who  have  kept  truer  time,  and  have  been  more  loyal  to  the  Bible  than  Samuel 
Bowles.'  As  one  who  knew  him  w  ell,  and  who  in  a  brief  business  connection 
had  occasion  to  learn  the  pi  inciples  which  guided  him,  and  the  considerate  kind- 
ness which  actuated  him,  the  writer  would  be  ungrateful  to  refuse  to  record  a 
tiibute  to  the  honor,  candor,  honesty,  probity,  and  thorough  Christian  principle 
that  characterized  his  daily  walk.    Of  his  ability  let  his  success  tell." 

Meanwhile  had  been  growing  up  the  lad  who  was  to  give 
The  Republican  that  impetus  which  acquired  for  it  national 
fame.  With  no  particular  education  save  that  aflbrded  by 
"Master"  Eaton's  school,  and  that  unconsciously  imbibed  in 
the  atmosphere  of  his  father's  printing-office,  the  youth  had 
already  attracted  attention  while  yet  in  his  teens  for  the 
piquant  quality  of  his  occasional  writing.  On  the  21st  of 
March,  1844,  the  late  Samuel  Bowles,  then  arrived  at  the  age 
of  eighteen,  persuaded  his  somewhat  reluctant  father,  who 
felt  strong  doubts  of  the  success  of  the  enterprise,  to  start  The 
Daily  Republican. 

The  experiment  of  publishing  a  daily  paper  in  Springfield 
thirty  years  ago  was  a  hazardous  one.  No  other  town  in 
Massachusetts  outside  of  Boston  had  made  the  trial  of  a  daily 
issue,  and  men  of  business  who  were  consulted  declared  that 
the  time  had  not  arrived  for  such  a  paper  in  Springfield.  But 
the  sanguine  younger  Bowles  was  clear  in  the  conviction  that 
the  time  had  already  come,  and  the  result  justified  his  faith. 
"The  first  and  second  years  of  its  existence,"  says  Dr.  Hol- 
land in  his  "  History  of  Western  Massachusetts,"  "  the  circula- 
tion was  very  small,  but  by  economical  management  the  pub- 
lisher, Mr.  Bowles,  sustained  for  the  first  year  a  loss  of  only 
$150  or  S200.     The  circulation,  if  it  increased  slowly,  still  in- 


''■*^<»^  J-^^^u^-J-Jz-M^    * 


HISTORY    OF    HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


8G1 


creased  steadily,  until,  at  the  end  of  the  fourth  year,  its  sub- 
scription list  reached  800,  with  suiBcient  advertising  patronage 
to  insure  its  support  and  place  it  on  a  permanent  footing. 
The  Daily  Republican  was  commenced  as  an  evening  paper, 
but  it  was  changed  to  a  morning  paper  on  the  4th  of  Decem- 
ber, 1845.  In  April,  184G,  it  was  enlarged  to  a  sheet  21  by  28 
inches  (its  original  dimensions  having  been  17J  inches  by  24, 
with  four  columns  to  the  page).  Previous  to  that  time  its 
circulation  had  not  exceeded  300.  On  the  1st  of  September, 
1848  (the  Sprivi/Jield  Evening  Gazeiie  having  been  merged 
with  The  Republican),  the  size  of  the  paper  was  increased  to 
23  by  32J  inches.  Its  regular  circulation  was  then  full  1000. 
On  the  1st  of  July,  1851,  the  paper  was  again  enlarged." 

In  1855,  The  Republican  introduced  the  double  sheet,  print- 
ing its  weekly  and  Saturday  daily  in  this  form,  with  single 
sheets  on  the  other  five  days.  Nine  years  later  a  second  double 
sheet  a  week,  on  Wednesdays,  was  begun,  though  it  did  not 
become  a  permanency  until  1865.  During  the  following  years 
one  double  sheet  after  another  was  added  during  the  week,  till 
on  the  1st  of  April,  1871,  it  adopted  that  form  as  a  permanency, 
fulfilling  a  prediction,  which  then  seemed  very  wild,  on  the 
first  appearance  of  the  Saturday  double  sheet,  that  this  would 
be  the  final  regular  form  of  the  paper. 

When  The  Daily  Republican  was  started  only  the  Western 
Kailroad  had  reached  Springfield,  then  a  town  of  11,000  in- 
habitants. A  line  of  telegraph  was  opened  about  the  same 
time,  but  its  utility  to  the  press  was  yet  to  be  developed.  It 
was  all  pioneer  work.  Says  one  whose  memory  goes  back  to 
the  otfice  routine  of  those  times : 

"  Mr.  Bowles  slept  on  a  sofa  in  the  office,  gathered  and  prejiared  the  general 
and  local  ue«s  of  the  paper,  marshaled  the  compositors  at  fuur  o'clock  every 
morning  for  the  late  copy,  directed  the  make-up  of  the  paper,  took  his  turn  at 
the  wheel  of  the  Adams  press  that  worked  it  off,  dispatched  the  town  carriers 
and  prepared  the  mail  and  railroad  packages,  and  then  went  home  to  hreakfast." 

He  plunged  into  the  work  with  all  the  ardor  of  youth,  the 
spur  of  natural  talent,  and  the  zeal  of  intense  devotion  to  the 
new  jjrofession.  This  ceaseless,  unsparing  assiduity  wrought 
its  natural  and  customary  etlect.  During  his  nineteenth  year 
the  over-worked,  nervously-exhausted  young  man  made  a 
winter  journey  South  for  rest  and  recuperation,  the  first  of  a 
series  of  widely-extended  travels  which  at  subsequent  intervals 
varied  and  eased  the  activities  of  his  journalistic  career.  The 
letters  written  from  Georgia  and  Louisiana  in  the  course  of 
this  first  vacation  were  of  a  quality  to  make  more  apparent 
than  ever  the  young  man's  genius  for  his  chosen  profession. 
At  twenty-two  years  of  age  Mr.  Bowles  was  married  to  Mary 
S.  D.  Schermerhorn,  of  Geneva,  N.  T.,  a  granddaughter  of 
James  S.  Dwight,  in  former  years  a  leading  Springfield  mer- 
chant. 

In  1849,  a  year  later,  Mr.  Bowles'  first  editorial  assistant, 
Samuel  Davis,  having  died.  Dr.  J.  O.  Holland  bought  a  share 
in  the  paper,  and  became  a.ssociate  editor.  The  young  doctor, 
growing  impatient  of  the  medical  profession,  started  a  liter- 
ary paper  of  his  own  in  1847,  called  the  Bay  Stale  Weekly 
Courier,  which  he  gave  up,  however,  at  the  end  of  three 
months  as  altogether  unprofitable.  Afterward  drifting  South, 
he  became  superintendent  of  schools  at  Vicksburg,  Miss.  Op- 
portunely returning  to  Springfield  on  the  very  day  of  Mr. 
Davis'  funeral,  he  immediately  attracted  the  notice  of  Mr. 
Bowles,  who  shortly  secured  him  as  bis  assistant.  Upon  the 
death  of  his  father,  in  1851,  the  management  of  the  paper 
came  entirely  into  Mr.  Bowles'  hands.  In  1853,  31r.  Clark 
W.  Bryan,  a  practical  Berkshire  printer,  bought  an  interest  in 
the  establishment,  and  the  business  was  thenceforth  conducted 
under  the  firm-name  of  Samuel  Bowles  &  Co.  Mr.  Bryan's 
attention  shortly  became  entirely  absorbed  by  the  rapidly- 
increasing  growth  of  the  printing  and  publishing  department 
cimnected  with  the  paper,  of  which  he  retained  charge  until 
the  division  of  the  firm's  business  in  1872,  when  Mr.  Bowles, 
retaining  The  Republican  itself,  sold  out  his  other  interests  iii 


the  concern  to  Messrs.  Bryan  and  Tapley,  a  later  partner, 
who  purchased  the  Ercuiiiy  Union,  and  set  up  separately  for 
themselves.  Benjamin  F.  Bowles,  who  died  in  Paris,  while - 
on  a  pleasure  tour,  in  1876,  was  also  for  a  number  of  years 
associated  with  The  Rejmblican,  relieving  his  older  brother  to 
a  great  extent  of  the  details  of  the  financial  and  business 
management. 

In  the  matter  of  politics,  by  which  every  newspaper  so 
largely  lives  and  has  its  being.  The  Daily  Republican  presents 
a  record  embodying,  perhaps,  fewer  mistakes  and  loftier  pur- 
poses than  most  journals.  It  has  from  the  start  been  in  warm 
sympathy  with  the  principles  of  the  truest  democracy,  ever 
championing  what  it  conceived  to  be  for  the  best  interests  of 
the  many ;  often,  especially  in  later  years,  ahead  of  public 
opinion,  which  it  sought  to  lead  to  higher  standards,  and  the 
first  to  break  away  from  the  trammels  of  mere  partisanship 
and  inaugurate  a  new  era  in  progressive  journalism. 

Of  strong  Whig  proclivities  in  its  earlier  career,  its  young 
editor's  receptive  mind  was  readily  open  to  the  inspiration 
which  created  the  Republican  party.  Indeed,  he  may  be  said 
to  have  presided  at  the  great  party's  earliest  cradling.  This 
was  in  1855,  when  Mr.  Bowles,  by  virtue  of  his  name  heading 
the  list  calling  a  conference  at  Boston  to  break  down  Know- 
Nothing  supremacy  in  Massachusetts,  became  the  presiding 
officer  of  the  convention  which  inaugurated  the  Eepublican 
party  in  this  State.  It  was  about  the  only  time  in  his  life  that 
Mr.  Bowles  ever  personally  entered  politics  outside  of  his 
paper. 

Down  through  the  progress  and  triumph  of  the  party,  at 
the  making  of  which  its  editor  so  conspicuously  assisted,  until 
the  close  of  the  war,  The  Republican  was  consistently  partisan. 
There  was  little  occasion  for  variance.  With  the  era  of  South- 
ern reconstruction  began  its  first  marked  divergence  from  the 
bitter  narrowness  of  sentiment  which  characterized  the  domi- 
nant class  of  Eepublican  politicians  in  their  treatment  of  the 
South.  The  Republican  was  the  first  paper  in  the  country  to 
advocate  universal  suffrage,  irrespective  of  race  and  color, 
while  the  breadth  of  its  insight  and  magnanimity  in  treating 
the  Southern  question  from  the  very  first  is  displayed  in  this 
extract  from  a  prospectus  of  the  paper,  written  more  than  ten 
years  ago,  during  the  perturbed  administration  of  President 

Johnson : 

"  And  now  we  want  that  our  representatives  should  be  calm  and  generous  in 
spirit,  though  firm  and  true  in  principle  and  pui-pose,  in  dealing  alike  with  the 
President  and  the  South,  patient  and  indulgent  in  non-essentials,  and  ex- 
acting only  for  that  which  is  necessary  to  insure  a  lasting  peace  to  the  nation 
and  a  true  prosperity  to  the  South.  Thus  only  can  the  ascendency  of  the  Repub- 
lican party  be  maintained,  the  perils  of  practical  disunion,  not  yet  over,  be  es-  . 
caped,  and  the  great  principle  of  equal  rights  and  fair  play  for  all  men  secured. 
For  this  we  are  willing  to  labor  and  to  wait,  to  yield  prejudices  and  to  bear  with 
infirmities,  to  forgive  enemies  and  to  be  misunderstood  and  misrepresented  by 
friends." 

The  occasion  for  independence  of  party  dictation  grew 
steadily  from  this  period  on,  till,  in  the  Presidential  contest  of 
1872,  the  paper  severed  all  mere  party  connection  and  pro- 
nounced for  Mr.  Greeley  as  more  nearly  representing  the  re- 
form movements  and  principles  of  government  which  Mr. 
Bowles  believed  ought  to  prevail.  By  this  divorce  from  the 
traditions  of  all  previous  journalism,  The  Republican  pioneered 
the  way  to  that  rarer  independence  which,  still  more  in  the  fu- 
ture than  now,  it  may  be  conjectured,  will  lend  to  the  press  of 
the  country  its  truest  and  greatest  power.  In  1876,  recognizing 
in  President  Hayes'  fair  professions  of  a  liberal  policy  toward 
the  South  and  of  a  reformed  civil  service  the  very  things  for 
which  it  had  so  long  and  earnestly  striven,  the  paper  again 
became  a  hearty  supporter  of  the  Republican  nominee.  The 
■  Republican  was  among  the  first  advocates  of  woman  suffrage, 
subscribed  to  the  doctrine  of  a  gradual  and  judicious  intro- 
duction of  free  trade  as  early  as  the  development  of  the  country 
seemed  to  warrant  such  a  policy,  and  has  generally  been  char- 
acterized by  broad  and  ripe  views  on  questions  of  finance  and 
political  economy.  -  ' 


86:^ 


HISTORY   OF  THE   CONNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


Mr.  Bowles  was  par  excellence  the  journalist.  He  pos- 
sessed the  news  instinct  in  the  highest  degree,  and  the  ability 
of  newspaper  organization.  He  also  had  the  special  knack 
and  inspiration  of  the  educator,  which  found  ample  opportu- 
nity for  exercise  upon  the  scores  of  young  men  who  within 
the  pa.st  generation  have  begun  their  careers  as  journalists 
under  his  training.  The  office,  indeed,  acquired  the  reputa- 
tion of  being  a  practical  college  of  journalism,  and  nowhere 
else  could  the  would-be  editor  so  quickly  and  thoroughly  ac- 
quire a  varied  knowledge  of  the  profession.  The  paper  has 
ever  been  fortunate,  too,  in  attracting  to  its  columns  the  bud- 
ding efforts  of  literary  talent.  It  has  introduced  to  the  world 
not  a  few  writers  who  have  become  widely  famed.  The  most 
conspicuous  of  its  literary  proteges  is  Dr.  Holland,  who  for  six- 
teen }'ears  was  associated  with  Mr.  Bowles  in  the  editing  of  the 
paper.  With  his  ccmnection  began  that  marked  literary  career 
which  has  ever  since  been  ably  maintained,  and  has  lent 
to  The  Republican  one  of  its  most  attractive  charms.  Mary 
Clemmer  wrote  poetry  and  bright  letters  from  New  York  for 
the  paper  while  still  a  girl  in  her  teens ;  Alice  Gary  contrib- 
uted a  novel;  energetic,  piquant  Kate  Field  wrote  under  the 
nom  de plume  of  "  Straws,  Jr.  ;"  Miss  Trafton,  who  has  lately 
developed  into  one  of  the  most  brilliant  story-writers  of  the 
country,  made  up  her  first  book,  "The  American  Girl  Abroad," 
from  her  foreign  letters  to  the  Republican.  Bret  Harte  ap- 
peared in  its  columns  and  received  hearty  appreciation  long 
before  he  escaped  his  California  environment  and  became 
known  in  the  East ;  Rose  Terry,  Norah  Perry,  and  a  host  of 
minor  magazinists  and  writers  have  at  one  time  or  another 
found  in  The  Republican  that  recognition  and  encouragement 
so  sweet  to  the  beginner  in  literary  composition.  A  few 
among  the  many  editorial  writers  and  outside  contributors 
who  have  served  to  add  character  to  the  paper  are  Joseph  E. 
Hood,  who  lent  it  for  many  years  the  grace  of  his  wide  and 
varied  culture ;  Gen.  Francis  A.  Walker,  who  left  a  tutorship 
at  Easthampton  to  become  an  oifice  editor  ;  Edward  King,  the 
versatile  magazinist  and  correspondent,  whose  pen  acquired  its 
nimble  grace  in  The  Republican's  service  in  Springfield  and 
abroad  while  he  was  yet  hardly  more  than  a  boy  ;  Charles  H. 
Sweetzer,  the  founder  of  the  New  York  Evening  Mail ;  W.  S. 
Eobinson,  who,  above  the  signature  of  "Warrington,"  for 
many  years  wrote  so  trenchantly  of  men  and  things  from  Bos- 
ton ;  Frank  B.  Sanborn,  who  has  lavished  upon  its  pages,  and 
still  continues  to,  a  wealth  of  the  best  literary  criticism  and 
the  most  accurate  and  interesting  information  upon  the  topics 
embraced  under  the  comprehensive  term  of  "social  science;" 
George  Walker,  Prof.  Perry,  and  David  A.  Wells. 

Aside  from  the  persistent,  exhaustive  toils  incident  to  the 
prosperous  establishment  and  upbuilding  of  The  Republican, 
the  life  of  Samuel  Bowles  was  comparatively  little  varied  by 
notable  events.  The  first  and  only  diversion  of  his  energies 
from  The  Republican  itself  was  when,  in  18.57,  Mr.  Bowles,  in 
connection  with  others,  attempted  to  give  Boston  a  live  news- 
paper througli  TheTraiieller.  After  several  months  of  adverse 
battling  with  associates  who  were  either  incapable  or  unwill- 
ing to  help  forward  his  ideals,  he  abandoned  the  experiment 
in  disgust  and  returned  to  Springfield,  to  throw  himself  with 
renewed  devotion  into  the  accomplishment  of  his  ambition  of 
earning  for  The  Republican  recognition  as  the  representative 
newspajier  of  New  England.  An  episode  which  did  much  to 
bring  the  paper  into  national  prominence  was  the  unwarranted 
and  vindictive  arrest  of  Mr.  Bowles  at  New  York,  in  18G8, 
and  his  confinement  in  Ludlow  Street  jail,  at  the  instigation 
of  Jim  Fisk,  who  was  then  roughly  flourishing  amidst  his  cor- 
ruptions. This  was  in  consequence  of  the  aggravating  truth- 
fulness of  a  sketch  of  Fisk's  early  career  appearing  in  The 
Republican;  but  "Prince  Erie's"  revenge  served  only  to  more 
quickly  awaken  the  moral  sense  of  the  community  to  the  utter 
reprehensibleness  of  his  character  and  deeds.  Some  time  after, 
and  somewhat  in  the  same  connection,  was  the  notable  and 


rather  acrid  controversy  between  Mr.  Bowles  and  David  Dud- 
ley Field,  whose  most  profitable  client  Fisk  was,  concerning 
the  responsibility  of  lawyers  for  the  character  of  their  clients 
or  their  causes,  and  in  which  Mr.  Bowles  urged  a  stricter  ac- 
countability than  Mr.  Field  was  willing  to  concede.  Three 
times  since  the  Fisk  affair  The  Republican  has  stood  trial 
for  libel,  and  in  every  case  the  moral  vindication  has  been 
complete,  and  the  right  of  newspapers  to  fulfill  their  high 
office  as  protectors  of  the  welfare  of  the  public  made  apparent. 

Although  Mr.  Bowles  never  had  the  opportunity  or  inclina- 
tion to  write  books,  three  or  four  exceedingly  interesting  and 
salable  ones  were  made  up  at  intervals,  mainly  from  his  letters 
of  American  travel  to  The  Republican.  The  first  of  these, 
"Across  the  Continent,"  was  the  fruit  of  a  journey  to  Cali- 
fornia overland  by  stage  iu  186.5,  before  the  days  of  the  Pacific 
Railroad,  in  company  with  Hon.  Schuyler  Colfax,  Lieut.-Gov. 
Bross,  and  others.  Another  book,  entitled  "The  Switzerland 
of  America,"  vividly  and  picturesquely  described  a  vacation 
tour  among  the  mountains  and  peaks  of  Colorado  during  the 
summer  of  18G8.  Still  another  book,  "Our  New  West,"  was 
brought  out  under  the  auspices  of  a  Hartford  subscription  pub- 
lishing house  iu  1869,  and  latest  of  all  was  the  little  brochure 
entitled  "  The  Pacific  Railroad — Open,"  composed  of  a  series  of 
articles  contributed  to  The  Atlantic  Monthly,  celebrating  the 
completion  of  the  great  trans-continental  railway.  "Across 
the  Continent"  had  a  sale  of  15,000  copies,  "The  Switzerland 
of  America"  8000,  and  "Our  New  West"  28,000. 

The  remote  portions  of  our  national  domains,  so  faithfully 
portrayed  in  these  books,  were  then  little  written  of  or  known 
in  the  East,  and  Mr.  Bowles'  efforts  to  enlighten  the  public 
concerning  them  proved  valuable  pioneer  work.  He  visited 
both  California  and  Colorado  several  times,  and  once  pene- 
trated into  Oregon  and  Washington  Territory.  Four  times 
in  his  life  Mr.  Bowles  went  abroad,  first  in  1802,  in  com- 
pany with  his  brother,  Benjamin,  spending  several  months 
upon  the  Continent;  while  other  and  briefer  trips  were  made 
in  1870,  1871,  and  1874.  All  these  travels  were  pursued  with 
the  keenest  relish,  and  made  largely  to  subserve  an  educa- 
tional purpose.  They  led,  besides,  to  acquaintance  and  friend- 
ship with  many  of  the  most  distinguished  men  of  all  pursuits 
in  this  country,  and  with  not  a  few  in  England.  These  asso- 
ciations kept  him  abreast  of  the  highest  and  best  thought  of 
the  time  and  inspired  him  to  its  worthiest  expression. 

The  last  of  these  many  journeys  for  mingled  recuperation 
and  observation  was  made  in  the  spring  and  early  summer  of 
1877,  and  included  a  brief  stay  at  Washington,  during  which 
Mr.  Bowles  made  the  acquaintance  of  President  Hayes ;  and 
afterward  a  run  into  the  blue-grass  region  of  Kentucky  as  the 
guest  of  Mr.  Henry  Watterson,  editor  of  the  Louisville  Courier- 
Journal.  But  the  trip  had' not  that  beneficial  effect  upon  Mr. 
Bowles  which  had  attended  previous  excursions  of  the  kind. 
His  nervous  energies  had  become  so  prostrated  by  the  over- 
arduous  toils  of  thirty  years  and  more  that  the  capacity  for 
elasticity  had  departed  even  when  the  grind  of  work  was 
omitted.  Thenceforward,  through  the  summer  and  fall,  the 
waning  of  the  vital  forces  was  slow,  but  marked  and  inexor- 
able. Apparently  loath  to  recognize  the  fact,  Mr.  Bowles  con- 
tinued as  intent  upon  his  labors  for  The  Republican  as  ever. 
In  addition  to  his  journalistic  burdens,  he  also  devoted,  dur- 
ing the  last  year  of  his  life,  no  inconsiderable  time  and 
thought  to  aiding  in  the  elaboration  of  the  proposed  new 
charter  for  the  city  of  Springfield,  and  to  promoting  the  suc- 
cess of  the  Union  Relief  Association, — a  valuable  local  charity 
which  he  was  largely  interested  in  establishing.  Even  dur- 
ing the  prolonged  illness  which  led  to  his  deatb  Mr.  Bowles 
was  keenly  alert  to  the  varying  phases  of  State  and  national 
politics,  and  dictated  articles  from  his  sick-bed,  as  well  as 
scores  of  letters  to  his  many  friends.  The  immediate  cause  of 
his  death — occurring  Jan.  16,  1878— was  several  recurring 
strokes  of  paralysis.     The  remoter  cause  was  the  mental  wear 


HISTORY  OF  HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


863 


and  nervous  exhaustion  proceeding  from  more  than  thirty 
years  of  an  over-eager,  over-intense,  over-worked  life. 

The  informal  memorial  services  in  the  Church  of  the  Unity, 
several  days  after  the  funeral,  were  remarkable  for  the  wealth 
of  appreciative  tribute  spontaneously  offered  by  many  notable 
men  with  whom  Mr.  Bowles  had  been  on  terms  of  friendly 
intimacy  during  his  life.  Gen.  Hawley,  Dr.  J.  G.  Holland, 
Francis  Tiffany,  Frank  W.  Bird,  Charles  Francis  Adams,  Jr., 
Murat  Halstead,  Francis  Wayland,  Charles  Dudley  Warner, 
and  George  M.  Stearns  gave  addresses ;  and  letters  were  read 
from  Secretary  Schurz,  Senator  Dawes,  Charles  Francis 
Adams,  Horace  White,  Gov.  Hubbard,  of  Connecticut,  and 
others ;  while  among  those  present  were  Gov.  Talbot,  Gov. 
Eice,  Gov.  Jewell,  Gen.  F.  A.  Walker,  Lieut  -Gov.  Knight, 
President  J.  H.  Seelye,  David  A.  Wells,  Clarence  A.  Seward, 
and  Postmaster  James,  of  New  York.  The  press  of  the 
country  also  gave  generous  recognition  of  Mr.  Bowles,  lament- 
ing in  his  death  the  loss  of  the  last  great  personal  force  in 
American  journalism, — a  man  worthy  to  rank  with  Greeley 
of  the  Tribune,  Raymond  of  the  Times,  and  Bennett  of  the 
Herald. 

The  Jiepublican  has  the  reputation  of  being  at  the  head  of 
provincial  journalism  in  the  United  States.  Its  achievement 
is  unique  in  that,  notwithstanding  its  publication  in  a  small 
inland  city,  it  has  attained  a  circulation  unequaled  save  in  the 
largest  cities,  and  there  by  comparatively  few  papers  ;  while  the 
frequency  and  wideness  with  which  its  opinions  are  quoted  in 
other  journals  are  hardly  matched  by  any  other  newspaper.  In 
merely  technical  journalistic  science,  also,  The  Republican  has 
long  been  a  model  which  other  newspapers  have  studied  and 
followed.  For  S3'stematic  condensation  of  news  and  its  best 
classification,  for  preserving  the  proportions  of  things, — jour- 
nalistic-perspective, so  to  speak, — and  for  typographical  taste, 
it  is  une.vcelled  by  any  other  daily  newspaper.  These  qualities 
hid  fair  to  be  perpetuated  in  the  future  in  undiminished  degree 
by  the  men  bred  up  through  long  and  careful  apprenticeship 
under  Mr.  Bowles'  training.  Indeed,  saving  the  master-hand. 
The  Republican  was  never  more  ably  and  thoroughly  edited 
than  at  the  present  time. 

DK.  JOSIAH  GILBERT  HOLLAND 

was  born  in  Belchertown,  July  24,  1819.  His  father,  Harri- 
son Holland,  came  from  Petersham.  His  mother,  Anna  Gil- 
bert Holland,  was  born  in  Belchertown.  Dr.  Holland's  grand- 
father, Luther  Holland,  of  Petersham,  was  a  soldier  of  the 
Revolution,  and  was  present  at  the  surrender  of  Burgoyne. 
He  had  three  brothers, — Jonas,  Park,  and  Ivory.  His  sons 
were  Luther,  Park,  Harrison,  and  Sidney.  The  first  three  of 
these,  with  their  uncle,  Jonas,  settled  in  Belchertown,  and 
Sidney  at  North  Adams.  Luther  Holland  manufactured  fire- 
engines.  His  son,  Ashley  Holland,  resides  at  Greenfield.  W. 
J.  Holland,  of  Springfield,  is  a  grandson  of  Jonas.  Park 
Holland,  brother  of  Jonas,  settled  in  Maine,  and  was  a  prom- 
inent land  surveyor  in  the  employ  of  the  State.  One  mem- 
ber of  the  Holland  family  was  for  many  years  the  treasurer 
of  Union  College,  Schenectady,  N.  T.,  and  another  was  an 
oflBcer  in  the  war  of  1812,  and  fought  at  Lundy's  Lane. 
Harrison  Holland  had  seven  children,  of  whom  Dr.  Holland 
alone  survives.  One  died  in  childhood,  and  is  supposed  to  be 
the  "Little  Charlie"  of  Dr.  Holland's  poem,  "  Daniel  Grey." 
Three  daughters  in  the  family  died  young.  Two  sons,  Good- 
rich and  James  H.,  were,  for  many  years  before  their  death, 
well-known  manufacturers  of  silk  at  Willimantic,  Conn. 
Harrison  Holland  owned  a  carding-machine  in  the  west  part 
of  Belchertown,  and  his  dwelling  was  a  small  wood-colored 
house  near  the  pre.sent  station, — "  Dwight,"  on  the  New  Lon- 
don Northern  Railroad.  This  was  the  birthplace  of  Dr. 
Holland.  In  1822  his  father  removed  to  Heath,  and  settled  in 
what  is  now  known  as  "  Holland  Dell."  Here,  on  a  small  farm 
and  in  a  shop  for  making  "spokes"  and  "felloes,"  he  sup- 


ported his  family,  training  his  children  in  the  virtues  and  the 
industries  of  a  New  England  home.  In  this  romantic  place, 
with  the  grandeur  of  mountain  scenery  around  him,  the  future 
editor  and  poet  passed  his  boyhood.  The  sweet  memories  of 
this  secluded  dell  inspired  the  following  passage  in  one  of  his 
works  : 

"I  recall  a  home  like  this  long  since  left  behind  in  the 
journey  of  life.  It  was  a  humble  home  among  the  mountains, 
but  priceless  in  its  wealth  of  associations." 

In  1834  the  family  returned  to  Belchertown,  removed  in  a 
short  time  to  South  Hadley,  then  to  Granby,  and  finally  to 
Northampton.  During  these  years  Dr.  Holland's  father  was 
interested  in  various  inventions,  one  or  more  of  which  proved 
successful.  Besides  the  advantages  of  the  district  schools  in 
Heath  and  elsewhere,  the  son  now  had  the  benefit  of  the  ex- 
cellent schools  of  Northampton,  and  made  rapid  progress. 
From  these  schools  he  was  graduated  at  the  age  of  nineteen, 
and  began  to  teach  penmanship.  He  had  large  classes  in 
Chesterfield  and  Hinsdale,  N.  H.,  and  in  a  .score  of  other  New 
England  towns.  Some  of  his  pupils  still  preserve  with  care 
their  old  "copies"  "set"  by  Dr.  Holland.  After  this  he 
studied  medicine,  and  received  the  diploma  of  the  Berkshire 
Medical  School  in  1844. 

The  same  year  he  commenced  practice  in  Springfield.  His 
attention  was,  however,  soon  attracted  to  journalism,  and  his 
professional  work  was  continued  for  only  a  short  time.  In 
1847  he  established  The  Bay  State  Weekly  Couri.er,  but  sold 
out  his  subscription-list  to  the  Gazette  at  the  end  of  six 
months.  He  went  South,  taught  in  Richmond,  Va.,  and 
was  superintendent  of  schools  in  Vicksburg,  Miss.  Sickness 
in  his  family  obliged  a  return  North,  and  he  came  again  to 
Springfield  somewhat  discouraged,  and  his  future  way  uncer- 
tain. Passing  the  office  of  the  Republican,  on  his  wa\-  from  the 
depot,  he  met  Mr.  Samuel  Bowles.  It  is  said  to  have  been  a 
mutual  idea  that  arose  in  the  mind  of  each  at  the  same  time. 
Mr.  Bowles  thought,  "/  would  like  to  have  Holland  on 
my  editorial  staff."  Holland  thought,  "/  would  very  much 
like  a  place  on  the  Republican."  These  thoughts  found  their 
expression  in  words,  either  then  or  later,  and  in  May,  1849, 
Dr.  Holland  became  an  associate  editor  of  the  paper.  This 
was  the  real  beginning  of  his  public  career, — a  career  that  has 
made  his  name  a  household  word  throughout  the  Union.  He 
remained  as  one  of  the  editors  of  that  journal  for  seventeen 
years,  doing  steadj'  work  and  writing  voluminously.  His 
name  and  style  and  influence,  joined  to  the  untiring  energy 
of  Samuel  Bowles,  gave  to  the  Springfield  Republican  the 
broad  national  reputation  which  it  still  vigorously  maintains. 
Meanwhile,  Dr.  Holland  extended  his  labors  in  authorship, 
and  brought  out  many  volumes.  These  are  so  well  known 
that  a  brief  mention  will  suffice  for  the  purposes  of  this  sketch. 

In  18;38  he  published  the  "  History  of  Western  Massachu- 
setts." The  work  was  a  great  success,  and  was  about  the 
first  of  those  pioneer  town  and  county  histories  for  which 
there  is  now  so  strong  a  public  demand.  A  series  of  letters 
from  "Max  Mannering  to  his  Dear  Sister  Jane"  in  the  country 
proved  the  power  of  Dr.  Holland's  satiric  blade.  "  Letters 
to  Young  People,  Single  and  Married,"  by  Timothy  Titcomb, 
first  appeared  in  the  Repuhlican.  Though  they  were  received 
with  great  favor,  and  Dr.  Holland's  talents  were  highly  appre- 
ciated in  Springfield,  yet  he  met  with  several  distinct  refusals 
hi  the  cities  when  he  proposed  to  put  the  "  Letters"  in  book 
form.  Finally,  provided  with  a  letter  of  introduction,  he 
called  upon  Mr.  Charles  Scribner,  who  appreciated  the  work 
at  once,  received  the  author  kindly,  accepted  the  book,  and 
a  life-lono-  friendship  was  formed  at  that  time.  The  success 
of  the  volume  surprised  both  author  and  publishers ;  thirty 
thousand  copies  were  sold  in  a  short  time.  "  Gold  Foil"  soon 
followed,"  also  "Letters  to  the  Joneses"  and  "Lessons  in 
Life."  In  the  midst  of  all  these  labors  Dr.  Holland,  under 
repeated  solicitation,  filled  a  large  number  of  appointments 


86-t 


HISTORY   OP   THE    CONNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


upon  the  lecture-platform.  During  the  same  year  with  the 
"Titcomb  Letters"  he  gave' to  the  world  the  poem  "  Bitter- 
Sweet,"  proving  that  to  his  titles  of  editor  and  author  the 
people  might  justly  add  that  of  poet. 

When  the  war  of  the  Kehellion  had  closed  and  the  tragedy 
of  Abraham  Lincoln's  death  was  thrilling  the  nation,  Dr. 
Holland  was  selected  to  deliver  a  commemorative  address. 
His  words,  inspired  with  grief  and  patriotic  love,  rose  to  the 
full  sublimity  of  the  subject,  and  his  eloquent  discourse  is  re- 
called as  the  best  funeral  oration  ever  pronounced  in  Spring- 
field. This  led  to  his  next  book,  "  The  Life  of  Abraham  Lin- 
coln," which  had  an  immense  sale.  Then  he  entered  once 
more  the  field  of  poetry  and  published  "Kathrina."  This 
iioem  was  subjected  to  severe  criticism,  but  the  sale  of  the 
work  was  largely  increased  thereby. 

Dr.  Holland's  earlier  literary  labor  was  done  in  his  old  home 
on  High  Street,  Springfield.  "  Kathriua"  was  written  at  his 
new  and  elegant  residence,  Brightwood,  one  mile  north  of 
Springfield.  Here,  too,  about  this  time,  his  mother  died  at 
the  ace  of  seventy-si.v,  and  was  buried  beside  her  husband  at 


Northampton,  who  died  in  1848,  aged  sixty-four.  Dr.  Holland 
then  went  to  Europe  for  two  years,  returning  in  May,  1870. 
In  the  autumn  of  that  year  Scribner'a  Monthly  Magazine  was 
commenced,  the  owners  being  the  Soribners,  Roswell  Smith, 
and  Dr.  Holland.  The  latter  became  the  editor,  and  brought 
to  this  new  enterprise  the  advantage  of  his  already  acquired 
fame,  his  matured  ability,  and  active  energy.  In  this  position 
he  remains  at  the  present  time.  Besides  his  magazine  work 
he  has  published  in  book  form,  since  1870,  "Sevenoaks," 
"Arthur  Bonnicastle,"  "Nicholas  Minturn,"  and  others. 
His  entire  works  comprise  eighteen  volumes.  It  is  a  pleasure 
to  know  that  with  him  authorship  has  not  only  produced 
meritorious  works,  but  has  resulted  in  substantial  financial 
success. 

Dr.  Holland  is  now  in  the  maturity  of  his  powers  at  the 
ripe  age  of  sixty,  and  full  of  vigor.  His  magazine  work  has 
taken  him  from  the  people  of  Springfield,  who  esteemed  him 
highly  as  a  neighbor  and  townsman.  He  resides  in  New 
York  City,  but  has  a  delightful  summer  home  among  the 
"Thousand  Islands"  of  the  St.  Lawrence. 


THE   SPP.INGFIELD    UNION, 

and  fhe  Printing  and  Biiidirnj  Estahlixhmcnt  of  the.  Clark  W. 
Bryan  Company. 
The  Sprino-field  Daily  Union  was  started  by  the  late  Edmund 
Anthony,  of  New  Bedford,  who  came  to  Springfield  for  that 
purpose,  and    the    first 
number  was  issued  Jan. 
4,  18(54.    In  the  autumn 
of  the   same   year   Mr. 
A  n  t  lio  ny     ad  m  i  tted     as 
partners  in  hi.s  enterprise 
A.  D.  Bullock,  who  had 
been  connected  with  the 
Fall    River  Nev)s,   and 
Benjamin    Weaver,    of 
New  Bedford,  his   son- 
in-law.      In    December, 
1865,  Mr.   Anthony  re- 
tired  from  the  Spring- 
field newspaper  field  en- 
tirely, and  the  paper  was 
handed     over     to     the 
Union  Printing  Compa- 
ny, the  principal  stock- 
holders, besides  Messrs. 
Bullock      &      Weaver, 
being  the  late  Rev.  E. 
G.  Sears,  ,1.  D.  Bowley, 
and  E.  S.  Sears.     This 
company    running    be- 
hindhand     financially, 
the   firm   of   Taylor   & 
Olmsted      bought      the 
paper,   and,   after    cim- 
ducting  it  a  few  months, 
on  the  dissolution  of  that 
firm,    the      Union     was 
taken  by  L.  H.  Taylor 
in   the   division   of  the 
assets,  John  Olmsted  ta- 
king another  branch  of 
the  firm's  business.  Pre- 
viously, the  Weekly  Union  had  been  started,  and  there  was  also 
by  this  time  a  considerable  job-printing  office  conducted  in  con- 
nection with  the  newspaper.     Mr.  Taylor  soon  vested  the  pro- 
prietorship in  another  company,  in  which  the  partners,  besides 
himself,  were  J.  D.  Bowley,  Rev.  E.  G.  Sears,  Benjamin  Wea- 
ver, and  Myron  D.  Allen.     Other  changes  speedily  followed. 


SPRINGFIELD   UNION    BUILDING,  SPRINGFIELD,  MASS. 


E.  D.  Richardson  and  A.  D.  Dyer  at  one  time  having  some  in- 
terest in  the  concern,  till,  Jan.  1,  1872,  L.  H.  Taylor  and  his 
brother,  C.  C.  Taylor,  became  the  sole  proprietors,  and  con- 
ducted the  newspaper  and  the  printing  business  connected 
therewith  till  May  1,  1872. 

As  may  be  conjec- 
tured from  this  brief 
record  of  the  numerous 
changes  of  proprietor- 
ship in  less  than  ten 
years,  the  Union,  like 
most  other  journalistic 
ventures,  was  not  at 
first  a  financial  success. 
The  original  proprietor, 
Mr.  Anthony,  though 
an  experienced  and  cap- 
able newspaper  man, 
was  new  to  this  partic- 
ular field,  and  not  well 
acquainted  with  its  es- 
pecial needs.  Some  of 
those  who  succeeded 
him  were  also  compara- 
tivel}'  strangers  and  in- 
experienced in  the  busi- 
ness as  well,  and  the 
paper  had  to  struggle 
against  a  good  many 
adverse  influences  with- 
out the  office  as  well  as 
within.  But  it  met  a 
real  want  in  the  com- 
munity. The  only  daily 
paper  then  published  in 
the  city  was  the  Spring- 
feld  Republican.  The 
Union,  young  and  small 
as  it  was,  boldly  entered 
the  field  in  competition. 
In  spite  of  all  discour- 
agements    there     were 


several  persons  of  ample  means  in  Springfield  who  were  deter- 
mined it  should  live,  and  who  were  always  ready  to  lend  it  a 
helping  hand  when  in  financial  straits.  Prominent  among 
these  was  John  Olmsted,  who,  though  an  actual  owner  only  a 
short  time  previous  to  1872  (when  he  again  assumed  an  inter- 
est as  a  stockholder  in  the  Clark  W.  Bryan  Company),  helped 


HISTORY  OF  HAMPDEN  COUNTY. 


8G5 


the  paper  over  a  gpod  many  rough  places  and  through  num- 
berless dark  days.  Under  the  management  of  Taylor  &  Olm- 
sted the  Union  first  began  to  pay  its  way,  and  finally,  in  1872, 
was  a  good  property.  In  this  year  occurred  the  most  impor- 
tant event  in  the  career  of  the  paper  up  to  tliat  time, — its  sale, 
with  all  its  appurtenances,  to  the  Clark  AV.  Bryan  Company 
for  .'j.30,000. 

The  Clark  W.  Bryan  Company  was  a  newh'-formed  corpora- 
tion, its  three  principal  stoekiiolders  being  retiring  partner.*  of 
the  firm  of  Samuel  Bowles  &  Co.,  publishers  of  the  Springfield 
Republican ,  with  which  all  of  them  had  been  connected  for 
many  years.  Two  of  these  partners — Clark  W.  Bryan,  long 
the  business  manager  of  the  firm,  and  J.  F.  Tapley,  the  head 
of  the  bindery — took  with  them,  in  the  division  of  assets,  the 
extensive  book-  and  job-printing  office  and  bindery  of  the  old 
firm  of  Samuel  Bowles  &  Co. ;  and  to  conduct  this  business 
the  Clark  W.  Bryan  Company  was  formed,  with  S200,000 
capital,  ten  or  twelve  of  the  most  enterpri.'=ing  business-men 
of  Springfield  and  vicinity  taking  from  $-3000  to  $10,000  of 
stock  each.  The  capital  was  purposely  made  large  enough  to 
permit  the  purchase  of  The  Union ;  and  the  contract  was  made 
and  the  new  proprietors  took  possession  May  1,  1872.  AV^. 
M.  Pomeroy,  the  third  largest  stockholder  in  the  company, 
who  was  formerly  a  partner  in  the  firm  of  Samuel  Bowles  & 
Co.,  had  been  for  several  years  the  managing  editor  of  the 
Republican,  "having  risen,"  as  that  paper  said  at  his  de- 
parture, "  from  the  lowest  place  in  its  editorial-room  to  the 
highest.''  He  left  the  Rejmbliean  subsequent  to  the  change, 
disposing  of  his  share  by  sale,  and,  with  the  transfer  of  his 
interest,  became  editor  of  The  Union,  which  jwsition  he  has 
since  held  without  interruption. 

Fresh  life  and  vigor,  as  well  as  new  capital,  were  infused 
into  the  paper  under  its  new  management,  and  for  the  first 
time  it  took  its  proper  and  natural  place  in  the  estimation  of 
the  public.  It  was  speedily  enlarged,  dressed  in  new  type, 
and  the  circulation  of  the  daily — less  than  3000 — was  more 
than  doubled  in  a  few  months,  while  the  increase  of  the  circu- 
lation of  the  weekly  was  still  more  marked  and  rapid.  Special 
attention  was  paid  to  that  most  important  function  of  a  daily 
newspaper, — the  gathering  of  news.  The  town  has  not  yet 
forgotten  nor  ceased  to  admire  the  enterprise  of  The  Union, 
which,  on  that  memorable  Sunday  morning,  in  November, 
1872,  when  a  brief  dispatch  announced  that  Boston  was  burn- 
ing up,  and  everybody  was  crazy  for  details,  chartered  a 
special  train,  sent  its  reporters  to  the  burning  city,  and  pub- 
lished their  special  reports  in  an  e.xtra  the  same  afternoon, 
which  were  read  even  more  eagerly  than  the  extras  during  the 
war  containing  the  news  of  a  great  battle.  The  ne.xt  day  the 
special  reports  were  continued,  supplemented  by  those  of  the 
Associated  Press,  and  more  than  l.j,000  copies  of  the  paper 
were  sold, — a  number  small  in  comparison  with  the  editions 
of  a  few  papers  in  the  larger  cities,  but  much  greater  than 
had  ever  been  printed  and  sold  of  anj-  newspaper  in  Spring- 
field up  to  that  time.  The  special  promptness  and  enterprise 
of  the  paper  were  again  displayed  by  the  issue  of  Sunday  ex- 
tras in  addition  to  its  regular  issues  at  the  time  of  the  Mill 
Elver  disaster,  in  May,  1874,  and  on  many  other  occasions  of 
lesser  moment,  which  it  is  impossible  to  specify.  The  charac- 
ter of  a  prompt  and  reliable  jicwspaper,  which  Tlie  Union  at 
once  began  to  deserve  under  its  new  management,  is  still 
maintained  ;  indeed,  it  has  forced  so  great  an  advance  as  to  be 
almost  a  revolution  in  the  whole  business  of  news-gathering, 
especially  in  its  local  field. 

Politically,  the  Union  has  always  been  strongly  and  con- 
sistently Republican.  But  while  holding  firmly  the  princi- 
ples of  the  Kepublican  party,  it  has  ever  claimed  and  exercised 
the  right  to  criticise  the  men  and  measures  of  this  ))arty,  when, 
in  its  view,  they  were  wrong  or  headed  in  the  wrong  direction. 
As  an  instance  of  the  political  sagacity  of  the  Union,  it  may 
be  mentioned  that  it  is  one  of  the  two  or  three  political  papers 
10<J 


of  the  country  that  did  not  lose  its  head  at  the  time  of  the 
Presidential  election  of  1870,  and  claimed  from  the  very  first 
that  Mr.  Hayes  was  rightfully  elected  President,  and  would 
have  the  office  if  the  will  of  the  Southern  States  could  be 
correctly  voiced,  and  its  confidence  in  this  position  was  abun- 
dantly justified  by  the  action  of  the  Electoral  Commission. 

In  the  furtherance  of  its  purpose  to  make  a  journal  that 
shall  be  a  favorite  in  the  family,  the  Union  has  always  de- 
voted great  attention  and  as  much  space  as  possible  to  general 
literature,  agriculture,  science,  and  the  arts.  Among  those 
who  have  graduated  from  its  editorial-rooms  in  the  last  few 
years  are  Edward  Bellamy,  whose  short  stories  are  eagerly 
sought  for  by  all  the  magazines,  and  whose  first  book  has 
been  warmly  praised  by  the  critics  not  only  of  the  United 
States,  but  of  England;  and  Edward  H.  Phelps,  one  of  the 
most  capable  men  in  the  country  in  all  departments  of  news- 
paper work,  and  now  editor  and  chief  proprietor  of  the  Neio 
England  Homestead.  Among  the  present  editors  are  Joseph 
L.  Shipley,  who  has  been  Mr.  Pomeroy's  principal  assistant 
since  the  fall-of  1872;  Elijah  A.  Newell,  who  has  had  a  prom- 
inent place  on  the  local  department  since  1867 ;  Ed.  Warren 
and  E.  Porter  Dyer,  Jr.,  whose  connection  with  the  paper  is 
more  recent,  but  who  have  been  with  the  paper  long  enough 
to  make  their  value  appreciated.  Clark  W.  Bryan,  the  bus- 
iness manager  from  1872  to  1878,  is  now  editor  and  publisher 
of  the  Great  Barrington  Courier,  one  of  the  most  flourishing 
papers  in  Berkshire  County.  Andrew  J.  Jones,  who  now 
has  charge  of  the  newspaper  business  in  the  counting-room, 
has  been  with  the  paper  since  1867.  George  V.  N.  Kussell 
has  been  foreman  of  the  uewspaper-room  since  1867,  and 
Charles  A.  Martin  has  been  pressman  of  the  paper  almost 
from  the  start. 

The  large  printing  and  binding  business  of  the  Clark  W. 
Bryan  Company,  carried  on  in  connection  with  the  publica- 
tion of  the  Union,  had  a  small  beginning,  as  do  most  great 
enterprises.  It  was  founded  in  18o3,  by  the  purchase,  by  the 
firm  of  Samuel  Bowles  &  Co.,  of  which  Clark  W.  Bryan  had 
just  been  admitted  partner,  of  the  job-printing  office  of  Geo. 
W.  Wilson,  then  located  in  the  third  story  of  the  building 
corner  of  Main  and  State  Streets,  over  the  "  old  corner  book- 
store," and  the  absorption  of  the  bindery  of  J.  F.  Tapley, 
started  some  time  previous  as  a  separate  concern,  though  for  a 
while  the  bindery  was  conducted  under  the  firm-name  of  Tap- 
ley,  Bowles  &  Co.  The  printing-office  was  soon  removed  to 
larger  quarters  on  Market  Street,  in  the  rear  of  the  Republican 
office,  and  the  bindery  occupied  the  room  vacated  by  the 
printing-office.  The  business  of  both  bindery  and  printing- 
office  grew  so  rapidly  that  new  presses  and  machinery  had  to 
be  continually  added,  and  soon  both  were  cramped  for  room 
again.  In  1858  a  new  building  was  erected  on  Main  Street 
expressly  for  the  concern,  and  for  the  first  time  the  three  de- 
partments— the  newspaper,  the  printing-office,  and  the  bindery 
— were  brought  under  one  roof  This  was  the  building  now 
occupied  by  D.  H.  Brigham  &  Co.,  the  clothiers.  For  some 
time  previous  the  whole  business  had  been  done  under  the 
simple  firm-name  of  Samuel  Bowles  &  Co.  Ten  years  later 
the  new  quarters  were  found  too  strait  for  the  enormously- 
increased  business,  and  the  Second  National  Bank  erected,  on 
the  opposite  corner  of  Townsley  Avenue,  still  another  new 
building  for  the  concern.  This  building  had  a  front  of  50  feet 
on  Main  Street,  was  120  feet  deep,  and  four  stories  high,  and 
the  whole  building  was  occupied  by  the  firm,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  one  corner,  where  rooms  were  reserved  by  the  bank 
for  its  own  use.  In  1872  the  firm  of  Samuel  Bowles  &  Co. 
was  dissolved,  Messrs.  Bryan  &  Tapley  taking  the  printing- 
offices  and  bindery  as  their  share  of  the  assets,  and  the  Clark 
W.  Bryan  Company  was  organized,  as  stated  above.  In 
June,  1873,  the  whole  business  of  the  company  was  moved 
into  the  spacious  building  on  the  corner  of  Main  and  Worth- 
ington  Streets,  which  it  still  (1879)  occupies.     This  Is  one  of 


SGG 


HISTORY  OF   THE   CONNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


the  most  prominent  business  blocks  in  the  city,  being  50  feet 
front,  130  feet  deep,  and  live  stories  high.  The  whole  of  it, 
with  the  exception  of  one  small  store  on  the  first  floor,  is 
occupied  by  the  company  for  their  business  office  and  for  their 
publishing,  printing,  clectrotyping,  and  book-binding  rooms. 

During  the  whole  twenty-si.\  years  of  its  history  the  business 
of  this  concern  has  increased  steadily,  and  the  establishment 
is  now  second  to  none  of  its  kind  in  New  England.  It  does  a 
very  large  amount  of  general  job-printing  and  custom-binding 
every  year  ;  turns  out  large  editions  of  books  for  publishers 
monthly  ;  makes  and  sells  thousands  of  dollars'  worth  of 
blanli  books  annually;  manufactures  patent  calendars  by  the 
million  every  autumn,  and  hundreds  of  Tapley's  patent  let- 
ter-tile— very  popular  with  business-men — every  week.  JTor 
ten  years  succeeding  18G1,  an  important  part  of  the  business 
was  the  manufacture  of  photogra]>h  albums,  this  concern 
being  the  largest  producers  of  that  once  popular  article  in  the 
country.  The  company  now  makes  a  specialty  of  printing 
and  binding  tine  illustrated  catalogues  for  manufacturers, 
florists,  etc.,  and  so  high  is  its  reputation  for  this. class  of  work 
that  it  has  orders  from  far  and  near.  Indeed,  Springfield  and 
the  near  vicinity  could  not  begin  to  support  so  large  and  com- 
plete an  establishment.  The  business  relations  of  the  house 
extend  over  the  country  and  to  the  British  provinces,  from 
Halifax  and  St.  John  at  the  northeast  to  New  Orleans  at  the 
southwest,  from  Portland  and  Boston  on  the  Atlantic  Ocean 
to  San  Franci-sco  on  the  Pacific.  A  few  of  the  larger  cities  in 
the  country  may  have  equally  extensive  establishments,  but 
no  other  city  of  the  size  of  Springfield  can  boast  of  one 
wliich  is  its  equal  in  the  variety  and  completeness  of  its  re- 
sources, all  concentrated  under  one  roof. 

The  present  officers  (1879)  of  the  company  are  as  follows: 
Directors,  John  Olmstead  (president),  George  W.  Tapley,  W. 
M.  Pomeroy,  Charles  A.  Nichols,  Lewis  J.  Powers;  Clerk, 
Henry  S.  Hyde;  Treasurer,  J.  F.  Tapley.  The  superintendent 
of  the  printing-ofiice  is  Nelson  F.  Twing;  of  the  bindery, 
Henry  E.  Ducker. 

THE    NEW   ENGLAND    HOMESTEAD 

was  founded  in  1867,  by  Henry  M.  Burt,  who  commenced 
its  publication  in  Northampton.  For  the  first  year  it  was 
published  monthly,  but  in  18ti8  the  office  was  moved  to  Spring- 
field, and  May  16th  of  that  year  appeared  the  first  number  of 
its  issue  as  a  weekly.  Mr.  Burt  continued  as  editor  and 
publisher  until  Oct.  18,  1878,  when  it  was  purchased  by 
Messrs.  Edward  H.  Phelps  and  Herbert  H.  Sanderson,  who 
had  previously  been  connected  with  the  daily  press  of  Spring- 
field, Mr.  Phelps  having  been,  since  1872,  local  editor  of  the 
Union,  after  filling  the  same  office  for  several  years  on  the 
Republican.  They  introduced  new  features  into  the  paper, 
and  two  months  after  making  their  purchase  began  the 
issue  of  a  city  edition,  which  they  made  the  medium  of  mu- 
sical and  dramatic  criticism,  personal  and  society  gossip,  and 
local  intelligence  generally.  This  edition  is  mostly  circulated 
in  Springfield,  Holyoke,  and  Chicopee,  while  the  regular  edi- 
tion finds  its  readers  among  the  farmers  throughout  New  Eno-- 
land,  and  especially  in  the  Connecticut  Valley  and  west  of  it. 

THE   EVENING  TELEGRAM, 

issued  in  November,  1878,  by  Henry  M.  Burt,  as  editor  and 
proprietor,  is  an  outgrowth  of  the  Saturday  Evening  Tile- 
gram,  established  by  Mr.  Burt  in  March,  1871,  and  the  Sun- 
day Telegram,  in  May,  1873.  The  Ecening  Telegram  is  a 
penny  Saturday-afternoon  paper,  devoted  mainly  to  the  dis- 
cu.ssion  of  local  events.  Mr.  Burt  publishes,  during  the  sum- 
mer months.  Among  the  Clouds,  a  daily  newspaper,  on  the 
summit  of  Mount  Washington,  in  New  Hampshire,  at  an 
elevation  of  G283  feet  above  the  sea  level,  which  he  established 
in  1877,  and  it  is  the  only  paper  ever  published  on  the  summit 
of  any  mountain  in  the  world.  Mr.  Burt  is  a  practical  printer, 
having  served  his   apprenticeship  with   the   late  William  A. 


Hawley,  in  the  office  of  the  Hampshire  Gazette,  in  Northamp- 
ton, in  the  years  1847-51,  inclusive,  and  subsequently  to  1856 
was  employed  in  the  job-printing  office  of  J.  &  L.  Metcalf,  in 
the  same  town.  His  first  editorial  experience  was  in  Ne- 
braska, in  connection  with  the  Jicllevue  Gazette,  a  weekly 
paper,  of  which  he  was  joint  publisher  and  editor  with  the 
late  Gen.  Silas  A.  Strickland,  in  the  years  1857—58.  Mr.  Burt 
returned  to  New  England  in  the  autumn  of  1858,  and  in  the 
following  year  the  press  and  printing  material  with  which  Mr. 
Burt  issued  the  Bell.eeue  (jazette  were  sold  to  Byres  &  Daily, 
who  took  them  to  Denver,  Col.,  and  upon  them  printed  the 
Hucky  Mountain  Newx,  the  first  paper  ever  printed  in  Colorado. 
After  returning  to  Massachusetts,  Mr.  Burt  was  assistant 
editor  of  the  Springfield  liepuhliean  for  nearly  a  year,  com- 
mencing with  April,  1859,  having  charge  of  the  telegraphic. 
New  England,  and  city  news,  which  position  he  relinquished 
in  1860  to  establish  the  Northampton  Free  Press,  a  semi- 
weekly  newspaper.  He  is  the  oldest  founder  of  a  newspaper 
now  residing  in  Springfield,  and  has  established  more  papers 
than  any  one  else  in  the  Connecticut  Valley,  as  will  be  seen 
by  the  following  list,  with  the  dates  of  his  connection  with 
them  appended  :  Northampton  Free  Press,  semi-weekly,  1860- 
64;  Holyoke  Transcript,  1805;  .Brattleboro'  (Vt.)  Record,  semi- 
weekly  (in  connection  with  D.  L.  Milliken),  1866;  New 
England  Homestead  Monthly  (at  Northampton),  1867;  New 
England  Homestead,  weekly  (in  vSpringfield),  1868-78;  Satur- 
day Eccnitig  Telegram,  1871-73;  Sunday  Telegram,  1873-76; 
Among  the  Clouds,  daily  during  the  season,  1877;  and  The 
Evening  Telegram,  1878.  The  two  latter  Mr.  Burt  still  con- 
tinues to  publish. 

THE    HERALD    OF    LITE, 

The  publication  of  the  Herald  «/'  Life  was  begun  Oct.  21, 
1863,  in  New  York  City,  by  the  Life  and  Advent  Union, 
which  was  organized  the  preceding  August  for  the  purpose 
of  promulgating  the  doctrines  of  the  speedy  personal  coming  of 
Christ,  the  unconsciousness  of  the  dead,  and  a  future  life  by  a 
bodily  resurrection  for  the  righteous  onl}'.  George  Storrs  was 
elected  its  first  editor,  and  continued  in  that  office  until  Aug. 
17,  1871,  when  he  declined  to  serve  longer,  and  Leonard  C. 
Thorne  was  elected  in  his  place.  He  continued  editor  until 
Aug.  8,  1877,  when  he  retired,  and  was  succeeded  by  William 
N.  Pile,  the  present  editor.  The  paper  was  published  in  New 
York  until  September,  1872,  when  it  was  removed  to  Spring- 
field, Mass. 

THE    SUNDAY    AFTERNOON, 

a  monthly  magazine  for  the  household,  was  established  in 
January,  1878,  by  Edward  F.  Jlerriam,  son  of  George  Mer- 
riani,  the  senior  member  of  the  firm  of  G.  &  C.  Merriam, 
publishers  of  Webster's  Dictionary.  During  the  first  year  of 
its  publication  Eev.  Washington  Gladden  was  its  editor,  but 
since  January,  1879,  it  has  been  under  the  editorial  manage- 
ment of  Mr.  Merriam,  its  proprietor.  Mr.  Gladden  conducts 
"The  Still  Hour,"  the  "Editor's  Table,"  and  "Literature." 
Tlie  magazine  has  been  indorsed  by  Mr.  Whittier,  Mrs.  Stowe, 
and  Elizabeth  Stuart  Phelps,  and  no  periodical  publication 
ever  received  a  more  welcome  reception  from  the  press.  Mrs. 
Harriet  Beecher  Stowe,  in  a  letter  to  the  editor,  says  :  "  Your 
magazine  belongs  to  the  new  era  which  is  coming ;  everybody 
tliiiiks  and  speaks  well  of  it.''  Though  in  its  infancy,  the 
Sunday  Afternoon  is  already  on  a  solid  basis,  and  justly  merits 
its  present  popularity. 

Familiar  Scienr.e  and  Fancier's  Journal  is  a  monthly  publi- 
cation, and  occupies  an  important  rank  in  journals  of  its  kind. 

2Vie  Hampden  Whig  was  established  Feb.  24,  1830,  by  John 
B.  Eldridge.  It. subsequently  passed  into  the  possession  of  E. 
D.  Beach.  Later,  D.  P.  Ashley  became  a  [lartner,  and  the 
paper  was  issued  by  them,  under  the  title  of  the  Hampden 
Post,  until  July  1,  1843,  when  it  was  sold  to  Alanson  Harley. 

T.'ie    Independent  Democrat  was  started   May  2(;,  1841,  by 


HISTORY   OF   HAiMPDEN   COUNTY. 


867 


Apollos  Munn.  In  1843  it  was  sold  to  Dr.  Elijah  Ashloy, 
who  continued  it  until  1844,  when  he,  having  purchased  the 
Hampden  Post,  merged  the  two  papers  in  each  other. 

The  Hampden  Statesman  was  commenced  by  Apollos  Munn 
Aug.  2,  1845,  and  lived  until  1847,  when  it  was  merged  in  the 
Hampden  Post. 

The  Spriiirijield  Gazette  was  established  in  1841  by  Geo.  AV. 
Callendar,  Henry  Kirkluun,  and  Lewis  Briggs,  and  was,  after 
various  vicissitudes,  merged  with  the  Repuhliean. 

The  Hampden  Intel /ii/cncei;  an  anti-Masonic  organ,  was 
established  Aug.  25,  1831,  by  J.  B.  Clapp,  and  lived  about 
one  year. 

T/ie  Hampden  Washhifftonian,  a  temperance  sheet,  was 
commenced  by  A.  6.  Tannatt,  in  1842,  and  discontinued  in 
1848. 

T/ie  Ba;i  State  Wecklji  Courier,  a  literary  publication,  was 
established  Jan.  1,  1847,  by  Dr.  J.  G-.  Holland,  now  the 
editor  of  Srribner's  Mar/aziiie.  "  Holland's  Historj'  of  West- 
ern Massachusetts,"  Vol.  I.,  page  442,  in  speaking  of  this  paper, 
says:  "  The  Bay  State  Weekly  Courier,  a  literary  newspaper, 
was  commenced  by  J.  G.  Holland,  a  physician,  as  a  refuge 
from  uncongenial  pills,  and  a  still  more  uncongenial  lack  of 
opportunity  for  dispensing  them."  It  soon  after  passed  into 
the  possession  of  H.  S.  Taylor,  and  at  the  close  of  six  months 
was  discontinued. 

The  Constellation,  the  Spirit  Messenger,  the  Mechanics'  Re- 
porter, and  the  Connecticut  Vallei/  Farmer  also  for  a  time  helped 
make  up  the  press  of  Springfield.  The  latter  was  commenced 
as  the  Connecticut  Valley  Farmer  and  Mechanic  in  1853,  and 
was  edited  by  Hon.  Wm.  B.  Calhoun.  It  was  moved  to  Am- 
herst in  1855,  and  Professor  J.  A.  Nash  became  publisher  and 
editor. 

THE  HOME  FOR  THE  FRIENDLES.«.« 
The  Springtield  Home  for  Friendless  Women  and  Children 
was  established  in  1865.  It  was  the  first  institution  of  its  kind 
in  Western  Massachusetts,  and  grew  out  of  the  real  necessities 
of  the  community.  These  necessities  were  many  and  various, 
and  sometimes  conflicting,  and  therefore  it  is  not  surprising 
that  the  character  of  the  Home  in  regard  to  its  object  and  the 
classes  of  persons  who  should  become  its  inmates  was  at  first 
rather  indefinite  and  subject  to  change. 

Benevolent  individuals  had  often  felt  the  need  of  someplace 
of  refuge  other  than  the  almshouse  for  the  temporarily  poor, — 
not  reallj'  paupers,  but  who,  from  sickness  or  other  causes, 
were  for  a  time  unable  to  provide  for  themselves,  and  who, 
after  a  few  weeks  of  rest  in  a  comfortable  home,  would  be 
again  independent  and  self-supporting. 

This  need  has  been  felt  also  in  the  case  of  children, — or- 
phans, or  those  whose  parents  were  unable  or  unfit  to  give 
them  the  care  necessary  to  prepare  them  for  a  useful  life ; 
especially  the  children  of  soldiers  who  had  fallen  in  the  late 
war.  These,  it  was  thought,  should  be  cared  for  until  they 
were  able  to  earn  their  own  living,  or  could  be  placed  in 
charge  of  other  suitable  guardians. 

Then  there  was  the  class  of  young  girls  who  come  to  the 
city  to  seek  employment,  often  without  money  and  without 
friends,  who,  after  seeking  in  vain  for  work,  become  discour- 
aged and  fell  an  easy  prey  to  the  tempters  who  are  too  often 
watching  to  mislead  them.  To  take  in  such  as  these,  and  to 
provide  them  with  respectable  employment, — this  duty  ap- 
pealed to  every  virtuous  heart. 

Sometimes,  too,  the  attention  of  charitable  ladies  had  been 
called  by  our  city  officers  to  the  case  of  other  j'oung  girls 
found  in  suspicious  places,  whose  feet  had  perchance  slipped 
from  the  straight  path  of  virtue,  but  who  had  been  more  sinned 
against  than  sinning;  individual  eii'ort  had  done  much  to 
save  them,  but  something  more  was  needed. 

But,  perhaps  moi-e  than  all,  the  pitiable  condition  of  the 

*  By  Mrs.  Rev.  William  Rice. 


female  convicts  released  from  our  jail  and  house  of  correction 
had  impressed  both  the  officers  of  justice  and  philanthropic 
persons  to  whose  attention  their  cases  had  been  brought. 
Many  of  these  offenders  were  very  young,  and  had  been  led 
astray  by  others  older  and  deeper  in  sin  than  themselves ;  but 
wlien  they  emerged  from  confinement, — often  with  no  home 
or  friends  to  go  to,  with  the  stamp  of  crime  and  punishment 
upon  their  foreheads,  with  the  door  of  an  honest  living  shut 
in  their  faces,  and  vicious  companions  lying  in  wait  to  throw 
their  toils  over  them, — who  can  wonder  that  they  so  often  fell 
again,  and  became  at  last  hardened  oflenders,  or  the  victims 
of  disease  and  early  death  ? 

A  few  ladies  in  the  city,  whose  charity  would  not  let  them 
rest  where  there  was  suffering  to  relieve  or  a  chance  to  reclaim 
the  fallen,  had  for  several  years  been  laboring  especially  for 
this  class.  All  that  patient  personal  effort  and  tender  thought- 
fulness  could  do  they  had  done,  but  the  evil  could  not  be  con- 
trolled by  the  means  and  agencies  at  their  command ;  and 
they  at  length  conceived  the  plan  of  an  institution  like  the 
Home,  where  these  women  and  others  needing  similar  shelter 
should  be  received,  guarded,  and  taught,  until  they  should  be 
morally  strong  enough  to  be  sent  into  the  world  to  battle  with 
temptation  and  earn  an  honest  living. 

No  sooner  was  this  plan  started  in  their  minds  than  they 
proceeded  to  consult  with  philanthropic  persons,  clergymen 
and  others,  respecting  it.  They  found  a  ready  response,  and 
a  call  was  issued  for  a  meeting  of  citizens  interested  in  pro- 
viding such  a  home. 

This  meeting  was  held  on  JEonday,  Feb.  13,  1865,  at  the 
chapel  of  the  South  Church.  About  fifty  ladies  and  gentle- 
men were  present,  representing  nearly  all  the  religious  socie- 
ties in  the  city.  After  a  general  expression  that  an  institution 
of  the  kind  proposed  was  not  only  desirable,  but  necessary, 
and  that  the  citizens  were  ready  to  sustain  it,  a  committee 
of  ladies  was  appointed  to  prepare  and  report  a  plan  of  or- 
ganization. This  organization  was  completed  at  a  subsequent 
meeting,  and  a  board  of  directors  was  appointed,  two  from 
each  religious  society  in  the  city,  from  whom  the  officers  of 
the  association — a  president,  two  vice-presidents,  a  recording 
secretary,  corresponding  secretary,  and  treasurer — were  chosen. 

An  appeal,  setting  forth  the  importance  and  necessitj' of  the 
charity,  was  then  made  to  the  public,  and  so  hearty  was  the 
response  that,  in  less  than  a  month  after  the  organization  of 
the  association,  a  well-built  and  commodious  house,  capable  of 
accommodating  twenty  persons,  had  been  bought  and  paid 
for  at  a  cost  of  $4500,  and  more  than  92000  had  been  raised 
fur  the  purpose  of  carrying  it  on.  And  the  general  interest 
in  the  new  charity  was  not  shown  by  gifts  of  money  alone. 
Mechanics  contributed  liberally  of  labor  and  materials  for 
making  necessary  alterations  in  the  house;  merchants  and 
citizens  of  all  classes  sent  furniture  to  fit  it  up,  and  provision 
and  clothing  for  its  inmates. 

While  the  house  was  being  prepared  for  occupation,  it  was 
thought  necessary  to  define  more  distinctly  the  objects  of  the 
Home,  and  to  determine  what  class  or  classes  should  be  re- 
ceived as  inmates.  At  one  of  the  preliminary  meetings  it 
had  been  voted  "  that  the  directors  be  instructed  to  make  this 
a  home  for  the  friendless  who  are  virtuous,  and  also  to  provide 
in  other  ways,  as  far  as  practicable,  for  the  vicious  who  show 
any  disposition  to  reform."  At  an  early  meeting  of  the  di- 
rectors it  had  been  voted  "  that  our  Home  is  for  friendless 
females,  of  all  ages  and  classes,  and  that  the  directors  shall 
decide  upon  each  case  as  it  presents  itself."  But  now  some 
of  those  who  had  been  warmest  in  their  sympathy  and  most 
active  in  their  zeal  were  of  the  opinion  that  too  broad  a  field 
of  operations  was  proposed,  and  that  it  would  not  be  wise  to 
bring  the  fallen  and  vicious  into  contact  with  virtuous  girls 
and  innocent  children;  that  the  Home  should  be  therefore  for 
children  and  the  virtuous  poor  alone,  while  we  should  care  for 
the  fallen  who  should  come  to  us  by  sending  them  to  institu- 


808 


IIISTOllY   OF  THE   CONNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


tions  of  reform  in  other  parts  of  the  State.  This  plan  was 
adopted  and  followed  for  a  short  time,  but  for  a  short  time 
only. 

The  first  idea  in  the  eslablishtncnt  of  a  Home  had  been  to 
raise  the  fallen,  to  restore  the  erring,  as  well  as  to  save  those 
whose  feet  had  wellnigh  slipped,  and  it  was  hard  for  some  to 
give  up  any  part  of  this  cherished  obje<^t.  But  the  problem 
was  soon  to  be  practically  solved.  Before  the  end  of  the  first 
summer  there  was  brought  to  the  Home  for  admission  a  young 
girl,  fallen,  indeed,  but  whose  case  called  so  deeply  for  sympa- 
thy and  help  that  this  refuge  could  not  be  denied  her.  She 
was  admitted,  a  meeting  of  the  directors  was  called,  the  ques- 
tion again  discussed,  and  it  was  unanimously  resolved  that 
none  could  be  more  friendless  than  those  of  this  class,  and  that 
henceforth  the  doors  of  the  Home  should  be  open  to  them,  if 
to  no  others. 

It  was  determined  to  engage  a  second  Matron,  whose  espe- 
cial business  should  be  to  take  care  of  the  children,  and  to 
keep  them  entirely  separate  from  all  association  with  those 
who  could  in  any  way  contaminate  them.  At  the  same  time 
a  stricter  supervision  was  required  over  the  adult  inmates. 
From  tliat  time  tliere  was  a  definite  though  broad  field  of 
operation.  The  managers  liave  never  designed  to  receive  the 
aged  or  permanently  disabled,  but  rather  the  young,  who 
have  a  future  before  them,  and  who  can  be  helped  and  en- 
couraged to  lead  useful  lives.  At  first  it  was  tliought  that  no 
one  should  be  received  who  did  not  propei'ly  belong  to  Spring- 
field, or  at  least  reside  here  at  the  time  of  application,  but 
very  soon  applicants  were  received  from  the  neighboring 
towns,  and  some  of  these  towns  contributed  liberally  of  money 
and  clothing  for  the  institution. 

It  has  been  said  that  the  Home  was  first  organized  as  a  vol- 
untary a.ssociation,  but,  after  money  had  been  raised  and  a 
house  purchased,  it  was  thought  expedient  to  obtain  an  act  of 
incorporation  from  the  Legislature,  and  such  an  act  was  passed 
in  April,  18B5,  but  it  was  not  until  March  of  the  following- 
year  that  an  organization  was  eft'ected  under  the  charter,  and 
the  present  constitution  and  by-laws  substantially  adopted. 

Soon  after  this  permanent  organization  an  appeal  was  made 
to  the  Legislature  for  a  grant  in  aid  of  the  corporation,  the 
ground  of  the  appeal  being  the  actual  saving  of  expense  to  the 
State  by  the  prevention  of  crime  and  pauperism  in  various 
ways,  especially  by  receiving  at  the  Home  all  female  ottenders 
discharged  from  the  jail,  who  were  willing  to  avail  themselves 
of  this  refuge.  This  petition  was  favorably  received,  and  the 
sum  of  ^2000  granted  on  condition  that  an  equal  amount 
should  be  contributed  by  private  individuals.  This  amount 
was  easily  raised,  and  the  appropriation  accordingly  received 
from  the  State  treasurer.  For  the  four  succeeding  years  the 
same  grant  was  made  on  the  same  conditions,  the  appropria- 
tio7is  amounting  in  all  to  $110,000.  After  the  fifth  year,  owing 
to  the  increasing  number  of  similar  institutions,  all  claiming 
State  aid,  no  further  appropriation  was  made,  and  the  corpo- 
ration was  thrown  upon  its  own  resources.  But  tlie  Home 
had  been  steadily  growing  in  public  estimation,  and  the  citi- 
zens of  Springfield  came  nobly  to  the  rescue,  and  neighboring 
towns  sent  in  their  contributions,  so  that  the  institution, 
though  constantly  increasing  in  expenditure,  was  never  crip- 
pled in  its  usefulness  by  any  serious  lack  of  funds. 

When  the  house  on  Union  Street  was  purchased,  it  was 
placed  by  the  subscribers  to  the  purchase-money  in  the  hands 
of  trustees,  to  be  conveyed  to  the  corporation  at  the  end  of 
three  years,  if  in  their  judgment  the  enterprise  had  then 
proved  successful,  and  the  Home  had  vindicated  its  claim  to 
become  a  permanent  institution.  There  was  no  question  as 
to  this  success,  and  the  house  therefore  became  the  property 
of  the  corporation.  In  the  second  year  of  its  occupation  tlie 
house  had  been  enlarged  in  its  capacity  by  putting  another 
story  upon  the  rear  part,  thus  making  it  two  stories  in  its 
whole  extent,  but  it  was  still  too  small  to  accommodate  the 


increasing  number  of  inmates,  and  applicants  were  often  turned 
away  for  lack  of  room  and  beds  to  receive  them.  Already  the 
managers  were  looking  to  a  separate  and  more  spacious  build- 
ing for  the  children  alone.  It  was,  however,  more  than  a  year 
after  this  house  had  been  conveyed  to  the  corporation  before 
actual  etibrts  were  made  toward  the  erection  of  the  Children's 
Home. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  corporation,  Oct.  9,  1809,  it  was  unan- 
imously voted  to  build  a  new  house,  to  be  called  the  "  Cliil- 
dren's  Home,"  and  subscriptions  were  solicited  for  that  pur- 
pose. Mr.  Horace  Kibbe  made  a  donation  of  a  lot  of  land, 
and  Mr.  Gurdon  Bill  headed  the  subscription  list  with  if2000. 
Afterward  a  more  eligible  lot  of  an  acre  of  ground  was  given 
by  Messrs.  John  and  William  McKnight,  G.  W.  and  J.  F. 
Tapley,  and  Theodore  Haynes  ;  and  Mr.  Kibbe  bought  back 
his  original  gift  of  land  for  1?2000.  These  generous  gifts,  in 
the  very  beginning  of  the  project,  gave  encouragement  and 
hope  to  those  who  had  undertaken  the  work.  It  was  consid- 
ered desirable  to  raise  about  |i30,000,  considerably  more  than  the 
proposed  cost  of  the  building,  in  order  to  have  a  reserve  fund 
for  repairs  and  other  emergencies.  The  sum  of  $23,000  was 
raised  by  subscription,  mostly  in  Springfield,  and  a  fair  was 
held  in  the  city-hall  in  May,  which  continued  one  week,  and 
netted  i?7o00.  At  this  fair  the  towns  of  Westfield,  Chicopee, 
Holyoke,  Northampton,  and  Greenfield  were  liberally  repre- 
sented, and  each  furnished  one  or  more  rooms  in  the  new 
building. 

Work  on  the  Children's  Home  was  commenced  in  Maj', 
1870,  and  the  building  was  first  occupied  in  May,  1871.  It  is 
capable  of  accommodating  50  or  60  children.  The  location  on 
Buckingham  Street  is  dry  and  airy,  and  at  a  convenient  dis- 
tance from  the  centre  of  the  city.  It  is  a  substantial  brick 
building  with  stone  foundation  and  facings,  50  by  40  feet  in 
the  main  part,  with  an  L  20  by  38  feet.  It  is  two  stories  high 
throughout,  with  a  Mansard  roof  and  finished  attic  over  all, 
aTid  a  broad  piazza  extending  around  three  sides.  It  contains 
twenty-one  rooms,  exclusive  of  halls,  closets,  bath-room,  and 
basement.  It  has  a  laundry  in  the  basement,  and  is  supplied 
with  hot  and  cold  water,  and  all  modern  conveniences.  There 
is  a  spacious  yard  in  front,  a  play-ground  on  the  east  side,  and 
a  vegetable  garden  in  the  rear.  The  entire  cost  of  the  struc- 
ture, exclusive  of  land,  was  §1(5,000.  It  would  have  been  im- 
possible to  build  so  economically  but  for  the  excellent  build- 
ing committee  appointed  by  the  association,  one  of  whom,  Mr. 
Kibbe,  gave  a  large  portion  of  his  time  to  the  personal  super- 
intendence of  the  work,  besides  planning  most  judiciously  the 
arrangements  of  the  house. 

The  whole  number  of  inmates  received  the  first  year  at 
the  Home  on  Union  Street  was  80,  but  the  average  number 
was  not  much  over  12.  During  the  next  three  years  the 
average  number  was  18,  though  the  whole  number  received 
was  by  no  means  proportionally  greater.  The  last  year  before 
their  removal  to  Buckingham  Street,  the  number  of  children 
was  much  larger  than  ever  before,  and  after  their  removal  it 
continued  to  increase.  The  average  number  of  children  for 
the  first  year  after  the  opening  of  the  new  Home  was  30,  the 
second  year  it  was  40,  the  greatest  number  at  any  one  time 
being  51.  From  that  time  to  the  present  the  average  number 
has  been  between  30  and  40.  The  whole  number  of  children 
received  and  cared  for  during  the  ten  years  after  its  ofganiza- 
tion  was  466. 

Since  the  opening  of  the  Children's  Home  the  house  on 
Union  Street  has  been  appropriated  to  women  alone,  or  to 
mothers  with  infants  too  young  to  be  separated  from  them. 
In  rare  instances  other  children  have  been  received  there  when 
some  epidemic  has  been  prevailing  at  the  Children's  Home. 
Tlie  average  number  there  is  from  12  to  14. 

One  of  the  principal  aims  of  this  institution  has  been  to 
find  suitable  places  for  the  women  and  children  under  its  care, 
and  much  has  been  accomplished  in  this  direction.    Very  little 


HISTOKY  OF  HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


869 


difficult}-  has  ever  been  experienced  in  finding  a  place  for  any 
woman  who  was  able  to  work,  even  with  the  disadvantage  of 
taliing  a  child  with  her ;  and  there  are  always  more  or  less 
applications  for  girls  old  enough  to  render  some  service.  Great 
care  is  exercised  in  selecting  suitable  places  for  these  children, 
but  the  managers  do  not  give  them  up  when  they  thus  go  out 
into  the  world.  They  are  statedly  visited  by  the  children's 
committee,  and  reported  upon  at  the  managers'  meeting,  and 
if  these  places  do  not  prove  suitable,  and  the  conditions  of 
their  service  are  not  fulfilled,  the  children  are  taken  back  to 
the  Home  and  sent  out  again  under  more  favorable  circum- 
stances. A  large  number  of  the  children  at  the  Home  have 
been  adopted  into  good  families  as  their  own  children.  Some 
arc  in  the  families  of  the  managers  of  the  institution.  But 
even  when  thus  adopted  the  institution  never  loses  sight  -of 
them. 

Among  the  generous  donations  from  all  classes  of  citizens, 
the  gratuitous  attendance  of  physicians  should  not  be  unmen- 
tioned.  From  the  very  first  no  fee  has  been  charged  for  their 
services,  and  yet  the  best  skill  and  the  most  careful  attention 
have  been  bestowed.  In  1872  a  board  of  four  phj'sicians  was 
elected,  to  whom  was  committed  the  medical  and  sanitary  con- 
dition of  the  two  houses.  Each  of  these  physicians  serves  for 
three  months,  assisted  by  two  younger  ones,  who  act  under 
his  direction. 

The  health  of  the  children  has  been  remarkable  from  the 
beginning.  There  have  been  in  all  but  six  deaths,  and  three 
of  these  were  of  children  who  were  sick  when  received.  The 
peculiar  diseases  incident  to  children  prevail  to  a  considerable 
extent,  but  health  is  soon  re-established,  and  the  routine  of  the 
family  scarcely  disturbed.  At  the  Woman's  Home  it  is  not 
so.  The  inmates,  received  from  all  conditions,  under  such 
various  circumstances  and  habits  of  life,  are  seldom  in  sound 
health  ;  and,  though  the  managers  have  not  designed  to  make 
the  house  a  hospital,  there  have  been  many  cases  of  severe  and 
protracted  illness.  Very  few  deaths  have  occurred,  however. 
It  Is  not  to  be  supposed  that  no  mistakes  are  made  in  the 
management  of  the  Home.  Doubtless  there  are  many ;  and 
yet  it  is  true  that  few  institutions  have  been  conducted  with 
so  much  real  ability  and  careful  forethought.  The  wisdom  of 
the  management  appears  in  the  financial  as  well  as  in  the 
philanthropic  aspect  of  the  institution.  In  its  earliest  years 
it  was  dependent  wholly  upon  the  yearly  subscriptions,  and 
there  was  no  reserve-fund  to  fall  back  upon  in  case  of  emer- 
gencies. The  corporators  saw  that  such  a  fund  was  not  only 
desirable,  but  almost  a  necessity,  and  from  the  very  first  en- 
deavored to  raise  yearly  an  amount  more  than  sufficient  to 
cover  the  expenditure,  and  thus  become  the  nucleus  of  such  a 
fund.  When  the  subscriptions  for  the  Children's  Home  were 
solicited,  it  was  intended  to  secure  a  surplus  over  the  actual 
expenses  of  the  building ;  and  this  was  successfully  accom- 
plished, so  that  after  the  completion  of  the  building  there 
remained  in  the  treasury  the  sum  of  ^16,901.17. 

But  the  yearly  subscriptions  were  still  solicited  and  still 
cheerfully  given,  except  that  in  the  Centennial  year  a  fair 
was  held  instead,  which  netted  about  the  usual  amount. 
Thus,  through  the  changes  and  depression  of  the  times  this 
fund  has  been  kept  nearly  the  same,  sometimes  drawn  upon, 
sometimes  added  to,  and  the  interest  upon  it  has  been  a  very 
considerable  help  toward  the  yearly  outlay. 

"The  Home"  is  emphatically  an  institution  of  the  city. 
It  is  appreciated  and  cherished  by  the  people,  and  they  will 
never  let  it  suffer  for  lack  of  funds.  Still,  it  is  very  desirable 
that  its  support  should  be  secured  in  some  less  laborious  and 
contingent  manner  than  by  yearly  solicitations  and  subscrip- 
tions ;  and  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  some  of  our  wealthy  philan- 
thropists, living  or  dying,  will  remember  this  institution  in 
the  wise  bestowment  of  their  charities,  and  so  increase  its 
endowment  that  it  will  be  less  dependent  upon  the  yearly 
donations. 


INDIAX  ORCHARD,  AND  IXDIAX  ORCHARD  MILL  COM- 
I'ANY. 
The  territorj'  now  occupied  by  the  village  of  Indian  Or- 
chard was  originally  laid  out  as  follows  :  41.5th  lot,  in  the  first 
tier,  below  the  river,  to  Richard  Bliss ;  41Gth  lot,  same  tier,  to 
Benjamin  Day;  421st  lot,  .second  tier,  to  Samuel  Ely,  Jr.; 
422d  lot,  same  tier,  to  Daniel  Morgan  ;  431st  lot,  third  tier,  to 
Francis  Ball;  part  of  two  lots,  same  tier,  to  Ebenezer  Bagg; 
430th  lot,  same  tier,  to  Ebenezer  Leonard. 

Eeuben  Bliss  sold  John  Paulk,  Nov.  19,  1802,  lot  41.5,  and 
recites  in  the  deed  conveying  it,  "  Originally  laid  out  to  me  in 
the  Inward  Commons."  The  other  property  recited  above 
was  purchased  at  ditferent  times  by  Mr.  Paulk,  and  Dec.  14, 
1804,  he  sold  120  acres  to  Benjamin  Corey,  of  Brooklyn,  Mid- 
dlesex Co.,  Mass.  Mr.  Corey  mortgaged  a  part  of  the  prop- 
erty, in  1808,  to  James  S.  and  Henry  Dwight,  which  mort- 
gage was  assigned  several  times,  and  finally  foreclosed,  and 
Samuel  Osgood  passed  into  peaceable  possession.  May  2, 
1825,  Charles  Stearns,  of  Springfield,  commenced  purchasing 
land  in  this  section  oh  the  river,  with  a  view  to  developing 
the  water-power,  and  purchased  at  different  times  for  several 
years,  associating  with  him  Geo.  Bliss,  James  Brewer,  Willis 
Phelps,  and  others ;  and  September,  1839,  Charles  Stearns, 
James  Brewer,  and  George  Bliss  deeded  their  property  to  the 
Indian  Orchard  Canal  Companj'.  Surveys  were  made,  but  no 
active  operations  were  commenced  until  1840. 

In  September,  184.5,  the  Springfield  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany sold  to  this  company  the  land  owned  by  them  on  the 
south  side  of  the  river.  The  Springfield  Manufacturing 
Company  was  organized  in  1821,  with  Benjamin  Jenks  as  its 
leading  spirit.  Mills  were  built  in  Ludlow,  with  boarding- 
houses  opposite,  in  the  town  of  Springfield,  near  ■'  Old  Put's 
Bridge." 

In  1845  a  survey  of  the  plat  and  plan  of  a  dam  were  made 
by  William  H.  Butler,  surveyor,  and  in  the  summer  of  1846 
the  massive  stone  dam,  costing  §28,000,  and  28  feet  high,  was 
constructed,  and  completed  in  the  autumn  of  that  year.  Capt. 
Charles  McClallan  and  a  Mr.  Willard,  of  Cabotville,  now 
Chicopee  Falls,  were  the  builders.  In  that  year  also  were 
built  a  house  for  the  agent  and  several  boarding-houses. 
During  the  next  year  the  hills  were  leveled,  ravines  filled, 
and  streets  laid  out  and  graded.  The  Rev.  F.  A.  Barton  was 
the  first  agent ;  he  was  succeeded  by  William  Bemis.  Dec.  1, 
18-53,  the  Indian  Orchard  Canal  Company  conveyed  all  the 
rights,  titles,  buildings,  and  water-privileges  belonging  to 
them  to  the  Ward  Manufacturing  Company.  At  this  time 
the  canal  company  had  erected  the  walls  of  the  present  mill 
No.  1,  and  the  old  part  of  No.  2,  which  used  to  be  known  as 
the  machine-shop.  Samuel  Weber,  Jr.,  was  appointed  as 
agent. 

During  the  company's  possession  looms  and  spindles  were 
added  from  time  to  time,  until,  at  the  transfer  of  the  property 
to  the  Indian  Orchard  Mills  Company,  there  were  18,000 
spindles  and  3.52  looms.  The  Ward  Manufacturing  Company 
deeded,  Nov.  3,  1857,  the  property  to  Wm.  Dehon,  Henry  V. 
Ward,  and  Samuel  Frothingham,  trustees ;  and  it  was  mort- 
gaged to  Geo.  Bliss,  Geo.  Walker,  and  Caleb  Barstow,  trus- 
tees, Jan.  5,  1858.  This  mortgage  was  released  for  a  consid- 
eration paid  by  the  Indian  Orchard  Mills  Company,  and  the 
property  passed  into  their  possession.  At  that  time  there  were 
twenty-five  houses  in  the  village,  including  the  "  Big  Block" 
and  the  "  Myrtle  Street  Block,"  both  brick. 

At  the  present  time  there  are  about  one  hundred  buildings, 
including  four  hotels  ("Indian  Leap,"  "Indian  Orchard," 
"Sulphur  Springs,"  and  "National"),  eight  stores,  three 
churches,  and  a  post-office. 

In  1859  the  Lower  Jlill,  No.  2,  was  built,  with  18,000  spin- 
dles and  385  looms.  Spindles  and  looms  were  added  from  time 
to  time,  until  they  now  contain  52,000  spindles  and  1108  looms. 
No.  1  Mill  is  04  by  270  feet,  five  stories  high,  and  is  run  by  two 


870 


HISTORY   OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


tiirliine-wlicels,  of  476  horse-power  in  the  aggregate.  No.  2 
Mill  is  74  by  4G9  feet,  four  .stories  high,  and  has  one  turbine- 
wheel,  of  558  liorse-power.  A  storehouse,  three  stories  high, 
40  by  100  feet,  stands  near  the  river;  an  office,  also,  35  by  45 
feet,  is  situated  midway  between  Mills  No.  1  and  2.  These 
buildings  are  all  of  brick. 

About  1859  the  company  erected  a  library  building  and 
reading-room,  and  supplied  the  latter  with  the  weel<ly  papers 
and  magazines,  and  kept  it  open  evenings  for  several  3'ears  for 
the  use  of  the  emploj'es.  The  library  now  contains  about  1700 
volumes. 

The  agents  who  have  represented  the  company  since  its 
commencement  here  are  Geo.  W.  Holt,  Jenks  Brown,  James 
11.  Armington,  and  C.  J.  Goodwin. 

CHAP.MAN    YALVE-MANUFACTUKINa    COMPANY. 

This  company  was  organized  with  a  capital  of  $1100,000 
bj'  Boston  capitalists,  who  leased  of  the  Indian  Orchard  Mills 
Company  the  land  and  buildings  they  now  occupy,  and  com- 
menced in  January,  1875,  the  manufacture  of  valves  of  iron 
and  composition  (for  steam,  water,  and  gas)  and  fire-hydrants. 
The  buildings  are  of  brick.  The  main  building  is  35  by  100 
feet,  three  stories  high,  with  an  L  .35  by  35  feet,  and  a  foundry 
40  by  70  feet.  The  main  office  of  the  company  is  at  No.  77 
Kilby  Street,  Boston. 

The  village  is  included  in  the  8th  Ward  of  the  city  of 
Springfield.  An  engine-house  was  built  some  years  since, 
but  is  now  unused,  as  the  aqueducts  from  Ludlow  supply  the 
village  with  water. 

About  1852  a  post-office  was  established  at  this  place,  and 
E.  A.  Fuller  was  appointed  postmaster.  About  1862,  C.  J. 
Eaton  succeeded  him,  and  still  holds  the  position. 

The  Boston  and  Albany  Kailroad  passes  within  a  mile  of 
the  village,  and  a.  depot  is  located  on  the  line  for  its  accommo- 
dation. The  Springfield,  Athol  and  Northeastern  Railroad, 
which  was  opened  in  December,  1873,  passes  through  the 
village,  and  furnishes  excellent  shipping  facilities.  The  pop- 
ulation of  the  village  is  about  2500,  of  whom  about  three- 
fifths  are  French. 

LEGENDARY. 
"Where  the  aqueduct  crosses  the  river  was  formerly  a  whirl- 
pool or  eddy,  near  what  is  known  as  the  Little  Cove.  A  neck 
is  formed  b}'  the  stream,  and  tradition  says  that  a  band  of  In- 
dians were  pursued  by  their  enemies  and  driven  into  this  cul- 
de-sac.  The  banks  of  the  river  at  this  place  are  precipitous, 
and  rather  than  be  captured  they  leaped  into  the  river  and 
were  all  drowned  except  one,  and  from  this  circumstance  the 
place  is  known  as  "Indian  Lea])."  The  trees  had  been 
cleared  away  in  several  places  previous  to  settlement  by  the 
whites,  and  apparently  the  open  spaces  had  been  cultivated,  as 
camping-grounds  are  well  known  to  have  been  in  this  vicinity. 
How  tlie  name  Indian  Orchard  came  into  use  is  not  definitely 
known. 

EVAXOELIC.VL    CHURCH. 

As  early  as  the  winter  of  1847-48  the  question  of  the  organ- 
ization of  a  church  was  agitated,  and  in  January,  1848,  it  cul- 
minated in  a  letter  signed  by  10  persons,  addressed  to  the 
Hamjiden  County  Association,  which  was  to  meet  in  session 
in  February,  requesting  permission  to  call  a  council  for  that 
purpose. 

The  council  convened  at  Indian  Orchard,  March  23,  1848, 
in  accordance  with  the  call,  and  the  church  was  constituted 
with  15  members  in  duo  form,  to  be  known  as  "  The  First 
Congregational  Society  of  Indian  Orchard."  Soon  after  the 
organization  the  Rev.  L.  H.  Cone  supplied  the  pulpit,  and 
remained  until  1855. 

During  this  year  efforts  wore  made  to  erect  a  church  edifice, 
and  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  Cone  is  duo  largely  the  credit  for  the  suc- 
cess of  the  undertaking.     He  resigned  late  in  1855,  on  account 


of  his  health.  The  Ward  Manufacturing  Company  deeded 
two  lots  on  the  north  side  of  Main  Street,  corner  of  Oak  Street, 
to  the  First  Congregational  Society,  March  1,  1856.  The 
Rev.  M.  E.  Bassett  was  stated  supply  for  si-x  months. 

The  Rev.  E.  D.  Murphy  was  their  pastor  from  June  15, 
1856,  until  March,  1858.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Barton  supplied  the 
pulpit  until  1861.  A  call  was  made  to  the  Massachusetts 
Home  Mission.ary  Society,  and  the  Rev.  Otis  Lombard  was 
.sent  to  them  as  a  resident  missionary,  Oct.  1,  1861.  The 
church  building  was  completed  in  1863.  Soon  afterward  the 
church  became  disorganized,  and  the  building  passed  into  tlie 
hands  of  Harvey  Butler,  and  from  him  to  the  Indian  Orchard 
Mill  Company,  who  own  it  at  the  present  time. 

Feb.  10,  1865,  eleven  persons  called  a  meeting  for  the  pur- 
pose of  effecting  an  organization,  and  Feb.  18, 1865,  they  united 
with  members  of  the  old  First  Church,  under  the  name  of  the 
"Evangelical  Religious  Society  of  Indian  Orchard."  The 
Rev.  Mr.  Rice  became  their  pastor,  and  was  succeeded  by  the 
Rev.  Rufus  Emer.son,  Rev.  Stephen  Harris,  Rev.  James  H. 
Hamilton,  Rev.  T.  D.  P.  Stone,  and  the  Rev.  James  F.  Mer- 
riam,  who  is  now  acting  as  their  pastor.* 

The  church  has  a  membership  of  52.  The  parish  commit- 
tee are  H.  K.  Wight,  C.  J.  Goodwin,  and  Jason  Giles.  Dr. 
S.  F.  Smith  is  superintendent  of  the  Sunday-school,  which 
numbers  about  75  pupils. 

ST.  ALOYSIUS'    CHURCH    (CATHOLIc). 

This  church  was  organized  March  3,  1873,  with  180  French 
families,  comprising  .500  communicants  and  800  souls.  The 
first  service  was  held,  in  the  French  language,  in  the  hall  of 
the  Indian  Orchard  Mill  Company.  Through  the  kindly 
efibrts  of  C.  J.  Goodwin,  agent  of  Indian  Orchard  Mill  Com- 
pany, the  property  now  occupied  by  the  society  was  presented 
to  them  by  that  company,  and  Aug.  5,  1873,  the  corner-stone 
of  a  church  was  laid  with  appropriate  ceremonies.  Bishop 
Fabre,  of  Montreal,  officiating.  Services  were  held  in  the 
new  edifice  Dec.  25,  1873.  The  church  was  placed  under  the 
charge  of  Father  Gagnier,  of  Springfield,  who  remained  until 
Jan.  5,  1876,  when  the  pastoral  charge  was  committed  to  the 
Rev.  H.  Landrey,  who  is  the  present  incumbent.  At  that 
time  the  society  numbered  224  families,  964  communicants, 
and  1417  souls.  This  includes  the  French  families  residing 
at  Jenksville. 

The  church  is  built  of  brick,  and  is  55  by  95  feet.  A  com- 
modious parsonage  was  erected  adjoining  the  church  in  1877. 

ST.  MATTHEW'S   CHURCH    (CATHOLIC). 

This  church  was  organized  in  1863,  under  Father  William 
Blenkensop.  In  1804  the  corner-stone  was  laid  with  appro- 
priate ceremonies  by  Bishop  O'Reillj'.  Father  Patrick  Healy 
was  placed  in  charge,  and  under  his  care  the  church  was  com- 
pleted. Since  then  the  care  of  the  church  has  devolved  upon 
the  Revs.  P.  D.  Stone,  D.  F.  MeGrath,  and  James  Fitzgerald, 
who  is  the  present  pastor.  The  church  numbers  500  souls. 
They  have  a  Sunday-school  of  150  pupils;  William  Godfrey 
is  superintondent. 

SCHOOLS. 
About  1849,  schools  were  opened  and  kept  in  different  jiarts 
of  the  settlement.  In  1867  a  large  brick  three-story  edifice 
was  erected  on  the  hill,  at  a  cost  of  $28,842.26,  including  seats 
and  fi.xturcs.  The  lot  was  presented  by  the  Indian  Orchard 
Mill  Company.  The  smaller  schools  were  gathered  and  united 
in  this  building.  It  contains  five  school-rooms,  two  class- 
rooms, one  assembly  hall,  and  257  seats.  The  number  of  pupils 
registered  for  the  school  year  ending  June,  1878,  was  559; 
number  of  first  enrollment,  425  ;  average  number  belong- 
ing, 2-58.8;  average  daily  attendance,  243.7;  percentage  of 
attendance,    97.1.      There    are    6   teacher.5,   of  whom    Miss 


'  Siln'C  rt!siguccl. 


HISTORY  OF   HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


871 


Kcbccea  A.   Sheldon    is    principal,   and  Miss  E.   A.   Browne 
assistant. 

The  old  school  building  is  used  for  evening  schools  only. 
There  are  114  pupils  in  attendance.  AVilmon  13.  Stone,  prin- 
cipal.    Draughting-school,  Sullivan  D.  Hill,  principal. 

Charles  J.  Goodwin  is  a  member  of  the  school  committee 
for  1879. 

EXTRACTS    FROM    EARLY    TOWN    RECORDS. 

"Sphixgfiei-d,  tbe  *2Gth  of  the  7  mo.,  in44.— It  is  tliis  ilay  agreed  by  general 
vote  of  ye  towiie  tliat  Henry  Smith,  Thomas  Couper,  ^lunucl  Chajjin,  Ritbanl 
Sikcs,  -k  Henry  Bnrt  shall  have  power  to  deal  in  all  the  piuilentiall  affaii-s  of  tho 
towne,  to  prevent  anytliing  they  shall  judge  to  be  to  the  dauiadge  of  the  towne, 
or  to  order  anything  they  judge  to  be  for  ye  good  of  ye  towne,  and  in  these 
aflairs  they  shall  have  power  for  a  yeare's  space, and  what  they  five  or  any  three 
of  tliem  shall  order  shall  be  of  full  force  and  virtue;  alsoe  to  here  coniplaynts, 
to  arbitrate  controversies,  to  lay  out  highways,  to  make  biidges,  to  repayre 
highways,  especiallj"  to  order  ye  making  of  ye  way  over  the  murky  nicadowe, 
to  see  to  ye  scouring  of  ditches,  and  to  ye  killing  of  wolves,  and  to  ye  ti-ayning 
np  yc  children  iu  ye  good  callinge,  or  any  other  thing  they  shall  judge  to  be  to 
ye  pi-ofitt  of  ye  towne." 

"  Sept.  ye  8, 1(J47. — Henry  Smith  is  chosen  Register  for  ye  Town  of  Spring- 
field." 

"Nov.  2, 1G47. — At  a  general  Towne-meeting  the  names  of  the  persons  chosen 
for  orderitige  tlie  prudentiall  affayres  of  the  Towne,  to  whom  tlie  Tuwiie  by  a 
joynt  consent  have  conferred  full  power  to  order  and  deteimine  all  the  prnden- 
tiall  alTayres  of  the  Towne, — Henry  Smith,  Thomas  Cooper,  Benj.  Cooley,  Sam'l 
Chapin,  Hen.  Burt.  The  Surveyors  chosen  at  the  same  tyuie, — Francis  Ball, 
Miles  Morgan,  For  the  upper  pt. ;  Jno.  Clarke,  Jno.  Haruian,  Fi>r  the  lower  pt. 
of  ye  towne.  Henry  Smith,  Sam'l  Chapin,  Thomas  Coojwr,  Heu.  Burt,  select- 
men for  1048-49." 

"  Dee.  27,  IG49. — There  is  (by  joynt  consent  of  the  Inhabitants)  power  given  to 
the  Select  Townsmen  and  Deacons  for  tbe  tyme  beinge,  and  such  as  shall  here- 
after succeede  them,  to  order  the  scatinge  of  persons  in  ye  meeting-house  as  they 
in  their  discretion  shall  judge  most  meete. 

"  It  is  also  ordered  y'  ye  Select  Townesmen,  with  ye  Deacons,  shall,  in  ye  be- 
halfe  of  ye  Towne,  draw  up  A  send  downe  to  ye  Elders  a  letter  dosiiing  y"  to 
explain  ye  clearer  meaning  of  ye  voates  concerning  3Ir.  Bloxon's  maintenance." 

*'  Nov.  5, 1G50. — At  a  Towue-meetinge  there  was  a  choyce  made  of  five  Towns- 
men, viz.:  3Ir.  John  Pynchon,  Henry  Smith,  Samuel  Chapin,  Henry  Buit, 
Thomas  Cooper,  To  whom,  by  ye  m;yor  vote  of  the  Inliabitants  Wiis  coniitted 
power  to  order  all  ye  prudentiall  affayrs  of  the  Towne  agreeable  to  what  is  ex- 
presed  in  the  Court  order,  whicii  power  is  given  them  for  a  yeare,  or  till  new  be 
chosen  in  theyre  roome.  Mr.  John  Pynchon  is  chosen  to  be  tho  Town  Treas- 
urer for  the  yeare  ensuinge  and  till  another  be  chosen  in  his  roome." 

The  following  civil  list  covers  a  period  of  time  from  the 
year  1647  to  the  incorporation  of  the  city,  in  1852. 

CIVIL  LIST. 
IG47.— Henry  Smith,  Register. 
1650. — John  Pynchon,  Treasurer. 
1652. — John  Pynchon,  Recorder. 

16oG. — E,  Holyoke,  Recorder  "until  Mr.  Pynchon  returns." 
1G59. — John  Pynchon,  Treasurer  and  Clark. 

SELECTMEN. 

IGol. — John  Pynchon,  Henry  Burt,  Samuel  Chapin,  Thomas  Cooper,  George 

Col  ton. 
1652. — John  Pyuclion,  Samuel  Chapin,  Benjamin  Cooley,  George  Colton,  Henry 

Burt,  Thomas  Stebbins,  and  Joseph  Parsons. 
1653. — George  Colton,  Benjamin  Cooley,  Thomas  Stebbins.  Robert  Ashley. 
1631. — Thomas  Cooper,  Henry  Burt,  George  Culton,  Robert  Ashley,  Beujamiu 

Cooley. 
1G55. — Miles  Morgan,  John  Dumbleton,  Thuuias  Cooper,  Robert  Ashley,  Benja- 
min Cooley. 
1G5G. — Thomas  Coojier,  George  Colton,  Thomas  Gilbert,  Benjamin  Cooley,  and 

Robert  Ashley. 
1&>7. — Robert  Ashley,  John  Dumbleton,  Thomas  Gilbert,  Miles  Morgan,  and 

Jonathan  Burt. 
1658. — Thomas  Cooper,  Benjamin  Cooley,  Jonathan  Burt,  AViUiam  "Waniner,  and 

Robert  Ashley. 
1659. — Thomas  Gilbert,  Benjamin  Pareons,  Miles  Morgan,  John  Dumbleton,  and 

,Tohn  Pynchon. 
1660. — 3Ir.  Ilolyoke,  Sevia  Cooley,  Eus.  Cooper,  and  Robert  Ashley. 
1661. — Capt.  John  Pynchon,  JJathauiel  Ely,  Elizur  Holyoke,  George  Colton,  and 

Miles  Morgan. 
1662. — Capt.  Pynclion,  Benjamin  Cooley,  Robert  Ashley,  Ens.  Cooper,  S.  Samuel 

aiai-shfield. 
1663. — Deacon  Chapin,  Xath.  Ely,  George  Colton,  Rowland  Thomas,  and  Elizur 

Hulyokf. 
16G4. — John  Pynchon,  Beujaniin  Cooley,  Lawrence  Bliss,  George  Colton,  Samuel 

Mai-shfield. 
1665. — Ens.  Cooper,  Robert  Ashley,  John  Dumbleton,  Boujamin  Paraons,  Elizur 

Holyoke. 
1666. — George  Colton,  Benjamin  Cooley,  Nathauiel  Ely,  Rowland  Thomas,  Samuel 
Mai-shfield. 


1667. — Lieut.  Cooper,  John  Dumbleton,  Sliles  Slorpui,  Benjamin  Pardons,  and 

Elizur  Holyoke. 
1GG8. — John  Pynchon,  George  Colton,  Samuel  3Iarshfield,  Nath.  Ely,  Lawrence 

Bli:^s. 
1069. — Elizur  Holyoke,  Lieut.  Cooley,  Benj.  Cooley,  Benjamin  Parsons,  Henry 

Chapin. 
1G70. — Capt.  John  Pynchon,  George  Colton,  Samuel  Marshfield,  John  Dumbleton, 

Rowland  Tliomas. 
1G71. — Esq.  Cooley,  Nathaniel   Ely,  Anth.  Dorchester,  Benjamin  Parsons,  and 

Elizur  Ilolyoke. 
1672. — George  Colton,  John  Dumbleton,  Thomaa  Cooper,  Henry  Chapin,  Samuel 

Marshfield. 
1673. — Elizur  Holyoke,  Xatli.   Ely,  Esq.  Cooley,  John   Keepe,  and   Benjamin 

Parsons. 
1674. — George  Colton,  Samuel    Marshfield,  John    Dumbleton,  Henry   Chapin, 

Jeremy  Horton. 
1675. — Ens,  Cooley,  Jonathan  Burt,  Jolin  Keepe,  John  Hitchcocke,  Capt.  Elizur 

Holyoke. 
At  a  Towne-meeting,  Feb.  23, 1075.    This  meeting  being  called  to  make  sup- 
ply of  a  selectman,  and  also  of  one  to  enter  things, — God  having  taken  away 
Capt.  Holyoke,  Samuel  Marshfield  was  by  a  cleane  vote  chosen  a  selectman  to 
make  up  ye  number  for  the  year  ensuing. 
1676. — George  Colton,  John  Dorchester,  Benjamin  Parsons,  John  Dumbleton, 

Heniy  Chapin. 
1677. — Samuel  Marshfield,  Japhet  Cliapin,  John  Hitchcocke,  Nathaniel  Burt, 

John  Holyoke. 
1678. — John  Dumbleton,  Benjamin  Parsons,  George  Colton,  Henry  Chapin,  John 

Holyoke. 
1670. — Benjamin  Cooley,  Samuel  SlarshfieUl,  John  Hitchcock,  Jonathan  Burt, 

Japhet  Chapin. 
16S0. — Quartiis  Colton,   Mr.   Holyoke,   Daniel   Denton,  Deacon   Parsons,  John 

Dumbleton.* 
1681. — Joseph  Parsons,  Jonathan   Burt,  Thomas  Day,  John  Hitchcocke,  John 

Holyoke. 
16S2. — Samnel  3Iarshfield,  Deacon   Parsons,  John   Duml.deton,  Japhet  Chapin, 

James  Wariiner. 
1683. — Deacon  Jonathan  Burt,  Henry  Chapin,  John  Hitchcocke,  Samuel  Ball, 

and  John  Holyoke  were  chosen  Selectmen  to  order  (God  as&isting)  tliu 

prudentiall  affairs  of  the  towne. 
1GS4.— Quartermaster  Cijlton,  Samuel  Marshfield,  Benjamin  Parsons,  John  Dum- 
bleton, Samuel  Bliss,  Sr. 
1085. — Japhet  Chapin,  John  Hitchcocke,  Samuel  Ball,  Thomas  Steblins,  John 

Holyoke. 
16S6. — Deacon  Jon.  Burt,  Deacon  Beujamiu  Parsons,  Henry  Chapin,  Jr.,  John 

Dumbleton,  Luke  Hitchcocke. 
16S7. — Samuel  Marshfield,  Japhet  Chapin,  John  Hitchcocke,  Samuel  Ball,  John 

Holyoke. 
1688. — Japhet   Chapin,  John  Hitchcocke,  Samuel  Ball,  Lieut.  Thomas  Colton, 

Jas.  ^arriner,  Thomas  Stebbins. 
1089. — John  Dumbleton,  Deacon  Burt,  Deacon  Parsons,  Henrj-  Chapin,  Abel 

AVright. 
1690.— Japhet  Chapin,  John  Hitchcocke,  James  Warriner,  Thomas  Stebbins,  John 

Holyoke. 
1691. — Deacon  Jon.  Burt,  Henry  Chapin,  John  Dumbleton,  Isaak  Colton,  John 

Holyoke. 
1692.— Japhet  Chapin,  Capt.  Thomas  Colton,  .Samuel  Bliss,  Sr.,  Thomas  Stebbins, 

John  Barber. 
1693. — Lieut.  John  Hitchcocke,  Eliakim  C-Lxdey,  Joseph  Stebbins,  Jon.  Ball,  Job  n 

Holyoke. 
1694. — 3Ir.  Peletiah  Glover,  John  Dorchester,  Joseph  Stebbins,  Nathaniel  Bliss, 

David  Morgan. 
1695.— Thomas  Cooper,  Capt.  Thomas  Colton,  Daniel  Cooley,  Charles  Jeffrey,  Sr., 

John  Holyoke. 
l(j%, — jir.  John  Pynchon,  Jr.,  Jus.  Warriner.  Luke  Hitchcocke,  Edward  Stebbins, 

Benjamin  Leonard. 
1597. — Deacon  Jon.  Burt,  Henrj'  Chapin,  James  Warriner,  Sanmel  Bliss,  Jon. 

AVarner. 
1608.— Lieut.  John  Hitchcock,  Benjamin  Stebbins,  John  Warner,  Mr.  Peletiah 

Glover,  Lieut.  Abel  Wright. 
1699.— Clark  Colton,  Lieut.  John  Hitchcocke,  John  Mirrick,  Samuel  Bliss,  Sr., 

Ensign  Jos.  Stebbins. 
1700. — Joseph  Stebbins,  Edward  Stebbins,  Japhet  Chapin,  James  Warriner,  Sr., 

Capt.  Thomas  Colton. 
1701.— Henry  Chapin,  Mr.  Pelatiah  Glover,  John  Barber,  David  Morgan,  Ebeu- 

ezer  Pai'sons. 
1702.— Mr.  John  Pynchon  (2d),  Mr.  Pelatiah  Glover,  John  Barber,  John  Warner, 

Samuel  Ely. 
1703._Eliakim  Cooley,  Ens.  Joseph  Stebbins,  Edward  Stebbins,  John  Warner, 

Nathaniel  Munn. 
17(>4._Luke  Hitchcock,  Sr.,  James  Warriner,  Sr.,  Edward  Stebbins,  Benjiuuiu 

Leonard,  Joseph  Wolloston. 
1705. — John  Pynchon,  Jr.,  Lient.  Joseph  Stebbins,  Luke  Hitchcock,  Sr.,  Joseph 

Cooley,  John  Minick. 
1706.- Mr.  John  Pynchon.  Jr.,  Eliakim  Cvioley,  Ebeuezer  Pareous,  John  Miller, 

Nathaniel  Burt,  Jr. 

*  Tithingmen  were  made  choice  of  Feb.  7, 1680.    Sergt.  Morgan,  Thomas  Day, 
and  John  Warner  for  this  side,  and  Jonathan  Ball  for  ye  other  side  of  the  River. 


872 


HISTORY  OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEV. 


1707. — Capt.  Thomas  fljlton,  John  Mirrick,  Samuel  Bliss,  Benjamin  Leonard, 

Juhii  Holyoko. 
1708.— John  Hitchcock,  Sr.,  Edward  Stebbins,  John  Stcro,  Ilonry  Burt,  Joiui 

Hulyoke. 
1VU9.— Joliii  Uitclicock,  Sr.,  John  Mirrick,  John  Day,  Polatiah  Blit*8,  John  IIol- 

yoke. 
1710.— Mr.  John  Pynclu>n,  Jr.,  Edwurd  Stebbins,   John  Burt,   Sr.,  Natliaiiicl 

Munn,  Samuel  Bliss. 
1711.— Joseph  Cooley,  Sr.,  Tilly  Mirrick,  John  Miller,  Tliomas  Hortoii,  Julin  IIul- 

yokc. 
171*2.— Luke  Hitchcock,  Sr.,  Joseph  Stcbiiins,  Sr.,  John  Mirrick,  Sain^  EHds  (3d), 

John  Furry. 
1713.— Mr.  Belatiah  Glover,  Ebcnezcr  Parsons,  Nathaniel  Burt,  Jr.,  Henry  Burt, 

John  Day. 
1714.— Mr.  Pelatiah  Glover,  Lieut.  John  Mirrick,  Sergt.  Joseph  Cooley,  Sergt. 

Jobn  Terry,  Thomas  Terry. 
1710. — Cajit.  John  Pynchon,  Jiunes  Mirrick,  Samuel  Bliss  {3d),  Luke  Hitchcock, 

Slieiilt;  Mr.  Pelatiah  Glover. 
1710.— John  Ferre,  Sr.,  James  Wariiiicr  (2d),  Samuel  Ely,  Capt.  Jolin  Pynchon, 

Lieut.  John  Stebbins. 
1717. — Lieut.  Joseph  Stebbins,  Lieut.  John  Slirrick,  Samuel  Bliss,  Lieut.  John 

Ferre,  Samuel  Day. 
171S. — Lieut.  John  Feiie,  Samuel  Bliss  (3d),  Joseph  Parsous,  Ensign  Henry  Burt, 

John  Worthiiigton. 
17iy. — Samuel  Day,  Samuel  Ely,  Deacon  Ebenezcr  Pais^ns,  Lieut.  John  Day, 

Ensign  James  Mirrick. 
]720.— Capt.  Luke  Hitchcock,  Lieut.  John  Ferre,  Sanuiel  Bliss  (3d),  Ens.  Ileniy 

Burt,  James  Warriner. 
1721. — Lieut.  Joseph  Cooley.  Samuel  Bliss  (2d),  Lieut.  Joseph  Stebbins,  Tliomas 

Bliss,  Sr.,  Increase  Sikes. 
1722, — Capt.  John  Mirrick,  Lieut.  John  Ferre,  Increase  Sikes,  Lieut.  Ephraiui 

Colton,  John  Worthington. 
1723.— Sanmel  Blis:*,  Lieut.  Joseph  Stebbins,  Lieut.  Epliraim  Colton,  Samuel  Day, 

Lieut.  John  Day. 
1724. — Lieut.  John  Ferre,  Lieut.  James  Warriner,  Samuel  Bliss  (2d),  Ens.  Na- 
thaniel Sikes,  Increase  Sikes. 
1725. — Capt.  Luke  Hitchcock,  Lieut.  John  Ferre,  Lieut.  Ephraim  Colton,  Samuel 

Bliss  (2il),  Joseph  Williston. 
172G. — Lieut.  James  Warriner,  Sergt.  John  Bagg,  Henry  Burt,  Ens.  John  Hitch- 
cock, Joseph  Willistun. 
1727. — Samuel  Bliss  (2d),  Lieut.  John  Ferre,  Ens.  John   Woithington,  Lieut. 

Ephraim  Colton,  Lieut.  John  Day. 
1728, — Samuel  Bliss,  Ehcnezer  Waniner,  Lieut.  John  Ferre,  Lieut.  Ephraim  Col- 
ton, Capt.  John  Day. 
1721). — Lieut.  James  Warriner,  Capt.  John  Day,  Ebenezcr  Warriner,  John  Burt, 

Lieut.  Ephi-aim  Colton. 
1730. — Lieut,  James  Warriner,  Ebenezer  Warriner,  John  Burt,  Tliumas  Colton, 

Thomjis  Stebbins. 
1731. — Mr.  Samuel  Bliss,  Joseph  Williston,  Lieut.  James  Warriner,  Tlios.  Colton, 

Thomas  Stebbins, 
1732. — Joseph  Williston,  John  Worthington,  Pelatiah  Bliss,  Thomas  Stebbins, 

John  Day. 
1733.— John  Burt,  Luke  Hitchcock  (2d),  John  Ely,  James  Warriner,  Ebenezcr 

Warriner. 
1731.— Lieut.  Pelatiah  Bliss,  John  Burt,  John  Ely,  Luke  Hitchcock  (2d),  Ebe- 
nezer Warriner. 
1735.— Pelatiah  Bliss,  Ebenezer  Warriner,  John  Ely,  John  Burt,  Luke  Uitcli- 
cock (2d). 
173G. — John  Burt,  Luke  Hitchcock  (2d),  Benjamin  C'hapin,  Wm.  Pynchon,  Esq., 

Capt.  John  Day. 
1737. — Wni.  Pynchon,  Esq.,  Capt.  John  Day,  John  Burt,  Luke  Hitchcock  (2d), 

Thomas  Colton. 
1738.— Wm.  Pynchon,  Capt.  John  Day,  Lieut.  Pelatiah  Bliss,  Thomas  Stebbins, 

Luke-  Hitchcock  (2d). 
1730. — Capt.  John  Day,  Thomas  Colton,  Thomas  Stebbins,  Lieut.  John  Buit, 

John  Harmon. 
1740.— Jobn  Harmon,  Thoina.s  Colton,  Thonnis  Stebbins,  Maj.  John  Day,  Luke 

Hitchcock. 
1741. — Joseph  Pynchon,  Thomas  Colton,  Tliomas  Stebbins,  John  Harmon,  Jona- 
than Chapiu. 
1742.— Josepli  Pynchon,  Thomas  Colton,  Joseph  Miller,  Jonathan  Chapin,  James 

Waniner. 
1743. — James  Warriner,  Joseph  Miller,  Thomas  Stebbins,  Thomas  Colton,  Jona- 
than Cliapin. 
1744.— James    Warriner,   Francis    Ball,  John    Burt,   Thomas   Colton,   Thomas 

Stebbins. 
1745. — John  Burt,  James  Waniner,  Thomas  Stebbins,  Francis  Ball,  William 

Stebbins. 
174G. — James  Warriner,  Francis  Ball,  William  Stebbins,  Joseph  Pynchon,  Luke 

Hitchcock  (2d),  El)enezer  Hitchcock.  Jonathan  Church. 
1747. — Dcac(ui  Jonathan   Churcli,  Francis  Ball,  Luke  Hitclicock   (2d),  James 

Waniner,  William  Stebbins. 
1748. — Deacon  Jonathan  Cliurch.  James  Warriner,  Francis  Ball,  Wm,  Stelfbins, 

Josiah  Dwight. 
1740-51. — James  Warriner,  William  Stebbins,  Francis  Bull,  Jonathan  (_'hur.  h, 

Josiah  Dwight. 
1752-53. — Josiali  Dwiglit,  William  Stebbins,  Jonathan  Church,  James  Wnrriner, 
Samuel  Ely. 


1754-5G. — Josiali  Dwight,  James  Warriner,  Jonathan  Church,  Nathaniel  Burt, 

Sanuiel  Ely. 
1757. — Josiah    Dwight,  Jonathan  Church,  James  Warriner,  Samuel   Ely,  and 

Nathaniel  Ely. 
1758.— Josiah  Dwight,  Jonathan  Church,  Samuel  Ely,  Nathaniel  Ely  (2d),  Na- 

tliunicl  IJrewer. 
1759. — Josiah  Dwight,  Jonathan  Church,  Nathaniel  Ely,  Jos.  Miller,  Nathaniel 

Brewer. 
1700.— Luke    Bliss,   Luke    Hitchcock,   Joseph    Miller,  Josiah    Dwight,   Aaron 

Colton.  , 

1701. — John  Worthington,  Capt.  Ebenezer  Hitchcock,  Bcnj.  Day,  Aaron  Colton, 

Edwaril  Pynchon. 
1702. — John  Wortliington,  Edward  Pynchon,  Aaron  Colton,  Maj.  Benjamin  Day, 

Luke  Hitclicock. 
1703. — John   Wtii  thiugton,  Edward   Pynchon,  Benjamin    Day,  Josiah  Dwight, 

Aaron  Colton. 
1704. — Jolm  Wortliington,  Josiah  Dwight,  Edward  Pynchon,  M;\j.  Benj.  Day, 

Nathaniel  Ely  (2d), 
1705. — John  Worthington,  Josiah  Dwight,  Edward  Pynchon,  Benjamin  Day,  Na- 

tliani(d  Ely,  Capt.  Samuel  Mirrick. 
1700-07. — John  Woithington,  Josiah  Dwight,  Edward  Pynchon,  Benjamin  Day, 

Nathaniel  Ely  (2d),  Robert  Harris,  Samuel  Mirrick. 
176S. — John  Woithington,  Josiah  Dwight,  Edward  Pynchon,  Benj.  Day,  Robert 

Harris,  Nathaniel  Ely,  John  Leonard, 
17G9. — John  Worthington,  Edward  Pynchon,  Lieut.  Robert  Harris,  Natlianiel 

Brewer,  Benj.  Day,  Nathaniel  Ely. 
17TU. — John  Worthington,  Edward  Pynchon,  Benjamin  Day,  Nathaniel  Ely  (2d), 

Nathaniel  Brewer,  Robert  Harris,  John  Leonard. 
1771. — John  Worthington,  Edward  Pynchon,  Benjamin  Day,  Nathaniel  Ely  (2d), 

John  Leonard,  Moses  Bliss,  Daniel  Harris. 
1772, — John   Worthington,  Edward   Pynchon,  Nathaniel   Ely,  John   Leimard, 

Daniel  Harris,  Bloses  Bliss,  Jonathan  White, 
1773. — John  Worthington,  Col,  Benj,  Day,  Nathaniel  Ely,  Dr.  Charles  Pynchon, 

John  Leonard,  Dr.  Jon.  White,  Lieut.  John  Leonard,  Dr.  Aaron  Colton, 

Benjamin  Ely. 
1774. — John    Worthington,   Moses  Bliss,  John    Hale,  Phineas   Chapin,   Daniel 

Harris. 
1775. — Daniel    Harris,  Phineas   Chapin,    Aaron  Colton,  James  Sikes,  William 

Pynchon,  Jr. 
1770.- Aaron  Colton,  Jas.  Sikes,  William  Pynchon,  Jr.,  Edward  Chapin,  Daniel 

Harris. 
1777. — Aaron  Colton,  Edward  Chapin,  Thohias  Stebbins,  Daniel  Harris,  William 

Pynchon,  Jr. 
1778, — Wm.  Pynchon,  Jr.,  Edward  Chapin,  David  Burt,  Thomas  Stebbins,  Pliin. 

Chapin,  Thomas  Williston. 
1779-80.— Phineas  Chapin,  Thomas  Stebbins,  David  Burt,  William  Pynchon,  and 

Thos.  Williston. 
1781-82.— Phineiis  Chapiu,  Thos.  Stebbins,  M'illiam  Pynchon,  Thos.  Williston, 

David  Burt. 
1783. — Wm.  Pynchon,  Phineas  Ciuipiu,  Thos.  Stebbins,  Thomas  Williston,  David 

Burt. 
1784. — William  Pynchon,  Moses  Bliss,  Reuben  Bliss,  Ephraim  Chapin,  Thomas 

Williston. 
17S5-8G. — Muses  Bliss,  William  Pynchon,  Reuben  Bliss,  Ephraim  Chapin,  Capt. 

TIkjs.  Stebbins, 
1788.— Moses  Bliss,  William  Pynchon,  Reuben  Bliss,  Ephraim  Chapin,  Thomas 

Stebbins,  John  Hale,  Bloses  Field. 
1789, — Moses  Bliss,  Reuben  Bliss,  Thos.  Stebbins,  Wm.  Pynchon. 
1790. — Moses  Bliss,  Reuben  Bliss,  Wm.  Pynchon. 

1798. — William  Pynchon,  Josiah  Dwight,  Francis  Dwight,  George  Bliss.* 
1800.— William   Pynchon,  Jon.  Dwight,  Thos.  Dwight,  George  Bliss,  Phineas 

Chapin. 
ISOl.— Wm.  Pynchon,  Thos.  Dwight,  Geo.  Bliss,  Capt.  J.  Byer,  Rufus  Sikes,  Moses 

Chapin,  Isiinck  Bliss. 
1802-3.— Wm.  Pynchon,  Thos.  Dwight,  Geo.  Bliss,  Rufus  Sikes,  Moses  Chapin. 
1804-8. — Geo.  Bliss,  John  Hooker,  Thos.  Dwight,  Rufus  Sikes,  Moses  Chapin. 
1809-11. — Thos.  Dwight,  Geo.  Bliss,  Geo.  Blake,  John  Hooker,  Moses  Chapin. 
1812.— Joshua  Frost,  Moses   Chapin,  Judah    Chapin,  Eleazer  Wright,  Edward 

Pynchon,  Jonas   Coolidge,  Daniel  Lombard,  Phineas   Chapin,  Asher 

Bortlett. 
1813-16.— Moses  Chapin,  Edward  Pynchon,  Wm.  Sheldon,  Geo.  Blake,  Jonas 

Coolidge. 
1817.- Wm.  Sheldon,  Edward  Pynchon,  Jonas  Coolidge,  Jacob  Bliss,  Jos.  Pease. 
1818-19.— Edward  Pynchon,  Jacob  Bliss,  Jonas  Coolidge,  Thos.  Sargeant,  Joseph 

Pease. 
1820.— Edward  Pynchon,  Joshua  Frost,  Harvey  Chapin,  Solomon  Hatch,  Justin 

Lombard. 
1821.— Edward  Pynchon,  Justin  Lombard,  Solonmn  Hatch,  Wm.  Childs,  Jesse 

Pendleton. 
1822.— Jesse  Pendleton,  Solomon   Hatch,  Wui.  Childs,  Joseph   Carew,   Simon 

Sanborn. 
1S23.— John   Hooker,  Robt.   Emory,  Joseph   Pease,  Israel  E.  Trask,  Jonathan 

Dwight. 
1S24.— Jesse  Pendleton,  Solomon  Hatch,  Wni.  Rice,  Geo.  Colton,  Allen  Bangs. 
1825.— Solomon  Hatch,  Geo.  Colton,  Wm.  Rice,  Allen  Bangs,  Bridgman  Chapin. 
182G.— Wm.  Rice,  Joshua  Frost,  Biidgman  Chapin,  Henry  Chapin,  Solo.  Hatch. 

*  A  few  omissions  occur,  in  consequence  of  defective  record's. 


HISTORY  OP   HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


873 


1827-2S. — Oliver  B.  Munis,  Geu.  Colton,  Charles  Stearns,  Hi-irace  King,  Orange 
Cliapiii. 

1829.— Gen.  Coltun,  Chas.  Stearns,  John  B.  Klrkham,  Orange  Cliapin,  Elijah 
Blake. 

1S30.— John  Howard,  Elijah  Bhike,  Allen  Bangs,  Wni.  Ilice,  Silas  Stedman. 

1831. — Wm.  Bliss,  Allen  Bangs,  Edwin  Booth,  Orrin  Dinmiick,  Powner  Chapin. 

1832,— Geo.  Bliss,  Allen  Bangs,  Orange  Chapin,  Orrin  Dimmick,  Edwin  Booth. 

1833-34. — Allen  Bangs,  Orange  Chapin,  Geo.  Colton,  Jamca  W.  Crooks,  Harvey 
Chapin. 

1835. — Geo.  Ashmun,  Stephen  C.  Beniis,  Walter  H.  Bowiloin,  William  Childs. 

1836. — Geo.  Ashmun,  Stephen  C.  Bemis,  "William  Cadwell. 

1837. — Wni.  Dwight,  Walter  Warriner,  Ephraim  S.  Howard,  Elihu  Adams,  Wm. 
Chapin,  Samuel  Reynolds,  Lewis  Gorham. 

1838. — M'illiam  Dwight,  Sylvester  Taylor,  Gideon  Gardner,  James  Christie,  Saml. 
Reynolds,  AVilUam  Chapin,  Thomas  I.  Shepliard. 

1839. — William  Dwight,  Samuel  Reynohls,  Sylvester  Taylor,  Simon  Sanborn, 
Silas  Stedman,  James  Christie,  Francis  M.  Carew. 

1840-41. — William  Dwight,  Samuel  Reynolds,  Simon  Sanborn,  Francis  M.  Ca- 
rew, Otis  Skeele,  William  Caldwell,  Pliny  Chapin. 

1842.— Otis  Skeele,  Chester  W.  Chapin. 

1843.— Otis  Skeele. 

1844. — Giles  S.  Chapin,  Charles  Howard,  Benning  Leavitt,  John  B.  Kirkham, 
Juseph  Lnnilard,  Enfns  Chandler,  Theodore  Williams. 

1845.— Henry  Morris,  Allen  Bangs,  Titus  Amadon,  Austin  Chapin  (2-1),  Adulphus 
G.  Parker. 

184G. — Heniy  Morris,  Austin  Chapin,  Adolphns  G.  Parker,  Titus  Amadon,  John 
B.  M.  Stebljins,  Harvey  Butler,  Bildad  BeUher. 

1847. — Adolphus  G.  Parker,  Bildad  B.  Belcher,  Titus  Amadon. 

1848. — Solomon  Hatch,  Jonathan  Pease,  Jr.,  William  E.  Montague,  Waitstill  Hast- 
ings, Levi  C.  Skeele,  Edward  Eauney. 

lS4i)-.'jl.— No  choii-e. 

1S52.— E.  D.  Beach,  Ephraim  W.  Bond,  Henry  Gray,  Simon  Sanborn,  Oliver  B. 
Bannun. 

The  following  entry  closes  the  town  records  of  Springfield  : 

"  SPKiNOFiELn,  May  25, 1S52. — This  day  ends  the  Town  and  conuncnces  the 
City  Government,  Having  been  a  Town  just  Two  Hundred  and  Sixteen  years 
to  a  day.    And  now  we  go  from  an  old  town  to  an  Infant  City. 

"JosKPU  Ingrauam, 
"  Liist  Town  Cleric  inul  first  CUy  Clerk  anil  'IVedttirer 
of  Uie  old  Town  and  new  CUy  of  Sprintjjiekl.^^* 

TOWN   CLERKS. 

1G6O-70,  E.  Holyoke;  1070-80.  John  Holyoko ;  1G80,  Daniel  Denton;  1081- 
90,  John  Holyoke;  1090,  John  Pynchou,  Jr.;  1097-1700,  Jonathan  Burt;  1701, 
Juhn  Pynchon;  1702-12,  John  Holyoke;  1712-15,  P.  Blis^;  1715-10,  J.  Warri- 
ner; 1717-27,  P.  Bliss;  17:^8-40,  M'illiam  Pynchon;  1740-72,  Edward  Pynchon  ; 
1773,  Benjamin  Day;  1774^75,  E<lward  Pynchon;  1770-1804,  William  Pynchon; 
1804-29,  Edward  Pynchon ;  1830-38,  William  Bliss ;  1838-41,  Richard  Bliss ; 
1841,  Walter  U.  Bowden  ;  1842-52,  J.  Ingraham. 

REPRESENTATIVES    TO    THE    GENERAL    COURT. 

1093,  Maj.  Pynchon.  Ata  town-meeting  May  15, 1090,  Scrgt.  Luke  Hitchcock 
was  chosen  representative  for  the  next  Great  and  Genei-ul  Assembly  or  C\)urt  to 
be  held  at  Boston,  beginning  on  the  27th  of  May,  1690;  re-elected  in  1097; 
1097-98,  fii-st  session,  Sergt.  Luke  Hitchciick;  second  session,  Ensign  Joseph 
Stebbins;  1098,  Lieut.  John  Hitchcock;  170L-5,  Lieut.  John  Hitchcock;  1700, 
Joseph  Pai-sons;  1707,  Lieut.  Josepli  St*bbius;  1708,  Joseph  Parsons;  1709-12, 
Miy.  John  Pynchon;  1713,  Luke  Hitchcock;  1714,  Col.  John  Pynchon;  1715- 
10,  Luke  Hitchcock;  1717,  Lieut.  Joseph  Stebbins;  1718-20,  Luke  Hitchcock; 
1721,  Lieut.  Juseph  Stebbins;  1722,  Luke  Hitchcock;  1723,  John  Pynchon; 
1724-2.^>,  Mr.  William  Pynchon;  1720-29,  Samuel  Day;  1730,  William  Pyn- 
clion;  1731,  Wm.  Pynchon,  Esq.,  and  Mr.  Wm.  Pynchon,  Jr.;  1732-3;J,  Capt. 
John  Day;  1734-35,t  Capt.  William  Pynchon;  174s,  John  Worthington;  17G2, 
John  Worthington  and  Josiah  Dwight;  1773,  John  Wurthington  and  John  Bliss ; 
1775,  John  Hale  and  William  Pynchon,  Jr.,  Capt.  George  Pynchon,  Dr.  Charles 
Pynchon  ;  1770,  E<lward  (.'luipin,  Moses  Field,  William  Pynchon,  Jr. ;  1777,  Wm. 
Pynchon,  John  Hale,  Edward  Chapin;  1779,  William  Pynchon,  Jr.,  Col.  Jon. 
Halt,  .Ii". ;  1780,  Thomas  Williston,  Luke  Bliss,  and  Cbauncoy  Brewer;  1800, 
Ebenczer  Mattuon ;  1802,  Thonuus  Dwight;  1804,  Wm.  Ely;  1805,  Jona.  Dwight; 
1800,  Jacob  Bliss,  Jonathan  Dwight,  Jr.,  Moses  Chapin;  1807,  John  Hooker; 
18(18,  Moses  Chapin,  Jacob  Bliss,  Jona.  Dwight ;  1809,  JLises  Chapin,  Jonathan 
Dwight,  Oliver  B.  Morris;  1810-11,  Moses  Chapin,  Jacob  Bliss,  Oliver  B.  Morris, 
Edmund  Dwight;  1812,  M'm.  Sheldon,  Moses  Chapin,  Edmund  Dwight;  1813, 
Moses  Chapin,  Edmund  Dwight,  Oliver  B.  Morris;  1814,  Sam*!  Orne,  Edmund 
Bliss,  Jos.  Pease  ;  1815,  Edmund  Dwight,  Edmund  Bliss,  Jos.  Pease  ;  1810,  Elijah 
Wells;  1817,  Jacob  Bliss;  1818-19,  Jacob  Bli^  ;  1820,  Daniel  Bontecou  ;  1821,  Geo. 
Bliss  ;  1822,  Thos.  Dickman  ;  182:i,  Jastin  Willard  ;  1824,  Jesse  Pendleton,  Solomon 
Hateh  ;  1825,  Wm.  B.  Calhoun;  1820,  George  Bliss,  Jon.  Dwiglit,  Jr.,  Wm.  H.  Fos- 
ter, Jesse  Pendleton,  and  Wm.  B.  Calhoun ;  1827,  Wm.  B.  Calhoun,  Jesse  Pendle- 
ton, George  Bliss,  Jr.,  Wm.  Childs,  Simon  Sanborn,  David  Rice,  aiui  Wm.  H.  Pos- 
ter; 1828,  Wm.  B.  Calhoun,  George  Bliss,  Jr.,  Wm.  H.  Foster,  Jesse  Pendleton, 
Wm.  Ciiilds,  Simon  Sanborn,  Fredeiick  A. Pac-kard  ;  1S29,  Wm.  B.  t'alhoun,  Jesse 
Pendleton,  Eleazer  Williams,  Tlionias  Goodman,  Charles  Howard,  Wm.  Rico,  Wm. 
n.  Foster;  1830,  Issuac  G.  Bates;  1831,  Wm.  B.  Callioun,  Wm.  Childs,  Eleazer  Wil- 


*  A  few  omissions  occur,  in  consequence  of  defective  records. 
f  There  is  an  omission  in  the  town  records  from  1735  to  1748. 

110 


Hams, Silas  Stelaian,  Georga  BIUs,  James  Byere;  1832,  Wm.  B.  Calhoun,  George 
Bliss,  Jonas  Coolidge,  Joseph  Pease,  Goo.  Asliman,  Thos.  Bond,  Chay.  Packard  ; 
183.'J,  Wm.  B.  Calhoun,  Walter  Warriner,  and  Walter  H.  Bowdoin,  .Joseph  Pejise, 
Benj.  Day,  Clias.  Stearns,  Joel  Brown,  EUlad  Goodman ;  1S34,  Wm.  Cliilils,  Walte  r 
Warriner,  Orange  Chapin,  Waller  II.  Bowdoin,  George  Ashmun,  Joel  Brown, 
Wells  Southworth,  and  ElJad  Goodwin  ;  183.1,  William  Childs,  Orange  Chapin, 
George  Ashmun,  Wells  Southworth.  Lemuel  W.  Blake,  Charles  Stearns,  Joel 
Miller,  Saml.  Stebbins,  Richard  D.  Morris,  .Saml.  Ii.  .Spooner;  1S3C,  Joel  Miller, 
Stephen  C.  Bemis,  Edmund  Palmer,  Austin  Chapin  (2d),  Sanmcl  H.  Stebbins, 
David  Bemis,  Samuel  Bowles,  Daniel  W.  Willard,  Cliauncey  Chapin,  Alpheus 
Nettleton  ;  1837,  Daniel  W.  Willard,  .\lpheus  Nettleton,  Jusiah  Hooker,  William 
Dwight,  Samuel  11.  Stebbins,  Luke  Bemis,  Jr.;  1838,  George  Bliss,  Orange  Cha- 
pin, William  Childs,  Elijah  Blake,  Sylvester  Taylor,  Charles  McClellan;  1840, 
George  Ashmun,  Wm.  Cadwell,  Wm.  Dwight.  Silas  Mossman,  Francis  M.  Carew ; 
1844,  Chester  W.  Chapin,  Edmund  Freeman;  1845,  Walter  Warriner,  Henry 
Morris,  Joseph  B.  Carew,  George  Dwight,  Robert  G.  Marsh  ;  1848,  Henry  Morris, 
Walter  Warriner,  George  Dwight,  Timotliy  M.  Carter,  Alfred  White  ;  1847,  Wm. 
Dwight,  Timothy  M.  Carter,  Silas  Mossman,  Titus  Amadon,  Joseph  A.  Decrcst ; 
1848,  Frederick  A.  Barton,  Wm.  Stowo,  Lester  Dickinson,  John  Wells,  and  Joseph 
C.  Pynchon ;  1849,  William  W.  Boyington,  Lester  Dickinson,  Thos.  J.  Shepard ; 
1850-53,  no  choice;  1854,  Thomas  W.  Waattn,  Alanson  Hawley,  William  Foster, 
William  Bodurtha;  1855,  William  Bodurthji,  Alanson  Hawlej',  William  Foster, 
and  Thomas  W.  Wason;  1856,  Henry  Vose,  Eiiphalct  Trask,  Daniel  L.  Harris, 
John  H.  Fuller;  1857,  Marvin  Chapin,  Henry  Vose,  Hiram  Q.  Sanderson;  185S, 
Joseph  Stone,  Philo  F.  Wilcox,  Otis  A.  Scamans;  1859,  Richard  Bliss,  Daniel 
Gay,  Ezra  Kimberly;  1S60,  William  B.  Calhoun,  Simeon  Newell,  Oliver  B. 
Bannon;  18G1,  William  B.  Calhoun,  Simeon  Newell,  and  0.  B.  Bannon;  1862, 
Eliphalet  Trask,  Daniel  L.  Harris,  Harvey  E.  Mosely;  1863,  Daniel  L.  Harris, 
Titus  Amadon  (tie  in  the  Third  District  between  W.  C.  Sturdevant  and  E.  W. 
Bund);  1864,  W.  C.  Sturdevant,  Daniel  L.  Harris,  Titus  Amadon;  1865,  Horace 
J.  Chapin,  C.  A.Winchester,  Pliny  Wood;  1866,  B.  C.  English,  T.  W.  Wason, 
Daniel  L.  Harris,  Titus  Amadon;  1867,  Charles  L.  Shaw,  Tilly  Haynes,  George 
Walker,  John  Sever^on;  1868,  Tilly  Haynes,  Emerson  Wight,  Horace  Smith,  W, 
W.  Amadon  ;  1.S60,  Emerson  Wight,  J.  M.  Cooiey,  Daniel  L,  Harris,  David  Pow- 
ers; 1870,  J.  M.  Cooloy,  Emereon  Wight,  Gurdon  Bill,  Joseph  M.Hall;  l,S7l, 
James  Parker,  John  W.  Phelps,  W.  C.  Sturdevant,  .and  C.  C.  Merritt;  1872,  Ch;w. 
R.  Ladd,  H.  M.  French,  A.  L.  Soule,  Henry  W.  Phelps ;  1874,  T.  D.  Beach,  C.  L. 
Shaw,  James  Abbe,  A.  M.  Copcland;  1875,  Stejdien  E.  Seymour,  Charles  W. 
Richards,  James  Abbe,  C.  C.  Morritt ;  1876,  S.  E.  Seymour,  C.  W.  Richards,  Jas . 
Abbe,  C.  C.  Merritt;  1877,  C.  W.  Richards,  E.  A.  Perkins,  Leonard  Clark,  T.  W. 
Ellis,  John  C.  Perry  ;  1878,  Wm.  Pynchon,  John  E.  Sliipmau,  Charles  R.  Ladd, 
E.  B.  Maynartl. 

VALUATION  OF  PROPERTY— POPULATION. 

The  following  is  the  assessor's  viihiation  of  property  from 

the  incorporation  of  the  eity  to  the  present  time  : 

1852.— Total  valuation $5,l.s'o,210.00 

18,53. —    "             "         .5,.5(in,6CU.tJO 

18.i4.—    "             "         7,762,25(1.00 

1855. —    "               "           8,4l)'.t,870.I.KI 

1856. —    "             "         8,2M,Oli0.0O 

1857. —    "             "         8,558,720.00 

1S5S.— Real  est.ate $5,702,IHO.OIl 

Perajual  estate 2.07'.l,Illo.l»l 8,381,140.00 

18.59.— Real  estate 5,7il4,.590.(XI 

Personal  estate 2.s4r),64<M«] 8,640,230.00 

1860.— Real  estate 5,962.4Sil.llO 

Personal  estate 2,9.V>.8IH).IM1 8,918,280.00 

1801.— Real  estate 6,417,660.(K) 

Pei-s.uuil  estate 3,067,'.l20.ml 9,485,580.00 

1862.— Real  estjite 0,71U,.i(HMK( 

Personal  estate 3,039,3110.00 9,758,890.00 

1863.— Real  estate 7,211,320.011 

Personal  estate 3,744,7911.00 10,956,110.00 

1864.— Real  estate 8,536,490.00 

Personal  estate 2,871.430.0(1 11,407,926.00 

18C5.— Real  estate 9,(i07,8.io.oo 

Personitl  estate 3,7.84,'.llo.llO 12,792,760.00 

I860.— Real  estate 10,241..''>40.(K) 

Personal  estate 4,755,4SIJ.(JU 14,997,020.00 

1867.— Real  est.ate 12,7.''>8.420.IKI 

Personal  estate ,5,110,810.00 17,869,230.00 

1868.— Real  estate 15,I2'vi20.(J0 

Personal  estate 5,.I22,MO.OO 20,448,160.00 

1869.— Real  estate 17,665,610.00 

Personal  estate .V.I01,570.(I0 2.3,.56-,180.00 

1870.—Real  estate 18,443,',I90.00 

Personal  est,ate 6,070,070.00 24,514,060.00 

1871.— Real  esute 20,962,IOO.IK) 

Peisonal  estate U.5S9,870.tK) 27,551,970.00 

1872.— Real  estate 26,(  I9.S.920.00 

Personal  estate 7,512.il().00 •  33,011,1.50.00 

1873.— Real  estiite 29,3.-0,.520.lKJ 

Personal  estate s,06o,3O0.(K) 37,440,820.00 

1874.- Real  estate 30,489,850.00 

Personal  estate 7.!i4n,ll2S.IKI 3S,.330,778.00 

1875.— Real  estate 31,riVi60.(KI 

I'ersoual  estate 8.3'.Ik,912.40 39,524,572.40 

1876.— Real  estate 27,iH7,.'j60.00 

Personal  estate 7,461,896.86 35,109,456.85 

1877.— Real  estate 23.737,0(X).IH) 

Poraonal  estate 6,955,770.06 30,602,770.66 

1878.— Real  estate 22,746,330.00 

Personal  estate 6,637,845.72 29,384,175.72 

CITY    OFFICERS. 
The  following  is  a  list  of  the  mayors,  aklormen,  and  clerks, 
common  councilmen,  clerks,  city  clerks,  and  treasurers,  mar- 


874 


HISTORY   OF   THE   CONNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


shals,  etc.,  from  the  incorporation  of  the  city  in  1852  to  the 

present  time  (1879): 

1S52. 

Mayor. — Cai-kb  Kick. 

Ahlcrmcn.— Ward  One,  Samuel  S.  Dny;  Ward  Two,  Eliphalet  Trank  ;  Waid 
Tlirce,  E.  D.  Bench;  Ward  Four,  George  Dwight;  Ward  Five,  Allifrt  Morgan; 
Ward  Sis,  CliRrles  G.  Eice;  Ward  Seven,  Oliver  B.  Baunoii ;  Waid  Eight,  F.  A. 
Barton. 

Cierk. — Joseph  Ingraham. 

Vomiuon  CoHiiei7jHeH.— President,  Henry  Morris;  Ward  One,  J.  B.  M.  SteMins, 
Eleazer  Ripley,  John  V.Jones;  Ward  Two,  W.  C.  Sturtevant,  Franei.s  Bates, 
Henry  Fuller,  Jr.;  Ward  Three, Charles  Merriani,  Willis  Phelps,  Cicero  Simons; 
Word  Four,  Henry  Mon is,  Alexander  H.  Avery,  Benjamin  F.  Warner;  Ward 
Five,  William  Hittdicock,  Hiram  Q.  Sandei-son,  Nathaniel  Cfite;  Ward  Six,  Henry 
Adams ;  Ward  Seven,  Ezra  Kimberly  ;  Ward  Eiglit,  Ilodney  Holt. 

Clerk. — Alanson  Hawley. 

CUy  Cle)k  tnul  'IWnsura: — Joseph  Ingraham. 

Mtiratuil. — David  A.  Adams. 

18.53. 
Mayor.— CAhfAi  Rice. 

^Wen«e)i.— Ward  One,  John  B.  Stehbine;  Ward  Two,  Eliphalet  Trask;  Ward 
Three,  Willis  Phelps;  Ward  Four,  Henry  Vose;  Ward  Five,  Titus  Amadon ; 
Ward  Six,  Dray  ton  I'eikins;  WardSeven,  Joseph  N.Sollace;  Ward  Eight,  Harvey 
Foster. 

C/«>7A-.— Joseph  Ingraham. 

Conivim  C>77nifi7iHeH.— President,  Henry  Mtmis  (resigned  Blay  IG),  William 
StoM-e;  Ward  One,  Daniel  Hitchcock,  William  Pynchon,  Addison  Day;  Ward 
Two,  Joj^cph  C. Pynchon, Orrin  Baker, E.  W.  Bond;  Ward  Three,  Lomhai'd  Dale, 
T.  M.  Walker,  William  Stowe ;  Ward  Four,  Henry  Morris,  Alexander  H.  Avery, 
Edmund  Palnior;  Ward  Five,  Nathaniel  Catn,  William  Dickinson, Daniel  Collins; 
Ward  Six,  Henry  Adams;  Ward  Seven,  Ezra  Kimberly ;  Ward  Eight,  William 
S.  Barker. 

C/crt.— Alanson  Hawley  (resigned  March  V),  Samuel  0.  Gay. 

CUy  Ch'rk  (Hid  Tren ai irer.— Joseph  Ingraham. 

MiirKhal. — David  A.  Adams. 

1854. 

Jl/(rvo)-.— Piiii-ns  B.  Tyler. 

A  Wfn»c».— Ward  One,  M  ilsou  Edily  ;  Wai  d  Two,  Eliphalet  Trask ;  Ward  Three, 
Elkanah  Barton;  Ward  Four,  William  L.Washburn;  Ward  Five,  Edward  F. 
Moseley;  Waul  Six,  Rodeiick  Lombard  ;  Ward  Seven,  Joseph  Lombard ;  Ward 
Eight,  Rodney  Holt. 

Clerk. — Joseph  Ingraham. 

Common  Cvuiiiihiu'it. — Pret^ident, Samuel  S.Day;  Ward  One,  Asa  Clark, Samuel 
S.  Day,  Thomas  W.  Wason ;  Ward  Two.  George  H,  Roberts,  Henry  A.  Robinson, 
Roderick  Ashley  ;  Ward  Three.  Philo  F.  Wilcox,  Lombard  Dale,  Frederick  H. 
Han  is;  Ward  Four,  Daniel  L.  Hanis,  Tilly  Haynes,  Joseph  B.  Hojikins:  Ward 
Five,  Daniel  Collins,  G.  W.  Harrison,  A.  H.  Clark;  Ward  Six,  Edwin  S.  Hall; 
Ward  Seven,  Harris  B.  Johnson;  Wai-d  Eight,  Horace  Pease. 

C/erit.— Charles  0.  Chapin. 

Ciii/  Clerk  and  Ti-easiirer. — Joseph  Ingraham. 

Jlfar»ft«I.— Sylvester  Churchill. 

1S55. 

Mayor. — Eliphalet  Trask. 

yi;rft'r7»f».— Ward  One,  James  M.  Elanchard;  Ward  Two,  W.  C.  Sturtevant; 
Ward  Three,  David  Smith;  AVard  Four,  Daniel  Reynolds;  Wai-d  Five,  William 
E.  Montague ;  Ward  Six,  Henry  Adams ;  Ward  Seven,  James  P.  t'hapman  ;  Ward 
Eight,  Harvey  Foster. 

Clerk. — Joaepli  Ingraham. 

ConmiOH  ComicUtiien. — President,  John  M.  Stebbins;  Ward  One,  E.  B.  Haskell, 
John  M.  Stehbins,  Stephen  Moree ;  Ward  Two,  O.  W.  Wilcox,  John  Hooker  (3d), 
D.  H.  Brigham ;  AVard  Three,  Francis  S.  Graves,  Rufus  Elmer,  E.  W.  Dickinson  ; 
Ward  Four,  Abel  B.  Howe,  John  W.  Hunt,  Jeremiah  R.  Cadwell ;  Wanl  Five, 
Nathaniel  Howard,  S.  S.  Holmes,  E.  F.  Moseley ;  Ward  Six,  J.  G.  Capron ;  Waid 
Seven,  Luther  S,  Lewis;  Ward  Eight,  Samuel  Webber. 

aeri.— Thoma-s  Chublnick. 

Cilij  Cle}-k  and  Treasurer. — Joseph  Ingraham. 

Mumhal—Ij.  P.  Rowland. 

1S5G. 

Mnyor.—AKST.x.  Phelps,  Jr. 

Aldtrmen. — Ward  One,  Samuel  S.Day;  Ward  Two,  Henry  Fuller,  Jr. ;  Ward 
Three,  Edmund  Freeman;  Ward  Four,  Stephen  C.  Bemis;  Ward  Five,  Thomas 
H.  Allen;  Ward  Six,  Henry  Alexander,  Jr.;  Ward  Seven,  Henry  Reynolds; 
Ward  Eight,  Samuel  Webber. 

Clerk. — Joseph  Ingraham. 

Common  Covneiluien. — President,  James  Kirkham;  Ward  One,  Charles  0.  Rus- 
sell, Chauncey  L.  Covell,  Hervey  Hills;  Ward  Two,  0.  W.  Witcox,  Henry  A. 
Chapin,  Dexter  II.  Biigham;  Ward  Three,  Dr.  Nathan  Adams,  Charles  L.  Shaw, 
George  Whitney;  Ward  Four,  James  Kirkham.  George  Walker,  John  W,  Hunt; 
Ward  Five,  Otis  A.  Seamans,  E.  F.  Moseley,  Nelson  Tyler;  Ward  Six,  Elbiidge 
Barton ;  Ward  Seven,  William  Smith  ;  Ward  Eight,  Milton  Foster. 

Clerk. — Charles  0.  Chapin. 

CUy  Clerk  and  Ti-eamirei: — Joseph  Ingraham. 

3/d7s/(([^— Sylvester  Churchill. 

1857. 

Miit/or. — Ansel  Phelps,  Jr. 

Aldi-niien.—\ya.u\  One,  Samuel  S.Day;  Ward  Two,  Henry  Fuller,  Jr. ;  Ward 
Three,  Henry  Alexander,  Jr. ;  Ward  Four,  Stephen  C.  Bemis;  Ward  Five,  Joseph 


Hannis ;  Ward  Six,  James  Warner :  Ward  Seven,  Henry  Pcmroy ;  Ward  Eight, 
Samuel  Webber,  Jr. 

Clerk. — Joseph  Ingraham. 

Coitimmi  ('unticibuen. — President,  George  Walker ;  Ward  One,  Charles  0.  Rus- 
sell, Chauncey  L.  (Novell,  James  Stehbins;  Ward  Two,  Eraslus  Hiiyes,  Lyman 
King,  Francis  B.  Bacon  ;  Ward  Three,  Marvin  Lincoln,  Henry  Avery,  John  11. 
Hixon;  Ward  Four,  George  Walker,  Samuel  Leonard,  William  Birnie;  Ward 
Five,  Chas.  Woodman,  Lutlier  Upton,  Geo.  A.  Otis ;  Ward  Six,  Elbiidge  Barton  ; 
Ward  Seven,  William  Smith  ;  AVard  Eight,  George  A.  Cooley. 

C/ert.— Charles  0.  Chapin. 

City  Clerk  and  Treamrcr. — Joseph  Ingraham. 

Marshals. — George  Ensworth  (deceased),  AVells  P.  Hodgett. 

1858. 
Mayor. — Anskl  PllioLl'.'^,  Ju. 

Aldemien. — AVard  One,  Siimuel  S.Day;  AVard  Two,  Henry  Fuller,  Jr. ;  Ward 
Three,  Henry  Alexander,  Jr. ;  AVard  Four,  Stejdien  C.  Bemis;  AVard  Five,  Jos. 
Hannis;  Ward  Six,  James  AVarner:  AVard  Seven,  Heniy  Poniroy;  AVard  Eight, 
Samuel  AVebber,  Jr.  (resigned),  E.  A.  Fuller. 

Clerk. — Joseph  Ingraham. 

Common  Coitnellmen. — President,  John  R.  IHxon ;  AVard  One,  AVilson  Eddy, 
William  Pynchon,  William  L.Smith:  AVard  Two,  Randolph  E.  Ladd,  Ambrose 
N.  Merrick,  Charles  B.  Trask;  AVard  Three,  John  R.  Hixon,  Henry  A.  Chapin, 
Gurdon  Bill;  AVard  Four,  Samuel  Leonard,  John  AV.  Hunt,  R.  G.  Shumway; 
AVard  Five,  Charles  AVoodman,  George  Swetland,  John  Brooks;  AVard  Six, 
Elbiidge  Barton;  AVard  Seven,  Joseph  Wheclock,  Jr.;  Ward  Eight,  Erastus 
King. 

C/erA\— Charles  0.  Chapin. 

City  Clerk  and  Treanttrer. — Joseph  Ingraham. 

3f<(rs;m/.— AVells  P.  Hoilgett. 

1859. 

Mayor. — AVilliam  B.  Calhoun. 

Aldermen. — AVard  One,  Chavmcey  L.  Covell ;  AVard  Two,  Roger  S.  Moore :  Ward 
Three,  Edmund  Freeman;  AVard  Four,  Daniel  L.  Hanis;  AVard  Five,  William 
Hitclicock  ;  Ward  Six,  J.  G.  Capron ;  AVard  Seven,  Hoiace  Smith ;  Wai-d  Eight, 
George  AV.  Holt. 

Clei-k. — Joseph  Ingraham. 

Common  CoM)ictii«f».— President,  A.  N.  Merrick  (resigned  in  May),  Samuel 
Leonard;  Ward  One,  Joshua  M.  Harrington,  James  M.  Cooley,  John  V.  Jones  ; 
AVard  Two,  George  H.  Roberts,  Lewis  U.  Taylor,  Gurdon  C;  Judson  ;  AVard  Three, 
A.  N.  Merrick,  Dainel  Gay,  Hosea  C.  Lombard;  AVard  Four,  Samuel  Leonard, 
Alfred  Rowc,  Reuben  T.  Safford  ;  AVard  Five,  Theodore  Bishop,  AValter  Maynard, 
AValter  North;  AVard  Six,  Isajic  D.  Gibbons;  Ward  Seven,  Ransley  Hall;  Ward 
Eight,  AVarren  L.  Shaw. 

Clerk. — Lucius  E.  Ladd. 

Cify  Clerk  and  Trenitvrer. — Joseph  Ingraham. 

Jlf.rrsfefi/.— OtisChilds. 

CUy  Solkiior.—A.  N.  Merrick. 

1860. 

Mayor. — Daniel  L.  IlAnias. 

.-l/r^crweii.— Ward  One,  Edmund  B-  Haskell ;  AVard  Two,  Erastus  Hayes  ;  Ward 
Three,  Franklin  Chamberlain;  Ward  Four,  John  W.  Hunt;  AVard  Five,  AViiliam 
Hitchcock;  Ward  Six,  John  G.  Capron;  Ward  Seven,  William  Foster;  Ward 
Eight,  Geoige  AV.  Ilult. 

Clerk. — Horace  C.  Lee. 

Common  CoHjutVwcTJ.— President,  N.  A.  Leonard;  AVard  One,  Joshua  Haning- 
ton,  H.  S.  Noyes,  J.  H.  Demond ;  AVard  Two,  Lewis  H.Taylor,  George  R.  Towns- 
ley,  Charles  A.  AVincliester;  Ward  Th^ee,  AVilliam  L.  Wilcox,  John  Hamilton, 
Clai'k  AV.  Bryan;  AVard  Four,  N.A.Leonard,  William  Birnie,  Alfred  Bowe ; 
Ward  Five,  William  Higley,  A.  F.  Strong,  Charles  Woodman;  Ward  Six,  Rob- 
ert Crossett ;  Ward  Seven,  Oriin  Lombard ;  AVard  Eight,  Andrew  J.  Plumer. 

Clerk. — Lucius  E.  Ladd. 

City  Clei-lc  and  T>eamrer. — Horace  C.  Lee. 

Marslml.— Otis  Childs. 

ISGl. 

Mayor. — Stephen  C.  Bemis. 

^Wcr»?eH.— AVard  One,  Henry  Gray;  AVard  Two,  Ephraim  W.Bond;  AVard 
Three,  H.  N.  Case  ;  AVard  Four,  Nathaniel  Howard ;  AVard  Five,  Charles  AVood- 
man ;  Ward  Six,  Amos  Call ;  AVard  Seven,  William  Smith;  AVard  Eight,  A.  J. 
Plumer. 

Clerk. — Horace  C,  Lee.' 

Cummon  Coinicilmen. — President,  N.  A.  Leonard  ;  AVard  One,  H.  J.  Chapin,  J. 
M.  Cooley,  J.  H.  Demond;  Ward  Two,  Lewis  H.  Tajlor,  D.  H.  Biighani,  F.  B. 
Bacon  ;  AVard  Three,  William  L.  Wilcox,  John  HamDton,  James  M. Skill";  Ward 
Four,  N.  A.  Leonard,  John  AV.  Bliss,  Alfred  Rowe  ;  AVard  Five,  AVilliam  Higley, 
Otis  A.  Seamans,  A.  W.  Allen  ;  AA'ard  Six,  Aaron  C.  Baiton  ;  AVard  Seven,  Henry 
Reynolds;  AVard  Eight,  H.  E.  Moseley. 

CZ^fc.— Lucius  E.  Ladd. 

City  Clerk  nud  Ti-easitrer. — Horace  C.  Lee. 

Marshal.~A.  AV.  Lamb. 

1862. 

Mayor. — STEPHEN    C.  BeMIS. 

.4Werwe».— Ward  One,  Henry  Gray  ;  AVard  Two,  E.  AV.  Bond  ;  AA^ard  Tliree,  H. 
N.  Case;  AVard  Four,  T.  W.  Wason;  Ward  Five,  Horace  Kibbe  ;  AVard  Six, 
Horace  Smith;  AVard  Seven,  AVilliam  Smith;  AVard  Eight,  H.  S.  Eveaus. 

Clerk.— S.  B.  Spooner,  Jr. 

Common  CovncUmen. — President,  N.  A.  Leonard  ;  AVard  One,  Horace  J.  Chapin, 
L.  O.  Hanson,  L.J.  Poweis;  Ward  Two,  Sylvester  Day,  Tim  Henry,  Eli  H.  Patch  ; 


HISTORY   OF   HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


875 


Ward  Three,  James  M.  Skiff,  J.  E.  Taylor,  A.  F.  Jenning:s  ;  "Ward  Four,  N.  A. 
Lejnard.  Alfred  Ujwe,  T.  M.  W.tlker;  Ward  Five,  P.  V.  B.  Havens,  Gei.rge  K. 
Ja::alw,  George  K.  C'liarter;  W.ird  Six,  Aaroa  C.  Barton;  Ward  Seven,  Ezekiel 
Keitli ;  Ward  Eight,  U.  E.  Moseley. 

Clerk. — LuL-ius  E.  Ladd. 

CUi(  Clerk  ami  Trewsurer. — Samuel  B.  Spooner,  Jr.  (resigned  September  30),  A. 
T.  Folsum. 

Mamhul. — L.  H.  Pease. 

1863. 

Sfiyor. — Henry  Alexander,  Jr. 

Alftennen. — Ward  One,  Ju.stiii  M.  Cooley;  Ward  Two,  William  Patton  ;  Ward 
Three,  William  K.  Baker;  Ward  Four,  Daniel  L.Harris;  Ward  Five,  William 
Bodurtha;  Ward  Six,  Horace  Smith  ;  Ward  Seven,  Virgil  Perkins;  Ward  Eight, 
Andrew  J.  Pliimer. 

Ckrk.—A.  T.  Folsom. 

Common  CouncUmen. — President,  Jf.  A.  Leonard  ;  Ward  One,  N.  W.  Talcott, 
George  S.  Haskell,  Lutlier  Clark  ;  Ward  Two,  0.  H.  Greeuleaf,  G.  R.  Tuwnsley, 
John  West;  Ward  Tliree,  Aaron  G.  Lord,  James  M.  Skiff,  Francis  S.  Graves; 
Ward  Four,  N.  A.  Leonard,  A.  L.  Soule,  Henry  S.  Lee;  Ward  Five,  Cheney  Big- 
elow,  George  K.  Charter  (resigned),  Charles  Phelps,  Orlando  Chapin  (resigned), 
William  Collins;  Ward  Six,  J.  G.  Chiise;  Ward  Seven,  C.  P.  L.  Warner;  Ward 
Eight,  Hiram  Warner. 

Clerk. — Lucius  E.  Ladd. 

CUy  Clerk  and  IVeamrer.— Albert  T.  Folsom. 

Miu-iihal. — Heniy  Clark. 

18C4. 

iI/"fi//or.— Henry  AtEXANCER,  Jr. 

AUlernteii. — Ward  One,  Norman  W.  Talcott;  Ward  Two,  William  Patton; 
Ward  Tliree,  All>ert  H.  Briggs;  Ward  Four,  Fiederiok  H.  Harris;  Ward  Five, 
Charles  Barrows;  Ward  Six,  Warren  H.Wilkinson;  Ward  Seven,  Virgil  Per- 
kins; Ward  Eight,  Harvey  E.  Moseley. 

Clerk.— A.  T.  Folsom. 

Common  CouncUmen. — President,  N.  A.  Leonard;  Ward  One,  Henry  S.  Hyde, 
John  Mulligan,  Charles  H.  Allen;  Ward  Two,  0.  H.  Greenleaf,  G.  R.  Townsley, 
J.  F.  Tanuatt;  Ward  Three,  Charles  A.  Winchester,  W.  H.  Smith,  A.  N.  Mer- 
rick ;  Ward  Four,  X,  A.  Leonard,  A.  L.  Soule,  Henry  S.  Lee  ;  Ward  Five,  Charles 
Phelps,  William  Collins,  S.  W.  Porter;  Ward  Six,  L.  H.  Taylor;  Ward  Seven, 
Peter  Valentine  ;  Ward  Eight,  George  Foster. 

Clerk. — Lucius  E.  Ladd. 

City  Clerk  and  Treasurer. — Albert  T.  Folsom. 

Marshal. — Henry  Clark  (resigned),  Luke  H.  Pease. 

1805. 

Mayor. — ALBERT  D.  Briggs. 

.■lWtr(ti*f((.— Ward  One,  Henrj'  S.  Hyde;  Ward  Two,  George  R.  Townsley; 
Ward  Three,  Otis  Cliilds ;  Ward  Four,  Frederick  H.  Harris ;  Ward  Five,  Charles 
Barrows  ;  Ward  Six,  Warren  H.  Wilkinson ;  Ward  Seven,  Virgil  Perkins ;  Ward 
Eight,  Andrew  J.  Plumer. 

Clei-k.—A.  T.  Folsom. 

Common  CouncUmen. — President,  Heniy  S.  Lee;  Ward  One,  John  IMulligau, 
W.  H.  AUis,  H.  S.  Noyes;  Ward  Two,  Gideon  Wells,  John  Olmsted,  J.  F.  Tan- 
uatt; Ward  Three,  M'illiam  H.  Smith,  J.  F.  Tapley,  H.  X.  Tinkliam;  Ward 
Four,  N.  A.  Leonard,  Henry  S.  Lee,  S.  J.  Hall;  Ward  Five,  Charles  Phelps,  S. 
W.  Porter,  J.  Q.  A.  Sextan;  Ward  Six,  Gustiivus  D.  Tapley;  Ward  Seven,  Raw- 
son  Hathaway ;  Ward  Eight,  George  Foster. 

Clerk. — Lucius  E.  Latld. 

City  Clerk  and  Treasurer — Albert  T.  Folsom. 

3Iar9ltal. — Luke  H.  Pease. 

1866. 

Mayor. — Albert  D.  Briggs. 

y|/</t-r;HcH.— Ward  One,  William  Pynchon  ;  Ward  Two,  D.  H.  Biigliam;  Ward 
Three,  Tim  Henry;  Ward  Four,  F.  H.  Harris;  Ward  Five,  G.  W.  Harrison^ 
Ward  Six,  W.  II.  Wilkinson  ;  Ward  Seven,  John  G.  Taylor  (died),  Riiwson  Hath- 
away; Ward  Eight,  John  Severson. 

Clerk.—A.  T.  Folsom. 

Common  Councibnen. — President,  William  L.  Smith ;  Ward  One.  J.  II.  Pcmnnd, 
Warren  Emereon,  J.  C.  Mcintosh;  Ward  Two,  Gideon  Wells,  H.  M.  Sluiehnuse, 
George  Dwiglit,  Jr. ;  Ward  Three,  H.  N.  Tinkham,  Willi;im  11.  Suiitii,  Joseph 
II.  Damon ;  Ward  Four,  D.  B.  M'ej>son,  AViilianj  L.  Smith,  W.  S.  Marsh ;  Ward 
Five,  Charles  Phelps,  S.  W.  Porter,  Charles  Chapman  ;  Ward  Six,  Gustavus  D. 
Taplcy ;  "Ward  Seven,  John  M.  Mcgget ;  Ward  Eight,  Sainucl  Mills. 

Clerk. — Lucius  E.  Ladd. 

City  Clerk  and  Treasurer. — Albert  T.  Folsom. 

Slessettger. — J.  D.  Bigelow. 

Superi»te}id€}U,  of  Schools. — E.  A.  Hubbard. 

Marsluil. — Luke  H.  Pease. 

Assistant  Marshal. — S.  P.  Howard, 

1867. 

Mayor. — Albert  D.  Briggs. 

Aldermen. — Ward  One,  John  Mulligan  ;  Ward  Two,  Tim  Henrj* ;  Ward  Three, 
H.  N.  Tinkham  ;  Ward  Four,F.  H.  Harris;  Ward  Five,  Samuel  W.  Porter,  Ward 
Six,  Amos  Call ;  Ward  Seven,  Rawsun  Hathaway ;  Ward  Eight,  John  Severson. 

Clerk.—A.  T.  Folsoni. 

Omimm  OjH(M;i7«(eii.— President,  William  L.  Smith  ;  Ward  One,  J.  C.  Mcintosh. 
Warren  Emerson,  J.  H.  Denioud ;  Ward  Two,  H.  M.  Morehouse,  C.  S.  Hurlhut, 
L.A.Tifft;W'ard  Three,  Charles  Maish,  H.  K.W.  Dickinson.  P.  S.  Builey  ;  Ward 
Four,  W.  L.  Smith,  W.  S.  Marsh,  L.  J.  Powers ;  Ward  Five,  Charles  Chapman,  A. 


H.  Clark,  J.  S.  Brown ;  Ward  Six,  Charles  A.  Call ;  Ward  Seven,  E.  W.  Clark  ; 
Ward  Eight,  Samuel  Mills. 

Clerk. — Lucius  E.  Ladd. 

CUjj  Clerk  and  !Z>eaj*Hrer.— Albert  T.  Folsom. 

Messenger. — J,  D.  Bigelow, 

Snjierintendent  of  Schools. — E.  A.  Hubbard. 

CUy  Marshal. — Luke  H.  Pease. 

Assistiinl  Marshal. — Stephen  P.  Howard. 

1868. 

Mayor. — Charles  A.  Wixciiester. 

Aldertnen. — Ward  One,  John  Mulligan;  Ward  Two,  Tim  Henry;  Ward  Three, 
H.  N.  Tinkham ;  Ward  Four,  W.  S.  Marsh ;  Ward  Five,  Samuel  \V.  Porter ;  Ward 
Six,  Amos  Call;  Ward  Seven,  E.  W.  Clark;  Ward  Eight,  Milo  Chapin. 

Clerk.— A.  T.  Folsom. 

Common  Comicilmen. — President,  Henry  S.  Lee;  Ward  One,  Warren  Emerson, 
Josiah  Bunxstead,  Roswell  Lee;  Ward  Two,  0.  H.  Greenleaf,  Cliarles  R.  Ladd, 
Lewis  A.  Tifft ;  Ward  Three,  E.  H.  Patch,  A.  J.  Mclut)sh,  Williatft  H.  Smith  ; 
Ward  Four,  Henry  S.  Lee,  E.  G.  Norton,  M.  A.  Clyde;  Ward  Five,  Cyrus  E.  Buck- 
land,  Alden  Warner,  William  R.  Purple;  Ward  Six,  George  E.  Howard;  Ward 
Seven,  Charles  Gage ;  Ward  Eight,  George  Swetland. 

Clerk. — Lucius  E.  Ladd. 

CUy  Clerk  and  Treasurer.^ AW >ert  T.  Folsom. 

Messenger. — J.  D.  Bigelow. 

Superintendent  of  Sdtooh. — E.  A.  Hubbard. 

CUy  Marshal. — Luke  H.  Pease. 

Assistant  Marshal. — E.  S.  Crosier. 

1869. 

Mayor. — Charles  A.  Winchester. 

Alitermen. — Ward  One,  J.  M.  Cuoley ;  Ward  Two,  6eorge  Dwight ;  Ward  Tliree, 
William  H.  Smith ;  Ward  Four,  W.  S.  Marsh ;  Ward  Five,  Joseph  M.  Hall ;  Ward 
Six,  George  E.  Howard;  Ward  Seven,  Charles  Gage;  Ward  Eight,  Charles  J. 
Goodwin. 

Clerk.~A.  T.  Folsom. 

Common  CouncUmen. — President,  Henry  S.  Lee ;  Ward  One,  George  M.  Atwater, 
Josiali  Bumstead,  .I<din  Olmsted  ;  Ward  Two,  Charles  R.  La  Id,  0.  H.  Greanleaf, 
C.  C.  Smith;  Ward  Three,  A.  J.  Mcintosh,  E.  H.  Patch,  J.  H.  Appleton;  Ward 
Four,  Henry  S.  Lee,  E.  G.  Norton,  L.  J.  Powers;  Ward  Five,  Alden  Warner,  E. 
B.  Haskell,  W.  P.  Taylor;  Ward  Six,  I.  P.  Dickinson;  Ward  Seven,  William  H. 
Pinney  ;  Ward  Eight,  George  Swetland. 

Clej-k. — Lucius  E.  Ladd. 

CUy  Clerk  and  Treasurer. — Albert  T.  Folsom. 

Superintendent  of  Schools. — E.  A.  Hubbard. 

Messenger. — J.  D.  Bigelow. 

1870. 

Mayor. — WiLLtAM  L.  SMITH. 

Aldermen.— 'Wsiya  One,  J.  A.  Rumrill ;  Ward  Two,  Eliphalet  Trask  ;  Ward 
Three,  Dr.  John  Hooker;  Ward  Four,  Willis  Phelps;  Ward  Five,  Joseph  M.  Hall ; 
Ward  Six,  I.  P.  Dickinson ;  Ward  Seven,  William  H.  Piuney ;  Ward  Eight,  George 
Foster. 

Clerk.~A.  T.  Folsom. 

Common  CouncUmen. — President,  Henry  S.  Lee ;  Ward  One,  Albert  Holt,  A.  D. 
Day,  C.  B.  Holhrook;  Ward  Two,  George  Dwight,  Jr.,  James  S.  Baurke,  David 
Legro;  Ward  Three,  James  E.  Mclutire,  George  W.  Taptey,  George  S.  Lewis; 
Ward  Four,  Henry  S.  Lee,  Giirdon  Bill,  S.  R.  Phillips;  Ward  Five,  Charles 
Phelps,  William  B.  Miller,  T.  B.  Wils:»n;  Ward  Six,  Gejrge  E.  Howard;  Ward 
Seven,  John  A.  Hall ;  Ward  Eight,  Alfred  S.  Packard. 

Clerk. — Lucius  E.  Ladd. 

CUy  Clerk  and  Treasurer.— Albert  T.  Folsom. 

Super inlendeiU  of  Schools. — E.  A.  Hubbard. 

Messenger. — J.  D.  Bigelow. 

1871. 

Mayor. — WiLLiAM  L.  Smith. 

Aldermen. — Ward  One,  Josiah  Bunijtead;  Ward  Two,  Charles  R.  Ladd;  Ward 
Three,  Lawson  Sibley;  Ward  Four,  James  M.  Thompson  ;  Ward  Five,  Ricliard 
F.  Hawkins  ;  Ward  Six,  Isaac  P.  Dickinson;  Ward  Seven,  John  A.  Hall ;  Ward 
Eight,  Noyes  Barstow. 

CVert.— Albert  T.  Folsom. 

C<immon  Com Ktr/imcM.— President,  Henry  S.  Lee;  Ward  One,  .Mbert  Holt,  P.  W. 
Brewster,  F.  J.  Donahue ;  Ward  Two,  Milt^ju  Bradley,  Tilly  Haynes,  R.  Warren ; 
AVard  Tliree,  B.  C.  Euglish,  S.  B.  Spooner,  N.  C.  Ni^well ;  Ward  Four,  Henry  S. 
Lee,  Henry  M.  PliilUps,  E.  A.  Perkins;  Ward  Five,  T.  B.  Wilson,  J.  C.  Perry,  E. 
B.  Maynard;  Ward  Six,  George  E.  Howard;  Ward  Seven,  J.  W.  Lull;  Ward 
Eight,  George  Swetland. 

Clerk. — Lucius  E.  Ladd. 

Clerk  and  Treasurer. — Albert  T.  Folsom. 

SuperttUendent  of  Sclioobi. — E.  A.  Hubbard. 

Messenger. — J.  D.  Bigelow. 

1872. 

Maijor. — Sami'el  B.  Spooner. 

^WenHPH.— Ward  Two,  Charles  R.  Ladd  ;  Ward  Three,  William  H.  Smith  ; 
Ward  Four,  Emei-son  Wight ;  Ward  Five,  Joseph  M.  Hall,  R.  F.  Hawkins ;  Ward 
Six,  George  E.  Howard;  Ward  Seven,  William  H.  Pinney;  Ward  Eight,  Noyes 
Bai"stow. 

C'/crt.— Albert  T.  Folsom. 

Common  ConncUtnen. — President,  M.  P.  Knowlton;  Ward  Onn,  F.  J.  Donahue, 
L.  H.  Powers,  N.  W.  Fisk;  Ward  Two,  0.  H.  Greenleaf,  George  W.  Ray,  Henry 
F.  Trask;  Ward  Three,  N.  C.  Newell,  Samuel  Palmer,  George  M.  Smith;  Wai-d 


876 


HISTORY   OP  THE  CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


Four,  E.  A.  Perkins,  H.  M.  Phillips,  X.V.  Taylor;  Ward  Five,  M.  P.  Kiiowlton, 
]•;.  I!.  Muyiiiinl,  P.  H.  M.  Broi.ks;  Ward  Six,  E.  A.  NowoU;  Ward  Seven,  J.  W. 
Lull :  Ward  Kiglit,  W.  I^.  Convoree. 

VUrk, — Lucius  E.  Ladd. 

(%  Clerk  timl  lyeasurir. — Albert  T.  Folsom. 

Superitittwlcul  o/  t^clioolx. — E.  A.  Hubbai'd. 

City  Mextii'iKjtr. — J.  D.  Bigelow. 

tiiqierinlffiHleiU  of  Strect>i. — J.  Q.  A.  Sexton.  , 

OUy  Engineer. — Stockwell  Bcttes. 

187:). 

Mayor. — Samuel  B.  SrooNF.n. 

>4iiicnnm.— Ward  One,  11.  S.  H.vdo;  Ward  Two,  GooifC  W.  Ray;  Wanl  Three, 
E.  11.  Patrh;  Ward  Four,  Emerson  Wislit;  Waid  Five,  ]!.  F.  llawkiiis;  Ward 
Six,  George  E.  Howard ;  Ward  Seven,  L.  A.  Tint ;  Ward  Eight,  Noyeb  Bai  slow. 

Clert.—A.  T.  Folsom. 

Conwion  ComicUmen. — President,  M.  P.  Knowitou;  Ward  One,  Floreuce  J. 
Donahue,  Noycs  W.  Fi»k,  Albeit  Hoyt ;  Ward  Two,  0.  H.  Greculeaf,  U.  F.  Trask, 
S.  C.  Warriner ;  Ward  Three,  Joseph  K.  Newell,  Charles  M.  Leo,  Charles  M. 
King;  Ward  Four,  Varnum  N.  Taylor,  E.  A,  Perkins,  II.  SI.  Phillips;  Ward 
Five,  M.  P.  Knowlton,  J.  li.  MeKiiiglit,  W.  G.  Chamberlain  ;  Ward  Six,  E.  A. 
Newell;  Ward  Seven,  B.  F.  Farrar;  Ward  Eight,  John  Warriuer. 

fteA-.— John  A.  Hall. 

Cilii  Clerk  mill  JViiuviircr.— Albert  T.  Folsom. 

Sitpa-mtemlent  of  Schools. — E.  A.  Hubbard  (resigned  April  1),  William  Pice 
(April  to  September),  A.  P.  Stone. 

SnpcrivteiuU>iU  of  Streets. — J.  Q.  A.  Sexton. 

Cily  Eiiffiiicer.— Stockwell  Bettes. 

City  Messenger.— J .  D.  Bigelow. 

1874. 

JIfe»/or.— John  M.  Stebbins. 

AMermetL—yfard  Cue,  .Mbert  Holt;  Ward  Two,  Hugh  Donnelly  ;  Ward  Three, 
A.  J.  Mcintosh  ;  Ward  Four,  L.  J.  Powers;  Wanl  Five,  Albert  W,  Allen  ;  Ward 
Six,  I.  P.  Dickinson  ;  Ward  Seven,  ,1.  W.  Lull;  Ward  Eight,  Heltry  C.  Fuller. 

Clerk. — A.  T.  Folsom. 

Common  Conitcilmeii . — President,  T.  B.  Wilson  ;  M'ard  One,  D.  J.  Curtis,  Horace 
Wheeler,  .James  A.  Byrnes;  Ward  Two,  L.  B.  Lillie,  M.  L.  Tonrtellotte,  P.  J. 
Eyan ;  Ward  Three,  B.  S.  Haskins,  Charles  A.  King,  August  Sheppert;  Ward 
Four,  J.  H.  Applcton,  Homer  Foot,  Jr.,  D.  J.  Marsh  ;  Ward  Five,  W.  G.  Chamber- 
lain, T.  B.  Wilson,  Benjamin  Hannis;  Ward  Six,  Daniel  Schoonmaker;  Ward 
Seven,  E.  W.  Ladd ;  Ward  Eight,  John  Warriner. 

C(ert-.— E.  A.  Newell. 

CUy  Clerk  ami  T)-eamirer. — Albert  T.  Folsom. 

Stepa-intendettt  of  Schools. — A.  P.  Stone. 

Superintcndeitt  of  Streets. — Michael  Roane. 

City  Engiuetr. — George  A.  Ellis. 

City  Messenger. — J.  D.  Bigelow. 

1875: 

Jl/aj/or.— Emerson  Wight. 

Aldennen. — Ward  One,  Hinsdale  Smith;  Ward  Two,  D.  H.  Brigham;  Ward 
Three,  F.  H.  Fuller;  Ward  Four,  L.  J.  Powders;  Ward  Five,  W.Ci. Chamberlain; 
Ward  Six,  Amos  Call;  Ward  Seven,  Rawsou  Hathaway;  Ward  Eight,  H.  K. 
Wight. 

Clerk.— A.  T.  Folsom. 

Common  Councilmen. — President,  Heni-y  S.  Lee;  Ward  Que,  Horace  Wlieeler, 
James  A.  Byrnes,  N.  W.  Fisk  ;  Ward  Two,  S.  E.  Seymour,  H.  F.  Trask,  M.  L. 
Tonrtellotte;  Ward  Three,  J.  K. Newell,  A.  J.  Plnmer,  J.  K.  Winter;  Ward  Four, 
Henry  S.Lee,  D.L.Harris,  J.  S.  Carr;  Ward  Five,  B.  S.  Haskins,  Benjamin 
Hannis,  E.  S.  Stacy  ;  Ward  Six,  Daniel  Schoonnuvker ;  Ward  Seven,  E.  P.  Cook ; 
Ward  Eight,  D.  P.  Woolson. 

Clerk.— E.  A.  Newell. 

City  Clerk  and  Treasurer. — Albert  T.  Folsom. 

Snperintendent  of  Schools. — A.  P.  Stune. 

Superintendent  of  Streets. — M.  Roane. 

City  Engineer. — George  A.  Ellis. 

C^y  Messetiger. — J.  D.  Bigelow. 

1S7G. 

Mayor.SjtsTtms  Wight. 

ylWermcn.— Ward  One,  N.  W.  Talcott;  Ward  Two,  George  Dwight;  Ward 
Three,  J.  K.  Newell;  Ward  Four,  Henry  S.  Lee;  Wanl  Five,  N.  I.  Hawley  ; 
Ward  Six,  D.  L.  Swan;  Ward  Seven,  Rawson  Hathaway;  Ward  Eight,  H.  K. 
Wight. 

Clerk.— A.  T.  Folsom. 

Common  Counciimen.— President,  H.  F.  Trask  ;  Ward  One,  John  Mulligan,  J. 
M.  Cooley,  J.  J.  Moore;  Ward  Two,  Milton  Biadley,  H.  F.  Triusk,  M.  L.  Tonr- 
tellotte ;  Ward  Three,  H.  N.  Tiukham,  J.  F.  Tajiley,  Elijah  Nichols ;  Ward  Four, 
W.  S.  Shurtleff,  D.  L.  Harris,  J.  S.  Carr ;  Ward  Five,  II.  W.  Phel])s,  Edwin  McEl- 
wain,  E.S.Stacy;  Ward  Six,  R.  R.  McGregor ;  Ward  Seven,  Larkin  Newell; 
Ward  Eight,  Samuel  F.  Smith. 

Clerk.— K  A.  Newell. 

City  Clerk  and  Ti-easurer. — Albert  T  Folsom. 

Superintendeiil  of  Schools, — A.  P.  Stone. 

Snperintendeitt  of  Streets.— T.  T.  Sprague. 

CUy  Engimcr. — George  A.  Ellis. 

CUy  Messenger. — J.  D.  Bigelow. 


1877. 

Mayor. — EMERSON  Wight. 

.i;.(«-iiicii.— Wanl  On(!,  Jiihn  Qlmsted ;  Waid  Two,  George  Dwight;  Ward 
Th]-ee,  J.  F.  Tapley  ;  Ward  Four,  Henry  S.  Lee ;  Ward  Five,  N.  1.  Hawley ;  Ward 
Six,  D.  L.  Swan;  Ward  Seven,  W.  H.  Pinney;  Ward  Eight,  H.  K.  Wight. 

Clerk.— A.  T.  Folsom. 

Common  Councilmen. — President,  H.  F.  Trask  ;  Ward  One,  Jolin  Mulligan,  N.  W. 
risk,  L.  H.  Powers;  Wanl  Two,  H.  F.  Tiask,  M.  L.  Tourtellotte,  Geolgo  E.  Frink  ; 
Ward  Three,  II.  N.  Tiukham,  Klijali  Nichols,  George  B.  Smith  ;  Wanl  Four, 
Daniel  L.  Harris,  William  S.  Shnitleir,  J.  K.  Newell;  Ward  Kive,  Edwin  McEl- 
wain,  John  A.  Hall,  A.  J.  Wright ;  Ward  Six,  U.  C.  Puller;  Ward  Seven,  E.  W. 
Ladd  ;  Ward  Eight,  Milo  Chapin. 

Clerk.— E.  A.  Newell. 

City  Clerk  and  Trcamirer. — Albert  T.  Folsom. 

Snperintendent  of  Schools. — A.  P.  Stone. 

Saperintendent  of  Streets. — H.  D.  Fobs. 

CUy  Engineer. — George  A.  Ellis. 

CUy  Messenger. — J.  D.  Bigelow. 

1878. 

Mayor. — Emerson  Wight. 

.-Udermen. — Ward  One,  John  Olmsted;  Ward  Two,  George  Dwight;  Ward 
Three,  J.  F.  Tapley;  Ward  Four,  Henry  S.  Lee;  Ward  Five,  John  A.  Hall;  Ward 
Six,  D.  L.  Swan  ;  Ward  Seven,  W.  H.  Pinney  ;  Ward  Eight,  II.  K.  Wight. 

Ote*.— Albei  t  T.  Folsom. 

Common  i'onneilmen. — President,  A.  J.  Wright;  Ward  One,  John  Mulligan,  E. 
Bclding,  L.  II.  Powei-s ;  Ward  Two,  Dr.  H.  G.  Stickney,*  Dr.  A.  R.  Rice,  E.  M. 
Bartlctt;  Ward  Three,  Elijah  Nichols,  J.  R.  Smith,  George  B.  Smith;  Ward 
Four,  W.  S.  Shurtleff,  U.  A.  Gould,  J.  K.  Newell ;  Ward  Five,  N.  W.  Howard,  S. 
L.  Ilodgdon,  A.  J.  Wright ;  Ward  Six,  George  R.  Dickinson ;  Ward  Seven,  E.  W. 
Ladd ;  Ward  Eight,  F.  M.  Bardwell. 

aerk.—lE,.  A.  Newell. 

CUy  Clerk  and  Treasurer. — Albert  T.  Folsom. 

City  Messe}\ger. — J.  D.  Bigelow. 

Superintendent  of  Schools. — A.  P.  Stone. 

1879. 

Ma7jor. — Lewis  J.  Powers. 

Aldermen. — Ward  One,  John  Olmsted;  Ward  Two,  George  Dwight;  Ward 
Three,  J.  F.  Tapley;  Ward  Four,  George  W.  Tapley;  W'ard  Five,  Beujamin 
Hannis;  Ward  Six,  Geo.  R.  Dickinson;  Ward  Seven,  E.  W.  Ladd;  Ward  Eight, 
H.  K.  Wight. 

Clerk.— A.  T.  Folsom. 

Cmnmon  Coiineilmen. — President,  J.  R.  Smith  ;  Clerk,  E.  A.  Newell ;  Ward  One, 
.Tohn  Mulligan,  E.  Belding,  J.  W.  Baldwin ;  Ward  Two,  E.  H.  Phelps,  Horace 
Jacobs,  F.  A.  Judd;  Wai'd  Three,  J.  R.  Smith,  Elijah  Nichols,  Frank  E.  Winter; 
Ward  Four,  Henry  A.  Gould,  George  B.  Holbrook,  C.  J.  Sanderson ;  Ward  Five, 
N.  W.  Howard,  S.  L.  Ilodgdon,  M.  J.  Chamberlain;  Ward  Six,  E.  M.  Lombard; 
Ward  Seven,  Charles  Taylor;  Ward  Eight,  F.  M.  Bardwell. 

Assistant  CUy  Clerk, — Henry  V.  Lewis. 

CUy  AndUor. — George  H.  Deane. 

Collector  of  Tftrcs.— Francis  Norton. 

Assessors. — Francis  Norton,  George  S.  Lewis,  J.  G.  Capron. 

Assistant  Assessors. — James  M.  Arnold,  J.  Sharrocks,  Albert  Bishop. 

Orei-seers  of  the  Poor. — The  Mayor,  C.  L.  Covill,  James  H.  Lewis,  J.  Q.  A.  Sex- 
ton, Dr.  David  Clark. 

CUy  Physician. — Dr.  David  Clark. 

CUy  Engineer. — George  A.  Ellis. 

CUy  Messenger. — J.  D.  Bigelow. 

Snperintendent  of  Schools. — A.  P.  Stone. 

Scltool-home  Agent, — E.  Barton. 

School  Committee. — Rev.  A.  D.  Mayo,  J.  E.  Taylor,  Rev.  Willijuu  Rice,  Dr.  San- 
ford  Lawton,  Jr.,  T.  M.  Brown,  Rev.  L.  H.  Cone,  J.  G.  Chase,  C.  J.  Goodwin. 

Sriperintendcnt  of  Streets. — Henry  D.  Foss. 

MILITARY   RECORD,    1861-65. 

The  ligbtning  had  scarcely  flashed  the  intelligence  to  the 
expectant  North  that  Major  Anderson  and  his  gallant  band 
had  surrendered  as  prisoners  of  war  to  the  Southern  Confed- 
eracy ere  the  patriotic  sons  of  Springfield  were  rallying  to 
the  support  of  their  imperiled  country.  Men  and  money 
were  promptly  raised,  and  the  record  of  the  town  during  the 
whole  struggle  is  one  of  which  her  citizens  may  justly  be 
proud. 

The  city  paid  the  following  items:  for  soldiers'  bounties, 
lrll6,924;  reimbursed  individuals  for  bounties  paid,  .537, .332.- 
63  ;  paid  the  State  on  account  of  bounties,  §49.772.69  ;  received 
from  the  State  on  said  account,  §44,680 ;  amount  paid  in  excess 
of  receipts,  §.5002.69 ;  jiaid  for  recruiting  expenses,  §14,070.23 ; 
paid  for  State  aid  to  Jan.  1,  1866,  §98,652.77  ;  number  of  men 
furnished,  2625. 

*  Since  dead. 


HISTORY  OF   HAMPDEN  COUNTY. 


877 


Allen,  Engenp  A.,  sergt.,  unl.  ISf.l,  lOlli  Eegt., Co.  F. 
Ash,  Francis,  enl.  June  If.,  ISGl,  Olli  Rege,,  Cu.  E. 

Aiken,  Wni.  W.,  IDtli  Kest.,  Co.  13. 

Anderson,  Geo.  W.,  loth  Regt.,  Co.  E. 

Averill,  Lorenzo,  loth  Regt.,  Co.  F. 

Anilerson,  John,  ISth  Regt.,  Co.  K. 

Attlelon,  Lyman,  enl.  Nov.  8,  '61,3l6t  Eegt.,  Co.  G. 

Asiii,  Tinioth.v,  31st  Regt.,  Co.  G. 

Al.bott,  Geo.  W.,  enL  Sejit.  4,  I8C1,  1st  CaT.,  Co.  E. 

Aslile.v,  Nathaniel,  Conn. 

Ainiitage,  Jos.  B.,  1st  Miiss.  Cav. 

Allien,  Augustus  D.,  enl.  Aug.  18,  1802,  27th  Regt. 

Ayi-es,  Wni.,  31st  Regt. 

Ames,  E.  P.,  31st  Regt. 

Armstrong.  Joseph,  N.  Y. 

Allen,  Seth,  10th  Mass. 

Ashley,  Henry  B.,  enl.  July  19,  1SC2,  10th  Regt. 

Arinstiong,   J.  WillarJ,  enl.  Aug.  15,  1862,  37th 
Regt. 

Armstrong,  Jeremiah,  enl.  Aug.  18,  1862,  37th 
Regt. 

Alfreii.  John  B.,  enl.  Aug.  13,  1862,  27th  Ro.gt. 

Ashwell,  James  K.,  enl.  July  15,  1S02,  27th  Regt. 

Ahhe,  Cornelius  G.,  enl.  July  15,  1862,  27th  Regt. 

Aniigh,  W.  U.,  enl.  July  3(1,  1862,  27tli  Regt. 

Allen,  Wm.,  enl.  Aug.  15,  1S62,  1st  C'av.,  Co.  A. 

Atherlon,  J.  O.,  enl.  Aug.  22,  1862,  1st  Cav. 

Athei-ton,  Wm.  H.,  enl.  Aug.  8,  '62, 1st  Cav. 

Atherton,  Geo.  15.,  enl.  Aug.  8,  1802, 1st  Cuv. 

Athei  ton,  Charles  P.,  eiil.  Aug.  8,  1802,  Ist  Cav. 

Anu's,  Daniel  S.,  enl.  Aug.  8, 1862, 1st  Cav.,  Co.  G. 

Allison,  Charles  H.,  enl.  Aug.  19, 1862,  27th  Regt. 

A  His,  Solon  M.,  eiil.  Aug.  20,  1862,  27th  Regt. 

Allis,  Thouuus  C,  enl.  Aug.  20,  1802,  27th  Regt. 

Angetine,  Blicliael,  enl.  Aug.  22, 1802,  37th  Regt. 

Aldridi,  Jolm  J.,  enl.  Aug.  20,  1862,  37lh  Regt. 

A.lains,  .Tas  .■<.,  enl.  Sept.  25,  '02,  46th  Eegt,  Co.  A. 

.\nen.  Dexter  C,  enl.  Sept.  25,  1802,  40th  Regt. 

Ames,  Ben.}ii]nin  L.,  enl.  Sept.  25, 1802,  46th  Eegt. 

Anderson,  William,  8th  Regt.,  Co.  U. 

Adams,  Charles,  enl.  Dijc.  21,  1803,  4th  Cav. 

Allen,  John  W.,  enl.  Dec.  2.S,  1863,  57th  Regt. 

Ahholt,  Charles,  enl.  Jan.  7,  1864,  .57th  Kegt. 

Ad s,  Alphens  H.,  enl.  Jan.  8,  1804,  1st  Cav. 

Allston,  George,  enl.  Jan.  2,  1864,  5lh  Cav. 

Allen,  Geo.  A.,  enl.  Jan.  14,  1864,  57lh  Regt. 

Atherton,  Edmund  F.,  enl.  Dec.  31 1,  1863. 

Atkins,  Wm.,  enl.  Jan.  20,  1864,  l.st  Cav. 

Avery,  Ekazer,  enl.  Feb.  15,  1864,  4th  Cav. 

Anderson,  John,  enl.  March  15,  1864,  57th  Ilegt. 

Alvord,  John  C,  1st  H.  Art. 

Alden,  Justus  B.,  enl.  Sept.  1,  1864,  II.  Art. 

Auiiden,  Josiah  C,  enl.  Sept.  1,  1804,  H.  Art. 

Andrews,  Joseph  L.,  enl.  Sept.  1,  1864,  H.  ,\rt. 

Alden,  Wm.  W,,  enl.  Sept.  1,  1864,  H.  Art. 

Allen,  Elhau  H.,  enl.  Sept.  1,  1864,  H.  Art. 

Allen,  Jolm  C,  enl.  1864. 

Arnold,  Smith  D.,  enl.  Sept.  1, 1804,  H.  Art. 

Allen,  Wm.,  enl.  Nov.  21, 1864,  64lli  Kegt. 

AUvard,  John  C,  enl.  Oct.  7,  1864,  1st  H.  Art. 

Ahern,  Wm.,  enl.  Sept.  17,  1864,  61st  Regt. 

Air,  George,  enl.  July  11,1864. 

Alley,  Geo.  W.,  enl.  180). 

Barton,  F.  A.,  cliaplain,  loth  Eegt. 

Brewer,  Alonzo,  enl.  Juno  21,  1861,  10th  Eegt. 

Barton,  Frederick,  capt.,  10th  Eegt.,  Co.  E. 

Barton,  Henry,  10th  Regt ,  Co.  E. 

Barton,  Daniel  M.,  10th  Regt.,  Co.  E. 

Bowles,  Eoslyn  W.,  enl.  April  27, 1801, 10th  Regt. 

Bigelow,  Geo.  W.,  2d  lient.,  lutli  Regt.,  Co.  F. 

Bartlett,  Edwin  B.,  Corp.,  10th  Regt,,  Co.  F. 

Bahcock,  Lucien  F.,  Corp.,  10th  Regt.,  Co.  F. 

Bliss,  Charles,  10th  Eegt.,  Co.  F. 

Burke,  Tlios.,  enl.  June,  1861,  loth  Regt.,  Go.  F. 

Burhank,  J.  H.,  10th  Regt.,  Co.  F. 

Bartlett,  Abner  T.,  10th  Regt.,  Co.  F. 

Barnard,  Mark  C,  10th  Regt.,  Co.  F. 

Barnes,  James,  col.,  18th  Regt. 

Burke,  John,  20th  Regt.,  Co.  K. 

Brown,  Frank  C,  24tli  Kegt.,  Co.  F. 

Bartholomew,    U.  G.,   capt.,  enl.   Oct.  1861,  27th 

K.gt.,  Co.  II. 
Bond,  Richard,  27th  Regt. 
Bond,  Ames,  nuuician,  27tli  Regt. 
Baker,  Rodolldius,  enl.  Sept.  ISCl,  27th  Regt ,  Co.  E. 
Bailey,   Peter  S.,  1st  lieut.,  enl.  Sept.  1861,  27lh 
Kegt.,  Co.  G. 


Bennett,  Charles  G.,  enl.  Oct.  16, 1861,  27th  Eegt. 

liartlott,  John  W.,  27th  Regt.,  Co.  K. 

Baker,  Charles,  enl.  Oct.  14, 1861, 27th  Regt.,  Go.  K. 

Barnes,  Frederick,  enl.  Jan.  9,  1862,  31st  Regt. 

Birrell,  Chiis.,  .Ir.,  31st  Regt.,  Co.  G. 

Butler,  Horace  M.,  enl.  Sept.  1, 1801, 1st  Cav.,  Co.  E. 

Buike,  Edwaid,  enl.  Sept.  14,1801,  let  Cav.,  Co.  E. 

Bngby,  Fianklin  A.,  enl.  Sept.  19,  1861,  1st  Cav. 

Bcmis,  Reuben  F.,  1st  Cav,,  Co.  E. 

Bennett,  Daniel,  4th  Vt. 

Harden,  Henry  Bl,,  enl,  June,  1801,  10th  Mass. 

Bontelle,  Henry  D,,  loth  Mass. 

Beach,  Wni,,  27th  Regt. 

Barrey,  Garrett,  9tlr  Conn. 

Bliss,  Henry  L.,  N.  Y. 

Bennett,  L,  M,,  R,  I. 

Blown,  Franklin  H,,  1st  Cav. 

Burton,  John  W,,  Jr,,  enl.  1861,  35th  N.  Y. 

Butler,  L,  W,,  Conn. 

Birge,  John,  Conn. 

Ball,  John  1!.,  Conn. 

Bacon,  H.  H.,  1st  Cav. 

Bncksbanm,  Wm,,  enl.  1801,  N.  J. 

Bill,  .loseph,  27th  Mass. 

Bream,  Mack,  lOlli  Mass. 

Benson,  Charles,  10th  Mass. 

Barker.  John,  lotlr  Mass. 

lirowu,  'SVni,,  02d  N.  Y. 

It.rll,  Win,,  20111  Conn,,  Co.  C. 

Barton,  Henry  M.,  loth  Ma.ss. 

Brirk,  Edward,  Baker's  Cal.  Eegt. 

Brown,  John,  Conn. 

BIy,  Wm.,  Harris'  N.  Y.  Cav. 

Boyle,  0.  A,,  enl.  Aug.  1802,  16th  Conn. 

Burnham,  A.  V,,  1st  Couu.  Cav. 

nnrnhaui,  G,  M,,  31st  Mrrss. 

Bunker,  John,  enl.  Aug.  1862,  5tll  R.  I. 

Barry,  Patrick,  9tli  Mass. 

Burnham,  Henry  L.,  31st  Mass. 

Beazor,  Seymour,  1st  Cal. 

Barrett,  Dwight,  N.  Y. 

Brewer,  A.  C,  N.  Y. 

Brown,  G.  W,,  N,  Y. 

Bacon,  B.  K.,  N.  Y. 

Briscoll,  C.  F.,  N.  Y. 

Brca,  John,  N.  Y. 

Buell,Cliarle8E.,  N.  Y. 

Burns,  John,  N.  Y. 

Bartlett,  Joseph,  N.  Y. 

Brewer,  C.  E,,  N.  Y. 

Barrett,  George  E.,  enl.  Dec.  24,  1861,  31st  Mass. 

Blaisdell,  John,  enl.  Dec.  3, 1861, 24lh  Mass.,  Co.  K. 

Bishop,  AUred  L.,  enl.  Aug.  30,  1801,  20th  M.iss. 

Brown,  ^Vm.,  62d  N.  Y. 

Bli.ss,  Charles  W,,  27th  JIass. 

Blaikener,  Frederick,  27lli  Mass. 

Brady,  Wm.,  30lh  Eegt. 

Ba.\ter,  John  B.,  enl.  March  13,  1862,  14th  Regt., 

Co.  L. 
Broughton,  Abrani,enl.  July  19,  1862,  37th  Regt. 
Broderick,  Edward,  enl.  Aug.  9,  1862,  37tli  Regt. 
Blackener,  Dexter  M.,eul.  Aug  29,'62,27lh  Regt. 
Buckley,  Dennis  G,,  enl.  Aug.  19,  1862,37th  Regt. 
Bennett,   Harrison   M.,  eul.   Aug.   22,  1802,  3Uth 

Eegt.,  Co.  B. 
Blake,  Joseph  M.,  eul.  July  24,  1802,  34th  Eegt. 
Burke,  Michael,  enl.  Aug.  17,  1862,  37th  Eegt. 
Barrett,  Horace  J.,  eul.  Aug.  20,  1862,  37th  Regt. 
Burnes,  James  W.,  errl.  Aug.  26,  1802,  37th  Regt. 
Bryant,  Joseph,  enl.  Sept.  15, 1802,  1st  Cuv. 
Bible,  John,  enl.  Sept.  IS,  1802, 1st  Cav. 
Brook,s,  George,  eul.  Sept.  19,  1802,  1st  Cav. 
Bosworth,  Daniel  G.  F,,  enl.  Aug,  8,  1862,  Ist  Cav. 
Bellew,  Robert,  eul.  Aug.  16,  1802,  1st  Cav. 
Barker,  Wm,,  enl.  Aug.  14,  1802,  1st  Cav.,  Co.  H. 
Buden,  Elisha  C,  enl.  Aug.  18,  1862,  1st  Cav. 
Babcock,  Livingston,  eul.  Aug.  20, 1862,  Ist  Cav. 
Bull,  Hol-acc  F,,  enl.  July  10, 1862,  34th  Mass. 
Brew  er,  Emersou  C,  enl.  July  31,  1862,  34th  Mass. 
Bruce,  Dwight  E.,  ani.  July  17,  1802,  27th  Mass. 
Baker,  Daniel,  enl.  July  15,1862,27th  Mass.,  Co.K. 
Barlow,  Charles,  enl,  July  23,  1862,  27tli  Blass. 
Biatinan,  James,  enl.  July  29,  1802,  27tli  Mass. 
Byrnes,  James,  enl,  Aug.  20,  I8(;2,  271li  Mass. 
Barton,  Daniel,  enl.  Aug.  19,  1862,  loth  Masi. 
Brown,  Albert  F.,  eul,  July  24,  1862,  37lh  Mass., 
Co.  E. 


Bresnehan,  Patrick,  enl.  Aug.  12, 1862,  37th  Mass., 
Co.  I. 

Brennan,  ,Iohn,  enl.  Aug.  1.3,  1862,  37th  Ma.s8. 

Baker-,  Carnell,  enl.  Aug.  15,  1802,  37th  Mass. 

Barrett,  Charles  H.,  enl.  Sept.  26, 1862, 46lh  Mass., 
Co.  A. 

B»rtlelt,  II.  D.,  enl.  Sept.  25,   1802,  40th   Mass., 
Co.  A. 

Barton,  George  F.,  enl.  Sept.  25, 1862,  46th  Mass., 
Co.  A. 

Bigelow,  John  W.,  enl.  Sept.  25, 1802,  46th  Mass., 
Co.  A. 

Birnie,  Charles  A.,  sergt.,  enl.  Sept.  25, 1862,  46th 
Mass.,  Co.  A. 

Bliss,  Richard,  Jr.,  enl.  Sept.  25,  1862,  46tlr  Mass. 

Brown,  E.  B,,  eul.  Sejit.  25,  1862,  461h  Mass. 

Brown,  E.  W.,  enl.  Sept.  25,  1862,  46th  Mass. 

Bryant,  Andrew  L.,  enl.  Sept.  25,  1802, 46tlr  Mass. 

Buslr,  Wm.,  Jr.,  enl.,  Sept.  25,  1802,  46th  Mass. 

Brigliara,  L.  D,,  errl.  Sept.  12,  '02,  8th  Mass.,  Co.  H. 

Bitkman,    Oliver-,   errl.  Sept.  15,  1862,  8th   Mass., 
Co.  H. 

Burke,  Michael,  eul.  Oct,  9,  1802, 8tli  Mruis,,  Co.  H. 

Bi-own,  Joiin,  Stii  Mass.,  Co.  H. 

Barton,  Silas  A.,enl.  Apiil  11, 1803,  6th  II.  Art, 

Brown,  Eilward,  enl.  May  11,  1863,  .5th  H.  Art. 

Bagg,  Edward,  enl.  Jurro  3,  1863,  5th  H.  Art. 

Black,  Robert,  enl.  June  .3, 1803, .Ith  H.  Art. 

Bnrliughani,  Erin,  eul.  May  8, 180!,  6th  H.  Art. 

Brown,  Orlando  W.,  enl.  Juno  5,  1803,  7th  II,  Art. 

Bailey,  Thomas,  enl.  June  15,1803,  7tli  II.  Art. 

Bright,  Albei-t  W.,  enl.  June  13, 1803,  7tlr  II.  Art. 

Bridge,  Weston  W,,  capt  ,  84lh  Kegt. 

Burt,  Sarrruel, drafted  Jrrly  10, 1803. 

Brrcklirr,  Lawrence,  drafted  July  10, 1863. 

Bartlett,  Herrry,  drafted  Jrrly  10,  1803. 

Brooks,  Trrielove,  drafted  Jrrly  16,  1863, 3-2d  Ma,5S,, 
Co,  F. 

Blake,  James,  enl.  Aug.  26, 1803. 

Barry,  Edward,  enl,  Dec.  14, 1803,  1st  Cav. 

Broderrr,  Victor,  errl,  Dec.  17,  1863,  4th  Cav. 

Bergerr,  Martin,  enl.  Dec.  19,  1863,  1st  Cav. 

Blauvelt,  Win.  H,,  enl,  Dec.  30,  1803,  57th  Mass. 

Bi-yant,  Eleazer,  musician,  enl.  Dec.  29,  1863,  57th 
Mass. 

Bradbury,  Wm,,  enl.  Jan.  4,  1804,  1st  Cav. 
Bryant,  Naliuiu,  corp,,  enl.  Jan.  1, 1864, 571  h  Mass., 

Co.  E. 
Bachelor,  Henry  C,  enl.  Jan.  1,  1804,  3d  Cav. 
Biirbauk,  Horace,  enl.  Jan.  8, 1864,  Ist  Cav.,  Co.  A. 
Booth,  Grrstavus,  enl.  Jan.  4,  1864,  5th  Cav.,  Co.  D. 
Barr  ett,  Janres,  enl.  Jatr.  13,  1864,  4th  Cav. 
Barrett,  John,  enl.  Jan.  13,  1854,  4th  Cav. 
Barton,  John  II.,  eul.  Jan.  4,  1864,  13th  H.  Art. 
Blackmer,  Chas.  H.,  enl.  Jan,  I,  1804. 
Bacon,  Sainuel  H,,  enl,  Dec.  31,  186J. 
Bancroft,  Emery  0,,  tnl,  Dec,  -29,  1803. 
Ber-ger,  Ueury,  enl.  Dec. 31, 1863. 
Briggs,  Henry  J,,  errl.  Dec.  31,  180,3,  13th  H.  Art. 
B.rrtlior-i>,  George,  enl.  Jan.  7,  1864. 
Barton,  Wm,,  enl.  Jan.  6, 1864. 
Bi.\by,  Oliver  J,,  1st  lieut,,  eul.  Jan.  8,1604, 13lh  H. 

Art. 
Burns,  Geo,,  enl,  Jan,  5, 1864,13th  H.  Art. 
Barney,  Andrew,  enl.  Jan.  9,  1804,  13th  H.  Art. 
Bradley,  Richard,  eul.  Jan.  23,  1864,  57th  Mass. 
Bushwell,  Abram,  eul.  Feb.  3,  1804,  2d  Cav. 
Brown,  Johrr,  eul.  March  5,  1804,  57th  Mass. 
Barker,  John  V.,  enl.  Jarr.  21,  1864,  27tlr  JIass. 
Bentorr,  Geo.  M,,  errl.  March  29,  1804,  67lh  Regt. 
Brookings,  David  J.,  enl,  April  11,  1804,37th  Kegt. 
Baker,  Charles. 
Bartlett,  John  W.,  27th  Regt. 
Burgess,  John  E.,  27tlr  Kegt. 
Burke,  Edward,  enl.  Dec.  30,1864,3d  Cav.,  Co.  M, 
Br-annorr,  Johrr  D,,  eul.  Sept.  1,  1804,  3Ulh  H.  Art. 
Brrgbee,  Hiram  D,,  enl,  .Sept.  1,  1804,  30th  H,  Art. 
Billrnghunr,  Wm,,  enl,  Sept.  1, 1804,  30th  II.  Art. 
Brrtler,  Lunibard,  eul.  Sept.  1,  1864,  30th  H.  .-Vrt. 
Bugbee,  Stephen  K,,  errl.  Sept.  l,1804,3Orlr  II.  Art. 
Butler,  Geo.  F.,  enl.  Sept.  1,  1804,  30tli  H.  Art. 
Baldwin, Edward  F., enl.  Sept.  l,lS04,3OIIr  II.  Art. 
Block,  Hugh,  errl.  Sept.  1,  1864,  30lh  II.  Art. 
Barnuui,  Horace  W,,  eul.  Sept.  1,1864,30th  II.,\rt. 
Bucklaud,  Solomon  L,,  enl.  Sept,  1,  1864,  30tli   H. 

Art. 
Bateii,  Geo.  S,,  enl.  Sept.  1,  1861,  301h  U.  Art. 


878 


HISTORY   OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


J!nr.v,  Philip,  cnl.  Sept.  1, 1864,  30th  Ii:  Art. 
Biilluck,  Josopli,  onl.  Sept.l,  1804,  3(lth  II.  Art. 
Brown,  Geo.  W.,  enl.  Sept.  1 ,  1804,  30th  H.  Art. 
linsl.y,  Alonzo,  oiil.  Sept.  1,  1S04,  ;tllth  II.  Art. 
Bhiki-lidge,  John,  eul.  Sept.  1, 1804,  3Ulh  H.  Art. 
Barker,  Clement  A.,  enl.  Sept.  1, 1864, 3(]th  H.  Art. 
Bailey,  Uenheil  D.,  enl.  M.-ireli  10,  1865,01st  Regt., 

Co.  B. 
Brown,  Geo.  P.,  enl.  Nov.  15,  1864, 11th  Pa.  Cav. 
Bules,  Allen,  enl.  Oct.  27,  1804,  1st  H.  Art. 
B(!nt,  Eihvar.l  M.,  eul.  Nov.  9,  1804,  61st  Mass. 
Baili-j',  Thomas,  cnl.  Nov.  5,  1864,  2cl  Cav. 
Bolls,  Edward,  enl.  Nov.  4, 1864,  58th  Mass. 
Brightniore,  James  M.,  enl.   Nov.  1,  1804,  3d  H. 

Art. 
Butler,  Charles,  cnl.  Nov.  20,  1804,  Oth  Mass.  Batt. 
Biyan,  Charles  C,  eul.  Nov.  26,  1864,  15th  Mass. 

Batt. 
Bristol,  Geo.  F.,  Navy. 

Brohn,  John,  enl.  Nov.  21,  ISO-l,  28lh  Mass. 
Bank,  Henry. 

Butler,  Pierce  J.,  enl.  Sept.  23, 1S04,  4lh  Cav. 
Baldwin,  John  E,,  enl.  Sept.  23,  1804. 
Brigham,  George  A  ,  enl.  Sept.  16, 1864,  3J  Brigade 

Band,  3d  Div.,  2il  Cor|is. 
Butler,  Andrew  \V.,  enl.  Sept.  21,  1864. 
Bishop,  John  II.,  enl.  Sept.  10,  1864,  20tli  H.  Art. 
Burhauk,  Andrew,  enl.  Nov.  lu,  1804,  61st  Mass. 
Barrett,  Cornelius,  enl.  1804,  Navy. 
Betzler,  Ilenry,  enl.  1804. 
Biirry,  Patrick,  enl.  Dec.  30,  1804. 
Billings,  Geo.  P.,  enl.  Feb.  8,  lS0.S,2-tli  Kegt. 
Bennett,  Charles  J.,  enl.  Sept. 15,  1864,  1st  H.  Art. 
Burnsville,  Joseph,  enl.  Sept.  14,  1861,  61st  Mass. 
Brownelle,  Joseph,  enl.  Sept.  10,  1864,  15th  U.  S. 

Int. 
Bugbee,  Theodore,  enl.  Sept.  14, 1864,  29th  H.  Art. 
Berry,  Win.,  onl.  Sept.  24,  1864,  30th  Mass. 
Belcher,  Geo.  D,,  enl.  Sept.  12,  1801,  Olst  Mass., 

Co.  G. 
Bruce,  John,  enl.  Aug.  1804. 

Brcsliu,  John,  eul.  July  20,  1804. 

Bnulsliaw,  Luke,  enl.  1804. 

Barry,  John,  eul.  Aug.  1S04. 

Butnian,  William  F.,  enl.  Aug.  1804. 

Bryant,  M.artin  D.,  enl.  Aug.  15,  1802,  2Tth  M.ass. 

Cook,  George,  10th  Mass.,  Co.  A. 

Caldwell.  Noah  L.,  enl.  July  8,  1801,  10th  Mass. 

Crawford,  Elmer,  10th  Mass.,  Co.  E. 

Oiawford,  Si.muel,  loth  Mass.,  Co.  E. 

Crane,  Henry  E.,  sergt  ,  Kith  Ma=s.,  Co.  F. 

Curlier.  John  \V.,  Jr.,  sergl.,  loth  .Muss. 

Clash,  William  H.,  lotli  Mass.,  Co,  F. 

Colton,  Nat.  W,,  loth  Ma.«s.,  Co.  F. 

Clash,  J"hn  W.,  10th  Mass.,  Co.  F. 

Cook,  Austin,  10th  Mass.,  Co.  I. 

Casey,  John  E.,  10th  Mass.,  Co.  I. 

Cliipp,  Paine,  Jr.,  18th  Mass.,  Co.  A. 

Crosby,  W.  H.,  enl.  Nov.  8,  '01,  24lh  Regt.,  Co.  G. 

Cooley,  H.  K.,  eapt.,  27lh  Regt.,  Co.  K. 

Chapiu,  H.  W.,  27lli  Regt.,  Co.  K. 

Cooley,  W.  H.,  sorgt.,  27th  Rigt.,  Co.  K. 

Cook,  Frank  A.,  pro.  to  2d  lieut.,  Oct.  29,  1803,  to 
1st  lieut.,  June  4,  1804,  31st  E.-gt. 

Churchill,  James,  3Ist  Kegt.,  Co.  U. 

Caldwell,  H.,  31st  Regt.,  Co.  G. 

Chapman,  F.  C,  31bt  Regt.,  Co.  I. 

Coomes,  J.  M.,  1st  Cav.,  Co.  E. 

Cloiigh.  Alfred,  enl.  Oct.  9,  1861,  1st  Cav.,  Co.  E. 

Cnrian,  Coi[ielius,  enl.  Sejit,  10,  '61, 1st  Cav,,  Co,  E. 

Crosly,  W.  B.,  1st  Cav.,  Co.  E. 

Cooley,  John,  1st  Cav.,  Co.  E. 

Coates,  William  W.,  12th  Conn. 

Caldwell,  William  H.,  enl.  June,  1861,  62d  N.  Y. 

Cooley,  W.  H,,  62d  N.  Y. 

Oimpl.ell,  Richard,  27ih  Mass.,  Co.  K. 

Colyer,  John  N.,  4th  Conn. 

Chapman,  E.  B.,  1st  Cav. 

Conaut,  Francis,  11th  Mass. 

Cooper,  Peter,  16th  Conn. 

Chapman,  James  M.,  02d  N.  T. 

Carney,  James,  loth  Mass. 

Connor,  Patrick,  1st  Cav. 

Caiter,  Nelson,  10th  Regt. 

Coleshnry,  Christian,  N.  Y. 

Connor,  .lohn,  27th  Mass. 

Collins,  Thomas,  Ilarris  Cav.,  N.  Y. 


Chanovin,  Ronf,  10th  Mass. 

Clianovin,  Whily,  loth  Mass. 

Chanovin,  Taneif,  27th  Mass. 

Clay,  Henry,  loth  Mass. 

Chiy,  F.,  loth  Mass. 

Coleman,  Hugh,  62d  N.  Y. 

Cook,  Wells,  ISth  Mass. 

Cirr,  Thomas,  drummer,  27th  Mass, 

Clark,  Robert,  enl.  Oct.  29,  '01,  24lh  Mass.,  Co.  F. 
Converse,  Tbomiis,  OJd  N.  Y. 

Clark,  Austin,  27lh  Mass. 

Coburn,  Andrew,  Oth  ('onn. 

Costello,  John,  2d  Mass. 

Calder,  Humphrey,  1st  Cal. 

Comstock,  D.iliiel  C,  enl.  April  10,  '02,  27th  Mass. 

Coates,  William,  5tli  Conn. 

Cox,  William,  enl.  April  8,  1862,  2d  Mass. 

Carpenter,  George  D.,  9th  R.  I.  Battery. 

Collins,  John,  4lh  Coiin.  Cav. 

Churchill,  William,  10th  Mass. 

Churchill,  Ilollis,  31st  Mass. 

Cochrane,  Jeremiah,  lllh  N.  Y. 

Cook,  L.  L.  C,  3Ist  Mass. 

Coleman,  Tim.,  Ist  Cul. 

Cook,  George,  ■27th  Mass. 

Clark,  Eben,  27th  Mass. 

Conner,  Jeremiah,  27th  Mass. 

C'ohill,  Thomas,  N.  Y. 

Chase,  J.  B.,  N.  Y. 

Carrigan,  Rodger,  N.  Y. 

Carter,  D.  K.,  N.  Y. 

Cosgi'ove,  James,  N.  Y. 

Clark,  Charles,  N.  Y. 

Casey,  Willi.am,  N.  Y. 

Clapp,  I.,  N.  Y. 

Cook,  Solomon,  2d  Mass. 

Chapnum,  W.  B.,  '2oth  Slass. 

Carpenter,  A.  W.,  10th  Mass. 

Chapnwn,  Henry  W.,  cnl.  July  12,  1862. 

Calhonn,  William  A.,  Istsergt.,  enl.  July  16,1862, 
37th  Ma-s.,  pro.  to  1st  lient.,  July  31,  1864. 

Clymer,  Peter,  enl.  Aug.  13, 1862,  37th  Mass. 

Clary,  Michael,  enl.  Aug.  11, 1862,  37th  Mass. 

Clough,  Francis  A.,  enl.  Aug.  2, 1802,  •27th  Mass. 

Chillson,  Fiancis,  enl.  Aug.  11,  1862,  27th  Mass. 

Cannon,  Henry  B.,  eul.  July  22,  1802,  27th  Mass. 

Carlton,  Chill  les  W.,  enl.  July  23,  1862,  27th  Mass. 

Coats,  Albert,  enl.  Aug.  6, 1862,  27th  Mass. 

Chapiu,  Nathaniel  W.,  enl.  Aug.  19,  '62,  27tli  Mass. 

Clark,  Henry  H,,  enl.  Aug.  19,  1802,  27th  Mass. 

Conrtrey,  John,  enl.  Aug.  10,  1862, 1st  Cav. 

Colilen,  Humphrey,  enl.  Aug.  7,  1802,  1st  Cav. 

Chapman,  Loriiig  B ,  enl.  Aug.  6,  1802,  1st  Cav. 

Chiles.  Alphouzo  F.,  enl.  .\ug.  30,  1802,  1st  Ciiv. 

Cliapin,  Henry  W.,  enl.  Sept.  11,  1802,  lOlh  Mass. 

Chandler,  George  B.,  enl.  Aug.  5,  1802,  37tli  Mass. 

Conn,  Charles  H.,  enl.  Aug.  22,  1802,  37th  M:iss. 

Carpenter,  Albert  U.,  enl.  Aug.  19,  '02,  37th  Mass. 

Clark,  Albert  K.,  enl.  Aug.  '26,  1302,  o7th  Mass. 

Coomes,  Isaac  \V.,  enl.  July  17, 1862,  37th  aiass. 

Cook,  Henry,  eul.  July  12,  1862,  37th  Mass.,  Co.  I. 

Cosgrove,  Frank,  enl.  July  19,  1802,  o7lh  Mass. 

Cah.ll,  Michael,  enl.  Aug.  5,  '02,  37th  Mass.,  Co.  E. 

Carniichael,  James,  enl.  Aug.  20, '62, 1st  Cav.,  Co.  G. 

Capron,  Eugene  D.,  corp  ,  enl.  Sept.  25, 1862,  46tli 
Mass.,  Co.  A. 

Chamberlain,  J.  F.  E.,  enl.  S'pt.  25,  1862,  Co.  A. 

Clark,  G.  E.,  enl.  Sept.  25,  1802,  Co.  A. 

Clark,  Horace  S.,  «nl.  Sept.  25,  1862,  46th  Mass., 
Co.  A;  pro.  to  2d  lieut.,  2d  H.  Art.,  Aug.  25, 
1863  ;  pro.  to  1st  lieut.,  June  15,  1805. 

Clark,  J.  H.,  enl.  Sept.  25,  1802,  40th  Mass.,  Co.  A. 

Corbin,  Lewis  D.,  enl.  Sept.  25,  1802,  40tli  Mass. 

Cordis,  Thomas  T.,  enl.  Sept.  25,  1862, 40tli  Mass. 

Currier,  R.  B.,  enl,  Sept.  25,  1802,  40th  Mass. 

Cutter,  L.  L.,  enl.  Sept.  25,  1802,  40lh  Mass. 

Couners,  Thomas,  8th  Mass.,  Co.  H. 

Conrodin,  John,  enl.  Sept.  12,  '62,  8th  Mass.,  Co.  H. 

Crocker,  Lewellyn  N.,  eul.  May  13,  '03,  5th  H.  Art. 

Calkins,  Charles,  onl.  May  19,  180.i,  5tli  H.  Art. 

Coats,  Alexander,  enl.  June  3,  ISOi,  5tli  H.  Art. 

Cooper,  James  H.,  enl.  May  28,  186.J,  5th  H.  .\rt. 

Cornish,  -lohn,  54tli  Mass. 

Clapp,  Zebeneh,  2d  Cav. 

Cook,  0.  W.,  dratted,  July  16,  1803. 

Coats,  Lorenzo  B.,  July  16, 1803,  dnifted,  32d  Mass. 

Carey,  Daniel,  eul.  Aug.  21,  1863. 


Conway,  Thomas,  enl.  Doc.  30, 1803,  57th  Mass. 
Collin,  Patrick,  onl.  Jan.  1,  1804,  37th  Regt, 
Col,  Jos,,  enl.  Dec.  29,  1803,  37tli  Regt. 
Church,  Wm.  B.,enl.  Dec.  29, '63, 37th  Regt.,  Co.  A. 
Clark,  George  E.,  enl.  Jan.  4,  1804,  27tli  Regt. 
Coughlin,  Michael,  enl.  Jan.  4,  1864,  4tli  Cav. 
Clark,  William  C,  enl.  Jan.  II,  1864,  1st  Cav. 
Cole,  Cyrus,  enl.  Jan.  5,  1804,  lOtli  Mass.,  Co.  F. 
Compton,  Geo  ,  enl.  Jan.  13, 1804,  56tli  Regt, 
Connor,  Myron,  enl,  Jan.  12,  1861,  34tli  Regt. 
Clash,  Horace,  enl.  Jan.  11, 1864,  57lli  Regt. 
Chamberlain,  John  F.  K.,  eul.  Dec.  31, 1863. 
Crow,  Aiidi-ew,  enl.  Jan.  4,  1804,  13th  H.  Art. 
Conboy,  Luke,  enl.  Jan.  4, 1804,  3d  H.  Art. 
Child,  Nathani.l,  enl.  Jan.  4,  1801,  1.3th  H.  Art. 
Cooley,  Henry  K.  (2d),  13th  H.  Art. 
Curtiss,  Lewis  P.,  enl.  Dec.  29,  1863, 13th  H.  Art. 
Cowen,  Lnciiin  C  ,  enl.  Dec.  '29,  1863, 13th  H.  Art. 
Chapiu,  Wm.  II.,  enl.  Dec.  29, 1863, 13th  H.  Art. 
Chapiu,  J.  A.,  Jr.,  enl.  Dec.  29,  1863,  13th  H.  Art. 
Chapiu,  Alonzo  B  ,  enl.  Dec.  20, 1.963,  13th  H.  Art. 
Clark,  John  W.,  enl.  Dec.  31, 1803, 13th  H.  Art, 
Chillis,  Wm,  H,,  eul,  Jan,  5, 1804. 
Crocker,  Amasa,  enl.  Dec.  31,  1803, 13th  H.  Art. 
Carey,  John,  enl.  Jan.  0,  1864,  2Sth  Regt. 
Cook,  Andrew  J.,  enl.  Jan.  5, 1804. 
Crane,  Henry  E.,  cnl.  Jan.  8,  1804,  3d  H.  Art. 
Clark,  John,  enl.  Jan.  25,  1804,  57lh  Mass. 
Clark,  Charles,  enl.  Feb.  5,  1864,  4tli  Cav. 
Colder,  William,  enl.  Feb.  17,  1801,  1st  Cav. 
Chotman,  Miles,  enl.  Feb.  29,  1864,  6th  Cav. 
Cunningham,  Henry,  Oth  L.  Batt. 
Corrigan,  Miles. 

Colton,  Albert,  enl.  Sept.  1,  1864,  30th  H.  Art. 
Clark,  Willis  W.,  enl.  Sept.  1,  1864,  30th  li.  Art. 
Cowles,  Newell  M.,  enl.  Sept.  1, 1804,  3lith  H.  Art. 
Chapiu,  Andrew  J.,  cnl.  Sept.  1,  1804,  30tli  11.  Art. 
Cameron,  Wm.  W.,  enl.  Sept.  1, 1804,  30tll  H.  Art. 
Cooley,  Chas.  G.,  enl.  Sept.  1, 1804,  30th  H.  Art. 
Cooley,  Geo.  W.,enl.  Sept.  1, 1864,  30th  H.  Art. 
Chatteway,  John  J.,  enl.  Sept.  1,  1864,  3olh  H.  Art. 
Cornwall,  Royal  S.,  enl.  Sept.  1,  1804,  301h  II.  Art. 
Cox,  Seymour  W.,  enl.  Sept.  1,  1864,  30th  II.  Art. 
Crystal,  Walter,  enl.  Sept.  1,  181^1,  30tli  U.  Ait. 
Council,  Henry,  enl.  Sept.  1, 1861.  30th  H.  Art. 
Carter,  Edward  P.,  enl.  Sept.  1,  1804,  30lh  U.  Art. 
Chapiu,  Abel  L.,  enl.  Sept.  1,  1801,30th  H.  Art. 
Chase,  Charles,  enl.  Sept.  1,  1804,  30lh  H.  Art. 
Colton,  Seth  W.,  enl.  Sept.  1,  1804,  30tli  H.  Art. 
Chapiu,  Arthur  L.,  enl.  Sept.  1,  1804,  30th    H,  Art. 
Cleveland,  Horace  A.,  enl.  Dec,  12,  1804,  4th  Cav. 
Carpenter,  Geo.  M.,  enl.  Dec.  31,  1804. 
Cady,  Lambert  W.,  enl   Dec.  31,  1804. 
Clark,  Charles  H.,  enl.  Sept.  1804. 
Clark,  Charles  K.,  enl.  Sept.  1864. 
Callahan,  Cornelius,  enl.  Sept,  4, 1864,  2d  H,  Art. 
Callahan,  John,  enl.  Dec.  30,  1864,  3d  Cav.,  Co.  M. 
Calhihan,  John,  enl.  Nov.  2,  1804,  loth  Mass.  Batt. 
Clough,  Wm.,  enl.  Nov.  2,  1861,  15th  Mass.  Batt. 
Curtis,  Charles,  onl.  Nov.  2,  1864,  Olst  Mass. 
Carbin,  Hugh,  enl.  Nov,  5,  1S04,  7th  Mass.  Batt. 
Carter,  Peter,  enl.  Nov.  26,  1804,  Oth  Mass.  Batt. 
Chatinan,  Damon  F.,  enl.  Nov.  4,  1804,  2d  Cav. 
Connors,  Andrew,  enl.  Nov.  4,  1804,  I5th  Batt. 
Carlton,  Alvin  B.,  eul.  Oct.  29,  1804,  61st  Mass. 
Cniry,  Wayne,  enl.  Aug.  30,  1804,  Navy. 
Cooley,  Lewis  A.,  enl.  Dec.  30, 1804,  3d  Cav. 
Chirk,  Duett  C,  enl.  Dec.  31,  1864. 
Cnmniings,  Henry,  enl.  Dec.  8,  1864,  Oth  Batt. 
Conway,  John,  enl.  Nov.  30,  1804, 2d  Cav. 
Curtis,  George,  enl.  Nov.  21,  1804,  19th  Mass. 
Clark,  George,  enl.  Dec.  10,  1804,  2d  Mass. 
Casey,  Wm.  J.,  enl.  Feb.  23,  1805,  2d  Cav. 
Cook,  Thomas,  enl.  Feb.  23,  1805,  2d  Cav. 
Casey,  Patrick,  enl.  Dec.  30,  1804. 
Colligan,  Dennis,  enl.  Feb.  21, 1805,  2d  Cav. 
Copeley,  Hiium  H.,  onl.  Feb.  9,  1805,  27lh  Mass. 
Connelly,  P.itrick,  enl.  Sept,  17,  1804. 
Colton,  Charivs  II.,  enl.  Sept.  10,  1804. 
Cain,  Wm.,  enl,  Sept.  14, 1804,  29tli  H-  Art. 
Cox,  James,  enl.  Sept.  14, 1801,  2d  H.  Art. 
Cox,  Thomas,  cnl.  Sept.  13, 1804,  Olst  Mass. 
Clark,  Alfred  W.,  enl.  Sept.  10,  1804,  2d  H.  Art. 
Coxswain,  Jauios,  enl.  Sept.  1804. 
Cummings,  Michael,  enl.  Sept.  16,  1861,  4th  Cav. 
Chibls,  Jorani  P. 
Cameron,  Joseph,  enl.  .\iig.  25,  1864,  2J  H.  Art. 


HISTORY   OF   HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


879 


CoIp,  Nathsin  A.,  liosp.  steward,  enl.  Sept.  9, 1864. 

Chapili,  Daniel  E.,  enl.  Sept.  1864. 

Cannon,  Jiinies  A.,  enl.  .Seiit.  1864. 

Ciinrtney,  Geurge,  enl.  Sept.  1864. 

Collini,  John,  enl.  I?b4. 

Cumniings,  Villiani  W.,  enl.  May  12,  1SG2,  27lh 

JIasa.,  Co.  E. 
Coe,  Levi  B.,  tinman,  enl.  Feb.  11,  1864,  Xavy. 
Coon,  Chas.  W.,  cnl.  Aug.  18, 18G2,27l!i  Mass. 
Clark,  Henry  L.,  enl.  July  29, 1862,  2"lli  Mass. 
Collon,  Edgar  S.,  enl.  Sept.  9, 1861,1st  Cav. 
Clark,  Holly  L-,  enl.  Nov.  5,  1863,  371  h  Mass. 
Davis,  A.  S.,  nuisician,  enl.  June,  1861,  Intli  Mass. 
Dallon,  James  D.,  enl.  June,  1861,  lOlb  Mass. 
Dunbar,  Charles,  10th  Mass.,  Co.  D. 
Day,  Charles  H.,  enl.  June,  18Gl,'lUth  Mass.,  Co.  E. 
Day,  John,  lOlh  Mass.,  Co.  E. 
Dunn,  John,  lOlh  Mass.,  Co.  E. 
Dresser,  George  N.,  lllth  Slass.,  Co.  F. 
Duncan,  George  H.,  enl.  June,  1861,  loth  Blass. 
Damon,  S.  C,  10th  Mass.,  Co.  F. 
Donovan,  Thomas,  18th  Regt.,  Co.  A. 
Duni,  John,  21st  Regl.,  Co.  B. 
Doyle,  Lawrence,  enl.  Nov.  19,  1861,  21tli  Regt. 
Dunbar,  Moses  C,  musician,  enl.  Oct.  1861,  27th 

Regt. 
Davey,  AVm.  U.,  27th  Regt.,  Co.  I. 
Dove,  Alexander,  27th  Regt, Co.  K. 
Donley,  Fiancis,  :!l»t  Regt.,  Co.  C. 
Darrows,  Frank,  31st  Regt.,  Co.  G. 
Donovan,  Dennis,  1st  Cav,,  Co.  E. 
Day,  Henry  F.,  1st  Cav.,  Co.  E. 
Dalton,  llamilton  F.,  C2d  N.  T. 
Donnelly,  Uuglj,  enl.  1861,  ISSth  N.  Y.,  Co.  K; 

com'd  capt.  Co.  I,  37th  Mass.,  Aug.  20, 1862. 
Davis,  Wm.,  Jr.,  27lii  Mass. 
Davis,  JoliD,  Conn. 
D.ay,  Henry  M.,  27th  Mass. 
Dakin,  Robert,  enl.  June  21, 1802,  27lb  Mass. 
Dakici,  Alexander,  enl.  Jan.  1, 1862,  271h  Mass. 
Dudley,  11.  0.,  N.  II. 
Donnelly,  Jerry,  32d  N.  Y. 
Donovan,  Bartholomew,  G2d  N.  Y. 
Day,  John,  10th  3I;iss. 
Donovan,  John,  ISIh  IMass. 
Devine,  Patrick,  16th  Maas. 
Derry,  William,  27th  Mass. 
Demon,  George,  10th  Mass. 
Day,  John,  Conn. 
Daley,  Jeremiah,  2il  Mass.,  Co.  K. 
Dickinson,  .\rthur  C,  32d  Mass. 
Drifcoll,  Denni:i,  16th  Conn. 
Donovan,  Jeremiah,  62d  N.  Y. 
Donovan,  Michael,  62d  N.  Y. 
Dalton,  John,  62d  N.  Y. 
Drake,  N.  S.,  N.  Y. 
Daniels,  George,  N.  Y. 
Donovan,  Patrick,  N.  Y. 
Dingman,  Josephns,  N.  Y. 
Delmidge,  John,  N.  Y. 
Dorephy,  Ed.,  N.  Y. 
Drake,  E.  G.,  N.  Y. 

Dalinty,  Patrick  0.,  Ifith  Mass.,  Co.  K. 
Dakin,  Edward,  27th  Mass. 
Do?i!ey,  Edward,  27th  Mass. 
Devereanx,  George  L.  A.,  enl.  Aug.  11,  1802,  37lh 

Blass.,  Co.  I. 
Daly,  \Vm  ,  enl.  Aug.  12,1802,  37tli  Mass.,  Co.  I. 
Donovan.  John,  enl.  Sept.  27, 1801,  27th  Maas. 
Dayton,  Henry  E,,  enl.  Aug.  19,  1802,  37th  Mass. 
Dayton,  Franklin  0.,  enl.  Aug.  19, 1862,  37th  Regt. 
Doney,  Francis,  31st  Mass. 

Decker,  Clarksou  H.,  enl.  Aug.  20, 1862, 37th  Mass. 
Dunn,  Edward,  enl.  Aug.  19, 1862,  37th  Mass., Co.  I. 
Develin,  Mark, enl.  Aug.  19,1862,37th  Mass.,  Co.  I. 
Driscoll,  Dennis,  enl.  .\ng.  8, 1802,  37th  Mass. 
Deihl,  Henry,  enl.  Aug.  0, 1802, 1st  Cav. 
Dnn  ham,  John  M.,  enl.  Aug.  18, 1802,  Ist  Cav. 
Daniels,  Milton  T.,  enl.  Aug.  15, 1862,  Ist  Cav. 
Day,  J..SC1  h,  enl.  Aug.  0,  1802,  27lh  Mass. 
Daily,  John,  enl.  July  28,  1802,  37th  Mass. 
Davidson,  H  0.,  enl.  Sept.  25,  1802,  40lh  Ma.ss. 
Davidson,  J.  A.,  enl.  Sept.  25,  1802,  40tli  Regt. 
Da\  is,  Geo.  R.,  enl.  Oct.  12,  1862,  8th  aiass. 
Dowd,  Daniel,  enl.  Oct.  30, 1802,  8th  Mass. 
Divine,  Tnouias,  8th  filass. 
Decker,  Jolm  II  ,  enl.  April  11, 1863,  5th  H.  Art. 


Day,  Edwin  M.,  enl.  May  2, 186.1,  Slh  H.  Art. 
DutTy,  ThomiUi,  enl.  April  22,  1863,  .'ith  H.  Art. 
Dwyer,  James,  enl.  June  6, 1SG3.  7th  H.  Art. 
Denver,  John  J.,  enl.  June  6,  1863,  7th  H.  Art. 
Drake,  Wm.  H.,  drafted  July  10,  1SC3. 
Davis,  James,  enl.  Aug.  14,  1863,  16tli  Regt. 
Day,  Henry,  enl.  Aug.  24, 1863. 
Down,  Gilman  A.,  enl.  Dec.  5, 1663,  2d  H.  Art. 
Damon,  William  H.,  enl.  Dec.  22,  1863,  4th  Cav. 
Downan,  Anson  A.,  enl.  Jan.  4,  1864,  57th  Mass. 
Dorsey,  Isaac  H.,  enl.  Jan.  4,  lf64,  5th  Cav.,  &>.  D. 
Donnelly,  John,  enl.  Jan.  13, 1864,  57th  Mass. 
Dodge,  Waller  L.,  enl.  Jan.  4, 1864,  13tli  II.  Art. 
Dediich,  William  H.,  enl.  Dec.  31,  '64,  131h  H.  Ait. 
Dudley,  Joseph,  enl.  Dec.  29, 1864. 
Dorsett,  Philo  H.,  enl.  Dec.  31,  1864, 13th  H.  Art. 
Dufice,  .James,  enl.  Jan.  7,  1804. 
Dewey,  James  W.,  enl.  Jan.  13,  1S64, 13tli  H.  Art. 
Daggett,  Albert,  enl.  Jan.  18,  1S64,  13th  II.  Art. 
Demei-s,  Henry,  enl.  Jan.  10,  1864, 57th  3lass. 
Dinkle,  Leonard,  enl.  Jan.  22, 1SC4,  1st  Cav. 
Dows,  Adams,  enl.  Jan.  21,  1864,  57th  Mass. 
Detrich,  Christopher,enl.  Jan.  25,1804,  57th  Mass. 
Davis,  William  W.,  enl.  Jan.  25,  1804,  2d  Cav. 
Dandurand,  Jacob,  enl.  Feb.  24,  1804,  57th  -Mass. 
Daley,  J.)hn,  enl.  March  12, 1804,  67th  Mass. 
Day,  William,  enl.  March  7,  1804,  .57th  Mass. 
Dow,  Albert  W.,  enl.  Slarch  25,  1864,  57tli  Mass. 
Doyle,  Joseph,  27th  Mass. 

Dunn,  Thomas,  enl.  Sept.  1,1804,  3Ulh  H.  Art.* 
Damon,  John  E.,  enl.  Sept.  1,  1864,  30th  H.  Art. 
Denuon,  Samuel  F.,  enl.  Sept.  1,1804,  30tli  H.  Art. 
Denner,  Willam  C,  cnl.  Sept.  1, 1864,  30th  H.  Art. 
Dyer,  Henry,  enl.  Sept.  1,  1804,  301h  H.  Art. 
Davis,  Jonathan  D  ,  enl.  Sejit.  1, 1864, 30th  II.  Art. 
Devcr,  Michael,  enl.  Nov.  19,  1864,  2.1  Cav. 
Dwyer,  Michael  M  ,  enl.  July  25,  1801. 
Dean,  Hinim  F.,  enl.  Dec.  31,  1S64. 
Dani'ds,  Silas  W'.,  cnl.  Feb.  17,  1863,  2d  Mass. 
Damon,  Zachary,  enl.  Dec.  1804. 
Dorgan,  Patrick,  enl.  Fell.  7,  1805,  31st  Mass. 
Dickinson,  Edward  P.,  enl.  Aug.  25,  '64,  2d  H.  Art. 
Dearborn,  E/.ra  L.,  enl.  Sept.  17, 1804,  61st  Mass., 

Co.  C. 
Dennis,  John  M.,  enl.  Sept,  10,  1804,  61st  Mass. 
Dwyer,  Peter  F.,  enl.  Sept.  10,  1864,  2d  H.  Art. 
Davis,  Michael,  enl.  Sept.  10,  1864. 
Donnelly,  William,  enl.  Dec.  1804. 
Davis,  Laban  F.,  enl.  Nov.  II,  1861,  01st  Mass. 
Dodge,  Orville  A.,  enl.  Aug.  30,  1S64,  2d  H.  Art. 
Darling,  .Samuel  B.,  enl.  Aug.  '24,  1864. 
Desmond,  Richard,  cnl.  Dec.  13,  1864. 
Donovan,  Donald,  enl.  Dec.  21,  1864,  27th  Mass. 
Davenport,  Charles,  enl.  Dec.  9,  '64, 61h  Mass.  lialt. 
Doiily,  Joseph,  enl.  Nov.  19,  '04,  lOlh  Mass.,  Co.  O. 
Doyle,  Jolm  F.,  enl.  Aug.  30, 1804,  Navy. 
Doogaii,  Thomas,  enl.  1804. 

Davis,  George  B.,  enl.  Sept.  12,  '63,  1st  Cav.,  Co.  I. 
Denierrett,  Oliver,  enl.  Jan.  25,  1864,  57tli  Regt. 
Dany,  William  II.,  enl.  Dec.  23,  1863,  27tli  Regt. 
Edwards.  Oliver,  adjt.,  enl.  June,  1.S61,  lOtli  Miss. 
Eaten,  L.O.,  corp.,  enl.  June, '61,  loth  Mass.,  Co.  F. 
Ellis,  Che-ter  S.,  enl.  May  31, 1801,10th  Mass. 
Ellis,  Byron,  31st  Regt.,  Co.  G. 
Erhait,  John  G.,  1st  Cav.,  Co.  E. 
Eaton,  Hiram,  2d  Mass. 
Evans,  Gi-orge,  N.  Y. 
Everett,  David  W.,  I'lh  Mass.,  Co.  A. 
Erwiii,  Wm.,  enl.  .iug.  21,  1862,  27th  Mass.,  Co.  H. 
Erwin,  John  L  ,  enl.  Aug.  '21, 1802. 
Eggleston,  Eli.  enl   Aug.  25,  180-2,  1st  Cav. 
Eggleston,  William,  enl.  Aug.  30,  1862,  1st  Cav. 
Emery,  Thomas  E.,  enl.  July  24,  1863,  34tb  Mass. 
Edward,  G.  P.,  enl.  July  15,  1802,37th  Mass., Co.  I. 
Eldiidge,  B.  11.,  enl,  Sept.  25,  1862,46th  Mass. 
Ellis,  Frederic,  enl.  .\ug.  24,  1863. 
Ewiiig,  Albert  S.,  enl.  Dec.  29,  1803,  57th  Mass. 
Eaile,  Ralph,  enl.  Jan.  4,  1864. 
Elwell.  Frederick,  enl.  Dec.  29,  1863, 
East,  Goorgs,  enl.  Feb.  11,  1864,  5th  CaT. 
Evans,  Morey,  enl.  Sept.  1,  1864,  3d  H.  Art. 
Edersou,  Frank,  eiil.  Sept.  24, 1804,  Slh  Cav. 

*  "  The  30th  unattached  company  of  Heavy  Ar- 
tillery, Ma-ssachusetts  Volunteer  Militia,"  as  desig. 
nateil  in  the  report  of  the  .\d.iutant-General  of  the 
State, 


Elwell,  Jeremiah  R,,  cnl.  Aug.  31, 1864,  2d  H.  Art. 

Elliot,  Samuel,  Vet.  Res.  Corps. 

Eldred,  Reuben  0.,  enl.  Nov.  10,  1864,  1st  II.  Art. 

Eustace,  William,  Navy. 

English,  James,  enl.  Nov.  11, 1864,  3d  H.  Art. 

Eckstadt,  Constantine,  enl.  Feb.  17,  '03, 20th  Mass. 

Earnest,  A.,  enl.  1864. 

Fuller,  H.  A.,  2d  Mass.,  Co.  G. 

Foster,  Frank  A. , enl.  June, 1861, 10th Mass., Co. E. 

Frain,  Hugh,  enl.  June,  1S61, 10th  Mass  ,  Co.  E. 

Frary,  Joseph,  enl.  June,  1S61,  10th  Mass.,  (^.  E. 

Fairbanks,  Benjamin  L.,  21st  Slass.,  Co.  B. 

Forsyth,  Robert  R.,  Ist  Battalion,  Co.  C. 

Fligh,  Oliver,  loth  Mass. 

Flannigan,  Patrick,  lotii  Mass. 

Foivsytli,  Robert,  32d  Jla's. 

Fisher,  L.  W.,  enl.  Oct.  1801,  27th  Regt. 

Fuller,  W.  E.,  lOlh  N.  Y. 

Fowler,  John,  N.  Y. 

French,  Henry,  N.  Y. 

Flynn,  James,  2llth  Conn. 

Fenauf,  Francis,  1st  Cav. 

Fleming.  Ernest,  ISth  Mass. 

Fisher,  Blnrris,  IStii  Blass. 

Flower,  Raymond  C,,  enl.  Aug.  19, 1862,  37th  Mass. 

Fuller,  Nonuati  W'.,  enl.  Aug.  20, 1862,  27th  Mass. 

Farlow,  George,  enl.  Sept.  15,  1862,  10th  Mass. 

Foster,  Will ianiH.,  enl. Sept  17, '62,1st  Cav.,  Co.  H. 

Frost,  Daniel  W.,  enl.  Aug.  5, 1862,  1st  Cav.,  Co.  E. 

Felch,  Joseph  E.,  enl.  Aug.  13,  1SC2.  1st  Cav. 

Fuller,  William  S.,  enl.  Aug.  19,  1862, 1st  Cav. 

Foster,  Henry  C,  enl.  July  22,  1862,  27th  Mass. 

Fay,  John,  enl.  Aug.  12,  1862,  27lh  Mass. 

Frost,  Augustus  S  ,  enl.  Aug.  7, 1862,  37lh  Mass. 

FoUansbee,  Joseph,  eei-gt.,  enl.  Aug.  7, 186*2,  37th 

Mass.,  Co.  G. 
Freeman,  Michael,  enl.  Aug.  5, 1862,  37th  Mass., 

Co.  K. 
Fuller,  J.  Milton,  1st  licut.,  37th  Mass.,  Co.E. 
Flanagan,  Thomas,  cnl.  July  10,1802,  27th  Mass. 
Fay,  Arthur  II.,  Corp.,  cnl.  Sept.   25,  1802,  40th 

Mass.,  Co.  A. 
Fish,  W.  W.,  enl.  Sept.  23, 1802,  40th  Slass. 
Foot,  Cleveland,  enl.  Sept.  25, 1862,  46th  Mass. 
Foster,  F.  II.,  enl.  Sept.  25, 1862,  40th  Slass. 
Foster,  Cyrus  H.,  enl.  Sept.  25,  1802,  461h  Slass. 
Frost,  D.  C,  enl.  Sept.  25,  1862,  46tli  Mass. 
Ford,  W.  C,  enl.  Oct.  14,  1S02,  8th  Mass.,  Co.  H. 
Fitzgerald,  Edward,  enl.  Oct.  3,  1862,  8tli  M.asg. 
Flaban,  Jlichacl,  enl.  Sept.  20,  1862.  8lh  .Mass. 
Foster,  John  B.,  enl.  Sept.  12, 1862,  8th  Mass. 
Henry,  George,  enl.  April  18,  18e!,.5tli  H.  Art. 
Freeman,  Cyrus,  54lh  Mass. 
Fahey,  Derby,  2d  Cav.,  Co.  K. 
Ferris,  Joseph,  enl.  April  18, 1803. 
Failell,  Janios,  drafted  July  16,  1803. 
Fitzgerald,  William,  enl.  Oct.  '23,  1S63. 
Fiincke,  Fi-ank,  enl.  Dec.  19, 1863, 1st  Cav.,  Co.  L. 
F'arrell,  Thonms,  enl.  Doc.  30, 'Oi, .57th  Mass  , Co.  E. 
Fisher,  Frank  G.,  enl.  Dec.  30,  isftl. 
Farnuiu,  Greonleaf  D.,  enl.  Jan.  4,  1804. 
Fairbanks,  Ephraim,  enl.  Dec.  31,  '03, 13tli  H.  Art. 
Fairbanks,  Frcoinan   W.,  enl.  Deo.  30,  1863,  13th 

H.  Art. 
Fenuo,  Marcellns,  enl.  Dec.  31, 1803, 
Frost,  Richard  L.,  enl.  Jan.  8,  1804, 13th  H.  Art. 
Fitzgerald,  Richard,  eul.  Feb.  8,  1804,  57lh  Mass. 
Flannegan,  Win.,  enl.  March  3,  1804,  57th  Mass. 
Flagg,  William  H.,  enl.  Feb.  -27,  ISM,  57th  Mass. 
Fitjgerald,  Garrett,  enl.  March  22, 1864, 57tb  Mass. 
Farrett,  Hubert,  eul.  March  31,  1864,  68th  Regt. 
Foster,  Wm.  W.,  c'Ul.  Sept.  1, 1864,30tli  H.  Art. 
Frizell,  Jacob  L.,  enl.  Sept.  1,  1864,  3Utli  H.  Art. 
Fall,  Lorenzo  D.,  enl.  Sept.  1,  1864,  30th  H.  Art. 
Ford,  Wilfred,  enl. Sept.  1,  ISOl,  3Uth  H.  Art. 
Flansberg,  John  H.,  enl.  1864. 
Flaherty,  Jlartin,  cnl.  Aug.  1864. 
Farrow,  Abial,  enl.  Oct.  27, 1804,  1st  H.  Art. 
Field,  Albei  t  H.,  enl.  Dec.  1804. 
Fletcher,  Richard  T.,  enl.  Aug.  1804. 
Flora,  Samuel,  enl.  Aug.  1804. 
Fay,  Martin,  enl.  Nov.  10, 1804,  3d  Cav. 
Fay,  John,  enl.  Nov.  22, 1864,  4Ib  Cav. 
Fisher,  James  L.,  enl.  Sept.  2, 1S64,  2d  II.  Art. 
Fernald,  Wm.,  enl.  Sejit.  17,  1864, 2d  II.  Ait. 
Fogarly,  Wm..  enl.  Sept.  16,  1.S64,  2d  H.  Art. 
Finn,  Edmund,  enl.  Sept.  14,1864,  2d  II.  Art. 


880 


HISTORY   OF   THE   CONNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


Fisher,  Ebenczor  B.,  onl.  Dec.  1804. 

Foley,  Alexniider,  cnl.  Sept.  If.,   1804,  Vet.  Res. 

Corps. 
Feige,  FrHnci.s,  enl.  Sept.  13,  '04,  61st  Mass.,  Co.  B. 
Foley,  Bdrtlinlomew,  enl.  1864. 
Ferguson,  Tliendoro  H  ,  enl.  Aug.  1SG4. 
Falvoy,  Jolin  E.,  enl.  1SG4. 
Fiizell,  .Tiiines,  enl.  1804. 
Farr,  Thomas,  enl.  Oct.  8,  1802,  22il  Regt. 
Giiasner,  Janie.s   C,  sergt.,  enl.  June,  1861,  10th 

BIa*s.,  Co.  E. 
Green,  Isaac  W.,  enl.  June,  1801, 10th  Mass.,  Co.  E. 
Gibson,  Thomas,  enl.  June,  lS61,intli  Mass., Co.  E. 
Gassner,  0.,  Jr.,  enl.  Juno,  1861,  10th  Mass.,  Co.  E. 
Gillniore,  Homer  G.,  sergt.,  enl.  June,  ISGl,  luth 

Mass.,  Co.  F. 
Green,  George  S.,  Corp.,  enl.  June,  1  SGI,  loth  Mass.; 

com.  2d  lieut.,  .'■)7th  Regt.,  March  4,  1804. 
Gorman,  Hugh  L.,  enl.  June,  1801,  lOlli   Mass., 

Co.  F. 
Gillniore,  Wm.  S.,  loth  Mass.,  Co.  F. 
Garland,  George,  enl.  Jnne,  1801 ,  28th  Regt.,  Co.  I. 
Gillniore,  H.  G.,  27tli  Ilcgt.,  Co.  I. 
Glover,  Charles  J.,  27tli  Regt.,  Co.  I. 
Gage,  Alvin  A.,  27th  Regt.,  Co.  I. 
Goodhue,  Charles  L.,  sergt.,  27lh  Regt.,  Co.  K. 
Grover,  Edwin  B.,  Corp.,  eul.  Oct.  0,  1861,  27th 

Regt.,  Co.  K. 
Gulhhenlet,  Freilerick,  27th  Regt.,  Co.  K. 
Garvey,  Andrew,  enl.  Oct.  21,  1801,  28th  Regt.; 

died  Sept.  14,  18C:i. 
Gray,  Robert,  :!lst  Rogt.,  Co.  I. 
Giaves,  Chailes  F.,  1st  Cav.,  Co.  E. 
Greer,  John  B.,  Corp.,  enl.  Sept.  14,  ISCl,  1st  Cav., 

Co   E. 
Gouch,  George,  enl.  Sept.  15, 1801, 1st  Cav.,  Co.  E. 
G.mdale,  John,  1st  Cav.,  Co.  F. 
Granger,  Edward  L,,  4th  Vt. 
Goodwin,  William,  Conn. 
Grohe,  George,  08lh  N.  Y. 
Gregg,  Charles,  10th  Mass. 
Gleason,  M;chael,  G2d  N.  V. 
Gordon,  Tltomas,  Idth  Mass. 
Gillette,  Edward,  4th  Conn. 
Green,  llnfT,  IGtIi  Mass. 
Gregg,  William,  loth  Mass. 
Grillin,  John,  27th  Mass  ,  Co.  0. 
Gates,  Henry,  inth  Mass. 
Green,  E.,  inih  Ma^s. 
Grimii,  A.,  1st  N.  Y. 
Green,  William,  2Stli  Ma=3, 
Galholet,  John,  2711l  Masi. 
Green,  Richard,  N.  \. 
Grey,  Lvinan  E.,  loth  Mass. 
Goss,  EliJ.-ih  N.,  1st  Cav. 
Gillette,  Marcus  M.,  0th  N.  Y. 
Grcntner,  Henry,  3d  Conn. 
Gates,  Emery  B.,  lOtli  Mass. 
Gowdy,  Charles,  N.  Y. 
Grove,  A.  S.,  N.  Y. 
Gowdy,  E.  M.,  N.  Y. 
Gitft,  \V.  G.,  N.  Y. 
Genuing,  Edward,  28th  Mass. 
Gilene,  Francis,  onl.  July  20,  1802,  .'7th  Mass. 
Gray,  Itobett  A.,  8ergt.»iuaj.,  on!.  Sept.  1802,  37th 

Mass.;  pro.  to  capt.,  June  7,  1804. 
Gray,  F.  Edward,  sergt.,  enl.  July  15,  1803,  37th 

Mass.,  Co.  E;  pro.  to  capt.,  Co.  E,  Feb,  18, 1805. 
Gash,  Thomas,  enl.  Aug.  13. 1802,  371  h  Mass. 
Goodale,  Henry  U.,  enl.  Aug.  19,  1802,  10th  Mi'm. 
Geckler,  Charles,  enl.  Aug.  21,  1802,  27th  Mass., 

Co.  K. 
Goodnow,  Silas,  enl.  July  31, 1.S02,  .341h  Mass. 
Garvey,  John,  enl.  Sept.  2, 1802,  37lll  Miias.,Co.  K. 
Gregr>ry,  Henry,  en!.  Aug.  20,  1862,  37th  Mass. 
Gibbons,  Wni.  v.,  onl.  Aug.  20,  1802,  37th  Mass., 

Co.  I. 
Goodson,  Dominick,  cnl.  July  24, 1802,  34th  Mass. 
Goiicli,  K.hvin  J.,  enl.  Aug.  18,  1802,  27lh  Mass. 
G.lfurd,  Marlin  S.,  eul.  July  21,  1862,  37th  Mass. 
Graves,  Francis  S.,  onl.  Sept.  35, 1802,  401h  Mass. 
Gray,  E.  W.,  enl.  Sept.  27,  18i:2,  8tli  Mass.,  Co.  H. 
Gilligau,  A.  E.,  enl,  July  12,  '02,  8th  Mass.,  Co.  H. 
Gary,  Michael,  en|.  Sept.  37,  1802,8th  Mass,,  Co,  H. 
GiUiroth,  TluMlws,  enl.  Sept.  20,  18G2,  Sth  Mass. 
Groves,  Charles  H-,  drafted  July  16,  1802. 
Jrecii,  Walii'r  A,,  onl.  Pec,  30, 1862,  4ih  Cav. 


Grohe,  George,  cnl.  Dec.  21, 18G2,  1st  Cav. 
Goialiich,  Charles  S.,  enl.  Jan.  2,  1R64,  31st  Regt. 
Gabriel,  Thomas  D.,  enl.  .Fun.  4, 18G4,  4lh  Cav. 
Giites,  Hebard  A.,  enl.  Jan.  4,  1804,  4lh  Cav. 
Gallemore,  Wm.  E.,  enl.  Jan.  4,  1864,  3d  Cay. 
Ginn,  Charles  H.,  enl.  Jan.  7, 1804. 
Gilbert,  Timolhy  W.,  enl.  Dec.  30.  '64,  13lh  H.  Art. 
Gerdreault,  Joseph,  enl.  Jan.  9,  1804,  13tli  II.  Art. 
Gove,  Frederick  H.,  enl.  Jan.  22,  1804,  Ist  Cav. 
Grout,  Galen  A.,  onl.  Jan.  28,  1804,  2d  Cav. 
Gray,  James,  enl.  Feb.  15,  1804,  Sth  Cav. 
Gaskin8,Elislin,  enl.  Feb.  22, 1SG4,  Sth  Cav. 
Gales,  Alexander,  eul.  Feb.  20,  1864,  5th  Cav. 
Gaskell,  Hubbard,  enl.  March  19,  1804,  57th  Mass. 
Gray,  Henry,  enl.  March  31, 18G4. 1st  Cav. 
Garvey,  John,  enl.  April  0,  1804, 1st  Cav. 
Gormley,  Thoniiis,  erd.  ISOl,  34th  Mass.;  died  of 

wounds,  Jan.  15,  1805. 
Gorman,  William,  enl.  18G4,  1st  I[.  Art.,  Co.  A. 
Gilnloro,  Asa  D.,  enl.  Sept.  1, 1804,  30th  H.  Art. 
Gary,  John,  enl.  Sept.  1,  18G4,  30th  H.  Art. 
Green,  Everett,  enl.  Sept.  1,  1864,  30lh  H.  Art. 
Grant,  Wm.  II.,  enl.  Sept.  1,  1804,  30th  H.  Art. 
Grant,  Lawrence,  enl.  Sept.  1,  1804,  3uth  H.  Art. 
Grover,  John,  enl.  Dec.  1864,  U.  S.  Marine  Corps. 
Gourney,  John,  enl.  Dec.  24,  '01, 15tli  Ma^s.  Batt'y. 
Glynn,  Peter,  enl.  Nov.  26,  1804,  61  h  Mass.  B.itt'y. 
Graves,  De  Witt  C,  enl.  Sept.  1864. 
Goff,  John,  enl.  Oct.  27,  1864,  50tli  Mass. 
Galligan,  John,  enl.  Nov.  30,  1804,  II.  Art. 
Gilhooly,  Michael,  enl.  Sept.  1804,  Vet.  Res.  Coips. 
Garrepie,  Henry,  enl.  Sept.  1804,  Navy. 
Gornan,  William,  onl.  Sept.  22,  1804,  2d  H.  A. 
Gray,  Wm.  H.,  enl.  Sept.  2,  1804,  Navy. 
Gould,  John,  enl.  Aug.  1804. 
Gunihose,  ClulrlcB,  cnl.  Dec.  31,  1,804,  1st  Cav. 
Gradhoir,  Frederick,  enl.  Aug.  1804. 
Gibleway,  Thos.,  enl.  Aug.  1,  1802,  27th  Mass. 
Hart,  John  L.,  2d  Mass.,  Co.  B. 
Hosnier,  Jesse  B.,  enl.  Sept.  11,  '61 ,  10th  M.a-ss,,  Co.  B. 
llamill,  David,  lOlh  Mass  ,  Co.  D. 
H.ill,  Charles  M.,  10th  Regt.,  Co.  E. 
llamill,  John  J.,  enl.  Jnne,  1801,  lotli  Regt.,  Co.  E. 
Hebert,  Eugene,  Kith  Kegt ,  Co.  E. 
Heberr,  Constantinc,  lUth  liegt.,  Co.  E. 
Hale,  (Jourge  11.  S.  Y.,  sergt.,  lUth  Regt.,  Co.  F. 
Hutitingtoii,  And.  T.,drinnmer,  loth  Regt.,  Co.  F. 
IMlmaii,  Eraslus,  loth  llegt,,  Co.  F. 
Hoar,  Charles  H.,  lOtll  Regt.,  Co.  F. 
Hunt,  Henry  M.,  en).  June,  ISOl,  lOlh  Regt.,  Co. 

F;  died  in  liospital,  1802. 
Halves,  Frank  B.,  loth  Regt.,  Co.  F. 
Hyde,  James  W,,  18th  Uogt.,  Co.  A. 
Hein,  Eiist.,  18th  llegt,  Co.  II. 
JlopUins,  Jamos  W.,  2d  Lent.,  21st  Reg!.,  Co.  B. 
Ilayward,  Asa  E.,  sergt.,  enl.  July  16,  1801,  21st 

Regt.,  Co.  11;  promoted. 
Iloben,  Aulhcrny,  enl.  Aug.  1801,21st  Regt.,  Co.  B. 
Haworth,  Jas.,  enl.  Aug  22, 1801,  21st  Regt.,  Co.  B. 
Hughes,  James,  21st  Regt.,  Co.  B. 
JIayes,  Timothy,  24th  Regt.,  Co.  D. 
llaggert.v,  J. dm,  Jr.,  24Ih  Regt ,  Co.  F. 
Howell,  John,  2oth  Uegt.,  Co.  E, 
llodgelt,  Sanjuel  I!.,  27lli  Regt.,  Co.  D. 
Ilolloway,  C.  A.,  27lh  Regt.,  Co.  I. 
Haling,  W.  W.,  27th  Regt.,  Co.  I. 
Hunt,  W.  Chapin,  27ih  Itegt.,  Co.  K. 
Hale,  Charles  F.,  sergt.,  enl.  Sept.  20,  1801,  27th 

Regt.,  Co.  K. 
Harrington,  Jerry,  27th  Regt.,  Co.  K. 
Harrington,  Patrick,  27th  Regt.,  Co.  K. 
Ilowaril,  Lysander  A.,  sergt.,  21Jth  Regt.,  Co.  A. 
Iliggins,  John,  enl.  Sept.  17,  ISGl,  1st  Cav.,  Co.  E. 
Hosl'ord,  B.  F.,Conn. 
Hallott,  Joseph  L.,  31st  Mass. 
Hersoy,  John  W.,  enl.  Aug.  20,  1802,  10th  Mass. 
Ilubbaril,  H.  A.,27lli  Ma.ss. 
Harrison,  William,  Harris'  N.  Y.  Cav. 
Hart,  J.  S„  31st  Mass. 
Hayes,  Edward,  21.st  Conn. 
Holloran,  Stephen  0.,  27lh  Mass. 
Higgins,  Peter,  5tli  N.  Y.  Cav. 
Hart,  Leonanl,  4tli  C-.nn. 
Hammond,  Edward,  R.  I. 
Iliggins,  Michael,  N.  Y. 
Hancock,  Sullivan,  COth  N.  Y. 
Holley,  James,  N,  X. 


Harrington,  J.,  enl.  Aug.  23,  '61,  18th  Mass.,  Co.  B. 

Howard,  Charles,  N.  II. 

Howard,  Henry  O.,  2d  Mass. 

Hayes,  Patrick,  27th  Miuss.,  Co.  U. 

Holmes,  I.  I.,  N.  Y. 

Hannis,  Joseph,  N.  Y. 

Ilanchett,  C.  F.,  N.  Y. 

Ilickej',  James,  N.  Y. 

Holden,  Johii,3Glh  N.  Y. 

Hartwell,  Geo.  B.,  enl.  July  21,  1862,  37th  Mass. 

Hickox,  Frederick  D.,  eul.  July  19,  '62,  37th  Mass. 

Hovey,  Eogerie  B.,  sergt.,  enl.  Aug.  6,  1862,  37th 

Mass.,  Co.  E. 
Hawks,  Josiah  B.,  Corp.,  enl.  Aug.  11,  1862,  37th 

Mass.,  Co.  I.  . 
Ilosley,  William  B.,enl.  Aug.  20,1862,  27th  Mass.; 

died  in  hospital,  1802. 
Il.dmes,  Joseph  N.,  enl.  Aug,  20, 1862,  27th  Mass. ; 

pro.  to  Ist  lieut..  May  14,  1802. 
Hyde,  William,  enl.  Aug.  10,  '62, 37th  Mass. ;  killed 

May,  1804. 
Hogan,  Thomas,  enl.  Sept.  1,  1862,  1st  Cav. 
Hardy,  Charles  A.,  enl.  Sept.  17,  1804,  1st  Cav. 
llammill,  John,  onl.  Sept.  17,  1862,  1st  Cav. 
Heuiricks,  Gustavus,  enl.  Sept.  16, 1864,  30th  M.iss. 
Hart,  Daniel  C,  enl.  Aug.  4,  1862,  1st  Cav. 
Ilordeii,  Adidphus,  enl.  Sept.  10,  1804,  2d  Mass. 
Hensey,  Henry  W.,  enl.  Aug.  5, 1802, 1st  Cav. 
Hendei-son,  Henry  S.,  enl.  Sept.  17, 1804, 2d  H.  Art. 
Howland,  John  W.,  enl.  Aug.  10,  18G2,  Ist  Cav. 
Hayes,  John,  enl.  1804. 

Harris,  John  L.,  onl.  Aug.  14,  1862,  1st  Cav. 
Haley,  Morris,  enl.  Sept.  20,  1804,  2d  H.  Ait. 
Hooker,  Oliver  C,  eiil.  Aug.  19, 1802,  37th  Mass. 
Hankin,  John,  enl.  Sept.  2,  1804,  U.  S.  Navy. 
Huntington,  Loiiug,  enl.  July  7, 1802,  34th  Mass. 
Ilolloway,  Eugene,  enl.  1804. 
Hailing,  John,  enl.  July  21, 1862,  34lh  Mass. 
Hall,  George  6,,  onl.  Sept.  12,  1804. 
Hart,  David  D.,  enl.  July  22,  1802,  27tll  Mass. 
Houghton,  E.  T.,  enl.  Aug.  1804. 
Iloslord,  Calvin  C,  enl.  July  21, 1862,  27th  Mass. 
Hirsch,  Cleans  J.,  cnl.  Sept.  1804. 
Ilosmer,  George  C,  eul.  July  21,  1862,  37th  Mass. 
Henderson,  William  S.,  enl.  Sept.  li),  1SG4. 
Hunt,  Jared  C,  enl.  Aug. '20, '62, 10th  Mass.,  Co.  F. 
Ilei-sey,  Jolin  W.,  enl.  Aug.  20, 1802,  lOtli  Mass. 
Iloadley,  Slophen  A.,  2d  H.  Art. 
Harrigan,  Micliael,  enl.  Aug.  6, 1862,  pro.  to  lieut., 

37th  Mass. 
Harrington,  Jeremiah,  enl.  Aug.  16,  '62, 37tli  Mass. 
Hills,  James  B.,  enl.  Aug.  6,  18G2,  27th  Mass. 
Hoyne,  Richard,  enl.  Oet.22,'62,4Gtli  Mass.,  Co.  K. 
Harvey,  O.  K.,  enl.  Sept. 25, 1802, 40th  Mass.,  Co.  A. 
Harvey,  O.  W.,  onl.  Sept.  25, 1802,  4Gth  Mass.,  Co.  A. 
Hastings,  Wm.,  enl.  Sept.  25,  '02, 4lith  Miiss.,  Co.  A. 
Hazleton,  T.  M.,enl.Sept.'25,'G2,40lh  Mass.,  Co.  A. 
Hinsdale,  C.  T.,  enl.  Sept.  25, 1802, 4Gth  Mass.,  Co.  A. 
Hood,  Wm.,  eul.  Sept.  25, 1802, 46th  Mass.,  Co.  A. 
Hosford,  C.  M.,  enl.  Sept.  25,  '62,  46th  .Mass.,  Co.  A. 
lluiuphrey,  P.  B.,  enl.  Sejit.  '25,  '62,40th  Mass., Co.  A. 
Hurlbut,W.  H.,enl.  Sept.  25,'62,40tli  Mass, Co.  A. 
Hulinan,  C.  E.,  enl.  Sept.  15, 1862,  8tli  Mass.,  Co.  H. 
Holmes,  Horatio,  enl.  Oct.  10, 1802, 8tli  Mass.,  Co.  H. 
Ilolloway,  Orlando  R,  enl.  April  18,'03,51h  II.  Art. 
Hills,  George  N.,  enl.  April  11,  1863,  5lh  H.  Art. 
Hyde,  Reuben,  enl.  April  18,  1803,  51h  H.  Art. 
Howiird,  John,  enl.  April  25,  1803,  5th  H.  Art. 
Harvey,  Thomas,  enl.  May  19,  1803,  Sth  H.  Art. 
Hurley,  John,  enl.  Juno  13,  18G  i,  7th  H.  Art. 
Hart,  William  A.,  dratted  July  10,  1863. 
Hutchius,  Asabel,  enl.  Dec.  30,  1803,  34th  Mass. 
Hanselmaii,  John,  eul.  Jan.  1,  1864,  .57th  Mass. 
Holt,  .lohn,  enl.  Jan.  1,  1804,  341li  Mass. 
Hale,  Frederick,  enl.  Jan.  4,  1804,  4th  Cav. 
Hawkins,  John  T.,  enl.  Jan.  4, 1864,  51h  Cav. 
Howe,  George,  enl.  Jan.  5,  18G4,  1st  Oav. 
Hotchkiss,  Arthur  N,  enl.  Jan.  4, 1,S04,  27th  Mass. 
Harrington,  Michael,  eul.  Jan.  8,  180t,  25tb  Mirss. 
Henry,  William,  enl.  Jan.  9,  1804,   34lh    Mass.; 

killed  March  31,  18G5. 
Heller,  John  G.,  onl.  Jan.  9, 1864,  1st  Cav. 
Hough,  Thomas  M  ,  enl.  Jan.  5,  1864. 
Harvey,  Ozro  K.,  enl.  Dec.  31,  1863. 
Holcoinb,  Hiram  G.,enl.  Dec.  31,1863,13th  II.  Art. 
Higgenbotham,  James,  enl.  Jan.  23,  '04, 57lli  Mass 
Harley,  Cornelius,  enl.  Jan.  30,  1804,  57tb  Mass. 


HISTORY  OP   HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


881 


Howe,  George,  enl.  Feb.  16, 1864,  25th  Mass. 
Hiclts,  Tliompson,  enl.  Vuh.  19,  1804,  57th  Mass. 
Hamlin,  Cliai  los,  enl.  Feb.  20, 1864,  57th  Mass. 
Hudson,  Ahimas  A.,  enl.  March  8,  1864,  57lh  Mass. 
Ilolbrook,  Cyrus,  enl.  Feb.  29,  1864,  57th  Mass. 
Harrington,  William   K.,  enl.  Nov.  3,  1864,  Cist 

Mass.,  Co.  F. 
Holmes,  William,  1st  H.  Art.,  Co.  F. 
Horner,  Charles,  1st  Cav. 

Holt,  Thahleus  K.,  enl.  Sept.  1, 1864,  .30111  H.  Art. 
Hall,  Andrew  J.,  enl.  Sept.  1,  1864,  39th  H.  -Vrt. 
Uayden,  Charles  H.,  enl.  Sept.  1,  1864,  30th  H.  Art. 
Hall,  Noadiah  K.,  enl.  Sept.  1,  1S04,  3Uth  H.  Art. 
Hess,  Theodore,  enl.  Sept.  1,  1S64,  30th  H.  Art. 
Hurllmt,  Henry  A.,  enl.  Septl  1,  1864,  30th  H.  Art. 
Hay  den,  Edmund  S.,  enl.  Aug.  29,  1804,  Navy. 
Horrigan,  Timothy,  enl.  Aug.  15,  1864,  Navy. 
Hill,  Allen  K.,  enl.  Jan.  23,  1805,  I9th  Mass. 
Hopp,  Joseph,  enl.  Dec.  11,  1804,  Ist  Cav. 
Hoerner,  Charles,  enl.  Dec.  31,  1864,  1st  Cav. 
Hans,  Joseph,  enl.  Dec.  31, 1861,  let  Cav. 
Hanson,  Charles. 
Hazleton,  Thomas  M. 

Harrison,  William,  enl.  Oct.  27,  1864,  55th  Mass. 
Hays,  lilich.ael,  enl.  Aug.  2,  1861,  1st  Cav. 
Huare,  Michael,  enl.  Dec.  9,  1864,  6l8t  Mass. 
Harrtngton,  William  K.,  enl.  Nov.  3,  1864,  Olst 

Mass.,  Co.  F. 
Harris,  James,  enl.  Nov.  26,  1864. 
Hinds,  L.jring  F.,  enl.  Nov.  10,  1804,  1st  H.  Art. 
Hucksam,  Jacob,  enl.  Nov.  26, 1864,  1st  H.  Art. 
Haley,  Patrick,  enl.  Nov.  19, 1864, 19th  Mass. 
Hanaford,  William,  enl.  Oct.  26, 1864,  6l3t  Mass. 
Hendricks,  Thomas,  enl.  Nov.  30, 1864, 2d  Cav. 
Harrold,  George  J.,  enl.  Oct.  31, 1804, 61st  Mass. 
Isbell,  John  D.,  18th  Mass. 

Ingerson,  Frederick  A.,  sergt.,  27th  Mass.,  Co.  K. 
Ingerson,  F.  N  ,  loth  Mass. 
Innian,  Erastus,  enl.  Aug.  6,  1863,  27th  Mass. 
Ingrahara,  Kobert  E.,  enl.  Sept.  25, 1862,46th  Mass., 

Co.  A. 
Ives,  E.  W.,  enl.  Sept.  25,  1862,  46th  Mass.,  Co.  A. 
Ingerson,  James  N.,  enl.  Dec.  31,  1863. 
James,  Frank,  enl.  1864. 
Jones,  John,  enl.  Aug.  1864. 
Jacobs,  Charles,  enl.  May  18,  1804,  23d  V.  S.  Cav., 

Co.  B. 
Jameson,  Quintain,  enl.  June,  1861,  lOth   Mass., 

Co.  E. 
Jones,  Horace  L.,  lOth  M.ass.,  Co.  E. 
Jones,  George  H  ,  20th  Jlass.,  Co.  A. 
Johes,  Asbury,  16th  Conn. 
Jones,  B.  P.,  27th  Mass. 
Justin,  George  R.,  loth  Mass. 
Jones,  Lyman,  enl.  Aug.  12,  1862. 
Johnson,  James,  enl.  Aug.  22, 1862,  37th  Mass. 
Jourde,  John,  enl.  Dec.  24,  1864,  13th  Mass.  Batt. 
Johnson,  Joseph  H.,  enl.  Sept.  15,  1862,  1st  Cav. 
James,  William,  enl.  Nov.  2,  1804,  61st  Mass. 
Jones,  Luke,  Jr.,  enl.  Aug.  2,  1802,  27th  Mass. 
Johnston,  William,  enl.  Nov.  1864. 
Jenkins,  Rosser,  Aug.  21,  1862,  10th  Mass. 
Jones,  Giorge  W.,  enl.  Sept.  1864. 
Johnson,  Louis  W.,  enl.  Aug.  19,  1802.  Ist  Cav. 
James,  Thomas,  enl.  Sept.  13,  1864,  2d  U.  Art. 
Jones,  W.  G.,  enl.  Sept.  25, 1862,  40th  Mass.,  Co.  A. 
Joslyn,  Joseph,  enl.  Sept.  25,  '02,  40th  Mass.,  Co.  A. 
Ji'hnson,  Peter  B.,  54th  Regt. 
Jolinson,  Robert  S.,  enl.  Jan.  15,  1864,  57th  Mass. 
Johnson,  Fred'k  A.,  enl.  Jan.  9, 1804,  13th  H.  Art. 
Jones,  Samuel,  enl.  Jan.  30,  1864,  5lh  Cav. 
Jordan,  Thomas  J.,  enl.  Feb.  27,  1804,  57th  Mass. 
Jackson,  George,  enl.  March  17, 1804, Stli  Cav. 
Jefferson,  Joseph,  enl.  Sept.  1,  1864,  30th  H.  Art. 
Johnson,  John  D.,  enl.  Sept.  1,  1864,  30th  H.  Art. 
Jones,  Charles  D.,  enl.  Sept.  1,  1864,  30th  H.  Art. 
Jones,  George  .L,  enl.  Seiit.  1,  1804,  3oth  H.  Art. 
Justin,  James,  enl.  Sept.  1, 1S04,  30th  H.  Art. 
Johnson,  William  E.,  enl.  Sept.  1, 1864, 30th  H.  Art. 
Joyce,  Martin,  enl.  Sept.  1,  1864,  U.  S.  Navy. 
Jarvin,  Justiii,  enl.  Dec.  24,  1864,  13th  Mass.  Butt. 
Jurnoss,  John,  enl.  Dec.  24, 1864,  13lh  Mass.  Batt. 
Jairdun,  Jules,  onl.  Dec.  24,  1864,  13tli  Mass.  Batt. 
Knight,  Edwin  L.,  pro.  to  sergt.,  enl.  June,  1801, 

loth  Mai^s.,  Co.  E. 
Keith,  Ilii-am  A.,  1st  lieut.,  enl.  June  14, 1801,  lOth 

Mass.,  Co.  F. 

Ill 


Keye.s  Wm.  D.,  enl.  June  14,'61,l0th  Ma.ss.Co.  F. 
Kenney,  Morgan  D.,  eid.  June  14, 1801,  10th  Mass. 
Knight,  John  L.,  enl.  June  14, 1801,  lOlh  Mass. 
Kneeland,  Edwanl  S  ,  w:igoner,  10th  Mas-i.,  Co.  I. 
Killoni,  Thomas,  18th  Mass.,  Co.  K. 
Kurtz,  Frederick,  27th  Mass.,  Co.  K. 
Knight,  Joseph  G.,  31st  Mass.,  Co.  B. 
Kirkland,  John,  1st  Cav.,  Co.  F;  dii-d  in  hospital 

Dec.  23,  1802. 
King,  Rory,  10th  Mass. 
Kenne3',  Jack,  1st  Cav. 
Kendall,  Ransom.  31st  Mass. 

Kellogg,  N.  E.,  enl.  Oct.  6, 1801,  27th  Mass.,  Cu.  I. 
Knight,  Elijah  U.,  enl.  May  7,  1862,  27th  Mass. 
Kilroy,  James,  N.  Y. 
King,  Peter  S.,  enl.  Oct.  8,  1862,  1st  Cav, 
Kilkelly,  Michael,  enl.  Aug.  20,  1862,  37th  Mass. 
Kennedy,  Jno,,  etil.  Aug.  13,  '02,  37th  M;tss.,  Co.  K. 
Kellogg,  Edward  G.,  enl.  July  22, 1802, 27th  Mass. ; 

died  in  prison,  Andersonville,  .\ug.  1,  1804. 
Kellogg,  Nelson  O.,  enl.  July  8,  1862,  27th  Mass. 
Kinneston,  Benj.,  enl.  Aug.  9,  lSii2,  27th  Mass. 
Keefe,  William,  enl.  July  21, 1802,34th  Mass. 
Keyes,  John  P.,  enl.  Aug.  10,  1802,  37th  M.-lss, 
Knowlton,  Daniel,  enl,  Aug,  19, 1802,  37th  Mass, 
Kehler,  Cornelius,  enl.  Sept,  6,  1862,  10th  Mass. 
Keogh,  Henry,  enl.  July  10, 1862,  37th  Mass.,  Co.  I. 
Kenney,Johu,  enl.  July  19,1862,37th  Mass.,  Co.  I. 
Kenney,  Patrick  M,,  enl,  Aug,  6,  1862,37th  Begt. 
Kneeland,  Edward  S  ,  enl.  Aug.  20,  1863,  1st  Cav. 
King,  Frank  E.,  enl.  Aug.  7, 1S62,  1st  Cav. 
King,  Edward  S.,  enl.  Aug.  19,  1802,  37th  Mass., 

Co.  I;  killed  May  21,  1804. 
Karpellns,  Louis,  enl.  Sept.  25,  1802,  46th  Mass. 
King,  Erasmus  D.,  enl.  Sept.  25, 180^,  46th  Mass. 
King,  J.  0.,  enl.  Sept.  25,  1862,  40th  Mass.,  Co.  A. 
Kingsley,  Geo.  D.,  enl.  Sept.  25,  1802,  46th  Mass., 

Co.  A;  died  at  Newberu,  Feb,  16,  1803, 
Kenyon,  Walter  J.,  enl.  May  9, 1861,  5lh  H,  Art, 
Keyes,  Charles  H.,  enl.  May  16,  1803,  5th  H,  Art. 
King,  Henry  N.,  enl.  May  6,  1803,  5th  H,  Art, 
Kelley,  Michael,  enl,  June  11,  1861,  7tli  H,  Art, 
Havana,  Jeriy,  enl.  June  11,  1863,  7th  H,  Art, 
Keating,  Johu,  enl,  Jan,  8,  1864,  25th  Mass  , 
Kendall,  Theodore  B,,  enl,  Jan,  5, 1864,  57th  Mass, 
King,  Zeh,  enl,  Jan,  13,  1804,  4th  Cav, 
Keefe,  Daniel  O.,  enl,  Jan,  11, 1804,  34th  Mass. 
Kennedy,  James  E.,  enl.  Jan.  4, 1804. 
Kennedy,  Dennis,  enl.  Jan.  S,  1864,  13th  H.  Art, 
Knowlton,  Henry  C,  enl.  Jan.  5,  1864. 
Kane,  Jei-ry,  enl.  Jan.  23, 1864,  57th  Mass. 
Kenney,  Samuel,  enl.  Sept.  13,  1804,  2d  H.  Art. 
Kimball,  Frank  L,,  enl.  July  31,  1802,  34th  Mass,, 

Co,  D;  killed  at  Piedmont,  June  5,  1804, 
Kingston,  Richard,  0th  L,  Batt, 
Kent,  19tli  Mass, 
Krantz,  E,,  19th  Mass, 
Kurtz,  F,,  27lh  Mass, 

Knowlton,  Austin,  enl.  Sept,  1,  1864,30th  H.  Art, 
Kelly,  John  J,,  enl.  Sept,  1,  1804,  30th  H,  Art, 
Kilbon,  Geo,  B,,  enl.  Sept,  1,  1864,  30tli  H,  Art, 
Kinney,  Geo,  W,,  enl.  Sept,  1,  1864,  30th  H,  Art, 
Kay,  Archibald,  enl.  Sept.  1,  1804,  30th  H.  Art. 
Kennedy,  Cornelius,  enl.  1804. 
Kelly,  William,  enl.  Sept,  22,  1864,  2d  Mass, 
Kelly,  Michael,  enl,  Nov,  23, 1864,  12lh  Mass,  Batt, 
Kingston,  Richard,  enl,  Dec,  9,  1804,6th  Mass, Batt, 
Keller,  Charles,  enl.  Oct.  31,  1864,  28lh  Mass, 
Kennerton,  Hubbard  B.,  enl,  Nov,  3,  1864,  2d  Cav. 
Kingsley,  James,  enl.  Aug.  1S64. 
Konsell,  Morris,  enl.  Sept,  1864, 
Kelly,  William,  enl,  Nov,  2,  1864. 
King,  Wm,,  enl.  Sept,  17,  1864,  Olst  Mass,,  Co,  C. 
Kenney,  John,  enl.  Nov,  7,  1804,  3d  H,  Art, 
Keif,  David,     No  record. 
Kearney,  James  W,,  sergt.,  enl,  Sept.  30,  1803,  1st 

Cav.;  killed  Oct.  1,  1864. 
King,  Wni.  G.,  enl.  Jan.  6, 1804,  Mass,  Cav,,  Co,  G, 
Leicutel,  Josejjh,  lOtli  Slass,,  Co,  D, 
Lontscher,  Christian,  Corp.,  10th  Mass.,  Co.  E. 
Lewis,  William,  loth  Mass.,  Co,  E, 
Lombard,  Hosea  C,   capt.,  enl.  June,  1861,  lOth 

Mass.,  Co,  F, 
Loomis,  Victor  O,,  10th  Mass.,  Co,  F, 
Livingston,  James,  loth  Mass,,  Co,  I, 
Lynch,  Jas,,  onl,  Aug.  23,  1801, 18th  Mass,,  Co,  H, 
Lee,  Horace  C,  col.,  enl.  Oct.  1801,  27th  Mass. 


Lambert,  John,  27th  Mass.,  Co.  K. 

Lachose,  Martin,  29th  Mass.,  Co.  F. 

Lynch,  Patrick,  3lst  Miiss.,  Co.  G. 

Long,  Michael,  enl.  Jan.  9, 1802,  3lst  Mass.,  Co.  G. 

Lehan,  Timothy,  3lBt  Regt.,  Co.  G. 

Lathrop,  E.  W.,  loth  Regt. 

Leonard,  J.  N.,  27th  Mass, 

Lombard,  R.  R.,  2l3t  Mass, 

Lynch,  John,  Harris'  N,  Y,  Cav. 

Lynch,  Thomas,  Ist  Cav. 

Lombard,  F.  0.,  sergt.,  Ist  Cav. ;  killed  in  battle, 

Nov.  1803. 
Lyman,  Timothy  P.,  enl.  1861, 1st  Cxv.,  Co.  E. 
Lombard,  Itoswell,  4th  N.  Y. 
Lane,  Timothy,  31st  Mass. 
Lane,  Charles,  Ist  N.  Y.  Cav. 
Loony,  Patrick,  27tli  Mass. 
Lurey,  T.  H,,  N,  Y. 
Locker,  C,  N.  Y, 
Lyman,  S,  H,,  N,  Y, 
Lavanter,  Joseph,  N,  Y. 
Ledwith,  John,  N.  Y. 
Leonard,  Geo.  H,,  1st  Mass. 

Larkin,  T.  G.,  enl.  June  21, 1861, 10th  Mass.,  Co.  D. 
Lane,  William,  enl.  Aug.  21,  lS6i,  37th  Mass. 
Loomis,  Chester  C,  enl.  Aug,  13,  1862,  1st  Cav, 
Leonard,  Nathan  C,  enl.  July  4,  1862,  27th  Mass. 
Leiand,  Leander  F.,  enl.  Aug.  21,  1862,  27th  Mass. 
Lee,  James  Oliver,  enl.  July  24, 1862,  37th  Mass.; 

died  Sept.  9, 1863. 
Lathrop,  Alpheus  D.,  enl.  Aug.  9,  1802,  37th  Mass. 
Luther,  Martin,  sergt.,  enl.  July  12,  1802,  37th 

Mass.,  Co.  I ;  died  May  14,  1804. 
Lakin,  C.  J.,  enl.  Sept,  25, 1862,  40th  Mass.,  Co.  A. 
Law,  JohTi  M.,  enl.  Sept.  25, 1862, 40th  Mass.,  Co,  A, 
Loomis,  S,  G,,  enl.  Sept,  25,  lS02,40th  Mass.,  Co.  A. 
Lewis,  Jasini,  sergt.,  enl.  Sept.  '25, 1802, 46th  Mass., 

Co.  A. 
Landon,  W.  J,,  lieut.,  onl.  Qjt.  12,  1862,  8th  Mass., 

Co.  H. 
Lothrop,  Randolph,  enl.  April  11,  1803,  5th  H.  Art, 
Leonard,  Charles,  enl.  Juno  6, 1863,  7th  H,  Art, 
Lucas,  William,  enl,  Dec,  16, 1803,  1st  Cav,,  Co,  K. 
Lecuier,  Alfied,  enl.  Dec.  17,  1803,  4th  Cav. 
Lockwood,  Charles,  enl.  Dec.  21. 1863, 1st  Cav. 
Lynch,  John,  enl.  Jan.  5,  1864,  1st  Cav. 
Laucor,  Edward,  enl.  Jan,  11,  1864,  4th  Cav, 
Lewis,  Leonard,  enl,  Jan,  4,  1861,  10th  Mass, 
Leonard,  Martin,  enl,  Jan,  4,  1864,  13th  H.  Art. 
Ladd,  Charles  H.,  enl,  Dec.  31,  1803,  3d  H.  Art. 
Liiidsey,  Alanson  T.,  enl.  Dec,  31, 1863, 13th  H,  Art, 
Lewis,  Isaiah,  enl,  Jan,  25,  1864,5th  Cav, 
Lee,  William,  enl,  Jan,  26,  1864,  57th  Mass. 
Lincoln,  Sumner,  enl,  Feb,  8,  1864,  57th  Mass, 
Lee,  Dennis,  enl,  March  7, 1864,  57tli  Mass, 
Little,  Marcus,  enl,  Jan.  25,  1864,  27th  Mass. 
Lemon,  Joseph,  enl.  Jan,  25,  1804,  58th  Mass.,  Co, 

K;  killed  April  2,  1805, 
Lippman,  Carl  H,,  27th  Mass,,  Co.  K. 
Langdon,  James  C,  enl.  Sept,  1,  1804,  30th  H,  Art, 
Langdon,  Walter  C.,eid.  Sept.  1,  1864,30th  H.  Art. 
Ludington,  Augustine,  enl.  Sept.  1,  '64,  30th  H.  Art. 
Lewis,  Charles  F.,  enl.  Sept.  1,  1864,  30th  H.  Art. 
Lewis,  Albion  W,,  enl.  Sept,  1,  1804,  30th  H,  Art. 
Lombard,  Wm.  L.D.,  enl.  Sept.  1, '64,30th  H.  Art. 
Lyon,  James,  enl.  1864. 

Lee,  Edward,  enl.  Sept.  17,  1804,  61st  Mass.,  Co.  C. 
Lowry,  Wm.  J.,  enl.  Dec.  1864. 
Long,  Howard,  enl.  Nov.  26,  1864,  5th  Cav. 
Lamoor,  Joseph,  enl.  Dec.  31,  1864,  1st  Cav. 
Lynch,  Michael,  enl.  Nov.  20, 1864,  17th  Mass. 
Lee,  Timothy,  enl.  Sept.  17,  1S64,  Olst  Mass. 
Lacy,  James,  enl.  Sept,  17,  1804,  Olst  Mass. 
Lewis,  Nathaiuel  S.,  enl.  Nov,  1864, 
Linnehan,  Thos.,  enl,  Nov,  14,  '64,  61st  Mass,,  Co,  G- 
Lane,  William,  enl.  Sept,  17,  1804, 1st  Cav, 
Langdon,  Perkins  W„  enl,  Aug,  25, 1864, 2d  H,  Art,, 

Co,  A, 
Lovett,  Henry  L,,  enl,  Aug,  26,  '04, 2d  H.  Art,,  Co,  A, 
Leonard,  Wm,  U,,  enl,  Aug,  25,  1864;  died  Nov. 

1864. 
Lyons,  Daniel,  enl.  1804. 

Lavake,  Thomas  W.,  enl.  Oct.  15,  1861,27th  Mass. 
Blattbews,  .John,  enl.  Aug.  1864, 
McCabe,  Patrick,  27tli  Mass. 
Murphy,  Michael,  enl.  Sept.  16,  1861,  27th  Mass. 
McWilliams,  Edward,  lotli  5Liss.,  Co,  A, 


882 


HISTORY   OP  THE  CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


McGee,  H.,  loth  Mass.,  Co.  A. 

Mi-nill,  Julin  II.,  lOth  Itegt.,  Co.  A. 

McNeil,  John,  enl.  Juno  21, 1861, 10th  Mass., Co.  E. 

Matlliews,  WilliuniH,  lOtli  Mass.,  Co.  F. 

Movse,  James  0.,  loth  Mass.,  Co.  F. 

McDonald,  James,  loth  Mass.,  Co.  G. 

Mason,  Kclward,  musician,  eul.  Sept.  6,  18G1,  18th 

Mass.,  Co.  A. 
Murphy,  \Vm.,  enl.  Aug.  24,18Cl,lSth  Rogt.,Co.  K. 
Mixter,  Geo.  W.,21st  Mass.,  Co.  B. 
Malioney,  John,  21st  Ma-^s.,  Co.  B. 
Murphy,  James,  27th  Mass.,  Co.  K. 
Martin,  .lohn  A.,  31st  Mass.,  Co.  V. 
Murpliy,  Jamos,  31st  Mass.,  Co.  G. 
Millei-,  Joseph,  3l3t  Mass.,  Co.  G. 
Mixter,  Gilbert  G.,  enl.  Sept.  14,  '01 ,  Ist  Cav.,  Co.  E. 
Mack,  Henry,  Harris'  N.  Y.  Cav. 
Miller,  James,  Harris'  N.  Y.  Cav. 
Moffot,  Henry,  lOlli  Muss. 
Morgan,  Milton,  IStli  M;is3. 
Malone,  Martin,  31st  Mass. 
Morse,  William,  10th  M;iS3. 
Morse,  Edward,  2(lth  Miiss. 
Mokanuy,  Dennis,  6th  N.  V.  Cav. 
Manners,  William,  27tli  Mass. 
Matthews,  Charles  H.,  Harris'  N.  Y.  Cav. 
Matthews,  Warner,  1st  Conn.  Art. 
Miller,  George,  10th  Mass. 
Maroni,  John,  1st  Cal. 
MctJirthy,  John,  enl.  Aug.  1802,  7th  R.  1. 
Morrissey,  Edward,  10th  Mass.,  Co.  A. 
Slurry,  John,  9th  Mass. 
Maiouey,  John,  N.  Y. 
Meaehem,  Thomas,  N.  Y. 
McGrath.M.  W.,  N.  Y. 
Melrose,  Lewis,  27th  Mass. 
Melrose,  Charles,  27th  Mass.,  Co.  E. 
Millard,  R,  W.,  lOtli  Mass. 

McGowan,  Peter,  enl.  Au};.  12.  18C2,  27tll  Mass. 
Moulton,  Albert  S.,  enl.  Aug.  14, 1862,  37th  Maes. 
Mitchell,  George  H.,enl.  Aug.  1864. 
Murphy,  James,  enl.  Aug.  5,  1862,  :!7th  Mass. 
McGratb,  William,  enl.  Aug.  30,  1864,  2d  H.  Art. 
Maiouey,  John,  enl.  Aug.  11, 1802,  37th  Mass. 
McDermotI,  enl. Oct.  27,  1804,  Ist  H.  Art. 
Mahon,  Miles,  enl.  Aug.  11, 1862,  37th  Mass. 
McDonald,  John,  enl.  Dec.  30,  1864. 
Mulloy,  Michael,  enl.  Aug.  20, 1862,  37th  Mass. 
McCarty,  John  D.,  enl.  Aug.  20,  1862,  37th  Mass. 
McGlinn,  Thomas,  enl.  Feb.  22,  1865,  30th  Mass. 
Miner,  L.  A,,  enl.  Jan.  24,  1865,  S.'jtli  Mass. 
Manning,  John,  enl.  Aug.  '20,  1862,  37lh  Mass. 
Madden,  Joseph,  enl.  JaTi.  21,  1805. 
Miller,  Marble  D.,  enl.  Aug.  6,  1862,27th  Mass. 
Marcliom,  Josepli,  enl.  Nov.  1864,  Vet.  Res.  Corps. 
Manly,  Nathaniel  F.,  Aug.  17,  1862,  27th  Mass.; 

died  June  3,  1864. 
Morgan,  Henry  T.,  eul. Dec.  1864. 
McMahon,  John,  enl.  July  21, 1802,  34lh  Mass. 

McGnire,  John,  eul.  Nov.  1804. 

Miller,  Jonathan  D.,  enl.  Aug.  20, 1802, 27th  Miuis. ; 
died  May  20,  1864. 

Morgan,  Thomas,  enl.  Dec.  1864. 

Morton,  Lyman,  enl.  Aug.  22,  1862,  37th  Mass. 

Manning,  John,  enl.  Sept.  16, 1864,  4lli  Cav. 

Murphy,  John,  enl.  Aug.  18,  1862,  37th  Mass. 

McGerry,  Henry,  enl.  Aug,  3,  1864,  U.  S.  Navy. 

Moran,  Thoma<i,enl.  Aug.  12,  1862,  37th  Mass. 

Mcljnade,  Patrick,  enl.  Sept.  13,  1864,  2d  H.  Art. 

Moore,  Henry,  enl.  Aug.  16, 1862,  27th  Mass. 

McGuckian,  John,  enl.  Nov.  20,  1864,  12tli  Mass. 

Morgan,  William,  enl.  March  15, 1805,  ■2d  Cav. 

Mayans,  John,  enl.  Aug.  12, 1802, 37tli  Mass.,  Co.  E. 

McClelland,  William,  enl.  Sept.  14,  1S04,  2d  Cav. 

Morse,  Amasa  C,  enl.  Aug.  20, 1862,  1st  Cav. 

Moelti'r,  John,  enl.  Sept.  10, 1864,  29th  H.  Art. 

McCrary,  Eugene,  enl.  Aug.  4, 1862,  Ist  Cav.,  Co.  E. 

Messer,  Charles,  enl.  Sept.  1804,  Navy. 

Morin,  Joseph,  enl.  Aug.  IS, '02,  37th  Ma'ie.,Co.  K. 

Muller,  Joseph,  enl.  Sept.  13,  1861,  61st  Mass. 

Madden,  Patr'k,  enl.  Aug.  21,  '62,  37th  Mass.,  Co.  K. 

McGlinchy,  J.,  enl.  Sept.  17, 18M,  61st  Mass.,  Co.  C. 

Mulloy,  John  B.,  1st  lient,  enl.  Aug.  5,  1862,  37th 
M;iss. 

McLally,  John,  Corp.,  enl.  Sept.  14,  1864,  Vet.  Res. 

Moore,  John  A.,  enl.  Sept.  10,  1862,  10th  Mass. 

Mack,  Colman,  eul.  Sept.  5,  1804,  Navy. 


Monahan,  Patrick,  enl.  Aug.  5, 1802,  37th  Mass. 
McAvoy,  William  II.,  enl.  Aug.  10,  1804,  Navy. 
McPherson,  William,  eul.  Aug.  16,  1802,  1st  Cav. 
McCarty,  Patrick,  enl.  July,  1804. 
McNanuira,  T.,  enl.  Aug.  12,  '02,  37th  Mass.,  Co.  K. 
Mayo,  A.  W,,  enl.  Sept.  1804. 

Meekins,  Emory,  enl.  Sept.  25,  '02, 461h  Mass.,  Co.  A. 
Miller,  li.  E.,enl.  Sept.  2S,  1862, 46lh  Mass.,  Co.  A. 
Miller,  Joseph,  enl   Oct.  13,  1862,4Gtli  Mass  ,Co.  A. 
Moore,  A.  H.,  enl.  Sept.  26, 186'2,  46th  Mass.,  Co,  A. 
Morris,  Edward,  enl.  Sept.  25, '62,  46th  Mass.,  Co.  A. 
Morse,  T.  P.,  enl.  Sept.  25, 1862,  46th  Mass.,  Co.  A. 
Mutell,  C.  W.,  enl.  Sept.  25, 1862, 46th  Mass.,  Co,  A. 
Marsh,  Daniel  J.,sergt..  enl. Sept.  25,  '62, 46th  Mass. 
May,  Lewis,  enl.  Sept.  26,  1862,8th  Mass.,  Co.  II. 
Mellen,  George  H.,  8th  Mass.,  (.'o,  H. 
Moore,  John,  enl.  Sept.  12,  1802,  8lh  Mass.,  Co.  II. 
Mott,  J.  A,,  enl.  Oct.  20,  1802,  Slh  Mass.,  Co.  H. 
Marshall,  Newton,  enl.  May  10,  1863,  5th  H.  Art. 
Miller,  William  F.,  enl.  April  18,  1803,  6th  11.  Art. 
Mayer,  Lewis,  enl.  April  25,  1803,  ttb  II.  Art. 
Monroe,  Alex.  O.,  enl.  June  13,  1863.  7th  H.  Art. 
McCarthy,  Florence,  2d  Cav.,  Co.  K. 
Merlett,  Charles  L,,  enl.  April  11,  1803,  2d  Cav. 
Metcalf,  Joseph  C,  drafted,  July  16,  1863. 
Mahoney,  Jerry,  enl.  Aug.  27,  1863, 
Manning,  Chas.  D.,  enl   Dec.  30,  1803,  34tli  Mass. 
Maiouey,  John,  eid.  Dec.  30,  1863,  27th  Mass. 
Minier,  Barna.,  enl,  Jan.  1,1864.4th  Cav. 
Morrison,  Edward,  enl.  Jan.  8,  1864,  27tli  Mass. 
Mauley,  William  H.,  enl,  Jan.  4,  1804,  57lh  Mass. 
McCoy,  Alexander,  enl.  Jan.  5,  1864,  57tli  Mass. 
Mitchell,  Edward  J.,  eul.  Jan,  13,  18^4,  56tli  Mass. 
McQuade,  James,  enl,  Jan.  0,  1864,  13lh  H.  Art, 
McCoy,  Robert,  enl.  Jan,  12, 1864,  57th  Mass,,  Co,  E. 
Monroe,  Charles  T,,  enl.  Jan,  15,  1804,  1st  Cav. 
Moloney,  Patrick,  enl.  Jan.  '2,  I8li4,  13th  H.  Art. 
Mixter,  Charles  H.,  enl.  Jan.  4,  1864,  13th  H.  Art. 
Maize,  D.  O.  E.,  enl.  Dec.  29, 1803,  13lh  H.  Art. 
Moore,  George,  enl.  Jan.  4, 1864,  13th  H.  Art. 
Miller,  Cyrus  H  ,  enl.  Jan.  4,  1864,  13th  H.  Art, 
Mellows.  Ferguson  K.,  enl.  Dec. 30,  '63,13th  II,  Art. 
Manning,  Loyd  W.,  enl.  Dec. 31, 1 863, 13th  II.  Art. 
Martin,  Fred'k  W.,  enl,  Dec.  31,  1803,  13lh  H.  Art. 
Michel,  Lysauder.  enl.  Jan.  5,  1864,  13th  H.  Art. 
Merriani,  George  F.,  enl.  Dec,  '29, 1804, 13th  H,  Art. 
McKew,  George,  enl.  Jan.  5,  1S04,  13th  H.  Art. 
McKeori,  James,  enl.  Jan.  4,  1864,  13th  H.  Art. 
Mclntire,  Melvern  H,,  enl,  Dec. 30, '63,13th  H.  Art. 
McArthur,  Robert,  enl.  Dec.  31, 1863,  13th  II.  Art. 
Maltheis,  George,  enl.  Jan,  12,  1804,  13th  H,  Art, 
Mertoii,  Henry,  eul,  Jan.  22,  1804,  Ist  Cav. 
McGregor,  Oscar,  enl.  Jan.  27,  1804,  57th  Mass. 
Miller,  George  N,,  enl,  Jan.  30,  1804,  5th  Cav. 
Marsh,  Hiiam  P.,  enl,  1864. 
Morrison,  Robert,  enl.  Feb.  8, 1864,  57th  Mass. 
Malone,  John,  enl.  Feb.  10,  1804,  5th  Cav. 
Miller,  John  G.,  enl.  March  17,  1804,  5lh  Cav. 

Mitchell,  Charles,  enl.  March  '20,  1864,  67th  Mass. 

Mason,  Alouzo  R,,  enl,  March  :io,  1804,  57lli  Mass. 

McKeon,  Harry,  enl,  April  8,  1864,  57th  Mass. 

Maddock,  Nicholas,  enl.  Sept.  18,  18C4,  Vet.  Kes. 
Corps. 

McCulluni,  F.  J,,  191h  Mass. 

Myett,  Joseph,  19th  Mass. 

McCaffrey,  Cornelius,  enl.  Feb.  23,  1804,  2d  Mass. 

MoClellen,  William,  •2d  Cav. 

Martin,  John  W,,  enl.  Sept,  1,  1804,  30th  H,  Alt. 

Murray,  David,  enl,  Sept.  1,  1864,30th  H.  Art. 

Mellisli,  Geo.  H.,  enl.  Sept.  1, 1864,  30th  II,  Art, 

Meeker,  William  C,  enl,  Sept.  I,  1864,30th  II,  Art. 

Miller,  Charles  S.,  enl.  Sept.  1, 1864,  30th  H,  Art. 

Mahoney,  John,  enl.  Sept.  1,  1864,  30th  H.  Art. 

Miller,  Edward,  enl.  Sept.  1,  1804,  30th  H.  Art. 

Moore,  Eugene,  enl.  Sept.  15, 1804, 1st  Batt.  11,  Art. 

Mohen,  James,  enl.  1864. 

Morris,  Louis,  eul,  Aug.  1864. 

McDonald,  John,  enl.  Aug,  1864. 

Mct^nade,  Patrick,  enl,  Aug.  1804. 

McCluskey, ,  eul.  Sept,  1804. 

Murphy,  Jolin,  enl.  Nov.  23,  1804,  1st  H.  Art. 

Moi.i,  Charles,  enl.  Nov.  1,  1804,  2d  Cav. 

Matthews,  John,  enl.  Nov.  26,  1864,  Ist  H.  Art. 

Mowry,  Rasselas  A,,  enl,  Nov,  20,  1864,  1st  H.  Art. 

McGuire,  James,  enl.  Dec.  10,  1864,  2d  Mass. 

McMahon,  Michael,  enl.  Dec.  10, 1864,  2d  Cav. 

Michell,  John  A.,  enl.  Dec.  10,  1864,  4th  Cav. 


Merriman,  Heimaii  G.,  enl.  Nov.  19, 1864,  2d  Cav. 

Maxwell,  Alexander,  enl.  Nov.  19, 1864. 

Meade,  George  B.,  enl.  Dec.  31,  1804,  3d  Cav. 

McGreary,  James,  enl.  Dec.  31,  1864. 

Niekerson,  M.  S.,  10th  Blass,,  Co,  A. 

Noble,  Wilbur  W,,  loth  Mass ,  Co.  F, 

Newell,  Joseph  K.,  1st  lieut,,  enl.  June,  1861,  lOth 

Mass.,  Co,  I. 
Newell,  Barnard,  1st  Cav. 
Noyea,  Edward  H.,  enl.  June  14,  1862,  "tli  R.I. 

Cav.,  Co.  B. 
Niles,  Horace  L.,  sergt.,  enl.  May  24,  1801, 1st  Cav., 

Co.  A. 
Nichols,  Henry,  N.  Y. 

Newtim,  Solomon  E.,  enl.  Aug.  7,  1802,  Ist  Cav. 
New  ton,  James,  enl.  Aug,  6,  1862,  1st  Cav. 
Newton,  John  0.  II.,  enl,  Aug,  12,  1862,  Ist  Cav. 
Newton,  Marcus  M.,  enl.  July  19, 1862,  34th  Mass., 

Co.  F. 
Norton,  Thomas  W,,  enl.  July  22,  1862,  •27th  Mass. 
Norton,  James,  enl.  Aug.  5, 1862,  37tli  Mass. 
Newell,  E.  A.,  enl.  Sept.  25,  1802,40th  Mass.,  Co.  A. 
Newton,  A.  S.,  enl.  Sept.  25, 1862,  40th  Mass  ,  Co.  A. 
Nichols,  Chas.  A.,  enl.  Sept,  25,  '02, 40th  Mass,,  Co,  A. 
Nichols,  A.  L.,  8th  Mass.,  Co.  H. 
Noe,  Charles,  54th  Regt. 

Nagle,  Richard,  enl.  Jan.  8,  1S64,  13th  H.  Art. 
Noble,  Wilbur  W,,  enl.  Sept,  1,  1804,  30th  H.  Art. 
Norton,  Barney,  enl,  1804, 
Nolan,  Robert,  enl,  July,  1804,  •28lh  Mass. 
Nichols,  Joseph,  Jr.,  enl.  Dec.  8,  1804,  Vet.  Bes. 

Corps. 
Newell,  Wm.  S.,  enl.  Dec.  8, 1804, 10th  Mass.,  Co.  F. 
Nichols,  Henry  U.,  enl.  Sept,  7,  1864. 
Nicholson,  James  H.,  enl.  Dec.  1864,  2d  H.  Art. 
Noble,  James  F. 

Newton,  Jerome  N,,  enl.  Nov.  10,  1864, 1st  H.  Art. 
Neiss,  George  B.,  enl,  Sept.  16,  1864,  2d  H.  Art. 
O'Brien,  Patrick,  10th  Blass,,  Co.  A. 
Orne,  J.  D.,  2d  lieut,,  enl,  1861, 18th  Mass,,  Co.  A. 

Otis,  George  A,,  surgeon,  27th  Mass. 

O'Connor,  John,  •29th  Mass.,  Co,  I. 

O'Connor,  John,  31st  Mass.,  Co.  G, 

O'Dounell,  John,  enl.  Jan.  9, 1802, 31st  Mass.,  Co,  G. 

Oliver,  Napoleon,  1st  Cav,,  Co.  E. 

O'Reilly,  Robert,  N.  Y. 

Orr,  Alexander,  2l8t  Mass. 

Oliver,  Sylvester,  27th  Mass. 

Otis,  CM,,  N,  Y. 

O'Harry,  H.  I,  N.  Y. 

O'Brien,  Philip,  N.  Y. 

O'Conlier,  Patrick,  enl.  Sept.  2,  1862,  27th  Mass. 

O'Connor,  James,  sergt,,  eul.  Aug.  20,  1862,  37th 
Moss. 

Oliver,  Sidney  S,,  enl.  Aug.  16,  1862,  1st  Cav. 

Oliver,  Willisra,  enl.  Aug.  7,  1862,  37th  Mass. 

O'Brien,  <3orneliuB,  enl.  Sept,  15,  1802,  8th  Mass. 

O'Connor,  Thomas,  enl.  Sept.  15,  1862,  8th  Mass. 

O'Neil,  James,  enl.  April  18,  1863,  H.  Art. 

Oliver,  William  H,,  64th  Mass, 

O'Brien,  Michael,  enl.  Dec.  30,  1803,  67th  Mass. 

O'Laughlin,  Patrick,  enl.  Jan.  8, 1804, 13th  II.  Art. 

O'Connor,  Daniel,  enl.  Jan.  '28,  1864,  27th  Mass. 

Olds,  George  F,,  61st  Mass. 

O'Brien,  John,  enl.  Sept.  1,  1864,  30th  H.  Art. 

Owen,  Oscar  G,,  enl.  Sept.  1, 1864,  30th  H.  Art. 

Orchard,  Charles  H,,  enl.  Sept,  1, 1864, 30lh  11.  Art. 

Orchard,  William  T,,  enl,  Sept.  1, 1864, 30th  H.  Art. 

O'llearn,  William,  enl.  Sept.  16, 1864,  2d  Art, 

Olds,  George  F,,  enl,  Sept.  1864. 

O'Reilly,  Timothy,  enl.  Sept,  13,  1864,29th  II,  Art, 

O'Brien,  Thomas, enl.  Sept,  14,'04,  Vet.  Res. Corps. 

O'Conuell,  Jere.,  enl. Sept.  10, 1804, 10th  Mass.  Batt. 

O'Brien,  Patrick,  enl.  Sept.  14, 1864,  'id  H.  Art. 

Parkhurst,  William,  2d  Mass.,  Co.  D. 

Petraeke,  Angelo,  musician,  Ulth  Mass.,  Co.  A. 

Porter,  Byron,  Ist  lieut  ,  enl.  June,  1861, 10th  Mass., 
Co.  E. 

Phillips,  Alva  C,  sergt,,  10th  Mass.,  Co.  E. 

Paddock,  lehabod  S.,  10th  Mass.,  Co.  E. 

Porter,  Peter,  10th  Mass.,  Co.  E. 

Potvin,  Charles,  10th  Mass,,  Co.  E. 

Pierce,  Edwin  C,  Corp.,  enl,  June,  1861;  lOlh  Mass,, 
Co.  F.;  pro.  to  2d  lieut.,  Maine  Regt. 

Phelps,  Frank  H,  enl.  June,  '61,  lOth  Mass.,  Co.F. 

Putnam,  Silas  L,,  enl.  June,  1861,  loth  Mass.,  Co. 
F;  killed  1863. 


HISTORY  OF  HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


883 


Phelon,  John  M.,  18th  Mass.,  Co.  A. 

Parkei,  James,  18th  Mass.,  Go.  H. 

Powers,  James,  2Uth  Mass.,  Co.  K. 

Pine,  Daniel,  enl.  Ang.  10,  1861,  2Ist  Mass.,  Co.  B. 

Parsons,  Edwin  D.,  27th  Miiss.,  Co.  K. 

Pdlver.  Martin  M.,  sergt.,  3l3t  Mass.,  Co.  F. 

Patch,  William,  :nst  Mass.,  Co.  G. 

Putnam,  Charles  H.,  Corp.,  enl.  Nov.  5.  18G1,  1st 

Cav.,  Co.  E. 
Preston,  Robert,  10th  Mass. 
Parker,  Simeon  B.,  N.  Y.  Zouaves. 
Pooley,  John,  lljth  Mass. 
Purcell,  Philip,  1st  Cav. 
Perry,  James  E.,  27th  Miiss. 
Pease,  Vashni,  1st  Cav. 
Packard,  Henry  A.,  62d  N.  Y. 
Pike,  Horace,  31st  Mass. 
Perkin,  William,  .3d  Md. 
Plant,  Peter,  enl.  July  28,  1862,  37th  Mass. 
Pi'att,  James,  enl.  Aug.  1864. 
Pease,  Braslus  B.,  enl.  Aug.  13,  1862,  37th  Mass., 

Co.  I ;  killeil  June  3, 1SB4. 
Pollett,  William,  enl.  Nov.  26, 1861,  l»t  H.  Art. 
Pierce,  Patrick,  enl.  Aug.  9,  1862,  37th  Mass. 
Pierce,  Edwin,  enl.  Ang.  13,  1862,  1st  Cav. 
Pike,  Robert,  enl.  Nov.  1,  1804,  lath  Mass.  Batt. 
Paul,  Albert  O.,  enl.  Aug.  18, 1862,  Ist  Cav. 
Pratt,  Roswell  A.,  enl.  Sept.  8,  1864. 
Plant,  .lohii  W.,  enl.  July  21, '62,37tb  Mass.,  Co.  I. 
Patch,  John  B,,  cul.  Aug.  27,  1864,  Navy. 
Parent,  Lewis,  enl.  Aug.  18,  1802,  37th  Mass. 
Phillips,  Wm.  S.,  enl.  Feb.  17,  186fl.  2d  Cav. 
Phelps,  diaries,  lieut.,  37th  Mass.,  Co.  I. 
Potter,  Henry  H.,  enl.  1804. 
Pearce,  Leander  F.,  enl.  Ang.  7,  1862,  1st  Cav. 
PansaiLT,  Alfred,  enl.  1804. 

Phelps,  Harlan  S.,  enl.  Aug.  1.3,  1802,  37th  Miiss. 
Prescott,  Waireii  K.,  enl.  1864. 
Pierce,  Stephen  D.,  enl.  Aug.  20,  1862,  27th  Mass. 
Phinney,  Prince  A.,  enl.  1864. 
Potwino,  George  C. 

Peiise,  Newton,  enl.  July  1.5, 1862,  27th  Mass.,  Co.  D. 
I'limpton,  Wm.  P.,  enl.  1804. 
Pease,  Wallace,  enl.  July  15, 1802,  27tli  Mass. 
Pendergast,  Peter,  enl.  Aug.  1864. 
Parmelee,  Almond  G.,  enl.  Aug.  6, 1802,  27th  Blass. 
Pratt,  Elislia,  enl.  Aug.  11,  1862,  27th  Mass. 
Pease,  Augustus  E.,  enl.  Aug.  9,  1862,  37tli  Mass., 

Co.  I;  killed  Sept.  19,  1864. 
Parker,  Allen  F.,  enl.  Ang.  5,  1862,  37th  Mass., 

Co.  I. 
Page,  Robt.  A.,  enl.  Sept.  2.'),  1802, 40th  Mass.,  Co.  A. 
Pease,  John  A.,  enl.  Sept.  25, 1862,46tli  Mass.,  Co.  A. 
Perkins,  E.  A.,  enl.  Sept.  25, 1862,  46th  Mass.,  Co.  A. 
Pratt,  George  M.,  eul.  Sept.  25,  1802,  46th  Mass., 

Co.  A. 
Putnam,  C.  F.,  enl.  Sept.  25, 1862, 46tli  Mass.,  Co.  A. 
Pansinou,  Jacob,  eiil.  Sept.  15,  '62, 8tii  Maas.,  Co.  H. 
Pease,  Samuel,  enl.  Oct.  3,  1862,  8th  Mass.,  Co.  H. 
Pearson,  Harry,  enl.  May  10,  186:i,  5th  H.  Art. 
Preston,  Emerson  R.,  enl.  April  11,  1863,  5th  H. 

Art. 
Perry,  J.  M.,  enl.  May  30,  1863,  5tb  H.  Art. 
Powers,  Ersskine  N.,  enl.  June  10, 1803, 7th  H.  Art. 
Pattee,  Delevan  M.,  drafted  July  16,  1863. 
Perkins,  John,  enl.  Jan.  1,  1801,  57th  Mass. 
Priny,  Wm.,  enl.  Jan.  4,  1804,  1st  Cav.,  Co.  M. 
Parker,  Marshall  R.,  enl.  Dec.  26,  1863,  4lh  Cav  , 

Co.  G. 
PeArce,  Edward  P.,  enl.  Jan.  7,  1864, 1st  Cav. 
Peck,  Benjamin  B.,  enl.  Jan.  4,  1804,  27th  Mass. 
Potter,  Enos,  enl.  Nov.  21,  1864,  Ist  H.  Art. 
Phelps,  Geo.  W.,  enl.  Jan.  5,  1864,  13tb  H.  Art. 
Preston,  Frank,  enl.  1863,  13th  Regt. 
Perkins,  George  H.,  enl.  Dec.  29,  1863,  131h  Regt. 
Perven,  Orrin,  enl.  Jan.  6,  1804,  13th  Regt. 
Pinckney,  Asbury  C,  enl.  Jan.  22,  1804,  1st  Cav. 
Parent,  Nepthale,  enl.  Jan.  20,  1864,  37th  Mass., 

Co.  H. 
Powers,  Michael,  enl.  Feb.  2,  '64,57th  Mass.,  Co.  C. 
Prouty,  Wm.  A.,  enl.  Feb.  6, 1804,  57tli  Mass. 
Parker,  Carlos  A.,  enl.  Feb.  23,  1864,  57th  Mass. 
Pell,  William,  enl.  March  21,  1864,  5tli  Cav. 
Phettiplace,  George  H.,  enl.  Aug.  19,  1864,  2d  H. 

Art. 
Perkins,  Geo.  0.,  Beigt.,  enl.  Sept.  1863,  2d  U.  Art. 
Parker,  Charles  E.,  enl.  Sept.  1, 1864,  30th  H.  Art. 


Partridge,  Andrew,  enl.  Sept.  1, 1864,  30th  H.  Art. 
Potter,  Willson  L.,  enl.  Sept.  1,  1864,  .30th  H.  Art. 
Perkins,  George,  enl.  Sept.  1,  1864,  .30tli  H.  Art.  ; 

pro.  Nov.  1864,  lieut.,  8tli  Regt.,  U.  S.  Coloreil 

Troops. 
Prescott,  Morrill,  enl.  Sept.  1,  1864,  30th  H.  Art. 
Plunkett,  Patrick,  enl.  Sept.  1, 1864,  3Uth  H.  Art. 
Prentiss,  Henry  S.,  enl.  Sept.  1,  1864,  30th  H.  Art. 
Parker,  Thomas  B.,  enl.  Sept.  1,  1861,  30th  H.  Art. 
Porter,  Wm.  M.,  eul.  Sept.  1,  1864.  30th  H.  Art. 
Qnilty,  Michael,  Corp.,  enl.  Oct.  21, 1861,  28tU  Mass. 
Quiun,  P.  N.,  N.  Y. 

Quilty,  Thomas,  enl.  Aug.  8,  1802, 1st  Cav.,  Co.  G. 
Quimby,  George  W.,  eul.  Jan.  24,  1865,  20th  Mass. 
Robinson,  Henry  S.,  musician,  10th  Mass. 
Riug,  Joseph,  10th  Mass.,  Co.  A. 
Ramsdell,  Henry  L.,  loth  Mass.,  Co.  E. 
Rice,  Newell  S.,  10th  Mass.,  Co.  E. 
Ross,  Levi,  Corp.,  enl.  Juno  21,  1801,  10th   Mass., 

Co.  F. 
Russell,  Charles,  10th  Mass.,  Co.  H. 
Riley,  David,  lOtli  Mass.,  Co.  I. 
Rogers,  Edwin  F.,I8tli  Mass.,  Co.  H. 
Richardson,  Edwin,  19th  Mass.,  Co.  E. 
Ring,  Geo.  H.,  enl.  Oct.  10,  1801 ,  27th  Mass.,  Co.  K. 
Ryan,  Rhodes,  31st  Mass.,  Co.  G. 
Remington,  Robert  A.,  enl.  Sept.  1,  1861, 1st  Cav., 

Co.  E;  died  at  Andersonville,  July  111,  1864. 
Rohner,  William,  enl.  July,  1862,  20th  Conn. 
Rohuer,  Emory,  enl.  July,  1862,  20th  Conn. 
Eeiglier,  Cliailes,  IStli  Mass. 
Ring,  Thomas,  enl.  Juno  5, 1802,  27th  Mass. 
Royle,  Auguste,  loth  Mass. 
Ripley,  Herbert  S.,  Mich. 
Rea,  Charles,  N.  Y. 
Richards,  John,  27th  Mass. 
Riley,  Robert,  N.  Y. 
Richmond,  Reuben,  62d  N.  Y. 
Richmond,  A.  J.,  62d  N.  Y.;  killed  May  12,  1804. 
Richnioud,  Thomas,  18tli  Mass. 
Ridgers,  Edgar,  18th  Mass. 
Robinson,  George,  lOtli  Mass. 
Rood,  Henry,  1st  Cav. 

Rust, ,  Cav. 

Roy,  Augustus,  Cav. 

Rice,  Charles  E.,  21st  C!onn. 

Robbin,  James,  12th  Conn. 

Roach,  J.  M.,  27th  Mass. 

Rigsby,  Burr,  1st  Cav. 

Riddle,  E.  R.,  71st  N.  Y. 

Ripley,  William,  enl.  1862,  3d  Vt. 

Richards,  R.  A.,  N.  T. 

Row,  J.  W.,  Maine. 

Reed,  David  W.,  1st  Mass. 

Ryan,  Timothy,  27th  Mass. 

Richards,  Reuben,  27th  Mass.,  Co.  K. 

Richardson,  J.   C,  enl.  Oct.  9,  1861,  27th   Mass., 

Co.  K. 
Rowley,  Charles  S.,  enl.  July  15, 1802, 37th  Mass.,  I. 
Rowe,  Jacob  F.,  enl.  July  4,  1802,  1st  Cav. 
Richards,  Marshall,  enl.  July  0,  1862,  37th  Mass. 
Richardson,  George,  enl.  July  13,  1862,  37th  Mass. 
Rice,  Wm.  A.,  enl.  July  19,  1802,  38th  Mass. 
Roach,  John  M.,  eul.  July  31,  1802,  34th   Mass., 

Co.  D. 
Rawson,  Charles  B.,  enl.  Aug.  21,  1862,  36th  Mass. 
Raftis,  Richard,  enl.  July  21, 1862,  27th  Mass.:  died 

in  prison. 
Ryan,  Timothy  A.,  enl.  July  30,  1862,  27th  Mass., 

Co.  K. 
Rawson,  John,  enl.  Aug.  20,1862,  10th  Mass. 
Rhodes,  Edward  B.,  enl.  Aug.  20,  1862,  10th  Mass. 
Ryan,  Patrick,  enl.  July  25,  lS62,37tli  Mass. 
Rood,  Henry,  enl.  Aug.  28,  1862,  Ist  Cav. 
Russell,  Francis  C,  enl.  Sept.  9,  1862,  51st  Mass. 
Richardson,  A.  H.,  enl.  Sept.  25,  1862,  46th  Mass., 

Co.  A. 
Richardson,  E.,  enl.  Sept.  25, 1802, 46th  Mass.,  Co.  A. 
Ripley,  James  F.,  enl.  Sept.  26,  1862,  46th  Mass., 

Co.  A. 
Rodier,  Louis  C,  enl.  Sept.  25,  1862,  40th  Mass., 

Co.  A. 
Rogers,  E.  C,  sergt.,  enl.  Sept,  25, 1802,46th  Miiss., 

Co.  A. 
Richmond,  D.  B.,  enl.  .Sept.  12,  1802,  8th   Mass., 

Co.  H. 
Rice,  Henry  H.,  enl.  Oct.  20,1862,8th  Mass.,  Co.  H. 


Roach,  .John,  enl.  Sept.  12, 1862,  8th  Mass.,  Co.  H. 
Rock,  Thomiw,  enl.  Juno  10,  1863,  7  th  H.  Art. 
Rice,  James  W.,  enl.  Aug.  18, 1803. 
Robinson,  John  W.,  enl.  Dec.  4,  1863,  2d  H.  Art. 
Redican,  Patrick,  enl.  Dec.  24,  1803,  Ist  Cav. 
Reed,  Thomas  R  ,  enl.  Dec.  28,  1863,  67th  M.I89. 
Riley,  William,  enl.  Dec.  30,  1863,  57lh  Mass. 
Rogers,  Michael,  etil.  Jan.  2,  1804,  27tli  Mafis. 
Reed,  Niithaniel,  enl.  Jan.  5, 1804,  57tli  Mass. 
Riley,  John,  enl.  .Ian. 4,  1864,  Ist  Cav. 
Rice,  G.  Miirshall,  enl.  Jan.  4,  1804,  27tll  Mass. 
Robinson,  Henry  S.,  enl.  Jan.  4,  1804,  4th  Cav. 
Robins,  Henry  M.,  enl.  Jan.  4,  1804,  4th  Cav. 
Ryan.  James,  enl.  Jan.  9,  1804,  l.st  Cav. 
Itoy,  Ezra,  enl.  Jan.  13,  1804,  13th  H.  Art. 
Itoucy,  George  E.,  enl.  Jan.  1.5,  1864,  13th  H.  Art. 
Ridgeway,  Geo.  E.,  enl.  Jan.  7,  1804,  I3th  H.  Art. 
Riiy,  Thomas  H.,  enl.  Jan.  4,  1864,  13th  H.  Art. 
Rass,  Franklin  C,  enl.  Jan.  4,  1804,  13tli  H.  Art. 
Rollins,  Francis  J.,  enl.  Dec.  30,  1863,  13th  H.  Art. 
Russell,  Loren,  enl.  Jan.  22,  1864,  67th  Mass. 
Ryan,  Morris  R.,  enl.  Feb.  5,  1861,  4th  Cav. 
Rodiei-,  Louis  N.,  enl.  Feb.  18,  1864,  57tli  Miiss., 

Co.  G. 
Riimney,  Edward  E.,  enl.  Feb.  29, 1804,  57th  Mass. 
Rodes,  Wesley,  enl.  March  17,  1804,  5th  Cav. 
Russell,  James,  enl.  March  25,  1804,  5th  Cav. 
Ryan,  Williiiin,  28tli  Miiss. 
Robinson,  John,  3d  H.  Art. 
Ryle,  Edmund,  1st  H.  Art. 
Rogers,  John,  enl.  Sept.  1,  1804,  30th  H.  Art. 
Rise,  Hubert  G.,  enl.  Sept.  1,1804,  3Uth  H.  Art. 
Rice,  Urban  B.,  enl.  Sept.  1,  1804,  30th  H.Art. 
Rand,  Levi  T.,  enl.  Sept.  1,  1804,  30th  H.  Art. 
Rice,  Alonzo  M.,  enl.  Sept.  1,  1.864,  30th  H.  Art. 
Reed,  Benjamin  D.,  enl.  Sept.  1,  1864,  30th  H.  Art. 
Remington,  Franklin  B.,  enl.  Sept.  1,  1864,  30th 

U.  Art. 
Richards,  Stephen, enl.  Sept.  1,  1804,  30tli  H.  Art. 
Reed,  Myron,  enl.  Sept.  1,  1864,30th  H.  Art. 
Robertson,  George  W.,  enl.  Sept.  1,  1804,  30th  U. 

Art. 
Robinson,  Marvin  P.,  enl.  Sept.  1,  1864,  30th  H. 

Art. 
Reynolds,  Wm.  P.,  enl.  Sept.  1,  1864,  30th  H.  Art. 
Ryan,  Piitrick,  enl.  Aug.  1804,  28tli  Mass. 
Rose,  Henry,  enl.  Aug.  1804. 
Read,  Roman,  enl.  Dec.  1804. 
Rice,  Frank,  eul.  Dec.  1804. 

Russell,  Edwin  L.,  eul.  Jiin.  21,  186.5,  20th  Miiss. 
Ryle,  James  J.,  enl.  Nov.  30,  1862,  3(1  Cav. 
Rice,  ,lohn,  enl.  Nov.  19,  1804,  lOth  Mass. 
Rourke,  Bernard,  enl.  Nov.  29,  1864,  61st  Mass., 

Co.  G. 
Rowell,  J.  M.,  enl.  1804. 

Rice,  Asaph,  enl.  Sept.  12,  1864,  Vet.  Res.  Corps  . 
Rogers,  George  E.,  enl.  Sept.  19,  1864. 
Roberts,  John,  enl.  Sept.  14,  1804,  Ilth  Miiss.  Batt. 
Radcliff,  Andrew,  enl.  Sept.  10,  1864,  Navy. 
Rand,  George  E.,  enl.  Sept.  9,  1801,  2d  H.  Art. 
Roberts,  Jerome  E.,  enl.  March  22,  '04,  56th  Mass. 
Streeter,  Albert  L.,  drummer,  enl.  1861,27th  Mass. 
Sullivan,  John,  9th  Mass.,  Co.  E. 
Shehan,  Timothy,  enl.  Juno  21,1861,10th  Mass., 

Co.  E. 
Shem,  James,  enl.  Juno  21, 1801, 10th  Mass.;  Co.  E. 
Scott,  James  L  ,  enl.  June  21,  1861,  10th  Mass., 

Co.  E. 
Shaw,  Alvin  D.,  enl.  June  21,  1861,  loth  Mass., 

Co.  F. 
Sackett,  Alonzo  F.,  enl.  June  21,  1861, 10th  Mass., 

Co.  F. 
Strickland,  George  G.,  enl.  June  21,  1801,  Co.  F  ; 

died  Aug.  8,  1862. 
Skinner,  John  P.,  enl.  June  21,  1801, 10th  Mass., 

Co.  F. 
Smith,  Wm.  S.,  10th  Mass.,  Co.  I. 
Shay,  Peter,  10th  Jliiss.,  Co.  I. 
Sullivan,  Jerry,  10th  Mass.,  Co.  I. 
Sullivan,  Michiiel,  10th  Mass.,  Co.  I. 
Si^uires,  John  C,  10th  Mass.,  Co.  I;  died. 
Smith,  David  P.,  surg.,  I8th  Mass.;  pro.  to  brig.- 

enrg. 
Stebbins,  Jackson  N.,  enl.  Aug.  1801,  ISth  fllitss. 

Co.  K. 
Stewart,  John,  Corp.,  enl.  Aug.  16, 180l,2l8t  Mass. 

Co.  a 


884 


HISTORY  OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


Sheridiin,  Martin,  enl.  Aug.  27,  1861,  21st  Muss., 

(Jo.  B. 
Somerville,  John,  enl.  Aug.  16,  1861,  21st  Maas., 

Co.  B. 
Sullivan,  Uoiinis,  enl.  .Sept.  2,  1862,  27tli  Mass., 

Co.K. 
Sullivan,  Tlionins,  27lli  Mass.,  Co.  K. 
Sporhain,  Francis,  enl.  Oct.  12,  1801,  27th  Mass., 

Co.K. 
Scott,  E.  K.,  enl.  Fch.  3,  1862,  31st  Mass.,  Co.  F 
Swallow,  Hugh  K.,corp.,eul.  Nov.  18G1, 31st  Mass., 

Co.  G. 
St.  Peter,  Peter,  Slst  Mass.,  Co.  H. 
Smith,  Lewis,  Ist  Cav.,  Co.  E. 
Smitli,  Lucius,  1st  Cav.,  Co.  E. 
Scott,  Henry  E.,  1st  Cav.,  Co.  E. 
Stevens,  Joseph   L.,  enl.  Sept.  10,  1801,  1st  Cav., 

Co.  F. 
Stevens,  Sidney  F.,  enl.  Aug.  15,  1802,  Ist  Cav., 

Co.  G. 
Shattuck,  Fred.,  12tli  Mass. 
Swan,  Wm.  D.,  32d  Mass. 
Smith,  George  H.,  2d  Ma.s8. 
Strowd,  E.,  13tli  Conn. 
Stetson,  V.S.,  Conn. 
Simiison,  HerluTt  1.,  27th  Mass. 
Sampson,  Ira  B.,  27tli  Mass. 
Swan,  George  BI.,  62d  N.  Y. 
Sullivan,  Daniel,  31at  Mass. 
Sliolcs,  Auftin  D.,  62d  N.  Y. 
Sl>ooner,  Horatio  B.,corp.,  2rith  Mass.,  Co.  K. 
Steele,  Horace,  10th  Conn. 
Sliclian,  Ricliard,  N.  U. 
Shannan,  Ricliard,  Conn. 
Smith,  J.  C,  27th  Mass. 

Sackett,  Charles,  enl.  1861,  27th  Mass.,  Co.  K. 
Saekett,  U.  U.,  27lh  Mass.,  Co.  K. 
Styles,  Augustus,  1st  Cav. 
Smith,  Otis  B.,4th  Vt. 
Snow,  Francis  M.,  Ist  Cav. 

Southwick,  Farnum,  enl.  Aug.  Ir,,  1862.  Ist  Cav. 
Scott,  Lunian,  loth  Mass. 
Stevens,  Egbert  M.,  15th  Mass. 
Sliepard,  Joseph,  2d  Mass. 
Stamus,  Wm-,  enl.  Aug.  1802,  Conn. 
Smith,  Newton  W. 
Spellman,  C.  E.,  1st  Cav. 
Shaw,  William,  N.  Y. 
Scott,  Peter,  N.  Y. 
Sheou,  William,  N.  Y. 
Sanders,  John,  N.  Y. 
Shehan,Tim.,tliy,  N.  Y. 
Smilli,  H.  M.,  21st  Mass. 
Sullivan,  J.,  21st  Mass. 
Stockwell,  Win.  C,  enl.  July  15,  1862,  37th  Mass., 

Co.  I;  killed  June  18, 1864. 
Stockwell,  Charles  E.,  37th  Mass.,  Co.  I;  died  in 

hospital,  April,  1864. 
Shannon,  Philip,  eul.  Aug.  14,  1862,  37lh  Mass., 

Co.  I. 
Sears,  Edward  S.,  enl.  Aug.  15,  1862,  37th  Mass., 

Co.  I. 
Speight,  John,  37th  Mass.,  Co.  D. 
Smith,  Timothy  D.,37th  Mass.,  Co.  D;  killed  April 

6,  1805. 
Shaw,  I.  D.,  37th  Mass. 
Shaw,  William,  37  ih  Mass. 
Scully,  Midiael,  eul.  Aug.  13, 1862,  37th  Mass. 
Sheehan,  John,  enl.  Aug.  12, 1862,  371h  Mass. 
Sparks,  George  H.,  enl.  Aug.  22, 1802,  lllth  Mass. 
Spoonei-,  George  0.,  enl.  Aug.  7, 1862,  27th  Mass. 
Stone,  Benjamin,  enl.  Aug.  6,  1862,  27lh  Mass. 
Severance,  Chas.  H.,  enl.  Aug.  10, 1862,  27th  Mass. 
Squires,  George,  H.,  enl.  Aug.  19, 1862, 27th  Mass., 

Co.K. 
Smith,  Charles  H.,  enl.  July  12,  1862,  27th  Mass. 
Snow,  Elmoro  P.,  enl.  July  14,  1862,  27th  Mass., 

Co.  D. 
Smith, Ed  ward,  enl.  July  31, 1862, 27th  Mass.,  Co.  G. 
Sargent,  Stephen,  enl.  July  19,  1802,  34tli  Mass., 

Co.  D. 
Shay,  Daniel,  enl.  Aug.  18,  1862,  37th  Mass.,  Co.  I. 
Seel,  Charles,  enl.  ,\Hg.  S,  1862,  37th  Mass.,  Vo.  B. 
Shay,  John  S.,  enl.  Aug.  5,  1862,  37th  Mass. 
Smith,  Henry  D.,  enl.  Aug.  8,  1862,  1st  Cav. 
Smith,  Edwin  F.,  enl.  Aug.  5,  1862,  1st  Cav. 
Smith,  Reuben  C,  enl.  Aug.  5, 1802, 1st  Cav. 


Smith,  Wm.  L.,  enl.  Aug.  7,  1862, 1st  Cav. 
Shaw,  L.  K.,  enl.  July  17,  1802,  ,37lh  Mass.,  Co.  I. 
Sullivan,  Dennis,  enl.  July  21,  1862,  37th  Mass. 
Strong,  Loandcr,  enl.  Aug.  7.  1862,  37th  Mass. 
Southwick,  Farnum,  enl.  Aug.  16,  1862,  Ist  Cav., 

Co.  A. 
Smith,  Ebenezcr,  enl.  Aug.  19,  1862,  1st  Cav. 
Stevens,  Sidney  F.,  enl.  Aug.  15,  1862,  Ist  Cav. 
Snow,  Francis  M.,  enl.  May  21,  1861, 1st  Cav. 
Stockwell,  David  S.,  enl.  Aug.  20, 1862,  37th  Mass. 
Scovill,  James,  enl.  Sept.  25, 1802, 46th  Mass.,Co.A. 
Sikes,  Uufus,  Jr.,  enl.  Sept.  26,  1862,  46lh  Mass., 

Co.  A. 
Sprague,  E.  L.,  enl.  Sept.  25,  '62,46th  Mass.,  Co.  A. 
Stebbins,  G.  S.,  enl.  Sept.  25,  '02,  46th  Mass.,  Co.  A. 
Stewart,  Frank  H.,  enl.  Sept.  25,  1862,  46th  Mass., 

Co.  A. 
Stiui.^on,  Chas.  M.,  enl.  Sept.  25,  1862,  46th  Mass., 

Co.  A. 
Strong,  E.  0.,  enl.  Sept.  25, 1862,  46th  Mass.,  Co.  A. 
Strong,  W.  H.,  enl.  Sept.  25,  '62,  40th  Mass.,  Co.  A. 
Sturtevant,  H.  D.,  enl.  Sept.  25,  1862,  40th  Mass., 

Co.  A. 
Spooner,  Samuel  B.,  capt.,  enl.  Sept.  25,1862,46th 

Mass. ;  pro.  to  ma.i.,  Feb.  5, 1863. 
Shuitleff,  Wm.  S.,  1st  lieut.,  enl. Sept.  25, 1862,46th 

Mass.;  pro.  to  lie\it.-col.,  Oct.  27,  1862;  to  col., 

Feb.  1803. 
Scanlin,  James,  enl.  Sept.  27,  '62,8th  Mass.,  Co.  H 
Searles,  Charles,  enl.  Oct.  11,  '62,  8th  Mass.,  Co.  H. 
Sullivan,    Eugene,  enl.  Oct.   11,  1S62,  8th  Mass., 

Co.K. 
Smith,  Wm.,  enl.  May  30,  1863,  5th  H.  Art. 
Simer,  Josepli,  enl.  May  12,  186.3,  5th  H.  Art. 
Sabine,  Wm.,  enl.  May  16,  1S63,  5th  H.  Art. 
Stanton,  Edward  A.,  enl.  May  16, 1863, 5tli  H.  Art. 
Stanton,  James,  enl.  June  13, 1803,  "th  H.  Art. 
Smith,  Henry,  enl.  Feb.  10,  1863,  2d  Cav.,  Co.  J. 
Smith,  James  M.,  enl.  April  9, 1863, 2d  Cav.,  Co.  I. 
Snow,  Billings,  drafted  July  16,  1863,  32d  Regt. 
Swan,  Charles,  drafted  July  16, 1863. 
Symmes,  Jefferson,  enl.  Jan.  4, 1804,  1st  Cav. 
Sbiiy,  John,  enl.  Jan.  15,  1864,  57th  Mass. 
Strickland,  Leroy  S.,  enl.  Jan.  6,1864, 13th  H.  Art. 
Stevens,  Wm.  H.,  eul.  J.an.  1, 1864,  13th  H.  Art. 
Sheldon,  Abner,  enl.  Jan.  8,  1804, 13th  H.  Art. 
Strickland,  Emery,  enl.  Jan.  6, 1864, 13th  H.  Art. 
Stowell,  Gi-o.  M.,  enl.  Dec.  31,  1863,  13th  H.  Art. 
Sheehey,  John,  enl.  Dec.  .31.  1863,  13lh  H.  Art. 
Sackett,  William,  enl.  Dec.  31,  1863, 13lh  H.  Art. 
Scdlace,  Albert  N.,  enl.  Dec.  .30,  1863,  13lh  H.  Art. 
Sollace,  Giles  M.,  enl.  Jan.  18,  1864, 13lh  H.  Art. 
Snow,  Wm.,  enl.  Jan.  14, 1864,  27th  Mass. 
Stafford,  Itobert,  enl.  Jan.  21, 1864,  Ist  Cav. 
Sherwin,  Waldo,  enl.  Jan.  15,  '64,  57th  Ma^^s.,  Co.  C. 
Shoiler,  Joseph  N.,  enl.  Feb.  11,  1804,  57th  Mass. 
Smith,  Frank,  enl.  Feb.  20, 1864,  57th  Mass. 
Snell,  Warren  T.,  enl.  Feb.  26,  1864,  27th  Mass. 
Simpson,  John  H.,  enl.  March  7,  1864,  57tll  Mass. 
Sargent,  Joseph  A.,  3d  Cav. 
Stillings,  Riifns,  enl.  Sept.  1,  1864,  30th  H.  Art. 
Smith,  Benj.  ¥.,  enl.  Sept.  1,  1864,  30th  H.  Art. 
Simmons,  Frank  T.,  enl.  Sept.  1, 1864,  30th  H.  Art. 
Siskron,  Edward,  enl.  Sept.  1,  1864,  3Uth  H.  Art. 
Shanley,  Barnard,  enl.  Sept.  1,  1864,  30th  H.  Art. 
Sill,  Samuel,  enl.  Sept.  1, 1864,  30th  H.  Art. 
Sturgess,  Warren,  enl.  Sept.  1, 1804,  30th  11.  Art. 
Shaw,  Artemus  C,  enl.  Sept.  1,  1864,  30th  H.  Art. 
Shaw,  John,  enl.  Sept.  1, 1864,  30tli  H.  Art. 
Scnrrah,  Thoma<,  enl.  Sept.  l,1864,30lh  H.  Art. 
Smith,  George  A.,  enl.  Sept.  1, 1864,  30th  H.  Art. 
Sikes,  George  F.,  enl.  Sept.  1,  1864,  30th  U.  Art. 
Spooner,  Wm.  A.,  enl.  Sept.  1,  1864,  30th  H.  Art. 
Siskron,  Samuel  F.,  enl.  Sept.  1, 1864,  30th  H.  Art. 
Snow,  Franklin  A.,  onl.  Sept.  1, 1864,  30th  H.  Art. 
Sturtevant,  Henry  C,  enl.  Sept.  1,  '64, 3llth  H.  Art. 
Simmons,  Leroy,  enl.  Sept.  1,  1804,  301h  H.  Art. 
Seagers,  Henry,  enl.  Sept.  1,  1864,  30th  H.  Art. 
Sumner,  Samuel  L.,  onl.  Sept.  1,  1804,30th  H.  Art. 
Stow,  Barmird,  eul.  Sept.  1,  1804,  30th  U.  Art. 
Smith,  John,  28th  Mass. 
Sherman,  William,  enl.  July,  1864. 
Stickel,  Jacob,  enl.  July,  1864. 
Shopland,  Fraldi,  enl.  Aug.  1864. 
Sage,  R.  C,  enl.  1864. 

Smith,  Christian,  enl.  Nov.  29, 1864,  7th  Mass.  Batt. 
Shea,  John,  enl.  Nov.  23, 1864,  4th  Cav. 


Shultz,  William,  enl.  Not.  23, 1864, 1st  Cav. 
Shea,  Cornelius,  enl.  Doc.  27, 1864,  9th  Mass.  Batt. 
Swartz,  James,  enl.  Nov.  1,  1864,  2d  Cav. 
Smith,  George  H.,  enl.  Nov.  4, 1864. 
Swartz,  Karl,  enl.  Nov.  1, 1804,  2d  Cav. 
Starr,  Edward,  enl.  Dec.  28, 1864,  Cav. 
Smith,  Josepli  D.,  enl.  Aug.  10, 1864,  Cav. 
Sackett,  Cornelius,  enl.^Dec.  31,  1864. 
Sanderson,  Lewis,  enl.  Aug.  30,  1804,  2d  H.  Art. 
Shepardson,  Simon  P.,  enl.  Oct.  29,1864,  61st  Mass., 

Co.  F;  died  Aug.  22,  1866. 
Scanlan,  Patrick,  enl.  Oct.  31, 1864,  2d  Cav. 
Smith,  George,  enl.  Nov.  6,  1864, 16th  Mass.  Batt. 
Stimson,  Horace  W.,  enl.  Dec.  30, 1804. 
Sargent,  Alonzo,  enl.  Sept.  17, 1864,  2d  H.  Art. 
Smyth,  William,  enl.  Aug.  1864. 
Sullivan,  Patrick,  enl.  Jan.  24,  1865,  20th  Mass. 
Sullivan,  John,  enl.  Feb.  1, 186.5,  17th  Mass. 
Smith,  Charles  A.,  enl.  Feb.  8, 1805,  27th  Mass. 
Sperry,  Thomas  B.,  enl.  Feb.  17,  1805,  2d  Mass. 
Sullivan,  John,  enl.  Feb.  2,  1865,  27th  Mass. 
Simpson,  Edward  F.,  enl.  Feb.  23, 1865, 19th  Regt. 
Sullivan,  Jerry,  enl.  March  2,  1865,  2d  Cav. 
Stewart,  David  W.,  enl.  Sept.  21,  1864,  61st  Mass., 

Co.  B. 
Snow,  Charles  J.,  enl.  Sept.  21,  1864,  2d  H.  Art. 
Spears,  Joseph,  enl.  Sept.  22,  1864,  3d  Cav. 
Seavers,  ElbriUge  G.,  enl.  Sept.  1864,  V.  R.  Corps. 
Stevens,  Charles  B.,  enl.  1864. 
Sanders,  Lewis,  enl.  Sept.  1, 1864,  5th  Cav. 
Smith,  Wm.  C,  enl.  Sept.  13,1864,61st  Mass. 
Sullivan,  Matthew,  enl.  Se-jt.  9,  1864,  61st  Maas. 
Smith,  John  C,  enl.  Sept.  14, 1864,  .3d  H.  Art. 
Stanley,  Wm.  E.,  enl.  Sept.  10,  1864,  29th  H.  Art. 
Stanley,  Joseph,  enl.  Sept.  16,  1864,  29tli  H.  A. 
Thompson,  Wm.enl.  June,  1861,  lOlh  Mass.,  Co.  E. 
Talbot,  Geo.  W.,cnl.  June,  1861, 10th  Mass.,  Co.  E. 
Tourtellotte,  J.  E.,  enl.  June, '61,10th  Mass.,  Co.  F. 
Titcoinb,  Win.  P.,  enl.  June,  '61,  10th  Mass.,  Co.  F. 
Taylor,  Francis  W.,  enl.  June,  1801,  10th   Mass., 

Co.  G. 
Trudence,  Napoleon,  enl.  June  21, 1801, 10th  Mass., 

Co.  G. 
Thomas,  Charles  H.,  18th  Regt.,  Co.  A. 
Trafton,  John  W.,  1st  lieut.,  27th  Mass.,  Co.  E. 
Twinklor,  Joseph,  27th  Mass.,  Co.  I. 
Tiffany,  Wm.  S.,  enl.  Oct.  10, 1861 ,  27th  Mass.,  Co.  K. 
Tucker,  John,  27th  Mass.,  Co.  K. 
Tannatt,  George  F. 
Tul.in,  Michael,  62d  N.  Y. 
Tredeau,  George,  lOth  Mass. 
Tye,  Bartholomew,  loth  Blass. 
left,  William,  lllth  Maas. 
Townan,  Thomas,  27th  Mass. 
Tuntiey,  John,  Harris'  N.  Y.  Cav. 
Tittle,  John,  10th  Mass. 
Twiss,  B.  F.,  8th  N.  H. 

Thayer,  C.  H.,  enl.  Aug.  20,  1862,  1st  Cav.,  Co.  E. 
Trash,  Samuel  B.,  Corp.,  enl.  July  15,  1862,  37th 

Mass.,  Co.  E. 
Tuttle,  Reuben  G.,  enl.  July  24,  1862,  34th  Mass. 
Tanner,  Vincent  W.,  enl.  Aug. 20,1862,37th  Regt., 

Co.  G  ;  killed  Sept.  19, 1864. 
Taylor,  Nathaniel  W.,  enl.  Aug.  20, 1862,  27th  Mass. 
Tifft,  Lewis  A.,  2d  lieut.,  enl.  Sept.  25,  1862,  4Cth 

Mass.,  Co.  A. 
Tappan,  G.  A.,  eul.  Sept.  25, 1862, 46th  Mass.,  Co.  A. 
Towner,  W.  M.,  enl.  Sept.  27, 1862,  8th  Mass.,  Co.  H. 
Tinden,  Wm.  P.,  enl.  Oct.  9,  1862,  8tli  Mass., Co.  H. 
Turner,  C.  M.,  enl.  Sept.  27,  1862,  8th  Mass.,  Co.  H. 
Thomas,  Milton  A.,  enl.  April  ll,1863,5lh  H.  Art. 
Timothy,  Michael,  enl.  June  3,  1863,5th  H.  Art. 
Townsend,  Ralson  R.,  54th  Mass. 
Tempest,  Henry,  enl.  April  9,  1863,  2d  Cav. 
Turner,  Richard  S.,  onl.  Jan.  2,  1864,  o7th  Mass. 
Turner,  Henry,  enl.  Jan.  13,  1864, 1st  Cav. 
Thompson,  George   W.,  enl.   Jan.   13,  1864,  10th 

Mass.;  killed  Sept.  19,  1864. 
Thrall,  Henry  C,  eni.  Dec.  28,  1863,  13th  H.  Art. 
Thomas,  George  H.,  enl.  Jan.  4,  1804,  13tli  H.  Art. 
Taft,  Philip  W.,  enl.  Jan.  1,  1864,  13th  H.  Art. 
Taylor,  Albert  H.,  enl.  Dec.  29,  1863,  13th  H.  Art. 
Thomas,  John  W.,  onl.  Dec.  29,  1863,  13th  H.  Art. 
Tebodo,  Alvin,  enl.  Jan.  13,  1864,  13tli  H.  Art. 
Tyler,  Titus,  enl.  Feb.  20,  1864,  57th  M,ass. 
Thompson,  George,  34th  Mass. 
Taylor,  Cliarles  M.,2d  Cav. 


/m  «Mt  *' 


^ 


^y^T-iA^ 


HISTORY   OF  HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


885 


Tucker,  Charles  M.,  enl.  Sept.  ],  1864. 

Tiffiiuy,  Patrick,  enl.  Sept.  1, 18G4. 

Tyler,  Chiirles  A.,  enl.  Sept.  24,  1664. 

Tboniiis,  Edwiini,  enl.  Sept.  24,  1864. 

Taubert,  Eniilu,  enl.  Aug.  1864. 

Tyne,  John  E.,  enl.  Aug.  1S64. 

Terbriggan,  Peter  A.,  enl.  Sept.  23, 1864,  lOlh  Mass. 

Batt. 
Thieman,  Henry  C,  enl.  Aug.  30, 1864,  Navy. 
Thompson,  Pearlin,  enl.  Dec.  30, 1864, 1st  Battal- 
ion Cav. 
Taylor,  Charles  M.,  enl.  Dec.  8, 1804,  2d  Cav. 
Twiss,  Dallas,  enl.  Oct.  10, 1864. 
Thompson,  Charles,  enl.  Nov.  30, 1664,  2d  Cav. 
Tierney,  Jerry,  enl.  Aug.  13, 1864,  34th  Mass. 
Tiukhani,  N.  A.,  enl.  Oct.  19, 1864, 61st  Mass.,  Co.  F. 
Taylor,  George  C,  enl.  Aug.  24,1864. 
Upton,  George  H.,  24th  Mass.,  Co.  F. 
Cfford,  Edwin  M.,  enl.  Aug.  11,  1862,  37th  Mass. 
Ufford,  Morris,  eul.  Feb.  29, 1864,  Ist  Cav. 
Udell,  Matthews  R.,  enl.  Sept.  1,1864,30th  H.  Art. 
Vancaver,  William,  2.'ith  Mass. 
Yalentiiie,  Peter,  enl.  Aug.  1862,  Conn. 
Vinton,  Andrew,  19th  Mass. 
Vaughan,  Albert  N. 

Veasie,  Blbridge,  enl.  Sept.  1,  1864,  30th  H.  Art. 
Veyrassett,  Eugene,  enl.  Sept.  1,  1864,  301h  H.  Art. 
Veirbacher,  William,  enl.  Nov.  26, 1804, 19th  Mass. 
WiUcox,  Edward  K.,  sergt.,  enl.  June,  1861, 10th 
Mass.;    pro.   1st    lieut.,  27th    Mass.;   pro.  to 
capt.,  Feb.  1862. 
Williams,  Samuel,  loth  Mass.,  Co.  B. 
Wiggins,  11.  A.,  enl.  June  21,  '61,10th  Mass.,  Co.  E. 
Wiggins,  Francis  H.  B.,  enl.  June  21,  1861,10th 

Mass.,  Co.  E. 
Williams,  Preserve  N.,  10th  Mass.,  Co.  E. 
Woodman,  Henry  W.,  loth  Mass.,  Co.  E. 

Winslow,  Shubael  M.,  Jr.,  10th  Mass.,  (3o.  E. 

Wright,  George  E.,  lOtli  Mass.,  Co.  F. 
Wilson,  Edwin  C,  10th  Mass.,  Co.  F. 

Wheeler,  Norman  F.,  10th  Mass.,  Co.  F. 

Wats.. 11,  T.  J.,  enl.  June  21,  1861,10th  Mass.,  Co.  F. 

Williams,  Tyler  F.,  10th  Mass.,  Co.  G. 

Wolcott,  James  N.,  10th  Mass.,  Co.  I. 

Willey,  Leaiider  F.,  10th  Mass.,  Co.  I. 

Walker,  George,  15th  Mass.,  Co.  I. 

Wiley,  William,  sergt.,  17th  Mass.,  Co.  A. 

Willard,  Wills,  1st  lieut.,  enl.  July,  1861, 21st  Maas. 

Warriner,  George,  2lBt  Blass.,  Co.  B. 

Watson,  Albert  B.,  enl.  July  25, 1861,  21st  Mass. 

Welch,  Joliu,  2l8t  Mass.,  Co.  B. 

Way,  Frederick,  enl.  Oct.  8, 1861, 25th  Mass.,  Co.  G. 

Winslow,  Charles  W.,  27th  Mass.,  Co.  I. 

Warner,  George,  1st  lieut.,  27th  Blass.,  Co.  K. 

While,  William,  sergt.,  27th  Mass.,  Co.  K. 

Whitehead,  William  H.,  enl.  Dec.  28,  1S61,  31st 
Mass.,  Co.  G. 

Worihington,  Wni.  K.,  enl.  Aug.  22, '62, 10th  Mass. 

Whittaker,  John,  10th  Mass.,  Co.  I. 

Wheelock,  George  A.,  10th  Mass.,  Co.  I. 

Waters,  Nathaniel,  16th  Conn. 

"Westthorpe,  Thomas,  N.  Y. 

Wheelock,  W.  A.,  62d  N.  Y. 

Waterman,  Robert,  62d  N.  Y. 

Wait, ,  32d  Mass. 

Wardwell,  Robert,  Balloon  Corps. 

Wheelock,  George  W.,  27th  Mass. 

Winn,  John  C,  enl.  Aug.  1862,  Conn. 

Watkins,  Milton,  enl.  Aug.  13, 1862,  11th  Mass. 
Williams,  John,  enl.  Aug.  1862,  16th  Conn. 
Wheeler,  William,  enl.  Aug.  1862,  N.  Y. 
Wade,  Franklin,  1st  Cav. 
Welch,  John,  5th  N.  Y. 
Woodward,  Sherman,  3l8t  Mass. 


Washburn,  Albert,  Harris'  N.  T.  Cftv. 
Worcester,  W.  H.H.,Conn. 

Welch,  Pnlrick.lOth  Mass. 

Wight,  A.  R.,  N.Y. 

Williams,  Austin,  N.Y. 

Winn,  Albert,  N.Y. 

Woodruff,  Leander,  27th  Mass. 

Willson,  Thomas,  16tli  Mass. 

Westerfi.dd,  John, 27th  Mass. 

Whipple,  John  M..  enl.  Aug.  4,  1862,  27th  Mass.; 

died  July  22,  1863. 
White,  John,  enl.  Aug.  8, 1862,  27lh  Mass. 
Winslow,  Henry  L.,  enl.  Aug.  14, 1802,  37th  Mass. 
Wadsworth,  Samuel   C,  drummer,  enl.  Aug.  13, 

1862,  37th  Mass. 
Wilbur,  L.  S.,  enl.  Aug.  20, 1862,  37th  Mass.,  Co.  I. 
Whitney,  W.,  enl.  Aug.  12,1862,  37th  Mass.,  Co.  G. 
Wade,  George,  enl.  Aug.  18, 1862,  S7th  M.ass. 
Woodward,  John,  eul.  July  17, 1862,  27th  Mass. 
Wellspock,  Louis,  enl.  July  14, 1862,  27th  Mass., 

Co.  G. 
Willard,  Charles  A.,  enl.  July  17, 1862,27th  Mass., 

Co.  K. 
Walch,  Patrick  J.,  enl.  Aug.  18, 1862,  37th  Mass. 
Wyntt,  David  H.,  enl.  Aug.  20,  1862, 10th  Mass. 
Worthii.gton,  William  R.,  enl.  Aug.  22,  1S62,  lOth 

Mass. 
Wickersh.im,  B.  F.,  enl.  Aug.  22,  1862,  10th  Mass. 
Winans,  John  M.,  Corp.,  enl.  July  22,  1862,  34th 

Mass.,  Co.  D. 
Winans,  William  H.,  enl.  July  31,  1862. 
White,  William  0.,  enl.  Aug.  12,  1862,  1st  Cav. 
Willson,  Frederick  L.,  enl.  July  26, 1862, 34th  Mass. 
Ward,  Patrick  E.,  enl.  July  21,  1862,  37th  Mass. 
■Wcntworth,  Edwin  O.,  enl.  .\ug. 5, 1862, 37th  Mass.; 

killed  May,  1804. 
Warner,  John,  enl.  Aug.  6, 1862, 2Tth  Mass., Co.  K. 
Walker,  H.  E.,  enl.  Aug.  8,  1862,  27th  Mass. 
Walker,  Gerry  R.,  enl.  Aug.  16,  1862,  1st  Cav. 
Wardwell,  Harlan,  enl.  Aug.  14,  1862,  1st  Cav. 
Wallace,  George,  Jr.,  enl.  Sept.  25, 1862, 46lh  Mass., 

Co.  A. 
Webster,  Daniel  F.,  enl.  Sept,  25,1862,  46th  Mass., 

Co.  A. 
Wood,  Albert  H.,enl.  Dec.  31,  1863, 13th  H.  Art. 
Warren,  John  B.,  enl.  Dec.  29, 1863,  13th  H.  Att. 
Whitehouse,  Thomas  H.,  enl.  Dec.  31,  1863, 13lh 

H.  Art. 
Wright,  Onias  G.,  enl.  Jan.  10, 1864,  13th  H.  Art. 
Webster,  Luther,  enl.  Jan.  21,  1864, 1st  Cav. 
Wales,  David,  enl.  Jan.  25,  1864,  5th  Cav. 
Wilson,  Henry,  enl.  Jan.  25,  1864,  5th  Cav. 
Welsh,  Daniel,  enl.  Jan.  20, 1864,57th  Mass.,  Co.  G. 
Welton,  Walter  B.,  enl.  Jan.  28,  1864,  57th  Mass. 
Wright,  William,  enl.  Feb.  5,  1864,  4th  Cav. 
Wood,  William,  enl.  Feb.  0,  1804,67th  Mass. 
Williams,  Jordan,  enl.  Feb.  10,  1864,  6th  Cav. 
Walker,  John,  enl.  Feb.  15, 1864,  57lh  Mass. 
Woodville,  William,  enl.  March  9, 1864,  57th  Mass. 
Winy,  Joseph,  enl.  March  23, 1804,  57th  Mass. 
Warriner,  George  P.,  enl.  Sept.  1,  1864, 30th  H.  Art. 
Woodworth,  George  D.,  enl.  Sept.  1,  1864,  30th  H. 

Art. 
Whitman,  James  B.,  enl.  Sept.  1, 1864,30th  H.  Art. 
Warner,  Benjamin  F.,  enl.  Sept.  1, 1864, 30th  H.  Art. 
White,  Daniel,  eul.  Sept.  1,  1864,  30th  H.  Art. 
Wilkins,  Isaac,  enl.  Sept.  1,  1864,  30th  H.  Art. 
Weutworth,  Henry,  enl.  Sept.  1, 1804, 30th  H.  Art. 
West,  William  E.,  eul.  Sept.  1, 1864,  30th  H.  Art. 
Wallace,  George,  Jr.,  sergt.,  enl.  Sept.  1,1864,30th 

H.  Art. 
West,  Henry  E.,  enl.  Sept.  1,  1864,  30th  H.  Art 
Wilson,  Thomas,  enl.  Aug.  1, 1864,  30th  H.  Art. 
White,  Jean,  enl.  Sept.  16,  1804,  3d  Brigade. 


Wood,  Jefferson,  enl.  Sept.  24, 1864,  30th  Mass. 

Wallace,  Daniel  E.,  enl.  Sept.  22,  1864,  U.  S.  Navy. 

Wheeler,  William  N.,  enl.  Sept.  13, 1804, 2d  H.  Art 

Wilson,  William,  enl.  .\ug.  1804,  28th  Mass. 

Williams,  Reuben,  enl.  Aug.  1804. 

Wright,  A.  A.,  enl.  1804. 

Williams,  Henry,  enl.  1804. 

Walter,  Louis,  enl.  Nov.  19, 1804,  12lh  Mass.  Batt. 

Ward,  John,  enl.  Nov.  23, 1804,  1st  Cav, 

Weld,  John  A.,  enl.  Sept,  25,  1802,40th  Ma8S.,Co.  A. 

Wells,  Gideon,  sergt., enl.  Sept.  25, 1802, 40th  Mass., 

Co.  A. 
Wheeler,  F.  H.,  enl.  Sept.  25,  1662,  46th  Mass., 

Co.  A. 
Withey,  William  A.,  enl.  Sept.  25, 1862, 46th  Mass., 

Co.  A. 
Williams,  A.  C,  enl.  Sept.  25,  1862,  46th  Mass., 

Co.  A. 
Wood,  A.  B.,  enl.  .Sept.  25, 1862, 46th  Mass.,  Co.  A. 
Wright,  Andrew  J.,  enl.  Sept.  25, 1862,  46th  Mass., 

Co.  A. 
Waterman,  William  H.,  enl.  Sept.  2T,  '62, 8th  Mass., 

Co.  H. 
Walker,  Sylvanus,  enl.  Sept  15,  1862,  8th  Mass., 

Co.  H. 
Walker,  Sylvanus  A.,  enl.  1862,  8th  Mass.,  Co.  H. 
West,  A.  A.,  8th  Mass.,  Co.  H. 

Wood,  Charles  L.,  enl.  Oct.  10,  '02,  8th  Mass.,  Co.  H. 
Wild,  J.  B.,  enl.  Sept.  12,  1862,  Sth  Slnss.,  Co.  H. 
Witt,  Charles  N.,  enl.  Oct.  6, 1862,  Sth  Mass.,  Co.  H. 
Whipple,  Joseph,  enl.  Sept.  30,  '62,  Sth  Mass.,  Co.  II. 

Willard,  Frank  A.,  enl.  June  3,  1863,  5th  H.  Ait 

Willis,  Henry  W.,  enl..\pril  11,  1863,5th  H.  Art. 

Washburn,  William  H.,  enl.  May  2,  1863,  6tli  H. 
Art 

Walker,  John,  enl.  June  6,  1863,  7lh  H.  Art 

Wilson,  Eli,  541h  Mass. 

Warriner,  Charles  N. 

White,  William,  drafted  June  10,  1863. 

Williams,  George,  enl.  Aug.  27,  1803. 

Wyncoop,  John  R.,  enl.  Dec.  1, 1803,  .54th  Mass. 

Waters,  S.  Alfred,  enl.  Dec.  3, 1803, 1st  Cav. 

Ware,  Asa,  enl.  Dec.  31, 1863,  27th  Mass. 

Wardwell,  Joseph  W.,  enl.  Dec.  31,  '63,  7lh  H.Art 

Whittemore.  Joel  E.,  enl.  Dec.24, 1863,  67th  Mass. 

Wetherbee,  Warren  S.,  enl.  Jan.  4,  '64, 57th  Mass. 

Wright,  Samuel  E.,  enl.  Jan.  4, 1804,  6th  Cav. 

Whitney,  John,  enl.  Jan.  7,  1864,  27th  Mass. 

Weston,  William  L.,  enl.  Jan.  8,  1864, 20th  Mass. 

Willey,  Leander,  enl.  Jan.  4, 1804,  4th  Cav. 

Williams,  John,  enl.  Jan.  13,  1804,  66th  Mass. 

Walker,  Henry  F.,eul.  Jan.  1,  1804, 13th  H.  Art 

White,  Prescott  E.,  enl.  Dec.  31, '63, 13th  U.  Art. 

Walker,  William,  enl.  Dec,  10,  1864,  4th  Cav. 

Watt,  Colin  C,  enl.  Nov.  4, 1864,  1st  H.  Art. 

Woodward,  Abethat  M.,  enl.  Nov.  4,  '64, 01st  Mass. 

WMlkinson, Michael,  enl.  Nov.  1, 1864, 61st  Mass. 

Webster,  D.G.,  enl.  Nov.  10,  1864,  58lh  Mass. 

White,  diaries  N.,enl.  Dec.  8, 1864, 6tb  M.oss.  Batt 

Woodbridge,  Oliver,  enl.  Dec.  16, 1864,  27th  Mass. 

Woods,  Rnfus  N.,  enl.  Dec.  10, 1864. 

Whelden,  George  H.,  enl.  Sept.  10,  1864. 

Williams,  Selh  A.,  enl.  Oct.  3,  1804. 

Walker,  Benjamin,  Jr.,  enl.  Sept  12,  1864,  14th 
Mass.  Batt. 

White,  William  H.,  enl.  Sept  14, 1864,  3d  H.  Art 

Williams,  Francis,  enl.  Sept.  13,  1804,  Navy. 

Washburn,  Alfred  I.,  enl.  Sept.  14, 1804,  22d  Mass. 

Watts,  John  M.,  enl.  Sept.  15,  1804,  2d  H.  Art 

Williams,  Sardine  G.,  enl.  Aug.  25,1864,  2d  H.  Art. 

Ward,  Albert  S.,  enl.  Dec.  30,  1864. 

Young,  Albert,  A.M.L.,  enl.  Dec.  30, 1864,4th  Cav. 

Young,  Jeremiah  J.,  enl.  Aug.  29.  1864,  2d  H.  Art. 

Yoke,  John,  enl.  Sept.  10,  1804,  loth  Mass.  Batt. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 


HON.  HENRY  3I0RRIS,  LL.D., 
son  of  Oliver  B.  Morris  and  Caroline  Bliss,  daughter  of  Hon. 
George  Bliss,  was  born  in  Springfield,  Mass.,  June  16,  1814. 
He  attended  the  schools  of  his  native  city,  which  have  ever 
ranked  among  the  best  in  the  State,  and,  having  decided  upon 
a  collegiate  course,  in  1828  he  entered  Amher.st  College,  from 


which  he  was  graduated  with  honor  in  the  class  of  '.32,  which 
has  furnished  four  judges,  two  members  of  Congress,  and  two 
trustees  of  alma  mater. 

He  chose  the  legal  profession  for  his  life-work,  and  began 
the  study  of  the  law  in  the  office  of  his  father,  Hon.  Oliver 
B.   Morris,  a  leading  practitioner  in  Springfield.     He  also 


886 


HISTORY   OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


attended  the  Cambridge  law-sehool,  and  in  1835  was  admitted 
to  the  Bar,  and  commenced  the  practice  of  the  law  in  his 
native  city. 

Judge  Morris,  as  he  is  familiarly  known,  has  ever  com- 
manded the  respect  and  esteem  of  his  fellow-citizens,  and  has 
been  honored  with  various  official  positions  within  their  gift, 
always  discharging  the  duties  in  a  truly  conscientious  manner, 
and  to  the  satisfaction  of  all. 

In  the  years  1846  and  1847  he  represented  Springfield  in  the 
Legislature,  and  aided  in  procuring  the  first  grant  from  the 
State  to  Amherst  College.  lu  1852,  when  Springfield  was 
made  a  city,  he  was  the  president  of  the  council,  which  office 
ho  held  for  two  years. 

.The  marked  ability  displayed  by  him  in  the  various  positions 
to  which  he  had  been  chosen  attracted  the  attention  of  the  peo- 
ple, and  in  18-54  he  wsvs  elected  a  member  of  Congress.  Before 
the  time  arrived,  however,  for  taking  his  seat,  he  was  tendered 
by  the  Governor  of  the  State  the  position  of  judge  of  tlie  Court 
of  Common  Pleas,  and,  this  being  more  in  accordance  with  his 
tastes  and  habits,  he  resigned  his  seat  in  Congress  and  ac- 
cepted the  judicial  office.  In  1859  the  Legislature  abolished 
the  Court  of  Common  Pleas,  and,  his  judicial  services  having 
thus  terminated,  he  returned  to  the  practice  of  his  profession, 
in  which  he  still  continues. 

Judge  Morris  has  manifested  a  deep  interest  in  religious 
matters,  and  became  a  member  of  the  College  Church  in  his 
junior  year.  After  graduation,  he  transferred  his  relation  to 
the  First  Church,  in  his  native  city,  of  which  he  is  still  a 
member,  and  during  several  years  has  been  a  deacon. 

In  18.54  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  corporation  of 
Amherst  College,  and  in  1869  he  received  the  honorary  degree 
of  Doctor  of  Laws  from  his  alma  mater  at  the 'same  time  with 
his  classmate  and  co-trustee.  Judge  Perkinsj  ;•  . , 

In  the  multifarious  duties  incident  to  the-iegal  profession, 
Judge  Morris  has  found  time  to  study  the  history  of  the  Con- 
necticut Valley  and  of  Springfield,  and  has  added  many 
valuable  contributions  to  the  historic  literature  of  this  locality. 
In  addition  to  various  historical  addre.sses  which  he  has  deliv- 
ered from  time  to  time,  he  is  also  the  author  of  a  thorough 
history  of  the  old  or  First  Church  of  Springfield;  also.  His- 
tory of  Springfield,  etc.  At  present  he  is  president  of  the 
Connecticut  Valley  Historical  Society. 

May  16,  1837,  he  united  in  marriage  with  Mary,  daughter 
of  Col.  Solomon  Warriner.  They  have  four  children  living, 
viz.,  Mary  W.,  wife  of  Charles  K.  Calhoun;  Edward,  who 
was  admitted  to  the  Bar  in  1864  and  is  now  practicing  law  in 
Springfield;  Frederick  W.,  a  bookseller  in  Springfield;  and 
Helen. 

Politically,  Judge  Morris  is  a  Kepublican,  and  although 
always  manifesting  an  interest  in  public  men  and  measures 
he  has  never  been  a  partisan,  caring  more  for  the  success  of 
right  principles,  and  the  election  of  good  men,  than  for  party 
or  personal  gain. 

HON.  CHESTER  W.  CHAPIN 

was  born  in  Ludlow,  Dec.  16,  1798.  He  is  a  direct  lineal  de- 
scendant, in  the  sixth  generation,  from  Deacon  Samuel  Cha- 
pin,  the  founder  of  the  family  in  this  country.  His  grand- 
father, Ephraim  Chapin,  was  one  of  the  largest  land-owners 
of  his  day  in  this  section,  his  estate  covering  lands  in  Chico- 
pee,  Ludlow,  and  Springfield.  His  father  (also  Ephraim  by 
name)  occupied  a  portion  of  the  old  Chapin  estates,  which  at 
the  time  of  his  death  had  not  been  divided.  Though  rich  in 
lands,  these  early  settlers  were  otherwise  possessed  of  small 
means,  and  cultivated  habits  of  the  strictest  economy.  Yet 
these  were  days  of  families  inversely  proportionate  to  the 
ready  means  of  the  householder,  Chester  being  the  youngest 
of  a  family  of  seven  children.  In  such  circumstances  are 
often  found  the  beginnings  of  the  amplest  fortunes,  and  that 
strength  of  character  which  gives  the  widest  influence. 


Already,  then,  had  there  been  instilled  into  the  mind  of  the 

boy  those  lessons  which  have  served  him  so  well,  when  at  a 
tender  age  his  father  died  and  left  the  family,  then  at  Chico- 
pee  Street,  to  manage  for  themselves.  His  older  brother, 
Ephraim,  having  been  sent  to  college,  the  duty  of  remaining 
at  home  to  care  for  the  interests  of  his  mother  and  her  farm 
devolved  upon  Chester.  While  doing  so  he  attended  the 
district  school  at  Chicopee,  which  ranked  high  as  a  school  of 
its  kind  in  those  days,  and  was  afterward  sent  to  the  academy 
at  Westfield,  from  which  he  entered  upon  the  active  pursuits 
•of  life. 

At  twenty-one  he  went  to  Springfield,  and  first  found  em- 
ployment at  the  hotel  known  as  the  Old  Williams  House, 
kept  then  by  his  brother  Erastus.  Not  relishing  the  busi- 
ness, he  was  next  found  keeping  a  store  of  his  own  at  Chico- 
pee Street. 

Just  across  the  way  was  another  store,  kept  by  the  late  Ste- 
phen C.  Bemis,  and  the  two  soon  formed  a  copartnership, 
which  continued  several  months.  At  this  time  Mr.  Chapin 
was  married  to  a  daughter  of  Col.  Abel  Chapin,  of  Chicopee. 
He  was  ne.vt  found  at  work  upon  the  construction  at  Chicopee 
of  the  first  mill  ever  built  in  this  country  where  paper  was 
made  by  machinery.  He  took  the  contract  for  the  founda- 
tion and  masonry  of  this  factory  for  the  Ameses,  and  did  the 
work  in  so  satisfactory  manner  that,  when  a  few  years  later 
the  mill  was  burned,  they  urged  him  to  undertake  a  renewal 
of  the  job;  but  other  engagements  then  intervened  to  pre- 
vent him  from  complying.  A  change  in  business  then  oc- 
curred, which  turned  the  attention  of  the  young  man  in  the 
direction  of  his  real  life-work.  At  the  solicitation  of  Jacob 
W.  Brewster,  of  Hartford,  he  was  induced  to  take  an  interest 
in  the  extensive  stage-lines  in  the  Connecticut  Valle)'.  Here 
he  first  made  the  acquaintance  of  his  life-long  friend,  the  late 
Maj.  Morgan,  of  Palmer,  who  was  engaged  in  the  stage-line 
running  east  and  west  from  Springfield.  Occasionally  hold- 
ing the  reins  on  the  Hartford  and  Brattleboro'  line,  Mr. 
Chapin  was  soon  found  to  be  more  needed  in  developing  the 
general  interests  of  the  route,  which  so  prospered  under  his 
management  as  to  yield  him  large  returns  on  his  investment. 

Soon  after  the  demonstration  had  been  satisfactorily  made 
by  Thomas  Blanchard  that  steamboats  could  run  from  Hart- 
ford to  Springfield,  Mr.  Chapin  grasped  the  idea  and  util- 
ized it.  He  bought  out  Blanchard  soon  after  1830,  and  for 
a  dozen  years  controlled  the  passenger  traffic  between  the 
two  places.  Ever  since  he  has  maintained  his  business  rela- 
tions with  boating  lines,  until  he  now  controls  largely  the 
New  York  and  New  Haven  lines  of  steamers.  Two  of  his 
vessels  were  in  government  employ  during  the  war  of  the 
Rebellion. 

Meanwhile,  having,  largely  by  his  personal  efforts,  secured 
a  connection  between  Springfield  and  Hartford  by  rail,  he 
became  a  director  in  the  corporation,  and  took  active  interest 
in  its  management.  Extensive  postal  contracts  having  been 
taken  by  him  on  the  route  from  Terre  Haute  to  St.  Louis,  be 
sent  the  stages  there,  and  used  the  rail  as  the  means  of  trans- 
porting mails  under  his  charge  from  Hartford  to  Stanstead, 
Canada. 

In  1850,  Mr.  Chapin  became  a  director  of  the  Western  Rail- 
road, but  resigned  the  position  to  accept  the  presidency  of  the 
Connecticut  River  Railroad  in  the  same  year.  In  1854,  hav- 
ing attracted  attention  by  successful  management  of  that  road, 
he  was  elected  president  of  the  Western  road,  and  accepted. 
In  two  years  fifty  miles  of  rails  had  been  renewed  ;  the  bridge 
over  the  Connecticut  River  rebuilt ;  twelve  first-class  locomo- 
tives, one  hundred  and  forty-five  freight-cars,  and  six  passen- 
ger-coaches had  been  added  to  the  rolling  stock  of  the  road. 
The  interests  of  the  company  called  him  to  England  in  18.55, 
where  he  was  successful  in  negotiating  a  loan  of  half  a  mil- 
lion dollars  for  further  improvements.  Very  soon  the  road 
began  to  pay  handsome  dividends.      The  Albany  bridges,  the 


HISTORY    OP   HAMPDEN    COUNTY. 


887 


new  iron  bridge  at  Springfield,  the  continuous  double  track, 
and  more  particularly  the  grand  consolidation  of  the  Western 
and  Boston  and  Worcester  roads  into  the  Boston  and  Albanj', 
with  magnificent  tide-water  facilities,  the  huge  elevator  at 
Boston,  and  the  grand  depot  at  Worcester,  have  been  enter- 
prises owing  a  large  share  of  their  success  to  the  shrewd  man- 
agement of  Chester  W.  Chapin.  At  various  times  during 
his  presidency  of  the  Western  road  he  has  been  solicited  to 
take  the  management  of  other  large  railroad  interasts,  but  has 
always  refused.  In  business  relations  elsewhere,  we  find  Mr. 
Chapin  mentioned  as  a  stockholder  and  director  in  the  Hud- 
son River  and  New  York  Central  Kailroads ;  director  of  the 
Western  Union  Telegraph  Company ;  a  prominent  manager 
and  owner  of  the  Collins  Paper  Comjiany  property  and  busi- 
ness at  Wilbraham ;  the  Agawam  Canal  Company  at  West 
Springfield  ;  and  president  of  the  Chapin  Banking  and  Trust 
Company,  of  Springfield  (having  been  formerly  founder  and 
president  of  tlie  Agawam  Bank  of  the  same  place).  He  has 
been  honored  with  a  seat  in  the  national  House  of  Represen- 
tatives. The  honor  thus  conferred  precludes  the  necessity  of 
extended  remarks  concerning  Mr.  Chapin's  personal  excel- 
lencies. He  is  kind  and  obliging,  of  unblemished  reputation, 
cool  and  decided,  but  considerate,  and  one  whose  "promise 
is  as  good  as  his  bond." 

While  Mr.  Chapin  is  a  prudent  and  somewhat  conservative 
man,  a  careful  observer  of  his  career  will  find  that  he  has 
always  been  among  the  foremost  to  accept  every  improve- 
ment in  the  onward  march  of  civilization.  At  first  a  stage- 
owner,  he  was  quick  to  see  and  utilize  the  application  of 
steam, — first  upon  the  waters  of  the  Connecticut,  and  then 
upon  its  banks.  Instead  of  resisting  the  march  of  events  as 
bringing  into  the  field  an  element  of  rivalry — and  perhaps 
destruction — to  his  interests  in  old  methods,  he  was  the  fore- 
most to  contribute  his  capital  and  jjractical  experience  to  the 
development  of  each  new  and  improved  project  in  the  direc- 
tion of  cheap  and  rapid  transportation.  Now,  at  the  age  of 
eighty,  Mr.  Chapin  has  retired  from  active  life  and  is  enjoy- 
ing the  fruits  of  a  green  old  age. 


HON.   JAMES  M.   THOMPSON. 

Among  the  men  of  force  and  character,  well-directed  and 
indefatigable  energy,  fidelity,  and  genius,  who  make  their 
mark  in  the  world,  and  set  an  example  worthy  the  imitation 
of  their  juniors,  is  Col.  James  M.  Thompson,  of  Springfield. 
He  has  reached  his  present  enviable  position  through  his 
own  keen  foresight,  industry,  and  adherence  to  principle. 
He  was  born  in  Pembroke,  N.  H.,  July,  1811 ;  was  one  of  a 
family  of  nine  children,  of  whom  Hon.  Newell  A.  Thomp- 
son (deceased),  of  Boston,  is  another.  In  their  early  life 
their  father,  who  was  engaged  in  cotton  and  woolen  manu- 
facturing, lost  his  property  by  the  disasters  of  the  war  of 
1812,  which  ruined,  financially,  most  of  those  engaged  in  that 
business.  It  thereafter  became  necessary  for  "  the  boys"  to 
do  all  in  their  power  for  the  support  of  the  family,  and  they 
did  it.  Col.  Thompson  received  his  early  education  in  the 
common  schools  of  New  England,  and  commenced  his  busi- 
ness education  in  a  country  store  in  1825.  At  the  age  of 
twenty  he  began  business  for  himself,  in  which  he  was  pros- 
perous for  four  years,  when,  through  the  failure  of  another, 
his  business  was  broken  up,  but  his  characteristic  resolu- 
tion and  energy  soon  won  him  once  more  a  place  in  business 
circles. 

In  1835  he  married  the  youngest  daughter  of  the  late  Gur- 
don  Steele,  Esq.,  a  lady  of  culture,  pleasing  manners,  and 
general  excellence.     She  died  in  1866. 

Mr.  Thompson  resided  in  New  York  City  from  1838  to 
1840,  and  then  returned  to  Boston.  A  year  or  two  previous 
W.  F.  Harnden  had  established  the  first  express  in  the  coun- 


try, and  in  1840  employed  Mr.  Thompson  in  his  Boston  office. 
In  1842  he  appointed  him  agent  at  Springfield,  where  he  has 
since  resided.  In  the  year  1843,  Mr.  Thompson  purchased  the 
line  between  Boston  and  Albany  of  Harnden  &  Co.,  with  all 
its  stock,  and  continued  the  business  alone  until  1852,  when 
he  admitted  as  partners  two  of  his  clerks,  Mr.  Melcher,  of 
Boston,  and  Mr.  Johnson,  of  Albany.  Thompson  &  Co.  sub- 
sequently sold  out  their  interest  to  the  American  Express  Com- 
pany, Mr.  Thompson  holding  a  position  in  that  company 
until  its  consolidation  with  the  Merchants'  Union.  About 
the  year  1852  the  Adams  Express  Company  bought  out  the 
Harnden  and  other  lines.  Mr.  Thompson,  in  pursuance  of  his 
previous  interests,  became,  upon  its  new  organization,  one  of 
the  first  directors,  and  its  secretary,  which  places  he  still 
occupies. 

In  1849  a  charter  for  the  John  Hancock  Bank  of  Springfield 
was  obtained  through  his  influence,  and  of  that  bank  he  was  the 
president  for  thirteen  years  following,  and  has  been  a  director 
since.  For  many  years  he  has  been  connected  with  the 
Springfield  Institution  for  Savings ;  one  of  the  soundest  and 
best-conducted  savings-banks  in  the  State,  and  since  the  de- 
cease of  Mr.  Hooker,  its  presiding  officer,  he  has  been  its 
president,  during  which  time  its  a.ssets  have  increased  from 
about  seven  hundred  thousand  to  about  seven  million  dollars. 
He  is  one  of  the  original  directors  of  the  Chapin  Banking  and 
Trust  Company,  and  was  elected  its  president  in  July,  1878, 
Mr.  Chapin  declining  a  re-election.  He  was  also  one  of  the 
incorporators  of  the  City  Librarj',  and  contributed,  and  liber- 
ally, toward  the  erection  of  the  Unitarian  Church  of  Spring- 
field, acting  for  some  two  years  during  its  construction  as 
chairman  of  the  building  committee.  His  connection  with 
the  Springfield  Gas-Light  Companj'  has  been  as  a  director 
since  1861,  and  president  since  1870.  During  the  Harri.son 
campaign  and  after,  while  the  Whig  party  existed,  Col. 
Thompson  was  a  very  active  member  of  the  party,  but  always 
declined  political  office.  Upon  the  breaking  out  of  the  war 
of  the  Rebellion  he  was  anxious  to  take  the  field  and  share  his 
fortunes  with  our  brave  soldiers,  but  the  nature  of  his  business 
and  the  counsel  of  his  friends,  touching  the  important  service 
he  could  render  at  home  in  the  furtherance  of  the  Union 
cause,  kept  him  from  the  field,  and  subsequently,  as  chairman 
of  the  committee  of  fiinance  and  information,  he  freely  re- 
sponded in  time  and  money  in  contributing  to  the  benefit  of 
volunteer  soldiers  and  their  families,  to  as  great  an  extent 
as  any  other  man  in  the  State.  In  the  fall  of  1861  he  received 
the  unanimous  nominatior^  of  both  the  Democratic  and  Re- 
publican conventions  for  Senator  for  the  Eastern  Hampden  Dis- 
trict, and  at  the  election  received  every  vote  cast,  except  five 
or  six.  His  doctrine  in  that  hour  of  the  country's  peril  was, 
"  No  man,  however  humble,  has  a  right  to  stand  back  when 
there  is  so  much  to  be  done  to  put  down  this  unholy  rebellion, 
— every  man  can  and  must  do  something." 

In  the  Senate  he  was  appointed  chairman  of  the  joint  stand- 
ing committee  of  the  Legislature  on  the  militia,  and  was  also 
a  member  of  several  other  committees.  In  these  positions  he 
served  with  marked  ability,  and  brought  to  bear  that  consid- 
eration, knowledge,  experience,  and  sound  judgment  which 
the  emergency  required.  Having  in  former  years  had  much 
experience  in  military  matters  as  aid  to  Gov.  Cliilbrd,  who 
was  president  of  the  Senate  at  the  time  Col.  Thompson  was  a 
member,  he  was  the  better  able  to  render  important  service 
in  the  position  he  was  called  to  fill. 

For  his  second  wife  Col.  Thompson  married  Anna,  daughter 
of  Hon.  Tracy  Beadle,  of  Elmira,  N.  Y.  His  life  has  been 
one  of  active  business,  and  among  other  monuments  to  his  en- 
ergy in  Springfield  is  an  elegant  residence  on  an  eminence  com- 
manding "  a  view  unsurpassed  for  beauty  of  inland  scenery," 
which,  with  its  spacious  grounds,  adds  much  to  the  beauty  of 
that  part  of  the  city,  an  engraving  of  which  may  be  seen  on 
another  page  of  this  work. 


888 


HISTORY   OF  THE   CONNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


HON.  WILLIS   PHELPS 

was  born  in  Granbj',  Conn.,  Feb.  2.5,  1800,  and  is  a  lineal  de- 
scendant, through  his  father,  Horace,  and  grandfather,  Ehene- 
zer,  of  William  Phelps,  who,  with  his  four  sons,  William, 
Samuel,  Nathaniel,  and  Joseph,  and  his  brother  George,  witli 
their  families,  one  hundred  and  forty  persons  in  all, — includ- 
ing Rev.  John  Warham,  of  Exeter,  and  Rev.  John  Maverick, 
from  near  Exeter,  England, — embarked  at  Plymouth,  Eng- 
land, on  the  ship  "  Mary  and  John,"  and  landed  on  an  island 
in  Boston  Harbor,  New  England,  May  30,  1630.  Thus  the 
members  of  this  large  family  were  among  the  early  pioneers 
of  the  Eastern  States  on  the  Atlantic  coast.  The  emigrant, 
William,  Sr.,  lived  nearly  five  years  at  Dorchester,  Mass., 
when  he  removed  to  Windsor,  Conn.,  in  the  fall  of  1635. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  iirst  General  Court  held  in  Connec- 
ticut in  1636  and  1637, — which  last  declared  war  against  the 
Pequots, — and  a  magistrate  from  1638  to  1642.  In  1643  he 
was  the  foreman  of  the  first  grand  jury ;  was  deputy  from  1G45 
to  1657,  with  the  exception  of  six  years,  and,  with  Mr.  Welles, 
of  Hartford,  was  appointed  a  committee  on  lying.  He  repre- 
sented Dorchester  in  the  first  Legislature  of  Massachusetts,  and 
Windsor  in  the  first  Legislature  of  Connecticut.  His  brother 
George  removed  with  him  to  Windsor,  and  they  bought  their 
land  from  the  Indians.  He  died  July  14,  1672.  The  grand- 
son of  William  Phelps  was  elected  twenty-eight  times  to 
represent  Sim.sbury  in  the  Legislature  of  Connecticut.  His 
father,  Horace  Phelps,  removed  to  West  Springfield  about  the 
year  1811,  to  Westfield  in  1812,  and  to  Springfield  in  1816, 
which  latter  has  been  the  home  of  Willis  Phelps  sincej  except 
from  1831  to  1842,  when  he  resided  at  Longmeadow.  His 
father  died  in  1848,  at  the  age  of  seventj'-nine.  Mr.  Phelps 
spent  his  boyhood  days  in  various  occupations, — on  the  farm, 
in  the  meat  business,  driving  ox-team,  and  making  brick  ;  the 
brick-yard  being  located  on  Carew  Street,  where  the  bricks 
were  made  in  1822  for  the  old  "Thompson  House."  At  the 
age  of  nineteen  he  bought  the  grocery  business  of  N.  B.  &  J. 
O.  Mosely,  on  the  corner  of  State  and  Walnut  Streets,  and 
then  first  began  business  as  a  merchant.  Thus  earlj-  in  life 
he  became  schooled  in  the  business  operations  which,  later, 
developed  judicious  management  and  sagacity.  Prom  meagre 
earnings  amid  the  struggles  of  early  life  he  has  risen  to  the 
control  of  large  business  operations  in  building  railroads  and 
establishing  stock  companies.  In  1838,  Mr.  Phelps  contracted 
to  grade  a  section  of  the  Western  (now  Boston  and  Albany) 
Railroad,  in  Dalton,  Mass.,  and  soon  after  contracted  for  five 
other  sections,  between  Albany  and  Springfield,  of  the  same 
road.  He  built  the  Council  Bluffs  and  St.  Joseph  Railroad, 
raising  the  funds  for  its  construction;  built  the  Rome  and 
Watertown  and  the  Potsdam  and  Watertown  Railroads ;  and 
for  some  forty  years  was  engaged  in  the  construction  of  rail- 
roads in  various  parts  of  the  United  States,  with  several  of 
which  he  has  been  officially  connected  as  president  and  stock- 
holder. It  is  said  that  Mr.  Phelps  has  been  more  extensively 
connected  with  the  construction  of  railroads  than  any  other 
man  in  the  United  States. 

Notwithstanding  his  extensive  business  relations,  Mr. 
Phelps  has  been  somewhat  actively  interested  in  the  great 
political  questions  of  the  day.  In  1844  he  was  elected  com- 
missioner for  Hampden  County,  and  was  chairman  of  the 
board  for  three  years.  In  1848  he  was  in  the  Massachusetts 
Senate.  Upon  the  organization  of  Springfield  as  a  city  he 
became  a  member  of  the  council ;  the  following  year  he  was 
elected  alderman,  and  again  a  few  jears  afterward.  He  has 
been  a  candidate  of  the  minority  party  four  times  for  mayor 
of  the  city. 

In- 1856  he  represented  Springfield  in  the  General  Court. 

Mr.  Phelps  has  been  associated  with  some  of  the  imjiortant 
interests  of  the  city ;  assisted  in  obtaining  the  charter  for  the 
Pive-Cent  Savings  Bank,  and  was  its  first  president.     He  was 


influential  in  obtaining  the  charter  for  the  Pynchon  Bank, 
and  owned  one-tenth  of  the  stock  of  the  Fire  and  Marine  In- 
surance Company  at  the  time  of  its  organization,  being  also 
a  director  for  many  years. 

On  the  1st  of  March,  1828,  he  married  Miss  Mariah  Bart- 
lett,  of  Springfield.  To  them  were  born  four  children, — three 
sons  and  one  daughter.  The  daughter  and  one  son  died  in 
infancy.  Henry  W.  resides  in  Springfield,  and  is  the  super- 
intendent of  the  Athol  Railroad.  John  W.  also  resides  in 
Springfield. 

JAMES   D.    BREWER 
was  born  in  Springfield,  Mass.,  April  24,  1819.    He  traces  his 
descent  from  Daniel  Brewer,  the  emigrant  ancestor  of  the 
name,  who  came  from  London  or  Birmingham,  England,  and 
settled  in  Roxbury,  Mass.,  in  1634. 

His  father,  James  Brewer,  made  mercantile  operations  his 
life  business,  was  one  of  the  originators  of  the  Chicopee  Bank 
of  Springfield,  and  as  a  stockholder  retained  his  interest  until 
his  death.  He  was  largely  interested  in  the  manufacture  of 
cotton  goods  in  various  mills;  was  an  active  business-man, 
possessing  that  sagacity  and  business  ability  not  uncommon 
among  self-made  men,-  and  a  man  well  read  in  the  current 
literature  of  the  day.  He  married  Harriet,  daughter  of  Dr. 
Jabez  Adams,  of  Mansfield,  Conn.,  and  to  them  were  born 
four  sons  and  four  daughters,  of  whom  James  D.  Brewer  was 
the  second  child.  In  the  year  1840  he  engaged  as  a  merchant 
with  his  father  in  Springfield,  which  business  was  subse- 
quently conducted  as  a  hardware  business,  and  continued  for 
some  thirty-two  years.  During  this  time  he  was  interested  in 
many  of  the  enterprises  of  the  city,  as  treasurer  of  the  Indian 
Orchard  Canal  Company,  originator  of  the  Springfield  Gas- 
Light  Company,  and  director  and  treasurer  of  the  same  works, 
one  of  the  directors  of  "the  Springfield  Car-  and  Engine- 
Works,  and  committee  in  closing  up  its  afl'airs ;  one  of  the 
directors  of  the  Agawam  Canal  Company's  mill,  director  of 
the  Chicopee  Bank ;  and  director  of  the  Hampden  Watch 
Company,  of  Springfield.  He  was  the  first  chief-engineer  of 
the  fire  department  of  the  city,  after  its  organization. 

Mr.  Brewer  has  led  a  strictly  business  life,  preferring  its 
independence  and  activity  to  the  bickerings  and  strife  con- 
nected with  public  afl'airs,  never  seeking  publicity  or  political 
preferment.  He  has  been  closely  identified  with  church  and 
kindred  interests,  has  been  warden  of  the  Episcopal  Church 
of  Springfield  for  several  years,  and  vestryman  for  some  thirty 
years.  In  1842  he  married  Sarah,  second  daughter  of  Col. 
Solomon  Porter,  of  Hartford,  Conn.  Their  children  living 
are  Edward  L.,  a  resident  of  Hartford,  Conn.,  and  Mrs.  Dr. 
Luke  Corcoran,  of  Springfield,  Mass. 


LEWIS  J.  POWERS. 

It  is  always  a  pleasure  to  the  historian  to  place  upon  his 
page  "  passing  incidents"  in  the  life  of  one  who  has  been  solely 
the  architect  of  his  own  fortune.  Such  a  one  is  the  subject 
of  this  sketch,  Hon.  Lewis  J.  Powers.  He  was  born  in  Spring- 
field, Mass.,  Jan.  15,  1837,  and  received  his  education  at  the 
common  schools  of  his  native  city,  and  in  a  private  school 
which  he  attended  several  terms.  Early  in  life  he  entered 
on  a  business  career  for  himself,  his  first  work  being  to  deliver 
to  patrons  in  the  city  the  Sentinel,  then  published  by  Alanson 
Hawley .  Soon  after  he  went  into  the  employ  of  a  Mr.  Brocket, 
one  of  the  pioneer  newsdealers  of  Springfield,  and  subsequently 
engaged  with  Mr.  Bessey,  whose  news-room  was  under  the 
Massasoit  House,  and  who  also  supplied  the  trains  with  papers. 
Young  Powers  had  exhibited  such  unusual  energy  and  ac- 
tivity in  the  prosecution  of  his  business  that  Mr.  Bessey 
placed  him  on  the  train  as  "newsboy,"  where  he  worked  in- 
cessantly from  "  early  morn  till  dewy  eve,"  at  the  rate  of  two 


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Ja/M. 


HISTORY   OF   HAMPDEN  COUNTY. 


889 


dollars  and  fifty  cents  per  week.  After  two  or  three  years  he 
left  the  tfiiin  and  took  a  position  in  the  store,  and  in  18o7  pur- 
chaswl  a  one-third  interest  in  the  establishment,  and  in  1801 
became  sole  proprietor.  In  18-37,  while  iu  company  with  Mr. 
Bessey,  they  started  the  stationery  trade  in  a  small  way. 
This  business  was  commenced  by  young  Powers,  who  packed 
ii  little  bag  with  samples,  and,  boarding  a  freight-engine,  went 
to  Huntington,  Mass.,  and  made  his  fii-st  sale  to  L.  13.  Wil- 
liams, who  then  resided  in  Huntington,  and  is  now  one  of  the 
leading  busines.s-men  of  Northampton,  He  also  traveled  as 
agent  for  their  business  in  18G1  and  18fi3.  About  this  time  the 
rapidly  increasing  trade  demanded  more  commodious  quar- 
ters, and  the  business  was  removed  to  the  Goodrich  Block, 
and  still  further  increased  by  the  addition  of  the  notion  trade. 
It  was  also  about  this  time  (1863)  that  they  took  of  Samuel 
Bowles  &  Co.  the  Western  agency  for  the  sale  of  albums, 
which  then  were  being  extensively  manufactured.  They  also 
took  the  Western  agency  for  the  Glasgow  Paper  Company. 

In  186-5,  Mr.  Powers  purchased  an  interest  in  the  old  Berk- 
shire Pa|icr-Mills,  at  Dalton,  Mass.,  and  the  whole  business  was 
consolidated  under  the  firm-name  of  the  Powers  &  Brown  Paper 
Company.  In  1867  he  disposed  of  his  interest  in  the  Dalton 
Mills,  and  purchased  a  part  of  the  Riverside  Paper  Cimipany, 
at  Holyoke,  and  for  several  years  was  its  president.  In  1870 
he  built  the  northern  part  of  the  granite  building  known  as 
the  Agawam  Bank  building.  These  commodious  quarters 
were,  however,  soon  found  to  be  too  small  for  the  increasing 
business,  and  in  187-5  he  erected  the  substantial  and  commo- 
dious structure  now  occupied  by  him  on  Lyman  Street.  It  is 
a  fine  brick  building  fifty  by  one  hundred  feet,  seven  stories 
high,  with  factory  in  the  rear.  Upon  his  removal  to  Lj'man 
Street,  in  1875,  Mr.  Powers  still  further  increased  his  business 
by  commencing  the  manufacture  of  blank-books,  paper,  en- 
velopes, papeteries,  etc.  Here  the  same  energy,  indomitable 
will,  and  keen  business  foresight  that  characterized  his  early 
life  again  displayed  itself,  and  he  has  increased  his  business, 
until  now  he  has  a  resident  agent  for  the  sale  of  his  goods  in 
New  York,  New  Orleans,  and  San  Francisco,  besides  sending 
traveling  agents  into  every  State  in  the  Union  and  the  Canadas, 
and  the  annual  sales  of  the  establishment  amount  to  nearly  a 
million  dollars. 

Although  his  business  has  always  been  of  an  onerous  nature, 
requiring  a  large  portion  of  his  time,  he  has  manifested  a  lively 
interest  in  all  matters  pertaining  to  the  welfare  of  his  native 
city,  and  was  a  member  of  the  council  when  only  twenty-three 
years  of  age.  He  was  elected  to  the  council  again  in  1807 
and  1809.  He  was  chosen  alderman  in  1874  and  '7-5,  and  in 
1878,  the  people,  recognizing  his  public  services  in  the  past, 
and  knowing  well  his  remarkable  energy  and  executive  ability, 
nominated  him  for  mayor,  and  he  was  elected  by  a  handsome 
majority  over  his  opponent,  a  member  of  the  same  party,  who 
received  the  "regular"  Republican  nomination. 

Mr.  Powers  is  largely  interested  in  the  general  business  in- 
terests of  the  city;  he  is  a  director  in  the  Agawam  National 
Bank  ;  trustee  of  the  Hampden  Savings-Bank  ;  director  in  the 
Massachusetts  Mutual  Life  Insurance  Company  ;  also  in  the 
Clark  W.  Bryan  Manufacturing  Compan\',  the  Springfield 
Telephone  Company,  the  W^ason  Manufacturing  Company, 
etc.  He  is  also  president  of  the  Hampden  Park  Association, 
and  treasurer  of  the  National  Trotting  Association. 

Mr.  Powers  is  essentially  a  self-made  man.  Early  in  life  he 
learned  that  the  wa}'  to  success  was  no  royal  road,  but  was 
open  to  stout  hands  and  willing  hearts.  While  yet  a  mere 
boy,  he  bravely  stepped  into  the  arena  of  active  business  life, 
and  his  great  success  has  been  the  natural  result  of  ability 
to  speedily  comprehend  any  subject  presented  to  him,  power 
to  decide  jiromptly,  and  courage  to  act  with  vigor  and  persist- 
ency. 

The  Huntington  trip,  with  a  little  sack  of  paper,  has  grown 
into  a  business  amotinting  to  over  three-quarters  of  a  million 

112 


dollars  annually,  and  the  little  newsboy  of  1848  is  one  of 
the  substantial  business-men  of  the  Connecticut  Valley,  and 
mayor  of  his  native  citj'. 

*'  Honor  and  fume  from  no  conditions  rise : 
Act  well  jour  part;  tliere  all  the  honor  lies.'* 


REV.  WILLIAM  RICE,  D.D., 

was  born  in  Springfield,  Mass.,  March  10,  1821.  He  is  a  lineal 
descendant  in  the  seventh  generation  of  Edmund  Rice,  who 
was  born  about  1-594,  emigrated  from  England,  and  settled  at 
Sudbury,  Mass.,  in  1639;  removed  to  Marlboro',  and  died 
there  May  3,  1063.  His  grandfather,  Nathan  Rice,  was,  when 
a  young  man,  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution.  He 
was  an  honest  and  industrious  farmer,  lived  to  the  age  of 
seventy-.seven,  and  died  in  1838.  His  wife,  Hepzibah  (Allen), 
a  relative  of  the  famous  Ethan  Allen,  was  a  native  of  Concord, 
Mass.,  and  resided  there  at  the  time  of  the  "Concord  fight." 
She  died  at  the  age  of  ninety-one,  in  the  year  18-54. 

Dr.  Rice's  father,  W'illiam  Rice,  was  born  in  Belchertown, 
Mass  ,  in  1788.  He  went  to  Wilbraham  when  a  boy,  and 
lived  there  till  he  was  nearly  thirty  years  of  age,  when  he 
removed  to  Springfield  and  engaged  in  business  as  a  merchant. 
His  intelligence,  integrity,  and  public  spirit  soon  gave  him 
prominence  in  public  aftairs,  and  he  was  chosen  year  by  j'ear 
to  various  town  offices.  In  1830  he  was  elected  register  of 
deeds  for  the  county,  and  held  the  position  twenty-nine  years. 
In  1838  he  was  chosen  county  treasurer,  and  that  office  he 
held  for  eighteen  years.  Through  all  the  mutations  of  party 
his  fitness  for  public  service  and  his  faithful  and  popular  dis- 
charge of  official  duties  carried  his  election  successfully.  He 
rarely  had  a  rival  candidate  for  either  of  these  oflices,  and 
when  he  did  the  response  was  usually  faint  and  the  opposition 
was  a  failure.  He  was  a  conspicuous  Methodist,  but  generous 
in  thought  and  action  toward  all  Christian  denominations  and 
all  Christian  eflbrt ;  liberal  in  charities  and  earnest  for  every 
good  and  noble  work.  Early  and  late  he  was  the  friend  of 
popular  and  Christian  education.  He  was  one  of  the  founders 
of  the  W'esleyan  Academy,  the  first  Wesleyan  school  in  New 
England.  When  it  was  established  he  gave  it  one-third  of  all 
he  owned  at  the  time,  and  on  occasions  afterward  contributed 
liberally  to  its  enlargement.  His  life  atforded  a  rare  example 
of  simplicity,  truth,  fidelity,  and  usefulness.  He  died  at  the 
age  of  seventy-five. 

The  mother  of  Dr.  Rice,  Jerusha  (Warriner),  was  a  lineal 
descendant  of  William  Warriner,  who  settled  in  Springfield 
in  1040.     She  died  in  1869,  at  the  age  of  eighty-four. 

Of  their  children  (two  sons  and  two  daughters)  Dr.  Rice  is 
the  only  survivor.  He  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  Spring- 
field, and  at  the  Wesleyan  Academy  at  Wilbraham,  gradu- 
ating from  the  latter  institution  with  honor  at  the  age  of 
nineteen.  After  one  year  of  rest  on  account  of  overwork  and 
ill  health,  he  entered  the  ministry,  in  1841,  and  joined  the 
New  England  Conference  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
Under  the  system  of  itinerancy  adopted  by  that  denomination, 
he  was  successively  appointed  to  the  following  churches,  viz.  : 
North  Maiden,  Saugus,  Marblehead,  North  Russell  Street 
Church,  Boston;  South  Street  Church,  Lynn;  Park  Street 
Church,  Chelsea  ;  Chicopee ;  Bromfield  Street  Church,  Boston  ; 
and  again  to  Park  Street  Church,  Chelsea.  Here  his  health 
became  impaired,  and,  assuming  a  supernumerary  relation  to 
the  Conference,  he  removed  to  Springfield.  He  subsequently 
resumed  his  active  relation  to  the  Conference,  but  received  an 
appointment  to  a  chaplaincy,  and  continued  to  reside  in 
Springfield.  He  was  a  popular  preacher,  and  a  successful 
pastor  during  the  years  of  his  active  ministerial  life,  and  has 
always  maintained  an  influential  position  in  his  Conference 
and  in  the  Church.  He  is  also  favorably  known  among  the 
other  Christian  denominations,  having  frequently  occupied 
their  pulpits  since  his  residence  in  Springfield. 


S90 


HISTORY  OF  THE  CONNECTICUT   VALLEY". 


Ho  was  elected  to  the  General  Conference  of  the  Methodist 
Episco|)al  C'hnrch  in  18.30,  iuid  was  one  of  the  loaders  on  the 
anti-slavery  side  in  the  great  controversy  then  going  on  in 
relation  to  slavery  in  the  church.  lie  was  also  a  delegate  to 
the  General  Conference  of  1876,  taking  an  active  part  in  its 
proceedings,  and  serving  on  various  important  committees. 
At  this  session,  provision  was  made  for  the  appointment  of  a 
committee  to  revise  the  Methodist  hymn-book.  Dr.  Eice  was 
selected  as  a  memher  of  this  committee,  and  devoted  much 
time  and  atteniion  to  the  v/ork.  When  the  revision  was  com- 
pleted, he  was  appointed  chairman  of  the  editorial  committee, 
under  whose  supervision  the  hymnal  was  published.  This  re- 
vised hymnal  has  received  the  commendation  of  the  bishops, 
and  the  high  appreciation  in  which  it  is  held  by  the  Metho- 
dist Church  is  indicated  by  its  immense  circiilation. 

Dr.  Kice  has  given  attention,  also,  to  other  literary  work. 
He  published,  some  years  ago,  a.  "Pastor's  Manual,"  for  the 
use  of  clergymen,  and  an  octavo  volume  of  "  Moral  and  Re- 
ligious Quotations  from  the  Poets,"  containing  more  than  four 
thousand  selections,  topically  arranged.  These  works  have 
been  highly  commended  by  the  press,  and  widely  circulated. 
He  also  prepared  and  published  the  excellent  catalogue  of  the 
Springfield  City  Library,  still  in  use. 

In  1803  the  Wesleyan  University  conferred  upon  him  the 
honorary  degree  of  A.M.,  and  in  1870  the  degree  of  D.D. 

For  eighteen  years  Dr.  Rice  has  been  secretary  of  the  trus- 
tees of  the  Wesleyan  Academy,  and  for  many  years  a  trustee 
of  the  college  at  Middletown.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the 
school  committee  of  the  city  of  Springfield  for  the  past  fifteen 
years,  and  a  member  of  the  State  board  of  education  for  six- 
teen years.  During  that  period  he  has  devoted  much  time 
and  labor  to  the  work  of  popular  education.    •- 

Dr.  Rice  has  been  very  closely  connected  with  the  histor}-  of 
the  City  Library  in  Springfield.  In  its  early  daysTic  was  un- 
tiring in  his  labors  in  its  behalf,  soliciting  subscriptions  to  its 
funds,  donations  of  books,  and  seeking,  by  persistent  and 
self-sacrificing  efforts,  to  secure  its  growth  and  permanent  es- 
tablishment. Later  in  its  history  he  co-operated  heartily  with 
the  few  noble  men  whose  zeal  and  labor  to  secure  a  suitable 
building  for  the  ingatliered  literature  resulted  in  the  erection 
of  the  beautiful  library  edifice  on  State  Street.  Having'  been 
the  librarian  since  the  year  1861,  almost  from  the  beginning 
of  the  present  library,  the  selection  and  purchase  of  books, 
and  their  arrangement  and  classification,  have  devolved  en- 
tirely upon  him.  His  wide  range  of  reading,  liberal  views, 
cultivated  literary  taste,  and  sound  judgment  eminently  fitted 
him  for  this  work,  and  have  given  to  the  library  in  a  great 
degree  its  present  high  position  and  established  reputation. 

In  the  year  1843,  Dr.  Kiee  was  married  to  Caroline  L., 
daughter  of  Wm.  North,  of  Lowell,  Mass.  She  was  a  lady 
of  superior  culture,  and  has  been  a  helpmeet  to  her  husband 
in  all  his  varied  work.  Their  children  are  Rev.  Wm.  North 
Rice,  Ph.D.,  professor  in  the  Wesleyan  University,  Middle- 
town,  Conn. ;  Edward  H.  Rice,  Ph.D.,  classical  teacher  in  the 
Worcester  High  School  ;  Rev.  Charles  F.  Rice,  A.M.,  a  min- 
ister in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  ;  and  Caroline  L. 
Rice,  a  member  of  the  senior  class  in  the  Wesleyan  Univer- 
sity. ^      ^ 

ORRICK  HERMAN  GREENLEAF 
was  born  in  Nunda,  N.  Y.,  July  18,  1823.  He  was  one  of 
the  nine  children  of  William  Greenleaf,  of  Nunda,  N.  Y., 
and  Almira  Sanford,  of  Vermont,  and  is  one  of  the  ninth 
generation  after  Edmund  Greenleaf,  who  came  from  England 
and  settled  in  Newbury,  Mass.,  in  1634,  from  whom  all  of  the 
Greenleafs  in  America  are  believed  to  have  descended.  The 
family  is  of  Huguenot  stock  originally.  Mr.  Greenleafs  line 
of  descent  in  America  is  as  follows  :  Edmund,  who  settled  in 
Newbury  in  1634;  Stephen,  who   Cjime   to  Americ.i  with  his 


father;  Stephen,  Jr.,  Rev.  Daniel,  Dr.  Daniel,  Jr.,  Israel  (who 
had  two  wives  and  was  the  father  of  twenty-two  children), 
Tilly,  William,  and  Mr.  Orrick  H.  Early  in  life  he  learned 
the  business  of  tanning  leather  in  Nunda,  and  afterward  that 
of  currier  in  Seneca  Falls,  N.  Y.,  where  he  was  for  some  time 
employed.  Moving  to  Springfield,  Mass.,  in  September,  184-5, 
he  engaged  as  foreman  in  Mr.  Bliss'  tannery,  but  began  deal- 
ing in  "  paper  stock"  in  1847,  and  opened  the  first  paper  ware- 
house in  the  Connecticut  Valley,  in  1848,  at  Springfield,  under 
the  firm-name  of  "  Greenleaf  &  Taylor"  (Mr.  Taylor  being 
his  brother-in-law).  They  soon  did  the  largest  business  in 
Western  Massachusetts  in  their  line,  and  in  18.33  they  built  a 
mill  at  Huntington,  Mass.,  for  the  manufacture  of  printers' 
paper.  In  18.34,  Mr.  Greenleaf  organized  the  "  Greenleaf  & 
Taylor  Manufacturing  Company."  In  1850,  Mr.  Taylor  re- 
tired from  the  company.  They  purchased  in  Springfield  the 
mill  formerly  owned  by  D.  and  J.  Ames,  and  changed  the 
Huntington  mill  to  one  for  fine  writing-paper.  While  the 
business  was  under  the  management  of  Mr.  Greenleaf  it 
proved  very  successful,  but  in  1868  he  disposed  of  his  interest, 
having  become  previously  largely  interested  in  the  manufac- 
ture of  paper  elsewhere.  In  I860  he  purchased  of  Stephen 
Holman  and  others  a  controlling  interest  for  himself  and 
friends  in  the  "  Holyoke  Piper  Company,"  since  which  time 
its  business  has  been  under  his  management. 

Soon  after  this  purchase  he  began  the  enlargement  of  the 
mill  to  a  capacity  of  seven  tons  per  day,  being  a  larger  amount 
of  fine  writing-paper  than  is  manufactured  by  any  other 
single  mill  in  the  countr}-.  Thi.s  corporation  has  been  emi- 
nentlj'  successful,  owing  largely  to  Mr.  Greenleafs  careful 
Oversight  and  business  ability,  its  goods  standing  at  the  head 
of  the  market. 

During  the  present  year  it  received  a  gold,  medal  at  Paris 
f&r  these  specialties  (linen  and  parchment  papers).  Mr.  Green- 
leaf has  been  a  director  in  the  First  National  Bank  of  Spring- 
field since  its  organization,  and  is  interested  in  other  enter- 
prises. He  began  the  erection  of  his  present  fine  residence  in 
1872,  and  finished  it  the  following  year.  It  is  situated  on 
Crescent  Hill,  Springfield,  overlooking  the  city  and  adjacent 
country  toward  the  Berkshire  Hills,  and  commanding  a 
charming  view  both  up  and  down  the  Connecticut  Valley, 
the  one  to  the  south  extending  many  miles  into  Connecticut. 
This  residence  is  one  of  the  finest  in  Western  Massachusetts. 
Mr.  Greenleaf  has  been  a  memher  of  the  Baptist  Church  for 
many  years,  and  of  the  First  Baptist  Church  of  Springfield 
thirty-four  years.  Unlike  many  of  our  wealthy  men,  he  has 
believed  that  while  living  lie  could  dispose  of  his  income  in 
part,  and  during  the  last  dozen  years  has  given  more  than 
seventy  thousand  dollars  for  various  public  and  private  pur- 
poses. In  1847  he  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  Ann,  daughter 
of  Robert  Baldwin,  Esq.,  of  East  Windsor,  Conn. 


DANIEL  B.  WESSON 
was  born  in  Worcester,  Worcester  Co.,  Mass.,  May,  1825.  The 
family  of  Wesson  settled  in  the  town  of  Worcester  over  a  cen- 
tury ago.  Abel,  great-grandfather  of  Mr.  D.  B.  W^esson,  was 
the  first  settler,  and  for  four  generations  they  were  among  the 
prominent  families  of  that  place.  His  father,  Rufus  Wesson, 
followed  the  occupation  of  making  wooden  plows  during  his 
early  days,  and  only  abandoned  the  trade  when  iron  plows 
came  into  use.  He  spent  the  remainder  of  his  days  as  a 
farmer.  He  lived  to  be  eight3'-seven  years  of  age,  and  died  in 
his  native  town  in  the  year  1874.  His  mother,  Betsy  Baird, 
who  was  descended  from  one  of  the  oldest  and  most  prominent 
families  of  Worcester,  survived  her  husband  about  two  j'ears, 
and  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-eight,  in  the  year  1870. 

The  children  of  this  family  were  five  sons  and  five  daughters, 
of  whom  four  sons  and  three  daughters  are  living.  The  eldest 
son,   Edwin,  died   in   Hartford   thirtv  vears  ago.     His  name 


/ 


A^XX^iyv- 


■:DON  i^NEW  YORK  , 


HISTORY   OF   HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


891 


was  associated  with  the  celebrated  Wesson  rifle,  of  his  manii- 
faetiire.  Mr.  D.  B.  Wesson  spent  liis  minority,  until  he  was 
eighteen  3-ears  of  age,  in  the  routine  of  school-  and  farm-work, 
at  which  time  he  was  regularly  apprenticed  to  learn  the  gun- 
smith trade  with  his  eldest  brother,  Edwin,  with  whom  he 
served  until  he  reached  his  majority,  and  two  yeai-s  thereafter. 

In  the  year  1849,  Mr.  Wesson  commenced  business  for  him- 
self, and  began  the  manufacture  of  pistols  in  Grafton,  Mass., 
on  a  small  scale.  He  there  spent  two  years,  and  afterward 
two  years  as  superintendent  of  t\e  Leonard  pistol-manufac- 
tory, at  Charleston,  Mass.  When  in  partnership  with  Horace 
Smith,  lie  established  a  pistol-manufactory  at  Norwich,  Conn., 
which  they  carried  on  for  two  years,  and  then  sold  out,  Mr. 
Wesson  continuing  to  superintend  the  works  there  for  two 
years. 

In  the  year  1850,  Messrs.  Smith  &  Wesson  came  to  Spring- 
field, and  began  again  the  manufacture  of  pistols  on  Market 
Street,  where  they  remained  only  three  years,  and  removed 
their  business  to  their  new  buildings  on  Stockbridge  Street, 
where  the  business  was  largely  increased,  so  that  it  furnished 
employment  to  about  600  persons.  Mr.  Smith  retiring  from 
the  business  in  July,  1874,  Mr.  Wesson  conducted  it  alone. 
From  a  business  confined  to  small  dimensions  and  a  lociil  trade, 
the  Smith  &  Wesson  firearms  are  known  in  every  State  of  the 
Union,  and  have  reached  large  sales  in  every  country  of  Eu- 
rope, in  parts  of  Asia,  on  the  Pacific  coast,  the  islands  of  the 
sea,  Canada,  and  South  America.  The  superiority  of  these 
firearms  is  owing  to  the  fact  that  the  manufacturers  were  the 
patentees  of  the  metallic  cartridge, — the  first  in  the  world 
to  be  used  in  breech-loading.  This  feature  gave  that  class  of 
arms  a  great  preference  over  others  in  market,  and  led  to  a 
large  demand  for  them  during  the  war  of  the  Eebclliou  of 
18B1-C5. 

In  the  year  1847,  Mr.  Wesson  married  Cynthia,  daughter 
of  Luther  Uawes,  of  Northborough,  Mass. 

Early  in  life  he  was  trained  in  the  business  which  he  has 
followed  for  a  lifetime,  and  taught  that  shrewdness  and  sa- 
gacity since  characteristic  of  his  business  operations.  He  ha.s 
risen  from  an  apprentice-boy  to  be  one  of  the  largest  manu- 
facturers in  his  bi'anch  of  trade  in  the  world. 

Mr.  Wesson  has  never  been  active  in  the  political  field,  but 
has  given  his  life  to  business.  He  has  encouraged  every 
enterprise  of  a  local  nature  tending  to  elevate  and  educate  the 
risina:  generation. 


DANIEL   D.  WARREN. 

was  born  in  Hoosick,  Rensselaer  Co.,  N.  Y.,  Jan.  21,  182.5. 
He  was  fourth  sou  in  a  family  of  ten  children,  of  Moses  and 
Marj'  (Russell)  Warren.  The  former,  a  native  of  Peterboro', 
N.  H.,  was  a  merchant  the  most  part  of  his  life,  extensively 
intei-ested  in  slate  quarries,  and  opened  the  first  quarries  at 
Hoosick.  Spent  some  time  as  a  farmer,  was  the  fii'st  sheritl' 
of  Rensselaer  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  a  member  of  the  Senate  two 
terms.  He  died  in  1844,  aged  sixty-five.  His  wife  died  in 
1875,  at  the  age  of  eighty-three,  at  the  residence  of  her  son, 
Mr.  D.  D.  Warren,  in  Springfield. 

Mr.  Warren  left  school  at  the  age  of  fifteen,  and  spent  the 
remainder  of  his  minority  as  a  clerk  for  various  wholesale 
grocery  merchants.  In  March,  1846,  he  came  to  Springfield, 
Mass.,  and  was  engaged  for  the  first  sixteen  years  as  a  whole- 
sale grocery  merchant,  was  interested  in  paper-making,  and 
for  a  short  time  was  engaged  in  the  stove  and  hardware  busi- 
ness. In  1864  he  became  a  contractor,  and  with  Hon.  Willis 
Phelps  constructed  most  of  the  Council  Bluffs  and  St.  Joseph 
Railroad,  and  the  Missouri  A^alley  road.  Mr.  Warren  alone 
built  the  Watertown  and  Carthage  road,  and,  in  connection 
with  Mr.  Phelps,  constructed  the  Lake  Ontario  Shore  Rail- 
road and  the  Connecticut  Central  road,  the  latter  of  which 
he  has   been   president  of  since   1876.      In  partiiersliip   with 


William  Birnie  he  built  the  Springfield  and  New  London 
road,  and  a  portion  of  the  Troy  and  Greenfield  road  in  its 
reconstruction.  Since  1864,  Jlr.  Warren  has  been  largely  in- 
terested in  the  manufacture  of  paper,  was  stockholder  and 
president  of  the  Union  Paper  and  Manufacturing  Company, 
of  Holyokc,  stockholder  and  director  of  the  Worthy  Paper 
Company,  of  Mitteneague,  and  is  the  sole  owner  and  carries 
on  the  paper-mills  at  Bondsvillc  and  Pepperell,  Mass.  Mr. 
Warren  has  not  been  an  idle  spectator  of  the  great  political 
questions  of  the  day;  as  a  life-long  Democrat  be  has  taken 
an  active  part  in  local  and  State  politics,  and  his  counsel  has 
been  fixed  and  valuable  in  his  party.  Never  seeking  any 
honor  or  emolument  that  office  can  confer,  nor  accepting  any 
position  at  the  hands  of  his  friends,  he  chose  rather  the  unos- 
tentatious ways  of  business  to  that  of  public  favor. 

In  the  year  1847  he  married  Mary  Louise,  daughter  of 
Joseph  Weatherhead,  of  Springfield.  His  children  living 
are  Joseph  W.,  a  graduate  of  Harvard  University,  and  now 
a  student  in  the  Medical  University  of  Bonn,  Germany  ; 
Thomas  B.,  a  gi-aduate  of  Harvard  University,  and  now  an 
attorney  and  counselor-at-law  in  Springfield;  and  Louise  M. 
His  wife  died  in  1864.  For  his  second  wife  he  married,  in 
1873,  Mary  L.,  daughter  of  O.  E.  Watson,  of  Oswego,  N.  Y. 
Their  children  are  Grace  Evans  and  Daniel  D.  Warren. 


GEORGE    RICHARD   DICKINSON 

was  born  in  Readsboro',  Vt.,  Dec.  15,  1832,  and  is  a  son  of 
Caleb  Dickinson,  a  native  of  Amherst,  Mass.,  who  was  a  far- 
mer by  occupation.  His  minority  was  spent  at  home  in  the 
routine  of  attending  school  and  farm-labor,  and  he  reeeived,- 
besidos  the  advantages  of  the  common  school,  a  term  at  the 
Warnerville  Seminary.  This  completed  his  early  education, 
and  his  subsequent  business  career  has  fully  demonstrated 
that  the  basis  then  laid,  together  with  bis  indefatigable  energy 
and  sagacity  in  matters  of  business,  has  won  him  an  envi- 
able financial  position  among  the  younger  business-men  of 
Springfield. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-one,  Mr.  Dickinson  began  business  on 
his  own  account,  his  first  occupation  being  that  of  a  tin-ped- 
dler, with  headquarters  at  North  Adams,  Mass.  He  was  sub- 
sequently engaged  in  the  same  business  for  four  years,  from 
Templeton,  Mass.  In  the  year  1857  he  moved  to  Spring- 
field, when  he  entered  into  a  partnership  with  Henry  Smith, — 
one  of  his  former  employers, — for  the  manufacture  of  tin-ware 
and  trade  in  paper-slock,  with  a  lindted  capital  of  only  §3000, 
of  which  Mr.  D.  was  able  to  ftirnish  but  §857. 

The  business  so  increased  that  in  1864  he  established  a  branch 
manufactory  in  New  Haven,  Conn.,  with  his  brother,  Royal 
C,  under  the  firm-name  of  R.  C.  Dickinson  &  Co. 

In  1867  he  bought  the  interest  of  his  partner  in  Spring- 
field, paying  therefor  nearly  ten  times  the  amount  of  the  orig- 
inal capital  of  both,  and  took  into  business  relation  with 
himself  Mr.  Alfred  N.  Mayo,  who  had  been  his  clerk  for 
some  three  years.  During  the  same  year  he  also  established  a 
branch  house  at  Norwich,  Conn.,  with  his  brother,  D.  M. 
Dickinson,  andone  at  Waterbury,  Conn.,  with  his  brother- 
in-law,  David  B.  Clark.  Mr.  Clark  died  in  1877,  and  the 
firm  is  now  "  Dickinson  &  Grilley." 

In  1874  the  firm  of  Dickinson  &  Mayo,  in  connection  with 
R.  C.  Dickinson,  purchased  the  Excelsior  Paper-Mill,  of  Hol- 
yoke,  which  they  are  now  successfully  operating. 

The  business  of  which  Mr.  Dickinson  is  the  head  has,  from 
its  small  beginning  in  1857,  reached  an  amount  of  nearly  a 
million  dollars  in  1878,  doing  business  with  nearly  all  of  the 
neighboring  paper-towns  of  the  East  and  dealing  in  all  parts 
of  the  United  States. 

Mr.  Dickinson  has  been  quite  largely  interested  in  the  sale 
and  purchase  of  real  estate  in  Springfield  for  years  past.  His 
life  has  been  one  of  aofivifv.     Ho  is  interested  in  the  various 


892 


IIISTOllY   OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


enterprises  of  the  city  designed  for  its  improvement  and  for 
tlie  benefit  of  its  citizens.  In  1877  he  was  elected  a  meinlier 
of  tlie  city  council  and  placed  upon  the  finance  committee 
and  committee  on  city  pro]icrty.  He  served  as  alderman  in 
1878,  and  was  again  chosen  for  1870.  In  politics  lie  is  idcnli- 
lied  with  the  Republican  party. 

Jan.  11,  1859,  he  married  Mary  Jane,  daughter  of  Edward 
ClarU,  of  Petersham,  Mass.  By  this  union  he  has  one  child 
living, — Henry  Smith  Dickinson.  His  wife  died  in  18G3. 
Tor  his  second  wife  ho  married,  in  18G4,  Hattie  A.,  daughter 
of  Edward  Clark,  then  of  Worcester,  though  formerly  of 
Petersham. 


ALEXANDER  BIRNIE 

was  born  in  Porto  Bello,  Scotland,  May,  1803.  He  received 
his  preliminary  education  in  the  schools  of  Edinburgh.  His 
father,  George  Birnie,  was  a  native  of  Aberdeenshire,  and 
emigrated  to  America  with  his  family  in  1827,  settling  in 
Morris  Co.,  N.  J.  His  eldest  son,  George,  Jr.,  liad  previouslj' 
come  to  this  country,  which  fact  probably  induced  the  father 
to  emigrate.  George  Birnie,  St.,  was  a  master-builder,  and 
upon  reaching  this  country  at  once  took  a  contract  to  construct 
the  mason-work  on  the  Morris  Canal.  About  one  year  after 
arriving  here  he  died,  leaving  the  contract  to  be  completed 
by  his  son,  Alexander,  who  was  associated  with  him  in  busi- 
ness. His  wife  was  Ann  Inery,  also  a  native  of  Aberdeen.shire, 
Scotland.  Their  children  were  twelve,  only  seven  of  whom 
reached  maturity,  viz.  :  George  (deceased),  Alexander  (de- 
ceased), Euphemia  (Mrs.  "William  Ross,  Batavia,  N.  Y.), 
Joseph  (deceased),  Catherine  (Mrs.  Alexander  Ross  formerly, 
but  now  Mrs.  George  Hobb,  of  Genesee,  Wis.),  Ann  (Mrs. 
Wra.  Lemon,  of  Oxford,  Province  of  Ontario),  and  William, 
of  Springfield. 

Mr.  Alexander  Birnie,  after  completing  the  contract  taken 
with  his  father,  contracted  for  his  first  railroad  work  in  the 
construction  of  the  Patterson  and  Hudson  River  Railroad, 
followed  by  the  construction  of  the  bridge  over  the  Passaic 
Eiver.  About  1832  he  removed  with  the  family  to  Massachu- 
setts, settling  in  Berkshire  County,  where  his  mother  died  a 
few  years  after.  In  this  State  he  took  contracts  on  the  Boston 
and  Providence  line,  one  of  the  earliest  in  the  Eastern  States  ; 
extensive  contracts  on  the  Stonington,  and  also  on  the  Western 
or  Boston  and  Albany  Railroads.  He  was  continuously  en- 
gaged as  a  contractor  for  some  thirteen  years,  until  about 
1842,  when  he  bought  a  place  at  Hastings,  on  the  Hudson 
River,  and  erected  a  stone  dwelling,  where  he  resided  about 
twenty  years.  Very  soon  after  he  purchased  another  place, 
adjoining  his  former  one,  and  erected  a  fine  brick  residence; 
but  while  engaged  in  beautifying  his  grounds,  in  the  prepara- 
tion of  an  artificial  fish-pond,  he  was  accidentally  killed  while 
blasting  rock,  Aug.  13,  1858. 

Mr.  Birnie  was  a  plain,  unostentatious  man,  gave  little 
attention  to  politics,  and  led  a  strictly  business  life.  He  was 
a  man  of  great  activity,  courage,  and  force  of  character,  and 
carried  forward  to  successful  completion  whatever  he  under- 
took. In  the  year  1836  he  married  Mary  S.,  daughter  of 
Joel  and  Azubah  (Whitney)  Adams,  of  Providence,  R.  I. 
She  was  born  in  1807.  Her  father  and  mother  were  natives 
of  Worcester  Co.,, Mass. 

Their  children  are  Mrs.  James  Haviland,  of  Ludlow, 
George  A.,  of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  Mrs.  Andrew  Bryant, 
William  A.,  and  Mrs.  Charles  A.  Dresser,  of  Springfield. 


WARREN   H.  WILKINSON 

was  born  in  Marlborough,  N.  H,,  July  9,  1825.  He  is  the 
lineal  descendant,  in  the  sixth  generation,  of  John  Wilkinson, 
who  settled  in  Attleboro',  Mass.,  about  1700.  His  grand- 
father, David  Wilkinson,  was  a  soldier  under  Benedict  Ar- 


nold in  the  war  of  Indeiiendence,  and  was  quietly  stowed 
away  in  a  sleigh,  under  some  bean  straw,  when  the  British 
were  expected  to  take  possession  of  West  Point,  betrayed  by 
the  traitor  Arnold.  He  was  also  present  at  the  execution  of 
the  spy,  Maj.  Andre.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he  finished 
learning  his  trade  of  harness-  and  saddlery-making,  at  Wal- 
pole,  and  moved  to  Marlborough,  Cheshire  Co.,  N.  H.,  where 
he  died  at  about  the  age  of  eighty-one  years. 

It  was  at  this  place  that  David  Wilkinson,  Jr.  (father  of 
Mr.  Warren  H.),  was  bori-k  He  has  spent  a  long  life  in  the 
same  business  carried  on  by  his  father,  and  at  the  age  of 
seventy-nine  is  still  in  the  business  and  in  robust  health. 
In  1823  he  married  Patty  Hubbard,  of  Putney,  Vt.,  who 
bore  him  four  sons  and  five  daughters,  of  whom  only  two  of 
the  sons  were  living  in  1878,  viz.,  Warren  H.  and  Solon 
Stone  Wilkinson,  the  latter  of  Keene,  N.  H.  During  his 
boyhood,  besides  the  routine  of  attending  school  and  farm- 
labor  at  home,  Mr.  Wilkinson  began  as  early  as  the  age  of 
ten  to  work  in  the  harness-shop  of  his  father,  and  during  his 
minority  acquired  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  business  by 
which  mainly  he  attained  the  competence  he  enjo3'ed  in  later 
years. 

Before  reaching  his  majority  he  attended  two  terms  at  an 
academy,  which  completed  his  school-days.  At  the  age  of 
twenty-three  he  became  a  partner  with  bis  father,  and  con- 
tinued in  the  harness  business  in  Marlborough  until  1853, 
supplying  not  only  the  home  demand,  but  also  stores  in 
Keene,  Peterboro',  and  Greenfield,  Mass.  He  was  in  business 
in  Greenfield  for  six  years,  and  removed  to  Springfield,  which 
has  since  been  his  home. 

Upon  the  breaking  out  of  the  late  civil  war,  Mr.  Wilkinson 
received  an  order  for  military  work  from  the  quartermaster  of 
the  State  of  Connecticut,  which,  being  satisfactorily  filled,  led 
to  orders  from  other  States  and  from  the  United  States  govern- 
ment for  the  manufacture  of  military  leather  goods  of  various 
kinds  during  the  continuance  of  the  war.  For  many  of  these 
he  furnished  improved  patterns,  which  were  adopted,  and  are 
still  used  in  the  service.  For  the  past  three  years  he  has 
received  orders  for  military  work  in  large  quantities  from 
foreign  countries. 

Since  1869  he  has  been  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  horse- 
blankets,  first  at  Marlborough,  then  at  Winchester,  Mass., 
and,  as  his  business  increased,  removed  the  work  to  Holyoke, 
Mass.,  where  he  has  one  of  the  largest  mills  of  the  kind  in 
the  country,  and  has,  since  the  war,  kept  in  his  employ  from 
fifty  to  folir  hundred  persons. 

Mr.  Wilkinson's  life  has  been  devoted  to  business,  yet  he 
has  not  failed  to  remember  early  benefits  by  liberally  giving 
to  institutions  needing  pecuniary  support,  and  especially  to 
the  Church  of  his  choice, — the  Congregational. 

He  has  never  been  active  in  politics.  He  first  voted  with 
the  Whig  and  later  with  the  Republican  party.  He  has 
served  as  alderman  of  the  city  for  some  three  years.  He  mar- 
ried first  Almira,  a  daughter  of  Asa  Frost,  of  Marlborough. 
She  died  in  1874.  He  has  since  married  Emily  J.,  daughter 
of  James  Brown,  of  Brimtield,  Mass. 

The  line  of  descent  of  the  Wilkinson  family  is  as  follows  : 
Warren  H.,  son  of  David,  son  of  David,  Jr.,  son  of  David, 
Sr.,  son  of  Joseph,  who  was  the  son  of  John,  mentioned  in 
the  beginning  of  this  sketch. 


DR.  HENRY   A.   COLLINS 

was  born  at  South  Hadley,  Mass.,  Aug.  27,  1826.  He  was  the 
youngest  of  the  family  (three  sons  and  one  daughter)  of  Henry 
Collins,  who  was  also  a  native  of  South  Hadley.  His  father 
dying  while  Henry  was  an  infant,  the  mother  and  children 
were  cared  for  by  his  grandfather.  Deacon  Josiah  White,  of 
the  same  place,  where  Henry's  boyhood  was  spent  at  school. 
His  preparation  for  college  was  made  at  the  Williston  Semi- 


"  ^■yamudSaris^ 


<*>■  J-^i^ww/  SarlM'^ 


^K) 


^"i"-^*: 


'■^  6v  s^-.-i.-<  :■.'■■■"'■ 


^Ah^r/^^6LyU^y^, 


»— «»,,  j-„,^  S.,IM"' 


;,^'irAHRitiV'^e  '^^  ''' 


(A^^^^6^  ^^M/^Jcc^y/f 


HISTORY  OF   HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


893 


nary,  and  in  18-17  he  entered  Yale,  under  the  tutorship  of  Dr. 
Nathan  B.  Ives.  He  was  graduated  an  M.D.  from  that  insti- 
tution in  the  year  1850,  and  began  in  the  same  year  as  a  reg- 
ular practitioner  in  Conway,  Mass.,  where  he  remained  nearly 
three  years  and  removed  to  Springfield.  While  a  student  of 
Yale  College  and  during  the  days  of  the  cholera  in  New 
Haven,  Dr.  Collins  was  impressed  with  the  idea  that  other 
treatment  of  cases  than  that  of  the  regular  practice  would 
yield  better  results,  and  while  at  Conway,  by  study,  actual 
practice,  and  experiment,  he  became  convinced  of  the  feasibility 
of  the  theory  of  Hahnemann,  or  the  homoeopathy  practice,  and 
upon  reaching  his  new  field  of  labor  at  once  began  the  practice 
of  it.  At  that  time  only  Drs.  Swazey  and  Graves  were  prac- 
titioners of  that  school  in  Springfield.  The  former  subse- 
quently removed  from  Springfield,  and  the  latter  continued 
there  in  practice  until  his  death. 

Dr.  Collins  met  at  the  outset  the  difficulties  of  a  new-comer 
and  a  comparatively  new  theory,  but  a  will  to  do  and-  tlie 
merits  of  the  practice  he  represented  soon  won  for  him  a  place 
in  the  profession,  and  now,  as  the  oldest  living  of  his  school  in 
the  city,  he  enjoys  the  confidence  of  a  large  circle  of  friends  in 
both  city  and  countr}-,  among  the  most  intelligent  and  wealthv 
families. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  American  Institute  of  IIom03opathy, 
and  also  of  the  Homceopathic  Medical  Society  of  Western 
Massachusetts.  He  was  first  married  to  Juliette,  daughter  of 
Jesse  P.  Bli.ss,  of  North  Wilbraham,  Mass.  His  wife  dying 
Januar}^,  18.55,  he  was  married,  in  November,  18-56,  to  Mary 
J.,  daughter  of  Martin  Graves,  of  Springfield. 


DANIEL   HITCHCOCK 

was  born  in  Springfield,  Jan.  30,  1796.  The  family  of  Hitch- 
cock is  one  of  the  oldest  in  the  valley,  and  setfled  here  about 
the  same  time  as  the  Pynchon  and  Chapin  families.  Stephen 
Hitchcock,  his  maternal  grandfather,  was  a  farmer  by  occu- 
pation, and  the  homestead  occupied  by  him  is  now  owned  and 
occupied  by  the  only  daughter  of  Daniel  Hitchcock, — Miss 
Harriet  B.  Hitchcock.  = 

Of  Stephen's  two  brotliers,  one,  Daniel,  \vas  a  prominent 
lawyer  of  Providence,  K.  I.,  and  the  other," Gad,  settled  in 
Connecticut. 

On  the  paternal  side  little  is  known  of  the  family,  deflnitelj', 
farther  back  than  his  grandfather,  Josiah  Hitchcock,  who  re- 
sided near  Springfield,  and  was  a  large  land-owner  during  his 
time.  His  children  were  Josiah,  Luther,  and  Heber.  Of 
these,  the  first  was  father  of  the  subject  of  this  narrative,  and 
had  other  children, — Fesfus,  Erastus,  Pamelia  (Mrs.  Wm. 
Ball),  Gad,  John  and  Catharine  (twins),  and  William.  Mrs. 
Ball  and  William  only  are  living. 

Mr.  Hitchcock,  following  the  occupation  of  his  father,  was 
a  farmer,  and  to  some  extent  dealt  in  real  estate.  He  was  a 
man  of  strict  fidelity  to  principle,  of  correct  habits,  and  good 
judgment.  He  never  sought  the  excitement  coincident  with 
politics,  but  affiliated  first  with  the  Whig  and  subsequently 
with  the  Eepublican  party.  He  only  asserted  the  right  of 
every  citizen, — that  of  free  suffrage.  At  one  time  he  was 
chosen  a  member  of  the  city  council.  March  18,  1824,  he 
married  Lydia,  daughter  of  Asa  Day,  of  Granby,  Mass.  She 
was  born  Feb.  7,  179G,  and  died  June  28,  1870.  Mr.  Hitch- 
cock died  July  1,  1877,  leaving  an  only  daughter,  before  men- 
tioned. A  view  of  his  late  residence  will  be  found  on  another 
page  of  this  work. 


MILTON   A.  CLYDE 

was  born  in  Windham,  N.  H.,  in  1816,  and  early  learned  the 
stone-mason's  trade.  Coming  to  Massachusetts  when  the 
Western  Railroad  was  being  constructed,  in  18.38,  he  worked 
for  Capt.  Horace  Stone,  laying  stone   along  the  line  of  the 


road.  Developing  a  rare  business  tact,  he  soon  formed  a 
partnership  with  Capt.  Stone,  which  was  continued  many 
years.  The  firm  of  Stone  &  Clyde  took  numerous  small  con- 
tracts on  the  road  west  of  Springfield,  and  on  its  completion 
to  Albany,  Mr.  Clyde  came  to  Springfield,  and  contracted  to 
fill  the  meadow,  east  of  Main  Street,  where  the  old  Boston 
and  Albany  freight-yard  and  side-tracks  are  located.  On  the 
completion  of  this  work  Stone  &  Clyde  took  a  contract  for 
grading  on  the  Hartford  and  Springfield  Kailroad,  and  in 
1843  contracted  with  Boody,  Koss  &  Co.  for  the  stone-work 
along  the  line  of  the  road.  Mr.  Clyde  was  afterward  con- 
nected with  Mr.  Boody  in  various  enterprises,  among  which 
was  the  building  of  the  Niagara  Falls  and  Buft'alo  Eailroad. 
In  18-53—54,  Mr.  Clyde  built  the  old  Hampshire  and  Hampden 
Eailroad  (now  a  part  of  the  New  Haven  and  Northampton), 
from  Westfield  to  Northampton.  Soon  after  he  became  asso- 
ciated with  Sidney  Dillon,  who  afterward  became  president 
of  the  Union  Pacific  Kailroad,  under  the  name  of  Dillon, 
Clyde  &  Co.,  of  which  Mr.  Cl^yde  was  the  working  manager, 
and  for  many  years  afterward  the  firm  was  noted  as  one  of 
the  greatest  contracting  concerns  in  the  country.  One  of  their 
earlier  operations,  and  a  most  profitable  one,  by  the  wa-j',  was 
the  "great  fill"  on  the  Lake  Shore  Railway,  between  Cleve- 
land, 0-,  and  Erie,  Pa.  Afterward  they  were  engaged  in  a 
similar  operation  on  the  New  Jersey  Central  Railroad.  The 
firm  of  Dillon,  Clyde  &  Co.  were  also  heavy  contractors  on 
the  still  unfinished  portion  of  the  Boston,  Hartford  and  Erie 
Railroad,  between  Waterbury,  Conn.,  and  Fishkill,  N.  Y.,  in 
which  they  were  engaged  for  several  years.  About  1868,  Mr. 
Clyde  built  the  first  Hartford  reservoir,  and  subsequently 
the  firm  of  Dillon,  Clyde  &  Co.  built  the  Connecticut  Yallej' 
Road,  from  Hartford  to  Saybrook.  They  also  built  the  Rock- 
ville  branch  of  the  Providence  and  Fishkill  Road,  and  the 
Springfield  and  Providence  Railroad,  from  Providence  to  Pas- 
coag,  R.  I.,  in  which  Mr.  Clyde  was  a  director.  But  the  great 
work  of  Mr.  Clyde's  life  was  the  building  of  the  famous  un- 
derground railway  at  New  York,  from  Harlem  Bridge  to  the 
Grand  Central  Depot,  on  which  Dillon,  Clyde  &  Co.  were 
engaged  for  more  than  two  years.  The  contract  price  for  this 
great  work  was  five  million  three  hundred  thousand  dollars. 
The  success  of  this  enterprise  was  largely  due  to  Mr.  Clyde's 
wonderful  executive  ability,  which  was  ever  the  marked  fea- 
ture of  his  character.  It  was  a  common  remark  among  con- 
tf-actprs  that  Mr.  Clyde  could  do  a  job  of  work  cheaper  than 
any  other  man  in  the  United  States.  Of  an  iron  constitution, 
he  spared  neither  himself  nor  his  men  in  carrying  out  his 
enterprises,  and  it  was  his  untiring  devotion  to  business  that 
caused  his  death,  which  occurred  Jan.  24,  1875. 

The  rugged,  honest,  determined  spirit  which  Mr.  Clyde 
possessed  in  a  remarkable  degree,  joined  to  an  exceptionally 
strong  and  healthy  body,  highly  fitted  him  for  success  in  the 
vocation  which  he  pursued.  Being  almost  entirely  without 
educational  advantages  in  youth,  his  success  in  life  was  due 
to  the  native  integrity  and  force  of  character  which  charac- 
terized him  during  a  life  of  almost  unceasing  activity. 

In  1848  he  married  Miss  Caroline  V.,  daughter  of  Joseph 
E.  and  Sybil  (Valentine)  Read,  of  Fall  River.  Their  chil- 
dren are  an  only  son  (died  at  birth),  Evelyn  L.  (Mrs.  James 
D.  Gill),  Carrie  Minnie  (died  at  tlie  age  of  sixteen),  and 
Hattie  F. 


JOHN  B.  ADAMS 
was  born  in  Marlboro',  Middlesex  Co.,  Mass.,  Dec.  10,  1814. 
He  was  the  third  son  (in  a  family  of  four  sons  and  one 
daughter)  of  Joel  Adams,  a  native  of  Northbridge,  Worces- 
ter Co.,  Mass.,  and  a  resident  at  various  periods  of  Marlboro', 
Mass.,  of  Greenbush,  N.  Y.,  and  of  Providence,  R.  I.  At 
the  latter  place  he  died,  Aug.  31,  1841,  aged  sixty-two.  His 
mother,  A/.ubah  (Whitney)  Adams,  was  a  native  of  West- 


894 


HISTORY   OF  THE   CONxNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


boi-o',  Mass.,  and  died  iu  Providence,  June  29,  1835,  aged 
forty-nine.  Of  the  cliildren,  besides  Mr.  Adams,  only  tlie 
sister,  Mrs.  Alexander  liirnie,  is  living.  Until  Mr.  Adams 
was  eighteen  years  old,  his  time  was  mostly  spent  at  .school  in 
Providence.  For  the  three  following  years  he  was  a  clerk  in 
his  father's  store,  where  he  acquired  a  practical  business  edu- 
cation. Upon  reaching  his  majority,  he  was  for  two  years 
engaged  on  the  construction  of  the  Stonington  Railroad,  and 
for  four  years  afterward  on  the  Western  and  the  Norwich 
and  Worcester  I'ailroads,  with  contractors  Birnie,  McManu.s 
&  Co.,  until  the  completion  of  the  roads  in  1841.  In  this 
capacity  Mr.  Adams  displayed  such  integrity  of  character 
and  business  ability  as  to  retain  the  confidence  of  his  em- 
ployers, and  command  their  influence  for  the  future.  In  the 
year  1841,  and  before  the  full  completion  of  the  road,  Mr. 
Adams  was  appointed  a  conductor  on  the  Western  (now  Bos- 
ton and  Albany)  Railroad,  and  ran  the  first  train  of  pa.ssenger- 
cars  over  the  road,  from  Albany  to  Springfield.  In  this  posi- 
tion he  remained,  conducting  the  morning  train  from  Spring- 
field to  Albany  and  return,  for  thirty-two  years,  probably  the 
longest  time  served  by  any  one  man  in  a  public  position  of 
this  kind  in  the  State.  During  these  years  the  distance  traveled 
was  equivalent  to  traveling  around  the  world  about  seventy- 
four  times.  It  is  said  that  during  eighteen  months  of  these 
years  he  was  on  the  road  continuously,  without  losing  a  trip. 
In  1852,  Mr.  Adams  received,  as  a  token  for  his  courtesy, 
fidelity,  and  kindness  to  all  classes  of  society,  for  his  sleepless 
vigilance  and  assiduous  attention  to  the  duties  he  had  in 
charge,  a  service  of  silver  plate,  with  the  following  inscription 
engraved  thereon  : 

"To  John  B.  .-Vil.'iin:',  Curiductor  of  W.  R.  Road,  for  his  unfaihng  kindness, 
his  unremitting  attention,  and  liis  constant  care,  this  testimonial  is  presented  hy 
a  few  of  liis  friends,  Jan.  1,  1852." 

Nov.  2(),  1873,  Mr.  Adams  resigned  his  position  as  conduc- 
tor, to  take  effect  on  and  after  December  1st  of  that  year  ;  since 
which  time  he  has  resided  in  Springfield.  An  engraving  of 
his  residence  may  be  seen  on  another  page  of  this  work. 

During  his  service  as  conductor  on  the  Boston  and  Albanj' 
Railroad,  he  was  also  interested  in  the  construction  of  the 
Pittsfield  and  North  Adams  Railroad. 

It  is  a  fact  worthy  of  note  that  Mr.  Adams  received  many 
expressions  of  confidence  and  esteem  from  prominent  person- 
ages who  traveled  upon  his  train,  and  one  in  particular  from 
Henry  Clay,  during  his  last  trip  to  the  New  England  States, 
written  unsolicited,  and  showing  the  uniform  attention  he 
gave  to  all  who  came  in  his  way. 

He  was  originally  connected  with  the  Whig  party,  and  was 
quite  active  in  the  ranks,  but  since  the  disappearance  of  that 
party  he  has  looked  rather  to  principles  than  to  party,  and  is 
therefore  independent  in  politics. 

In  the  year  1838  he  married  Alice  A.  H.,  daughter  of  John 
Cook,  of  Tiverton,  R.  I.  By  this  union  there  have  been  born 
two  sons  and  two  daughters, — Mrs.  Charles  E.  Winton,  of 
Springfield,  John  C,  Alice  W.,  and  William  H., — all  living. 


THE  SOUTHWORTH  FAMILY. 
The  history  of  the  Southworth  family  can  be  traced  with 
entire  certainty  through  many  generations  of  the  Engli-sh 
squirarchy  and  gentry  from  Sir  Gilbert  Southworth,  of  South- 
worth  Hall,  Lancaster,  England,  in  the  fourteenth  century, 
down  through  ten  generations,  the  unbroken  line  in  England 
being  as  follows  :  Sir  Gilbert,  Sir  John,  Sir  Thomas,  Richard 
Southworth,  of  Salisbury,  Sir  Christopher,  Sir  John,  Sir 
Thomas,  of  Warrington,  Richard,  of  London,  Sir  Thomas, 
recorder  of  will.s,  Somersetshire,  to  Edward,  who,  in  1598, 
married  the  beautiful  and  gifted  Alice  Carpenter,  daughter  of 
Alexander  Car))enter.  Mr.  Southworth,  with  his  two  sons, 
Constant  and   Thomas,  fled   to  Holland  Avith  that  company  of 


Pilgrim  Fathers  which  left  England  on  account  of  the  great 
persecution  of  the  Dissenters  by  the  Church  of  England.  He 
died  after  a  few  years'  residence  in  the  city  of  Leyden,  where 
most  of  the  pilgrims  had  settled.  His  widow  Alice  followed 
the  fortunes  of  the  "Mayflower"  exiles  on  the  ship,  and  ar- 
rived in  Plymouth  in  August,  1623,  where  she  soon  married 
William  Bradford,  second  Governor  of  the  Plymouth  colony. 
The  two  sons  followed  their  mother  to  America,  in  1(528,  and 
both  became  distinguished  men  in  the  colony.  Thomas  had 
two  children,  both  daughters.  Constant  married  Elizabeth 
Coltier,  of  Duxbury,  on  Nov.  2,  1039,  by  whom  he  had  a 
large  familj-.  He  was  one  of  the  original  proprietors  of  the 
town  of  Bridgewater,  Plymouth  Co.,  Mass.  His  son  Edward 
married  Mary  Peabodie,  of  Bridgewater,  in  November,  1671, 
while  Ills  son  Edward,  second,  married  Elizabeth  Bosworth, 
June  11,  1711,  and  his  son  Edward,  third,  born  iu  Decem- 
ber, 1718,  married  Lydia  Packard,  of  Bridgewater,  Dec.  16, 
1750.  They  had  four  sons  and  five  daughters.  The  names  of 
the  sons  were  Uriah,  Perez,  Edward,  Abiah  ;  all  the  family 
except  Perez  removed  from  Bridgewater  to  Pelham. 

HON.    WELLS    .SOUTHWORTH 

was  the  son  of  Dr.  Abiah  Southworth,  who  was  born  March 
6,  1760,  and  studied  medicine  with  the  celebrated  Dr.  Wells, 
of  Montague,  Mass.,  and  was  a  practicing  physician  in 
Pelham  for  more  than  forty  years.  He  married,  in  1794, 
Kezia  Boltwood,  of  Amherst,  Mass.,  daughter  of  Solomon 
and  Mary  Boltwood.  Mr.  Boltwood  was  high-sherifl"  under 
King  George  (III.)  for  the  county  of  Hampshire,  Mass.  Dr. 
Southworth's  children  were  Rufus,  Mary,  Wells,  Edward, 
and  Martha.  Rufus  was  born  Feb.  3,  1796,  and  died  in 
Charleston,  S.  C,  Oct.  11,  1828;  Wells,  Aug.  17,  1799;  Ed- 
ward, July  3,  1804,  died  Dec.  11,  1869;  and  Martha,  born 
May  10,  1807,  who  is  the  wife  of  Robert  Curtis,  Esq.,  of 
Bridgewater,  residing  now  in  Elmwood,  Mass.  Dr.  South- 
worth  died  in  South  Hadley  Falls,  Mass.,  Dec.  27,  1835,  and 
his  wife  April  28th  previously. 

Mr.  Wells  Southworth  has  been  married  three  times.  His 
first  wife  was  Miss  Rebecca  C.  Woodburn,  of  Salem,  Mass., 
whom  he  married  September,  1828,  and  who  died  at  Chicopee 
Falls,  Mass.,  in  1839.  For  his  second  wife  he  married  Widow 
Frances  Rebekah  Lyon,  daughter  of  Mr.  E.  T.  Smith,  of 
South  Hadley,  Mass.,  in  November,  1840,  and  she  died  in 
March,  1844.  On  March  17,  1845,  Mr.  Southworth  was  mar- 
ried to  his  present  wife.  Miss  Harriet  Maria  Jillett,  of  Rome, 
N.  Y.,  whose  father,  the  Rev.  Moses  Jillett,  was  pastor  of  the 
Presbyterian  Churcli  in  that  city  for  thirty-four  years.  Mr. 
Southworth  has  had  six  children,  only  three  of  whom  are 
living, — Horatio  Woodburn,  born  Jan.  15,  1839;  united  in 
marriage  in  New  Y'ork  City,  Oct.  22,  1862,  with  Florence 
C.Allen;  Harriet  Mills,  born  Dec.  13,  1846,  and  married, 
Jan.  27,  1876,  to  Col.  George  Hastings,  of  New  York;  and 
Edward  Wells,  born  Jan.  14,  1854,  an  attorney  in  New  York 
City.    Horatio  W.  is  now  associated  with  his  father  in  business. 

Mr.  Southworth  first  engaged  in  business  in  1823  as  a  mer- 
chant, in  Pelham,  Mass.,  but  in  1828  he  removed  to  Chicopee 
Falls,  Mass.  (a  precinct  of  Springfield),  where  he  followed 
the  same  business  up  to  1839,  when  he  removed  to  Mitten- 
eague.  West  Springfield,  where  he  built  a  fine  writing-paper 
mill,  now  owned  by  the  Southworth  Paper  Company,  and 
for  more  than  fifty  years  has  been  the  president  of  this  cor- 
poration. He  is  still  an  active  business-man,  and  is  to-day 
the  only  active  paper-manufacturer  in  the  United  States  who 
was  born  in  the  eighteenth  century.  In  the  3'ear  1854,  Mr. 
Southworth  removed  his  residence  to  New  Haven,  Conn.,  for 
the  purpose  of  educating  his  children,  and  has  been  interested 
in  many  of  the  business  enterprises  of  that  city  and  State.  In 
the  spring  of  1855  he  organized  the  City  of  New  Haven  Fire 
Insurance  Company,  and  was  for  ten  years  its  president.  The 
institution,  under  his  management,  was  very  successful.     He 


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HISTORY  OF  HA3IPDEN   COUNTY. 


895 


was  also  a  stockholder  and  dlrc-i'tor  in  the  Tradesmen's  Bank 
of  New  Haven,  and  has  been  one  of  the  largest  stockholders 
and  a  director  in  the  Second  National  Bank  of  New  Hftven 
since  its  organization.  He  is  also  a  large  stockholder  in  the 
New  York,  New  Ilaven  and  Hartford  Itailroad,  hesides  being 
engaged  in  other  enterprises.  Polilicall}',  in  early  life,  Mr. 
Southworth  was  a  Whig,  and  took  an  active  part  in  the  ques- 
tions of  the  daj'.  On  the  organization  of  tlio  Eepublican 
party  he  became  a  member  of  it,  and  has  twice  represented 
Springileld,  and  once  AVcst  Springtield,  in  the  Massachusetts 
Legislature.  He  has  long  been  a  member  of  the  Congrega- 
tional Church,  which  he  has  assisted  largely  with  his  means, 
as  he  has  many  other  worthy  objects. 

HON.  EDWARD   SOUTUWOKTn, 

a  younger  brother  of  Wells  Southworth,  was  born  in  Pelham, 
Mass.,  Julys,  1804.  His  boyhood  was  passed  at  his  home, 
where  he  enjoyed  whatever  advantages  the  common  schools 
could  ofler.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  he  was  sent  to  the  acad- 
emy at  Amherst,  Mass.,  where  he  prepared  for  college.  He 
entered  Harvard  College  in  18212,  and  graduated  in  182G, 
in  a  class  which  numbered  among  its  members  Andrew  P. 
Peabody,  LL.D.,  of  Cambridge  ;  Dr.  W^iUard  Parker,  of  New- 
York  ;  Hun.  Samuel  H.  Walley  and  Hon.  Stephen  M.  Weld, 
of  Boston,  and  other  distinguished  men.  After  graduating, 
he  went  at  once  to  Charleston,  S.  C,  where  he  took  the  posi- 
tion of  instructor  in  ancient  languages,  in  an  academy  estab- 
lished by  his  brother  Kufus,  and  of  which  the  latter  was 
principal.  His  brother  dying  in  1828,  Mr.  Southworth  suc- 
ceeded him,  and  carried  on  the  school  until  1833,  when  ill 
health  compelled  him  to  return  to  the  North.  For  the  next 
six  years  he  was  engaged  in  business  at  South  Hadley  Falls, 
Mass.,  and  in  1839  removed  to  West  Springtield,  and  with 
Mr.  Wells  Southworth,  of  New  Haven,  established  the  South- 
worth  Manufacturing  Company,  for  making  paper.  He  also 
held  the  office  of  postmaster  in  West  Springfield  for  several 
years.  In  18.53,  Mr.  Southworth  was  elected  representative 
to  the  Ma.ssachusetts  Legislature,  where  he  served  two  years. 
In  1854  he  was  elected  to  the  State  Senate,  and  was  given 
his  seat  by  a  vote  of  that  body  over  his  opponent;  but  his 
sense  of  honor  would  not  allow  him  to  accept  it,  because 
of  some  irregularity  in  the  election,  and  he  immediately  re- 
signed. In  connection  with  Mr.  John  H.  Southworth,  of 
Springtield,  Mr.  Wells  Southworth,  of  New  Haven,  and 
others,  he  organized  the  Hampshire  Paper  Company,  at  South 
Hadley  Falls,  Mass.  He  resided  in  West  Springfield  until  his 
death.  At  that  time  he  held  the  positions  of  president  of  the 
Hampshire  Paper  Company,  of  South  Hadley  Falls,  and  of 
the  Hampden  Paint  and  Chemical  Company,  of  Springfield, 
Mass.  ;  treasurer  of  the  Southworth  Company,  of  West 
Springfield;  director  of  the  Springfield  Fire  and  Marine  In- 
surance Company,  and  the  Agawam  National  Bank,  of  Spring- 
field, Mass.,  and  of  the  Massasoit  Paper  Company,  of  Hol- 
yoke,  Mass.,  and  trustee  of  the  Hampden  Savings-Hank,  of 
Springfield,  Mass. 

Mr.  Southworth  was  one  of  the  first  to  aid  Miss  Lyon  in  the 
founding  of  the  Mount  Holyoke  Female  Seminary,  and  filled 
the  oflJce  of  trustee  of  that  institution  from  its  opening  until 
the  time  of  his  death.  He  was  also  trustee  of  the  fund  for 
indigent  students  at  Amherst  College. 

Mr.  Southworth  was  for  many  years  a  member  of  the  Con- 
gregational Church,  and  for  thirty  years  was  a  deacon  in  the 
First  Congregational  Church  at  West  Springfield.  Their  desire 
that  the  principles  of  that  form  of  church  government  might 
be  understood  and  appreciated,  which  form  they  considered 
to  he  thoroughly  republican,  jirompted  Mr.  Southworth  and 
his  brother,  Mr.  Wells  Southworth,  to  fV)Und  a  lectureship  on 
Congregational  Polity,  at  the  Audover  Theological  Semi- 
nary. 

Mr.   Southworth   was  three  times   married  :    first,   to  Ann 


Elizabeth  Shepard,  daughter  of  Rev.  Mase  Shepnrd,  of  Lit- 
tle Compton,  R.  I. ;  second,  to  Mary  Woodbury  Shepard, 
daughter  of  Rev.  Thomas  Shepard,  LL.D.,  of  Bristol,  R.  J.  ; 
third,  to  Mrs.  Harriet  Ann  Deane,  nee  Thurston,  daughter  of 
Rev.  David  Thurston,  LL.D.,  of  Winthrop,  Me.,  and  widow 
of  Melvin  G.  Deane,  Esq.,  of  Portland,  Me.  This  lady  sur- 
vived him.  He  left  six  children,  two  (George  Champlin 
Shepard,  of  West  Springfield,  and  Mase  Shepard,  of  Wil- 
liamstown,  Mass.)  being  the  children  of  his  first  wife;  three 
(Edward  Shepard,  of  New  Haven,  Thomas  Shepard,  and 
Mary  Woodbury  Shepard)  being  children  of  his  second  wife ; 
and  one  (Alice  Harriet  S.)  the  daughter  of  his  third  wife. 
He  died  Dec.  11,  1869,  aged  sixty-five. 

MR.    .JOHN    H.    SOUTDWOKTH, 

of  Springfield,  Mass.,  a  son  of  Deacon  John  Southworth  and 
Betsey  Willis  Heywood,  daughter  of  Luther  Heywood,  and  a 
grandson  of  Perez  Southworth,  of  Bridgewater  (who  was  a 
brother  of  Mr.  Wells  Southworth's  father),  was  born  on  the 
9th  of  October,  1818.  He  was  educated  at  North  Bridgewater, 
Mass.,  and  commenced  busineiis  as  a  clerk  in  the  dry-goods 
house  of  Charles  Atherton  and  Enoch  Herton,  in  183ij,  at 
New  Bedford,  Mass.,  but,  his  health  failing,  he  removed  to 
Chicopee  Falls,  Mass.,  and  acted  as  merchant  for  the  firm  of 
F.  A.  L.  Adams  &  Co. ;  but,  not  regaining  his  health,  he  went 
to  Dartmouth,  his  native  place,  and  remained  during  the 
years  1840  and  1841.  In  1842  he  entered  into  a  copartnership 
with  Capt.  Michael  Baker,  for  the  purpose  of  engaging  in  tiie 
business  of  general  merchandising,  in  South  Dartmouth.  In 
the  year  1844,  Mr.  Southworth  removed  to  Westfield,  Mass., 
and  there  engaged  in  the  business  of  staple  and  fancy  dry- 
goods.  In  1847  he  became  interested  at  Mitteneague,  with 
Mr.  Wells  Southworth,  in  building  the  Agawam  Canal  Com- 
pany Cotton-Mills,  acting  as  resident  engineer,  paymaster, 
and  book-keeper  for  the  corporation.  In  1849  he  accepted  an 
ofi'er  from  Mr.  William  H.  Inlay  to  become  the  business 
agent  of  two  paper-mills,  situated,  one  in  Poquannock  and 
the  other  in  Rainbow,  Conn.,  where  he  remained  until  the 
winter  of  1851,  the  business  proving  successful  under  his  man- 
agement. 

In  the  winter  of  1851,  Mr.  Southworth  took  up  his  residence 
in  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  taking  charge  of  the  paper  warehouse 
of  the  Southworth  Manufacturing  Company  in  that  city.  He 
soon  increased  its  business  more  than  sixfold,  besides  largely 
increasing  its  business  in  paper-stock,  and  in  1854  he  was 
made  a  director  in  the  company.  In  IStiO  he  was  elected 
alderman  of  the  Tenth  Ward,  Philadelphia,  over  the  Demo- 
cratic and  Independent  candidate,  by  a  large  majority.  He 
was  also  a  member  of  the  Union  League.  In  answer  to  a 
newspaper  threat  growing  out  of  the  Southern  difficulty,  he 
was  one  of  those  who  marched  down  Chestnut  Street  and  up 
Walnut,  passing  the  office  of  the  publication  on  their  way. 

Ir.  this  year  he,  in  connection  with  his  kinsmen,  Messrs. 
Wells  and  Edward  Southworth,  bought  a  controlling  interest 
in  the  Glasgow  Paper  Company,  of  South  Hadley  Falls,  Mass. 
(it  now  being  the  Hampshire  mill),  and  acted  as  its  agent  and 
as  a  director,  and  in  1868  also  became  its  treasurer,  and  in 
1870  its  president.  He  had  also  become  interested  in  the 
Greenleaf  &  Taylor  Manufacturing  Company,  and  was  presi- 
dent of  the  same.  In  the  j'ear  1872  he  removed  his  residence 
from  Philadelphia  to  Round  Hill,  Springfield,  Mass.  In  the 
previous  year  (1871)  he  had  become  largely  interested  in 
the  manufacture  of  gas-flxtures,  in  company  with  Benjamin 
Thackary  and  W.  S.  Buck,  of  Philadelphia,  under  the  name 
of  Thackary,  Buck  &  Co.,  of  718  Chestnut  Street,  Philadel- 
phia. In  the  year  1872  he  became  largely  interested  in  the 
Wilcox  &  Gibbs  Sewing-Jtachine  Company,  and  in  1874  was 
elected  the  president  of  and  a  director  in  the  company.  In 
1873  he  was  elected  a  director  in  the  Agawam  National  Bank, 
of  Springfield,  Mass.  ;    in   1874  a   director  in   the   Gla.sgow 


896 


HISTORY   OP  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


Gingham-Mills,  of  South  Hadley  Falls,  and  has  been  their 
president  since  1876. 

Although  actively  engaged  in  business,  Mr.  SouthworUi 
has  found  time  to  visit  many  of  the  countries  of  the  Old 
World,  having  made  three  trips  to  Euroi)e.  In  1871  he  visited 
the  most  of  Europe,  with  the  exception  of  the  Russian  empire. 
In  1874  he  visited  Great  Britain  and  France,  and  in  1875 
most  of  the  Continent.  During  the  last  summer  Mr.  South- 
worth  was  on  a  train  on  the  Union  Pacific  Kailroad  when 
attacked  by  robbers,  and  was  quite  severely  wounded  in  the 
arm.  In  the  year  1843,  Mr.  Southworth  married  Miss  Sarah 
Law,  of  Nantucket,  Mass.,  and  there  were  born  to  them  three 


children,  Sarah  Elizabeth,  in  1844,  who  died  the  same  year ; 
in  184.5,  John  Wells,  who  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-eight  in 
1873;  and  in  1847,  Sarah  Law,  who  lived  to  be  only  nine 
months  old.  Mrs.  Southworth  died  in  1847,  at  the  age  of 
twenty-nine  years.  In  18-54,  Mr.  Southworth  married  Miss 
Elizabeth  Henderson,  of  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  and  under  this 
marriage  there  have  been  born  four  children,— Charles  H., 
Nov.  1,  18-56  (now  associated  with  his  father  in  business);  Ida 
M.,  March  13,  1858;  Edward  Courtlandt,  A^ig.  25,  I860,— he 
graduates  at  Andover  this  year  (1879),  and  enters  immediately 
into  the  paper-business  with  his  father;  and  Nina  E.,  Nov. 
7,  1862,  who  lived  only  until  the  following  July. 


WEST     SPRINGFIELD. 


GEOGR.'iPHICAL.  I 

This  township  is  situated  on  the  west  side  of  Connecticut 
Biver,  very  near  the  geographical  centre  of  the  county,  and 
is  bounded  on  the  north  "by  Holyoke,  on  the  south  by  Aga- 
wam,  on  the  east  by  the  city  of  Springfield  and  the  town  of 
Chicopec,  from  which  it  is  separated  by  the  Connecticut  River, 
and  on  the  west  by  the  town  of  Westfield. 

It  lies  in  the  triangle  formed  by  the  two  rivers,  and  its  dimen- 
sions approximate  three  and  a  half  by  five  miles,  with  an  area 
of  about  11,000  acres. 

NATURAL  FEATURES. 
Its  distinguishing  features  are  a  broad  level  plain,  extending 
parallel  to  the  Connecticut  River  along  its  eastern  side,  falling 
away  to  a  lower,  narrow  "  terrace"  along  the  two  rivers,  with 
hilly  uplands  in  the  west,  culminating  in  the  lofty  trap  ridge 
which  forms  its  western  boundary. 

The  soil  of  the  plain  is  a  sandy  loam,  while  the  bottom- 
lands along  the  Connecticut  and  Agawam  Rivers  consist 
mostly  of  a  fine  alluvium.  The  scenery  in  places  along  the 
Agawam,  particularly  at  Mitteneague  and  where  the  river 
parses  through  the  trap  range,  is  rugged  and  interesting. 
There  is  considerable  drift,  and  in  some  localities  extensive 
moraines  of  bowlders  are  found. 

The  geological  formations  consist  of  the  red  sand-rock  of 
the  vaUey,  the  greenstone  or  doleritcs  of  tlie  trap  forma- 
tion, drift,  and  lacustrine  and  alluvial  deposits.  A  small 
deposit  of  rotten  and  impure  limestone  is  said  to  exist  in  the 
northwestern  part  of  the  town,  which  has  been  utilized  to  a 
considerable  extent  in  the  manufacture  of  hydraulic  cement, 
or  water-lime.*  A  few  fossils,  principally  from  the  vegetable 
kingdom,  have  been  found.  Various  minerals,  such  as  horn- 
blende, mica,  tourmaline,  graphite,  quartz,  feldspar,  etc.,  are 
found  in  the  drift  deposits;  and  many  relics  of  the  prehis- 
toric period  have  been  unearthed  in  the  soil  of  the  terrace 
formations  along  the  Agawam  and  Connecticut  Rivers.  The 
various  soils  of  the  town  are  generally  well  adapted  to  grazing 
and  grain-growing,  and  the  business  of  the  people  has  been, 
until  recently,  mostly  agricultural.  Besides  the  two  rivers 
which  bound  the  town  on  the  east  and  south,  there  are  a 
number  of  small  streams,  the  most  important  of  which  is  Pau- 
catuck  Brook,  which  takes  its  rise  in  the  town  of  Holyoke, 
and,  passing  through  the  Ashley  ponds,  discharges  into  the 
Agawam  River,  near  the  southwest  corner,  after  a  course, 
bearing  a  little  west  of  south,  of  about  eight  miles. 

Lying  parallel  to  this  stream,  a-long  its  eastern  bank,  is  an 
outlying  and  inferior  range  of  the  trap  formation,  which  is 
finely  exposed  at  the  railway  cutting  near  the  mouth  of  the 

*  Tlu'i-e  is  a  quarry  of  sand-rock  near  tin-  nlintli  of  ISl.jck  Brook. 

496 


brook.     Here  the  trap  may  be  seen  overlying  the  sandstone  in 
a  position  perpendicular  to  the  dip  of  the  latter. 

Block  Brook  rises  in  a  peat  marsh  in  the  northwestern  por- 
tion of  the  town,  and,  running  south,  discharges  into  the  Aga- 
wam, about  one  mile  above  the  village  of  Mitteneague.  On 
the  eastern  side  of  the  town  are  the  Darby,  Barker,  and  Ash- 
ley Brooks,  which  rise  in  the  hilly  uplands  of  the  central 
portions  and  discharge  into  the  Connecticut  River.  The  Pau- 
catuck  Brook  furnishes  considerable  power  near  the  outlet  of 
the  Ashley  ponds.  There  arc  also  several  small  ponds  in  the 
township. 

E.IRLY   SETTLEMENT. 

In  1633  the  government  of  Great  Britain,  becoming  alarmed 
at  the  increasing  emigration  to  the  New  England  colonies, 
which  were  spreading  with  remarkable  rapidity,  as  was  evi- 
dent from  the  fact  tiiat  already  a  half-score  of  parishes  had 
been  established  and  churches  erected,  took  measures  to  check 
the  movement.  An  order  was  issued  by  the  king  forbidding 
further  emigration,  and  many  who  had  made  preparation  to 
settle  in  America  were  prevented  from  leaving  the  kingdom. 
But  means  were  found  whereby  the  order  was  evaded,  and  a 
colony  of  about  200  persons,  including  Cotton,  Hooker,  and 
Stone,  quietly  left  England,  and  arrived  safely  in  America  in 
that  year. 

The  Connecticut  River  first  became  known  to  the  English 
in  1631,  and  early  in  the  fall  of  1633  John  Oldham,  Samuel 
Hall,  and  two  others,  from  Dorchester,  traveled  through  the 
wilderness  and  stood  upon  its  banks.  Pleased  with  the  kind- 
ness of  the  natives,  the  meadows  on  either  side,  the  abundance 
of  game  and  fish,  and  the  apparent  fertility  of  the  soil,  they 
returned  to  their  friends  and  made  a  favorable  report. 

A  number  of  men,  led  by  William  Holmes,  left  the  Ply- 
mouth colony  by  water,  in  October  of  that  year,  and  sailed  up 
the  Connecticut  River  as  far  as  the  present  town  of  Windsor, 
Conn.  Here  they  built  the  first  dwelling-hou.se  erected  by  a 
white  man  in  the  Connecticut  Valley. 

In  July,  1634,  six  men  from  Newtown  (Cambridge)  visited 
the  river  with  a  view  to  settlement,  but  permission  was  not 
granted  them  by  the  General  Court  to  remove.  The  next 
year,  however,  a  petition  was  presented  by  the  inhabitants 
of  Cambridge,  Dorchester,  Watertown,  and  Roxbury,  to  the 
General  Court,  then  in  session  at  Newtown,  for  leave  to  emi- 
grate to  the  Connecticut  River.  This  petition  was  granted, 
May  6,  1635,  with  the  condition  that  they  should  locate  within 
theVr'sdiction  of  Massachusetts,  and  persons  w-re  appointed 
to  govern  them  one  year. 

Early  records  lead  to  the  opinion  that  AVilliam  Pynchon, 
Henry  Smith,  and  John  Burr  visited  the  spot  where  now 
stands  Springfield,  and  selected  the  location  in  1634. 


Present  residence  of  wells   SOUTHWORTH,  [a  |\Iative  or  the  Connecticut  Valley  in  ^Sass.) 

13  YORK  SQUARE,  NEW  flAVEN,  CONN. 


HISTOIIY   OF   HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


897 


In  the  spring  following,  John  Cable  and  John  Woodcock 
were  sent  forward  to  build  a  boat  for  crossing  the  river  and 
a  house  for  the  plantation,  the  boat  and  house  together  cost- 
ing £l'i.  Tli('3'  came  to  the  phice  called  by  the  Indians  Aga- 
wam,  or  Agaam,  and  built  a  cabin  on  the  west  side  of  the 
Connecticut  Kiver,  and  on  the  south  side  of  Agawam  River, 
in  the  meadow,  called  from  that  circumstance  and  still  known 
as  the  "  Housemeadow"  lot.  They  were  informed  by  the  In- 
dians, who  were  friendly,  that  the  ground  on  whicb  tbej-  had 
built  was  subject  to  inundation.* 

William  Pynchon,  Esq.,  with  seven  others,  came  from  Rox- 
bury  in  the  spring  of  1036,  to  wliat  is  now  Spriiiglield,  and  on 
the  14tli  of  May  of  that  year  tlicy  drew  up  and  signed  an  agree- 
ment concerning  their  government.  Allotments  of  land  were 
soon  made  on  both  sides  of  the  river,  the  lots  on  the  west  side 
being  located  as  near  as  possible  opposite  the  "  home-lots"  on 
the  east  side. 

As  yet  no  title  had  been  derived  from  the  Indians,  and  it 
was  deemed  advisable,  as  an  act  of  justice  to  the  natives  and 
a  measui'c  of  safety  to  themselves,  to  make  a  formal  purchase 
of  the  land.  This  was  accomplished,  and  the  land  on  both 
sides  of  the  river  was  conveyed  to  William  Pynclion,  Esq., 
Henry  Smith,  Jehu  Burr,  and  their  heirs  and  associates.  It 
is  the  first  deed  ever  executed  in  Western  Massachusetts,  and 
is  now  on  record  in  Hampden  County,  bearing  date  July  15, 
IGSe. 

Tliisdecd  included  "all  tliat  ground  or  meadow  AccomsicU, 
viz. :  on  the  other  side  of  Quana,f  and  all  the  ground  and 
meadow  on  the  side  of  Agawam  except  cotfhiackr.cs/i,  or  ground 
that  is  now  planted"  (by  tlie  Indians).  The  total  consid- 
eration paid  for  the  land  deeded  on  both  sides  of  the  river 
was  18  fathoms  of  wampum,  18  coats,  18  hoes,  18  hatchets, 
and  18  knives,  of  which  10  fathoms  of  wampum,  10  coats,  10 
hoes,  10  hatchets,  and  10  knives  was  the  price  paid  for  land 
on  the  west  side  of  the  river. 

A  tliird  deed  was  made  June  20,  lOGC,  "of  the  right  of  those 
who  gave  it  to  the  land  at  Agawam  and  Qiiana,  and  also  the 
higher  meadow  and  uplands,  from  the  mouth  of  Agawam 
Kiver  up  to  the  ponds  west  of  it,  and  all  the  land  into  the 
woods  where  Ensign  Cooper  and  Samuel  Marslifield  Iiad  a 
meadow." 

The  Hon.  George  Bliss,  in  bis  address  delivered  at  the  open- 
ing of  the  town-ball  in  Springtield  in  1828,  says  : 

"  It  is  very  iUflicult  to  fi.x  tlie  time  wlicn  the  inhabitants  began  to  build  on  the 
west  siile  of  the  river.  Tlie  laud  then  was  improved  as  a  comm  m  ilehl,  as  well 
before  jia  after  settlements  were  commenced.  There  were,  as  I  believe,  three  dis- 
tinct pafls  of  West  Springfield,  occupied  about  the  same  time.  One  was  south 
of  Agawam  River,  begun  by  the  ancestors  of  the  Leonards  and  Coopel-s.  Another 
was  i[i  the  first  parish  under  tlie  hill,  .and  a  third  on  Chicopee  plain  above.  These 
commenced,  as  far  as  I  can  ascertain,  in  lGo3,  and  soon  rajiidly  increased  and  ck- 
leuded." 

As  early  as  105-t— jG  a  number  of  house-lots  were  granted 
on  Chicopee  Plain,  on  the  west  side  of  the  river,  to  Francis 
Pepper,  Anthony  Dorchester,  Samuel  Terry,  Hugh  Dudley, 
John  Dumbleton,  Miles  Morgan,  Jolin  Stewart,  Obadiah 
Miller,  and  Simon  Sackett. 

March  5,  1G59,  John  Dumbleton  had  granted  to  him  land 
on  Paucatuck  Brook. 

Thomas  Cooper  and  Abel  Leonard  settled  on  the  southwest 
side  of  the  Agawam,  near  where  their  descendants  now  reside, 
about  the  year  16G0,  and  in  a  short  time  Thomas  Merrick  was 
there  also. 

There  is  in  possession  of  J.  N.  Bagg,  Esq.,  a  .slip  of  paper 
containing  tlio  following  : 

"  March  13,  lOGU-Cl.— There  is  Grauf  to  Eobt.  Ashley  Six  Acres  of  Moddow 


*  Probably  those  who  came  lodged  there  until  the  fall,  for  the  original  re::ord 
of  the  trial  of  Woodcock  w.  Cable  speaks  of  occupying  and  cultivating  the 
grounds  near  them  all  that  summer. 

f  The  hmd  dejignated  in  the  deed  as  Quana  is  the  mi  Idle  meadow,  adjoining 
Agawam  Meadow. 


on  the  back  side  of  Chicopee  Plain,  within  2  or  3  mile  of  tlio  great  Itiver  where 

he  can  find  so  much  undisposed  of. 

"A  copy  from  Springfield  Records,  ExM  by  Wm.  I'ynchon,  Clerk." 

Within  a  few  years  after  this  ttiere  were  several  grants  of 
house-lots  in  various  places,  some  as  far  west  as  Paucatuck 
Brook. 

The  following  are  the  earliest  settlers  whose  names  are  to  be 
found  on  record,  who  were  ancestors  of  the  inliabitants  in 
West  Springfield  :  Thomas  Horton,  Thomas  Merrick,  John 
Leonard  ,and  Robert  Ashley.  These  all  htid  allotments  of  land 
originally  on  the  east  side  of  the  river,  and  are  first  mentioned 
there  in  January,  1089.  Rowland  Stebbins,  Thomas  Steb- 
bins,  and  Wiliiam  Warriner  are  mentioned  in  January,  1G41. 
Thomas  Cooper  removed  from  Windsor  to  Springfield  in  lG-11, 
but  mention  is  first  made  of  him  in  what  is  now  Agawam  in 
IGGO.  Samuel  Cha]iin,  first  mentioned  in  10-14;  Miles  Morgan 
and  Francis  Pepper,  the  next  year.  Benjamin  Cooley,  Francis 
Ball,  Nathaniel  Bliss,  Joseph  Parsons,  Geo.  Colton,  and  Grif- 
fith Jones,  in  1646.  Soon  after  1600,  persons  by  the  names  of 
Riley,  Foster,  Jones,  Scott,  Barber,  Rogers,  Miller,  Parsons, 
Morgan,  Fowler,  Leonard,  Bodurtha,  Ely,  Bagg,  and  Day 
settled  on  the  west  side  of  the  river.  Many  of  these  early 
families  have  descendants  living  in  West  Springfield  and  Aga- 
wam. 

In  1073  the  number  of  inhabitants  had  so  increased  on  tlio 
west  side  of  the  river  that  a  petition  was  presented  to  the 
town  in  their  behalf,  setting  forth  and  asking  "  that  by  reason 
of  their  great  trouble  in  getting  over  the  river  to  attend  publick 
worship  and  other  meetings,  a  boat  might  be  provided  at  the 
cliarge  of  the  town  for  their  accommodation." 

This  would  appear  to  be  the  first  movement  toward  a 
public  ferry,  as  a  ferry  was  established  in  1683. J 

In  May,  IGO-j,  the  population  on  the  west  side  of  the  river 
had  increased  to  32  families,  numbering  about  200  people, 
who,  being  desirous  of  more  convenient  religious  advantages, 
presented  a  petition  to  the  General  Court  "that  they  might 
be  permitted  to  invite  and  settle  a  minister,"  and  stated  as 
their  reasons  "their  distance  from  the  place  of  meeting  for 
the  public  worship  of  God,  and  the  difficulties  and  dangers 
attending  their  passing  the  river,  beside  many  other  incon- 
veniences." 

The  town  appointed  a  committee  to  protest  to  the  General 
Court  against  the  petition  being  granted.  The  court  ap- 
pointed a  committee  of  several  judicious  and  indifferent  per- 
sons to  investigate  the  matter,  and  report  at  a  subsequent 
session.  This  report  was  made  favorably  to  the  petitioners 
on  the  west  side  of  the  river.  The  following  is  a  literal  copy 
of  the  record  by  which  West  Springfield  first  became  a  parish  : 

"The  Great  and  General  Court  or  Assembly  for  his  Majesties  Province  of  the 
Massachusetts  Bay  in  New  England,  begun  and  held  at  Boston  upon  Wednesday 
y*  "^Tth  of  May,  10!)6,  In  the  Eiglith  year  of  his  Blajesties  Reign,  and  Continued 
by  several  Adjournments  unto  Wednesday  the  ISth  ol  Novemb'  following. 

"  Upon  reading  the  petition  of  the  Inhabitants  of  the  Town  of  Springfield  on 
the  West  Side  of  the  great  River  running  throng''  the  s"i  town,  Commonly  called 
Connecticut  River,  therein  setting  forth  their  distance  from  the  place  of  meeting 
for  the  publick  woi-sliip  of  (Jod  in  s**  Town,  and  the  iliflicnlties  and  danger  at- 
tending their  passing  of  the  h^  River,  besides  many  other  inconveniences  they 
lye  under  by  reason  thereof,  being  about  Thirty-two  Families,  and  in  number 
upwards  of  Two  Hundred  Souls,  Praying  that  they  may  be  Permitted  to  invite 
and  settle  a  minister  on  that  side  of  the  River,  that  themselves  and  families  may 
enjoy  the  Ordinances  of  Christ,  and  their  Children  nut  he  in  danger  of  becoming 
heathens  for  want  of  Instruction.  And  a  Committee  appointed  by  this  Court  of 
indifferent  and  Judicious  persons  belonging  to  the  several  neighboring  Towns  to 
in<|uire  into  that  matter,  having  given  a  Meeting  to  the  Inhabitants  of  the  b"* 
Town,  and  heurd  wluit  was  ottered  on  both  sides,  Itep.irting  that  they  judge  the 
desire  uf  the  Petitionee  to  be  reasonable,  and  that  the  granting  of  their  Petition 
will  not  oidy  promote  Religion,  but  be  much  also  for  the  worldly  advantage  of 
the  Town. 

"  Ordered,  That  the  b^  Petitioners  be,  and  hereby  are.  permitted  and  allowed 
to  invite,  procure  and  settle,  a  learned  and  orthodox  Minister  on  the  West  side 
of  the  s<*  River,  to  disi>ense  the  word  of  God  nuto  those  that  dwell  there,  and 

X  An  account  is  given,  in  1G83,  of  Reice  Bodurtha,  John  Bodurtha,  and  Mrs. 
Joseph  Bodurtha  being  drowned  by  the  upsetting  of  a  boat  while  crossing  the 
1  iver  at  the  ferry. 


113 


893 


HISTORY   OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


llmr  llic.v  hu  aiii^tiuit  and  soparato  Precim-t  fur  that  ]iiii|!ose,  tlie  Bivertobe  the 

diviiliiig  Line;  Ami  thiittlie  pix-sTiit  iiihal  itaiitsuii  tlic  west  tiileof  tlic  8*J  Kiver, 

toKctlior  with  8udi  an  shall  tVuiii  lime  to  lime  n-ttlc  ciimiip  tluni,  have  lileity 

tu  convene  t^igelher,  to  advise,  agree  iipuii,  and  take  biuh  methodi*,  jus  maybe 

Buitahle  and  convenient  ("or  the  procuiing;,  encoui aging,  settling,  and  suppoit  of 

a  nlini^ter  qualified  as  aforcs'i,  and  for  tlie  building  of  u  Meeting-lIoiiBC,  aecord- 

ing  i\s  shall  lie  detei mined  by  a  Wiyor  Vote,  and  also  to  nominate  and  appoint  a 

Committee  of  three  or  more  poisoTis  among  tlunitelveH  to  tiantaet  and  manage 

that  allair.    An. I  all  the  iniiahitants  and  l■;^t;Lteft  niidcr  their  improvement  l^iiij; 

on  the  we&t  Mde  of  the  taid  liiver  tliall  ttand  ehaiged  tuwaids  thesettlelnent  and 

Buppuit  of  the  ministry  in  said  place  in  manner  as  the  law  i elating  to  the  iiiain- 

tainunce  and  suppoitof  ministers  does  direct  and  jiravido,  and  bo  assessed  thereto 

proitoitionably  by  two  or  more  assessoi p,  as  shall  frtm  time  to  time  be  elected  and 

appointed  by  the  majur  pai  tof  the  paid  iidiabilanls  for  that  pni  pose,  who  may  also 

nominate  and  ajipoint  a  Collector  to  gathei-  aiid  i  ay  in  the  same  us  by  warrant 

or  order  under  the  hands  of  snch  assessors  he  i^hall  Ic  diieeted,  and  whyn  and 

so  soon  as  the  Inhabitants  of  said  Precinct  shall  have  iiitcuied  a  learned  and 

oithudox  minister  to  preach  the  word  of  God  :;mong  thcni  lliey  shsiU  be  freed 

and  exempt  frcm  paying  towards  Ihc  siippoit  of  the  nnnistiy  uu  the  other  side 

of  the  Eiver,  anil  for  so  long  a  time  as  they  slmll  continue  to  have  and  enjoy 

such  a  minister. 

"  By  Older  of  t!ie  Lieutenant  Governoiir  Cuntiril  and  At-fembly. 

"  I  consent, 

"  ^VM.  Stoughton. 
"  Jas.  Adihngtox,  SecrCij. 

A  siil)seqiient  petition  from  the  iiiliiibitants  on  the  west  side 
was  preyentcd  to  the  court,  and  was  considered  by  that  body, 
and  granted  ;  and  it  was  ordered  "  that  the  inhabitants  of  the 
east  side  should  pay  them  £50  toward  building  a  meeting- 
house, and  that  there  should  be  a  division  of  the  land  that 
had  been  set  apart  for  the  use  of  the  ministry." 

This  order  seems  not  to  have  been  promptly  complied  with, 
for  in  the  parish  register,  of  date  Nov.  11,  1703,  at  a  meeting 
of  the  inhabitants,  it  was 

Voted  "that  the  Present  Commitye  demand  of  the  other  side  the  tiftyc  pound 
granted  by  the  General  Court." 

And  December  14th  of  the  same  year, 

"At  this  meeting  Deacon  Barbei-,  BenJ.  Leonard,  and  John  flliller  were  chosen 
a  Comniittye  tu  treatc  with  the  inhabitants,  or  whom  they  sliall  appoint,  with 
respect  to  the  eetlleing  of  the  ministrey  lands  and  the  obtaineing  the  fiftey 
pound  gjantcd  to  us  by  the  Couit,  and  to  inake  repoit  of  what  tliey  doe  to  the 
people." 

On  the  14th  day  of  February,  1703,  at  a  meeting  of  the  in- 
habitants, it  was  voted  "  to  rase  £7  cash,  in  order  to  the  de- 
fraying the  charge  in  sending  a  man  to  Boston  about  the 
concern  of  the  ministry-land." 

"Mar.  12, 1706.— At  this  meeting  the  inhabitants  of  the  West  side  of  the  River 
put  iu  their  petition,  which  was  lead,  wheiein  they  dt^sire  that  the  east  siile  in- 
habitants would  pay  the  fifty  pounds  Iu  provision  pay  that  tlie  Honored  Gen. 
Coite  ordored  them  to  pay  to  the  West  side. 

"  2udly.  That  the  said  east  tide  Inhabitants  would  allow  them  the  hundred 
ax:Ti'8  of  land  the  s"!  Honored  Geu.  Corte  and  whome  to  have  fer  ye  ministry  ou 
the  West  side  of  ye  g"  River. 

"&  ydly.  That  the  s^i  West  side  inhabitants  might  have  Immcdiateiy  one-halfo 
of  the  ministry  land  ou  the  AVest  side  the  g«  River. 

"  Which  answer  as  Ibllows: 

"1st.  Fer  the  provision  pay  The  said  East  side  Inhabitants  have  Two  yceres 
from  ye  time  of  said  order  to  pay  said  £uO. 

"  2d.  For  the  2ud  the  West  side  inhabitants  signify  no  place  where  they  would 
have  ther  bundled  acres  allowed  said  West  side  inhabitants. 

"3d.  For  the  3d  branch  of  said  I'etitijn  The  vote  was  Negative,  yet  the  dis- 
couise  was  that  it  might  be  put  to  the  Ministers  to  agree  about  said  Division."* 

The  hist  notice  concerning  the  £50  bears  date  Deo.  11,  1711, 
when  it  was 

Voted  "  that  the  present  comittey  shall  have  power  to  demand,  and,  if  need 
be,  to  sue  for  the  money  that  is  yet  behind  of  the  fiftey  pounds,  and  that  the  pre- 
cinct will  defend  them  in  the  management  of  that  concern."f 

The  trouble  arising  from  the  ministry-land  is  explained  in 
the  following,  taken  from  an  old  record  :  The  terms  and  con- 
ditions on  which  the  west  side  of  the  river  was  set  otf  as  a 
separate  parish  were  not  satisfactory  to  the  new  parish. 

*  From  the  Town  Records  of  Springfield. 

t  The  following  is  a  survey  of  the  Ministerial  or  Fii-st  Paiisb  Lot  of  what  is 
now  West  Spiingfield,  iu  Agawam  meadow:  "Beginning  at  the  Soutli  West 
Corner,  at  a  Poplar  Stump,  and  running  N.  21°  45'  E.  ooJ5  rods ;  thence  S.  58° 
45'  E.  37^.^  rods  across  the  Agawam  River,  through  a  large  Oak-tree,  to  a  Stone; 
thence,  b>  land  of  Thomas  Kiililand,  S.  0°  45'  W.  19;0  rods,  S.  7U°  W.  7?.^  rods  • 
thence  S.  77°  W.  46  rods  by  land  of  the  heirs  of  Marvin  Kirkland,  Dec'd,  to  the 
place  of  beginning,- containing  9  acies,  2  qrs.,  22  rods,  including  the  Agawam 
River."     Suneyed  by  Wm.  H.  Butler,  Svn  vryor,  March  1(1,  imx 


Keservations  of  hind  for  the  use  of  the  ministry  and  of 
schools  had  been  made  in  ditierent  parts  of  the  town  of 
.Si)ringfield.  Several  lots  of  improved  hind  lay  in  the  meadow, 
on  the  west  side,  near  the  Connecticut  Itivcr,  and  other  lots 
lay  on  the  southwest  and  north  part  of  West  Springfield.  In 
setting  oH'  the  new  parish  no  provision  was  made  for  an  etpii- 
table  division  of  the  ministry-lands.  The  old  parish  claimed 
■  the  whole,  not  only  those  which  were  located  on  the  east  side 
of  the  river,  where  there  were  liberal  reservations  for  tliat  pur- 
pose in  various  parts  of  the  town,  but  also  all  those  on  the 
west  side. 

From  the  passage  of  the  act  of  division  the  west  side  re- 
monstrated against  the  terms  of  separation,  claimed  the  whole 
of  the  ministry-lands  on  their  side  of  the  river  for  the  use  of 
their  ministry,  and  sent  their  agents  to  Boston  to  procure  re- 
dress. In  1702  an  additional  act  was  passed,  granting  to  the 
west  side  a  small  portion  of  the  improved  lands  and  all  the 
unimproved  lands. 

But  in  respect  to  the  latter  the  act  of  the  General  Court 
proved  wholly  unavailing  for  the  purposes  for  which  the  land 
was  originally  appropriated. 

Botii  the  unimproved  tract.s  were,  after  West  Spring-Hold 
was  incorporated  as  a  town,  sold  by  the  town  of  Springticld, 
and  the  avails  paid  into  their  town  treasury.  In  the  adjust- 
ment of  diliiculties  growing  out  of  the  division  of  the  town,  a 
jjortion  of  the  amount  received  from  the  sale  of  ministry-lands 
was  paid  to  the  town  of  West  Springfield,  and  was  appropri- 
ated then  for  objects  of  town  expenditure.  Thus  a  reserva- 
tion, made  by  our  ancestors  for  the  support  of  religion,  was 
perverted  from  its  original  design,  and  their  pious  intentions 
defeated. 

SUBDIVISION    OF    LANDS. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  Second  Parish  of 
Springfield,  April  ye  7th,  1707,  an  attempt  was  made  to  di- 
vide the  lands  granted  by  the  town  to  the  inhabitants  on  the 
west  side  of  the  great  river.     It  was 

"  Voted  that  every  male  peisjn  that  i^  in  the  20th  year  of  his  age  shall  be  ac- 
counted inhabitants  according  to  the  names  expressed  herein,  and  they  to  pos- 
sess the  said  land  as  by  the  law  is  granted  to  them.  Hear  followeth  an  account 
bow  tlie  lots  lying  on  the  hill  ware  drawn,  and  also  of  both  the  other  divisions 
as  they  wc;e  numbered.  It  wa.s  agreed  to  have  three  divisijns, — one  below  Ag- 
awam 1  iver,  one  from  the  south  of  the  hill  ne.xt  to  Agaw  am  River  to  run  to  Dor- 
bey  Brook,  and  the  next  division  to  begin  at  Dorbey's  Brook,  and  so  to  extend 
to  the  end  of  the  land  given  by  the  town." 
^^'  "AGAWAM  Division,  The  lots  to  be  ten  acres. — James  Ilewerson,  Sen',  10; 
James  Hewei-son,  Jnu',  8 ;  Isiuick  Frost,  15  :  De;ico]i  Barber,  13 ;  Tbo^  Baiber,  6  ; 
Nathaniel  Leonard,  20;  Nathaniel  Bancroft,  17 ;  Jonathan  Worthington,  1:  Jolin 
Hail,  2;  Gersliom  Hail,  Sen'",  3;  Samuel  Coopei-,  4;  Jose.  Leonard,  Sen.,  11; 
Sam'l  Leonard,  12;  Jose.  Leonard,  Jnn"",  o;  Samuel  Tailer,  9;  Sani'l  Kent,  19 ; 
Ebenea^er  Jones,  10;  John  Leonard,  14;  Samuel  Day,  7;  Joseiih  Hody,  18. 

*'  Aguwam  lots  are  numbered  from  Sam'l  Cooper's,  and  so  along  westward. 

"The  Street  Division,  The  lots  for  the  street  division  are  7  acres. — Le't 
Ball,  12  ;t  Sam'l  Ball,  13;  Francis  Ball,  4;  Jose.  Bodortha,  Sen',  G;  Jose.  Bo- 
doitha.  Jan.,  23;  Deacon  Pai-sons,  10;  Ebenezcr  Jons,  Sen.,  21;  Samuel  Bodor- 
tlia,  24;  Josiah  Leonard,  2;  Henry  Rogers,  2S ;  John  Rogers,  27;  Joseph  Bodor- 
tha, 6;  John  Day,  1;  Benia  Leonaid,  14;  Jams  Tailer,  Sen',  9 ;  Jams  Tailer, 
Jun%  10 ;  Jouatbn  Tailer,  19 ;  Edward  Foster,  26 ;  Jno.  JSliller,  IL ;  Fiancis  Ball, 
4;  James  Menick,3  ;  Ebeu""  Miller,  8;  Mr.  Woodbridge,  the  first  lot  on  the  bill; 
Charles  Tery,  7;  Chiistian  Vanhoru,  5;  Eben'  Day,  15;  Ja^  Ely,  30;  Sam'l  Ely, 
31 ;  Juo.  Fow  ler,  29 ;  Jno.  Peley,  32 ;  Pcla.  Jones,  22  ;  Sam'l  Wan  iner,  20 ;  Jose, 
Bedortha,  23. 

"  The  street  lots  are  numbered  from  the  top  of  the  bill  all  ye  south  end,  and  so 
to  goe  round  on  the  west  side  of  the  way.  John  Killuin,  Sen'',  17  ;  John  Killum, 
J  on.,  18. 

*'Chickeiiy  lots  above  Dorbey's  Brook,  10  acres. — Bcnja.  Smith,  20;  AVm 
Smith,  4;  Jams  Barcker.  3;  Jose.  Ely,  S;  Jose.  Ely,  18  ;  W""  Macrany,  21 ;  Tho^ 
Macrany,  11 ;  Sam'l  Barcker,  12;  Jose.  Barclver;g  Oliver  Barcker;  Jno.  Bag; 
Jonath"  Bag;  Nat"  Morgan;  Samuel  Tery;  Sam'l  Miller;  Samuel  Frost;  Nath«» 
Sykcs;  Natb"  Dumbleton;  W™  Scot,  22;  Samuel  Bedortha,  Jun'.  The  division 
of  Cliickeby  lots  is  numbered  beginning  att  ye  soutlicrly  end  on  ye  east  side  of 
ye  way." 

In  the  last  pages  of  the  parish  register,  which  contain  the 
above  account  of  the  division,  occurs  the  following: 

".-lii  (tcctmnt  of  huw  the  land  U  dlckUd  tltul  wa$  tj'u'cit  to  tim  ■precinct  hij  the  Toini. — 
It  is  almost  twelve  years  since  ther  was  certain  tracts  of  laud  given  by  the  town 

I  The  numerals  denote  the  numbers  of  lots. 

g  Many  of  the  imnibers  in  this  division  arc  illegible  on  the  nianus;ri(>t. 


HISTORY   OF    HAMPDEN   COUxNTY. 


899 


to  the  inhabitants  of  this  precinct,  and  it  wus  expected  the  same  should  have 
been  forthwith  divided,  and  some  endeavoni-s  ware  used,  as  may  ho  seen  by  what 
is  wiitten  in  the  Itegiiniing  of  the  Book,  to  settle  the  same.  But  nothing  was 
accomplished  till  Tuesday,  the  lOtli  of  April,  Anno  Dom.  1720.  Then  there  was 
a  meeting  regularly  and  lawfully  warnc  1  by  a  warrant  from  a  JustiL-e  of  the 
Peace  to  diviiU-  and  iH^triliute  tiie  said  land.  And  the  Propiietors  being  iLJ^em- 
Med.  di  1  chuse  Loft.  .luhn  Day  to  be  thcr  HI..derat.»r,  and  Siini'I  Ely  to  be  thcr 
Clerk,  who  was  IineiUately  sworn  to  that  office.  And  the  proprietors  proceeded 
to  draw  a  li.st  of  those  that  ware  owners  of  And  had  Right  in  the  sjiid  land,  wliich 
ware  of  two  denominations,  According  to  the  Tenor  of  the  grant,  fii-st,  those 
tliat  were  petitiouere  ;  secondly,  those  that  ware  to  be  provided  for. 

"  The  nnmos  of  the  Petetioncrs,  according  as  was  then  determine.!  by  a  vute, 
are  as  foUoweth:  James  Barcker,  Joseph  Barcker,  Sam'l  Bnrcker,  Jno.  Bag, 
Jonathan  Bag,  Natli"  Morgan,  SamT  Miller,  &iin'I  Frost,  Xath'l  Sykes,  Pela. 
Jone-!.  Samuel  Warriner,  Eben""  Day,  CIni=tian  Vanhorn,  Cbails  Fery,  8ain'! 
Day,  Sam'l  Ely,  Jno.  Fowler,  Joseph  BL-dortha,  Mr.  Woodbiidge,  Sam'l  Bcilor- 
tha.  Sen.,  8ani'l  Bcdortha,  Jnn.,  Jusiah  Leonard,  Capt.  Ball,  Sanri  Ball,  Henry 
Rogers,  Sen*",  Jno.  Rogcre,  Nath'  Dnmbleton,  W""  Scot,  Benja.  Leonard,  John 
Day,  Jno.  Leonard,  Jams  Tailer,  Sen"",  Jams  Tailor,  Jun',  Jonathan  Tailer,  Hat. 
Leno,  Edward  Foster,  John  Miller,  James  Mirick,  Jose.  Leonard,  Sen',  Sam'l 
Leonard,  Jose.  Leonard,  Jun^  Saml  Cooper,  Gershom  Hail,  Sen^  John  Hail, 
Cie:sliom  Hail,  J^n^  Deacon  Barber,  Tho'  Barber,  Nat.  Bancroft,  Isaac  Frost, 
Jams  Steuensjn,  Sen',  Jams  Steuenson,  Jun.,  Jonathan  "NVortiiington,  John  Ely, 
Francis  Ball,  Damon  Pareons, 

"  In  tlie  next  place  a  list  was  drawn  of  the  names  of  those  that  ware  to  be 
provided  for,  who  ware  such  ;is  had  Removed  hitlier  and  ware  Inlial  itants,  or 
such  of  the  Inhabitants  as  weare  horn  heare  and  had  attained  to  the  age  of 
twenty-one  years,  which  was  determined  by  a  vote  as  followeth :  John  White, 
John  Steveusan,  Daniel  Cooley,  Jon"  Ball,  Benia  Ball,  Jose.  Conlton,  Bena.  Hail, 
Eben'  Leonard,  Jun',  John  Barber,  Tho^  Bedortha.  Ben.  Bedurtba.  Jose.  Bedor- 
tha,  Jun',  JoJm  31illerye3*.  Capt.  Dowueiug,  Jam>  MeniL-k,  Jun',  Jno.  Day,  Jun', 
Henry  Rogers,  Junr.,  Jno.  Beilortlia,  Jose.  Ball,  Tho*  Sliller,  Jno.  Hugin,  Ben. 
Sliller,  Ben.  Parsons,  John  Fooler,  Jun'.  Saml.  Day,  Jun',  Chubbs  Tary,  Jona" 
Oil.  Thomas  Miller,  Jun',  Eben'  Scot,  Pelatiah  Morgan,  Xatli"  Morgan,  Jun., 
Saml.  ^lorgan,  Eben'  Morgan,  Saml.  Tailor  (2d),  Jona"  Bag,  Jun.,  John  Bag, 
Jun',  Eben'  Ashley,  Jose.  Ashley,  Benia  Ashley,  Minister,  Josiah  Bliller,  Ben- 
jamin Stebbens,  3Iark  Tery,  Saml.  Tery. 

"Voted  to  divide  the  land  into  three  Divisions.  One  division  to  extend  from 
the  tope  of  the  hill  to  dorbeys  brook.  And  one  from  dorbeys  brook  to  the  upper 
\  cud  of  Chickeby  fielJ,  And  one  below  Aggawam  river;  And  then  the  meeting 
a'ljourned  till  the  second  tuesday  In  Ma^'. 

•'  Ami  on  Tuesday,  May  the  10th,  1720, 

"  The  meeting  having  assembled, 

"  It  was  votetl  that  all  those  proprietors  that  were  granted  Hveing  between  the 
pound  and  the  day  hill  should  have  liberty  to  draw  for  their  lots,  In  that  division 
which  is  between  the  tope  of  the  hill  and  dorbeys  Brook,  and  those  that  missed 
of  lots  tliear  should  have  them."     In  tlic  other  divisions, 

**It  waa  voted  that  the  Ijts  in  the  division  on  the  tope  of  the  hill  sliovild  be 
numbered  begineing  att  the  southerly  end  of  the  east  tear  of  Ijts,  And  so  to  goe 
along  to  Dorbeys  Brook,  And  then  the  lots  are  to  be  numbered  from  the  north- 
erly end  of  the  west  tear  Back  again  to  the  hill.  It  was  voted  that  the  men 
whose  names  are  Hear  after  exprest  should  have  ther  lots  In  the  diriaioH  at 
C'A(«7.(%,That  istosay:  AV^  Scot,  Jam*  Barcker,  Oliver  Barcker,  Joseph  Barcker, 
Saml.  Barcker,  John  Bag,  John  Bag,  Jun',  Jona"  Bag,  Jona"  Bag,  Jun',  Na- 
thaniel Morgan,  Nath'  Morgan,  Jun',  Saml.  3[organ,  Eben'  3Iorgan,  Polaliah 
Morgan,  Saml.  Miller,  Tho^  Miller,  Jun.,  Josiah  Miller,  Nath'  Syko-s,  Saml. 
Tailor,  Jun.,  Jose.  Ashley,  Eben'  Ashley,  Benia  Ashley,  Eben'  Scot,  John 
Miller  (:id). 

",1  list  of  those  ill  Atjgomam  Diciston. — James  Stevenson,  Daniel  Coley,  Jose. 
Coulton,  Ben"  Hail,  Ebenezer  Leonard,  Jun.,  Saml.  Day,  Jun',  John  Day,  Jun', 
John  Barber,  Thus.  Bedortha,  Bena.  Bedortha,  Jose.  Bedortha,  Saml.  Bedortha, 
Josiah  Leonaixl. 

"yl  lisf  of  the  names  of  the  men  that  belong  to  that  dkiaUm  on  the  hill.  And  the 
uuinber  thnl  each  vmn  drew. — It  was  voted  and  concluded  to  confirm  that  lot  to 
Mr.  Woodbiidge*  which  he  hath  sould,  provided  that  those  to  whom  It  was 
sould  would  acks^pt  of  that  number  of  Acres,  or  other  wise  they  miglit  have 
liberty  to  draw  for  A  lot :  Sam!.  Day,  2 ;  Eben'  Day,  o  ;  Benia  Leonard,  4 ;  Charl. 
Tery,  5;  Jams  Meni-k,  (j;  Nat.  Dnmbleton,  7;  Saml.  Warriner,  8;  John 
Fowler,  0;  Jam.  Tailer,  Jun.,  10;  Sam^  Ball,  11;  Deacon  Pai-sons,  12;  Ed.  Foster, 
13;  Jona"'  Tailer,  U;  Xatlii  Leonard,  15;  Pela.  Jones,  IG;  Francis  Ball,  17; 
Capt.  Ball,  IS;  Jam.  Tailer,  Sen',  19;  John  Ely,  20;  Christian,  21 ;  Jno.  Leonard, 
22;  Siun'  Ely,  23;  Jno.  Rogers,  24;  Jno.  Day,  25;  Jose.  Bedortha,  2G;  Sam> 
Bedortha,  27:  Sam^  Bedortha,  Jun.,  23;  John  Miller,  Insign,  29;  Henry 
Rogers,  30. 

"The  meeting  adjourned  till  Monday  next,  And  on  Monday,  May  the  IGtb, 
1720,  The  meeting  a-ssembled. 

*'  Voted  that  Robert  Old  have  a  lot  provided  for  him. 

'•  Voted  that  Saml  Frost  have  liberty  to  draw  for  his  lot,  provided  he  Relin- 
•juish  what  light  he  hath  alredy  in  a  lot  in  the  said  land. 

"  Voted  that  ther  be  a  comitey  for  the  layeiug  out  of  that  tear  of  lots  which 
is  on  the  east  si  le  of  tlic  ivay,  above  dorbeys  brook,  which  are  Impowered  to 
divide  the  same  sj  as  may  be  most  convenient  to  accomodate  the  proprietors. 
The  men  chosen  for  Comitey  Are  Juslig  Merrick,  Scriah  Bag,  AVillian  Scot. 

•'At  the  mecling  of  the  proprietoi-s  by  Adjournment,  May  the  IGth,  1720, 
Christian  haveing  desired  to  exchange  ye  Drawt  of  his  Lot,  Voted  that  Christian 
Van  Horn  liave  a  small  tract  of  land  eastward  of  the  first  tear  of  lots  on  the  hill 


=  The  minister. 


lyeing  southerly  of  Wcstfield  Rhoad  between  the  end  of  the  lots  and  a  highway 
coming  up  the  Hill  from  the  street  wdiere  Khen'  Day  liveth,  provided  it  doe  not 
exceed  ten  acres,  and  he  to  relinquish  his  Right  els  whear. 

"Voted  that  Justig  Merrick.  Seriah  Bag,  And  Sam'  Ely  be  a  comitey  to  lay 
out  the  highway  that  lyeth  threw  tlie  land  granted  by  the  town,  from  the  top  of 
the  hill  to  the  uper  end  of  Chi  keby  field, 

"  Voted  To  lay  out  the  lots  that  Belong  to  the  petitioners  in  ten  acre  lots,  that 
each  man  may  have  ten  iwrcs  in  a  lot. 

\  "  Voted  that  the  s  1  Comitey  (viz.) :  James  >Iirek,  Seria  Bag,  and  William  Strot 
lay  out  the  lots  to  the  peteti  uiei-s  in  that  division  below  Aggowam  River. 

"  Voted  That  any  five  of  the  proprietors  that  desire  to  have  a  meeting  of  the 
sd  proprietors  may  sign  a  notification  to  the  clerk  of  the  proprietors  to  warn  a 
meeting  when  need  sliall  rcquier.  And  the  clerk  putting  up  the  same  In  sum 
pui'lick  place,  and  giveing  due  notice  as  to  the  time  shall  he  counted  a  lawful 
warning  to  assemble  nppon  any  occasion  the  proprietoi-s  may  have  to  convene 
uppon. 

"  May  the  24th,  1725. — At  a  meeting  of  the  Proprietors  Duly  warned  to  finish 
the  divideing  of  the  sd  land,  and  all  persons  were  desired  to  attend  the  sd  meet- 
ing that  were  concerned  and  expected  a  Right  iu  the  Island.  John  Bag,  Mod- 
erator. 

"  And  then  voted  to  adjourn  the  meeting  till  Tuesday,  the  2Sth  of  this  Instant 
May,  att  3  o'clock  afternoon,  att  the  mceting-honse. 

"  .\nd  on  May  28th  the  meeting  assendiled:  Voted  that  the  heiei's  of  Sam' 
Miller,  Jun',  Deceased,  have  a  lot  divided  to  them. 

"  Voted  that  of  Joseph  Bedortha,  Jun',  deceased,  have  a  lot  divided  to  them 
(viz.),  the  heiers  of  Jo^  Bedortha. 

"  Voted  that  Sam^  Kent  have  a  lot  divided  to  him.  It  was  voted  and  deter- 
mined att  this  mee'iing  that  the  Lands  which  shall  remain  undivided  after  the 
fo:  mer  proprietors  are  supplied  (which  have  not  yet  had  their  respective  lots). 
That  the  Comitey  formerly  chosen  shall  divide  the  sume  to  such  persons  as  of 
right  It  Belongeth  unto  According  as  they  come  of  age,  or  as  they  come  to  live 
hear,  So  that  he  that  comes  firel  of  Age  shall  fiist  be  suplied  with  a  lot." 

This  account  is  followed  by  changes  made  in  lots  by  differ- 
ent parties  and  by  descriptions  of  the  boundaries  of  all  the 
lots,  an  accurate  copy  of  which  may  be  found  in  the  "  His- 
torical and  Genealogical  Register,"  for  October,  1874,  as  made 
by  Lyman  Bagg. 

The  following  memorandum  is  found  in  the  parish  register, 
and  follows  the  account  of  the  division  of  lands  in  1707,  and 
was  written  by  Samuel  Ely,  who  was  clerk  of  the  parish  from 
1702  to  1721,  excepting  the  3-ears  171-i-lo  : 

*'  MEMOR.\SDrM. — In  order  to  prevent  all  Mistakes  that  may  att  any  time  here- 
after arise,  It  is  to  be  remembered  that  all  that  was  done  About  the  dividing  of 
the  land  given  by  the  town  to  the  Inhabitants  of  this  Parish,  The  Proprietors 
saw  cause  to  Reverse  Because  of  the  difficulties  with  the  first  Commitey  that 
shimld  have  modeled  the  said  land.  So  that  what  Records  are  of  the  date  of 
1707  must  be  understood  accordingly.  And  nothing  was  done  to  effect  till  after 
the  town  had  chosen  a  new  Comitey  for  m  )deling  the  said  laud.  So  the  dividing  ^ 
the  said  laud  was  delayed  till  the  year  1720,  as  may  be  seen  in  the  other  end  of 
this  book,  And  then  it  was  Compb-atc  1. 

"  Sa3i1  Ely,  Clerks 

The  following  is  a  copy  of  the  warrant  and  proceedings  of 
a  parish  meeting  in  November,  1775: 

"Hampshire,  ss. 

"  To  either  of  the  Constables  of  the  first  Parish  of  West  Springfield,  Greeting  : 
In  his  Majesties  name  You  are  hereby  required  fortliwitli  to  warn  and  give 
Notice  to  the  Freeholdci-s  and  other  Inhabitants  of  said  Parish  qualified  by  law 
to  vote  in  Town  or  Parish  affairs,  to  meet  and  assemble  themselves  at  the  meet- 
ing-House  in  said  Parish  on  Thursday,  the  sixteenth  Day  of  November  currant, 
at  two  of  tlie  Clock  iu  the  Afternoon,  then  and  there  to  act  on  the  Following 
Particular,  viz. :  1st — To  choose  a  Moderator  to  preside  at  said  meeting ;  2d — To 
raise  all  such  suuls  of  money  as  may  be  necessary  to  defraye  the  common  and 
ordinary  Expenses  of  said  Parish  for  the  currant  j'oar. 

''Hereof  you  may  not  fail,  but  of  this  Warrant  with  your  doings  thereon, 
make  due  return  to  the  Clerk  of  said  parish  on  or  before  the  time  above  men- 
tioned for  said  meeting. 

"Given  under  our  hands  and  seals  this  seventh  day  of  November,  1775,  JrsTix 
Ely,  Benjamin  Stebbins  (2d),  Levi  Ely,  Committee  of  the  first  Parish  in  West 
Sprimjfieldy 

"  By  A'irtuc  of  the  within  warmnt  I  have  warned  all  the  Inhabitants  in  the 
first  Parish  in  West  Springfield  from  David  Mason  South  to  Benjamin  Stebbins; 
North  from  Connecticut  river;  Ea^t  fnun  Agawarn  river;  Southwest  and  all  the 
Inhabitants  on  Westfield  road  to  the  Line,  including  David  and  Sobmion  Smith, 
Jesse  roggers,  and  Aaron  Smith      George  Bucn,  Cotistable^  November  8, 1775." 

"November  11, 1775. — According  to  directions  of  the  within  Warrant  I  have 
warned  all  Inhabitants  From  the  Great  hill  so  called,  to  tlic  North  Parisli,  in- 
cluding Esq.  Hopkins,  also  Phinelias  Ely,  Nathanl.  J)umbleton,  John  Belfield, 
and  Joseph  Merrick.  David  Ashley,  Coasifjfcfc." 

"At  a  meeting  of  the  Inhabitants  of  the  first  Parish  in  West  Springfield, 
November  Sixteenth,  1775,  Col.  Benj.  Day,  Moderator: 

"Granted  1st.  The  sum  of  Seventy  pounds  for  Rev'i  Joseph  Lathrop's  Salary. 

"2udly.  The  sum  of  Eight  pounds  Ten  shillings,  to  provide  Mr.  Lathrop's 
firewood.     Tlie  standing  Committee  to  farm  it  out. 

"3dly.  Tlic  sum  of  Fourteen  shillings  for  the  Assessors. 


900 


HISTORY  OP  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


"4thly.  Tlie  sum  of  Twenty  sliilliugs  for  the  Treasurer. 

"  r>tlily.  The  sum  of  thirty  Shillings  for  ringing  and  sweejiing. 

"  Gthly.  The  sum  of  thi'oe  shillings  ami  four  pence  to  Ebenezor  Pay  {2(1),  for 
Ragah  Bartlott's  rate. 

"Ttlily.  The  sum  of  Thren  sliillings  seven  pence  ami  tlirt-e  farthings,  to  Eben- 
ezer  Day  (2(1),  for  John  How's  rate. 

"Sth.  Thesumof  Tlireu  Sliilling  ami  five  pence  to  Noah  Fennan,  for  Phindias 
Smith  ratr." 

"  Voteii  That  tlie  sum  of  Eighty-two  pounds,  Ten  Shillings,  four  penee,  and 
three  farthings,  lie  raisL'il  and  iLSS!!Ssed  on  the  pules  and  Estates  of  the  tirst  Par- 
ish in  West  Spriugiiidd,  and  to  be  pai  I  into  the  Ticasury  by  the  hx-st  T)»y  of 
March  next,  and  to  be  ordered  out  by  the  Conimitteu  according  to  the  scverall 
Grants." 

THE    ABORIOINES.* 

"These  were  the  natives  fouml  upon  the  continent  of  America,  and  they  were 
once  a  numerous  race;  but  their  numbers  have  been  nnd  still  are  diminishing, 
and  in  siuno  of  tlie  St;ites  they  are  nearly  extinct.  This  hna  not  been  brought 
about  altogether  by  pestilence,  famine,  or  war,  but  by  canker,  a  poison  dealt  out 
to  them  by  civilt/.ed  men  in  the  intoxicating  bowl,  and  thousands  of  their  num- 
ber have  found  drunkards'  graves  at  an  early  period  of  life. 

"Tliese  childien  of  the  forest  were,  without  doubt,  very  numerous  along  the 
valley  of  the  Connecticut,  from  its  mouth  to  a.s  far  north  as  Hartfoi-d,  in  Vermcuit, 
as  they  lived  mostly  on  fish  in  summer,  which  they  would  take  witli  very  little 
exertion  and  without  any  kind  of  net  excepting  the  scoop-net,  so  called.-j- 

"Long  after  the  first  grist-null  was  built  upon  the  Agawjim  River,  in  AVcst 
Springfield,  shad  were  so  jdenty  that  a  man  would  take,  in  a  single  day,  with  a 
dip-  or  8cooi>-net,  at  the  south  side  of  the  ijvcr,  at  a  gap  left  open  for  sliad  and 
other  fish  to  ascend  the  stream  for  the  purpose  of  casting  their  spawn,  a  thousand 
of  shad  in  a  very  short  time,  and  every  other  kind  of  fish  inhabiting  the  rivers 
of  New  England. 

"To  this  circumstance  is  probably  owing  the  great  population  of  the  sons  of 
the  forest  upon  tlie  table-lands  of  the  crooked  Agawam,  all  along  its  banks,  from 
the  falls  at  the  first  bridge  upon  the  river  at  Pliny  Leonard's,  up  to  tlie  west  part 
of  Westfield.  Corn  could  be  raised  in  all  the  meadow-hmils  free  of  timber,  and 
of  easy  tillage,  which  to  them  was  of  the  utmost  impoitance,  as  their  lands  were 
cultivated  without  the  use  of  tools  made  of  iron  and  steel. 

"  The  Fathers  of  West  SpiingfiLdd  (thanks  to  them  for  it),  by  way  of  paying  a 
tribute  of  respect  to  the  memory  of  that  race  of  men  called  Imliaus,  have  in  this 
town  suflEcred  the  names  of  several  places  to  remain  the  same  given  to  them  by 
the  aborigines.  One  of  these  places  is  Mittineague,  another  is  Paugatuck,  and 
a  third,  Agawam. 
■/  "  In  the  limits  of  the  town  of  West  Springfield  there  has  been  dissevered  four 
places  of  iuternu'ut  for  their  dead,  one,  near  the  Spritigfiehl  Bridge,  on  the  bank 
of  the  Agawam  (old  bed),  at  the  place  known  ns  the  'steep  banks.'  When  a 
hoy,  I  was  accustomed,  with  those  of  my  sunny  years,  to  go  and  dig  out  of  the 
bank  the  old  Indian  skulls  and  Ijok  for  their  tools,  such  as  arrow-heads,  stunc 
hoes.  etc. 

"  We  found  some  few  of  their  stone  hoes,  about  six  to  eight  inches  in  length, 
flat  upon  one  side  and  rouml  upon  the  other,  two  of  which  were  sent  to  Piesidcjit 
Stiles,  of  New  Haven  College,  he  being  an  antiqnaiian.  The  bodies  of  the  In- 
dians appeared  to  have  been  buried  sis  deep  as  we  are  accustomed  to  do  at  this 
day,  and  a  black,  rich  mouhl,  from  om>  to  two  inches  thick,  was  to  be  found,  being 
the  flesh,  which  had  returned  to  tlic  earth  as  it  was.  Acorns,  pumpkin-seeds, 
and  some  other  kinds  were  found. 

"  When  I  was  a  hid,  from  ten  to  twelve  years  of  age,  and  'swam  on  bladdeis 
in  a  sea  of  glory,'  in  my  nuich-lovcd  Connecticut,  there  was  a  remnant  of  the 
Farmingtonlndians  who,  dnringthe  summer,  inhabited  a  wigwam  upon  thei'ive:- 
hank,  a  little  north  of  a  warehouse  erected  by  Justin  Ely,  Esq.  It  was  allowed 
by  permission  of  my  grandfather,  Capt.  Abel  Cooley,  to  be  placed  upon  his  laml. 

"No  man  in  New  England  was  a  more  sincere  friend  to  these  children  of  the 
forest  than  Capt.  Cooley.  They  were,  one  and  all,  at  times,  welcome  to  his  house 
and  invited  to  stay ;  his  orchard  was  large,  and  cider  (which  with  an  Indian  is 
his  Alplia  and  Omega),  together  with  victuals,  was  dealt  out  with  an  unsparing 
hand.  No  Stockbridge  Indian  ever  passed  bis  house  without  calling,  and  none 
ever  was  sent  away ;  indeed,  Capt.  Cooley  was  known  by  the  Indians  froui  Boston 
to  Detroit. 

"Drift-wood  in  the  Connecticut  was  plenty,  so  were  fish,  and  as  the  Indian 
paid  no  ground-rent,  it  was  a  capita!  stand  for  them,  as  they  occasionally  made 
a  few  brooms  and  baskets  which  they  could  sell  for  cider,  apjilc-brandy,  etc. 

"My  oldest  brother,  in  company  with  a  son  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Lathrop,  one  day 
visited  the  wigwam  and  found  the  Indians  absent.  The  boys  took  it  into  their 
lieads  to  cut  up  a  shine  among  their  cooking-utensils.  Keturiung  home,  Old 
Moll  saw  what  had  been  done,  and  made  her  report  to  her  godfather,  Cajit. 
Cooley.  He  went  to  work  and  found  out  the  rogues,  who,  having  made  their 
acknowledgment  for  the  fault  to  the  Indians,  and  Dr.  Lathrop  having  made  them 
a  friendly  visit,  the  affair  was  anucably  settled. 

"  Below  are  the  names  of  all  the  Indians  who  hailed  from  the  wigwam  upon 
the  river-bank,  now  the  very  lot  owned  by  Mr.  Isajic  Hammerton,  and  on  it  wt-re 
25  or  30  buttonwood-trecs  of  inmiense  &ize.  Joe  Robliin  and  his  wife  Moll,  John 
Pette  and  his  wife  laicy,  Jqshua  Robbins  and  his  wife  Phebe,  Joe  Robbiu,  Sam- 
uel Robbins.  All  of  them  would  get  tipsy  on  cider,  and  most  of  them  gloriously 
drunk,  and  lie,  half  naked,  under  a  blazing  sun  for  several  hours  together. 

*  From  the  journal  of  Sewall  White. 

fin  another  place  in  his  journal  he  says,  "The  Indians  wanted  nonet  to  catch 
fish.  They  built  a  stone  wall  with  a  narrow  passage  into  it  and  the  fish  got  into, 
they  would  not  find  their  way  out." 


"John  Pette,  or  Pete,  had  several  male  children,  who  all  died  young,  and 
Jnhu,  at  the  ititi-rmi-nt  of  one  of  them,  altt-r  tbanlriug  the  goo'l  proph-  for  their 
kind  and  friendly  atlenlions  to  himself  and  fiimily,  r<-markfd  tliat  all  his  boys 
served  him  so.  -  His  children  were  interred  in  the  ancient  burying-gnmud. 

"These  families  resided  only  duiing  the  summer  in  West  .''"piingfield,  and  in 
winter  retreated  to  some  more  favoialde  spot  for  the  pui'pose  of  living  by  hunt- 
ing wild  game. 

"Two  places  on  the  bank  of  the  Connecticut  Rivi-r  have  hepn  djscovereil  where 
the  bones  of  the  sons  of  the  forest  liave  fallen  out  of  the  bank  after  the  spring 
ficshets,  some  of  which  once  might  have  occuj'ied  a  place  in  the  body  of  some 
mighty  warrior,  some  Nimrod  in  hunting,  or  adroit  fisheiman.  Another  place 
for  burying  the  dead  was  upon  tlie  bank  t)f  the  Agawam,  below  the  bridge,  and 
not  far  from  the  house  of  Capt.  Enoch  Cooper.  The  skelcttui  of  an  Indian  was 
dug  uj)  near  the  house  of  Pelctiah  Ashley,  who  was  burietl  with  his  giin,  bullet- 
molds,  and  otlier  things. 

"An  Imiian  by  the  name  of  Ohl  Grey  lock  is  supposed  to  have  been  the  most 
cunning  of  all  the  savage  race  inhabiting  this  section  of  the  country.  'Tis  said 
that  he  often  boasted  of  having  killed  one  hundred  persons,  save  one,  and  that 
he  had  taken  ami  can  led  away  uumy  more  for  the  purpose  of  raising  money 
out  of  their  friends  by  way  of  redemption. 

"  In  the  time  of  the  French  war  Old  GreyJock  lay  the  greater  part  of  one  day 
secreted  in  a  ditch  near  the  ancient  hurying-ground,  watching  to  kill  or  take 
captive  Henry  Rogers,  a  robust,  giant-like  man,  of  West  Springfield.  Mr. 
Kogeis  was  in  the  field,  hoeing  corn,  and  never  went  into  the  forest  or  corn- 
fielil  without  cariying  his  nmsket.  Gieylock,  seeing  it,  came  to  the  resolution 
at  length  not  to  file  upon  Mr.  R.,  fearing, as  he  sjii  1  afterward,  that  if  he  should 
fiiil  to  kill  liim  dead,  that  he  should  be  dispatched  himself  at  once. 

"  When  Capt.  Hawley  Champion  excavated  ground  for  his  cellar  two  skeletons 
— sons  of  the  forest — were  found  in  a  sitting  posture.  They  had  been  bui  ied  with 
a  quantity  of  aLiorns,  which  were  still  to  be  seen,  with  some  other  seeds  too  far 
decayed  to  determine  of  what  sort,  but  such  as  they,  without  doubt,  supposed — 
from  the  indistinct  view  they  had  of  futurity— that  they  should  stand  in  need  of 
when  they  ariivod  at  that  hapjiy  country  beyond  the  mountains,  wliere  the  sou 
goes  down,  far,  far  beyoml  the  Pacific,  and  from  thence  throws  his  lingering 
beams  upon  the  eiustern  hills  and  the  bioad  Atlantic. 

"  Tlie  Chijopee  River  was,  too,  the  spot  wliere,  along  its  banks,  once  rose  the 
smoke  fiom  the  savage  wigwam;  where  he  wooed  and  wed  and  lived  happily 
with  his  dusky  mate,  subsisting  upon  every  kind  of  fish,  of  which  vast  schools 
ascended  the  river;  anil  no  doidit  that  the  bow  aniV  arrow,  wielded  with  the 
vigor  of  an  Indian's  arm,  brought  to  the  gnnind  many  a  fine  deer  upon  the  e.\- 
tensive  plain,  and  many  a  huge  turkey,  wild  goose,  and  smaller  game  in  abuu- 
dance. 

"It  will  be  asked  how  these  red  men  subsisted  without  salt.  This  question 
maybe  answered  by  saying  tliat  men  nevt-r  sigh  and  giieve  for  an  aiticle  of 
which  they  have  never  known  the  use.  Had  the  ladies  of  West  Spiingfiebi 
never  heard  of  tea,  or  tiisted  it,  ceitiiin  it  is  tluit  they  would  not  j"epiue  because 
they  did  not  have  it." 

FISHERIES. 

"The  Chicopee,  sis  well  as  the  Agawam,  was  celebrated  for  shad,  salmon,  ale- 
wives,  lamprey-  and  silver-eels,  and  almost  every  other  kiml  of  the  finny  lace. 

"  I  well  remember  the  time  when,  at  the  fish-place  called  Sipuish  Point,  oppo- 
site tlie  house  of  Roderick  Palmer,  I  have  seen  lying  upon  the  shore  UK)  fine 
salmon,  taken  in  a  single  day  by  the  ownei-s  of  the  fishing-ground  ;  one  weighed 
42  puunils,  the  largest  ever  caught  here.  I  remember  the  names  among  them 
of  Tilly  Merrick,  dubbt-d  Dr.  Till,  Henuiu  Day,  Elijah  Day,  David  Mason,  and 
otheis. 

"  The  same  day  about  50  salnu>n  were  taken  at  the  place  above,  called  '  Stub 
Hole,'  owned  by  Horace  Wliite,  Jonathan  Morgan,  and  Israel  Williston.  An- 
other fishing-place  w;is  up  the  river  some  5(1  or  GO  rods, — tlie  staiting-point  at  the 
old  Rogers  house,  and  the  hauliiig-in-ground  opposite  the  middle  of  Horace 
White's  home-lot.  At  this  place  there  were  never  caught  many  salmon,  but  had 
in  sjuie  suitable  seasons  good  success  in  taking  shad.  It  was  a  hard  place  to 
manage  a  long  net;  the  water  was  deep  and  the  stream  heavy.  The  place  was 
named,  by  the  facetious  Calvin  Sliller,  '  Hard -Scrabble,'  Bass,  pickerel,  perch, 
suckers,  and  many  other  kinds  of  hojk-fisli  were  plenty  in  tlie  Connecticut. 

"In  the  season  of  taking  shad,  and  once  in  a  single  morning,  I  threw  upon 
the  shore  eight  fine  bass,  standing  in  a  fish-boat  and  using  the  roe  of  shad  for 
bait.  I  never  caught  a  bass  weighing  over  twelve  pounds,  but  Justin  Ely,  the 
first,  took  one  on  a  line  weighing  twenty-two  pounds. 

"My  skill  in  fishing  I  learned  fnim  my  uncle,  Sir.  Walter  Cooley,  who  ob- 
tained his  from  that  prince  of  hook-fishermen,  and  gieat  wit.  Joshua  Robbiu,  an 
Indian,  who  gave  me  some  lessons  also.  Mr.  Cooley,  one  day,  seeing  Josh  coming 
along  with  a  very  large  string  of  trout  and  of  uncommon  size,  asked  the  fel'ow 
where  he  caught  them,  and  where  the  best  fishing-ground  lay.  Tlie  Indian  pro- 
posed to  tell  if  Mr.  Cooley  would  give  him  a  gallon  of  cider,  which  be  readily 
consented  to  do.  Then  said  the  witty  Indian,  *  Keili !  the  best  place  to  catch 
fish,  Mr.  Cooley,  is  where  they  will  bite  best,  mind  that.' 

"Benjamin  Asiiley  &  Co.  had  a  fish-place  just  below  where  the  new  ferry  is, 
and  on  seeing  the  shad  running  down  the  river  went  round  to  haul,  and  caught 
1100,  and  never  before  or  afterward  caught  a  single  shad. 

"Some  days  when  the  weather  was  warm  shad  were  offered  at  six  and  one- 
fourth  cents  apiece,  but  generally  brought  ten  and  twelve  and  a  half  cents  each. 
In  tlie  month  of  May,  1770,  in  Horace  White  s  day-book,  a  number  of  persons 
were  charged  with  shad  at  two  cents  apiece. 

"  Col.  Benjamin  Day,  Capt.  Aliel  Cooley  &,  Co.,  had  a  net  twelve  rods  in  length, 
and  fisheil  with  it  in  the  moutli  of  Agawam  River.  They  took  so  great  a  number 
of  tliem  that  they  did  not  draw  the  net  ashore,  but  tied  it  at  each  end,  leaving 


HISTORY   OF   HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


901 


room  foi-  the  fish  to  swim.  They  took  what  fish  they  wanted  and  loft  it  for  their 
fiieiuls  to  go  aud  help  themselves  to  as  many  shad  as  they  wished  fur. 

"The  name  of  Shad  Lane  was  given  to  the  gieat  tliovoiighfaie  street  in  "Wetst 
Springfield.     It  was  done  at  the  time  when  shad  were  so  cheap. 

"  Great  secrecy  was  once  ohsei  ved  in  Shad  Lane  hy  the  lovers  of  shad,  and  a 
knoi.k  at  the  door  by  a  stranger  was  the  tignal  for  the  worthy  granddanie  to 
(irdi-r  uff,  or  to  \.e  cuvt-red  np  nnder  the  taMe-cluth,  the  mat^sive  iiewter]  latter  of 
shad,  K-ht  her  family  shonld  I  e  scoffed  or  jeered  at  for  living  upon  Agawampork, 
the  name  given  to  shad.  This  done,  the  guest  was  sure  to  be  invited  to  take  a 
seat  at  the  table  and  partake  of  the  bounties  of  the  board,  consisting  of  dough- 
nuts, pancake,  and,  if  on  Satuiday,  hasty  pudding,  and  he  was  allowed  to  diink 
cider  as  often  as  he  plea:-ed  frum  the  honest  two-quart  eaithcu  iiitchor,  which 
gnuhially  went  round  from  moutli  to  month  until  it  was  drained  of  ils  contents 
and  filled  as  often  as  it  was  emptied." 

REVOLmONARY    INCIDENTS.* 

"Ill  the  Picvulutionary  war  Capt.  Levi  Ely  of  this  town  raised  a  company  uf 
men,  and,  under  the  command  of  Col.  Brown,  of  Pittsfield,  marched  into  the 
tlien  fiontiers  of  the  State  of  New  York,  at  a  place  upon  the  Mohawk  Itiver 
called  '  Stone  Kail/y  or  '  Eaby,'t  fell  into  an  ambuscade  and  their  whole  aiiny 
were  thrown  into  confusion  by  a  tremendous  fire  fiom  the  British  and  tlie  In- 
dians who  lay  concealed  behind  a  brush  fence. 

"Col.  Brown  fell  at  tlie  first  fire,  and  Capt.  Ely  wa.«  so  badly  wounded  that  he 
was  ovej  taken  by  the  Indians  before  he  leached  the  foit,  and  was  tomahawked 
and  scalped,  t<igether  with  seventeen  of  his  men;  one  of  the  number  was  a 
yuung  man,  Wainwiight  Brcck,  of  Northampton,  an  apprentice  to  Horace 
White  Ui  learn  the  trade  of  a  blacksmith.  He  was  hired  to  goon  the  expedition 
thiity  days.  Mi-.  White  consenting  that  he  should  go  and  take  for  his  own  bene- 
fit one  hundred  ptuinds,  which  he  received  before  he  started.  The  late  Jimathan 
Taylor,  (d'  West  Spiingfield,  was  in  the  battle  and  received  a  musket-ball  in  his 
light  thigh,  but  being  an  athletic  man  he,  by  throwing  away  liis  guuand  haver- 
sack, reached  tlie  fort  in  safety  with  the  Indians  close  upun  him. 

"Tlinmas  Taylor  was  also  in  the  action  and  barely  escajied  with  his  life.  • 
After  he  liacl  reached  the  fint,  panting  for  tlie  loss  of  breath,  the  fii-ji^t  words  he 
nttcied  was, '  As  sonn  as  I  reacli  home  I  will  kill  old  Sam  Kobin  and  all  the  lest 
of  Capt.  Aliel  Cooley's  Indians.'  Taylor  did  reach  home,  but  Sam  and  the  rest 
of  the  sons  , if  the  forest  were  still  permitted  to  live  many  years  to  make  brooms, 
taskets,  catch  fish,  and  drink  cider. 

"  Cajit.  Levi  was  a  man  of  great  respectability,  k-ft  a  wife  witli  a  large  family 
of  children  in  West  Springfield.  He  was  buiied  upon  tho  battle-ground  with 
the  slain,  hut  a  monument  was  erected  hj  his  memory  in  the  burial-ground  near 
the  tuwn-hall. 

"  It  is  lelated  of  .lonatlian  Parsons  that  while  driving  a  fine  cattle  team  (two 
yoke  of  oxen  and  a  hoisc)  attached  to  a  load  of  stalks,  when  near  the  southern 
eiul  of  Shad  Lane  two  hoisemen  overtook  him  and  ordered  him  to  turn  out  for 
the  coach  uf  Gon.  Washington.  Not  knowing  that  Wiishington  was  expected 
and  dunbting  the  couiier's  wurd,  he  refused,  declaiiiig  he  liad  as  good  a  right  to 
the  road  as  the  general. 

"  Soon  after  a  coach  passed,  having  forded  the  Agawam  River  near  the  house 
uf  James  Leonard,  on  its  way  to  the  Springfield  ferry.  Parsons  halted  his  team 
near  Feiry  Street  and  followed  the  coach.  The  boat  wxs  on  the  ea-st  side  of  the 
river,  and  while  waiting  for  it  the  couriers  spuke  of  the  teamster  that  refused  to 
turn  out.  Parsons  overheard  Washington  say, — 'That  man  wjis  light;  he  had  as 
good  a  right  to  the  i-«.)ad  as  I  have.'" 

*'.-!  lit'voliilUmary  iiemin'tfcence  of  the  Wesl'^pruigfield  Park. — Our  ohl  antiquarian 
friend  from  West  Springfield,  Sewall  White,  furnishes  us  the  fidlowing  Kevulu- 
tionary  waif,  which  is  quite  appropriate  to  tlie  anniversary  now  upon  us;J 

"  '  The  West  Springfield  Park,  which  has  been  the  seat  of  so  much  impruve- 
ment  lately,  and  whose  fence  has  been  twice  painted,  principally  by  the  wives 
and  lianghters  of  that  staid  old  town,  was  once  the  camidng-ground  of  two 
Biilish  aimics.  Gen.  Amherst,  with  an  army  of  seven  thousand  men,  fii-st  halted 
tModays  and  nights  there,  when  on  his  way  to  Canada;  and  Gen.  Burgoyne, 
witli  his  captive  at  my,  sttpped  there  the  same  length  of  time  on  his  endjaikatiun 
nmte  to  Buston.  It  was  at  that  time  that  the  accomplished  Hessian  commander, 
Gen.  Riedesel,  was  by  invitation  the  guest  of  Rev.  Dr.  Lathrop,  between  which 
parties  conversation  could  be  conducted  only  in  Latin.  Riedesel  owned  the 
bct-t  and  largest  horse  in  Buigoyne's  cavalry,  and  the  charger  w;is  reshod  in 
West  .Springfield  by  the  father  of  the  writer.  On  the  morning  of  Burgoyne's 
del  arture  fium  the  Park,  a  number  of  his  men  were  missing.  The  beauty  and 
feitility  of  the  place  led  at  least  a  dozen  men  of  that  army  to  deseit  comrades, 
friends,  home,  and  countrj'.  They  never  saw  their  companiuns-in-amis  again, 
but  K-nuiined  in  this  region,  and  their  descendants  aie  now  identified  with  the 
best  blond  of  tlie  valley.  The  names  and  occuj.'ations  of  these  men,  most  of 
whum  were  peismally  known  to  the  writer,  follow: 

"'Apollos  Miller,  farmer;  John  Anduce  Isensee,  farmer  (he  was  killed  by 
lightning,  wIuIl*  haying  in  Agawam  meadows) ;  Godfrey  Vanganeer,  miller  (com- 
muidy  called  Old  Waggoner) ;  Daniel  Hartnnk,  masju  (sjnie  of  his  descendants 
reside  in  Northamptun) ;  Valentine  Worthy,  weaver;  Thomas  PuUock,  weaver; 
Hendriik  Salter,  tailor;  Frederick  Stackman,  shoemaker;  Thomas  Ewing, 
farmer;  Doct.  Hilliam,  physician  (who  wiis  considered  very  skillful,  and  lived  to 

*  From  Sewall  White's  .iournal. 

t  "Sti^ne  Arabia."  This  wiis  one  of  the  five  districts  (the  third)  into  wliirh 
the  new  county  of  Try'on,  organized  in  1772,  was  divided.  It  was  the  centre 
one  on  the  north  side  of  the  JLohawk  River.  Thii  affair  ocL-virre  1  on  the  PJlli 
of  October,  HSO. 

X  Clipped  froni  a  paper  of  1874. 


a  good  old  age  in  the  enjoyment  of  an  extensive  practice  in  Chester,  Blandford, 
and  Granville).' " 

REMINISCENCES    OF    THK    SUAYS    REBELLION.^ 

"  The  people  of  Massachusetts  and  New  England  generally  have  not  forgot- 
ten that  a  serious  insuiTectiou  took  place  in  this  State  in  1786. 

"  Capt.  Luke  Day  was  born  in  what  is  now  West  Springfield,  July  25, 1743. 
He  was  commissioned  captain  at  the  commencement  of  hostilities  with  Great 
Britain,  and  joined  the  Continental  Army  in  1775,  and  served  his  country  with 
credit  through  the  war,  and  left  the  service  a  major  by  brevet. 

"He  was  the  strongest  and  most  peisistent  of  the  leaders  of  the  outbreak. 
During  the  fall  of  17«6  he  was  busy  inciting  men  to  join  him  in  open  rebellion. 
The  old  Jeremiah  StebMns  tavern  was  the  place  where  they  most  did  congre- 
gate for  council,  and  where  he  with  Elijah  and  Benjamin  Day  and  others  made 
many  flaming  and  traitorous  speeches,  which  finally  resulted  in  drawing  quite 
a  large  number  around  him.  They  were  drilled  on  the  common,  and  were  at 
fii-st  armed  with  hickory  clubs,  while  in  their  hats  was  a  sprig  of  hemlock. 
He  soon  found  it  a  difficult  task  to  find  shelter  for  his  force  of  about  400  mal- 
contents, for  not  all  the  community  were  in  sympathy  wilh  his  views.  While 
exercising  his  men  a  few  days  befoie  the  contemplated  attack  on  the  Spiing- 
field Aimory,  he  made  a  speech  to  them,  an  extract  from  which  here  follows: 
'  My  boys,  you  are  going  to  fight  for  liherty.  If  you  want  to  know  what  liberty 
is,  I'll  tell  you.  It  is  for  every  man  to  do  just  what  he  pleases,  and  to  make 
other  folks  to  do  as  you  please  to  have  them,  and  to  keep  folks  from  serving  the 
Devil.'  I'p  to  this  time  demonstrations  had  been  made  mostly  on  the  Inferior 
Courts,  rendering  them  liable  only  for  high  misdemeanor  ;  but  by  the  Legisla- 
ture the  Supreme  Court  bad  been  adjourned  to  meet  at  Springfield,  Dec.  20, 
1786.  The  rioters  were  determined  to  prevent  this  meeting,  and  gathered  in 
force.  Capt.  Luke  Day  sent  an  order  to  the  presiding  judge  not  to  organize  the 
court  or  proceed  to  business. I|  The  insurgents  were  stationed  at  three  places, 
viz.,  a  few  miles  east  of  the  armory  at  Springfield  was  a  division  of  them,  an- 
other at  West  Springfield,  and  a  third  at  Chicopee,  about  a  mile  north  of  the 
hi  idge  over  Chicopee  River.  At  a  council  of  officers  it  was 'determined  to  attack 
the  United  States  armory  at  Springfield  and  plunder  it. 

"Capt.  Luke  Day  waj*  one  of  Dr.  Lathroji's parishioners;  he  valued  his  minis- 
ter's judgment,  and  two  or  three  days  previous  to  the  attack  upon  the  public 
stores  at  Springfield  he  had  an  interview  with  Dr.  Lathrop,  and  commenced  con- 
versation by  asking  him  if  he  could  keep  a  secret ;  to  this  question  he  gave  for 
answer  that  it  was  not  certain  that  he  could,  especially  if  it  wiis  anything  of  im- 
portance, and  if  it  was  such,  ho  had  better  not  reveal  it.  Capt.  Day,  nevertheless, 
insisted  upon  divulging  it,  and  infiumed  the  doctor  that  upon  such  a  day  and  such 
an  hour  the  three  divisions  of  the  insurgents  wore  to  makeasimultaneous  attack 
upon  the  armory  at  Springfield,  insisting  at  the  same  time  upon  having  the  doctor 
give  his  opinion  at  the  prospect  of  their  success.  He  did  not  hesitate  or  delib- 
erate to  reply,  and  said,  'Capt.  Day,  your  army  is  deficient  of  good,  true,  and 
trusty  officei-s;  you  are  engaged  in  a  bad  cause,  and  your  men  know  it.  I  ad- 
vise you  to  disband  them,  and  let  them  return  peaceably  to  their  homes,  for  as 
sure  as  you  advance  upon  the  public  stores  'tis  as  certain  that  you  will  meet 
with  sore  defeat !'  Whether  it  wjis  the  good  doctor's  advice  that  influenced  him 
to  give  up  the  attack  upon  the  armory  or  not  U  not  known  ;  but  neither  Day 
nor  Parsons  moved  from  their  quarters  on  the  day  agreed  upon,  and  left  poor 
Shays  to  attack  the  public  stores  alone;  and  he,  after  having  three  men  killed 
out  of  the  head  of  the  column,  ordered  a  retreat.  A  few  days  after  Shays  was 
defeated.  Gen.  Lincoln  arrived  with  a  strong  force  from  Roxbury,  and  <lispatched 
Gen.  Shepherd,  with  three  divisions  of  his  army,  over  to  West  Springfield  to 
look  for  Luke  and  Elisha  Day ;  but  as  soon  as  these  noble  heroes  heard  that  the 
government  men  were  on  the  way  tti  atlaek  them  they  retreated  so  precipitately 
as  to  leave  their  bread  baking  in  the  oven  and  the  poik  and  beans  boiling  in  the 
pot.  The  two  Days,  witli  their  deluded  followere,  fled  to  New  York,  and  there 
remained  in  exile  several  months,  but  were  arrested  at  a  later  date,  iis  would  ap- 
pear by  a  mittimus  issued  by  the  clerk  of  the  Sufl'olk  County  Court,  on  the  3d 
of  April,  1788.  This  mittimus  is  preserved  in  the  archives  of  Hampshire  County, 
to  which  county  he  was  transferred  by  his  own  recpicst  for  trial.  Two  months 
after  he  was  released  by  a  general  pardon,  after  which  they  were  permitted  to 
return  to  West  Springfield,  much  out  of  pocket,  and  both  of  them  poor  men, 
after  being  exiled  from  We^^t  Springfield  some  ten  or  twelve  months.. 

ANCIENT    TAVERNS    AND    LANDMARKS. 

"  About  1780,  Jere  StebLins  kept  tavern,  store,  and  manufiictnred  saltpetre,  on 
the  corner  south  of  the  post-office  on  Ranuipogue  Street,  and  with  Muses  Day 
was  extensively  engaged  in  boating  on  the  livei'. 

"From  Landlord  Stebbins'  bar-room  fireplace  came  the  live  coals  that  re- 
plenished the  foot-stoves  of  the  good  mothers  in  Israel  during  the  internussiou 
bi'tween  service  on  the  Sabbath. 

"The  uld  house  that  stood  on  the  liank  of  the  river,  directly  opposite  the 
'doulle  ditch'  shad-fishery,  was  tiiken  down  a  few  years  ago.  Its  age  was  not 
known,  but  was  supposed  to  have  been  at  least  one  huudied  and  twenty-five 
years.  It  is  believed  to  luive  been  built  for  a  boatman's  tiivern  by  Solomon  Steb- 
lius.  It  contained  a  chimney  with  five  separate  fines,  and  three  brick  ovens, 
and  occupied  fifteen  feet  square  in  the  centre  cd"  the  house.  The  mantles  were 
of  oak,  andfourteen  inches  square,  and  ran  the  wh(de  length  of  the  chimney. 
Some  of  the  floor-boards  were  eighteen  inches  wide  and  twenty  feet  long.  The 
property  is  now  in  the  possession  of  Mr.  J.  N.  Bagg." 

I  From  White's  journal. 

II  This  manuscript,  with  his  name  affixed  to  it,  was  found  among  the  papers  of 
the  late  Gov.  Strong,  and  it  is  now  in  safe-keeping  in  the  hands  of  the  Rev.  Dr. 
William  Spragne.     [\\'i  itten  some  yeare  ago.] 


902 


HISTORY  OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


SHIP-mrlLDlNO. 

"  Tho  i-nst  (Mid  of  llic  cuiiimon  was  uMud  as  a  sliiii-.varil,  and  it  is  lolattMl  tluit 
whili;  a  vessel  was  building  oil  tlie  common  tlie  raising  of  tlio  frame  of  the  churtli 
on  *Ortliodox  Hill'  toolj  jjlace,  and  tho  men  tliere  enqjloyed  Jissisted  in  raising 
the  steeple. 

"  The  schooner '  Trial,'  of  GO  tons  bnrtlien,  the  sloop  *  West  Springfield,'  of  about 
tlio  same  cjiparity,  and  the  sloop  'Hampshire,'  of  90  tons,  owned  by  Daniel  Ely 
and  Uelij.  Ashley,  were  built  and  sailed  down  tlie  river  about  the  year  lSOO-2. 

"  .bmatlian  Morgan  and  Israel  WiIli!>tou  followed  boating  on  Connecticut 
Kivcr  many  yeare.  Tlie  boats  were  open,  and  carried  from  10  to  14  tons.  Tliey 
went  one  year,  every  month,  to  Hartford.  It  required  six  men  to  haul  a  boat  up 
KnfieM  Falls  without  a  wind.  Tlie  men  who  poleil  the  boat  bad  one  dollar  a 
trip.  They  resided  at  AVarehouso  Point,  and  expected  the  owner  to  furnish  a 
gallon  of  good  .St.  Croix  rum  for  each  tiip." 

RE.MINISCENCES   OK    SHAD    LANE. 

"Beginning  south  at  the  old  Feny  Lane  and  go  north  to  the  head  of  the 
street  fronting  the  Common,  'The  Great  Ferry,'  connecting  the  town  of  AVest 
Springfield  with  Springfiehl,  wjis  for  a  long  time  leased  to  Capt.  Gideon  Leonard, 
a  man  ardent  in  habitual  and  incurable  indolence.  He  did  not  lend  tlie  Ferry 
himself,  but  underlet  it  to  Hezekiah  Warriner  and  Seth  Leonard.  Wan  iner  and 
Leonard  in  succession  occupied  the  old  *  Log  Cabin,'  which  stood  on  the  liank  of 
the  river.  This  was  the  last  building  to  stand  of  those  built  by  the  Hortons, 
Merricks,  and  .\slileys,  wdio  were  ancestors  of  the  inhabitiiiits  of  West  Spring- 
field. Tliis  house  was  taken  down  some  forty  years  since,  and  uotliing  is  left  to 
mark  the  spot  it  occupied. 

"  About  100  rods  north  of  Feri-y  Lane  stood  the  dwelling-house  of  Deacon  Jo- 
seph MeruL'k.  This  building  was  unique  in  its  construction  througiiont,  tlio 
second  story  being  several  feet  larger  tlian  the  fii-st.  Tlie  yellow  pine  timbei-s 
were  massive,  tlie  rooms  very  large  and  few  in  number,  the  wliitc-oak  needle 
posts  hung  down  several  feet  outside  the  house  and  terminated  in  the  form  of  a 
heart.  The  fireplace  wa^s  sj  constituted  as  to  consume  the  greatest  quantity  of 
fuel,  and  at  the  same  time  be  used  a  sitting-room  by  tiie  children  of  tlic  family. 
The  roof  was  peaked  like  the  old  houses  in  New  York  built  by  the  Vandcrsjiyles, 
Ten  Eycks,  Hardeiiburgs,  etc.  Up  the  street  about  the  same  distance  stood  tlie 
house  of  Hezekiah  Day,  about  the  same  size  as  the  Merrick  house,  and  in  a  simi- 
lar style  of  architecture.  Mr.  Day  was  the  owner  of  a  largo  landed  estate  em- 
bracing some  of  the  best  lauils  of  the  town.  Directly  opposite,  across  the  street, 
was  the  dwelling-house  of  his  brother.  Col.  Benjamin  Day.  This  building  was 
more  modern  in  its  style.  The  old  Boylston  House  in  Spiingfield  is  an  exact 
copy  of  it.  Half  a  mile  up  the  street  stood  the  ancient  mansion-house  of  the 
Ely  family,  which  was  built  more  than  a  century  ago.  At  the  head  of  Shad 
Lane,  fronting  the  Common,  stood  the  old  red  dwelling-house  of  Capt.  Abel 
Cooley,  so  renowned  in  story  and  song  for  killing  Biitish  Regulars  on  the  Com- 
mon." 

SKETCH  OF  THE  EARLY  FAMILIES. 
Amonij  the  early  families  whose  descendants  now  reside  in 
"West  Springfield,  were  the  Baggs,  Merricks,  Ashlej-s,  Smiths, 
Couleys,  Parsons,  Days,  Elys,  Rogorses,  Whites,  Champions, 
and  Blisses.  John  Bagg  is  supposed  to  have  emigrated  from 
Plymouth,  England;  died  at  Springfield,  Sept.  5,  1683.  In 
16G0  he  conveyed  lands  in  the  "  second  division,"  prohably 
on  the  west  bank  of  the  river,  to  Hugh  Dudley,  of  Chicopee 
Plains;  in  lti68  his  name  was  signed  fourth  to  a  petition 
against  imposts;  in  1678,  Jan.  1,  he  was  one  of  the  citizens 
to  whom  Maj.  John  Pyncbon  administered  the  oath  of  alle- 
giance. Among  his  children  was  Mercy  Thomas,  born  Jlay 
1-5,  1671,  and  he  had  eleven  children,  from  three  of  whom  all 
the  Baggs  now  living  in  West  Springfield  are  descended. 
They  are  the  sixth,  seventh,  and  eighth  generations  from 
John  Bagg.  Among  these  are  Col.  Aaron  Bagg,  who  has 
been  one  of  the  leading  citizens  of  the  town  for  manv  years, 
representing  it  in  the  State  Legislature,  as  well  as  State  Sen- 
ator from  the  Western  Hampden  district,  and  the  wealthiest 
man  in  town  ;  Harvey  Day  Bagg,  for  several  years  one  of  the 
selectmen;  James  Newton  Bagg,  an  agricultural  writer  and 
member  of  the  State  board  of  agriculture;  Kichard  Bagg,  a 
well-known  and  extensive  market-gardener. 

Probably  the  first  record  of  the  Ashleys  is  in  a  grant  of  land 
to  one  Robert  Ashley  on  Chicopee  Plain,  in  1060.  In  1818, 
John  Ashley  made  a  will,  appropriating  a  fund  for  educa- 
tional and  religious  purposes.     The  will  reads  as  follows: 

"The  iduus  education  of  youth  and  the  diffusion  of  Chiislian  knowledge 
among  the  ignorant  and  uninformed,  and  among  those  whose  local  circum- 
stances forbid  their  enjoyment  of  the  stated  instructions  of  the  gospel  ministry, 
are  objects  which  now  engage  the  attention  of  the  Christian  world,  and  to  tho 
promotion  of  which  I  wish  to  oontiibnte  my  mite,  with  my  humble  and  fervent 
prayers  that  the  great  truths  of  Chrisliauity  may  spread  and  pervade  the  whole 
earth,  and  all  may  be  brought  to  the  knowledge  and  belief  of  tho  trntli  as  it  is  in 
Jesus." 


An  act  of  incorporation,  known  as  the  "Ashley  Fund  Act," 
was  passed  and  trustees  were  appointed,  who  were  ordered  to 
divide  the  sum  intrusted  to  them  "into  two  distinct  jiarts ; 
two-thirds  to  bo  appropriated  exclusively  toward  the  educa- 
tion of  youth  within  the  town  of  West  Springfield,  and  the 
remaining  one-third  to  be  appropriated  toward  the  propaga- 
tion and  ditfusion  of  Christian  knowledge."  He  directs  that 
the  money  be  placed  upon  interest,  and  that  the  portion  be- 
■  queathed  for  the  spread  of  the  gospel  be  equally  appropriated 
for  the  use  of  home  missions  and  foreign  missions.  In  regard 
to  the  distribution  of  the  income  of  the  school  fund  he  says  : 
"It  is  my  will  that  no  district  shall  at  any  time  be  entitled 
to  or  shall  receive  any  part  of  the  annual  dividend,  unless 
their  instructor  passes  the  qualifications  and  produces  the  evi- 
dence of  good  moral  character  hy  the  laws  of  the  common- 
wealth, and  unless  he  shall  daily  make  use  of  the  holy  Scrip- 
tures as  a  school-book,  and  shall  daily  address  the  Throne  of 
Grace  in  prayer  with  his  scholars." 

The  provisions  of  the  will  are  fully  carried  out  by  a  board 
of  trustees  elected  from  time  to  time.  John  Ashley  also  en- 
dowed the  First  Parish  of  West  Springfield  with  a  generous 
fund  for  the  maintenance  of  the  gos[iel,  the  income  of  which 
is  now  annually  apjilied  to  that  purpose. 

The  Day  family  in  Springfield  and  their  descendants  have 
been  numerous.  The  widow  of  Robert  Day,  who  came  to  this 
country  in  1648,  married  for  her  third  husband  Elizur  Hol- 
yoke,  of  Springfield,  and  removed  to  that  town  from  Connec- 
ticut in  1648,  her  eldest  son,  Thomas,  coming  also.  He 
married  a  daughter  of  Thomas  Cooper.  Three  of  their  sons, 
Samuel,  John,  and  Eleazer,  removed  to  this  place,  and  from 
them  all  of  that  name  in  this  town  descended. 

Col.  Benjamin  Da}-  was  most  prominent.  He  was  the  first 
moderator  of  town-meetings,  the  first  selectman,  and  the  first 
representative  to  the  General  Court.  He  held  the  commission 
of  major  under  George  II.,  and  was  made  colonel  in  the  war 
of  the  Revolution.  Heman  Day,  son  of  Col.  Benjamin,  was 
noted  in  his  time.  A  trait  in  his  character  is  illustrated  by 
the  following  dialogue  between  his  neighbors,  which  has  been 
handed  down  : 

" '  What  time  o'  dec  ?'  says  Walter  Cooley  ; 
" '  Eleven  o'clock,'  says  Judali  Bagg  ; 
'"Time  to  repent,'  says  Pareon  Lathrop; 
"  '  Time  enough  yet,'  says  Heman  Day." 

Capt.  Luke  Day,  who  became  noted  in  his  later  days  for  his 
connection  with  the  Shays  rebellion,  was  also  of  this  family. 

The  Cooleys,  of  West  Springfield,  descended  from  Benjamin 
Cooley,  who  came  to  Springfield  in  1640.  His  grandson, 
Obadiab,  Jr.,  made  a  purchase  of  land  in  1730  "  on  the  west 
side  of  the  Great  River,"  and  located  on  the  bank  of  the  river, 
at  the  present  corner  of  Park  and  Main  Streets,  where  Samuel 
Reynolds  now  lives.  His  son,  Capt.  Abel  Cooley,  purchased 
6  acres  of  land  on  the  opposite  corner,  and  the  homestead  is 
still  in  the  hands  of  his  descendants.  About  this  time  the 
Indians  were  troublesome,  and  it  is  related  of  Capt.  Cooley 
that  he  had  port-holes  made  through  his  house,  and  kept  a 
loaded  gun  ready  to  fire  at  the  intruders.  One  night, hearing 
the  Indians,  as  he  supposed,  he  looked  out  and  saw  their  heads 
dodging  up  and  down  behind  the  well-curb.  He  thereupon 
opened  fire,  continued  it  as  often  as  he  saw  a  head  rise  up 
through  the  darkness,  breathing  out  threatenings  to  them, 
and  saying,  "If  you  will  come  into  the  house,  I  will  treat  you 
like  gentlemen.  '  An  examination  of  the  spot  in  the  morning 
revealed  the  fact  that  he  had  filled  the  bucket  attached  to  the 
well-sweep,  which  the  wind  had  made  to  dance  up  and  down 
at  intervals,  full  of  shot. 

Roger  Cooley,  a  great-grandson  of  Benjamin,  settled  in  the 
western  part  of  the  town — "  Pacawtuck" — in  1759.  He  served 
as  a  lieutenant  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution.  Roger,  Jr.,  the 
sixth  of  his  ten  children,  also  served  his  country  in  the  Rev- 
olutionary  war,  and  was  on  duty  at  the  execution  of   Maj. 


HISTORY  OF  HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


903 


Andre.  After  the  war  he  became  a  noted  military-man, 
serving  several  years  as  colonel  in  the  Massachusetts  militia. 

Henry  Rogers  was  born  in  1733,  and  resided  in  this  town 
and  lived  on  the  bank  of  the  Connecticut  Kiver,  south  of  the 
liDUse  now  owned  by  William  Fox.  He  was  a  strong,  athletic 
man,  and  did  valuable  service  in  the  wars.  He  was  killed  in 
1795,  and  is  buried  in  the  Town-House  Cemetery.  He  had 
several  children  united  by  marriage  to  the  Ashley  and  Bliss 
families. 

Talcott  Rogers  is  the  only  representative  of  the  family  in 
town.  The  old  family  homestead  has  been  in  the  Rogers 
family  for  more  than  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  years. 

There  is  a  tradition  that  a  few  rods  north  of  this  house 
there  used  to  be  a  favorite  camping-ground  of  the  Indians,  and 
many  arrow-heads  and  other  relics  are  found  in  that  vicinity. 

Of  the  Parsons  family,  Ebenezer  was  a  prominent  man 
about  1700.  He  was  for  tift}--two  years  a  deacon  in  the  First 
Church.  His  grandson,  Jonathan,  owned  the  property  on  the 
south  side  of  the  park,  and  lived  in  the  "  Old  Parsons  House," 
which  was  taken  down  in  1872.  He  was  born  in  the  old  Par- 
sons homestead,  which  formerly  stood  one  hundred  rods  east 
of  his  later  residence,  and  was  the  oldest  of  an  old-fashioned 
family  of  ten  children.  His  early  fundne.ss  for  military  life 
led  to  his  election  as  captain  of  the  Hampden  Grays,  and  his 
subsequent  choice  as  colonel  gave  him  a  title  with  which  his 
name  was  ever  after  associated.  A  man  of  rare  good  judg- 
ment, and  with  a  genuine  adaptability  to  public  life,  he  was 
several  times  chosen  to  both  the  Senate  and  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives, and  held  for  many  years  the  town  olBces  of  select- 
man, assessor,  overseer  of  the  poor,  clerk,  treasurer,  and  school 
committee.  He  was  also  one  of  the  trustees  of  the  Ashley 
fund.  He  was  one  of  the  most  prominent  advocates  of  the 
separation  which  led  to  the  formation  of  the  new  Park  Street 
Church  and  the  improvements  in  the  park  fronting  the  church. 

The  Smiths  have  formerly  had  a  large  representation  in 
West  Springfield.  Jonathan,  who  was  born  in  1G97,  seems 
at  one  time  to  have  been  the  leading  business-man  of  the 
town,  especially  in  that  part  called  "  Pauquetuck."  He  is  said 
to  have  been  a  very  conscientious  man.  No  unnecessary  work 
was  allowed  to  be  performed  on  his  premises  after  the  going 
down  of  the  sun  on  Saturday  until  the  close  of  the  Sabbath  ; 
and  on  one  occasion,  his  son  David,  when  a  grown-up  man, 
returned  home  from  a  hunting  excursion — for  which  he  was 
said  to  be  famou.s — after  sundown  on  Saturday ;  his  father 
obliged  him,  with  unshaven  face,  to  go  four  miles  to  the  old 
church  on  the  common,  the  next  day,  so  scrupulous  was  he  in 
his  observance  of  the  Lord's  day. 

Simeon  Smith  was  "a  man  of  science,"  and  also  lived  at 
"  Pauquetuck."  Duiing  the  Revolutionary  war  he  manufac- 
tured saltpeti-e,  and  also  distilled  New  England  rum  for  the 
arm_v,  from  Indian  corn.  Some  of  the  machinery  remains 
to  this  day.  Another  family  of  Smiths  have  resided  at  Ash- 
leyville.  Horace  Smith  was  for  many  years  deacon  in  the 
First  Church.  It  is  said  of  him  that  ho  always  came  to 
meeting,  rain  or  shine,  and  his  prayers  were  so  simple  and 
i'crvent  that  they  touched  every  heart.  His  son,  Franklin, 
is  now  a  deacon  in  Park  Stj-eet  Church,  and  his  grandson, 
Joseph,  deacon  in  the  First  Church. 

Reuben  Champion  came  to  West  Springfield  as  a  place  of 
refuge  for  his  family,  and  located  in  that  part  called  "Amos- 
town"  (supposed  to  be  named  after  Amos  Taylor).  He  pur- 
chased the  spot,  now  owned  and  occupied  by  John  Carlcton, 
of  Zinee  Hopkins,  a  son  of  Rev.  Hopkins.  He  went  to  the 
Revolutionary  war  as  a  surgeon,  taking  his  son,  Mede,  with 
him,  and  died  in  the  service.  His  son,  Reuben,  Jr.,  built  the 
present  Champion  homestead  in  1794.  His  daughters,  Flavia 
and  Maria,  with  their  nephew,  James,  still  reside  on  the  old 
Amostovvn  homestead.  It  is  related  of  Reuben  Champion  that 
when  Shays'  men  were  marching  through  the  town,  under 
the   lead   of   Capt.    Luke   Viiy,   coming    over    Mccting-house 


Hill,  Mr.  Champion  was  passing  around  the  hill  alone.  Com- 
ing out  from  the  "dingle"  on  the  place  now  owned  by  L.  F. 
Mellen,  the  Shays  men  were  suddenly  upon  him.  He  raised 
his  statf  and  shouted  back,  "  Come  on,  boys,  we've  got  them  !" 
which  led  them  to  suppose  there  was  a  company  of  men  in 
ambush,  and  they  all  ran  back  over  the  hill.  The  ruse  had 
prevented  his  capture,  and  perhaps  saved  his  life. 

ORGANIZ.\TI0N    OF    TUE    TOWN. 

The  following  is  a  copy  of  the  first  petition  of  the  parish  to 
be  set  ofl:'  as  a  town  in  17u6 : 

"  At  a  mcetiug  uf  the  Ilibaliitunts  of  the  Second  Parish  of  Springfield,  July  15, 
1750,  Capt.  Benj.  Day,  Moderator,  It  was  voted,  1st.  To  chuge  a  Committee  to 
prefer  a  Petition  to  tlie  Great  .t  General  Court  of  the  Slast^aeliusctts  Bay,  Tii.at 
they  would  set  off  all  the  Inhabitants  and  the  lands  on  the  west  side  the  Great 
Rivei-  in  Springfield,  To  be  a  Distinct  Town  with  all  Privileges  belonging  thereto, 
2ndly.  Th.it  Capt.  Benj.  Day,  Doet.  John  Van  Home,  Capt.  Joseph  Miller,  &  Mr. 
Jusiali  Day  be  a  Committee  for  that  purpose." 

The  subject  was  agitated  for  several  j'ears,  sectional  ditfer- 
cnces  were  constantly  arising,  until  it  became  an  impossibility 
to  ignore  it  longer,  and  the  town  of  Springfield,  at  their  an- 
nual town-meeting,  March  23,  1773,  were  called  upon  to  con- 
sider the  condition  of  the  town,  and  settle,  if  |)ossible,  their 
differences.  Committees  were  appointed,  reports  were  made, 
copies  of  which  are  given  ;  action  was  taken  at  ditferent  time.s 
until  Jan.  20,  1774,  all  of  which  culminated  in  the  incorpora- 
tion of  West  Springfield,  Feb.  23,  1774. 

March  23,  1773. — In  the  warrant  for  the  annual  town-meet- 
ing of  Springfield  the  following  item  occurs  : 

"  lO'l-ly.  To  consider  the  state  of  the  Town  Respecting  any  Divition  of  the 
same  into  Separate  and  Distinct  towns  or  Disti  icts  and  pass  any  acts  or  vote  rela- 
tive thereto.  Particularly  to  take  the  minds  and  sentiments  of  the  town  relative 
to  a  Divition  thereof  into  two  separate  and  Distinct  towns,  having  Connecticut 
River  for  the  Boundary  line,  saving  &  excepting  that  any  and  all  Land,  lying  in 
the  Great  &  General  field,  so  called,  on  the  west  side  said  River,  held  and  jM^sesscd 
by  persons  Inh.abiting  the  first  parish  in  Siniugfield,  shall  not  beanne.\ed  to  tiie 
town  to  be  made  on  the  west  side  said  River,  but  shall  be  and  remain  part  and 
parcel  of,  and  appertain  to  the  Town  on  the  east  side  of  the  River  to  all  intents 
and  purposes,  and  pass  all  proper  votes,  thereon  or  respecting  a  Divition  of  saiil 
town  into  three  or  more  separate  towns  or  Disti  icts  with  such  boundarees  as  may 
bo  determined  npon." 

"At  this  meeting  voted  to  adjourn  to  the  25tb  day  of  March,  Instant,  to  ten 
o'crk  in  the  forenoon,  to  the  3Iceling-House  in  the  second  Palish  of  Spiingtield." 

March  25, 1773. — "  Met  pursuant  to  adjournment.  Voted  to  choose  a  commit- 
tee to  consider  the  present  State  of  tlie  town,  the  Disputes  and  .Animosities  that 
subsist  between  the  several  paits,  the  matters  that  lie  before  this  meeting  to  be 
acted  npon,  and  the  unhappy  Embarassmeuts  that  attend  the  same,  and  to  pro- 
ject some  method  to  remove  them,  and  to  report  at  tlm  time.  Col.  John  Worth- 
ington,  Moses  Bliss,  Esqr.,  Dea.  Daniel  Harris,  Dea.  Nathaniel  Ely  (2d),  Mr. 
Moses  Field,  Mr.  John  Hale,  Col.  Benj.  Day,  Dea.  Jonathan  White,  L<  John 
Morgan,  L*  Benj.  Leonard,  Mr.  Asaph  Leonard,  Abraham  Burbank,  Esq.,  Mr. 
Joseph  Ely,  Dea.  Edw'd  Chapin,  Ensign  Phineas  Chapin  were  chosen  the  com- 
mittee for  the  purposes  aforesaid.  Voted  that  this  meeting  be  adjourned  to  tens- 
day,  the  30th  March,  instant,  at  the  Coult-tlouse  in  Spiingfield." 

March  30,  1773. — "Blet  pursuant  to  adjournment  from  2d  inst.  Voted  that 
this  meeting  be  adjourned  to  Wednesday,  the  31st  day  of  March,  Instant,  to  ten 
of  the  clock  in  the  forenoon,  at  the  Meeting-Honse  in  the  Second  Parish  of 
Springfield." 

March  30,1773. — "The  Inhabitants  assembled  according  to  notice  and  voted 
and  accepted  the  Report  of  the  Conimiltee,  which  leport  was  as  followeth  :  The 
Committee  appointed  by  the  Town  at  the  meeting  before  the  Last  Adjournment 
thereof  to  consider  the  pre.'ient  state  of  the  Town,  the  Disputes  A'  jVnimosilies 
that  subsist  Between  the  several  parts,  the  matters  that  lie  before  the  mcetiug 
to  be  acted  upon,  and  the  unhappy  Embarassmeuts  that  attend  the  same,  and  to 
project  some  method  to  remove  them,  and  to  Report  at  this  time,  have  attended 
that  sei  vice,  maturely  considered  the  matter  i efeired  to  them,  and  repoi t  their 
opinion  as  follows,  viz.: 

"That  the  said  town  is  in  a  most  unhappy  and  inel.lncholy  State;  tliat,  con- 
sideiing  the  situation  and  circumstances  of  the  town  and  the  Inclinations  and 
tempers  of  the  Inhabitants,  there  is  no  jjrospect  they  can  Longer  nninage  their 
imblic  affaii's  to  mutual  &  General  Advantage  in  one  entire  cori>orato  Body,  but 
that  it  is  quite  nessessary  there  should  be  some  Division  thereof. 

"That  no  mode  or  Form  of  Divititni  can  be  devised  which  the  Generality  of 
the  Iidiabitants  in  the  Several  parts  of  the  town  would  accede  to  acquiesce  in. 

"That  it  is  consequently  Absolutely  Nessessary  for  the  Peace  and  Happiness 
of  the  whole  that  the  Mode  and  Terms  of  their  Divition  should  be  Referred  and 
submitted  to  the  Determination  of  Judicious  &  Disinterested  persons  from 
abroad. 

"  They  therefore  further  Report  their  opinion  and  .\dvise  to  the  town  that  (as  the 
only  expedient  to  restore  Peace  or  to  prevent  the  various  increa-sing  Mischiefs  of 
Di.sc-)rd  and  Contention  among  them  and  to  Remove  Enibarras.sment8  aforesaid) 


90-t 


HISTORY  OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


they  eliould  now  unitedly  agree  to  choose  an  Indifferent  and  .Indiciuns  Commit- 
tee of  Dif>iiiI<.Trsted  IVisniis  in  the  iicighliorinK  towns  to  Repair  to  this  town  to 
view  tlie  Sitnulion  of  its  Tarts,  to  consider  Uh  circnnHtances,  :ind  to  Judge  at 
Large  tlicrcon  what  l^ivition  and  un  what  terms  and  Conditions  shall  he  inmlo 
thereof,  and  to  Report  tlic  same,  to  the  Knd  that  tlie  town  may  be  divided  in 
sncli  manner  as  may  in  alt  respuctshehest;  tlnit  whei-eas  the  said  tuwn  heretofore 
Voted  the  sum  of  200  pounds  toward  tniilding  a  Rridgo  over  Agawam  River, 
and  appointed  a  Committee  to  build  a  Bridge  in  case,  &c.,  as  by  their  votes  ap- 
pear ;  and  whereas  the  said  Committee  have  proceeded  in  said  business, and  pro- 
cured great  poit  of  the  tiudier  for  the  same,  touching  wliich  tlie  sttid  Committee 
arc  Approhentiive  Griat  and  Sli;iiii  Disputes  and  Contcnti.m  will  arise  unless  pre- 
vented by  some  prudent  and  amicable  Compusitiiin  &  Agreement:  They  beg 
leave  to  report  the  following  proposeal  of  an  Agreement  thereon  which  they  a\i- 
prove  themselves,  and  recommend  to  the  town  for  their  acceptance,  viz. :  That 
of  the  stock  of  Money  or  Secnriiiea  for  Money  in  the  Treasury  of  said  Tuwu 
hro*  in  or  due  for  Land  sold,  or  otherwise  not  bro't  in  by  Taxes  nor  specially  ap- 
propriated by  the  Donors  to  the  support  of  the  poor,  nor  otherwise  specially  ap- 
propriated, amounting  to  about  .i-io'J  Ids.  7,  the  Inhabitants  on  the  West  Side 
Connecticut  River  in  said  Town  should  have  such  proportion  of  the  same  Jis  tliey 
are  assessed  in  the  Last  Assessment  in  said  Town,  and  the  Inlial  itants  un  the 
East  Side  of  Said  River  in  said  town  sliall  have  tlie  residue  tlieieof  wlien  Divition 
shall  take  place  Between  them  ;  that  at  present  the  said  Committee  for  building 
said  Bridge  should  receive  of  the  same  to  the  Amount  of  two  hundred  pounds 
as  part  of  the  proportion  aforesaid  of  the  Inhabitants  on  the  West  Side  of  said 
River,  to  bo  Impi'oved  in  defraying  the  Charge  and  Expense  of  building  and 
finishing  said  Bridge,  the  said  Committee  Indemnifying  the  Town  from  any  fur- 
ther expence  for  the  same  Bridge  in  future  ;  and  that  on  such  proposed  Pivition 
of  the  said  town,  the  Inhabitants  on  the  west  side  said  River  to  receive  the  Resi- 
due of  the  proportion  aforesaid  of  such  stock  in  the  treasury,  the  Remainder 
thereof  to  be  for  the  Inhabitants  on  the  East  side,  to  be  disposed  of  as  they  shall 
agree,  or  as  shall  be  ordered  for  them ;  the  Divition  of  siiid  Stock  hothe  at  present 
and  hereafter  to  bo  made  Reasonably,  having  proper  Regard  to  the  Quality  of 
said  Debts,  and  the  probability  of  speedy  payment  thereof  by  a  Gonmiittee  to  be 
appointed  fur  that  purpose. 

"  Voted  that  inasmuch  as  the  two  hundred  pounds  before  mentioned  fur  build- 
ing a  Bridge  may  be  wanted  sooner  tluin  it  can  be  collected  out  of  pait  of  the 
debts  aforesaid  due  to  the  town  without  Distressing  the  Debtors,  that  the  vote 
aforesaid,  respecting  the  same,  he  so  far  Reconsidered  as  Respects  present  Etjual 
Divitionof  them,  and  instead  thereof  the  treasurer  be  directed  to  raise  out  of  the 
wliule  two  hundred  pounds,  and  to  pay  it  as  soon  as  he  may  to  the  Committee  for 
Imildiug  said  Bridge,  under  the  General  Agreement,  however,  in  said  vote  men- 
tioned. 

"The  alM»ve  Report  of  the  Committee  Voted  &  Aeccepted." 

Ai)ril  2,  1773. — "  Voted  to  choose  a  Committee  of  three  pei-sous  to  consider  the 
State  of  the  Town  Relative  to  a  Divition  thereof,  Agreeable  to  a  Report  of  a  Com- 
mittee accepted  and  agreed  upon  in  this  meeting.  Voted  that  the  Committee 
who  prepared  the  Report  for  a  Divition  of  the  Town  be  and  are  Desired  to  Con- 
eider  on  some  proppcr  persons  in  the  neighboring  towns  for  that  purpose,  and 
Report  their  names  to  this  meeting  at  Adjournment.  Voted  tlmt  Williams 
Williams,  Erastus  Woleott,  &  Joseph  Root,  Esqs.,  be  a  Ctunmittec  to  Repair  to 
this  town  to  view  the  situation  of  its  paits,  to  Consider  its  Circumstances,  to 
Judge  at  Large  thereon  what  Divition  A:  what  terms  and  Condition  shall  be  made 
thereof,  and  to  report  the  same.  Col.  John  Wortliingtun,  Col.  Bcnj.  Day,  Miy. 
Jonathan  Bliss,  chosen  a  Committee  to  send  to  the  Gentlemen  Chosen  by  the 
Town  to  Repare  to  this  Town  as  soon  as  may  be  to  t;ike  into  Consideration  all 
matters  that  there  may  be  Laid  before  them,  contained  in  a  Report  excepted  by 
the  town  for  that  purpose.  Meeting  Aiijourned  to  May  Cth,  17T:i,  to  receive  the 
Report  of  the  Committee  chosen  by  the  Inhabitants  of  the  town,  and  to  jiass  all 
propper  votes  tliereon. 

"The  Committee  reported  at  this  meeting  as  follows: 

"  To  the  Iiihabitiiiits  of  the  town  of  fyimnt^titid  : 

"  Gentle-men,— Agreeable  to  yore  Desires  wc  have  taken  into  our  most  deliber- 
ate consideration  the  several  mattei-s  you  have  thought  fit  to  lay  Iiefore  us  re- 
lating to  the  Unhappy  Contention  subsisting  among  you,  which  has  brought  to 
a  Determination  that  some  Divition  of  your  town  is  necessary,  concerning  the 
mode  of  which  Division  you  have  been  pleased  to  Refer  yoreselvcs  to  us  fur  Aid 
and  advice.  Our  opinion  upon  the  nnitters  submitted  to  us  you  have  in  the  fol- 
lowing Report : 

"The  Committee  consider  it  as  Great  Unhappincss  tliat  the  most  ancient  and 
respectable  town  in  the  County  of  Hampshire,  the  wise  and  peaceable  conduct  of 
whose  public  afi'ihi's  has  ever  to  tliis  day  done  much  Honour  to  the  Inhabitants, 
and  established  a  just  veneration  f(u-  tlieir  leading  men,  shouKl  by  means  only 
of  the  supposed  or  Real  Jurisdiction  and  mi:^takes  of  a  few  pei-sons  be  Reduced 
to  tlie  necessity  of  a  Division  in  ordei-  to  the  Amicable  management  of  your  pub- 
lic affains  for  the  future,  and  tho'  the  manner  only  in  wliich  this  Divition  shall 
take  place  seems  to  have  been  refierred  to  us,  yet  we  Conceive  it  proper  to 
declare  our  Concurrence  in  sentiment  with  you  that  some  Divition  is  become 
necessary  touching  the  manner  in  which  a  General  Division  (whirh  appears  to 
be  the  principal  object)  shall  be  made,  it  is  the  United  opinion  of  the  Committee 
that  the  town  be  divided  into  Two  Touns  in  all  resjiects,  and  to  every  pur- 
pose Distinct,  with  equal  Powei-s,  privileges,  &  Immunities,  by  CunnectiL-iit 
River;  that  the  Land  lying  on  the  West  side  of  the  said  River,  notwithstanding, 
shall  be  holden  to  pay  taxes  of  every  kind  to  that  part  or  place  in  which  the 
owner  or  pei-son  in  Actual  possession  and  Imi»rovementof  the  same  shall  hajipen 
to  dwell  forever;  that  each  t^.wn  shall  hold  &  enjoy  the  Estate  given  fur  the  use 
of  the  ministry  in  the  town  of  Springficdd,  in  manner  as  the  same  has  by  order 
of  the  General  Court  been  heretofore  asfigned  and  confirmed  to  the  parish  or 
precinct  Respectively ;  that  tho  Public  flionies  now  in  Stock  in  the  Town  Treas- 


ury and  there  secured  to  your  Treasurer  for  tho  use  of  the  Town  (in  which  it 
is  intended  to  indiide  all  Donations  to  the  toun)  shall  be  received  by  the  said 
proposed  tonne  Respectively,  According  to  the  Report  of  tlie  toun  Commilteo 
received  and  aeeejited  at  your  adjourned  Meeting  on  the  Tliiity-first  Day  of 
March  last;  and  as  to  any  Public  Buildings, that  each  of  the  said  Propnseil  touns 
shall  have  and  enjoy  those  which  happen  to  stand  within  their  Respective 
Limits  without  rendering  to  the  other  any  consideration  for  the  same  :  and  that 
each  of  the  said  proposed  towns  shall  contiihute  toward  the  support  of  the  poor 
now  m  the  toun  of  Spiingfield  so  Long  as  they  shall  need  support,  in  the  same 
proportion  as  they  respectfully  share  the  Public  Monies  above  mentioned.  The 
local  circumstances  of  the  people  living  in  that  part  of  the  toun  railed  Shuiy 
Hill  appear  to  us  such  as  to  make  it  Reasonable  tliey  with  tiieir  Land  should  be 
a  District  in  the  manner  the  toun  has  voted  them  off,  « itli  this  addition,  that 
the  farms  in  possession  of  Zachariah  Warner,  Zachariah  Wainer,  Jun.,  &  Ezo- 
kiel  Sipiiro  should  be  annexed  to  the  District  in  Case  the  West  line  of  the  Dis- 
trict, as  Settled  by  the  Toun,  shall  not  include  them.  The  Committee  are  of 
opinion  that  these  people  have  their  i)roportiun  of  the  said  Public  Monies  (ex- 
cept iiuy  that  may  have  been  given  for  the  use  of  tho  poor),  and  that  they  ought 
not  to  be  charged  with  any  part  of  said  support  of  the  present  poor  of  the  town. 
"The  General  Benefits  &  Advantages  accruing  to  the  Community  from  that 
Constant  and  Unavoidable  Intercoui'sc  occasioned  by  the  Public  Bnsines  of  every 
town,  particularly  as  it  is  a  means  of  producing  greater  sociability  and  piore 
generous  Sentiments  among  the  Inhabitants,  have  appeared  on  this  Occasion, 
More  especially,  in  so  striking  a  Light  to  the  Committee  as  to  give  them  the 
fullest  Conviction  that  nothing  but  Al  solute  Nessessity  can  ever  justify  the  less- 
oning or  Dividing  the  town.  The  Committee  are  also  pei-suaded  that  nothing 
but  oppression  or  Injustice — or  the  evident  want  of  haimony  and  peace — in  tho 
joint  management  of  the  common  Concerns  of  a  Town,  consisting  of  Divere 
parts  or  Parishes,  can  create  that  Nessessity.  Convinced,  als.t,  from  the  known 
integrity  of  the  Leading  Members  of  Each  of  the  proposed  towns,  that  the  for- 
mer is  not  likely  to  take  place  in  cither,  and  that  the  Uneasiness  now  subsisting 
in  this  toMn  must  therefore  soon  be  Removed,  and  a  good  uuderetanding  among 
the  several  parts  soon  be  rccove:'ed,  and  that  the  small  inconveniences  of  attend- 
ing the  Public  meetings  in  the  first  and  second  Paiishes  by  the  Inhabitants  of 
the  Others  are  by  no  means  erpial  to  the  advantages  which  must  arise  there- 
upon, or  to  those  Inconveniences  and  evils  which  may  be  justly  apprehended 
from  a  further  Divition  of  the  town  of  Springfield,  they  find  themselves  obliged, 
however  Reluctant,  on  account  of  that  une;isiTiess  which  may  thereby  be  occa- 
sioned to  some  of  the  i)eople,  to  give  it  as  their  Opinion  that  no  farther  Divition  of 
the  town  is  eligible  at  present.  If,  however,  upon  farther  trial  it  shall  be  found 
that  the  Harmony  which  has  heretofore  subsisted,  hut  is  now  in  some  measure 
lost,  cannot  be  recovered,  it  is  the  advice  of  the  Committee  that  the  third  and 
fifth  parishes  in  the  town  be  divided  from  the  other  parts  of  the  proposed  towns 
by  their  present  parochial  bounds,  and  incorporated  into  Districts, — the  Inhab- 
itants of  the  Respective  towns  and  Districts  to  enjoy  their  lands  under  their  actual 
improvements  in  the  pame  manner  and  to  the  same  purposes,  it  is  above  pro- 
posed llie  Inhabitants  on  the  east  side  of  the  Connecticut  River  should  hold  and 
enjoy  their  lands  in  the  Great  and  General  field  above  mentioned. 

"  Wc  sincerely  wish  that  peace  and  harmony  may  again  take  place  among  the 
people  of  the  several  parts  of  this  Great  Town,  and  that  we  may  have  the  pleas- 
ure to  know  that  our  endeavors  have  in  some  measure  contributed  towards 
effecting  an  Event  so  valuable,  so  important  to  you. 

"We  are,  Gentlemen,  your  Obedient,  humble  Servants, 

"Ekastus  Wolcott,    ^ 
"Joseph  Root,  >  Ck>m. 

"  Wh.  Williams,         J 
"SraiN^iFiELo,  Ap'l  14,  1773. 

"The  Question  wiis  put  whether  the  Town  would  Receive  &  Accept  the  fore- 
going Report  of  the  Committee,  it  i)assed  in  the  Negative." 

Dec.  7, 1773. — "To  see  if  tho  Town  will  choose  an  Agent  or  Agents  to  make 
Answer  to  the  Petition  of  the  Inhabitants  of  the  first  Parish  in  said  Town  and 
the  Petition  of  Benoni  Biinister  and  otiier  inliabitants  of  the  tliird  and  fiurth 
Parishes  in  said  town,  and  the  Petition  of  John  Hubbard  and  others  Inhabitants 
of  the  place  called  Stoney  Hill  in  said  town  prayiug  the  Gen'l  Court  of  the 
Province  of  Massachusetts  Bay,  that  the  said  town  may  be  divided  according  to 
their  Petition  and  to  their  Cause,  if  any  tliey  have,  on  the  Second  Tuesday  of  the 
next  setting  of  said  Great  &  General  Court  why  the  prayer  of  the  Potitiunor 
should  not  be  granted.  Agreeable  to  the  Notification  of  said  Court  and  the  Coppies 
of  saiil  Petition  with  wliich  the  said  town  is  served,  and  to  pass  all  proper  votes 
Relating  theieto  hereof  you  are  not  to  fail. 

"The  question  was  put  to  vote  whether  the  town  will  make  any  answer  to  the 
General  Court  to  the  several  Petitions  for  a  Divition  of  said  town;  it  passed  in 
the  affirmative.  Voted  that  Col.  Benj.  Day,  Lieut.  Benj.  Leonard,  Deacon  Na- 
thaniel Ely,  be  the  .Vgents  to  make  Answer  to  the  General  Court  Relating  to  the 
several  petitions  now  Depending  in  said  Court  praying  for  a  Division  of  the  town 
of  Springfield.  Voted  to  choose  a  Committee  to  draw  up  instructions  for  tho 
Agents  to  prefer  to  the  Gen'l  Court  relative  to  the  several  petitions  praying  for 
a  Divition  of  the  town  of  Springfield,  Dr.  Cbas.  Pynchon,  Justin  Ely,  John  Hale, 
Jonathan  White,  Benj.  Ely,  Abraham  Burbank,  chosen  a  Committee  for  that 
purpose  &  report  to  this  meeting.  Voted  That  the  town  consent  that  the  third 
parish  in  Springfield  be  set  off  as  a  (listrit  t  Town  or  District,  with  the  limmits  as 
they  now  Injoy  as  a  parish,  they  to  take  their  propjrtionable  part  of  the  poor  of 
said  town,  and  their  part  of  the  stock  of  Money  or  Securities  for  Bloneys  in  the 
town  treasury  excei^ting  fi'ur  Hundred  pound,  Voted  to  be  Appropriated  or 
Raised  in  said  town  for  the  building  a  Bridge  a.-ross  Agawaui  River  and  Cliee- 
qiieepee  River." 

Jan.  20, 177-i.—"  Voted  to  accept  the  Report  of  the  Convention  appointed  to 
draw  up  Instructions  fjr  the  Agents  and  that  they  prefer  to  the  General  Court 


HISTORY  OF   HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


905 


the  answer  of  the  tuwn  to  the  several  petitions  for  a  Divition  thereof,  which  is 
as  folluweth ; 

"  We  the  subscribers  being  appointed  by  the  town  of  Springfield  a  Committee 
to  draw  up  Instructions  for  the  Agent  t*.>  prefer  to  the  General  Court,  relating  to 
several  petitions  for  the  Divition  of  the  town,  beg  leave  to  report  as  follows,  viz. : 
"  To  0>l  Be»j.  Day,  Lt.  Betij.  Leoiiard,  li-  Dea.  Natlmiiid  Elij : 

"  Gextlemex, — Your  being  chosen  by  the  Town  as  Agents  to  make  answer  to 
the  General  Court  to  several  petitions  now  depending  there,  praying  for  a  Divi- 
tion of  said  Town,  We  do  desire  you  to  use  j'our  Influence  with  the  Represen- 
tative of  said  town  to  prevent  by  all  projier  ways  &  means  in  their  power  any 
General  Division  thereof,  and  that  you  make  use  of  counsel  to  assist  you  therein 
as  you  shall  think  necessary,  and  that  you  can  offer  such  reiisons  against  any 
Genenil  Division  thereof  as  you  shall  think  propper  &  reasonable,  also  that  you 
prefer  tbe  following  to  the  Great  &  General  Court  as  an  answer  to  the  petition 
now  depending  therein  praying  for  a  Divition  of  s;iiJ  town  nf  Springfiyld,  Jan. 
20, 1774. 

"  John  IIale, 
"Jonathan  White, 
"  Benj.  Ely, 
"Justin  Elv. 
"Province  of  MASSAcnrsETTS  Bat: 

"To  his  Excellency  Thomas  Hutchinson,  Esqr.,  Captain-General  k  GJoveruor- 
in-Chief  in  and  over  his  Majesties  Province  of  Massachusetts  Bay:  the  Honor- 
able his  Slajestys  Council  and  House  of  Representatives  in  General  Court 
assembled  at  Boston,  on  the  2(ith  day  of  Jan.,  1774. 

"  May  it  please  your  Excellency  &  Honours,  the  town  of  Springfield  have  been 
notified  and  cited  to  shew  cause,  if  any  they  have,  why  the  Petitions  of  the  first 
Parish,  and  also  the  petition  of  part  of  the  3d  and  4th  parishes,  and  also  the 
Petition  of  a  place  called  Stoney  Hill,  in  said  Springfield,  now  Depending  in  the 
General  Couit  praying  for  a  Division  of  said  town  should  not  be  granted.  The 
town  suppose  no  General  Divis,i.in  thereof  at  Present  either  nece>sary  or  Eligible, 
but  that  if  any  particular  part  thereof  are  Dissatisfied  with  their  connections 
with  the  main  body,  it  is  but  reasonable  they  should  petition  to  be  made  a  Dis- 
tinct Corporation,  but  as  tbe  Petitioners  have  alledged  a  number  of  Facts  in  their 
Petition  which  we  think  have  a  tendency  to  give  your  Excellency  &  Hononre  a 
misunderstanding  uf  the  state  of  this  town,  we  must  beg  leave  to  make  some 
few  Remarks  thereon. 

"The  Difficulties  that  have  arisen  in  the  town  have  been  too  notorious  to  be 
wholly  concealed,  and  w^e  hartily  wish  we  could  say  that  any  Particular  Parish 
had  not  been  the  Occasion  thereof.  A  Particular  Detail  of  fatts  might  be  made, 
but  we  choose  a  veil  of  oblivion  should  be  forever  drawn  over  them  excepting 
so  far  as  may  be  nessessary  to  set  the  conduct  of  the  rest  of  the  town  in  a  faire 
light. 

"A  number  of  circumstances  concured  last  March  to  bnng  the  town  generally 
to  gather  at  their  Annual  Town  Bleeting  for  the  choice  of  Town  Ofllicers,  Ac,  in 
which  the  Town  chose  to  make  some  alteration  in  their  officers,  which  was  so 
disagreeable  to  several  Persons  in  tlie  first  Paiish  that  they  endeavored,  in  an 
unprecedented  manner,  to  obstruct  and  hinder  the  business  of  the  meeting  by  a 
sufficient  number  appearing  to  object  to  almost  every  vote,  when  it  was  indis- 
putable to  every  Body  present,  and  this  not  only  in  matters  important,  but  also 
in  the  choice  of  the  most  inconsiderable  offices,  whereby  the  List  of  the  Voters 
was  obliged  to  he  called,  which  nessessiirily  took  uji  some  Hours;  and  this  was 
followed  about  three  days  and  a  half  with  tbe  express  and  avowed  design  to  get 
the  town  bj  send  to  the  general  Court  for  a  Committee  to  Divide  the  same, — a 
measure  theu  and  ever  seems  very  disagreeable  to  much  the  greatest  part  of  said 
Town, — and  this  was  continued  until  within  a  fow  honre  of  the  extent  of  Time 
allowed  )ty  Law  to  make  choice  of  Town  Officers,  whereby  many  cnni>idered 
themselves  under  a  nessessity  of  complying  to  have  a  Committee,  The  Peti- 
tioners are  very  much  mistaken  in  their  representation  of  a  Repoit  made  by  a 
committee  of  the  town,  that  an  Application  to  the  General  Court  for  a  committee 
to  divide  tbe  same  was  the  only  expedient  to  restore  Peace  and  prevent  Discord 
and  Confusion;  for  we  are  informed  by  a  member  of  sjiid  uommiltce  that  no 
such  Report  was  made  or  agreed  to  by  tbe  major  part  of  them,  and  we  are  cer- 
tain there  is  no  such  Article  in  their  Report  as  entered  on  the  Town  Recoids, 
but  their  Report  was  to  choose  a  committee  in  the  neighboiing  towns,  ic.  The 
town  had  always  avoided  applying  to  the  General  O.nirt,  because  they  would  be 
Left  at  Liberty  about  accepting  a  report  of  any  committee  aUiut  a  Division  of 
the  town,  as  they  should  think  eligible  or  not;  and  the  charge  of  Insinceiity  is 
utterly  groundless  and  without  foundation,  and  only  mentijued,  as  we  conceive, 
with  the  Design  of  Representing  the  town  in  an  unfavorable  li^bt  to  your  Ex- 
cellency &  Honours.  The  Petitioners  alledge  a  vote  of  the  town  that  a  Divition 
thereof  was  nessessary,  and  that  it  should  be  remembered  that  there  had  been 
an  application  before  that  time  by  Stoney  Hill  (so  called)  and  Long  Meadow  to 
be  made  separate  towns  or  Districts,  and  they  had  obtained  the  towns  consent 
thereto.  These  people  might  vote  in  that  manner  from  their  own  particular 
circumstances;  others  from  the  necessity  they  was  then  under,  as  before  le- 
ferred  to,  &c.\  but  when  the  Report  was  made,  tbe  town  could  nut  consent  to  it, 
and  the  following,  with  others  not  mentioned,  might  be  their  reasons  for  regect- 
ing  it,  viz.: 

"No  allowance  was  thereby  made  to  the  western  town  which  was  to  be  erected 
for  any  moneys  they  had  expended  for  Public  Buildings  in  the  fiist  Paiisb,  no 
care  was  thereby  taken  of  money,  particularly  as  to  tbe  2(X1  pound  voted  for  a 
bridge  across  Cheequepee  River,  if  not  expended  fur  that  puipuse.  By  said  Re- 
port Connecticut  was  to  be  the  Dividing  Line,  and  yet  no  Dividing  Line  was  to 
be  fixed.  Stoney  Hill  were  to  receive  their  sliare  of  the  Town  Stock  and  have 
no  part  of  the  poor;  the  Jurisdiction  of  tbe  meadow  Land  wtis  to  be  left  vague, 
precarious,  and  fluctuating,  which  might  be  the  occasimi  of  Great  Disputes  and 

114 


Contentious,  and  perhaps  prove  the  utter  ruin  of  the  western  town  ;  these  with 
others  probably  were  the  Reasons  of  the  Towns  rejecting  the  Rejxirt. 

"As  to  the  Petitionersof  the  third  and  fourth  Parishes, we  would  observe  that 
the  Petitionei-8  are  but  a  verj-  inconsiderable  part  of  two  Large  Parishes,  and 
much  the  greatest  part  of  each  of  those  parishes  are  vei-y  far  from  being  in  sen- 
timent with  them  as  to  the  matter  of  their  Petition. 

"  Tbe  Inhabitants  of  Stoney  Hill  have  heretofore  applied,  and  secured  the  con- 
sent of  the  town  for  being  made  a  separate  town  or  District,  and  we  think  their 
Local  circumstances  are  such  that  they  can  receive  vei-y  little,  if  any,  benefit 
from  their  present  connection  with  us,  either  as  to  town  or  Paiishial  privileges  ; 
but  as  the  greatest  part  of  them  have  within  a  few  years  moved  into  this  from 
the  neighboring  towns,  we  cannot  think  it  reasonable  they  should  have  their 
proportion  of  the  town  Stock  of  Money  without  being  chargeable  with  part  of 
the  support  of  the  poor  of  the  town. 

"  We  therefore  pray  your  E.\cellency  &  Honoure  that  the  prayer  of  the  Peti- 
tioners may  be  dismissed." 

Tbe  petition  of  1756  was  finally  granted  in  1774,  and  the 
act  of  incorporation  is  as  follows  : 

"Act  of  Incorporation,  Feb.  23,  1774. — 'Anno  Regni.  Regis,  Georgia,  Tertia, 
Decimo,  Quarto.' 

"  An  act  for  dividing  the  Township  of  Springfield,  and  erecting  the  Western 
part  thereof  into  a  Sejiarate  Town  by  the  name  of  West  Springfield,  passed 
Feb.,  Anno  Domini  1774. 

"  Wherea-s,  by  reason  of  the  great  extent  of  the  Township  of  Springfield,  the 
Remote  Settlements,  Disputes,  Controversies,  and  different  Interests  of  the  In- 
habitants thereof,  the  difficulty  and  often  Impracticability  of  the  Assembly  in 
Town-Meetings  for  Elections,  and  other  necessary  puri>oses,  by  Reason  of  the 
Great  River  Connecticut  almost  equally  dissecting  the  Township,  it  is  necessary 
that  there  be  a  Division  thereof. 

**  Be  it  enacted  by  the  Gov.,  Council,  and  House  of  Representatives,  Tliat  that 
part  of  the  Township  of  Springfield  lying  on  the  west  side  of  Connecticut  River, 
and  the  Inhabitants  thereof,  be  constituted  and  erected  into  a  different  town  by 
the  name  of  West  Springfield,  and  be  invested  with  all  the  Powers,  Privileges, 
and  Imnmnitios  which,  by  the  laws  of  this  Province,  Towns  have  and  enjoj*. 

"  Proviiled,  and  be  it  further  enacted,  that  it  shall  not  be  lawful  for  the  Said 
Town  of  West  Springfield,  or  any  Parish  or  Precinct,  then  or  at  any  Time  here- 
after, to  assess  or  Tax  the  Lands  or  Estates  of  any  Inhabitant  of  tbe  Town  of 
West  Springfield,  situate  or  lying  in  that  part  of  the  Great  and  General  Field,  so 
called,  on  the  West  side  of  the  River,  lying  Southward  of  a  Line  running  from 
y«  Ferry,  over  said  River,  at  the  upper  Wharf,  so  called,  to  the  Pond,  called  Turtle 
Pond,  in  said  Field,  and  tlience  to  the  Ferry  over  the  Agawam  River,  near  Moses 
Leonard's  Dwelling-Honse,  For  any  Rjites,  Duties,  or  Charges  Whatever,  all 
Lots,  Lands,  and  Estates  Whatever,  lying  within  the  Said  Great  and  General 
Field,  the  owaor  and  Proprietor  thereof,  shall,  for  the  Time  being,  and  at  any 
Time  hereafter,  be  an  Inhabitant  of  the  Town  of  Springfield,  shall  stand  Cbarg- 
able  and  Taxable,  and  shall  be  Charged,  Taxed,  and  Assessed  for  all  Province, 
County,  Town,  and  Parish  Taxes,  Rates,  Charges,  and  Duties,  only  in  and  by  the 
Said  Town  of  Springfield,  and  the  Paiish  or  Paiishes,  respectively  there,  at  all 
Times  hereafter." 

At  the  terms  of  this  act  the  inhabitants  felt  aggrieved,  and 
at  a  meeting  held  March  24,  1774, 

"  Col.  Benj,  Day,  Mr.  Justin  Ely,  Doct.Cliauncey  Brewer,  Dr.  John  Vanhorne, 
and  Benjamin  Stebbins  were  chosen  a  committee  to  draw  up  the  Rt'ast.>ns  of  this 
Parisli  for  tlieir  making  applications  to  tbe  Gieat  and  (h-neriil  Court  for  an  al- 
teration in  Rc.-'pect  of  Lands  that  now  aie  or  may  be  liable  to  pay  Rates  or 
Taxes  out  of  this  Paiish,  and  to  make  a  reiwit  the  20th  day  of  3Iay  next." 

The  committee  made  their  report  to  the  meeting  on  that 
day,  as  follows  : 

"To  liis  excellency  Thomas  Gage,  Esijr.,  CaptaiurGeiil.  and  Commander-in- 
chief  in  and  over  his  Majestie's  Province  of  the  Massachusetts  Bay,  itc.  And  to 
the  Honorable  His  Majestie's  Council  and  House  of  Representatives,  in  geneial 
Court  assembled  at  Boston,  the  last  Wednesday  of  Hay,  1774.  The  Pelitiju  of  the 
inhabitants  of  the  first  Parish  of  West  Springfield  humbly  sheweth :  That  by  an 
act  of  the  Great  and  General  Court,  passed  in  the  year- 1696,  all  that  part  of  the 
town  of  Springfield  lying  on  the  west  side  of  Connecticut  River  was  erected  inbJ  a 
sepai-ate  Precinct  or  Pai  isli,  and  by  said  Act  all  the  then  pi  esent  inhabitants  of  said 
precinct,  and  such  as  should  from  time  to  time  Joyu  them,  and  all  E>tates  under 
their  Improvement  l}ing  in  said  Precinct,  weie  to  sland  chargeable  for  the  sup- 
port of  the  Ministry,  and  for  building  Meetjng-Houses.  That  within  these  few 
years  past  one  Entire  Parish,  and  the  greater  part  of  another,  have  been  set  off 
from  us.  So  that  we  aie  now  reduced  within  very  narrow  limits.  The  whole 
extent  of  our  Lands  but  little  exceeds  9000  Acres.  Of  these  Lauds  several  valu- 
able faims  lelong  to  Baptists,  wlio  have  a  minister  of  their  own  Denomination, 
with  tbtir  estates  exempt  from  Parish  Taxes.  Part  of  our  land  is  Blounlainous, 
Sandy  and  Pine  Plain,  incapable  of  any  very  profitable  cultivation ;  and  within 
the  aforesaid  limits,  the  Inhabitants  of  the  fiit^t  Parish  in  East  Springfield  own 
a  valuable  part  of  our  Meadow  Lands,  which  not  being  um'.er  the  immediate  im- 
provement of  our  Inhabitants,  are  not  subject  to  the  aforesaid  Act  for  Taxation. 
From  these  several  causes  we  are  reduced  to  be  much  the  smallest  Parish  either 
in  East  or  West  Springfield,  and  pel  haps  in  tbe  whole  County.  We  beg  leave 
further  to  show  that  by  an  Act  pa«ied  in  tbe  last  Session  of  the  late  Genei  al  Com  t, 
entitled  an  '  Act  for  dividing  the  town  of  Springfield,  &c.,'  It  is  provided  and 
enacted 'that  it  shall  not  be  lawful  for  the  town  of  West  Springfield,  or  any 
Parish  or  Precinct  then,  or  at  any  lime  hereafter,  to  assess  or  Tax  tlie  Lands  or 


906 


HlSTOllY   OF  THE   COiNNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


Estates  of  any  lulmbitaiuts  or  Inhiilitaiits  of  the  Town  of  Springftelil  Situate  or 
lyiuE  ill  that  part  of  tlio  Great  anil  General  Field,  so  railed,  on  tlie  west  8ide  of 
Connedieut  Kiver,  lying  south  of  a  Line  Iiofjinning  at  the  uper  Wharf,  so 
called,  and  runing  to  the  Pond  called  Tiiitlo  Pond,  in  said  Field  ;  and  tbeiiee  to 
the  West  end  of  the  Hill  called  New  Field  Hill:  and  thence  txj  the  Ferry  over 
Agawani  Uiver,  near  iVIoaes  Leonard's  Dwelling  house,  fui"  any  Rates,  Duties,  ur 
Charges  whatsoever,  the  same  being  within  the  nominal  limits  of  the  saiil  town 
of  West  Springfield,  notwithstanding,  &c. ;'  by  which  clause  we  are  debarred  from 
our  ancient  right  and  privilege  of  Taxing  Lands  witliin  said  Field  under  the 
Improvements  of  our  Inhabitants  in  case  they  happen  to  belong  to  any  of  the 
Inhabitants  of  Kiist  Springfield. 

"  There  is  itidecd  a  Subsequent  Clause  in  the  Act  providing  tliat  notliing  in  said 
Act  shall  change,  altei',  or  affect  the  present  Rights  or  Limits  of  the  several 
Pai  ishes  in  said  undivided  Tuwn,  or  either  of  them  or  their  respective  interests, 
&c.,  by  which  we  ai)prchend  our  antient  Kigbt  of  Taxing  all  Land  improved  by 
lis  witliin  tlie  Limits  of  our  Paiish  is  secured. 

"  But  as  there  is  a  manifest  contradiction  and  Inconsistency  between  the  said 
act  passed  in  the  year  IGOfi,  and  the  restraining  clause  in  the  Act  of  Division 
which  may  be  the  occjision  of  future  Controvei-sy,  and  us  unjust  use  may  possi- 
bly in  some  future  time  be  made  of  the  said  restraining  clause, 

"We  humbly  pray  that  the  Legislature  would  take  the  matter  under  their 
wise  consideration,  and  make  such  amendments  as  may  be  necessary  to  secure  to 
us  our  own  rights  and  Privileges,  and  to  prevent  future  Litigation. 

"There  is  now  a  large  Farm  within  a  mile  of  our  meeting-house,  which  has 
for  many  years  been  owned  by  an  inhabitant  of  East  Springfiebl,  and  leased  out 
to  a  Tenant  who  lives  thereon,  and  who,  witli  his  Family,  enjoy  the  privilege  of 
Publick  worship  with  us,  and  can  enjoy  it  nowhere  else.  Tiiis  Farm  luis  been 
constantly  Taxed  for  the  defrayeing  of  Piuish  Expenses  with  us,  as  it  uwgbt 
manifestly  to  be. 

"  It  is  not  improbablo  thete  may  be  some  other  Farms  in  a  short  time  under 
the  same  circumstances,  and  if  we  are  to  loose  the  Jurisdiction  of  our  Meadow 
Lands  as  soon  as  the  Fee  of  them  becomes  vested  in  the  iidiabitants  of  another 
town,  we  may  soon  be  reduced  to  an  utter  incapacity  to  maintain  the  Gospel. 

"  What  makes  this  Clause  in  the  Act  more  exceptionable  is  this.  That  the  first 
Parish  in  Eiist  Springfield  is  oue  of  the  most  wealthy  parishes  in  either  of  the 
two  Towns,  and  perhaps  in  the  County,  as  it  is  of  large  extent  and  is  under 
many  and  singular  advantages, 

"The  second  Parisli,  called  Longmoadow,  hiis  nnicli  valuaMo  meadow  Land, 
and  is  nimlent,  sn  tliat  neither  of  these  Paiishos  neeil  the  Juiisdiction  of  Lands 
in  our  ]\Ieadnw  fur  defraying  their  Parish  Cliarges,  but  wo  being  reduced,  as 
afoicsaid,  stand  in  absidute  need  of  them. 

"  We  therefore  submit  to  the  Wisdom  of  the  Legislature  whether  it  be  not  Just 
uml  resisonable,  not  only  that  we  should  enjoy,  as  heretofore,  the  u neon trovei  ted 
and  unmolested  Ilights  of  Tiixing  all  Lands  in  said  General  Fiehl  under  the 
Iniprovements  of  any  of  our  Inhabitants,  but  that  we  also  should  be  enabled  to 
Tax  all  Lamls  within  the  nominal  limits  of  said  first  Parish  in  West  Springfield, 
except  such  Lands  as  shall  be  under  tlie  Improvements  of  any  of  the  Inhab- 
itants of  tbo  Paush  in  Eiist  Springfield." 

Signed  by  John  Vanhurn,  Benjamin  Stebbins,  Benjamin  Day,  and  Justin 
Ely,  Committee  fur  the  first  Paiish  in  West  Spiingfield  to  draw  up  a  Pelition  to 
tlie  General  Couit. 

May  20, 1774. — "  The  above  Petition  was  voted  and  accepted  by  the  Inliabitants 
of  the  first  Palish  in  West  Spiingfield,  and  C-ol.  Benjamin  Day  was  chosen  Agent 
for  the  said  Parish,  and  desired  to  present  the  same  to  the  General  Court  and  to 
use  his  influence  to  get  the  Prayer  thereof  granted. 

"Test:   Nath.  Atchinson,  Clerk  of  the  first  Paiish  in  We.st  Siningfiild." 

Aiiotliur  ujipcal  to  the  General  Court  nuikcs  tliis  t'oiiijilaiiit: 

"  That  a  Miut)r  Part  of  a  Town  should  force  a  Division  contraiy  to  a  Sense  of 
the  Town,  and  yet  be  left  in  full  Possession  of  the  Antient  name  of  the  Town 
and  all  the  Public  Buildings  witliout  making  any  Compensation  therefor,  but,  a-s 
if  that  had  not  been  sut?ici.-'nt,  tliat  they  Should,  in  an  nnheaid-of  manner,  ex- 
tend their  Jnrisdictijiis  over  Lands  and  Buildings  out  of  their  Bounds,  and  that 
the  Jlajoiity  of  the  Town  should  be  so  dishonestly  crowded  ofi'  by  the  Minoiity, 
uiul  at  tlie  Same  Time  have  a  considerable  Pait  of  the  valuable  Lauds  with  a 
nuniber  of  Buildings  within  their  Limits  liable  to  pay  all  Taxes  to  the  Town 
from  whence  they  are  thus  crowded  off,  is  such  an  Instance  of  Partiality  and  of 
Injury  and  Oppression  towards  us,  as  we  presume  is  not  to  be  met  with  in  ami 
oUier  gpol  nil  the  face  of  the  Globe.^^  They  further  say,  "The  Town  of  West  Spring- 
field was  always  extremely  displeased  with  beiug  forced  to  abandun  tlieir  An- 
tient connections  with  Springfield,  in  a  manner  so  Hurtful  to  their  Interest  and 
Keputation,"  and  pray  "  that  the  late  act  for  dividing  the  Town  may  be  repealed, 
or  that  we  may  be  restored  to  our  propoitional  part  of  the  Estate  and  enjoy  the 
Same  Privileges  as  all  other  Towns  in  the  United  Ameiicaii  Colonies  do  enjoy 
(viz.).  That  of  t^xjug  all  Houses  and  Lauds  within  the  Limits  of  our  Townshiji." 

The  .petition  an4  appeals  availed  nothing  with  the  General 
Court.  The  law  v/ns  eiiforeecj  ft>r  njany  years,  until  moditied 
by  a  proviso  t^at  when  tjie  land  changed  hands  jt  should  then 
pay  taxes  to  West  Springtitddi  "iic|  the  last  of  the  property 
did  not  ehiinge  hiinds  until  1865. 

The  tirst  w^n'^int  lor  a  town-meeting  was  served  jointly  by 
Constables  Joseph  D^y,  of  Springfield,  und  David  Miller,  of 
AVest  Springfield,  and  is  ns  follows ; 

"  nAMPSHIRE,  S.t,  ; 

"  To  the  Con^ti^ble  qr  Cvuistabjes  of  the  Tcf.va  uf  ?(iringfiebl,  or  eith.-r  uf  them, 


Gieeting, — You  are  hereby  required  in  his  Majestie's  name  forthwith  to  warn 
and  give  notice  to  the  Free  holders  and  other  Inhabitants  on  the  West  side  of 
Coimeiticut  Uiver,  in  West  Springfield,  Firet  Parish,  North  DisIiict,from  North- 
ampton Bounds  to  liiley's  Brook,  on  the  County  Itoa-l;  on  the  west  Ut  Westfield 
and  Southampton,  to  meet  and  as^emlile  togetlier  at  the  old  Mceling-House  in 
said  Town,  on  Wednesday,  the  23d  day  of  this  Instant,  at  10  o'clock  iu  the  fore- 
noon, then  and  there  to  act  on  the  following  articles; 

"  The  3d  Article.  To  see  if  the  Inhabitants  will  apply  to  the  Geneml  Court  for 
any  alteration  in  the  incoi-porating  act,  as  was  made  at  the  last  setting  of  said 
Court,  that  iucorporated  the  inhabitanta  on  the  west  side  the  River  in  sd  towu  a 
sei'arate  town. 

"  Given  under  our  hands  and  seals  the  llth  day  of  March,  in  the  14th  year  of 
his  Miijeslie's  Reign,  Anno  Domini  1774. 

"Benj.  Day,  John  Hale, 

"Chakles  Pynchon,       Jonatii"  White, 
"Nath'  Ei,y  (2u),  Benzj.  Ely, 

"  Aauon  Colton, 

"  Selertnieti  of  Springjh'hl.^^ 

At   a   town-meeting   held   April   11,    1775,   delegates   were 

clutsen  to  represent  the  town  at  a  Provincial  Congress,  and  it 

was  voted  'Hhat  the  delegates  be  instructed  to  dissent  from 

any  proposal  that  may  be  made  for  setting  up  any  form  of 

civil  government  diiferent  from  that  contained  in  the  charter 

we  hold  under  William  and  Mary,' excepting  when  the  laws 

of  self-preservation  {which  supersede  all  others)  necessarily 

require  it,  the  determination  of  which  requires  the  greatest 

caution  and  circumspection."     It  was  also  voted  to  enlist  and 

pay  a  company  of  "Minute-Men,"  with  Mr.  David  Leonard 

as  captain." 

LIST    OF    TOWN    OFFICERS. 

SELECTMEN  FROM  1774  TO  1879. 
Col.  Benjamin  Day,  Deacon  Jonathan  White,  Col.  Benjamin  Ely,  Deacon  John 
Leonard,  Lieut.  Benjamin  Leonard,  Dr.  Chauncey  Brewer,  Justin  Ely,  Deacon 
Keuben  Leonard,  Capt.  Joseph  Morgan,  Eliphalet  Leonard,  Cliarles  Ball,  Abra- 
ham Burbank,  Bi-njamin  Stebbins,  {'ajit.  Levi  Ely,  Lieut.  Enoch  Cooper,  Capt. 
Joseph  Ely,  Aaron  White,  Capt.  John  Williston,  Rut-sell  Leonard,  Lucius  Mor- 
gan, Joseph  White,  Sanniel  Phelps,  Reuben  Leonard,  Jr.,  Ilenian  Day,  Mfy.  Gad 
Warriner,  Lieut.  Ruggles  Kent,  EUas  Leonard,  Hora_e  White,  Justin  Granger, 
Lieut.  Benjamin  Ashley,  Robert  Ely,  Dr.  Timothy  Hoi  ton,  Justin  Leonard,  Pliny 
M^iite,  Col.  Samuel  Flower,  Col.  David  Morley,  Jonathan  Smith,  Jr.,  Luke  Par- 
sinis,  Aaron  Bagg,  Luther  Frink,  Horace  Flowe?-,  James  Kent,  Peres  Hitchcock, 
Alfred  Flower,  Ruggles  Kent,  Jonathan  Pai"sons,  David  Hastings,  Hosea  Day, 
Caleb  Rice,  Spencer  Flower,  Lewis  Wan  iner,  Warren  Ciiapin,  Lucius  Bagg,  Ben- 
jamin Leonard,  Henry  Ely,  Josiah  Johnson,  Charles  Ball,  Jr.,  Edward  Paisons, 
Samuel  Noble,  Lester  Williams,  Sihis  Dewey,  Willard  Ely,  Lyman  Whitman, 
Calvin  Wheeler,  Ebenezer  B.  Pelton,  Cyrus  Frink,  Newtierry  Norton,  Asa  Clark, 
Lucian  M.  llfford,  Isaac  Robert;?,  Russell  Gilmore,  Homer  Ely,  Augustine  Lud- 
dington,  Ilerrick  Brooks,  M'illiam  S.  Rowe,  Enoch  Leonard,  Nehemiah  D.  Periy, 
Samuel  Flower,  Hai-vey  Bliss,  Lester  Hamlin,  Ralph  Adams,  Juiiatlian  0.  Mosely, 
Harvey  Chapin,  Daniel  G.  White,  Jonathan  W.  Fieeland,  Samuel  Smith,  L.  S. 
Brown,  George  B.  Beebe,  S.  L.  Griggs,  Orson  Swetland,  James  T.  Smith,  Oi  ria 
Root,  Jamos  P.  Ely,  Col.  Aaron  Bagg,  S.  B.  Day,  Riley  Smith,  Daniel  Ashley, 
Nathan  Looniis,  Alvin  Sibley,  Fiaiikliu  G.  Smith,  C'havles  C.  Smith,  Lucius  Dwin- 
nell,  Albeit  D.  Bagg,  C.  W.  H- isingtoii,  Aaron  L.  Hayes,  William  Smith,  Har- 
vey D.  Bagg,  ('has.  ^\'llite,  Henry  A.  Sibley,  Amos  Russell,  Ebenezer  S.  Flower, 
John  O.  Mosely,  Wm.  Chapman,  Aaron  Bagg,  Jr.,  Amos  Russell. 

TOWN  CLERKS  AND  TRKASURERS,  1774-1879. 
Dr.  John  Van  Horn,  Dr.  Chauncey  Biewer,  Aaion  White,  Joseph  White,  Hor- 
ace White,  Samuel  Lalhrop,  Seth  Lathiop,  Henian  Day,  Reuhen  Champion,  Jr., 
James  Kent,  Caleb  Rice,  Chailes  Ely,  Lester  Williams,  Micliael  Marsh,  Edwin 
F.  Perkins,  Euocli  N.  Smith,  Harvey  Bliss,  Charles  White,  Lewis  Lonard,  Etl- 
waid  Paisous,  John  M.  Harmon. 

MKxMHEltS  OF  THE  LEOLSLATURK  FROM  1774  TO  1879. 
Capt.  Benjamin  Day,  Col,  Beujaniin  Ely,  Deacon  Jonatliaii  White,  Justin  Ely, 
Eliphalet  Leonard,  Abraham  Burbank,  Capt.  John  Williston,  Jonathan  Smith, 
Jr.,  Jeremiah  Stebbins,  Hemnn  Day,  Maj.  Gad  Wan  iner,  Col.  Samuel  Flower, 
Lieut.  Charles  Ball,  Doct.  Timothy  Horton,  Luke  Parsons,  Miy".  Jesse  Mdntire, 
Eli;is  Leonard,  Capt.  John  Porter,  James  Kent,  Horace  Flowei-,  Col.  David  Mor- 
ley, Capt.  Alfred  Flower,  David  Hiistings,  Caleb  Rice,  Daniel  Menick,  Jonathau 
E.  Ferre,  John  Street,  Norman  Warriner,  Di".  Reuben  Cliampi.jn,  Jr.,  Robert  Ely, 
Warren  Chujiin,  Spoticer  Flower,  Lewis  Warriner,  Henry  Ely,  Maj.  Liiuis  Biigg, 
Capt.  Henry  Phelon,  Asa  B.  Whitman,  Capt.  Hosea  Day,  Josiah  Johnson,  Benja- 
min Leonard,  Seth  Pai'sous,  Ileber  Miller,  Sanuiel  Noble,  Dwight  Leonard, 
Aniixsa  Aiusworth,  Peletiah  Ely,  Edwin  H.  Ball,  Lester  Williams,  Lyman  Wliit- 
niau,  Rufus  S.  Payne,  Col.  Aanui  Bagg,  Ltician  M.  Ufford,  Asa  Clark,  Isjuic  Rob- 
erts, Edward  Pareons,  Harvey  Chapin,  Daniel  G.  White,  Lyman  Allen,  Wells 
Southworth,  Harvey  Wolcott,  Edward  S.mtliwurth,  Samuel  D.  Wan  iner,  Jona- 
than W.  Freeland,  Jonathan  0.  Mosely,  George  L.  Wiight,  Natiian  Loomis,  Justin 
L.  Worthy,  Charles  A.  Fox,  William  Melclier,  George  C.  S.  Southwoi th,  Ansel  H. 
Ward,  Emerson  Geer,  Elisha  P.  Ba:  tholomew. 

DELEGATES  TO  PROVINCIAL  CONGRESS  AT  WATERTOWN,  MASS. 
177.'>,  Deacon  Jonathan  While,  Dr.  Chiiuncey  Brewer,  Maj.  Benj.  Ely. 


■  i 

i 


^^ 


Tlie  Elys  have  been  numbered  among  the  rep- 
resentative families  of  West  Springfield  since  the 
settlement  of  the  first  ancestor,  Nathaniel,  who  lo- 
cated his  residence  on  the  banks  of  the  Connecticut, 
and  where  generation  after  generation  has  remained 
for  more  than  a  century.  The  first  known  of  the 
name  in  that  town  was  Nathaniel,  who  lived  to  the 
age  of  ninety-five,  and  died  in  the  year  1787.  His 
son  Nathaniel  occupied  the  farm  now  owned  by  the 
fifth  generation  in  descent,  which  was  in  turn  owned 
by  the  grandson.  Cotton,  and  also  by  the  great- 
grandson,  Cotton  Ely,  Jr.,  the  subject  of  this  nar- 
rative, who  was  born  June  8,  1803.  Besides  carry- 
ing on  farming  on  the  old  homestead  during  his  life, 
Mr.  Ely  was  a  tanner  and  currier  by  trade,  and  as 
his  father  had  before  him,  so  he  engaged  quite  largely 
in  that  business,  and  also  as  a  jobber  in  hides  and 
leather.  He  was  the  youngest  of  the  three  sons, 
Homer,  Frederick,  and  himself,  and  one  daughter, 
Fanny,  all  of  whom  are  now  dead. 


Mr.  Ely's  life  was  one  of  active  business,  and 
so  characterized  by  integrity  in  all  his  business 
relations  as  to  secure  the  esteem  of  all  who  knew 
him.  He  sought  no  place  in  the  arena  of  politics, 
but  quietly  did  his  part  as  a  citizen,  identifying 
himself  formerly  with  the  Whig,  and  subsequently 
with  the  Eepublican  party.  He  was  a  man  of  sound 
judgment,  conservative  in  his  opinions,  and  pos- 
sessed a  will  to  carry  forward  whatever  he  deemed 
to  be  right  and  worthy  his  attention.  Early  in  life 
he  became  a  member  of  the  Congregational  Church, 
and  there  his  influence  for  the  forwarding  of  that 
and  kindred  interests  was  always  acknowledged. 
He  was  active  in  church  work,  and  for  very  many 
years  was  a  teacher  of  the  young  in  the  Sunday- 
school,  and  a  liberal  contributor  to  all  enterprises 
looking  toward  the  elevation  and  education  of  the 
rising  generation.  In  the  year  1830  he  married 
Mariette,  daughter  of  Ruggles  Kent,  of  West 
Springfield.     Mr.  Ely  died  April  11,  1874. 


Q^ciy>-&-)^  aJ^^^^^ 


The  first  record  of  the  Ashleys  in  the  Connecti- 
cut Valley  in  Massachusetts  is  in  the  following 
meuiorandum  : 

"There  is  granted  to  Robert  Ashley  six  acres  of  meadow  on  the 
backside  of  Chicopee  Plain,  within  two  or  three  miles  of  the  Grea' 
Kiver,  where  he  can  find  so  much  undisposed  of. 

"March  l:j,  lCOO-61. 

"A  copy  from  Springfield  records,  examined  by  William  Pynchon, 
clerk.*' 

In  the  town  of  West  Springfield  the  family  of 
Asidey  can  be  traced  back  about  one  hundred  and 
sixty  yeai-s  to  the  grandfather,  Benjamin  Ashley,  who 
was  born  in  1697,  and  died  May  11,  1772;  his  wife 
dying  Dec.  25,  1788,  aged  eighty-seven. 

Their  children  were  Moses,  Aaron,  Mary,  David, 
Joim,  and  Benjamin.  Of  these  the  third  son,  David, 
was  father  of  Aaron  Ashley,  and  married  Meribah 
Gaylord  in  1769.  He  was  born  in  1735,  and  died 
in  1813.  His  other  children  were  David,  Jr.,  Solo- 
mon, Noah,  Justin,  Enoch,  Ivueretia,  wife  of  Genu- 
bath  Bliss;  and  Eunice,  wife  of  Eli  Ashley. 

David  Ashley  owned  large  tracts  of  land  in  West 
Springfield  during  his  time,  and  was  one  of  the 
largest  real-estate  owners  in  the  valley.  This  ilict, 
together  with  the  settlement  of  so  many  of  the  name 
in  one  locality,  gave  the  name  Ashley  vi-lle, — a  part  of 
West  Springfield. 

Aaron  Ashley  was  born  April  19, 1786.     His  life, 


like  that  of  his  ancestors,  was  almost  wholly  spent 
as  a  farmer;  and,  alike  with  them,  industry,  local 
entei-prise,  devotion  to  ftimily  and  friends,  and  strict 
integrity  were  his  characteristics.  He  married,  Nov. 
7, 1811,  Almira,  daughter  of  Simeon  Smith,  of  West 
Springfield,  a  lady  who  proved  herself  a  devoted 
wife  and  a  loving  mother.  She  was  born  Dec.  28, 
1786,  and  died  in  1834.  Their  children  were  Edmund 
(died  in  1862,  aged  forty-eight);  Jemiett  (Mrs.  Albert 
A.  Hudson,  of  Syracuse) ;  and  Charles  A.  Ashley, 
who  married,  Feb.  11, 1862,  Miss  Sarah  M.  Ashley, 
of  the  same  township, 

Mr.  Ashley  was  never  solicitous  of  political  pre- 
ferment, but  chose  the  quiet  of  a  farmer's  life,  and 
he  never  accepted  any  office.  He  was  always  inter- 
ested in  the  cultivation  of  good  society,  in  the  spread  of 
religious  jirinciples, andin  the  education  of  the  young, 
and  left  behind  him  a  record  worthy  of  imitation. 

His  second  wife  was  Charlotte,  daughter  of  Moses 
Ashley,  of  West  Springfield.  She  was  born  July, 
1799,  and  died  in  1869,  surviving  her  husl)and  two 
years,  who  died  in  1867. 

It  is  a  fact  worthy  of  note  in  writing  this  sketch, 
that  the  Ashleys  as  a  family,  during  the  entire  long 
period  they  have  lived  in  West  Springfield,  have  been 
among  the  first  in  thrift,  respectability,  and  all  inter- 
ests tending  to  advance  the  well-being  of  society. 


I'hoto.  Ity  C.  L.  Moore. 


James  P.  Ely  was  bom  in  the  town  of  West 
Springfield,  Mass.,  December,  1802.  His  grand- 
fatlier,  Nathan,  and  father,  Nathan,  Jr.,  were  natives 
of  the  same  town.  His  father  was  an  only  son,  and 
had  seven  sisters,  all  of  whom  lived  to  advanced 
age.  He  was  a  farmer,  as  his  ancestry  had  been 
before  him.  Was  married  to  Anna  Price,  of  Weth- 
ersfield.  Conn.,  and  became  the  fatiier  of  children 
as  follows:  James  P.,  subject  of  this  narrative; 
Mrs.  Francis  Ashley,  of  West  Springfield;  Pela- 
tiah,  of  Longmeadow  ;  Nathan,  of  Wrentham  ;  and 
Julia  Ann,  of  West  Springfield,  ail  of  whom  are 
living. 

Mr.  Ely  spent  his  minority  in  tlie  routine  of  school 
and  farm  labor  at  home,  and  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
five,  in  the  year  1827,  married  Mercy  L.,  daughter 
of  Noadiah  and  Tirzah  (Taylor)  Smith,  of  West 
Springfield.  She  was  born  in  March,  1802.  Her 
great-grandfather,  Jonathan,  and  grandfather,  Jona- 
than, Jr.,  also  lived  and  died  in  the  same  town,  and 


were  farmers  by  occupation.  Her  father  was  a  fife- 
major  in  the  war  for  independence,  and  served  nearly 
through  the  entire  war.  He  is  said  to  Iiave  been 
the  owner  of  the  first  two-horse  wagon  in  the  town, 
and  was  engaged  in  teaming  between  Springfield  and 
Boston  before  the  days  of  railroads.  He  died  at  the 
age  of  forty-four,  in  1807.  Her  mother  died  at  the 
age  of  seventy-five,  in  1841. 

Mr.  Ely  has  passed  a  life  of  industry  and  labor  as 
a  farmer,  and  is  known  as  a  man  of  sterling  integrity 
in  all  his  business  relations.  The  pecuniary  assist- 
ance received  from  his  father  was  small,  but  by 
economy  he  has  secured  a  fair  competence.  He  has 
been  a  liberal  supporter  of  church  and  like  interests, 
and  a  member  of  the  Congregational  Church  since 
about  1842,  his  wife  being  connected  with  the  same 
church  for  the  same  period. 

Mr.  Ely  has  not  taken  an  active  part  in  politics, 
but  has  been  honored  by  the  citizens  of  his  town  for 
two  terms  as  one  of  the  selectmen. 


Homer  Ely  was  boru  iu  West  Springfield,  May 
23,  1793.  He  married,  Dec.  19,  1816,  Anna  Kent, 
of  the  same  town,  who  was  born  Nov.  20,  1797. 
Their  children  were  the  following:  Frances  Ann, 
born  Oct.  22,  1817 ;  Chauncey  Kent,  born  Dec. 
15,  1819;  Eliza  Rosamond,  born  March  5,  1822; 
Henry  Gilbert,  born  INIarch  7,  1824;  Leicester 
Kent,  born  Ang.  16,  1826;  Celia  Sophia,  born 
May  30,  1829;  Homer,  Jr.,  born  July  25,  1831; 
Homer,  Jr.,  born  Feb.  1,  1833;  Esther  Maria, 
born  June  17,  1835;  George  Albert,  born  April 
8,  1842. 

Mr.  Ely  was  a  tanner,  and  the  son  of  a  tanner. 
By  his  industrious  habits,  and  his  diligent,  personal 


attention  to  all  the  details  of  his  work,  he  honored 
his  calling,  and  had  a  high  reputation  among  his 
fellow-craftsmen.  He  was  an  amiable,  courteous, 
and  dignified  gentleman  of  the  old  school.  A  saga- 
cious business  man  and  a  prudent  counselor,  his 
advice  was  repeatedly  sought  by  others,  and  was  ever 
deemed  safe  and  reliable.  A  kind  neighbor  and  a 
sympathizing  friend,  his  ready  assistance  and  prompt 
charity  were  proverbial. 

A  Christian  gentleman,  his  life  was  pure  and  con- 
sistent, and  his  conduct  proved  that  religion  with 
him  was  no  mere  form,  but  a  genuine  vital  prin- 
ciple. 

He  was  a  member  of  the  First  Church  for  nearly 


fifty  years,  and  an  officer  for  nearly  twenty.  Having 
decided  opinions,  he  was  a  firm  adherent  to  the  creed 
and  government  of  the  church  with  which  he  was 
connected. 

Mr.  Ely  was  always  deeply  interested  in  public 
affairs,  and  he  was  active  in  promoting  all  the  inter- 
ests of  his  native  town.  His  advice  and  influence 
extended  over  the  wide  field  of  the  county  and  the 
State.  He  was  a  member  of  the  convention  that 
met  to  revise  the  constitution  in  1853,  and  brought 
to  the  discharge  of  his  duties  in  that  body  that  quiet 
attention  and  solid  practical  judgment  which  had 
appeared  in  his  discharge  of  official  trusts  at  home. 
Mr.  Ely  descended  from  a  long  line  of  honorable 


rhoto.  by  T.  R  Lewis,  llolyoke. 


ancestors.  He  was  one  of  three  brothers  wlio  mar- 
ried three  sisters,  all  neighbors,  natives,  and  life-long 
residents  of  the  same  town.  The  names  and  tradi- 
tions of  these  two  old  families  date  back  to  the 
earliest  settlement  of  Western  Massachusetts,  and 
form  an  interesting  part  of  its  history. 

Mr.  Ely  lived  to  a  good  old  age,  and  died  Jan. 
28,  1873,  universally  esteemed  for  his  many  virtues. 
His  wife  died  the  year  previous. 

Of  their  ten  children,  five  only  survive  their  par- 
ents :  Henry  G.  and  ^Horner,  Jr.,  of  New  York ; 
Mrs.  N.  P.  Pierce,  of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.;  Mrs.  G. 
Morgan  Smith,  of  South  Hadley  and  Mrs.  J.  S. 
McElwain,  of  Holyoke. 


HISTORY   OF   IIxVMPDEN    COUiNTY. 


907 


DELEGATES   TO   CONSTITUTIONAL    CONVENTION>S. 
1780,  Abmliam  Burbank,  Maj.  Benj.  Ely  ;  1787,  Col.  Beuj.  Ely,  Capt.  Jciliii  \Vil- 
listuu,  Jiinies  Kent,  Tiiliuthy  HurtoD,  Luther  Frink  ;  1820,  Alfred  Fluwer  ;  1853, 
Homer  Ely, 

DELEGATES    TO    CONVENTION    AT    HATFIELD    FOR    REDRESS  OF 
GRIEVANCES. 

1782,  ChiI.  Benj.  Ely,  Capt.  Jno.  Willistou  ;  1783,  Eleazer  Day,  Jnnies  Sclden  ; 
17811,  Cul.  Bcuj.  Ely. 

CHURCHES. 

THE    FIRST    CONGREGATIONAL    CHURCH. 

In  June,  1698,  two  years  after  the  west  side  of  tlic  river  was 
set  ott'  as  a  separate  and  distinct  parish,  the  first  chnreli  was 
formed,  and  the  Kev.  John  Woodbridge  was  constituted  its 
]>astor.  No  records  of  tlie  parish  were  Icept  from  the  time  of 
its  organization,  in  1696,  until  March  20,  1702,  and  tlie  original 
contract  between  the  parish  and  the  Kev.  Mr.  Woodbridge 
cannot  be  definitely  ascertained.  At  a  meeting  of  the  inhabi- 
tants, Dec.  12,  1704,  it  was  voted  "that  the  Present  Comitey 
shall  give  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  Woodbridge  a  deed  of  the  house 
and  land  which  he  now  possesseth  in  the  name  of  the  'side.'  "* 
It  was  also  voted  that  the  committee,  viz..  Deacon  Barber, 
Deacon  Parsons,  John  Miller,  John  Day,  and  Benj.  Leonard, 
form  an  agreement  with  the  Kev.  Mr.  Woodbridge  in  refer- 
ence to  his  settlement. 

At  a  meeting,  Nov.  5,  1705, 

It  was  voted  "  that  seven  men  more  be  aded  to  the  comitey :  Eben'  Jone.'^,  .lames 
Ely,  John  Bag^,  Nath^  Morgan,  James  Merrick,  Sam'l  Day,  and  tSaniM  Ely.  And 
that  they  should  agree  with  him  and  bring  things  to  a  couclu&ijn,  and  what  they 
did  conclude  of  they  would  stand  by  and  perform  and  at-t^mplish  accordingly." 

An  agreement  was  made  in  which  they  promise  to 

"give  the  Rev.  Mr.  John  Woodbridge  annually  for  his  salary  Eighty  pounds  in 
provisions,  particularly  wheat  at  four  shillings  ye  bushel.  Peas  att  three  shillings 
ye  bushel,  Rie  att  four  shillings  ye  bushell,  Indian  Corn  att  two  shillings  ye 
bushell  and  six  pence.  Pork  att  3  cts.  per  lb. ;  and  what  any  pei-son  eliall  due  with 
respect  to  bringeing  of  wood  for  the  fier.  It  is  all  every  man's  libel  tye  to  doe 
what  he  shall  secause,  gratis ;  only  the  Comitey  shall  appoint  a  day  yearly  for 
what  an  Person  shall  secause  to  doe  of  that  nature  for  Mr.  Woodbridge  his 
greater  convenience." 

He  "also  was  to  possess  and  enjoy  the  use  of  the  ministry-land,  and  to  have 
the  use  of  two  acres  of  laud  for  mowing  meadow,  and  six  acres  that  was  to  be 
'  stubed'  w  ithin  twelve  months  and  fitted  for  mow  iug  meadow  ;  and,  in  order  to 
further  accomodate  our  said  Rev.  Minister,  we  doe  promise  to  procuer  a  certjiin 
tract  of  land  lying  on  Block  Brook,  of  about  40  acres,  belonging  to  Deacon  Bar- 
ber, and  also  another  tract  of  20  acres,  convenient  thereto,  and  that  we  will  doe 
something  toward  setting  up  a  baru  as  soon  as  he  shall  secause  to  build  the 
same." 

Mr.  Woodbridge  remained  with  this  jieople,  serving  them 
acceptably,  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  June,  1718,  at 
the  age  of  forty  years.  "  He  was  a  man  of  great  learning,  of 
pleasant  conversation,  of  a  very  tender  spirit,  very  apt  to 
communicate,  one  that  had  an  excellent  gift  in  giving  advice 
and  counsel."!  After  his  death  the  pulpit  was  supplied  for 
a  short  time  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Hobart  and  Rev.  Mr.  Pierpoiit, 
the  latter  receiving  an  invitation  from  the  society  to  become 
their  pastor,  which  otter  he  declined. 

In  October,  1719,  it  was  voted  to  invite  the  Rev.  Samuel  Hop- 
kins to  preach  to  them  on  probation,  and  in  January,  1720,  he 
received  an  invitation  to  settle  in  that  place  as  their  pastor,  at 
a  salary  of  £100.  He  accepted,  and  was  ordained  and  installed 
June  1,  1720.  He  remained  as  pastor  over  this  society  thirty- 
six  years,  and  died  in  October,  1755,  in  the  sixty-second  year 
of  his  age.  J 

Kev.  Joseph  Lathrop  was  ordained  to  the  pastorate  of  the 
church  Aug.  25,  1756,  having  graduated  at  Yale  College  two 
years  previouslj'.  His  ministry  was  a  long  one,  extending  to 
upward  of  sixty  years,  and  he  was  one  of  the  most  remark- 
able divines  of  the  Connecticut  Valley.  He  wrote  5000  ser- 
mons, many  of  which  have  been  published. 

*  Probably  meaning  the  west  "  side." 

t  Extract  from  the  diary  of  Rev.  Dr.  Williams,  of  Longmeadow. 

t  During  his  early  ministry  here  he  was  suspected  of  ente.tjlining  heterodox 
views.  A  Mr.  Jonathan  Worthington,  of  Springfield,  was  presented  by  the 
grand  jury  for  making  such  an  assertion,  and  was  fined  by  court,  in  1722. 


He  was  elected  in  1792  a  Fellow  of  the  American  Academy 
of  Arts  and  Sciences,  and  in  1793  was  chosen  Professor  of 
Divinity  in  Tale  College.  His  death  occurred  Dec.  31,  1820. 
He  was  succeeded  by  Revs.  Wm.  B.  Sprague,  Thomas  E. 
Vermilye,  John  H.  Hunter,  A.  A.  Wood,  H.  M.  Field,  T. 
H.  Hawks,  E.  B.  Foster,  Henry  M.  Grout,  John  M.  Chapin, 
and  Edward  N.  Pomeroy. 

The  church  is  now  without  a  settled  pastor.  The  present 
membership  is  120.  The  deacons  are  J.  N.  Bagg,  W.  H. 
Bull,  and  Joseph  M.  Smith.  The  superintendent  of  the  Sab- 
bath-school is  Dr.  H.  M.  Miller. 

The  First  Meetinp-House. — The  first  action  in  reference  to 
the  erection  of  a  meeting-house,  of  which  any  record  is  found, 
is  in  the  parish  register  of  date  Dee.  8,  1702.  At  a  meeting 
it  was  voted  "to  raise  a  rate  for  the  carieing  on  the  worck  of 
the  meeting-house  and  other  charges  of  the  sum  of  two  hun- 
dred pounds." 

It  was  voted,  April  1,  1703,  "  that  the  present  comity,  viz., 
John  Barher,  Eben  Parsons,  Joseph  Leonard,  Benjamin 
Leonard,  and  John  Miller,  have  the  disposeing  of  the  two 
hundred  pounds  Raised  for  and  toward  the  carieing  on  and 
erecteing  the  worck  of  the  meeting-house." 

At  a  meeting,  Nov.  11,  1703,  "  In  order  to  the  modeling  of 
the  Meeting-House  with  respect  to  the  seating  of  it.  It  was 
voted  that  the  Meeting-House  be  seated  In  form  acording  to 
the  moddle  of  the  east  side  Mceteing-House,  proportionate 
according  to  the  room." 

Dec.  14,  1703,  voted  "that  the  present  comitey  seate  the 
meeting-house,  and  that  they  have  respect  to  Age,  Estate,  and 
Qualification,  and  haveing  respect  to  these  Rules  they  are  to 
act  according  to  their  best  discretion  and  Sound  Judgment." 

On  Dec.  9,  1707,  it  was  voted  "  to  raise  twenty  pounds  for  a 
meeting-house  bell,"  which  was  not  done  at  that  time,  how- 
ever. At  a  meeting  Dec.  14,  1708,  it  was  voted  "to  alow 
John  Ely  twenty  shillings  for  Drumeing  on  the  Sabbath,"  a 
custom  which  was  kept  up  for  about  forty  years,  when,  in 
1743,  a  bell  was  procured. 

The  year  1711  seems  to  have  been  the  time  when  the  church 
was  Completed,  for  Dec.  12,  1710,  it  was  voted  "that  the  pres- 
ent Comitey  should  finish  the  meeting-House." 

The  meeting-house  was  first  occupied  in  1702,  and  was  lo- 
cated on  the  common  almost  in  front  of  the  present  town- 
house.  It  was  42  feet  square  and  92  feet  in  height  to  the  top 
of  the  spire.  An  engraving  of  this  building  is  given  on  page 
908. 

The  glass  in  the  windows  was  diamond-shaped  and  set  in 
lead  sash.  Around  the  walls  were  fifteen  square  pews.  The 
body  of  the  house  was  filled  with  slips  fronting  the  pulpit, 
with  a  partition  running  through  the  middle,  forming  two  di- 
visions, one  occupied  by  the  men,  the  other  by  the  w-onien. 
The  treble  singers  sat  in  the  gallery  on  the  right  of  the  pulpit, 
the  bass  singers  on  the  left.  The  wood-work  of  the  pews, 
pulpit,  and  railing  was  of  oak  and  yellow  pine. 

An  amusing  description  of  the  church  was  related  by  Dr. 
Lathrop  of  a  child  who  attended  meeting  there  for  the  first 
time,  and  on  returning  home  undertook  to  describe  it,  as  fol- 
lows :  "  The  men  were  all  shut  up  in  hog-pens,  and  there  was 
a  man  a-hollerin'  up  in  the  chimbley,  and  on  the  roost  there 
was  a  lot  of  gals  squallin'."^ 

Here  in  this  quaint  house  of  worship  the  people  gathered 
together  for  a  century.  The  last  Sabbath  assemblage  was  on 
June  20, 1802,  when  the  pastor.  Rev.  Joseph  Lathrop,  preached 
a  valedictory  sermon  from  the  ninth  verse  of  the  forty-eighth 
psalm.     In  closing,  he  said :    "  The  antiquity  of  this  house 

gin  about  1739^0,  when  the  church  was  undergoing  repairs,  several  addi- 
tional pews  were  built,  and  some  of  them  seemed  to  cause  trouble,  as  would 
appear  from  a  vote  Oct.  24, 1745,—"  Voted  that  if  there  be  not  a  Reformation 
Respecting  tlie  Disordei-s  in  the  Pews  built  on  the  great  Beam  in  the  time  of 
Publick  Worship,  that  the  Committee  shall  have  power,  if  they  see  cause,  to  pull 
them  down." 


908 


HISTORY    OF   THE   CONNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


carries  our  minds  bacl<  to  the  time  of  its  erection,  one  hundred 
years  ago.  This  community  was  then  small,  consisting  of  hut 
30  families;  savages  dwelt  among  them,  and  a  wilderness  sur- 


THB   PARK   STREET   CONQKBQATIONAL   CHURCH 

was  organized  in  1871,  with  75  members,  who  received  letters 
from  the  First  Church.  The  handsome  brick  church  was 
built  in  1872,  at  a  cost  of  about  $140,000,  including 
organ  and  land.  Rev.  Lyman  D.  Calkin.s,  the  pres- 
ent pastor,  was  installed  in  1873.  Present  member- 
ship, about  140.  Its  officers  are:  Deacons,  Samuel 
Smith,  Franklin  F.  Smith,  and  Lucius  F.  Mellen ; 
Superintendent  of  Sabbath-school,  Rev.  L.  D.  Cal- 
kins. 

THE   SECOND   CONGREGATIONAL   CHURCH 

was  organized  in  1850,  and  is  located  at  the  village 
of  Mitteneague.  Its  present  pastor  is  Rev.  John  E. 
Hurlbut ;  membership,  about  90.  Officers :  Deacons, 
'  Luke  Bliss,  H.  A.  Crowe,  and  George  C.  Buel ;  Su- 
perintendent of  Sunday-school,  Henry  A.  Goodman. 


THE   FIRST    MEETING-HOUSE. 

rounded  them.  There  are  no  houses  here  except  this  ancient 
house  of  God,  which  was  built  a  hundred  years  ago.  The 
founders  of  this  ancient  temple  are  gone,  and  their  places  on 
earth  are  known  no  more.  The  same  in  a  century  will  be  said 
of  us.  We  are  now  about  to  leave  this  house ;  this  is  the  last 
time  that  we  are  here  to  meet  for  God's  worship ;  there  will 
soon  be  a  last  time  of  our  meeting  in  any  place  on  earth. 
May  we  all  meet  in  heaven  !" 

The  building  was  used  eighteen  years  after  it  was  given  up 
for  worship  for  town  and  parochial  meetings,  and,  in  1820, 
by  a  vote  of  the  town,  it  was  torn  down,  and  part  of  the  old 
beams  and  timbers  were  used  in  the  construction  of  the  town- 
h(>use. 

The  subject  of  building  a  new  meeting-house  began  to  be 
discussed  as  early  as  1769,  and  a  committee  was  appointed,  in 
January  of  that  year,  to  agree  upon  a  location.  The  subject 
was  agitated  at  intervals  until  near  the  close  of  the  century. 
Committee  after  committee  was  appointed,  and  places  were 
designated,  but  met  with  opposition  repeatedly. 

In  the  year  1799,  Mr.  John  Ashley  contributed  to  the  par- 
ish, as  a  fund  for  the  support  of  the  ministry,  £1300,  on  con- 
dition that  the  parish  would  erect  a  spacious  meeting-house  on 
a  spot  designated  by  him.  On  the  6th  of  June,  1800,  the  in- 
habitants of  the  parish  voted  their  acceptance  of  his  generous 
donation,  and  the  long-continued  troubles  of  the  society  came 
to  an  end. 

The  new  meeting-house  was  built  on  what  is  known  as 
"Orthodox  Hill,"  and  was  completed  in  1802,  and  four  days 
after  the  farewell  sermon  in  the  old  house  Dr.  Lathrop  and 
his  congregation  assembled  in  the  new,  and  it  was  dedicated 
one  hundred  years  from  the  erection  of  the  First  Church,  and 
is  still  in  use  by  the  descendants  of  the  early  fathers. 

The  contract  was  let  to  Capt.  Timothy  Billings  for  $1400 
and  ten  gallons  of  St.  Croix  rum,  valued  at  about  $60.  The 
rum  was  not  used,  and  the  amount  of  money  was  distributed 
to  the  workmen.  The  parish  committee  who  had  charge  of 
building  the  meeting-house  were  Dr.  Seth  Lathrop,  Justin 
Ely,  Jr.,  Ruggles  Kent,  and  Moses  Ashley. 


THE    FIRST    BAPTIST   CHURCH, 

on  Main  Street,  was  built  in  1872,  at  a  cost  of  $4500. 
It  was  a  mission  of  the  State  Street  Baptist  Church 
of  Springfield  until  1874,  when  it  was  organized  into 
an  independent  church,  and  called  Rev.  Oscar  D. 
Thomas  to  the  pastorate.    He  resigned  in  November, 
1878,  and  the  church  is  now  without  a  pastor.     It 
has  a  membership  of  105,  and   Sabbath-school  of 
about  100.     The  officers  are:    Deacons,  Alexander 
Grant,   Plumer   J.    Prescott,    Emerson    A.    Todd, 
and  Edwin  Richardson  ;  Superintendent  of  Sunday- 
school,  J.  D.  Parsons. 
The  Methodists  commenced  holding  meetings  in  the  town- 
hall  in  West  Springfield  in  1841,  and  continued  to  use  it  until 
a  church  was  built,  in  1843,  on  Elm   Street.     In  1852   the 
church  was  removed  to  Mitteneague  village,  and  is  now,  after 
being   remodeled,  the   Second   Congregational   Church.     Its 
pastors  have  been  the  Rev.  Henry  Powers,  Rev.  Perkins  K. 
Clark,  Rev.  H.  M.  Holden,  and  the  Rev.  John  E.  Hurlbut.* 

In  1872  a  mission  of  Trinity  Methodist  Church  of  Spring- 
field was  established  in  the  southern  part  of  the  town,  meet- 
ing at  first  in  the  school-house  on  School  Street,  and  afterward 
in^Centennial  Hall.  In  1876  a  church  was  organized,  and 
Rev.  W.  E.  Knox  placed  in  charge,  who  is  the  present  pastor. 
In  1878  a  church  edifice  was  erected  on  Main  Street,  and 
through  the  efficient  efforts  of  Rev.  Mr.  Knox  the  money  was 
raised" by  subscriptions  to  free  the  church  from  debt  previous 
to  dedication.  The  building  is  55  by  38  feet;  the  audience- 
room  is  the  full  size  of  the  building,  with  a  seating  capacity 
for  275  persons.  In  the  lower  rooms  are  a  vestry,  two  class- 
rooms, and  pastor's  study.  There  is  a  large  Sunday-school 
connected  with  this  church,  of  which  Solomon  E.  Reed  is 
superintendent. 

THE  CHURCH  OF  THE  GOOD  SHEPHERD  (EPISCOPAL), 

on  Main  Street,  was  built  in  1870,  at  a  cost  of  about  $10,000, 
mostly  a  gift  from  Chas.  Ely.  It  is  a  very  handsome,  unique 
edifice.  It  has  had  several  pastors,  but  is  supplied  mostly 
from  Christ  Church,  Springfield.  An  efficient  Sunday-school 
is  conducted  by  E.  P.  Kendrick. 

ST.    THOMAS'    CHURCH    (CATHOLIc), 

located  at  Mitteneague,  was  built  in  1870,  cost  $15,000,  and 
has  a  seating  capacity  of  650.  It  was  a  mission  church  of  St. 
Michael's  Cathedral,  Springfield,  under  the  direction  of  Very 
Rev.  P.  Healy  until  1877,  when  it  was  placed  in  charge  of 
Rev.  P.  B.  Phelon.  It  has  a  total  membership  of  950,  in- 
cluding many  who  attend  from  Agawam,  and  a  Sabbath- 
school  of  180. 


»  The  church  buihiiug  was  destroyed  by  fire  Feb.  22, 1879,  and  is  now  being 

rebuilt  on  the  old  site  at  a  cost  of  $4000. 


HISTORY    OF   HAMPDEN    COUNTY. 


909 


THE    CHURCH    OF    THE    IMMACULATE    CONCEPTION, 

on  Main  Street,  wasbuilt  in  1878,  at  a  cost  of  §4500,  including 
the  organ.  It  has  a  seating  capacity  of  320,  and  its  interior 
is  very  tastefully  emhcllished  with  designs  peculiar  to  that 
church.  leather  Phelon  is  also  in  charge  of  this  ohurrh,  and 
of  the  parishes  of  "West  Springfield  and  Agawam  as  a  distinct 
district. 

SOCIETIES. 
The  organized  societies  of  this  town,  aside  from  the  churehes, 
are  but  few.  They  are  the  *'  Father  Mathcw  Temperance  So- 
ciety," "St.  Thomas  Temperance  Society,"  '*  Oaken  Bucket 
Division  of  the  Sons  of  Temperance,"  and  the  "  Women's 
Christian  Temperance  Union." 

BURIAL-PLACES. 

"Since  the  time  when  the  stones  and  relics  of  the  original  SpringfieUl  burj'ing- 
ground  were  removed  to  the  new  cemetery,  on  the  hill,  tlie  old  graveyard  in 
West  Springfield  has  been  the  most  venerable  landmark  of  the  sort  in  this 
vicinity.  Westfield,  or  perhaps  even  Lungmeadow,  may  possess  nuiunments 
more  ancient,  although  I  am  under  the  impression  that  K'orthani])ton  is  the 
nearest  town  that  boasts  of  such  a  one. 

"As  the  present  towns  of  Holyoke  and  Agawam  were  formerly  included  in 
"West  Springfield's  limits,  and  as  their  numerous  cemeteries  now  existing  are  of 
comparatively  recent  date,  nearly  all  the  dwellers  on  tlie  west  bank  of  the  river 
^from  the  mountain  range  below  Noithampton  U)  the  boundary  line  of  Con- 
necticut— were  brought  to  this  place  for  burial.  Tradition,  indeed,  says  that  the 
yard  became  so  over-crowded  as  to  be  'planted  two  or  three  deep  with  bodies.' 
Accepting  as  true  this  story  that  the  ancient  dwellers  m  the  country,  where  land 
was  8o  cheap,  should  sanction  a  practice  observed  by  tlie  moderns  only  in  cities 
(like  Paris),  where  land  is  very  dear,  I  take  the  explanation  of  it  to  be  this: 

"The  yaid  was  the  common  property  of  'the  l*arisli,'  whicli,  in  those  early 
days  of  universal  church-going,  was  only  teclinirally  distinguishable  from  'the 
town,'  without  private  ownership  or  'family  lots'  of  any  sort.  Spaces  for  burial 
were  indicated  to  applicants  by  the  parish  officers,  and  when  several  members  of 
a  given  family  chanced  to  be  buried  in  proximity,  and  stones  were  erected  to  in- 
dicate their  resting-places,  the  representatives  of  that  family  acquired  a  sort  of 
presumptive  right  to  the  vacant  spaces  in  the  immediate  vijinity.  But  many 
people  in  those  days  were  too  poor  or  too  careless  to  erect  enduring  monuments 
of  any  sart,  and  so  the  mounds  unmarked  by  stones  were  soon  leveled,  and  in 
course  of  years  the  localities  of  the  graves  were  forgotten,  and  the  parish  officers 
pointed  them  out  as  vacant  spaces  for  new  applicants. 

"  Probably  no  existing  record  or  living  man  remains  to  tell  when  the  firet  in- 
terment was  made  there.  The  earliest  date  that  has  been  deciphered  is  Nov. 
7,  1711,  on  tliH  stone  belonging  to  'Nathaniel  Dwite;'  but  it  is  more  than 
likely  tbat  the  ground  liad  been  used  before  the  close  of  the  seventeenth  cen- 
tury. Few  if  any  interments  have  been  made  since  the  present  century  opened, 
for  the  earliest  monument  in  the  town-house  yard  is  dated  1787,  and  several  other 
burial-places  in  remoter  sections  of  the  town  were  dedicated  not  many  years 
later. 

"  Up  to  ahout  1850  the  old  yard  was  kept  in  tolerable  condition,  partly  by  indi- 
vidual attentions  to  particular  portions  of  it,  partly  by  general  oversight  of  some 
one  member  of  tlie  parish,  who  was  allowed  to  pasture  his  sheep  there,  or  carry 
off  the  hay  in  return  for  his  trouble. 

The  mounds  of  all  the  comparatively  recent  gi*aves  were  well  defined;  the 
pathways  were  kept  cleared,  and  the  spot  was  a  not  unpleasant  one  to  wander 
through.  Then  came  the  project,  in  which  Mr.  Sewall  White  was  the  chief 
mover,  for  erecting  a  monument  to  tlie  first  clergyman  settled  in  the  town,  build- 
ing a  fence,  and  j^lanting  some  evergreen  trees,  which  project  was  carried  out  by 
the  Voluntary  contributions  of  money  and  services  from  individual  parishionere 
and  citizens.  As  no  stone  of  any  sort  remained  to  indicate  the  locality  of  tlie 
grave  of  even  so  important  a  man  as  the  first  minister,  it  was  decided  to  jdace  the 
monument  in  the  centre  of  the  yard.  It  is  a  plain  sandstone  shaft,  perhajis  12 
feet  high,  bearing  on  its  south  and  north  sides,  respectively,  the  following  in- 
scriptions : 

"'Rev.  John  Woodbridge,  first  minister  of  West  Springfield,  after  serving  his 
generation  faithfully,  fell  asleep  June  10, 1718.' 

'"The  righteous  shall  be  held  in  everlasting  remembrance.' 

"'Erected  by  the  descendants  of  his  parishioners,  1S5"2.' 

"  Among  the  first  settlers  and  the  earliest  families  of  the  town  are  found  the 
names  of  Ashley,  Bagg,  Barber,  Bedurtha,  Cooper,  Day,  Dumbleton,  Ely,  Fowler, 
Jones,  Leonard.  Merrick,  Bliller,  Petty,  Rogers,  Parsons,  Smith,  Vanhorn,  and 
Foster,  who  gave  this  ancient  burial-ground  to  the  first  parish  of  West  Spring- 
field."* 

"The  Rev.  Samuel  Hopkins  is  also  buried  in  this  burying-ground,  and  his 
monument  beare  the  following  inscription  :  *  Here  rests  y^  Body  of  y*  Rev*  Mr. 
Sam'l  Hoi^kins,  In  whonie  sound  Judgment,  solid  Learning,  Candour,  Piety, 
Sincerity,  Constancy,  and  universal  Benevolence  combined  to  form  an  excellent 
Minister,  a  kind  Husband,  Parent,  and  Friend,  who  deceased  October  the  6th, 
A.D.  1755,  in  the  62d  year  of  his  age,  and  36th  year  of  his  Ministry.' 

*  The  above  paragraphs  are  taken  from  an  article  contributed  to  the  Spring- 
fidd  Republican  of  Dec.  12, 1872,  by  Lyman  H.  Bagg,  and  as  they  contain  much 
of  interest  connected  with  the  old  cemetery  we  quptc  them. 


"  In  about  1770  the  Paucatuck  Cemetery  was  opened.  The  firat  burial  of  which 
any  record  is  obtained  is  on  the  monument  of  Jonathan  Smith,  as  follows: 

"'  In  memory  of  Mr.  Jon"*  Smith,  The  virtuous  Father  of  a  numerous  offspring, 
to  whom  he  gave  an  example  of  Piety  and  Pnnlence;  Who  died  Fob.  9th,  a.o. 
1772,  In  the  7oth  year  of  his  age. 

" '  How  blest  are  they 

Who  in  Christ's  bosom  sleep  I 
Cease,  then,  dear  friends, 

To  mourn,  lament,  or  weep.'  " 

TOWN-HOUSE    CEMETERY, 

The  first  burial  in  these  grounds  was  that  of  Solomon 
Lathrop,  son  of  the  Kev.  Joseph  Lathrop,  whose  epitaph  is  as 
follows  : 

"  In  niemorj'  of  Mr.  Solomon  Lathrop,  who,  in  hope  of  a  blessed  immortality, 
calmly  fell  asleep  April  27, 17S7,  in  the  2Sth  year  of  liis  age. 

"  A  coffin,  sheet,  and  grave  is  all  my  earthly  store, 
'Tis  all  I  want,  and  kings  will  have  no  more." 

The  Rev.  Joseph  Lathrop  lies  buried  in  this  yard,  and  the 
lines  that  perpetuate  his  memory  are  as  follows  : 

"  To  the  memory  of  the  Rev.  Joseph  Lathrop,  D.D.,  third  Psistor  of  the  first 
church  in  W'est  Springfield,  who  died  Dec.  31, 1820,  aged  LXXXIX  years  and  2 
months,  and  in  the  LXV  year  of  his  ministry." 

MEETING-HOUSE    HILL    CEMETERY. 

"  Tliese  grounds  are  owned  by  the  First  Parish  in  West  Springfield,  and  were 
purchased  previous  to  the  erection  of  the  church  in  1800,  of  Landlord  Benjamin 
Stebbiiis.  A  place  was  set  apart  where  persons  of  color  were  intened,  but  no 
monument  has  as  yet  been  erected  to  mark  the  spot.  Ira  Fletcher,  a  celebrated 
violin  player,  and  his  wife  are  laid  here.  The  first  persDU  buried  in  this  yard 
was  Mi-s.  Eleanor,  consort  of  Mr.  Joseph  Ashley,  who  dieil  Apl.  14,  l«0:i,  in 
the  ^6th  year  of  her  age.  Entering  the  yard,  she  lies  at  the  left  side  of  the  gate- 
way."t 

The  remains  of  three  ministers  are  buried  within  this  inclos- 
ure,— the  Rev.  D.  T.  Bagg,  died  Jan.  15,  1848;  Rev.  Moody 
Harrington,  died  July  22,  1865;  Rev.  Pliny  Butts,  died  July 
6,  1869. 

In  this  cemetery  also  is  erected  the  soldiers'  monument,  a 
brownstonc  shaft  about  20  feet  high,  bearing  the  following 
inscription : 

This  monument  is  erected  to  the  memory  of  those  membera  of  Co.  I,  10th 
Mass.  Regiment,  who  fell  in  the  service  of  their  country  during  the  Great  Rebel- 
lion at  W'illiamsburg,  Fair  Oaks,  Glendale,  Malvern,  1st  Fredericksburg,  Mail's 
Heights,  Salem,  2d  Fredericksburg,  Gettysburg,  Rappahannock  Station,  Mine 
Run,  Wilderness,  Spottsylvania,  Cold  Harbor,  and  Petersburg. 

DIED  OF  W01JNDS   BECEIVED   IN    ACTION. 

Lieut.  William  A.  Ashley,  May  5, 1SG4. 
Sergt.  Amos  Pettis,  Jr.,  May  3, 1863. 
Sergt.  Osmyn  B.  PauU,  May  18,  1864. 
Sergt.  John  R.  Walker,  Aug.  27, 1864. 
Coi-p.  Hibbard  K.  Bean,  May  31, 1862. 
Coi-p.  James  Baldwin,  June  13,  1864. 
Private  W'm.  H.  Estes,  May  31,  1862. 

"       Daniel  D.  Shea,  May  31,  1862. 

"       Robert  G.  Stewart,  May  31,  1862. 

"       Wm.  H.  Atkins,  Aug.  12,  1862. 

"       Juhn  Barry,  May  3, 1863. 

"       Hubert  J.  Buyington,  May  3,  1863. 

"       Anthony  Cain,  May  15, 1863. 

"       Charles  E.  Hovey,  May  3, 1863. 

"       Simeon  P.  Smith,  Nov.  7, 1863. 

"       Joseph  Nugurer,  Dec.  10, 1864. 

"       Johu  E.  Casey,  May  5,  1864. 

"       Daniel  Cronan,  Sept.  19, 1864. 

DIED   OF  DISEASE. 

Corp.  Robert  Best,  Jr.,  Sept.  2, 1864. 
Private  Jeri-y  SnlHvan,  Sept.  2,  1861. 

"       James  W.  Burr,  Sept.  10, 1861. 

"       John  G.  Squires,  Sept.  13, 1861. 

"       John  Falvey,  May  1,  1862. 

"       Cassander  Frisbie,  July  12, 1862. 

"       Charles  S.  Harris,  Jr.,  Sept.  17,  1862. 

"      Otis  H.  Litflejohn,  Feb.  5, 1863. 

"       Abner  D.  Otis,  Sept.  16, 1863. 

ASHLEYVILLE    CEMETERY. 

This  burial-place  is  in  the  norJ:h  part  of  the  town,  and  con- 
tains several  handsome  monuments ;  among  others,  that  of 

t  Journal  of  Sewall  White. 


910 


HISTORY  OF  THE  CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


John  Ashley,  whose  benevolence  has  been  exemplitied  by  lei^- 
acies  for  various  Christian  and  educational  purposes. 

SCHOOLS. 

"When  this  territory  was  yet  in  the  first  parish  of  Spring- 
field "  a  tract  of  land  at  the  lower  end  of  Chicopee  Plain,  on 
the  west  side  of  the  *  Great  Kiver,'  is  said  to  have  been  ap- 
propriated by  the  town  in  l()o4,  either  for  the  helping  to  main- 
tain a  schoolmaster  or  ruling  elder,  or  to  bear  any  other  town 
charges." 

This  land  was  rented  for  many  years,  and  the  rents  applied 
to  the  support  of  schools.  The  following  extracts  are  from 
the  town  records  of  Springfield,  and  are  the  first  official  action 
in  reference  to  schools  in  the  second  parish: 

March  13,1704. — "At  the  t<)wn-ineeUng  the  Committee  fur  the  precinct  on  the 
west  side  of  the  Grt  River,  in  behalfc  of  ye  said  Precinct,  did  Petition  that  the 
Towne  would  either  direct  and  establish  a  school  on  that  side  of  said  Kiver, 
or  else  acrjnit  theiii  of  paying  any  rate  for  the  Town's  school  on  the  East  side 
of  ye  gret  River." 

March  2*),  170o. — "  At  a  Towne  Meeting  it  was  voted  to  pay  oat  of  the  Town 
Treasury  an  addition  of  tifteeft  iwunds,  to  encourage  the  inhabitants  on  the  west 
side  of  the  great  River  &  of  Long  meadow  to  promote  the  Learning  of  their 
children  for  the  present  year,  &  the  Selectmen  are  to  see  to  the  disposing  of 
said  sum  according  to  their  best  discretion." 

March  12,1706. — "The  Inhabitants  of  the  west  side  the  River  presented  a 
Petition  to  the  Town,  that  they  would  allow  them  support  for  encouragement  of 
their  schoole.  And  it  was  voted  that,  if  they  keepe  a  schoole,  to  continue  the 
support  of  the  Towne," 

March  26, 1705  (on  the  backward  page).—"  Nathaniel  Sikes  and  Ehen  Warriner 
dissent  from  this  vote." 

May  30, 1706. — "  It  was  voted  and  agreed  at  a  Towne  meeting  that  the  said 
west  side  inhabitants  have  Liberty  to  get  a  schoolmaster  to  teach  their  cliildren 
to  read  and  write,  and  that  the  charge  be  carried  on  by  the  Towne  in  the  same 
manner  as  the  school  atfaire  is  carryed  on  on  the  east  side  of  the  gt  river,  as 
the  law  directs." 

"  At  a  Parish  meeting  held  Dec.  10, 1706,  it  was  voted  to  build  a  school-house 
and  that  Deacon  Pai"soiis,  Samuel  Day,  and  Samuel  Ely  to  see  the  same  accom- 
plished as  soon  as  may  bee.  And  to  laisearate  to  defray  the  charge  of  s'd 
worcke." 

■  June  2,1708. — "  At  a  town-meeting  of  Spiingfield  it  was  voted  &  concluded 
to  ratify  the  vote  of  the  towne  at  the  meeting  May  '.iO,  1708,  respecting  the  school 
affair  on  the  west  side  of  the  gt  river,  &  further  that  the  Selectmen  of  this  Town 
of  Springfield  be  empowered  to  provide  them,  the  said  we^t  side  inhabitants,  a 
meet  person  to  lea*;h  children  to  read  and  write,  and  that  the  inhabitants  of  said 
west  side  the  grt  River  have  Liberty  to  addc  fmrn  among  themselves  some  one 
man  to  join  with  the  said  selectmen  to  carry  the  said  atfaire,  tliat  the  children  of 
said  "West  side  inhabitants  may  be  taught  to  read  &  to  wiite,  &  that  what  the 
scholars'  part  b.i  pay  foils  short  of  satisfying  the  charge,  that  it  be  paid  as  other 
town  charges  are  paid." 

Dec.  7, 1711. — "  It  was  declared  that  the  selectmen  agree  with  Mr.  Benjamin 
Oolton  to  keepe  schoole  on  the  west  side  of  the  gt  liver,  &  to  pay  liim  after  the 
rate  of  twenty  pounds  for  halfe  a  year,  but  he  kept  the  school  for  four  months 
only,  viz.,  from  the  thirteenth  day  of  Apiil  to  the  13th  day  of  Aug. ;  amount, 
£13  (i".  )SP." 

'•  At  a  Parish  meeting  Dec,  9, 1712,  it  was  voted  That  the  Present  Comity  tack 
the  care  of  Building  a  School-House  and  procuer  a  schoolmaster." 

"At  a  town-meeting  of  Springfield,  April  1,1713,  Dea.  Parsons,  John  Day,  and 
Pelatiah  Gluver,  Selectmen,  agreed  with  Mr.  Nathaniel  Downing  for  the  keep- 
ing of  School  on  the  west  side  of  ye  Great  River  for  the  terms  of  halfe  a  yeare, 
and  to  pay  to  the  said  Mr,  Downing  lo£  in  Graine  or  Money,  and  to  alow  him  a 
fortnight  time  in  the  said  halfe  j'eare  for  his  Harvest  and  Getting  in  his  Hay." 
He  taught  also  in  1714,  1715,  and  1710. 

Jan.  IG,  1716, — "  There  was  granted  to  BIr.  Nath'I  Jiuwning  twenty-five  jwnnds 
for  teaching  the  school  on  the  west  side  uf  the  Rivei." 

March  2y,  1710, — "  Those  parts  of  the  Town  of  Springfield  which  was  by  the 
Town  voted  to  he  precints  are  as  follows:  1,  The  west  side  of  the  grt  River  ;  2, 
The  Long  meadow;  3,  The  west  side  of  Agawam  River;  4,  The  I'pper  Chicka- 
pee;  5,  The  Lower  Chickapee;  6,  And  Skipmuck,  It  was  fuither  voted  that 
each  of  the  places  above  mentioned  should  be  allowed  precints  respecting  of 
schools.  It  was  further  voted  that  they  should  be  continued  precints  for  three 
years.  Voted  that  every  precinct  shall  pay  to  them  one  school.  Voted  that  that 
precinct  which  doth  neglect  keeping  a  school,  that  money  which  is  raised  upon 
them  for  the  supporting  of  the  schools  shall  return  into  the  Town  Treasury. 
Voted  further  to  raise  eighty-two  pounds  in  pay  iu  order  to  the  snppoiting  the 
schools  in  Springfield." 

May  6, 1721. — "Then  agreed  with  Mr.  John  Hooker  h)  keep  school  for  the 

west  side  precinct,  in  Springfield,  for  the  year  ensuing  to  teach  to  read  &  write, 

and  said  Mr.  John  Hooker  to  have  30  pounds  fur  his  Labour,  to  be  paid  in  money 

or  in  grain  at  the  market  price,  as  it  passeth  generally  between  man  &  man," 

Continued  in  1722. 

Dec.  9, 1726. — "  Then  agreed  with  Mr.  John  Woodbiige  To  keep  the  grammar 
school  in  Springfield  for  the  space  of  three  months;  he  is  to  have  for  his  solorry 
after  the  real  of  forty-five  pounds  yearly," 


Mr,  Woodbridge  left  the  school  the  27th  of  January,  1727. 

"  March  ye  13th,  17]^  — It  was  voted  at  this  meeting  that  there  he  application 
made  to  tlio  General  Court,  In  order  to  the  settling  of  a  school  in  this  Precinct, 
and  that  Deacon  Parsons,  Samuel  Day,  John  Day,  Jams  Mirick,  and  Sam'l  Ely 
he  a  Conimitey  to  manage  that  concern  In  behalf  of  this  Precinct.  It  was  fur- 
ther votecl  and  concluded  that  that  money  which  is  the  propdriion  of  this  Pre- 
cinct of  the  eighty-two  pounds  granted  by  the  town  to  be  raised  for  the  school, 
shall  be  disposed  of  for  that  use  by  the  Comitey  for  the  Scliool." 

"  March  12th,  17]  5. — Voted  that  thepres?nt  c  immity  tackc  care  of  the  school." 

"Jlay  ye  10,1731. — The  tVininiittt-e  on  ye  west  side  of  ye  Great  River  have 
hired  Mr.  Sanuiel  Ely  to  keepe  ye  schoole  in  said  precints  and  ye  Selectmen  have 
consented  to  ye  same,  he  to  begin  ye  Schoole  by  ye  Day  said  above.  Ordered 
Mr,  Henry  Burt,  Treasurer,  t*)  pay  to  Mr.  John  Ashley,  Jun.,  the  sum  of  Four- 
teen Pounds  Seven  Shillings  and  six  pence,  May  ye  10, 1731,  for  bis  Services  iu 
ye  Schools  on  ye  West  side  of  ye  Great  River." 

"In  1732,  Jonathan  Bliss  was  paid  nine  jwunds  for  keeping  ye  school  on  ye 
west  side  of  ye  Grt  River." 

Apr'l  5, 17:i4. — "  Mr.  John  Ely,  Senr.,  began  to  keep  the  school  on  the  west  side 
of  y  gt  River, 

May  23, 1734. — "  An  order  was  given  to  pay  Jusiah  Miller  four  pounds  six  shil- 
lings in  full  for  keeping  the  scliool  on  the  west  side  of  ye  Grt  River  to  the  3d 
day  of  Jan'y  last  past." 

March  31,1735. — "John  Ely  was  paid  £16  05».  OGt/.  for  keeping  ye  school, 
Nov.,  1735,  Nathaniel  Atchinscn  begun  keeping  school  on  ye  west  side,  and  He 
taught  several  years." 

"  There  is  no  evidence  on  the  records  of  West  Sprin;2^eld  that  a  school-house 
wa.s  really  built  before  1752,  but  from  an  entrj-  in  the  Springfield  Records,  Vols. 
IV.  and  v.,  page  lo,  and  bearing  date  Nov,  21, 1737,  it  appears  that  there  was 
'  Granted  to  Joseph  Miller  for  building  a  stack  of  Chimneys  on  the  ■west  sfde  of 
the  Great  River  at  the  School-House,  two  pounds  &  three  shillings  for  nails  & 
shingles  about  said  house,'  " 

This  is  followed  by  nine  other  grants  concerning  the  work 
done  at  said  school-house,  one  of  which  leads  to  the  opinion 
the  house  had  "been  built  some  time. 

"Granted  to  Tliomas  Miller  for  Repairs  at  the  School-House  on  the  west  side 
of  ye  Grt  River  last  year,  3  shillings  &  six  pence. 

March  10,  1752. — "Voted  and  Granted  unto  the  Inhabitants  of  the  Second 
Parish  in  said  Town  on  the  west  side  of  the  Great  River  the  sum  of  seventy 
pounds  to  be  applyed  for  and  toward  building  a  School-House  there,  and  that 
the  same  be  jiaid  to  the  Cunimittee  that  may  be  chosen  by  said  Parish  for  Build- 
ing s;iid  School-House,  and  that  the  said  sum  be  raised  in  the  next  vote. 

"At  the  Town-meeting  Slay  1-5, 1752,  voted  that  William  Stebbins,  Capt,  Jos. 
Colton,  &  Nathaniel  Burt  be  a  Committee  to  view  &  consider,  fix  and  determine 
the  place  wliere  the  School-House  shall  be  built  on  the  west  siJe  of  the  Grt 
River  Toward  the  building  of  which  there  was  Seventy  pound.s  granted  at  the 
Town-Meeting  in  March  hist,&  that  Ensign  Stebbins  appoint  the  time  and  Place 
for  attending  said  service. 

"At  a  meeting  of  the  Inhabitants  of  the  Second  Parish  in  Springfield,  May  IS, 
1752,  It  was  voteil  That  Ensign  John  Ely,  Benj.  Day,  &  Capt.  Joseph  Miller  be 
a  Committee  to  lay  out  the  money  and  provide  materials  in  order  to  build  a 
School-House  in  this  Parish,  according  to  the  vote  of  the  Town  of  Springfield  in 
March  Last  past.  Voted,  2d,  To  leave  it  with  the  Committee  to  Determine  what 
Dimensions  to  build  the  School-House," 

The  school-house  was  built  on  the  common,  and  served  for 
many  years  the  purposes  of  education.  The  lower  story  was 
divided  into  two  rooms,  and  was  used  for  the  smaller  schools,  \ 
which  were  taught  by  Ann  Cooley  for  more  than  twenty 
years,  while  the  upper  part  in  the  gambrel  roof  had  but  one 
room,  and  was  warmed  by  fires  in  the  huge  fireplace  in  each 
end  of  the  building.     In  this  room  was  kept  the  high  school. 

A  record  in  the  parish  register  of  Jan.  29,  1770,  records  a 
vote 

"  To  accept  of  the  Report  of  the  Committee  chosen  to  confer  with  the  Commit- 
tee chosen  by  Agawam  and  the  people  of  the  fourth  Parish  on  the  West  side  of 
the  Great  River,  which  is  as  fulloweth,  viz.: 

"Springfield,  2oth  January,  1770. — We,  the  subscribers,  being  appointed 
Ci.immittees  from  the  second  and  the  fifth  Parishes  in  sd  Springfield,  on  the  West 
side  of  the  Great  River,  conferred  together  about  getting  off  as  a  town,  do  unani- 
mously agree  on  the  following  particulars,  viz. : 

"  First,  that  after  the  west  side  shall  get  off  as  a  Town,  or  District,  the  Gramer 
School  Shall  be  kept  for  the  fii-st  Ten  Yeaif,  one-half  of  the  Time  in  the  second 
Parish,  and  the  other  half  in  the  fifth  Parisli,  viz.:  alternately  in  each  Parish. 
Thirdly,  That,  whereas,  the  Inhabitants  of  part  of  the  fourth  P:Lrish  haveing 
agreed  to  relinquish  their  i  iglit  to  the  Gramer  school  for  tlie  firet  Ten  years.  We 
do  agree  That  after  the  first  Ten  Years  the  Gramer  school  shjill  be  removed  into 
each  Parish  in  Proportion  to  what  each  Parish  shall  pay  if  the  Inhabitants  of 
the  fourth  shall  desire  the  Gramer  school  any  i>art  of  the  time;  otherwise,  to  be 
kept  in  the  second  and  fifth  Parishes  for  the  future,  in  proportion  to  what  the 
second  and  fifth  Parishes  shall  pay  towards  the  support  of  said  school.  Moses 
Leonard,  Francis  Stebbins,  John  Morgan,  Samuel  Palmer,  Justin  Ely,  George 
Breck. 

"'Test:  Nath.  .^tchixson,  Clerk" 


HISTORY   OF    HAMPDEN    COUNTY. 


911 


This  ancient  school-house  is  still  well  preserved,  and  is  used 
for  a  barn  by  William  White,  in  the  rear  of  his  house  in  Park 
Street.  It  was  with  great  difficulty  that  the  money  was  raised 
to  erect  a  new  and  more  commodious  school-house,  and  still 
more  difficult  to  locate  it,  until  1818,  when  the  centre 
district  appropriated  5800,  the  balance  being  raised  by 
individual  subscriptions.  The  new  school-house  was  lo- 
cated where  the  new  town-hall  now  stands.  It  was  a 
brick  structure,  containing  three  school-rooms  on  the 
first  floor,  and  a  hall  in  the  second  story  for  the  use  of 
the  town,  and  where  town-meetings  were  held  from  1820 
to  1873,  when  it  was  taken  down  to  give  place  to  the  new 
hall.  The  new  town-hall  was  built  in  1873,  at  a  cost  of 
$38,125.  A  part  of  the  lower  story  is  arranged  for  school 
purposes,  and  is  occupied  by  the  high  school.  The  town 
has  nine  other  substantial  and  commodious  school-build-  i'  ? 
ings, — the  Centre  District,  built  in  1874,  at  a  cast  of  §23,- 
957.07  ;  Main  Street,  built  in  1872,  cost,  .?20,74o.5(i ;  ilit- 
teneague,  built  in  1871,  cost,  §16,449;  besides  school-  __ 
houses  on  School  Street,  and  at  Riverdale,  Ashleyville,  ^ 

Prospect  Hill,  Paucatuck,  and  Amostown.     There  were 
about  750  pupils  enrolled  in  the  different  schools  in  1878, 
and  about  SSOOO  were  expended  in  that  year.     Of  this  amount 
$8<i4  was  receiveji  from  the  "  Ashley  fund,"  and  .S330  from  the 
dog  fund. 

OLD    TREES. 

One  of  the  largest  trees  in  the  State  is  the  "  Big  Elm," 
situated  on  the  west  side  of  Main  Street  (formerly  Shad  Lane), 
standing  on  land  now  owned  by  Mrs.  Heman  Smith  and  Mrs. 
A.  W.  Allen.  The  land  was  originally  a  part  of  the  Heman 
Day  farm,  and  the  tree  was  brought  bj'  him   on  his  shoulder 


"  The  hills  are  covered  with  the  shadow  of  it,  and  the  boughs  thereof  are  like 
tlie  goodly  cedars.  She  sends  out  her  bouglis  unto  the  seas  and  her  brandies 
unto  the  rivers."* 

The  elms  that  stand  in  Ramapogue  Street  were  set  over  one 


BIG    ELM    TREE. 

from  Aguwam  Meadow,  and  planted  where  it  now  stands  on 
his  twenty-first  birthday,  Jan.  27,  177S,  it  having  then  at- 
tained si.>c  or  eight  years'  growth.  The  engraving  here  pre- 
sented gives  some  idea  of  its  immense  size. 

The  circumference  of  the  trunk,  at  its  smallest  diameter,  is 
27  feet.  Its  branches  e.\tend  about  130  feet.  A  few  years 
ago  a  large  branch  was  blown  off,  otherwise  itvis  a  splendid 
specimen  of  vigorous  old  age,  symmetry,  and  strength.  It  is 
coeval  with  the  Republic, 

'*  and  a  beautiful  emblem  of  that  tree  of  liberty  that  has  stood  tirin  and  niiyestie 
amidst  all  the  storms  it  has  endured,  and  whose  spreading  branches  cast  a 
healthful  shade  over  the  entire  continent. 


ANCIENT    .•^(;ilouI,-IloL\SE. 


hundred  years  ago  by  Luke  and  Ebenezer  Day  and  .lohii  Ely, 
and  were  brought  from  Barber's  Swamp,  in  Tatham,  in  the 
west  part  of  the  town.  The  large  buttonwood-tree  that  stands 
in  the  yard  of  Joseph  Morgan  was  planted  in  1782. 

INITI.AL    EVENTS. 

The  first  wagon  in  town  was  owned  in  Amostown,  and  was 
without  springs.  Brooms  were  carried  from  West  Springfield 
to  Boston  by  Solomon  Todd,  who,  with  his  own  team,  trans- 
ported produce  and  brought  back  go(jds  for  Jesse  Stcbbins  and 
others.  In  1752,  Rev.  Samuel  Hopkins  published  a  pamphlet 
giving  an  account  of  the  Indian  way  of  manufacturing  maple- 
sugar. 

PUliLIC    LIUU.\EIE.S. 

Through  the  instrumentality  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Lathrop,  a 
library  was  founded  in  1775  with  40  subscribers.  It  was  peri- 
patetic, gi'ing  from  house  to  house  in  a  two-bushel  basket.  It 
attained  at  last  to  .5(i  volumes,  and  in  October,  1807,  was 
divided  among  the  shareholders. 

About  the  year  1810  another  library  was  started,  with  head- 
quarters in  llie  town-h(juse.  This  collection  was  sold  about 
1840. 

There  is  a  town  library  cnnlainiiig  2288  volumes.  It  was 
inaugurated  in  1855  by  individual  contributions,  but  subse- 
quently transferred  to  the  town  on  condition  that  §-50  be 
appropriated  aniuially  for  new  books.  A  committee  of  three 
is  appointed  annually  to  jiurchtise  books,  and  by  the  payment 
iif  -50  cents  per  annum  books  can  be  drawn  from  the  library, 
(111  the  first  and  third  Mondays  of  each  month.  J.  M. 
Harmon  is  librarian,  and  the  books  are  ke])t  at  the  library- 
rooms  in  the  town-hall. 

NEWSP.-VPERS    AND    PUBIJCATIONS. 

A  newspaper  called  the  American  InteHiyencer  was  estab- 
lished in  West  Springfield,  Aug.  15,  1795,  by  Richard  David- 
son, an  Englishman.  It  was  soon  after  purchased  by  Edward 
Gray,  who  continued  it  weekly  for  tliree  years,  when  he  re- 
moved to  Suffield,  Conn.,  and  later  to  Hartford.  The  oflice 
was  a  few  rods  west  of  the  old  meeting-house. 

In  17911,  Mr.  Gray  published  a  small  pamphlet  (which 
passed  through  eleven  editions)  entitled  "  The  Advantages  and 
Disadvantages  of  the  Married  State,  under  the  Siiuilitude  of  a 
Dream." 

A  copy  of  the  Aincrli'an  Jittf-'llii/eitccr,  dated  Dec.  5,  1797, 
No.  121,  contains  an  account  of  the  sickness  and  death  of  a 
little  child,  daughter  of  Joseph  Aslilej',  Jr.,  who  was  bitten 
by  a  mad  dog  on  the  14th  of  October  previous. 


*  Ceritenni.il  address  of  Kev.  Win.  It.  Sprajinc,  I.S74. 


912 


HISTORY  OF   THE    CONNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


POST-OFFICES. 
There  are  three  in  the  town,  West  Springfield,  Mitteneague, 
and  Ashleyville.  The  postmasters  at  "West  Springtield  are 
given  helow,  as  accurately  as  can  be  ascertained  :  Jere.  Steb- 
bins,  appointed  Dec.  18,  1802;  Benjamin  Stebbins,  Feb.  19, 
1817;  Miner  Stebbins,  Oct.  2fi,  1819;  Elias  Winchell,  Aug. 
27,  1824;  Henry  Cooley,  Nov.  Kj,  183(3;  Edward  Southworth, 
Sept.  30,  1841;  M.  M.  Tallmadge,  May  9,  184.5;  Michael 
Marsh,  April  29,  1846;  Lester  Williams,  Aug.  31,  1847;  P. 
Le  B.  Stickney,  June  5,  1849;  Lewis  Leonard,  June  2,  18-31, 
W.  E.  Cooley,  July  24,  186B ;  Henry  A.  Phelon,  Feb.  13, 
1867  ;  George  D.  Gilbert.  The  postmaster  at  Mitteneague  is 
Luke  Bliss,  and  at  Ashleyville,  Franklin  F.  Smith. 

HIGH-WATER— DYK  ES. 

The  lower  portions  of  West  Springfield,  now  occupied  by  the 
shops  of  the  Boston  and  Albany  Kailway,  and  the  new  town 
which  has  sprung  up  around  them,  were  subject,  in  former 
times,  to  considerable  overflows  by  the  Agawam  and  Connec- 
ticut Rivers. 

The  highest  uprisings  of  the  latter  stream,  commencing  with 
1801,  have  been  as  follows  :  1801,  called  the  "  Jefferson  Flood," 
19  feet ;  1804,  19  feet ;  in  1818  there  was  a  great  rise,  which 
carried  off  the  old  bridge,  built  about  1805,  but  the  height 
is  not  given;  1843,  18  feet  6  inches;  1854,  22  feet  2  inches; 
1862,  22  feet  I  inch;  1864,  22  feet;  1869,  18  feet;  Dec.  U, 
1878,  18  feet  6  inches. 

About  1864  the  people  began  to  construct  dykes,  and  the  old 
bridge  company  built  from  their  bridge  to  the  railroad  bridge, 
and  in  1868  the  town  finished  it  northward  nearly  to  the  park, 
and  the  same  year  constructed  the  one  on  the  south  toward  the 
Agawam  River.  These  dykes  or  levees  have  proven  so  far 
substantial  barriers,  and  prevented  the  spreading  of  the  waters 
through  the  settled  portions  of  this  part  of  the  town.  They 
are  similar  to  the  Mississippi  Icvccs,  and  have  been  constructed 
at  considerable  expense.  The  Agawam  River,  in  December, 
1878,  rose  three  and  a  half  feet  higher  than  ever  before  known. 

MANUFACTURING    INDUSTRIES. 

On  the  21st  day  of  February,  1649,  "there  was  granted 
Deacon  Samuel  Cbapin  a  parcel  of  land  by  Agawam  Falls, 
where  he  hath  one  acre  and  a  half  already  adjoining  to  Mr. 
Moxon's  meadow  ground,  which  acre  and  a  half  is  to  be  made 
up  to  six  acres."  This  land  is  supposed  to  be  what  is  known 
as  the  old  "Original  Mill  Grant,"  and  tradition  says  that  it 
was  granted  on  condition  that  a  grist-mill  be  erected  to  grind 
grists  for  families  on  the  west  side  of  the  river ;  and  it  is  said 
that  a  few  years  later  a  mill  and  a  dam  were  erected,  and  from 
that  time  to  the  present  the  site  has  been  occupied  for  that  pur- 
pose. The  property  is  now,  and  has  been  since  1859,  in  pos- 
session of  Mr.  J.  L.  Worthy,  after  having  passed  through  many 
changes.  The  dam  was  rebuilt  about  1850,  and  the  mill  is 
now  conducted  as  a  flouring-  and  grist-mill,  and  contains  two 
runs  of  stone. 

The  site  of  the  present  grist-  and  saw-mill,  owned  by  An- 
drew Bartholomew,  on  Darby  Brook,  has  been  improved  for 
more  than  one  hundred  years.  A  saw-mill  was  first  erected, 
and  the  property  has  belonged  to  the  Baggs,  Ashleys,  Whites, 
and  others  among  the  old  families.  The  power  was  never 
extensive,  and  consequently  not  very  valuable.  The  present 
mills  use  steam  in  connection  with  water-power.  The  tan- 
neries at  Ashleyville  were  once  quite  important,  but  are  doing 
very  little  at  present. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  present  century,  and  for  several 
years  thereafter,  more  business  was  done  on  the  west  side  of 
the  river  than  on  the  east.  There  was  located  on  Park  Street  a 
hat  manufactory,  the  business  being  carried  on  so  late  as  1840 
by  Lester  Williams,  who  now  resides,  at  an  advanced  age,  on 
the  corner  of  Park  and  Elm  Streets,  and  has  been  a  promi- 
nent man  in  town  for  many  years.    Farther  up  on  Park  Street, 


at  "  New  Boston,"  were  located  a  large  tannery  and  a  factory 
for  dressing  cloth,  and  still  farther  up  on  the  Agawam  road 
was  an  extensive  gin  and  brandy  distillery. 

The  manufacturing  interests  of  West  Springfield  are  not 
large.-  It  has  a  valuable  water-power  in  the  Agawam  River, 
which  is  turned  to  good  account.  A  dam  was  built  across  this 
river  at  Mitteneague  Falls  in  1840,  furnishing  power  for  several 
manufactories.  The  Agawam  Canal  Company  built  a  cotton- 
factory  in  1848.  The  capital  stock  is  |i377,2-50,  and  the  company 
manufacture  cotton-sheetings  at  the  rate  of  100,000  yards  per 
week,  employing  300  hands.  The  officers  of  the  company  are 
Chester  W.  Chapin,  President;  W.  K.  Baker,  Treasurer;  I. 
B.  Lowell,  Agent.  The  Southworth  Paper  Company  manu- 
facture fine  writing-paper,  and  produce  annually  $125,000 
worth,  employing  about  80  hands.  The  paper-mill  is  owned 
by  Wells  Southworth,  of  New  Haven,  and  the  heirs  of  Edward 
Southworth,  of  West  Springfield.  H.  W.  Southworth  is  agent 
and  manager.  The  Agawam  Paper  Company's  mill  was  built 
in  1859;  its  capital  stock  is  §50,000;  makes  fine  writing-paper 
at  the  rate  of  one  and  a  half  tons  per  day,  and  emplo3'S  about 
60  hands.  These  three  obtain  their  water-power  from  the 
Agawam  Canal.  Goodhue  &  Birnie  have  a  manufactory  in 
the  southern  part  of  the  town  for  making  iron  water-pipes 
lined  with  cement.  They  supply  water-works  in  all  parts  of 
the  countr}'.  The  carriage-works  of  Edson  Clark,  in  the 
northern  part  of  the  town,  manufacture  wagons,  sleighs, 
and  carriages  to  a  considerable  extent.  There  is  also  in  this 
part  of  the  town  a  tannery,  which  formerly  did  a  large  busi- 
ness. Riverdale  steam  saw-mill  and  grist-mill,  at  the  centre, 
are  owned  and  run  by  C.  A.  Bartholomew. 

MILITARY    RECORD. 

The  town  has  a  noble  military  history,  and  the  patriotism 
of  its  citizens  has  been  conspicuous  from  the  daj's  of  the  Revo- 
lution to  the  close  of  the  great  Rebellion.  When  the  General 
Court,  in  June,  1776,  ordered  5000  men  to  be  raised  in  the 
colony,  754  were  to  come  from  the  Connecticut  Valley,  and 
the  quota  of  West  Springfield  was  48,  a  larger  number  than 
from  any  one  town  in  the  valley, — I  more  than  Northampton, 
4  more  than  Springfield,  and  17  more  than  Westfield. 

Previous  to  this,  upon  hearing  the  news  of  the  battle  of 
Lexington,  a  company  of  Minute-Men  numbering  53  was 
raised  and  sent  forward  to  the  scene  of  action.  The  officers 
of  this  latter  company  were  Capt.  Enoch  Chapin  and  Lieuts. 
Samuel  Flowers  and  Luke  Day. 

In  the  war  of  1812-15,  the  town,  liaving  strong  Federal 
sentiments,  sent  Peletiah  Bliss  and  Timothy  Burbank  as  dele- 
gates to  a  convention  held  at  Northampton,  which  sent  a 
memorial  to  the  President  praying  that  commissioners  might 
be  ap]iointed  to  negotiate  peace  with  Great  Britain  upon  hon- 
orable terms.  It  was  largely  represented  in  a  company  of 
artillery  which  marched  out  of  Springtield  in  1814,  under  the 
call  of  Gov.  Strong. 

A  history  of  the  part  it  took  in  the  civil  war  of  1861-5 
will  be  a  matter  of  interest  to  the  reader.  The  following 
facts  relative  to  those  who  went  from  West  Springfield  and 
were  killed  or  died  are  copied  from  a  "  Decoration  Day"  ad- 
dress, delivered  by  L.  F.  Mellen,  in  1872: 

"  Corp.  Wm.  Kichards,  34th  Mass.  Kegt,  killed  in  actiun  at  New  Market,  Va., 
May  15,  1864.  He  was  retreating,  after  a  skiimish,  and  was  shut  through  the 
heart  while  getting  over  a  fence.     He  waj*  buried  on  the  battle-lield. 

"  Lieut.  Wni.  Arthur  Ashley,  10th  Mass.  Regt.,  was  killed  in  the  battle  of  the 
Wilderness,  May  5,  1804.  His  cunn-ades  wrapped  his  body  in  a  blanket,  marked 
his  name  on  a  piece  of  paper,  and  left  hiui  in  the  liands  of  the  enemy.  The  place 
of  his  burial  was  never  known. 

"  Corp.  Nelson  R.  Hoisington,  34th  Mass.  Regt.,  wounded  at  Winchester,  Va., 
Sept.  19,  1864.  Died  in  the  hospital  at  that  place,  Sept.  24th,  and  was  buried  in 
the  hospital  yard.  His  remains  were  afterward  brought  home  and  deposited  in 
Park  Street  Cemetery. 

"Corp.  Aaron  Clapp,  34th  Mass.  Regt.,  wounded  in  battle  at  Piedmont,  Va., 
May  24,  1864.     Died  of  his  wounds,  June  5,  1SC4;  buried  on  the  battle-tield. 

"  Private  Parvin  Clapp,  34th  Mass.  Regt.,  killed  instantly,  July  0, 1864,  at  Pied- 
mont, Va.,  and  was  buried  South. 


^ 


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Henry  A.  Piielon  wns  born  hi  Niiiitucket,  Mass.,  Oct.  12, 
18.31.  His  piUernal  graiKU'ntlicr,  Henry  PlieUin,  was  among 
those  who  early  soUled  at  Feeding  Hills,  Hampden  Co., 
Mass.,  and  was  a  very  sucees.^ful  farmer.  His  father,  Henrv 
Phelon,  Jr.,  was  borii  at  Feeding  Hills,  in  1799.  Wlien  but  a 
boy  he  left  the  |iaternal  roof  and'went  to  Nantucket,  and  with 
H  seeming  natural  desire  for  a  seafaring  life,  and  an  ambition 
to  know  something  of  the  world,  he  engaged  in  the  whale- 
fishery.  For  twenty-one  years  he  was  in  the  employ  of  Star- 
buck  Brothers,  working  his  way  up  from  the  humble  position 
id"  .sailor  to  be  commander  of  some  of  the  finest  ships  that  ever 
left  that  port.  In  1841  he  retired  from  the  sea,  and  b.aight 
a  small  farm  in  West  S]]ringfiehl,  Mass.,  where  he  lived  for 
seven  years,  and  became  one  of  the  prominent  men  of  the 
towii,  taking  an  active  interest  in  all  tliat  jiertained  to  the 
welfare  of  his  fellow-men,  and  being  elected  to  represent  them 
in  the  State  Legislature.  In  1848  he  was  prevailed  upon  by 
Swifts  &  Nye,  of  New  Bedford,  to  become  part  owner  and 
take  command  of  the  ship  "  Ploughboy"  for  a  whaling  voyage, 
and  with  his  son  (the  subject  of  this  narrative),  then  seventeen 
years  of  age,  sailed  for  the  Pacific  Ocean  on  a  four  vears' 
voyage;  but  in  the  fall  of  1849  the  vessel  was  wrecked  off  the 
coast  of  Peru,  South  America,  and  the  crew  jiickcd  up  bv  a 
Spanish  catamaran  and  taken  to  Guayaquil.  This  ended  the 
father's  seagoing  life.  He  returned  to  West  Springfield,  and 
died  in  the  year  1851.  The  mother,  Mary  Ann  (Folger)  Phe- 
lon, was  a  lineal  descendant  on  her  mother's  side  of  Thomas 
Macy,  wlio  was  the  first  white  settler  on  Nantucket  Island,  in 
1059.  He  was  dwelling  in  Salisbury,  Mass.,  when  a  fine  of 
five  dollars  an  hour  was  imposed  on  him  tor  entertaining  two 
(Quakers  a  day  and  a  night.  He  preferred  the  society  of  the 
Indians  (some  three  thousand  of  whom  dwelt  then  upon  Nan- 
tucket) to  such  foolish  laws.  He  died  in  168--'.  His  wife,  Sarah 
Hopcott,  of  Chelmarth,  England,  died  in  1706,  aged  ninety- 
lour.  On  her  father's  side  the  Folgers  were  a  numerous  race. 
Peter  Folger,  the  grandfather  of  Benjamin  Franklin,  was 
invited  to  Nantucket  Island,  in  1603,  to  act  as  miller,  weaver, 
and  interpreter  with  the  Indians,  and  tliere  the  mother  of 
Franklin  was  born. 

His  mother  died  Feb.  4, 1875.  Captain  Phelon  first  went  to 
sea  with  his  father,  the  late  Captain  Henry  Phelon,  in  1848, 
hut  the  father's  last  e.xpedition  was  only  the  beginning  of  ocean 
life  with  the  .son.  Upon  his  return  from  Pi'ru,  he  was  still  at- 
iracti'd  to  lead  a  seafaring  life.  The  calm  of  his  rural  home 
was  more  galling  than  the  stormy  sea,  and  accordingly,  in 
1850,  he  embarked  as  a  sailor  on  a  voyage  for  Europe,  and  for 
nearly  ten  years  Captain  Phelon  was  un  whaling  voyages,  in 
the  miTchant  service,  and  coasting,  visiting  alm(Tst  evei-y  jior- 
lion  of  the  wiu-ld,  and  sailing  twice  around  the  globe".  Ho 
rose  from  a  subordinate  station  to  the  highcot  iu  coniunind. 


When  the  war  of  the  Kebellion  broke  out.  Captain  Phelon 
made  haste  to  ofl'or  his  services  to  his  country,  and  in  February, 
1801!,  he  was  commissioned  as  acting  master  in  the  United 
States  navy,  and  served  as  executive  officer  of  the  U.  S.  S. 
"  Victoria"  and  "  Commodore  Perry,"  and  was  subsequently 
placed  in  command  of  the  gunboat  •' Shawsheen,"  which  was 
destroyed  in  the  advance  U|>  the  James  Kiver.  She  received 
a  shot  in  her  boiler,  which  e.xplodod,  and  Captain  Phelon  and 
many  of  his  officers  were  supposed  to  be  killed.  The  ]u-ess 
thus  eulogized  him:  "He  was  regarded  as  one  of  the  be^t 
officers  of  the  navy  ;  a  braver  man  never  trod  the  quarter- 
deck, and  his  unusual  social  qualities  made  him  the  favorite 
of  all  who  knew  him.  '  Subsequently,  he  was  executive 
officer  of  the  iron-cbid  "Atlanta,"  and  in  July,  1804,  took 
command  of  the  U.  S.  S.  "  Monticello,"  under  S.  P.  Lee, 
acting  rear-admiral,  commanding  N.  A.  B.  Squadron.  It  was 
during  his  command  of  this  war  vessel  that  Captain  Phelon, 
while  cruising  off  "  New  Inlet,"  N.  C,  in  the  night,  discov- 
ered the  rebel  gunboat  "Tallahassee"  standing  for  the  shore 
under  a  full  head  of  steam.  After  a  challenge  and  no  reply, 
Captain  Phelon  opened  upon  the  mysterious  vessel  with  shell 
and  grape,  and  after  a  short  but  sharp  contest  the  rebel  gun- 
boat disappeared,  but  was  seen  the  next  morning  lying  serenely 
imder  the  guns  of  Fort  Fisher,  having  escaped  notwith- 
standing the  vigorous  lookout  of  the  blockading  fleet.  Upon 
this  occasion.  Captain  Phelon  was  noticed  as  follows :  "To 
Captain  Phelon  all  honor  is  due  ;  to  him  belongs  the  credit  of 
first  engaging  the  rival  of  the  destroyed  '  Alabama.'  "  Soon 
after  he  took  command  of  the  U.  S.  S.  "Daylight,"  which 
lie  continued  to  command  until  the  close  of  the  war. 

He  was  complimented  a  number  of  times  by  the  command- 
ing officers  of  the  squadron.  Commodore  Davenport,  in 
writing  to  Admiral  Lee,  says:  "I  desire  to  call  your  at- 
tention to  the  zealous  and  very  efficient  manner  in  wdiich  he 
has  perf(M'med  his  duties  while  here.  He  has  made  a  number 
of  very  important  captures  of  rebels,  and  his  good  conduct 
generally  recommends  him  to  your  most  favorable  coiihiiler- 
ation." 

At  the  close  of  the  war  Captain  Phelon  returned  to  West 
Springfield,  and  was  married,  June  13,  1805.  lo  Miss  Josephine, 
daughter  of  C.  C.  Brand,  of  Norwich,  Conn,  (who  was  the 
inventor  of  the  whaling  "  bomb-lance").  He  was  a  merchant 
and  postmaster  at  West  Springfield  from  1807  to  1870,  and  in 
the  year  1877  he  was  appointed  to  a  po.-ition  in  the  custom- 
house at  Boston,  which  he  now  holds. 

He  has  only  one  brother  living,  Charles  I.  Phelon,  who 
has  also  seen  much  of  the  world,  his  business  for  the  past 
fifteen  years  having  called  him  to  every  city  and  town  of  im- 
portance on  this  continent.  The  two  brothers  still  own  and 
have  their  home  under  the  old  paternal  roof. 


HISTORY   OF   HAMPDEN  COUNTY. 


913 


"  Private  Heni-y  Hubbard,  34th  Mass.  Regt,  died  in  hospital  near  Alexandria, 
Va.,  March  5, 1863 ;  buried  in  Springfield  Cemetery. 

"Private  Philip  Leahey,  34th  Mass.  Regt,  killed  at  the  battle  of  Winchnster, 
Va.,  Sept.  19,  1864;  buried  on  the  battle-field. 

"Corp.  Fred.  Moran,  34th  Mass.  Kegt.,  killed  at  the  battle  of  Wiuohester,  Va., 
Sopt.  19, 1864;  buried  on  the  battle-field. 

"  Private  Joseph  Ungerer,  10th  Mass.  Regt.,  died  of  wounds  received  in  battle, 
Dec.  10, 1863;  buried  iu  the  Meetiug-House  Hill  Cemeterj".  (lUs  father,  .Jacob 
Ungerer,  was  one  of  the  Prussian  soldiers  in  Napoleon's  battles,  and  now  lives  on 
the  Agiiwam  road.) 

"Private  Janies  Hill  (colored),  enlisted  in  Miiss.  Heavy  AiiiUi-ry,  and  died 
while  in  the  service.    It  is  not  known  where  he  was  buried. 

"  I'rivate  James  Hay  ward,  10th  Mass.  Regt.,  killed  by  a  railroad  aecident.  Was 
brought  home  and  buried  in  the  Hill  Cemetery. 

"Capt.  Henry  L.  Buriiee,  died  in  theserviceFeb.  9, 1864;  buried  in  Park  Street 
Cemetery. 

"  Capt.  Tbco.  Smith,  enlisted  in  y3d  N.  Y.  Regt.,  was  wounded  in  battle,  died 
at  hnmo,  and  wa.s  buried  in  Park  Street  Cemetery. 

*■  Private  John  Hayward,  enlisted  in  the  13th  Conn.  Regt.,  died  on  a  war-ves- 
sel, and  wius  buried  at  sea.    A  monument  has  been  erected  iu  the  Hill  Cenieteiy. 

"  Corp.  RiJbert  Best,  Jr.,  10th  Mass.  Regt.,  was  taken  prisoner  at  Florence,  S.  C, 
thence  to  Andeisonville  prison,  where  he  sickened  and  died,  and  was  buried  there. 

"Private  Ciiasander  Frisbie,  10th  Mass.  Regt.,  died  at  Annapolis,  Md.,  July  10, 
1802,  and  was  buried  there. 

"Private  Jere.  Sullivan,  10th  Mass.  Regt.,  died  iu  the  camp-hospital  at  Wash- 
ington, D.  C,  Sept.  24, 1861,  and  was  buried  there. 

"  Private  Henry  E.  Bellows,  34th  Mass.  Regt.,  died  in  hospital  at  Annapolis, 
Md.,  March  S,  1865,  and  was  buried  there. 


'*  Private  Albert  H.  Gaylord,  34th  Mass.  Regt.,  died  in  hospital  March  8, 1865, 
and  was  buried  there. 

"Private  Florence  Burke,  37th  Mass.  Regt.,  killed  instantly  at  the  battle  of 
Petersburg,  Va.,  June  18, 1864,  and  was  prohably  buried  on  the  battle-field. 

"Private  James  Gendron,  37th  Mass.  Regt.,  killed  at  Winchester,  Va.,  Sept. 
19, 18G4;  buried  on  the  battle-field. 

"Sergt.  Charles  F.  Knox,  57th  Slass.  Regt.,  died  from  wounds  received  in  the 
battle  of  the  Wilderness,  Va.,  May  G,  1804.  It  is  not  known  where  he  was 
buried. 

"  Private  Clarence  Morgan,  died  from  sickne.'^s  in  a  hospital  in  North  Carolina, 
and  was  probably  buried  there. 

"John  Sullivan,  10th  Mass.  Regt.  (officer's  servant),  died  at  Alexander,  Va., 
and  was  buried  there. 

Besides  the  volunteers,  the  town  was  very  prompt  in  filling 
the  several  drafts  for  men  who  went  to  the  front  when  the 
nation  was  in  peril.  The  whole  number  of  men  furnished 
for  the  war  was  228, — a  surplus  of  24  over  and  above  all  de- 
mands. Six  of  these  were  commissioned  officers.  The  amount 
■  of  money  expended,  exclusive  of  State  aid,  was  ^35,486.76. 
The  aggregate  amount  of  money  furnished  by  the  town, 
and  voluntary  contributions  by  citizens,  was  more  than 
§550,000. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  men  who  enlisted  from  West 
Springfield  during  the  Kebellion  : 


Algernon  S.  Smith,  10th  Mass.  Regt. 
William  E.  Smith,  10th  Mass.  Kegt. 
Williiim  II.  Smith,  loth  Mass.  Regt. 
William  S.  Smith,  10th  Mass.  Regt. 
Jeremiah  Sullivan,  loth  Mass.  Regt. 
Michael  D.  Sullivan,  lotli  Ma-s.  Regt. 
Joseph  Ungerer,  loth  Miv>s.  Regt. 
Virgil  L.  Vaillc,  lOth  Mass.  Kegt. 
Ansel  H.  Ward,  loth  Mass.  Regt. 
Charles  Burnett,  lOth  Mass.  Regt. 
John  Toole,  11th  Mass.  Regt. 
Eilward  Moore,  19tli  Mass,  Regt. 
Henry  Largardere,  19th  Mass.  Regt. 
William  0.  Dresser,  2(tUi  Mai^s.  Regt. 
Augustus  G.  Dcmond,25th  Mass.  Regt. 
OiTin  Bui  linganie,  27th  Slass.  Regt. 
Winnick  Elkins,  27th  Mass.  Kegt. 
William  H.  Fuller,  27th  Mass.  Regt. 
Horatio  Lynde,  27th  .Mass.  Regt. 
Dennis  Shebaii,27th  Mass.  Regt. 
Samuel  L.  Sherman,  27th  Mass.  Regt. 
John  Tucker,  27th  Mass.  Regt. 
Charles  Walter,  27th  Mass.  Regt. 
William  Walt,  27th  Mass.  Regt. 
William  Phillips,  28th  Mass.  Regt. 
diaries  H.  Conner,  29th  Mass.  Regt. 
Horace  L.  Maloy,  3lBt  Mass.  Regt. 
Thomas  Manning,  31st  Mass.  Regt. 
Michael  Legan,32d  Mass.  Regt. 
John  McMahon,  34th  Mass.  Regt. 
John  H.  Tannatt,  34th  Mass.  Regt. 
Solomon  Benway,  34th  Mass.  Regt. 
Aaron  Clajip,  34tli  Mass.  Regt, 
Nelson  It.  Hersiugton,  34th  Miiss.  Regt. 
Joel  Miller,  Jr.,  34th  Mass.  Regt. 
Frederick  Morris,  34th  Mass.  Regt. 
William  H.  Richards,  .'i4tli  Mass.  Regt. 
George  L.  Warriner,  34th  Mass.  Regt. 
Horace  F.  Ball,  34th  Mass.  Regt. 
Horace  E.  Bellows,  34th  Mass.  Regt. 
Charles  A.  Ingell,  20tli  Mass.  Regt. 
George  J.  Norton,  26tli  IMass.  Regt. 
Philip  0.  Pierce,  26th  Mass.  Regt. 
John  E.  Shaw.  Jr.,  26th  Blass.  Regt. 
Emanuel  Smith,  26th  Mass.  Regt. 
Frederick  S.  Stratton,  Qth  Artillery. 
Thomas  J.  Creighton,  2d  Regt. 
Clarence  P.  Morgan,  2d  Regt. 
Roswell  W.  Morgan,  2d  Regt. 
Reuben  A.  Conner,  2d  Kegt. 
James  P.  Hills,  2d  Regt. 
Edward  O'Brien,  2d  Regt. 
John  Kaun,  2d  Regt. 
Luuis  Ritter,  3d  Regt. 
Mortimer  P.  Stewart,  3d  Regt. 
Patrick  Conlen,  3d  Regt. 
Edmund  Branderee,  34th  Regt. 
George  Caswell,  34th  Regt. 

115 


Parviii  Clapp,  34th  Regt. 

Benjamin  Day,  34th  Regt. 

Josejih  ir.  Eftner,  34th  Regt. 

Albert  H.  Gajlorcl,  34th  Regt. 

Gilbert  II.  Gajioril,  :!4th  Regt. 

Henr.v  Hiililjanl,  :'.4lh  Kegt. 

Marion  .luliiisnii.  :i4lh  Kegt. 

William  A.  Jone.s,  34th  Regt. 

Philip  Leahey,  34th  Regt. 

Lewis  Morgan,  34th  Regt. 

John  Rochfnrd,  34th  Regt. 

Samuel  D.  Smith,  34th  Regt. 

Joseph  D.  Uffoi  J,  34th  Regt. 

Florence  Burke,  37th  Regt. 

Jacob  Ungerer,  37th  Regt. 

James  Gendron,  37th  Regt. 

Patrick  Gilmore,  57th  Regt. 

Alexaniler  Deniareots,  57th  Regt. 

James  B.  Ryan,  o7th  Regt. 

William  Sbaftor,  o7th  Regt. 

Sewall   D.    Richardson,   Sharpshooters;    also  22d 

Regt. 
William  Carlton,  Vet.  Res.  Corps. 
John  P.  Decker,  Vet.  Res.  Corps. 
John  Drew,  Vet.  Res.  Corps. 
John  Fuller,  Yet.  Res.  Corps. 
James  Inglis,  Vet.  Res.  Corps. 
John  H.  Johnson,  Vet.  Res.  Corps. 
Joseph  J.  Lucas,  Vet.  Res.  Corps. 
John  E.  Moses,  Vet.  Res.  Corps. 
Elbridge  G.  Seavy,  Vet.  Res.  Corps. 
John  M.  Sheppart,  Vet.  Res.  Corps, 
Henry  Snyder,  Vet.  Res.  Corps. 
William  A.  Ashley,  10th  Regt. 
John  Jones,  10th  Regt. 
Patrick  Mornn,  llitb  Regt. 
William  0.  Dresser,  10th  Regt. 
James  Knox,  10th  Regt. 
Philip  Hyde,  loth  Regt. 
Robert  Best,  Jr.,  10th  Regt. 
William  S.  Jones,  10th  Regt. 
Alexander  C.  Smith,  loth  Regt. 
Charles  E.  Allen,  lilth  Regt. 
William  II.  Atkins,  loth  Regt. 
Charles  II.  Bagg,  loth  Regt. 
Smith  A.  Bugliee,  10th  Regt. 
Enoch  Clark,  10th  Regt. 
Michael  B.  Corkery,  10th  Regt. 
Luther  F.  Cromwell,  10th  Regt. 
John  A.  Decker,  10th  Regt. 
Richard  Desmond,  loth  Regt. 
George  W.  Dory,  10th  Regt. 
Cassander  Frisbie,  lOth  Rogt. 
Michael  Healy,  10th  Regt. 
Jerome  Hayward,  10th  Regt. 
James  II.  Hyde,  10th  Regt. 
James  M.  Justin,  loth  Regt. 
Henry  Knights,  10th  Regt. 


George  Loomis,  10th  Regt. 
Peter  Shay,  loth  Regt. 
Samuel  J.  Fisher,  29th  Mass.  Regt. 
Benjamin  D.  Boggs,  29lli  Mass.  Regt. 
George  H.  Gilsen,  20lh  JIass.  Regt. 
Reuben  Hyde,  1st  Mass.  Regt. 
Frederick  M.  Raymond,  1st  Mass.  Regt. 
Webster  B.  Woodward,  1st  Mass.  Regt. 
Charles  B.  Anderson,  1st  Mass.  Regt. 
William  Fielding,  2d  Mass,  Regt. 
George  C.Foster,  4tli  Mans.  Regt. 
Daniel  Lawler,  4th  Mass.  Regt. 
Charles  H.  Gray,  4th  Miiss.  Regt, 
William  H,  Grandaw,  4th  Ma-ss,  Regt, 
John  Lee,  4th  Mass,  Regt, 
George  Miller,  4th  Miiss,  Regt, 
Christopher  Herner,  2d  Mass.  Regt. 
Patrick  Grey,  2d  Mass.  Regt, 
Joseph  H,  Bennett,  lOth  Mass,  Regt. 
Charles  H.  Stocker,  Vet.  Res.  Corps. 
Jared  S.  Stone,  Vet.  Res.  Corps. 
Jeremiah  Sulliyan,  Vet,  Res,  Corps, 
Anton  Fisher,  Regulars, 
Wiley  0,  Perry,  Regulars, 
James  B,  Hills,  2d  Slass,  Art. 
Henry  Hubbard,  31th  Regt. 
John  Rochford,  34th  Regt. 
Asa  C.  Woodward,  27th  Begt. 
Patrick  Barry,  18th  Regt. 
Peter  St,  Peter,  31st  Regt. 
Francis  Danny,  31st  Mass,  Regt, 
John  Meade,  27th  Mass.  Regt. 
Robert  Mahony,  31st  Mass.  Regt. 
Daniel  Merrick,  IStb  Ma,s8,  Regt. 
Dwight  A.  Barrett,  4Cth  Mass.  Regt. 
Edward  E,  Brooks,  46th  Mass,  Regt, 
Daniel  Bouge,  46tli  Mass   Regt, 
Hiram  Burlingame,  46th  Mass,  Regt. 
Asa  Clark,  Jr.,  46th  Mass.  Regt. 
Thomas  Dunn,  46th  Mass,  Regt, 
Charles  W,  Ely,  40th  Mass,  Regt. 
William  H,  Grunt,  4Cth  Mass,  Regt, 
Dwight  Goodaro,  46th  Mass,  Regl, 
Alexander  Holmes.  4Gth  Mass.  Regt. 
Charles  Knott,  461h  Mass.  Regt. 
Joseph  E,  Loyd,  46th  Mass,  Regt, 
Charles  F,  Knox,  46th  Mass,  Regt, 
Silas  Merriiield,  46th  JIass,  Regt, 
Samuel  Montgomery,  46th  Mass.  Regt. 
George  B.  Plumber, 46th  JIass.  Regt. 
Theodore  Felt,  40th  Mass,  Regt, 
Charles  H,  Tubbs,  27th  Ma.ss,Regt, 
William  Barry,  34th  Mass,  Regt, 
James  Fry,  34th  Mass,  Regt, 
Daniel  W,  Smith,  4Bth  Mass,  Regt, 
Gideon  I),  Tower,  46tb  Mass.  Regl. 
John  W.  Cahill,16th  Mass,  Begt, 
Joseph  C,  Chapin,  46th  Mass,  Regt, 


914 


HISTORY  OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 


NORMAN  DAY 
is  the  son  of  Daniel  Day,  Jr.,  and  the  great-grandson  of  Col. 
Benjamin  Day,  of  West  Springfield,  who  was  a  lineal  de- 
scendant of  Robert  Day,  the  first  of  the  name  who  came  to 
this  eouutry,  in  the  year  1634.  The  family  is  one  of  the 
oldest  in  t.lie  Conneetiout  Valley,  the  descendants  of  which 
are  still  among  the  prominent  citizens  of  West  Springfield. 


Photo,  by  Moore  Bros.,  Springfield, 


His  father,  Daniel  Day,  Jr.,  married  Elizabeth  Cooley,  Dec. 
30,  1802.  Their  children  were  Norman,  Erastus,  Elizabeth 
(Mrs.  Frederick  Palmer),  Annie  Van  Home,  Harriet,  and 
Daniel. 

Many  of  the  members  of  this  family  have  occupied  high 
and  responsible  places  within  the  gift  of  the  people,  and  have 
been  chosen  as  legislators  in  the  State  and  nation,  although 
the  majority  have  been  tillers  of  the  soil.  Mr.  Norman  Day 
has  been  a  farmer  since  arrival  at  manhood,  having  been  born 
Oct.  11,  1803.  In  early  life  he  was  connected  with  the  old 
State  militia,  was  in  the  artillery  for  eight  years,  and  served 
in  the  infantry  ranks  until  cleared  by  age.  In  the  year  1828 
he  married  Aurelia  Ely,  a  native  of  the  same  town.  To 
them  were  born  three  children,  all  of  whom  died  young.  Mr. 
Day  has  led  a  business  life,  caring  little  for  the  fluctuating 
standard  of  politics.  He  cast  his  first  vote  for  President  of  the 
United  States  for  John  Quincy  Adams,  and  was  originally  a 
member  of  the  Whig,  but  now  is  of  the  Republican,  party. 
His  grandlather,  Daniel  Day,  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of 
1812.  Mr.  Day  has  been  connected  as  a  member  with  the 
Park  Street  Church  for  upward  of  forty  years.  His  wife 
became  a  member  at  the  same  time.  She  died  November, 
1874. 

HEMAN   DAT. 

The  family  of  Day  in  the  Connecticut  Valley  originally 
came  from  Wales.  On  a  monument  in  the  rear  of  the  Centre 
Congregational  Church  in  Hartford,  erected  in  memory  of  the 
early  settlers  of  that  town,  is  recorded,  among  others,  the  name 
of  Robert  Day,  the  ancestor  of  the  Days  who  liave  lived  in 
the  New  England  States.     Of  his  history  previous  to  leaving 


England  nothing  is  known.  Mention  is  first  made  of  him  in 
the  colony  records  as  admitted  to  the  freedom  of  Newtown, 
now  Cambridge,  Mass.,  May  6,  1635.  It  is  probable  that  he 
emigrated  from  England  to  this  country  some  time  in  the  year 
1634.  lu  June,  1636,  he  crossed  the  wilderness  with  Rev.  Mr. 
Hooker  and  a  hundred  others  to  Hartford,  and  remained  there 
till  his  death,  in  1648.  His  children  were  Thomas,  John,  Sarah 
(Mrs.  Nathaniel  Gunn,  of  Hartford),  and  Mary  (Mrs.  Samuel 
Ely,  of  Springfield).  The  subject  of  this  narrative  is  a  de- 
scendant of  Col.  Benjamin  Day,  of  West  Springfield,  who  was 


W^^fm^'' 


Photo,  hy  Moffitt,  Sprillgfleld. 


HEMAN    DAY. 


a  member  of  the  fifth  generation  from  the  emigrant,  whose 
son  Thomas,  above  mentioned,  settled  in  Springfield,  married 
Sarah  Cooper,  daughter  of  Lieut.  Cooper  (killed  when  the 
town  was  burned  by  the  Indians),  Oct.  27,  1659,  and  died 
Dec.  27,  1711. 

Heman  Day  was  born  Jan.  27,  1755,  in  West  Springfield, 
and  married  Lois,  daughter  of  Col.  Benjamin  Ely,  of  the 
same  place.  Their  children  were  Henry,  Laura,  Rodney, 
Robert,  Sarah,  Benjamin,  Heman  and  Lydia  (twins),  Har- 
riet, and  Frances,  the  youngest  now  living,  and  to  whom  we 
are  indebted  for  the  material  for  this  sketch. 

Mr.  Day  was  a  farmer  by  occupation,  although  very  much 
of  his  life  was  spent  as  a  public  servant  for  his  townsmen,  oc- 
cupying for  many  years  the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace,  select- 
man, and  was  nuiny  times  selected  as  guardian,  adminis- 
trator, etc.  He  possessed  sterling  qualities,  strict  integrity, 
sound  judgment,  and  sociable  and  agreeable  manners.  He 
was  a  leading  man  among  the  citizens  of  West  Springfield, 
and  took  an  active  part  in  the  great  political  questions  of  his 
day,  being  a  member  of  the  old  Whig  party.  He  died  in 
1837,  at  the  age  of  eighty-two.     His  wife  died  July  29,  1819. 


COL.  EDWARD  PARSONS 
was  born  in  West  Springfield,  Hampden  Co.,  Mass.,  Sept.  17, 
1804,  and  died  Aug.  12,  1878,  having  spent  his  life  of  seventy- 
four  years  on  the  same  homestead  which  has  been  in  the  family 
nearly  one  hundred  and  fifty  years.  He  married,  Nov.  17, 
1825,  Sophronia,  daughter  of  John  Bagg,  Esq.,  of  West 
Springfield;  she  died  July  8,  1875.  They  were  not  blessed 
with  children. 

Benjamin   Parsons   came   from    England    and   settled   in 


c7^^^t-2>-^c^i:,^    V^i-^-'^y-T^z^ 


■^■gr^^g 


^)^^22^'7,'7'Z.       /^, 


HISTORY   OF   HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


915 


Springfield  about  1636.     He  was  prominent  in  the  town  and 
church  aft'airs,  and  one  of  the  leading  men  of  his  times. 

Ebenezer  Parsons,  son  of  Benjamin,  was  a  very  prominent 
man  in  West  Springfield,  and  deacon  of  the  church  for  fifty- 
two  years,  as  appears  on  his  tombstone,  still  well  preserved  in 
the  old  burying-ground.     The  genealogy  runs  as  follows  : 

1.  Deacon  Benjamin  Parsons,  died  in  1689. 

2.  Deacon  Ebenezer,  son  of  Deacon  Benjamin,  died  in  1752, 
aged  eighty-four. 

3.  Deacon  Benjamin,  son  of  Deacon  Ebenezer. 

4.  Jonathan,  son  of  Deacon  Benjamin,  died  in  1810,  aged 
seventy-five. 

5.  Jonathan,  son  of  Jonathan,  died  in  1827,  aged  fifty- 
seven. 

6.  Edward,  son  of  Jonathan,  died  in  1878,  aged  seventy- 
four. 

The  Parsons  estate,  opposite  the  town-hall,  was  owned  and 
occupied  by  the  first  Ebenezer,  and  has  been  in  the  family 
from  that  time. 

Edward  Parsons  was  known  for  many  years  as  "  Colonel," 
having  received  that  title  in  the  militia  service.  He  was  prom- 
inent in  the  affairs  of  the  town  and  parish,  having  filled  at 
various  times  nearly  all  the  offices  in  each.  As  a  member  of 
the  Massachusetts  Senate  and  House  of  Eepresentatives,  he 
honored  his  town  and  county.  He  was  appointed  by  the 
Governor  a  justice  of  the  peace,  which  office,  by  successive 
appointments,  he  held  for  thirty  years,  until  the  time  of  his 
death.  He  was  a  consistent  and  faithful  Christian  man,  man- 
ifesting great  interest  in  and  devoting  much  time  to  the  wel- 
fare of  the  Congregational  Church. 

As  a  farmer,  he  was  interested  in  all  the  improvements  con- 
nected with  his  calling,  and  was  among  the  first  to  adopt  them, 
always  contributing  of  whatever  he  possessed  that  would  add 
interest  to  exhibitions  and  fairs  of  the  town  and  county.  The 
town  is  indebted  to  Col.  Parsons  for  laying  out  and  beautify- 
ing the  park,  which  up  to  1866  was  an  open  highway.  He 
was  one  of  the  leading  spirits  in  building  the  Park  Street 
Church  and  the  new  and  beautiful  town-hall.  As  a  good 
citizen,  a  considerate  neighbor,  a  faithful  representative,  and 
an  honest  man,  he  had  few,  if  any,  superiors. 


COL.  AARON  BAGG 
was  born  in  West  Springfield,  Mass.,  Feb.  6,  1810.  The 
Bagg  family  is  of  English  origin.  The  first  to  settle  in 
this  country  is  believed  to  have  been  John  Bagg,  who  came 
from  Plymouth,  Eng.,  and  died  in  Springfield,  Sept.  5,  1683. 
The  great-grandfather  of  Col.  Bagg,  also  named  John,  his 
grandfather,  Aaron,  and  his  father,  John,  all  passed  their 
lives  upon  the  same  farm,  which  he  still  owns  and  occupies. 


His  grandfather  held  important  town  offices,  and  was  a  soldier 
in  the  war  of  the  Revolution.  He  was  disabled  by  sickness 
at  White  Plains,  N.  Y.,  and  soon  after  returned  home.  He 
was  a  farmer  by  occupation,  and  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-two 

years. 

His  father,  John,  was  employed  during  the  war  of  1812-15 
in  transporting  guns  from  the  United  States  Arsenal,  in 
Springfield,  to  Burlington,  Vt.  He  married  Sophronia  Wood- 
rutf,  of  Connecticut,  by  whom  he  had  nine  children,  seven  of 
whom  lived  to  mature  years. 

Col.  Bagg  was  the  fourth  child,  and  is  the  only  surviving 
member  of  the  family. 

At  the  time  of  his  father's  death  he  was  but  ten  years  of 
age,  and  the  mother  and  children  were  cared  for  by  the 
grandfather  until  his  death. 

Col.  Bagg  received  a  common-school  education,  supple- 
mented by  a  brief  course  at  the  Monson  Academy.  At  the 
age  of  sixteen  he  engaged  in  teaching,  but,  after  serving  three 
terms,  changed  bis  occupation  to  the  pursuit  of  agriculture, 
and  took  charge  of  his  grandfather's  farm,  where  he  has  lived 
most  of  the  time  since,  devoting  himself  mainly  to  agricul- 
tural matters.  He  was  a  member  of  the  State  militia,  in 
whose  ranks  he  rose  to  the  rank  of  colonel,  by  which  title  he 
is  still  familiarly  known. 

He  has  filled  the  highest  civil  offices  in  the  gift  of  his  towns- 
men, and  in  1843  represented  West  Springfield  in  the  Gen- 
eral Court.  In  1858-59  he  was  a  member  of  the  State  Senate, 
and  in  1873  was  again  elected  a  member  of  the  General  Court 

Col.  Bagg  has  been  largely  interested  in  many  of  the  most 
important  enterprises  of  Springfield,  Holyoke,  and  other 
places.  He  was  one  of  the  originators  of  the  Parsons  Paper 
Companv,  of  Holyoke,  and  has  been  director  and  president  of 
the  same  since  its  organization.  He  is  a  director  of  the  Val- 
ley Paper  Company  ;  of  the  Agawam  Paper  Company,  of 
Mitteneague ;  and  also  of  the  Agawam  Canal  Company,  cot- 
ton manufacturers.  He  is  president  and  director  of  the  Spring- 
field Collar  Company ;  director  of  the  Springfield  Weaving 
Company ;  president  and  director  of  the  Hampden  Watch 
Company;  director  of  the  Third  National  Bank;  and  vice- 
president  of  the  Five-Cent  Savings-Bank,  both  in  Springfield. 

Col.  Bagg  was  a  member  of  the  Democratic  party  until  the 
breaking  out  of  the  Rebellion,  since  which  time  he  has  been 
an  ardent  supporter  of  the  principles  of  the  Republican  party. 
He  has  been  twice  married.  His  first  wife  was  Hannah 
Mather,  of  Marlboro',  Vt.,  by  whom  ho  had  one  daughter, — 
Mrs.  Ethan  Brooks,  of  West  Springfield.  His  second  wife 
was  Lucy  Mather,  of  Marlboro',  Vt.,  by  whom  he  has  had 
children, — Aaron,  Jr.,  one  of  the  present  town  officers  of 
West  Springfield  ;  Rufus  Mather  ;  Lucy  Maria  ;  John  Sulli- 
van, past  assistant  surgeon  United  States  Navy  ;  and  Edward 
Parsons,  paymaster  of  the  Parsons  Paper  Company,  Holyoke. 


HOLYOKE. 


Looking  back  thirty  years  we  find  no  traces  of  a  city  where 
now  exists  the  flourishing  city  of  Holyoke,  with  its  various 
manufactories,  the  j)roducts  of  which  find  a  sale  in  almost 
every  important  mart  of  the  civilized  world.  Then  this  place 
was  occupied  by  less  than  a  score  of  families,  quietly  engaged 
in  agricultural  pursuits,  and  was  known  as  Ireland,  or  Third 
Parish  of  West  Springfield.  It  derived  its  name  from  an  Irish 
family  named  Riley,  who  came  prior  to  1745,  and  located  in 
the  south  part  of  the  present  town,  near  "  Riley  Brook." 

One  of  the  earliest  settlers  was  Benjamin  Ball,  great-grand- 
father of  Col.  E.  H.  Ball,  who  located  in   1745  on   the   farm 


now  occupied  by  Col.  Ball.  The  locality  was  sparsely  popu- 
lated at  that  time,  as  shown  by  the  following  extract  from  a 
letter  written  by  Benjamin  Ball:  "There  were  but  six  fami- 
lies in  this  parish,  and  they  '  forted'  together  nights  for  fear  of 
the  Indians." 

Ireland  Parish  was  not  rapidly  settled,  and,  says  Col.  Ball, 
"  in  1825  the  following  were  the  leading  citizens  of  this  thinly 
settled  district, — Elisha  Ashley,  Adam  Ives,  Noah  Wolcotl, 
Austin  Goodyear,  Caleb  Hummerston,  Miles  Dickerman,  He- 
man  and  Michael  Fuller."  The  two  latter  were  colored  men, 
and  carried  on  ijuite  an  extensive  trade  in  purchasing  produce 


916 


HISTORY   OF   THE   CONNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


and  bringing  merchimdise  from  Springfield.  Among  other 
leading  citizens  of  this  period  were  Ichabod  Howe,  Jno.  Lud- 
dingtcin,  the  Dunks,  the  Elys,  tlie  Days,  and  the  Morgans. 

The  tirst  nierrhant  who  offered  his  wares  for  sale  in  this 
parish  was  Chester  Day,  and  his  stock  in  trade  usually  con- 
sisted of  a  hogshead  of  rum,  a  tierce  of  salt,  and  a  lot  of  to- 
bacco. This  pioneer  store  was  located  near  the  jiresent  Haniji- 
den  Mills.  The  first  grist-  and  saw-mill  was  located  near  the 
finishing-mill  of  the  Parsons  Paper  Company.  There  was 
one  other  mill  here  in  182.5,  a  "fulling-"  or  "clothing-mill," 
operated  by  Warren  Chapin.  At  this  time  the  site  of  the 
present  city  was  called  "  tlie  fields,"  and  was  occupied  by 
twelve  one-story  dwelling-houses. 

Ireland  Parish  was  an  uninviting  region,  and  "the  fields" 
were  certainly  not  an  attractive  place.  In  about  the  year  1815 
a  gang  of  counterfeiters  from  Chicoijee  had  their  rendezvous 
in  the  locality  now  known  as  "Money-Hole  Hill."  They 
were  subsequently  captured-,  and  one  received  the  somewhat 
novel  punishment  of  ear-cropping. 

The  first  move  that  was  made  to  utilize  the  waters  of  the 
Connecticut,  which  sweep  in  a  graceful  curve  over  the  rapids 
at  this  point,  was  in  1831,  when  the  Hadley  Palls  Company 
was  formed,  and  erected  what  is  now  known  as  the  "  Hampden 
Mill,  Jr."  It  was  supplied  with  power  by  means  of  a  wing- 
dam  which  extended  from  the  bank  obliquely  up  the  river, 
guiding  the  water  into  a  canal  above  the  mill.  This  was  a 
cotton-mill  of  4000  spindles.  Alfred  Smith,  of  Hartford, 
was  president;  David  and  Alvin  Smith  and  Warren  Chapin 
comprised  the  board  of  directors.  This  establishment  and  a 
small  grist-mill  were  the  only  manufacturing  interests  here 
as  late  as  1847. 

CIVIL  ORGANIZATION. 
The  town  of  Holyoke  was  set  ott'  by  the  General  Court  in 
1850,  and  on  the  14th  of  March  of  that  year  was  organized 
as  a  town,  witli  its  present  boundaries.  The  following  is  a 
list  of  the  selectmen  from  the  organization  of  the  town  until 
1874,  tlie  date  of  incorporation  of  the  city  : 

SELECTMEN. 

1851. — Fayette  Siuitli,  Ilervey  Chsiliin. 

1862.— Ale.xaud(ii'  Day. 

1853. — Hei-vey  Chapiu,  Daiiiil  Uuwiioiii,  Altert  Graves. 

1S54.— Chester  Crafts,  Austiu  Ely,  E.  U.  Ball. 

1855.— E.  H.  Ball,  Heivey  Cliapin,  Asa  0.  Colby. 

1856.— N.  W.  (Juint,  (ieorge  C.  Lyun. 

1857.— Russell  Gilmore,  Alfred  White,  E.  Wliituker. 

1858.— E.  Whitakcr,  Henry  Wheeler,  Chester  Crafts. 

1859.— E.  Whitaker,  E.  H.  Ball,  A.  U.  Cijlhy. 

1860.— E.  II.  Ball,  .T.  Russell,  D.  E.  Kingsbury. 

1861.— J.  Eussell,  Austiu  Ely,  S.  H.  Walker. 

1862.— Joel  Russell,  S.  U.  Walker,  A.  0.  Slater. 

1863-64.— W.  B.  C.  Pearsons,  Rufus  Mosher,  Chestor  Cjafts. 

1865.— E.  Wliitaker,  E.  H.  Ball,  E.  S.  Howard. 

1866.— Porter  Underwood,  E.  H.  Ball,  .loliii  C.  Newton. 

1867.— Chester  Crafts,  Edwin  Chase,  Rufus  Mosher. 

1868.— Chester  Clafts,  Edwin  Chase,  Timothy  Blerrick. 

1869-70. — Chester  Crafts,  George  C.  Ewing,  A.  Higginbottom. 

1871.— W.  A,  .Tudd,  Charles  A.  Coraer,  A.  Uigginb.jttuui. 

1872.— W.  A.  Judd,  Rufus  Mosher,  A.  Higginbottom. 

1873.— W.  A.  Judd,  Rufus  Mosher,  J.  Delaney. 

REPRESEXTATIVES    TO    GENERAL    COURT. 

18.50,  Alexander  Day;  1851-53,  no  choice;  1854,  Uba  C.  Slater;  1S55,  Joshua 
Gray;  1856,  Alfred  White;  1857,  E.  G.  Pierce;  1859,  Willi.am  B.  C,  Peaiisons; 
1860,  Nathan  Loomis ;  1861,  Thomas  H.  Kelt ;  1862,  Richard  Pettee ;  1866,  Ed- 
win H.  Ball;  1807,  E.  H.  Flagg;  1808,  S.  H.  Walker;  lS6!),Heury  A.  Pratt; 
1870,  Charles  A.  Corser ;  1871,  Eoswell  P.  Crafts ;  1872,  Edward  W.  Chaiiin ;  1874, 
J.  W.  Davis;  1875,  E.  L.  Kirtland;  1870,  James  U.  Newton,  J.  H.  Wright;  1877, 
E.  P.  Bartholomew,  J.  H.  Wright ;  1878,  T.  L.  Keongh,  Joseph  Murjay. 

THE    CITY    OF    HOLYOKE. 
The  act  to  establish  the  city  of  Holyoke  passed  the  House 
of  Representatives  March  28,  1873,  the  Senate  April  4,  1873, 
and  was  signed  by  the  Governor,  W.  B.  Washburn,  April  7th. 
The  first  officers  of  tlie  citj-  were  as  follows: 


Mayor. — W.  B.  C.  Pearsons. 

.■lML'r»/t'j(.— William  (plover,  Henry  A.  Chase,  August  Stureberg,  John  H. 
Wright,  John  O'Donnell,  George  W.  Prentiss,  and  James  F.  AUyn. 

Connmrn  Couiifilmeii — President.  Charles  11.  lleywood  ;  Wartl  One,  William 
Ruddy,  Curtis  Moore,  .lames  Ruddy  ;  Ward  Two,  Charles  B.  Harris,  Sanford  F. 
Stebbins,  Geoi-ge  W.  Burditt ;  Ward  Three,  Martin  Lawlor,  Frederic  Kreimen- 
dahl,  Mathew  Welsh  ;  Ward  Four,  Henry  G.  Piei-ce,  Alvin  C.  Pratt,  William  D. 
Higgins;  Ward  Five,  Blauiiee  Lynch,  Jel-eniiah  A.  Sullivan,  John  O'Connell ; 
Ward  Six,  Timothy  Merrick,  Charles  H.  Heywood,  .Tohn  Darling;  \Vard  Seven, 
Henry  A.  Pratt,  Ucubeii  Wincliestei-,  Buswell  M.  Fairtield. 

CUy  i'lcrk. — Edwin  .\.  Itanisay. 

(7i-i*  ()/  (V.ioi.ii.— chuiles  \\'.  Kidei. 

Mesgeiiger. — John  H.  ClifTord. 

Ti'eamtret: — Charles  W.  Ranlett. 

Siipei-mteiidfiif  <>/ Slietfls. — Daniel  tt'Connell, 

Etujiiieer. — Thomas  W.  Mann. 

SolU-Uor. — Eiiward  W.  Chapin. 

PhygU'ian. — Charles  0.  Cai-penter. 

AaiteBSorii. — Amos  Hendel-son,  James  E.  Delaney,  John  E.  Chase. 

CoUft:t4tr. — Amos  Andrew. 

Ovei-st'ers  of  Poor. — Mayor,  President  of  Council,  W.  A.  Judd,  J.  F.  Sullivan, 
Robert  Heubler ;  Mayor,  Chairman  ;  Sullivan,  Secretary  ;  am)  .hnid,  Almoner. 

CUy  AijuoU  Hohioke  ami  We>itfield  Eoili-oad. — Chas.  W.  Ranlett,  Ezia  H.  Flagg, 
August  Stureberg,  E.  H.  Ball,  James  E,  Delaney. 

}yate>-  CoTiniiisfiUoiers. — J.  P.  Buckland,  Dennis  Higgins,  J.  G.  Smith. 

Chief  of  Police. — William  G.  Ham. 

Police  Court. — Joseph  P.  Buckland,  Standing  Justice;  W.  B.  C.  Peai-sons  and 
Porter  Underwood,  Special  Judges. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  mayors,  aldermen,  councilmen, 

and  clerks  from  1874  to  the  present  time: 

1875. 

Mayor. — W.  B.  C.  Pearsons. 

Alilernien. — Ward  One,  William  Grover;  Ward  Two,  II.  A.  Chase;  Ward  Three, 
Slatfhew  Welsh  ;  Ward  Four,  John  H.  Wright;  Ward  Five,  Edward  O'Connor; 
Wai.l  Six,  G.  W.  Prentiss;  Ward  Seven,  J.  F.  AUyn. 

Clerk. — E.  A.  Ramsay. 

Common  Coiineilnien. — President,  C.  H.  Heywood;  Ward  One,  John  Ikloore, 
James  Ruddy,  William  Rtiddy ;  Ward  Two,  C.  B.  Harris,  Fred.  Morrison,  G.  H. 
Smith  ;  Ward  Three,  Richard  Gilday,  F.  Kreimendahl,  Henry  Winkler;  Ward 
Four,  S.  J.  Donaime,  Peter  McKeon,  E.  A.  Newton ;  Ward  Five,  B.  F.  Bigelow, 
D.  H.  Donoghue,  J.  R.  Donoghue;  Ward  Six,  John  Delaney,  C.  H,  Heywood, 
Timothy  Merrick  ;  Ward  Seven,  Horace  Brown,  Chester  Strong,  Retiben  Win- 
chester. 

Clerk.— C.  W.  Eider. 

City  Clerk. — E.  A.  Ramsay. 

Messenger, — J.  H.  Clifford. 

1870. 

Mayor. — W.  B.  C.  Pearsons. 

^Wernicii.— Ward  One,  William  Ruddy  ;  Ward  Two,  C.  B.  Harris ;  Ward  Three, 
H.  Springborn ;  M'ard  Four,  S.  J.  Donahue  ;  ^\'ard  Five,  Maurice  Lynch  ;  Ward 
Six,  C.  H.  Heywood  ;  Ward  Seven,  J.  F.  Allyn. 

Clerk. — E.  .\.  Kalns.ay. 

Cooimon  Coniicibaen. — President,  G.  H.  Smith  ;  Ward  One,  James  Barnes,  John 
Moore,  A.  B.  Tower;  Ward  Two,  Chalmers  Chapin,  G.  11.  Smith,  E.  Whitaker; 
Ward  Three,  Joseph  Mellor,  J.  N.  Thayer,  J.  S.  Webber ;  Ward  Fou]-,  ^^  D.  tUil- 
son,  Daniel  Ford,  V.  J.  O'Donnell ;  Ward  Five,  B.  F.  Bigelow,  Michael  Downing. 
D.  M.  Manning;  Ward  Six,  A.  D.  Barkei-,  J.  E.  Delaney,  J.  H.  Newton;  War.l 
Seven,  H.  C.  Ewing,  S.  T.  Lyman,  R.  Winchester. 

t'(ei-i.— C.  W.  Rider. 

CUy  Clerk.— E.  A.  Ramsay. 

Messenger. — J.  H.  Clifford  (deceased),  J.  R.  Howes. 

1877. 
Mayor. — R.  P.  Crafts. 

.IWcnne/i.- Ward  One,  M.  J.  Teahan ;  Ward  Two,  G.  H.  Smith  ;  Ward  Three, 
11.  SpriDgborn  (resigned),  A.  Stursherg;  Ward  Four,  S.  J.  Donahue ;  Ward  Five, 
D.  H.  Donoghue ;  Ward  Six,  C.  H.  Heywood  ;  Ward  Seven,  G.  P.  Ellison. 

Clerk. — .1.  E.  Delaney. 

Common  Coitneilinen. — President,  C.  D.  Colson;  Ward  One,  John  Ford,  Richard 
Pattee,  C.  0.  Warner ;  Ward  Two,  Chalmers  Chapin,  F.  P.  Goodall,  Isaac  Tirrell ; 
Ward  Three,  .\.a.  Ridout,  James  Stafl'ord,  J.N.  Thayer ;  Ward  Four,  C.  D.  Colsou, 
Michael  Lynch,  M.  M.  Mitivier;  Ward  Five,  Michael  Cleary,  Stephen  Maloney, 
D.  E.  Sullivan;  >\'ard  Six,  E.  W.  Chapin,  E.  A.  Ramsay,  Porter  Underwood; 
Ward  Seven,  John  Merrick,  Edwin  Perkins,  John  Street. 

Cleik.—C.  W.  Eider. 

City  Clerk.— J.  E.  Delaney. 

Messenger. — J.  R.  Howts. 

1878. 

Mayor. — lion.  WlLl.lAM  WHITING. 

Board  of  Aldeniitn. — Ward  One,  Thomas  S.  Grover;  Ward  Two,  Chas.  B.  Har- 
ris,* Geo.  H.  Smith;  Ward  Three,  A.  Stursberg,t  James  Stafford;  Ward  Four, 
Chits.  D.  Colson;  Ward  Five,  D.  E.  Sullivan;  Ward  Six,  Wm.  Skinner;  Ward 
Seven,  Geo.  P.  Ellison. 

Common  CLUoictYmeH.— President,  F.  P.  Goodall;  Ward  One,  T.  L.  Keongh,  J. 
W.  Moore,  W.  E.  Syms ;  Ward  Two,  F.  P.  Goodall,  Fi  ed.  Morrison,  Isaac  Tirrell ; 
Ward  Three,  A.  G.  Ridout,  James  Stafford,  E.  F.  Sullivan;  Ward  Four,  Jas.  P. 


*  Died  March  11, 1878. 


f  Resigned. 


CITY   HALL, HOLYOKE,  MASS 


HISTORY   OF   HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


917 


Casey,  T.  J.  Kyau,  Didace  St.  Maiie ;  Ward  Five,  Stephen  Moloney,  Edward 
O'i'oiinur,  Thomas  Pendergast;  Ward  Si.t,  Henry  C.  Cady,  J.  S.  McElwain,  Levi 
I'erkiiis ;  Ward  Seven.  John  Merrick,  Edward  Perkins,  John  Street. 

i'lerk. — Simon  Brooks. 

i'Uit  Clerk. — Fames  E.  Delaney. 

Jfcjweii(/er. — James  R.  Howes. 

1S79. 

Mtfi/oi: — Hon.  Willi-\m  Whitini;. 

AhU-nimi.—\\'Mt\  One,  William  Emldy ;  Ward  Two,  Fordyce  K.  Norton  ;  Ward 
Three,  Henry  Winkler ;  Ward  Four,  Charles  D.  C«dson ;  Ward  Five,  Dennis  E. 
Snllivan  ;  WanI  Six,  William  Skinner;  Ward  Seven,  William  S.  Perkins. 

Clerk. — James  E.  Delaney. 

Common  (_\)Hncil. — Presideiit,  Jtthu  O'Oonnell;  Ward  (hie,  Gove  C  .\inslee, 
James  Greeley.  John.  T).  Walsh;  Ward  Two,  John  E.  Eronson,  John  B.  Hart, 
Fl-ank  P.  Goodall ;  Ward  Three,  John  L.  Martin,  Patii.k  J.  Sheridan.  Miehael 
J.  Ryan;  W;»rd  Four,  Vict.. r  Guyott,  Peter  MiKeon,  Timothy  J.  Ryan:  WarrI 

Five,  Tli..m:is  Hill Mieliael  Downin'c,  John  OTlonnell  ;  Wanl  Six,  Henry  ('. 

Cady,  .lotin  .s.  M,Klwain  ;  Levi  I*erkius:  Ward  Seven,  Beiijah  H.  Kaiiwiii,  tni>_-'-n 
H.  Merrick,  Marden  W.  Prentiss. 

Clerk. — Simon  BiMoks. 

Citif  Clerk. — James  E.  Delaney, 

Mexseiujer. — .Isimes  R.  Howes. 

A  somewhat  remtirkablo  feature  in  this  yoiinc;  city  is  the 
elegiinoe  of  many  of  the  buildings,  both  jiulilic  and  private. 
Incorporated  as  a  city  only  Ave  years  ago,  it  has  one  of  the 
finest  city-halls  in  the  State  in  point  of  architecture  and  in 
both  interior  and  exterior  decoration.  It  is  a  granite  build- 
ing, delightfully  located  on  the  brow  of  the  hill  at  the  corner 
of  Dwiglit  and  High  .Streets,  and  is  a  commodious  and  sub- 


WINUSOR    HOTEL,  nOLYOKE. 


stantial  structure  ;  the  tower  affords  one  of  the  most  charming 
views  of  the  surrounding  country  to  be  found  in  the  Connect- 


HOLVUKK  HOUSE,  HOLYOKE. 


icut  Valley.  There  are  many  excellent  business-blocks,  and 
two  of  the  finest  hotels  in  the  State, — one  the  Windsor  Hotel, 
recently  erected  by  Williaui  Whiting,  of  the  Whiting  Papor 


Company,  and  the  present  mayor  of  the  city ;  and  the  other 
file  Holyoke  House,  owned  by  Joseph  C.  Parsons,  of  the  Par- 


■  ri.u  \-iMi  . 


lliiLVOKK. 


sons  Paper  Company.  The  ojiera-house,  erected  by  Mr. 
Whiting,  and  connected  with  the  Windsor  Hotel,  is  one  of 
the  handsomest  opera-houses  in  the  country,  and  is  very  com- 
plete in  all  of  its  appointments. 

THE    WATER-POWER. 

The  rapids  in  the  river  at  this  point  were  known  as  the  Great 
Eapids,  or  South  Hadley  Falls,  and  in  a  distance  of  one  and  a 
half  miles  there  is  a  fall  of  60  feet.  This  immense  water-priv- 
ilege had  for  some  time  attracted  the  attention  of  capitalists  ; 
and  when,  in  1847,  the  channel  was  gauged  at  low-water 
mark,  and  the  volume  of  water  pas;>ing  found  to  be  (iOOO  cubic 
feet  per  second, — equal  fo  30,000  horse-power, — it  required  no 
prophetic  vision  to  discern  that  this  would  in  the  near  future 
become  one  of  the  great  manufacturing  centres  of  America. 
It  only  required  energy,  enterprise,  and  capital  for  its  develop- 
ment, and  these  were  forthcoming. 

In  the  autumn  of  184G,  George  C.  Ewing,  of  the  firm  of 
F'airbanks  &  Co.,  of  New  York,  began  negotiations  for  the 
property  at  this  point,  which  at  the  clo.se  of  three  months  were 
finally  and  satisfactorih'  concluded,  and  the  transfer  of  about 
37  acres  was  made  in  March,  1847.  Soon  after,  the  property 
of  the  Hadley  Falls  Company,  and  the  mills  mentioned  above, 
were  also  purchased  by  Mr.  Ewing,  and  thus  he  succeeded  in 
accomplishing  what  others  had  failed  in.  Mr.  Ewing  is  still 
a  resident  of  Holyoke,  and  may  justly  point  with  pride  to  the 
success  of  his  mission,  which  added  another  flourishing  city 
to  the  constellation  that  has  rendered  the  commonwealth  of 
Massachusetts  famous  both  at  home  and  abroad. 

The  first  company  incorporated  for  the  development  of  the 
enterprise  was  composed  of  Fairbanks  &  Co.,  uf  which  firm 
Mr.  Ewing  was  a  member,  together  with  a  number  of  Boston 
and  Hartford  capitalists.  Its  capital  was  fixed  at  §4,000,000, 
and  J.  K.  Mills,  of  Boston,  was  chosen  treasurer ;  John  Chase, 
of  Chicopee,  and  P.  Anderson,  a  West  Point  graduate,  engi- 
neers ;  and  George  C.  Ewing,  land-agent. 

The  Messrs.  Fairbanks  withdrew  from  the  enterprise  in 
Jannar\',  1848,  when  Mr.  Ewing  resigned,  and  C.  B.  Rising 
succeeded  him  as  land-agent.  Iji  the  same  year  the  property 
passed  into  the  hands  of  Thnmas  H.  Perkins,  George  W. 
Lyman,  and  Edmund  Dwighf,  who  were  incorporated  as  the 
Hadley  Falls  Company,  "  for  the  purpose  of  constructing  and 
maintaining  a  dam  across  the  Connecticut  River,  and  one  or 
more  locks  and  canals,  and  of  creating  a  water-power,  to  be 
used,"  etc.  This  company  was  organized  with  a  capital  of 
$4,000,000.  The  purchase  of  1100  acres  of  land  was  the  first 
move  made,  thus  enabling  them  fo  jirosecute  the  gigantic  task 


918 


HISTORY   OF   THE    CONNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


of  damming  the  waters  of  tlie  Connecticut  without  let  or 
hindrance. 

The  work  was  at  once  commenced,  and  on  the  morning  of 
Nov.  19,  1848,  the  great  dam  was  c<tmi)leted  and  the  gates 
closed.  The  filling  of  the  dam  required  several  hours,  and  it 
soon  became  evident  tluit  the  engineers  had  greatly  underrated 
the  pressure  of  the  volume,  as  a  portion  of  it  near  the  centre 
soon  gave  way,  and  finally,  at  about  two  o'clock  p.m.,  when  the 
waters  had  nearly  risen  to  the  top,  the  costly  structure  gave 
way,  and  with  a  mighty  roar  the  pent-up  waters  rushed  down 
the  accustomed  channel. 

This  was  a  severe  blow  to  an  enterjjrise  that  was  by  some 
deemed  Quixotic  in  its  inception  and  jtrosccution,  but  its  far- 
sighted  progenitors  saw  nothing  to  discourage  them  as  to  the 
successful  accomplishment  of  the  grand  project. 

"  Wiae  men  ne'er  sit  and  wail  their  losa, 
But  cheerily  seek  how  to  redress  their  harms." 

The  building  of  the  dam  was  at  once  renewed,  and  Oct.  22, 
1849,  was  successfully  completed  one  of  the  greatest  engineer- 
ing feats  of  modfcrn  times.  The  following  description  of  the 
dam,  and  the  water-power  of  Holyoke,  is  from  the  pen  of  J. 
P.  Buckland,  a  resident  of  the  city,  and  may  be  relied  upon  as 
accurate : 

*'  This  great  structure,  about  oue-fil'th  of  a  mile  in  length,  is  flanked  by  abut- 
ments of  massive  masonry,  and  may  be  described  in  detjiil  as  the  dam  and  the 
apron  whiL-h  now  appeare  in  front  of  it.  The  former  has  a  htme  of  ninety  feet, 
aiui  rises  thirty  feet  aliove  the  original  level  of  tbe  rivei'.  It  contains  four 
million  feet  of  sawed  timber  of  large  dimensions,  all  of  which  is  submerged, 
and  so  insTired  against  decay.  A  mass  of  concrete  and  gravel  protects  the  foot 
of  the  dam,  and  the  upper  portion  is  covered  to  tbe  thickness  of  eighteen  inches 
with  solid  timbei-,  while  the  crest  is  protected  its  entire  length  with  sheets  of 
heavy  boiler-iron.  The  dam  was  completed  Oct.  22, 1849,  and  as  the  river  ceased 
its  flow  uver  the  rapids  and  rose  against  the  ponderous  barriei-,  thousands  watched 
the  gathering  flood  with  eager  interest ;  and  when  the  slowly  rising  watera 
readied  the  crest,  and  fell  in  one  broad  sheet  to  the  rocky  bed  below,  it  was  a 
time  of  genuine  triumph  for  tbe  engineera  who  planned  the  successful  structure 
and  the  capitalists  who  built  it. 

"  In  18G8  the  gradual  wearing  away  of  the  i-ocky  bed  below  the  dam  by  the 
constant  action  of  the  falling  sheet  of  water  decided  the  Holyoke  Water-Power 
Otmpany,  wbich.had  meanwhile  succeeded  to  all  tbe  rights  and  property  of  the 
Hadley  Falls  Company,  to  commence  the  construction  of  the  apron  which  now 
forms  the  front  of  tbe  original  work, — an  undertaking  second  only  to  the  build- 
ing of  the  great  dam  itself  in  magnitude  and  cost.  The  new  portion  was  even 
more  massive  in  chara^-ter  than  the  old,  and  was  built  into  the  latter  so  a.s  to 
form  with  it  one  solid  structure  of  timber  and  stone.  The  work  was  completed, 
in  1870,  at  a  cost  of  $203,000,  and  by  rendering  the  further  wearing  of  the 
foundations  impossible  establishes  the  durability  and  permanence  of  the  dam 
beyond  all  future  question.  All  the  masonry  of  the  abutments,  bulkhead,  and 
the  waste-weir  immetliately  below  is  of  heavy  ashlar  work,  built  on  the  solid 
ledge,  and  massive  euougli  to  withstand  the  great  pressure  to  which  it  is  sub- 
jected. The  bulkhead,  one  hundred  and  forty  feet  long  and  forty-six  feet  wide, 
is  surmounted  by  the  extensive  gate-house. 

"  The  system  of  canals  is  laid  out  on  a  grand  scale,  commensurate  with  the 
volume  of  water  to  be  distributed.  Twelve  huge  gates,  each  fifteen  feet  long  by 
nine  feet  wide,  and  weighing  nmre  than  four  tons,  and  two  otbere  of  half  tliat 
width,  and  eleven  feet  in  length,  all  opemted  by  a  water-wheel  in  the  abutment 
which  actuates  the  powerful  gate-machinery,  admit  the  water  to  the  upper  level 
canal.  This  main  artery  of  the  system,  starting  with  a  width  of  one  bundled 
and  forty  feet,  and  a  water-depth  of  twenty-two  feet,  extends  eastward  past  the 
great  water-weir  about  one  thousand  feet,  and  then  sweeps  southward  in  a  right 
line  for  a  distance  of  more  than  one  mile  to  supply  tbe  upper  tier  of  mills,  the 
width  gradually  lessening  at  the  rate  of  one  foot  in  everj'  hundred. 

"  To  trace  the  still  louger  course  of  the  level  canal,  we  begin  at  its  southerly 
end  opposite  the  ternuuus  of  the  grand  reach  of  the  upper  level,  and  follow  it 
northerly  for  a  mile  and  more,  jjarallel  with  tbe  fii-st-described  canal,  and  four 
hundj-ed  feet  easterly  from  it,  this  portion  serving  as  a  raceway  for  the  upper  level, 
and  also  as  a  canal  for  the  supply  of  mills  below  ;  and  thence  we  follow  it  east- 
erly and  southerly  for  a  mile  and  a  quarter  more,  at  a  distance  of  about  four 
hundred  feet  from  the  river,  this  marginal  i>ortion  of  the  second  level  afford- 
ing mill-sites  along  its  whole  length,  fiom  which  the  water  used  passes  directly 
into  tbe  river.  For  two  thousand  feet  this  canal  has  a  width  of  one  hundred  and 
forty  feet,  and  thence  the  sides  gradally  converge  to  awidtbof  onehundied  feet, 
which  is  continued  to  either  enii,  the  average  depth  of  water  being  fifteen  feet. 
These  two  canals,  extending  in  broad  parallel  water-coui-ses  through  the  cen- 
tral portion  of  tbe  city,  and  spannetl  by  iron  bridges,  from  any  one  of  which  the 
eye  takes  in  the  whole  long  stretch  of  water,  make  a  unique  and  jdeasant 
feature  of  the  place. 

"  The  third  level  canal,  one  hundred  feet  wide  and  ten  feet  deep,  is  also  a  mar- 
ginal canal,  with  mill-sites  along  its  entire  length,  and  beginning  at  the  southerly 
end  of  the  second  level  extends  thirty-five  hundred  and  fifty  feet  to  the  other 
terminus  of  the  same  canal,  thus  making  with  tlie  latter  a  line  of  marginal 


canals  around  and  near  the  whole  water  front  of  the  city.  The  mills  on  tbe 
upper  li'vel  have  a  head  and  fail  of  twenty  feet,  and  the  difference  between  the 
second  and  tliird  levels  is  twelve  feet,  while  that  between  the  marginal  canals 
and  the  river  varies  from  twenty-three  to  twenty-eight  fe<'t.  Tbe  upper  level 
canal,  tlirougbout  its  entire  length,  and  large  portions  of  tbe  others,  are  walled 
with  siilistantial  stone-work  to  the  heiglit  of  three  feet  al.R)Ve  water-level. 

"  Tlireo  overtall.s  of  cut  granite,  with  suitable  waste-gates,  allow  the  water  to 
pass  directly  frnm  each  canal  to  the  next  lower,  indepeiulently  of  the  sujiply 
derived  from  the  mills  above.  To  maiutain  a  uniform  head  in  each  of  thi-se 
canals  watchmen  are  constantly  on  duty,  whose  sole  business  it  is  to  regulate 
the  inflow  from  the  river,  and  the  i.ntflow  at  the  several  waste-weirs  and  over- 
falls; and  So  eft'ective  are  the  means  employed,  and  so  thoroughly  is  tbe  system 
carried  out,  that  the  height  of  water  in  either  canal  is  not  allowed  during  the 
day  or  night  to  vary  one  inch  from  the  established  water-level  at  any  moment  in 
the  year.  Whether  the  mills  are  running  or  idle,  the  long  lines  of  canal  are 
always  full  to  the  prescribed  gauge  mark;  a  constant  quantity  in  time  of  winter 
floods  and  summer  droughts  alike,  making  a  pleasing  and  profitable  contrast  in 
the  experience  of  the  manufacturei-s  who  have  removed  hither  from  the  water- 
puwers  which  fluctuate  between  abundance  and  scarcity." 

THE    HOLYOKE    WATER-POWER    COMPANY. 

In  the  year  1857  the  Hadley  Falls  Company  failed,  and  the 
property,  consisting  of  about  1100  acres  of  land,  the  reservoir, 
gas-works,  and  the  Hadley  Falls  machine-shops,  now  known 
as  the  Hadley  Thread  Compan}'^,  was  purchased  by  the  late 
Alfred  Smith,  of  Hartford,  Conn.,  for  the  sum  of  li;325,000, 
and  the  Holyoke  Water-Power  Company  was  incorporated  in 
June,  1859,  with  a  capital  of  $350,000.  George  M.  Bartholo- 
mew, of  Hartford,  Conn.,  is  president,  and  William  A.  Chase 
is  agent  and  treasurer.  This  water-power  has  its  own  unit  of 
measurement,  called  a  "mill-power,"  and  is  described  as  fol- 
lows in  the  deeds  of  the  water-power  company ; 

"  Each  mill-power  at  tbe  respective  falls  is  declared  to  be  the  right,  during 
sixteen  hours  in  a  day,  to  draw  from  the  nearest  canal  or  water-course  of  tbe 
grantors,  and  through  the  land  to  be  granted,  thirty-eight  cubic  feet  of  water 
per  second  at  the  upper  fall,  when  the  bead  and  fall  there  is  twenty  feet,  or  a 
quantity  inversely  proportionate  to  the  height  at  the  other  falls." 

In  the  language  of  Judge  Buckland,  "one  of  these  mill- 
powers  is  equivalent  in  round  numbers  to  sixty-five  horse- 
powers, and  when  a  site  for  a  mill  or  shop  is  taken,  the  requi- 
site number  of  mill-powers  is  conveyed  to  the  occupant  by  an 
indenture  of  perpetual  lease,  the  form  of  which  is  never 
varied.  The  last  purchaser  takes  the  same  rights  in  kind  as 
those  who  have  preceded  him  or  those  who  will  come  after, 
until  the  sales  .shall  have  reached  that  safe  limit  of  available 
power  which  has  been  resolved  upon.  Having  entered  \nU* 
such  an  indenture,  the  mill-owner,  relieved  of  all  anxiety  or 
expense  of  maintaining  the  dam  and  canals,  confident  of  the 
permanence  and  safety  of  the  great  hydraulic  system,  and 
secure  in  the  guarantees  of  the  corporation  which  controls  it, 
pays  his  semi-annual  rental,  finds  the  canal  always  full  at  his 
head-gate,  and  makes  his  plans  and  contracts  with  the  assu- 
rance that  his  due  allowance  of  motive-power  will  be  always 
forthcoming, — a  motive-power  which  is  furnished  at  a  rate  so 
cheap  as  to  be  almost  nominal  when  compared  with  the  pre- 
vailing rates  of  rental  in  other  parts  of  the  country,  or  with 
steam-power,  or  with  the  cost  of  water-power  derived  from 
streams  of  the  average  size. 

"  If  the  cost  of  the  dam  and  canals  at  Holyoke  was  large,  the 
number  of  mill-powers  obtained  was  still  larger  proportionally, 
thus  reducing  the  cost  of  a  single  one  far  below  the  average 
outlay  required  to  obtain  the  same  amount  of  power  by  a  dam 
and  canal  on  a  smaller  stream  ;  and  the  same  principle  applies 
to  the  expense  of  maintenance.  The  annual  rental  per  mill- 
power  is  260  ounces  of  silver  of  the  standard  fineness  of  the 
coinage  of  1859,  which  is  in  practice  paid  in  current  funds, 
and  amounts  to  about  |300  a  year  or  $4.62  per  horse-power, 
an  expense  so  small  as  to  be  hardly  an  appreciable  item  in  the 
cost  of  any  manufacture.  The  prices  charged  for  water-power 
vary  so  widely  in  difterent  sections  of  the  country,  and  the 
comparative  value  of  such  power  depends  so  much  on  locality, 
accessibility,  and  other  natural  conditions,  that  no  stated  com- 
parison is  here  attempted  between  the  annual  rental  above 
given  and  the  ruling  rates  elsewhere;  but  if  the  reader  takes 


HISTORY  OF   HAMPDEN  COUNTY. 


919 


the  trouble  to  institute  such  a  comparison,  it  will  not  only  be 
found  that  the  cost  of  water-power  here  is  far  less  than  the 
average  rental  throughout  the  countr}',  whether  paid  as 
water-rent,  or  in  the  form  of  interest  and  maintenance,  but 
also  that  to-day,  all  things  considered,  Holyoke  afl'ords  the 
cheapest  and  most  desirable  manufacturing  power  in  the 
world." 

MANUFACTURING     INTERESTS. 

Of  the  manufacturing  interests  of  this  enterprising  city, 
that  of  paper  occupies  the  foremost  rank,  and  to  this  industr\'  is 
chiefly  due  its  present  world-wide  reputation  as  a  manufactur- 
ing centre. 

THE    PARSONS    PAPER    COMPANY. 

The  first  company  formed  for  the  manufacture  of  paper 
in  Holyoke  was  what  is  known  as  the  "  Parsons  Paper  Com- 
pany," named  from  its  treasurer  and  agent,  Mr.  J.  C.  Par- 


PARSONS   PAPER   COMPANY,  HOLYOKE. 

sons,  who  is  a  veteran  in  the  manufacture,  having  been  in 
the  business  nearly  40  years,  beginning  as  manager  of  the 
Ames  Paper  Company  at  Northampton.  The  buildings  of 
this  company  are  situated  on  the  river-bank  near  the  dam, 
and  were  built  in  18-53.  They  are  two  in  number, — the  main 
mill,  where  the  paper  is  made,  and  what  is  known  as  the 
finishing-mill,  where  it  is  finished.  The  former  is  a  brick 
structure  three  stories  and  a  basement  high.  The  upper  floor 
and  attic  are  devoted  to  drying  purposes,  while  the  second 
story  contains  the  storehouse  and  rag-rooms.  About  17.5  per- 
sons are  employed  on  the  two  floors.  On  the  ground-floor  is 
the  engine-room,  which  contains  sixteen  4.50-pound  and  four- 
teen 250-pound  engines.  The  mill  has  three  Fourdrinier 
machines,  two  of  them  62-inch  and  the  other  72-inch.     It 


OFFll'E    AND    FINISHING-MILLS,   IKU.VOKK. 

has  two  bleach-boilers,  of  3i  and  2J  tons  respectively,  and 
4  sheet  calenders  and  a  web  calender  and  2  hydraulic  presses. 


The  finishing-mill  is  also  situated  on  the  bank  of  the  river, 
a  short  distance  from  the  other  mill,  and,  like  that,  is  a  brick 
structure  three  stories  high.  The  attic  and  third  floor  are 
used  for  packing,  and  on  the  second  floor  the  paper  is  reeled 
and  jogged.  On  the  first  floor  are  eight  6-roll  calenders  and 
three  powerful  hydraulic  presses,  and  in  the  basement  is  a  box- 
factory  and  plating-machine.  This  company  makes  a  spe- 
cialty of  fine  writing  and  envelope  papers,  white  and  tinted  ; 
also  cardboard.     Capacity  of  mill,  SX  tons  per  day. 

The  oflicers  of  the  company  are  as  follows :  Aaron  Bagg, 
President ;  J.  0.  Parsons,  Treasurer  and  Agent ;  and  J.  S. 
McElwain,  Secretary. 

THE  VALLEY  PAPER  COMPANY. 

These  mills  are  located  on  the  elbow  of  the  second-level 
canal,  near  the  bridge.     The  main  building,  built  in  1864,  is 


3  s  s  s  B  B  a  B  s 


a9aMps8lmWi8BS!i.fc 


VALLEY   PAPER   COMPANY,  HOLYOKE. 

of  brick,  three  stories  high,  with  attic  and  basement,  and  has 
a  central  wing  extending  toward  the  river,  which  was  erected 
in  1877.  The  attic  and  upper  stories  are  used  for'drying  the 
freshly-made  sheets,  and  the  second  tloor  is  occupied  as  a  rag- 
packing  department  and  office.  The  mill  is  supplied  with 
seven  450-pound  engines  and  six  sets  of  calenders,  a  62-inch 
Fourdrinier,  a  2J-ton  bleach-boiler,  and  the  only  Piper's  new 
patent  double-ruling  machine  made. 

The  enterprise  was  founded  originally  by  Mr.  David  M. 
Butterfield,  formerly  a  finisher  at  Parsons'  mills.  It  manu- 
factures fine  writing  and  envelope  paper,  and  has  a  capacity 
of  24  tons  per  day. 

The  officers  of  the  company  are  Broughton  Alvord,  Presi- 
dent ;  J.  C.  Parsons,  Agent ;  and  J.  S.  McElwain,  Treasurer. 

THE    WHITING    PAPER    COMPANY. 

The  largest  paper-manufactory  in  the  world  is  located  in 
Aberdeen,  Scotland,  and  has  a  capacity  of  producing  twelve 
tons  per  day.  The  next  largest  is  the  Whiting  Paper  Com- 
pany, of  this  city,  with  a  capacity  of  nearly  eleven  tons  per 
day.  The  promoter  of  this  vast  establishment,  William  Whit- 
ing, made  his  first  appearance  in  connection  with  the  paper 
business  in  1858,  as  clerk  in  the  Holyoke  Paper  Company. 
His  first  attempt  at  paper-manufacturing  was  in  connection 
with  the  Hampden  company,  which  he  organized  while  still 
with  the  Holyoke.  When  the  old  Holyoke  company  disposed 
of  its  establishment  Mr.  Whiting  ceased  his  connection  with 
it,  and,  having  sold  Iiis  interest  in  the  Hampden,  in  1865  he 
organized  the  Whiting  Paper  Company,  with  L.  L.  Brown 
and  E.  F.  Jenks,  with  a  capital  of  $100,000.  The  present 
capital  is  about  $1,200,000. 

The  "  No.  1,"  or  old  mill,  with  which  this  company 
begun,  is  280  feet  long,  45  feet  wide,  and  has  three  wings,  all 
being  three  stories  high,  with  an  attic.  The  attic  and  third 
stories  are  used  entirely  for  drying  pajier.     Twi>  hundred  feet 


920 


HISTORY  OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


are  set  aside  on  the  second  floor  for  a  rag-room,  where  are  em- 
ployed about  110  persons.  The  business  office  as  well  as  Mr. 
Whiting's  private  office  is  also  on  this  floor.     A  portion  of 


GjIlHiltemiitSritMWiB 


WHITING    MILL   NO.  1,  HOLYOKK. 

the  first  floor  is  devoted  to  the  engines,  of  which  there  are  two 
1500-pound  .washers  and  four  1200-pound  engines.  In  one  of 
the  wings  are  two  62-inch  Pourdrinier  machines,  each  driven 
by  an  upright  steam-engine.  In  another  wing  are  two  rotary 
bleach-boilers  of  ■'iOOO  pounds'  capacity  each.  On  the  lower  or 
ground-floor  are  situated  the  finishing-  and  plating-rooms. 
Here  are  two  plating-  and  other  machines,  and  work  on  this 
floor  requires  the  services  of  about  80  persons. 

The  business  of  the  Whiting  company  soon  assumed  such 
gigantic  proportions  that  the  No.  1  mill  was  found  insuffi- 
cient, and  so  another  immense  structure,  known  as  Whiting 
No.  2,  was  begun  on  Dwight  Street,  near  Race.  The  new 
mill,  which  was  built  in  1871,  is  200  feet  long,  fiO  feet  wide, 
and  five  stories  high.  The  roof  is  of  the  mansard  pattern, 
and  at  the  side  is  a  .square  tower,  85  feet  high.  There  are 
in  addition  two  capacious  wings  and  a  boiler-house,  con- 
taining the  four  60  horse-power  boilers,  which  supply  the  es- 
tablishment with  steam.  The  vast  area  of  the  two  upper 
stories  affords  ample  room  for  drying  purposes.  The  third 
floor,  furnished  with  the  latest  modern  machinery,  is  devoted 
half  to  a  rag-room,  with  150  hands,   and  half  to  finishing. 


■WHITI>.i.     Mill.    NO.  2,   IKII.YOKE. 

There  is  also  a  finishing-room  occupying  half  the  second  fioor, 
the  other  half  containing  the  engines,  of  which  there  are  ten, 
of  1000  pounds'  capacity  each.  In  the  wings  are  the  machine- 
rooms,  with  one  72-inch  and  one  62-inch  Pourdrinier  machines, 
and  the  bleach-room,  with  two  rotary  bleach-boilers  of  7000 
and  6000  pounds'  capacity  respectively. 

This,  company  manufactures  all  kind  of  fine  writing-  and 
envelope-papers  ;  employs  500  persons. 


The  company  con.sists  of  L.  L.  Brown,  C.  C.  Jencks,  and 
William  Whiting,  the  latter  of  whom  is  agent. 

THK    IIOLYOKE    PAPER    COMPANY'. 

This  company  was  organized  in  1857,  having  a  mill  with  a 
daily  capacity  of  one  ton,  and  Mr.  D.  M.  ButterficUl  as  agent ; 
the  original  building  erected  by  it  was  the  second  jiaper-niill 
built  in  Holyoke. 

In  1860,  Stephen  Holman,  now  treasurer  of  the  Holyoke 
Machine  Company,  became  agent,  which  post  he  held  until 
1S65.  About  this  time  the  management  passed  into  the  hands 
of  O.  H.  Greenleaf,  Esq.,  of  S]iringtield,  who  has  since  con- 
ducted the  mills  and  enlarged  them  to  their  present  capacity 
of  seven  tons  a  day. 

The  buildings  of  the  company  are  situated  on  Main  Street, 
near  the  foot  of  the  second-level  canal.  The  buildings  cover 
a  little  over  one  acre  of  ground,  and  are  divided  as  follows: 
tlie  rag-room  occupies  parts  of  two  floors  in  the  main  building, 
and  contains  four  dusters,  which  have  a  daily  capacity  of  ten 
tons.  In  the  story  under  the  dusters  are  three  rotary  boilers, 
of  a  daily  capacity  of  nine  tons.  The  engine-room,  208  by 
54  feet,  contains  8  washing-  and  12  beating-engines,  of  a  ca- 
pacity of  .500  pounds  each.     The  machine-room,  72  by  90  feet. 


HOLYORK    PAPER    CO.MPANY    MILL,    HOLYOKK. 

situated  in  a  wing  off  the  main  building,  contains  one  72-inch 
and  two  62-inch  Pourdrinier  machines,  for  making  plain  and 
flat  bond-papers.  These  papers  received  the  gold  medal  at  the 
Paris  Exposition  of  1878. 

The  finishing-room,  232  by  .50  feet,  contains  13  five-roll 
sheet  calenders  and  2  platers,  4  trimming  and  4  hydraulic 
presses,  8  ruling-machines,  and  all  other  necessary  machinery 
for  the  finishing  of  fine  papers,  both  ruled  and  fiat.  The 
balance  of  the  building  is  occupied  by  size-room,  boiler- 
house,  and  lofts  for  drying  purposes.  The  stock-house,  48  by 
110  feet,  two  stories,  is  located  about  100  feet  from  the  mill.- 
The  power  comes  from  8  turbine  wheels  of  about  500  horse- 
power. The  steam  for  heating  and  drying  purposes  is  made 
by  5  large  boilers.  The  drainers  for  storing  the  pulp  while 
bleaching  are  in  the  basement  under  the  engines. 

The  Holyoke  company  has  a  special  railwa}'  track,  which 
e.\tend»  the  length  of  its  buildings.  Its  machinery  is  of  the 
latest  improved  models,  and  altogether  it  is  one  of  the  most 
complete  manufactories  in  existence.  It  has  a  daily  capacity 
of  7  tons  of  tub-sized  and  loft-dried  writing-papers.  Among 
its  specialties  are  the  celebrated  American  linen  papers,  both 
flat  and  folded,  and  banker's  parchment  ruled. 

THE   CROCKER    M ANll FACTUBINO    COMPANY. 

The  building  known  as  the  Crocker  Mill,  No.  1,  was  erected 
in  1870,  by  D.  H.  and  J.  C.  Newton,  and  was  intended  for 
the  manufacture  of  collar-paper  only.  In  1871  it  was  pur- 
chased by  the  Crocker  Manufacturing  Company,  which  was 
organized  with  a  capital  of  |60,000,  with  S.  S.  Crocker  as 


HISTORY  OF  HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


921 


president,  and  D.  P.  Crocker  as  agent  and  treasurer.  The  new 
company  added  new  calenders,  super-calenders,  and  a  new 
machine,  and  continued  the  manufacture  of  collar-paper  and 
engine-sized  flat  card,  bristol,  etc.  The  No.  1  mill,  which  is 
a  T-shaped  building,  is  arranged  as  follows :  on  the  upper 
floor  is  located  the  office  and  repair-  and  rag-room,  also  store- 
room and  the  engine-room,  with  10  4.50-pound  engines,  and 
in  another  room  is  the  machinerj-  for  dusting  and  threshing. 
The  lower  floor  contains  a  fine  76-inch  Fourdrinier  and  a 
cylinder-machine.  This  company  in  1878  also  purchased  the 
old  Albion  Mill,  which  is  a  spacious  structure  two  and  a  half 
stories  high,  and  is  devoted  to  the  manufacture  of  book,  news, 
and  colored  medium  papers.  The  Albion  is  known  as  the 
Crocker  Manufacturing  Company's  No.  2  Mill.  In  the  attic 
are  located  2  threshers,  and  the  next  or  second  story  is  used 
as  a  rag-room,  and  contains  2  of  Daniels'  cutters  and  another 
duster.  Seven  engines,  one  of  them  a  Jourdan,  are  on  the 
lower  floor,  and  prepare  the  pulp  used  in  this  mill,  which  is 
afterward  run  over  a  62-inch  Fourdrinier  machine.  The  same 
floor  also  contains  1  rotary  bleach,  and  a  set  of  super-calenders, 
2  cutters,  a  trimmer,  and  other  machinery. 

This  company  engages  largely  in  the  manufacture  of  a 
peculiarly-colored  and  ornamental  paper,  under  a  patented 
process  which  it  owns.  This  paper  is  used  for  safety  tickets 
and  other  purposes.  Capacity  of  No.  1  Mill,  4  tons  per  day, 
and  of  No.  2,  2  tons  per  day.  Daniel  P.  Crocker  is  treasurer 
and  agent.     Capital  increased  to  $90,000  in  1879. 

THE  HABLEY  FALLS  PAPER  COMPANY 
is  an  offshoot  of  the  Carew  Manufacturing  Company,  located 
at  Hadley  Falls,  just  across  the  river.  The  establishment  con- 
sists of  a  four-story  brick  building,  with  a  two-story  wing  on 
the  side  next  the  river,  and  is  entered  by  bridges  from  the 
bank  of  the  first-level  canal.  The  mill  has  four  300-pound 
and  one  .500-pound  engines,  and  a  62-inch  cylinder  machine; 
makes  manilla  paper  ;  capacity,  4000  pounds  per  day. 

HOLYOKE    MANILLA   MILL. 

This  establishment,  after  various  vicissitudes  as  a  manilla- 
and  tissue-mill,  was  organized  by  the  present  proprietors, 
Messrs.  Robertson  &  Black,  on  a  new  basis  in  1875.  The  mill 
consists  of  a  building  two  stories  high,  with  an  attic  and  two 
wings.  The  upper  story  of  the  main  building  is  occupied  by 
the  rope-ciitter,  and  the  ground  floor  by  the  three  500-pound 
engines.  The  wing  on  the  west  side  contains  a  good  62-inch 
cylinder  machine,  while  the  3-ton  rotary  bleach,  and  two  4J- 
feet  steam-boilers  occupy  the  other.  Capacity,  2.500  pounds 
per  daj-. 

THE   EXCELSIOR   MILL. 

This  establishment  is  situated  on  the  third-level  canal.  The 
mill  was  built  in  1872,  by  D.  H.  &  J.  C.  Newton,  and  was 


EXCELSIOR    PAPER    MILLS,   HOLYOKE. 

purchased  of  them  by  J.   B.   Warren  and  R.  C.  Dickinson, 
April  1,  1873.     Jan.  1,  1874,  J.  B.  Warren  sold  his  interest  to 
116 


George  R.  Dickinson  and  A.  N.  Mayo,  of  Springfield,  who, 
with  K.  C.  Dickinson,  are  the  present  proprietors,  R.  C.  Dick- 
inson being  the  treasurer  and  sole  manager  of  the  business. 

The  building,  which  has  a  fine  location  on  the  bend  of  the 
river,  is  somewhat  T-shaped,  and  has  three  additions  on  the 
side  next  the  river.  The  main  building,  which  runs  parallel 
with  the  river,  is  three  stories  and  a  basement  high.  The  two 
upper  floors,  which  contain  two  Daniels  rag-cutters  and  two 
dusters,  are  used  as  rag-rooms.  The  ground  floor  is  the  en- 
gine-room, and  is  furnished  with  four  800-pound  engines. 
The  two  steam-boilers  and  the  3-ton  rotary  bleach-boiler  are 
in  the  additions  on  the  side  opposite  the  main  wing.  The  mill 
has  also  one  64-inch  Fourdrinier ;  manufactures  book  and 
press  paper ;  capacity,  two  tons  per  day. 

THE    RIVERSIDE    PAPER    COMPANY 

was  first  organized  in  August,  1866,  with  Charles  O.  Chapin 
as  president.  The  mill  was  built  in  1867,  and  the  company 
began  work.  It  did  not  long  remain  in  the  organizers'  pos- 
session, but  changed  hands  several  times,  and  at  one  period 
William  Whiting  was  agent.  About  1871  the  present  com- 
pany purchased  the  mil',  and  began  to  run  it  with  §1.50,000 
as  capital.  L.  J.  Powers,  the  well-known  Springfield  en- 
velope-manufacturer, acted  as  president,  and  J.  H.  Appleton 
as  treasurer  and  agent.  The  former  subsequently  retired 
from  his  position,  and  J.  H.  Appleton  is  now  both  president 
and  treasurer. 

The  mill  in  its  present  state  consists  of  a  long  main  build- 
ing and  two  wings  or  L's,  both  of  the  latter  being  on  the 
northeast  side.  The  attic  and  next  story  are  devoted  to  dry- 
ing purposes.  Part  of  the  next  floor  contains  the  engines,  of 
which  there  are  seven,  and  the  other  part,  in  which  there  are 
seven  sheet-calenders,  is  used  as  a  finishing-room.  The  bixse- 
ment  contains  the  water-wheels,  which  were  supplied  by  the 
Holyoke  Machine  Company,  and  are  four  in  number, — one 
66-inch  American,  one  40-inch  Risdon,  and  one  25-inch  Amer- 
ican turbine,  and  one  lo-inch  Hercules.  One  of  the  L's  con- 
tains a  rag-room  and  one  72-inch  Fourdrinier  machine.  In 
the  other  L  is  also  a  rag-room,  with  two  dusters  and  a  4-ton 
rotary  bleach-boiler.  The  two  4-feet  steam-boilers  are  in  a 
small  addition  on  the  end  of  the  main  building.  The  mil!  has 
also  an  80-inch  Fourdrinier,  with  all  the  modern  improve- 
ments. Manufactures  fine  writing-paper.  Capacity,  three 
tons  per  day.  In  addition  to  the  other  machinery,  there  are 
five  ruling-machines  in  the  mill.  The  specialty  of  the  Riv- 
erside Company  is  fine  writing-paper.  Capacity,  two  and  a 
half  tons  per  day. 

THE  CONNECTICUT  RIVER  PULP-MILL,  NEWTON  BROTHERS, 
PROPRIETORS. 
This,  which  is  the  only  one  of  the  kind  in  Holyoke,  is  de- 
voted entirely  to  the  manufacture  of  wood-pulp,  and  has  a 
present  capacity  of  four  and  a  half  tons  per  diem.  The  mill 
was  started  in  August,  1876,  with  two  washing-engines,  a 
rotary  boiler,  a  rotary  bleach-boiler,  and  two  turbines.  In 
September  of  the  same  year,  additions  were  made  in  the  shape 
of  furnaces  for  reclaiming  the  soda ;  these  were  followed  by 
other  additions,  such  as  bleach-tubs,  tanks,  and  another  wet- 
machine.  In  the  spring  of  1877  the  rotary  broke,  and  was 
replaced  by  a  Dixon  digester.  On  Dec.  1,  1877,  a  fire  broke 
out  in  the  mill,  which  threatened  to  be  serious,  and  which 
was  only  extinguished  after  a  loss  of  |3500.  The  principal 
machinery  now  in  the  buildings  consists  of  two  steam-boiiers, 
two  Dixon's  digesters,  7  by  18  feet,  several  soda-furnaces,  two 
washing-engines,  60  by  60,  30  feet  long ;  and  a  cutting-ma- 
chine or  chipper,  which  cuts  up  a  cord  of  wood  in  fifteen 
minutes.  The  premises  are  on  the  edge  of  the  canal,  and  are 
built  of  brick,  two  stories  high.  This  establishment  manu- 
factures chemical  spruce-  and  poplar-wood  pulp.  Capacity, 
two  tons  per  day. 


922 


HISTORY  OF  THE  CONNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


THE   NEWTON   PAPER   COMPANY. 

A  copartnership,  of  Moses  Newton  and  James  Ramage,  in 
the  fall  of  1873,  built  Mill  No.  1,  for  the  manufacture  of  build- 
ing paper.  In  May,  1875,  a  stock  company  was  organized, 
with  James  Kamage,  President;  Moses  Newton,  Treasurer; 


NEWTON    PAPER    COMPANY    MILLS,    HOLYOKE. 

George  A.  Clark,  Secretary,  and  built  Mill  No.  2,  for  the  manu- 
facture of  duple.x  papers,  carpet,  felt,  and  manilla  papers.  In 
the  winter  of  1879  two  wings  to  No.  2  were  built,  containing 
four  800  horse-power  engines  and  one  four-cylinder  62-inch 
machine. 

No.  1  contains  two  engines  of  800  horse-power  each,  and 
one  40-inch  four-cylinder  nracliine,  with  nine  3-feet  dryers. 
No.  2  contains  eight  800  horse-power  engines,  one  four-cylin- 
der machine,  52  inches  wide;  eight  dryers,  3  feet  in  diameter; 
and  one  machine  of  four  cylinders,  twelve  o-fect  dryers,  two 
large  rotary  bleachers,  etc.  Capacity,  20,000  poiind.s  each 
twenty-four  hours. 

This  establishment  manufactures  patent  corrugated  carpet 
lining,  building  paper,  straw-boards;  bogus,  and  manilla 
wrapping-papers.  Employs  50  men.  Capital,  $125,000.  Jas. 
Eamage,  President;  Moses  Newton,  Treasurer;  George  A. 
Clark,  Secretary. 

THE    FRANKLIN    PAPER    CO.MPANY. 

The  mill  belonging  to  this  company  was  built  in  1866  by  the 
present  owners,  who  were  then  as  now  respectively  president 
and  treasurer  of  the  company,  the  nominal  capital  being  fixed 
at  $60,000.  The  building  is  three  stories  in  height.  In  the 
upper  story  is  a  rag-room,  with  a  thrasher,  duster,  and  Stur- 
devant  blower.  The  north  end  of  the  next  floor  is  occupied 
by  the  engine-room,  which  contains  eight  450-pound  and  one 
Jourdan  engines.  The  south  end  is  used  as  a  finishing-room, 
and  has  two  of  the  Holyoke  Machine  Company's  web  super- 
calenders,  the  trimming  presses,  and  two  Hammond  cutters. 
The  62-inch  Fourdrinier  is  in  a  wing  on  the  north  side  of  the 
mill.  Another  addition  in  the  rear  contains  a  3-ton  bleach- 
boiler  and  one  4-foot  steam  boiler.  The  company  formerly 
manufactured  great  quantities  of  collar  paper,  and  at  one 
time  used  for  its  cloth-lined  paper  1,000,000  yards  of  muslin 
annually.  Since  1876  the  mill  has  manufactured  tine  book, 
writing,  and  envelope  paper,  white,  tinted,  and  colors  ;  em- 
ploys sixty  presses ;  capacity,  three  tons  per  day.  Calvin  Taft, 
President ;  Jas.  H.  Newton,  Treasurer  and  Agent. 

THE    tJNION    PAPER-MANUFACTURING    COMPANY 

was  organized  in  1870,  with  a  capital  of  $200,000,  by  Henry 
and  Edwin  Dickinson  and  J.  E.  Taylor,  formerly  of  the  firm 
Greenleaf  &  Taylor,  Springfield.  The  company  purchased 
the  property  of  the  Bemis  Paper  Company  at  Holyoke,  and 
began  with  D.  D.  Warren  as  president  and  J.  E.  Taylor  as 
treasurer,  and  the  Messrs.  Dickinson  as  agents.  The  buildings 
were  found  to  be  too  small  for  the  business  of  the  new  com- 
pany, and  large  additions  both  in  machinery  and  buildings 
were  made. 


The  main  building  of  the  mill  is  200  feet  long  and  three 
stories  high,  not  including  the  basement  and  attic.  The  two 
upper  rooms  are  used  as  rag-rooms,  and  contain  one  6-feet 
and  two  4J-feet  Holyoke  dusters.  The  engine-room  is  on  the 
south  end  of  the  room,  beneath  the  rag-rooms,  and  contains 
ten  engines  of  600  pounds'  capacity  each.  The  north  end 
is  used  as  a  finishing-room,  and  is  furnished  with  several 
sheet  calenders  and  two  trimming  presses,  and  the  lofts  of  that 
portion  of  the  building  are  used  for  the  drying  of  papers. 
There  is  one  L  built  at  right  angles  to  the  main  building. 
The  north  half  L,  which  is  three  stories  and  an  attic  high, 
contains  three  drying  lofts,  occupying  the  upper  stories; 
the  lower  floor,  being  devoted  to  finishing,  packing,  and  the 
otfices,  is  occupied  by  the  machines, — two  Fourdriniers,  62  and 
72  inch  respectively.  In  an  addition  on  the  river  side  are  the 
two  3-ton  bleach  boilers  and  the  three  4J-feet  steam  boilers. 
There  are  on  the  premises  two  smaller  buildings  entirely  sepa- 
arato  from  the  main  mill ;  one  of  these  is  used  as  a  repair-shop, 
while  the  other,  on  a  siding  of  the  Connecticut  River  Rail- 
road, receives  the  stock. 

This  company  manufactures  fine  writing  and  collar  paper. 
Capacity,  three  tons  per  day.  D.  D.  Warren  is  President 
of  the  company;  H.  Dickinson,  Agent  and  Treasurer;  E. 
Dickinson,  Selling  Agent. 

THE   ALBION    PAPER   COMPANY. 

The  establishment  owned  by  this  company  is  wholly  a 
Holyoke  enterprise,  everything  about  it  being  either  pre- 
pared or  supplied  by  Holyoke  firms,  except  a  few  Southern 


ALBION    PAPER    COMPANY    MILLS,    HOLY'OKE. 

pine  beams  and  the  Fourdrinier  machine.  It  was  built  by  D. 
H.  &  J.  C.  Newton,  Mr.  D.  H.  Tower  being  the  engineer. 
The  mill  was  completed  in  February,  1878,  and  consists  of 
two  substantial  brick  buildings  two  and  a  half  stories  high, 
joined  in  the  centre  by  a  wing.  In  the  basement  of  the  build- 
ing is  the  repair-shop,  and  on  the  next  floor  are  two  9-roll 
web  super-calenders  of  36-ineh  face  and  two  72-inch  Ham- 
mond cutters,  and  on  the  upper  floor  is  a  Cranston  cutter  and 
some  minor  machinery.  The  basement  of  the  rear  mill  is 
occupied  by  the  driving  machinery  and  drainers.  The  engines 
are  located  on  the  first  floor,  and  consist  of  two  1000-pound 
washing-engines,  with  rolls  44  by  48  inches,  and  three  heat- 
ing-engines of  1000  pounds'  capacity  each.  These  are  furnished 
with  Bradbury  &  Russell's  patent  rolls,  and  in  addition  a 
Jourdan  engine.  The  bleach  boiler,  also  located  on  this  floor, 
has  a  capacity  of  between  four  and  five  tons.  On  the  upper 
floor  are  two  Daniels  cutters  and  a  Holyoke  and  a  railroad 
duster.  The  thresher  is  in  the  attic.  The  central  wing  con- 
tains the  Fourdrinier,  a  fine  84-inch  machine  with  all  the 
latest  improvements.      The  building  has  two  elevators,  and 


HISTORY   OF   HAMPDEN    COUNTY. 


923 


the  steam  required  is  supplied  by  two  tubular  boilers  4J  by  15 
feet.  The  company  manufacture  book  paper  and  engine-sized 
flat  paper.     Capacity  of  mill,  two  tons  per  day. 

The  present  year  an  addition  is  being  made,  which  will 
double  the  capacity  of  the  mill.  The  new  mill  will  contain 
eight  engines,  one  Jourdan,  and  two  bleach  boilers  of  capacity 
of  five  tons  each.  The  new  buildings  are  the  same  size  as  the 
old  mill.  They  are  brick,  184  feet — main  building — includ- 
ing bleach-room.  The  centre  is  104  feet ;  front,  89  feet.  Be- 
tween the  two  mills  is  a  tower  16  by  20  feet,  .50  feet  high,  with 
French  roof.  In  the  rear  is  a  tower  for  stairs  and  elevator  ; 
all  the  elevators  are  furnished  with  safety  hatchways.  The 
mill  has  Daniels  cutters.  The  machine  is  a  Rice,  Barton  & 
Fales,  86-inch,  two  9-rods,  each  super-calenders,  and  three 
Hammond  cutters.  Manufactures  machine  and  super-calender 
book-paper.  Capacity  per  day,  five  tons.  Both  mills  em- 
ploy 150  persons. 

THE    OLD   ALBION    MILL. 

The  history  of  this  enterprise  would  not  be  complete  without 
a  mention  of  what  is  known  as  the  ' '  Old  Albion. ' '  The  Albion 
Company  was  formed  in  1869,  and  purchased  the  mill  formerly 
belonging  to  the  Hampden  Companj',  and  began  the  manufac- 
ture of  collar  paper.  Continued  on  this  grade  until  1874, 
when  they  began  making  super-calender  paper.  In  1877  it 
was  sold  to  D.  H.  &  J.  C.  Newton,  who  erected  the  present 
mills  of  the  Albion  Company.  The  present  officers  of  the 
company  are  Calvin  Taft,  President ;  Edward  C.  Taft,  Treas- 
urer ;  and  A.  H.  Page,  Clerk. 

THE   WAUREGAN    PAPER   COMPASY. 

This  new  and  complete  mill,  called  the  "  Wauregan,"  is 
owned  by  Mr.  James  H.  Newton,  and  was  built  in  1879.  It  is 
a  large  brick  building  located  on  Dwight  Street.  The  finishing- 
rooms  are  45  by  82  feet,  machine-room  30  by  120  feet,  engine- 
room  46  by  114  feet,  size-room  25  by  36  feet,  rag  boiler  build- 
ing 20  by  33  feet,  stock-house  25  by  80  feet. 


WAUREUAN    PAPER    .MILLS,  HgLYOKE. 

The  first  floor  is  occupied  by  the  finishing-rooms  and  of- 
fices. Here  are  three  web  calenders,  three  stock-cutters,_one 
trimmer,  and  salting  tables.  On  the  second  floor  are  salt- 
ing tables,  store-rooms  and  oifices  for  rental.  The  machine- 
room  has  an  84-inch  Fourdrinier,  warranted  to  run  smooth 
and  true  at  the  rate  of  200  feet  per  minute.  Here  also 
are  ten  3-feet  dryers  and  one  stock  calender.  The  en- 
gine-room contains  wire  drawers,  shafting,  etc.  There  are 
si.i:  rag-engines  of  1000  tons'  capacity  each,  and  two  Jourdans. 
On  the  next  floor  are  the  rag-rooms,  where  are  dusters,  two 
rag-cutters,  salting  tables,  etc.  The  attic  is  devoted  to  storage 
and  rag  whipping,  and  contains  a  Sturdevant  blower.  Ca- 
pacity, five  tons  per  day  of  fine  book,  envelope,  and  writing 
paper,  white  and  tinted.  Employ  100  persons.  Five  mill- 
powers,  equal  to  325  horse-power. 

THE  BEEBE  &    HOLBROOK  PAPER  COMPANY. 

The  fine  writing-paper  mill  belonging  to  this  company  was 
built  in  1871-72,  by  the  Hampden  Paper  Company,  organized 


for  the  purpose  by  Mr.  Jared  Beebe,  who  was  the  principal 
stockholder.  After  running  about  a  year  the  balance  of  the 
capital  stock  was  purchased  by  Beebe  &  Holbrook,  who  con- 
tinued the  business  till  the  death  of  Mr.  Beebe,  in  July,  1876  ; 
the  present  corporation  having  been  formed  Jan.  1,  1878,  with 
G.  B.  Holbrook  president  and  treasurer.  The  main  building 
is  50  by  130  feet,  three  stories  and  basement.  The  first  floor 
is  used  for  offices,  repair-shop,  and  plating-room,  the  latter 
containing  two  heavy  plating-machines.  On  the  second  floor 
are  the  finishing-  and  engine-rooms ;  in  the  latter  are  two  750- 
pound  washers,  one  600-pound,  and  three  500-pound  beaters. 
The  upper  floors  are  used  for  drying  lofts  and  storage.  There 
are  two  wings  attached  to  the  main  building,  one  of  which,  30 
by  90  feet,  two  stories  high,  has  on  the  upper  floor  a  76-inch 
Fourdrinier  machine,  the  lower  floor  being  used  for  the  prep- 
aration of  animal  sizing.  Another  wing  contains  the  bleach- 
room,  with  a  three  and  one-half  ton  rotary  boiler,  and  above  it 
is  a  rag-duster.  Connected  with  this  wing  is  the  rag  depart- 
ment, with  the  dusters  in  the  attic.  The  third  floor  is  the  rag- 
room  proper,  the  rest  of  the  wing  being  used  for  storage. 

The  product  of  this  establishment  consists  largely  of  special- 
ties in  the  finest  grades  of  white  and  tinted  wedding  folios  and 
linen  papers,  also  choice  lines  of  flat  and  ruled  writing-papers. 
Capacity,  two  and  one-half  tons  per  day. 

MASSASOIT   PAPER-MANUFACTURING    COMPANY. 

The  Massasoit  mill  is  owned  by  the  Massasoit  Paper-Manu- 
facturing Company,  having  a  capital  of  §300,000.  The  mill 
is  four  stories  and  attic,  and  is  built  of  brick.  The  basement 
floor  is  used  for  storage  in  the  eastern  part,  and  for  drainers 
in  the  western.  The  first  floor  is  used  for  the  office,  store- 
room, size-room,  etc.,  etc.  There  is  also  on  this  floor  a  large 
Holyoke  Machine  Comjiany's  plater,  which  does  splendid 
work.  The  eastern  portion  of  the  second  floor  is  used  as  the 
finishing-room,  and  contains  six  calenders,  one  Cranston 
trimming-knife,  two  hydraulic  presses,  five  ruling-machines, 
and  the  stamper.  The  western  part  of  the  second  floor  is 
used  for  the  engine-room,  and  contains  eight  engines, — three 
washing  and  five  beating.  Adjoining  the  engine-room  is 
found  the  machine-room,  in  an  L,  in  which  is  a  fine  79-inch 
Fourdrinier  machine.  From  this  machine  can  be  run  three 
tons  of  finished  paper  per  day.  The  production  of  the  mill 
on  thin  and  thick  finished  papers  is  two  and  one-half  tons. 
The  third  floor  (eastern  part)  is  used  for  storage,  and  the 
western  part  for  a  rag-room  ;  the  fourth  floor  and  attic  for 
the  drying-rooms. 

This  is  one  of  the  most  complete  mills  in  Holyoke,  and  as 
fine  paper  can  be  made  here  as  any  manufactured  in  the  coun- 
try or  imported.  The  agent  and  treasurer  of  this  company, 
E.  C.  Kogers,  has  introduced  into  the  market  several  brands 
of  very  choice  linen  papers,  among  these  the  "  crown  Leg- 
horn," "imperial  parchment,"  and  "Lyons  parchment,  silk 
finish." 

J.  W.  Arnold  &  Co. — Organized  in  1878.  Manufacturers 
of  manilla  paper.     Capacity,  one  and  a  half  tons  per  day. 

Robertson,  Black  &  Co. — Organized  Jan.  1,  1875.  Cap- 
ital §35,000.  Manufacturers  of  manilla  papers.  Product,  one 
and  a  quarter  tons  per  day. 

THE    MERRICK   THREAD   COMPANY 

dates  its  origin  from  July,  1865.  It  was  the  outgrowth  of  a 
partnership  with  Timothj'  Merrick,  Austin  Merrick,  and  Or- 
igen  Hall  as  partners,  under  the  firm-name  of  Merrick,  Bro. 
&  Co.,  located  at  Mansfield,  Conn.,  and  engaged  in  the  busi- 
ness of  spooling  three-cord  cotton  thread.  The  business  of  the 
firm  grew  so  rapidly  that  in  1864  it  became  necessarj'  for  them 
to  seek  for  some  other  location  atl'ording  the  requisite  facilities, 
especially  in  the  matter  of  water-power,  to  enable  them  to  en- 
large their  business  and  make  provision  for  manufacturing 
the  better  quality  of  six-cord  thread  that  the  use  of  the  sewing- 


924 


HISTORY  OF  THE   CONNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


machine  demanded.  A  careful  examination  of  various  local- 
ities resulted  in  tlie  selection  of  Holyoke  as  the  future  home 
of  their  business,  and  on  the  27th  day  of  July,  a.d.  1865,  the 
first  meeting  was  held  for  organization  as  a  corporation  under 


MBRBICK   THKEAD-MILLS,    HOLTOKB. 

the  laws  of  Massachusetts.  The  organization  was  effected 
with  Elisha  Johnson,  of  Wethersfleld,  Conn.,  as  president, 
and  Timothy  Merriclc,  of  Holyolce,  as  treasurer  and  clerk, 
and  the  following  as  board  of  directors,  viz.,  Elisha  Johnson, 
Timothy  Merrick,  Herbert  F.  Palmer,  Austin  Merrick,  Ori- 
gen  Hall,  George  Chapman,  Lyman  E.  Hopkins,  Palmer 
Southworth,  William  Boardman,  adopting  as  their  corporate 
name  The  Holyoke  Thread  Company,  which  was  at  a  subse- 
quent meeting  changed  to  The  Merrick  Thread  Company, 
with  a  capital  of  §200,000. 

The  business  of  the  corporation,  as  set  forth  in  the  articles  of 
association,  is  the  manufacture  of  spool  cotton. 

The  company,  having  leased  the  necessary  mill-site  and  ten- 
ement grounds  from  the  Holyoke  Water-Power  Company, 
along  with  three  mill-powers  of  water  from  the  second-level 
canal,  began  at  once  the  foundations  for  the  necessary  build- 
ings, and  the  following  year  completed  the  structures  substan- 
tially as  they  appear  to-day.  The  dimensions  of  the  principal 
buildings  are  as  follows  :  main  building,  20G  by  66  feet,  four 
stories  high,  besides  attic;  picker-house  and  repair-.shop,  114 
by  40  feet,  two  stories,  flat  roof;  spool-shop  and  bleach-house, 
166  by  40  feet,  two  stories  ;  all  forming  three  sides  of  a  square, 
which  is  completed  by  the  office  building  and  gangway,  af- 
fording communication  between  the  various  parts  through 
the  interior  court.  One-half  of  the  capacity  of  the  buildings 
having  been  taken  by  the  necessary  carding,  spinning,  and 
twisting  machinery,  the  company  near  the  close  of  1867 
commenced  the  manufacture  of  three-cord  spool  cotton, 
giving  employment  to  about  200  hands.  Jan.  1,  1868,  the 
capital  stock  was  increased  to  $3-50,000,  and  the  filling  of  the 
balance  of  the  unoccupied  room  with  the  necessary  carding, 
combing,  and  spinning  machines  requisite  to  the  most  ap- 
proved methods  of  working  fine  Sea  Island  cotton  soon  fol- 
lowed, enabling  the  company  to  produce  a  first-class  article  of 
six-  and  three-cord  spool  cotton,  especially  adapted  to  meet 
the  requirements  of  manufacturers  of  clothing,  straw-goods, 
and  soft  leather,  as  a  substitute  for  silk  or  linen,  besides  being 
suited  to  general  domestic  requirements.  The  furnishing  of 
a  thread  and  a  bobbin  fitted  for  use  in  the  shuttle  of  the  sew- 
ing-machine, thus  avoiding  the  necessity  of  filling  the  iron 
bobbin  in  the  usual  way,  has  grown  to  be  quite  an  important 
branch  of  the  business,  which  the  company  control  under  a 
license  from  the  patentee.  Some  two  years  since  a  further 
addition  to  the  plant  became  necessary,  and  the  company  ac- 
quired by  purchase  from  the  assignees  of  the  Hampden  Mills 
the  property  known  as  the  "  Little  Hampden,"  putting  the 
mill  in  complete  repair  and  filling  it  with  the  most  improved 
machinery  for  making  the  coarser  numbers  of  their  three-cord 
thread,  which  do  not  require  Sea  Island  cotton. 

The  present  capacity  of  the  works  is  as  follows  :  fine  mill, 
11,544  spindles  spinning,  6300  spindles  twisting;  coarse  mill, 


4048  spindles  spinning,  1656  spindles  twisting.  Add  to  the 
foregoing  the  entire  machinery  for  the  manufacture  of  the 
spoolsand  the  dyeing,  bleaching,  dressing,  and  spooling  of  the 
entire  product  of  the  spindles  of  the  plant,  and  there  is  a 
yearly  product  amounting  in  value  to  $4.50,000.  The  manu- 
facturing department  is  under  the  efficient  supervision  of  J. 
M.  Dunham,  Esq.,  who  has  ably  filled  the  position  of  super- 
intendent for  the  past  ten  years. 

The  present  officers  of  the  company  are  as  follows :  Presi- 
dent, Lyman  R.  Hopkins ;  Treasurer,  Timothy  Merrick ; 
Clerk  and  Paymaster,  C.  W.  Reder ;  Board  of  Directors, 
Timothy  Merrick,  Lyman  R.  Hopkins,  Herbert  F.  Palmer,  C. 
W.  Reder,  George  C.  Basson,  John  Amidon,  S.  W.  Robbins. 
Principal  selling  oftices,  370  Broadway,  New  York;  276  Dev- 
onshire Street,  Boston  ;  248  Chestnut  Street,  Philadelphia ; 
27  German  Street,  Baltimore. 

H.^DLEY   COMPANY   SPOOL-COTTON    MANUFACTORY. 

This  company  was  organized  in  1863.  It  has  a  capital  stock 
of  $600,000,  with  but  few  stockholders,  all  of  whom  reside  in 
the  eastern  part  of  the  State.  The  company  owns  about  14 
acres  of  land,  on  which  are  the  mills  and  tenements. 

The  central  part  of  the  mill  is  80  by  48  feet,  four  stories 
high,  and  a  wing  on  either  side,  each  200  by  60  feet,  three 
stories  high,  with  an  additional  east  wing  200  by  60  feet,  two 
stories  high,  to  which  a  tower  is  attached,  30  by  30  feet.  The 
picker-room  is  200  by  48  feet,  and  the  combing-room  96  by  48 
feet,  each  one  story  high.  The  dye-house  is  160  by  60  feet, 
and  the  repair-shop  140  by  40  feet,  each  two  stories  high,  with 
a  stock  house  200  by  30  feet,  one  story  high,  besides  the  finish- 
ing mill  100  by  40  feet,  and  the  office  building.  It  will  thus 
be  seen  that  there  are  about  four  acres  of  flooring  in  these 
buildings,  or  as  much  as  is  contained  in  a  tract  of  land  one 
and  a  half  times  as  large  as  Hampden  Park.  The  company 
owns  six  large  blocks,  containing  53  tenements,  where  many 
of  its  employes  find  a  home. 

Work  was  begun  on  the  stone  foundations  of  what  are 
known  as  the  cottages,  Feb.  4,  1848.  April  4,  1848,  the  first 
stone  was  laid  in  the  foundations  of  the  office  building,  and 
April  15th  of  the  same  year  the  foundation  of  the  blocks  was 
begun.  The  first  brick  was  laid  in  the  office  building  April  18th, 
and  in  the  blocks  May  16,  1848.  May  11th  of  the  same  year 
the  "  Cataract  House"  was  opened  as  a  hotel.  Work  was  be- 
gun on  the  picker-  and  combing-room  Oct.  26,  1848,  and  No- 
vember 7th,  following,  a  ball  was  given  in  the  office  building. 
It  was  not  till  Sept.  13,  1849,  that  the  first  brick  was  laid  in 
the  mill  proper.  The  brick-work  of  the  mill  and  tenements 
was  all  done  under  the  direction  of  Charles  McClellan,  of 
Chicopee. 

The  mills  were  built  by  the  Hadley  Falls  Company,  and 
used  for  a  machine-shop  until  the  company  began  to  use  it. 

In  18.59,  the  Holyoke  Water-Power  Company  having  suc- 
ceeded to  the  rights  of  the  Hadley  Falls  Company  in  1857, 
sold  the  property  to  John  C.  Whitin,  who  was  sole  director  of 
the  work  as  long  as  it  was  used  as  a  shop.  Much  of  the  ma- 
chinery now  used  in  the  mill,  and  that  formerly  used  in  the 
Hampden  Mills,  including  the  turbine-wheels  and  conduit- 
pipes  of  iron,  was  made  in  this  old  shop,  some  of  it  after  the 
shop  became  the  property  of  the  Hadley  company.  The 
pipes,  fixtures,  and  apparatus  of  the  gas-works,  with  the  gaso- 
meter and  castings,  were  also  made  here. 

Its  power  is  furnished  by  water  from  the  Connecticut  River, 
which  turns  two  large  water-wheels  of  the  Boyden  patent, 
equal  to  500  horse-power  and  using  eight  mills  power. 

Mr.  J.  S.  Davis,  the  long-time  agent  of  the  Lyman  Mills, 
had  been  instrumental  in  the  formation  of  the  company,  and 
on  its  organization,  or  in  April,  1863,  he  was  appointed  agent 
for  the  company,  with  Wm.  Grover,  then  master-mechanic  of 
the  Lyman  Mills,  as  superintendent.  Work  was  begun  at 
once   toward  putting    in    machinery   for  the  manufacture  of 


.« 


""^^ 


ff.  /loy.ri   D-l 


HOLYOk'E    MACHINf,   COMPAFv',     HOITOKE.  MASS 


THE   HOLYOKE   MACHINE   COMPANY 


is  a  representative  institution  of  this  enterprising  city.  It  was  organized  in  1863, 
chiefly  through  the  instrumentality  of  Stewart  Chase,  who  was  treasurer,  with 
a  capital  of  $40,000.  This  was  increased  in  1871  to  $80,000,  and  in  1872  to 
$150,000,  its  present  capital.  The  value  of  the  first  annual  product  of  its 
business  was  $60,000,  and  fifty  men  were  employed.  The  present  annual 
product  is  $500,000,  and,  running  at  full  capacity,  three  hundred  men  are  em- 
ployed. The  machine-room  proper  is  three  hundred  and  eighty  by  fifty,  and  the 
foundry  one  hundred  and  forty  by  sixty,  feet.  In  addition  are  blacksmith-shops, 
store-houses,  etc. 

This  establishment  makes  a  specialty  of  water-wheels  and  machinery  for  paper- 
mills,  and  in  this  manufacture  has  won  a  world-wide  reputation.  Finishing- 
machines  have  been  shipped  to  Scotland,  France,  and  Germany.  The  establishment 
was  furnished  in  1878  and  1879  with  an  entirely  new  outfit  of  the  latest  improved 
machinery,  and  it  is  now  one  of  the  most  complete  machine-shops  in  the  State. 

The  present  officers  of  the  company  are  as  follows :  C.  H.  Heywood,  President ; 
S.  Holman,  Treasurer ;  S.  F.  Stebbins,  Agent. 


HISTORY  OP   HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


925 


spool  cotton,  and  Mr.  Grover  went  to  Europe  in  the  interests 
of  the  new  company.  Mr.  Davis  having  resigned  the  agency, 
Mr.  Grover  was  appointed  in  his  stead  in  May,  1867. 

The  officers  of  the  company  now  are  George  W.  Lyman, 
President;  Arthur  T.  Lyman,  Treasurer;  J.  N.  Morrill, 
Clerk  ;  Wm.  Grover,  Agent  and  Superintendent;  C.  L.  Far- 
rington.  Paymaster.  The  position  of  paymaster  has  been 
held  by  C.  H.  Heywood,  George  A.  Heywood,  F.  S.  Davis, 
L.  D.  Thayer,  and  C.  L.  Farrington.  Mr.  Farrington,  the 
present  paymaster,  has  held  the  position  since  1809.  William 
Widdowson,  assistant  paymaster,  was  appointed  in  1872. 

Though  this  is  known  as  a  thread-mill,  only  about  one-third 
of  its  product  is  made  into  thread.  The  remaining  two-thirds 
are  sold  either  for  yarn,  twine,  or  warp.  The  company  has 
quite  an  extensive  trade  in  seine  twines,  and  often  in  the 
twisting-room  are  found  40  or  50  kinds  and  numbers  of  twine 
and  yarn  at  one  time.  The  entire  annual  product  is  727,315 
pounds  of  yarn.  Some  of  the  finest  is  sold  to  the  woolen- 
manufacturers,  and  is  worked  into  the  woolen  so  as  to  make 
the  silk-mixed  goods  which  have  been  so  popular  in  market. 

Very  much  of  the  cotton  used  is  the  Egyptian  cotton, 
which  is  shipped  directly  to  the  company  from  England. 
American  cotton  is  used  to  some  extent,  and  this  comes  from 
Texas  and  Mississippi,  the  "  Peeler''  cotton  forming  a  large 
portion  of  the  American  cotton  used. 

The  total  number  of  spindles  in  the  mill  is  29,604.  This 
is  one  of  the  largest  manufacturing  establishments  in  Holyoke, 
and  adds  much  to  the  material  prosperity  of  the  city.  (We 
are  indebted  to  the  Holyoke  Transcript  for  the  above  history 
of  the  Hadley  Company.) 

THE    LYMAN    MILLS. 

The  Lyman  Mills  corporation  was  organized  in  1854,  but 
two  of  the  mills  were  erected  and  in  operation  previous  to 
that  date,  having  been  erected  and  operated  by  the  Hadley 
Falls  Company. 

The  first  stone  in  the  foundation  of  the  walls  of  Mill  No. 
1  was  laid  Sept.  5,  1848,  and  Oct.  12,  1848,  the  first  brick 
was  laid.  The  24th  day  of  May,  1849,  the  first  stone  was  laid 
of  the  foundation  of  the  "picker-house,"  and  June  7,  1849, 
the  first  shovel  of  earth  was  removed  in  the  excavation  for 
Mill  No.  2.  The  first  stone  was  laid  in  Mill  No.  2,  Aug.  17, 
1849,  and  the  first  brick  July  9,  1849.  July  25,  1849,  the  first 
piece  of  machinery  (a  speeder)  was  placed  in  Mill  No.  1,  and 
March  30,  1850,  the  first  water-wheel  was  set  in  motion  in  No. 
1,  and  the  first  manufacturing  was  done  April  23,  1850. 
April  15,  1872,  the  excavating  for  No.  3  was  begun,  and  in 
1873  the  mill  was  in  full  operation. 

The  three  mills  are  of  the  same  size  "  on  the  ground."  The 
dimensions  are  268  by  68  feet,  inside  the  walls.  Mills  Nos.  1 
and  2  are  five  stories  high,  with  roof-rooms,  and  No.  3  is  four 
stories  high,  with  flat  roof. 

The  picker  building  is  four  stories,  02  by  180  feet ;  the 
buildings  on  Front  Street,  containing  the  otficeof  the  company, 
the  cloth-room,  belt-  and  roll-shop,  storehouses,  etc.,  have  a 
total  length  of  420  feet  and  a  width  of  30  feet. 

The  repair-shop  was  built  in  the  spring  of  1860,  and  is  250 
by  34  feet,  one  story  high.  There  are  three  brick  buildings  in 
the  rear  of  the  mills, — the  boiler-house,  waste-house,  pipe- 
shop,  blacksmith-shop,  paint-shop,  dry-house,  etc., — two  of 
them  being  about  48  by  28  feet  each,  and  one  90  by  28. 

A  slight  idea  of  the  area  of  these  mills  can  be  obtained  by 
the  statement  of  the  fact  that  there  are  more  than  8J-  acres  of 
flooring  in  the  factories  and  appurtenant  buildings. 

The  corporation  also  own  seven  large  brick  "  blocks,"  con- 
taining 205  tenements.  These  tenements  are  kept  in  good 
repair  and  excellently  managed. 

The  brick-work  of  Mills  Nos.  1  and  2  was  laid  by  Capt. 
Charles  McClellan,  of  Chicopee,  and  twenty-seven  years  have 
proved  the  reliability  of  the  work. 


The  product  of  No.  1  Mill  is  principally  of  standard  sheet- 
ings, flannels,  and  drills.  The  standard  sheetings  are  made  of 
four  grades,  marked  respectively  A,  B,  C,  and  E,  .30  to  45 
inches  in  width.  Flannels  are  made  of  three  grades,  30  to  33 
inches  in  width;  drillings  of  one  grade,  a  44-inch  "  twill ;" 
"  R-cloth,"  50  inches  wide,  and  used  in  making  oil-suits  and 
rubber-clothing;  and  "  T-shirting,"  30  inches  wide.  Mills 
Nos.  2  and  3  are  as  one  mill  in  manufacturing,  the  carding 
and  spinning  being  done  in  No.  2,  and  the  spooling,  dressing, 
and  weaving  in  No.  3.  These  mills  manufacture  varieties  of 
lawns,  cambrics,  silesias,  and  organdies.  The  lawns  and  or- 
gandies are  32.1  inches  wide  ;  the  cambrics  are  of  three  grades, 
from  34i  to  39  inches  wide ;  satteens  of  three  grades,  36  inches 
wide;  "Y"  and  "Q,"  very  fine  sheeting,  39  inches  wide; 
"bucks,"  or  toweling;  "  K-cloth"  of  two  grades,  30  and  26 
inches  wide.  The  cotton  used  in  the  mills  is  of  the  qualities 
known  as  "low middling,"  "  middling," and  "good  middling." 
For  the  cloth  woven  in  No.  1  the  "  low  middlings"  and  "  mid- 
dlings" are  bought,  while  for  the  finer  work  of  the  other  mills 
the  best  of  cotton  that  can  be  found,  except  the  costly  "Sea 
Island,"  is  purchased,  the  delicate  threads  of  the  fine  fabrics 
requiring  a  staple  of  length,  strength,  and  body.  The  cotton 
from  No.  1  comes  from  Vicksburg  and  Memphis,  and  for  Nos. 
2  and  3  the  "Peeler"  cotton,  grown  mostly  in  Te.xas,  is  pur- 
chased in  Galveston. 

The  power  is  furnished  by  the  water  of  the  Connecticut 
River,  turning  eight  water-wheels  of  the  Boyden  patent, 
having  together  1433  horse-])Ower,  and  using  21 J  mill-powers. 

There  are  15.56  looms  in  the  mills, — viz.,  028  in  No,.  1,  and 
928  in  No.  3.  The  looms  are  principally  the  Chicopee,  Hol- 
yoke, and  the  Whitin  loom.  The  Holyoke  loom  was  invented 
in  Portsmouth,  N.  H.  Thedrawings  and  patterns  were  brought 
to  Holyoke  by  Jones  S.  Davis,  and  the  looms  were  constructed 
under  his  direction  and  supervision,  and  have  been  called  the 
Holyoke  loom. 

The  total  number  of  spindles  in  these  mills  is  74,888, — No. 

1  Mill  containing  23,5.52,  and  Nos.  2  and  3,  51,330.  The  ma- 
chinery of  No.  1  picker-room  consists  of  3  willows  or  "  open- 
ers," 3  Kitson  compound-pickers,  3  Kitson  second-pickers,  4 
Lowell  and  2  Whitin  second-pickers.  No.  2  picker-room 
has  2  English  pickers  and  3  Whitin  pickers,  and  1  of  Van 
Winkle's  openers.  The  carding  department  of  No.  1  has 
144  "breakers,"  192  "finishers,"  and  30  waste-cards.     No. 

2  has  108  breakers  and  108  finishers,  making  a  total  number 
of  cards  of  582.  The  spinning  in  No.  1  Mill  is  entirely 
what  is  known  as  "ring-spinning,  and  the  spindles  are  of 
the  Lowell,  Sawyer,  and  Eabbeth  pattern.  The  spinning  in 
No.  2  is  done  by  10,-560  ring-spindles,"  and  the  balance  by 
30  Mason  "mules"  and  12  English  mules  made  by  Taylor, 
Lang  &  Co.  The  dressing  is  done  in  No.  1  by  3  "slashers," 
1  of  the  Harrison  manufacture  and  2  of  Howard  &  BuUough's. 

The  operatives  number  upward  of  1200.  These  are  em- 
ployed as  follows  : 

Mill  No.  1.  Nos.  2  and  3. 

Carding Ul  109 

Spinning tit  153 

Dressing 65  90 

Weaving 190  305 

477  657 

Total  in  three  mills 1134 

Kepair-shop,  etc 18 

Tard-hands,  etc 30 

Cloth-room 20 

Total 1202 

Of  this  number,  402  are  males  and  800  are  females. 

The  present  oflScials  of  the  company  are  ;  President,  Thomas 
Parsons ;  Treasurer,  S.  L.  Bush ;  Agent,  Q.  W.  Lovering ; 
Superintendent,  Theop.  Parsons;  Clerk  and  Cashier,  C.  D. 
Colson. 

The  first  agent  of  the  mill  was  Mr.  Wm.  Melcher,  who  was 
succeeded  in  1853  by  Mr.  J.  S.  Davis,  who  remained  until 
1871.     Mr.  Q.  W.  Lovering,  the  present  agent,  has  been  con- 


926 


HISTOllY    OF   THE   CONNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


nected  with  the  corporation  for  near  twenty-four  years,  and 
has  been  agent  for  nearly  seven  years. 

The  annual  product  of  the  mills  is  as  follows:  No.  1  Mill, 
198,000  pieces,  2,680,000  pounds,  measuring  7,900,000  yards ; 
No.  2  Mill,  122,000,000  pieces,  886,000  pounds,  measuring 
6,000,000  yards. 

This  is  the  most  extensive  manufacturing  corjioration  in  tlie 
city,  and  has  a  capital  of  $1,470,000. 

(The  above  is  condensed  from  an  article  written  by  William 
S.  Looniis,  editor  and  proprietor  of  the  Holyokc  Transcripf.) 

THE    UNQUOMONK    SILK-MILLS. 

This  is  the  only  institution  of  its  kind  in  the  city.  It  was 
established  at  Haydenvillo,  Mass.,  in  1849,  and  was  destroyed 
by  the  memorable  and  disastrous  flood  of  1874.  Mr.  William 
Skinner,  its  proprietor,  then  decided  to  rebuild  the  mill  in 
Holyoke,  and  in  the  following  July  (1874)  it  was  completed. 
Here  are  manufactured  machine-twist  sewings,  button-bole 
twist,  organzine  and  cashmere  sewings,  etc. 

It  is  perhaps  not  inappropriate  to  remark,  in  this  connec- 
tion, that  the  fine  residence  of  Mr.  Skinner,  which  now  forms 
one  of  the  ornaments  of  the  city  of  Holyoke,  was  removed  in 
pieces  from  Haydenville.  It  was  the  only  dwelling  left  stand- 
ing by  the  flood  on  that  ever-memorable  May  dtiy. 

THE  FARR  ALPACA  COMPANY 

was  incorporated  under  the  general  statutes,  Nov.  13,  1873, 
with  a  capital  of  §250,000.  The  first  meeting  of  the  promoters 
of  the  company  was  held  just  previous  to  the  outbreak  of  the 
financial  crisis  in  September,  1873,  but,  notwithstanding  the 
general  depression  in  business  which  followed,  and  the  long- 
continued  prostration  of  the  trade  of  Bradford,  England,  the 
chief  seat  of  the  worsted  industry,  the  company  was  firmly  es- 
tablished, and  has  proved  a  decided  success.  The  erection  of 
the  buildings,  which  are  built  of  brick,  was  commenced  in  De- 
cember, 1873  ;  and  .si.v  months  after,  a  full  range  of  goods  was 
shown  in  New  York,  and  at  once  took  the  front  rank.  In 
view  of  the  depressed  state  of  trade,  it  was  deemed  advisable 
to  only  partially  equip  the  mill  at  the  start,  but  the  first  goods 
shown  were  so  well  received  that  It  was  found  necessary,  in 
order  to  meet  the  demand,  to  at  once  fill  up  the  mill  to  its  full 
capacity, — 255  looms,*  and  duplicate  combing,  drawing,  and 
spinning  machinery  was  put  in  to  enable  the  company  to  pro- 
duce either  lustre  or  soft  goods.  Special  care  is  taken  in  the 
selection  of  raw  materials  ;  and  all  operations  in  dyeing  and 
finishing  (some  of  which  are  original)  are  conducted  with  a 
view  of  producing  the  brightest  lustre  and  the  clearest  and 
most  durable  color. 

The  general  agent  of  the  company,  who  closely  superintends 
every  operation  of  manufacturing,  has  a  thoroughly  practical 
knowledge  of  the  work  in  the  various  departments  of  the  mill, 
from  selecting  and  sorting  the  stock  to  dyeing  and  finishing 
the  cloth,  and  knows,  by  long  experience,  what  results  are 
needed  in  each  department  to  produce  goods  of  the  highest 
standard  of  excellence. 

The  very  satisfactory  award  on  the  company's  exhibit  at 
the  Centennial  Exhibition  confirms  the  verdict  of  the  trade 
on  the  productions  of  this  company.  It  is  an  explicit  and 
positive  expression  on  all  essential  points  in  the  production  of 
perfect  goods,  and  is  fittingly  supplemented  by  Mr.  Mitchell, 
of  Bradford,  the  English  judge  of  award,  in  his  report  to  the 
British  government,  in  which  he  says,  "The  alpacas,  cash- 
meres, and  serges  shown  by  the  Farr  Alpaca  Company  were 
specially  good." 

The  value  of  the  annual  product  at  the  beginning  of  busi- 
ness was  $.500,000,  and  the  value  of  present  annual  products 
amounts  to  $750,000.  The  number  of  employes  at  the  begin- 
ning was  300;   present  number,  COO.     The  first  president  of 

*  The  equipment  has  since  been  increased  to  360  looms,  with  a  capacity  of 
3,750,000  yards  per  annum. 


the  company  was  Jared  Beebe.  He  was  succeeded  by  Gurdon 
Bill,  in  1876.  The  present  ofiicers  are  as  follows :  Timothy 
Merrick,  President;  Joseph  Metcalf,  Treasurer;  H.  M.  Farr, 
General  Agent. 

THE    PRENTISS    WIKE-MILLS. 

This  business  was  established  in  1867,  by  Geo.  W.  Prentiss, 
who  remained  sole  proprietor  until  1871,  when  he  associated 
with  himself  Mr.  W.  W.  Prentiss,  who  had  been  superintend- 
entofthe  mills  for  ten  years.     William  A.,  .son  of  the  founder. 


THE   PKENTISS    WIRE-MILLS. 

became  a  member  of  the  company  in  1877.  This  industry  has 
grown  from  a  comparatively  small  to  one  of  the  leading  in- 
dustries in  this  flourishing  city.  The  annual  product  of 
manufactured  goods  during  the  early  years  was  100  tons, 
valued  at  $25,000.  The  present  annual  product  is  1000  tons, 
valued  at  $2.50,000.  In  the  beginning,  8  persons  were  em- 
ployed ;  now,  50.  The  present  mill  was  erected  in  1871,  and 
the  main  building  is  45  by  162  feet,  three  stories  high.  The 
L  is  45  by  75  feet,  two  stories.  The  product  of  this  establish- 
ment embraces  all  kinds  of  iron  wire,  particularly  the  highest 
grades,  including  those  varieties  which  require  especial  skill 
and  attention  in  their  manufacture. 

THE    MASSACHUSETTS   SCREW   COMPANY 

was  organized  March  14,  1864.  The  main  building  is  40  by 
1.52  feet,  three  stories  high,  with  an  L  36  by  65  feet,  two  stories 
high.  It  is  situated  on  the  Upper  Level  Canal,  on  Cabot 
Street.  The  daily  product  is  2000  gross  iron  flat-head  and 
wood  screws. 

Among  other  manufacturing  interests  may  be  mentioned 

the  following : 

Hampden    Cotton-Mills.— Orgsunzei    in    1877.       Capacity, 

1,250,000  pounds  per  year. 

Holyohe  Warp  Company .—OrgimW-ed  in  1869.  Capital, 
$60,000  ;  capacity,  1500  pounds  per  day. 

Beebe,  Webber  4-  Co.'s  Woolen-Mills.— 'Established  in  1863. 
Product,  450,000  yards  per  annum. 

Germania  Mill.— Organized  January,  1865.— Capital,  $300,- 
000  ;  product,  1.50,000  yards  6-4  cloth  annually. 

New  Vork  Woolen-Mill.— Baih  in  1864,  and  purchased  by 
A.  T.  Stewart  &  Co.,  of  New  York,  in  1870.  Product, 
360,000  yards  per  annum. 

Conner  Bros.,  manufacturers  of  wool  extracts,  shoddy,  and 
flocks. 

Joseph  Peel,  manufacturer  of  satinet  goods. 

Henry  Seymour  Cutlery  Company.— Organized  in  1839.  Cap- 
ital, $25,000.  Henry  Seymour,  President;  Robert  H.  Sey- 
mour, Treasurer. 

Coghlan's  Holyoke  Steam-Boiler  Works,  E.  Whitaker  Keed, 
manufacturer.— Established  in  1852.  Product,  $8000  worth 
per  annum. 

Buttrick  &  Flanders,  manufacturers  of  spindles,  bolsters, 
and  steps.     C.  G.  Buttrick,  T.  B.  Flanders. 


HISTORY   OP  HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


927 


Atnerica  Phototype  Company. — Postal  card  printing.  Cap- 
ital, $200,000. 

Sprinr/Jicld  Blanket  Company. — Organized  May  2,  1870, 
with  a  capital  of  §80,000;  manufactures  horse-blankets;  pro- 
duct, 125,000  per  annum.  This  is  one  of  the  largest  establish- 
ments of  its  kind  in  the  country,  and  justly  merits  its  present 
success.     Treasurer,  W.  H.  Wilkinson. 


S.  Bacon,  Cashier.  The  first  board  of  directors  was  as  fol- 
lows:  William  Whiting,  R.  B.  .Johnson,  George  C.  Ewing, 
J.  G.  Mcintosh,  Joel  Rus.sell,  Levi  Perkine,  and  George  W. 
Prentiss.  Mr.  Whiting  has  been  president  since  its  organiza- 
tion. Mr.  Bacon  was  followed  in  the  cashiership  by  Charles 
B.  Fisk,  who  was  succeeded  by  W.  C.  Simons,  the  present 
cashier.     The  present  board  of  directors  is  as  follows :  William 


SPKINflFIKLD   BLANKET   COMPANY,  HOLTOKE. 


F.  R.  Chapman  &  Co.,  established  at  Miller's  Falls,  Mass., 
Augu.st,  1874;  re-established  at  Holyoke,  May,  1875.  Manu- 
facture table,  butchers',  and  miscellaneous  cutlery  ;  produce, 
240  dozen  per  day.  Emplov  36  males.  Monthly  pay-roll, 
$800. 

BANKS. 

THE    HADLEV    FALLS   NATIONAL    BANK. 

The  pioneer  banking  institution  in  this  city  was  the  Hadley 
Falls  Bank,  which'  was  organized  May  24,  1851,  twenty-three 
years  before  the  city  was  organized,  and  only  one  year  after 
the  town  of  Holyoke  was  set  off  from  West  Springfield.  Its 
original  capital  was  §100,000,  which  in  1853  was  increased  to 
$2()0,000.  The  first  otficers  of  the  bank  were  C.  B.  Rising, 
President ;  J.  R.  Warriner,  Cashier.  The  first  board  of  direc- 
tors was  composed  of  the  following:  John  Ross,  N".  D.  Perry, 
Cyrus  Frink,  J.  Miller,  R.  G.  Marsh,  Whiting  Street,  A.  D. 
Chapin,  and  William  Melcher.  Chester  Crafts  was  chosen 
in  place  of  Whiting  Street,  declined.  Mr.  Street,  however, 
was  soon  after  chosen  a  director,  and  remained  in  the  board 
until  his  death,  in  1878.  The  following  are  tlie  several  presi- 
dents and  cashiers  from  the  organization  to  the  i)resent  time : 
Presidents,  C.  B.  Rising,  Rufus  D.  Woods,  A.  D.  Chapin, 
and  Charles  W.  Ranlett ;  cashiers,  J.  E.  Warriner,  C.  W. 
Ranlett.  H.  P.  Terry  was  chosen  cashier  in  1864,  and  has 
officiated  in  that  capacity  since. 

The  bank  was  reorganized  as  the  Hadle}-  Falls  National 
Bank,  April  3,  1865.  The  present  board  of  directors  is  as  fol- 
lows: C.  W.  Ranlett,  Broughton  Alvord,  William  Skinner, 
Jonas  Kendall,  Spencer  A.  White,  Benjamin  Aldrich,  Alfred 
White,  Edwin  H.  Ball,  and  Charles  B.  Prescott.  Present 
capital,  $200,000;  surplus  and  earnings,  $125,000. 

HOLYOKE   NATIONAL    BANK. 

This  banking  institution  was  organized  in  1872,  with  a  cap- 
ital of  $200,000.  Its  first  officers  were  as  follows :  William 
Whiting,  President ;  R.  B.  Johnson,  Vice-President ;  and  F. 


Whiting,  R.  B.  Johnson,  G.  W.  Prentiss,  Joel  Russell,  C.  H. 
Heywood,  J.  F.  Allyn,  and  Levi  Perkine. 

THE    HOLYOKE    SAVINGS-BANK 

was  incorporated  in  February,  1855,  with  the  following  incor- 
porators :  Jones  S.  Davis,  Jonas  Kendall,  C.  W  Blanchard, 
Albert  Graves,  Cyrus  Frink,  Thos.  H.  Kelt,  Chas.  W.  Ran- 
lett, H.  Hutchins,  James  K.  Mills,  R.  G.  March,  Warren 
Chapin,  Gustavus  Snow,  A.  O.  Colby,  and  J.  C.  Parsons. 
The  first  meeting  was  held  March  29,  1855,  when  the  follow- 
ing officers  were  chosen :  Cyrus  Frink,  President ;  Otis 
Holmes,  C.  W.  Blanchard,  and  Jones  S.  Davis,  Vice-Presi- 
dents. :  James  K.  Mills,  Secretary.  The  first  treasurer  was 
Gustavus  Snow,  appointed  in  April,  18-56,  who  officiated 
until  1866,  when  he  resigned,  and  the  present  treasurer,  R. 

B.  Johnson,  was  elected.  The  presidents  have  been  as  fol- 
lows: Cyrus  Frink,  1855-59;  D.  D.  Crombie,  1859-60;  Joel 
Russell,  1860,  present  incumbent.  James  K.  Mills  and  S.  A. 
Boothby  each  held  the  office  of  secretary  one  year  ;  W.  B. 

C.  Pearsons  was  elected  in  1857,  and  has  officiated  sinpe,  ex- 
cept one  and  a  half  years,  when  its  duties  were  performed  by 
Geo.  W.  Prentiss.  The  first  deposit  in  the  bank  wa^  made 
by  Henry  F.  Quint,  May  1,  1855. 

THE   MECHANICS'   SAVINGS-BANK 

was  incorporated  in  March,  1872,  and  the  following  were  the 
incorporators:  Roswell  P.  Crafts,  Timothy  Merrick,  James 
H.  Newton,  Henry  A.  Chase,  Augustus  Stursbury,  John  De-- 
laney,  and  Stephen  Holman.  The  first  deposit  of  $.30  was 
made  May  20,  1872.  The  present  deposits  amount  to  $282,000. 
The  following  were  the  first  officers,  and  there  has  been  no 
change,  except  that  in  the  board  of  trustees  the  place  of  Q. 
W.  Lovering  has  been  supplied  by  N  .  P.  Lampson  :  President, 
James  H.  Newton,  Holyoke;  Vice-Presidents,  Timo'thy  Mer- 
rick, John  Delaney,  R.  P.  Crafts,  Holyoke ;  Trustees,  J.  C. 
Parsons,  S.  F.  Stebbins,  H.  A.  Chase,  J.  S.  Webber,  E.  C. 
Taft,  J.  W.  Davis,  Holyoke;  H.  Smith,  Jr.,  B.  C.  Brainard, 


!)L'8 


HISTORY    OF   THE    CONNKCTICUT   VALLEY. 


Sinilli  IliitHoy  Kftlls;  .Iiiiiics  DovK',  Q.  W.  l,o\  .liiiK,  .lulin 
U'DiiMiR'll,  1).  r.  C'rofkor,  lliil.viiku;  Truiioincf,  I',  li.  I'lcs- 
ciilt;   SiMirliirv,  K.  \V.  Cliiipin. 


ItANKIillN.-  J.  (i.    Mllcillliisll  iV  (' 


sliililislicd  ill  IHVli. 


TlIK    CITY    LlllKARV. 

'lliis  iiisliliilidii  \vii.siirKii"izi''l  M".V  l'''i  l**""!  miiiiily  llinmyli 
llmill'nits  (if  VV.  S.  L(i(iiiii«,  Ksii. ,1111(1  llciiiv  A.  Clinsd.  'J'liii«o 
;;i'iill(iii<'ii  riirly  siiw  llii'  nci'il  of  n  \\uMW  liliniry  in  t'lu 
iiipiill.v-Kn.winK  city  "f  JlcilyoUo,  iiiul  tlinmuli  llii'ir  I'tl'orls 
111.'  iicM.].lc  d  llcilyi'Uf  tii-iliiy  linvc  ii  wcll-sclcctud  libriii'y, 
..lir  IIimI  II. >I  I. Illy  li'lli'ils  llliull  .ivdil  ll|».ll  llioso  liy  wlioso 
I'li-uiH'rutiiiii  il  1ms  Ih'i'Ii  siisluiiwil  mid  I'lislLTcd,  but  ia  superior 
111  niiuiy  in  mir  land  of  imudi  liiiij;i'i'  iiiul  dldrr  growth. 

Tin.  act  .■slalilishiiiK  Hit.  lilmiry  iiasscd  llii.  ll.iiiso  April  '20, 
187(1,  till'  Si'iiiiti.  till,  lilsl,  mid  was  .-.if;'m'd  by  Ibo  (iovonu'r  mi 
llii>  li.lli.wiii!;'  day.  'I'lni  iiii'iiriioraliirs  wcn>  William  Wliitins, 
.I..I111  K.  Cliasi.,  ami  Kdwin  C'liiisi.,  Tlii>  llrsi  ..Itucrs  wore  as 
I'l.lU.ws;  William  Wliiliiif;,  Vn.sidoiil  ;  Edwin  t'liaso,  .Inliii 
K.  Clmst',  and  Genrgo  I!.  Kwing,  V iio- Presidents  ;  W.  B.  ('• 
I'parsons,  J.  S.  Wobbor,  William  (Jrover,  J.  S.  M.Klwain, 
and  W.  S.  l.noniis,  Oiroc-tors.  The  llrst  report  of  Ibo  library 
►hows  timt  till,  wh.ile  anion  lit  of  orijjinal  subseriptions  for 
I'lindinj;  lln'  library  was  $1',IW).  'I'll.'  town  of  Uolyoke  voted 
.•fl.'.tHi,  to  wliieb  was  subseipiently  added  by  the  town  IjilOtX). 
'I'be  I'arsons  I'aper  Company  also  donated  $.VK\  The  report 
of  May  l!i,  18118,  shows  tbiit  the  inemne  from  all  sonrees  during 
the  year  was  IjilOll-J.Hri;  $ri(K)  was  voted  by  the  city,  and  Iii'>",l2.8r) 
paid  bv  Mil.si'ribers.     Niimb.'r  of  v.iUimes  in  the  library,  (iTli!!. 

I'lKK  DICTA UTMIONT. 
Tlu'  llrst  iiu'.'tiiin'  tor  llii'  ori;aiii/,iiti..n  of  the  old  "  Firo 
District"  was  held  "at  Ibo  sebool-honse  on  l'b..stmit  Street, 
on  Wednesday,  Doe.  25,  18ri0,"  and  the  warrant  was  signed  by 
Smith,  l>iiy,  and  Cbapin,  soleotmen.  Knooli  IJlood,  constable, 
was  order.'d  to  "post"  in  three  imblic  places  in  the  "  New 
City."  K.  O.  Marsh  was  chosen  clerk  of  the  meeting,  and  it 
was  voted  "to  establish  a  lire  department  tor  and  within  the 
limits  of  School  District  No.  1."  C.  U.  Kisiiig,  W.  11.  Car- 
ter, and  Dr.  A.  S.  I'ock  were  designated  to  draft  the  by-laws. 
The  second  meeting  was  held  at  the  office  of  Miller  &  Newell, 
when  the  llrst  officers  wore  chosen,  as  follows;  .lonas  Kendall, 
Cbi..f ;  K.  (J,  Marsh,  S.  K.  Hutchinson,  A.  S,  I'eck,  and  K. 
Allen,  Assistants;  ,1.  M.  Davis,  Clerk.  Kendall  and  Allen 
declined,  and  Marsh  was  chosen  chief,  and  Kendall  and  (lal- 
Inudelt  assistants.  The  old  tire  district  organization  remained 
until  the  city  was  .•hartered,  when  it  was  di.ssolvod,  its  prop- 
erty turned  over  tolbeeily,  and  the  ordinance  for  establishing 
the  present  department  passed  the  common  council  June 'J2, 
1S74,  and  the  board  of  aldermen  the  2',lth  of  the  same  month. 

The  chief  engineers  of  the  old  "  Fire  District"  were  as  fol- 
lows:  IS.Il,  U,  (}.  Mni-sh;  18.")2-r.S,  Daniel  Bowdoin ;  1854, 
Thomas  U.  Kelt;  ISiWoS,  W.  B.  C.  I'oarsons ;  1 8,">'.>-ti0, 
Jones  S.  Divvia;  18(!l~(12,  W.  B.  C.  Toarsons  ;  180S-64,  W. 
H.  Dickinson;  18(;r>-(17,  L.  P.  Bo,sworth ;  18ti8-(!S),  R.  V. 
Crafts;  1870,  O.  S.  Tnttle;  1871,  K.  P.  Crafts;  1872-78, 
K.  I'attee. 

The  tirst  officers  of  the  present  .lepartmenl  were  as  t'oUows: 
Benjamin  F.  Miillin,  Chief  Engineer;  J.  AV.  Davis,  J.  D. 
Hard,  M.  D.  Sullivan,  and  K.  P.  Ford,  Assistants. 

Keliancr  Enijtite  Oampanif. — S.  "W.  McKown,  Foreman  ; 
C.  II.  Knapp,  Engineer. 

Relief  Kiitiine  CXmtpiiiiii. — J.  AV.  Uoby,  Foreman;  Cieorgo 
K.  Hoag,  Kngineer. 

ilimiit  Tvin  Ihise  Citinpanj/,  A'o.  1. — J.  AV.  Doran,  Fore- 
niHn. 

Mount  Hvli/i'lie  lluxe  C\>mpan>t,  AV.  2. — J.  Bannister,  Forc- 
nnin. 

iCiHuttlii  Ut'nr  (\ii)i/tuHti,  Xo.  8, — M.  F.  Fiti'.geruld,  F.. reman. 


Rescue  Ilook-and-Liulder,  No.  1. — L.  M.  Tuttlo,  Foreman. 

I>i:rtir  Jlimc  Coinjinny,  No.  4. — J.  M.  Fo-X,  Foreniiiii. 

The  following  have  officiated  as  chief  onginoors  from  tho 
organization  of  the  city  to  I87!t;  B.  F.  MuUin,  1874-76; 
J, dm  D.  Ihiidy,  187(i-78;   B.  F.  Mullin,  1879. 

The  d.'piirtnient  is  now  in  a  good  condition,  ami  consists  of 
tw.)  sli'iim  lire-engines,  one  hook-and-lmlder  compmiy,  four 
liose  coiiiiianies,  and  an  extinguisher  company. 

Til  1.;    WATER-WOUKS. 

Tho  cily  is  supplied  with  water  by  gravitation  from  two 
contiguous  ponds,  called  Ashley's  and  Wright's,  located  with- 
in the  city  limits,  about  three  and  one-half  miles  from  the 
city-hnll.  Tho  works  were  begun  in  1872,  and  in  August 
of  the  following  year  were  completed.  The  reservoirs  will 
supply  two  million  gallons  per  day  for  one  hundred  and  forty- 
three  days  without  any  inflow,  and  the  water-shed  of  tho 
ponds  embraces  172(1  acres.  The  works  arc  constructed  in  tho 
best  possible  nninner,  and  the  entire  system  cost  less  than 
l)'2ri0,000,  the  limit  prescribed  by  the  Legislature.  The  works 
are  self-suiiporting,  and  there  is  every  indicalion  that  tho 
entire  expense  of  construction  will  be  j.aid  out  ..f  the  current 
income. 

BURIAL-PLACES. 

KOKKSTDALK   CKMKTKRT. 

"This,  ittiifc,  Kt't  fl"o..  fnun  .■..niiii.in  iim.,  18  liulli.wetl  (^i.tniiil ; 
or  t-i.v.',  ..f  Melli.try,  tlw.  diLnoii  shrine." 

'I'lie  need  of  a  cemetery  more  convenient  of  access  and  ade- 
quate to  the  wants  of  an  increasing  population  hail  long  been 
felt  by  the  citizens  of  Uolyoke,  and,  in  the  autumn  of  18(iO, 
tho  necessary  legal  steps  were  taken  to  form  a  cemetery  asso- 
ciation and  purchase  suitable  grounds.  At  a  town-meeting 
bolden  in  Dctober,  tho  sum  of  !S15tX)  was  appropriated  to  aid 
in  the  purchase  of  such  grounds  upon  certain  conditions, 
which  have  been  fulfilled.  An  association  was  duly  formed, 
Nov.  1,  18(10,  under  the  name  and  style  of  the  Forestdalo 
Cemetery  Association,  and  24.^  acres  of  land  purchased  of 
lion.  K.  A.  Chapman  and  Vi .  T.  Davis  (surviving  trustees) 
at  $UK)  per  acre.  In  order  to  obtain  a  regular  boundary,  i\ 
acres  of  this  land  were  exchanged  for  an  equivalent  amount 
belonging  to  the  Uolyoke  AVatcr-Power  Company.  The 
Lyman  Mills,  Hampden  Mills,  Holyoko  AVator-Power  Com- 
pany, and  Holyoko  Machine-Shop  aided  the  project  by  lib- 
eral purchases  of  lots. 

The  work  of  reclaiming  the  grounds  was  attended  with 
much  ditKculty,  and  was  carried  on  energetically  during  the 
whole  of  the  following  year,  under  the  direction  of  Mr.  J.  S. 
Davis,  the  president  of  tho  association.  Tho  cemetery  was 
finally  laid  out  by  the  joint  labors  of  the  president  and  Mr. 
AVm.  G rover,  of  Holyoko. 

Tho  first  board  of  officers  were  as  follows  :  Jones  S.  Davis, 
President  ;  Porter  Underwood,  Secretary  and  Treasurer. 
Board  of  Trustees;  Jones  S.  Davis,  Porter  Underwood,  J.  M. 
AVhitin,  Henry  AVheeler,  Edwin  11.  Ball,  S.  Stewart  Chase, 
S.  J.  Weston,  Austin  Ely,  Asa  O.  Colby,  S.  H.  AValker. 
Auditors;   B.  B.  Johnson,  Chester  Crafts. 

The  cometery  was  dedicated  Juno  22,  18(12,  and  the  services 
were  of  an  impressive  and  interesting  character.  The  dedica- 
tory address  was  delivered  by  Prof.  J.  G.  A'oss,  of  Amherst 
College,  and  the  address  on  behalf  of  the  trustees  by  George 
C.  Kwing,  Esq.  An  interesting  jwrt  of  the  services  was  tho 
reading  of  a  poem  by  Uev.  iti.swell  Foster. 

The  people  of  Uolyoke  nianifesteii  a  geneml  interest  in  tho 
cemetery  from  its  inception,  and  are  entitled  to  groat  credit 
in  beautifying  this  sacred  spot.  It  is  delightfully  located  on 
a  gentle  eminence  in  the  suburbs  of  the  city,  and  is  one  of 
the  linest  rural  burial-places  in  New  England. 

The  present  officers  of  the  association  aro  as  follows ;  AiVil- 
I     liain  (Jj\>vor,  President ;  K.  B.  Johnson,  Secretary  and  Treas- 
urer;  William  (Jiwor,  O.  H.  Uoywowl,  H.  A.  Chase,  Levi 


i'l^v 


IIISTORY   OF  HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


929 


Perkins,  J,  F.  Allyn,  G.  Cox,  William  Whiting,  0.  S.  Tattle, 
G.  W.  Prentiss,  and  W.  S.  Loomis. 

SOCIETIES. 

IIOLYOKE    LODGE,    NO.    134,    I.    O.    O.    F. 

This  lodge  was  organized  Sept.  27,  1849,  by  R.  W.  G.  Master 
Samuel  Wells,  of  Northampton.  . 

The  following  officers  have  been  installed  :  1st,  William 
Mekher,  N.  G. ;  A.  S.  Peck,  Y.  G. ;  D.  Bowdoin.  Sec. ;  Ben- 
jamin Taylor,  Treas.  2d,  W.  W.  Giddings,  N.  G. ;  Thomas 
H.  Kelt,  V.  G. ;  H.  S.  Babbitt,  Sec. ;  H.  K.  Hutchinson,  Treas. 
:M,  D.  Bowdoin,  N.  G. ;  T.  H.  Kelt,  V.  G. ;  W.  Koberts,  Sec. ; 
<i.  L.  Squires,  Treas.  4th,  Thos.  H.  Kelt,  N.  G. ;  Charles  Jf. 
Ingalls,  V.  G. ;  W.  Roberts,  Sec;  H.  S.  Babbitt,  Treas. 
f)th,  H.  S.  Babbitt,  N.  G.  ;  G.  Snow,  V.  G. ;  A.  B.  Williams, 
Sec. ;  E.  M.  Bostcm,  Treas.  6th,  G.  Snow,  N.  G. ;  A.  B.  Wil- 
liams, V.  G. ;  D.  R.  Pierce,  Sec.  7th,  E.  B.  Rose,  N.  G.  ;  H. 
Baker,  V.G.;  John  Munn,  Sec;  S.  Flinn,  Treas.  8th,  S. 
Flinn,  N.  G.  ;  E.  M.  Boston,  V.  G. ;  E.  Chapin,  Treas.;  H. 
R.  Day,  Sec.  9th,  E.  M.  Boston,  N.  G. ;  Benjamin  Tayl.)r, 
V.  G. ,  E.  M.  Ely,  Sec  ;  H.  A.  Foss,  Treas.  lOlh,  Benjamin 
Taylor,  N.  G. ;  Charles  Mason,  Y.  G.  ;  E.  M.  Ely,  Sec. ;  H. 
A.  Foss,  Treas.  11th,  Charles  Mason,  N.  G. ;  S.  H.  Walker, 
Y.  G. ;  J.  W.  Davis,  Sec. 

The  lodge  surrendered  their  charter  to  the  Grand  Lodge, 
Nov.  27,  1854,  and  it  was  reclaimed  by  si.\  members  of  the 
order.  May  21,  18.J.J,  when  the  following  officers  were  in- 
stalled: A.B.  Hildreth,  N.  G. ;  W.  L.  Haskell,  Y.  G.  ;  D.  E. 
Kingsbury,  Sec. ;  R.  P.  Crafts,  Treas. 

The  charter  was  again  surrendered  to  the  Grand  Lodge  in 
January,  18-5(5,  and  was  reclaimed  March  3,  1875,  by  eleven 
members  of  the  order,  and  the  lodge  reinstated  by  R.  W.  A.  G. 
M.  S.  B.  Grogman,  and  the  following  officers  were  installed: 

1st,  E.  B.  Tibbits,  N.  G. ;  W.  E.  Syms,  Y.  G. ;  E.  W. 
Burns,  Sec. ;  S.  Snell,  Treas.  2d,  W.  £  Syms,  N.  G. ;  J.  C. 
Avery,  V.  G. ;  W.  H.  Jewett,  Sec. ;  S.  Snell,  Treas.  3d,  J. 
C.  Avery,  N.  G. ;  W.  H.  Jewett,  Y.  G. ;  G.  W.  D.  Lyon, 
Sec;  S.  Snell,  Treas.  4th,  W.  H.  Jewett,  N.  G.  ;  J.  JI. 
Sickman,  Y.  G. ;  J.  H.  Prout,  Sec;  S.  Snell,  Treas.  oth,  J. 
M.  Sickman,  N.  G.  ;  H.  M.  Smith,  Y.  G.  ;  J.  B.  Whitehouse, 
Sec. ;  S.  Snell,  Treas.  6th,  H.  M.  Smith,  N.  G. ;  G.  W.  D. 
Lyon,  Y.  G.  ;  G.  W.  Tourtellott,  Sec. ;  S.  Snell,  Treas.  7th, 
G.  W.  D.  Lyon,  N.  G. ;  J.  B.  Whitehouse,  Y.  G. ;  J.  W. 
Prouty,  Sec. ;  S.  Snell,  Treas.  8th,  J.  B.  Whitehouse,  N.  G. ; 
G.  W.  Tourtellott,  Y.  G. ;  H.  F.  Farr,  Sec.  ;  S.  Snell,  Treas. 

The  present  officers  are  as  follows:  G.  W.  Tourtellott,  N. 
G. ;  G.  H.  Smith,  Y.  G. ;  G.  R.  Smith,  Sec. ;  S.  Snell,  Ti'eas. 

HOLYOKE    COUNCIL,    SELECT    AND    ROVAL    MASTKUS, 

was  organized  under  dispensation,  Sept.  22,  1873,  with  tlie 
following  charter  members  ;  G.  H.  Smith,  E.  M.  Belden,  J. 
M.  Sickman,  G.  W.  Edwards,  C.  B.  Harris,  C.  J.  Brown,  H. 

C.  Ewing,  A.  W.  Browning,  Wm.  Grover,  L.  M.  Tattle,  J. 
H.  Richards,  M.  W.  Prentiss,  R.  B.  Johnson,  E.  J.  Pomcroy, 
A.  Higginbottom,  A.  E.  Marsh,  W.  S.  Perkins,  Levi  Perkins, 
N.  W.  Quint,  H.  J.  Sawtelle,  R.  M.  Fairfield,  R.  S.  Howard, 

D.  P.  Crocker,  W.  H.  H.  Ward,  and  A.  S.  Shumway. 

The  first  officers  under  dispensation  were  G.  H.  Smith,  T.  I. 
M.  ;  Wm.  S.  Perkins,  R.  I.  M.  ;  J.  M.  Sickman,  I.  M.  of  W. ; 
A.  E.  Marsh,  M.  of  C. ;  R.  S.  Howard,  M.  of  E. ;  R.  M.  Fair- 
field, Recorder;  C.  B.  Harris,  C.  of  G.  ;  H.  J.  Sawtelle,  Con- 
ductor; Levi  Perkins,  Sentinel;  M.  W.  Prentiss,  Organist  ; 
G.  W.  Edwards,  Chaplain  ;  N.  W.  Quint,  Tyler. 

The  first  officers  under  the  charter  were  installed  Jan.  7, 
1874,  as  follows:  G.  H.  Smith,  T.  I.  M.  ;  W.  S.  Perkins,  K. 
I.  M.  ;  Wm.  Grover,  I.  M.  of  W. ;  J.  M.  Sickman,  M.  of  C.  ; 
R.  S.  Howard,  M.  of  E.  ;  R.  M.  Fairfield,  Recorder;  C.  B. 
Harris,  C.  of  G. ;  H.  J.  Sawtelle,  Conductor  ;  A.  W.  Brown- 
ing, Sentinel ;  E.  J.  Pomeroy,  Chaplain  ;  N.  W.  Quint,  Tyler. 

The  presiding  officer  of  the  council  for  1873,  74,  and  '75  was 

117 


Geo.  H.  Smith,  and  from  that  time  until  the  present  Wm. 
Grover. 

The  present  officers  are  Wm.  Grover,  T.  I.  M. ;  R.  M. 
Wilson,  D.  M. ;  H.  J.  Sawtelle,  P.  C.  of  W.  ;  W.  S.  Loomis, 
Treas.;  Wm.  Ruddy,  Recorder;  Dwight  Bradburn,  C.  of  G. ; 
A.  A.  Paul,  C.  of  C. ;  E.  G.  Best,  Steward  ;  S.  M.  Richards, 
Marshal;  T.  F.  Waterman,  Chaplain;  N.  W.  Quint,  Tyler. 

MOUNT   TOM    LODGE,    F.   AND    A.   M., 

was  organized  April  5,  IS-jO,  and  worked  under  a  dispensation 
until  December  12th  of  same  year,  at  which  time  it  received 
its  charter  from  the  Grand  Lodge.  Its  organization  began 
with  seven  charter  members.  The  first  W.  M.  was  Brother 
S.  K.  Hutchinson.  On  the  morning  of  Aug.  18,  18.52,  fire 
was  discovered  in  the  building  occupied  by  the  lodge.  The 
entire  block  was  consumed,  and  Mount  Tom  Lodge  lost  all 
its  property  except  its  charter.  Brother  N.  W.  Quint,  who 
was  Master  of  the  lodge  at  this  time,  for  some  reason  fortu- 
nately carried  the  charter  home  with  him  after  the  previous 
meeting,  and  thus  it  was  saved  to  the  lodge.  Although  Holyoke 
at  this  time  had  hardly  arrived  at  the  dignity  of  a  village,  and 
the  membership  of  the  lodge  was  small,  yet,  notwithstanding 
their  loss,  their  work  went  on  without  interruption. 

The  lodge  has  for  many  years  held  a  foremost  ^josition 
among  the  lodges  in  this  district  in  point  of  excellence  in 
Masonic  work,  and  its  officers  have  alwa\s  taken  pride  in 
sustaining  the  position.  The  lodge  is  now  making  arrange- 
ments to  move  to  more  suitable  quarters,  or  have  the  present 
enlarged  and  remodeled  to  meet  their  requirements.  The 
present  membership  is  about  350. 

Another  branch  of  the  Masonic  order  exists  in  the  city, — 
the  Mount  Holyoke  Chapter. 

MOUNT  HOLYOKE  ROYAL  ARCH  CHAPTER 

was  incorporated  in  September,  1865.  The  charter  members 
were  B.  S.  Bucklin,  N.  W.  Quint,  Henry  Wheeler,  B.  B. 
Johnson,  C.  L.  Frink,  William  Grover,  Porter  Underwood, 
T.  H.  Wellington,  E.  A.  Marsh,  Chas.  H.  Lyman. 

The  Past  High-Priests  are  William  Grover,  C.  L.  Frink, 
T.  T.  Waterman,  E.  G.  Best. 

The  present  officers  are  as  follows :  Dwight  Bradburn, 
H.  P.  ;  James  Stafibrd,  E.  K. ;  L.  M.  Richards,  E.  S.  ;  G.  S. 
Bassett,  Treas.  ;  G.  F.  Bassett,  Sec. ;  C.  W.  Brown,  C.  H. ; 
A.  A.  Paul,  R.  A.  C. ;  W.  C.  Wharfield,  P.  S. ;  C.  H.  Tower, 
Master  1st  Yeil ;  S.  Featherstone,  Master  2d  Yeil ;  T.  Slings- 
by.  Master  3d  Yeil ;  James  Caffrey,  S.  S.  ;  S.  E.  Bliss,  J.  I. ; 
T.  T.  Waterman,  C.  ;  N.  W.  Quint,  Tyler.  Whole  number 
of  members,  139. 

CONNECTICUT   VALLEY    LODGE,    KNIGHTS   OF   PYTHIAS, 

was  instituted  in  Holyoke,  March  17,  1870,  by  Myrtus  Lodge, 
of  Springfield.  The  charter  members  were  as  follows  :  Justin 
E.  Brown,  P.  C.  ;  John  H.  Cliftord,  C.  C. ;  A.  E.  Pomeroy, 
Y.  C.  ;  L.  C.  Browning,  Mr.  of  Ex.  ;  G.  G.  Dicky,  Mr.  of  F.  ; 
H.  Spencer,  K.  of  R.  and  S.  ;  W.  H.  Si-ssor,  Mr.  at  A. ;  F.  D. 
Chamberlin,  I.  G.  ;  E.  C.  Richardson,  O.  G. 

The  above-named  charter  members  constituted  the  first  offi- 
cers of  the  lodge,  John  H.  Clifford  being  the  first  Chancellor 
Commander.  Among  the  first  members  initiated  were  Dr.  L. 
M.  Tuttle,  Dr.  G.  H.  Smith,  C.  H.  Printers,  P.  J.  Crofts,  T. 
W.  Man,  W.  H.  H.  Ward,  R.  B.  Johnson,  H.  C.  Ewing,  and 
C.  H.  Richards.  The  order  continued  to  grow  quite  rapidly, 
but  the  first  members  of  the  lodge  had  to  work  hard  and  use 
their  money  quite  freely  for  the  first  two  years,  as  there  were 
a  good  many  expenses  incurred  in  furnishing  new  hall,  etc. 

The  lodge  has  prospered  through  all  these  years,  and  at  the 
present  time  is  one  of  the  strongest  in  the  State,  numbering 
about  100  members  in  good  standing.  The  lodge  has  had  but 
little  sickness  among  its  members  thus  far,  but  those  who 
have  suffered  have  been  well  attended  and  eared  for.  The 
lodge-room  and  property  are  worth  .flOOO;   the  lodge  is  free 


930 


HISTORY  OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


from  debt,  nnd  has  a  surplus  of  nearly  $500.  New  members 
are  constanlly  being  received.  On  the  1st  of  January,  1879, 
a  public  installation  was  held  in  the  city-ball ;  it  was  well 
attended,  and  was  an  interesting  aflair.  The  present  officers 
are  P.  C,  F.  E.  White;  C.  C,  I).  Bradburn  ;  V.  C,  C.  L. 
Farington;  P.,  W.  C.  Wharfield ;  K.  of  K.  and  S.,  Edwin 
B.  Pierce;  Mr.  at  A.,  O.  W.  Philbrick  ;  Mr.  of  E.k.,  F.  R. 
Norton;  Mr.  of  F.,  Edwin  E.  Bartlett;  I.  G.,  G.  W.  Itich- 
ards;  O.  G.,  .Tames  Thompson. 

EDUCATIONAL.* 

For  more  than  a  century  the  village  school  has  been  an  in- 
stitution of  the  people  occupying  the  present  territory  of  Hol- 
yoke.  Wherever  a  few  farmers  or  fishermen  had  li.xed  their 
abode,  there  they  seem  to  have  erected  the  temples  of  civiliza- 
tion. The.se  school-houses  were  located  as  follows:  one  near 
the  northeast  corner  of  the  town,  over  the  mountain  ;  one  on 
West  Street,  near  the  site  of  the  present  one  ;  another  some- 
what south  of  Craft's  tavern,  and  on  the  opposite  side  of 
Northampton  Street ;  another  on  the  spot  now  occupied  by 
the  Ingleside  station  platform  (Holyoke  and  Wcsttield  Rail- 
road) ;  another  at  the  south  end  of  Ashley's  Pond,  and  another 
south  of  Dwight  Street  and  west  of  the  new  Wauregan  Mill 
site.  In  the  latter,  Chester  W.  Chapin  taught  school  about 
fifty-six  years  ago,  while  the  venerable  Alexander  Day  and 
Col.  Edwin  Ball  and  some  others  of  our  own  citizens  pursued 
pedagogics  in  several  of  these  houses  nearly  a  generation  ago. 
None  of  these  earlier  school-houses  have  successfully  withstood 
the  wear  and  tear  of  time  and  use,  and  their  precise  location 
can  with  difficulty  be  determined.  The  records  of  School 
District  No.  15,  West  Springfield,  are  the  only  records  of  these 
ancient  schools  that  have  eome  to  our  hands,  and  these  do  not 
begin  until  1802.  This  book  contains  only  a  very  brief  account 
of  the  annual  meetings,  though  it  is  continued  sixty  years,  the 
first  entry  having  been  made  Nov.  29, 1802,  and  the  last  Nov. 
24,  1862.  This  school  was  located  near  the  site  of  the  present 
West  Street  school-house.  Many  of  the  items  would  prove 
interesting  reading  to  the  present  denizens  of  the  village. 
The  first  runs  thus  : 

Nov.  29, 1802. — "  At  a  school-meetiug  held  at  the  school-house,  Pased  the  fol- 
lowing Votes: 

"  1st.  Choes  Mr.  Peresh  Hitchcock  Moderator. 

"2(1.  Caleb  Hunieston  Clerk. 

"3d.  Voted  to  give  Caleh  Hiimeston  3s.  6(/.  a  week  for  boarding  Mis.s  Sally 
Clapp  three  months. 

"4th.  Voted  t<i  give  Caleb  Humeston  2«.  per  week  for  boarding  Lovina  Humes- 
ton  three  mouths. 

"5th.  Voted  that  we  bring  :.^  cord  of  wood  for  each  HclioUnr  that  we  send  to 
school  in  our  turns,  or  pay  eigiit  shillings  for  each  cord  of  wood  tlurl  tlie  coin- 
niiltee  shall  provide  leady-cut  fit  for  tlie  fire. 

"  6th.  Choes  Mr.  Elisha  Ashley  committee  for  the  ensuing." 

Caleb  Humeston  was  clerk  of  the  first  of  the  meetings  above 
alluded  to,  and  moderator  of  the  last  recorded.  All  these 
schools  seem  to  have  been  managed  in  nearly  the  same  man- 
ner. They  were  neighborhood  afl'airs,  doubtless  indifferently 
taught,  some  of  them  having  a  smaller  number  of  pupils  than 
the  smallest  of  our  present  suburban  schools ;  the  burden  of 
their  support  rested  upon,  and  seems  to  have  been  bravely 
borne  by,  a  few  persons. 

The  changes  which  visited  the  district  school-houses  between 
the  two  dates  given  above  cannot  be  given  in  this  brief  sketch. 
Suffice  it  to  say  that  the  Ingleside  school-house  gave  place  to 
one  located  near  the  dry  bridge,  above  the  old  site  ;  the  West 
Street  "house  to  one  farther  west ;  the  West  Holyoke  house  to 
the  Rock  Valley  house  ;  the  Northampton  Street  house  to  the 
one  farther  north  ;  the  one  in  "  the  fields"  south  of  Dwight 
Street  to  one  standing  west  of  the  Prentiss  Wire  Company's 
mill,  where  the  Upper  Level  Canal  now  flows.  This  topic 
should  not  be  dismissed  without  special  reference  to  a  note- 
worthy institution  known  as  "The  Seminary,"  built  in  1808. 
The  house  was  a  two-story  frame  structure,  40  feet  long  by  35 

*  Contributed. 


broad,  and  was  located  south  of  Stephen  Rand's  house.  The 
original  ])roprietors  were  Rev.  Thomas  Rand,  the  father  of 
Stephen,  who  owned  one-third.  Deacon  Perez  Hitchcock,  who 
owned  tlie  larger  share  of  the  balance,  Caleb  Humeston,  Aus- 
tin Goodyear,  grandfather  of  the  present  one,  Noah  Woolcott, 
David  Bassett.  Only  a  part  of  the  upper  story  of  the  building 
was  finished,  and^in  this  Elder  Rand,  as  he  was  called,  suc- 
cessfully conducted  his  seminary  some  24  years,  impressing 
his  character  and  learning  upon  many  who  still  hold  their 
place  and  importance  among  us,  and  others  still  whose  good 
name  and  fame  any  teacher  would  be  proud  to  claim  as  the 
result  of  his  labors.  This  incijiicnt  college,  with  one  professor, 
during  those  years  had  for  its  pupils  Col.  E.  H.  Ball,  Fred- 
erick and  Annie  Street,  Charles  Ely  and  Norman  Smith,  of  Tat- 
ham  ;  Thaddrnis  Kent,  of  West  Springfield  ;  Solomon  Ashley, 
of  Ashley  ville  ;  Rev.  Justin  Perkins,  missionary  to  the  Nesto- 
rians  ;  Rev.  Hosea  Howard,  missionary  to  Burmah  ;  Dwight 
Ives,  D.D.,  pastor  at  Suffield  thirty-five  years  ;  Rev.  Thomas 
Barrett ;  David  Pease,  who  lately  died  in  Ashleyville  at  the 
age  of  nearly  one  hundred  years;  Rev.  Reuben  Winchell  ; 
Rev.  Asahel  Chapin,  still  living  in  Kansas;  Alonzo  Lamb; 
John  Cook,  of  Huntington  ;  Linus  Day,  lately  deceased  ; 
Curtis  and  Quarfus  Ely,  still  living  ;  Bishop  Humeston, 
father  of  Dr.  L.  F.  Humeston,  of  this  city,  and  others  whose 
names  are  worthy  of  addition  to  this  honorable  roll.  The 
lower  story  of  the  seminary  was  used  for  recitation-room  and 
public  worship.  But  a  change  came  over  the  old  seminary  on 
the  removal  from  town  of  Elder  Rand,  and  some  thirty-four 
years  ago  the  building  was  taken  down  and  removed  to  the 
spot  now  occupied  by  Mr.  Timothy  Merrick's  skating-rink. 
About  this  time  a  change  was  made  in  Ihe  eastern  limit  of  the 
Baptist  village  district.  This  region  was  cut  ofi'  from  the 
Ireland  parish  district,  and  accommodated  with  a  district 
school  in  the  lower  story  of  the  seminary,  finished  for  the 
purpose. 

The  seminary  prospered  under  Mr.  William  Gamwcll, 
who  kept  it  for  some  time,  when  it  was  familiarly  known  as 
"Gamwell's  school."  The  school  was  afterward  taught  by 
Messrs.  Gardner,  Leavitt,  Barton,  T.  W.  Wadsworth  (1847), 
Kimball,  Pratt,  Joseph  Darwin  Long,  son  of  Dr.  Long, 
of  this  city,  now  a  lawyer  in  Illinois,  Oscar  Ely,  Rev.  Dr. 
Chapin  Carpenter,  for  many  years  pastor  of  the  church  in 
Paris,  also  editor  of  the  Illustrated  Christian  Week/;/  and 
a  hymn-book,  now  pastor  of  the  Madison  Avenue  Church 
in  New  York  City,  Chapin  Carpenter,  of  Burmah,  and  Mr. 
Bissell,  some  seventeen  years  ago.  Like  those  of  most  high 
schools  and  academies  of  that  day,  the  teachers  were  frequently 
changed,  and  the  above  list  represents  far  more  years  than 
names.  Generally,  however,  the  school  bore  a  good  and  often 
a  high  ch;iracter.  Soon  after  its  removal  to  Baptist  village, 
the  original  owners  generously  relinquished  their  personal 
right  in  the  building,  and  the  school  was  maintained  by  the 
district  until  the  growth  of  the  incipient  city  made  a  new 
centre  of  learning  as  well  as  of  business.  The  above  brief 
sketch  falls  far  short  of  doing  justice  to  the  intelligent  iind 
persistent  energy  with  which  a  small  and  scattered  community 
maintained  schools  of  excellent  merit.  A  total  stranger  a  few 
days  ago  to  these  facts  and  the  people  they  concern,  I  stop 
this  agreeable  narrative  to  record  my  astonishment  at  the  taste 
for  the  better  culture  manifest  in  the  kind  and  success  of  their 
educational  institutions,  maintained  largely  at  personal  cost, 
but  shared  and  cherished  by  nearly  all.  The  old  seminary, 
losing  its  patronage,  was  finally  sold  at  auction  to  Rev.  Chapin 
Carpenter,  for  the  non-payment  of  a  printer's  bill,  Mr.  Car- 
penter doubtless  intending  to  secure  its  continuance  as  a  per- 
manent institution.  By  this  time,  however,  influence  and 
population  were  drawing  all  things  to  the  new  centre,  and 
Mr.  Carpenter  gave  up  the  struggle,  selling  the  "seminary," 
by  the  hands  of  the  aucticmeer,  Robert  Marsh,  to  George  C. 
Ewing,  of  this  city.     The  building  was  torn  down,  brought 


Samuel  Barrett  Alltn  was 
born  in  the  township  of  Mont- 
gomery, Mass.,  Aug.  31,  1822. 
His  father,  David  Allyn,  Esq.,  of 
Montgomery,  and  Joanna  Barrett, 
his  mother,  were  descended  from 
the  first  settlers  of  Groton,  Conn. 

Mr.  Allyn  received  his  education 
in  the  schools  of  his  native  town. 
At  the  age  of  twenty-two  he  started 
in  business,  devoting  the  following 
three  years  to  farming. 

In  1847  he  moved  to  Holyoke, 
Mass.,  and  entered  into  partner- 
ship with  his  elder  brother.  Deacon 
Anderson  Allyn,  in  the  marketing 
business.  Being  successful,  they 
also  soon  engaged  in  the  real-estate 
business.  At  the  present  time  they 
are  the  owners  of  large  tracts  of 
land  in  and  about  the  city  of 
Holyoke,  and  have  built  several  of 
the  finest  business  blocks  and  over 
thirty  dwelling-houses  in  the  city. 
They  have  been  largely  interested 
as  stockholders  in  many  of  the 
manufactories  of  the  city,  Mr.  S. 
B.  Allyn  being  for  two  years  a 
director  in  the  Holyoke  Paper 
Company,  and  another  year  its 
treasurer. 

In  November,  1849,  Mr.  Allyn 
married  Miss  Sarah  P.  Ball.  They 
had  one  daughter,— Virginia,  born 


°'<     '        / 


SAMUEL  B. ALLYN. 


in  November,  1850.  Mrs.  Allyn 
diedin  April,  1866.  The  daughter, 
after  graduating  at  the  high  school, 
was  sent  to  Europe  to  complete  her 
education,  where  she  remained  two 
years.  She  died  of  consumption, 
in  1874. 

In  1867,  Mr.  Allyn  married  Miss 
Catherine  Merrill,  daughter  of 
Daniel  Merrill,  Esq.,  of  Connec- 
ticut, and  .sister  of  Cela  Merrill, 
the  celebrated  Hebrew  scholar,  of 
Andover.  By  this  marriage  there 
were  born  two  children, — Robert 
Arthur,  Nov.  9,  1869,  and  Mary 
Catherine,  September,  1871.  The 
mother  died  in  January,  1874. 

In  1875,  Mr.  Allyn  married  Miss 
H.  Eraeline  Minor,  of  Stonington, 
Conn.,  daughter  of  Capt.  Frank 
Minor,  who,  with  his  ship,  was  lost 
at  sea  on  a  voyage  to  the  West 
Indies,  nothing  being  heard  from 
them  after  sailing  from  New  York. 

In  early  life  Mr.  Allyn  was  a 
Whig,  but  has  been  a  Republican 
si  nee  the  organization  of  that  party. 
He  has  been  a  member  of  the 
Second  Congregational  Church  for 
twenty  years.  In  1876  his  resi- 
dence was  destroyed  by  fire,  and  in 
the  same  year  was  replaced  by  his 
present  fine  residence,  erected  at  a 
cost  of  $25,000. 


Res.ofS.B.ALLYN,  Holyoke, Mass. 


HISTORY   OF   HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


931 


into  the  village,  where  its  boards  ma}-  be  found  to-day,  cover- 
ins;  the  sides  of  a  building  near  Ewingville.  Thus  closes  the 
first  period  in  the  history  of  the  schools.  If  the  second  period, 
with  its  ample  means  and  the  inspiration  of  great  material 
prosperity,  exhibits  equal  zeal  and  proportionate  success,  the 
history  of  Holyoke  will  be  as  conspicuous  for  its  educational 
institutions  as  for  its  business  success. 

The  following  exhibit  shows  the  condition  of  the  schools  of 
the  town  of  Holyoke  at  the  time  of  its  organization  :  number 
of  districts,  9;  teachers  employed,  20, — 6  males  and  14  females  ; 
number  of  persons  between  the  ages  of  .5  and  15,  .537:  num- 
ber attending  school  in  summer,  492  ;  in  winter,  471 ;  average 
attendance  in  summer,  294 ;  in  winter,  328 ;  months  taught 
by  males,  23|;  by  females,  72| ;  amount  of  wages  paid  to 
males,  §719.50 ;  to  females,  $10.33. 59.  The  appropriation  by 
the  town  for  schools  was  ^1800.  The  schools  increased  in 
number  and  usefulness,  and  in  1873,  the  last  year  of  the  town 
organization,  the  appropriation  by  the  town  for  schools 
amounted  to  §25,350  ;  and  the  average  number  of  scholars 
for  the  year  was  738. 

The  following  exhibit  from  the  superintendent's  report 
shows  the  value  of  school  property,  etc.,  in  the  year  1878: 
school-houses,  11  (9  brick,  2  wood);  value  of  lands,  S31,5u9; 
value  of  buildings,  975,300;  number  of  sittings,  1848;  pupils 
enrolled,  18.54;  value  of  furniture,  §'5384;  value  of  books  and 
apparatus,  $2037;   total  valuation,  $117,840. 

The  school  committee's  report  for  1878  shows  the  number  of 
children  enrolled  in  the  public  schools  1948  ;  number  in  the 
city  between  the  ages  of  5  and  15,  3163;  and  the  average 
attendance,  1403. 

Since  the  incorporation  of  the  city  the  schools  have  been  in 
flourishing  condition.  In  the  language  of  the  school  commit- 
tee, "  the  schools  are  well  furnished,  liberally  provided  with 
educational  requisites,  and  are 'conducted  under  a  thorough 
and  rigid  system  of  inspection  and  supervision." 

The  present  organization  of  the  school  committee  is  as  fol- 
lows :  Hon.  William  Whiting,  Mayor,  Chairman ;  E.  L. 
Kirtland,  Secretary  and  Superintendent  of  Schools ;  at  large, 
G.  C.  Ewing,  term  expires,  1880;  John  Doyle,  1881 ;  Ward  1, 
William  Kuddy,  1880;  Ward  2,  F.  Morrison,  1882;  AVard  3, 
Patrick  Herbert,  1880;  Ward  4,  William  Kelly,  1882;  Ward 
5,  Daniel  M.  Manning,  1881;  Ward  6,  E.  W.  Chapin,  1882; 
Ward  7,  E.  P.  Clark,  1881. 

THE    PRESS. 
THE    HOLYOKE   TRANSCRIPT. 

The  Transcript  is  published  semi-weekly,  Wednesdays  and 
Saturdays.  It  was  established  in  1863,  the  first  number  ap- 
pearing April  11th  of  that  year.  It  was  published  weekly 
during  nine  years.  In  April,  1872,  the  first  number  of  the 
Wednesday  edition  was  issued,  and  it  has  been  a  semi-weekly 
from  that  date.  The  Saturday  edition  of  1863  was  a  ■24-column 
folio  sheet,  22  inches  by  3H  inches,  the  same  size  as  the  present 
Wednesday  edition.  In  April  it  was  enlarged  to  28  column, 
24  by  35  sheet.  In  August,  1868,  another  enlargement  was 
made,  this  time  to  a  27  by  40  sheet,  of  32  columns.  In  April, 
1870,  it  was  enlarged  to  48  columns,  and  was  printed  on  a 
sheet  31J  by  44  inches,  and  in  the  present  quarto  form.  Tlie 
founders  of  the  Transcript  were  Messrs.  Henry  it.  Burt  and 
C.  H.  Lyman.  In  August,  1864,  Mr.  Lyman  purchased  Mr. 
Burt's  interest,  and  conducted  the  paper  until  Feb.  11,  1871, 
when  Mr.  E.  L.  Kirtland  purchased  an  interest,  and  the  firm 
of  Lyman  &  Kirtland  published  the  Transcript  until  May  1, 
1873,  when  Mr.  Lyman  sold  his  interest  to  Mr.  W.  S.  Loomis. 
In  August,  1875,  Mr.  Kirtland  retired,  selling  his  half  of  the 
establishment  to  Mr.  Loomis,  who  has  been  sole  proprietor 
since  that  time. 

The  files  of  the  local  papers  since  1848,  publisiied  by  this 
establishment,  are  carefully  preserved  in  the  Transcript  office. 
It  has  been  the  aim  of  the  publishers  of  the  Transcript  to 


make  a  good  local  paper.  It  seeks  to-day  to  honestl}-  give  a 
complete  and  true  record  of  local  events,  and  to  comment 
freely  upon  local  needs.  Its  files  contain  such  a  history  of 
the  rise  and  progress  of  town  and  city  as  can  nowhere  else 
be  found,  and  it  has  been  generously  supported  by  the  citizens 
of  Holyoke. 

The  Transcript  has  published,  from  time  to  time,  illustra- 
tions and  descriptions  of  the  noteworthy  buildings  and  enter- 
prises of  the  city,  and  histories  of  its  churches,  manufactories, 
and  worthy  institutions.  It  is  the  popular  advertising  medium 
of  the  merchants  of  the  city,  and  has  a  large  circulation  among 
former  residents  in  other  towns  and  States. 

THK    HOLYOKE    NEWS. 

The  Holyoke  News  was  founded  April  13,  1878,  by  Hon.  W. 
H.  Phillips,  who  removed  to  the  city  from  Pittsfield,  where 
for  nearly  six  years  he  was  the  publisher  of  the  Pittsfield  Sun, 
having  previously  founded  the  Hoosac  Valley  News,  at  North 
Adams,  and  having  also  owned  and  published  the  Adams 
Transcript,  in  the  same  town.  He  is  the  oldest  editor  in  actual 
service  west  of  the  Connecticut  Kiver,  having  wielded  the 
editorial  pen  over  thirty  continuous  years.  He  was  educated 
at  Williams  College,  is  a  practical  printer,  has  filled  minor 
town-ofilces,  and  was  elected  to  the  State  Senate  from  the 
North  Berkshire  district  in  1874.  The  Holyoke  News  is  inde- 
pendent in  politics,  and  carries  a  free  lance  in  both  political 
and  local  topics. 

The  following  are  obsolete  publications  :  the  Hampden  Free- 
7nan,  started  in  1849  by  William  L.  Morgan,  changed  in  1853 
to  Holyoke  Freeman,  and  subsequently  to  Holyoke  Weekly 
Mirror.  The  New  City  Weekly  Times,  started  in  1849  by  J. 
F.  Downing.  The  Independent  was  established  by  E.  G. 
Plaisted  «&  Co.  in  1854.     These  had  only  a  brief  existence. 

ECCLESIASTICAL   HISTORY. 
THE    FIRST   CONGREGATIONAL    CHURCH. 

The  First  Congregational  Church  of  Holyoke  was  organized 
by  Dr.  Lathrop,  of  the  First  Congregational  Church  of  West 
Springfield,  Dec.  4,  1799,  with  the  following  members  :  Joseph 
Rogers,  Amos  Allen,  Titus  Morgan,  Timoth}'  Clough,  Susan 
Morgan,  Nathan  Stephens,  Jonathan  Clough,  John  Miller, 
and  Glover  Street.  The  first  regular  preacher  of  whom  any 
record  exists  was  Rev.  Mr.  Taylor,  in  1816,  who  was  engaged 
to  preach  one  Sunday  in  four.  After  his  dismissal  an  ar- 
rangement was  made  with  the  Baptists,  b\-  which  it  was  agreed 
that  the  money  raised  by  the  Congregationalists  should  be  paid 
to  Rev.  Thomas  Rand,  pastor  of  the  Baptist  Church,  and  that 
he  should  exchange  with  Congregational  ministers  "  to  supply 
us  with  preaching  our  ]iart  of  the  time."  Rev.  Mr.  Hays  sup- 
plied the  church  in  1828,  and  remained  until  1833.  He  was 
succeeded  by  Rev.  Harvey  Smith,  who  officiated  until  Jan.  4, 
1841.  The  next  pastor  was  Rev.  Gideon  Dana,  from  1841  to 
1844;  he  was  followed  by  Rev.  Simeon  Miller,  who  supplied 
the  pulpit  from  September,  1844,  to  1846,  when  he  was  called 
as  pastor,  and  was  ordained  Maj'  7,  1846,  and  continued  in  the 
pastoral  relation  until  Jan.  22,  1870.  Theodore  L.  Day  was 
ordained  and  installed  Dec.  18,  1872,  and  remained  until  June 
24,  1874.     The  present  supply  is  Rev.  S.  W.  Clarke. 

The  deacons  of  the  church  have  been  as  follows :  Joseph 
Rogers,  Amos  Allen,  .John  T.  Dunham,  Nathan  Morse,  Hiram 
Jones,  Hervey  Chapin,  David  C.  Rogers,  Lorenzo  Nash,  Ly- 
man F.  Thorp,  and  Samuel  T.  Lyman. 

THE   FIRST    B.A^PTIST   CHURCH. 

This  church  was  organized  Oct.  5,  1803,  as  the  Second  Bap- 
tist Church  of  West  Springfield,  with  the  following  members: 
Thomas  Rand,  Caleb  Hummiston,  Perish  Hitchcock,  Benj. 
Bassett,  Asahel  Chapin,  Jedediah  Day,  Austin  Goodyear, 
Joseph  Ely,  Sarah  Hummiston,  Anna  Hitchcock,  and  Bela 
Gill.  There  were,  however,  members  of  the  Baptist  Church 
in  this  vicinity  as  early  as  1727.     In  that  year  five  persons  in 


9:i2 


HISTORY   OF  THE   CONNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


Wist  Sprinsficltl— which  at  that  time  inchided  Agawnm  and 
Hulviike— were  iinincrscJ  on  a  profession  of  faith  by  Rev.  K. 
C;alfnilei-,  of  Hoston.  In  1740  these  persons,  witli  others, 
three  of  wlioni  were  Col.  Benj.  Ely,  Capt.  Joseph  Kly,  and 
Asahel  Chapin,  organized  as  a  church  at  Feeding  Hills. 
This  little  band  of  believers,  however,  occasionally  received 
ministration  from  Kev.  Asa  Todd,  wlio  would  walk  from  his 
parish  in  ISnssell,  si.xteen  miles  distant,  and  return  on  the 
same  day.  Of  the  council  that  constituted  the  present 
church,  Elder  Oano,  of  I'rovidence,  was  chairman,  and  Elder 
Jesse  Whitman,  clerk.  The  first  pastor  was  Kev.  Thomas 
Rand.  The  following  have  served  this  church  as  pastors 
from  its  organization  to  the  present  time:  Thos.  Kand,  Oct. 
C,  1803,  to  Feb.  lU,  1828;  Richmond  Taggart,  March  13, 
1828,  to  Dec.  22,  1828;  H.  Archibald,  April  5,  1830,  to  Aug. 
13,  1832;  Ira  Hull,  May  C,  1H3.'),  to  1837;  H.  D.  Doolittlc, 
Aug.  16,  1838,  to  April  1,  1842;  William  L.  Brown,  Aug.  23, 
1842,  to  April  1,  184(3;  Joel  Kenney,  1846,  to  May  !),  1847; 
A.sahel  Chapin,  Oct.,  1847,  to  June  17,  184'J;  Mark  Carpen- 
ter, Jan.  1,  1849,  to  April  1,  18.ji) ;  S.  W.  Gorman,  from 
April  1,  18-59,  to  April  1,  1864;  J.  U.  Kent,  from  May  1, 
1864,  to  March,  1806  ;  J.  L.  A.  Fish,  May  14,  1868,  to  1872  ; 
Kev.  W.  H.  Evans,  1872,  jire-sent  pastor.  The  following 
have  served  as  deacons:  Caleb  Hummiston,  Perish  Hitch- 
cock, Stephen  Chaiiin,  Cyrus  Frink,  Abraliani  Jones,  Caleb 
Hummiston,  Sanuiel  J.  Street,  Newton  Day. 

The  records  show  that  "  in  1792  the  Baptists  erected  a  meet- 
ing-house about  half  a  mile  south  of  the  jiresent  house,  but 
were  able  to  finish  it  only  on  the  outside."  "After  a  few 
years  the  Congregationalists  solicited  them  to  remove  it  far- 
ther north  and  they  would  help  finish  it  and  own  a  part  of  it. 
It  was  accordingly  removed,  pews  put  in  on  the  floor,  and 
front  scats  in  the  gallery."  This  building  was  completed  in 
about  1811,  and  was  occupied  until  1826,  when  the  society 
built  the  present  house  of  worship,  which  has  been  several 
times  repaired  and  improved. 

THK    SECOND    CO.N'OREGATION AL    SOCIETY. 

The  liistory  of  this  church  dates  back  to  the  summer  of 
1848,  when  services  were  held  in  a  school-house  located  near 
the  present  Lyman  Mills.  They  subsequently  worshiped  in 
the  brick  school-house  and  in  Excliange  Hall.  The  church  was 
organized  May  24,  1849,  and  I'ev.  Mr.  Pierce  was  the  first 
pastor,  and  remained  until  18-51.  Other  pastors  were  as  fol- 
lows: Rev.  Richard  Knight,  1853-5-5;  J.  B.  R.  Walker, 
1855-64;  L.  R.  Eastman,  Jr.,  1865-67;  J.  L.  R.  Trask,  1867, 
present  incumbent.  The  deacons  are  as  follows :  Robert  S. 
Howard,  Anderson  Allyn,  Alex.  H.  Child,  Samuel  Prentiss, 
M.  L.  Childs,  A.  O.  Colby,  W.  J.  Johnson,  Nathan  Clark, 
John  D.  Hardy,  and  Chalmers  Chapin. 

The  present  church  edifice  was  commenced  in  18.52,  and 
completed  and  dedicated  in  1853. 

THE    SECOND    BAPTIST    CHUKCH. 

The  Second  Baptist  Church  was  organized  June  27,  1849, 
with  Rev.  Asahel  Chapin  as  pastor,  the  congregation  at  that 
time  worshiping  in  what  was  known  as  Gallaudet  &  Terry's 
Hall,  corner  of  Lyman  and  High  Streets,  Ireland  Depot. 
The  first  members  of  the  church  were  as  follows  :  Rev.  Asahel 
Chapin,  Warner  Chapin,  Catherine  Chapin,  Elizabeth  B. 
Chapin,  Joseph  Ely,  Jr.,  Ruth  Ely,  Orrin  Hummiston,  Ed- 
win Chase,  Maria  Cubase,  John  M.  Chapin,  Mary  Chapin, 
Jane  Chapin,  Permelia  Chapin,  Fannie  Hummiston,  Alonzo 
Lamb,  Phebe  Lamb,  Martha  Smith,  Priscilla  Frink,  Austin 
Ely,  Climena  Ely,  E.  G.  Bugbee,  Amanda  Bugbee,  Benj.  E. 
White,  Sarah  White,  Mary  White,  B.  Howard,  Laura  A. 
Howard,  W.  G.  Emerson,  Lovina  H.  Emerson,  Anna  Fay, 
Daniel  Hemminway,  Samuel  Oliver,  Jane  Oliver,  Moses  Rice, 
Anna  Rice,  Ballard  Pettingill,  Sarah  PettingiU,  John  Parker, 
:Mary  Ann  Parker,  Johanna  Parker,  F.  Hummiston,  and 
Marv  Emerson. 


The  society  worshiped  in  Chapin  Hall  until  18-55,  when 
it  removed  to  the  vestry  of  the  new  church.  The  church 
was  dedicated  Nov- 17,  1859.  In  1863  the  liouse  was  destroyed 
by  fire,  when  meetings  were  again  held  in  the  hall  until  the 
rededication  of  the  church  in  1865.  The  pastors  have  been  as 
fi.llows:  Asahel  Chapin,  1849-.52;  J.  French,  i8.53-55;  J.  W. 
Gorman,  18-56-58  ;  C.  H.  Rowe,  1861-02  (supply) ;  A.  M.  Av- 
erill,  1862-68;  Edwin  Burnham,  January  to  September,  1868 
(supply)  ;  Edwin  Burnham,  pastor,  .January,  1869,  October 
same  year;  R.  J.  Adams,  December,  1869,  present  pastor. 
The  present  clerk  is  H.  A.  Chase. 

The  list  of  deacons  is  the  following:  John  Parker,  Edwin 
Chase,  BuUard  Pettingill,  Joseph  El}-,  James  Laraareaux, 
E.  T.  Richards,  A.  C.  Slater,  John  W.  Currier,  Cyrus  Frink, 
G.  E.  Lamb,  George  Thayer,  Edwin  Chase,  George  E.  Lamb, 
Geo.  Thayer,  and  Timothy  Merrick.  Present  membership, 
420. 

THE    METHODIST    EI'ISOOI'AI,    CIIUKCH. 

This  church  was  organized  in  18-53  with  20  members,  and 
tlie  first  pastor  was  Rev.  Thos.  March.  Services  were  held  in 
Lyman,  Gallaudet  &  Terry 's,  and  Chapin's  halls,  successively, 
until,  July  4,  1869,  they  removed  to  the  vestry  of  the  church. 

The  following  have  officiated  as  pastors  :  Rodney  Gage,  Phi- 
lander Wallingford,  M.  Emory  Wright,  Martin  Chapin,  Na- 
thaniel Fellows,  Wm.  J.  Hambleton,  Wm.  D.  Birge,  John 
Peterson,  Samuel  Roy,  I.  B.  Bigelow,  T.  J.  Abbott,  W.  N. 
Richardson,  C.  S.  Merrill,  and  William  Gordon,  present  pas- 
tor.    Present  membersliip,  200. 

The  present  trustees  of  the  church  are  S.  F.  Barrett,  AVm. 
Ruddy,  Levi  Lamb,  J.  M.  .Dunham,  C.  D.  Cosson,  T.  P. 
Smith,  Alvah  Oldcrshaw,  and  W.  T.  Dean. 

ST.  PAUL'S    EPISCOPAL    CHURCH. 

This  church  was  organized  in  1863,  and  services  were  first 
held  in  Exchange  Hall,  High  Street  ;  afterward  the  congre- 
gation worshiped  in  a  chapel  on  !J[aple  Street,  the  property 
of  one  of  their  members. 

The  corner-stone  of  the  first  church  edifice  owned  by  the 
parish,  the  same  which  they  now  occupy,  was  laid  in  1806, 
and  the  church  was  subsequently  completed  at  a  cost  of 
§30,000.  Early  in  the  year  1868  the  congregation  began  to 
hold  services  in  the  new  church.  It  has  accommodations  for 
seating  300  to  400  persons.  The  present  rector  is  Rev.  A. 
Skecle,  and  the  church-wardens  are  George  H.  Le  Doyt  and 
E.  P.  Ford.     The  present  number  of  communicants  is  180. 

THE   GERMAN    REFORMED   CHURCH 

is  located  on  Park  Street.     Rev.  T.  B.  Hanle  pastor. 

ST.  JEROME   PARISH  (CATHOLIC). 

The  church  belonging  to  this  parish  was  begun  in  1856,  and 
comjileted  in  1860.  It  has  ever  been  a  flourishing  church,  and 
has  taken  a  deep  interest  in  all  matters  tending  to  the  welfare 
of  its  communicants.  In  connection  with  this  church  is  the 
convent  of  Notre  Dame,  the  St.  Jerome  Institute,  and  the 
orphan  asylum  and  hospital.  The  parish  is  under  the  pastoral 
care  of  Rev.  Father  P.  J.  Harkins. 

TIIK    CHURCH    OK    THE    SACRED    HEART 

is  a  large  and  flourishing  Catholic  Church.  Rev.  Father 
J.  T.  Sheehan  is  pastor. 

THE   FRENCH    ROMAN    CATHOLIC   CHURCH 

is  one  of  the  finest  church  edifices  in  the  city  ;  it  is  brick,  with 
marble  trimmings.  The  old  church  belonging  to  this  society 
was  burned  May  27,  1875,  and  71  persons  perished  in  the 
flames.  The  remains  of  47  of  the  victims  lie  buried  in  one 
common  grave  in  the  French  Catholic  cemetery,  across  the 
river,  in  South  Iladley. 

MILIT.\RV. 

SOLDIERS'    MONUMENT. 

In  Hampden  Park  stands  the  fine  monument  erected  in 
commemoration  of  the  patriot  dead  of  Holyoke.     It  is  16  feet 


i 


HISTORY   OF   HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


933 


in  height,  surmounted  by  a  bronze  female  figure  9  feet  in 
height.  In  the  right  hand  of  the  bronze  figure  is  suspended  a 
wreath,  white  the  left  hand  rests  on  a  shield.  The  front  of  the 
stone  bears  the  following  inscription:  "In  memory  of  our 
volunteers  who  died  for  the  Union,  1861-18G.J.''  On  the  Maple 
Street  side  the  following  names  are  inscribed  :  Capt.  Myron  C. 
Pratt,  1st  Mass.  Cav. ;  Joel  M.  Lochling,  John  Minehan,  John 
II.  Wild,  Maurice  Henman,  3d  Mass.  Cav. ;  Thomas  S.  Hol- 
man,  1st  Mass.  Inf.  ;  Sergt.  Eoland  S.  Willistcm,  2d  Inf. ;  Corp. 
H.  A.  Eaton,  Sergt.  Amos  Pettis,  Jr.,  10th  Mass.  Inf  ;  Sergt. 
John  Walker,  Corp.  Hiram  K.  Bean,  Corp.  James  Baldwin, 
Corp.  Osmyn  B.  Paul,  John  Barry,  James  W^.  Burr,  Herbert 
J.  Boyington,  Levi  W.  Brooks,  Anthonj'  Cain. 

The  Hampden  Street  side  bears  the  following  names :  James 
Conners,  10th  Mass.  Inf. ;  William  H.  Estes,  John  Falvey, 
Michael  Gorham,  Charles  E.  Hovey,  Joseph  Maguire,  Abner 
D.  Otis,  Robert  J.  Stewart,  Simeon  P.  Smith,  Daniel  D.  Shea, 


IIOLYOKE  IX  THE  REBELLION. 
Albeit  F.  Iluiiiy,  llllh  Rogt.,  Cj.  I. 
C'lias.  II.  Kli:l|.p.  llllh  Rfgt.,  Co.  I. 
n.  1'.  Suiith,  tilth  Ufgt.,  Co.  [. 
H.  A.  I';ige,  llllh  lii-jct.,  Co.  I. 
0.  B.  Paul,*  lutli  Kegt  ,  Co.  I. 
Jiihu  n.  Kc-U.-y,  luth  Regt.,  Co.  I. 
S.  W.  Reed,  luth  Regt.,  Co.  I. 
D.  li.  Xje,  loth  Rest  ,  Co.  I. 
A.  D.  Olis.t  l"'ll  R'Bt..  Co.  L 
Chas.  W.  Cocliiane,  lUtli  Regt.,  Co.  I. 
Geo.  Connor,  tilth  Regt.,  Co.  I. 
Augiislns  SeifiTt,  lOlh  Regt.,  Co.  I. 
,la<.  \V.  Burr.t  Idth  Kegt.,  Co.  I. 
Rol/t.  .1.  Stewart,*  lUtli  R-gf.,  Co.  I. 
Chiis.  V.  TowncT,  lUlh  Regt.,  Co.  I. 
Chas.  E.  Hove.v,*  10th  Regt.,  Co.  I. 
W.  H.  Estes,*  10th  Regt.,  Co.  I. 
J.Iin  Siilhvan,lilth  R-gt,  Co.  I. 

riiaa.  II.Deiie.lOtll  Regt.,  Co.  I. 

W.  F.  Lamb,  Ilitli  Regt ,  Co.  I. 

Win.  II.  Eaton,  Mth  Regt.,  Co.  I. 

John  Bari-.v,*  luth  R'-gt.,  Co.  I. 

Simeon  1'.  .Sniilli,*  loth  Regt.,  Co.  I. 

John  Falvey.t  loth  Regt.,  Co.  I. 

II.  K.  Bean,  lotli  Regt.,  Co.  I. 

Jas.  N.  Daihy,  10  h  Regt ,  Co.  I. 

Patrick  Rns-sell,  10th  Rr^gt ,  Co.  I. 

Henry  M.  Converse,  loth  Regt.,  Co.  I. 

0.  W.  I'ealioily,  loth  Regt.,  Co.  I. 

D  O.  Jiiild.lOih  Regt.,  Co.  I. 

Josiah  Ghasi.n,*  21st  Regt. 

J.is.  Bablwin.t  lll;h  R.gl.,  Co.  I. 

John  R.  Walker,  101  h  R-gt.,  Co.  I. 

Freileritk  Biirnhain,  10th  Regt.,  Co.  I. 

Geo.  Biirnham,  loth  Regt.,  Co.  I. 

Sylvaiins  H.  Brady,  10th  Regt.,  Co. I. 

II.  J.  Boyington,*  10th  Regt., Co. I. 

A.  F.  Bradford,  loth  Regt.,  Co.  I. 

Antliuny  Cain.f  lOlh  Regt., Co.  I. 

Daniel  Cronan,*  loili  Regt., Co. I. 

Peter  Iluot,  lOlh  Regt.,  Co.  I. 

Jos.  Kelley,  lOtli  Regt.,  Co.  I. 

Jas.  Kilroy,  lOili  Regt.,  Co.  I. 

D.  D.  Sh.'ii,*  loth  Regt.,  Co.  I. 

Jos.  Jlagnire.t  10th  Regt.,  Co.  I. 

A.  Robert,  2d  Regt.,  Co.  E. 

John  Alexander,  2ii  Regt.,  Co.  B. 

Jiio.  Allan,  Jr.,  2.1  Regt. 

Jos.  G.  Albee,  341h  Regt.,  Co.  D. 

John  .\very,  34lh  Rc-gt ,  Co.  D. 

II.  I).  Aldrich,  a4th  Regt.,  Co.  D. 

Chas.  R.  Avery,  :i6th  Regt.,  Co.K. 

J.  Anisiz,  4th  Cav.,  Co.  C. 

Jos.  Ashley,  l:ith  Art.,  Co.  I. 

John  Ashley,  13th  Art.,  Co.  I. 

Oliver  Allen,  :Jd  H.  Art.,  Co.  I. 

A.  L.  Bmidy,  21,-t  Regt ,  Co.  H. 

Geo.  II    Bean,  21st  Regt.,  Co.  II. 

J.  W.  Barllett,  24lli  Regt.,  Co.  C. 

J.  II.  Burnham,  24lh  Regt.,  Co.  A. 

John  Burns,  2(1  Regt. 

Albert  Poshodt,  2d  Regt ,  Co.  A. 

I).  W.  C.  Browning,  2d  Regt.,  Co.  I. 


Geo.  Baldwin,  2d  Regt. 
Aaron  Baldwin,  27th  Re^ 
W.  S.  Bnxton,  27th  Regt 
0.  Burlinganie,  27tli  Kegl 
A.M.  BiUler,  271h  Kegt., 


t.,  Co.  G 
,  Co.  K. 
.,Co.  K 
Co.K. 


Avery  Bryant,  27th  Regt.,  Co.  C. 

J.  II.  Biirlingame,  2"lh  Regt.,  Co.  K. 

J.  II.  Burnham,  :i4th  Regt.,  Co.  E. 

John  B.  Burgess,  27th  Regt ,  Co.  B. 

J.  H.  l!all,4tith  Regt. 

Eli  W.  Bartlett,  4Gth  Regt. 

G.  W.  Beny,  4Gth  Regt. 

Jno.  Bradley,  4rith  Regt. 

Wm.  Bradley,  46tli  Regt. 

John  C.  Bryant,  4Glh  Regt. 

H  J.  Butler,  tilth  Regt. 

John  Bare,  Sth  Regt. 

E  M.  Burgess,  1st  Cav.,  Co.  B. 

Wm.  Burnett,  4th  Cav.,  Co.  G. 

Carl  Brandt,  4tli  Regt,  Co.  E. 

Jas.  Bostwick,  :!d  H.  Art.,  Co.  C. 

Win.  Barry,  3d  Regt.,  Co.C. 

Jas.  Boady,  2d  II.  Art.,  Co.  C. 

G.  N.  Bean,  3d  Regt. 

JohnCarlin,  2d  Regt. 

Chas.  Clark,  2d  Regt. 

Jas.  Clark,  2d  Regt. 

Richard  Clark,  34th  Regt,,  Co.  D. 

James  Connors,*  loth  Regt.,  Co.  If. 

II.  D.  Cochran,  20th  Regt. 

M.  Connors,  21st  Regt.,  Co.  B. 

Pat.  Ciishing,*  21st  Regt.,  Co.  B. 

Geo.  Chalmers,  27th  Regt.,  Co.  G. 

Richard  Curry,  27th  Regt ,  Co.  G. 

Stephen  C.  Clark,  32d  Regt.,  Co.  E. 

Neil  Cullen,  34th  Regt,,  Co.  D. 

J.  H.  Copeland,  34th  Regt.,  Co.  D. 

E.  CIark,t  34ih  Regt.,  Co.  D. 

Jas.  Coinnirs,  34th  Regt. 

H.  D.  Cochrane,  37th  Regt.,  Co.  A. 

E.  P.  Clark,  JClh  Uegt. 

G.  W.  Chase,  461h  R.-gt. 

L.  A.  Cliilds,  4Cth  Regt. 

Robert  Clapp,  46th  Regt. 

J.  A.  Cleveland,  4Ctli  Regt. 

0.  W.  Cozin,  4Cth  Regt. 

Mike  Ey.stel,  4Cth  Regt. 

E.  M.  Clapp,  62d  Regt.,  Co.  H. 

Chas.  Connell,  o'.lth  Regt.,  Co.  G. 

D.  Charlewath,  5'Jth  Regt.,  Co.  G. 

H.  Connors,  59th  Regt.,  Co.  G. 

R.  J.  Cochrane,  I.st  Cav  ,  Co.  E. 

D.  B.  R.  Couch,  1st  Cav,,  Co.  F. 

John  Connor,  1st  Cav.,  Co.  G. 

J.  J.  Cuiran,  2d  H.  Art.,  Co.  B. 

Jas,  Connors,  3d  H.  Art.,  Co.  C. 

J.  Couchen,  13th  H.  Art.,  Co.  I. 

Thos.  Doyle,  2d  Regt. 

Tat.  Deviiie,f  31st  Regt.,  Co.  E. 

C.  Donahue,  3Ist  Regt., Co. G.' 

John  Donahue  (2d),*  31st  Regt 

T.  B.  Dooley,  34th  Regt.,  Co.  D. 

Con.  Donahue,*  34tli  Regt.,  Co.  D. 

C.  L.  Delmage,  34lh  Regt.,  Co.  I. 


Stevenson  Sill,  1.5th  Mass.  Inf. ;  Capt.  John  D.  Erazier,  21st 
Mass.  Inf. ;  Patrick  Gushing,  Josiah  Gleason,  J.  W.  Bartlett, 
24th  Mass.  Inf.  ;  Corp.  Richard  Curry,  27th  Mass.  Inf.  ; 
Henry  Lyman,  B.  F.  ^lackluster,  Robert  McDonald. 

On  the  northwest  or  Chestnut  Street  side  are  the  following- 
names :  James  Sullivan,  27th  Mai-s.  Inf.;  Thomas  Sullivan, 
Lieut.  Prank  A.  Cook,  31st  Mass.  Inf.  ;  Corp.  W.  C.  Van 
Valkenburg,  Patrick  Devine,  John  Donahue,  Malcom  Smith, 
Corp.  Charles  K.  Avery,  35th  Mass.  Inf. ;  Daniel  Cronan, 
Richard  Wall,  46th  Mass.  Inf  ;  Fred.  S.  Fairbanks,  56th 
Mass.  Inf.  ;  James  P.  Brooks,  57th  Mass.  Inf.  ;  W^illiam 
Prentiss,  Jr.,  George  M.  Williston,  58th  N.  Y.  Inf. ;  Elbridge 
G.  Pierce,  volunteer  surgeon. 

The  four  bas-relief  plates  represent  four  military  scenes. 
The  monument  is  a  fine  work  of  art,  and  was  designed  by 
H.  G.  EUicott,  an  officer  in  the  Confederate  service  under 
Gen.  Mosby.    It  was  cast  at  Powers  art  foundry  in  New  York. 

M.' Donnelly,  r4th  Regt.,  Co.  I. 

J.  W.  Davis,  4i;th  Regt. 

II.  P.  Dickerman,  40th  Regt. 

E.  E.  Davis,  4i;ih  Regt. 
E   P.  Davis,  401  h  Regt. 
II.  B.  Dayton,  4Cth  Regt. 
II.  S.  Dickerman,  40tli  Regt. 
P.  F.  Dover,  40th  Regt. 
Jas.  Doyle,  4Gth  Regt. 
Robert  Dillon,  4Gth  Regt. 

B.  F.  Davenport,  1st  Ciiv. 
John  Donahue,  3d  H.  Art. 
Wm.  Downs,  3d  Cav. 
11.  A.  Eaton.t  2il  Regt.,  Co.  G. 
Oscar  Ely,  4Gth  Regt. 
Chas.  Ely,  4Gth  Regt. 
J.  A,  Ellsbiee,  4Ctli  Regf. 
Wm.  Fletcher,  2d  Regt.,  Co.  F. 
Lawrence  Fay,  2d  Regt. 
Chas.  Francis,  2d  Regt. 
J.  D.  Frazer.t  2l5t  Regt.,  Co.  11. 

F.  S.  Fairbaiik,  2lst  Regt.,  Co.  H. 
Maniiee  Farrell,21st  Regt,  Co.  B. 
Chas.  H.  Foster,  31st  Kegt.,  Co.  E. 
R.  R.  Fuller,  34th  Regt.,  Co.  D. 
L.  E.  Fisher,  34th  Regt.,  Co.  I. 
Chas.  Fi3h,4GIh  Regt. 
Jcdin  Flynn,  4Clh  Regt. 
Chas.  Freelaiid,  4Gth  Kegt. 
J.  Fuller,  461h  Regt,,  Co.  A. 
James  Fox,  1st  Cav.,  Co.  F. 
Wilham  Fitzgerald,  41h  Regt.,  Co.  11. 
Jas.  Fryer,  2d  U.  Art.,  Co.  E. 
Cluas.  II.  Flanders,  3d  H.  Art  ,  Co.  C. 
S.  Fonleroy,  6th  Cav,,  Co.  I. 
M.  Gorman,*  lOlh  Begt.,  Co.  H. 

D.  F.  Griswolij,  2d  Regt,,  Co.  B. 
I.  W.  Gibsc  n,  21al  Regt.,  Co.  H. 
Thos.  Goodress,  21st  Regt.,  Co.  H. 
Tat.  Gartland,  3Ut  Regt.,  Co.  E. 
Fred.  Goddard,  34lh  Regt.,  Co.  D. 

E.  F.  Gill,  4i;th  Regt. 
Napoleon  Gill,4Gth  Regt. 
J.  R.  Gilmore,  4Clh  Regt. 

G.  W.  Gorham,  41st  Regt.,  Co.  F. 
H.  L.  Gill,  67th  Regt.,  Co.  K. 
M.  Gary,  13th  II.  Art.,  Co.  I. 
J.  D.  Green,  13th  II.  Art.,  Co.  I. 
Geo.  Il.Gunn. 

John  Gorman,  173il  N.  Y.  Regt. 
T.  S.  Holinan.t  1st  Regt. 
John  Howe,  2d  Regt. 
John  Harper,  2d  Regt. 
John  Hinley,  2d  Regt. 

F.  Horning,  2d  Regt. 
John  Howard,  2d  Regt. 
Jas.  Hart,  16th  Regt..  Co.  K. 
J.  Hang,  15lh  Regt,,  Co.  A. 
J.  Ilascor,  21st  Regt. 
A.  E.  Hiimmiaton,  21st  Regt,,  Co.  H. 
Fred.  Horning,  21st  Regt. 
Wm.  Ilamepin,  27tb  Regt. 

C,  H.  Hopkili,  34th  Regt.,  Co.  D. 
H.  C.  Dallelt,  34th  Regt.,  Co.  F. 


,  Co.  G. 


*  Killed. 


t  Died. 


934 


HISTORY   OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


I.  N.  Hitchcock,  341I1  Kegt.,  Co.  T. 

John  Maloncy,  4Rth  Regt. 

J.  Shahone,  40th  Regt. 

Jerry  Ilurringto'i,  :{;"»lli  Rugt. 

Pat.  McGralh,4Gth  Regt. 

J.  A.  Suell,40lh  Regt 

Ci.li.  Il.'iilj-,  JClli  Itcgt. 

N.  McCallistcr,  I-st  Cav.,  Co.  E. 

Asa  M.  Scarlet,  40th  Regt. 

S.  A.  II^ll,  4r;th  licgt. 

Wm.  Marsh,  1st  Cav. 

W.  H.  Smitli,  1st  Cav.,  Co.  V. 

Diinit'l  IIiiriiioii,4Grli  Rfgt. 

John  Miiiehan,*  1st  Cav.,  Co.  F. 

J.  Lolan,  1st  Cav. 

John  IlanlMgtoii,  4Cth  Rcgt,  Co.  B. 

Charles  McFarlan,  4th  Cav. 

W.  H.Sisson,  1st  Cav.,  Co.G. 

C.  II.  IlalBeld,  4i;tli  Rpgt. 

JolHi  Moohr,  41I1  Cav.,  Co.  E. 

John  Shchiin,  13tli  U.  Art  ,  Co.H. 

J.  B.  Ih.lliin.l,  .'.7lh  Uogt.,  Co.  C. 

David  Morris,  4lli  Cav.,  C...  F. 

A.  S.ilis,  2d  Regt. 

J.J.  ll.'liiMT,  571I1  Ilogt. 

Pal.  Mahoney,  2d  li.  Art.,  Co.  A. 

Win.  Snyder. 

HomiT  Ilj'ile,  Ist  Cav. 

.lames  Markey,  3d  H.  .\lt.,  Co.  I. 

John  Thompson,  2d  Regt. 

Pliilip  11)  de,  1st  Cliv. 

Geoi-ge  Maitin,  5tli  Cav.,  Co.  I. 

Jniiies  Tu.niey,  2d  Kegt 

P.  Ilim-s,  IritCav.,  Co.  E. 

Charles  Marshall. 

M.  Toughey. 

Wra.  Hull,  1st  Cav,,  Co.  D. 

E.  Newton. 

M.  Tranier,  35th  Regt 

Morris  HeriUiili,*  Ist  Cav.,  Co.  I. 

C.  Nolan,  15lh  Regt ,  Co.  K. 

John  Tenhill,37tli  Regt. 

J.  11.  Henley. 

Arthur  Neal,34tli  Regt.,  Co.  D. 

John  Terrill,  4Gth  Regt,  Co.  B. 

H.  B.  Ingraham,  Ist  Cav.,  Co.  F. 

John  Norris,  37tli  Regt.,  Co.  I. 

James  TrUTiibull,  3d  11.  Art,  Co.  I. 

F.  M.  James,  lUlh  Kegt.,  Co.  C. 

C.  H.  Noyes,  4Gth  Regt.,  Co.  I. 

J.din  Undeihill,  2il  Regt,  Co.  I. 

Wm.  Johnson,  2.1  Eegt.,  Co.  A. 

Samuel  Niles,  4th  Cav.,  Co.  M. 

C.  D.  Ufford,  Itlth  Regt,  Co.  F. 

Jas.  John-oil,  '2tl  Re;rt. 

Joseph  Noel,  13th  H.  Art ,  Co.  I. 

C.  Van  Arx,  2d  Regt 

Josejih  Jolinaoii,  2'i  Regt. 

Juliu  Norton. 

M.  C.  Van  Valkenhiirg,  31st  Regt,  Co.  E. 

Ed.  M.  Gillsoii,  27lh  Rc-gt.,  Co.  G. 

Jerry  O'Connor,  31st  Regt., Co.  B. 

R.  Williston,J2d  Regt,  Co.  G. 

Fred.  A.  Judd,  :i4tli  R.-gt.,  Co.  D. 

Geo.  B.  Oaks,  31st  Regt.,  Co.  E. 

M.  Warren,  2d  Regt.,  Co.  A. 

E.  F.  Jefls,  4Cth  liegt. 

T.  O'Donnell. 

B.  Wheeler,  2d  R.gt 

Alliert  Johnson,  1st  Cav. 

T.  H.  Orwell,  40th  Regt. 

J.  A.  Wallace,  2d  Regt,  Co.  E. 

Jos.  Jiginor,  l:Uli  H.  Art.,  Co.  I. 

T.  O'Connor,  1st  Cav.,  Co.C. 

U.  A.  Warner,  lUth  Regt,,  Co.  C. 

Chus.  Knrz,  2d  Regt. 

Daniel  0'Keefc,34tli  Regt,  Co.  D. 

John  Warner,  lutli  Regt,  Co.  D, 

Wm  J.  Kniglit,  l.ith  Regt.,  Co.  K. 

M.  l're»cott,2d  Regt  ,  Co.  B. 

Tlios.  Wood,  ioth  Regt,  Co.  K. 

John  Kelt,  21st  Regt. 

J.din  Paxton,  28th  Regt.,  Co.  A. 

R.  Wel^-h,  151h  Regt.,  Co.  K. 

James  Kogler,  2Jth  Regt.,  Co.  G. 

John  E.  Parker, 3Ist  Regt.,  Co.  E. 

Alvin  White,  2l8t  Regt,  Co.  H. 

Lester  Kendell,  34tll  Regt.,  Co.  D. 

James  M.  Perkins,  34th  Regt.,  Co.  D. 

H.  A.  W.ilters,  27th  Regt.,  Co.  G. 

D.  E.  Kingsbury,  4nth  Regt. 

Frank  Parsons,  34lli  Regt.,  Co.  D. 

H.  S.  Williains,  27th  Regt,  Co.  G. 

A.O.  Kenney,  4Glh  Regt. 

Henry  Parsons,  4Uth  Regt. 

A.  Walter, 271  h  Regt,  Co.G. 

Wm.  D.  Knight,  4litli  Regt. 

A.  C.  Pratt,  40th  Regt. 

John  Ward,  27th  Regt,  Co.  G. 

E.  H.  Kelly,  :id  H.  Art.,  Co.  C. 

L.  R.  P.ebles,  4Gth  Regt ,  Co  I. 

William  Winters,  30th  Regt. 

Geo.  Leonard,  2d  Ri-gt.,  Co.  E. 

G.  B.  Peirce,  4Glh  Regt.,  Co.  B. 

Frank  Wispdane,  31st  Regt,  Co.  G. 

James  Lamh,  Itth  Regt.,  Co.  G. 

John  H.  Pike,  40tli  Regt.,  Co.  I. 

Daniel  Webster,  34tli  Regt,  Co.  D. 

A.  Leconr. 

M.  C.  l'ratt,t  1st  Cav.,  Co.  E. 

J.  A.  Winn,  34th  Kegt,  Co.  D. 

Henry  Lyman,*  27lh  Regt.,  Co.  A. 

F.  n.  Pierce,  13th  11.  Art.    '  ' 

0.  Washburn,  .ifltli  Regt,  Co.  K. 

John  Landers,  27th  Regt.,  Co.  E. 

C.  F.  Quint,  34lh  Regt.,  Co.  D. 

J.  W.  Wright,  3Gth  Regt,  Co.  K. 

Daniel  Lonimey,  34th  Regt.,  Co.  D. 

Wm.  Ryan,  2d  Regt.,  Co.  I. 

Henry  Wheeler,  4fith  Regt. 

Orrin  Ladd,  34th  Regt.,  Co.  1). 

Clias.  H.  Roliy,46lh  Regt. 

G.  E.  Whdak.-r,  4Crh  Kegt. 

Jose[.h  Laporte,  34tli  Regt.,  Co.  D. 

S.  B.  Rano,  4Gth  Regt. 

E.  Whitney,  4nili  Regt. 

W.  S.  Loomis,f  4Gth  Uegt.,  Co.  B. 

J.  11.  Ilichmonil,  57lh  Regt.,  Co.  G. 

L.  White,  40th  Regt,  Co.  M. 

James  Limeh;ui,  4Gth  Regt. 

Pat.  Ryan,4lh  Cav. 

E.W.Wellington,  46th  Regt 

J.  M.  Locklin,  1st  Cav.,  Co.  E. 

Wm.  F.  Rucker,  2d  H.  Art.,  Co.  A. 

R,  Ware,  4Gth  Regt. 

James  Looney,  2d  Regt. 

John  Reeves,  2d  H.  Art. 

E.  Ware,  4Gth  Regt. 

W.  J.  S.  Linyo,  3d  Cav. 

S.  C.  Robbius,  3d  H.  Art.,  Co.  C. 

A.  C.  Wheeler,  40tli  Regt, 

L.  Wullo. 

D.  MfCr..liin,  2d  Regt.,  Co.  G. 

Jerry  Miir|iliy,  2d  Regt.,  Co.  E. 

Henry  Smitli,  2d  Regt,  Co.  A. 

Geo.  Scott,  2d  Regt. 

S.  Sill,*  15th  Regt  ,  Co.  E. 

L.  W.  Williams.  1st  Cav. 
J.  H.  Wild,t  Ist  Cav.,  Co.  D. 
N.  Wilcomer. 

Pat.  McCarty,  2d  Regt. 

James  Sullivan,  21st  Regt.,  Co.  H. 

A.  Le  Grave,  67th  Regt,  Co.  I. 

J^mes  McLongliliii.  2d  Regt. 
John  Mockay,  2i|  Regt. 

Jerry  Sullivan,  2Isl  Regt,  Co.  B. 
Thomas  Shay,  21st  Regt. 

John  Murphy,  2d  Regt. 
M.Conner,  34th  Regt,,  Co.  D. 

Thomas  Montclair,  2d  Regt. 

Jame-3  Sullivan,!  27th  Regt.,  Co.  G. 

C.  W.  Cochrane,  37th  Regt.,  Co.  C. 

James  Morgan,  2d  Kegt. 
John  Mnlligan,  2d  Regt. 

Mathew  Sullivan,  27ih  Regt,,  Co.  G. 
Thoimas  Sullivan,*  27tli  Regt.,  Co.  K. 

C.  0.  Carpenter. 

Willinni  Prentiss,  Jr.,t  57th  Regt.,  Co.  K. 

Francis  IMacliiii,  lilili  Regt.,  Co.  G. 

Chas.  A.  Spencei-,  27lh  Regt,  Co.  A. 

E.  G.  Pierce.t 

Josi'pli  Moran.  21st  Regt.,  Co.  H. 

F.  D.  Stearns,  31st  Regt,  Co.  D. 

F.  S.  Cook,  31st  Regt.t 

James  McDonald,  27th  Regt.,  Co.  G. 

A.  Sill,  34th  Regt,  Co.  D. 

J.  G.  Smith,  40lh  Regt 

B.  K.  MaUinster,*  27tli  Regt.,  Co.  G. 

Almm  Smith,  34th  Regt.,  Co.  D. 

J.  R.  Webster. 

Rol.ert  McDonald,  27th  Regt.,  Co.  K. 

Jc>hu  A.  Savage,  34tli  Regt,  Co.  D. 

G.  M.  Williston,+  581h  N.  Y.,  Co.  C. 

H.  11.  MeachMin,  :i2d  Regt.,  Co,  E. 

Chas.  H.  Sampson,  a4th  Kegt,  Co.  D. 

L.  Brooke,t  Ibtli  Regt,  Co.  B. 

James  McFarlain,  .'54 ih  Regt.,  Co.  D. 
John  McMahaii,34th  Regt.,  Co.  D. 
James  McSueeney,  4(jth  Regt. 

M.  Smith,}  34th  Regt.  Co.  D. 
S.  H.  Stewart,  35th  Regt,  Co.  B. 
G.  D.  Sampson,  3Ctli  Regt,  Co.  K. 

R.  B.  Palmer,  27lh  R.gt,  Co.  A. 

NAVAL  SERVICE. 

Cliailes  McFailan,  4Gth  Regt. 

C.  V.  B.  Srmirt,  4Gth  Regt. 

John  Bilker,  B.  McEnty,W.F.  Morse,  J.F.  Moore, 

Wdlinglon  Muiiyan,  4Gth  Regt. 

E.  B.  Stillings,  4Gth  Regt,  Co.  A. 

J.  H.  Melighin,  J.  Morbul,  Wm.  Nichols,  J 

.IS 

Edward  Morcn,  4Cth  Regt. 

J.Sefton,Jr  ,4Ctli  Regt 

O'Neil,  A.  O'Neil,  Jas.  Outres,  N.  S.  Powers, 

D 

M.  Manning,  4Glh  Regt. 

Ch.is.  A,  Sanborn,  4Gth  Regt. 

Sherid.m,  and  Henry  Thomas. 

BIOGEAPHIOAL    SKETCHES. 


HON.    AVILLIAM   WHITING 

w.is  born  in  Dudley,  Mass.,  March  24,  1841,  and  is  the  son  of 
William  B.  Whiting  and  Elizabeth  B.  Whiting.  The  Whi- 
ting family  is  of  English  descent,  the  earliest  ancestor  in 
America  having  settled  in  Lynn,  Mass.,  dnring  the  year 
1G36. 

Mr.  Whiting  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Holyoke, 
and,  after  graduating  at  the  high  school,  began  his  business 


life  with  the  Holyoke  Paper  Company  as  book-keeper  in  1858. 
Afterward  he  traveled  as  their  agent,  and  later  accepted  the 
position  of  business  agent  of  the  Hampden  Paper  Company, 
but  resigned  at  the  end  of  three  months,  and  purchased  the 
wire-mill  now  known  as  "Whiting  No.  1,"  and  changed  it 
into  a  mill  for  the  manufacture  of  tine  writing-paper,  with  a 
capacity  of  five  tons  per  day.  This  business  proving  very 
successful,  he  purchased  a  tract  of  ground  on  Dwight  Street 


f  Promoted  Lieut 


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HISTOIiy  OF  HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


935 


and  the  second  level  of  the  canal,  and  erected  the  mill  known 
as  "  Whiting  No.  2,"  with  a  capacitj'  of  seven  tons  per  day, 
making  his  full  production  twelve  tons  per  day,  a  larger 
amount  than  is  manufactured  by  any  other  corporation  in 
America.  In  these  mills  he  employs  over  five  hundred  ope- 
ratives, with  a  pay-roll  of  over  one  hundred  and  eighty  thou- 
sand dollars  per  annum.  In  1877  he  erected  on  his  Dwight 
Street  property  a  beautiful  opera-house,  the  finest  in  New 
Enghmd  outside  of  Boston,  and  at  the  same  time  a  fine  hotel, 
■ — the  Windsor  House  (both  of  brick  with  stone  trimmings), 
— at  a  cost  of  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  thousand  dollars. 
In  1872  he  organized  the  Holyoke  National  Bank,  and  has 
been  its  president  since.  He  is  also  a  director  in  the  Chapin 
Banking  and  Trust  Company,  of  Springfield  ;  a  member  of 
the  finance  committee  of  the  Holyoke  Savings-Bank  ;  a  direc- 
tor in  the  Holyoke  Warp  Company ;  vice-president  of  the 
Holyoke  and  Westfield  Railroad,  and  has  been  largely  iden- 
tified in  other  enterprises.  In  politics  he  has  always  been  a 
Republican.  In  1873  he  was  elected  State  Senator  by  sixteen 
hundred  majority.  In  1877  he  was  elected  mayor  of  Holyoke, 
receiving  the  nomination  from  both  parties,  and  in  1878  he 
was  re-elected  over  the  regular  Democratic  nominee  by  more 
than  nine  hundred  majority.  In  1876  and  1877  he  held  the 
office  of  city  treasurer,  defeating  the  Democratic  candidate, 
notwithstanding  Holyoke  has  generally  given  a  majority  for 
the  Democratic  party.  In  1876  he  was  elected  delegate  to  the 
Cincinnati  Convention  which  nominated  President  Hayes. 

Mr.  Whiting  married,  in  1862,  Miss  Annie  M.,  daiigliter  of 
Luther  M.  Fairfield,  of  Holyoke,  and  has  two  children, — Wil- 
liam F.,  born  July  20,  1864,  and  Raynor  S.,  born  Jan.  20, 
1867. 


GEORGE  HERBERT  SMITH,  M.D,, 
son  of  Edmund  H.  and  Lucy  B.  Smith,  was  born  in  Chicopee, 
Mass.,  July  4,  1840.  He  received  a  liberal  education  and 
made  himself  proficient  in  all  the  branches  taught  in  the 
common  and  high  schools,  and  in  the  summer  of  1861  gradu- 
ated with  full  honors  at  the  Wesleyan  Academy,  at  AVilbra- 
ham,  Mass.  In  the  same  year  he  commenced  the  study  of 
medicine  with  Dr.  R.  T.  Chatfee,  of  Hartford,  Conn.  In 
September,  1862,  he  enlisted  as  private  in  the  2.5th  Regiment 
Connecticut  Volunteers,  and  in  January,  1863,  when  the  regi- 
ment was  stationed  at  Baton  Rouge,  he  was  detailed  on  special 
service,  and  was  quartermaster-sergeant  in  the  Ambulance 
Corps,  under  command  of  Surgeon  Rogers.  In  April  he  re- 
turned to  his  regiment,  the  surgeon  of  which  having  died, 
and  the  second  assistant  being  unfit  for  duty,  lie  was  assigned 
to  act  under  First  Assistant  Surgeon  Woods,  who  was  soon 
after  promoted  to  full  rank.  Dr.  Smith  was  with  the  Army 
of  the  Gulf  during  the  campaign  of  1863,  and  was  present 
and  rendered  valuable  service  at  the  battles  of  Irish  Bend, 
Franklin,  Donaldsonville,  and  the  siege  of  Port  Hudson. 
On  the  17th  of  June,  1863,  he  was  taken  prisoner  while  at 
Linwood  Hospital,  but  during  the  day  the  enemy  was  driven 
back,  and  he  Wiis  released.  He  returned  with  his  regiment, 
and  on  the  26th  of  August,  1863,  was  mustered  out  of  service. 
He  then  resumed  his  studies,  attended  two  courses  of  lectures 
at  the  Bellevue  Hospital  Medical  College  in  New  York,  and 
graduated  March  1,  1865. 

He  commenced  the  practice  of  medicine  in  TariftVille,  Conn., 
but,  his  health  failing,  in  the  ftiU  of  1866  he  moved  to  Syca- 
more, 111.  ;  but  in  1868  he  returned  to  New  England,  and  es- 
tablished himself  at  Holyoke,  Mass.,  where  he  has  since  resided. 
Dr.  Smith  makes  a  specialty  of  obstetrics  and  the  diseases  of 
women  and  children,  and  his  extensive  practice  is  sufficient 
testimony  to  his  professional  skill.  Though  an  ardent  advo- 
cate of  homoeopathy,  he  has,  by  his  liberal  views  and  courteous 
demeanor,  secured  the  respect  and  good-will  of  his  professional 
opponents. 


In  December,  1874,  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  common 
council  of  Holyoke,  and  re-elected  in  1875.  In  January, 
1876,  he  was  chosen  president  of  that  body.  In  December, 
1876,  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  board  of  aldermen,  and 
re-elected  the  following  year.  He  has  been  connected  with  the 
city  government  in  an  oflScial  capacity  since  its  organization. 

Dr.  Smith  has  always  been  a  Republican  in  politics.  He  is 
a  leading  member  of  the  Masonic  order,  in  which  he  has  risen 
to  the  thirty-second  degree.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Odd- 
Fellows'  society. 

He  married,  June  8,  1869,  Miss  Ada  M.,  daughter  of  Dr. 
C.  W.  Babcoc-k,  of  Medina,  Ohio,  and  has  had  three  children, 
— Abbie  M.,  born  May  10,  1872;  Edward  H.,  born  March  4, 
1874  (died  on  the  11th  of  the  following  December);  and  Lucy 
C,  born  March  11,  1876. 


THE  NEWTON  BROTHERS. 

JAMES    HALE    NEWTON 

was  born  in  Hubbardston,  Ma.ss.,  on  Jan.  13,  1832.  The 
Newton  family  in  America  are  descended  from  Moses  New- 
ton, who  was  born  in  England,  and  came  to  America  in  A.D. 
1700.  From  Moses  Newton  to  James  Hale,  we  find  several 
generations:  (1st)  Moses,  (2d)  James,  (3d)  Joseph,  (4th) 
Ebenezer,  and  (5th)  James  (the  father  of  James  Hale),  who 
was  born  in  1801,  and  who  married  Elizabeth  Hale,  another 
of  the  English  families  which  early  settled  in  Massachusetts. 
Mr.  Newton  was  educated  at  Dartmouth  College,  graduating 
in  1859.  While  fitting  at  Easthampton,  and  during  his  col- 
lege term,  he  taught  various  schools  during  the  winter  vaca- 
tions, to  assist  in  meeting  his  educational  expenses.  Imme- 
diately after  graduating  he  was  elected  to  the  principalship 
of  the  Thomas  Grammar  School, — the  largest  in  the  city  of 
Worcester,  Mass., — in  which  position  he  remained  five  years. 
At  the  end  of  that  time  he  removed  to  Holyoke,  Mass.,  and  in 
connection  with  his  brothers,  Daniel  H.  and  John  C.  New- 
ton, and  others,  organized  the  Hampden  Paper  Company 
(there  being  then  but  two  small  mills  in  Holyoke).  Their 
capacity  was  two  tons  of  collar-paper  per  day.  Mr.  New- 
ton acted  as  business  agent  and  treasurer  until  1866,  when  he 
disposed  of  his  interest,  and,  in  connection  with  his  fatlier-in- 
law,  Calvin  Taft,  Esq.,  of  Worcester,  organized  the  Franklin 
Paper  Company,  with  a  capacity  of  three  tons  per  day,  run- 
ning exclusively  on  book-  and  colored  envelope-paper.  Mr. 
Newton  is  now  engaged  in  building  another  fine  mill  for 
manufacturing  paper,  on  Dwight  Street,  between  the  two 
levels  of  the  canal,  which  he  expects  to  complete  in  1879, 
and  will  increase  his  production  of  tine  paper  to  over  eight 
tons  per  day.  In  1872,  Mr.  Newton  was  elected  one  of  the 
directors  in  the  Third  National  Bank  of  Springfield,  Mass., 
which  position  be  still  holds.  In  April,  1872,  he  organized 
the  Mechanics'  Savings-Bank  of  Holyoke,  Mass.,  and  has 
since  then  held  its  presidency.  The  institution  now  has  over 
three  hundred  thousand  dollars  on  its  deposit  account,  show- 
ing an  increase  each  year  over  the  previous  one  since  its 
organization.  In  November,  1863,  Mr.  Newton  married  Miss 
Susan  Taft,  of  Worcester,  Mass.,  and  has  had  four  children, 
— Edward  Taft,  born  Dec.  15,  1864;  Frederick  Hale,  born 
Feb.  23,  18G6  ;  Lila  Taft,  born  Jan.  22,  1868  ;  James  Bertram, 
born  Aug.  11,  1876. 

MOSES   NEWTON, 

a  j'ounger  brother  of  James  H.,  was  born  in  Hubbardston, 
Mass.,  Oct.  27,  1833.  He  lived  on  his  father's  farm  until  four- 
teen years  of  age,  receiving  his  education  in  the  schools  of 
that  town  and  at  Deerfield  Academy.  He  remained  on  the 
farm  until  past  thirty  years  of  age,  being  engaged,  however, 
with  his  father  and  brothers  in  the  lumbering  business,  when 
he  removed  to  Holyoke,  where  he  engaged  in  the  paper-busi- 
ness as  superintendent  of  the  Hampden  Paj  er  Company,  until 


936 


HISTORY   OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


it  was  destroyed  by  fire  in  the  year  1870,  when  he  went  to 
Miller's  Fulls  as  treasurer  of  the  Buckus  Vise  Company,  in 
which  capacity  he  remained  until  the  year  1872,  when  the 
company  was  united  with  the  Miller's  Falls  Manufacturing 
Company,  after  which  he  engaged  in  the  lumbering  business 
for  the  following  two  years  with  his  brothers.  After  this  ho 
entered  into  a  copartnership  with  Jlr.  James  Kaniage  for  the 


buildings,  enlarged  Monson  Academy  (at  Monson,  Mass.),  and 
built  the  Holyoke  Warp  Company's  mill  and  nine  dwellings. 
In  18G">  he  built  Tenement  Block  for  the  Hampden  Paper 
Company's  mill;  also  the  Franklin  Paper  Company's  mill 
and  two  dwellings  on  Race  Street. 

Nov.  28,  186r),  lie  married  Miss  Lela  F.  Vultn,  of  Now 
Yorlc  City.     In  IKOC  he  was  elected  manager  of  the  Hampden 


^-^^*^^^-^~ 


MnSKS    XEWTOX. 


purpose  of  manufacturing  building  paper.  In  the  year  1877 
he,  in  connectiim  with  Mr.  Kamage  and  Mr.  George  A.  Clark, 
organized  the  Newton  Paper  Company,  for  the  purpose  of 
manufacturing  building,  carpet  lining,  and  wrapping  papers. 
The  mill  has  been  greatly  enlarged  during  the  past  year.  When 
organized  the  capacity  was  only  one  ton  per  day,  while  they 
are  now  making  the  enormous  quantity  of  ten  tons  per  day, 
being  more  than  that  of  any  other  mill  of  the  kind  in  the 
United  States.  Mr.  Newton  was  married  in  1850  to  Miss  Maria 
B.  Arms,  daughter  of  Borden  Arms,  Esq.,  of  Deerfield,  and 
has  four  children,— Laura  M.,  born  in  March,  1861;  Susie, 
born  in  October,  18S3;  Alice  C,  born  in  February,  1868;  and 
Herbert  Arthur,  born  in  December,  1875. 

.JOn.V    C.  NEWTON, 

brother  of  James  H.  and  Moses,  was  born  in  Hulibardston, 
Mass.,  and,  like  his  brothers,  spent  his  boyhood  at  the  ances- 
tral home. 

In  1858  he  graduated  at  the  normal  school  in  Westtield, 
and  during  the  following  year  taught  school  in  Vermont  and 
Massachusetts.  In  1860  he  began  his  career  as  a  builder  by 
erecting  the  gas-works  at  Westfield  and  Greenfield,  and  an 
addition  to  the  State  normal  school  in  Westfield. 

In  1861  he  built  the  bridges  on  the  Tunnel  Kailroad. 

In  1862  he  came  to  Holyoke  and  built  the  Lyman  Street 
school-house,  the  high  school,  and  the  wire-mills,  now  Whi- 
ting Paper  Company's  No.  1  Mill. 

In  1863  he  built  A.  T.  Stewart  &  Co.'s  woolen-mill  and 
the  Holyoke  Machine  Company's  building;  also  W.  H.  Wil- 
kinson and  Emerson  Wright's  blocks,  Wilkinson's  collar  fac- 
tory, Stebbins' brass-foundry,  and  four  private  dwellings  for 
employes  of  the  United  States  Armory  in  Springfield,  Mass. 

In  1864  he  built  the  Florenee  Sewiug-Machino  Company's 


Paper  Company's  mill,  of  which  he  was  also  treasurer  and 
principal  owner. 

In  1867  he  built  the  Hampden  Paper  Company's  Slill  No.  2, 
now  Crocker  Mtinufacturing  Company's  Mill  No.  1.  In  1869 
he  added  the  second  machine  and  engines  to  Hampden  Paper 
Company's  Mill  No.  2.  During  the  summer  and  fall  of  1870 
he  rebuilt  this  mill,  which  was  destroyed  by  tire  in  March  ; 
he  also  put  in  water  connections  and  laid  the  foundation  of 
the  PreiUiss  Wiri--;\Iill  and  Whiting  Paper  Company's  Mill 
No.  2. 

In  1871  he  sold  the  Hampden  Paper  Company's  mill  to  the 
Crocker  Manufacturing  Company,  and,  forming  a  partnership 
with  his  oldest  brother,  D.  IS.  Newton,  they  purchased  the 
Ryder  property,  and  sold  the  site  for  the  citj'-hall.  He  also 
built  the  Massasoit  Paper  Company's  mill,  the  Springfield 
Blanket  Company's  mill,  and  others,  including  the  Beebe  & 
Holbrook  mill.  In  1873  he  built  the  paper-mill  at  Union 
Village,  Conn.,  and  the  Jessup  and  Laflin  paper-mill  at 
Salmon  Falls.  He  built  the  fishway  at  the  Holyoke  dam, 
also  the  Massachusetts  Screw  Company's  mill,  and  graded 
the  land  above  the  first  canal  level,  requiring  four  hundred 
thousand  yards  of  earth  for  tilling. 

In  1874  he  built  the  Farr  Alpaca  Company's  mill,  the  Skin- 
ner silk-mill,  and  the  dam  for  the  Agawam  Canal  Company, 
on  the  Agawam  River.  During  the  same  year  he  organized 
the  Massachusetts  Screw  Company,  D.  H.  Newton,  president, 
J.  C.  Newton,  treasurer  and  principal  owner.  The  greater 
part  of  the  following  year  he  spent  in  California  for  the  benefit 
of  his  health.  During  the  latter  part  of  the  year  he  erected 
buildings  for  the  Chapman  Cutlerj'  Company,  the  Seymour 
Cutlery  Company,  J.  C.  Smith's  machine-shops,  and  Josepli 
Peal  imd  Connor  Brotiicrs'  woolen-mills. 


J 


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OTl/Wij/,    "''''''  •  W 


HISTORY  OF  HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


937 


In  1870  lie  built  the  Newton  Paper  Company's  Mill  No.  2, 
the  Connecticut  Kiver  Pulp- Works  (running  the  latter  with 
his  brother,  Daniel  H.).  He  also  built  seven  cottages  on 
Newton  Street. 

In  1877  he  built  the  Albion  Paper  Corapan_y's  Mill  No.  1, 
and  a  saw-mill  for  himself  on  Dwight  Street.  In  1878  he 
erected  twenty  Quaker  houses  and  two  tenements  on  Bond 
Street,  nine  houses  on  Newton  Street,  and  a  block  for  the 
Albion  Paper  Company. 

In  1879  he  built  the  Wauregan  paper-mill  on  Dwight 
Street,  and  an  addition  to  the  Newton  Paper  Company's  mill 
for  four  engines  and  three  paper-machines.  He  also  repaired 
the  dam  at  Huntington  for  the  Massasoit  Paper  Company, 
which  was  washed  away  by  the  flood,  Dec.  10,  1878.  While 
the  above  is  not  an  entire  list  of  buildings  erected  by  J.  H. 
Newton,  the  principal  ones  have  been  enumerated,  and  com- 
prise probably  a  larger  number  than  has  ever  been  erected  by 
any  single  person  in  Western  Massachusetts,  and  shows  what 
perseverance  and  energy  can  accomplish. 

Mr.  Newton  has  been  largely  interested  in  inducing  capital- 
ists and  manufacturers  to  establish  themselves  in  and  around 
Holyoke. 

Mr.  Newton's  family  now  consists  of  his  wife  and  four 
daughters,  aged  respectively  three,  five,  eight,  and  ten  years. 


JOSEPH  CLARK  PARSONS. 

In  the  year  1636  there  was  executed  by  a  number  of  Indian 
chiefs  a  deed  to  the  land  on  which  Springfield,  Mass.,  now 
stands,  and  as  a  witness  to  this  instrument  we  find  the  name 
of  Joseph  Parsons,  Esq.,  and  from  this  gentleman  Mr.  Joseph 
Clark  Parsons  traces  his  descent,  the  line  being  Joseph  (known 
as  the  "  Cornet"),  Joseph,  Jr.,  Noah,  Noah,  Jr.  (who  was  col- 
lector of  taxes  in  1777  for  the  "  State  of  Massachusetts  Bay"), 
Mr.  J.  C.  Parsons  now  having  in  his  possession  his  original 
warrant  signed  by  Henry  Gardner,  Esq.,  treasurer  and  re- 
ceiver-general, authorizing  him  to  collect  taxes  to  the  amount 
of  X579  7s.  0\d.  Next  we  find,  after  Noah,  Jr.,  Justice,  the 
father  of  Mr.  Joseph  C.  Mr.  Parsoi>s  was  born  at  North- 
ampton, Mass.,  Feb.  6,  1814.  His  mother  was  Lydia  Clark.: 
He  was  educated  at  the  Northampton  Academy,  and  at  the 
age  of  fourteen  began  to  learn  the  drug  business.  In  1834 
he  entered  into  business  relations  with  Mr.  Henry  Stearns,  in 
drugs,  medicines,  and  groceries.  They  continued  in  this  busi- 
ness until  1839,  when  Mr.  Parsons  sold  his  interest  and  pur- 
chased a  farm  in  the  town  of  Agawam,  Mass.,  where  he  has 
made  his  home  more  or  less  since.  In  the  year  1840  he  took 
charge  of  Ames  Brothers'  mill  at  Northampton,  the  original 
paper-makers  in  the  Connecticut  Valley.  In  1843  he  took 
charge  of  their  mill  and  business  at  South  Hadley  Falls,  Mass., 
but,  this  mill  being  destroyed  by  fire  in  the  same  year,  he 
purchased  a  paper-mill  at  Suffield,  Conn.,  and  formed  the 
"Eagle  Mills  Ccmipany,"  with  a  capital  of  $30,000,  changing 
the  mill  from  a  hand-  to  a  machine-mill.  In  1853  he  disposed 
of  his  interest,  and  removed  to  Holyoke,  Mass.,  where,  in 
connection  with  Colonel  Aaron  Bagg,  of  West  Springfield, 
and  others,  he  organized  the  Parsons  Paper  Company.  With 
this  corporation  he  is  now  connected  as  treasurer  and  agent, 
and  has  managed  its  business  since  its  organization.  During 
its  existence  it  has  divided  more  than  §1,000,000  in  profits, 
besides  increasing  the  original  investment  of  $60,000  many 
fold  from  its  earnings. 

In  1872,  Mr.  Parsons  became  president  of  the  Third  Na- 
tional Bank  of  Springfield,  Mass.,  of  which  he  had  pre- 
viously been  one  of  the  incorporators.  The  surplus  of  the 
bank  under  Mr.  Parsons'  management  has  steadily  increased, 
and  is  now  more  than  three  hundred  thousand  dollars,  while 
it  has  paid  regular  dividends  of  from  ten  to  twelve  per  cent. 
per  annum.  In  connection  with  the  bank  and  Col.  Bagg  he 
has  built  the  finest  business  block  in  the  city  of  Springfield. 
118 


He  has  been  interested  as  a  stockholder  and  director  in  the 
Holyoke  Manilla  Company,  The  Holyoke  Warp  Company, 
Farr  Alpaca  Company,  of  Holyoke;  is  interested  in  the 
Valley  Paper  Company,  of  Holyoke,  and  is  president  of  the 
Holyoke  and  Westfield  Railroad,  besides  having  been  an  in- 
corporator in  both  of  the  Holyoke  saving.s-banks,  and  a 
director  in  the  Hadley  Falls  National  Bank,  of  Hol}'oke. 
He  has  also  been  interested  in  many  other  enterprises  of  the 
Connecticut  Valley  in  Massachusetts.  To  him,  as  the  busi- 
ness manager  of  the  Parsons  Paper  Company,  the  city  of 
Holyoke  is  indebted  for  a  fine  public  hall,  and  (he  has  rebuilt 
and  refurnished  it  at  great  expense  the  past  season)  for  the 
Holyoke  House,  one  of  the  finest  hotels  in  Western  Massa- 
chusetts. In  1878  his  name  (without  his  consent)  was  pre- 
sented to  the  Republican  convention  as  a  candidate  for  Con- 
gress from  the  Tenth  Massachusetts  District,  and  later  he  was 
unanimously  nominated  by  the  Independent  convention, 
which  nomination  was  promptlj'  declined.  Mr.  Parsons  was 
married  Sept.  29,  1836,  to  Lucretia,  daughter  of  Col.  George 
Colton,  of  Springfield,  Mass.  They  have  had  five  children, 
one  son  (deceased  in  infancy)  and  four  daughters, — Elizabeth 
Hoyt,  who  was  the  wife  of  C.  P.  Prescott,  Esq.,  postmaster 
of  Holyoke,  died  Sept.  19,  1876  ;  Fanny  Colton,  an  invalid  at 
home;  Sarah  Leonard,  wife  of  Emery  Meekins,  Esq.,  of 
Springfield,  Mass.,  and  Catherine  Turner,  wife  of  E.  C.  Taft, 
of  Holyoke. 

As  to  the  marriages  of  Mr.  Parsons'  ancestors  it  may  be 
observed  that, — 1.  Joseph  Parsons  married  Mary  Bliss,  of 
Springfield;  2.  Joseph  Parsons  married  Elizabeth  Strong,  of 
Northampton,  a  relative  of  Gov.  Strong;  3.  Noah  Parsons 
married  Mindwell  Edwards,  sister  of  Rev.  Jonathan  Edwards; 

4.  Noah  Parsons  married  Phebe  Bartlett,  of  Northampton ; 

5.  Justice  Parsons  married  Lydia  Clark,  of  Peru. 


EDWARD  CALVIN  TAFT 
was  born  in  Uxbridge,  Mass.,  Jan.  29,  1846.  His  father, 
Calvin  Taft,  who  now  resides  in  the  city  of  Worcester,  Mass., 
was  fornierly  a  successful  cotton-broker  in  the  Southern  States. 
Mr.  Taft  is  a  descendant  of  Robert  Taft,  who  came  to  Amer- 
ica from  England  about  1646.  He  was  educated  at  Phillips 
Academy,  Andover,  and,  upon  leaving  school,  connected 
himself  with  the  Franklin  Paper  Company  of  Holyoke,  of 
which  his  father  was  president. 

In  1869  his  father  purchased  the  Hampden  Paper  Com- 
pany's mill,  of  which  Mr.  E.  C.  Taft  took  charge,  and  in  the 
same  year  the  latter  organized  the  Albion  Paper  Company  with 
a  capital  of  §60,000,  and  filled  the  position  of  business  agent. 
In  1877  they  built  their  present  mill,  covering  over  120,000 
square  feet,  three  stories  in  height,  with  a  capacity  of  3.} 
tons  of  book  and  engine-sized  flat  paper  per  day,  which 
amount  will  be  largely  increased  upon  the  completion  of  their 
new  mill,  now  in  process  of  erection. 

In  the  year  1870,  Mr.  Taft  married  Miss  Kate  T.,  daughter 
of  J.  C.  Parsons,  Esq.,  and  has  one  daughter,  Lucretia  P., 
born  in  1875. 


DR.  JAMES  I.  O'CONNOR 
was  born  on  the  19th  day  of  September,  1842,  in  Pittsfield, 
Mass.,  where  the  new  Catholic  Church  now  stands.  He  is  de- 
scended from  Roderick,  the  last  king  of  Ireland,  through  a 
long  line  of  ancestors.  His  father,  Eugene  O'Connor,  and  his 
mother,  Honora  Kinney,  were  both  born  in  the  county  of 
Kings,  Ireland.  The  doctor  is  the  oldest  of  ten  children, — 
seven  sons  and  three  daughters.  When  James  was  three  years 
old  his  father  moved  to  Springfield,  and  since  then  the  son  has 
resided  in  that  city,  where  he  received  a  liberal  education  in 
the  public  schools.  Afterward  he  acquired  a  thorough  knowl- 
edge of  the  drug  business,  while  in  the  e:iipljyment  of  Lom- 


938 


HISTORY   OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


bard  &  Crundall,  a  well-known  firm  on  Main  Street.  During 
his  five  years'  stay  with  this  house  he  rose  to  the  position  of 
first  prescription  clerk,  and  held  the  same  up  to  the  evening 
on  which  he  left  Springfield  to  prepare  for  the  practice  of 
medicine.  At  the  age  of  nineteen  he  entered  Harvard  Medi- 
cal College,  with  the  advantages  of  a  good  education  and  a 
thorough  knowledge  of  the  apothecary  husiness.  Here  he 
pursued  the  regular  course  of  study,  and  was  graduated  on  the 
nth  of  February,  18G5. 

At  a  special  examination  held  to  supply  ten  surgeons  for 
the  United  States  army,  in  answer  to  a  call  from  the  surgeon- 
general  (the  call  being  considered  a  great  honor  by  that  insti- 
tution), he  received  his  diploma  and  commission  in  the  regu- 
lar army,  but,  being  attacked  with  pneumonia,  he  resigned  his 
position. 

Dr.  O'Connor,  immediately  after  his  recovery,  began  the 
practice  of  medicine  in  Holyoke,  Mass.,  and  soon  acquired  a 
large  and  remunerative  practice.  He  has  the  reputation  of  a 
skillful  and  successful  physician  and  surgeon. 

In  the  years  1872  and  1873  he  erected  a  fine  brick  block  of 
six  dwelling-houses,  at  a  cost  of  §45,000,  on  Dwight  Street, 
opposite  the  city  park.  He  has  taken  an  active  part  in  every- 
thing relating  to  the  interests  of  Holyoke,  as  well  as  the 
church  (the  Roman  Catholic)  with  which  he  is  connected,  and 
is  esteemed  by  all  as  an  upright  and- energetic  citizen.  On  the 
3d  of  January,  1867,  he  married  Miss  Mary  Ann  Elizabeth, 
daughter  of  Commodore  Beahn,  of  Springfield,  and  has  had 
five  children, — Mary,  Margaret,  Edward,  Agnes,  and  James, 
only  two  of  whom  (Agnes  and  James)  are  living. 


JOHN  DELANEY 
was  born  in  the  village  of  Cullahill,  Queens  Co.,  Ireland,  in 
the  year  1815.  He  was  the  son  of  James  Delaney  and  Julia 
Camphion.  His  father  was  a  farmer,  and  died  when  John 
was  but  sixteen  months  old.  Left  fatherless,  he  was  early 
compelled  to  earn  his  own  living.  He  learned  the  trade  of  a 
stonemason,  which  he  has  since  followed.  In  December, 
1835,  the  great  fire  occurred  in  New  York,  and,  rightly  judg- 
ing this  to  be  a  good  time  for  him  to  strike  out  for  America, 
on  the  1st  of  April,  1836,  he  left  his  native  town  and  em- 
barked at  Liverpool,  April  8th,  in  the  packet-ship  "Star," 
Capt.  Glover,  and  landed  in  New  York  May  9th.  His  first 
work  in  New  York  was  on  the  extension  of  the  Vassar  Brew- 
ery at  Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y.,  where  he  remained  about  a  year, 
when  he  went  to  Hudson,  N.  Y.,  and  remained  a  year,  and 
in  the  fall  of  1837  returned  to  New  York  City,  where  he  was 
employed  on  the  Croton  Water-works  for  two  years.  In 
April,  1840,  he  went  to  Becket,  Mass.,  where  he  worked  on 


the  railroad  bridges  at  that  place,  and  remained  a  year.  In 
1841  a  portion  of  the  Croton  dam  was  washed  away,  and  he 
was  engaged  as  superintendent  of  the  work,  and  remained  in 
charge  until  the  dam  was  restored,  in  1842.  He  then  returned 
to  Massachusetts,  and  was  employed  on  Fort  Warren  in  Bos- 
ton Harbor  for  two  years.  Subsequently  he  returned  to 
Brooklyn,  and  was  employed  on  the  Atlantic  dock  for  two 
years,  whence  he  went  to  Brunswick,  Me.,  and  was  employed 
on  the  erection  of  a  chapel  for  Bowdoin  College.  In  the  fall 
of  1846  he  again  returned  to  Massachusetts. 

He  was  married  to  Miss  Bridget  Lahey,  of  Thomastown, 
County  Kilkenny,  Ireland,  in  the  Franklin  Street  Cathedral, 
Boston,  on  Nov.  20,  1846.  Soon  after  he  then  went  to  Lowell, 
and  took  charge  of  very  important  work  for  the  Lock  and 
Canal  Company  under  Engineer  J.  B.  Francis  until  the  spring 
of  1849,  when  he  moved  to  Holyoke,  where  he  has  since  re- 
sided. His  family  consists  of  six  children, — two  sons  and  four 
daughters, — four  of  whom  are  living.  His  oldest  son,  James 
E.,  was  born  in  Lowell,  Nov.  7,  1847,  the  other  five  in  Hol- 
yoke :  John  L.,  Nov.  15,  1849 ;  Julia  A.,  Nov.  23,  1851  ;  Mary 
Elizabeth,  June  4,  1854;  Elizabeth  A.,  Nov.  18,  1855;  and 
Mary  L.,  March  23,  1859.  Mary  E.  died  Dec.  10,  1854,  and 
Julia  A.  Dec.  19,  1854.  In  Holyoke,  under  Engineers  John 
Chase  and  his  nephews,  S.  Stewart  and  William  A.  Chase, 
Mr.  Delaney  has  done  all  the  important  stonework  on  the 
head  gates,  wheel-pits,  raceways,  and  the  many  extensive 
canal  walls,  as  well  as  on  the  bridge  between  Holyoke  and 
South  Hadloy,  on  the  several  bridges  that  span  the  canals,  and 
on  the  foundations  of  the  several  mills,  city-hall,  churches, 
and  business  blocks  in  the  city.  In  Springfield  he  did  all  the 
stonework  at  the  water-shops  on  the  dam,  put  in  the  founda- 
tions for  the  gun-level  machines,  built  the  stone  dam  at 
Smith  &  Wesson's  Works,  Mill  River,  built  the  masonry  for 
the  Connecticut  River  Railroad  Company  for  the  entrances 
to  the  Hampden  Park,  and  the  extensive  river  wall  along  their 
premises;  for  the  Otis  Company  at  Ware  he  performed  very 
important  work,  consisting  of  their  dam,  bridges,  and  mill 
foundations.  He  also  built  the  dam  of  the  Nonotuck  Silk 
Company  at  Florence,  and  in  1874  was  awarded  the  contract  to 
rebuild  the  bridges,  dams,  retaining  walls,  and  foundations 
washed  away  by  the  great  Mill  River  flood  at  Williamsburg 
and  Haydenville.  He  has  always  done  his  work  in  a  thorough 
and  substantial  manner.  In  1876,  business  being  a  little  dull, 
he  took  the  opportunity  to  visit  the  land  of  his  birth,  and,  in 
company  with  his  daughter  Mary  L.,  sailed  from  New  York 
on  the  steamer  "Abyssinia,"  on  July  5th,  and  landed  in 
Queenstown  July  14th.  After  a  very  plea.sant  visit  with 
friends  in  Ireland,  they  made  a  tour  of  England  and  France, 
and  returned  home. 


WESTFIELD. 


GEOGRAPHICAL. 
Westfield,  lying  on  the  Westfield  or  Agawam  River,  is 
about  eight  miles  distant  from  Springfield,  and  is  one  of  the 
important  manufacturing  towns  of  Hampden.  It  is  bounded 
on  the  north  by  the  town  of  Southampton,  in  Hampshire 
County,  on  the  south  by  Southwick,  on  the  east  by  Agawam, 
Holyoke,  and  West  Springfield,  and  on  the  west  by  Russell 
and  Montgomery.  It  is  traversed  east  and  west  by  the  Boston 
and  Albany  Railroad,  and  north  and  south  by  the  New  Haven 
and  Northampton  Railroad. 

,;  NATURAL  FEATURES. 

The  surface  is  generally  flat  or  undulating,  except  on  the 
east  and  west,  where  hilly  ranges  border  the  town.     The  cen- 


tral portion  of  Westfield  is  an  expansive  valley,  surrounded, 
save  at  the  northwestern  extremity,  by  abrupt  terraces,  rang- 
ing in  height  from  20  to  70  feet.  According  to  geological 
authorities,  this  valley  was  once  a  lake  about  seven  miles  in 
length,  three  in  width,  and  forty  feet  in  depth  in  its  deepest 
part. 

The  Westfield  or  Agawam  River  enters  the  town  in  the 
northwest,  at  the  foot  of  Mount  Tekoa,  and,  flowing  eastward, 
empties  into  the  Connecticut,  receiving  en  route,  near  the 
village  of  Westfield,  the  waters  of  Little  River. 

Among  various  water-courses  ar£  Pond,  Moose  Meadow, 
Powder  Mill,  and  Great  Brooks. 

A  spur  of  the  Green  Mountains  fringes  the  western  border, 
and  in  the  northwest  rises  Mount  Tekoa,  from  whose  summit. 


/^  ^/)^^ 


HISTORY  OF   HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


939 


it  is  said,  the  eye  may  describe  a  circle  of  vision  seventy-five 
miles  in  diameter.  Among  other  conspicuous  elevations  are 
Pochassic  Mountain  on  the  west,  and  Ball  and  Grindstone 
Mountains  on  the  northwest.  Limestone  is  found  in  the 
western  part  of  the  town. 

EARLY  SETTLEMENT. 

Touching  the  date  of  the  earliest  settlement  of  the  tract  now 
occupied  by  Westfield,  authorities  difler,  but  it  seems  to  be 
agreed  that  it  took  place  some  time  between  1658  and  1662. 
It  is,  however,  known  that  grants  of  land  in  the  section  were 
made  in  16o8  to  Thomas  Cooper,  in  1660  to  Deacon  Chapman, 
and  in  1661  to  Capt.  Pynchon,  Robert  Ashley,  and  George 
Colton.  In  1666,  George  Phelps,  Isaac  Phelps,  Capt.  Cook, 
W.  Cornish,  Thomas  Dewey,  J.  Noble,  David  Ashley,  John 
Holyoke,  John  Ponder,  and  John  Ingersoll  received  grants, 
and  settled  here  in  that  year.  It  is  recorded  that  the  first 
child  born  here  was  Benjamin  Saxton,  in  1666.  He  lived  to 
be  eighty-eight  years  old,  and  left  a  numerous  family,  who 
have  handed  the  name  down  to  the  present  generation  of 
dwellers  in  Westfield. 

As  to  an  argument  in  favor  of  the  theory  that  there  were 
settlements  here  previous  to  1658,  it  may  be  noted  that  in  the 
colonial  records  under  date  of  1641  it  was  declared  \>y  the 
General  Court  that  the  people  of  Connecticut  had  encroached 
upon  the  domain  of  the  Massachusetts  Bay  by  permitting  per- 
sons of  theirs  to  establish  a  trading-house  at  Woronock  (the 
original  Indian  name  of  Westfield).  Again  upon  the  records 
of  Massachusetts  in  1047  it  was  provided  "that  Woronoco  shall 
be  a  part  of  the  town  of  Springfield,  and  liable  to  all  charges 
there  as  other  parts  of  the  same  town,"  etc.  It  was  also  or- 
dered "that  the  trading-houses  established  at  Woronoco  and 
all  trading-houses  to  be  erected  should  be  contributory  to  all 
public  and  common  charges,  'both  in  towne  and  county.'" 
The  Records  of  Massachusetts,  vol.  iii.  pages  131  and  164, 
show  that  about  1648  there  arose  a  controversy  between  Mas- 
sachusetts and  Connecticut  as  to  the  right  of  jurisdiction  over 
Woronoco.  In  1649  it  was  determined  that  the  dividing  line 
between  the  two  colonies  should  be  run  so  as  to  settle  the 
question  of  title  to  Woronoco.  Connecticut  failed,  however, 
to  send  a  representative,  as  she  had  agreed,  to  be  present  at 
the  running  of  the  line,  and  thus  "  Woronoco  was  ordered  to 
Massachusetts."  Massachusetts  oflered  to  give  Connecticut 
further  opportunity  to  prove  her  claim,  but  she  did  not  choose 
to  avail  herself  of  it,  having  probably  ascertained  that  her 
title  was  defective.  At  all  events,  the  controversy  was  never 
after  revived. 

At  the  May  court  in  1662  certain  inhabitants  of  Windsor 
and  Dorchester  presented  a  petition  in  which,  after  setting 
forth  that  they  were  much  in  want  of  land,  they  asked  for  a 
tract  six  miles  square  at  Woronoco  to  be  joined  with  the  farms 
of  "  the  late  much-honored  Maj.-Gen.  Atherton  and  Capt. 
Roger  Clapp,  of  Dorchester,"  to  whom  grants  had  previously 
been  made  by  the  court.  Fifteen  persons  signed  the  petition, 
which  was  granted,  and  at  the  same  time  it  was  decreed  by 
the  deputies  that  the  farms  alluded  to  should  belong  to  the 
plantation  in  respect  to  public  charges,  and  that  "the  order 
for  Woronoco  henceforth  to  lie  to  Springfield  should  be  void," 
provided  the  petitioners  should  settle  themselves  and  a  min- 
ister within  three  years.  The  deputies  appointed  Capt.  Pyn- 
chon, Capt.  Edward  Johnson,  David  Wilton,  Samuel  Smith, 
and  Nathaniel  Dickinson,  Sr.,  to  set  out  the  plantation,  and 
order  its  affairs  until  twelve  inhabitants  (six  of  whom  at  least 
should  be  freemen)  should  be  settled.  Of  the  petitioners  above 
referred  to,  mention  is  made  in  the  records  that  George  Phelps 
received  in  1666  a  confirmation  of  his  title,  and  as  they  were 
not  issued  save  upon  a  showing  that  the  grantee  had  resided 
upon  his  grant  for  the  space  of  five  years,  it  is  clear  that  Mr. 
Phelps  must  have  settled  at  Woronoco  in  1662. 

Woronoco  was  considered  one  of  the  best  localities  for  ob- 


taining beaver,  and  in  the  skins  of  these  animals  the  Indians 
used  to  drive  a  brisk  trade  with  the  settlers.  For  this  reason 
the  Indians  abounded  plentifully  near  Woronoco,  and  this 
view  appears  to  be  confirmed  by  the  fact  that  the  early  settlers 
of  the  place  exercised  unusual  precautions  for  mutual  protec- 
tion from  savage  incursions.  Mr.  Pynchon,  of  Springfield, 
was  an  extensive  trader  in  beaver-skins,  and  under  a  license 
from  the  General  Court  he  controlled  the  entire  trade  in  those 
commodities  at  Woronoco. 

The  pioneers  did  considerable  in  the  way  of  gathering  tur- 
pentine, and  instances  are  frequent  in  the  records  of  grants 
made  to  various  persons  "  to  set  boxes  for  turpentine  and  to 
collect  turpentine." 

In  the  land  records  of  the  proprietors  of  Westfield  mention 
is  made  of  a  transfer  to  Samuel  Taylor,  "blacksmith,"  of  a 
parcel  of  land  under  date  of  April  9,  1697.  Prom  this  it 
would  seem  that  Taylor  was  the  first  blacksmith  the  town 
had,  but  where  his  land  or  shop  was  located  the  records  fail 
to  indicate. 

The  early  Indian  name  of  Westfield  was  known  as  Woron- 
oco, Warronoco,  and  Warornke,  the  latter  being  the  name 
designated  by  the  General  Court  in  referring  to  matters  touch- 
ing that  portion  of  the  town  of  Springfield.  When  the  ques- 
tion of  incorporation  was  first  mooted  it  was  proposed  to  give 
the  town  the  name  of  Streamficld,  from  the  fact  that  it  was 
located  between  two  streams,  but  the  name  of  Westfield  was 
finally  selected  as  a  mark  of  greater  distinction,  the  town  be- 
ing nearly  west  from  Boston,  and  at  that  time  the  extreme 
westerly  settlement  of  New  England.  The  tract  was  under 
the  control  of  Springfield,  as  has  already  been  noted,  accord- 
ing to  the  understanding  of  the  General  Court  of  Massachu- 
setts. 

In  the  early  records  of  Springfield,  under  date  of  Feb.  7, 
1664,  it  appears  that  Capt.  Pynchon,  Maj.  Holyoke,  and 
Messrs.  Ely,  Colton,  and  Cooley  were  chosen  a  standing  com- 
mittee with  sole  power  "  to  order  matters  concerning  Warron- 
oco, both  for  the  admittance  of  inhabitants  and  to  grant  lands, 
etc."  July  6,  1666,  this  committee  made  grants  of  land  in 
Woronoco  to  the  following  persons :  Capt.  Aaron  Cook,  50  acres ; 
Thomas  Day,  30  acres  ;  James  Cornish,  40  acres  ;  John  Inger- 
soll, 20  acres  ;  Josiah  Leeds,  30  acres  ;  Moses  Cook,  30  acres  ; 
John  Osbourn,  25  acres  ;  Maj.  John  Holyoke,  40  acres  ;  David 
Ashley,  30  acres  ;  Thomas  Noble,  30  acres ;  Sergt.  Stebbins, 
35  acres  ;  Samuel  Marshfield,  30  acres  ;  John  Ponder,  35  acres  ; 
John  Root,  35  acres  ;  Benjamin  Cooley,  14  acres  ;  Hugh  Dud- 
ley, 20  acres ;  William  Brookes,  30  acres  ;  Thomas  Orton,  35 
acres.  A  further  grant  of  30  acres  was  made  to  Samuel  Marsh- 
field,  conditioned  upon  his  releasing  an  Indian  chief  then  in 
his  custody.  Subsequent  grants  about  that  time  were  made 
as  follows  :  Ambrose  Fowler,  10  acres  ;  Walter  Lee,  20  acres  ; 
George  Phelps,  50  acres ;  Joseph  Whiting  (or  Whitney),  54 
acres;  George  Tyler,  11.^  acres  ;  Israel  Dewey,  8  acres ;  Isaac 
Phelps,  30  acres ;  John  Sackett,  5  acres ;  Thomas  Bancroft, 
30  acres  ;  Jedediah  Dewey,  15  acres.  Other  grants  were  made 
about  that  time,  but  the  imperfectly-copied  records  do  not 
make  it  clear  to  whom  they  were  made. 

The  above  grantees  were  required  to  dwell  in  their  own 
persons  on  these  lands  by  the  last  of  May,  1667,  and  to  con- 
tinue thereon  for  the  space  of  five  years.  They  were  further 
to  use  their  endeavors  for  settling  an  able  minister  among 
them.  Shortly  thereafter  it  was  ordered  that  each  grantee 
should  have  an  additional  grant  of  a  home-lot  not  to  exceed 
six  acres. 

In  January,  1668,  the  Springfield  committee  announced 
that,  as  many  of  the  grantees  had  forfeited  their  grants  by 
failing  to  settle,  the  committee,  to  give  further  opportunity 
to  such  as  were  serious  in  their  intentions  to  settle,  ordered 
that  grants  should  be  confirmed  to  all  who  should  do  their 
share  in  the  erection  of  a  fence  about  the  general  field,  said 
fence  to  be  completed  by  May  20,  1668,  and  all  persons  failing 


940 


HISTOllY   OF  THE   CONNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


to  comply  with  these  conditions  were  to  utterly  forfeit  their 
grants.  As  can  best  be  gathered  from  the  records,  only  about 
one-half  of  the  original  grantees  fultilled  the  conditions. 

When  this  general  fence  was  completed,  and  provided  with 
"a  suitable  gate,"  it  was  ordered  that  any  person  leaving  the 
gate  open  should  be  lined  five  shillings. 

In  accordance  with  the  order  above,  concerning  the  settle- 
ment of  a  minister,  C'apt.  Cook  was  instructed,  July  24,  16G8, 
"  to  go  into  the  Bay  to  procure  a  minister  for  this  place,  such 
a  one  as  he  shall  be  advised  by  the  Elders  in  or  about  the  Bay, 
if  the  committee  at  Springfield  do  approve  of  our  acts  herein." 

The  copy  of  an  old  document,  dated  1070,  indicates  that 
James  Cornish  and  Joseph  Whiting  were  selectmen  of  the 
town  in  that  year,  although  the  records  do  not  note  the  elec- 
tion of  selectmen  earlier  than  1672. 

In  March,  1669,  Sackett's  Creek  was  granted  to  Joseph 
Whitney  and  David  Ashley,  to  set  a  mill  thereon  and  grind 
corn. 

The  earliest  purchases  from  the  Indians  of  lands  now  in- 
cluded within  the  limits  of  Westfield  were  made  by  Cajit. 
John  Pynchon  on  behalf  of  the  early  settlers.  An  old  ab- 
original document  is  the  deed  signed  by  Alquat,  called  "the 
Indian  sachem  of  Waranoake  and  Pochasiick,"  and  witnessed 
by  Wallump  and  Wallamunt  (two  Indian  chiefs),  transferrijig 
to  Capt.  John  Pynchon,  on  behalf  of  certain  inhabitants  of 
"  ]Varanoake,  alias  Westfield,"  a  large  tract  of  land  lying  be- 
tween Great  and  Little  Kivers.  The  date  of  the  document  is 
June  30,  1669.  The  price  paid  for  the  purchase  was  X40,  and 
the  boundaries  of  the  tract,  as  defined  by  the  deed,  were,  in  the 
language  of  the  deed,  as  follow^: 

"A  certain  Parcel  or  tract  of  Land,  Meddo  &  wood-Laud,  lying  &  lieing  at 
waranoake  aforesd,  on  ye  gide  of  woratwake  liver,  ye  greate  Kiver,  and  on  ye 
north  or  northerly  tide  of  ye  Little  River,  or  Foart  River,  adjoining  on  ye  south- 
east, East,  and  Northeast,  on  Laud  formerly  Purched  by  Sanil  Marahfield,  of 
Springfield,  for  tlie  InliahitantB  of  Westfield  afoiesd,  and  on  ye  soutli  and 
st>n\vest,  on  ye  Little  Kiver  afloainanied,  cunimouly  called  the  fort  River.  On 
ye  Nortli  or  Northerly  it  is  bounded  by  ye  greate  River  called  u-oi-anotik  River, 
and  so  running  up  waruttottk  river  to  ye  falls,  near  altouta  mile  above  ye  present 
Housen  to  a  marked  tree  thare,  and  from  th.it  m.arketl  tree  it  runs  oil'  westerly 
or  southwesterly  upon  a  stiaight  line  to  the  Little  River  or  fort  River  to  a  stone 
at  ye  Nooke  or  Poynt  whare  all  ye  good  land  ends,  and  wliare  going  up  ye  hill 
the  pine  pljiine  begins,  the  sd  common  or  Pine  Plain  being  ye  westeily  or  Nor- 
westelly  bounds  of  this  tract  of  Land,  ye  line  of  Division  being  run  by  several 
English  going  along  with  ye  Indian  from  ye  fawls  in  the  greate  River  over  to 
that  stone  aforenamed,  which  is  on  the  top  of  the  hill  by  the  Little  Biver,  whare 
the  Pine  plaine  begins." 

March  12,  1667  (the  inhabitants  living  at  "  the  cellars"  re- 
questing it),  George  Phelps  and  John  Williams  were  ap- 
pointed to  lay  out  a  "  highway  across  the  west  medow,  under 
the  hill,  to  the  pyne  playnes." 

The  spot  chosen  for  the  first  permanent  settlement  was  near 
the  Little  Kiver,  and  near  its  junction  with  the  Great  or  Aga- 
wam  River,  and  about  where  the  iron  bridge  now  crosses  the 
smaller  stream,  a  mile  east  of  Westfield  village.  This  settle- 
ment was  inclosed  by  a  strong  palisade  about  two  miles  in 
circumference,  built  for  protection  against  the  savages,  and 
within  this,  besides  the  dwellings  of  the  settlers,  was  a  strong 
log  fort,  beneath  which  was  a  wide  cellar,  provided  as  a  place 
of  refuge  for  women  and  children  in  case  serious  danger  from 
the  Indians  should  threaten  the  settlement.  The  settleitient 
began  to  thrive  and  expand,  until  several  settlers,  unable  to 
get  lands  within  the  palisades,  were  forced  to  locate  without 
its  limits.  This  was  because  the  land  within  had  all  been 
taken  up  in  the  original  allotments  of  village  lots,  by  which 
each  householder  received  lots  "  according  to  the  number  of 
his  family." 

Fearing,  therefore,  that  the  security  of  the  settlement  might 
be  endangered  in  being  thus  extended,  it  was  determined,  in 
1677,  to  consolidate  the  people  into  a  more  compact  community, 
and  to  that  end  the  proprietors  of  town  lots  in  Westfield,  near 
"their  meeting-house,"  agreed  b}'  a  general  vote  to  "break 
their  lots"  and  allow  other  persons  living  in  the  remote  sec- 
tions to  settle  upon  them,   the  persons  so  yielding  up  their 


portions  to  new  occupants  receiving  in  exchange  for  every  acre 

thus  relinquished  two  acres  of  town  lots  in  some  distant  por- 
tion of  the  town. 

In  March,  1608,  a  division  of  the  territory  was  made  into 
three  parts,  and  lots  were  cast  for  it.  In  the  first  division  the 
lands  fell  to  Thomas  Gun,  David  Ashley,  John  Ponder,  Sergt. 
Stebbins,  Joseph  Whiting,  William  Brookes  (alias  Israel  De- 
wey), Thomas  Bancroft,  Hugh  Dudley,  Isaac  Phelps,  Geo. 
Phelps,  Thomas  Rootes,  Thomas  Noble.  Grants  were  also 
made  in  1668  and  1669  to  John  Sackett,  John  IngersoU,  Geo. 
Fyler,  Capt.  CooUe,  Josiah  Dewey,  John  Osborne,  Mr.  Fiske, 
and  Thomas  Handchctt.  At  the  time  of  the  incorporation 
of  the  town  grants  had  been  made  to  thirty-four  persons. 

The  Rev.  Edward  Taylor,  the  first  pastor  of  the  church,  was 
also  a  physician,  and  for  years  after  his  settlement  he  was  the 
onlj'  doctor  for  miles  around.  Mention  is  made  of  a  George 
Filer,  who,  removing  in  1667  from  Northampton  to  West- 
field,  practiced  medicine  in  the  latter  town  a  few  years,  after 
which  he  passed  over  to  Connecticut. 

From  records  kept  by  Rev.  Edward  Taylor  concerning 
King  Philip's  war,  it  is  learned  that  "the  inhabitants  were 
sorely  distressed,  yet  sovereignly  preserved.  Our  soil,"  he 
continued,  "  was  moistened  by  the  blood  of  three  Springfield 
men, — young  Goodman  Dumbleton,  who  came  to  our  mill,  and 
two  sons  of  Goodman  Brooks,  who  came  here  to  look  for  iron 
ore,  but  they  fell  in  the  way  by  the  first  assault  of  the  enemy. 
Mr.  Moses  Cook,  an  inhabitant,  and  a  soldier  not  an  inhab- 
itant were  killed,  and  the  houses  of  Mr.  Cornish,  John  Sacket, 
and  Ambrose  Fowler  were  burned."  Shortly  afterward  nine 
Westfield  men  were  at  Deerfield,  when  that  place  was  attacked, 
and  three  of  them  were  killed.  A  place  called  Indian  Plain 
marks  the  scene  of  the  encounter  of  Noah  A.shley  witli  an  In- 
dian, the  latter  being  routed,  but  not  killed.  A  daughter  of 
the  second  wife  of  Mr.  Sackett  was  captured  by  the  Indians, 
and  carried  into  captivity  in  northwest  New  York,  where  she 
married  an  Indian  and  remained  until  her  death. 

The  central  government  at  Boston,  fearing  disastrous  re- 
sults to  the  frontier  settlements  from  Philip's  war,  transmitted 
to  Ihem  a  letter  of  advice,  which  ordered  the  colonies,  in  effect, 
to  desert  their  settlements  and  unite  themselves  'with  the  in- 
habitants of  Springfield  for  more  thorough  protection.  The 
letter,  dated  March  20,  1676,  concluded  thus : 

"  If  you  people  be  averse  from  our  advice,  we  must  be  necessated  to  draw  off 
our  forces  from  them,  for  we  canm)t  spare  them,  nor  supply  them  with  ammuni- 
tion." 

Westfield  considered  this  order  in  town-meeting,  and  the 
protest  of  the  inhabitants  against  it  was  conveyed  to  the  gov- 
ernment through  a  letter,  prepared  by  Rev.  Edward  Taylor, 
and  signed  on  behalf  of  the  town  by  Isaac  Phelps,  David 
Ashley,  and  Josiah  Dewey.  In  this  letter,  the  inhabitants 
took  the  ground  that  Springfield  offered  no  better  protection 
than  Westfield,  and  by  reason,  moreover,  of  much  sickness  in 
the  town  (by  which  a  removal  of  the  settlement  was  imprac- 
ticable), they  strongly  objected  to  the  change. 

The  reasons  set  forth  in  the  earlier  letter  of  the  two  trans- 
mitted by  Westfield  to  the  government  upon  the  matter,  were 
as  follows  : 

"Ist.  Its  SUtKilUin. — Lying  on  both  sides  of  the  great  river  Connecticut,  whose 
east  side  is  void  of  habitations,  being  but  very  few  left,  and  those  a  great  distance 
asunder, — those  on  the  west  side  being  scattered  about  a  mile  up  and  down,  some 
of  which  are  hid  with  biambles;  and  as  for  its  tillage-ground,  most  is  a  great 
distance  from  the  town,  and  not  clear  from  brush  in  some  places  of  it  and  to  it, 
insomuch  as  an  indifleient  person  cannot  but  judge  (as  we  suppose)  that  the 
danger  is  double,  in  managing  field-empUiyments,  to  what  ours  is. 

"2d.  Its  Prepurutiuu. — It  is  a  place  (with  grief  of  heart  be  it  spoken),  most  of 
the  east  side  in  asheS,  unbuilt  and  unfortified,  unless  some  few  houses. 

"3d.  Its  Proi-iileittuil  Dijipeitsation. — It  hath  been  sorely  under  the  blasting  hand 
of  God,  so  that  it  hath,  but  in  a  lower  degree  than  ordinary,  answered  tlie  labor 
of  the  husbandman,  and  sometime  his  labor  upon  it  is  v/holly  cast  away. 

"  Now,  these  thoughts  are  very  discouraging  unto  all  tliought  of  our  removal 
thither, — for  to  remove  from  hulatations  to  none,  from  fortifications  to  none, 
from  ii  compact  and  pl^iu  place  to  a  scatlei'ed,  from  a  place  of  less  danger  in  the 
field  to  more,  from  a  place  under  the  ordinary  blessing  upon  our  labors  to  one 


HISTORY  OF   HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


941 


usually  blasted,  seems  to  us  such  a  strange  thing  that  we  find  nut  a  man  among 
UB  inclined  thereto." 

Three  days  afterward  a  second  letter  was  dispatcliod,  and, 
after  repeating  the  protest  contained  in  the  first  letter,  thus 
continued : 

*'If  wo  must  be  gone  from  hence,  many  of  us  have  estates  and  friends  calling 
of  us  elsewhere,  and  thereupon  most  of  us  incline,  in  case  wo  remove,  to  come 
downwards.  But  yet  the  hand  of  God  hath  shtlt  ue  up,  so  that  we  apprehend 
that  we  are  under  the  call  of  God  to  abide  here  at  present,  by  reason  of  the  sure 
hand  of  God  upon  us,  disenabling  Capt.  Cook's  family  and  others  from  a  remove, 
who  are  low,  and  captain's  wife  at  the  point  of  death  under  the  bloody  flux. 
Wherefore  the  ground  of  these  lines  is,  in  pait,  to  intimate  unto  you  that  if  there 
should  be  any  convoy  allowed  at  the  present  by  your  honored  selves  to  any  one 
for  the  biingiug  olf  their  estate,  the  oppoitunity  being  so  desii'ahle  to  us  all,  if 
our  town  wei  e  not  under  the  circumstances  by  the  hand  of  God  upon  the  pereons 
of  some  amongst  us,  whej  eby  it  would  be  their  death  to  remove  (yet  we  see  that 
it  being  such  a  desirable  opportunity ),  that  we  fear  we  should  lay  our  hands  upon 
.  .  .  leaving  our  sick  to  look  to  themselves,  and  liable  to  the  rage  of  merciless 
enemies. 

"This  we  thought  good  to  leave  with  you  that  you  might  not,  against  their 
wills,  expose  us  to  such  a  temptation  as  such  an  opportunity  might  be.  This, 
and  not  any  respect  of  resuming  the  estate  of  any  one  with  us,  is  the  ground  of 
this  intimation ;  hut  the  ground  also  of  our  lines  is  to  desire  this  favor,  that  you 
would  refresh  us  in  this  sad  elate  that  we  are  in  by  letting  us  understand  whether 
we  may  have  any  hopes  of  such  a  favor  as  may  be  a  safety  fur  us,  in  case  the 
Lord  should  put  us  in  a  personal  state  to  remove  by  removing  his  afflicling 
hand,  and  whether  or  no  you  would  advise  us  to  adventure  to  ciist  any  seed  into 
the  land,  if  God  doth  detain  us  at  the  present  where  we  are.  You  know  (we 
judge)  how  our  iields  lie.  We  request  nut  anything  at  your  hands  to  lay  you 
under  any  temptation,  and  therefore  we  have  ingeniously  intinuited  what  the 
thoughts  of  the  Bay  gentlemen  are  concerning  us.  But  our  danger  is  such  as 
we  cannot  settle  upon  anythirig,  and  if  we  are  like  to  have  no  relief  from  your- 
selves, it  bciuij  known,  may  be  an  occasion  to  force  us  into  the  fields.  The  Ii)rd 
shine  forth,  and  show  us  our  duty,  and  bring  us  to  a  willing  kissing  of  the  rod. 
We  shall  not  add,  only  desiring  the  Alurighty  to  be  our  shield." 

The  town  records  show  that  there  was  much  strong  feeling 
in  opposition  to  the  order,  and,  Northampton  manifesting  simi- 
lar strong  objection,  the  order  was  shortly  after  rescinded,  and 
the  towns  left  to  take  care  of  themselves  as  best  they  could. 

Although  Westfield  sufl'ered  ^considerably  during  the  war 
from  incursions  made  by  small  parties  of  marauding  Indians 
from  time  to  time,  the  town  escaped  the  serious  trouble  at  first 
apprehended.  Buildings  were  burned,  a  few  persons  were 
shot,  and  others  carried  away  into  captivitj',  but  the  loss  of 
life  and  property  was  comparatively  small. 

The  pursuits  of  daily  life  were,  as  may  well  be  imagined, 
pushed  forward  in  those  days  amid  dire  apprehensions,  and 
only  to  a  limited  degree.  No  man  ventured  forth  to  daily 
labor  without  being  fully  prepared  to  defend  himself  from 
savage  attacks,  which  he  knew  might  be  made  at  any  moment. 
At  night,  sentries  and  patrols  were  constantly  on  guard  to 
protect  the  sleeping  inhabitants. 

At  the  close  of  the  war  the  town  entered  at  once  upon  a  new 
era  of  |irosperity,  the  population  began  to  increase  rapidly, 
and  the  busy  hum  of  industrj'  cheered  and  encouraged  the 
patient  hearts  to  look  forward  to  a  bright  and  peaceful  future. 
In  1731  the  town  was  divided  into  outer  and  inner  com- 
mons, the  former  being  respectively  at  the  north  and  south 
sides  of  the  town,  and  the  latter  in  the  centre  between  them. 
Grants  of  lands  in  the  outer  common  were  made  to  107  house- 
holders, in  tracts  ranging  from  12  to  .515  acres.  Among  the 
grantees  the  Ashleys,  Shepards,  Mandsleys,  Bancrofts,  Fow- 
lers, Taylors,  Ingersolls,  Kelloggs,  Sackets,  Nobles,  Eoots, 
Deweys,  and  Phelpses  were  the  largest  possessors.  In  1733  the 
inner  commons  were  divided  among  106  grantees.  As  a  mat- 
ter of  historical  interest,  the  names  of  the  grantees  other  than 
those  above  noted  are  here  given:  Loomas,  Ponder,  Church, 
King,  Gunn,  Bush,  Boot,  Lee,  Warner,  Saxton,Weller,  Wil- 
liams, Bull,  Handchet,  Martindale,  Pixley,  Bagg,  Sexton, 
Ingersoll,  Kinsley,  Cadwill,  Old,  Stiels,  Hains,  Stiles,  Granger, 
Egleston,  Coots,  Nash,  and  Cark. 

In  180.5  the  inhabitants  of  the  town  began  to  concentrate 
the  chief  settlement  at  the  centre,  or  where  the  village  of 
Westfield  is  now  located.  The  erection  of  the  first  church 
at  the  centre  in  that  year  was  a  pronounced  step  in  favor  of 
concentration  there.     The  earliest  settlement,  as  has  been  ob- 


served, was  at  Little  River  in  1CC6,  and  it  was  not  until  many 
years  after  that  the  inhabitants  began  to  make  settlements  of 
any  consequence  in  any  quarter  far  removed  therefrom. 

The  first  lawyers  of  Westfield  of  whom  mention  is  made 
were  John  Ashley,  who  graduated  at  Yale  in  1730;  Josiah 
Dwight,  who  practiced  here  in  1750  ;  Samuel  Fowler,  in  17(58  ; 
and  John  Phelps. 

DESCENDANTS   OF   THE   PIONEERS. 

Among  the  descendants  of  Westfield 's  early  settlers  now 
living  in  the  town,  may  be  mentioned  the  Ashleys,  Atwaters, 
Averys,  Bancrofts,  Bush,  Cadwells,  Campbells,  Clapps,  Clarks, 
Cooks,  Curtis,  Deweys,  Fowlers,  Hanchetts,  Hastings,  Hol- 
combs,  Hulls,  Kelloggs,  Eglestons,  Kings,  Kneils,  Lees, 
Loomis,  Moseleys,  Nobles,  Pease,  Phelps,  Boots,  Sacketts, 
Sextons,  Shepards,  Smiths,  Taylors,  Upsons,  Wellers,  Whit- 
neys,  and  Wrights. 

EARLY    ROADS. 

We  are  told  by  the  proprietors'  land  records  that  in  1668 
John  Williams  and  George  Phelps  were  given  permission  to 
lay  out  a  way  two  rods  wide,  "  from  the  way  that  runs  thro' 
the  Meadow  on  the  East  side  of  the  river,  between  the  lauds 
of  Edward  Hart  and  George  Sexton,  and  so  running  to  Pine 
Hill."  A  highway  was  also  ordered  to  be  laid  out  to  Fort 
Meadow  by  Mr.  Dudley's,  and  so  running  down  the  hill  to 
the  bridge,  and  thence  to  the  west  corner  of  Mr.  Taylor's 
plowing  land,  and  then  to  the  meadow.  Another  road  ex- 
tended from  the  meeting-house  west  to  Filer's  hemlock,  four 
rods  wide,  and  then  to  Deacon  Hanchett's,  seven  rods  wide, 
and  then  to  the  northwest  corner  of  Samuel  Root's  lot,  and 
then  west  to  Pochassic  farm.  From  this  road  a  road  was  laid 
out,  running  north  to  the  river  by  the  westerly  end  of  Noble's 
lot,  sixteen  rods  wide,  and  so  over  the  river,  and  thence  by  a 
bunch  of  trees  at  King's  ditch,  running  up  by  the  river  to  the 
hill,  and  so  into  the  common. 

There  was  one  from  Deacon  Hanchett's  home-lot,  running 
southerly  by  a  spruce  swamp,  and  thence  westerly  by  Nathan, 
iel  Weller's  lot  to  the  Pine  Hills.  Another  one  ran  from  the 
meeting-house  south  to  the  plain  gate,  and  from  the  gate  to 
Deacon  Taylor's  land,  and  so  to  the  right  across  Deacon  Tay- 
lor's land  to  the  river,  and  then  over  the  river  into  the  "hun- 
dred acres,"  running  up  the  hill  across  the  "  hundred  acres" 
into  the  commons.  In  1670,  Springfield  received  permission 
to  build  a  highway  from  the  Woronico  River  westerly  to  West- 
field.  An  early  road  was  made  from  the  two-mile  brook, 
near  the  lower  field,  to  Country  Hill,  and  into  the  commons 
toward  Springfield.  There  was  also  one  across  the  Western 
Meadow  under  the  hill  to  the  pine  plains. 

REVOLUTIONARY    REMINISCENCES. 

Preliminary  to  their  subsequent  action  during  the  stirring 
days  of  the  Revolution,  the  citizens  of  Westfield,  in  Septem- 
ber, 1774,  chose  Eldad  Taylor,  John  Moseley,  and  Elisha 
Parks  to  represent  the  town  at  Northampton  in  a  county 
congress,  to  be  held  September  '22d  of  that  year,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  consultation  and  deliberation  over  "  ye  present  dis- 
tressing times."  In  January,  1775,  John  Moseley  and  Elisha 
Parks  were  chosen  as  representatives  to  the  Provincial  Con- 
gress at  Cambridge,  and  when  there  "  not  to  take  up  Govern- 
ment without  further  order  from  the  town."  In  February, 
1775,  it  was  voted  to  encourage  the  company  of  Minute-Men 
who  had  offered  their  services ;  and  upon  a  search  for  guns 
"for  ye  use  of  ye  Minute-Men  on  a  sudden  emergence,"  the 
committee  reported  that  they  had  found  "  between  80  and  40 
guns  and  a  few  Bagganets." 

The  committee  of  correspondence  appointed  to  carry  out 
the  resolves  of  the  Provincial  Congress  consisted  of  Dr. 
Mather,  Col.  Moseley,  Capt.  Wm.  Shepard,  Eldad  Taylor, 
Col.  Parks,  Daniel  Moseley,  Daniel  Fowler,  David  Moseley, 
Joseph  Root,  William  Sacket,  Samuel  Fowler,  John  Shepard, 


942 


HISTORY  OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


Jr.,  and  John  Phelps.     It  was  voted  that  "  the  Minute-Men 

shall  have  one  shilling  per  half-day  exercising,  they  spending 
four  hours  in  the  service  once  a  week."  April  10,  1775,  it  was 
voted  to  raise  £25  to  purchase  powder  and  "  warlike  stores." 
In  February,  1775,  it  was  voted  "the  town  will  not  raise  any 
money  to  encourage  the  Inlisting  of  Soldiers  into  the  Con- 
tinental Service."  In  March,  1778,  a  committee  was  chosen 
to  remonstrate  to  the  General  Court,  etc.,  "  of  the  Nakedness 
of  the  army,  of  the  Necessity  of  its  being  supplyed  with 
Clothing  and  other  Necessaries  immediately."  In  April  of 
the  same  year  a  committee  was  appointed  to  provide  53  shirts 
and  53  pairs  of  shoes  and  stockings  for  the  use  of  the  Conti- 
nental array  at  the  cost  of  the  town.  In  May  of  the  same 
year  it  was  voted  that  each  soldier  raised  to  reinforce  the 
Continental  army  for  nine  months  be  paid  the  sum  of  X30. 

June  29,  1779,  it  was  resolved  to  raise  the  sum  of  £1200 
"  for  the  encouragement  of  ten  soldiers  to  be  raised  to  join 
the  Continental  army  forthwith  for  the  space  of  nine  months." 
It  was  also  voted  "  to  give  the  soldiers  who  enlist  in  the  ser- 
vice for  the  term  of  nine  months  twenty  shillings  per  month 
to  each  soldier,  to  be  paid  in  silver  or  grain."  At  the  same 
time  it  was  resolved  "  to  raise  one  hundred  and  twenty  pounds 
to  be  paid  to  four  soldiers  to  be  raised  and  sent  to  Providence." 
July  20,  1779,  it  was  resolved  to  raise  nine  months'  men  forth- 
with, and  to  pay  each  man  40s.  per  month.  Oct.  20,  1779,  it 
was  agreed  "  to  raise  the  sum  of  thirty  pounds  bounty  for  each 
soldier  now  to  be  raised  for  the  Continental  Service,  and  Des- 
tined to  Claverack,*  and  also  their  Milage  Money,  at  two 
shillings  per  mile." 

June  16,  1780,  it  was 

Voted  "  to  give  the  nineteen  aoldiei-s  to  be  raised  by  this  t+twn  for  tlie  Conti- 
nentiil  army  for  the  term  of  Si.v  Months  three  pounds  per  month  in  hard  money, 
or  Guutinontal  money  equivalent,  as  wages,  and  one  Thousand  Dolbxrs  in  Conti- 
nental Bills  as  Bount}'  fur  earh  man,  and  the  Bounty  money  to  be  paid  before 
the  marching  of  the  men.  Or  Four  Pounds  per  month  in  hard  money  or  Paper 
Courancy  equivalent,  as  the  aiddiers  shall  chose."  Also,  that  "  the  Town  meet 
on  the  Parade  to-morrow  at  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  in  order  to  enlist  the 
soldiers  aforesaid,  and  that  the  Captains  of  the  several  companies  be  directed  to 
provide  their  several  companies,  when  mustered,  as  much  rum  as  they  may  think 
l>roper." 

July  5,  1780,  the  town  raised  five  additional  six  months'  men, 
and  a  number  of  three  months'  men,  to  the  latter  of  whom  it 
was  agreed  to  pay  10.?.  over  and  above  their  State  pay,  in  hard 
money,  and  |500in  hand  in  Continental  bills.  In  July,  1780, 
in  response  to  a  requisition  from  the  General  Court,  the  town 
agreed  to  purchase  twelve  horses  for  use  in  the  Continental 
arm}',  and  directed  the  town  treasurer  to  give  the  notes  of  the 
town  in  payment.  In  October,  1780,  it  was  voted  to  increase 
the  offer  for  si.v  months'  men  by  20s.  per  month,  hard  money. 
At  the  same  time  it  was  voted  to  raise  .ii-l-J,000  to  purchase  beef 
ordered  by  the  General  Court  for  the  army.  A  committee  was 
also  chosen  to  take  into  consideration  the  resolve  of  the  General 
Court  relative  to  raising  more  soldiers.  Upon  their  report,  it 
was  resolved  to  raise  eighteen  men.  At  this  time  it  was  voted 
to  raise  ,£30,000  to  defray  the  expenses  of  the  past  year. 

July  2,  1781,  it  was  voted  to  raise  jEISO,  hard  money,  to 
purchase  beef  ordered  by  the  General  Court  for  the  army.  In 
the  same  month  the  General  Court  ordered  the  town  to  raise 
fifteen  three  months'  men,  and,  as  an  inducement,  the  town 
offered  each  soldier  £i,  hard  money,  per  month, 

Sept.  21,  1781,  it  was  resolved 

"  To  give  encouragement  to  the  miUtia  called  to  be  in  readiness  to  sen-e  under 
the  command  of  Governor  Trumble  in  the  State  of  Connecticut;"  and  further, 
"to  give  to  each  soldier  who  shall  niarch  into  Connecticut,  bel'juging  to  this 
tow  n,  to  be  under  the  command  of  Governor  Trunible,  three  pounds  per  month 
in  hard  money." 

May  13,  1778,  in  response  to  a  requisition  for  men  to  join 
the  army,  Noah  Cobley  and  Paul  Noble  enlisted,  and  David 
Fowler,  Roger  Bagg,  Enoch  Holcomb,  Joseph  Dewey,  Simeon 
Stiles,  Jacob  Noble,  Benjamin  Se.xton,  John  Moxley,  Martin 

*  Now  the  city  of  Hudson,  N.  Y. 


Root,  Stephen  Fowler,  Eli  Granger,  Roger  Noble,  and  Daniel 
Fowler  paid  their  tines.  Upon  the  first  alarm  sounded  at 
Lexington,  Westfield  sent  out  a  company  of  70  men,  com- 
manded by  Capt.  Warham  Parks,  whose  lieutenants  were 
John  Shepard  and  Richard  Falley.  Every  man  in  this  com- 
pany was  a  citizen  of  Westtiold. 

The  treaty  of  peace  between  Great  Britain  and  the  United 
States,  signed  Sept.  3,  1783,  was  publicly  celebrated  in  West- 
field  by  joyful  demonstrations.  The  day  was  ushered  in  by 
the  discharge  of  cannon,  and  at  noon  there  was  a  salute  of 
13  guns  to  mark  the  number  of  the  States  then  banded  to- 
gether. The  inhabitants  then  listened  to  an  eloquent  sermon 
preached  by  Rev.  Noah  Atwater,  and  in  the  afternoon  there 
was  a  public  banquet,  in  which  visitors  from  many  neighbor- 
ing towns  participated.  The  drinking  of  each  toast  was  at- 
tended by  the  discharge  of  a  cannon.  A  display  of  fireworks 
in  the  evening  terminated  the  celebration  in  a  glowing  manner. 

The  Hon.  William  Shepard,  one  of  the  most  distin- 
guished men  known  in  connection  with  the  history  of  West- 
field,  was  a  son  of  Deacon  John  Shepard,  who  settled  in  the 
town  in  1700.  He  was  born  in  1737,  and  at  the  age  of  seven- 
teen enlisted  in  the  military  service  of  the  government.  At 
the  age  of  twenty-one  he  was  a  lieutenant  under  Gen.  Aber- 
crombie,  and  at  twenty-two  served  as  captain  in  Gen.  Amherst's 
command.  He  fought  six  years  in  the  French  war,  and  took 
part  in  the  battles  of  Fort  William  Henry,  Ticonderoga, 
Crown  Point,  Isle  aux  Noix,  St.  John's,  and  Montreal. 
Upon  the  close  of  the  war  he  returned  to  Westfield,  where 
he  lived  in  peaceful  retirement  until  1775,  when  he  was  called 
to  take  part  in  the  Revolutionary  struggle.  In  that  year, 
with  the  commission  of  lieutenant-colonel,  he  repaired  to 
Roxbury,and  served  a  long  time  near  Washington's  own  per- 
son. He  was  a  general  under  La  Fayette  in  1780,  and  thus 
continued  until  the  war  terminated.  He  fought  in  22  battles, 
and  retired  on  gallantly-won  laurels  as  an  eminent  soldier  and 
a  man  noted  for  many  sterling  qualities  of  character.  Subse- 
quently he  was  chosen  major-general  in  the  militia,  a  State 
Senator,  a  representative  at  the  General  Court,  a  represen- 
tative to  Congress,  and  was  appointed  by  the  Governor  of 
Massachusetts  to  treat  with  the  Penobscot  Indians,  as  well  as 
later,  by  the  national  government,  to  treat  with  the  Six  Nations. 

General  Shepard  was  also  chosen  Presidential  elector  at  two 
elections,  and  received  in  numerous  ways  evidences  of  the  high 
regard  in  which  he  was  held  by  the  ])eople  of  Westfield.  He 
was  again  called  from  retirement  in  1786,  upon  the  outbreak 
of  Shays'  rebellion,  and  in  the  detailed  history  of  that  cam- 
paign— presented  elsewhere — the  valuable  services  he  rendered 
the  commonwealth  will  be  found  fully  set  forth.  He  died  in 
1817,  aged  eighty. 

Among  other  officers  in  the  Revolutionary  war  from  West- 
field  were  Maj.  Warham  Parks  (afterward  Gen.  Parks), 
Capt.  John  Gray,  and  Lieut.  David  Sackett.  Among  those 
of  Westfield's  citizens  who  lost  their  lives  in  the  service  were 
Abijah  Dewey,  James  Ashley,  Jared  Noble,  and  a  Mr. 
Rogers. 

The  town  records  covering  the  period  of  the  war  of  1812 
are  silent  touching  the  action  of  the  town  as  connected  with 
the  part  it  took  in  the  events  of  that  period,  if  any. 

NOTEWORTHY    INCIDENTS. 

In  March,  1676,  the  town,  considering  "the  hand  of  God 
upon  them  in  having  let  loose  the  Indians  upon  them,"  re- 
solved that  the  inhabitants  should  be  so  ordered  that  while  a 
portion  went  out  to  labor,  the  others  should  remain  near  home 
to  guard  the  settlement.  The  following  month  it  was  agreed 
to  build  a  fort  near  Mr.  Whiting's  house,  of  such  size  that  all 
the  inhabitants  might  come  within  its  compass. 

As  an  early  indication  of  the  organization  of  a  military 
company,  it  may  be  observed  that,  in  1674,  Samuel  Loomis 
was  appointed  "  ensine  of  the  foote  company  of  the  towne." 


HISTORY  OF   HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


943 


In   1676,  John  Moseley  was  appointed   a  lieutenant  in  the 
same  command. 

In  1698  it  was  voted  in  town-meeting  that  any  person  fail- 
ing to  attend  town-meeting  should  be  fined  one  shilling  for 
each  neglect.  In  1703  the  selectmen  were  instructed  to  raise 
£3  with  the  county  rate  to  pay  the  representative  for  the  town. 
Aug.  11,  1703,  the  selectmen,  with  John  Noble,  were  in- 
structed to  agree  with  "ye  Ingenes"  for  the  purchase  of  all 
lands  lying  within  the  town  bounds  not  already  purchased. 

In  1703  it  was  ordered  "  that  there  shall  be  a  highway  turn 
down  Capt.  Phelps'  corner,  and  so  over  ye  River  where  it  may 
be  most  Convenant,  and  soe  out  into  ye  Commons  in  ye  place 
which  is  called  Goodman  Pender's  Hollow." 

June  30,  1704,  it  was  voted  "y"ye  severall  houses  in  ye 
towne  y"  are  forted  shall  stand  and  be  Defended  and  have 
theire  severall  proportions  of  men  posted  to  y""  by  ye  Comity 
appointed,  as  may  be  most  convenient  for  their  defense." 

In  March,  1719,  it  was  voted  "  that  Philip  Tremain  may 
set  up  a  litle  house  in  ye  highway,  near  the  sider-press,  and 
near  to  John  Gun'sorchard,  and  one-quarter  of  an  acre  of  land 
where  it  can  best  bee  spared,  and  to  improve  it  dureing  ye 
Towne's  pleasure."  In  1721  it  was  voted  to  allow  the  town 
of  Springfield  "  fiveshillings"  toward  the  building  of  a  court- 
house tjiere.  In  those  days  land  was  not  particularly  scarce 
or  high-priced,  for  one  may  read  in  the  early  town  records  nu- 
merous entries  such  as, — "  voted  John  Smith  —  acres  of  land 
wherever  he  can  find  it."  In  1724,  Capt.  John  Ashley,  of  West- 
field,  for  the  consideration  of  £460,  "  three  barrels  of  sider, 
and  thirty  quarts  of  rum,"  obtained  for  himself  and  Col.  John 
Stoddard,  Capt.  Henry  Dwight,  and  Capt.  Luke  Hitchcock,  a 
deed  of  the  tract  of  land  in  which  are  now  comprised  the 
towns  of  Great  Barrington,  Sheffield,  Egremont,  Alford, 
Mount  Washington,  and  Boston  Corner.  Twenty-one  Indian 
sachems  signed  the  deed.  In  1735,  Mr.  Ashley  made  from 
the  Indians  a  further  purchase  of  a  tract  of  land  two  miles 
wide  and  twenty-six  in  length,  extending  from  Westfield  to 
what  is  now  Sheffield.  These  purchases  opened  the  settle- 
ment of  SheflBeld,  whither  many  Westfield  people  removed, 
the  first  to  go  being  Obadiah  Noble. 

In  1747  it  was  decided  to  fort  the  town,  and  a  "  Comitty," 
being  chosen  to  take  charge  of  the  matter,  reported  it  best  "  to 
make  a  fort  Bound  Stephen  Kellog's  house,  and  Lieut.  Con- 
sider Moseley's  and  Doct.  Ashley's  house,  and  one  over  the 
Little  River,  and  one  over  the  great  River,  and  two  watch 
boxes,  and  to  be  done  by  the  town." 

In  17-36  the  town  was  visited  by  an  earthquake  shock,  which 
displaced  several  chimneys.  In  1792  two  similar  shocks  were 
felt,  by  which  many  buildings  were  shaken. 

In  1777,  in  accordance  with  an  act  of  the  General  Court, 
the  selectmen  of  Westfield  established  a  scale  of  prices  of  mer- 
chandise and  of  labor,  from  which  it  appears  that  wheat  was 
to  be  sold  at  6s.  per  bushel,  oats  at  2s.,  pork  at  id.  per  pound, 
beef  3d.,  men's  shoes  9s.  per  pair,  tobacco  Gd.  per  pound,  and 
English  hay  4s.  per  hundred.  For  keeping  a  horse  a  night 
and  a  day  Is.  6d.  were  charged.  Common  labor  cost  3s.  per 
day,  and  farming  labor  53.?.  for  six  months.  Horse  hiring 
was  Sd.  per  mile.  Flip  was  Is.  per  mug,  and  "Cyder"  6d. 
per  mug. 

Touching  the  early  opening  of  trade,  tradition  says  that  a 
trading-house  was  established  by  three  young  men  in  1662  at 
the  confluence  of  the  Little  and  Great  Rivers,  and  further 
that  the  young  men,  after  tarrying  a  year,  suddenl}-  disap- 
peared, carried  off,  probably,  by  the  Indians. 

The  records  say  that  in  December,  1672,  Joseph  Whiting, 
Thomas  Dewey,  Josiah  Dewey,  and  Jedediah  Dewey  finished 
the  building  of  a  saw-mill  and  corn-mill  on  Two-Mile  Brook, 
and  that  they  proposed  to  manage  the  concern  in  partnership. 
In  1680,  Lieut.  Moseley,  Thomas  and  Sergeant  Dewey  were 
granted  permission  to  set  a  grist-mill  and  saw-mill  on  Two- 
Mile  Brook,  at  its  mouth.     After  this,  saw-miUs   began  to 


multiply  quite  rapidly.  Feb.  10,  1803,  David  Morley  was 
authorized  to  build  a  toll-bridge  acro.ss  Agawam  River,  "  near 
the  late  dwelling-house  of  Stephen  Noble,  deceased."  June 
17,  1800,  the  town  of  Westfield  was  empowered  to  build  a  toll- 
bridge  "over  Westfield  Great  River,  near  Parks'  Mills."  In 
1801,  Ezra  Marvin,  Elihu  Stow,  and  others,  of  Westfield,  ob- 
tained a  charter  as  "  The  Eleventh  Massachusetts  Turnpike 
Corporation,"  for  the  purpose  of  building  a  road  to  run  from 
Westfield  through  Russell,  Blandford,  and  Chester. 

One  of  the  old  landmarks  of  the  town  is  the  old  Ingersoll 
house  on  the  Springfield  road,  about  two  miles  from  West- 
field  village  and  one  mile  from  the  location  of  Westfield's 
earliest  settlement.  It  is  said  to  have  been  built  by  John 
Ingersoll  in  1700,*  and  is  owned  by  Chandler  L.  Ingersoll,  of 
New  York.  The  fact  that  it  was  built  to  serve  the  purposes 
of  a  fort  accounts  for  its  preservation  to  this  day,  for  it  still 
continues  its  service  as  a  habitable  residence.  It  was  here 
that  Thomas  Ingersoll  encountered  and  routed  Greylock,  a 
noted  Indian  warrior,  who  was  at  that  juncture  about  to 
murder  Mrs.  Ingersoll. 

Among  those  of  W^estfield's  citizens  who  lost  their  lives  in 
the  French  war  of  17.5.5-60,  Maj.  Noah  Ashley,  Capt.  Jona- 
than Ingersoll,  and  Richard  Campbell  were  killed  in  a  fight 
near  Lake  George.f 

During  the  prevalence  of  the  small-pox  in  town  in  1777,  an 
order  was  passed  that  "  if  any  person  should  go  within  half  a 
mile  of  the  pest-house  and  then  come  into  town,  he  should 
be  fined  £20,  and,  in  default  of  payment  thereof,  should  be 
publicly  whipped  twenty  stripes  upon  the  naked  back." 

In  1782  the  town  directed  its  representatives  to  petition  the 
General  Court  for  a  "  Lottery"  to  build  a  bridge  over  the 
Great  River,  near  Weller's  Mills.  The  petition  was  granted, 
but  not  until  June  18,  1783. 

Incidental  to  the  Shays  rebellion  of  1786,  it  is  perhaps  worthy 
of  remark  that  Capt.  Sackett,  of  Westfield,  took  an  active  part  ^ 
in  the  organization  of  troops  on  behalf  of  the  insurgents. 

About  the  year  1800,  Westfield  lost  a  considerable  number 
of  her  inhabitants  by  their  removal  to  the  Black  River  country, 
in  the  State  of  New  York.  Lowville,  in  Lewis  County, — the 
centre  of  the  settlement  alluded  to, — contains  to-day  many  de- 
scendants of  the  earliest  settlers  of  Westfield. 

Westfield  celebrated  the  bi-centennial  of  its  existence  Oct. 
6, 1869,  on  which  occasion  Hon.  William  G.  Bates,  now  living^ 
in  Westfield,  delivered  an  interesting  historical  address,  in 
which  he  embodied  many  valuable  references  to  the  early  his- 
tory of  the  town.  The  celebration  was  an  important  and  joy- 
ous event,  and  its  participants  included,  besides  the  inhabitants 
of  Westfield,  citizens  of  Southwick,  Russell,  and  Montgomery 
(which  places  were  formerly  portions  of  Westfield),  and  many 
of  the  former  residents  of  Westfield,  then  living  in  near  and 
far-distant  States.  The  day's  exercises  included  a  procession, 
addresses,  and  singing  at  the  First  Church,  and  a  banquet  in 
the  open  air  near  the  park,  where  upward  of  a  thousand  per- 
sons partook  of  a  rich  feast.  The  day  previous  to  this  celebra- 
tion, Westfield  was  visited  with  a  disastrous  inundation,  caused 
by  the  breaking  of  the  river  levee  after  a  heavy  rain.  The 
damages  occasioned  to  the  town  by  this  flood  reached  §60,000. 

THE  FLOOD  OF  1878. 
Westfield  has  been  visited  b}'  no  less  than  four  destructive 
floods  since  the  year  18'19, — in  the  years,  to  wit,  of  1819,  1839, 
1869,  and  1878, — the  latter  of  which  proved  the  most  disas- 
trous, although  those  which  preceded  it  are  still  memorable 
events  in  the  town  annals.  The  flood  of  1878,  like  the  earlier 
ones,  was  caused  by  the  breaking  away  of  the  dyke  on  West- 

*  Daniel  Ingersoll  also  died  in  1754,  while  a  soldier  in  the  army,  in  the  begin- 
ning of  the  French  war. 

f  A  memorauduni  in  the  hands  of  Major  Ingersoll,  at  the  United  States  Armory, 
says  this  house  was  built  by  Thomas  Ingersoll,  Esq.,  who  was  a  magistrate,  and 
died  in  1748. 

X  November,  1S78. 


9U 


HISTORY   OF   THE    CONNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


field  River,  above  Westfield  village,  brought  on  by  a  sudden 
rise  of  the  river  on  the  night  of  Tuesdii}',  December  10th,  after 
a  heavy  fall  of  snow  on  the  previous  Monday,  followed  on 
Tuesday  by  a  fall  of  rain  that  endured  without  cessation  for 
more  than  twelve  hours.  At  ten  o'clock  on  Tuesday  night  the 
dyke  gave  way  in  several  places,  and  the  waters  poured  in  an 
immense  and  rapid  volume  into  the  village,  and,  entering  by 
the  way  of  Ellis  Street,  flooded  in  a  brief  space  of  time  to  the 
depth  of  from  three  to  ten  feet  the  section  of  Westfield  village 
from  School  Street  to  the  river  and  from  Elm  to  Charles  Street. 
The  flood  marked  its  destructive  course  by  washing  out  in 
some  cases  to  the  depth  of  six  feet  or  more  many  of  the  thor- 
oughfares, undermining  buildings,  deluging  the  lower  floors 
of  hundreds  of  dwellings,  and  utterly  demolishing  not  only 
outhouses  and  small  structures,  but  many  residences  and  large 
factories.  Provin's  brick  block  was  undermined,  and  the 
southern  half  of  it  from  top  to  bottom  demolished.  Steer  & 
Turner's  large  organ-factory,  near  the  Great  River  bridge, 
was  so  badly  shattered  that  a  wind-storm,  following  on  the  3d 
of  January  ensuing,  leveled  the  structure  to  the  ground. 
The  Catholic  Church  was  badly  damaged,  numberless  frame 
dwellings  and  shops  lifted  bodily  from  their  foundations  and 
thrown  down,  sidewalks  and  fences  destroyed  on  every  hand, 
and  ruin  generally  visited  upon  that  part  of  the  village  where 
the  waters  held  their  mad  revels. 

The  thoroughfares  called  upon  to  suffer  most  were  Ellis, 
Franklin,  Shepard,  Charles,  Jefferson,  Madison,  Hampden, 
Elm,  Lincoln,  Orange,  Maple,  Meadow,  and  Mechanic 
Streets.  Elm  Street  was  a  roaring  river  from  School  Street 
te  the  bridge,  through  which  latter  Great  River  rolled  its 
resistless  tide  to  the  depth  of  three  feet  over  the  bridge  floor, 
but  despite  the  onslaught  upon  it  the  ancient  structure  stood 
its  ground.  Elm  Street  was  badly  washed  out,  and  in  repair- 
ing the  highway  damages  there  and  in  other  streets  the  town 
was  subsequently  engaged  for  a  week  or  more.  At  Little 
River  settlement,  on  the  east,  Morley's  bridge  and  the  county 
bridge,  as  well  as  a  saw-  and  grist-mill,  were  swept  away,  while 
at  various  points  in  the  town  bridges  were  destroyed  and  roads 
rendered  impassable  by  wash-outs.  The  first  estimate  of  the 
actual  loss  caused  by  the  flood  placed  the  figures  at  $200,000, 
but  subsequent  careful  computation  fixed  it  at  about  §100,000. 
The  eft'ects  of  the  overflow  were  largely  felt  in  the  neighboring 
river-country  as  well,  but  Westfield  was  conspicuously  stricken 
with  a  calamity  which,  as  "  the  great  flood  of  1878,"  will  be 
keenly  remembered  for  many  years  to  come. 

INC0RP0R.4TI0N. 

Until  the  28th  of  May,  1669,  Woronoco  was  a  part  of  Spring- 
field, and  the  history  of  the  latter  town  necessarily  embodies 
reference  to  the  settlement  of  I^o?'o?joco  previous  to  that  year. 
Upon  the  date  in  question,  in  response  to  a  petition  of  the 
inhabitants  of  M'oi-onoco  in  1668,  and  further  in  response  to 
the  action  of  the  inhabitants  of  Springfield  in  the  premises, 
the  General  Court  passed  the  act  incorporating  the  town  of 
Westfield. 

From  the  Records  of  Massachusetts,  vol.  iv.  page  403,  it  is 
learned  that  a  petition  was  made  to  the  General  Court  in  1668 
by  Aaron  Cooke  "  in  the  name  of  the  inhabitants  of  Wo7-o- 
noake,"  and  "  they  judged  it  meet  to  make  such  an  addition 
of  land  to  the  petitioners  as  maybe  to  the  contents  of  six 
miles  square,  so  as  they  intrudeth  not  upon  any  former  grants 
to  towns  or  persons."  The  town  of  Springfield  was  authorized 
"to  take  the  furtherance  of  the  work  for  a  township,"  Pur- 
suant to  this  the  inhabitants  of  Springfield,  at  town-meeting 
held  Feb.  2,  1668,  passed  the  following: 

"  SPElNapiELD,— Att  a  Townc  Meeting  tteh.  2d,  1C68.  Uppoii  .ve  Motion  of  yo 
Inliabitants  at  Worrotwm  This  Town  being  willing  to  promote  &  fnitlier  their 
desire  of  being  a  Township  of  Themselves  (amongst  other  grants  to  Ihem  did, 
Ac),  Doe  leave  the  Inhabitants  thereto  tlieniselvestoniannage  their  own  mattei-s, 
or  as  the  Honnord  Genie  Ckirte  shall  further  Order :  And  we  hope  the  Corte  will 
Bee  cause  to  Order  them  to  be  a  Township,  &  that  they  through  the  favor  of  God 


may  grow  up  into  a  comfortable  society  &  bee  a  happy  Neighbourtiood  to  Us,  & 
Our  ffreinds  &  Theiree. 

This  is  a  true  C'oppy  of  the  Town  Ordr,  vizt.,  soe  much  of  it  as  is  concerning 
the  releasing  of  Wuroiioco  from  Springfield. 

"Taken  out  of  ye  Town  Records 

"  By  mee, 
"Elizuu  Holyoke, 

The  following  is  a  copy  of  the  act  of  incorporation : 
"  There  being  a  motijn  made  t3  this  Court  in  ye  bohalfo  of  ye  Inhabitants  at 
It orojiortie belonging  to  Springfield,  That  they  may  be  a  Towneshipof  youi^selves; 
Springtield  being  willing  theretoe,  as  appeares  by  Coppy  of  an  order  of  that. 
Towne,  under  their  Recorders  hand  heretoe  anue.ted.  Leaving  Woroiioak  to . 
ymaelves,  &  referiing  ym  to  this  Court.  This  Court  (therefore)  Dotti  hereby 
Grant  them  to  lie  a  Towneship,  &  allows  them  all  Priveledges  ac  ;ording  as  other 
Townes  have  in  this  Collony,  And  that  ye  Sd  Towne  be  called  Westfield. 

"  The  magists  have  past  this,  their  bretheren,  the  Depntys,  liereto  consenting 
28  May,  1669. 

"  Consented  to  by  the  Deputyes, 

"Edward  U^v/B0^s,  Sectif. 
"  William  Torrey,  Cleric" 

The  committee  appointed  by  the  town  of  Springfield  for 
laying  out  the  six  miles  square  granted  by  the  General  Court 
to  the  domain  of  Westfield  consisted  of  Elizur  Holyoke,  Sam- 
uel Marshfield,  George  Colton,  and  Rowland  Thomas.  In 
their  report  to  the  General  Court  they  said  : 

"  The  said  quantity  of  land  is  laid  out  to  them  five  mile  broad  at  ye  Northerly 
end  thereof  e-\tending  from  a  pine  tree  marked  at  ye  East  Monntayne  to  a  wliite 
oake  marked  at  ye  West  Mountayne,  &  it  running  in  lengtti  Southerly  Nine 
mile,  and  at  the  Southerly  end  of  their  Nine  Mile  their  limits  are  tfour  miles 
broad  Westward." 

Januarj'  12,  1736,  Thomas  Ingersoll,  representative  at  the 
General  Court  from  Westfield,  presented  a  petition  from  the 
inhabitants  of  Westfield,  praying  for  the  addition  to  the  town 
tract  of  a  mountainous  section  on  the  western  frontier,  em- 
bracing about  6000  acres.  The  people  of  Westfield  desired 
the  possession  of  this  tract  because  it  contained  excellent 
building-stone. 

The  petition  was  granted,  and  the  tract  so  added  was  there- 
after known  as  "The  New  Addition."  From  this  "New 
Addition"  the  town  of  Russell  and  a  portion  of  the  town  of 
Montgomery  were  taken.  In  the  sale  of  "New  Addition" 
lands,  Westfield  reserved  the  right  of  quarrying  stone  forever 
from  certain  parts  of  the  territory  so  sold.  Previous  to  the 
acquisition  of  this  new  tract,  the  original  domain  was  lessened 
by  the  creation,  in  1770,  of  the  town  of  Southwick. 

SKLEOTMEN. 
The  early  town  records,  dating  from  the  incorporation  of 
the  town — 1669  to  1696 — have  disappeared,  and  the  copies 
thereof  which  were  made  early  in  1700,  and  which  are  still 
extant,  present  them  in  a  very  incomplete  form.  These  copies 
contain  no  record  of  a  town-meeting  earlier  than  1672.  In 
that  j'ear  Capt.  Cook,  Deacon  Hanchett,  Sergt.  Dewey,  John 
Sacket,  and  Joseph  Whiting  were  chosen  selectmen. 

1676. — Isaac  Phelps,  Thos.  Gunn,  John  Porter,  John  Ingersoll,  David  Ashley. 
1677. — Ens.  Loomis,  George  Phelps,  Josiah  Dewey,  Isaac  Phelps,  Thomas  Dewey, 

David  Ashley. 
1678. — Lieut.  Moseley,  Thomas  Bancroft,  Jedediah  Dewey. 
1679. — David  Ashley,  .Tosiah  Dewey,  Isaac  Phelps. 
1680. — Sergt.  Dewey,  Isaac  Phelps,  David  Ashley. 
168.'). — Ens.  Loomis,  Sergt.  Phelps,  David  Ashley. 
1686. — Cornet  Dewey,  Ens.  Dewey,  John  Root. 
1687-88. — IfJaac  l*help8,  Lieut.  Loomis,  Nathaniel  Welter. 
1689. — Josiah  Dewey,  Samuel  Root,  Isaac  Phelps. 
1690. — Isaac  Phelps,  Nathaniel  Weller,  Samuel  Root, 
1091-92,— Lieut.  Phelps,  John  Sacket,  Nathaniel  Weller. 
1693,— Isaac  Phelps,  Samuel  Root,  John  Sacket. 
1094. — Deacon  Dewey,  Deacon  Wellei-,  David  Ashley. 
1695. — Isaac  l*lielps,  Samuel  Root,  Ens.  Dewey. 
1696. — Isa;ic  Phelps,  Nathaniel  Phelps,  John  Noble. 
1697. — Isiuic  Phelps,  Nathaniel  Weller,  Jedediah  Dewey. 
1698. — Lieut.  Root,  Ensign  Dewey,  Deacon  Weller. 
1699. — .Tedediah  Dewey,  Isaac  Phelps,  David  Ashley. 
1701. — Joseph  Mandsley,  Nathaniel  Phelps,  Thomas  Noble. 
1702.— Nathaniel  Phelps,  Nathaniel  Weller,  Sanniel  Root. 
1703.— Isaac  Phelps,  Deacon  Weller,  Samuel  Ashley. 
170t. — Isaac  Phelps,  Samuel  Ashley,  Nathaniel  Phelps. 
1705.^Capt.  Phelps,  Nathaniel  Phelps,  Samuel  Taylor, 


HISTORY  OF   HAMrDEN  COUNTY. 


945 


170G. — Samuel  Taylor,  David  Dewey,  Isaac  Phelps. 

17()7. — Nathaniel  Weller,  Isaac  Phelps,  Samuel  Taylor. 

1708-0. — David  Dewey,  Is;iac  Phelps,  Nathaniel  Weller. 

1710,— Natliaiiiel  Weller,  Nathaniel  Phelps,  Stephen  Kellogg. 

1711. — Nathaniel  Phelps,  John  Root,  Stephen  Kellogg. 

1712. — David  Ashley,  Nathaniel  Phelps,  John  Root. 

171.3, — iKiac  Phelps,  John  Root,  David  Ashley. 

1715. — Nathaniel  Phelps,  Thomas  Noble,  John  Root. 

1717. — John  Root,  Capt.  Moseley,  Thomas  Dewey. 

1718. — Jolin  Root,  Daniel  Bagg,  Ens.  Guun. 

1710.— John  TUiot,  John  Gunn,  Blark  Noble. 

1720. — Samuel  Ashley,  Thomas  Noble,  Israel  Dewey. 

1721. — John  Gunn,  Thomas  Ingersoll,  Samuel  Ashley. 

1722. — Thomas  Noble,  James  Dewey,  John  Root. 

1723. — John  Shepard,  John  Gunn,  Daniel  Bagg. 

1724. — Thomas  Ingersoll,  John  Ashley,  Samnel  Bush  (2(1). 

1725. — Thomas  Ingersoll,  John  Root,  Jonathan  Ashley. 

1726. — John  Gunn,  Lieut.  Root,  Joseph  Dewey. 

1727. — Thomas  Ingersoll,  Samuel  Bush  (2d),  Jonathan  Phelps. 

1728. — John  Gunn,  John  Shepard,  Thomas  Ingersoll. 

1729. — John  Gunn,  Consider  Maudsley,  Thomjis  Dewey. 

1730. — John  Gunn,  Samuel  Fowler,  Adijah  Dewey,  John  Shepard,  Gt>nsider 

Mandsley. 
1731. — John  Root,  John  Gunn,  Thomas  Ingersoll,  Nathaniel  Bancroft,  Elizur 

Weller. 
1732. — Deacon  Shepard,  James  Dewey,  Nehemiah  Loomis. 
1733. — Thomas  Ingersoll,  Eldad  Taylor,  James  Dewey. 
1734. — Lieut.  Ingersoll,  Deacon  Shepard,  Ensign  Taylor,  Lieut.  Ashley,  James 

Dewey. 
1735. — Deacon  Shepard,  Lieut.  Ingersoll,  Ensign  Mandsley,  Samuel  Fowler  (2d), 

Ensign  Taylor. 
173G. — Samuel  Fowler  (2d),  John   Lee,  Elizur  Weller,  Ensign  Mandsley,  Lieut. 

Ingersoll, 
1737. — Deacon  Shepard,  Ensign  Mandsley,  Lieut.  Ingersoll,  Joseph  Root,  David 

Dewey. 
1738. — Thomas  Ingersoll,  Joseph  Itoot,  Ensign  Mandsley,  Matthew  Noble,  John 

Gunn. 
1739.— Joseph  Root,  Ensign  Taylor,  Deacon  Shepard,  Thomas  Ingersoll,  John 

Gunn. 
1740. — Abijah  Dewey,  James  Dewey,  David  Dewey,  Matthew  Noble,  Sanmel 

Fowler. 
1741. — James  Dewey,  Ensign  Mandsley,  Joseph  Root,  David  Dewey,  Matthew 

Noble. 
1742. — Thomas  Ingersoll,  Ensign  Mandsley,  Joseph  Root,  Deacon  Dewey,  Israel 

Mandsley. 
1743. — Ensign   Mandsley,   Deacon    Dewey,   Israel    Mandsley,   Ensign    Taylor, 

Thomas  Ingersoll. 
1744. — David  Moseley,  John  Shepard,  Deacon  Taylor,  David  Bagg,  Ensign  Noble. 
1745. — James  Dewey,  David  Moseley,  Eldad  Taylor,  Thomas  Ingersoll,  John 

Shepard. 
1746. — Abel  Cadwell,  John  Shepard,   Capt.  Ingersoll,  David    Moseley,    Eldad 

Taylor. 
1747. — Israel   Ashley,    Abel   Cadwell,   David    Moseley,   John   Shepard,   David 

Weller. 
1748. — David  Moseley,  John  Shepard,  Abel  Cadwell,  Asa  Noble,  Stephen  Nash. 
1749-.50. — David    Moseley,  Aaron   Phelps,  Moses   Dewey,  Dr.   Ashley,   John 

Shepard. 
1751. — Jonathan  Ingersoll,  Israel  Moseley,  Israel  Dewey,  Ens.  Noble,  Stephen 

Nash. 
1752. — David  Moseley,  Noah  Ashley,  Dr.  Ashley,  Abel  Cadwell,  Jonathan  In- 
gersoll. 
1753. — Noah  Ashley,  David  Moseley,  Dr.  Ashley.  Wra.  Sacket,  Abel  Cadwell. 
1754. — David  Moseley,  Israel  Ashley,  William  Sacket,  David  Weller,  Jonathan 

Ingersoll. 
1755. — David  Moseley,  Israel  Ashley,  David  Weller,  Jonathan  Ingersoll,  Samuel 

Fowler. 
1756. — Da\'id  Moseley,  Israel  Ashley,  Moses  Dewey,  David  Weller,  Samuel 

Fowler. 
1757. — Israel  Ashley,  Eldad   Taylor,  David   Moseley,  John  Shepard,  Martin 

Dewey. 
1758. — David  Moseley,  Lsrael  Ashley,  Martin  Dewey,  John  Shepard,  John  In- 
gersoll. 
1759. — David  Moseley,  John  Ingersoll,  Ezra  Clapp,  Moses  Dewey,  Aaron  King. 
1760-61. — Matthew  Noble,  Samuel  Noble,  Samuel  Fowler,  Joseph  Root,  Aaron 

King. 
1762.— David  Moseley,  John  Ingersoll,  John  Moseley,  Eldad  Taylor,  Samuel 

Fowler. 
(The  records  covering  the  period  between  1762  and  1774  have  been  lost.) 
1774. — John  Ingersoll,  John  Bancroft,  William  Shepard,  David  Fowler,  EUsha 

Parks. 
1775.— Elisha  Parks,  John  Moseley,  William  Shepard,  Eldad  Taylor,  Daniel 

Fowler. 
1776. — John  Moseley,  Daniel  Fowler,  Daniel  Bagg,  Dr.  Mather,  Daniel  Sacket. 
1777. — David  Mo.seley,  Daniel  Sacket,  Benjamin  Saxton,  Martin  Root,  Samuel 

Mather. 
1778. — John  Ingersoll,  Bohau  King,  David  Weller,  Jr.,  Daniel  Fowler,  John 

Kellogg. 
1779.-— .lohn  Kellogg,  Israel  Ashley,  David  Moseley,  David  Weller,  Elisha  Parks. 

119 


1780. — Israel   Ashley,  Daniel   Sacket,  Samuel   Fowler,  Israel   Dewey,  Esquire 

Ingersoll. 
1781. — Dr.   Ashley,   Samuel   Fowler,   James  Taylor,   Deacon    Dewey,   Esquire 

Ingersoll. 
1782. — Capt.  Sacket,  Dr.  Ashley,  Samuel  Fowler,  Capt.  Taylor,  Aaron  Dewey. 
1783. — John  Ingersoll,  Samuel  Fowler,  John  Bancroft,  Bildad  Fowler,  Jr.,  Noah 

Phelps. 
1784. — John   Ingersoll,   Capt.  Bancroft,  Col.   Shepard,  Israel   Ashley,   Samuel 

Fowler. 
1785. — William  Shepard,  Israel  Ashley,  David  Moseley,  Paul  Whitney,  John 

Ingersoll. 
1786.— Samuel    Fowler,   Col.   Shepard,   Col.   Moseley,  Dr.   Wliitney,  Jedediah 

Taylor. 
1787. — David  Moseley,  Gen.  Shepard,  Samuel  Fowler,  Dr.  Whitney,  Jedediah 

Taylor. 
1788-89.— Samuel  Fowler,  John  Bancroft,  John  Phelps,  Gad  Noble,  Ezra  Clapp. 
1790-91. — Samuel  Fowler,  William  Shepard,  John  Phelps,  Warham  Parks,  Aaron 

Dewey. 
1792. — Aaron  Dewey,   William   Shepard,   Bohan   King,   Zachariah   Bush,  Jr., 

Paul  Whitney. 
1793.— Aaron  Dewey,  Paul  Wliitney,  Zach.  Bush. 
1794. — Zach.   Bush,   Aaron   Dewey,  Paul   Wliitney,  William   Shei)ard,  James 

Taylor. 
1795-96. — William   Shepard,  James  Taylor,  Warham   Parks,  Zach.  Bush,  Jr., 

Zadock  Martindale. 
1797-98.— James    Taylor,   Warham   Parks,  Abel   Whitney,   Silas    Bush,   John 

Dewey. 
1799.— Warham  Parks,  James  Taylor,  Silas  Bush. 

1800. — James  Taylor,  John  Bewey,  Silas  Bush»  Jedediah  Taylor,  Gen.  Parks. 
1801. — Jedediah  Taylor,  John  Dewey,  James  Taylor,  Silas  Bush,  William  Mos5- 

ley. 
1802. — Jedediah  Taylor,  Israel  Asliley,  William  Moseley. 
1803-4. — Israel  Ashley,  Jedediah  Taylor,  William  Moseley,  Silas  Bush,  Solomon 

Phelps. 
1805-7. — Silas  Bush,  Jedediah  Taylor,  Solomon  Phelps,  Frederick  Fowler,  Isaac 

Ensign. 
1808. — Solomon  Phelps,  Jedediah  Taylor,  Silas  Bush. 
1809. — Silas  Bush,  Jedediah  Taylor,  Frederick  Fy wler,,  Benjamin  Hastings,  Enoch 

Holcomb. 
1810. — Silas  Bush,  Benjamin  Hastings,  Enoch  Holcomb,  Azariab  Moseley,  Fred- 
erick Fowler. 
1811. — Frederick  Fowler,  Jedediah  Taylor,Enoch  Holcomb,  Benjamin  Hastings, 

Azariah  Moseley. 
1812. — Jedediah  Taylor,  Frederick  Fowler,  Azariah  Moseley. 
1813-14. — Jedeiiiah  Taylor,  Frederick  Fowler,  Azariah  Moseley,  Ambrose  Day, 

Isaac  Allen. 
1815. — Azariah  Moseley,  Frederick  Fowler,  David  King,  Jacob  Cooper,  Ruswell 

Dewey. 
1816. — Frederick  Fowler,  Azariah  Moseley,  David  King,  Roswell  Dewey,  Isaac 

Allen. 
1817. — Roswell  Dewey,  Azariah  Moseley,  Eager  Noble,  William  Atwater,  Isaac 

Allen. 
1818. — William  Atwater,  Eager  Noble,  Ambrose  Day,  Isaac  Allen,  Jared  Noble. 
1819. — William  Atwater,  Ambrose  Day,  Eager  Noble,  Jared  Noble,  Elisha  G. 

Cook. 
1820. — Azariah  Moseley,  Ambrose  Day,  James  Fowler,  Eager  Noble,  EUsha 

G.  Cook. 
1821-22. — James  Fowler,  Elisha  G.  Cook,  Azariah  Moseley. 
1823. — Ambrose  Day,  Warham  Shepard,  Elisha  G.  Cook,  Henry  Fo-wler,  William 

Hooker. 
1824. — Ambrose  Day,  Warham  Shepard,  Elisha  G.  Cook,  James  Fowler,  Roland 

Taylor. 
1825. — James  Fowler,  Ambrose  Day,  Elisha  G.  Cook,  Elijah  Arnold,  Eager  Noble. 
1826. — Elisha  G.  Cook,  Charles  Douglas,  Harvey  Champion,  Warham  Shepard, 

John  Shepard. 
1827. — Charles  Douglas,  Harvey  Champion,  Juhn  Shepard,  Ransford  Allen,  Wil- 
liam Atwater. 
1828. — Charles  Douglas,  William  Atwater,  John  Shepard,  S^'lvanus  G.  3Iorly, 

Sturges  Upson. 
1829. — Sylvanus  G.  Morly,  Asahel  Bush,  John  Shepard,  Sturges  Upson,  Lewis 

Fowler. 
1830. — Asahel  Bush,  Sturges  Upson,  Lewis  Fowler,  Chauncey  Pease,  Joshua 

Loomis. 
1831. — Asahel  Bush,  Sturges  Upson,  John  Shepard,  Thomas  Ashley,  William 

Sibley. 
1832. — Asahel    Bush,  Chauncey  Pease,  Thomas    Loomis,  Ezra   Allen,  George 

Taylor. 
1833.— Chauncey  Pease,  Henry  Douglas,  S.  G.  Morly,  Lucas  Cowles,  Adna  Avery. 
1834. — Asahel  Bush,  Chauncey   Pease,  Thomas  Loomis,  Charles  Noble,  Adna 

Avery. 
1835. — Asahel  Bush,  Chauncey  Pease,  Thomas  Loomis,  George  Taylor,  Adna 

Avery. 
1836. — Lucius  Wright,  Asa  B.  Whitman,  George  W.  Noble,  Israel  Sackett,  Thomas 

Loomis. 
1837. — Lucius  Wright,  Asa  B.  Wliitman,  Israel  Sacket. 

1838. — Lucius  Wright,  Isi'ael  Sackett,  Ashbel  Dewey,  Charles  Dewey,  Orin  Cowles . 
1839.— Asa  B.  Whitman,  David  Moseley,  Lucius  Wright,  Orin  Cowles,  Ashbel 

Dewey. 


946 


HISTORY   OF   THE   CONNP^CTICUT   VALLEY. 


1840.— David  Moseloy,  Hiram  Harrison,  Roswcll  Sherman,  David  Drake,  Salmon 

Ensign. 
1841.— David  Moselp}',  Ko.swi'll  SIktmiuii,  Sulnion  Eni.igii,  Diivi.l  Diakc,  Williiuii 

Nul.lc,  Jr. 
1842-}a.— David  SIoBuloy,  Lewis Fowior,  Slartin  Satketl,  Cliaunccy  I'oaee,  Alouzo 

Allen. 
1844.— David  Musek-y,  Joseph  M.  Ely,  Stephen  Hanisiin,  Miiiijali  Taylur,  Alouzo 

Allen. 
1845.— Dennis  Hedges,  Joseph  Arnold,  George  H.  Mosoley. 
1846.- Dennis  Ilodgcs,  George  II.  Moseley,  Horace  lloot,  Edwin  Brewer,  Jason 

Fox. 
1847.— Dennis  Hedges,  Geo.  H.  Moseley,  Ja£on  Fox,  Edwin  Brewer,  Horace  Boot. 
1848^9.— Joseph  M.  Ely,  Stephen  Hanison,  George  Sackett,  James  Noble,  Fred- 

eiiek  Morgan. 
I860.— Joseph  M.  Ely,  Geo.  Noble,  Ebcnezer  W.  Cook,  Stephen  Hanison,  William 

Moseley. 
1851.— George  Noble,  Ebenezer  W.  Cook,  William  Moseley,  Dennis  Hedges,  Silas 

Boot. 
1852.- Dennis  Hedges,  Frederick  Fowler,  Jehial  Shepard,  Geo.  W,  Noble,  Francis 

S.  Egglest*in. 
185:i.— Francis  S.  Eggleston,  Jehial  Shepard,  G.  W.  Noble,  Frederick  Fowler, 

Henry  Fuller. 
1854. — Henry  Fuller,  David  Moseley,  M.  L.  Bobinson,  Daniel  Bush,  Noah  Sackett. 
1855.— Silas  Boot,  J.  S.  Knowles,  Thomas  Cowles,nannini  Perry,  E.  W.  Cook. 
1856.— Samnel  Horton,  Thomas  Kneil,  Thomas  Cowles,  L.  B.  Blood,  Chas.  Fowler. 
1857.— Caleb  Alden,  Dennis  Hedges,  Joseph  Arnold,  Franklin  Althur,  Merwin 

Loomis. 
1858.— Hiram  Hull,  Geo.  H.  Moseley,  Joseph  Arnold. 
1859-60.— Hii  am  Hull,  Geo.  H.  Moseley,  Seth  Bush. 
1861.— L.  C.  Gillett,  Hiram  Hull,  Seth  Bush. 
18G2. — L.  C.  Gillett,  Beuben  Loomis,  William  Provin. 
1863.— William  Provin,  L.  C.  Gillett,  L.  F.  Thayer. 
1864.— L.  F.  Thayer,  L.  F.  Boot,  William  Provin. 
1866.— H.  B.  Lewis,  Elihu  Gaylord,  William  Provin. 
186G-^J7. — H.  B.  Lewis,  Elihu  Gaylord,  Geo.  E.  Knapp. 
1868. — Wm.  Provin,  Elihu  Gaylord,  John  Fowler. 
1869.— H.  B.  Lewis,  John  Fowler,  Chas.  H.  Bush. 
1870.— F.  S.  Egleston,  J.  M.  Ely,  Daniel  Fowler. 
1S71. — Alexander  McKenzie,  F.  S.  Egleston,  Elihu  Gaylord. 
1872.— F.  S.  Egleston,  Jos.  S.  Clark,  E.  P.  Parks. 
1873-74.— F.  S.  Egleston,  Jos.  S.  Clark,  M.  It.  Van  Deusen. 
1876.— F.  S.  Egleston,  J.  S.  Clark,  W.  S.  Bush. 
1876. — L.  F.  Thayer,  Wm.  S.  Bush,  Alexander  McKenzie. 
1877.— L.  F.  Thayer,  L.  F.  Root,  Wm.  S.  Bush. 
1878.— L.  F.  Thayer,  L.  F.  Hoot,  Jos.  S.  Clark. 

TOWN    CLERKS. 

The  first  reference,  in  a  copy  of  the  early  records,  made  to 
the  election  of  a  town  clerk  was  under  date  of  1693,  when 
John  Ashley  was  chosen.  In  1694,  Joseph  Sexton  was  elected. 
In  1695,  Isaac  Phelps  was  chosen,  and  served  until  1702.  The 
following  is  a  list  of  the  town  clerks  who  served  from  that  date 
to  the  present : 

Joseph  Sexton,  1702-5 ;  Isaac  Phelps,  1705-15 ;  John  Root,  1715-31 ;  John  Gunn, 
1731^7 ;  Eldad  Taylor,  1747-63  (the  records  between  this  date  and  1774  are  lost) ; 
Eldad  Taylor,  1774-77  ;  Samuel  Mather,  1777-81 ;  Samuel  Fowler,  1781 ;  Israel 
Ashley,  1782-88;  Samuel  Fowler,  1788;  Israel  Ashley,  1789;  Paul  'VVliitney, 
1790-95;  Abel  Whitney,  1795;  John  Atwater,  1796;  Abel  Whitney,  1797-99; 
John  IngersoU,  1799-1813 ;  Charles  Douglas,  1813-15;  William  Blair,  1815-17; 
David  King,  1817-23;  Alfred  Steam,  1823-26;  Eli  B.  Hamilton,  1826;  Matthew 
Ives,  Jr.,  1827 ;  Charles  Douglas,  1828 ;  Matthew  Ives,  Jr.,  1829-32 ;  Homer  Hol- 
land, 1832-34 ;  Joseph  S.  Stebbins,  1834-36 ;  Norman  T.  Leonard,  1836-42  ;  WilUam 
0.  Fletcher,  1842-46;  Reuben  Noble,  1845-47 ;  Hiram  A.  Beebe.  1848;  Asahel 
Bush,  1848-50 ;  Henry  C.  Moseley,  1850-52 ;  Gilbert  W.  Cobb,  1852-54 ;  George  E. 
Whitman,  1854;  P.  H.  Boise,  1855-65 ;  Dwight  W.  Stowell,  1865-68;  George  H. 
Douglas,  1868 ;  William  II.  Foote,  1869  ;  E.  B.  Robinson,  1870-74  ;  E.  W.  Dicker- 
man,  1874-79. 

REPRESENTATIVES   AT   THE   GENERAL   COURT. 

The  earliest  records  of  the  town  do  not  indicate,  except  at 
long  intervals  and  in  a  vague  way,  who  represented  the  town 
at  the  General  Court  previous  to  1700.  The  earliest  observa- 
tion in  the  records  touching  this  matter  was  made  May  14, 
1677,  when  Thomas  Dewey  was  chosen  "to  plead  the  town's 
hest  interests  at  Court,  if  need  require."  The  colonial  records 
state,  however,  that  J.  F.  Hull  represented  Westfield  at  the 
Court  in  1671,  '72,  and  '73.  As  can  best  be  ascertained,  the 
following  were  the  Westfield  representatives  from  1671  to 
1876,  when  Westfield  became  a  part  of  the  Tenth  Representa- 
tive District : 

J.  F.  Hull,  Thomas  Dewey,  John  A.sliley,  Daniel  Bagg,  John  Moseley,  Elisha 
Parks,  Joseph  Lyman,  Isaac  Phelps,  James  Taylor,  John  IngersoU,  Ashbel  Eager, 
Jedediah  Taylor,  Benjamin  Hastings,  Frederick  Fowler,  Azariah  Moseloy,  Wil- 


liam Blair,  James  Fowler,  David  King,  William  Atwater,  Alfred  Stearns,  Elijah 
Arnold,  Charles  Douglas,  David  Wright,  Aaron  Sibley,  Matthew  Ives,  Jesse 
Fariiam,  Henry  Douglas,  Eli  B.  Hamilton,  Henry  Fowler,  Joseph  S.  Avery,  Elias 
Cadwell,  Lewis  FowJer,  Asahel  Bush,  Henry  Champion,  Chauncey  Pease,  Thomas 
Loomis,  Joseph  Hedges,  Asa  B.  Whitman,  Lucius  Wright,  Joseph  Arnold,  David 
Mosoley,  Jonah  L.  Gross,  Norman  T.  Leonard,  Dennis  Hedges,  Samnel  R.  B. 
Lewis,  George  Sackett,  Hiram  Harrison,  Oliver  Moseley,  Chauncey  Colton,  Hiram 
Fox,  Royal  Fowler,  Hiram  A.  Beebe,  Israel  Sackett,  Josiah  S.  Knowles,  Daniel 
D.  Erving,  Hiram  Hull,  George  H.  Moseley,  James  Noble  (2d),  James  Holland, 
Lnke  Bush,  Henry  Fuller,  D.  N.  Goff,  George  Green,  Addison  Gage,  Jasper  R. 
Rau<l,  David  M.  Chase,  Lewis  R.  Norton,  Henry  J.  Bush,  Thomas  Kneil,  James 
R.  Ghwiwin,  Charles  Dickerman,  William  G.  Bates,  Samuel  Horton,  Alexander 
McKenzie,  Reuben  Noble,  L.  B.  Walkley. 

VILLAGES. 

The  most  important  place  in  the  town  is  the  village  of 
Westfield,  a  station  on  the  Boston  and  Albany  and  the  New 
Haven  and  Northampton  Railroads.  It  is  washed  on  one  side 
by  the  Agawani  River,  and  on  the  other  by  Little  River,  and 
from  both  streams  draws  a  water-power  that  is  used  to  a  con- 
siderable extent  in  its  manufactories.  Here  is  the  seat  of  town 
government  and  the  centre  of  the  town's  manufacturing  in- 
terests. The  village  has  a  population  of  about  7000,  and  con- 
tains seven  church  buildings,  the  post-office,  the  town-hall, 
High  School,  Masonic  Hall,  Normal  School,  School  of  Obser- 
vation, Davis  School,  Music-Hall,  Westfield  Atheneum,  two 
banks,  two  railroad  depots,  numerous  manufactories,  a  num- 
ber of  handsome  business  blocks,  eight  hotels,  and  many 
stores. 

The  village  is  a  lively,  bustling,  and  thriving  place,  and 
wears  an  air  of  solid  thrift  and  substantial  comfort,  while  its 
broad,  handsome,  and  well-shaded  avenues — adorned  with 
hundreds  of  stately  elms — make  it,  especially  in  the  mild  sea- 
sons of  the  year,  a  delightftilly  inviting  retreat.  Many  ele- 
gant and  showy  residences  grace  the  outlying  streets,  such  as 
Court,  Broad,  Silver,  Day,  Washington,  and  others.  There 
is  a  large  mercantile  trade  at  this  point,  to  which  the  inhab- 
itants of  not  only  Westfield,  but  of  many  .surrounding  towns, 
journey  for  their  household  and  other  supplies. 

The  other  settlements  in  the  town — none  of  which,  however, 
have  a  post-office — are  West  Parish  (originally  called  Hoop- 
Pole),  which  has  a  church  and  a  whip-factory,  and  whose 
people  are  chiefly  devoted  to  farming.  Middle  Farms,  Little 
River,  Owens,  East  Farms,  and  West  Farms.  At  the  latter 
place  are  two  whip-factories  and  a  Union  chapel.  The  inhab- 
itants of  these  minor  settlements  are  nearly  all  agriculturists, 
and  they  are  in  the  main  well-to-do. 

CHURCHES. 

The  first  religious  meetings  in  the  town  of  which  there  is 
any  mention  were  held  in  1667.  Mr.  John  Holyoke,  son  of 
Maj.  Holyoke,  of  Springfield,  conducted  the  services.  In 
1668,  Moses  Fisk  began  to  preach,  and  continued  until  1671. 
An  old  record,  dated  Aug.  11,  1668,  speaks  of  a  meeting  held 
at  "  Streamfield"  on  that  date,  when  it  was  voted  "  to  looke 
out  for  a  minister."  About  that  time  it  was  voted  "to  pay 
the  minister.  Rev.  Mr.  Fisk,  £40  pounds  for  the  year,  and  to 
disburse  £40  to  build  a  house  for  the  minister. "  It  was  further 
resolved  that  "  the  meeting-house  should  be  set  on  the  Fort 
side."  This,  the  first  house,  is  supposed  to  have  occupied  the 
site  whereon  the  town  pound  stood  about  ten  years  ago. 

In  1678  the  Governor  of  Massachusetts  colony  granted  per- 
mission for  the  organization  of  a  church  in  "  Warronnoco  Col- 
ony," and  in  1679 

THE   FIRST   CONGREGATIONAL   CHURCH 

was  organized.  Rev.  Edward  Taylor,  who  graduated  at  Har- 
vard in  1671,  received  a  call  from  Westfield  that  vear,  when 
he  responded,  and  continued  to  preach  until  1079,  when  he 
was  installed  pastor  of  the  chiu'ch  then  organized. 

In  his  journal,  now  in  the  possession  of  one  of  his  descend- 
ants living  in  Canandaigua,  N.  Y.,  is  contained  this  entry: 
"  November  27th,  I  set  out  with  Mr.  Dewey  and  arrived  at 


HISTORY  OF  HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


947 


Westfield  December  1st.  On  Lord's  Day  I  preached  to  them 
from  JIatthew  iii.  2,  my  first  sermon,  Dec.  3, 1671.  My  going 
to  Westfield  with  Mr.  Dewey  was  a  great  part  of  the  way  by 
mark'd  trees.  I  arrived,  and  lodged  the  first  night  at  Capt. 
Cook's,  in  the  little  village." 

Jan.  6,  1672,  it  was  resolved  to  build  a  meeting-bouse  .36  feet 
square.  There  was  some  delay  in  deciding  upon  a  location  for 
it,  and,  lots  being  eventually  drawn  to  determine  the  matter, 
a  place  was  chosen  "  near  Goodman  Phelps'  house." 

In  those  early  days  it  was  not  the  custom  to  heat  the  church, 
and  its  atmosphere  in  the  winter  season  was  sometimes  bitter 
cold.  Tradition  has  it  that  while  the  pastor  frequently  wore 
mittens  in  the  pulpit,  the  youthful  lads  of  the  congregation 
used  to  create  a  good  deal  of  discordant  music  by  hammering 
their  boots  against  the  benches,  in  a  desperate  eft'ort  to  keep 
their  feet  warm, — less  fortunate  than  the  female  members,  who 
invariably  provided  themselves  with  feet-warmers  upon  setting 
out  for  church. 

The  records  say  that  in  1697  the  people  grew  tired  of  the 
custom  of  calling  the  inhabitants  to  Sabbath  worship  by 
the  beating  of  a  drum,  and  concluded  to  buy  a  bell  for  two 
hundred  acres  of  land.  That  scheme  must  have  miscarried, 
for  in  March,  1698,  and  thereafter  as  late  as  1702,  the  select- 
men agreed  with  certain  persons — notably  with  the  Widow 
Noble  and  Edward  Noble — "  to  beate  ye  Drom  and  sweepe  ye 
Meetting-house  for  one  year,  for  which  they  will  recieve  two 
pounds  and  five  shillings." 

In  1703  it  was  agreed  "to  builde  pewes  in  ye  meeting- 
house where  ye  plank  seats  now  stand,  and  ye  fore  pewe  is 
votted  to  be  in  Dignity  betweene  ye  fore  seate  in  ye  body  and 
ye  Table  ;  and  ye  second  pewe  to  be  in  Digniety  between  ye 
first  and  second  seate  in  ye  body  :  and  ye  fore  Gallerey  is  ac- 
counted to  be  in  Dignity  between  ye  second  and  third  seate 
in  ye  bod}'  and  ye  side  fore  seate  in  ye  Gallerey  to  be  in  Dig- 
nity between  ye  third  and  forth  in  ye  body,"  etc. 

It  was  further  voted  that  persons  should  be  seated  in  the 
meeting-house  according  to  their  age  and  estate,  and  that  "so 
much  as  any  man's  estate  is  increased  by  his  negroes,  that 
shall  be  left  out."  If  a  man  lived  on  a  hired  farm,  or  had  ob- 
tained his  property  by  marriage  with  a  widow,  such  property 
was  reckoned  at  only  one-third  the  value  it  would  have  pos- 
sessed had  the  man  obtained  it  by  his  own  industry. 

In  January,  1717,  it  was  resolved  to  build  a  new  meeting- 
house, but  such  was  the  difficulty  experienced  in  fixing  upon 
a  satisfactory-  place  for  its  erection  that  it  was  not  begun  until 
June,  1720.  Various  committees,  including  a  committee 
chosen  from  Springfield  citizens,  were  selected  to  report  upon 
a  site,  but  their  reports  were  all  rejected,  and  it  began  to  look 
as  if  the  meeting-house  would  never  be  located.  Finally,  it 
was  agreed  to  leave  the  matter  to  Samuel  Partridge,  Esq., 
and  his  report,  which  was  not  accepted  without  considerable 
discussion  and  delay,  read  as  follows  : 

"  Wher&iss :  the  Town  of  Westfield  at  a  Legual  Towu-meeting  on  ye  21  day  of 
this  instant  December,  1719,  past  an  ax;t  in  said  meeting,  they  being  at  a  Dificulty 
of  CVjucluding  the  place  to  set  their  new  meeting-Uouse  at,  and  vuated  to  leave 
the  full  Desition  of  that  mater  unto  mee  under  named,  upon  which  I,  together 
with  the  asiatance  of  Cap"  John  Ashley  and  Lieutenant  Adijah  Dewey,  went  up 
to  ye  place  of  the  cyder-press  their  standing,  which  I  judged  too  far  towards  the 
West  end  of  ye  Town  for  con\iuiencey  of  the  people's  meeting  at  ye  present; 
allso  I  vewed  ye  norwest  corner  of  Deacon  Root,  Diseased,  his  lot ;  I  Judged  th.it 
place  too  near  ye  Dwelhng-houses  adjasent;  and  as  to  Mr.  Gun's  paster  and  ye 
lot  where  old  John  Sacket  lived,  too  nmch  to  the  South  end  of  the  town,  and  ye 
old  meeting-house ;  much  more  I  allso  vewed  Capt.  Maudsley's  paster  on  ye  south 
side  of  the  way,  and  that  I  judge  will  be  too  near  Samuell  Root's  barn,  theirfore 
have  I  matuerly  vewed  the  Knowl  on  Capn  Maudsley'a  lot  on  the  north  side  of 
ye  way  behind  his  housing  close  to  ye  highway,  I  hearby  Determine  to  bee  the 
place  for  erecting  and  seting  up  the  new  meeting-house:  this  I  Deliver  as  my 
positive  opinion  upon  the  Premises."  There  the  house  was  ac-cordingly  built ; 
moreover,  "  barn  fation,  with  a  bellconey  upon  the  middle  of  it  fifty-two  foots  in 
length  and  forty-one  foots  in  bredth." 

The  original  members  of  the  First  Church  were  Edward 
Taylor,  John  Mandesley,  Samuel  Loomis,  and  Isaac  Phelps, 
from   Windsor  Church  ;   Josiah   Dewev  and  John   Ingoraoll, 


from    Northampton ;    and    John    Boot,    from    Farmington, 
Conn. 

As  characteristic  of  early  church  discipline  it  may  be  noted 
that,  in  1689,  Walter  Lee,  Samuel  Fowler,  and  the  sergeant 
of  the  guard  were  appointed  to  take  care  of  children  and 
youth  on  the  Sabbath,  "  to  see  that  they  attend  and  keep 
their  places  and  behave  themselves  seemly,  both  before  and 
in  the  time  of  service." 

In  1674,  Rev.  Edward  Taylor  married  Miss  Elizabeth  Fitch, 
and,  she  dying  in  1689,  he  married  Mrs.  Kuth  Wyllys,  who 
died  in  1730.  One  of  his  daughters  was  the  mother  of  Pres- 
ident Stiles,  of  Yale  College.  Mr.  Taylor's  salary,  which  was 
at  first  JE60,  never  went  beyond  £80.  His  successor,  Mr.  Bull, 
who  made  frequent  appeals  for  increase  to  pay  his  multifarious 
debts,  received  in  his  last  year  as  high  as  ,£240, — a  very  hand- 
some sum  in  those  days.  Toward  the  close  of  his  ministerial 
career  Mr.  Taylor  became  weakened  by  age,  and,  in  1726,  Mr. 
Nehemiab  Bull  was  ordained  as  his  colleague.  Mr.  Taylor 
died  in  1729,  aged  eighty-seven,  after  serving  the  church  fifty- 
eight  successive  years. 

Mr.  Bull  graduated  at  Yale  in  1723,  and  taught  grammar 
school  as  well  as  preached  some  months  before  his  settlement. 
He  married  Miss  Partridge,  of  Hatfield,  in  1728,  and  died  in 
1740,  in  the  fourteenth  year  of  his  ministry.  Mr.  Bull  took 
an  active  part  in  the  mission  to  the  Housatonic  Indians  in 
1735,  and  baptized  the  first  Indian  convert. 

Eev.  John  Ballentine  (Mr.  Bull's  successor),  a  graduate  of 
Harvard,  was  ordained  in  1741.  He  was  the  pastor  for  thirty- 
five  successive  years,  and  died  in  1776.  Rev.  Noah  Atwater, 
a  Yale  graduate,  was  the  next  pastor.  He  did  not  settle  until 
1781  (the  interregnum  of  the  Revolutionary  war  having  until 
then  deferred  the  choice  of  a  successor  to  Mr.  Ballentine).  He 
preached  twenty  years,  and  died  in  1802.  Mr.  Atwater  was 
regarded  as  a  distinguished  scholar  and  divine,  and  devoted 
much  of  his  time  to  astronomical  and  meteorological  investi- 
gations. 

Eev.  Isaac  Knapp  was  ordained  in  November,  1803.  He 
was  a  graduate  of  Williams  College,  and  was  the  church's 
pastor  until  1835,  when  failing  health  compelled  him  to  relin- 
quish his  active  labors.  He  died  July  6,  1847,  aged  seventy- 
two  years.  His  successor  was  Rev.  Emerson  Davis.  Mr. 
Davis  graduated  at  Williams  College  in  1821,  served  as  a 
tutor  there  one  year,  and  was  for  the  fourteen  subsequent 
years  preceptor  of  the  Westfield  Academy.  He  was  installed 
as  Mr.  Knapp's  colleague  in  June,  1836,  and  after  a  pastorate 
of  thirty  years  died  suddenly  on  the  Friday  following  the 
Sunday  whereon  he  preached  a  sermon  commemorative  of  the 
completion  of  the  thirtieth  year  of  his  service  as  pastor  of  the 
church. 

Rev.  Elias  Richardson  succeeded  Dr.  Davis  in  May,  1867, 
and  he,  being  called  to  New  Haven,  was  succeeded  by  Rev. 
A.  J.  Fitsworth  in  1871.  Mr.  Fitsworth  removed  to  Chelsea 
in  1875,  and  from  that  year  until  1879,  when  Rev.  John  Lock- 
wood,  the  present  pastor,  was  ordained,  the  church  depended 
upon  supplies. 

The  first  church  erected  by  the  First  Congregational  Society 
was,  as  already  noted,  built  in  1668,  near  Mr.  Taylor's,  in  the 
Little  River  settlement.  The  second,  built  in  1720,  near  Mr. 
Moseley's,  corner  of  Main  and  Meadow  Streets,  was  burned 
in  1803.  The  third  was  erected  in  1805,  on  the  site  of  the 
present  edifice;  and  the  fourth,  the  one  now  used,  in  1861,  on 
Broad  Street,  adjoining  the  town-hall.  This  church  building 
cost  §25,000,  and  contains  a  handsome  organ,  built  by  John- 
son &  Co.,  of  Westfield,  at  a  cost  of  §5000.  In  the  tower, 
surmounted  by  a  high  steeple,  is  the  town  clock.  The  present 
membership  of  the  church  is  350.  The  church  building  re, 
placed  by  the  present  one  stands  in  the  rear  of  the  latter, 
and  is  occupied  by  H.  A.  Parsons  as  a  sleigh-manufactory. 
The  society  owns,  besides  the  church  building,  a  handsome 
parsonage. 


948 


HISTORY   OF   THE   CONNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


THE   BAPTIST  CHURCH    OF   WESTFIBLD 

was  organized  Sept.  15,  1784,  and  after  prospering  fairly  until 
1795  was  divided  and  disorganized  until  180G,  when  a  re- 
vival occurred.  There  was  a  quiet  time  again  ahout  1810, 
and  until  1819  there  were  no  regular  services.  In  that  year 
Kev.  David  Wright  began  a  restoration  of  the  strength  of 
the  society,  and  since  that  period  it  has  continued  to  pros- 
per. The  first  church  was  built  in  1794  on  South  Street,  near 
the  South  wick  line;  the  second  house  stood  on  Main  Street, 
ahout  a  mile  east  of  Westfield  village  ;  the  third  on  Main 
Street,  near  the  bridge ;  the  fourth  on  the  west  side  of  Elm 
Street.  The  fifth— the  present  temple  of  worship,  erected  in 
18IJ8,  at  a  cost  of  §35,000,  including  a  §(J000  organ— stands  on 
the  east  side  of  Elm  Street.  The  present  society  is  the  direct 
outgrowth  of  a  reorganization,  in  1833,  of  the  church  of  1806. 
A  second  Ba]itist  Church  was  organized  in  1780  in  the  western 
part  of  the  town  within  what  are  now  the  limits  of  Eussell, 
to  which  it  belonged  after  1792.  The  pastors  who  have  served 
the  Baptist  Society  of  Westfield  since  ahout  1800  are  thus 
named :  Adam  Hamilton,  Azariah  Hawks,  David  Wright, 
Isaac  Child,  Andrew  M.  Smith,  Charles  Van  Leon,  Feronda 
Bestor,  Alfred  Colburn,  N.  M.  Perkins,  John  T.  Alden,  Wm. 
Carpenter,  John  R.  Baumes,  John  Jennings,  E.  M.  Jerome, 
and  W.  H.  Eaton,  the  latter  being  the  present  pastor.  The 
church  has  now  about  260  members. 

THE   FIKST   METHODIST    EPISCOPAL   SOCIETY   OF    WESTFIELD 

was  organized  late  in  1794.  The  first  quarterly  collection 
taken  up  in  1795  realized — so  the  records  say — 50  cents.  Ser- 
vices were  held  in  1795,  but  there  was  no  class  until  1800, 
when  Kev.  Billy  Hibhard  provided  the  preaching.  Previous 
to  that  Kev.  Joshua  Taylor  and  Rev.  T.  Dewey  preached 
occasionally.  This  society  was  located  in  what  is  now  known 
as  West  Parish,  but  then  as  Hoop-Pole.  Their  first  church 
was  built  in  1829,  and  dedicated  by  Rev.  David  Kilburn.  It 
was  torn  down  in  1868  and  replaced  by  the  present  building. 
Rev.  W.  H.  Adams  is  the  present  pastor.     Membership,  50. 

The  first  Methodist  society  of  the  village  of  Westfield  was 
organized  in  1812,  when  it  contained  10  members,  one  of  whom 
was  a  colored  woman.  Services  were  not  held  until  1816. 
The  first  chitrch  building  was  erected  in  1832-33  on  Main 
Street,  and  was  used  until  1843,  when  a  more  spacious  edifice 
was  built  on  the  site  of  the  present  post-office.  The  old  church 
building  was  subsequently  used  by  Stimson  &  Co.  as  a  piano-leg 
factory,  and  torn  down  not  long  thereafter.  The  church  was 
attached  to  the  Granville  Circuit  until  1830,  when  it  was  set 
apart.  Rev.  Thomas  Thorpe,  who  preached  in  the  house  of 
Mr.  Joel  Earnam,  corner  Elm  and  Main  Streets,  the  first 
sermon  preached  to  the  society,  married  Rebecca  Farnam, 
daughter  of  Joel,  and  was  the  father  of  Thomas  B.  Thorpe, 
a  distinguished  author,  who  died  recently  in  New  Haven. 

The  church  on  Elm  Street,  built  in  1843,  was-occupied  until 
1875,  when,  the  society  having  grown  beyond  the  capacity  of 
the  older  building,  the  present  elegant  structure  was  dedi- 
cated. Its  cost  was  §50,000,  and  the  cost  of  the  organ  $7000. 
Rev.  S.  L.  Gracey  is  the  pastor  now  in  charge,  and  the  number 
of  members  540.  The  society  owns,  besides  the  church  build- 
ing, two  fine  parsonages.  The  names  of  the  pastors  who  have 
served  the  society  since  1836  are  appended:  Paul  Townsend, 
William  Smith,  Benjamin  M.  Louth,  E.  Scott,  J.  Hascall, 
M.  Trafton,  M.  Raymond,  J.  B.  Huested,  G.  F.  Cox,  J.  H. 
Twomhley,  Wm.  Butler,  Gilbert  Haven  (afterward  Bishop 
Haven),  J.  J.  P.  Collyer,  Daniel  Chapin,  G.  Bowler,  C.  D. 
Hill,  H.  W.  Warren,  D.  Richards,  W.  G.  H.  Lewis,  J. 
Mansfield,  G.  Whitaker,  J.  S.  Barrows,  S.  L.  Gracey. 

THE    ROMAN   CATHOLIC    CHURCH    OF   WESTFIELD 

was  organized  in  1853,  when  it  formed  a  part  of  the  mission 
in  charge  of  Father  Blenkinsop,  of  Chicopee.  The  present 
church  building  on  Orange  Street  was  erected  in  1858,  but,  ac- 


cording to  the  present  contemplation,  will  soon  be  replaced  by 
a  handsome  brick  edifice.  The  first  resident  pastor  was  Rev. 
M.  X.  Carroll,  whose  successor  was  Rev.  Dominick  Miglionico. 
He  was  succeeded  in  1874  by  Rev.  Thomas  Smyth,  the  present 
pastor.  There  are  about  1500  Catholics  in  the  town,  who  be- 
long to  the  church  parish.  The  church  owns,  besides  the 
church  building,  a  pastoral  residence,  and  a  cemetery,  located 
about  a  mile  away  from  Westfield  village. 

THE  UNIVERSALIST  SOCIETY  OF  WESTFIELD 
was  organized  in  18-53,  with  a  membership  of  13.  Rev.  D.  H. 
Plumb  was  the  first  pastor.  After  his  retirement,  the  society 
had  no  regular  services  until  a  short  time  ago,  when  Rev.  J. 
R.  Johnson,  the  present  pastor,  was  installed.  The  society 
numbers  about  30  members,  and  owns  a  neat  chapel  on  Chapel 
Street,  Westfield  village. 

In  1856  the  society  of  the  First  Congregational  Church  had 
grown  too  large  for  the  capacity  of  the  church  building,  and  a 

SECOND   CONGREGATIONAL   CHURCH 

was  thereupon  formed.  Worship  was  at  first  held  in  what  is 
now  known  as  Music-Hail,  in  Westfield  village  ;  but  in  1861 
the  erection  of  the  present  church  building  on  Main  Street 
was  begun,  and  in  the  following  year  it  was  occupied  by  the 
society.  The  structure  cost  about  §25,000,  and  contains  a  fine 
organ,  built  by  Johnson  &  Co.,  of  Westfield,  at  an  expense  of 
§6000.  The  first  pastor  of  the  church  was  Rev.  Francis  Homes. 
Rev.  Joel  H.  Bingham  was  installed  in  1857,  and  in  1803  was 
succeeded  by  Rev.  George  Bowler,  who  was  dismissed  in  1865. 
Rev.  Henry  Hopkins,  the  next  pastor,  was  installed  in  June, 
1800,  and  is  still  in  charge.  The  church  has  a  membership  of 
336  ;  owns  the  church  building,  a  handsome  chapel,  and  a  par- 


THE    EPISCOPAL    CHURCH    IN    WESTFIELD    VILLAGE, 

in  charge  of  Rev.  B.  F.  Cooley,  has  about  70  members,  and 
occupies  temporary  quarters  in  a  building  on  Main  Street. 
The  church  was  organized  in  1860,  and  for  four  years  there- 
after worshiped  in  the  Universalist  Chapel,  first  under  Rev. 
John  F.  Mines,  and  later  under  the  charge  of  Rev.  Andrew 
Mackie.  From  1864  to  1873  there  were  no  regular  services, 
but  in  the  latter  year  they  were  renewed  in  the  first  place  of 
worship,  when  Rev.  F.  J.  Winkley  assumed  the  rectorship. 
Preaching  was  continued  regularly  in  the  Universalist  Chapel 
until  Nov.  17,  1878,  when  a  change  was  made  to  the  present 
place  of  worship.  Mr.  Winkley  was  succeeded  in  1877  by  Rev. 
Benjamin  W.  Atwell,  and  he  by  the  present  rector  in  Sep- 
tember, 1878. 

THE    SECOND    ADVENTISTS 

have  a  handsome  chapel  on  School  Street  in  Westfield  village, 
built  in  1874  at  a  cost  of  §0300.  Although  the  society  held 
occasional  meetings  before  that  date,  there  was  no  organiza- 
tion until  1872.  From  that  time  until  1877,  Elder  James 
Hemingway  was  the  preacher.  Since  then  there  have  been 
no  regular  services,  although  the  society  expects  to  settle  a 
pastor  soon.  Until  the  erection  of  the  present  chapel,  wor- 
ship was  held  in  the  old  Baptist  Church  and  Universalist 
Chapel.     The  membership  of  the  church  is  about  100. 

A   UNION   SOCIETY   AT   WEST    FARMS 

has  a  neat  chapel,  where  preaching  is  provided  each  Sabbath 
by  one  of  the  various  pastors  of  Westfield  village.  A  Baptist 
society  flourished  here  many  years  ago,  and  erected  a  church 
building,  but  the  latter,  long  standing  unused,  was  torn  down 
recently,  years  after  the  extinction  of  the  society. 

SCHOOLS. 
The  earliest  reference  in  the  records  to  education  was  made 
in  a  town-meeting  held  Feb.  4,  1678,  when  it  was  agreed  to 
give  Mr.  Dentre  £15  "to  act  as  schoolmaster."     In  Septem- 
ber, 1079,  James  Cornish  was  hired  to  be  schoolmaster,  at  £18 


HISTORY  OF  HAMPDEN  COUNTY. 


94!) 


for  a  half-year,  payment  to  be  made  in  grain.  At  a  town- 
meeting  held  Fel).  10,  169(5,  it  was  ordered  that  "  such  as  send 
their  children  to  school  shall  pay  three  pence  a  week  for  read- 
ing scolars  and  four  pence  for  writong,  and  that  al  hoys  from 
seven  years  till  fourteen  shall  pay  by  the  week."  At  a  meet- 
ing held  Nov.  1,  1700,  it  was  voted  "that  there  shall  he  a 
scool  hous  built,  and  Lieut.  Koot,  John  Gun,  Samuel  Ashle}', 
and  David  Ashley,  Jr.,  were  chosen  as  a  Comity  to  tak  care 
that  said  hous  be  built  and  finisht,  said  house  to  be  about 
eighteen  foot  square  ;  the  said  Comity  are  to  call  all  persons  to 
work,  giving  a  da}''s  warning,  each  person  to  be  aloud  for  his 
work,  acording  to  what  he  Dos  ;  the  said  hous  to  be  sit  between 
the  fort  gate  and  the  guly  by  John  Noble's."  The  selectmen 
were  directed  to  speedily  provide  a  "  scool  master  and  a  place 
to  keep  scool  in."  In  January,  1701,  it  was  voted  to  change 
the  proposed  location  of  the  school-house,  and  that  it  be  "sot" 
near  the  meeting-house. 

In  1699  it  was  voted  that  "such  persons  as  are  too  poor  to 
pay  for  schooling  should  provide  a  load  of  wood  for  each 
scholar  as  it  shall  be  needed." 

In  1702  it  was  voted  that  all  boys  between  the  ages  of  six 
and  twenty  pay  the  prescribed  charges  for  schooling  "whether 
they  be  sent  to  school  or  not."  To  this  order  it  appears  that 
several  inhabitants  "  entered  their  dissents." 

In  1703  it  was  voted  "  ye  Children  y"  goo  to  schoole  should 
pay  (viz.)  Ritors  Sd.  per  weeke,  and  Readers  2d.  per  weeke." 
To  this  a  number  of  inhabitants  entered  their  dissent,  but  for 
-what  reason  does  not  appear.  Dec.  16,  170.S,  a  formal  agree- 
ment, in  writing,  was  made  with  Joseph  Sexton,  the  town  clerk, 
by  which  he  engaged  to  keep  school  until  the  next  April, 
"and  to  use  his  best  skill  to  teach  children  to  reade  and 
wrighte."  For  his  services  he  received  £10  in  grain  at  the 
market  rates.  In  1706,  Mr.  Sexton  was  succeeded  by  Isaac 
Phelps,  who  was  also  town  clerk  that  year. 

In  March,  1707,  it  was  resolved  "to  build  a  school-house 
this  summer,  to  be  sot  up  in  the  place  where  Daniel  Nash  his 
shop  stood." 

Isaac  Phelps  was  undoubtedly  an  acceptable  schoolmaster, 
for  he  taught  the  school  from  1706  to  1718,  when  he  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Felix  Habalah.  The  first  female  school-teacher  of 
the  town  was  Widow  Catharine  Noble,  who  was  engaged  in 
1726.  She  was  to  have  2.5s.  a  month  as  long  as  the  town  saw 
cause  to  employ  her  in  that  capacity. 

From  the  report  of  the  school  committee,  made  in  1878,  it  is 
learned  that  there  are  in  the  town  nineteen  school  buildings, 
and  the  following  schools,  to  wit:  high  1,  grammar  1,  inter- 
mediate 6,  primary  8,  ungraded  12.  The  total  number  of 
pupils  attending  the  town  schools  in  1878  was  1450,  and  the 
cost  that  year  for  maintaining  the  schools,  $21,788.04.  Ac- 
cording to  the  State  reports  of  1876-77,  Westfield  ranks  2.53 
in  the  342  towns  of  the  State  in  percentage  of  valuation  ap- 
propriated to  public  schools.  According  to  the  same  table, 
the  town  ranks  16  in  Hampden  County. 

The  chief  town  schools  in  Westfield  village  are  the  High 
School,  the  Davis  School, — so  named  in  honor  of  Rev.  Emer- 
son Davis, — and  the  School  of  Observation.  This  latter  occu- 
pies a  handsome  brick  building  (erected  in  1871),  and  receives 
annually  from  the  State  $.500,  conditioned  that  its  modes  of 
teaching  shall  be  in  accordance  with  the  methods  of  the  nor- 
mal system,  and  that  the  Normal  School  pupils  shall  be 
privileged  to  observe  practical  illustrations  of  the  normal 
system.  The  grades  of  this  school  are  primary,  intermediate, 
and  grammar.  The  grammar  departments  of  this  and  the 
Davis  School  are  the  grammar  schools  of  the  town,  whence 
pupils  may  graduate  with  equal  privileges  to  the  High  School. 
Value  of  the  19  school  buildings  of  the  town,  §151, .500. 


THE   WESTFIELD   ACADEMY. 


Although  this  time-honored  educational  institution  is  among 
the  things  that  were,  it  will,  for  many  years  to  come,  continue 


to  be  a  proud  recollection  in  the  minds  of  the  citizens  of 
Westfield,  and  it  deserves,  therefore,  a  place  among  the  im- 
portant features  in  the  history  of  the  town. 

On  the  17th  of  June,  1793,  the  Legislature  passed  the  fol- 
lowing act : 

"  Whereas,  The  encouragement  of  literature  among  tlie  rising  generation  Iiaa 
ever  been  considered  by  the  wise  and  good  as  an  object  of  the  most  serious  at- 
tention, and  as  the  prosperity  and  happiness  of  a  free  people  greatly  depend  upon 
the  advantages  arising  from  a  learned  and  pious  education,  and  it  appearing  that 
the  said  town  of  Westtield  have  voted  the  sum  of  six  hundred  pounds  for  the 
purpose  of  erecting  and  sujiporting  an  Academy  in  the  town  of  Westfield,  in  the 
county  of  Hampshire,  etc.: 

"Be  it  therefore,  etc.,  that  there  be  established  in  the  town  of  Westfield  an  Acad- 
emy by  the  name  of  Westjietd  Academy,  for  the  puiliose  of  promoting  piety,  relig- 
gion,  and  morality,  and  for  the  instruction  of  the  youth  in  such  languages  and 
such  of  the  liberal  arts  and  sciences  as  the  trustees  may  direct ;  and  the  Hon.  \V. 
Shepard,  Samuel  Fowler,  and  Samuel  Mather,  Esqrs.,  "Warham  Parks,  David 
Moseley,  and  Abel  Whitney,  Esqrs.,  Rev.  Joseph  Lathrop,  Rev.  Solomon  Williams, 
Rev.  Noah  Atwater,  Rev,  Bczaleel  Howard,  Rev.  Isaac  Clinton,  Rev,  Joseph  Bad- 
ger, Hon,  Samuel  Lyman,  Justin  Ely,  Esq,,  and  Jonathan  Judd,  Jr,,  Esq.,  are 
hereby  appointed  Tmstees  of  said  Academy,  etc," 

The  board  of  trustees  was  accordingly  organized  April  20, 
1797,  when  it  was  voted 

"  thiit  the  sum  of  81000  and  more  is  secured  by  the  inhabitants  of  Westfield  for 
the  benefit  of  the  Academy  in  addition  to  the  sums  voted  for  the  same  purpose 
by  the  said  town." 

In  addition  to  the  charter,  the  Legislature  donated  to  the 
academy  half  a  township  of  land  in  Maine,  which  was  after- 
ward sold  by  the  trustees  for  about  .55000. 

The  erection  of  a  school  building  was  at  once  begun  on  the 
site  now  occupied  by  the  High  School  in  Westfield  village,  and 
on  Jan.  1,  1800,  it  was  dedicated  with  religious  ceremonies. 

The  old  building  was  occupied  until  1857,  when  it  was  re- 
placed on  the  same  site  by  the  handsome  brick  edifice  now 
used  as  the  High  School.  The  corner-stone  of  the  new  build- 
ing was  laid  July  31,  1857,  with  elaborate  ceremonies,  of 
which  an  address  by  Hon.  William  G.  Bates  formed  an  im- 
portant part.  The  old  building  was  removed  bodily  to  the 
rear  of  the  original  site,  and  it  is  still  used  as  the  scientific 
department  of  the  High  School.  The  old  academy  fund,  at 
the  laying  of  the  new  corner-stone,  had  reached  §.5000.  To 
this  were  added  §5000,  bequeathed  by  Stephen  Harrison  for 
the  establishing  of  an  agricultural  department  in  connection 
with  the  academy ;  §10,000  were  also  subscribed  by  the  citi- 
zens to  assist  in  the  erection  of  the  new  academy,  and  for  this 
purpose  also  the  town  appropriated  §5000.  A  few  years  later, 
the  usefulness  of  the  academy  began  to  be  impaired  by  the 
superior  educational  facilities  offered  by  the  Westfield  High 
School  and  the  Westfield  Normal  School,  and,  after  carrying 
it  forward  to  1867,  the  trustees,  deciding  to  temporarily  close 
the  institution,  sold  the  school  building  to  the  town  for 
§35,000.  The  edifice  has  since  then  been  occupied  as  a  high 
school. 

The  proceeds  of  the  sale,  together  with  other  moneys  be- 
longing to  the  fund,  were  invested  in  railway  and  bank  secu- 
rities, and  the  fund  now  aggregates  about  §68,000.  This 
must,  according  to  the  original  design,  be  devoted  to  the  pro- 
motion of  education  in  Westfield,  but  there  is  yet  no  definite 
understanding  touching  an  early  disposition  of  the  fund  to 
that  end.  Mr.  Bates,  the  president  of  the  board  of  trustees, 
cherishes  a  hope  that  the  academy  will  be  revived  at  an 
early  day,  on  a  scale  of  extended  liberality,  and  has  indeed 
already  set  apart  lands  which  he  intends  to  donate  for  the 
buildings  whenever  the  project  shall  bear  fruit.  The  general 
opinion  seems,  however,  to  be  that  the  academy  will  never 
be  re-created.  The  present  academy  trustees  are  W.  G. 
Bates,  E.  B.  Gillett,  H.  J.  Bush,  Samuel  Fowler,  Henry  Hop- 
kins, Edwin  Smith,  L.  R.  Norton,  and  L.  F.  Thayer,  of  West- 
field,  J.  B.  Eldredge,  of  Hartford,  Wm.  W.  Whitman,  of 
Troy,  N.  Y.,  and  Rev.  A.  J.  Tits  worth,  of  Chelsea,  Mass. 

THE    HIGH    SCHOOL. 

The  Westfield  High  School  was  organized  in  1855,  and 
until   18G7   occupied   the   building    now  used   as    the  town- 


950 


HISTORY  OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


hall.  In  the  latter  year,  the  town  having  purchased  the 
academy  buildings,  the  school  was  removed  thither,  where  it 
has  since  remained.  The  present  principal,  A.  E.  Gibbs,  has 
served  in  that  capacity  since  1867.  There  are  in  the  school 
three  departments, — tlie  English,  the  general,  and  the  clas- 
sical,— conducted  by  a  corps  of  four  teachers,  in  addition  to 
the  principal.  One  hundred  and  sixty-one  scholars  were  on 
the  rolls  in  the  winter  of  78.  Tuition  is  free  to  all  persons  re- 
siding in  the  town,  while  pupils  from  abroad  are  charged  a  foe. 

THE    NORMAL    SCHOOL. 

The  second  Normal  School  opened  by  the  State  of  Massa- 
chusetts is  the  one  now  located  in  Westfield  village.  It  was 
originally  stationed  at  Barre,  in  September,  1839,  under  the 
direction  of  Prof  Samuel  P.  Newman,  who  died  in  1842.  In 
1844  the  school  was  removed  to  Westfield,  and  was  in  that 
year  and  in  184.5  under  the  charge  of  Kev.  Emerson  Davis. 
In  September,  184(i,  the  present  structure  was  first  occupied 
by  the  school.  The  original  building  cost  §tioOO,  of  which  the 
State  appropriated  $2,500,  the  town  |500,  the  central  school 
district  $1500,  and  private  subscriptions  the  residue.  Later, 
Ln  1861  and  1809,  the  building  was  remodeled  and  materially 
extended  by  the  State,  at  an  additional  expense  of  upward  of 
$25,000.  Previous  to  the  erection  of  the  Normal  School  build- 
ing the  .sessions  were  held  in  the  basement  of  the  Westfield 
Academy,  and  in  the  Westfield  town-hall.  Tuition  is  free 
to  every  pupil  who  gives  a  pledge  to  teach  school  in  the  State. 
Others  are  required  to  pay  a  tuition-fee.  The  pupils  num- 
bered, in  1878,  110,  and  the  corps  of  instructors  7,  in  addition 
to  the  principal.  The  course  of  study  is  a  thorough  one,  is 
intended  to  be  such  as  shall  fit  any  scholar  for  college,  and 
covers  a  period  of  two  years.  A  supplemental  course  of  two 
years  is  provided  for  graduates  of  the  regular  course.  Con- 
nected with  the  school  (supported  by  the  State  to  the  extent  of 
$.500  annually)  is  a  School  of  Observation,  a  valuable  library, 
apparatus  for  the  illustration  of  the  important  principles  in 
the  natural  sciences,  a  cabinet  of  mineral,  geological,  and 
zoological  specimens,  a  chemical  laboratory,  and  a  handsomely 
appointed  art-room.  Adjacent  to  the  school  building  is  the 
Normal  School  boarding-house,  an  elegant  brick  mansion, 
erected  by  the  State  in  1873-74,  at  a  cost  of  $84,000,  with  ac- 
commodations for  130  scholars.     In  1878  it  had  70  inmates. 

The  list  of  principals  from  1844  to  1878  is  as  follows ;  Em- 
erson Davis,  David  S.  Kowe,  Wm.  H.  Wells,  J.  W.  Dickin- 
son, and  Joseph  G.  Scott. 

Prom  the  foundation  of  the  school  in  1839  to  1878,  2806 
pupils  have  attended  it. 

COLLEGE  GRADUATES. 
Among  the  citizens  of  Westfield  who  have  graduated  at 
American  colleges,  beginning  with  Jonathan  Ashley,  who 
graduated  in  1730,  were  the  following:  Jonathan  Ashley, 
Israel  Ashley,  Joseph  Ashley,  Gideon  Noble,  John  Strong, 
P.  K.  Clark,  Israel  Moseley,  David  Shepard,  Moses  Ashley, 
Israel  Ashley  (2d),  Ebenezer  Ballentine,  Saul  and  Samuel 
Fowler,  John  Taylor,  John  Ingersoll,  Samuel  Mather,  Koyal 
Phelps,  William  Atwater,  James  Fowler,  Warham  Crooks, 
Matthew  Ives,  Samuel  Perry,  William  G.  Bates,  Henry  B. 
King,  and  Joseph  M.  Ely,  at  Yale;  John  Ballentine,  Wm'. 
G.  Ballentine,  Warham  Parks,  John  Phelps,  and  Moses 
Clark,  at  Harvard  ;  James  Taylor  and  Daniel  Moseley,  at  Wil- 
liams ;   Hiram  Smith,  at  Amherst ;  Seth  Moseley,  at  Union  ; 

Seth  Noble  and  Gerard  Root,  at ;  Charles  Hooker,  at 

Williams ;  Philip  Fowler,  at  Annapolis ;  Philip  Smith  and 
Fred.  H.  Gillet,  at  Amherst ;  Arthur  L.  Andrews,  Thos.  E. 
Kneil,  Edward  W.  Atwater,  and  Chas.  Holcombe,  at  Wes- 
leyan  ;  Samuel  Fowler,  Berlin  University. 

THE  WESTFIELD  ATHENEUM. 
This  institution,  one  of  the  chief  objects   of  the   pride  of 
Westfield,  was  the  outgrowth  of  the  public  spirit  and  benevo- 


lence of  Samuel  Mather  and  Hiram  Harrison,  Esqs.,  both  of 
whom,  now  deceased,  were  natives,  and  for  years  residents, 
of  Westfield.  Shortly  previous  to  the  year  1804,  Mr.  Mather, 
then  a  resident  of  Hartford,  Conn.,  indicated  an  intention  to 
donate  $10,000  toward  the  endowment  of  a  library  and  read- 
ing-room in  his  native  town,  and  it  was  at  his  suggestion  that 
the  Westfield  Atheneum  was  incorporated,  March  11,  1804. 
By  the  act,  Samuel  Mather,  Hiram  Harrison,  and  Cutler 
Laflin,  their  associates  and  successors,  were  made  a  corpora- 
tion by  the  name  of  the  Westfield  Atheneum,  to  be  established 
in  the  town  of  Westfield,  for  the  purpose  of  maintaining  a 
library  and  reading-room,  and  promoting  public  instruction 
by  lectures  and  otherwise,  with  all  powers,  etc. 

They  were  further  empowered  to  hold  the  donation  of 
Samuel  Mather,  and  all  other  donations,  etc.,  to  be  thereafter 
made,  and  to  purchase  and  hold  real  estate  to  an  amount  not 
exceeding  $.30,000,  and  personal  estate  to  an  amount  not  ex- 
ceeding $100,000. 

The  first  meeting  for  organization  was  held  Dec.  15,  1806, 
and  immediately  thereupon  Mr.  Mather  delivered  to  the 
treasurei:  of  the  corporation  $10,000  in  United  States  bonds  as 
a  fund  whose  income  should  be  applied  toward  the  salary  of 
librarian,  and  the  heating  and  lighting  of  the  library.  In 
that  year  Mr.  Harrison  erected  the  present  library  building, 
at  a  cost  of  $10,000,  and  presented  it,  with  the  land  it  occupies, 
to  the  Atheneum,  in  pursuance  of  a  cherished  desire  to  pro- 
mote, in  Westfield,  the  growth  of  such  an  institution.  Shortly 
after  this,  private  subscriptions,  aggregating  $10,000,  were 
made  by  citizens  of  Westfield,  and  persons  from  abroad,  who 
lived  here  formerly,  the  largest  of  these  donations  being  that 
of  Mr.  Henry  T.  Morgan,  of  New  York  City.  In  1872,  Mrs. 
John  B.  Eldredge,  of  Hartford,  donated  $1000  to  the  Atheneum. 
These  donations  were  for  the  purpo.se  of  purchasing  books, 
etc.,  for  the  library,  while  there  have  been  privately  donated 
as  well,  to  this  time,  upward  of  twelve  hundred  volumes. 
There  are  at  present  in  the  library  9200  bound  volumes.  The 
library  was  opened  to  the  public  Jan.  1,  1808,  and  has  since 
then  been  kept  continuously  open.  Periodicals  and  daily 
newspapers  are  kept  on  file,  which  visitors  to  the  library 
may  read  free  of  charge.  There  is  a  nominal  charge  of  $2 
per  year  for  the  privilege  of  withdrawing  books  from  the 
library.  The  annual  revenue  from  this  source  is  about  $450. 
The  library  has  been  in  charge  of  P.  L.  Buell,  Esq.,  as 
librarian,  since  May,  1873. 

BURIAL-PLACES. 

The  public  burial-places  in  Westfield  are  four  in  number. 
The  largest  is  the  Pine  Hill  Cemetery,  on  Court  Street,  about 
half  a  mile  west  of  the  village  of  Westfield.  It  occupies  an  ele- 
vated tract  of  30  acres,  and  belongs  to  the  Pine  Hill  Cemetery 
Association,  which  was  organized  in  1842,  when  the  cemetery 
was  first  laid  out.  There  are  at  present  about  1000  lot-owners, 
and  within  the  limits  of  the  burial-place  are  many  elegant 
monuments.  The  cemetery  is  beautified  with  smooth  and 
well-kept  drives  and  foot-paths,  abounds  in  the  luxuriant 
shade  of  hundreds  of  pines,  and  promises  to  become  in  time  a 
very  beautiful  city  of  the  dead.  There  is  a  small  burying- 
ground  at  West  Farms,  one  at  West  Parish,  and  another 
north  of  Westfield  village,  belonging  to  the  Catholic  Church. 

These  grounds,  already  mentioned,  are  of  comparatively 
recent  origin.  The  oldest  graveyard  in  the  town  is  found  on 
Mechanics  Street,  Westfield,  for  there  the  earliest  settlers 
buried  their  dead,  and  there  may  be  seen  many  old  headstones 
dating  as  far  back  as  the  seventeenth  century,  the  oldest  now 
discernible  being  of  date  1683.  There  are  doubtless  in  that 
ground  graves  of  earlier  date,  but  they  bear  no  headstones  to 
mark  their  age,  or  to  say  who  sleeps  below.  Appended  will 
be  found  a  record  of  some  of  the  earliest  inscriptions  : 

"Abigail,  wife  uf  Jolin  Sackett,  1690;  John  Rout,  1087;  Edward,  son  of  Geo. 
Griswold,  1688,  aged  27;  Cornet  Thomas  Dewey,  1690,  aged  32 ;  Elizabetli,  wife 


K]©jiBa,aiL  MALiLj  WEsirij?ai[LE),  m!k,^M. 


iT^Ti  iraQiaisaaiL  @©iKi©©t,  wistifjeilb,  ssaasg. 


i 


SETH   BUSH. 

Seth  Bush,  son  of  Asahel  aud 
Sally  Bush,  was  born  on  the  premises 
where  he  now  lives,  May  5,  1820. 
Upon  arriving  at  the  age  of  man- 
hood he  did  not,  like  many  others, 
leave  the  parental  roof  to  seek  a 
fortune  in  new  lands  far  from  the 
land  of  his  birth,  but  contentedly 
remained  on  the  old  place,  where 
five  generations  of  this  family  have 
lived. 

He  was  married,  Jan.  20.  1847, 
to  Lucy  A.  Kellogg,  a  native  of 
Southwick,  daughter  of  Alva  Kel- 
logg, one  of  the  pioneers  of  that 
town.  Their  family  includes  the 
following :  Homer,  Lucv  A.,  JMary 
K.,  Emma  E.,  and  William  S. 

Mr.  Bush  has  ever  been  ranked 
among  the  progressive  agi-iculturists 
of  the  town,  and  is  locally  celebrated 
as  a  dealer  in  fattened  cattle.     In 


Seth    Bush 


1878  he  fattened  eighteen  cattle, 
the  total  weight  of  which  was  thirty- 
six  thousand  three  hundred  and 
forty  pounds,  an  average  of  over 
two  thousand  pounds  each.  He 
shipped  them  alive  to  England,  and 
received  $2180  for  them. 

The  present  residence  of  Mr.  Bush 
is  one  of  the  old  landmarks  of  West- 
field,  built  by  his  great-grandfather, 
Aaron  Bush,  a  descendant  of  Sam- 
uel Bush,  who  moved  to  Westfield 
from  Springfield,  Mass.,  in  about 
the  year  1686.  It  was  noted  as  a 
hotel,  and  for  many  years  in  "ye 
olden  time"  was  one  of  the  famous 
wayside  inns  in  this  section.  It  is 
located  on  Silver  Street. 

Jlr.  Bush  is  a  member  of  the 
First  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
of  Westfield.  Politically  he  is  a 
Democrat,  and  has  always  remained 
true  to  the  principles  of  his  party. 


Residence  OF  SETH   BUSH, Westfield,  Mass 


11,  'll 


HISTORY   OF  HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


951 


of  Kev.  Edward  Taylor,  1689 ;  Abigail,  wife  of  John  Noble,  1683  ;  Aaron,  Jr.,  son 
of  Aaron  Dewey,  1740 ;  Israel  Dewey,  1728  ;  Consider  Moseley,  1755 ;  John  Mose- 
ley,  175G;  Ruth,  relict  of  Eev.  Edward  Taylor,  1730;  Eev.  Edward  Taylor,  1729. 
(The  inscription  on  Mr.  Taylor's  tombstone  reads  as  follows : '  Here  rests  ye  body 
of  ye  Rev.  Mr.  Edward  Taylor,  ye  aged,  venerable,  learned,  and  pious  pastor  of 
ye  Church  of  Christ  in  this  town,  who,  after  he  had  served  God  and  his  genera- 
tion faithfully  for  many  years,  fell  asleep,  June  24, 1729,  in  ye  871h  year  of  his 
age') ;  Samuel  Taylor,  1709  ;  Margaret,  his  w  ife,  1708 ;  Abyah  Dewey,  1740 ;  Con- 
stant Dewey,  1702,  aged  58  ;  Rhoda,  wife  of  Deacon  Eldad  Taylor,  1740 ;  Jona. 
Ingersoll,  1755,  upon  whose  tombstone  the  inscription  reads  as  follows:  'Capt. 
Jona.  Ingersoll,  who,  being  in  the  service  of  his  country,  was  killed  at  Lake 
Georgo,  Sep.  8, 1755,  in  the  4l6t  year  of  his  age ;'  Sarah,  wife  of  Jedediah  Dewey, 
1711 ;  Thomas  Ingersoll,  1748 ;  Israel  Ashley, '  who,  being  abroad  in  the  public 
service,  as  surgeon  of  a  regiment,  died  at  Stillwater.  Aug.  2, 1758,  aged  47 ;'  Eb- 
cnezer  Bush,  1767;  Richard  Falley,  1767;  Koah  Shclden,  1748;  Daniel  Bagg, 
1738;  Capt.  Isaac  Phelps,  1725,  aged  87;  Benjamin  Maudsley,  1719;  Benjamin 
Maudaley  (2d),  1719 ;  Isaiah  Ashley,  1735 ;  Jonathan  Weller,  1744 ;  Quartermaster 
John  Moseley,  1752;  Deacon  Daniel  Kellogg,  1756;  Ensign  Stephen  Kellogg, 
1722;  Jeremiah  Shepard,  1756;  Samuel  Fowler,  1744;  James  Ashley,  1755;  John 
Ashley,  1759,  aged  90 ;  Rev.  NehemiaU  Bull,  1740 ;  Adjutant  Russel  Dewey,  1827, 
aged  72,  'a  lover  of  his  country,  who  fought  for  her  independence;'  Timothy 
Stebbins,  'a  Revolutionary  soldier,'  1848,  aged  86;  Wm.  Shepard,  1817,  aged  80. 
*  He  fought  the  battles  of  our  country,  aided  in  the  councils  of  our  nation,  and 
exemplified  the  Christian  Character.' " 

This  old  burying-ground  is  in  a  state  of  excellent  repair, 
and,  as  a  rule,  the  old  headstones  are  erect,  while  much  care 
is  evidently  bestowed  upon  their  preservation.  The  ground 
is  still  used  for  burial  purposes,  but  only  to  a  limited  extent. 

INDUSTRIES. 

Until  about  1800  the  inhabitants  of  Westfield  devoted  their 
energies  almost  exclusively  to  the  pursuit  of  agriculture,  and 
upon  that  interest  the  substantial  prosperity  of  the  town  rested. 

Shortly  after  the  beginning  of  the  present  century,  manu- 
factures began  to  flourish  upon  the  many  valuable  mill-streams, 
and,  having  gained  a  permanent  foothold,  flourished  apace  as 
time  progressed,  and  became  ere  long  what  the}'  are  now, — 
the  chief  element  in  Westfield's  industries,  and  the  medium 
for  the  production  of  millions  of  dollars'  worth  of  goods 
annually,  and  the  emploj'ment  of  hundreds  of  people. 

The  three  leading  branches  of  manufacture  are  whips,  cigars, 
and  paper,  the  two  former  ranking  about  equal  in  the  value 
of  annual  product. 

The  appended  table,  taken  from  the  State  census  reports 
of  1875,  will  show  the  value  of  manufactures,  classified  in  the 
order  of  rank:  whips,  §880,000;  cigars,  $8.54,416;  paper, 
§400,000;  lumber,  ?140,000;  steam  heaters,  §140,000;  organs, 
$120,000;  distilled  liquors,  §80,000  ;  flour,  feed,  etc.,  §80,000  ; 
cigar-boxes,  §53,617;  bricks,  §45,000;  flavoring  extracts, 
§40,000;  cotton  batting,  §36,500;  gunpowder,  §30,000;  piano- 
legs,  §30,000;  coffins,  §2000;  boots,  §1500. 

The  same  report  gives  the  total  value  of  manufacttires  for 
1875  as  §3,446,358,  and  the  value  of  agricultural  products  for 
the  same  period  §362,900.  About  1600  persons  are  employed 
in  the  various  manufactories  of  the  town,  and  of  these  500  are 
women.  One  hundred  and  twenty-three  buildings,  valued  at 
§500,450,  are  occupied  for  manufacturing  purposes,  and  con- 
tain machinery  of  the  value  of  §226,265. 

WHIP-FACTORIES. 

The  leading  whip-factory  is  that  of  The  American  Wfii]) 
Compantj,  which  was  organized  in  1855,  with  a  capital  of 
§100,000,  the  flrst  of  the  kind  organized  in  this  country. 
The  factory  building,  a  brick  structure,  is  located  on  Main 
Street,  in  the  heart  of  Westfield  village,  and  represents, 
with  current  stock  on  hand,  an  invested  capital  of  §300,000. 
Whips  of  almost  every  description  are  manufactured  to  the 
value  of  from  §250,000  to  §400,000  annually,  the'latter  amount 
representing  the  result  when  the  factory  works  up  to  its  full 
capacity.  The  number  of  people  employed  will  vary  from  150 
to  250,  according  to  the  demands  of  trade. 

The  Hampden  WJilp  Company,  next  in  importance,  occupies 
a  fine  brick  edifice  on  Elm  Street.  The  company  was  organ- 
ized in  1875,  with  a  capital  of  §80,000,  and  employing,  in  1878, 
60  people,  and  manufacturing  goods  to  the  value  of  §150,000. 


Besides  the  two  establishments  above  noted,  there  were,  in 
1878,  25  firms  and  corporations  engaged  in  the  manufacture 
of  whips,  as  follows:  W.  G.  Bailey  &  Co.,  John  J.  Bohler, 
Samuel  E.  Chadwick,  Oscar  Clark,  Edmund  Cooper,  W.  0. 
Daniels,  L.  Danks  &  Son,  Charles  Douglas  &  Co.,  Solomon 
Ensign,  J.  B.  Fuller  &  Co.,  D.  D.  Griffin  &  Co.,  Harmonica 
Whip  Company,  Holcomb  &  Cook,  Knowles  &  Hastings,  E. 
R.  Lay  &  Son,  L.  B.  Lewis,  E.  S.  Miller,  George  T.  Moore, 
W.  H.  Owen  &  Co.,  Peck,  Osden  &  Co.,  William  Provin,  Jr., 
J.  C.  Schmidt,  Charles  W.  Spencer,  A.  J.  Smith,  and  C.  M. 
Whipple  &  Co. 

CIQAR-MAKINO. 

As  has  been  already  shown,  Westfield  is  a  prominent  point 
in  the  manufacture  of  cigars,  of  which  the  value  yearly  is 
nearly  as  great  as  that  of  the  whip-product.  This  branch  of 
manufacture  is  represented  by  30  firms  and  corporations. 

The  American  Cigar  Company/,  organized  in  1873,  has  a 
nominal  capital  of  §52,000,  and  an  invested  capital  of  §100,- 
000,  occupies  a  factory  which  cost  §10,000,  employs  froi:n  100 
to  200  people,  and  claims  to  produce  §300,000  worth  of  cigars 
yearly.  Other  parties  engaged  in  this  business  are  Benjamin 
Asher,  James  Barkley,  J.  C.  Barthe,  Beckman,  Noble  &  Co., 
Willis  E.  Boyden,  Brueggeman  &  Son,  Bryan,  Keef  &  Co., 
Bush,  Ensign  &  Chace,  L.  E.  Chester,  Eastern  Cigar  Com- 
pany, Hiram  Freed,  Hampden  Cigar  Company,  H.  C.  Hay- 
den,  Henry  Hoey,  Thomas  Jarrold,  Henry  Kolb,  James  N. 
Lewis,  A.  A.  Lloyd,  Thomas  F.  McMain,  Massachusetts  Co- 
operative Association,  David  Noble,  Phcenix  Cigar  Co-opera- 
tive Association,  George  Phillips,  M.  Rice,  H.  J.  Smith,  W. 
L.  Van  Deusen  &  Co.,  Westfield  Cigar  Company,  H.  S. 
Woodworth,  and  M.  Worthington  &  Son. 

STEAM    HEATERS. 

Two  firms  are  largely  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  steam 
heaters,  radiators,  etc.  Messrs.  H.  B.  Smith  &  Co.,  succes- 
sors of  H.  B.  Smith,  who  started  in  this  trade  in  Westfield, 
have  a  capital  of  §100,000,  and  are  located  on  Main  Street, 
Westfield  village,  in  a  brick  manufactory  which  cost  upward 
of  §40,000.  They  employ  about  60  people.  The  Laflin  Man- 
ufacturing Company  is  also  extensively  occupied  in  similar 
manufacture. 

CHURCH   ORGANS. 

Westfield  enjoys  distinction  as  a  place  where  some  of  the 
finest  and  largest  church  organs  are  manufactured.  Speci- 
mens of  the  product  in  this  direction  may  be  seen  in  many 
magnificent  churches,  and  it  is  believed  to  be  generally  under- 
stood that  Westfield  church  organs  take  rank  with  the  best 
manufactures.  Johnson  &  Son  and  Steer  &  Turner  are  en- 
gaged in  this  department  of  manufacture,  in  which  about  100 
persons  are  employed,  and  a  capital  of  from  §100,000  to  §150,000 
invested.  Johnson  &  Son  occupy  a  commodious  manufactory 
on  the  Westfield  River,  in  Westfield  village,  and,  near  by. 
Steer  &  Turner  carried  on  their  enterprise  until  their  works 
were  utterly  swept  away  by  the  flood  of  December,  1878. 
They  are  now  (1879)  located  on  Mechanics  Street. 

PAPER-MILLS. 

Crane  Brothers  are  engaged  on  Little  River,  near  Westfield 
village,  in  the  manufacture  of  bank-ledger,  record,  and  "all- 
linen"  papers,  linen-fibre  baskets,  etc.,  and  machine  belting. 
This  firm  is  famous  for  the  production  of  fine  paper,  and  is 
the  only  firm  that  manufactures  Crane's  patent  linen-fibre 
baskets  for  plantation,  household,  and  business  use.  The 
Messrs.  Crane  removed  froin  Ballston  Spa  in  1869  to  West- 
field,  and  in  that  year  purchased  the  mill  property  of  Taylor 
&  Stiles,  then  occupying  the  site  of  Crane  Bros.'  pre.sent  mill, 
and  devoted  to  the  manufacture  of  paper  belting.  The  new 
firm  materially  enlarged  the  mill  and  continued  to  use  it  for 
the  production  of  belting.     In  1870  the  mill  was  destroyed  by 


952 


HISTORY   OF  THE  CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


fire,  and  in  less  than  a  twelvemonth  was  replaced  by  the 
present  fine  brick  structure.  The  main  building,  two  stories 
and  basement  in  height,  measures  130  by  50  feet ;  the  rag- 
room,  two  stories  and  basement,  is  75  by  40  feet,  and  the 
machine-room,  one  story  high,  is  80  by  30  feet.     The  mill 


trimmings,  three  carriage-makers,  three  civil  engineers,  two 
coal  dealers,  five  clothiers,  two  express  companies,  six  confec- 
tioners, five  dentists,  three  restaurateurs,  three  sash-and-blind 
makers,  one  drain-tile  dealer,  eight  dry-goods  dealers,  one 
dyer,  three  fish  dealers,  three  florists,  two  flouring-mills,  one 


■^ 


CRANE    BROS.'  PAPER-MILLS. 


property,  including  machinery,  etc.,  represents  an  invested 
capital  of  §100,000 ;  75  persons  are  employed,  and  two  tons 
of  paper  are  manufactured  daily. 

The  PuHze  Walkle)/  Company,  whose  paper-mills  are  on 
Little  Kiver,  near  Westfield  village,  began  there  in  1872  the 
manufacture  of  manilla-paper,  in  a  frame  mill  purchased  that 
year  of  Samuel  Horton,  who  had  for  some  time  been  engaged 
in  manilla-paper  making.  This  frame  mill  was  burned  in 
1875,  and  in  the  same  year  was  succeeded  by  the  present  sub- 
stantial brick  structure,  built  on  the  same  site.  The  main 
building,  two  stories  in  height,  is  .30  feet  in  width,  and  the 
machine-room,  one  storj'  in  height,  26  feet  wide,  both  struc- 
tures having  a  length  on  the  river  of  110  feet.  The  company 
has  an  invested  capital  of  $70,000  in  this  mill,  employs  10 
men,  and  manufactures  daily  2600  pounds  of  manilla-paper. 

THE   MANUFACTURERS'    CORPORATE   ASSOCIATION 

was  organized  in  1871,  with  a  capital  of  $.50,000,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  furnishing  steam-  or  water-power  to  such  manufac- 
turers as  might  desire  to  be  thus  provided.  The  company 
built  a  dam  in  Little  Kiver,  and  in  conducting  the  water- 
power  through  Westfield  village,  and  to  fectories,  use  the  bed 
of  the  old  canal,  which  was  many  years  ago  a  transportation 
highway  between  New  Haven  and  Northampton.  The  presi- 
dent of  the  company  is  James  H.  Bryan,  and  the  secretary 
K.  B.  Robinson.  This  corporation  owns  the  fine  brick  edifice- 
occupied  by  the  Hampden  Whip  Company,  as  well  as  other 
similar  property. 

MISCELLANEOUS    MANUFACTURES. 

Among  these  may  be  mentioned  that  of  the  Vitrified  Wheel 
and  Emery  Company,  organized  in  1873-,  with  a  capital  of 
1100,000;  the  pianoforte-leg  factory  of  Chas.  N.  Stimpson, 
the  paper-box  factories  of  Brown  &  Hutchinson  and  T.  B. 
Seymour,  and  the  cigar-box  factories  of  Peter  Calens  and  P. 
L.  Keilly.  Bricks  are  made  by  L.  B.  Walkley  and  S.  P.  Har- 
rison, cotton  batting  by  J.  Olmstead  &  Co.,  distilled  spirits 
by  tJ.  H.  Bush  &  Co.,  whip  machinery,  etc.,  by  Emerson 
Sizer,  and  steam-engines  by  Lyman  Wheeler. 

The  other  mercantile  and  professional  pursuits  of  the  town 
are  represented  by  four  dealers  in  agricultural  implements,  five 
druggists,  four  architects,  six  attorneys,  four  auctioneers,  four 
wood-turners,  two  bakers,  five  blacksmiths,  four  book-binders, 
six  boot  and  shoe  dealers,  two  building-movers,  fifteen  master- 
carpenters,  three  carpet  dealer.^,  one  manufacturer  of  casket 


undertaker,  one  furniture  dealer,  twenty  grocers,  eight  hair- 
dressers, three  hardware  dealers,  five  harness-shops,  eight 
hotel-keepers,  three  ice  dealers,  eleven  insurance  agents,  one 
laundryman,  eight  liverymen,  six  lumber  dealers,  three  ma- 
chinists, two  marble-works,  eight  butchers,  five  merchant 
tailors,  two  news-rooms,  two  photographers,  fourteen  physi- 
cians, and  five  jewelers. 

Westfield  is  a  rich  agricultural  town,  and  contains  within 
its  borders  vast  tracts  of  excellent  grazing-lands.  Swamp, 
sandy  plain,  and  mountain  furnish  a  great  variety  of  soil, 
which  in  the  three  sections  yields  bounteous  crops  of  vege- 
tables of  nearly  all  kinds.  It  is  claimed  that  Westfield  pro- 
duces sixty  varieties  of  meadow-grass,  and  that  of  these  some 
are  found  only  in  this  locality. 

BANKS. 
There  are  two  national  banks  in  the  town,  with  a  capital 
of  $400,000. 

THE    FIRST   NATIONAL   BANK, 

organized  in  1864,  with  a  capital  of  $150,000,  was,  in  1865, 
consolidated  with  the  Westfield  Bank  (organized  in  1851,  with 
a  capital  of  $100,000),  does  business  as  the  First  National,  and 
has  $250,000  capital.  This  bank  has  a  line  of  deposits  of 
$118,500. 

THE    HAMPDEN    NATIONAL    BANK, 
organized    in    1825  as  a  State   hank,  and    in   1865   as  a  na- 
tional bank,  has  a  capital  of  $150,000,  and  a  deposit  account 
of  $115,000. 

The  Westfield  Savings-Bank,  organized  in  1853,  has  on  de- 
posit $680,000. 

The  deposits  in  the  Woronoco  Savings-Bank,  organized  in 
1871,  amount  to  $-592,000. 

RAILROADS. 

Two  railroads — the  Boston  and  Albany  and  the  New 
Haven  and  Northampton — cross  at  Westfield  village,  an  im- 
portant depot  on  both  lines.  During  October,  1878,  the  re- 
ceipts of  the  former  at  Westfield  station,  for  passengers,  were 
$3431.  During  the  same  time  1411  tons  of  local  freight  were 
forwarded,  and  1326  tons  received.  The  passenger  receipts  of 
the  New  Haven  and  Northampton  Railroad  at  Westfield  for 
the  same  period  were  $2000.  Two  thousand  two  hundred 
and  fifty  tons  of  local  and  through  freight  were  received,  and 
650  tons  forwarded. 


HISTORY   OF   HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


953 


"Westfield  is  also  directly  connected  with  Holyoke  by  the 
Holyoke  and  Westfield  Eailroad. 

WATER-WORKS,  Etc. 
Westfield  is  proud  of  her  water-works  S3'stem,  and,  although 
the  enterprise  cost  the  town  nearly  $250,000,  it  has  always 
been  considered  a  valuable  investment,  chiefly  because  it 
offers  excellent  facilities  for  the  prompt  extinguishment  of 
fires,  and  it  was  this  motive  which  was  the  primary  cause 
of  the  creation  of  the  works.  The  town  was  authorized  by 
the  Legislature,  in  1873,  to  construct  water-works.  They 
were  begun  the  same  year,  and  completed  in  1874.  The 
storage  reservoir,  located  in  Montgomery,  occupies  an  eleva- 
tion of  771.38  feet  above  the  park,  in  Westfield,  covers  51 
acres,  and  has  a  capacity  of  184,000,000  gallons. 

Among  the  corporations  may  also  be  mentioned  the  West- 
field  Gas  Company,  incorporated  in  1860,  with  a  capital  of 
$54,000,  and  the  Westfield  Mutual  Fire  Insurance  Company, 
which,  since  its  incorporation,  in  1852,  has  been  remarkably 
prosperous. 

THE   PRESS. 

The  Hnmpden  Register,  issued  Feb.  18,  1824,  by  Maj. 
Joseph  Root,  was  the  first  newspaper  published  in  Westfield. 
The  paper  was  Federal  in  politics  at  the  outset,  but  upon  a 
change  of  proprietorship,  April,  1827,  N.  W.  Smith  and  John 
B.  Eldridge  (the  latter  the  original  publisher  of  the  Hampden 
Whig,  of  Springfield)  assuming  control,  Democratic  tenden- 
cies soon  began  to  appear  in  its  columns,  and  its  patronage  fell 
away.  Mr.  Smith  withdrew  the  following  September,  and  in 
November,  1828,  Eldridge  relinquished  the  journal  into  the 
hands  of  its  original  proprietor,  Maj.  Boot.  The  latter  lost 
no  time,  however,  in  disposing  of  his  interest  to  J.  D.  Hun- 
tington, who,  changing  its  name  to  the  Westfield  Register, 
and  its  politics  to  Whig,  conducted  it  until  Nov.  29,  1831, 
when  it  was  discontinued. 

In  the  interim — 1828  and  1829 — Emerson  Davis,  preceptor 
of  the  academy,  published  a  small  periodical  called  the  Schol- 
ar's Journal,  and  on  Sept.  10,  1833,  the  town  having  for  two 
years  been  without  a  newspaper,  Joseph  Bull  issued  the  first 
number  of  the  Westfield  Journal.  Until  April,  1835,  it  was 
neutral  in  politics,  but  at  that  time  Norman  T.  Leonard, 
purchasing  it,  changed  the  name  to  the  Democratic  Herald, 
and  its  politics  were,  of  course,  appropriate  to  its  title.  It 
lived,  however,  only  about  a  twelvemonth  after  the  change. 

About  this  time — April,  1836 — The  Talisman,  published  in 
quarto  form,  was  issued  by  H.  B.  Smith.  Its  existence  was 
limited  to  three  months,  although,  as  tradition  has  it,  it  did 
not  die  for  lack  of  support. 

After  another  blank  of  nearly  three  years,  Calvin  Torrey 
issued  the  Westfield  Spectator  in  April,  1839,  and,  although 
its  politics  were  Democratic,  it  received,  during  the  first  year 
of  its  existence,  liberal  support  from  members  of  both  parties. 
In  October,  1841,  Dr.  William  0.  Bell  bought  the  paper,  and 
shortly  afterward  changed  its  name  to  the  Woronoco  Palla- 
dium. He  continued  it  under  that  name  until  the  latter  part 
of  1843,  when  he  resold  it  to  Mr.  Torrey,  its  first  proprietor, 
who  changed  the  name  back  to  The  Spectator,  but  it  failed  of 
success,  and  expired  in  1844. 

Meanwhile,  on  the  28th  of  February,  1841,  Elijah  Porter 
established  the  Westfield  News-Letter,  which,  as  it  afterward 
proved,  was  the  only  paper  of  Westfield  birth  that  enjoyed 
anything  like  a  prolonged  and  healthy  existence. 

About  this  time,  too,  the  Westfield  Courier,  The  Jejfersonian, 
and  The  Repository — a  school  journal — illumined  the  horizon 
of  local  journalism,  but  passed  speedily  away  after  brief  and 
feeble  struggles. 

The  News-Letter  prospered  from  the  outset,  and,  in  1847, 
Samuel  H.  Davis,  a  son  of  Dr.  Emerson  Davis,  of  Westfield, 
became  a  partner  with  Mr.  Porter  in  the  enterprise.     He  re- 
mained, however,  only  until  November,  1848,  when  he  left 
120 


to  take  the  position  of  assistant  editor  of  the  Springfield  Re- 
publican. Mr.  Porter  conducted  the  paper  alone  until  August, 
1851,  when  Mr.  P.  L.  Buell,  now  the  librarian  of  the  West- 
field  Atheneum,  purchased  a  half-interest  and  assumed  the 
editorial  reins.  In  August,  1852,  A.  T.  Dewey  was  taken  in 
as  a  partner,  but  he  withdrew,  in  1854,  to  start  The  Wide- 
Awake  American, — a  Know-Nothing  paper, — which,  after  a 
year's  existence  in  Westfield,  was  removed  to  Springfield. 

Porter  &  Buell  continued  The  News-Letter  in  company 
until  1855,  when  H.  N.  Carter  purchased  Mr.  Porter's  interest, 
and  Buell  &  Carter  carried  the  publication  forward  to  Febru- 
ary, 1861,  Mr.  Buell  having,  as  before,  continued  to  be  chief 
editor.  Mr.  Buell — buying  Mr.  Carter's  interest  in  1861 — 
published  on  his  account  until  November,  1871,  when  he  sold 
to  Sherman  Adams,  who  was  its  proprietor  until  July,  1874, 
when,  by  Adams'  sale.  The  Western  Hampden  Times,  which 
was  started  in  1869,  by  Clark  &  Story,  effected  a  consolidation 
with  Tlie  News-Letter,  and  the  paper  has  since  then  been  con- 
tinued as  The  Times  and  News-Letter,  under  Clark  &  Story's 
proprietorship.  Mr.  Buell,  former  editor  of  The  News-Letter, 
has,  since  1874,  been  agricultural  editor  of  The  Times  and 
News-Letter. 

Besides  the  newspapers  here  mentioned  may  be  noted  The 
Westfield  Standard,  a  Democratic  journal,  which,  first  issued 
in  1845,  was  owned  by  a  stock  company,  and  edited  success- 
ively until  December,  1848,  by  Hiram  A.  Beebe,  J.  D.  Bates, 
and  Wm.  W.  Whitman.  At  the  last-mentioned  date,  James 
M.  Ely  bought  it,  but  sold  it  to  Gilbert  W.  Cobb  in  1852. 
Mr.  Cobb  edited  it  two  years,  when  it  was  discontinued. 
Shortly  after  his  retirement  from  The  News-Letter,  Mr.  Sher- 
man Adams  began  the  issue  of  a  small  paper  called  The  West- 
field  Advertiser,  and  this  he  still  continues.  It  may  be  well 
to  note  that  the  newspapers  herein  mentioned  were  all  weekly 
journals. 

SOCIETIES,   ORDERS,   Etc. 

MASONIC. 

Mount  Moriah  Lodge,  F.  and  A.  M.,  was  instituted  Febru- 
ary, 1856,  and  chartered  Dec.  3,  1856.  It  has  now  (1878)  220 
members,  and  oflBcers  as  follows :  John  M.  Moscly,  W.  M.  ; 
Geo.  W.  Houghton,  S.  W.  ;  W.  B.  Cornwell,  J.  W. ;  Merrit 
Van  Deusen,  Treas.  ;  Jas.  E.  Gladwin,  Sec. ;  Jos.  G.  Noble, 
Marshal;  J.  A.  Lakin,  S.  D.  ;  A.  E.  Gibbs,  J.  D. ;  J.  R. 
Johnson,  Chaplain  ;  W.  H.  Russell,  S.  S.  ;  Lester  Campbell, 
J.  S. ;  Stephen  B.  Cook,  Tyler. 

Everting  Star  R.  A.  Chapter. — The  officers  of  the  chapter 
are  Isaac  N.  Weston,  H.  P.  ;  M.  Van  Deusen,  K.  ;  H.  W. 
Clapp,  S.  ;  H.  Loomis,  Treas. ;  S.  S.  Conner,  Sec.  ;  D.  N. 
Goff',  Chaplain ;  L.  W.  Phelps,  C.  H.  ;  Phineas  Solomon,  P. 
S.  ;  E.  Crowson,  R.  A.  C. ;  J.  H.  Dudley,  M.  3  V.  ;  Wra.  H. 
Holmes,  M.  2  V.  ;  W.  B.  Cornwell,  M."l  V. 

INDEPENDENT   ORDER   OF   ODD-FELLOWS. 

Wildey  Encampment,  A^o.  47. — This  encampment  has  officers 
as  follows :  J.  B.  Goodrich,  C.  P.  ;  Jacob  Conner,  H.  P.  ; 
J.  W.  Alstrom,  S.  W. ;  Beebe  ISmith,  J.  W.  ;  A.  N.  Brass, 
Treas.  ;  L.  E.  Noble,  Scribe. 

Westfield  Lodge,  No.  152,  has  the  following  officers :  War- 
ren Cole,  N.  G.  ;  A.  A.  Atwater,  V.  G.  ;  A.  M.  Latham,  R. 
S.  ;  H.  H.  Lee,  Treas. ;  D.  R.  Rising,  P.  S. 

Woro7ioco  Lodge,  No.  74,  has  the  following  officers  :  A.  W. 
Holton,  N.  G.  ;  J.  G.  Warren,  V.  G.  ;  Geo.  C.  Webb,  P.  S. ; 
L.  E.  Noble,  Treas. ;  Arthur  Sackett,  W.  ;  G.  A.  Sackett,  R.  S. 

KNIGHTS    OF    HONOR. 

Harmony  Lodge,  No.  328,  was  organized  July  21,  1876, 
with  12  members,  and  has  now  47  members,  and  officers  as 
follows  :  Henry  Mullen,  Dictator  ;  H.  Harris,  Vice-Dictator; 
G.  M.  Clapp,  Assistant  Dictator  ;  E.  P.  Tinker,  Reporter ; 
D.  R.  Rising,  Financial  Reporter;  Herbert  Lyman,  Sec. 


954 


HISTORY  OF  THE  CONNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


TEMPERANCE   SOCIETIES. 

There  are  in  Westfield  six  societies  devoted  to  the  further- 
ance of  the  cause  of  temperance,  and  their  hibors,  it  is  worthy 
of  especial  note,  liave  been  devotedly  and  assiduously  pur- 
sued, with  most  excellent  results. 

The  societies  are  named  The  Westfield  Temperance  Union, 
chartered  February,  1878;  Young  Men's  Fraternity;  West- 
field  Women's  Christian  Temperance  Union  ;  Woronoco  Re- 
form Club ;  Temple  of  Honor ;  and  Father  Mathevv  Total 
Abstinence  Society. 

GRAND  ARMY  OF  THE  REPUBLIC* 

Lyon  Post,  No.  41,  had  in  1878  the  following  officers  :  W. 
J.  Mixter,  P.  C. ;  J.  C.  Barthe,  S.  V.  C.  ;  Adam  Swan,  J.  V. 
C.  ;  Frank  Snow,  Adj.  ;  6.  W.  Houghton,  Q.  ;  Wm.  Provin, 
Jr.,  Chaplain  ;  J.  H.  Todd,  O.  D. 

ANCIKNT    ORDKR    OF    HIBERNIANS. 

No.  50  was  organized  Feb.  19,  1873,  and  has  officers  as  fol- 
lows:  C.  0.  Donovan,  President;  J.  C.  Costain,  Vice-Pres.  ; 
John  Ingoldsby,  Sec. ;  Patrick  Coleman,  Treas. 

THE   WESTERN   HAMPDEN   POULTRY   ASSOCIATION 

was  organized  in  March,  1878,  for  the  purpose  of  encouraging 
the  breeding  of  superior  poultry,  and  although  yet  an  experi- 
ment, the  association  has  achieved  good  work,  and  gives  as- 
surance that  its  field  of  usefulness  will  be  occupied  perma- 
nently, to  the  valuable  and  material  advancement  of  the  object 
it  has  undertaken.  The  last  exhibition  held  at  Westfield, 
January,  1879,  was  a  notable  success,  and,  according  to  pur- 
pose, similar  exhibitions  will  be  held  annually.  The  president 
of  the  association  is  J.  A.  Lakin,  and  the  number  of  mem- 
bers, 35. 

THE   FOREST   AND   STREAM   CLUB, 

with  a  present  membership  of  35,  was  organized  in  1875,  by 
a  company  of  Westfield  gentlemen,  with  a  view  to  securing 
exclusive  fishing-grounds,  and  for  the  purpose  of  promoting 
the  breeding  of  valuable  fish.  To  this  end  they  leased  of  the 
State  Hazzard's  pond  in  Russell,  and  stocked  it  with  black 
bass  and  land-locked  salmon.  The  interests  of  the  club  at  the 
pond  are  carefully  guarded,  and  thither  each  year  the  club 
members  repair  for  a  season  of  excellent  angling  sport. 

MISCELLANEOUS. 

The  other  societies  in  the  town  are  The  Westfield  Firemen's 
Mutual  Relief  Association,  whose  officers  are  Wm.  Provin, 
Jr.,  President;  H.  T.  Snow,  Vice-President;  G.  C.  Parker, 
Sec.  ;  and  W.  J.  Mixter,  Treas.  The  Aurora  Litei'ary  Asso- 
ciation, organized  in  1876,  for  the  purpose  of  promoting  liter- 
ary culture,  and  having  otHcers  as  follows:  J.  P.  Martin, 
President;  Mary  E.  Sullivan,  Vice-President;  Julia  Murphy, 
Sec. ;  J.  C.  Costain,  Treas.  The  Young  Men's  Christian  Broth- 
erhood, whose  members  are  members  of  the  various  West- 
field  churches,  and  whose  object  is  the  furtherance,  through 
the  means  of  public  meeting,  of  the  cause  of  religion.  The 
Town  Improvement  Associiition,  composed  of  the  leading 
citizens  of  Westfield,  who  contribute  much,  with  their  own 
means,  toward  the  improvement  of  the  thoroughfares.  The 
Western  Hampden  Agricultural  Society,  organized  in  1854, 
has  since  that  time  held  annual  agricultural  fairs  on  the 
society's  grounds,  at  Westfield,  and  on  these  yearly  occasions 
the  town  has  always  donned  its  holiday  attire  to  honor  the 
display  of  its  rich  possessions  as  a  farming  region.  The  West- 
field  Club,  a  social  organization,  dates  its  existence  from  the 
year  1875,  and  bears  upon  its  membership  roll  the  names  of  (50 
of  the  best-known  citizens  of  the  town.  The  club  occupies 
handsomely  furnished  quarters  in  the  post-otfice  building. 
C.  K.  Lamson  is  the  president,  and  Isaac  N.  Weston  secre- 
tary and  treasurer.     There  are  also  the  Westfield  Musical  As- 


*  This  organization  gave  up  its  cliarter  April  1, 1879. 


sociation,  and  two  bands  known  respectively  as  Greene's 
Serenade  Band  and  the  Westfield  Cornet  Band . 

FIRE  DEPARTMENT. 
Westfield  has  an  efficient  fire  department,  which,  as  often 
demonstrated,  has  performed  valuable  service,  and  that  result 
has  in  no  small  measure  been  assisted  by  the  excellent  system 
of  water-works  provided  by  the  town.  The  department  was 
organized  in  1848,  and  includes  now  in  its  stock  of  appa- 
ratus four  hose-carts,  two  extinguishers,  one  hand-engine, 
one  hook-and-ladder  truck,  and  one  steam  fire-engine.  The 
department  numbers  64  members,  divided  as  follows ;  Hose 
No.  1,  H.  T.  Snow,  foreman,  12  men;  Hose  No.  2,  Geo.  C. 
Parker,  foreman,  12  men ;  Hose  No.  3,  John  Warren,  fore- 
man, 12  men ;  Extinguisher  No.  1,  Geo.  Miller,  foreman,  7 
men ;  Extinguisher  No.  2,  Carlos  Pember,  foreman,  8  men ; 
Hook-and-Ladder  No.  1,  Geo.  Bowers,  foreman,  13  men.  For 
the  year  ending  Feb.  1,  1879,  there  were  20  tires,  involving  a 
loss  of  ^64,815.  For  the  same  period  the  expenses  of  the 
department  were  $4314.32.  The  officers  of  the  department, 
chosen  May,  1878,  were  C.  M.  Whipple,  Chief  Engineer ;  O. 
C.  Towle,  First  Assistant ;  J.  G.  Noble,  Second  Assistant. 

POST-OFFICES. 
The  post-oflSce  at  Westfield  village  is  a  distributing  point 
whence  several  adjoining  towns  receive  their  mails.  Sixteen 
mails  are  received,  and  seventeen  forwarded  each  day.  The 
receipts  of  the  office  for  postage  during  the  three  months  ending 
Sept.  30,  1878,  reached  $2854.68.  For  the  month  of  October, 
1878,  the  money-order  department  of  the  office  paid  240  orders, 
aggregating  $4394.71,  and  issued  2.59  orders,  amounting  to 
$2968.31.  The  present  postmaster  (1879)  is  Hon.  Thomas 
Kneil. 

MILITARY. 

THE    SOLDIERS'    MONUMENT. 

A  conspicuous  feature  in  the  embellishments  of  the  village 
is  the  soldiers'  monument,  which  stands  at  the  junction  of 
Court,  Elm,  and  Broad  Streets.  The  base,  composed  of  gran- 
ite, is  10  feet  in  height,  and  surmounting  it  is  the  bronze 
figure — 8  feet  high — of  an  American  soldier  "on  guard." 
The  four  faces  of  the  die  forming  part  of  the  base  are  adorned, 
one  with  the  dedicatory  inscription, — 

"'  Westfield  honoi-s  her  sons,  fallen  in  the  defense  of  liberty,  union,  and  inde- 
pendence." 

A  second,  with  the  coat-of-arms  of  Massachusetts ;  a  third, 
with  the  coat-of-arms  of  the  United  States ;  and  a  fourth  with 
a  list  of  the  names  of  the  66  soldiers  who  lost  their  lives  in  the 


Marshall  Barden,  Lawrence  Day,  James  Deuneen,  Joseph  Gaddis,  Carl  Kal- 
fiur,  John  Littlefield,  James  B.  Lay,  Ephraim  T.  Moore,  Samuel  Sprague,  John 
Trainer,  Albert  Snow,  Pliny  Wood,  Chas.  Egleston,  F.  Heinesouth,  Proctor  Wood- 
worth,  Emerson  Cowles,  Lyman  Andrus,  John  DorHin,  Hiram  W.  Weiser,  Elisha 
J.  Griggs,  Wm.  K.  Flagg,  Seth  Liswell,  Henry  Searle,  Le  Roy  S.  Oakes,  Lorenzo 

D.  Gibson,  Jas.  H.  Gaylord,  Thomas  J.  Brown,  Henry  C.  Cooley,  Dwight  Chap- 
man, John  E.  Dickson,  William  Foos,  Amos  Gaylord,  Joseph  K.  Gibbons,  John 
H.  Gootz,  Frank  Hayden,  Wm.  H.  Kenny,  Thomas  Wagner,  Henry  Whitman, 
Richard  Smy,  John  J.  Warner,  James  O'Brien,  Oscar  F.  Spelman,  Alfred  H. 
Smith,  Lysander  Miller,  Henry  Ramsdale,  Albert  Brewer,  Patrick  Hogan,  Peter 
McRedman,  Zachariah  Longley,  Frank  Miller,  John  Shay,  Granville  E.  Holton, 
Henry  G.  Lay,  Joseph  P.  Shepard,  Norman  Egleston,  Patiick  Nagle,  Charles  T. 
Hanchett,  Norman  Clark,  Jere.  Sullivan,  Cornelius  Tourney,  Joseph  J.  Starr, 
Nicholiis  Finn,  L.  F.  Hull,  A.  T.  Williams,  Francis  C.  Carroll,  Thomas  Kelley. 

The  monurnent  was  dedicated  May  31,  1871,  and  in  the  ex- 
ercises of  the  day  a  large  concourse  of  citizens  from  neighbor- 
ing towns  took  part  with  the  inhabitants  of  Westfield.  There 
was  a  militar}'  procession  in  the  morning,  an  out-door  banquet 
at  noon,  whereat  1000  persons  sat  down,  and  the  unveiling  of 
the  monument  in   the  afternoon,  incidental  to  which  Hon. 

E.  B.  Gillett  delivered  an  address,  the  Rev.  Henry  Hopkins 
read  an  original  poem  written  by  Mrs.  A.  V.  Rand,  and 
Gen.  Kilpatrick  delivered  an  oration.  An  open-air  concert 
and  a  dreis  parade  of  the  military  (erminated  the  day's  ceie- 


jf^  ^J  U-^^^'v^^o  (^t^^ 


Prominently  identified  with  the  interests  of  his  native  town 
and  county  was  the  honored  subject  of  this  sketch.  Hiram 
Harrison  was  born  in  the  east  mountain  district  of  the  town  of 
Westileld,  March,  1807.  His  parents  were  Reuben  Harrison 
and  Nancy  Baldwin,  both  of  whom  were  descendants  of  very 
early  settlers.  He  was  educated  at  the  district  schools  of  his 
native  town,  and  there  laid  the  foundation  for  his  subsequent 
successful  business  career.  His  father  was  a  farmer,  and  the 
son  also  followed  that  honorable  calling  until  he  became  twenty- 
one  years  of  age.  It  was  at  this  time,  while  on  the  old  home- 
stead, that  he  commenced  the  whip  and  cigar  business  in 
company  with  Boardman  Noble.  The  whips  and  cigars  were 
all  made  by  hand.  Mr.  Noble  made  the  articles,  and  Mr. 
Harrison  traversed  the  country  selling  them,  little  dreaming, 
doubtless,  of  the  future  gigantic  development  of  the  business. 
It  required  but  little  time,  however,  for  the  keen  eye  of  Har- 
rison to  discern  that  with  the  growth  of  our  country  the  de- 
mand for  these  articles  would  increase,  and  he  soon  after 
removed  to  West  Springfield,  and,  although  purchasing  a 
farm,  continued  the  manufacture  of  cigars  and  whips. 

The  small  town  of  West  Springfield  could  not,  however,  long 
retain  the  active  and  ambitious  young  manufacturer,  who  now 
saw  the  future  rapid  growth  of  the  business,  and  after  re- 
maining here  a  time  he  removed  to  the  village  of  Westfleld, 
and  purchased  what  is  now  Icnown  as  the  "  Harrison  Place," 
on  the  corner  of  Main  and  Cross  Streets.  He  at  once  entered 
largely  into  tlie  manufacture  of  whips  and  cigars,  and  the 
rapid  increase  of  the  business  only  confirmed  his  predictions 
of  years  previously,  and  not  many  years  elapsed  ere  his  estab- 
lishment was  the  largest  of  the  kind  in  this  country.  He 
continued  the  business  a  number  of  years,  having  various 
persons  from  time  to  time  associated  with  him,  when  with 
other  firms  in  the  town  he  organized  the  American  Whip 
Company,  and  he  was  chosen  its  president.  This  was  then, 
and  is  now,  the  largest  concern  of  the  kind  in  the  world,  having 
its  salesrooms  in  every  large  city  in  the  United  States.  Mr. 
Harrison  remained  president  of  this  company  until  1868,  when 
he  retired  from  active  business. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-one,  while  he  was  still  making  whips 


and  cigars  by  hand  on  the  old  homestead  in  the  east  mountain 
district,  he  was  married  to  Martha,  daughter  of  Samuel  Lee, 
of  Westfleld.  Their  family  consisted  of  the  following,  viz.  : 
Juliette  (deceased),  wife  of  C.  I.  Snow,  of  Westfleld;  Martha 
Ann,  married  Capt.  Lucius  F.  Thayer,  a  prominent  citizen, 
and  resides  in  Westfleld;  Izetta,  married  J.  H.  Waterman, 
M.D.,  a  practicing  physician  in  Westfleld,  and  died  in  1874; 
Hiram,  the  fourth  child,  died  in  infancy. 
Hiram-Harrison  was  a  self-made  man. 

"  Honor  and  fame  from  no  condition  rise  ; 
Act  well  your  part,  there  all  the  honor  lies." 

He  was  a  consistent  Christian,  and,  in  the  language  of  one 
who  had  known  him  well  for  years,  "  If  there  ever  lived  in 
this  country  a  man  who  was  possessed  of  the  Christian  graces, 
that  man  was  Hiram  Harrison."  His  charities  were  almost 
boundless ;  they  were  both  great  and  small.  The  poor  man 
will  not  .soon  forget  how  his  heart  was  gladdened  on  Thanks- 
giving mornings  by  the  turkey  left  at  his  door  by  Mr.  Har- 
rison in  person  ;  and  the  citizens  of  Westfleld  will  ever  cherish 
his  memory  for  the  interest  he  manifested  in  all  matters  con- 
cerning the  public  welfare,  and  for  the  flne  library-building 
which,  during  the  last  years  of  his  life,  he  erected  and  donated 
to  the  village.  Politically  he  was  originally  a  Democrat,  but 
flnally  a  Republican.  He  manifested  an  interest  in  political 
matters  so  far  as  they  aflected  the  welfare  of  the  people,  and 
represented  his  town  in  the  Legislature.  In  religious  and 
educational  matters  he  also  manifested  the  same  general 
interest,  and  was  ever  found  leading  in  all  movements  having 
for  their  aim  the  good  of  the  community  wherein  he  resided. 
He  was  formerly  a  Methodist,  and  subsequently  a  member  of 
the  Congregational  Church. 

His  was  an  active,  and  in  many  respects  an  eventful,  career. 
Death  at  last  laid  his  hand  upon  the  strong  man,  and  in  Janu- 
ary, 1869,  he  passed  away. 

"The  boast  of  heniUiry,  the  pomp  of  power, 

And  all  that  beauty,  all  that  wealth,  ere  gave, 
Await  alike  the  inevitable  hour: 

The  paths  of  glory  lead  but  to  the  grave." 


HISTORY  OF  HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


955 


monies.  The  statue  was  designed  by  Mr.  Mossman,  of  Chico- 
pec,  and  cast  by  the  Ames  Manufacturing  Company  of  that 
phice. 


westfield's  war  record. 
Here  will  be  found  a  list  of  the  names  of  the  citizens  of 
Westfield  who  served  in  the  war  of  the  Kebellion : 


Lucius  B.  Walkley,  10th  Masa. 
David  M.  Chase,  10th  Mass. 
Edwin  F.  Juhnson,  10th  Mass. 
Nelson  H.  Gardner,  lurh  Mass. 
Terry  S.  Nohle,  10th  Mjtss. 
Iliram  Freed,  10th  Mass. 
Adam  Swan,  10th  Mass. 
Henry  G.  Junes,  Inth  Mass. 
Edward  T.  Lewis,  10th  Mass, 
Willis  M.  Clarke,  lOlh  Mass. 
George  F.  Anfort,  10th  Mass. 
George  A.  Atkins,  10th  Mass. 
Henry  Anthony,  10th  Mass. 
Henry  C.  Bates,  10th  Mass. 
George  Brooks,  loth  Mass. 
Hiram  K.  Caswell,  10th  Mass. 
Lewis  C.  Carter,  10th  Mass. 
Joseph  Clenimer,  10th  Mass. 
Albert  H.  Cook,  10th  Mass. 
Henry  I.  Copely,  10th  Mass. 
Hiram  H.  Copely,  10th  Mass. 
Lawrence  Day,  10th  Mass. 
James  Dcinnen,  10th  JLiss. 
Sherman  J.  Fowler,  loth  Mass. 
Moses  W.  Evans,  10th  Mass. 
Henry  H.  Furrow,  10th  Mass. 
George  F.  Furrow,  Idth  Mass. 
James  H.  Gaylord  (2d),  lUtb  Mass. 
Joseph  Gaddis,  10th  Mass. 
Horace  H.  Gorliam,  loih  Mass. 
Manuel  Gonzales,  10th  Mass. 
Carl  Hock,  10th  Mass. 
John  Hubbard,  10th  Mass. 
A.  W.  Hunter,  luth  Ma-ss. 
Thomas  Jerold,  10th  Mass. 
Carl  Kalfner,  10th  Mass. 
Charles  Knight,  10th  Mass. 
William  G.  Lay,  10th  Mass. 
John  Littlefiold,  10th  Mass. 
Ephraim  Moore,  10th  Mass. 
William  J.  Morse,  loth  Mass. 
Albert  Newhouse,  10th  Mass. 
James  M.  Noble,  loth  Mass. 
Henry  E.  Perkins,  10th  Mass. 
Joseph  Peebles,  loth  Mass. 
Edward  Reed.  10th  Mass. 
Alphonzo  Ruchan,  10th  Mass. 
Cornelius  Sackett,  loth  Mass. 
George  D.  Smith,  loth  Mass. 
Albert  Snow,  lOth  Mass. 
Samuel  Sprague,  loth  Mass. 
Charles  H.  Styles,  10th  Mass. 
Joseph  Tinkham,  10th  Mass. 
Joha  Trainer,  10th  Ma-ss. 
Bufus  Wood,  lOtb  Mass. 
Homer  S.  Wheeler,  10th  Mass. 
John  B.  Young,  10th  Mass. 
Hetiry  Solomon,  10th  Mass. 
Mark  H.  Plaisted,  loth  Mass. 
Philander  0.  Dibble,  10th  Masa. 
John  W.  Whittaker,  10th  Mass. 
Marshall  Barden,  10th  Ma^. 
Elijah  H.Drake. 
Isaac  Sim. 

Jasper  H.  Munroe,  10th  Mass. 
Fred.  M.  Parkham. 
Henry  V.  Searle. 
John  Solomon,  10th  Mass. 
Richard  W.  Sparks. 
Bernard  Schettin. 
William  H.  Fuller. 
Andrew  Hazeltin. 

Watson,  loth  Mass. 

Crane. 

Fred.  R.  Peckham,  27th  Mass. 
Pliny  Wood,  27lh  Mass. 
John  W.  Moore,  27th  Mass. 
Milton  T.  Cowle%  27th  Mass. 
Edwin  L.  Peck,  27th  Mass. 
James  H.  Fowler,  27th  Mass. 
Luman  Andrews,  27th  Masa. 
James  C.  Baker,  27  th  Mass. 
La  Roy  Bosworlb,27th  Mass. 


Edward  Bums,  27th  Mass. 
Alfred  C.  Crocker,  27th  Mass. 
Timothy  fVioney,  27th  Mass. 
Edwin  V.  Cowles,  27th  Mass. 
Emerson  Cowles,  27th  Mass. 
John  Dorflin,  27th  Mass. 
Hiram  G.  Everton,  27th  Mass. 
Charles  T.  Eglest^m,  27th  Mass, 
Charles  C.  Fowler.  27th  Mass. 
William  K.  Flagg,  27th  Mass. 
Cornelius  Field,  27th  Mass. 
Lorenzo  Gibson,  27th  Mass. 
Charles  V.  Hazzar<l,  27th  Mass. 
Lester  D.  Hanchett,  27th  Mass. 
Timothy  Malonay,  27th  Mass. 
John  W.  Madison,  27th  Mass. 
Addison  Noble,  27th  Mass. 
David  Noble,  27th  Mass. 
Nathan  B.  Potneroy,  27th  Mass. 
W.  A.  Richardson,  27th  Mass. 
John  Smith,  27th  Mass. 
Robert  Steele,  27th  Mass. 
George  BI,  Searle,  27th  Mass. 
Martin  Whitney,  27th  Mass. 
A.  J.  Cadwell,  27th  Mass. 
Frank  W.  Madison,  27th  Mass. 
Walter  R.  Madison,  27th  Mass. 
George  W.  Jones,  27th  Mass. 
Charles  Fowler  (2d),  27th  Mass. 
William  Sackett. 
Charles  Sackett. 
Elijah  Parks,  27th  Mass. 
William  H.  Everton,  27th  Mass. 
Roderick  Pomeroy,  Jr.,  27th  Mass. 
Normand  Clarke. 

Frank  W.  Chamberlain,  27th  fliass. 
Richard  Miller,  27th  Mass. 
Hiram  Wonlen,  27lh  Mass. 

Lucius  F.  Tbayer,  27th  Mass. 

Chauncey  R.  Chauncey,  34th  Mass. 
Jerry  Horton,H4th  Mass, 

William  Foas,  34th  Mass. 

Otis  R.  Reed,  34th  Mass. 

Edwin  B.  Smith,  34th  Mass. 

Charles  H.  Merrill,  34th  Mass. 

John  Davis,  34th  Masa. 

John  T.  Smith,  34th  Mass. 

Gersher  Manhein,  34tb  Mass. 

John  I.Warner,  o4th  Mass. 

William  M.  Kierney,  34tb  Mass. 

Joseph  M.  Ellis,  34th  Masa. 

George  B.  King,  34th  Mass. 

John  E.  Grant,  34th  Mass. 

George  T.  Moody,  34th  Mass. 

James  H.  Atwater,  34tli  Mass. 

Thomas  I.  Brown,  34th  Mass. 

John  Boyle,  34th  Mass. 

Charles  C.  Barnes,  34th  Mass. 

Henry  L.  Cooley,  34th  Masa. 

Edmund  Cooper,  34th  Mass. 

Charles  H.  Case,  34th  Masa. 

Henry  O.  Clarke,  34th  Mass. 

Dwight  Chapman,  34th  Mass. 

John  E.  Dickson,  34th  Masa. 

D.  L.  Dickinson,  34ih  Mass. 

James  H.  Elliott,  34th  Mass. 

Samuel  D.  Ely,  34th  Mass. 

Charles  E.  Everton,  34th  Mass. 

Homer  F.  Fox,  34th  Mass. 

Lucius  G.  Fox,  34th  Mass. 

F.  W.  B.  Fleming,  34th  Mass. 

George  Gandy,  34th  Mass. 

Jos.  H.  Gibbous,  34th  Mass. 

John  H.  Goetz,  34th  Mass. 

S,  L.  Giddings,  34th  Mass. 

Amos  Gaylord,  34tb  Mass. 

Frank  Hayden,  34th  Mass. 

Moses  B.  Loomis,  34th  Mass. 

Wm.  H.  Moshier,  34tb  Muss. 

Julius  Miller,  34th  Masa. 

Wesley  Mixter,  34th  Mass. 

James  Morse,  34th  Slass. 

Thomas  Meadon,  34th  Mass. 


Bernard  Martb,  34th  Mass. 
Patrick  O'Brien,  34th  Masa. 
Roland  Rising,  34lh  Mass. 
Homer  Russell,  34th  Mas?. 
Morton  D.  Sperry,  34th  Mass. 
Wm.  R.  Stocking,  34th  Slass. 
Alfred  A.  Sibley,  34th  Mass. 
Richard  Smy,  34th  Masa. 
Morris  A.  Toomey,  34tb  Mass. 
Charles  C.  Traak,  34th  Mass. 
Daniel  C.  Wishart,  34th  Mass. 
Henry  Wells,  34tb  ilass. 
Thomas  Wagner,  34th  Mass. 
Simeon  Ward,  34th  Mass. 
Leroy  Andrus,  21st  Mass. 
John  Roach,  21st  Mass. 
Charles  Furrow. 

McNeill,  11th  Mass. 

A.  J.  Bingham,  lUtb  Mass. 
Albert  N.  Cowles,  31st  Mass. 
Ethan  H.  Cowles,  3l8t  Mass. 
Henry  Spear,  31st  Mass. 
Henry  Hanchet,  Slst  Mass. 
Henry  Tinkham,  31st  Mass. 
William  M.  Thomas,  31st  Mass. 
Edmund  Parks,  31st  Mass. 
Samuel  H.  Caswell,  31st  Mass. 
Israel  S.  Fox,  3Ist  Mass. 
Nevins  S.  Morse,  31fit  Mass. 
Jerre.  Randall,  20th  Mass. 
Noah  Day,  31st  Mass. 
Luther  Gorman,  Slst  Mass. 
George  E.  Sear],  1st  Cav. 
James  Holland,  1st  Cav. 
Curtis  E.  fliunn,  1st  Cav. 
De  Witt  Clark,  1st  Cav. 
Ralph  Easton,  Ist  Cav. 
Eli  P.  Carter,  31st  Mass. 
Walter  Ring,  31st  Mass. 
Robert  R.  Smith,  31st  Mass. 
Norman  Clark,  31st  Mass. 
Henry  L.  Stearna,  31st  Mass. 
Jesse  Willard,  Slst  Mass. 
William  Moore, Slst  Mass. 
Henry  B.  Searls,  27th  Mass. 
Fred.  E.  Spellman,  27th  Mass. 
Timothy  Callahan,  27th  Mass. 
William  A.  Moody,  27th  Mass. 
Hiram  A.  Wiser,  27th  Mass. 
Charles  D.  Lamson,  34th  Maas. 
George  Bowler,  4Gth  Mass. 
Andrew  Campbell  (2d),  46th  MasB. 
Joseph  G.  Noble,  46th  Mass. 
Joseph  T.  Spear,  46th  Mass. 

George  W.  Turner,  46th  Mass. 

William  W.  Shepard,4Cth  Masa. 

H.  L.  Wilkinson,  4Gth  Mass. 

Virgil  Batea,  4Cth  Mass. 

Leon  Coatar,  4Gth  Mass. 

Rodney  C.  Cowles,  46th  Mass. 

Theodore  Hess,  46th  Mass. 

Henry  C.  Chapman,  46th  Mass. 

Elbert  L.  Noble,  46th  Mass. 

Frank  Miller,  46th  Mass. 

Albert  W.  Lewis,  46th  Mass. 

James  W.  Roberts,  46th  Mass. 

John  T.  Harris,  46th  Mass. 

W.  F.  Johnson,  46th  Mass. 

Albert  Harrison,  46th  Maas. 

Lucius  0.  Judaon,  46th  Mass. 

Dexter  Averj',  46th  Slass. 

Curtis  D.  Bush,  46th  Mass. 

William  H.  Baker,  46th  Mass. 

George  Bowers,  46th  Mass. 

Samuel  Brass,  46th  Mass. 

Henry  P.  Brown, 46th  Mass. 

Albert  N.  Crass,  4GIh  Mass. 

Joseph  C.  Barthe,  4Glh  Mass. 

Amos  L.  Barnes,  46th  Mass. 

Lyman  L.  Bush,  46th  Mass. 

John  W.  Beckwith,  46th  Mass. 

Charles  C.  Cone,  4Cth  Mass. 

Charles  Clark,  46th  Masa. 


956 


HISTORY  OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


Henry  L.  Cram,  46th  Mass. 

Robert  Mitchell,  Jr.,  46th  Mass. 

Ed.  H.Wells,  46th  Mass. 

Grove  H.  Cowlos,  46th  Mass. 

Willard  Morgan,  46lh  Mass. 

John  W.  Weising,  46th  Mass. 

Harvey  Cooper,  46th  Muss. 

George  Maxwell,  46th  Mass. 

Lewis  A.  Warner,  46th  Mass. 

Lowell  Coffin,  46th  Miiss. 

Or^amus  Maxwell,  4Gth  Mass. 

John  Avery,  46th  Mass. 

Newton  H.  Urake,  46th  Mass. 

William  McElroy,  46th  Mass. 

Samuel  K.  Bingham,  46th  Mass. 

Jerome  S.  Drake,  46th  Mass. 

George  E.  Noble,  46th  Mass. 

Albert  A.  Rising,  46th  Ma-ss. 

Nicholas  Deizer,46th  Mass. 

Alexander  L.  Noble,  46th  Mass. 

John  C.  Schmidt,  46th  Mass. 

John  Edgar,  46tli  Mass. 

Leonard  E.  Noble,  46th  Mass. 

David  Thompson,  46th  Mass. 

Joseph  F.  Fields,  46lh  Mass. 

Ed.  M.  Pomeroy,  46th  Mass. 

Charles  Whitman,  46th  Mass. 

Horace  P.  Furrow,  4Gth  Slass. 

William  H.  Phelp.s,  46th  Mass. 

Amos  L.  Rising,  46th  Mass. 

Peter  Fischer,  46th  Mass. 

Charles  A.  Phelps,  46th  Mass. 

John  A.  IIull,4Gth  Mass. 

Timothy  Falvey,  16th  Mass. 

Reuben  Palmer,  46th  Mass. 

George  W.  Ives,  46th  Mass. 

Albert  W.  Furrow,  46th  Mass. 

Henry  C.  Reid,  46th  Mass. 

Benjamin  Lyvett,  46th  Mass. 

Henry  Oliele,  4Gth  Mass. 

Pei-ry  Roten,  Jr.,  46th  Mass. 

Franz  Knrst,  46th  Mass. 

John  Grant,  46th  Mass. 

Edmund  E.  Stiles,  46th  Mass. 

C.  N.  Worlhington,  46th  Mass. 

G.  Hubbard,  46th  Mass. 

John  Shay,  46th  M.iss. 

George  B.  Bowler,  46th  Mass. 

Julius  Hallenstein,  46th  Mass. 

Oscar  Spellman,  461h  Mass. 

Judson  L.  Bosworth,  46th  Mass. 

Erie  Hamilton,  46th  Mass. 

Alfred  H.  Smith,  46th  Mass. 

William  L.  Chamberlain,  40th  Mass. 

Job  G.  Hazzard,  46th  Mass. 

Ed.  S.  Spellman,  46th  Mass. 

Patrick  Hogan,  46th  Mass. 

Samuel  W.  Knight,  46th  Mass. 

Henry  Sliepard,  46th  Mass. 

Eli  Johnson,  Jr.,  46th  Mass. 

Ezra  F.  King,  46th  Mass. 

Frank  A.  Snow,  4Gth  Mass. 

Daniel  Kelly,  46th  Mass. 

Lorenzo  Knox,  46tb  Mc-iss. 

H.  M.  Shattuck,  46th  Mass. 

Thomas  Little,  46th  Mass. 

James  N.  Long,  46th  Mass. 

Seymour  Sibley,  46lh  Mass. 

Charles  Murphy,  46th  Mass. 

Charles  H.  Looniis,  46th  Mass. 

Austin  D.  Sackett,  46th  Mass. 

William  0.  Barlow,  46th  Mass. 

Marvin  Loomis,  46tli  Mass. 

Chapman  Williams,  46tli  Mass. 

Shepard  Provin,  46th  Mass. 

Andrew  Legerveer,  46th  Mass. 

Proctor  Woodruff,  46th  Mass. 

Lyman  Pendleton,  Jr.,  46th  Mass. 

J.  W.  Meacham,  46th  Mass. 

Henry  W.  Williams,  46th  Mass. 

James  L.  Root,  46th  Mass. 

Edward  May,  4Gtli  Mass. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 


HON.  WM.  GELSTON   BATES, 

oldest  child  of  Elijah  Bates,  was  born  at  Westfield,  Mass.,  Nov. 
17,  1803.  At  an  early  age  he  attended  the  academy,  then  a 
flourishing  institution,  in  his  native  town.  He  graduated  at 
Yale  College,  class  of  182.5,  and  commenced  the  study  of  law  in 
his  father's  office,  at  Westiield,  and  after  a  short  time  attended 


graduated  at  Tale  College,  in  the  clas.s  of  1794,  and  established 
himself  in  the  practice  of  law  in  Westfield. 

He  was,  for  many  years,  one  of  the  only  two  lawyers  in 
that  town.  His  mother  was  Hannah  Church,  who  died  at 
Granville,  Nov.  29,  1840,  at  the  age  of  ninety-one.  His  father 
was  Capt.  Nathaniel  Bates.    Elijah  Bates  married  Mary  Ash- 


HON.    WM.    GKLSTON   BATES. 


the  law-school  of  Hon.  Elijah  H.  Mills  and  Judge  Howe,  at 
Northampton,  Mass.  During  his  residence  there  he  was  a 
student  in  the  office  of  Hon.  John  H.  Ashman  and  Mr.  Mills. 

He  was  duly  admitted  to  the  Bar  of  Hampden  County,  in 
August,  1828,  and  began  practice  in  Westfield,  succeeding  to 
the  business  of  his  father,  who  retired  to  his  farm. 

His  father,  Elijah  Bates,  was  born  in  Granville,  Ma.5s. ;  was 


ley,  the  oldest  daughter  of  Dr.  Israel  Ashley,  a  graduate  of 
Yale,  of  the  class  of  1767. 

Wm.  G.  Bates  married  Jane  P.  Ashley,  only  child  of  Maj. 
Wm.  Ashley,  of  Ashley  Falls,  Sheffield,  Mass.,  Oct.  20,  1830. 
They  lost  five  children  in  infancy,  and  three  survive.  One  is 
the  wife  of  James  C.  Greenough,  of  Providence ;  one  the  wife 
of  Edward  E.  Hardy,  of  Boston ;  and  one  is  unmarried. 


HISTORY  OF  HAMPDEN  COUNTY. 


957 


At  the  time  of  Mr.  Bates'  admission  to  the  Bar  the  trial  of 
cases  was  in  the  hands  of  a  few  leading  counselors,  Hon. 
Isaac  C.  Bates  and  Elijah  H.  Mills,  both  of  Northampton, 
attended  the  courts  in  Hampden,  and  monopolized  the  trials 
of  the  most  important  causes.  The  late  Judge  Dewey  and 
Judge  Daniel  Wells  and  a  few  of  the  older  lawyers  of  Hamp- 
den County  were  occasionally  called  in,  but  the  younger  part 
of  the  profession  were  compelled  to  sit  by  and  witness  the 
efforts  of  these  leading  counselors.  A  circumstance  occurred 
early  in  the  professional  practice  of  Mr.  Bates  which  was  ex- 
tremely favorable  to  his  success. 

A  suit  was  commenced  by  a  plaintiff"  against  one  of  Mr. 
Bates'  friends^  on  a  writ  of  right,  for  the  recovery  of  a  large 
tract  of  land.  A  trial  had  been  had  a  few  years  before  be- 
tween the  same  parties,  in  a  writ  of  entry,  in  which  the 
defendant  had  prevailed  and  the  plaintiff  was  non-suited. 

Hon.  Isaac  C.  Bates  was  the  counsel  of  the  defendant  in 
that  suit,  and  the  defendant  instructed  his  attorney  to  employ 
him  again  in  the  present  action.  Unfortunately  the  attorney 
omitted  to  retain  him,  and  when  the  court  began,  not  only  he 
as  the  leading  coun.sel  did  not  appear,  but  the  attorney  him- 
self was  absent,  and  the  defendant  was  without  any  counsel. 
In  this  dilemma  he  applied  to  Mr.  Bates,  and  was  informed 
by  him  that  he  had  not  been  admitted  to  the  Supreme  Judi- 
cial Court,  and  was  not  entitled  to  appear  in  the  case.  As  the 
cause  was  being  disposed  of,  Mr.  Bates  took  the  liberty  to 
.state  to  the  judge  (Wilde)  the  situation  of  the  defendant.  He 
inquired  of  Mr.  I.  C.  Bates  if  he  was  intending  to  engage  in 
the  trial  of  the  action.  He  replied  in  the  negative,  and  said 
that  his  partner  was  engaged  to  try  it.  "  Very  well,"  said 
the  judge,  "  though  it  is  irregular,  let  Mr.  Dewey  appear  for 
the  plaintiff,  and  you  take  the  defense."  Thereupon  the 
plaintiff  said,  "  I  have  employed  the  firm  of  Bates  &  Dewey, 
and  I  object  to  the  appearance  of  Mr.  Bates  for  the  defense." 
The  sharp  gray  eyes  of  the  judge  lighted  up  with  excitement, 
as  he  perceived  the  device  by  which  the  plaintiff  had  prevented 
the  defendant  from  enjoying  the  assistance  of  his  former  coun- 
sel. "  Under  the  extraordinary  circumstances,"  said  he,  "I 
will  postpone  this  trial  till  to-morrow,  and  in  the  mean  time 
you  can  employ  new  counsel,  and  be  ready  for  trial  in  the 
morning."  The  defendant  accordingly  employed  counsel,  and 
engaged  Mr.  William  G.  Bates  to  examine  the  record  of  title, 
and  to  perform  such  assistance  as  he  could  do  at  the  trial. 
The  next  morning  the  new  counsel  made  a  strong  effort  to 
procure  a  continuance  ;  but  the  judge,  to  whom  cases  of  that 
sort  were  familiar,  and  who  felt  that  the  reluctance  of  the 
counsel  was  rather  feigned  than  real,  refused  the  motion,  and 
the  case  came  on  for  trial. 

Mr.  Bates  had  in  the  mean  time  examined  the  record,  and 
read,  with  more  interest  than  usual,  "  Jackson  on  Real  Ac- 
tions," and  during  the  trial  he  made  such  suggestions  to  the 
counsel  as  his  information  enabled  him.  At  the  termination 
of  it  the  counsel  again  pressed  a  motion  for  a  continuance,  and 
they  reflected  severely  upon  the  conduct  of  the  plaifftiff  in 
preventing  the  defendant  from  having  the  assistance  of  the 
Hon.  I.  C.  Bates,  but  the  court  refused  the  motion  and  or- 
dered the  trial  to  proceed ;  and  when  both  the  counsel  refused 
to  argue  the  case  the  judge  said,  "  Let  young  Mr.  Bates  argue 
it."  He  excused  himself  as  unprepared,  and  as  not  having 
been  admitted  to  the  Bar.  The  judge  said,  "  Mr.  Clerk,  admit 
Mr.  Bates  as  a  counselor  of  this  court.  And  now,"  said  he, 
"  address  the  jury."  While  Mr.  Bates  stood  apparently  hesi- 
tating as  to  what  was  to  be  done,  the  members  of  the  Bar 
spoke  encouragingly  to  him,  and  his  relative  and  friend,  the 
Hon.  I.  C.  Bates,  said  to  him,  "  Get  up  and  go  to  the  jury  ; 
you'll  never  have  another  such  a  chance,  if  you  live  a  thousand 
years !"  Young  Mr.  Bates  accordingly  proceeded  to  comment 
upon  the  law  and  the  evidence,  and  the  result  was  a  partial 
success,  which  was  a  surprise  to  every  one.  Mr.  Bates  reaped 
a  great  advantage  from  this  extemporaneous  effort.     It  gave 


his  friends  confidence  in  him,  and,  what  was  more,  it  gave 
him  confidence  in  himself.  It  broke  up,  to  some  extent,  the 
custom  of  the  older  practitioners  in  arguing  the  cases,  and  he, 
as  well  as  his  associates  of  his  own  age,  began  to  try  and  argue 
their  own  cases. 

He  was  soon  after  appointed  one  of  the  two  masters  in 
chancery  in  the  county,  and  occasionally  cases  in  equity  were 
referred  to  him  for  examination,  whereby  his  knowledge  of 
equity  practice  was  enlarged,  and  his  practice  increased.  In 
the  year  1839  he  was  appointed  one  of  the  members  of  the 
board  of  education  for  the  period  of  eight  years.  The  appoint- 
ment was  made  soon  after  the  establishment  of  the  board. 

A  bitter  strife  had  at  once  sprung  up  in  relation  to  the  ap- 
pointment of  the  original  members,  and  their  conduct  Avas 
rigidly  criticised  and  censured  by  those  opposed  to  them  on 
theological  grounds.  Mr.  Bates  took  an  active  part  in  the 
defense  of  his  associates  on  the  board,  and  by  controversial 
articles  in  the  newspapers,  by  his  reports  in  the  board  and  to 
the  Legislature,  he  vindicated  the  correctne.ss  of  their  conduct 
and  the  wisdom  of  their  appointments. 

One  of  the  complaints  against  the  board  was  the  alleged 
ground  that  they  had  failed  to  recommend  the  use  of  the  Bible 
as  a  reading-book  in  the  common  schools.  Mr.  Bates  was  ap- 
pointed by  the  board  to  draw  up  the  eighth  annual  report. 
It  was  adopted  by  the  board  in  December,  1844,  and  contained 
an  able  exposition  of  the  views  of  the  board  and  of  the  public 
on  that  subject.  The  controversy  soon  ceased,  and  has  not 
since  been  renewed. 

In  1840  he  was  elected  to  the  Senate  of  the  commonwealth 
from  Hampden  County,  and  he  was  subsequently  elected  for 
two  years  to  the  council,  for  the  j'ears  1844  and  184.5. 

In  the  year  1868  he  was  elected  to  the  House  of  Representa- 
tives from  the  District  No.  10. 

In  the  year  1853  he  was  appointed  district  attorney  for  the 
Western  District  of  Massachusetts,  consisting  of  the  four  west- 
ern counties ;  but,  finding  that  the  duties  of  the  office  en- 
croached so  much  upon  the  other  duties  of  his  profession,  he 
resigned  it  after  a  year's  trial.  During  his  term  he  gave  his 
official  assistance  to  Rufus  Choate,  the  attorney-general,  and 
in  his  absence  he  conducted,  in  his  place,  the  trial  of  an  indict- 
ment for  murder  in  the  case  of  the  Commonwealth  versus 
Adeline  Bass,  or  Phelps,  for  the  murder  of  her  father,  in  which 
case  the  defendant  was  acquitted  by  reason  of  insanity  ;  the  in- 
ducing motive  for  the  conduct  of  the  jury  probably  being  that 
the  shrewdness  of  the  defendant  herself  in  her  address  to 
them  created  the  belief  that  she  was  not  in  the  exercise  of  her 
reason. 

Besides  the  professional  labors  of  Mr.  Bates,  he  has  made 
and  published  the  following :  An  address  at  the  laying  of 
the  corner-stone  of  the  new  academy  in  Westfield;  an  ad- 
dress at  the  dedication  of  the  Normal  school-house  at  Bridge- 
water  ;  an  address  at  the  bi-centennial  celebration  of  the 
settlement  of  the  town  of  Westfield,  with  a  history  of  the 
proceedings  of  the  celebration,  and  an  address  at  the  dedi- 
cation of  the  court-house  in  Springfield,  published  by  the 
county  commissioners  at  the  request  of  the  Bar.  The  last 
named  contains  a  sketch  of  the  members  of  the  court  and 
the  early  members  of  the  Bar,  with  its  early  history.  Mr. 
Bates  has  been  for  a  number  of  years  the  president  of  the 
Bar  and  of  the  Law  Association  of  Hampden  County.  His 
eminence  was  won  by  unremitting  labors  in  his  profes- 
sional practice.  Between  1840  and  1800,  he  probably  tried, 
more  cases  before  court  and  jury  than  any  other  lawyer  in 
Western  Massachusetts.  But  notwithstanding  bis  professional 
labors  he  was  called  to  the  performance  of  much  service  for 
the  public.  As  a  zealous  politician  he  frequently  addressed 
large  assemblies  of  the  people  on  political  subjects,  and  his 
zeal  in  the  cause  of  education  led  him  to  deliver  frequent 
lectures  on  literary  subjects  before  educational  conventions 
and  agricultural  societies.   He  was  the  president  of  the  West- 


958 


HISTOKY  OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


field  Bank  from  its  incorporation  till  its  merger  witli  the  First 
National  Bank  of  the  town  of  Westfield,  and  after  that  time 
till  he  resigned  the  office. 

At  the  decease  of  the  Kev.  Emerson  Pavis  he  was  elected 
as  his  successor,  and  remains  to  this  day  the  president  of  the 
hoard  of  trustees  of  the  time-honored  Westfield  Academy. 


COL.  DAVID  MOSELEY* 
was  born  in  Westfield,  Mass.,  March  6,  1798,  at  the  old  home- 
stead, where  he  passed  his  days,  and  where  he  died,  Aug.  26, 
1871.  He  was  a  descendant  of  the  ancient  and  respectable 
family  of  this  name,  who  came  to  Westfield  in  1777,  and  who 
originally  settled  in  Dorchester,  Mass.  His  educational  ad- 
vantages were  such  as  were  afforded  by  the  common  schools 
and  Westfield  Academy,  which  was  then  a  flourishing  insti- 
tution. 

Uol.  Moseley  was  interested  in  all  social  and  political  mat- 
ters which  concerned  his  native  town,  and  Was  active  in  all 
questions  of  public  improvement.  There  was  probably  no 
person  in  W^estfield  whose  advice  was  more  respected  and 
sought  for  by  his  neighbors ;  and  he  was  constantly  consulted 
as  a  referee  in  disputed  matters.  He  was  also  in  frequent 
requisition  as  administrator  and  executor  of  estates ;  was  in- 
terested in  education  and  in  institutions  designed  to  promote 
it ;  was  for  some  years  chairman  of  the  school  committee  of 
the  town ;  and  was  also  one.  of  the  trustees  of  Westfield 
Academy.  He  was  for  several  years  one  of  the  board  of 
selectmen  and  assessors ;  in  1841  he  served  as  representative 
in  the  Legislature ;  and  in  18-51  was  a  member  of  the  Senate 
of  Massachusetts.  In  1828  he  was  commissioned  lieutenant- 
colonel  of  artillery  in  the  first  brigade  and  fourth  division  of 
the  militia  of  the  commonwealth.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
New  England  Agricultural  Society,  and  in  the  culti-vation  of 
his  large  and  valuable  farm  took  a  deep  interest  in  agricul- 
ture, especially  the  growing  of  choice  fruit-  and  forest-trees.    ' 

He  had  a  hereditary  attachment  to  the  chain  and  compass 
of  the  surveyor.  The  old  account-books  of  his  ancestors  have 
many  records  of  the  perambulations  of  town  lines,  and  of 
surveying  "  tiers"  and  sections  of  land,  and  he  was  himself  ' 
familiar  with  all  the  roads  and  bridges  of  the  vicinity,  and 
suggested  many  improvements  in  the  highways  and  country 
roads.  He  was  a  man  of  decided  convictions  and  fearless  in 
the  expression  of  them,  whether  or  not  they  tallied  with  pub- 
lic opinion.  He  had  a  profound  reverence  for  God  and  the 
Bible,  and  was  liberal  in  his  views,  with  a  happy  flow  of 
spirits  and  a  genial  hospitality  toward  all  the  scions  of  the 
family-tree,  who  constantly  drifted  back  to  the  old  homestead. 

The  home  dwelling  is  interesting  as  a  well-preserved  speci- 
men of  an  old-time  mansion.  There  is  an  older  Moseley 
homestead,  which  was  formerly  called  "the  mansion-house," 
and  which  was  built  by  the  great-grandfather  of  the  late 
Col.  David  Moseley  upon  the  same  estate  which  has  been  pre- 
served to  the  Moseley  name  for  more  than  two  hundred  years. 
This  older  house  is  remarkable,  from  the  fact  that  fourteen 
brides  have  been  married  in  one  of  its  parlors,  all  bearing  the 
name  of  Moseley,  being  the  daughters  of  the  house  for  four 
successive  generations.  But  the  one  which  we  illustrate  pre- 
serves the  paneled  walls,  corner-cupboards,  old-fashioned 
window-seats,  lofty  garret,  with  spinning-wheels  and  loom, 
and  ancient  case  of  drawers,  black  with  time ;  and  above  all, 
the  huge  central  chimney,  which  radiated  bright  comfort  from 
its  wide  fireplaces,  where  the  firewood  still  burns, — remembered 
with  warm  hearts  by  all  who  have  received  its  hospitality  and 
good  cheer. 

Col.  Moseley  was  married,  Jan.  24,  182.S,  to  Silence,  daugh- 


ter of  Reuben  and  Silence  Ely  Champion,  of  West  Spring- 
field. Their  children  were  Adelia,  born  Jan.  14,  1824,  and 
married,  Sept.  22,  1852,  to  Owen  Rockwell. f  Henry  Cham- 
pion, born  March  23,  1826 ;  married  Susan  Ellis  Benton. 
Flavia  Isabella,  born  Oct.  28,  1829  ;  married  Josiah  C.  Robin- 
son, Dec.  2.5,  1860.  Maria,  born  Dec.  12,  1831  ;  married 
Alonzo  Whitney,  February,  18G9.  David  Noble,  born  April 
3,  1833;  married  Mary,  daughter  of  Solomon  I'helps,  May, 
1865.  Edward,  born  March  3,  1835.  Benjamin  Franklin, 
born  July  25,  1838;  died  June  29,  1842.  Thomas  Benton, 
born  Dec.  27,  1840;  married  Clara,  daughter  of  George  H. 
Moseley,  Oct.  25,  1876. 

Col.  Moseley  had  many  traits  of  the  old  English  gentlemen 
from  whom  he  was  descended,  and  those  who  knew  him  at  his 
own  fireside  could  best  appreciate  his  worth.  His  remains 
rest  in  the  ancient  burying-ground  of  his  native  town,  where 
the  dust  of  five  generations  has  found  a  common  abiding-place. 


*  The  names  Maudsley,  Maudcsley,  Modesty,  Madsly,  Moseley,  and  Mosley 
have  heen  indifferently  applied  to  the  same  pereons  and  places.  In  the  earlier 
records  of  Westfield,  Maudsley  is  frequently  used,  and  Madsly  is  inscribed  upon 
some  of  the  time-worn  monuments  in  the  old  burying-ground. 


MILTON   BURRALL   WHITNEY, 

an  attorney  and  counselor-at-law  by  profession,  at  Westfield, 
was  born  in  the  east  parish  of  Granville,  Hampden  Co.,  Mass., 
Oct.  6,  1825.  He  is  of  English  descent,  his  ancestors  having 
emigrated  from  the  mother-country  to  New  England  early  in 
the  last  century. 

His  great-grandfather,  Uriah  Whitney,  served  as  a  private 
in  the  Continental  army  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  was 
taken  prisoner  by  the  English  at  the  battle  of  White  Plains, 
N.  Y.  Owing  to  the  limited  pecuniary  means  of  his  parents, 
Mr.  Whitney  enjoyed  simply  the  advantages  of  an  ordinary 
common-school  education  in  his  youth,  yet  at  the  early  age 
of  sixteen  he  was  well  qualified  to  teach  in  the  district 
schools,  in  which  pursuit  he  met  with  marked  success.  By 
tlie  advice  of  Rev.  Timothy  M.  Cooley,  D.D.,  the  pastor  of  the 
Congregational  Church  in  East  Granville,  who  was  a  fine 
classical  scholar  and  a  successful  teacher,  and  who  took  a  deep 
interest  in  his  welfare,  he  was  induced  to  commence  the  study 
of  the  classics,  preparatory  to  admission  to  college. 

He  pursued  his  preparatory  studies  under  the  direction  of 
his  friend.  Dr.  Cooley,  much  of  the  time  at  home,  walking  a 
distance  of  four  miles  nearly  every  day  to  recite,  until  he 
entered  the  sophomore  class,  Williams  College,  in  1846. 
Although  compelled,  in  order  to  procure  the  funds  necessary 
to  prosecute  his  studies,  to  be  absent  from  college  for  the  pur- 
pose of  teaching  one  term  each  year,  during  his  collegiate 
course,  yet  he  was  graduated  with  high  honors  in  the  class  of 
1849,  one  of  the  largest  and  ablest  classes  which  ever  gradu- 
ated at  the  college. 

After  graduation  he  taught  two  years,  and  then  entered  as 
a  student  the  law-office  of  Bates  &  Gillett,  in  Westfield,  Mass. 
He  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  at  Springfield,  Mass.,  in  June, 
1853,  and  immediately  afterward  formed  a  law  partnership 
with  Hon.  Wm.  G.  Bates,  with  whom  he  continued  in  prac- 
tice about  twelve  years.  He  is  now  the  senior  partner  in  the 
law  firm  of  Whitney  &  Dunbar,  and  has  for  several  years 
been  one  of  the  leading  members  of  the  Hampden  County 
Bar.  He  has  resided  in  Westfield,  Mass.,  since  his  admission 
to  the  Bar. 

Although  claiming  to  he  independent  in  politics,  he  has 
almost  invariably  voted  and  acted  with  the  Republican  party 
since  its  organization.  He  was  elected  to  the  Massachusetts 
Senate  from  the  western  Hampden  Senatorial  district  in  the 
fall  of  1861,  receiving  all  hut  one  hundred  and  four  votes  cast, 
having  the  largest  majority  ever  cast  for  any  candidate  in  the 
district.  Although  one  of  the  youngest  members  of  the 
Senate  he  was  appointed  chairman  of  two  important  com- 
mittees, and  a  member  of  several  others,  and  discharged  the 
duties  with  credit. 

f  Mrs.  Rockwell  is  somewhat  celebrated  as  a  genealogist,  and  has  completed  an 
excellent  genealogy  of  the  Moseley  family. 


(yj  at-"^  cO  -yfy^y-^^ 


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;^./3. 


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■m^fc  ^.V^^tcJiM. 


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^^-^^ 


HISTORY  OF   HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


959 


He  was  re-elected  tlie  following  year  by  a  handsome  major- 
ity; was  appointed  a  member  of  the  committee  on  the  judi- 
ciary, and  chairman  of  the  committee  on  Federal  Relations, 
and  took  an  active  and  loading  part  in  the  important  legisla- 
tion demanded  by  the  war  of  the  Rebellion.  lie  was  elected 
in  the  fall  of  18G8  as  Presidential  elector  of  the  Tenth  Con- 
gressional District  of  Massachusetts. 

He  is  now  and  has  been  for  several  years  past  a  trustee 
and  secretary  of  the  Westfield  Savings-Bank,  a  director  of  the 
First  National  Bank  of  Westfield,  and  also  a  director  in  sev- 
eral manufacturing  corporations.  He  has  been  a  trustee  and 
chairman  of  the  library  committee  of  the  Westfield  Atheneum 
since  its  organization,  and  has  always  taken  a  deep  interest  in 
its  prosperit}' ;  and  the  choice  collection  of  books  upon  its 
shelves  is  largely  due  to  his  discriminating  and  scholarly 
taste. 

Although  his  time  and  talents  have  been  largely  given  to 
his  profession,  yet  Mr.  Whitney  has  taken  an  active  interest 
in  all  enterprises  tending  to  promote  the  social,  intellectual, 
and  moral  prosperity  of  the  town  in  which  he  resides. 


HENRY   J.  BUSH, 

son  of  Jason  Bush  and  Miranda  Noble,  was  born  in  Westfield, 
Mass.,  April  20,  1819.  His  ancestors  on  the  paternal  side 
were  among  the  pioneers  of  his  native  town.  His  mother 
was  the  granddaughter  of  Capt.  David  Noble,  of  Pittsfield, 
who  rendered  efficient  service  in  the  colonial  army  during 
the  Revolutionary  struggle.  He  was  generous  and  patriotic, 
and  at  his  own  expense  recruited,  armed,  and  equipped  a 
company  of  infantry. 

The  childhood  of  Henry  Bu.sh  was  spent  in  his  native  town, 
and  at  the  early  age  of  fourteen  he  began  life  for  himself  by 
entering  the  whip-factory  of  Martin  Day  as  an  apprentice. 
Here  he  remained  for  some  time,  applying  himself  with  dili- 
gence and  attention.  In  1839  he  formed  a  copartnership  for 
the  manufacture  of  whips  with  his  older  brother,  Charles  Bush, 
and  John  Miller,  under  the  firm-name  of  C.  Bush  &  Co.  At 
the  expiration  of  one  year — he  being  at  that  time  only  twenty- 
one  years  of  age — he  disposed  of  his  interest  in  this  firm,  and 
formed  a  partnership  in  the  same  business  with  Emerson 
Howe,  under  the  style  of  Howe  &  Bush.  Two  years  later  this 
firm  was  dissolved,  and  Mr.  Bush  then  entered  into  partner- 
ship with  Hiram  Harrison,  an  old  and  successful  whip-man- 
ufacturer, with  whom  he  continued  until  18-55,  when  the 
American  Whip  Company  was  organized,  with  a  capital  of 
$100,000.  Mr.  Bush  was  a  director  and  large  stockholder,  and 
was  appointed  superintendent  of  the  company.  He  brought 
to  this  position  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  business,  and 
discharged  its  duties  with  credit  to  himself  and  to  the  satis- 
faction of  the  corporation,  and  upon  the  retirement  of  Mr. 
Harrison  was  chosen  to  the  presidency  of  the  company.  He 
has  also  officiated  as  treasurer,  and  is  now  vice-president  and 
manager. 

He  is  not  only  thorough  and  active  in  his  business,  but  also 
manifests  a  lively  interest  in  all  matters  looking  to  the  public 
welfare.  In  1863  he  was  a  member  of  the  Legislature,  and 
again  in  1865.  He  has  been  a  director  of  the  First  National 
Bank  for  many  years,  and  is  connected  with  the  Savings-Bank. 
He  is  also  president  of  the  Jessup  &  Lafflin  Paper  Company, 
manufacturers  of  fine  writing-  and  ledger-paper. 

Politically,  Mr.  Bush  is  a  Republican,  which  he  has  been 
since  the  organization  of  that  party.  He  has  been  a  member 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  since  early  manhood,  and 
has  contributed  liberally  to  the  advancement  of  religious  in- 
terests. He  was  prominently  identified  with  the  movement 
to  erect  a  new  church  building,  and  aided  largely  in  the  build- 
ing of  the  present  fine  edifice,  which  was  completed  in  1870  at 
a  cost  of  $53,000. 


In  1842  he  united  in  marriage  with  Elizabeth  A.  Howe,  a 
native  of  Concord,  Mass.  Their  famil}'  consists  of  one  son, 
Andrew  L.  Bush,  a  resident  of  Westfield. 


GEORGE   GRENVILLE  TUCKER,  M.D., 

whose  steel  portrait  accompanies  this  sketch,  was  born  in  the 
town  of  Warren,  Worcester  Co.,  Mass.,  June  21,  1834,  wliere 
his  father  was  at  that  time  engaged  in  developing  the  manu- 
facturing interests  of  that  region.  His  parents  removing  to 
Cambridge  when  the  son  was  five  years  old,  he  came  at  once 
under  the  fine  educational  influences  of  tliat  renowned  univer- 
sity town,  which  he  was  not  slow  to  improve,  and  he  finished 
here  his  classical  education,  attaining  a  high  rank  in  his  class. 

A  love  of  natural  science  and  a  habit  of  close  and  accurate 
observation  early  turned  his  attention  to  the  profession  of 
medicine,  and  at  the  age  of  sixteen  years  we  find  him  an  en- 
thusiastic and  hard-working  student  in  that  department,  mak- 
ing special  effort  in  clinical  observation,  thus  seeing  exempli- 
fied in  practice  what  he  had  learned  in  theory.  This  strong 
desire  to  study  disease  as  it  actually  existed  led  him  naturally 
to  the  hospital,  and  in  1852,  when  onlj-  eighteen  years  of  age, 
he  received  a  unanimous  appointment  by  the  trustees  of  the 
Massachusetts  General  Hospital  as  one  of  the  resident  officers 
of  that  institution,  several  candidates  competing  for  the  situ- 
ation. A  reappointment  for  three  successive  years  evinced 
the  siiccess  of  his  administration.  During  this  time  Dr. 
Tucker  was  a  member  of  the  medical  department  of  Harvard 
University,  and  also  of  the  Tremont  Medical  School,  an  insti- 
tution distinguished  as  the  one  that  first  inaugurated  a  more 
thorough  system  of  medical  education.  Its  teachers  were  the 
professors  of  the  university  and  some  of  the  most  prominent 
physicians  of  Boston,  and  the  ranks  of  European  celebrities 
were  frequently  drawn  upon  to  furnish  special  courses  of 
lectures. 

In  the  spring  of  1855,  after  the  usual  thorough  examination, 
in  which  he  attained  high  rank.  Dr.  Tucker  found  himself,  at 
the  age  of  twenty  years,  in  possession  of  the  degree  of  Doctor 
of  Medicine,  conferred  by  Harvard  University.  After  engag- 
ing for  a  year  in  private  practice  in  Boston,  he  yielded  to  a 
long-cherished  desire  and  visited  Europe,  where  he  had  the 
opportunity  in  Paris  of  witnessing  the  splendid  exploits  of 
Velpeau,  the  Napoleon  of  surgery,  and  also  of  profiting  by  the 
teachings  of  the  other  distinguished  men  in  various  depart- 
ments of  medicine  in  that  city  and  in  London,  who  were  at 
that  time  shedding  such  brilliant  light  in  the  scientific  firma- 
ment. While  in  Europe,  Dr.  Tucker  yielded  to  a  flattering- 
invitation  to  accept  a  position  on  the  medical  staff  in  the  Rus- 
sian service.  But  while  preparing  to  depart  for  the  Crimea, 
the  peace  congress  was  announced,  whose  deliberations  at 
Paris  were  quickly  followed  by  a  cessation  of  hostilities. 

Dr.  Tucker  has  recently  made  a  second  and  more  prolonged 
visit  to  Europe,  accompanied  by  his  family,  spending  most  of 
his  time  in  Germany,  now  the  medical  centre,  instead  of  France, 
as  was  the  case  at  the  time  of  his  first  visit. 

Dr.  Tucker  married,  Sept.  5,  1861,  Miss  Sarah  Maria  Lang- 
don,  of  Westfield,  granddaughter  of  the  late  Abner  Post,  Esq., 
and  great-granddaughter  of  the  late  Judges  Samuel  and  Syl- 
vester Gilbert,  of  Connecticut,  a  lady  peculiarly  fitted  both  by 
nature  and  culture  for  the  companionship  of  a  professional 
man.  A  bright  and  promising  little  boy,  adopted  by  them  in 
1872,  worthily  receives  their  parental  care. 

Early  in  his  professional  career.  Dr.  Tucker  recognized  the 
fact  that  no  man  can  successfully  serve  two  masters,  and  con- 
sequently his  whole  time  has  been  devoted  to  the  study  and 
treatment  of  disease,  firmly  declining  flattering  offers  of  pro- 
fessorships and  official  positions,  and  never  indulging  in  busi- 
ness pursuits  or  political  aspirations. 

Dr.  Tucker  extends  a  warm  right  hand  to  all  educated  and 


960 


HISTORY  OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


honest  workers  in  the  medical  profession,  but  charlatanry  and 
pretension  have  ever  received  from  him  the  severest  treatment. 
Few  men  in  the  vigor  of  early  manhood  can  look  hack  upon 
the  professional  experience  of  a  quarter  of  a  century  as  can  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  (now  in  the  prime  of  life),  with  that 
sturdy  mental  and  physical  constitution  which  he  inherits 
from  his  English  ancestors,  many  of  whom  have  attained  dis- 
tinction in  the  various  professions,  in  literature  and  in  poli- 
tics, and  whose  strong  originality  of  character  found  in  this 
country  perhaps  the  best  representative  in  the  person  of  Sam- 
uel Tucker,  who  was  commissioned  in  the  American  navy, 
May  15, 1777 ;  commanded  the  frigate  "  Boston,"  in  which  he 
conveyed  John  Adams,  minister  to  France,  to  his  destination 
in  February,  1778  ;  aided  in  the  defense  of  Charleston,  S.  C. ; 
and  in  1781  topk  command  of  the  "  Thorn,"  with  which  he 
made  many  prizes,  and  received  the  thanks  of  Congress  at  the 
close  of  the  war.  He  was  for  several  years  a  member  of  the 
Legislatures  of  Maineand  Massachusetts,  and  in  1812  captured 
by  stratagem  a  British  vessel  which  had  greatly  annoyed 
American  shipping. 

Dr.  Tucker's  paternal  grandmother  was  Miss  Olive  Hart- 
well,  of  Stoughton,  whose  sister,  Elizabeth,  became  the  wife 
of  Roger  Sherman,  one  of  the  signers  of  the  Declaration  of  In- 
dependence. 


Dr.  Tucker's  reputation  and  practice  are  not  confined  to  the 
Connecticut  Valley  ;  he  is  constantly  consulted  by  patients 
from  distant  parts  of  the  country,  sparing  no  effort  or  expense 
to  keep  himself  thoroughly  versed  in  the  signal  advances  in 
medical  science  that  are  constantly  occurring,  and  which  ren- 
der the  profession  of  medicine  of  to-day  so  vastly  ditferent 
from  that  of  a  generation  ago,  and  which  is  constantly  tend- 
ing toward  the  rank  of  one  of  the  exact  sciences. 

In  religious  belief  he  is  an  orthodox  Congregationalist, 
having  united  with  that  church  while  a  student  at  Cambridge, 
where  he  worshiped  in  the  congregation  of  Kev.  Dr.  Stearns, 
late  president  of  Amherst  College.  Subsequently  he  became  a 
member  of  the  "  Old  South,"  at  Boston,  and  superintendent  of 
its  Sunday-school,  which,  during  his  arduous  duties  at  the 
hospital,  ati'orded  him  on  the  Lord's  day  a  certain  amount  of 
mental  rest,  which  he  thoroughly  appreciated  at  this  very 
busy  period  of  his  life. 

Having  the  confidence  and  trust  of  the  community  to  a  rare 
degree.  Dr.  Tucker  still  actively  pursues  his  professional  work, 
which  to  him  is  most  certainly  a  labor  of  love,  keeping  him- 
self en  rapport  with  the  leading  medical  minds  of  this  and  the 
Old  World,  a  multitude  of  whose  portraits  adorn  the  walls  of 
his  library,  serving  as  most  delightful  companions,  and  as  a 
suggestive  "cloud  of  witnesses." 


CHICOPEE. 


GEOGRAPHICAL. 
Chicopee*  is  the  northwestern  town  of  that  portion  of  the 
county  of  Hampden  lying  east  of  the  Connecticut  River.  It 
is  bounded  by  the  towns  of  Hadley  and  Granby  on  the  north, 
by  Ludlow  on  the  east,  and  Springfield  on  the  south.  The 
Connecticut  River  on  the  west  separates  it  from  West  Spring- 
field. The  town  contains  about  2.5  square  miles,  or  16,000 
acres,  is  one  hundred  and  one  miles  distant  west  from  Boston, 
and  three  miles  north  from  Springfield. 

STREAMS. 

The  streams  are  the  Connecticut  and  Chicopee  Rivers.  The 
Chicopee  has  its  principal  sources  in  the  southeast  part  of  the 
county  of  Franklin  and  west  part  of  Worcester.  It  enters 
the  town  at  the  southeast  angle,  flows  westerly  through  it,  and 
joins  the  Connecticut  about  one  mile  north  of  the  southwest 
angle.  Its  fall  within  the  town  is  about  70  feet,-)-  furnishing 
at Skenuwonuck  or  Chicopee  Falls  and  at  "Chicopee  Centre" 
a  vast  power,  which  is  utilized  for  manufacturing  purposes. 
The  water  of  this  stream  is  dark,  resembling  that  of  Black 
River  in  New  York,  being  colored  by  the  deposits  through 
which  it  flows.  The  surface  is  a  rolling  upland  with  a  broad 
plain  bordering  the  Connecticut,  north  of  the  Chicopee,  in 
which  stands  the  village  of  Willimansett.  Chicopee  J  village, 
formerly  "  Cabotville,"  occupies  chiefly  the  slopes  and  flat  on 
the  south  side  of  the  last  named  river,  and  near  its  mouth, 
while  the  village  of  Chicopee  Falls,  one  and  a  half  miles 

*  An  Indian  name  with  many  orthographies,  as  "  Chickkiippy,"  "  Chickuppe," 
"  Chickopee,"  "  Chickapy,"  "  Chicabee,"  "  Chiecupee." 

f  The  mills  at  Chicopee  appropriate  thirty-six  feet  of  the  entire  fall,  and  those 
at  Chicopee  Falls  twenty-seven  feet.  The  remainder  of  the  seventy  feet  is  above 
the  latter  village. 

I  Formerly  "  Cabot"  or  "  CalMitville."  The  name  "  Chicopee"  was  assumed  in 
1848,  when  the  town  was  formed.  It  is  also  called  "  Chicopee  Centre."  "  Chico- 
pee Junction"  is  that  quarter  of  the  village  where  the  branch  of  the  Connecti- 
cut Kiver  Railroad  which  leads  to  "  Chicopee  Falls"  unites  with  the  main  line. 
The  latter  village  for  a  time  bore  the  name  "  Chicopee  Factory." 


farther  east,  stands  largely  within  a  half-nioon  formed  by  the 
great  bend  of  the  same  river  to  the  northward. 


The  soil  is  chiefly  sand  or  sandy  loam,  and  is  in  general 
well  adapted  to  fruit-growing. 

EARLY    SETTLEMENT. 

Nearlj'  two  hundred  and  twenty  years  ago  the  first  pioneers 
came  to  settle  near  the  "  C'hickkuppy"  River,  upon  both  sides 
of  which  the  wilderness  was  dense  and  unbroken.  Undoubt- 
edly the  very  first  to  bear  thither  the  axe  of  civilization  were 
the  brothers  Japhet  and  Henry  Chapin.  These  two  young 
men  were  sons  of  Deacon  Samuel  Chapin,  who  was  a  native 
of  England  or  Wales,  and  who  settled  in  Springfield  with  his 
family,  consisting  of  four  sons  and  two  daughters,  in  the  year 
1642,  where  another  daughter  was  born  in  1644. 

Henry  was  probably  the  eldest  of  the  two  brothers,  and 
married  Bethia  Cooley,  daughter  of  Benjamin  and  Sarah 
Cooley,  of  Longmeadow,  Dec.  5,  1664.  Some  years  previous 
to  his  marriage  he  entered  into  a  contract  with  John  Pynchon, 
of  Springfield,  for  the  purchase  of  land  in  what  is  now  the 
town  of  Chicopee,  and  on  the  north  side  of  the  river  of  that 
name.     The  following  is  a  copy  of  the  contract : 

"  March  9, 1659,  sold  to  Henry  Chapin  200  acres  of  land  on  ye  Chickkuppy 
River,  to  run  fro  ye  hills  on  ye  east  side  to  the  Great  river  on  ye  west,  and  on 
the  south  it  is  to  be  bounded  by  and  to  join  the  Chickuppy  river,— onely  one 
twenty-live  acres,  or  thirty,  being  by  Chickkuppy  river,  about  the  place  which 
shall  be  judged  best  for  a  warehouse,  is  to  be  taken  out  and  excepted  out  of  the 
parcel;  yet  so  as  to  be  200  acres  is  to  be  made  up  there  together.  Also,  Henry  is 
to  have  half  of  ye  upper  Island,  w  hich  is  to  be  as  equally  divided  as  can  be,  and 
also  he  is  to  have  five  acres  of  mowable  meadow  at  the  lower  end  of  the  mux- 
meadow. 

"  For  all  which  he  is  to  pay  and  allow  me  the  sum  of  20  pounds,  in  wheat 
at  current  prices,  at  four  several  payments,  viz.,  iive  pounds  by  the  iirst  of  March 
next,  which  will  be  anno  1060,  and  Ave  pounds  by  the  flrat  of  March,  1061,  and 
another  five  pounds  in  1662,  and  the  last  five  pounds  ye  first  of  March,  I6G3, — 
all  payments  to  be  in  wheat  at  prices  current  at  the  several  times  of  payment. 


X 


1 


HISTORY   OF   HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


961 


Tbis  is  the  joint  agreement  betwixt  us  this  9th  day  of  JIareh,  1G59,  as  witness 

our  hauds. 

*'  FTenry  Chapix, 
"John  Pvncuon. 
"  Manorandtim. — I  l)i-omiscii  Henry  that  if  I  did  part  with  tlie  25  uerej;,  or  30 

acres,  or  with  the  Islands^  he  should  have  the  offer  of  them.'* 

Notwithstanding  that  his  land  thus  purchased  was  on  the 
north  side  of  the  Chicopee,  it  appears  that  he  built  his  house 
on  the  south  side  of  that  ri%-er,  on  the  north  side  of  the  present 
Ferry  Street,  at  its  junction  with  West  Street,  in  the  village 
of  Chicopee,  and  "  near  the  large  elm."  The  house  was  burned 
ill  1762.  The  residence  formerly  owned  and  occupied  by 
William  Chapin,  one  of  Henry's  descendants,  was  on  nearly 
the  same  ground.*  He  was  a  prominent  man,  intimately 
connected  with  town  affairs,  and  was  a  representative  to  the 
General  Court  in  1G89.  Tradition  says  that  he  was  impressed 
into  the  British  service,  on  board  a  man-of-war,  and  remained 
therein  seven  years,  during  which  period  ho  was  engaged  in 
a  naval  combat  with  the  Dutch.  He  afterward  commanded 
a  merchantman,  and  made  several  voyages  between  Londcm 
and  Boston,  but  finally  settled  down  in  the  latter  city,  from 
whence  he  came  to  Springfield,  in  or  near  1G59,  the  year  of 
his  purchase  at  Chicopee.  Henry  died  Aug.  1-5,  1718.  Be- 
tliia,  his  w'ife,  died  Dec.  11,  1711. 

Their  children  were  Henry,  born  June  1,  16G6,  died  April 
29,  1(567  ;  Sarah,  born  March  3,  1670,  died  Nov.  6,  1732,— was 

never  married;  Bclhia,  born  Feb.  19,  1672,  died ;  Henrj-, 

born  March  9,  1679,  died  Sept.  15,  1754;  and  Benjamin,  born 
Feb.  2,  1682,  died  March  27,  1756. 

Japhet  was  born  in  1642,  the  same  year  his  parents  removed 
to  Springfield.  He  married,  July  22, 1664,  Abilenah,  daughter 
of  Samuel  Cooley,  of  Milford.  She  died  Nov.  17,  1710,  and 
was  buried  in  the  old  hurying-ground  at  Springfield,  where 
recently-  a  small  stone  marked  her  grave.  He  afterward  mar- 
ried Dorothy  lioot,  of  Enfield,  Conn.,  who  survived  him.  He 
died  Feb.  20,  1712,  and  was  buried  beside  his  first  wife. 

March  9,  1666,  Deacon  Samuel  Chapin,  his  father,  purchased 
of  John  Pynchon  a  tract  of  land  embracing  most  of  the  river 
flats  Ijing  between  the  Chickkuppee  River  and  Willamansick 
Brook;  and  thereafter,  April  16,  1673,  his  father  conveyed  to 
him  a  large  part  of  the  land  so  purchased.  He  probably  re- 
mained a  while  in  Milford  before  removing  his  bride  and  his 
possessions  to  join  his  brother  in  the  wilderness,  but  he  doubt- 
less moved  in  as  earn-  as  1666,  after  his  father's  purchase  from 
Mr.  Pynchon.  He  built  his  house  at  the  north  end  of  what 
is  now  Chicopee  Street,  a  little  north  and  west  of  the  house 
now  owned  by  Joel  Baker,  where  he  had  a  charming  view  of 
the  "  Great  Kiver"  and  the  hills  beyond. 

Henry  was  present  at  the  great  battle  with  the  Indians  at 
Turner's  Falls  in  May,  1676.  The  following  is  his  memoran- 
dum in  an  old  account-book  : 

"  I  went  out  Voluuteare  against  ingens  the  17th  of  May.  1G76,  and  we  ingagcd 
battel  the  19th  of  3Iay  in  tlie  morning  before  sunrise,  and  luiule  great  Sp.'il  upon 
the  enemy  and  eauie  off  the  same  day  with  the  Los  of  37  men  and  the  Captain 
Turner,  and  came  home  the  20th  of  May." 

Thomas  Chapin,  son  of  Japhet,  was  one  of  the  original 
grantees  of  the  large  tract  of  land  allotted  in  1736  to  the  offi- 
cers and  soldiers  concerned  in  this  battle,  and  to  their  descend- 
ants.    This  tract  is  now  the  town  of  Bernardston. 

Japhet  had  nine  children,  all  by  Abilenah,  his  first  wife, 
viz.,  Samuel,  born  July  4,  1665;  died  Oct.  19,  1729.  Sarah, 
born  March  16,  1608;  married  Nathaniel  Munn.  Thomas, 
born  May  10,  1671 ;  died  Aug.  27,  1755.  John,  born  May  14, 
1674;  died  June  1,  1759.  Ebenezer,  born  June  26,  1677  ;  died 
Dec.  13,  1772.     Hannah,  born  July  18,  1680;  married  John 

*  See  geuealogj'  of  the  Chapin  family.  One  account  says  that  Henry  built 
near  the  lower  end  of  *' Chicopee  Street,"  hut  the  weight  of  evidence  accords 
with  the  text.  "  Cliicopee  Street"  is  a  somewhat  detached  quarter,  and  runs 
northward  from  the  Chicopee  Kiver,at  Clii;:opee,  tD  Williniausett.  On  eitherside 
lie,  in  great  part,  the  lands  first  purchased  by  the  Chapins,  and  hero  many  of 
their  des:;endants  reside. 

121 


Sheldon,  of  Deerfield ;   died   .      David,  born   Nov.   16, 

1682;  died  July  7,  1772.  Jonathan,  born  Feb.  20,  1685; 
died  March  1,  1686.  Jonathan,  born  Sept.  23,  1688;  died 
Feb.  23,  1761. 

The  eight  sons  of  Henry  and  Japhet  had  each  a  large  family, 
viz.:  Henry,  10;  Benjamin,  12;  Samuel,  10;  Thomas,  11; 
John,  8;  Ebenezer,  13,  of  whom  11  were  sons ;  David,  12,  of 
whom  10  were  sons  ;  and  Jonathan,  11,  aggregating  87  grand- 
children. 

The  eight  sons  died  at  an  average  age  of  eighty  years.  A 
large  portion  of  the  territory  originally  settled  by  the  two 
brothers  is  now  occupied  by  their  descendants. 

At  the  time  of  the  settlement  of  Henry  and  Japhet  in  the 
Chicopee  country  the  Indians  had  become  hostile,  and  %vere  a 
source  of  disquietude  and  alarm  to  the  encroaching  pale-faces, 
and  to  such  a  degree  that  arms  were  continuall}-  carried  by 
the  settlers,  even  to  the  meeting-house.  To  reach  this  they 
had  to  thread  the  pathless  forest  and  ford  the  streams,  for  the 
nearest  church  was  si-x  miles  distant.  For  many  3'ears  the 
savages  continued  their  warlike  attitude  toward  this  and 
other  settlements,  which  culminated  in  the  burning  and  mas- 
sacre at  Deerfield  in  1704.  The  following  incident  is  related 
concerning  Hannah,  the  second  daughter  of  Japhet  Chapin, 
who  had  married  John  Sheldon,  of  Deerfield,  Dec.  3,  1703, 
and  removed  with  him  to  that  place,  where  they  were  living 
in  his  father's  house  at  the  time  of  the  memorable  midnight 
attack  by  the  Indians  on  the  29th  of  February  ensuing. 
Unable  to  force  an  entrance  to  the  house  of  Capt.  Sheldon, 
the  savages  made  a  hole  in  the  door,  thrust  in  a  musket,  and 
shot  the  captain's  wife.  Hannah,  with  her  husband,  jumped 
from  a  chamber  window ;  he  escaped,  but  she,  having  sprained 
an  ankle,  was  taken  prisoner.  She,  with  111  other  captives, 
including  the  minister,  John  Williams,  and  his  family,  was 
taken  to  Canada,  and  after  two  years  redeemed.  Hannah's 
mother  seems  to  have  had  a  foreboding  respecting  the  pro- 
posed settlement  of  her  daughter  in  a  "frontier  town,"  and, 
it  is  said,  charged  her  to  so  make  the  dre.ss  upon  which  she 
was  engaged  that  it  would  do  "  to  wear  into  captivity." 

Some  time  after  his  daughter's  ill  fortune,  Japhet  received 
from  his  brother  Josiah  the  following  letter  of  condolence : 

'■  Mexdox,  Aprel  8tli,  17(H. 
"  De.\re  Brotheh, — I  cannot  with  my  pen  express  the  concernedness  of  spent 
tliat  is  in  me  for  you  and  my  dere  cuson  that  is  led  captive  by  the  barbarous 
heathen.  God  is  by  sucli  dispensation  trying  tlie  faith  and  patience  of  his  chil- 
dren; it  is  therefore  my  dayly  request  that  God  will  support  her  in  body  and 
sperit,  and  her  bodely  captivity  may  prove  to  her  speretual  enlargement,  and 
that  God  will  please  to  give  you  comfort  in  hope,  knowing  that  God  is  able  to 
lind  out  a  way  for  escape,  tho  no  way  appears  to  us.  As  abraham  being  called 
to  offer  up  his  son  Isaac,  who  did  it  willingly,  knowing  that  God  was  able  to  rais 
him  from  the  dead.  These  afflictions  arise  not  out  of  the  dust,  but  there  is  a 
cause.  AVe  are  redy  to  complaine  of  the  french  and  Indian  enemies  but  they  are 
not  the  cause,  but  as  it  was  sometime  said  to  Jerusalem,  yower  wais  and  yower 
doings  hath  procured  these  things  to  th3'self.  so  maj'  new  england  say  that  our 
sins  have  brought  the  Sword  of  the  wilderness  upon  us.  I  do  therefore  believe 
there  must  be  a  general  Reformation  before  the  rod  of  God  will  be  taken  off  from 
us.  Bi-otlier,  I  long  t<j  see  you,  and  did  intend  to  have  given  a  visit  this  mouth,  but 
multitnd  of  busnis  pnblik  and  piitiijuler  throngs  me,  so  thiit  I  have  no  prospect 
of  coming  this  spring,  though  I  cannot  come  to  see  you  yeat  I  shall  be  glad  to 
heare  from  you  by  all  opportunities  tliorow  the  little  time  that  is  remaining  to 
us  heare,  and  that  our  prayers  may  dayly  meet  at  tho  thron  of  grace,  and  that  we 
may  so  demeane  ourselves  heare  that  at  last  we  may  have  a  joyefnl  meting  in 
the  kingdom  of  glorey,  so  with  kind  love  and  Respects  to  yourself  and  my  sister, 
with  my  love  to  all  my  cuseus,  I  Rest  yower  loving  brother, 

"JosLiLH  Chapin." 

At  a  very  early  day  a  settlement  was  made  at  what  is 
known  as  "Skipmuck,"  about  one  and  a  half  miles  above 
Chicopee  Falls.  Among  the  first  and  most  prominent  of  the 
settlers  at  this  place  were  Stephen  Horton,  Gad  Horton, 
Phineas  Stedman,  Ariel  Cooley,  Dudley  Wade,  and  a  few 
others,  whose  names  are  not  recorded,  who  came  early  in  the 
year  1660.  It  is  said  that  "  these  few  families  were  often  an- 
noyed by  the  Indians, f  and  were  frequently  driven  to  take 

t  Slight  evidences  of  an  Indian  settlement  are  occasionally  unearthed  in  the 
vicinity  of  Prospect  Street,  iu  Chicopee. 


962 


HISTORY   OF   THE   CONNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


refuge  in  the  old  fort  at  Springfield."  Some  of  the  inhahit- 
ants  were  captured  by  the  rtMlskins  at  one  time,  hut  no  traces 
of  the  Indians  or  their  captives  could  he  afterward  found. 

Ariel  Cooley  was  a  man  of  note  in  his  day,  and  was  espe- 
cially "distinguished  as  the  builder  of  the  Fairmount  Watcr- 
"VVorks,  at  Philadelphia,  and  tlie  original  proprietor  of  the 
locks  and  canal  at  South  Iladley  Falls." 

Caleb  AVright  is  said  to  have  built  a  house  upon  the  upper 
terrace  at  Skipmuck  in  or  near  the  year  1704.  A  tradition 
well  authenticated  narrates  that  the  Indians  one  night  sur- 
rounded the  jdace,  took  Mrs.  Wright  prisoner,  and  scalped 
or  partially  scalped  a  child  that  lay  in  the  cradle.  Moreover, 
that  this  child,  Hannah,  recovered  and  lived  to  a  ripe  old 
age.  Mr.  Wright  then  moved  to  '*  Chicopee  Street,"  Avhere 
the  Chapins  had  settled,  and  ])ut  up  a  cabin  just  south  of  the 
old  cemetery.  The  Indians  still  annoyed  him,  and  he  often 
sought  the  fort  or  the  strong  houses  for  safety.  He  was 
taunted  for  his  weakness  by  the  boys  of  the  period,  and  took 
permanent  lodgment  in  his  own  house  thereafter.^ 

It  appears  from  old  documents  now  in  the  possession  of 
Sumner  Van  Horn,  of  Chicopee,  that  Nathaniel  Ely  and 
Rowland  Thomas  owned  a  portion  of  the  land  on  the  south 
side  of  the  Chicopee  River  as  early  as  1664.  The  following 
paper  is  endorsed  "A  copy  of  Ely's  land  :" 

"Nathaniel  Ely, — Also  by  tlieGiaiil  of  the  Plantation  of  Twenty  acres  more 
or  le.-'S  of  upland  by  Chiceupee  Kiver  side,  Lying  by  the  Wt-stei  ly  Side  of  tjie 
FirHt  Beep  Dingle  above  Kuwland  Thonuis'  land,  In  length  up  and  Dnwn  the 
Biver  about  100  Rt.id,  the  Bi  eadth  ;it  the  Kast  End  35  Kod,  and  at  the  West  end 
30  Rod.     Recorded  Aug.  12, 10(14. 

*' A  cojiy  from  Springfield  Records,  Exn^. 

"pr.  Wai.  rvNciioN,  Clcr. 

Messrs.  Ely  and  Thomas  laid  out  a  highway,  at  what  is  now 
the  village  of  Chicopee,  in  ItiGo.  The  ford  was  at  that 
part  of  the  river  between  the  present  Dwight  Mills  and  the 
grist-mill  of  Edmund  Wood.  The  following  paper  describes 
the  highway  : 

"Here  follows  the  return  of  Nathaui  Ely  and  Rowland  Thomas,  appointed  to 
Lay  out  a  Highway  to  Chiccuppee  River. 

"  We,  Under  writ,  being  appointed  and  ordered  By  the  Selectmen  in  Ortob'", 
1665,  To  Cosidor  of  a  Common  way  to  and  over  Chicuppee  River,  near  to  Row- 
land Thomas,  and  U^  lay  it  out,  do  make  Return  of  what  we  have  done  as  follow- 
etli  :  we  do  Conceive  that  the  Coniinon  way  over  Chiceupee  River  sliould  go 
above  the  Islands  about  20  Rod,  where  the  Indians  Common  Wading  J'Jaee  was 
fornieily,  or  a  little  Higher,  and  so  from  thence  to  Run  up  y«  River  on  this  side 
the  River  about 'SO  Rod  or  more,  and  then  to  turn  oH  in  the  vacant  Ground  be- 
twixt Rowland  Thomas'  and  Natha'  Ely's  land  into  the  Pine  Plain,  and  so  to  tlic 
Town.  Tliis  Highway  to  be  in  breadth  from  Cliicupce  River  to  the  Brow  of 
the  Hill,  which  is  7  or  8  Rod,  and  where  it  turns  off  fiom  the  River,  there  to  be 
20  Rod  Broad.     Given  under  our  hands  this  I"  of  Febrn.',  16C5. 

"Nathal.  Ely, 

"  Rowland  Thomas  R.  T.  his  mark. 
"  FebruJ  ye  5'1>,  1665. — The  Selectmen  do  accept  of  this  Return,  and  order  the 
Highway  abovesaid  to  be  as  is  there  desciibed  and  appointed. 

"A  copy  from  Spiingfield  Records  ExaA. 

"pr.  AVm.  Pynciion,  C^er." 

Born  Van  Horn  settled  in  Springfield  prior  to  1713.  Be- 
cause of  a  highway  which  had  been  opened  dividing  )iis  land 
the  "  Proprietors  of  ye  Inward  Commons"  granted  him, 
"  March  22d,  1713-14,"  such  another  piece  in  exchange  as 
"  would  for  conveniency  bring  his  land  together."  They  sub- 
sequently, "January  2'Id,  Ano  Dom.  1718-19,"  granted  him 
*'  one  or  two  acres  of  land  lying  between  Thomas  Terys  Ilome 
Lot  and  the  Hill  for  a  home  Lot."f 

*  Dr.  Holland  gives  a  somewhat  different  version,  as  follows:  "  On  the  2Gih  of 
July,  that  year" — 170s— ''suven  or  ei^ht  Indians  attacked  the  house  of  Lieut. 
AVright,  at  Skipmuck,  in  Springfield,  and  killed*  old  Mr.  Wiit;ht,'und  Aaion 
Pai-sons,  and  Baiijah  Hubbaid — a  couple  of  sildiers — knocked  two  children  on 
the  head,  one  of  whom  died,  and  took  Henry  Wright's  wife  caplive,  and  proba- 
bly killed  her  afterward.  Lieut.  Wright  and  a  daughter  escaped." — Hullautfs 
Hi/it.  of  Western  MassachiisettH, 

t  The  folluwing  curious  prescription  is  written  ou  the  back  of  this  instrument. 
To  whom  it  was  aduiinistei  ed,  and  how  many  of  his  descendants  owe  their  being 
to  ita  use,  is  nut  revealed. 

"  Give  a  portian  of  the  Reed  Root  every  morning  for  3  mornings  going ;  every 
night  going  to  bead  give  him  on  2  or  3  Spounfulls  of  black  water  acording  as  he 
can  bare;  about  11  or  12  a  clock  In  the  Day  give  him  a  portian  of  Tuimeiic, 


The  family  of  Born  Van  Horn  probably  settled  at  what  is 
now  known  as  Chicopee  Falls  as  early  as  1739-40.  The  fol- 
lowing is  a  copy  of  an  original  document,  in  size  4  by  8 
inches,  now  in  the  hands  of  Sumner  Van  Horn  : 

"Springfield,  March  17th,  1742-'3. — Pursnent  to  a  Giant  of  the  Prnprietore 
of  the  Common  land  in  Sj  ringtield,  Blareli  iSlh,  1739-40,  laid  out  to  Rom  Van 
Horn,  of  Springfield,  27  acres  &  J^  of  Land  in  the  Eiist  Precinct  in  said  town, 
eqi.il  in  value  to  8  actus  of  the  land  att  Goose  Poni),asnientiuned  in  said  Grant, 
Lying  in  two  Pieces;  one  contains  2)4  acies,  &  is  bounded  as  folluwe  (viz.): 
Kast  on  a  HUjhivtuj  that  is  att  the  west  end  of  the  10-acre  Lotts,  West  on  Benj" 
Crofoot'sJ  Land,  South  on  C\mimon  Land,  and  Kurth  on  his  oint  htnd;  the  other 
tract  contains  2J  acres  Lying  the  nortli  ^iile  of  the  Chicopee  River,  ikmnded  west 
liy  the  foot  of  the  hill  adjoining  to  the  lioml  that  croses  said  River  utt  the  fails, 
East  on  a  road  that  croses  said  River  at  the  Grape  Mace,  so  called,  south  on  the 
said  Chickopee  River,  and  measured  25  Rtid  wide  fioni  said  River  at  the  west 
end,  atid  then  runs  Due  East  17'^  Rod  to  the  above  said  Road  that  goeii  over  att 
tlie  g:  ape  I'hice  laid  out  by  us. 

"  Ebi;n»  Hitchcock,  -v 

"  JosiAH  Day,  j-     Coni''^''." 

"John  biun.  -' 

Endorsed,  "  Born  Van  Horn.  Received  Apiil  i-th,  1743.  Recorded  April  y" 
9th,  1743,  in  y"  2d  Book,  Page  08,  pr.  Thomas  Slebbins,  Clerk." 

Azariah  Van  Horn^  was  a  surveyor  of  highways  in  the 
town  of  Springfield,  in  1770.  His  district  embraced  the  ter- 
ritory south  of  the  Chicopee  Eiver,  including  the  sites  of  the 
present  villages  of  Chicopee  and  Chicopee  Falls.  His  war- 
rant reads  thus : 

"To  BIr.  Azatiah  Vanhorn,  Surveyor  of  Highways  in  Springf^*:  Your  Dietrict 
or  part  of  the  Highways  in  saiil  Town  To  Survey,  Amend,  &  Repair  is  as  follows, 
viz.;  Including  all  the  Lands,  Roads,  or  ways  From  the  Brow  of  the  Hill  next 
Fouth  of  .Tosepli  Chapin  House  at  the  lower  Chickopee,  Sc  extending  north  to  the 
North  side  of  Chickopee  River  at  the  usual  fording  place,  &  from  tlio  great  river 
on  the  west  to  the  top  of  the  great  Hill  next  west  of  Skipmuck  on  the  East. 

"Springfield,  March  27, 1770. 


"Edw^  Pynciion,  ] 
"  Robert  Hakris,  1 
"NathI.  Brewer,  j 

"JjATUlELY(2d),  J 


Selectmen 
of  t*pri»gd. 


"  John  Worthington,  Just  Pdc." 

Sumner  Van  Horn,  son  of  Gad  Van  Horn,  resides  in  Chic- 
opee village.  He  says  that  formerly  there  was  a  road  which 
led  across  the  Chicopee  a  short  distance  below  the  upper  dam, 
at  Chicopee  village,  and  that  some  traces  of  this  road  may  yet 
be  seen.  At  times  of  high-water  the  crossing  was  made  by  a 
sort  of  ferry,  near  the  mouth  of  the  river.  That  '*  fishing- 
places"  existed  where  shad  w*ere  caught  in  large  quantities: 
one  at  the  mouth  of  the  Chicopee,  one  above  where  the  Chico- 
pee Street  bridge  crosses,  and  another  at  the  mouth  of  "  Ely's 
Brook. "II  Moreover,  that  salmon  were  plentiful  in  the  same 
river  as  far  up  as  Jenksville  ;  and  that  Azariah  Van  Horn, 
late  in  the  last  century,  caught  a  large  number  in  a  weir 
placed  near  the  site  of  Gaylord's  Dam. 

Mr.  Van  Horn  also  relates  that  Azariah  Van  Horn,Tf  his 

about  as  much  as  will  Ly  one  a  Slieling  at  a  Time,  and  Wasli  it  down  with  a  De- 
coction of  agiiniony,  Eldei-bloumings,  or  Hysop." 

X  Crofoot  probably  owned  land  that  is  now  near  the  central  portion  of  the  vil- 
lage of  Chicopee  Centre,  east  of  wliicli  lay  the  2}^  acres,  extending  undoubtedly 
to  the  highway  at  the  "Giape  Place,"  now  Grape  Stieet.  The  25  acres  was  a 
strip  along  the  Chicopee  River,  on  the  noith  side,  extending  from  near  the 
present  grist-mill  of  Ednnind  Wood  to  the  old  road  whicli  crossed  the  Chicopee 
a  little  below  the  upper  dam.  This  road  descended  the  hill  from  Grape  Sti  eet  in 
the  rear  of  the  present  residence  of  Mr.  J.  T.  Ames.  Gad  Van  Horn,  father  of 
Sumner,  and  grandson  of  Born,  had  a  house  near  this  load,  and  near  the  pres- 
ent residence  of  Slis.  J.  Chase.  Gad  died  in  lSi55,  aged  ninety-one  years.  Soutli 
and  Eiist  Streets  are  substantially  what  was  called  in  that  eaily  day  "the  path 
that  goeth  to  Skipmuck,"  and  connected  at  the  we&t  end  with  the  Hamiiden 
road  to  Spiingfield.  Tlie  latter  extended  nortlierly  through  what  is  now  >\'cst, 
Excliange,  and  Perkins  Stieets, — or  nearly  so, — and  led  into  the  old  "  20-rod" 
road  laid  by  Ely  and  Tliomas,  first  passing  easteily  under  the  bank  where  the 
Dwight  mills  now  stand. 

g  Azariah  died  eaily  in  tliis  century,  aged  eighty  ;  his  father.  Born,  it  is  sup- 
posed was  buried  at  Spiingfield. 

II  A  Mr.  Horton— pjtsibly  Stephen  or  Gad— one  evening nt  dusk,  having  secured 
a  fine  sti  ing  of  shad,  stii  ted  homeward  on  horseback  in  joyful  mood.  The  wolves, 
having  a  method  of  tishiLig  peculiar  to  themselves,  gave  eager  chase.  The  result 
was  that,  in  spite  of  the  uearnejfs  of  his  home,  he  was  obliged  to  drop  so  many 
fish  to  delay  or  propitiiite  his  pursuere,  that  theie  were  few,  if  any,  left  for  the 
larder.    This  run  of  sliad  lias  never  been  equaled, 

^Duiing  the  Sliays  rebellion,  the  rebels  had  outposts  in  various  directions 
about  Spiingfield.  One  of  their  guards  was  stationed  near  the  present  roail- 
crossing  at  Emersjn  Gaylord's,  in  Chicopee,  and  another  near  what  is  now  the 


HISTORY  OP  HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


963 


gre;it-uiicle,  luid  a  ilr.  Chapinuii  built  a  grist-mill  :iiul  a  saw- 
mill on  the  ground  now  occupied  by  the  Gaylord  Manufac- 
turing Company  prior  to  1770.  The  grist-mill  had  one  run  of 
stone,  and  in  time  was  torn  down  and  replaced  by  one  with 
two  runs,  and  of  more  than  double  its  capacity.  Grain  was 
here  ground  for  the  distilleries  at  Warehouse  Point,  Conn., 
and  in  large  quantity  for  the  time.  The  saw-mill  was  mostly 
supplied  with  logs  floated  down  the  Connecticut,  though  many 
came  from  the  Chicopee.  The  lumber  not  needed  for  home 
consumption  was  rafted  to  Hartford  and  Middletown,  a?id 
exchanged  for  supplies  and  merchandise  of  various  kinds. 
These  articles  were  brought  up  the  "Great  Kiver"  in  boats 
of  from  eight  to  ten  tons'  burden. 

Anil  Cooley,  s6n  of  Jabez  and  Abigail  (Hancock ),  and 
fotirth  in  descent  from  Ens.  Benj.  Cooley,*  one  of  the  first 
settlers  in  Longmeadow,  married  Lydia  Warriner,  daughter  of 
Benjamin  and  Persis  Warriner,  of  Wilbraham,  Sept.  2,  1781, 
and  had  Calvin,  born  Aug.  18,  1782;  Judah,  March  29,  1784; 
Lydia,  March  8,  1780;  Ariel,  Nov.  27,  1787;  Bath.sheba, 
Sept.  29,  1780;  Ariel,  May  12,  1791;  Titus,  Sept.  3,  1793; 
Chester,  Jan.  23,  1797,  and  died  Oct.  30,  1822.  His  widow, 
Lydia,  born  Nov.  15,  17-57,  died  Sept.  13,  1839. 

Ariel,  Sr.,  settled  near  Chicopee  Falls  before  1780,  in  which 
year  he  and  others  conveyed  lands  to  Byers  and  Smith,  as 
elsewhere  mentioned.  He  owned  considerable  tracts  of  land 
within  the  town  and  had  numerous  descendants,  but  few  of 
whom  bearing  the  Cooley  name  continue  in  the  vicinity. 
"Cooley  Brook"  derives  its  name  from  this  family.  Calvin, 
son  of  Ariel,  Sr.,  married  Chlue  Bliss,  Oct.  14,  1800,  had  nine 
children,  of  whom  Lucius,  of  Chicopee  Falls,  married  Mary 
Clough,  Dec.  31,  1833,  and  had  Harriet  A.,  who  married 
Edwin  A.  Buttrick,  and  resides  at  Chicopee  Centre;  Ella  M., 
who  married  Robert  Russell,  and  resides  at  Holyoke;  and 
Lydia  S.,  who  married  Oliver  Bangs,  of  W^est  Springfield, 
Aug.  0,  1800. 

The  first  dwelling,  of  which  anj'  account  remains,  was  that 
erected  by  Henry  Chapin,  as  described  in  the  preceding  pages. 
It  is  claimed,  but  upon  what  authority  is  not  known,  that 
the  first  cultivation  of  the  soil  within  the  present  town  limits 
was  on  the  south  side  of  the  Chicopee  River,  near  its  mouth, 
in  1045.7  This  date  is  fourteen  years  prior  to  the  purchase 
made  by  Henry  Chapin  from  William  Pynchon. 

The  first  tavern  has  left  no  positive  evidences  of  its  origin 
or  situation  ;  but  as  the  inn  described  as  standing  at  the  north 
end  of  Chicopee  Street  in  an  early  day,  and  that  occupied  by 
Japhet  Chapin,  on  Springfield  Street,  were  both  of  unknown 
origin,  it  is  safe  to  divide  the  honor  that  history  accords  of 
priority  between  them.  The  same  dilemma  exists  in  the  case 
of  the  first  school-house,  and  so  the  old  structure  at  Skipmuck 
and  that  at  Chicopee  Centre  are  entitled  to  the  reverence  of 
those  who  delve  in  statelier  classic  halls, — share  and  share  alike. 
The  first  church  edifice  was  erected  in  1752  for  the  First 
Congregational  Society,  and  occupied  the  site  of  their  present 
church,  on  the  west  side  of  Chicopee  Street.  It  was  removed 
in  1820,  and  the  present  church  erected  in  that  year. 

The  first  merchants  at  Chicopee  were  Moses  Christy  and 
Samuel  Harthan,  who  were  partners  in  the  dry-goods  and  gro- 
cery business,  and  occupied  a  store  where  now  stands  that  of 
Lanckton  &  Pond,  on  Market  Square. 

lower  end  of  Exchange  Street.  The  government  scouts  one  day  appeared  in  tlie 
vicinity,  and  encuunteiiug  John  Van  Horn,  abivtiierof  Azariah,  wjio  Iiad  a  lean- 
ing toward  the  rebels,  asked  how  mattei-s  stjod.  Said  John, "  Oh,  I  guess  they're 
all  gone."  The  scouts  marched  bravely  on,  but  soon  came  in  view  of  the  out- 
posts, who  fired,  when  they  took  to  tiieir  heels.  John  heard  the  firing  and  saw 
them  coming,  and  in  turn,  fearing  punishment  for  his  duplicity,  made  tracks  for 
the  Great  Kiver. 

*  Ens.  Benjamin  married  Sarah ,  and  Iiad  Obadiah,  wlm  married  Rebecca 

'Williams,  and  bad  Jonatlian,  who  married  Joanna  Colton,  and  ha  1  Jabez,  who 
mariied  Abigail  Hancock,  and  had  ArU't,  who  settled  at  Chicopee  Falls,  then 
Skennngonuck. 

t  Holland's  Western  Massachusetts. 


The  first  postmaster  at  "  Cabot,"  or  Cabotville,  was  Moses 
Christy,  who  kept  the  office  in  the  store  above  described.  The 
office  was  afterward  removed  to  a  building  which  stood  where 
the  savings-bank  now  stands. 

The  first  physician  was  probably  Dr.  David  Bemis,  at  Chic- 
opee Factory. 

0RG.\KIZ.\TIOX    OF    THE    TOWX. 
Tlie  following  is  a  jiart  of  the  act  incorporating  the  town  of 
Chicopee,  passed  April  25,  1848: 

"  Be  it  enacted  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  in  General  Court 
assembled,  and  by  auttu)rity  of  the  same,  as  follows; 

"  Section  1.— All  that  part  of  tlie  town  of  Springfield  wbicli  lies  northeily  of 
the  following  described  lines,  naniely, — beginning  at  a  stone  nionnment  by  two 
oalc-trees  standing  together  on  the  bank  of  (Connecticut  river  near  U»  and 
noitheily  of  the  house  of  Edwin  Spooner,  and  rnnning  thence  wcsteily  by  a 
line  at  riglit  angles  with  the  river  to  the  easterly  line  of  West  Springfield,  thence 
returning  to  said  stone  monument  and  running  tlience  northeasterly  a  straight 
li  uc  to  a  stone  monument  standing  on  the  southerly  liank  of  Chicopee  river  at  or 
near  the  westerly  extremity  of  the  '  Birclieni  Bend'  of  said  riverso  called,  tlien'ce 
tile  same  course  to  the  thread  of  said  Chicopee  river,  and  thence  easterly  by  the 
thread  of  said  liver  to  a  point  opposite  tiie  southwest  corner  of  the  town  of  Lud- 
low, and  thence  to  the  said  corner  of  Ludlow,  and  bounded  easterly  by  said  town 
of  Ludlow,  northerly  by  the  towns  of  Gianby  and  South  Hadley,  and  westerly 
liy  the  towu  of  West  Springfield,  is  herel>y  incorporated  into  a  separate  town  by 
tlie  name  of  Cliicopee,J  and  the  said  town  of  Chicopee  is  hereby  vested  with  all 
the  powers,  privileges,  rights,  and  immunities,  and  shall  be  subject  to  all  the 
duties  aud  requisitions  to  which  other  towns  are  entitled  and  subjected  by  the 
Constitution  and  Laws  of  this  Commonwealth. 

"Section  C. — Said  town  of  Chicopee  shall  continue  to  lie  a  part  of  the  towm  of 
Springfield  for  the  purpose  of  electing  Representatives  to  the  General  Court, 
Slate  otficers.  Senators.  Representatives  to  Congress,  and  Electore  of  President 
and  Vice-President  of  the  United  States,  until  the  next  decennial  census  shall 
be  taken  in  pursuance  of  the  thirteenth  article  of  Amendment  of  the  (iinstitu- 
tiou,  and  all  meetings  for  the  choice  of  said  officere  shall  be  called  by  the  Select- 
men of  Spiiugfield,  and  shall  be  holden  in  the  town  of  Spiingfield.  The  Select- 
men of  Chicopee  shall  make  a  true  list  of  persons  within  their  town  qualified  to 
vote  at  every  such  election,  and  sliall  post  up  the  same  in  said  town  of  Chicopee, 
and  shall  correct  the  same  as  required  by  law,  and  shall  deliver  the  same  to  the 
Selectmen  of  Springfield  before  any  such  election,  by  whom  the  same  shall  be 
takeu  and  used  in  the  same  manner  as  if  it  had  been  prepared  by  themselves." 

At  a  meeting  held  at  "  Cabot  Hall,"  in  the  village  of  Chic- 
opee, on  the  17th  day  of  May,  1848,  at  one  o'clock  p.m.,  after 
prayer  by  the  Rev.  Crawford  Nightingale,  Timothy  W.  Car- 
ter was  chosen  moderator  and  William  L.  Bemis  clerk.  A 
strong  feeling  had  sprung  up  in  regard  to  the  dismemberment 
of  the  old  town  of  Springfield,  with  her  record  of  more  than 
two  centuries,  which  called  forth  from  Mr.  Carter  an  admir- 
able address,  which  was  as  "oil  upon  the  troubled  waters.'' 
He,  in  part,  said : 

"We  are  now  invested  with  powers  and  duties  which  .as  good  citizens  we  are 
bound  to  exercise  for  the  good  of  the  whole.  Shall  we  not  enter  upon  these 
duties  regardless  of  past  dilfereuces  of  opinion,  with  a  determination  that  the 
new  town  of  Cliioopee  shall  sustain  as  high  a  character  for  good  government, 
order,  and  respectability  as  the  distinguished  towu  of  which  she  has  heretofore 
formed  a  pait?  We  commence  a  career  among  our  sister  towns  not  a  feeble 
organization  just  struggling  into  being,  but  at  once  endowed  with  all  the  ele- 
ments of  vigor  and  maturity,  with  a  population  and  valuation  second  to  but  one 
within  the  limits  of  the  four  western  counties  of  this  Commonwealth.  In  the 
exercise  of  stiict  economy  in  all  our  expenditures,  carefully  regarding  the  rights 
of  those  who  are  to  contribute  to  the  government  and  the  various  interests  of 
the  town,  we  shall  be  enabled  to  provide  amply  for  the  puld.c  convenienco  and 
all  needful  improvements,  aud  bestow  ujion  the  poor  that  assistance  to  which  by 
tlieir  misfortunes  they  are  entitled  at  onr  hands;  and,  above  all,  liberally  to 
endow  the  children  and  youth  with  such  means  of  education  and  moral  im- 
provement as  shall  accord  with  the  advancing  spiiit  of  the  age.  From  this  time 
forward  our  destiny,  under  God,  is  in  our  own  hands,  and  praise  or  disgrace  will 
be  oiiis  as  we  shall  discharge  or  neglect  the  duties  we  owe  to  the  present  and 
the  future.  Let  us  then  step  forth  upon  this  new  theatre  of  action  with  high 
purposes  of  good  tow.ard  ourselves  and  of  benefit  and  blessings  toward  those 
who  shall  succeed  us,  that,  when  two  ceuturies  of  our  history  shall  be  written, 
we  may  have  proved  a  worthy  desceudant  of  our  distinguished  ancestor." 

At  this  meeting  five  selectmen,  three  assessors,  and  throe 
school  committeemen  were  chosen  by  ballot,  viz.  :  Selectmen, 
Sylvanus  Adams,  Harmon  Rowley,  Ezekiel  Blake,  Amos  W. 
Stockwell,  Adolphus  G.  Parker;  Assessors,  Sylvester  Allen, 
Amaziah  Bullens,  Harmon  Rowley  ;  School  Committee,  Rev. 


J  In  1852  the  line  was  run  and  monuments  re-established  between  Chicopee 
aud  Springfield;  and  likewise,  in  lSo3,  the  lines  on  the  sides  of  Ludlow  and 
South  Hadley ;  and  the  same  year  the  Grunby  line  was  run. 


9G4 


HISTORY   OF   THE    CONNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


Jonah  G.  "Warren,  Rev.  Eli  B.  Clark,  Rev.  Robert  Kellen.    A 

committee  was  appointed,  consisting  of  .Tolui  Wells,  Charles 
Sherman,  Samuel  Mills,  Jr.,  Samuel  H.  Shaekt'ord,  Ira  M. 
Bullens,  A.  G.  Parker,  Robert  E.  Robertson,  Joseph  Clough, 
and  William  R.  Kentfield,  who  reported  the  nomination  of 
the  following  persons  elected  to  the  several  offices  named: 
Overseers  of  the  Poor,  Clark  Albro,  Andrew  Hubbard,  and 
Phineas  Stedmun;  Surveyors  of  Highways,  Jacob  P.  Brown, 
Sidney  Chapin,  and  Joseph  B.  SIcCune;  Pound-Keeper, 
Almon  Nelson;  Constables,  Sylvester  Churchill,  William 
Wheeler,  Benjamin  F.  Willard,  William  L.  Bemis,  John  C. 
Bartlett,  Simeon  B.  Fairbank,  George  Mosman,  Amory  Doo- 
little,  Alfred  Warriner,  Luther  Pierce,  Andrew  Hubbard,  and 
William  R.  Kentfield  ;  Measurers  of  Wood  and  Bark,  Madi- 
son E.  Willey,  Benjamin  E.  Ballord,  Sylvester  Allen,  Clossen 
Pendleton,  Phineas  Stedman,  Emilus  E.  Albro,  George  S. 
Taylor,  John  E.  Carpenter,  Andrew  Hubbard,  Varnum  N. 
Taylor,  Otis  Chapman,  Elijah  P.  Kimball,  Nathaniel  Cutler, 
and  Amaziah  Bullens ;  .Sealers  of  Leather,  Adulplius  G. 
Parker,  Joseph  W.  Hitchcock,  and  Andrew  Hubbard  ;  Board 
of  Health,  Clark  Albro,  Andrew  Hubbard,  Phineas  .Sted- 
man, John  R.  Wilbur,  M.D.,  and  Daniel  K.  Pearson,  M.D.; 
Fence-Viewers,  Lysander  Chapin,  Caleb  S.  Chapin,  Edward 
S.  Robinson,  Orrin  Fuller,  Lyman  Van  Horn,  and  Norman 
Day;  Surveyors  of  Lumber,  Veranus  Chapin,  Benjamin 
Parsons,  Sj'lvester  Allen,  Joseph  Clough,  Richard  Johnson, 
Francis  Moore,  and  Norman  Chapin  ;  Sealer  of  Weights  and 
Measures,  William  G.  Bliss;  Field-Drivers,  Oliver  F.  Piii- 
ney,  Varnum  N.  Taylor,  Samuel  P.  Clough,  Frederick  A. 
Barber,  Ebenezer  Bartlett,  Levi  Chapin,  Titus  Chapin,  Ben- 
ning  Leavitt,  James  Wells,  Ezra  H.  Corning,  Benjamin  B. 
Belcher,  Royal  Wyatt,  Abel  Chapin,  Luke  W.  Kimball,  Jon- 
athan C.  Bowker,  Henry  Moore,  Aloristan  Wait,  and  Robin- 
son Brock  ;  Tithingmen,  Charles  P.  Collins,  Horatio  Colton, 
Levi  C.  Skeele,  Alexander  H.  Childs,  Sylvanus  Adams,  James 
Kervin,  Patrick  Gorman,  Luther  Streeter,  Davis  Dunham, 
David  M.  Butterfield,  Cyrus  Spaulding,  Benjamin  H.  Ellis, 
Lemuel  H.  Brigham,  Cyril  A.  Southworth,  James  L.  Sikes, 
Lucius  E.  Ladd,  William  McDermott,  Ralph  White,  Josiah 
Osgood,  Lester  Dickinson,  William  Blake,  and  Harve}'  Rob- 
inson ;  Committee  on  School  District  Boundaries,  John  Wells, 
Edward  Renney,  and  Phineas  Stedman. 

By  the  town  regulations  adopted  in  1849,  the  selectmen, 
school  committee,  overseers  of  the  poor,  surveyors  of  highways, 
and  treasurer  are  required  to  make  reports,  which  are  annually 
published. 

Previous  to  the  organization  of  the  town  a  flood  carried  away 
two  of  the  bridges,  and  otherwise  did  serious  damage  within 
the  territory  now  included  within  its  bounds.  The  two  bridges 
referred  to  spanned  the  brook  near  Willimansett  depot,  and 
were  replaced  by  structures  of  stone  and  brick,  laid  in  cement. 
Thus  the  work  of  the  town  authorities  was  commenced  under 
somewhat  unfavorable  conditions  ;  but  the  inhabitants  gener- 
ously supported  them. 

Schools  have  been  liberally  maintained  and  ably  conducted, 
highways  kept  decently  and  in  order,  the  poor  cared  for,  and 
all  the  institutions  of  the  town  efficiently  administered. 

PRESENT   T0W>f   OFFICERS. 

Selectmen  and  Overseers  of  Poor,  William  R.  Kentfield 
(chairman),  Silas  Mosman,  Edgar  T.  Page,  Terrence  Hogan, 
William  White;  Town  Clerk  and  Treasurer,  Lester  Dickin- 
son ;  Assessors,  Lewis  M.  Ferry  (chairman),  Dwight  L.  Shaw, 
George  W.  Bray;  Tax  Collector,  John  B.  Wood;  School 
Committee,  George  V.  Wheelock  (chairman),  Isaac  F.  Porter, 
Francis  F.  Parker,  William  E.  Dickinson,  Bildad  B.  Belcher, 
Henry  J.  Boyd;  Poor  Agent,  Josiah  B.  Fuller;  Highway 
Surveyors,  Homer  Hamilton,  William  F.  Howard,  Gilbert  V. 
Billings;  Police  Department:  Edwin  O.  Carter,  Justice; 
Eimon  G.  Southworth,  Luther  White,  Special  Justices  ;  Leon- 


ard C.  Hill,  George  P.  Williston,  John  E:  Connor,  William 
A.  Dunham,  Policemen,  the  latter  at  Cliicopee  Falls;  James 
Kaveney,  Bridge  Policeman. 

The  indebtedness  of  the  town  on  Feb.  28,  1878,  was?;il0,050  ; 
amount  over  cash  and  cash  assets,  .?>95,2(;7.57. 

CIVIL   LIST. 
SELECTMEN,  1848  to  1878. 

1848. — Sjiv-inns  Adams,  Hnrinon  Rowley,  Ezekiel  Blake,  Amos  W.  Stockwell, 

Ailulpliiis  G.  Parker. 
1849. — Sylvanus  Adams,  Orauge  Chapin,  Bildad  B.  Belcher,  Ezekiel  Blake,  John 

Wells. 
1850.— John  Wells,  Nathaniel  Cutler,  Giles  S.  Chapin,  Bildad  B.  Belcher,  Lucius 

E.  Ladd. 
1851.— Charles  R.  Ladd,  Giles  S.  Chapin,  George  S.  Taylor. 

1852.— Cliarles  R.  Ladd,  George  S.  Taylor,  Abuer  B-  Abbey,  John  Ilerrick,  Mar- 
shall Pease. 
1853. — George  S.  Taylor,  Benning  Leavitt,  Abner  B.  Abbey,  John  Herrick,  Mar- 
shall Pease. 
1854. — Nathaniel  Cutler,  Benning  Leavitt,  Timothy  W.  Carter,  Austin  Chapin, 

John  H.  Smith. 
1855.— Titus  Chajiin,  John  E.  Marsh,  Caleb  S.  Cliapin,  William  H.  West. 
185G. — Otis  Cliapman,  Andrew  Hubtiard,  David  F.  R;indall,  John  A.  Denison. 
1857. — Otis  Chapman,  Benning  Leavitt,  Siilney  Cliapin,  Andrew  Hubbard,  Wil- 
li,ini  H.  II.  Conner. 
1S5S.— Otis  Chapman,  Giles  S.  Chapin,  John  E.  Marsh,  Thomas  A.  Denison,  J. 

Henry  Churchill. 
1859. — Otis  Chapman,  John  E.  Marsli,  Thomas  A.  Denison,  J.  Henry  Churchill. 
18(10. — Otis  Ciiapman,  J.  Henry  Churchill,  Tiieodore  "Williams,  Lucas  B.  Chapin, 

Thomas  A.  Denison. 
18G1. — Otis  Cliajmian,  Luci\s  B.  Chapin,  Daniel  Knapp,  William  Thayer,  Silas 

Mosnnin, 
18G2. — Otis  Chapman,  Lucas  B.  Cliapin,  Daniel  Knapp,  AVillitun  Thayer,  Silas 

Mosnnui. 
ISO."^.- Otis  Cliaiiman,  Lucas  B.  Chapin,  Daniel  Knapp,  Edgar  T.  Paige,  Silas 

Mosman. 
18G4.— S.  .Ytlams,  P.  Cadwoll,  William  R.  Kentfield,  Henry  S.  Herrick,  George 

H.  Knapp. 
1SG5.— George  H.  Knapp,  Henry  S.  Herrick,  Russell    S.  Forney,  Simon   G. 

Southworth,  Charles  S.  Stiles. 
ISOIJ.— William  R.  Kentfield.  Russell  S.  Furney,  Simon  G.  Southworth,  Milo  A. 

Taylor,  B.  H.  Stedman. 
ieG7.— William  R.  Kentfield,  Milo  A.  Taylor,  Simon  G.  Southworth,  Benjamin  H. 

Steilnum,  Bailey  West. 
1SG8.— Wm.  R.  Kentfield,  Jlilo  A.  Taylor,  Simon  G.  Southworth,  Benj.  H.  Sted- 
man, Bailey  West. 
1SC9.— Wni.  R.  Kentfield,  Simon  G.  Southworth,  Josiah  B.  Fuller,  Wm.  Blake. 

Jlarshall  Pease. 
ISTO. — Thomas  A.  Denison,  Josiah  B.  Fuller,  Marshall  Pease,  Edgar  T.  Paige, 

James  E.  Taylor. 
1871. — Josiah  B.  Fuller, Marshall  Pease,Edgar  T.  Paige, Era-^mus  Stebbins,  John 

R.  Wilbur. 
1S73.— Josiali  B.  Fuller,  Marshall  Pe.Tse,  Edgar  T.  Paige,  John  R.  Wilbur,  Henry 

II.  Han  is. 
IS-:!.— C.  M.  Kendall,  Marshall  Pease,  S.  D.  Stoddard,  John  It.  Wilbur,  Henry  H. 

Han  is. 
1874.- C.  M.  Kendall,  Jlarehall  Pea.sc,  S.  D.  Stoddard,  John  R.  Wilbur,  Patiick 

Ronrke. 
1875.— C.  M.  Kendall,  John  B   Wilbur,  Giles  S.  Chapin,  George  M.  Morton, 

Patrick  Ronrke. 
1876.— John  R.  Wilbur,  Giles  S.  Chapin,  George  M.  Morton,  Patrick  Ronrke, 

Warren  S.  Bragg. 
1877.- John  R.  Wilbur,  Edgar  T.  Paige,  Patrick  Bourke,  Warren  S.  Bragg,  Wm. 

White. 
1S78.— Wm.  R.  Kentfield,  Silius  Mosman,  Edgar  T.  Paige,  Terrence  Hogan,  Wm. 

White. 

TOWN    CLERKS. 

But  four  persons  have  served  in  the  office  of  town  clerk 
since  the  town  was  erected,  viz.  : 

Wm.  L.  Bemis,  from  its  organization  in  1848  until  April,  1854;  Jonathan  R. 
Childs,  until  April,  1856 ;  Moses  W.  Chapin,  until  April,  1857,  who  was  succeeded 
by  Lester  Dickinson,  the  present  clerk,  who  has  filled  the  office  for  twenty-one 
consecutive  years. 

REPRESENTATIVES    TO   THE   GENERAL    COURT. 

The  first  election  for  representatives  was  held  in  Chicopee 
in  November,  18-50.  The  following  persons  have  represented 
the  town  and  district:* 

1851,  John  Wells,  Giles  S.  Chapin,  Alpheus  NeUIcton;  1852,  J.  K.Fletcher, 
Jonathan  E.  Childs,  Alpheus  Nettleton ;  1853,  Samuel  A.  Shackford,  Edward  H. 

*  From  1851  to  1857,  inclusive,  Chicopee  was  a  district  by  itself;  1858  to  1866, 
was  in  the  7th  district,  with  Ludlow ;  1867  to  1876,  was  in  the  Gth  district,  with 
Ludlov  and  Holyoke;  since  then  has  formed  the  3d  district  by  itself 


HISTORY  OF  HAMPDEN  COUNTY. 


965 


Haskell,  Charles  K.Ladd;  1S54,  Samuel  A.  Shackford,  Lomnn  A.  Moody,  Oiarlcs 
R.  Ladd;  1855,  Guy  Davenport.  Loman  A.  Moody,  Krastus  Steirins;  1S56,  Syl- 
vester Allen,  John  U.  Smith,  Jonathan  Jones;  lSii7,  Leuis  M.  Ferry,  John  H. 
Smith,  John  Wells;  186S,  George  n.  Chapman,  James  Kenney;  IS-SO,  George  M. 
Stearns,  Albert  Fuller,*  180O.  Joseph  B.  MeCune,  George  S.  Taylor;  lt61,  James 
M.  Smith,  George  S.  Taylor ;  1862,  Phineas  Stcdman,  Hezekiah  Root ;«  1863,  James 
M.  Smith,  William  Thayer;  1804,  Moses  W.  Chiipin,  Lafayette  Temile;  186.5,  John 
Wells,  .liicoh  S.  Eaton  ;*  1806,  Emerson  Gaylord,  George  W.  Kuapji ;  11:07,  Enoch 
V.  B.  Holcoml),  Edwin  H.  Ball;t  1808,  Edwin  N.  Snow,  Ezia  H.  Flagg;t  1869, 
Jerome  Wells,  S.  U.  Walker  ;t  1870,  Lewis  M.  Ferry,  Henry  ,\.  Piatt  ;t  1871,  Henry 
H.  Harris,  Charles  A.  Corser  ;f  1872,  George  Arms,f  Kenbeu  Sikes  ;*  1873,  William 
K.  Kentfield,  Edward  M.  Cliapin  ;f  1874,  George  I>.  Robinson,  Allen  Uigginbot- 
tom;t  187.1,  S.  A.  Jacobs,  Jacob  W.  Ilavis;t  1870,  Chailcs  A.  Taylor,  Edwiu  S. 
Kirtlaud  ;t  1877,  Warren  S.  Bragg;  ls76,  Jarvis  P.  Kelly  ;  1879,  Fiank  H.  Morton. 

VILLAGE.S. 
THE   VILLAGE    OF    CHICOPEE,    OR    CUICOPEE    CENTRE, 
forracrlj'  "  Cabotville,"  stands   mainly  an   tlie  south   side  of 
Chicopee  Kiver,  near  its  junction  with  the  Connecticut.     It 
occupies  a  narrow  phiin  and  gently-sloping  hillside,  and  far- 
ther east  a  portion  of  undulating  table-land. 

It  has  two  hotels,  one  of  brick,  eight  churches,  including 
the  ancient  church  in  "  Chicopee  Street,"  an  imposing  brick 
structure  for  a  town-hall,  in  which  is  the  town  library  of 
5000  volumes,  three  assembly-halls,  and  numerous  fine  busi- 
ness blocks  of  a  progressive  pattern.  Besides  these  are  sev- 
eral millsj  of  mammoth  proportions,  in  which  thousands  of 
operatives  are  employed,  and  a  large  number  of  adjunct  tene- 
ments, of  brick,  in  which  most  of  the  operatives  reside.  The 
streets  are  irregtilar,  but  neat,  generalh',  and  many  are  bor- 
dered with  handsome  and  even  stately  residences,  both  of 
wood  and  the  all-abounding  brick.  Brick  prevails  for  side- 
walks, though  many  of  the  best  walks  arc  of  a  composition  of 
tar  and  gravel.  A  crowning  glory  of  this  village  is  its  excel- 
lent schools,  in  which  the  various  grades  are  ably  taught. 
The  school-houses  are  seven  in  number,  inclusive  of  the  high 
school  and  "St.  Joseph's," — Catholic. 

OniCOPEE    FALLS 

is  a  snug  village  lying  on  both  sides  of  the  river  Chicopee 
at  Skenungonuck  or  Chicopee  Falls.  The  larger  portion 
stands  within  the  bend  formed  by  the  detour  of  the  river  to 
the  northward,  and  occupies  the  adjacent  slopes  and  terraces. 
It  is  chiefl\'  distinguished  for  its  manufactures,  which,  though 
existing  as  early  as  1800,  did  not  assume  important  propor- 
tions nor  much  affect  the  growth  of  the  place  until  a  quarter 
of  a  century  later.  Here  also  the  mills  and  many  other  struc- 
tures are  of  brick  ;  but  the  residences  are  chiefly  of  wood, 
some  large  and  elegant.  As  in  Chicopee,  the  streets  are  irreg- 
ular, and  the  side-walks  of  brick  and  composition.  The  vil- 
lage contains  one  hotel,  five  churches,  and  three  school-houses. 

WILLIMANSETT 
is  a  small  hamlet  at  the  northerly  end  of  "  Chicopee  Street," 
on  the  east  side  of  the  Connecticut  and  opposite  Hol3'oke.     Its 
interests  are  principally  agricultural. 

SCHOOLS. 
SKIPMUCK. 

Very  little  has  come  down  respecting  the  earliest  schools  of 
the  town,  the  education  of  the  young  doubtless  having  been 
conducted  in  connection  with  the  aflairs  of  the  church,  in 
a  large  degree,  as  in  other  portions  of  the  colony.  Districts 
Nos.  3  and  5  were  formed  as  early  as  1812,  the  latter  com- 
prising the  territory  between  Indian  Orchard  on  the  east  and 
Hog-Pen  Dingle  Brook  on  the  west,  the  Chicopee  River  north, 
and  what  was  called  the  "  Old  Morgan  House"  south.  A  school- 
house  was  erected  in  this  district,  at  what  is  known  as  Skip- 
muck,  in  1812,  or  soon  after,  which  was  in  size  20  by  30  feet, 
inclosed  with  rough  clapboards,  had  two  small  windows  and 
a  huge  stone  fireplace.     For  the  senio7-s  wide  boards  for  desks 

*  From  Ludlow.  f  From  Holyoke. 

X  For  description  of  "  manufactures"  see  farther  on. 


were  placed  against  the  sides  of  the  room  at  a  proper  angle, 
and  in  front  of  these  three  long  seats  with  legs  like  railking- 
stools.  Thus  facing  the  wall  they  had  a  very  narrow  hori- 
zon, and  no  doubt  envied  the  freshmen  who  occupied  the  cen- 
tre of  the  room  on  similar  benches.  This  is  a  sample  of  the 
provision  made  for  a  considerable  period,  and  there  was  but 
little  change  until  manufacturing  enterprises  took  on  a  new 
life  in  the  decade  following  the  year  1822. 

The  following  are  some  of  the  teachers  of  this  school :  John 
"W.  Belcher,  Deborah  "W.  Belcher,  Sarah  Snow,  and  a  Miss 
Griswold. 

CHICOPEE   FALLS. 

In  the  fall  of  182-5,  a  brick  school-house  was  erected  by  the 
Boston  and  Springfield  Manufacturing  Company,  where  the 
present  High  School  building  stands,  on  Church  Street,  and 
presented  to  the  district.  It  was  at  first  of  one  story,  but  in 
time  another  was  added,  making  its  seating  capacity  150.  A 
swinging  partition  separated  the  departments.  This  was 
swung  up  and  fastened  by  hooks  to  the  ceiling,  when  the 
house  was  used  for  religious  services.  The  first  teacher  here 
was  Closson  Pendleton  ;  subsequent  teachers,  Eli  Bates,  Fanny 
Bliss,  Anna  Smith,  Elihu  Adams, §  1829;  Ahira  Childs, 
Ezekiel  Adams,  Bildad  B.  Belcher,  about  four  years,  to  spring 
of  1833;  Fanny  G.  Ames,  Mary  Wood,  Otis  A.  Seaman, 
Samuel  Alvord.  This  building  was  demolished  upon  the 
completion  of  the  one  next  desciibed. 

On  nearly  the  same  ground  as  the  preceding,  in  181-5,  a 
large  and  convenient  brick  school-house  was  built,  at  a  cost 
of  1J7000,  and  opened  Jan.  7,  18J6,  when  an  address  was  de- 
livered by  Hon.  Oliver  B.  Morris,  of  Springfield.  This  build- 
ing was  for  the  higher  branches.  The  first  principal  was 
Samuel  Alvord,  who  remained  until  December,  1848.  He 
was  succeeded  by  William  Torrence,  who  remained  but  a 
short  time,  and  was  followed  by  Alonzo  Leland  until  October, 
1850;  Samuel  Alvord  again  until  March,  18-53;  Joseph  C. 
Barrett  to  November,  18-54  ;  Philip  D.  Hammond  to  Novem- 
ber, 1855  I  Henry  W-  Peirce  to  November,  185C; -James  K. 
Lombard  to  July,  1857;  Edward  P.  Nettleton  to  March,  1859  ; 
Henry  A-  Buddington  to  November,  1859  ;  Edward  P.  Nettle- 
ton  to  February,  1862  ;  Erskine  S.  Bates  to  November,  1863 ; 

L.  M.  Peirce,  to  June,  1871 ;  H.  C.  Hallowell,  to ,  1874  ; 

Frederick  Lawton  in  1875;  A.  E.  Nichols  in  1876  and  part  of 
1877  ;  W.  P.  Beckwith,  remainder  of  1877  and  part  of  1878. 
Elliott  S.  Miller  is  the  present  principal. 

An  early  school-house  was  built  for  District  No.  3  on  the 
north  side  of  the  river,  at  the  Falls,  some  time  prior  to  1829. 
In  the  winter  of  that  year,  Bildad  B.  Belcher  began  there  his 
labors  as  a  teacher.  In  1846  the  old  house  was  superseded 
by  one  of  brick.  In  the  summer  of  1870  the  latter  gave  way 
for  another  and  better  building,  erected  in  Granby  Street,  at 
a  cost  of  about  §12,000.  It  will  seat  210  scholars.  All  chil- 
dren now  attending  are  of  foreign  parentage. 

The  finest  of  all  the  school  buildings  in  the  town  is  that 
erected  in  187-5-76,  on  Springfield  and  Chestnut  Streets.  It 
cost  .fi22,.500,  and  was  opened  for  use  in  the  spring  of  1876. 

SCUOOLS    AT   CHICOPEE. 

An  old  school-house  which  stood  at  the  junction  of  South 
and  Springfield  Streets,  in  Chicopee,  was  removed  in  1845,  or 
thereabouts,  and  devoted  to  other  uses.  This  structure  was 
erected  between  the  years  1810  and  1812,  and  faced  south  on 
South  Street.  The  chimney,  of  brick,  was  a  ponderous  aflair, 
whose  open  mouth  was  a  serious  feature  for  thebo3'S  who  were 
assigned  the  duty  of  supplying  it  from  the  generous  pile  of 
huge  logs  at  the  door.  Here  Ezekiel  Adams  taught,  about 
the  year  1825.  He  died  recently  at  Springfield.  Dennis 
Bangs  taught  subsequently  in  1829.  Then  followed  Mr. 
Crosby,  Miss  Warner,  and  3Iiss  Atkins  in  due  order.     The 

g  Died  DeccmT;er,  1678. 


966 


HISTORY   OF  THE   CONNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


most  anxious  inquiry  concerning  the  first  teacher  in  this  qu:iint 
structure  meets  no  response. 

In  183-t  tlie  briclv  school-house  situated  on  School  Street, 
between  Cabot  and  Centre,  was  erected  at  a  cost  of  $"2000,  and 
in  1842  anotlier  for  the  liigher  departments  was  completed, 
and  is  now  known  as  the  high-school  building  of  the  present 
system.  It  stands  on  Grape  Street,  between  Elm  and  Grove. 
Nathan  P.  Ames  gave  a  fine  bell  for  this  school,  and  John 
Chase  gave  §1000  toward  the  cost  of  the  building.  The  first 
exercises  therein  were  held  in  July,  1842.  Charles  P.  Ames, 
a  graduate  of  Dartmouth  College,  was  the  first  principal,  but 
died  in  October  tlie  same  year.  He  was  succeeded  by  Calvin 
S.  Pennell  until  March,  1847,  and  he  by  William  W.  Mitchell, 
who  remained  until  May,  1854,  when  he  resigned,  and  was 
succeeded  by  B.  H.  Bailey  until  November,  1856  ;  George  D. 
Robinson,  until  June,  18(55  ;  Henry  Lyon,  until  March,  180(3 ; 
Alphonso  E.  White,  until  November,  1868;  Warren  B.  Stick- 
ney,  until  June,  18(J9;  Truman  H.  Kimpton,  until  November, 

1873;   Edward  H.  Rice,  until ,  1875;  H.  R.  Burrington, 

until ,  1878.  Rufus  B.  Richardson  is  the  present  princi- 
pal. William  Valentine  was  principal  of  the  grammar  de- 
partment in  the  high-school  building  for  twenty-three  years, 
ending  in  June,  1878.  Miss  Ellen  S.  Robertson,  assistant  in 
that  department  since  December,  1857,  still  retains  the  posi- 
tion. A  brick  school-house  was  built  at  Willimansett  in  1840, 
and  one  in  Chicopee  Street  in  1846,  costing  $1600. 

The  report  of  the  first  school  committee  of  the  town  of 
Chicopee  was  in  March,  184!),  and  shows  that  there  were  then 
8  school  districts  and  20  schools,  of  which  10  schools  were  in 
District  No.  4,  Chicopee  village;  and  4  in  District  No.  6,  at 
Chicopee  Falls.  There  were  employed  8  male  and  25  female 
teachers,  at  an  average  monthly  salary,  for  the  former,  of 
§37.35,  and  for  the  latter,  $14.20.  In  the  several  district 
libraries  were  636  volumes,  valued  at  $335.16.  Value  of  ap- 
paratus, $10.45;  school-houses,  $30,735;  number  of  children 
from  four  to  sixteen  years,  1698,  of  whom  an  average  of  942 
had  attended  school  in  the  summer,  and  1070  in  the  winter. 

The  report  of  the  succeeding  year  notes  the  situation  in  the 
several  school  districts.  District  No.  1,  Willimansett ;  No.  2, 
Chicopee  Street ;  and  No.  3,  Chicopee  Falls,  had  each  new 
brick  school-houses, — the  latter  attended  mostly  by  children 
of  foreign  parentage.  No,  4  had  1  high,  3  intermediate,  and 
G  primary  schools ;  the  school-houses  all  of  brick  and  in  good 
repair,  "except,"  say  the  committee,  "one  small  primary 
school-house,  which  is  wooden  and  bare  enough.  Eggs  might 
be  cooked  nicely  on  the  sunny  side  of  it  in  the  summer  ;  and 
some  attention  is  needed  before  another  summer,  else  the 
children  may  be  cooked." 

They  further  say,  respecting  this  district,  that  the  schools 
were  "truly  ragged  schools,  and  as  dirty  as  ragged,  and  in 
very  bad  order;"  and  still  further,  that  "those  who  come  to 
our  shores  from  across  the  ocean  are  heartily  welcome  to  a 
share  of  our  privileges;  but  we  do  wish  they  would  take  with 
the  rest  a  share  of  our  soap  and  water." 

District  No.  5,  East  Chicopee  Falls,  had  one  school-house, 
— old  and  poor, — situated  on  the  Boston  road,  "  a  few  rods 
east  of  the  town  poor-house."  No.  6,  at  Chicopee  Falls,  had 
1  high,  1  intermediate,  and  2  primary  schools,  all  comprised 
in  two  buildings  of  brick,  and  in  good  condition.  No.  7,  op- 
posite Indian  Orchard,  had  one  aged  school-house.  No.  8 
had  but  one  scholar,  and  that  one  attended  school  in  Granby. 

Upon  a  division  of  the  school  and  surplus  revenue  funds  of 
the  old  town  of  Springfield,  $10,000  were  allotted  to  the  town 
of  Chicopee,  which  amount,  by  an  act  incorporating  the 
"  Trustees  of  the  School  Fund,"  has  become  a  permanent  fund, 
agreeably  to  a  vote  of  the  inhabitants,  April  2,  184!^. 

TRESENT    SCnOOE.S. 

CIdi-opec  C'cnfre. — High-school  building,  Grape  Street,  con- 
tains high-school  grade,  B.  Richardson,  principal;    grammar 


grade,  Charles  C.  Foster,  principal.  Building  Grove  and  Grape 
Streets  contains  first  and  second  primaries.  Intermediate 
school  building,  School  Street,  contains  first  and  second  pri- 
maries and  first  and  second  intermediate.  First  primary 
building,  S])ruce  Street,  contains  only  the  primary  grades.  An 
ungraded  school  in  Chicopee  Street,  and  one  at  Willimansett, 
occupy  each  a  brick  building. 

Chicopee  Fails. — High-school  building.  Chestnut  Street, 
contains  high-school  grade,  Elliott  S.  Miller,  principal ;  gram- 
mar grade,  Miss  Mary  A.  Paige,  principal,  and  primary  grades. 
School  building,  Springfield  and  Chestnut  Streets,  contains 
first  and  second  primaries  and  first  and  second  intermediate. 
Granby  Street  building  contains  the  first  intermediate  and 
the  primaries.  Besides  these,  there  is  a  small  school  kept  in 
the  eastern  portion  of  the  town,  in  what  is  known  as  the 
"  Clough  district,"  and  a  first  primary  in  a  hired  room  at 
Willimansett.  A  large  number  of  Catholic  children  were  with- 
drawn from  the  town  schools  about  the  year  1871,  when  the 
St.  Joseph's  school  was  opened. 

KELIGIOUS    SOCIETIES. 
CONGREGATIONAL. 

The  Fir.it  Cunffretiaiionnl  Chureli  Sucirtii,  in  Chicopee  Street, 
was  organized  as  the  second  church  of  Springfield,  July  80, 
1751.  The  church  was  constituted  Sept.  27,  1752,  and  then 
had  20  members. 

The  Rev.  John  W.  McKinstry  was  the  first  pastor,  who  be- 
gan his  term  of  service  in  September,  17-52,  and  continued  his 
relation  of  pastor  until  his  death,  Nov.  9.,  1813,  although  his 
duties  as  preacher  ceased,  by  consent  of  a  mutual  council,  in 
1789.*  At  the  time  of  his  ordination,  Sept.  27,  1752,  the  fol- 
lowing clergymen  were  present:  Stephen  Williams,  of  Long- 
meadow  ;  Samuel  Hopkins,  of  West  Springfield  ;  Peter  Ray- 
nolds,  of  Enfield,  Conn.;  Robert  Breck,  of  Springfield ;  Noah 
Merrick,  of  Wilbrahatn  ;  and  John  McKinstry,  of  Ellington, 
Conn.  At  that  time  the  meeting-house  was  unfinished,  having 
been  raised  on  the  5th  of  June  preceding,  "through  the  in- 
dulgence of  heaven,  with  great  joy  and  safety."  The  next 
December  a  parish-meeting  voted  "to  cover  the  outside  of  the 
meeting-house  with  quarter-boards,  to  glaze  all  the  windows, 
to  do  all  the  plastering  overhead,  and  finish  the  lower  part  of 
the  house."  The  structure  was  completed  in  November,  1753, 
and  when  the  committee  was  appointed  to  the  delicate  task  of 
sentlng  the  meeting-house,  thev  were  granted  permission  to 
"seat  men  and  women  together."  The  seating  was  regulated 
according  to  the  tax  list. 

The  first  deacons  were  Benjamin  and  David  Chapin,  sons 
of  the  first  two  settlers ;  the  former  was  son  of  Henry,  the 
latter,  son  of  Japhet,  and  both  were  seventy  years  of  age. 
Benjamin  served  but  three  years  and  died  ;  but  David  became 
a  patriarch  in  the  office,  in  which  he  continued  until  his  death, 
in  1772,  at  the  age  of  ninety.f  Edward  Chapin  succeeded  his 
father,  David,  and  held  the  office  for  twenty-eight  years.  In 
1786  the  portion  of  the  parish  on  the  west  side  of  the  Connect- 
icut River  became  a  separate  parish.  From  1813  there  fol- 
lowed a  vacancy  in  the  pastorate  until  April  28,  1824,  when 
Alexander  Phcenix  was  installed,  and  remained  until  1835. 
During  his  term,  in  1826,  a  new  church  was  erected.  His 
ministry  was  fruitful,  and  76  members  were  added  to  the 
church  during  the  eleven  years.  Ebenezer  B.  Wright  soon 
followed,  and  remained  until  the  spring  of  1839,  when  because 
of  ill  health  he  sought  and  obtained  a  dismissal.  In  October 
of  the  same  year  Eli  B.  Clark  became  pastor,  and  for  thirty- 
six  years  continued  to  discharge  all  the  duties  of  such  relation 

*  Tlie  mini,.*ter's  salary  was  to  be  gradually  increased  for  four  years,  from  £49 
6s.  id.  to  f  Ii2  13,«.  ^ll.,  and  then  to  remain  stationary.  One-half  was  payalile  in 
lawful  money  and  one-half  in  grain  at  the  niai-ket  price.  He  was  also  to  havo 
twenty  cords  of  wood,  and  one  cord  additional  each  year  for  ten  years. 

+  Rev.  Aaron  L.  Chapin,  President  of  Beloit  College,  Wisconsin,  is  the  great- 
great-grandson  of  Deacon  David  Chapin. 


HISTORY  OP   IIAMPDEX   COUNTY. 


967 


to  this  venerable  society.  His  able  centennial  discourse  before 
his  people,  delivered  in  September,  1852,  vividly  presents  the 
facts  and  incidents  relating  to  the  previous  history  of  the  or- 
ganization. He  retired  in  October,  187o,  and  was  succeeded 
by  William  E.  Dickinson,  who  is  still  in  charge.  The  present 
church  building  stands  where  the  first  was  erected,  on  the 
west  side  of  what  is  known  as  "  Chicopee  Street,"  one  and  a 
half  miles  north  of  Chicopee  River.  This  church  has  72 
members.  The  officers  are  William  D.  Chapin  and  Marshall 
Pease,  Deacons ;  Phineas  Stedman,  Superintendent  of  Sunday- 
school. 

The  Second  Congrcijational  C/mrc/i,  Chicopee  Falls,  was 
formed  July  3,  1830,  as  the  First  Congregational  Church  in 
Chicopee  Factory  village,  and  then  had  33  members.  The 
society  was  organized  Oct.  11,  1832,  with  the  following  mem- 
bers: Sylvester  Taylor,  Wait  Bartlctt,  Silas  Monson,  Elisha 
Torrey,  Gardner  Kimball,  Thomas  Howard,  Samuel  Kentfield, 
Samuel  Easton,  Benjamin  Day,  Isaac  A.  Cooley,  George  W. 
Buckland,  Benjamin  S.  Burgess,  George  Whittle,  W.  W. 
Hathaway,  William  Goodwin,  Stephen  Burnett,  Timothy  W. 
Carter,  Benjamin  B.  Belcher,  David  M.  Bryant,  Alpheus 
Nettleton,  James  K.  Fletcher,  Wells  Southworth,  and  Elihu 
Adams. 

The  first  preaching  was  by  Kev.  George  Nichols,  as  a  mis- 
sionary. The  first  pastor  was  Dorus  Clark,  installed  March 
4,  1835,  who  was  followed,  in  1840,  by  Ehenezer  P.  Rogers, 
who  remained  until  1843.  The  pastorate  has  been  filled  since 
that  time  by  the  following  persons,  viz. :  Frederick  A.  Bar- 
ton, until  1846 ;  Stephen  S.  U.  Greeley,  until  1851 ;  William 
Wright,  Feb.  25,  18-52,  until  July  5,  18-54;  Richard  B.  Thur- 
ston, May  20,  1855,  until  May  3,  1858  ;  Frederic  Alvord,  July 
21,  1858,  until  April  1,  1801;  Roswell  Fisher,  Oct.  13,  1803, 
until  June  26,  1867;  Joshua  T.  Tucker,  April  8,  1868,  until 
Deo.  5,  1877 ;  Samuel  J.  Austin  was  that  day  settled,  and 
continues. 

The  church,  erected  about  1838,  stands  at  the  corner  of 
Church  and  Court  Streets.  It  was  rebuilt  in  1859,  when  a 
spire  was  added  and  a  vestry  finished  beneath.  OflScers : 
George  S.  Taylor,  Russcl  S.  Furncy,  Miner  Kelly,  Deacons ; 
H.  E.  Munn,  Treasurer;  Arthur  B.  West,  Clerk.  Member- 
ship, 200. 

The  Third  Coiiffregalioiwl  Church,  Chicopee,  vias  constituted 
Oct.  10,  1834.  There  were  then  10  male  and  8  female  mem- 
bers. The  society  was  organized  March  2,  1835.  The  first 
pastor  was  Sumner  G.  Clapp,  who  was  installed  April  26, 
1837,  and  continued  until  Jan.  22,  1850.  His  successors  were 
George  A.  Oviatt,  from  Oct.  15,  18-50,  until  December,  1855; 
L.  H.  Cone,  Feb.  19,  1857,  until  Nov.  15,  1807;  W.  S.  Karr, 
supply,  1808;  David  Cushnuin,  suppl3',  a  short  time;  Amos 
Blanchard,  supply,  one  year;  Edwin  B.  Palmer,  June  10, 
1809,  until  March  31,  1875;  William  L.  Gaylord,  the  present 
pastor,  who  succeeded  in  September,  1875,  and  was  formally 
installed  April  5,  1870. 

The  house  of  worship  of  this  society  was  erected  on  Spring- 
field south  of  High  Street,  in  1830-37,  and  dedicated  in  the 
latter  year.  A  liberal  member  of  the  society,  Nathan  P. 
Ames,  contributed  over  §-5000  toward  the  cost  of  this  build- 
ing. It  was  torn  down  in  April,  1808,  and  the  present  church 
erected  in  its  place,  and  dedicated  Feb.  15,  1870.  Officers: 
Deacons,  Gamaliel  Marsh,  Joseph  Stackpole;  Parish  Commit- 
tee, J.  W^.  Cumnock,  S.  G.  Southworth,  Luther  White; 
Clerk,  D.  Frank  Hale  ;  Treasurer,  A.  C.  Woodworth. 

METHODIST  KPISCOPAL. 
The  Methodist  Episcopal  Society  at  Chicopee  Falls  is  not  in 
possession  of  any  reliable  records.  According  to  the  best 
attainable  information  the  church  was  gathered  in  1825  or  a 
little  earlier,  and  in  1848  had  a  memhershi])  of  75.  Their  first 
church  building  occupied  the  site  of  the  present  one,  and  was 
built  between  the  years  1828  and  1830.     Prior  to  its  erection 


meetings  were  held  in  the  house  of  Benjamin  Belcher,  and 
later  in  the  old  brick  school-house  on  Church  Street.  Their 
present  house  of  worship,  at  the  junction  of  East  and  Spring- 
field Streets,  was  erected  in  1841-42,  and  dedicated  in  the  lat- 
ter year.  The  church  has  recently  been  remodeled  and  other- 
wise improved.  The  old  church  stood  in  or  near  what  is  now 
Maple,  near  Belcher  Street.  Rev.  A.  C.  Manson  is  the  present 
pastor,  appointed  in  April,  1870.  The  trustees  are  William 
Blake,  William  B.  Fay,  Orrin  E.  Darling,  Moses  Gowin,  H. 
S.  Newell,  Phineas  W.  Smith,  Moses  Marshall,  Julius  P. 
.  Bos  worth,  George  W.  Bray. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  Chicopee,  was  organized 
in  August,  1838,  with  18  members.  The  following  is  a  list  of 
the  many  ministers  who  have  served  this  society,  with  the 
time  each  remained  : 

Edmund  S.  Potter,  two  years  ;  Moscly  Dwight,  two  years  ; 
Ephraim  Scott,  one  year;  Benjamin  F.  Lambert,  one  year; 
Daniel  F.  Bannister,  two  years  ;  Loranus  Crowell,  two  years  ; 
James  Porter,  two  years ;  Lorenzo  R.  Thayer,  two  years ; 
William  Rice,  Jr.,  two  years,  to  April  22,  18-54 ;  William  H. 
Hatch,  one  year;  J.  C.  Cromack,  two  years;  Justin  S.  Bar- 
rows, two  years  ;  Isaac  Smith,  one  year  ;  John  C.  Smith,  two 
years  ;  Pliny  Wood,  two  years  ;  J.  C.  Hanaford,  three  years  ; 
E.  A.  Manning,  three  years;  Daniel  Richards,  three  years; 
Pliny  Wood,  preached  one  month,  then  went  abroad  for  his 
health,  and  died  at  Munich  in  1873;  J.  A.  Bartlett,  preached 
the  ensuing  eleven  months ;  Justin  S.  Barrows,  two  years ; 
Edward  S.  Best,  now  (1878)  on  his  third  year. 

The  house  of  worship  of  this  society  was  erected  on  the 
west  side  of  Perkins  Street,  near  School,  in  18-39,  and  enlarged 
in  1845.  The  church  has  enjoyed,  on  two  occasions,  the  privi- 
lege of  entertaining  the  New  England  Methodist  Episcopal 
Conference.  Officers  :  Trustees,  W.  C.  Wedge,  President ;  R. 
T.  Hendrick,  George  Babcock,  W.  L.  Hitchcock,  J.  W.  Per- 
kins, S.  T.  Hamilton,  Algernon  Smith. 

BAPTIST. 

The  Baptist  Church  and  Society  at  Chicopee  Falls  was  con- 
stituted Nov.  28,  1828,  with  17  members.  During  three  years, 
from  1829  to  1832,  the  society  was  served  by  Revs.  Nicholas 
Branch,  Alvin  Bennett,  Lucius  Bolles,  Jr.,  and  Asahel  Cha- 
pin. 

The  first  regular  pastor  was  Moses  Curtis,  who  was  installed 
July  14,  1833,  and  dismissed  May  15,  1835.  He  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Joseph  M.  Graves,  who  remained  until  January, 
1838;  Robert  F.  Ellis,  until  March,  1845;  Robert  C.  Mills, 
until  May,  1848;  Rufus  K.  Bellamy,  settled  Sept.  29,  1848, 
is  the  present  pastor.  In  September,  1878,  the  county  a.sso- 
ciation  of  this  denomination  celebrated  the  thirtieth  anniver- 
sary of  his  settlement  over  this  society. 

Their  first  church  was  erected  in  1832.  In  18.50  it  was  re- 
moved to  Market  Street,  where  it  was  repaired  and  enlarged. 
A  new  edifice  was  built  in  1877  at  the  junction  of  Belcher  and 
Springfield  Streets,  which  was  dedicated  in  February,  1878. 
It  cost  $16,000.  Present  membership,  209.  Officers:  John 
Herrick,  H.  O.  Chapin,  Deacons;  H.  H.  Boyden,  H.  O.  Cha- 
pin, Russel  Markham,  Parish  Committee. 

The  Central  Baptist  Church,  Chicopee,  was  organized  -July 
15,  1835,  under  the  name  of  the  Third  Baptist  Church, 
Springfield,  with  21  members,  and  was  publicly  recognized 
as  a  Baptist  Church  by  a  council  which  convened  in  District 
Hall,  "Ciibotville,"  Aug.  5,  1835. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  pastors,  with  dates  of  settle- 
ment and  dismissal :  Pierpont  Brockett,  Dec.  4,  1836,  to  April 
2,  1838;  Jonah  G.  Warren,  Feb.  7,  1839,  to  Feb.  11,  1849; 
Benajah  Cook,  July  15,  1849,  to  Sept.  29,  1850;  C.  Billings 
Smith,  July  0,  1851,  to  Sept.  20,  18-52  ;  Warren  Lincoln, 
April  10,  1853,  to  May  24,  1857;  George  E.  How,  Aug.  1, 
1857,  to  Sept.  1,  1802;  M.  L.  Bickford,  July  1,  1803,  to  July 
1,  1860;  A.  M.  Higgins,  Jan.  1,  1867,  to  Jan.  1,  1870;  G.  R. 


968 


HISTORY   OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


Darron,  Jan.  1,  1870,  to  April  1,  1871  ;  and  A.  De  P.  Palmer, 
December,  1872,  to  September  1,  1874;  G.  W.  Fuller,  the 
present  pastor,  was  settled  in  May,  1877.  The  pastorate  of 
Mr.  Warren,  extending  over  ten  years,  was  one  of  great  profit 
to  the  church,  and  he  is  held  in  grateful  remembrance.  The 
present  church,  of  brick,  erected  in  1838,  and  dedicated  Feb. 
7,  1839,  the  time  of  Mr.  Warren's  installation,  stands  at  the 
junction  of  Cabot  and  School  Streets.  The  present  member- 
ship is  93.  Officers:  Deacon,  Henry  Gates;  Prudential  Com- 
mittee:  William  Valentine,  Henry  Gates,  Albion  P.  Soule. 

EPISCOPAL. 

Grace  Episcopal  Church,  Chicopee,  was  organized  April  C, 
184G.  The  number  of  members  when  constituted  was  18. 
The  Rev.  Henry  W.  Lee,  of  Christ  Church,  Springfield,  had 
charge  of  the  parish  until  Easter,  1846,  and  was  succeeded  by 
Charles  Fisher,  who  was  rector  from  May  until  August  of 
that  year.  Andrew  Croswell  was  settled  Oct.  1,  1847,  and  re- 
signed May  7,  1849;  then  came  Caleb  Dow,  from  August  10th 
to  September  23d,  the  same  year;  and  then  E.  F.  Remington, 
who  served  until  April  21,  1851.  The  church  was  then  closed. 
After  Nov.  6,  1853,  Edward  Jessup  officiated  for  a  few  months, 
when  the  church  was  again  closed  for  nearly  two  years.  Wil- 
liam H.  Munroe  next  officiated  until  1850,  and  was  succeeded 
by  Andrew  Croswell  until  1858.  The  church  was  then  with- 
out a  rector  for  a  considerable  time,  when  W.  B.  Colburn 
was  settled,  and  remained  until  1862.  There  then  followed  a 
vacancy  until  186G,  when  M.  A.  Johnson  came,  and  remained 
until  September,  1867.  Since  the  latter  year  the  society  has 
had  no  rector  and  no  services,  except  between  February  and 
December,  1877,  when  Dr.  Burgess,  of  Springfield,  ofiSciated. 

The  church  building  was  completed  in  March,  1848,  and 
consecrated  by  Bishop  Eastburn,  May  24th  of  that  year.  In 
1872  it  was  partially  burned,  and  has  not  been  repaired.  It 
stands  on  the  east  side  of  Cabot  Street,  north  of  School. 
Officers:  Wardens,  Stephen  Lamsen  and  J.  B.  Hammersley  ; 
Vestrymen,  George  W.  Winchell,  Warren  Smith,  Samuel  S. 
Hodgkins,  and  John  T.  Lyon;  Clerk,  John  T.  Lyon;  Treas- 
urer, Stephen  Lamson. 

UKIVERSALIST. 
The  Unicersalist  Society/,  Chicopee,  was  organized  Feb.  27, 
1835,  and  the  church  constitJted  with  30  members,  Oct.  20, 
1840.  The  first  pastor  was  Charles  Spear,  who  remained  until 
March,  1836.  He  was  succeeded  by  W.  H.  Fernald,  from 
1836  to  1838  ;  A.  A.  Folsom,  1838  to  April,  1844  ;  George  W. 
Gage,  1844  to  1845;  Samuel  Bennett,  1845  to  August,  1846; 
Zenas  Thompson,  1846  to  fall  of  1848;  W.  R.  G.  Mellen, 
November,  1848,  to  July,  1851 ;  Uriah  Clark,  Nov.  9,  1851, 
to  Nov.  28,  1852;  Avery  Denison,  a  short  time;  C.  H. 
Webster,  October,  1853,  to  September,  1855;  J.  K.  Karcher, 
September,  1855,  to  spring  of  1856;  B.  V.  Stevenson,  winter 
of  18.56  and  1857  to  April,  1868  ;  Clarence  Fowler,  May,  1868, 
to  September,  1869  ;  H.  R.  Nye,  of  the  church  of  Springfield, 
until  January,  1870;  John  E.  Davenport,  1870  to  spring  of 
1872 ;  J.  H.  Amies,  supply  until  the  fall  of  that  year ;  Theo- 
dore L.  Dean,  1872  to  spring  of  1874  ;  J.  Riley  Johnson,  fall  of 
1874  to  spring  of  1876.  From  this  date,  for  one  year,  no  reg- 
ular services  were  held.  J.  H.  Weeks,  the  present  pastor,  was 
settled  in  October,  1877.  The  church  building  of  this  society 
stands  at  the  south  side  of  Market  Square,  was  erected  in  1836, 
and  dedicated  in  October  of  that  year.  It  was  built  by  the 
Mechanics'  Association,  and  subsequently  purchased  by  this 
society.  The  church  has  no  debt.  Officers  :  Trustees,  James 
E.  Hosley,  J.  U.  McClench,  Edmund  Van  Horn,  W.  T.  Bost- 
wick,  and  W.  W.  McClench;  Treasurer,  James  E.  Hosley; 
Clerk,  W.  W.  McClench. 

UNITARIAN. 
The  Unitarian  Socicfv  in  Chicopee  was  formed  and  legally 
organized  March  16,  1841.     The  Rev.  F.  A.  Whitney  for  a 


short  time  served  this  church,  commencing  his  labors  in  the 
year  mentioned.  November  21st,  the  same  year,  the  church 
was  constituted  with  16  members.  Charles  A.  Farley  served 
a  number  of  months,  and  was  followed  by  the  first  regular 
pastor,  John  A.  Buckingham,  who  was  settled  Oct.  12,  1842, 
and  remained  one  year.  The  succeeding  pastors,  with  dates 
of  settlement  and  dismissal,  are  here  given  :  Crawford  Night- 
ingale, May  14,  1845,  to  Feb.  14,  1851  ;  Ephraim  Nute,  Jr., 
October,  1851,  to  April  1,  1855;  Samuel  Pettes,  Jr.,  July 
1,  1855,  to  April  8,  1800;  Samuel  C.  Beane,  Jan.  15,  1862,  to 
Dec.  18,  1864;  John  W.  Hudson,  April  2,  186.5,  to  Oct.  1, 
1866  ;  Calvin  Stebbins,  Dec.  22, 1866,  to  October,  1869  ;  Robert 
R.  McLeod,  Sept.  7,  1870,  to  Oct.  2,  1871.  I.  F.  Porter,  the 
present  pastor,  was  settled  Dec.  8,  1872.  From  1860  to  1862 
Jolm  Albee  and  AVilliam  L.  Symonds  occupied  the  pulpit, 
though  not  installed. 

The  church  edifice  of  this  society  was  erected  in  1842,  is  of 
brick,  and  stands  at  the  junction  of  Cabot  and  Dwight  Streets. 
Officers:  Deacon,  Charles  McClellan ;  Parish  Committee, 
George  D.  Robinson,  Andrew  S.  Hunter,  Newton  S.  Field, 
Mrs.  Mary  B.  Knapp,  H.  R.  Burrington,  Mrs.  Justin  Spaul- 
ding,  George  V.  Whcelock  ;  Clerk,  Nelson  Whittier  ;  Treas- 
urer, F.  P.  Dotcn. 

THE    SECOND    ADVENTI.STS 

for  a  long  time  existed  in  the  town  in  considerable  numbers 
without  a  distinct  organization.  Some  of  their  first  gather- 
ings were  in  a  public-house  at  "  Cabotville,"  and  in  a  private 
house  at  Chicopee  Falls.  Among  the  earliest  of  their  preachers 
were  Randolph  E.  Ladd  and  William  Clark.  From  time  to 
time  their  numbers  have  been  increased,  other  organizations, 
especially  the  Methodists,  losing  much  thereby,  in  point  of 
membership.  In  1870  a  society  was  formed  at  Chicopee  Falls, 
by  whom  a  chapel  was  erected  on  Maple  Street.  They  have 
no  settled  minister,  but  hold  meetings  regularly.  Officers: 
A.  B.  Howard,  Deacon;  A.  B.  Howard,  Zebard  Foster, 
Alvah  Wilbur,  Committee. 

CATHOLIC. 

The  Church  of  the  Holy  Name  of  Jesus  (Roman  Catholic) 
in  Chicopee  was  gathered  in  1838,  and  their  first  church  erected 
in  1840,  on  the  north  side  of  Pleasant  Street.  This  building 
was  enlarged  in  1848.  During  the  pastorate  of  Father  Blen- 
kinsop,  in  1857-58,  the  present  large  edifice  was  built,  and  the 
parsonage  adjacent.  Since  that  time  the  parsonage  has  been 
enlarged,  and  the  chapel  extension,  on  the  east  side  of  the 
church,  erected.  In  1806  or  '68  the  convent  building  was 
finished,  and  immediately  thereafter  the  parochial  school. 
These  two  are  connected  by  a  structure  containing  a  chapel  on 
the  lower  floor,  and  a  class-room  above.  The  larger  portion 
of  the  block  bounded  b}-  Springfield,  Chapin,  Cross,  and 
South  Streets,  whereon  these  buildings  stand,  is  the  property 
of  the  church. 

John  Brady  w.as  the  first  pastor  of  this  church,  released  in 
1841 ;  John  D.  Brady  served  from  1840  until  his  death,  in 
October,  1848 ;  James  A.  Strain  from  November,  that  year, 
until  September,  1850.  After  a  short  interval,  William  A. 
Blenkinsop  came  to  the  charge,  and  remained  until  April, 
1862 ;  F.  Emelianus  until  November,  that  year,  when  Father 
Blenkinsop  returned,  and  remained  until  Alig.  2,  1864.  Very 
Rev.  Patrick  Healey  succeeded,  and  is  the  present  pastor. 
Rev.  David  McGrath  is  assistant  pastor. 

The  St.  Joseph's  parochial  school  occupies  the  school  build- 
ing above  noted,  and  is  attended  by  several  hundred  children. 
The  girls'  department  is  under  the  care  of  seven  or  eight  of 
the  sisters  of  Notre  Dame  from  the  attached  convent,  who 
teach  needlework  in  connection  with  the  elementary  branches 
of  education.  Three  female  hiy-teachers  have  charge  of  the 
younger  boys.  John  Kay  is  principal  over  all,  subject  to  the 
general  supervision  of  Father  Healey. 


HISTORY  OF   HAMPDEN  COUNTY. 


969 


A  fine  library  of  nearly  1000  volume;,  now  owned  by  tbe 
church,  owes  its  existence  largely  to  the  eftorts  of  Michael 
McDermott,  and  was  organized  in  1862.  Fifty  cents  per 
year  is  charged  all  of  the  patrons,  of  whom  nearly  one 
hundred  use  their  privilege  weekly.  Father  Healey  is  hon- 
orary president,  Michael  McDermott,  formerly  president,  is 
now  librarian. 

Si.  Patrick's  Church,  Chicopee  Falls,  was  formed  Dec.  1.5, 
1872.  Their  church  building  is  of  brick,  and  is  situated  on 
the  north  side  of  the  Chicopee  River,  at  the  junction  of  Sum- 
mit and  Granby  Streets,  and  in  the  same  lot  with  the  parson- 
age. 

The  parish  contains  1400  to  1500  individuals,  and  the  Sun- 
day-school nearly  400.  This  church  possesses  a  library,  for 
the  use  of  its  parishioners,  which  contains  several  hundred 
volumes.     P.  D.  Stone  is  the  present  pastor. 

The  French  Catholic  Church  was  formed  in  1871.  Their 
church  edifice, — which  stands  midway  between  Chicopee  and 
Chicopee  Falls, — a  large  wooden  building,  with  a  sharp  spire, 
and  of  peculiar  style  and  peculiar  ornamentation,  was  erected 
in  1877-78.  It  cost  about  .§15,000,  and  will  seat  nearly  or  quite 
700.     H.  Landry,*  of  Indian  Orchard,  is  the  present  pastor. 

CEMETERIES. 
CHICOPEE   STREET. 

The  ancient  burial-ground  in  Chicopee  Street  was  dedicated 
to  its  present  uses  at  an  early  period  in  the  settlement  of  the 
valley.     It  is  a  short  distance  south  of  the  old  church. 

CHICOPEE. 

The  Catholic  Cemetery  is  in  the  southern  portion  of  the 
town,  was  a  gift  from  the  Springfield  Canal  Company,  and 
was  opened  in  1836. 

Maple  drove  Cemetery  is  situated  in  the  eastern  portion  of 
the  village  of  Chicopee,  and  now  contains  about  two  acres.  It 
was  originally  much  smaller  and  used  as  a  common  burial- 
place. 

The  additions  to  this  cemetery  were  made  by  private  parties, 
who  laid  out  and  sold  the  lots  therein;  but  the  whole  was 
afterward  placed  under  the  control  of  an  organization  repre- 
sented by  a  president,  clerk,  and  board  of  trustees.  The  first 
burial  in  this  ground  was  in  1836.  President,  Silas  Mosman  ; 
Clerk,  R.  E.  Robertson. 

The  new  cemetery,  opened  by  the  town  in  1869,  contains 
about  25  acres,  and  is  situated  in  the  southern  portion  of  the 
town,  near  the  Springfield  line.  The  land  was  purchased  in 
four  parcels  from  Robert  E.  Bemis,  the  estate  of  Ruel  Van 
Horn,  George  W.  Paine,  and  Michael  Conway.  The  first 
burial  in  this  ground  was  that  of  Lydia  A.  Hyde,  wife  of 
Chauncey  H.,  who  died  March  13,  1870. 

Lafayette  Temple,  Henry  S.  Herrick,  and  Jonathan  R. 
Whittemore  are  the  present  cemetery  committee. 

CHICOPEE    FALLS. 

The  cemetery  at  Chicopee  Falls  stretches  from  East  Street 
to  the  Springfield  road,  and  contains  somewhat  le.ss  than 
three  acres.  It  originated  in  a  lease  of  one  acre  made  by  Ben- 
jamin Belcher  to  the  Chicopee  Manufacturing  Company  for 
nine  hundred  and  ninety-nine  years.  The  same  was  to  be 
used  by  the  inhabitants  of  School  District  No.  16  for  burial 
purposes.  A  condition  required  that  a  fence  be  built  and 
maintained  around  the  property.  Additions,  afterward 
made,  extended  the  grounds  to  East  Street.  Committee  in 
charge,  T.  B.  Wattles,  William  Fay,  James  E.  Taylor, 
Thomas  C.  Page,  and  Bildad  B.  Belcher. 

*  The  jiastor  of  this  society  was  applied  to  for  adiiitiunal  facts  concerning  it, 
Itnt  (liii  not  respond.  What  is  given  in  tile  text  ftas  derived  fnnn  otiier  sources, 
and  is  beljeveii  to  ije  conect.  The  pafitor  is  tlierefore  not  directly  respousiblo 
for  any  inaccuracies. 

\L-1 


HOTELS   AND   PUBLIC   BUILDINGS. 

HOTELS. 

The  earliest  hostelries  of  the  town  have  passed  away,  and 
live  alone  in  memory  and  tradition.  In  comparatively  recent 
days, — fifty  or  sixty  years  agone, — one  Japhet  Chapin  kept  an 
inn  on  the  east  side  of  the  present  Springfield  road,  south  of 
its  junction  with  Newton  Avenue. 

It  is  related  that  the  workmen  at  the  armory  in  Springfield, 
who  had  tested  the  quality  of  Japhct's  liquid  cheer,  desired  a 
better  and  wider  way  thereto,  and  that  the  same  was  finally 
made  and  dubbed  the  "  Toddy  Road."  This  is  now  the  south- 
erly extension  of  Springfield  Street. 

About  fifty  years  ago  a  tavern  was  kept  near  the  north  end 
of  Chicopee  Street,  but  the  builder,  proprietor,  and  host  have 
left  no  register  of  their  proceedings  ;  the  present  hears  no  echo 
of  the  voice  that  at  the  portal 

"Welcomed  the  coming,  sped  the  parting,  guest." 

The  old  hotel  is  changed  to  a  private  residence,  and  is  occu- 
pied by  Sumner  Chapin. 

The  Chicopee  House  was  built  in  1842-43,  at  "  Chicopee 
Junction,"  by  Abner  B.  Abbey.  It  then  stood  on  the  south 
side  of  Exchange  Street,  and  was  removed  to  its  present  posi- 
tion at  Front  and  Exchange  Streets  about  the  year  1845. 
The  first  landlord  was  Lester  Van  Horn.  His  successors  have 
been  Rufus  Mosher,  Seymour  Bagg,  Capt.  William  Denison, 
E.  M.  Belden,  Merrick  Abbey,  Hiram  Morey,  and  Adrian 
Hatch,  the  present  host. 

The  Cabot  House  was  built  in  1834-35  by  Chester  W. 
Chapin.  The  land — about  three-quarters  of  an  acre — was 
purchased  by  him  from  the  Springfield  Canal  Company,  Oct. 
30,  1833,  and  the  deed  of  that  date  recites  that  "  no  building 
or  part  of  a  building  thereon  shall  ever  be  occupied  or  used  for 
the  sale  of  spirituous  liquors,  except  as  a  public  tavern  house." 
The  tirst  landlord  was  Gardner  Kimball,  who  was  succeeded 
by  Marvin  and  Ethan  Chapin,  and  they,  from  1849  to  April, 
1864,  by  Madison  Kendall.  William  H.  Dickinson  then  be- 
came proprietor  and  landlord,  and  continues  cheerily  to  serve 
the  friend  and  the  stranger. 

Wilde's  Hotel,  corner  of  Front  and  Church  Streets,  Chico- 
pee Falls,  was  built  in  1834,  by  Elihu  Adams,  who  for  a  long 
time  was  its  landlord.  Since  his  time  the  following  have 
catered  to  the  public  within  its  hospitable  walls  :  Messrs. 
Newell,  Dodge,  Perry,  Chapin,  Rounds,  and  Anson  F. 
Weldes,  the  present  proprietor. 

A  house  was  opened  by  Monroe  Chapin  at  the  corner  of 
Perkins  and  Exchange  Streets,  about  the  year  1840-45,  and 
named  the  Perkins  Street  Lunch.  This  became,  in  process  of 
time,  the  Eagle  Hotel,  and  as  such  was  first  kept  by  Monroe 
Chapin,  of  lucifer-mateh  fame,  and  subsequently  by  Rufus 
Mosher  and  Horace  Adams. 

A  public-house  was  constructed  of  an  old  farm-dwelling, 
at  the  corner  of  Centre  and  West  Streets,  in  1840,  and  named 
the  Connecticut  River  House.  William  Miller  was  the  first 
landlord.  It  was  afterward  kept  by  Charles  W.  Mead  and 
others.  Fire  finished  its  career  about  the  year  1845,  and  few 
were  they  who  wept  above  its  ashes. 

ALMSHOUSE. 

In  1849  a  farm  was  purchased  and  an  almshouse  erected,  by 
which  the  first  indebtedness  was  created,  amounting  to  $5061. 72. 
The  farm  was  sold  in  1860. 

In  1877,  §15,000  were  appropriated  by  the  town  for  the  pur- 
chase of  land  and  the  erection  of  buildings  thereon  suitable 
for  an  almshouse.  J.  R.  Wilbur,  Madison  Kendall,  William 
H.  West,  John  Dixon,  and  William  R.  Kentfleld  were  made 
a  committee  to  effect  the  objects  of  the  appropriation.  Their 
report  shows  that  18  acres  and  9  square  rods  of  land,  a  half- 
mile  southwest  from  Chicopee  Falls,  were  the  same  year  pur- 
chased of  the  heirs  of  R.  E.  Bemis,  deceased,  for  §2708.67, 


970 


HISTOKY   OP  THE  CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


and  that  a  brick  house  was  erected  thereon,  GO  by  38  feet,  with 
two  L's,  21  by  18,  at  a  cost  of  ^TSOO,  besides  other  structures 
costing  $1504.  The  remainder  of  the  appropriation  was  ex- 
pended in  obtaining  water  supply,  furniture,  farm  stock,  etc. 

Water  is  obtained  from  an  adjacent  brook  by  means  of  two 
hydraulic  rams,  which  raise  it  60  feet  to  a  reservoir  of  1800 
gallons'  capacity. 

Since  1876  the  selectmen  have  performed  the  duties  of  the 
former  "overseers  of  the  poor,"  and  in  their  report  for  Feb- 
ruary, 1878,  say  that  "  the  town  of  Chicopee  pays  more  per 
capita  than  any  other  town  in  the  State  for  the  support  of  its 
poor. ' ' 

The  expenses  for  the  year  1877-78,  exclusive  of  the  alms- 
house, amounted  to  $15,391.97,  and  the  cost  of  support  at  the 
almshouse,  over  income  from  the  farm,  was  $1247.18.  The 
house  was  opened  on  Oct.  1,  1877,  and  in  the  iive  months  fol- 
lowing 41  persons  were  admitted,  of  whom  15  left,  6  died,  and 
during  the  year  1011  tramps  were  fed  and  lodged  at  town 
expense,  all  but  three  at  the  town-hall  building. 

TOWN-HALL. 

.This  building, — situated  on  the  east  side  of  Market  Square, 
— erected  in  1871,  is  of  brick,  with  stone  trimmings,  lias  a 
spacious  recessed  entrance,  at  each  end  of  which  is  a  memorial 
tablet  of  bronze,  set  in  relief-work  of  Gothic  form,  and  bear- 
ing the  Kebellion  necrology  of  Chicopee's  gallant  soldiery. 
It  possesses  an  ornamental  facade,  and  a  lofty  tower  of  pe- 
culiar form,  but  with  possible  Oriental  precedents.  In  this 
hangs  a  great  bell,  to  use  on  public  occasions  and  for  fire- 
alarms.  An  imposing  flight  of  steps  of  Monson  gneiss  leads 
to  the  first  floor,  which  contains  offices  for  the  assessors,  school 
committee,  and  town  clerk,  and  a  room  which  is  devoted  to 
the  use  of  the  town  library.  The  police  department  occupies 
the  basement.  Above  is  a  large  hall,  handsomely  frescoed, 
with  stained  glass  windows,  and  a  seating  capacity  for  900 
persons. 

The  entire  cost  of  this  fine  building,  including  land  and 
furniture,  was  $101,360.38.  Building  committee,  James  T. 
Ames,  E.  0.  Carter,  Erastus  Stebbins,  Ezekiel  Blake,  and 
Emerson  Gaylord. 

SOCIETIES. 
CHICOPEE    FALLS. 

Belcher  Lodge,  F.  and  A.  M.,  was  instituted  in  1871.  The 
following  were  charter  members  :  Benjamin  Belcher,  W.  M.  ; 
Geo.  S.  Taylor,  James  E.  Taylor,  Thomas  C.  Page,  Albert 
Perkins,  Richard  A.  Russell,  William  H.  Gilbert,  David  E. 
Taylor,  A.  C.  Hancock,  James  C.  Gassner,  William  J.  Sawin, 
Eugene  Munn,  P.  W.  Smith,  William  Rhodes,  Andrew  Lu- 
cas, John  M.  Morse,  Bailey  West,  Edward  L.  Foss,  C.  J. 
Williams,  Geo.  W.  Newell,  J.  H.  Osgood,  S.  B.  Cook,  Moses 
Gowan,  H.  S.  Newell,  E.  V.  B.  Holcomb,  E.  D.  King,  Ed- 
mund Richards,  J.  W.  Belcher,  A.  P.  Chapin,  H.  J.  Dav}', 
A.  B.  West,  E.  T.  Paige,  M.  H.  Barnes,  A.  Ellsworth,  S.  W. 
Knox,  A.  W.  Page,  Monroe  Warner,  F.  H.  Morton,  E.  L. 
Johnson,  Alfred  Longeway,  Edward  Fletcher,  Chas.  Chase, 
H.  W.  Gilbert,  O.  S.  Goodell,  Albert  McFarland,  John 
Longeway,  W.  T.  Christian,  Robert  Cox. 

The  present  officers  are  Charles  0.  Shaw,  M. ;  N.  Clark,  S. 
W.  ;  C.  M.  Willis,  J.  W.  ;  Eugene  Munn,  Treas.  ;  C.  A.  Bo- 
gardus.  Sec;  C.  S.  Stiles,  Chaplain;  William  Boutell,  M.  ; 
Alfred  Longeway,  S.  D.  ;  John  Morse,  J.  D. ;  W.  E.  Willis, 
S.  S.  ;  Nelson  Morse,  J.  S. ;  Lyman  Blood,  I.  S.  ;  A.  McFar- 
land, Org. ;  J.  W.  Burgess,  Tyler. 

Unity  Chapter  of  Royal  Arch  3Iasons  was  instituted  Dec.  7, 
1875.  The  following  were  charter  members :  W.  Jackson 
Sawin,  Benjamin  Belcher,  Albert  C.  Hancock,  John  W.  Bel- 
cher, Edgar  T.  Paige,  James  Flint,  Jr.,  Frank  M.  Morton, 
James  Crowther,  Albert  McFarland,  David  E.  Taylor,  H. 
Smith  Newell,  Eugene  Munn,  John  Longeway,  George  S. 
Taylor,  Loranus  E.  Hitchcock,  Francis  F.  Dole,  William  H. 


Gilbert,  Thomas  C.  Page,  Charles  F.  Foster,  Samuel  B.  Cook, 
Charles  O.  Shaw,  Joseph  H.  Bennett,  Henry  Conklin,  Alfred 
Longeway,  Robert  W.  Bemis,  Henry  C.  Smith,  George  E. 
Root,  O.  E.  Smith,  C.  F.  Howard,  Levi  M.  Peirce,  L.  H. 
Brigham,  Wra.  J.  Hatfield,  Oren  S.  Bragg,  George  A.  Deni- 
son,  E.  M.  Alden,  Lyman  Blood,  A.  J.  Jenks. 

The  present  officers  are  Benjamin  Belcher,  M.  E.  H.  P.  ; 
A.  C.  Hancock,  E.  K. ;  Samuel  P.  Cook,  E.  S.  ;  Eugene  Munn, 
Treas. ;  Albert  McFarland,  Sec.  ;  John  W.  Belcher,  C.  H. ; 
Charles  O.  Shaw,  P.  S.  ;  Edgar  T.  Paige,  R.  A.  C.  ;  James 
Crowther,  3d  Vail ;  H.  Smith  Newell,  2d  Vail ;  Alfred  Longe- 
way, 1st  Vail ;  PhinoasW.  Smith,  Chaplain  ;  Nelson  T.  Marsh, 
S.  S.  ;  William  Boutell,  J.  S. ;  John  Longeway,  Tyler. 

CHICOPEE. 

Chicopee  Lodge,  F.  and  A.  M.,  was  instituted  in  1849.  The 
charter  members  were  Isaac  Allen,  A.  Alvord,  J.  W.  Belcher, 
David  Bemis,  Jeremiah  Bliss,  J.  P.  Bridgman,  Joshua  Brit- 
ton,  G.  H.  Carpenter,  John  Chase,  A.  Fowler,  Lucius  Har- 
thau,  H.  Hutchinson,  Wallace  W.  Johnson,  Benning  Leavitt, 
Daniel  Leavitt,  James  L.  Lyman,  A.  Nettleton,  Jonathan 
Pease,  Jr.,  Daniel  B.  Perkins,  A.  W.  Quint,  E.  Renney,  Jas. 
M.  Smith,  Samuel  D.  Smith,  Samuel  D.  Sizer,  Rufus  Whittier, 
William  P.  Winkley. 

The  present  officers  are  J.  E.  Ford,  W.  M.  ;  L.  E.  Hitch- 
cock, S.  W.  ;  George  A.  Blaisdell,  J.  W.  ;  James  E.  Hosley, 
Treas. ;  J.  C.  Bunkley,  See.  ;  W.  M.  Stebbins,  S.  D.  ;  Orrin 
Nickerson,  J.  D.  ;  Rev.  G.  A.  Denison,  Ch  ;  James  H.  Col- 
lard,  S.  S.  ;  Wni.  H.  Bostwick,  J.  S. ;  A.  0.  Kenney,  Mar.  ; 
G.  V.  Bangs,  Tyler.     Meets  at  Music-Hall. 

.S7.  John's  Lodge,  No.  62,  /.  0.  of  0.  F.,  was  re-instituted 
March  8,  1870.  The  charter  members  were  Erastus  Stebbins, 
W.  H.  Gilmore,  Orrin  Nickerson,  William  P.  Winkley,  John 
S.  Dodge.  The  present  officers  are  E.  S.  McBride,  N.  G.  ; 
Ezekiel  Blake,  V.  G.  ;  E.  H.  Cook,  Rec.  Sec.  ;  John  D.  White, 
Per.  Sec. ;  Erastus  Stebbins,  Treas. ;   James  Collard,  War.  ; 

C.  J.  McCoy,  Cond. ;  F.  N.  Graves,  R.  S.  S.  ;  L.  E.  Williams, 
L.  S.  S.  ;  Wm.  N.  Engles,  I.  G. ;  Wm.  T.  Powers,  O.  G. 

POLICE  DEPARTMENT. 
The  police  court  of  Chicopee  was  established  in  1855,  by 
virtue  of  an  act  approved  May  21st  in  that  year.     Mortimer 

D.  Whittaker  was  the  first  justice  of  this  court,  and  held  the 
office  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1862.  Edwin  0. 
Carter  succeeded  in  the  same  year,  and  still  occupies  the 
position. 

FIRE  DEPARTMENT. 

CHICOPEE. 

The  fire  district  of  Chicopee  is  composed  of  all  that  part  of 
School  District  No.  4  which  lies  south  of  the  Chicopee  River.* 
The  district  was  formed  and  separate  action  taken  by  the  in- 
habitants thereof  on  the  28th  day  of  August,  1848,  in  conse- 
quence of  a  prior  refusal  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  town  to 
grant  any  sum  of  money  for  the  purchase  of  an  engine  and 
apparatus.  An  engine  and  appurtenances  had  been  purchased 
some  years  before,  chiefly  by  means  contributed  by  the  manu- 
fixcturing  companies.  The  bouse  for  this  engine  was  erected 
on  the  grounds  of  the  Ames  Manufacturing  Company,  and 
cost  $250.     The  engine  cost  $500. 

At  the  above  meeting  William  L.  Bemis  was  chosen  clerk 
of  the  fire  district  thus  formed,  and  Benning  Leavitt  chief 
engineer.  A  committee  on  further  organization  was  then 
appointed,  consisting  of  James  T.  Ames,  Isaac  Bullens,  Charles 
Sherman,  Charles  McClallen,  Daniel  Leavitt,  John  Wells, 
Robert  E.  Bemis,  Rufus  Whittier,  and  A.  W.  Stockwell,  who 
reported  at  a  meeting  held  Sept.  6,  1848,  at  Cabot  Hall.  The 
report  of  the  committee  was  adopted,  and  provided   for  the 

*  The  "  central  fire  district  of  Chicopee"  is  bounded  north  by  the  Chicopee 
Kivor,  east  by  Bcniib'  Bruok,  south  by  the  Springtiold  line,  and  west  by  the  Con- 
necticut Biver. 


HISTORY   OF   HAMPDEN   COUNTr. 


971 


election  annually  in  the  month  of  April,  by  ballot,  of  a  clerk, 
a  chief  engineer  and  4  assistants,  and  a  prudential  committee 
of  3.  These  constitute  the  officers  of  the  fire  district,  who 
hold  office  one  year  and  until  their  successors  are  chosen. 

The  board  of  engineers  control  the  organization  and  man- 
agement of  the  fire  companies  ;  the  prudential  committee  man- 
age the  financial  aftairs  of  the  district,  have  control  of  all  its 
property, — except  the  engines  and  their  attachments,  which  are 
controlled  by  the  engineers  of  fire  companies, — and  make  an- 
nual full  report  of  their  doings  and  the  condition  of  the  funds, 
and  also  return  a  complete  inventory  of  the  property  of  the 
district. 

At  a  meeting  held  Sept.  8,  1848,  the  following  additional 
officers  were  elected :  First  Assistant  Engineer,  James  M. 
Smith  ;  Second,  Lucius  Harthan  ;  Third,  Chester  Van  Horn  ; 
Fourth,  Reuben  Thorp ;  Prudential  Committee,  James  T. 
Ames,  Sylvanus  Adams,  and  George  Walker. 

Within  a  short  time  three  cisterns  were  constructed,  viz., 
at  Dwight  and  Cabot  Streets,  at  .Springfield  and  South  Streets, 
and  in  Market  Square,  near  the  Universalist  Church. 

An  engine-house  of  two  stories  was  erected  opposite  Mechan- 
ics' Hall,  at  a  cost  of  ^ilyOO,  upon  land  granted  rent  free  for 
twentj'  years  by  the  Cabot  Manufacturing  Company. 

The  first  annual  muster  at  Chicopee  was  on  the  9th  day  of 
October,  1851,  when  thirtecu  companies  participated. 

The  present  force  of  the  department  is  as  follows  :  Chicopee 
Steamer  Company,  No.  1 ;  Pacific  Hose  Company,  No.  1  ; 
Owego  Hook-and-Ladder  Company,  No.  1 ;  Fountain  Extin- 
guisher Company,  No.  1 ;  Independent  Hose  Company,  No. 
1.  There  also  belong  to  the  district  8  reservoirs,  28  hydrants, 
and  75  lamp-posts  and  lanterns. 

The  present  officers  are  James  E.  Hosley,  Chief  Engineer; 
Timothy  Canty,  First  Assistant;  Robert  Hickey,  Second  As- 
sistant; S.  L.  Scribner,  Third  A.ssistant ;  John  J.  Lj'ons, 
Fourth  Assistant;  Matthew  Ryan,  Clerk;  John  B.  Wood, 
Treasurer  ;  S.  S.  Hodgkins,  Michael  McDermott,  and  S.  A. 
Jacobs,  Prudential  Committee. 

Chief  Engineers. — 1848,  Benning  Leavitt;  1849,  Lucius 
Harthan;  1850-53,  Daniel  Leavitt;  1854,  Rufus  Mosher ; 
1855,  Abner  B.  Abbey;  1856,  Daniel  Bowdoin  ;  1857,  S.  B. 
Lanckton;  1858,  Ripley  Swift;  1859-60,  A.  A.  Wait;  1861, 
'65,  '68-70,  Francis  E.  Drake;  1862-64,  J.  H.  Churchill; 
1866,  J.  U.  McClench;  1867,  F.  W.  Stackpole ;  1871-72,  A. 
0.  Kinney;  1873,  '75-76,  C.  F.  Hadley ;  1874,  A.  K.  Graves; 
1877-78,  James  E.  Hosley. 

CHICOPEE    FALLS. 

The  Chicopee  Falls  fire  district  was  established  in  1845,  and 
its  bounds  were  then  the  same  as  of  old  School  District  No.  10, 
now  No.  6.  In  1872  the  district  was  extended  to  include  that 
part  of  School  District  No.  3,  on  the  north  side  of  the  river, 
which  was  most  thickly  settled.  The  fire  department  is  man- 
aged by  the  board  of  engineers  and  prudential  committee 
elected  by  the  district  annually,  as  at  Chicopee.  The  depart- 
ment is  at  present  in  possession  of  but  one  engine.  This  is 
of  Waterman's  make,  with  8-inch  cylinder  and  8i-inch  stroke, 
and  is  housed  in  a  brick  building,  erected  for  the  purpose,  at 
the  intersection  of  Church  and  Market  Streets.  Supplement- 
ary facilities  for  extinguishing  fire  have  been  provided  by  the 
manufacturing  companies,  by  way  of  reservoirs,  force-pumps, 
and  the  like.  The  Chicopee  Manufacturing  Company  have  a 
large  reservoir  on  the  north  side  of  the  river,  with  connecting 
pipes  laid  under  that  stream,  and  with  sufficient  head  to  carry 
the  water  over  their  buildings. 

The  present  officers  are, — Chief  Engineer,  Geo.  McQueen  ; 
First  Assistant,  Andrew  Gale ;  Second  Assistant,  Michael 
Dunn  ;  Third  Assistant,  Russell  Markham  ;  Prudential  Com- 
mittee, Wm.  Blake,  Jr.,  Norris  R.  Ward,  George  M.  Morton. 

The  chief  engineers  from  1845  to  the  present  time  (1878) 
have  been  as  follows  :   1845-46,  Timothy  W.  Carter  ;  1847-48, 


Harmon  Rowley  ;  1849-50,  Otis  Chapman ;  1851-52,  '73-75, 
John  R.Wilbur;  1853,  Horace  L.  Hendrick  ;  1854-64,  E.V.  B. 
Holcomb  ;  185.5—56,  John  Herrick  ;  1857,  Varnum  N.  Taylor ; 
1858,  William  R.  Kenttield ;  1859-60,  William  H.  Miller; 
1861-62,  '65-66,  Asher  Bartlett ;  18G3,  Benjamin  Belcher; 
1867,  0.  S.  Goodell ;  1808,  George  S.  Taylor ;  1809,  W.  J. 
Sawin  ;  1870,  William  Dunham;  1871,  William  Blake,  Jr. ; 
1872,  Charles  Chase ;  1876,  Frank  H.  Morton  ;  1877-78,  Geo. 
McQueen. 

MANUFACTURES. 
CHICOPEE   FALLS — SOUTH   SIDE. 

May  17,  1786,  Josiah  Hitchcock,  Stephen  Hitchcock,  Eben- 
ezer  Morgan,  Israel  Chapin,  Lemuel  Stebbins,  Dudley  Wade, 
Gad  Horton,  Stephen  Horton,  Phineas  Stedman,  and  Ariel 
Cooley  leased,  in  perpetuity,  "two  acres  of  land  and  the 
water-privilege  on  the  south  side  of  the  Chicopee  River,  at 
Skenungonuck  Falls,"  to  James  Byers  and  Wm.  Smith,  of 
Springfield.  As  required  by  the  conditions  of  the  lease,  Byers 
and  Smith,  within  two  years,  erected  "  iron- works"  for  the 
manufacture  of  hollow-ware  of  that  metal.*  Little  was  done, 
however,  until  the  property  was  purchased  by  Benj.  Belcher, 
Abijah  Witherell,  and  William  Witherell,  June  27,  1801. 
The  works  were  conducted  by  this  firm,  or  company,  until 
May  22,  1805,  when  Mr.  Belcher  bo\ight  the  interests  of  his 
partners,  and  continued  the  business  alone  until  August,  1822, 
when  he  sold  his  entire  property  at  the  falls  to  the  brothers 
Jonathan  and  Edmund  Dwight.  The  property  consisted  of 
the  blast-furnace  and  nearly  or  quite  all  the  land  whereon 
stands  the  village  of  Chicopee  Falls.  A  considerable  portion 
of  this  land  was  purchased  by  Mr.  Belcher  from  Stephen 
Wright  and  Levi  Hitchcock,  who  had  settled  at  that  place 
before  the  erection  of  the  iron-works.  Wright  &  Hitchcock 
removed  from  the  vicinity  after  making  the  sale. 

Mr.  Belcher  continued  the  business,  chiefly  that  of  a  foundry, 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  Dec.  17,  1833,  when  he  was 
sixty-eight  years  of  age.  His  three  sons,  Benjamin  B.,  John 
W.,  and  Bildad  B.,  succeeded  to  the  business,  and  pursued  it 
until  November,  1840,  when  they  dissolved.  John  W.  then 
became  sole  proprietor,  and  continued  without  a  partner — ex- 
cept a  single  year  with  Jonathan  R.  Whittemorc — until  1851. 
After  the  brothers  dissolved  the  character  of  the  business  was 
somewhat  changed,  and  included  the  manufacture  of  agricul- 
tural implements.  In  1851,  J(mathan  R.  and  John  R.  Whit- 
temore  were  admitted,  under  the  style  of  Whittemore,  Belcher 
&  Co.,  and  in  another  year  tlie  firm  became  Whittemore, 
Squier  &  Co.,  George  L.  Squier  having  purchased  an  interest 
in  the  business.  The  latter  gentleman  retired  in  1857,  and 
the  Whittemores  Jan.  1,  1875.  John  W.  Belcher  having  died 
in  May,  1860,  his  interest  from  that  date  has  been  represented 
by  his  son,  John  W.,  Jr.  Since  Jan.  1,  1875,  the  present  firm 
— B.  &  J.  W.  Belcher — have  continued  without  change. 

Their  manufactures  embrace  nearly  all  kinds  of  agricultural 
implements,  in  which  an  extensive  trade  is  now  established  at 
home  and  in  the  West. 

TheDwights,  to  whom  Mr.  Belcher  sold,  had  been  induced, 
upon  the  suggestion  of  Joseph  Hall,  Jr.,  and  Joseph  Brown, 
of  Monson,  Mass.,  to  purchase  the  falls  property  for  the  pur- 
pose of  erecting  thereon  a  cotton-mill.  With  other  gentlemen 
from  Boston,  they  were  incorporated  as  the  Boston  and  Spring- 
field Manufacturing  Company,  with  §500,000  capital.  Jona- 
than Dwight,  Jr.,  was  the  first  president,  and  Joseph  Hall, 
Jr.,  the  first  agent.  In  the  spring  of  1823  the  dam  and  canal 
were  begun,  and  also  a  mill,  which  was  finished  in  1825.  A 
second  mill  was  partially  or  wholly  erected  in  that  year,  and 
the  year  following,  1826,  a  third  mill  and  a  bleachery.  The 
corporate  name  was  changed  in  1828  to  "  Chicopee  Manufac- 

*  The  ore  to  supply  the  furnace  was  takeu  from  the  south  bank  of  the  river, 
about  eighty  rods  above  the  present  dam  at  the  falls,  and  at  other  places.  The  ore 
was  very  lean,  but  a  ton  of  iron  lasted  them  a  long  time. 


972 


HISTORY   OF  THE  CONiNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


turing  Company."  In  1831  the  capital  was  increased  to 
$i;00,000,  and  in  1835  to  §700,000.  The  fourth  mill  was  huilt 
in  1831.*  The  four  mills  contained,  in  1848,  647  looms  and 
22,810  spindles.  Two  of  the  mills  were  burned  in  1873,  in 
place  of  which  one  large  mill  has  since  been  erected. 

Mr.  Uall  resigned  the  agency  June  1,  1827.  He  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Samuel  Henshaw,  until  Dec.  1,  1832;  Lewis  Ash- 
mun,  until  June  1,  1833;  Benjamin  Day,  until  Dec.  1,  1834; 
Timothy  W.  Carter,  until  July  1,  1846;  Ezekiel  Blake,t  until 
his  death,  in  the  latter  part  of  1872.  Josiah  W.  Osgood,  then 
book-keeper,  assumed  the  duties  of  agent  for  two  years,  and 
until  the  present  agent,  George  H.  Jones,  was  appointed. 

This  company  now  has  three  mills,  which  contain  1338 
looms  and  02,302  spindles,  employing  nearly  1000  operatives, 
of  whom  a,  third  are  males  ;  consume  10, .500  bales,  or  4,813,478 
pounds,  of  cotton  annually,  and  produce  14,06-5,300  yards  of 
cloth.  The  average  of  yarn  used  is  No.  20.  The  product 
consists  of  cotton  flannels,  broad  sheetings,  and  tine  4-4  sheet- 
ings, bleached  and  unbleached.  The  company  control  the  en- 
tire water-power  of  the  river  at  the  falls,  and  have  no  occa- 
sion to  use  steam  as  a  motor.  Four  large  turbine  wheels, 
aggregating  1000  horse-power,  are  now  in  use.  The  present  of- 
ficers lire  George  H.  Jones,  Agent ;  Thomas  B.  Wattles,  Super- 
intendent; Josiah  W.  Osgood,  Book-keeper  and  Paymaster. 

This  company,  in  1825,  purchased  the  water-power  and  land 
adjacent,  where  now  stands  the  village  of  Chicopee.  In  1831 
this  part  of  their  property  passed  to  the  "  Springfield  Canal 
Company.''  In  1836  they  sold  a  piece  of  their  land  at  Chicopee 
Falls  to  the  Chicopee  Falls  Company,  with  certain  privileges, 
as  hereinafter  shown. 

The  Mnssnchusetts  Arms  Company  was  incorporated  by 
special  act  of  the  Legislature,  March  5,  1850,  authorizing 
Timothy  W.  Carter,  James  T.  Ames,  Benjamin  F.  Warner, 
and  their  associates,  to  manufacture  firearms  and  machinery, 
with  a  capital  not  exceeding  .sil00,OOO.  The  company  was  or- 
ganized with  a  capital  of  ^170,000,  and  commenced  its  opera- 
tions under  the  agency  of  T.  W.  Carter,  in  the  production  of 
a  revolving  pistol  under  the  Leavitt  &  Wesson  patents.  These 
were  issued  by  the  Patent-Office  as  original  inventions,  not  in- 
terfering with  any  e.xisting  patent. 

After  the  manufacture  and  sale  of  these  arms  had  assumed 
considerable  magnitude,  a  claim  of  infringement  was  made  by 
Samuel  Colt,  the  well-known  manufacturer  of  a  similar  arm, 
who  succeeded,  after  a  long  course  of  litigation  in  the  United 
States  Courts,  in  obtaining  a  verdict  in  bis  favor,  and  a  per- 
petual injunction  against  this  company. 

Attention  was  then  given  to  the  manufacture  of  other  de- 
scriptions of  patent  firearms,  and  during  the  war  the  works  of 
the  company  were  fully  employed  in  furnishing  breech-load- 
ing arms,  chiefly  of  the  Maynard  patent,  for  the  United  States 
Cavalry.  At  the  close  of  the  war  there  was  a  consequent  de- 
crease in  production,  and,  pending  a  movement  of  part  of  the 
stockholders  to  close  the  business,  the  entire  stock  and  franchise 
were  purchased  by  Mr.  Carter,  and  for  several  years  the  busi- 
ness was  conducted  in  his  personal  interest.  On  the  1st  of 
February,  1876,  the  property  was  sold  to  the  Lamb  Knitting- 
Machine  Manufacturing  Company,  who  were  then  the  owners 
of  the  water-power  and  shops  in  which  the  business  was  con- 
ducted, and  who  are  at  present  manufacturing,  under  recent 
improvements  by  Dr.  Maynard,  of  Washington,  the  celebrated 
hunting,  sporting,  and  Creedmoor  rifles,  known  as  "  the  May- 
nard." William  P.  McFarland,  formerly  of  the  Springfield 
Armory,  has  superintended  the  construction  of  these  arms  from 
their  first  introduction  to  the  public. 

*  Jolm  Chase  was  the  builder  of  tlte  mill,  and  dedicated  it  with  a  dance  on 
Washington's  Biithday  in  1832.  On  that,  as  on  other  similar  occasions,  Mr.  Chase 
and  his  wife  led  the  "  animating  round." 

t  The  Chicopee  Manufacturing  Company  have  erected  to  the  memory  of  their 
valued  agent  a  monument  of  granite,  costing  between  S2000  and  SiUOO, — an 
uuusnal  testimonial. 


The  history  of  these  works  would  include  many  of  the  lead- 
ing industries  of  Chicopee  Falls  for  the  last  forty  years,  and 
which  have  greatly  contributed  to  its  growth  and  prosperity. 
By  deed  of  Oct.  3,  1836,  the  Chicopee  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany sold  to  the  Chicopee  Falls  Company  a  plat  of  land  suit- 
able for  the  works  above  referred  to,  and  granted  the  privilege 
of  erecting  a  dam  upon  the  lower  falls  of  the  Chicojiee  Kiver 
and  of  constructing  a  canal  to  the  premises  purchased  by 
them.  The  company  was  organized  with  a  capital  of  §60,000 
for  the  manufacture  of  machinery-saws  and  hardware.  The 
works  were  ready  for  occupancy  the  following  spring.  The 
machinery  department  was  for  some  time  under  the  charge  of 
Mr.  Harvey  Waters,  an  inventor  and  mechanic  of  note,  and 
the  saw  department  in  charge  of  a  Mr.  Groves,  son  of  the 
celebrated  English  saw-manufacturer. 

The  buildings  have  at  various  periods  been  occujiied  wholly 
or  in  part  by  the  Chicopee  Falls  Company,  Ames  Manufactur- 
ing Company,  Chicopee  Falls  Hosiery  Company,  Bay  State 
Faucet  and  Valve  Company,  Musgrave  Alpaca  Company, 
Massachusetts  Arras  Company,  and  the  Lamb  Knitting-Ma- 
chine  Manufacturing  Company.  The  last  three  are  in  suc- 
cessful operation  at  the  present  time. 

The  present  ofl!lcers  of  the  Massachusetts  Arms  Company 
are  T.  C.  Page,  President ;  T.  W.  Carter,  Treasurer,  who, 
together  with  E.  0.  Carter,  constitute  Jbe  board  of  directors. 

In  January,  1807,  the  Lamb  Knittlng-Mnchine  Company 
was  organized  with  a  capital  of  §100,000,  and  purchased  the 
water-power  and  shops  then  owned  and  occupied  by  the  Mas- 
sachusetts Arms  Company.  Since  that  time  they  have  made 
a  specialty  of  the  manufacture  of  knitting-machines  under 
the  patent  of  I.  W.  Lamb,  and  produce  thereof  to  the  value 
of  $150,000  per  annum.  Two-thirds  of  the  machines  are  ex- 
ported. This  industry  gives  employment  to  100  hands  on  an 
average.  A  turbine  wheel  of  00  horse-power  and  a  steam- 
engine  of  40  horse-power  are  used.  Timothy  W.  Carter  has 
been  president  of  this  company  from  its  organization  ;  Thomas 
C.  Page  treasurer  until  1871,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  E.  O. 
Carter.     Mr.  Page  is  the  present  managing  agent. 

In  1808  the  knitting-machine  company  sold  to  the  Chicopee 
Falls  Hosiery  Company  a  portion  of  the  property  just  described, 
including  the  building  known  as  the  "  Ford  Shop."  The  latter 
company  enlarged  the  works,  and  carried  on  the  manufacture 
of  hosiery  for  nearly  three  years,  when,  in  1870,  they  sold  to 
the  Bay  State  Faucet  and  Valve  Company,  who  made  plumbers' 
brass  goods  for  a  like  term  of  three  years.  The  Musgrave 
Alpaca  Company  succeeded  the  faucet  and  valve  company  in 
September,  1875.  Edward  Musgrave,  John  Anderton,  and 
Michael  Dunn  constituted  the  partnership,  which  has  re- 
mained unchanged.  They  manufacture  worsted  coatings  and 
alpacas,  importing  for  the  latter  fine  cotton  warps  from  Eng- 
land, and  using  weekly  for  the  latter  .5000  pounds  of  Austra- 
lian and  other  wools.  The  company  have  00  looms,  employ 
now  70  hands,  and  turn  out  10,000  yards  per  week.  A  single 
turbine  wheel  transmits  the  power.  John  Anderton  is  Treas- 
urer ;  Edward  Musgrave,  Agent. 

NORTH  SIDE. 
Oliver  Chapin  was  probably  the  first  settler  on  the  north 
side  of  the  Chicopee,  at  the  falls,  to  which  jilace  he  removed 
in  April,  1801.  In  1806  he  sold  the  privilege  on  that  side  of 
the  river  to  William  Bowman  and  Benjamin  and  Lemuel 
Cox,  who  there  erected  a  paper-mill,  and  conducted  the  man- 
ufacture of  paper  for  fifteen  years.  They  then  sold  the  prop- 
erty to  Chauncey  Brewer  and  Joshua  Frost,  of  Springfield, 
who  continued  five  or  six  years  longer,  when  David  Ames  be- 
came the  owner  of  the  property.  Mr.  Ames  introduced  paper- 
making  machinery,  which  greatly  lessened  the  cost  of  produc- 
tion. He  died  at  Springfield  Aug.  3,  1847,  when  his  sons, 
David  and  John,  succeeded  to  the  business,  and  continued  it 
until  1850.     David   Ames,  Sr.,  owned  one-half  of  the  water- 


HISTORY  OF    HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


973 


power  of  the  river  at  the  falls,  but  disposed  of  it  during  his 
life  to  the  Chicopee  Manufacturing  Company. 

The  Bclclwr  and  Tai/lo>-  Agriadlural  Tool  Conipniiy  origi- 
nated with  Bildad  B.  Belcher,  who  established  the  business  in 
18-52  in  connection  with  Bailey  West  and  George  Dunlap. 
The  works  were  at  first  on  the  south  side  of  the  river,  at  Chic- 
opee Falls,  and  in  two  3'ears  became  wholly  the  property  of 
Mr.  Belcher,  who  then  conducted  the  business  alone  until  the 
building  was  burned,  in  1860.  He  was  induced  to  re-establish 
the  works  on  the  north  side  of  the  river,  where,  on  the  site  of 
the  old  paper-mill,  the  manufacture  was  resumed.  In  1863, 
George  S.  Taylor  became  a  partner,  under  the  style  of  Belcher 
&  Taylor.  This  so  continued  until  November,  1864,  when 
a  joint  stock  company  was  formed,  as  at  present,  of  which  Mr. 
Belcher  was  made  agent  and  Mr.  Taylor  treasurer.  The  lat- 
ter was  appointed  agent  and  treasurer  in  1867,  and  so  contin- 
ues. A  small  building  was  erected  in  1861,  which  has  been 
twice  enlarged ;  the  last  change,  to  substantially  its  present 
form,  was  made  in  1865. 

lu  1852  the  manufacture  of  the  Yankee  Blade  feed-cutter, 
with  improvements  made  by  Mr.  Belcher,  was  commenced. 
The  business,  since  much  enlarged,  now  includes  the  produc- 
tion of  a  large  variety  of  tools,  of  which  corn-shellers,  plows, 
Bullard  hay-tedders,  and  hay-rakes  are  the  most  prominent. 

John  Wells  and  E/.ekiel  Blake  have  each  served  as  presi- 
dents of  the  company,  and  James  E.  Taylor  as  clerk.  Present 
officers  :  E.  O.  Carter,  President ;  George  S.  Taylor,  Agent 
and  Treasurer ;  Andrew  Gale,  Superintendent;  Jas.  E.  Taylor, 
Clerk  ;  Fred.  N.  Wetherell,  Book-keeper  and  Paymaster. 

J.  Stevens  tf-  Co.  have  an  establishment  on  the  north  side  of 
the  river,  at  Chicopee  Falls,  and  manufacture  firearms,  all  of 
which  are  breech-loading.  Joshua  Stevens,  the  founder  of 
the  business,  is  an  ingenious  practical  mechanic,  and,  in  1858 
-59,  was  in  the  employ  of  Samuel  Colt,  of  Hartford.  What 
is  known  as  the  Wesson  revolver  was  his  invention,  and  he 
came  to  Chicopee  Falls  in  the  fall  of  1849  to  engage  in  the 
extensive  manufacture  of  that  article.  For  this  purpose  the 
"Massachusetts  Arms  Company"  was  formed,  with  a  capital 
of  $70,000.  This  company  purchased  of  the  Ames  Manufac- 
turing Company  the  property  now  occupied  by  the  Lamb 
Knitting-Machine  Company,  and  there  conducted  the  manu- 
facture of  pistols  for  a  few  years,  when  Mr.  Stevens,  in  1864, 
having  invented  a  small  single-shot  pocket-pistol,  moved  his 
business  to  his  present  location,  where  he  associated  with  him 
James  E.  Taylor  and  William  B.  Fay.  Since  then  the  busi- 
ness has  expanded.  There  are  now  manufactured,  under  vari- 
ous patents  issued  to  Mr.  Stevens,  double-barrel  breech-load- 
ing shot-guns,  single  shot-guns,  sporting  rifles,  "Hunter's 
Pet"  rifles,  pocket  shot-guns,  and  pocket  pistols  ;  also  machine 
screws,  spring  calipers  and  dividers,  and  doable-lip  counter- 
sinks.    They  employ  trom  iiO  to  40  skilled  workmen. 

The  Bleacheiy  of  Anderion  ij-  Dunn  was  established  in  1872, 
by  John  Anderton  and  Michael  Dunn,  on  the  north  side  of 
the  river,  at  Chicopee  Falls.  Their  works  are  situated  a  short 
distance  from  the  river,  on  a  small  stream  fed  by  perennial 
springs,  and  affording  water  of  exceptional  purity.  A  short 
dam  across  the  dingle  forms  an  ample  reservoir  that  sets  back 
between  the  sandy  slopes  a  long  distance,  and  retains  an  ample 
supply  for  all  seasons.  In  this  establishment  the  largest  part 
of  the  bleaching  is  for  local  manufacturers, — chiefly  for  the 
Chicopee  Manufacturing  Company.  The  average  daily  turn- 
out is  25,000  yards,  which  can  be  doubled  with  the  present 
facilities.  This  firm  makes  a  specialty  of  bleaching  and 
finishing  cotton  flannels. 

CHICOPEE. 
In  1809  or  1810,  a  small  mill  was  put  up  near  the   present 
upper  dam  at  Chicopee  by  William,*  Levi,  and  Joseph  Chapin, 

*  William  waa  a  aou  of  William  and  Mary  (Church)  Chapin,  and  married  Lucy 
L>uy.     He  was  burn  auil  lived  many  years  in  the  house  now  (or  lately)  standing 


in  which  they  placed  "  two  carding-machines  and  two  spin- 
ning-frames of  48  spindles  each."  They  prosecuted  a  small 
business,  buying  cotton  at  11  or  12  cents  per  pound,  and 
spinning  yarn  from  which  cloth  was  made  by  hand-looms 
owned  by  families  in  the  town.f  The  product  of  such  toil- 
some process  was  sold  at  from  "  thirty-three  to  forty-two  cents 
per  yard."  In  1815-16  the  business  was  discontinued,  the 
competition  with  goods  of  foreign  make  rendering  it  unprofit- 
able. The  machinery  was  sold  and  removed  to  Jenksville. 
Carding  and  cloth-dressing  were  also  carried  on  by  a  Mr. 
Pinney  about  the  same  period  and  at  the  same  place. 

The  Springfield  Canal  Company,  purchaser  of  the  property 
of  the  Chicopee  Manufacturing  Company,  at  "  Cabotville," 
now  Chicopee,  was  composed  mainly  of  the  stockholders  of 
the  latter,  and  organized  in  1831  with  a  capital  of  §90,000. 
John  Chase  was  chosen  agent,  and  from  that  time  was  the 
leading  spirit  of  the  place.  The  canal  company,  by  Mr.  Chase, 
commenced  the  construction  of  the  canal  which  leads  the 
water  to  the  mills  on  the  1st  day  of  April,  1832.  Water  was 
let  into  it  Dec.  8, 1832.  The  same  year  a  dam  was  constructed 
across  the  Chicopee  lliver  at  the  head  of  the  canal,  and  ma- 
chine-shops built  to  construct  proper  machinery  for  making 
cotton  goods.  These  sho])S  were  small,  and  stood  where  the 
western  portion  of  the  buildings  of  the  Ames  Manufacturing 
Company  now  stands.     The  machinery  was  started  March  28, 

1833.  The  buildings  were  afterward  much  enlarged,  without 
a  stoppage  of  the  works.  Ames  &  Dwight  purchased  the 
property  in  1834.  The  canal  company  disposed  of  portions 
of  its  property  and  water-power  to  corporations,  which  from 
that  time  were  successively  formed,  and  whose  mills  were  all 
erected  by  Mr.  Chase.  Of  such  companies  the  "  Cabot  Man- 
ufacturing Company"  was  the  first,  and  was  incorporated  in 
1832,  with  a  capital  of  §400,000.  They  erected  a  mill  for  the 
manufacture  of  cotton  goods,  and  on  the  12th  of  June,  1834, 
spun  therein  the  first  bobbin  of  yarn,  and  on  the  1st  day  of 
July  wove  the  first  yard  of  cotton  cloth.  On  that  day  Mr. 
Chase  began  the  erection  of  the  second  mill,  in  which  carding 
and  spinning  were  commenced  July  23,  1835. 

Robert  E.  Bemis,  the  first  agent,  began  his  work  April  1, 

1834.  The  capital  of  this  company  was  increased  to  §450,000 
in  1836,  and  to  |;.500,000  in  1839.  The  mills  c<mtained,  in 
i848,  422  looms  and  14,848  spindles  ;  einpb>yed  100  male  and 
.300  female  operatives;  consumed  3000  bales  of  cotton,  and 
produced  4,000,000  yards  of  cloth  annually.  Mr.  Bemis  con- 
tinued with  this  company  until  November,  1852. 

The  second  or  "Perkins  Mills"  were  incorporated  in  1836, 
and  had  then  a  capital  of  $400,000,  which  was  twice  increased, 
and  made  Iji-jOO.OOO.  Their  first  mill,  known  as  Mill  No.  3, 
was  commenced  May  1,  1836,  and  first  used  March  1,  1837; 
their  second,  or  Mill  No.  4,  was  commenced  July  1,  1837, 
and  first  used  April  24,  1838.  In  1848  these  mills  contained 
428  looms  and  14,973  spindles;  consumed  1,400,000  pounds 
of  cotton,  and  produced  4,325,000  yards  of  cloth  annually. 
They  employed  105  male  and  325  female  operatives.  Elias 
Davis,  the  first  agent,  continued  from  the  spring  of  1837  until 
January,  1842,  when  he  resigned,  and  was  succeeded  by  Rufus 
Whittier,  who  served  from  that  date  until  his  death,  in  April, 
18.52. 

Soon  after  the  death  of  Mr.  Whittier,  the  Cabot  and  Pev- 

a  short  iljstauco  west  of  the  spot  occupied  formpi-ly  by  the  house  of  Henry,  his 
ancestor.  The  '*  march  of  iuiptovemeut"  at  Chicopee  disturbed  him,  aud  occa- 
sioned his  removal  to  a  farm  Qn  Chicopee  Street,  where  the  house  he  occupied 
waa  btamUng  in  18G2.  It  is  known  as  the  Cupt.  Phineas  Cliapin  residence,  and 
ie,  or  was  recently,  standiitg  near  the  Co^tnecticut  Uiver  Railroad  crossing. 
Levi  and  Joseph  were  sons  of  Levi  and  Sally  (Richardson),  wUo  tvlao  resided  at 
Chicopee. 

f  One  deft  house-wife  of  that  day  was  an  e.tpcrt  weaver,  and  had  a  husband 
who  was  proud  of  her  abilities,  and  withal  quite  increduh'US.  IJnaware  of  tlie 
then  recent  introduction  of  labor-saving  machinery  for  weaving,  and  overhear- 
ing some  lai'ge  stoiies  of  a  day's  product  of  a  tingle  loom,  he  declaied  it  "all  a 
lie  ;"  that  his  "  old  woman  could  throw  a  shuttle  with  the  smartest  of  "em,  nud 
sht  couldn't  do  it  I" 


974 


HISTORY   OP  THE  CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


kins  companies  were  consolidated,  and  placed  in  charge  of  C. 
W.  Blanchard,  as  agent,  who  served  from  November,  1852, 
until  January,  1853.  Daniel  Hussey  followed,  and  remained 
three  months,  when  George  D.  Lund  was  appointed,  and  con- 
tinued until  March,  1850,  when  these  companies  and  the 
Dwight  Manufacturing  Company  were  united,  retaining  the 
latter  name. 

The  third  corporation.  The  DwiylU  Manufncturinc;  Com- 
pany, was  organized  in  1841  with  a  capital  of  §.500,000,  which, 
in  1843,  was  increased  to  §700,000.  Their  fir.st  mill— No.  5— 
was  built  in  1839  by  the  Canal  Company,  and  first  used  March 
1,  1841  ;  their  second — No.  6 — was  commenced  June  8,  1841, 
and  first  used  Feb.  24,  1842;  their  third — No.  7 — was  begun 
June  8,  1844,  and  first  used  May  15,  1845.  In  1848  the  three 
mills  contained  780  looms  and  28,576  spindles;  employed  176 
male  and  614  female  operatives  ;  consumed  2,000,000  pounds 
of  cotton,  and  produced  5,600,000  yards  of  cloth,  consisting  of 
coarse  shirtings  and  drillings,  annually.  Sylvanus  Adams 
was  the  first  agent, — appointed  in  1841, — and  remained  in 
charge  until  January',  1867,  nearly  eleven  years  after  the  last 
consolidation,  when  R.  A.  Budlong  followed,  and  remained 
until  his  death,  May,  1868.  Then  followed  George  H.  Nye, 
until  Maj',  1872;  George  W.  Bedlow,  until  September,  1876; 
E.  F.  Balch,  from  October,  1876,  until  December,  1877;  J. 
W.  Cumnock,*  the  present  agent,  commenced  his  duties  Jan. 
1,  1878. 

This  company  now  owns  .seven  mills,  each  of  five  stories, 
which  present  an  almost  unbroken  front  one-third  of  a  mile 
in  extent.  The  present  capital  of  the  company  is  §1,200,000. 
The  mills  contain  2700  looms  and  110,000  spindles,  employ 
450  male  and  !)00  female  operatives,  consume  427,000  pounds 
of  cotton,  and  yield  460,000  yards  of  cloth  weekly.  About 
forty  kinds  of  goods  are  made,  including  heavy  and  medium 
sheetings,  among  which  are  the  celebrated  brands  "  Dwight 
Anchor"  and  "  Dwight  Star,"  bleached  and  unbleached.  A 
specialty  is  made  of  piques  and  very  fine  shirtings, — 84  warp 
and  104  pick,  or  "filling."  The  power  is  communicated  by 
turbine  water-wheels,  supplemented  at  low  and  high  stages  of 
water  by  two  Corliss  engines, — one  of  800  and  one  of  4-50 
horse-power.  The  wheels  and  engines  aggregate  about  2000 
horse-power. 

The  Ames  Manufacturing  Coinjjnni/. — The  commonwealth 
of  Massachusetts  has  ever  occupied  a  high  rank  among  the 
States  of  our  Union  for  its  varied  and  extensive  manufac- 
tures; and  of  the  many  establishments  none  has  contributed 
in  a  greater  degree  to  render  this  State  famous,  both  at  home 
and  in  Europe,  than  the  Ames  Manufacturing  Company  of 
Chicopee.  It  is  an  old  establishment,  dating  its  origin  back 
to  1791,  when  N.  P.  Ames,  Sr.,  commenced  the  manufacture 
of  edge-tools  at  Chelmsford,  Mass.  Here  he  continued  this 
industry  until  1829,  when,  together  with  N.  P.  Ames,  Jr., 
and  James  T.  Ames,  the  works  were  removed  to  Chicopee 
Falls,  and  continued  until  1831,  when  they  began  the  manu- 
facture of  swords  for  the  government.  They  at  once  took  a 
front  rank  in  this  branch  of  manufacture,  and  their  high 
reputation  has  since  been  fully  maintained;  and  from  that 
time  to  the  present  a  large  proportion  of  the  swords  used  in 
the  army  and  navy  of  the  United  States,  and  by  secret  and 
other  societies,  have  been  made  at  these  works. 

In  1834  thoy  removed  the  works  to  Cabotville,  now  Chico- 
pee, and,  with  James  K.  Miller  and  Edmund  Dwight,  incor- 
porated the  Ames  Manufacturing  Company,  with  a  capital  of 
$30,000.  The  management  devolved  upon  N.  P.  Ames,  son 
of  the  founder,  assisted  by  his  brother,  James  T.  In  1836  the 
manufacture  of  bronze  cannon  was  begun,  in  which  they  be- 
came justly  celebrated.   At  this  time  the  company  was  crowded 


*  Two  brothers  of  Mr.  Cumnock  occupy  similar  posilions,— Alexander,  at 
Boott  Cotton  Mills,  Lowell,  and  John,  with  the  Great  Falls  Manufactuiiug  Com- 
pany, New  Hampshire, 


with  orders  for  cannon  and  projectiles,  and  at  the  request  of 
the  officers  of  the  ordnance  department  of  the  government 
N.  P.  Ames  visited  Europe  and  spent  one  year  with  the  view 
of  adopting  any  improvements  in  this  manufacture  that  he 
might  discover.  In  1842  the  capital  was  increased  to  $75,000, 
and  again,  in  1846,  to  $200,000.  During  this  year  the  entire 
management  was  assumed  by  N.  P.  Ames,  who  has  continued 
in  that  position  substantially  to  the  present  time.  In  1849  the 
capital  was  again  increased  to  $2.50,000,  and  the  manufacture 
of  lathes,  planing-machines,  etc.,  added.  About  this  time, 
also,  was  commenced  the  manufacture  of  the  Boyden  turbine 
water-wheel,  cotton  machinery,  etc.  In  1853  the  establishment 
furnished  the  gun-stock  and  other  machinery  for  the  Enfield 
manufactory,  near  "Woolwich,  England.  About  the  year 
1853  they  began  making  statuary  and  other  bronze  works  of 
art,  and  it  is  needless  to  say  that  in  this  branch  also  the  Ames 
works  have  achieved  a  world-wide  reputation,  as  the  bronze 
figures  made  at  this  establishment  may  be  seen  in  very  many 
of  the  large  parks  and  squares  throughout  the  States,  while 
the  soldiers'  monuments  made  here  are  numerous  in  the  various 
sections  of  the  country,  the  mechanical  execution  of  which  is 
very  generally  admired..  Among  the  prominent  works  are 
the  colossal  statue  of  De  Witt  Clinton,  in  Greenwood  Ceme- 
tery, New  York;  the  equestrian  statue  of  Washington,  in 
Union  Square,  New  York;  Franklin's  statue  and  the  eques- 
trian statue  of  Washington,  at  Boston,  Ma.ss.  ;  and  the  bronze 
doors  of  the  Capitol,  at  Washington. 

In  1858,  Mr.  J.  T.  Ames  was  sent  by  the  government  to 
England  to  procure  machinery  for  rolling  gun-barrels,  and 
here  was  manufactured  the  machinery  for  the  Springfield  and 
Harper's  Ferry  armories.  Since  the  Rebellion  the  manufac- 
ture of  goods  has  been  changed  to  some  extent,  but  great  at- 
tention is  still  given  to  the  manufacture  of  fine  swords  and 
equipments. 

This  company  has  ever  taken  first  rank  in  whatever  branch 
of  manufacture  it  has  undertaken.  As  early  as  1840  it  was 
commissioned  by  the  State  of  Virginia  to  furnish  six  swords, 
at  a  cost  of  .§1000  each,  for  presentation  to  as  many  of  her  his- 
toric heroes,  and  in  the  same  year  the  company  received  a  like 
commission  from  Congress.  To  this  company,  also,  may  be 
traced  the  introduction  of  the  present  generalh'-used  process 
of  electro-plating,  in  1839. 

It  may  truthfully  be  said  that  much  of  the  success  of  this 
establishment  is  due  to  Mr.  N.  P.  Ames,  who  has  ever  been 
untiring  in  his  efforts  to  advance  the  interests  of  the  company, 
and  to  produce  the  best  quality  of  goods  possible. 

The  present  officers  of  the  company  are  as  follows :  A.  C. 
Woodworth,  President;  Luther  White,  Trea.surer ;  Nelson 
King,  Superintendent.  The  board  of  directors  is  constituted 
as  follows ;  A.  C.  Woodworth,  Luther  White,  A.  Gordon 
Bowles,  W.  H.  Wilkinson,  and  .John  B.  Anthony. 

The  Gaylord  Mttnufacturing  Coynpany  was  formed  in  1803, 
during  the  Rebellion,  for  the  purpose  of  making  military 
accoutrements  of  leather.  Emerson  Gaylord,  one  of  the  com- 
pany, had  previously  been  engaged  in  a  like  business.  Sereno 
Gaylord,  from  Terry ville,  Conn.,  subsequently  joined  the 
company,  and  introduced  the  manufacture  of  cabinet  locks. 
As  the  war  closed,  the  latter  business  took  the  lead,  and  the 
former  dwindled.  In  1865  the  company  purchased  the  busi- 
ness of  the  "  Chicopee  Malleable  Iron  Company,"  and  con- 
tinued to  make  malleable  iron  goods  for  about  ten  years,  in 
connection  with  locks,  which  were  continued  a  specialty.  At 
the  end  of  that  time  the  manufacture  of  swords  for  "  society" 
and  military  use  was  started,  and  has  since  grown  to  a  chief 
place  in  the  business  of  the  establishment.  Many  of  the 
swords,  especially  those  for  society  use,  are  of  great  value, 
being  of  exceedingly  elaborate  workmanship.  The  company 
once  made  steel  pens.  Emerson  Gaylord  is  President,  Arthur 
F.  Gaylord,  Treasurer,  and  James  L.  Pease,  Agent. 

The  water-power  used  by  this  company  is  derived  from  a 


HISTORY    OF   HAMPDEN    COUNTY. 


975 


second  dam,  built  by  Mr.  Chase,  and  completed  Sept.  5,  1834, 
■which  receives  the  overflow  from  the  present  upper  dam  at 
the  head  of  the  canal.  A  turbine  wheel  is  used,  supplemented 
by  steam-power. 

The  shops  occupy  the  site  of  the  old  grist-mill  erected  in 
the  last  century  by  Van  Horn  &  Chapman,  as  described  else- 
where. The  canal  company  sold  the  property  to  Benning 
Leavitt,  and  he  to  the  present  owners. 

S.  BlnisdcU,  Jr.,  ^  Co.  are  dealers  in  cotton  and  cotton 
waste,  occupj'ing  quarters  at  "  Chicopee  Junction,"  which 
little  indicate  the  magnitude  of  their  business.  This  business 
originated  in  1863,  with  George  Mattoon  and  Andrew  Hub- 
bard, who  established  the  cotton  waste  business  at  Chicopee 
Falls.  After  the  death  of  Mr.  Hubbard,  in  186.5,  his  partner 
transferred  the  enterprise  to  Chicopee,  and  continued  it  alone 
until  1868,  when  he  was  joined  by  S.  Blaisdell,  Jr.  Mr.  Mat- 
toon  retired  in  May,  1872.  Mr.  Blaisdell  then  admitted  as 
partners  his  brothers,  Charles  M.  and  George  A.  The  cotton 
waste  business  has  been  overslaughed  by  that  of  supplying  raw 
cotton  to  the  large  manufacturing  companies,  direct  from.the 
producers,  through  the  agency  of  C.  H.  Mallory  &  Co.,  of 
New  York,  the  distributing  point.  The  amount  in  value  of 
the  cotton  thus  handled  is  between  one  and  two  millions  of 
dollars  annually.* 

The  dam  just  below  the  Chicopee  Street  bridge,  on  Chicopee 
Kiver,  was  built  three  or  four  years  since — about  187o — by 
Edmund  Wood,  and  now  supplies  power  for  his  bobbin-fac- 
tory and  grist-mill,  situated  on  the  north  bank,  above  the 
island. 

It  is  the  prevailing  local  belief  that  Chicopee  bears  the  honor 
of  having  originated,  through  two  of  her  former  citizens,  that 
now  indispensable  article,  the  friction — or  Loco-Foco — match. 
Monroe  Chapin  and  a  Mr.  Phillips  commenced  the  manufac- 
ture of  matches  in  a  small  brick  structure,  measuring  less  than 
ten  feet  each  way,  situated  on  the  east  side  of  "Chicopee 
Street,"  near  the  north  end.  At  first  the  wood  was  split  by 
hand  to  the  proper  size,  and  the  early  matches  sold  for  fifty 
cents  a  box  or  gross.  The  blanks  or  splints  were  soon  after 
made  by  sawing. 

NEWSPAPERS. 
The  first  newspaper  published  within  the  limits  of  the  present 
town  of  Chicopee  was  issued  in  January,  1840,  by  Thomas  D. 
Blossom,  then  late  from  Hingham,  Mass.,  who  was  assisted 
in  the  editorship  by  Rev.  A.  A.  Folsom.  The  name  of  this 
publication  was  Caboivillc  Chronicle  and  Chicopee  Falls  Ad- 
vertiser. June  22,  1844,  John  L.  Hall  and  O.  Butterfield  took 
the  office  under  a  lease  from  Mr.  Blossom,  and  continued  but 
a  few  months,  yet  long  enough  to  change  the  name  of  the 
paper  to  Mechanics'  Offering.  Mr.  Blossom  then  resumed 
control,  and  sustained  it  under  the  new  name  until  the  spring 
of  1846,  when  it  went  into  a  sudden  decline  because  of  a 
"  withdrawal  of  patronage  in  consequence  of  the  publication 
of  certain  offensive  articles,  among  which  were  the  '  Myster- 
ies of  Cabotville.' "  The  Mechanics'  Offering  then  appeared, 
with  Harvey  E.  Bowles  as  publisher  and  James  M.  Cava- 
naugh  as  editor.  In  August,  the  same  year,  Hervcy  Kussell, 
Amos  W.  Stockwell,  and  Mr.  Cavanaugh  purchased  the  paper, 
and  issued,  in  the  second  week  of  September  following,  the 
initial  sheet  of  the  Cabotville  Mirror.  Stockwell  and  Cava- 
naugh were  the  editors,  who  made  it  a  Democratic  organ.  Fire 
destroyed  the  establishment,  Jan.  8,  1848,  but  with  assistance 
they  resumed  the  publication  the  first  of  the  ensuing  March. 
In  November  of  the  next  year  the  subscription  list  was  trans- 
ferred to  the  Springfield  Sentinel,  which  issued  it  under  the 
head  of  the  Chicopee  Mirror  until  Feb.  2,  IS-W.  The  Chico- 
pee Telegraph,  a  weekly  paper,  was  first  issued  on  "Wed- 
nesday, Feb.  11,  1846,  by  J.  C.  Stoever  &  Co.,  in  Cabotville. 
It  was,  as  its  opening  editorial  announced,  devoted  to  "  agri- 

*  The  Blaisdell  wai'cliouse  was  destroyed  by  fire  iu  Apiil,  18T&. 


culture,  domestic  economy,  the  mechanic  arts,  literature,  mo- 
rality, news,  and  amusement."  The  legend  at  first  visible 
among  the  head  lines,  "neutral  in  politics,"  was  dropped 
with  No.  12,  of  volume  two,  and  thenceforward  it  became  a 
political  paper.  The  Telegraph  ceased  with  No.  21,  May  2-5, 
18-53,  which  contained  the  following  announcement  from  the 
publisher  ; 

"  Our  connection  with  the  Telegraph  has  not  been  sufficiently  long  to  cause  us 
to  cling  to  the  name  with  any  tenacity  or  relinquish  it  with  many  regrets. 
There's  something  in  a  name,  after  all !  and  in  these  days,  when  the  lightnings 
are  messengers,  it  seems  to  be  stealing  their  thunder  to  appropriate  the  name  of 
the  thing  they  do  it  with  and  apply  it  to  a  message  that  must  necessarily  be 
somewhat  old  and  slow." 

A  newspaper,  18  by  24  inches,  was  issued  Saturday,  June 

4,  18.53,  called  the  Chicopee  Weekly  Journal,  with  a  medallion 
view  of  the  village  in  the  heading.  J.  R.  Childs,  who  had 
assumed  the  management  of  the  Telegraph  on  the  1st  day  of 
May  preceding  its  discontinuance,  was  editor  and  publisher  of 
the  new  paper.  It  contained  local,  but  not  general,  news  and 
selected  matter,  and  was  in  politics  of  avowedly  Whig  pro- 
clivities. The  second  volume  was  narrowed  one  column  per 
page,  and  appeared  as  the  Weekly  Journal,  dropping  Chicopee 
from  its  title.  With  No.  7,  vol.  ii.,  July  1.5,  1854,  David  B. 
Potts  became  proprietor,  and  James  C.  Pratt  editor.  Wil- 
liam G.  Brown  followed  Mr.  Pratt  as  editor,  April  19,  1856, 
when  J.  C.  Havens,  having  purchased  the  paper,  admitted 
Mr.  Pratt  as  partner.  They  continued  the  publication  for 
two  years,  when  George  V.  Wheelock  was  admitted.  March 
12,  18.59,  Mr.  Brown  sold  his  interest  to  J.  C.  Havens.  Havens 
and  Wheelock  sustained  the  paper  until  Dec.  27,  1862,  when 
it  was  discontinued  with  No.  .30,  vol.  xviii.,  which  contained 
among  other  valedictory  words  the  following  : 

"We  are  not  dead  yet,  it  is  true,  or  quite  reduced  to  the  starving  point,  and, 
but  for  the  paper-makers'  e.xorbitant  demands,  we  should  continue  to  dispense 
'blessings'  to  this  community  everj'  week, — and,  mark  it!  but  for  the  scarcity  of 
advertisements,  we  should  never  have  allowed  a  'break'  iu  the  chain  of  publi- 
cation." 

The  department  of  job-printing  has  since  been  continued 
by  Mr.  Wheelock. 

TOWN  LIBRARY. 

The  Cabot  Institute,  a  literary  club,  was  incorporated  in 
1846,  and  in  the  subsequent  seven  years  accumulated  a  library 
of  about  900  volumes.  The  first  books,  651  in  number,  were 
purchased  in  1847  with  funds  contributed  by  the  various  cor- 
porations and  by  individuals.  At  a  meeting  held  at  "Cabot 
Hall,"  April  4,  1853,  the  inhabitants  voted  to  accept  a  propo- 
sition which  had  been  made  by  the  institute  to  donate  this 
collection  to  the  town,  with  the  condition  that  the  latter  should 
for  ten  years  appropriate  annually  the  sum  of  $100  for  new 
books,  and  pay  the  incidental  expenses  of  the  library.  The 
books  were  transferred  to  the  town  on  the  14th  of  May  follow- 
ing. At  the  expiration  of  the  ten  years  the  supervision  of  the 
library  was  duly  vested  in  a  committee  to  be  annually  chosen 
by  the  selectmen.  Upon  the  completion  of  the  town-hall,  in 
1871,  the  library  was  transferred  to  a  room  therein,  set  apart 
for  the  purpose.  The  first  librarian  was  J.  R.  Childs.  The 
first  catalogue  was  published  in  1846  ;  additions  in  1862  and 
1866.  During  1877-78  there  were  added  363  volumes,  making 
a  total  of  4843.  The  new  "  Encyclopsedia  Britannica"  is 
among  the  late  accessions,  a  gift  from  Hon.  George  Robinson. 
The  library  possesses  many  other  valuable  works  of  refer- 
ence, and,  of  course,  a  large  store  of  fiction,  which  here,  as 
in  other  places,  forms  the  bulk  of  the  circulation.  The  library 
is  practically  free,  subscribers  paying  but  fifty  cents  per  year. 

The  committees  were, — 186.3-69,  S.  G.  Southworth,  John 
Wells,  Edwin  0.  Garter;  1870-71,  S.  G.  Southworth,  Edwin 
0.  Carter,  T.  H.  Kimpton;  1872-73,  S.  G.  Southworth,  Ed- 
win 0.  Carter,  T.  H.  Kimpton,  George  V.  Wheelock;  1874, 

5.  G.  Southworth,  E.  O.  Carter,  George  V.  Wheelock  ;  1875, 
Edwin  O.  Carter,  George  V.  Wheelock,  Luther  White;  1876, 
Edwin  O.  Carter,  George  V.  Wheelock,  Luther  White  ;  1877, 


976 


HISTORY   OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


Edwin  0.  Carter,  George  V.  Whcelock,  George  A.  Denison, 
who  arc  also  the  present  committee,  1878.  Librarian,  George 
V.  Wheelock;  assistant,  Mrs.  Kate  A.  West. 

BANKINr,. 
THE    FIRST    NATIONAL    BANK    OF    CHICOPEE 

began  its  existence  as  the  "  Cabot  Bank,"  which  was  char- 
tered Jan.  24,  1845,  with  a  capital  of  $1.50,000.  The  first 
meeting  of  stockholders  was  held  March  1st,  at  which  the  di- 
rectors chosen  were  John  Chase,  Timothy  W.  Carter,  Jerome 
Wells,  Eobert  E.  Bemis,  Nathan  P.  Ames,  John  Wells,  and 
Homer  Foot.  The  first  meeting  of  the  directors  was  held  on 
the  same  day,  when  John  Chase  was  chosen  as  president. 
March  8th,  Gilbert  Walker  was  appointed  cashier.  The  bank 
went  into  operation  May  21st,  the  same  year.  Mr.  Chase 
continued  as  president  until  Oct.  6,  1849,  when  he  resigned, 
and  John  Wells  was  elected  to  the  vacancy.  Jerome  Wells 
Eiiceeeded  to  the  position  Oct.  9,  1854,  and  has  continued  to 
the  present  time,  a  period  of  more  than  twenty-four  years. 
James  L.  Warriner  succeeded  to  the  cashiership  Oct.  10,1849, 
and  resigned  March  9,  1853.  Then  followed  H.  H.  Harris, 
until  May  9,  1809;  E.  M.  Doten,  until  Oct.  1,  1871,  when  F. 
B.  Doten,  the  present  cashier,  took  charge.  Present  directors, 
Timothy  W.  Carter,  Edwin  O.  Carter,  Erastus  Stebbins, 
Lewis  M.  Ferry,  Arthur  F.  Gaylord,  Emerson  Gaylord, 
Jerome  Wells.  This  bank  has  now  (1878)  a  surplus  of  |75,000, 
the  capital  remaining  unchanged. 

THE    CHICOPEE    SAVINGS-BANK 

was  organized  in  1854.  Jerome  Wells  was  the  first  presi- 
dent, and  continued  until  1874,  when  George  D.  Robinson 
assumed  the  position,  and  remained  until  1878.  He  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Emerson  Gaylord,  the  present  president.  Henry 
H.  Harris,  the  present  treasurer,  has  held  that  olfice  from  the. 
date  of  organization. 

Deposils  at  date  of  last  report 8419,195.43 

Guanuitee  fund  and  net  profits 11,028.64 

Total  assets Si3U,S24.U7 

Four-fifths  of  the  loans  are  on  real  estate.     The  number  of 
depositors  is  nearly  or  quite  1200. 

THE    CHICOPEE    FALLS    .SAVINGS-BANK 

was  chartered  March  20,  1875,  with  41  incorporators.  The 
first  ofiicers  were  Josiah  W.  Osgood,  President;  George  S. 
Taylor,  Thomas  C.  Page,  William  J.  Sawin,  Vice-Presidents; 
James  E.  Taylor,  Amos  W.  Page,  Norris  R.  Wood,  Edwin 
O.  Carter,  Michael  Dunn,  Jonathan  R.  Whittemorc,  Andrew 
P.  Chapin,  George  M.  Morton,  William  P.  McFarland,  John 
R.  Wilbur,  George  W.  Bray,  Eucher  Trembly,  Samuel  Blais- 
dell,  Jr.,  George  Rumrill,  Michael  Houlihan,  Trustees;  Ed- 
gar T.  Paige,  Secretary  ;  Andrew  P.  Chapin,  Treasurer.  De- 
posits, §:31,016.eO;  surplus,  §127.47;  number  of  depositors, 
201.  Investments,  one-half  real  estate,  balance  bank  stock 
and  personal  loans.  Present  officers:  Josiah  W.  Osgood, 
President ;  George  S.  Taylor,  Thomas  C.  Page,  William  P. 
McFarland,  Vice-Presidents;  Edgar  T.  Paige,  Clerk  and 
Treasurer. 

GAS-WORKS. 
In  1849  the  subject  of  lighting  the  mills  was  introduced, 
and  resulted  in  the  organization  of  a  gas  company  at  Chico- 
pee  Centre,  in  which  the  four  large  manufacturing  companies 
— Ames,  Cabot,  Perkins,  and  Dwight — united.  Gas-works 
were  erected  in  1850,  with  a  capacity  sufficient  to  supply  the 
mills  and  meet  the  ordinary  wants  of  the  village,  and  in- 
cluded a  retort-house  for  fifteen  retorts, -a  pui-ifying-house, 
and  a  gas-holder  60  feet  in  diameter  and  20  feet  in  height. 
"  Main"  to  the  amount  of  4000  feet  was  laid,  and  gas  intro- 
duced in  the  mills  early  in  May  the  same  year.  Since  then 
the  pipes  have  been  extended  through  the  principal  streets 
and  the  village  supplied  with  gas. 


The  capital  is  ?i30,000,  at  present  owned  by  the  Dwight 
Manufacturing  Company.  There  are  .52  public  lamps.  The 
officers  are  J.  W.  Cumnock,  Agent;  Nelson  Whittier,  Treas- 
urer; David  Boynton,  Superintendent. 

WATER-WORKS. 

In  1845,  Charles  W.  McClallan  and  R.  E.  Bemis  constructed 
the  first  works  for  supplying  water  through  pipes  to  the  vil- 
lage of  Chicopee, — then  Cabotville.  For  this  purpose  water 
was  taken  from  8])rings  and  wells  at  the  higher  elevation  just 
south  of  the  village.  These  works  answered  a  temporary 
purpose,  and  in  1874,  after  the  death  of  Mr.  Bemis,  became 
by  purchase  wholly  the  property  of  Mr.  McClallan.  In  1876 
arrangements  were  made  for  a  more  satisfactory  supply  from 
certain  spring-fed  brooks,  beyond  the  east  line  of  Chicopee,  in 
Springfield,  and  there  a  dam  was  accordingly  erected.  The 
following  year  a  company  was  incorporated  with  a  capital 
limited  to  $75,000.  The  interests  of  Mr.  McClallan  were  pur- 
chased by  this  company,  he  remaining  a  stockholder.  The 
incorporators  were  Charles  McClallan,  Emerson  Gaylord, 
George  A.  Denison,  C.  H.  Hyde,  Erastus  Stebbins,  and  Wil- 
liam C.  McClallan.  The  company  was  organized  as  the 
"Chicopee  Water  Company,"  April  18,  1877,  with  §50,000 
capital.  The  mains  have  been  extended,  and  are  chiefly  of 
iron,  cement-lined,  though  some  are  of  iron  only.  The  sup- 
ply of  water  is  large,  and  is  furnished  to  the  corporations  and 
private  dwellings,  and  also  to  the  fire  district. 

The  works  have  about  eighty  feet  head.  Ofiicers :  Charles 
McClallan,  President;  William  C.  McClallan,  Treasurer. 

RAILROADS. 
■  The  Connecticut  River  Railroad  has  a  station  at  Chicopee 
Junction,  froui  which  point  a  branch  road  leads  up  the  south 
side  of  the  Chicopee  River  to  Chicopee  Falls.  The  main  line 
was  opened  for  travel  Dec.  13,  1845, — the  branch  in  August, 
1846.  The  former  passes  just  west  of  the  village  of  Chicopee 
(centre),  crossing  the  river  of  that  name  near  its  mouth,  and 
the  Connecticut  at  the  village  of  Willimansett. 

BRIDGES. 

The  first  bridge  across  the  Chicopee  River,  at  Chicopee,  was 
bitilt  in  or  about  the  year  1778,  and  crossed  near  where  the 
present  bridge  stands.  Its  piers  were  of  plank  and  filled  with 
stone.  This  bridge  was  in  part  paid  for  by  a  lottery  sanctioned 
by  law. 

The  bridge  crossing  the  Connecticut  at  Chicopee  Junction 
was  erected  as  a  toll-bridge  by  the  Chicopee  and  West  Spring- 
field Bridge  Company,  in  1848-49.  It  was  some  time  since 
made  free  to  the  public,  and  is  now  maintained  by  the  town. 
A  portion  of  the  purchase-price  was  assessed  upon  other  towns, 
in  proportion  as  they  were  benefited. 

Length,  between  abutments,  1237  feet.  The  piers,  6  in 
number,  are  of  sandstone. 

EARLY    AND    PROMINENT    RESIDENTS. 

Bildad  B.  Belcher,  son  of  Benjamin,  has  lived  nearly  all  his 
days  at  Chicopee  Falls,  where  his  father  so  early  settled. 
The  region  was  almost  an  unbroken  wilderness,  with  only  an 
occasional  dwelling,  and  those  not  within  neighborly  distance 
of  one  another,  when  his  father  made  the  purchase  from  Ste- 
phen Wright  and  Levi  Hitchcock,  who  then  owned  nearly  all 
the  land  at  that  place.  So  undisturbed  had  been  the  order  of 
nature  in  the  solemn  aisles  of  the  wildwood  that  the  shy 
wild  turkey,  in  considerable  numbers,  frequented  their  deeper 
recesses,  and  the  gamy  salmon  abounded  in  the  river. 

In  early  deeds  the  place  was  called  Skenungonuck,  and  in 
modern  days  ha.s  often  been  confounded  with  Skipmuck,  which 
is  one  and  a  half  miles  farther  east. 

Mr.  Belcher  says  that  his  fatlier  moved  into  the  house  that 
Wright  had  occupied,  and  there  lived  from  1S02  until  1815. 


(^<P-z:'^^i^^-^ 


^^^, 


e^T?^^iy^ 


HISTORY  OP  HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


977 


The  house  had  no  partitions,  no  plastered  walls,  but  possessed 
a  loose  and  airy  floor.  In  this  primitive  residence  he  (Biklad) 
was  born  in  1812.  In  1815  his  father  built  a  new  house  on 
that  ground,  and  lived  therein  until  his  death,  in  December, 
1833.     Amos  W.  Page  now  owns  this  property. 

Mr.  Hitchcock's  dwelling  occupied  nearl}-  the  same  ground 
now  covered  by  the  residence  of  Jonathan  E.  "VVhittemore. 
The  latter  was  built  by  Bildad  B.  Belcher,  and  stands  near 
the  corner  of  Springfield  and  Belcher  Streets,  and  opposite  the 
Methodist  Church. 

Mr.  Belcher  has  not  only  been  identified  with  the  growth  of 
the  manufacturing  interests  of  the  town,  but  has  been  and 
still  is  active  in  matters  civil  and  educational.  He  is  the 
oldest  of  the  early  residents  now  living,  and  a  patriarch  among 
the  teachers  of  the  present  century  who  have  served  within 
the  limits  of  Chicopee. 

John  Chase  was  born  in  Litchfield,  N.  H.,  Aug.  19,  1788; 
died  May  11,  1866.  He  was  the  seventh  remove  in  descent 
from  Aquiila  Chase,  who  emigrated  from  Cornwall,  Eng- 
land, before  the  year  1640.  He  remained  in  Litchfield  until 
ten  years  of  age,  when  his  parents  removed  to  Dunbarton, 
N.  H.,  where  he  resided  until  1812.  He  then  removed  to  Pem- 
broke, and  labored  as  a  mechanic  at  .Jl  per  day.  In  1813  he 
went  to  Meredith  Bridge,  and  remained  seven  years,  mean- 
time, March  20,  ISl-j,  marrying  Nancy  Stark,  daughter  of 
Gen.  John  Stark,  of  Kevulutionary  fame.  Sept.  20,  1820,  he 
removed  to  Dover  Upper  Factories,  and  in  December,  1821, 
began  work  at  Dover  Landing,  and  there  remained,  superin- 
tending the  machine-shops,  until  June,  1829.  On  his  forty- 
second  birthday  he  began  his  labors  at  what  is  now  called 
Chicopee  Falls,  and  remained  there  until  Dec.  4,  1832,  when 
he  moved  to  "  Cabotville,"  now  Chicopee.  From  this  date 
his  career  as  a  mechanic  and  builder  is  traced  in  the  history 
of  the  manufactures  of  Chicopee.  When  he  assumed  the 
agency  of  the  Springfield  Canal  Company  the  ground  now 
occupied  by  the  village,  with  its  immense  factories  and  numer- 
ous dwellings,  was  covered  with  bushes,  and  much  of  it  on 
the  lower  level  was  of  a  swampy  character.  There  were  then 
but  three  or  four  dwellings  in  the  neighborhood.  Besides  the 
mills,  he  was  the  builder  of  many  other  buildings,  private 
and  public,  that  grace  the  village  and  mark  its  thrift. 

Mr.  Chase  possessed  unusual  bodily  vigor,  even  in  old  age, 
and  in  the  last  fourteen  years  of  his  life  traveled  nearly 
70,000  miles.  In  business  he  was  exact  and  methodical,  and 
in  social  life  genial  and  generous.  He  amassed  a  large  prop- 
erty, and  gave  freely  to  worthy  objects.  A  fitting  monument 
in  "  Maple  Grove  Cemetery,"  erected  by  his  widow,  marks 
his  place  of  burial. 

Among  other  prominent  residents  are  many  whose  complete 
biographies  would  reveal  intimate  association  with  enterprises 
tending  to  the  advancement  of  the  town  in  all  its  material, 
social,  and  educational  interests.  Of  these  are  John  Wells,  the 
first  (and  for  a  long  time)  president  of  the  Cabot  Bank,  who 
was  thrice  elected  to  the  General  Court  of  the  State,  and  held 
the  positions  of  judge  of  Probate  and  judge  of  the  Supreme 
Court.  He  was  a  devoted  friend  of  the  town,  and  intimately 
connected  with  its  institutions.  He  removed  to  Boston,  near 
which  city  he  died.  His  portrait,  in  oil,  appropriately  graces 
the  walls  of  the  town  library. 

Jerome  Wells,  who  was  representative  in  1860,  and  is  now 
president  of  the  First  National  Bank,  formerly  the  Cabot 
Bank. 

Silas  Mosman,  who  came  in  the  spring  of  1834,  was  repre- 
sentative from  Springfield  when  Chicopee  town  was  erected, 
and  labored  effectively  in  that  behalf;  is  a  superior  worker  in 
bronze,  the  Crawford  bronze  door  in  the  east  portico  of  the 
Senate  extension  of  the  Capitol,  and  other  prominent  works 
throughout  the  country,  testifying  to  his  skill.  He  has  held 
man}'  positions  of  responsibility  in  the  town,  and  is  now  se- 
lectman. Sylvanus  Adams,  for  more  than  twenty-five  years 
123 


agent  of  the  Dwight  mills,  and  selectman  in  1848—49,  was  es- 
pecially active  in  local  aflairs,  and,  as  a  man  and  citizen,  is 
held  in  honorable  remembrance.  None  of  his  family  remain 
in  Chicopee. 

Nathan  P.  Ames,  who  came  to  Chicopee  Falls  in  1829,  and 
established  tool-works,  the  history  of  which  is  elsewhere  given, 
and  which  in  their  extension  and  improvement  have  vastly 
benefitted  the  town,  and  become  famous  for  their  e.\cellent 
products.  His  sons,  Nathan  P.,  Jr.,  and  James  T.,  have  ever 
been  closely  connected  with  the  business  he  thus  founded, 
which  under  their  management  has  made  its  greatest  develop- 
ment. Nathan  P.,  Jr.,  died  in  April,  1847.  Timothy  W. 
Carter,  of  Chicopee  Falls,  a  man  of  culture  and  rare  social 
and  business  qualities,  has  made  enduring  impress  of  his  per- 
simality  in  all  his  varied  connections  with  local  aflairs.  He 
was  instrumental  in  securing  for  Chicopee  Falls  the  erection 
of  the  high-school  building,  on  Church  Street,  elsewhere 
noticed.  He  is  now  treasurer  of  the  Massachusetts  Arms 
Company,  and  for  twelve  years,  until  1836,  was  agent  of  the 
Chicopee  Slanufacturing  Companj-. 

Eli  B.  Clark,  so  long  the  pastor  of  the  ancient  church  in 
Chicopee  Street,  has  served  twelve  years  upon  the  school 
committee  with  industry  and  efficiency,  and,  though  now  re- 
tired from  the  pastorate  of  his  church,  is  zealous  in  all  that 
pertains  to  the  moral  and  material  growth  of  the  town. 

Rufus  Whittier,  who  died  suddenly,  April  7,  1852,  for  ten 
years  previous  had  been  the  agent  of  the  Perkins  mills,  was  a 
man  of  prominence.  Ho  was  at  one  time  an  oflicer  of  the 
Hampden  County  Agricultural  Society,  and  at  his  death  was 
treasurer  of  thi>  "  Cabot  Institute." 

Of  the  numerous  Chapin  family,  three  have  represented  the 
town  in  the  General  Court, — Giles  S.,  Moses  W.,  and  Edward 
M. ;  and  seven  have  been  chosen  as  selectmen, — Orange,  Giles 
S.,  Austin,  Titus,  Caleb  S.,  Sidney,  and  Lucas  B.  Moses  W. 
was  town  clerk  one  year,  1856-57. 

Robert  E.  Bemis,  first  agent  of  the  original  "  Cabot"  mill, 
in  1834,  was  an  enterprising  and  useful  citizen.  His  son, 
Robert  W.,  resides  in  Chicopee.  William  L.  Bemis  was  town 
clerk  and  treasurer  from  the  erection  of  the  town  until  April, 
18.54.  His  memoranda  of  the  town's  early  history,  as  entered 
in  the  first  book  of  records,  1848,  evince  much  labor,  and  have 
furnished  many  valuable  facts  for  this  history. 

Lester  Dickinson,  since  1857  and  now  town  clerk  and 
treasurer,  came  to  Chicopee  Falls  in  1830-31,  and  has  wit- 
nessed the  growth  of  the  villages  from  their  former  rusticity 
and  crudeness  to  their  present  civic  dignity  and  fair  propor- 
tions. Little  is  the  business  of  the  town  during  the  last 
twenty-one  years  that  has  not  passed  under  his  oflicial  eye. 
For  one  to  be,  to  marry,  to  die  within  the  town,  through  all 
these  years,  was  to  be  thrice  the  subject  of  his  ready  pen. 

Isaac  Bullens  came  to  the  town  as  early  as  1833,  bringing 
his  family  and  worldly  possessions  in  a  wagon  over  the  rude 
highways  of  that  period.  His  first  work  was  to  start  the  ma- 
chinery in  the  shop  of  the  Springfield  Canal  Company.  Ho 
afterward,  1838,  started  a  grocery-store,  and  was  therefore 
one  of  the  earliest  merchants  in  Chicopee.  The  business  grew 
to  prominence  and  was  the  foundation  of  a  large  estate.  Mr. 
Bullens  died  Sept.  1,  1874.  Madison  Kendall  began  his  labors 
at  Chicopee  Falls,  in  the  works  of  Nathan  P.  Ames,  in  1829. 
Since  that  time — except  an  interval  of  fourteen  years,  in 
which  he  was  proprietor  of  the  Cabot  House — he  has  been  en- 
gaged with  Mr.  Ames  and  the  Ames  Manufacturing  Companj' 
as  a  cutler,  and  is  even  now,  at  an  advanced  age,  one  of  the 
most  expert  temperers  in  the  country.  He  recalls  his  first 
trip  to  "  Cabotville,"  which  was  made  by  a  path  along  the 
river  Chicopee.  There  were  then  but  four  or  five  dwellings  in 
the  place,  and  little  clearing  had  been  done  in  the  surrounding 
woods.  James  M.Smith,  surveyor;  Wallace  Johnson,  drug- 
gist, and  several  years  postmaster;  Benning  Leavitt,  Emer- 
son Gaylord. 


978 


HISTORY   OF  THE   CONiNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


MILITARY. 

A    VETERAN    OK    THE    REVOLUTION. 

Reuben  Burt,  of  Chioopee,  ii  soldier  of  ihe  KevoUition,  died 
on  the  8th  day  of  xViigust,  1800,  at  the  age  of  ninety-eight  year." 
and  ten  months.  He  was  buried  with  military  honors,  at 
Chicopee  Falls,  a  detachment  of  the  Springfield  City  Guards, 
under  the  command  of  Lieut.  G.  A.  Fuller,  acting  as  escort 
and  guard  of  honor  on  the  occasion.  Torrent  Engine  Com- 
pany of  that  village,  with  colors  craped,  joined  the  large  pro- 
cession of  citizens  called  out  by  the  rare  event.  An  appro- 
priate address  was  delivered  by  Rev.  R.  K.  Bellamy.  Gen. 
Nettleton  had  charge  of  the  procession. 

Mr.  Burt  was  born  in  Brooklield,  Mass.,  and  tirst  joined 
the  patriot  hosts  in  1777,  when  he  was  assigned  to  garrison 
duty  at  Fort  Ticonderoga,  then  containing  3000  troops,  and 
was  present  at  the  time  of  Burgoyne's  attack,  July  5th  of 
that  year.  After  the  retreat  to  Whitehall  and  Southern  Ver- 
mont, his  term  of  enlistment  having  expired,  he  returned 
home.  The  following  year  he  was  drafted  for  si.x  months' ser- 
vice, and  was  present  at  the  attack  on  Newport,  then  occu- 
pied by  the  British.  This  effort  failed,  with  considerable  loss 
to  the  Americans,  from  D'Estaing's  inability  to  co-operate,  his 
fleet  having  been  scattered.  Again  the  veteran's  term  expired 
and  he  went  home,  but  soon  enlisted  for  three  years  as  a  "  Reg- 

TENTIl  MASSACHUSETTS  INFANTRY. 
John  C.  Ailunis,  Henry  S.  Athims.  Fnuli^riclt  Ar- 
buckly,  Will.  H.  Atkiii;*,  Cliitrles  O.  Boytlen, 
Joseph  W.  Ulatvi-,  SiOiniel  U.  Cuok,  Edgar 
Clungli,  Jonas  B.  CIi:i8.-,  An-tin  Cook,  Thomas 
Dol-yn<,  W'm.  U.  Day,  George  Evans,  Dennis 
Eiin  s,  John  L.  Gaffney,  Jiunes  C.  Ga-sner, 
George  Gassner,  Jr.,  John  B.  Goff,  Thom:,(,  II. 
Geniari],  Anstin  O.  Grovlt,  Ethviu  F.  Giiffin, 
Eiiwaril  T.  tlugan,  Joel  H.  Hendiick,  Sti-phen 
K.  Jackson,  George  D.  Jn.tin,  Horace  H. 
Knapp,  VV'ni.  U.  Keyes,  Duncan  McAllister, 
Lawrence  McGralli,  George  B.  Mead,  Michael 
H.  Motfiitt,  Fnincis  N.  Norcross,  Ahleti  Porter, 
Charles  II.  I'resliiey,  John  Po.dey,  William  0. 
Regan,  Lncien  Rolieilson,  Ileniy  II.  Rogers, 
Angnstns  Kiiy,  James  Solan,  James  M.  Stowe, 
Wni  J.  Sawin,  Charles  A.  Smith,  ('hailes  W. 
Thompson,  Napoleon  Treandean,  Wni.  Warril- 
low,  George  A.  Whitney,  J.  AUiert  Winn. 


ular,"  and  for  the  most  of  that  period  was  stationed  on  the  lines 
at  and  below  West  Point,  on  the  Hudson.  He  was  in  many 
small  and  some  serious  engagements,  and  bore  to  his  grave 
many  honorable  scars  from  "sword,  bayonet,  and  ball,"  and 
a  portion  of  British  lead.  The  most  notable  event  of  his  ser- 
vice was  when  a  party  of  nineteen,  of  which  he  was  one,  were 
set  upon  by  a  superior  force,  and  all  but  three  slain  before  re- 
lief was  afforded.  The  sixteen  dead  braves  were  buried  "  on 
the  spot,  in  one  grave." 

The  writer  of  this  history  of  Chicopee  is  indebted  to  many 
residents  of  the  town  for  valuable  assistance.  Among  these 
are  Mr.  Lester  Dickinson,  town  clerk,  who  has  accorded  every 
facility  for  the  examination  of  records,  and  cheerfully  borne 
much  catechising;  Mr.  George  V.  Wheelock,  librarian,  for 
ready  access  to  books  and  documents  in  the  town  library,  and 
for  other  favors  ;  to  Mr.  Bildad  B.  Belcher,  Mr.  Sumner  Van- 
horn,  Hon.  George  S.  Taylor,  Hon.  Silas  Mosman,  Hon.  Ed- 
win 0.  Carter,  Mr.  Timothy  W.  Carter,  Mr.  Wallace  W. 
Johnson,  and  others,  for  important  papers,  facts,  and  sugges- 
tions. 

SOLDIERS'    RECORD. 

The  following  residents  of  Chicopee  served  in  the  war  of 
1861-65: 


TWENTY-SEVENTH  MASSACHUSETTS  IN- 
FANTRY. 
Marcelhis  BI.  Adams,  George  J.  Alden,  Horace  H. 
Acres,  .lolin  S.  Aitche3oti,Geo.  Blaisdell,  Avery 
Bryant,  Martin  l>.  Bryant,  Irving  Cliapin, 
Cornelius  Cone,  Thonrts  Olifiord,  M  chael  Cav- 
Aiiaugh,  OscHT  C.  Calkins,  Jiinu'S  O.Cole,  Chas. 
B.  Collins,  Henry  C.  Clark,  Ira  H.  Cook,  Miir- 
shall  Elliott,  Wm.  Flynii,  Wm.Fuller,Normaii 
W  Fnller,  Marvin  Gihhony,  I'alriik  Gleason, 
George  K.  lluiiter,  Edwin  C.  Il-ndriek,  Darnel 

A.  Ilcarn,  Patrick  llanrahnn,  Wdlaid  W. 
Haling,  Edw.ird  R.  Jones,  Beiiniiig  Leavitt 
(2d), Sinmel  flioise, .Ino.  H.  Maxfleld,  Michael 
Mnrpliy,  Thomas  Molan,  .lohii  Moore,  Jr., 
James  Mansi-l,  James  McNaniara,  John  Mc- 
Goweil,  Hob  Roy  McGregor.  John  McGrath, 
H.  Smith  Newell,  Dennis  O'Connell,  John  H. 
P.irker,  Henry  J.  Pulsipher,  William  .1.  Page, 
Adolphiis  Porier,  Edward  S.  Pendleton,  Chas. 

B.  Kulofsun,  Joseph  Richardson,  Thos.  Ronan, 
Eheiiezer  She. man,  Tliolua.s  Slieehan,  \Vm  D. 
Steele,  James  Sull.van,  Matlhew  Sullivan, 
Will  am  Spvirance,  Ripley  R.  Swift,  Thomiul 
Taylor,  John  Ward,  Willnirn  VVardwcll,  Rod- 
erirk  WuudviUe,  William  Wight  ^2d),  Lorenzo 
Yalice. 


THIRTY-FIKST     MASSACHUSETTS 
TANTRY. 


IN- 


Frank  Birmingham,  George  M.  Burnham,  James 
Bolin,  .Michael  (.'avan.ingli,  James  J.  Cro.-hier, 
J.irnes  Deady,  Chas.  K.  Dewey,  John  Feir.ter, 
John  W  Fo-ter,  John  Henry,  Sandford  A. 
Hentlrick,  John  Hines,  Sheldon  S.  Ilovwrnl, 
George   T.  Jaqties,  Joseph    Jaadio,  Michaol 


Keating,  Thomas  Lyons,  James  Lyons,  An- 
thony La  Flenr,  Morr  s  JIcDonald,  Patrick 
Moi  iarty,  Thomas  Morin,  Leiiiiod  E.  Mallory, 
David  Miiiphy,  Edward  S.  Nettleton,  Henry 
Nell  gall,  M:cliiiel  O'l'oniier,  John  O'Connor, 
Anios  M.  Ramsdell,  George  M.  Sevcry,  James 
■  Sullivan,  Edward  P.  Woods,  Stephen  Wall, 
Patrick  Walsh.  1    ' '       '      -- 

TIIIRTY-^jltENTg  I  MASS."  INFANTRY. 
.■Eii  T,  Blacirmet^fleorgc  L.  Ballard,  Eiiivard  Bar- 
ley, Chester  H.  Balhird,  Michael  deary,  Edwin 
-  M.  Cobles, 'Tiliiiithy  J.  Croning,  DavidM.  Dcyi-  ' 
aldsoii,  Patrick  Daly,  Ri.hert  Dellane,  John 
Evans,  George  A.  Ferriii,  Thomas  W.  Fpwler, 
Edmnnd  D.  F.ske,  Angns'nsS.  Frost,  Raymond 
C.  Flowers,  Bartholomew  Gilligan,  John  L. 
GafTney.  Williain  V.  Gil.boiis,  Joseph  lladfield, 
Michael  .1.  Honlihan,  William  llaning,  Wni. 
Hays,  Andrew  Hopkins,  Jarvis  P.  Kelly, 
Samuel  W.  Kelly.  Oraniel  W.  Kellv,  Ma  hael 
Kilkelly,  Sylvanns  Miiller,  William  Morrison, 
Lyman  Morton,  Timothy  Bloraity.  James 
A.  Mnlligati,  Timothy  T.  Manning,  John  N. 
McClester,  John  McCorniick,  George  H.Oakes, 
John  Crshea,  Franklin  V.  OviatI,  William  A. 
Palmer,  Lewis  Parrent,  Nicholas  Reed,  Wil- 
liain D.  Shanghnessy,  William  Shepatdson, 
Peler  Stalker,  John  A.  Snow,  Nathan  C.  Snow, 
Charles  II.  Tracy,  Ezra  G.  Tripp,  Jacob  Un- 
gerer,  Carlos  C.  Wellman. 

FORTY-SIXTH  MASS  INFANTRY. 
Albert  S.  Alden,  Warren  L.  Adams,  David  Bron- 
8011,  Frank  F.  Browne,  Martin  It.  Bartlelt, 
John  P.  Biifliini,  Ansel  W.  Browning,  Albert 
r.  Blodj;ett,  Peter  Baker,  Charles  E.  Bnrwell, 
Alexander  Bn met t,. lames  H.  Belcher,  William 
Belcher,  George  W.  Ball,  Snniner  H.  Bodfish, 
Henry  II.  Blanchard,  George  W.  Bassett,  War- 
ren L.  Biighain,  Marshall  W.  Charter,  George 
S.  Collon,  Patrick  Casey,  Willi.am  M.  Cooley, 
William  H.  Chamberlain,  Willi.im  Crownin- 
sliield,  Henry  M.  Dickinson,  Alpheiis  A.  Den- 
nett, George  L.  Dane,  Patrick  Donelan,  James 
W.  Delaiiey,  Jerome  H.  Fiske,  John  A.  Finne- 
gan,  Divid  E.  Grimes,  Arthur  C  Golf.  Ren-elo 
J.  Gardner,  J, din  P.  M.  Greely,  John  Giont, 
Charles  H.  G.ajlord,  Rolert  R.  Gregory,  Ezra 
G.  Heath,  Jonathan  Humphreys,  Partholomew 
Hayes,  Henry  II.  Hinkby,  Miles  R.  Hnntley, 
David  F.  Hale,  George  A  Hall,  William  H. 
Hilinan,  WilmerW.  Job iisoti,  George  W.  Jones, 
George  H.  Knapp.  George  S.  Kilby,  George  S. 
Knox,  Monroe  E.  Kendall,  Thomas  Kennedy, 
Joseph  P.  King,  James  A.  Kcnyon,  Charles  B. 
Lang,  Charles  H.  Liverinore,  Charles  Lover- 


idge,  Charles  C.  Litllefield,  Jlorris  Matthews, 
Albert  M.  Moore,  Michael  Meagher,  Melzar 
H.  Mosman,  Lucas  O.  Metcalf,  Andrew  Milbr, 
William  D.  Mosiiian,  .lames  Manning,  Hiram 
C.  Mclntyre,  Fr.incis  O.  Moody,  James  Mc- 
Cann,  Lewis  Osborne,  Marcus  L.  Oreutt,  Chas. 
W.  Pb.pps,  Thos.  H  Prescott,  John  G.  Powers, 
.Joseph  W.  Plimpton,  Charles  A.  Pattrell,  Leon- 
ard W.  Peebh-s,  Dai  wiii  H.  Pond,  John  B.  Pot- 
ter, Robertiis  B.  Stetson,  James  W.  StacUpole, 
"^'AUdon  P.  Soiile.  Harris  L.  Sherman,  John  C. 
i^hiiy,  Martin  M.  Smith,  Albeit  B.  Stearns, 
"^  ■  .  Dennis  J.  Sullivan,  Sumner  L.  Smith,  Jatiies 
G.  Smith,  Ileniy  L.  Seaile,  Richard  C.  Sage, 
Asa  M.  Scarlet,  James  A.  Taylor,  Frank  S. 
Toiirtellotte,  David  0.  Tilley,  Dexter  W.  Trask, 
Oliver  Taylor,  Russell  S.  Underwood,  Velelte 
W.  Van  Horn,  William  A.  Whitaker,  John  F. 
Wood,  Benjamin  Wheeler,  Frederic  Waite, 
Walter  A.  Welden,  William  S.  Walker. 

MLSCELLANEOUS    ENLISTMENTS. 

The  following  were  residents  of  Chicopee,  and  en- 
listed in  the  service  as  de-ignated  : 

John  Gleason,  Lawrence  Gleason,  James  Ilearn, 
and  P.itrick  Powers,  2d  Ma.ss.  Inf. 

Dennis  Courtney,  IJth  Mass.  Inf. 

Thomas  Kelly  and  William  H.  Martin,  15th  Mass. 
Inf 

Williain  P.  Ramsdell,  14th  Mass.  Inf. 

Richard  H.  Smith,  ICIh  Mass.  Inf. 

Loren  Graves,  17lh  fliass.  Inf. 

Patrick  Fill  ley,  DaiiM  McKiniiey,  Patrick  Tooniey, 
Patrick  Welch,  181  h  Miuss.  Inf. 

Daniel  Manning,  Charles  F.  Searle,  Michael  Ken- 
nedy, George  II.  Walker,  George  II.  Hubbard, 
John  Goodwin,  Edwin  A  Biittrick,  Lyman  J. 
Paul,  and  Mitchell  W.  Panl,21st  Mass.  Inf 

George  W.  McElwaiii  and  Ileury  McElwain,  '.;4th 
Mass.  Inf. 

Amos  Bond,  27th  Mass.  Inf. 

Owen  Reed,  Daniel  Dwyer,  Cornelius  3Iurpby, 
I'eler  Sheeliy,  James  Nell  gan,  and  Jeremiah 
Sullivan,  Jr  ,  2Stli  Mass.  Inf. 

Michael  Sullivan,  ilOlh  Mass.  Inf 

Alonzo  Marty,  Ulcott  Edgerton,  and  George  W. 
Whipple,  32d  Mass.  Inf. 

Abrani  Smith  and  Edward  Smith,  34th  Mass.  Inf 

Edward  S.  Fitz,  4;td  Mass.  Inf. 

Patrick  Casey,  4(;tli  Mass.  Inf. 

John  Ilolililian,  52d  Mass.  Inf. 

Daniel  Walsh  and  George  I.  Croshier,  67th  Mass. 
Inf. 

Janns  F.  McElwain,  C2d  Mass.  Inf. 

Richard  Siapleton,  113th  Mass.  Inf. 

Henry  Dickinson,  1st  Mass.  H.  Art. 

Wm.  McGrath  and  Wtu.  HatlieM,  2d  Mnss.H.  .irt. 


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HISTORY   OF   HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


979 


James  Cuiran  and  Nutbnniel  Child,  3d  Mass.  H. 

Art. 
Benjamin  F.  Wrjodhsill,  13th  Mass.  Ind.  Bat. 
Zjichiiry  Diinion,  3il  Mus^.  Civ. 
Jtiitiea  II.  NJck,er-<on,4th  M.iss.  Cav. 
W'm.  L.  Winiworih,  1st  Conn.  Inf. 
Jcremiuh  Sullivan,  12ih  Conn.  Inf. 
Fmnk  Tlioniton,  11th  Maine  Inf. 
Jiinits  Fit/g«*nild,  l-Hh  M  line  Inf. 
Il.-ni  io  P.  Ctiapin.  4mh  X.  J.  Inf. 
John  Sullivan,  I'.th  N.  Y.  Eng.  (enl.  in  the  Nnvy 

in  18G3,  and  suljsetmenlly  in  the  6iU  N.  Y.  H. 

Art). 
Daniel  Mi  Kinney,  40th  N.  Y.  Inf. 
JaDHs  ilcGinlcy,  James  Wrich,  John  Welch,  and 

Patrick  Mcilai  thy,  5tli  N.  Y.  Cav. 
Michael  Shauiiou  ami  Julm  F.  Stupleton,  22d  N.Y. 

Cav. 
John    A.  Gibliona,  I.  Warren    BuIIens,  Tiiendorc 

Basterdi-s,  James  SnlUvan  and  Frederick  A. 

Churchill,  2:)Ih  N.  Y.  Cav. 
Tliumas  Kennedy  and  Patrick  Foley,  Glli  N.  Y.  II. 

Art. 
Homer  Richardson,  1st  Mass.  Provisional  Guard. 

The  following  recruits  are  indexed  in  the  town 
records  as  residents  of  Cliicopce,  but  their 
rrgiinents  are  not  there  given:  Joseph  II. 
Andei-son,  Lyman  P.  Atvvond,  George  Billing's, 
William  Hittles,  Uentun  V.  B.  Brooks,  Patrck 
Barry,  Charle-*  W.  Blossom,  Dennis  Bolar, 
Uoliert  Bhick,  Jona'jCh;i8e,  Henry  L.  CIaik,(?) 
Tliunias  S.  Carroll,  Martin  Crane,  James  31. 
Chapman,  Calvin  Couiey,  Henry  K.  Coldeigh. 
Cornelius  Curran,  George  W.  Coate.'*,  John  B, 
Colili,  Sylvester  L.  Carey,  Patrick  Devine, 
Samuel  Dickinson,  Henry  Dickens,  John  G. 
Daniels,  Henry  D.  Dunbar,  Nupijleon  Evaris, 
U<-rman  A.  Eaton,  Daniel  L.  Eaton,  Augustus 
E.  Fntst,  i,?>Or.tmid  Fi&k,  (?)  George  S.  Fnllum, 
Charles  H.  Filer,  Henry  Fi.-her,  James  Finn, 
Leotntrd  F.  h'arnsworth,  Georgej;iasncr,  Tlios. 
U.  Gernanl,  Marion  Gibhony,  (?^  Caspar  Good- 
ricli,  Ilerlert  GamwcII,  Michael  Garvey, 
Geiirge  Garr.ty,  Thomas  Gurnett,  (?)  Jo-epli 
D.  Guin,  James  H.  Goodman,  Henry  A.  Greg- 
ory, Joseph  Hart,  James  Harkins,  Jr.,  Geoige 
\V.  H.iyt,  Elijah  B.  Hayward,  AVesley  F.  Hay- 
ward,  Matlbew  Henry,  Patrick  Hogan,  Joseph 
Ilorti.n,  S.  \V.  Hatch,  Michael  Kelly,  Thomas 
J.  Kennedy,  M  chael  Lyons,  James  Larrity, 
Thomas  (Tim.?)  Jluiiarty,  John  McCarthy, 
Michael  McCarthy,  W'm.  A.  Merriweather, 
Cltark'8  E.  Morse,  Koswell  W.  M-^rgan,  Martin 
McGiatli,  John  McKillup,  Jeremiah  Malioney, 
James  Mitchell,  John  Moriarty  (Navy?), 
Joseph  W.  Perry,  Hiram  (?)  U.Rogers,  Ben- 
jamin F.  Reed,  Patrick  Shaunahan,  Michael 
Shaniiahan,  (?)  Adrian  Slandish,  Edwin  E. 
Smth,  David  Sullivan,  Barney  Shoot  ling, 
Micliael  SL-anlon,  Peter  Sullivan,  Thomas 
Shea,  John  Stewart,  Oscar  Tourett,  Solomon 
Thompson,  Wintlirop  Tower,  John  Ward, 
George  U  Webber,  William  A.  Wheelock, 
William  Whipple,  Andrew  T.  Wade,  Aniasa 
Wait,  Amasa  D.  S.  Wade»  Joel  E.  Whiltemore, 
Jackson  Willis,  William  E.  Wheeler,  Charles 
Webster. 

FIRST    MASSACHUSETTS    CAVALRY. 

AbnerM.  Abbey,  James  W.  Armitage,  John  Booth, 
Francis  A.  Bushee,  Robert  Ballon,  Livingslon 
Babcock,  Addi.son  M.  Babcock,  Henry  B.  Bales, 
Benton  V.  B.  Brooks,  Joel  Barden.  Juhn  Camp- 
bell, Frank  Chase,  James  L.  Carson,  Patrick 
(V)nhor,  Benjamin  F.  Cadwell,  Jt.din  S.  Cowles, 
William  Cullins,  John  Courtney,  Melville 
Duly,  Stephen  G.  Folsom,  Howard  O.  Fiske, 
Herbert  Gamwell,  Chs.  Sidney  Goodman, 
David  Gleason,  Andrew  J.  Hunt,  Arthur  Hor- 
rigan,  Matthew  liiggins,  Andiew  S.  Hunter, 
Oscar  Jewett,  Cornelius  Keating,  Henry  E. 
La  Id,  Joseph  Lee,  Julius  M.  Lane,  Owen  A. 
Ljoiis,  John  K.  Linscotl,  Daniel  G.  3Iiller, 
Wdliam  Miller,  Wcr..  II.  Mar^h,  Patrick  Mur- 
tell,  James  F.  McCann,  Edwin  Alton  Phillips, 
Cyrus  R.  Prescott,  Charles  S.  Phelps,  Wni.  S. 
Pease,    Matthew    Kyan,   Daniel    L.    Sullivan, 


James  Stewart,  Dennis  Sullivan,  William  II. 
Searle,  Joseph  E.  .^tackpole,  Dennis  A.  Sulli- 
van, John  Shore,  Myron  H.  Ilnderwotid,  W,  P. 
Van  Bi-aiuer,  Frank  J.  Weston,  Watson  L. 
Wintwurtli,  Eli  E.  Welden. 

NAVAL    ENLISTMENTS. 
The  following-named  persons,  residents  of  Cliico- 

pee,  served  in  the  United  States  Nuvy,  on  the 

several  vessels  named ; 
John  Cha])in,  "Connecticut." 
Henry  M.  Smith,  "Connecticut." 
Jacob  H.  Lovell,  "Os-^ipee." 
Stephen  Driscoll,  "Santiago  de  Cuba." 
P.itiick  Mor.arty,  "  Massasoit." 
John  B.  IlaiT.ng,  "Mas-asoit." 
.Vndrew  Chapman,  *' Miliiiesuta." 
Emory  Knapp,  "  Minnesot.i." 
Peier  Donnell}-,  "  3tinneeota." 
Wm.  F.  Chapumn,  "  lUrlford." 
H.  C.  TnisU,  "Osceola." 
Daniel  E.  Fiazicr. 
George  Taylor. 
Aitlini-  M.  Burns. 
James  Lind. 
John  F.  Mattoon. 
Patrick  Barry. 
James  Mitchell. 
John  Moriarty. 
Fretlerxk  Titconih. 
Deniri'  Rediu;:. 
W.  Il.Smitli,  "Cherokee." 
Aiisiin  D.  ShLddon,  *'  Cherokee." 
A.  Ev.-rett  Hibbard,  "  Niagara." 
Adiilphus  Maynard,  "  Norwich." 
Samuel  Huso,  "James  Adger." 
James  Monaity,  "Brooklyn." 
Richani  Murphy,  "Brooklyn." 
Jeremiah  Foley,  "  Brooklyn." 
Micha.d  Moriarty,  "  Brooklyn." 
John  Slattery,  "  Augusta." 
Daniel  Tuthiil,  "  Au;:usla." 
Patrick  Casey,  "  Au^rnsta." 
Maurice  Phelan,  "Gen.  Portman."  (?) 
James  L.  Maibhall,  "  Wabash." 
George  Canity,  "  Chickasaw." 
John  Sullivan,  "  Fort  Jackson." 
Austin  Dow,  "Kennebec." 

NON-RESIDENT  RECRUITS. 
Theftdlowing  enlistments  were  obtained  by  pay- 
ment of  extra  bounties,  in  ISlii : 
William  L.  Crosby,  Geor-^e  A.  Hannum,  William 

D.  Hayden,  Jerome  B  Jidiiison,  Lewis  John- 
son, Henry  Knight,  Michael  McMahon,  Cor- 
nelitis  McCarthy,  John  Markey,  Patrick  Na- 
vin,  William  Rih-y,  Leonard  btreeter,  2d  Ma>is. 
II.  Art. 

Charles*  Snow,  Frederic  0.  Lathrop,  Randolph  (?) 

E.  Liithrop,  Gth  Mass.  L.  Art. 

Fitz  Roy  Gregor,  Stephen  Jennings,  2d  Mass.  L. 
Art. 

Charles  F.  Cook,  12ih  Batt. 

Joseph  Wilkin-on,  5lh  Batt. 

Tliomiis  Wall,  Lith  Batt. 

William  J.  Aliern,  James  Barnes,  Jeremiah  Dono- 
van, Edward  Finiiotte  (?),  John  Keefe,  William 
Mitchell,  James  Prescott,  William  J.  Storey, 
141  h  Batt. 

John  Buckley,  10th  Un.  H.  Art. 

Henry  Batchelder,  William  Gately,  John  O'Hearn, 
James  W.  Olcott,  Janies  Taylor,  18th  Un.  H. 
Art. 

George  E.  Baldwin,  Albert  Walker,  George  H. 
Wesson,  Samuel  S.  Pratt,  25th  Un.  H.  Art. 

Matthew  Itussell,  27th  Un.  U.  Art. 

D-miel  Tiei  ney,  1st  Cav. 

Samuel  Atlair,  Cab-b  S. Gaffum.  Joseph  Delahanty, 
F.C.Gr.ftin,  John  Martin,  Michael  Nolan,  John 
C.  Bandall,  Thomas  Tafe,  2d  Cav. 

Frank  Andrew,  John  W.  Dyer,  Samuel  S.  Gibson, 
William  H.  Sulbvan,  4th  Cav. 

Richard  Seppeler,  2d  Inf. 

Patrick  Buckley,  W.Uiam  Carter,  17th  Inf. 

John  Manony,  George  Morley,  24th  Inf. 

William  M.  Hubbard,  25th  Inf. 

Micluxcl  J.  Murpl.y,  2Gth  Inf. 

Charles  Webster,  Frederick  William=,  27th  Inf. 


Joseph  Murphy,  Austin  J.  Crane,  Otis  M.  Ilen- 

drick,  Mizrael  Mess  er,  John  Taylor,  ."Jlst  Inf. 

James  L.  House,  William  Jackson,  ;i8th  Inf. 

Simeon  Slaughter,  54th  Inf. 

Patiick  Barry,  William  Brown,  Michael  Callahan, 
Franklin  C«dton,  Franc:8  Finnegan.  Charles 
W.  Litchfield,  Edward  Mnldooii,  Philip  F. 
Nichols,  Samuel  S.  Parker,  Julius  Perrj',  James 
Qninn,  Daniel  C.  Shay,  Gist  Itif. 

Blenand  Burr  II,  Jame-<  Bnike,  Thomas  Collins, 
Robert  W.  Edwards,  George  A.  Lindsay,  Vet- 
Res.  Corps. 

S.  Foreytlie(?),  George  W.  Lake,  Edward  Mat- 
thews, B;ind,  Gth  Arm.  Cori»3- 

Albert  W.  Cooper,  Joseph  Pierce,  Alesander  Som- 
e:ville,  Joae|ih  Wadleigh,  Reg.  Arm.  Eng. 
Corps. 

John  Jones,  1st  lieut.;  William  W.  Fay,  2d  lieut.; 
Chaib-s  P.  Wiuhlow,  oipt.;  M.  F.  Field,  John 
Sullivan,  regiment  not  desigiwUed, 

Also  the  following,  by  bounties,  in  1862: 

Albert  Brewer,  A.  L.  Cooley,  Charles  A.  Gay, 
Thomas  Gilfillan,  Levi  Miller,  Henry  San- 
brose,  James  WiJlet,  Williiim  Woods,  regi- 
ment not  designated, enlisted  for  nine  months. 

COLORED    RECRUITS. 

The  following  colored  men  enlisted  for  three  years 
in  the  aimy,  and  were  assigned  by  the  S'ate 
to  Chicopee  :  Janies  Brow  n,  WilU^aii  Bruwn, 
Alonzo  Biwtks,  James  Evans,  Samuel  Davis, 
Richard  Hatris,  William  Jackson,  Pinckney 
Juurdan,  Williain  Kearney,  Daniel  Richards, 
James  Stirk,  JiUiies  Stokes,  William  States- 
man, and  Henry  Willis,  38tli  U.  S.  Colored 
Inf. 

Miles  Bright,  HaywtxKj  Bushel.  Daniel  Corpey, 
JauK's  Forrnian,  Arthur  Harrold,  Richard 
Johnson,  Lewis  Johnson,  Edmund  Randall, 
Charles  Smith,  George  Spencer,  Frank  Wil- 
liam*, Randolph  Young,  1st  U.  S.  Colored 
Cav. 

The  following  were  recruited  for  the  Navy,  and 
a■'^igned  by  the  State  to  Cliicopee:  Justus 
Buck,  George  Beeven,  Jidin  Brown,  Wilh'am 
Bern,  Ale.\a[ider  J.  Bullan,John  Bell,  Richard 
Crowley,  John  De-mond,  Pati  ii  k  Dunn,  David 
Ev.ms,  George  H.  Edmonds,  John  Fairell, 
Michael  Gannon,  Fiancia  Garrison,  Thomas 
C.  W.  Gale,  Michael  Gariigan,  Richard  Gerry, 
Frederick  Gookin,  John  A.Gates,  Charles  J. 
Green,  John  Gillis,  Isaac  H.  Gardiner,  Johtt 
Hackett,  Charles  F.  Harwood,  Wdliam  H. 
Kitching,  Jr.,  William  Knapp,  Joseph  Knight, 
James  P.  Kriowles,  B.  B.  Knoulton,  Ed^^ard 
Lynch,  Edward  Mattel,  Jauies  Morrsi-y,  Al- 
bert S.  M"sher,  John  D.  Murray,  Richard  B. 
Nagle,  John  Nelson,  Jacob  S.  Paulton,  Horace 
B.  Pratt,  Richard  Proctor,  Edwin  Phinney, 
Simeon  Pickering,  Joseph  Petterson,  Martin 
Pruden,  William  Pond,  Levi  Pirt,  Eubulaa 
Palmer, Thomas  Patten,  Joseph  Pierce, George 
H.  Russell,  Janies  Reynolds,  John  Relieve, 
Freeman  W.  Robinson,  Ruins  D.  Rogers,  Wil- 
liam Ross,  John  Willson,  Charles  Wilson, 
James  F.  Webb,  James  E.  Walsh,  Willam 
Wedlig,  John  F.  Wright,  Severance  Wade, 
■Washington  A.  Worster. 

NECROLOGY. 

The  bronze  tablets  mentioned  in  the  sketch  of  the 
town-hall  bear  the  names  of  the  following  sol- 
diei-H  frun  Chicopee  who  were  killed  or  died 
in  the  service.  The  tablet  at  the  west  end  of 
the  entrance  reads  thus: 

"  ROLL   OF    HON    R. 

*'Alden  Porter,  Co.  F,  10th  Mass.  Inf. ;  died  in  hos- 
pital, near  Washington,  D.  C.,Oct.  7,  1861. 

"  George  D.  Austin,  Co.  F,  10th  Mass.  Inf. ;  died  of 
wounds  at  David's  Island,  N.  Y.,  Aug.  22,  '62. 

"  Lucien  Robertson,  Co.  F,  10th  Mass.  Inf. ;  died 
in  hospital  near  Harrison's  Landing,  Va.,  July 
10,  1862. 

"  Lawrence  McGrath,  Co.  F,  10th  Mass.  Inf.;  died 
of  wounds  at  Malvern  Hill,  Va.,  July  2, 1862. 

"  Michael  U.  MoffatI,Co.  F,  10th  Mass.  Inf. ;  killed 
in  battle  of  the  Wilderness,  May  G,  1864. 


980 


HISTORY  OF  THE  CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


"  C'hnrlc'S  W.  Thompson,  Co.  K,  lOtli  Mnss.  Inf. ;  Ml 

at  S|MUsjlvunia  Coiirt-llmisp,  Muy  12,  1804. 
"Uiinic-1  Sli.xv,  Co.  I,  10th   Miiss.  Inf.;  kilk-il  in 

Imlllc  of  Ki.ir  Oaks,  May  31,  I8l'.2. 
"Thuma"  Ki'll.v,Co.  K,  IStli  Mass.  Inf.;  killeil  in 

liallh'  of  Anti.-tam,  S.-pl.  17,  1802. 
"  ralii(-k  Toonicy,  Co.  K,  18th  Muss.  Inf.;  died  in 

hospital  at  NewI.em.N.  C,  Sept.  23,  1804, 
"  ChailcB  K.  Searle,  Co.  B,  2l9t  Mass,  Inf. ;  died  of 

diseasL'  contracted  in  service,  Nov.  17,  1804. 
"Lyman  J   Pftnl,  Co.  B,  2l8t  Mass.  Inf.;  died  of 

discHSe  contiafted  in  service.  Felt.  28,  18G0. 
"  Mitchell  W.  I'anI,  Co.  F,  21st  Mmss.  Inf.;  killed 

in  liatllo  of  Newbern,  March  14,  1802. 
"Corneliui  Cone,  Co.  O,  27th  Mass.  Inf.;  died  in 

hospital  at  Newbern,  N.  C,  March  20,1802. 
"  Michael  Cavanangli,  Co.  G,  27th  Mass.  Inf. :  died 

in  prison  at  Millen,  Ga.,  Nov.  .0,  1804. 
"  Sanmel  Morse,  lient.,  C.i.  D,  27th  Mass.  Inf. ;  fell 

at  Cold  Harbor,  Va  ,  June  3,  1804. 
"  Channcy  Hendriclc,  Co.  G,  27th  Miiss.  Inf. ;  died 

of  wonn.ls  at  Cold  Harbor,  Va.,  .Iniie  4,  1804. 
"William  Q.  Wright,  Co.  G,  27tl>  Mass.  Inf.;  died 

in  prison  at  Millen,  Ga.,  Nov.  211,  1804. 
"  Norman  W.  Fuller,  Co.  —,27th  Mass.  Inf.;  died 

in  hospital  at  Kewbern,  N.  C,  Oct.  18, 1802. 
"  George  S.  Lombard,  Co.  G,  27tli  Ma.ss.  Inf. ;  died 

in  hospital  at  Morehead  City,  N.  C.,.lan.2,  '05. 
"William  II.  Fuller,  Co.  K,  27th  Mas-'.  Inf. ;  died 

of  wounds  at  Cold  Harbor,  Va.,  June  4,  1804. 
"William  J.  Page,  Co.  G,  27tli  M.ass.  Inf.;  killed 

in  battle  of  Kinston,  N.  C,  March  8,  1805. 
"James  0.  Cole,  Co.  D,  27th  Mass.  Inf.;  died  in 

hospitiil  at  Beaufort,  N.  C,  Nov.  14,  1802. 
"James  Sullivan,  Co.  G,  27th  Ma^s.  Inf.;  killed  in 

battle  of  Newbern,  March  14,  1802. 
"  Irving  Chapin,  Co.  G,  27th  Mass.  Inf. ;  killed  in 

battle  of  Cidd  Harbor,  June  3,  1804. 
"Charles  R.  Collins,  Co.  D,  27th  Mass.  Inf.;  died 

in  prison  at  AndersonviUe,  Ga.,  Aug.  24,  IS04. 
"Charles  B.  Rulofson,  Co.  1,  27th  Mass.  Inf.;  ded 

of  disease  contiacted  in  service,  Dec.  .5, 1804. 
"William  Dwyer,  Co.  E,  27th  Ma.ss.  Inf.;  died  of 

wound.',  near  Washington,  N.  C,  April  23,  '03. 
"Thomas  Roiiaii,  Co.  G,  28th  M.iss.  Inf.;  killed  in 

battle  of  Gettysbuig,  July  2,  1803. 
"  Thomas  Moriarty,  Co.  H,  28th  Mass.  Inf. ;  killed 

in  battle  of  Antietam,  Sept.  17,  1802. 
"Cornelius  Murphy,  Co.  H, 28th  Mass.  Inf.;  killed 

in  battle  of  Cb,antilly,  Sept.  1, 1602. 


"Charles  K.  Dewey,  Co.  E,3l8t  Mass.  Inf. ;  died  of 
disease  contracted  in  service,  Feb.  7,  18G.J. 

"Edward  P.  Woo.ls,  Co.  E,  31st  Mass.  Inf. ;  killed 
before  Port  Hudson,  La.,  June  14,  1803. 

"John  Henry,  Co.  E,  31st  Mass.  Inf.;  killed  near 
Port  Hudson,  La  ,  May  25,  1803. 

"Lemuel  E.  Mallory,Co.  K,  3lst  Mass. Inf.;  killed 
at  Yellow  Bayou,  La.,  May  18,  1804. 

"David  Murphy,  Co.  E,  31st  Mass.  Inf.;  shot  on 
picket.  May  29,  1803. 

"Henry  Young,  Co.  E,  31st  Mass.  Inf.;  killed  in 
action  at  Sabine  Cross-Roads,  La.,  April  8, 
1804." 

Below  these  names  are  the  following  word-,  in 
marble :  "  To  her  f  tllen  heroes  Chicopee  erects 
this  tablet."  "By  the  ladies' soldiera'  aid  so- 
ciety." 

The  tablet  at  tlie  east  end  of  the  entrance  reads 
thus  : 

"HONOR   THF   BKAVE. 

"Alton  E.  Philhps,  lieut.,  Co.  E,  1st  Mass.  Cav.  ; 

died  of  wounds  near  Kapidan   Statipn,  Va., 

May  4, 1863. 
"Fi-ancis  A.  Bushee,  Cto.  F,  1-t  Mass.  Cav.;  killed 

inaction  at  Ashland  Station,  Va.,  May  11,1804. 
"Benjamin    F.  Cailwell,  Co.  — ,  1st   Mass.   Cav.; 

died  in  Emory  hospital.  Oct.  10, 1802. 
"Henry  E.  Ladd,  Co.  F,  1st  Mass.  Cav.;  killed  in 

battle  of  Alide,  Va.,  June  17,  ISO  1. 
"Howard  0.  Fiake,  Co.  F,  1st  Mass.  C.v.;  killed  in 

battle  of  Alide,  Va.,  June  17,  1S63. 
"  William  Collins,  Co.  H,  1st  Mass.  Cav. ;  died  in 

Harewood  hospital,  Sept.  19,  1861. 
"John  Slmre,  Co.  F,  1st  Mass.  Cav.:  died  in  prison 

at  AndersonviUe,  Ga.,  Aug.  23,  1804. 
"  Cornelius  Cmran,  Co.  E,  1-t  Mass.  Cav.  ;  died  of 

diiseaseconfractedin  the  service,  Aug.  18,  1S07. 
"Arthur  llorrigan,  Co.  E,  l»t  Mass;  Cav.;  kdled 

in  action  near  llapidan  StaJion,  Sept.  14, 1803. 
"  Gilbert  S.  Mi.\ter,  Co.  E,  1st  Mass.  Cav. ;  died  in 

prison  at  AndersonviUe,  Ga.,  July  27,  1S04. 
"James  Welch,  Co.  D,  5th   N.  Y.  Cav.;   died  in 

prison  at  Andereonville,  Ga.,  Aug.  211,1804. 
"PiUrick  McCarthy,  Co.  D,  51h  N.  Y.  Cav. ;  died 

in  ho-spital,  April  20,  1803. 
"James  Sullivan,  Co.  C,  2.jth  N.  Y.  Cav.;  died  in 

hospital,  March  10,1804. 
"  James  Mulcahy,  22d  Mass.  Inf. ;  killed  at  Tolop- 

otomy,  Va.,  May  30,  1804. 


"  Lyman  D.  Atwood,  Co.  B,  32d  Mn«s.  Inf. ;  died  of 

wounds  at  Washington,  D.  C,  Nov.  0,  1864. 
"  Ilayinond  C.  Flower,  Co.  H,  37th  Mass.  Inf. ;  died 

in  hospital,  Jan.  5,  18C3. 
"Michael  J.  Ilonlihan,  Co.  A,37t?i  Mass. Inf.;  died 

of  wininds  about  July  1,  1804. 
"Edwaril  Begley,  Co.  A,  37lh  Mass.  Inf.;  fell  at 

Spottsj  Ivania  ('onrt-IIouse,  May  10, 1804. 
"  George  A.  Ferrin,  Co.  A,  37th  M.ass.  Inf. ;  died  of 

wounds  at  Fisher's  Hill,  Va.,  Sept.  20,  1864. 
"Ezra   G.  Tripp.    Co.  A,  il7th    Mass.  Inf.;  died  a 

prisoner  at  Lynchburg,  Va.,  June,  1801. 
"  Willi.ini  A.  Palmer,  Co.  A,  37th  Mass.  Inf. ;  died 

of  wounds,  Sept.  21,1804. 
"Sylvanus  Muller,  Co.  A,  :i7tli  M;iss.  Inf.;  killed 

in  battle  of  Wilderness,  May  5,  1804. 
"Oramel  W.  Kelly,  Co.  A,  .37lh  Mass.Iof.;  died  of 

disease  contracted  in  Jirisons,  July  3,  1800. 
"  Charles  J.  Woods,  Co.  I,  3411i  Mass.  Inf.;  killed 

in  baltle  of  Cedar  Creek,  Va.,  Oct.  13,  lf64. 
"William    P.  Eamsdell,  Co.  D,  14th    Conn.  Inf.; 

killed  in  battle  of  Antielnni,  Sept.  17,  1802. 
"  Frank  A.  Johnson,  Co.  A,  27lli  Conn.  Inf.;  died 

in  liospital,  Dec.  14,  1802. 
"  Walter  A.  Welden,  Co.  D,  40th  Mass.  Inf. ;  died 

in  hospital  at  Newbern,  N.  C,  Feb.  21,  1803. 
"Oliver  Taylor,  Co.  D,  4Cth  Mass.  Inf.;   died  of 

disease  contracted  in  service,  Aug.  5,  1863. 
"Frederick  Wait,  Co.  D,  401h   Mass.  Inf.;  died  in 

hospital  at  Newbern,  N.  C,  April  20,1863. 
"  Warren  L.  Adams,  Co.  D,  40th  Mass.  Inf.;  died 

of  disease  contiacted  in  service,  Feb.  20,  1865. 
"John  Hotilihan,  Co.  I,  57th  Mass.  Inf. ;  died  in 

hospital,  March  20,  I860. 
"  George  J.  Croshier,  Co.  C,  57th  Mass.  Inf. ;  killed 

at  Spottsylvania  Court-IIo\ise,  May  12,  1804. 
"  James  G.  Powers,  Co.  C,  .571  h  Mass.  Inf. ;  died  of 

wounds  in  action,  Aug.  10, 1804. 
"Joseph   Uojton,  Co.  G,  57tli  Mass.  Inf.;  died 

of  wounds  near  Washington,  D.  C,  June  2, 

1864. 
"Benjamin  F.  Reed,  Co.  D,  Until  N.T.  Inf.;  killed 

in  battle  of  Wildernefs,  May  G,  18C1. 
"  Amasa  D,  S.  Wade,  Co.  G,  2d  Mass.  H.  Art. ;  died 

in  the  hands  of  the  enemy." 

Below  the  names  are  the  following  words  in  mar- 
ble:  "To  her  honored  dead  Chicopee  erects 
this  tablet."  "By  the  laiies'  soldiers'  aid 
society." 


BIOGEAPHIOAL    SKETCHES. 


JEKOME   WELLS. 

It  is  alwaj'S  a  pleasure  to  place  upon  the  page  of  history 
passing  incidents  in  the  career  of  one  who  has  pursued  an 
honorable  and  upright  course,  conducting  large  business 
transactions,  and  from  small  beginnings,  by  industry  and 
foresight,  accumulating  a  competency  of  this  world's  goods. 
Such  a  man  we  here  speak  of. 

Jerome  Wells  was  born  in  Greenfield,  Franklin  Co.,  Mass., 
April  2,  1813,  and  at  about  the  age  of  seventeen  entered  the 
store  of  Howard  &  Lathrop,  at  South  Hadley  Falls,  but  soon 
after  having  chosen  the  silversmith's  trade  he  went  to  Spring- 
field, and  worked  at  this  business  until  his  health  failed,  when 
he  entered  the  store  of  his  uncle,  Daniel  W.  Willard,  where 
he  remained  until  twenty-two  years  of  age.  May  1.5,  1835, 
removed  to  Chicopee,  where  he  entered  the  mercantile  trade, 
and  is  at  present  largely  interested  in  that  business.  Mr. 
Wells  is  regarded  as  a  sound  and  careful  financier,  and  upon 
the  organization  of  the  savings-bank,  in  1854,  was  made  its 
president,  and  remained  as  such  until  the  year  1874.  He  was 
akso  a  director  and  president  of  the  old  Cabot  Bmih ;  president 
upon  its  reorganization  as  a  national  bank  in  18G.5,  and  has 
since  officiated  in  that  capacity.  Mr.  Wells  is  not  only  inter- 
ested in  mercantile  and  banking  pursuits,  but  has  been  a  stock- 
holder and  director  in  the  Gaylord  Manufacturing  Coinpany 
since  its  organization. 


Politically,  ho  is  a  Republican.  In  1808  he  was  elected  to 
the  House  of  Representatives  of  the  State,  and  was  chairman 
of  the  committee  on  banks  and  banking.  Since  that  time  he 
has  not  been  in  public  life,  but  has  not  ceased  to  take  an  active 
interest  in  all  political  movements  having  for  their  aim  the 
welfare  of  the  people.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Unitarian 
Society  in  Chicopee. 

July  21,  1842,  Mr.  Wells  married  Louise  C.  Rice,  and  they 
have  one  daughter,  Georgianna  L.,  wife  of  Capt.  Frederick 
B.  Doten,  the  present  cashier  of  the  National  Bank  of  Chico- 
pee. Their  family  consists  of  two  children,  a  son  and  daughter, 
— Jerome  W.  and  Florence  E. 

It  may  truthfully  be  said  of  Mr.  Wells  that  he  is  essentially 
a  self-made  man.  Although  his  business  transactions  have 
been  heavy,  he  has  passed  safely  through  every  financial  re- 
vulsion, and  has  succeeded  in  amassing  a  competence. 


SAMUEL  ALVORD,  M.D., 

whose  long  and  successful  professional  career  has  given  him  a 
prominent  place  among  the  physicians  of  the  Connecticut 
Valley,  was  born  in  the  old  town  of  West  Springfield,  and, 
contrary  to  the  general  custom  in  these  changing  da\'s,  has 
spent  the  greater  jiart  of  an  active  life  in  the  vicinity  of  his 


I'liul(..  Irj'  ILiskins,  llul.v.iko. 


Orange  Chapin,  son  of  Moses  and  Kezia  Chapin, 
was  born  in  Chicopee,  Jan.  9,  1790.  He  remained 
at  lioine  until  the  deatii  of  iiis  father,  except 
wiien  attending  or  teaciiing  sciiool,  and  tiien  re- 
moved to  the  village  of  Williniansett,  now  Chicopee. 
While  attending  scliool  he  manifested  an  unusual 
interest  in  mathematics,  and  subsequently  became 
a  practical  land  surveyor  and  engineer.  Although 
attending  strictly  to  his  business  of  farming  and 
engineering,  he  was  active  in  all  interests  seeking 
the  advancement  of  the  people  and  the  community 
wherein  he  resided.  He  has  served  in  various 
positions  of  trust  and  responsibility  within  the 
gift  of  his  townsmen,  always  discharging  the  duties 
with  great  credit  to  himself  and  the  entire  satisfac- 
tion of  the  people.  He  served  many  years  on  the 
board  of  selectmen  in  Springfield  before  the  division 
of  the  town,  and  one  year  in  Chicopee.  He  also 
served  as  assessor  in  the  town  of  Springfield  for 
sixteen  consecutive  years.  His  services  were  ap- 
preciated by  the  people,  and  he  represented  the 
town  of  Springfield  in  the  General  Court  of  Massa- 
chusetts in  the  years  1835,  1836-39.     He  was  very 


faniih'ar  with  proceedings  in  the  Probate  Court, 
settled  the  estates  of  many  deceased  persons,  and 
was  guardian  to  many  minor  children.  He  held 
three  military  commissions,  and  was  also  justice 
of  the  peace  for  more  than  thirty  years. 

Mr.  Chapin  manifested  a  deep  interest  in  church 
matters,  and  served  as  clerk  of  the  parish,  Chicopee 
Street,  now  First  Congregational  Society,  in  the 
town  of  Chicopee,  from  1821  to  1862;  was  treasurer 
during  most  of  that  time,  and  deacon  of  the  church 
from  1840.  May  6,  1819,  he  married  Julia  Rum- 
rill,  daughter  of  Asa  and  Rhoda  Rumrill,  of  South 
Hadley,  born  Oct.  8,  1799.  Their  family  consisted 
of  two  adopted  children,  viz. :  Orange  Chapin 
Towne,  son  of  Jonathan  and  Delia  (Rumrill) 
Towne,  of  Belchertown,  born  March  20,  1823, 
and  Julia  Chapin  Rumrill,  daughter  of  Asa  Rum- 
rill, Jr.,  and  Rebecca  (Goodell)  Rumrill,  of  South 
Hadley,  born  Oct.  16,  1839.  Mr.  Chapin  died 
Sept.  9,  1867,  and  his  wife  April  4,  1866.  He 
was  an  active  man,  an  influential  citizen,  and  did 
much  to  advance  the  interests  of  his  native  town 
and  county. 


\\    »\v 


CHARLES   McCLALLAN. 


Charles  McClallan  was  born  in  Lancaster,  Mass.,  Aug. 
11,  1803.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  he  came  to  Springfield, 
and  began  the  trade  of  bricklayer  with  the  late  Charles 
Stearns.  He  exhibited  such  skill  and  diligence  in  his  busi- 
ness, and  such  maturity  of  judgment,  that  he  was  made  the 
foreman  of  his  employer  in  the  second  year  of  his  appren- 
ticeship, and  he  commenced  his  career  as  a  contractor  with 
the  building  of  the  masonry  of  No.  4  Cotton-Mill  at  Cliic- 
opee  Falls,  in  1832,  in  which  year  he  removed  to  that 
village. 

The  native  ability  of  Mr.  McClallan,  and  the  thorough- 
ness of  his  work,  as  exhibited  in  the  course  and  completion 
of  this  contract,  togetiicr  with  iiis  comprehensive  ideas  of 
construction,  attracted  the  attention  of  the  Boston  capital- 
ists who  were  about  developing  the  water-power  at  Ciiic- 
opee,  and  they  gave  him  the  contract  for  building  tlic  dam 
and  all  the  mills  at  that  jilace. 

These  works  so  extended  his  reputation  that  he  became 
the  acknowledged  contractor  for  masonry  in  this  section, 
and  erected  nearly  all  the  brick  buildings  in  Chioopee,  among 
which  may  be  mentioned  the  extensive  mills  of  the  Dwight 
Company,  and  the  shops  of  the  Ames  Company. 

The  greater  portion  of  the  brick  buildings  at  Indian 
Orchard,  including  mills,  boarding-houses,  etc.,  and  the 
stone  dam,  were  also  built  by  Charles  McClallan. 

In  1817,  under  the  administration  of  the  Hadley  Falls 
Company,  the  projectors  of  Holyoke,  he  built  the  masonry 
of  the  Hampden  and  Lyman  Cotton-Mills,  and  various 
other  large  mills,  boarding-houses,  and  blocks  of  that 
manufacturing  city ;  also  the  Glasgow  Mills,  on  the  op- 
posite bank  of  the  Connecticut  River,  at  South  Hadley 
Falls.  His  operations  at  this  time,  however,  were  not  con- 
fined to  this  State,  as  he  erected  extensive  works  at 
Augusta,  Ga.,  in  New  York  State,  and  in  other  sections  of 
the  country. 
,  In   1856  he  formed  a  copartnership  with  his  son,  Wil- 


liam C,  and  the  business  has  since  been  conducted  under 
the  firm-name  of  C.  McClallan  &  Son. 

Among  the  many  large  contracts  of  the  firm  may  be 
mentioned  the  extensive  water-works  at  New  Haven,  Conn.  ; 
the  Windsor  Reservoir  ;  the  brick  mill  and  stone  dam  of  the 
Hurlbut  Paper  Company  ;  the  canal  and  stone  dam  of  the 
Collins  Paper  Company,  together  with  the  masonry  of  the 
mill  and  numerous  brick  blocks  ;  the  large,  now  mill  at  Cliic- 
opee  Falls ;  Section  13  of  the  Boston  Water- Works,  called 
the  syphon  section.  Since  1872  they  have  done  a  large 
amount  of  work  for  the  State  on  the  Hoosac  Tunnel  and 
Troy  and  Greenfield  Railroad.  The  large  granite  fai.ades 
of  the  tunnel  will  doubtless  stand  for  centuries  as  a  monu- 
ment of  their  workmanship. 

C.  Mc(!lallan  &  Son  have  probably  built  a  larger  number 
of  stone  dams  than  any  other  firm  in  the  State,  and  not 
one  has  been  destroyed, — certainly  a  good  guarantee  of  the 
substantial  character  of  their  work,  when  dams  are  annu- 
ally being  swept  away  in  consequence  of  poor  work  and 
faulty  engineering. 

Charles  i\k-Clallan  has  ever  manifested  a  lively  interest 
in  all  improvements  tending  toward  the  public  welfare,  and 
was  the  first  to  introduce  water  into  Chicopee.  A  charter 
was  subsequently  granted  to  a  company  formed  for  the 
jiurpose  of  increasing  the  supply  of  water,  and  the  works 
were  built  and  largely  owned  by  Mr.  McClallan. 

As  Mr.  McClallan's  habits  of  life  have  always  been  pure 
and  .simple,  his  temper  has  been  equable,  his  intercourse 
with  all  others  affable,  and  his  knowledge  expert,  he  has 
always  been  able  to  manage  his  large  business  with  little 
friction  ;  and  it  may  truly  be  said  of  him,  as  of  but  few 
others,  that  he  has  made  friends  and  no  foes  in  its  trans- 
actions, and  that  all  men  who  know  him  are  his  well- 
wishers.  He  still,  at  the  age  of  seventy-six,  retains  much 
of  the  vigor  and  elasticity  of  youth.  He  has  resided  at 
Chicopee  since  1833. 


^^^.«^^^ 


HISTORY   OF  HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


981 


birthplace,  being  located  in  the  pleasant  village  of  Chicopee 
Falls,  and  having  an  extensive  practice  throughout  the 
countj'. 

Like  man}-  anotlier  Now  England  boy,  his  early  advantages 
were  narrowed  l)y  circumstances,  aiul  his  schooling  was  limited 
to  the  old-fashioned  district  school  at  home  and  a  few  terms  at 
the  academies  of  Wilbraham  and  Wesltield  ;  but  at  the  latter 
institution  it  was  his  good  fortune  to  come  under  the  teaching 
of  that  noted  instructor.  Master  Davis,  afterward  the  Rev. 
Dr.  Davis,  of  revered  memory,  and  to  the  tact  and  thorough- 
ness of  that  masterly  educator  was  largely  due  that  broad  and 
thorough  scholarship  which  has  made  Dr.  Alvord  eminent 
not  only  for  professional  learning,  but  also  for  general  attain- 
ments, especially  in  the  higher  mathematics  and  kindred 
branches  of  study. 

After  leaving  the  academy  he  took  up  the  work  of  a  teacher 
for  a  considerable  period,  but  never  lost  sight  of  his  intended 
life-work,  the  practice  of  medicine. 

As  principal  of  the  High  School  at  Chicopee  Falls  he  re- 
vived the  thorough  methods  of  his  old  preceptor,  and  many 
young  men  whom  he  fitted  for  college  and  for  business  bear 
willing  testimony  that  their  success  in  life  has  been  largelj' 
due  to  the  early  and  controlling  impulse  in  the  direction  of 
thoroughness  and  accuracy  im])arted  bj'  him.  He  was  a  born 
educator,  sparing  no  labor  himself  in  the  mastery  of  knowl- 
edge, and  unwilling  that  any  of  his  pupils  should  come  short 
of  the  same  standard  of  scholarship  which  he  had  attained. 

•After  entering  active  professional  life  he  kept  up  a  lively 
interest  in  popular  education,  and  has  been  for  many  years 
prominent  in  the  control  of  the  public  schools  of  his  town. 

But  his  life-work  has  been  in  his  chosen  Held,  to  which  he 
brought  the  same  breadth  of  culture  and  thoroughness  of  re- 
search which  he  had  developed  in  the  work  of  a  teacher.  The 
power  to  diagnose  disease  with  almost  unerring  certainty, 
whether  it  comes  as  the  result  of  a  long  and  varied  experience 
or  of  hard  study,  or  of  an  innate  quality  of  mind,  seems  to 
have  been  at  the  foundation  of  his  professional  success.  It 
may  he  safely  said  that  no  homoeopathic  phj-sician  in  the 
Connecticut  Vallej'  commands  a  wider  or  more  successful 
range  of  practice,  or  stands  higher  in  the  coniidence  of  his 
patients  and  the  community. 

Notwithstanding  his  years  and  the  exacting  demands  of  his 
practice,  he  pursues  his  researches  in  medical  science,  as  well 
as  his  favorite  studies  outside  of  the  beaten  path  of  his  pro- 
fession, as  regularly  and  enthusiastically  as  in  his  earlier  years, 
the  former  as  a  duty  he  owes  to  his  patients,  and  the  latter  for 
recreation.  Possibly  this  relief  in  outside  studies  may  be  the 
reason  why  his  years  and  labors  sit  lightly  upon  him.  Certain 
it  is  that  his  powers  of  mind  and  body  seem  in  nowise  im- 
paired by  the  wear  and  tear  of  a  long  and  arduous  professional 
life,  and  bid  fair  to  hold  out  for  many  years  to  come. 

Dr.  Alvord  has  been  for  many  years  a  member  of  the  Massa- 
chusetts Homoeopathic  Medical  Society  and  of  the  American 
Institute  of  Homoeopathy. 


SAMUEL  BLAISDELL,  Jr., 
was  born  in  Boston  in  18.33.  At  the  age  of  eleven  years  he 
removed  to  Great  Falls,  and  did  his  first  work  in  the  cotton- 
mills  of  the  Great  Falls  Manufacturing  Company.  At  the 
age  of  eighteen  he  returned  to  Boston,  and  after  trying  several 
occupations,  none  of  which  suited  his  taste,  he  entered  the 
emploj-  of  the  Boston  and  Providence  Railroad  Company, 
and  remained  with  them  nine  years,  filling  nearly  every  posi- 
tion of  trust  and  responsibility  on  the  road.  Later  he  con- 
nected himself  wilh  the  New  York  and  Providence  Steamship 
Company,  removed  to  New  York,  and  took  charge  of  the 
business  of  the  company  at  Pier  11,  North  Kiver.  At  this 
time  the  company  had  the  only  line  in  the  country  carrying 
through   freight   from    the   east   to  the   west,  and   frequently 


loaded  three  large  steamers  per  day,  which  at  that  time  was 
justlj-  considered  a  very  large  business.  Mr.  BlaisdcU's  busi- 
ness habits  and  the  executive  ability  displayed  attracted  the 
attention  of  business-men,  and  upon  tlie  organization  of  the 
New  York  and  Baltimore  Steamship  Company  he  became 
resident  agent  and  business  manager  of  the  line  at  Baltimore. 
The  organization  of  this  company  proved  a  success,  and  its 
business  was  heavy.  At  the  close  of  the  war  lines  were  put 
in  operation  to  Savannah,  Charleston,  and  Mobile,  and  Mr. 
Blaisdell  cleared  for  Charleston  and  Savannah  the  first  steam- 
ers that  left  the  port  of  Baltimore  after  the  Kebellion.  He 
also  sent  the  steamer  "  Kingfisher,"  Capt.  Piector,  into  South- 
ern waters  as  a  dispatch  boat,  bearing  dispatches  from  Grant 
to  Sherman.  This  was  the  first  vessel  that  passed  Fort 
Sumter  with  the  United  States  flag  flj'ing  after  the  evacua- 
tion. He  remained  in  Baltimore  five  years,  during  which 
time  he  furnished  the  government  with  a  large  number  of 
steamers  for  the  transportation  of  troops  and  supplies. 

In  1868,  Mr.  Blaisdell  came  to  Chicopee,  established  the 
cotton  business,  and  from  small  beginnings  has  built  up 
an  extensive  business,  aggregating  one  million  five  hundred 
thousand  dollars  annuallj-.  He  is  transacting  the  largest 
business  of  the  kind  in  the  United  States  outside  the  city  of 
New  York.     In  speaking  of  this  enterprise  The  South  says  : 

"  The  magnitude  of  tlie  cotton  interest  demands  the  most  ecouoniiCiU  treat- 
ment in  all  particnlars,  if  the  best  resnlts  are  to  be  sought  and  secured.  The 
changed  condition  of  affairs,  imposed  by  the  seventy  of  the  times,  requires  the 
utmost  care  at  every  poi[it.  To  buy  cotton  cheap  is  not  always  to  buy  it  well. 
Quality  must  determine  value,  and  if  it  bo  not  liyht  in  tliii  particular,  it  may 
prove  a  dear  bargain  indeed. 

''  The  merchant  who  buys  and  sells  cotton  does  not  always  prove  equal  to  the 
task  of,  determining  its  quality.  It  is  a  weighty  matter  to  make  an  inspection 
which  shall  prove  entirely  reliable.  Could  the  meichant  have  the  cxi^iperation 
of  the  producer,  he  would  err  far  less  frequently  than  is  at  present  the  case.  To 
secure  this,  one  condition  is  essential,  and  that  is  interest.  Could  the  man  who 
packs  and  ships  cotton  feel  that  his  reputiition  and  his  success  were  at  stake  ia 
every  transaction  he  made,  a  motive  would  exist  wliich  would  insure  a  great 
benefit  to  all  interested. 

"  That  this  may  be  done,  and  that  it  is  done  w  ith  marked  and  gratifying  re- 
sults, is  shown  in  the  case  of  the  house  of  Mess;s.  Samuel  Bhiislell,  .Jr.,  &  Co., 
of  Chicopee,  Mass.,  who  have  developed  this  sulyoct  to  large  proportions.  A  few 
yeais  since  they  established  the  business  of  supplying  large  corporations  with 
cotton.  Practically  educated  in  ils  cnltuie,  and  possessing  a  ciilical  knowledge 
of  its  quality,  they  undertook  to  stand  between  the  consumer  and  the  producer, 
and  to  see  that  e.vact  justice  was  done  both.  As  a  consequence  the  consumer 
soon  found  that  his  welfare  was  being  very  materially  promoted,  and  that  while 
he  was  paying  no  more  for  his  cotton,  he  was  actually  nuiking  considerable  sav- 
ing, both  in  quality  and  in  pi  ice. 

"  This  became  the  general  experience  of  manufacture!  8  whose  orders  were  sup- 
plied through  this  house,  whose  business  was  soon  largely  increased,  insomuch 
that  shippeis  of  the  staple  in  all  parts  of  the  South  became  anxious  to  deal  with 
them.  From  these  numerous  applicants  they  were  eiuibled  tj  choose  those 
whose  location  and  standing  were  such  as  to  insure  excellence  and  reliability. 
A  standard  was  established,  and  its  due  observance  must,  in  the  inevitable  course 
of  aflaiis,  determine  the  duration  of  business  intercourse.  All  the  while  the 
consumer  was  receiving  shiiunents  of  cotton,  which,  for  uniformity  and  general 
excellence,  surpassed  his  former  expeiience.  Hisordeis  became  constant,  and 
the  demand  on  the  shipper  was  also  large  and  frequent.  All  this  came  from  a 
critical  method  in  the  business,  which  did  justice  to  all  concerned.  Now  the 
transactions  of  Blessrs.  Samuel  Blaisdell,  Jr.,  A  Co.  have  reached  a  significance 
wliich  would  suipiise  one  not  convosant  with  their  history. 

"The  large  shipments  direct  from  tlie  Southern  planters  are  all  consigned  to 
Messrs.  G.  II.  BlalUu-y  &  Co.,  of  New  York,  wllo  attend  to  the  distribution  to  all 
parts  of  the  country  as  ordered  by  Messis.  Samuel  Blaisdell,  Jr.,  &  Co.  It  will 
thus  be  seen  this  house  possesses  unsurpassed  facilities  in  this  respect,  by  which 
means  the  consumer  is  saved  the  expense  of  rehandling,  storage,  shipping,  and 
insurance.  The  magnitude  of  their  business  secures  for  the  buyer  the  cheapest 
freights,  while  their  intimate  knowledge  of  values  is  of  great  and  constant  ser- 
vice to  him.  Their  large  pecuniary  resources  enable  them  to  comjilete  the  most 
weighty  transactions.  They  would  appear  to  have  in  their  power  to  confer 
great  favors  on  both  shipper  and  consumer,  and  they  ;ire  surely  accomplishing 
their  work." 

It  is  said  that  "  nothing  succeeds  like  success."  Mr.  Blais- 
dell almost  from  boyhood  has  occupied  positions  of  trust  and 
responsibility,  and  has  brought  to  the  dischtirge  of  his  duty 
that  foresight  and  executive  ability  which  characterizes  the 
lives  of  successful  men.  He  has  not  taken  an  active  part  in 
politics  since  leaving  Baltimore,  although  he  has  hud  tendered 
to  him  many  positions  of  trust.     He  is  and  always  has  been 


982 


HISTORY  OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


a  Kepublican.    In  1860,  Mi-.  Blaisdell,  married  the  only  daugli- 
ter  of  L.  H.  Crane,  of  Brattleboro',  Vt.* 


EMERSON  GAYLORD, 
son  of  Josiah  Gaylord  and  Lucinda  Smith  Gaylord,  was  born 
in  South  Hadley,  Mass.,  Sept.  2,  1817.  His  father  died  when 
he  was  seven  years  of  age,  and,  the  family  not  being  in  very 
good  circumstances  financially,  he  was  early  left  to  depend 
upon  Ills  own  individual  resources.  At  the  age  of  seventeen 
he  was  apprenticed  to  Seth  Nyms,  of  Amherst,  to  learn  the 
harness-making  business.  An  apprentice  in  those  days  was 
called  upon  to  do  "chores,"  and  render  assistance  in  various 
ways  outside  the  legitimate  business.  So  it  was  with  young 
Gaylord.  He  was  ambitious  and  eager  to  succeed  ;  but,  soon 
finding  that  he  had  so  much  farming  and  choring  on  hand 
that  it  left  but  little  time  to  work  at  the  trade,  he  remained 
but  two  months,  when  he  returned  to  South  Hadley  and  began 
the  shoemaker's  trade  with  George  Kilbourn.  He  afterward 
purchased  "bis  time"  of  Kilbourn  for  fifty  dollars.  The  de- 
termination to  succeed  and  become  master  of  whatever  busi- 
ness he  engaged  in  was  characteristic  of  him  then  as  well  as 
in  later  life,  and  he  gave  a  Mr.  Ely  one  dollar  per  week  to 
teach  him  the  art  of  making  a  first-class  gaiter-boot.  He 
continued  working  at  his  trade,  and  at  the  age  of  twenty-one 
years  had  saved  forty  dollars.  After  leaving  the  employ  of 
Mr.  Kilbourn,  he  worked  for  John  Gaylord  in  the  sJioe  busi- 
ness until  1840,  and  in  the  following  year — 1841 — came  to 
Chicopee  and  entered  the  employ  of  the  N.  P.  Ames  Com- 
pany, manufacturer  of  cannon,  swords,  and  military  accoutre- 
ments, including  artillery-harness  and  saddles.  His  first  work 
here  was  making  harnesses  for  the  Texan  trade,  and  soon  after 
it  was  extended  to  sword-scabbards  and  other  military  accou- 
trements. Mr.  Gaylord  entered  this  establishment  with  the 
will  that  characterized  his  previous  career  ;  and,  as  illustrative 
of  the  esteem  in  which  he  was  held  by  the  company,  it  is  stated 
that  he  first  received  seven  shillings  per  day,  which  was  after 
one  month  increased  to  one  dollar  and  twenty-five  cents.  And 
in  1843,  when  the  health  of  the  foreman  failed,  Mr.  Ames 
solicited  him  to  take  charge  of  the  shop ;  but,  instead  of  longer 
continuing  as  an  employe,  he  contracted  with  the  Ames 
Company  for  furnishing  the  leather  goods.  He  continued  in 
this  business  until  January  1,  1856,  when  he  purchased  that 
part  of  the  business,  and  added  to  the  manufacture  leather 
hose  and  machine-belting. 

In  18-56  he  received  orders  from  the  War  Department  for 
infantry  accoutrements,  and  continued  to  fill  orders  for  the 
same  every  three  months  up  to  1861.  Prior  to  the  breaking 
out  of  the  Rebellion  he  furnished  first-class  military  accou- 
trements to  the  following  Southern  States, — Maryland,  Vir- 
ginia, Georgia,  Alabama,  and  Mississippi,— little  thinking  that 
those  very  accoutrements  would  so  soon  be  used  in  a  war  to 
perpetuate  slavery,  and  to  break  up  the  union  of  States  in 
which  the  commonwealth  of  Massachusetts  has  ever  played 
an  important  role.  On  the  day  Port  Sumter  fell,  Mr.  Gay- 
lord had  a  stock  of  accoutrements  for  the  South  on  hand,  and 
on  the  afternoon  of  the  same  day  received  a  dispatch  from 
Col.  Thornton,  commanding  at  Governor's  Island,  N.  Y.,  to 
ship  to  the  government  all  goods  on  hand  and  all  in  process 
of  construction.  Soon  after,  a  messenger  arrived  from  Gov. 
Andrew  with  the  same  request  for  Massachusetts.  He  re- 
solved to  divide  them  equally  between  the  government  and 
the  State,  and  did  so.  Before  night  of  the  same  day  a  noted 
speculator  from  New  York  arrived  and  oftered  Mr.  Gaylord 
five  thousand  dollars  more  than  he  would  otherwise  receive. 
Mr.  Gaylord's  keen  eye  took  it  all  in  at  a  glance.  He  saw 
that  they  would,  if  once  in  the  hands  of  this  man,  be  sold  to 


the  Southern  States,  and,  being  more  patriotic  than  many  in 
the  North  during  the  dark  days  of  1861-62,  promptly  refused 
the  otl'er.  The  demand  from  the  government  for  this  line  of 
goods  now  became  large,  and  to  fill  it  he  rapidly  erected  new 
and  large  buildings,  increased  his  force  to  four  hundred  and 
fifty  men,  and  shipped  from  eighteen  thousand  to  twenty- 
thousand  dollars'  worth  of  goods  per  week.  In  1861  he  also 
contracted  for  furnishing  the  government  with  leather  mail- 
bags  for  a  term  of  four  years,  and  has  taken  it  at  three  succes- 
sive lettings  since, — twelve  years  in  all. 

In  April,  1863,  Mr.  Gaylord  organized  his  establishment 
into  a  stock  company.  He  owns  a  majority  of  the  stock,  and 
has  been  president  since  il;s  organization.  Since  the  Rebel- 
lion, the  business  has  been  chiefly  confined  to  cabinet-locks 
and  regulation  and  society  swords  of  the  finest  workmanship. 

Politically,  Mr.  Gaylord  has  been  a  Republican  since  the 
organization  of  the  party.  He  has  manifested  an  interest 
in  political  matters,  and  was  a  member  of  the  Legislature  in 
1866.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Third  Congregational  Church. 
He  married,  in  1844,  Jane  Burnett,  a  native  of  South  Hadley. 
They  have  one  son,  A.  F.  Gaylord,  who  is  one  of  the  stock- 
holders in,  and  treasurer  of,  the  Gaylord  Manufacturing 
Company. 

It  is  readily  seen  that  Mr.  Gaylord  has  depended  upon  his 
own  resources,  but,  being  possessed  of  a  determined  will, 
coupled  with  business  foresight,  has  been  eminently  success- 
ful ;  and  the  poor  boy  of  1830  is  now  one  of  the  substantial 
and  wealthy  manufacturers  of  the  Connecticut  Vallej'. 


EZEKIEL   BLAKE. 


*  Mr,  Blaisdell's  cotton  storehouse,  at  Chicopee  Junction,  witli  consiJeraMe 
stock,  was  destroyed  hy  file  in  April,  1879. 


The  subject  of  this  memoir  was  born  in  Londonderry,  N.  H., 
Jan.  9,  1811.  His  early  daj's,  without  much  opportunity  for 
schooling,  were  spent  in  the  cooper-shop  of  his  father.  But 
his  home  was  not  inviting  at  that  period,  for  reasons  needless 
to  repeat,  and  after  patiently  enduring  many  trials  he  left  his 
father's  house  at  the  age  of  seventeen.  With  all  his  worldly 
estate  in  a  small  bundle  of  clothes  under  his  arm,  he  started 
on  foot  for  Methuen,  Mass.,  to  see  what  be  could  do  toward 
making  his  own  way  in  life.  Presenting  himself  to  Mr. 
A.  Adams,  the  manager  of  the  cotton-mills  there,  he  at 
once  found  employment.  His  purpose  was  to  learn  to  be  a 
manufacturer,  and,  like  the  sensible  boy  he  was,  he  was  will- 
ing to  begin  at  the  bottom.  His  engagement  was  for  three 
years,  at  fifty  dollars  for  the  first,  one  hundred  for  the  second, 
and  one  hundred  and  twenty  dollars  for  the  third,  inclusive  of 
board.  Commencing  in  the  mill-yard,  he  worked  up  gradu- 
ally through  the  picker-room,  card-room,  spinning-room, 
weaving-room,  until,  under  the  agency  of  Daniel  Balch,  he 
became  an  overseer  in  the  mills  which  he  had  so  lately  entered 
as  a  boy  with  everything  to  learn.  Energetic,  observing, 
faithful  in  every  position  he  held,  from  the  lowest  upward,  he 
soon  became  thorough  master  of  his  business,  and  he  did  not 
fail  to  attract  notice  and  lucrative  offers  in  larger  manufac- 
tories which  required  him. 

While  at  Methuen  he  became  an  earnest  Christian,  and  in 
his  twenty-first  year  united  with  the  Baptist  Church  in  that 
place,  then  under  the  care  of  Rev.  C.  0.  Kimball.  In  the  year 
1833  he  married  Miss  Mereie  Perkins,  of  Jaft'rey,  N.  H.,  who 
still  survives  him  after  a  happy  union  in  a  married  life  of 
nearly  forty  years.  In  1835  a  more  important  and  lucrative 
post  as  overseer  of  the  weaving  in  the  "  Boott  Corporation"  at 
Lowell  called  and  kept  him  there  for  five  successive  years.  In 
1840  the  charge  both  of  weaving  and  dressing  was  pressed 
upon  him  from  the  Amoskeag  corporation,  at  Manchester, 
N.  H.,  which  he  accepted  and  most  successfully  held  until  the 
year  1846.  During  that  year,  after  accepting  and  retaining 
for  a  time  the  office  of  superintendent  of  the  Lowell  Jtachine- 
Works,  he  resigned  that  post  to  accept  the  agency  of  the 
Chicopee  Manufacturing  Company,  at  Chicopee  Falls,  in  the 


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HISTORY  OP  HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


983 


active  duties  of  which  most  responsible  position  he  remained 
till  the  morning  of  his  sudden  death, — a  period  of  twenty- 
seven  years.  Under  his  asjencj'  the  mills  rose  to  be  regarded 
as  one  of  the  most  valdable  and  successful  manufacturing 
properties  in  the  country. 

Ezekiel  Blake  for  twenty-seven  years  occupied  an  official 
position  which,  in  a  village  like  Chicopee  Falls,  identified  him 
directly  or  indirectly  in  some  way  with  the  life  of  almost  every 
individual.  Coming  into  the  agency  of  the  Chicopee  mills 
in  1846,  he  as  the  years  went  on  grew  more  and  more  into 
the  thorough  respect,  confidence,  and  love  of  his  neighbors  and 
of  all  who  knew  him.  This  village,  in  which  the  best  years 
of  his  life  were  spent,  was  very  dear  to  him.  Its  interests 
were  his  interests;  its  prosperity  was  his  prosperity.  Vigi- 
lant and  faithful  as  he  proverbially  was  to  the  special  interests 
of  his  own  great  charge,  he  had  ever  an  eye  and  an  ear  and  a 
helping  hand  for  every  new  business  enterprise  which  prom- 
ised to  bring  thrift  and  additional  prosperity  to  the  -village  in 
which  he  lived.  As  president  of  two  corporations,  as  director 
and  stockholder  in  others,  he  has  ever  had  an  active  share  in  the 
business  life  of  the  village.  His  co-operation  and  his  counsel 
will  long  be  missed  in  many  a  circle  and  by  many  a  man. 
Though  by  his  own  special  office  placed  in  a  position  of  great 
responsibility,  and  intenselj-  devoted  to  his  proper  duties  there, 
he  was  nevertheless  emphatically  a  man  of  the  people.  He 
was  not  only  the  thorough  master  of  his  business  as  a  great 
manufacturer  in  all  the  details  of  its  operations,  but  also  in 
every  department  of  business  outside  his  own  calling  with 
which  he  was  connected.  His  strong  native  intellect,  his  long 
experience,  his  clear  practical  judgment,  joined  with  his  ster- 
ling integrity  of  character,  rendered  him  a  counselor  in  many 
circles  whose  loss  will  long  be  felt.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Baptist  Church,  and  manifested  a  deep  interest  in  religious 
matters.     He  died  Nov.  27,  1872. 


GEORGE  DEXTER  ROBINSON. 
The  Robinson  family  appears  in  the  earliest  records  of  the 
ancient  town  of  Lexington,  Mass.,  and  its  connexions  were 
participants  in  the  memorable  affray  upon  Lexington  Com- 
mon, A]iril  19,  1775.  The  mother  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
Mary  Davis  Robinson,  is  a  descendant  of  the  Davis  and  Hos- 
mer  families  of  Concord  and  Acton,  Mass.,  many  of  whose 
members  fought  for  American  liberty  at  Concord, 

*'  Where  the  emhattled  farmera  stood 
And  tired  the  shot  heard  round  the  world." 

George  D.  Robinson,  son  of  Charles  and  Mary  Davis  Rob- 
inson, was  born  in  Lexington,  Mass.,  Jan.  20,  18.34.  The 
family  consisted  of  two  children,  George  D.  and  an  older 
brother,  Charles  Robinson,  Jr.,  who  has  been  mayor  of  the 
city  of  Charlestown,  Mass.,  and  is  now  a  prominent  lawyer 
in  Boston.  The  Robinson  home  was  upon  a  farm  remote 
from  neighbors  and  two  miles  distant  from  Lexington  village. 
In  his  early  boyhood  George  D.  attended  the  district  school, 
ranking  first  among  his  associates.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  he 
began  attendance  at  the  Lexington  Academy,  where  he  re- 
mained one  year,  and  was  then  sent  to  the  Hopkins  classical 
school  at  Cambridge,  Mass.,  the  design  of  his  father  being  to 
give  him  a  good  education,  but  with  no  purpose  looking  to 
the  benefits  of  a  collegiate  training.  While  in  the  latter  school 
he  made  such  progress  that  the  principal  of  the  institution  per- 
suaded his  father  to  send  him  to  Harvard  College,  and  accord- 
ingly, in  July,  18-52,  he  presented  himself  for  examination,  and 
was  admitted  without  conditions, — the  only  member  of  the 
class  from  that  school  who  passed  as  creditably.  Mr.  Robin- 
son took  high  rank  in  his  class  in  college,  and  in  July,  1856, 
graduated  among  the  foremost  of  its  92  members.  In  the 
winter.-;  of  his  junior  and  senior  years  he  taught  the  district 
school  in  Lexington,  where  he  had  formerly  been  a  pupil. 
Upon  graduation  he  accepted  the  principalship  of  the  high 


school  in  Chicopee,  Mass.,  and  assumed  the  duties  of  the  posi- 
tion Sept.  20,  18.56,  and  remained  in  charge  of  this  large  school 
— averaging  125  pupils — until  March,  18G5,  when  he  resigned. 
Mr.  Robinson  was  verj'  successful  in  the  management  of  this 
school,  and  during  his  administration  a  course  of  study  was 
adopted  and  many  other  reforms  inaugurated  which  have 
contributed  to  the  present  high  standing  of  the  school,  and  it 
is  but  justice  to  say  that  his  resignation  was  accepted  with 
much  regret.  He  at  once  went  to  Charlestown,  Mass.,  and 
commenced  the  study  of  the  law  in  the  office  of  his  brother, 
and  after  eleven  months  was,  upon  examination,  admitted  to 
the  Bar  at  Cambridge,  Mass.,  and  on  the  1st  of  April,  1806, 
returned  to  Chicopee  and  there  entered  upon  the  practice  of 
the  law,  which  he  has  since  continued  with  marked  success. 

Politically,  Mr.  Robinson  is  a  Republican,  and,  like  every 
true  citizen,  has  ever  taken  an  active  interest  in  political  mat- 
ters. He  was  in  the  Massachusetts  Legislature  in  1874  as  a 
member  of  the  House  of  Representatives,  serving  on  the 
judiciary  committee.  In  1876  he  was  a  member  of  the  State 
Senate,  serving  as  chairman  of  the  committees  on  the  judiciary, 
probate  and  chancery,  and  constitutional  amendments.  In 
the  fall  of  1876  he  was  elected  representative  to  the  Forty- 
Fifth  Congress  of  the  United  States  from  the  Eleventh  Dis- 
trict of  Massachusetts  to  succeed  Hon.  Chester  W.  Chapin, 
and  in  that  body  was  assigned  to  the  committee  on  the  im- 
provement of  the  Mississippi  River,  and  the  committee  of  ex- 
penditures in  the  department  of  justice.  In  the  fall  of  1878 
he  was  re-elected  to  Congress,  and  is  now  a  member  of  the 
committee  on  the  judiciary. 

Mr.  Robinson  has  ever  been  activeh'  interested  in  the  ad- 
vancement of  the  interests  of  the  town  and  State,  and  has 
always  c<msidered  it  his  duty  to  meet  unhesitatingly  all  the 
claims  fairly  made  upon  the  citizens.  He  has  always  mani- 
fested an  active  interest  in  religious  matters,  is  a  Unitarian, 
and  has  been  thoroughly  and  earnestly  alive  to  the  support 
of  the  liberal  faith,  rendering  assistance  in  the  Sunday-school 
and  in  all  departments  of  church  work. 

Mr.  Robinson  rose  rapidly  in  his  profession,  and  soon  took 
front  rank  among  the  leading  members  of  the  Bar  of  Western 
Massachusetts.  As  a  legislator  he  was  watchful  of  the  inter- 
ests of  the  whole  people,  and  measures  touching  the  advance- 
ment and  welfare  of  the  State  found  in  him  a  fearless  advocate. 


GEORGE  SYLVESTER  TAYLOR, 
son  of  Sylvester  Taylor  and  Sarah  Eaton  Taylor,  was  born  in 
South  Hadley,  Hampshire  Co.,  Mass.,  March  2,  1822.  He  re- 
moved with  his  parents  to  Chicopee  Palls  when  but  six  years 
of  age,  and  attended  school  at  Chicopee  and  Springfield,  laying 
the  foundation  for  his  subsequent  successful  business  career. 
He  commenced  a  general  mercantile  business  at  Chicopee  in 
1844,  in  company  with  Mr.  Shackford,  under  the  firm-name  of 
Shackford  &  Taylor.  He  continued  in  this  business  nineteen 
years,  and  then  formed  a  copartnership  with  Bildad  B.  Bel- 
cher, in  the  manufacture  of  agricultural  implements  at  Chico- 
pee Falls.  In  1864  the  firm  was  changed  to  a  corporation, 
with  Mr.  Taylor  treasurer,  and  Mr.  Belcher  agent.  In  1868 
the  latter  resigned,  and  Mr.  Taylor  was  appointed,  since  which 
time  he  has  held  the  position  of  agent  and  treasurer.  In  1863 
the  business  was  not  in  a  prosperous  condition,  but  since  that 
time  has  increased  gradually,  and  is  now  large  and  highly 
successful. 

Politically,  he  is  a  member  of  the  Republican  party,  and 
has  served  in  various  official  positions  within  the  gift  of  his 
fellow-citizens.  He  has  filled  various  town  offices,  and  was 
special  judge  of  the  Chicopee  police  court,  upon  its  organiza- 
tion in  18R0.  In  the  same  year  he  represented  this  district  in 
the  Legislature,  and  in  1869  represented  the  Western  Hamp- 
den District  in  the  State  Senate. 

In  religious  matters  he  has  also  been  active.    He  is  a  member 


984 


HISTORY  OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


of  the  Congregational  Church,  and  has  officiated  as  superin- 
tendent of  the  Sundaj'-schod!  a  quarter  of  a  century,  and  as 
deacon  twent3'-two  years,  having  been  chosen  to  the  latter 
position  June  20,  1857.  Mr.  Taylor  married,  Nov.  25,  184-5, 
Asenath  B.  Cobb,  a  native  of  Princeton,  Mass.    Their  family 


consisted  of  seven  children,  four  of  whom  are  living,  viz., 
Ella  S.,  wife  of  Hi'ury  Lyon,  of  Chicopee;  Edward  S.,  who 
resides  in  Chicopee,  and  is  paymaster  at  the  Musgrave  Alpaca 
Company  ;  VV^illiam  C,  who  is  now  engaged  in  the  mercantile 
business  in  Boston  ;  and  Albert  E. 


--)~4»<aOo-*- 


P  A  L  M  E  E. 


GEOGRAPHICAL. 
Palmer  lies  farthest  to  the  northeast  of  any  of  the  towns 
of  Hampden  County.  It  is  very  irregular  in  outline,  and  is 
bounded  north  by  Belchertown  and  Ware,  in  Hampshire 
County;  south  by  the  town  of  Monson,  Hampden  County; 
east  by  the  towns  of  Warren,  Worcester  County,  and  Brim- 
lield,  Hampden  County  ;  and  west  by  the  towns  of  Wilbra- 
ham,  Hampden  County,  and  Belchertown,  Hampshire  County. 
It  comprises  17,21(i  acres  of  land. 

NATURAL  FEATURES. 

The  town  is  rugged  in  aspect,  though  abundantly  inter- 
spersed with  productive  vales  and  meadow-lands.  Many  hills, 
some  of  them  aspiring  to  the  appellation  of  mountains,  diver- 
sify the  landscape.  Of  these,  the  most  noted — not  because  of 
altitude  or  dimensions,  but  because  of  the  relation  which  it 
bore  to  the  first  settlement  of  the  town — is  Pattaquattic  Hill, 
in  the  northeastern  section. 

The  water-courses  are  especiall}-  abundant,  and  afl'oi'd  ex- 
cellent water-power,  which  is  utilizedby  various  manufactur- 
ing establishments.  Swift  River  traverses  the  northwestern 
border,  on  its  way  southward  to  the  Chicopee,  and  partially 
divides  the  town  from  Belchertown,  Hampshire  County.  Ware 
Eiver  enters  the  town  from  the  northeast,  and  passes  down 
through  the  centre  to  a  junction  with  the  Swift  Eiver  at  the 
northwestern  border.  The  Quaboag  River  traverses  the  east- 
ern and  southern  borders  to  a  point  a  mile  below  the  village 
of  Palmer,  where  it  bears  to  the  north  and  northwest,  and  at 
the  village  of  Three  Rivers  unites  with  the  waters  of  the 
Swift  and  Ware  Rivers  and  forms  the  Chicopee  River.  Nu- 
merous affluents  of  the  larger  streams,  in  the  form  of  brooks, 
supply  all  parts  of  the  town  with  abundance  of  water,  and 
several  of  the  larger  streams  have  been  and  are  still  utilized  for 
water-power. 

Several  ponds  of  water  e.\ist  in  different  parts  of  the 
town,  the  largest  and  most  important  of  which  are  Calkins', 
or  Yellow  Lily  Pond,  near  the  centre,  and  Neweirs,or  Pat- 
taquattic Pond,  about  two  miles  to  the  north.  The  geologic 
and  mineral  characteristics  are  not  of  special  importance,  but 
conform  to  the  description  of  those  features  in  the  eastern 
part  of  the  county  discussed  in  a  general  chapter  of  this  work. 

RAILROADS. 

The  town  enjoys  excellent  railroad  facilities,  and  the  intro- 
duction of  these  formed  the  starting-point  of  its  present  manu- 
facturing and  commercial  importance.  Prior  to  the  construc- 
tion of  the  Boston  and  Alljany  Railroad  along  its  eastern  and 
southern  borders,  in  1840,  it  was  not  equal  in  enterprise  and 
industrial  importance  to  the  neighboring  towns,  and  one  of 
its  leading  villages.  Palmer  Depot,  has  grown  up  wholly  in 
consequence  of  the  building  of  that  road. 

The  New  London  and  Northern  Railroad  also  passes  through 
its  western  section,  affording  ship)iing  facilities  to  the  impor- 
tant manufacturing  enterprises  in  the  village  of  Three  Rivers, 
and  also  at  Palmer  Depot. 

The  Ware  River  Railroad   also  passes  through  the  town, 


having  stations  at  Palmer  Depot  and  at  the  manufacturing 
village  of  Thorndike. 

The  Springfield,  Athol  and  Northeastern  Railroad  enters 
from  Ludlow  on  the  west,  and  passes  in  a  northeasterly  direc- 
tion through  the  town,  touching  at  Three  Rivers  and  Bond's 
village. 

EARLY    SETTLEMENT. 

The  honorof  bei  ng  the  first  set  tier  of  Palmer  probably  belongs 
to  John  IvJng,  who  established  himself  about  the  year  1717.  A 
letter  from  his  mother,  dated  "Ednarston  (England),  April 
20,  1718,"  speaks  of  him  as  having  been  married  and  iiaving 
one  son  born, — it  is  supposed  in  Boston.  She  refers  to  the 
hardships  he  had  experienced  since  he  loft  home,  and  expresses 
her  sorrow  to  hear  that  he  "  lived  in  such  a  desert  place  with- 
out neighbors."  She  also  says,  "I  shall  never  overcome  my 
grief  to  think  you  are  so  far  off,"  but  adds,  "I  am  glad  to 
hear  you  live  under  the  ministry  of  the  gospel ;  I  pray  God  to 
give  you  grace  to  improve  by  it."  He  probably  attended  the 
church  in  Brimfield. 

The  spot  where  the  rude  log  house  was  first  erected  by  him 
cannot  now  be  precisely  determined.  It  was  somewhere  on 
the  plain  where  the  village  of  Palmer  Depot  now  is.  Tradi- 
tion says  that  this  pioneer  family  spent  the  first  night  of  their 
sojourn  at  the  spring  on  the  hill-side,  near  the  old  gravej-ai'd 
where  they  are  interred.  Some  apple-trees  are  said  to  have 
sprung  up  near  by  from  seed  drop])ed  by  them. 

Several  of  Mr.  King's  sons,  of  whom  he  had  eight,  and  three 
daughters  settled  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  their  father, 
along  the  north  bank  of  the  Quaboag  River.  From  them  not 
only  the  neighborhood  where  they  lived  became  known  as 
"King's  Row,"  but  the  whole  town  was  often  called  Kings- 
field  or  Kingstown  in  the  county  and  colonial  records.  The 
more  usual  name,  however,  was  the  "  Elbow-tract,"  or  the  "El- 
bows," a  designation  probably  derived  from  the  angles  made 
by  the  union  of  the  Swift  and  Ware  Rivers  with  the  Chico- 
pee. This  part  of  the  town  was  first  occupied  by  James 
Shearer,  who  died  in  1745.  It  was  sometimes  called  the 
"  Dark  Corner,"  because  it  was  at  first  occupied  bj'  only  three 
families,  and  most  of  the  land  was  covered  with  a  dense  forest. 

The  formal  settlement  of  the  town  was  not  undertaken  until 
the  year  1727,  when  a  company  of  Scotch-Irish  emigrants* 
began  to  establish  themselves  under  grants  or  permits  from 
the  proprietors  of  Lambstown  ,  now  Hardwicke),  who  claimed 
an  extensive  tract  of  land  by  virtue  of  a  purchase  from  the 
Indians,  Dec.  27,  1G8G,  "for  the  sum  of  £20  current  money 
of  New  England."  The  colonial  government,  however,  did 
not  admit  their  title  to  the  land,  and  accordingly  56  of  the 
inhabitants,  mostly  Scotch-Irish,  but  some  from  Springfield 
and  other  New  England  towns,  presented  the  following  peti- 
tion for  a  grant  of  this  tract  of  land  : 

"To  His  Excellency  Jonathan  Belclier,  Esq.,  Captain-General  audGovernoi- 
ia-Cbief  in  and  over  liis  Mjyestie's  Province  of  the  Masoachuseltd  Bay,  in  New 

*  These  were  the  descendants  of  a  colony  of  Protestants  which  migrated  from 
Argyleshiie,  in  Scotland,  and  settled  in  the  North  of  Ireland  ahout  1612.  Tliey 
enn^rated  to  this  country  in  171s,  and  were  among  the  fii-st  Presbyterians  in 
the  country. 


HISTORY  OF   HAMPDEN  COUNTY. 


985 


England.  The  Honorable  His  Majestie's  Council  and  House  of  Representatives 
in  General  Court  a^eniblcd,  May  31,  1732. 

"  The  petition  of  tlie  suhscribers,  dwelling  and  residing  on  a  tract  and  parcel 
of  hinil  l.ving  and  situate  between  Springfield  and  Broukfield,  Bi'imtield  anil  the 
land  called  the  Eipiivalent  laud  and  Cold  Spring,  Humbly  Sheweth  : 

"That  they  are  sensible  the  said  land  belongs  to  the  said  Province;  yet  the 
reason  why  your  petitioners  entered  on  the  sjiid  land  wa*  as  follows :  Some  from 
the  encouragement  of  Joshua  Lamb,  Esq.,  and  Company,  that  the  said  land  be- 
longed to  them,  and  that  they  wouhl  give  to  such  of  your  petitioners  as  entered 
tliereou  under  them  a  good  light  and  title  to  such  a  part  thereof  as  they  respec- 
tively contracted  for.  Yet,  notwithstanding,  your  petitioners  are  now  sensible  that 
the  said  Lamb  &  Co.  liave  no  right  to  the  said  laud,  and  that  the  same  will  prove 
greatly  to  your  petitiouei^'  damage;  that  is,  to  such  as  hold  under  tliem,  unless 
relieved  by  your  E.vcellency  and  Honol-s;  and  that  others  of  your  petitiouei-a 
eutered  on  them  from  uecessit.v,  not  having  wherewith  of  tlieir  own  to  provide. 
Yet  nevertheless,  your  petitioners  are  duly  sen^ible  that  they  deserve  your  dis- 
countenance. But,  confiding  in  the  reasons  oflered,  tiiey  humbly  request  your 
compassionate  consideration,  that  they  may  be  put  under  sucli  regulation  as  may 
have  a  tendency  to  promote  the  flourishiug  of  religion,  &c. 

"Therefore  your  petitioners  most  humbly  pray  that  your  Excellency  and 
Honore  would  take  the  premises  into  your  wise  consideration,  and  either  grant 
them  the  said  tract  of  land,  or  put  them  undersuch  restrictions  and  regulations  as 
in  your  consummate  w  isdoni  shall  be  thought  most  reasonable,  and  your  petition- 
ers, as  in  duty  bound,  will  ever  pray  (signed):  James  Dorchester,  Joseph  Wright, 
Bernard  McNitt,  Haniel  Fuller,  .\ndrew  Mackie,  James  Shearer,  James  Stevens, 
Daniel  Killam,  David  Spear,  Thomas  Little,  Samuel  Doolittle,  James  Braken- 
ridge,  Robert  Han>er,  William  Shaw,  Jolin  HaiTcy,  John  Bemon,  Duncan  Qniu- 
tin,  Isaac  Magoon,  Isaac  Slagoon,  Jr.,  Micali  Tousle.y,  Elijah  Vose.  Elisha  Hall, 
Alexander  Tackell,  Robert  Farrell,  Joseph  Fleming,  .\arou  Nelson,  .John  Hen- 
derson, David  Kevins,  Joseph  Brooks,  Robert  Nevins,  Humphrey  Gardner, 
Nicholas  Blancher,  William  Crawford,  Samuel  Nevins,  John  Gerisli,  Samuel 
Shaw,  Anilrew  Rutheiibrd,  Daniel  Parsons,  James  3IcClenathan,  James  Lamber- 
ton.  Thomas  McClenathan,  Robert  Thompson,  Joseph  Wright,  Jr.,  Samuel 
Brooks,  Robert  Duulap,  Benjamin  Parsons,  James  Lambertou,  Jr.,  Timothy 
McElwean,  Matthew  Brown,  Patrick  Smitli,  Johu  Brown,  Aaron  Parsons,  Andrew 
Farraud." 

In  answer  to  tlii-s  petition  the  General  Court  voted  that 
Col.  John  Alden,  of  Diixbiiry,  and  Samuel  Bradford,  of 
Plympton,  with  such  others  as  the  Governor  and  council 
should  appoint,  be  a  committee  to  repair  to  the  land  in  ques- 
tion, and  view  "the  situation  and  circumstances  thereof,  as 
well  as  those  of  the  petitioners."  The  committee  performed 
their  labor,  and  reported  at  the  next  session  as  follows : 

"  We  find  the  land  petitioned  for  to  be  a  tract  of  laud  commonly  called  the 
'Elbow  tract,'  l>ing  uear  Springfield  and  the  'Equivalent  lands,'  containing 
17,014  acres  (viz.,  contents  of  five  miles  square  and  1014  acres  over),  exclusive 
of  particular  grants  taken  up  and  laid  out  witliin  the  same,  bounded  and  included 
within  the  lines  and  boundaries  of  the  adjacent  land  as  hereafter  laid  down,  viz. : 
Easterly  in  part  upon  tlie  west  line  of  Brookfield  township;  from  the  Northwest 
corner  the  said  line  runs  South  two  deg.  West  to  the  river  called  Quaboag  alius 
Chicopee  River ;  thence  bounding  on  Brimfield  township,  as  the  .said  liver  runs. 
Easterly  in  part  and  Southerly,  and  in  part  Westerly  so  far  down  said  river  as  to 
wheie  tlie  South  end  line  of  a  tract  of  Equivalent  lands  called  Cold  Sl)ring  town- 
ship [now  Belchertowu]  crosses  or  skirts  the  said  river;  then  bounding  Northerly 
on  the  said  line,  as  it  keeps  East  by  the  needle  of  the  surveying  instrument,  to 
tlie  Southeast  corner  of  said  tract  or  towuship,  which  is  tlie  month  of  Swift 
River ;  thence  bouuding  Westerly  iu  part  on  the  said  ti  act  or  towuship  of  equiv- 
alent land  as  the  river  runs,  to  where  the  Soutli  line  of  auotlier  tract  of  Equiv- 
alent laud  [now  Ware],  containing  10,000  acres,  belonging  to  Joliii  Eejel,  Esq., 
stiikes  up  or  ruus  from  sjiid  river;  thence  bounding  Northerly  upon  sjdd  line  as 
it  runs  East,  and  by  North  to  the  Southeast  corner  of  Sidd  tract,  being  a  heap  of 
stones  by  the  root  of  a  great  red  oak-tree,  fallen  close  by  one  on  the  West  side  of 
a  nin  of  water,  about  eighteen  rods  Southerly'  of  the  river,  called  the  Ware 
River ;  thence  bouuding  Westerly  on  the  East  line  of  said  tract,  as  it  runs  North 
by  the  needle,  until  on  East  line,  there  will  stiike  the  Northeast  corner  tree  of 
Brookfield." 

The  committee  further  reported  that  they  found  the  greater 
part  of  the  tract  "to  be  pine  land,  high  hills,  and  low  val- 
leys; the  hills  very  poor  and  mean,  the  valleys  pretty  good." 
They  further  reported  that  about  80  persons  had  settled  upon 
the  land,  or  were  about  settling,  the  most  of  them  families 
who  had  built  houses  and  made  considerable  improvements, 
and  that  for  three  j-ears  past  they  had  supported,  by  free  con- 
tribution, a  minister  of  the  gospel.  They  found  atfairs  greatly 
mixed,  the  lots  of  the  settlers  encroaching  one  upon  the  other. 
Other  matters  of  like  nature  were  referred  to  in  detail,  and 
recommendations  relative  to  grants  of  the  hind  were  made. 
The  report  was  adopted  by  the  General  Court,  June  21,  1733. 

The  result  was  that  specific  grunts  were  made  to  44  difterent 
persons,  mostly  of  100  acres  each,  and  they  alone  were  consti- 
tuted proprietors  or  grantees,  with  power  to  take  and  divide 


among  themselves  all  lands  witliin  the  limits  of  the  town  not 
otherwise  appropriated.  One  of  the  conditions  of  this  adjust- 
ment of  ailairs  was  "  that  such  of  the  aforesaid-named  persons 
or  grantees  as  are  non-residents,  and  their  lots  not  settled, 
shall  forthwith  settle  them  by  their  own  persons,  or  by  such 
credible  wholesome  inhabitants  as  shall  be  accepted  by  the 
major  part  of  the  resident  settlers."  Another  was  that  they 
should  "  lay  out,  in  some  suitable  and  convenient  place,  one 
lot,  not  less  than  100  acres,  to  be  to  and  for  the  first  settled 
and  ordained  minister ;  and  also  two  other  lots  of  the  same 
contents,  one  for  the  ministry  and  the  other  for  a  school." 

Grants  of  a  single  lot  were  also  made  to  each  of  31  other 
persons  who  had  "presumed  to  enter  upon  the  Province  land 
in  the  said  tract  without  any  leave  or  order  from  this  court." 
The  general  conditions  applicable  to  both  sets  of  grantees  were 
that  they  pay  into  the  public  treasury  the  sum  of  £500  within 
two  years,  and  that  they  pay  the  further  sum  of  £67  lis.  9d., 
the  charge  and  expense  of  the  committee.  Provisions  were 
also  made  for  the  forfeiture  of  the  lands  in  case  of  default, 
and  they  were  required  to  build  a  suitable  house  for  public 
worship  and  settle  a  minister  within  two  years. 

In  June,  1735,  the  proprietors  granted  a  100-acre  lot  to  each 
member  of  the  committee,  as  a  "grateful  acknowledgment  of 
their  great  and  good  service  to  the  settlement,  in  dispatching 
the  atfairs  thereof  by  a  full  and  particular  report,  superseding 
the  charge  and  difficulty  of  a  committee  of  regulation." 
Ebenezer  Burrill,  of  Lynn,  who  acted  as  the  third  member  of 
the  committee,  was  one  of  the  grantees. 

The  inhabitants  found  it  impossible  to  pay  the  tax  levied  by 
the  General  Court,  although  it  only  amounted  to  about  $030, 
or  less  than  4  cents  an  acre  for  the  17,014  acres,  which  the  town 
contained.  Execution  was  i.ssued  against  them  by  the  prov- 
ince treasurer,  and  their  collectors  were  exposed  to  imprison- 
ment for  not  meeting  the  demand  of  the  general  government. 
A  petition  for  relief  was  addressed  to  the  General  Court  in 
September,  1743,  setting  forth  the  claims  to  further  forbear- 
ance of  "this  little,  poor,  infant  plantation,"  and  represent- 
ing the  inhabitants  to  be  "a  poor  people  on  a  small,  mean 
tract  of  land,"  and  averring  that  their  taxes  were  "very 
hard  and  grievous,  and  whollj'  insupportable."  The  tax  was 
divided  up  into  four  parts,  payable  at  different  times,  which 
they  finally  succeeded  in  paying. 

The  earliest  date  of  the  laying  out  of  any  land  is  June  11 , 
1728.  This  was  Obadiah  Cooley's  lot,  now  within  the  limits 
of  Warren.  There  were  many  lots  laid  out  in  1728,  most  of 
them  in  December  of  that  year.  Andrew  Farrand's  (No.  2) 
was  laid  out  Dec.  15,  1728.  Ebenezer  Merrick's  lot  was  laid 
out  Jan.  21,  1729.  Kev.  Moses  Baldwin  afterward  resided 
there.  It  was  originally  laid  out  to  James  Dorchester,  who 
probably  abandoned  his  right  to  Merrick.  James  McElwean's 
lot  was  laid  out  on  Dec.  1,  1728.  The  first  proprietors'  meet- 
ing was  held  on  Aug.  7,  1734,  under  a  warrant  from  William 
Pynchon,  of  Springfield. 

The  first  house  built  in  Palmer,  with  the  exception  of  that 
erected  by  John  King  already  referred  to,  was  by  James  Dor- 
chester. It  stood  on  a  piece  of  land  that  Capt.  J.  Cooley  pur- 
chased of  Moses  Baldwin,  where  there  was  a  cellar,  about 
1720.  The  lot  was  originally  called  No.  9.  In  1733  the 
court  granted  a  lot  to  Dorchester  east  of  Dumplin.  The  old- 
est houses  now  standing  in  Palmer  are  the  Nutting  house,  in 
the  north  part  of  the  town,  now  occupied  by  Myron  Bartlett, 
and  which  was  erected  by  David  Spear  about  1765,  and  the 
Joe  Lee  house,  built  over  one  hundred  years  ago,  on  Patta- 
quattic  Hill. 

Of  the  first  settlers  of  the  town,  James  Shearer  lived  near 
the  village  of  Three  Elvers,  which  his  grant  originally  in- 
cluded. He  divided  his  property  among  his  children.  David 
Spear  lived  in  the  north  part  of  the  town.  James  Brecken- 
ridge  lived  east  of  Palmer  Centre.  Duncan  Quintin  was  a 
surveyor,  acted  as  proprietors'  clerk   for  years,  and   lived  at 


986 


HISTORY   OF   THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


r«lmor  Centre.  Alexander  Tackels  owned  east  of  Thorndike. 
Robert  Fnrrell  lived  where  Jacob  Stever  now  resides,  and  his 
descendants  intermarried  with  the  McMaster  family,  who 
came  to  this  country  from  Ireland  in  the  same  ship  with  the 
Farrells.  John  McMaster  lived  where  King  Knox  now  lives. 
Hugh  McMaster  lived  near  Pattaquattic  Pond.  Joshua  Mc- 
Master lived  in  the  northeast  part  of  the  town,  on  the  Reuben 
Shaw  place.  Joseph  Fleming  lived  southeast  of  the  meeting- 
house about  two  miles.  James  McClenathan  lived  on  the  east 
side  of  the  Pattaquattic  UiU.  Benjamin  Parsons  lived  in  the 
east  part  of  the  town,  near  the  John  Gamwell  farm. 

Timothy  McElwean  came  from   Bruchean,  Ireland,  about 

1720,  and  took  up  a  large  tract  of  land  near  the  village  of 
Thorndike.    He  was  a  blacksmith  by  trade,  and  was  probably 

the  first  in  the  town   to  engage  in  that  occupation.     Wm. 

Sloan  located  near  Thorndike,  on  the  north  side  of  the  river. 

John  Brown  located  in  the  east  part  of  the  town.     Patrick 

Smith  located  on  the  west  side  of  Pattaquattic  Hill,  where 

Charles   Smith   now   lives,  and  Aaron    Parsons    in   the   east 

part  of  the  town,  on  the  Gamwell  place. 

The   descendants  of  several  of  these   pioneer  settlers   are 

yet  living  in  the  town,  notably  the  Smiths,  McElweans,  and 

Farrells. 

TAVERNS. 

Tradition  says  that  the  oldest  tavern  which  existed  within 
the  confines  of  the  town  of  Palmer  stood  near  the  present  res- 
idence of  Ebenezer  Brown,  over  a  hundred  years  ago.  The 
oldest  inhabitants  remember  simply  to  have  heard  traditions 
regarding  it,  and  to  have  seen  the  chimney  standing  which 
was  formerly  used  in  connection  with  the  house. 

A  man  named  Scott  kept  tavern  at  Four  Corners  over  one 
hundred  years  ago,  which,  probably,  was  the  next  one.  Tales 
of  horrible  tragedies  which  are  said  to  have  occurred  within 
its  walls  are  yet  remembered  by  the  old  people,  but  their 
facts  are  not  authenticated  by  any  reliable  evidence.  Those 
were  days  of  witches,  hobgoblins,  and  ghostly  appearances. 
James  Bates  and  his  father  .succeeded  Scott  in  hotel-keeping 
at  Four  Corners.  Then  John  Sedgwick  left  Palmer  Centre 
and  erected  a  large  hotel  at  Four  Corners,  which  he  kept  for  a 
number  of  years.  The  first  meeting  of  the  citizens  of  Palmer 
to  consult  "upon  the  survey  for  the  Boston  and  Albany  Rail- 
road was  held  at  this  house.  It  was  afterward  removed  to 
Palmer  Depot,  and  is  still  used  as  a  dwelling-house,  standing 
on  Park  Street,  near  the  Congregational  Church. 

John  King  kept  a  tavern  about  1805  or  180S  at  Palmer 
Centre.  He  was  succeeded  by  Sedgwick  &  Gardner,  and  they 
by  John  Frink,  who  kept  it  as  late  as  1833.*  Abner  Allen 
and  Elias  Turner  then  kept  it  successively.  Alfred  Trumbull 
now  occupies  the  building  as  a  dwelling-house.  Numerous 
small  inns  or  taverns  existed  in  different  parts  of  the  town  at 
later  periods. 

STORES   AND    MERCHANTS. 

One  of  the  earliest  stores  kept  in  the  town  was  by  Amos 
Hamilton,  at  Palmer  Centre,  about  1802.  Small  trading-posts 
may  have  existed  at  earlier  dates.  Hamilton's  store  stood  near 
the  old  meeting-house.  Knights  &  Ward  traded  there  subse- 
quently, and  Benjamin  Fuller  was  in  trade  there  about  1824 
or  1825. 

LAW   AND   MEDICINE. 

Of  the  early  physicians.  Dr.  Jonathan  Shearer  practiced  in 
the  southwest  part  of  the  town,  near  the  Monson  line,  as  early 
as  1800,  and  perhaps  earlier.  Dr.  Aaron  King  practiced  at 
Palmer  Centre  about  1810.  Dr.  Alanson  Moody  and  Dr. 
Marcus  Shearer  afterward  engaged  in  practice  there. 

The  first  lawyer  was  Daniel  Shearer,  who  practiced  over 
one  hundred  years  ago  in  the  west  part  of  the  town.  He  after- 
ward moved  into  the  centre.     The  next  lawyer  to  locate  at 


Palmer  was  James  Stebbins,  who  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  in 
1813,  and  immediately  commenced  practice  there.  In  his  old 
age  he  removed  to  Springfield,  his  native  place,  where  he 

died. 

ORGANIZATION. 

The  first  attempt  at  organization  in  Palmer  was  made  in 
the  year  1735,  when  the  inhabitants  petitioned  to  be  set  off 
into  a  town,  but  failed.f  They  made  several  other  attempts 
among  themselves,  but  either  could  not  agree  or  the  General 
Court°refused  permission.  In  1743  leave  was  granted  to  bring 
in  a  bill,  on  petition,  but  nothing  was  accomplished. 

Finally,  Jan.  23,  1752,  Palmer  was  incorporated  a  district, 
with  the'following  bounds :  "  Easterly,  on  the  town  of  Western 
[now  Warren];  Northerly, partly  on  the  plantation  called  Cold 
Spring  [Belchertown],  and  partly  on  Ware  River  Precinct, 
called"  Read's  farm  [Ware]  ;  Southerly  and  Westerly,  on  the 
town  of  Brimfield."  All  the  privileges,  powers,  and  immu- 
nities usually  conferred  upon  towns  were  bestowed  upon  the 
new  district,  with  the  exception  of  the  right  of  representation 
in  the  Legislature.  It  is  stated  in  the  act,  by  way  of  semi- 
apology,  that  the  people  of  the  new  district  were  not  "  desirous 
of"  this  privilege. 

By  a  statute  for  the  regulation  of  towns,  passed  March 
23,  1786,  all  places  incorporated  as  districts,  prior  to  Jan.  1, 
1777,  were  declared  to  be  towns  "to  every  intent  and  purpose 
whatever,"  and  it  was  by  virtue  of  this  enactment  that  Palmer 
was  raised  to  a  position  of  equality  with  the  other  towns  of 
the  commonwealth. 

On  the  3d  of  June,  by  a  special  act,  John  Sherman,  a  justice 
of  Brimfield,  was  empowered,  "  upon  application  to  him  made 
for  that  purpose"  by  five  of  the  inhabitants,  to  issue  his  war- 
rant for  a  meeting,  when  they  might  "choose  and  appoint 
such  town  ofticers  as  the  law  directs."  In  accordance  with  this 
provision,  the  first  official  meeting  was  held  "at  the  public 
Meeting-Huuse,  on  Tuesday,  the  30th  day  of  June,  1752." 

The  act  contained  no  name  for  the  new  district,  although 
the  inhabitants  had  petitioned  for  that  of  Kingstown,  by 
which  it  had  previously  been  called.  Perhaps  the  explana- 
tion why  that  name  was  not  conferred  lay  in  the  fact  that 
"Kingston"  already  existed  in  Plymouth  County.  Lieut.- 
Gov.  Spencer  Phipps,  in  accordance  with  a  not  unusual  cus- 
tom of  the  day,  bestowed  the  name  of  Palmer  upon  the  new 
district,  in  homir  of  his  relative,  Thomas  Palmer,  who  had 
recently  died  in  Scotland. 

Among  other  votes  of  interest  that  have  been  passed  by  the 
town  was  one  on  March  15,  1768,  as  follows: 

"  Wherem,  the  excessive  use  of  foveign  surerfluities  is  one  great  cause  of  the 
present  dist.esseJ  state  of  tl^is  country  in  general,  and  tl.e  liapi-inessuf  the  com- 
munities depends  on  industry,  economy,  and  good  morals;  and  this  district, tak- 
ing into  serious  consideration  the  great  decay  of  trade,  the  scarcity  of  money, 
the  heavy  deht  contracted  in  the  last  war.J  which  still  remains  upon  tl.e  people, 
and  the  great  difflcullies  to  which,  by  these  n.eans,  they  are  reduced :  Therefore 
voted,  ,™«.a.«<.«s(j,  that  this  District  will  use  their  utmost  endeavol^  ,y  ex- 
ample, in  suppressing  extravagance,  idleness,  and  vice,  and  promoting  industry, 
economy,  and  good  manners.  And  in  order  to  prevent  the  unnecessary  exporta- 
tion of  monev,  "f  which  the  coutii.ent  has  of  late  been  so  much  drained,  it  is, 
therefore,  Voted  that  this  District  will,  by  all  prudent  means,  endeavor  to  dis- 
countenance the  use  of  foreign  superfluities,  and  encourage  the  manulactures  of 
the  whole  continent  in  geueial  and  of  this  Province  in  particular." 

The  principal  officers  and  representatives  of  the  town,  so  far 
as  we  have  been  able  to  obtain  them,§  have  been  as  follows  : 

TOWN   CLERKS. 
1S19-29  John  Frink;  1829-36,  Theophilus  H.  Knight ;  1836-41,  Amos  Hamil- 
ton- 1841,  Hoiatio  G.  Hale  ;  1808,  Wm.  N.  Packard;  1859-64,  Daniel  Granger; 
18C4,  Joseph  H.  Blair,  Lymau  Mmock  ;  1866-68,  Lyman  Dimock  ;  1868-.9,  James 

B.  Shaw. 

SELECTMEN. 

I819.-James  Stebbins,  Asa  'VVard,  Robert  Smith,  Joseph  Lee,  Jr.,  Elijah  Hills. 

1820.— James  Stebbins,  Wilson  Fotter,  Joseph  Lee. 


«  Frink  was  afterward  proprietor  of  several  great  stage-lines  in  the  West,  in 
company  with  Mr.  Walker,  of  Chicago. 


t  Grantee's  book,  83. 

1  The  old  Fiencli  war. 

a  In  compiling  these  lists  we  are  necessarily  dependent  upon  the  courtesy 
of  the  town  clerks.  James  B.  Shaw,  town  clerk,  siato  that  all  records  back  of 
ISltl,  belonging  to  the  town,  were  destroyed  by  (ire. 


HISTORY  OF    HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


987 


1821. — Amos  Hamilton,  Asa  Ward,  Cal\iu  "WTiite. 
1»22. — Anios  HaQiiltuu,  Clark  McMaster,  Dauiel  King. 
182;t. — Amos  liamilUiu,  Daniel  King,  Jonathan  Moore. 
1824. — Amos  Hamilton,  Joseph  Lee,  Jr.,  Noali  Stnngon. 
1825. — Tliomas  Stebhins,  Asa  "Ward,  Zadock  Cooley. 

182G. — John  Fiink,  Lebbeua  Chapio,  Calvin  Waril,  Cyrus  Knox,  John   Sedg- 
wick. 
1827. — John  Fxink,  Calvin  "Ward,  Cyrus  Knox,  John  Sedgwick,  John  B.  Blanch- 

ard. 
1828. — Amos  Hamilton,  Sylvester  Parks,  Robert  Hitchcock,  Jonathan  Moore,  Jr., 

Israel  King. 
1829. — Sylvester  Parks,  Robert  Hitchcock,  Isaac  King,  Emctius  Bond,  Freeman 

Smith. 
1830. — John  Frink,  .Toseph  Lee,  Jr.,  Cyrus  Knox. 
1831. — John  Sedgwick,  Timothy  Forrell,  Freeman  Smith. 
1832. — Cyrus  Knox,  Freeman  Smith,  Clark  McMaster. 
1833. — Elisha  Converee,  Jr.,  Leonard  Davis,  Alouzo  V.  Blanchard. 
1834. — Cyrus  Knox,  Joseph  Brown.  Leonard  Davis. 
lS;io.— Cyrus  Knox,  Clark  JIiMaster,  John  Ward. 
1830.— John  Ward,  Abel  Calkins,  Marble   K.  Ferrell,   Ralph   Green,  Wm.   J. 

Blanchard. 
1837.— John  Waril,  Abel  Calkins,  Marble   K.  FeiTell,  Ralph    Green,  Wm.   J. 

Blanchard. 
183S.-^ohn  Ward,  Wm.  J.  Blanchard,  David  S.  Paine,  Pliny  Cooley,  Philetus  W. 

Burnett. 
1839. — John  Ward,  Pliny  Cooley,  Eliphalet  Hancock,  Royal  ButHngton,  Alonzo 

V.  Blanchard. 
1840.— Sylvester  Parks,  John  GamwcII,  Royal  Bufflngton. 
1841.— John  Gamwell,  Alonzo  V.  Blanchard,  P.  W.  Burnett,  Gilbert  Barker, 

Merrick  Cooley. 
1858. — Horace  Hunn,  George  Moores,  S.  R.  Lawrence. 
1S59. — S.  R.  Lawrence,  George  Sloores,  James  S.  Loomis. 
1860. — George  Moores,  James  S.  Loomis,  Gilbert  Barker. 
18G1. — George  Moores,  James  S.  Loomis,  Abel  Webber. 
1862. — James  S.  Loomis,  Abel  Webber,  Nathan  Howard. 
1863.- Abel  Webber,  EpUraiiii  B.  Gates,  Parker  W.  Webster. 
1864.— Abel  Webber,  E.  B.  Gates,  P.  W.  Webster. 
1865. — Enos  Calkins,  E.  B.  Gates,  George  Moores. 
1800-67. — Enos  Calkins,  John  E.  Crane,  George  Moores. 
1868.— W.  W.  Cross,  J.  E.  Crane,  P.  W.  Webster. 
1869-72.— James  S.  Loomis,  E.  G.  Mnrdock,  P.  W.  Webster. 
1»73.— E.  0.  Murdock,  P.  W.  Webster,  T.  D.  Potter. 
1874. — Ebenezer  Brown,  O.  B.  Smith,  James  O.  Hamilton. 
1875. — James  0.  Hamilton,  Enos  Calkins,  E.  B.  Gates. 
1876. — J.  0.  Hamilton,  Enos  Calkins,  George  Moores. 
1877.— J.  0.  Hamilton,  P.  W.  Webster,  Joseph  Kerigan. 
1878. — O.  B.  Suiitli,  II.  P.  Holden,  Joseph  Kerigan. 

REPRESENTATIVES. 

1783-84,  David  Spear;  17.'<5,  William  Scott;  1780,  David  Spear;  1787-94,  David 
Shaw;  1795,  David  Spear;  1790,  David  King;  1797,  James  Smith;  1798,  Isaac 
Warren  ;  1799,  Aaron  Slerrick  ;  lSUO-3,  James  Smith  ;  1803-9,  A.aron  Merrick  ; 
1809-12,  Jesse  King;  1812-15,  Alpheus  Converse;  1815,  Jesse  King;  lSlG-18, 
Amos  Hamilton  ;  1.S18-20,  James  Stebbins ;  1821-23,  Clark  McMaster ;  1824,  John 
Frink;  1820,  Asa  Ward;  1828,  David  King;  1829,  John  Sedgwick;  1S30,  Cyrus 
Knox;  1831-33,  Joseph  Lee;  1833,  David  King;  1834,  Robert  Hitchcock;  1835, 
Cyrus  Knox  ;  1836,  .\.  V.  Blanchard,  Emelius  Bond ;  1837,  Sylvester  Parks,  John 
Ward;  1838,  Abel  Calkins,  Marble  K.  Ferrell;  1839,  Wm.  J.  Blanchard,  J.ames 
Gamwell;  1840,  F.  Morgan,  Asa  Shumway;  1841,  Olney  Goff;  1842,  John  Ward; 
1843,  Abel  Calkins:  1844,  Gilbert  Barker;  1.84o,  A.  V.  Blanchard;  1846,  Lambert 
Allen;  1847,  A.  V.  Blanchard;  1848,  Calviu  Torrey,  J.  B.  Merrick;  1849,  J.  B. 
Merrick;  1850,  John  D.  Blanchard;  1851,  Joseph  Brown  (2d);  1852,  Amos  C. 
BilUngs;  1858,  Henry  Seism;  1859,  John  Clough;  1860,  Solomon  B.  Lawrence ; 
1861,  S.  G.Newton;  1862,  James  S.  Loomis;  1863,  Jacob  Stever;  1804,  David 
Knox;  1865,  Ephraim  B.  Gates;  1860,  James  G.  Allen;  1808,  Joseph  Vaill,  Ly- 
man Dimock  ;  1870,  Ebenezer  Browu ;  1872,  James  B.  Shaw ;  1874-75,  Charles  L. 
Gardner ;  1877,  Timothy  F.  Potter. 

VILLAGES. 
PALMER  DEPOT, 
in  the  south  purt  of  the  town,  is  a  iiouri.shinc;  village  of 
ICOO  inhabitants,  situated  at  the  junction  of  the  Boston  and 
Albany  and  New  London  Kailroads.  The  Quaboag  River 
flows  past  the  village,  but  lacks  sufficient  fall  to  make  that 
point  equal  in  manufacturing  facilities  to  other  villages  in 
the  town.  It  has  principally  grown  up  since  the  establish- 
ment of  the  Boston  and  Albany  Railroad,  in  18-10,  and  partakes 
rather  of  the  character  of  a  railroad  centre  than  of  a  manufac- 
turing village.  It  contains  extensive  stores,  which  are  largely 
patronized  bj'  the  residents  of  the  surrounding  towns.  Several 
branches  of  industry  are  pursued,  which  are  elsewhere  named. 
Congregational,  Baptist,  and  Catholic  Churches  are  also  to  be 
found  there,  and  a  Universalist  Church  is  in  course  of  erection. 


Three  excellent  hotels,  the  Nassowanno,  Tockwotton,  and 
Antique,  furnish  accommodations  to  the  traveling  public. 
The  Palmer  National  Bank  is  also  located  here. 

The  first  store  established,  in  the  village  was  by  Amos  C. 
Billings,  shortly  before  the  Boston  and  Albany  Railroad  was 
completed.  It  stood  a  little  west  of  Commercial  block.  Daniel 
King  had  a  grain  and  flour  store  soon  after  1840,  which  stood 
near  where  the  foundry  now  stands. 

In  1824  an  old  house  stood  where  the  Nassowanno  House 
now  is,  which  occasionally  served  the  purposes  of  an  inn.  A. 
N.  Dewey  had  a  tavern,  about  1838,  in  the  village,  where  the 
Antique  House  now  stands,  and  it  has  continued  to  be  kept 
there  by  different  persons  ever  since.  A  man  named  Morrill 
kept  a  tavern  where  the  Tockwotton  House  stands,  but  the 
building,  which  was  of  wood,  was  burned  in  the  disastrous 
fire  by  which  nearly  half  the  village  was  destroyed.  The 
Niissowanno  House  was  erected  by  Chester  Strong,  soon  after 
the  fire,  and  has  been  kept  by  difi'erent  proprietors  since.  C. 
P.  Stone  is  the  present  popular  proprietor. 

PHYSICIANS. 

Of  the  physicians  who  have  practiced  in  the  village,  Dr. 
"VVm.  Holbrook  came  from  Bonds  village  about  1849  or  1850, 
and  is  still  in  active  practice.  Dr.  White  practiced  in  the  vil- 
lage about  twenty  years  ago.  A  little  later  Dr.  Barrom  and 
Dr.  Cummings  engaged  in  practice  there.  Besides  Dr.  Hol- 
brook, Dr.  W.  H.  Stowe,  Dr.  J.  K.  Warren,  and  Dr.  A.  C. 
Downing  are  now  in  practice  in  the  village. 

The  legal  profession  was  early  represented.  Calvin  Torrey 
practiced  about  the  time  the  Boston  &  Albany  Railroad  was 
built.  Frederick  T.  Wallace  practiced  about  18-52,  and  about 
the  same  time  lawyers  Barlow  and  Granger  were  also  in  prac- 
tice. The  lawyers  at  present  are  J.  C.  Allen,  who  also  offici- 
ates as  judge  of  the  District  Court,  Chas.  L.  Gardner,  recently 
re-elected  State  Senator,  and  S.  S.  Taft. 

POST-OFFICE. 

The  village  post-office  was  established  some  time  prior  to 
1840,  and  Amos  C.  Billings  was  the  first  postmaster.  The 
office  was  subsequently  held  by  Chester  Strong,  John  Bolles, 
Abner  Allen,  Dr.  Holbrook,  C.  C.  Shaw,  Daniel  Granger, 
Cyrus  Knox,  and  others.  The  present  postmaster  is  Cyrus 
Knox,  a  son  of  a  former  postmaster ;  he  was  first  appointed 
to  the  position  March  16,  1804. 

NEWSPAPERS. 

The  first  newspaper  published  in  Palmer  was  the  Palmer 
Sentinel,  the  publishers  being  Whittemore  &  Tenney.  The 
first  number  was  issued  in  January,  1846.  In  the  spring  of 
1847  the  paper  was  moved  to  Springfield.  The  Palmer  Times, 
printed  in  Springfield,  was  started  in  the  spring  of  1847,  by 
D.  P.  Ashley,  of  Springfield,  but  only  one  number  was  pub- 
lished. 

The  Palmer  Journal,  a  newspaper  having  a  large  circula- 
tion in  Palmer  and  adjoining  towns,  was  first  issued  on  April 
6,  1850,  by  Gordon  M.  Fisk,  in  behalf  of  the  "  Palmer  Pub- 
lishing Association,"  and  came  into  the  possession  of  Mr.  Fisk 
April  5,  1851.  It  is  now  published  by  G.  M.  Fisk  &  Co., 
Charles  B.  Fisk,  a  son  of  Gordon  M.,  being  associated  in  the 
enterprise. 

An  excellent  poor-farm,  the  property  of  the  town,  is  situ- 
ated about  two  miles  from  the  village. 

THORNDIKE 

is  a  pleasant  manufacturing  village  situated  on  the  Ware 
River,  northwest  of  the  centre  of  the  town,  and  distant  from 
Palmer  Depot  about  three  miles.  The  water-power  of  the 
village  is  excellent,  and  has  been  utilized  since  1837  by  the 
Thorndike  Manufacturing  Company,  who  have  two  large  and 
handsome  cotton-mills.  Besides  these  there  are  three  stores, 
a  Catholic  and   a   Congregational  Church,  and   a  number  of 


988 


HISTORY   OF   THE   COxVNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


pleasant  dwelling-houses.  A  Methodist  Church  stands  about 
half-way  between  the  village  and  Three  Elvers,  convenient 
for  both.  The  Ware  Kiver  Railroad  passes  through  the  vil- 
lage. 

Thorndike  has  attained  its  chief  importance  during  the  last 
forty  years.  Prior  to  that  time  it  was  but  little  known.  The 
first  tavern  was  establislied  about  18-52,  and  was  kept  by 
Charles  Foster.  It  was  afterward  kept  by  Elias  Paul,  by 
3Ir.  Slade,  Elias  Turner,  and  Steplien  Newton.  There  is  no 
hotel  at  present. 

The  first  store  was  established  in  the  village  about  1837  by 
the  Thorndike  Manufacturing  Company.  Some  time  after, 
Wm.  N.  Packard  commenced  trading,  and  continued  until 
his  death,  Nov.  3,  1878.  George  A.  Murdock,  Henry  T. 
Bishop,  and  Wm.  J.  McCormick  have  the  three  general 
stores  at  present  in  the  place. 

PHYSICIANS. 
Of  the  physicians  who  have  practiced  at  Thorndike  may 
be  mentioned  Dr.  Calkins  and   Dr.  Silas  Euggles,  the  latter 
now  practicing  at  Three  Rivers.     Dr.  Jason  B.  Thomas  is  at 
present  located  in  Tlioriulike. 

POST-OFFICE. 

A  post-ofiice  was  first  established  in  Palmer  Centre  about 
1805  or  1806.  The  first  postmaster  was  Amos  Hamilton, 
who  died  in  1843.  Theo])hilus  H.  Knight  was  the  next  post- 
master, and  so  remained  until  the  removal  of  the  office  to 
Thorndilce,  about  1840.  The  first  postmaster  at  Thorndike 
was  Abram  R.  Murdock.  The  oftice  has  since  been  filled  by 
Nathan  Sil:iley,  Gamaliel  Collins,  and  Dr.  Silas  Euggles. 
Hiram  E.  W.  Clark,  the  present  postmaster,  was  appointed  to 
that  office  in  1870. 

THREE    KIVEKS. 

The  village  of  Three  Rivers  is  situated  in  the  western  part 
of  the  town,  and  is  distant  from  Palmer  Depot  about  four 
miles.  It  derives  its  name  from  the  fact  of  its  location  at  the 
point  where  the  united  waters  of  the  Ware,  Swift,  and  Quaboag 
Rivers  form  the  Chicopee.  The  water-power  of  the  village 
was  first  utilized  to  any  considerable  extent  by  the  Palmer 
Manufacturing  Company  in  1824.  The  Otis  Manufacturing 
Company  now  have  an  excellent  mill.  Prior  to  1824  not  even 
a  bridge  existed  there.  The  village  contains  a  Baptist  and  a 
Catholic  Church,  and  a  neat  house  of  worship  belonging  to 
the  Union  Evangelical  Society. 

The  first  hotel  established  in  the  village  was  kept  by  Erastus 
Hunt,  in  1825.  The  building  has  since  been  destroyed  by  fire. 
About  1832  or  1833,  Abel  Calkins  also  kept  hotel  there. 
Ephraim  Allen  followed  Calkins,  and  erected  a  new  tavern 
where  the  boarding-house  now  is.  It  was  afterward  kept  by 
Elias  Paul,  Andrew  Holt,  and  Samuel  Bullock,  and  was 
finally  burned.  No  regular  hotel  has  since  existed  in  the 
place. 

The  Palmer  Manufacturing  Company  established  a  store  at 
Three  Eivers  in  1826.  Atwood  &  Shumway  commenced 
trading  there  in  August,  1833,  and  remained  together  until 
1844.  Asa  Shumway  then  continued  in  trade  alone,  and 
Samuel  Atwood  erected  a  new  store.  The  latter  subsequently 
withdrew  from  business,  hut  Mr.  Shumway  continued  until 
1865.  About  1853  or  1854,  Walter  Snow  had  a  store  below 
the  old  tavern-stand.  The  village  at  present  contains  three 
principal  st<ires,  of  which  that  of  Holden  Brothers  is  the 
largest.  The  others  are  kept  by  Charles  Squiers  and  Julius 
Thayer  &  Co. 

The  Reading-Eoom  Association  at  Three  Eivers  is  in  a 
flourishing  condition,  and  has  elected  these  officers  for  the 
present  term  (1879) :  President,  Charles  McFarlin ;  Vice- 
President,  E.  O.  Cummings ;  Secretary  and  Treasurer,  Charles 
Squier;  Executive  Committee,  Charles  McFarlin,  J.  R,  Per- 
kins, and  Charles  H.  Murdock. 


PHYSICIANS. 

Of  the  physicians,  mention  may  be  made  of  Dr.  Amasa 
Davis,  who  practiced  there  a  number  of  years  ago.  Dr.  Silas 
Euggles  has  been  in  successful  business  for  a  long  time.  For 
a  few  years  past  Dr.  Granville  E.  Barstow  has  also  practiced 
in  the  village. 

POST-OFFICE. 

Tlie  post-office  at  Three  Rivers  was  established  about  1825. 
Pascal  P.  Eussell  was  the  first  to  fill  tlie  office  of  postmaster. 
He  remained  in  office  until  1831,  when  James  G.  Hale  was 
appointed.  Nathan  M.  Cutler  was  appointed  in  1834.  In 
1837,  Asa  Shumway  became  postmaster.  Otis  Packard  was 
appointed  in  1862.  George  W.  Eandall  and  Abel  W^ebber 
next  tilled  the  office  in  turn.  Charles  Murdock  was  appointed 
in  1873.  Daniel  Holden,  the  present  postmaster,  was  ap- 
pointed in  April,  1877. 

The  New  London  and  Northern  Eailroad  passes  tlirough 
the  village. 

KONDS    VILLAGE 

is  located  in  the  northern  part  of  the  town,  on  the  Swift 
River,  and  distant  from  Palmer  Depot  about  five  miles.  Its 
northern  extremity  is  designated  as  Duckville.  This  village, 
like  those  of  Thorndike  and  Three  Eivers,  has  also  grown  up 
around  the  excellent  water-power  furnished  by  the  Swift 
River.  The  principal  of  these  is  the  Boston  Duck  Company, 
which  was  established  in  1844  or  1845,  and  still  continues. 
Several  saw-mills  are  also  located  at  the  village.  An  attractive 
Methodist  Church  stands  on  the  principal  street. 

Taverns  were  early  kept  at  Bonds  village  and  Duckville. 

In  1824  or  1825  a  store  was  kept  in  Bonds  village  by  Bond 
&  Merrick.  The  two  stores  there  at  present  are  by  Murdock 
&  Bros,  and  O.  A.  Parent. 

PHYSICIANS. 

Of  the  early  physicians  of  the  village.  Dr.  Blair  practiced 
about  twenty-five  years  ago.  Dr.  William  Holbrook,  now 
of  Palmer  Depot,  was  engaged  there  for  a  time.  Dr.  William 
Walradt  has  been  in  business  for  a  short  time. 

POST-OFFICE. 

The  village  post-office  was  established  in  1849,  and  Nathan 
D.  Wight  was  the  first  postmaster,  and  continued  in  office 
until  Jan.  1,  1878,  when  Emelius  B.  Murdock,  the  present 
incumbent,  was  appointed. 

PALMER  CENTRE, 
as  its  name  implies,  is  located  near  the  centre  of  the  town.  It 
is  often  called  Old  Centre.  Here  the  first  town-plat  was  estab- 
lished and  the  first  meeting-house  erected.  Tlie  oldest  ceme- 
tery in  the  town  is  also  at  this  point.  The  old  meeting-house 
has  long  been  abandoned,  and,  having  passed  through  dift'erent 
hands,  stands  unused.  A  few  scattered  houses  constitute  the 
village,  and  no  industries  of  special  importance  are  pursued. 
The  water-power  and  railroad  facilities  of  the  surrounding 
villages  have  enabled  them  to  outstrip  this  ancient  hamlet. 

Tenn  YVILLE  and  Blanchardville  are  names  given  to  the 
outlying  suburbs  of  Palmer  Depot,  to  the  southeast. 

Four  Corners  is  a  name  given  to  the  crossing  of  two 
wagon-roads,  centrally  located  between  the  villages  of  Three 
Eivers,  Thorndike,  Palmer  Depot,  and  Bonds  village.  On 
account  of  its  convenience  of  access  the  town-hall  is  located 
here.  A  Methodist  Church  is  also  situated  at  this  point,  the 
members  being  residents  of  the  surrounding  villages. 

SCHOOLS. 

Education  early  received  the  attention  of  the  settlers  of  the 
town.  In  the  original  grant  to  the  proprietors  certain  lands 
were  set  apart  as  a  school-lot,  and  continued  to  be  appro- 
priated to  that  purpose,  in  the  face  of  several  attempts  to 
divert  them  from  that  object,  until  Feb.  4,  1793,  when  a 
committee  was  chosen  by  a  vote  of  the  town  to  sell  the  lot  at 


HISTORY  OF  HAMPDEN   COUiNTY. 


989 


public  auction.  Aaron  Merrick,  David  Shaw,  and  Urijah 
Ward  were  chosen  for  that  purpose,  and  the  lot  was  sold  to 
John  Hamilton  for  £121,  who  gave  his  note  for  the  same.  On 
Jan.  19,  179G,  it  was  voted  to  appropriate  the  proceeds  of  the 
school-lot  and  other  money  in  the  treasury  (vested  in  secur- 
ities) toward  building  the  new  meeting-house,  the  church- 
people  binding  themselves  to  refund  the  same  whenever  it 
should  be  necessary,  and  the  town's  funds  were  accordingly 
used  for  that  purpose. 

The  records  show  that  regular  annual  provision  has  been 
made  by  the  town  for  the  support  of  its  schools.  In  1833 
there  were  10  school  districts  in  the  town.  There  are  at 
present  18  of  these  schools,  having  in  attendance  about  1000 
children.  The  last  regular  ajipropriation  was  .§7700.  In  addi- 
tion to  this,  the  income  received  from  the  State,  dog  ta-\,  and 
private  receipts  of  the  schools  increased  the  amount  devoted 
to  school  purposes  to  the  sum  of  183.51.13.  A  high  school 
exists  at  Palmer  Depot.  The  other  schools  are  divided  into 
grammar,  intermediate,  and  primary  departments.  They  are 
in  a  prosperous  condition,  and  are  under  the  control  of  a 
school  hoard,  consisting  of  three  members,  one  of  whom  is 
elected  each  year,  and  one  retired. 

RELIGIOUS. 

The  proprietors  of  Palmer  made  arrangements  for  the  erec- 
tion of  a  place  of  public  worship  as  early  as  August,  1733. 
The  size  of  the  house  determined  upon  was  30  by  36  feet,  and 
the  first  place  selected  was  "near  James  Lamberton's  fence, 
by  the  pine-tree  marked  H,  standing  on  the  north  side  of  the 
path."  The  exact  present  location  of  that  spot  cannot  he 
definitely  fixed  upon.  But  the  meeting-house  was  not  located 
there,  and  its  proposed  site  was  changed  several  times.  At 
last,  to  make  a  final  decision  of  the  vexed  question,  the  pro- 
prietors voted,  on  Feb.  10,  1735,  that  it  should  he  decided  by 
popular  vote,  and  the  two  places  receiving  the  highest  num- 
ber of  votes  should  be  chosen  as  those  for  which  lots  should 
be  drawn  to  fix  the  location. 

The  plan  was  duly  carried  out,  when  "  it  appeared  that  a 
spott  on  ye  knowl  near  Crawford's  house,  and  a  spott  on  ye 
east  side  of  Cedar  Swamp  Brook,  on  ye  North  side  of  ye  road 
near  where  Wm.  Kelson's  hay-stack  stood,  were  the  two  spots 
highest  in  nomination."  Rev.  John  Harvey,  the  minister, 
then  drew  the  lot,  and  the  location  was  chosen  on  which  the 
meeting-house  stood  for  more  than  a  century.  The  town 
appropriated  £7  "  to  make  provision  for  raising  the  meeting- 
house," and  a  committee  was  appointed  "to  make  provision 
of  drink  and  cakes  suitable,  and  to  order  and  dispose  of  the 
same  at  the  time  of  the  raising."  The  house  thus  erected 
was  used  for  sixty-five  years.  At  the  end  of  that  time  a  more 
commodious  one  was  erected,  and  the  old  church  became  a 
sort  of  town-hall  for  the  transaction  of  public  business. 

Religious  meetings  were  held  in  Palmer  as  early  as  1730, 
and  were  in  form  Scotch  Presbyterian.  The  first  minister  in 
the  settlement  was  Rev.  Mr.  Kilpatrick,  who  preached  five 
Sabbaths.  Rev.  Mr.  Weld  followed  him,  and  preached  three 
months.  Rev.  Benjamin  Dickinson  preached  six  months,  and 
was  followed  by  Rev.  John  Harvey,  who,*after  preaching  four 
years,  and  assisting  in  the  formation  of  a  church,  was  settled  as 
the  pastor.  He  was  ordained  June  5,  1734,  the  services  being 
performed  by  the  Londonderry  Presbytery  under  a  large  white 
oak,  standing  on  the  plain  on  the  east  side  of  a  meadow  called 
"Cedar  Swamp  Meadow."  Mr.  Harvey  was  dismissed  in 
1748,  and  was  succeeded,  in  1753,  by  Rev.  Robert  Burns, 
whose  connection  with  the  church  was  dissolved  two  or  three 
years  afterward.  Previous  to  Mr.  Burns,  several  persons  had 
supplied  the  pulpit,  including  Rev.  Dr.  Lord,  Rev.  Jas.  Mor- 
ton.  Rev.  John  McKinstrj',  Rev.  Ebenezer  Kniblows,  and 
others.  Regarding  the  compensation  of  the  latter,  the  in- 
habitants of  the  district  voted,  Aug.  23,  1753,  "that  Rev. 
Ebenezer   Kniblows,  from   New   London,   Conn.,  be  allowed 


foure  pounds  Sixteen  shillings,  which  is  eight  shillings.  Law- 
ful money,  for  each  Sermon  he  Preached  on  Sabbath  Days,  in 
this  District,  except  three  Sermons  in  wluch  we  can  prove  he 
preached  other  men's  works." 

Rev.  Moses  Baldwin  was  installed  pastor  after  Jlr.  Burns, 
on  June  17,  1701,  and  was  not  dismissed  until  June  19,  1811. 
Rev.  Simeon  Colton,  of  Longmeadow,  was  ordained  over  the 
church  on  the  day  of  Mr.  Baldwin's  dismission.  About  this 
time  the  church  changed  its  form  of  government  and  became 
Congregational.  Mr.  Colton  was  dismissed  in  1821,  and  was 
followed  by  Rev.  Henry  H.  F.  Sweet,  who  was  ordained  Nov. 
9,  1825.  He  died  Feb.  20,  1827,  at  the  age  of  thirty-one. 
Rev.  Joseph  K.  Ware  was  ordained  Dec.  12,  1827,  and  was 
dismissed  by  his  own  request,  March  16,  1831.  In  September, 
1831,  Rev.  Samuel  Backus,  a  native  of  Canterbury,  Conn., 
was  invited  to  preach,  and  continued  until  his  installation  as 
pastor,  Jan.  11,  1832.  He  was  dismissed  May  4,  1841.  Rev. 
Mr.  Wetherell  supplied  the  pulpit  during  the  summer.  In 
September,  Rev.  Moses  K.  Cross  was  engaged  as  a  candidate 
for  settlement,  and  ordained  Feb.  2,  1842.  He  continued 
pastor  of  the  church  at  the  centre  of  the  town  until  an  ami- 
cable and  nearly  equal  division  took  place,  April  1,  1847,  on 
territorial  grounds.  The  pastor  went  with  the  First  Church 
to  Thorndike  village,  where  they  worshiped  for  a  time  in  a 
hall,  but  soon  erected  a  neat  and  pleasant  sanctuary,  which  is 
still  standing.     The  society  is  now  known  as 

THE    FIRST    CONGREGATIONAL   CHURCH    IN    PALMER. 

Rev.  Mr.  Cross  was  dismissed  March  7,  1849.  Rev.  Levi 
Smith  and  Rev.  Plinius  Moody  supplied  the  church  for  a  time. 
Nov.  19,  1851,  Rev.  Sylvester  Hine  was  installed  pastor. 
Since  Mr.  Hine  the  regular  pastors  of  the  church  have  been 
Rev.  John  H.  31.  Lelarid  and  Rev.  Jeremy  W.  Tuck.  Rev. 
Mr.  Bond,  Rev.  Theodore  A.  Leet,  Rev.  Charles  A.  White, 
and  others  have  supplied  the  pulpit.  There  is  no  regular 
pastor  at  present. 

The  present  membership  of  the  church  is  70.  The  Sabbath- 
school  comprises  about  80  children. 

SECOND   CONGREGATIONAL   CHURCH    IN   PALMER.* 

Reference  has  been  made  in  the  preceding  sketch  of  the 
early  church  history  of  Palmer  to  a  separation  of  the  old 
church  into  two  parts,  the  one  going  to  Thorndike,  the  other 
to  Palmer  Depot.  The  latter  church  became  the  Second  Con- 
gregational Church  in  Palmer,  and  was  thus  organized  : 

A  council  of  churches  convened  in  Palmer  at  the  hall  in  the 
McGilvray  Block,  April  1,  1847,  pursuant  to  letters  missive 
from  the  Rev.  Moses  K.  Cro.ss,  now  of  Waterloo,  Iowa,  then 
pastor  of  the  old  church.  The  Rev.  Alfred 'Ely,  D.D.,  then 
senior  pastor  of  the  church  in  Monson,  was  moderator,  and 
the  Rev.  D.  N.  Coburn,  of  Monson,  then  pastor  of  the  West 
Church  in  Ware,  was  scribe  of  the  council.  Fifty-four  mem- 
bers of  the  original  church  presented  themselves  before  it  with 
letters  of  dismission  from  "the  Congregational  Church  in 
Palmer,"  and,  in  the  afternoon  of  that  day,  the  articles  of 
faith  and  covenant  which  they  ottered  having  been  approved, 
this  ecclesiastical  colony  was  formally  recognized  as  "the 
Second  Congregational  Church  in  Palmer."  The  Rev.  Sum- 
ner Gr.  Clapp,  then  of  CabotviUe  (Chicopee),  preached  the 
sermon.  Fifteen  men  and  thirty-nine  women  were  organized 
into  the  new  church.  The  Sunday-school  was  established  the 
next  Lord's  day.  Public  worship  was  maintained  at  first  in 
McGilvray's  Hall.  The  Rev.  Alfred  Ely,  D.D.,  and  subse- 
quently lir.  Thomas  Wilson,  "supplied  the  desk.'' 

The  following  wore  the  first  otflcers  elected  by  the  church  : 
Deacons,  Lebbeus  Chapin  and  Benjamin  Converse;  Clerk, 
Alonzo  V.  Blftnchard  |  Treasurer,  Arza  Blodgett ;  Standing 
Committee,  Alanson  C,  Merrick,  Azol  Brakenridge,  and  Lam- 
bert Allen,  together  with  the  deacons. 

*  From  a  sketcll  by  thepadtor,  Rev.  Bradford  M.  FuUertun. 


990 


HISTORY    OP   THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


The  parish  or  society  was  organized  April  30,  1847,  and 
chose  these  officers;  Cyrus  Knox,  Lambert  Allen,  Alanson  O. 
Merrick,  William  J.  Blanchard,  and  Wilson  Brainard,  Stand- 
ing Committee;  Cyrus  Knox,  Alonzo  V.  Hlanchard,  and 
Alonzo  N.  Dewey,  Assessors ;  Ahner  Allen,  Treasurer  ;  and 
lliram  Converse,  Collector. 

In  the  spring  and  summer  of  1847  individuals  interested  in 
the  prosperity  of  the  church  undertook  the  building  of  a  meet- 
ing-house for  its  use,  taking  stock  in  the  enterprise  according 
to  pecuniary  ability  and  inclination.  The  lecture-room  was 
occupied  early  in  the  fall.  The  house  was  finished  at  a  cost 
of  about  $.5000.  It  was  dedicated  Dec.  22,  1847,  and  is  still 
the  regular  place  of  worship.  The  Rev.  Dr.  Ezekiel  Kussell, 
then  pastor  of  the  Olivet  Church  in  Springfield,  now  of  Hol- 
bi'ook,  preached  the  sermon. 

Mr.  Thomas  Wilson,  of  Lowell,  was  ordained  to  the  minis- 
try and  installed  the  first  pastor  by  a  council,  which  mot  Feb. 
23,  1848,  in  the  lecture-room  of  the  new  church  edifice,  and 
which  held  the  public  service  of  ordination  and  installation, 
in  the  forenoon  of  March  1,  1848,  in  the  audience-room  of  the 
church,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Lyman  Whiting,  then  of  Lawrence, 
and  more  recently  of  Philadelphia,  preaching  the  sermon. 
The  Rev.  Mr.  Wilson's  ministry  was  terminated  at  his  own 
request,  July  1,  1802. 

The  Rev.  Joseph  Vaill,  D.D.,  of  Somers,  Conn.,  was  in- 
stalled pastor  of  the  church  by  a  council,  Dec.  7,  1854,  the 
Rev.  Dr.  Alvan  Bond,  of  Norwich,  Conn.,  preaching  the  ser- 
mon.    His  resignation  was  accepted  Oct.  13,  1867. 

The  present  pastor,  Rev.  Bradford  Morton  Fullerton,  of  Ab- 
ington,  was  ordained  to  the  ministry  and  installed,  by  advice 
of  council,  Feb.  12,  18G8,  at  which  date  also  his  predecessor 
was  dismissed.  The  sermon  was  preached  by  Pi'of.  William 
S.  Tyler,  D.D.,  of  Amherst. 

Of  all  who  have  united  with  the  church  since  its  organiza- 
tion, forty  per  cent,  have  been  received  during  the  present 
pastorate. 

It  is  in  a  prosperous  condition  and  comprises  a  membership 
of  200.  A  large  and  interesting  Sabbath-school  is  connected 
with  the  chui-ch. 

THE  METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH  OF  THORNDIKE  AND 
THREE  RIVERS.* 
The  origin  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  Palmer 
was  the  formation  of  a  class  of  ten  persons  in  the  village  of 
Three  Rivers  in  1833,  by  Rev.  A.Taylor,  Royal  Butfington 
being  appointed  leader.  The  class  was  connected  with  the 
Broiikfield  circuit,  which  then  embraced  Brookfield,  Stur- 
bridge,  Wales,  Brimfleld,  Monson,  Belchertown,  and  Palmer. 
It  was  subsequently  connected  with  South  Belchertown,  and 
Kev.  H.  Perry  was  preacher  in  cliarge.  At  this  time  a  small 
chapel  was  erected  and  made  comfortable  for  worship,  but  not 
completed  until  1839.  In  1841  the  society  at  Three  Rivers 
was  made  a  separate  station,  and  Rev.  J.  Nichols  was  ap- 
pointed preacher  in  charge;  he  served  two  years,  and  was 
succeeded  by  Rev.  D.  L.  Winslow,  who  reported  at  the  close  of 
his  first  and  only  year  a  membei-ship  of  180.  Down  to  1856 
the  society  was  served  successively  by  Revs.  J.  Cadwell,  Amos 
Binney,  Daniel  Cliapiu,C.  L.  McCurdy,  J.  "W.  Mowry,  N.J. 
Merrill,  E.  B.  Morgan,  and  F.  Fisk.  In  1847  the  class,  which 
had  previously  been  organized  in  Thorndike,  and  connected 
with  the  church  in  Three  Rivers,  applied  to  the  conference 
holding  its  session  in  Lynn  for  a  preacher,  and  received  Rev. 
N.  E.  Cobleigh  as  their  pastor.  They  worshiped  in  the  hall 
of  the  new  school-house,  a  large  and  convenient  room,  seating 
about  350  persons.  A  church  was  here  organized  June  23, 
1847,  containing  in  all  32  members.  At  the  close  of  the  second 
year  a  total  membership  of  75  was  reported.  In  1849  and  '50, 
Rev.  Wm.  M.  Hubbard,  a  local  preacher,  took  charge  of  the 

*  By  tbe  pastor,  Rev.  Chas.  T.  Jolineon, 


society,  but  at  the  close  of  his  services,  the  hall,  which  was 
owned  by  the  district,  was  to  be  occupied  for  a  town-school, 
and  the  society,  having  no  place  of  worship,  was  left  without 
a  preacher. 

They  contimied  to  hold  services,  however,  meeting  iu  the 
Tavern  Hall,  in  the  village,  and  were  supplied  mostly  by  stu- 
dents from  Wilbraham.  In  1852  the  society  worshiped  in  the 
Congregational  meeting-house  in  the  "  Old  Centre,"  and  were 
supplied  by  Revs.  D.  K.  Merrill  and  J.  A.  Ames.  In  1853, 
Palmer  Centre  and  South  Belchertown  were  connected  as  one 
station,  and  Kev.  D.  Atkins  appointed  pastor,  and  in  1854  it 
was  connected  with  Three  Rivers,  Rev.  E.  Morgan  pastor. 

During  this  year  the  two  societies  worshiped  in  the  town- 
house,  "  Four  Corners,"  until  cold  weather  compelled  them  to 
return  to  the  old  chapel  at  Three  Rivers.  In  1855,  Rev.  F. 
Fisk  was  preacher  of  the  two  societies,  and  the  following  year, 
185G,  they  were  left  to  be  supplied.  During  this  year  a  con- 
sultation of  all  the  friends  of  the  church  in  town  resulted  in 
the  harmonious  decision  to  build  a  house  of  worship  at  the 
"  Four  Corners,"  which  would  be  central  for  all.  The  work 
was  begun  in  September,  1850,  and  the  house  was  dedicated 
June  1(3,  1807,  Bishop  O.  C.  Baker  preaching  the  sermon  on 
the  occasion. 

The  following  have  successively  served  this  church  as  pas- 
tors:  Jonas  M.  Clark,  L.  R.  Bolls,  Jr.,  D.  K.  Bannister,  I. 
B.  Bigelow,  C.  H.  Hannaford,  A.  F.  Bailey,  A.  P.  Aiken,  N. 
Fellows,  J.  M.  Clark,  O.  W.  Adams,  Wm.  Gordon,  W.  R. 
Tisdale,  Chas.  T.  Johnson. 

For  several  years  the  church  at  "  Four  Corners,"  which  was 
regarded  by  many  as  a  very  doubtful  expedient,  has  been  quite 
succes.sful.  Good  congregations  have  assembled,  the  preach- 
ers receive  a  comfortable  support,  and  additions  are  constantly 
made.  But  as  the  villages  have  grown  stronger,  and  the  re- 
ligious wants  have  been  largely  met  in  them,  there  has  been 
less  inclination  to  go  away  from  them  for  worship.  The  so- 
ciety has  also  sutlered  somewhat  from  the  necessity  of  holding 
its  social  meetings  in  so  many  different  places.  There  remains, 
however,  a  good  congregation,  and  the  members  work  together 
in  harmony.  The  society  owns  a  pleasant  and  comfortable 
parsonage  in  the  village  of  Thorndike.  Social  meetings  are 
held  in  Thorndike,  Three  Rivers,  Old  Centre,  Palmer  Depot, 
and  South  Belchertown. 

ST.    PAUL'S   CHURCH    (UNIVERSALIST),    PALMER   DEPOT.f 

After  several  etForts  extending  over  many  years  a  Univer- 
salist  Church  was  formed  in  this  place  on  May  28, 1876.  The 
church  was  organized  by  Rev.  A.  J.  Patterson,  D.D.,  of  Bos- 
ton, 21  persons  pre.scnting  themselves  at  the  first  communion 
for  baptism  and  confirmation.  The  first  measures  toward  this 
successful  issue  were  taken  by  the  missionary  of  the  State 
Convention,  Rev.  Benton  Smith.  The  early  meetings  were 
held  under  great  disadvantages.  Through  the  opposition  of 
more  powerful  and  longer-established  churches  one  place  of 
worship  after  another  was  closed,  until  it  became  necessary  to 
meet  in  private  houses,  or  in  the  parlor  of  one  of  the  hotels 
in  town.  Freedom  to  worship  and  grow  as  a  religious  organi- 
zation became  possPble  only  when  a  defender  of  the  "faith," 
Mr.  M.  W.  French,  built  Wales  Hall,  which,  at  the  time  of 
writing,  is  the  place  of  meeting.  The  church  listened  to 
"supplies"  for  one  year,  and  then  settled  their  first  minister, 
Rev.  C.  H.  Eaton,  June  29,  1877.  Since  the  settlement  of  a 
pastor  the  growth  of  the  church  has  been  very  encouraging. 

The  following  resume  of  the  work  of  the  church  for  two 
years  of  its  existence  will,  it  is  thought,  at  once  disclose  the 
need  and  justify  the  establishment  of  a  church  of  liberal  faith 
in  the  town. 

Resume. — Number  of  church  members,  CO.  Number  of 
families  in  1876,  40;  In  1878,  110.     Number  in  congregation 

t  By  Kev.  P.  H.  Eatou. 


HISTORY  OP   HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


991 


in  1876,  70;  in  1878,  200.  Number  in  Sunday-school  in  1876, 
35;  in  1878,  125.  Money  raised  for  current  expenses,  chari- 
ties, etc,  .S4000. 

A  church  edifice  will  immediately  be  built,  to  cost  about 
815,000,  and  to  be  located  on  the  corner  of  Park  and  Central 
Streets. 

THE   FIRST   BAPTIST   CHURCH    IN   PALMER 

■was  organized  in  the  south  part  of  Belchertown,  under  the 
name  of  the  "  Belchertown"  and  Palmer  Baptist  Church,  on 
Nov.  16,  1825.  The  meeting-house  in  which  the  church  wor- 
shiped was  occupied  in  common  with  the  Methodist  Society. 
The  church  and  society  erected  their  present  edifice  at  the 
village  of  Three  Elvers  during  1832,  and  occupied  it  in  Jan- 
uary, 1833.  The  name  of  the  church  was  then  changed  to 
the  "  Baptist  Church  in  Three  Rivers."  The  number  of  origi- 
nal members  was  24, — 11  males  and  13  females.  Among  the 
pastors  who  have  supplied  the  church  have  been  Rev.  Messrs. 
Alvin  Bennett,  Henry  Archibald,  Tubal  "Wakefield,  David 
Pease,  John  R.  Bigelow,  Prosper  Powell,  N.  B.  Jones,  Ches- 
ter Tilden,  Joseph  Hodges,  Jr.,  Sandford  Leach,  Addison 
Parker,  and  Levi  H.  Wakeman.  Clarkson  P.  Russell  is  the 
present  pastor,  having  a.ssunied  that  relation  July  1,  1878. 
The  church  is  in  a  prosperous  condition. 

THE   SECOND   li.^PTIST   CHURCH    IX   PALMER 

is  located  at  the  Depot  village.  It  was  founded  by  a  colony 
from  the  First  Church ;  and  the  public  recognition  of  the 
same,  and  the  installation  of  its  first  pastor,  Rev.  Samuel 
A.  Collins,  took  place  on  the  29th  of  September,  1852.  Under 
the  charge  of  Mr.  Collins  the  prosperit}'  of  the  church  was 
such  that  a  commodious  house  of  worship  was  erected  by  the 
society  during  the  summer  and  autumn  of  18.53,  and  dedicated 
Peb.  22,  1854.  The  church  cost  S.JOOO.  Mr.  Collins  retired 
from  his  charge  in  the  following  April.  Several  persons  have 
since  ofliciated  as  pastor,  the  last  being  Rev.  Philip  Berry, 
who  withdrew  in  April,  1878.  The  pastor  of  the  "  Baptist 
Church  in  Three  Rivers"  at  present  supplies  the  pulpit.  The 
church  edifice  stands  near  the  bridge  at  the  upper  end  of  the 
village  of  Palmer,  and  presents  a  pleasing  and  attractive  ap- 
pearance. 

CATHOLIC    CHUP.cn  ES. 

These,  up  to  July  1,  1878,  were  under  the  entire  charge  of 
Rev.  F.  J.  Lynch,  of  the  village  of  Three  Rivers.  At  that 
time  the  parish  was  divided,  and  a  separate  charge  established 
at  Palmer  Depot.  The  pastor  there  is  the  Rev.  Thomas  J. 
Sullivan,  a  graduate  of  one  of  the  colleges  connected  with  his 
denomination,  and  an  earnest  worker.  Since  his  installation, 
Jul}'  1,  1878,  a  handsome  new  church  edifice  has  been  erected 
at  a  cost  of  over  .^4000.  The  church  is  calculated  to  seat  250 
people,  is  of  neat  Gothic  style,  unique  in  design,  and  is  sur- 
mounted with  a  steeple  and  bell.  It  is  located  on  Thorndike 
Street,  opposite  the  old  cemetery. 

The  chief  Catholic  work  in  Palmer  is  at  the  village  of 
Thorndike.  Here  a  handsome  church  edifice  is  standing,  and 
there  is  also  another  at  Three  Rivers.  A  handsome  parsonage 
has  just  been  erected  at  Thorndike,  and  here  the  Rev.  F.  J. 
Lynch  resides.  He  has  been  identified  for  many  years  with 
the  growth  and  development  of  the  church  in  Palmer  and 
surrounding  towns. 

THE   METHODIST   EPISCOPAL   CHURCH    OF   BONDS   VILLAGE. 

In  the  month  of  April,  1866,  a  few  members  of  the  South 
Belchertown  Church  and  others  residing  in  Bonds  village 
and  vicinity  opened  meetings  in  Union  Hall.  Rev.  John 
Cadwell  was  appointed  preacher  in  charge  at  the  close  of  the 
Conference  year.  A  class  of  15  members  was  formed,  which 
soon  doubled  in  numbers.  A  Sabbath-school  was  organized, 
consisting  of  about  70  scholars,  officers,  and  teachers,  and 
about  100  volumes  of  books  were  purchased  for  its  use.  At 
the  close  of  the  next  Conference  year  the  society  was  free 


from  debt.  Rev.  Mr.  Cadwell  was  succeeded  in  the  pastorate 
by  Rev.  Wm.  N.  Hubbard,  for  two  years.  In  1870,  Rev. 
Wm.  P.  Blackmar  was  appointed  pastor,  and  remained  two 
years.  In  1872,  Rev.  J.  W.  Cole  served  as  pastor  for  one 
year.  In  April,  1873,  Rev.  George  £.  Chapman  was  ap- 
pointed pastor,  and  remained  two  years.  Rev.  Alfred  Noon, 
in  1875  and  1876,  acted  as  the  sixth  pastor  of  the  church. 
During  the  year  1875  a  new  and  beautiful  house  of  worship 
was  erected,  at  a  cost  of  §6000.  The  corner-stone  was  the 
gift  of  Rev.  John  Cadwell,  the  first  pastor  of  the  church,  and 
was  laid  early  in  September.  Ground  was  broken  August  1.5th 
or  16th,  and  the  dedication  took  place  Jan.  13,  1876,  the  dedi- 
catory sermon  being  preached  by  Rev.  J.  M.  Barckley,  D.D. 

In  April,  1877,  Rev.  David  K.  Merrill  was  appointed  pastor, 
and  is  now  in  his  second  year.  The  church  is  in  a  prosperous 
condition,  and  arrangements  are  being  made  to  liquidate  the 
entire  church  debt.  The  present  membership  is  about  80;  of 
the  Sabbath-school,  about  90;  number  of  volumes  in  Sab- 
bath-school library,  nearly  400. 

UNION    EVANGELICAL    SOCIETY,  THREE    RIVERS. 

This  is  a  small  but  active  religious  organization  at  the  vil- 
lage of  Three  Rivers.  It  is  composed  of  the  members  of  dif- 
ferent Christian  churches,  but  approaches  most  nearly  to  the 
Congregational  form  of  worship.  A  neat  house  of  worship 
was  erected  in  July,  1877,  and  the  first  pastor  of  the  society 
was  the  Rev.  M.  M.  Tracy.  Rev.  F.  W.  Cobb  has  recently 
been  installed.  The  membership  of  the  society  is  about  40, 
and  the  average  attendance  at  the  Sabbath-school  is  58. 

ADVENTISTS. 

This  society  has  an  organization  at  Palmer  Depot ;  meet- 
ings are  held,  but  no  regular  pastor  is  in  charge. 

BURIAL-PLACES. 

The  oldest  place  of  burial  in  Palmer  is  located  at  the  centre. 
It  was  laid  out  in  1735,  and  the  fir.st  gravestone  erected  was 
that  of  Samuel  Nevius,  who  died  at  the  age  of  ninety-six 
years.  He  was  not,  however,  the  first  person  buried  there. 
The  ground  comprises  two  acres,  and  is  in  a  fair  condition. 
Interred  beneath  its  sod  are  the  remains  of  many  of  the  first 
settlers.  Numerous  antiquated  stones  mark  their  solemn  rest- 
ing-places and  testify  to  their  virtues.  The  Shaws,  Browns, 
McMasters,  McElweans,  Brackenridges,  Spences,  and  others, 
are  among  the  number  whose  tombstones  bear  early  dates  of 
sepulture.     It  is  still  in  use. 

The  cemetery  at  Palmer  Depot,  on  Thorndike  Street,  was 
laid  out  as  early  as  1750,  and  perhaps  earlier.  The  oldest 
stone  standing  at  present  is  that  of  Lieut.  Gideon  Merrick, 
who  died  of  small-pox,  Feb.  28,  1753,  at  the  age  of  thirty 
years.  This  disease  seems  to  have  been  common  and  fatal  in 
those  early  days,  for  many  early  tombstones  assign  that  as  the 
cause  of  death.  The  Scotts,  Coolej'S,  Kings,  Graves,  Walkers, 
and  Merricks  are  buried  there,  and  the  yard  is  still  in  use. 
It  is  in  a  good  condition,  and  contains  many  handsome  mon- 
uments. 

The  cemetery  at  Three  Rivers  was  laid  out  in  1825,  com- 
prises a  little  over  two  acres,  and  is  in  use  by  the  residents  of 
that  section  of  the  town. 

The  cemetery  at  Four  Corners  consists  of  about  2i  acres, 
and  was  laid  out  in  1851,  the  lirst  burial  taking  place  on  May 
16th  of  that  year. 

The  handsome  Catholic  cemetery  at  Thorndike  village  was 
laid  out  in  1863.  A  new  Catholic  cemetery  has  just  been  laid 
out  north  of  Palmer  Depot,  on  the  road  to  Thorndike. 

SOCIETIES  AND  CORPORATIONS. 
THE   PALMER  SAVINGS-BANK 

was  incorporated  March  26,  1870.  The  first  president  of  the 
institution  was  George  T.  Hill,  the  treasurer  M.  W.  French, 
and  the  secretary  James  G.  Allen.     The  present  officers  of 


992 


HISTORY   OF   THE   CONNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


the  bank  are:  President,  J.  B.  Shaw;  Vice-Presidents,  H.  F. 
Brown,  of  Brimfield,  P.  P.  Potter,  of  Wilbraham,  and  L. 
Dimock,  of  Palmer ;  Trustees,  G.  M.  Fiske,  J.  B.  Shaw,  M. 
W.  French,  S.  R.  Lawrence,  R.  L.  Goddard,  George  Mooers, 
J.  S.  Loomis,  H.  P.  Holden,  E.  Brown,  E.  Calkins,  C.  L. 
Gardner,  and  I.  G.  Potter;  Secretary  and  Treasurer,  W.  A. 
Lincoln.  The  amount  of  deposits  in  the  institution  is  about 
1375,000. 

THE  PALMER  NATIONAL  BANK 

was  organized,  with  a  capital  of  $75,000,  Nov.  18,  1875.  The 
first  meeting  of  the  board  of  directors  was  held  Nov.  23,  1875. 
M.  W.  French  was  chosen  president,  and  Leonard  Green 
cashier.  The  present  otfieers  are  :  President,  M.  W.  French  ; 
Vice-President,  A.  H.  Willis ;  Directors,  J.  B.  Shaw,  G.  N. 
Lacey,  P.  P.  Potter,  Ira  G.  Potter,  O.  B.  Smith,  J.  A.  Squier, 
and  George  Mooers;  Cashier,  W.  A.  Lincoln;  Assistant 
Cashier,  S.  W.  French. 

SOCIETIES. 
THOMAS  LODGE,  A.  F.  AND  A.  M., 

was  chartered  Dec.  13,  1796,  by  Paul  Revere,  G.  M.  Tlie 
charter  members  were  Samuel  Guthrie,  David  Young,  Peter 
Walbridge,  Hezekiah  Fisk,  Ephraini  Allen,  Elisha  Wood- 
ward, Amasa  Stowell,  John  Moore,  Daniel  Peck,  Zebediah 
Butler,  Jesse  Convers,  and  Isaiah  Blood,  Jr.  The  lodge  tirst 
existed  in  Monson.  The  principal  officers  of  the  lodge  are 
James  B.  Shaw,  W.  M. ;  Charles  McFarlin,  S.  W. ;  F.  A. 
Packard,  J.  W.  ;  A.  H.  Willis,  Treas.  ;  C.  W.  Cross,  Sec. 
Meetings  are  held  once  each  month  at  Masonic  Hall,  in  Com- 
mercial block.  The  membership  of  the  lodge  is  100.  Among 
the  Past  Masters  are  Joseph  L.  Reynolds,  George  Robinson, 
M.  Fox,  A.  Pinney,  G.  B.  Kenerson,  and  J.  K.  Warren. 

HAMPDEN    CHAPTER,    R.    A.    M., 

was  chartered  in  1863.  The  present  leading  otBcers  are  James 
B.  Shaw,  H.  P. ;  M.  Fox,  K.  ;  Wm.  Merrian,  S. ;  C.  Knox, 
Treas. ;  H.  H.  Sanders,  Sec.  The  membership  is  about  100, 
and  meetings  are  held  monthly  in  Masonic  Hall. 

THE   yOtTNQ    men's   CHRISTIAN   ASSOCIATION,    THREE    RIVERS, 

was  organized  Nov.  4,  1876.  The  present  membership  of  the 
society  is  about  25,  with  the  following  ofiicers :  President,  Jas. 
I.  Milliken;  Vice-President,  E.  P.  Tupper;  Secretary,  Dwight 
M.  Chapman ;  Treasurer,  Almon  A.  Milliken ;  Librarian, 
Norman  McLeard. 

THE    THREE    RIVERS    READING-ROOM    ASSOCIATION 

was  organized  in  October,  1878.  President,  Chas.  McFarlin  ; 
Secretary  and  Treasurer,  Charles  Squiers ;  Executive  Com- 
mittee, Albert  Barker,  Charles  McFarlin,  John  Perkins. 

THE    ANCIENT    ORDER    OF    HIBERNIANS,    THORNDIKE, 

was  organized  about  two  years  ago.  The  present  officers  are 
P.  J.  Cahill,  Pres. ;  John  P.  Burns,  V.  P.  ;  John  D.  Sullivan, 
Treas. ;  James  P.  Burns,  Sec.     Membership  about  30. 

ANCHOR    OF    HOPE    LODGE,    I.    0.    G.    T., 

meets  every  Thursday  evening  in  Temple  Hall,  Palmer  Depot, 
and  is  in  a  flourishing  condition. 

THE    EASTERN    HAMPDEN   AGRICULTURAL   SOCIETY 

was  organized  in  the  year  18-56.  The  present  officers  are : 
President,  Dr.  H.  P.  Wakefield;  Vice-Presidents,  George 
Mooers,  H  P.  Holden  ;  Secretary  and  Treasurer,  O.  P.  Allen  ; 
Directors,  J.  F.  Holbrook,  C.  E.  Dewey,  Charles  Upham, 
Palmer;  W.  M.  Tucker,  G.  W.  Burdick,  Monson;  N.  K. 
Sessions,  Hampden;  H.  Wallis,  Jr.,  Holland;  0.  A.  Davis, 
West  Brookfleld  ;  Delegate  to  State  Board  of  Agriculture  for 
three  years.  Dr.  H.  P.  Wakefield. 

THE   YOUNO   MEN'S   LIBRARY    ASSOCIATION 

was  organized  in  the  year  1878,  and  is  now  upon  a  firm  basis, 
having  a  carefully-selected  library  of  several  hundred  volumes. 


The  present  officers  are  :  President,  Rev.  C.  H.  Eaton  ;  Vice- 
President,  Charles  B.  Fisk  ;  Secretary,  S.  W.  French  ;  Treas- 
urer, W.  A.  Lincoln  ;  Librarian,  Dr.  W.  H.  Stowe;  Assistant 
Librarian,  W.  C.  Dewey ;  Directors,  Dr.  W.  H.  Stowe,  S.  W. 
French,  W.  A.  Lincoln,  and  O.  P.  Allen. 

Temperance  Union. — President,  William  Holbrook  ;  Vice- 
Presidents,  Rev.  J.  H.  Bradford,  Rev.  C.  H.  Eaton,  Chas.  B. 
Fisk;  Executive  Committee,  E.  J.  Wood,  George  Robinson; 
Secretary  and  Treasurer,  A.  L.  Slader. 

Literary  Club. — President,  Rev.  B.  M.  Fullerton  ;  Vice- 
President,  Rev.  J.  H.  Bradford;  Executive  Committee,  O.  P. 
Allen,  W.  A.  Lincoln,  Mrs.  J.  H.  Bradford  ;  Secretary,  W.  C. 
Dewey. 

The  Palmer  Dramatic  Club  meets  in  Union  Hall. 
President,  George  Robinson  ;  Vice-President,  L.  B.  Colburn  ; 
Secretary  and  Treasurer,  S.  W.  French  ;  Directors,  W.  A. 
Weld,  W.  A.  Barnes,  Jennie  Kenerson. 

Anchor  of  Hope  Lodge,  I.  0.  G.  T. — Officers :  Cora  M. 
Shaw,  W.  C.  T.  ;  H.  G.  Cross,  Treasurer;  Financial  Secre- 
tary, Gertie  Simonds ;  Secretary,  William  Kurtz ;  Assistant 
Secretary,  Mary  Nelson ;  Chaplain,  E.  G.  Wood ;  Marshal, 
Fisk  Rogers  ;  Deputy  Marshal,  Mr.  McCauley  ;  Inside  Guard, 
A.  E.  Cross;  Outside  Guard,  John  Glover;  P.  W.  C.  T., 
Eddie  Keith;  D.  G.  W.  C.  T.,  H.  G.  Cross. 

A.  O.  H.  Division,  No.  1. — President,  F.  M.  Connor;  Vice- 
President,  James  Henighan ;  Recording  Secretary,  J.  L. 
W'ilder;  Financial  Secretary,  T.  J.  Sullivan;  Treasurer, 
Michael  Folley. 

A.  O.  H.  Division,  No.  2.— President,  P.  J.  Cahill;  Vice- 
President,  P.  Hurley ;  Recording  Secretary,  M.  Coffey  ;  Fi- 
nancial Secretary,  C.  G.  Broderick  ;  Treasurer,  J.  D.  Sullivan. 

Thorndike  Reform  Club. — President,  Geo.  A.  Murdock  ; 
Secretary,  Thomas  C.  Hutchinson  ;  Financial  Secretary,  Wm. 
A.  Hastings;  Treasurer,  Henry  McGilp;  Marshal,  Michael 
Fleming;  Steward,  James  Hutchinson;  Sergeant-at-Arms, 
John  Robertson ;  Executive  Committee,  H.  E.  W.  Clark, 
Wm.  A.  Hastings,  John  Woods. 

Boston  Duck  Cornet  Band. — President,  F.  A.  Packard ; 
Vice-President,  Chapin  W^arriner ;  Secretary,  Seymour  Cut- 
ting; Treasurer,  F.  A.  Packard;  Leader,  F.  A.  Packard; 
Instructor,  Prof.  M.  F.  Clare. 

Thorndike  Cornet  Band. — President,  Peter  J.  Cahill ; 
Secretary,  Thomas  C.  Hutchinson;  Treasurer  and  Financial 
Secretary,  William  G.  Pasco;  Teacher,  J.  J.  Fitzgibbons  ; 
Leader,  William  Hutchinson. 

INDUSTRIAL   PURSUITS. 

The  principal  occupation  of  the  inhabitants  of  Palmer  prior 
to  1824  was  the  pursuit  of  agriculture.  A  few  scattered  enter- 
prises existed,  however,  anterior  to  that  time. 

At  the  meeting  of  the  proprietors  of  the  district  held  Nov. 
13,  1736,  it  was  "voted  that  the  Grist-mill  built  by  Robert 
Ferral  and  Thomas  Harmon  be  accepted  as  a  good  and  suf- 
ficient mill  for  our  service,  and  in  full  satisfaction  of  the  con- 
dition enjoined  on  Steward  Southgate,  by  the  Act  of  the  Gen- 
eral Court."  This  was  the  first  grist-mill  in  the  town.  Steward 
Southgate  erected  one  on  Potaquatick  Brook  in  1737.  The 
following  minutes,  taken  from  the  proprietors'  records,  will 
prove  of  interest,  as  indicating  the  erection  of  the  first  saw- 
mills in  the  town  ; 

"  On  Tuesilay,  the  3d  day  of  September,  1730,  the  foundation  of  the  dam  on 
the  nortlieast  corner  of  Potaquatick  was  laid ;  on  tlie  I4th  of  October,  lYiiO, 
Potaquaticli  Saw-Mill  was  raised;  and  on  the  5th  day  of  March,  next  after,  the 
saw-mill  tiret  went ;  on  the  I3tb  day  of  December,  1732,  the  said  mill  was  burnt 
down.  It  stood,  after  U  teas  raised,  two  years  and  two  months,  wanting  one  day  ; 
after  it^>.s-(  iretU  it  stood  but  one  year,  nine  months,  and  eight  days. 

"The  second  saw-mill  at  Potaquatick  pond,  rebuilt  on  the  same  spot,  viz.:  it 
was  raised  on  the  8th  day  of  October,  1733,  and  first  went  on  the  6tli  day  of 
November,  17.34,  and  on  the  -icth  day  of  Apiil,  1730,  it  was  undermined  by  the 
water,  and  broken  down  after  it  had  stood  two  and  a  half  yeare;  and  after  it 
first  went,  one  year  and  five  months. 

"The  third  saw-mill,  built  on  a  new  spot,  was  raised  the  20th  of  September, 
I73G,  and  first  went  on  the  5th  of  M.ay,  1737." 


Photo,  by  Moffltt. 


€^^:^€^/ 


(^^^^i^/-^t^ 


The  Blanchard  family  originated  in  Normandy,  and  at  an  early 
day  two  of  its  representatives,  who  were  brothers,  came  to  this  country 
and  settled,  the  one  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  State  of  Massachusetts, 
and  the  other  in  the  western.  From  thes-x  two  originated  the  two 
branches  of  the  family  now  represented  in  the  State. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  descended  from  the  western  branch  ot 
the  family.  His  grandfather,  Samuel,  lived  at  Sutton,  Mass.,  a 
hundred  years  ago  or  more,  and  engaged  in  farming.  He  had  seven 
children,— Samuel,  Ste|.hen,  John  B.,  Mary,  Thomas,  Abiatha,  and 
Susan  Of  these  sons,  Thomas  was  one  of  the  most  celebrated  in- 
ventor's that  the  United  States  has  ever  seen,  his  fertility  of  invention 
being  wonderful  and  the  scope  of  his  inventive   powers  seemingly 

unlimited.  ,  .         ^      i.      i- 

Among  other  things  that  he  invented  were  machines  for  hea(ling 
tacks,  for  bending  wood,  and  for  turning  irregular  forms.  Ihis 
latter  invention  was  of  incalculable  value.  It  was  first  applied  to 
turning  the  stocks  of  guns,  and  was  at  once  adopted  by  the  govern- 
ment armories  ;  then  to  the  making  of  the  indentation  for  letting  the 
eunlock  into  the  stock;  to  the  turning  out  of  busts  and  castas  from 
hard  substances;  and  to  a  thousand  and  one  branches  of  mechanical 
art.  After  inventing  various  other  patents,  and  achieving  a  wide 
reputation  as  an  inventor  throughout  the  world,  he  died  in  the  year 
1865,  attheageofseventy-si.K.  „,k„a     ,c, 

John  Brewer,  father  of  Alonzo  V.,  was  born.  May  2,  1,80,  at  Sut- 
ton, Mass.  He  was  a  scythe-maker  by  trade,  and  followed  that 
occupation  throughout  his  life,  settling  in  Palmer  Mass.,  in  the  year 
IS'/-  and  still  pursuing  the  manufacture  of  scythes,  he  acquired  the 
highest  reputation  for  the  superiority  of  his  goods  He  married 
Silence,  daughter  of  Reuben  Barton,  of  Sutton,  and  died  in  October 
1850.  His  children  were  Alonzo  V.,  Wm.  J.,  Emily,  John  D.,  and 
Franklin,  all  of  whom  attained  mature  years,  the  boys  becoming 
scythe-makers  by  trade;  of  these  children  only  Alonzo  V.  and 
Franklin  are  now  living,  each  at  Blanchardville,  in  the  town  ot 
Palmer,  Mass.  »     <•  q  ,» 

Alonzo  V.  Blanchard  was  born  in  the  northeastern  part  ot  but- 
ton, Mass.  (now  the  town  of  Millbury),  on  Dec.  2,  1805  He  passed 
his  early  life  in  learning  the  trade  of  a  scythe-maker  and  in  acquiring 
an  education,  attending  first  the  common  schools  of  his  native  town, 
and  finishing  at  Dudley  Academy  and  Harrison  Academy  ;  at  the  age 
of  nineteen  his  father  located  in  Palmer,  Alonzo  V.  accompanying 
him  and  engaging  in  the  manufacture  of  scythes  for  him.  After  a 
few  years  he  entered  into  partnership  with  his  father  in  the  same 
enterprise;  a  little  later  his  father  withdrew  from  the  business,  and 
Alonzo  V.  took  into  partnership  with  him  his  brother  \^  illiam  J.  Ihe 
latter  being  obliged  to  withdraw  on  account  of  health,  the  business 
was  first  run  by  Alonzo  V.  and  John  D.,  in  partnership,  the  fourth 
brother,  Franklin,  joining  the  firm  a  little  later.  This  business  con- 
nection continued  for  many  years  and  achieved  great  success  and 
was  only  dissolved  by  the  sudden  death  of  John  D.,  in  the  year  187^. 
During  the  time  that  these  brothers  were  in  partnership  they  were 
burned  out  three  times;  but,  nothing  daunted,  steadily  pursued  their 
avocation. 


In  addition  to  scythe-making,  the  Blanchard  Brothers  also  engaged 
largely  in  the  manufacture  of  plough  and  shovel  handles,  ox-yokes, 
and  other  bent-wood  articles,  having  purchased  of  their  Uncle 
Thomas  his  patent  for  bending  wood.  This  department  of  their 
business  reached  in  some  years  the  handsome  sum  of  $20,000,  and 
they  manufactured  annually,  in  addition,  about  two  thousand  dozen 
of  scythes,  the  market  value  of  these  being  about  the  same  sum. 

When  the  Blanchard  family  first  settled  at  the  point  that  bears 
their  name,  but  meagre  improvements  had  been  made,  there  being 
there  simply  a  grist- and  saw-mill  and  two  dwelling  houses;  now 
there  are  some  twelve  dwelling-houses  and  other  improvements,  the 
whole  making  a  pleasant  little  settlement  about  one  mile  and  a 
quarter  east  of  Palmer  Depot.  Mr.  Blanchard  occupies  a  handsome 
and  homelike  residence  at  Blanchardville,  and  is  now  engaged  in 
agricultural  pursuits,  and  in  negotiating  the  favorable  sale  of  the 
excellent  water-privileges  owned  by  himself,  his  brother  Franklin, 
and  the  heirs  of  his  brother  John  D. 

Besides  devoting  his  energies  to  his  business  enterprises,  Mr. 
Blanchard  has  found  time  to  perform  various  public  duties.  For 
the  period  of  ten  years  he  was  one  of  the  supervisors  of  the  public 
schools  of  Palmer,  an  oflice  requiring  great  tact,  discrimination,  and 
good  judgment;  he  has  also  been  a  selectman  of  the  town  for  many 
years,  and  overseer  of  the  poor.  In  the  years  1836,  1845,  and  1847 
he  represented  the  town  in  the  State  Legislature.  He  has  always  been 
a  member  of  the  Democratic  party,  and  was  several  times  a  candidate 
for  important  offices,  being  a  candidate  for  Congress  on  two  occasions, 
and  for  State  Senator  several  times,  coming  within  eight  votes  of 
being  elected  to  the  latter  office  in  a  county  largely  Republican. 
Mr.  Blanchard  was  also  one  of  the  first  inspectors  of  the  State  alms- 
house at  Monson,  and  filled  that  position  for  several  years. 

In  religious  afi'airs  Mr.  Blanchard  is  a  member  of  the  Congre- 
gational Church  of  Palmer  Depot,  and  has  been  an  active  and 
prominent  member  for  many  years,  contributing  largely  to  its  benevo- 
lent and  missionary  enterprises,  and  filling  offices  of  responsibility  in 
the  church. 

On  Oct.  25,  1827,  Mr.  Blanchard  was  united  in  marriage  to  Elvira 
Ann,  daughter  of  Daniel  Shearer,  who  was  the  first  to  practice  the 
legal  profession  in  the  town  of  Palmer.  But  one  child  has  been  born 
to°them,  Mary  King,  who  was  born  June  18,  1830  ;  married  Albert  P. 
Chapman,  Oct.  25,  1847,  and  died  April  8,  1S65.  Mrs.  Blanchard  is 
still  living. 

The  fiftieth  anniversary  of  the  wedding  of  this  memorable  couple, 
on  Oct.  25,  1877,  was  celebrated  with  appropriate  ceremonies.  They 
left  their  home  to  revisit  the  "  old  King  homestead,"  in  the  east  part 
of  the  town,  where  they  were  married,  and,  standing  on  the  identical 
spot  where  they  stood  fifty  years  before,  there  commemorated  the 
important  step  they  had  then  taken.  What  cares,  troubles,  and 
vicissitudes  had  they  not  experienced  since  then !  Returning  to 
their  home,  they  found  it  in  charge  of  many  kind  friends,  who  gave 
them  a  hearty  reception  and  made  them  the  recipients  of  costly  and 
elegant  gifts,  fitly  recognizing  the  long  life  of  domestic  peace  that 
they  had  spent  together. 


John  llcnry  Wuulrich  is  the  secoml 
son  of  Ileury  Woolrich,  of  Carveley 
Hall,  Hundley,  Cheshire,  England. 
His  ancestry  dates  back  many  hun- 
dred years,  and  the  old  church  is  still 
standing  at  HjLndley  to  which  the 
family  have  paid  tithes  for  upward 
of  four  hundred  years.  His  mother 
was  a  Vernon,  and  a  connection  of 
tliat  family  to  which  Admiral  Ver- 
non belonged,  after  whom  Mount 
Vernon,  the  home  of  Washington, 
was  named. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was 
born  at  Handley,  county  of  Chesh- 
ire, March  14,  1837.  His  early  days 
%vere  passed  in  attaining  an  education 
near  the  old  city  of  Chester.  From 
about  the  age  of  fourteen  to  that  of 
twenty  he  served  a  full  apjirentice- 
ship,  under  indentures,  in  theacquire- 
ment  of  the  profession  of  a  chemij-t. 
and  thus  laid  the  foundation  of  that 
chemical  knowledge  and  experience 
that  has  proved  so  useful  to  him  in 
his  present  business.  In  the  year 
1860,  Mr.  Woolrich  left  his  native 
country,  and  removed  to  Halifax, 
Nova  Scotia,  stton  after  engaging  in 
the  drug  business  in  that  place.  He 
still  retains  an  interest  there  in  the 
same  enterprise.  During  the  time 
that   ho   was   engaged   in    the   drug 


:*.^% 


business,  Mr.  Woolrich  also  acted 
as  agent  for  the  firm  in  England  who 
were  manufacturing  Kidge's  patent 
food  for  infants  and  invalids.  lu 
the  year  1870,  in  connection  with 
others,  Mr.  Woolrich  undertook  the 
manufacture  of  this  article  at  Maiden 
Mass.  After  remaining  there  five 
years  the  enterprise  was  transferred 
to  Palmer,  for  the  purpose  of  securing 
better  shipping  facilities,  where  it  has 
since  continued  under  his  manage- 
ment and  control.  The  business  has 
now  attained  large  proportions,  and 
the  article  manufactured  has  de- 
servedly achieved  great  popularityas 
an  article  of  domestic  use. 

On  Aug.  10,  1862,  Mr.  Woolrich 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Louisa, 
eldest  daughter  of  Robert  Woodell,  of 
the  city  of  Halifax.  But  one  child  haa 
been  born  to  them, — Vernon  Henry 
Woolrich,  born  May  22,  1863,  now 
attending  school  at  Mount  Allison 
Academy,  in  New  Brunswick. 

Mr.  Woolrich  has  permanently 
located  in  the  village  of  Palmer,  and 
occupies  a  pleasant  residence  on 
Thorndike  Street,  which  he  erected 
for  his  own  use  in  the  spring  of  1877, 
and  which  he  calls  "Tushingham 
Cottage,"  after  the  ancestral  estate 
of  the  Vernon  family. 


JOHN    HENRY  WOOLRICH. 


WOOLRICH    &   CO.,    PALMER,    MASS. 


I 


HISTORY   OF  HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


993 


The  first  mills  probably  stood  at  the  northeas'tern  corner  of 
Pataquatick  Pond. 

Saw-  and  grist-mills  liavc  existed  in  difl'ercnt  parts  of 
the  town  since  that  time.  William  Mason  had  a  tannery 
at  Blanchardville,  in  the  early  part  of  the  present  century. 
Asa  Gates  carried  on  a  small  carding  and  cloth-dressing  estab- 
lishment in  Thorndilve  about  1822  or  '23.  Hancock  &  Bur- 
nett had  a  lock-manufactory  at  Thorndike  about  twenty  j'ears 
ago.  Horace  Clark  manufactured  cotton  batting,  where  the 
Palmer  Carpet  Company  now  is,  about  the  same  time. 

In  1824,  John  B.  Blanchurd  came  to  Palmer  from  the  town 
of  Dudley  (afterward  Webster),  and  began  the  manufacture 
of  scythes  at  Blanchardville.  He  continued  in  that  business 
until  1840,  when  he  retired,  and  his  four  sons — Alonzo  V., 
William  J.,  John  D.,  and  Franklin — continued  the  business 
in  partnership  until  1872,  when  the  death  of  John  D.  dissolved 
the  firm,  and  the  business  was  discontinued.  When  in  opera- 
tion these  works  produced  about  2000  dozen  scythes  annually, 
at  an  average  valuation  of  IjO  per  dozen. 

The  water-privilege  at  Bond's  village  was  early  utilized  by 
Emelius  Bond  and  others.  A  small  woolen-mill  existed  there 
prior  to  1850,  but  was  destroyed  by  fire  in  that  year. 

THE    BOSTOX    DUCK   COMPANY, 

at  Bond's  village,  was  organized  about  1844.  It  now  has 
an  excellent  mill  at  that  point,  and  is  engaged  in  the  manu- 
facture of  cotton  duck.  The  mill  contains  1.5,000  spindles. 
The  number  of  hands  employed  is  3-jO,  and  the  average  an- 
nual production  is  4,-j00,000  yards.  In  1877,  2,388,000  pounds 
of  cotton  were  used.  The  pay-roll  averages  about  .$7000  per 
month.  The  capital  stock  is  §350,000.  Oren  B.  Smith  has 
been  the  resident  agent  of  the  company  since  1870. 

THE   BONDSTILLE    DYE-WORKS 

are  also  owned  and  controlled  by  the  Boston  Duck  Company. 
They  occupy  a  large  brick  building,  which  was  erected  in 
1876,  and  are  doing  a  large  business.  All  varieties  of  cloth 
and  flannels  are  colorgd  at  the  works. 

THE   OTIS   COMPANY- 

is  located  at  Three  Kivers,  and  engaged  in  the  manufacture 
of  fancy  dress  goods.  The  Palmer  Manufacturing  Company 
located  on  the  site  in  1824,  but  failed  in  1828.  In  1830,  Joseph 
Brown  went  to  Three  Ilivers  and  took  charge  of  the  enter- 
prise for  another  company,  and  in  1832  commenced  the  manu- 
facture of  common  white  cotton  goods.  Brown  left  in  18G1. 
Samuel  Haines  succeeded  him,  and  engaged  in  the  manufac- 
ture of  fancy  dress  goods.  The  mill  was  burned  May  10, 
1863,  and  the  privilege  was  unused  for  nine  j-ears.  The  Otis 
Company  erected  their  present  handsome  mill  in  1872.  They 
employ  between  .500  and  (iOO  hands,  their  pay-roll  amounting 
to  from  §10,000  to  S11,000  monthly.  The  mill  contains  451 
looms,  uses  about  3000  bales  of  cotton  annually,  and  produces 
from  300,000  to  400,000  yards  of  fancy  dress  goods  per  month. 
Edwin  H.  Barker  is  acting  agent,  and  Albert  A.  Barker 
resident  superintendent. 

THE  THORNDIKE  MANUFACTURING  COMPANY 

commenced  operations  in  that  village  in  1837,  when  they 
erected  a  stone  cotton-mill.  In  18413  and  1847  they  erected  a 
second  mill,  and  in  both  these  establishments  are  now  employ- 
ing about  450  persons.  Cotton  ticks,  denims,  and  stripes  are 
the  goods  manufactured.  Over  3000  bales  of  raw  material 
are  annually  used,  producing  about  5,500,000  yards  of  manu- 
factured goods.  Cornelius  Wilson,  of  Thorndike,  is  the  agent, 
and  exercises  a  general  superintendence  over  the  mills.  The 
capital  stock  of  the  company  is  .?4.5O,000. 

THE   PALMER   CARPET   COMPANY', 

about  a  mile  above  Palmer  Depot,  was  established  Nov.  1(5, 
1874.     It  is  an  incorporated  joint-stock  enterprise,  with  a 
125 


capital  of  $50,000,  and  is  principally  engaged  in  the  manu- 
facture of  Brussels  and  Wilton  carpets,  of  which  about  125,000 
yards  are  annually  produced.  The  number  of  persons  em- 
ployed is  55,  receiving  about  .fl800  per  month.  The  company 
use  about  150,000  pounds  of  worsted  yarn  annually.  The 
works  used  by  the  concern  were  erected  in  1871  by  the  Parks 
Carpet  Company,  and  came  into  the  possession  of  the  present 
owners  in  1874,  since  which  time  a  new  boiler-room  has  been 
added.     Andrew  Pinney  is  the  superintendent  of  the  works. 

THE  HA5IPDEN  HAT-MILLS 
are  located  at  Palmer  Depot,  and  were  established  in  18(i9. 
S.  N.  Davis  first  engaged  in  the  business  of  straw-hat  finish- 
ing, and  continued  therein  upward  of  three  years,  when  he 
was  succeeded  by  Eobert  L.  Goddard,  the  present  owner,  who 
has  since  pursued  that  branch  of  manufocture.  When  run- 
ning, the  establishment  employs  from  50  to  60  hands.  In 
1877  over  100,000  dozens  of  straw-hats  were  finished  in  the 
mills,  and  over  40,000  dozens  were  trimmed. 

ridge's   PATENT-FOOD    FACTORY', 

located  on  Thorndike  Street,  Palmer  Depot,  is  one  of  the  most 
widely  known  enterprises  in  the  country.  Woolrich  &  Co., 
the  owners,  removed  from  Maiden,  Mass.,  to  Palmer,  in  the 
winter  of  1874.  Prom  6  to  10  persons  are  engaged  in  the 
manufacture  of  the  patent  food.*  The  factory  is  a  model  of 
cleanliness  and  order.  Hundreds  of  dozens  of  boxes  of  the 
food  are  annually  produced. 

the    P.iLMER    IRON-FOUNDRY, 

at  Palmer  Depot,  has  been  run  by  Edgerton  &  Davis  since 
1874,  succeeding  Julius  C.  Shaw.  They  employ  from  12  to 
15  men  in  the  manufacture  of  hollow-ware,  sinks,  and  various 
kinds  of  machinery. 

the  palmer  planino-mills 
were  established  at  Palmer  Depot  in  1873  by  Francis  Keyer, 
the  present  proprietor. 

the    MARCHANT   &    WING   HAT-FACTORY 

at  Palmer  Depot  was  established  in  1876  by  Reuben  C.  Wing. 
George  W.  Marchant  became  associated  in  the  enterprise  in 
the  fall  of  1778,  and  the  firm  are  now  engaged  in  the  manu- 
facture of  straw  hats,  and  in  finishing  and  pressing  the  same 
variety  of  goods.  The  proprietors  have  recently  remodeled 
the  factory,  with  a  view  to  increasing  its  production. 

SAWY'ER   &   GALLOP 

have  been  engaged  in  the  manufacture   of  soft  soap  since 

1851  at  Thorndyke,  succeeding  Smith,  Blanchard,  and  others 

in  the  same  business.     Upward  of  1000  barrels  are  annually 

produced. 

MILITARY. 

The  military  history  of  Palmer  has  been  highly  creditable. 
In  the  early  wars  the  town  contributed  such  assistance  as  was 
in  her  power  cheerfully  and  patriotically.  In  the  war  of  the 
Revolution  she  was  not  behind  her  sister-towns  in  the  exhi- 
bition of  those  qualities  which  nerved  the  arms  and  cheered 
the  hearts  of  a  liberty-loving  people.  On  June  17,  1776,  stir- 
ring resoluti(nis,  breathing  the  spirit  of  independence,  and  de- 
voting the  "  lives  and  fortunes"  of  the  citizens  to  the  support 
of  the  General  Congress,  were  adopted  by  the  town.  Many 
of  her  citizens  joined  the  ranks  of  the  patriots.  John  A. 
McElwean  was  among  this  number,  and  was  at  the  battle  of 
Bunker  Hill  and  at  the  surrender  of  Burgoyne. 

To  the  late  war  Palmer  contributed  her  full  quota  of  men, 
and  supported  every  active  measure  for  the  overthrow  of  the 
Rebellion. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  soldiers  who  served  from 
Palmer  in  the  war  of  1861-65  : 

*  Foori  for  iufauts. 


994 


HISTORY   OF  THE   CONNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


Paul  J.  Piuo,  Biirtlu.lonicw  J.  Miirpliy,  Ili-rl>ert  AV.  Ilitchcnck,  Albert  C.  rnr- 
Botis,  Artcnia-*  W.  Trifrgs,  Knuiklin  liliiir,  Juecph  K.  Di'wIIi-y  (inns.), 
rnnris  C.  (.'.lok  (titpt.),  Julin  Mrnpliy,  Georyi'  W.  HUIIh,  William  Mc- 
Gnire,  ElUiidj^y  BIc-Itit<tsli,  JHnii-B  BIcUintli,  I^-aiuli  Lniy,  Kinnk  K.  Les- 
ter, Otis  K.  Keniliill,  Haimu'l  R.  Keitli,  Frank  J.  HoU,  .Inliii  K.  Ileinp- 
8t<'a<i,  John  Hard,  Rubi'it  J.  Ilaiuock,  Osriir  S.  Gi  iswohl,  Robert  Gregory, 
Milf8  C.  GeniKt,  Jainca  0.  Klctdn-r,  Walter  H.  Ducaii,  Henry  Canter- 
bury, Satiiuel  itrowu,  Morris  Breen,  Riitus  M.  Hucon,  Jr.,  Frank  Angell, 
Cliarloa  Hustings  (wagoncj-),  James  B.  Fueter  (nins.).  Gi  orge  F.  Aniiiluii 
(Corp.),  EibriJge  G.  Hiusting-*  (>ergt.),  William  F.  Wbite  (sergt.).  Anson 
A.  Dormaii  (sergt.),  Horace  White,  George  H.  Wt-llniaii,  Chaib-BTuin, 
Perlin  Th.-nipsun,  Charles  A.  StiiJIey,  Eli  Stricklan.l,  Dexter  H.  Paek- 
uiil,  Ijike  Killon,  John  Kennedy,  William  F.  White,  Muliael  Mnlvaney, 
liiraui  N.  Palmer,  Janics  Fitzpatrick,  George  Dunham,  Daniel  Mouiton, 


Bernard  M.  Hanaon,  George  "W.  Clark,  Horaeo  White,  John  Farrel,  Pat- 
rick O'Hare  (corp.),  Ewaiii  Fitzgerald,  Patrick  Owen,  Harlow  B.  Kibbe, 
Lyman  A.  Cooley,  Stephen  Luciw,  Horatio  D.  Green,  Jacob  Smith,  Joseph 
Bell,  Henry  Gregg. 

For  assistance  in  compiling  the  foregoing  facts  thanks  are 
due  to  Jonathan  MoElwoan,  Asa  Shurnway,  Alonzo  V.  Blan- 
chard,  the  widow  of  Cyrus  Knox,  M.  W.  French,  the  editors 
and  proprietors  of  the  Palmer  Jour?ialj  and  other  citizens  of 
Palmer,  and  especially  to  the  clergy  of  the  various  churches 
ill  the  town.  Much  help  has  also  been  derived  from  several 
lianiphlcts  loaned  by  Rev.  B.  M.  Fullerton. 


BEIMFIELD. 


GEOGRAPHICAL. 
This  town  is  situated  on  the  eastern  border  of  the  county 
of  Hampden,  and  hounded  as  follows:  On  the  north  by  the 
town  of  Warren,  Worcester  Co.  ;  on  the  south  by  the  towns 
of  Wales  and  Holland,  Hampden  Co. ;  on  the  east  by  the 
town  of  Sturbridge,  Worcester  Co.;  and  on  the  west  by  the 
to\vn.s  of  Monson  and  Palmer,  Hampden  Co.,  the  last  named 
town  being  separated  from  it  by  the  Quaboag  Kiver,  a  branch 
of  the  Chicopee  Kiver.  The  east,  west,  and  south  lines  are 
straight,  and  correspond  nearly  with  the  cardinal  points.  The 
north  and  northwest  lines  are  irregular.  The  area  included 
within  its  limits  is  given  at  21,018  acres. 

NATURAL   FEATURES. 

Situated  upon  the  highlands  which  separate  the  waters  of 
the  Thames  from  those  of  the  Connecticut,  the  greater  portion 
of  the  town  is  quite  elevated,  the  highest  points  reaching  an 
altitude  of  more  than  1200  feet  above  the  sea. 

Its  general  topography  is  made  up  of  a  series  of  lofty 
ridges  and  isolated  hills,  many  of  which  approach  the  dignity 
of  mountains,  and  all  more  or  less  irregular  and  rugged  in 
outline,  and  consisting  of  crystalline  and  metamorphic  rocks, 
of  which  gneiss  forms  a  prominent  feature.  The  general 
direction  of  these  ridges  is'a  little  northeast  and  southwest, 
and  they  are  found  in  all  parts  of  the  town.  The  principal 
elevations  are  known  by  the  following  names  :  East  and  West 
Waddaquodduck  Mountains,  Steerage  Kock, — a  prominent 
feature  in  the  landscape,  who.se  lofty  heights  the  Indians  were 
wont  to  ascend  in  order  to  get  their  bearings  for  Agawam  and 
Nonotuck,  and  from  which  circumstance  it  is  said  to  have 
derived  its  name, — Chamberlain  Jlountain,  Great  Mountain, 
Mill-Stone  Mountain,  Saw-Mill  Mountain,  Cook's  Mountain, 
Hubbard's  Hill,  Sheep-Pasture  Hill,  Indian  Hill,  Grass  Hill, 
Mount  Misery,  Burt  Hill,  Breakneck  Hill,  Haynes'  Hill, 
Bush  Hill,  James  Hill,  and  Waehe-Queeche  Hill.  Many  of 
these  are  exceedingly  rough  and  rugged  in  their  outlines,  and 
are  a  marked  feature  in  the  landscape  as  seen  from  any  di- 
rection. 

The  principal  streams  are  the  Quinnebaug  and  Quaboag 
Rivers  and  their  branches.  The  major  portion  of  the  town  is 
drained  by  Mill  Brook,  an  important  affluent  of  the  Quinne- 
baug Kiver,  a  branch  of  the  Thames,  which  discharges  into 
Long  Island  Sound  at  New  London,  Conn.  The  Quinnebaug 
receives  the  waters  from  all  the  eastern  portions  of  the  town, 
including  those  of  two  considerable  ponds,  known  as  Sherman, 
or  Brimfield,  and  Alluni  Pond.*  Sherman's  Pond  is  situated 
near  the  centre  of  the  town,  and  contains  about  80  acres. 

*  According  to  Ei)ger  Williame,  who  wrote  upon  the  language  of  the  New 
England  Indians,  Allum,  or  Alum,  was  the  Nipmuck  word  for  dog. 


Allum  Pond  lies  near  the  east  boundary,  in  a  deep  basin, 
surrounded  by  precipitous  ridges,  and  covers  an  area  of  about 
100  acres.  Brimfield,  or  Sherman's  Pond,  discharges  into 
Mill  Brook.  The  western  part  of  the  town  is  drained  by 
three  considerable  affluents  of  the  Quaboag  Kiver,  the  most 
important  of  which  is  Elbow  Brook,  in  the  southwe-st  part  of 
the  town.  All  these  streams  furnish  water-power  to  a  greater 
or  less  extent,  which  has  been  utilized  in  various  places. 

Interspersed  among  these  hills  and  mountains  are  numerous 
valleys,  or  intervales,  of  greater  or  less  dimensions,  and  gen- 
erally composed  of  a  sandy  loam,  and  producing  fair  crops  of 
grass  and  some  varieties  of  grain.  Many  of  the  upland  farms 
are  stony  or  gravelly.  A  few  like  those  on  Tower  Hill  are 
composed  of  a  rich  loam,  but  the  meadow-lands  of  the  val- 
leys are  generally  considered  the  choicest  for  all  purposes. 
The  town  may  with  propriety  be  called  one  of  the  "hill- 
towns"'  of  the  county,  and  includes  almost  every  variety  of 
soil  and  location. 

Among  the  local  names  of  the  smaller  streams  are  Erwin'a 
Brook,  in  the  south  part  of  the  town;  Hitchcock's  Brook, 
running  through  the  village  of  Brimfield;  and  Treat  Brook, 
a  little  west  of  the  village,  named  in  honor  of  the  first  settled 
minister.  Perry  and  Bottle  Brooks  are  small  streams  in  the 
northwest  part  of  the  town,  flowing  into  the  Quaboag  River. 

There  are  still  remaining  upon  the  hills  and  mountains 
conside_rable  quantities  of  timber,  consisting  mainly  of  oak, 
maple,  elm,  chestnut,  pine,  and  white  birch.  Minerals  abound 
in  various  places,  among  the  most  important  being  bog-iron  ore, 
which  was  formerly  worked  to  a  considerable  extent  on  the 
farm  of  Charles  Bugbee,  since  occupied  by  Michael  Travers.f 

The  early  settlers  prized  the  natural  grass  of  the  water- 
courses very  highly,  and  they  had  recourse  to  various  methods 
to  increase  the  crop.  Among  other  expedients,  they  dammed 
the  streams  to  produce  an  overflow,  which  materially  bene- 
fitted the  natural  grasses  and  added  largely  to  the  crop  of  wild- 
hay.  The  introduction  of  English  grasses  upon  the  uplands 
was  found  a  difficult  experiment  to  make  successful,  and  the 
"  swale  hay"  was  the  more  highly  prized  in  consequence. 

STATISTICAL. 

According  to  the  census  taken  in  1771,  there  were  2.30  polls, 
14G  dwellings,  8  mills,  5  shops,  143  horses,  478  cows,  2.56 
oxen,  342  swine,  856  acres  in  tillage;  1249  acres  in  grass,  pro- 
ducing 823  tons  of  English  hay ;  535  acres  fresh  meadow, 
producing  490  tons  of  haj  ;  and  a  total  valuation  in  the  town 
of  £7481  8."!. 

By  the  census  returns  of  1875,  it  appears  that  there  were 
298  polls,  257  dwellings,  and  275  families.    There  were  12,300 

t  The  geology  of  the  whole  valley  will  be  found  described  in  a  general  thapter. 


HISTORY   OF  HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


995 


acres  of  ioiproved  lands,  with  products  valued  at  527^,740, 
and  the  total  %-aluatioii  of  property  was  $5i;7,200. 

EMINEXT    CITIZENS. 

Of  the  men  of  distinction  which  Brimfield  has  produced 
may  be  mentioned  Timothy  Danielson,  a  leading  spirit  during 
the  Revolutionary  period.  He  was  a  man  of  great  physical 
energy  and  endurance,  and  possessed  of  good  education. 
He  served  as  a  general  in  the  Revolutionary  war  for  a  time, 
and  filled  many  important  civil  offices.  In  after-years  he  was 
a  Senator  and  member  of  the  council,  and  was  the  first  chief- 
justice  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas.  He  died  at  Brimfield 
in  1791,  at  the  age  of  fifty-eight. 

Jonathan  Thompson,  of  Brimfield,  attained  to  a  colonelcy 
in  the  army  of  the  Revolution  ;  was  in  active  service,  and 
present  at  the  siege  of  Yorktown.  Lieut.  Thompson,  also  of 
Brimfield,  is  said  to  have  been  the  last  man  killed  in  the  Rev- 
olution. Abner  Morgan  held  the  rank  of  major  in  the  same 
army.  Christopher  Ward  was  a  trusted  and  efficient  soldier 
of  that  period,  had  many  stirring  experiences,  and  was  trusted 
with  the  conduct  of  many  enterprises  requiring  courage  and 
ingenuit}'.     Mr.  Blodgett  also  saw  much  active  service. 

Gen.  Wm.  Eaton,  noted  for  his  exjiloits  in  the  war  against 
Tripoli,  undertaken  for  the  suppression  of  piratical  assaults 
upon  our  commerce  in  the  Mediterranean,  was  long  a  resident 
of  the  town.  He  married  the  widow  of  Gen.  Timothy  Daniel- 
son,  and  lies  buried  in  the  cemetery  at  Brimfield. 

Charles  Prentiss,  the  author  of  a  history  of  the  United 
States,  and  the  biographer  of  Gen.  Eaton  and  Robert  Treat 
Paine,  resided  at  Brimfield  for  a  time. 

Erastus  Fairbanks,  ex-Governor  of  Vermont,  is  a  native  of 
the  town;  also  Josiah  Stebbins  and  Samuel  Hitchcock,  both  of 
whom  attained  to  the  Bench,  the  one  in  Vermont,  the  other  in 
Maine. 

IXDIAN    OCCUPATION    AND    RELICS. 

The  region  of  country  which  afterward  became  Brimfield 
at  the  time  of  its  first  settlement  is  presumed  to  have  been 
one  vast  forest.  The  Indians  had  probably  burned  over 
about  2000  acres  for  the  purpose  of  cultivation,  and  to  make 
early  grazing-places  for  the  deer. 

It  is  not  certain  that  there  was  any  regular  Indian  village 
on  this  land,  although  a  few  wigwams  are  said  to  have  occu- 
pied Indian  Hill.  It  was  a  part  of  the  Nlpmuck  country,  a 
tribe  which  seems  to  have  had  no  one  acknowledged  head.* 
Brookfield  was  the  home  of  the  Quaboag  tribe. 

The  bill  known  as  Indian  Hill  was  cultivated  by  the  In- 
dians, as  was  also  the  East  Hill.  The  early  settlers  followed 
the  customs  of  the  Indians  in  planting  corn.  The  proper  time 
was  when  the  young  oak-leaf  was  as  big  as  a  mouse's  ear. 
The  proper  method  was  to  hill  the  corn,  planting  beneath  the 
seed  a  fish  for  plant  food. 

Near  the  outlet  of  Sherman's  Pond  many  arrow-heads  are 
frequently  found.  While  living  in  the  western  part  of  the 
town  William  H.  Sherman  found  a  stone  utensil  and  a  pot  or 
mortar,  but  so  broken  that  it  could  not  be  restored  to  its  origi- 
nal shape.  Stone  hatchets  or  tomahawks  have  also  been  found 
at  Sherman's  and  Alum  Pond,  and  around  a  rock  on  the  old 
C.  R.  Brown  farm.  An  Indian  family,  Jiihn  and  Sarah  (^uan, 
with  their  children,  once  lived  near  Alum  Pond,  and  were  of 
the  Mulikan  tribe.  John  had  been  a  soldier  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary war,  and  came  from  Norwich,  Conn.  These  relics 
and  the  names  of  some  of  the  hills  and  water-courses  are  the 
only  traces  of  the  Indians  left.f 


*  Three  renegaile  NarrmjttmeU  Indians— Allumi)!5,Massashowell,aiul  Agiintics 
—are  saiii  to  have  exercised  autliority  over  these  Indians,  wlio  owed  a  <;Hri»(  al- 
legiance to  Uneas  as  the  nominal  head  of  the  tribe  cast  of  the  Connecticut 
River. 

t  It  is  at  least  qnestionahle  whether  the  modern  Indians  ever  niannfactnred 
or  made  nse  of  any  desciiption  of  htone  inii)lements  excepting  pots  of  soapstone. 
They  most  probably  are  relics  of  a  semi-civilized  race  long  since  passed  away, — 
possibly  identical  with  the  "  mound-builders"  of  the  West. 


EARLY    SETTLEMENT. 

On  the  20th  day  of  June,  1701,  the  General  Court,  in  com- 
pliance with  a  petition  of  21  residents  of  Springfield, J  ap- 
pointed Col.  John  Pynchon,  Cai)t.  Thomas  Colton,  Pelatiah 
Glover,  James  Warriner,  David  Morgan,  and  Joseph  Steb- 
bins a  committee  to  lay  out  a  new  township,  eight  miles  square, 
on  the  eastern  boundary  of  Springfield.  They  were  to  settle 
thereon,  distribute  it  to  (iO  families,  settle  20  families  within 
two  years  from  May,  1702,  and  make  provision  by  grants  for 
entertaining  70  families  if  the  land  would  conveniently  ac- 
commodate so  many.  Also  to  settle  an  "able  orthodox  min- 
ister of  the  gospel  there  as  soon  as  may  be."  No  one  person 
was  to  be  granted  more  than  120  acres  of  land. 

The  first  visit  of  the  committee  was  made  Sept.  22,  1701, 
20  other  persons  accompanying  them.  After  two  days  they 
returned  to  Springfield,  being  unable  to  decide  where  to  locate 
the  central  village  of  the  town  or  "town  plot."  A  second 
attempt  was  made,  with  no  better  success.  Grout's  Hill,  now 
in  the  town  of  Monson,  was  finally  .selected  as  the  proper  spot. 
The  first  grants  of  land  were  made  Dec.  31,  1701,  to  1-3  per- 
sons, on  condition  that  they  should  commence  work  thereon 
the  following  spring.  This  they  failed  to  do.  For  a  number 
of  years  no  further  grants  were  made.  The  reason  assigned 
was  that  the  war  "did  hinder  the  proceedings  of  us  so  that 
we  Could  not  full  fill  the  Conditions  of  our  Grant  by  Reason 
of  the  Great  danger  we  should  be  in  of  the  los  of  our  lives." 
When  Brimfield  was  first  settled  there  was  no  other  settle- 
ment east  of  Springfield  and  south  of  Brookfield  as  far  as  Ox- 
ford, and  it  was  in  old  Hampshire  County.  On  May  22,  17t;i, 
the  town  voted  against  removing  the  court  to  Northampton, 
also  appointing  a  committee,  who  presented  six  cogent  reasons 
against  the  project.^ 

As  originally  laid  out  Brimfield  included  the  present  towns 
of  Monson,  Wales,  Holland,  part  of  Palmer,  and  part  of  the 
town  of  Warren,  formerly  called  Western. ||  Monson  was 
incorporated  as  a  district  on  April  2.3,  1700,  with  all  the  rights 
of  a  town  except  that  of  corporate  representation  in  the  Leg- 
islature, and  in  1775  became  a  town,  its  first  town-meeting 
being  heid  December  29th  of  that  year.  Wales  and  Holland 
were  formerly  included  in  the  district  of  South  Brimfield. 
Wales  was  incorporated  as  a  district  Sept.  18,  1762,  and  be- 
came the  town  of  Wales,  Feb.  20,  1828.  Previous  to  the  latter 
date  it  had  retained  the  name  of  South  Brimfield.  Holland 
was  incorporated  as  a  district  by  virtue  of  an  act  passed  July 
5,  1783,  and  as  a  town  May  1,  1836. 

The  town  was  first  designated  as  "  the  plantation  adjoining 
Springfield  to  the  east  of  Springfield."  The  records  of  the 
committee  show  that  for  the  sake  of  convenience  alone  they 
changed  the  name  of  the  town  to  Brimfield. 

The  inhabitants  were  at  first  greatly  annoyed  by  the  Indians. 
The  trouble  from  this  source  was  so  serious  that  two  block- 
houses were  erected  where  the  residents  could  take  refuge  at 
night,  or  in  case  of  attack.  The  site  of  one  was  south  of  the 
mill-pond,  near  the  present  residence  of  John  S.  Needham. 
The  other  stood  where  the  almshouse  now  is. 

In  the  Massachusetts  Archives  (xci.,  page  62)  is  a  muster- 
roll  of  men  posted,  July  24, 1722,  under  Col.  Samuel  Partridge, 
at  Brookfield  and  Brimfield.^  There  is  also  a  letter  from  John 
Sherman,  bearing  date  July  10,  172-5,  asking  that  a  guard  may 
be  stationed  at  Brimfield.  In  the  muster-roll  of  Sergt.  Joseph 
Knowlton's  company  of  Springfield,  dated  Nov.  19,  1725,  the 
names  of  twelve  men  designated  as  the  "  Brimfield  scout"  are 
given. — [Mass.  Archives.] 

On  June  15,  1709,  the  General  Court  prolonged  the  time 
originally  allotted   for  the  settlement  of   Brimfield  to   four 

X  Mass.  Archives,  vol.  cxili ,  page  25G. 
§  Mass.  Archives,  vol.  cxvii.,  page  664. 

II  See  MaiS.  Archives,  cxvii.,  lOU-7,  and  Ancient  I'lans,  iv.,  117. 
T[  One  of  the  eight  men  at  Urinitichl  was  liozalecl  Sherman.  All  the  nun  were 
from  Springfield. 


99G 


HISTORY   OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


years  after  the  conclusion  of  the  war  with  France  and  Spain. 
Maj.  John  Pynchon  was  appointed  a  member  of  the  com- 
mittee in  place  of  his  father,  who  had  died  in  1703.  The  fur- 
ther settlement  of  the  town,  from  some  cause,  was  very  slow, 
hut  on  June  10,  1714,  the  IJrimtield  committee  petitioned  the 
General  Court  for  a  further  grant  of  land,  three  miles  in  width, 
on  the  eastern  border,  which  petition  was  granted.  The  loca- 
tion on  Grout's  Hill  was  then  abandoned,  and  the  present  and 
more  desirable  one  selected.  A  road  was  laid  out  over  Hub- 
bard's Hill  (now  Tower  Hill)  northward  eight  rods  wide.  This 
was  the  town  street.  On  each  side  of  this  road  were  located 
the  lots  of  the  settlers,  40  rods  wide  by  100  in  length. 

Considerable  ditEculty  was  experienced  by  the  committee  by 
reason  of  a  claim  to  a  portion  of  the  land  made  by  the  heirs  of 
Judge  Waitstill  Winthrop.  The  subject  was  the  cause  of  sev- 
eral petitions  for  a  new  survey  by  the  Brimfield  people,  which 
request  was  finally  granted.  A  new  survey  was  made,  and 
accepted  Dec.  18,  1728,  making  the  colony  line  the  southern 
boundary  of  the  Winthrop  farm. 

The  settlement  of  the  town  progressed  so  slowly,  and  some 
of  the  settlers  wei'C  so  dissatisfied  with  the  committee,  that  on 
June  12,  1723,  the  General  Court  appointed  a  new  committee, 
consisting  of  John  Chandler,  Henry  Dwight,  and  Joseph  Jen- 
nings, to  "  perfect  the  Settlement  of  Said  Town  in  all  respects 
according  to  the  True  Intent  and  Meaning  of  the  Gcncrall 
Court  in  Making  Brimfield  a  township." 

This  committee  proposed  to  the  General  Court  to  annul  the 
grants  made  by  the  previous  committee,  and  to  make  new  al- 
lotments of  the  land.  The  inhabitants  presented  a  remon- 
strance against  this,  Feb.  1(5,  1731,  insisting  that,  "In  their 
humble  opinion,  y"*  General  Court  did  not  annuU  y'  acts  and 
grants  of  the  former  committee,  but  only  determine  the  Power 
of  s''  committee  for  the  future,  nor  did  the  last  Committee 
Ever  receive  any  Power  to  vacate  or  abridge  the  former  Com- 
mit's  Grants." 

The  General  Court,  with  the  approval  of  the  royal  Governor, 
ordered  that  several  of  the  principal  inhabitants  be  cited  to 
appear  at  the  next  session  of  that  body,  and  show  cause  why 
a  new  allotment  should  not  be  made. 

The  inhabitants  were  to  exercise  the  privileges  of  a  town, 
but  were  not  to  pass  any  acts  aftccting  the  rights  of  property. 
Capt.  John  Sherman  was  instructed  to  "  Notifye  and  Warn 
the  Freeholders  and  other  Inhabitants  of  said  Precinct  to 
Assemble  and  Convene  in  some  publick  place  in  Brimfield, 
aforesaid,"  to  choose  all  town  officers.  This  order  and  decree 
were  made  on  Feb.  22,  1731. 

On  June  18,  1731,  the  General  Court  confirmed  the  title  to 
the  occupants  of  lands  granted  by  the  original  committee,  de- 
claring the  claims  of  some  non-residents  void,  and  making 
some  special  grants.  The  town  was  permitted  to  have  and 
enjoy  the  privileges  and  immunities  of  other  towns  in  the 
province.  Other  provisions  were  made  for  allotting  the  re- 
maining land  to  certain  persons  named  in  the  act.  Grants  of 
120  acres  each,  made  by  the  first  committee,  were  confirmed  to 
the  following  persons,  viz.  :  Nathaniel  Hitchcock,  Ebenezer 
Graves,  David  Hitchcock,  Benjamin  Cooley,  Leonard  Hoar, 
Capt.  John  Sherman,  David  Morgan,  and  Nathan  Collins,  and 
a  lot  of  like  quantity  to  one  of  the  sons  of  each  of  them,  to 
be  designated  by  them.  Also  one  each  to  Deliverance  Brooks, 
Daniel  Hubbard,  John  Atchinson,  and  one  to  his  son  ;  one  to 
Park  Williams  in  his  "  own  rite,"  and  one  purchased  by  him, 
originally  granted  to  Robert  Old  ;  one  each  to  John  Stebbi.ns, 
William  Nelson,  and  Johu  Charles,  and  one  to  each  of  their 
sons  ;  one  to  John  Lumbard,  David  Lumbard,  Samuel  Hub- 
bard, Peter  Haynes,  Joseph  Haynes,  Peter  Montague,  Henry 
Burt,  Thomas  Stebbins,  William  Nichols'  heirs,  Micah  Tous- 
ley,  Eleazer  Foot,  William  Warriner,  James  Thompson, 
Francis  Baxter's  heirs  and  assigns,  George  Erwin,  Joseph 
Frost,  David  Shaw,  John  alias  Daniel  Burt,  Joshua  Shaw, 
Samuel  Bliss,  Thomas  Foot  and  assigns,  John  Keep,  Samuel 


Allen,  Nathaniel  Miller,  Ezra  King,  Robert  Old  (called  Capt. 
Ashley's  lot),  Samuel  King,  Anthony  Needham,  Robert  Moul- 
ton,  Robert  Moulton,  Jr.,  John  Nilson,  John  Danielson,  John 
Miller,  John  Mighell,  Joseph  Davis,  Benjamin  Warner,  Dan- 
iel Graves,  Benjamin  Mun,  Daniel  Fuller,  Nathaniel  Clark, 
and  John  BuUen,  amounting  to  69  lots  of  120  acres  each.  To 
Samuel  Munger,  Thomas  Green,  Joshua  Old,  Ebenezer  Scott, 
Mark  Ferry,  Samuel  Allen,  Jr.,  Samuel  Shaw,  Seth  Shaw, 
and  Daniel  Kellum  or  assigns,  each  a  home-lot  of  60  acres 
was  granted,  already  laid  out,  and  if  they  had  more  than  that, 
they  were  to  retain  the  same,  the  surplus  to  be  deducted  from 
their  "after-rights." 

To  Rev.  Mr.  Treat,  the  minister  of  the  town,  a  lot  of  120 
acres  was  granted  with  all  after-rights;  also  a  lot  to  Samuel 
Chandler,  son  of  John  Chandler,  who  had  built  a  house  there  ; 
another  to  Seth  Dwight,  son  of  Henry  Dwight,  and  one  to 
Joseph  Jennings,  in  consideration  of  their  services  as  a  pru- 
dential committee;  also  to  William  Pynchon  and  Obadiah 
Cooley,  who,  although  they  did  not  reside  on  the  grants, 
"  Did  provide  some  materials  for  finishing  the  meeting-house, 
and  have  since  made  some  improvements  thereon  ;"  also  a  lot 
to  them  jointly,  "  in  consideration  that  they  provided  iron- 
work for  the  first  saw-mill,  they  drawing  no  after-rights;" 
also  to  Capt.  George  Colton  and  David  Ingersole  a  lot  of  120 
acres,  "  in  consideration  of  their  providing  Nailes  of  all  sorts 
Sufficient  for  finishing  the  meeting-house ;"  also  to  the  heirs 
of  Lieut. -Col.  Pynchon,  Capt.  Thomas  Colton,  James  War- 
riner, David  Morgan,  Joseph  Stebbins,  all  deceased,  and  to 
Pelatiah  Glover  120  acres  each. 

To  Thomas  Ingersole,  in  consideration  of  expenses  incurred 
on  the  first  committee,  to  Thomas  Mirrick,  Thomas  Mirrick, 
Jr.,  the  heirs  of  Nathaniel  Sikes,  Increase  Sikes,  Samuel 
Keep,  and  Tilly  Mirrick,  in  consideration  of  money  paid,  lots 
were  granted  and  confirmed  without  after-rights  or  divisions. 
Tile  grants  previously  made  to  William  Brewer,  William 
Hamilton,  Patrick  Marshall,  Andrew  Bayley,  Pelatiah  Grover, 
Jr.,  John  Evans,  and  Ebenezer  Coole}'  were  declared  void, 
they  "  having  in  no  measure  answered  the  good  Design  of  the 
general  court." 

The  names  of  most  of  the  earliest  settlers  of  Brimfield  are 
included  among  the  grantees  named  in  these  grants.  On  Sept. 
27,  10.5.5,  Rev.  John  Eliot,  commonly  known  as  "the  Apostle 
to  the  Indians,"  bought  1000  acres  of  land  near  Quaboag  of 
two  Indians, — Wattatooweelin  or  Wattawoolekin,  and  Nokan 
or  Nakin.*  He  died  May  20,  1690.  On  Dec.  9,  1715,  the 
General  Court  confirmed  his  title  to  the  lands  to  his  grandson, 
John  EHot. 

Oct.  23,  1657,  the  General  Court  granted  to  Richard  Fel- 
lowsf  "200  acres  of  upland  and  meadow,  to  bo  laid  out  to 
him  at  Checcopey  river."  He  was  to  "build  a  house  there  for 
the  entertainment  of  travelers,  both  for  House-roome  for 
horse  and  man,  and  some  lodging  and  provision  for  both,  with 
beere,  wine,  and  strong  liquors."  He  built  a  tavern,  but  did 
not  reside  there  more  than  two  years.  It  is  supposed  that  fear 
of  the  Indians  compelled  him  to  abandon  the  place. J  The 
location  of  the  tavern  was  in  the  fork  formed  by  the  union  of 
Chicopee  Brook  with  Chicopee  River,  in  the  northern  part  of 
what  is  now  the  town  of  Monson. 

Nathaniel  Hitchcock  appears  to  have  been  the  earliest  of  the 
permanent  settlers  of  the  town.  The  first  house  was  built  by 
liim  on  the  ground  afterward  owned  by  Alfred  L.  Converse, 
and  now  occupied  by  Henry  F.  Brown.     The  second  house 

*  Two  huudred  acres  of  this  tract  fell  witliin  Brimfield  when  the  eastern 
buini'Iary  was  e.xtended  three  Diiles. 

t  Mass.  Col.  Rec,  Vol.  IV.,  Part  I.,  p.  319. 

J  The  grant  was  made  to  Fellows,  ad  an  iniiividnal,  forty-four  years  liefore  the 
foi  nial  settlement  of  the  town.  It  was  surveyed  in  lGo7.  The  tavern  is  said  not  to 
have  compiled  with  the  Bpeilficallons  required.  On  .luno  22,  1733,  the  General 
Court  confirmed  the  grant  to  the  heirs  of  Thomas  Clark,  to  whom  Fellows  had 
assigned  it.  Fellows  died  at  Halfiold  In  1003.  (MS.<.  Records  of  General  Court, 
Vol.  XIV.,  p.  277,  and  Springfield  Hegiitry  L,  302.) 


HISTORY   OF   HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


997 


built  was  probably  the  old  Townsley  House,  which  David 
Morgan  erected.     It  has  since  been  tal<en  down. 

The  first  tavern  was  built  on  the  hill-side  by  the  Warren 
road,  nearly  opposite  the  house  formerly  occupied  by  liev. 
Dr.  Vaill.     A  bhinket  is  said  to  have  served  as  a  door. 

Moses  Brooks,  a  son  of  Deliverance  Brooks,  born  in  1717, 
is  said  to  have  been  the  first  white  child  born  in  the  town. 
The  Thompson  family  came  from  Woburn,  and  the  Russell 
and  Blodijett  families  from  Lexington.  The  great  majority 
of  the  early  settlers  came  from  Sjiringfiold,  and  their  names 
appear  there  as  holding  various  offices.  John  Atchinson  was 
hog-reeve  ;  William  Warriner  and  Nathaniel  Hitchcock, 
highway  surveyors  ;  and  Samuel  Keep,  fence-viewer. 

Gen.  Timothy  Danielson,  an  officer  in  the  Revolutionary 
war,  was  born  in  the  town  in  1733,  and  died  there  Sept.  19, 
■  1791. 

John  Sherman,  another  of  the  early  settlers,  was  a  teacher 
in  Springfield  from  1702  to  1716,  when  he  became  a  physician. 
He  removed  to  Brimfield  about  1721,  was  elected  town-clerk 
in  1732,  and  held  that  otfice  for  thirty  consecutive  years.  His 
records  are  as  easily  read  to-day  as  when  first  made,  so  care- 
fully and  regularly  are  they  written.  He  is  the  ancestor  of 
all  the  Sherman  families  living  in  Brimfield.  Elijah  T.  Sher- 
man, living  now  on  the  spot  selected  by  John  Sherman  for  a 
home,  has  in  his  possession  the  account-book  and  mortar  of 
his  ancestor. 

'   PHYSICIANS. 

The  first  physician's  name  that  appears  on  the  town  records 
is  that  of  Dr.  Thomas  Green.  Dr.  James  Lawrence  came  to 
Brimfield  about  1740,  and  continued  the  successful  practice  of 
his  profession  until  May  14,  1778,  when  he  died  of  small-pox, 
at  the  age  of  fifty-eight.  Dr.  John  Butler,  once  a  surgeon  in 
the  United  States  navy,  practiced  in  Brimfield  until  his  death. 
Dr.  Israel  Trask  was  a  native  of  the  town,  born  March  18, 
177.5.  He  was  an  active  and  energetic  man,  and  prominent  in 
town  affairs.  He  is  said  to  have  introduced  the  practice  of 
vaccination  in  the  town,  and  asked  permission  to  establish  a 
hospital,  under  regulations  made  by  a  committee  of  seven. 
On  March  11,  1793,  the  town  voted  that  "  the  small-pox  beset 
up  at  Oliver  Mason's  one  fortnite  to  continue  at  Simeon  Hub- 
bard's and  Thomas  Bliss  one  fortnite  from  this  time  and  no 
longer."  Dr.  Rufus  Guthrie  was  another  of  the  early  physi- 
cians of  Brimfield.  Dr.  Joseph  Mott'att  jiracticed  for  more 
than  forty  years  in  Brimfield,  whei-e  he  was  born.  He  died 
Aug.  12,  1802.  Dr.  Martin  Hersey  was  another  of  the  early 
physicians  of  the  town.  Dr.  Justus  Keyes  moved  to  Brim- 
field Centre  about  1809.  He  sold  his  practice,  in  1815,  to  Dr. 
Ebenezer  Knight,  who  succeeded  him,  and  a  few  years  after 
Dr.  Keyes  died  in  the  old  Noah  Hitchcock  house,  which  he 
then  owned.  Dr.  Asa  Lincoln  commenced  practice  at  Brim- 
field about  1804,  and  continued  until  July  7,  18-54,  when  he 
died,  aged  sevent3--two  j-ears.  He  tilled  various  town  offices, 
was  a  member  of  the  State  Senate,  and  is  credited  with  estab- 
lishing a  system  of  practice  at  variance  with  that  usually 
adopted  by  his  compeers,  and  more  in  accordance  with  the 
principles  of  medical  practice  at  the  present  day. 

ATTORNEYS. 

Abner  Morgan  was  the  first  to  study  law  and  practice  as  an 
attorney.  He  was  born  in  Brimfield,  Jan.  9,  1740.  He  rep- 
resented the  town  at  the  General  Court,  which  met  at  Water- 
town,  July  19,  1775;  was  afterward  a  major  in  the  Conti- 
nental army,  where  he  tilled  other  important  positions,  and 
was  an  advocate  of  ability. 

Stephen  Pynchon  was  another  of  the  early  lawyers  of 
Brimfield.  He  took  up  his  residence  there  after  1790,  and 
tilled  all  the  important  town  and  legislative  offices.  He  was 
the  first  postmaster  of  tlie  town,  being  appointed  in  1800,  and 
tilled  that  office  until  his  death,  Feb.  5,  1823. 

John  B.  Cooley  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  in  1818,  and  opened 


a  law-office  in  Brimfield.  He  removed  to  the  State  of  New 
York  in  1831.  Francis  B.  Stebbins  was  admitted  to  the  Bar 
March  10,  1824,  when  he  settled  in  Brimtield  and  continued 
in  practice  for  ten  years,  when  he  removed  to  the  town  of 
Ware. 

Shoemakers  were  among  the  earliest  settlers  of  the  town. 
They  were  sometimes  denominated  "  cord-wainers."  Nathan 
Read,  Jonathan  Brown,  and  Thomas  Patrick  were  among  the 
early  carpenters.  The  first  mason  mentioned  is  Reuben  Lilly, 
in  1759.  He  was  a  captain  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  The 
tirst  house-painter  was  Artemas  Sargent.  Lemuel  Baker  was 
a  saddler  as  early  as  1773.  Marquis  Converse  and  James 
Brown  were  also  early  engaged  in  the  same  trade. 

At  the  first  town-meeting  held  in  Brimfield  it  was  voted  to 
build  a  pound.  The  tirst  one  actually  established,  however, 
was  in  1746,  on  what  is  now  tlie  northwest  corner  of  the  park, 
south  of  the  present  school-honsc.  It  was  repaired  in  1759, 
but  in  1702  a  new  one  was  built  of  stone  by  Noah  Hitchcock, 
40  feet  square,  on  what  is  now  the  park.  The  town  refused 
to  pay  for  "  what  Mr.  Hitchcock  calls  a  pound,"  and  the  re- 
fusal to  accept  his  work  rankled  in  Mr.  Hitchcock's  mind.  In 
1775  he  presented  his  bill  for  £S  6s.  8rf.,  with  interest  for 
twelve  years.  The  present  pound  is  located  north  of  the 
church  on  the  Warren  road,  and  was  erected  in  1811. 

BRIDGES. 

In  1732  there  were  twelve  bridges  in  the  town,  among  them 
being  one  at  Mr.  Treat's  (Ward's),  one  at  the  Plain  Brook, 
one  over  Elbow  Brook,  near  the  saw-mill  south  of  AVight's, 
one  near  Robert  3Ioulton's  (South  Pond),  and  one  near  John 
Sherman's.  Just  before  Monson  was  incorporated  as  a  town, 
some  of  the  inhabitants  petitioned  for  a  bridge  over  "  Chic- 
kuppee  Brook,"  averring  that  "the  place  where  the  Road  is 
Now  is  Soe  bad,  that  it  is  Morally  Impossible  to  get  over  with 
a  horse."  The  bridge  where  King's  iron  bridge  now  is,  on 
the  old  Bay  path,  was  built  by  subscription  in  1783.  On  Feb. 
7, 1703,  the  General  Court  annexed  the  bridge  over  the  Chico- 
pee  River  to  Brimtield,  for  the  purpose  of  keeping  it  in  re- 
pair. 

The  first  roads  in  Brimfield  were  bridle-paths,  crooked  and 
irregular,  marked  by  blazed  trees.  Stumps  of  burnt  trees  en- 
cumbered them.  The  fii-st  highways  were  located  about  1730. 
Courses  and  distances  were  not  recorded  until  the  year  1797. 
Much  trouble  had  before  existed  from  the  indefinite  location 
of  the  roads,  '•  across  land  of  Joshua  Shaw,  where  there  is  the 
best  going,  leading  from  a  big  rock  in  the  line  of  said  Joshua's 
plain  lot  to  a  black-oak  staddle  over  a  squcachy  place." 

From  September,  1731,  to  March,  1739,  twenty  roads,  lead- 
ing in  various  directions,  were  authorized  and  laid  out  by  the 
town.  The  town  street  was  laid  out  eight  rods  wide,  other 
roads  six  and  four  rods.  May  15,  1794,  a  committee  was  ap- 
pointed to  make  all  the  highways  of  the  uniform  width  of  four 
rods,  except  the  Tower  Hill  road,  and  sell  to  the  owners  of 
adjacent  lands  the  strips  taken  from  the  highway.  On  May 
19,  1738,  the  town  voted  the  sum  of  j£50  for  mending  the 
highways,  and  established  a  highway  tax,  which  the  highway 
surveyors  were  ordered  to  collect. 

STAGES. 

The  first  stage-coaches  seen  in  the  town  belonged  to  the 
Hartford  and  Worcester  line.  Their  route  was  from  Wales 
over  Haynes'  Hill,  and  thence  to  Brookfield  via  Sherman's 
Pond.  In  1848  a  daily  stage  run  from  Warren  to  Stattbrd, 
passing  through  Brimtield. 

TAVERNS. 

Tavern-keeping  was  quite  extensively  engaged  in,  in  "ye 
olden  time."  Houses  were  kept  by  Josiah  Smith,  at  the  old 
turn  of  the  Palmer  road,  down  the  hill,  north  of  the  present 
turn;  by  Aaron  Charles,  where  Edwin  B.  Webber  now  re- 
sides;  by  Nathaniel  Danielson,  in  a  house  that  stood  near 


998 


HISTORY  OP  THE  CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


where  Emory  Livermore  now  lives  ;  bj-  Isaac  Powers,  at  West 
Brimfleld;  by  Benjamin  Lumbard,  on  the  old  road  from  East 
Briniflcld  to  Holland  ;  by  Col.  Alfred  Lyon,  whore  now  stands 
the  house  of  W.  H.  Wyles ;  and  by  Ichabod  Bliss,  who,  in 
1790,  built  for  a  tavern  the  house  afterward  occupied  by  Dr. 
Knight,  and  kept  it  for  that  purpose  until  his  death,  in  183G. 

ORGANIZATION. 

The  first  town-meeting  was  held  on  March  16,  1731,  in 
pursuance  of  a  warrant  issued  by  John  Sherman,  who  was 
•designated  by  the  General  Court. 

The  meeting  duly  convened,  and  Robert  Moulton  was  cho- 
sen moderator.  The  town  officers  elected  were;  Clerk,  Robert 
Moulton ;  Selectmen,  Robert  Moulton,  John  Stebbins,  Ezra 
King,  David  Morgan,  and  David  Shaw  ;  Town  Treasurer, 
John  Stebbins;  Assessors,  Joseph  Blodgett,  Joseph  Haynes, 
and  David  Hitchcock;  Constables,  John  Charles  and  George 
Erwen ;  Surveyoi\s  of  Highways,  James  Tliompson,  Joseph 
Frost,  Samuel  Allen,  and  Nathan  Collins;  Tithingmen, 
Ebenezer  Scott  and  Henry  Burt;  Fence- Viewers,  Thomas 
Stebbins,  John  Nelson,  and  John  Keep ;  Hog-Reeves,  Samuel 
Bliss  and  Benjamin  Coley. 

On  May  4,  1731,  John  Stebbins,  Robert  Moulton,  and 
David  Shaw  were  selected  "  to  goe  to  the  General  Court  to 
manage  affairs  their  for  the  town  of  Brimfield." 

On  May  24,  1731,  Robert  Moulton  was  chosen  representa- 
tive to  the  General  Court  to  be  held  at  Boston,  May  2(3,  1731. 

On  Sept.  8,  1731,  it  was  voted  at  a  town-meeting  that  the 
representative  at  court  "should  act  according  to  his  best 
understanding  in  the  great  and  waitty  affare  att  Court,  with 
respect  In  standing  for  our  rights  and  privileges." 

In  1736,  Peter  Haynes  was  appointed  sealer  of  leather,  and 
such  an  official  was  chosen  each  year  thereafter.  In  1738, 
Henry  Burt  was  chosen  sealer  of  weights  and  measures.  In 
1771  the  office  of  packer  of  beef  and  pork  appears.  In  1793 
the  office  of  "  culler  of  shingles  and  staves"  was  created.  In 
1823  the  first  "  field-drivers"  were  elected. 

The  following  persons  have  filled  the  principal  offices  of  the 
town : 

SELECTMEN. 

Robert  Moulton,  l",'il-33  ;  John  Stebljins,  1731-32,  '34,  '30,  38-40,  '42,  '44,  '48- 
49  ;  Ezra  King,  1731,  '37  ;  David  Morgan,  1731 ;  David  Sliaw,  1731 ;  Jolju  Sher- 
man, 1732-37,  '39-42,  '4-5-47,  '49-63,  '6B;  John  Kussell,  1732-33,  '30,  '42-44;  Wm. 
Nelson,  1732-33,  '39-40 ;  Joshua  Shaw,  1733,  '51 ;  Eheuezer  Graves,  1734-35 ;  Leon- 
ard Hoar,  1734,  '37,  '45-47,  '49,  '53;  Be[ijniuin  C'oole.v,  1734,  '38,  '45;  Nathaniel 
Hitchcock,  1735,  '38  ;  John  Keep,  1735,  '49,  '64  ;  Joseph  Blodgett,  1735,  '38,  '42, 
'44,  '48,  '50,  '53,  'CO,  '02;  David  Hitchcock,  173G,  '39,  '44,  '40;  Nicholas  Graves, 
1736, '42;  Joseph  Haynes,  1737;  Wni. 'Waniner,  1737;  Samuel  King,  1738, '47, 
'51, '55, '57  ;  Nathaniel  Miller,  1739-JO, '43  ;  James  Merrick,  1741,  '52;  Henry 
Burt,  1741  ;  Nathan  Collins,  1741 ;  John  Mighell,  1741,  '43-45 ;  Thomas  Stebbins, 
1743,  '45,  '47,  '50,  '50,  '59;  Benjamin  Morgan,  1743;  Anthony  Ncedlianj,  1740-47, 
'57, '02;  Joseph  Davis,  1740,  '68-69, '04 ;  George  Colton,  1748, '52-53 ;  Joseph 
Hoar,  1748,  '50-51,  '56,  '01-03,  '05-08,  '72-74 ;  Thomas  Ellingwood,  1748,  '09,  '75, 
Enoch  Hides,  1749,  '63;  Daniel  Bnrt,  1750,  '.55-67,  '50-00,  '03.  'Ki-OO.  '00-72,  '76- 
77, '79-80,  '82-86;  John  Danielson,  1751;  Luke  Blashfield,  1754, '57;  Noah 
Hitchcock,  1754,  '58,  '62;  Adonijali  Russell,  1754,  '00,  '64-68;  Bezaleel  Sherman, 
1755,  '07-74, '76-77  ;  ganiuel  Moulton,  1750;  Fiancis  Sikes,  1768;  Edward  Bond, 
1758,  '60,  '04  ;  Samuel  Nichols,  1759,  '61,  '07-08,  '71,  '70 ;  Jonathan  Feny,  1700  ; 
James  Lawrence,  1701  ;  Jonathan  Janes,  1761,  '64 ;  Joseph  Hitchcock,  1761,  '69- 
70, '84;  Timothy  Danielson,  1702,  '04-08,  '70-74,  '70-77;  Moses  Hitchcock,  1703; 
Jonathan  Charles,  1763 ;  Benjamin  Merrick,  1703  ;  James  Shenuan,  1766-06 ;  Jo- 
8epli  Browning,  1769-71,  '74-75,  '77,  '79.  '81-86,  '90-93,  '95-1804 ;  James  Bridgham, 
1772-70 ;  Jonathan  Brown,  1773,  '78-82 ;  Joseph  Hoar,  Jr.,  1775,  '78,  '80-83,  '85- 
89,  '01,  '94-97,  1802-3;  Jonathan  Thomison,  1777,  '79;  Thonms  Lombard,  1778; 
Simeon  Hubbard,  1778,  '8.'),  '90;  William  Janes,  17S8;  Aaron  Mighill,  1779,  '81- 
82,  '84,  'SO,  '88-89 ;  .\aron  Charles,  1780-81 ;  Abner  Moigan,  1780,  '.'6-1804,  '7, 
'10-11,  '19  ;  Samuel  Bates,  1783-85,  '02-03 ;  Issachar  Brown,  1785-01,  '94-96, 
1814-15,  '17;  John  Carpenter,  1780;  Alexander  Sessions,  1787,  '94;  Medad 
Hitchcock,  1787,  '00-1802;  David  Morgan,  1788-90,  '92-93;  Samuel  Sherman, 
1791,  '90;  Jonas  Blodgett,  1792, '94-95, '07 ;  Aaron  Morgan,  1798-1804;  Joseph 
Mollat,  179.S-1802  ;  Pliilemon  Warren,  1803-4,  '11-13  ;  Stephen  Pynchon,  1805-6, 
'8-10, 'I2-1S,  '20-21;  Thomas  Sherman,  1805-7, '10;  Alfred  Allen,  1805-6, '10; 
Benjauiin  Sheiman,  1803-10,  '14-15, '17-18,  '23-25;  Joseph  D.Browning,  1807-0, 
'14,  '19  ;  Ueul  en  I'ati  ick,  1808  ;  Jacob  Bishop,  1800  ;  Abner  Stebl.ius,  1610 ;  Da- 
rius Charles,  1811-12,  '19,  '20,  '30,  '32;  David  Hoar,  1811-12  ;  Cyrus  Janes,  181,3, 
'18,  '22,  '23  ;  J.ames  Blodgett,  1813  ;  Daniel  Bui  t,  1815,  '20,  '21  ;  Daniel  Nichols, 
1816;  Marquis  Converse,  1810-18, '25;  Asa  Lincoln,  1817-19,  '22-23, '27-29, '38, 
'42-43;  Ichabod  Bliss,  1810;  Samuel  Brown,  1820-21;  Simeon  Coye,  1820-'24,  '30, 


'32;  John  Wyles,  1820-22,  '25-26,  '41;  Wm.  W.  Thompson,  1822 ;  Lewis  Wil- 
liarns,  1823-2S;  Thuniiis  Merrick,  1824;  Justin  Morgan,  1824-20;  Oliver  Blair, 
1826-29;  Julius  Burt,  1827-29, '31  ;  Lyniaii  Biuce,  1827-28  ;  Ojl.  Dauphin  Brown, 
1829-31 ;  Ilobert  Andrews,  1829-30 ;  Festus  Foster,  1830,  '32,34-37 ;  Cyril  K.  Brown, 
1831,  '41^2,  '4.';, '06;  Augustus  Janes,  1831,  '38, '43;  John  M.  Wan  en,  1831  ; 
Koyal  Wales,  1832-33;  Absalom  Lombard,  1832-33, '44;  Linus  Hoar,  18;i;i-37 ; 
Lemuel  Lombard,  1833;  Nathaniel  Parker,  1833  ;  Issaciiar  Brown,  Jr.,  1834-35  ; 
Moses  Tyler,  1834-35 ;  Johnson  Bi.vby,  18:)4-35,  '49  ;  Abner  Hitchcock,  1830-38 ; 
Ptti-souB  Allen,  1836-38,  '44,  '67-68  ;  Penuel  Parker,  1836-.37,  '51 ;  Samuel  Tar- 
bell,  1838  ;  Ebenezer  Fairbanks,  1838;  Ebenezer  Kuight,  1839-40;  Samuel  A. 
Hitchcock,  18;i9;  Daiius  Shaw,  1839;  .lames  Fenton,  1839-45;  Wm.  J.  Sheiman, 
1839,  '47;  Harvey  Feuton,  1840;  Lewis  Stebbins,  1840;  Orson  Sliernian,  1840-41, 
'47;  Albigeuce  Newell,  1640;  Abram  Charles,  1841, '60, '69;  Sumner  Parker, 
1.841,  '47,  '49,  '51-52,  '60-64,  '07;  Harvey  Janes,  1842;  Nathan  F.  RobiuBon,  1842, 
'50, '53;  Solomon  Homer,  Jr.,  1842 ;  Fitz  Henry  Warren,  1843;  Lemuel  Allen, 
18*1^4,  '61 ;  George  Putter,  1843-44 ;  Abner  Brown,  1844,  '46 ;  Alvin  Janes,  1846  ; 
Alfied  Hitchcock,  1845;  James  Tourtellott,  1845;  Alured  Homer,  1847,  '63; 
Philip  G.  Iluhbard,  1847;  Paul  W.  Puige,  1848;  Lyman  Uphani,  1848-49;  Au- 
gustus Wheeler,  1848 ;  Francis  D.  Lincoln,  1848;  Cheney  Newton,  1848, '60- , 
68;  Wilson  Homer,  1849;  Joseph  C.  Hunter,  1849-50;  Jairus  Walker,  1850; 
Jonathan  Emei-son,  1860,  '69;  Ezra  Perry  (3d),  1851;  Calvin  B.  Brown,  1851, 
'55;  Warren  F.  Tarbell,  1852,  '55,  '05;  Ambrose  N.  Merrick,  1852;  Alfred  L. 
Converse,  1852;  Thomas  J.  Morgan,  1852,  '04;  Ehini  Ferry,  1853;  Wm.  G.  Tar- 
bell, 1&53  ;  Alfred  Lombard,  1863  ;  Henry  F.  Brown,  1854  ;  Gilman  Noye8,1854- 
57;  Aaron  B.  Lyman,  1854 ;  Orra  Parker,  1864,  '59;  Deacon  Dauphin  Brown, 
1854,'68;  Alden  Goodell,  1855;  James  S.  Blair,  1855, '03, '67, '73;  Edward  W. 
Potter,  1856-67;  Wm.  H.  Wyles,  1856-65;  Samuel  N.  Coye,  11:56;  Samuel  W. 
Brown,  1856,  '68,  '69,  '72;  Bianian  Silley,  1857  ;  Newton  S.  Hubbard,  1868,  '00- 
61, '70, '75-70;  Pliny  F.  Spaulding,  1.858,  '71;  James  B.  Brown,  1869, '05, '08, 
'71-74,  '76-77;  George  C.  Homer,  1859;  Edwin  A.Janes,  1862;  Porter  A.Par- 
ker, 1860,  '74-70 ;  Ephraim  Fenton,  1809  ;  George  Bacon,  1870  ;  Francis  E.  Cook, 
1870;  Jolin  W.  Lawrence,  1871-72;  Albert  S.  Prouty,  1873;  Moses  U.  Baker, 
1874-75,  '77  ;  Charles  F.  Spaulding,  1877. 

TOWN   CLERKS. 

Robert  Moulton,  1731 ;  John  Sherman,  1732-01 ;  Joseph  Blodgett,  1701-62 ; 
Timothy  Danielson,  1863-75 ;  James  Bridgham,  1775-76;  Aaron  Mighill,  1777- 
78;  Joseph  Molfat,  1779-84 ;  Aaron  Morgan,  1784-97 ;  Stephen  Pynchon,  1707- 
18'23  ;  Wm.  W.  Thompson,  1823-20;  Ebenezer  Knight,  1820-29,  '34-39;  John  B. 
Cooley,  1829-31 ;  Francis  B.  Stebbins,  1831-:55  ;  Abner  Brown,  1832;  Asa  Lin- 
coln, 1839-42  ;  Fitz  Henry  Warren,  1840 ;  John  W.  Bliss,  1841 ;  Otis  Lane,  1843- 
45;  Henry  F.  Brown,  1845-40,  '51-52,  '01-03,  '05-77;  Philip  G.  Hubbard,  1849; 
John  Newton,  1850;  Cliailes  Le  Barron,  1852;  George  Bacon,  1853-57,  '03-64; 
James  B.  Brown,  1857;  Calvin  B.  Brown,  1868-01  ;  Henry  F.  Brown. 

REPRESENTATIVES. 

The  following  persons  have  represented  the  town  or  district 
at  the  General  Court : 

1731,  Robert  Moulton;  1740,  John  Sherman;  1746,  Thomas  Mighill ;  1747-61, 
Thomas  Stebbins ;  1763-54,  John  Sherman ;  1760-65,  Daniel  Burt ;  1767-72,  Tim- 
othy Danielson  ;  1773,  James  Bridgham  ;  1781,  Daniel  Bui  t ;  1782,  Dr.  Joseph  Mof- 
fatt ;  1783,  Aaron  Mighill ;  1784,  Neliemiah  May  ;  1780-03,  Joseph  Browning ;  1794, 
David  Morgan ;  1795-90,  Joseph  Browning ;  1797,  Joseph  Hoar ;  1798-1801,  Abner 
Morgan,  1802-3,  Clark  Brown;  180.'>- 23,  Stephen  Pynchon  (e-xcept  in  lt08,  when 
Wm.  Eaton  was  sent;  and  in  1817,  when  Biimfield  was  entitled  to  two  representa- 
tives, and  there  were  sent  with  Stephen  Pynchon,  1809,  James  Blodgett;  1810-13, 
Philemon  Warren;  1814-16,  AlexanderSessions;  1810,  Israel E.Trask;  1817,  Alex- 
ander Sessions,  Solomon  Hoai) ;  18-24,  '20,  '30-31,  John  Wyles;  1828-29,  Lewis  Wil- 
liams ;  1830,  Oliver  Blair;  1832,  Issachar  Brown,  Festus  Foster;  1833,  Royal  Wales, 
Solomon  Hoar;  1834,  Julius  Burt,  Marquis  Converse  ;  1835,  Abner  Brown,  Fes- 
tus Foster  ;  1830,  Linns  Hoar,  Festus  Foster;  1837,  Koyal  Wales,  John  M.  War- 
ren ;  1838,  John  W.  Bliss  ;  1839,  Abner  Hitclicock,  Samuel  Tarbell ;  1840,  Pennel 
Parker;  1841,  Ebenezer  Williums;  184.3,  Augnstus  Wheeler;  1845,  Orson  Sher- 
man; 1840,  George  Puffer;  1848,  Alured  Homer;  1840,  Philip  G.  Hubbard;  1854, 
Henry  F.  Browu ;  1855,  Paul  W.  Paige ;  1850,  Alfi  ed  L.  Converse  ;  1857,  Gilman 
Noyes;  1859,  Paul  W.  Paige ;  1803,  Newton  S.  Hnbbard  ;  1860,  James  B.  Brown  ; 
1870,  Samuel  W. Browu  ;  1873,  Thomas  J.  Morgan;  1878,  Pliny  F.  Spaulding. 

VILLAGES. 
BRIMFIELD   CENTRE 

is  the  jirincipal  village  in  the  town,  and  is  situated  where  the 
old  town-plat  of  the  early  settlers  was  established.  As  its 
name  implies,  it  is  situated  in  about  the  centre  of  the  town, 
and  is  eight  miles  from  Palmer  and  si.x  from  Warren,  the 
nearest  railroad  stations.  It  contains  84  houses  and  about 
400  inhabitants,  two  general  stores,  a  neat  Congregational 
church,  a  small  chapel  of  the  Adventists,  a  hotel,  a  high 
.school,  a  district  school,  a  cemetery,  an  almshouse,  and  two 
blacksmith-shops.  A  town-house  is  in  course  of  erection  in 
the  village,  the  main  hall  to  be  41  feet  2  inches  by  67  feet,  and 
the  annex  34  by  18.]  feet.  There  is  also  a  town  library,  con- 
taining about  600  volumes,  and  a  post-office.  Two  stages  of 
different  lines  pass  through  the  village  twice  each  day.     A 


HISTORY  OF  HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


999 


beautiful  soldiers'  monument,  commemorative  of  the  dead  in 
the  lute  Rebellion,  is  situated  in  the  centre  of  the  village.  The 
houses  are  neatly  painted  and  tasteful  in  appearance,  the  in- 
habitants intelligent,  frugal,  and  public-spirited.  No  liquor 
is  allowed  to  be  sold  in  the  village. 

Posf-Ojfice.— The  post-offlce  was  established  Sept.  5,  1806, 
Stephen  Pynohon  being  the  first  postmaster,  and  retaining  the 
office  until  his  death.  It  was  first  kept  at  his  house,  and 
afterward  at  the  hotel.  A  box  two  feet  square  held  all  the 
mail  for  a  number  of  years.  Since  18C7  it  has  been  kept 
where  it  now  is.  The  postmasters  since  Mr.  Pynchon  have 
been  Marquis  Converse,  Feb.  19,  1823,  to  Feb.  17,  1842;  Otis 
Lane,  Feb.  17,  1842,  to  Feb.  17,  1845;  Asa  Lincoln,  Feb.  17, 
184.J,  to  Jan.  3,  1850;  Henry  F.  Brown,  Jan.  3,  18-50,  to  May 
1,  18.52;  George  C.  Homer,  May  1,  18.52,  to  June  25,  1853; 
N.  F.  Robinson,  June  25,  1853,  to  May  4,  1861 ;  Silas  C.  Her- 
ring, May  4,  1861,  to  April  16,  1867;  Henry  F.  Brown,  the 
present  postmaster,  was  reappointed  April  16,  1867. 

Hotels. — The  present  hotel  was  erected  in  1808.  It  is  a 
commodious  and  attractive  building,  situated  in  the  centre  of 
the  village.  In  18-59,  Silas  C.  Herring,  the  then  owner,  en- 
tirely remodeled  the  hotel,  greatly  improving  its  appearance 
and  general  appointments.  Its  interior  arrangements  are 
convenient,  and  it  has  been  kept  since  1869  by  Amos  Munroe, 
the  present  proprietor.  He  also  kept  it  from  1861  to  1864. 
It  has  before  been  kept  by  Elias  Carter,  Marquis  Converse, 
Joshua  B.  Vinton,  Eaton  Hitchcock,  J.  D.  Browing,  Nye 
Moulton,  D.  N.  Green,  Henry  F.  Brown,  George  C.  Homer, 
W.  F.  Tarbell,  Brown  &  White,  George  S.  Osgood,  Charles 
Andrews,  and  Edward  W.  Sherman. 

The  almshouse  is  located  south  of  the  main  street,  on  the 
road  to  Wales.  In  1837  the  town  purchased  the  Thompson 
farm  (where  the  old  block-house  used  to  stand)  for  the  pur- 
pose of  establishing  the  pauper  farm  there,  and  such  it  has 
ever  since  remained.  The  price  paid  for  it  was  §2300.  Ad- 
ditional land  was  purchased  in  1850.  In  1851  a  new  building 
was  erected,  costing  about  $1300.  A  new  barn  in  1863  cost 
$1042.22.  In  1877  the  buildings  were  enlarged  at  a  cost  of 
nearly  ?800.     The  average  number  of  paupers  is  14. 

EAST   BRIMFIELD    VILLAGE 

is  situated  in  the  southeasterly  part  of  the  town.  It  contains 
about  30  houses  and  about  200  inhabitants,  a  post-ofiice,  a 
general  store,  a  manufactory  of  shoe  tools  and  pegging- 
machines,  a  grist-mill,  saw-mill,  and  planing-mill,  a  church, 
and  a  blacksmith-shop.  It  is  distant  about  three  miles  and 
a  half  from  Brimfield  Centre.  The  post-office  was  estab- 
lished in  1858,  and  Maj.  Erastus  Lurabard  appointed  post- 
master.    Charles  Varuey  has  since  filled  the  position. 

WEST  BRI.MFIELD,  OR  POWERS'  CORNERS, 
is  situated  in  the  northwestern  part  of  the  town,  about  six 
miles  from  Brimfield  Centre,  on  the  Boston  and  Albany  Rail- 
road. It  contains  about  15  houses,  a  meeting-house,  and  two 
saw-mills.  Large  quantities  of  brick  are  manufactured  and 
shipped  to  various  points. 

fosket's  mills 
(formerly  Parksville  Post-Office)  is  a  small  settlement  about 
three  miles  and  a  half  from  Brimfield  Centre.  It  contains 
a  few  dwelling-houses.  It  is  the  site  of  the  best  mill-priv- 
ilege in  the  town,  being  located  in  a  valley  and  on  a  large 
stream,  known  as  Elbow  Brook,  which  is  fed  by  perennial 
springs.  It  contains  a  lumber-mill  and  a  wool-carding  mill. 
Parks'  woolen-mills,  formerly  located  there,  were  dcjitroyed, 
and  have  not  been  rebuilt. 

LITTLE     REST, 

a  small  village  containing  about  12  houses  and  60  inhabitants, 
is  situated  about  two  miles  northeast  of  Brimfield  Centre.  It 
contains  a  grist-,  saw-,  and  shingle-mill,  a  blacksmith-shop, 


and   a  wagon   repair-shop.     Harness-hames  and   saw-frames 
are  also  manufactured  in  the  village. 

SCHOOLS. 
The  town  of  Brimfield  has  enjoyed  the  ordinary  advan- 
tages of  education  from  the  earliest  period  of  its  settlement. 
Dec.  28,  1731,  it  was  "voted  that  the  town  have  a  school." 
At  first  one  teacher  alone  was  employed  for  the  whole  town, 
spending  a  certain  number  of  weeks  in  each  section  thereof. 
The  town  was  divided  into  three  of  these  sections,  or  districts, 
Jan.  29,  1736,  and  was  regularly  partitioned  off  Dec.  7,  1742. 
May  28,  1753,  it  was  voted  to  have  schools  kept  in  seven 
places.  As  the  population  increased  regular  school  districts 
were  established.     In  1766  there  were  ten  of  these  districts. 

The  first  appropriation  to  build  school-houses  was  made 
Dec.  9,  1742.  A  ta.';  of  £80  was  voted  to  pay  for  work  and 
materials,  and  the  first  school-house  was  erected  on  the  com- 
mon east  of  the  meeting-house.  It  stood  there  until  1804, 
when  a  new  one  was  erected  on  the  Warren  road  north  of  the 
meeting-house.  A  brick  school-house  was  erected  in  June, 
1824,  by  District  No.  1,  at  a  cost  of  $725.48.  In  1866  the 
old  brick  building  was  taken  down,  and  a  tasteful  and  com- 
modious structure  60  by  30  feet  erected  near  the  park,  its 
present  site,  at  a  cost  of  about  54500. 

March  9,  1747,  £60  was  appropriated  to  build  a  school-house 
in  the  south  part  of  the  town,  now  Wales.  May  17,  1754, 
a  committee  was  appointed  to  locate  a  school-house  in  the 
west  part  of  the  town.  But  it  was  not  till  March  8,  1760, 
that  the  town  appropriated  £8  to  Thomas  King  and  others  to 
erect  this  building. 

The  first  schoolmaster  named  in  the  records  is  David  Hitch- 
cock. In  1742  he  received  £7  10s.  for  his  services.  On  May 
19,  1755,  the  town  voted  that  there  he  a  grammar  school  kept. 
It  was  voted,  Nov.  19,  1755,  to  appropriate  £30  for  schooling, 
of  which  £3  66-.  8rf.  was  to  go  to  the  teacher  of  the  grammar 
school,  the  balance  to  be  equitably  distributed  to  each  district. 
The  schools  were  generally  taught  by  women  in  the  sum- 
mer, when  the  larger  boys  were  at  work,  and  by  men  in  the 
winter. 

Among  the  early  female  teachers  may  be  mentioned  Mehit- 
ahel  Moflat,  in  1769  ;  Hannah  Bugbee,  in  1796  ;  Lydia  Wins- 
low,  in  1804;  Susan  Warren,  in  1824;  Lucretia  Morgan,  in 
1835;  Damaris  Tarbell  and  Melina  Hitchcock.  Among  the 
early  male  teachers  we  find  Moses  Lyon,  in  1753;  Timothy 
Danielson,  in  176G;  Abner  Morgan  and  Caleb  Hitchcock,  in 
1767;  Issachar  Brown,  Col.  Abner  Brown,  and  Capt.  Cyril 
B.  Brown. 

In  1766  the  town  was  fined  £.30  for  not  maintaining  a 
grammar  school,  but,  upon  explanation*  of  the  matter  by  the 
selectmen,  the  fine  was  remitted. 

In  1807  the  first  committee  to  inspect  schools  was  chosen. 
In  1819  a  committee  of  ten,  one  for  each  district,  was  ap- 
pointed to  assist  Rev.  Mr.  Vaill  in  the  examination  of  teach- 
ers and  care  of  the  schools.  Before  that  time  the  whole  mat- 
ter had  devolved  upon  the  minister.  After  1828  a  school 
committee  was  annually  chosen,  but  not  till  1838  were  they 
paid  for  their  services.  In  1843  a  town  committee  of  three 
was  chosen  to  have  the  general  oversight  of  schools.  In  1859 
the  annual  school  reports  were  for  the  first  time  printed. 

The  town  at  the  present  time  supports  ten  j.ublic  schools. 
The  old  district  schools  were  abolished  by  legislative  enact- 
ment, April  16,  1870. 

For  the  year  ending  March,  1878,  the  average  attendance 
upon  these  schools  was  186,  and  11  teachers  were  employed. 
They  are  reported  in  good  condition. 

One  of  the  principal  objects  of  interest  at  Brimfield  Centre, 
and  one  which  reflects  equal  credit  upon  its  founder  (Samuel 
A.  Hitchcockf)  and  the  public-spirited  citizens,  is  the 


*  Mass.  Archives,  May  25, 1707. 


f  Since  deceased. 


rooo 


HISTORY   OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


"HITCHCOCK  FKKE  HIGH  SCHOOL," 
wliicli  WHS  originally  incorporated  April  2G,  1855,  under  tlic 
title  of  "  Tlie  Trustees  of  tlie  Bri infield  Free  Grammar  School," 
and  opened  in  December  of  the  same  year.  In  June,  1850, 
its  name  was  changed  to  "The  Hitchcock  Free  Gi'ammar 
School,"  and  in  March,  1871,  it  was  again  changed  to  its 
present  title. 

The  total  amount  of  Mr.  Hitchcock's  contributions  to  the 
institutions  was  |75,000.  In  addition,  upward  of  $0000  has 
been  raised  by  private  subscriptions  at  various  times.  In 
1808,  Mr.  John  "VVyles  gave  $1000  as  a  permanent  "repair 
fund."     The  present  total  fund  of  the  institution  is  $80,000. 

The  school  is  free  to  citizens  of  Brimfield,  and,  after  they 
are  provided  for,  to  the  citizens  of  the  surrounding  towns  to 
the  extent  of  its  capacity,  and  many  avail  themselves  of  its 
advantages.  It  has  four  teachers,  and  the  number  of  scholars 
in  attendance  during  the  year  1878  was  147.  There  are  two 
courses  of  study,  English  and  classical,  the  latter  of  which 
occupies  four  years,  and  aims  to  prepare  its  pupils  for  admis- 
sion to  college.  The  school  is  provided  with  a  library  com- 
prising 1200  selected  volumes,  and  with  apparatus  designed 
to  assist  in  e.\plaining  the  principles  of  experimental  science. 
The  building  is  a  large  frame  structure,  situated  in  the  centre 
of  the  village,  surrounded  by  pleasant  grounds,  and  presents  a 
tasteful  and  attractive  appearance. 

CHURCHES. 

The  earliest  church  in  Brimfield,  as  in  most  New  England 
towns,  and  the  one  which  received  the  support  of  the  corpo- 
rate body,  was  the  Congregational.  The  first  meeting-house 
was  erected  in  the  year  1722,  on  the  spot  where  the  present 
edifice  stands.  It  was  a  frame  building,  45  by  40  feet  in  di- 
mensions. It  had  no  chimnej's,  tower,  or  steeple.  It  had 
numerous  windows  and  doors  on  its  east,  west,  and  south 
sides.  The  pulpit  occupied  the  north  side.  The  seats  were 
long  benches  with  no  backs,  but  simply  with  legs  driven  in  as 
in  the  common  milking-stool.  The  deacons'  seat  was  in  front 
of  and  beneath  the  high  pulpit,  facing  the  congregation.  Its 
occupants  were  unable  to  see  the  preacher. 

Dec.  28,  1731,  it  was  voted  "that  the  women  sit  In  the 
West  End  of  the  meeting-house."  The  men  occupied  a  sep- 
arate ])luce.  The  seats  were  assigned  according  to  age  and 
estate.  The  duty  of  assigning  these  was  performed  by  a 
committee,  and  was  called  "  dignifying  the  seats."  In  1757 
the  committee  was  instructed  "  to  seate  men  and  their  wives 
together  in  the  Pews."  On  Nov.  16,  1761,  it  was  voted  "  to 
color  the  outside  of  the  meeting-house,  and  to  raise  £8  to  do 
the  same."  March  11,  1790,  an  item  in  the  treasurer's  ac- 
count is  for  "  sweeping,  repairing,  and  propping  the  meeting- 
house," a  good  indication  of  its  long-continued  services. 

April  2,  1804,  the  town  voted  to  build  a  new  meeting- 
house by  selling  the  pews  as  far  as  they  would  go  toward  that 
object.  It  was  erected  upon  the  site  of  the  old  one,  at  a  cost 
of  over  $6000.  The  day  of  its  raising  was  one  of  general  fes- 
tivity and  rejoicing.  Meals  were  furnished  at  the  town's  ex- 
pense. The  bill  for  "  Rum,  Sugar,  Brandy,  Lemmons,  and 
Wine  for  raising  the  Meeting-house"  was  §121.22.  The 
committee  who  prepared  tlie  ground  for  the  underpinning  laid 
in  "rum  and  sugar"  to  the  value  of  $3.50.  The  superin- 
tendent had  "  1^  mugs  Brandy  tody"  at  27  cents. 

The  new  house  was  a  "commodious  and  beautiful"  one. 
It  had  columns  in  front,  which  faced  the  south,  a  steeple,  and 
a  bell.  Deaf  persons  sat  in  the  pulpit  by  the  side  of  the  min- 
ister. It  was  remodeled  in  1838  at  an  expense  of  $4600,  and 
destroyed  by  fire  Feb.  21,  1847.  The  present  edifice,  a  neat 
frame  structure,  having  a  steeple  and  bell,  and  occupying  the 
old  site,  was  immediately  erected,  and  was  dedicated  Jan.  19, 
1848.  It  cost  over  $0000.  In  1802,  $3400  were  expended  for 
new  pews  and  furniture.  The  basement  story  has  also  since 
been  remodeled.     The  present  membership  is  about  125.     It 


is  controlled  by  the  pari.sh,  and  not  by  the  town,  as  formerly. 
An  excellent  pastoral  library  containing  about  GOO  volumes 
is  owned  by  the  pari.sh.  The  Sunday-school  was  established 
in  1819,  and  is  now  in  an  active  and  flourishing  condition, 
the  average  attendance  being  110. 

The  earliest  deacons  of  the  church  were  John  Sherman, 
David  Morgan,  Henrj'  Burt,  Luke  Blachfield,  Joseph  Hitch- 
cock, Joseph  Hoar,  Joseph  Hitchcock,  Jr.,  Samuel  Sessions, 
and  Jonathan  Morgan.  A  movement  looking  to  the  forma- 
tion of  a  second  church  organization  and  Sunday-school  is 
being  agitated,  but  has  not  yet  assumed  definite  shape. 

On  Nov.  18,  1724,  the  Rev.  Richard  Treat,  the  first  minister, 
was  ordained.  He  was  granted  120  acres  of  land,  with  future 
rights,  and  was  paid  an  annual  salary  of  £85.  This  was 
subsequently  increased  to  £105.  His  pastoral  relation  was 
dissolved  by  his  own  request,  March  25,  1734. 

Jan.  29,  1730,  Rev.  James  Bridgham,  the  next  pastor,  was 
called  by  the  town.  He  was  to  have  "  £300  settleinent  in 
Bills  of  Credit  as  now  passes  between  man  and  man,"  and 
"£120  Sallery  Yearly  in  Bills  of  Credit  as  they  now  pass." 
Subsequently  it  was  further  stipulated  that  the  town  should 
pay  "  one-third  part  of  the  Sallery  after  the  rate  of  Silver  at 
27  shillings  per  ounce."  The  balance  was  paid  in  provisions 
and  labor.  During  his  forty  years'  pastorate  130  members  were 
added  to  the  church.  He  died  Sept.  19,  1770,  at  the  age  of 
sixt3--nine  years,  and  was  buried  in  the  town. 

Oct.  27,  1774,  the  town  voted  to  call  Rev.  Nehemiah  Wil- 
liams, £200  to  be  paid  him  for  the  settlement,  and  an  annual 
salary  of  £70.  He  was  ordained  Feb.  9,  1775,  served  a  success- 
ful pastorate  of  twenty-one  years,  and  died  Nov.  26,  1790,  in 
his  forty-eighth  year.     He  was  buried  in  the  town  cemetery. 

Rev.  Clark  Brown  was  next  ordained,  June  20,  1708,  and 
dismissed  Nov.  2,  1803. 

Aug.  17,  1808,  the  church  voted  to  call  the  Rev.  Warren 
Fay,  and  August  29th  the  town  concurred.  The  salary 
offered  was  $500  and  25  cords  of  wood.  Mr.  Pay  was  or- 
dained Nov.  2,  1808.  He  remained  until  June  26,  1811,  when 
he  was  dismissed  at  his  own  request. 

The  next  pastor  was  Rev.  Joseph  Vaill,  Jr.,  who  was  called 
Nov.  19,  1813.  His  salary  was  fixed  at  $550.  He  was  or- 
dained Feb.  2,  1814,  and  continued  twenty-two  years,  during 
a  period  of  remarkable  progress  in  the  church.  He  was  dis- 
missed Sept.  16,  1834,. at  his  own  request. 

Rev.  Joseph  Fuller  was  called  to  the  pastorate,  and  installed 
March  11,  183.5.  He  resigned  May  4,  1837,  and  was  dismissed 
by  council  on  June  7th,  following. 

Rev.  Joseph  Vaill  was  again  pastor  from  Nov.  1,  1837,  to 
Oct.  19,1841,  when  he  resigned  to  act  as  financial  agent  of 
Amherst  College.  He  died  in  1869,  at  Palmer,  Mass.,  and 
was  buried  iu  Brimfield  cemetery. 

Rev.  George  C.  Partridge  succeeded  Dr.  Vaill.  He  was  in- 
stalled Nov.  18,  1842,  and  dismissed  April  11,  1840. 

Feb.  21,  1847,  the  meeting-house  was  burned.  The  present 
edifice  was  erected  in  the  same  year. 

Rev.  B.  E.  Hale  acted  as  pastor  from  November,  1847,  to 
February,  1849.  Rev.  Jason  Morse  was  the  next  regular 
pastor,  and  was  ordained  Dec.  12,  1849.  He  died  Oct.  14, 
1801,  at  the  age  of  forty  years. 

Rev.  Charles  M.  Hyde  was  ordained  pastor  Aug.  18,  1862. 
He  continued  eight  years,  tendering  his  resignation  May  8, 
•1870. 

Rev.  Moses  B.  Boardman  was  installed  Dec.  1,  1870.  Owing 
to  ill  health  he  resigned,  and  was  dismissed  Nov.  1,  1873. 

He  was  succeeded  on  April  30,  1874,  by  the  Rev.  Webster 
K.  Pierce,  who  continued  until  Aug.  6,  1878,  when  the  rela- 
tionship was  dissolved.  The  church  at  the  present  time  is 
without  a  regular  pastor. 

ADVKNTISTS. 

In  March,  1844,  Dr.  Alva  Higgins  and  wife,  and  Miss 
Lavinia  Coller,  commenced  holding  Advent  meetings  in  Con- 


HISTORY  OF  HAMPDEN  COUNTY. 


1001 


ference  Hall,  at  Brimfield  Centre.  They  continued  about 
nine  months,  and  then  rented  a  room  in  the  Gen.  Eaton 
house,  which  they  occupied  until  1859.  They  now  occupy  a 
neat  chapel,  which  was  erected  in  1866,  at  a  cost  of  51200. 
The  Christian  Advent  Society  was  organized  Julj-  6,  1867, 
and  numbers  at  present  about  30  members.  They  have  never 
had  a  regular  pastor,  but  meet  usually  every  Sabbath,  and 
have  preaching  about  twice  a  month. 

CHURCH   OF   CHRI.ST. 

This  church  is  located  at  East  Brimfield,  and  was  erected 
in  1871,  at  a  cost  of  f.3000.  It  was  dedicated  Jan.  5,  1872. 
The  church  organization  was  effected  July  2.5,  1869,  with  18 
members.     Kev.  0.  C  Atwater  commenced  preaching  July 

20,  1873,  and  continued  one  year.  Prior  to  that  time  only 
general  supplies  bad  been  furnished  by  various  pastors.  After- 
ward Kev.  James  Dockery,  of  Wales,  was  employed  for  a 
year  or  more.  Services  are  now  only  held  occasionally.  A 
Sabbath-school  has  been  organized,  and  meets  every  Sunday. 

MORAVIANS,    OR  UNITED   BRETHREN. 

The  first  meetings  of  this  branch  of  the  Christian  Church 
were  held  at  West  Brimfield  in  1855  or  '56.  A  minister  was 
at  that  time  sent  there  by  the  Missionary  Society.  The  in- 
terest so  far  increased  that  it  was  thought  expedient  to  erect 
a  church  for  the  accommodation  of  that  part  of  Brimfield,  and 
the  adjoining  sections  of  Palmer  and  Warren ;  and  in  1857 
such  an  edifice  was  constructed.     It  was  destroyed  by  fire  July 

21,  1861,  rebuilt  in  1864,  and  occupied  until  1867.  Several 
pcr.sons,  whose  names  we  cannot  give  because  of  the  absence 
of  the  church  records  from  the  State,  were  employed  as 
preachers  until  1867,  and  meetings  were  sometimes  held  by 
pastors  of  churches  from  neighboring  towns. 

BURIAL-PLACES. 
The  cemetery  located  at  Brimfield  Centre,  on  the  east  side 
of  the  road  to  Wales,  has  been  in  use  since  the  earliest  settle- 
ment of  the  town.  The  original  lot  contained  about  one-quar- 
ter of  an  acre  at  the  northwest  corner  of  the  present  inclosure. 
In  1732  the  proprietors  of  the  town,  by  vote,  enlarged  it  to 
two  acres,  and  adopted  it  as  a  place  of  burial.  It  was  reached 
by  a  lane  leading  from  the  town  street  near  the  present  road  to 
Wales.  Access  was  also  had  to  the  cemetery  on  the  east  by  a 
lane  from  the  Sturbridge  road,  with  a  bridge  across  the  brook. 
In  1845  land  was  added  to  the  cemetei'y  from  the  south,  and  in 
1860  still  further  additions  were  made.  In  1878  over  an  acre 
more  was  added.  It  is  a  beautiful  spot,  containing  many  hand- 
some monuments,  and  kept, in  good  condition  b}'  a  keeper  ap- 
pointed by  the  town.  It  is  laid  out  in  plats,  which  are  as- 
signed to  the  inhabitants  by  the  selectmen.  A  hearse  was 
first  purchased  in  1804. 

The  Brimfield  cemetery  contains  the  remains  of  nearly  all 
the  early  settlers  of  the  town  and  of  such  of  their  descendants 
as  have  died.  Gen.  Timothy  Danielson,  of  Revolutionary 
fame,  and  Gen.  Wm.  Eaton,  renowned  for  his  exploits  in 
Africa,  repose  there,  and  several  of  the  pioneer  pastors  of  the 
town.  From  a  few  of  its  many  tombstones  we  take  the  fol- 
lowing unique  inscriptions  : 

"  Daniel  Burt,  Esq.,  who  died  Feb.  27,  I77I,  in  his  68th  year.  He  early  in  life 
exposed  himself  in  a  dangerous  enterprise  against  the  commou  enemy,  and  in 
our  late  expedition  he  served  as  a  Captain  and  a  Major,  was  loved  and  respected 
in  the  army.  .\s  a  selectman,  a  Justice  of  the  Peace,  and  a  Representative  he 
served  his  Town,  County,  &  Country  to  good  acceptance.  Having  served  hia 
generation,  by  the  will  of  God,  ho  is  fallen  asleep  and  is  laid  with  bis  fathers." 
"  In  memory  of  Eleazer  Foot,  who  died  Novem'^'  y«  17, 1758,  in  y*  7.^th  year  of 
his  age.  He  gave  his  estate  to  Azariah  Cooley."  "  Ezra  Wood,  died  6  Nov.,  1812, 
aged  20.  His  death  Wiis  occasioned  by  a  blow  of  a  stone  upon  the  head  from  the 
hand  of  Hiram  Stebbins,  maliciously  thrown  at  him." 

Another  stone  commemorates  the  death  of  John  Bliss,  July 

18,  1782,  at  the  age  of  thirty-five  years,  "by  turning  over  of 

a  cart,"  and  another  the  death  of  his  son,  John  Bliss,  June 

28,  1804,  "by  a  hurt  from  a  plow."     Another  stone  is  erected 

126 


"  in  commemoration  of  the  sobriety,  modesty,  industry,  and 
virtue  of  John  B.  Hubbard,"  who  died  July  24,  1803. 

Many  of  the  older  monuments  are  of  coarse  sandstone,  and 
their  inscriptions  are  so  denuded  by  the  "  tooth  of  time"  as 
to  be  nearlj-  illegible. 

As  the  south  part  of  the  town  became  more  thickly  settled 
a  necessity  arose  for  a  burial-place.  One  was  established,  Sept. 
5,  1732,  by  vote  of  "  ye  Proprietors,"  at  the  southeasterly  part 
of  the  South  Pond,  where  Robert  Moulton,  Sr.,  then  re- 
sided. This  ground,  in  which  the  early  settlers  of  the  south 
part  of  the  town  repose,  was  appropriated  by  adjoining  resi- 
dents after  a  time,  and  converted  to  agricultural  purposes. 

On  March  19,  1755,  a  petition  was  presented  bj-  certain  in- 
habitants of  the  west  part  of  the  town,  humbly  showing, 
"  Whereas  we,  living  a  great  Way  from  town,  and  soe 
from  ye  Present  Burying-place,  by  reason  of  the  Badness  and 
length  of  ye  way  cannot  Bury  our  Dead  with  that  Conveni- 
ence and  Order  which  such  solemnities  require,  It  being  no 
matter  to  the  Body  where  it  lies  when  Dead.  Therefore  we 
request  the  town  would  be  pleased  to  grant  us  a  Burying-place 
among  Our  Selves,  that  we  may  bury  our  Dead  out  of  sight 
with  less  Difliculty  and  Trouble. "  The  lot  granted  was  not 
laid  out  until  1760.  Capt.  Hitchcock,  the  first  person  buried 
in  it,  died  in  1762.  It  laid  half  a  mile  from  the  church  in 
Monson,  near  to  a  road  that  ran  from  Palmer.  It  is  now  out 
of  use. 

SOCIETIES. 
HUMANITY    LODGE    OF    FREE   AND    ACCEPTED   MASONS 

was  organized  in  the  town  of  Holland  in  1811.  The  charter 
was  granted  by  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Massachusetts.  On 
June  11,  1813,  a  petition  was  presented  to  the  Grand  Lodge 
by  Humanity  Lodge,  asking  for  the  removal  of  the  lodge  to 
Brimfield.  This  was  granted,  and  the  removal  efi'ected.  The 
lodge  flourished  for  a  number  of  years,  but  is  not  mentioned 
in  the  Grand  Lodge  records  after  Dec.  28,  1829.  Its  last 
meeting  was  held  Jan.  15,  1834.  There  is  now  no  regularly 
organized  body  of  the  order  in  the  town. 

The  early  settlers  were  accustomed  to  indulge  in  alcoholic 
beverages  quite  freely.  Flip,-  a  mixture  of  half  a  pint  of  rum 
to  a  quart  of  beer,  stirred  with  a  red-hot  iron,  and  toddy,  a 
mixture  of  rum  and  water,  sugar  and  nutmeg,  stirred  with  a 
toddy-stick,  were  the  favorite  drinks.  These  habits  were  uni- 
versal, pastors  and  flock  alilce  indulging  in  spirituous  liquors. 
The  books  of  the  storekeepers  were  filled  with  charges  for 
rum,  brandy,  and  wine.  In  an  old  account-book  kept  by  a 
neighbor  of  Rev.  Nehemiah  Williams  are  found  several 
charges  against  the  minister  for  rum ;  and  at  the  bottom  of 
one  account  are  written  the  words,  "this  all  settled,  except 
the  rum." 

INDUSTRIAL    PURSUITS. 

It  was  the  agricultural  advantages  of  Brimfield  that  first 
invited  the  early  settlers  to  locate  there,  and  this  pursuit  has 
ever  since  proved  the  principal  occupation  of  its  inhabitants. 
The  first  eftbrts  at  tilling  the  soil  were  crude  and  laborious, 
and  the  crops  were  probably  anything  but  remunerative. 
The  invention  of  improved  utensils  for  farming,  and  the  more 
tractable  nature  of  the  soil  from  continual  working,  have 
since  made  the  pursuit  of  agriculture  more  profitable.  At  the 
date  of  the  last  census  there  were  187  farms  in  the  town,  hav- 
ing an  aggregate  valuation  of  $-524,279.  The  agricultural 
implements  in  use  were  valued  at  $16,632 ;  the  domestic 
products  for  the  year  were  valued  at  $37,644;  other  products, 
including  the  cereals,  fruits,  vegetables,  poultry,  wool,  and 
meat,  at  $73,4.50 ;  and  the  number  of  tons  of  hay  produced, 
3587,  with  a  valuation  of  ?!.58,208.  There  were  333  persons 
engaged  iri  agricultural  pursuits,  and  the  amount  of  wages 
]iaid  them  for  the  year  ending  May  1,  1875,  was  .?20,861.  The 
principal  product*  are  butter,  cheese,  apples,  cider,  Indian 


um 


HISTORY  OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


corn,  eggs,  ha}',  berries,  inilk,  outs,  potatoes,  pumpkins,  rye, 
fruit,  and  meats. 

Potasli  was  made  by  ibc  early  settlers  by  felling  trees,  piling 
them  together,  and  when  thoroughly  dry  burning  them.  The 
ashes  were  leached  in  large  vessels,  producing  a  strong  lye. 
This  when  boiled  down  left  a  crude  potash.  Saltpetre  was 
also  made  for  several  years  by  leaching  earth  taken  from  under 
buildings.  Dr.  James  Lawrence,  who  resided  in  that  part  of 
the  town  now  Wales  had  a  tar-kiln  on  his  land.  Fat  pine- 
logs  were  piled  up,  a  trench  dug  around  them,  the  logs  set  on 
fire,  and  the  resin  which  the  heat  drove  out  into  the  trench 
was  scooped  up  and  packed  for  market. 

Pottery-making  was  once  a  branch  of  industry  in  the  town. 
The  clay  was  dug  out  of  Sherman's  Pond,  the  water  being 
dammed  out  when  the  pond  was  low,  and  the  clay  dug  at  the 
south  end.  Bricks  were  made  in  various  parts  of  the  town, 
and  the  manufacture  is  continued  at  West  Brimiield  at  the 
present  day.  Wool  hats  were  also  manufactured  by  various 
parties.  Tailoring  was  carried  on  to  considerable  extent,  and 
the  business  of  dressing  woolen  cloths  in  what  were  called 
clothing-works,  which  were  established  on  small  brooks,  was 
also  engaged  in. 

The  mill-privilege  at  East  Brimiield  is  supposed  to  have 
been  iirst  used  by  the  saw-  and  grist-mill  of  Wm.  Janes.  The 
Brimiield  Cotton  and  Woolen  Manufacturing  Company  was 
afterward  established  there,  but  the  enterprise  proved  unprofit- 
able. Other  parties  soon  after  established  the  Union  Cotton- 
Factory  Company  at  East  Brimfield.  In  1820  the  Monson 
and  Brimfield  Manufacturing  Company  was  establi-shed  at 
the  same  place.  In  18o3  the  factory  pa.ssed  into  new  hands, 
and  in  1854  it  was  destroyed  by  fire.  It  was  rebuilt  of  stone, 
and  used  from  1856  to  18t)5  for  the  manufacture  of  shoemakers' 
tools.  In  1865  it  was  changed  to  a  factory  for  making  ma- 
chines for  pegging  shoes. 

The  first  grist-mill  in  the  town  of  Brimfield  was  built  by 
Ezra  King,  before  1753,  on  Elbow  Brook.  On  Nov.  3,  1856, 
a  company  was  organized  as  the  Brimfield  Stockinet  Company, 
who  purchased  this  mill,  erected  a  factory,  and  commenced 
the  manufacture  of  stockinet,  but  failed  of  success.  On  May 
1,  1863,  the  property  jiassed  into  other  hands,  who  engaged  in 
the  manufacture  of  woolen  goods  until  April  18,  1870,  when 
the  factory  was  destroyed  by  fire,  and  has  not  been  rebuilt. 

The  first  grist-  and  saw-mills  at  Little  Best  were  located 
lower  down  the  stream  than  the  present  mills.  About  1812 
the  manufacture  of  nails  was  commenced  at  these  mills.  The 
enterprise  was  continued  for  more  than  twenty  years,  when  it 
was  relinquished.  The  business  was  recommenced  about  1840, 
and  continued  until  1850,  when  it  was  again  abandoned. 

The  tanning  and  currying  business  was  successfully  pur- 
sued in  Brimfield  until  about  1850,  when  the  principal  shops 
were  destroyed.  The  manufacture  of  boots  and  shoes  was 
also  once  a  prominent  industry  of  the  town.  'The  first  ready- 
made  boots  offered  for  sale  in  Hartford  and  the  Southern  cities 
were  made  in  Brimfield.  Blacksmith-shops  have  existed  in 
various  parts  of  the  town  since  the  earliest  settlement.  Cabi- 
net-making was  also  pursued  to  some  extent.  Dish-turning, 
watch-making,  and  silversmithing  have  also  received  atten- 
tion. 

The  earliest  store  was  established  by  Timothy  Danielson  in 
the  rear  of  the  old  Danielson  house.  Other  stores  were  kept 
by  David  Shaw,  Maj.  Abner  Morgan,  Samuel  W.  Brown, 
Capt.  Joseph  Hoar,  Enos  Hitchcock,  and  John  Park. 

MILITARV. 
The  Brimfield  Rifle  Company  was  recruited  in  1828,  and 
continued  its  organization  until  1840,  when  it  was  disbanded. 
The  town  has  e.'cpericnced  the  martial  glories  and  vain-glories 
of  training  and  general  muster-day,  when  with  fife  and  drum 
the  "bold  soldier  boys"  of  yore  displayed  themselves  in  the 
public  places  of  the  town,  closing  the  festivities  of  the  day  with 


feasting,  drinking,  and  general  social  enjoyments,  to  the  great 
delight  of  juvenile  Brimfield. 

The  town  does  not  seem  to  have  taken  any  active  part  in  the 
"  old  French  war,"  as  the  records  contain  but  slight  reference 
to  it. 

On  June  14,  1749  (Massachusetts  Archives),  Mary  Hitch- 
cock, of  Brimfield,  petitioned  the  General  Court  for  relief. 
Her  husband,  Nathaniel  Hitchcock,  went  from  her  "  very  well 
clad,  and  with  a  good  new  gun."  "  He  was  in  His  Majesty's 
service  in  Fort  Massachusetts  when  beset  by  and  delivered  up 
to  our  Frenoh-and-Indian  Enemies."  "  He  lived  in  captivity 
from  August  to  the  23d  day  of  May,  and  then  died."  She  was 
awarded  £12  .5s.,  and  a  good  gun.  In  the  Massachusetts  Ar- 
chives (vol.  xcii.,  p.  49)  is  a  list  of  sixteen  oflicers  and  men  who 
were  "  sent  to  the  Western  Frontiers  for  Defence  in  the  Time 
of  the  Alarm,  in  June,  1747." 

Five  companies  from  Brimfield  were  engaged  in  the  Frcnch- 
and-Indian  war:  one  under  Capt.  Ebenezer  Moulton  (Massa- 
chusetts Archives,  Book  94,  p.  95),  from  Sept.  11  to  Dec.  25 
1755;  another  under  Capt.  Daniel  Burt  (Ma.ssachusetts  Ar- 
chives, Book  94,  p.  90),  March  30,  1755,  to  Jan.  3,  1756;  an- 
other under  Capt.  Trustram  Davis  (Massachusetts  Archives, 
Book  94,  pp.  419,  420,  533,  545,  546,  557) ;  another  under 
Capt.  Davis  (Massachusetts  Archives,  Book  98,  pp.  271-274), 
Feb.  14  to  Dec.  16,  1760;  and  a  fifth  under  Capt.  Daniel 
Burt  (Massachusetts  Archives,  Book  96,  pp.  384-386),  March 
13  to  Feb.  20,  1758.  Other  companies,  in  which  Brimfield 
men  served,  are  mentioned  in  Massachusetts  Archives,  Book 
94,  page  153;  and  Book  98,  p.  271.  Reuben  Townsley  was 
taken  captive  by  the  Indians  and  compelled  to  run  the  gaunt- 
let. He  was  adopted  by  the  tribe,  and  lived  with  them  for 
ten  years.  After  a  brief  sojourn  at  Brimfield  he  returned  to 
the  Indians,  and  ended  his  life  with  them. 

The  following  are  the  names  of  those  of  the  residents  of 
Brimfield  who  served  in  the  expedition  against  the  French 
and  Indians  at  the  time  of  the  seizure  of  Port  Massachusetts, 
in  1747 : 

James  Miiick,  ensign ;  Ichabod  Bliss,  sergeant ;  Medad  Hitulieock,  corporal ; 
Daniel  Graves,  sentinel ;  Samuel  KMliorn,  Nathaniel  Clark,  Mark  Fen-y, 
Humi>lirey  Gardner,  Cliailes  Hoar,  Daniel  Morgan,  Henry  Burt,  John 
Nelson,  E.  Moretou,  Joseph  Bullings,  Nathaniel  Munger. 

May  29, 1756,  65  persons  were  impressed  into  service,  among 
whom  were  Simeon  Hubbard,  Samuel  Lee,  Samuel  Bates, 
John  Burt,  and  Edward  Cobb,  of  Brimfield.* 

In  the  French-and-Indian  war  were,  in  Capt.  Daniel  Burt's 
company,  1755: 

Saniuel  ("liandler,  lieutenant ;  Trustnim  Davis,  ensign  ;  Jonatlum  Brown,  John 
Harkness,  Wm.  Janes,  sergeants ;  Daniel  Loomis,  clerk  ;  Ebenezer  Arms, 
drummer;  John  Hallowell,  Josh.  Russell,  John  Mighill,  Jabez  Keep,  cor- 
porals; Ephraini  White,  Eheuezer  Bishop,  Joseph  Moffatt,  Jr.,  Nathaniel 
C4.dlins,  John  Bishop,  sentinels;  John  Thompson,  Asa  Merritt,  .Samuel 
Livermore,  Wm.  Gordon,  Joseph  Davis,  Elijah  Mighill,  Gideon  Dimock, 
Benj.  Webber,  Joshua  Garey,  Ichabod  Meeeham,  Francis  Baxter,  Thomas 
Walton,  Simeon  Burke,  Perez  Marsh,  Jr.,  Dennis  Wedge,  John  Burt, 
Nathaniel  Mighill,  Kobert  Dunkly,  Jr.,  James  Turner,  Daniel  MofTatt, 
John  Brightwell,  Thomas  Blodgett,  Edward  Roatch,  Jehiel  Morgan,  Ebe- 
nezer Scott,  Jr.,  Deliverance  Caipenter,  Wm.  Dadee. 

In  Capt.  Ebenezer  Moulton's  company,  1755: 

Gideon  Merrick,  lieutenant;  David  Wallis,  ensign;  Humphrey  Crane,  clerk; 
Hugh  Tackles,  Joseph  Belknap,  Josej))!  Munger.  sergeants;  Joshua  Bur- 
gess, Phineas  Mirrick,  Phineas  Durkee,  Aaron  Graves,  coriJorals;  Richard 
Jordan,  drummer;  Samuel  McClellan,  John  Cross,  John  Danielson,  Jr., 
Abner  Blodgett,  Robert  McMaster,  Benjamin  Stebbins,  David  Lumbard, 
T!u)m.  Riddle,  Stephen  Clark,  John  Cliedle,  Ebenezer  Frost,  Asa  Belknap, 
Wm.  Gardner,  Nehemiah  Needham,  Sam.  BuUen,  John  Hiel,  John  Lam- 
bertou,  Thom.  Anders,  Jonathan  Lumbard,  Timothy  Walker,  Reuben 
Morgan,  Jonathan  Killtourn,  Josiah  Converse,  Jr.,  Joseph  Moulton,  Wm. 
Belknap,  James  Runnels,  Isajic  Aplin,  Timothy  Farrell,  David  Brittian, 
Jonatlian  King,  Wm.  Fleming,  Samuel  Frost,  Timothy  Coltan,  Adonijah 
Russell,  Abijali  Ilealy,  Henry  Webber,  Sam.  Dearlng,  Wm.  G;irey,  Henry 
Lyon,  Jonathan  Frost,  Ebenezer  Cooley. 

In  Capt.  Trustram  Davis'  company.  Crown  Point  Expedi- 
tion, 1756 : 

*  Mass.  Archives,  94 :  153. 


HISTORY   OF   HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


1U03 


John  Mighill,  clerk  ;  Israel  "Walker,  sergeant ;  Ephraim  Wite,  corporal ;  Joseph 
Foot,  tlriiMiiner;  Klijali  Jlighill,  John  Post,  Samuel  Allen,  Josiah  Smith, 
Ueiiben  Townsley,  Samuel  Lee,  Daniel  Allen,  .Toseph  Moulton,  John  Davis, 
Joseph  Neeilham,  Jacob  Webber,  Asa  Belknap,  Andrew  Walton,  Isaac 
Wallis,  Jothaiu  King,  Wm.  Garle,  Samuel  Smith,  Edward  Cobh. 

In  Capt.  Daniel  Burt's  company  to  join  a  regiment  lor  tlie 

roduction  of  Canada,  1758 : 

Aaron  Merrick,  Phineas  Dingey,  sergeants ;  Josiah  Ilolbrook,  corporal;  Isaac 
Mund.  Jasper  Needham,  drummers;  Israel  Walker,  Benj.  Blodgett,  Tim- 
othy Walker,  Jonathan  Monlton,  Isaac  Bliss,  John  Blorgan,  Joseph  Thom- 
son, John  Rosebrook,  Richard  Bishop,  Sjunuel  Webber,  Sam.  Micil,  John 
Thompson,  Reuben  Lilley,  Asa  Belknap,  Israel  Janes,  Peter  Fuller,  Asa 
Holbrook,  Thomas  Hobart,  Reuben  Hoar,  Aquila  Moffatt,  Paul  Hitchcock, 
Jotham  King,  Benj.  Nelson,  William  Garey,  Nathaniel  Mighill,  Reuben 
Tonsley,  Phineas  Gi'aves,  Simeon  Keene,  Ebenezer  Stetjbiiis,  Elnathan 
Munger,  John  Shaw,  John  Hiirris,  Peter  Groves,  Smith  Aiusworth,  Isaac 
Scott,  Daniel  Sherman  (son  of  Phineas),  Berial  Sherman,  Joseph  Morgan, 
Jjicoh  Aiusworth,  Matthias  Hartman,  Wm.  Nelson,  Benjamin  Carl'enter, 
Benj.  Webber. 

In  Capt.  Trnstram  Davis'  company,  17(iO; 

Jonathan  Morgan,  Joseph  Thompson,  lieutenants:  Dan  Kno^ltou,  ensign; 
Samuel  Mighill,  Gideon  Dimick,  sergeants;  Peter  Fuller,  Jidui  Andei-son, 
Wm.  Bishop,  corporals ;  Reuben  Lilley,  George  Larkins,  Jehiel  Morgan, 
sentinels;  Samuel  Blodgett,  drummer;  Asa  Belknap,  Ariel  Mighill,  John 
KtibinsoD,  Saml.  Frizzell,  Joseph  Hitchcock,  Daniel  Haines,  Adonijah 
C<Joley,  Joseph  Davis,  Geo.  Peagray,  John  Hinds,  Aaron  Mighill,  Joseph 
Crawfoot,  Reuben  Townsley,  Benjamin  Nelson,  Caleb  Loomis,  Edward 
Cobb,  Thos.  Andeison,  Jolin  Willis,  John  Davis,  Jonathan  Babcock,  Bena- 
jah  Rice,  Jonathan  Nonis,  Jno.  Harris,  Jona.  Torrey,  David  Torrey, 
Leonard  Hoar,  Alex.  Jennings,  Nathaniel  Cooley,  Trustrum  Davis,  Jr., 
Lemuel  Hind. 

REVOLUTIONARY    PERIOD. 

The  town  of  Brimfield  tore  a  patriotic  and  honorable  part 
in  the  Revolutionary  war.  The  records  of  the  town  during 
the  period  of  its  continuance  are  replete  with  the  exhibition 
of  practical  patriotism  on  the  part  of  the  inhabitants. 

On  Sept.  26,  1768,  Timothj'  Danielson  was  chosen  to  attend 
a  convention  to  be  held  at  Boston,  "  in  order  that  such  meas- 
ures may  be  consulted  and  advised  as  his  Majesty's  service 
and  the  peace  and  safety  of  his  subjects  may  require."  Jan. 
21,  1773,  the  town  passed  a  series  of  resolutions  claiming 
the  right  to  meet  and  consult  upon  public  aflairs,  and  decla- 
ring certain  acts  of  the  ministry  and  of  Parliament  to  be  en- 
dangering the  rights  and  liberties  of  the  people  of  the  colonies. 
On  April  15,  1774,  the  town  appropriated  £\  lis.,  their  pro- 
portion of  JS500  assessed  by  the  House  of  Kepresentatives 
against  the  State  of  Massachusetts,  to  defray  the  expenses  of 
the  first  Congress. 

On  July  1,  1774,  a  covenant  was  drawn  up  and  signed  by 
the  189  voters  of  the  town  agreeing  to  suspend  all  commercial 
intercourse  with  Great  Britain,  to  neither  "  purchase  or  con- 
sume or  suffer  any  person  by,  for,  or  under"  them  "to  pur- 
chase or  consume"  anj'  articles  imported  from  Great  Britain, 
and  to  purchase  only  of  those  who  had  signed  this  covenant, 
or  who  had  made  oath  that  the  goods  oftered  for  sale  were  not 
imported  from  Great  Britain  after  August,  1774.  It  was 
understood  that  to  be  binding  this  covenant  was  to  receive  the 
approval  of  the  Continental  Congress,  and  one  of  similar  tenor 
must  be  adopted  by  the  other  towns  in  Massachusetts  and  of 
other  of  the  colonies. 

Timothy  Danielson,  of  Brimfleld,  also  acted  as  chairman 
of  a  congress  of  comiuittees  held  at  Northampton,  Sept.  22, 
1774,  "  to  consult  upon  measures  to  be  taken  in  this  time  of 
general  distress  in  the  province,"  and  Oct.  5,  1774,  he  was 
chosen  a  delegate  to  attend  the  Provincial  Congress,  which 
met  at  Concord  October  11th. 

All  the  male  residents  of  the  town  were  divided  into  two 
military  companies.  The  otHcers  chosen  were,  of  the  east : 
Captain,  Jas.  Sherman  ;  First  Lieutenant,  Jonathan  Charles; 
Second  Lieutenant,  Phineas  Sherman;  Ensign,  Daniel  Burt. 
Of  the  west :  Captain,  Samuel  Nicoll ;  First  Lieutenant,  Jona- 
than Brown;  Second  Lieutenant,  Nathan  Hoar;  Ensign,  Ab- 
ner  Stebbins.  Oct.  5,  1774,  the  town  voted  "  to  co-operate 
with  the  Joint  Committees  of  Boston  and  the  Neighboring 


Towns  not  to  supply  the  Troops  with  Joists,  etc..  Materials  to 
fortify  wi-tb."  Jan.  11,  1775,  the  town  voted  to  join  with 
Monson  and  South  Brimfield  in  sending  a  delegate  to  the  Pro- 
vincial Congress,  and  Jamniry  18th  Timothy  Danielson  was 
chosen  such  delegate.  May  26th  following  Mr.  Danielson 
was  commissioned  a  colonel,  and  re-elected  a  delegate  to  the 
Congress  of  1775  the  day  before.  Four  pounds  ten  shillings 
were  allowed  him  for  Brimlield's  proportion  of  his  expenses. 

Many  patriotic  resolutions  follow  in  the  town  records,  and 
men,  money,  and  supplies  were  freely  furnished.  The  follow- 
ing citizens  of  Brimfield  served  as  soldiers  in  the  Revolution- 


Capt.  Thomas  T.  Burt,  Lieut.  Jonathan  Brown,  Capt.  Joseph  Browning,  Capt. 
Joh  n  Carpenter,  Maj .  Nathaniel  Danielson,  Brig.-Gen.  Timothy  Danielson , 
Capt.  Joseph  Hoar,  Lieut.  Reuben  Lilly,  Lieut.  Aaron  Mighill,  Ens.  Na- 
thaTiiel  Miller,  Maj.  Abner  Morgan,  Capt.  James  Sherman,  Lieut.  Phineas 
Sherman,  Ensign  Jonathan  Thomijson,  Lient.-Col.  Joseph  Thompson,  John 
Atcliinson,  Henry  Abbott,  Zebediali  Abbott,  Natlian  Ames,  Peter  Alexan- 
der, Samuel    Andrew,  James  llurnett,  Joseph  Baker,  Sherobiah  Ballard, 
John  Bartlett,  George  Benient,  Jesse  Bcment,  George  Blanchard,  James 
Blashlield,  John  Blashfield,  Ozem  Blasihfiehl,  Wm.  Blashfleld,  Henry  Bliss, 
John  Bliss,  Blodgett  Bliss,  Edward  Bund,  Epbraim  Bond,  Luke  Bond, 
Samuel   Bond,  Dainel  Belknap,  Thomas  Bliss,  Adniatba  Blodgett,  .lonas 
Blodgett,  Benjamin  Blodgett,  Epbraim  Blodgett,  Rnfus  Blodgett,  Hooper 
Bishop,  Solomon  Bishop,  Abner  Bishop,  Jonathan  Bridgh.am,  Silas  Brooks, 
Bartholomew  Brown,  Jonathan  Brown,  John  Bryant,  Noadiah  Burr,  Abel 
Burt,  Stoddard  Cady,  Abial  Carpenter,  John  Carpenter,  William  Carpenter, 
Timothy  Corliss,  Lenmel  Chapman,  Aaron  Charles,  Jonathan  Charles, 
Nathaniel  Charles,  Nehemiah  Charles,  Solomon  Charles,  John  Charles, 
Nathaniel  Chickering,  Benoni  Clark,  Peter  Clark,  Lewis  Collins,  Nathan- 
iel Collins,  Stephen  Collins,  Thaddeus  Collins,  Azariah  Cooley,  John  Collis, 
Altamont  Danielson,  Calvin  Danielson,  Daniel  Danielson,  John  Danielson, 
Lothario  Danielson,  Luther  Danielson,  Samuel  Davis,  Wm.  Davis,  Isaac 
Draper,  Samuel  Draper,  Joseph  Duidiam,  Hananiah  Ellingwood,  Rufus 
Fairbanks,  Ebenezer  Fairbanks,  Elijah  Fay,  Levi  Fay,  Judah  Ferry,  Jona- 
than Fisk,  Luther  Fuller,  Jesse  Graves,  John  Gardner,  John  Harris,  Danl. 
Haynes,  Jonas  Haynes,  Samuel  Ilaynes,  Josiah  Hill.  Aaron  Hitchcock, 
Abijah  Hitchcock,  Abuer  Hitchcock,  Eldad  Hitchcock,  Heli  Hitchcock, 
Elijah  Hitchcock,  Ezra  Hitchcock,  Jacob  Hitchcock,  Joseph  Hitchcock, 
Levi  Hitchcock,  Luther  Hitchcock,  Medad  Hitchcock,  Winchester  Hitch- 
cock, Leonard  Hoar,  John  B.  Hubbard,  Jonathan  Hubbard,  Henry  Hooker, 
Jeremiah  Howard,  David  Janes,  Elijah  Janes,  Eliphalet  Janes,  Isaac  Janes, 
Israel  Janes,  Jonathan  Janes,  Peleg  Cheney  Janes,  Solomon  Janes,  Thos. 
Janes,  Wm.  Janes,  Asaph  Lane,  Saml.  Lewis.  Benj.  Lilly,  Joseph  Lilly,  Reu- 
ben Lilly,  Sam'l  Lilly,  Daniel  Livcrmore,  Absalom  Lumbard,  Aaron  Lum- 
bard,  David   Lundiard,  Jeremiali  Lumbard,  Stephen  Lumbard,  Thomas 
Lumbard,  Nathaniel  Mighill,  Oliver  IHason,  Ezra  May,  Thomas  McCluro, 
Abner  Mighill,  Nathaniel  Miller,  Amok   Miller,  Daniel    Moffatt,  Jacob 
Moffatt,  Joel  Moftatt,  Judah  Moffatt,  Lewis  Slolfatt,  Wm.  Moffatt,  Aaron 
Moigan,  Benj.  Morgan,  David  Morgan,  Enoch  Slorgan,  Jacob  Morgan, 
Jonathan  Morgan,  Joseph  Morgan,  Pelatiah  Morgan,  Wm.  Morgan,  Benj. 
Nelson,  Samuel  Nelson,  John  Newell,  Asher  Nichols,  John  Nichols,  Zaduk 
Nichols,  Jesse  Parker,  Lemuel  Parker,  Eli  Powere,  Joseph  Russell,  Simon 
Rogers,  Sylvanus  Sanderson,  George  Shaw,  Sanmel  Shaw,  Benj.  Sherman, 
Beriah  Sherman,   Bezaleel  Sherman,   James  Sherman,   John   Sherman, 
Joseph   Sherman,    Lemuel   Sherman,  Noah  Sherman,  Samuel  Sherman, 
Thos.  Sherman,  Geo.  Shumway,  Elijah  Smith,  John  Smith,  Danl.  Stearns, 
Abner  Stebbins,  David  Stebbins,  John  Stebbins,  Jotham  Stebbins,  Judah 
Stebbins,  Levi  Stebbins,  Thomas  Stone,  Abner  Sabin,  Alpheus  Thompson, 
Amherst  Thompson,  Asa  Thompson,  James  Thompson,  Jonathan  Thomp- 
son, Jno.  Thompson,  Saml.  Thompson,  Solomon  Thompson,  Stephen  Thomp- 
soTi,  .\dam  Tonnslcy,  Dan  Tounsley,  Gad  Tounsley,  Jacob  Townsley,  Reu- 
ben Townsley,  Benj.  Trask,  Noah  Tr.i-sk,  William  Ti-ask,  Joseph  Tucker, 
Chlistopher  Ward,  Comfort  Ward,  Ebenezer  Ward,  Elijah  Ward,  Bradley 
Webber,  Gershom  Whitney.  Joshua  Witham,  Calvin  Worthington. 

SHAYS'    REBELLION. 

The  town  does  not  appear  to  have  taken  any  direct  interest 
in  the  causes  that  conspired  to  instigate  this  violent  attack 
upon  law  and  order,  but,  when  the  time  for  action  arrived, 
supported  the  government. 

On  Sept.  25,  1786,  the  two  militia  companies  of  Brimfield 
were  ordered  to  Springfield  by  the  State  authorities,  and  re- 
mained six  days.  They  were  again  ordered  to  the  same  place 
Jan.  17,  1787,  and  remained  twenty-four  days.  Another  conir 
pany  was  enlisted  by  Capt.  John  Sherman,  and  did  cjuty  front 
Feb.  7,  1787,  to  March  12th  of  the  same  year. 

The  following  are  the  names  of  those  persons  from  Brim; 
field  who  aided  in  the  suppression  of  the  rebellion  :* 


»  Mass.  Aichives  192  ;  01  and  191  :  277. 


1(104 


HISTORY   OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


John  Sherman,  captain  :  Samuol  Rates,  Alexander  Sessions,  lieutenants  ;  Aaron 
Morpui,  clerk ;  Calvin  Ilaiiielson,  Klijah  Morgan,  David  Bloilgett,  John 
Charles,  sergeants;  Eli  liates,ilrnnnner;  David  Browning,  Willis  Moffatt, 
Ebcnczcr  Frizzell,  oori)orals ;  Herwy  Alibot,  Josiah  Arms,  Wra.  Blackflehl, 
Abel  Bnrt,  L.  Bement,  ICphrnim  Bond,  Simeon  Bates,  Moses  Bates,  Rnfns 
Bates,  Solomon  Charles,  Jonathan  Charles,  Simeon  Charles,  Nathaniel 
Charles,  Nehemiah  Charles,  Thimias  Cooley,  Willis  Coye,  Luther  Daniel- 
son,  Lothario  Danielson,  Nathaniel  Danielson,  Nathan  Durkee,  Joseph 
Fairbanks,  Levi  Gates,  Jacob  Hoar,  Benjamin  Haynes,  Pownal  Hitchcock, 
John  Lathwood,  Jonathan  Morgan,  Jacob  Morgan,  Gad  Migbill,  Joseph 
Moffatt,  Jr.,  Cyrus  .lanes,  Calvin  Moftatt,  .lobn  Murray,  Joseph  Olds, 
Thomas  Sherman,  John  Sherman,  Daniel  Shaw,  Seth  Totman,  I'eter 
Webber,  Zebediah  Abbot,  Enoch  Morgan. 

Joseph  Hoar,  captain  ;  Jonathan  Brown,  Joseph  Hitchcock,  Ab'm  Chapin,  lieu- 
tenants; Josiah  Stebbins,  dork;  Benj.  Stebbins,  Zadoc  Nichols,  Daniel 
Danielson,  Amos  Miller,  sergeants;  Masscna  Hitchcock,  fifer;  Judah 
Stebbins,  George  Miller,  drummers ;  Arnnah  Charles,  Jonathan  Ellinwood, 
t!alvin  Holmes,  Zepheuiab  Eood,  corporals;  Joseph  Allen,  Consider  Be- 
ment, Daniel  Brewer,  Israel  Bond,  James  Bennett,  Nicanor  Brown, 
Thomas  Charles,  Lewis  Collins,  PliineiUi  Cro\ich,  Bczaleel  Chapin,  Benja- 
min Chapin,  Ashbel  Chapin,  Roswell  Chapin,  John  Chapin,  Wm.  Chan- 
dler, Benjamin  Danielson,  David  Dunham,  Cutting  Barle,  Willard  Gov- 
ernor, John  Holmes,  Edward  Holmes,  Jabez  Hills,  Zadoc  Hitchcock,  Noali 
Hitchcock,  Ezra  Hitchcock,  John  McKinstry,  Eber  Kellogg,  Gideon  Lum- 
bard,  Joseph  Morgan  (3d),  Wm.  Morgan,  Daniel  Morgan,  Jesse  Parker, 
James  Smith,  Jr.,  Pliny  Lichus,  Barzilla  Sherman,  Gardner  Wiman.  Moses 
Wood,  Thomas  Stone,  Bichard  Bishop,  David  Morgan,  Jabez  Nichols, 
Moses  Grovesnor. 

WAR  ov  18r2. 

With  the  causes  which  led  to  thi.s  struggle,  and  the  policy 
in  view  in  prosecuting  it,  the  people  of  Brimfield  never  had 
any  active  sympathy.  On  the  contrary,  tha  resolutions 
adopted  by  the  town  Sept.  30,  1814,  were  decidedly  antago- 
nistic to  the  governmental  policy,  and  a  resolution  adopted 
June  23,  1815,  in  reference  to  certain  internal  duties  imposed 
by  the  United  States  government,  even  suggested  the  policy  of 
armed  resistance  on  the  part  of  the  State. 

But  one  company  was  furnished  to  the  war,  and  this  by 
Monson,  Brimfield,  and  South  Brimfield  combined.  Isaac 
Puller,  of  Monson,  was  captain,  and  Ahner  Brown  lieutenant. 
The  following  are  the  names  of  those  who  served  from  Brim- 
field: 

Abner  Brown,  lieutenant ;  Daniel  Frost,  sergeant-major  ;  Julius  Ward,  Erastus 
Lnmbard,  sergeants ;  Zadoc  Nichols,  corporal ;  Saunders  Allen,  Lemuel 
Allen,  Shubael  Butterworth,  Wm.  Blodgett,  Martin  Durkee,  Chester  Ellin- 
wood,  Oliver  Felton,  Timothy  Gardner,  Jonathan  Haynes,  Eaton  Hitch- 
cock, John  Dunbar,  Edward  Lewis,  John  G.  Moore,  Joshua  Nichols, 
Daniel  S.  Nichols,  Lewis  Robinson,  Timothy  Swycher,  Martin  Smith, 
Abial  Stebbins,  Erasnnis  Stebbins,  Calvin  Burnett,  Loring  Collins,  Aaron 
English,  George  Harvey. 


Marshall  S.  Durkee,  of  Brimfield,  who  enlisted  in  1808  for 
five  years,  served  under  Gen.  Harrison,  was  in  the  battles  of 
Tippecanoe  and  Brownstown,  and  in  the  army  surrendered 
by  Gen.  Hull  at  Detroit ;  was  confined  in  prison-ship  at 
Quebec  for  several  months,  and  discharged  at  Boston  in  1813. 

WAR    OF    THE    REBELLION. 

In  the  war  of  the  Kebellion  the  inhabitants  of  Brimfield 
manifested  that  lofty  patriotism,  and  that  self-sacrificing 
spirit,  which  tired  the  hearts  and  toughened  the  sinews  of 
their  ancestors  in  the  Revolution. 

The  town  of  Brimfield  furnished  to  the  war  138  men,  being 
5  more  than  the  quota  assigned  it.  The  amount  of  money 
appropriated  and  expended  for  military  purposes,  exclusive  of 
State  aid,  was  $15,004.33.  The  amount  raised  and  expended 
for  State  aid  to  soldiers'  families  during  the  war,  and  which 
was  afterward  repaid  by  the  State,  was  $5853.11.  The  ladies 
of  Brimfield  by  subscriptions  and  fairs  raised  $1803.25  for  the 
Sanitarj'  and  Christian  Commissions. 

Brimfield  was  among  the  first  towns  in  Massachusetts  to 
erect  a  soldiers'  monument.  On  March  12,  1866,  the  town 
appropriated  $1250  for  this  purpose,  and  on  July  4,  1866,  it 
was  formally  dedicated.  It  stands  on  a  grassy  mound,  nearly 
in  front  of  the  hotel,  and  is  surrounded  by  a  neat  iron  fence, 
the  gift  of  Silas  C.  Herring  and  Elijah  T.  Sherman,  of  New 
York.  The  material  of  the  monument  is  from  the  quarry  in 
Monson,  and  it  is  18  feet  6  inches  in  height,  with  a  base  4  feet 
flinches.  On  the  north  side  it  bears  the  inscription:  "Our 
Country's  Defenders  in  the  War  of  the  Kebellion.  Erected 
by  the  Town,  1866."  On  the  east,  south,  and  west  sides  are 
inscribed  the  names  of  the  following  Brimfield  soldiers  who 
perished  in  the  war:  H.  W.  King,  G.  W.  Paige,  R.  A.  Parker, 
E.  E.  Parker,  E.  F.  Manning,  A.  N.  Manning,  M.  H.  Smith, 
G.  H.  Dimick,  James  Crosby,  A.  W.  Latham,  H.  W.  Robin- 
son, Silas  Phelps,  G.  W.  Allen,  William  Kenney,  L.  P. 
Parker,  C.  E.  Alexander,  J.  Cronin,  P.  Barry. 

In  the  compilation  of  the  history  of  this  town  the  writer 
lias  been  chiefly  assisted  by  Henry  F.  Brown,  Esq.,  both  per- 
sonally and  by  the  loan  of  important  documents.  Liberal 
extracts  have  also  been  made  from  a  history  of  the  town 
which  is  in  course  of  preparation  by  a  committee  appointed 
by  the  town  for  that  purpose.     Other  citizens  deserve  thanks. 

The  following  are  the  names  of  those  residents  of  Brimfield 
who  served  in  the  war  of  the  Rebellion : 


Thomas  Finnity,  27th  Mass. 
Jiimes  Crosby,  21t\\  Mass. 
James  K.  Crosby,  27th  Mass. 
Levi  W.  Emerson,  27th  Mass. 
Jacob  Barton,  27th  Mass. 
Marcus  H.  Smith,  Corp.,  27th  Mass. 
John  P.  Pepper,  27th  Mass. 
Thomas  0.  Pepper,  2th  Mass. 
Henry  H.  Peppei-,  Corp.,  27tli  Mass. 
Wm.  A.  Nye,  27th  Mass. 
Joseph  H.  Snow,  27th  Mass. 
Jerome  B.  HamiUoTi,  27th  Mass. 
Lucian  G.  Erwin,  27th  Mass. 
Silas  Phelps,  Corp.,  27lh  Mass. 
Horace  Merritt,  27th  Mass. 
Wyles  Needham,  27th  Mass. 
Lyman  Needham,  27th  Mass. 
V.  Austin  Jeiini8on,corp.,  27tli  Mass. 
H.  Wilson  Robinson,  27th  Mass. 
Henry  11.  Smith, 27th  M.ass. 
John  Rnhinson,  27th  Mass. 
Geo.  H.  Dimick,  27th  Mass. 
William  Allen,  27th  Mass. 
Henry  W.  King,  2d  Mass. 
Rufus  A.  Parker,  2d  Mass. 
Michael  McCarty,  2d  Mass. 
Isaac  H.  Prouty,  tst  Cav. 
Harlowe  B.  Kibbe,  1st  Cav. 
Alonzo  W.  Latham,  18th  Mass. 
Edwin  Nelson,  21.9tM!iss. 
Lewis  Pratt,  2lst  Mass. 
Edward  E.  Parker,  2l8t  Mass. 


-trthnr  H.  Smith,  sergt.,  21st  Mass. 

Joseph  D.  Harvey,  15tli  Mass. 

Frank  L.  Benson,  15th  Mass. 

Bramin  E.  Sibley,  1.5th  Mass. 

George  L.  Avery,  15th  Mass. 

John  Pratt,  15th  Mass. 

Wm.  D.  Herring,  N.  Y.  Zouaves. 

Kendrick  B.  Webster,  N.  Y.  Zoiuives. 

George  W.  Paige,  q.m.-sergt,,  7th  N.  Y.  Cav. 

John  Glynn,  iilst  Mass. 

William  Colgrove,  :i4th  Mass. 

Francis  S.  Gardner,  corj).,  34tll  Mass. 

Edward  W.  Hitchcock,  34th  Mass. 

Ofsannis  Kenfield,  :J4th  Mass. 

William  Kenney,  ;J4tli  Mass. 

Ryanier  S.  Rutan,  34th  Mass. 

Wm.  G.  Stone,  34tli  Mass. 

Fordyce  Phelps,  34tb  Mass. 

Eli  J.  Gardner,  34tli  Mass. 

Marcus  Goodell,  34th  Mass. 

Patrick  Barry,  34th  Miisa. 

Francis  A.  Groves,  34th  Mass. 

Frank  W.  Gordon,  ;i4tli  Mass. 

Edgar  F.  Manning,  3ith  Mass. 

Horace  M.  Gardner,  34th  Mass. 

John  M.  Barton,  36th  Mass. 

Wm.  S.  Frost,  36th  Mass. 

George  W.  Allen,  32d  Mass. 

Alvan  B.  Bliss,  16th  Bait.  Mass. 

Charles  Dimick,  16tli  Batt.  Mass. 

OrSnian  S.  Ellison,  16th  Batt.  H.  Art. 

Frederic  G.  Ellison,  16th  Batt.  H.  Art. 


Charles  0.  Johnson,  sergt.,  16th  Batt.  H.  Art. 

George  Keeber,  16th  Mass. 

Andrew  Anone,  25th  Mass. 

Rollin  C.  Williams,  1st  Batt.  H.  Art. 

James  Norton,  20th  Mass. 

William  Fordham,  20th  Mass. 

John  Johnson,  28th  Mass. 

John  McCue,  28Ui  Mass, 

Charles  S.  Jones,  29lh  Mass. 

Michael  Delaney,  Cist  Mass. 

Walter  Allen,  33d  Mass. 

Joel  W,  Bracket,  Vet.  Res. 

John  Cronin,  29th  Mass. 

William  Chapman,  29th  Mass. 

Lewis  W.  Benson,  2d  H.  Art. 

Wm.  A.  Gilbert,  2d  H.  Art. 

John  fli.  Newton,  42d  Mass. 

George  B.  Barrows,  42d  Mass. 

Albert  S.  Bacon,  42d  Mass. 

Ale.\.  N.  Manning.  U.  S.  Navy. 

James  Carney,  8th  Mass. 

Wm.  H.  Cai-penter,  Sth  Mass. 

Francis  D.  Lincoln,  capt.,  46th*Ma88. 

Francis  E.  Cook,  Corp.,  46tli  Mass. 

Thomas  J.  Morgan,  sergt.,  46th  Mass, 

Cheney  Newton,  Corp.,  46th  Mass. 

Edward  Bliss,  46th  Mass. 

Charles  Uphani,  46th  Mass. 

George  C.  Homer,  4Cth  Mass. 

Wm.  H.  Sherman,  sergt.,  4Gth  Mass. 

Byron  W.  Charles,  46th  Mass. 

Israel  C.  Earle,  46th  Mass. 


HISTORY   OF    HAMPDEN    COUNTY. 


1005 


Charles  E.  Alexander,  46lb  Miiss. 

Charles  0.  Lnmbard,  46th  Mass. 

George  L.  Kenney,  4Cth  Mass. 

CImiles  E.  Luinlianl,  Corp.,  4tith  Mass. 

Albert  J.  Bixby,  4Gth  Mass. 

George  A.  Munroe,  4Gth  Mass. 

Abner  H.  Stelibins,  4tJth  Mass. 

Joseph  Gagne,  46th  Mass. 

Wm.  S.  Stearns,  46th  Mass. 

Lymati  P.  Parker,  4Gth  Mass. 

Orvill  S.  Parker,  4fiili  Mass. 

John  Patrick,  46th  Mass. 

John  Kelly,  46th  Ma-ss. 

Thaddeus  Benson,  40th  Mitss. 

John  B.  Motley,  46th  Mass. 

Chillies  B.  Browu,  4GtIi  Mass. 

Joseph  P.  Brown,  4Gth  Miiss. 

Wm.  S.  Walker,  4Gtii  Mass. 

WILBRAHAM. 


GEOGRAPHICAL. 
This  town,  which  was  one  of  the  early  outlying  precincts 
of  Springfield,  is  located  about  the  centre  of  the  eastern  part 
of  Hampden  County,  and  is  bounded  north  by  the  town  of 
Ludlow,  in  the  same  county,  south  by  the  town  of  Hampden, 
also  in  Hampden  County,  east  by  Monson,  Hampden  Co.,  and 
west  by  Springfield.     The  total  acreage  of  the  town  is  12, -570. 

NATURAL  FEATURES. 
The  surface  in  the  western  part  of  the  town  is  level,  and 
scarcely  broken  by  a  single  hill.  East  of  the  central  line, 
however,  a  considerable  range  of  hills  extends  the  entire  length 
of  the  town,  some  of  them  reaching  an  altitude  of  several 
hundred  feet,  and  from  their  summit  aiford  excellent  views 
of  the  surrounding  country.*  The  soil  is  productive,  and 
gives  fair  returns  to  those  who  devote  their  attention  to  agri- 
cultural pursuits.  The  cereals  are  readily  produced,  the 
quantity  of  rye  and  Indian  corn  raised  exceeding  that  of 
wheat.  The  mineral  characteristics  of  the  town  are  not  of 
special  importance.  The  geology  conforms  to  the  general  de- 
scription given  elsewhere  in  this  work.  The  Chicopee  Eiver 
flows  along  the  northern  border  of  the  town,  separating  it 
from  Ludlow,  and  aifording  excellent  water-power  for  manu- 
facturing enterprises.  Several  small  streams  of  minor  impor- 
tance traverse  the  different  sections  of  the  town,  the  most 
prominent  of  which  are  Pole  Bridge  Brook,  in  the  western 
part  of  the  town,  Twelve-Mile  Brook,  in  the  northeastern 
corner,  and  Big  Brook,  flowing  from  the  southern  part  of  the 
town  down  into  Hampden.  Spectacle  Pond  lies  near  the  north- 
ern border  of  the  town.  Just  south  of  it  is  Nine-Mile  Pond, 
so  named  because  of  its  distance  from  Springfield.  These  are 
the  only  natural  ponds  in  the  town.  Stebbins'  Pond,  some- 
times covering  an  area  of  perhaps  20  acres,  is  an  artificial 
pond  in  the  southwestern  part  of  the  town. 

RAILROADS. 
The  Boston  and  Albany  Railroad  passes  through  the  north- 
ern border  of  the  town,  having  a  station  at  North  Wilbraham, 
and  afibrding  excellent  railroad  facilities  to  the  inhabitants. 

EMINENT    CITIZENS. 

Among  men  of  distinction  natives  of  Wilbraham  may  be 
mentioned  Pliny  Merrick,  a  son  of  the  first  clergyman.  He 
early  represented  the  town  in  the  Legislature,  was  a  lawyer 
prominent  in  his  profession,  and  spent  the  greater  part  of  his 
life  in  Brookfield. 

John  Bliss  was  the  first  representative  to  the  General  Court, 
and  was  a  man  of  great  influence  and  native  talent.  He  was 
born  in  1727,  was  an  ardent  Whi^  in  the  Revolution,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Provincial  Congress,  a  representative  in  the  Legis- 
lature for  many  years,  a  Senator,  a  judge  of  the  Court  of 
Common  Pleas,  a  colonel  of  militia,  and  held  numerous  other 
offices  of  trust  and  responsibility.     He  died  in  1809. 

Oliver  B.  Morris  was  born  in  Wilbraham  in  1782.     He  re- 

*  The  central  part  of  this  rauge  is  known  as  "  Wigwam  Hill,"  so  named  because 
a  lone  Indian  squaw  inhabited  it  after  the  settlement  of  the  town  began. 


moved  to  Springfield  at  the  age  of  nineteen,  and  after  his  ad- 
mission to  the  Bar  commenced  the  practice  of  the  law.  In 
early  life  he  represented  the  town  of  Springfield  in  the  Legis- 
lature for  several  years.  He  was  appointed  judge  of  Probate 
in  1829,  and  filled  that  office  with  great  acceptance  for  many 
years. f 

EARLY   SETTLEMENT. 

What  is  now  the  town  of  Wilbraham  was  formerly  a  part 
of  the  territory  of  Springfield,  and  was  originally  set  off  to 
certain  proprietors  to  avoid  the  reversion  of  the  unappropri- 
ated lands  of  Springfield,  called  the  "outward  commons,"  to 
the  royal  government. 

The  first  actual  settler  to  establish  himself  within  the  con- 
fines of  the  present  town  was  Nathaniel  Hitchcock.  In  the 
summer  of  1730  he  came  from  Springfield,  cleared  and  broke 
up  two  acres  of  land,  and  erected  a  log  house  where  the  house 
of  James  Merrick,  the  great-grandson  of  the  first  minister,  af- 
terward stood.  He  passed  the  subsequent  winter  in  Spring- 
field, but  in  May,  1731,  took  up  his  permanent  abode  with  his 
family  in  Wilbraham. 

The  next  regular  settler  was  Noah  Alvord,  who  came  out 
from  Springfield  in  the  spring  of  1732,  and  located  on  the 
place  since  occupied  by  Lorenzo  Kibbe.  The  next  year  Daniel 
Warner  settled  where  Brainard  Brewer  afterward  resided. 
In  1734,  Nathaniel  Warriner  located  where  Mrs.  Mears  now 
resides.  Of  these  four  earliest  settlers  no  descendants  now  live 
in  Wilbraham. 

Moses  Burt  followed  in  1733,  and  located  on  what  afterward 
became  well  known  as  the  Burt  farm.  Then  Samuel  Warner 
settled  on  Stony  Hill,  and  Samuel  Stebbins  on  the  mountain, 
near  Mr.  Richards'  house.  David  Merrick  built  his  house 
where  John  M.  Merrick  now  resides ;  John  Jones  settled  on 
Mr.  Buell's  place;  Abel  Bliss  on  the  Bliss  farm  ;  Daniel  Lanrb 
on  the  Bay  road,  west  of  Jenksville  ;  Thomas  Merrick  on  Mr. 
Cross'  farm ;  David  Warriner  on  the  academy  lot ;  Isaac 
Brewer  on  Edwin  Brewer's  place  ;  David  Chapin  and  Moses 
Bartlett  be3'ond  and  on  the  mountain ;  and  Nathaniel  Bliss 
near  Samuel  Stebbins'.  Other  early  settlers  prior  to  1741  were 
Aaron  and  Daniel  Parsons,  Cornelius  Webb,  Benjamin  War- 
riner, Benjamin  Wright,  Henry  Wright,  Thomas  Glover,  and 
Joseph  Sikes.  No  formal  settlements  were  made  in  the  south 
part  of  the  town,  now  Hampden,  before  1741. 

After  1741,  Jonathan  Ely  settled  on  the  mountain  in  the 
north  part  of  the  town,  on  the  middle  road.  Caleb  Stebbins 
located  on  the  farm  afterward  occupied  by  his  great-grandsons, 
Jason  and  George ;  Daniel  Cadwell  near  him ;  Joseph  Sikes 
on  the  great  Bay  road  ;  Philip  Lyon  south  of  "  Wigwam 
Hill;"  Benoni  Atchinson  on  Stony  Hill;  and  Ezra  Barker 
near  Atchinson. 

During  the  first  ten  years  of  the  settlement  there  were  38 
children  born,  and  but  three  persons  died,  of  whom  none  were 
buried  in  the  town.  Elizabeth  Cockril,  who  had  come  from 
Boston  to  reside  with  a  relative,  and  who  died  April  26,  1741, 
was  the  "first  person  yi  was  Bured  in  y'  town."     Comfort 

t  See  general  chapter  on  the  Bar  of  the  Connecticut  Valley. 


1006 


HISTORY   OF  THP]   CONNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


Warner,  daughter  of  Daniel  Warner,  was  the  first  child  horn 
in  the  "outward  commons,  on  the  east  side  of  the  Great 
River,"  March  15,  1734.  The  first  death  was  that  of  "  David 
Jones,  son  of  David  Jones  and  Hannah  Jones,  his  wife,  Aug. 
19,  1736." 

The  inhabitants  of  the  town  were  at  tirst  comjjcllcd  to  go 
all  the  way  to  Springfield,  a  distance  of  nine  miles,  for  the 
purpose  of  public  worship  ;  but,  soon  tiring  of  this,  they  pre- 
sented, June  26,  1740,  with  the  concurrence  of  Longmeadow 
and  First  Parishes,  a  petition  to  Gov.  Jonathan  Belcher  and 
the  General  Court,  asking  to  be  set  oil"  as  a  separate  precinct. 

After  passing  through  the  usual  legal  formalities  the  peti- 
tion was  granted,  and  on  Jan.  6,  1741,  Wilhraham  became 
the  "  Fourth  Precinct  of  Springfield,"  with  '■  all  the  Powers, 
liberties,  Priviledges,  and  immunities  as  other  Precincts  hold 
and  Enjoy,  and  that  all  the  lands  Petitioned  lying  Southward 
of  the  River  as  aforesaid  be  subjected  to  a  tax  of  2d.  (old  tenor) 
Bills  p'  acre  p''  annum  for  the  space  of  Four  years ;  Next 
Coming  the  money  arising  thereby  to  be  applied  for  the  build- 
ing of  a  Meeting-house  Settlement  and  support  of  the  Ministry 
among  them."* 

The  first  precinct-meeting  was  held  March  12,  1741,  at  the 
house  of  David  Merrick,  pursuant  to  a  warrant  issued  for  that 
purpose  on  Feb.  13,  1741,  by  "  Wm.  Pynchon,  Esq.,  one  of 
his  Majeste's  Justises  of  the  Peace  for  Hampshire  County." 
The  precinct  was  organized  by  the  choice  of  the  following 
officers:  William  Pynchon,  acting  as  Moderator;  David 
Merrick,  Clerk;  Thomas  Merrick  (2d),  Isaac  Brewer,  Na- 
thaniel Warriner,  Committee  of  the  Precinct ;  Isaac  Brewer, 
Treasurer;  David  Merrick,  Thomas  Merrick  (2d),  Samuel 
Stebbins,  Assessors ;  Nathaniel  Warriner,  Collector. 

The  history  of  the  precinct  government  of  Wilbraham  con- 
sists chiefly  of  the  choice  and  settlement  of  a  minister  and 
the  location  and  erection  of  a  meeting-house, — the  most  im- 
portant problems  which  the  pioneer  settlers  of  New  England 
had  to  encounter.  The  Rev.  Noah  Merrick  was  chosen  the 
first  minister,  and  was  duly  ordained  by  a  competent  council 
in  the  month  of  June,  1741.  The  ceremonies  attending  the 
installation  of  the  new  pastor  were  to  have  been  held  beneath 
the  spreading  branches  of  a  large  oak-tree  which  stood  in 
front  of  the  Brainard  Brewer  house,  but  the  weather  proving 
inclement  the  meeting  adjourned  to  a  barn  on  the  place  where 
Mrs.  Mears  now  resides.  Next,  follows  a  struggle  of  six  years' 
duration  in  reference  to  the  location  and  construction  of  a 
meeting-house.  Two  separate  committees,  composed  of  inhab- 
itants of  the  neighboring  towns,  were  chosen  to  settle  the  vexed 
question. 

Finally,  in  May,  1747,  the  spot  was  chosen, — "on  the  hill 
commonly  called  the  Wigwam  Hill,  the  centre  of  said  spot 
being  att  a  walnut  staddle  of  about  four  or  five  inches  Di- 
ameter, there  being  a  fast  stone  in  the  Ground,  about  two  feet 
and  a-half  northwest  of  said  staddle,  said  staddle  standing 
twenty-eight  Rods  and  sixteen  Links,  Running  by  a  point  of 
compass  from  the  southwest  corner  of  Mr.  Noah  Mirick's 
dwelling-house,  south  sixteen  degrees  thirty  minutes  East, 
into  said  staddle."  Here  the  first  meeting-house  was  erected 
in  1747,  so  that  it  could  be  occupied,  but  was  not  finally  com- 
pleted until  the  summer  of  1761,  sixteen  years  after  it  was 
opened  for  worship. 

The  first  record  of  a  road  laid  by  the  town  of  Springfield, 
in  the  territory  of  Wilbraham,  is  made  in  March,  1744.  A 
change  was  made  in  the  "West  Road,"  from  Stephen  Steb- 
bins', south,  over  the  Scantic  ;  also  from  Stebbins',  east,  to 
Brimfield  line  (Monson),  about  as  it  now  runs.     Also,  from- 

*  The  names  of  the  24  settlers  thus  incorporated  were  Natlianiel  Hitchcock, 
Noali  Alvord,  Daniel  Warner,  Nathaniel  Warriner,  James  Brewer,  David  Mer- 
rick, Daniel  Parsons,  Samuel  Warner,  David  W'arriner,  Samuel  Barllett,  John 
Jones,  Samuel  Brooks,  Joseph  Wright,  Dauiel  Lamb,  Abel  Bliss,  Phineas  Clia- 
pin,  Jonathan  Ely,  David  Jones,  Moses  Burt,  Nathaniel  Bliss,  Samuel  Stebbins 
Thomas  Uerrick,  Aaron  and  Stephen  Stebbins. 


Brimfield  line  on  the  overplus  land,  in  the  second  division,  to 
the  middle  road,  "  Provided  the  Same  or  Either  of  them,  or 
any  Part  of  them,  do  not  Prove  Chargeable  to  the  town." 
County  roads  had  been  laid  before  this  time,  or  the  proprietors 
had  marked  paths  which  were  to  be  opened  as  roads  in  due 
time. 

The  first  town  roads  were  accepted  March  20,  1764,  the  first 
one  being  within  the  present  limits  of  Hampden.  The  second 
road  established  was  in  the  north  part  of  the  town,  running 
from  the  "  West  Rode,"  or  "  Main  Road,"  west  to  Stony  Hill, 
not  far  from  the  present  road.  From  this  road  there  ran 
south,  through  the  whole  length  of  the  town,  four  paths,  more 
or  less  used  for  foot  travelers,  bridle-paths,  or  for  wagons. 
These  were  severally  designated  as  the  "  West  Road,"  on  the 
west  side  of  the  mountain  ;  the  "  Middle"  or  "  Ridge  Road," 
following  the  top  of  the  mountain  about  a  mile  east  of  the 
West  road  ;  the  "  East  Road,"  still  another  mile  east,  starting 
near  "Twelve-Mile"  Brook  and  running  south  to  the  south- 
east corner  of  the  town  ;  then  one  mile  west  of  the  "  West 
Road"  was  the  road  on  the  west  side  of  the  "outward  com- 
mons," nearly  corresponding  to  the  present  road.  There 
were  also  five  roads  crossing  east  and  west.  These  roads  were 
all  laid  out  at  difl'erent  times  before  and,  from  1763  to  1772, 
after  the  incorporation  of  the  town. 

TAVERNS. 

Probably  the  earliest  approach  to  a  tavern  that  existed  in 
Wilbraham  was  kept  by  Isaac  Brewer,  as  early  as  1741.  Vari- 
ous public  meetings  and  sessions  of  committees  were  held  at 
his  house. 

In  this  connection  we  insert  portions  of  a  letter  written  by 
Mrs.  Antoinette  C.  M.  A.  B.  Speer,  dated  at  Warsaw,  Ky., 
Dec.  30,  1878.  Mrs.  Speer  is  a  sister  of  John  M.  Merrick, 
Esq.,  to  whom  the  letter  was  directed,  and  speaks  as  one  who 
knows  whereof  she  affirms  : 

"  My  great-grandfather,  Ensign  Abel  Bliss,  built  his  house,  probably  a  log 
house,  first,  in  what  we  used  to  call  the  'old  orcliard.'  I  presume  you  have  seen 
the  cellar  there, — I  have  many  a  time.  Finding  that  too  remote  from  a  spring, 
or  stream  of  water, — in  those  days  they  were  not  accustomed  to  dig  wells, — they 
purposed  moving  nearer  the  bi'ook,  and  accordingly  built  the  barn,  where  it  now 
stands,  in  the  year  1740.  The  house  was  not  built  until  four  years  afterward 
(1774). 

''  Finding  it  very  inconveuient  to  come  so  far  through  the  snow  in  winter  to 
attend  to  their  stock,  they  built  a  temporary  house,  now  used  as  a  wood-house, 
consisting  of  what  is  called,  at  the  south  and  west,  of  '  two  pens  and  a  passage,' 
in  which  to  reside  tlntil  they  could  build  a  larger  and  more  convenient  one. 

"  The  house  was  designed,  as  was  then  thought,  on  a  magnificent  scale,  being 
the  firet  in  that  part  of  the  country  which  had  the  square  glass  instead  of  the 
diamond-shaped  set  in  lead, — and  altogether  very  large  aud  grand  for  the  times, 
insomuch  that  the  minister,  who  in  those  days  was  supreme  in  all  matters,  lioth 
spiritual  aud  temporal,  thought  it  incumbent  upon  him  to  preach  against  the 
folly  and  pride,  and  quoted  the  catechism  (which  in  those  days  stood  next  to  the 
Bible),  making  use  of  the  following  sentence  :  '  Build  not  your  house  too  high.' 

"  The  effect  of  this  sermon  on  the  said  Ensign  Abel  was  to  cause  him  to  cut 
off  the  upright  timbere  of  the  frame  al-Kjut  a  foot,  thus  lowering  the  ceiling  of 
the  lower  rooms  that  much.     I  once  found  one  of  those  pieces  under  the  house. 

"In  building  the  house  the  great  question  was  how  they  should  get  the  cash 
to  buy  the  glass  and  nails.  Tar  brought  money,  and  this  part  of  the  question 
was  solved  by  building  a  tar-kiln  on  the '  river  lot,'  wheie  was  a  great  abundance 
of  fat-pine  knots,  from  which  they  could  procure  the  requisite  means  for  getting 
the  needed  materials. 

"  It  has  been  inexplicable  to  me  how  Mr.  Stebbins  could  make  such  an  error 
in  his  Wilbraham  Centennial  book  as  to  locate  that  house  where  Mr.  J.  Wesley 
Bliss  lives,  while  the  old  house  still  stood  to  testify  to  its  own  antiquity. 

"  The  marks  of  the  old  bar  are  still  to  be  seen  on  the  south  room  tloor,  and 
the  old  bar-room  table  still  exists  in  the  kitchen.  In  those  days  they  had  not 
been  entirely  divested  of  the  customs  of  the  '  old  country,'  which  gave  the  home- 
stead to  the  eldest  son,  and  consequently  Oliver  inherited  the  property,  and  from 
him  it  descended  to  John,  my  father.  J.  Wesley's  grandfather  was  the  second 
son  of  Ensign  Abel. 

"At  what  time  Ensign  Abel  Bliss  commenced  'keeping  tavern,'  I  do  not 
know ;  probably  soon  after  the  house  was  completed.  Houses  were  not  finished 
as  expeditiously  in  those  days  as  they  are  now. 

"I  have  often  heard  liow  the  soldiers,  returning  from  the  war,  spent  the  night 
there,  stacking  their  guns  in  the  corner,  and  lying  down  on  the  floor  to  sleep, 
with  their  feet  to  the  fire, — not  oneof  those  fires  covered  up  at  the  ringing  of  the 
'  curfew  bell,'  but  one  made  of  immense  logs,  such  as  ai'e  not  f.imiliar  to  this 
generation,  and  which  even  the  stalwart  men  of  those  times  managed  with  difli- 
culty ;  but  largo  as  they  were  the  capacious  fireplace  was  equal  to  the  occasion. 


HISTORY   OP   HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


1007 


The  fireplaces  have  heen  remodeled,  but  the  large  stone  chimney  still  occupies 
spuee  enough  for  a  small  bedroom. 

"  In  the  dining-room  floor,  the  knots  corresponding  showed  that  the  rude 
planks  were  all  cut  from  one  tree. 

"While  occup.ving  the  then  new  house,  the  old  house  in  the  orehard  waa 
used  for  a  hospital,  where  they  kept  any  traveler  or  soldier  who  was  so  unfortu- 
nate as  to  have  taken  the  small-pox,  aud  some  one  who  had  passed  safely  through 
an  attack  of  the  dreaded  disesise  was  sent  to  attend  him  until  he  died  or  recovered. 

"  The  shingles  on  the  north  side  of  the  barn  remained  there  from  the  date  of 
its  erection  until  1844, — one  hundred  and  four  years, — aud  the  roof-boards  were 
found  in  sufficient  state  of  preseiTation  to  use  again.  The  boards  were  of  cedar, 
and  the  knots  projected  above  the  worn-out  shingles.*  Poi-tions  of  these  boards 
were  sent  to  the  Antiquarian  Society  of  Worcester. 

"When  the  house  was  kept  as  a  tavern  the  Boston  road  passed  over  the  hill, 
and  not  along  tlie  river  and  through  the 'dug  way,' as  now.  When  General 
Washington  passed  over  this  road  on  his  way  to  or  from  Boston,  he  passed  over 
the  hill,  and  my  father  and  some  other  lioys  went  out  to  the  corner  to  see  him, 
and  were  much  gratified  when  the  stately  chieftiiin  bowed  to  them  as  he  rode  by. 

"  Wlien  Marcus  Lyons  was  murdered,  Halligan  and  Daly  turned  his  horse  into 
the  pasture  near  where  the  railway  now  runs,  into  what  we  called  the  'Plumley 
lot,'  wliere  he  was  found  next  day  with  the  saddle  on. 

"Father  had  to  go  to  Northampton  as  a  witness  in  the  Ilalligan  and  Daly 
case. 

"I  cannot  tell  how  long  the  house  was  used  as  a  tavern.  Oliver  succeeded  his 
father  in  ita  management,  ami  my  father,  when  a  boy,  was  proud  to  be  able  to 
tell  strangere  how  far  it  was  to  Graves'  tavern  in  Palmer.  Father  was  born  in 
1779,  and  I  am  inclined  to  think  the  tavern  was  kept  open  as  late  as  the  close  of 
the  last  century." 

Note. — This  account  may  conflict  somewhat  with  matter  heretofore  written, 
but  it  certainly  carries  evidence  of  correct  knowledge  and  vivid  recollection. 
— [Historian.] 

There  is  now  standing  a  liouse  about  tiirce-quarters  of  a  mile 
southeast  of  the  depot  at  North  Wilbrahara  that  was  occupied 
and  used  as  a  tavern  during  the  Kevolution,  at  which  the  sol- 
diers were  entertained  on  the  marclies  from  difJerent  points  to 
Boston.  The  barn  now  standing  on  the  place  was  built  before 
the  house,  and  is  more  than  one  hundred  and  thirty  years  old. 
The  house  where  John  M.  Merrick  resides  was  erected  about 
1788  by  Jonathan  Merrick,  his  grandfather,  for  a  tavern.  He 
kept  it  there  until  about  1806.  The  same  house  was  kept  as  a 
temperance  house  from  about  1840  to  1843  or  1844.  The  house 
where  John  Baldwin  resides,  near  the  depot,  was  kept  by  him 
as  a  tavern  for  many  years.  The  building  first  used  as  a  board- 
ing-house by  the  Wesleyan  Academy  in  1825  was  originally 
erected  by  William  Bice,  for  many  years  register  of  deeds  for 
Hampden  County,  as  a  place  of  public  entertainment.  Mr. 
Kice  was  succeeded  as  tavern-keeper  by  David  Warriner,  who 
continued  to  perform  the  duties  of  a  hospitable  landlord  until 
the  property  passed  into  the  possession  of  the  academy.  It 
was  a  place  of  some  repute  and  well  patronized.  Its  sign- 
board, which  stood  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  road  from  the 
house,  bore  the  figure  of  a  woman  engaged  in  churning. 
About  1807-8,  Charles  Brewer  kept  a  tavern  where  Luther 
Markham  now  resides,  and  Abel  Calkins,  followed  by  Stephen 
Utley,  kept  one  about  fifty  years  ago  where  Mrs.  Abbie  Knight 
resides.  Benjamin  Fuller  kept  a  tavern  in  1828  or  1829  on  the 
corner  of  the  road  leading  to  Monson.  The  old  Joseph  Sikes 
tavern  was  standing  many  years  ago  on  the  "  Great  Eoad,"  not 
far  from  Mr.  Baldwin's,  and  is  probably  one  of  the  first  kept 
in  the  town,  if  not  the  first. 

Of  the  early  stores  kept  in  the  town,  we  are  able  to  give 
but  little  account.  It  is  probable  that  at  first  they  were  little 
better  than  trading-posts.  One  was  kept  by  Augustus  Sisson, 
in  1810,  in  the  old  building  which  formerly  stood  next  to  the 
Congregational  Church,  and  wherein  the  post-oflSce  was  after- 
ward kept.  Jonathan  Pease  had  a  store  afterward  near  the 
house  where  Mrs.  Abbie  Knight  now  lives.  Pliny  Caldwell 
had  charge  of  the  store.  Maj.  Wm.  Clarke  had  a  store  for  a 
number  of  years  on  the  south  side  of  Mrs.  Knight's  residence. 

PHYSICIANS. 

The  physicians  who  have  practiced  in  Wilbraham  have  been 
Dr.  John  Stearns,  Dr.  Gordon  Pereival,  Dr.  Samuel  F.  Mer- 


^'  The  letter  of  Mrs.  S.  is  a  little  ambiguous  on  these  points,  and  may  be  under- 
stood to  mean  either  boards  or  shingles.    Possibly  both  were  of  cedar. 


rick  (who  practiced  as  early  as  the  Revolution,  was  engaged 
in  the  war,  and  resided  in  the  centre  of  the  town) ;  Dr.  Judah 
Bliss,  who  lived  about  a  mile  north  of  the  centre,  and  prac- 
ticed about  1800,  or  later;  Drs.  Abiah  Southworth  and  Con- 
verse Butler;  Dr.  Luther  Brewer,  who  resided  where  Myron 
Brewer  now  lives,  and  practiced  about  1812;  Drs.  Jacob  Ly- 
man and  Elisha  Ladd ;  Dr.  Gideon  Kibbe,  who  lived  where 
Wm.  B.  Twing  now  resides,  and  practiced  about  iSlO  ;  Dr. 
Jesse  W.  Kice,  who  practiced  about  1820,  and  resided  first 
where  John  M.  Merrick  now  lives,  and  afterward  where  Lu- 
ther Markham  resides  ;  Dr.  Edwin  Thayer,  who  engaged  in 
practice  about  1830  or  18.38,  and  then  removed  to  Palmer  ;  and 
Dr.  Charles  Bourker,  who  practiced  about  1802  or  1803,  then 
entered  the  army  as  a  surgeon,  and  is  now  in  practice  at  Ber- 
nardston.  The  physicians  now  practicing  in  the  town  are  Dr. 
Stebbins  Foskit  and  Dr.  James  W.  Foster  at  the  centre,  and 
Dr.  Squiers  at  North  Wilbraham. 

The  present  town  of  Wilbraham  has  had  only  two  lawyers. 
Of  these,  William  Knight  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  in  1820, 
and  located  in  the  town.  His  practice  was  local,  and  con- 
sisted principally  of  what  is  known  as  oflice-work,  as  dis- 
tinguished from  litigation.  He  enjoyed  the  reputation  of  a 
prudent,  careful,  and  honest  lawyer.  He  removed  to  the 
State  of  Ohio  about  1840.  The  other  lawyer  was  Asa  01m- 
stead,  who  practiced  at  Wilbraham  about  1830  for  five  or  six 
years,  and  resided  on  the  corner  of  the  road  leading  to  Monson. 

BRIDGES. 

The  first  bridge  erected  in  the  town  was  a  "  Good  Cart 
Bridge,"  "  Erected  and  Built  across  the  Brook  called  Twelve- 
mile  Brook  in  the  Countrey  Road,  with  Good  Large  Hewed 
Timber  at  the  Charge  of  the  Town. "  The  vote  for  its  construc- 
tion was  passed  by  the  town  of  Springfield,  Nov.  23,  1741,  and 
it  was  directed  that  it  be  "Done  as  soon  as  may  he,"  the  reason 
being  that  the  grand  jury  had  made  a  presentment  against  the 
town  for  not  sooner  providing  a  bridge. 

ORGANIZATION. 

As  early  as  Jan.  16,  1749,  eftbrts  were  made  by  the  "  fourth 
precinct  of  Springfield"  to  be  set  oft'  as  a  town,  and  for  fourteen 
successive  years,  with  untiring  pertinacity,  did  the  inhabitants 
present  their  petitions  and  urge  their  right  to  municipal  organ- 
ization without  success.  "  A  continual  dropping  weareth 
away  a  stone,"  so  finally  the  etforts  of  the  precinct  met  with 
success,  and  on  June  15,  1703,  the  act  of  incorporation  by 
which  Wilbraham  became  a  district  was  signed  by  Sir  Francis 
Bernard,  Governor  of  the  province.  Wilbraham  united  with 
Springfield  in  the  choice  of  a  representative  until  the  former 
became  a  town,  in  1780. 

As  to  the  name  of  the  new  town  there  are  two  theories, — 
one  that  the  name  was  derived  from  an  English  baronet,  by 
the  name  of  Wilbraham.  The  other  and  more  correct  view 
traces  the  name  to  the  parish  or  town  of  Wilburgham,  or 
Wilbraham,  in  the  "Hundred  of  Staine,"  county  of  Cam- 
bridge, England.  Rowland  Stebbins,  the  ancestor  of  the 
Stebbinses,  and  William  Pynchon,  the  ancestor  of  the  Pyn- 
chons  and  the  original  proprietor  of  Springfield,  originated 
in  the  near  neighborhood  of  Wilbraham,  in  England,  and 
came  from  thence  to  this  country,  and  it  is  highly  probable 
that  through  the  influence  of  their  descendants  the  name 
Wilbraham  may  have  been  selected  for  the  new  town.  The 
Indian   name  of  the  town  was  Mlnncchang,  meaning  "Berry 

Land.''t 

The  territory  of  the  precinct  was  enlarged  in  the  act  of 
incorporation  by  the  addition  of  a  strip  of  land  on  the  west 
side,  from  the  "  inner  commons,"  half  a  mile  wide,  extending 
from  the  Chicopee  River  to  the  Connecticut  line.     In  1780 


f  Dr.  Merrick,  in  his  MS.  address,  delivered  in  1831,  says  it  was  Mamconu, 
meaning  "mountains."  But  this  is  probably  incorrect,  as  the  Indian  word  for 
"  mountain"  in  New  England  was  "  B'ac)iii»/i." 


1008 


HISTORY  OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


there  fell  to  the  town  another  strip  of  land,  called  the  "  Ob- 
long," or  "Wales,"  about  a  mile  in  width  at  one  end,  and 
three-quarters  of  a  mile  at  the  other,  across  the  whole  width  of 
the  town.  In  1799  that  portion  of  the  first  division  of  the 
"outward  common  of  Springfield"  which  lay  on  the  east  side 
of  Chicopee  River,  now  called  the  "Elbows,"  then  "Kings- 
field  or  the  Elbows,"  was  added.  By  these  additions  the  town 
was  made  four  and  a  half  miles  wide  as  far  north  as  its  west- 
ern line  extended.  Its  length  on  the  west  side  was  eight  miles 
and  one  hundred  and  fifty-two  rods,  and  on  its  eastern  side 
ten  miles  and  one  hundred  and  thirty  rods. 

The  warrant  for  the  first  town-meeting  was  issued  by  John 
Worthington,  Esq.,  of  Springfield,  to  Stephen  Stebbins,  of 
Wilbraham,  and  bore  date  Aug.  8,  1763.  Pursuant  to  this 
warrant  the  inhabitants  "  assembled  and  met  together"  at  the 
meeting-house,  Aug.  25,  1763,  and  proceeded  to  organize  the 
first  town-meeting,  Lieut.  Thomas  Mirick  acting  as  "  mod- 
erator." It  was  voted  that  Ezra  Barker  should  be  clerk  of  the 
town.  The  meeting  then  adjourned  to  enable  the  "  clerk"  to 
go  to  Springfield  to  be  sworn,  for  there  was  as  yet  no  justice 
of  the  peace  in  the  new  town.  Re-convening  the  next  day  the 
following  otficers  were  chosen  :  selectmen,  treasurer,  constable, 
assessors,  tithingmen,  surveyors  of  highways,  fence-viewers, 
deer-reeves,  sealers  of  lea'.her,  hog-reeves,  wardens,  surveyor 
of  shingles,  clapboards,  etc.,  and  surveyors  of  wheat. 

The  usual  proceedings  relating  to  the  organization  of  the 
town  then  follow  in  the  records.  In  1765  the  people  in  the 
south  part  of  the  town  made  application  for  money  to  support 
preaching  among  them  for  the  winter,  which  the  town  refused. 
At  the  December  meeting,  1707,  the  town  refused  the  "south 
part"  the  privilege  of  having  "  Two  Months'  Preaching  in  the 
Winter  Season,  upon  iheir  own  cost."  In  1772  the  south  part 
asked  to  be  set  oft'  as  a  town,  but  were  refused.  In  1778  it  was 
voted  to  divide  the  town  into  two  parishes,  but  the  vote  was 
afterward  reconsidered.  In  1780  another  eflbrt  to  form  a  parish 
was  made,  and  June  11,  1782,  the  south  part  of  the  town, 
corresponding  very  nearly  with  the  present  town  of  Hampden, 
became,  by  special  enactment  of  the  General  Court,  the  south 
parish.  The  territory  corresponding  to  the  town  of  Wilbra- 
ham became  the  north  parish,  the  line  between  the  two 
being  on  the  south  side  of  David  Bliss'  farm,  those  adjoining 
the  line  being  permitted  to  choose  whichever  parish  they 
pleased. 

The  following  persons  have  filled  the  principal  offices  of 
Wilbraham  : 

SELECTMEN.* 

1741. — Thomas  Merrick,  Isaac  Brewer,  Nathaniel  Warriuer. 

1H2. — Daniel  Warner,  Nathaniel  Hitchcock,  Moses  Burt. 

17-13. — Stephen  Stehbiiis,  Nathaniel  Wariiner,  Moses  Burt. 

1744. — Thomas  Merrick,  Nathaniel  Bliss,  David  Jones. 

1745. — Nathaniel  Warriner,  John  J()nes,  Steplien  Stebbins. 

1746.— Nathaniel  Warriner,  Nathaniel  Bliss,  Moses  Burt. 

1747. — John  Jones,  Daniel  Warnei-,  John  Hitchcock. 

1748. — Thomas  Merrick,  John  Ilitehcock,  Nathaniel  Bliss. 

1749. — Nathaniel  Warriner,  Daniel  Warner,  Simeon  Willard. 

1750.— Nathaniel  Bliss,  Daniel  Cadwell,  Aaron  Stebbins. 

1751. — Thomas  Merrick,  James  Warriner,  Nathaniel  Bliss. 

1752- — John  Hitchcock,  Jr.,  Caleb  Stebbins,  Thomas  Merrick. 

1753. — John  Hitchcock,  Jr.,  Daniel  Warner,  Ezra  Barker. 

1754. — John  Hitchcock,  Jr.,  James  Warriner,  Jr.,  Daniel  Warner. 

1755. — Moses  Burt,  Isaac  Brewer,  James  Warriner,  Jr. 

1756.— Daniel  Cadwell,  J.ames  Warriner,  Daniel  Warner. 

1757. — Moses  Burt,  Daniel  Cadwell,  Daniel  Warner. 

1758. — Moses  Burt,  Daniel  Cadwell,  James  Warriner. 

1759-61. — Daniel  Cadwell,  James  Warriner,  Jr.,  Daniel  Warner. 

1762. — Ezra  Barker,  Daniel  Cadwell,  Daniel  Warner. 

1763. — Ezra  Barker,  Phineas  Newt«jn,  Daniel  Warner. 

1764-67. — Thomas  Merrick,  Nathaniel  Warriner,  Stephen  Stebbins. 

1768. — Nathaniel  Warriner,  Thomas  Merrick,  John  Bliss. 

1769. — Daniel  Cadwell,  James  Warrinor,  Nathaniel  Warriner,  Wm.  King,  John 

Bliss. 
1770. — Nathaniel  Warriuer,  John  Bliss,  Wm.  King,  Caleb  Stebbins,  James  War- 
riner. 

*  Conmiittee  of  the  precinct  to  1764. 


1771-75. — Nathaniel  and  James  Warriner,  John  Bliss. 

1776-77.— James  Warriner,  John  Hitchcock,  John  Bliss. 

1778.— James  Warriner,  John  Hitchcock,  John  Bliss,  Da]iiel  Caldwell,  Eleazer 

Smith. 
1779.— John  Hitchcock,  John  Bliss,  Eleazer  Smith. 
1780.— John  Hitchcock,  John  Bliss,  James  Warriner. 
1781. — John  Hitchcock,  James  Warriner,  Abner  Cliapin, 
1782.— David  Burt,  Zebulon  and  Abner  Chapin. 
1783-84.— James  Warriner,  Pliineas  Stebbins,  John  Stearns. 
1785.— John  Stearjis,  Phineas  Stebbins,  Giileon  Burt. 
1786. — Gideon  and  David  Burt,  Phineas  Stebbins. 
1787-88. — Gideon  Burt,  Phineas  and  Noah  Steljbins. 
1789.— Oliver  Bliss,  Robert  Sessions,  Phineas  Stebbins. 
1790-91. — James  Shaw,  Robert  Sessions,  Gideon  Burt. 
1792.— Gideon  Burt,  James  Shaw,  Noah  Stebbins. 
1793.— Robert  Sessions,  James  Shaw,  Gideon  Burt. 
1794. — John  Hitchcock,  James  Shaw,  Robert  Sessions. 
1795.— James  Shaw,  Phineas  Stebbins,  Robert  Sessions. 
1796-97. — James  Shaw,  Gideon  Burt,  Robert  Sessions. 
1798. — Phineas  Stebbins,  Joseph  Lathrop,  Robert  Sessions. 
1799. — Gideon  Burt,  James  Shaw,  Steward  Beebo. 
1800.— Levi  Bliss,  Steward  Beebe,  Wm.  Brewer. 
1801.— Timothy  Burt,  Levi  Bliss,  Steward  Beebo. 
1802. — Levi  Bliss,  Steward  Beebe,  Robert  Sessions. 
1803. — Wm.  Brewer,  Robert  Sessions,  Steward  Beebe. 
1804,_Wm.  Riudge,  Robert  Sessions,  Steward  Beebe. 
1805. — Wm.  Brewer,  Wm.  Rindge,  Joel  Lyman. 
1806. — Wm.  Riudge,  Joel  Lyman,  Solomon  Wright. 
1807.— Joel  Lyman,  Augustus  Sisson,  Solomon  Wnght. 
1808. — Robert  Sessions,  Wm.  Rindge,  Augustus  Sisson. 
1809. — Robert  Sessions,  Wm.  Rindge,  Wm.  Clark. 
1810.— Augustus  Sisson,  Walter  Stebbins,  Nathan  Alden. 
1811.— Abel  Bliss,  Augustus  Sisson,  Natli.an  Alden. 
1812. — Joseph  Lathrop,  Wm.  Clark,  Moses  Burt. 
1813-16.— Joseph  Lathrop,  Moses  Burt,  Daniel  Shaw. 
1817-18. — Daniel  Isham,  Moses  Burt,  Chester  Sexton. 
1819.— Abel  Bliss,  Jr.,  Enoch  Crocker,  Wm.  Wood. 
1820-22.— .\bel  Bliss,  Jr.,  Wm.  Wood,  Enoch  Crocker. 
1823. — Wm.  Wood,  Enoch  Crocker,  Wm.  Clark. 
1824. — Abraham  Avery,  Dudley  B.  Post,  Nathan  Alden. 
1825.— Abraham  .\very,  Dudley  B.  Post,  Thomaa  Glover. 
1826. — David  Stebbins,  Noah  Merrick,  John  McCray,  Jr. 
1827-28.— David  Stebbins,  Jonathan  Ely,  John  McCray. 
1829.— Calvin  Stebbins,  Comfort  Chaflee,  Daniel  Isham. 
1830.— Calvin  Stebbins,  John  Carpenter,  Jacob  B.  Merrick. 
1831. — John  Carpenter,  Joseph  Morris,  Abraham  Avery. 
1832. — John  Carpenter,  Luther  Brewer,  Beriah  Smith. 
1833. — Luther  Brewer,  Beriah  Smith,  Pliny  Merrick. 
1834. — Stephen  Stebbins,  Nathaniel  Pease,  Seth  Knowlton. 
1835-36.— Stephen  Stebbins,  Walter  Stebbins,  Pliny  Merrick. 
1837. — Stephen  Stebbins,  John  McCray,  Jonatlian  Burr. 
1838. — Stephen  Stebbins,  Wm.  V.  Sessions,  Jesse  W.  Rice. 

1839.— Stephen  Stebbins,  John  Carpenter,  Timothy  Brewer. 

184(1. — Abraham  Avery,  Jesse  W.  Wright,  Aaron  Warner. 

1841. — Abraham  Avery,  Samuel  B.  Stebbins,  Jonathan  Burr. 

1842-43.- Samuel  Beebe,  Luther  B.  Bliss,  Roderick  Merrick. 

1844. — Philip  P.  Potter,  Aaron  Goodwell,  John  Smith. 

1845. — Wm.  V.  Sessions.  John  B.  Morris,  Jonathan  Burt. 

184tl. — John  McCray,  Shubal  Pease,  Peter  Knowlton. 

1847.— John  G.  Perrin,  Pliny  Merrick,  Shubal  Pease. 

1S48-49.— Samuel  Beebe,  Luther  B.  Bliss,  Seth  Knowlton. 

I860.— John  G.  Perrin,  Pliny  Merrick,  Hiram  Hendrick. 

1851. — Samuel  Beebe,  Joel  M.  Lyman,  Robert  A.  Sessions. 

1852. — Samuel  Beebe,  Robert  A.  Sessions,  John  M.  Merrick. 

1853.— Philip  P.  Potter,  Aaron  Goodwell,  James  M.  Brewer. 

1854.— John  W.  Langdon,  Porter  Crass,  H.  B.  Brewer. 

1855.— Joseph  McGregory,  Sullivan  U.  Staunton,  Eleazer  Scripter. 

1856.— Eleazer  Scripter,  S.  U.  Staunton,  Benjamin  Butler. 

1867. — John  Baldwin,  Samuel  Warner,  Henry  Burt. 

1858. — John  Baldwin,  Henry  Burt,  Samuel  Beebe. 

1859.— Samuel  Beebe.  John  Baldwin,  Wm.  P.  Chaffee. 

I860.— Samuel  Beebe,  Philip  P.  Potter,  Wm.  P.  Chaffee. 

1861.- Philip  P.  Porter,  Wm.  V.  Sessions,  Horace  Clark. 

1862. — Horace  Clark,  Marcus  Beebe,  Hiram  Hendrick. 

1803.— Horace  Clark,  Porter  Cross,  Walter  Hitchcock. 

1864. — John  Baldwin,  Horace  Clark,  Sumner  Smith. 

1866-66.— John  Baldwin,  Sumner  Smith,  Wm.  B.  .Sessions. 

1867.— Francis  J.  Warner,  Abner  C.  Buriey,  Wm.  H.  Lyman. 

1868.— Francis  J.  Warner,  Wm.  H.  Lyman,  John  W.  Langdon. 

1809.— Porter  Cross,  John  W.  Langdon,  Lyman  V.  Kellogg. 

1870.— John  Ormisby,  Wm.  B.  Sessions,  Francis  E.  Clark. 

1871-72.— Wm.  R.  Sessions,  Ira  G.  Potter,  Francis  E.  Clark. 

1873.— Francis  E.  Clark,  Wm.  K.  Sessions,  Albert  Bedurtha. 

1874._F.  E.  Clark,  Wm.  H.  Warren,  Albert  Bedurtha. 

1875.— M.  F.  Beebe,  S.  U.  Staunton,  Erasmus  B.  Gates. 

1870.- Marcus  F.  Beebe,  Francis  E.  Clark,  AUiort  Bedurtha. 

1877.— P.  E.  Clark,  Wm.  R.  Sessions,  F.  W.  Dickinson. 

1878.— F.  E.  Clark,  Ira  G.  Potter,  M.  F.  Beebe. 


HISTORY   OF  THE   CONxNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


1009 


TOWN   CLERKS.* 

1741-55,  David  Merrick;  175G-63,  Isaac  Brewer;  1703-73,  Ezra  Barker;  1773- 
VR,  James  Wan incr;  1779-80,  Noah  Wan iner;  1781-85,  James  Waniner;  17f5- 
SO,  Plin.v  JlL-riiek  ;  17S6-aO,  Samuel  F.  Jlerriek  ;  1701-02,  Juhii  Buiklainl ;  1703, 
Daniel  Dana;  17!13-lt05,  Kubeit  Sessions;  18(15-10,  riiili|)  51organ;  lsll]-ll, 
Augustus  Sisson;  1811-12,  Abel  Bliss;  1(>12-14,  Philip  Morgan;  1S14-20, 
Moses  Bult;  1820-24,  Calvin  StobUns;  1824-25,  Luther  Brewer;  1820,  \Vm. 
Wood;  1827.  Luther  Brewer;  1S2S,  John  McOray ;  lS20-;iO,  .S.vlvanus  Stebbins; 
1837-38,  Luther  Brewer;  1839,  Luther  B.  BlisS;  1(40-41,  John  BI.  Merrick; 
1842,  John  McCrav;  l>4G-47,  Roderick  S.  Menick;  1848-49,  .Solomon  C.  Spcl- 
nian;  1850,  Jesse  \V.  Rice;  1851-52,  Luther  B.  Bliss;  1853-54,  Horace  M.  Ses- 
sions; 1855,  Rudciick  Burt;  1856,  Bidph  Glover;  1857-58,  William  P.  Spelnian; 
1859-00,  n.  Bridgman  Brewer;  1801,  Howard  Staunton;  1802,  James  Staunton; 
1803-04,  John  M.  Merrick;  1SG5-0C,  Gilbert  Rockwotid;  1SG7-C8,  Francis  E. 
Clark;  1809-70,  Sullivan  U.  St.-iunton;  1871,  Bubert  R.  Wright,  Jr.;  1872, 
Chauucej-  C.  Peck  ;  1873-74,  Wm.  P.  Spelman ;  1875-70,  Eia.smus  B.  Gates. 

KKPRE,SENTAT1VES. 
1773,  John  Bliss;  1780-38,  Pliinea.-!  Stebbins;  1703-04,  John  Bliss;  1790-1803, 
John  Bliss;  l8Uo,  Phincas  Stebbins;  1807,  William  Rindge,  Sjlomon  Wiight; 
1809,  William  Riudge  and  Augustus  Sissou;  1810,  Augustus  Sisson,  Walter 
Stebbins;  1811,  Walter  Stebbins,  .\bol  Bliss,  Jr.;  1S13,  William  Claik,  Joseph 
Lathrop;  1814-15,  Robert  Sessions,  Joseph  Lathrop  ;  1810,  Robert  Sessijus,  Moses 
Burt ;  1817,  Robert  Sessions,  Wm.  Wood  ;  1S2(I,  Abel  Bliss  ;  1824,  Abel  Bliss ;  1820, 
Abel  Bliss,  Dudley  B.  Post;  1827,  Abel  Bliss,  Rjbert  Sessions;  lsa8,  Luther 
Brewer;  1820,  Luther  Brewer,  Jacob  B.  Menick;  1830,  Wni.  S.  Burt,  Jac.jb  B. 
Menick;  1831,  Moses  Burt,  Wm.  S.  Burt:  1.8.J2,  Abraham  .\ver.v,  Wm.  S.  Burt; 
1833,  Stephen  Stebbins;  1834,  .\braham  .\very,  Stephen  Stebbins;  1835-30, 
Walter  Stebbins,  Wm.  Knight;  1837,  Walter  Stebbins,  Wm.  Wood;  1838,  Jesse 
W.  Rice,  Wm.  V.  Sessions;  1839,  Stephen  Stebbins;  1840,  John  Newell;  1841, 
Marcus  Cady ;  1842,  John  Carpenter;  1S4;J,  Samuel  Beck:  1847,  John  Smith; 
1850,  E.iderick  S.  Merrick;  1851,  S.  C.  Spelman  ;  1863,  Philip  P.Potter;  1854, 
John  W.  Langdon;  1855,  John  Baldwin;  1856,  John  B.  3Iunis. 

VILLAGES. 

The  town  of  Wilbraham    contains   but  two  villages.     Of 
these  the  larger  is 

WILBRAH.VM, 

which  is  situated  in  the  centre  of  the  town,  about  two  miles 
from  the  railroad  station,  and  is  chiefly  ranged  along  the  prin- 
cipal road  leading  from  the  northern  end  of  the  town  into 
Connecticut.  The  village  proper  is  about  a  mile  in  length, 
and  is  a  quiet,  retired  place.  Two  handsome  churches — a 
Congregational  and  Methodist — and  the  buildings  of  the  Wes- 
leyan  Academy  comprise  its  most  prominent  features.  The 
dwellings  are  comfortable  and  homelike.  The  hills  to  the 
east  form  a  pleasing  background  to  the  village,  and  atford 
many  pleasant  walks  to  their  summit,  and  through  the  vales 
which  separate  them.  The  place  is  well  filled  during  the 
summer  months  with  those  who  seek  retirement  and  rest  from 
the  more  active  scenes  of  life. 

■  The  principal  store  in  the  village  is  kept  by  George  AV. 
Ely,  who  has  been  in  trade  for  several  years  past,  and  is  also 
the  present  postmaster.  Mowry  &  Co.  also  have  a  store  ad- 
joining the  Academy  Boarding-house. 

Post-Offire. — The  pust-ofBce  was  established  about  IS'Jl. 
"William  Knight  was  the  first  postmaster,  and  kept  the  oflioo 
where  Franklin  Fisk  now  lives.  Pliny  Cadwell  succeeded 
him,  and  kept  it  in  his  store,  which  stood  on  the  open  space 
at  present  between  the  hotel  and  the  church.  Clark  B. 
Stebbins  was  the  next  postmaster,  and  kept  the  office  where 
Ely's  store  is,  and  for  a  time  where  Firmin's  shoe-shop  is. 
Other  postmasters  have  been  Roderick  Burt,  Luther  V.  Bliss, 
Lorenzo  M.  Hancock,  Anna  E.  Hempstead,  and  the  present 
incumbent,  George  W.  Ely,  who  was  appointed  in  the  spring 
of  1878. 

Hotels. — The  village  hotel,  called  the  Allis  House,  was 
opened  in  1870  by  William  L.  Allis  and  James  P.  Brown, 
the  latter  having  previously  kept  it  in  a  dwelling-house.  Mr. 
Allis  subsequently  died.  Nathan  W.  Storrs  has  kept  it  for 
about  seven  years  past.  It  was  destroj'ed  by  fire  June  24, 
1877,  and  rebuilt  in  January,  1878. 

NOKTH    WILBRAHAM 

lias  grown  up  around  the  railroad  station  in  the  northern  ex- 
tremity of  the  town.     The  houses  here  are  of  modern  style. 


*  Precinct  clerk  to  1703. 


Trade  is  brisk,  the  people  are  alert  and  active,  and  several 
manufacturing  enterprises  of  imjiortance  are  carried  on  in 
the  village. 

The  principal  store  in  the  place  is  kept  by  Erasmus  B. 
Gates,  who  also  deals  in  coal,  hay,  straw,  and  other  commod- 
ities. He  is  tilso  clerk  of  the  town  and  postmaster  of  North 
Wilbraham.  The  other  general  store  is  kept  by  W.  E. 
Stone  &  Co. 

Post-Office. — A  post-office  was  established  at  North  Wil- 
braham tibout  1840  or  1847,  and  Warron  Collins,  the  first 
agent  of  the  railroad,  and  in  recognition  of  whose  early  activity 
in  building  up  the  village  it  is  often  called  "  Collins'  Depot," 
was  the  first  postmaster.  He  continued  !n  that  office  until 
April,  1878,  when  Mr.  Gates  was  appointed.  The  office 
previously  existed  at  the  North  village, — sometimes  called 
"Sodotu."  Jacob  B.  Merrick  was  among  the  postmasters  at 
"Sodom." 

Grace  Chapel,  a  neat  place  of  worship,  used  by  the  members 
of  difl'erent  churches  in  union,  occupies  a  pleasant  site  in  the 
village. 

BuTLERVlLLE  is  a  Small  settlement  tibout  a  mile  east  of 
North  Wilbraham,  and  the  site  of  an  important  manufactur- 
ing enterprise.     It  was  formerly  called  the  North  village. 

Glexdale,  or  East  Wilbraham,  is  the  name  given  to 
the  collection  of  houses  along  the  "east  road"  and  at  the 
"  four  corners,"  in  the  east  part  of  the  town. 

SCHOOLS. 

As  early  as  1737  the  town  of  Springfield  appropriated  £3 
for  the  support  of  a  school  in  the  "  outward  commons  on  the 
east  side."  The  same  amount  was  appropriated  the  following 
year.  In  1739  the  sum  was  increased  to  £4,  and  in  1740,  £2 
more  were  added.  Various  other  sums  were  appropriated  to 
the  precinct  prior  to  the  incorporation  of  the  town,  the  whole 
amount  appro])riated  up  to  17o-J  being  £155  13s.  and  6rf., 
averaging  £10  7s.  and  6rf.  a  year.  Before  1754  a  school- 
house  was  built  nearly  opposite  to  where  the  present  Congre- 
gational Church  stands.     Ten  school  districts  existed  in  1775. 

At  the  close  of  the  Revolution  there  were  but  two  school- 
houses  in  the  town,— the  one  just  referred  to,  and  another  east, 
on  the  middle  road  on  the  mountain.  Commencing  with  1791, 
the  town  appropriated  £100  for  three  years,  to  be  divided 
among  the  districts  in  proportion  to  what  they  paid  into  the 
treasury.  This  was  principally  designed  for  the  erection  of 
school-houses  in  these  districts.  After  this  date  the  appro- 
priations for  school-purposes  were  more  liberal  and  uniform 
than  they  had  been  in  the  past.  Deacon  Nathaniel  Warriner 
died  in  1780,  and  left  a  legacy  of  £400,  one-half  for  the  bene- 
fit of  the  ministry,  and  one-half  for  the  benefit  of  schools. 
This  generous  bequest  proved  of  great  assistance  to  the  schools, 
and  to  this  day  constitutes  the  principiil  item  in  the  school 

fund. 

There  are  at  present  but  seven  school  districts  in  the  town, 
and  the  sum  last  appropriated  for  their  support  was  §1800. 
The  average  number  of  schohvrs  in  attendance  is  about  160. 

Among  the  early  schoolmasters  may  be  mentioned  Ezra 
Barker,  for  many  years  clerk  of  town  and  church,  and  gen- 
erally called  "Master  Barker,"  Moses  Enos,  Gorham  Steb- 
bins, Anson  L.  Brewer,  Kalph  Glover,  and  "  Elder"  Bennett. 
Some  of  the  "school-marms"  have  been  JIary  Newell,  Miss 
Tenant,  and  Laura  Merrick,  afterward  the  wife  of  Dr.  Brewer. 

Besides  the  public  schools  there  have  always  existed  private 
schools  in  town,  where  higher  instruction  was  given.  These 
were  usually  taught  by  the  ministers,  among  others,  by  Mr. 
Witter,  of  the  North  Parish,  Mr.  Warren,  of  the  South  Parish, 
Mr.  Brown,  and  Elder  Bennett. 

WESLEYAN    ACAUEMY.f 
Wilbraham  is  more  widely  known  than  most  country  towns 
in  the  Connecticut  Valley.     It  is  largely  indebted  for  this  to 


f  By  Rev.  N.  Fellows,  A.M. 


127 


1010 


HISTORY  OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


the  location  of  the  Wesleyan  "Academy  within  its  limits. 
Tliis  school  is  the  child  of  the  New  Eijs;l:ind  Conference  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  Its  foundation  and  steady 
growth  are  chiefly  doc  to  the  zeal,  foresight,  and  self-denying 
labors  of  her  ministry  and  membership.  This  school  was  first 
opened  at  Newmarket,  N.  H.  The  Conference  then  comprised 
within  its  boundaries  all  New  England,  except  a  small  portion 
included  in  the  New  York  Conference.  The  citizens  of  New- 
market furnished  the  land  on  which  to  erect  an  academ}-  build- 
ing, and  made  other  donations  in  labor  and  money,  on  condi- 
tion that  the  preachers  should  give  bonds  to  provide  competent 
instructors  for  five  years.  John  Brodhcad,  Geoi'ge  Pickering, 
Philip  Monger,  Charles  Virgin,  and  Caleb  Dustin,  all  mem- 
bers of  the  Conference,  gave  the  required  bonds.  Its  act  of 
incorporation  was  passed  by  the  Legislature  of  New  Hamp- 
shire, June  23,  1818.  The  land  was  donated,  a  convenient 
building,  two  stories  high,  erected,  a  few  books,  maps,  charts, 
etc.,  obtained,  and  the  school  opened.  Rev.  Martin  Ruter, 
D.D.,  afterward  noted  for  his  piety,  learning,  and  devotion  to 
the  cause  of  education,  was  the  first  principal. 

The  number  of  students  was  never  large,  an«l  in  less  than 
five  years  the  trustees  and  Conference  saw  that  the  location 
was  not  favorable  for  the  growth  of  a  well-appointed  academv. 
On  the  30th  of  December,  1823,  after  more  than  five  years  of 
valuable  service,  the  school  at  Newmarket  was  suspended,  and 
its  founders  and  other  friends  of  education  in  the  New  Eng- 
land Conference  sought  a  more  central  location  for  future 
operations.  The  trustees  also  voted,  "  That  whenever  the 
New  England  Conference  shall  have  located  and  established 
an  academy  or  seminary  of  learning  within  the  bounds  of  the 
Conference,  this  board  will  relinquish  all  the  remaining  funds, 
library,  and  other  movable  property,  to  be  appropriated  to  the 
support  of  the  institution,  under  the  direction  of  the  trustees." 

The  following  account  of  its  early  history  is  mostly  taken 
from  a  sketch  by  the  Rev.  Miner  Raymond,  D.D.  The  citi- 
zens of  Wilbraham,  greatly  desiring  the  location  of  the  school 
in  this  town,  ofTered  valuable  inducements,  and  the  present 
site  was  selected.  Upon  the  application  of  the  Rev.  John 
Lindsey  to  the  Legislature  of  3Iassachusetts,  Amos  Biimoy, 
Abel  Bliss,  Abraham  Avery,  Calvin  Brewer,  Enoch  Mudgc, 
"Wilbur  Fisk,  John  Lindsey,  Joshua  Crowell,  and  "William 
Rice  were  created  a  body  corporate,  by  the  name  of  the  "  Trus- 
tees of  the  "Wesleyan  Academy,"  with  the  usual  corporate 
powers,  and  the  right  of  holding  property,  the  annual  income 
of  which  should  not  exceed  the  sum  of  §10,000.  This  act  was 
approved  by  the  Governor,  Feb.  7,  1824,  a  few  days  more 
than  a  month  after  operations  were  suspended  at  Newmarket. 

The  "Wesleyan  Academy  at  "Wilbraham  and  the  New- 
market "S^"esleyan  Academy  are  one  and  the  same  institution, 
with  a  change  of  location  and  legal  authority  ;  under  the 
patronage  of  the  same  ecclesiastical  organization,  founded  by 
the  same  men,  sustained  by  the  same  agencies,  organized  for 
the  same  purpose,  and  are  every  way  identical  (with  the  ex- 
ceptions just  mentioned).  The  "Wesleyan  Academy,  therefore, 
claims  the  honor  of  being  the  oldest  literary  institution  exist- 
ing under  the  patronage  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in 
America. 

On  land  donated  by  the  lute  "William  Rice,  Esq.,  of  Spring- 
field, known  as  the  "academy  lot,"  with  the  avails  of  dona- 
tions collected  by  agents  who  traveled  extensively  through 
the  Conference,  the  "  Old  Academy"  building  was  erected. 
A  farm  of  60  acres— one-half  of  the  "Warriner  homestead- 
was  purchased,  and  the  old  farm-house  was  enlarged  and  fitted 
for  a  boarding-house.  The  school  was  opened  for  the  recep- 
tion of  students  Nov.  8,  182.5.  The  number  of  students  at  its 
opening  was  .5;  3  more  came  in  the  first  day,  and  before  the 
term  ended  there  were  35.  From  these  small  beginnings  the 
institution  was  at  once  encouraged  by  unexpected  success,  and 
through  its  entire  subsequent  history  it  has  received  a  very  ex- 
tensive patronage.     The  princijial's  house  was  built  in  1827. 


To  assist  indigent  students,  by  making  the  institution,  as  far 
as  means  would  allow,  a  manual-labor  school,  a  workshop  was 
erected,  and  incipient  arrangements  made  for  an  agricultural 
department.  The  manual-labor  department  was  soon  aban- 
doned, and  this  workshop  was  enlarged  and  converted  into  a 
laboratory',  with  recitation-rooms,  museum,  and  cabinet  for 
the  department  of  natural  .science. 

In  1838  a  separate  boarding-house  for  ladies  was  erected  on 
the  northwest  corner  of  the  academy  lot.  This  was  subse- 
quently removed  and  made  to  form  a  south  wing  to  the  old 
boarding-house.  A  new  dining-hall  was  added,  and  the  whole 
thoroughly  renewed,  furnishing  very  convenient  accommoda- 
tions for  a  family  of  150  students.  In  1851  the  seminary 
building  known  as  "Fisk  Hall"  was  erected,  and  in  1854  the 
old  laboratory  was  removed,  and  "  Binney  Hall"  erected  in 
its  place.  The  three  academy  buildings  are  beautifully  located 
in  a  group,  some  500  feet  east  of  Main  Street,  on  a  slight  emi- 
nence, furnishing  an  extensive  and  delightful  prospect  of  the 
town  and  surrounding  country. 

The  "  Old  Academy"  building  is  in  good  condition,  and  still 
furnishes  four  fine  rooms  for  school  purposes, — the  studio,  a 
study-room,  mathematical  recitation-room,  and  commercial- 
room.  "Fisk  Hall"  contains  the  chapel,  capable  of  seating 
about  400  persons,  two  society  halls,  the  museum,  and  two 
recitation-rooms.  The  laboratory,  with  chemical  and  philo- 
sophical apparatus  rooms  adjoining,  is  in  "Binney  Hall." 
This  building  also  contains  the  library,  and  has  recitation- 
rooms  for  the  teachers  of  Latin,  English  literature,  and  mod- 
ern languages. 

In  18-36  the  principal's  house  was  removed,  and  a  new  one, 
large  and  commodious,  with  modern  improvements,  was  built 
by  the  generosity  of  Isaac  Rich,  Esq.,  of  Boston.  This  stands 
on  the  west  side  of  the  street,  directly  fronting  the  avenue  of 
beautiful  maple-trees  that  extends  from  the  street  to  the  acad- 
emy group  of  buildings. 

On  the  4th  of  January,  1856,  the  boarding-house  took  fire, 
and,  with  a  large  portion  of  its  furniture  and  provisions,  was 
entirely  consumed.  The  erection  of  a  new  and  substantial 
brick  edifice,  242  feet  by  38,  with  a  rear  part  140  feet  by  38, 
partly  three  and  partly  four  stories  high,  was  commenced  on 
the  1st  of  August  following.  This  structure  was  completed 
in  1857,  and  on  the  29th  of  September,  a  few  weeks  after  its 
occupancy  by  students,  it  was  also  consumed  by  fire.  After 
nearly  two  years'  delay,  another  building  to  occupy  its  place 
was  commenced,  and  was  ready  for  the  reception  of  students 
at  the  opening  of  the  fall  term  in  August,  1801.  This  noble 
edifice  provides  amjile  accommodations  for  a  family  of  250 
persons,  and  it  is  regarded  as  a  superior  structure,  unsurpassed 
by  any  of  its  kind  in  architectural  taste,  convenience,  and 
general  adaptation  to  the  purpose  for  which  it  is  used.  It 
fronts  to  the  east,  and  presents  a  most  beautiful  view  of  the 
academy  buildings,  campus,  meadow,  grove,  and  mountain. 
The  campus  has  a  frontage  on  the  street  of  nearly  a  sixth  of 
a  mile.  At  the  southern  extremity  stands  the  Methodist 
Church,  a  massive  structure  of  red  sandstone.  Near  to  this, 
and  in  front  of  the  boarding-hall,  is  an  attractive  croquet- 
ground  for  the  young  ladies,  while  farther  to  the  north  is 
located  a  most  excellent  ball-ground  for  the  young  men.  The 
trustees  now  hold  a  farm  of  nearly  200  acres,  suitably  divided 
into  meadow-,  tillage-,  and  pasture-lands,  which,  under  the 
careful  management  of  a  skillful  farmer,  supplies  all  the  milk 
and  vegetables  needed  by  the  boarding-house.  The  value  of 
the  real  estate  and  personal  property  owned  by  the  institution 
is  as  follows : 

Real  estate , S12;i,.550 

Libraries 0,744 

Cabinet  and  museum "    2,IK)0 

.\pparatu8.. 3,511 

Musical  instruments ,3,6.s.^ 

School  furniture,  etc 2,342 

Boarding-Iiall  furniture,  etc 9,71S 

Frtvni-stock  and  tools 2,493 

Total fl54,043 


istiEtT/SiiKi  a©a©iEay  sij^iiUDiria-rJauSi^,  iy]i.aiu\}^J^\ja,  Ki^^i. 


HON.  J.  M.  MERRICK. 

The  subject  of  this  brief  notice  is  tlio 
BixMi  genenilion  from  ThomaB  MejTicU, 
wlio  wjifl  born  in  Wales,  Great  Britain,  in 
the  year  1620;  emigrated  to  this  country 
about  l&iO,  and  settled  at  tiipringtieUl, 
Mass.,  in  1638. 

John  M.  was  born  iu  'Wilbrahani,  May 
9, 1810,  and  is  the  second  son  of  John  and 
Harriet  (Brewer)  Merrick,  and  Krandson 
of  Lieut.  Jonathan  Merrick  and  Mary,  liis 
wife.  This  lady  was  a  sister  of  Timothy 
Merrick,  whose  tragic  death,  at  an  early 
age,  is  described  in  verse  in  the  history 
of  the  town  of  Wilbraham. 

John  Merrick,  the  father  of  our  subject, 
died  in  August,  1816.  In  April,  1817,  his 
widow  marrieil  John  Bliss,  a  native  of 
Wilbraham,  and  John  M.  at  once  took  up 
his  abode  with  his  mother  and  her  hus- 
band. His  earliest  years  were  spent  in 
working  upon  the  farm  in  the  summer 
months,  and  in  attendance  upon  the  com- 
mon schools  in  the  winter-time. 

At  the  age  of  fourteen  he  chose  Abraham 
Avery — a  tanner  and  currier  by  trade, 
and  the  maker  of  the  famous  "Prrsbytf- 
rian  Saddle" — for  his  guardian,  and  \\int 
to  live  with  him.  Mr.  Merrick,  liking:  the 
business  of  Mr,  Avery,  determined  to  de- 
vote his  attention  to  it.  To  its  acquirement 
ho  devoted  a  large  share  of  his  time,  mean- 
while attending  the  Wesleyan  Academy 
for  four  terms. 

After  attiiining  his  majority,  he  sjient  a 
few  months  on  his  farm  (the  old  homestead 
of  Jonathan  Blerrick),  and  then  joined  in 
partnership  with  Mr.  Avery.  He  con- 
tinued in  the  tanning  and  currying  busi- 
ness for  a  little  more  than  three  years. 
He  then  settled  again  upon  his  farm,  where 
he  is  still  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits. 

In  the  mouth  i-f  Blarch,  18;i2,  Mr.  Mer- 
rick married  Mary  Jane  Thonijison,  of  New 
Haven,  Conn.,  who  is  still  living.  Three 
children  have  resulted  from  the  union,  as 


follows :  Wm.  M.,  born  March  4, 1833,  now 
residing  in  tlic  city  of  Chicago,  and  chief 
of  the  department  of  designing  and 
draughting  for  Baker  &  Co.,  engravers 
and  publinliers:  a  second  son,  who  died  in 
infancy  ;  and  Harriet  Cornelia,  born  Sept. 
15,  1843;  April  14,  18G1,  she  married  Rov. 
Wm.  F.  Warren,  now  president  of  the 
Boston  University. 

Mr.  Merrick  has  filled  many  positions  of 
trust  and  responsibility.  In  1836  he  was 
elected  a  nieniher  of  the  Board  of  Tiuhtees 
of  Wesleyan  Academy,  and  is  now  the 
senior  member  of  the  Board.  He  was  sec- 
retary of  the  Board  from  1836  to  1842,  and 
again  from  18o3  to  1858;  was  treasurer 
from  1842  to  1861,  and  stt'Wiird  of  the 
boarding-house  connected  with  that  insti- 
tution from  1850  to  1852,  and  from  1855  to 
1861.  Near  the  close  of  the  Rebellion  he 
held  the  office  of  district  provost-marshal 
for  nearly  two  years.  He  was  town-clerk 
of  Wilbraham  from  1840  to  1842,  and  from 
181-3  to  1865.  In  1860  he  represented  his 
district  in  the  State  Legislature,  and  has 
bf'en  a  justice  of  the  peace  for  the  last 
thirty  years. 

In  his  church  affiliations,  Mr.  Merrick 
i.-*  astrict  and  consistent  Methodist,  having 
united  with  that  denomination  in  the  year 
182G.  In  1835  be  was  elected  a  member 
of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the  church, 
which  position  he  still  holds;  and  was  clerk 
iuhI  treasurer  of  the  Board  for  many  years, 
He  has  also  hold  the  oftico  of  church  stew- 
ard a  large  part  of  the  time  until  the 
present.  He  was  a  member  of  the  building 
riunmitteo  to  erect  the  Bfctbodist  Episco- 
pal Church  in  1834,  and  also  of  tliiit  to 
build  Memorial  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  dedicated  in  1870. 

In  all  the  varied  relations  which  Mr. 
Merrick  has  sustained  to  the  world  and  to 
society,  his  conduct  has  been  exemplary 
and  praiseworthy,  and  to-day  he  is  one  of 
Wilbraham's  most  honored  and  substantial 
citizens. 


JOHN  M.  MERRICK. 


iaiiD©EIKl©l  ©F  5[1®HK1  Dffl.  lifflSRiaflOBJ,.  WDILPiaaH/aEtl,  mih9@. 


HISTORY   OF  HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


1011 


The  resources  from  which  this  property  has  been  accumu- 
lated are  as  follows : 

Donations  by  Isaac  Rich,  Esq.,  of  Boston 8-K),0i)i) 

"             Lee  Clartili,  Esq.,  of  Hiipkintou ll\r>m 

"             Cot.  Amos  Binuey,  of  Boston 10.000 

Appropriations  from  the  State 3(i,.')00 

Ponalions  of  SIOOO  and  under  by  many  friends 3(),fi00 

Avails  of  profits  and  sale  of  Zion's  Herald 3,400 

Legacy  of  the  late  David  Smith,  of  Springfield 1,000 

"                "        Amos  B.  Meriill,  of  Boston C,i>0 

Total S144.2.'jO 

The  Inte  Amos  B.  Merrill  also  left  to  the  academy  his 
private  library,  a  verj'  choice  collection  of  over  1200  volumes, 
inventoried  in  his  estate  at  §3500. 

This  school  has  had  nine  principals  since  its  reopening  in 
Wilbraham,  viz.:  Rev.  Wilbur  Fisk,  D.D.,  182.3-31;  Rev. 
W.  McK.  Bangs,  A.M.,  1831-32;  Rev.  John  Foster,  A.M., 
1832-34;  Rev.  David  Patten,  D.D.,  1834-41;  Rev.  Charles 
Adams,  D.D.,  1841-4,5;  Rev.  Robert  Allyn,  A.M.,  184-5-48; 
Rev.  Miner  Raymond,  D.D.,  1848-64;  Rev.  Edward  Cooke, 
D.D.,  1864-74;  Rev.  Nathaniel  Fellows,  A.M.,  1874.  Rev. 
Wilbur  Fisk,  D.  D.,  the  first  principal,  after  filling  that  posi- 
tion with  great  success  for  six  years,  was  elected  president  of 
the  Wesleyan  University.  If  we  accept  the  statements  of  bis 
students,  it  is  hardly  possible  to  speak  too  highly  of  his  piety, 
learning,  sound  judgment,  and  the  grace  and  dignity  of  his 
manner.  He  was  equalh-  distinguished  for  the  skill  with 
which-  he  conducted  the  varied  interests  of  a  great  school  or 
college,  and  for  a  most  impressive,  convincing,  and  persuasive 
eloquence  in  the  pulpit.* 

Rev.  David  Patten,  D.D.,  Rev.  Charles  Adams,  D.D.,  and 
Rev,  Robert  Allyn,  D.D.,  have  each  spent  many  years  in  la- 
borious and  successful  educational  work  since  leaving  the 
academy.  Rev.  Miner  Raymond,  D.D.,  presided  over  the 
academy  sixteen  years, — longer  than  any  other  principal.  He 
was  connected  with  the  school  as  pupil,  teacher,  and  principal 
some  twenty-five  years.  During  his  administration  the  present 
magnificent  and  commodious  bvtildings  were  erected,  and  the 
institution  prospered  in  all  its  interests.  For  fifteen  years 
Dr.  Raymond  has  been  professor  of  theology  in  the  Biblical 
Institute,  at  Evanston,  111.  He  has  recently  published  a  very 
able  and  elaborate  work  on  "Systematic  Theology." 

Dr.  Edward  Cocke  came  to  AVilbraham  with  the  wisdom 
acquired  from  a  long  experience  at  the  head  of  similar  insti- 
tutions, which  eminently  fitted  him  to  improve,  organize,  and 
classify  the  school  so  that  it  compares  favorably  with  the  best 
scientific  and  classical  schools  of  New  England.  Dr.  Cooke  is 
now  president  of  Claflin  University,  South  Carolina. 

The  Faculty  is  at  present  composed  of  the  following  per- 
sons: Rev.  Nathaniel  Fellows,  A.M.,  Principal,  Mental  and 
Moral  Science ;  Mrs.  A.  C.  Knight,  Preceptress,  Modern  Lan- 
guages;  Miss  Hannah  D.  Morill,  English  Literature;  Charles 
M.  Parker,  A.M.,  Latin;  William  H.  H.  Phillips,  Ph.D., 
Higher  Mathematics ;  Watson  F.  Lamb,  Commercial  De- 
partment and  Fine  Arts;  Rev.  Benjamin  Gill,  A.M.,  Greek; 
Edward  E.  Kelsey,  Director  of  Music  ;  Joseph  C.  Burke,  A.M., 
Natural  Science;  Charles  H.  Raymond,  A.B.,  Elocution  and 
Physical  Culture;   Rev.  Benjamin  Gill,  Librarian. 

The  rest  of  this  article  is  mainly  taken  from  a  sketch  prepared 
by  Prof.  Benjamin  Gill, — "  Work  Accomplished."  The  aver- 
number  of  students  per  term  for  the  last  thirty  years  is  at  least 
250.  The  largest  number  during  any  single  term  has  been  358. 
The  whole  number  of  different  persons  who  have  attended  the 
academy  since  its  foundation  is  something  over  1700.  Up  to 
1863  about  -500  graduates  bad  entered  college,  and  by  a  care- 
ful computation  we  may  add  to  that  number  at  least  170  more. 
Allowing  that  of  those  who  graduated  here  from  one-fourth 

*  Dr.  Fisk  was  born  at  Brattleboro',  Vt,  Aug.  31, 1Y92.  In  1823  he  was  made 
presiding  elder  of  the  Veraiont  District ;  was  delegate  to  the  General  Conference 
in  1824,  1.S2S,  and  1832.  Iji  1830  he  was  elected  the  flrat  president  of  the  Wes- 
leyan University,  at  Middletow  n,  Conn.  He  died  of  pulmonary  disciusc,  at  Mid- 
dletown,  Feb.  22, 1838. 


to  one-third  do  not  go  to  college,  the  academy  has  probably 
graduated  from  900  to  1000  young  men.  And,  as  the  ladies 
average  in  number  about  one-half,  there  have  graduated  from 
the  school  about  .500  ladies.  The  number  of  ladies  is  now  about 
two-fifths  of  the  whole  number  in  attendance.  This  statement 
is,  however,  a  very  inadequate  presentation  of  the  work  of  the 
academy.  The  great  mass  of  the  students  have  not  gradu- 
ated, and  have  in  the  few  terms  they  have  spent  here  received 
their  only  academic  training,  and  have  gone  from  these  halls 
to  the  practical  work  of  life.  They  are  scattered  all  over  the 
continent,  and  one  can  scarcely  enter  a  town  in  Massachu- 
setts or  Connecticut  without  finding  persons  occupying  prom- 
inent civil  and  social  positions  who  arc  indebted  to  the  Wes- 
lej'an  Academy  for  the  instruction  and  intellectual  culture 
which  prepared  them  to  act  well  their  part  in  life. 

Before  the  days  of  normal  schools  it  had  a  class  for  the 
training  of  teachers,  and  for  many  years  each  winter  from  50 
to  80  went  out  to  give  instruction  in  the  schools  of  New  Eng- 
land. It  has  always  been  a  favorite  resort  for  mature  per- 
sons whose  early  education  has  been  neglected,  or  those  who 
feel  their  need  of  a  more  extended  education  after  they  have 
reached  the  years  of  manhood.  Perhaps  more  of  this  class 
came  in  former  times,  but  scarcely  a  term  passes  now  when 
there  are  not  a  number  in  the  school  who  have  reached  the 
age  of  twenty-five.  Many  of  these  are  preparing  for  teaching 
or  the  ministry  or  missionary  work.  With  such  material  for 
students,  there  is  of  course  much  earnest  work  done,  and  the 
school  has  a  salutary  moral  and  religious  atmosphere. 

Government. — The  guardianship  and  general  management 
of  the  school  is  in  the  hands  of  a  board  of  trustees,  consisting 
of  about  30  members.  This  body  elects  its  own  members.  It 
meets  yearly;  but  for  cases  of  emergency  it  chooses  a  pruden- 
tial committee,  or  local  board,  to  act  with  full  powers  in  the 
interim  of  the  yearly  sessions.  This  committee  is  composed 
of  men  who  reside  either  in  Springfield  or  Wilbraham,  or 
some  place  easy  of  access  to  Wilbraham.  To  watch  over  its 
present  educational  growth  and  advancement,  a  visiting  board 
is  appointed  by  the  patronizing  Conferences,  the  New  Eng- 
land and  the  New  York  East.  The  committee  for  term 
examinations  is  usually  chosen  by  the  teachers. 

Libraries,  Cabinets,  etc. — There  are  libraries  connected  with 
the  academy,  and  also  with  each  of  the  4  literary  societies. 
The  number  of  volumes  is  6366. 

There  are  several  collections  in  the  department  of  natural 
history,  containing  about  500  specimens  of  plants,  800  geo- 
logical specimens,  and  numerous  fossils ;  the  collection  of 
birds  is  especially  good.  The  philosophical  apparatus  includes, 
among  other  things,  a  lever  air-pump,  a  5-inch  telescope, 
plate  electrical  machine,  magneto-electric  and  galvanic  bat- 
teries, spectroscope,  compound  microscope,  etc.  The  mathe- 
matical apparatus  includes  a  fine  transit  instrument,  compass, 
level,  quadrant,  sextant,  etc.  The  art-room  has  the  finest 
location  of  any  in  the  academy,  but  is  entirely  without  fur- 
nishings, save  a  few  busts,  chromos,  and  paintings,  used  as 
models.  There  is  a  fine  hall  in  the  music  building  devoted  to 
gymnastic  purposes,  supplied  with  Indian-clubs,  dumb-bells, 
etc. ,  etc.  A  very  excellent  reading-room  is  connected  with 
the  school,  abundantly  supplied  with  dailies,  weeklies,  month- 
lies, and  quarterlies,  secular  and  religious.  The  music  de- 
partment is  supplied  with  10  new  pianos,  one  a  concert  grand, 
with  pipe-organs  and  a  cabinet-organ. 

Lyceums,  etc. — There  are  four  literary  societies  connected 
with  the  school.  The  oldest  is  the  "  Young  Men's  Debating 
Club  and  Lyceum,"  established  in  1825.  A  scion  of  this  is  • 
the  "Union  Philosophical  Society,"  formed  in  1832.  The 
two  ladies'  societies  were  formed,  as  they  now  stand,  in  1851. 
They  are  named  "Athena"  and  "Pieria."  Such  a  pleasant 
rivalry  has  always  existed  between  them  that  they  have 
always  been  prosperous  and  thoroughly  active.  "Club"  and 
'  Philo"  are    old    familiar   names    to    all    Wilbrahim    boys. 


1012 


HISTORY  OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


Bishops,  doctors  of  divinity,  clergj-mon,  lawyers,  and  doctors, 
by  luiiidrcds,  arc.  indebted  to  these  societies  more  than  any 
otlier  one  thing  in  connection  with  the  school.  The  training 
atl'orded  by  these  societies  has  given  the  students  a  very 
prominent  ranlv  in  elocution  and  forensics  in  the  higher 
institutions  which  they  have  entered. 

The  programme  of  work  is  essentially  as  follows,  in  both 
ladies'  and  gentlemen's  societies  :  -Declamation,  or  select  read- 
ing, debate,  j)aper,  critic's  report,  and  miscellaneous  business. 
The  exercises  are  introduced  with  prayer,  and  enlivened  with 
singing.  Each  society  has  a  finely  frescoed  and  furnished 
hall  in  the  "  Fisli  Hall"  building.  Each  has  a  cabinet-organ 
or  ])iano.  Their  rooms  are  furnished  with  paintings,  and  each 
has  a  fine  library. 

Expenses  to  Students. — The  catalogue  says,  "Necessary 
school  expenses  need  not  exceed  |200  per  year."  Some  of  the 
items  are  as  follows:  Board  per  week,  §3, — less  than  a  term, 
$3.50  ;  steam  per  week,  50  cents  ;  room-rent,  §2, — front  rooms, 
$3;  tuition,  in  common  English,  as  a  basis,  §6;  church  sit- 
tings, etc.,  %'l ;  library,  50  cents  ;  washing,  62  cents  per  dozen. 
For  natural  science,  languages,  higher  mathematics,  elocution, 
music,  business  studies,  and  art,  the  tuition  is  extra,  as  is 
usual  in  such  cases.  Facilities  for  spending  money  outside 
are  very  few. 

Tncsiees. — The  board  of  trustees  is  now  composed  of  the 
following  persons:  President,  Hon.  Edward  P.  Porter,  West 
Newton  ;  Treasurer,  Eev.  N.  Fellows,  "Wilbraham  ;  Secretary, 
Eev.  "VVilliani  Kice,  D.D.,  Springfield  ;  John  M.  Merrick, 
"VVilbraham  ;  Piobert  K.  Wright,  Wilbraham;  l?ev.  Edward 
Otheman,  A.M.,  Chelsea  ;  lion.  Jacob  Sleeper,  Boston  ;  Kev. 
Loranus  Crowell,  D.D.,  Lynn  :  P.ev.  Fales  H.  Newhall,  D.D., 
Saugus;  Henry  J.  Bush,  Westfiekl  ;  Wilbur  F.  Claflin,  Hop- 
kinton ;  I'ev.  David  K.  Merrill,  Boston;  Hon.  Thomas  P. 
Richardson,  Lynn;  Harrison  Newhall,  Lynn;  Horace  M. 
Sessions,  Hampden;  Horace  Smith,  Springfield;  Lewis  H. 
Taylor,  Springfield;  Edwin  H.  Johnson,  Lynn;  Emerson 
W'arner,  M.D.,  Worcester;  William  H.  Smith,  Springfield; 
Eev.  Joseph  Cummings,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  Middletown,  Conn.  ; 
Eev.  Daniel  Steel,  D.D.,  Lynn  ;  Kev.  Samuel  F.  Upham, 
D.D.,  Springfield;  George  L.  Wright,  Sjiringfield ;  Kev. 
Asahel  C.  Eggleston,  A.M.,  New  Haven,  Conn.;  S.  G.  Good- 
enough,  Wilbraham  ;  Charles  P.  Armstrong,  New  Haven, 
Conn.  ;  L.  C.  Smith,  Springfield. 

CHURCHES. 
CONGREGATIONAL. 

As  stated  elsewhere,  the  Eev.  Noah  Merrick  was  the  first 
ordained  pastor  of  the  church  in  Wilbraham.  He  died  Dec. 
22,  1776,  at  the  age  of  sixty-six  years,  and  after  a  ministry  of 
thirty-five  years  and  six  months.  When  the  town  was  divided 
into  two  parishes,  in  1782,  Mr.  Merrick  had  been  dead  six 
years.  The  North  Parish  at  once  set  about  the  double  labor 
of  removing  their  meeting-house  to  a  more  central  and  acces- 
sible spot  than  Wigwam  Hill,  and  of  settling  a  minister. 
Eev.  Joshua  Willard  was  ordained  the  next  past<ir  on  the 
fourth  Wednesday  in  May,  1787,  and  remained  until  his  dis- 
mission, in  1793.  After  a  struggle  of  twelve  years  in  regard 
to  the  location  of  a  meeting-house,  a  piece  of  land  on  the 
north  side  of  Jonathan  Merrick's  lot  was  purchased  of  him 
for  £33,  and  thereon  was  erected  the  meeting-house.  The 
next  regular  pastor  was  Eev.  Ezra  Witter,  who  was  ordained 
Aug.  16,  1797,  and  dismissed  April  11,  1814.  During  his 
pastorate,  the  meeting-house  was  repaired,  and  a  bell  pur- 
*  chased,  in  1802, — the  first  church  bell  in  the  town.  Kev. 
Ebenezer  Brown  was  called  as  the  next  pastor,  Dec.  16,  1818, 
and  dismissed  July  5,  1827.  Since  Mr.  Brown,  the  regular 
pastors  of  the  church  have  been  Kev.  John  Hyde,  from  April 
18,  1828,  to  Oct.  20,  1831  ;  Kev.  Israel  G.  Kose,  from  1832 
to  Jan.  21,  1835;  Kev.  John  Bowers,  from  Dec.  13,  1837,  to 
May  11,  1856;  Kev.  John  P.  Skeele,  from  Nov.  30,  1858,  to 


April  7,  1864;  Rev.  Alexander  D.  Stowell,  from  May  10, 
1805,  to  April  11,  1867.  The  present  pastor,  Kev.  Martin  S. 
Howard,  was  ordained  Oct.  29,  1868.  The  old  meeting-house 
now  does  service  as  a  livery-stable,  and  stands  near  the  pres- 
ent church  structure.  The  house  erected  in  its  stead  was  de- 
stroyed by  fire  June  24,  1877.  The  present  unique,  tasteful, 
and  attractive  place  of  worship  was  immediately  erected,  at  a 
cost  of  $12,000,  and  dedicated  June  26,  1878.  The  present 
membership  of  the  church  is  230;  of  Sabbath-school,  150. 
The  Sabbath-school  library  ■Was  lost  in  the  fire,  and  has  only 
been  partially  replaced. 

METHODIST   EPISCOPAL. 

In  1791  the  Methodist  preachers  on  the  Hartford  circuit 
visited  the  Stmth  Parish  once  in  two  weeks  and  held  meetings 
in  the  school-house.  These  were  the  first  meetings  of  that 
branch  of  the  Christian  Church  held  in  the  town.  Later  in 
the  year  Eev.  Lemuel  Smith  preached  the  first  Methodist 
sermon  in  the  North  Parish,  at  the  house  of  Charles  Brewer, 
and  for  two  years  services  were  held  in  the  same  place  once  in 
two  weeks.  Charles  Brewer,  Abel  Bliss,  Silas  Bliss,  and  Mrs. 
Solomon  Warriner  were  among  those  who  joined  the  first 
Methodist  class.  In  the  year  1793  the  first  meeting-house  was 
raised  and  covered,  but  not  finished  till  1814.  During  these 
years  it  was  only  furnished  with  rough  slab  seats. 

Sept.  4,  1794,  the  New  England  Conference,  consisting  then 
of  about  a  dozen  members,  convened  in  the  new  chapel,  and 
again  held  its  session  in  the  same  place  in  the  year  1797. 

The  first  corporate  meeting  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  So- 
ciety was  organized  under  a  warrant  issued  by  Wm.  Knight, 
Esq.,  at  the  petition  of  Abraham  Avery  and  ten  others,  and 
was  held  in  the  Methodist  meeting-house,  Aug.  29,  1832. 
Mav'  19,  1835,  a  new  meeting-house,  which  had  been  erected 
at  a  cost  of  nearly  S3000,  raised  by  subscription  to  share.s 
of  stock,  was  dedicated  by  the  Eev.  Wilbur  Fisk,  D.D.  It 
was  in  size  42  by  CO  feet,  with  a  tower,  and  is  now  used 
as  a  music  hall  and  gymnasium  by  Wesleyan  Academj'. 
The  original  meeting-house  is  south  of  the  present  church, 
and  is  used  as  a  dwelling.  Until  the  year  1823  the  church 
formed  a  part  of  the  "Tolland  circuit;"  since  that  time  it 
has  usually  been  a  station  by  itself. 

Memorial  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. — The  handsome 
brown-stone  structure  at  present  used  by  the  society  was 
erected  in  1870,  at  a  cost  of  over  $30,000.  The  present  mem- 
bership of  the  church  is  200.  A  Sabbath-school  of  about  80 
is  connected  with  the  church  ;  another  exists  at  East  Wil- 
braham, and  another  in  connection  with  the  academy'.  The 
Sabbath-school  library  comprises  about  4.50  volumes. 

The  following  ministers  have  been  appointed  to  this  church  : 

1791,  MenziPS  Eaynor;  1791-94,  Lemuel  Smith  ;  1792,  Hope  Hull,  F.  AUlridgc  ; 
1793-74,  Geurpe  Piukering;  17!I3,  .Jusliua  Hall;  179.";,  Nicholas  Snethen,  Christo- 
pher Spry;  179G,  Even  Rogers,  Thomas  C^opc;  1797-9S,  Lawrence  McCombs; 
1709,  Daniel  Ontrander;  ISOO,  Abner  Wood;  1801,  Henry  Eames;  lfOl-3,  Au- 
gustus Joeelyn  ;  li-02-3,  Elijah  Batehelor;  1>02,  Ale.\ander  MeLane  ;  1804,  John 
Gove;  ISOo,  Nohie  W.  Thomas  ;  18(16,  Benjamin  Hill,  John  Tinkham,  Theophilus 
Smith  ;  1807,  Hollis  Sampson,  G.  R.  Noriis;  lf.08,  B.  F.  Lombard;  1809,  B.  P. 
Hill,  Wm.  Hinman;  1810,  Joel  Steel,  Samuel  Cutter;  1811,  Philip  Mnnger, 
Robelt  Arnold;  1812,  Ellas  Marble,  Tljomas  Tucker;  1813-31,  Edward  Hyde; 
1813-17,  Benjamin  Sabin  ;  1814,  Joel  Wineh,  Job  Piatt;  1815,  Wm.  Marsh,  Orin 
Robeits;  1816-17,  Salmon  Winehcsler,  Nathan  Paine;  1818-10,  Leonard  Ben- 
nett; 1818,  Heztkiah  Davis;  1819,  Fralais  Dane;  1820-21,  Elenezer  Blake; 
1S21,  Dan'l  Doiehester ;  1822,  Joel  W.  McKee,  Allen  Barnes ;  182:)-24,  "28,  Pliinena 
Peek;  1825-26,  Isaac  Jenuisou;  1827,  Wilbur  Fisk;  1828,  J.Foster;  1820,  A. 
Waitt;  1830,  Siiniue!  Davis;  1832,  T.  W.  Tucker;  1833,  N.  B.  SpanlJing;  1834-35, 
Reuben  Ransom:  1830,  James  Porter;  1S37-:J9,  William  Livesey;  1840,  Ship- 
ley W.  Wilson ;  1841-42,  Chailes  Adams;  1843-44,  Nelson  E.  (_'id,leigh  ;  1845,  F. 
Nutting;  1846-47,  H.  V.  Degen ;  1848,  Chailes  Baker;  1849-50,  Z.  H.  Mildge; 
lf61-62,  Stepheu  Cusliing;  185:i-54,  Gilbelt  Haven  ;  1855-56,  Chester  Field  ;  1857, 
H.  P.  Andrews;  1858-59,  \\.  F.Warren;  ISGO,  Lorenzo  White;  1861,  George 
Prentice;  1862  03,  Nathaniel  Fellows;  If 04,  Miner  Kayniond;  1803,  Edward 
Cook ;  1866,  Hiram  P.  Satchnill ;  1807,  H.  V.  Degen  ;  11:08-69,  Franklin  Fnrber  ; 
1870-72,  James  Mudge;  187:5-75,  Thoniiis  W.  Bishop,  1876-78,  Willard  T.  Per- 
rin,  the  present  pastor. 

A  small  chapel  at  East  Wilbraham  was  recently  erected  by 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Society,  at  a  cost  of  about  .f800,  and 


HISTORY  OF  HAMPDEN  COUNTY. 


1013 


services  are  held  there  b}-  local  preachers  and  general  supplies. 
A  Sabbath-school  of  about  30  i?  connected  with  the  enter- 
prise. 

Grace  Chapel  is  located  at  North  Wilbraham,  and  is  owned 
and  controlled  by  members  of  the  different  evangelical 
churches  resident  there,  though  adhering  more  closely  to  the 
Congregational  form  of  worship.  It  is  supplied  by  the  Eev. 
Mr.  Howard,  of  the  Congregational  Church,  and  others.  It 
has  a  congregation  of  about  100,  and  a  Sabbath-school  of 
about  65. 

BAPTISTS. 

This  religious  society  first  entered  Wilbraham  at  the  North 
village  in  1765,  organized  a  church  in  1768,  ordained  the  Rev. 
Seth  Clark  as  pastor  in  1770,  and  in  1779  built  a  meeting-house 
in  the  pine  grove,  near  the  house  of  John  Powell.  In  1802 
the  society  reported  228  members,  but  afterward  declined,  and 
in  1807  was  reported  to  have  "lost  its  visibility."  Occasional 
preaching  was  had  in  the  meeting-house  unlil  about  1830.  In 
1833  the  house  was  destroyed  by  fire. 

The  Glendale  C/iurc/i  was  organized  about  1868.  Dr.  Cook, 
formerly  principal  of  Wilbraham  Academy,  was  instrumental 
in  its  organization,  and  was  at  one  time  its  pastor.  The  mem- 
bership is  at  present  small,  probably  about  75,  but  the  society  is 

quite  flourishing. 

BURIAL-PLACES. 

The  oldest  place  of  interment  in  the  town  is  what  is  known 
as  the  Centre  Cemetery,  which  lies  about  a  mile  south  of  the 
village.  It  was  laid  out  over  one  hundred  years  ago,  and  con- 
tains about  three  acres  of  land.  The  oldest  stone  in  the  yard, 
and  the  first  erected  in  the  town,  is  that  of  Elizabeth  Cockril, 
who  died  April  26,  1741.  Other  early  monuments  are  those  of 
Mary  Warner,  who  died  June  6,  1751;  Miriam,  wife  of  Ezra 
Barker,  who  died  May  26,  1754;  Mary,  wife  of  Isaac  Brewer, 
who  died  May  20,  175!);  Timothy  Merrick,  who  died  Aug.  7, 
1761  ;  David  ilerrick,  who  died  Nov.  30,  1757  ;  Noah  Alvord, 
who  died  Sept.  1,  1763  ;  Moses  Colton,  who  died  Feb.  24,  1777  ; 
Nathaniel  Bliss,  who  died  Nov.  5,  1782;  Jesse  Warner,  who 
died  Feb.  20,  1784;  Nathaniel  Warriner,  who  died  Jan.  10, 
1780;  Abel  Bliss,  who  died  April  30,  1762;  Samuel  Warner, 
who  died  Sept.  10,  1787;  and  Isaac  Brewer,  who  died  May  19, 
1788.     The  yard  is  still  in  use. 

The  cemetery  at  East  Wilbraham,  comprising  two  or  three 
acres,  was  laid  out  about  sixty  years  ago,  and  was  formerly 
used  in  connection  with  the  old  Baptist  Church.  The  first 
person  buried  there  was  a  Shaw,  but  he  had  no  gravestone, 
as  there  were  woods  there  at  the  time  and  a  public  road  passed 
through  it.  The  oldest  stones  in  the  yard  are  those  of  Caleb 
Stebbins,  Jr.,  who  died  March  28,  1787,  aged  forty-six  years, 
and  Caleb  Stebbins,  who  died  Feb.  22,  1796,  at  the  age  of 
eighty-six. 

The  Woodland  Dell  Cemetery  is  pleasantly  located  near  and 
east  of  the  central  village,  and  is  the  principal  and  most  at- 
tractive place  of  burial  in  the  town.  The  grounds  now  occu- 
pied by  the  cemetery,  comprising  ten  acres  and  a  half,  were 
first  purchased  by  K.  R.  Wright,  H.  B.  Brewer,  and  John  M. 
Merrick,  at  a  cost  of  ^1100.  They  are  under  the  control  of 
ana.ssociation,  which  was  organized  under  the  general  statutes 
Feb.  12,  1858.  A  board  of  trustees,  nine  in  number,  is  chosen 
annually,  and  has  the  care  of  the  property.  The  first  burial 
in  these  grounds  was  Louisa  W.  Wright,  wife  of  R.  R. 
Wright,  who  died  Dec.  26,  1851. 

The  President  of  the  association  is  Robert  R.  Wright ; 
Vice-President,  George  W.  Ely  ;  Clerk  and  Treasurer,  John 
M.  Merrick ;  Trustees,  Robert  R.  Wright,  J.  M.  Merrick, 
H.  H.  Burbank,  Job  W.  Green,  Dr.  Stebbins  Foskit,  Orrin 
Daggett,  Calvin  G.  Robbins,  George  W.  Ely,  E.  B.  Brewer. 

SOCIETIES. 
NEWTON   LODQE,  A.  F.  AND    A.  M., 

is  located  at  Wilbraham  village,  and  was  chartered  Sept.  13, 
1871,  with  the  following  charter  members :  Edward   Cooke, 


D.D.,  Albert  S.  Newton,  Stebbins  Foskit,  M.D.,  Calvin  G. 
Robbins,  Wm.  H.  Day,  Job  W.  Green,  James  S.  Morgan, 
Edmund  Jones,  Edwin  B.  Newell,  Wm.  F.  Morgan,  Lurin  J. 
Potter,  Warren  L.  Collins,  Asa  Boothby,  Charles  M.  Parker, 
Walter  M.  Green, Wm.  Kent,  Daniel  A.  Atchinson,  Herbert 
H.  Calkins,  and  Wm.  T.  Eaton.  The  lodge  has  a  membership 
of  80,  and  holds  its  sessions  in  Masonic  Hall.  The  Past  Mas- 
ters are  Edward  Cooke,  1871;  Albert  S.  Newton,  1872-73; 
Chauneey  E.  Peck,  1874-79.  The  principal  officers  are 
Chauncey  E.  Peck,  W.  M.  ;  Joseph  A.  Parker,  S.  W. ;  Har- 
low B.  Spencer,  J.  W.  ;  Stebbins  Foskit,  Treas. ;  Wm.   H. 

Da}',  Sec. 

NOTES. 

The  first  potatoes  were  taken  into  Wilbraham  by  Deacon 
Nathaniel  Warriner,  about  17.")4.  Broom-corn  was  first  raised 
by  Thomas  Jones  or  Joshua  Leonard.  Plaster  of  paris  or  gyp- 
sum was  first  brought  from  West  Springfield  by  Gad  Lamb, 
about  1776.  Calvin  Stebbins  brought  the  first  plow  with  iron 
mold-board  into  town,  and  Daniel  Isham  used  the  first  cast- 
iron  plow. 

It  was  considered  disreputable  in  early  times  for  farmers  to 
go  after  shad.  They  were  said  by  their  neighbors  to  be  "  out 
of  pork."  Hence,  persons  going  after  shad  went  in  the  morn- 
ing before  their  neighbors  were  up,  and  returned  after  they 
had  retired. 

The  first  frame  house  was  built  by  Oliver  Bliss  in  1786. 
Log  houses  were  occupied  till  nearlj'  1800.  Lieut.  Paul  Lang- 
don  brought  the  first  wagon  into  town.  In  1784  there  were 
but  two  two-horse  wagons  and  five  two-horse  sleighs.  In  1804, 
Jesse  or  Plinj'  Bliss  introduced  a  one-horse  wagon.  The  first 
butl'alo  robe  was  brought  from  Montreal  in  1805,  and  cost  §5. 
Lewis  Langdon  invented  a  machine  for  turning  cider-mill 
screws  ;  Walter  Burt,  shears  for  cutting  the  nap  of  cloth  ; 
Edwin  Chaftee,  the  use  of  India-rubber  preparations  for 
cloth. 

David  Chapin  brought  the  first  rat  to  the  town  in  a  sack  of 
wool  from  Rhode  Island.  Capt.  Charles  Sessions  introduced 
merino  sheep,  and  had  a  large  tlock.  Capt.  .loseph  Lathrop 
and  sons  introduced  Saxony  sheep,  and  kept  a  flock  of  several 
hundred. 

The  legend  of  "Kibbe's  shirt"  is  based  upon  the  fact  that  a 
man  named  Kibbe,  having  discharged  his  gun  at  some  game 
on  Sunday,  and,  fearing  punishment  therefor,  took  off  his  shirt 
and  shot  a  hole  through  it,  alleging  that  he  had  been  fired  at 
by  two  Indians,  which  caused  great  alarm.  The  fact  that  no 
corresponding  hole  was  found  on  Kibbe  led  to  his  detection 
and  confession. 

The  history  of  the  town  would  not  seem  to  be  complete 
without  introducing  the  "Elegy  of  the  Mountains,"  a  piece 
of  American  doggerel  which  had  its  origin  and  incidents  in 
Wilbraham  in  1761,  and  which  has  had  a  more  extensive  cir- 
culation and  reprint  than  any  piece  of  like  nature  in  the 
country.  The  original  is  as  follows,  depicting  the  tragic  fate 
of  a  young  man  bitten  by  a  rattlesnake,  and  is  said  to  have 
been  composed  by  the  young  lady  to  whom  the  victim  of  the 
tragedy,  who  lies  buried  in  the  town,  was  engaged.*  It  is 
often  sung  to  the  tune  of  "  Old  Hundred"  and  others. 

"On  Spiingfiein  mountains  there  did  dwell 
A  likely  youth  who  was  knowue  full  well, 
Lieuteuiint  Bliiifk  onley  sjne, 
A  likely  youth,  nigh  twenty-one. 

"  One  friday  morning  he  did  go 
in  to  the  niedow,  and  did  nice 
A  round  or  two,  tlien  he  did  feal 
A  pisiu  sarpeut  at  his  heal. 

"When  he  received  hie  dedly  wood 
he  dropt  hii  sithe  a  pon  the  ground. 
And  strate  for  home  was  his  intent, 
Caliug  aloude  Btil  as  ho  went. 

*  Other  "authors"  to  whom  it  is  a.scriljed  are  Daniel  and  Jesse  Carpenter  and 
Nathan  Torrey,  the  latter  with  some  plausibility. 


1014 


HISTORY   OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


"though  all  around  his  voys  was  hered, 
but  none  of  his  frieiuls  to  him  apeerod; 
they  thot  it  wase  some  workniou  <-alld, 
and  there  poor  Timothy  alone  must  fall. 

"So  soon  his  Carful  father  went 
to  seak  his  son  with  diseontent, 
and  there  his  fond,  oi]ley  son  he  found, 
ded  as  a  stone  a  pon  the  ground. 

"  And  there  he  lay  down  sopose  to  rest, 
^^  ith  both  his  hands  Acrost  his  brest, 
his  mouth  and  eyes  Closed  fast, 
And  there,  poor  man,  he  slept  his  last. 

"  his  father  vieude  bis  track  with  great  consarn, 
Where  he  had  ran  across  the  corn ; 
uneven  tracks  where  he  did  go 
did  apear  to  stagger  to  and  frow. 

"  The  seventh  of  August,  sixty-one, 
this  fatal  axsident  was  done. 
Let  this  a  \vai"ning  be  to  all, 
to  be  Prepared  when  God  does  call." 

There  were  five  slaves  in  the  town.  Kev.  Noah  Merrick 
had  three, — Oronoke,  Scipio,  and  Luke  ;  David  Merrick  liad 
Cissar,  and  Capt.  Jolin  Sliaw  one. 

The  murder  of  Marcus  Lyon,  by  Doniinick  Daly  and  James 
Halligan,  on  Nov.  9,  1805,  occurred  in  Willraham,  on  the 
Springfield  turnpike,  near  Sikos'  Tavern.  It  is  known  as 
one  of  the  earliest  committed  in  the  region,  and  for  it  Daly 
and  Halligan  were  subsequently  convicted  and  hung  at 
Northampton. 

INDUSTRIAL    PURSUITS. 

For  many  years  after  the  settlement  of  the  town  no  saw- 
mill existed  within  its  limits.  The  earliest  were  erected 
within  the  present  limits  of  the  town  of  Hampden,  where  the 
principal  manufacturing  has  always  been  carried  on.  In 
1702  the  town  gave  Caleb  Stebbins,  of  Wilbraham,  and  Joseph 
Miller,  of  Ludlow,  a  deed  of  four  acres  of  the  "  ministry  lot," 
on  Twelve-Mile  Brook,  as  a  site  for  a  grist-mill,  which  Steb- 
bins  there  erected,  and  which  was  the  first  enterprise  of  its 
kind  estiiblished  within  the  present  confines  of  the  town.  The 
first  carding-machine  was  brought  into  town  from  Mendon, 
in  180.3,  by  A.  Worthen,  who  placed  it  in  a  building  erected 
by  Jonathan  Kilborn  on  the  site  of  the  present  factory  on 
Twelve-Mile  Brook,  by  the  side  of  Stebbins'  mill.  Fulling- 
mills  and  carding-niachines  were  soon  erected  in  other  parts 
of  the  town.  Thomas  and  Hervey  Howard  erected  a  tannery 
at  an  early  day  on  the  road  from  the  street  to  Stony  Hill,  and 
Abraham  Avery  had  one  near  his  residence. 

The  principal  occupation  of  the  inhabitants  of  Wilbraham 
has  always  been  the  cultivation  of  the  land,  which  in  many 
sections  of  the  town  proves  very  productive,  and,  as  a  conse- 
quence, remunerative  to  the  farmers.  The  leading  manufac- 
turing enterprises  of  the  town  at  present  are  the  Collins 
Manufacturing  Compan_y,  the  grain-mills  at  North  Wilbra- 
ham, and  the  mill  of  Ellis  Bros.,  at  the  North  village,  or  But- 
lerville.  The  latter  privilege  has  been  utilized  by  various 
enterprises  for  many  years,  the  factory  of  Gates  &  Nelson, 
near  the  Ellis  mill,  formerly  turning  out  many  thousand  yards 
of  low-grade  satinet.  Dr.  Marcus  Shearer  had  a  saw-  and 
grist-mill  there  about  seventy  years  ago,  which  was  run  for 
him  by  Benjamin  Butler  for  many  years,  after  whom  the  place 
was  named. 

THE   COLLINS    MANUFACTURING    COMPANY, 

having  extensive  works  at  North  Wilbraham,  was  organized 
as  a  joint-stock  company,  in  February,  1872,  with  a  capital  of 
$200,000,  under  the  name  of  the  Collins  Paper  Company.  It 
continued  to  do  business  under  that  name  until  Feb.  29,  1876, 
when  the  name  was  changed  to  the  Collins  Manufacturing 
Company,  and  the  capital  was  increased  to  §300,000.  The 
present  officers  of  the  coinpany  are  Chester  W.  Chapin,  Presi- 
dent ;  William  K.  Baker,  Treasurer  ;  Henrv  K.  Baker,  Agent. 


The  present  handsome  mill  is  run  by  the  water-power  fur- 
nished by  theChicopee,  and  is  used  in  the  manufacture  of  fine 
writing-paper,  of  which  about  four  tons  a  day  are  produced. 
The  enterprise  furnishes  employment  to  about  175  persons, 
receiving  monthly  about  $5000  in  wages. 

TUE    KLLIS   MILL 

was  erected  by  Dwight  W.  Ellis  (the  owner  of  another  ex- 
tensive mill  in  Monson),  about  twelve  years  ago,  as  a  woolen- 
mill,  and  was  built  upon  the  site  of  a  smaller  one  which  he 
had  previously  run,  and  which  was  destroyed  by  fire.  Still- 
man  Ellis,  a  brother  of  Dwight  W.,  has  since  become  asso- 
ciated in  the  enterprise,  and  under  the  name  of  D.  W.  Ellis 
&  Bro.  the  firm  are  now  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  fancy 
cassimeres,  of  which  about  500  yards  a  day  are  produced.  The 
mill  is  a  two-.set  mill,  contains  10  looms,  2  sets  of  cards,  and 
furnishes  employment  to  about  38  persons. 

THE    NOfeTH    WILBRAHAM    GRAIN-MILLS. 

The  erection  of  these  mills  was  commenced  in  the  fall  and 
winter  of  1870,  and  the  mills  first  started  in  the  spring  of 
1S77.  They  are  run  by  S.  N.  Cutler  &  Co.,  who  first  carried 
on  the  business  in  Ashland  as  early  as  1845,  but,  desiring  a 
better  site,  established  themselves  in  the  present  location.  The 
mills  contain  five  run  of  stone  and  use  about  150  horse-power, 
supplementing  the  water-power  furnished  by  the  Chicopee 
with  steam.  The  production  of  meal  is  2000  bags,  or  4000 
bushels  a  day,  the  grain  being  sent  in  large  quantities  from 
ditt'erent  points  in  the  West.  A  large  part  of  the  business 
also  consists  in  bagging  grain  and  jobbing  it,  of  which  about 
275  car-loads  a  month  are  shipped  from  the  mills.  Employ- 
ment is  furnished  to  about  2>5  men,  who  receive  in  wages 
about  11500  a  month. 

MILIT.ARY. 

From  the  earliest  date  the  town  of  Wilbraham  has  taken 
an  active  part  in  the  military  events  of  the  times.  Capt. 
Samuel  Day,  Lieut.  Thomas  Merrick,  and  Ens.  Abel  Bliss 
were  commissioned  as  oflScers  before  1754,  and  for  the  French 
war,  which  raged  during  this  period,  1755-60,  the  precinct 
furnished  at  least  22  men,  whose  names  are  enrolled  in  the 
archives  of  the  State  as  among  the  patriots  of  that  early  day. 
The  names  of  these  soldiers  are  John  Langdon,  Timothy 
Wright,  Philip  Lyon,  William  King,  Jr.,  Daniel  Cadwell, 
Paul  Langdon,  Isaac  Colton,  Aaron  Bliss,  Aaron  Alvord, 
Benjamin  Warriner,  Samuel  Warner,  Benjamin  Wright, 
Aaron  Warriner,  Stephen  Bliss,  Jesse  Warner,  Aaron  Par- 
sons, Benoni  Atchinson,  Moses  Bartlett,  Thomas  Dunham, 
Paul  Hitchcock,  Samuel  Warner,  Sr.,  Samuel  Warner,  Jr., 
Moses  Warriner. 

In  the  stirring  times  of  the  Revolution  the  town  proved 
staunch  and  true  to  the  principles  of  liberty.  The  records 
of  the  town  are  replete  with  patriotic  resolutions,  as  well  as 
practical  action  in  the  granting  of  supplies,  furnishing  of  men, 
and  the  raising  of  funds.  The  following  persons  were  engaged 
in  the  war,  so  far  as  can  now  be  ascertained  : 

At  the  Lexington  alarm  : 

James  Warriner,  Captain;  Wm.  King,  Lieutenant;  John  Hitchcock,  Lieuten- 
ant; EnosStebliins, Thomas  King,  Aaron  Alvord, Sergeants;  Eleazer  Smith, 
Saniuel  Day,  Joshua  Chaftee,  Samuel  Merrick,  Asa  Chaflee,  Isaac  Morri-s, 
Moses  Colttin,  Chileab  Merrick,  Jona.  Cooley,  Isaac  Dunham,  Kzekiel  Rus- 
sell, Reuben  Thayer,  Benjamin  Farubani,  Comfort  Chaflee,  Jesse  Warner, 
Jesse  Carpenter,  Joshua  Jones,  Rowland  Crocker,  Dai  ius  Chaffee,  Ebenezer 
Cadwell,  Josh.  Eddy,  Enos  Clark,  Ezekiel  Wright,  Calvin  Stebbiue,  Thos. 
Coleman,  Gideon  Buit,  Abel  King,  Charles  Brewer,  Benjamin  Colton, 
John  Stearns. 

The  eight  months'  men  encamped  at  Rcxbury,  and  in  the 
army  that  besieged  Boston,  after  the  Lexington  alarm,  were 

Paul  Langdon,  Captain;  Daniel  Cadwell,  First  Lieutenant;  Noah  Wan-iner, 
John  Langdon,  Philip  Lyon,  Sergeants  ;  Aamn  Stebbins,  Othuiel  Hitch- 
cock, Corporals  ;  Chas.  Ferry,  Drummer;  Abnor  Wariiner,  Kifer;  Daiu'el 
Carpenter,  Aaron  Cadwell,  Jonathan  Sikes,  Seth  Clark,  Abner  Chapin, 
Nathan  :^ikes,  Moses  Simons,  Phanuel  Warner,  John  Langdon  ('id).  Daniel 


HISTORY  OF   HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


1015 


S.  Soniers,  Daniel  Simons,  Simon  Stacy,  Jolin  \V.  ClmflTfe,  Kpliiuim  Wight, 
JoBiahS.  Somers,  John  Diivis,  Reuben Shayler,  Nathaniel  iMii;Iiots,Eiihrftim 
Dunham.  Joseph  Dunham,  Ephraini  Wight,  Jr.,  Benjumiu  Chuhh,  Muses 
Ruuii,  Eli  Beehe,  Sjimeuu  Bates, 

At  Ticuiideroga,*from  Dec.  5,  177G,  to  April  2,  1777: 
Daniel  Cadwell,  Captain;  Daniel  Parsons,  First  Lieutenant;  Ruliert  JIcMaster, 
Second  Lieutenant;  John  Colton,  John  BIcEhvean,  Stephen  Wright,  Ser- 
geants ;  Joseph  Abbott,  Medad  Stebbins,  Corporals ;  Ahner  Warriner, 
Aaron  Colton,  Joseph  Colton,  Corporals;  Judah  Moorp,  Drummer;  Wra. 
Colton,  Fifer;  Luther  Bliss,  Ebeuezer  Steward,  Zadock  Behee,  Jesse  Car- 
penter, Asa  and  Amos  Chaffee,  John  and  Jabez  Hancock,  Isaac  Morris, 
Moses  Stebbins,  James  Shaw,  Samuel  Warner,  Daniel  and  Judah  Chapin, 
Jesse  Lamphere,  John  Stebbins,  Perez  Ilancock. 

At  the  Bennington  alarm  : 

James  Shaw,  Captain;  Joseph  Sexton,  Charles  Feiry,  Gad  Lamb,  and  Gains 
Brewer,  Sergeants;  Josiah  Cooley,  Aaron  Chanwell,  Abncr  Chapin,  Me- 
dad Stebbins,  Corporals;  Calvin  Stebbins,  Fifer:  Gordon  PL-rcival,  Samuel 
r.  Merrick,  Edward  Colton,  Jona.  Leech,  Jona.  Merrick,  Luther  Hitclicock, 
Benjamin  Howard,  Solomon  Loomis,  George  Cooley,  Nathaniel  Warner, 
David  Bliss,  Asa  Jones,  Solomon  Warriner,  Piiiiiehas  Hitchcock,  G>mfort 
Ciiaffee,  Timothy  Woithington,  Daniel  Swetland,  Solom.m  Lothrop, 
Oliver  King,  Lieutenant;  Jabia  Cooley.  David  Wood,  John  Chattel  ton, 
Luther  Cooley,  Reuben  Warriner,  Israel  Chapin,  Lieutenant ;  John  Colton, 
Lemuel  Whitney,  Elijah  Parsons,  Judah  Ely,  John  Langdon,  Edward 
Morris,  Jesse  Lamjihere,  Aaron  Stebbins,  Judah  AA'illey,  Isaac  Morris, 
David  White,  Matthew  Keep,  Asa  SiDionds,  Aaron  Howard,  Zadock  Steb- 
bins, Noah  Stebbins,  Lieutenant ;  Ebenezer  Colton,  Lieutenant. 

Various  service: 

Levi  Bannister,  Daniel  Colton,  Luther  King,  Paul  Newton,  Sulomon  King,  Lewis 
Langdon,  John  Calkins,  Moses  Albert,  John  Russell,  John  Huntley,  Jo- 
seph Cutt  (colored),  Zadoc  Benton,  David  Ailiu,  Daniel  Miison,  John  J. 
Sikes,  Reuben  Abbott,  Ethan  Smith,  Seth  Warner,  Ebenezer  Thomas,  Gad 
Wariiner,  Jolin  White,  Isaiah  Chaffee,  Titus  Amidon,  Henrj-  Wright, 
John  Orcutt,  Joseph  Bumpsted,  Zenas  Cone,  Gains  Stebbins,  Stephen  Si- 
mons, Kittridge  Davis,  Emmons  Lillie,  Jonas  Banton,  Nathaniel  Hitch- 
cock, Samuel  Lyon,  John  Raymont,  Asa  Woodworth,  IVleg  Burdick, 
Phineas  Mason,  Nathan  Aiusworth,  Jotham  Car])entcr,  Chester  Morris, 
John  A^iidon,  Isaiah  Chaffee,  Philip  Lycn,  Josiah  Langdon,  Reuben 
Carpenter,  Johnson  Richardson,  James  Ricliardson,  Jesse  Elwell,  Elipha- 
let  Hodges,  Jabez  Percival,  Francis  West,  Ca?sar  Merrick  (colored),  Oliver 
Sexton,  Asa  Hill,  John  Twing,  Israel  Conant. 

But  few  of  the  citizens  of  Wilbraham  were  engaged  in  the 
rebellion  of  Shays  ;  many  were  arrayed  against  it.  Shays 
and  his  men  passed  the  night  preceding  the  demonstration 
upon  the  Springfield  Arsenal  at  Wilbraham. 

To  the  war  of  1812  the  following  men  went  from  this  town  : 

Ralph  Bennett,  Steplien  Caldwell,  Joel  M.  Lyman,  Eleazar  Hitchcock,  Robert 
Sessions,  Phineas  Burr,  Solomon  Jones. 

To  the  war  of  the  Kebellion,  "Wilbraham  contributed  lib- 
erally of  men,  supplies,  and  muney.  The  following  is  the 
list  of  soldiers  who  served  in  the  late  war  from  the  towns  of 
"Wilbraham  and  Hampden,  both  in  the  army  and  navy  :f 

Charles  E.  Buell,  Juhn  Fowle,  Oscar  J.  Gilligan,  Henry  Gray,  Lyman  E.  Gray, 
Seneca  I.  Harris,  George  F.  Holdridge,  Horace  L.Jones, Stephen  Millard, 
John  Neff,  Jesse  Prickelt,  George  Robinson,  William  Smith,  J.  M.  Tt-m- 
plfuian,  William  F.  Darrow,  Seth  Allen,  George  Leomird,  Henry  D.  Glea- 


8on,  Gilbert  Itockwood,  Charles  Saunders,  William  H.  Bracket t,  Riinsom 
S.  Burr,  Charles  S.  Bates,  Robert  B.  W.  Bliss,  Setli  W.  Buxton,  Charles 
H.  Burr,  Henry  Bushey,  William  H.  Chapin,  Charles  S.  Clark,  Albert  J. 
Collins,  James  N.  Darrow,  Benjamin  C.  Davis,  John  K.  Fuller,  George  E. 
Fuller,  Ch;irle3  R.  Fr.v,  Cyrus  W.  Guodale,  Lucius  W.  GJi-ason,  Charles 
J,  Gluver,  George  llobart,  Hiuskell  Demmon,  Newton  E.  Kellogff,  James 
M.  King,  Atniund  Lard,  Albert  C.  Lucaf,  Drntiia  Mcfiowan,  J:imca  S. 
Morgan,  James  E.  Pi-rry,  James  Rice,  Harrison  Ruwe,  Joseph  Twinkler, 
William  P.  Trudeu,  Albert  S.  Vaughn,  Joseph  W.  Holmes,  Charles  H. 
Arnold.  Elmer  Jewett,  Nelson  Sheldon,  Flias  S.  Keyes,  Henry  Gorman, 
Ljsander  Howard,  Samuel  S.  Alden,  George  W,  Bennet,  Russell  D. 
Crocker,  Pelatiah  Glover,  George  Munsell,  John  S.  O'Reiley,  John  A. 
Pease,  Chai les  Ring,  Howard  Staunton,  Sextus  Shields,  Emerson  G. 
Brewer,  Walter  G.  Brewer,  Francis  Brooks,  John  H.  Brines,  Watson  W. 
Bridge,  Horatio  R.  Calkins,  Cyrus  AV.  Cross,  Algernon  S.  Flagg,  Sumner 
P.  Fuller,  George  Gray,  John  F.  Keyes,  Daniel  Knowlton,  Francis  P. 
Lemon,  Benjamin  F.  McCray,  Enos  W.  Slnnsell,  Adili^oTi  H,  Mosley, 
Thomas  J.  Mdls,  Jacob  Neff,  Dwight  H.  Parsons,  Erasmus  P.  Pease, 
George  Pease,  John  C.  Ruckwood,  Timothy  D.  Smith.  William  Shaw,  John 
Speight,  James  H.  Slacy,  Albert  0.  Str.itton,  Edward  Ufftrd,  Albert 
Vaughn,  Elbridge  G.  Vinaca,  Spencer  II.  Wood,  Adin  Alden,  Charles  H. 
Arnold,  0-^car  F.  Benedict,  Lorenzo  Bliss,  Irving  W.  Burr,  John  D.  Burr, 
Marcius  H.Chaffee,  Nelson  D.Ciocker, Samuel Chapi  ,  Edward  W.  Hitch- 
cock. Charles  E.  Knight,  Alberlus  Langdon,  Oliver  H.  Langdon,  William 
G.  Leonard,  Samuel  F,  Merrick,  Lorenzo  E.  Munsell,  Walter  S.  P^-ase, 
Andrew  S.Pember,  Eugene  E.  Porter,  Mortimer  Pease,  Calvin  G.  Robbins, 
Jefferson  Rtiwe,  .\lonzo  L.  Scripter,AViIliam  U,  Sessions,  David  S.  Roberts, 
George  W.  Tupper,  Howard  C.  We^t,  Richard  Armstrong,  Charles  F.  Til- 
den,  Chester  Loomis,  Orange  S.  Firman,  Peter  Higgins,  Hurace  L.  Mix- 
ter,  Chauncey  E.  Peck,  Stephen  Lucas.  Jr.,  Henry  Rood,  William  R.  Eg- 
gleston,  Junius  Beebe,  Cyrus  N.Hudson,  William  C.  Williams,  Eugene 
Cady,  Willis  F.  Ch;iff.'e.  Charles  A.  Trtintt)r,  John  Truden,  Cyrel  E.  Scrip- 
ter,  Robert  Danow,  Edgar  A.  Steltbins,  Albert  Converse,  William  P.  Cal- 
kins, Dentils  Duffee,  Charles  D.  Jones,  Merrick  Lamphere,  John  Patten, 
Solomon  Walker,  Georgft  M.  Alden,  Cyrus  Ramsdell,  Daniel  J.  Simonds, 
Franklin  G.  Patten,  Josei>h  A.  Parker,  Luther  Wing,  John  F.  Williaius, 
William  SlcComb.  Sylvanus  Wilson,  William  Lawes,  Jiisepli  Penor,  Mat- 
thew Davis,  John  Birney,  James  liessater,  Peter  Butler,  Ignatius  Ford, 
Frederick  jMyers,  John  O'Connor,  Edward  Stephens,  John  Sulliva^n,  Ar- 
tlinr  Wall,  Henry  Wilson,  George  E,  Fullor,  Eugene  S.  Allen,  Harlan  P. 
Rockwood,  Eugene  Pease,  Francis  Pease,  Henry  Wetlu-rbee,  Robert  R. 
Wright,  Jr.,  Charles  D.  Jones,  George  J.  Jonia. 

NAVAL  SERVICE. 

Franklin  Cobb,  John  Gibbons,  Harlan  P.  Rockwood,  Daniel  KnowUon,  James 
K.  Stacy,  William  Hefford,  Frank  Blahun^y,  Frank  Macklin.  Paul  E. 
Masters,  David  McClasky,  Cliarles  McGinnis,  William  M>ers,  William  E. 
Scoit,  Albert  Simons,  Michael  Slane,  Henry  J.  Whit'-,  Ht-nry  Wheeler, 
Joseph  S.  Young,  John  Young,  John  Barnes,  Henry  Rayner,  William  C. 
Rogers,  William  P.  Randall,  Charles  H.  Rockwtll,  Steplun  W.  Rhodes, 
Charles  F.  Russell,  Edward  N.  Ryder,  Frederick  Read,  John  A.  Rice. 
Charles  E.  Ricli,  William  H.  Roberts. 

In  compiling  this  sketch,  the  writer  is  chiefly  indebted  to 
the  excellent  history  of  the  town  prepared  by  the  Kev.  Dr. 
Rufus  P.  Stebbins,  and  delivered  in  the  form  of  an  address  on 
the  occasion  of  the  centennial  celebration  of  the  town,  in  1863. 
Valuable  assistance  has  also  been  afforded  by  John  M.  Mer- 
rick, Esq.,  E.  B.  Gates,  and  other  citizens  of  the  town,  inclu- 
ding the  several  pastors  of  the  churches. 


M  O  N  S  O  N. 


GEOGRAPHICAL. 

The  town  of  Monson  is  situated  in  the  southeastern  part 
of  the  county  of  Hampden,  and  is  the  western  and  most  im- 
portant section  of  the  original  town  of  Brimiicld.  It  is 
bounded  north  by  Palmer,  east  by  Brimfield  and  Wales,  west 
by  Wilbraham,  all  in  Hampden  County,  and  south  by  Staf- 
ford, Conn.  It  is  about  eight  miles  in  length,  from  north  to 
south,  and  five  and  a  half  miles  in  width,  from  east  to  west. 
Its  area  is  about  44  square  miles,  or  28,160  acres. 

*  or  these  McElwean  and  McMaster  were  from  Palmer. 
t  Some  few  were  credited  to  the  city  if  Springfield. 


NATURAL  FEATURES. 
The  general  character  of  the  soil  is  good.  A  narrow  valley 
extends  the  entire  length  of  the  town,  from  north  to  south,  di- 
versitied  by  rich  meadow-land,  ridges  of  sand,  and  rocky  out- 
croppings.  East  and  west  of  this  valley  are  ranges  of  hills, 
running  north  and  south,  possessing  a  productive  soil,  suit- 
able for  grazing  and  tillage.  East  or  Grout's  Hill,  formerly 
called  King's  Hill,  lies  in  the  northeastern  section  of  the  town, 
and  is  a  landmark  of  great  interest. J  South  of  it  is  Moulton 
Hill.     West  of  Moulton  Hill  lies  Cedar  Swamp  Mountain. 


i  The  first  town-plat  of  Brimfield  was  laid  out  on  tliis  liill. 


1016 


HISTORY   OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


Chicopee,  or  West  Hill,  is  the  principal  elevation 
part  of  the  town,  while  Bald   Peak,  its  northern 
Packard  Mountain  on  the  south,  and  Black  liock 
Mountain  on  the  western  border,  stand  as  sentinel 
the  approaches  to  the  town. 

Chicopee  Brook  flows  through  the  centre  of 
having  its  rise  near  the  Staflord  line,  and  flowing 
to  the  Chicopee  Kiver.  Its  water-power  is  extensiv 
maiuil'acturing  purposes.  Other  streams  traverse 
and  western  sections  of  the  town.  Twelve-Mile 
stream  of  some  importance  in  the  northwestern 
minor  streams  are  found  in  various  localities. 


in  the  west 
extremity, 
and  Moose 
s  guarding 

the  valley, 
northward 

ely  used  for 

the  eastern 
Brook  is  a 

part,  while 


R.\ILRO.\DS. 
The  town  has  been  greatly  benefited  by  the  railroads.  The 
Boston  and  Albany  road  passes  through  its  northern  section. 
In  1850  the  New  London  and  Northern  Kailroad  was  built 
through  the  centre  of  the  town,  north  and  south,  affording 
excellent  shipping  facilities  to  the  already  important  manu- 
facturing enterprises  of  the  place,  and  opening  to  some  of  them 
markets  before  out  of  reach. 

EARLY  SETTLEMENT. 
Monson  was  originally  included  within  the  limits  of  the 
town  of  Brimlield;   and  in  the  history  of  that  town  will  be 
found  many  facts  relating  to  the  early  settlement  of  what  is 
now  the  town  of  Monson. 

The  settlement,  in  1657,*  of  Eichard  Fellows,  in  the  north 
part  of  the  town,  near  the  junction  of  Chicopee  Brook  with 
Chicopee  River,  and  the  establishment  by  him  of  a  tavern  at 
that  place  for  a  short  time,  is  often  stated  as  the  ilrst  settle- 
ment of  Monson.  This  was,  however,  nearly  fifty  years  prior 
to  the  permanent  settlement,  as  his  stay  was  but  temporary. 
The  petition  of  Fellows  was  as  follows  : 

"That  the  Generiil  Court  at  Boston  grant  hiui  Two  Humh-ed  Acres  of  nphiud 
&  MeaJow  to  be  hiiJ  to  George  Coltou  &  Belij.  Couley,  on  (Jhicoiiee  River,  tu  be 
Bate  free  under  the  followiog  condition:  Build  a  House  suitable  to  enter  tain 
travellei-s,  man  iBeast,  with  lodging aud  food,  witli  Beer,  Wine,  &  strong  liquore, 
provided  tliey  Build  within  one  Year  &  Blaiutain  JSc  Entertain  travellers  for  Seven 
Years." 

It  was  granted  Oct.  23,  1057.  Fellows  established  his  tav- 
ern, but  finally  abandoned  it  from  fear  of  the  Indians,  whose 
depredations  caused  him  much  uneasiness  and  alarm.  He 
buried  some  of  his  farming-tools,  which  were  found  many 
years  after  in  plowing  a  field  by  Capt.  James  Mei'rick,  much 
injured  by  rust. 

Although  the  conditions  of  the  grant,  in  point  of  continu- 
ance, were  not  complied  with,  yet  Fellowsf  held  and  sold  the 
land.  It  afterward  passed  into  the  possession  of  Gov.  Hutch- 
inson's family,  from  whom  the  "Woods  family,  of  Monson, 
obtained  it,  and  occupied  it  for  many  years. 

Between  sixty  and  seventy  years  ago  the  remains  of  an  In- 
dian were  found  upon  the  land.  He  was  apparently  buried 
in  a  sitting  position,  accompanied  by  his  gun  and  a  bottle  of 
rum,  in  true  aboriginal  style.  The  rum  had  lost  its  flavor, 
and  the  gun  was  much  injured  by  rust.  He  apjieared  to  have 
been  a  man  of  extraordinary  stature,  and  from  the  manner  of 
his  burial  is  supposed  to  have  been  a  chief. 

The  first  permanent  settler  to  locate  in  Monson  was  Robert 
Olds,]:  one  of  the  original  Brimfield  proprietors.  He  was  born 
at  Windsor,  Conn.,  Oct.  U,  1070,  and  was  the  son  of  Robert 
and  Susannah  Hanford  Olds.  He  went  to  Monson  from 
Springfield  about  the  year  1715,  and  occupied  the  land  after- 
ward owned  by  Royal  Merrick. 

About  one-ninth  of  the  proprietors  of  Brimfield  settled  in 
the  west  part  of  the  township.  Soon  after  Robert  Olds,  came 
Ezra  and  Samuel  King,  Benjamin  Munn,  John  Keep,  John 

*  Sec  history  of  Brimfield. 

f  This  name  is  somelimes  \vi  itten  Fellis.  Others  claim  that  tlio  name  should 
be  Wellcr. 

X  In  tile  Windsor  records  tliis  name  isVariously  si^'lled,— Old, Olds,  and  Onld. 


Atchinson,  Mark  Ferry,  Daniel  Kilhim,  Obadiah  Cooley,  and 
Samuel  Kilborn. 

Ezra  King  had  a  house  and  grist-mill  on  Elbow  Brook,  and 
a  house- on  King's  Hill,  south  of  the  Grout  school-house. 
Samuel  King  lived  near  Ezra,  on  the  Sylvanus  King  place. 
His  son  Samuel  was  the  first  clerk  of  the  district  of  Monson. 
Sylvanus  King  is  a  grandson  of  the  original  Samuel. 

Benjamin  Munn  lived  at  the  northern  extremity  of  King's 
Hill,  on  the  premises  now  occupied  by  Edson  Walker.  His 
sons,  Reuben  and  Jeremy  Munn,  lived  near  each  other  in  the 
same  neighborhood,  and  were  farmers.  Reuben  was  an  early 
clerk  of  the  district,  and  was  also  a  colonel  in  the  militia.  He 
engaged  in  the  suppression  of  Shays'  rebellion.  He  was  grand- 
father to  the  wife  of  Joseph  L.  Reynolds. 

John  Keep  located  on  the  westerly  side  of  King's  Hill,  on 
the  Daniel  Carpenter  place,  about  a  mile  east  of  the  village. 
John  Atchenson  located  on  King's  Hill,  south  of  Ezra  King's 
house-lot.  Daniel  Killam  located  on  Chicopee  Brook,  but  the 
exact  location  remains  in  doubt. 

The  rights  of  other  proprietors  were  taken  up  by  their  chil- 
dren, and  sold  to  ditlerent  persons.  Some  whose  rights  laid  in 
the  east  part  of  Brimfield  sold  or  exchanged  them,  and  re- 
moved to  the  west  part  of  the  town.  Among  these  were  Capt. 
David  Hitchcock  and  Thomas  Stebbins,  the  latter  of  whom 
settled  in  Monson  about  1734.  Capt.  James  Merrick  purchased 
land  in  Monson  about  the  same  time,  and  made  an  actual  set- 
tlement in  1735.  Josiah  Keep  was  another  early  settler.  The 
names  of  Shaw,  Hoar,  Warner,  Warriner,  Chandler,  Fullar, 
Haynes,  Jennings,  and  Moulton  likewise  occur  early  in  the 
settlement  of  Monson. 

Later  settlers  were  Abner  Brown,  who  was  a  man  of  influ- 
ence and  station,  as  early  as  1798.  He  represented  the  district 
for  thirteen  successive  terms  in  the  General  Court,  and  did 
considerable  business  as  a  justice  of  the  peace  for  a  number 
of  years.  He  formerly  lived  about  two  miles  west  of  the 
centre  of  the  town,  but  in  later  years  moved  into  the  village 
and  resided  just  north  of  the  meeting-house.  During  the 
greater  part  of  his  life  he  engaged  in  farming. 

Abijah  Newell  was  born  in  Roxbury,  Mass.,  entered  the 
matrimonial  state  at  Dudley,  and  took  up  his  residence  at 
Monson  about  the  year  1740.  He  lived  southwest  of  the  cen- 
tral village,  where  Eli  Rogers  now  resides.  He  was  a  farmer 
by  occupation,  and  had  six  sons  and  six  daughters.  All  of 
these  removed  from  town  except  Abijah,  who  remained  with 
his  father  on  the  old  farm  until  the  hitter's  death,  in  1807, 
and  afterward  occupied  the  place  until  the  end  of  his  life. 
He  married  Nancy  Burt,  of  Longmeadow,  who  was  born, 
however,  in  Monson  in  1700.  They  had  ten  children,  of 
whom  only  three  were  sons.  Austin,  still  a  resident  of  the 
town,  was  born  Oct.  17,  1708. 

Abel  Goodell  lived  on  East  Hill,  about  two  miles  from  the 
centre,  where  Charles  Carpenter  now  resides,  as  early  as  1781. 
He  was  a  farmer,  and  is  said  to  have  been  the  first  justice  of 
the  peace  commissio'ned  in  Monson. 

David  Hyde  lived  in  the  north  part  of  the  town  in  1796, 
and  was  a  man  of  wealth  and  influence.  He  owned  a  saw- 
and  grist-mill  on  the  Palmer  side  of  the  Quaboag  River,  and 
was  there  drowned  in  1800. 

Stephen  Newton  came  from  Hardwicke  in  1789.  In  1790 
he  married  Susannah  Davidson,  who  came  from  Pomfret.  He 
was  a  carpenter  by  trade,  and  located  where  Hiram  New- 
ton now  lives.  His  children  were  Voltaire,  Lemuel  D.,  Lu- 
cius F.,  Freeman,  Hiram,  and  Selim.  The  latter  two  were 
twins,  and,  what  is  somewhat  remarkable,  Selim  lived  to  be 
over  sixty,  and  Hiram  is  still  living  at  the  age  of  eighty. 
Lucius  F.  is  also  living.  Hiram  has  in  his  possession  an  old 
concordance  that  was  printed  in  London  in  1058,  and  that 
has  been  in  the  family  for  one  hundfed  and  fifty  years;  also 
an  old  copy  of  John  Johnson's  arithmetic,  printed  in  London 
in  1057,  besides  other  interesting  relics  of  the  olden  time. 


HISTORY  OF   HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


1017 


Other  early  settlers  were  Simeon  Keep,  who  lived  about  a 
mile  east  of  the  village  as  early  as  1780,  and  was  a  farmer; 
Jonathan  Chapin,  who  lived  about  two  miles  and  a  half  south- 
west of  the  village,  and  engaged  in  a  like  occupation  as  early 
as  1778;  Stephen  Warriner,  an  influential  farmer,  in  the 
northwest  part,  early  in  the  present  centurj' ;  Joshua  Shaw, 
who  resided  in  the  southwest  part ;  John  Shield,  who  lived  on 
the  road  to  Palmer,  about  a  mile  from  the  village,  probably 
as  early  as  1785,  and  who  established  and  carried  on  a  grist- 
mill on  the  site  of  the  present  North  factory,  in  which  occupa- 
tion his  son,  David  L.,  succeeded  him;  Aaron  Merrick,  who 
lived  near  Fellows'  tavern;  and  Joseph,  his  brother,  who 
resided  on  what  is  known  as  the  Toby  place,  both  at  early 
dates. 

TAVERNS. 

The  earliest  tavern  that  existed  in  Monson  was  that  of 
Eichard  Fellows,  to  which  reference  has  already  been  made. 
The  next  one  was  kept  by  Kichard  Bishop,  at  least  as  early  as 
1762,  in  a  gambrel-roofed  house,  which  stood  near  where  the 
barn  of  Cyrus  W.  Holmes  now  is.  It  was  probably  one  of  the 
earliest  buildings  in  the  town,  and  was  taken  down  in  1820. 
The  first  district-meeting  of  Monson  was  held  there.  In  1775, 
Joseph  Merrick  kept  a  tavern  on  the  Toby  place,  half  a  mile 
northeast  of  the  centre.  William  Norcross  built  a  tavern 
where  Green's  hotel  now  is,  in  1796.  He  kept  it  until  1803  or 
180-1,  when  it  was  kept  for  upward  of  forty  years  b}'  his 
son  Amos.  Its  more  recent  history  is  elsewhere  alluded  to. 
Je.sse  Stebbins  kept  a  tavern  in  the  north  part  of  the  town 
early  in  the  present  century. 

KOADS. 

The  first  important  road  laid  out  in  the  town  was  in  1738, 
and  was  a  continuation  of  one  laid  out  in  Brimfield  in  1737. 
It  crossed  south  over  Grout's  Hill,  and  continued  down  into 
Statlbrd,  Conn.  In  the  same  year  a  road  was  laid  out  from 
Grout's  Hill  to  the  centre  of  the  town,  connecting  with  the 
one  last  mentioned.  In  1732  a  road  was  laid  from  Cedar 
Swamp,  in  the  south  part  of  Monson,  to  South  Pond,  in 
Wales.  In  1739  a  direct  road  was  laid  out  from  the  centre  of 
Monson  to  the  old  road  running  to  Springfield,  which  tra- 
versed the  northeastern  section  of  the  town. 

MERCHANTS. 

The  first  store  was  kept  by  Asa  Moulton,  as  early  as  1760, 
on  Moulton  Hill,  where  Lewis  King  now  lives.  The  building 
was  erected  in  1757,  and  is  very  old.  Probably  the  oldest  in 
town  is  the  house  built  by  David  Hitchcock,  about  1730,  which 
is  at  present  occupied  by  Alfred  Wallace. 

An  old  building  stood  on  the  present  site  of  Fowler's  store, 
in  the  latter  part  of  the  last  century,  in  which  Wm.  Norcross 
kept  store  for  a  number  of  years.  It  was  removed  in  1810, 
and  Joel  Norcross  then  erected  the  present  structure,  and 
traded  there  in  connection  with  Timothy  Packard,  who  sub- 
sequently kept  it  alone,  or  in  connection  with  his  son,  William, 
for  a  long  period  of  time.  Stephen  Toby,  E.  B.  Miles,  E.  E. 
Towne,  and  the  present  proprietor,  Charles  Fowler,  have 
since  traded  there. 

In  1820,  Artemus  Wetherill  had  a  store  at  the  North  fac- 
tory, which  was  afterward  kept  by  Sandford  &  Wetherill. 
James  W.  Hale  engaged  in  trade  there  about  1825.  Wm.  B. 
Converse,  Albert  Norcross,  and  E.  E.  Towne  each  kept  store 
there  at  one  time,  and  before  them  the  Hampden  Cotton-Man- 
ufacturing Company.     Kogers  &  Co.  are  now  in  trade  there. 

About  the  same  time  Kufus  Flynt  kept  a  store  on  the  hill 
above  the  post-office,  north  of  the  meeting-house.  Associated 
with  him  afterward  were  Dr.  Ede  Whittaker  and  William 
Clark.  Albert  Norcross  and  Horatio  Lyon  and  Lyon  & 
Brigham  kept  there  subsequently. 

In  1832-33,  Dr.  Oliver  McKinstry  erected  the  store  now 
occupied  by  Gage  Brothers  in  the  south  end  of  the  village. 
I:i8 


It  was  established  during  the  Masonic  excitement,  and  was 
designed  to  accommodate  those  opposed  to  the  principles  of 
that  order.  But  the  enterprise  is  said  to  have  never  attained 
a  great  measure  of  success.  A  Mr.  Strong  succeeded  Dr. 
McKinstry  as  proprietor.  Lucius  F.  Newton  traded  there  for 
a  few  years,  and  George  and  John  Newton  in  turn.  The 
latter  died  in  1871,  and  Feb.  9,  1872,  Alvin  A.  Gage,  one  of 
the  present  proprietors,  purchased  the  establishment  of  the 
Newton  heirs.  In  1874  he  associated  his  brother,  Carlos  M., 
with  him,  and  the  two  are  now  carrying  on  the  business  as 
the  firm  of  Gage  Brothers. 

Kice  S.  Munn  and  Whitney  B.  King  had  a  store  about 
twenty-five  years  ago  where  C.  E.  Bills  now  trades.  Mr. 
Munn  erected  the  building,  and  kept  store  there  alone,  or  in 
connection  with  Wm.  B.  Converse,  after  the  death  of  Whit- 
ney B.  King.  Chapin  Brothers  followed  next,  and  then  Mr. 
Bills,  the  present  proprietor. 

Within  a  few  j'ears,  Albert  Norcross  has  erected  a  neat, 
new  store,  northwest  of  Green's  hotel,  in  the  north  part  of 
the  village.  After  keeping  store  there  for  a  time,  he  sold  the 
business  to  Frank  H.  King,  the  present  proprietor. 

PHYSICIANS. 

Of  the  early  physicians.  Dr.  Ede  Whittaker  came  from 
Stafibrd  in  1790,  and  engaged  in  practice  until  about  1840. 
He  first  lived  and  practiced  in  the  house  just  north  of  the 
store  of  Gage  Brothers.  He  then  erected  the  house  where 
Rev.  Charles  Hammond  lived  prior  to  his  death,  and  resided 
there  for  a  long  time.  It  was  afterward  remodeled  by  Mr. 
Hammond. 

Dr.  Joseph  Grout  practiced  in  the  east  part  of  the  town 
about  1785;  also  a  Dr.  Anderson  about  the  same  time. 

Dr.  Ephraim  Allen  was  a  contemporary  of  Dr.  Whittaker, 
and  perhaps  preceded  him  in  point  of  time  a  few  years.  His 
residence  was  on  the  road  above  the  meeting-hou.se,  leading  to 
the  Flynt  quarry. 

Dr.  Oliver  McKinstry  came  from  Ellington,  Conn.,  about 
1820,  and  practiced  until  bis  death,  in  1845.  About  the  same 
time  Dr.  Reuben  Gardner,  a  son  of  Richard  Gardner,  and  a 
native  of  the  town,  engaged  in  practice.  He  and  Dr.  McKins- 
try engaged  in  business  transactions  together  to  some  extent. 
Dr.  Gardner  subsequently  removed  from  town,  and  died  in  the 
State  of  Ohio  about  the  same  time  that  Dr.  McKinstry  died 
at  Monson. 

In.  1817,  Dr.  Ware  practiced  for  a  short  time.  Dr.  Cullen 
Carter  was  in  practice  in  1837. 

In  1838  a  Dr.  Haywood  came  from  Vermont,  and  remained 
two  or  three  years  in  practice  at  Monson.  Dr.  Isaac  Car- 
penter also  came  from  Vermont  about  1836,  and  practiced 
until  his  death,  in  1839.  Soon  after  came  Dr.  Alvin  Smith, 
who  is  still  in  practice.  His  son,  Homer  A.,  is  associated  with 
him. 

Dr.  George  E.  Fuller  practiced  in  Brimfield  for  two  years, 
but  located  in  Munson  in  the  year  1868.  He  has  continued 
in  successful  practice  ever  since. 

ATTORNEYS. 

The  first  lawyer  who  settled  in  Monson  was  Deodatus  Dut- 
ton,  who  engaged  in  practice  about  1812.  His  office  was  where 
Dr.  Alvin  Smith  now  resides.  The  town  records  contain  a 
petition  from  him  asking  permission  to  erect  an  office  on  a 
part  of  the  common.  The  request  appears  to  have  been 
granted,  but  the  office  is  not  known  to  have  been  erected. 
Mr.  Dutton  subsequently  removed  to  the  State  of  New  York. 

George  Bliss,  Jr.,  practiced  in  Monson  in  1816.  He  soon 
after  removed  to  Springfield,  where  he  became  a  leading 
member  of  the  Bar.  He  was  subsequently  identified  with 
the  Western  Railroad,  and  was  at  diflferent  times  speaker  of 
the  House  of  Representatives  and  president  of  the  Senate. 

Erasmus  Norcross  was  a  native  of  Monson,  and  engaged  ii^ 


1018 


HISTORY  OF  THE  CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


practice  in  1823,  the  year  that  he  was  admitted  a  member  of 
the  Bar.  Kichard  Bliss,  a  nephew  of  George  Bliss,  Jr.,  is  also 
said  to  have  practiced  iii  the  town  for  a  time. 

Keuben  Atwater  Chapman  commenced  practice  in  Monson 
in  1827,  and  remained  there  until  1829,  when  he  removed  to 
the  town  of  Ware.  He  subsequently  engaged  in  practice  in 
Springfield.  In  1868  he  was  appointed  to  till  the  vacancy  in 
the  chief-justiceship  occasioned  by  the  death  of  Chief-Justice 
Bigelow,  and  continued  to  fultill  the  duties  of  the  office  until 
his  death,  June  28,  1873. 

The  only  practicing  lawyer  at  present  in  Monson  is  Charles 
E.  Dudley,  who  located  in  August,  1878. 

ORGANIZATION. 

June  7,  1759,  the  people  living  in  the  western  part  of  Brim- 
field  petitioned  to  be  set  off  as  a  district.  (See  Massachusetts 
Archives,  cxvii.,  500.)  Joseph  Blodgett,  the  representative 
from  Brimfield  in  that  year,  was  instructed  to  present  the 
town's  objections  to  this  division  of  its  territory  and  popu- 
lation ;*  but  his  efforts  were  of  no  avail,  and  on  April  25, 
1760,  Monson  was  incorporated  as  a  district. 

The  following  is  a  copy  of  the  warrant  authorizing  the  first 
town-meeting  for  the  election  of  officers : 

"Hampshire,  «j». 

"To  Samuel  King,  ofMoneon  Distiict,  In  the  County  aforts'',  Gentleman, 
Greeting: 

"In  his  Majestie's  Name  you  are  hereby  Required  to  Notifie  &  Warn  the  In- 
habitants of  8"*  Monson  quallafled  to  Vote  in  town  affairs,  tliat  they  meet  A 
assemhle  tlieniselves  together  at  the  house  of  M"^  Samuel  Kiug,  in  S<i  Monson, 
on  Monday,  the  9th  Day  of  June  next,  at  twelve  of  y^  Clock  on  s*  Day,  then  and 
there  to  Elect  &  CUuse  all  Such  officeiB  as  Shall  be  necerfsary  to  Manage  the 
affaiis  of  S'*  Distiict.     Dated  at  Brimfield  the  28th  Day  of  May,  and  33'd  yeai-  of 

His  Majestie'a  Reign,  anuoq"  Domini  1760. 

"John  Sherman,  Just.  Pa*e." 

The  following  indorsement  appears  on  the  hack  of  this 
warrant : 

"  By  virtue  of  this  warrant  I  have  warned  the  Inhabitants  of  Monson  Disti  ict 
according  to  the  Direction  of  y*  warrant. 

"  Sam'l  KlNG."t 

The  district  continued,  however,  to  he  united  with  Brim- 
field in  the  choice  of  a  representative.  The  name  was  con- 
ferred on  the  town  hy  the  royal  Governor,  Pownal,  in  honor 
of  one  of  his  friends,  Monson,  the  president  of  the  board  of 
trade.     Monson  was  incorporated  as  a  town  Oct.  20,  1775. 

At  the  time  of  the  incorporation  of  the  district  there  were 
but  49  families  within  its  limits.  Three  of  these  were  tenants 
and  one  a  colored  family.  The  names  of  the  others  were  J. 
Shields,  Lieut.  T.  Stebbins,  Capt.  J.  Merrick,  Nathaniel  Munn, 
J.  Frost,  J.  Ferry,  Capt.  T>.  Hitchcock,  Nathan  Smith,  Joseph 
Keep,  R.  Bishop,  Samuel  King,  Thomas  King,  Ebenezor  Mer- 
rick, Jabez  Keep,  Nicholas  Graves,  F.  Sikes,  B.  Munn,  B. 
Munn,  Jr.,  Nathaniel  Fuller,  Joseph  Moulton,  John  Davis, 
Jonas  Mace,  James  Blodgett,  Daniel  Warner,  Jacob  Kibbee, 
Humphrey  Gardner,  Thomas  Blodgett,  Robert  Dunkley, 
Joseph  Shaw,  Josiah  Bliss,  Edward  Hoar,  Stephen  Wood, 
Ebenezer  Wood,  D.  Wood,  J.  Wood,  Ebenezer  Bliss,  J.  Foot, 
J.  Colton,  James  Shaw,  Samuel  Kilborn,  William  Gold, 
A.  Graves,  S.  Hatch,  M.  Ferry,  and  Phineas  Merrick. 

The  first  annual  meeting  of  the  new  district  was  held  March 
16,  1762,  at  the  house  of  Kichard  Bishop.  Lieut.  Thomas 
Stebbins  was  chosen  moderator. 

In  1763  the  inhabitants  found  it  necessary  to  petition  the 
General  Court  for  leave  to  lay  a  tax  of  2d.  per  acre  on  all  the 
land  in  the  district  for  two  years,  to  meet  the  extra  expenses  of 
erecting  a  meeting-house  and  supporting  preaching.  Leave 
was  granted  to  levy  a  tax  of  Id.  per  acre. 

Nov.  5,  1798,  ^60  was  appropriated  to  "  revive  singing." 

*  See  petition  of  date  Jan.  10, 1760,  on  file  in  Mass.  Archives,  cxvii.,  503. 

f  Tradition  says  the  meeting,  called  as  abo\'e,  was  held  in  tlie  log  house  of  Mr. 
Samuel  King,  then  living  where  his  great-grandson,  Sylvanus  King,  now  does, 
or  nearly  on  the  same  spot,  about  one  and  a  half  miles  east  of  the  present  centre 
of  the  town.    No  record  of  this  meeting  has  been  preserved. 


TOWN   OFFICERS. 

SELECTMEN. 

17G2. — James   Merrick,   Samuel    King,  Joshua  Shaw,   Francis    Sikes,   Joseph 

Colton. 
17G.3. — Jamt'S  MeiTick,  Joshua  Shaw,  Joseph  Craft. 

1764.— Samuel  King,  James  Merrick,  Joseph  Ciaft,  Joseph  Colton,  Francis  Sikes. 
17G5. — Janu's  Meniik,  Samuel  King,  Joseph  Craft. 
17GG. — James  Merrick,  Joseph  Craft.  .Joshua  Shaw, 
17G7. — Jabez  Keep,  Aaron  Merrick,  Freeborn  Moulton. 
17G8. — Aaron  Merrick,  Joseph  Colton,  Freeborn  Moulton. 
1760. —Aaron  Merrick,  Joshua  Shaw,  Jabez  Keep. 
1770. — Aaron  Merriek,  Joshua  Sliaw,  Nathaniel  Sikes. 
1771. — Joshua  Shaw,  Aaron  Meniik,  Nathaniel  Sikes. 
1772.— Joshua  Shaw,  Aaron  Merrick,  Nathaniel  Sikes,  Joseph  Colton,  Nicholas 

Graves. 
1773.— Joshua  Shaw,  Natluinii-1  Sikes,  Joseph  Craft. 
1774. — Noah  Salin,  Simeon  Keep,  Joshua  Shaw. 
1775-77.— Abijah  Newell,  Benj.  Munn,  Abel  Goodell. 
1778. — Abijah  Newell,  Nathaniel  Sikes,  Jonathan  Chapin, 
1779. — Joshua  Shaw,  Reuben  Munn,  Jnseph  Colb,in. 
17S0.— Joshua  Shaw,  Keiiben  Munn,  Joseph  Colton. 
17S1. — Benjamin  Munn,  Thuniaa  Anderson,  Alijah  Newell. 
1782-t^3. — Joshua  Shaw,  Thomas  Andeison,  Richard  Bishop. 
1784-87.— Joshua  Shaw,  David  Hyde,  Reuben  Munn. 
1788. — Joshua  Shaw,  Freeborn  Moulton,  Joshiui  Fuller. 
1789-00.— Jo.shua  Shaw,  David  Ilydes,  Reuben  Munn. 
1791. — Reuben  Munn,  David  Hyde,  Abner  Brown. 
1792. — Reuben  Munn,  Tliomas  Andei-son,  Abner  Brown. 

1793.— David  Hyde,  Abfl  Goodell,  Abner  Brown,  Freeborn  Moulton,  Jonathan 
Ohai)in. 

1794. — David  Hyde,  Abner  Brown,  Caleb  Keep. 
1705-9S.— Abner  Brown,  Abel  Goodell,  Gad  Colton. 
1799-1800.— a:  Brown,  Asa  Gates,  Israel  Bennett. 

1801.— Ga«l  O)lton,  David  L.  Shields,  Asa  White. 

1802. — Gad  Colton,  Richard  Gardner,  Jeremy  Munn. 

1803-4. — Abner  Brown,  Gad  C'*dton,  Jeremy  Munn. 

1805. — Abner  Brown,  Abel  Goodell,  Jeiemy  Munn. 

1806.— Abner  Brown,  Abel  Goodell,  Gad  Colton,  Jeremy  Munn,  David  L.  Shield, 

1807. — Abner  Brown,  Jeremy  Munn,  Richard  Gardner. 

1808. — Abner  Brown,  Jeremy  Munn,  Richard  Gardner,  Royal  Merrick,  Absalom 
Shaw. 

1809. — Jeremy  Munn,  Ricliard  Gardner,  Royal  Merriek. 

ISIO.— Abner  Brown,  Jeremy  Munn,  Richard  Gardner,  Royal  Merrick,  Benjamin 
Fuller. 

1811. — Steplien  Warriner,  Asa  Gates,  Ede  Whittaker. 

1812-14. — Abner  Brown,  Stephen  Warriner,  Stephen  Newton. 

1815. — Abner  Brown,  Stephen  Newton,  Abijah  Newton. 

1816.— Abner  Brown,  Stephen  Newton,  Je&se  Ives. 

1817. — Stephen  Warriner,  Jub  Puller,  Abraham  Haskell. 

1818-19. — Jub  Puffer,  Luther  Cai  ter,  Simon  Colton. 

1820. — Luther  Carter,  Simon  Colton,  Joel  Norcross. 

1821.— Lvither  Carter,  Heni-y  G.  Cady,  Jonathan  Torrey. 

1822. — Henry  G.  Cady,  Jonathan  Torrey,  John  Hoar. 

1823. — Jonathan  Torrey,  Luther  Carter,  Elisba  Russ. 

1824. — Junatban  Torrey,  John  Hoar,  Adiu  Peisons. 

1825. — Jonathan  Toirey,  Luther  Carter,  Joel  Norcross. 

1826-27.— Jonathan  Torrey,  Joliu  Hoar,  Benjamin  Fuller. 

1828.- John  Hoar,  Benjamin  Fuller,  Timothy  Packaid. 

1829.- Timothy  Packard,  Onias  Hoar,  Simeon  Keep,  Jr. 

1S30. — Benjamin  Fuller,  Onias  Hoar,  Riiie  Munn, 

1831. — Benjamin  Fuller,  Rice  Munn,  Abner  Beunet. 

1832.— Abner  Bennet.  Abel  Calkins.  Austin  Fuller. 

1833. — Abel  Calkins,  Austin  Fuller,  Charles  P.  Fay. 

1834.— Abel  Calkins,  Austin  Fuller,  W^elcome  Converse. 

ls:35.— Austin  Fuller,  AI.ia.1  Dean,  Walter  Smith. 

183G.— Abial  Dean,  Walter  Smith,  Watson  Merrick. 

1837. — Abial  Dean,  Waller  Smith,  Chas.  Carpenter,  Jr. 

1838.— Timothy  Packard,  David  H.  Childs,  Obed  M.  Ward. 

1839.— Austin  Fuller,  Walter  Smith,  John  P.  Cady. 

1840. — Lucius  F.  Newton,  Coulton  Squier,  Stephen  Toby. 

1841.— Eldridge  Philips,  Stephen  Tubey,  Wm.  Puffer. 

1S42.— Joseph  L.  Reynolds,  Wm.  PuBer,  Hiram  Newton. 

1843.— Hiram  Newton,  Alden  Blodgett,  Arial  Rogers. 

1844.— Hiram  Newton,  Wanen  Fuller,  Chas.  Carpenter. 

1845. — Hiram  Newton,  Wm.  Putter,  Philip  Gage. 

1846.— Eldiidge  Philips,  Walter  Smith,  Warren  Fuller. 

1847.— Walter  Smith,  Warren  Fuller,  Esbou  White. 

1848.— Austin  Fuller,  Rice  S.  Munn,  Cyrus  Tmesdell. 

1849.— Hiiam  Newton,  Dwight  King,  Albert  M.  Philips. 

1850.— Austin  Fuller,  Rice  S.  Munn,  Rufus  M.  Pease. 

1851.— Walter  Smith,  Rufus  M.  Pease,  Daniel  G.  Potter. 

1862.— Hiram  Newton.  Rufus  F.  Fay,  Dwight  King. 

1853.— Lucius  F.  Newton,  Dwight  King,  Welcome  Converse,  Jr. 

1854.— Daniel  G.  Potter,  Daniel  G.  Green,  Daniel  Fosket. 

1855.— Daniel  G.  Potter,  Marcus  F.  Beebe,  Wm.  H.  Bradway. 

185G. — Daniel  G.  Potter,  Albert  Norcross,  Gideon  Fay. 

1857.— Daniel  G.  Potter,  John  Newton,  Daniel  Carpenter. 


HISTORY  OF   HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


1010 


1858-59. — Austin  Fuller,  Dwi-ht  King,  Daniel  Fnsket. 
1800.— Dnniel  G.  I'.itter,  Eleamr  R.  Walker,  Mareus  F.  Bi'ebe. 
1801.— Daniel  G.  Potter,  E,  R.  Walker,  E.  W.  Sliules. 
1862.- Daniel  G.  Potter,  Eleazar  R.  Walker,  Austin  Fuller. 
1863.— Daniel  G.  Potter,  E.  R.  Walker,  N.  F.  Kogere. 
1864.^AUiert  Norcross,  Hiram  Newton,  Dwiglit  King. 
1865.- Daniel  G.  Potter,  Dwiglit  King,  .losepli  B.  Foster. 
1866.— Kiee  S.  Munn,  Dwiglit  King,  .losoph  B.  Foster. 
1867-68. — Austin  Fuller,  Dwiglit  King,  Calvin  S.  Pease. 
18f,9.— Daniel  G.  Potter,  C.  C.  Toliey,  Horace  Squier. 
1^70. — All'ert  Norcross,  Joshua  Tracy,  Austin  King. 
1871.— Daniel  G.  Potter,  R.  S.  Munn,  C.  C.  Toliey. 
1872-73.— R.  S.  Munn,  D.  G.  Potter,  Austin  King. 
1S74. — Daniel  G.  Potter,  Alansjn  N.  ChaiTee,  Alfred  Norcross. 
1875. — D.  G.  Potter,  Alfred  Norcross,  Austin  King. 
1876-78.— Alfred  Norcross,  R.  M.  Reynolds,  Charles  Fowler. 

TOWN    CLERKS. 

1762,  Samuel  King;  1763-71,  Jose]*  Craft;  1771-73,  Aaron  Merrick;  1773, 
Joseph  Craft;  1774,  .\aron  Merrick;  1775,  Reulien  Munn;  1776,  Reuhen  Munn; 
1771-.S1,  Jose  Menick  ;  1781-84,  Abel  Goudell ;  1784-87,  Daniel  Janes;  1787-91, 
David  Hyde;  1791,  Reuben  Munn;  1792-95,  David  Hyde;  179.'i-97,  Ephraini 
Allen;  1797,  Asa  Gates;  179S-1S02,  David  L.  Shield;  1802-10,  Ede  Whittaker ; 
1809-11,  Deodatus  Dutton ;  1811-21,  Eile  Whittaker;  1821-24,  Deodatus  Dutton; 
1824-35,  Oliver  McKinstry;  18;)5-42,  Hiram  Xenton;  1S42,  Henry  Cady  ;  1843, 
Albert  Norcross;  1844-46,  Wm.  N.  Packard;  ls4(i-60,  Daniel  D.  Moody;  1850-52, 
Austin  Fuller;  1852,  Daniel  D.  Moody;  1853-59,  Nelson  F.  Rogers;  1859-61, 
George  F.  Morris;  1801-6:i,  Nelson  F.  Rogers;  1863,  Edward  F.  Morris,  Daniel 
D.Moody;  1864,  Nel3..n  F.  Rogers;  1865-67,  E.  B.  Miles;  1867-69,  George  H. 
Newton;  1809-73,  E.  E.  Towuo;  1873-79,  Alviii  A.  Gage. 

REPRESENTATIVES   TO   THE   GENERAL   COURT. 

1781-84,  Abel  Goodell ;  1784,  Reuben  Munn  ;  1785-87,  Joshua  Shaw ;  1787,  Abel 
Goodell;  1788,  Joshua  Shaw;  1789-91,  David  Hyde;  1791-93,  Reuben  Munn; 
1793-94,  Cideb  Keep;  1796,  Abel  G.iodell;  1798-1809,  Abner  Brown,  Absalom 
Shaw;  1810,  Abner  Brown,  Ede  Wliittaker;  1811,  Stephen  Warriuer,  Ede  W'hit- 
taker;  1812,  Stephen  Warriuer,  Abner  Brown ;  1813-15,  Jesse  Ives,  Abner  Brown  ; 
1816,  Wni.  Clark,  Abner  Brown;  1817,  Stephen  Wanincr;  1818-19,  Deodatus 
Dutton;  1820,  Abraham  Hiuskell;  1821,  Abijali  Newell;  1823,  Luther  Carter; 
1825,  Jonathan  Torry;  1826,  Luther  Carter:  1827,  Benjamin  Fuller;  1828-30, 
Jonathan  Torrey ;  1830,  David  Paine ;  l»:il,  Phili|i  Gage;  1.832,  '34,  Coulton  Squier, 
Oliver  McKinstry;  1.S35,  Welcome  Converse;  1836,  Welcome  Converse,  Hiram 
Newton;  1837,  Lucius  F.  Newton;  18:19,  Hiraui  Newton;  1842,  Wm.  Puffer; 
1844,  Samuel  Whitney  ;  1847-48,  Wm.  N.  Flynt ;  1851,  Rtifus  F.  Fay ;  1863,  Wm. 
H.  Bradway;  1854,  Nelson  F.  Rogers;  1.S55,  Wm.  B.  Converse;  1856,  Albert  Nor- 
cross; 1857,  John  W.  Foster;  1860,  Wm.  N.  Flynt;  1863,  Timothy  F.  Packard; 
1866,  George  A.  Converse ;  1867,  Joel  B.  Williams ;  1871,  Rice  S.  Munn ;  1874, 
Daniel  G.  Green;  1875-76,  Rice  M.  Reynolds. 

VILLAGES. 
The  town  Tirtually  contains  but  one  village,  located  in  the 
centre,  and  extending  about  two  miles  north  and  south.  Its 
two  extremities  are  designated  as  North  and  South  Monson. 
It  is  principally  laid  out  on  one  street,  which  constitutes  the 
direct  road  from  Palmer  to  Staftlird,  Conn.  Beautiful  resi- 
dences, surrounded  by  attractive  gardens  elegantly  inclosed, 
stand  on  either  side  of  the  street,  and  an  appearance  of  thrift 
and  quiet  retirement  characterizes  the  place.  Dr.  Holland,  in 
his  history  of  Western  Massachusetts,  has  well  said : 

*'  The  valley  and  the  stream,  the  hills  on  the  right  and  left,  and  the  rising 
grounds  in  the  centre,  when  covered  with  the  green  foliage  of  summer,  and  con- 
trasted with  the  neat  white  buildings  of  the  inhabitants  in  their  irregular  posi- 
tion, exhibit  to  the  eye  a  scene  of  beautiful  and  varied  pei-spective  which  no  one 
who  loves  nature,  when  mingled  with  the  works  of  men,  can  be  weary  in  sur- 
veying." 

The  village  contains  a  Congregational,  Methodist,  and 
Catholic  Church,  each  tasteful  in  appearance,  and  occupying 
excellent  sites.  Monson  Academy  is  situated  in  the  centre, 
and  is  an  institution  of  character  and  standing.  The  Monson 
National  Bank  building,  also  situated  near  the  centre,  is  a 
small  but  neat  and  substantial  structure.  Stores  and  manu- 
factories exist  in  difl'erent  parts  of  the  village,  many  of  which 
are  elsewhere  referred  to.  The  town-clock  occupies  the  tower 
of  the  Congregational  Church.  Five  hundred  dollars  were 
appropriated  for  its  purchase  on  April  6,  1874. 

HOTELS. 

There  are  two  hotels  in  the  village.  The  Cushman  House 
was  erected  by  Leonard  G.  Cushman  about  1871,  and  has 
been  kept  continuously  by  him  since.  It  is  situated  near  the 
centre  of  the  village,  on  the  west  side  of  the  street. 


Green's  Hotel  is  situated  near  the  depot,  in  the  northern 
part  of  the  village,  and  is  the  natural  descendant  of  the  old 
Norcross  Hotel  referred  to  in  the  chapter  on  settlement.  After 
Amos  Norcross,  it  was  kept  by  Lucius  E.  Truesdcll.  It  was 
then  kept  by  the  advocates  of  the  temperance  cause  for  a  long 
time ;  then  in  turn  by  Amasa  King  and  Parks  &  Thayer.  It 
came  into  the  possession  of  Daniel  G.  Green,  the  pre.sent  pro- 
prietor, in  1872,  who  at  first  leased  it  to  difl'erent  parties,  but 
for  over  a  year  past  has  kept  it  himself. 

POST-OFPIOE. 

A  post-office  exists  in  the  village,  and  was  established  about 
1821.  Capt.  Kufus  Flynt  was  the  first  postmaster,  and  the 
mail  was  carried  to  Palmer  Centre  on  horseback.  The  office 
has  been  since  filled  by  Edwin  Norcross,  Timothy  Packard, 
Foster  Pepper,  Lucius  Truesdell,  Joshua  Tracy,  Elmer  B. 
Miles,  Daniel  G.  Potter,  Edwin  E.  Towne,  and  Rice  S.  Munn, 
the  present  incumbertt. 

About  two  and  one-half  miles  from  the  village,  in  the  north- 
east part  of  the  town,  lies  the  poor-farm.  It  comprises  about 
300  acres  of  land,  with  excellent  farm-buildings,  and  was  pur- 
chased with  the  surplus  revenue  fund  distributed  to  the 
various  towns  during  the  administration  of  Martin  Van 
Buren.  It  is  sustained  by  the  town,  and  the  number  of  paupers 
in  charge  of  the  institution  averages  15. 

SCHOOLS. 

Soon  after  the  incorporation  of  the  district,  provision  was 
made,  though  in  a  humble  way,  for  the  establishment  and  sup- 
port of  schools.  At  first  only  three  schools  were  sustained, 
and  these  for  a  part  of  the  year  only.  In  the  year  1771  the 
town  was  divided  into  nine  school  districts.  The  district  sys- 
tem prevailed  until  its  abolition  by  legislative  enactment  in 
1870.  Various  sums  have  been  appropriated  for  the  support 
of  the  schools  at  different  times.  In  176-5  but  £10  were  appro- 
priated for  that  purpose;  in  17B8,  £20;  in  1769,  £2-5;  in  1798, 
$.500;  in  1801,  $600;  in  1814,  $800;  in  1844,  §1100;  in  1861, 
^1800;  and  in  1867,  §3000.  The  amount  of  the  last  annual 
appropriation  was  5-5000.  In  addition  to  this  sum  the  school 
fund  is  further  augmented  b_v  the  State  appropriation,  and  by 
a  considerable  annual  sum  raised  by  the  taxation  of  dogs. 
There  are  at  present  13  public  .schools  in  the  town,  having  in 
attendance  553  scholars,  of  various  ages.  The  total  cost  of 
these  for  the  year  ending  March  31,  1878,  was  §4324.22,  an 
average  of  §7.82  for  each  pupil.  Of  the  twenty-one  towns  in 
Hampden  County,  Monson  ranks  twelfth  in  the  amount  of 
money  appropriated  for  each  child  between  five  and  fifteen 
years  of  age. 

According  to  the  laws  of  the  State  regulating  school  matters, 
Monson  is  compelled  to  sustain  a  high  school.  This  provision 
is  complied  with  by  an  arrangement  between  the  town  and 
Monson  Academy,  whereby  the  latter  is  made  to  sustain  the 
relation  of  such  a  school  to  the  public  schools  of  the  town. 
Pupils  who  pass  through  the  latter  are  admitted,  after  careful 
examination,  to  the  advantages  of  the  academy,  the  town  pay- 
ing the  cost  of  instruction.  For  the  year  ending  May  31, 1878, 
the  number  of  pupils  in  attendance  upon  the  high  school  was 
65 ;  average  term  attendance,  45  ;  number  admitted  during  the 
year,  16  ;  total  cost  of  tuition,  §1113.50. 

MONSON   ACADE.MY.* 

Monson  Academy  was  incorporated  June  21,  1804,  with  an 
endowment  of  half  a  township  of  land  in  Maine,  in  accord- 
ance with  the  educational  policy  adopted  by  the  resolutions 
concerning  academies  passed  by  the  Legislature,  Feb.  27, 1797, 

The  academy  (erected  by  subscriptions  of  citizens  of  the 
town  amounting  to  about  §4000)  was  dedicated  Oct.  23,  1806, 
when  a  sermon  was  preached  by  Rev.  Richard  S.  Storrs,  of 
Longmoadow,  one  of  the  original  trustees. 

•  By  RiT.  James  Tufts. 


1020 


HISTORY   OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


The  trustees  named  in  the  charter  were  15  in  number,  and 
70  have  since  been  elected  as  their  successors. 

The  persons  named  in  the  charter  as  trustees  were  Rev.  John 
Willard,  D.D.,  ot'Staflord,  Conn.  ;  Rev.  Jesse  Ives,  Joel  Nor- 
cross,  Esq.,  Rufus  Flynt,  Esq.,  Dr.  Ede  Whittal<er,  Abel 
Goodale,  Esq.,  Gad  Colton,  Esq.,  and  Azel  Utley,  Esq.,  resi- 
dents of  Monson ;  Rev.  Richard  S.  Storrs,  of  Longmeadow  ; 
Kev.  Ephraim  Ward,  of  West  Brookfield  ;  Rev.  Ezra  Witter, 
of  North  Wilbraham ;  Rev.  Moses  Warren,  of  South  Wil- 
braham  ;  Aaron  Smith,  Esq.,  of  Palmer;  Rev.  Moses  Bald- 
win, of  Palmer;  and  Darius  Munger,  Esq.,  of  South  Brim- 
field,  now  Wales. 

The  following  persons,  in  their  order,  have  been  elected 
presidents  of  the  corporation  to  the  present  time  (1879) :  Rev. 
John  Willard,  D.D. ;  Rev.  Ephraim  Ward,  Rev.  Moses  War- 
ren, Rev.  Alfred  Ely,  D.D. ;  Rev.  Joseph  Vail,  D.D. ;  Rev. 
Abram  Marsh,  Rev.  N.  E.  P.  Perkins,  D.D. 

Of  the  above.  Dr.  Ely,  pastor  of  the  Congregational  Church 
in  Monson  nearly  sixty  years,  was  a  trustee  of  Monson  Acad- 
emy fifty-nine,  and  president  of  its  board  of  trustees  forty-six, 
performing  its  duties  with  great  fidelity,  wisdom,  and  dignity. 
He  took  a  deep  interest  in  the  prosperity  of  the  academj',  a.s- 
sisting  in  the  selection  of  its  teachers,  attending  the  examina- 
tions, and  was  chiefly  instrumental  in  raising  the  educational 
fund  of  the  academj',  which  has  contributed  so  much  to  its 
prosperity. 

Many  able  and  distinguished  men  have  served  as  trustees 
from  time  to  time,  among  whom  were  Joseph  Vail,  D.D.  ; 
Alvan  Bond,  D.D. ;  Lyman  Coleman,  D.D. ;  Rev.  Condit, 
D.D.  ;  Josephs.  Clark,  D.D. ;  Hon.  R.  A.  Chapman,  chief- 
justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Jiassachusetts  ;  S.  C.  Bart- 
lett,  D.D.,  president  of  Dartmouth  College;  Charles  Mer- 
riam,  Esq.,  of  Springfield  ;  and  the  late  Judge  Samuel  T. 
Spaulding,  of  Northampton.  The  trustees  have  uniformly 
taken  a  deep  interest  in  the  academy,  and  contributed  greatly 
to  its  prosperity. 

The  first  principal,  Dr.  Colton,  was  trustee  ten  years  while 
pastor  of  the  Congregational  Church  at  Palmer;  was  princi- 
pal of  the  academy  ten  years  in  two  terms  of  service ;  was  a 
man  of  good  judgment,  great  energy,  self-sacrifice,  and  en- 
thusiasm, and  did  much  to  give  a  decided  character  to  the 
academy  in  its  early  years.  He  died  at  Ashboro',  N.  C,  in 
1868,  aged  eighty-four  years. 

Under  the  administration  of  Mr.  Fairchild  and  Mr.  Law- 
ton, — three  years  each, — the  school  was  highly  prosperous,  as 
also  under  the  four  years  of  Mr.  Austin. 

Under  the  seven  years'  administration  of  Mr.  Tufts  there 
was  a  large  number  of  advanced  pupils,  in  both  the  English 
and  classical  departments.  Over  60  students  were  prepared 
for  college,  and  more  attention  was  given  to  drawing  and 
music.  The  average  number  of  pupils  was  over  100,  and  most 
of  them  were  older  pupils  from  out  of  town. 

The  academy  has  always  been  distinguished  for  its  excellent 
moral  and  religious  influence.  During  these  seven  years,  no 
year  passed  without  its  special  religious  interest,  and  seldom 
a  term,  making  the  discipline  of  the  school  easy.  In  the  fall 
of  1854  over  30  pupils  indulged  a  hope,  and  united  afterward 
with  various  churches.  Mr.  Tufts,  who  left  the  school  in 
1859,  on  account  of  his  health,  has  resided  in  Monson  to  the 
present  time  (1879),  teaching  a  family  school  for  boys. 

Charles  Hammond,  LL.D.,  was  born  at  Union,  Conn.,  in 
1813,  graduated  at  Yale  in  1839,  and  served  as  principal  of 
Monson  Academy  twenty-five  years,  and  eleven  years  (from 
1852  to  1863)  as  principal  of  Lawrence  Academy,  at  Groton, 
Mass., — a  term  of  service  more  than  twice  that  of  any  other 
teacher  in  Monson  Academy.  He  was  a  man  of  broad  views, 
extended  scholarship,  thoroughly  devoted  to  the  interests  of 
the  academy,  and  contributed  largely  to  its  prosperity.  An 
earnest  scholar  and  teacher,  identified  with  the  various  edu- 
cational societies  of  the  State,  he  greatly  aided  the  cause  of 


education  in  Massachusetts.  His  death  occurred  Nov.  7,  1878, 
at  his  home  in  Monson.  His  funeral  was  attended  by  a  large 
number  of  the  former  pupils  of  the  academy,  townspeople, 
and  friends  of  education  from  abroad,  who  came  to  pay  their 
tribute  of  respect  to  a  noble  man  and  to  his  work. 

During  the  seventy-three  years  since  the  academy  was  dedi- 
cated in  1806,  there  have  been  63  assistants  employed,  nearly 
all  college  graduates  ;  and  many  of  them  have  become  distin- 
guished as  teachers  in  other  institutions,  and  as  members  of 
the  learned  professions. 

The' first  preceptress  was  emploj'ed  in  1819,  since  which 
time  63  ladies  have  served  in  the  office  of  preceptress  or  as- 
sistant. Much  of  the  success  and  usefulness  of  the  school  has 
depended  upon  the  character,  ability,  skill,  and  interest  of  its 
teachers  in  their  work,  together  with  the  good-will  and  cour- 
tesy of  the  fiimilies  in  the  village  manifested  toward  the 
pupils. 

Patronage  and  Pupih. — The  academy  has  been  from  the 
first  a  mixed  school,  the  proj»ortions  of  the  sexes  having  been, 
until  recentl}',  about  two  gentlemen  to  one  lady,  and  about 
two-thirds  of  the  patronage  has  come  from  non-residents. 

The  whole  number  of  students  connected  with  it  since  the 
original  opening,  as  near  as  can  be  ascertained,  has  been  not 
far  from  7000.  Of  these,  between  450  and  500  have  entered 
college,  and  many  have  united  with  the  professions  without 
other  preparation  than  that  obtained  at  the  academy.  More 
than  200  have  become  ministers  of  the  gospel. 

Among  the  alumni  may  be  mentioned  Hon.  Henry  L.  Bar- 
nard, LL.D.,  late  United  States  Commissioner  of  Education  ; 
Prof.  W.  A.  Larned,  late  professor  at  Yale  College ;  Rev. 
James  L.  Merrick,  missionary  to  Persia  ;  David  B.  Coe,  D.D., 
secretary  of  the  American  Home  Missionary  Society ;  Richard 
S.  Storrs,  D.D.,  of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. ;  George  H.  Gould,  D.D. ; 
Hon.  Yung  Wing,  LL.D.,  of  the  Chinese  Embassy;  Rev. 
Samuel  Curtis,  professor  of  theology  in  Chicago  Seminary. 
Two  have  been  presidents  and  4  professors  in  colleges  ;  11  have 
been  tutors  at  Yale  College  and  4  at  Amherst ;  1  a  judge  of 
the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States;  1  a  judge  of  the 
Supreme  Court  of  Massachusetts,  and  3  have  been  members 
of  Congress. 

But  no  list  of  eminent  men,  were  they  ihree  times  as  tiu- 
merous,  and  far  more  distinguished,  could  represent  fully  the 
gresit  benefits  conferred  on  the  students  of  Monson  Academy 
in  elevating  and  improving  their  character,  and  preparing 
them  for  the  better  discharge  of  the  various  duties  of  life. 

Benefactions  and  Endowments. — The  funds  of  the  academy 
have  always  been  limited  and  insufficient  for  the  wants  of  the 
institution.     Its  great  strength  has  been  in  the  zeal  and  sym- 
pathy of  devoted  trustees  and  teachers,  and  the  patronage  of 
its  alumni,  joined  with  the  good-will  and  prayers  of  its  friends. 

The  whole  amount  of  benefactions  from  all  sources  is  not 
far  from  $50,000.  With  the  exception  of  the  original  State 
endowment,  estimated  at  §10,000,  nearly  all  the  funds  have 
been  subscribed  by  citizens  of  Monson.  Joel  Norcross,  Esq., 
in  various  sums,  $72.50;  Deacon  Andrew  Porter,  $3200;  Ru- 
fus Flynt,  12250,  Rev.  J.  Merrick,  $2000,  for  the  Persian 
scholarship.  In  1863,  §10,000  was  raised  for  the  repair  and 
enlargement  of  the  buildings,  and  §10,000  as  an  addition  to 
the  general  fund,  mostly  by  citizens  of  the  town. 

The  buildings  of  the  institution  are  the  academy  structure, 
situated  in  a  pleasant  grove,  and  the  chemical  laboratory, 
erected  in  1825,  and  furnished  with  a  chemical  apparatus. 
The  academy  was  extensively  enlarged  and  repaired  in  1863. 

The  income  from  productive  funds  is  about  §2000;  from 
tuitions,  §2300.  Value  of  real  estate,  §20,000  ;  of  productive 
funds,  §25, .500 ;  of  libraries  and  apparatus,  §.5000.  Total  assets, 
§50,  .500. 

The  course  of  study  is  that  usually  pursued  in  New  Eng- 
land academies.  In  the  classical  department,  under  the  charge 
of  the  principal,  students  are  prepared  for  the  New  England 


HISTORY   OF  HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


1021 


colleges.  In  the  English  department,  with  a  male  and  female 
assistant,  the  common  and  higher  English  hranohes  are  taught. 

Tuition  and  Expenses. — The  tuition  fee  has  varied  from  $10 
per  annum  to  an  average  of  $2i  per  annum  at  the  present 
time.  The  school  year  of  40  weeks  is  divided  into  three 
terms.  The  price  of  board  in  private  families  varies  from 
$3.50  to  $5  per  week.  Three  dollars  a  week  is  paid  from  the 
educational  fund  to  .suitable  candidates  for  the  ministry'. 

The  Persian  scholarship  is  not  limited  to  any  of  the  pro- 
fessions. 

The  influence  of  the  educational  fund  has  been  highly 
favorable  to  the  prosperity  of  the  academy  in  securing  a  good 
class  of  students. 

In  July,  1854,  a  semi-centennial  jubilee  of  the  academy 
was  celebrated,  and  largely  attended  by  graduates,  teachers, 
and  friends  of  the  institution.  A  discourse  on  "  The  Relations 
of  Commerce  to  Letters"  was  delivered  by  Rev.  Richard  S. 
Storrs,  D.D.,  former  principal  and  teacher  in  the  academy, 
and  a  historical  discourse  by  Rev.  Charles  Hammond,  then 
principal  of  Lawrence  Academy,  Groton. 

Most  of  the  facts  in  this  sketch  have  been  obtained  from 
Mr.  Hammond's  address  and  "  Sketch  of  Monson  Academy." 

No  institution,  it  is  believed,  has  left  pleasanter  memories 
on  the  minds  of  its  pupils  in  after-life  than  old  Monson 
Academy*. 

Principals  and  Assistants. — The  following  is  a  list  of  the 
principals  of  the  academy,  with  the  date  of  their  appointment 
and  close  of  service  : 

Rev.  Simeon  (A)lton,  D.D.,  appointed  in  1806,  graduated  at  Yale  College,  closed 

in  1807. 
Kev.  Levi  Collins,  A.M.,  1807,  Yale  College,  closed  in  1813. 
Bev.  Joy  H.  Fairchild,  A.M.,  1813,  Yale  College,  closed  in  1816. 
Eev.  Frederic  Gridly,  A.M.,  1818,  Yale  College,  closed  in  1818. 
Eobert  Bidell,  M.D.,  1818,  Yale  College,  closed  ill  1820. 
Rev,  William  W.  Hunt,  A.M.,  1820,  Williams  College,  closed  in  1821. 
Rev.  Simeon  Colton,  D.D.,  1821,  Yale  College,  closed  in  18M. 
Eev.  William  8.  Porter,  A.M  ,  1831,  Y'ale  College,  closed  in  1832. 
Rev.  Sanford  Lawton,  A.B.,  1832,  Yale  College,  closed  in  1835. 
Eev.  David  R.  Austin,  A.M  ,  1835,  Union  College,  closed  in  1839. 
Eev.  Charles  Hammond,  A.M  ,  1839,  Yale  College,  closed  in  1841. 
Eev.  Samuel  A.  Toy,  A.M.,  1841,  Amherst  College,  closed  iu  1842. 
Eev.  James  G.  Bridgman,  A.M.,  1842,  Amherst  College,  closed  in  1843. 
Eev.  Frederic  A.  Fiske,  A.M.,  1843,  Amherst  College,  closed  iu  1844. 
Eev.  Charles  Hammond,  A.M.,  1845,  Yale  College,  closed  in  1852. 
Kev.  James  Tufts,  A.M..  1852,  Y'ale  College,  closed  iu  1859. 
Eev.  W'illiaiu  J.  Harris,  A.M.,  1859,  Yale  College,  closed  in  1861. 
Eev.  Henry  M.  Grout,  A.M.,  1861,  Williams  College,  closed  in  1862. 
Eev.  Charles  Hammond,  LL.D.,  1863,  Y'ale  College,  closed  in  1878. 
D.  N.  Putney,  A.M.,  1878,  Dartmouth  College. 

t'HUKCHES. 
THB   MONSON   CONGREGATIONAL   CHURCH* 

was  organized  June  23,  1762.  The  original  members — 12 
males  and  about  the  same  number  of  females — were  mostly 
received  by  letter  from  the  church  in  Brimfleld.  Since  the 
incorporation  of  the  town,  nearly  two  years  before,  Sunday 
services  had  been  held  alternately  in  the  houses  of  Deacon 
Benjamin  Munn  and  Lieutenant  Thomas  Stebbins,  sitiuited 
four  miles  apart,  in  the  Southern  and  Northern  Districts. 
The  first  meeting-house,  in  an  unfinished  state,  was  the  place 
of  organization.  In  the  poverty  of  the  people  the  General 
Court  had  granted  a  special  tax  of  a  penny  an  acre  on  all  the 
lands  in  the  town  to  help  them  build  it.  The  site  of  this 
house  of  worship  was  near  the  centre  of  the  township,  on  the 
summit  of  a  hill  which  overlooks  the  valley,  a  little  south- 
west of  the  present  house.  Often  the  expression  rises  to  the 
lips  of  those  who  are  passing  by,  "  Beautiful  for  situation  is 
•Mount  Zion." 

The  building  was  rectangular,  about  twenty  feet  high, 
without  chimney  or  steeple,  lighted  by  a  single  row  of  small 
windows.  For  some  years  the  inside  was  left  unfinished,  seated 
only  with  rude  boards.     It  seems  to  have  been  poorly  suited 

*  Contributed  by  Eev,  Charles  B.  Suiuuer,  Pastor. 


to  the  rigor  of  the  climate,  for  the  town  voted,  Dec.  17,  1762, 
"  to  remove  the  meeting  from  the  meeting-house  for  the  win- 
ter season."  At  length  the  lower  part  was  finished,  floors 
laid,  pews  put  in,  and  gallery-stairs  built.  The  upper  part 
was  never  finished,  the  rough  beams,  joists,  rafters,  boards, 
and  bristling  nails  taking  the  place  of  modern  frescoing. 
This  house  was  used  forty-one  years,  until  another  was  com- 
pleted, when  it  was  taken  down. 

Mr.  Abishai  Sabin,  a  nativeof  Pomfret,  Conn.,  and  agradu- 
ate  of  Yale  College  in  1759,  was  ordained  and  installed  pastor, 
by  the  same  council,  and  on  the  same  day  that  the  church  was 
organized.  Little  is  known  of  this  pastorate  of  nine  years 
beyond  the  use  of  the  "half-way  covenant,"  which  was  dis- 
continued in  the  succeeding  one.  .  Mr.  Sabin  was  dismissed  at 
his  own  request,  on  account  of  poor  health,  in  July,  1771,  and, 
without  having  assumed  another  charge,  died  in  his  native 
place  in  1782. 

The  Rev.  Jesse  Ives  succeeded  to  the  pastorate,  and  retained 
it  more  than  thirty-two  years,  from  June  23,  1773,  till  his 
death,  Dec.  31,  1805. 

Mr.  Ives  was  born  at  Meriden,  Conn.,  was  a  graduate  of 
Yale  College  in  1758,  and  had  been  settled  in  the  town  of 
Norwich,  Conn.  He  was  a  tall,  erect  man,  with  a  bright, 
ready  mind,  and  notably  "gifted  in  prayer."  His  pastorate, 
through  the  most  eventful  period  of  our  nation's  history,  was 
not  without  trials.  It  was,  however,  on  the  whole  very  peace- 
ful and  remarkably  useful,  leaving  the  number  of  the  church 
membership  111.  Toward  its  close  a  new  meeting-house  was 
built  and  the  Academy  Hall  erected,  both  costing  about 
$9000.  This  amount  was  all  raised  volunlarily  except  $300, 
which  was  voted  by  the  town  for  the  meeting-house. 

This  second  house  of  worship,  situated  very  near  the  site  of 
the  first,  was  dedicated  Nov.  16,  1803.  It  was  said  to  have 
been  the  best  in  the  county  at  that  time.  The  building  was 
rectangular,  80  feet  long  by  50  wide,  and  of  good  height, 
lighted  by  a  double  row  of  windows.  The  steeple  was  the  low 
open  one,  so  common  at  that  time.  Originally  there  was  but 
one  room,  with  galleries  on  three  sides.  In  1838  the  galleries 
were  taken  out,  except  across  the  south  end ;  a  floor  put  iit  12 
feet  above  the  old  one  ;  the  old  square  pews  were  replaced  by 
modern  ones,  and  the  walls  were  frescoed.  The  cost  of  these 
repairs  was  $3000.  This  house,  after  being  used  sixty-eight 
years,  was  sold  in  1871,  and  removed  to  the  foot  of  the  hill, 
where  it  is  used  for  a  hall  and  stores. 

Mr.  Alfred  Ely,  the  third  pastor,  was  retained  more  than 
sixty  years,  from  Dec.  17,  1800,  until  his  death,  July  6,  1866. 
He  was  a  man  of  vigorous  intellect,  good  judgment,  decided 
organizing  and  executive  ability,  and  of  a  strong  and  leading 
character.  His  influence  was  felt  throughout  this  whole  re- 
gion of  country.  His  character,  perhaps  more  than  his  schol- 
arship, although  that  was  by  no  means  lacking,  gained  for 
him  the  title  of  Doctor  of  Divinity  from  his  alma  mater  in 
1834.  For  forty-six  years  he  was  president  of  the  board  of 
trust  of  Monson  Academy,  where  he  did  efficient  service. 
The  year  Amherst  College  was  incorporated  he  was  appointed 
one  of  the  corporation  by  the  Legislature,  and  was  faithful 
to  his  trust.  In  1840  he  was  made  corporate  member  of  the 
A.  B.  C.  F.  M.,  an  appointment  richly  deserved  for  his  abid- 
ing interest  and  valuable  services  in  the  cause  of  foreign  mis- 
sions. 

Daring  this  pastorate  the  church  grew  and  developed 
rapidly.  It  was  one  of  the  largest,  most  active,  and  elficient 
cliurches  in  Western  Massachusetts.  A  Baptist  Church  was 
organized  in  1795,  in  the  western  part  of  the  town,  and  in 
1825  the  Methodist  Church  was  formed ;  but  the  strength  and 
vigor  of  this  church  did  not  materially  suft'er  thereby. 

The  Sunday-school  was  organized  April  21,  1819,  with  the 
pastor  as  superintendent,  and  at  one  time  it  is  said  to  have 
included  nearly  the  whole  congregation. 

One  efficient  au.\iliary  in  the  church  work  has  been  the 


1022 


HISTORY   OF   THE   CONNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


"Female  Praying  Circle,''  formed  in  April,  1827.  From 
tliat  day  the  godly  women  have  been  a  power  for  good.  They 
have  co-operated  with  the  men  in  almost  every  brunch  of 
Christian  activities.  Especially  was  this  true  in  the  benevo- 
lent work,  which  was  developed  to  a  high  degree  for  that  age. 
Hardly  less  was  this  true  in  the  great  temperance  reformation, 
which  was  at  its  height  in  1832,  when  "  nearly  the  whole 
population  were  pledged  to  total  abstinence." 

Mr.  Samuel  C.  Bartlett  was  settled  as  colleague  of  Dr.  Ely, 
Aug.  2,  1843.  Mr.  Bartlett  was  a  native  of  Salisbury,  N.  H., 
a  graduate  of  Dartmouth  College  and  Andover  Theological 
Seminary.  He  remained  here  only  three  years,  when  he  took 
the  position  of  professor  of  intellectual  philosophy  in  Western 
Reserve  College.  Subsequently,  after  a  short  pastorate  at 
Manchester,  N.  H.,  and  at  Chicago,  111.,  he  took  the  chair  of 
Biblical  Literature  in  Chicago  Theological  Seminary,  and  is 
now  president  of  Dartmouth  College. 

Rev.  Charles  B.  Kittredge,  born  at  Mount  Vernon,  N.  H., 
a  graduate  of  Dartmouth  College  and  Andover  Theological 
Seminary,  succeeded  Mr.  Bartlett  as  colleague  pastor,  from 
Oct.  21,  1846,  to  May  4,  1852.  Mr.  Kittredge  had  been  pre- 
viously settled  at  Groton  and  Westboro',  and  returned  to  the 
latter  place  to  live  without  a  subsequent  settlement. 

March  28,  1855,  Rev.  Theron  G.  Colton  was  installed  col- 
league pastor.  Mr.  Colton  was  born  at  Westford,  N.  Y., 
graduated  at  Yale  College  and  Theological  Seminary,  and 
had  been  settled  at  Fair  Haven,  Conn.,  and  "Ware  village. 
He  left  Monson,  Oct.  1,  1866,  for  White  Water,  Wis.,  and  is 
now  pastor  at  Hudson,  Mich. 

Mr.  Charles  B.  Sumner,  of  Southbridge,  a  graduate  of  Yale 
College  and  Andover  Theological  Seminary,  was  inducted 
into  this  pastorate  Jan.  2,  1868. 

The  following  year  a  parsonage  was  built,  at  a  cost  of  $7000. 
The  same  year,  by  the  efl'orts  of  Hon.  Reuben  A.  Chapman, 
then  chief-justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  State,  and  of 
Deacon  Porter,  a  pastor's  library  was  instituted,  which  now 
numbers  about  three  hundred  bound  volumes.  June  18, 
1873,  the  third  meeting-house  was  dedicated,  on  very  nearly 
the  same  spot  from  which  the  second  had  been  removed.  This 
house,  like  the  others,  was  built  of  wood,  the  main  building 
100  feet  by  60,  having  a  tower  on  one  front  corner,  and  a  tall, 
graceful  spire  containing  the  town-clock  on  the  other.  At 
the  rear  are  rooms  on  the  ground-floor  for  cliapel  purposes, 
and  above  them  social  rooms.  All  is  beautifully  finished  and 
furnished,  and  the  main  audience-room  is  graced  with  a  fine 
organ.  The  entire  cost  of  this  house,  with  its  furnishings, 
was  about  §40,000. 

The  deacons  of  this  church,  past  and  present,  are  Joseph 
Craft,  Jose)  h  Cjlton,  Benjamin  Munn,  Abijah  Newell,  Abel 
Goodell,  Simeon  Keep,  Joshua  Fuller,  Abel  Goodell  (2d), 
Abraham  Haskell,  Royal  Merrick,  Absalom  Shaw,  Jr.,  An- 
drew W.  Porter,  Marcus  Chapin,  George  Morris,  Edward  F. 
Morris,  Edward  P.  Keep,  Kodolphus  Homer,  and  A.  Haskell 
White. 

The  intimate  i-elation  which  this  churcli  has  sustained  to 
the  academy  has  given  to  it  a  wider  field  of  influence  than  it 
would  otherwise  have  enjoyed.  Its  audience  has  often  em- 
braced representatives  of  different  States,  countries,  and  races. 
On  its  catalogue  are  the  names  of  Greeks,  Chinese,  and  Jap- 
anese who  have  completed  their  studies  and  gone  back  to 
their  native  lands,  some  of  them,  like  Hon.  Yung  Wing,  to 
return  to  this  country  on  most  weighty  business.  Revivals  of 
religion  have  occurred  from  time  to  time  at  least  as  far  back 
as  the  early  years  of  this  century.  At  times  the  spirit  of  con- 
secration has  been  very  marked.  Nourished  and  inspired  by 
these  influences,  we  find  such  characters  as  Rev.  James  L. 
Merrick,  eleven  years  mi-ssionary  to  Persia;  Rev.  Samuel 
Robbins  Brown,  D.D.,  son  of  Mrs.  Phoibe  Brown,  author  of 
some  of  the  sweetest  hymns  in  our  language,  who  has  devoted 
his  life  to  missionary   work,  first  in  China,  now   in   Japan; 


Rev.  Gilbert  Rockwood,  a  self-denying  missionary  to  the  In- 
dians ;  Revs.  John  Keep  and  William  A.  Thompson,  home 
missionaries  in  the  West ;  Rev.  Almon  Underwood,  the  suc- 
cessful evangelist  of  over  thirty  years  ;  Rev.  Charles  L.  Wood- 
worth,  long  an  eflicient  secretary  of  the  American  Missionary 
Association;  Rev.  William  Barrows,  D.D.,  secretary  of  the 
Massachusetts  Home  Missionary  Society  ;  Revs.  Elias  C. 
Sharp,  Luke  Foster,  Warren  C.  Fiske,  and  Joseph  A.  Coll- 
yer.  Many  names  of  excellent  women  might  also  be  men- 
tioned who  have  been  very  useful  as  writers,  teachers,  pastors' 
wives,  and  missionaries  to  the  Indians,  the  Sandwich  Islands, 
and  India. 

More  than  $170,000  have  been  raised  by  this  church.  Of 
this  amount,  over  |!40,000  have  been  contributed  to  relieve 
want  and  preach  the  gospel  beyond  the  parish  limits.  Nor  is 
this  one-half  the  amount  that  has  been  given  privatel}'  and  by 
bequest  by  the  members  of  this  church.  These  facts  faintly 
suggest  the  stream  of  influence  that  has  been  flowing  from 
this  church  during  the  one  hundred  and  sixteen  years  of  its 
existence. 

METHODIST    EPISCOPAL.* 

The  formation  of  the  first  Methodist  class  in  Monson  was 
in  1825.  It  was  organized  by  Rev.  Joel  W.  McKee,  then  the 
regular  preacher  of  old  Brookfleld  circuit.  It  consisted  of 
some  20  probationers  ;  and  Horace  Moulton,  a  young,  ener- 
getic, earnest  Christian,  a  leading  spirit  in  the  movement, 
was  appointed  its  first  leader. 

The  following  winter,  the  class  having  grown  larger  by  about 
one-third,  Selah  Stocking,  afterward  a  member  of  the  New 
England  Conference,  and  subsequently,  by  transfer,  a  member 
of  the  New  York  Conference,  became  its  second  leader.  The 
following  are  the  names  of  the  class-members  at  the  date 
April  1,  1826:  Selah  Stocking  (leader),  Joseph  Morse,  Dolly 
Smith,  Patty  Smith,  Anna  Smith,  Waite  Morse,  Pallas  Bum- 
stead,  Harriet  Bumstead,  Celestia  Bumstead,  Mosely  Dwight, 
Daniel  Paul,  Sarah  Paul,  Annis  Chaffee,  Elizabeth  Scripture, 

John  Ormsby,  Aulinda  Blanchard,   Royal   BuflBngton,  

Butfington,  Francis  Bartlett,  Melvina  Truesdell,  Sabra  Bum- 
stead, Mary  A.  Bidwell,  Rhoda  Chaff'ee,  Theda  Chaftee,  Tam- 
mason  Davis,  Mrs.  Bartlett,  Peasley  Truesdell,  Jr.,  Calvin 
E.  Chaftee,  Marcus  J.  Pease,  Ann  Smith, — 80  members  in  all. 

Mosely  Dwight,  still  living,  one  of  the  patriarchs  of  the 
New  England  Conference,  was  the  third  leader  of  the  class. 
He  became  a  Christian  in  a  revival  in  his  native  village, 
Somers,  Conn.,  under  the  labors  of  the  then  eminent  evan- 
gelist, Asahel  Nettleton.  The  first  regular  Methodist  preacher 
in  the  town  was  Rev.  Joel  W.  McKee,  in  1825.  He  held  his 
meetings  in  the  old  school-house,  near  the  South  Cotton- Fac- 
tory, on  week  evenings,  once  a  fortnight.  He  was  one  of  the 
"  weeping  prophets,''  but  preached  with  great  acceptance  and 
success.  One  of  the  circuit  preachers  closely  following  Mr. 
McKee  was  Isaac  Jennison,  who  was  a|ipointed  to  Brookfield 
circuit  in  1827-28.  It  is  not  certain  whether  George  Sunder- 
land followed  Mr.  Jennison  or  not,  but  he  was  assigned  to 
this  circuit  in  1829  or  1830.  Horace  Moulton  was  on  the  cir- 
cuit in  1830-31 ;  Enoch  Bradley,  1832  ;  Ebenezer  F.  Newell, 
1833  ;  Amasa  Taylor,  1834  ;  Horace  Moulton  and  George  W. 
Green,  1835;  Otis  Wilder  and  James  0.  Dean,  1836;  Joseph 
W.  Lewis,  1837-38.  During  these  two  years  Monson  was 
included  in  Wales  circuit,  and  preaching  was  enjoyed  every 
other  Sunday.  Eflicient  aid  in  pulpit  services  was  often 
rendered  by  Drs.  Raymond  and  Patten,  of  Wilbraham  Acad- 
emy, the  former  then  a  student. 

Rev.  Charles  Virgin  was  on  the  circuit  in  1839  ;   Rev.  Wil-. 
liam  Gordon,  1840;  Rev.  Walter  Wilkie,  1841  ;  Rev.  Thomas 
W.  Guile,  1842;  H.  S.  Shed  (a  local  preacher),  1843;  Rev. 
R.   P.   Buffington,   1844;   Rev.  Spencer  Tileston,   1845;  Rev. 
William   A.    Clapp  and  Elder  Bennett,   1846 ;   Elder  Ben- 

*  ContributL'd  by  tlie  pastor,  Kt;v.  Hcnr^  Luniniid. 


HISTORY  OF   HAMPDEN  COUNTY. 


1023 


nett  (a  Baptist  preacher),  1847;  James  Billings  (an  Eng- 
lish local  preacher),  1848.  Rev.  W.  B.  Olds,  was  pastor  in 
1849-50;  Rev.  John  W.  Dadmun,  1851-52;  Revs.  Charles 
Noble  and  J.  Paulson,  1853 ;  Rev.  John  Paulson,  1854 ;  Rev. 
David  K.  Merrill,  185.5-.56;  Rev.  Silas  Piper,  1857;  Rev. 
Thomas  B.  Trcadwell,  18-58-59;  Rev.  Albinus  O.  Hamilton, 
1860-61;  Rev.  Frederic  Woods,  1862-G3;  Rev.  Hiram  P. 
Satchwell,  18(U-G5;  Rev.  Rodney  H.  Howard,  1866-68;  Rev. 
Charles  K.  True,  1869;  Rev.  William  J.  Pomfret,  1870-72; 
Rev.  William  Silverthorne,  1873-74  ;  Rev.  Osmon  W.  Adams, 
1875-76;  Rev.  Henry  Lummis,  1877. 

Monson  first  had  regular  Sunday  preaching  in  1848.  Mr. 
Billings  lived  in  the  house  opposite  the  grist-mill,  north  of 
Rev.  Mr.  Tufts,  He  worked  at  secular  labor  through  the 
week,  and  on  Sunday  morning  preached  in  the  Methodist 
chapel,  and  every  other  Sunday  evening  at  the  North  Factory 
school-house.  At  the  beginning  of  this  year  there  were  but 
8  members  in  the  society, — Levi  C.  Bates,  Joseph  Bumstead 
and  his  daughter  Harriet,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sanderson,  Mrs.  Chad- 
wick,  Mrs.  Lucy  Leonard  (a  sister  of  Rev.  Horace  Moulton), 
and  a  colored  woman,  Harriet  Porter.  Three  efficient  workers 
came  into  the  place  during  the  year, — Elijah  Cutter,  Ira  Fales, 
and  Willard  Willis. 

There  was  a  gracious  revival  in  the  autumn,  resulting  in 
gathering  many  souls  into  the  church.  From  this  time  on, 
Monsou  has  been  a  station,  having  stated  service  on  the  Lord's 
day. 

In  1826  a  Methodist  chapel  was  first  projected ;  the  year 
following,  it  was  built.  The  structure  was  25  by  40  feet,  and 
cost  about  ?500.  It  was  dedicated  free  from  debt,  though  not 
finished.  It  was  about  a  mile  and  a  half  south  of  the  centre, 
and  is  now  converted  into  a  dwelling,  which  occupies  the 
original  site. 

During  the  pastorate  of  Mr.  Olds  a  proprosal  was  made  to 
build  a  new  church.  Mr.  Olds,  Levi  C.  Bates,  Eli  Rogers, 
Dwight  King,  and  Nelson  F.  Rogers  were  the  building  com- 
mittee, and  Walter  Smith,  Dwight  King  and  Nelson  F.  Rod- 
gers  the  committee  for  the  selection  of  a  site.  The  whole 
subscription  amounted  to  §1595.  On  the  8th  of  October,  1850, 
the  church  was  dedicated  by  Dr.  Abel  Stevens.  The  cost  of 
church  and  lot  was  about  ^3300. 

In  1860,  under  the  pastorate  of  Mr.  Hamilton,  steps  were 
taken  to  enlarge  and  beautify  the  church.  It  was  ready  for 
dedication  in  March,  1861,  the  improvements  having  co.st 
§7000. 

The  following  representative  persons  have  gone  out  from 
the  church  during  its  history :  Rev.  Horace  Moulton,  a  pio- 
neer itinerant,  and  a  man  of  great  courage  and  strong  faith. 
He  died  Sept.  11,  1873,  aged  seventy-four  years,  and  having 
been  a  member  of  the  New  England  Conference  forty-five 
years. 

Rev.  Selah  Stocking,  who  joined  the  New  England  Confer- 
ence, and  was  subsequently  transferred  to  the  New  York  Con- 
ference ;  an  influential  and  useful  minister. 

Rev.  Mosely  Dwight,  still  living,  a  devoted  man,  and  a  zeal- 
ous advocate  of  a  holy  life.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the  New 
England  Conference  for  over  forty-seven  years. 

Rev.  J.  W.  Dadmun,  who  joined  the  Now  England  Con- 
ference in  1842;  widely  known  as  a  sweet  singer.  He  is  the 
chaplain  of  the  institutions  of  the  city  of  Boston  on  Deer 
Island. 

Rev.  William  A.  Braman,  who  joined  the  New  England 
Conference  in  1844,  is  an  efficient  minister  in  the  regular 
work,  and  is  .stationed  at  the  city  of  Lawrence. 

Rev.  Francis  Ward  died  at  the  early  age  of  twenty-five. 
Rev.  Miner  Raymond  said  of  him  that  he  had  never  met  an- 
other like  him, — never  one  of  greater  promise  or  nobler  char- 
acter. 

Wesley  Squier,  a  young  man  about  to  graduate  from  Am- 
herst College  with  the  highest  honors  of  the  institution.     Pres- 


ident Stearns  remarked  of  him  :  "  We  believe  him  to  have  been 
'an  Israelite  indeed,  in  whom  there  was  no  guile.'  To  him 
more  than  any  other  agency,  it  is  thought,  the  revival  en- 
joj-ed  by  his  class  in  the  Sophomore  year  was  due." 

Maria  Stanton,  sent  by  the  missionary  society  of  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  Church  as  a  missionary  to  Africa.  She  ended 
her  work  in  that  far-oft"  field  only  with  her  life. 

George  E.  AVard,  a  young  man  of  high  promise,  died  in  the 
war  of  the  Rebellion. 

Rev.  Jonathan  D.  Bridge,  a  man  of  exceptional  power  and 
intelligence,  died  July  25,  1856. 

Rev.  Henry  Ward,  an  earnest  worker  in  the  vineyard. 

Rev.  King  D.  Nettleton,  now  preaching  in  Central  New 
York. 

The  present  condition  of  the  church  is  flourishing.  It  is 
free  from  debt,  has  an  efiicient  board  of  trustees  and  stewards, 
has  four  large  classes,  averaging  over  40  each,  has  a  prosperous 
Sunday-school,  and  the  largest  attendance  on  social  meetings 
in  the  town. 

The  Conference  Minutes  in  1878  report  for  Monson  :  church 
property,  §12,600  ;  church  membership,  165  ;  number  of  Sun- 
day-school scholars,  216;  number  of  officers  and  teachers,  25; 
missionary  collections,  $162;  other  benevolent  collections,  §74. 
The  current  expenses  of  the  church  are  about  ?1.500. 

The  following  are  the  trustees,  stewards,  and  leaders :  Levi 
C.  Bates,  Dwight  King,  Horace  Squior,  Hiram  Bliss,  Eli  Rog- 
ers, Alanson  Chafl'ee,  Geo.  Topliffe,  Harrison  C.  Day,  Solomon 
Squier,  Frank  M.  King,  Edwin  Bates,  AVilbur  J.  Mcllwain, 
Wm.  Charles,  George  Thompson ;  Treasurer  of  Stewards, 
Horace  Squier ;  Sunday-school  Superintendent,  Frank  M. 
King;  Local  Preachers,  Henry  G.  Rogers,  Alvin  Biirley. 

CATHOLICS. 
The  first  regular  establishment  of  Catholic  worship  in  Mon- 
son occurred  in  the  fall  of  1878.  Previous  to  that  time  the 
services  there  were  of  a  missionary  character,  and  were  under 
the  supervision,  in  latter  years,  of  Rev.  F.  J.  Lynch,  of  the 
village  of  Three  Rivers,  in  the  town  of  Palmer.  The  Rev. 
Mr.  O'Riley  was  instflUed  pastor  of  the  church  in  October, 
1878.  A  pleasant  church  edifice  was  erected  in  the  village 
several  years  before.  After  the  settlement  of  the  pastor  a 
parsonage  was  purchased,  and  several  acres  of  land,  for  the 
purpose  of  establishing  a  Catholic  cemetery  in  the  town.  The 
church  is  reported  to  be  in  a  prosperous  condition. 


In  1768  a  Baptist  Church  was  established  in  the  north- 
eastern part  of  Wilbraham,  near  the  Monson  line.  It  flour- 
ished for  a  number  of  years,  and  then  experienced  a  decline. 
In  1807  the  body  was  reported  to  the  Sturbridge  Baptist 
Association,  to  which  it  was  attached,  as  having  "  lost  its  vis- 
ibility." During  the  existence  of  this  church,  about  25  of  its 
members  united  together  and  formed  the  "  Second  Baptist 
Church  in  Wilbraham,"  receiving  fellowship  July  2,  1794. 
In  1815  its  name  was  changed  to  that  of  the  "Wilbraham 
and  Monson  Baptist  Church."  At  first  the  church  had  no 
special  house  of  worship,  but  in  1817  a  meeting-house  was 
built  in  the  western  part  of  Monson.  April  26,  1845,  the 
name  of  the  church  was  changed  to  "The  Monson  and  Wil- 
braham Baptist  Church." 

The  first  pastor  of  the  church  was  Rev.  Samuel  Webster. 
In  1799,  Rev.  Stephen  Shepherd  filled  that  office.  In  1808, 
Rev.  Alvin  Bennett,  then  a  licentiate,  commenced  preaching, 
and  on  Jan.  81,  1810,  was  ordained  pastor,  and  continued  in 
that  relation  twenty-six  years.  In  April,  1837,  Rev.  Amos 
Snell  became  pastor,  and  so  remained  until  1840.  The  next 
regular  pastor  was  the  Rev.  Uriah  Underwood,  who  com- 
menced in  the  spring  of  1845.  He  was  succeeded,  in  1847,  by 
Rev.  J.  M.  Hunt,  who  remained  until  1849.  In  April,  1853, 
Rev.  J.  C.  Foster  commenced  his  labors,  and  was  ordtiinud 


1024 


HISTORY  OF  THE  CONNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


pastor  September  17th  of  that  year.  For  some  reason,  not 
well  understood,  the  subsequent  history  of  the  church  in  Mon- 
son  indicates  a  decline.  The  society  was  dissolved,  and  the 
church  building  left  standing  unoccupied  for  a  time.  It  was 
destroyed  by  fire  about  1856.  No  regular  Baptist  society  at 
present  exists  in  the  town.  The  movement  was  continued 
under  the  Rev.  J.  Foster  in  South  Wilbraham,  now  Hampden. 

BURIAL-GROUNDS. 

There  are  within  the  limits  of  the  town  of  Monson  no  less 
than  ten  different  places  of  burial.  The  first  one  laid  out  was 
in  response  to  a  petition  of  some  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  west 
part  of  Brimfield  addressed  to  that  town  on  March  19,  1755, 
and  which  has  been  set  forth  in  full  in  the  history  of  Brim- 
field.  The  lot  granted  was  not  laid  out  until  1760,  and  was 
situated  half  a  mile  from  the  meeting-house,  near  to  the  road 
that  led  to  Palmer.  Capt.  David  Hitchcock  died  in  1762,  and 
was  the  first  person  buried  in  this  cemetery,  and  the  first  in 
Monson.  Only  two  persons  have  been  interred  there  in  the 
last  eighty  years.  The  remains  of  most  of  the  early  settlers 
lie  buried  beneath  its  sod,  and  but  two  or  three  crumbling 
headstones  bear  witness  to  the  solemn  character  of  the  spot. 
A  rail  fence  was  put  around  the  ground  by  vote  of  the  town 
in  1774. 

What  is  now  known  as  the  old  or  centre  burying-ground  was 
laid  out  about  1780,  and  originally  consisted  of  less  than  an 
acre  of  land.  It  lies  on  the  west  side  of  the  road,  about  a  hun- 
dred yards  northwest  of  Green's  Hotel.  It  contains  the  re- 
mains of  many  of  the  first  settlers  of  the  town,  the  places  of 
their  interment  being  marked  by  stones  bearing  early  dates. 
It  is  in  a  good  state  of  repair,  and  is  substantially  inclosed. 

The  Squier  burying-ground  is  situated  in  the  southeasterly 
part  of  the  town,  and  contains  about  two  acres  of  land.  It 
has  been  in  use  for  upward  of  one  hundred  years,  but  was  not 
declared  a  public  burying-ground  until  April  4,  1803,  when 
the  town  voted  it  as  such.  The  Moultons,  Munns,  and  other 
early  settlers  are  buried  there.  It  is  still  one  of  the  best  in  the 
town,  and  is  in  use. 

The  Butler  burying-ground  is  located  in  the  southwest  part 
of  the  town,  and  contains  about  an  acre  of  land.  It  has  been 
established  about  eighty  years.  Henry  G.  Cady,  Jonathan 
Torre}-,  Capt.  Lyman  Shaw,  the  Bennetts,  and  other  well- 
known  citizens  are  interred  there.     It  is  still  in  use. 

The  Grout  burying-ground  was  laid  out  by  vote  of  the  town, 
Feb.  4,  1839.  It  is  situated  about  20  rods  northeast  of  Joseph 
Grout's,  in  the  northeast  part  of  the  town,  and  contains  40 
square  rods  of  land.  John  Aldridge,  Joseph  Grout,  and  others 
are  buried  there. 

The  Gage  burying-ground  is  located  about  three  miles  south 
of  the  centre,  and  contains  less  than  an  acre  of  land.  It  has 
been  in  use  about  thirty  years.  Philip  and  Aaron  Gage,  with 
others,  are  interred  there. 

The  Day  burying-ground  lies  in  the  west  part  of  the  town, 
and  contains  about  a  quarter  of  an  acre  of  land. 

The  Catholics  of  the  town  have  recently  purchased  seven 
acres  of  land  in  the  northeast  part  of  the  village,  and  devoted 
them  to  use  as  a  place  of  interment  for  the  dead.  Included 
within  this  area  is  the  original  or  first  cemetery  of  the  town, 
to  which  reference  has  been  made. 

A  small  but  neat  place  of  burial  is  situated  in  the  centre  of 
the  village,  on  the  east  side  of  the  main  street.  It  was  laid 
out  about  1803,  and  is  owned  by  private  individuals.  William 
Norcross  was  the  first  person  buried  there.  Deacon  Abel 
Goodell,  who  died  Dec.  14,  1809,  at  the  age  of  sixty-seven 
years,  was  also  interred  there. 

By  vote  of  the  town,  April  8,  1842,  the  selectmen  were  di- 
rected to  purchase  three  acres  of  land  on  the  south  side  of 
the  road,  west  of  Jacob  Thompson's  house  and  adjoining  J. 
F.  Converse's  land,  and  to  fence  and  prepare  the  same  for  a 
place  of  burial.      One-half   was  to  be  sold  in  lots,  and  the 


balance  to  be  a  public  burying-ground.  This  place  is  now 
known  as  the  new  cemetery,  and  is  the  one  principally  in  use. 
Benjamin  Fuller  was  the  first  person  buried  there. 

SOCIETIES. 
DAYSPRING    LODGK,    A.    F.    AND    A.    M., 

was  chartered  March  11,  1863,  with  the  following  charter 
members:  Joseph  L.  Reynolds,  E.  C.  Robinson,  D.  D.  Moody, 
Jacob  Thompson,  Otis  Bradford,  Joel  Tucker,  D.  B.  Ham- 
mond, J.  B.  Williams,  N.  F.  Rogers,  Sherman  Converse,  H. 
F.  Miller,  E.  W.  Sholes,  and  E.  B.  Miles.  The  present  num- 
ber of  members  is  65.  Meetings  are  held  each  month  on  the 
Wednesday  preceding  the  full  moon.  The  principal  otfieers 
of  the  lodge  are,  W.  M.,  Alvin  A.  Gage;  S.  W.,  Henry  E. 
Bugbee;  J.  W.,  W^illiam  Whiting;  Treas.,  Cyrus  E.  Bills; 
Sec  ,  A.  Haskell  White.  The  Past  Masters  are  Joseph  L. 
Reynolds,  E.  W.  Sholes,  J.  B.  Williams,  E.  F.  Morris,  E.  E. 
Towne,  John  Thayer,  G.  O.  Henry,  Alvin  A.  Gage,  and  John 
M.  Phipps. 

THE    MONSON    FREE    LIBRARY   AND    READINa-KOOM 

ASSOCIATION 

was  incorporated  under  the  general  law  of  the  State,  in  March, 
1878.  The  name  of  the  organization  sufficiently  explains  its 
aim  and  object.  The  society  has  at  present  upward  of  1000 
volumes.  The  present  officers  are.  President,  George  G.  Ful- 
ler, M.D.  ;  Vice-President,  Alvin  A.  Gage ;  Secretary,  Frank 

E.  Morris ;  Treasurer,  S.  F.  Cushman. 

THE   MONSON    REFORMED    CLUB 

was  organized  March  10,  1878.  The  officers  of  the  associa- 
tion are.  President,  George  W.  Burdick;  Vice-President,  Syl- 
vanus  C.  Hatch ;  Secretary,  Henry  Bugbee ;  Treasurer,  Gilbert 
Farrington.  Meetings  are  held  once  each  week,  and  the  rooms 
of  the  society  are  open  every  evening  for  reading  and  social 
enjoyment. 

Other  organized  societies  in  the  town  are  Saint  Patrick's 
Mutual  Relief  Association  and  a  lodge  of  the  Ancient  Order 
of  Hibernians. 

CORPORATIONS. 

THE    MONSON    NATIONAL    BANK 

was  incorporated  March  28,  1854,  with  a  capital  of  $150,000. 
Austin  Puller,  Albert  Norcross,  and  William  N.  Flynt  were 
the  original  incorporators.  It  was  originally  a  State  bank, 
but  was  reorganized  as  a  national  bank  Aug.  25,  1864,  being 
the  first  bank  in  the  county  east  of  Springfield  to  make  the 
change.  The  first  president  of  the  bank  was  William  N. 
Flynt,  and  Jonathan  R.  Flynt  was  the  first  cashier.  On  Oct. 
3,  1859,  Jonathan  B.  Flynt  was  elected  president,  and  E.  C. 
Robinson  cashier.  Mr.  Flynt  died  Julj'  31,  1860,  and  John 
Wyles  was  chosen  president  on  November  7th  of  that  year. 
In  1864,  Edward  F.  Morris  was  chosen  cashier,  and  is  still 
serving  in  that  capacity.  Cyrus  W.  Holmes,  the  present  presi- 
dent, was  elected  to  that  office  Jan.  14,  1871.  Rice  M.  Rey- 
nolds was  chosen  vice-president  Jan.  15,  1876,  and  is  still 
filling  that  office.  The  present  directors  of  the  bank  are 
Cyrus  W.  Holmes,  Charles  H.  Merrick,  Joshua  Tracy,  Ed- 
ward F.  Morris,  Rice  S.  Munn,  Rice  M.  Reynolds,  and  Alfred 
Norcross. 

THE   MONSON   SAVINGS-BANK 

was  incorporated  March  27,  1872.  The  following  persons 
were  the  incorporators :  Wm.  N.  Flynt,  Cyrus  W.  Holmes, 
Jr.,  Timothy  F.  Packard,  Chas.  H.  Merrick,  Alfred  Norcross, 
Rice  M.  Reynolds,  Rice  S.  Munn,  Edwin  E.  Towne,  Rufus 

F.  Fay,  and  Daniel  G.  Potter.  The  present  officers  of  the 
institution  are,  President,  Charles  H.  Merrick ;  Vice-Presi- 
dents, Rice  S.  Munn,  Timothy  F,  Packard  ;  Clerk,  Edwin 
F.  Morris. 

THE   STATE   PRIMARY   SCHOOL, 

an  institution  of  great  interest,  is  located  in  the  northern  part 
of  the  town,  overlooking  the  village  of  Palmer. 


HISTORY   OF    HAMPDEN    COUNTY. 


102o 


"  Ou  the  20th  of  May,  1832,  the  Legislature  authorized  Gov.  Boutwell  to  ap- 
point a  Board  of  Commissiouere  to  construct  three  a1mshou.se8  for  the  acconiino- 
diitiou  of  such  persons  as  had  no  le^al  settlement  within  the  .Stiite.  These 
institutions  were  located  in  Blonson,  Bridgewater,  and  Tewksbur.v,  were  erected, 
in  1853,  during  the  administration  of  Gov.  Clilford,  and  were  opened  for  occu- 
pancy May  1,  1854,  by  proclamation  of  Gov.  Emory  Washburn. 

"On  the  19th  of  May,  1855,  the  Legislature  passed  '  An  Act  providing  for  the 
Cliussitication  of  State  Pauper^.'  By  this  Act  this  itistitution  was  expressly  'sot 
apart  for  the  purp  tse  of  a  .State  Pauper  School.'  This  w.as  the  first  attempt  at 
classification,  and  went  into  practical  operation  in  the  month  of  June,  the  next 
year  after  the  institution  was  opened. 

"  Althoui;h  tliis  Classification  .\ct  was  repealed  by  the  next  Legislature,  the 
cbildreu  then  here  reuiaiued,  and  the  majority  of  those  admitted  t<»  the  other 
almshouses  were  transferred  to  this  institution  for  instruction  till  ISOr..  when 
the  '.State  Primary  Scliool'  was  established  at  Monsoo,  and  the  'St.ate  Work- 
house' at  Bridgewater,  during  the  administration  of  G?v.  Bullock.  This  Act 
was  passed  on  the  3d  of  May,  providing  for  all  the  dependent  and  neglected 
children  between  the  ages  of  three  and  sixteen  gathered  in  the  almshouses  of 
Bridgewater,  Tewksbury,  aud  Monson. 

"  By  the  '  Act  relating  to  the  State  Visiting  Agency  and  Juvenile  Offenders,' 
passed  June  15, 1870,  power  was  given  to  judges  of  probate  to  authorize  the 
B.)ard  of  State  Charities  to  place  childi-en  arraigued  before  said  courts  in  the 
State  I'riniary  School  for  such  times  during  minority  as  their  best  interest 
ilemanded. 

"  The  Legislature  of  1872,  by  .an  .\ct  which  took  effect  on  the  1st  day  of  May, 
1872,  abolished  the  iUmshouse  at  Monson,  and  the  institution  is  now  in  name,  as 
well  as  in  fact,  the  'State  Primary  School.'  A  few  mothers  with  children  are 
transferred  from  the  State  almshouse  at  Tewksbury  as  helpers,  aud  also  a  few 
children,  with  their  mothers,  brothers,  or  sisters,  too  young  for  admis.iion  to  the 
Primary  School,  are  transferred  here  for  temporary  support. 

"Here  the  children  from  all  the  towns  in  the  commonwealth,  who  have  no 
legal  settlement  in  any  town,  are  sent  for  instruction,  and  other  children  placed 
in  the  care  of  the  Board  of  State  Charities  by  the  courts  are  sent  for  discipline 
till  fitted  to  return  to  friends,  or  homes  are  provided." 

The  number  of  persons  at  present  supported  b}'  the  institu- 
tion is  537.  The  buildings  and  general  appointments  of  the 
jilace  are  e.xcellent.  Experienced  persons  are  in  charge  of  the 
several  departments,  and  the  utmost  cleanliness  and  cheerful- 
ness pervade  the  institution.  Space  will  not  permit  a  de- 
tailed account  of  its  special  excellencies,  which  are  well  known 
throughout  the  State.  Prom  Oct.  1,  1872,  to  Oct.  1,  1877, 
2922  persons  were  inmates  of  the  institution.  The  principal 
officers  in  charge  at  present  are,  Superintendent,  Rev.  James 
H.  Bradford ;  Assistant  Superintendent  and  Superintendent 
of  Schools,  J.  C.  Tibbets  ;  John  B.  Chapman,  Clerk  and 
Steward.  A  farm  of  200  acres  is  connected  with  the  institu- 
tion. 

INDUSTRFAL  PURSUITS. 

Prior  to  the  erection  of  what  is  known  as  the  North  fac- 
tory in  1811,  the  manufacturing  enterprises  of  Monson  were 
of  a  minor  order,  and  the  principal  occupation  of  the  inhab- 
itants was  the  pursuit  of  agriculture. 

A  saw-  and  oil-mill  was  erected  in  the  latter  part  of  last 
century  where  the  Ellis  factory  now  stands.  It  was  first  run 
by  Noah  Sabin  and  Reuben  Hoar  in  partnership.  The  man- 
ufacture of  linseed  oil  was  pursued  until  1808,  and  the  stiw- 
mill  was  in  operation  as  late  as  1822. 

About  the  same  time  a  grist-mill  was  built  where  Reynolds' 
Rockland  mill  now  is,  by  Asa  White,  who  operated  it  until 
1845,  when  the  property  passed  into  the  hands  of  Joseph  L. 
Reynolds.  On  the  opposite  side  of  the  stream  bar-iron  was 
made  from  scrap-iron  and  a  little  bog-iron  gathered  in  Silver 
Street,*  near  the  spring  known  as  "Cato's  Pool,"  by  Joseph 
and  Jeremiah  Bumstead  as  early  as  1800.  Their  establish- 
ment was  carried  oil'  by  a  freshet  in  the  month  of  February, 
1807,  and  was  afterward  erected  liigher  up  the  stream. 

A  saw-  and  grist-mill  stood  where  the  North  factory  now  is 
as  early  as  1800,  and  was  run  by  Roswell  &  Gideon  Jlerrick. 
It  was  taken  down  in  1816,  and  in  18'20  the  Rockbottom  fac- 
tory was  erected  on  its  site  by  WitheriU  &  Co.,  who  engaged 
in  the  manufacture  of  cotton  goods.  The  building  is  now  the 
store-house  of  the  North  factory. 

Early  in  1800,  Asa  Gates  had  a  carding-mill  in  a  small 
building  near  Lyon's  mill  factory.     He  engaged  principally 

*  This  locality  derives  its  name  from  the  "  four  pence  half  penny'*  which  a 
tax-collector  gathered  there  after  a  whole  day's  labor. 

129 


in  finishing  woven  cloth, — a  business  which  he  pursued  for 
twelve  or  fifteen  years.  The  establishment  then  passed  into 
the  possession  of  the  Monson  Woolen  Company,  of  which  Gates 
became  one  of  the  members. 

Several  saw-mills  existed  at  Silver  Street  and  in  other 
localities  in  the  town  early  in  the  present  century. 

Roswell  Merrick  had  a  tannery,  about  1808,  near  the  old 
buryiiig-ground.  Bela  IJennett  afterward  carried  on  the  bus- 
iness. About  1820,  Stephen  Tobey  purchased  the  building, 
together  with  30  or  40  acres  of  land,  re|iairud  the  shops,  erected 
several  new  buildings,  and  engaged  in  the  tanning  business 
for  upward  of  fort)"  years.  His  son,  Clinton,  in  company 
with  E.  O.  Fenton,  subsequently  pursued  the  business  of  hide- 
dressing  for  several  years.  The  buildings  were  destroyed  by 
fire  some  years  ago. 

In  1811,  Roswell  Merrick  erected  the  North  factory  and 
engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  cotton  yarn,  in  company  with 
Artemas  WitheriU  and  a  man  named  Pierce.  In  1863  the 
propert}'  came  into  the  possession  of  Albert  Norcross,  who 
received  it  from  Andrew  W.  Porter.  The  latter  had  ensiaged 
in  the  manufacture  of  cloth.  Mr.  Norcross  sold  the  concern 
to  Jared  Beebe  about  1870,  who  carried  on  the  business  of 
woolen  manufacturing  until  his  death,  in  1877.  It  is  now 
being  run  by  his  heirs  tind  personal  representatives. 

Cushman's  or  Lyon's  Mill  was  erected  about  1813,  by  the 
Monson  Woolen  Company.  The  commodities  at  first  manu- 
fitctured  were  satinets  and  broadcloth.  The  business  then 
passed  successively  into  the  hands  of  Joel  Norcross,  Chas.  P. 
Fay,  Horatio  Lyon,  and  John  Wyles,  and  the  Hampden 
Cotton  Manufacturing  Company.  It  is  owned  by  Solomon  S. 
Cushman,  and  is  used  in  the  manufacture  of  fancy  cassimeres. 

The  Hampden  Cotton-Manufacturing  Company  erected  the 
Reynolds  Mill  in  1813,  and  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of 
cotton  cloth  for  a  long  time.  Afterward  satinets,  cassi- 
meres, and  doeskins  were  manufactured  in  town.  The  prop- 
erty was  purchased  by  Joseph  L.  Reynolds,  who  had  long 
superintended  the  business  for  the  company,  in  1871.  Mr. 
Reynolds  has  since  remodeled  it  several  times.  The  mill  is  a 
three-set  mill,  furnishes  employment  to  about  35  persons,  and 
manufactures  about  (iOO  yards  of  fancy  cassimeres  and  doeskins 
per  day. 

The  same  company  erected  the  Ellis  mill  in  1829.  It  was 
destroyed  by  fire  in  November,  1839,  but  was  rebuilt.  It 
came  into  the  possession  of  C.  W.  Holmes  &  Sons,  in  1869, 
and  was  again  burned.  In  the  spring  of  1871,  Dwight  W. 
Ellis  purchased  of  C.  W.  Holmes  &  Sons  the  middle  mill- 
privilege  and  the  tenements  connected  therewith,  and  imme- 
diately proceeded  to  erect  a  new  mill,  and  fitted  it  up  with 
new  machinery,  at  an  aggregate  cost  of  $50,000,  and  began 
the  manufacture  of  fancy  cassimeres,  which  business  is  still 
continued.  The  mill  gives  employment  to  about  75  hands, 
and  the  monthly  pay-roll  is  about  §2100.  The  mill  is  what  is 
known  as  a  "four-set"  mill.  The  amount  of  raw  stock  used 
annually  is  250,000  pounds,  and  about  2.50,000  yards  of  goods 
are  produced.  The  firm  consists  of  Dwight  AV.  Ellis  and 
Arthur  D.  Ellis,  under  the  firm-name  of  D.  W.  Ellis  &  Son. 

The  West  Branch  mill  was  erected  by  Joseph  L.  Reynolds 
in  1837.  C.  W.  Holmes  became  associated  with  him  in  busi- 
ness, and  the  firm  of  Reynolds,  Holmes  &  Co.  engaged  in  the 
manufacture  of  satinet.  The  business  was  then  sold  to  the 
Hampden  Cotton  Company.  In  1868-69  the  company  sold  it 
to  C.  W.  Holmes  &  Sons.  It  afterward  became  the  property 
of  Holmes  &  Ellis,  and  latterly  of  C.  W.  Holmes,  Jr. 

In  1872  it  was  changed  from  a  satinet-mill  to  the  manufacc 
ture  of  fancy  cassimeres,  to  which  purpose  it  is  at  preseiit  c|e- 
voted.  It  is  a  two-set  mill,  and  employs  about  35  persons. 
About  400  yards  of  fancy  cassimeres  are  daily  n^anuft^cturetl. 

About  1857,  Joseph  L.  Reynolds  erected  a  tworset  steam- 
mill  on  the  present  site  of  h)s  store-house.  It  was  destroyed 
by  fire  in  about  six  months,  and  proved  a  heavy  loss. 


1026 


HISTOKY  OF  THE  CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


The  Rockland  mill,  owned  by  Josoph  L.  Reynolds,  wns 
erected  in  18G0-(Jl,  and  was  burned  about  18G7.  It  was  re- 
built two  or  three  years  afterward.  It  was  first  occupied  as  a 
satinet-mill,  but  is  now  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  fancy 
cassimeres,  of  which  it  produces  about  000  yards  per  day.  It 
is  a  three-set  mill,  and  employs  about  40  persons. 

A  small  woolen-mill  formerly  existed  in  the  northwest  part 
of  the  town,  in  the  Silver  Street  district,  on  Twelve-Mile 
Brook.     It  was  owned  by  Lathrop  Clark  in  1864. 

One  of  the  most  important  manufacturing  enterprises  of  the 
town  is  the  straw  hat  factory  of  Merrick  &  Faj',  situated  in 
the  centre  of  the  village.  The  business  has  been  carried  on 
for  nuiny  years.  All  varieties  of  straw  hats  are  manufactured. 
Employment  is  atforded  to  4.50  persons.  In  1878  goods  were 
made  exceeding  in  value  $800,000.  The  goods  are  all  sold  in 
New  York  City,  through  Hodges,  Hersey  &  Co.,  a  branch  of 
the  concern.  A  coarser  variety  of  the  same  goods  is  manu- 
factured by  the  firm  at  Amherst.* 

The  Monsou  Stone  Quarry  is  another  of  th?  important  in- 
dustries of  the  town.  It  lies  about  a  mile  northwest  of  the 
central  village.  It  was  first  opened  about  seventy  years  ago, 
by  agents  of  the  United  States  government,  who  obtained 
permission  to  quarry  stone  for  the  armory  at  Springfield,  the 
foundations  of  which  are  made  from  it.  The  quarry  was  not 
again  worked  until  about  the  year  1825,  when  it  was  opened 
by  Rufus  Flynt,  with  a  force  of  four  or  five  men,  for  the 
purpose  of  supplying  a  merely  local  want,  and  with  no  reali- 
zation of  its  future  importance  as  a  commercial  enterprise. 
The  first  stone  quarried  at  this  time  was  to  furnLsh  trimmings 
for  the  Chicopee  Bank,  at  Springfield,  and  the  stone  was  trans- 
ported to  that  city  by  teams.  Lack  of  transportaticm  facilities 
militated  against  the  rapid  and  profitable  development  of  the 
quarry  at  this  time. 

Rufus  Flynt  died  in  18.36,  and  his  son,  William  N.  Flynt, 
succeeded  to  the  business.  In  1840  he  first  placed  specimens 
of  the  stone  on  exhibition  at  Springfield,  with  a  view  to  its  in- 
troduction into  general  use.  He  kept  increasing  the  business 
and  enlarging  its  scope,  and  after  the  building  of  the  Boston 
and  Albany  Railroad,  and  especially  of  the  New  London  and 
Northern,  succeeded  in  establishing  a  large  outside  trade. 

In  the  year  1875,  Mr.  Flint  built  a  private  railroad,  two 
miles  in  length,  with  a  grade  of  158  feet  to  the  mile,  at  an  ex- 
pense of  about  !S)30, 000.  It  now  connects  the  quarry  directly 
with  the  New  London  and  Northern  Railroad,  and  stone  is 
shipped  at  the  quarry  for  all  parts  of  the  country. 

Mr.  Flynt  carried  on  the  business  successfully  until  1875, 
when,  owing  to  ill  health,  he  was  forced  to  retire.  It  is 
now  actively  operated  by  his  son,  William  K.  Flynt,  as- 
sisted by  his  brothers.  Prom  20,000  to  30,000  tons  of  stone 
are  annually  quarried,  valued  at  from  $150,000  to  §200,000. 
The  number  of  men  employed  is  about  125.  The  stone  is  a 
beautiful  stratified  gneiss.  It  is  chiefly  of  a  grayish  tinge 
(though  other  shades  appear  also),  free  from  oxide  of  iron  and 
other  mineral  impurities,  and  is  easily  wrought  by  the  process 
of  wedging,  no  blasting  being  necessary.  The  largest  stone 
over  quarried  there  was  354  feet  long,  11  feet  wide,  and  4  feet 
thick,  taking  1104  wedges  to  split  it.  Many  public  buildings 
have  been  erected  of  this  stone,  including  the  court-house  at 
Springfield,  and  the  Boston  and  Albany  Railroad  offices.  The 
church  of  St.  Francis  Xavier  (R.  C.)  in  New  York  City  is 
now  being  erected  of  stone  from  this  quarry. 

MILITARY. 
The  military  history  of  the  town  in  the  early  wars  will  be 
found  set  forth  in  the  history  of  Brimfield.  In  the  war  of  the 
Revolution  its  citizens  were  earnest  and  patriotic.  When  the 
people  of  Boston  were  sufl"ering  because  of  the  Port  Bill,  the 
town  sent  a  contribution  to  aid  them  in  their  distress,  and 
accompanied   the  same  with  a  letter,  which  will  be   found 


'  Sco  biography  of  Charles  H.  Mei-rick  in  this  work. 


printed  in  the  Massachusetts  Historical  Collections,  Vol.  IV., 
4th  series.  It  evinces  the  most  patriotic  spirit,  and  contains 
this  postscript: 

"We  have  eighty  fellows  in  tliiB  iHstiict,  a  great  part  of  whom  are  disciplined 
and  excellent  niarksnien.  I  dare  to  be  bold  to  say  that,  at  about  thirty  rods  dis- 
tant, they  would  pick  up  Tories  as  faat  as  so  many  hawks  would  i)ick  frogs  from 
a  frog-pond." 

With  the  war  of  1812  the  people  of  the  town  had  no  sym- 
pathy, and  adopted  re.solutions  against  it. 

A  few  residents  of  the  town  were  engaged  in  Shays'  rebel- 
lion, but  the  majority  were  loyal  to  the  government. 

The  town  assisted  actively  in  the  suppression  of  the  Rebel- 
lion of  1861-65,  and  the  following  soldiers  went  from  this 
town : 

George  W.  Billings,  Frank  E.  Caldwell,  Lorin  H.  Clark,  George  Ellis,  George  F. 
Holdridge,  Francis  C.  Park,  Charles  G.  Palmer,  Edward  F.  Pottei-,  Wm. 
I.  Skidmore,  Wm.  H.  Smith,  S.  Cady  AVarriner,  James  L.  Weston,  loth 
Mass. 

George  F.  Bunistead,  Dwight  E.  Bntler,  Charles  C.  Carpenter,  Chas.  F.  Cluugh, 
Dwi^iht  Colburn,  Joseph  V.  Clark,  Warren  W.  Beclie,  Josiah  B.  Davis, 
George  M.  Gieen,  Lovell  L.  Gage,  George  0.  Henry,  Silas  N.  Ham,  Wm. 
Harris,  George  W.  Johnson,  Marcus  Keep,  Austin  W.  King,  William  H. 
King,  Andrew  J.  Morgan,  Romanzo  A.  Morgan,  Willard  Nelson,  Alvan 
S.  Nil-hols,  Frederick  L.  Perry,  Hirain  M.  Rider,  Hii-am  A.  Rider,  Justus 
Stebbins,  Henry  M.  Tapper,  John  B.  Truden,  Albeit  Tapper,  Myron  K. 
Wood,  George  E.  Wood,  Alfred  E.  Warriner.  William  Lester,  Sandford  C. 
Bond,  John  C.  Maguire,  Bela  B.  Tiffany,  Lewis  Madhouse,  George  Les- 
ter, Piosper  B.  Bill,  Hiram  Bliss,  James  M.  Knowlton,  3Gtli  Blass. 

Trunnin  C.  Bradway,  Jacob  Builey,  Rodney  Bradway,  Leonard  B.  Charles, 
Wm.  A.  Charles,  Helm  H.  Fales,  George  A.  Fates,  John  L.  Flynt,  Osborne 
Fenton,  Henry  T.  Frost,  William  B.  Fay,  Wm.  F.  Fosket,  John  A.  Frost, 
John  Q.  Hoar,  Henry  H.  Hitchcock,  James  M.  Harmon,  Lieut.  George  H. 
Howe,  Krancis  P.  Keefe,  Fraidi  H.  King,  Charles  B.  Kittredge,  Meriick 
Lamphear,  Francis  L  Lemon,  John  Letter,  Elijah  Monsell,  George  II. 
Moody,  John  C.  Maguire,  Harlan  B.  Moody,  John  Moran,  Nichidas 
Moiun,  Alfred  I.  Newton,  Tra  L.  Peck,  Oliver  H.  Perry,  Charles  H.  Rob- 
Juns,  William  Smith,  James  L.  Stacy,  George  E.  Stacy,  George  W.  Stacy, 
George  Skinner,  George  N.  Skinner,  Harvey  G  Skinner.  Isaac  Toohey, 
George  E.  Wood,  Orrin  H.  Wilson,  Francis  N.  Wood,  Emerson  Wood, 
Heniy  H.  Wood,  Allen  S.  West,  George  S.Dixon,  Henry  M.  Morehouse, 
Francis  H.  Foster,  David  Mclntire,  46th  Mass. 

Willard  Darling,  George  D.  Darling,  James  W.  Gage,  Moses  G.  Gage,  Maurice 
McNaney,  George  F.  Fowler,  fliorris  Donghul,  Edmund  G.  Cary,  Fred- 
erick G.  Cary,  Charles  H.  Skidmore,  34th  Mass. 

Tyler  Blanchard,  Joseph  R.  Warriner,  Daniel  Hovey,  Franklin  G.  Calkins, 
Herbert  H.  Calkins,  Gurnsey  Clough.  George  Phillips,  Michael  Donihue, 
2d  Mass.  Art. 

Ilarland  B.  Moody,  George  E.  Wood,  Isaac  Toohey,  2d  Mass.  H.  Art. 

Harrison  Pierce,  James  Wallace,  Alanson  Wallace,  Solomon  Pierce,  Warren 
Pierce,  Erastiis  Newport,  .'>4th  Mass. 

Henry  Root,  George  Root,  Edward  Root,  Patrick  Riley,  21st  Mass. 

George  H.  Moody,  13th  Mass.  H.  Art, 

Wm.  0.  Smith,  25tli  Mass. 

Wm.  J.  Skidmore,  lljlh  Mass. 

Alonzo  Allen,  IStli  Mass. 

John  McGown,  Munroe  M.  Poole,  Ezra  Ferry,  18th  Mass. 

Charles  H.  Underwood,  William  Day,  Alvin  A.  Gage,  27th  Mass. 

John  Black,  Cornelius  Sandford,  Henry  W.  Barber,  16th  Conn. 

James  F.  Alberty,  5th  N.  T.  Cav. 

Homer  A.  Smith,  surgeon's  steward,"  Wyandotte,"  Navy. 

Valuable  assistance  has  been  rendered  in  the  compilation  of 
this  history  by  Alvin  A.  Gage,  Hiram  Newton,  Jos.  L.  Rey- 
nolds, Austin  Newell,  Dr.  G.  E.  Fuller,  by  the  several  pastors 
of  the  town,  and  by  other  citizens. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 


CHARLES   H.   MERRICK. 

The  Merrick  name  is  traceable  to  Cydovail,  judge  of  Powys 
Court,  in  Wales,  about  a.d.  1200.  The  third  son  of  Cydovail, 
named  Meuric,  was  a  captain  in  the  guard  of  Henry  VIII. 
of  England.  Meuric  gave  the  family  surname  to  his  descend- 
ants, who  now  generally  appear  under  the  name  of  Merrick, 
or  Mirick,  in  England  and  America. 

In  several  branches  of  the  Merrick  family  the  tradition  is 


fo.  %  .M^^r^:-L 


HISTORY  OF  HAMPDEN  COUNTY. 


1027 


handed  down  that  three  Merrick  brothers  were  the  first  to  in- 
troduce the  name  into  this  country;  but  the  fact  is  well 
authenticated  that  Thomas  Merrick,  a  descendant  of  Meuric, 
and  ancestor  of  the  subject  of  this  biography,  was  born  in 
1620,  and  is  believed  to  have  come  from  "Wales  to  America  in 
1630.  He  settled  at  Springfield,  Mass.,  in  1638,  and  married 
Sarah,  daughter  of  Howland  Stebbins,  of  Springfield,  July 
14,  1639. 

Gideon  Merrick,  of  the  fifth  generation  in  lineal  descent 
from  Thomas  Merrick,  was  born  at  Monson,  Mass.,  Jan.  17, 
177-5,  on  a  farm  lying  easterly  from  and  adjoining  the  lands 
now  occupied  by  the  Monson  State  Primary  School.  He 
married  Margaret  White,  of  Monson,  in  September,  1797; 
but  her  married  life  was  short,  and  she  died  July  2,  1798. 
For  his  second  wife  Gideon  Merrick  married  Beulab,  daughter 
of  Jesse  and  Elizabeth  Stebbins,  of  Monson,  Dec.  12,  1802. 
April  16,  1807,  he  purchased,  and  in  May  following  occupied, 
the  farm  where  the  State  Primary'  School  is  now  located. 
Himself  and  wife  were  hopeful  subjects  of  the  revival  which 
visited  the  town  in  1819,  and  united  with  the  Congregational 
Church  in  June  of  that  year. 

Mr.  Merrick  sold  his  farm  property  at  Monson  to  the  State, 
Sept.  17,  1852,  and  removed  to  Amherst,  Mass.,  to  take  up  his 
residence  with  a  son,  where  he  died  March  19,  18o6.  He  was 
buried  at  Monson.  Beulah,  his  wife,  died  at  Amherst,  Dec. 
14,  1864,  and  was  buried  in  the  family  ground  with  her  hus- 
band. 

James  L.  Merrick,  eldest  son  of  Gideon  and  Beulah  Merrick, 
was  born  at  Monson,  Dec.  11,  1803.  He  continued  on  the  farm 
with  his  parents  until  nearly  twenty-one  years  of  age,  and 
contributed  essentially  to  the  famih'  prosperity.  Himself  and 
two  brothers  united  with  the  Congregational  Church  in  Mon- 
son in  October,  1825.  He  graduated  at  Amherst  College  in 
1830,  and  in  1833  at  the  Presbyterian  Theological  Seminary 
of  Columbia,  S.  C.  April  15,  1834,  Mr.  Merrick  was  ordained 
in  the  ministry  at  the  Second  Presbyterian  Church  of  Colum- 
bia, and  from  that  time  to  1845  he  was  a  missionary  to  Persia. 
On  the  11th  of  March,  1839,  at  Tabreez,  Persia,  he  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Emma,  daughter  of  Xathaniel  and  Maria 
Taylor,  of  Portsmouth,  England.  In  the  year  1845,  Mr.  Mer- 
rick returned  with  his  wife  to  America,  and  Jan.  30,  1849, 
he  was  installed  pastor  of  the  Congregational  Church  of  South 
Amherst,  Mass.  His  wife  died  at  Amherst,  Dee.  14,  1858,  and 
was  buried  at  Monson.  After  a  pastorate  of  fifteen  years  Mr. 
Merrick's  connection  with  the  Amherst  church  was  dissolved 
at  his  own  request.  He  died  at  Amherst,  June  18,  1866,  and 
was  buried  by  the  side  of  his  wife  in  the  family  grounds  at 
Monson. 

Samuel  O.  Merrick,  second  son  of  Gideon  and  Beulab  Mer- 
rick, was  born  at  Monson,  Dec.  11,  1808.  In  early  life  he  de- 
veloped a  ta.ste  for  agricultural  pursuits,  and  devoted  his  life 
to  that  calling.  He  remained  on  the  home-farm  until  1852, 
when  it  was  sold  to  the  State  of  Massachusetts.  He  subse- 
quently purchased  and  occupied  a  farm  in  Chicopee,  where  he 
now  resides.  May  3,  1836,  he  married  Maria  S.,  daughter  of 
Sybil  Abbe,  of  South  Hadley,  Mass.  She  died  at  Chicopee, 
May  28,  1878,  at  the  age  of  sixty-four  years,  and  was  interred 
in  the  family  grounds  at  Monson. 

Etta,  daughter  of  Samuel  O.  and  Maria  S.  Merrick,  was 
born  at  Monson,  April  28,  1838,  and  married  Kev.  William 
H.  Daniels,  of  Franklin,  Mass.,  Sept.  11,  1861.  Emma,  daugh- 
ter of  Rev.  William  H.  and  Etta  Daniels,  was  born  March  6, 
1863,  at  St.  Johns,  !New  Brunswick. 

Charles  H.  Merrick,  the  youngest  son  of  Gideon  and  Beulah 
Merrick,  and  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  born  at  Monson, 
April  11,  1812.  He  passed  his  early  life  on  his  father's  farm, 
meantime  securing  an  education  and  storing  his  mind  with 
valuable  information.  He  was  employed  in  school-teaching 
several  winter  terms,  and  the  opportunity  of  pursuing  a  col- 
legiate course  Wiis  oftered  him.     But  neither  the  pursuit  of 


agriculture  nor  the  attainment  of  a  high  academic  education 
offered  special  attractions  to  Mr.  Merrick.  Mechanical  studies 
and  pursuits  were  the  principal  objects  of  his  desires.  In  the 
summer  of  1836  ho  engaged  as  a  self-taught  master-weaver  in 
a  woolen-mill,  at  Wales,  Mass.,  where  he  put  the  weaving 
department  of  a  two-set  mill  into  successful  operation. 

Oct.  12,  1836,  Mr.  Merrick  married  Marj'  A.,  daughter  of 
Charles  and  Sarah  S.  McMaster,  of  Monson.  He  continued 
in  the  Wales  mill  until  it  was  burned  in  the  following  winter. 
Soon  after,  he  was  employed  at  Rockville,  Conn.,  where  he 
took  charge  of  the  weaving  department  in  the  mill  there, 
known  as  the  "  Old  Rock."  He  invented  and  applied  to  his 
looms  a  self-acting  temple,  which  was  the  first  used  in  that 
section.  He  also  arranged  and  applied  a  combination  of  pul- 
leys for  operating  a  si.\-harne.ss  web,  where  the  shades  had 
been  held  in  place  b\-  heavy  iron  rods.  In  April,  1838,  the 
mill  was  closed  from  the  pressure  of  hard  times,  and  Mr. 
Merrick's  connection  with  the  Rock  Company  closed,  with  no 
promise  of  speedy  re-employment. 

Mr.  Merrick  then  entertained  the  plan  of  attempting  the 
manufacture  of  palm-leaf  hoods,  which  were  being  secretly 
made  in  Rockville,  the  tools  and  process  of  manufacture  being 
kept  from  the  public. 

Soon  after,  determining  to  return  to  Monson  in  search  of 
employment,  he  had  occasion  to  pass  through  Somers,  Conn., 
where  palm-leaf  was  prepared  for  braiding.  He  there  pur- 
chased eight  pounds  of  weaving  and  two  of  braiding-leaf,  and 
proceeded  on  to  Monson.  Locating  temporarily  at  North 
Monson,  he  at  once  commenced  to  construct  a  loom,  without 
patterns  or  designs,  for  the  weaving  of  palm-leaf  sheets. 
These  were  soon  made  and  put  in  successful  operation.  Im- 
mediately following  the  production  of  sheets  came  the  neces- 
sity for  shapes  to  make  and  blocks  to  finish  the  hoods.  These 
he  also  originated,  and  with  them  made  the  tii-st  palm-leaf 
hood  ever  manufactured  in  Massachusetts.  Mr.  Slerrick  thus 
inaugurated  a  new  business  enterprise  in  Monson,  employing 
but  one  person,  and  he  inexperienced  in  any  part  of  the  work 
to  be  done. 

The  business,  gradually  developing,  early  demonstrated  the 
necessity  of  combined  eiFort,  and  the  need  of  more  men  and 
means.  This  led  to  the  formation  of  the  firm  of  Merrick  & 
Fay,  in  the  summer  of  1838,  the  new  partner  in  the  under- 
taking being  Rufus  F.  Fay,  a  sketch  of  whose  life  appears 
elsewhere  in  this  work. 

By  the  use  of  the  combined  means  and  advantages  of  the 
new  firm,  a  great  advance  was  made  in  the  production  and 
sale  of  the  hoods.  Late  in  the  autumn  of  1838,  after  repeated 
solicitation,  they  were  induced  to  sell  their  manufacturing 
interest  to  Messrs.  Lyon  &  Norcross,  merchants  at  Monson, 
central  village,  with  the  understanding  that  they  should 
manufacture  hoods  for  them  at  a  stipulated  price.  Merrick 
&  Fay  then  removed  their  headquarters  from  North  Monson 
to  the  central  village,  and  engaged  in  manufacturing  by  con- 
tract for  the  purchasing  firm  a  part  of  the  two  following 
years. 

Sept.  8,  1841,  the  first  purchase  of  real  estate  was  made 
by  the  firm,  consisting  of  a  tract  of  land  on  Main  Street,  in 
Monson,  with  a  two-story  building  thereon,  36  by  25,  which 
was  arrano-ed  for  the  manufacture  of  ladies'  hats  and  bonnets 
from  foreign  and  domestic  straw-braids.  At  this  period  of 
the  straw  business  but  little  was  known  of  the  process  of 
making  braid-goods,  and  the  firm  found  it  desirable  to  arrange 
with  a  party  of  skill  and  experience  in  the  trade,  to  allow 
them,  for  the  sum  of  two  hundred  dollars,  to  gather  up  in  the 
latter's  factory  such  additional  inform.ation  regarding  the 
manufacture  of  straw  goods  as  tlicy  could  obtain  by  examina- 
tion and  observation.  By  the  aid  of  information  thus  ob- 
tained, and  the  practical  knowledge  the  firm  had  already 
acquired  in  the  manufacture  of  palm-leaf  gotxls,  they  readily 
supplied  themselves  with  the  necessary  tools  and  fixtures  for 


1U28 


HISTORY   OF   THE   CONNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


the  successful  sewing  and  finishing  of  braid  goods.  The  supe- 
riority of  their  finishing  tools  was  so  marked  that  the  party 
who  first  instructed  them  in  the  process  of  making  straw- 
braids  at  once  ordered  duplicates  of  the  machines  for  their 
own  use,  at  a  cost  of  four  hundred  dollars. 

The  firm  thus  commenced  the  manufacture  of  straw-braid 
goods  in  a  very  small  way,  in  1841.  But  they,  from  time  to 
time,  increased  their  annual  productions  as  their  goods  became 
more  generally  known  to  the  trade.  At  this  time  all  braid- 
sewing  and  finishing  was  done  by  hand,  and  the  firm  put  out 
their  braids  to  a  large  number  of  families  in  Monson,  and, 
with  colonies  formed  in  surrounding  towns,  the  number  of 
sewers  was  increased  to  ten  or  twelve  hundred.  In  the 
working  of  straw-braids  for  nearly  twenty  years  the  firm  hjid 
constantly  aimed  to  make  the  choicest  goods,  so  that  the  de- 
mand became  so  extensive  that  they  were  compelled  to  enlarge 
their  facilities.  Accordingly,  in  the  summer  of  1856,  a  new 
and  larger  factory  was  erected  by  them,  and  occupied  the  fol- 
lowing winter. 

In  November,  1858,  the  firm  of  Merrick  &  Fay  was  reor- 
ganized, and  Henry  Ilodges,  of  Foxboro',  and  J.  T.  D.  Iler- 
sey,  of  East  Bridgewater,  Mass.,  were  admitted  as  equal  part- 
ners in  the  business.  Hodges  and  Hersey  were  at  this  time 
engaged  in  the  straw-goods  trade  in  New  York.  The  new 
firm,  as  then  organized,  has  since  been  known  as  Merrick, 
Fay  &  Co.  at  the  manufactory  in  Monson,  and  Hodges,  Her- 
sey &  Co.  at  the  salesroom  in  New  York. 

The  firm  at  once  made  arrangements  to  largely  increi\.se 
their  production,  embracing  all  classes  and  varieties  of  ladies' 
straw  goods,  and  continued  in  the  then  only  known  system 
of  hand  manufacture  until  1861.  In  that  year  the  first  power 
press  was  invented  and  applied  in  the  complete  finishing  of  a 
hat  or  bonnet  at  one  operation,  in  a  metal  die  the  exact  size 
and  shape  of  the  article  to  be  produced,  perfecting  and  dupli- 
cating each  piece  in  every  successive  operation.  Many  im- 
provements have  been  made  in  hat-pressing  machines  since 
tiie  invention  of  1861,  the  first  being  operated  by  hand,  and 
deriving  their  power  in  the  application  of  the  screw  and  cam 
principle,  while  the  later  inventions  give  a  machine  capable 
of  applying  a  pressure  of  one  thousand  pounds  to  each  square 
inch  of  the  goods.  The  power  is  furnished  by  hydraulic  action, 
and  is  easily  directed  and  applied  to  any  desired  pressure,  with 
the  capacity  of  rapidly  repeating  its  operation. 

In  1863  a  complete  revolution  in  the  method  of  sewing 
straw-braids  began  to  take  form  and  effect  from  the  invention 
and  use  of  the  Bosworib  braid-sewing  machine,  which  devel- 
oped the  pnjcess  of  producing  the  perfect  form  of  hand-stitch 
by  a  power-machine,  with  a  great  increase  in  production  and 
in  nicety  of  execution,  so  that  machine-sewed  braids  secured 
largely-advanced  prices  over  hand-sewed  goods.  As  a  neces- 
sary result  of  the  use  of  the  sewing-machines,  the  number  of 
hand-sewers  was  greatly  diminished,  while  the  production  of 
hats  and  bonnets  was  rapidly  increased.  This  opportunity  for 
new  business  induced  the  firm  in  1863  to  build  a  large  addition 
to  their  factory,  for  the  purpose  of  introducing  the  manufacture 
of  men's  and  boys'  hats,  which  were  successfully  produced  in 
that  year.  The  two  classes  of  goods  have  since  been  manufac- 
tured together. 

While  the  company's  introduction  of  sewing-  and  finishing- 
machines  enabled  them  to  produce  more  than  ten  times  the 
number  of  goods  they  could  by  hand-work  in  each  case,  yet 
the  statement  is  true  that  for  the  past  twenty-five  or  thirty 
years  one-third  of  the  families  of  Monson  have  been  furnished 
employment  by  the  firm,  and  secured  a  proportionate  share  of 
the  large  monthly  payments  of  the  company.  Besides  these, 
many  persons  from  places  near  and  remote  are  employed.  It 
has  been  the  practice  of  the  company  to  employ  the  best  class 
of  help,  and  men  and  wcnnen  of  character,  social  standing,  and 
moral  worth  are  to  be  found  in  their  various  departments  of 
labor.     The  business  has  assumed  high  rank  among  the  man- 


ufactures of  the  country.  Beginning  in  a  room  fifteen  feet 
square,  in  1838,  the  works  now  occupy  a  flooring  of  fifty  thou- 
sand square  feet,  and  each  department  is  crowded  to  its  utmost 
capacity. 

Amid  the  cares  of  business,  Mr.  Merrick  has  found  time  to 
devote  some  of  his  energies  to  matters  relating  to  the  material 
welfare  of  his  native  place.  He  was  chosen  a  director  of 
Monson  National  Bank  in  1855  and  in  1862.  He  is  also  a 
trustee  of  Mon.son  Academy ;  and  at  the  organization  of  the 
Monson  Savings  Institution,  in  1872,  he  was  chosen  its  ])resi- 
dent,  and  still  occupies  that  position. 

Charles  Merrick,  son  of  Charles  H.  and  Mary  A.  Merrick, 
was  born  at  Monson,  April  17,  1853.  Since  finishing  his  edu- 
cation he  has  been  engaged  in  the  interests  of  the  firm  with 
which  his  father  is  connected,  with  a  view  of  continuing  in 
the  business.  June  19,  1878,  he  married  Mary  A.,  daughter 
of  B.  A.  and  Eunice  M.  Day,  of  Monson. 


KUFUS  F.  FAY. 

The  name  of  Fay  is  of  ancient  origin,  and  can  bo  traced 
back  man}'  hundred  years.  It  is  first  met  with  in  France,  in 
the  persons  of  Sir  Gonderneur  du  Fay,  Great  Baron  of  Nor- 
mandy, and  Gen.  Victor  Fay,  one  of  the  generals  of  Napoleon 
the  First,  and  the  father  of  sons  distinguished  as  ambassadors 
and  authors.  Rodolph  Fay  married  the  daughter  of  Gen. 
Lafayette,  and  with  his  wife  shared  the  captivity  of  the  father 
in  the  prison  of  Olmutz,  Prussia.  M.  du  Fay  held  several 
important  posts  of  honor  during  the  reign  of  Louis  XI.,  and 
discovered  vitreous  and  resinous  electricity.  Miss  Leontine 
Fay  was  a  distinguished  French  actress,  and  married  a  gen- 
tleman of  great  wealth.  Another  Fay,  an  astronomer,  dis- 
covered Fay's  comet  in  1844.  The  name  occurs  in  England 
as  early  as  the  year  1173,  and  is  probably  traceable  to  Radu! 
de  Fay,  a  distinguished  nobleman  during  the  reign  of  Henry 
II.  The  name  also  occurred  in  Ireland  at  an  early  day,  under 
the  form  of  Fake. 

The  Fays  were  not  among  the  first  settlers  of  New  Eng- 
land, but  they  are  believed  to  have  sprung  mostly  from  one 
common  ancestor.  David  Fay  appears  first  as  a  settler  at 
Sudbury,  Mass.,  at  an  early  day.  He  was  from  Waybill, 
England,  and  is  supposed  to  have  served  as  a  soldier  under 
Cromwell.  He  returned  to  England  soon  after  1660,  leaving 
behind  him  an  only  son,  John,  who  was  born  in  England  in 
the  year  1648.  John  came  to  America  on  board  the  "  Speed- 
well," June  27,  1656,  became  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  Marl- 
boro', Mass.,  and  bore  a  gallant  part  in  the  trials  and  dangers 
that  attended  the  first  settlements  at  that  place.  He  died  Dec. 
5,  1690,  aged  forty-two. 

Kufus  F.  Fay  is  in  the  seventh  generation  after  the  original 
David  Fay,  the  descent  having  passed  through  John,  Samuel, 
Ebenezer,  Jude,  his  grandfather,  and  Rufus  F.,  his  father. 
Jude  Fay  was  born  in  the  year  1748.  He  married  Sally  Pair- 
banks,  and  settled  in  Monson  at  an  early-date.  His  daughter 
Betsey  married  Joel  Norcross,  and  was  a  lady  of  rare  excel- 
lence of  character,  and  her  death,  in  1829,  elicited  the  strongest 
sentiment  of  regret  from  the  public  prints  of  that  day. 

Rufus  F.  Fay,  father  of  our  subject,  was  born  Aug.  18, 
1786,  in  Brimfield,  Mass.  He  located  in  the  north  part  of 
Monson,  near  the  line  of  the  town  of  Palmer,  and  there 
owned  a  large  farm,  now  occupied  by  his  son,  Eli  N.  Fay. 
In  the  year  1809  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Rachel  Taft, 
by  whom  nine  children  were  born  to  him.  He  died  March 
31,  1805. 

Of  the  children  of  Rufus  F.  Fay,  his  son,  Rufus  F.,  was  the 
third,  having  been  born  at  Monson,  on  the  old  farm,  Feb.  9, 
1814.  He  pa.ssed  his  early  life  upon  the  farm,  enjoying  in  the 
winter  season  the  benefits  of  such  education  as  the  common 
schools  of  his  day  afforded.    After  attaining  the  age  of  twenty- 


od/yjik  J_^.  /L^.^^^^^/ 


■^^  *  V>,^jui^j-'-  '^■'' 


=£)  7a  SZI.J 


HISTOKY   OF   HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


1029 


one,  he  entered  the  woolen-factory  of  the  Rockville  Manufac- 
turing' Company,  at  Rockville,  Conn.,  for  the  purpose  of 
learning  the  business  of  woolen-manufacture.  After  remain- 
ing at  IJockville  three  years  he  returned  to  Monson,  and,  in 
partnership  with  Charles  H.  Merrick,  engaged  in  the  manufac- 
ture of  straw  goods,  mainlj'  palm-leaf  hats,  making  the  first 
Shaker  hoods  made  in  Massachusetts.  This  was  the  original 
establishment  of  the  lirm  of  Merrick  &  Fay,  now  old  and  well- 
known  manufacturers  of  straw  goods.  The  business  connec- 
tion of  these  gentlemen  has  continued  uninterruptedly  since. 
The  firm  have  extended  their  manufacture  to  the  higher 
grades  of  straw  goods,  and  do  the  largest  business  of  any 
nnuuifacturers  in  Monson. 

AVhile  occupying  prominent  business  standing  in  the  com- 
munity, Mr.  Fay  has  always  declined  to  accept  any  of  the 
public  offices  that  fall  in  his  way,  preferring  to  devote  his  en- 
tire time  and  attention  to  the  conduct  and  development  of  his 
business,  and  firmly  believing  that  weakness  is  the  natural 
result  of  divided  duties.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Congrega- 
tional Church  of  Monson,  having  united  with  it  in  1828. 

On  the  1st  of  April,  183.5,  Mr.  Fay  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Margaret,  daughter  of  Charles  McMaster,  of  Monson. 
She  died  in  1850,  leaving  no  children.  In  November,  1852, 
he  married  Sarah  McMaster,  sister  of  his  first  wife,  by  whom 
he  has  had  three  children, — Charles,  who  died  in  infancy  ; 
Kufus,  aged  nineteen  ;  and  Frederick,  aged  seventeen.  The 
sons  are  engaged  in  business  with  their  father. 


JOSEPH  LANGFOED  REYNOLDS. 

Tlie  Reynolds  family  is  of  ancient  and  honorable  origin, 
and  has  been  represented  in  this  country  for  many  years. 
John  Reynolds,  the  great-grandfather  of  our  subject,  lived 
at  an  early  day  at  North  Kingston,  Washington  Co.,  R.  I. 
But  whether  he  was  born  in  this  country,  or  emigrated  from 
England,  is  not  certainly  known.  John,  his  son,  and  grand- 
father of  Joseph  L.,  passed  the  greater  part  of  his  life  at  the 
same  place,  and  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-four.  He  lost  his 
sight  in  the  later  years  of  his  life,  and  was  known  as  "  Blind 
John,"  to  distinguish  him  from  several  others  of  the  same 
name  who  lived  in  that  locality. 

Eldridge  Reynolds,  father  of  Joseph  L.,  was  born  at  North 
Kingston,  on  the  old  farm  that  has  been  owned  b}'  the  family 
for  the  past  two  hundred  years.  He  had  seven  children, — 
John,  Henry,  Joseph  L.,  Sarah,  Martha  L.,  Mary  G.,  Shef- 
field C. 

■Joseph  L.  was  born  on  the  old  farm  at  North  Kingston,  on 
the  last  day  and  the  last  hour  of  the  year  179G.  He  passed 
his  life,  up  to  the  age  of  fourteen,  at  North  Kingston,  attend- 
ing school  at  the  village  of  Wickford,  R.  I.  In  the  year 
1811  he  went  to  Portsmouth,  R.  I.,  and  engaged  in  farming, 
but  returned  home  the  following  year.  At  the  age  of  sixteen 
he  went  to  Coventry,  E.  I.,  to  learn  the  trade  of  machine- 
making.  He  served  an  apprenticeship  of  three  years  there 
with  Hinds,  Arnold  »&  Co.  Upon  the  expiration  of  his  time 
he  went  to  Bozrah,  Conn.,  and  engaged  in  the  manufiicture 
of  brass  andirons.  He  remained  there  but  a  short  time,  and 
went  out  in  search  of  employment.  He  finally  took  service 
with  Eli  Whitney,  the  inventor  of  the  cotton-gin,  at  Whit- 
neyville.  Conn.,  and  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  muskets 
for  the  government.  He  remained  there  about  three  years, 
and  then  returned  to  Rhode  Island  and  engaged  in  machinery- 
making  at  Pawtucket.  At  the  expiration  of  about  a  year  he 
went  to  Brimfield,  Mass.,  and  there  first  engaged  in  the  manu- 
facture of  cotton  sheeting,  having  special  charge  of  the  newly 
invented  power-looms.     This  was  about  the  year  1820. 

In  September,  1821,  he  went  to  Monson,  Mass.,  and  as.soei- 
ated  himself  with  the  Hampden  Cotton-M-anufacturing  Com- 
pany.    He  first  became  general  overseer  for  the  company,  and 


afterward  acted  as  agent  for  twonty-tive  years.  During  that 
time  Mr.  Reynolds  greatly  increased  the  value  of  the  manu- 
facturing enterprises  of  that  company,  erected  an  additional 
mill,  and  added  other  improvements.  In  1850  the  company, 
as  some  mark  of  appreciation  of  the  long  and  valuable  services 
of  Mr.  Reynolds,  presented  him  a  handsome  solid  silver 
pitcher,  bearing  the  inscription, 

"  Presented  to  Joseph  L.  Reynolds,  Esq.,  Iiy  the  IlHni)K]eri  SlanufHOtnring  Com- 
pany, as  a  token  of  their  sense  of  tlie  skill,  ability,  and  integrity  evinced  by  him 
in  the  management  of  their  affairs  for  a  quarter  of  a  century. — 1850." 

During  this  time  Mr.  Reynolds  was  largely  interested  as  an 
owner  in  the  enterprises  of  the  company.  He  afterward  re- 
signed the  agency  of  the  Hampden  Manufacturing  Company, 
and,  though  still  acting  as  treasurer  of  that  company,  en- 
gaged in  manufacturing  on  his  own  account,  and  erected  two 
mills  at  South  Monson, — a  steam-mill,  which  was  destroyed  by 
fire  about  June,  1858,  and  not  afterward  rebuilt,  and  a  mill 
that  stood  upon  the  present  site  of  the  Rockland  mill. 

The  Hampden  Company  finally  dissolved,  and  Mr.  Rey- 
nolds engaged  in  running  his  own  enterprise,  having  rebuilt 
the  Rockland  mill,  and  purchased  of  the  Hampden  Company, 
June  5,  1869,  the  "old  cotton-mill."  These  mills  he  still 
owns,  the  business  being  managed  by  his  sons,  R.  M.  Rey- 
nolds and  Theodore  Reynolds.  The  manufactures  are  cassi- 
meres  and  doeskins.  Mr.  Reynolds,  having  reached  the  age 
of  eighty-two,  is  not  now  engaged  in  active  business,  though 
his  mills  are  run  in  his  name. 

July  18,  1824,  he  married  Sylvia,  daughter  of  William 
Smith,  of  Brimfield,  Mass.  She  died  Aug.  9,  1836,  leaving 
four  children.  He  married  his  present  wife  March  8,  1837. 
She  was  Oriel,  a  daughter  of  Rice  Munn,  of  Monson,  the 
family  having  been  among  the  very  first  settlers  of  the  town. 
They  have  had  three  children,  of  whom  one  died  in  infancy. 
Rice  M.  Reynolds,  horn  Dec.  18,  1838,  and  Theodore,  born 
Oct.  31,  1843,  are  now  engaged  in  the  manufacturing  business 
at  Monson. 

Mr.  Reynolds  has  confined  himself  almost  exclusively  to  the 
management  of  his  business  enterprises,  public  oiBce  having 
no  attraetions  for  him.  In  the  year  1854  he  filled  the  office  of 
State  Senator  with  great  acceptance.  He  has  filled  various 
town  offices,  and  was  a  justice  of  the  peace  for  a  long  term  of 
years. 

In  his  church  affiliations  he  is  a  Congregationalist,  and  with 
his  wife  is  connected  with  that  denomination  in  the  town. 

Through  a  long,  active,  and  laborious  life  Mr.  Reynolds 
has  discharged  the  various  duties  that  devolved  upon  him 
with  singular  fidelity,  integrity,  and  success,  and  his  career  is 
a  fitting  example  to  the  young  of  what  earnest  and  systematic 
devotion  to  business  interests,  combined  with  integrity  of  char- 
acter, can  accomplish. 

He  has  long  been  an  active  member  of  the  Masonic  frater- 
nity, and  was  the  first  Master  of  Thomas  Lodge,  of  Palmer. 
He  was  previously  Master  of  that  lodge,  early  in  its  history, 
when  it  existed  at  Monson.  He  was  also  the  first  Master  of 
Dayspring  Lodge,* now  at  Monson,  in  the  year  1863. 

He  has  added  much  to  the  embellishment  of  the  town  of 
Monson,  and  now  occupies  a  handsome  and  commodious  resi- 
dence in  South  Monson,  which  he  erected  in  1863. 


DWIGHT  WAEEEN  ELLIS. 
Dwight  Warren  Ellis  was  born  in  Dana,  Mass.,  Dec.  22, 
1824.  While  a  boy  he  lived  in  Ware,  Mass.,  and  Eockville, 
StalTord,  and  Coventry,  Conn.,  working  in  mills,  and  attend- 
ing school,  winters.  He  attended  one  term  at  Monson  Acad- 
emy. Commencing  the  woolen  business  when  a  boy,  he  learned 
it  thoroughly,  from  "sorting"  and  flyeing  the  wool  to  "  finish- 
ing" the  manufactured  cloth.  His  commencement  of  business 
for  himself,  which  was  in  association  with  others,  was  in  1849. 
He  purchased  a  small  interest  with  the  Shaws,  of  Wales, 


1030 


HISTOKY   OP  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


Mass.,  and  remained  with  them  four  years.     This  business 
venture  was  not  successful,  its  control  being  in  other  hands. 

He  then  sold  out  and  engaged  in  the  shoe  business,  losing 
all  ho  had  in  two  years.  Engaging  in  a  business  which  he 
did  not  understand  he  considers  a  great  mistake,  but  it  is  one 
which  many  others  have  made.  Being  now  out  of  funds,  he 
was  obliged  to  work  again  on  a  salary  as  a  superintendent. 
This  he  did  for  a  number  of  years. 

In  1863  he  rented  a  small  mill  in  North  Wilbraham.  His 
capital  at  that  time  was  very  limited.  In  about  a  year  and  a 
half  the  mill  was  burned.  His  loss  was  considerable,  but  he 
had  quite  an  amount  of  funds  remaining  wherewith  to  com- 
mence a  new  business.  This  fire  afterward  proved  a  blessing 
rather  than  a  disaster.  He  then  bought  the  water-privilege 
and  erected  a  larger  and  more  modern  mill,  which  has  steadily 
made  money  since. 

In  1868,  in  conjunction  with  Julius  Converse,  Esq.,  of  Staf- 
ford, Conn.,  he  purchased  the  Orcuttville  mill  in  Staftbrd,  at 
the  same  time  continuing  his  business  in  Wilbraham.  This 
venture  was  quite  successful. 

In  1870  he  purchased  the  water-privilege,  tenements,  etc., 
in  South  Monson,  and  built  a  new  mill  in  place  of  one  which 
had  previously  been  burned.  This  mill,  like  the  others,  yielded 
good  returns. 

Mr.  Ellis  has  improved  South  Monson  greatly.  He  has  re- 
cently erected  a  fine  residence  there,  which  he  occupies,  and 
has  constructed  other  buildings.  Being  somewhat  out  of 
health,  he  recently  sold  his  interest  in  his  Stafford  manufac- 
tory and  as.sociated  himself  in  business  with  a  brother  at 
Wilbraham  and  a  son  at  Monson. 

Mr.  Ellis  has  never  held  any  town  or  State  oflSce,  or  allowed 
his  name  to  be  used  as  a  candidate  for  such,  believing  that- 
division  of  one's  time  and  energy  injuriously  affects  his  bus- 
iness prosperity. 

Mr.  Ellis  is  one  of  the  most  successful  business-men  in 
Hampden  County,  and  has,  perhaps,  made  a  larger  percent- 
age on  capital  invested,  during  the  last  fifteen  years,  than  any 
of  them.  He  attributes  his  success  to  practical  knowledge 
and  reliance  on  his  own  judgment.  At  different  times  he  has 
lost  heavily  by  fire,  freshet,  and  bad  debts,  but  he  looks  upon 
these  as  natural  occurrences,  resulting  in  the  thorough  dis- 
cipline of  the  man. 

In  March,  1849,  Mr.  Ellis  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Mary,  daughter  of  George  Puffer,  of  Brimfield,  Mass.  The 
fruits  of  this  union  have  been  four  children, — Arthur  D., 
aged  twenty-eight,  now  associated  with  his  father  in  the 
manufacturing  business  at  Monson;  Frank  P.,  who  died  at 
the  age  of  twenty-three ;  Frederick  W.,  aged  twenty-two, 
now  in  attendance  upon  the  Harvard  Medical  School ;  and 
Milton  G.,  who  died  at  the  age  of  three  years. 


WILLIAM  NORCROSS  PLYNT 
is  a  lineal  descendant  of  Thomas  Flint,  the  ancestor  of  the 
family,  who  is  supposed  to  have  come  from  Wales  to  this 
country  as  early  as  1642.  He  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  of 
Salem  village,  now  South  Dana,  Mass.,  and  is  first  mentioned 
in  its  records  in  1650.  He  died  April  15,  1663,  leaving  six 
children.  In  the  third  generation  from  him  the  orthography 
of  the  name  became  changed  to  Flynt. 

Rufus  Flynt,  the  father  of  William  N.  Flynt,  and  in  the 


si,\th  generation  from  Thomas  Flint,  was  born  in  Hardwiek, 
Mass.,  June  22,  1775,  and  removed  to  Monson  from  that  place 
about  1790.  For  more  than  forty  years  he  was  a  prominent 
merchant  and  leading  citizen  of  the  town.  He  was  one  of 
the  corporators  and  early  trustees  of  Monson  Academy,  and 
held  the  office  of  treasurer  of  that  institution  for  twenty-three 
years.  He  was  appointed  postmaster  of  Monson  by  President 
Madison,  and  filled  the  position  until  his  death,  June  15, 
1836.  He  was  a  gentleman  of  the  old  .school,  of  high  character, 
and  quiet  and  dignified  manners.  Nov.  30,  1800,  he  married 
Sarah,  daughter  of  William  Norcross,  of  Monson,  by  whom 
four  children  were  born  to  him. 

Of  these,  William  N.  Flynt  was  the  fourth,  born  March  14, 
1818.  He  received  his  education  at  Monson  Academy,  and 
subsequently  entered  his  father's  store  as  a  clerk,  continuing 
in  this  employment  under  his  father's  successors  in  the  mer- 
cantile business  after  the  death  of  the  former. 

In  1839  *he  began  to  open  the  Monson  Quarry,  the  first 
stone  from  which  had  been  taken  out  by  his  father  in  the  year 
1825.  The  character  of  the  stone,  the  value  and  importance 
of  the  enterprise,  and  the  prominent  place  which  it  holds 
among  the  industries  of  the  town  and  State  are  referred  to  at 
length  in  the  notice  of  the  "  Industrial  Pursuits"  of  Monson 
contained  in  this  work. 

To  the  development  and  management  of  the  quarry  Mr. 
Flynt  has  for  many  years  devoted  his  time  and  attention, 
manifesting  in  its  control  rare  executive  ability,  enterprise, 
and  perseverance.  Finally,  overcome  by  constant  and  unre- 
mitting labor,  he  has  been  compelled  to  retire  for  a  time  from 
the  active  management  of  the  enterprise,  which  is  now  chiefly 
under  the  control  of  his  son,  William  K.  Flynt,  the  firm 
being  known  as  W.  N.  Flynt  &  Co. 

During  his  long  and  active  life,  Mr.  Flynt  has  filled  many 
offices  of  trust  and  responsibility,  discharging  their  various 
duties  with  great  acceptability.  For  thirty  years  ho  was 
treasurer  of  the  town  of  Monson;  in  the  years  1848,  1849, 
1860,  and  1861  he  represented  the  town  in  the  Legislature, 
and  was  an  active  and  leading  member  of  the  House,  receiving 
high  encomiums  from  the  public  prints  of  the  day.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Executive  Council  of  the  State  in  the  years 
1865  and  1866,  under  the  administrations  of  Govs.  Andrew 
and  Bullock.  He  was  the  first  president  of  the  bank  in  Mon- 
son, a  trustee  and  treasurer  of  Monson  Academy  for  many 
years,  has  filled  the  office  of  president  of  the  savings-bank  at 
Palmer,  Mass.,  and  has  filled  other  positions  of  honor  and 
usefulness. 

In  his  religious  convictions  he  is  firm  and  decided,  and 
actively  identified  with  the  Congregational  Church  of  his 
town,  and  a  prominent  mover  in  its  benevolent  and  philan- 
thropic enterprises. 

Mr.  Flynt  is  eminently  a  domestic  man,  and  his  warmest 
affections  have  ever  clustered  around  his  own  fireside.  He 
has  been  twice  married,  having  seven  children, — four  sons 
and  three  daughters, — all  of  whom  are  now  residents  of 
Monson.  His  eldest  son,  William  K.  Flynt,  is  the  present 
treasurer  of  the  town,  and  the  successor  of  his  father  in  that 
office. 

Mr.  Flynt's  house  at  Monson  is  one  of  the  most  tasteful  in 
the  town.  A  large  attractive  residence,  surrounded  by  hand- 
some grounds,  ornamented  with  a  fine  fountain,  it  occupies  a 
prominent  location  and  adds  greatly  to  the  many  beauties  of 
the  place. 


/  /  /jj::}'^ 


LUDLOW. 


GEOGRAPHICAL  POSITION. 

This  town  is  situated  in  the  northeast  corner  of  the  origi- 
nal town  of  Springfield,  and  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  the 
towns  of  Granby  and  Belchertown,  in  Hampshire  County; 
south  by  Wilbraham  and  Springfield  ;  east  by  Belchertown  ; 
and  west  by  Chicopee. 

Its  northern,  eastern,  and  western  boundaries  are  straight 
lines,  with  the  exception  of  a  break  of  a  quarter  of  a  mile  in 
the  lino  between  it  and  the  town  of  Chicopee.  The  southern 
boundary  follows  the  devious  course  of  the  Chicopee  Iliver. 
Its  dimensions  are  about  four  and  a  half  by  six  miles,  with  an 
area  of  27  square  miles,  or  17,280  acres,  of  which  a  large  pro- 
portion is  unimproved  or  forest  land. 

NATURAL  FEATURES. 

The  surface  of  the  town  is  generally  comparatively  level, 
with  the  exception  of  a  few  important  elevations.  The  most 
prominent  of  these  are  what  have  long  been  known  as  the 
"Facing  Hills,"  in  the  northern  part  of  the  town,  which  at- 
tain a  considerable  altitude,  and  atford,  from  their  summits, 
an  excellent  view  of  the  surrounding  country.  "  Minnechaug* 
Mountain"  is  a  landmark  of  great  interest,  located  southeast 
of  the  geographical  centre  of  the  town.  "  Jetferson's  Peak" 
is  the  name  bestowed  upon  a"  detached  elevation  lying  south 
of  the  "Facing  Hills." 

The  soil  is  good,  and  has  atlVirded  rich  returns  to  the  inhabi- 
tants, who  are  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits. 

Numerous  small  ponds  of  water  diversify  the  landscape,  of 
which  the  most  important  are  "Pickerel"  and  "Second" 
Ponds,  in  the  northern  part  of  the  town,  and  "Chapin," 
"  Wood,"  and  "Minnechaug,"  in  the  southern  part. 

The  principal  atHuents  of  the  Chicopee  River  are  Broad 
Brook,  which  drains  the  larger  part  of  the  town  lying  east  of 
the  highlands  ;  Chapin  Brook,  in  the  south,  and  Higher  Brook 
(so  called),  which  drains  the  central  and  southwestern  portions, 
and  discharges  into  the  Chicopee  about  a  mile  west  of  the  town 
line  in  the  town  of  Chicopee.  The  northwestern  corner  of  the 
town  is  drained  by  Stony  Brook,  which  discharges  into  the 
Connecticut  in  the  town  of  South  Hadley,  in  Hamp.shire 
County. 

The  Chicopee  Kiver  forms  the  southern  boundary  of  the 
town,  and  in  its  course  of  three  or  four  miles  furnishes  excel- 
lent water-power,  the  best  of  which  is  at  the  falls  of  Walla- 
manumps  and  Indian  Orchard.  At  the  former  place  the 
water  descends  along  a  narrow,  rocky  channel  42  feet  in  a  dis- 
tance of  100  rods,  and  at  the  latter,  less  than  a  mile  distant, 
there  is  a  fall  of  63  feet  from  the  top  of  the  dam  to  the  still 
water  below. 

Just  below  the  falls  of  Wallamanumps  the  river  in  its  tor- 
tuous course  forms  a  little  peninsula  of  a  few  acres  of  land, 
formerly  densely  wooded,  and  elevated  about  80  feet  above  the 
water,  the  extremity  of  which  has  long  been  known  by  the 
name  of  "  Indian  Leap."  The  story,  which  is  purely  legend- 
ary, and  of  which  there  are  several  versions,  is  that  a  party  of 
Indians,  being  surprised  in  this  secluded  spot,  and  finding  no 
other  way  of  escaping  their  enemies,  sprang  over  the  preci- 
pice in  fearless  desperation,  and  all  of  them  save  one  perished 

*  The  \vord  is  vaiimisly  written  Miiiecichofui  and  Monoachoag. 


in  the  seething  waters  and  among  the  rocks  below. f  In  this 
place,  on  the  high  bank  of  the  river,  is  supposed  to  have  been 
the  encampment  of  600  of  King  Philip's  warriors  the  night 
after  they  had  burned  Springfield,  in  1675,  since  those  who 
went  in  pursuit  of  them  the  next  day  found  here  24  camp-fires 
and  some  of  their  plunder  left  behind.  The  railroad-bridge 
spans  the  river  at  this  point. 

The  abrupt  extremity  of  this  strip  of  land  is  composed  of 
red  sandstone,  the  quarrying  of  which  constitutes  an  important 
branch  of  industry  on  the  part  of  neighboring  corporations. 
The  nature  of  this  deposit,  and  its  uses,  are  fully  treated  in  a 
general  chapter. 

The  town  has  been  noted  for  the  longevity  of  its  inhabitants. 

RAILROADS. 

The  Springfield,  Athol  and  Northeastern  Railroad  passes 
in  an  easterly  direction  through  the  southern  border  of  the 
town,  touching  at  Jenksville,  Collins'  Depot,  and  Red  Bridge, 
and  thence  following  the  course  of  the  Chicopee  River  into 
Palmer.  It  crosses  the  Chicopee  at  "Indian  Leap,"  where 
also  the 

AQUEDUCT, 

which  supplies  the  water  for  the  city  of  Springfield,  crosses. 
The  reservoir  from  whence  this  supply  is  obtained  is  located 
in  Ludlow,  in  the  region  formerly  known  as  Cherry  Valley, 
and  was  constructed  in  1873  and  '74.  The  number  of  acres  in 
the  bed  of  the  reservoir  is  445,  to  which  must  be  added  a  mar- 
ginal area  of  360  acres.  Of  this  entire  territory  280  acres 
were  woodland.  Six  and  three-eighths  acres  of  swamp  have 
been  covered  with  13,924  cubic  yards  of  sand,  and  a  little  over 
one-half  as  much  have  been  sanded  between  the  south  dam 
and  the  filter.  The  land  was  purchased  of  Benjamin  Sikes 
and  sons,  Reuben  Sikes,  S.  Billings,  A.  L.  Bennett,  C.  S. 
Bennett,  J.  L.  Banister,  Mrs.  Margaret  Sikes,  M.  King,  and 
C.  W.  Alden.  A  ditch  of  a  mile  in  length  turns  Higher 
Brook  into  the  reservoir,  and  one  longer  and  larger  taps 
Broad  Brook,  just  north  of  the  town  line. 

EMINENT  CITIZENS. 

Rev.  Joel  Chapin  was  born  in  Ludlow  soon  after  its  origi- 
nal settlement.  He  served  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  and 
afterward  received  a  collegiate  education  at  Dartmouth  Col- 
lege. 

Hon.  Chester  W.  Chapin,  widely  known  in  connection  with 
the  railway,  manufacturing,  and  commercial  enterprises  of 
the  valley,  and  as  a  representative  in  Congress  from  the 
Springfield  district,  is  a  native  of  Ludlow,  where  he  passed 
his  early  years. 

Hon.  Gordon  M.  Fisk,  editor  of  the  Palmer  Journal,  an 
enterprising  newspaper  published  at  Palmer  Depot,  in  Hamp- 
den County,  who  is  well  known  as  a  former  member  of  the 
State  Senate,  and  in  connection  with  various  other  otiicial 
positions,  is  also  a  native  of  the  town. 

Other  prominent  citizens  of  the  town  have  been  Hon.  S. 
Bliss  Stebbins,  of  Boston,  Hon.  Edwin  Booth,  of  Philadel- 

t  The  prevalent  unbelief  of  later  years  has  cansed  this  legend  to  be  doubted, 
and  modern  iconoclasts  have  presumed  to  assert  that,  had  the  Indians  varied  a 
few  feet  from  the  alleged  course,  they  misht  have  reached  the  river  by  an  easy 
p.ath.  The  tribe  to  which  these  Indians  belonged  are  said  to  have  been  called 
the  CautjhmaviipKlM,  and  their  chief  "  Roaring  Thunder," 

1031 


1032 


HISTORY   OF   THE   CONNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


phia,  Hon.  Dextpr  Damon,  of  Willoughby,  Ohio,  Hon.  Chas. 

Ji.  Alillcr,  ;ui(l  ;i  iiurnbcr  of  prominpiit  Christ.iuii  ministers. 

INDIAN    OCCUl'ATION  AND    RELICS. 

The  history  of  this  region  before  the  white  man  appropri- 
ated the  lands  is  preserved  only  in  tradition.  The  territory 
comprised  within  the  town  of  Ludlow,  and  indeed  of  all  the 
towns  lying  along  the  Chicopee  Eivcr  and  in  the  eastern  por- 
tion of  Hampshire  County,  constituted  one  of  the  principal 
hunting-grounds  of  the  Indians,  and  through  its  entire  extent 
these  wild  deni^.eiis  of  the  forest  were  accustoniod  to  roam  at 
will  in  the  pursuit  i>f  game,  and  when  preparing  for  the 
darker  deeds  of  the  war-path.  The  names  "  Miiini-r/iaiiff"* 
and  "  WaUamanumps"  bear  evidence  of  Indian  familiarity 
with  this  region,  and  the  relics  of  their  sa-vage  warfare  and 
rude  agriculture  abound  to  this  daj'  throughout  the  town. 
Numerous  sharp  and  irregular  fragments  of  stone, — porphyry, 
quartz,  chalcedony,  and  sandstone, — the  chippings  thrown 
oft"  by  the  Indians  in  fabricating  their  implements  of  warfare, 
of  the  chase,  and  for  their  domestic  use,  are  found  in  various 
places.  Thousands  of  arrow-heads  of  various  sizes,  hatchets, 
chisels,  gouges,  mortars,  and  pestles  have  been  picked  up 
within  a  few  years,  and  a  large  spearhead,  of  great  value  as 
a  curiosity,  and  also  a  remarkable  gravestone  were  lately 
found,  the  latter  wrought  somewhat  into  the  human  form, 
being  about  3  feet  in  height.  It  is  supposed  to  have  marked 
the  burial-place  of  some  distinguished  chief.f 

Of  the  Indian  lore  of  the  neighborhood  two  incidents  have 
been  already  given.  A  precipice  on  "  Facing  Hills"  is  said 
to  have  been  the  theatre  of  another  thrilling  adventure.  Two 
women,  connected  with  a  small  hamlet  somewhere  in  the 
valley  of  the  Chicopee,  were  surprised  by  savages  during  the 
absence  of  the  men  in  the  fields.  One  of  them  successfully 
concealed  herself  under  a  tub  in  the  cellar.  The  other  was 
carried  off,  and  when  the  Indians,  closely  pursued  by  the  set- 
tlers, found  their  prisoner  a  burden,  they  put  their  victim  to  a 
savage  death  at  the  spot  indicated. J 

EARLY  SETTLEMENT. 

The  first  distribution  of  land  within  the  present  territory  of 
Ludlow  was  made  to  avoid  the  reversion  of  what  were  known  as 
the  "  outward  commons"  of  Springfield  to  the  English  crown.  . 
To  avoid  such  a  catastrophe  the  Springfield  colonists  voted  in 
town-meeting,  Feb.  3,  1685,  that  after  reserving  300  acres  for 
the  ministry,  and  150  acres  for  schools,  on  the  east  side  of  the 
Connecticut  River,  and  due  proportions  for  like  purposes  on 
the  west  side,  the  remainder  should  be  divided  among  the  123 
heads  of  families  or  legal  citizens,  adding  to  the  latter  class 
the  names  of  all  male  persons  under  age. 

The  "commons"  east  of  the  "Great  River"  seem  to  have 
included  two  sections,  bounded  by  a  line  running  north  and 
south ;  the  line  on  the  east  side,  commencing  at  Newbury 
Ditch,  so  called,  on  the  boundary  of  William  Clark's  land, 
extending  from  the  hill  west  of  the  Norman  Lyon  homestead, 
and  passing  southward  near  the  present  residence  of  Ezekiel 
Fuller,  past  the  rear  of  Mr.  Haviland's  house,  and  near  the 
crossing  of  the  Springfield,  Athol  and  Northeastern  Railroad 
with  the  Three  Rivers  road,  across  the  river  and  near  the 
Stony  Hill  road,  in  Wilbraham.  The  land  thus  described  was 
the  outward  commons  eastward  of  this  line.  Each  of  the  125 
took  a  share  in  the  three  sections  east  and  the  two  west  of 
the  Great  River.  The  northern  section  of  the  cast  "  out- 
ward commons,"  and  a  small  portion  of  the  middle  section, 
are  within  the  present  territory  of  Ludlow.     In  the  north 


'  This  name  was  applied  by  the  Indians  to  the  whole  eastern  portion  of  Wil- 
braham and  Ludlow,  and  signifies  "  Berry-land." 

t  It  is  more  than  probable  that  these  relics  belong  to  a  much  older  race  than 
the  Indians,  and  one  greatly  superior  to  them  in  civilization.— [Ed.] 

X  Tills  incident  hears  some  resemblance  to  the  account  of  the  massacre  of  the 
Wrights,  at  Skiinmick,  July  20, 1V08,  as  detailed  in  Holland's  Western  Massa- 
chusetts, Vol.  I.,  p.  158. 


section,  east,  the  school-  and  ministry-lots  ran  through  Cedar 
Swamp,  near  the  centre  of  the  present  town,  and  over  the 
north  end  of  Minncchaug  Mountain.  The  south  boundary 
must  have  passed  not  far  from  the  south  shore  of  Wood  Pond, 
and  past  the  Miller  Corner  school-lot  to  the  river.  The  orig- 
inal proprietors  of  Ludlow,  under  this  division,  were  Jona- 
than Burt,  Jr.,  Eliakim  Coolej',  John  Warner,  Geo.  Colton, 
Samuel  Stebbins,  Samuel  Marshfield,  Ebenezer  Jones,  Benja- 
min Knowltim,  James  Petty,  Joseph  Ely,  Increase  Sikes,  Sr., 
Obadiah  Miller,  Sr.,  Widow  Sikes,  Sr.,  James  Munn,  David 
Throw,  Widow  Bcdortha,  John  Burt,  Sr.,  James  Stephenson, 
and  Col.  Pynchon. 

The  middle  section  was  the  first  .settled,  but  the  name  of  the 
first  to  locate  there  remains  in  doubt.  Tradition  awards  the 
honor  to  Aaron  Colton,  whose  home  was  situated  on  the  blufl', 
above  the  Chicopee  River,  where  Arthur  King  now  lives, 
and  who  is  supposed  to  have  settled  prior  to  1751.  James 
Sheldon,  Shem  Chapin,  and  Benjamin- Sikes  are  said  to  have 
lived  in  the  town  at  the  same  period.  James  Sheldon  is  sup- 
posed to  have  lived  on  the  site  now  occupied  by  the  house  in 
which  Reuben  Keith  resides;  Benjamin  Sikes,  at  the  place 
next  north  of  the  George  S.  Page  farm,  on  his  allotment  of 
commons;  and  Shem  Chapin,  near  the  home  of  James  M. 
White.  These  four  are  presumed  to  have  been  the  earliest 
white  settlers  of  Ludlow,  although  it  is  rumored  that  a  man 
named  Antisel  occupied  a  log  house  on  the  edge  of  "  Facing 
Hills,"  subsisting  on  game,  and  that  he  antedated  all  of  these 
settlers. 

In  1751,  Joseph  Miller  settled  with  his  family  where  Elihu 
J.  Sikes  now  lives.  The  friends  in  their  former  home.  West 
Springfield,  mourned  them  as  dead,  and  it  is  said  that  a 
funeral  sermon  was  preached  over  their  departure  into  the 
wilds  of  that  unknown  region. 

A  little  later,  in  1756,  Ebenezer  Barber  sought  a  home  for 
himself  near  Shem  Chapin's,  in  the  inward  commons. 

Jonathan  Lumbard  commenced  to  clear  a  farm  in  the  upper 
part  of  Cherry  Valley,  in  1757. 

Joshua  Fuller  cleared  a  spot  on  the  Dorman  place,  at  the 
centre,  in  1707. 

James  Kendall  came  from  Ashford  and  located  May  2,  1769. 

In  1770,  Jonathan  Burr  moved  in  an  ox-cart  from  Con- 
necticut, and  settled  between  Mary  Lyon's  and  the  mountain. 

In  1772  came  Joel  Willey,  to  Miller  Corner  ;  while  a  young 
man  from  Wilbraham,  Isaac  Brewer,  Jr.,  married  a  daugh- 
ter of  Capt.  Joseph  Miller,  and  established  himself  in  Ludlow. 

Of  the  other  families  who  came  to  town  and  settled  about 
this  time  a  few  may  be  mentioned  : 

Northward  of  Colton  and  Miller,  and  toward  the  present 
centre,  lived  Benajah  Willey,  afterward  the  first  district 
"dark."  Next  south  of  him  was  a  Mr.  Ainesworth.  Ben- 
jamin Sikes,  the  father  of  Benjamin,  Abner,  and  John,  oc- 
cupied the  farm  afterward  owned  by  J.  Mann,  north  of  the 
centre.  The  son,  Abner,  settled  three  miles  to  the  eastward, 
near  the  present  Alden  District  school-house.  The  Hitchcock 
home,  occupied  by  Josiah  and  his  son,  Abner,  with  families, 
now  forms  the  homestead  of  Lucius  Simonds,  while  another 
son,  Joseph,  lived  next  west,  and  probably  Ezra  Parsons  and 
John  Hubbard  not  far  away.  Beriah  Jennings  was  near 
the  present  site  of  the  late  Ezekiel  Fuller's  house.  Shem 
Chapin's  neighbors  were  Aaron  Ferry,  Jacob  Cooley,  at  the 
Torrey  place  ;  Noah  Bowker,  on  the  Samuel  White  farm  ;  Is- 
rael Warriner,  a  little  below,  and  farther  to  the  south.  At 
the  mill-privilege  were  Ezekiel  Squires,  who  built  the  first 
grist-mill,  and,  hard  by,  Oliver  Chapin  and  the  Zachariah 
Warners, — father  and  son. 

These  settlers  came  from  divers  places,— from  West  Spring- 
field, Ashfield,  Wilbraham,  Shutesbury,  Ellington,  Glaston- 
bury, Somers,  Brookfield,  and  Bridgewater, — until  finally  the 
rough  places  of  "Stony  Hill,"  as  the  region  was  formerly 
called,  were  made  smooth.     Forest  and  swampy  dell    were 


HISTORY  OP   HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


1033 


made  productive  fields,  and  the  rocks  and  lulls  of  Ludlow 
resounded  with  the  glad  acclaim  of  those  who  had  success- 
fully established  themselves. 

The  iirst  roads  laid  out  in  the.town  were  rough  bridle-paths, 
marked  by  blazed  trees.  After  the  ineorporation  of  the  town, 
the  first  mentioned  a7'c  those  from  the  present  west  school- 
house  to  Ludlow  City,  and  from  L.  Simonds'  to  Jenksvillc. 
The  old  Cherry  Valley  road,  through  to  J.  P.  Hubbard's,  was 
laid  out  in  17812,  and  that  from  J.  L.  Mann's  to  W.  G.  Ful- 
ler's in  the  same  yeiiv.  A  highway  from  the  east  cemetery  to 
Miller  Corner  was  projected  in  1784,  and  the  same  yearanother 
across  Cedar  Swamp.  The  road  from  the  Congregational 
Church,  northward,  was  laid  out  in  1800.  In  1793  a  petition 
was  sent  to  the  county  officers  to  lay  out  a  road  corresponding 
to  the  route  from  Collins'  Depot  to  Granby,  as  part  of  a  line 
which  shall  "commode  the  travil  from  the  eastern  part  of 
Connecticut  to  Dartmouth  Colledge  in  New  Hampshire." 

A  pound  was  erected  near  Elisha  Hubbard's  in  177*;,  30  feet 
square.  Sixteen  years  later  it  had  fallen  into  decay.  Soon 
afterward  a  new  one  was  erected  of  white  oak,  near  Oliver 
Dutton's  house. 

The  first  reference  to  guide-boards  is  in  179-j,  when  it  needed 
a  committee  of  nine  to  erect  "  way-posts." 

MERCHANTS. 

One  of  the  first  stores  kept  in  the  town  was  by  Elisha  Ful- 
ler at  Ludlow  Centre,  on  the  corner  opposite  the  Fuller  tavern 
stand.  The  exact  date  of  his  opening  the  store  is  not  known, 
but  his  book  of  accounts  contains  charges  against  the  Rev. 
Antipas  Steward,  who  was  the  first  pastor  of  the  town,  and 
who  was  ordained  in  1793.  Mr.  Fuller  kept  the  store  proba- 
bl3'  as  late  as  1840.  During  the  latter  part  of  the  time  one 
was  kept  in  the  L  of  the  hotel  building.  About  twenty  years 
ago,  Lucien  Coolej'  traded  in  the  Fuller  store  for  a  short 
time.  Some  time  afterward  Homer  and  Arthur  King  car- 
ried on  the  market  and  grocery  business  for  a  short  time. 

The  first  store  at  Jenksville  was  established  by  Benjamin 
Jenks  and  partners,  probably  as  early  as  1814.  After  the  fail- 
ure of  the  Jenks  manufacturing  enterprise  in  1848,  Ephraim 
Jenks  &  Son  are  supposed  to  have  traded  there  for  a  while. 
Jerre  Miller  carried  on  business  in  the  same  building  in  1855, 
and  was  succeeded  by  his  son  Austin.  Next,  Hezekiah  Root 
&  Son  traded  there ;  then  Walter  Miller,  followed  by  Eli  M. 
Smith.  Later,  David  Joy  kept  store  in  the  same  building  for 
several  years.  Howard  &  Beckwith,  who  are  still  in  trade 
there,  commenced  in  the  spring  of  1878. 

About  1830,  Harmon  Booth  kept  a  store  at  Jenksville  for 
several  years.  He  was  succeeded  by  Henry  Jenks,  and  he  by 
"Walter  Miller.  James  Jenks  and  others  followed  for  a  short 
time,  and  were  succeeded  by  Edmund  Bliss,  who  kept  it  for 
several  years,  and  then  removed  to  his  present  store.  Heze- 
kiah Root,  after  disposing  of  his  old  store,  established  another 
at  Jenksville,  and  is  still  in  business,  in  connection  with  his 
sons. 

TAVERNS. 

The  oldest  tavern  kept  in  Ludlow,  it  is  said,  was  on  the 
Dorman  place,  south  of  the  centre.  A  tavern,  called  the 
"  Old  Ark,"  stood  at  the  "  west  middle"  part  of  the  town  in 
1787,  and  was  kept  by  Ezekiel  Fuller.  Amos  Kendall  after- 
ward resided  there.  Another  tavern  was  kept  at  the  Jen- 
nings place  by  John  Jennings,  at  an  early  date.  One  was 
also  kept  near  the  Ezekiel  Fuller  place  by  a  man  named 
'Wright,,  about  the  same  time.  It  was  a  place  of  popular 
resort  and  the  centre  of  terpsichorean  festivities. 

The  next  tavern  was  kept  at  the  centre  by  Ely  Fuller  for 
a  number  of  years.  He  was  there  in  1833.  This  place  was 
long  known  as  the  old  "Fuller  tavern  stand,"  and  was  also  a 
place  of  public  resort,  the  town  clerk's  office  being  kept  there 
for  many  successive  years,  Ely  Fuller  filling  that  office, 
-ifter  the  death  of  Mr.  Fuller,  the  tavern  was  kept  by  his 
130 


family  for  some  time,  Isaac  Plumley  succeeding  them  as  pro- 
prietor for  a  few  years. 

The  first  tavern  at  Jenksville  was  kept  by  Calvin  Eaton. 
He  was  succeeded  b}"  a  man  named  Sawin,  and  Ashlej'  Hay- 
don,  in  turn.  It  was  afterward  kept  by  Jerre  Miller.  Eras- 
mus Rood  kept  the  last  one  at  Jenksville.  There  are  none  in 
town  at  the  present  time. 

PHYSICIANS. 

The  first  physician  to  practice  in  Ludlow  was  Dr.  Aaron 
John  Miller,  who  was  born  Jan.  11,  1750.  He  married 
Esther  Burr,  and  died  at  Ludlow,  Nov.  4,  1838.  "He 
was  a  very  tidy  man,  distinguished  for  wearing  the  highest- 
priced  black  broadcloth  he  could  find,  and  always  eating 
molasses  instead  of  butter  on  his  bread,  drinking  clear  tea, 
and  a-  very  little  old  New  England  rum  and  water.  He 
was  a  rapid  talker,  made  his  fever-powders  of  camphor-gum 
and  loaf-sugar,  and  was  never  known  to  hurt  his  patients  with 
his  medicines.  He  usually  walked  on  his  visits  to  patients, 
always  accompanied  by  his  little  j-ellow  dog.  He  was  intol- 
erant of  others'  opinions,  and  emphasized  his  own  with  fre- 
quent thrusts  of  his  cane."  He  was  a  surgeon  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary war,  and  is  reliablj'  reported  to  have  been  a  member 
of  the  original  Boston  Tea-Party. 

The  next  physician  appears  to  have  been  Dr.  Francis  Per- 
eival.  Dr.  Benjamin  Trask  practiced  in  1777.  A  Dr.  "Wood 
lived  down  in  "  Miller  Corner,"  and  practiced  about  the  same 
time.  Dr.  Simpson  Ellis  and  Dr.  David  Lyon  followed  next 
in  turn ;  also  Dr.  Sylvester  Nash,  who  married  a  daughter  of 
Rev.  Antipas  Steward,  the  first  .settled  minister.  Dr.  Philip 
Lyon  next  engaged  in  practice  about  1802.  Drs.  Taintor,  Sut- 
ton, Hunger,  Hamilton,  and  Estis  Howes  followed.  Dr.  Elijah 
Caswell  practiced  for  many  years,  until  his  death,  March  4, 
1844.  He  lived  west  of  the  centre,  his  residence  being  known 
as  the  "Caswell  place."  Dr.  Washington  B.  Alden  lived  at 
Ludlow  Centre,  and  practiced  somewhat  later.  Dr.  Bassett 
engaged  in  practice  about  1840.  He  was  followed  by  Dr.  R. 
G.  English.  Dr.  William  B.  Miller  resided  at  Jenksville  for 
a  time  and  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profession.  He  sub- 
sequently removed  to  the  city  of  Springfield,  where  he  is  now 
practicing.  Dr.  Henry  M.  T.  Smith  and  Dr.  C.  B.  Smith 
practiced  in  turn  at  Jenksville.  Dr.  Robert  Wood  commenced 
practice  at  Jenksville  about  the  same  time  as  Dr.  William  B. 
Miller,  and  continued  until  the  year  1875,  when  he  died.  Dr. 
King  practiced  for  a  short  time  contemporaneously  with  Dr. 
Wood.  Dr.  Benjamin  K.  Johnson  married  a  daughter  of 
Dr.  Caswell,  and  engaged  in  practice  near  Ludlow  Centre. 
Dr.  T.  W.  Lyman  resided  at  the  centre  at  the  breaking  out 
of  the  Rebellion,  and  pursued  the  practice  of  his  profession. 
Dr.  Robert  Wood  was  the  last  regular  practicing  physician 
in  the  town,  there  having  been  none  since  his  death,  in  1875. 

ATTORNEYS. 

John  Jennings  is  said  to  have  been  the  only  lawyer  who 
ever  practiced  in  the  town,  and  that  at  a  very  early  date.  He 
is  believed  to  have  lived  at  one  time  near  the  residence  of 
Ezekiel  Fuller,  where  he  had  an  office.  His  usefulness  con- 
tinued for  many  years.  It  is  not  definitely  known  whether  he 
was  a  regularly  licensed  practitioner.  His  name  does  not  ap- 
pear in  the  roll  of  attorneys  in  the  county  of  Hampshire,  from 
1786  to  1826,  nor  on  the  roll  of  Hampden  County  attorneys. 
His  principal  business  seems  to  have  been  the  drawing  of 
papers  and  the  giving  of  wholesome  advice. 

ORGANIZATION. 
In  the  year  1774,  the  population  of  the  town  having  in- 
creased to  200  or  300,  measures  were  taken  to  establish  a  sep- 
arate corporate  organization,  and  a  petition  to  that  eftect  was 
presented  to  the  royal  Governor,  Thomas  Hutchinson,  and 
the  General  Court.  No  good  reason  appearing  why  the  ap- 
plication should  not  be  granted,  an  act  of  incorporation  was 


1034: 


HISTOEY  OF  THE   CONNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


passed  by  the  Legislature,  Feb.  23,  1774,  and  became  a  law 
by  llie  signature  of  the  Governor  on  the  '28th  day  of  the  same 
month.  By  this  act  that  part  of  the  town.sliip  of  Springfield 
called  "Stony  Hill"  was  erected  into  a  separate  district  by 
the  name  of  liudlow,  being  "invested  with  all  the  powers  and 
privileges"  which  towns  in  the  province  enjoyed  by  law, 
"  that  of  choosing  and  sending  a  representative  to  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly  only  excepted."*  This  latter  privilege  was 
only  to  be  exercised  in  conjunction  with  Springfield. 

The  boundaries  of  the  new  district  of  Ludlow  were  as  fol- 
lows : 

"BoiiiKling  eoutheilyon  CImtibce  Hiyer ;  east  on  the  e.iet  line  of  said  Sjiiing- 
flelil  and  west  line  uf  Bekiu'rtown  ;  ni>ltherly  on  the  north  line  of  taid  Sliiing- 
field,  or  partly  ou  Bek-heitown  and  partly  on  Glanhy,  and  extending  westward 
60  far  as  to  ineUule  all  that  part  ol  the  ontward  commons,  so  called,  that  lies  in 
the  nolthca.'it  corner  of  tljc  Uiwnship  of  Springfield,  and  extending  al.-iO  in  a 
line  parallel  with  the  west  line  of  said  ontward  commons  one  mile  and  tliree- 
quaiteiB  fai ther  west,  into  the  inward  commons,  so  called,  in  said  Si)ritigfield, 
north  of  Chicubee  River." 

Provision  was  also  made  fur  including  the  farms  of  Zacha- 
riah  Warner,  senior  and  junior,  Oliver  Chapin,  and  Ezeliiel 
Squire,  for  the  calling  of  a  district  meeting  by  warrant,  and 
in  regard  to  the  ministry  and  school  lands,  the  distribution  of 
public  funds,  and  general  matters  relating  to  the  setting  oft' 
of  the  district. 

The  warrant  for  the  first  district  meeting  was  issued  by  the 
"Honorable  John  Worthington,  directed  to  some  principal 
inhabitant,"  and  in  the  language  of  Benajah  Willey,  the  first 
clerk  of  the  new  municipality, — 

"The  first  towu-nieeting  wa.s  held  at  the  house  of  Abner  Hitchcock,  March 
IG,  1774.  Moses  Bliss,  Esq.,  of  Springfield,  was  chosen  Moderator;  Beniyah 
Willey,  Clerk  ;  Aaron  Ferry,  Ahner  Sikes,  and  Joseph  Miller  were  chosen  Select- 
men ;  Joshua  Fuller  and  Jacob  Kendall,  Wardens ;  Joseph  Jones,  John  Hub- 
bard, Jr.,  and  Joseph  Hitchcock,  Assessol^;  John  Sikes  and  Jacob  Cooley,  Con- 
stables; Joseph  Miller, Treasurer;  Beriah  Jennings,  Joel  Willey,  and  Noah  Bow- 
ker  were  elected  Surveyors;  James  Chapin  and  Oliver  Chapin,  Tithingmen ; 
Israel  Warriner  and  Isaac  Brewer,  Fence- Viewei-s ;  Isaac  Warriner  and  E/ra 
Parsons,  Hog-Reeves;  Ezekiel  Squires,  Aaron  Colton,  and  Jonathan  Lombaid, 
Deer-Reeves." 

Of  the  origin  of  the  name  of  "  Ludlow, "f  bestowed  on  the 
town  by  the  act  of  incorporation,  no  positive  information  can 
be  obtained.  Investigators  have  been  forced  into  the  region 
of  conjecture,  and  several  theories  have  been  advanced,  some 
of  them  more  or  less  plausible,  but  none  of  them  bearing  the 
indelible  stamp  of  authenticity.  The  more  probable  theory 
in  regard  to  the  matter  is  that  the  town  may  have  been  named 
after  Edmund  Ludlow,  who  lived  previous  to  and  during  the 
protectorate  of  Oliver  Cromwell,  in  England,  was  a  member 
of  Parliament,  and  a  popular  leader  of  the  people  in  those 
stormy  times,  and  who,  though  one  of  the  king's  judges,  was  a 
consistent  republican  and  an  earnest  supporter  of  the  bill  for 
the  abolition  of  the  House  of  Peers.  It  is  not  unreasonable 
to  suppose  that  his  name,  associated  as  it  was  with  genuine 
republicanism  like  that  of  John  Hampden,  his  contemporary, 
whose  name  was  afterward  bestowed  on  the  county,  should, 
for  like  reasons,  have  been  previously  joined  to  one  of  its 
towns.  Another  suggested  origin  of  the  name  is  from  one 
Koger  Ludlow,  a  prominent  citizen  in  early  New  England 
colonial  history,  who  was  a  candidate  for  Governor  of  the 
Massachusetts  Bay  Colony,  in  1(J3-1,  and  who  afterward  re- 
moved to  Windsor,  Conn.,  and  drew  up  for  the  people  a  code 
of  laws  long  known  as  "  Ludlow's  Code." 

The  bounds  of  the  town  were  changed  in  1805  so  as  to  in- 
clude more  of  the  territory  of  Springfield,  extending  from  tlie 
mouth  of  Higher  Brook  northward  to  the  South  Hadley  line. 
In  1813  the  original  line  had  evidently  been  restored. 

Nearly  every  highwaj'  east  of  the  mountain  was  either  laid 
out  or  relaid  before  1811.  In  1817  was  established  the  high- 
way from  Joy's  store  to  Plumley's,  to  accommodate  travel 

*  Ludlow  dill  not  send  a  representative  of  its  own  until  1784. 

t  Ludlow  is  said  to  be  a  Saxnn  word.  Low  oi- "  Hlaw"  signifying  a  hill  or 
tumulus,  and  "  Lud"  or  "  Lude"  may  be  the  name  of  a  pers.,n.  The  word  Lud- 
low may  thus  mean  "  the  grave  or  buiiai-hiU  of  the  people." 


from  Jenksville  to  the  Three  River  factories  in  Palmer.  The 
only  prominent  highway  constructed  since  1848  has  been  the 
road  from  Eaton's  Mills  to  Indian  Orchard,  including  the  iron 
bridge  spanning  the  Chicopee  River  at  that  village,  which 
was  built  by  order  of  the  county  commissioners  in  18G6. 

In  earlier  times  only  the  most  primitive  methods  of  crossing 
the  Chicopee  River  were  employed  ;  these  were  "riding-places," 
or  fords,  at  Wallamanumps,  and  where  Collins'  bridge  now 
spans  the  river.  As  early  as  1781  a  committee  from  Ludlow 
was  to  meet  another  from  Springfield  to  see  about  the  con- 
struction of  a  bridge  at  Wallamanumps.  Seven  years  later, 
£50  were  granted  for  a  like  ptirpose  in  April,  and  in  Novem- 
ber a  committee  on  subsoriiitions  was  appointed,  possibly  to 
secure  a  better  bridge  than  the  town  felt  able  to  construct  un- 
assisted. In  1792  the  bridge  had  either  been  carried  away  or 
become  unfit  for  use,  for  the  town  petitioned  the  county 
authorities  for  another.  In  1794  the  Putnam's,  or  "Put's," 
bridge  was  erected,  and  stood  until  1801,  when  another  is  said 
to  have  taken  its  place,  and  remained  until  about  1812,  when 
the  bridge  known  as  Cooley's  bridge  was  erected  by  Ariel 
Cooley.  This  having  been  worn  out  or  carried  away,  meas- 
ures were  taken  to  build  another,  resulting  in  1822  in  the 
completion  of  the  present  substantial  structure,  at  a  cost  of 
§3347.30. 

The  first  bridge  erected  at  Collins'  Depot  dates  beyond  1850, 

but  was  carried  away  by  a  flood.     The  present  structure  was 

erected  in  1851.   The  Red  bridge  was  thoroughly  overhauled  and 

repaired  in  1873. 

TOWN  OFFICERS. 

The  following  persons  have  filled  the  principal  offices  of 
Ludlow,  the  figures  designating  the  number  of  years  of  ser- 
vice : 

SELECTMEN. 

Aaron  Ferry,  2;  Abner  Sikes,  12;  Joseph  Miller,6;  Joseph  Hitchcock,  2; 
Joshua  Fuller,  1 ;  John  Hubbard,  Jr.,  2  ;  Benajah  Willey,  1 ;  Jonathan  Bartlett, 
2;  John  Sikes,3;  Moses  Wilder,  1:  Timothy  Kcye3,2;  Jeremiah  Ituttun,  1 ;  Jtiel 
Nash,G;  Israel  Warriner,  7;  James  Kendall,  2;  Samuel  Arnold,  1  ;  Isaac  Brewer, 
1 ;  Jonathan  Burr,  9 ;  Samuel  Frost,  G ;  Dr.  Francis  Percival,  4 ;  Aaron  Colton,  3  ; 
Ephraim  Chapin,  2;  Benjamin  Sikes,  Jr.,  9;  PlynnSikes,  1 ;  Eli  Putnam,  1 ;  Lieut. 
Josejjh  Munger,  2;  Sherwood  Beebe,  G;  Job  Peaae,!;  Timothy  Niish,14;  Jonathan 
Sikes,  4 ;  Gad  Lyon,  2 ;  Ezekiel  Fuller,  1 ;  Gates  Willey,  7 ;  Josejjh  Miller,  1 ;  Joshua 
Fuller,  6 ;  Daniel  Sprague,  2 ;  Nathaniel  Lyon,  2 ;  Titus  Hubbard,  1 ;  .lames  Shel- 
don,!; Ashbel  Burr,  13;  John  Dormaii,  10;  EliasFrost,  5  ;  -\sahel  Rood,5;  Gordon 
B.Miller,  3;  Theodore  Sikes,  4  ;  Elani  Wiight,  1 ;  Chester  Sikes,  8;  Elijah  Fuller, 
1;  John  Town,  Jr.,  1 ;  John  Gates,  7  ;  William  Ray,  11;  Waterman  Fnller,  3; 
Dan  Hubbard,  5;  Daniel  King,  1;  ArlcDias  H.  Whitney,  12:  Edmund  W.  Fuller, 
2;  John  Miller,  G;  Elijah  Plundey,  3;  David  Lyon,  2;  .\lva  Sikes,  2;  Elisha  T. 
Parsons,  2  ;  Jerre  Miller,  5  ;  Heniy  Fuller,  3  ;  Willis  Keyes,  1 ;  Homer  Lyon,  1 ; 
Aaron  Davis,  2 ;  Seth  J.  Bennett,  1 ;  Simeon  Jones,  2;  Elijah  G.  Fuller,  1 ;  Ben- 
jamin Sikes,  7  ;  Gilbert  E.  Fuller,  6;  Rodeiick  Collins,  4;  Jacob  S.  Eaton,  2  ;  F. 
F.  McLean,  3;  Henry  Charles,  1 ;  John  P.  Hubbard,  2;  Samuel  White,  9;  Eli  M. 
Smith,  3;  Reuben  Sikes,  3;  John  Ray,  2;  Chauncey  L.  Buell,  1  ;  David  C.  Jones, 
1 ;  Ambrose  Clough,  4;  Edward  E.  Fuller,  1. 

TOWN  CLERKS. 
Benajah  Willey,  1774-75;  Jeremiah  Button,  1776-79;  Dr.  Aaron  J.  Miller, 
1780-B2;  Samuel  Arnold,  1783-SS, 'S8;  Elisha  Fuller,  17SG;  Sohimon  L.  Fuller, 
17S7;  John  Jennings,  17S9-'J2, '94-96, '9ci-99 ;  Plynn  Sikes,  1793-97:  Increase 
Sikes,  IfOO-S;  Eli  Fuller,  lc09  29, '31 ;  Theodore  Sikes,  1830,  '33-3r),  '39  41; 
Dr.  Washington  B.  Alden,  1S32,  '36-38;  Samuel  S.  Buckliu,  1842;  Dennis 
Knowlton,  li43-4.5;  John  P.  Hubbard,  1845-03,  '56-61,  '64;  George  Booth,  1855  ; 
Albert  Fuller,  1862-63;  George  E.  Root,  1S65;  Benjamin  F.  Burr,  1866-78. 

REPRESENTATIVES. 
1784-85,  Capt.  Joseph  Jliller;  I7S7,  John  Jennings;  1800,  Elisha  Fuller; 
11:01-2,  Dr.  Aaron  J.  Miller;  1800-8,  '10,  Gad  Lyon;  1807,  Increase  Sikes;  1809, 
John  Jennings;  I8ll,  Sherwood  Beebe;  1812-15,  '27,  Ely  Fuller;  1829,  Rev. 
Alexander  McLean;  1S30,  Dr.  A.  J.  Miller;  1831-36,  Theodore  Sikes;  1837-38, 
Joseph  Bucklin  ;  L-40,  '42  44,  Dennis  Knowlton  ;  1845-47,  Artemas  H.  Whitney  ; 
1-48,  Eli  M.  Sndth  ;  l.«49,  Alva  .Sikes ;  11-54,  John  P.  Hubbard ;  li;55,  Jen  e  Miller ; 
1856  57,  Elisha  T.  Pareons;  1809,  Albert  Fuller;  1862,  llezekiah  Root;  1865, 
Jacob  S.  Eaton  ;  1872,  Reuben  Sikes. 

VIbLAGES    AND    HAMLETS. 

The  principal  village  in  the  town  is  what  is  known  as 

.JENKSVILLE, 

situated  in  the  southwestern  part  of  the  town,  on  the  Chicopee 
River.     It  was  formerly  known  as  "  Put's  Bridge,"  after  the 


HISTORY   OF  HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


1035 


bridge  which  was  erected  at  that  point  by  a  man  named  Put- 
nam. This  village  is  of  comparatively  modern  date,  and  has 
grown  up  around  the  flourishing  industrial  enterprises  which 
the  excellent  water-power  attracted  there.  The  Ludlow  Manu- 
facturing Company  now  have  several  mills  in  the  village. 
Besides  these  there  are  about  fifty  dwelling-houses,  a  boarding- 
house,  several  stores,  and  a  church  building,  which  was  erected 
by  the  manufacturers  of  the  village,  and  is  now  used  as  a  union 
house  of  worship. 

Pust-Ojficc. — The  post-office  was  established  about  1815.  The 
mail-route  for  a  while  was  through  the  town  from  north  to 
south,  a  cavalier  with  drawn  pistols  carrying  the  precious  bag. 
The  first  postmaster  was  Benjamin  Jenks.  His  successors  have 
been  S.  B.  Stebbins,  Jerre  Miller,  Walter  Miller,  Louis  Har- 
rington, Eli  M.  Smith,  and  David  Joy. 

I.UDLOW    CENTRE 

is  the  oldest  village  of  the  town,  where  the  first  meeting-house 
was  erected,  the  first  measures  for  town  organization  adopted, 
and  around  which  are  to  be  found  the  most  ancient  land- 
marks. 

Some  fifteen  or  twenty  neat  dwelling-houses,  a  Methodist 
and  a  Congregational  Church  and  chapel,  comprise  the  village. 

A  post-office  was  establislied  at  the  centre  June  17,  1874,  the 
date  of  the  centennial  celebration  of  the  town,  and  in  recog- 
nition of  the  progressive  spirit  of  the  age.  Mrs.  Susan  A. 
Chapin  was  appointed  the  first  po.stmistress,  and  still  fills  that 
position. 

"  LUDLOW    CITY" 

is  a  name  bestowed  upon  a  small  collection  of  hou.ses  in  the 
northwestern  corner  of  the  town.  The  inhabitants  devote 
themselves  assiduously  to  the  cultivation  of  the  soil. 

Moody  Corners  is  a  small  hamlet  near  the  western  border 
of  the  town,  at  the  crossing  of  two  roads,  and  marked  by  a 
small  collection  of  houses. 

Miller  Corner  is  a  name  early  bestowed  on  the  south- 
eastern corner  of  the  town  because  of  the  first  settlement  in 
that  locality  of  the  Miller  family.  Quite  a  settlement  has 
grown  up  on  the  Ludlow  side  of  the  river,  opposite  Collins' 
Depot,  or  North  Wilbraham,  and  some  of  the  most  energetic 
and  substantial  citizens  of  the  town  reside  there. 

SCHOOLS. 

The  earliest  reference  to  education  in  the  town  records  is 
in  1777,  when  in  troublous  times,  and  with  an  inflated  cur- 
renc}',  the  town  voted  £400  for  the  support  of  schools.  A 
little  later  came  an  appropriation  of  £20,  which  in  1794  had 
increased  to  £3-5.     In  1800  the  amount  raised  was  §133. 

The  management  of  school  aft'airs  seems  to  have  been  given 
at  first  to  the  selectmen,  but  not  always  to  the  satisfaction  of 
the  citizens,  for  in  1788  they  voted  to  accept  their  arrange- 
ment of  districts,  "Except  Eight  Families  East  of  Capt. 
Joseph  Miller's;  and  two  Families  North  of  Zephaniah 
Rood's."  A  committee  for  districting,  appointed  the  next 
year,  did  their  work  succcessfully.  District  No.  1  included 
the  present  1  and  2,  very  nearly.  No.  2  was  about  the  same 
as  the  present  No.  3.  No.  3  of  that  day  was  the  Miller  Cor- 
ner of  1878;  No.  4,  Cherry  Valley;  and  No.  5,  the  existing 
No.  9.  The  selectmen  were  to  hire  the  school-masters,  and 
maintain  six  months'  schooling  in  Nos.  1  and  3. 

In  1791  a  committee  to  locate  and  build  school-houses  were 
intrusted  with  £90  for  the  purpose.  In  1794  the  school  man- 
agement passed  into  the  hands  of  a  committee  from  each  dis- 
trict. The  town  appropriated  £6  for  a  singing-school  in  1791, 
and  appointed  a  committee  to  hire  a  singing-master.  The 
Alden  District  was  set  ofl'in  1808,  the  Centre  in  1809,  Walla- 
manumps  in  1814,  and  the  Lyon  District  in  1822.  The  first 
reference  to  the  West  Middle  District  waa  in  1822. 

Among  the  earl}'  school-teachers  of  the  town  may  be  men- 
tioned Theodocia  Howard  and  Mary  B.  Newell. 


There  are  at  present  nine  .school  districts  in  Ludlow,  which, 
by  a  two-thirds  vote  of  the  town,  are  still  conducted  U|ion 
the  district  S3'stem,  in  accordance  with  the  provisions  of  the 
act  of  the  Legislature  of  1870.  The  number  of  scholars  in 
attendance  is  about  180.  About  .S2000  is  annually  devoted  to 
the  use  of  the  schools. 

CHURCHES. 

CONGREGATIONAL,  LUDLOW  CENTRE. 

One  of  the  earliest  matters  which  received  attention  after 
the  incorporation  of  the  district  of  Ludlow  was  the  establish- 
ment of  stated  religious  services.  The  efforts  to  that  end 
were  more  or  less  impeded  by  the  unsettled  condition  of  the 
times,  and  a  long  period  elapsed  before  the  religious  aft'airs  of 
the  town  assumed  a  definite  shape. 

Previous  to  Nov.  27,  1793,  no  regular  pastor  was  employed. 
The  first  to  officiate  was  Rev.  Pelatiah  Chapin,  as  a  supply, 
who  was  hired  for  that  purpose  in  accordance  with  a  vote  of 
the  town,  passed  April  22,  1774.  In  1779,  Rev.  Mr.  Daven- 
port was  hired  for  one  jiionth.  In  1783  the  Rev.  M.  Hutch- 
ings  seems  to  have  su|)plied  the  pulpit  for  a  time.  The  next 
year  Rev.  David  Haskill  received  a  call  to  be  the  regular  pas- 
tor, but  declined.  Other  persons  who  seem  to  have  preached 
for  the  people  in  those  days  were  Rev.  Stephen  Fuller,  Rev. 
Allen  Pratt,  Rev.  William  Stone,  Rev.  Aaron  Woodward, 
and  the  notorious  Stephen  Burroughs  for  one  day. 

On  June  1,  1793,  the  town  voted  to  give  the  Rev.  Antipas 
Steward  a  call,  and  that  gentleman  was  duly  ordained  the 
first  regular  pastor  of  Ludlow,  Nov.  27,  1793.  His  compen- 
sation was  £60  annually,  with  an  addition  of  30  cords  of 
wood.  Mr.  Steward  was  born  at  Marlboro',  Mass.,  in  1734, 
and  was  graduated  at  Harvard  University  in  1760.  He  con- 
tinued pastor  of  the  church  until  1803,  when  he  was  duly  dis- 
missed by  council.  The  latter  part  of  his  ministration  was 
attended  by  unseemly  controversies  in  the  church. 

After  the  departure  of  Mr.  Steward,  Rev.  Laban  Thurber, 
a  Baptist,  supplied  the  pulpit  in  180-5  and  1806,  and  Rev. 
Abner  Phelps  in  1808.  In  1810  or  1811,  Rev.  Elijah  Hcd- 
ding,  then  presiding  elder  of  the  New  London  district  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  resided  in  Ludlow,  and  supplied 
the  pulpit  with  great  acceptance  for  a  year.  Rev.  Alexander 
McLean,  also  a  Methodist,  was  the  next  minister  employed. 
He  commenced  his  labors  in  1813,  and  continued  until  1816, 
when,  denominational  differences  having  arisen,  he  was  com- 
pelled to  retire,  as  the  Congregationalists  would  no  longer  affili- 
ate with  the  town's  minister.  In  1819  the  town  and  society 
united  in  calling  to  the  pulpit  Rev.  Ebenezer  Burt  Wright, 
who  was  duly  ordained  pastor  on  December  8th  of  that  year, 
and  continued  to  exercise  the  office  with  especial  acceptance 
and  benefit  to  the  town  until  his  dismissal,  because  of  failing 
health,  in  October,  1835.  A  colleague,  in  the  person  of  David 
R.  Austin,  of  Norwich,  Conn.,  had  been  previously  settled  in 
1833,  and  continued  pastor  until  the  winter  of  1835,  when  he 
assumed  the  principalship  of  the  academy  at  Monson.  The 
First  Parish  in  the  town  of  Ludlow  was  organized  Dec.  9, 
1835.  The  organization  grew  out  of  a  controversy  regarding 
the  ministry  fund,  which  occasioned  much  trouble  and  liti- 
gation for  a  time,  but  which  the  courts  finally  adjudged  to 
belong  to  the  Congregationalists. 

The  Rev.  Alonzo  Sanderson  was  the  next  regular  pastor. 
He  was  settled  in  1839,  and  continued  his  ministry  four  years, 
being  dismissed  May  11,1843.  Rev.  Jeremy  W.  Tuck  was 
ordained  and  installed  Sept.  6,  1843,  and  was  dismissed  Dec. 
7,  18-59.  Rev.  Warren  Mayo  next  filled  the  pastorate  until 
1862,  when  he  was  dismissed-  An  interim  of  two  years  was 
followed  by  the  settlement  of  Rev.  Chester  Bridgman,  whose 
service  extended  from  May  18,  1864,  to  July  24,  1866.  Rev. 
Chester  L.  Cushman  was  settled  Nov.  2,  1866,  and  continued 
his  ministry  until  his  dismissal,  Sept.  1,  1874.  Rev.  Samuel 
V.  McDuffee  is  the  pre.sent  pastor,  and  was  duly  installed  in 


1036 


HISTORY   OF   THE   CONNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


1875.  The  church  is  in  a  prosperous  condition,  the  member- 
ship large,  and  an  interesting  Sabbatli-school  is  connected 
therewith. 

At  tile  fiirniiition  of  tlie  cliurcli,  in  1789,  it  was  presented 
■with  a  heavy  comnuinion-servicc  from  the  mother-town,  in- 
scribed "  Springfield,  First  Church,  1742,"  which  was  con- 
tinued in  use  until  184G,  when  it  was  replaced  by  a  more 
costly  set,  the  bequest  of  Abner  Cady. 

The  first  raceting-house  was  erected  in  1784,  and  was  at  first 
merely  inclosed  with  rough  boards,  without  floors,  plastering, 
or  doors.  On  Oct.  23,  178:5,  the  town  voted  "  that  the  build- 
ing committee  procure  a  sutlicient  quantity  of  rum  for  raising 
the  meeting-house  frame."  The  second  meeting-house  used 
hy  the  society  was  erected  in  1840,  but  was  destroyed  by  fire 
Jan.  1.5,  18.59.  Tlie  same  year  the  present  commodious  house 
of  worship  was  erected.  A  small  but  neat  chapel  is  also 
owned  by  the  society,  which  is  located  nearly  opposite  the 
church.  The  deacons  of  the  church  down  to  1878  have  been 
Jonathan  Bartlett,  Timothy  Keyes,  Jonathan  Clough,  David 
Lyon,  Job  Pease,  Stephen  Jones,  Benjamin  SiUes,  Oliver 
Dutton,  Joseph  Miller,  Ashbel  Burr,  and  Alva  Sikes. 

JIETHODI.STS. 

The  advent  of  Methodism  in  Ludlow  occurred  in  the  last 
decade  of  the  last  century.  The  first  itinerant  who  visited 
the  town  was  probably  George  Pickering,  and  the  second 
George  Roberts,  whose  el}"orts  antedate  1793.  The  first  prom- 
inent layman  in  town  was  Samuel  Frost,  familiarly  known  as 
"  Master  Frost."  In  1793  he  invited  the  itinerants  to  visit 
the  town  and  preach  at  his  house.  Nathaniel  Chapin  re- 
sponded, and  two  men,  Uriah  Clough  and  Joel  Farnuni,  are 
said  to  have  accompanied  him. 

In  179.5  the  Tolland  circuit  itinerants  from  Wilbraham  sup- 
plied statedly.  The  most  prominent  of  these  were  Menzics 
Rayner,  Lemuel  Smith,  Zadoc  Priest,  Daniel  Ostrander,  and 
Laban  Clark.  In  the  fall  of  1801,  David  Orcutt,  perhaps  the 
first  class-leader  in  the  town,  removed  there,  and  for  seven 
years  meetings  were  held  at  Samuel  Frost's.  The  circuit 
preacher  who  organized  the  class  was  Henry  Eames,  and  the 
date  March  29,  1802.  There  were  about  a  dozen  members. 
Augustin  Jocelyn,  the  next  circuit  preacher,  established  a 
Sabbath  appointment  in  Ludlow,  and  spent  a  considerable 
portion  of  his  time  there.  The  movement  progressed  with 
more  or  less  success  until  the  year  1828,  when,  through  the 
personal  efl'orts  of  Rev.  Wilbur  Fisk,  the  principal  of  Wilbra- 
ham Academy,  a  church  40  by  50  feet  was  erected,  and  dedi- 
cated July  5th  of  that  year.  Methodism  was  now  fairly  es- 
tablished in  the  town,  and  Rev.  Isaac  Jennison  and  Noah 
Perrin  supplied  the  charge  that  year.  About  this  time  the 
itinerant  ministers  began  to  visit  Jenksville.  Rev.  Mr.  Foster, 
another  principal  of  the  Wilbraham  Academy,  was  probably 
the  pioneer,  and  made  his  first  visit  on  invitation  of  John 
Miller.  Samuel  Davis  was  in  charge  in  1831,  and  through  his 
efibrts  the  interests  of  the  denomination  throughout  the  town 
were  greatly  advanced,  and  many  persons  were  converted. 
The  meeting-house  was  repaired  and  remodeled  in  1858,  and 
still  stands  at  the  centre,  and  the  society  is  in  a  prosperous 
condition.  A  second  Methodist  meeting-house  was  erected  in 
1848,  at  Jenksville,  but  owing  to  the  failure  of  the  manufac- 
turing company  there  the  society  languished,  the  bouse  was 
sold  for  a  nominal  sum,  and  removed  to  Warren,  Worcester 
Co.,  where,  remodeled,  it  still  does  duty  for  the  denomina- 
tion in  whose  interests  it  was  erected. 

The  following  has  been  the  succession  of  Methodist  minis- 
ters at  Ludlow  Centre: 

1820,  Wilbur  Fisk,  D-D,;  1S27,  leaac  Jennison  ;  1829,  Aaron  Wait;  1830-31, 
Samuel  Davis;  1832,  Salmun  Hull;  1833,  Paul  TowusouiJ;  1S34,  Charles  I). 
Rogers;  1835,  .Vniasa  Taylor;  1S30-37,  I'liilo  Hawks;  1838,  Charles  Virgin; 
1839^10,  James  Nichols;  1841,  William  Campbell;  1841-42,  John  W.  Dadmun; 
1843,  William  A.  Clapp ;  1844,  William  Fleming;  1845,  Asa  Barnes;  1846i 
Ephraim  .Scott ;  1?47,  I.uthcr  B,  Clark  ;  1848-49,  John  Caldwell ;  1850-51,  Moses 


Stoddard;  1852-53,  James  W.  Mowi-y";  1854-55,  Kinsman  Atkinson:  18.56,  Na- 
than .\.  Soule;  1857-58, Franklin  Fisk;  1859-00,  George  Preuti  e;  1801,  Wm.G. 
Leonard;  1SC2-C3,  Daniel  K.  Banister;  1.904-CC,  William  J.  Pomfret ;  1807-68, 
Levin  A.  Bosworth  ;  1809,  .Jouiis  M.  Clark;  1870,  John  W.  Leo;  1871-72,  John 
W.Merrill,  D.D.;  1873-74,  Alfred  Noon  ;  1875-77,  N.H.  Martin;  1878,  Charles  H. 
Vinton. 

UNION   CUUr.CH,    JENIvSVILLE. 

Religious  affairs  at  Jenksville  have  partaken  more  or  less  of 
a  union  character  from  their  earliest  inception.  In  1845  and 
1840,  Daniel  E.  Chapin  was  preacher  in  charge  of  the  Meth- 
odist Society.  Under  his  popular  ministr}',  a  successful  effort 
was  made  to  erect  a  church,  resulting  in  the  edifice  now  stand- 
ing, which  was  built  principally  by  the  manuf;icturing  cor- 
poration. Rev.  Dr.  Iloldrich,  afterward  connected  with  the 
American  Bible  Society,  preached  the  dedicatory  sermon.  A 
question  of  privileges  in  the  house  arising  between  the  Meth- 
odists and  Congregationalists,  the  former  erected  for  them- 
selves the  house  that  has  been  referred  to.  The  Congrega- 
tionalists had  meanwhile  organized  a  church,  June  24,  1847, 
and  called  Rev.  William  Hall,  who  was  settled  in  1848;  but, 
in  consequence  of  failure  of  the  manufacturing  enterprise  at 
Jenksville,  and  the  loss  of  population,  he  felt  compelled  to 
resign,  and  was  dismissed  the  same  year.  Both  religious  so- 
cieties suffered  greatly  because  of  this  failure,  and  it  was  a 
long  time  before  they  recovered  from  its  effects. 

An  interesting  revival  occurred  in  1857,  which  resulted  in 
the  coming  of  a  Conference  preaclier  the  following  spring, 
who,  with  annual  successors,  occupied  the  desk  of  the  church 
until  1863.  Four  years  later  a  union  church  was  organized, 
which,  composed  of  the  members  of  both  societies,  has  since 
been  provided  with  a  common  pastor, — sometimes  Methodist, 
and  sometimes  Congregational.  Such  is  the  present  status  of 
ecclesiastical  aft'airs  at  the  village.  The  following  persons 
have  otBciated  as  pastors  there,  the  letters  at  the  end  of  each 
name  indicating  the  denomination  to  which  each  one  be- 
longed : 

1841-42,  B.  F.  Lombard  (M.  E.);  1840,  Daniel  E.  Chapin  (M.  E.) ;  1847,  David 
Sherm.in  (M.  E.);  1S48,  Z.  A.  Mmlge  (M.  E.) ;  1848,  William  Hall  (Cong.);  1857, 
W.  H.  Daniels  (M.  E.) ;  1858,  David  K.  Meriill  (BI.  E.) ;  1859,  L.  R.  S.  Brewster 
(M.  E.);  1800-01,  George  E.  Chapman  (M.  E.);  1862,  John  Noon  (M.  E.) ;  1863, 
J.  A.  KiOhe  (M.  E.) ;  ISGS,  A.  Gardner  (Cong.) ;  1872,  H.  E.  Crocker  (M.  E.)  ; 
187;i,  J.  A.  De  Forest  (M.  E.) ;  1874, Timothy  Lyman  (Cong.).  The  present  pastor 
is  Rev.  C.  L.  C'ushnian. 

BURIAL-PLACES. 
The  oldest  place  of  burial  in  the  town  is  located  about  a 
mile  northwest  of  the  centre,  near  the  residence  of  Truman 
Hubbard.  This  piece  of  land  was  presented  to  the  town  by 
Benjamin  Sikes,  and  a  suitable  acknowledgment  of  the  gift 
is  thus  noted  in  the  town  records  : 

"Receive  a  deed  of  Gift  from  M''  Benjamin  Sikes  of  a  Certain  piece  of  land, 
in  order  to  or  as  a  place  to  bury  our  Dead.  Voted  also  that  the  Thanks  of  the 
Towu  be  return**  for  the  same  to  the  said  51^  Sikes  for  his  Benevolence." 

A  board  fence  was  ordered  to  be  put  around  it  in  1782,  and 
in  1825  it  was  repaired.  The  present  fence  was  erected  in 
1866.  The  ground  is  in  a  good  condition  and  is  still  in  use. 
Many  of  the  earliest  settlers  of  the  town  are  there  interred. 
Among  the  inscriptions  on  the  various  tombstones  is  the  fol- 
lowing : 

"  In  memory  of  3lrs.  Sarah,  wife  of  Mr.  Timothy  Root,  who  died  Mar.  3,  1785, 
in  her  44  year.    .\lso  an  Infant  buryed  by  her  side. 

Other  persons  buried  there  are  Lieut.  John  Sikes,  who 
died  July  27,  1807,  in  his  sixtieth  year;  Hannah  Sikes,  wife 
of  Benjtvmin  Sikes,  who  died  April  17,  1790,  aged  eighty-four 
years;  Mrs.  Hannah,  wife  of  John  Sikes,  who  died  June  9, 
1772,  in  her  twenty-third  year  ;  Abner  Sikes,  who  died  June 
24,  1800,  in  his  seventieth  year;  and  Beriah  Jennings,  who 
died  May  12,  1776,  in  the  forty-fifth  year  of  her  age. 

What  is  known  as  the  East  biiryiiig-nrowul  was  laid  out 
about  1801,  and  is  situated  on  the  extreme  eastern  border  of 
the  town.  It  has  been  recently  enlarged.  The  ground  is  still 
in  use,  and  contains  the  remains  of  many  persons  who  have 
been  early  and  prominently  associated  with  the  aft'airs  of  the 


HISTORY  OF   HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


1037 


town.  Among  others  are  David  Paine,  who  died  July  2, 
1807,  aged  seventy,  as  the  inscription  says,  "  by  a  cart-wheel 
running  across  his  breast ;  he  e.vpired  instantly,''  and  Nicholas 
Daniels,  who  died  April  26,  1827,  aged  sixty-five. 

The  Centre  burving-ground  is  located  near  the  Congrega- 
tional Church,  and  was  presented  to  the  town  by  Elisha 
Fuller  in  1801.  A  substantial  fence  was  placed  around  it  in 
180.5,  which  was  repaired  in  1817  and  182.5.  Great  excitement 
■was  occasioned  about  this  time  by  a  proposal  to  remove  all 
the  bodies  previoush-  interred  there.  Some  of  the  stones  indi- 
cate that  it  must  have  been  in  use  as  a  place  of  burial  some 
time  before  the  formal  ceding  of  the  ground.  It  was  prob- 
ably laid  out  in  1786,  the  first  burial  taking  place  in  that 
year.  Among  the  inscriptions  upon  its  various  tombstones 
are  the  following : 

"In  memory  of  Doer  Philip  Lyon,  -who  died  July  26, 1802,  aged  40  yeare,  who, 
after  having  e.\p(-'rienced  the  sweets  of  connubial  bliss,  died,  leaving  no  family. 
His  amiable  cunsjlt  died  at  Randolph,  Oct.,  ISOl." 

"Sacred  to  the  Memory  of  Mrs.  Mary,  wife  of  Mr.  Leonard  Miller,  who  died 
in  Childbed,  June  G,  1790,  in  the  3sth  year  of  her  age.  Besides  a  birtb,  and  she 
left  8  small  Children  to  mourn  her  untimely  fate." 

"  In  memory  of  Chester,  the  son  of  Mr,  Asa  &  BIrs.  Sarah  Dodge,  who  Died 
Sopfo  lltb,  180.'»,  aged  3  years  4  months  and  18  days," 

"  With  dysentery  and  with  worms, 

God  did  Death  liL-euce  give, 

To  talie  my  precious  Soul  away. 

And  s,ay  I  should  not  live." 

Among  the  oldest  inscriptions  are  those  of  two  children  of 
Capt.  Joseph  Miller,  who  respectively  died  Oct.  \3,  1780,  and 
Dec.  10,  1787;  Cj'prian  and  Lucy  Wright,  who  died,  Jan.  7, 
1779,  in  his  forty-tifth  year,  and  she,  Aug.  22,  171)4,  in  the 
thirty-seventh  year  of  her  age;  and  Capt.  Joseph  Miller,  who 
died  April  3,  1803,  aged  seventy-nine  years. 

"  Praises  on  tombs  are 
Titles  vaiuly  spent, 
A  man's  good  name  is 
His  best  monument." 

What  is  known  as  the  New  cemetery  is  situated  southwest 
of  the  centre,  and  was  purchased  and  opened  in  1842.  It 
comprises  3  acres  of  land,  which  were  originally  a  part  of  the 
farm  of  Increase  Sikes,  and  contains  man}'  handsome  monu- 
ments.    It  is  in  constant  use,  and  is  neatly  fenced. 

The  JenksviUe  cemetery  is  situated  a  little  northeast  of  the 
village,  and  was  laid  out  probably  about  1830.  The  first  ref- 
erence to  it  contained  in  the  records  of  the  town  is  on  May  30, 
1842,  when  the  town  is  asked  to  enlarge  it.  It  contains  the 
remains  of  many  persons  who  have  been  prominentU'  asso- 
ciated with  the  growth  and  development  of  that  section  of  the 
town. 

NOTES   AND  INCIDENTS. 

In  1804  the  town  magnanimously  appropriated  f25  "  to  the 
present  singers,  on  condition  they  sing  well  and  still  continue 
to  sing,  to  the  Edification  of  the  Irihabitants  of  s''  town;" 
and  two  j-ears  after,  a  committee  was  again  empowered  to  hire 
a  singing-master. 

The  voters  of  the  town  seem  to  have  indulged  in  all  the 
privileges  of  American  citizenship.  At  one  time  they  sol- 
emnly and  with  full  assurance  "  voted  that  James  Bowdoin, 
Esq.,  be  governor." 

In  the  year  1817  a  man  named  John  Annibal  went  from 
Belchertown  to  Connecticut  to  peddle  wagons  for  one  Filer. 
On  his  return  he  was  seen  to  enter  Ludlow  about  sundown. 
Afterward  his  horse,  with  bridle  cut,  was  seen  in  Granby,  near 
Asa  Pease's  house.  His  portmanteau  and  saddle  were  found 
near  Ezekiel  Fuller's,  and  blood  was  discovered  in  the  road 
between  these  points.  Great  excitement  prevailed,  as  every 
one  thought  he  had  been  robbed  and  murdered.  A  vigorous 
search  was  made  for  the  body,  a  pond  covering  an  acre  of  land 
being  drained;  but  all  to  no  purpose,  and  the  mystery  remains 
unexplained  to  this  day. 

About  1830,  one  Wright,  a  deaf-mute,  residing  over  the 
m<iuntain,  disappeared  quite  suddenlj-.     He  was  supposed  to 


have  had  an  altercation  with  one  of  the  citizens  living  in 
another  part  of  the  town,  and  foul  play  was  suspected.  A 
melancholy  interest  was  added  to  the  aflair  by  the  finding  of 
a  skeleton  in  an  outlet  long  afterward,  which  bore  unmis- 
takable signs  of  identity  with  the  missing  man. 

INDUSTRL\L  PURSUITS. 
The  principal  occupation  of  the  inhabitants  of  Ludlow  has 
been  agriculture.  At  the  present  time,  although  several  prom- 
inent manufacturing  industries  have  become  established  in  the 
town,  the  majority  of  the  population  devote  their  time  and 
energies  to  tilling  their  excellent  farms,  finding  a  ready 
market  for  their  products  in  the  adjoining  city  of  Springfield. 
Attempts  at  manufacturing  were  made  in  the  latter  part 
of  the  last  century.  In  the  laying  of  a  road  reference  is 
made  to  "the  saw-mill  of  Jonathan  Burr  and  Company," 
afterward  with  the  wtUer-power  known  as  the  McLean  privi- 
lege. A  mill  of  some  kind  was  also  in  operation  in  the  ex- 
treme north  part  of  the  town,  at  the  "city."  At  the  south- 
west corner  there  was  also  a  saw-mill. 

Early  in  the  present  century  Rufus  Calkins  had  a  little 
chair-shop  a  mile  up  Higher  Brook  from  the  centre  post-ofiSce. 
Here  were  made  many  of  the  old  chairs  now  to  be  seen  in  the 
more  ancient  houses  of  the  people.  At  one  time  he  also  ad- 
justed a  spindle,  by  means  of  which  he  could  spin  flax  or  wool. 
His  was  the  first  manufacturing  of  the  kind  in  the  town. 

Farther  down,  below  Warren  Fuller's  privilege,  was,  in 
1814,  a  little  fulling-mill,  operated  by  Gustavus  Pinney. 
Near  the  bank,  at  two  different  places  successively,  Elisha 
Fuller  carried  on  an  ashery,  the  last  location  being  opposite 
the  present  Methodist  Church,  on  the  lot  now  owned  by  the 
society.  Harris'  mill-privilege  was  under  improvement  in 
1805,  under  the  name  of  the  "  Continental  Mill." 

On  Broad  Brook  were  two  privileges,  now  unused,  where 
were  located  Thornton's  saw-mill  at  the  foot  of  Burying- 
Ground  Hill,  and  Alden's  sash-and-blind  shop,  a  few  rods 
above.  At  Ludlow  City  was  at  one  time  a  distillery.  Tar- 
kilns  were  set  up  here  and  there,  traces  being  still  discernible 
on  Facing  Hills  and  elsewhere. 

Near  the  old  Sikes  place,  south  of  the  brook,  a  mile  north 
of  the  centre  churches,  is  still  shown  the  ruins  of  the  once- 
famous  Ludlow  Glass-Works,  the  wonder  of  the  region. 
Here  stood  a  small  building,  partly  masonry  and  partly  wood, 
in  which  were  ponderous  furnaces.  The  article  made  was 
green  glass,  mostly  in  the  shape  of  bottles.  It  existed  a  few 
years,  but  finally  suspended  operations. 

The  falls  of  Wallamanumps  early  attracted  attention.  In 
1788  reference  is  made  to  "Deacon  Timothy  Keyes'  mill-dam" 
at  this  point.  About  the  opening  of  the  present  century  Ab- 
ner  Putnam  came  from  the  east,  and  improved  the  privilege 
by  erecting  a  shop  for  the  manufacture  of  scythes,  which  de- 
veloped into  a  considerable  business. 

About  1840,  Plumley's  saw-mill  at  the  mouth  of  Broad 
Brook  utilized  the  fine  water-power  at  that  point,  while  the 
Alden  Mills  above  turned  out  large  numbers  of  farm-forks 
and  rakes.  Fisk's  mill,  at  the  "  city,"  manufactured  a  dura- 
ble and  handsome  woolen  fiibric,  well  known  in  this  region. 
Here,  too,  were  brought  fleeces  from  the  neighboring  farms 
for  carding.  Jacob  S.  Eaton  also  had  a  share  of  this  trade  at 
his  mill,  near  Indian  Orchard,  v/here  wool  was  carded  and 
satinet  manufactured. 

The  principal  manufacturing  enterprise  at  the  present  time 
is  that  of  the 

LrDLOW   .MANUFACTURINO   COMPANY. 

The  beginnings  of  the  present  important  operations  of  the 
company  date  back  to  the  year  1812,  when  Benjamin  Jenks, 
then  of  Smithfield,  R.  I.,  ignoring  the  opportunity  to  pur- 
chase the  present  site  of  the  city  of  Rochester,  N.  T.,  with 
its  splendid  water-power,  at  the  same  sum,  bought  the  privi- 
lege at  Wallamanumps  (JenksviUe)  of  Capt.  Abram  Putnam. 


1038 


HISTORY  OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


A  company  was  formed  in  1814,  and  did  a  limited  business  in 
the  manufacture  of  cotton  warps,  which  were  sent  into  fami- 
lies to  be  made  into  cloth  with  woolen  "  fillings." 

On  the  31st  of  December,  1821,  the  proprietors  met  and  or- 
ganized, according  to  the  act  of  incorporation,  as  the  Spring- 
field Manufacturing  Company.  This  company  carried  on  a 
large  bu,siness  in  the  manufacture  of  cotton  goods  until  July 
14,  1848,  when  it  failed  for  a  large  amount.  In  1840-40  it 
manufactured  gun-barrels  for  the  United  States  Government 
at  the  upper  privilege. 

After  the  failure  of  the  Springfield  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany, the  firm  of  Wood  &  Merritt  carried  on  the  business 
from  1848  to  185G,  when  it  was  merged  into  the  first  Ludlow 
Manufacturing  Company.  The  power  was  for  a  number  of 
years  leased'  to  George  H.  Doane,  who  fitted  up  the  stone 
mills  that  had  been  erected  by  the  old  company  for  the  man- 
ufacture of  jute  goods,  and  the  upper  mill  for  the  manufac- 
ture of  wadding.  After  the  expiration  of  the  lease,  Mr.  Doane 
purchased  the  property  and  formed  the  Ludlow  Mills  Com- 
pany, which,  after  carrying  on  business  for  a  while,  sold  out  to 
the  present  Ludlow  Manufacturing  Company,  of  which  L.  H. 
Brigham  is  agent. 

The  enterprise  is  now  in  a  prosperous  condition,  and  new 
additions  and  improvements  are  being  made  by  the  companj'. 
Besides  the  large  stone  mill  erected  by  the  first  company,  and 
the  mill  at  the  upper  privilege,  the  company  erected  during 
the  past  summer  (1878)  an  extensive  and  elegant  brick  mill, 
near  the  stone  mill.  A  canal  has  also  during  the  same  time 
been  dug,  at  great  labor  and  expense,  across  the  company's 
site,  with  a  view  of  increasing  the  facilities. 

The  goods  now  made  arc,  at  the  stone  mills,  gunny-bagging, 
various  kinds  of  crashes,  plain  and  figured,  and  all  kinds  of 
hardware-twines  and  linen  warps  ;  and  at  the  upper  privilege 
are  made  cotton  warps  and  seamless  grain-bags  of  the  same 
material.  The  company  employs  about  400  persons,  paying 
monthly  about  |10,000  in  wages.  The  number  of  employes 
will  be  greatly  augmented  when  the  new  mill  is  completed. 

MILITARY. 

The  town  of  Ludlow  was  barely  established  before  it  was 
called  upon  to  pass  through  the  trying  times  of  the  Kcvolu- 
tion. 

In  1774,  Joseph  Miller  was  appointed  to  represent  the  town 
in  the  .several  conventions  which  were  held  at  Concord,  Salem, 
Cambridge,  and  Watertown,  and  in  the  fearful  struggle  that 
followed,  one  in  every  seven  of  the  town's  inhabitants  left, 
for  a  longer  or  shorter  time,  their  homes  and  loves  "  for  a  life 
in  the  tented  field."  The  records  make  evident  the  fact  that 
every  burden  imposed  by  the  war  was  cheerfully  borne,  every 
tax  paid,  and  every  responsibility  met.  The  following  inhab- 
itants of  the  town  served  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution  : 

Iclmbod  Barker,  Ezekit-l  Beebe,  C<Tsar  Begory  (colured),  Noadiah  Burr,  Reu- 
ben Burt,  Joel  Cliapiu,  Charles  Chorley,  Aaron  Colton,  Solomon  Cooley,  Edward 
Cotton,  Oliver  Dutton,  Ezekiel  Fuller.  Lothrop  Fuller,  Jabez  Goodale,  Joseph 
Hitchcock,  Joseph  Jennings,  John  Johnson,  David  Lombard,  Jonathan  Lombard, 
Dr.  Aaron  J.  Miller,  George  Miller,  Jr.,  Leonard  Miller,  David  Paine,  Tyrus 
Pratt,  Samuel  Scranton,  Thomas  Temple,  Moses  Wilder,  Cypi  ian  Wright. 

In  1786-87  occurred  the  Shays  rebellion,  in  which  Ludlow 
had  her  share,  furnishing,  it  is  claimed,  recruits  to  both 
parties. 

The  Shays  column  of  malcontents  is  supposed  to  have  passed 
through  the  town  on  its  way  to  Springfield,  and  also  in  its 


retreat.  On  its  passage  through  South  Hadley,  Isaiah  Call, 
a  Ludlow  man,  was  killed  by  a  chance  shot  from  a  house. 
The  others  in  the  Shays  forces  whose  names  are  preserved  as 
being  from  Ludlow  were  Titus  Pratt,  John  Jennings,  and 
Samuel  Olds. 

The  war  of  1812  received  no  special  notice  on  the  records  of 
the  town,  although  Ludlow  was  not  backward  in  furnishing 
her  quota  of  men.  The  citizens  who  participated  in  the  ser- 
vice were 

Henry  Acres,  Gideon  Cotton,  Samuel  Gates,  Chester  Kendall,  Amos  Root,  Charles 
F.  Wood,  Benjauiin  Ainsworth,  Lemuel  Gardiner,  John  Howard,  Reuben 
Pansons,  Yeranus  Shattuck,  Gordon  B.  Wood,  Harvey  Wood. 

The  Mexican  war  fever  reached  Ludlow,  but  only  took 
effect  in  one  case,  Joseph  Rood,  who  is  supposed  to  have  been 
wounded  in  one  of  the  frays  in  the  land  of  the  Aztecs. 

In  the  days  of  the  great  Rebellion  but  one  sentiment  was 
manifest  in  Ludlow.  Few  towns  were  more  active,  and  none 
more  loyal.  As  early  as  April  27,  1861,  the  citizens  met  and 
appropriated  $2000  as  a  bounty  to  those  who  would  enlist. 
In  August  of  the  next  year  5100  was  offered  to  each  of  the  17 
men  who  enlisted.  Throughout  the  entire  war  the  people 
were  equally  earnest  and  patriotic.  Out  of  a  population  of 
1200  souls,  Ludlow  furnished  120  men  to  the  army,  of  which 
the  following  is  a  list.     Those  who  fell  are  designated  by  a  *. 

Philo  W.  B.  Ahien,  Preston  Alden,  Hir,am  W.  AlJrii  h,*  Wilson  Allen,  Dennis 
Anderson,  George  Ashton,  James  Bagley,  Leonard  Baker,  Lemuel  Ben- 
nett, Lyniitn  Bennett,*  Warren  D.  Bennett,  Sumner  B.idlieli,  Lyman 
Brewer,  John  H.  Brines,  Edwaid  F.  Brooks,*  James  Buckley,  J.iseph  A. 
Bugbee,  Amaziah  E.  Burch;im,  Franc  s  A.  Burcliani,  Henry  Busbey,  An- 
drew Carpenter,  James  Chapin.  Augustus  Cliapnuin,*  William  F.  Chris- 
tian, Benjamin  F.  Clark,  "William  Clements,  John  Coitah,*  Charles  B. 
Conistock,  Calvin  Cooley,  Thomas  Cowan,  D.iniel  D.  Currier,*  Caleb 
Crownifigshield,*  Jidin  B.  Dunn,  Benjamin  C.  Davis,  John  B.  Davis, 
Wilbur  Davis,  Cornelius  Dugan,  Klisba  Dutton,  Charles  B.  Fay,  George 
Feathers,  Edward  E.  Fuller,  J.  R.  Fuller,  Horace  Gates,  Marvin  Giboney, 
Austin  C.  Gove,  Thomas  Higgins,  Isaac  T.  Hines,  Henry  Hobson,  John 
Hoi  son,  Jr.,  Henry  A.  Hubbard,*  James  B.  Kellams,  Andrew  Kenney, 
James  D.  Kenney,  Henry  Keye-*,  Arthur  King,  Homer  K.  King,  Samuel 
King,  Francis  R.  Lemon,  Dexter  Lombard,  Isaac  Lowry,  Thiuuas  I. 
Lyndes,  Ebenezer  Lyon,*  John  Mack,  Julius  M.  Marshall,  Harry  Martin, 
John  McCutcheon,  John  McDonald,  Charles  McFarland,*  (.'harlea  McKen- 
ney,  Charles  McSiieney,  Wilbur  F.  Miller,  Edward  Morrill,  Mii-bael 
Munsing,  Charles  M.  Nash,  James  L.Nash,  Stephen  O'lloUoran,  David 
BI.  Olds,  Robert  Parsons,*  Henry  M.  Pease,*  Levi  L.  Pease,  Lyman  Pea>*e, 
James  E.  Perry,  Anthony  0.  Pott,*  Daniel  Pratt,*  Edwin  Price,  Fla\ius 
J.  Putnam,*  Michael  Keinbart,  Andrew  Renny,  AViison  Rogers,  Joseph 
Rood,  William  Sandeison,  Daniel  R.  Sani;!  r,  Peler  Scott,  John  Shangh- 
nessey,  Alexander  Shaw,  Cliarle-t  Sikes,  Charles  Sitnonds',  Fr.iiuis  F. 
Simonds,  Franklin  R.  Sirnond.^,  Josiah  Stepliens,  Edwaid  H.  Stewart, 
George  L.  SIreeter,  Addison  Waide,  George  Wallace,  Charles  S.  Wash- 
burn, William  E.  Waahburn,*  Abram  W.  Watson,  LovinsUi  AVbite,  Loren 
Wood. 

The  war  over  and  some  of  the  men  returned,  measures  were 
taken  in  186G  to  erect  a  monument  to  the  memory  of  the  fallen. 
The  memorial  was  constructed  of  Monsoii  stone,  and  cost 
?102.5.  It  was  dedicated  with  appropriate  ceremonies  in  the 
summer  of  1867.  It  stands  near  the  Congregational  Church 
at  Ludlow  Centre, — a  worthy  testimonial  to  the  bravery  of 
the  dead  and  the  patriotism  and  public  spirit  of  the  living. 

In  preparing  this  history  of  the  town,  assistance,  for  which 
the  writer  is  grateful,  was  cheerfully  furnished  by  Benjamin 
F.  Burr,  Ambrose  Clough,  Hezekiah  Root,  and  other  citi- 
zens. Great  aid  was  also  afforded  by  the  excellent  Centen- 
nial History  published  in  1875,  and  compiled  by  Rev.  Alfred 
Noon. 


LONGMEADOW. 


GEOGRAPHICAL. 

This  town  is  situated  centrally  on  the  southern  line  of  the 
county,  and  is  bounded  north  by  Spring;tield,  south  by  the 
towns  of  Enfield  and  Somers,  in  Hartford  County,  Conn., 
east  by  Hampden,  and  west  by  Agawam,  in  Hampden  County, 
from  the  latter  of  which  it  is  separated  by  the  Connecticut 
River.  Its  average  length,  east  and  west,  is  about  seven 
miles,  !ind  its  average  width  a  little  more  than  three  and  a  half 
miles,  with  an  area  of  twenty-five  square  miles,  or  16,000 
acres. 

NATURAL   FEATURES. 

The  western  half  of  this  township  is  comparatively  level. 
The  lowest  level  is  the  famous  "  long  meadow"  on  the  river. 
Back  of  this  at  an  average  distance  of  about  three-fourths  of 
a  mile  is  an  abrupt  rise  of  some  sixty  or  eighty  feet  to  the 
second  "terrace"  of  the  Connecticut  Kiver,  which  is  on  the 
same  level  as  the  armory  in  Springfield,  and  constitutes  the 
principal  plain  of  the  great  valley.  On  this  plain  is  situated 
the  old  village  of  Longmeadow.  Between  this  village  and 
East  Longmeadow  lies  a  comparative  wilderness  covered  with 
an  extensive  growth  of  forest-trees,  conspicuous  and  important 
among  which  is  the  "lofty  pine." 

The  eastern  portion  of  the  town  is  considerably  broken  by 
a  chain  of  hills,  many  of  which  reach  a  considerable  altitude. 
This  region  was  formerly  designated  as  "Poverty  Hill,"  in 
allusion  to  its  supposed  sterility,  but  in  later  years,  under  im- 
proved systems  of  cultivation,  it  has  fully  redeemed  itself 
from  this  stigma,  and  now  contains  the  largest  portion  of  the 
town's  population. 

The  streams  are  quite  abundant.  In  the  western  section, 
starting  from  the  north  and  proceeding  southward,  Pecowsic 
Brook,  Cooley's  Brook,  Wheelmeadow  Brook,  Longmeadow 
Brook,  and  Raspberry  Brook  each  flow  into  the  Connecticut 
River.  The  most  important  of  these  streams  are  Pecowsic 
Brook  and  Longmeadow  Brook,  each  of  which  has  its  rise  in 
the  eastern  part  of  the  town,  and  both  have  been  utilized  to  a 
greater  or  less  e.\tent  for  industrial  purposes.  Long  Dingle 
and  Entry  Dingle  Brooks  are  small  affluents  of  Pecowsic  Brook 
in  the  northwestern  part  of  the  town. 

In  the  eastern  section  are  only  two  streams  of  importance. 
Watchaug  (sometimes  written  Oatchoag)  Brook  flows  south- 
erly into  Connecticut,  and,  uniting  with  the  Scantic,  from 
Wilbraham,  finds  its  way  into  the  Connecticut  River  at  East 
"Windsor.  The  South  Branch  of  Mill  River  rises  near  the 
eastern  border  of  the  town,  and  flows  northerly  into  Spring- 
field. 

The  soil  of  the  town  is  quite  variable.  In  the  western  part 
it  is  good  and  productive,  yielding  satisfactory  returns  to 
those  engaging  in  agricultural  pursuits.  The  bottom-lands 
along  the  Connecticut  River  are  abundantly  fertile.  The 
central  part  of  the  town  is  sandy,  and  cannot  be  cultivated 
with  any  degree  of  success.  In  the  eastern  part  the  soil  is 
good,  and,  although  it  requires  careful  cultivation,  is  reasona- 
bly productive.  Red  sandstone,  which  forms  so  prominent  a 
geologic  feature  of  the  valley,  abounds  in  the  eastern  part  of 
the  town,  and  is  quarried  to  a  considerable  extent  for  building 
purposes.* 


*  See  general  chapter  on  geology. 


■RAILROADS. 

The  town  enjoys  an  abundance  of  railroad  facilities,  each 
section  being  fully  provided  for.  The  New  Haven,  Hartford 
and  Springfield  Railroad  passes  through  the  western  part  of 
the  town,  between  the  village  and  the  river,  having  a  station 
at  Longmeadow.  It  was  first  opened  for  traffic  on  the  9th  of 
December,  1844.  East  Longmeadow  is  accommodated  by  the 
Connecticut  Central  Railroad,  which  passes  through  the  town 
just  east  of  the  geographical  centre.  It  has  a  station  at  the 
village  of  East  Longmeadow,  and  was  opened  in  the  spring 
of  1876. 

E.MINENT   MEN. 

Longmeadow  has  produced  her  full  share  of  men  who  have 
risen  to  positions  of  prominence  in  the  world  of  religion,  let- 
ters, and  politics.  Among  these  are  included  a  large  number 
of  clergymen  of  eminence.  Others  of  her  citizens  have 
achieved  success  in  other  walks  of  life,  among  whom  mention 
may  be  made  of  Hon.  "Wm.  Ely,  a  native  of  Longmeadow, 
subsequently  a  resident  of  Springfield,  and  a  member  of  Con- 
gress. 

INDIAN  OCCUPATION. 

The  town  of  Longmeadow  was  without  a  doubt  occupied 
by  the  Indians  in  the  early  days  of  the  settlement  of  Spring- 
field. Local  evidences  still  remain,  and  these  are  supplemented 
by  the  pages  of  history.  After  the  settlement  of  the  town  its 
territory  was  frequently  the  highway  of  the  Indians  as  they 
passed  north  and  south  on  their  predatory  and  hostile  excur- 
sions. Its  forests  also  afforded  a  convenient  hiding-place  to 
the  savages  during  the  terrible  events  of  King  Philip's  war. 
March  26,  1676,  the  town  was  the  seat  of  a  tragedy  which 
involved  the  death  of  one  of  the  first  settlers  and  principal 
inhabitants.  It  was  a  Sabbath  day,  and  a  party  of  eighteen 
persons — men,  women,  and  children — started  from  Long- 
meadow to  attend  public  worship  at  Springfield.  They  had 
proceeded  as  far  as  Pecowsic  Brook,  accompanied  by  a  small 
guard,  when  they  were  assaulted  by  a  band  of  eight  savages, 
and  John  Keep,  his  wife,  and  their  infant  child  were  killed, 
and  several  others  wounded.  Mr.  Keep  was  a  prominent  man 
in  the  town,  and  held  the  office  of  selectman,  Longmeadow 
being  then  a  part  of  Springfield.  Other  incidents  attending 
the  occupation  of  the  town  by  the  Indians  will  be  found  re- 
ferred to  in  the  general  history. 

EARLY  SETTLEMENT. 
The  first  settlement  of  the  town  of  Longmeadow  is  said  to 
have  been  made  about  the  year  1G44,  eight  years  after  the  set- 
tlement of  Springfield.  Among  the  earliest  settlers  were  Ben- 
jamin Cooley,  George  Colton,  known  in  the  records  by  the 
name  of  "Quartermaster  Colton,"  and  John  Keep.  These 
were  probably  the  first  three  to  establish  themselves  in  the 
town,  although  tradition  says  there  was  still  a  fourth,  who  is 
supposed  to  have  been  a  Burt  or  a  Bliss.  At  any  rate,  fami- 
lies of  both  these  names  wej-e  early  settled  in  the  "long 
meadow."  The  Ely  family  probably  settled  as  early  as  1650 
or  1660.  They  are  descended  from  Nathaniel  Ely,  who  came 
from  England,  and  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  Connecti- 
cut, but  who  finally  removed  to  Springfield,  where  he  died, 
Dec.  28,  1675.  The  Stebbins  family,  represented  in  the  per- 
sons of  Jonathan  and  Samuel  Stebbins,  were  also  early  settlers 

1039 


1040 


HISTORY  OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


of  the  town.  They  were  there  as  early  as  1717,  and  possibly 
very  much  earlier. 

The  first  settlers  located  on  the  meadow  which  borders  the 
Connecticut  River,  and  were  probably  attracted  to  the  town 
by  those  rich  bottom-lands  which,  throughout  the  entire  val- 
ley, had  afforded  the  principal  inducements  to  early  settlement. 
The  country  was  then  young,  the  emigrants  who  sought  its 
shores  were  poor  and  largely  dependent  upon  the  soil  for  sup- 
port, agricultural  implements  were  comparatively  unknown, 
and  they  naturally  selected  the  richest  and  most  easily  tilled 
soil  for  the  establishment  of  their  New-World  homes.  Here, 
then,  about  the  year  1044,  the  fathers  of  Longmeadow  located 
themselves,  and  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits.  But  the)' 
were  soon  annoyed  by  the  annual  rising  of  the  river,  which 
not  only  greatly  interfered  with  their  farming  enterprises,  but 
at  times  of  special  floods  occasioned  them  serious  alarm. 

Finally,  in  the  year  1695,  a  freshet  of  unusual  magnitude 
occurred,  which  not  only  overflowed  the  lands  of  the  settlers, 
but  drove  them  in  fear  from  their  homes.  The  Cooley  family, 
who  had  located  at  the  north  end  of  the  "  meadow,"  near  the 
mouth  of  the  brook  which  bears  their  name,  fled  to  Springfield. 
The  Burts  and  Blisses,  who  had  established  themselves  near 
the  present  site  of  the  railroad  station,  secured  a  boat,  and,  in 
their  haste  to  escape  from  the  angry  waves,  overturned  it,  and, 
crawling  out  upon  the  banks,  were  compelled  to  pa.ss  the  night 
in  the  woods.  The  Coltons  and  Keeps,  who  were  located  be- 
tween the  two,  proceeded  northward,  and,  establishing  them- 
selves in  the  dwellings  of  the  Cooley  family,  passed  a  com- 
fortable and  safe  night,  while  the  real  owners  of  the  dwellings 
were  at  Springfield,  believing  that  their  homes  had  been  swept 
away. 

The  flood  finally  subsiding,  the  settlers  returned  to  their 
homes;  but  the  experience  had  been  a  wholesome  one,  and, 
still  apprehensive  of  further  calamities,  they  petitioned  the 
town  of  Springfield,  in  1703,  for  permission  to  move  out  of 
the  meadow  and  build  on  the  hill  about  a  mile  east  of  the 
river.  The  petition  was  granted,  and  the  town  voted  to  give 
them  "  the  land  from  Pecowsic  Brook  to  Enfield  bounds,  and 
from  the  hill  eastward  of  Longmeadow  half  a  mile  farther 
eastward  into  the  woods."  The  removal  was  not,  however, 
immediatel}'  eftected,  although  the  street  in  the  present  village 
was  laid  out,  thirty-five  rods  wide,  in  the  year  1703,  and  prob- 
ably other  preparations  looking  to  the  contemplated  change 
were  made. 

In  the  year  1709  the  grand  hegira  to  the  now  location  took 
place,  the  inhabitants  all  moving  at  about  the  same  time. 
The  result  was  the  settlement  of  the  present  village  of  Long- 
meadow. 

The  inhabitairts  .scattered  themselves  along  the  wide  street 
that  had  been  laid  out.  George  Colton  located  where  David 
Booth  now  resides,  near  the  south  end  of  the  green.  The 
Elys  established  themselves  at  the  north  end  of  the  village, 
opposite  the  present  residence  of  Ethan  C.  Ely.  Jonathan 
Stebbins  located  where  David  Hale  lived,  on  the  west  side 
of  the  street.  Joseph  Cooley  lived  on  the  John  Cooley  place. 
Nathaniel  Burt  located  opposite  the  Congregational  meeting- 
house, and  Samuel  Keep  about  half  a  mile  south  of  David 
Booth's.  The  Bliss  family  settled  in  the  north  end  of  the 
village,  south  of  the  Elys. 

The  descendants  of  the  families  bearing  these  names  have 
constituted  the  leading  inhabitants  of  the  town  for  many 
years,  and  to  this  day  are  largely  represented.  The  single 
exception  to  this  is  the  Keep  family,  which  has  disappeared 
from  the  town.  The  Hale,  Storrs,  White,  Pease,  Wolcott, 
Taylor,  Markham,  Eaton,  and  McGregory  families  have  also 
keen  long  and  favorably  known  in  the  town,  some  of  them 
dating  their  settlement  from  the  beginning  of  the  eighteenth 
century.  The  original  settlers  of  Longmeadow  came  for  the 
most  part  from  Eoxbury  and  Dorchester,  and  were  of  good 
English  extraction. 


TAVERNS. 

The  first  tavern  or  place  of  public  entertainment  established 
in  Longmeadow  is  supposed  to  have  been  kept  where  Dr. 
Pynchon  lived,  probably  by  him.  Simon  Colton  kept  one  in 
the  red  house  still  standing  near  the  meeting-house  in  the 
village  during  the  Kevolutionary  war,  and  perhaps  earlier. 
About  the  same  time,  or  a  little  later,  Nathaniel  Ely  kept 
tavern  on  the  spot  where  Ethan  C.  Ely  now  resides,  and 
Nathaniel  Burt  kept  one  in  the  cottage  now  occ\ipied  by  a 
Scotch  family.  Demas  Colton  kept  one. next  to  the  post-office 
building,  about  1802.  Alpheus  Colton,  Stephen  Chandler, 
Seth  Steel,  and  others,  each  kept  tavern  in  turn  at  a  later 
date. 

The  east  part  of  the  town  was  not  settled  much  anterior  to 
the  year  1748,  when  an  enterprising  genius  went  into  "Pov- 
erty Hill"  (as  it  was  then  called)  to  cut  brooms.  The  first 
tavern  is  supposed  to  have  been  kept  by  Daniel  Porter,  in 
the  early  part  of  the  present  century,  on  the  George  Hunt 
place,  in  the  northeast  corner  of  the  town.  A  tavern  was 
erected  at  East  Longmeadow  village,  about  the  year  1829, 
and  was  kept  by  Willis  Phelps  for  about  ten  years.  Lynum 
Lathrop  succeeded  him  and  kept  it  two  or  three  years,  and 
then  died.  A  man  by  the  name  of  Morrison  then  kept  it  for 
a  year  or  two,  and  was  followed  by  John  Ives  and  John  and 
Henry  Crooks  in  succession.  There  have  been  none  kept  at 
East  Longmeadow  for  a  period  of  about  twenty  years,  and 
there  are  none  now  in  the  town. 

MERCHANTS. 

Of  the  early  stores,  Samuel  Colton,  called  "  Marchant  Col- 
ton," probably  kept  the  first.  He  began  business  on  a  small 
scale*  about  the  year  1749,  and  kept  his  store  in  his  dwelling- 
house,  now  standing  the  third  house  south  of  the  residence  of 
David  Booth.  He  continued  business  until  about  1776,  when, 
owing  to  his  refusal  to  accept  Continental  money  for  his  wares, 
the  people  took  his  goods  from  him  by  force.  It  is  said  that 
he  barred  his  door  against  their  assaults,  and  when  his  wife 
remonstrated  and  declared  that  his  assailants  would  break  the 
door  down,  he  said  "Let  them  break."  It  is  said  that  he 
never  spoke  aloud  after  this  assault  upon  iiis  rights  and  privi- 
leges. He  is  said  to  have  been  a  man  of  enterprise  and  spirit, 
and  was  the  first  child  born  in  the  village  of  Longmeadow 
after  the  removal  from  the  "meadow."  It  is  alleged  that  he 
built  two  vessels  on  the  river  at  Longmeadow,  and  sent  them 
to  Bristol,  England.  His  old  account-books,  now  in  the  pos- 
session of  David  Booth,  a  descendant  of  the  Colton  family  on 
the  maternal  side,  show  many  interesting  charges  against  the 
early  settlers,  among  which  charges  for  rum,  brandy,  sugar, 
and  molas.ses  preponderate.  Tradition  says  that  at  the  time 
"  Marchant  Colton"  kept  his  store,  there  was  one  at  Spring- 
field and  one  at  Enfield,  Conn.,  and  that  they  each  did  about 
an  equal  amount  of  business. 

Calvin  Burt  was  the  next  storekeeper  at  the  village  of 
Longmeadow.  He  first  traded  nearly  opposite  David  Booth's, 
then  near  the  meeting-house  in  the  middle  of  the  street,  and 
finally  he  built  the  present  store  about  1806,  and  kept  one 
there,  either  alone  or  in  connection  with  his  sons  Solomon, 
Roderick,  and  Francis,  for  a  number  of  years.  His  sons 
probably  succeeded  him. 

Wm.  White  succeeded  Burt  &  Sons,  and  kept  the  store  for 
many  years.  Several  parties  followed  him  for  short  periods. 
Edwin  K.  Colton  has  carried  on  the  business  the  last  ten 
years. 

Of  stores  in  the  east  part  of  the  town,  Andrew  Mcintosh 
kept  one  in  the  "  Baptist  neighborhood"  about  1820.  Seth 
Taylor  kept  one  at  East  Longmeadow  from  1820  to  1833. 
William  Lathrop,  his  son-in-law,  succeeded  him,  and  kept 
the  store  four  or  five  years,  in  the  same  building  now  occu- 

*  It  is  said  lie  kept  his  entire  stock  in  a  few  drawers. 


HISTORY   OF   HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


1041 


pied  by  C.  F.  Russell,  although  it  did  not  stand  in  the  same 
place.  Willis  Phelps  kept  a  store  next  door  to  his  tavern  as 
early  as  1830.  Crooks  Bros,  established  a  store  at  East  Long- 
meadow  about  1838-40,  and  were  succeeded  by  George  W. 
Cullender,  who  kept  it  for  eight  or  nine  years,  and  then  died. 
Henry  Crooks  followed,  and  finally  sold  out  to  Cortez  F.  Rus- 
sell, who  was  in  the  Phelps  store,  but  moved  into  the  Lathrop 
store,  and  still  keeps  it.  After  C.  F.  Russell  left  the  former 
store,  Presoott  Billings  kept  it  about  a  year;  then  Edward  La- 
throp, William  H.  Dickinson,  and  James  L.  Pratt  kept  it  in 
turn.  The  latter  sold  out  to  Henry  Hall,  who  has  been  in 
business  about  two  years. 

PHYSICIANS. 

Of  the  physicians  who  have  practiced  in  Longmeadow,  Dr. 
Charles  Pynchon  is  believed  to  have  been  the  first,  and  is 
mentioned  in  the  precinct  records  as  early  as  1747.  He  lived 
in  what  is  known  as  the  "John  Coomes  place,"  and  prac- 
ticed as  far  as  Enfield,  Conn.  Dr.  Joshua  Frost  practiced 
about  the  year  1800,  and  lived  where  the  Widow  Warham 
Colton  now  resides.  He  left  town  for  Springfield  about  1804. 
He  was  succeeded  by  Dr.  Oliver  Bliss,  who  resided  in  the 
same  house  and  continued  in  practice  until  about  the  year 
1840,  when  he  died.  Several  physicians  succeeded  for  short 
periods,  and,  finally,  Dr.  Thomas  L.  Chapman  settled  here 
about  the  year  1843,  and  is  still  in  practice. 

In  the  east  part  of  the  town,  Dr.  Edwin  McCray  practiced 
about  1828-30,  and  lived  where  Dr.  Beebe  now  resides.  He 
finally  removed  to  Agawara,  and  was  succeeded  by  Dr.  Real 
Strickland,  who  resided  in  the  same  place,  practiced  for  a  num- 
ber of  years,  and  removed  to  Enfield,  Conn.,  about  1800.  Dr. 
R.  P.  Markham  engaged  in  practice  for  a  number  of  years  in 
the  northeast  corner  of  the  town.  Dr.  Eleazer  S.  Beebe  came 
to  the  town  about  the  year  1862,  and  is  still  in  practice  at  the 
centre. 

ATTORNEYS. 

The  only  lawyer  who  ever  settled  in  the  town  was  Asa  01m- 
stead,  and  he  for  a  short  time  only. 

The  first  road  laid  out  in  the  town  was  the  one  on  the  river- 
bank,  from  Hartford  to  Springfield.  It  was  laid  out  by  the 
old  "  Court  of  Sessions." 

ORGAXIZATION. 
The  present  town  of  Longmeadow  was  long  a  part  of 
Springfield,  and  it  was  not  until  the  year  1713  that,  the  popu- 
lation having  increased  to  nearly  40  families,  a  petition  was 
presented  for  incorporation  as  a  precinct,  which  was  favorably 
considered,  and  Longmeadow  became  the  "Third  Parish  of 
Springfield."  The  reasons  which  led  to  this  action  upon  the 
part  of  the  inhabitants  are  presented  in  the  opening  of  the  act 
of  incorporation,  as  follows  : 

"Province  of  the  Massachusetts  Bay :  At  a  sessiiin  of  the  Great  and  General 
Court  or  Assembly,  held  at  Boston,  Feb.  10,  1713,  it  being  represented  that  the 
portion  of  that  part  of  the  town  of  Springfield  commonly  called  Longmeadow 
(although  nol  fully  up  to  the  number  of  forty  familes)  is  of  good  and  sufficient 
ability  to  maintain  a  minister,  and  sometimes  can  not,  with  any  convenience, 
attend  the  public  worship  of  the  meeting-house  that  now  is  in  said  town,  by 
reason  of  the  great  distance  from  it ;  Ordered  that  the  prayer  of  the  petition  he 
granted;  with  the  provision,  however,  that  in  due  season  the  petitioners  should 
provide  themselves  with  'a  learned  and  orthodox  minister,  and  agree  to  raise  and 
pay  the  sum  of  £50,  at  least,  annually,  for  his  support.' " 

The  original  bounds  of  the  precinct  were  as  follows : 

"  To  be  bounded  northerly  by  a  line  to  he  drawn  from  the  mouth  of  Pecowsic 
Brook,  so  called  (where  it  falls  into  Connecticut  River),  to  the  province  land, 
parallel  to  the  southern  hounds  of  the  said  town  of  Springfield ;  westerly,  by 
Connecticut  Riv^er;  southerly,  by  the  town  of  Enfield;  and  easterly,  by  the 
province  line."* 

The  object  of  the  incorporation  having  been  the  more  con- 
venient worship  of  God,  one  of  the  first  enterprises  of  the  new 

*  By  "  province  line"  was  undoubtedly  meant  the  eastern  limits  of  the  Con- 
necticut River  colony  or  plantations. 

131 


organization  was  to  establish  a  meeting-house  and  a  minister 
among  them.  In  April,  1714,  the  people  voted  "to  proceed 
in  building  a  meeting-house,"  and  Nathaniel  Burt,  Samuel 
Keep,  Thomas  Colton,  Samuel  Stebbins,  and  Thomas  Hale 
were  appointed  a  committee  to  superintend  its  erection. 

The  first  church  edifice  was  not  ready  for  occupation  before 
the  early  part  of  1716.  It  was  a  square  structure  with  hipped 
roof  and  central  bell-tower,  occupying  a  site  on  the  green  just 
south  of  the  second  one,  which  was  built  in  1767, f  and  removed 
at  a  quite  recent  date,  the  timbers  of  the  latter  structure  being 
in  the  present  church. 

The  question  of  religious  worship  was  no  sooner  disposed  of 
than  the  necessity  of  securing  a  school-master  agitated  the 
public  mind.  The  first  school-house  was  finally  erected,  and 
stood  in  the  middle  of  the  green  in  the  present  village  of 
Longmeadow,  a  little  north  of  the  old  church.  The  second 
school-house,  a  quaint  and  venerable  brick  structure,  was 
built  in  1791,  and  stood  in  the  green  thirty-five  rods  south  of 
the  old  church,  and  was  destroyed  by  fire  in  1851. 

The  old  burying-ground  was  laid  out  ten  rods  in  length 
and  four  rods  in  breadth,  by  virtue  of  a  vote  of  the  parish, 
passed  Jan.  23,  1718. 

Longmeadow  remained  the  "Third  Parish  of  Springfield" 
until  the  year  1783,  when,  having  become  strong  in  numbers 
and  pro.sperous  in  condition  under  the  fostering  care  of  Spring- 
field, an  ambition  animated  the  inhabitants  to  become  a  town, 
and  Oct.  13,  1783,  it  was  incorporated  as  a  town  by  virtue 
of  an  act  of  the  General  Court,  with  the  following  bounds  : 

"West,  on  Connecticut  River;  south,  on  the  towns  of  Somers  and  Knfield ; 
east,  on  AVilbraham  ;  and  north,  beginning  at  the  mouth  of  Pecowsic  brook,  so 
called,  and  running  e.ist  on  the  parish  line  to  the  town  of  Wilbraham." 

These  are  also  the  present  bounds  of  the  town.  The  reason 
alleged  in  the  petition  for  asking  for  incorporation  as  a  town 
was  "that  they  [the  inhabitants]  labor  under  great  burdens 
by  reason  of  their  situation,  and  the  separate  interests  in  the 
said  town." 

The  name  of  the  precinct  was  adopted  as  the  name  of  the 
town,  the  origin  of  which  is  readily  found  in  the  "long 
meadow"  which  extends  along  the  east  bank  of  the  Connecti- 
cut River,  and  where  the  first  settlement  in  the  town  was 
made.  This  was  originally  known  by  the  Indians  as  Masack- 
sick.  A  change  of  the  name  of  the  town  has  been  several 
times  proposed,  hut  never  carried  into  effect.  Nov.  2,  1812, 
the  town  voted  to  petition  the  General  Court  to  change 
the  name  to  "Lisbon;"  but  the  discovery  of  the  fact  that 
another  town  of  that  name  already  existed  in  the  State  etfect- 
ually  disposed  of  the  movement.  May  2,  182.5,  the  people 
voted  to  name  the  town  "South  Springfield,"  but  this  vote 
was  reconsidered  3Iay  15th. 

The  first  town-meeting  convened  Nov.  13,  1783,  by  virtue 
of  a  warrant  issued  by  John  Bliss,  a  justice  of  the  peace 
of  Wilbraham.  Col.  Gideon  Burt  was  chosen  moderator,  and 
the  following  officers  were  elected  :  Jonathan  Hale,  Jr.,  Clerk  ; 
Nathaniel  Ely,  Treasurer ;  David  Burt,  Moses  Field,  and 
Jonathan  Burt,  Selectmen  ;  Gideon  Burt,  Moses  Field,  and 
Jonathan  Burt  (2d),  Assessors;  and  the  minor  officers  of  sur- 
veyor of  highways,  a  tithingman,  fence-viewers,  a  deer-reeve, 
a  sealer  of  leather,  a  hog-reeve,  and  a  surveyor  of  clapboards 
were  chosen. 

The  work  of  town  organization  now  proceeded,  and  a  com- 
mittee was  appointed  Nov.  20,  1783,  to  supply  the  pulpit,  and 
were  desirous  to  engage  Stephen  W.  Stebbins  "  to  preach  with 
us  a  further  time,"  at  £200  settlement  and  £100  salary. { 

March  23,  1784,  it  was  voted  to  apply  to  the  General  Court 
to  enjoy  the  same  privileges  as  when  connected  with  Spring- 


f  This  house  was  not  finished  until  1769,  although  the  parish  Toted  to  build 

it  in  1766.     The  posts  to  support  the  galleries  were  to  be  25  feet  high,  the  steeple 
54  feet  high  and  14  feet  square. 

X  Tliese  seemingly  large  amount-?  it  will  he  rerollected-rciTreSTMited-nntnttitdly- 
BO  much  Continental  money,  which  Wits  passed  at  a  givat  discount. 


1042 


HISTORY   OF   THE   CONNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


field,  respecting  the  rcsei-vation  of  the  stone-quarries  and  the 
laying  out  and  confirmation  of  highways.  These  rights  were 
duly  conferred  by  an  act  of  the  General  Court,  passed  in  the 
month  of  July,  1784. 

Oct.  5,  1784,  the  following  roads  were  laid  out  and  con-' 
firmed  :  "  Beginning  at  Soniers'  line  by  a  lot  formerly  Jacob 
Pratt's,  running  by  Wm.  Stebbins'  to  Springfield  line ;  also 
one  running  from  Moses  Hill's  to  the  road  by  Elijah  Burt's  ; 
also  one  from  Hezekiah  Cooley's  toSomers'  road  near  Watchoag 
Brook  ;  also  one  from  Wilbraham  north  road  along  by  Thomas 
Hancock's  to  Soraers'  road ;  also  one  from  the  northeast  cor- 
ner of  Capt.  Gideon  Kibbe's  field  along  by  Jabez  Hancock's 
to  Springfield  line;  also  one  from  Waiehoarj  ^rook.  to  Leache's 
mill ;  also  one  from  Springfield  line  by  Elijah  Dwight's  to 
Mound  Pond;  also  one  from  Jona.  Brown's  toward  Sixteen 
Acres  to  Springfield  line  ;  also  one  from  Pelatiah  Bliss'  by 
the  mills  to  the  road  into  the  woods  by  Aaron  Bliss' ;  also 
one  from  Jonathan  Stebbins'  field  to  Wm.  Stebbins'  meadow." 

May  11,  1790,  the  town  consented  that  a  general  field  might 
be  inclosed  on  the  plain  east  of  the  street,  provided  the  pro- 
prietors should  make  and  maintain  good  gates  where  roads 
were  included. 

In  1792  it  was  enacted  that  no  more  clay  should  be  dug  at 
Wheel  Meadow  Brook  for  the  purpose  of  making  brick,  or 
otherwise,  without  the  consent  of  the  selectmen.  The  same 
year  a  bounty  of  six  pence  for  old  and  three  pence  for  young 
crows  was  offered,  if  killed  within  the  limits  of  the  town. 

In  1793  the  town  was  divided  into  three  fire  wards,  and  in 
each  of  these  a  fire-master  was  appointed.  His  general  duty 
is  prescribed  in  a  set  of  rules  contained  in  the  town  records. 
This  was  principally  in  case  of  fire  to  summon  all  the  men  in 
his  district  to  assist,  and  superintend  operations  at  the  fire. 
In  the  same  year  the  town  gave  their  consent  that  the  Court 
of  Sessions  might  grant  to  certain  persons  who  would  under- 
take to  build  shops  for  the  use  of  mechanics  a  tract  of  land 
seven  rods  in  length  and  eight  rods  wide,  near  Samuel 
Coomes'  home-lot. 

The  following  persons  have  filled  the  principal  precinct  and 
town  offices  of  Longmeadow,  and  served  as  representatives 
from  the  town  : 

SELECTMEN.* 
1714. — Col.  Pyncbon.  Cjipt.  Cult<-)n,  Juseph  Cooley,  Nathaniel  Burt,  Geo.  Coltoii. 
1715.— Ckil.  Pyiicboii,  Capt.  Coltoii,  Nathaniel  Burt,  .Jr.,  Samuel  Keep,  George 

Coit^m. 
1716. — Col.  Pynchon,  Sergt.  Cooley,  Corp.  Burt,  Samuel  Keep,  Tlionuw  Bliss  (2d). 
1717. — Col.  Pynehon,  Thomas  Colton,  Nathaniel  Bliss,  Ephraim  C!olton,  Joseph 

Cooley. 
1718-19. — Ephraim  Colton,  Joseph  Cooley,  Thomas  Bliss  (2d). 
1720. — Joseph  Cuoley,  Santnel  Keep,  Samuel  Stebbins. 
1721. — Ephraim  Ctdton,  Thomas  Hale,  Samuel  Stebbins. 
1722. — Lieut.  Coltou,  Ensign  Keep,  Sjimuel  Stebbins. 
1723. — Thomas  Bliss  (2d),  Samuel  Stebbinri,  Samuel  Cooley. 
1724. — Samuel  Keep,  Samuel  Stebbins,  Thomas  Bliss  (3U). 
1725.— Nathaniel  Bliss,  Jr.,  Eliakim  Cooley,  Jonathan  Ely. 
1720.— Eliakim  Ely,  Nathaniel  Bliffi,  Jr.,  Thomas  Hale. 
1727-28. — Eliakim  Coi»ley,  Jon.athau  Nash,  George  Colton. 
1729. — Thomas  Cidton,  Eliakim  Cooley,  Jonathan  Ely. 
1730. — Nathaniel  Bliss,  Jr.,  Wm.  Stebbins,  Samuel  Cooley. 
1731.— Thomas  Bliss  (2d),  Thomas  Bliss  (3d),  Ebenezer  Colton. 
1732.— Samuel  Cooley,  Thomas  Bliss  (3d),  Timothy  Nash. 
1733.— Thomas  Bliss  (2d),  Nathaniel  Bliss,  Jr.,  Thomas  Co.lton. 
1734. — Samuel  Colton,  Samuel  Cooley,  Timothy  Nash. 
1735. — Ebenezer  Bliss  (Ist),  John  Colton,  Jolin  Cooley. 
1736. — Ephraim  Colton.  Thomas  Colton,  Ensign  Stebbins. 
1737.— Timothy  Nash,  Samuel  Cooley,  John  Burt  (2d). 
1738.— Thomas  Field,  Thomas  Colton,  Simon  Colton. 
1739.— John  Cooley,  Thomas  Bliss,  David  Burt  (2d). 
1740. — Jonathan  Stebbins,  Ephraim  Colton,  John  Colton. 
1741. — Isaac  Colton,  Nathaniel  Bliss,  John  Cooley. 
1742. — Henry  Wolcott,  Nathaniel  Burt,  Jr.,  John  Colton. 
1743. — Samuel  Cooley,  Joshua  Field,  Isaac  Colton. 
1744. — AVm.  Stebbins,  Ephraim  Colton,  Jr.,  Samuel  Keep,  Jr. 
1745. — Ephraim  and  John  Colton,  Jonathan  Stebbins. 
1746.— Nathaniel  Burt,  Jr.,  Simon  Colton,  Uavid  Burt  (2d). 
1747-49.— Simon  Colton,  David  Burt  (2d),  Nathaniel  Burt,  Jr. 


*  Called  committee  of  the  precinct  down  to  1783. 


1750.— Simon  Colton,  David  Burt  (2d),  Nathaniel  Ely. 

1751. — Nathaniel  Burt,  Siuion  Colton,  Nathaniel  Ely. 

1752.— Nathaniel  Ely  (2d),  Josiah  Cooley,  David  Buit  (2d). 

1753.— Nathaniel  Ely  (2d),  Josiah  Cooley,  David  Bnit  (2d). 

1754. — Josiah  Cooley,  Nathaniel  Ely  (2d),  Aaron  Colton. 

1755. — Moses  Field,  Nathaniel  Ely,  Aaron  Colton. 

1756. — George  C'olton,  Simon  Colton,  David  Burt. 

1757. — Josiah  Cooley,  Jonathan  Hale,  David  Burt. 

17.58. — Moses  Field,  Matthew  Keep,  Josiah  Cooley. 

1759. — Richard  Woolworth,  Eleazer  Smith,  Nathaniel  Ely. 

1760. — Josiah  Cooley,  .lonatban  Hale,  Eleazer  Smith. 

1761.— Nehemiah  Stebbins,  David  Burt,  Noah  Hale. 

17G2. — Ebenezer  Bliss  (3d),  Josiah  Cooley,  Abner  Bliss. 

1763. — Aaron  Colton,  Jonathan  Hale,  Moses  Field. 

1764. — Nehemiah  Stebbins,  Simon  Colton,  Eleazer  Smith. 

1765.— Moses  Field,  Ebenezer  Bliss  (2d),  David  Burt  (3d). 

1766. — Samuel  Williams,  Eleazer  Smith,  Nehemiah  Stebbins. 

1767.— Simeon  Colton,  Nathaniel  Ely,  Moses  Field. 

1768. — Nehemiah  Stebbins,  Aaron  Colton,  David  Burt  (3d). 

1769. — Ebenezer  Bli,-s  (3d),  David  Burt  (3d),  Nehemiah  Stebbins. 

1770. — Samuel  Williams,  Ebenezer  Bliss  (3d),  Jonathan  Hale,  Jr. 

1771. — Samuel  Williams,  Ebenezer  Bliss  (3d),  Jonathan  Hale,  Jr. 

1772. — Samuel  Williams,  Aaron  Colton,  Nathaniel  Burt. 

1773. — Jonathan  Hale,  Jr.,  Samuel  Williams,  David  Burt  (3d). 

1774. — Richard  Woolworth,  Samuel  Colton,  Aaron  Colton. 

1775. — Jonathan  Hale,  Jr.,  Ebenezer  Bliss  (3d),  Aaron  Bliss. 

1776. — Nathaniel  Burt,  Caleb  Cooley,  Elijah  Burt,  Silas  Hale,  Stephen  Keep. 

1777. — Samuel  Colton,  Nathaniel  Burt,  Richard  Woolworth,   Ephraim  Brown, 

Jonathan  Burt  (2d). 
1778.— Nathaniel  Burt,  David  Buit,  Elijah  Burt. 
1779. — Samuel  "Williams,  Henry  Colton,  Siliis  Hale,  Nathaniel  Ely,  Ebenezer 

Colton. 
1780. — Sanuiel  Keep,  Nathaniel  Burt,  Nathaniel  Ely,  Jr.,  Jonathan  Burt  (2d), 

Josiah  Cooley. 
1781. — Nathaniel  Burt,  El^ah  Burt,  Israel  Colton,  Josiah  Cooley,  Jonathan 

Hale,  Jr. 
1782. — Jonathan  Hale,  Jr.,  Josiah  Cooley,  Azariab  Woolworth,  Silas  Hale,  Abner 

Colton. 
1783. — Festus  (.'olton,  Josiah  Cooley,  Samuel  Keep,  Elijah  Burt,  Abner  Hale. 
1783-84.t— David  Burt,  Moses  Ficdd,  Jonathan  Burt. 
1785-86. — Moses  Field,  Jonathan  Burt,  Samuel  Keep. 
1787-88.- Moses  Field,  Wm.  Stebbins,  Jonathan  Hale,  Jr. 
1789. — Jonatllan  Burt,  Jabez  Colton,  Jonathan  Hale,  Jr. 

1790. — Jabez  Colton,  Jonathan  Burt,  Nathaniel  Ely,  Jr. 

1701-93.— Hezekiah  Hale,  .Tonathan  Burt,  Nathaniel  Ely  (2d). 

1794-90. — Jonathan  Burt  (2d),  Hezekiah   Hale,  Gideon  Burt,  Elijah  Burt  vice 
.Tonathan  Burt  deceased. 

1797-99.— Hezekiah  Hale,  Elijah  Burt,  Nathaniel  Ely,  Jr. 

1800-1. — Hezekiah  Hale,  Joseiih  W,  Cooley,  Gideon  Burt. 

1802-3.— Hezekiah  Hale,  Joseph  W.  Cooley,  Nathaniel  Ely. 

180.1-6.- Joseph  W.  Cooley,  Calvin  Burt,  Ethan  Ely. 

1807-12. — Alexander  Field,  Ethan  Ely,  Joseph  W.  Cooley. 

1813-14.— Alexander  Field,  Ethan  Ely,  Stephen  Taylor. 

1815. — Ethan  Ely,  Alexander  Field,  Joseph  W.  Cooley. 

1816.— Ethan  Ely,  Alexander  Field,  Seth  Taylor. 

1817. — Ethan  Ely,  Alexander  Field,  Joseph  W.  Cooley. 

1818. — Joseph  W.  Cooley,  Ethan  Ely,  David  Booth. 

1819.— Joseph  W.  Cooley,  Oliver  Dwight,  Ethan  Ely. 

1820.— Ethan  Ely,  Oliver  Dwight,  Elijah  Colton. 

1821.— Oliver  Dwight,  Oliver  Bliss,  Elijah  Colton. 

1822- ai.— Oliver  Dwight,  Oliver  Bliss,  Alexander  Field. 

1824.- Seth  Taylor,  Elijah  Colton,  Joseph  W.  Cooley. 

1826.— Scth  Taylor,  Elijah  Colton,  Wm.  White. 

1826-29. — Herman  Newell,  Burgess  Salsbury,  Joseph  Ashley. 

1830.— Elijah  Colton,  Ethan  Taylor,  Stephen  .\sliley. 

1831.- Stephen  Ashley,  Bui'gess  .Salsbury,  Elijah  Colton. 

1832.— Elijah  Colton,  Burgess  Salsbury,  Wm.  White. 

1833-34.— Burgess  Salsbury,  Gad  0.  Bliss,  Oliver  Dwight. 

lS:j5-36. — Burgess  Salsbui-y,  Gad'O.  Bliss,  Lorin  Burt. 

1837. — Burgess  Salsbury,  Gad  0.  Bliss,  Elijah  Colton. 

1838.— Gad  0.  Bliss,  Elijah  Colton,  Ethan  Taylor. 

1839.— Oliver  Dwight,  Gad  0.  Bliss,  Willis  Phelps. 

1840. — Gad  0.  Bliss,  Simeon  Newell,  Stephen  Ashley. 

1841.- Gad  0.  Bliss,  Simeon  Newell,  Willis  Phelps. 

1842.— Simeon  Newell,  Willis  Phelps.  Joseph  McGregory. 

1843. — Lorin  Burt,  Dimond  Colton,  Joseph  McGregory. 

1844. — Lorin  Burt,  Joseph  IMcGregoi-y,  Simeon  Newell. 

1845-46. — Simeon  Newell,  Lorin  Burt,  Daniel  Burbank. 

1847-48.— Alfred  Cooley,  Warren  Billings,  Simeon  Newell. 

1849-50.— Alfred  Cooley,  Warren  Billings,  Oliver  Dwight. 

1851.— Alfred  Cooley,  Elias  Coomes,  Randolph  Stebbins. 

18.52-63.— Alfred  Cooley,  Stephen  T.  Colton,  Randolph  Stebbins. 

1854.— Randolph  Stebbins,  Stephen  T.  Colton,  Wm.  Higby. 

1855.— Stephen  T.  Colton,  Alfred  Taylor,  Sumner  W.  Gates. 

1856-57.— Stephen  T.  Coltou,  Alfred  Taylor,  Lucius  C.  Burt. 

f  There  seem  to  have  been  two  elections  in  1783,  and  two  sets  of  officere. 


HISTORY   OF   HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


1043 


1858-59.— Stcphou  T.  CliUoii,  Wm.  Buit,  Lucius  C.  Burt. 
1800-62.— Stepheu  T.  Culton,  David  Lathiop,  Abel  H.  Calllins. 
1803-65.— Stephen  T.  Colton,  David  Lathiop,  Horace  Hills. 
180G.— Stephen  T.  Culton,  Charles  S.  Newell,  George  W.  Gould. 
1867.— Steplieu  T.  ftilton.  Charles  S.  Newell,  Randolph  Slebbins. 
1868. — George  \V.  Gould,  Charles  S.  Newell,  .\bel  H.  Calkins. 
1800-70.- Charles  S.  Newell,  George  W.  G.iuld,  Ralph  P.  Markhani. 
1871-73.— Charles  S.  Newell,  John  C.  Porter,  Edwin  Eudicott. 
1874.— Charles  S.  Newell,  Edwiu  Eudicott,  .\bel  H.  Calkins. 
1875.— Charles  S.  Newell,  .\bel  H.  Calkins,  Edward  P.  Tabor. 
1876.— Charles  S.  Newell,  Edward  P.  Tabor,  Edwin  Endicott. 
1877.— Charles  S.  Newell,  Edward  P.  Talwr,  Abel  H.  Calkins. 
1878. — Charles  S.  Newell,  Edward  P.  Tabor,  David  Lathrop. 

TOWN   CLERKS.* 

1716,  Jonathan  Ely :  1717,  Samuel  Stebbins;  171S-51,  Jonathan  Ely;  1751-75, 
Jonathan  Stebbins;  1775-83,  Jonathan  Hale,  Jr.;  17S;}~01,  Jonathan  Hale,  .Jr.; 
1791-May,  1793,  Daniel  Stebbins;  May,  1793-1813,  Jabez  Colton;  1813-20,  Chester 
Woolworth;  1820-51,  William  White;  1851-53,  David  Booth;  1853,  Dimond 
Chandler;  1854-56,  Henry  J.  Crooks;  1856,  James  L.  Pratt;  1857-79,  Oliver 
Wolcott. 

REPRESKNTATIVE.S. 

1784,  Nathaniel  Ely ;  1785-86,  Gideon  Burt ;  1787,  Elihu  C*dtou  ;  1788-89,  Wm. 
Stebbins;  1791-92,  Jabez  Colton;  1794-95,  Gideon  Burt;  1800,  Hezekiah  Hale; 
1801,  Gideon  Burt ;  1802-3,  Nath.Tniel  Ely ;  1S04,  Hezeki.ah  Hale ;  180.J-13,  Ethan 
Ely;  1813-14,  Calvin  Burt;  181.5-16,  Alexander  Field;  1818-19,  Joseph  W.Cooley; 
1821,  Oliver  Bliss;  1826,  Elijah  Colton ;  1827-30,  Seth  Taylor;  1830,  Elisha  Bnru- 
ham;  1831,  Elisha  Burnham,  Seth  Taylor;  1832-3.3,  Seth  Taylor;  1834,  Oliver 
Bliss;  1835-37,  Burgess  S.alsbury;  1837,  Elijah  Colton  ;  1.S38,  Calvin  Bnrt;  1839- 
40,  Gad  O.  Bliss;  1841-42,  Ethan  Taylor;  1843,  Calvin  Burt;  1844,  Jacob  Colton, 
Jr.;  1845-46,  Lorin  Burt;  1847-48,  .Alfred  Cooley;  1849-50,  Burgess  Salsbury; 
1851-52,  Dimond  Colton;  1863,  Oliver  Dwight;  l.'i54.  Rial  Strickland;  1855-56, 
Stephen  T.  Colton;  1857,  Roderick  Burt;  1858,  Randolph  Stebbins;  1860,  Thos. 
L.  Chapman ;  1S62,  Luther  Markham ;  1804,  Erskine  Burbank ;  1866,  Abel  H. 
Calkins;  1869,  Larone  Hills;  1872,  Oliver  Wolcott;  1875,  Thomas  F.  Cordis;' 
1878,  Eleazer  S.  Beebe. 

VILLAGES. 
The  principal  village  is  situated  about  a  mile  east  of  the 
Connecticut  River,  aiKl  is  known  .as 

LONOMEADOW. 

The  name  is  still  appropriate,  for  while  the  village  is  not 
located  on  the  "  long  meadow"  which  borders  the  river,  as  in 
former  days,  yet  the  peculiar  shape  of  the  village  is  singularly 
illustrative  of  the  name. 

The  buildings  are  situated  on  either  side  of  a  wide  street, 
which  extends  north  and  south  through  the  town,  being  about 
twenty  rods  in  width  through  the  village.  In  the  centre 
of  this  fine  street  is  a  beautiful  common  or  park,  planted 
with  numerous  shade-trees  and  intersected  by  pleasant  walks. 
The  dwellings  are  generally  commanding  and  substantial, 
neat  and  picturesque,  many  of  them  in  modern  style.  Among 
these  recent  structures  are  still  to  be  seen  the  homesteads  of 
the  older  inhabitants,  who  rejoice  in  the  ancient  houses  that 
have  so  long  afforded  their  ancestors  and  themselves  comfort- 
able homes. 

The  vill.age  proper  extends  for  about  one  mile,  and  its  broad 
street  is  lined  with  pleasant  and  lofty  shade-trees,  principallv 
maples  and  elms. 

In  "leafy  June,"  when  Nature  puts  on  her  wealth  of  green, 
a  view  of  the  village  is  most  charming,  recalling  vividly  to 
mind  the  lines  of  England's  greatest  poetess : 

"The  stately  homes  of  England !    How  beautiful  they  stjind, 
Amid  the  tall  ancestral  trees,  o'er  all  the  pleiisaut  land  !" 

The  place  is  noted  for  the  wealth  and  refinement  of  its  citi- 
zens, and  for  high  moral  and  intellectual  culture.  The  lead- 
ing thought  of  the  fathers  when  they  founded  this  beautiful 
farmers'  village  was  undoubtedly  social  and  religious  inter- 
course,— to  be  where  they  could  assemble  conveniently  for 
worship  on  the  Sabbath,  and  where  they  could,  as  a  commu- 
nity, provide  for  the  education  of  their  children. 

It  is  a  typical  New  England  village  of  "  y"  olden  time;" 
one  which  would  delight  the  heart  of  a  Hawthorne  or  an  Ir- 
ving; and  its  quaint  but  substantial  dwellings  of  a  past  cen- 
tury and  generation,  and  its  grand  old  trees,  bring  pleasant 


*  Precinct  clerks  to  1784. 


memories  of  the  quiet  pastoral  days  of  early  New  England, 
when  every  family  owned  its  "home-lot"  and  its  "meadow- 
farm,"  and  when  the  conscientious  people  lived  under  rigid 
laws,  wore  pl.iin  garments,  and  believed  in  and  defended  vig- 
orously a  system  of  religion  which,  in  the  present  day,  would 
seem  austere  and  illiberal,  if  not  even  bigoted  and  intolerant. 

The  great  river-road  connecting  Springfield  and  Hartford 
was  probably,  next  after  the  traditional  "  Bay  Path,"  the 
oldest  in  the  valley,  and  was  originally  marked  by  substan- 
tial mile-stones,  one  of  which,  standing  in  the  northern  part 
of  Longmeadow  village,  still  shows  the  time-worn  legend, 
"22  miles  to  Hartford,"  though  the  upper  portions,  which 
recorded  the  distance  from  Boston,  have  crumbled  away  under 
the  frosts  of  many  winters.  It  is  of  the  "red  sandstone"  of 
the  valley. 

Post-Ojfice. — The  earliest  post-office  at  Longmeadow  was 
established  about  1810,  the  inhabitants  previousl3'  going  to 
Springfield  for  their  mail.  The  first  postmaster  was  Solomon 
Burt,  who  kept  the  office  in  the  same  building  where  it  is 
located  at  the  present  time. 

The  next  was  Daniel  Gates,  although  the  business  was  trans- 
acted by  Stephen  Cooley.  William  White  was  postmaster  for 
a  great  many  years,  and  until  his  death  during  the  late  war. 
Horace  Newell  and  Lester  Noble  next  filled  the  position  in 
turn,  and  were  succeeded  by  Edwin  K.  Colton,  the  present 
incumbent. 

EAST    LONGMEADOW. 

This  village  is  situated  near  the  centre  of  the  eastern  settle- 
ments of  the  town,  no  less  than  seven  roads  centering  at  that 
point  like  the  spokes  of  a  wheel.  The  village  consists  of  only 
a  few  houses,  the  Congregational  and  Methodist  Churches  and 
the  village  school-house  constituting  the  most  prominent  fea- 
tures of  the  place.  Besides  these  there  are  two  stores  and  a 
post-office.  The  latter  was  established  during  the  administra- 
tion of  President  Jackson.  The  first  postmaster  was  Seth 
Taylor,  who  kept  it  in  his  store,  and  filled  the  position  until 
his  death  in  183.5.  His  successor  was  William  Lathrop,  who 
was  succeeded  by  Henry  J.  Crooks.  Alfred  Taylor  then  filled 
the  office  for  two  years,  and  was  succeeded  by  Cortez  F.  Eus- 
sell,  the  present  incumbent. 

SCHOOLS. 

The  subject  of  education  received  attention  about  as  soon 
as  the  establishment  of  public  worship.  No  sooner  had  the 
question  of  a  meeting-house  been  settled  than  the  fathers  of 
the  precinct  voted  to  secure  a  schoolmaster  to  teach  "  our  chil- 
dren to  read  and  write."  This  was  the  summuni  bonum  of 
education  in  those  early  days.  Reference  has  already  been 
made  to  the  first  school-houses  that  existed  in  the  town. 

The  records  are  replete  with  the  various  movements  which 
were  made  in  the  successive  stages  of  its  history  for  the  ad- 
vancement of  educational  interests.  In  the  year  1784  the  sum 
of  £40  was  .appropriated  for  the  support  of  schools.  In  1786 
this  had  increased  to  £.5-5,  and  in  1787  to  £60.  In  1788  a  com- 
mittee was  appointed  to  consider  the  propriety  of  building  a 
new  school-house.  In  1791,  £120  was  appropriated  to  the 
"  middle"  school  district  for  the  purpose  of  "  building  a  house 
for  the  use  of  schools  and  other  occasional  purposes  of  the 
town."  The  same  year  £30  was  appropriated  to  the  "south" 
district  to  enable  them  to  build  a  school-house ;  and  the  same 
amount  was  appropriated  to  the  "  north"  district  for  the  pur- 
pose of  refunding  to  the  inhabitants  the  expense  of  building  a 
school-house  in  that  district  the  preceding  fall,  and  to  enable 
them  to  finish  the  house.  The  sum  of  £23  was  also  appropri- 
ated to  the  "  northwest"  district,  in  the  east  part  of  the  town, 
to  enable  them  to  erect  a  school-house  ;  £20  was  appropriated 
to  the  "  northeast  district,"  in  the  east  part  of  the  town,  for 
the  purpose  of  building  a  school-house,  and  £17  was  appro- 
priated to  the  "  southeast"  district  to  "  defray  the  expense  of 
their  building  a  school-house  of  late^"  and  to  enable  them  to 


1044 


HISTORY    OF   THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


finish  the  same.  In  1795,  £100  was  apprcipriatod  out  of  the 
interest  derived  from  the  sale  of  school  lands  to  finish  the  va- 
rious school  buildings.  In  1798  the  town  appropriated  flOO 
for  school  purposes.  The  appropriation  in  1800  was  £120  ;  in 
1807,  £135;  in  1809,  £100;  in  1815,  $600;  in  1817,  §500;  in 
1840,  $780;  in  1844,^1000;  in  1805,  ?2000  ;  and  in  1875,  §3500. 
At  the  present  time  there  are  in  the  town  nine  public 
schools,  corresponding  to  as  many  districts,  the  district  system 
having  been  abolished.  The  number  of  scholars  in  attend- 
ance is  about  275.  Two  of  the  schools  include  a  high-school 
department.  The  schools  are  under  the  general  sujierintend- 
ence  of  a  school  board  consisting  of  four  persons,  who  are 
elected  by  the  town.  The  sum  last  appropriated  by  the  town 
for  the  support  of  its  schools  was  |3500,  for  the  year  1878. 
They  are  reported  by  the  committee  to  be  in  a  satisfactory  and 
promising  condition. 

CHURCHES. 

FIRST   CONGREGATIONAL   CHURCH. 

The  first  establishment  of  public  worship  in  Longmeadow 
dates  back  to  the  incorporation  of  the  parish,  Feb.  17,  1713. 
In  the  month  of  April  of  the  year  following  the  people 
voted  "  to  proceed  in  building  a  meeting-house ;  and  that 
the  said  house  should  be  built  38  feet  square  if  the  timber 
already  gotten  would  allow  it,  or,  if  the  timber  should  be  too 
.scant,  to  make  it  something  less."  The  house  was  not  ready 
for  occupation  before  the  early  part  of  1716. 

In  March,  1715,  Eev.  Stephen  Williams,  a  son  of  Rev. 
John  Williams,  of  Deerfield,  was  called  to  the  pastorate  of 
the  church.  He  was  to  receive  £200  settlement  and  £55 
salary  for  five  years,  and  then  to  have  it  increased  by  the 
addition  of  £5  a  year  until  it  should  equal  £70.  Mr.  Wil- 
liams accepted  the  call,  and  was  ordained  Oct.  17,  1716,  the 
council  which  conducted  the  ordination  services  including 
some  of  the  most  eminent  clergymen  of  the  period.  Rev.  Mr. 
Williams  was  born  at  Deerfield,  May  14,  1693;  subsequently 
sufl'ered  captivity  with  the  Indians  after  the  burning  of  Deer- 
field, in  1704,  for  a  description  of  which  see  the  history  of 
Deerfield  ;  was  graduated  at  Harvard  College  in  1713;  taught 
school  in  Hadley  for  a  year,  and  went  to  Longmeadow,  Nov. 
4,  1714,  to  preach  as  a  candidate.  After  his  settlement  he 
served  as  a  chaplain  in  three  campaigns  in  the  old  Prench- 
and-Indian  wars.  Dartmouth  College  bestowed  upon  him 
the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity  in  177.3.  After  a  long  life 
of  great  usefulness  he  died  on  the  10th  of  June,  1782,  in 
the  ninetieth  year  of  his  age  and  the  si.xty-sixth  year  of  his 
ministry.  An  interesting  diary  kept  by  Dr.  Williams,  well 
illustrating  the  trials  and  difficulties  which  he  had  to  meet  in 
his  pioneer  ministry,  and  breathing  the  spirit  of  an  earnest 
and  truthful  reliance  upon  divine  guidance,  is  still  extant  in 
the  town. 

The  successor  of  Dr.  Williams  was  the  Rev.  Richard  Salter 
Storrs,  a  graduate  of  Yale  in  1783.     He  was  ordained  Dec. 

17,  1785.  He  discharged  the  duties  of  the  pastoral  ofHce  with 
marked  success  and  ability  until  Oct.  3,  1819,  when  he  sud- 
denly died.  His  ministry  and  that  of  his  predecessor  cover 
nearly  a  century  of  the  history  of  the  church.  Rev.  Baxter 
Dickinson,  a  native  of  Amherst  and  a  graduate  of  Yale  in 
1817,  succeeded  Mr.  Storrs,  March  5,  1823,  and  was  dismissed 
Oct.  20,  1829.  The  next  pastor  was  Rev.  Jonathan  B.  Con- 
dit,  of  Hanover,  N.  H.,  who  was  dismissed  Oct.  4,  1835. 
Rev.  Howard  Beebe,  of  Richmond,  Va.,  a  graduate  of  Wil- 
liams College  in  1833,  was  ordained  as  the  next  pastor,  Oct. 

18,  1837,  and  dismissed  March  21,  1843.  Rev.  Samuel  Wol- 
cott  was  ordained  in  1843,  and  dismissed  Dec.  27,  1847. 

Rev.  John  W.  Harding,  the  present  pastor,  is  the  son  of 
Rev.  Sewall  Harding,  of  Medway,  Mass.,  graduated  at  Yale 
College  in  the  class  of  1845,  and  was  installed  in  the  pastoral 
office  at  Longmeadow,  Jan.  1,  1850. 

The  church  is  in  a  prosperous  condition,  and  has  a  member- 


ship of  148.  The  number  of  Sabbath-school  scholars  is  102, 
and  the  library  contains  about  400  volumes.  The  present 
church  edifice  is  the  old  church  remodeled  and  renovated,  and 
was  completed  March  17,  1874.  It  is  a  beautiful  and  tasteful 
building,  and  occupies  a  prominent  position  on  the  east  side 
of  the  village  green.* 

The  following  first  entry  on  the  record-book  of  so  old  a 
church,  in  the  handwriting  of  Dr.  Williams,  ma}'  be  of  in- 
terest : 

"The  Seventeenth  of  Octob',  1710,  I  was  ordained,  and  we  had  a  cliurch 
gather*.  And  those  of  ns  whoi^e  names  are  Jieretij  enffix**  did  give  np  ourselves  to 
God,  and  to  Jesus  Cluist,  and  did  promise  to  walic  togetlier  in  a  faithful  attend- 
ance of  all  God's  holy  institntions  in  order  to  his  glory  aud  ye  edification  of  our 
own  souls  and  ye  souls  of  our  children." 

(Signed)  "  Stephen  Williams,  Thomas  C«lton,  Daniel  Cooley,  George  Colton 
Nathaniel  Burt,  Jr.,  Natlumiel  Bliss  (2d),  Jonathan  Ely,  Thomas  Bliss,  Samuel 
Bliss  (Ist)." 

FIRST    BAPTIST    SOCIETY,    EAST    LONGMEADOW. 

The  formal  establishment  of  Baptist  worship  in  the  town 
of  Longmeadow  occurred  in  the  year  1807.  September  19th 
of  that  year  a  petition  was  presented  to  the  Second  Congre- 
gational Church  and  the  Baptist  Church  of  Enfield  by  the 
inhabitants  of  the  southeast  section  of  the  town,  craving  per- 
mission to  have  Elder  George  Atwell  officiate  with  them  as 
a  "  Preacher  of  Divinity"  one-half  of  the  time.  The  request 
appears  to  have  been  complied  with,  for,  from  that  time  to 
the  year  1818,  Mr.  Atwell  and  Elder  Alvin  Bennett  minis- 
tered to  the  religious  necessities  of  that  denomination,  assisted 
occasionally  by  others. 

May  16,  1818,  the  Baptists  voted  to  present  a  petition  to 
Enfield  Church,  of  which  it  had  previously  been  a  branch, 
asking  to  be  set  off  as  a  separate  and  independent  church. 
The  request  was  granted,  and  June  23,  1818,  the  First  Bap- 
tist Church  of  East  Longmeadow  was  formerly  created  and 
established  with  appropriate  ceremonies.  The  First  Baptist 
Society  had  previously  been  incorporated,  Feb.  8,  1819. 

Since  the  establishment  of  the  church  the  pulpit  has  been 
supplied  by  various  persons,  whose  names  it  is  unnecessary  to 
give.  The  regular  pastors  have  beenf  Rev.  George  B.  Atwell, 
from  May  1,  1821,  to  Nov.  12,  1825,  he  having  been  ordained 
Sept.  11,  1822,  while  in  charge  of  the  church  ;  Elder  John 
M.  Hunt,  from  June  6,  1835,  to  1840;  Eev.  Moses  J.  Kelly, 
who  was  ordained  pastor  Sept.  12,  1842  ;  Rev.  F.  L.  Batchelor, 
in  1843:  Rev.  N.  W.  Minor,  who  was  ordained  Dec.  5,  1848, 
while  in  charge  of  the  church  ;  Eev.  Mr.  Farrar,  July  5, 1846  ; 
Rev.  Nicholas  Branch,  in  1853;  Rev.  A.  S.  Lovell,  who  be- 
came pastor  in  the  spring  of  1858,  and  continued  several  years  ; 
Rev.  Levi  H.  Wakeman,  who  was  settled  in  the  spring  of 
1862;  Rev.  T.  0.  Judd,  in  the  spring  of  1807;  Rev.  H.  G. 
Gage,  who  became  pastor  in  May,  1873;  Eev.  Wm.  S.  Phil- 
lips, who  was  called  in  December,  1875 ;  and  Rev.  O.  R.  Hunt, 
the  present  pastor,  who  was  called  March  17,  1877,  and 
preached  his  first  sermon  April  8th  of  that  year. 

The  church  is  in  a  prosperous  condition,  the  present  mem- 
bership being  105.  The  Sabbath-school  numbers  89  scholars 
and  teachers,  with  an  average  attendance  of  02;  number  of 
books  in  the  library,  about  300.  The  pastor  of  this  church 
also  serves  the  Baptist  Church  in  the  town  of  Hampden. 

The  house  of  worship  occupied  by  the  society  was  built 
about  the  year  1830,  but  has  since  been  remodeled.  It  is  lo- 
cated in  the  southeast  corner  of  the  town,  in  what  is  popularly 
known  as  the  "  Baptist  neighborhood." 

SECOND    CONGREGATIONAL    CHURCH. 

This  church  was  organized  at  East  Longmeadow,  the  22d 
of  April,  1829.  The  parish  was  incorporated  June  10,  1827. 
On  the  day  of  the  organization  of  the  church  its  first  deacon, 

*  A  fine  and  valuable  town  clock,  the  gift  of  an  enterprising  citizen,  a  descen- 
dant of  the  pioneers,  adorns  the  tower  of  this  church. 

t  The  records  of  the  church  are  so  defective  tliut  this  list  is  possibly  erroneous 
in  some  minute  particulare. 


HISTORY  OF   HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


1045 


in  the  person  of  Ebenezer  Burt,  was  chosen.  The  first  meet- 
ing-house was  erected  in  1828,  at  a  cost  of  §3500,  and  was  ded- 
icated Nov.  28,  1828.  It  stood  on  the  hill  at  East  Long- 
meadow,  where  the  Congregational  parsonage  now  stands. 
The  present  church  edifice,  an  attractive  structure,  is  located 
at  the  centre  of  the  village  of  East  Longmeadow.  It  is  the 
old  building  remodeled,  it  having  been  raised  up  and  a  vestry 
put  under  it  when  it  was  moved  down  the  hill,  in  IBoO. 

The  first  pastor  of  the  church  was  Rev.  Calvin  Foot,  who 
was  installed  April  1:5,  1831,  and  dismissed  July  8,  1835.  He 
was  succeeded  by  Kev.  Martin  Tupper,  of  Staftord,  Conn.,  and 
a  graduate  of  Princeton  College  in  the  class  of  1820.  Rev. 
William  E.  Dixon,  of  Enfield,  Conn.,  a  graduate  of  Williams 
College  in  1833,  was  installed  over  the  church  on  Oct.  14, 1852, 
and  was  dismissed  May  30,  1854.  Rev.  Joshua  R.  Brown  was 
installed  pastor  Dec.  13,  1854,  and  died  Sept.  7,  1858,  at  the 
age  of  forty-six.  Rev.  Alfred  B.  Peabody  succeeded  to  the 
pastorate  May  24,  1860,  and  was  dismissed  March  26,  1867. 
The  church  then  listened  to  supplies  for  over  two  years,  when 
the  present  pastor.  Rev.  Alfred  I.  Dutton,  was  installed,  Dec. 
8,  1869.  The  present  deacons  of  the  church  arc  Roman  A. 
Crane  and  Vashni  Pease. 

METHODIST    RPISCOPAL   CHURCH,    KAST    LOXGMEADOW. 

This  church  was  organized  in  the  month  of  June,  1853, 
with  Rev.  David  K.  Merrill  as  preacher  in  charge.  He  con- 
tinued in  that  relation  until  October,  1854,  when  the  church 
was  supplied  by  Oliver  Howe  and  other  teachers  from  Wil- 
braham  Academy.  The  following  persons  then  administered 
to  the  church  in  turn;  from  August,  1855,  to  April,  1856, 
Rodney  Gage;  from  April,  1856,  to  April,  1857,  Jonas  Mc- 
Clark ;  from  April,  1857,  to  April,  1860,  supplied  by  Rev. 
Miner  Raymond,  D.D.,  of  Wilbraham,  and  Prof.  White; 
from  April,  1860,  to  April,  1862,  Randall  Mitchell;  from 
April,  1862,  to  November,  1864,  Thomas  C.  Pratt;  from 
November,  1864,  to  April,  1866,  W^illiam  Rice,  of  Springfield  ; 
from  April,  1866,  to  September,  1866,  Henry  T.  Eddy.  He 
died,  and  Guilford  D.  Brown  preached  two  years,  to  October, 
1868.  From  that  date  Joseph  C'andlin  preached  to  April,  1871 ; 
J.  W.  Lee  followed  and  preached  one  year  to  April,  1872; 
William  Wignall  then  officiated  until  the  month  of  April, 
1874 ;  N.  F.  Stevens  succeeded  until  April,  1875 ;  from  April, 
1875,  to  January,  1876,  John  Cadwell  preached  for  the  church. 
He  died  suddenly,  and  the  church  was  supplied  until  the  fol- 
lowing April  by  John  Cass.  For  the  next  two  years  Joseph 
Seeth  filled  the  pastoral  otBce.  The  present  pastor,  Rev.  Jacob 
W.  Price,  was  established  over  the  church  in  April,  1878. 

The  society  have  a  neat  church  edifice  at  the  East  Centre, 
which  was  dedicated  in  the  fall  of  1853;  also  a  jileasant  par- 
sonage, which  was  built  in  1860.  The  church  is  small  in 
numbers,  but  strong  in  faith,  and  enjoys  the  rare  experience 
of  being  entirely  free  from  debt. 

The  church  is  in  a  prosperous  and  flourishing  condition, 
the  present  membership  being  104.  The  number  of  families 
attending  the  church  is  50;  average  attendance  on  the  Sab- 
bath-school, 60  ;  number  of  volumes  in  the  library,  about  300. 

CATHOLICS. 

The  Catholics  of  the  town  hold  stated  meetings  in  a  neat 
house  of  worship,  erected  by  them  about  six  years  ago  on  the 
road  running  north  of  the  old  burying-ground  in  the  village 
of  Longmeadow.  They  have  no  settled  pastor,  however,  but 
are  supplied  by  the  priests  of  the  adjoining  churches. 

BURIAL-PLACES, 
The  town  of  Longmeadow  contains  four  places  of  public 
burial.  Of  these,  three  are  in  the  east  part  of  the  town.  The 
oldest  of  these  grounds  is  what  is  known  as  the  "Old  Burying' 
Ground,"  situated  in  the  rear  of  the  Congregational  Church, 
at  the  village  of  Longmeadow.  It  was  laid  out  in  pursuance 
to  a  vote  passed  by  the  precinct,  Jan.  83,  1718,  "  to  fence  and 


clear  ten  rods  in  length  and  four  in  breadth"  for  a  burial- 
ground.  Dec.  13,  1808,  it  was  "voted  to  extend  the  new 
burying-yard  in  the  meeting-house  lane  so  far  to  the  east  as 
to  come  within  twenty  feet  of  the  west  side  of  the  Widow  Ann 
Field's  dwelling-house."  This  seems  to  have  been  the  first 
addition  made  to  the  yard.  Another  was  made  in  1845,  and 
it  has  been  fenced  several  times. 

The  ground  bears  evidence  of  its  ancient  character,  and  con- 
tains the  remains  of  many  of  the  oldest  and  most  respected 
citizens  of  the  town.  It  extends  along  the  road  passing  east 
from  the  village  by  the  meeting-house,  and  presents  a  mourn- 
fully pleasing  appearance  with  its  long  rows  of  tombstones, 
many  of  them  containing  quaint  and  interesting  inscriptions. 
Some  of  these  are  as  follows  : 

"  In  memory  of  Rev.  Stci^heu  Williams,  D.D.,  who  was  a  pnideut  and  lalwri- 
ons  minister,  a  sound  and  evangelical  preacher,  a  pious  and  exemplary  Chris- 
tian, a  sincere  and  faithful  fiiend,  a  tender  and  affectionate  father  and  consort, 
and  a  real  and  disinterested  lover  of  mankind  :  departed  this  life  with  humhie 
and  cheei-ful  hope  of  a  better,  June  10,  ns2,  in  the  HUth  year  of  his  age,  and 
Gttth  of  liis  ministry. 

"  Softly,  with  fainting  head,  he  lay 
Upon  his  Maker's  breast ; 
His  Maker  kissed  his  sonl  away. 
And  laid  his  flesh  to  rest." 

"  Sacred  to  the  memory  of  the  Kev.  Richard  S.  Storrs,  pastor  of  the  chu  rch  in 
Longmeadow.  He  wa.s  born  at  Manstield,  Conn.,  Aug.  30, 1763,  graduated  at 
Yale  College  in  1783,  ordained  Dec.  7, 17SS,  died  Oct.  3, 1»19.  In  the  private 
relations  of  life  he  eminently  illustrated  the  graces  of  the  Christian.  He  was 
distinguished  for  his  appropiiate,  peispicuous,  and  affectionate  exhibition  of 
evangelical  truth,  for  propriety,  richness,  and  fen'or  in  social  prayer,  and  for  his 
instructive  conversation,  and  Christian  sympathy  in  pastoi  al  duties.  In  testimony 
of  their  affectionate  remembrance  of  his  personal  worth,  and  their  regard  for  his 
ability,  zeal, and  usefulness  as  their  Christiau  pastor,  his  mourning  congregation 
erect  this  monument. 

"  Religion,  her  almighty  breath, 
Rebuked  the  winds  and  waves  of  death  ; 
Amidst  that  calm  of  sweet  repose. 
To  Heaven  his  gentle  spirit  rose." 

"lu  memory  of  Capt.  Isaac  Chiton,  who  died  Jan.  33, 1757,  in  his  57th  year. 
Capt.  I.  Colton  had  a  military  genius,  commanded  a  company  at  Loidsbonrg,  in 
1745.  Was  respected  &  useful  at  home.  Was  a  man  of  prayer.— Isa.  31,  3,— I'or 
behold  the  Lord  doth  take  away  the  Captain."    - 

"How  art  thou  fallen  in  the  midst  of  the  battle'.  0  rerii  pleasant  hast  thou,  been! 
In  memory  of  Lieutenant  Nathaniel  Burt,  who  was  slain  in  the  memorable 
battle  of  Lftke  George,  Sept.  8,  1755,  when  his  Colonel*  and  othertrare  officers  fell, 
yet  a  signal  victory  was  obtained  over  the  enemy.  Mr.  Nathaniel  Burt  was  a 
deacon  of  this  church,  an  exemplary  chiistian,  a  man  of  Public  Spirit,  &  a  good 
soldier;  well  beloved  at  home  and  in  y«  army.  .\  concern  for  pure  religion 
caused  his  going  into  y«  military  service.  He  died  in  his  45th  yeai\— 2  Chron. 
35  and  25, — And  Jeremiah  lamented  over  Josiah." 

"  Mr.  Nathaniel  Bnit,  a  respectable  and  worthy  Tather  of  the  Town  of  Long, 
meadow,  was  born  ,l.n.  1636,  and  died  Sep'  29,  1720. 

"This  Monument  is  erected  to  his  memory  by  the  inhabitants  of  said  Town  as 
a  token  of  gratitude  for  donations  in  lands  made  by  him  to  them  for  the  support 
of  the  Gospel  and  public  schools.— Isaiah  :ill,  8,- The  libeial  deviseth  liberal 
things,  and  by  liberal  things  shall  he  st;ind."t 

The  oldest  ceiuetery  in  the  east  part  of  the  town  was  laid 
out  over  one  hundred  years  ago,  the  exact  date  not  at  present 
being  known.  It  is  located  a  short  distance  east  of  the  centre, 
and  comprises  about  one  and  a  half  acres  of  land.  It  is  neatly 
fenced,  triangular  in  shape,  and  has  entrances  from  two  roads. 
It  does  not  contain  very  many  graves,  but  among  them  are 
to  be  seen  those  of  some  of  the  earliest  settlers  of  the  east 
section  of  the  town. 

Another  cemetery  is  located  in  the  southeast  corner  of  the 
town,  in  what  is  known  as  the  "  Baptist  neighborhood."  The 
yard  is  small,  not  coniprising  mucli  over  an  ucre  of  land,  and 
contains  stones  bearing  dates  as  early  as  1769.  It  is  situated 
at  the  intersection  of  two  roads,  and  is  entered  from  each.  It 
is  still  jn  use. 

The  last  remaining  cemetery  is  situated  in  the  northeast 
corner  of  the  town,  and  contains  aboiit  an  acre  of  ground.  It 
was  probably  laid  out  in  the  i;arly  p^rt  of  the  present  century, 
very  likejy  by  a  committee  appoiitted  by  the  town,  in  the 

*  Ephraim  Williams. 

t  A  peculiarity  of  this  cemetery  is  that  in  the  original  btlriaUgrouncJ  of  1718 
the  graves  Ue  north  atid  south. 


1048 


HISTORY   OF   THE    CONNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


When  the  pioneer  colony  came  out  on  their  first  exploring 
expedition  toward  the  "  Qiiinnecticott,"  or  "Great  Kiver,' 
it  is  stated  that  part  of  them  settled  at  what  is  now  the  city 
of  Hartford  ;  a  part  came  farther  north  and  located  at  what 
is  known  as  Warehouse  Point,  and,  according  to  some  author- 
ities, another  portion  reached  a  point  in  the  southern  part  of 
Springfield,  near  Long  Hill,  where  they  stopped  for  a  few  days 
to  examine  the  surrounding  country  and  fix  upon  a  proper 
place  for  settlement.  This  was  in  1635.  They  finally  selected 
a  location  on  the  Agawam  side  of  the  "  Great  River,"  in  what 
has  since  been  known  as  the  "  House  Lot,"  where  they  erected 
a  log  cabin  and  remained  for  some  time. 

This  account  undoubtedly  refers  to  the  two  men  stated  to 
have  been  sent  out  in  that  year  to  build  a  house  for  the  col- 
ony. The  two  were  Woodcock  and  Cable,  who  undoubtedly 
built  the  first  dwelling  in  Western  Massachusetts,  within  the 
present  limits  of  Agawam  township.  The  location  is  on  the 
south  bank  of  the  Agawam  River,  about  a  half-mile  from  its 
mouth,  on  the  low  bottom-land,  which  frequently  is  over- 
flowed. The  spot  chosen  is  said  to  have  covered  originally 
about  10  acres  of  land,  but  the  river  channel  has  changed  so 
much  that  a  large  portion  has  either  been  washed  away  or 
now  constitutes  a  part  of  the  large  island  lying  between  the 
arms,  or  in  the  delta,  of  the  Agawam.  The  place  is  probably 
included  at  the  present  time  in  lands  owned  by  Leonard  Clark 
&  Son,  of  Springfield. 

It  is  not  definitely  known  whether  the  two  pioneers  remained 
through  the  winter  of  163-5-36  or  returned  in  the  fall  to  the 
eastern  settlements;  neither  can  it  be  ascertained  whether  the 
cabin  was  taken  down  and  reconstructed  on  the  Springfield 
side,  or  carried  away  by  the  overflow  in  the  succeeding 
spring. 

In  the  town  records  of  Springfield  occurs  the  following: 

Jan.  3, 1638. — "  It  is  ordered  \iy  ye  plantation  at  a  general  meeting,  that  these 
six  meu  nndernnmed  shall  set  out  the  bounds  of  ye  plantation  on  ye  river  on 
both  sides  of  ye  river,  and  to  marke  ye  trees  for  ye  cleering  of  it.  Ye  persons 
appointed  are  William  Pynchon,  Jehu  Burr,  Henry  Smith,  John  Cable,  Richard 
Eveiitt,  Tlionias  Mirrick." 

Feb.  14,  1638. — "  It  was  ordered  it  siiall  be  lawful  fur  any  man  to  put  over 
horse,  cows,  or  younger  cattell  on  ye  other  side  of  ye  i  iver  till  the  1st  of  Novem- 
ber." 

Jan.  26,  1642.— Ileury  Smith,  Elizur  Holyoke,  Henry  Burt,  Samuel  Chapin. 
Richard  Titus,  Thomas  Mirrick  were  appointed  a  committee  "  by  generjil  vote  and 
consent  of  ye  Plantation,"  with  full  power  to  lay  out,  not  to  e.\ceed  150  acres  of 
land,  to  be  divided  among  30  families  "  on  ye  other  side  of  ye  grt  river." 

In  the  grant  of  lands  made  by  the  inhabitants  of  Spring- 
field, in  1060,  Thomas  Cooper,  Abel  Leonard,  and  Thomas 
Merrick  settled  on  the  southwest  side  of  the  Agawam  Kiver; 
Cooper  on  the  east  branch  of  Three-Mile  Brook. 

The  Coopers  and  Merrick  owned  large  tracts  of  land  on  what 
■wfis  known  as  the  "outward  coinmons,"  now  Feeding  Hills. 
A  part  of  the  territory  northeast  from  the  Corners  was  known 
by  the  early  settlers  as  "  Brooksfield,"  from  the  fact  of  there 
being  many  small  brooks  running  through  it. 

Judge  Leonard,  a  son  of  Dr.  John  Leonard,  was  the  owner 
of  a  large  tract  southwest  from  the  Corners,  on  Feeding  Hills 
Street. 

About  1704,  Abram  Burbank,  from  Sufiield,  Conn.,  pur- 
chased the  land  formerly  owned  by  Cooper  and  Merrick 
from  the  heirs,  and  twenty-nine  deeds  recorded  in  the  clerk's 
office  in  his  name  give  the  description  and  dates.  Mr.  Bur- 
bank  located  where  S.  R.  Johnson  now  lives. 

In  the  first  records  of  Springfield,  referring  to  the  assign- 
ment of  lands  on  the  west  side  of  the  Great  River,  including 
Agawam,  it  says : 

"  All  rates  that  shall  arise  upon  this  towne  shall  be  layed  upon  lands,  accord- 
ing to  every  one's  proportion,  aker  for  aker,  of  house-lott.'*,  and  aker  for  aker,  of 
meddowe,  botli  alike  on  tliis  side,  and  both  alike  on  the  other  side;  and  for 
farmes  that  shall  lye  farther  off,  a  less  pmpurtion,  as  wee  shall  after  agree,  e.xcept 
wee  shall  see  meete  to  remit  one-half  of  the  rate  from  land  to  other  estate." 

In  1699,  Springfield  had  within  its  boundaries  a  large 
amount  of  unappropriated  and  undivided  lands  ;  and  later, 


when  West  Springfield  was  set  off,  a  division  of  these  lands 
was  made  through  Agawam,  constituting  what  are  now  the 
Agawam  Parish  (the  "  inward  commons")  and  Feeding  Hills 
Parish  ("  the  outward  commons),  nearly  the  whole  town  above 
the  meadows  being  occupied  by  the  inhabitants  of  Springfield 
as  pasture-lands,  hence  the  name  "Feeding  Hills."  A  ditch 
was  dug  across  the  entire  length  to  designate  the  dividing- 
line  between  the  outward  and  inward  commons.  This  ditch 
remains  to  this  day,  except  in  parts  where  it  has  been  plowed 
up,  and  is  probably  nearly  identical  with  the  parish  line.  As 
late  as  1783  there  lived  in  Agawam  Parish  a  few  of  the  Stock- 
bridge  Indians,  who  obtained  their  living  by  making  baskets 
and  selling  them  in  Springfield. 

INCORPORATION. 

The  following  is  the  act  of  the  Legislature  to  incorporate 
the  town  of  Agawam,  May  17,  185-5: 

"Section  1.  All  that  part  of  the  Town  of  West  Springfield  which  lies  south- 
erlj'  of  the  line  commencing  at  the  north  mouth  of  the  .\gawam  River,  so  called, 
and  running  westerly  by  the  course  and  centre  of  said  river  to  the  town-line  of 
Westfield,  is  hereby  incorporated  into  a  separate  town  by  the  name  of  Agawam. 
And  the  said  town  of  Agawam  is  hereliy  invested  with  all  the  poweis  and  privi- 
leges, rights  and  immunities,  and  shall  be  subject  to  all  the  duties  and  requisi- 
tions, to  which  other  towns  ai'e  entitled  and  subjected." 

The  first  town-meeting  was  called  June  12,  1855,  and  the 
following  is  an  extract  from  the  warrant  : 

"To  Lewis  L.  Whitman,  an  inhaliitant,  &c. ;  You  are  directed  to  notify  and 
warn  the  inlmbitauts  of  said  town  of  Agawam  qualified  to  vote  in  elections  and 
in  town  affairs  Ut  meet  in  the  Meeting-House  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
in  the  parish  of  Agawam,  to  choose  town-officers  and  transact  such  other  busi- 
ness as  shall  properly  come  before  the  meeting. 

(Signed)  "  Samuel  Flower,  Ju^^tice  of  the  Pence." 

Orson  S  weatland  was  chosen  moderator  of  the  town-meeting, 
and  the  following  oflicers  were  elected :  Alfred  Flower,  Clerk 
and  Treasurer;  Orson  Sweatland,  James  S.  Smith,  and  Ralph 
Adams,  Selectmen.  The  next  town-meeting  was  held  in  the 
hall  of  the  Centre  School-House,  in  Feeding  Hills. 

TOWN   OFFICERS. 
The   following   persons  have  served   in   the   various    town 
ofiices : 

SELECTMEN,  ASSESSORS,  AND    OVERSEERS    OF    THE    POOR. 

Orson  Sweiitland,  James  S.  Smith,  Ralph  Adams,  Samuel  Flower,  Justus  R. 
Cooley,  William  Roberts,  Grosvenor  Marcy,  Charles  Ctdton,  Horace  E.  Roberts, 
Isajic  Roberts,  Josiali  Johnsjn,  Fredeiick  A.  Johnson,  Joseph  Bedortha,  John  G. 
Freeland,  Joseph  L.  Smith,  Elijah  D.  Allen,  James  Henry  Churchill,  James  H. 
Ferre,  Edward  K.  BoUui tha,  .\sa  Clark,  Oscar  A.  Parks,  John  W.  Freeland,  Luke 
C.  Sheldon,  Reuben  De  Witt,  Josei)h  V.  Wolcott,  Seth  N.  Bennett,  Byron  C. 
Roberts,  Lewis  L.  Whitman,  Edwin  Leonard  (2d),  and  Frederick  N.  Leonard. 

TOWN    CLERKS. 

Ashbel  .Sykes,  Joel  J.  Bailey,  Josiah  Johnson,  Charles  C.  Wright,  Samuel 
Flower,  and  Stephen  H.  Bodurtha. 

The  valuation  of  real  and  personal  estate,  as  appears  on  the 

list  taken  May  1,  1877,  was  as  follows : 

Real  estate 801.3,240.00 

Persmal  estate 22ti,182.00 

Total  real  and  personal  estate 81,141,422.00 

Total  number  of  polls 574 

"  "     militia 348 

"  "      scholars 376 

"  "      houses 435 

"  "     acres  of  land 13,59:^ 

Upon  which  taxes  have  been  assessed  as  follows  : 

Town  grant 812,,565.60 

County  tax 1,319.40 

State  tax 1,065.00 

Overlayings 694.06 

Total  tax  assessed 815,044.06 

Rate  per  cent.,  12  7-10  mills.    Poll  tax,  82. 

PARISHES. 

The  parish  of  Agawam  was  erected  from  the  2d  parish  of 
Springfield  in  1757,  as  the  0th  parish  of  Springfield. 

In  1703,  by  rea.son  of  the  organization  of  the  4th  parish 
(Wilbraham)  into  a  town,  this  parish  was  changed  from  the 
0th  to  the  5th,  and  Ireland  parish  to  the  4lh  ;  and  upon  the 


Cyri'S  Hkll,  the  tenth  child,  and 
fourth  son,  of  James  and  Mary  Per- 
cival  IJell.  was  born  in  Chester,  Mass., 
June  14,  181,3.  Of  his  five  brothers, 
two  became  physicians. 

He  was  but  sixteen  years  of  age 
when  his  father  died,  and,  having  for 
gome  time  looked  with  longing  eyes 
toward  a  career  in  the  medical  pro- 
fession, he  then  set  about  furthering 
his  ambition.  One  of  his  elder 
brothers  was  already  a  practicing 
physician,  and  with  him,  therefore, 
he  began  his  medical  studies,  and, 
shortly  afterward,  entering  ihe  Berk- 
shire Medical  College,  Pittsfield,  he 
graduated  therefrom  in  1889.  After 
that  he  practiced  six  months  with 
another  brother,  and  Sept.  20,  1840, 
took  up  his  residence  in  Feeding 
Hills,  Mass. 

Nor.  3,  1841,  he  married  Mis? 
Emma  Chamberlain,  of  Austerlitz. 
Columbia  Co.,  N.  Y.,  one  of  the  first 
pupils  of  Miss  Mary  Lyon,  at  Hol- 
yoke  Seminary.  Their  children  were 
five  in  number, — thrte  sons  and  two 
daughters. 

A  devoted  lover  of  his  prof*  ssion, 
Dr.  Bell  occupied  a  wide  field  of  use- 
fulness, nnd  e.xemplifying  in  his  daily 
wjilks  the  highest  principles  of  Chris- 
tianity, he  has  ministered  many  a 
time  and  oft  to  suffering  minds  as 
well  as  to  suffering  bodies. 

In  politics  he  is  a  Republican,  and 
in  1865  represented  his  district  in  the 
General  Court. 

The  most    jtroniiuent    trait  in  his 


^^y^-H^^ 


character  is  his  deep-rooted  religious 
faith,  and  this  he  constantly  strives 
to  show  by  word  and  deed.  Early  in 
life  he  became  a  professed  Christian, 
and  was  one  of  the  first  scholars  of 
the  first  Sunday-school  established  in 
his  native  town,  in  1825.  His  adher- 
ence to  the  cause  he  then  embraced 
has  since  then  not  only  remained  true 
anil  steadfast,  but  it  has  strengthened 
with  advancing  years,  and  will  con- 
tinue to  strengthen  as  the  years  roll 
on.  Ever  ready  to  offer  the  testimony 
of  prayer,  praise,  personal  labor,  and 
bountiful  charity  on  behalf  of  relig- 
ion, his  life  has  been  one  of  rare 
consistency  and  Christian  purpose. 

For  twenty-five  years  he  has  been 
senior  deacon  of  the  Congregational 
Church,  for  many  years  superintend- 
ent of  the  Sal'bath-school,  and,  as  a 
member  of  the  town  school  committee, 
he  has  long  been  conspicuous  for  val- 
uable labors.  Of  his  efforts  in  the 
cause  of  education,  one  of  his  co- 
laborers  says  : 

"  Few  men  equal  Dr.  Bell  in  secur- 
ing the  love  and  respect  of  children, 
and  in  interesting  them  by  apt  ad- 
dress ;  none  surpass  him  in  a  desire 
for  the  best  possible  education,  in 
mind  and  heart,  of  every  child  in  the 
community." 

The  residence  which  he  now  occu- 
pies was  purchased  soon  after  his 
settlement  in  Feeding  Hills,  and  was 
built,  about  1775.  by  the  Congrega- 
tional Society  for  Rev.  Sylvanus  Gris- 
wold. 


iaiS3IEig[M©i  ©i?  ©¥[ajJIS  OllkL, 


.©=,    lF'^^SJ^JE)  }^JJl4io,    K]j\3o. 


Photo,  by  Moffitt,  SpringfielJ. 


This  family  traces  its  genealogy  back  to  the  old  English 
house  of  Wightman,  and  are  lineal  descendants  of  Edward 
Wightman,  who  was  the  last  religious  martyr  burned  at 
the  stake  in  that  country,  put  to  death  in  1612.  About 
the  year  1630  four  male  members  of  his  family  emigrated 
to  this  country  and  settled  in  Rhode  Island,  but  subse- 
quently removed  to  Connecticut.  Wo  have  no  authentic 
records  in  regard  to  the  early  generations  in  this  country  ; 
but  one  Valentine,  a  prominent  citizen  of  Groton,  Conn., 
was  the  founder  of  the  first  Baptist  Church  in  New  England, 
at  that  place.  He  had  a  son,  Timothy,  who  was  the  father 
of  Jesse.  The  latter  was  born  in  Groton,  Conn.,  Jan.  22, 
1764,  removed  to  Agawam  in  1789,  and  was  married,  July 
20,  1791,  to  Cynthia  Button,  a  native  of  Agawam,  who 
was  born  Feb.  7,  1770.  He  was  in  1790  ordained  a 
minister  of  the  gospel,  and  was  the  first  Baptist  preacher 
in  the  town.  He  changed  the  spelling  of  his  name  to  the 
present  way  about  the  commencement  of  the  present  cen- 
tury, which  has  been  followed  by  his  descendants.  He  had 
a  family  of  six  children,  viz  :  Jesse,  Lyman,  Asa  B.,  War- 
ren, Newbury,  and  Cynthia.  The  only  one  living  at  the 
present  time  is  the  fourth  child,  who  resides  at  Westfield, 
Mass.  Jesse  died  Sept.  20,  1817,  and  was  followed  by  his 
wife,  April  19,  1824. 

Lyman,  the  father  of  the  gentleman  whose  portrait  ap- 
pears above,  was  born  in  Agawam,  May  20,  1794.  He 
was  a  machinist  by  trade,  and  followed  that  business  until 
1830,  when  he  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  cotton  goods. 
'  He  afterward  opened  a  store  for  the  sale  of  general  mer- 
chandise in  Agawam,  and  continued  it  until  his  death, 
June  12,  1869. 


He  was  married,  Dec.  17,  1829,  to  Mary  Kendall,  a 
native  of  SuflSeld,  Conn.,  who  was  born  Nov.  27,  1800, 
She  enjoys  the  best  of  health,  and  is  happy  in  being  sur- 
rounded by  loving  relations  and  friends.  Their  family 
consisted  of  Lewis  L.,  Mary  P.,  and  John  L.,  the  latter 
of  whom  died  in  early  manhood. 

Lewis  L.  was  born  in  Agawam,  March  24, 1831,  and  re- 
ceived his  education  at  the  district  schools  and  at  the 
academy  at  Mystic,  Conn.  Upon  leaving  school  he  entered 
his  father's  store  as  clerk,  and  remained  until  1851,  when, 
in  company  with  his  father,  he  commenced  the  manufacture 
of  wall  paper  in  Agawam.  Being  tired  of  active  business 
life,  he  discontinued  his  manufacturing  interest  in  1867, 
and  bought  a  farm,  where  he  is  now  engaged  as  a  tiller  of 
the  soil.  He  was  married,  Nov.  30,  1855,  to  Martha  E., 
daughter  of  Thomas  Hart  and  Laurette  Pepper,  of  South- 
wick,  Mass.,  where  she  was  born  Nov.  24,  1833.  By  this 
union  he  became  the  father  of  six  children,  viz. :  Pred.  L., 
born  Feb.  17,  1857,  and  at  present  engaged  in  the  study  of 
law  at  Boston  ;  Minnie  A.  K.,  born  Aug.  28,  1859,  and 
now  the  wife  of  Albert  E.  Worthington,  of  Agawam  ; 
John  L.,  born  Jan.  4,  1863,  and  died  Jan.  14,  1874; 
Florrie  L.,  born  April  16,  1867;  Bret  Harte,  born  Oct. 
16,  1869;  and  Carrie  M.,  born  Nov.  16,  1871,  and  died 
Nov.  19,  1872. 

Mr.  Whitman  has  been  a  life-long  Democrat ;  has  been 
one  of  the  selectmen  of  the  town  for  the  last  five  years, 
and  is  chairman  of  the  board.  He  has  for  a  number  of 
years  been  engaged  with  credit  and  honor  to  himself  in  the 
mercantile,  manufacturing,  and  agricultural  interests  of  the 
town  of  his  birth. 


HISTORY  OF  HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


1049 


organization  of  West  Springfield  in  1774,  this  became  the  2d 
|]arish  of  West  Springfield. 

The  following  notes  are  from  the  Agawam  parish  register: 
The  first  meeting  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  6th  parish  of 
Springfield  was  held  Feb  25,  1758,  Capt.  Samuel  Mirick, 
Moderator;  Moses  Leonard,  Clerk. 

"Nov.  1,  1758. — Voted  to  builil  a  meeting-house  in  said  Parisli.  It  wtis  also 
fnrtlier  voted  to  provide  Bords  and  shingles  for  the  Lord's  house." 

"  Mar.  21, 1759. — Voted  to  build  a  meeting-house  in  the  senter  of  the  present 
Inhabitants,  or  as  near  as  may  be." 

"At  a  meeting  Dec.  22, 1750,  Voted  to  reconsider  the  vote  of  Mar.  21, 1759." 

'*  May  29, 1760. — Voted  that  Rum  and  Cider  shall  be  provided  for  the  Knising 
of  the  Meeting-Holise  in  the  Parish,  at  the  cost  and  charge  of  the  Parish." 

"  Voted  that  the  meeting-house  shall  be  set  upon  Esq.  Reuben  Leonard's  land." 

The  first  parish  clerk  was  voted  50  cents  a  year  for  eleven 
successive  years. 

In  the  diary  of  Rev.  John  Ballantj-ne  of  Westtield,  com- 
menced in  1750,  occurs  this  mention  : 

"  Nov.  12, 1760. — Assisted  in  dedication  of  a  new  meeting-hoTise  in  Agawam. 
Rev,  Mr.  Williams,  of  Springfield,  preached  Dec.  3d." 

The  first  bell  was  the  gift  of  Capt.  John  Porter,  and  cost 
$300.  A  chimney  was  added  to  the  church  in  1823.  Tlie 
church  was  painted  by  subscription  of  produce,  chiefly  rye 
and  flax-seed,  and  the  name  and  amount  given  by  each  are 
preserved. 

"  Nov.  19, 1793. — At  this  meeting  a  committee  was  appointed  to  oppose  Eli- 
phalet  Leonard  in  the  General  Court  against  being  anne.xed  the  1st  Parish." 

"  April  14,  1807. — A  meeting  was  called  *  to  see  if  the  Parish  would  vote  to  set 
of  the  2d  &  4th  Parishes  of  West  Springfield  as  a  town.'  " 

CHURCHE.S. 
BAPTIST. 

In  Benedict's  history  of  the  Baptists,  when  speaking  of 
West  Springfield,  he  says:  "As  early  as  1727  some  persons 
were  baptized  in  this  town  by  Mr.  Elisha  Calender,  then  pas- 
tor of  the  First  Church  in  Boston.  Their  names  were  John 
Leonard,  Ebenezer  Leonard,  Abel  Leonard,  William  Scott, 
and  Thomas  Lamb.  These  Leonards  are  ancestors  of  the 
numerous  family  of  that  name  now  residing  in  Agawam. 

The  Baptists  organized  a  society  at  once,  and,  as  often  as 
they  could  obtain  a  minister  to  come  among  them,  sustained 
]ireaching  until  1740,  when  they,  with  others  who  had  joined 
them,  were  formed  into  a  church,  and  Rev.  Edward  XJphain 
became  their  pastor.  Mr.  Upham  preached  for  this  church 
nine  years  at  first,  when  he  removed  to  Newport,  E.  I.,  but 
returned  to  Agawam  after  twenty  years'  absence,  and  remained 
until  his  death,  in  1795,  at  the  age  of  eighty-seven  years. 

The  place  of  meeting  of  this  church  was  on  the  east  margin 
of  the  large  plain  between  the  Feeding  Hills  and  Agawam 
Districts.  After  the  death  of  Mr.  Upham  the  church  declined, 
and  finally  ceased  to  e.xist.  About  1790  a  number  of  members 
of  the  Baptist  Church  in  Westfield,  residing  in  Agawam, 
formed  a  new  church,  and  were  dismissed  from  their  Westfield 
connection  for  that  purpose.  Their  names  were  John  Porter, 
Stephen  Bedortha,  Jonathan  Purchase,  Earle  Bancroft,  Mar- 
garet Purchase,  Abigail  Palmer,  Eleanor  Bedortha,  and  Rox- 
anna  Bancroft.  They  met  on  the  23d  of  February,  1790,  and 
adopted  the  covenant  and  articles  of  faith  of  the  church  from 
which  they  were  dismissed. 

On  the  4th  of  March  following  the  constitution  of  the 
church.  Rev.  Jesse  Wightman  was  called  to  the  pastorship, 
but  delayed  his  acceptance  until  the  request  of  the  church  was 
renewed  several  times,  when  on  the  14th  of  August  following 
he  wrote  them  "  that  his  mind  was  established,  and  he  agreed 
to  the  request."  Mr.  Wightman  (now  written  Whitman) 
was  pastor  of  this  First  Baptist  Church  of  Agawam  twenty- 
seven  years,  from  Sept.  29,  1790,  to  Sept.  29,  1817,  when  he 
died.  The  records  say,  in  reference  to  that  period  of  history 
of  the  church,  that  Elder  Whitman  "  was  a  man  of  eminent 
piety,  and  was  much  esteemed  among  his  people.  For  a  period 
of  twenty-seven  years  he  had  sedulously  watched  over  the 
132 


church,  from  its  infancy  to  more  mature  years.  His  ministry 
was  a  successful  one,  and  his  end  peace."  From  1790  to  1814, 
48  persons  were  added  to  the  church. 

In  1814  serious  difficulties  aro.se  in  relation  to  the  singing, 
the  introduction  of  new  tunes  having  debarred  many  of  the 
church  members  from  taking  part  in  that  portion  of  the  ser- 
vice. This  disturbance  was  so  great  that  many  withdrew 
from  the  church,  and  the  communion  service  was  suspended 
for  several  months.  In  1815,  through  the  wise  administra- 
tion of  Elder  Whitman,  they  voted  "to  forget  and  forgive, 
for  the  sake  of  the  suft'ering  cause,"  and  it  was  followed  by  a 
powerful  revival  which  effected  a  full  reconciliation. 

In  May,  1819,  Rev.  John  Grant  moved  to  Agawam,  and 
performed  the  duties  of  pastor  for  a  short  time,  but  declined 
a  call.  Following  him  was  Rev.  B.  M.  Hill,  who  came  from 
Stafford,  Conn.,  who  was  called  to  the  pastorate,  but  finally 
declined.  In  1822,  Rev.  Thomas  Barrett,  a  native  of  Belchcr- 
town,  supplied  the  pulpit,  until,  at  a  meeting  of  the  church, 
Jan.  27,  1823,  it  was  "voted  unanimously  that  they  were 
satisfied  with  his  improvement,"  and  they  wished  him  to  be 
their  minister.  They  were  also,  except  one,  in  favor  of  having 
him  preach  to  them  every  Sabbath  day.  He  remained  pastor 
of  the  church  until  October,  1829,  and  during  the  time  the 
most  extensive  revival  visited  the  people  thtit  ever  occurred 
in  Agawam,  in  1825-26. 

It  was  said  of  Mr.  Barrett  that  he  was  a  very  able  preacher 
and  a  man  of  earnest  piety,  but  he  was  subject  to  frequent 
seasons  of  mental  depression,  in  one  of  which,  in  August, 
1832,  he  sadly  terminated  his  own  life,  at  the  age  of  thirty- 
nine. 

In  August,  1831,  Rev.  John  McDonald  was  ordained  as 
pastor  of  the  church.  At  a  church  meeting  held  Feb.  7, 1834, 
it  was  voted  "  to  retain  Elder  McDonald  for  five  years  longer 
if  the  necessary  funds  could  be  raised  to  pay  his  salary,  which 
has  heretofore  been  §300  dollars  a  j'ear."  He  remained,  how- 
ever, but  one  year,  and  was  dismissed.  His  successors  have 
been  Rev.  Pierpont  Brockett,  Rev.  Mathew  Bachelor,  Rev. 
William  A.  Smith,  Rev.  Lester  Lewis,  Rev.  John  Cook,  Rev. 
Asa  A.  Robinson,  Rev.  Thomas  Dowling,  Rev.  Ariel  Parker, 
Rev.  George  Cowlesworthy,  Rev.  E.  P.  Bond,  and  the  present 
pastor,  Rev.  Alpha  H.  Simons. 

This  church  has  had  during  its  existence  eighteen  diilerent 
pastors,  and  there  have  probably  been  over  500  members  at 
diflerent  periods.  In  1813  the  membership  was  66;  in  1860, 
109;  in  1878,  157.  The  Sabbath-school  numbers  111,  with 
Charles  L.  Bodurtha  superintendent. 

The  present  church  edifice,  located  at  Agawam  Centre,  was 
built  in  1830.  At  some  period  in  the  history  of  the  old  church 
referred  to  above,  which  was  organized  one  hundred  and  forty 
years  ago,  a  tankard  and  two  cups  for  the  communion-service 
were  presented  to  it  by  the  First  Baptist  Church,  in  Boston. 
They  were  presented  to  the  Boston  church  by  a  Baptist  church 
in  London,  the  same  of  which  the  famous  preacher  Spurgeon 
is  now  pastor.  These  pieces  of  communion  furniture  came 
into  the  possession  of  the  present  church  of  Agawam,  and 
were  a  long  time  in  use. 

THE   FIRST   CONOREaATIONAL   CHURCH    OF    AGAWAM 

is  located  in  the  Feeding  Hills  Parish.  It  was  organized 
Nov.  10,  1762,  as  the  Sixth  Church  of  Springfield.  After- 
ward, in  1774,  when  West  Springfield  was  set  off,  it  became 
the  Second  Church  in  West  Springfield,  and  again,  in  1855, 
when  Agawam  was  organized  as  a  town,  it  became  the  First 
Church.  It  was  organized  with  nine  members,  besides  the 
pastor-elect,  which  was  two  more  than  enough  to  constitute  a 
church  at  that  time.  The  following  were  the  original  mem- 
bers:  Samuel  Merrick,  Joseph  Bodurtha,  Benjamin  Leonard, 
John  Leonard,  Reuben  Leonard,  Abel  Lexjnard,  Joseph  Sel- 
den,  Joseph  Flower,  and  Jonathan  Bodurtha.  Twenty  others 
united  by  letter  eighteen  days  afterward.     Part  of  these  per- 


1050. 


HISTORY   OF   THE   CONNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


sons  were  from  the  disbanded  Baptist  Church,  who  united 
with  the  understimdinfj  that  tlii>se  wlio  preferred  it  should  be 
baptized  by  immersion,  and  tljat  iTifant  liaptism  should  not 
be  insisted  upon. 

The  house  of  worship  tirst  occupied  by  this  church  stood 
upon  the  plain,  about  halfway  between  what  is  now  the 
Feeding  Hills  Parish  and  Aguwam  Parish.  It  was  built  by 
the  parish  in  17(50,  and  was  a  commodious  edifice,  but  possessed 
no  great  architectural  beauty,  and  was  never  finished.  In 
17'.19  it  was  taken  down,  and  removed  to  the  spot  now  occupied 
by  the  Methodist  Church  at  Feeding  Hills,  where  it  was  re- 
erected,  and  remained  inconi]ilete  until  1821,  when  it  was 
neatly  finished.  It  was  first  used  by  the  Congregationalists, 
then,  after  the  revival  of  the  Baptist  Church  in  1772,  by  the 
two  congregations  uniting,  and,  after  about  1802,  when  the 
Methodist  Society  was  formed,  by  the  three  denominations 
conjointly.  In  1834  the  Congregationalists  withdrew,  and 
built  their  present  house  of  worship,  at  a  cost  of  $2000,  fur- 
nished by  individuals.  In  1857  the  church  was  re-modeled, 
and  transferred  from  the  proprietors  to  the  society.  The  par- 
sonage, adjoining  the  church,  was  built  in  1812. 

The  first  minister  of  this  church  was  Rev.  Sylvanus  Gris- 
wold,  who  was  ordained  and  installed  over  it  just  a  week  after 
its  organization.  The  yearly  salary  upon  which  Mr.  Gris- 
wold  was  settled  was  ^225,  with  his  wood,  and  a  tract  of  forty 
acres  of  land.  In  consequence  of  the  diminished  ability  of 
the  society,  resulting  from  the  Revolutionary  war,  it  is  said, 
"they  fell  considerably  in  arrears,  and  the  pastor  agreed  to 
release  them  from  their  obligations  to  him." 

The  following  account  of  this  first  installation  is  from  a 
Springfield  letter  to  the  Boston  News-Letter,  dated  Nov.  17, 
1762:    . 

"Tliis  day  tlie  Rev.  Sylvanns  Griswold  was  (with  the  greatest  unaniuiity  of 
the  people,  and  the  high  Siltisfaction  of  the  Ecclesiastical  Council  Convened  on 
that  occasion)  ordained  the  Pastor  of  a  Church  newly  gathered  in  this  town,  con- 
sisting both  of  Pedo-Baptists  and  Anti-Pedo-Baptists,  The  Litter  of  whom  were 
formerly  of  a  distinct  church,  under  the  pastoral  care  of  Rev.  Edward  Ui>hani. 
Notwithstanding  this  differeuce  of  opinion,  this  people  have  with  a  tnily  Catholic 
spirit,  united  and  agreed  to  worship  and  sit  down  at  the  Lord's  tahle  together, 
allowing  to  each  other,  without  offence,  full  liherty  to  follow  the  dictates  of  their 
own  private  judgment,  with  respect  to  haptism ;  Mr.  Griswold,  at  the  Same  time, 
readily  consenting  to  administer  haptism  to  Infants  or  the  Adult,  either  by  disper- 
sion or  immersion,  according  as  each  one  shall  desire.  The  candour  with  which 
this  people  have  proceeded,  the  C'hristian  Spiiit  with  which  tlioy  have  united, 
and  the  Catholic  foundation  on  which  this  Church  is  erected,  give  Singular  pleas- 
ure to  the  Churches  in  this  vicinity,  and  doubtless  will  he  pleasing  to  every  gen- 
erous Mind." 

Mr.  Griswold  remained  pastor  until  his  death,  in  1819.  No 
pastor  was  procured  to  succeed  him  until  Oct.  17,  1821,  when 
Rev.  Reuben  Hazen  was  ordained  as  its  second  pastor.  He 
was  to  minister,  however,  but  half  the  time  to  this  church, 
preaching  on  every  alternate  Sabbath  to  the  new  church  at 
Agawam  Parish.  His  salary  was  fixed  at  §190  per  annum,  for 
ten  years.  He  ministered  to  the  two  churches  till  1830,  when 
he  relinquished  his  charge  at  Feeding  Hills,  and  devoted  him- 
self exclusively  to  the  church  at  Agawam.  Rev.  Hervey 
Smith  succeeded  Mr.  Hazen,  becoming  the  third  pastor,  Aug. 
11,  1830.  His  successors  have  been  Rev.  Horatio  J.  Lombard, 
Eev.  Calvin  Foote,  Kev.  Dillon  Williams,  Rev.  Stephen  D. 
Ward,  Rev.  William  M.  Birchard,  and  the  jiresent  pastor. 
Rev.  Charles  S.  Sylvester,  who  was  settled  in  May,  1866.  The 
present  membership  of  the  church  is  61  ;  the  number  of  Sun- 
day-school scholars,  78.  The  officers  of  the  church  and  society 
are, — Deacons,  Cyrus  Bell,  M.D.,  and  E.  G.  Gaylord;  Super- 
intendent of  Sunday-school,  Dr.  Cyrus  Bell ;  Society  Com- 
mittee, J.  G.  Freeland,  W.  H.  Granger,  and  Edwin  Leonard ; 
Church  Committee,  C.  C.  Wright,  E.  A.  Kellogg,  and  R.  M. 
Tayb.r. 

A    METHODIST    KPISCOPAL    CHtJRCH 

was  first  organized  in  Agawam  (Feeding  Hills  Parish)  in 
1802,  by  Father  Washburn,  but  no  record  was  kept  from  that 
time  until  1844,  when  it  was  reorganized.    The  present  church 


edifice  was  built  in  1851,  at  a  cost  of  $2000.  The  present 
pastor  is  Rev.  Jonathan  Neil ;  Superintendent  of  Sabbath- 
school,  Frank  Johnson;  Trustees  of  the  Church,  C.  L.  Hunt- 
ley, James  Halladay,  A.  Halladay,  C.  L.  Huntley,  Jr.,  James 
S.  Smith,  and  Willis  Huntley.  Number  <pf  church  members, 
54 ;  of  Sabbath-school  scholars,  45. 

THE   .SECOND   CONGRKOATIONAL    CHURCH, 

located  at  Agawam  Centre,  was  organized  Sept.  1,  1819.  In 
1800  the  second  parish  was  divided  by  an  act  of  the  Legisla- 
ture into  Agawam  and  Feeding  Hills.  The  old  meeting-house, 
which  had  been  located  between  the  two  villages,  was  removed 
to  Feeding  Hills,  and  the  Agawam  Society  built  a  house  of 
worsliip  in  1803,  though  no  church  was  regularly  organized 
until  September,  1819,  at  which  time  the  old  society  at  Feed- 
ing Hills  was  reorganized,  and  both  churches  adopted  the 
same  confession  of  faith. 

The  meeting  for  the  organization  of  the  Agawam  Congre- 
gational Church  was  held  at  the  house  of  Capt.  Timothy 
Allyn,  on  the  1st  day  of  September,  1819.  Rev.  Richard  S. 
Storrs,  of  Longmeadow,  was  moderator  of  the  council.  Rev. 
Luke  Wood,  who  had  been  employed  for  several  weeks  by  the 
Domestic  Missionary  Society  of  Massachusetts  to  perform  the 
duties  of  a  minister  to  the  people  in  Agawam  and  Feeding 
Hills,  made  a  statement  to  the  council,  from  which  it  appeared 
that  a  distinct  Congregational  Church  had  never  been  organ- 
ized up  to  that  time  in  the  Society  of  Agawam  ;  and  that 
"  the  church  in  Feeding  Hills  is  so  far  reduced  that  they  con- 
sider themselves  unable  to  maintain  a  competent  Christian 
teacher."  On  the  17th  of  October,  1821,  Rev.  Reuben  S. 
Hazen  was  ordained  as  pastor  of  the  Agawam  and  Feeding 
Hills  Congregational  Churches  in  conjunction,  preaching  at 
each  place  on  alternate  Sabbaths.  Mr.  Hazen  was  a  native  of 
West  Springfield,  and  studied  theology  with  Rev.  Dr.  Osgood, 
of  Springfield.  In  1830  he  relinquished  his  charge  of  the 
Feeding  Hills  Church,  and  gave  all  his  time  to  Agawam, 
where  he  labored  with  much  fervor  until  May  17,  1843,  when 
he  was  dismissed.  He  died  in  Canterbury,  Conn.,  where  ho 
was  settled  in  1874. 

The  first  deacons  of  this  church  in  Agawam  were  Timothy 
Allyn  and  Bildad  Fowler.  Rev.  Ralph  Perry,  of  Manchester, 
Conn.,  was  the  second  pastor,  and  was  ordained  over  the 
church  Jan.  3,  1844.  He  was  dismissed,  in  1846,"  in  conse- 
quence of  ill-health ;  but,  having  subsequently  recovered  his 
health  by  travel,  he  was  re-installed  pastor  of  the  church,  Dec. 
28,  1847.  He  remained  until  Aug.  26,  1874,  when  he  met 
with  a  severe  accident  at  the  Bridge-Street  crossing  of  the 
New  Haven,  Hartford  and  Springfield  Railroad,  in  Spring- 
field, which  has  for  a  long  time  rendered  him  helpless.  The 
relations  of  the  pastor  had  been  retained  thirty  years,  when 
Mr.  Perry  sent  a  letter  of  resignation  to  the  church,  March  28, 
1875.  Kev.  George  H.  Pratt,  of  Glastonbury,  Conn.,  was  in- 
vited to  supply  the  church,  Oct.  1,  1875,  and  was  settled  Sept. 
27,  1876,  and  is  the  present  pastor.  The  church  membership 
is  170, — 61  males,  109  females;  Sabbath-school,  80;  families 
connected  with  the  church,  70.  The  deacons  are  Reuben  De 
Witt  and  Charles  Lewis  Campbell.  Superintendent  Sabbath- 
school,  Joseph  Fisher. 

The  meeting-house  of  the  Congregationalist  Church  of  Aga- 
wam was  at  first  a  "  Parish  House,"  and  was  dedicated  June 
8,  1803.  Rev.  Dr.  Lathrop,  of  West  Springfield,  preached  the 
dedication  sermon. 

Deacon  Timothy  Allyn  gave  the  Baptists  $600  for  tlu'ir 
interest  in  the  old  meeting-house,  and  this  placed  its  owner- 
ship in  the  hands  of  the  Congregationalists.  The  frame  of 
the  body  of  the  house  was  originally  erected  by  the  "  Separa- 
tists" of  Suffield,  Conn.,  but  was  taken  down  and  moved  to 
Agawam.  The  belfry  and  steeple  were  built  in  1833.  The 
church  was  remodeled  in  1846  and  1875.  The  parish  has  a 
fund  of  $4300,  the  gift  of  Capt.  Timothy  Allyn. 


L.  W.  Fisk  was  born  in  Wales, 
Mass.,  Oct.  25,  1817.  In  1820  his 
father  removed  to  the  town  of 
Lvidlow,  and  there  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  passed  his  boyhood. 
His  education  was  obtained  solely 
in  the  district  school,  and  he  could 
only  attend  in  the  winter  season. 
From  his  early  cliildhood  he  was 
trained  to  those  habits  of  toil  and 
industry  which  are  common  to 
the  homes  of  New  England.  He 
worked  upon  the  farm,  and  also  in 
the  clothing-mill  which  his  father 
carried  on.  He  was  but  little  more 
than  ten  years  of  age  when  he  com- 
menced working  out  in  summer, 
returning  home  in  the  winter. 

At  the  age  of  eighteen  his  father 
gave  him  his  time.  He  then  went 
to  Palmer,  and  commenced  work 
for  a  hotel  at  ten  dollars  a  month. 
Like  other  hostler  boys,  he  re- 
ceived some  "scales,"  and  at  the 
end  of  six  months  was  able  to 
]ilace  sixty  dollars  on  interest. 

He  worked  at  the  same  employ- 
ment in  Belchertown,  Springfield, 
and  Northampton.  In  Novem- 
ber,   1839,    wlien   the    cars   com- 


riioto.  by  Moffltt,  Springfleia. 


menced  running  on  the  Boston 
and  Albany  Railroad,  Mr.  Fisk 
was  again  in  Springfield,  and 
drove  the  first  and  only  hack  to 
the  first  train  ;  but  competition 
opened  lively,  for  there  were 
plenty  of  hacks  ready  for  the 
second  train. 

From  1842  to  1850  he  continued 
actively  in  the  hack  business, 
securing  a  large  amount  of  patron- 
age, and  accumulating  consider- 
able property.  He  was  able  to 
purchase  productive  real-estate. 
His  health  failing,  he  bought,  in 
1850,  a  small  place  in  Agawara, 
and  somewhat  later  the  pleasant 
farm  upon  which  he  now  resides. 

Jlr.  Fisk  has  never  taken  any 
active  part  in  politics,  but  is  a 
strong  supporter  of  the  institu- 
tions of  religion,  and  a  useful, 
consistent  member  of  the  church. 

His  success  in  life  is  due  largely 
to  industry,  honesty,  fidelity,  and 
temperance. 

The  family  of  Mr.  Fisk  con- 
sists of  himself,  wife,  and  three 
sons.  An  infant  daughter  died 
at  the  age  of  six  months. 


L.  W.   FISK. 


K[iiD©lEKl©E    ^J^    IL.    M.    l?]i,X,    li\®AW AM,    MiiiS. 


HISTORY   OF   HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


1051 


A  METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  CHTRCH 
wii:*  built  in  the  southern  part  of  the  town,  near  Gallup'.s 
Grove,  in  1840,  by  the  Conference,  llev.  David  Taylor,  a 
licentiate,  who  lived  near  there,  held  meetings  in  this  church 
a  few  j'ears,  but  it  has  been  abandoned  for  several  years,  ex- 
cept that  the  Second  Adventists  have  had  occasional  meetings. 
The  Adventists  built  a  small  church  or  chapel  on  Feeding 
Hills  Plains,  in  1878. 

TlIK    KKKNCH    CATHOLIC    CHURCH  ("ST.  WILLIAM'S"), 

in  the  Agawani  portion  of  Mitteneague  village,  was  built  in 
1874,  at  a  cost  of  §4000.  It  is  a  mission  of  St.  Joseph's  Church, 
Springfield,  and  is  under  the  care  of  the  Rev.  L.  G.  Garnier. 
This  church  has  a  membership  of  500,  who  are  mainly  Cana- 
dian-French families  employed  in  the  Agawara  cotton-mills. 
The  Sabbath-school  numbers  49. 

EU  RIAL-PLACES. 

The  oldest  burying-ground  in  Agawam  is  in  the  north  part 
of  the  town.  It  was  first  used  by  the  Indians,  and,  although 
the  inclosure  is  not  a  large  one,  it  is  supposed  to  have  been 
the  burial-place  of  many  of  the  natives.  In  digging  graves 
their  bones  are  frequently  found  a  foot  or  two  below  the  ordi- 
narj'  depth,  and  the  bodies  are  all  laid  with  heads  toward  the 
east. 

The  oldest  headstones  in  this  cemeterj-  having  the  names 
and  date  of  death  are  : 

Mre.  Kezia  Cooley,  1742  ;  John  Leonard,  1744 ;  Lieut.  Lamberton  Cooper,  1755 ; 
Mrs.  Mindful  Brown,  175S  ;  Jonathan  Bodurtha,  1704 :  lUibert  Gorfil,  1770  ;  Mrs. 
Capt.  Timothy  Burbauk,  1773;  Samuel  Merrick,  1778:  Isaac  Stiles,  17S5 ;  Mrs. 
Ilezekiah  Warner,  1785  ;  Samuel  Leon.ard,  178G. 

The  old  burying-ground  at  Feeding  Hills,  among  others, 
has  these  inscriptions: 

"  In  Memory  of  William  Mclntyre,  Esq.,  5t;yor  under  General  Peperell,  at  the 
Reduction  of  Cape  Breton,  a.d.  1744 ;  In  whose  life  the  Sincere  Christian  and 
Biuve  Soldier  eminently  appeared." 

A  low  slab  has  this  inscription  : 

"  In  Memory  of  Rev.  Jonathan  Law  Pomeroy,  for  many  years  Pastor  of  the 
Church  in  Worthington." 

Also  stones  bearing  inscriptions; 

"  Rev.  Sylvanus  Griswold,  born  in  Lyme,  Conn.,  Feb.  14, 1730,  ordained  1st 
Pastor  of  the  Congregational  Church  in  this  place,  Nov,  17,  1762." 

*'  In  Memory  of  Mr.  Joseph  Flower,  wiio  died  Febf  ye  20tli,  a.d.  17G9,  in  the 
63d  year  of  his  age." 

The  other  cemeteries  in  town  are  of  recent  date  and  modern 
in  their  appearance.  They  are  :  one  at  Agawam  Centre,  one 
on  the  back  street.  Feeding  Hills,  and  a  new  one  east  of 
Feeding  Hills  village. 

EARLY  ROADS  AND  TAVERNS. 

Many  traces  of  the  early  roads  and  turnpikes  connecting 
with  the  upper  and  lower  fords  of  the  Agawam  River  are 
still  to  be  seen.  About  1750  there  were  two  principal  turn- 
pikes running  north  and  south  through  the  town, — the  Spring- 
field and  Hartford  and  the  Hartford  and  Northampton  roads. 
The  former  passed  through  Agawam  Street,  and  the  latter 
through  Feeding  Hills,  and  crossed  at  the  bridge  near  the 
northwest  corner  of  the  town.* 

On  the  east  line  were  located  three  taverns,  viz.,  one  at  the 
State  line,  called  "White's  Tavern;"  "Worthington 's,  at  the 
crossing  of  the  Threc-SIile  Brook  ;  and  Leonard's,  at  Agawam 
Centre.  There  was  also  a  tavern  on  the  river-road,  kept  bj' 
Ruel  Warriner. 

On  the  west  thoroughfare  were  five  taverns.  The  most 
southerly  one  was  long  known  as  the  "Leonard  Tavern." 
The  oldest  was  erected  at  Feeding  Hills  about  1750.  It  stood 
on  the  south  side  of  the  street  running  east  and  west,  and  was 

*  The.se  turnpikes  were  surveyed  and  laid  out  under  the  superintendence  of  a 
Commission  appointed  by  the  Court  of  Sessions,  .about  the  year  1750,  and  mile- 
stones were  erected  along  their  courees,  some  of  which  are  still  standing.  Earlier 
roads  than  these  turnpikes  had  evidently  existed,  for  tbey  are  frequently  referred 
to  in  old  deeds.    The  turnpikes  were  described  by  "  metes  and  bounds." 


long  kept  by  Col.  Morley.  Another  one,  erected  by  Col. 
Samuel  Flowers  about  1700-01,  stood  where  C.  C.  Wright 
now  lives.     Col.  Flowers  was  a  well-known  landlord. 

A  fourth  stood  about  three-fourths  of  a  mile  north  of  the 
last  named,  formerly  kept  by  Azariah  Lewis.  At  a  later  date 
it  \j'as  known  as  the  "Cochrane  House,"  and  still  later  was 
owned  by  the  town,  and  used  as  a  home  for  its  paupers. 

Within  a  half-mile  of  (he  town-line,  on  the  north,  stood  the 
"  Morley  Tavern." 

The  bridge  over  the  Agawaiu  River,  near  by,  was  also 
known  as  the  "  Morley  Bridge.'' 

PUBLIC  BUILDINGS  AND  SCHOOLS. 

Until  1874,  town-meetings  and  all  public  assemblages  were 
held  in  Bodurtha's  Hall,  or  in  the  school-house  at  Agawara 
and  Feeding  Hills.  The  question  of  a  town-hall  caused  con- 
siderable trouble,  as  Feeding  Hills  de-sired  to  have  it  located 
there,  and  Agawam  District  claimed  its  location  at  the 
"centre, "until  it  was  finally  voted  to  erect  one  in  each  place, 
to  be  used  for  town-  and  public-meetings,  and  for  the  higher 
grade  of  the  public  schools. 

Two  handsome  brick  buildings  were  built  in  each  place  in 
1874-75,  the  one  at  Agawam  costing  $15,000,  and  the  one  at 
Feeding  Hills  $1.3,000.  They  are  well  located,  and  ornaments 
to  each  village.  Besides  the  schools  occupying  the  town-halls, 
there  are  school  districts  with  school-houses  as  follows  :  Feed- 
ing Hills  Centre;  Feeding  Hills,  East  Street;  North  Feeding 
Hills,  East  Street,  south  ;  Feeding  Hills,  West  Street,  north ; 
Feeding  Hills,  W^est  Street,  south  ;  Agawam  Centre;  Agawam, 
north  ;  Agawam,  south  ;  Agawam  Falls  ;  and  Agawam  River. 
The  school  statistics  show  179  males  and  167  females  of  school 
age.  The  town  school  committee  and  school  visitors  are  Rev. 
C.  S.  Sylvester,  Rev.  A.  H.  Simons,  and  Dr.  Cyrus  Bell. 

MANUFACTURING    INDUSTRIES. 
In  the  first  volume  of  the  book  of  grants  of  the  town  of 
Springfield  occurs  the  following  record  : 

"  There  is  granted  unto  Samuel  Mashfield,  Thomas  Noble,  Thomas  Miller,  & 
Elizur  Holyoke,  upon  their  desires,  liberty  for  ye  setting  up  of  a  saw-mill  on  a 
brook  below  Ensign  Cooper's  Farm,  over  Agawam  River.  Also  there  is  granted 
them  about  40  acres  of  land,  where  they  shall  choose  it,  near  the  place  where 
the  mill  shall  stand,  not  predjudicing  any  of  ye  Inhabitant's  property  on  the 
Highway.  Also  there  is  granted  them  30  acres  of  meadow  within  2  or  3  miles 
of  ye  place,  where  they  shall  tind  it  most  convenient  for  their  use,  beginning  at 
one  end  of  the  meadow  and  so  proceeding  till  30  acres  are  made  up.  These 
grants  are  on  condition  that  tbey  cause  a  saw-mill  to  be  set  up  in  the  place 
above  mentioned,  and  set  to  work  in  sawing  by  the  1st  day  of  .\pril.  which  sh.all 
be  in  ye  year  1666.  And  in  case  the  said  undertakers,  when  they  have  set  up 
such  work,  shall  see  cause  to  desert  the  work  within  tliree  yeare  from  the  said 
time,  they  shall  yeld  up  the  place  and  Lands  hereby  granted  into  ye  hamls  of  ye 
town,  or  such  in  ye  town  as  shall  carry  on  ye  work  ;  Provided  these  undertakers 
be  paid  no  charges  they  shall  be  at  abimt  the  work.  Also  they  are  not  to  be 
Restrained  of  the  Liberty  of  the  Commons  for  all  sorts  of  Timber  for  their  use 
for  Sawing  or  otherwise." 

This  is  supposed  to  have  been  on  the  site  of  the  present 
Farrar  Mills  on  Three-Mile  Brook,  as  Thomas  Cooper  had 
grants  of  land  on  Three-Mile  Brook  and  its  east  branch  as 
early  as  January,  1G59,  and  in  16B0. 

COTTON-   AND    WOOLEN-MILLS. 

About  the  year  1810,  Thomas  Belden,  of  Hartford,  came  to 
this  place  and  associated  in  partnership  with  Amos  Ambrose, 
and  Jonathan  Worthington,  John  Norman,  and  Elijah 
Porter. 

A  cotton-mill  was  built  on  the  site  of  an  old  saw-mill  in 
the  south  part  of  the  town,  near  the  mouth  of  the  Three-Mile 
Brook.  Yarn  was  spun  and  sent  out  to  the  women  in  the 
neighborhood  to  weave.  They  were  not  very  successful,  but 
the  mill  continued  to  run  at  intervals  until  about  18"25,  when 
it  was  closed  for  several  years. 

Leonard  &  Parmenter,  who  were  running  the  woolpn-mill 
at  Agawam  Centre,  on  the  same  creek,  about  1832,  move^ 
down  to  this  place,  and  manufactured  cotton  for  about  two 


1052 


HISTORY   OF   THE   CONiNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


years ;  but  by  reason  of  back-water  from  the  Goiiiiecticut 
River  for  about  two  months  in  tlie  year,  they  subsequently 
removed  their  machinery  to  Palmer. 

The  building  remained  empty  until  about  1840,  when  Ly- 
man Whitman  commenced  there  the  manufacture  of  wall- 
paper, and  continued  about  ten  or  twelve  years,  since  which 
time  the  building  has  remained  unoccupied.  This  is  said  to 
have  been  the  earliest  cotton-mill  in  Western  Massachusetts. 
About  the  same  time,  one  was  erected  in  SuflBeld,  Conn. 

About  1810-11,  or  shortly  after  the  building  of  the  cotton- 
mill  spoken  of  above,  Justus  and  Calvin  Bedortha  erected  a 
fulling-mill  on  thesite  of  the  present  Agawam  Company's  mills, 
where  they  fulled  cloth  and  carded  wool-rolls,  doing  custom- 
work  only.  About  1812  they  commenced  the  manufacture  of 
broadcloth,  and  were  s\iccessful  until  the  close  of  the  war, 
when  business  generally  declined.  Prom  that  time  until  1840 
the  mill  pa.ssed  through  many  changes.  At  the  last  date  Nor- 
ton, Bedortha  &  Co.  purchased  it,  removed  the  old  building, 
erected  the  wooden  building, — still  in  use, — and  built  up  a 
good  custom  business ;  and  May  12,  1857,  the  present  Aga- 
wam Company  was  organized  under  the  act  of  Legislature  of 
1851,  with  a  capital  stock  of  |10,000.  Upon  this  organization 
stockinet  machinery  was  introduced,  and  trade  increased 
until  it  reached  its  present  proportions. 

During  the  war  of  the  Rebellion  the  company  could  not 
supply  the  demand,  and  a  factory  was  purchased  at  So\ith 
Hadley  to  accommodate  the  increase  of  business.  In  1875  the 
present  brick  building  was  erected.  The  old  building  is  still 
standing.* 

PAPER-MILLS. 
The  Worthy  Paper  Com  pan  jf  is  located  on  the  Agawam 
River,  opposite  Mitteneague,  and  is  supplied  with  power  from 
the  dam  that  supplies  the  grist-mill  on  the  other  side  of  the 
river,  which  stands  on  the  old  mill-site  of  200  years  ago. 
The  company's  mill  is  supplied  with  3  turbine  water-wheels, 
having  an  aggregate  of  60  horse-power.  They  have  in  their 
employ  50  hands,  use  daily  3-500  pounds  of  stock,  and  manu- 
facture daily  2800  pounds  of  paper.  Blank-book  and  writing- 
paper  are  manufactured  exclusively.  The  company  was 
organized  in  1872  with  a  capital  of  !J100,000;  working  capi- 
tal, $150,000.  The  present  officers  are  J.  L.  Worthy,  Presi- 
dent ;  U.  L.  Wright,  Treasurer ;  Isaac  B.  Lowell,  Clerk  ;  G. 
L.  Wright,  Jr.,  Traveling  Agent. 

THE   AGAWAM    DISTILLERY, 

located  in  the  south  part  of  the  town,  was  established  in  1801, 
by  E.  Porter.  At  first  it  was  used  for  distilling  peppermint; 
afterward  for  manufacturing  whisky  from  potatoes.  It  is 
now  used  for  manufacturing  gin  and  malt  from  rye  and  corn, 
and  has  a  capacity  of  312  gallons  of  gin  per  day.  It  is  con- 
ducted by  Harvey  Porter  and  Albert  Adams,  under  the  lirm- 
name  of  H.  Porter  &  Co. 

REMINISCENCES  AND  INCIDENTS. 
Maj.  Jesse  Mclntire,  at  Feeding  Hills,  before  the  Revolu- 
tionary war,  had  a  good  farm  and  the  only  brick  house  in 
town.  It  was  about  20  feet  square  and  one  and  a  half  stories 
high.  It  accommodated  a  family  of  10  persons.  The  fare  of 
the  children  was  very  plain.  Sometimes,  when  the  pot  had 
been  boiled  and  the  meat  taken  up,  the  liquor  was  thickened 
with  flour  for  the  children's  meal.  Bean  porridge  was  a  com- 
mon dish.  Maj.  Mclntire  and  his  wife  were  accustomed  to 
sit  beside  each  other,  and  to  eat  from  the  same  ])late  at  the 
table.  The  major  was  a  man  of  wealth  and  high  position. 
An  anecdote  is  told  of  him  to  show  his  reputation  for  truth- 
fulness:  "A  man  was  telling  a  story  to  a  company  where 

*  The  present  capital  of  the  company  is  S27,000,  and  the  stockholder  are  New- 
bury Norton,  Pres. ;  Henry  Kirkham,  Treaa. ;  Norman  Norton  and  James  Kirk- 
hani,  Directors  ;  Roderick  Ashley,  Ashhel  Sykes,  Samuel  I'yne. 

f  See  view  on  another  page. 


Rev.  Dr.  Lathrop  was  present,  when  some  incredulity  was 
manifested  at  the  recital.  '  It  is  true,  every  word  of  it,'  said 
the  man  ;  '  I  had  it  from  Maj.  Mclntire.'  '  Yes,'  replied  Dr. 
Lathro]),  '  but  we  don't  seem  to  have  it  direct  from  Maj.  Mc- 
lntire,' " — as  much  as  to  say,  "  If  it  had  been  told  by  the 
major  himself,  we  would  believe  it." 

The  plains  between  Agawam  and  Feeding  Hills  furnished 
a  supply  of  fat-pine  stumps  and  knots,  which  served  for  a 
light  in  the  great  fireplace  by  which  Nathaniel  Leonard  used 
to  work  out  his  problems  in  arithmetic,  and,  under  the  in- 
structions of  his  pious  grandmother,  learned  to  read  the  Bible, 
which  habit  he  practiced  daily  in  after-life.  In  those  days 
the  sound  given  to  some  of  the  words  in  reading  was  as  fol- 
lows :  "  Shoold  for  should,  s/iault  for  shaft,  would  for  would, 
coold  for  could,"  etc.  Mr.  Leonard  was  the  father  of  Squire 
Norman  T.  Leonard,  of  Westfield,  and  a  man  of  learning. 

The  name  of  Flower  is  of  French  origin,  taken  from  the 
word  "Fleur."  Joseph  Flower  came  to  this  country  from 
England  about  the  year  1700,  and  settled  in  Weathersfield, 
Conn.,  where  he  married  Sarah,  daughter  of  "Brigadier" 
Samuel  Wright.  He  removed  to  Feeding  Hills  in  1751,  with 
eleven  children. 

Col.  Samuel  Flower,  the  third  son  and  eighth  child  of  Jo- 
seph, lived  on  the  old  homestead,  and  died  here  Oct.  28,  1815. 
He  enlisted  in  the  old  French  war  at  the  age  of  sixteen,  and 
was  distinguished  for  daring  service  and  narrow  escapes.  He 
also  enlisted  in  the  Revolutionary  war  as  captain  of  an  ar- 
tillery company,  receiving  a  commission  signed  by  John  Han- 
cock, President  of  Congress,  which  is  now  in  possession  of 
his  family  descendants.  J 

He  was  aid  to  Gen.  Shepard  in  the  Shays  rebellion,  and 
in  the  famous  fight  on  Springfield  Hill.  It  was  said  that 
he  incurred  the  intense  hatred  of  the  Shays  men,  who  made 
an  attempt  to  capture  him  at  his  home,  telling  his  son  "  they 
had  a  hundred  bullets  to  put  into  him  if  he  could  be  found." 
He  held  many  prominent  positions  in  the  town  of  West 
Springfield  [see  history  of  that  town],  and  was  said  to  be  a 
man  of  very  commanding  appearance,  and  of  almost  Hercu- 
lean mold. 

Deacon  Alfred  Flower,  the  third  son  of  Col.  Samuel  Flower, 
was  born  in  the  town  Jan.  6,  1780,  and  died  here  Oct.  14, 
1873,  in  the  ninety-third  year  of  his  age.  He  married  a 
daughter  of  Samuel  Leonard,  and  they  lived  together  sixty- 
three  years,  the  wife  dying  seven  years  before  her  husband. 
Alfred  Flower  was  prominent  in  town  affairs  for  many  years. 
Represented  West  Springfield  in  the  General  Court,  and  set- 
tled more  estates  than  any  man  in  this  vicinity.  When  the 
town  of  Agawam  was  incorporated  he  was  chosen  the  first 
town-clerk.  He  was  the  father  of  Samuel  and  Alfred  Flower, 
now  living. 

The  Burbanks  were  quite  noted  in  early  days.  Abraham 
Burbank  was  born  in  Sufficld,  Conn.,  in  1739.  He  graduated 
at  Yale  College  at  the  age  of  twenty.  About  the  year  1764  he 
moved  to  Feeding  Hills,  purchased  a  farm  of  200  or  more  acres, 
and  built  a  house  near  the  Congregational  Church,  now  owned 
and  occupied  by  Sylvester  Johnson,  and  in  a  good  state  of 
preservation.  He  married  for  his  first  wife  Bertha  Cushing, 
of  Scituate,  Mass.,  who  died  in  1768,  and  was  buried  here. 
His  second  wife  was  Sara  Pomcroy,  of  Northampton,  daugh- 
ter of  Col.  Seth  Pomeroj-  of  Revolutionary  fame.  Abraham 
Burbank  was  a  prominent  Mason,  receiving  his  certificate 
from  Lodge  No.  7,  of  a  New  York  regiment,  in  1762.  This 
certificate,  with  many  other  documents  belonging  to  him,  is 
in  possession  of  Henry  M.  Schmuck,  Esq.,  his  great-grandson, 
now  living  in  West  Springfield.  One  of  these  documents 
reads  as  follows  : 

"  George  the  Third,  By  the  Grace  of  God,  of  Great  Britain,  France,  and  Ire- 
land, King,  Defender  of  the  Faith,  Ac. 

X  Probably  the  commission  was  signed  when  John  Hancock  was  Governor  of 
Maasacluisetts  or  President  of  the  Provincial  Congiess. 


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y  / 

HISTORY  OF   HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


1053 


"  Know  yo.  That  we  bave  assigned  and  cunstituted,  and  do  by  tbese  presents 
assign,  constitute,  and  appoint  Our  Trusty  and  Well  Beloved  Abrabain  Bnrbank, 
Esquire,  to  be  one  of  our  Justices  to  keep  our  Peace." 

He  was  afterward  comraissioned  as  justice  of  the  Superior 
Court  by  Gov.  John  Hancocli. 

Rohmd,  son  of  Abraham  Burbank,  was  born  June  15,  177^. 
He  had  two  wives,  Sophia  Coit  and  Henrietta  Palmer,  who 
both  lie  buried  in  the  old  Feeding  Hills  Cemetery.  He  was 
justice  of  the  peace  several  years,  and  was  a  leading  man  in 
town  affairs.  Sara  Burbank,  daughter  of  Abraham,  born 
Feb.  1,  1778,  married  Daniel  Moore,  of  Hartford,  Conn.,  and 
died  there  Dec.  2.j,  1868.  Some  of  her  descendants  now  live 
in  West  Springfield.  George,  son  of  Rowland  Burbank,  now 
lives  in  Cambridge,  Mass. 

The  name  of  Leonard  has  been  conspicuous  from  the  early 
settlement  of  the  town.  One  of  the  first  was  John,  who  had 
14  children,  the  first  of  whom,  Benjamin,  was  born  in  Spring- 
field in  1641.  Thaddeus  Leonard  lived  in  Agawam  district, 
but  most  of  the  others  of  the  name — Justin,  Phineas,  Elias, 
Kufus,  Asaph,  Reuben,  and  ApoUos — resided  in  Feeding  Hills 
district.  Asaph  lived  to  a  great  age,  and  was  remembered  in 
his  last  days  as  having  an  enthusiastic  fondness  for  seine 
fishing. 

Squire  Leonard,  of  Westfleld,  from  whom  the  above  facts 
are  recorded,  relates  an  anecdote  of  a  man  by  the  name  of 
Leonard,  of  Agawam:  "A  neighbor  applied  to  him  for  a 
horse  to  make  a  journey.  He  made  no  direct  reply.  Three 
or  four  days  after,  meeting  the  applicant,  he  said  :  'Horse! 
yes!  Well,  I  don't  care  if  you  do  take  him.'"  To  which 
the  reply  was,  "  Mr.  Leonard,  I  have  been  to  Hartford  and 
got  back  last  night." 

Justin  Granger  was  regarded  as  a  good  musician  for  early 
times.  He  had  a  great  fondness  for  music,  a  pleasant  voice, 
and  was  to  some  extent  a  composer  of  music.  A  piece  written 
by  him,  called  "  Repentance,"  was  sung  by  the  choir. 

Dr.  Timothy  Horton,  whose  father  was  a  physician  before 
him,  was  a  practitioner  of  considerable  ability,  and  had  a 
good  reputation  as  a  physician  and  as  a  public  man.  He  was 
noted  for  the  extremely  small  charges  he  made  for  his  medical 
services.  His  regular  fee  in  Agawam  was  12i  cents  per  visit, 
rarely  ever  charging  over  2s.,  no  matter  how  difficult  the  case 
or  the  distance  traveled.  He  was  frequently  known  to  go  a 
distance  of  four  or  five  miles,  spending  considerable  time  in 
holding  a  consultation  with  some  brother-doctor,  and  charging 
for  his  fee  Is. 

Dr.  Cyrus  Bell  has  for  many  years  been  the  leading  resident 
physician  in  Agawam.  He  settled  in  the  parish  of  Feeding 
Hills  in  1840,  and  has  held  various  offices  in  the  town  and  in 
the  Congregational  Church  at  Feeding  Hills. 

Dr.  Edward  G.  Uft'ord  is  now  located  at  Agawam  Cen- 
tre. He  was  for  many  years  a  practitioner  at  West  Spring- 
field. 

Agawam  points  with  pride  to  the  fact  that  Hon.  Benjamin 
F.  Wade  and  Hon.  Edward  Wade,  his  brother,  were  natives 
of  the  town.  They  were  born  in  what  is  known  as  "  Shoe- 
makers' Lane,"  near  Feeding  Hills,  on  the  road  southeast 
toward  Col.  Wolcott's.  Their  father,  James  Wade,  was  a 
native  of  Medford,  Mass.,  born  July,  1750;  died  at  Feeding 
Hills,  May,  1826.  His  wife  was  the  daughter  of  Rev.  Edward 
Upham.      Their  children,  all  born  in  Feeding  Hills,  were 


Martha,  Nancy,  Mary,  James,  Sidney,  Theodore,  Charles, 
Benjamin  Franklin,  and  Edward.  The  father  was  a  shoe- 
maker and  a  common  soldier  in  the  Revolution  ;  was  at  the 
battles  of  Lexington  and  Bunker  Hill,  and  was  confined  for 
a  long  time  a  prisoner  at  Halifax,  Nova  Scotia.  He  removed 
with  his  family  to  Ohio,  when'  it  was  a  wilderness,  in  1821, 
traveling,  as  was  the  custom  for  the  emigrants  of  those  times, 
with  an  ox-team  and  covered  wagon.  Benjamin  P.  and  Ed- 
ward claimed  to  have  walked  the  entire  distance,  nearl}'  one 
thousand  miles.  They  settled  on  what  was  known  as  the 
"Western  Reserve,"  in  the  town  of  Andover,  Ashtabula  Co. 

The  two  sons  referred  to  were  "self-made"  men  as  far  as 
education  was  concerned.  Both  taught  school  and  studied 
law,  paying  their  own  way  in  obtaining  an  education.  Ben- 
jamin F.  practiced  law  at  Jefi'erson,  the  county-seat  of  Ash- 
tabula ;  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  in  1828 ;  was  elected  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Ohio  Senate  in  1837,  and  was  chosen  presiding  judge 
of  the  third  judicial  district  in  that  State  in  1847.  He  was 
elected  to  the  United  States  Senate  in  1851,  and  held  that 
office  twenty-eight  years;  was  made  president  of  the  Senate 
in  1867.  In  the  Senate  he  was  always  known  as  an  Aboli- 
tionist, the  champion  of  freedom  and  civil  rights,  a  terror  to 
Southern  "Fire-eaters  '  on  account  of  his  resolute  character 
and  inflexible  fidelity  to  the  cause  of  liberty.  His  name  was 
frequently  mentioned  in  connection  with  the  Presidency.  In 
the  early  days  of  the  Rebellion  he  was  appointed  chairman  of 
the  joint  committee  on  the  conduct  of  the  war.  During  his 
last  days  he  was  United  States  attorney  for  the  Northern 
Pacific  Railroad.  He  died  at  his  home  in  Jefferson,  March  2, 
1878. 

Edward  settled  in  Cleveland,  where  he  was  a  leading  mem- 
ber of  the  Bar,  and  was  identified  with  various  improvements 
of  that  city,  particularly  in  connection  with  the  "  Wade  Al- 
lotments and  Wade  Avenue."  He  was  a  member  of  Congress 
for  several  years,  and  one  of  the  committee  on  commerce 
from  1853  to  1861.  He  died  at  Cleveland  in  1866.  James 
settled  in  W^atervliet,  N.  Y.  He  was  a  physician  and  had  an 
extensive  practice.  His  death  occurred  in  1868.  Theodore, 
Charles,  and  Sidney  became  successful  farmers  in  Ashtabula 
County,  Ohio. 

General  Washington  passed  through  Agawam  twice,  first 
in  1775,  from  Hartford  to  Boston,  riding  in  a  coach  and  four, 
under  escort,  fording  the  Agawam  River  near  where  stands 
the  Agawam  bridge,  and  again  in  1789.  An  extract  from  his 
diary  shows  a  favorable  impression  of  the  town  and  meadows. 
Burgoyne's  army,  after  their  surrender,  passed  through  the 
town,  and,  as  is  well  known,  some  of  the  stragglers  fell  out  by 
the  way  and  became  the  ancestors  of  some  of  our  best  citizens. 

WAR  RECORD. 
Agawam  furnished  172  men  for  the  war  of  the  Rebellion, 
which  was  a  surplus  of  10  over  all  demands.  Four  were  com- 
missioned officers.  The  amount  of  money  expended,  exclu- 
sive of  State  aid,  was  $17,077.55,  and  to  aid  the  families  ol  vol- 
unteers, §6719.14.  The  ladies  of  the  town  formed  a  Soldiers' 
Relief  Society  in  October,  1861.  They  met  once  a  week  during 
the  war,  and  made  lint,  bandages,  and  underclothing,  which 
was  sent  to  the  front,  and  also  sent  about  §1000  in  money. 
The  following  are  the  names  of  the  soldiers  and  the  regiments 
to  which  they  belonged : 


Edson  H.  Todd,  46th  Mass. 
Lewis  S.  Pumeroy,  46tb  Mass. 
AVilliam  H.  Worlbington,  3l3t  M;i3S. 
Henry  J,  Wortbitigton,  :ilst  Muss. 
Rollin  C.  PoDieroy,  Slst  Mass. 
"William  C.  Pomeroy,  31st  Mass. 
William  Button,  31st  Mjiss. 
Stiles  Edgerton,  31st  Mass. 
Charles  Prince,  4'ith  Mass. 
Reynolds  Austin,  40th  Mass. 
Thomiis  Akins,  37th  Muss. 
Uenry  T.  Birge,  4Cth  Sla.'is. 


Daniel  F.  Barnea,  37th  Mass. 
Patrick  O'Brien,  37tU  Mass. 
Elihu  Brown,  4tjtb  Mass. 
Jesse  D.  Bowley,  4Ctb  Mass. 
Enoch  h.  Cooper,  46lh  Mass. 
John  Cullanan,  4Gtb  Mass. 
Edward  McCray,  4titb  Mass. 
Charles  Chace,  4Gth  Mass. 
Daniel  Catin,37tb  Mass. 
Emerson  Cowles,  27th  Mass. 
Oliver  B.  Cooper,  27tli  Mass. 
Jeremiah  Callanan,  5th  N.  Y. 


Philander  Dickinson,  31st  Muss. 
William  Dickinson,  3l8t  Mass. 
Patrick  Donnavan,  62d  N.  Y. 
Nelson  Furrar,  40th  Mass. 
Joseph  Fisher,  4Gth  Mass. 
Frank  E.  Frederick,  22d  Conn. 
Godfrey  Feunimore, lOlh  Conn. 
Giles  A.  Bailey,  37tli  Mass. 
Raiisford  Worthington,  31st  Muss. 
William  H.  Wolcolt,  46th  Mass. 
Reuben  Dewitt,  46th  Mass. 
Dexter  Winter,  4Gth  Mass. 


1054 


HISTORY   OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


John  Wood,  4Gtli  Mass. 

James  Fry,  34th  Mass. 

Edward  Beals,  61st  Eegt. 

Thomas  K.  AVilliarns,  ;t7lli  Mass. 

Lucius  Wright,  31st  Mass. 

Among  this  list  of  soldiers, 

LflwiH  Wossols,  l(jtli  Oonn. 

Isaac  Bowe,  2d  Batt. 

Richard  Ryan  was  killed  in  battle,  May  12,  1SC4, 

IK-rman  Iiiirg;utiiij;,  IGth  Conn. 

Edwin  M.  Billings,  4th  Cav. 

at  Spoltsylvatna,  Va. 

Ilonrj-  liunk.T,  llllh  Mass. 

James  B.  Dnrant,  4th  Cav. 

George  M.  Scott,  severely  wounded  in  1864,  and 

Jt)lin  Ciiraey,  lUth  Mass. 

William  W.  Hitchcock,  37th  Ma:^B. 

discharged  in  186.5. 

Christian  Loclioster,  lOtli  Mass. 

George  N.  Barnes,  37lh  Moss. 

Frederick  Cadney,  killed  in  battle  at  Spottsylva- 

Ncvins  Morse, :Ust  Ma^3. 

Jared  C.  Hunt,  10th  Mass. 

nia,  Va.,  May  12,  1SC4. 

William  Boela-,  27tli  Mass. 

Nichokis  Martin,  Navy. 

Davis  Hart  died  of  wounds  received  in  battle  at 

rliarlcs  L.  Goodlme,  27th  Mass. 

John  D.  Sullivan,  Navy. 

Spottsylvania,  Va.,  May  12,  18C4. 

Tliumas  GnKU'rway,  27tli  Mtws. 

Samuel  S,  Burynmn,  Gist  Mass. 

Russell  M.  Pervere  was  missing  in  battle  of  Spott- 

(.Jror^i) Uuwiey,  27lh  Mass. 

John  L.  Daniels,  61st  Mass. 

sylvania,  Va.  ;    died  in  the  service  at  Vicks- 

Francis  Oillett,  4r>tli  Mass. 

Henry  II.  Prentiss,  30th  Mass. 

hurg.  Miss.,  April  13,  18G5. 

Cliarles  H.  [layden,  4r)tli  Mass. 

Jolin  H.  Lol-d,  30th  Mass. 

Setb  Liswell  died  in  Andersonville,  Ga.,  prison,  in 

Watson  J.  Hildreth,4Cth  Mass. 

Patiick  Downing,  49th  Mass. 

1865. 

E.  Monroe  Jolinson,  2d  Cav. 

Cornelius  Flower,  1st  Batt. 

Leander  Woodworth,  killed  March  14,  1862,  at 

Henry  Knigljt,  lOlli  Mass. 

Alfred  Barden,2d  Art. 

Newbern,  N.  C. 

Kdward  E.  Leonaid, ;i7th  Mass. 

John  S.  Thompson,  7tliBIass. 

Oliver  B.  Cooper  died  at  Beaufort,  N.  C,  Aug.  10, 

Ja.v  Leonard,  37tli  Mass.                                                  ' 

Henry  0.  Davidson,  Gist  Mass. 

1863. 

Setb  Liswell,  27tli  Mass. 

James  Carey,  Gist  Mass. 

William  Beebe,  Jr,  died  ut  Beaufort,  N.  C,  Oct.  11, 

Edward  0.  Manley,  4Gtli  Mass. 

Bartholomew  Donovan,  61st  Mass. 

18G2. 

James  Walker,  :i7th  Mass. 

Charles  0.  Carpenter,  Navy. 

James  H.ayes  died  in  the  service,  Sept.  2, 1864. 

Dayton  Morely,  :!8lli  Miiss. 

George  W.  Flanders,  Navy. 

George  N.  Barnes,  killed  May  10, 1864,  at  Spottsyl- 

Joel Miller,  Jr.,  34th  Mass. 

Patrick  McCahe,  Gth  Mass. 

vania,  Va. 

George  F.  Nangliton,  4Gth  Mass. 

George  Wood,  Glh  Mass. 

Charles  Blakesley,  killed  April  C,  1865,  at  Sailor's 

Carl  Ol.jois,  22d  Mass. 

Charles  Maguire,Gth  Mass. 

Creek,  Va. 

William  Pyne,  4Cth  Mass. 

Thomas  Poor,  58th  Mass. 

Wni.  W.  Hitchcock,  severely   wounded  and  dis- 

Frank E.Parker,  4Gth  Mass. 

John  Scully,  6th  Mass. 

charged  from  service  in  1864. 

Addison  Parker,  4Gth  Mass. 

Henry  Dowel,  Gth  Mass. 

James  W.  Burns  died  at  New  Haven,  Conn,,  from 

Alfred  Le  Ponce,  37tb  Mass. 

Eugene  E.  Wilder,  eist  Mass. 

effects  of  wounds  received  in  battle,  March 

Edward  H.  Packer,  37th  Mass. 

Charles  E.  Taylor,  61st  Mass. 

8,1864. 

Byron  C.  Roherts,  4Gtb  Mass. 

Augustus  Oliver,  61st  Mass. 

Giles  A.  Bailey  died  at  Brandy  Station,  Va.,  Doc. 

John  Rogers,  IGth  Conn. 

Edwaid  Fitzgerald,  61st  Mass. 

20, 1863. 

John  Smith,  34th  Mass. 

Albert  F.  Roberts,  61st  Mass. 

Albert  R.Clark,  killed  at  the  battle  of  the  Wilder- 

Edward P.  Smith,  10th  Mass. 

Robert  Davis,  Gist  aiass. 

ness,  Va.,  May  9,  1864. 

Alexander  E.  Smith,  10th  Mass. 

Charles  E.  Adams,  10th  Mass. 

Alfred  L.  Pyne,  wounded  (one  arm  shot  off)  in 

George  M.  Scott,  10th  Mass. 

Sylvanus  U.  Rice,  10th  Miiss.  Regt. 

1865. 

William  E.  Stewart,  31st  Mass. 

James  Hayes,  10th  Mass.  Regt. 

Thomas  Williams  died  in  the  service,  Feb.  1865. 

George  D.  Street,  32d  Mass. 

Edward  Morrisey,  Kith  Mass.  Regt. 

Albert  E.  Pelton  died  at  City  Point,  Va.,  April  20, 

Edward  D,  Taylor,  37th  Mass. 

Charles  Blakeslee.  10th  Mass.  Regt. 

1865. 

Henry  E.  Woodman,  Ultli  Mass. 

Frank  Cndney,  10th  Mass.  Regt. 

William  C.  Pomeroy,  killed  at  Plaquemine,  La., 

David  Worthington,  27tli  Mass. 

William  H.CIapp,  10th  Mass.  Regt. 

Nov.  21,  1864. 

Alfred  Worthington,  27th  Miiss. 

George  C.  Daniels,  loth  Mass.  Regt. 

Henry  Dowd,  killed  at  Laurel  Hill,  Va.,  July  12, 

Frank  Avery,  IGtli  Mass. 

James  Hickox,  lOtli  M.ass.  Regt. 

1864. 

nam.  Barnes,  IGth  Ma.ss. 

Russell  Powers,  lOtb  Msiss.  Regt. 

Ichabod  S.  Paddock,  killed  Aug.  29,  1862. 

Michael  Haley,  16th  Mass. 

Austin  Williams,  loth  Mass.  Regt. 

Edward  M.  Billings,  died  in  the  service,  Sept.  5, 

Daniel  Ham,  16th  Mass. 

Robert  Pettitt,  loth  Mass.  Regt. 

1864. 

Arthur  H.  Ashling,  2d  Cav. 

Richard  Ryan,  ICth  Mass.  Regt. 

Francis  Gillett  died  at  Plymouth,  N.  C,  Feb.  27, 

Nicholas  Lee,  2d  Cav. 

Davis  n.art,  loth  M;iss.  Regt. 

18G5. 

George  D.  Fisk,  46tli  Mass. 

Franklin  Long,  10th  Mass.  Regt. 

Twenty-two  men  that  went  direct  from  the  town 

Samuel  F.  Siskron,  4611i  Mass. 

Jolin  Jenkins.  lOth  Mass.  Regt. 

of  Agawam  into  the  war  of  the  Rebellion  are 

Joseph  Willctt,  46th  Mass. 

Richard  Massey,  loth  Mass.  Regt. 

known  to  have  been  killed  or  died  in  the  ser- 

Francis Leonard,  37th  Mass. 

Howard  A.  Havel,  31st  Mass.  Regt. 

vice,  while  many  others  suffered  from  sickness 

Bennett  Pepper,  34th  Mass. 

Edwaid  P.  Smith,  61st  Eegt. 

in  hospitals  and  camps. 

CHESTER. 


GEOGRAPHICAL. 

Chester  is  a  flourishing  town  of  Western  Hampden,  and 
occupies  the  extreme  northwestern  corner  of  the  county.  It 
contains  an  area  of  20,.507  acres  of  hill,  plain,  and  woodland. 
The  boundaries  of  Chester  are  Worthington  and  Middlefield 
(in  Hampshire  County)  on  the  north,  Blandford  on  the  south, 
Huntington  (in  Hampshire  County)  on  the  east,  and  Becket 
(in  Berkshire  County)  on  the  west.  The  Boston  and  Albany 
Kailroad  passes  through  the  southwestern  portion  of  the 
town. 

NATURAL  FEATURES. 

Located  in  a  region  of  the  country  noted  the  world  over  for 
its  natural  beauty,  in  which  the  hills  of  Hampden  are  im- 
pressively picturesque  features,  Chester  contains  much  to 
charm  the  eye  and  arrest  the  attention  of  the  lover  of  the 
beautiful.     The  Agawam  River,  at  Huntington,   is   fed   by 


three  branches,  two  of  which,  flowing  througli  Chester,  are 
called  the  Western  and  Middle  Branches. 

Save  where  the  village  of  Chester  nestles  in  a  lovely  valley, 
the  surface  of  the  town  is  generally  hilly.  The  nature  of  the 
soil  in  the  elevated  districts  is  of  a  gravelly  composition,  but 
on  the  river  lowlands  sandy  loam  prevails.  The  well-stocked 
woodlands  furnish  a  great  variety  of  lumber,  of  which  beech, 
birch,  and  maple  are  the  chief  products. 

Minerals  abound  in  greater  variety,  it  is  said,  in  Chester 
than  in  any  other  town  in  Massachusetts.  Among  the  best 
known  are  emery-rock,  mica-slate,  soapstone,  gneiss,  quartz, 
magnetic-iron,  and  hornblende.  Specimens  of  gold  and  sil- 
ver are  said  to  have  been  found. 

EARLY   SETTLEMENT. 
On  the  2d  of  June,  1762,  the  colony  of  Massachusetts  being 
in  straitened  financial  circumstances,  the  General  Court  is- 


HISTOEY   OF   HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


1055 


sued  an  order  for  the  sale  of  ten  townships,  and  of  these  the 
one  designated  as  No.  9  was  sold  to  William  Williams,  for  the 
sum  of  £1500.  This  township  No.  9  embraced  within  its 
limits  the  present  town  of  Chester. 

ShortU-  after  his  purchase  of  the  tract  Williams  transferred 
it  to  John  Murray,  Abijah  Willard,  Timothy  Paine,  and  John 
Chandler,  who  were  the  original  proprietors  of  the  town. 

The  township  included,  besides  the  present  area  of  Chester,  a 
portionof  what  is  now  Huntington  and  a  portionof  whatis  now 
Middlefield,  containing,  in  the  aggregate,  about  32,000  acres, 
of  which  7500  acres  liad  been  disposed  of  in  grants  previous  to 
the  sale  of  the  township. 

In  January,  17B3,  there  being  already  19  settlers  in  the  town, 
the  proprietors  held  a  meeting  and  agreed  to  admit  settlers 
upon  the  land  on  the  following  conditions : 

"  That  each,  within  the  space  of  three  years  from  the  first  of  June  last,  build 
a  dwelling-house  on  his  land  of  the  following  dimensions,  to  wit:  24  ft.  long,  18 
ft.  wide,  7  feet  stud,  and  have  7  acres  of  land  well  tilled  and  fenced,  and  brought 
to  English  grass  or  ploughed,  mid  actually  settle  a  family  on  the  same  and  con- 
tinue such  family  thereon  for  the  space  of  six  years,  and  shall  also  within  three 
years  from  this  time  settle  a  Protestant  minister  of  the  gospel  there  and  pay  one- 
sixtieth  part  of  the  Charge  thereof.  That  each  settler  have  one  hundred  acres 
of  land  as  an  encouragement." 

One  hundred  lots  were  laid  out  to  be  settled  on  these  con- 
ditions, and  from  the  records  it  appears  that  shortly  afterward 
there  were  51  settlers  in  the  town. 

The  names  of  these  settlers  are  as  follows :  Asa  Noble, 
Thomas  Noble,  Jr.,  John  Gilmore,  David  Bolton,  John 
Woods,  Alex.  Gordon,  John  Hanum,  John  Lyman,  John 
Scott,  Jr.,  John  Smith,  Benjamin  Mathers,  John  Lacore,  John 
Winterer,  David  Scott,  Ebenezer  AVebber,  Elias  Lyman, 
James  Black,  Levi  Woods,  Gideon  Mathison,  William  Ken- 
nedy, Glass  Cochran,  John  Crooks,  Abraham  Fleming,  Tim- 
othy Fairman,  David  Fleming,  Jno.  Webber,  Jno.  Crawford, 
Thomas  Kennedy,  Robert  Blair,  James  Clark,  Absiilom  Blair, 
Israel  Rose,  Samuel  Fairman,  Abner  Smith,  David  Gilmore, 
William  English,  Nathaniel  Mann,  John  Boyes,  Andrew 
English,  William  Mann,  Jonathan  Webber,  James  Brown, 
Thomas  Moreton,  Samuel  Elder,  William  Campbell,  William 
Moor,  Thomas  Winterer,  Nathan  Rose,  Paul  Kingston,  Jesse 
Johnson,  John  Woods. 

The  original  grant,  be  it  noted,  contained  about  24,700  acres, 
and  in  1763,  the  proprietors  claiming  that  they  had  received 
but  little  return  for  their  investments,  and  that  a  large  pond 
in  the  tract  occupied  500  acres,  received  an  additional  grant  of 
1200  acres,  west  of  the  original  grant. 

As  may  be  imagined,  the  dwellings  of  the  pioneers  were 
primitive  in  construction,  and  devoid  of  many  conveniences 
known  to  a  later  period,  but  they  were  comfortable  and  sub- 
stantial. Some  of  the  houses  were  built  of  logs,  but  a  majority 
of  them  were  framed,  according,  to  the  pattern  required  by 
the  town  proprietors.  Few  of  them  were  ceiled,  and,  as  to 
heating,  the  means  were  supplied  by  old-fashioned  fireplaces, 
while  cooking  was  effected  on  the  hearthstone  coals,  or  in 
large  stone  or  brick  ovens.  Tallow-candles  or  pine-knots 
furnished  the  household  light,  the  walls  were  devoid  of  paper, 
floors  bare  of  carpets,  while  the  absence  of  matches  made  it 
necessary  to  keep  the  fires  constantly  alive,  for,  should  they  go 
out,  a  relighting  involved  a  journey  to  a  neighbor  for  the  aid 
of  a  burning  brand.  The  garments  and  bedding  of  the  house- 
hold were  all  homespun,  the  good  housewife  being  spinner 
and  weaver  as  well. 

Journeys  to  church  were  performed  on  horseback,  and  in 
some  cases  the  family  horse,  mounted  with  a  pillion,  carried 
the  goodman,  his  wife,  and  perhaps  a  child  or  two. 

Committees  were  chosen  early  in  1763  to  lay  out  highways, 
and  to  agree  with  some  person  to  build  a  mill,  but  this  mill 
was  probably  not  built  until  1766.  The  proprietors  held  their 
early  meetings  in  Northampton,  Rutland,  Worcester,  Boston, 
and  Lancaster,  until  as  late  as  1765.  The  settlers  upon  the 
tract  between  the  middle  and  east  branches  of  Agawam  River 


early  in  176-1  were  Abijah  Willard,  John  Chandler,  John 
Murray,  Timothy  Paine,  and  Jas.  Otis.  The  proprietors' 
records  indicate  that  in  this  year  the  inhabitants  were  involved 
in  legal  controversies,  and  that  the  settlement  became  .some- 
what disorganized  in  consequence.  The  proprietors  addressed 
the  people  a  letter  counseling  them  to  harmony  and  peace, 
but  what  was  the  original  cause  of  the  trouble  does  not  appear. 
An  early  record  states  that  the  population  of  Chester  was  119 
in  1790  (probably  119  families),  and  that  in  ten  years  it  ad- 
vanced to  1542.  This  statement  would  seem  to  indicate  a 
wcniderfully  rapid  growth  for  those  days. 

PROMINENT    SETTLERS. 

The  Bell  family  were  originallj'  from  Dumfriesshire,  Scot- 
land, and  were  staunch  followers  of  John  Knox.  When  the 
legions  of  Cromwell  had  cleared  the  rebellious  Irish  from 
Ulster,  and  the  country  became  open  to  immigration,  a  branch 
of  the  Bell  family  migrated  thifher. 

In  1723,  James  Bell,  the  grandfather  of  Samuel  Bell,  emi- 
grated from  Ballygauley,  County  Tyrone,  Ireland,  to  America, 
and  settled  in  Oakham,  then  a  part  of  Rutland,  Mass.  An- 
other branch  of  the  family  settled  in  Londonderry,  N.  H., 
and  a  descendant,  Hon.  Samuel  Bell,  represented  that  State, 
during  Gen.  Jackson's  administration,  in  the  United  States 
Senate,  and,  at  a  later  period,  James  Bell  held  the  same  posi- 
tion. Hon.  Samuel  D.  Bell,  one  of  the  chief-justices  of  the 
Supreme  Judicial  Court  of  Massachusetts,  was  also  a  member 
of  the  family. 

Among  the  early  settlers  of  Chester  were  Samuel  Bell,  Sr., 
and  his  brothers,  William  and  Aaron,  who  removed  from 
Oakham  and  settled  in  the  northwest  part  of  the  town.  The 
country  w"as  then  a  wilderness,  and  abounded  in  wild  animals, 
among  which  wolves  were  the  most  troublesome  and  danger- 
ous. Samuel  Bell  passed  nearly  a  year  alone  in  the  new 
location,  preparing  his  land  for  cultivation  and  erecting  a 
dwelling.  He  had  many  thrilling  adventures  with  the  wolves, 
and  encountered  severe  hardships,  but  he  triumphed  over 
every  obstacle,  and  eventually  found  himself  the  posses.sor  of 
a  valuable  and  productive  farm.  He  made  regular  trips  to 
Boston  or  Hartford  every  j-ear  to  dispose  of  his  fat  cattle  and 
the  products  of  his  dairy,  and  became  one  of  the  prominent 
men  of  the  town,  taking  active  part  in  the  local  politics  of  the 
region.  He  died  at  an  advanced  age,  full  of  years  and  honors, 
and  mourned  by  all  the  people. 

Samuel  Bell,  his  eldest  son,  first  mentioned,  was  born  in 
Chester,  in  1786,  twenty-one  years  after  the  incorporation  of 
the  town.  He  was  educated  at  the  Westfield  Academy,  and 
adopted  the  profession  of  a  land-surveyor,  in  which  he  was 
very  proficient.  He  held  many  prominent  positions  in  the 
town,  and  was  for  forty  years  a  teacher  of  established  reputa- 
tion, continuing  in  that  vocation  until  he  was  upward  of 
sixty  years  of  age.  He  was  a  devoted  and  efficient  member 
of  the  Congregational  Church. 

His  eldest  son,  Benjamin  F.  Bell,  graduated  at  the  Wes- 
leyan  University,  and  died  in  the  prime  of  life,  while  otfici- 
ating  as  principal  of  the  Rhinebeck  Academy,  in  Dutchess  Co., 
N.  Y.  His  second  son  has  been  a  leading  citizen  of  Middle- 
field,  Hampshire  Co.  His  grandson,  Charles  M.,  is  also  a 
prominent  citizen  of  his  native  town. 

Among  the  distinguished  men  of  the  Bell  family  may  be 
mentioned  Hon.  James  Bell,  of  Skowhegan,  Me.  ;  Dr.  Reuben 
Bell,  of  Hadley,  Mass.;  Dr.  William  C.  Bell,  of  Middletown, 
Conn. ;  Dr.  Lester  Bell,  of  Williamstown,  Mass. ;  Dr.  Cyrus 
Bell,  of  Agawam  ;  Dr.  Artemas  Bell,  of  Southampton  ;  and 
Dr.  William  0.  Bell,  of  Westfield. 

Rufus  Tinker,  commonly  known  as  "Master  Tinker,"  was 
a  famous  teacher  from  about  1770  to  1790,  and  the  first,  or 
among  the  first,  in  the  town.  He  was  a  noted  pedagogue,  and 
remarkable  for  his  elegant  penmanship  as  well  as  his  peculiar 
method  of   maintaining  order  and  discipline  in  his  school, 


1056 


HISTORY   OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


wliicli  he  did  with  a  long  ehvstic  rod,  with  which  he  was  wont 
to  tal<c  the  boys  all  in  a  row  at  a  single  sweep. 

His  son,  Rev.  Reuben  Tinker,  graduated  at  Anilierst,  and 
was  one  of  the  earliest  missionaries  to  the  Sandwich  Islands. 
He  subsequently  returned  to  the  United  States  and  was  set- 
tled over  a  church  in  Chautauqua  Co.,  N.  Y.,  where  he  died. 
Another  son,  Deacon  Rufus  Tinker,  lived  and  died  on  the  old 
homestead. 

Sylvester  Bemis,  a  native  of  Lancaster,  Worcester  Co.,  was 
an  early  settler  in  Chester.  He  came  in  the  spring,  bringing 
his  provisions  on  his  shoulder,  and  worked  tlirougli  the  sum- 
mer preparing  his  land  for  cultivation,  and  at  the  approach 
of  autumn  had  cleared  and  prepared  6  acres  for  planting, 
which  was  seeded  with  wheat,  brought  also  on  his  back,  and 
worked  into  the  ground  with  a  hoe.  He  also  erected  a  log 
house  the  same  season,  and  in  the  succeeding  spring  removed 
with  his  new  bride  to  his  home  in  the  mountain  wilderness. 

In  the  course  of  years  he  became  one  of  the  substantial 
farmers  and  prominent  men  of  the  town,  though  he  stead- 
fastly declined  official  position.  His  son,  Capt.  Bemis,  suc- 
ceeded him  in  the  occupancy  of  the  homestead. 

James  Holland  was  a  native  of  Ballygauley,  County  Ty- 
rone, Ireland,  who  emigrated  to  America  and  settled  in  Oak- 
ham, where  he  married  into  the  Bell  famil}',  and  came  with 
his  brothers-in-law  and  settled  in  Chester,  at  what  is  called 
the  "  North  End,"  on  land  since  owned  by  George  W.  Hol- 
comb.  He  was  a  man  of  strong  and  vigorous  opinions,  im- 
patient of  restraint  or  innovations,  and  a  fast  friend  of  civil 
and  religious  liberty,  as  then  understood  in  New  England. 
He  was  po.ssessed  of  indomitable  courage  and  perseverance, 
as  the  following  incident,  related  bj'  Mr.  Quigle}',  well  illus- 
trates : 

"  It  is  stated  that  wliile  residing  in  Oakham  he  resolved  one  day,  while  salting 
his  sheep,  to  visit  a  noted  rattlesnake  den  which  existed  on  one  corner  of  his 
farm,  and  exterminate  the  reptiles  With  characteristic  intrepidity  he  stripped 
off  his  shoes  and  stockings,  and,  heing  dressed  in  the  cnstomary  short  clothes  of 
the  period,  the  lower  portion  of  his  limbs  was  consequently  left  entirely  naked. 
Grasping  a  stout  stick,  he  resolutely  commenced  the  attack,  and  wa^  soon  busily 
employed.  But,  while  giving  vigorous  battle  in  front,  he  was  stealthily  assailed 
in  the  rear.  A  rattler  of  enormous  size  fixed  his  fangs  deeply  in  the  calf  of  his 
leg.  Only  waiting  long  enough  to  take  vengeance  on  his  crafty  assailant,  he 
quickly  tied  a  cord  around  the  limb  between  the  wound  and  the  knee,  and  with 
his  knife  exsected  the  bitten  flesii,  filled  the  cavity  with  salt,  on  which  he  placed 
a  quantity  of  tobacco,  jind,  closely  binding  liis  iiandkerchief  over  all,  leisurely 
proceeded  homeward.  No  inconvenience  resulted  from  the  bite,  and  lie  ever 
afterward  entertained  the  opinion  that  rattlesnakes  were  but  little  account,  any 
way."  ' 

On  one  occasion  he  attended  a  Methodist  meeting,  then  a 
curiosity  among  the  staid  Orthodox  people,  at  which  a  Mr. 
Thrasher  was  the  principal  manager  and  speaker.  His  pecu- 
liar style  and  noisy  manner  disturbed  the  old  gentleman's 
ideas  of  religious  propriety,  and  greatly  offended  him.  Listen- 
ing for  a  time  quietly,  he  at  length  arose  and  said,  in  words 
full  of  meaning,  "  Thrasher,  you  have  said  enough  ;  sit  down  ! 
If  you  don't,  I'll  sit  ye  down  I"     Thrasher  sat  down. 

One  of  Mr.  Holland's  daughters  married  a  merchant  of 
Chester  village, — Daniel  Falley, — who  afterward  removed  to 
Oswego,  N.  y.,  of  which  he  was  an  early  settler.  Thither 
Mr.  Holland  accompanied  him,  and  was  living  with  him  at 
the  time  the  British  attacked  the  place,  May  5,  1814.  He  was 
then  nearly  ninety  years  of  age,  but  the  martial  spirit  was 
kindled,  and  he  became  so  uneasy  that  a  strict  watch  was 
kept  over  him  ;  but  he  managed  to  elude  the  vigilance  of  his 
son-in-law's  family,  and  at  the  close  of  the  day  was  found  in 
tlie  rinks  with  a  musket  in  his  hands,  bravely  doing  his  best 
toward  defending  the  place.  He  was  possessed  of  wonderful 
vitality,  and  it  is  said  that  at  the  time  of  his  death  his  hair 
retained  its  original  color,  which  was  a  jet  black. 

The  Hiilland  family  have  been  noted  for  years  in  Western 
Massachusetts,  and  especially  in  the  medical  profession. 
Nearly  all  the  sons  of  the  iirst-named  Holland  entered  that 
profession.     His  son  James  located  in  Westfield,  and  became 


celebrated;  William,  another  son,  practiced  medicine  in  Bel- 
chertown,  afterward  in  the  Mamakating  Valley,  N.  Y.,  and 
finally  settled  on  the  shores  of  the  beautiful  and  romantic 
Canandaigua  Lake,  where  he  remained  until  his  death  ;  Dr. 
James  Holland,  of  Westfield,  is  a  well-known  and  skillful 
physician  and  surgeon,  and  a  leading  member  of  the  pro- 
fession in  Western  Massachusetts  ;  Virgil  Holland  was  a  col- 
lege graduate  and  an  excellent  scholar,  but  died  young  ;  Dr. 
Homer  Holland  was  a  noted  scientist  of  his  day,  and  died  in 
North  Carolina;  Abram,  George,  and  Aaron,  sons  of  the 
elder  James  Holland,  all  entered  the  medical  profession,  and 
two  of  them  settled  in  Weston,  Middlesex  Co.,  Mass.  All 
three  died  young.  Another  son,  Simon,  became  a  merchant 
in  Albany,  N.  Y. 

Eugene  Holland,  son  of  Dr.  Homer  Holland,  is  a  resident  of 
Colorado.  Henry  Holland,  a  noted  antiquarian  and  student 
of  history,  is  a  prominent  druggist  in  Westfield. 

Dr.  Charles  J.  Holland,  a  grandson  of  James  Holland,  of 
Chester,  died  some  years  ago  in  Huntington,  Hampshire  Co. 

Samuel  Otis  settled  on  the  west  bank  of  the  west  branch  of 
the  Agawam*  River,  about  a  mile  below  the  line  of  Middle- 
field,  and  under  the  shadow  of  "  Gobble  Mountain."  He  was 
a  deacon  in  the  Baptist  Church,  a  steady,  sober  citizen,  and  re- 
markable for  his  inoffensive  and  quiet  life.  His  landed 
property  was  not  extensive,  and  he  often  eked  out  a  scanty 
subsistence  by  manufacturing  shingles  for  market,  in  which 
mechanical  emplo_yment  he  was  unusually  expert.  Politically, 
he  was  a  steadfast  Democrat  of  the  Jefferson  school,  "  without 
variableness  or  shadow  of  turning."  Party  spirit  in  those 
days  ran  high,  even  among  the  quiet  valleys  of  the  Western 
mountains,  and  the  good  people  of  Chester  did  not  escape  the 
contagion.  On  one  occasion,  at  the  annual  town-meeting, 
the  river  was  at  its  spring  flood  and  almost  impassable,  and, 
there  being  no  bridge  near,  the  deacon  concluded  for  once  to 
forego  the  privilege  of  the  franchise  rather  than  attempt  to 
ford  the  swollen  stream.  But  upon  the  first  ballot  the  Fed- 
eralists elected  the  moderator  by  one  majority,  which  was  a 
sinister  omen  for  the  Democracy,  and  forthwith  Deacon  Gam- 
well,  another  staunch  Democrat,  mounted  his  horse  and  rode 
after  the  recreant  voter.  Reaching  the  bank  of  the  river  op- 
posite the  dwelling  of  Deacon  Otis,  he  made  his  business 
known,  and  urged  his  immediate  attendance  at  the  polls. 
But  there  was  no  bridge,  and  the  deacon  was  not  easily  per- 
suaded to  venture  into  the  swollen  torrent.  Deacon  Gamwell 
insisted,  and  told  him  to  strip  himself  and  hold  his  clothing 
over  his  head  and  come  on,  and  he  accordingly  did  as  he  was 
commanded,  and,  reaching  the  other  bank  in  safety,  donned 
his  clothes  and  saved  his  party. 

The  two  political  parties  were  very  evenly  balanced,  and  the 
winning  of  the  moderator  was  considered  almost  equivalent  to 
a  victory.  On  one  occasion  there  was  great  excitement.  The 
place  of  meeting  was  at  the  meeting-house  on  the  hill.  The 
Federalists  succeeded  in  electing  their  moderator,  William 
Shepard,  an  able  and  popular  man,  and  also,  as  clerk,  Capt. 
Otis  Taylor,  another  equally  popular  man,  by  a  very  small 
majority.  But  then  they  halted,  and  could  make  no  further 
progress,  and  the  day  passed  away  without  the  election  of  the 
other  town  officers.  At  sundown  the  meeting  adjourned  over 
to  the  succeeding  day. 

Now  began  the  grand  strategy  of  the  campaign.  In  the 
evening  two  Federalists  were  enticed  Into  Whipple's  tavern 
and  made  merry  with  copious  libations  of"  flip"  such  as  only 
Landlord  Whipple  could  produce,  "  the  secret  of  which,  dying 
with  him,  has  become  one  of  the  lost  arts."  When  the  luck- 
less Federalists  were  well  under  the  influence  of  the  potent 
spirit  they  were  placed  in  a  retired  room,  and  the  door  care- 
fully fastened  upon  them.     In  the  morning,  upon  mustering 

*  This  stream  and  its  branches  are  often  called  the  Westfield  River,  but  there 
woubl  be  the  same  propriety  in  calling  it  Russell  or  Chester  River,  or  in  calling 
the  Connecticut  Springfield  River.     It  should  ever  retain  its  Indian  name. 


HISTOllY   OF   HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


1057 


their  forces,  the  Federalists  discovered  the  absence  of  the  two 
voters,  and  at  once  suspected  its  cause.  To  establish  an  equi- 
librium, Samuel  Hamilton  and  Hugh  Quigley,  Jr.,  inveigled 
a  couple  of  unterritied  Democrats  into  a  room  in  'Squire  Em- 
mons' house  and  turned  the  key  in  the  lock,  while,  to  afford  a 
reasonable  solace  in  their  imprisonment,  the  'squire  generously 
supplied  them  with  Jamaica  rum.  This  satisfied  them,  and 
they  were  quiet  through  the  day.  "VVhen  it  became  known 
that  two  reliable  Democrats  were  missing  from  the  I'anks  there 
was  a  terrible  outcry,  and  hot  denunciations  were  poured  upon 
the  heads  of  the  Federalists.  In  the  mean  time  the  balloting 
progressed,  and  each  time  ended  in  a  tie,  and  so  it  kept  on 
until  about  three  o'clock  p.m.,  when  old  Mr.  Warfield,  who 
carried  the  mail  between  Chester  and  Northampton,  and  who 
had  been  kept  under  guard  by  his  friends,  declared  that  he 
could  remain  no  longer  ;  that  he  was  a  da}'  behind  with  his 
mail  and  must  attend  to  his  business,  politics  or  no  politics, 
and,  breaking  away,  he  left  the  Federalists  in  a  hopeless 
minority  of  one,  and  the  Democrats  swept  the  field. 

Deacon  Parmenter,  according  to  Mr.  Quigley,  was  a  native 
of  Lancaster,  and  came  to  Chester  about  the  same  date  as  the 
Abbotts,  to  whom  he  was  related  by  marriage. 

He  was  one  of  the  famous  teachers  of  the  early  day,  ranking 
with  Bell  and  Tinker,  and  was  intimately  connected  with  the 
cause  of  education  for  more  than  twenty  years.  He  was  one 
of  the  substantial  men  of  the  town,  prominent  in  the  church, 
and  was  elected  as  representative  to  the  General  Court  at  a 
period  when  the  position  was  an  honorable  one,  before  the 
days  of  demagogues  and  "ring"  politicians. 

Deacon  Stephen  Lyman  was  a  native  of  Northampton, 
from  whence  he  removed  to  Southampton,  and  subsequently 
to  Chester.  He  was  descended,  in  the  fifth  generation,  from 
Richard  Lyman,  the  progenitor  of  all  bearing  the  name  iu 
New  England.  Richard  Lyman  was  born  at  High  Ongar, 
Eng.,  in  loSO,  and  died  at  Hartford,  Conn.,  in  1040.  He  was 
probably  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  that  place,  about  108-3. 

Deacon  Lyman  settled  on  a  fine  piece  of  land  about  one  mile 
west  of  the  meeting-house,  and  several  of  his  sons  upon  their 
arrival  at  manhood  settled  near  him,  so  that  in  time  it  came 
to  be  called  the  Lyman  neighborhood.  The  Lyman  family 
were  among  the  most  worthy  and  influential  citizens  in  the 
town,  both  in  Church  and  State  afl'airs.  Two  of  Deacon  Ly- 
man's sons,  Crispus  and  Chester,  lived  and  died  on  farms  near 
the  homestead.  A  daughter,  Nancy,  married  the  Rev.  Henry 
R.  Hoisington,  a  missionary  to  Ceylon,  where  he  and  his  wife 
labored  for  many  years.  Another  daughter,  Sophronia,  mar- 
ried Dr.  Lester  Bell,  of  Williamstown.  His  youngest  son, 
Samuel  Lyman,  remained  on  the  farm  with  his  father,  and 
succeeded  him  in  the  church.  There  have  been  three  deacons 
in  this  family. 

Timothy  Lyman,  a  brother  of  Stephen,  also  settled  in  Ches- 
ter, on  the  farm  next  north,  at  the  same  time  as  his  brother. 
His  son  Timothy  lived  on  the  homestead,  and  a  daughter  mar- 
ried Edward  Taylor,  of  Montgomery.  Julia  Taylor,  who  died 
in  Huntington,  and  was  noted  for  liberal  bequests  to  religious 
and  charitable  institutions,  was  a  granddaughter,  and  Dea- 
con Edward  M.  Taylor,  a  business-man  of  Saginaw,  Mich., 
is  a  grandson.  Timothy  Lyman,  a  graduate  of  Amherst 
College,  and  a  prominent  minister  of  the  Congregational 
Church,  and  Josejih  B.  Lyman,  brother  of  the  last  named,  a 
lawyer  and  able  writer,  recently  connected  with  the  New  I'ork 
Tribune,  are  also  members  of  the  family. 

Zenas  Searle,  a  native  of  Southampton,  settled  in  Chester 
in  1787,  about  a  half-mile  south  of  the  meeting-house.  The 
greater  part  of  his  farm  he  cleared  from  the  forest.  He  lost 
his  life  by  a  lamentable  accident  in  middle  age.  He  was 
yoking  a  young  pair  of  cattle,  preparatory  to  hauling  in  some 
hay,  when  they  became  frightened  and  ran  away,  dragging 
him  after  them  by  the  chain,  which  had  caught  him  in  some 
manner  so  that  he  could  not  release  himself.     His  injuries 

las 


proved  fatal.  His  son,  Zenas,  remained  on  the  farm  until 
about  1800-07,  when  he  moved  to  West  Andover,  Ashtabula 
Co.,  Ohio.  His  daughter,  Rachel,  married  Luther  Edwards, 
of  Southampton,  who  was  the  father  of  Rev.  Henry  S.  Ed- 
wards. Another  daughter  married  Strong  Clark,  also  of 
Southampton. 

Alexander  Gordon,  one  of  the  early  settlers,  was  of  an  an- 
cient Scottish  family,  and  migrated  to  the  North  of  Ireland, 
from  whence  he  came  to  America.  He  married  a  sister  of 
James  Holland,  and  settled  in  the  northern  part  of  the  town, 
near  the  line  of  Middledeld. 

"  His  SOD,  John,  possessed  rare  ability,  was  an  excellent  scholar,  and  filled 
vaiious  civil  positions.  In  mechanical  matters  his  skill  and  ingenuity  were 
adniirable.  To  beguile  his  leisure  hours,  with  the  commonest  tools  and  no  pre- 
vijus  instruction,  he  made  an  eight-day  brass  clock  and  presented  it  to  his  cousin, 
Mary  Holland,  afterward  the  wife  of  Capt.  Quigley.  It  marked  time  with  great 
accuracy,  and  remained  long  in  the  family.  He  never  married,  and  died  in 
middle  age."* 

John  Gordon  once  had  a  thrilling  adventure  with  a  pack  of 
wolves.  It  was  winter,  and  he  was  on  bis  return — horse- 
back— from  assisting  a  neighbor  who  lived  near  the  "Den," 
in  Middietield,  in  slaughtering  bis  hogs.  He  did  not  start  on 
his  return  home  until  after  dark,  when,  fastening  a  piece  of 
meat  upon  the  saddle  and  selecting  a  fire-brand,  he  mounted 
and  turned  his  horse  toward  home. 

He  had  not  proceeded  far  when  the  dread  howling  of  the 
graj'  Wolves,  "  long,  lank,  and  devilish," 

"  With  their  long  gallop,  which  can  tire 
The  hound's  deep  hate  and  hunter's  tire," 

admonished  him  of  danger  in  his  path,  and  he  gave  free  rein 
to  his  "  gallant  gray  ;''  but  the  snow  was  deep  and  the  enemy 
were  soon  upon  liiiu,  galloping  with  open  mouths  and  snap- 
ping jaws  on  either  side.  He  waved  bis  burning  brand,  and, 
detaching  his  meat  from  the  saddle,  cast  it  upon  the  snow  be- 
fore them,  hoping  to  see  them  no  more.  But  a  second's 
wrangling  and  battling,  and  they  were  again  upon  him. 
Thoroughly  frightened,  the  noble  horse  made  the  best  speed 
possible  through  the  deep  snow.  Fiercely  the  infuriated 
brutes,  maddened  by  the  morsel  flung  to  them,  now  attacked 
horse  and  rider  savagely  from  flank  and  rear. 

AVaving  his  blazing  brand  from  side  to  side  and  cheering 
his  panting  steed,  the  race  continued  for  two  miles  amidst  a 
terrific  howling  of  swift-footed  demons,  snuffing  his  blood, 
until  at  last  he  reached  his  home,  where  his  faithful  horse  fell, 
utterly  exhausted,  at  the  cabin-door.  It  was  a  terrible  expe- 
rience, never  to  be  forgotten. 

Among  the  earliest  manufacturers  in  Chester  was  John 
Stevens,  who  lived  at  North  Chester,  and  built  an  oil-  and 
grist-mill.  In  early  times  large  quantities  of  flax  were  grown 
in  the  western  portions  of  the  county,  and  the  seed  and  its  oil 
became  important  articles  of  commerce. 

The  Stevens  family  was  full  of  ingenuity,  and  introduced 
various  kinds  of  manufacturing,  including  window-curtains, 
or  shades,  made  from  wooden  splints.  Hon.  Thomas  F. 
Plunkett,  in  his  younger  days,  was  associated  with  them, 
and  learned  many  useful  lessons,  which  he  turned  to  good 
account  in  after-years.  He  married  a  daughter  of  Col.  Tay- 
lor, and  became  so  popular  that  he  was  sent  as  representative 
to  the  Legislature. 

Jude  Stevens  built  a  factory  a  little  below  the  village,  but 
the  stream  burst  its  banks  and  carried  it  away,  when,  becom- 
ing disgusted  with  the  hills  of  Massachusetts,  he  sold  out  and 
removed  to  "Western  Pennsylvania.  Of  the  descendants  of 
John  Stevens  were  Aaron  Stevens,  of  AVortbington,  and 
"Washington  Stevens,  of  "Westfield. 

The  Campbell  family.  Three  brothers,  Matthew,  James, 
and  Robert  Campbell,  settled  on  the  eastern  slope  of  the  high- 
lands overlooking  the  valley  of  the  middle  branch  of  the 
Agawam,  or,  as  it  was  sometimes  called,  the  East   River. 

*  Quigley. 


1058 


HISTORY  OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


They  were  of  the  renowned  clan  Campbell,  from  the  glens 
and  rug^^ed  highlands  of  Argyleshire,  on  the  western  coast  of 
Scotland.  The  head  of  their  house  was  tlie  great  MacCalluni 
More,  duke  of  Argyle,  and  lord  of  Lornc,  whom  they  con- 
sidered of  more  importance  as  a  man  than  the  scion  of  the 
House  of  Hanover,  George  the  Second,  of  England.  Samuel 
Bell  married  into  the  family,  and  a  double  alliance  was  con- 
summated by  the  marriage  of  Matthew  Campbell  with  Sarah 
Bell.  Ethan  Campbell  removed  to  Manlius,  Onondaga  Co., 
N.  Y.,  where  he  became  a  prominent  and  respected  citizen, 
filling  offices  of  honor  and  trust.  William  Campbell  was 
elected  to  the  Legislature,  and  also  Hector  Campbell,  the 
latter  about  the  year  1840.  A  son  of  the  latter,  William  B. 
Campbell,  removed  to  California,  where  he  accumulated  a 
fortune  in  the  fur  trade.  At  the  earnest  solicitation  of  the 
latter,  his  father  subsequently  migrated  to  the  Pacific  coast, 
and  settled  in  Clackamas  Co.,  Oregon. 

James  Quigley  was  another  pioneer  settler  in  Chester,  who 
located  near  the  Holland  farm,  and  not  very  far  from  the 
Worthington  line.  He  was  born  in  Stranorlan,  County 
Donegal,  Ireland,  near  Londonderry,  near  the  head  of  Lough 
Swilly.  The  family  had  suffered  from  the  dissensions  of  the 
times,  and  members  of  it  had  seen  active  service  during  the 
siege  of  Derry  bj'  James  the  Second. 

The  Quigley  family  did  not  long  remain  in  Chester,  the  son 
of  James  selling  out  the  homestead  and  removing  to  Oswego, 
N .  Y.  James  Quigley,  first  mentioned,  first  landed  at  Boston, 
where  lie  married  Isabella  Walker,  whose  father  was  in  the 
colonial  revenue  service.  Mr.  Quigley  after  his  marriage, 
which  his  namesake  characterizes  as  a  "runaway  match," 
located  in  Worcester,  about  a  mile  from  the  court-house, 
where  he  remained  until  well  advanced  in  years,  when,  for 
some  reason,  he  sold  his  property  and  removed  to  the  rugged 
hills  of  Chester. 

Mr.  Samuel  Quigley,  in  his  interesting  sketches,  saj's  that 
after  the  old  gentlevnan  had  cleared  his  farm  and  erected  his 
buildings,  and  paid  for  everything,  he  had  a  half-bushel 
measure  full  of  Spanish  milled  dollars  left.  He  was  generous 
in  his  contributions  to  church  and  charitable  purposes,  and 
was  a  valuable  citizen.  He  and  his  consort  rest  in  the  ceme- 
tery in  Chester. 

One  of  his  sons,  John  Quigley,  was  a  member  of  the  com- 
pany which,  under  the  auspices  of  Gen.  Kufus  Putnam, 
Gen.  Arthur  St.  Clair,  and  other  prominent  leaders,  made 
the  first  permanent  settlement  in  the  region  now  covered  by 
the  flourishing  State  of  Ohio,  at  Marietta,  situated  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Muskingum  River,  on  the  7th  day  of  April, 
1788.  His  father-in-law,  Col.  Oliver,  accompanied  him.  Here 
he  amassed  a  handsome  property. 

Another  son  remained  in  Worcester  after  the  removal  of  his 
father  to  Chester,  and  was  among  the  first  to  enlist  in  the 
American  army  at  the  outbreak  of  the  Kevolution.  At  the 
battle  of  Long  Island,  in  August,  1776,  he  became  separated 
from  his  command,  but,  dodging  the  British  troops,  he  reached 
the  banks  of  the  East  liiver,  which  he  finally  swam  with  three 
muskets — which  he  had  picked  up  on  the  battle-field — lashed 
to  his  back,  and  joined  the  army  under  Washington,  and  was 
jiresent  at  the  battle  of  White  Plains,  in  October  following. 
He  served  through  the  war,  and  was  present  at  the  surrender 
of  Yorktown,  Va.,  in  October,  1781. 

Another  son,  Hugh  Quigley,  married  Mary,  the  daughter 
of  James  Holland,  and  from  him  are  descended  the  Quigleys 
of  Chester. 

An  amusing  incident,  illustrating  the  character  of  Capt. 
Qnigley,*  is  related  by  Samuel  Quigley,  which  we  give  in  his 
own  words : 

"  It  so  happened  that  two  ladies  from  the  west  side  came  to 


*  Mr.  Quigley  leaves  the  reader  altogether  in  the  dark  as  to  whether  the  Capt. 
Quigley  here  mentioned  was  the  original  Jnmos  Quigley  or  Hugh  Quigley. 


his  house  on  a  visit.  Visits  in  those  times  were  not  confined 
to  a  few  hours,  but  sometimes  extended  to  days,  and  this  par- 
ticular visit,  by  the  occurrence  of  a  violent  storm,  was  pro- 
tracted to  unusual  length.  The  rain  raised  the  water  in  the 
river,  the  foot-bridge  was  swept  away,  and,  unless  some  means 
could  be  devised  to  enable  them  to  cross,  they  would  be  under 
the  necessity  of  remaining  until  the  subsidence  of  the  flood. 

"After  various  plans  had  been  considered  and  rejected,  it  was 
suggested  that  Capt.  Quigley  should  ford  the  stream,  carrying 
them  in  his  arms.  This  was  received  with  great  favor  by  the 
ladies,  who  were  impatient  to  return  home,  but  the  captain 
was  averse  to  tlie  proposal ;  he  by  no  means  relished  the  task, 
the  water  being  deep  and  the  current  strong.  Finally  he  con- 
sented to  make  the  attempt;  and,  taking  the  smallest  of  the 
two  in  his  arms,  he  succeeded  in  placing  her  in  safety  on 
the  other  side.  The  other  was,  in  the  vocabulary  of  the  sport- 
ing fraternity,  a  'heavy-weight,' — a  widow  of  mature  age. 
Lifting  her  with  great  apparent  exertion,  he  staggered  under 
the  burden  to  the  middle  of  the  stream,  when  he  informed 
her  that  he  really  believed  he  should  have  to  take  a  new  hold, 
a  perceptible  slip  accompanying  the  remark.  The  lady  was 
alarmed  ;  she  remonstrated  ;  she  entreated,  but  to  no  purpose. 
'God  help  me,  madam  !'  exclaimed  the  captain, — his  peculiar 
expression  in  moments  of  excitement  or  anxiety, — 'don't  you 
see  you  are  slipping  from  my  grasp?'  And  slip  she  did,  to 
the  bottom,  giving,  at  the  same  instant,  a  shrill  and  terrific 
scream.  After  suflicient  purification,  he  took  a  new  hold  of 
the  portly  dowager,  raised  her  from  the  cleansing  element, 
and,  without  further  mishap,  landed  her  on  the  right  bank. 
The  ease  with  which  the  last  part  of  the  task  was  performed, 
but  especially  the  sly  twinkle  of  his  eye  when  the  subject 
was  mentioned  in  his  presence,  authorized  the  grave  suspicion 
that  the  washing  of  the  widow  in  the  pure  waters  of  the  West- 
field  Eiver  was  not  altogether  involuntary  or  premeditated." 

Among  the  most  prominent  men  who  have  made  Chester 
their  home  was  Forbes  Kyle,  who  came  from  New  Haven,  or 
vicinity,  to  take  charge  of  a  large  tannery  owned  by  his 
father-in-law,  Benjamin  Prescott,  a  wealthy  citizen  of  New 
Haven.  Mr.  Kyle  soon  became  a  prominent  man  in  his 
adopted  town',  and  he  was  honored  with  official  positions  for 
many  years,  until  at  length  he  was  chosen  to  represent  the 
community  in  the  State  Senate, — a  position  which  he  had  the 
distinguished  honor  of  filling  alone  of  all  the  citizens  of  the 
town.  He  had  the  office  of  local  magistrate,  and,  in  addition 
to  his  other  duties,  kept  a  country  grocery-store.  He  was  a 
mild-mannered  and  well-bred  man,  courteous  and  upright  in 
all  his  dealings.  One  of  his  sons  succeeded  him  upon  the 
homestead. 

Zadoc  Ingell  is  supposed  to  have  been  the  first  person  of  tlie 
Methodist  denomination  who  settled  in  Chester.  He  was  a 
prosperous  farmer,  and  his  piety  was  so  sincere  and  unosten- 
tatiotis  that  he  received  the  sobrirpiet  of  "  Bishop."  His  son 
William  removed  to  Oswego  County,  N.  Y.,  and  became  a 
prominent  citizen.  The  youngest  son  lived  and  died  on  the 
homestead. 

Jesse  Johnson  was  another  estimable  and  valued  citizen, 
and  a  deacon  of  the  church.  One  of  his  descendants,  Arte- 
mas  B.  Johnson,  is  quite  a  prominent  attorney  of  Hardin  Co., 
Ohio.  Another  is  Dr.  Eldridge  M.  Johnson,  of  Williams- 
burg, Hampshire  Co.  The  Ingell  and  Johnson  families  re- 
sided in  the  northwest  part  of  the  town. 

Lieut.  John  Hamilton  was  from  W^orcester.  He  married 
Catherine,  daughter  of  James  Quigley.  His  oldest  son,  John 
Hamilton,  Jr.,  removed  some  years  since  to  Schenectady  Co., 
N.  Y.  Another  son,  Samuel  Hamilton,  removed  to  Hartford, 
Conn.,  where  he  accumulated  a  large  property. 

Twosonsof  John  Hamilton,  Jr., — John  A.  and  Henry  H., — 
were  graduates  of  Amherst  College,  and  entered  the  ministry. 
A  daughter  married  Rev.  Francis  Warriner,  who  was  some 
time  pastor  of  the  church  in  Chester. 


HISTORY  OF  HAMPDEN  COUNTY. 


1059 


Amos  Taylor  is  believed  to  have  been  from  Hadley.  He 
settled  oil  the  East  River,  a  little  above  the  village  of  North 
Chester.  The  Taylor  family  were  among  the  most  prominent 
and  highly  esteemed  of  the  many  estimable  families  who  set- 
tled in  the  town.  Amos,  a  son  of  the  preceding,  studied 
medicine  and  settled  in  Warwick  ;  another  son,  Col.  William 
Tiij'lor,  succeeded  his  father  on  the  homestead.  He  married, 
for  his  first  wife,  a  daughter  of  John  Stevens,  and  for  his  sec- 
ond the  widow  of  Dr.  Abram  Holland.  Col.  Taylor  was 
highly  esteemed.  One  of  his  daughters,  Hannah,  married  the 
Hon.  Thomas  F.  Plunkett,  and  another,  Nancy,  married  the 
Hon.  Charles  H.  Plunkett,  of  Hinsdale.  Col.  Taylor's  son, 
Capt.  Otis  Taylor,  was  one  of  the  prominent  men  of  the  town, 
and  took  a  very  active  part  in  all  political  matters.  He  held 
various  official  positions,  and  was  a  member  of  the  Legisla- 
ture. His  sons  are  enterprising  business-men  of  New  York 
and  Massachusetts.  John  Taylor,  son  of  Amos  Taylor,  lived 
in  what  was  called  the  Kinney  Brook  neighborhood,  in 
the  eastern  part  of  the  town.  Of  his  sons,  Horace  was  long 
engaged  in  manufacturing  in  Huntington ;  W^illiam  studied 
for  the  ministry,  became  a  Methodist  preacher,  and  settled  in 
Ohio.  Both  represented  the  old  town  of  Norwich  in  the 
General  Court.  Alfred  Taylor^  a  son  of  Horace,  became  a 
lawyer,  and  located  in  the  city  of  New  York. 

Any  sketch  of  the  early  inhabitants  of  Chester  would  mani- 
festly be  incomplete  without  some  account  of  Capt.  William 
Toogood,  who  had  been  in  early  life  an  officer  of  the  British 
arm}',  but  who  appears  to  have  been  living  in  America  at  the 
commencement  of  the  Revolution,  for  it  seems  that  his  knowl- 
edge of  military  affairs  was  utilized  by  the  American  govern- 
ment, who  employed  him  as  an  officer  of  instruction  to  drill 
and  prepare  recruits  for  the  active  duties  of  the  field,  which 
position  he  tilled  with  ability  and  credit.  On  the  conclusion 
of  peace  he  abandoned  the  profession  of  arms  and  betook  him- 
self to  the  cultivation  of  the  soil,  purchasing  a  farm  and  set- 
tling down  to  peaceful  pursuits  a  mile  north  of  the  meeting- 
house in  Chester.  The  standing  of  his  family  in  England 
and  the  time  and  place  of  his  birth  have  not  been  preserved, 
but  he  evidently  belonged  to  a  good  stock,  as  the  fact  of  his 
holding  a  commission  in  the  British  army  is  of  itself  sufficient 
evidence. 

He  was  a  great  favorite  among  the  people,  who  admired 
him  for  his  cultivation  and  courtesy,  as  well  as  for  his  great 
fund  of  witticisms  and  pleasantries. 

Great  deference  was  alwa3's  shown  him  in  military  matters; 
and,  whtn  in  after-years,  a  military  company  was  formed  in 
the  town,  he  was  complimented  upon  muster-days  with  a 
temporary  command,  which  he  understood  and  fully  appre- 
ciated. 

On  one  occasion  the  company,  under  the  command  of  Capt. 
Blackman,  had  a  parade  near  the  farm  of  Zenas  Searle.  After 
the  drilling  and  general  business  of  the  day  were  over,  the  offi- 
cers sat  down  to  a  bountiful  repast,  and  Capt.  Toogood,  who 
was  present,  was  assigned  the  post  of  honor.  By  degrees  the 
company  became  unusually  mellow,  and  the  venerable  cap- 
tain, in  particular,  was  wonderfully  elated.  At  length,  lean- 
ing back  in  his  chair,  his  feelings  found  vent  in  words. 
"Gentlemen,"  said  he,  "no  lord  in  his  palace  feels  as  happy 
as  I  do  to-day,  sitting  in  this  log  cabin,  with  its  sheep-skin 
windows."  Glass  had  not  at  that  time  come  into  general  use 
in  Western  Massachusetts. 

Capt.  Toogood  was  a  devout  Christian  and  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Church,  which  denomination  had  an  organization, 
but  no  liouse  for  public  worship,  and  their  meetings  were  held 
in  private  dwellings.  Habits  formed  in  military  life  are  not 
easily  laid  aside,  and  on  one  occasion  the  captain  was  com- 
plained of  by  some  of  his  over-zealous  brethren  for  an  infrac- 
tion of  some  portion  of  the  discipline  of  the  church  ;  in  short, 
rumor  said  that  the  doughty  captain  had  ventured  into  too 
close  proximity  to  a  cask  of  cider-brandy  of  such  stalwart  age 


that  he  was  worsted  in  the  encounter.  Here  was  a  dilemma. 
The  discipline  of  the  church  must  be  enforced,  but  the  delin- 
quent was  one  of  its  pillars,  a  man  of  property,  and  of  marked 
influence.  After  due  consideration  it  was  resolved  to  choose 
a  committee  to  wait  upon  him,  receive  his  explanation,  and 
report  to  the  church.  The  names  of  only  two  of  the  com- 
mittee have  been  preserved, — Woodruff  and  Smith.  The 
gentlemen  composing  the  "investigating  committee"  took 
hold  of  the  matter  with  extreme  delicacy  and  no  small  de- 
gree of  tact  and  discretion.  Procuring  a  bottle  of  the  best 
brandy,  they  waited  upon  the  captain,  who  received  them  with 
the  greatest  cordiality  and  hospitality,  and  entertained  them 
so  royally  that  tradition  has  forgotten  whether  they  ever 
broached  the  subject  upon  which  they  came  to  consult.  At 
the  appointed  time  they  reported  that  there  was  not  the  slight- 
est foundation  for  the  charge,  which  report  was  gladly  re- 
ceived by  the  authorities,  who  congratulated  themselves  upon 
so  lucky  an  escape  from  a  troublesome  difficulty. 

Up  to  this  time  the  accused  had  kept  silent ;  but  conscious 
that  his  honor  and  Christian  character  and  standing  had  been 
in  jeopardy,  and  feeling  that  the  moment  had  come  to  justify 
himself  before  the  world,  he  rose  and  questioned  his  fellow- 
members:  "Brethren,  is  my  moral  and  Christian  character 
in  your  estimation  as  fair  and  spotless  as  it  was  before  this 
charge  was  made  against  me  ?"  He  was  assured  that  it  was.  . 
"  Is  my  standing  in  the  church  as  good  as  it  ever  was  ?"  They 
assured  him  it  was.  "Well,  then,"  said  he,  "please  to  erase 
my  name  from  your  books."  He  had  made  his  point,  and 
withdrew  from  the  organization  with  an  untarnished  reputa- 
tion, leaving  his  brethren  astonished  at  the  abruptness  of  his 
leave-taking,  and  possibly  a  little  chagrined  at  his  successful 
mancEUvre. 

Capt.  Toogood  possessed  a  handsome  estate,  and  he  was  ever 
considered  one  of  the  best  citizens  of  the  great  mountain  town 
where  he  so  long  made  his  home.  His  son,  William  0.  Too- 
good,  inherited  his  father's  property  and  his  good  qualities, 
and,  like  him,  possessed  the  respect  and  esteem  of  his  fellow- 
townsmen.   He  married  a  daughter  of  Deacon  Stephen  Lyman. 

William  Moore  settled  on  the  hill  in  the  north  part  of  the 
town  at  an  early  period,  and  married  a  sister  of  Deacon  Elder. 
He  had  a  large  and  well-cultivated  grazing-farm,  and  turned 
his  attention  principally  to  stock-raising.  He  reared  a  numer- 
ous family,  and  both  he  and  his  wife  lived  to  a  good  old  age. 
His  son  William  remained  upon  the  farm,  and  continued  to 
cultivate  the  broad  acres  left  him  by  his  father.  He  was  a 
man  of  the  strictest  integrity,  and  a  most  excellent  neighbor 
and  citizen.  He  was  the  first  person  to  introduce  the  Devon 
cattle  into  Chester.  He  finally  left  his  homestead  to  his  eldest 
son,  William  E.,  and,  purchasing  the  Daniel  Smith  place  at 
the  centre,  removed  thither  and  resided  until  his  death,  about 
1867.  Mr.  Moore  and  his  estimable  wife  lived  together  over 
sixty  years  in  the  greatest  harmony,  both  being  about  ninety 
years  old  at  the  time  of  their  deaths,  which  occurred  only  a 
week  apart. 

Appended  will  he  found  brief  reference  to  the  descendants 
of  some  of  the  early  settlers  : 

Dr.  Martin  Phelps,  prominent  as  a  Democrat  in  the  early 
political  controversies  of  Chester,  represented  the  town  in  the 
Legislature,  stood  high  in  the  community  as  a  medical  prac- 
titioner, and,  after  a  long  life  of  usefulness,  died  in  Chester  in 
1838,  aged  eighty-two  years.  He  left  a  number  of  children, 
of  whom  were  Sheriff  Samuel  Phelps,  of  Ware,  and  Mrs. 
Martha  Mann,  of  Troy,  N.  Y.,  the  latter  widely  known  for 
her  literary  attainments.  His  son  Martin,  Jr.,  was  for  years 
sheriff  of  Chester,  and  died  a  few  years  ago.  Martin,  Jr.'s 
daughter,  Mary,  is  now  the  wife  of  Dr.  T.  K.  De  Wolf,  of 
Chester  Centre. 

Of  the  family  of  Rev.  Mr.  Bascom,  three  sons,  Samuel 
Ashley,  John,  and  Reynolds,  graduated  at  Williams  College. 
Samuel  Ashley  taught  school  in  the  South  for  some  years,  was 


1060 


HISTORY   OF  THE  CONNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


nftorward  in  the  book  trade  in  New  York,  and  subsequently 
removed  to  Ohio,  where  he  died  in  1830,  aged  fifty.  Jolin 
followed  the  ministry,  settled  in  the  State  of  New  York,  and 
died  there  in  lH:i8,  at  the  age  of  forty-three.  John,  a  son  of 
the  latter,  was  appointed  tutor  in  'Willianis  College  in  1852, 
and  Mary,  his  daughter,  was  some  years  ago  principal  of  the 
Girls'  High  School  in  Northampton.  I'eynolds  likewise  fol- 
lowed the  ministry,  and  died  in  the  South  in  1828. 

Asahel  Wright,  an  early  settler,  married  one  of  Mr.  Bas- 
com's  daughters,  and,  after  a  life  spent  in  the  legal  profession 
at  Chester  Centre,  died  there  in  1830.  His  son  Henrj',  a 
graduate  of  Yale,  was  a  professor  in  Knoxville  College,  Ten- 
nessee, for  many  years. 

Dr.  Anson  Boies,  a  native  of  Blandford,  married  two 
daughters  of  Mr.  Bascom  in  successicm,  and  was  the  physi- 
cian of  Chester  for  many  years.  He  died  in  1820.  Dr.  T.  K. 
De  Wolf,  a  native  of  Otis,  removed  to  Chester  in  1832,  and  for 
forty-seven  consecutive  years  has  practiced  his  profession  in 
Chester  Centre. 

Rev.  Timothy  L3'man,  a  grandson  of  Timothy  Lyman,  one 
of  the  first  settlers,  graduated  at  Amherst  in  1844,  and  subse- 
quently removed  to  Iowa.  Joseph,  his  younger  brother, 
graduated  at  Y'ale  in  1850,  and  afterward  practiced  law  in 
Wisconsin.  Hon.  James  Bell,  of  Monson,  Me.,  Dr.  William 
O.  Bell,  of  North  Becket,  Dr. 'William  R.  Elder,  a  graduate 
of  Berkshire  Medical  College,  and  Dr.  Joseph  C.  Abbott,  of 
the  Castleton  Medical  School,  Vermont,  were  all  descendants 
of  the  early  settlers  of  those  names. 

Joseph  Abbott,  who  removed  with  his  four  sons,  Abial, 
Ebenezer,  Joseph,  and  John,  from  Andover  to  Chester,  in  the 
early  days,  located  about  a  mile  north  of  what  is  now  Chester 
Centre,  where  (on  the  old  farm  now  occupied  by  Abial  K. 
Abbott,  the  great-grandson  of  Joseph,  whose  son,  Abial,  was 
the  grandfather  of  the  present  Abial  K.)  a  brother  of  the 
latter,  Charles  B.,  is  the  only  other  direct  descendant  of  the 
Abbotts  living  in  Chester.  Other  descendants  are  living  in 
New  York  State  and  in  the  West.  A  dwelling-house  and 
barn,  erected  by  the  Abbotts  when  they  located  in  Chester 
more  than  a  hundred  years  ago,  are  still  standing  in  a  good 
state  of  preservation. 

The  only  descendants  now  living  in  Chester  of  the  Quigleys 
and  Elders  are  "  Uncle  Jim"  Quigley  and  John  Elder,  both 
of  whom  live  on  farms  north  of  Chester  Centre. 

Hiram  Sniilh,  who  died  in  1863,  a  bachelor,  was  the  only 
remaining  descendant  of  Joab  Smith,  one  of  the  Chester 
pioneers.  His  sister,  Isabell  Toogood,  who  died  in  1869,  aged 
eighty-four,  was  the  widow  of  William  Toogood,  another 
early  settler.  William  Toogood  left  one  daughter  by  his  first 
wife.  She  is  now  wife  of  Nathan  Samuels,  of  Buffalo,  N.  Y. 
Some  of  the  direct  descendants  of  other  early  settlers  still 
resided  in  Chester,  but  the  majority  have  either  removed  to 
the  West  or  passed  out  of  existence. 

NOTEWORTHY    INCIDENTS. 

It  is  related  that  a  party  of  prisoners  taken  by  the  Ameri- 
cans at  Burgoyne's  surrender  halted  at  what  is  now  Chester 
Centre,  en  route  to  Boston,  and  were  confined  in  the  Congre- 
gational Church  for  the  night.  Among  the  inhabitants  who 
assembled  for  a  curious  glance  at  them  was  pretty  Fannie  Hol- 
land, from  the  north  end,  and  it  appears  that  her  charms  so 
smote  one  of  the  prisoners,  David  Cross,  a  Scotchman,  that 
upon  his  arrival  in  Worcester  he  managed  to  escape  frotn  im- 
prisonment by  means  of  a  forged  pass,  made  his  way  back  to 
Chester,  sought  out  Fannie,  became  her  suitor,  and  eventually 
won  her  for  his  bride.  This  couple  subsequently  removed  to 
Washington,  Mass.,  where  they  lived  happily  and  respected 
to  a  good  old  age. 

Concerning  the  family  of  Smiths,  who  were  among  the 
earliest  settlers,  and  famed  far  and  wide  for  their  physical 
prowess,  tradition  records  that  one  of  them  "  came  over  from 


Northampton  to  commence  a  settlement  here  with  a  five-pail 
iron  kettle  and  other  utensils  on  his  person,  making  his  way 
on  foot  by  means  of  marked  trees."  Another  of  them,  it  is 
said,  was  so  strong  that  "  by  grasping  the  whiffle-tree  in  his 
hands,  he  could  hold  a  horse  of  ordinary  strength."  Another 
of  them,  reaching  Hartford,  "  astonished  the  people  by  taking 
a  barrel  of  eider  from  the  wagon  and  carrying  into  a  cellar 
without  assistance." 

In  1766  two  saw-mills  and  a  grist-mill  were  erected,  and,  in  ■ 
1767,  Jonathan  Clapp  erected  a  corn-mill,  but  where  these  mills 
were  located  cannot  be  ascertained.  The  first  birth  of  which 
there  is  a  record  was  that  of  James,  a  son  of  John  S.  Clark, 
April  21,1762;  and  the  first  marriage  that  of  Stephen  Lyman, 
of  Murrayfield  to  Anna  Blair,  of  Western,  Aug.  25,  1770. 

The  first  church-lxll  that  ever  rang  out  over  the  hills  of 
Chester  was  placed  in  the  belfry  of  the  First  Congregational 
Church  in  1800.  It  was  the  gift  of  Mr.  John  Gordon,  and 
did  service  for  thirty  years. 

In  July,  1774,  the  inhabitants  of  Chester  resolved  in  town- 
meeting  that  "  we  will  not  purchase,  buy,  or  consume  any 
goods  or  wares  that  shall  be  imported  from  Great  Britain  after 
the  last  of  August  next  until  the  meeting  of  the  General 
Congress  at  Philadelphia."  Chester  was  intensely  patriotic 
during  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  and  furnished  men  and 
money,  to  her  own  impoverishment.  In  1774  it  was  voted  "  to 
enlist  men  to  send  to  Boston  to  take  the  places  of  some  already 
there,"  and  in  June,  1776,  the  people  resolved  that  "it  is  the 
will  of  the  town  that  the  Continental  Congress  declare  inde- 
pendence from  Great  Britain  to  a  man  in  full  meeting." 
About  the  same  time  the  inhabitants  voted  to  sign  "an 
agreement  or  oath  that  the  General  Court  put  out  to  see  who 
are  the  friends  of  liberty  and  their  country,  and  who  are 
not." 

Timothy  Fay,  who  served  two  years  and  nine  months  in 
the  Revolution,  returned  to  Chester  from  the  service  in  1799, 
and  shortly  thereafter  was  drowned  while  crossing  the  river 
at  Chester  Factories.  The  gun  he  carried  during  the  Revo- 
lution— a  flint-lock  musket,  made  in  Scotland — is  still  in  the 
possession  of  his  son,  Erastus  Fay,  now  residing  at  the  village 
of  Chester,  aged  eighty-seven. 

Chester  was  opposed  to  the  war  of  1812,  and  sent  Asahel 
Wright  as  a  delegate  to  the  anti-war  convention  at  North- 
ampton. None  of  the  soldiers  sent  by  the  town  into  that  war 
are  known  to  be  living. 

The  oldest  house  in  town  is  doubtless  the  one  now  occupied 
by  Dr.  T.  K.  De  Wolf  as  a  residence  at  Chester  Centre.  This 
house  was  built  by  Rev.  Mr.  Bascom  as  early  as  1769,  and 
occupied  by  him  until  his  death,  in  1814.  The  first  repre- 
sentative to  the  General  Court  was  Enoch  Shepard,  who  was 
chosen  in  1775,  and  his  pay  for  his  own  time  and  the  time  of 
his  horses  was  made  to  him  in  work  and  grain. 

Lsaac  Mixer  was  probably  the  first  tavern-keeper,  and  to  his 
inn  the  early  town-records  make  frequent  allusion,  for  the 
reason  that  town-meetings  were  held  there.  Stephen  Lyman, 
who  set  up  a  grist-mill  before  1800,  must  have  kept  tavern, 
too,  as  early  as  1769,  inasmuch  as  at  the  ordination  of  Mr. 
Bascom,  in  that  year,  he  was  called  upon  to  furnish  the  rum 
and  wine  needed. 

In  1775  it  was  voted  that  if  it  was  thought  best  to  con- 
fess judgment  for  debts,  the  town  ought  to  have  a  justice  of 
the  peace,  and  Enoch  Shepard  was  accordingly  nominated 
for  the  position.  In  1780  a  girl  called  Becky  Tyler,  living 
in  Chester,  murdered  her  child  to  conceal  her  own  shame,  and 
for  the  crime  she  was,  not  long  afterward,  hung  at  Northamp- 
ton. In  1790  another  girl,  betrayed  by  some  early  settler, 
committed  suicide,  and,  according  to  an  old  English  law,  her 
body  was  buried  on  the  public  highway,  in  the  old  village  of 
Chester,  at  the  nearest  cross-roads,  and  there,  it  is  likely,  her 
remains  lie  at  this  day. 

A.sahel   Wright,   who    flourished    in    Chester   shortly  after 


HISTORY   OP   HAiMPDEN   COUNTY. 


1061 


1800,  was  the  earliest  lawyer.  Enoch  Shepard  was  probably 
the  first  physician.  He  practiced  as  early  us  1775,  and  per- 
haps earlier.  He  also  kept  tavern,  it  is  said,  in  1790.  Anson 
Boies,  who  married  two  of  Kev.  Mr.  Bascom's  daughters  in 
succession,  was  a  physician  in  Chester  about  1800. 

The  first  storekeeper  of  whom  there  appears  to  be  any 
present  knowledge  was  a  Mr.  Kendall.  In  1802  and  1803, 
Chester  was  sorely  afflicted  with  sickness  among  the  people, 
and  in  the  first-named  year  sixty-two  deaths  occurred. 

The  oldest  person  living  in  the  town  is  Oliver  Watson,  aged 
ninety-si.\,  and  a  native  of  Blandford.  Erastus  Fay,  aged 
eighty-seven,  has  lived  in  Chester  about  eighty  years. 

The  great  flood  of  December,  1878,  laid  a  heavy  hand  upon 
Chester,  and  caused  damages  to  the  extent  of  $()000. 

The  road  of  the  Eighth  Turnpike  Association  of  Massachu- 
setts passed  through  Chester  in  1800,  and  there  was  also,  about 
that  time,  a  turnpike  connecting  the  towns  of  Russell,  Bland- 
ford,  and  Chester. 

ORGANIZ.\TION. 

On  the  31st  of  October,  170.5,  the  town  was  incorporated 
under  the  name  of  Murrayfleld,  in  honor  of  John  Murray, 
one  of  the  town  proprietors,  who  acquired  it  by  purchase  from 
Williams. 

It  may  be  noted  here  that  this  Murray,  having  been  a  Tory 
through  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  was  at  its  close  compelled 
by  the  prejudices  of  the  people  to  leave  this  section,  whence  he 
returned  to  England.  The  lands  he  left  here  were,  of  course, 
confiscated  by  the  government. 

A  historical  authority  claims  that  the  town  was  called  Mur- 
raytield  in  honor  of  William  Murray  (Lord  Mansfield),  but 
the  statement  is  not  susceptible  of  easy  confirmation. 

In  1775  the  inhabitants  voted  to  have  the  name  of  the  town 
changed  to  Mount  Asaph,  and  appointed  a  committee  to  pre- 
sent a  petition  to  the  General  Court  to  that  efiect.  As  no 
mention  is  made  in  the  records  of  the  result  of  the  committee's 
eftorts,  no  reason  can  be  given  for  the  failure  of  the  scheme. 
Why  the  name  of  Mount  Asaph  was  chosen  is  not  known ;  but 
the  reason  then  for  a  change  of  name  was  doubtless  that  which 
prevailed  when,  in  1783,  the  inhabitants  made  another  ett'ort 
for  the  change, — because,  it  is  said,  of  the  odium  which  had 
attached  itself  to  the  name  of  John  Murray.  The  reason 
given  in  the  petition  for  desiring  a  change  of  name  was  that 
the  similarity'  of  the  name  of  the  town  to  that  of  Merrifield, 
in  the  county  of  Hampshire,  frequently  led  to  confusion  in 
many  ways.  Three  names  were  presented  to  the  Legislature, 
— viz.,  Fairmount,  Fairfield,  and  Chester, — and  the  latter  was 
chosen,  in  compliment,  probably,  to  Chester,  England. 

In  1783  a  small  tract  in  the  northern  section  was  transferred 
to  what  is  now  Middletield,  and,  in  1853,  Chester  village  was 
set  ofl"  to  what  is  now  the  town  of  Huntington,  the  new  name 
given  to  the  old  town  of  Norwich.  A  list  of  those  who 
served  Murrayfleld  and  Chester  as  selectmen  and  town-clerks 
from  1700  to  1879,  save  the  period  between  1811  and  1849  (the 
town  records  covering  the  interim  being  lost),  is  herewith  pre- 
sented : 

SELECT.MEK. 

1766-67.— Timothy  Smith,  John  Smith,  Malcolm  Henry. 

1768.— Calub  Fortes,  Wm.  Miller,  Timothy  Smith. 

1769- — Ebenezer  Meachain,  James  Hamilton,  Abner  Smith. 

1770.- John  Kirtlauil,  Tinuthy  Smith,  David  Scott. 

1771.- Timothy  Smith,  Samuel  Matthews,  Ed.  Wiiglit. 

1772. — Malcolm  Henry,  Davitl  Shepard,  John  Kiitland. 

1773.— Malcjm  Henry,  John  Kiitland,  David  Shepaid,  Abner  Smith. 

1774-75. — Jesse  Johnson,  James  Hamilton,  David  Shepard. 

1776. — David  Shepaid,  James  Hamilton,  Timothy  Lyman. 

1777. — Enoch  Shepard,  James  Hamilton,  Timothy  Lyman. 

1778. — Timothy  Lyman,  James  Hamilton,  John  Blair. 

177i). — Jesse  Johnson,  Timothy  Lyman,  John  Bl.dr. 

17SU. — Timothy  Smith,  Jolm  Blair,  Jesse  Johnson. 

1781. — John  Kelsj,  Samuel  Jones,  Samuel  Bell. 

l:8.'.— John  Blair,  Wm.  Campl  ell,  Jabez  Tracy. 

1783.— Timothy  Lyman,  Juhn  Blair,  Wm.  Canipliell. 

1784.— Timothy  Lymau,  John  N.  Parmenter,  Wm.  Stone. 


1785. — Wm.  Campbell,  Timothy  Lyman,  Oershom  Rtiet. 

17.S6. — Elijah  Blackman,  Timothy  Lynnm,  Noadiah  Seaward. 

17.S7-88.— James  Hamilton,  Nathan  Wright,  Wm.  Sizer. 

1780.— Timothy  Lyman,  James  Hamilton,  Jnhn  Elder. 

17ilO-01.— David  Shepard,  Timothy  I.ynian,  J.  N.  Parmenter. 

1792. — Timothy  Lymau,  Ephraim  Miller,  J.  X.  Parmenter. 

179:{. — J.  N.  Parmenter,  Timotliy  Lyman,  Eleiizer  Wales. 

1794. — Timothy  Lyman,  Abraham  Day,  J.  N.  Parmenter. 

1795. — David  Shepard,  Timothy  Lyman,  .\braham  Day. 

1796. — John  N.  Parmenter,  Timothy  Lyman,  Jason  Wright. 

1797.— David  Shepard,  Ozias  French,  Ephraim  Miller. 

1798.— Judah  Willey,  Elisha  Wilco.'C,  David  Shepard,  Zadock  IngcU,  William 

Toopood. 
1799.— Samuel  Bell,  Jason  Wright,  Jud.ah  Willey. 
1800-4.— Asa  Slayton,  Wm.  Elder,  Simon  C.  Holland. 
1805. — Wm.  Elder,  Sylvester  Ennnons. 
1806.- Asa  Slayton,  Jacob  Day,  Samuel  Bell. 
1.S07.— .Samuel  Bell,  Seth  Phelps,  Silas  Freeman. 
ISOJ.— Samuel  Bell,  Sylvester  Emmons,  Silas  Freeman,  Jr.,  Silas  Kingsley, 

Daniel  Smith. 
1809. — Sylvester  Emmons,  J.  N.  Parmenter,  Wm.  Wade. 
l.slO. — Sylvester  Emmons,  J.  N.  Parmenter,  Wm.  Taylor. 
1811. — Sylvester  Emmons,  Wm.  Taylor,  Horace  Smith. 

********** 
1849-50.- Daniel  Fry,   David   Cannon,   David    Smith,  Jonas    Parmenter,   Ely 

Wilcox. 
1851-55.- Abner  Sampson,  John   Bemis,  Ely   Howe,  Samuel   Stebbins,  David 
Smith,  Alvan  Rn<le,  Henry  Dewey.  Adam  Hamilton. 

1850.— Albeit  E.  Wright,  B.  B.  Eastman,  Silas  P.  Searl. 
1857.— David  Smith,  O.  W.  Gibl«,  Joshua  Beniis. 

1858.— David  Smith,  Charles  W.  Knox,  Joshua  Bemis. 

1859. — David  Smith,  Charles  W.  Knox,  John  Carrington. 

1800. — David  Smith,  Joshua  Bemis,  Samuel  Stebbins. 

1801-63.— Charles  W.  Knox,  Jos.  C.  Kelso,  E.  D.  Ormsby. 

1863.— E.  D.  Ormsby,  Charles  W.  Knox,  A.  S.  Foote. 

1804.— Charles  W.  Knox,  A.  S.  Foote,  Joseph  Kelso. 

18&).— Charles  W.  Knox,  George  C.  Williams,  B,  B.  Eastman. 

1806-07.— Charles  W.  Knox,  Charles  M.  Bell,  George  Taylor. 

1868. — Charles  W.  Knox,  Charles  M.  Bell,  Amos  S.  Cone. 

1869.— Charles  M.  Bell,  Amos  S.  Cone,  Ely  Wilcox. 

1S70. — Charles  W.  Knox,  David  Smith,  Joshua  Bemis. 

1871.— H.  D.  Wilcox,  David  Smith,  Amos  S.  Cone. 

1872.— Charles  W.  Knox,  Charles  M.  Bell,  Amos  S.  Cone. 

1873. — James  King,  E.  F.  Pease,  Amos  S.  C<ine. 

1S74.— Charles  W.  Knox,  Charles  M.  Bell,  Amos  S.  Cone. 

1875-76.— Charles  W.  Knox,  .\lpheu8  Willcntt,  Amos  S.  Cone. 

lS77-7g._Charles  M.  Bell,  Aliihens  Willcutt,  J.  H.  Fisk. 

TOWN  CLERKS. 
John  Smith,  176(>-69 ;  Stephen  Lyman,  1709;  John  Kirtland,  1770;  David 
Shepard,  1771-74;  Samuel  Matthews,  1774-77;  David  Shepard,  1777-98;  Gideon 
Matthews,  Jr.,  179S-1800;  Sylvester  Emmons,  1806;  Martin  Phelps,  1807-9; 
Anson  Boies,  1809-11 ;  .  .  .  H.  D.  Filley,  A.  C.  Root,  1849 ;  Otis  Taylor,  1850-53 ; 
J.  B.  Elder,  1853 ;  C.  H.  Babcock,  1854 ;  J.  B.  Elder,  1855 ;  Charles  W.  Knox, 
1850 ;  F.  D.  Ei.;hards,  1857 ;  Otis  Taylor,  1858 ;  C.  H.  Babcock,  1859-61 ;  C.  C. 
Campbell,  1861-63;  Timothy  Keefe,  1863-72;  George  N.  Cone,  1872-79. 

REPRESENTATIVES   AT    THE   GENERAL   COURT. 

Chester  has  been  represented  at  the  General  Court  from  1775 
to  1858— when  the  town  became  a  part  of  the  Eleventh  Repre- 
sentative District — by  the  following  : 

Enoch  Shepard,  Deacon  Johnson,  Timothy  Lyman,  Reuben  Hatton,  Elijah 
Blackm.an,  Martin  Phelps,  Sylve.<ter  Emmons,  Lewis  Collins,  Wm.  Henry,  Forbes 
Kyle,*  William  Shejiard,  Joshua  Stevens,  Thomas  S.  Wade,  Nathaniel  Elder, 
Hector  Campbell,  William  Campbell,  A.  C.  Root,  Samuel  Henry,  Dauiel  Fry 
Elizur  D.  Cook,  Otis  Taylor,  Samuel  Stebbins. 

The  names  of  the  representatives  who  served  from  1811  to 
1819  are  omitted  for  the  reason  that  the  town  records  between 
those  dates  have  been  lost. 

VILLAGES. 
The  villages  in  the  town  are  five  in  number,  and,  named  in 
the  order  of  their  importance,  are  Chester  (originally  Chester 
Factories),  Chester  Centre  (originally  Chester),  North  Chester, 
Littleville,  and  Dayville. 

CHESTER    VILLAGE 

is  a  station  on  the  Boston  and  Albany  Railroad,  and  is  located, 
moreover,  upon  what  is  known  as  the  western  branch  of  Aga- 


*  Hon.  Forbes  Kyle  was  a  member  of  the  Senate,  and  the  only  one,  according 
to  Mr.  (Jnigley,  who  was  honorc.l  with  that  position  from  Chester. 


1062 


HISTORY   OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


warn  Kiver,  whence  manufactories  derive  fine  water-power. 
The  population  of  this  village  is  perhaps  400,  and  in  its  pleas- 
antly-shaded streets  and  neat-looking  dwellings  there  is  much 
to  admire.  Here  are  the  town-hall,  a  graded  school,  a  hotel,  post- 
office,  three  stores,  two  emery-factories,  a  mica  and  porcelain 
factory,  a  tannery,  two  hedstcad-faetories,  and  two  churches. 

CHESTER    CENTRE, 

in  the  mountainous  districts,  is  the  scene  of  the  earliest  settle- 
ments in  the  town,  and  until  1870  was  known  as  Chester,  and 
was  also  to  that  period  the  seat  of  town  government.  The 
growing  importance  of  Chester  Factories  led  to  efforts  looking 
to  the  removal  of  the  town  records  to  that  place,  and  in  the 
year  named  the  transfer  was  accomplished,  the  name  of  the 
latter  village  changed  to  Chester,  and  that  of  old  Chester  to 
Chester  Centre.  The  centre  suffered  a  decline  in  business 
interests,  and  has  now  but  a  collection  of  a  dozen  houses,  a 
church,  and  a  post-office. 

LiTTLEViLLE  and  North  Chester  are  peopled  by  agri- 
culturists, and  are  small  but  thrifty  settlements.  At  the  former 
there  is  a  Union  meeting-house,  and  at  the  latter  a  Second  Ad- 
ventist  Church. 

Dayville  has  two  shoe-peg  factories  and  a  store,  and  is  a 
flourishing  little  village.  Littleville  has  a  lodge  of  Good 
Templars,  which  was  organized  in  1872;  and  at  Chester,  an 
Odd-Fellows'  lodge,  organized  in  1873,  has  a  membership 
of  65. 

'*Io  olden  tiaies  the  centre  w;vs  an  important  place.  The  turnpike  frum 
Springfield  to  Pittstield  passed  through  it,  and  was  constantly  thronged  with 
teams.  Dr.  Boies  was  in  full  practice  as  a  physician,  and  .\sahel  "Wiight  ex- 
pounded the  mysteries  of  the  law  to  those  who  required  his  services.  .  .  .  Syl- 
vester Emmons,  more  familiarly  known  as  'Squire  Emmons,  kept  a  large  country 
stole,  and  dealt  extensively  in  general  merchandise.  His  store  was  the  head- 
quarters of  the  Federal  party,  while  the  Democrats  mostly  congregated  at  the 
tavern  of  Isaac  Whipple.  Eliphalct  Coleman,  than  whom  few,  if  any,  better  men 
ever  lived  in  Chester,  was  the  village  blacksmith."* 

CHURCHES. 

In  1766  the  town  resolved  to  build  a  meeting-house  45  feet 
long  and  40  feet  wide,  with  20-foot  posts,  but  the  edifice  was 
not  completed  until  1770.  During  1768  preaching  was  held 
during  the  winter  at  the  residences  of  Jonathan  Hart  Webber, 
Reuben  Walworth,  John  Lacors,  and  Israel  Rose. 

A  Congregational  Church  was  organized  in  December,  1769, 
and,  at  the  same  time.  Rev.  Aaron  Basconi,  a  Harvard  grad- 
uate, was  ordained  as  the  first  pastor.  The  church  building 
was  erected  in  what  is  now  Chester  Centre,  near  the  site  of 
the  present  Congregational  Church  in  that  village.  In  1794 
the  old  church  was  torn  down  to  give  place  to  a  more  con- 
venient and  commodious  structure,  and  this  latter  made  way 
in  turn,  in  1840,  for  the  building  now  used  at  the  centre. 

Previous  to  Rev.  Mr.  Bascom's  time,  one  Simon  Miller 
preached  for  the  town,  and  for  his  bill  for  preaching  the  town 
voted  £S  12s.  in  December,  1768. 

In  1769  the  town  voted  that  the  preaching  thereafter  should 
be  held  exclusively  at  the  meeting-house,  religious  services 
having  been — in  1768 — held  at  four  different  places.  While 
Rev.  Mr.  Bascom  was  preaching  on  probation,  a  vote  was 
taken,  in  1769,  "to  see  if  the  town  will  discover  how  they 
approve  Mr.  Bascom's  performances  while  he  has  been  in 
town."  In  that  year  there  was  some  discussion  about  "seating 
the  meeting-house,  and  putting  in  two  windows  and  glazing 
them."  Shortly  thereafter  the  meeting-house  must  have  been 
seated,  for  a  record  about  that  time  noted  that  "  those  who 
have  no  pews  shall  sit  in  any  pews  they  find  empty." 

About  1812  politics  ran  high  in  Chester,  as  between  the 
Democrats  and  Federalists,  and,  entering  even  into  the  church, 
began  to  show  dissensions.  Pastor  Bascom,  who,  it  appears, 
was  also  a  warm  politician,  and  the  leader  of  the  Federal 
party,  was  opposed  by  Dr.  Martin  Phelps,  who  led  the  Demo- 

*  Quigley. 


cratic  hosts,  and  so  warm  was  the  controversy  between  the 
contending  parties  that  Bascom  and  Phelps  became  involved 
in  a  personal  difficulty,  and  thereupon  Phelps  and  his  follow- 
ers, withdrawing  from  Mr.  Bascom's  church,  organized  a 
Baptist  Church. 

After  serving  the  church  as  its  pastor  for  forty-five  succes- 
sive years,  Mr.  Bascom  died,  May  18,  1814,  in  the  sixth-eighth 
year  of  his  age.  He  was  a  prominent  personage  in  the  early 
history  of  the  town,  and  tradition  says  he  was  the  object  at 
the  hands  of  the  people  of  a  reverential  respect  akin  to  awe, 
to  which  his  knee-breeches  and  three-cornered  hat  largely  con- 
tributed. Mr.  Bascom's  successors  have  been  Revs.  Sainuel 
M.  Emerson,  Kufus  Pomeroy,  Saul  Clark,  Alanson  Alvord, 
S.  W.  Edson,  Francis  Warriner,  David  Breed,  Hugh  Gibson, 
Henry  A.  Dickinson,  and  Loring  B.  Marsh,  the  latter  being  the 
present  pastor.  The  church  congregation,  which  twenty  years 
ago  numbered  hundreds,  includes  now  about  si.\ty  members. 

THE    METHODISTS    OF   CHESTER 

numbered  upward  -of  100  in  1800,  and  in  that  year  classes 
were  organized  by  Ebenezer  Washburn  and  Billy  Hibbard, 
who,  in  1800  and  1801,  provided  the  preaching,  which  was  held 
at  the  house  of  Capt.  Alexander,  two  miles  south  of  Chester 
Factories.  For  some  reason  the  classes  began  to  decline  after 
1802 ;  for  several  years  previous  to  1819  there  was  no  preach- 
ing and  the  cause  languished,  but  there  was  a  revival  in  1819, 
and  occasional  preaching  was  furnished  by  preachers  attached 
to  the  Granville  circuit,  up  to  1842.  In  1843  the  church  was 
transferred  to  the  Troy  Conference,  having  been  organized 
early  in  that  year,  and,  in  conjunction  with  certain  Baptists, 
built  a  Union  meeting-house  at  Chester  Factories  the  same 
year,  when  Rev.  A.  A.  Farrar  was  settled  as  the  pastor.  The 
church  increased  in  membership  after  this,  and  in  1847  the 
Methodists  built  the  house  of  worship  now  used  by  them  at 
the  village  of  Chester,  the  church  having  meanwhile  been  re- 
turned to  the  New  England  Conference.  Among  the  early 
pastors  after  Mr.  Farrar  were  Revs.  Kinsman  Atkinson,  S. 
Mattison,  A.  C.  Hand,  I.  B.  Bigelow,  A.  S.  Flagg,  I.  Marcy, 
Jarvis  Wilson,  and  others.  In  1854  the  church  building  was 
damaged  by  a  powder  explosion,  said  to  have  been  instigated 
by  anti-temperance  people  as  a  retaliation  upon  the  church 
members  for  their  labors  in  the  temperance  cause.  The  build- 
ing was  promptly  repaired  and  restored  within  six  months. 
The  present  pastor  is  Rev.  A.  R.  Nichols,  and  the  membership 
about  80. 

As  already  noted,  the  withdrawal  of  Dr.  Martin  Phelps  from 
the  First  Congregational  Church  in  1812  resulted  in  the  or- 
ganization that  year  at  Chester  of  a  Baptist  Church.  Elder 
John  Grant  was  the  first  minister,  and  he  was  succeeded  by 
Elder  Abbott.  Rev.  Silas  Kingsley,  who  followed  Elder  Ab- 
bott, preached  for  the  church  upward  of  twenty-five  years. 
About  1845  the  church  began  to  decline,  and  a  few  years  later 
ended  its  existence,  having  been  in  1845  transferred  to  North 
Chester.  There  was  a  Methodist  Church  at  Chester  village 
(now  a  portion  of  Huntington)  in  1836,  but  it  was  not  very 
prosperous  in  its  early  days. 

THE   SECOND    CONGREQATIONAL   CHURCH 

was  organized  in  November,  1844,  at  what  is  now  the  village 
of  Chester,  and  in  that  year  built  a  church  edifice.  Among 
the  early  pastors  were  Revs.  Hubbard  Beehe,  P.  K.  Clark, 
Dillon  Williams,  and  John  C.  Strong.  Rev.  C.  H.  Hamlin 
is  the  present  pastor,  and  the  church  membership  75. 

Besides  the  churches  tibove  noted,  there  is  a  Second  Advent 
Church  at  North  Chester  (completed  in  1878)  and  a  Union 
meeting-house  at  Littleville. 

SCHOOLS. 
The  attention  of  the  people  of  the  town  seems  to  have  been 
first  publicly  directed  to  educational  matters  in  1769,  when, 
upon  the  question  being  presented  at  a  town-meeting,  it  was 


Photo,  hy  Moflitt. 


A7h^c 


7 


TiiADDEUs  K.  De  Wolf,  M.D.,  was  liorn,  May  18,  1801, 
in  Otis,  Borksliire  Co.,  Mass.,  jind  was  tlie  fourth  son,  in  a 
family  of  eiffht  children,  of  (Jiijit.  James  and  Naomi  (Ames) 
De  Wolf.  His  parents  were  both  natives  of  Becket,  Berk- 
shire Co.,  Mass,  Matthew,  liis  grandfather,  was  one  of  the 
first  settlers  in  the  town  of  Washington,  Mass.,  having  emi- 
grated from  Bolton,  Conn.,  to  that  locality.  His  father  being 
in  limited  circumstances,  young  Thaddeus'  early  education  was 
only  attained  at  the  common  district  school,  in  his  yimth  he 
was  sent  to  live  with  his  uncle,  Thaddeus  Kingsley,  of  Platts- 
burgi  N.  Y.,  and  atlendi'd  the  academy  in  that  town,  re- 
reiving  the  benefits  of  a  full  course  of  studies.  He  com- 
menced the  study  of  medicine,  in  1821,  with  Dr.  Barncli 
Beckwith,  of  Plattsburg,  with  whom  he  remained  about  two 
years,  and  subsequently  studied  under  Dr.  Balch,  of  Sandis- 
field,  Mass.  He  graduated,  in  1825,  from  the  Caslleton  Medi- 
cal College,  at  Castleton,  Vt.,  and  commenced  the  jiractice 
of  medicine  in  the  same  year  in  the  village  of  Hitchcockville, 
Litchfield  Co.,  C(uin.,  where  he  remaiued  until  Feb.  1,  1832. 
He  then  removed  to  his  present  home  at  Chester  Centre,  among 
the  hills  of  Massachusetts.  Being  in  the  prime  of  manhood, 
and  enjoying  the  best  of  health,  he  pursued  the  upward  and 
onward  path  which,  with  energy  and  perseverance,  always 
leads  to  success.  His  practice  was  not  confined  to  the  town, 
but  extended  over  the  nine  adjoining  ones,  necessitating  a 
large  amount  of  night  work  ;  and,  as  he  says,  during  this 
period  of  his  busy  life  he  was  almost  a  stranger  to  his  family-, 
stopping  at  home  only  fur  a  stray  meal  while  journeying 
from  one  ]iatient  to  another. 

Dr.  De  Wolf  has  during  his  lifetime  educated  eleven 
students  in  medicine,  some  of  whom  have  made  their  mark 
in  the  profession.  He  was  married,  June  28,  1829,  to  Cor- 
nelia, daughter  of  Lieut.  Benham,  a  ])rominent  citizen  of 
Hartland,  Conn.  By  this  union  he  became  the  father  of  four 
children,  one  of  whom  died  in  infancy.  His  eldest  son,  Oscar 
C,  was  born  in  Chester,  Aiig.  8,  1835,  and  his  father  educated 
him  for  the  medical  profession.  He  was  the  last  student  that 
studied  under  Dr.  De  Wolf,  and  his  subsequent  career  has 
proved  he  was  not  the  least.  He  graduated  from  the  IJerk- 
shire  Medical  College,  and  the  College  of  Physicians  and 
Surgeons,  New  York  City,  and  spent  two  years  in  the  hos- 


pitals of  France.  Upon  his  return  to  this  country  he  accepted 
a  chair  in  the  Berkshire  Medical  College,  and  has  filled 
positions  in  colleges  in  other  parts  of  the  United  States.  Dur- 
ing the  civil  war  he  was  brigade-surgeon.  He  has  for  the 
last  three  years  been  health  commissioner  for  the  city  of 
Chicago.  Homer  B.,  born  in  Chester,  April  15,  1837;  was 
educated  at  the  college  of  Oberlin,  Ohio.  He  turned  his  at- 
tention to  the  study  of  law,  commenced  practice  in  Cleve- 
land, Ohio,  has  been  district  attorney,  and  is  at  present  one 
of  Cleveland's  leading  lawyers  and  most  influential  citizens. 
Sarah,  born  in  Chester,  Miirch  31,  1840;  received  her  edu- 
cation at  the  Holyoke  Female  Seminary,  and  nvsides  at 
present  at  Westfield,  Mass.,  being  the  wife  of  Dr.  H.  Gam- 
well.  Dr.  De  Wolf  lost  his  first  wife  Aug.  7,  1847,  and  was 
afterward  married,  Sept.  28,  1848,  to  Mary,  daughter  of 
Martin  Phelps,  of  Chester,  bv  whom  he  has  had  two  chil- 
dren,—Henrv  C,  born  Mav  23,  1850,  died  Oct.  21,  1872;  De 
Witt  C,  born  Feb.  10,  1864.  He  has  always  been  inter- 
ested in  the  politics  of  his  State,  and  is  intiiuately  accpiainted 
with  the  ilitferent  political  leaders  of  both  parlies.  During 
the  days  of  Daniel  Webster  he  was  a  sti-ong  sup|iorter  of  the 
Whig  ]iarty,  but  since  its  disbandment  has  been  a  member  of 
the  Democ?-atic  |iarty,  and  also  an  active  worker  in  their 
ranks.  lie  is  well  known  throughout  this  section  of  the 
State,  and  is  a  prominent  public  speaker.  He  has  held 
various  ])Ositions  of  trust  and  honor.  Was  a  member  of 
the  State  Legislature  of  Massachusetts  in  18G8,  a  justice  of 
the  peace  for  about  fortj'-five  years,  twenty  of  which  he  was 
justice  of  the  tiuorum,  and  postmaster  for  thirty  years.  In 
religion  he  is  a  Unitarian. 

Dr.  De  Wolf  has  for  a  long  period  of  time  been  intinuxtely 
identified  with  the  social,  political,  religion.?,  and  material 
interests  of  the  town  of  his  adoption.  As  a  citizen  he  has 
been  foremost  in  ever\'  measure  that  would  elevate  the 
standard  of  civilization  in  Chester.  As  a  political  man  he 
has  always  been  true  to  his  convictions  of  duty  to  a  degree 
that,  in  the  end,  secured  the  confidence  of  his  opponents  in 
his  honesty  and  integrity.  In  his  social  relations  he  has 
made  life  cheerful  and  pleasant  for  his  friends  and  neigh- 
bors, and  in  his  declining  years  he  takes  pleasure  and  hap- 
piness in  the  welfare  and  prosperity  of  his  children. 


HISTORY   OF  HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


1063 


resolved  not  to  raise  any  money  for  schools,  but  at  a  subse- 
quent meeting  the  same  year  the  matter  was  reconsidered,  and 
£4  were  appropriated  to  hire  a  teacher.  In  1773  education 
had  been  enjoying  a  fair  measure  of  prosperity,  and  early  in 
that  year  a  committee  was  appointed  to  report  upon  "the 
best  places  for  schools  to  be  kept  in  the  winter  for  reading  and 
writing,  and  in  the  summer  for  women's  schools."  Rufus 
Tinker,  who  taught  school  in  Chester  from  1770  to  1790,  was  a 
famous  pedagogue  in  those  days,  and  was,  perhaps,  the  first 
schoolmaster  the  town  had. 

There  are  now  in  Chester  eleven  .school  districts  and  twelve 
schools,  for  whose  support  $2094  were  e.vpended  in  1877.  Be- 
sides the  public  schools  two  select  schools  were  taught  at  Ches- 
ter village  in  1877.  The  public  school  at  the  latter  place  is 
the  most  important,  and  oft'ers  to  pupils  superior  educational 
advantages.  The  children  in  the  town  between  the  ages  of 
five  and  fifteen  numbered  259  in  1877. 

BURIAL-PLACES. 
The  oldest  burying-ground  in  the  town,  and  the  only  one 
laying  claim  to  ancient  date,  is  the  one  still  used  in  Chester 
Centre  as  the  village  graveyard.  It  occupies  a  site  directly 
opposite  the  present  church,  and  was  laid  out  in  1770,  or  pei-- 
haps  in  17C9.  It  is  full  of  ancient  tombstones,  bearing  many 
almost  effaced  inscriptions,  the  oldest  of  which  dates  back  to 
1770.  A  majority  of  the  old  inscriptions  are,  however,  still 
clearly  legible,  although  the  tombstones  themselves  have,  in 
many  instances,  fallen  to  the  ground,  while  others  stand 
erectly  as  when  first  placed  in  position. 

There  of  the  early  settlers  lie  buried  Kev.  Aaron  Bascom, 
who  died  in  1814  ;  his  wife,  Theodosia,  who  died  in  1791  ; 
Alexander  Gordon,  who  was  buried  in  1802,  at  the  age  of 
eighty-five;  John  Gordon,  buried  in  1799;  Thomas  Elder,  in 
1814;  and  his  wife,  Margaret,  in  1786. 

The  tombstone  of  Nathan  Mann  seems  to  have  been  the  first 
one  erected  in  the  ground,  for  it  bears  the  date  of  1770. 
Daniel  Smith,  aged  seventy-eight,  and  his  wife,  Abigail,  aged 
seventy-one,  were  both  buried  in  1771.  Nearly  all  the  early 
settlers  who  lie  in  this  burying-ground  seem  to  have  lived  to 
a  ripe  old  age.  The  most  aged  inhabitant  was  apparently 
Mrs.  Ruth,  wife  of  Capt.  Abner  Smith,  who  died  in  1818, 
aged  ninety-eight.  Abner  himself  died  in  1794,  aged  seventy- 
three.  The  following  are  other  names  on  some  of  the  old 
tombstones  : 

Sally  Rust,  (lied  1703;  Mrs.  Nice,  wife  of  Ebenezer  Smitli,  in  1785;  Daniel 
Snow,  "son  of  Mr.  Oriu  Suow  by  Thankful,  his  wife,"  in  1795 ;  two  sons  of  Eli 
and  Huhlah  Johnson,  in  1!^01 ;  Abilene,  wife  of  John  Smith,  in  1^00;  Samuel 
Elder,  1791,  and  Betsey,  his  wife,  ISOl ;  Sally  Mann,  1796  ;  Abigail  Bates,  1798; 
John  Moor,  1790;  Rusanna,  his  wife,  lfc03;  James,  son  of  Abner  and  Polly 
Pease,  1790  ;  Stephen  Lyman,  1811;  Adah,  wife  of  Crisjjus  Lyman,  1798;  Julm 
Smith,  1782;  Eliza,  wife  of  James  Bell,  1790;  Matthew  Caniphell,  1810,  and 
Sarah,  his  wife,  1788. 

There  is  a  tomb  on  the  farm  of  Mr.  Carrington,  about 
half  a  mile  north  of  Chester  Centre,  which  has  frequently  at- 
tracted the  attention  of  the  curious,  and  has  also  been  the 
subject  of  newspaper  articles.  It  is  hollowed  out  of  an  im- 
mense rock,  rising  1-5  feet  from  the  ground,  and  measuring 
perhaps  15  feet  square.  Within  it  lie  buried  Hiram  Smith 
(a  son  of  Joab  Smith,  one  of  the  first  settlers  and  former 
owner  of  the  farm)  and  his  sister,  Isabell  Toogood,  who  was 
the  wife  of  Samuel  Toogood,  also  one  of  the  earliest  settlers. 
Hiram  died  in  1803,  aged  seventy-nine,  and  Isabell  in  1809, 
aged  eighty-four.  Long  before  his  death  Hiram  caused  the 
tomb  to  be  prepared  as  the  last  resting-place  of  hitnself  and 
sister  (who  lived  with  him),  "so  that"  (in  his  own  language) 
"  they  might  not  hear  Gabriel's  trump  at  the  last  day." 

SOCIETIES. 
SAMOSET   LODGE,   NO.  100,  I.  O.  O.  F., 

was  instituted  Sept.  17,  1872,  and  has  05  members,  with  the 
following  officers ;  Joseph  C.  Seagers,  N.  G.  ;  Edwin  H.  Al- 
vord,  y.  G.  ;  Geo.  H.  Hapgood,  Sec. ;  Paul  R.  Town,  Treas. 


EARLY    MANUFACTURES. 

One  of  the  earliest  manufacturing  interests,  after  the  primi- 
tive saw-  and  grist-mills,  put  in  operation  was  a  tannery  at 
the  Chester  tactories,  by  Spencer  Clark,  in  the  early  part  of 
the  present  century.  Mr.  Chirk,  after  a  few  years,  sold  the 
property  to  Col.  Edwards,  of  Northampton,  who  afterward  sold 
to  Edmund  Hubbard,  under  whose  control  the  undertaking 
was  very  prosperous.     It  was  in  operation  as  late  as  1870. 

Another  enterprise  was  the  organization  of  a  company  for 
the  manufacture  of  glass,  about  the  commencement  of  the  war 
with  Great  Britain,  in  1812.  A  large  building  was  erected,  a 
row  of  tenements  built,  and  for  some  time  matters  flourished 
satisfactorily.  The  sand  used  was  brought  from  Washington, 
Berkshire  Co.,  and  the  clay  from  Pennsylvania.  Upon  the 
conclusion  of  peace  with  Great  Britain,  it  was  found  that  the 
company  could  not  compete  with  foreign  manufacturers,  and 
the  business  was  reluctantly  abandoned.  The  tenement-houses 
changed  hands,  and  the  factory  buildings  went  to  decay.  The 
pecuniary  loss  involved  was  considerable. 

PRESENT  INDUSTRIES. 
The  manufacturing  interest  is  the  leading  element  at  the 
present  time  in  point  of  value  of  productions  in  the  industries 
of  Chester.  The  State  reports  give  the  value  of  manufac- 
tures in  1875  as  5'174,541,  and  that  of  agricultural  and  do- 
mestic products,  §104,071.  The  most  important  manufactories 
are  found  at  the  village  of  Chester,  where  water-power  is  fur- 
nished b}'  the  western  branch  of  the  Agawam  River,  and  by 
smaller  streams. 

The  -Chester  Emery  Company  (originally  known  as  the 
Chester  Iron  Company)  is  a  stock  company,  controlled  by 
Jas.  T.  Ames,  Esq.,  of  Chicopee,  Mass.,  and  has  its  works  in 
the  western  part  of  the  village,  where  the  company's  mine  is 
situated.  This  mine  was  discovered  in  1864,  and  was  in  Jan- 
uary, 1879,  said  to  be  the  only  mine  of  that  kind  in  the  United 
States.*  Thirty-five  men  are  employed,  and  200  tons  of  manu- 
factured emery,  valued  at  §20,000,  are  produced  yearly. 

East  of  the  village  are  the  Hampden  Emery  Company's 
works,  owned  by  Dr.  H.  S.  Lucas  and  N.  A.  Harwood.  This 
establishment  is  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  emery  from 
emery-rock  imported  from  Turkey.  Geo.  D.  Hapgood  &  Son 
have  a  tannery  here,  and  employ  10  men  in  the  production  of 
about  510,000  worth  of  leather  annually.  Two  bedstead-fac- 
tories, owned  respectivelj*  by  Wm.  Fay  and  Timothy  Keefe, 
employ  each  about  12  men,  and  produce  each  §20,000  worth  of 
goods  yearly.  Mica  and  porcelain  clay  or  kaolin  were  discov- 
ered in  Chester  by  Dr.  H.  S.  Lucas  in  1875.  In  1877  a  stock 
company  was  formed  in  New  York  for  the  development  of 
these  mineral  products,  and  in  that  year  works  were  erected 
about  three  miles  south  of  Chester  village.  The  works  em- 
ploy 15  men,  and  since  their  commencement  have  steadily 
flourished. 

The  only  other  manufactories  in  the  town,  apart  from  saw- 
mills, are  the  two  shoe-peg  factories  of  A.  C.  Da_v  &  Son  and 
N.  B.  Prouty  &  Son,  at  Dayville. 

There  are  within  the  limits  of  Chester  140  farms,  the  lands 
of  which  are  largely  devoted  to  the  production  of  hay.  Corn 
is  the  chief  grain  product,  and  considerable  attention  is  given 
to  the  manufacture  of  butter  and  cheese.  The  total  valuation 
of  the  town  in  1878  was  §403,943,  of  which  §384,903  was  in 
real  estate.  The  total  tax — State,  county,  and  town — -was 
§9729,  a  rate  a  trifle  over  two  cents  on  the  dollar.  The  town 
debt,  March  1,  1878,  was  $15,190. 

CHESTER'S  WAR  RECORD. 
The  list  below  includes,  as  far  as  obtainable  from  the  town 
records,  the  names  of  the  citizens  of  Chester  who  served  the 
United  States  during  the  war  of  the  Rebellion,  together  with 
the  name  of  the  regiment  in  which  each  served. 


*  This  statement  refers  to  the  special  kind  of  mineral  obtained  here.    Better 
mateiial  for  the  mnnnfactnrc  of  omen'  is  found  in  North  Carolina. 


1064 


HISTORY   OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


Snmuel  L.  Atwood,  31st  Masa. 

El'jrth  Meacham,  34th  Mass. 

Oliver  C.  Burr,  4Gth  Mass. 

Joseph  S.  Beniiff,  :J4ih  Mass. 

Edwin  (1.  Messf'nger,  llltli  Mii88. 

Cyrna  L.  Beldeii,  4Gih  Masa. 

Edwanl  D.  Beniia.O^d  N.  Y. 

Lester  11.  Qiiiy;ley,  27lh  Mass. 

Lanson  V.  Ciirier,  46th  Masi. 

Edduii  D.  UeiiiiiK,  ^Ist  Muss. 

Cliarles  Fay,  40th  Masa. 

Juaeph  Chart  ier,  4(ith  Itlass. 

Wiitsuu  Carr,  '27th  Miies. 

Edward  E.  Qnigley,  31st  Mass. 

H-nry  E.  Dimuck,  4i;th  Mass. 

Eli  Carter,  36th  N.  Y. 

Geo.  F.  Smith,  3lBt  Mass. 

Wm.C.  Dnnliani,4tifh  Mass. 

Gilnmri  W.  Clark,  31st  Miisa. 

Henry  Talni-ige,  3lst  Masa. 

Edward  Dewey,  4Gth  Ma^a. 

Andrew  Cruw,  imh  Muss. 

Geurge  W.  Tr.iell,  37th  Mass. 

Wrii.  K.  Jackson,  4Gili  Mass. 

Frank  J.  Childs,  loth  Ma^s. 

Henry  Town,  9'Jth  N.  Y. 

James  Kecfc,  4Gth  Masa. 

FranUlin  W.  Dewey,  lUih  Mass. 

Henry  II.  Weeks,  '27lh  Mass. 

Francis  Otiy,  4Gth  Mass. 

Oscar  C.  De  Wulf,  snrg,,  Isl  Mass.  Cav. 

E.  D.  Winsluw,  cliaplain,  19th  Masa. 

Albert  H.  Siinder^'on,  4GIh  Mass. 

D.  Alhert  Fairfield,  34tli  Masa. 

George  Kiley,  UTiknown. 

Chas.  F.  Smith,  4G(h  Mass. 

Geurge  Garland,  lUth  Masa. 

Zachariah  Longley,  loth  Moan. 

Geo.  W.  Wright,  4Gtli  Mass. 

Peter  E.  Ilorberi,  lOih  Mass. 

Samuel  Ladd,*27tli  Masa. 

Other  names  (for  which   regimental   assignment 

George  VV.  Huwo,  lUth  Msiss. 

Henry  Robinson,  'Ilth  Masa. 

cannot  be  asceitained)  are  as  follows:  W.  H. 

Luke  Hiivy,  31st  Mass. 

Chas.  H.  Smith,  27th  Mass. 

Waterman,  D.  B,  Ilichmond,  Thomas  Connersi, 

Martin  Kennedy,  '22d  Mass. 

Henry  Kaftis,  ■27lh  Masa. 

Edward    Fitzgerald,   James  Scanlin,   Samuel 

■William  Meacliarn,  loth  Mass. 

Harrison  Moore,  4Ist  Ohio. 

Pease,  Horatio  Hidmes,  Daniel  Dowd,  John 

Michael  McGratty,  34th  Masa. 

Dennis  Cofflin,  40tli  Masa. 

Moore,  and  Joseph  Whijiple. 

Dwight  Maltiaon,  37th  Masa. 

Joahua  W.  Bemis,  4Gth  Mass. 

BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCH. 


DE.  H.  S.  LUCAS. 

This  gentleman  was  born  in  Blandford,  Hampden  Co., 
Mass.,  on  the  10th  of  September,  1817.  His  father  was  a 
farmer,  who  removed  from  Connecticut  to  Blandford  in  1811. 
In  1828  ho  removed  to  Canaan,  Columbia  Co.,  N.  Y. 

Here  the  doctor  received  the  most  of  his  education  at  the  dis- 
trict school,  which  he  attended  during  the  winter  months,  work- 
ing through  the  summer  upon  his  father's  farm.  During  the 
autumns  of  the  years  183(5  and  '37,  he  attended  two  terms  at 
the  celebrated  Wilbraham  Academ_y.  This  constituted  the 
sum-total  of  his  educational  advantages  [jrevious  to  his  arrival 
at  manhood. 

Through  these  school  days  he  was  a  tdose  and  industrious 
student,  never  allowing  any  time  to  be  squandered  in  unprofit- 
able pursuits.  In  addition  to  his  regular  studies,  he  gave  con- 
siderable attention  to  scientific  subjects. 

In  the  summer  of  1840  he  began  the  study  of  medicine, 
under  the  tutelage  of  Dr.  John  Merriman,  of  Canaan,  N.  Y. 
During  this  period  of  study,  as  an  aid  to  his  financial  afl'airs,  he 
taught  school  a  portion  of  the  time,  and  in  this  way  obtained 
the  means  which  enabled  him  to  attend  lectures  at  the  Berk- 
shire Medical  Institution,  at  Pittsfield,  Mass.,  which  he  con- 
tinued through  the  years  1840,  '41,  and  '4"2,  graduating  in  No- 
vember of  the  latter  year. 

While  a  student  at  Pittsfield,  he  also  learned  the  art  of  den- 
tistry in  the  office  of  Dr.  Willard  Clough,  of  Pittsfield.  Suc- 
ceeding his  college  course,  he  practiced  dentistry  at  South  Lee, 
Mass.,  for  a  short  time,  and  for  about  one  year,  in  1843-44,  was 
in  partnership  with  Dr.  McAllister,  of  that  town. 

In  July,  1844,  Dr.  Lucas  removed  to  the  town  of  Chester, 
Hampden  Co.,  Mass.,  where  he  has  resided  to  the  present  time, 
continuing  the  practice  of  the  medical  profession  to  the  year 
1878. 

He  continued  his  scientific  investigations,  and  in  18-53  dis- 
covered a  method  for  producing  gelatinous  silica  from  the 
decomposition  of  serpentine  rock,  for  which  he  obtained  a 
patent.  By  the  same  process  he  also  succeeded  in  producing 
the  commercial  article  known  as  epsom  salts,  or  sulphate  of 
magnesia.  From  these  discoveries  originated  the  Hampden 
Paint  and  Chemical  Company,  now  doing  business  in  the  city 
of  Springfield,  Mass.  The  doctor  filled  the  position  of  ana- 
lytical chemist  for  this  company  for  about  a  year,  which  was 
the  only  respite  from  his  medical  practice  from  1843  to  1867. 

But  perhaps  the  most  remarkable  event  in  his  career  was 
the  discovery  of  what  was  for  some  time  supposed  to  be  a  vast 
deposit  of  iron  ore  in  the  mountains  around  Chester.  This 
occurred  in  1850,  and  arrangements  were  at  once  made  for  the 
opening  and  working  of  the  mine,  and  in  the  course  of  about 
one  year  twelve  hundred  tons  of  mineral  were  taken  out  and 


transported  to  the  furnaces  of  Stockbridge,  Lenox,  and  Hud- 
son. 

The  financial  crisis  of  1857  compelled  a  discontinuance  of 
the  business,  and  it  was  not  renewed  until  1863.  In  the  last- 
mentioned  year,  in  company  with  his  brother,  John  E.  Lucas, 
and  Henry  D.  Wilco.x,  he  resumed  the  business.  A  blast- 
furnace and  forge  were  erected  in  Chester,  and  the  manufac- 
ture of  iron  was  commenced  ;  but  the  ore  proved  somewhat 
intractable,  and  the  results  were  not  satisfactory.  In  the 
mean  time,  the  doctor  made  a  more  thorough  examination  of 
the  mineral,  and  on  the  6th  of  September,  1864,  discovered 
that  it  contained  a  large  percentage  of  emery,  a  mineral 
hitherto  nearly  unknown  ifl  the  United  States;  in  fact,  this 
is  believed  to  have  been  its  first  di.scovery  in  America. 

Coming  at  a  time  when  the  country  was  engaged  in  a  ter- 
rible war  with  internal  enemies,  the  discovery  was  doubly 
valuable.  Heretofore,  the  emery  used  in  this  country  had 
been  imported  from  the  Turkish  dominions,  and  as  the  En- 
glish and  French  governments  had  a  monopoly  of  the  mines 
near  Smyrna,  in  Asia  Minor,  and  on  the  Greek  island  of 
Naxos,  in  the  Archipelago,  the  United  States  government  was 
debarred  from  procuring  its  necessary  supply,  except  under 
unusual  ditficulties.  In  this  dilemma  the  Chester  emery  was 
utilized,  and  the  government  works  were  supplied  from  it 
a  considerable  time. 

This  mineral  had  been  repeatedly  examined  by  various  sci- 
entific gentlemen,  and  specimens  were  placed  in  the  collections 
at  Amherst  College  and  in  that  made  for  the  State  by  Prof. 
Hitchcock,  and  labeled  magnetite. 

In  1868,  Dr.  Lucas,  with  Messrs.  Charles  Aldcn  and  H.  D. 
Wilcox,  formed  what  was  known  as  the  Hampden  Emery 
Company,  and  erected  a  mill  on  the  river,  below  Chester  vil- 
lage, for  the  manufacture  of  emery.  On  the  18th  of  May, 
1869,  the  doctor  purchased  the  interest  of  his  partners  and 
continued  the  business. 

In  1874  questions  touching  the  ownership  of  the  mine  in- 
volved the  doctor  in  litigation,  which  necessitated  a  change  in 
his  business,  and  from  that  time  he  has  obtained  his  material 
mostly  from  the  Turkish  mines.  The  doctor  continued  the 
business  in  his  own  name  until  May  1,  1878,  when  Mr.  Na- 
than Harwood  became  associated  with  him. 

The  discovery  of  emery  in  Chester  had  created  a  wonderful 
interest  in  the  United  States,  and  many  examinations  and  ex- 
plorations were  made  in  various  parts  of  the  country,  result- 
ing in  the  discovery  of  the  mineral  in  several  localities. 

In  the  spring  of  1875,  Dr.  Lucas  made  a  tour  through  sev- 
eral of  the  Middle  and  Southern  States,  including  Pennsyl- 
vania and  North  Carolina,  and  examined  the  localities  where 
corundum  had  been  discovered. 


-^■'  iJJAEJi'-^^ 


/•^^.txz^ol^ 


£4^n^a^PL 


HISTORY   OF   HAMPDEN  COUNTY. 


1065 


In  the  spring  of  1877  he  made  a  second  and  more  extended 
tour  and  a  more  careful  examination,  especially  in  North 
Carolina.  In  making  his  examinations  of  various  localities 
he  rode  more  than  a  thousand  miles  on  horseback,  and  con- 
sumed the  whole  summer.  During  this  season's  investigations 
he  discovered  corundum  in  North  Carolina  and  Alabama  in 
extensive  deposits;  and  in  March,  1878,  he  commenced  min- 
ing in  Alabama,  whore  he  remained  about  three  months,  in 
Tallapoosa  County,  superintending  the  operations  of  getting 
out  and  ship|iing  the  mineral  to  Chester,  Mass. 

In  June,  1878,  he  began  operations  in  North  Carolina,  which 
are  continued,  and  which  promise  at  no  distant  day  to  develop 
into  important  proportions.  The  mineral  found  in  North 
Carolina  is  superior  to  either  the  Mass.ichusetts  or  Turkish 
emery,  and  has  been  given  the  name  Corundum,  the  generic 
name  for  that  familj'  of  minerals  which  includes  alumina  and 
the  gems  sapphire,  ruby,  etc.,  and  is  the  hardest  known  sub- 
stance next  after  the  diamond. 

Dr.  Lucas  has  an  extensive,  accurate,  and  practical  knowl- 
edge of  minerals,  which  at  the  present  time  is  being  utilized  to 


the  great  advantage  not  only  of  those  engaged  in  the  emery 
business,  but  of  the  country  at  large.  The  importance  of  this 
discovery  is  well  illustrated  by  the  remark  of  a  great  English 
statesman,  "  That  the  discovery  of  an  emery-mine  was  of  more 
value  than  that  of  many  gold-mines." 

The  business  of  mining  and  manufacturing,  in  which  the 
doctor  is  now  engaged,  is  carried  on  by  a  company,  of  which 
he  is  president  and  treasurer,  and  Mr.  N.  A.  Harwood,  his 
partner,  financial  manager.  The  doctor  gives  a  large  share  of 
his  time  to  the  superintendence  of  mining  and  shipping  the 
crude  material,  while  Mr.  Harwood  attends  to  its  manufacture 
and  sale. 

The  deposits  of  North  Carolina  and  Alabama  are  supposed 
to  be  practically  inexhaustible,  and  the  most  serious  difficulty 
now  in  the  way  of  their  rapid  development  and  introduction 
into  general  use  is  their  distance  from  facilities  of  transporta- 
tion. This  will  undoubtedly  be  remedied  before  many  years; 
and  the  United  States  will  not  only  be  enabled  to  supply  their 
own  necessities,  but,  to  a  great  extent,  the  markets  of  the 
world. 


WALES. 


GEOGRAPHICAL. 

The  town  of  Wales  is  situated  in  the  southeasterly  part  of 
the  county,  and  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Brimiield,  on  the 
east  by  Holland,  on  the  west  by  Monson,  and  on  the  south  by 
Stafford,  Conn.     It  is  very  nearly  four  miles  square. 

NATURAL   FEATURES. 

The  town  is  hilly,  hut  contains  frequent  intervales  of  very 
good  land.  The  general  character  of  the  soil  is  sandj',  occa- 
sionally changing  to  a  productive  loam.  The  principal  body 
of  water  is  Wales  Pond,  formerly  called  South  or  Moulton's 
Pond,  which  is  a  beautiful  natural  reservoir,  situated  a  little 
east  of  the  geographical  centre  of  the  town,  and  covering 
about  100  acres.  Its  outlet  is  Mill  or  Erwin's  Brook,  which 
passes  northeasterly  into  the  town  of  Brimfield,  where  it 
unites  with  the  Quinnebaug  River.  Several  smaller  ponds 
are  ranged  along  this  brook,  whose  waters  are  used  for  milling 
purposes. 

A  number  of  low  mountains  or  hills  diversifj-  the  land- 
scape. On  the  east  is  Grandy  Hill,  which  has  been  so  desig- 
nated from  the  earliest  time.  Mount  Hitchcock  or  Gardner 
Mountain,  lying  in  the  northwest  corner  of  the  town,  partly 
in  Brimfield,  rises  to  a  considerable  height,  and  from  its  sum- 
mit afl'ords  a  view  of  remarkable  extent  and  beauty.  Mount 
Pisgah,  just  north  of  the  centre  of  the  town,  is  also  quite  ele- 
vated. Warner's  Hill  lies  in  the  southerly  part  of  the  town. 
Other  hills  of  considerable  magnitude  seem  never  to  have 
been  honored  with  a  name. 

EARLY  SETTLEMENT. 
The  town  of  Wales  was  formerly  a  portion  of  Brimfield, 
and  the  earliest  settlement  of  the  present  town  was  made  some- 
what later  than  that  of  the  moie  central  portion  of  the  original 
town  of  Brimfield.  A  reference  to  the  history  of  the  latter 
town  in  this  volume  discloses  the  fact  that  the  first  settlements 
were  made  in  that  portion  of  the  town  now  Brimfield  in  the 
latter  part  of  the  year  1701,  but  that  no  great  progress  was 
made  prior  to  1717.  No  white  settlers  seem  to  liave  been 
permanently  domiciled  in  South  Brimfield, — the  western  por- 
tion of  which  is  now  Wales, — earlier  than  1726,  although 
134 


there  were  sales  and  grants  of  land,  as  well  as  a  limited  occu- 
pation of  the  same,  before  that  date.  South  Meadow,  now 
Coburn's  Meadow,  situated  in  the  southeast  corner  of  the 
town,  was  occupied  at  an  early  day  by  the  settlers  of  old 
Brimfield,  and  it  was  there  that  a  large  portion  of  the  grass 
for  their  cattle  and  horses  was  obtained. 

The  earliest  actual  settlers  in  Wales,  so  far  as  we  can  gather 
from  the  oldest  papers  and  records,  seem  to  have  been  John  Bul- 
len  and  Anthony  Needham,  who,  with  their  families,  located 
in  1727,  and  perhaps  a  year  sooner,  upon  the  premises  lately 
owned  by  Samuel  L.  Moulton,  bordering  on  the  Coburn  mea- 
dow. Anthony  Needham  and  family  were  domiciled  upon 
the  premises  which  have  since  constituted  the  homestead 
of  Nathan  Green,  West  of  Wales  Pond.  It  is  possible  that 
there  were  a  few  other  settlers  in  the  town  contemporaneously 
with  Bullen  and  Needham,  but  their  names  cannot  now  be 
ascertained. 

Anthony  Needham  married  Molly  Moulton,  and  had  eleven 
children,  si.x  of  whom  were  sons.  He  died  July  2,  17(i3,  at 
the  age  of  sixty-seven  years.  His  oldest  son  was  Capt.  An- 
thony Needham,  who  was  the  first  representative  from  South 
Brimfield  in  the  Massachusetts  Legislature.  His  daughter, 
Anna,  was  born  March  2,  1742,  and  died  in  Union,  Conn.,  in 
1844,  over  one  hundred  and  two  years  of  age, — a  greater  age 
than  any  other  person  born  in  Wales  is  known  to  have  at- 
tained. 

John  BuUen's  daughter  Mary  died  July  15,  1735,  and  hers 
is  the  first  death  recorded  in  the  town.  He  and  his  immediate 
descendant,  John,  Jr.,  remained  in  the  town  and  died  there, 
but  the  later  descendants  on  the  paternal  side  removed  there- 
from in  1785.  During  the  first  sixty  j'ears  of  the  town's  his- 
tory the  Bullen  family  was  prominent  and  influential. 

In  the  drawing  that  took  place  for  the  grants  of  land,  which 
were  recommended  by  the  committee  a|>pointed  by  the  General 
Court,*  and  confirmed  by  said  court  in  1732,  John  Bullen 
drew  "  Lott  28,"  and  Anthony  Necdhain  "  Lott  29." 

Nathaniel,  Eliiathan,  Samuel,  and  Joseph  Munger  were  also 
among  the  earlj-  settlers  of  Wales.     Nathaniel  was  a  resident 

*  See  history  of  Brimfield. 


lOGG 


HISTOEY    OF   THE   COxNNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


of  the  tciwii  ill  17^7,  and  probably  oanie  with  John  Bullen, 
■Hhc*e  eldest  dauifhtcr  he  married,  lie  settled,  lived,  died, 
iir.il  was  buried  ujion  what  is  now  ealled  the  "  Coburn  Farm." 
Elnathan  Munger  settled  a  mile  and  a  lialf  west  of  the  central 
village  of  Wales.  His  first  son,  Joel,  perished  in  the  Kevolu- 
tionary  war.  His  second  son,  Darius,  became  one  of  the  most 
prominent  men  the  town  has  produced.  He  represented  the 
town  four  years  in  the  State  Legislature,  and  filled  other  im- 
portant offices.     He  died  Nov.  21,  1815,  aged  seventy  years. 

Kev.  Ebenezer  Moulton  wa.s  a  resident  of  Wales  as  early  as 
1728.  He  was  married  and  had  one  child  when  he  settled 
there.  He  made  his  first  settlement  upon  the  site  of  what  is 
known  as  the  "old  Wales  Tavern-stand,"  in  the  upper  vil- 
lage, and  he  was  probably  the  first  to  erect  a  dwelling  upon 
that  spot  and  till  the  ground.  It  was  through  him  that  the 
Baptist  Church  was  first  organized,  in  1786.  He  served  as  a 
captain  in  the  French-and-Indian  war,  and  commanded  a 
company  in  the  expedition  to  Crown  Point,  from  Sept.  11  to 
Dec.  2-5,  1755.*  He  resided  in  Wales  until  1763,  when  he 
removed  to  Nova  Scotia.  He  returned  about  1783,  and  died 
in  the  town. 

Samuel  M<julton,  brother  of  Ebenezer,  was  a  resident  of 
W'ales  several  years  prior  to  his  marriage  to  Molly  Haynes,  of 
Brimfield,  on  Jan.  30,  1739.  He  occupied  the  lands  now  con- 
stituting the  homestead  of  the  late  Dr.  Aaron  Shaw,  which  he 
in  part  cleared,  and  whereon  he  erected  a  rude  dwelling.  Soon 
after  his  marriage  he  exchanged  properties  with  his  brother 
Ebenezer,  and,  thus  becoming  owner  of  the  "  old  Wales  tav- 
ern-stand," it  is  said  that  he  thereupon  opened,  and  for  years 
kept,  an  inn,  the  first  in  the  town. 

John  Moulton,  bi'other  of  Ebenezer  and  Samuel,  was  early 
settled  in  Wales.  He  located  and  spent  his  life  upon  what 
afterward  became  the  homestead  of  Henry  Pratt,  near  the 
outlet  of  Wales  Pond.  Freeborn  Moulton,  another  brother, 
settled  and  occupied  the  William  L.  Needham  place.  He 
afterward  removed  to  Monson.  Jonathan  Moulton,  a  cousin 
of  the  Moulton  brothers,  made  his  settlement  contempora- 
neously with  them,  on  the  "Hall  place,"  in  the  southwest 
section  of  the  town. 

The  Needhams,  Mungers,  and  Moultons  are  said  to  have 
come  originally  from  Salem.  Families  of  Johnsons,  Jordans, 
and  Hoveys  were  also  among  the  early  settlers  in  Wales. 

The  earliest  marriage  that  can  be  found  recorded  of  resi- 
dents of  Wales  is  that  of  Nathaniel  Collins  and  Deborah 
Morgan,  on  March  31,  1730.  They  were  among  the  emigrants 
from  Springfield  to  Brimfield,  and  fixed  their  residence  in 
Wales  at  the  time  of  their  marriage  upon  the  "old  Collins 
place,"  half  a  mile  southeast  from  the  northwest  corner  of 
the  town.  They  raised  a  family  there,  !<nd  died  at  advanced 
ages. 

Joshua  and  Selli  Sbaw  owned  land  in  Wales  at  an  early 
period.  They  held  title  to  a  large  tract  lying  upon  either 
side  of  the  present  line  between  Wales  and  Brimfield,  three- 
quarters  of  a  mile  east  of  the  northwest  corner  of  the  town 
of  Wales.  Joshua  settled  on  the  Brimfield  side  of  this  tract, 
and  Seth  upon  the  Wales  side,  in  1731,  upon  the  premises  now 
the  Eli  Gardner  homestead.  The  latter  removed  to  Palmer 
in  1736. 

John  Shaw,  the  progenitor  of  a  large  number  of  subsequent 
residents  of  Wales  bearing  the  same  name,  came  from  Graf- 
ton in  1752,  and  settled  upon  what  afterward  became  the 
Sewell  Shaw  homestead. 

From  him  descended  Samuel  Shaw,  born  May  29,  1788.  He 
married  Mary  Davis,  born  Sept.  8,  1795,  and  who  is  still  liv- 
ing. Warren,  Elijah,  Salem  J.,  and  Eden  D.  are  the  sons 
of  Samuel  and  Mary  Shaw. 

Humphrey  Gardner  removed  from  Palmer  to  Wales  in 
1736,  and  was  the  person  with  whom  Seth  Shaw  exchanged 


*  Miusat;buboUtj  Archives,  Oi ;  4j. 


lands.  Tradition  says  that  the  cause  of  Humphrey  Gardner's 
removal  to  Wales  was  the  fact  that  himself  and  family  were 
so  troubled  by  wifches  in  Palmer,  and  that  they  could  not 
longer  endure  the  annoyance.  It  does  not  appear  whether 
the  witches  also  emigrated  to  Wales.  Humphrey  Gardner  re- 
mained in  Wales,  however,  and  died  there.  His  descendants 
still  retain  the  homestead  which  he  obtained  of  Mr.  Shaw. 

Capt.  Trustrum  Davis  is  shown  by  old  records  to  have  been 
a  resident  of  Wales  as  early  as  1732.  He  was  the  first  settler 
upon  the  farm  since  designated  as  the  "  Houghton  place,"  in 
the  northeast  corner  of  the  town.  He  was  a  very  active  and 
prominent  man  for  over  thirtj-  years.  He  served  in  the  French- 
and-Indian  war  as  captain  of  a  company  mustered  into  service 
Oct.  11,  1756,  in  the  expedition  to  Crown  Point,  and  as  cap- 
tain of  another  company  from  Feb.  14  to  Dec.  16,  1760.t 

Thomas  Green,  son  of  Thomas  Green,  of  Brimfield,  located 
at  Wales  in  1737,  upon  the  lands  now  occupied  by  William 
Nelson,  west  of  the  pond. 

Robert  Green  came  to  Wales  from  Tolland,  Conn.,  in  1743. 
In  October,  1774,  he  married,  and  established  his  residence 
but  a  few  rods  south  of  the  extreme  northwest  corner  of  the 
town,  and  upon  the  ground  through  which  the  present  bound- 
ary-line between  Wales  and  Monson  runs. 

William  Carpenter  settled  about  1740.  He  married  a 
daughter  of  the  fiist  Anthony  Needham,  and  raised  a  large 
family.  He  removed  to  Staflbrd,  Conn.,  in  1782,  and  died 
there  March  9,  1809.  He  is  said  to  have  been  the  first  occu- 
pant of  what  is  known  as  the  "  Walbridge  place,"  in  the 
southwest  quarter  of  the  town.  He  was  prominent  in  town 
afl'airs,  and  represented  South  Brimfield  in  the  convention  for 
the  formation  of  the  State  Constitution  in  1780. 

Ichabod  and  Joel  Rogers  came  from  Windham,  Conn.,  to 
Wales  in  1748,  where  they  remained  and  died,  leaving  nu- 
merous descendants.  Ichabod  settled  south  of  the  central 
portion  of  the  town,  a  mile  from  Staftord,  and  died  Jan.  19, 
1800,  aged  eighty-seven.  Joel  filled  many  positions  of  respon- 
sibility and  trust  in  the  town,  and  represented  it  in  the  Gen- 
eral Court  of  1797.  He  was  the  first  settler  upon  the  ]ilace 
now  the  homestead  of  Harding  G.  Back,  in  the  northwestern 
part  of  the  town.  He  died  June,  1823,  at  the  advanced  age 
of  ninety-four  years  and  eight  months,  being,  as  far  as  known, 
the  oldest  man  who  has  died  in  the  town,  Kachel  Trask  died 
in  Wales,  Aug.  9,  1845,  aged  ninety-nine  years  one  month 
and  twelve  days,  and  is  believed  to  be  the  oldest  person  who 
ever  died  there. 

William  Fenton,  of  Irish  descent,  settled  in  Wales  in  1750, 
and  married  a  niece  of  Seth  Shaw.  He  lived  in  the  northwest 
part  of  the  town,  on  land  since  the  Anson  Baker  homestead, 
and  died  Nov.  14,  1804,  aged  eighty-eight  years. 

Shubael  Dimmick,  from  Mansfield,  Conn.,  settled  in  Wales 
about  1750  upon  the  "  Royce  place,"  east  of  the  pond.  He 
afterward  erected  and  operated  a  grist-mill,  which  stood  nearly 
upon  the  site  of  Eden  D.  Shaw's  factory.  The  brook  whereon 
the  mill  was  located  became  known  as  "  Mill  Brook,"  and  was 
so  designated  thereafter.  Mr.  Dimmick  died  in  February, 
1797,  aged  eighty-two  years. 

Capt.  Daniel  Winchester  left  Roxbury  about  1758,  and  took 
up  his  residence  at  Wales,  succeeding  Mr.  Dimmick  in  the 
ownership  and  occupancy  of  the  "  Royce  place,"  where  he 
kept  a  store  for  many  years.  He  was  an  influential  man, — 
was  a  delegate  from  South  Brimfield  to  the  Provincial  Con- 
gress that  convened  at  Salem,  Oct.  7,  1774,  and  twice  repre- 
sented the  town  in  the  State  Legislature. 

Capt.  Asa  Fisk  emigrated  to  Wales  from  Hampton,  Conn., 
in  1762.  His  first  settlement  was  upon  the  "Wales  tavern- 
stand,"  where  for  a  time  he  pursued  the  vocations  of  landlord 
and  farmer.  After  that  he  purchased  a  large  tract  of  land 
upon  the  elevated  ground  in  the  south  part  of  the  town, 

t  Miss.  Aichives,  04 ;  007,  aud  Oo ;  271-74. 


HISTORY   OF   HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


1007 


which  has  been  not  inappropriately  called  "  Fisk  Hill." 
There  he  establislied  his  homestead,  upon  lands  afterward  the 
property  of  Moses  Davis.  He  was  a  man  of  much  energy 
and  decision  of  character,  and  exerted  a  controlling  influence 
in  the  affairs  of  the  town. 

Oliver  Wales,  from  Union,  Conn.,  in  ITtJiJ,  took  up  his 
residence  in  the  town  of  Wales.  He  remained  until  1778, 
when  he  returned  to  Union,  and  his  brother  Elijah,  with 
whom  he  had  traded  properties,  left  that  town  and  settled  in 
Wales.  In  1787  these  brothers  again  exchanged  places,  and 
Oliver  returned  to  Wales,  where  he  died  March  23,  1816,  at 
the  age  of  seventy-two  years.  He  resided  upon  the  premises 
known  as  the  "  Wales  tavern-stand,"  where  he  followed  the 
double  vocation  of  farmer  and  landlord  until  his  death,  in 
1816.     He  twice  represented  the  town  in  the  Legislature. 

Rev.  James  Mellen,  second  pastor  of  the  Baptist  Church  of 
Wales,  located  in  1705,  and  tilled  the  pastoral  office  till  1769, 
when  ill  health  compelled  him  to  desist.  He  died  soon  after, 
at  Dover,  aged  thirty-seven  years.  Notwithstanding  his  early 
death,  of  a  wasting  malad}',  it  is  worthy  of  note  that  his  son 
Joshua  Mellen,  who  was  born  in  Wales,  Sept.  14,  1705,  lived 
until  Feb.  22,  18-58,  when  he  died,  at  Westhorough,  Mass.,  at 
the  advanced  age  of  ninetj'-three  years  five  months  and 
eight  daj-s,  a  longer  time  than  any  other  man  born  in  Wales 
is  known  to  have  lived. 

Rev,  Elijah  Coddington,  fourth  pastor  of  the  Baptist  Church, 
came  to  Wales  from  Middleborough  in  1773,  and  continued 
until  his  death.  May  7,  1830,  at  the  age  of  eighty-eight  j'ears. 
He  served  as  chaplain  in  a  regiment  of  State  militia  for  ten 
years,  filled  various  town  offices,  and  was  popular  in  the  min- 
isterial office.  He  lived  upon  the  high  ground  at  the  northern 
extremity  of  the  main  street  of  the  central  village. 

Asa  Houghton  emigrated  to  Wales  from  Union,  Conn.,  in 
1779.  He  married  a  daughter  of  Capt.  Trustrum  Davis,  and 
occupied  the  residence  which  Mr.  Davis  formerly  occupied, 
and  which  has  since  become  known  as  the  "  Houghton  place." 
He  filled  many  of  the  offices  of  the  town,  and  was  the  third 
representative  from  Wales  in  the  State  Legislature  in  1784. 
He  died  April  17,  1829,  at  the  age  of  eighty-seven  years. 

Of  the  early  physicians  of  the  town  may  be  mentioned  Dr. 
James  Lawrence,  who  came  from  Killingly,  Conn.,  about  the 
year  1746,  and  practiced  his  profession  until  May  14,  1778, 
when  he  died  of  small-pox,  at  the  age  of  fifty-eight.  Dr.  Dud- 
ley Wade  succeeded  him  from  1779  to  1783.  Then  followed 
Dr.  Able  Sherman,  from  1783  to  1786.  After  him  came  Dr. 
Jeremiah  Round,  from  1787  to  1789. 

Dr.  David  Young  came  from  Worcester  in  1790,  and  located 
at  Wales,  where  he  practiced  his  profession.  He  afterward 
engaged  in  business  as  a  merchant.  He  died  in  Brimfield  in 
1802,  a  few  months  after  le:iving  Wales,  and  was  buried  in 
the  latter  town. 

Dr.  Ferdinand  Lethbridgo  followed  next,  in  180-5,  coming 
from  Medway.  He  continued  in  practice  until  his  demise,  in 
1811.  In  that  year  Dr.  Thaddeus  Fairbanks  appeared,  and 
remained  until  1815.  Dr.  Daniel  Titiany  practiced  in  Wales 
from  1812  to  1822,  when  he  removed  to  Webster.  He  also 
engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits. 

Dr.  Aaron  Shaw  studied  with  Dr.  Lethbridge,  and  in  1813 
established  himself  in  practice  in  Wales,  and  continued 
therein,  with  a  slight  intermission,  until  his  decease,  July  17, 
1845,  at  the  age  of  sixty-two.  Dr.  John  Smith,  his  contem- 
porary for  a  long  period,  commenced  practice  in  1815,  and 
continued  the  same  fur  over  fifty  years. 

TAVERNS. 

The  earliest  tavern  in  Wales  is  supposed  to  have  been  kept 
by  Samuel  Moulton  in  the  "  Old  Wales  tavern-stand,"  as 
early  as  1740.  Capt.  Asa  Fisk  kept  an  inn  at  the  same  place 
about  1762.  He  was  succeeded  by  Oliver  Wales,  who  kept 
the  tavern  for  more  than  fifty  years,  and  filled  many  impor- 


tant positions  in  the  town.  His  name  and  location  are  fre- 
quently referred  to  in  the  early  town  records,  and  it  seems  to 
have  been  the  principal  place  of  attraction  in  the  town  in 
those  primitive  days.  The  pound  was  kept  in  the  barn-yard 
attached  to  the  inn  in  1795.  Oliver  Wales  died  in  1816,  and 
was  succeeded  in  the  business  of  inn-keeping  by  his  son  Loren, 
who  followed  that  vocation  until  about  1830.  Cornelius 
Miller  then  established  a  tavern  in  his  residence,  nearly  oppo- 
site the  Wales  tavern-stand,  and  kept  it  about  eight  years. 
Wm.  Ruby  followed  him,  and  kept  it  for  two  years.  Then 
Otis  Twichell  appeared,  and  kept  tavern  as  late  as  1845. 

The  town  records  show  that,  as  early  as  1763,  Ebenezer 
Bishop  was  voted  to  "provide  a  pound,  and  be  pound- 
keeper."  Probably,  as  the  custom  was  then,  he  was  to  ar- 
range a  suitable  place  on  his  own  premises  for  that  purpose. 
On  March  13,  1797,  it  was  voted  to  build  a  pound — "  with 
stones" — to  be  40  feet  square,  4  feet  at  the  bottom,  2  feet  at  the 
top,  and  6  feet  high,  with  a  gate,  lock,  and  key,  "  on  the  road 
between  the  dwelling-house  of  Capt.  Nichols  and  Aaron  Win- 
chester's." The  pound  was  constructed  by  David  Needham  for 
§40,  and  is  probably  the  one  which  stood  on  the  site  of  the  new 
burying-ground  as  late  as  1828,  when  it  was  disused,  and  the 
stones  drawn  away.  A  frame  pound  was  afterward  con- 
structed on  the  west  shore  of  Wales  Pond,  and  was  used  up 
to  1860  or  1865,  when  it  was  gradually  abandoned-  There  is 
no  regular  pound  at  present.  Erasmus  D.  Shaw'sbarn-yard 
has  been  used  for  that  purpose  for  the  past  few  years. 

The  first  highway  laid  out  by  the  town  was  early  in  1764. 
It  was  a  rod  and  a  half  wide,  and  the  committee  reported  that 
there  were  "  many  trees  marked," — the  only  guide-boards  in 
those  early  times.  Other  roads  two  rods  wide  were  laid  out 
in  1765  and  1767,  and  after  that  they  multiplied  rapidly. 
But  it  must  not  be  inferred  from  this  that  there  were  no  roads 
in  use  prior  to  1764.  Rough  bridle-paths,  marked  by  blazed 
trees,  and  filled  with  charred  stumps,  were  in  common  use, 
and  a  number  of  highways  had  been  laid  out  by  the  old  town 
of  Brimfield,  in  that  section  of  the  town  which  afterward  be- 
came Wales.  In  1731  a  road  from  a  point  just  south  of  the 
centre  of  the  present  Brimfield  passed  over  Haynes'  Hill,  in 
that  town,  down  through  the  present  town  of  Wales,  past 
Wales  Pond  and  into  Staflord ;  and  another  passed  around 
through  the  northwest  corner  of  Holland,  starting  at  the  same 
point  as  the  other  road  and  ending  at  South  Wales  Pond,  on 
one  branch,  and  on  another  branch  continuing  down  through 
South  Meadow  to  Staflord.  In  1732  a  road  ran  west  from  South 
Pond  to  Cedar  Swam]),  in  Monson,  and  another  down  into  the 
South  Meadow,  in  Wales.  In  1733  a  short  road  united  the 
two  first  referred  to  in  the  northeast  section  of  Wales,  crossing 
Erwin's  or  Mill  Brook. 

ORG.-iNIZA.TION. 

As  has  been  stated,  Wales  was  at  first  included  in  the  town 
of  Brimfield.  Holland,  Monson,  part  of  Palmer,  and  part  of 
Warren  (then  called  Western)  were  likewise  included  in  the 
same  territory. 

On  Sept.  18,  1762,  the  General  Court,  in  compliance  with  the 
repeated  requests  of  those  persons  who  lived  in  the  south  part 
of  old  Brimfield,  passed  a  resolution  looking  to  the  setting  oft" 
of  that  section  of  territory  as  a  distinct  district,  having  all 
the  rights  of  a  town  except  that  of  corporate  representation 
in  the  Legislature.  They  were  to  unite  with  Brimfield  in  the 
choice  of  a  representative.  The  General  Court  directed  Jo- 
siah  Dwight,  a  justice  of  the  peace,  to  "  notify  and  warn"  the 
inhabitants  of  the  south  part  of  Brimfield  to  convene  at  the 
house  of  John  Bishop  on  Oct.  5,  1702,  to  choose  a  "Moderator 
to  regulate  s""  Meeting,"  and  to  "choose  all  such  town  officers 
as  shall  be  necessary  to  manage  the  affairs  of  s''  District." 

The  warrant  was  issued  by  Justice  Dwight  to  Jona- 
than Burk,  "one  of  the  principal  inhabitants  of  the  Dis- 
trict <f  South  Brimfield,"  on  Sept.   28,  1762.     On  October 


1068 


HISTORY   OF   THE   CONNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


5lh  IliD  nipeling  duly  asfemLlcel,  and  chose  the  following 
officers:  Modiiiilor,  lluini]lney  Cram;  District  Clerk,  Capt. 
Joseph  Hlo(li;ett ;  Seleotnicii,  Humphrey  Needhani,  Humphrey 
Cram,  Anthony  Necdham,  Jr.,  Noheniiah  May,  and  John 
Moulton.* 

Oct.  19,  171)2,  voted  Huni]ihrey  Cram  and  Joseph  Blodgett 
as  a  committee  to  "hire  preaching  for  the  winter  season,  and 
that  the  meeting  he  held  at  the  house  of  Isaac  Foster,  in  the 
east  part,  and  at  the  house  of  Dr.  James  Lawrence,  in  the 
we«t  part,  in  proportion  to  what  the  people  pay  at  each  place." 
Also  voted  to  build  a  meeting-house  at  the  northeast  corner  of 
Edward  Webher's  land  by  subscription;  to  buy  two  quires  of 
pajier  to  record  births  and  deaths  on  ;  and  to  settle  the  line 
between  old  Briiulield  and  South  Brimlield.  Nov.  16,  171)2, 
voted  "with  the  Baptists"  to  divide  the  district  into  two 
societies  for  "setting  up  the  gospel"  amongst  us. 

Dec.  22,  17(J3,  John  Webber,  Jonathan  Burk,  and  Hum- 
phrey Cram  were  chosen  a  committee  to  agree  with  Rev.  Ben- 
jamin Conchelin  "  to  preach  with  us."  £30  was  appropriated 
for  the  purpose  of  aH'ording  preaching  during  the  winter 
season.  The  place  for  the  erection  of  the  meeting-house  was 
changed  to  the  northwest  corner  of  John  Danielson's  farm. 

On  Jan.  18,  1763,  the  South  Meadow  road  (alluded  to  in 
the  chapter  on  early  settlement)  was  fixed  as  the  dividing- 
line  between  the  east  and  west  parts  of  the  town  "  for  gospel 
purposes." 

On  March  14,  1763,  besides  the  regular  annual  officers 
chosen,  tythingmen,  fence-viewers,  deer-reeves,  hog-reeves, 
and  a  sealer  of  leather  were  chosen.  Two  days  later  it  was 
voted  to  hire  four  months'  more  preaching,  after  Mr.  Conche- 
lin's  time  expired,  and  to  hold  the  meetings  at  the  house  of 
Capt.  Joseph  Blodgett. 

On  June  10,  1763,  a  petitiim  of  Dr.  James  Lawrence,  Ne- 
hemiah  May,  and  Kobert  Brown,  asking  for  a  division  of  the 
district,  was  voted  on  and  carried.  The  petition  and  its  ob- 
ject were  formally  indorsed  by  a  paper  signed  by  36  inhab- 
itants of  the  district,  and  hearing  date  June  10,  1763.  On 
October  17th  following,  Nehemiah  May  was  sent  to  the  Gen- 
eral Court  to  put  through  the  matter  of  a  division,  and  £1 
15.S.  and  llrf.  was  allowed  him  for  expenses.  Dr.  James  Law- 
rence was  also  sent  for  the  same  purpose,  and  he  was  allowed 
£2  4s.  and  2/. 

At  the  annual  meeting,  held  March  12,  1764,  a  "surveyor 
of  wheat  and  flour"  was  for  the  tirst  time  chosen.  That  meet- 
ing refused  to  appropriate  any  money  for  preaching  and 
schooling.  It  was  also  enacted  that  "swine  should  run  at 
large,  yoakt  and  ringed  according  to  law."  This  provision 
was  made  many  times  after  at  town-meetings,  and  seems  to 
have  been  the  custom  of  that  period. 

On  Sept.  0,  1774,  the  district  seemed  inclined  to  take  the  ad- 
ministration of  justice  into  their  own  hands,  for  we  find  it 
recorded  that  they  voted  to  "choose  twelve  men  as  a  Court  of 
Justice  and  Honour  to  judge  and  determine  all  controversies 
that  may  hereafter  arise  in  said  District."  The  persons  se- 
lected for  this  purpose  were  Nehemiah  May,  Jacob  How, 
Nathaniel  Munger,  Asa  Fisk,  Anthony  Needham,  Daniel 
Winchester,  Thomas  Parker,  Jonathan  Wallis,  Benjamin 
Blodgett,  Edward  Webber,  Abel  Allen,  and  Joel  Rogers. 

In  the  same  year  an  act  was  passed  making  all  districts  then 
existing  towns,  with  full  rights  and  privileges.  By  virtue  of 
this  provision  South  Brimfield  became  a  town. 

On  March  25,  1779,  it  was  again  voted  to  divide  the  town, 
and  on  April  8th  of  the  same  year  Darius  Munger  and  Thomas 
Bond  were  chosen  to  go  to  the  General  Court  to  eflFect  that 
object. 

Sept.  4,  1780,  the  town  cast  45  votes  for  John  Hancock  for 
Governor,  31  votes  for  Artemas  Ward  for  Lieutenant-Gov- 


•  The  town  is  deeciibed  in  the  act  of  the  General  Comt  as  being  about  four 
miles  fiLm  noith  to  toutb,  uud  about  eix  uud  a  half  miles  fiom  cast  to  west. 


ernor,  and  3  votes  for  Timothy  Danielson  for  Lieutenant- 
Governor. 

March  11,  1782,  it  was  again  voted  to  divide  the  town,  the 
"  dividing-line  to  be  the  County  Road  leading  from  Brimfield 
along  by  Deactm  Nathaniel  Munger's  to  Unicm  or  South 
Meadow  Koad,"  and  Joseph  Bruce  was  selected  to  go  to  the 
General  Court  for  that  purpose.  The  efl'ort  appears  to  have 
met  with  success  this  time,  for  on  July  5,  1783,  the  east  pari.sh 
of  South  Brimfield  was  duly  incorporated  as  the  district  of 
Holland. 

It  would  seem  to  have  been  a  rather  venturesome  business  to 
get  married  in  the  early  history  of  Wales,  and  that  a  "  mother- 
in-law''  was  held  in  uncommon  regard  ;  for  on  Sept.  15.  1784, 
a  committee  was  chosen  by  the  town  to  "  seize  John  Moulton's 
estate  for  the  support  of  his  wife's  mother." 

On  Dec.  3,  1792,  it  was  voted  "to  provide  a  place  to  have  the 
small-pox  in,"  and  "that  those  taking  the  infection  repair 
within  the  lines." 

There  has  never  been  a  regular  almshouse  in  the  town  of 
Wales,  but  the  poor  have  been  "  farmed  out,"  so  to  speak,  at 
auction,  to  the  lowest  bidder,  from  the  earliest  times.  An 
instance  of  this  kind  occurs  in  the  town  records  of  March  11, 
1793,  when  it  was  "  voted  to  set  up  Mr.  Dimmick  to  the  low- 
est bidder,  to  be  provided  for  in  sickness  and  death  and  every 
necessary  of  life  for  one  year,  and  if  the  said  Dimmick  shall 
decease  before  the  year  is  out  the  full  sum  bid  is  still  to 
be  paid." 

Dec.  30,  1795,  Oliver  Wales,  Joel  Rogers,  and  Darius  Mun- 
ger, of  South  Brimfield,  and  Joseph  Bruce,  Alfred  Lyon,  and 
David  Wallis,  of  the  district  of  Holland,  entered  into  an 
agreement,  on  behalf  of  their  respective  corporate  bodies,  for 
the  support  of  the  county  road  and  an  alternation  in  the  se- 
lection of  a  representative. 

On  Jan.  12,  1828,  the  town  voted  to  change  its  name  to 
Clinton.  On  January  26th  following  that  question  was  re- 
considered, and  the  name  of  Wales  adopted,  in  recognition 
of  the  liberality  of  James  L.  Wales,  a  native  and  resident, 
who  beqeathed  the  sum  of  $2000  to  the  town.  This  donation, 
subsequently  received,  has  proved  a  handsome  source  of  rev- 
enue to  the  town.  The  General  Court,  by  legislative  enact- 
ment, confirmed  the  change  in  the  name.  The  principal 
reasons  for  the  change  appear  to  have  been  the  desire  for  a 
shorter  name,  and  to  avoid  any  appearance  of  subserviency, 
or  inferiority,  to  the  mother-town  of  Brimfield. 

The  following  citizens  of  the  town  have  served  as  represen- 
tatives to  various  conventions  and  to  the  General  Court,  and 
filled  the  principal  offices  in  the  town  : 

DELEGATES    TO    CONVENTIONS. 

To  the  Provindal  Congress  convened  at  Salem,  Oct.  7, 1774,— Capt.  Daniel 
Winchester. 

To  the  convention  which  assembled  at  Cambridge,  Sept.  5, 1779,  to  form  the 
State  constitution, — William  Carpenter. 

To  a  convention  held  at  Hattield,  April,  1781,  and  another  at  Hadley,  Feb.  11, 
1782,  to  devise  measures  for  the  welfaie  of  the  county, — Joel  Rogers. 

To  a  county  convention  held  for  a  like  piiipose  at  Hatfield,  Aug.  22,  1786,  and 
another  at  Hadley,  Nov,  7,  178(3,  and  to  a  Stiite  convention  assembled  at  Boston 
for  a  simitar  purpose,  in  January,  1788, — Asa  Fisk. 

To  a  district  convention  held  at  Noithampton,  July  14,  1812,  to  devise  meaa- 
ure.i  to  hasten  the  termination  of  the  war  with  Great  Britain, — Darius  IMunger. 

To  the  convention  to  revise  and  amend  the  State  constitution,  held  at  Boston, 
in  November,  1820,— Cliarles  Gardner. 

To  a  State  convention  assembled  at  Boston,  in  lilay,  1853,  for  the  purpose  of 
revising  tlie  constitution, — James  C.  Royce. 

REPRESENTATIVES   TO   THE   GENERAL   COURT   AND   STATE 

LEGISLATURE. 
1.  Chosen  when  Wales  and  Holland  acted  unitedly, — from 
Wales : 

1775,  Anthony  Needham  ;  1780,  David  Bullcn  ;  1784,  Asa  Houghton  ;  1786,  '87, 
Daniel  Winchester :  1786,  '90, 1794-95,  Darius  Munger ;  1788-S9,  Asa  Fisk  ;  1797, 
Joel  Rogers;  180O-1,  Oliver  Wales;  1804,  Josiali  Gardner ;  1805,  John  Munger; 
1806,  David  Wallis  ;  1810-11,  1813,  Royal  Wales ;  1815-16,  James  L.  Wales  ;  1819, 
Timothy  Fenton  ;  1822-23,  Alvin  Needham ;  1827,  Beta  Tiffany  ;  1830-31,  Chaa. 
Gardner;  1833-36,  Alfied  Needham  ;  1836,  John  S.  Smitli. 


HISTORY   OF   HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


1069 


2.  Chosen  by  Wales  alone  under  the  amendment  of  the 
State  constitution  of  1837  : 

1839,  '46,  Atsaloni  Ganlncr;  le40,  JamPB  E.  Koyce ;  1841,  Luther  Parker; 
1S43,  James  Foskit;  1):44,  Coinelius  Miller;  1851,  Arbey  Squier;  1862,  Wairen 
Shaw ;  1853,  JoDathaii  G.  Royce  ;  1855,  Elijah  Sliaw. 

3.  Chosen  from  Wales  by  the  First  Hampden  District,  com- 
posed of  Monson,  Brimfield,  Wales,  and  Holland: 

1869,  David  F.  Parker ;  1864,  Elijah  Shaw  ;  1868,  Ferdinand  L.  Bnrley  ;  1873, 
Julius  M.  Lyon. 

SELECTMEN. 

1762-65.— Humiihrey  Needham,  Huniphiey  Cram,  Anthony  Necclliani,  Kehe- 

miah  May,  John  Moulton. 
1766.— Joseph  Bludgett,  ■\nthony  Needham,  John  Moulton,  Dr.  James  Lawrence, 

Samuel  Hunger. 
1767.— Joseph  Bludgett,  Dr.  James  Lawrence,  Humphrey  Needham. 
1768.— Humphrey  Crane,  Humphrey  Needham,  Dr.  James  Lawrence. 
1769.— Humphrey  Crane,  Joseph  Blodgelt,  Jr.,  Edward  Webher. 
1770.— Humphrey  Crane,  Joseph  Blodgett,  Jr.,  Anthony  Needham. 
1771. — Asa  Fisk.  Joseph  Blodgett,  Jr.,  Nehemiah  May. 

1772. — Anthony  Needham,  Daniel  Winchester,  Nehemiah  Slay.  • 

1773.— Anthony  Needham,  Asa  Fisk,  Nchrmiah  May. 
1774_ Anthony  Needham,  Daniel  Winchester,  Humphrey  Crane. 
1775.— Anthony  Needham,  Asa  Fisk,  Humphrey  Crane. 

1776.— Humphrey  Crane,  Daniel  Winchester,  Anthony  Needham,  Joseph  Hun- 
ger, Edward  Webber. 
1777. — Daniel  Winchester.  Nehemiah  5Iay,  Jonathan  Wallis. 
1778.- Nehemiah  Needham,  Sherebiah  Ballald,  Benjamin  Blodgett. 
1779.— Thomas  Bond,  Daiius  Hunger,  Wui.  Belknap,  Abner  Needham,  Joseph 

Needham. 
17£0.— James  Blodgett,  Wm.  Belknap,  Daiius  Hunger,  Jonathan  Ciane,  Joseph 

Needham. 
1781.— Jonas  Blodgett,  Wm.  Belknap,  Daiius  Hunger,  Alfred  Lynn,  Joseph 

Needham. 
1782. — Joel  Kogers,  Wm.  Belknap,  Abner  Needham,  Abel  Allen,  Joseph  Hunger. 
1783.— Joel  Kogers,  Wm.  Belknap,  Joseph  Needham,  Abel  Allen,  Darius  Hunger. 
1784.— Darius  Hunger,  Joel  Kogers,  Joseph  Needham. 
17f 5.— Samuel  Winchester,  Diuius  Hunger,  Asiv  Houghton. 
1786.— Joel  Kogers,  Darius  Hunger,  David  Needham. 
1787._joel  Rogers,  Daiius  Hunger,  Daniel  Hunger. 
1788.— Joel  Rogers,  Ata  Fisk,  Daniel  Winchester. 
1789.— Joel  KogeK,  A.=a  Fisk,  Daiius  Hunger. 
1790-91.— Daiius  Hunger,  Joel  Rogers,  .\sa  Fisk. 
1793.— David  Needham,  Joel  Rogers,  Daniel  Hunger. 
1794.— John  Hunger,  Joel  Kogers,  Daniel  JIunger. 
1795.— John  Hunger,  Joel  Rogeis,  Daiius  Hunger. 
1796._Darius  Hunger,  Joseph  Gardner,  John  Hunger,  David  Needham,  Samuel 

Shaw. 
1797-98. — Daiius  Hunger,  Josiah  Gardner,  John  Hunger. 
1799.— Nathan  Wight,  Oliver  Wales. 

ISOO.— John  Hunger.  Nathan  Wight,  Benjamin  Winchester. 
1801. — David  Needham,  Stephen  Needham,  Asa  Fisk,  Jr.,  Asa  Houghton,  John 

Shaw. 
1802.— John  Hunger,  Nathan  Wight,  John  Shaw. 
1803. — Daiius  Hunger,  Joel  Rogers,  .\sa  Fisk. 
lt;04. — Darius  Hunger,  John  Hunger,  Oliver  Wales. 
If05,— Darius  Hunger,  Cyrus  Hunger,  Stephen  Needham. 

1806-10. — John  Hunger,  C'yrus  Hunger,  Stephen  Needham. 

1611.— Asa  Fisk,  Jr.,  James  L.  Wales,  John  Shaw. 

1812.— Jesse  Houlton,  Charles  Gardner,  Cyrus  Hunger. 

1813.— Jesse  Moulton,  .^masa  Hunger,  Stephen  Needham. 

1814.— Jesse  Houlton,  TiUKithy  Fenton,  James  W.  Needham. 

1815.— Je-sse  Houlton,  Timothy  Fenton,  James  L.  Wales. 

1816.— Charles  Gardner,  Timothy  Fenton,  Alvin  Needham. 

1817.- Alvin  Needham,  Timothy  Fenton,  Alfied  Needham. 

1818-20.— Alvin  Needham,  John  Smith,  Alfred  Needham. 

1821.— James  L.  Wales,  Francis  Hitler,  .\lfred  Needham. 

1822.— James  L.  Wales,  Alvin  Needham,  John  Smith. 

1823.- James  L.  Wales,  John  Smith,  Alfred  Needham. 

1824.— James  L.  Wales,  Alfred  Needham.  Oiin  Wales. 

1825.— Alvin  Needham,  John  Smith,  Wm.  Thompson. 

1826.— James  L.  Wales,  John  Smith,  Wm.  Thompson. 

1827.— Alfred  Needham,  John  Smith,  James  Bubcock. 

18-'8.— James  L.  Wales,  John  Smith,  Alfred  Needham. 

1829-30.— James  L.  Wales,  John  Smith,  Francis  Miller. 

1831. — John  Smith,  Charles  Gardner,  James  Babcock. 

1832. — John  Smith,  Whitman  Mniiger,  James  Babcock. 

1833.— John  Smith,  Whitman  Hunger,  Alfred  Needham. 

1834. — James  L.  Wales,  Charles  Gardner,  Alfred  Needham. 

1835.— John  Smith,  Aaron  Shaw,  Alfred  Needham. 

1836.— Charles  Gardner,  Aaron  Shaw,  Oliver  Wales. 

1837. — James  L.  Wales,  Absalom  Gardner,  Elijah  C.  Babcock. 

183S.— James  C.  Royce,  Absalom  Gardner,  Whitman  Hunger. 

1839. — James  C.  Royce,  Absalom  Gardner,  John  White. 

1840.— .\bsalom  Gardner,  James  C.  Royce,  .\nies  Walbiidge,  John  Smith. 

l<.4l.— Absalom  Gardner,  Ferdinand  L.  Hurley,  Nathan  Palmer. 


1842. 

II- 4:!. 

It  44. 

1846.- 

184G.- 

1847. 

1848. 

1849.- 

1850.- 

1861.- 

1852.- 

1863. 

1854 

1853.- 

1856. 

1857- 

1859.- 

1860. 

If61. 

1862.- 

If63- 

1863.- 

lJ-66.- 

1867. 

1868- 

1870.- 

1871.- 

1S72. 

1873- 

1875. 

1876. 

1877. 

1878. 


—Luther  Parker,  Horace  Gardner.  Nathan  Palmer. 
.—Absalom  Gardner,  Ferdinand  L.  Burley,  Ames  Walbiidge. 
.—Horace  Gardner,  Wm.  Thompson,  Ames  Walbridge. 
— Alisalom  Gardner,  L.  B.  Wight,  Alvan  Andi  evvs. 
Leonard  P.  Wight,  James  C.  Royce,  Esek  Luther. 
Leonard  P.  Wight,  James  C.  Royce,  A.  A.  Needham. 
—Absalom  Gardner,  Horace  Gardner,  C.  D.  Brown. 
Absalom  Gardner,  N.  H.  Stowell.  C.  D.  Brown. 
Absalom  Gardner,  N.  H.  Stowell,  Jiimcs  C.  Royce. 
Absalom  Gardner,  Warren  Shaw,  Silas  Peiry. 
Alfred  Needham,  Alviu  Andrews,  Art-ey  Squier. 
—Absalom  Gardner,  David  B.  Needham,  Eli  Gardner. 
—Absalom  Gardner,  David  B.  Needham,  Ferdinand  L.  Bui  ley. 
.—Absalom  Gardner,  Adams  Stewart,  Samuel  B.  Perry. 
-Alisalom  Gardner,  Nathan  Palmer,  Warren  Shaw. 
58.— Absalom  Gardner,  Nathan  Palmer.  Samuel  L.  Moulton. 

Warren  Shaw,  Wm.  L.  Needham  S.  V.  R.  Smith. 
_Warren  Shaw,  Friend  C.  Smith,  Warren  Needham. 
—Warren  Shaw,  S.  V.  R.  Smith,  Wm.  L.  Neetlham. 
-Absalum  Gardner,  Eden  D.  Shaw,  S.  V.  R.  Smith. 
64.— .\1  salom  Gardner,  C.  D.  Brown,  Warren  Shaw. 
-Julius  M.  Lyon,  J.  C.  Burley,  F.  C.  Smith. 
— F.  L.  Burley,  C.  D.  Brown,  S.  B.  Perry. 

—  F.  L.  Burley,  C.  D.  Brown,  J.  M.  Lyon. 
69.— F.  L.  Burley,  Warren  Needham,  Daviil  ¥.  Parker. 
— F.  L.  Burley,  Warren  Needham,  A.  B.  Johnsou. 
—J.  M.  Lyon,  Wm.  L.  Needham,  F.  L.  Cobiirn. 

—  .\bsaloni  Gardner,  Warren  Needham,  F.  L.  Cohuro. 
-74— F.  L.  Burley,  Wm.  L.  Needham,  F.  L.  Coburn. 
— F.  L.  Burley,  Wm.  L.  Needham,  George  0.  Henry. 
— F.  C.  Smith,  George  0.  Henry,  A.  B.  Johnson. 
— Frank  A.  Royce,  J.  H.  Lyon,  A.  B.  Johnson. 
—George  H.  Needham,  .1.  H.  Lyon,  A.  B.  Johnson. 


TOWN   CLERKS. 


Capt.  Joseph  Blodgett,  1762-6.3,  '66-67, '69-74 ;  Humphrey  Cram,  1764-68  r* 
Jeremiah  Needham,  1765;  Joseph  Needham,  177.5-76;  Abner  Needham,  1777- 
80,  '85-86,  'S8-90;  David  Bullen,  1781-84  ;  Darius  Hunger,  1787  ;  Oliver  Wales, 
1791-1804;  Rev.  Elijah  Coddington,  1804-5  ;  .lames  Smith,  1806-7;  Jes.sc  Moul- 
ton, 180*-15;  Wm.  W.  Thompson,  1815;  Alfieil  Needham,  1.816-34;  Elijah  C. 
Babcock,  1834;  Aaron  Shaw,  1835-36;  James  C.  R.)yce,  1837-40 ;  Leonard  B. 
Wight,  1840-43;  Nathan  D.  Wight,  1843;  Absalom  Gardner,  1844;  Austin  L. 
Rogers,  1845-48 ;  Nahani  H.  Stowell,  1848-51;  Ferdinand  L.  Burley,  1851-55; 
George  H.  Needham,  1855-59;  Joel  H.  Rogers,  1856-59;  George  S.  Rogel-s,  1860- 
73, '76;  Herbert  H.  Haradon,  1874,  '75,  '78;  Frank  L.  Smith,  1877. 

STATISTICS. 

The  principal  products  of  Wales  are  butter,  cliarcoal,  cider, 
tirewood,  railroad-sleepers,  cheese,  milk,  pork,  potatoes,  apples, 
cabbage,  eggs,  pumpkins,  and  meats.  This  does  not  include 
the  manufacturing  products,  which  are  mentioned  elsewhere. 
The  domestic  products  for  sale  and  use  in  1875  were  valued 
at  §15,322  ;  the  agricultural  products,  at  §16,883  ;  number  of 
tons  of  hay  cut,  1040.  There  were  IOC  farms,  valued  at  $217,- 
213;  230  buildings,  valued  at  5109,185;  and  7725J  acres  of  land, 
valued  at  §108,028.  The  domestic  animals  owned  in  the  town 
were  valued  at  §2fi,836,  and  the  entire  products  of  the  town 
reached  a  valuation  of  §053,(101. 

On  March  1,  1878,  the  total   number  of  polls   in  the  town 
was  202  ;  value  of  personal  property,  §122,338  ;  value  of  real  ' 
property,  §280,695 ;  number  of  dwelling-houses,  106;  number 
of  acres  of  land  taxed  in  the  town,  9231fJ ;  number  of  chil- 
dren between  five  and  fifteen  years  of  age,  130. 

VILLAGES. 

The  town  of  Wales  virtually  contains  but  one  village, 
which  is  situated  near  the  centre,  about  four  miles  from 
Brimfield  Centre.  Its  nearest  railroad-stations  are  Monson, 
Palmer,  Warren,  and  Stafford  Springs,  the  distance  being 
from  seven  to  ten  miles.  A  mail  is  carried  each  day  to  and 
from  Brimfield  post-office  by  a  resident  of  Wales,  who  also 
conveys  passengers  between  these  points.  A  daily  stage  leaves 
at  six  o'clock  each  day  for  Palmer,  and  returns  at  eight  in  the 
evening. 

The  village  referred  to  is  ranged  along  both  sides  of  the 
main  road  from  Brimfield  to  Staft'ord,  Conn.,  and  is  over  a 
mile  long.  Its  lower  end,  toward  the  pond,  was  settled  first, 
and  is  the  old  central  village  of  the  town,  wherein  most  of  the 


*  Both  of  Holland. 


1070 


HISTORY    OF   THE   CONNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


old  settlers  first  located,  and  where  the  oldest  landmarks  and 
points  of  interest  are  found.  The  upper  end  of  the  village, 
lying  above  the  junction  of  the  old  and  new  roads  to  Brim- 
field,  is  liiiown  as  Siiawvillk,  a  name  which  has  been  given 
to  it  ill  recognition  of  the  important  mechanical  and  indus- 
trial improvements  which  have  been  made  by  the  members  of 
the  Shaw  family  in  that  section,  and  especially  by  Elijah 
Shaw,  to  whose  business  enterprise  and  public  spirit  Wales  is 
largely  indebted  for  whatever  commercial  prosperity  it  has 
enjoyed.*  In  this  part  of  the  village  are  located  the  principal 
factories  and  mills  of  the  town. 

The  village  contains,  among  other  things,  six  woolen-fac- 
tories, a  bo.\-shop,  a  silk-mill,  two  blacksmith-shops,  four 
general  stores,  a  tailor-shop,  a  tin-  and  hardware-store,  a 
butcher-shop,  three  church  buildings,  three  cemeteries,  a  hotel, 
and  a  post-office. 

The  hotel  is  situated  in  the  lower  end  of  the  village,  and 
has  been  kept  since  January,  1878,  by  William  Royce.  No 
hotel  had  previously  existed  in  the  town  since  1845. 

Of  the  exact  date  of  the  establishment  of  the  post-office 
considerable  conjecture  prevails.  The  best  information  that 
can  be  obtained  upon  the  subject  fixes  the  date  of  its  first  es- 
tablishment at  about  the  year  1800,  and  it  is  believed  that  it 
was  first  kept  in  the  "old  Wales  Tavern,"  and  that  Oliver 
or  Lorcn  Wales  was  the  first  postmaster.  Since  that  time 
the  office  has  been  filled  by  Daniel  N.  Green,  James  C.  Koyce, 
Leonard  B.  Wight,  Joel  H.  Rogers,  Absalom  Gardner,  Philip 
Snow,  Warren  Shaw,  and  perhaps  others.  Eugene  Cady  is 
the  present  postmaster. 

The  physicians  since  Dr.  John  Smith  have  been  Dr.  Corne- 
lius M.  Stewart,  184(5-48;  Dr.  Lebbeus  E.  Marsh,  1805-72; 
Dr.  Joseph  C.  Yale,  1872-75;  Dr.  Frank  L.  Smith,  187.')-77 ; 
and  a  Dr.  Ferguson,  for  a  short  time.  The  only  regular  phy- 
sician at  present  in  the  town  is  Dr.  Benjamin  A.  Sawtelle,  who 
commenced  practice  there  early  in  1878,  and  has  his  office  in 
the  hotel. 

The  only  lawyer  who  ever  practiced  in  Wales  was  Asa 
Olmstead,  who  was  there  in  1820,  for  one  year. 

SCHOOLS. 

The  advantages  of  a  common-school  education  have  been 
enjoyed  by  the  citizens  of  AVales  from  the  earliest  time.  As 
early  as  March  10,  17(Ui,  the  records  of  the  town  contain  a 
petition  of  a  number  of  citizens  to  be  set  off  as  a  school  dis- 
trict, and  at  the  difl'erent  town-meetings  appropriations  of 
various  sums  have  been  made  for  the  support  of  schools.  In 
May,  1771,  there  were  the  following  school  districts,  viz.  : 
South  Meadow,  Middle,  Northwest,  Southwest,  and  South. 

As  in  the  case  of  Brimfield,  it  .seems  that  the  court  inflicted 
a  fine  of  £28  5s.  5rf.  upon  the  town  of  Wales,  in  1769,  as  a 
penalty  for  not  kcejiing  a  grammar  school.  May  5,  1769, 
Capt.  Joseph  Blodgett  was  chosen  by  the  town  to  attend  the 
session  of  the  court  to  be  held  at  Springfield  in  the  same  month, 
to  answer  to  the  complaint  exhibited  against  the  district  for 
failing  to  keep  such  a  school,  and  was  again  chosen  for  the 
same  purpose  in  August  following.  It  seems  that  his  efforts 
were  unavailing,  and  that  the  decision  of  the  court  was  adverse 
to  the  town,  for,  on  March  30,  1772,  Daniel  Winchester  was 
chosen  to  go  to  the  Governor  "  to  get  the  bond  cancelled  that 
was  given  to  prosecute  the  appeal  to  the  Superior  Court  for 
another  trial  for  not  keeping  a  Grammar  School ;  which  bond 
was  forfeited,  and  to  go  to  the  General  Court  at  the  next  ses- 
sion to  see  if  they  will  take  the  fine  off." 

On  March  13,  1799,  the  school  districts  were  first  numbered, 
as  follows,  viz.  :  No.  1,  northeast;  No.  2,  middle;  No.  3, 
south;  No.  4,  southwest;  No.  5,  northwest. 

Prior  to  1828  the  town  for  several  years  had  raised  by  taxa- 

*  Shaw  University,  situated  at  Raleigh,  S.  C..  is  named  after  this  gentleman 
in  recognition  of  suhstontial  assistance  rendeiad,  and  he  is  one  of  the  trustees 
of  that  institution. 


tion  $200  yearly  for  the  support  of  public  schools.  In  that 
year  the  amount  appropriated  was  $300,  which  was  annually 
raised  for  the  next  ten  years.  In  1839  the  town  raised  $400 
for  a  like  purpose.  In  addition  to  the  sums  appropriated  by 
the  town  considerable  amounts  were  contributed  by  voluntary 
donations  of  wood,  board  of  teachers,  and  the  like,  to  help 
sustain  the  schools.  In  1861  the  town  appropriated  $475  for 
the  support  of  schools.  This  sum  was  continued  until  the 
spring  of  1864,  when  §600  was  appropriated.  In  1865  the 
town  raised  S750.     The  last  appropriation  made  was  $800. 

There  are  at  present  five  school  districts,  the  same  as  origi- 
nally established.  No.  1  is  in  the  main  village;  No.  2,  in  the 
southeast ;  No.  3  is  in  the  south  ;  No.  4,  in  the  west ;  and  No. 
5,  in  the  northwest.  The  number  of  scholars  in  attendance 
upon  these  schools  at  the  last  report  was  142. 

CHURCHES. 

Before  considering  the  individual  church  organizations  that 
have  existed  in  the  town  of  Wales,  it  may  not  be  deemed  in- 
appropriate to  refer  to  the  subject  of  a  "meeting-house," 
which  grievously  agitated  the  people  of  the  district  of  South 
Brimfield  in  its  early  days,  and  the  contentions  in  regard  to 
which  finally  caused  the  division  of  the  district.f  A  reference 
to  the  chapter  on  "  Organization"  will  show  what  were  some 
of  the  earlier  movements  for  providing  preaching  in  the  town, 
and  in  erecting  a  suitable  building. 

On  Dec.  22,  1763,  it  was  resolved  to  erect  the  meeting-house 
at  "  the  northwest  corner  of  John  Danielson's  farm."  April 
16,  1763,  William  Ayers,  Edward  Davis,  and  Jacob  Dresser 
were  chosen  a  committee  to  select  a  place  for  the  nieeting- 
hou.se,  and  Nehemiah  May,  Robert  Brown,  and  Joseph  Blod- 
gett were  chosen  a  committee  to  wait  on  them.  February 
6th  and  20th  it  was  voted  to  build  a  meeting-house  in  the  cen- 
tre of  the  district,  45  feet  long,  35  feet  wide,  20  feet  9  inches 
high  on  the  post,  and  to  cost  £100,  and  a  committee  was  ap- 
pninted  to  erect  said  structure.  John  Morse,  of  Sturbridge, 
Joseph  Craft,  and  Joseph  Colton  were  appointed  a  committee 
to  .select  the  spot  for  the  building.  Voted  to  hire  Ezra  Reave 
to  "preach  on  probation  in  order  for  settlement."  On  Feb. 
23,  1764,  the  vote  to  build  the  meeting-house  at  the  centre  was 
rescinded,  and  another  spot  selected.  Bectiuse  "three  Bap- 
tists," Joseph  Belknap,  John  Belknap,  and  Benjamin  Perrin,J 
voted  in  this  meeting  a  protest  against  its  proceedings  was 
entered  by  a  large  number  of  citizens.  April  23,  1764,  it  was 
voted  to  send  Capt.  Trustrum  Davis  to  court  to  ask  for  a  com- 
mittee to  come  and  settle  the  "contention  and  controverse," 
and  in  June  following  the  committee  came  and  located  the 
meeting-house.  But  their  selection  was  not  satisfactory,  and 
on  Sept.  26,  1764,  the  town  voted  to  send  a  committee  to  the 
General  Court  to  advise  the  non-acceptance  of  the  report,  and 
to  ask  for  a  division  into  two  districts  or  societies.  Timothy 
Danielson  and  Nehemiah  May  composed  the  committee. 

Such  were  the  difficulties  which  troubled  the  early  settlers 
tif  AVales  in  regard  to  a  house  of  worship.  It  seems  that  the 
frame  of  the  central  house  was  actually  erected,  and  stood 
upon  the  west  side  of  the  old  road,  near  the  present  line  of 
Holland,  and  about  midway  between  the  present  northeast 
and  southeast  corners  of  Wales.  It  was  never  inclosed,  but 
was  taken  down,  sold,  and  removed  to  Willington,  Conn. 

The  first  church  building  erected  in  the  town  was  by  the 
Baptists,  somewhere  about  1760. §  It  stood  nearly  upon  the 
site  of  the  present  "  old  Baptist  Church"  in  the  lower  end  of 
the  village.  That  denomination  occupied  it  until  1802,  when 
they  sold  it  to  the  town.    It  was  subdivided  into  fourteen  jiarts. 


t  Mass.  .Archives,  14 :  402,  443,  and  446. 

X  Benjamin  Perrin,  and  perhaiis  the  Belknaps,  had  in  1756  declared  themselves 
separate  from  the  "  standing  order,"  and  so  were  not  entitled  to  vote  in  the  mat- 
ter. 

§  A  petition  by  .\nthony  Needham,  Enoch  Hides,  and  others,  asking  permis- 
sion to  erect  this  house,  was  granted  by  the  town  of  Brimfield,  3Iarcli  14,  1757. 


HISTORY   OF   HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


1071 


and  sold  at  auction  for  the  sum  of  ?105.80,  and  removed  in 
pieces  by  the  several  vendees. 

"While  this  edifice  was  being  removed  a  new  one,  generally 
termed  the  "  Union  House,"  was  erected  by  the  town,  near 
the  old  one.  The  pews  were  sold  at  auction,  and  the  proceeds 
applied  in  liquidation  of  the  cost  of  building,  the  town  reserv- 
ing the  right  to  use  the  house  for  town-meetings  and  other 
municipal  purposes.  Another  condition  of  the  plan  upon 
which  the  house  was  built  was  that  the  use  of  it  from  year  to 
year  should  be  apportioned  among  the  several  Christian  de- 
nominations which  should  purchase  or  hold  pews  therein,  each 
denomination  to  have  the  right  to  occupy  the  house  for 
preaching  of  its  own  order  a  certain  number  of  Sabbaths  in 
each  year,  proportionate  to  the  value  in  pews  which  its  mem- 
bers might  hold.  It  was  further  provided  that  at  any  and  all 
times  when  neither  of  the  other  denominations  occupied  the 
house  the  Baptists  might  occupy  it.  The  first  apportionment 
under  this  arrangement  was  made  in  April,  1803.  For  the 
first  year's  use  of  the  house  the  Baptists  were  ai^signed  thirty- 
two  Sabbaths,  the  Universalists  twelve,  and  the  Congrega- 
tionalists  eight.''" 

In  1840,  in  accordance  with  an  act  of  the  Legislature,  the 
house  was  appraised,  and  the  pews  of  the  other  denominations 
were  purchased  at  their  appraised  values  by  the  Baptists,  who 
repaired  and  remodeled  it,  making  it  the  second  house  of  that 
order  in  the  town.  It  is  now  known  as  the  "old  Baptist 
Church,"  but  is  not  in  regular  use.  The  basement  is  still  used 
by  the  town  for  municipal  purposes,  that  right  being  reserved 
when  the  house  was  sold  to  the  Baptists.  It  was  further  pro- 
vided that  in  case  that  denomination  fiiiled  to  keep  it  in  suit- 
able repair  it  should  revert  to  the  town. 

B.iPTISTS. 

This  denomination  was  the  first  to  establish  itself  in  Wales, 
and  has  continued  to  be  the  leading  religious  organization  of 
the  town.  As  early  as  1734,  certain  persons  resident  in  the 
south  part  of  the  old  town  of  Brimfiekl  withdrew  from  the 
fellowship  of  the  Congregational  Church  of  that  town,  de- 
claring themselves  to  be  Anabaptists.  In  1736  these  with 
some  others  were  organized  into  a  church,  with  Ebenezer 
Moulton  as  their  pastor.  Mr.  Moulton,  however,  did  not  be- 
come an  ordained  minister  until  Nov.  4,  1741.  Joseph  Hovey 
and  Benjamin  Johnson  were  the  first  deacons.  Mr.  Moulton 
continued  pastor  until  1763,  when  he  removed  to  Nova  Scotia. 
He  afterward  returned  to  South  Brimfield,  where  he  died  in 
1783. 

In  1748,  after  serious  difficulties,  the  church  became  divided, 
and  so  remained  for  more  than  twenty  years.  In  1765  the 
Eev.  James  Mellen,  of  Middleborough,  filled  the  pastoral 
oflBce,  and  continued  to  do  so  for  four  years.  The  Rev.  Wra. 
Ewing  was  pastor  from  1770  to  1772.  In  1771  the  church  was 
reorganized,  and  at  the  sitting  of  the  Warren  Association, 
with  which  this  church  was  connected,  at  Middleborough,  in 
September,  1772,  its  delegates  were  instructed  to  inquire  for  a 
pastor.  As  a  result  of  this  inquiry,  Elijah  Coddington,  of 
Middleborough,  visited  them  the  following  year,  and  after  a 
brief  stay  was  chosen  to  the  pastoral  ofiSce.  He  was  finally 
installed,  Nov.  11,  1773.  The  church  at  this  time  was  in  a 
languishing  condition,  but  soon  began  to  revive.  Within 
three  years,  commencing  in  1779,  over  200  were  added  to  its 
rolls  by  baptism.  Mr.  Coddington  remained  pastor  for  fifty- 
three  years,  and  became  known  as  "Father"  Coddington. 
He  was  chaplain  of  a  regiment  ten  years,  taught  school  ten 
terms,  and  tilled  various  town  ofBces. 

The  pastors  of  the  Baptist  Church  since  3Ir.  Coddington 
have  been  Revs.  Joshua  Eveleth,  1826-29;  John  M.  Hunt, 
1829-30;  Tubal  Wakefield,   1834-36;  George  Mixter,   1836- 

*  The  relative  nnmbers  in  these  denominations  varied  in  diflFerenI  years.  In 
lSO-5  the  JJaptipts  occui'i«?d  the  h<»iise  twenty-live  Sabljaths,  the  Uuivelsaliats  nine, 
and  the  Congregatiuualistji  fiftjcn. 


42;    Warren    Cooper,    1842-43;    Volney    Church,    1843-48 
Samuel   R.  Allard,  1848-.50 ;   Henry  H.  Hazleton,  18.30-51 
Sylvester    Barrows,    18.'Jl-52;     Asa    A.    Robinson,    18.32-56 
William  S.  Phillips,  1836-60;  Moses  Curtis,  1861-62;  Justin 
Aldrich,  1862-66;   Lyman  Partridge,  1866-69;  Edwin  J.  Ste- 
vens, January,  1870,  to  September,  1870 ;  Charles  A.  Cooke, 
Nov.  1,  1870,  to  April,  1872  ;  John  Shepardson,  1872-76. 

The  present  pastor.  Rev.  Wm.  S.  Phillips,  was  installed  in 
1877.  The  church  building  in  present  use  is  situated  in  the 
centre  of  the  village,  and  presents  a  fine  appearance.  It  con- 
tains a  clock  and  bell,  and  was  dedicated  in  March,  1874.  The 
cost  was  about  §18,000.  The  organ  and  furniture  cost  upward 
of  S-5000  additional.  The  church  was  largely  indebted  to 
Elijah  Shaw  for  substantial  aid.  The  present  church  mein- 
bership  is  about  140.  The  Sunday-school  numbers  about  80 
scholars  and  teachers. 

CONGREGATIONAL. 

From  the  earliest  historj'  of  Wales  there  have  existed  those 
who  adhered  to  this  order,  but  they  never  appear  to  have  had 
any  strong  church  organization.  About  the  middle  of  the 
last  century  a  portion  of  the  inhabitants  of  Wales  were  con- 
nected with  a  church  of  their  order  in  the  East  Parish,  now 
Holland.  When  the  Union  meeting-house  before  referred 
to  was  built,  they  were  few  in  numbers.  In  1819  they  or- 
ganized a  church  of  12  members,  but  it  declined,  and  finally 
became  e.xtinct. 

UNIVERSALISTS. 
About  1780  the  doctrine  of  universtil  restoration  was  quite 
extensively  supported  in  Wales,  under  the  preaching  of  Kev. 
Elhanan  Winchester  (a  former  Baptist).  His  writings  also 
were  extensively  circulated  among  the  people.  At  various 
times  the  Universalists  have  had  organized  societies  in  Wales, 
but  none  exists  at  present. 

METHODISTS. 

The  first  establishment  of  a  Methodist  society  in  Wales  oc- 
curred in  1830.  It  is  now  in  a  flourishing  condition,  and  has 
a  neat  church  edifice  in  the  centre  of  the  village.  In  1832 
the  society  numbered  125  members.  In  1857-58  a  revival 
occurred,  and  numbers  were  added  to  the  church.  In  1858 
the  society  became  possessed  of  a  parsonage,  the  property 
being  held  in  §10  shares  by  individual  stockholders.  The 
original  house  of  worship  was  built  in  1832,  and  has  been  re- 
modeled or  repaired  several  times  since,  the  last  time  in 
1868-69.  The  present  church  membership  is  45,  and  has  been 
much  larger.  The  average  attendance  at  the  Sabbath-school 
is  about  40.  The  pastors  of  this  church  have  been  Revs.  Horace 
Moulton,  1830-32;  Enoch  Bradley,  1832-33;  Amasa  Taylor, 
1833-35;  Horace  Moulton,  183.5-36;  Otis  Wilder,  1836-37; 
Joseph  Lewis,  1837-39;  Charles  Virgin,  1839-40;  William 
Gordon,  1840-42  ;  Thomas  W.  Gile,  1842-43  ;  Henry  S.  Shedd, 
184.3-45;  Rufus  P.  Bufflngton,  1844-45;  Spencer  Tilleston, 
1845-46;  William  A.  Clapp,  1846-48;  Jarvis  Wilson,  1848- 
49 ;  John  Ricketts,  1849-51  ;  Daniel  Atkins,  1851-53  ;  David 
Culver,  1853;  Andrew  Baylies,  1857-58;  Silas  Piper,  1858- 
61;  John  Goodwin,  1861-62;  Moses  P.  Webster,  1862-64; 
John  Noon,  1864-66;  Charles  H.  Vinton,  1866-67;  Miles  R. 
Barney,  1867-68;  George  Hewes,  1868-70;  John  Wesley 
Cole,  1870-72 ;  John  F.  Bassett,  1872-74  ;  Thomas  B.  Tread- 
well,  1874.t 

Rev.  John  Noon,  the  present  pastor,  became  such  for  the 
second  time  in  1876.  Some  of  the  early  pastors  divided  their 
labors  between  Wales  and  Monson. 

CHRISTIANS. 

In  1822-23,  Wales  was  visited  by  several  very  active  and 
zealous  preachers  of  a  sect,  then  of  recent  origin,  calling  them- 
selves by  this  name.  They  created  considerable  excitement 
in  the  town,  especially  in  the  western  and  southeast  sections, 

t^i-^  November,  1S75. 


1072 


HISTORY  OF   THE   CONiVECTICUT   VALLEY. 


and  liirRe  numbers  of  converts  were  liaptized.  Tliey  estab- 
lished no  church  or  society,  however,  and  the  excitement  sub- 
sided. Of  tlieir  preachers,  Rev.  Amos  Babcoclv  afterward  con- 
nected himself  with  the  Baptists,  and  for  a  time  was  settled 
as  a  teacher  and  pastor  at  Holland.  Another,  Rev.  Ebenezer 
Robinson,  subsequently  became  a  preacher  of  Universalism, 
and  a  physician,  and  lived,  preached,  and  practiced  in  dif- 
ferent places. 

ADVENTISTS. 

In  the  autumn  of  1842  and  the  succeeding  winter  a  very 
zealous  preacher  of  Advent  doctrines— a  former  Baptist  min- 
ister by  the  name  of  Powell— began  to  labor  in  Wales,  and 
caused  great  excitement.  He  prophesied  that  the  "  second 
coming"  would  occur  in  1843,  and  the  world  be  then  destroyed. 
This  alarmed  the  inhabitants.  Frequent  meetings  were  held. 
The  Baptists,  led  by  their  pastor,  Rev.  Mr.  Cooper,  held  union 
meetings  with  Powell.  The  Methodists  and  their  pastor, 
Rev.  Mr.  Gile,  held  aloof.  When  1843  had  come  and  gone 
and  the  anticipated  destruction  of  all  things  terrestrial  did 
not  occur,  faith  began  to  weaken  and  the  people  to  forsake 
the  cause.  A  few  only  remained  steadfast,  among  that  num- 
ber being  Henry  Pratt,  a  shoemaker  of  the  town,  who  after- 
ward preached  the  doctrine. 

A  small  body  of  Adventists  still  remains  in  the  town,  and 
has  held  regular  meetings  in  the  "old  Baptist  Church"  since 
January,  1878.     John  E.  Ainsworth  is  the  pastor. 

BURIAL  GROUNDS. 

The  first  place  of  burial  established  in  that  part  of  Brim- 
field  now  the  town  of  Wales  was  on  Sept.  5,  1782,  when,  at 
a  meeting  of  "  ye  Proprietors,  1  and  ^  acress  of  land,  for  a 
Burying-place  at  ye  southeasterly  part  of  ye  South  Pond, 
where  Robert  Moulton,  Sen.,  now  dwells,"  were  voted  for 
that  purpose.  The  ground  has  now  fallen  into  neglect,  and 
is  used  for  agricultural  purposes.  A  great  many  of  the  early 
settlers  are  buried  there.  The  pond  has  somewhat  encroached 
upon  the  land,  and  some  of  the  remains  have  been  washed  out 
by  the  action  of  the  water. 

What  is  called  the  Old  Bui-ying-Ground  comes  next  in 
order.  It  is  located  north  of  the  pond,  above  the  road  which 
winds  around  at  that  point.  A  part  of  it  was  originally 
donated  to  the  town  by  Anthony  Needham,  soon  after  the 
formation  of  the  district  of  South  Brimtield.  April  2,  1792, 
Abner  Needham  presented  the  ground  to  the  town  in  open 
meeting,  that  formality  being  required,  because  the  town  pur- 
posed adding  more  land  and  fencing  the  ground  anew.  On 
Sept.  18,  1813,  more  land  was  added,  and  May  9,  1814,  a  new 
fence  was  put  around  it. 

This  cemetery  is  now  only  used  occasionally,  but  contains 
the  remains  of  many  of  the  old  townsmen.  The  oldest  stone 
in  the  grounds  is  that  of  Anthony  Needham,  which  is  in  a 
good  state  of  preservation,  and  shows  that  he  died  July  2, 
1763,  at  the  age  of  sixty-seven.  Other  early  gravestones  are 
those  of  Ichabod  Rogers,  who  died  Jan.  19,  1800,  at  the  age  of 
eighty-one ;  Dr.  James  Lawrence,  died  March  23,  1816,  aged 
seventy-two;  Oliver  Wales,  died  March  23,  1816,  aged  sev- 
enty-two; Rev.  Elijah  Coddington,  died  May  7,  1830,  aged 
eighty-eight ;  Asa  Fisk,  died  Feb.  9,  1812,  aged  seventy-eight ; 
Daniel  Winchester,  died  Oct.  12,  1797;  Darius  Munger,  died 
Nov.  21,  1815,  aged  seventy-six;  and  William  Fenton,  died 
Nov.  14,  1804,  aged  eighty-eight. 

The  New  Hurying-Grtiund,  located  in  the  lower  part  of  the 
village,  south  of  the  old  Baptist  Church,  was  laid  out  in  1841. 
On  Sept.  13,  1841,  some  lots  were  sold,  as  appears  by  the  town 
records.     The  lot  is  about  an  acre  in  extent.     It  is  well  tilled, 

and  contains  the  remains  of  a  number  of  prominent  citizens, 

among  others,  of  James  L.  Wales.     It  is  still  in  use. 

There  is  another  burying-ground  on  Shaw  Hill,  in  the  upper 
village.  The  land  was  donated  by  Julius  M.  Lyon  for  that 
purpose,  and  consists  of  from  three  to  live  acres.     It  is  the  one 


in  most  common  use  at  the  present  time.  Alvin  Andrews, 
his  son,  John  S.,  and  his  daughter,  Jane  L.,  %yife  of  Elijah 
Shaw,  were  the  first  interred  in  this  cemetery,  having  been 
removed  from  Brim  field  Cemetery,  May  28,  1862. 

The  Walker  Burying-Ground  lies  in  the  southwest  part  of 
the  town.  In  consists  of  about  a  half-acre  of  land,  walled 
in,  and  contains  a  few  old  graves.     It  is  not  now  in  use. 

SOCIETIES. 
ANCHOR  LODGE,  F.  AND  A.  M. 

This  lodge  was  chartered  Dec.  9,  1874,  with  the  following 
members  ;  George  O.  Henry,  George  A.  Harvey,  Frank  A. 
Royce,  James  A.  Johnson,  Charles  F.  Thompson,  Charles  G. 
Needham,  Justus  Stebbins,  Peter  W.  Moore,  Watson  W. 
Needham,  Frank  L.  Coburn,  Lorin  H.  Clark,  George  B. 
Clark,  Albert  A.  Smith,  Eugene  Cady,  Horace  L.  Hills,  and 
Aaron  B.  Johnson. 

The  principal  officers  of  the  lodge  at  the  present  time  are 
Lorin  H.  Clark,  W.  M.  ;  Eugene  Cady,  S.  W. ;  James  A. 
Johnson,  J.  W.  ;  Peter  W.  Moore,  Treas.  ;  Chas.  G.  Need- 
ham, Sec.  Past  Masters,  George  O.  Henry  and  George  A. 
Harvey.  Regular  communications  are  held  once  each  month 
at  Masonic  Hall,  in  the  lower  village. 

INDUSTRIAL    PURSUITS. 

In  the  earlier  history  of  the  town,  agriculture  was  the  prin- 
cipal occupation  of  its  inhabitants.  But  the  roughness  of  the 
land  and  the  unproductive  nature  of  the  soil  presented  many 
obstacles  to  the  successful  prosecution  of  that  branch  of  in- 
dustry. The  town  has  always  been  cut  up  into  small  farms 
and  lots,  principally  designed  to  raise  vegetables  for  the  sup- 
port of  a  family. 

Since  the  expiration  of  the  first  one  hundred  years  from  the 
settlement  of  the  town,  its  manufacturing  interests  have  as- 
sumed considerable  proportions,  and  have  constituted  the  chief 
source  of  income  of  the  inhabitants,  and  their  principal  in- 
dustrial pursuit. 

Carriages  of  various  kinds  have  been  made,  and  occasion- 
ally a  few  hoes.  The  females  have  made  many  thousand  yards 
of  straw-braid,  and  hundreds  of  palm-leaf  hats.  In  1837  the 
assessors  found  the  cash  value  of  the  hats  manufactured  during 
the  preceding  year  to  be  $1500. 

From  1830  to  1842  considerable  was  done  in  the  manufac- 
ture of  boots  and  shoes.  The  principal  manufacturers  were 
Nye  &  Solomon  Moulton,  Daniel  N.  Green,  and  Freeman 
Plympton.  In  1836-37  the  amount  of  work  done  in  this  line, 
as  reported  by  the  town  assessors,  was — 

Boots  manufactured 6,2W  pairs. 

Shoes  "  9,053      " 

Total lo,2S3     " 

Casti  value 827,743 

From  1842  to  1850  no  great  amount  of  business  was  done  in 
this  branch  of  industry.  It  then  revived  again,  so  that  dur- 
ing the  year  ending  March  31,  1854,  40,000  pairs  of  boots  and 
shoes  were  made  in  the  town,  mostly  shoes.  In  1855  the  as- 
sessors reported  as  follows  : 

Pairs  of  lioots  of  all  kinds  manufactured 255 

shoes  "  "  32,970 

Total  33,2i5 

Cash  value 827,735 

The  principal  manufacturers  then  were  Jonathan  G.  Royce, 
Dwight  W.  Ellis,  George  H.  Needham,  Chauncey  D.  Brewer, 
and  Erasmus  D.  Shaw.  Since  that  time  the  business  has 
greatly  declined. 

In  the  year  1847,  Harlin  G.  Dunham  engaged  in  the  manu- 
facture of  cotton  batting.  A  small  building  had  been  erected 
some  years  before  by  William  M.  Needham,  on  Mill  Brook, 
a  few  rods  below  the  (Phetteplace)  mill  premises.  A  part  of 
this  was  occupied  by  William  M.  Needham  for  making  shin- 


HISTORY   OF    HAMPDEN    COUNTY. 


107:! 


gles,  and  the  other  part  by  Air.  Dunham.     He  continued  in 
the  busines.?  until  1851,  when  he  left  town. 

In  1854  the  building  was  enlarged  by  Mr.  Needhara,  and 
the  manufacture  of  wiclcing  commenced  in  18o5,  by  Wm.  P. 
Osl)orne.  But  the  business  was  not  profitable,  and  was  dis- 
continued. In  1857,  Messrs.  Osborne  &  Keedham  began  the 
manufacture  of  plow-handles  and  other  articles.  In  1858  they 
added  the  manufacture  of  shingles.  In  18G0,  Mr.  Osborne 
withdrew,  and  Mr.  Needham  engaged  in  sawing  lumber, 
shingles,  and  lath.  In  1863,  William  H.  Lane  succeeded  Jlr. 
Needham  in  the  same  business.  In  1S(J5,  Elijah  Shaw  pur- 
chased the  mill  and  used  its  water-pnvver  in  operating  tlie 
Heagan  Mill. 

Tanning  and  currying  was  one  of  the  earliest  industries  of 
the  town,  and  was  first  started  on  the  premises  of  Zeno  Far- 
rington,  Sr.  Phineas  Durkee  is  understood  to  have  estab- 
lished a  tannery  upon  these  premises  soon  after  he  first  became 
a  resident  of  Wales,  in  1752.  It  has  been  kept  since  by  Robert 
Durkee,  Robert  Andrews,  Sr.,  Aaron  Winchester,  John 
Sabin,  and  Zeno  Farrington,  Sr.,  the  latter  having  been 
engaged  in  that  business  for  over  fifty  years. 

In  18-53,  Zeno  Farrington,  Jr.,  erected  a  building  on  the 
Plymouth  place  and  commenced  business  as  a  currier.  In 
1855,  2100  sides  of  leather  and  800  calf-skins  were  dressed. 

But  the  branch  of  industry  that  has  added  most  to  the  pros- 
perity of  the  town,  and  proven  the  principal  occupation  of  a 
large  number  of  its  inhabitants  for  a  decade  of  j'ears,  is  the 
manufacture  of  woolen  cloths,  stockinet,  and  fancy  cassimeres. 

In  1828-29  buildings  were  erected  and  other  preparations 
made  for  the  manufacture  of  this  description  of  goods.  The 
principal  originators  of  this  scheme  were  Bela  Tittany,  Oliver 
Wales,  and  Hiram  Watkins.  In  1830,  before  anj'  manufac- 
turing was  done,  Tittany  sold  out  his  estate  and  left  town. 
Soon  after  this  work  was  commenced,  and  continued  to  a  small 
extent  by  Oliver  Wales  and  others  till  1835,  when  R.  P. 
Wales  and  J.  W.  Bliss,  of  Brimfleld,  bought  the  estab- 
lishment, added  more  machinery,  made  other  improve- 
ments, and  ran  it  till  February,  1837,  when  the  mill  was 
destroyed  by  fire.  In  1830  it  was  rebuilt  by  John  W.  Bliss, 
James  L.  Wales,  and  Royal  Wales.  In  1840  another  change 
of  owners  took  place,  and  in  1841  the  concern  was  incorpo- 
rated as  the  "  Wales  Manufacturing  Compajiy."  In  that 
year  the  manufacture  of  satinet  cloths  was  commenced,  and 
has  been  steadily  continued  to  the  present  day.  In  18lJ5  the 
mill  was  sold  to  the  three  Rogers  brothers,  Joel  H.,  Lafav- 
ette,  and  Clinton,  who  prosecuted  the  business  until  the  spring 
of  1868,  when  the  "Shaw  Manufacturing  Company,"  incor- 
porated April  17, 1848,  purchased  the  mill,  and  engaged  in  the 
manufacture  of  cassimeres  and  doeskins.  It  is  now  owned  by 
Elijah  Shaw,  but  is  not  running  at  the  present  time.  It  is 
situated  in  the  lower  village. 

The  mill  designated  as  that  of  the  "Shaw  Manufacturing 
Company'  is  located  in  the  centre  of  the  village,  near  the 
Baptist  Church.  The  building,  first  erected  in  1847,  was 
small,  and  contained  but  one  set  of  machinery,  which  was 
put  in  it  in  1848.  In  1851  it  was  enlarged  suflBciently  to 
contain  a  second  set,  which  was  added.  In  1856  it  was  again 
enlarged  for  a  third  set.  About  1860  the  machinery  was 
altered  to  fit  it  for  the  manufacture  of  doeskins  in  place  of 
satinet.  It  was  subsequently  used  for  the  manufacture  of 
cassimeres,  but  is  not  now  running. 

What  is  known  as  the  "  Dell  Mill"  is  situated  in  the  upper 
village,  and  is  the  largest  and  handsomest  manufacturing  es- 
tablishment in  the  town.  The  original  building  was  erected 
by  Elijah  and  Aaron  Shaw,  in  1860-61,  for  the  manufacture 
of  woolen  goods.  It  was  destroyed  by  fire  about  1870.  On 
its  site  was  erected,  about  1873,  the  present  large  four-set  mill. 
Broad  cassimeres  have  since  been  manufactured.  The  mill  is 
now  owned  by  Elijah  Shaw,  is  still  running,  and  employs  be- 
tween 50  and  60  persons. 

135 


The  "  Eden  Shaw  Mill"  is  also  located  in  the  upper  village, 
near  the  "  Dell  Mill,"  and  manufactures  the  same  description 
of  goods.  It  was  erected  in  1864-65,  by  Eden  D.  and  Aaron 
Shaw.  The  manufacture  of  doeskins  was  commenced  in  1866. 
In  1869  cloth  manufaicture  was  engaged  in.  It  is  a  large  four- 
set  mill,  and  is  no%v  in  operation.  It  employs  from  50  to  60 
persons. 

The  "  Heagan  Mill"  was  erected  by  Elijah  Shaw,  the  present 
owner,  in  1865-66.  It  also  is  located  in  the  upper  village, 
and  is  a  large  four-set  mill.  It  is  not  now  running,  but  is 
designed  and  used  for  the  manufacture  of  fancy  cassimeres, 
and  when  in  operation  employs  about  60  persons. 

The  "  Yalley  Mill,"  situated  in  the  extreme  lower  end  of 
the  upper  village,  was  used  as  a  saw-  and  box-factory  in  1865. 
In  1872  it  was  converted  into  a  mill  for  the  manufacture  of 
cloth.  It  is  owned  by  Elijah  Shaw,  but  at  present  is  leased 
to  Samuel  Hodgson,  who  is  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of 
different  varieties  of  cloth.  It  contains  two  sets  of  machinery 
and  employs  about  30  persons. 

The  amount  and  value  of  the  products  of  these  mills  have 
varied  somewhat  in  diftl'rent  years.  According  to  the  census 
•  of  1875,  there  was  produced  for  the  year  ending  March  1st 
goods  valued  at  $895,475.  The  value  of  stock  used  was 
§543,040;  number  of  persons  emploj'ed,  348;  amount  of  an- 
nual wages,  §144,399. 

MILITARY.' 

During  the  French-and-Indian  war  the  town  was  included 
in  Brimfleld,  and  the  soldiers  who  engaged  in  that  war  I'ron^ 
the  section  of  the  town  afterward  Wales  will  be  found  in 
the  list  of  soldiers  given  in  the  history  of  Brimfield.  Promi- 
nent among  them — each  filling  the  office  of  captain — will  be 
noticed  Ebenezer  Moulton  and  Trustrum  Davis,  from  South 
Brimfield. 

In  the  Revolutionary  war  the  citizens  of  Wales  appear  to 
have  supported  the  cause  of  independence  in  a  spirited  and 
patriotic  manner.  On  Jan.  17,  1775,  the  town  resolved, 
among  other  things,  "  that  we  mean  strictly  to  adhere  to  the 
principles  of  English  liberty,  and  are  read}-  to  adopt  any 
measures  within  the  compass  of  our  power,  consistent  with 
reason  and  justice,  to  assist  and  maintain  the  just  and  natural 
rights  of  the  colonies  in  general,  and  this  province  in  particu- 
lar." Also,  voted  "to  provide  our  Minute-Men,  in  case  they 
are  called  into  immediate  service,  with  a  blanket,  a  Cartridge- 
Box,  Thirty  Rounds  of  Powder  and  Ball,  and  a  Hatchet,  or 
Cutlass,  or  Bayonet."  Voted  Asa  Fisk,  .lacob  How,  William 
Carpenter,  John  Rosbrook,  and  John  Bullin  a  committee  to 
inspect  tea,  and  Joel  Rogers,  William  Bishop,  Isaac  Foster, 
Jr.,  Benjamin  Blodgett,  and  John  Graham  a  committee  to 
inspect  merchandise. 

On  May  29,  1775,  the  district  joined  witli  Brimfleld  and 
Monson  in  choosing  Timothy  Danielson  as  a  delegate  to  the 
Provincial  Congress.  On  March  13,  1777,  the  town  voted  "  to 
raise  money  to  encourage  Continental  Soldiers  for  three  years.' 
Also,  "  that  Capt.  Jeliial  Munger  should  go  and  ask  advice  of 
the  Jeneral  Cort  concerning  those  persons  that  are  unfriendly 
to  the  American  cause."  March  21,  1777,  voted  £20  for  each 
man  that  shall  enlist  for  three  years. 

The  records  do  not  indicate  that  any  active  part  was  taken 
by  the  town  in  the  suppression  of  Shays'  rebellion.  A  few 
residents  are  said  to  have  engaged  in  it,  among  whom  were 
Timothy  Fenton  and  Asa  Fisk,  the  latter  serving  as  captain. 

The  only  notice  taken  of  the  war  of  1812,  so  far  as  the  rec- 
ords show,  was  on  July  II,  1812,  when  the  town  voted  35  to 
25  to  request  the  President  and  Congress  to  avert  war  and 
restore  peace. 

In  the  suppression  of  the  Rebellion  of  1861-65  the  town 
took  an  active  and  patriotic  part.  An  illustration  of  the 
sentiments  of  its  inhabitants  is  afforded  by  the  following  inci^ 
dent.  On  April  27,  1861,  a  flag-pole  was  erected  by  the  peo- 
ple, and  the  national  standard  displayed  therefrom.     A  few 


1071 


UlSTOllY    OF   THE   CONiNECTICUT   VALLKY. 


diiys  nfter,  the  tlftg  was  cut  down  at  iiight.  This  caused 
great  excilonient,  and  nieetiniics  iif  indignation  were  lield. 
The  result  was  that  two  persons  suspected  of  participating  in 
or  being  cognizant  of  the  att'air  were  seized  and  carried 
through  the  viUage,  the  one  upon  a.  rail,  and  the  other,  at 
the  same  time,  upon  an  old  blind  horse,  facing  the  horse's 
tail.   The  matter  afterward  received  attention  from  the  courts. 


For  fl.ssistance  in  compiling  this  town  history,  thanUs  are 
due  to  Herbert  H.  Uaradon,  Elijah  Shaw,  Ferdinand  L.  Bur- 
ley,  Mrs.  Absalom  Gardner,  and  other  citizens. 

wales'  rebellion  record. 
The  following  is  a  list  of  soldiers  from  Wales  who  served 
in  the  war  of  the  Kebellion  : 


Kzni  r.  lUiweii,  18th  (,'onii. 

Iliniiii  Itnuhviiy,  .JGlh  Miirs. 

Jiilin  C.  Iturley,  r.l«t  Mil^a. 

KIliuT  W.  Ciiiilci',  '.i'th  Miiss. 

Jlnrcin  M.  Cliiiflee,  4f.lli  Muss. 

PBili.'l  W.  full-,  ;i4tli  Mn-». 

Ilomct)  Convt-rao,  2l8t  Mii.-'S. 

Ujiivcy  II.  Convprsi',  iVlh  Muss. 

Edwin  h.  Crouch,  :i4lh  Muss. 

Oeorge  II.  Dilhilicr,  4(ilh  Muss. 

CharU'8  Dliiunick,  ICili  mid  lltli  Muss. 

WililPii  W.  Kngi'i,  4Ctli  Muss. 

Williiiin  \V.  Kii;  1,  lutli  Mum. 

Ili'iiry  K.  Fi'lton,  Olst  Mass. 

J.ihn  T.  Gale-,  Jlilh  Mass.,  and  Ist  Muss.  Cav. 

Eli  J.  Giirihicr,  Mi\i  Mti.ss. 

Jlichapl  Harrington,  :i4th  Muss. 

Ainus  IIobl>s,  21st  Muss. 

Kilwtu  llobbs,  :J4tli  Blass. 


George  Holdsworth,  22d  Conn. 
Edwin  II.  Johnson,  2d  Mass.  II.  Art. 
James  A.  Johnson,  Ist  Conn.  Art. 
Julius  M.  Lyon,  lieut.,  46th  and  42d  ] 
Lindorr  W.  Milk-r,  1st  Muss.  Cav 
Peter  AV.  Moore,  4(illi  Mass. 
Frank  Moore,  4Gtli  M.'iss. 
Laurlston  L.  Moulton,  51st  Mass, 
John  A.  Needhain,  i'.4th  Mass. 
W.  Eugene  Needhani,  Ist  Conn.  Art. 
Wutson  W.  Neo<iham,  lUlli  Mass. 
Carlos  D.  Needham,  4th  Mass. 
Willurd  B.  Needhiiin,  34th  Mass. 
Henry  O.  Nelson,  2l8t  Muss. 
Royal  A.  Nelson,  46th  Mass. 
■William  A.  Phetteplace,  34tli  Mass. 
Austin  Pratt,  34th  Mass. 
Austin  U.  Pratt,  IGth  Mass. 
Waterman  Penry,  21st  Muss. 
William  J.  Ricketts,  2l8t  Mass. 


Gilbert  Roath,  2l8t  Ma.s9. 

George  H.  Shaw,  ;id  N.  H. 

James  &mitli,40th  Mass. 

George  M.  Stewart,  capt.,  4Cth  and  42<1  Ma 

Heniy  H.  Stewart,  21st  Mass. 

Albert  Stewart,  :)4th  Mass. 

John  Taylor,  46th  Mass. 

Charles  F.  Thompson,  46tli  Ma-ss. 

James  M.  Thompson,  18th  N.  Y. 

Eli  H.  Thompson,  4Clh  Mass. 

Merritt  Towue,  l.^>th  Mass. 

William  J.  Vizard,  6th  N.  Y. 

Porter  Walbridge,  15th  Mt\S8. 

George  H.  Walls,  27th  Mass. 

Emerson  0.  Webber,  46th  Mass. 

George  G.  Williams,  34th  Mass. 

Martin  V.  B.  Williams,  lUh  Conn. 

Charles  J.  Woods.  34th  Mass. 

Franklin  T.  Wright,  34th  Mass. 


-y^  T^S-  (I  i»  - 


BLANDFORD. 


GEOORAPHICAL. 

Blandford,  one  of  the  e.'ctreme  western  towns  of  Hamp- 
den and  one  of  the  most  elevated  in  the  county,  is  located 
upon  the  summit  of  the  east  range  of  the  Green  Mountains, 
which  extends  through  Vermont  and  Western  Massachusetts. 
It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Chester  and  Huntington,  on 
the  south  by  Granville  and  Tolland,  on  the  ea.st  by  Russell, 
and  on  the  west  by  Otis,  in  Berkshire  County.  Its  area  is 
30,427  acres,  and  its  population  (in  1875),  967.  Since  1840 
the  population  has  fluctuated  in  numbers  and  materially  de- 
clined. The  reason  for  this  is  attributable  to  the  migration 
of  many  inhabitants  to  the  West  a  few  years  ago,  in  search 
of  more  fruitful  agricultural  regions  than  Blandford  could 
oifer. 

NATURAL    FEATURES. 

Blandford  abounds  in  wildly  picturesque  mountain  scenerj', 
and  is  annually  in  the  summer  and  autumn  a  popular  resort 
for  the  inhabitants  of  Springlield  and  Westfleld.  The  abund- 
ance of  fish  and  game  in  this  region  invites  the  attention  of 
the  hunter  and  angler,  who  reap  here  a  rich  reward  of  sport. 
The  soil  is  generally  rocky,  but  moderately  fertile.  Mountain 
streams  are  plentiful,  but  none  of  them  rise  beyond  the  dignity 
of  brooks.  The  most  prominent  natural  elevations  are  Dug 
Hill,  near  the  centre  of  the  town,  1622  feet  in  height,  and 
Jackson's  Hill,  in  the  southwest,  which  is  much  higher. 
There  is  also  Green  Mountain,  at  whose  base  there  is  a  sul- 
phurous spring,  Tarrot  Hill  on  the  east,  and  Beach  Hill  on 
the  south.  In  the  northwest  there  is  a  deep  depression  in  a 
hill-top,  believed  by  many  to  be  the  mark  of  an  extinct  crater. 
There  are  several  large  ponds,  as  North  Meadow  Pond  of  80 
acres,  Long  Pond  of  150  acres,  and  Blair  Pond  of  2-50  acres. 

The  town  is  rich  in  minerals,  and  among  the  many  found 
here  may  be  mentioned  carbonate  of  lime,  chromate  of  iron, 
steatite,  crystallized  actonite,  mamillary  chalcedony,  kyanite, 
rose  quartz,  mica,  sulphuret  of  iron,  and  many  others.     It  is 


related  that  about  1795  one  John  Baird,  residing  in  the  "sec- 
ond division,"  discovered  lead  and  silver  ore  near  the  north 
line  of  the  town,  but,  by  reason  of  a  superstitious  belief  that  it 
would  not  be  well  to  pursue  his  discoveries,  refused  to  disclose 
the  whereabouts  of  the  mine,  and  the  secret  died  with  him, 
although  many  subsequent  fruitless  eiforts  were  made  to  dis- 
cover it. 

EARLY  SETTLEMENT. 

The  land  now  embraced  within  the  limits  of  the  town  of 
Blandford  was  granted  by  the  General  Court  to  certain  pro- 
prietors of  common  and  undivided  lands  in  Suffield,  Conn.,  as 
an  equivalent  for  a  tract  taken  from  them  in  establishing  the 
dividing-line  between  Connecticut  and  Massachusetts.  Shortly 
thereafter  the  proprietors  conveyed  the  tract  to  Jacob  Law- 
ton,  and  he,  in  January,  1735,  sold  three-fourths  thereof  to 
Francis  Wells,  John  Faye,  and  Francis  Brindley,  becoming 
with  them  joint  proprietor.  The  first  settler  to  arrive  with  his 
family  was  Hugh  Black,  who  came  in  the  autumn  of  1735, 
and  erected  a  dwelling-house  near  what  is  now  the  E.  H.  Os- 
born  place.  He  was  followed  by  James  Baird,  who  located 
about  four  miles  from  Black,  near  Samuel  H.  Phelps'  present 
farm.  After  these  in  close  succession  came  Messrs.  Reed, 
McClintock,  Taggart,  Brown,  Anderson,  Hamilton,  Wells, 
Blair,  Stewart,  Montgomery,  Boies,  Ferguson,  Campbell, 
Wilson,  Sennett,  Young,  Knox,  and  Gibbs. 

These  first  settlers  were  called  Scotch-Irish,  from  the  fact 
that  their  ancestors  moved  from  Scotland  to  Ireland.  Their 
descendants,  coming  over  to  America  about  1727,  settled  in 
Hopkinton,  Mass.  (now  Sudbury),  whence  they  removed  to 
Blandford. 

As  a  matter  of  interesting  history,  the  following  statement 
(probably  a  letter)  written  by  Francis  Brindley,  one  of  the 
four  proprietors  of  the  tract,  will  be  found  worthy  of  perusal : 

"  It  is  generally  well  known  in  your  parts  that  Mr.  Christopher  Jacob  Lawt*)n 
obtained  a  grant  for  a  tract  of  land  called  now  Blandford,  ((?i<isNew  Glasco,  and 


HISTORY   OF   HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


1075 


in  the  time  of  it,  ia  order  to  carry  on  the  settlement,  touk  in  two  partners  for 
one-half,  viz.,  Capt.  Francis  Welds  ani  Mr.  John  Fay.  Some  time  after,  I 
bought  of  said  Lawton  one-half  of  his  remainiuf^  half  (e.'iclusive  of  all  charges), 
which  entitles  each  of  us  to  one-quarter  part.  But  I  should  have  observed,  be- 
fore I  was  concerned  they  had  agreed  with  45  families  to  settle  it,  from  a  place 
called  Hopkinton,  and  articled  with  them,  amongst  whom  was  one  Hugli  Ham- 
ilton, who  could  not  go  by  reason  he  could  not  sell  his  interest  there ;  so,  by 
much  importunity  of  bim  and  his  friends,  being  a  man  pretty  well  approved 
amongst  them,  I  purchased  his  farm  (and  one  of  his  neighbore'),  to  get  them  np 
to  Glasco,  and  I  soon  sold  them  to  loss.  Howi-ver,  I  gave  them  <)bligations  for 
money  and  lands  in  Ghisco.  The  money  part  I  long  since  paid,  and  this  man,  if 
I  remember  right,  was  to  have  iiOO  acres,  and  (to  oblige  bim,  which  he  wiis  to 
inipait  t"  no  one  living)  I  promised  him  to  choose  out  of  one  of  my  lotts,  when 
I  could  cci-fcdnly  know  where  my  right  was;  and  accordingly,  a  surveyor  was 
appointed  to  divide  it,  and  lay  it  out  in  iiOO-acre  lotts,  and  before  he  had  finished 
it,  or  even  markt  and  bounded  them,  the  General  Court  overhahl  the  grant 
(which  matle  some  disturbance),  and  ordered  a  committy,  and  had  it  new  sur- 
veyed, and  found  Mr.  Lawton  bad  a  mile  or  therealMiuts  more  than  was  con- 
formable to  their  grant.  Bvit  finally  they  granted  the  overplus,  as  I  took  it,  to 
all  of  us,  on  condition  that  wc  settled  sixteen  famelys  more.  But  how  it  hap- 
jiened  I  know  not,  this  second  grant  was  done  in  Welds'  and  Fay's  names  only. 
But  they  have  always  tcdd  me  and  Lawton  tiiat  we  were  and  should  be  equally 
entitled  to  it  with  them,  and  that  they  would  give  us  a  quit-claim,  in  order  to 
make  good  a  division  we  were  about  to  make  above  mentioned ;  but  they  have 
never  done  it  (more  than  by  promise),  though  often  requested.  This  I  told  said 
Hamilton,  and  others  concerned  in  Glasco,  three  or  four  years  agoe,  and  hearing 
he  was  uneasy  and  threatening,  I  wrote  him  I  was  willing  to  doe  it,  if  he'd  ap- 
point  when,  but  I  thought  it  was  a  pity  to  let  bim  pitch  at  uncertainty,  and  I 
alway.s  was  and  am  iis  willing  to  doe  it  (and  doe  him  justis)  as  be  can  bo  to  have 
it,  and  it  has  been  retarded  on  no  other  account  on  my  siile.  But  such  are  the 
circumstances  often  in  such  new  settlements,  that  it's  almost  impossible — if  men 
are  soe  unequal  in  their  demands,  without  the  least  injury  don  to  them.  But 
by  what  I  can  learn,  what  has  moved  him  to  this  resentment,  or  at  least  to  give 
a  hauille  to  it,  is  as  I  have  sold  to  four  men  a  lott  of  470  acres,  in  order  to  per- 
form my  quarter  part  of  the  settlers  to  tlie  last  grant  above  mentioned,  in  order 
to  qualify  me  to  my  full  quarter  part  as  above  hinted,  with  Welds  and  Fay,  that 
there  might  not  any  longer  remain  any  difficulty  not  being  named  in  the  second 
grant,  and  I  have  sold  for  £70  less  than  others,  in  order  to  perfomi  my  part 
therein  with  a  long  credit.  Now  behold  nothing  will  sen'e  said  Hamilton,  as  I 
am  told,  but  three  hundred  acres  out  of  that  lott  which  I  can't  recall." 

Touching  the  matter  of  the  survey  of  Mr.  Lawton's,  by 
which  the  proprietors  obtained  a  tract  of  seven,  instead  of  six 
miles  square,  the  General  Court  took  prompt  cognizance  of 
the  unauthorized  appropriation  of  land,  and  ordered  the  pro- 
prietors to  obtain  fifty  settlers  at  once,  as  an  oifset.  In  1737 
the  four  proprietors  divided  the  township,  and  each  took  unto 
himself  his  proportion  of  the  51  lots  into  which  the  tract  had 
been  hiid  out.  As  above  noted,  the  settlement  was  called 
from  the  first  New  Glasgow,  in  remembrance  of  Glasgow,  in 
Scotland,  and  this  name  it  retained  until  the  incorporation  of 
Blandford. 

DEED    OF    PARTITION. 

The  following  is  a  copy  of  the  deed  of  partition  of  the 
town  of  Blandford,  Hampden  Co.,  Mass.,  dated  March  30, 
1737,  at  that  time  called  "  Glasco,"  entered  into  by  the  then 
proprietors,  Christopher  Jacob  Lawton,  Francis  Brinley, 
Francis  Wells,  and  John  Foye: 

"  This  Indenture,  made  tiie  Thirtyeth  day  of  March,  1737,  In  the  Tenth  Year 
of  the  Reign  of  Our  Sovereign  Lord  George  the  Second,  by  the  Grace  of  God,  of 
Great  Biitten,  France,  &  Ireland,  King,  Defender  of  the  Faith,  &c.,  &  in  the 
Tear  of  our  Lord  &  Christ  One  Thousand  Seven  Hundred  &  Thiily-Seven,  be- 
tween Christopher  Jacob  Lawton,  now  of  Leicester,  in  the  County  of  Worcester, 
&  Province  of  the  Massachusetts  Bay,  in  New  England,  &  late  of  Suflield,  in 
the  County  Hampshire,  &  Province  aforesaid,  Esqr.,  of  the  first  part;  Francis 
Brinley,  of  Roxbury,  in  the  County  of  SutTolk,  <k  Province  aforesaid,  Esqr.,  of  the 
second  part;  Francis  Wells,  of  Cambridge,  in  the  County  of  Middlesex,  &  Prov- 
ince aforesaid,  Esqr.,  of  the  third  part;  &  John  Foye,  of  Charlestown,  in  the 
said  County  of  Middlesex,  Merchant,  of  the  Fourth  j'art;  Whereas,  Tlie  said 
Christopher  Jactib  Lawton,  by  his  Deed  Poll,  bearing  date  the  Eighth  day  of 
July,  A.D.  One  Thousand  Seven  Hundred  &  Thirty-five,  among  other  things 
therein  contained,  did,  for  the  consideration  therein  mentijned.  Grant,  Bargain, 
&  Sell  unto  the  said  Francis  Brinley,  &  liLs  heii-s,  one  undivided  fourth  part 
(Except  as  in  the  said  Deed  is  ExreptedJ  of  a  certain  Tract  of  Land,  with  the 
Appurtenances,  Situate,  lying,  &  being  in  the  said  County  of  Hampshire,  on  the 
west  side  of  Connecticut  River, — which  sai<l  Tnu-t  is  reputed  to  be  Six  Miles 
Square,  &  was  granted,  in  or  about  the  Year  of  Our  Lord  One  Thousand  Seven 
Hundred  &  Thirtii-Two,  by  the  Great  &  General  Court  of  the  Province  of  the 
Massachusetts  Bay,  aforesaid,  to  the  Commoners  &  I'roprietors  of  the  Conmion 
it  undivided  lands  in  the  Town  of  Sutfield,  aforesaid,  as  an  equivalent  for  a 
quantity  of  Land  taken  from  them  in  running  the  Line  between  the  aforesaid 
Province  &  the  Colony  of  Connecticut,  &  had  been  jiurchased  of  the  aforesaid 
Commoners  &  proprietors  by  the  saitl  Christopher  Jacob  Lawton,  &  is  now  com- 


monly called  orknownby  the  Name  of  the  'Glascow  Lands;'  &  also  Iiy  two  other 
deeds  Poll,  both  bearing  date  the  Seventeenth  day  of  Jannao".  A.n.  One  Thou- 
sand Seven  Hundred  &  thirty-five  (among  other  things  therein  contJiiried),  did, 
for  the  Consideration  therein  mentioned.  Grant,  Bargain,  &  Sell  Two  other  undi- 
vided fourth  parts  of  the  aforesaid  tract  of  land  (Except  as  in  the  hereinbefore 
first  in  part  recited  Deed  and  Two  last  mentioned  Deeds  is  excepted)  To  the 
alHjve-named  Francis  Wells  &  John  Foye,  &  their  several  respective  heirs,  To 
hold  the  aforesaid  Three  undivided  fourth  parts  of  the  said  tract  of  Land  & 
premises  to  the  use  of  the  said  Francis  Brinley,  Francis  Wells,  &  John  Foye.  & 
their  several  respective  heirs  &  assigns, — That  is  to  sjiy,  one  of  the  said  three 
undivided  fourth  parts  apiece  to  each  of  tbem,  the  said  Francis  Briult-y,  Francis 
Wells,  &  John  Foye,  &  their  respective  heirs  and  assigns, — Subject  to  a  certain 
proviso  in  the  hereinbefore-mentioned  Grant  of  the  said  Great  and  General  Court 
Expressed  and  contained  as  in  &  by  the  aforesaid  Three  Deeds  Poll  (rcdation 
being  thereunto  liad),  may  now  at  large  appear,  Whereby  the  said  Christopher 
Jacob  Lawton,  Francis  Brinley,  Francis  Wells,  &  John  Foye  are  become  tenants 
in  Common  of  &  in  the  aforesaid  Tract  of  Land  (except  as  is  before  excepted) ;  & 
Whereas,  the  said  Tract  of  Land  (Except  as  is  before  excepted),  by  the  mutual 
Consent  &  Agreement  of  all  the  said  Parties  to  these  presents,  bath,  for  the  better 
making  a  Division  &  Partition  of  the  same  between  them,  &  that  each  of  tlie  said 
Parties  may  hold  and  enjoy  his  part  and  proportion  thereupon.  Severally  to  him- 
self, his  heirs,  &  assigns,  been  divided  into  Fifty-one  Lotts  of  Land,  laid  out  & 
numbered,  as  in  the  Plan  &  Division  thereof  Contained  in  the  Schedule  licreuntu 
annexed,  &  Subscribed  by  the  said  parties  (with  their  respective  names  is  ex- 
pressed and  set  forth). 

"Now  this  Indenture  Witnessetli  that  for  Dividing  &  Parting  the  aforesaid 
Premises  between  the  said  Christopher  Jacob  Lawton,  Francis  Brinley,  Francis 
Wells,  &  John  Foye,  as  is  aforesaid,  it  is  Covenanted,  Granted,  Conchided,  & 
Agreed,  by  &  between  the  said  Parties  to  these  Presents,  &  each  of  them  for 
Iiiraself  &  bis  hell's,  doth  Covenant,  Grant,  Conclude,  &  fully  Agree  to  &  with 
each  otlier,  &  his  heirs  &  assigns,  in  manner  following:  That  is  to  say,  the 
said  Francis  Brinley,  Francis  Wells,  &  John  Foye,  each  of  them  severally 
answering  for  himself  &  his  own  acts  only,  &  not  one  for  the  acts  of  the 
other,  do  for  themselves  &  their  respective  heirs.  Executors,  &  Administrators, 
Covenant,  Grant,  &  Agree  to  &  with  the  said  Christopher  Jacob  Lawton,  his 
hell's  &  assigns,  that  he,  the  said  Christopher  Jacob  Lawton,  shall  or  may  from 
lienceforth  have,  hold,  occupy.  Possess,  &  Enjoy  the  '  Thirteen'  following  lots  of 
the  aforesaid  Tract  of  Land,  Viz.:  Number  One,  Five,  Ten,  Fifteen,  Nineteen, 
Twenty-Three,  Twenty-Seven,  Thirty-One,  Thirty-Six,  Forty,  Forty-Four,  Forty- 
Nine,  &  Thirty-Second  Lotts  thereof,  as  tlie  same  have  been  laid  out  &  Divided  by 
Mr.  Roger  Newbury,  of  Windsor,  in  the  Coli>ny  of  Connecticut,  &  according  to 
the  Plan  &  Division  thereof,  contained  by  the  above-mentioned  schedule  here- 
unto annexed,  to  him  the  said  Christopher  Jacob  Lawton,  his  heirs  and  assigns 
in  severalty  in  full  satisfaction  of  his  fourth  part  or  share  of  the  said  tract  of 
land  &  premises  to  the  only  sole  &  proper  use  &  behoof  of  himself,  his  iieire,  & 
assigns  forever,  &  that  &  notwithstanding  any  act,  matter,  or  thing,  had,  made, 
committed,  suffered,  or  done  by  them  the  said  Francis  Brinley,  FratK-i?  Wells,  & 
John  Foye,  or  any  of  them,  free  &  clear  of,  &  from  any  lawful  claims,  Demands, 
&  Incumbrances  whatever,  &  the  said  Francis  Biinley,  Francis  Wells,  &  John 
Foye  have  Remised,  Released,  &  Quit-claimed,  &  each  of  them  by  these  presents 
Remise,  Release,  &  forever  Quit-claim  unto  the  said  Christopher  Jacob  Lawton, 
his  heirs  &  assigns,  all  the  Estate,  Right,  Title,  Interest,  Property,  Portion, 
Claim,  &  Demand  whatsoever  of  them,  the  said  Francis  Brinley,  Francis  Wells, 
&  John  Foye,  &  every  of  them,  of,  in,  &  to  the  aforesaid  Thirteen  Lotts  of  Land, 
&  every  Part  Thereof  hereinbefore  mentioned,  to  be  allotted,  assigned,  &  ap- 
pointed by  these  presents  to  him,  the  said  Christopher  Jacob  Lawton,  his  heirs 
&  assigns  in  severalty,  for  his  before-mentioned  part  &  share  of  the  aforesaid 
tract  of  Land  &  Piemises ;  &  the  said  Christopher  Jacob  Lawton,  Francis  Wells, 
&  John  Foye,  each  of  them  severally  answering  for  himself  it  his  own  acts 
only,  &  not  one  for  the  acts  of  the  other,  Do,  for  their  respective  heirs,  Execu- 
tors &  Administrators,  Covenant,  Grant,  &  Agree  to  &  with  the  said  Francis 
Brinley,  his  heirs  Sc  assigns,  that  he,  the  said  Francis  Brinley,  shall  or  may  from 
hencftforth  have,  hold,  occupy,  possess,  &  Enjoy  the  Thirteen  following  lotts  of 
the  aforesaid  Tract  of  Land,  Viz.:  Number  Four,  Fourteen,  Eighteen,  Twenty -Two, 
Twenty-Six,  Thirty,  Thirty-four,  Thirty-nine,  Forty-one,  Forty-eight,  Eleven  & 
Twelve  Lotts  thereof,  fis  the  same  have  been  laid  out  &  Divided  by  the  said 
Mr.  Roger  Newbury,  of  Windsor,  in  the  colony  of  Connecticut,  Gent,  &  accord 
ing  to  the  plan  &  Division  thereof  contained  in  the  above-mentioned  schedule 
hereunto  annexed,  to  him,  the  said  Francis  Brinley,  bis  heirs  &  assigns  in  sever- 
alty, in  full  satisfaction  of  the  fourth  part  or  share  of  the  said  Tract  of  Land  *fe 
premises  to  the  only  sale  &  proper  use  &  hebouf  of  himself,  his  heirs,  &  assigns 
forever;  &,  that  notwithstjinding  any  act,  matter,  or  thing  had,  made,  committed 
suffered,  or  done  by  them,  the  said  Christ^qdier  Jticob  Lawton,  Francis  Wells, 
&  John  Foye,  or  any  of  them,  free  &  clear  of  &,  from  any  lawful  claims,  De- 
mands, &  Incumbrances  whatsoever;  &  the  said  Christopher  Jiicob  Lawton, 
Francis  Wells,  &  John  Foye  have  Remised,  Released,  &  Quit-claimed,  &.  each  of 
them  by  these  presents  Doth  Remise,  Rtdease,  &  forever  Qnit-claim  unto  the 
said  Francis  Brinley,  his  beii-s  &  assigns,  all  the  Estate,  Riglit,  Title,  Interest, 
Property,  Portion,  Claim,  &  Demand  whatsoever  of  them,  the  said  Christopher 
Jacob  Lawton,  Francis  Wells,  &  John  Foye,  &  every  of  them,  of,  in,  &  to  the 
aforesaid  Thirteen  Lotts,  A  every  part  thereof  hereinbefore  mentioned,  to  bo 
allotted,  assigned,  &  appointed  by  these  presents  to  him,  the  said  Francis  Brinley, 
his  heire  &  assigns  in  severalty,  for  his  before-mentioned  part  &  share  of  the 
aforesaid  Tract  of  Land  &  Premises:  &  the  said  John  Foye,  Cliristo)iber  Jacob 
Lawton,&FrancisBiinley,e;ichof  thorn  severally  answer!  ng  for  himself  &  his  own 
acts  only,  &  not  one  for  tbii  acts  of  the  otlier.  Do,  for  themselves  &  their  respective 
heirs.  Executors,  &  Administratoi-s,  Covenant,  Grant,  &  Agree  to  &  with  the  said 
Francis  Wells,  bis  heirs  &  assigns,  that  he,  the  said  FYancis  Wells,  shall  or  may 


1076 


HISTOllY   OF   THE   CONNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


from  liciiccforth  linvc,  hold,  Occupy,  pusscus,  i  Enjoy  the  Twelve  following  Lotts 
of  tho  aforcsaiil  tract  of  l.iind,  Vil!. :  Numlicr  Three,  Seven,  Tliirteen,  Seventeen, 
Twenty-one,  Twenty-Kive,  Twenty-nine,  Thirty-live,  Thirty-seven,  Forly-thrcu, 
Kill  ty-seven  &  Kifty-lirst  Lolls  thereof.  118  the  sumc  have  hecn  laid  out  &  divided 
hy  the  nforesiiid  Jlr.  Roger  Newlinry;  ,t  according  to  tho  plan  &  division  there- 
of contuinod  in  tho  above-mentioned  schedule  heieunto  nnnexed,  to  him,  tho 
said  Friincis  Wells,  his  lieirs  &  assigns  in  severalty,  in  full  satisfaction  of  his 
fourth  iiart  or  share  of  the  said  tract  of  Land  &  Premises  to  tho  only  sale  & 
proper  use  4  behoof  of  himself,  his  heirs  &  assigns  forever,  &  that  notwithstand- 
ing any  act,  matter,  or  thing  had,  made,  committed,  suffered,  or  done  hy  them, 
tho  said  John  Koye,  Christopher  Jacob  Lavvton,  &  Francis  Brinley,  or  any  of 
tliein,  free  A  clear  of  A  from  any  lawful  claims,  demands,  A  Incumbrances 
whalsoovor,  &  the  said  John  Koye,  Christopher  Jacoli  Lawton,  &  Francis 
Hrinley  have  Remised,  Kcleased,  &  Quit-claimed,  A  each  of  them  by  their 
presents  doth  Kemisc,  Release,  &  forever  (Juit-claim  unto  the  said  Francis  Wells, 
his  heirs  ,t  assigns,  all  the  Kstate,  Right,  Title,  Inteicst,  Property,  Pol  lion.  Claim, 
&  Demand  whalsoovor  of  the  said  John  Foye,  Christopher  .Jacob  Lawton,  & 
Francis  IJrinley,  &  every  of  them,  of,  in,  iS  to  the  aforesaid  Twelve  Lolls,  & 
every  part  thereof  hereinbefore  menlioned  to  he  allotted,  assigned,  &  appointed 
hy  these  presents  to  him,  llie  said  Francis  Wells,  his  heirs  &  assigns  in  severalty 
for  his  hefore-menlioned  part  &  share  of  the  aforesaid  tract  of  Land  &  Premises ; 
&  tho  said  Christopher  Jacob  Lawton,  Francis  Brinley.  &  Francis  Wells,  each  of 
them  severally  answering  for  himself  &  bis  own  acts  only,  &  not  one  for  the  acts 
of  the  other.  Do,  for  Themselves  &  their  respective  heirs,  E.\ecutore,  &  Adminis- 
trators, Covenant,  Grant,  &  Agree  to  &  with  the  said  John  Foye,  his  lieiis  & 
assigns,  that  he,  the  said  John  Foye,  shall  or  may  from  henceforth  Have,  Hold, 
Occupy,  Possess,  &  Enjoy  the  Thirteen  following  Lotts  of  the  aforesaid  tract  of 
Land,  Viz.:  Number  Two,  Six,  Nine,  Sixteen,  Twenty,  Twenty-four,  Twenly- 
eighl,  Tliirty-tliree,  Thirty-eight,  Forty-five,  Forty-six,  Fifty,  &  Forty-second 
Lotts  tlieroof,  as  the  same  have  been  laid  out  &  divided  by  the  aforenamed  Mr. 
Roger  Newbury,  according  to  the  plan  &  division  thereof,  contained  in  the  above- 
mentioned  schedule  hereunto  annexed,  to  him,  the  said  John  Foye,  his  lieii-s  & 
assigns  in  severalty,  in  full  satisfaction  of  his  fourth  Jjait  or  share  of  the  said 
Tract  of  Land  A  Premises  to  the  only  sale  A  proper  use  of  himself,  his  heirs, 
&  assigns  forever ;  &  that  nutwilhslanding  any  act,  matter,  or  thing,  had,  made, 
committed,  sullered,  or  done  by  them,  the  said  Chi-istopher  Jacob  Lawton,  Francis 
Brinley,  .t  Francis  Wells,  or  any  of  them,  free  &  clear  of  &  from  any  lawful 
Claims,  Demands,  &  Incumbrances  whatsoever;  &  Lastly,  the  said  Christopher 
Jacob  Lawton,  Fl-aucis  Brinley,  &  Francis  Wells  have  Remised,  Released,  & 
tiuit-claimed,  A  each  of  them  by  these  presents  Doth  Remise,  Release,  &  for- 
ever Quit-claim  tinto  the  said  John  Foye,  his  heirs  &  assigns,  all  the  Estate, 
Right,  Title,  Interest,  Property,  Portion,  Claim,  &  Demand  whatsoever  of  them, 
the  said  Christopher  Jacob  Lawton,  Francis  Brinley,  &  Francis  Wells,  &  every  of 
them,  of,  in,  &  to  the  aforesaid  Thirteen  Lotts,  &  every  Part  thereof  hereinbefore 
mentioned,  to  be  allotted,  assigned,  &  appointed  by  these  presents  to  him,  the 
said  John  Foye,  bis  heire  &  assigns  in  severalty,  for  his  before-mentioned  Part  or 
share  of  the  aforesaid  Tract  of  Land  A  Premises. 

"  In  Witness  whereof  the  aliove-nanied  Parties  to  these  presents  have  hereunto 
Interchangeably  set  their  hands  A  seals  the  day  &  year  first  above  written. 

"  Christopher  Jacob  Lawton.    [seal.] 
"Francis  Brinley.  [seal.] 

"  Francis  Wells.  [seal.] 

"John  Foyk.  [seal.] 

"  Acknowledgment  on  I  ack  of  Parchment : 
"  Worcester  ss.  Leicester,  March  3U,  1737. 

"The  within-named  Christopher  Jacob  Lawton,  Francis  Brinley,  Francis 
Wells,  Esqs.,  &  Mr.  John  Foye  personally  ajipeared  before  me  the  subscriber,  one 
of  his  Majesty's  Justices  of  the  Peace  for  the  County  aforesaid,  &  severally 
acknowledged  the  within-written  Instruracnt,  by  them  executed,  to  he  their  free 
act  &  Deed. 

"John  Chandler,  Jr. 

"  Signed,  Sealed,  &  lielivercd  in  presence  of  us. 

"Joseph  Heath. 
"John  Huston. 
"John  Chandler,  Jr. 

"Reg.  Record  on  back  of  Parcbment; 
"Hampshire  ««.  Springpield,  Sept.  28, 1797. 

"  Received  and  Recorded  in  the  Rogistl-y  of  Deeds  of  said  County,  Lib.  No. 
34,  Folio  263,  Ac,  Ac. 

"  Examined. 

"  Wm.  Pynohon,  /?p(7/-." 

It  is  not  an  easy  matter  to  write  tlie  histories  of  tlie  deseend- 
ant.s  of  the  early  settlers  of  Blandford,  for  the  reason  that  many 
of  the  sons  and  datighlers  of  the  pioneers  having  left  the  town 
early  in  life,  but  few  of  the  old  names  are  found  among  the 
residents  of  to-day.  Such  as  could  he  definitely  followed  will 
be  found  set  forth  below. 

The  Boies  family  is  very  widely  scattered.  The  only  ones 
bearing  that  name  in  Blandford  now  are  Watson  E.  and  his 
son,  Eiios  W.  Dii  Boyce  is  said  to  have  been  the  original 
name,  and  France  the  country  which  gave  the  family  birth. 
During  Cardinal  Kichelieu's  time,  the  family  fled  to  Scotland 
to  avoid  religious  persecution,  and  in  the  latter  country 
adopted  the   iKime  of   Boise,    which    after   the  settlement  in 


Blandford  was  changed  to  Boies.  David,  tho  first  settler, 
had  four  sons, — Samuel,  David,  John,  and  William.  David, 
Jr.,  died  young.  The  three  remaining  brothers  married  three 
sisters  named  Crooks.  John  had  three  sons, — John,  Jr., 
Samuel,  and  David.  Samuel,  the  younger,  had  three  sons, 
who  migrated  from  Blandford  to  (lie  West  early  in  life. 
John,  Jr.,  the  grandson  of  David,  the  origiiuil,  had  also  three 
sons, — Enos,  James,  and  Nathan.  Watson  E.,  now  living  in 
Blandford,  is  a  son  of  the  Enos  last  named.  James  K.,  a 
brother  of  Watson  E.,  is  now  professor  of  languages  at  the 
Chicago  Universitj'.  A  younger  brother,  Adonirarn,  died  at 
the  age  of  seven  j'ears.  James,  an  uncle  of  Watson  E.,  died 
in  West  Granby.  This  James  had  a  son,  Aralza  (who  died  of 
yellow  fever  in  New  Orleans  about  fifty  years  ago),  and  a 
daughter,  who  is  now  Mrs.  Orrin  Bills,  of  Sheflield,  Mass. 
Nathan,  another  of  Watson  E.'s  uncles,  removed  to  Palmyra 
about  sixty  years  ago,  and  died  there,  leaving  a  large  family. 
Watson  E.  has  two  living  sisters, — Mrs.  G.  W.  Shepard,  of 
West  Granville,  and  Mrs.  William  Moore,  of  Agawam. 

Of  the  Blairs,  Truman  and  Samuel,  sons  of  Reuben,  are 
residing  in  Blandford.  David  Blair,  with  aTamily  of  twelve 
children,  was  the  first  of  the  name  to  emigrate  to  America. 
He  settled  in  Worcester  shortly  after  1720,  and  thence  Mat- 
thew, Ifis  eldest  son,  removed  to  Blandford  as  one  of  its  first 
settlers.  Robert,  a  brother  of  Matthew,  settled  also  in  Bland- 
ford, on  tlie  tract  called  "  the  Gore."  Matthew  had  six  sons 
and  four  daughters.  Matthew,  one  of  the  sons  who  settled 
here,  was  twice  married,  had  eight  children,  viz. :  Robert, 
Matthew,' Jacob,  Isaac,  Moses,  Adam,  James,  and  Anna. 
Robert,  the  brother  of  Matthew,  the  elder,  above,  had  six  chil- 
dren,— Robert,  David,  Dolly,  Asa,  Rufus,  Hannah.  Reuben, 
the  father  of  Truman  and  Samuel,  now  living  in  Blandford, 
was  the  son  of  Jacob,  who  was  the  son  of  JIatthew,  the  latter 
being  the  son  of  Matthew,  the  earliest  Blandford  settler  of 
that  name.  James,  a  brother  of  Reuben,  and  uncle  of  the 
present  Truman  and  Samuel,  removed  to  Ohio.  His  daughter 
afterward  became  the  mother  of  Gov.  Pairchild,  of  Wiscon- 
.siii.  Nathan,  another  of  Reuben's  brothers,  died  in  Bland- 
ford many  j-ears  ago.  Timothy,  a  son  of  John  Blair,  of 
Worcester,  and  grandson  of  David,  the  original,  moved  to 
Blandford  in  1787,  and  died  here  in  1837,  without  issue,  aged 
eighty-five. 

James  Nye  settled  in  Blandford  in  ISO.j.  Three  of  his  sons, 
Dennis,  Clark,  and  Randall,  still  reside  in  the  town. 

The  Knox  family  is  now  represented  in  Blandford  by  Mi.ss 
Elizabeth  Knox  and  Mrs.  Benjamin  Bennett. 

Wm.  Knox  was  a  pioneer,  and  settled  in  Blandford  about 
1737.  One  of  his  sons,  James,  removed  early  to  what  is  now 
Hillsdale,  N.  Y.  John,  another  son,  married  here,  and  raised 
a  family'  of  four  sons, — William,  Elijah,  John,  and  James. 
Of  these,  Elijah,  the  grandfather  of  Miss  Elizabeth  Knox, 
now  living  in  Blandford,  had  children, — Alanson,*  who  died 
in  Ohio;  Ranar,  who  died  in  Missouri;  Elijah,  Jr.,  and 
Curtiss,  who  died  in  Blandford ;  Justus  and  Reuben,  who 
died  in  California;  Joseph,  now  living  in  Chicago  ;  Eleanor, 
Lois,  and  Hannah  (all  dead)  ;  and  Ruth,  now  residing  in 
Meadville,  Pa.  Elijah,  Jr.,  was  the  father  of  Timothy,  who 
died  in  St.  Louis,  and  Elizabeth,  still  residing  in  Blandford. 
Curtiss,  brother  of  Elijah,  Jr.,  and  father  of  Mrs.  Benjiimin 
Bennett,  of  Blandford,  was  father  also  of  Austin,  now  living 
in  South  wick,  Charles,  living  in  Rock  Island,  111.,  and  Joseph, 
living  in  Worcester. 

The  Gibbs  family  in  Blandford  originated  with  Israel,  who 
came  hither  from  Hopkinton.  His  four  sons  and  four  daugh- 
ters were  John,  Israel,  Ephreim,  Isaac,  Mary,  Rebecca,  Eliz- 
tvbeth,  and  Sarah,  all  of  whom,  save  Elizabeth,  lived  to  be 
upward  of  eighty  years  old.  Those  of  the  name  now  living 
in  Blandford  are  George  C.  and  his  son  George ;  Charles,  son 

^  Subseipiently  an  attorney. 


/O'^^Cc^  cn^    %     /2  cn^ 


Phuto.  by  Moffitt. 


This  family  is  of  French  origin,  and  their  ancestors  belonged  to  the 
noted  Du  Bois  family,  who  were  very  prominent  in  France  during  the 
reign  of  Louis  XIV.,  and  were  driven  from  that  country  to  the  northern 
part  of  Ireland  during  the  Huguenot  persecutions.  At  that  time  the 
spelling  of  the  name  was  changed  to  Boies,  and  in  about  1825  to  the 
present  mode.  In  the  early  part  of  the  last  century,  David,  a  de- 
scendant of  the  family,  emigrated  from  Ireland  to  America,  aod  lo- 
cated in  the  town  of  Hopkinton,  Mass.,  but  subsequently  came  to 
Blandford,  Mass.,  about  the  year  1735  or  1737.  But  a  few  people  in 
that  early  period  had  turned  their  attention  toward  Fettling  the  back- 
woods of  Massachusetts,  a^  the  country  was  mountainous  and  heavily 
timbered,  and  the  business  of  making  a  permanent  settlement  was 
attended  with  much  more  labor  than  in  the  valleys. 

He  was  a  man  of  deep  religious  thought  and  principles,  and  had  a 
large  family  of  children,  of  whom  there  were  three  sons,  viz.,  John. 
William,  and  Samuel.  John,  arriving  at  manhood,  turned  his  attention 
to  agricultural  pursuits,  and  raised  a  family  of  children,  the  male 
members  of  which  were  named  John  and  Samuel,  the  former  being  the 
grandfather  of  the  gentleman  whose  portrait  heads  this  sketch.  He 
was  born  in  Blandford,  Nov.  22,  1744,  and  was  one  of  the  first  white 
male  children  that  saw  the  light  of  day  in  that  town.  He  was 
celebrated  as  a  school-teacher,  and  was  one  of  the  prominent  church 
members  of  his  locality,  being  connected  with  the  Baptist  denomina- 
tion. He  was  married  to  Sarah  Freeland,  by  whom  he  had  a  family 
of  six  children  who  lived  to  a  mature  age.  Three  of  them  were  sons, 
viz.,  James,  Enos,  and  Nathan.  He  died  Sept.  9,  1830.  His  son 
Enos  was  born  in  Blandford,  April  21,  1776,  and  was  married  to 
Alice,  daughter  of  Daniel  Robinson,  of  Granville,  Mass.,  May  1,  1799. 
She  was  born  in  Granville,  Oct.  24,  1779.  His  occupations  in  life 
were  those  of  school-teacher,  farmer,  and  mail  contractor,  he  having 
received  his  first  mail  contract  in  1806.  He  educated  a  family  of  four 
children.  He  was  a  Democrat  in  politics,  and  held  numerous  town 
offices;  was  a  member  of  the  Massachusetts  Constitutional  Conven- 
tion in  1819,  and,  living  to  be  nearly  eighty  years  of  age,  died  July  9, 
1S55.  His  wife  survived  him  but  a  few  years,  dying  April  17,  1863. 
Of  his  family  his  two  sons  have  both  reflected  honor  and  credit  upon 
his  name.  The  eldest,  Watson  E.,  was  born  in  Blandford,  May  19, 
1808.  He  received  the  benefits  of  a  common-school  education,  and 
also  attended  one  year  at  the  Wilbraham  Academy.  His  early  life 
was  spent  in  agricultural  pursuits,  but  in  1830  his  father  transferred 
to  him  a  mail  contract,  the  route  being  from  Hartford,  Conn.,  to 
Hinsdale,  Mass.  He  has  ever  since  held  one  or  more  mail  contracts, 
and  is  probably  the  oldest  mail  contractor  at  present  in  the  service. 
He  has  spent  twenty-six  consecutive  years  of  his  life  in  driving  a 
mail  stage- coaoh. 


He  was  married,  Feb.  23,  1832,  to  Lorinda,  daughter  of  Zelotus 
Robinson,  of  Granville,  Mass.,  by  the  Rev.  T.  M.  Cooley.  She  was  a 
native  of  Granville,  and  was  born  Sept.  3,  1810.  Their  family  con- 
sisted of  only  two  children, — Timothy  Robinson,  who  was  born  in 
Blandford,  Nov.  23, 1832,  and  died  Jan.  26, 1857  (he  was  a  prominent 
young  man  of  the  town,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death  held  the  positions 
of  town  clerk  and  treasurer) ;  and  Enos  W.,  who  was  born  in  Blandford, 
Oct.  15,  1840,  and  was  married  to  Achsah,  daughter  of  Jonathan 
Freeland,  of  Agawam,  Mass.,  Jan.  21, 1862.  He  has  a  family  of  three 
daughters,  and  is  a  farmer  in  Blandford. 

Mr.  Boise  lost  the  helpmeet  of  his  youthful  days  March  1,  1865. 
He  was  afterward  married,  July  1,  1875,  to  Emma  A.,  daughter  of 
Gordon  Rowley,  of  Blandford,  of  which  town  she  is  a  native.  In 
politics  he  has  always  followed  in  the  footsteps  of  his  father,  and  been 
an  energetic  worker  in  the  Democratic  ranks.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  State  Legislature  of  Massachusetts,  in  1842,  and  has  held  the 
various  town  offices  of  selectman,  town  clerk,  treasurer,  and  assessor, 
besides  being  special  county  commissioner  for  a  number  of  terms.  His 
brother  James  was  born  in  Blandford,  Jan.  27,  1815,  and  graduated, 
in  1840,  from  Brown  University,  at  Providence,  R.  I.,  and  has  filled 
positions  in  the  faculty  in  the  department  of  foreign  languages  at 
Brown's,  sixteen  years  at  the  State  University,  at  Ann  Arbor,  Mich., 
and  is  at  present  connected  with  the  Chicago  University,  at  Chicago, 
111.  He  has  published  text-books  in  Greek  and  Latin,  which  are  ex- 
tensively used  in  colleges  and  public  schools. 

The  Boise  family,  so  far  as  is  known,  are  all  comfortably  situated, 
but  none  of  them  have  accumulated  large  estates,  nor  have  they  been 
military  men.  but  appear  to  have  been  more  anxious  to  improve  the 
mind  and  obtain  a  good  education,  preparatory  to  entering  professional 
life.  By  referring  to  the  alumni  of  Williams  College  we  find  that 
seven  of  the  graduates  have  borne  the  name  of  Boise,  and  were  natives 
of  Blandford,  viz. :  William,  son  of  David  Boise,  class  of  1801 ;  Joseph, 
son  of  David,  class  of  1808;  Patrick,  son  of  Reuben  Boise,  class  of 
1809;  Artemas,  son  of  David  Boise,  class  of  1816;  Harper,  son  of 
William  Boise,  class  of  1826;  Reuben  P.,  son  of  Reuben  Boise,  Jr., 
class  of  1843;  Fisher  A.,  also  son  of  Reuben.  Jr.,  class  of  1849. 

Thus  we  have  the  history  of  one  of  Blandford's  oldest  families,  who 
settled  there  long  before  we  were  a  free  and  independent  nation.  They 
have  lived  among  the  rugged  hills  of  Blandford  through  all  thediflferent 
vicissitudes  that  have  happened  to  our  Republic;  but,  by  death  and 
emigration,  the  name  which,  for  the  last  century  and  a  half,  has  bad 
many  representatives  on  the  town  tax-list,  is  now  reduced  to  two, 
— Watson  E.  and  his  son,  Enos  W., — having  scattered  from  their 
ancestral  home,  and  formed  residences  in  other  parts  of  our  great 
country. 


HENRY    K.    HERRICK. 


Photos,  by  Molfitt. 


THOMAS    HERRICK. 


HENKY   K.   HERRICK. 


Among  the  active  farmers  of  tlie  town  of  Bland- 
ford,  highly  respected  for  political  and  social  quali- 
ties, is  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  He  is  to  the 
manner  born,  being  the  only  son  of  Thomas  and 
Mary  A.  Herrick,  and  first  saw  the  liglit  Aug.  24, 
1839.  His  opportunities  for  receiving  a  good  edu- 
cation were  very  limited.  He  followed  the  foot- 
steps of  his  father,  and  is  engaged  in  agricultural 
pursuits,  living  upon  his  fatiier's  homestead. 

He  was  married,  Nov.  20,  1862,  to  Sarah  E., 
daugliter  of  Lewis  and  Mary  E.  (Cook)  Parks,  of 
Blandford,  where  she  was  born,  Aug.  15,  1843.  He 
has  a  family  of  three  children, — Hattie  P.,  born 
Aug.  25,  1863  ;  Jennie  M.,  born  Sept.  10, 1864 ;  and 
Sadie  E.,  born  Nov.  18,  1875.  He  is  one  of  the 
prominent  members  of  the  Democratic  party,  and  is 
at  present  chairman  of  tiie  board  of  selectmen,  which 
office  he  has  held  for  the  last  four  years.  He  has  been 
prominently  identified  with  the  Union  Agricultural 
Society  of  Blandford,  and  has  held  the  offices  of 
president,  secretary,  and  director  of  that  association. 

Thomas  Herrick,  born  in  Blandford,  Mass., 
Aug.  26,  1809,  was  the  only  son,  in  a  family  of  six 
children,  of  Thomas  and  Betsey  (Brockway)  Herrick. 
His  father  was  a  native  of  Montgomery,  Mass.,  and 


I    formerly  lived  at  Westfield,  Mass.,  but  located  in 
Blandford  in  1808. 

Thomas  was  a  farmer  by  occupation,  and  had  few 
advantages  of  obtaining  an  education.  He  was 
married,  June  28,  1836,  to  Mary  A.,  daughter  of 
Harry  and  Charlotte  (Blau)  Knox.  Her  parents 
were  representatives  of  Blandford's  oldest  families, 
and  she  was  born  there,  May  7,  1813.  Their  family 
consisted  of  ten  children,  three  of  whom,  viz., 
Isabella  A.,  Bessie  B.,  and  Hattie  H.,  died  young. 
Charlotte  E.  was  b(jrn  July  11,  1837,  and  is  the 
widow  of  E.  W.  Oakley,  of  Blandford  ;  Henry  K.; 
Ursula  M.  was  born  June  7, 1841,  and  is  the  widow 
of  E.  C.  Hawes,  of  Springfield ;  Emma  L.  was 
born  March  8,  1843,  and  is  the  wife  of  William  R. 
Nye,  of  Blandford  ;  Mary  E.  was  born  Feb.  3,  1845, 
and  is  the  wife  of  James  J.  Richards,  of  Wilbra- 
ham  ;  Melissa  B.  was  born  March  29,  1851,  and  is 
the  wife  of  George  D.  Nye,  of  Blandfoi'd  ;  Abbie  A. 
was  born  Feb.  1,  1855,  and  lives  with  her  brother 
on  her  father's  old    homestead. 

He  was  always  a  Democrat  in  politics,  and  held 
various  town  offices.  He  died  Feb.  1,  1872,  mourned 
by  all  who  knew  him,  for  he  was  one  of  Blandford's 
most  honored  and  respected  citizens. 


HISTORY^   OF    HAMPDEN    COUNTY. 


1077 


of  Abne.r ;  Charles,  son  of  Lyman;  Bradner  S.,  and  his  son 
John;   and  Itussell,  son  of  Dwight  G. 

Jonathan  Shepard  removed  from  Westfield  to  Bhindford  in 
1770.  His  four  sons  were  Jonathan,  Ezra,  Elijah,  and  Oliver. 
Of  these,  Jonathan  had  five  sons  and  seven  daughters.  Of 
these  Hve  sons,  Jonathan,  the  second  eldest,  had  sons  and 
daughters  as  follows:  Jonathan,  now  in  Ashtabula,  0.  ;  Lu- 
cius B.,  a  merchant,  now  of  Blandford ;  Joseph,  in  Ohio; 
Nornum,  deceased  ;  Philander,  in  Minnesota  ;  Henry,  in 
Michigan ;  George,  in  Westfield ;  Mrs.  Joseph  Lazelle,  of 
Weslfield ;  Mrs.  Lawrence  Root,  of  Seneca  Falls,  N.  Y. ; 
Mrs.  John  Root,  living  in  Michigan  ;  and  Caroline,  deceased. 
Larned,  grandson  of  the  original  Jonathan,  died  in  Hartford, 
leaving  no  descendants  in  Blandffird.  Chandler,  his  brother, 
died  in  the  West.  Eli,  another  brother,  died  in  Blandford, 
leaving  a  son,  Joseph,  still  residing  here.  Bradford,  another 
brother,  died  when  quite  young.  Sarah,  the  youngest  daugh- 
ter of  Jonathan  (2d),  the  son  of  the  original  Jonathan,  is  still 
living  in  Sandersfield,  Mass.,  as  Mrs.  Philander  Twining. 

John  Watson  was  another  Blandford  pioneer.  He  married 
Sarah,  daughter  of  Deacon  Israel  Gibbs,  and  died  in  1825. 
He  had  eleven  children,  all  of  whom  are  dead  save  Oliver, 
now  living  in  Blandford  with  his  son  Franklin,  at  the  ad- 
vanced age  of  ninety-seven.  His  brother  James  died  in 
Blandford  but  a  few  months  ago,  aged  ninety-three,  a  bachelor. 
Loring,  another  brother,  had  four  children, — Loring,  Jr.,  who 
died  in  1858;  Dolly  Ann,  who  married  Rev.  Noah  Bishop,  of 
Springfield,  Ohio,  and  died  there;  Myra,  who  died  young; 
Electa,  who  now  resides  in  Albany  ;  Emily,  now  Mrs.  Joseph 
Dewey,  of  CoUinsville,  Conn. ;  and  Jane,  now  Mrs.  McLear,  of 
Blandford.  Loring,  Jr.,  above  noted,  left  two  sons, — Loring, 
now  living  in  New  York  City,  and  Benjamin,  living  in  Ken- 
tucky. He  left  a  daughter,  now  Mrs.  Henry  Peek,  of  New 
York.  Of  the  other  sons  of  the  original  John,  Samuel  and 
William  died  in  infancy.  John's  children  died  young,  and 
William  (2d)  died  not  long  ago,  leaving  no  descendants. 

NOTEWORTHY    INCIDENTS. 

In  May,  1744,  the  town  was  ordered  to  be  divided  into  eight 
garrisons,  and  four  of  them  were  ordered  to  be  built  at  the 
houses  of  John  Stewart,  Israel  Gibbs,  Lieut.  Wm.  Knox,  and 
James  Clintock.  In  174G.  Rev.  Wm.  McClenathan  was  sent 
to  Hartford  to  procure  soldiers,  and  Adam  Knox  sent  to 
Northampton  for  a  similar  purpose.  These  measures  for  pro- 
tection were  taken  during  the  troublous  times  of  the  French- 
and-Indian-wars.  About  this  time  it  was  voted  to  send  Wil- 
liam Donaghy  to  the  General  Court  with  a  petition  asking 
that  the  male  inhabitants  of  the  town  might  be  put  under  pay, 
the  inference  being  that  the  pay  was  wanted  for  services  ren- 
dered or  to  be  rendered  in  defending  the  town  from  the  In- 
dians. The  records  fail  to  say  what  was  the  fate  of  the  appeal. 
Blandford  suffered  some  from  Indian  ravages,  but  the  location 
of  an  important  government  fort  at  this  point  was  a  great 
safeguard  to  the  settlers,  and  the  red  man  was  therefore  not 
much  feared  in  that  region. 

A  record  dated  April,  1746,  reads  ; 

"  Stuuuel  Carnochan  came  and  told  me  he  liad  provided  a  bull,  according  to  ye 
vote  of  ye  town,  and  desired  me  to  book  him." 

That  the  town-officers  worked  cheap  in  those  days  may  be 
gathered  from  the  fact  that  John  Hamilton,  town  treasurer 
from  1742  to  1745,  received  £0,  old  tenor,  for  his  three  years' 
service  in  that  cajiaeity.  In  the  spring  of  1749  the  Indians 
.began  to  grow  troublesome,  and  the  inhabitants  of  the  town 
were  so  frightened  that  all  but  four  families  tied  to  neighbor- 
ing towns.  The  Indians  did  not,  however,  inflict  any  serious 
molestations,  but  the  settlers,  upon  returning  the  ensuing  fall, 
set  about  the  erection  of  three  forts.  These  were  located,  one 
upon  the  place  now  owned  by  Geo.  Watson,  the  second  upon 
a  place  now  owned  by  Nelson  C.  Hall,  and  the  third  upon  the 
land  now  owned  by  Jarvis  J.  Lloyd.     These  forts  continued 


for  a  year  to  be  used  as  places  of  common  shelter  after  night- 
fall, and  during  that  period  the  inhabitants  went  armed  to 
their  daily  avocations  and  to  church,  determined  to  be  pre- 
pared for  any  and  all  dire  emergencies;  but  they  were  not 
further  troubled,  and  .soon  relapsed  into  a  sense  of  peaceful 
security. 

All  was  not  peaceful  and  harmonious  between  the  inhabi- 
tants early  in  1753,  as  a  town  vote  at  that  time  relates  :  "  Chose 
Mr.  Israel  Gibbs  to  teck  ad  vis  of  megor  Li  men  about  defekgl- 
tys  In  the  Town."  This  same  Israel  Gibbs  owned  the  first 
cart  that  entered  the  town,  and  the  team  that  drew  it  was 
driven — so  goes  tradition — by  the  Widow  Moses  Carr,  and 
was  moreover  the  first  yoke  of  cattle  seen  in  Blandford.  To 
Mr.  Gibbs  also  tradition  assigns  the  distinction  of  having  been 
the  father  of  the  first  male  child — Israel,  Jr. — born  in  the 
town.  The  first  female  child  born  in  the  town  is  supposed  to 
have  been  Marj',  daughter  of  James  Montgomery,  born  in 
May,  1737. 

About  1791  the  father  of  Martin  and  Linus  Gibbs  brought 
into  the  town  the  first  single  wagon  ever  seen  here.  It  was  a 
great  curiosity  to  the  inhabitants,  and  such  a  novel  sight  to 
horses  that  they  were  frightened  by  the  appearance  of  the 
vehicle,  just  as  horses  nowadays  take  fright  at  a  locomotive. 

The  early  settlers  were  so  poor  that  they  frequently  solicited 
assistance  from  the  town  proprietors,  and  often  petitioned  the 
General  Court  for  money  grants  and  remission  of  taxes. 
Among  the  donations  tendered  in  response  to  these  petitions, 
the  court  once  gave  40  bushels  of  salt  to  be  distributed  among 
the  inhabitants. 

The  records  of  1755  show  the  following  entry  ; 

"  By  virtue  of  a  petition  put  into  the  Great  and  General  Coui-t  of  Boston  by 
the  Rev.  Mr.  MortotJ  on  behalf  of  this  town,  the  Honorable  (Jourt  was  pleaeed 
to  grant  us  one  swivel-gun,  as  an  alajm-gun,  with  one  quarter-barrel  of  powder 
and  one  bag  of  bullets  for  the  same,  .and  also  one  hundred  flints  for  the  use  of 
the  town,  which  we  have  received  and  paid  charges  on  the  same  from  Boston  to 
this  town,  which  is  two  pounds  and  sixteen  shillings,  old  tenor,  to  Capt.  Houston." 

This  swivel-gun  and  ammunition  were  kept  housed  at  Rev. 
Mr.  Morton's  residence. 

One  of  the  first  taverns  in  the  town,  if  not  the  first,  was 
probably  kept  by  one  Mr.  Root.  In  1757,  when  the  ecclesias- 
tical council  assembled  at  Blandford,  to  act  in  the  matter  of 
the  controversy  between  Rev.  Mr.  Morton  and  the  town, 
Mr.  Root  provided  the  members  of  the  council  with  accom- 
modations at  his  house,  and  a  town  vote  taken  about  that  time 
appropriated  to  Mr.  Root  "6  pence  Lawful  money  for  Each 
Meal  of  Vittles  each  member  of  the  council  shall  eat  in  the 
time  they  shall  Scat  Hear  on  our  Business,  and  also  18  pence, 
old  tenor,  per  Night  for  each  Members  of  the  Council's  lodg- 
ing, and  that  the  town  pay  Mr.  Root  for  the  strong  Drink  that 
the  Council  drink  while  they  are  Hear  on  our  Business,  saving 
Syder  at  their  Vittels." 

Deaccm  Israel  Gibbs  furnished  the  members  of  this  same 
council  with  rum  and  sugar,  and  he  was  ordered  to  be  paid 
therefor  the  first  cost  thereof. 

Temperance  was  at  a  discount  in  those  early  days.  From 
the  records  it  is  learned  that  at  town-meetings  the  inhabitants 
frequently  took  a  recess  of  an  hour  for  the  purpose  of  refresh- 
ing themselves  at  the  tavern.  Tradition  says  that  in  those 
times  the  man  who  could  drink  the  most  and  walk  the 
straightest  was  a  hero.  Strong  drink  was  indeed  a  favorite 
beverage  with  the  ancient  Blandfordites,  and  no  family  ar- 
rangement was  supposed  to  be  complete  without  a  liberal 
standing  supply.  Since  1837,  however,  Blandford  has  been 
more  or  less  inclined  toward  the  total-abstinence  doctrine. 

The  first  physician  was  Dr.  Ashley,  who  flourished  in  1745. 
The  first  grist-mill,  probably  the  one  erected  by  Capt.  Kelso, 
previous  to  1745,  but  just  when  cannot  be  told.  The  first  tan- 
nery, the  one  erected  by  John  Watson,  about  1760,  not  far 
from  where  the  hotel  in  Blandford  Centre  now  stands.  The 
house  now  occupied  by  Mr.  Bartlett  in  Blandford  Centre  was 
built  by  John  Watson, — it  is  said  in  1770.     Justin  Ashmun 


1078 


HISTORY   OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


kejit  tiiverii  in  1790,  on  the  site  of  the  present  hotel  at  Bland- 
t'nrd  Centre,  and  about  then  and  near  the  same  place  Kussell 
At  water  kept  a  store.  Where  Enos  W.  Boies  now  lives  Ah- 
nei-  Pease  Icept  tavern,  as  far  back  as  about  1800,  and  at  least 
twenty  years  before  that  date  the  house  now  occupied  by  the 
Widow  Robinson,  at  Blandford  Centre,  was  built.  The  first 
postmaster  was  Timothy  Hatch,  who  was  appointed  in  1795. 

Blandford  was  not  behind  her  sister-towns  in  patriotic 
impulses  and  etforts  during  the  trying  times  of  the  Revo- 
lution, and  upon  the  first  alarm  from  Lexington,  sent  out, 
witli  Chester,  a  company  of  36  men,  under  the  command  of 
Capt.  John  Ferguson,  of  Blandford.  During  the  war,  the 
town  furnished  men  and  money  with  untiring  zeal,  and  the 
carlv  records  bear  abundant  witness  to  continued  labors  in 
behalf  of  the  cause  of  independence.  Blandford  was,  how- 
ever, opposed  to  the  war  of  1812,  and  sent  .Tedediah  Smith  as 
a  delegate  to  the  Northampton  Convention.  Of  the  soldiers 
sent  by  Blandford  into  the  war  of  1812,  none  are  known  to  be 
living.    Among  those  who  went  were  Asa  Harrington,  Eben- 

ezer  and  Eleazer  Slocomb,  Henry  Tracy,  Wilson,  and 

Isaac  Gibbs. 

The  roud  of  the  Eighth  Massachusetts  Turnpike  Associa- 
tion, laid  out  in  1800,  passed  through  Blandford,  and  so  on  to 
Chester,  as  did  the  road  of  the  Eleventh  Turnpike  A.ssociation, 
running  from  the  south  line  of  the  State  to  Becket  by  the 
Pittsfield  road. 

The  first  recorded  marriage  seems  to  have  been  that  of  Solo- 
mon Stewart  to  Sarah  McConoughey. 

The  chair  used,  in  1774,  by  Rev.  William  McClenathan,  in 
the  pulpit  of  the  Congregational  Church,  is  still  preserved, 
and  is  the  property  of  Enos  W.  Boies,  Esq.,  of  Blandford 
Centre.  Mr.  Boies  owns  also  the  original  deed,  of  date 
1737,  by  which  Jacob  Lawton,  the  original  proprietor  of  the 
tract,  conveyed  three-fourths  thereof  to  Francis  Brinley,  John 
Paye,  and  Francis  Wells. 

An  important  new  departure  in  the  industries  of  Blandford 
was  effected  by  Mr.  Amos  Collins,  a  Connecticut  merchant, 
who  settled  in  Blandford  in  1807.  He  introduced  the  business 
of  butter-  and  cheese-making,  and  carried  it  forward  with 
such  success  that  he  not  only  greatly  contributed  to  the  pros- 
perity of  the  town,  but  gained  a  comfortable  fortune  for  him- 
self during  the  nine  years  of  his  stay. 

ORGANIZATION.* 
Nov.  10,  1741,  the  town  was  incorporated  under  the  name 
of  Blandford.  In  honorable  remembrance  of  Scotland,  whence 
their  ancestors  had  migrated  to  Ireland,  the  early  settlers  had 
called  their  settlement  New  Glasgow,  and  in  their  petition  for 
incorporation  they  desired  the  town  to  be  named  Glasgow. 
This  desire  was,  moreover,  in  furtherance  of  a  wish  to  obtain 
the  gift  of  a  church-bell,  which  had  been  promised  by  the 
people  of  Glasgow,  Scotland,  provided  the  new  town  was 
given  that  name.  It  appears,  however,  that  Wm.  Shirley, 
who  had  just  been  appointed  Governor  of  the  province  of 
Massachusetts,  came  over  from  England  in  the  ship  "  Bland- 
ford," and  in  honor  of  that  vessel  he  chose  to  give  that  name 
to  the  new  town,  to  the  loss,  by  the  people,  of  their  promised 
bell. 

SELECTMEN. 
1742-43.— David  BoiPB,  TluliuTt  Cook,  Jas.  Iliissiiid,  ,Tohn  Stewart,  .Tolin  Yoimg. 
1''+*.— Win.  Knux,  Daviil  lloios,  .John  Stewart,  Jiia.  Hassard,  .Jaa.  Montgomery. 
1745.— Bavid  Boies,  Wni.  Knox,  Jolin  Stewart,  Jas.  Montgomery,  Jas.  Hassavd. 
1740.— Tliomas  Read,  Jolui  Hamilton,  Mattliew  Blair,  William  Donohue,  David 

Campbell. 
1747.— David  Boies,  Robert  Wilson,  James  Montgomery,  John  Stewart,  John 

Hamilton. 
174.S.— Samuel  Crooks,  Israel  Gibbs,  M.althew  Blair,  .Tames  Baird,  Robert  Black. 
1749.— Waller  Slewart,  Israel  Gibbs,  John  Knox,  Robert  Black,  Matthew  Blair. 
1750.— David  Boies,  Robert  Henry,  Israel  Gibbs,  Wm.  Knox,  Slatthew  Blair. 
1751.- Robert  Henry,  Walter  Stewart,  Matthew  Blair,  Wm.  Boies,  Robert  Black. 


*  By  an  act  of  the  General  Court,  passed  May  2.5, 1863,  a  small  portion  of  this 
town  was  set  off  to  Norwich,  now  Huntington. 


1752.— David  Boies,  David  McConoughey,  Israel  Gibbs.  Walter  Stewart,  William 

Boies. 
1753. — Robert  Huston,  Israel  Gibbs,  Wm.  Huston,  Robert  Henry,  John  Boies. 
1754.— Robert  Henry,  Robert  Blair,  Wm.  Boies,  Robert  Black,  John  Boies. 
1755. — Robert  Henry,  Wm.  Boies,  Mattliew  Blair,  Robert  Black,  John  Boies. 
175ri. — Robert  Henry,  Robert  Black,  Wm.  Boies,  John  Boies,  John  Hamilton. 

1757. — lUibert  Henry,  Robert  Black,  Samuel  Boies,  David  Black,  Wm,  Knox. 

1758. — Robert  Henry,  John  Knox,  David  Black,  John  Boies,  Jas.  Montgomery. 

1759. — Robert  Henry,  Israel  Gibbs,  John  Knox,  Matthew  Blair,  John  Hamilton. 

1700. — I^-diort  Henry,  John  Knox,  Robert  Black,  David  McConoughey,  John 
Hamilton. 

17(J1. — Robert  Henry,  David  McConoughey,  Robert  Black,  William  Mitchell, 
Wm.  Knox. 

17G2. — Saml.  Boies,  David  Black,  John  Hamilton,  Nathaniel  Pea-so,  Wm.  Knox. 

17G3. — Samuel  Boies,  Nathaniel  Pease,  William  Knox,  Williitm  Boies,  Robert 
Blair. 

1704. — John  Hamilton,  Robert  Henry,  David  McConoughey,  Nathaniel  Pease, 
William  Boies. 

1705.— William  Boies,  William  Knox,  Israel  Gibbs,  William  Mitchell,  John 
Hamilton. 

1700. — Robert  Blair,  John  Wilson,  William  Mitchell,  William  Knox,  Samuel 
Ferguson. 

1707.— John  Hamilton,  Robert  Blair,  William  Boies,  John  Knox,  Wm.  Mitchell. 

1708. — Robert  Blair,  William  Boies,  John  Hamilton,  Israel  Gibbs. 

1709.— Robert  Blair,   William   Boies,  John   Hamilton,  John   Scott,  Jr.,  Alex. 
Osborn. 

1770.— Itobert  Blair,  M^illiam  Boies,  William  Knox,  Israel  Gibbs,  David  McCon- 
oughey. 

1771.— William  Boies,  Robert  Blair,  William  Knox,  John  Scott,  David  McCon- 
oughey. 

1772. — William  Knox,  Robert  Blair,  Samuel  Boies,  William  Carnahan,  William 
Boies. 

1773-74. — William  Knox,  William  Carnahan,  Solomon  Brown,  John  Ferguson, 
Jndah  Bement. 

1775. — Judah  Bement,  David  McConoughey,  William  Carnahan,  William  Knox, 
Samuel  Boies. 

1770.— Samuel  Boies,  Judab  Bement,  David  McConoughey,  Samuel  Sloper,  John 
Knox. 

1777. — John  Knox,  Samuel  Boies,  Judah  Bement,  Solomon  Stewart,  Isa:ic  Gibbs. 

1778. — William  Boies,  Samuel  Sloper,  Solomon  Stewart,  John  Ferguson,  Isaac 
Gibbs. 

1779. — Samuel  Sloper,  David  McConoughey,  Nathaniel  Taggart,  Ephraim  Gibbs, 
Solomon  Btowu. 

1780. — .John  W'ilson,  John  Ferguson,  William  Knox,  Robert  Blair,  Israel  Gibl^s. 

1781. — Wareliam  Parks,  Justin  Ashman,  John  Gibbs,  Samuel  Ferguson,  Samuel 
Cannon. 

1782. — Wareham  Parks,  David  McConoughey,  William  Boies,  Justin  Ashman, 
John  Scott. 

1783. — William  Boies,  Wareham  Parks,  John  Scott,  Reuben  Boies,  John  Ham- 
ilton. 

1784. — Wareham  Parks,  John  Scott,  Samuel  Boies,  Samuel  Sloper,  John  Fer- 
guson. 

1785.— Wareham  Parks,  Samuel  Sloper,  John  Scott,  John  Watson,  Robert  Law- 
head. 

1780.— Samuel  Sloper,  Samuel  Boies,  John  Ferguson,  Justin  Ashmun,  John 
W'atson. 

1787. — Samuel  Sloper,  Samuel  Boies,  John  Cochran,  David  Boies,  Asa  Blair. 

1788.— John  Ferguson,  Samuel  Beard,  Reuben  Boies,  Isaac  Gibbs,  Samuel  Knox. 

1789. — John  Ferguson,  Reuben  Boies,  Robert  Blair,  Jr.,  Timothy  Blair,  Timothy 
Hatch. 

1790.— Robert  Blair,  Jr,  Reuben  Boies,  Timothy  Hatch,  Asa  Blair,  Samuel  Boies. 

1791-92.— Robert  Blair,  Jr.,  Reuben  Boies,  Timothy  Hatch,  Timothy  Blair,  David 
Boies. 

1793.— Samuel  Sloper,  Reuben  Boies,  David  Boies,  Ebenezer  Bruse,  Adam  Blair. 

1704.— David  McConoughey,  David  Boies,  Asa  Blair,  Samuel  Knox,  Timothy 
Hatch. 

1795.— David  McConoughey,  David  Boies,  Reuben  Boies,  Bufus  Blair,  William 
Knox. 

1790.— David  McConoughey,  William  Knox,  Timothy  Hatch,  William  Knox,  Jr., 
Jedediah  Smith. 

1797.— David  Boies,  Jedediah  Smith,  William  Knox,  Reuben  Boies,  Samuel  Knox. 

1798.— David  Boies,  William  Knox,  Asa  Blair,  Ahner  Pease,  Russell  Atwater. 

1790.- David  Boies,  Asa  Blair,  David  McConoughey,  Abnor  Pease,  John  Crooks. 

ISOO.— David  Boies,  William  Knox,  Boubeu   Boies,  Asa  Blair,  David  McCon- 
oughey. 

1801.— .\sa  Blair,  Russell  .Vtwater,  Wm.  Knox,  Reuben  Boies,  John  Hamilton. 

1802.— Daviil  Boies,  Reuben  Boies,  Adam  Blair,  Russell  Atwater,  Reuben  Uhiir. 

1803.— Asa  Blair,  David  Boies,  Reuben  Boies,  Reuben  Blair,  Eli  P.  Ashmun. 

1804.— Reuben  Boies,  Eli  P.  Ashmun,  David  Boies,  Asa  Blair,  Samuel  Knox. 

1805. — Eli  P.  Ashmun,  David  Boies,  Wm.  Knox,  Reuben  Boies,  Abijah  Babcock. 

1806.— Eli  P.  Ashmun,  Samuel  Knox,  Reuben  Blair,  William  Knox,  Abijah 
Babcock. 

1807.— David  Boies,  Wm.  Knox,  Samuel  Knox,  Asa  Blair,  Nathaniel  Cannon. 

1808.— William  Knox,  Reuben  Boies,  Adam   Blair,  David  O.  Osborn,  Samuel 
Boies  (2d). 

1809.— David  Boies,  Asa  Blair,  Samuel  Knox,  David  Boies  (2d),  Robert  Lloyd. 

1810.— Samuel  Knox,  David  Boies  (2d),  Andrew  Wilson,  Robert  Lloyd,  John 
Hamilton. 


HISTORY   OF   HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


107!) 


1811. — Samuel  Knox,  Keuben  Blair,  David  Boies,  SaDiuel  C.  Gibbs. 

1S12. — Samuel  Kuox,  Andrew  Wilsou,  Bcubeu  Blair,  Solomou  Nuble,  Isaac 

Lloyd. 
1813. — Saumel  Knox,  Keuben   Blair,  Andrew  AVilson,  David  Boies  (2d),  David 

Blair  (2d). 
1814. — Saumel  Kuox,  Andrew  Wilsou,  David  Boies  (2d),  David  Blair  (2d),  Isaac 

Llojd. 
1815. — Samuel  Kuox,  Reuben  Boies,  David  Boies  (2d),  Andrew  Wilson,  Abner 

Gibbs. 
ISIG. — Reuben  Boies,  David  Boies  (2d),  Isaac  Llojd,  Andrew  Wilson,  Abner 

Gibbs. 
1817.— Reubou  Boies,  David  Boies  (2d),  Abuer  Gibbs,  David  Blair  (2d),  John 

Gibbs. 
ISIS. — Abnor  Gibbs,  David  Blair  (2d),  Isajic  Lloyd,  Reuben  Boyes  (2d),  Israel 

Cannon. 
1819. — Abner  Gibbs,  Reuben  Boies,  .Tr,,  John  Gibbs,  Stephen  Rowley,  Henry 

Knox. 
1820.— Abner  Gibbs,  David  Boies  (2d),  David  Blair,  Jr. 
1821.— David  Blair,  Jr.,  Reuben  Boies,  Jr.,  David  Boies  (3d). 
1822. — Reuben  Boies,  Jr.,  David  Boies  (3d),  Rttbert  Lloyd,  Euos  Boies,  Israel 

Cannon. 
1S23. — Reuben  Boies,  Jr.,  David  Blair,  Jr.,  Israel  Cannon. 
1S24. — David  Blair,  Jr.,  Israel  Cannon,  Henry  Tracy,  Justin  Wilson,  James 

Watson. 
1825-26. — Israel  Cannon,  Henry  Tracy,  Justin  Wilson. 
1827.— Henry  Tracy,  Justin  Wilson,  David  Boies  (3d). 
1828.— Henry  Tracy,  Justin  Wilson,  Adam  Blair,  Jr. 
1829. — Henry  Tracy,  Adam  Blair,  Jr.,  Curtis  Knox. 
1830.— Adam  Blair,  Jr.,  Justin  Wilsou,  Oliver  Watson. 
1831.— Abner  Gibbs,  David  l>arks,  Curtis  Hall. 
1832.— Logan  Crosby,  Alfred  Smith,  Porter  Gibbs. 
1833. — Logan  Crosby,  Alfred  Smith,  Kilbourn  Bates. 
1834-35. — Kilbourn  Bates,  Curtis  Hall,  Spelman  Gibbs. 
1836.— Kilbourn  Bates,  Lester  E.  Gibbs,  Joel  Hall. 
1837. — Lester  E.  Gibbs,  David  Parks,  Reuben  Boies. 
1838.— Edward  Ely,  Curtis  Hall,  Milton  Boies. 
1839. — Orrin  Sage,  Lyman  Gibbs,  Justin  Wilson. 
1840. — Lyman  Gibbs,  Oirin  Sage,  Olcott  Osboru. 
1841.— Orrin  Sage,  Olcott  Osborn. 
1842.— Olcott  Osborn,  Leverett  Sackett,  Wm.  C.  Clark. 
1843. — Justin  Wilson,  Leverett  Sackett,  Kilbourn  Bates. 
1844. — Justin  Wilsou,  Adam  Blair,  Edwin  Ely. 
1846.— Adam  Blair,  Edwiu  Ely,  Kilborn  Bates. 
1846. — Edwin  Ely,  Orrin  Sage,  Justus  liuox. 
1847.— Justin  W'ilson,  F.  W.  Gibbs,  Albert  Kuox. 
1848.— George  C.  Gibbs,  John  F.  Collistcr,  Westley  L.  Boies. 
1849.— W.  L.  Boies,  John  F.  CoUister,  Thomas  S.  Chaffe. 
1850.— T.  S.  Chafle,  Leverett  Sackett,  John  Parks. 
1851. — Albeit  Kno-x,  John  Parks,  S.  A.  Bartbolemew. 
1852.— Albert  Knox,  S.  A.  Bartholeniew,  Thos.  Herrick. 
1853. — Thos.  Heirick,  S.  A.  Bartliolemow,  John  Cross. 
1854.— Albert  Knox,  Leverett  Sackett,  Curtis  Hall. 
1855. — Thos.  S.  Chaffe,  Linus  Shepard,  Stephen  Burton. 
1856.— S.  A.  Bartbolemew,  Israel  M.  Gibbs,  Eli  P.  Hayden. 
1857.— Samuel  A.  Bartbolemew,  E.  W.  Shepard,  Eli  H.  Osborn. 
1858.— E.  W.  Shepard,  Alva  Foot,  Eli  Oslx.rn. 
1859.— B.  W.  Shepard,  Eli  Osborn,  Cluirles  Lee. 
I860.— Geo.  C.  Gibbs,  Frank  C.  Knox,  B.  S.  Brocket. 
1861.— T.  S.  Chaffe,  Lyman  K.  Norton,  David  Bates. 
1862. — Jas.  C.  Hinsdale,  W^m.  N.  Lewis,  Alfred  Peckham. 
1863.— W.  E.  Boies,  Francis  Bates,  Eli  A.  Crosse. 
1864.— Samuel  A.  Bartbolemew,  Wm.  M.  Lewis,  H.  D.  Tinker. 
1865.— Wm.  M.  Lewis,  Eli  Ostorn,  Geo.  C.  CoUister. 
1866.— Eli  Osborn,  Charles  M.  Waite,  Henry  K.  Herrick. 
1867.— George  C.  Gibbs,  F.  C.  Knox,  Wm.  H.  H.  Blair. 
1868. — Francis  Bates,  Franklin  C.  Kuox,  Alva  Bishop. 
1869.— F.  C.  Kuox,  Wm.  H.  H.  Blair,  Eli  A.  Crosse. 
1870.— Franklin  C.  Knox,  Eli  A.  Crosse,  Charles  M.  Waite. 
1871.— Henry  K.  Herrick,  Noah  B.  Nye,  James  F.  Blair. 
1872.— E.  W.  Shepard,  George  C.  Collister,  Jas.  W.  Knox. 
1873. — Franklin  C.  Knox,  Henry  S.  Burdick,  Lewis  C.  Nye. 
1874. — F.  C.  Knox,  S.  A.  Bartbolemew,  Lewis  C.  Nye. 
1875-79. — H.  K.  Herrick,  .Tas.  W.  Knox,  Jarvis  J.  Lloyd. 

TOWN   CLERKS. 

James  Hassard,  1742-45;  David  Boies,  1745-48;  John  Knox,  1748-50;  David 
Boies,  1750-52 ;  David  McConoughey,  1752-53;  Wm.  Huston,  1753-54;  Robert 
Black,  1754-57;  Robert  Henry,  1757-62;  Wm.  Boies,  1762-66;  Robelt  Black, 
1766-67;  Wm.  Boies,  1767-73 ;  Judah  Bement,  1773-78 ;  Robert  Blair,  1778-79; 
David  McConoughey,  1779-90;  Samuel  Sloper,  1790-94;  David  McConoughey, 
1794-1805;  Jos.  Bull,  1805-9;  Reuben  Blair,  1809-11 ;  Alansou  Knox,  lSll-19  ; 
Orrin  Sage,  1819-21;  Alauson  Knox,  1821-30;  Russell  A.  Wilsou,  1830-32 ;  Orrin 
Sage,  1832-36 ;  Samuel  S.  Day,  1836-38 ;  Orrin  Sage,  1838-39 ;  Enos  Boies,  1839- 
42;  T.  S.  Chaffee,  1842-49;  D.  P.  Robinson,  1849-50;  Justin  Wilson,  1860-52 ; 
Thomas  S.  Chaffee,  1852-64 ;  W.  E.  Boise,  1854-55 ;  E.  W.  Shepard,  1855-56 ; 
Timotliy  R.  Boies,  1856-57 ;  W.  E.  Boies,  1857-58 ;  Norman  N.  Lewis,  1858-65 ; 
B.  B.  Norton,  18G5-«6;  E.  W.  Shepard,  1866-79. 


REPRESENTATIVES   AT   THE   GENERAL   COURT. 

Blaiidford  was  not  represented  in  the  Legislature  until  1787. 
For  many  years  no  one  would  accept  the  office  of  representa- 
tive. In  the  early  records  it  was  frequently  voted  "to  send 
if  we  can  get  any  one  to  accept."  Since  1787  the  representa- 
tives have  been  as  follows  : 

Timothy  Blair,  John  Ferguson,  Reuben  Boies,  Jedediah  Smith,  Wm.  Knox, 
Eli  P.  Ashmun,  David  Boies,  Joseph  Bull,  Edward  Pynchon,  Samuel  Knox, 
Alansou  Knox,  Andrew  Wilson,  Isaac  Lloyd,  Abner  Gibbs,  David  Boies  (2d), 
David  Blair  (2d),  Reuben  Boies,  Jr.,  Israel  Cannon,  Orrin  Sage,  David  Parks, 
Lyman  Gibbs,  Justin  Wilsou,  Lester  E.  Gibbs,  Logan  Crosby,  Kilborn  Bates, 
Milton  Boies,  Curtiss  Hall,  Russell  A.  Wilsou,  Daniel  Collins,  Adam  Blair,  S.  S. 
Day,  S.  W.  Loring,  H.  G.  Lewis,  W.  E.  Boies,  Edwin  Ely,  Leverett  Sackett, 
Sharon  Bradley,  Vincent  Bradley,  Rev.  A.  G.  Bowker,  Albert  Knox,  Chauueey 
S.  Brown,  William  B.  Miller,  Samuel  E.  Lord,  Ralsa  Taggart,  James  C. 
Hiusilale. 

Mr.  Hinsdale  represented  the  town  in   1856.     After  that 

Blandford  became  a  portion  of  the  Eleventh  Representative 

District. 

VILLAGES. 

BLANDFORD   CENTRE. 

Of  the  two  villages  in  the  town,  Blandford  Centre  occupies 
the  site  of  the  early  settlements  of  Blandford,  and  although 
small,  having  a  population  of  perhaps  300,  is  tastefully  laid 
out,  and  attractively  embellished  with  many  handsome  dwell- 
ings. There  are  at  this  point  two  churches,  one  hotel,  two 
stores,  a  post-office,  school,  fair-grounds,  and  two  cemeteries. 
The  villagers  are  for  the  most  part  engaged  in  agricultural 
pursuits. 

NORTH    BLANDFORD, 

distant  three  miles  from  the  centre,  was  some  years  ago  quite 
a  manufacturing  point,  but  in  this  direction  its  interests  have 
latterly  suftered  a  decline.  At  present  there  are  a  cattle-card 
factory,  a  cheese-factory,  a  tannery,  a  church,  school,  two 
stores,  post-office,  and  a  population  of  300.  Although  North 
Blandford  has  lost  important  business  interests,  it  is  still  a 
place  of  substantial  thrift. 

CIIURCHKS. 

From  the  date  of  the  earliest  settlement  of  Blandford,  the 
inhabitants  devoted  much  care  and  thought  to  the  subject  of 
procuring  means  for  the  observance  of  divine  worship.  Much 
of  the  business  transacted  at  the  early  town-meetings  related 
to  this  matter.  The  first  meeting-house  in  the  town  was 
erected  in  1740,  by  the  original  town  proprietors.  The  agree- 
ment stipulated  that  the  structure  should  have  "  glass  win- 
dows," but  these  were  not  supplied  until  twelve  years  later. 
For  thirteen  years  the  building  had  no  floor  save  a  few  loose 
boards,  the  earth,  and  rocks.  The  seats  were  blocks,  boards, 
and  common  benches.  The  pulpit  was  nothing  but  a  square 
box.  In  1759  it  was  voted  "to  make  a  pulpit  for  the  minis- 
ter and  to  build  seats."  In  1786  the  house  was  first  plastered. 
It  was  not  until  1805,  sixty-five  years  after  it  was  commenced, 
that  the  house  was  completed. 

The  leaders  of  church  music  were  chosen  at  town-meet- 
ings, and  were  enjoined  to  conduct  it  in  "  the  good  old  way." 
In  1771  the  question  was  raised  whether  the  singing  should 
be  carried  on  with  the  beat,  and  was  negatived.  Caleb  Tay- 
lor, of  Westfield,  was  the  first  singing-master,  and  when  he 
named  the  tune  and  sang  with  the  beat,  many  were  so 
shocked  at  what  they  termed  the-"  indecency  of  the  meth- 
od" that  they  left  the  church.  This  church  was  originally 
Presbyterian,  but  in  1800  was  changed  to  Congregational, 
"from  the  inconvenience,"  it  is  said,  "attending  its  first 
form."  The  earliest  pastors  were  Wm.  McClenathan,  1744  to 
1747;  James  Morton,  1747  to  1767;  Joseph  Patrick,  1772. 
The  organization  of  this  first  church  of  Blandford  is  said  to 
date  back  to  1735,  when,  in  Hopkiiiton,  the  settlers,  prepar- 
ing to  move  toward  their  new  homes  in  what  is  now  Bland- 
ford, efl'ected  the  religious  organization  whi<:h  flourished 
contemporaneously  with  their  early  settlement  in  the  wil- 
derness. 


1080 


IIISTOllY   OF   THE    CONNKCTICUT    VALLEY. 


A  town-iiieoting  held  in  April,  1743,  was  chiefly  devoted  to 
the  consideralion  of  the  business  of  obtaining  a  minister.  The 
votes  u])on  the  subject  were  as  follows  : 

"Tlmtlho  town  8uii|ilicttto  the  Rev.  Mr.  .John  Hiuvey  tj  cumc  iiiiil  )irciicli  a 
<lny  to  U8  now,  before  the  next  Prcshytery  ;  that  the  town  Hend  two  '  Coniinbon- 
ere'  to  the  Presbytei-y  witti  respect  to  attaii*s  betwixt  the  u»wn  and  3Ir.  John 
CnUlwell,  on  '  condishun'  we  rest  satisfied  witli  the  deteimiiiatiou  of  tlie  Pres- 
bytery in  this  aflair  ;  that  David  Boys  and  John  Hngton  be  sent  to  the  Presby- 
tery by  tlie  town  as  Coniishoners  to  act  for  us  at  the  Presl)ytery  ;  that  our 
C'olnisliionei-s  supplicate  tlie  Presbytery  for  a  supply  to  us;  that  there  be  granted 
tifty-two  shillings  per  day  or  Sabbath,  old  tenor,  to  those  that  preach  to  us, 
either  sent  to  us  by  the  Presbytery,  or  belonging  to  the  Presbytery,  or  by  the 
mutual  agreement  of  the  town,  and  they  to  jiay  for  tlieir  '  bord.'  " 

September,  lT4o,  an  appropriation  of  r2.s.,  old  tenor  (prob- 
ably meant  to  read  52.1.),  was  made  to  pay  Samuel  Dunlap  for 
one  day's  preaching.  At  the  same  meeting  it  was  resolved  to 
supplicate  the  Presbytery  for  "any  supply  they  can  find  for 
us  for  less  or  more  time,  only  Mr.  John  Caldwell  excepted;" 
but  why  Mr.  Caldwell  wa.s  excepted  does  not  appear,  but 
it  is  found  from  an  earlier  record  that  Mr.  Caldwell  did 
some  preaching  for  the  town  and  engaged  subsequently  in  a 
controver.sy  with  the  selectmen.  In  October,  174.3,  it  was 
voted  that  "  the  town  write  to  the  Presbytery  for  a  present 
supply  for  the  pulpit,  and  to  see  what  they  can  or  will  do  for 
us  as  concerning  a  minister  in  order  to  ballot  whether  they 
will  send  or  join  with  us  in  sending  home  to  England  for 
one."  Fifteen  shillings  were  offered  in  old  tenor,  per  week, 
to  "  any  thatt  will  bord  the  ministers  for  time  to  come. "  The 
bid  for  a  minister  declined  at  this  time  to  "forty  shillings  a 
day  and  pay  for  their  board." 

It  was  resolved  to  send  for  Mr.  Harvey,  to  preach  "a  part 
to  us  and  a  Sabbath,  as  soon  as  his  convenience  will  allow  of;" 
and  further,  a  committee  was  chosen  "for  to  consult  and  con- 
trive for  the  supply  of  the  pulpit  this  year,  not  exceeding  six 
weeks  for  one  tryal."  May,  1744,  it  was  voted  not  to  send  to  the 
Presbytery,  but  to  continue  Mr.  Munson  for  another  space  of 
time  "  after  he  hath  stayed  out  his  present  invitation."  It  was 
decided  also  to  adhere  to  the  doctrines  of  the  Church  of  Scot- 
land, and  the  Westminster  confession  of  faith.  In  July, 
1744,  it  was  voted  to  settle  the  Kev.  Wm.  "  McClanachan"  as 
the  town's  pastor,  and  he  was  to  have  £150,  old  tenor,  as  a 
settlement,  and  a  yearly  salary  of  the  same  sum,  the  settlement 
money  to  be  paid  him  in  work  within  the  space  of  two  years 
after  his  settlement.  Mr.  McClenathan  was  ordained  as  pastor 
in  October,  1744,  and  concerning  his  transfer  from  Boston  to 
Blandford  with  his  family,  it  is  interesting  to  note  that  they 
were  provided  for  the  journey  with  "  two  horses  and  chairs  to 
convey  them  to  Westfield."  The  town  voted  to  pay  for  the 
transportation  of  Mr.  McClenathan 's  goods  from  Boston  to 
Westfield,  and  "  the  charge  of  taking  the  chairs  btick  to 
Boston."  By  a  vote,  every  man  in  the  town  of  the  age 
of  twenty  years  and  upward  was  ordered  to  give  Rev.  Mr. 
McClenathan  one  day's  work  toward  getting  his  firewood  for 
the  ensuing  year. 

In  October,  1740,  the  town  decided  to  ask  a  dismission  from 
Mr.  McClenathan,  and  Israel  Gibbs  was  chosen  to  go  to  Boston 
to  secure  the  dismission  of  the  minister,  in  the  event  that  the 
latter  declined  to  consent  to  a  dismission  from  the  town.  The 
records  indicate  that  Mr.  McClenathan  accepted  his  dismis- 
sion promptly,  although  no  reason  is  given  for  the  action  of 
the  town. 

Kev.  James  Morton,  the  next  settled  pastor,  was  installed  in 
August,  1847,  but  for  some  reason  he  didn't  please  the  town, 
and  in  i753  there  was  trouble  between  pastor  and  people,  for 
in  December  of  that  year  it  was  voted  "  to  Let  the  Defekulty 
Rest  for  a  Letil  Tiem  Withe  Respekt  to  the  Revrent  Mr. 
Mortn."  Ecclesiastical  councils  were  called  to  consider  the 
matters  at  issue,  but  failed  to  effect  an  adjustment,  and  despite 
the  fact  that  the  town  wished  to  get  rid  of  him,  Mr.  Morton 
continued  to  preach  until  1707.  He  continued  to  reside  in 
Blandford  thereafter,  and  died   there  in  1793,  aged  seventy- 


nine.  Rev.  Joseph  Patrick  succeeded  him  in  June,  1772,  and 
iif  hini  it  is  related  that  at  his  ordination  he  was  publicly 
reproved  by  the  Presbytery  for  having  ridden  from  an  adjoin- 
ing town  on  a  Sabbath  evening.  Mr.  Patrick  was,  after  a 
brief  season,  dismissed  the  following  December. 

There  was  no  regular  preaching  thereafter  until  1787,  when 
Joseph  Badger  was  installed.  He  was  dismissed  in  1800,  and 
went  as  a  missionary  to  Ohio.  John  Keep,  a  graduate  of 
Yale,  served  from  1805  to  1821.  Dorus  Clarke  was  installed 
in  1823,  and  continued  to  be  the  pastor  until  1835.  Charles 
J.  Hinsdale  took  charge  in  1830,  and  remained  the  pastor 
about  twenty  years.  The  present  pastor  is  Rev.  Aaron  W. 
Fields.  The  congregation  numbers  75  members.  The  pres- 
ent church  building,  which  is  located  at  Blandford  Centre, 
was  erected  in  1822,  and  is  an  ornamental  as  well  as  a  sub- 
stantial edifice. 

THE  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH  OF  ULANDFOKD 
is  said  to  have  originated  in  the  "  unconditional  election"  doc- 
trine preached  by  Mr.  Badger,  pastor  of  the  Congregational 
Church.  Many  of  the  members  of  the  latter,  who  objected 
to  that  doctrine,  withdrew  and  formed  the  Episcopal  Church. 
Although  they  enjoyed  occasional  preaching,  they  had  no 
church  edifice  until  1830,  when  they  erected  one  on  the  road 
to  Chester,  about  a  mile  and  a  half  from  Blandford  Centre. 
This  church  building  stood  until  1870,  when  it  was  torn  down, 
the  society  having  dwindled  away  to  such  small  proportions, 
fifteen  years  before,  that  no  regular  services  were  maintained. 
A  remnant  of  this  society  still  exists.  The  last  sermon  de- 
livered in  the  church  was  preached  by  a  Rev.  Mr.  Jones,  who, 
when  he  left,  stole  the  communion-service,  and  shortly  there- 
after— about  twenty  years  ago — murdered  a  peddler  on  the 
highwaj',  near  Russell.     For  this  last  crime  he  was  hung. 

A    BAPTIST    SOCIETY 

was  organized  in  1820,  and  for  several  years  thereafter  listened 
to  the  preaching  of  Rev.  Charles  A.  Turner.  The  society 
never  owned  a  church  edifice,  and,  although  there  are  still  a 
few  members  who  hold  occasional  meetings,  they  have  had  no 
preaching  since  1848. 

THE    FIRST    METHODIST    EPISCOPAL   (CHURCH 

was  erected  at  North  Blandford  in  1845.  It  has  prospered 
fairly  since  that  time,  and  is  at  present  in  charge  of  Rev.  W. 
T.  Miller,  the  pastor  also  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
at  Blandford  Centre.  This  latter  society,  now  numbering 
about  70  members,  has  a  fine  church  edifice.  It  was  organ- 
ized in  1840,  and  in  the  following  year  built  a  church. 

A  small  Methodist  Episcopal  Society,  dating  its  organiza- 
tion back  well-nigh  a  century  and  a  quarter,  has  its  existence 
in  the  south  part  of  the  town,  known  as  Beach  Hill,  but  has 
no  preaching. 

SCHOOLS. 

Naturally,  the  town  possessed  in  its  early  days  limited 
educational  advantages,  and  it  was  not  until  1750  that  fav- 
orable public  action  touching  schools  was  taken,  it  having 
been  voted  in  1755  not  to  support  a  school.  It  was  then  voted 
"to  grant  three  pounds  to  Be  Layed  out  to  Hyre  a  school- 
master." The  first  regular  school  was  taught  by  James 
Carter,  an  ex-sea-captain,  in  the  house  of  Robert  Black.  In 
1758  it  was  voted  "  to  Hiar  a  School  Deame,  and  to  Dispurs 
the  five  pounds,  and  two  pounds  more.  Granted  by  the  Gen- 
eral Court,  to  Defra  the  charges."  In  1762  the  town  was 
divided  into  three  school  districts,  and  three  school-houses 
were  erected.  One  of  these  was  near  the  house  of  George 
Cline,  one  near  the  residence  of  Henry  Wilson,  and  the  third 
near  where  Stanton  Clark  lived  in  1850.  In  1802  thirteen 
school  districts  were  created,  which  is  the  present  number. 

In  1805,  Widow  Jane  Taggart  bequeathed  to  the  Third 
School  District  $1200  for  educational  purposes,  and  that  sum 
by  judicious   investment    had,   in    1878,   increased   to   !^2400. 


HISTORY   OF  HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


1081 


Among  the  college  students  furnished  by  Blandford  in  her 
early  history,  the  first  was  Eli,  son  of  Deacon  Samuel  Boies. 
He  entered  Yale  in  1788,  but  died  before  completing  his 
course.  William,  sun  of  David  Boies,  graduated  at  Williams 
College  in  1801.  There  also,  in  1807,  graduated  Joseph, 
another  son  of  David  Boies.  Patrick  Boies,  son  of  Reuben 
Boies,  Sr.,  graduated  at  Williams  in  1808.  Arteniss,  son  of, 
David  Byies,  graduated  at  AVillfams  in  1810.  Gardnei",  son' 
of  Joel  Hayden,  graduated  at  Williams  the  same  year.  J. 
H.  Ashmun,  son  of  Eli  P.  Ashmun,  graduated  at  Williams  in 
1813.  Hon.  George  Ashmun,  his  brother,  graduated  at  Yale 
in  1823.  Lester,  son  of  John  Lloyd,  graduated  at  Williams 
in  1814.  Lucius,  son  of  Asa  Smith,  graduated  at  Williams 
in  1817.  Horace,  his  brother,  graduated  at  Williams  in  1819. 
Asa,  Jr.,  son  of  Asa  Blair,  graduated  at  Yale  in  1810.  Har- 
per Boies,  son  of  Wm.  Boies,  graduated  at  Williams  in  182-5. 
John  P.,  son  of  William  Boies,  graduated  at  Union  College, 
Schenectady,  N.  Y.  Augustus,  son  of  David  Collins,  gradu- 
ated at  Williams  in  1825.  Aratus,  son  of  Eli  Knox,  entered 
Washington  College,  Hartford,  in  1825,  but  died  shortly'  there- 
after. Russell  A.,  son  of  Andrew  Wilson,  graduated  at  Union 
College,  Schenectady,  in  1823.  Eli  W.,  sou  of  James  Lloyd 
(2d),  was  a  graduate  also  of  Union  College.  Samuel,  son  of 
Alanson  Knox,  graduated  at  Williams  in  1833.  There  also, 
in  1830,  graduated  Ousting,  son  of  Joseph  Eels.  Other  gradu- 
ates were  Chauncey  Hall,  at  Amherst ;  Edwin  Hall,  at  Jack- 
sonville, 111.  ;  Tyrill  Blair,  at  Williams;  D.  P.  Robinson,  at 
Weslej'an ;  James  R.  Boies,  at  Brown;  Franklin  0.  Blair,  at 
Wesleyan ;  James  C.  Hinsdale,  at  Yale;  and  Patrick  R.  and 
Fisher  A.  Boies,  at  Williams.  Among  the  female  students 
were  Catharine  and  Celia,  daughters  of  Dr.  C.  P.  Wright; 
Sarah,  daughter  of  Rev.  Charles  J.  Hinsdale ;  Mary,  daugh- 
ter of  Eli  Pease;  and  Mary  P.,  daughter  of  Reuben  Boies. 
All  these  3'oung  ladies  graduated  at  the  Mount  Holyoke 
Seminary. 

BURI.\L-PLACES. 
There  are  in  the  town  five  burial-places,  of  which,  how- 
ever, the  ground  in  Blandford  Centre  is  the  most  ancient, 
for  here  rest  many  of  the  earliest  of  the  pioneers.  Many  of 
the  tombstones  are  so  old  that  their  inscriptions  arc  utterly 
defaced,  while  others  still  bear  in  legible  characters  the  rec- 
ords which  were  placed  thereupon  fully  a  century  and  a  quar- 
ter ago.  The  oldest  slab  bears  in  roughly-cut  characters 
the  letters  "  H.  M.,  1742,"  but  whose  grave  it  marks  no  one 
knows.  The  next  in  point  of  age  is  that  of  Grace,  wife  of 
James  Baird,  and  bears  date  1746.  Others  are  noted  as  fol- 
lows : 

David  Boies,  Sr.,  1752;  Mary,  wife  of  Mattliew  Blair,  1753,  aged  fifty-two; 
David  Boies,  .Jr.,  1757;  AVilU;im  Stewart,  1757;  -\bel  aud  Asa  Pejise,  sons  of 
Natiianiel  Pease,  17C1 ;  Eleanor,  wife  of  John  Knox,  1760 ;  Naucy  and  Margaret 
Campbell,  1759;  John,  son  of  Rev.  James  Morton,  1759;  Thomas,  his  brother, 


1766;  Miriam,  wife  of  Wm.  Carnaghan,  1758;  Anne,  wife  of  David  B<nes,  Sr., 
17C6;  Eli/.abetli,  wife  of  Wni.  Mitchell,  173S;  David  Campbell,  17C9;  Matthew 
Blair,  1770;  Mary  Hamilton,  1777;  Eleanor  Ker  (1778),  "daughter  of  Mr^. 
Katlieiine,  reliet  of  William  Ker,  wlio  was  slain  by  Indians  at  Foil  George  in  a 
morning  scout,  1759;"  Sarah,  wife  of  Glass  Cochran,  1779;  William  Hem-}',  177G; 
John  Sinner,  1775;  John,  son  of  Rev.  James  Moiton,  176G;  James,  son  of  same, 
1759;  Robert  Sinnet,  1774;  John  Boies,  1783;  Daniel  B.iies,  178G;  Susiinnah, 
wife  of  Moses  Mitchell,  1785:  Isabel,  wife  of  Wm.  Mitchell,  1788;  Sarah,  wife 
of  John  Hamilton,  1781 ;  ilartha,  daiigliter  of  James  Blair,  1787  ;  Henry  Thom- 
son, 1770;  .\nna,  wife  of  Alex.  Mori ison,  1783 ;  Rohan  and  Rlioda,  children  of 
John  Noble,  1786;  Henry  and  William,  sons  of  Alex.  Morris jn,  1779;  Alex. 
Oslnnn,  1787;  John  Carnaghan,  1780;  Nathaniel  Tiiggart,  1787;  Martha,  wife 
of  Adam  Blair,  1781;  John  S.  Crooks,  1783:  Jeannette,  his  wife,  1785;  Eleanor 
and  John,  daughter  and  son  of  John  Crooks,  178G ;  Erastus,  son  of  Elisha  Noble, 
1797;  Sarah,  daughter  of  Rev.  Joseph  Badger,  1795;  Clarissa,  wife  of  Russell 
Atwater,  1795 ;  Glass  Cochran,  1795 ;  Sarah,  daughter  of  James  Anderson,  1797 ; 
Ebenezer  Bruce,  1793  ;  Hipcebeth,  daughter  of  John  Sinnet,  1795;  .\nna,  wife  of 
.lohn  Blair  (2d),  1794;  Wm.  Mitchell,  1796;  Mary,  wife  of  Rev.  James  Morion, 
1797,  aged  seventy-three  years;  Rev.  James  Morton,  1793;  James  Wallace,  1793; 
Miury,  wife  of  Wm.  Boies,  1797  ;  Eli,  son  of  Asa  Men  itt,  1795  ;  John  Noble,  18C(7, 
aged  seventy-six;  Anna,  wife  of  John  Boies,  aged  ninet^'-oiie;  Reuben  Blair, 
18G3,  aged  ninety-three ;  Sarah,  wife  of  Alex.  Osborn,  1797 ;  George  Butler,  1795 ; 
Rebecca,  wife  of  John  Carnaghan,  1812,  aged  eighty;  John  Ashmun,  179S; 
D.avid  Bishop,  1799 ;  James  Baird,  1790,  aged  ninety-eight ;  Jonathan  Shepard, 
1800;  Riichel,  wife  of  Joseph  Baird,  1799;  Molly,  wife  of  Moses  Baird,  1798; 
Jane  Taggart,  1808,  aged  eighty;  Jane  Watson,  187.S,  aged  ninety-three. 

INDUSTRIES. 
The  excellent  water-power  found  here  in  numerous  moun- 
tain streams  was  largely  utilized  twenty-five  years  ago,  when 
several  woolen-mills,  paper-mills,  tanneries,  and  other  manu- 
factories flourished  at  North  Bloomtield  ;  but  these  industries 
proved  eventually  unremunerative,  and  now,  save  the  cattle- 
card  factory  of  Waite  &  Son,  the  Diamond  Cheese-Factory, 
and  two  small  tanneries  (all  at  North  Blandford),  the  town 
has  no  manufactures.  Agriculture  is  not  pursued  with  either 
vigor  or  profit.  Hay  to  a  considerable  extent  is  raised,  but 
the  production  of  grain  is  so  limited  that  large  quantities  are 
annually  purchased  by  the  farmers  for  home  consumption. 
The  attention  of  the  farmer  is  chiefiy  bestowed  upon  stock- 
raising  and  the  manufacture  of  butter  and  cheese,  which  he 
says  is  more  remunerative  than  tilling  the  soil.  Blandford 
possesses  a  thriving  agricultural  society,  which  was  organized 
in  1866.  The  grounds  are  located  in  Blandford  Centre,  and 
here  every  year  seven  or  eight  surrounding  towns  contribute 
handsomely  toward  the  exhibition,  which  includes  a  horse- 
and  cattle-show,  and  a  general  agricultural  display.  The 
total  assessed  valuation  of  the  town  in  1878  was  $336,793,  of 
which  §251,135  was  on  real  estate.  The  State,  county,  aiid 
town  tax  for  1878  was  16927.40,  or  at  the  rate  of  .0189  on  tl|e 
dollar.  The  dwelling-houses  in  the  town  number  213;  the 
farms,  215.  The  value  of  manufactured  products  in  1875  was 
S33,525,  and  of  agricultural  and  domestic  products  §163, 8.56. 


The  following 
the  Rebellion  : 


Henry  B.  Cannon,  10th  Mass. 
Austin  William^,  loth  Mass. 
Edwiti  Joiie*,  27th  Blasa. 
Harvey  De  F.oe-t,  27th  Mass. 
Wm.  W.  Brackett,  27th  Mass. 
James  Waters,  27th  SIjuss. 
Lewis  E.  Robinson,  27lh  Mass. 
Maxon  J.  Haley,  27th  .Mass. 
Frank  T.  Smith,  27tll  Mass. 
David  I,  Hall,  27lh  Mass. 
Jarvis  \V.  Stewart,  27th  Mass. 
L\  man  B.  Cannon,  27th  JIass. 
Jefferson  P.  Moore,  27tb  Ma>fs. 
James  M.  Thompson,  27tli  Mass. 
Ileniy  T.  Jack-^on,  27lli  Mass. 
Alex.  II.  G.  Lewis,  31st  Mass. 
Philander  Dickinson,  3lst  Slass. 
RoL»ert  McDarby,  3lst  Mass. 
George  Warfield,  3lst  .Mass. 
Geo.  W.  Griswold,  :jlst  Mass. 
Wm.  J.  Nye,  3lst  Mass. 
Luther  C.  Nye,  Slst  Mass. 


Elijah  Nye,  3lst  Mass. 
Clias.  P.  Snow,  31st  Mass. 
Edward  Chapnitn,  31st  Mass. 
Charle-i  Granger,  3Ist  5Iass. 
Albert  F.  Sizer.  4GtIi  Mass. 
Leroy  Warfield,  4GIh  Mass. 
Charles  Tiuker,  Jr.,  4Gtli  M.as3. 
Geo.  W.  Fro-t,  4Gth  SLiss. 
Chas.  R.  Bemis,  46tli  Slass. 
Fred.  II.  Tracy,  46lh  Mass. 
Peter  Hall,  461h  Mass. 
Dinhton  Oodd.ird,  3Uh  iUsa. 
Lester  C.  Farnuni,  34th  Mass. 
Wra.  E.  Pease,  37tb  Mass. 
Frank  C.  Morse,  37th  Slass. 
Wm.  A.  Waterman,  37th  Miiss. 
Wm.  n.  Smith,  1st  Cav. 
Franklin  L.  Cannon,  1st  Cav. 
Lewis  C.  Allen,  1st  Cav. 
Judson  S.  Sizer,  1st  Cav. 
ThoB.  B.  Brooks,  1st  Cav. 


WAR    OF    1861-65. 
citizens  of  Blandford  served  in  the  war  of 


Ezra  J.  Dudley,  1st  Cav. 

Patrick  Ballon,  1st  Cav. 

Jas.  S.  Brooks,  46th  Mass. 

Edwin  E.  Gibbs,  4Gth  Mass. 

Cliiis.  B.  Hayden,  4Cth  Mass. 

John  .\iken,  46th  Mass. 

John  W.  Bradburn,461h  Mass. 

Milo  E.  Cook,  461h  Mass. 

Orlanilo  W.  Dayton,  4Cth  Mass. 

Geo.  N.  Granger,  4Gth  Mass. 

Franklin  J.  Hall,  46th  Miiss.  , 

Beuj.  P.  Kyle,  4Gth  Mass.  •^'•''  ^''' 

Diiighl  C.  Oslrorn,4Gth  Mass.  '  ' " 

Edwaid  Phelps,  4Gth  Mass. 

John  T.  Linnet,  46lli  Mass. 

Joseph  Kingsley,  1st  Cav. 

Edward  Norton,  l>t  Cav. 

Thomas  Jackson,  59th  Mass. 

Edwin  Baker,  59Ill  Mass. 

S.  W.  Burdick,  59th  Ma-B.  ,    ,., 

Lewis  Herrick,  4Gth  Mass.  '    "•* 


GRANVILLE. 


GEOGRAPHICAL. 
Granvillk,  one  of  the  southwestern  towns  of  Hampden, 
lying  on  the  eHstcrn  part  of  one  of  the  Green  Mountain  ranges, 
is  a  region  of  hills,  occasionally  broken  by  fertile  valleys.  Its 
boundaries  arc  Blandford  and  Russell  on  the  north,  the  Con- 
necticut State  line  on  the  south,  Southwick  on  the  east,  and 
Tolland  on  the  west.  It  has  an  area  of  23,050  acres,  of  which 
ft  large  portion  is  valuable  woodland.  Southwick  village, 
about  five  miles  from  Granville  Corners,  is  the  nearest  railway 
station.  Westfield  village,  the  market  for  Granville,  is  nine 
miles  from  the  "Corners." 

NATURAL  FEATURE.S. 

By  reason  of  its  elevated  situation,  Granville  is  a  region 
whose  atmosphere  is  remarkably  jiure  and  healthful ;  in  wit- 
ness whereof  it  may  be  cited  that  the  town  has  always  been 
noted  for  the  remarkable  longevity  attained  by  many  of  its 
inhabitants.  An  early  sanitary  record  remarks  that  during 
a  period  of  fifty  years,  between  1760  and  1810,  one  out  of 
every  thirty  of  the  inhabitants  reached  the  age  of  ninety. 

The  highest  eminence  in  the  town  is  Winchell's  Mountain 
in  the  south,  which  rises  1.362  feet  above  the  sea-level.  Other 
noted  elevations  are  Sodom  Hi'l  on  the  east,  Bald  Mountain, 
Bad-Luck  Mountain  (the  latter  so  named  by  a  party  of  un- 
successful hunters).  Liberty  Hill  (where  a  liberty-pole  was 
erected  during  the  Revolution),  South  Mountain,  and  Pros- 
pect Hill.  Mountain-streams,  possessing  excellent  water- 
power,  which  is,  however,  but  little  used,  are  numerous.  The 
largest  of  these  is  Valley  Brook,  which  rises  in  the  north  and 
flows  south  nearly  through  the  centre  of  the  town.  The  fruit- 
ful valley  through  which  this  stream  passes  is  known  as  Grand 
Valley,  and  divides  East  and  West  Granville.  Other  mention- 
able  streams  are  Hubbard's  and  Pond's  Brooks  in  the  south- 
west, and  Dickinson's  and  Tillison's  Brooks  in  the  east.  The 
hills  of  Granville  afford  scenic  views  of  great  beauty  and 
interest,  even  in  this  favored  part  of  Massachusetts,  where 
Nature  seems  to  have  displayed  her  most  skillful  handiwork. 
From  Winchell's  Mountain  a  view,  it  is  claimed,  may  be  had 
on  a  clear  day  of  forty  church-steeples  in  the  valley  of  the 
Connecticut. 

EARLY    SETTLEMENT. 

In  1686  the  tract  now  occupied  by  Granville  and  Tolland 
was  possessed  by  ^oifo,  an  Indian  chief,  who,  in  that  year, 
sold  it  to  one  James  Cornish  for  a  gun  and  16  brass  buttons. 
Cornish  disposed  of  a  portion  of  his  interest  to  William  Fuller, 
and  in  1713  they  transferred  the  entire  property  to  Atherton 
Mather,  who,  in  turn,  disposed  of  his  purchase  to  a  company 
of  proprietors  in  1718.  This  last  purchase  was  not  confirmed 
by  the  General  Court  until  1739.  The  original  tract  in  ques- 
tion was  fifteen  miles  in  length,  seven  miles  wide  at  the  west- 
ern end,  five  miles  wide  on  the  east,  and  covered  an  area  of 
about  41,200  acres.  The  proprietors'  records  being  lost,  many 
facts  incident  to  the  early  settlement  are  now  unobtainable. 
Although  the  purchase  of  the  proprietors  was  not  confirmed 
until  1739,  settlers  began  to  locate  as  early  as  1736.  The  pio- 
neer was  Samuel  Bancroft,  of  West  Springfield,  who,  with 
his  family,  moved  hither  in  1736.  Previous  to  this  time,  and 
up  to  the  year  1754,  when  Granville  was  incorporated,  the 
place  was  known  as  Bradford.  Mr.  Bancroft  is  yet  referred  to 
as  the  patriarch  of  Granville,  and  stories  are  still  extant  tellin"- 
1082 


how  he  used  to  inspire  reverential  awe  among  his  neighbors 
each  Sunday  morning  with  his  antique  dress,  triangular 
cocked  hat,  and  great  bushy  wig.  His  wife  was  Sarah  White, 
a  descendant  of  one  of  the  Plymouth  Fathers.  The  cellar  of 
the  first  house  he  built  in  the  town  is  still  to  be  seen  in  the 
northeast  section.  It  is  said  that  during  the  first  fifty  years 
of  the  present  century  as  many  as  89  persons  bearing  his 
name  resided  in  East  Granville.  Following  Mr.  Bancroft 
closely  came  Daniel  Cooley,  Jonathan  Rose,  Samuel  Gillet, 
Thomas  Spclman,  John  Root,  Ephraim  Monson,  Phineas 
Pratt,  Thomas  Brown,  Jabez  Dunham,  Peter  Gibbons,  Jona- 
than Church,  Asa  Seymour,  Timothy,  Noah,  Daniel,  and 
Phineas  Robinson,  Ebenezer  and  Amos  Baldwin,  Aaron, 
Ebenezcr,  and  Daniel  Curtis,  Samuel  Coe,  David,  Daniel, 
and  Levi  Parsons,  John  Bates,  and  David  Clark.  The  early 
settlers  in  the  western  part  of  the  town — now  Tolland — have 
been  treated  of  in  the  history  of  the  latter  town. 

As  nearly  as  can  be  .i.scertained,  Samuel  Bancroft  had  but  one 
son,  Jonathan,  whose  descendants  are  still  living.  Jonathan's 
three  sons  were  Lemuel,  Ethan,  and  Samuel,  all  of  whom 
are  dead.  Lemuel  had  a  son,  Lemuel,  Jr.,  who  died  in  the  far 
West;  a  son.  White,  who  is  dead,  leaving  a  son,  Levi,  who 
resides  in  Westfield ;  a  son,  Ethan,  who  was  killed  by  a  horse 
early  in  life  ;  and  a  daughter,  who  married  a  Mr.  Root,  of  West- 
field.  Samuel  had  a  son,  Barbour,  who  is  dead,  and  whose 
son,  Benjamin,  lives  in  Granville,  N.  Y.  ;  a  son,  Samuel, 
Jr.,  and  another  son,  both  of  whom  reside  in  Ohio.  Ethan 
had  two  sons,  Bela  and  Alpheus,  the  latter  leaving  a  son, 
James,  now  living  in  Granville.  Ethan  had  also  three  daugh- 
ters. One  married  Mr.  Justus  Rose,  and  died  in  Granville; 
another  is  Mrs.  EHsha  Brown,  of  Bufl'alo,  N.  Y. ;  the  third 
married  Mr.  George  Chandler,  and  died  in  Westfield. 

Jonathan  Rose,  who  was  burned  to  death  at  the  age  of  one 
hundred  and  three,  had  three  sons, — Sharon,  Daniel,  and  Tim- 
othy. The  latter  served  as  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  war, 
and  after  the  close  of  the  war  earned  some  distinction  by  con- 
ducting a  colonj"  of  settlers  from  Granville,  Mass.,  to  Granville, 
Ohio,  where  he  became  one  of  the  judiciary,  and  died  in  1815. 
Sharon  had  a  large  family,  consisting  of  Giles,  Sharon,  Jr., 
Peter,  Oliver,  Dwyer,  Mercy,  Ruth,  and  Abigail.  The  de- 
scendants of  Jonathan  Rose  now  living  in  Granville  are 
Isaac,  Justus,  Patrick,  Salem  P.,  Jephtha,  James,  Emerson, 
and  Miles. 

Thomas  Gillet's  sons  were  Frederick,  Thomas,  and  George ; 
his  daughters,  MoUie,  who  married  Josiah  Kent,  and  died 
in  Southwick  ;  and  Sybil,  who  married  Lot  Clark,  and  died 
in  Granville.  The  sons  are  all  dead, — Frederick  having  left 
a  son,  Thomas,  now  living  in  Sulfield,  Conn.;  Thomas  having 
had  no  children,  and  George  having  left  a  son,  John,  now  liv- 
ing in  Westtield. 

The  only  descendant  of  Ezra  Marvin  living  in  Granville 
is  Eleazer,  whose  father,  William,  was  a  son  of  Ezra.  All  of 
William's  brothers  removed  to  Genesee,  N.  Y.,  early  in  life. 
Mrs.  Harmon  Coulton,  of  Granby,  Conn.,  is  one  of  William's 
daughters.  A  son,  Jackson,  lives  in  Westfield.  William's 
widow  still  lives  in  Granville,  at  the  age  of  eighty. 

Of  the  Bates,  Grangers,  Harveys,  and  Hatches,  no  descend- 
ants are  living  in  Granville.  Apropos  of  old  Josiah  Hatch,  it 
is  related  that,  driving  to  church  one  slippery  day  in  winter, 
he  found  his  horse  unable  to  make  much  headway  up  a  steep 


HISTORY  OF   HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


1083 


hill.  "Well,"  exclaimed  Josiah,  "if  this  is  the  way  to 
heaven,  I'm  not  going,"  and,  utterly  disgusted,  he  turned  his 
horse  about  and  drove  home.  He  once  angrily  remarked  to 
his  son  Jonas,  "  I  believe  you're  a  son  of  the  devil."  "  Yes," 
said  Jonas,  "  I've  always  thought  that."  "  But,"  said  the  old 
man,  catching  the  point,  "  I  mean  by  the  way  of  your  mother." 

Asa  Seymour  had  five  sons, — Alexander,  still  residing  in 
Granville,  at  the  age  of  ninety;  Arden,  William,  Asa,  Jr., 
and  Deming,  all  dead;  and  Elijah,  now  living  in  Granville. 
Of  his  three  daughters,  Abigail  married  Timothy  Gibbons, 
and  died  in  Granville;  Laura  married  Buel  Spelman,  and 
died  in  Ohio;  Kuby  married  Wells  Gibbons,  and  died  in  New 
York.  Asa,  Jr.,  had  two  sons, — Alfred,  now  dead,  and  Noble, 
living  in  Ohio,  Mila,  one  of  the  daughters  of  Asa,  Jr.,  mar- 
ried Silas  Koae,  and  died  in  Cabotville,  Mass. ;  Eliza,  another 
daughter,  lives  in  Springfield,  Mass.  Alexander's  son,  Ed- 
ward, lives  in  Granville;  Frank,  a  second  son,  is  dead.  One 
of  Alexander's  daughters  is  Mrs.  Simon  N.  Henry,  of  Gran- 
ville. His  other  daughters,  Jane,  Abigail,  and  Calista,  mar- 
ried and  went  West.  Arden's  son,  James,  lives  in  Granville, 
and  another,  Augustus,  resides  in  Bloomfield,  Conn. ;  John, 
u  third  son,  is  dead.  Of  his  daughters,  Laura  married  a  Mr. 
Curtis,  and  lives  in  Ohio;  a  second  daughter  married  Cbaun- 
cey  Newberry,  and  died  in  Bloomfield,  Conn. ;  Susan  married 
Rev.  Mr.  Newton,  a  missionary,  and  resides  in  the  West. 
Five  of  Willianvs  sons  are  living, — Collins,  in  Sutfield, 
Conn.;  Asa,  in  Granville;  Milton,  in  Pennsylvania;  Har- 
vey, in  Connecticut;  and  Marshal,  in  the  far  West.  Thirza, 
one  of  William's  daughters,  married  and  removed  to  Mich- 
igan, where  she  died  ;  Ellen,  a  second  daughter,  is  Mrs.  Wm. 
Roberts,  of  Granville.  Elijah,  fifth  son  of  Asa,  the  elder, 
has  one  son,  Stephen,  a  lawyer  in  Springfield.  A  daughter, 
Clarissa,  died  when  young.  Deming,  the  youngest  son  of 
Asa,  the  elder,  married  Corinthia  Gibbons,  and  removed  to 
Ohio  early  in  life. 

Oliver  Phelps,  an  early  settler,  was  at  one  time  during  the 
Revolutionary  struggle  a  commissary  in  Granville,  charged 
with  the  furnishing  of  provisions  for  the  army.  He  per- 
formed his  task  so  well  that  Washington  is  said  to  have 
written  him  a  letter  saying;  "The  comfort  and  even  the  life 
of  the  American  army  is  owing  to  the  seasonable  supply  of 
provisions  from  your  hands,  for  which  accept  my  grateful 
acknowledgments."  In  company  with  Nathaniel  Gorham  he 
purchased  the  Genesee  Country*  in  New  York,  opened  it  for 
settlement,  afterward  represented  a  New  York  district  in  Con- 
gress, and  died  in  Canandaigua,  N.  Y.,  at  a  ripe  old  age. 

Of  the  living  descendants  of  Oliver  Phelps  none  can  be 
traced.  Eli  resided  in  Blandford,  where  he  died.  Mrs.  Dr. 
Wright,  who  died  in  that  place  some  years  ago,  was  likewise 
a  descendant,  as  was  Mrs.  Joseph  Parsons,  who  died  in  Gran- 
ville. Another  descendant  was  a  Mrs.  Baker,  who  some  years 
since  lived  in  Connecticut. 

Lemuel  Haynes,  a  colored  man,  who,  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
seven,  was  licensed  to  preach  the  gospel,  and  afterward 
became  nationally  famous  as  "the  great  colored  preacher," 
was  brought  up  in  Granville  by  Deacon  David  Rose.  He 
preached  extensively  in  various  parts  of  the  country,  and 
after  a  life  of  much  usefulness  died  in  Granville,  N.  Y.,  in 
1833,  aged  eighty. 

Peter  Gibbons,  one  of  Granville's  earliest  settlers,  died  in 
1824  at  the  age  of  ninety-four.  His  children  were  Peter, 
Lemuel,  Bildad,  Timothy,  Eli,  Jedediah,  Elizabeth  (who  died 
unmarried),  Marj-  and  Sarah  (who  died  young),  Sarah  (who 
married  Joseph  De  Wolf  and  went  to  Ohio),  Mary  (who  mar- 
ried Benoni  Battles  and  died  in  Ohio),  and  Hannah  (who  died 
unmarried).     Of  the  sons,  Peter,  the  eldest,  removed  to  New 

*  This  great  tract,  known  as  the  "  Phelps  and  Gorliam  Purchase,"  contained 
2,600,000  acres,  covering  the  greater  poitiou  of  Allegany,  Livingston,  Monroe,  On- 
tario, Schuyler,  Steuiten,  Wayne,  and  Yates  Counties  in  New  York.  It  was  jmr- 
chascd  of  the  State  of  Massachusetts. 


York  with  all  his  children,  save  Hannah,  who  died  in  Gran- 
ville many  years  ago.  Lemuel,  the  second  son,  had  a  daugh- 
ter Amelia,  who  married  a  Mr.  Messenger,  of  Granby,  Conn. ; 
a  son  William,  who  removed  to  Granville,  0.,  and  two  sons, 
Lemuel,  Jr.,  and  Larkin,  who  settled  in  Pennsylvania.  Bil- 
dad, the  third  son,  had  thirteen  children.  His  only  living 
descendants  in  Granville  are  Linus  0.  and  Orlando  W.  Timo- 
thy, the  fourth  son,  had  Timothy,  Jr.,  Datus  and  Alpheus; 
all  dead.  A  daughter  Elizabeth  is  Mrs.  Reuben  Ranney,  re- 
siding in  Elizabeth,  N.  J.,  aged  ninety-one.  Another  daugh- 
ter (Afiie)  married  Samuel  Spelman,  and  died  in  Granville. 
Another  daughter  was  Samuel  Spel man's  second  wife,  and 
died  in  Granville.  A  son  Lucius  is  still  living  in  Granville, 
aged  eighty-five,  and  has  residing  with  him  two  children, 
Orson  F.  and  Elizabeth  D.  Eli,  the  fifth  son  of  Peter,  the 
elder,  had  Sophia,  who  died  uninarried;  Timothy  W.,  who 
died  in  Franklin,  N.  Y. ;  Lucy,  who  married  Eliachim  Pome- 
roj',  and  died  in  Sutfield,  Conn.  ;  Polly,  who  married  Timo- 
thy Hoag,  and  died  in  Montgomery,  Mass. ;  Nancy,  who 
married  Timothy  E.  Botsford,  and  lives  in  Akron,  O.  ;  Ru- 
hanna,  who  married  Adijah  Dihble,  and  died  in  Granby, 
Conn.;  Eli,  who  lives  in  Franklin,  N.  Y. ;  John  G.,  who 
died  in  Franklin;  Sarah  Jane,  who  died  young;  Henry  B., 
who  died  in  Newport,  N.  Y. ;  and  Decatur,  who  died  in 
Springfield,  Mass.  Jedediah,  the  youngest  son  of  Peter,  the 
elder,  had  Carlos,  whose  son,  J.  M.,  is  the  town  clerk  of 
Granville;  another  son,  Martin  T.,  resides  in  Granville; 
another  son  lives  in  Westtield ;  another  son,  Edwin,  died  in 
Kansas.  Damaris,  a  daughter  of  Carlos,  married  Lucius 
Gibbons,  and  died  in  Granville;  Phylura,  another  daughter, 
married  James  Gibbons,  and  died  in  Granville;  Amorette 
married  Israel  Godard,  and  resides  in  Bridgeport,  Conn.; 
Hiram  died  in  Hartland,  Conn,  (the  latter's  son,  Monroe,  lives 
in  Springfield;  another  son,  Watson  E.,  lives  in  Hartland, 
Conn.).  Eliza,  a  daughter  of  Carlos,  married  William  Stan- 
ard,  of  Granby,  Conn.,  and  died  there;  Jedediah,  a  son  of 
Curios,  lives  in  Hartland,  Conn. 

Of  the  descendants  of  the  Parsons,  Israel,  living  in  Boston, 
Mrs.  Enoch  Root,  of  Westfield,  and  Mrs.  Orson  F.  Gibbons, 
of  Granville,  are  grandchildren  of  Israel,  whose  daughter 
Thirza  resides  in  Hartford,  Conn.,  unmarried.  One  of  his 
daughters,  Elmira,  married  James  Cooley  and  died  in  Gran- 
ville ;  another  daughter,  Mrs.  Caleb  Rice,  died  in  Springfield  ; 
another  daughter  married  a  Mr.  Marvin  and  died  in  New 
York.  Ezra  M.,  a  son,  removed  to  Rochester;  Alsop,  an- 
other son,  died  unmarried;  and  Marshfield,  another  son,  re- 
moved to  New  York.  Hon.  Anson  W.  Parsons,  who  resided 
in  Philadelphia  in  1850,  and  served  with  distinction  as  a  State 
Senator  in  Pennsylvania,  and  an  eminent  member  of  the  ju- 
diciary in  that  State,  was  born  in  Granville  in  1799. 

Daniel  Cooley,  with  his  brothers  William,  Clark,  and 
George,  settled  in  Granville  about  1741.  William's  son  Tim- 
othy was  for  fifty-nine  years  the  pastor  of  the  Congregational 
Church  at  East  Granville.  Two  of  Timothy's  daughters,  Jane 
and  Mrs.  Calvin  Martin  (widow  of  Judge  Martin,  of  Pitts- 
field),  reside  in  Granville.  James  P.  Cooley,  of  the  firm  of 
Noble  &  Cooley,  Granville,  is  a  grandson  of  Rev.  Timothy, 
as  is  Timothy  M.  Cooley,  of  Westtield.  The  descendants  of 
Clark  living  in  Granville  arc  Zadock  F.,  Harmon,  and  Lu- 
man.     Neither  George  nor  Daniel  left  any  descendants. 

Thomas  Spelman's  sons  were  Aaron,  Stephen,  Charles, 
Daniel,  Timothy,  and  Eber.  His  daughters,  Mary,  who  mar- 
ried James  Coe ;  Eliza,  who  married  Samuel  Bancroft ;  and 
Martha,  who  married  Abel  Tillotson.  Aaron,  the  elder  son, 
had  one  son,  Elijah,  and  three  daughters,  one  of  whom  mar- 
ried Claudius  L.  Collins,  and  moved  to  Connecticut;  another 
married  Shem  Truman,  and  removed  to  Vermont;  and  the 
third  married  Asahel  Graves,  and  went  to  New  York.  Eli- 
jah, Aarim's  son,  was  thrice  married.  By  his  first  wife  he 
had  thirteen  children;  his  second  wife  had  six  children  when 


liOS4 


HISTORY   OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


be  nini'ricd  her,  and  by  lier  he  had  four  more;  his  third  wife 
had  eight  children  when  he  married  her.  Elijali's  living  de- 
scendants are, — Solon,  a  son,  residing  in  "Wcstlield  ;  Chapman 
and  Levi  T.,  sons,  in  Granville;  William  H.,  a  grandson,  in 
Granville;  Mrs.  Lemuel  J.  Bancroft,  a  daughter,  in  Castile, 
N.  Y. ;  Mrs.  George  Lewis,  a  daughter,  in  East  Granby, 
Conn. ;  Mrs.  L.  V.  Elliott,  a  daughter,  in  Penn  Yan,  N.  Y. ; 
and  Mrs.  D.  Stanford,  a  daughter,  in  Elizabeth,  N.  J.  None 
of  the  descendants  of  Stephen,  the  second  son  of  Thomas,  the 
elder,  are  living  in  Granville.  The  only  descendant  in  Gran- 
ville of  Charles,  the  third  son,  is  Mrs.  Leeson  Brown,  a 
granddaughter.  Daniel,  the  fourth  son,  was  one  of  a  band 
of  counterfeiters  who,  in  1770,  occupied  a  cave  in  Granville, 
where  they  manufactured  spurious  coin  and  passed  it  off  on 
the  Indians.  Daniel  was  captured  and  lodged  in  jail,  whence 
he  escaped,  and  settled  in  Providence,  R.  I.,  where  he  raised 
a  large  family.  After  an  absence  of  forty  years  he  returned 
to  Granville,  where  he  died  at  the  age  of  ninety,  never  having 
been  troubled  more  with  reference  to  bis  counterfeiting  procliv- 
ities. Timothy,  the  fifth  son,  removed  early  with  his  family 
to  Granville,  Ohio.  Eber,  the  sixth  son,  removed  at  an  early 
period  to  Stafford,  Conn.  One  of  his  sons,  Solomon  C,  is  a 
court  crier  in  Springfield,  and  another,  Sylvester,  a  physician 
in  Ohio. 

The  only  descendants  Of  John  Root  in  Granville  are  Jacob 
and  John,  sons  of  Silas  and  grandsons  of  Amos. 

Of  the  Dickinsons,  Beville  C.  and  his  three  sons,  Ethan, 
Otis,  and  Lester,  are  living  in  Granville.  Of  the  Barlows 
living  in  Granville  are  Heuian,  aged  eighty-seven,  a  grandson 
of  Edmund  Barlow,  an  early  settler.  There  is  also  at  Ciran- 
villc  Edmund  B.,  a  great-grandson  of  Edmund. 

Kev.  Gordon  Hall,  who  died  a  missionary  in  India  in  1826, 
was  born  in  Granville  in  1784. 

Hon.  Isaac  C.  Bates,  three  times  chosen  to  Congress  from 
his  native  district,  was  born  in  Granville  in  1779.  He  died  at 
Northampton  in  1847,  aged  sixty-eight. 

Hon.  John  E.  Mills,  a  resident  of  Montreal,  Canada,  from 
1815  to  1847,  and  mayor  of  that  city,  was  born  in  Granville 
in  1797. 

Gamaliel  S.  Olds,  an  eminent  scholar  and  divine,  who  died 
in  Ohio  in  1848,  was  born  in  Granville  in  1777. 

REVOLUTIONARY    RE.MINISCENCES. 

July  11,  1774,  the  town  selected  as  a  committee  "  to  inspect 
the  debate  between  the  mother-country  and  the  inhabitants  of 
America,"  Messrs.  Timothy  Robinson,  Luke  Hitchcock, 
Oliver  Phelps,  Josiah  Harvey,  Samuel  Bancroft,  Nathan 
Barlow,  and  John  Hamilton. 

The  resolutions  subsequently  reported  by  the  committee 
and  adopted  by  the  district  were  as  follows  : 

*'  1.  Resoli-etl,  That  King  George  III.  is  our  rightful  sovereign  and  king,  and 
that  we  will  at  all  times  bear  all  allegiance  due  unto  him. 

"2.  That  the  inhaiiituuts  of  this,  his  Majesty's  Province,  and  the  other  colo- 
nies in  America,  are  justly  entitled  to  all  the  liglits,  lilietties,  and  privileges  that 
the  iiihal.itjints  of  Gieat  Biitain  are  entilled  to,  which  rights,  liherties,  and 
piivileges  are  iu  a  particular  niiinner  confirmed  to  tlie  ilihahitants  of  this  Prov- 
ince Ijy  chaiter,  and  that  we  would  humbly  request  and  coufitlenlly  challenge 
these  rights,  libeitics,  and  privileges  to  us  belonging,  as  free  and  natural  born 
English  subjects. 

"3.  That  it  is  our  opinion  that  the  aforesaid  acts  of  Parliament  [Stamp  Act, 
etc.Jace  calculated  to  pe:ple.\  and  enslave  this,  his  Majjesty's  free  and  1  )yal  prov- 
ince, tiTul  aie  destructive  of  our  invaluable  liberties  and  piivileges;  and  have  a 
manifest  tenden-y  to  alienate  the  aft'ectioiis  of  his  Rljyesty's  faithful  subjcLts, 
and  are  in  the  highest  degree  oppies^ive  and  unconstitutional. 

"4.  That  in  Older  to  obtain  ledress  from  the  difficulties  and  calamities  in  whijh 
ive  a  edo  deeply  involved  by  the  atoiesaid  acts  of  Parliament,  it  is  our  oi  i..i->n 
thats  tmounifoimand  constitutional  res  dvesbeag  eed  upon,  for  a  universal  rule 
to  be  ol  served  throughout  all  the  colonies,  the  construction  of  which  we  refer  to 
the  wisdom  of  the  General  Ameiican  Congress,  soon  to  meet.  And  we  would 
humbly  ofler  to  their  consideration,  that  it  is  our  opinion  that  a  suspension  of 
all  commerce  with  Great  Britain,  under  proper  regulations,  and  a  covenant  en- 
gagement of  non-imporlation  and  non-consumpti  in  tif  their  manufactures,  to  be 
Solemnly  subsciibed  by  the  jiejiile,  will  be  the  must  likely  means  (o  produce  tho 
"desiied  effect.  And  that  such  non-iuiportali  ui  and  non-ccuisumption  agreement 
is  ucitber  unwarrantable,  hostile,  nor  treacherous,  or  contrary  to  our  allegiance 


due  to  our  king;  and  that  it  is  the  indispensable  duty  of  every  person  who 
would  reserve  to  himself  and  posterity  the  iucstimalde  blessing  of  liberty,  by  all 
constitutional  ways  and  ]ncaiis  iti  his  power,  to  endeavor  to  uveit  the  much- 
dreaded  consequences  of  tlutse  ail  itrary  and  oppressive  acts. 

"5.  That  we  greatly  applaud  the  patiiotic  zeal  of  the  merchants  and  other 
inhabitants  of  Bostiui,  and  especially  the  vigilance  and  a.'-siduity  of  their  com- 
mittee of  correspondence;  ami  although  we  approve  of  the  sentiment  and  spirit 
of  their  covenant  presented  to  us  tosubsciile,  yet  we  are  of  ojdiiiun  that  the 
same  is  rather  premature  and  too  precipitate,  as  it  is  a  matter  of  the  utmost  im- 
pel tance  to  the  Biilish  Ameiican  colonies,  and  requires  the  miist  serious  consid- 
ctalion,  feaiing  it  will  breed  discord  among  the  inhabitants,  and  that  a  division 
of  sentiment  may  bo  destructive  of  the  good  effect.  We  propose,  therefore,  and 
rather  choose  to  defer  the  subsci  iption  thereto,  but  wait  the  determination  of  tho 
American  Congress.  And  do,  as  christians,  promise  and  pledge  our  faith,  that 
whatever  constitutional  deteiniination  and  resolves  shall  be  agreed  upon  and 
published  by  them,  as  a  general  rule  of  observance  by  all  the  provinces,  we 
will  subsciibe  to,  and  in  all  particulars  abide  by.  A  faithful  adherence  to  this, 
we  make  no  doubt,  may  be  the  happy  means  to  reduce  the  ministry  to  a  sense 
of  their  duty,  and  restore  untij  us  our  rights,  and  haimonionsly  unite  us  to  our 
mother-country,  and  be  the  lengthening  out  of  the  tranquillity  of  the  British 
Empire. 

"6.  That  we  do  abhor  all  unconstitutional  riots  and  tumultuous  assaults  upon 
the  person  or  estate  of  any  one  who  is  personally  in  the  execution  of  his  own 
lawful  business,  but  will,  to  the  utmost  of  our  power,  endeavor  that  peace  and 
good  order  be  maintained. 

"7.  That  there  be  a  committee  of  correspondence  to  correspond  with  other 
committees  in  this  and  the  neighboring  colonies,  and  give  due  information  of  all 
infringements  upon  our  rights  and  lilierties. 

"  S.  That  a  letter  of  construction  be  written  by  the  Committee  of  Correspond- 
ence, in  behalf  of  this  district,  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  town  of  Boston,  to  as- 
sure them  of  our  firm  attachment  to  the  common  cause,  and  promise  faithful 
assistance  in  all  constitutional  ways,  to  encourage  to  a  firm  and  steadfast  perse- 
verance in  all  the  ways  of  well  doing." 

Upon  the  reception  of  the  alarm  from  Lexington,  Granville 
mustered  a  company  of  60  men  and  sent  them  promptly 
forward,  under  Capt.  Lebbeus  Ball,  whose  first  lieutenant  was 
Lemuel  Bancroft,  of  Southwick.  To  this  company  the  dis- 
trict gave  the  sum  of  XI  for  each  man  "as  an  encourage- 
ment." Another  company  of  73  men,  sent  out  early  in  1776, 
behmged  to  the  5th  Massachusetts  Regiment,  commanded  by 
Col.  John  Mosely,  of  Westtield.  The  officers  of  the  company 
were  William  Cooley,  Captain  ;  Edmund  Barlow,  First  Lieu- 
tenant;  Samuel  Bancroft,  Jr.,  Second  Lieutenant;  Richard 
Dickinson,  Joel  Strong,  and  Samuel  Williams,  Sergeants; 
Joel  Bancrol't,  Clerk ;  Samuel  Stiles,  Drummer ;  Timothy 
Spelman,  Fifer ;  and  John  Cooley,  Thomas  Gillet,  and  James 
Coe,  Corporals.  The  company  was  equipped  with  73  guns,  2 
bayonets,  4  swords,  680  flints,  and  51  pounds  of  powder. 
Fourteen  oi'  Granville's  citizens  are  said  to  have  perished  in 
the  service, — among  them  being  Isaac  Chapman,  who  fell  at 
Ticonderoga,  Deacon  Luke  Hitchcock  (who  died  en  route  to 
his  home  from  the  army,  and  was  buried  at  Springfield), 
Enos  Howe,  and  John  Bartlett.  The  latter  was  a  private  in 
Capt.  Cooley's  company,  and  at  the  battle  of  White  Plains 
he  was  cut  down  by  a  cavalryman,  and  his  head  so  cleft  in 
twain  that  the  two  parts  thereof  fell  over  upon  his  shoulders. 

Granville  performed  a  patriotic  part  in  the  trying  days  of 
the  Revolution,  and  raised  men  and  money  for  the  service 
without  stint,  while  the  families  of  those  who  went  into  the 
war  were  provided  by  the  district  with  comfortable  support 
during  the  respective  terms  of  each  soldier's  enlistment. 

Upon  the  declaration  of  war  against  Great  Britain  in  1812, 
a  re1;olution  was  passed  "  to  petition  Congress  to  avert  the 
calamities  of  war  and  restore  the  nation  to  peace;"  and  one 
also  "  to  present  a  remonstrance  to  Congress  against  an  alli- 
ance with  France."  It  was  also  determined  "to  choose  a 
delegate  to  meet  in  county  convention  in  Northampton,  July 
14,  1812,  to  take  into  consideration  the  alarming  situation  of 
our  country,  and  to  make  such  representation  thereon  as  shall 
be  thought  proper."  David  Curtis  was  chosen  to  represent 
the  district  at  the  convention. 

NOTEWORTHY  INCIDENTS. 

In  the  days  of  the  early  settlement  there  was  much  grave 

apprehension  touching  probable  Indian  troubles,  although  the 

settlement    passed   happily   unscathed    through    the   exciting 

periods  of  Indian  depredations  in  W'estern  Massachusetts,  be- 


HISTORY   OF   HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


1085 


tween  the  j-ears  1744  and  1760.  Timely  precautions  were 
taken  by  the  inhabitants  to  guard  against  dangers  from  the 
savages.  The  first  fort  was  built  by  Samuel  Bancroft,  in  1744, 
and  the  second,  shortlj'  after  the  erection  of  Mr.  Bancroft's,  by 
Deacon  David  Rose.  Deacon  Rose's  fort,  which  was  also  his 
residence,  was  built  of  stone,  and  was  the  first  house  erected 
in  that  part  of  Granville  now  called  Tolland.  These  forts 
afibrded  many  of  the  settlers  havens  of  safety  whenever  the 
near  approach  of  Indians  threatened  danger,  but,  as  before 
noted,  no  very  serious  demonstration  was  ever  made  in  this 
direction  by  the  savages. 

Four  of  Granville's  citizens  who  served  in  the  last  French 
war  were  tent-mates  during  the  campaign,  and  returning  to- 
gether to  Granville  at  the  close  of  the  war,  died  there  many 
years  afterwards  at  the  respective  ages  of  eighty-two,  eighty- 
six,  eighty-nine  and  ninety. 

Mention  has  already  been  made  of  the  fact  that  many  of  the 
early  settlers  lived  to  be  very  old,  and  in  this  connection  it 
may  be  remarked  that  many  of  them  met  with  accidental 
deaths.  Samuel  Gillet,  the  first  person  to  die  in  the  place, 
dropped  dead  one  day  while  at  work  in  his  field.  Samuel 
Bancroft,  the  pioneer  settler,  retired  to  rest  at  night  in  full 
health,  and  was  found  dead  in  his  bed  the  next  morning. 
Jonathan  Rose,  who  lived  to  be  one  hundred  and  three  years 
old,  became  deranged  shortly  before  his  death,  and,  for  safe- 
keeping, was  confined  in  the  dwelling  of  one  of  his  relatives. 
The  building  took  fire  one  day,  and  Rose,  being  alone  therein, 
perished  in  the  flames.  Epbraim  Monson  was  scalded  to  death, 
Daniel  Cooley,  another  earl\-  settler,  died  of  an  accidental 
wound,  and  Asa  Burt  was  killed  by  the  fall  of  a  tree. 

ORGANIZATION. 

Granville  was  incorporated  as 'a  district  Jan.  25,  1754,  and 
under  the  act  of  1786  became  a  town  in  the  latter  year,  al- 
though, singularly  enough,  representatives  were  sent  to  the 
General  Court  as  early  as  177o.  The  district  was  named  in 
honor  of  John  Carteret,  Earl  of  Granville,  although  some  of 
the  old  residents  believe  that  the  name  was  suggested  by  the 
Grand  Valley,  so  called,  that  marks  the  dividing-line  between 
East  and  West  Granville. 

The  territory  incorporated  in  1754  measured  15  miles  in 
length  by  about  6  in  width.  In  1810  a  considerable  tract  on 
the  west  was  set  off  and  incorporated  as  the  town  of  Tolland. 
Unfortunately  for  the  purposes  of  history,  the  proprietors' 
records  antedating  1754,  and  the  district  and  town  records  be- 
tween the  years  1754  and  1797,  and  again  between  1830  and 
1859,  have  been  lost  or  destroyed.  The  following  list  of  the 
persons  who  have  served  as  selectmen  and  town  clei'ks  will 
therefore  be  found  to  include  only  those  who  served  from  1797 
to  1830  and  from  1859  to  1879  : 

SELKCTMEN. 

1797. — Ezra  Marvin,  Jacob  Bates,  Abraham  Granger,  Jonah  Harvey,  Titus 
Fowrer. 

1708.— Ezra  Marvin,  David  Eobinson,  Titus  Fowler,  Jacob  Bates,  Wm.  Cooley. 

1799. — Ezra  Marvin,  Jacob  Bates,  Titus  Fowler,  Wm  Cooley,  DaviJ  Curtis. 

180O. — Israel  Paisous,  David  Robinson,  Thomas  Hamilton,  Asa  Seymour,  Seth 
Parsons. 

1801. — Israel  Parsons,  David  Robinson,  Thomas  Hamilton,  Seth  Parsons,  Perry 
Marshall,  Jr. 

1802. — Asa  Seymour,  David  Curtis,  Abraham  Granger,  Timothy  Rose,  John 
Phelps. 

1803— Asa  Seymour,  Jacob  Bates,  Titus  Fowler,  Timothy  Rose,  Abraham  Gran- 
ger. 

1804. — Israel  Parsons,  David  Cnrtis,  Titus  Fowler,  John  Phelps,  James  Coe. 

1805. — Israel  Parsons,  John  Phelps,  Abraham  Granger. 

IfiOG. — Ezra  Marvin,  Jacob  Bates,  Abiaham  Granger. 

1807. — Israel  Parsons,  Joel  Robinson,  Abraham  Granger. 

1808. — Amos  Root,  Joel  Robinson,  Abraham  Granger. 

1809.— Israel  Parsons,  John  Phelps,  Wm.  Twining  (2d). 

1810. — Asa  Seymour,  David  Curtis,  Wui.  Twining,  James  Coe,  Joel  Parsons. 

ISll, — Asa  Seymour,  Joel  Parsons,  James  Barlow. 

1812.— Asa  Seymour,  Hezekiah  Roliinson,  Lyman  Baldwin. 
=  8. — Israel  Parsons,  Hezekiah  Robinson,  Eliiiu  St<»w. 

l..dl. — James  Barlow,  Hezekiah  Robinson,  Perry  Babcock. 


1815. — James  Barlow,  Perry  Babcock,  Joel  Boot,  Lyman  Baldwin,  Stephen  SpeN 
man. 

1816.— Lyman  Baldwin,  Joel  Root,  Isaac  Jlillcr,  James  Cooley,  Jnlin  Kobinson. 

1817.— Israel  Parsons,  Joel  Root,  John  Selden,  Lyman  Baldwin,  Dudley  Hum- 
phrey. 

1818.— Patrick  Boies,  Joel  Root,  Hezekiah  Robinson,  E.  Barlow,  Jr.,  Nathan 
Parsons. 

1819. — John  Selden,  Hezekiah  Robinson,  James  Barlow. 

1820.— Francis  Stelibins,  James  Barlow,  Hezekiah  Robinson. 

1821. — Francis  Stebldns,  James  Barlow,  Jona.  B.  Bancroft. 

lS2i. — Francis  Stebbins,  Bela  Bancroft,  Denison  Pareons. 

1823. — .lames  Barlow,  Denison  Parsons,  Wm.  Blarvin. 

1824. — Denison  Paisons,  Wm.  Marvin,  Benjamin  Barnes,  Jr. 

1825. — Denison  Parsons,  Joel  Root,  Stephen  Spelman. 

1826. — Hezekiah  Rol  inson,  Jnel  Rout.  Nathan  Parsons. 

1827.— Stephen  Spelman,  Hezekiah  Robinson,  James  Barlow. 

1828.— Hezekiah  Robinson,  James  Barlow,  Nathan  Parsons. 

1829. — James  Cooley,  Noah  Cooley,  Jonathan  B.  Bancroft. 

1830. — Noah  Cooley,  Elijah  Seymour,  Vincent  Holcomb. 

1859.-0.  Z.  Hugens,  James  H.  Andrew.?,  James  P.  Cooley. 

If^GO. — D.  M.  Wheeler,  0.  Z.  Hugens,  James  H.  Andrews. 

ISGl. — Edmund  Ballow,  D.  M.  Wheeler,  Edward  Holcomb. 

1802.— John  D.  Bitley,  Wm.  Wells.  James  W.  Spelman. 

1S03.— James  W.  Spelman,  R.  H.  Bailow,  Daniel  H.  Drake. 

1864.— D.  SI.  Wheeler,  Franklin  Robinson,  D.  H.  Drake. 

1865.— R.  H.  Barlow,  Silas  Noble,  James  W.  Spelman. 

1866.— W.  W.  Baron,  D.  H.  Drake,  L.  B.  Marks. 

1867.— James  W.  Spelman,  Edwin  Seymour,  Janies  H.  Andrews. 

ISOS. — James  AV^.  Johnson,  Edwin  Seymour,  Nelson  Godard. 

1809. — E.  H.  Seymour,  Janies  0.  Rose,  Janies  W.  Johnson. 

1870. — E.  H.  Seymour,  S.  0.  Brocker,  Francis  Clark. 

1871.— Rufus  Smith,  James  H.  Seymour,  Wm.  Clark. 

1872.— Rufus  Smith,  Wm  C.  Clark,  E.  L.  Brown. 

1H73. — Wm.  C.  Clark,  E.  H  Seymour,  James  W.  Johnson. 

1874.— Wm.  C.  Clark,  Orville  Carpenter,  G.  W.  Territt. 

1875. — Orville  Cari'enter,  M.  J.  Rose,  Rufus  Smith. 

1876.— Orville  Carpenter,  M.  J.  Hose,  L.  B.  Marks. 

1877-78.— Miles  J.  Rose,  E.  L.  Brown,  Wm.  E.  Barnes. 

TOWN    CLERKS. 

John  Phelps,  1797-99  ;  Israel  Parsons,  1799-1801 ;  John  Phelps,  1801-3  ;  Israel 
Parsons,  1S03 ;  John  Pheljis,  1804-7;  Thaddeus  Squire,  1S07-9;  John  Phelps, 
1809-11 ;  Janies  Cooley,  1811,  '15,  '17,  '19,  '21,  '23,  '25,  '27;  John  Phelps,  1812-13 ; 
Jnel  Parsons,  1814 ;  Patrick  Boies,  1816, '18, '20, '22, '2S, '30;  Vincent  Holcomb, 
1824,  '26;  Elijah  Seymour,  1S29. 

********** 

Chapin  F.  Brown,  1859;  W.  L.  Boies,  1800;  Ralph  S.  Brown,  1801 ;  Lyman  W. 
Shepard,lS62,'64, '66;  B.  S.  Brown,  1863, '65 ;  J.  M.Gibbons,1867-71 ;  R.  S.  Brown, 
1871,  '75 ;  J.  M.  Gibbons,  1875 ;  R.  S.  Brown,  1876-77 ;  J.  M.  Gibbons,  1878. 

REPRESENTATIVES   AT    THE   GENERAL    COURT. 

Among  those  who  represented  Granville  at  the  General 
Court  up  to  1857,  when  the  town  lost  its  exclusive  representa- 
tion, the  following  are  noted; 

Timothy  Robinson,  Nathan  Barlow,  Oliver  Phelps,  Josiah  Harvey,  Wm.  Cooley, 
Titus  Fowler,  Sam'l  Thrall,  John  Hamilton,  Clark  Cooley,  Jas.  Hamilton,  Thos. 
Bnrbank,  David  Robinson,  Enoch  Bancroft,  Jacob  Bates,  Enos  Bancroft,  John 
Phelps,  Israel  Parsons,  Thos.  Hamilton,  Abraham  Granger,  Ezra  Marvin,  Wm. 
Twilling.  Asa  Seymour,  David  Curtis,  Janies  Barlow,  Janies  Cooley,  Perry  Bab- 
cock, Reuben  Hills,  Francis  Stebbins,  Joel  Root,  Hezekiah  Eobinson,  Jonathan 
B.  Bancroft,  Patrick  Boies,  Elijah  Seymour,  Noah  Cooley,  Sam'l  Root,  Denison 
Parsons,  Levi  Paisons,  Francis  Peebles,  Aaron  L.  Curtis,  James  Root,  Wm.  C. 
Dunham,  Henry  Clark,  Alplieus  Bancroft. 

VILLAGES. 
The  villages  in  Granville  are  three  in  number. 

EAST   GRANVILLE, 

the  site  of  the  earliest  settlement,  was  originally  called  by  that 
name,  and  here,  as  may  be  imagined,  occurred  the  incidents 
with  which  the  early  history  of  the  town  is  connected.  Here 
is  a  church,  a  post-oflice,  the  town-ball,  a  store,  and  a  collec- 
tion of  about  forty  neat  and  thrifty-looking  dwellings,  which, 
in  some  cases,  betoken  moderate  wealth.  An  old  tavern- 
building,  once  a  popular  hostelry,  has  outlived  its  usefulness 
in  that  respect,  and  is  occupied  as  a  private  dwelling. 

WEST   GRANVILLE, 

originally  called  Middle  Granville,— when  what  is  now  Tol- 
land was  West  Granville, — is  a  pleasantly-located  village, 
four  miles  west  of  East  Granville,  and  contains,  besides  about 
thirty  dwellings,  a  store,  hotel,  post-oftice,  a  church,  and  an 


1086 


HISTORY  OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


excellent  school  called  "The  Academy."  In  both  these  vil- 
lages agriculture  is  the  chief  support  of  the  inhabitants. 

GRANVILLE   CORNERS, 

known  commonly  as  Jockey  Corners,  nestles  under  the  high 
hill  upon  which  East  Granville  stands,  and  is  removed  about 
a  mile  distant  eastward  from  the  latter  place.  It  contains  a 
population  of  perhaps  300,  and,  in  a  business  sense,  is  the  most 
important  village  in  the  town,  here  being  located  two  exten- 
sive drum-factories  elsewhere  referred  to.  There  are  also  two 
churches,  a  hotel,  post-oflBce,  two  stores  and  other  minor  busi- 
ness interests.  It  has  been  a  thriving  village  for  many  years, 
and  bids  fair  to  hold  that  course  for  time  to  come. 

CHURCHES. 
A    CONGREGATIONAL   CHURCH 

was  organized  about  17-17,  at  what  is  now  East  Granville, 
and  soon  after,  in  the  same  year,  a  church  edifice  was  erected 
about  a  mile  west  of  the  village.  The  first  pastor,  Kev. 
Moses  Tuttle,  was  ordained  in  that  year,  and  preached  until 
1754.  He  was  succeeded,  in  17.56,  by  Rev.  .Jedediah  Smith, 
an  earnest  preacher,  under  whose  ministrations  a  strong  re- 
vival set  in,  in  1757,  when  upward  of  30  new  members  were 
received  into  church  fellowship.  Later,  he  sought  to  incul- 
cate the  Stoddard  doctrine  into  the  minds  of  his  people,  and 
the  opposition  he  encountered  created  much  dissension,  and 
the  withdrawal  of  many  members.  Despite  his  troublous  ex- 
perience, he  remained  the  pastor  until  early  in  1776,  when 
his  hostility  to  the  Revolutionary  cause  compelled  his  retire- 
ment and  removal  from  the  town. 

During  the  interval  between  1770  and  1705  the  church  was 
without  a  regular  pastor.  In  the  latter  jear.  Rev.  Timothy 
M.  Cooley,  a  native  of  Granville,  was  ordained,  and  served 
through  an  extended  pastorate  of  fifty-nine  years,  until  18-54, 
when,  in  his  eighty-third  year,  he  was,  at  his  own  request, 
relieved  from  his  ministerial  labors.  Shortly  after  his  ordi- 
nation, the  church  raised  a  permanent  fund  of  $.5000  for  the 
support  of  the  ministry,  and  upon  Mr.  Cooley's  retirement  it 
was  voted  that  he  should  have  one-half  the  annual  income  of 
the  fund  during  the  remainder  of  his  life. 

Upon  the  completion  of  Mr.  Cooley's  fiftieth  year  in  the 
service  of  the  church,  in  1845,  the  event  was  handsomely 
celebrated  in  Granville  by  a  joyful  jubilee,  on  which  occasion 
the  inhabitants  erected  in  the  village  of  East  Granville  a  neat 
stone  monument,  which  still  stands,  and  which  will  long  con- 
tinue to  stand  as  a  reminder  of  the  important  incident.  The 
church  had,  in  1879,  a  membership  of  75,  at  which  period  the 
pastor  in  charge  was  Rev.  Nelson  Scott. 

A  new  church  building — the  present  one — was  erected  in 
the  village  of  East  Granville  in  1802,  in  which  year  the  old 
one,  built  in  1747,  was  taken  down. 

THE   .SECOND   CONGREGATIONAL   CHURCH 

was  organized  in  1781,  in  what  is  now  West  Granville,  and, 
although  a  pastor — Rev.  Aaron  J.  Booge — was  ordained  in 
1786,  no  church  edifice  was  built  until  1788.  This  structure, 
having  from  time  to  time  been  repaired  and  improved,  is  still 
in  use.  Mr.  Booge,  although  popular  at  first,  fell  into  dis- 
favor after  a  time,  and  when,  in  1786,  he  was  dismissed,  the 
church  was  somewhat  disorganized.  His  successor — Rev.  Joel 
Baker,  who  was  ordained  in  1797 — had  a  somewhat  simi- 
lar experience.  His  ministry  was,  for  thirty  years  after  his 
ordination,  a  remarkably  peaceful  one ;  but  after  that,  for 
some  unknown  cause,  opposition  to  him  began  to  manifest 
itself,  and  this,  it  is  said,  so  preyed  upon  his  mind  that  he  fell 
into  a  physical  decline,  and  with  his  death,  in  1832,  closed  his 
labors  in  the  church.  Among  his  successors  were  Revs.  Seth 
Chapin,  Henry  Eddy,  Calvin  Foote,  and  Henry  B.  Smith. 
The  church,  which  had,  in  1879,  a  membership  of  about  70, 
was  in  charge  of  Rev.  J.  C.  Alvord. 


THE    BAPTIST    CHURCH 

was  the  outgrowth  of  dissensions  in  the  First  Congregational 
Church  by  reason  of  the  adoption  of  the  Stoddard  doctrine. 
Its  broad  principles  offended  many,  and,  withdrawing  about 
1760,  they  held  meetings  of  their  own  for  many  years  there- 
after, styling  themselves  "Separatists."  In  1791  they  organ- 
ized a  Baptist  Church  at  what  is  now  called  Granville  Corners, 
and  there,  in  1800,  built  a  house  of  worship.  The  church 
flourished  with  much  vigor  from  this  date  forward,  and  in 
1808  had  a  membership  of  88.  Only  occasional  preaching 
was  enjoyed  until  1798,  when  Elder  Miner  was  called  to  the 
charge,  in  which  he  remained  until  1816.  His  successor — Rev. 
Silas  Root— preached  from  1817  until  his  death,  in  1846.  The 
pastor  in  1879  was  Rev.  Daniel  Dearborn,  and  in  that  year 
the  membership  was  about  90.  The  first  church  building, 
which  was,  in  1848,  replaced  by  the  present  structure,  is  now 
used  as  the  parsonage. 

A   UNIVERSALIST   CHURCH 

was  organized  at  Granville  Corners  in  1863,  and  in  the  same 
year  a  house  of  worship  was  erected.  The  membership  is 
about  25,  but  there  is  at  present  no  regular  pastor,  preaching 
being  supplied  from  time  to  time  as  it  can  be  obtained. 

SCHOOLS. 
Although  the  district  doubtless  bestirred  itself  previous  to 
that  date  in  the  matter  of  schools,  it  is  supposed  that  the  first 
appropriation  made  for  the  advancement  of  education  was  in 
the  year  1762,  when  £20  were  raised  for  the  purpose.  The 
loss  of  the  early  records  renders  it  impossible  to  say  when  the 
first  school-house  was  built  or  who  was  the  first  school-teacher. 
Tile  system  of  public  education  in  Granville  has  always  been 
a  liberal  one,  and  now  (in  1879)  the  apportionment  of  the  town 
into  eleven  school  districts  testifies  that  that  liberal  spirit  has 
not  been  suilered  to  weaken.  There  is  at  Granville  Corners 
an  excellent  graded  school,  which  employs  the  services  of  two 
teachers,  and  which  is  highly  esteemed  in  the  community. 
Granville  has  contributed  a  considerable  number  of  college 
graduates,  of  whom  mention  is  here  made  of  the  following  : 
Rufus  Harvej',  Timothy  M.  Cooley,  Elijah  Bates,  Stephen 
Twining,  Truman  Baldwin,  Isaac  C.  Bates,  Roger  C.  Hatch, 
David  B.  Coe,  David  B.  Curtis,  Seth  M.  Leavenworth,  Gor- 
don Hall,  Lorrin  C.  Hatch,  John  Seward,  Harvey  Coe,  Chas. 
F.  Bates,  Chas.  S.  Robinson,  Thomas  Twining,  Timothy  C. 
Cooley,  Augustus  Pomeroy,  David  L.  Coe,  James  Cooley, 
Curtis  P.  Baker,  Joseph  I.  Foot,  Wm.  Webster,  Gnrdon  S. 
Stebbins,  John  C.  Terrett,  George  Foot,  Louis  E.  Root,  Junius 
H.  Hatch,  Benson  Baldwin,  David  L.  Hoot. 

BURIAL-PL.ACES. 

Of  the  five  burying-grounds  in  the  town,  one  is  at  Granville 
Corners,  two  are  at  East  Granville,  and  two  at  West  Gran- 
ville. The  oldest  one  is  found  at  East  Granville,  near  where 
the  first  Congregational  Church  was  built  in  1747,  about  a 
mile  west  of  the  village  centre.  The  first  person  buried  there 
was  Samuel  Gillet,  who  died  in  1739,  and  who  is  supposed  to 
have  been  the  first  person  who  died  in  what  is  now  Gran- 
ville. No  headstone  marks  his  resting-place,  and  it  may 
ahso  be  remarked  that  many  of  those  set  up  previous  to  1760 
have  been  either  destroyed  or  have  lost  their  inscriptitms 
through  the  erosions  of  time.  The  oldest  inscriptions  now 
legible  are  given  as  follows  : 

Samuel  Wheeler,  Jr.,  1758;   Elsa  Wheeler,  1758;  Smith  Miller,  1759;   Kuth 

Rose,  17.'J9;  Surah  Pralt,  1757;  Coe,  1759;  Annie  Bail.iw,  1755:  Isaac  Dowd, 

1761;  Nathaniel  Hul.bnrd,  1762;  Lydia  Stow,  1761;  Olive  Tibl ».«,  1762 ;  Seth 

Coe,  17CI]; Coe,  1702;  Job  Stiles,  Jr.,  1766;  Martha  Barlow,  1765;  Nancy 

Smith,  1769;  Asa  Burt,  1774;  Sarah  Bancroft,  1777;  Lydia  Stiles,  1779;  Louden 
Dickinson,  1772  ;  Haiinnh  Dickinson,  1778  ;  Sarah,  wife  of  Pbineas  Pratt,  1777  ; 
Phineas  Pratt,  1770;  Eliza,  ^\ife  of  David  Rose,  1775;  Iliiam,  son  of  Gerard 
Pratt,  1777  ;  Plm'be,  wife  of  Aaron  Coe,  1774 ;  throe  daughters  of  Lemuel  Ban- 
croft, 1775  and  1776 ;  James  Barlow,  1777  ;  Zoviar,  daughter  of  Thos.  Gillet,  1783  ; 
Samuel  Bancroft,  1788,  aged  seventy-seven  ;  Statira,  daughter  of  Eher  Spelmnn, 


HISTORy  OF  HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


1087 


1781 ;  Eliza,  wife  of  Aaron  Spelnian,  1786 ;  Eliacliim  Stow,  1789,  aged  eiglity- 
two;  Asaliel  Clark,  1784,  aged  sixty-five;  Lewman,  son  of  Daniel  Cooley,  1786; 
Daniel  Cooley,  17S2;  Pliineas  Tinker,  1782;  Beuben  Rose,  1783;  Justus  Hose, 
1781  ;  Eliza,  wife  of  Ahumaz  Reed,  1791 ;  Thomas  Spelnian,  1790;  AIsop,  son  of 
Elihu  Stow,  1700;  Algeniine,  daughter  of  Job  Stiles,  1791;  James  Coe,  1794; 
Salvana  Walwoi-th,  1791;  Abigail,  wife  of  Jonathan  Church,  1794;  Mejarez 
Dunham,  1790;  Oliver,  son  of  Benjamin  Waters,  1798;  Jasper  Slarvin,  1797; 
Margaret,  wife  of  Nathan  Barlow,  1791 ;  Thomas  Gillet,  1791 ;  Sarah,  relict  of 
Samuel  Bancroft,  1802,  aged  eighty-three;  Sarah,  wife  of  Thom.as  Spelman, 
1801,  aged  eighty-five  ;  Catharine,  wife  of  Eliachim  Stow,  1801,  aged  eighty-two. 

INDUSTRIES. 
The  only  manufacturing  industries  of  the  town — save  per- 
haps a  few  saw-mills — are  located  at  the  village  of  Granville 
Corners.  Here  Noble  &  Cooley  have  an  extensive  drum-fac- 
tory, in  which  they  employ  about  sixt}'  workmen,  and  produce 
about  S.50,000  worth  of  manufactures  annually,  their  product 
including,  besides  drums,  toys  of  various  kinds.  Although  the 
factory  is  located  on  Valley  Brook,  a  rapid  stream,  steam- 
power  is  alone  used.  The  woods  used  in  the  manufiicture  of 
drums  are  maple,  poplar,  and  bass.  Messrs.  Noble  &  Cooley 
have  operated  this  factory  since  1855.     About  a  mile  east  of 


the  Corners,  Hon.  Ethan  Robinson,  the  present  Representa- 
tive in  the  Legislature  from  this  district,  has  another  drum- 
factory,  employing  about  15  persons. 

Agriculture  is  scarcely  in  a  flourishing  condition.  The  soil 
is  generally  sterile  and  stony.  Farmers  prefer  to  buy  their 
grain,  as  they  say  they  can  do  so  cheaper  tban  they  can  raise 
it.  Good  grazing-lands  are  plentiful,  and  stock-raising,  to- 
gether with  a  limited  production  of  butter  and  cheese,  are 
the  principal  pursuits  of  the  husbandman.  Tobacco  is  grown, 
but  this  industry,  important  here  some  years  ago,  is  gradu- 
ally being  abandoned.  The  total  assessed  valuation  of  the 
town  in  1877  was  $383,795,  on  which  there  was  a  tax  of 
§6077. 61,  a  rate  of  nearly  16  mills  on  the  dollar.  The  value 
of  manufactures  in  1875  was  SOS, 680,  and  that  of  agricultural 
and  domestic  products  §122,840.  The  farms  number  220,  and 
the  dwelling-houses  256. 

REBELLIOX    RECORD. 
Appended  will  be  found  the  names  of  those  who  served 
during  the  war  of  the  Eebellion,  1861-65: 


■William  H.  Atkins,  10th  Mass. 
Chauncey  Gowdy,  Kith  Mass. 
Geoige  S.  Harger.  luth  Mass. 
Jiunes  .Tiistin,  10th  3Iass. 
Ed.  N.  Bliss,  27th  Mass. 
Willhim  H.  Bancroft,  27th  Mass. 
Willhini  H.  B.-ach,  27th  Mass. 
Charles  E.  B;ildwin,27th  Mass. 
Milo  tl.  Cooley,  27th  Mass. 
S.  P.  Cooley,  27th  M.iss. 
Erastus  Cook,  27lh  Mass. 
George  W,  Cone,  27Ih  Mass. 
George  F.  Green,  27  h  Mass. 
H.  W.Green,  27[h  Mass. 
John  V.  Hiill,27ih  Mass. 
Justus  W.  King,  27th  Mass. 
J.  C.  Messing!  r,  27th  Mass. 
Martin  Osl'orn,  27th  Mass. 
Roderick  Pomeroy,  Jr.,  27th  Mass. 
A.  B.  Pomei-oy,  27th  filiiss. 
Daniel  Pomeroy,  27tli  Mass. 
Nalhan  B.  Pomeroy,  27tli  .Mass. 
Jnhn  it.  Rowley,  27th  Mass. 
Myron  J.  Rose,  27ih  Miiss. 
Salem  P.  Rose,  27th  Mass. 
Jos.  W.  Roberts,  27th  Mass. 
Jas.  11.  Smitli,27th  Mass. 
John  D.  Seal  1,  27lh  Mass. 
Henry  W.  Tryon,  27th  Mass. 
Chailes  W.  Terrett,  27tli  Mass. 
Calvin  J.  Treat,  27lh  Mass. 
Daniel  Collins,  27th  Mass. 
Stiles  Couch,  31st  Mass. 
Willis  llumisiin,  31st  Muss. 
Gei-rge  Lee,  31st  Mass. 
Jerry  Lynch,  31st  Mass. 
James  Sl>elnian,  31st  Mass. 
Daniel  McCarty,  31st  Mass. 


Joseph  Tyler,  31st  3Iass. 
Silas  L.  Keep,  3Uth  Mass. 
George  L.  Church,  34ih  Mass. 
George  H.  Atkins,  34th  Mass. 
Leigh  R.  Brewer,  34th  Mass. 
John  Cunimings, 34tli  Mass. 
R.  N.  Farnhain,  34th  Mass. 
George  H.  Justin,  34lh  Mass. 
Frederick  Krollnian,  34th  Mass. 
Isaac  S.  Nash,  34Ih  Mass. 
James  Saunders,  34rh  Mass. 
Samuel  P.  Wiuchell,  34th  Mass. 
Isaac  \Velherell,24th  Mass. 
George  L.  Bancn-fl,  4Gth  Mass. 
William  C.  Clark,  46th  Mass. 
Henry  Ch;iniplin,  46th  Mass. 
Joseph  L.  ('iHrk,  46th  Mass. 
Aaron  S.  Clark,  46lli  Mass. 
0.  S.  Dickinson, 46th  Mass. 
0.  C.  Dickinson,  46tli  Mass. 
S.  D.  Hayden,  46th  Mass. 
William  D.  Havdeii,  46th  Mass. 
James  M.  Justin,  46th  Mass. 
Ileiiiy  E.  Miner,  46tli  Mass. 
Chauncey  Newton,  46tli  Mass. 
Marvin  Osborn,46lh  Mass. 
U.  H.  Pierce,  46th  Mass. 
E   M.  Peebles,  4Gth  Mass. 
II.  F.  Rowley,  46th  Mass. 
N.  C.  Randall,  46ih  Mass. 
L.L.  Ruse,  46th  Mass. 
Ira  L.  R.iot,  46th  Mass. 
Henry  M   Ripley,  461h  Mass. 
M.  V.  Slow,  46th  M.iss. 
Ephraim  Wells,  46th  Slass. 
Luther  Gardner.  46th  Mass. 
Albert  Treat,  40th  Mass. 


J.  G.  Brewer,  27th  JIass. 
Charles  C.  Brewer,  27th  Mass. 
Chauncey  P.  Howe,  27th  Mass. 
Stephen  W.  Knox,  27th  Mass. 
N.  A.  Randall,  27th  Mass. 
Hiram  L.  Chase,  2d  H.  Art. 
Andrew  Cook. 

Patrick  Donovan,  31st  Mass. 
Geoige  G.  Lewis,  2d  II.  Art. 

D.  W.  McAllister. 
Joseph  Miir]thy. 
I.  L.  Hummeston. 
Harvey  Rose,  2d  H.  Art. 
B.  F.  Treat,  3lBt  Mass. 
Henry  Kerwin,  31st  Mass. 
John  Lynch,  31st  Mass. 
B.  F.  Cooley,  31st  M;iss. 
Nathan  E.  Coe,  2d  H.  Art. 
Willi.am  Chaniplin,  2d  H.  Art. 
William  B.  Nelson,  2d  II.  Art. 
Henry  lirollinan,  2d  11.  Art. 
William  S.  Maloney,  2d  II.  Art. 
Charles  II.  Mclnl.vre,  17th  Muss. 
H.  C.  Clement,  2d  H.  Art. 
James  Bruce,  2d  II.  Art. 

E.  W.  Rice,  27  th  Miuis. 
Charleo  W.  Roberts,  27tli  Mass. 
Henry  Ryther,  27th  Mass. 
John  W.  Brewer,  27th  Mass. 
Buell  Seymour,  46lh  Mass. 

L.  C.  Farnham,  34lh  Mass. 

Robert  Rice,  Z.  F.  Cooley,  John  Cooley,  Samnel 
Cooley,  William  Smith,  J.  E.  Bidwell,  Patrick 
Burns,  Cliapin  Brown,  Enxstus  Cook,  Edward 
Carpenter,  William  Granger, Chauncey  Hodge, 
Henry  Randall,  H.  E.  Cornwall,  Alvin  Rice, 
Henry  Saunders. 


SOUTHWICK. 


GEOGRAPHICAL. 

SouTHWiCK  lies  in  the  second  tier  of  towns  to  the  west  of 
the  Connecticut  River,  and  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  West- 
field  ;  on  the  south  by  the  State  of  Connecticut ;  on  the  east 
by  Agawam,  in  Massachusetts,  and  Sutfield,  in  Connecticut; 
and  on  the  west  by  Granville,  in  Massachusetts,  and  Granby, 
in  Connecticut. 

The  portion  of  the  tract  projecting  beyond  the  direct  bound- 
ary between  Massachusetts  and  Connecticut  embraced  origi- 
nally a  tract  extending  as  far  east  as  the  present  line  between 


Southwick  and  Agawam,  being  divided  nearly  in  the  centre 
by  Congamuck  Pond.  This  tract  was  in  dispute  between  Con- 
necticut and  Massachusetts  as  late  as  1800,  and,  according  to 
Dr.  Holland,  the  settlement  of  the  dispute  was  effected  as  fol- 
lows :  one  Roger  Moore,  living  on  this  tract,  being  warned  to 
do  military  duty,  refused,  whereupon  litigation  ensued,  and 
the  case  being  presented  for  adjustment  to  the  Connecticut 
Legislature,  the  matter  was  settled  by  making  the  pond  the 
dividing  line,  those  on  the  west  remaining  in  Massachusetts 
and  those  on  the  east  in  Connecticut,  the  decision  being  ren- 


1088 


HISTORY  OF  THE   COxXNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


dered  in  accordance  with  the  wishes  of  the  inhahitaiits.  The 
area  of  this  projecting  tract  is  equal  to  about  six  square  miles. 
The  New  Haven  and  Northampton  Riiilroad  touches  the 
town  on  the  east,  at  Southwick  village,  four  miles  from  the 
village  of  Westfleld. 

NATURAL  FEATURES. 
The  surface  in  both  the  east  and  the  west  is  mountainous, 
but  north  and  south  the  land  is  generally  low,  the  soil  being 
rocky  on  the  elevations  and  sandy  in  the  lowlands.  Although 
the  timber-land  has  been  cleared  to  a  considerable  extent 
there  is  still  an  abundance  of  timber,  chief  among  which  may 
be  reckoned  oak  and  chestnut,  with  nuinerous  other  varieties. 
In  the  southeast  there  is  a  vast  pond,  or,  more  pro[>erly  speak- 
ing, four  connected  ponds,  covering  a  large  area,  and  known 
as  Congamuck  Pond.  Many  years  ago  an  English  company 
undertook,  at  great  expense,  to  reclaim  this  tract  for  cultiva- 
tion, but  the  undertaking  proving  greater  than  anticipated  it 
was  abandoned  as  impracticable.  The  only  eminence  of  conse- 
quence is  Sodom  Mountain,  in  the  west,  at  whose  base  flows 
JIunn's  Brook,  the  only  brook  of  size  in  the  town.  There  are 
in  Southwick  numerous  inviting  rural  retreats,  within  pleas- 
ant leafy  woods,  and  near  the  shores  of  the  numerous  ponds 
found  within  its  borders.  These  retreats  are  largely  visited 
in  ihe  summer  by  people  from  adjoining  towns,  as  well  as 
from  Southwick  itself. 

EARLY   .SETTLEMENT. 

The  settlement  of  Southwick  proper  did  not  begin  until 
1706,  when  it  was  incorporated  as  a  district.  Previous  to 
that  year  it  was  a  portion  of  Westfleld,  and  a  history  of  the 
earliest  settlements  on  the  tract  will  necessarily  be  found  in 
connection  with  the  early  history  of  Westfleld.  Reference  is, 
however,  made  to  the  statement  that  the  first  settler  on  the 
tract  is  said  to  have  been  Samuel  Fowler,  who  located  in  1734, 
in  the  north  section,  on  what  was  known  as  "  Povert}',"  in 
compliment  to  the  barrenness  of  the  soil  thereabouts. 

Among  the  early  settlers  were  Gideon  Stiles,  Noah  Loomis, 
Silas  Fowler,  Abner  Fowler,  Matthew  Laflin,  Ephraim  Grif- 
fin, Israel  Perkins,  John  Kent,  William  Moore,  David  Nel- 
son, George  Granger,  Jas.  Smith,  John  Campbell,  Joseph 
Moore,  John  Berry,  Moses  Root,  Phineas  Southwell,  Stephen 
Sexton,  Ephraim  Chamberlain,  Phineas  Perkins,  Thomas 
Hough,  Brigham  Brown,  Isaac  Coit,  David  Ives,  Shubel 
Stiles,  Samson  French,  Doras  StileS,  David  Fowler,  Hol- 
comb  Granger,  Joseph  Forward,  Abner  Forward,  Job  Lang- 
ton,  Solomon  Stephens,  Enos  Foot,  and  John  Rockwell. 

The  greater  portion  of  the  descendants  of  these  early  set- 
tlers are  now  residing  out  of  Southwick,  many  of  the  first 
generation  having  responded  to  more  alluring  agricultural 
inducements  and  "gone  West."     i 

From  the  town  records  under  date  October,  1781,  it  is 
learned  that  the  settlers  in  Southwick  at  that  time  included 
David  Nelson,  David  Hastings,  Thomas  Hanchet,  Amos 
Noble,  Gideon  Stiles,  Benjamin  Rising,  Jr.,  George  Sexton, 
Stephen  Sexton,  Solomon  Munsel,  Wm.  Campbell,  Samuel 
Johnson,  Amos  Johnson,  Moses  Hays,  Israel  Hays,  James 
Campbell,  Daniel  Wait,  John  WoodbuTy,  John  Pierce,  John 
Pierce,  Jr.,  Moses  Noble,  Matthew  Laflin,  Joseph  Moor,  Israel 
Perkins,  Phineas  Perkins,  Benjamin  Loomis,  Jr.,  Enos 
Loomis,  Elijah  Hough,  James  Smith,  William  Moor,  John 
Bishop,  Moses  Mitchell,  Jonathan  Wilcox,  Eldad  Graves, 
Samuel  Johnson,  Jr.,  Benjamin  Rising,  Silas  Fowler,  Stephen 
Russell,  Abner  Fowler,  David  Fowler,  Titus  Bigelow,  Phineas 
Southwell,  Benjamin  Loomis,  Nehemiah  Loomis,  Israel 
Loomis,  Abraham  Page,  Jr.,  Abraham  Page,  Hezekiah 
Jones,  Joseph  Barber,  Roger  Root,  Gideon  Root,  Jonathan 
Tilletson,  Josiah  Kent,  Ezra  Kent,  Gad  Allen,  James  Nel- 
son, John  Kent,  Elijah  Blackman,  Martin  Holcom,  William 
Marther,  Zur  Root,  William  Miller,  Joshua  Button,  Mary 
Granger,    Samuel    Haynes,    John    Wilcox,    Trustum    Story, 


John  Story,  Jacob  Cook,  Isaac  Fowler,  Abner  Rising,  Joseph 
Hide,  Jr.,  Pliney  Sacket,  Noah  Loomis,  Noah  Loomis,  Jr., 
Shem  Loomis,  Moses  Olds,  Samuel  Olds,  Moses  Allen,  Moses 
Root,  Samuel  Kellogg,  Jesse  Sacket,  Jared  Bush,  Josiah  Kel- 
logg, Amasa  Ives,  David  Ives,  Thomas  Hough,  John  Berry, 
Thomas  Campbell,  John  Campbell,  Amos  Rising,  Solomon 
Stevens,  Nathaniel  Gilberd,  Silas  Stevens,  Freegrace  Norton, 
Isaac  Gilberd,  Daniel  Lee,  Eldad  Norton,  George  Granger, 
George  Granger,  Jr.,  Levi  Palmer,  Eldred  Palmer,  Gad 
Dewey,  Simon  Weatherbee,  Samson  French,  Philip  Hays, 
and  Daniel  GritBn. 

Of  the  descendants  of  John  Rockwell,  Mi.ss  Lovica,  a 
daughter,  still  resides  in  Southwick,  at  the  age  of  ninety-two, 
the  oldest  person  in  the  town,  and  the  veritable  "oldest  in- 
habitant;" Abigail,  another  daughter,  died  some  years  ago; 
John  Tully,  a  son,  removed  early  to  Tioga,  Pa.  ;  Uzal,  an- 
other son  (now  dead),  had  sons, — Lawton,  who  died  j'oung; 
Joseph  W.,  now  residing  in  Southwick  ;  Theron  (dead)-; 
Owen,  living  in  Westfleld;  Lawton,  living  in  Boston;  and 
Uzal,  Jr.,  living  in  Springfield. 

Thomas  Hough's  sons  were  Ensign,  Joel,  Horatio,  and 
John,  but  no  descendants  thereof  are  now  living  in  South- 
wick. 

A  daughter  of  Enos  Foot,  Mrs.  John  Mills,  of  Springfield, 
died  a  few  months  ago.     His  other  children  died  unmarried. 

Job  Langton's  children  were  Lewis,  Charles,  Jarvis,  Julia, 
and  Catherine.  Julia  married  Orvis  Carrington,  and  removed 
to  Ohio;  Catherine  married  Oliver  Utley,  and  died  in  South- 
wick ;  Jarvis  died  J'oung  ;  Lewis  removed  to  Kentucky  ;  and 
Charles  is  now  living  in  Northampton. 

Dr.  Isaac  Coit,  the  first  physician  of  the  town,  died  child- 
less. 

Anson  Stiles,  a  son  of  Gideon  Stiles,  still  lives  in  South- 
wick. 

Joseph  Forward's  children  were  Joseph  M.,  Pliny,  Robert, 
George,  Polly,  Perley,  and  Catherine.  The  sons  are  all  dead. 
Robert  died  a  bachelor ;  Joseph  M.  left  Homer  M.  (now  dead), 
Joseph  M.,  and  A.  J.,  the  two  latter  still  living  in  Southwick. 
His  daughters  were  Mrs.  B.  Y.  Butler,  of  Southwick  (now 
dead),  Mary  R.  (dead),  and  Mrs.  Hinsdale  Smith,  now  living 
in  Springfield.  Pliny  had  one  son,  Pliny  M.,  now  living  in 
Southwick,  and  three  daughters,  viz.,  Mrs.  David  P.  Holton, 
of  New  York  ;  Mrs.  Thomas  Rood,  of  Westfleld  ;  and  Mrs. 
Silas  Norton,  of  Southwick  (now  dead).  George  had  two 
sons,  Robert  and  Egbert,  and  four  daughters,  Jane,  Ruth, 
Emerett,  and  Delia.  All  of  these  (save  Ruth,  who  is  dead) 
are  residing  in  Ohio. 

Matthew  Laflin's  children  were  Matthew  Jr.,  Heman,  and 
Lucy.  Lucy  married  David  Campbell,  of  PittsBeld,  and  is 
now  dead.  Matthew  Jr.  left  Roland  (now  dead),  whose  son 
Chuncey  lives  in  Southwick;  Winthrop  (dead),  whose  child- 
ren live  in  New  York ;  Luther,  who  lives  in  Saugerties, 
N.  Y. ;  Walter,  who  died  in  Pittsfield  ;  and  Matthew,  who  lives 
in  Chicago.  The  daughters  of  Matthew  Jr.  were  Mrs.  Case, 
of  Canton,  Conn. ;  Mrs.  Joseph  Boies,  of  Saugerties,  N.  Y. 
(both  dead) ;  and  Mrs.  Charles  Jessup,  nov/  living  in  West- 
field.  Heman's  children  were  Cutler,  Lester  Wells  (all  dead), 
Heman  Jr.  (now  living  in  New  Haven),  and  Mrs.  Matthew 
D.  Field  (now  living  in  Southwick). 

Noah  Loomis  drew  largely  upon  the  Bible,  and  named  his 
four  sons  Noah  Jr.,  Shem,  Ham,  and  Japhet.  Noah  Jr.'s 
sons  were  Noah,  Walter,  and  Russell.  Four  of  Walter's 
sons — B.  B.,  George,  Edward,  and  Oliver— are  now  living  in 
Southwick.  Ham  had  ten  sons  and  two  daughters.  Of  these 
the  only  one  living  in  Southwick  is  John  W.  The  living 
daughters  of  Walter  (above  named)  are  Mrs.  Charles  M. 
Phelps,  Mrs.  Robert  Hosmer,  and  Mrs.  Henry  Hamilton,  all 
of  Westfield.  Shem  had  two  sons,  Japhet  (dead)  and  Shem, 
now  living  in  Springfield.  Of  his  daughters,  Beekie  married 
Mr.  Weatherby,  of  Southwick;  Pnllie  married  Mr.  Stocking, 


John  Boyle  was  born  in 
County  Kilkenny,  Ireland,  Aug. 
7,  1803,  being  the  only  son 
of  Richard  and  Ann  Boyle. 
He  emigrated  with  his  mother 
to  Canada  in  1819,  where  she 
died  ;  and  he  finally  removed  to 
Southwiek,  Mass.,  in  1826, 
where  he  commenced  work  by 
the  month  on  the  canal  then 
being  built  between  Northamp- 
ton and  New  Haven,  and  he 
afterward  took  a  contract  on 
the  same  canal.  Has  followed 
the  business  of  railroad  con- 
struction ever  since,  having 
built  a  part  of  the  Syracuse  and 
Binarhamtou   Railroad,   besides 


working  on  many  of  the  New 
England  roads.  He  had  no  op. 
portunity  of  receiving  even  a 
common-school  education.  He 
has  been  twice  married,  both 
of  his  wives  being  dead.  He 
has  two  children  by  his  first 
wife  still  Hying, — Robert  and 
William,  both  residents  of 
Southwiek.  He  has  also  one 
by  his  second  wife  living, — Jane 
E.,  wife  of  William  W.  Phelps, 
of  Southwiek.  He  is  a  Demo- 
crat in  politics,  and  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  State  Legislature  in 
1864.  He  is  a  liberal,  enter- 
prising, and  public-spirited  citi- 
zen. 


l^lifl[g)£li!!l@li    ©(F  «9©IHl[i!!l 


g,  f@yTKiwa©K,  Ea^sg. 


SARDIS   GILLETT. 


We  are  unable  to  give  many  facts  in  regard  to 
the  early  history  of  this  gentleman's  ancestors,  and 
cannot  trace  the  genealogy  of  his  family  farther 
back  than  to  Seth  Gillett,  his  grandfather,  who  set- 
tled in  the  town  of  Southwick  abont  one  hundred 
years  ago,  and  raised  a  large  family  of  children,  of 
whom  Rodolphus  was  the  father  of  Sardis.  He 
was  born  Nov.  18,  1771,  and  married  Eunice  Cusli- 
man,  Aug.  11,  1794,  she  having  been  born  Jan. 
1,  1770.     They   had   a   family   of  seven   children, 


viz. :  Tacy,  Sardis  (1st),  Sardis  (2d),  Socrates,  Mary, 
Seth,  and  Eunice,  all  of  whom  lived  to  maturity 
except  the  two  eldest.  This  worthy  couple  lived 
to  a  ripe  old  age,  and  died  within  a  few  months 
of  each  other;  Mrs.  Gillett  passing  away  Sept.  15, 
1849,  followed  by  her  husband,  Nov.  19,  1849. 

Sardis  was  born  in  Southwick,  Sept.  1,  1798,  and 
passed  his  early  life  on  his  father's  farm.  He  was 
married,  Jan.  14,  1822,  to  Ursula,  adopted  daughter 
of  Reuben  Clark,  of  Southwick.     She  was  a  native 


Photi>.  by  Muffitt,  Springfield. 


^^i/y^£^^^^  ^  'CyC/A^:tt_. 


of  Connecticut,  having  been  born  June  22,  1799. 
Their  family  consisted  of  six  children,  four  of 
whom  are  now  living,  as  follows:  Sardis  Wells, 
now  a  resident  of  Cleveland,  Ohio ;  Harrison  Gray 
Otis,  now  located  at  Waterford,  Pa. ;  William  Wirt, 
who  dwells  on  his  father's  old  homestead  in  South- 
wick, together  with  his  sister,  Kate  E. 

Politically  he  was  a  member  of  the  Republican 
party  ;  held  several  offices  of  trust  and  honor.  He 
was  also  a  member  of  the  Episcopal  Church.     Dur- 


ing his  life  he  used  to  tell  the  story  that  he  had 
lived  in  three  counties,  viz.,  Hampshire,  Hamp- 
den, and  Hartford,  and  two  States,  viz.,  Massa- 
chusetts and  Connecticut,  without  changing  his 
place  of  residence.  After  fifty  years  of  married 
life  he  was  called  upon  to  mourn  the  death  of  his 
wife,  who  died  Oct.  24,  1867.  He  died  Dec.  28, 
1878,  leaving  friends  and  neighbors  to  regret  his 
loss,  and  a  large  fortune  which  had  been  accumu- 
lated by  years  of  hard  toil. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


1089 


ofSouthwiok;   Thirza  marriod  L.  B.  Piatt,  of  Pittsfield  ;  and 
Sallie  married  Mr.  Jiulson,  of  Springfield. 

Of  the  de.scendants  of  Isaac  Gillett,  Sardis,  Charles,  and 
Cratiis  are  now  residing  at  Gillett's  Corners,  about  two  miles 
south  of  Southwick  village. 

REVOLUXrONART  RE.MIXISCENCES. 

Southwick  was  true  in  the  stormy  daj's  of  the  Kevolution, 
and  upon  the  alarm  from  Lexington,  in  1775,  the  town  called 
a  meeting,  and  voted  to  raise  "twenty-five  minnet-men," 
and  further  that  "  the  minnet-men  shall  reg  their  gons 
upon  the  town's  cost  that  ant  abel  to  reg  their  one  gons,  and 
the  cost  to  be  taken  out  of  their  wages."  In  this  year  Jon- 
athan Hare  was  sent  as  a  delegate  to  the  Continental  Con- 
gress. The  first  committee  of  correspondence  mentioned 
in  the  records  was  appointed  in  January,  1776,  and  was 
composed  of  Noah  Loomis,  Silas  Fowler,  Wm.  Moor,  John 
Kent,  Deacon  Morton,  Solomon  Stephens,  and  Ephraim 
Griffin.  In  this  year  it  was  resolved  "to  be  an  independent 
state  if  Congress  think  proper,"  by  which  it  was  doubtless 
meant  to  endorse  a  declaration  of  national  independence.  A 
bounty  of  30s.  per  man  was  ofl'ered  nine  men  to  enlist  in  the 
Continental  service  to  go  to  "Canady,"and  it  was  further 
resolved  "  to  Chus  a  Comefj'  to  borrow  the  money  for  the 
Solgers,  provided  the  truserer  Can't  Colect  it."  A  vote  in 
1778  directed  "  the  ofecers,  selectmen,  and  Comely  to  make  a 
neferge  (meaning  perhaps  an  '  effort')  in  drafting  the  Conti- 
nental Solgers."  Fifteen  pounds  bounty  per  man  were  given 
Levi  Bradley  and  Thomas  Lesul  for  enlisting  in  the  service, 
and  shortlj-  thereafter  it  was  voted  "  to  give  the  three  men  that 
Inlest  in  the  Continental  Sarves  thirty  pound  Eieh."  At  the 
same  time  it  was  resolved  "  to  git  the  clothing  for  the  Conti- 
nental Solgers,  viz.,  Shurts,  Stockens,  and  Shiis."  The  records 
set  forth  that  about  this  time  John  Kent  was  chosen  "  vendew" 
master  "  to  Sel  the  Stel  Sent  to  the  town  from  ye  Bord  of 
War." 

In  1780  the  town  voted  not  to  have  Capt.  Silas  Fowler  (in 
command  of  a  company  in  the  service)  go  on  and  draft  sol- 
diers for  the  Continental  army,  and  agreed  further  to  indem- 
.  nify  the  officers  for  all  cost  that  might  arise  by  reason  of  the 
town's  default  in  not  raising  the  above  men.  A  committee 
was  also  chosen  to  inquire  into  the  drafting  order  issued  by 
the  General  Court,  the  inference  being  that  the  town  was  not 
quite  satisfied  as  to  the  legality  of  the  orders.  The  resolution 
to  stop  the  draft  was  probably  rescinded,  for  directly  after- 
ward it  was  decided  to  raise  only  three  men  out  of  the  six 
ordered  by  the  General  Court,  and  for  these  three  men  it  was 
agreed  to  pay  §1000  each  (Continental  money)  as  a  bounty, 
and  20.S  per  month  in  addition  to  the  State's  wages,  in  silver 
money  or  its  value  in  grain.  A  record  of  date  1781  shows 
that  early  in  that  year  Southwick  had  nine  soldiers  in  the 
Continental  armj'.  In  December,  1781,  an  effort  was  made  to 
raise  more  three  years'  soldiers  ;  £45  were  raised  for  soldiers' 
bounties,  and  the  militia  officers  were  directed  to  call  their 
men  together  to  see  if  the  three  years'  soldiers  could  be  ob- 
tained. 

Previous  to  this,  in  1780,  three  month.s'  soldiers  were  offered 
§500  each,  and  20s.  per  month  in  silver.  Six  months'  men 
were  ofl'ered  $1000  bounty,  and  20s.  per  month.  Thirty-seven 
hundred  pounds  in  Continental  money,  or  £93  in  new  emission, 
were  called  for  early  in  1781  to  buy  Continental  beef,  and  a  com- 
mittee was  chosen  to  go  to  the  army  and  inquire  into  the  num- 
ber and  state  of  the  soldiers  sent  by  the  town.  The  beef  was 
bought  for  £120  per  hundred, — more  than  a  pound  of  money 
for  a  pound  of  beef.  The  records  refer  at  this  time  to  Gideon 
Stiles  as  a  lieutenant  in  the  service,  and  to  the  fact  that  Abner 
Fowler  was  sent  to  the  Cambridge  Congress.  Tlie  town  was 
fined  £28  in  1781  for  not  raising  seven  six  months'  men  or- 
dered by  the  General  Court.  AV'ith  a  vote  in  1781  to  raise 
£15  in  silver  to  pay  for  five  three  months'  men  the  town 
137 


records  close  their  history  of  the  town's  action  upon  matters 
concerned  in  the  Kevolutionary  struggle.  Upon  the  close  of 
the  war  in  1783,  the  town  refused  to  pay  the  commutation  or 
five  years'  pay  to  Continental  officers,  as  ordered  by  Congress. 
Among  the  soldiers  who  went  into  the  war  of  1812  from 
Southwick  were  Enos  Foote,  as  colonel,  and  Abraham  Rising, 
Robert  Forward,  David  Noble,  Elisha  Steer,  Benjamin 
Loundsberry,  and  Leonard  Smith,  as  privates. 

NOTEWORTHY   INCIDENTS. 

The  earliest  recorded  road  in  the  town  was  laid  out  in  1775, 
between  Mr.  Forward's  land  and  Jas.  Smith's  land,  "from 
the  County  road  that  leads  to  the  Mills,  to  the  town  road  that 
leads  to  the  meeting-house."  Twent}'  pounds  were  raised  for 
highways  in  1776;  it  was  resolved  to  purchase  a  grave-cloth, 
and  further  resolved  to  build  no  bridge  over  Two-Mile  Brook 
on  the  county  road  that  "  Leds  through  the  Shepaster."  In 
1776  it  was  determined  "not  to  have  Enoculafion  sat  up," 
but  in  the  following  year  it  was  decided  to  "  set  up"  the  small- 
pox. 

Jonathan  Hare  was  chosen  as  an  agent  to  "converse  with 
other  towns  and  inquire  into  the  acts  of  the  General  Court," 
and  it  was  voted  in  December,  1786,  that  "  the  Superior 
Court  sha'n't  set  at  Springfield  the  last  Tuesday  of  this 
instant."  A  pound  was  built  in  1777  "by  James  Smith's 
house,  near  the  road  to  Poverty,  40  feet  squair."  A  road  was 
also  opened  from  John  Story's  to  the  Simsbury  road,  and  £45 
raised  for  town  charges,  for  which  in  the  following  year  £368 
were  appropriated,  when  a  road  was  laid  out  from  the  Sims- 
bury  road  to  Griflnn's  by  the  way  of  Boot's  marsh. 

According  to  the  records,  the  first  person  born  in  what  is 
now  Southwick  was  William,  son  of  George  Granger,  in 
1763;  the  first  marriage  that  of  Joseph  Hide  and  Eunice  Gil- 
bert in  1771  ;  the  first  death  that  of  Samuel  Fowler,  Jan- 
uary, 1771.  One  of  the  ea-rliest  taverns,  if  not  the  first,  was 
kept  by  Saul  Fowler  on  the  site  of  the  present  hotel  in  South- 
wick village,  about  1780,  and  in  the  same  building  also  he 
kept  a  store.  Dr.  Isaac  Coit,  who  flourished  in  Southwick  at 
an  early  date,  was  a  surgeon  in  the  American  army  during  the 
Kevolution,  and  was  Southwick's  first  physician,  and  he  served 
in  the  town  as  justice  of  the  peace  as  well  for  many  years. 

In  1779,  Southwick  voted  to  have  a  new  State  constitu- 
tion, and  in  1782  it  was  decided  that  the  innholders  and  re- 
tailers of  Southwick  should  not  take  out  a  license  unless  two- 
thirds  of  the  county  should, — referring,  no  doubt,  to  the  excise 
act  passed  by  the  General  Court.  But  £30  were  raised  in 
1783  for  town  charges,  and  in  1786  a  road  from  Granville  line 
to  the  notch  in  East  Mountain  was  opened. 

The  oldest  residents  of  Southwick  in  January,  1879,  were 
Heaton  Granger,  aged  eighty-eight,  and  Miss  Lovica  Rock- 
well, aged  ninety-two.  The  oldest  building  in  the  town  is  one 
built  by  Mr.  Fowler,  in  1778,  in  the  northern  section,  and  now 
owned  by  King  Fowler.  July  15,  1809,  the  town  was  called 
upon  to  mourn  publicly  over  a  sad  calamity  whereby  four 
young  ladies — Julia  Stratton,  Mary  Langdon,  Orpha  Cannon, 
and  Charlotte  Cannon — were  drowned  in  Congamuck  Pond 
while  out  for  a  pleasure  sail.  The  first  and  only  lawyer  the 
town  ever  had  was  John  Mills,  who  settled  in  Southwick 
about  1815.  About  the  j-ear  1855,  Amasa  Holcomb  manu- 
factured telescopes  in  Southwick,  and  achieved  in  that  pursuit 
some  distinction.  After  being  carried  on  in  Sotithwick  until 
1875,  the  business  was  removed  to  Springfield.  There  was  a 
Masonic  lodge  in  Southwick  village  previous  to  1830,  but  it 
passed  away  beneath  the  anti-Masonic  storm  that  swept  over 
the  State  at  that  time. 

A  curious  feature,  incident  to  the  geographical  changes  to 
which  Southwick  has  been  submitted  since  the  early  settle- 
ment, is  related  in  connection  with  the  will  of  Roger  Moore, 
who  died  about  1818.  Upon  the  probate  of  his  will  it  was 
shown  that  he  was  bora  in  Westfield,  Hampshire  Co.,  Mass., 


1090 


HISTORY   OF  THE   CONNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


subsequently  lived  in  Simsbury,  Hartford  Co.,  Conn.,  later 

in  Granby,   Hartford  Co.,  Conn.,   and   died   in   Southwick, 

Hampden  Co.,  Mass.     Yet  in  all  these  changes  he  never  left 

the  place  of  his  birth,  although  he  was  during  his  life  a  citizen 

of  two  States,  a  voter  in  four  towns,  and  a  resident  in  three 

counties.     The  place  he  lived  on  is  now  known  as  the  Plynip- 

ton  place. 

ORGANIZATION. 

Originall}-  a  portion  of  Westfield,  Southwick  (so  called  from 
its  relative  position  in  the  original  town)  was  incorporated  as  a 
district  in  1770,  and  as  a  town  in  1779.  The  records  of  district- 
meetings  from  1770  to  177o  have  been  destroyed,  and  the  earli- 
est action  of  the  district  officials,  as  well  as  the  list  of  the  names 
of  the  officials  themselves  between  those  periods,  cannot  of 
course  be  ascertained.  The  subsequent  records  are,  however, 
well  preserved,  and  the  names,  therefore,  of  those  who  have 
served  as  selectmen  and  town  clerks  from  1775  to  the  present 
time  are  here  given  : 

SELECTMEN. 

1775. — Gideon  Stiles,  Noah  Loomis,  Silas  Fowler. 

1776. — GitJeoii  Stiles,  Silas  Fowler,  Abner  Fowler,  Noah  Loomis,  Mathew  Lafiio. 

1777. — Xoah  Loomis,  Gideon  utiles,  Abner  Fowler,  Eph.  Giiffin,  Israel  Perkins. 

1778.— Xoali  Loomis,  Gideon  Stiles,  Blatliew  Latlin,  John  Kent,  Abuer  Fowler. 

1779-80. — William  Moore,  Bavitl  Nelson,  George  Granger. 

1781. — Abner  Fowler,  Jas.  Smith,  John  Oamijliell. 

17S2. — Silas  Fowler,  John  Kent,  Mathew  Latliii,  Noah  Loomis,  T.  Campbell. 

1783.— Mathew  Latlin,  Jos.  Moore,  John  Kent. 

1784. — John  Kent,  John  Berry,  Jas.  Smith. 

17S5.— Silas  Fowler,  Mathew  Latlin,  Moses  Root,  John  Kent,  T.  Campbell. 

1786. — Jas.  Smith,  Thus.  Campbell,  Phineas  Sonthwell,  Stephen   Sexton,  E. 

Chamberlain. 
1787. — Phineas  Perkins,  Noah  Loomis,  Thos.  Hough, Brigham  Brown,  Jos.  Moore. 
1788. — Phineas  Southwell,  Geo.  Granger,  Silas  Fowler,  Isaac  Coit,  Phin.  Perkins. 
1789.— Thos.  Campbell,  Isaac  Cuit,  P.  Southwell,  Eph.  Chamberlain,  David  Ives. 
1790. — Eph.  Chamberlain,  Thns.  Cami'bell,  Samuel  Fowler. 
1791. — Thos.  Campbell,  Sam'l  Fowler,  Shnbael  Stiles. 
1792. — Samson  French,  Sani'l  Fowler,  Shnbael  Stiles,  Phineas  Southwell,  Phin. 

Perkins. 
1793,— Sam'l  Fowler,  Shnbael  Sliles,  Sam'l  French. 
1794. — Doras  Stiles,  Sam'l  Fowler,  David  Fowler. 
1795.— Thos.  Campbell,  David  Fowler,  Sam'l  Fowler. 

1796. — Sam'l  Fowler,  Doras  Stiles,  T.  Campbell,  Holcomb  Granger,  Jos.  Forward. 
1797. — Thos.  Campbell,  Jos.  Forward,  Sam'l  Fowler. 
1798. — Jos.  Forward,  Job  Langton,  Solomon  Stephens. 
1799-1800.— Job  Langton.  Sam'l  Fowler,  Jos.  Forward. 
1801.— Shubael  Sliles,  Enos  Foot,  Jos.  Forward. 
1802. — Sam'l  Fowler,  Doras  Stiles,  Btigham  Brown. 
180;J.— David  Fowler,  Oliver  Utley,  Ham  Loomis. 
1804. — Mathew  Latlin,  Reuben  Mooie,  Moses  Hays. 
1805.— Shubael  Sliles,  Reuben  Moore,  Thos.  Campbell. 
180(1.— Shubert  Stiles,  Roger  Moore,  Jos.  Forward. 
1807.— Shubert  Stiles,  Jos.  Forward,  Oliver  Utley. 
1808-9.— Shnbert  Stiles,  Jos.  Forward,  Sam'l  Fuwler. 
1810.— Sam'l  Fowler,  Richard  Dickinson,  Roger  Moore. 
1811. — Shubert  Stiles,  Solomon  Smitli,  Reuben  Moore. 
1812. — Reuben  Moore,  Solomon  Smith,  Sam'l  Fuwler. 
181S.— Doras  Stiles,  Sam'l  Fowler,  Elijah  Holcomb. 
1814.— Jos.  Forward,  Elijah  Hulcumb,  Eph.  Booth. 
1815. — Richard  Dii-kiiisun,  Reuben  Sloore,  Gideon  Stiles. 
1816. — Richard  Dickinson,  Gideon  Stile.s,  Amasii  Holcomb. 
1817-18.- Gideon  Stiles,  Amasil  Holcomb,  Heman  Lailin. 
1819. — Anias;i  Holcomb,  Wm.  Hosmer,  Job  Langdon. 
1820.— Gideon  Stiles,  Heman  Laflin,  Almon  Gillctt. 
1821.— Gideon  Stiles,  John  Mills,  Almon  Gillett. 
1822.— John  Mills,  Almon  Gillett,  Jos.  M.  Forward. 
1823.— John  Mills,  Jos.  M.  Forward,  Eli  L.  Moore. 
1824. — Jos.  M.  Forward,  Eli  L.  Moore,  Abraham  Rising,  Jr. 
1825. — Eli  L.  Moore,  Abraham  Rising,  Jr.,  Warren  Byington. 
1826.— Warren  Byington,  Gideon  Stiles,  Thaddeus  Foote. 
1827. — Aliraham  Rising,  Jr.,  Zebina  Mason,  .\lmon  Gillett. 
1828. — Abiaham  Rising,  Jr.,  Zebina  Mason,  Jubal  Byington. 
1829.— Uzal  Rockwell,  Gideon  Root,  Elisha  Steer,  Jr. 
1830.— Robert  Forward,  Warren  Byington,  Abraham  Rising,  Jr. 
1831-32.— John  Mills,  Robert  Forward,  Elisha  Steer,  Jr. 
1833. — Jos.  M.  Forward,  Uzal  Rockwell,  Elisha  Steer. 
1834.— Elisha  Steer,  (5ideon  Stiles,  Robert  Forward. 
1835.— R  jbert  Forward,  Giles  Stiles,  Sam'l  S.  Fowler. 
1836.— Giileon  Sliles,  Solomon  Smith,  Elisha  Steer. 
1837,— Jos.  M.  Forward,  Sardis  Gillett,  Sam'l  S.  Fowler. 
1838.— Sardis  Gillett,  Almon  H.  Barker,  Sam'l  S.  Fowler. 
1839.— Almon  H.  Barker,  Abraham  Rising,  Jr.,  Elisha  Booth. 
1.^40. — .\biabam  Rising,  Jr.,  Elisha  Booth,  Josiah  S.  Knowles. 
1841. — Elisha  Booth,  Josiah  S.  Knowlcti,  Carmi  Shui  tleff. 


1842-43.— Gideon  Stiles,  Abrahaiti  Rising,  Canni  Shnrtleff. 
1844.— Abraham  Rising,  Eli  L.  Moore,  Chandler  Holcomb. 
1845.— Chandler  Holcomb,  Sanniel  Webb,  Tarsus  N.  Fowler. 
1846.— Samuel  Webb,  Hcaton  Gi  anger,  P.  W.  Stevens. 
1847.— P.  W.  Stevens,  Daniel  W.  King,  Moses  White. 
1848.— Moses  White,  P.  W.  SteveTjs,  Calvin  Cannon. 
1849.— Oliver  Root,  J.  M.  Forward,  Calvin  Cannon. 
1660.— Oliver  Root,  P.  W.  Stevens,  Samuel  Kellogg. 
1861.— Theron  Rockwell,  Ea-ston  T.  Rising,  P.  W.  Stevens. 
1862.— Tberon  Rockwell,  Elisha  Steer,  Oliver  Root. 
1863.- Oliver  Root,  B.  B.  Loomis,  Theion  Warner. 
1854.— Theron  Warner,  B.  B.  Loomis,  Wm.  R.  Blown. 
1855. — Joseph  W.  Rockwell,  A.  J.  Marvin,  Uzal  R-ickwell. 
1856. — Thomas  Cooley,  Uzal  Rockwell,  A.  J.  Marvin. 
1857.— Theion  Rockwell,  Tarsus  N.  Fowler,  H.  H.  Hosmer. 
1858. — Carmi  Sburtletf,  Alviii  Rising,  C.  K.  Lambson. 
1869.— Carmi  Shurtletf,  C.  K.  Lambson,  Gid.  A.  Sliles. 
186(1.— Gid.  A.  Stiles,  M.  M.  Steer,  William  Strain. 
1861.— Carmi  Shnrtleff,  .\brabam  Rising,  Luther  Fowler. 
1862-63.- A.  J.  Marvin,  A.  F.  Webb,  A.  P.  Eaaton. 
1864.— A.  P.  Easton,  E.  C.  Vining,  Moses  White, 
1865-66.— A.  P.  Easton,  N.  S.  Noble,  A.  J.  Forward. 
1867.— M.  A.  Moore,  N.  S.  Noble,  A.  J.  Forward. 
1868. — M.  A.  Moore,  Calvin  Cannon,  Itjiner  Rising. 
1869. — M.  A.  Moore,  Calvin  Cannon,  Lucien  Bacon. 
1870. — M.  A.  Moore,  0.  A.  Granger,  Marcus  Phelps. 
1871. — 0.  A.  Granger,  A.  P.  Easton.  Andrew  White. 
1872-73.-0.  A.  Granger,  E.  A.  Sleer,  W.  D.  Arnold. 
1874.- W.  D.  Arnold,  J.  L.  Black,  W.  W.  Easton. 
1875-79.— J.  L.  Black,  A.  J.  Forward,  Edwin  Gilbert. 

TOWN    CLERKS. 

Abuer  Fowler,  1775-79 ;  William  Moore,  1770-81 ;  Isaac  Coit,  1781-88 ;  Thomas 
Hough,  1788 ;  Samuel  Fowler,  1789-1802 ;  Enos  Foot,  1802 ;  Samuel  Fowler,  1803 ; 
Enos  Foot,  1804-11;  Job  Langdon,  1811-13;  Joseph  M.  Forward,  1813-18;  John 
Mills,  1818;  Ephraim  Booth,  1819-23 ;  Levi.  W.  Hnmphre.vs,  1823 ;  Robert  For- 
ward, 1824;  Levi  W.  Humphreys,  1825-29  ;  Edwin  Foote,  1829;  Joseph  M.  For- 
ward, 1830-32 ;  Harrison  Foote,  1832-34  ;  Phinejis  W.  Stevens,  1834-37;  James 
Stevens,  1837-45;  Carmi  Shui  tleff,  1846;  Joseph  M.  Forward,  1840-52 ;  A.  J. 
Forward,  1862-55 ;  Joseph  E.  White,  1856 ;  P.  W.  Stevens,  1866 ;  Jos.  E.  White, 
1857;  Seymour  L.  Granger,  18.58-01;  C.  J.  Root,  1861-66;  Luther  Fowler,  1866- 
68;  B.  G.  Palmer,  1868 ;  Orrin  A.  Granger,  1869-71 ;  Wm.  W.  Phelps,  1871 ;  H.  E. 
Webb,  1872-75;  Edwin  Shnrtleff,  1875-77;  William  Strain,  Jr.,  1877 ;  William 
Fletcher,  1878. 

REPRESENTATIVES   AT    THE   GENERAL    COURT. 

From  1775  to  1856,  when  Southwick  became  a  part  of  the 
Ninth  Representative  District,  the  town  was  represented  by 
the  following : 

William  Moor,  Abner  Fowler,  Isaac  Coit,  Silas  Fowler,  Saul  Fowler,  Joseph 
Forward,  Enos  Foote,  Shnbael  Stiles,  Reuben  Clark,  Doras  Stiles,  Gideon  Stiles, 
Joseph  M.  Forward,  Thaddeus  Foote,  Levi  W.  Humphreys,  .^bndiani  Rising, 
Rev.  Aniafa  Holcomb,  Elisha  Steer,  Robert  Forward,  Warren  Byington,  Samuel 
S.  Fowler,  Phineas  W.  Stevens,  Elisha  Booth,  Chandler  Holcomb,  Almon  H. 
Barker,  Eli  L.  Moore,  Carmi  Sbartleff,  John  Holcomb,  Abel  Steer,  Moses  White, 
Hiram  S.  Hollister,  Hemau  LaHin. 

VILLAGES. 

SOUTHWICK. 

The  only  village  in  the  town  is  the  village  of  Southwick,  a 
station  on  the  New  Haven  and  Northampton  Railroad,  and 
very  prettily  laid  out  upon  a  level  plain,  which  rests  beneath 
the  shadows  of  the  high  hills  that  range  along  the  town's 
western  border.  Here  are  two  churches, — Congregational 
and  Baptist, — a  hotel,  two  stores,  a  post-office,  a  town-hall, 
academy,  a  powder-mill,  grist-mill,  and  perhaps  75  dwell- 
ings. Two  miles  south  of  Southwick  village  there  is  a  settle- 
ment known  as  Gillet's  Corners,  where  there  is  a  church,  a 
cigar-factory,  and  a  small  collection  of  houses.  As  a  rule  the 
residences  of  the  villagers  are  tasteful  in  appointments  and 
attractive  in  surroundings,  while  the  air  of  wholesome  thrift 
that  prevails  bespeaks  the  industrious  character  of  the  inhab- 
itants. 

CHUKCHES. 

Although  a  Congregational  Church  was  organized  in  1773, 
August  17th,  the  early  town  records  being  lost,  no  mention  of 
town  action  upon  church  matters  is  found  until  the  year  1775, 
when  it  was  resolved  to  get  Mr.  Forward's  wood  that  year  by 
donation.  Rev.  Abel  Forward  was  the  church's  first  pastor, 
and  was  ordained  in  October,  1773.  He  died  in  178ti,  after  a 
ministry  of  thirteen  years.     The   first  church  building  was 


HISTORY   OF    HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


1091 


erected  about  1773,  about  a  mile  south  of  what  is  now  South- 
wick  vilhige,  near  the  burying-ground.  It  was  only  partially 
seated  at  first,  for  in  1776  it  was  voted  "  to  male  moor  Sets  in 
the  meeting-house,"  and  these,  witli  two-horse  blocks,  Gideon 
Root  and  Amos  Loomis  contracted  to  make.  Amos  Loomis 
was  also  hired'  at  9«.  the  year,  "  to  swep  the  meting-house, 
and  fech  water  for  crisning."  Mr.  Forward's  salary  was 
voted,  in  1777,  to  be  £30,  in  country  produce:  "  whet  at  fore 
shillings,  Rye  at  three,  Indon  Corn  at  two  Shilings,  and 
other  artecls  at  the  Same  La}-."  In  1701,  Israel  Loomis  was 
chosen  to  keep  the  keys  of  the  meeting-house,  bring  water  for 
baptism,  and  dig  graves.  This  year,  Mr.  Forward's  salary 
was  £70,  in  hard  money.  By  a  town  vote,  it  was  decided  "  to 
receive  that  part  of  Sim.sbury  called  Moretown,  into  all  Eccle- 
siastical matters  so  far  as  not  to  be  any  bar  or  hindrance  in 
moving  the  meeting-house."  About  this  time  the  subject  of 
building  a  new  church  must  have  been  agitated,  for  at  a  town- 
meeting,  in  1781,  a  committee  was  appointed  to  find  the  centre 
of  the  town,  and  a  suitable  place  for  a  meeting-hou.se.  This 
house  was  probably  erected  by  1783,  since  in  that  year  it  was 
voted  to  seat  the  meeting-house.  Previously,  in  1782,  a  com- 
mittee was  chosen  to  go  to  Moretown,  "  to  see  if  they  will  do 
anything  to  support  the  gospel  in  this  town."  Mr.  Fin'ward 
was  succeeded  in  1788  by  Rev.  Isaac  Clinton,  a  graduate  of 
Yale. 

In  1794  the  town  purchased  of  the  town  of  Windsor,  for  the 
new  church,  pulpit  and  canopy  (for  |6),  pews,  pulpit-window, 
gallery-stairs,  and  breast-work.  An  instructor  in  psalmody 
was  also  hired,  and  a  committee  was  appointed  to  dignify  the 
meeting-hou.se.  Mr.  Clinton  was  dismissed  in  1807,*  and  was 
succeeded  in  1810  by  Rev.  D.  D.  Rossiter.  Rev.  Calvin  Foote, 
his  successor,  preached  from  1820  to  1830,  and  during  his  min- 
istry, in  1824,  the  meeting-house  was  destroyed  by  tire.  In 
that  3'ear,  a  change  of  location  having  been  decided  upon,  the 
present  church  edifice  was  erected  in  Southwick  village.  The 
church  has  a  small  fund,  is  prosperous,  and  has  a  membership 
of  about  75.  Rev.  Richard  Knight,  lately  stationed  at  South 
Hadley  Falls,  where  he  preached  twenty-two  years,  is  the 
present  pastor  in  charge. 

In  1775  there  were  Baptists  in  the  town,  and  in  that  year, 
at  a  town-meeting,  it  was  voted  not  to  dismiss  the  "  Baptes" 
from  their  minister-rate.  In  1781,  the  protest  by  the  Baptists 
against  paying  the  minister-rate  still  being  urged,  it  was  voted 
that  "the  Baptists  are  not  excused  from  paying  Mr.  Forward's 
rate,  except  Samuel  Hare;"  but  why  Mr.  Hare  was  excused 
does  not  appear.  That  year  a  committee  was  chosen  "to  look 
into  Baptist  and  other  bad  rates,"  and  in  1785  it  was  agreed  to 
seat  the  Baptists  in  the  meeting-house,  the  same  as  the  other 
inhabitants. 

In  1805  the  Baptists  living  in  Southwick,  who  had  been  at- 
tending church  in  Sutfield,  Conn.,  determined  to  have  preach- 
ing at  home,  and  accordingly  organized  a  society  whose  origi- 
nal members  were  Timothy  Noble,  Sally  Noble,  Betsey  and 
Ruth  Noble,  Jonathan  and  Hannah  Hays,  Ahner  and  Eliza- 
beth Johnson,  Elizabeth,  .losiah,  David,  Mehitabel,  and  Deb- 
orah Kent,  Eunice  and  Rachel  Rising,  Erastus  Bill,  Rachel 
Bellamy,  Eunice  Stiles,  Mehitabel  Loomis,  Cliloe  Booth,  and 
Dolly  Campbell. 

*  Mr.  Clinton  removed  to  Lowville,  Lewis  Co.,  N.  Y.,  where  he  was  principal 
of  the  Lowville  Academy,  aud  fur  many  years  pa-stor  of  the  Presbyterian  Chufth. 
He  was  a  gentleman  of  the  old  ri'ijimf^  and  wore  the  costnme  of  the  Revolution 
until  his  death,  which  took  place  ahont  1S40. 

Before  his  removal  from  Southwick  he  Inst  all  his  children  excejrt  one  daugh- 
ter, Maria,  who  married  Ela  Collins,  of  Lowville,  a  distinguished  lawyer,  who 
held  the  offices  of  district  attorney,  delegate  to  the  Constitutional  Convention  of 
1821,  and  member  of  Congress.  Mr.  Clinton's  son,  Iaa.ac  Clinttm  Collins,  was  a 
prominent  lawyer  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio.  He  graduated  at  Yale  Ckdiege,  and  was 
a  judge  of  one  of  the  courts.  Another  son,  Frank  Collins,  was  a  graJuate  of 
West  Point,  and  served  as  lieutenant  in  the  4th  U.  S.  .\rtillery  during  the  Mexi- 
can war,  and  was  wounded  at  Chepultepec.  A  third  son,  William  Collins,  who 
recently  died  at  Cleveland,  Ohio,  was  a  prominent  lawyer  and  a  member  of 
Congress. 


In  June  of  that  year  a  council,  composed  of  delegates  from 
churches  in  Suffield,  Granville,  and  West  Springfield,  con- 
vened in  Southwick,  at  the  hou.se  of  Augustus  Pease.  The 
church  record  of  this  meeting  relates;  "  First  made  choice  of 
Elder  Jesse  Wightman,  Moderator,  brother  Daniel  Bcstor, 
Clerk.  After  a  prayer  to  God  for  direction,  by  Elder  Hast- 
ings, then  proceeded  to  business  by  calling  on  the  brethren 
and  sisters  for  their  reasons  why  they  wished  such  an  event  to 
take  place  among  them,  and  happily  found  their  views  and 
motives  to  appear  gospelwise."  The  church  was  then  con- 
stituted, and  Elder  Hastings  gave  them  the  right  hand  of  fel- 
lowship "as  a  church  in  gospel  order,  and  in  sister  relation 
with  the  Baptist  churches  composing  the  Danbury  A.ssocia- 
tion."  Elder  Niles  was  the  first  pastor,  and  among  the  other 
early  pastors  were  Elders  Bennett,  Pepper,  Augustus  Boles, 
Silas  Root,  John  D.  Hart,  Jeremiah  Bridges,  Charles  Willet, 
and  Revs.  Charles  Farrar,  R.  H.  Maine,  R.  Russell,  Alfred 
Gates,  and  Z.  S.  Wilds. 

A  church  building  was  erected  in  Southwick  village  in 
1822,  and  is  still  occupied  by  the  society,  which  has  at  present 
105  members,  with  an  average  attendance  of  about  100.  Rev. 
W.  K.  Dean,  recently  called  from  Rainbow,  Conn.,  is  now 
the  pastor. 

THE    MKTHODIST    CHURCH    IN    SOUTHWICK 

dates  its  organization  from  1810,  when  its  membership  num- 
bered but  0  persons,  under  the  charge  of  Rev.  David  Miller. 
It  was  at  that  time,  and  for  several  years  thereafter,  attached 
to  the  New  York  Conference.  The  society  had  no  regular 
preaching,  nor  did  it  own  a  church  building  until  1825,  when 
it  came  into  possession  of  the  edifice  erected  by  certain  Con- 
gregational ists  at  Gillet's  Corners  in  1824.  These  latter,  at 
the  time  of  the  removal  of  the  Congregational  Church  to 
Southwick  village  (after  the  burning  of  the  old  building  in 
1824),  were  dissatisfied  with  the  change, — themselves  living  in 
the  southern  section, — and,  withdrawing  from  the  society, 
built  a  church  of  their  own  at  Gillet's  Corners.  Failing  to 
prosper,  they  dissolved  within  a  year,  and,  as  related,  relin- 
quished the  structure  to  the  Methodists. 

The  Methodist  Church  is  in  charge  of  Rev.  E.  C.  Hitchcock, 
and  has  a  membership  of  about  00.  Among  the  early 
preachers  of  this  church  were  Billy  Hibbard,  Smith  Dayton, 
Coles  Carpenter,  T.  Clark,  Julius  Field,  Robert  Serey,  An- 
drew McCain,  and  a  long  list  of  others,  as  many  as  three 
preachers  frequently  serving  in  one  year.  In  1842  the  church 
was  made  a  regular  station,  and  after  that  date  the  change  of 
preachers  was  about  yearlj'. 

SCHOOLS. 
The  first  mention  made  in  the  records  of  public  action  upon 
educational  matters  was  under  date  of  1775,  when  £15  were 
raised  for  schooling,  and  when  it  was  voted  "  to  set  out  the 
districts  of  schooling."  In  1777,  £25  were  raised  for  school- 
ing; in  1778  the  appropriation  was  increased  to  £36,  and  in 
1779  to  £80.  In  1780  the  amount  called  for  was  £1000,  owing, 
of  course,  to  the  depreciation  of  the  currenc}'.  Sixteen  pounds 
(in  silver  doubtless)  were  appropriated  in  1781,  when  the  town 
was  divided  into  five  school  districts.  AVhere  the  first  school- 
house  was  located,  or  who  was  the  first  school-teacher,  are 
questions  which  neither  tradition  nor  the  records  are  able  to 
answer.  The  school  interests  of  the  town  are  now  and  have 
for  some  time  been  in  a  highly  prosperous  condition.  There 
are  nine  school  districts  and  ten  schools,  including  the  Dick- 
inson Grammar  School  at  Southwick  village.  The  expendi- 
tures for  schools  in  1877  reached  §2335.35,  of  which,  however, 
the  town  was  called  upon  to  appropriate  -..t  §1000,  while  §937 
of  the  remainder  was  the  income  of  the  Dickinson  school  fund, 
bequeathed  to  the  town  many  years  ago  by  Richard  Dickin- 
son, and  now  amounting  to  about  §10,000.  Half  the  income 
from  this  fund  is  devoted  to  the  support  of  the  Dickinson 
Grammar  School,  which  is  free  to  all  the  inhabitants  of  the 


1092 


HISTORY  OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


town.  The  average  attendance  at  all  the  schools  during  1877 
was  164;  the  number  of  children  in  the  town  between  the 
ages  of  five  and  fifteen,  203. 

Among  the  graduates  at  American  colleges,  originating  in 
Southwick,  may  be  named  Roger  S.  Moore,  Thaddeus  Foote, 
Joseiih  Foote,  Francis  Granger. 

BURIAL-PLACES. 
The  only  public  grave-yard  of  the  town  is  found  about  one 
mile  south  of  Southwicic  village,  and  contains,  besides  many 
ancient  gravestones,  numerous  handsome  modern  monuments. 
Among  tliose  of  the  early  settlers  whose  graves  are  in  this  city 
of  the  dead  may  be  mentioned  the  following: 

Elizabt-tb,  daughter  at  Thomas  Hmigh,  1T70;  Abigail,  daughter  of  Tlmmas 
Smitli,  1773;  Steiiheii  Rowell,  177S;  three  sons,  of  Mai  tin  Holcomb,  1786;  Aarou 
Granger,  1777;  Phineiis  Perkins,  Jr.,  178ti;  Rhod.a,  daughter  of  Al>ner  Fowler, 
1780 ;  Mui y,  wife  of  Moses  Root,  1777  ;  Anna,  wife  of  John  Root,  1785,  aged  77 ; 
Lionel,  son  of  Noah  Loomis,  1777 ;  Rhoda,  wife  of  John  C'ardell,  1798 ;  John,  Jr., 
son  of  John  Cardell,  1797;  Irana,  dangliterof  William  Miller,  1783;  George 
Granger,  1790,  aged  95 ;  Lncy,  his  wife,  1795  ;  Alvin,  son  of  Ziba  Cannon,  1795  ; 
Horace,  son  of  James  Smith,  1789 ;  Ephraim,  son  of  the  same,  1787 ;  Deacon  Isaac 
Gillet,  1784;  Rev.  .\\>e\  Forward,  1786;  Keturah,  his  wife,  1776;  Deborah,  wife 
of  N,atlianiel  Man,  1787  ;  Chauncey,  son  of  llnfus  Adams,  1797 ;  Sbadrach  Moore, 
1798,  aged  83 ;  Miriam,  wife  of  Thomas  Stevens,  1790,  aged  92 ;  Jesse,  son  of 
Shadrach  Moore,  1777 ;  Lovice,  wife  of  Shadrach  Moore,  1796 ;  Ennice,  wife  of 
Thomas  Campbell,  1789;  Robert  Campbell,  1776 ;  Capt.  Noah  Loomis,  1808,  aged 
8-1 ;  Rhoda,  his  wife,  1806,  aged  81 ;  Gordon  Root,  1801,  aged  70  ;  Ephraim  Adams, 
1805,  aged  80;  Capt.  Isaac  Gillett,  1804;  Ezra  Kent,  1811,  aged  86;  Elizabeth, 
his  wife,  1803,  aged  72;  Noah  Bartlett,  180;j,  aged  74;  Chauncey  French,  1808; 
John  Judson,  1809,  aged  68;  Abigail,  his  wife,  1803;  Lucy,  wife  of  Matthew 
Laflin,  1805,  aged  63 ;  Solomon  Stevens,  1807,  aged  82. 

INDUSTRIES. 

The  agricultural  pursuits  of  the  town,  although  limited,  far 

exceed  in  value  the  product  of  manufactures.     The  cultivation 

of  tobacco  has,  until  recentlj-,  largelj'  engaged  the  attention  of 

the  husbandman  ;  but  that  branch  of  industry  having  grown 

John  T.  Knox,  34th  Mass. 
James  Snow,  :J4th  Mas^. 
William  Johnson,  34th  Mass. 
Geo.  Vt.  Brown,  34tli  Mass. 
Uenry  II.  Siiunders,  34th  Mass. 
R.  S.  Stilhnan,  34th  Mass. 
Arthur  J.  Cuslimaii,  34tb  Mass. 
D.  M.  Day,  34tb  Mass. 
Henry  M.  Field,  34th  Mass. 
Alfred  Diblde,  34th  Mass. 
Elijah  Meecliam,  34th  Mass. 
Ward  Vining,  27th  Ma^s. 
Mrtlachi  Horner,  27tb  Masa. 
Calvin  C.  Gillett,  27th  Mass. 
Marcus  J.  Whitney,  27th  JIass. 
JIarl.leH.  Hunt,  27th  Mass.    , 
Lyman  Barton,  2-3th  Conn. 
Marshal  H.  Baiton,  luth  Cono. 
James  Stiles,  Utb  Coan. 
Michael  Kavanaugh,  27th  Mass. 
Wells  Aldrich,  21st  Mass. 
Alonzo  Weatherbee,  21st  Mass. 
Calvin  Fuller,  21st  Mass. 
Jerry  Pixley,  27th  Mass. 
Frank  Holcomb,  27lh  Mass. 
Chauncey  Holcomb,  27th  Masa. 
Alfred  Holcomb,  27th  Mass. 
Alden  Fowler,  27th  Mass. 
George  Welcome,  27th  Mass. 
Geo.  H.  Stevens,  19th  Mass. 
Newell  Rockwood,  15th  Conn. 
Andrew  Bush,  31st  Mass. 
Israel  Fox,  31st  Mas§. 
Edwin  Ontnger,  46th  Mass. 
Julius  Granger,  U.  S.  N. 
Henry  Gillett,  16th  Conn. 
Byron  J.  Fowler,  U.  S.  N. 


unreraunerative,  stock-raising  is  rapidly  becoming  an  impor- 
tant feature  in  connection  with  agricultural  interests.  Grain, 
potatoes,  etc.,  are  produced,  but  not  in  quantities  beyond  the 
needs  of  home  consumption,  many  farmers  being,  indeed, 
forced  to  purchase  grain  annually  for  their  stock.  As  a  rule, 
hiiwever,  the  farmers  are  thrifty  and  comfortablj'  situated. 

Excellent  water-power  is  obtainable  from  Congamuck  Pond, 
in  the  southeast,  but  it  is  utilized  only  to  operate  a  powder- 
mill  and  a  grist-mill.  The  former,  which  dates  its  creation 
back  to  the  year  1800,  is  now,  as  it  has  been  for  thirty  years 
or  more,  managed  in  the  interest  of  the  Zeron  Rockwell  es- 
tate. It  employs  the  services  of  four  people,  and  produces 
annually  about  $20,000  worth  of  blasting-powder,  to  the  man- 
ufacture of  which  it  is  exclusively  devoted.  There  are  also 
several  small  cigar-manufactories,  the  chief  of  which,  employ- 
ing ten  men,  is  conducted  by  Charles  F.  Gillet,  at  the  village 
of  Gillet's  Corners.  The  total  assessed  value  of  the  town,  in 
1878,  was  $-596,407.  The  total  tax  thereon— State,  county,  and 
township — was  §6304.68,  or  at  the  rate  of  9.1  mills  on  the  dol- 
lar. There  are  in  the  town  145  farms,  containing  17,661  acres, 
of  which  less  than  one-half  are  improved.  The  dwelling- 
houses  in  the  town  number  263. 

The  value  of  agricultural  and  domestic  productions  in  1875 
was  .$227,956,  and  of  manufactures,  §49,308.  The  town  debt 
amounted,  March  20,  1878,  to  $7069. 

SOCIETIES. 
The  only  secret  society  is  Soitthwick  Grange,  No.  46, 
organized  in  1874,  and  numbering  60  members. 

SOUTHWICK'S   WAR    RECORD. 
Southwick's  citizens  served  in  the  war  of  the  Rebellion,  as 
follows : 


Arthur  Horrigan,  1st  Cav. 
Timothy  Malone,  27th  Mass. 
Judson  Rockwood,  4th  Conn. 
James  Webb,  Ohio. 
SI.  H.  B,irton,  lOlh  Mass. 
James  Gillett,  12th  Conn. 
John  Canney,  3d  Ohio. 
Monroe  Hulcoinb,  4tb  Conn. 
Hubert  B.)yington,  10th  Mass. 
John  M.  Plielan,  IStb  M'.^ss. 
Lyman  Allen,  4)Uh  Miiss. 
Albert  Biirtou,  40tli  Mass. 
B.  Boyington,  4Gth  Mass. 
B.  V.  Cooley,  46th  Mass. 
Dexter  Cooley,  46tli  Mass. 
Wallace  Cary,  4Gth  Mass. 
Burt  C.  Drake,  46th  Mass. 
Ora  B.  Gaines,  46th  Mass. 
Christopher  Kerns,  46th  Mass. 
Litthrop  Lee,  4Gth  Mass. 
Matbew  Parks,  40th  Mass. 
Edwin  ShurtleB',  40Ih  Mass. 
George  Welcome,  Jr.,  46th  Masi 
Charles  Williams,  40th  Mass. 
S.  W.  Paiker,  46lh  Mass. 
Williiim  Mason,  2d  Cav. 
John  Allen,  2d  Cav. 
Robert  Coughlin,  1st  Cav. 
Bennet  Aldrich,  27th  Mass, 
K.  H.  Moore,  4th  Cav. 
H.  P.  Cornwall. 
Peter  Wilson,  27th  Mass. 
Saxton  S.  Barton,  61st  Mass. 
Wm.  F.  Biier,  2d  Art. 
Horace  W.  Kimball,  1st  Cav. 
William  Green,  2d  Art. 


Wm.  H.  Chamberlain,  2d  Art. 
James  L.  Stone,  1st  Art. 
Irwin  Case,  61st  Mass. 
Michael  Horrigan,  27th  Mass. 
Thomas  Rooney,  2d  Cav. 
John  Reynolds,  2d  Cav. 
Edward  Easton,  46th  M;iS3. 
George  Fowler,  46th  Mass. 
Benjamin  Granger,  46tli  Mass. 
Edwin  Granger,  40th  Mass. 
Wm.  H.  Hamilton,  40th  Mass. 
Lorenzo  A.  Loumis,  40tli  Mass. 
Homer  Noble,  46th  Mass. 
Amos  Rising,  46th  Mass. 
Jonah  Stiles,  40th  Mass. 
James  Beard,  40th  Mass. 
Charles  Talniage,  25th  Conn. 
Henry  Smith,  2d  Cav. 
William  Roberts,  2d  Cav. 
John  Doyle,  2d  Cav. 
William  Johnson,  34tl]  Mass. 
Edwin  Stevens. 
H.  E.  Cornwall. 
George  Baker. 
Eli  Carter. 

Chas.  E.  Booth,  6l8t  Mass. 
Horace  Williams,  Jr. 
George  W.  Abbe,  2d  Art. 
John  Kilkelly,  2d  Art. 
James  Aldrich,  61st  Mass. 
Cary  B.  Allard,  Olst  Mass. 
Geo.  M.  Hill,  Olst  Mass. 
William  Wallace,  17lh  Mass. 
Allen  Soper,  17th  Mass. 
John  Pett,  1st  Cav. 
Richard  Schliuke,  2d  Cav. 


MONTGOMERY. 


GEOGRAPHICAL. 

Montgomery,  one  of  the  smallest  towns  in  Hampden,  in 
respect  both  to  size  and  population,  occupies  an  area  of  86o7 
acres  in  that  mountainous  tract  which  lies  in  the  northwestern 
portion  of  the  county,  where  the  Hampden  Hills  tower  in 
their  majestic  beauty.  Its  boundaries  are,  Huntington  in 
Hampshire  County  on  the  north,  Westfield  and  Russell  on  the 
south,  Southampton  and  Westfield  on  the  east,  and  Russell 
and  Huntington  on  the  west. 

The  railway  station  nearest  to  Montgomery  is  the  one  at 
Russell  village,  about  four  miles  from  Montgomery  Centre. 

NATURAL  FEATURES. 
As  already  remarked,  the  surface  of  the  town  is  inter- 
spersed with  towering  hills,  among  which  Mount  Tekoa  and 
Mount  Shatterack  are  the  most  conspicuous.  Tekoa,  which 
from  the  southeastern  border  overlooks  Westfield,  is  a  noble 
eminence,  much  frequented  by  tourists,  by  reason  of  the  mag- 
nificent view  of  the  surrounding  country  to  be  obtained  from 
its  summit.  Minerals  abound  in  the  rock-crowned  hills,  but 
neither  in  value  nor  quantity  invite  the  attention  of  the  cap- 
italist. Rich  woodland.s  cover  the  surface  in  profusion,  and 
lend  a  varied  and  pleasing  aspect  to  the  natural  beauty  of  the 
region.  There  are  several  useful  mill-streams,  such  as  Moose 
Meadow,  Shatterack,  Bear-Den,  and  Roaring  Brook,  but  no 
large  water-courses.  In  the  southeast,  the  town  of  Westfield 
has  constructed  a  reservoir  covering  an  area  of  36  acres,  and 
thence  obtains  an  abundant  supply  of  pure  water. 

EARLY  SETTLEMENT. 

A  portion  of  the  tract  now  occupied  by  Montgomery  was 
originally  included  in  that  part  of  the  town  of  Westfield 
known  as  "The  New  Addition."  The  exact  date  of  the  ear- 
liest settlements  in  this  quarter  cannot  be  ascertained,  but  it 
is  known  that  settlers  located  there  as  early  as  1767,  for  in  that 
year  Ephraim  Avery  removed  thither  with  his  family  and 
built  the  first  frame  house  seen  in  that  section.  It  still  stands, 
on  the  road  between  Montgomery  and  Westfield,  and,  although 
unoccupied,  is  in  a  state  of  fair  preservation. 

There  were  other  settlers  contemporaneous  with  Avery,  but 
of  course  they  were  few  in  number.  The  names  of  the  pio- 
neers, as  well  as  reference  to  their  descendants,  will  be  found 
in  the  following  history: 

Ephraim  Avery,  as  already  noted,  settled  in  1767.  His  sons 
were  William,  Abel,  Samuel,  Raiusford,  and  Ephraim,  Jr., 
besides  two  daughters.  These  sons  died  some  years  ago,  but 
three  of  old  Ephraim's  grandsons  are  still  living, — Elisha  and 
George  in  Montgomery,  on  the  old  farm,  and  Henry  in  West- 
field." 

Capt.  Sylvester  Squier  bad  several  sons,  who  are  now  dead. 
William  and  James,  two  of  his  grandsons,  now  live  in  Mont- 
gomery. Four  of  his  granddaughters  are  still  alive, — Mrs. 
Ives,  of  Williamsburg ;  Mrs.  Macomber,  of  Conway,  Mrs. 
Hannum,  of  Westfield;  and  Mrs.  Lewis  T.  AUyn,  of  Mont- 
gomery. 

Oliver  Clark  is  said  to  have  settled  here  in  1766  or  1767. 
He  had  a  family  of  sons  and  daughters.  His  sons  were 
Oliver,  James,  Hawley,  Simon,  Pharez,  Elijah,  and  Elisha. 
His  daughters  were  Ruth  and  Olive.  Oliver,  Jr.,  had  five 
sons — Nelson,    Hawley,    Elisha,    Flavins,   and   Almon — and 


three  daughters.  Of  these  latter,  Mrs.  Williams  died  in 
Montgomery,  while  two — Mrs.  Lathrop,  of  Westfield,  and 
Mrs.  Robert  Emmons,  of  Hartland,  Conn. — survive.  Of  the 
sons  of  Oliver,  Jr.,  but  two — Flavins  and  Elisha — are  living. 
Flavins  lives  in  Norwalk,  Conn.  Elisha  resides  in  Mont- 
gomery, at  the  age  of  seventy,  and  is  one  of  the  wealthiest 
farmers  in  the  town. 

David  Allyn  raised  a  large  family  of  seven  sons  and  six 
daughters.  The  seven  sons  were  Jabez,  David,  Joseph,  T. 
Ansel,  James,  Albert,  and  Albro,  all  of  whom  are  dead.  Of 
the  daughters,  Phcebe  and  Lydia  died  early.  Mrs.  Miner,  of 
Springfield,  another  daughter,  died  some  years  ago.  The 
other  three  are  now  living, — Mrs.  Ransom  Clark  and  Mrs. 
Elisha  Clark,  in  Montgomery,  and  Mrs.  Tiffin,  in  Green- 
wich, Mass. 

Daniel  Barrett,  like  David  Allyn,  was  the  parent  of  thirteen 
children,  likewise  seven  sons  and  six  daughters.  None  of  his 
descendants  are  living  in  Montgomery.  Three  of  his  sons, 
Moses,  Samuel,  and  Benjamin,  died  some  years  ago.  The 
four  living  ones  are  Daniel,  Marcus,  and  Lysander,  some- 
where in  Penn.sylvania,  and  Elisha,  aged  eighty-nine,  in 
Illinois,  where  he  is  a  minister  of  the  gospel.  Two  daughters 
married  two  brothers  named  Root,  removed  to  New  York 
State,  and  died  there.  Amarillus  married  a  Mr.  Young,  and 
lives  in  Virginia.  Rubanna  married  a  brother  of  the  Young 
above  named,  and  went  to  Virginia,  where  she  died.  Rebecca 
died  in  Westfield,  as  Mrs.  Nathaniel  Barnes.  Joanna  married 
David  Allyn,  and  died  in  Holyoke. 

Aaron  Parks  was  noted  as  the  man  who  had  three  wives. 
He  had  two  sons,  Moses  and  Orrin.  Orrin  died  in  Westfield ; 
Moses  in  Williamsburg,  Mass.  Orrin  had  two  sons,  Elisha 
and  Orrin,  Jr.,  both  of  whom  are  dead.  His  two  daughters 
still  live, — Mrs.  Dr.  Bartholemew,  of  West  Springfield,  and 
Mrs.  Anderson  Allyn,  of  Holyoke.  Moses  boasted  nine  chil- 
dren,— seven  sons  and  two  daughters.  Three — Aaron,  Moses, 
Jr.,  and  Lafayette — are  dead.  Lewis  and  William  live  in 
Ohio,  Dexter  in  Ohio,  and  Oscar  in  Williamsburg,  Mass. 
Caroline,  one  of  the  daughters,  died  early.  The  other  is  Mrs. 
Nathan  Hutchinson,  of  Twinsburg,  Ohio.  Old  Aaron  had 
also  four  daughters,  but  they  are  all  dead.  Mrs.  Guy  Moore 
and  Mrs.  Nathan  Chapman  died  in  Montgomery,  Mrs.  Ellas 
Carter  in  New  York,  and  Mrs.  Caleb  Nichols  in  Twinsburg, 
Ohio. 

John  Kagwin  left  two  sons  and  four  daughters.  Amos,  the 
elder  son,  had  two  sons  and  four  daughters.  His  sons  were 
Berljah  and  John,  both  dead,  and  buried  in  Montgomery. 
John  had  no  children.  Berljah,  Jr.,  now  living  in  Holyoke, 
is  a  son  of  the  Berljah  above  named.  Of  Amos'  four  daugh- 
ters all  are  living, — Mrs.  Clark  Pomeroj',  in  Huntington  ; 
Mi-s.  Chester  Pomeroy,  in  New  York  ;  Mrs.  Elijah  Ensign, 
in  Westfield  ;  and  Mrs.  George  Beach,  in  Huntington.  Of  old 
John's  four  daughters,  Sally  married  a  Mr.  Hotchkiss,  and 
died  in  Montgomery  ;  Polly  married  Ralnsford  Avery,  and 
died  in  Montgomery  ;  Susanna  married  Ebenezer  TlUotson, 
and  died  at  Windsor  Locks,  Conn.  ;  Mercy  married  Hiram 
Cummlngs,  and  died  in  New  York,  near  Utica.  Elisha,  old 
John  Kagwin's  second  son,  had  a  son,  Elijah,  who  died  in 
New  York,  and  a  daughter,  Sarah,  who  died  in  Westfield. 
Neither  ever  married. 

Allen   Pettis,  a  son  of  Abial  Pettis,  a  pioneer,  still  resides 

1093 


1094 


HISTORY  OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


in  Montgomery,  at  the  age  of  eighty.  Of  Allen's  sons,  Elisha 
and  John  live  in  Springfield  ;  Edward  lives  in  Montgomery; 
Henry  is  dead  ;  and  Austin  lives  in  Easthampton.  His  liv- 
ing daughters  are  Mrs.  Atvvater  Moore,  Mrs.  Horatio  Axtel, 
and  Mrs.  Horace  Moore,  of  Montgomery,  and  Mrs.  Watson 
Koot  and  Mrs.  Joseph  Arthur,  of  Westfield.  Allen  had  two 
brothers.  Abial,  Jr.,  died  in  Montgomery  without  i.ssue. 
Pliilander  died  in  the  West.  Allen's  sister,  Anna,  married 
Richard  Avery,  and  died  in  Southampton.  His  sister  Polly 
married  Joshua  Brandt,  and  is  still  living  in  New  Yorii. 

Joel  Moore  had  for  sons,  Joel,  Jr.,  Guy,  and  Dorus,  all 
now  dead.  Joel,  Jr.'s  sons  were  Fredericl<,  Milton,  Trum- 
hull,  Zadeck,  and  Omer.  His  daughters  were  Eunice  and 
Charlotte.  Guy's  son.s  were  Aaron,  now  living  in  Covington, 
Mass. ;  Warren,  Wareham,  Hiram,  and  Horace,  all  dead  ; 
Apollos,  living  in  Montgomery,  and  Julius,  living  in  West 
Stockbridge.  Of  Guy's  daughters,  Hannah  and  Ziporah  died 
early  in  life.  The  third  one,  Amanda,  is  Mrs.  William  Squier, 
of  Montgomery.  Dorus,  the  third  son  of  Joel,  Sr.,  died  a 
bachelor.  The  elder  Joel's  only  daughter,  Phcebe,  married 
Oliver  Clark,  father  of  Elisha  Clark,  of  Montgomery.  Mar- 
cus, a  son  of  Warren  and  grandson  of  Guy  Moore,  lives  in 
Springfield.  Marcus'  brother,  William,  lives  in  Granville, 
Mass. 

NOTEWORTHY    INCIDENTS. 

Montgomery  was  incorporated  in  1780,  during  the  stormiest 
days  of  the  Revolution,  and  one  of  the  first  public  measures 
was  one  looking  to  the  enlistment  of  men  for  the  army.  A 
bount}'  of  8s.  per  man  was  offered,  and  as  to  wages  they  were 
to  be  £4  for  the  first  month,  and  £8  .5.s.  for  each  month  there- 
after. 

The  patriotic  impulses  of  the  town  ran  high  and  strong 
throughout  the  struggle,  and  the  energetic  efforts  put  forth 
on  behalf  of  the  common  cause  are  recorded  in  the  volumes 
which  contain  the  proceedings  of  town-meetings  from  1780  to 
the  close  of  the  war. 

In  1783,  after  the  struggle  was  ended,  it  was  resolved  "  to 
concur  with  the  town  of  Boston  respecting  the  return  of 
refugees  and  traitors  into  this  or  any  other  of  the  United 
States,  as  we  judge  such  measures  conducive  to  the  safety, 
interest,  and  quiet  of  these  States." 

As  an  evidence  that  the  cost  of  subsistence  in  1790  was  not 
extremely  high,  it  maj'  be  observed  that  in  the  -summer  of 
that  year  Mr.  Zadock  Bosworth,  a  citizen  of  Montgomery, 
"victualled  and  attended"  the  Rev.  John  Ballentine  each 
Sabbath  in  which  that  divine  visited  the  town  to  preach, 
and  for  that  service  Mr.  Bosworth  charged  but  l.s.  per  day. 
Although  patriotic  in  the  Revolution,  Montgomery  did  not 
take  kindly  to  the  renewal  of  hostilities  in  1812,  and  sent  Ed- 
ward Taylor  as  a  delegate  to  the  Northampton  anti-war  con- 
vention in  that  year. 

A  sensational  incident  in  the  history  of  the  town  came  to 
light  in  January,  1870,  when  Mrs.  Louisa  Avery  was  arrested 
upon  the  charge  of  murder,  in  having  caused,  it  was  alleged, 
the  death  of  Mrs.  Betsey  Wright,  an  aged  town  pauper,  whom 
Mrs.  Avery  undertook  to  support  at  town  expense,  and  whom 
— so  the  story  ran — .she  whipped  to  death  in  a  fit  of  rage. 

ORGANIZATION. 

Montgomery  was  incorporated  as  a  town  Nov.  28,  1780,  and 
was  named  in  honor  of  General  Richard  Montgomery,  who  fell 
at  Quebec  in  177-5. 

The  tract  thus  incorporated  was  origiTuiIlj'  a  portion  of  that 
part  of  the  town  of  Westfield  known  as  "  The  New  Addition," 
which  was  valued  as  a  place  abounding  in  excellent  building- 
stone,  and  for  that  reason  alone  was  sought  by  the  inhabitants 
of  Westfield  as  an  addition  to  the  original  grant.  Tlie  act 
of  incorporation  was  passed  by  the  General  Court  in  response 
to  a  petition  urged  by  the  settlers  in  that  part  of  Westfield, 
who  deemed  themselves  inconveniently  situated. 


In  1792  small  portions  of  the  towns  of  Norwich  and  South- 
ampton, now  in  Hampshire  County,  were  added,  and  as  thus 
made  up  the  town  has  remained  to  this  day. 

The  first  town-meeting  for  the  electicm  of  officers  was  held 
at  the  house  of  Zadock  Bosworth,  Deo.  14,  1780.  Between  that 
year  and  the  present  (1879)  the  following  persons  have  served 
the  town  as  selectmen  and  town  clerks  : 

SELECTMEN. 

1780.— Oliver  Chirk,  Abiiil  Squier,  Elijali  Pitclier. 

17S1. — Aljial  Squier,  Klijiih  Pitcher,  Julni  French. 

17S2.— Abial  Squier,  Jacob  Fellows,  Nathaniel  Wattles. 

1783. — Aaron  Parks,  Sylvester  Squier,  Daniel  Barret. 

1784. — Richard  Falley,  Sylvester  Squier,  Aaron  Parks. 

1785. — Isaiic  WiUarn,  Dauiel  Barret,  Amos  Mayuard. 

17SG. — Jacob  Andrus,  Martin  Root,  Trueman  Mallory. 

1787. — Edward  Taylor,  Sylvester  Squier,  Amos  QIaynard. 

1788. — Aaron  Parks,  Noble  Squier,  David  Crow. 

1789. — Isiiac  Palmer,  Jr.,  Noble  Squier,  James  Clark. 

1700. — Isaac  Palmer,  Jr.,  Amos  Maynard,  .Samuel  Wiight,  Jr. 

1791. — Isaac  Cliapiuan,  Abner  Rico,  Jr.,  Noble  Squier. 

179'2. — Daniel  Barret,  Edward  Taylor,  Aaron  Parks. 

1793. — Jonathjin  Hen  ick.  Noble  Squier,  Gardner  Squier. 

179-t. — Edward  Taylor,  Daniel  Barret,  Amos  Maynard. 

1795. — Edward  Taylor,  Sylvester  Sqniei-,  Levi  Adams. 

1790. — Sylvester  Squier,  Isaac  Chapman,  Martin  Root. 

1797. — Edward  Tayloi-,  Aaron  Parks,  Levi  Adams. 

1798. — Edward  Taylor,  Amos  Maynard,  Daniel  Barret. 

1799. — Aaron  Parks,  Elisha  Hutchiuson,  Sylvester  Squier. 

1800. — Sylvester  Squier,  Zadock  Bosworth,  Daniel  Barret. 

1801. — Aaron  Parks,  Amos  Maynard,  Daniel  Barret. 

1802-3. — Edward  Taylor,  Aaron  Parks,  Daniel  Barret. 

1S04. — Aaron  Parks,  Richard  Falley,  Sylvester  Squier. 

1805. — Samuel  Avery,  Richard  Falley,  Sylvester  Squier. 

180G-8. — Aaron  Parks,  Sylvester  Squier,  Samuel  Avery. 

1809. — Aaron  Parks,  Sylvester  Squier,  David  R.  Cooley. 

1810-11. — Aaron  Parks,  Sylvester  Squier,  James  Wiight. 

1812. — Aaron  Parks,  Jos.  Green,  James  L.  Adair. 

1813. — .\aron,Parks,  Trueman  Mallory,  Abner  Chapman. 

1S14. — Edward  Tayloi-,  Moses  Hatch,  David  Crowley. 

1815-17. — Edward  Taylor,  Aaron  Parks.  Moses  Hatch. 

1818. — Moses  Hatch,  Aaron  Parks,  Gamaliel  King. 

1819. — Edward  Taylor,  John  Crow,  Orrin  Parks. 

1820. — Wni.  Crow,  Edward  Taylor,  Orriu  Parks. 

1821. — Edward  Taylor,  On  in  Paiks,  PHuy  Moore. 

1822. — Moses  Parks,  Flavius  Moore,  Wm.  Crow. 

1823.— Edward  Taylor,  Pliny  Moore,  Orrin  Parks, 

lS2'l.~Edward  Taylor,  Orrin  Parks,  John  Crow. 

1825-26. — Moses  Parks,  John  Crow,  Orriu  Parks. 

1827-28. — Edward  Taylor,  Orrin  Parks,  Lucius  Wright. 

1829. — Edward  Taylor,  Moses  Parks,  Orrin  Parks. 

1830-31. — Orrin  Parks,  .lohn  Crow,  Ransom  Clark. 

1832.— Edward  Taylor,  Moses  Parks,  Orriu  Parks. 

1833. — Edward  Taylor,  Moses  Parks,  Wm.  Squier. 

1834 — Orrin  Parks,  Win.  Squier,  John  Camp. 

1835.— Edward  Taylor,  Oriiu  Parks,  John  Camp. 

1830,— Orriu  Parks,  Noah  Sheldon,  Elisha  Avery. 

1837-:i8. — Orriu  Parks,  Ransom  C'lark,  Nathan  Hutchiuson. 

1839. — Moses  Parks,  Elisha  Avery,  Wm.  Squier. 

1840.— On  in  Parks,  Wm.  Squier,  Sheldon  Browneon. 

1841, — Moses  Parks,  Noah  Sheldon,  Nathan  Hutchinson. 

1842. — Orrin  Parks,  Isaac  Brianson,  Wm.  Squier. 

1843.— Bans  im  Chirk,  Wm.  Squier,  Elisha  P.  Parks. 

1844. — Ransom  Clark,  E,  P,  Parks,  Norman  Chapman. 

1845, — Bausoin  Clark,  Slieldon  Biowusou,  Edward  Taylor, 

1840-47. — Elisha  Avery,  Wm,  Squier,  .\aron  P.  Parks. 

1848. — Amos  W.  Wheeler,  Ransom  Claik,  Norman  Chapman. 

1849. — A.  P.  Parks,  Ransjm  Clark,  Hiram  Bartholomew. 

1850.— Wm.  Squier,  Elisha  P.  Parks,  N.  P.  Bartliolomew. 

1851.— E.  P.  Parks,  lloUey  Clark,  N.  P.  Bartholomew. 

1852.- Edwa-.-d  M.  Taylor,  Aaron  P.  Parks,  S.  Moore. 

1853, — Wm,  Squier,  Isaac  Brownsin,  Zeuas  Clark. 

1854. — Wm.  Squier,  L.  T.  Allyn,  Nelson  Clarke. 

1865.- Wni.  Squier,  L.  T.  Allyn,  A.  A.  Moore. 

1850.- A.  A.  Moore,  Nathan  Ilntchin^on,  B.  H.  Kagwin. 

1857, — Wm.  Squier,  IloUey  Clark,  \.  \.  Moore. 

1858.— Aaron  P.  Parks,  L.  T.  Allyn,  Henry  S.  Stiles. 

1859, — Wm.  Squier,  Chelsea  Upson,  Francis  W.  Clark. 

1860. — A.  A.  Moore,  John  Hutchinson,  Chelsea  Upson. 

1861.— A.  A.  Moore,  Henry  S.  Stiles,  Horace  F.  Moore. 

1862.— Win,  Squier,  A.  P.  Parks,  Gilbert  Squier. 

1803, — Wm,  Squier,  .\,  A,  Moore,  Orlando  Waxtell, 

1804,— Edwin  S,  Snow,  Horace  F.  Moore,  R.  W.  Clark. 

1805.— Aaron  P.  Parks,  R.  W.  Clark,  Horace  F.  Moore, 

1860-07,- A,  A,  Moore,  H.  K,  A.\tell,  0,  A,  Moore, 

1868,— R.  W,  Clark,  Wm,  Squier,  Lewis  T.  Allyn, 


HISTORY  OP   HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


1095 


1869— R.  W.  Clark,  H.  S. 
1870— R.  W.  Clark,  H.  S, 
1871.— E.  W.  Pettis,  R.  W 
1872— K.  E.  Clark,  H.  S. 
1S73.— B.  E.  Clark,  L.  T. 
1874-75.— R.  E.  Clark,  H. 
1876.— L.  T.  Allyn,  F.  W. 
1877.— R.  W.  Clark,  H.  S. 
1878.- L.  T.  allyn,  F.  W 


Stilee,  Chelsea  Upson. 

Stiles,  Ransom  E.  Clark. 
.  Clark,  Kansoni  E.  Clark. 
Stiles,  Wm.  H.  Avet^-. 
Allyn,  Ezra  Wright. 

S.  Stiles,  Chelsea  Cpson. 

Clark,  A.  A.  Sloore. 

Stiles,  G.  L.  Moore. 
,  Clark,  H.  F.  Moore. 

TOWS    CLERKS. 


Stephen  Hurlhiit,  1780-83;  Daniel  Barret,  1783-97;  Jesse  Searle,  1798;  Daniel 
Barret,  1799-l.'-0o;  James  Wright,  1S05-9 ;  James  L.  Adair,  1809-10;  Elislia 
Chapman,  1810-19;  Moses  Hatch,  1819-21 ;  Orrin  Parks,  1821 ;  Samnel  Barret, 
1822-24;  Orrin  Parks,  1824-33;  K.  S.  Moore,  1863-58;  Wm.  Sqnier,  l.'!58-00; 
Aaron  P.  Parks,  18C0-63;  L.  T.  Alljn,  1863;  Horace  Bartholomew,  1864;  Aaron 
P.  Parks,  Ikta-es;  L.  T.  Allyn,  1868-72;  A.  A.  Moore,  1872-79. 

VILLAGES. 

There  is  near  the  centre  of  the  town  a  small  collection  of 
dwellings,  and  there  also  are  two  churches,  the  town-hall,  and 
a  post-office.  There  is,  however,  neither  a  store  nor  a  hotel  in 
the  town,  and  the  small  settlement  at  the  centre,  although 
vaguely  referred  to  by  the  townspeople  as  the  centre,  is  the 
nearest  approach  to  a  village  to  he  found  in  Montgomery. 
Marketing  is  mainly  done  at  Westtield,  at  the  sacritice  some- 
times of  convenience,  but  as  the  town  is  too  thinly  populated 
to  support  a  store  the  situation  is  philosophically  borne.  The 
traveler,  therefore,  through  Montgomery  misses  the  familiar 
sight  of  a  rural  village,  but  contents  himself  with  an  unbroken 
view  of  expansive  farms  and  neat  farm-houses,  which  are,  as 
a  rule,  tasteful  in  their  appointments,  andset  amid  picturesque 
surroundings. 

CHURCHES. 

Directly  after  the  incorporation  of  the  town,  in  November, 
1780,  the  question  of  providing  for  public  religious  worship 
was  earnestly  discussed,  and  in  December  of  that  year  an 
appropriation  of  ^6  was  made  "  to  promote  preaching  in  this 
town."  It  is  probable  that  preaching  was  procured  without 
delay,  and  that  services  were  held  on  occasional  Sabbaths  in 
dwellings,  and  such  places  as  were  available.  In  1783  the 
town  directed  a  committee  to  make  a  contract  with  Kev. 
John  Ballentine  to  preach  twenty  Sabbaths  at  $2  each  Sab- 
bath. Who  Mr.  Ballentine  was,  or  where  he  resided,  can- 
not now  be  told,  since  the  records  dealing  with  his  minis- 
terial engagement  in  Montgomery  recite  no  more  touching 
him  than  is  above  given.  Kev.  John  Balleiitine,  who  was 
the  pastor  of  the  First  Congregational  Church  of  Westfleld 
from  1741  to  1776,  died  in  the  latter  year,  but  it  may  have  been 
one  of  his  sons  who  preached  for  the  people  of  Montgomery. 
Mr.  Ballentine  probablv  preached  occasionallj'  previous  to  the 
time  of  nraking  the  contract  alluded  to,  and  as  there  is  no  evi- 
dence to  the  contrary,  it  is  safe  to  assume  that  he  preached 
through  the  twenty  stipulated  Sabbaths. 

From  this  date  (1783)  the  ecclesiastical  history  of  the  town 
is  a  blank  (as  far  as  the  town  records  deal  with  the  subject) 
until  Janu^y,  1788,  when  the  town  for  the  first  time  dis- 
cussed the  advisability  of  erecting  a  house  of  worship.  Up  to 
that  jieriod,  the  people  seem  to  have  been  content  to  worship 
here  and  there,  as  they  could  secure  a  place. 

It  was,  as  related,  resolved  to  build  a  meeting-house  "  as 
near  the  centre  of  the  town  as  possible,"  and  the  committee 
appointed  to  fix  the  location  reported  that  they  had  chosen  a 
spot  "  on  the  hill  near  Trueman  Mallory's."  Over  this  re- 
port, however,  arose  a  strong  discussion  and  violent  opposi- 
tion. Some  wanted  the  church  located  in  one  place,  others 
wanted  it  located  somew-here  else,  and  the  result  was  that 
half  a  dozen  ditlerent  factions  were  clamoring  to  have  the 
church  built  upon  half  a  dozen  different  spots.  As  time 
passed  the  conflicting  elements  grew  more  inharmonious,  and 
nothing  could  be  done  about  building  the  church,  because 
no  agreement  could  be  reached  touching  the  place  where  it 
should  stand.     Thus  for  nine  years,  or  until  1707,  the  fruitless 


controversy  was  carried  on,  when,  the  dispute  wearing  itself 
out,  a  church  was  built  in  the  centre  of  the  town,  near  where 
the  church  of  the  Second  Adventists  now  stands. 

Meanwhile,  the  business  of  providing  religious  instruction 
was  by  no  means  neglected ;  and  it  would  appear  from  the 
best  evidence  obtainable  that  Rev.  John  Ballentine  preached 
at  least  every  summer,  while  it  is  not  clear  that  much  preach- 
ing, if  any,  was  enjoyed  by  the  people  in  the  winter  season, — 
presumably  because  of  the  uncertainty  of  communication, 
during  the  months  of  snow,  between  hilly  Montgomery  and 
the  valley  towns.  As  an  evidence,  however,  that  some  other 
preacher  divided  the  religious  labors  in  the  town  with  Mr. 
Ballentine,  and  as  an  evidence  of  the  singularly  liberal  spirit 
in  which  the  town  conducted  church  matters,  it  may  be  ob- 
served that  at  a  town-meeting  in  1789  it  was  voted  to  select  a 
committee  for  the  obtaining  of  preaching,  and  that  the  com- 
mittee he  instructed  "to  obtain  a  preacher  of  the  standing 
order  (Orthodox),  and  one  of  the  Baptist  persuasion,  for  al- 
terntite  Sabbaths." 

At  the  period  of  the  erection  of  a  Congregational  church 
structure  in  17tt7,  a  church  society  was  organized  with  a  mem- 
bership that  included  the  names  of  but  five  men.  Occasional 
preaching  was  provided  until  1801,  when  Bev.  Seth  Noble, 
son  of  Thomas  Noble,  of  Westfield,  was  ordained  as  the  first 
pastor.  Mr.  Noble's  pastorate  continued  until  1806,  when  h'e 
was  dismissed.  It  is  related  of  this  divine  that  he  was  e.x- 
ceedingly  fond  of  the  tune  of  "  Bangor,"  and  being  once  upon 
a  time  a  preacher  at  what  is  now  the  city  of  Bangor,  in  Maine, 
he  was  charged  by  the  people  of  that  place  to  present  to  the 
General  Court  a  petition  for  the  incurporatiim  of  the  territory 
into  a  town,  with  the  name  of  Surfield.  He  erased  the  name 
Surfield  in  the  petition,  and,  substituting  that  of  Bangor,  ob- 
tained the  passage  of  tlie  act,  and  so  perpetuated  the  name  of 
his  favorite  tune,  although,  it  may  be  supposed,  his  patrons 
must  have  been  both  astonished  and  indignant  at  the  result. 
Following  Mr.  Noble,  the  pastors  were  Kevs.  John  H.  Fowler, 
Solomon  W.  Edson,  and  Caleb  Knight, — the  latter  retiring  in 
1839.  The  church  was  at  no  time  very  prosperous,  and  dur- 
ing the  period  of  thirty-three  years,  from  Mr.  Noble's  dismis- 
sion in  1806  to  Mr.  Knight's  retirement  in  1839,  the  regular 
pastors  were  but  three  in  number,  and  their  combined  term  of 
service  but  fourteen  years,  so  it  will  be  seen  that  for  nineteen 
of  the  thirty-three  years  the  church  was  without  a  settled  pas- 
tor. In  1839  the  church  membership  had  declined  to  2-1,  and 
it  was  only  with  aid  received  from  the  Home  Missionary 
Society  that  preaching  could  be  hired  for  even  half  the  time. 
Matters  improved  after  a  while,  the  membership  increased, 
and  in  1848  a  new  church  building  replaced  the  old  one, 
which  had  stood  since  1797.  For  some  reason  this  new  era  of 
prosperity  which  promised  so  well  failed  to  fulfill  its  prom- 
ises, and  after  a  precarious  existence  of  twenty  years  more 
the  church  and  society  passed  out  of  existence.  The  church 
building  is  now  (1879)  used  by  the  Second  Adventists,  who 
hold  occasional  services  therein. 

A   METHODIST   CHURCH 

was  erected  in  1849  at  the  town  centre,  opposite  the  First 
Church,  and  since  that  date  religious  services  have  been  held 
each  year  during  the  summer  and  autumn  months,  no  attempt 
being  made  to  have  worship  in  the  winter  seasons.  Preaching 
was  supplied  in  the  autumn  of  1878  by  Rev.  S.  Coles,  pastor 
of  the  Methodist  Church  at  Russell. 

SCHOOLS. 
Educational  interests  can  scarcely  be  said  to  have  flourished 
in  the  early  days  of  Montgomery.  The  subject  appears  to 
have  received  no  attention  whatever  until  1782, — two  years 
after  the  incorporation, — and  then  only  to  show  that  public 
sentiment  inclined  to  the  belief  that  the  promotion  of  public 
education  must  be  deferred  to  a  more  convenient  season,  for 
the  question  of  providing  a  school  for  the  youth  of  the  town 


1096 


HISTORY   OF   THE   CONNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


coming  up  for  consideration,  it  was  voted  that  "  no  money 
be  raised  for  the  encouragement  of  a  school."  This  spirit 
continued  to  prevail  until  178G,  when,  the  attention  of  the 
General  Court  being  directed  to  the  matter,  the  town  was 
cited  to  appear  at  court  and  show  cause  why  a  school  had 
not  been  kept  during  the  previous  year.  After  this  a  new 
departure  was  instituted  and  schools  were  set  up,  to  the  grati- 
fication of  the  young  and  rising  generation.  There  are  at 
present  (1879)  five  school  districts,  in  each  of  which  there 
is  a  flourishing  school. 

BURIAL-PLACES. 
The  burying-ground  first  laid  out  in  the  town  is  the  one  at 
the  centre  of  the  town,  near  the  churches.  It  is  a  neatly-kept 
inclosure,  but  contains  no  headstones  of  very  early  date. 
Many  of  the  earliest  graves  had  no  monuments,  while  others 
that  were  marked  by  tablets  liave  been  robbed  by  the  ruthless 
hand  of  time.  The  oldest  inscriptions  traceable  are  the  fol- 
lowing : 

Lvicy  Hatch,  1799  ;  Horatio  Crow,  1805 ;  Lydia  Crow,  1807 ;  David  Crow,  1817 ; 
Huldah  Crow,  1809 ;  Joel  Moor,  1822  ;  Elisha  Hutchinson,  1819  ;  Susanna  Her- 
rick,  1820 ;  Achsah  Cliapiu,  1823. 

Many  old  graves  are  found  in  family  burying-grounds,  of 
which  the  town  contains  several. 


INDUSTRIE.?. 

Montgomery  is  a  strictly  agricultural  town,  and  it  is  upon 
the  fruits  of  the  soil  tbat  its  inhabitants  depend  exclusively 
for  support.  Much  valuable  timber,  such  as  oak,  walnut, 
chestnut,  beech,  birch,  maple,  and  hemlock,  is  found  upon 
the  woodlands,  and  furnishes  ample  supply  for  a  brisk  manu- 
facture of  lumber  for  both  home  demand  and  slripment  to 
other  points.  The  raising  of  stock  and  the  production  of 
butter  and  cheese  may  be  regarded  as  the  principal  indus- 
trial interests,  the  growing  of  grain  and  other  agricultural 
products  receives  some  attention,  but  the  yield  does  not 
extend  beyond  the  limits  of  local  consumption.  There  are 
65  farms  in  the  town,  and  among  them  are  some  upon  which 
tobacco  is  successfully  cultivated  in  a  snuill  way,  while  all  of 
them  are  rich  grazing-grounds. 

The  assessed  value  of  the  town  in  1878  was  §160,000,  on 
which  the  tax  was  $2333  (for  State,  county,  and  town),  or  a 
rate  of  $14.56  per  $1000.  The  value  of  agricultural  and  do- 
mestic products  in  1875  was  $54,331  ;  that  of  manufactures, 
$3643. 

WAR   RECORD. 

Montgomery  furnished  25  men  for  service  in  the  war  of 
the  Rebellion,  as  follows  : 


Andrew  Gorhani,  27th  Mass. 
Eiskine  Waite,  27tli  Mass. 
George  Kc'Isu,  27lli  M^iss. 
John  A.  Gorhani,  4Gth  Mass. 
Joseph  Slielilon,  46tli  Mass. 
Daniel  A.  iMunre,  4Glli  Mass. 
Elihii  Llujd,  4011i  Mass. 
Henry  Pi-tlis.  40tli  Mass. 
Henry  Wliitnian,  :i4th  Mass. 


Ciiarles  Wiiitman,  4Grh  Mass. 
Henry  Urant,  27tli  Mass. 
Giltson  .\very,  4(ltti  Ma'^s. 
William  Howes,  Jlat  Mass. 
Alfred  Howes,  8th  Conn. 
Fitzhiigh  Hoag,  40th  Mass. 
Timotliy  Hoag,  37th  Mass. 
Edward  Prttis,  8th  Conn. 


Alnioii  H.  Clark,  31st  Mass. 
Henry  0.  Clai  k,  34th  Mass. 
Clias.  N.  Clark,  37th  Mass. 
Anson  D,  Clapp,  8th  Conn. 
Chas.  C.  Barnes,  34th  Mass. 
A^a  Ba]nes, 3lst  Mass. 
James  Baker,  27th  Mass. 
Charles  Balluu,  27th  Mass. 


R  U  S  S  E  L  L. 


GEOGRAPHICAL. 

Russell,  one  of  the  smaller  towns  of  Hampden  County, 
is  about  115  miles  distant  fi-om  Boston,  and  is  traversed  by 
the  VVestlield  River  and  the  Boston  and  Albany  Railroad,  the 
latter  touching  the  town  at  Russell  village.  Its  boundaries 
are  Montgomery  on  the  north,  Granville  on  the  south.  West- 
field  on  the  east,  and  Blandford  on  the  west.  Hi[ls  and  val- 
leys dot  its  surface,  and  numerous  streams  coursing  down  its 
hill-sides  furnish  water-power  for  several  manufactories. 

The  area  of  the  town  is  about  8430  acres,  of  which  a  con- 
siderable portion  is  woodland. 

NATURAL  FEATURES. 
The  Agawam  River,  a  shallow  stream,  winds  its  murmur- 
ing way  through  the  town,  and  adds  much  to  the  pictur- 
esque beauty  of  the  region.  The  country  hereabout  is  elevated 
and  mountainous,  but  quite  attractive  to  the  tourist  and 
student  of  rugged  nature  in  the  mild  seasons  of  the  year. 
During  the  summer  great  numbers  of  people  visit  Russell  to 
enjoy  healthful  rambles  over  the  hills,  and  to  view  the  in- 
viting pictures  which  Nature  has  here  scattered  with  a  lavish 
hand.  Timber  is  abundant,  and  includes  chestnut,  beech, 
birch,  oak,  maple,  hickory,  etc.  Minerals  are  plentiful ; 
specimens  of  serpentine,  schiller-spar,  beryl,  galena,  and 
copper  pyrites  are  found.  The  black  serpentine  rock  on  Little 
Tekoa  was  extensively  quarried  some  years  ago,  but  latterly 
has  not  been  utilized.  There  is  in  the  centre  of  the  town, 
on  the  mountain-top,  a  pretty  sheet  of  water,  earlier  known 
as  Hazard  Pond,  but  now  called  Russell  Pond.  It  is  bounti- 
fully stocked  with  fish,   including  salmon  and  bass,  which 


have  been  propagated  here  by  artificial  means  by  an  incor- 
porated association,  which  controls  the  fishing  privileges  of 
the  pond. 

EARLY  SETTLEMENT. 

The  history  of  Russell  dates  from  a  comparatively  recent 
period.  It  was  originally  a  portion  of  Westfield,  and  consti- 
tuted a  part  of  that  tract  called  the  "  New  Addition."  In 
1782,  Russell  was  set  off  from  Westfield,  and  incorporated 
February  29th  of  that  year.  Among  the  earliest  settlers  were 
two  brothers  named  Barber  and  a  Mr.  Gray,  who  lived  on 
what  was  called  Glasgow  Mountain.  These  three  men  are 
supposed  to  have  been  the  first  settlers.  After  them  came 
Isaac  Palmer,  John  Mallory,  Levi  Bishop,  Elias  Parks,  Isaac 
Bronson,  Ozias  Finney,  John  Hawley,  Abraham  Bradley, 
Titus  Doolittle,  Doctor  Stebbins,  Thos.  Field,  Daniel  and 
Andrew  Mallory,  Samuel  Williams,  Jacob  Loomis,  Robert 
Hazard,  Newman  Bishop,  Abel  Tuttle,  Benjamin  Todd, 
Stephen  Hughes,  Benjamin  Atwater,  Silas  Noble,  Richard 
Russell,  Joel  Atwater,  Samuel  Chapman,  Jesse  Newton,  and 
Seth  Gridlcy. 

Of  John  Mallory's  sons,  William  D.  lives  in  Russell ;  John, 
in  Westfield ;  and  Roland,  removing  to  New  York  City,  died 
there  many  years  ago.  Mrs.  Linus  Dickinson,  now  residing 
in  Springfield,  is  a  granddaughter  of  John  Mallory,  the  elder. 

Isaac  Palmer  left  four  sons, — Squire,  Loren,  Elijah,  and 
Reuben, — all  of  whom  are  dead.  Squire  left  two  sous, — David, 
now  residing  in  Russell,  and  Bradford  W.,  living  in  Chester. 
Anuisa  and  Isaac,  two  of  Reuben's  sons,  are  citizens  of  Spring- 
field, Mass. 

Robert  Hazard,  one  of  the  early  settlers,  died  many  years 


Photo,  liy  Moftltt. 


EoLAND  Pakks  is  tile  son  of  Warren,  wlio  was 
the  son  of  Roger  Parks.  Tiie  latter  settled  in  Bland- 
ford,  Mass.,  at  an  early  day,  and  was  one  of  tiie 
hardy  pioneers  who  first  commenced  felling  the  trees 
and  establishing  their  homes  among  the  hills  of  Mas- 
sachusetts. The  mother  of  the  gentleman  whose 
name  heads  this  sketch  was  Lydia  Sackett.  Both 
his  parents  were  natives  of  Blandford,  where  he 
was  born  Dec.  31,  1803,  and,  passing  his  boyhood 
on  his  father's  farm,  remained  there  until  the  death 
of  his  father,  in  1835.  He  then  started  in  the  world 
for  himself,  first  selecting  as  his  partner  in  life  Maria, 
daughter  of  William  and  Rhoda  Culver,  of  Bland- 
ford,  to  whom  he  was  married  June  25,  183(3.  His 
wife  was  born  in  Chester,  Mass.,  June  14,  1807. 
After  his  marriage  he  removed  to  Russell,  and  for 
the  next  five  years  paid  attention  to  farming, 
which  business  he  relinquished  in  1842,  having  been 
appointed  station-agent  for  the  Western,  now  Boston 
and  Albany,  Railroad  at  Russell.  He  was  the  first 
agent  at  that  station,  and  retained  the  position  till 
1851 ;  after  which,  for  two  years,  he  was  de])iity 
sheritt'  and  jailer  for  the  county.  During  Franklin 
Pierce's  administration  he  was  connected   with  the 


Boston  custom-house,  where  he  remained  four  years 
as  inspector.  He  has  kept  store  at  Russell  at  differ- 
ent times  from  1843  to  18()7. 

He  has  but  one  child,  Olive  C,  born  May  2, 
1837,  and  married  to  Jarvis  W.  Gibbs,  of  Russell. 

Having  been  brought  up  in  the  school  of 
Democracy,  Mr.  Parks  has  never  seen  any  reason 
why  he  should  change  his  politics.  He  cast  his 
first  vote  for  President  for  Andrew  Jackson,  in 
1825.  He  has  several  times  served  in  the  State 
Legislature,  occupying  a  seat  therein  in  the  years 
1841,  1851,  and  18()4,  during  which  periods  he  was 
a  member  of  many  imj)ortant  committees.  He  lias 
been  justice  of  the  peace  for  a  number  of  years  ;  was 
from  1873  to  1877  special  county  commissioner,  and 
has  also  been  postmaster. 

Mr.  Parks  is  entitled  to  the  thanks  of  his  fellow- 
townsmen  for  his  exertions  in  procuring  the  building 
of  the  beautiful  iron  bridge  over  the  river  when  the 
railroad  company  changed  their  track  at  Russell 
depot.  Although  advanced  in  years,  he  is  still 
active  and  energetic.  He  has  retired  from  businc>s, 
and  enjoys  a  comfortable  competency,  the  result  of 
his  earlv  industry  and  economy. 


HISTORY  OF  HAMPDEN  COUNTY. 


1097 


ago,  leaving  no  descendants.  The  house  erected  by  him  near 
the  centre  of  the  town,  in  about  1800,  is  still  standing,  but 
uninhabitable. 

Levi  Bishop  had  five  sons.  David  and  Aaron  still  live  in 
Russell ;  James  and  Charles  are  dead  ;  Levi,  Jr.,  is  a  promi- 
nent attorney  and  writer  in  Detroit,  Mich. 

Of  Elias  Parks'  two  sons,  Robert  died  some  years  ago,  and 
Lyman  still  lives  in  Russell.  Robert  left  a  son,  Horace,  who 
is  depot  master  at  Russell  station. 

Isaac  Bronson  had  five  sons.  Two  are  dead;  Allen  and 
John  reside  in  Russell,  and  Harvey  in  Granville,  Mass. 

Esther,  a  daughter  of  Abraham  Bradley,  married  Allen 
Bronson,  and  lives  in  Russell.  Lyman,  his  son,  is  dead,  but 
left  descendants  in  Addison,  Vt.  (sheriff  of  Hampden  County 
in  1877);  Judson,  now  residing  in  Westfleld,  Mass.,  and 
Dickinson,  living  in  Rhode  Island.  Another  son,  George, 
died  some  years  age. 

Of  Titus  Doolittle's  family,  Joel  removed  to  Vermont,  be- 
came a  judge,  and  died  there.  Mark  was  a  lawyer  in  Belcher- 
town,  Mass.,  and  is  buried  there.  Amasa  is  dead,  and  Titus, 
Jr.,  who  emigrated  to  the  far  West  early  in  life.  Old  Titus 
had  one  daughter,  who  married  Abraham  Bradley,  a  pioneer. 

Newman  Bishop,  now  living  near  Russell  Pond,  at  the  age 
of  seventy-seven,  is  a  son  of  Newman  Bishop,  who  was  one 
of  the  earliest  settlers,  and  died  in  1856,  aged  ninety-seven. 
Newman,  the  elder,  left  three  sons, — Jere.,  Alva,  and  New- 
man, Jr.  Of  these,  only  Newman  survives.  Jere.  had  four 
sons  and  two  daughters.  Alva  lives  in  Blandford;  Major 
lives  in  Fitchburg;  Jere.,  Jr.,  and  Alfred  are  dead.  Of  the 
daughters,  one,  Mrs.  Russell  Harris,  lives  in  Westfield,  and 
the  other,  Mrs.  Dwight  Wilcox,  in  Chester.  Newman,  Jr., 
has  one  son,  Franklin  H.,  now  living  in  Russell. 

Of  the  five  sons  of  Samuel  Williams,  George  died  in  Russell, 
leaving  two  sons, — George  W.  living  in  Russell,  and  Henry 
A.  in  Westfleld.  The  other  four  sons  of  Samuel  removed 
West  at  an  early  period.  Samuel,  Jr.,  went  to  Salt  Lake  and 
joined  the  Mormons. 

Jacob  Loomis  had  six  sons, — Jacob,  Hubbard,  Josiah,  Caleb, 
Lyman,  and  Solomon, — all  of  whom  are  dead.  Of  Caleb's 
sons,  Edward  lives  in  Russell  and  Ralph  in  Westfield.  Jacob, 
a  son  of  Solomon,  lives  in  Springfield.  Hubbard,  another  of 
Solomon's  sons,  left  his  native  hills  some  years  ago.  Hubbard 
left  a  son  and  daughter.  Harmon  William,  the  son,  is  a  law- 
yer in  Chicago.  The  daughter  is  Mrs.  Chauncey  Latimer,  of 
Westfield.  A  daughter  of  Lyman  is  now  Mrs.  David  Bishop, 
of  Russell. 

Abel  Tuttle's  four  sons — Abel,  Jr.,  Bj'man,  Almon,  and 
Daniel — are  all  dead.  The  living  descendants  of  Abel,  Jr., 
are  Mrs.  Apollos  Moore,  of  Montgomery,  Mass.,"  Mrs.  Joseph 
King,  Mrs.  Lucina  GofF,  and  Mrs.  Cynthia  Tuttle,  all  of 
Westfield,  Mass.  Byraan  and  Almon,  sons  of  Abel,  the  elder, 
died  in  the  West.  Milo,  a  son  of  Daniel,  died  a  bachelor. 
Of  Daniel's  two  daughters,  Mrs.  Wm.  Chamberlain  resides  in 
Westfield.  Another,  Mrs.  Samuel  D.  Williams,  died  in  Rus- 
sell a  short  time  ago. 

Benjamin  Todd,  a  pioneer,  fought  through  the  Revolution, 
and  was  with  Gen.  Israel  Putnam  when  the  latter  made  his 
famous  leap  at  Horse-Neck,  Conn.  He  had  four  sons  and 
three  daughters.  Two  of  his  sons,  Harvey  and  Plymud,  died 
bachelors.  Benjamin,  Jr.,  removed  to  New  York  early  in 
life.  Orrin,  a  son  of  Gershom,  the  fourth  son  of  old  Benja- 
min, is  yet  living  in  Sutfield,  Conn. 

Stephen  Hughes  had  four  sons, — John,  Stephen,  Henry,  and 
John  G., — but  they  all  died  ;  it  is  said  without  issue.  Mrs. 
Benjamin  Pendleton,  a  daughter  of  Stephen,  lives  in  Russell. 

Of  Benjamin  Atwater's  three  sons, — Harris,  Titus,  and 
Noah, — all  are  dead.  Franklin  B.,  a  son  of  Titus,  lives  in 
Russell ;  James,  a  son  of  Harris,  lives  in  Canton,  Conn. 
Noah  had  two  sons.  John  lives  in  Westfield  ;  Wells  died  a 
few  years  ago. 
138 


Silas  Noble  had  five  sons  and  three  daughters.  The  sons 
were  Silas,  Jr.,  Roland,  Reuben,  Albert,  and  Seth.  Seth  re- 
moved to  Illinois,  the  others  are  buried  in  Russell.  Mrs. 
James  Blakslee,  living  in  Russell,  is  a  daughter  of  Albert. 
Silas,  a  son  of  Reuben,  lives  in  Granville,  Mass. 

Richard  Russell  raised  five  sons, — Thomas,  Simeon,  Almon, 
Abel,  and  Yale, — all  of  whom  are  dead.  Almon,  a  son  of 
Abel,  lives  in  Russell ;  and  Edwin,  another  of  Abel's  sons,  is 
in  Suflield,  Conn. 

Joel  Atwater  had  four  sons  and  several  daughters.  The 
daughters  married  early  and  removed  to  the  West.  Of  the 
sons,  Jere.  died  some  years  ago ;  Leonard  lives  in  Westfield  ; 
Joel,  Jr.,  in  Suffield,  Conn. ;  and  Joseph  somewhere  in  the 
West. 

Samuel  Chapman  was  the  father  of  Reuben  A.  Chapnum, 
who,  leaving  Russell  at  the  age  of  twenty-one,  afterward  be- 
came chief-justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Massachusetts. 
He  died  in  1875,  while  traveling  in  Europe.  Reuben's  sister, 
Clarissa,  married  Richard  Armstrong,  Minister  of  Public  In- 
struction at  Honolulu,  Sandwich  Islands,  and  is  now  residing 
there,  engaged  in  missionary  work.  Mrs.  Reuben  Bradley, 
one  of  Samuel  Chapman's  daughters,  died  in  Russell  some 
time  ago.  Reuben  Chapman  left  two  daughters.  One  is 
now  Mrs.  T.  M.  Brown,  the  wife  of  a  lawyer  in  Springfield  ; 
the  other.  Miss  Mary,  is  abroad. 

Jesse  Newton's  three  sons — Elias,  Ezra,  and  Robert — re- 
moved from  Russell  many  years  ago,  Robert  married  Dolly, 
the  daughter  of  Seth  Gridley,  a  Russell  pioneer.  Oliver,  a  son 
of  Seth  Gridley,  died  some  years  ago,  leaving  sons,  who  re- 
moved to  the  West,  and  one  daughter,  who  is  now  Mrs. 
Julius  Bedortha,  of  Russell. 

NOTEWORTHY    INCIDENTS. 

The  early  town  records  do  not  disclose  many  evidences  of 
the  pecnliar  customs  prevalent  among  the  early  settlers  in 
Western  Massachusetts,  for  the  reason  that  they  appear  to  be 
meagre  transcripts  of  the  details  of  town  business. 

In  1805  the  town  charges  were  fixed  at  the  inconsiderable 
sum  of  $50  for  that  year,  and  in  the  following  year  a  public 
pound  was  directed  to  be  built  in  David  Holmes'  yard,  although 
it  is  likelj'  that  the  town  had  a  pound  before  that  date.  In 
1806,  a  school-house  having  been  completed  "  nigh  Robert 
Hazzard,"  town-meetings  were  ordered  to  be  held  therein 
after  that  time.  The  first  pauper  mentioned  in  the  records 
was  Mary  Stebbins,  and  she  seemed  to  give  the  town  much 
concern,  and  was,  moreover,  a  burden  upon  it  from  1805  to 
1821.  In  the  first-named  year  it  was  decided  to  sell  Mary 
Stebbins  "at  the  loest  bider  for  fore  months,"  and  Stephen 
Hughes  got  the  contract  for  keeping  her,  at  three  shillings 
per  week. 

A  record  was  made  in  1814  of  Mary  Stebbins  being  bid  off 
to  John  A.  Mallory  at  eighty-five  cents  each  week,  and  in 
1816  the  town  voted  that  the  selectmen  should  not  give  more 
than  ninety  cents  per  week  for  keeping  Mary  Stebbins.  The 
prices  of  the  necessaries  of  life  must  have  been  low  in  1821, 
for  in  that  year  Squire  Palmer  kept  Mary  Stebbins  for  forty- 
seven  («nts  per  week,  and,  as  the  records  make  no  later  mention 
of  Mary  Stebbins,  it  is  to  be  inferred  that  she  passed  out  of 
existence  about  that  time.  She  appears  to  have  been  the  only 
pauper  the  town  had  for  many  years,  although  under  date  of 
1821  mention  is  made  that  Andrew  Mallory  was  allowed 
$61.80  for  keeping  his  father  and  mother  one  year.  Under 
date  of  March,  1817,  it  was  voted  "not  to  allow  the  cost  of 
diging  up  Miss  Harris." 

An  amusing  incident,  showing  how  cheaply  phj-sicians  es- 
teemed their  services  in  the  earlj'  days,  is  related  of  one  Dr. 
King,  who  lived  in  Blandford  about  the  year  1800.  One  stormy 
night  a  stranger  tarrying  at  the  tavern  of  Landlord  Grey,  near 
the  centre  of  Russell,  was  taken  suddenly  ill,  and  a  messenger 
being  dispatched  for  Dr.  King,  who  lived  fully  six  miles  away, 


1098 


HISTORY   OF   THE   CONNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


that  worthy  came  promptly  through  the  rain  and  mud,  phys- 
icked Ills  jiatient  until  he  cured  him,  and  when  asked  for  his 
bill,  replied,  hesitatingly,  as  it'  fearful  of  asking  too  much, 
"  Well,  I  think  1  ought  to  have  lifty  cents."  The  patient 
paid  the  bill  without  a  murmur,  and  the  doctor  was  subse- 
quently heard  to  express  his  satisfaction  by  remarking  that 
it  was  "  a  pretty  good  night's  work." 

The  Landlord  Grey  referred  to  in  the  story  must  have 
been  one  of  the  first  innkeepers  in  Ku.ssell.  Titus  Doo- 
little  kept  tavern  about  1800,  in  a  house  now  occupied  by 
Mr.  liuance  as  a  residence,  on  the  river-bank,  about  midway 
between  Kussell  village  and  Salmon  Falls.  It  is  a  substantial- 
looking  house  at  this  day,  although  it  is  probably  nearly  a 
hundred  years  old.  A  Mr.  Day  kept  a  tavern  shortly  after 
1800,  where  Mr.  Lawrence  Marony  now  lives,  a  half-mile 
northeast  of  Russell  village.  Mr.  Day  kept  the  tavern  for 
nearly  forty  years,  to  the  close  of  the  year  1848,  and  from  the 
fact  that  it  was  known  as  the  Hawley  tavern,  it  would  appear 
that  Hawley  must  have  kept  it  before  Day's  advent.  The  tirst 
postmaster  in  Russell  was  Reuben  Palmer,  who  was  appointed 
in  1S2.5,  and  who  also  kept  a  store  then  and  for  some  years 
previous  about  a  half-mile  north  of  Russell  village. 

John  Gould  kept  a  store  in  1806,  near  where  the  Chapin  & 
Gould  paper-mills  stand  at  present,  and  where  at  that  time, 
too,  a  Dr.  Frye  had  a  cotton-mill.  In  connection  with  his 
store  Mr.  Gould  also  operated  a  grist-mill. 

"What  Russell  did  in  support  of  the  wsir  of  1812  cannot  be 
learned  frcmi  the  records,  but  according  to  the  recollection  of 
Mrs.  Hannah  Dickinson  (now  living  in  Russell  at  the  age  of 
ninety-two,  and  a  resident  there  since  1807),  the  town  .sent  but 
two  men  into  the  service, — John  Carrington  and  Lyman 
Holmes.  Mrs.  Dickinson  above  noticed  is  remarkably  ac- 
tive in  her  mental  faculties,  and  talks  in  a  spirited  and  inter- 
esting manner  of  the  events  of  seventy-five  years  ago.  She 
has  a  sister,  Mrs.  Northrop,  now  residing  in  Marcellus,  N.  Y., 
at  the  age  of  one  hundred  and  one. 

The  two  oldest  houses  in  Russell  are  supposed  to  be  the 
residence  of  Thomas  Williston,  on  the  river-bank,  opposite 
the  paper-mill  at  Salmon  Falls,  and  the  house  now  occu- 
jiied  by  the  Widow  Clark,  a  mile  southwest  of  Ru.ssell  village. 
Both  these  dwellings  are  said  to  have  been  built  as  early  as 
1780. 

A  record  made  in  1823  of  a  vote  "  not  to  petition  the  Gen- 
eral Court  to  di.ssolve  the  town  of  Russell"  would  seem  to  in- 
dicate that  the  town  had  a  narrow  escape  from  oblivion. 

The  Kighth  Turnpike  Association  of  Massachusetts  laid 
their  road  from  a  line  between  Westfield  and  Russell,  through 
Russell  and  Blandford  to  Falley's  Store,  and  thence  west. 

There  was  also  a  turnpike  association  early  in  the  pre.sent 
century,  charged  with  the  maintenance  of  a  road  between  the 
towns  of  Russell  and  Blandford. 

During  the  Revolution  the  road  from  Springfield  to  Albany 
entered  Russell  at  the  southeast  corner,  over  Glasgow  Moun- 
tain, now  called  Little  Tekoa. 

Russell  sutl'ered  considerably  by  the  flood  of  December, 
1878,  and  by  wa.shed-out  roads,  destroyed  bridges,  etc.,  was 
damaged  to  the  extent  of  about  §.5000,  exclusive  of  the  loss  of 
the  dam  at  the  Chapin  &  Gould  paper-mill.  The  floods  of 
1819  and  1839  are  also  well  remembered  in  this  section  as 
having  caused  similar  havoc. 

There  are  no  secret  orders  in  the  town  at  present.  A  Good 
Templars'  lodge  flourished  some  years  previous  to  1874,  but 
at  that  date  passed  out  of  existence. 

ORGANIZATION. 
Feb.  25,  1792,  Russell  was  incorporated  as  a  town,  and  was 
made  up  of  a  portion  of  Montgomery  and  a  portion  of  that 
part  of  Westfield  known  as  the  New  Addition.  The  town 
was  named  in  honor  of  a  Mr.  Russell,  of  Boston,  upon  his 
agreeing   to  donate  a  bell  for  the  first  church  erected  by  the 


inhabitants.  For  some  unexplained  reason  Mr.  Russell  was 
never  called  upon  to  ratify  his  promise,  but  the  honor  was 
his,  nevertheless.  The  town  records,  especially  those  of  early 
dates,  are  in  a  very  imperfect  condition,  while  the  records  of 
town-meetings  from  1792  to  1804  are  not  to  be  found.  A  list 
of  selectmen  and  town  clerks  who  served  the  town  from  1804 
to  1879  is  herewith  presented. 

SELECTMEN. 

1804. — Sihis  Doolittle,  Levi  Bishop,  Stephen  Hughee. 

1805. — .Steplieu  Huglies,  Ikjuic  Palmer,  Silae  Nuble. 

1806. — Tliunuis  Day,  fiilas  Noble,  .Stephen  Hughes. 

IKOT. — Steplien  Huglies,  .laeoh  Loomis,  Elias  Parlis. 

1803.— Duilley  WillianiB,  Abel  Tuttlc,  .lolin  Gould. 

1809. — Daniel  Sbemiaii,  Eli.as  Parlvs,  Henry  Parks. 

1810. — Steplieu  Huglies,  Elias  Parks,  Daniel  Siiemian. 

1811. — Stephen  Hughes,  Levi  Bishop,  Titvis  Doolittle. 

1812.— Elias  Parks,  Enoeli  Stiles,  .lames  C.  Carter. 

1813. — Elias  Parks,  Daniel  Sherman,  Moses  Allin. 

1814. — Levi  Bishop,  John  Goulil,  Jr.,  Dudley  Williams. 

181.5. — John  Gould,  James  C.  Carter,  Elias  Parks. 

1816.— Elias  Parks,  Dudley  Williams,  Kolon  Parks. 

1817. — Stephen  Hughes,  John  Gould,  Jere.  Bishop, 

181S. — Jacob  Loomis,  Levi  Bishop,  Rolon  Parks. 

1819. — Rolon  Parks,  Henry  Parks,  Jere.  Bishop. 

1820-25.— Itolon  Parks,  John  Gould,  Abel  Tuttle,  Jr. 

1826.— Eolon  Parks,  Abel  Tuttle,  Jr.,  Reuben  Bradley. 

1.827.— John  Gould,  Abel  Tuttle,  Jr.,  Rolon  Parks. 

1828-29. — Zachariah  Dickinson,  Reuben  Bradley,  George  Williams. 

1830.— John  Gould,  Aliel  Tuttle,  Jr.,  Rolon  Parks. 

1831-32. — John  Gould,  Abel  Tuttle,  Jr.,  Linus  Dickinson. 

1833. — Chauncey  W.  Slorse,  James  Bishop,  Benjamin  Bennet. 

1834. — Chauncey  W.  Morse,  Justin  Loomis,  Belyamin  Bennet. 

1835.— John  Gould,  Abel  Tuttle,  Jr.,  Benjamin  Bennet. 

1836. — Benjamin  Bennet,  Jere.  Bishop,  Justin  Loomis. 

1837. — Chauncey  W.  Morse,  Albert  Noble,  Jere.  Bishop. 

1838. — John  Gould,  Benjamin  Bennet,  James  Bishop. 

1839. — Roland  Parks,  Justin  Loomis,  Noah  Atwater. 

184tl. — Roland  Parks,  Benjamin  Bennet,  Wm.  D.  Mallory. 

1841. — Charles  Tinker,  .Tames  Loomis,  Jabez  Clark. 

1842. — Roland  Parks,  Daniel  Fry,  Benjamin  Bennet. 

1843. — Daniel  Fry,  John  Dickinson,  Benjamin  Bennet. 

1844. — Roland  Parks,  John  Dickinson,  Allen  Bronson. 

1845. — Benjamin  Bennet,  Bradford  W.  Palmer,  Julius  Bedortha. 

1846. — Benjamin  Bennet,  Nelson  D.  Parks,  Lyman  Parks. 

1847. — Bradford  W.  Palmer,  Newman  Bishop,  Lyman  Bradley. 

1848. — Roland  Parks,  Newman  Bisliop,  Nelson  D.  Parks. 

1849.— Roland  Parks,  Justin  E.  Loomis,  Wm.  W.  Crosby. 

1850. — Newman  Bishop,  Jr.,  Marshall  N.  Fales,  Lucius  P.  Bishop. 

1851. — Nelson  D.  Parks,  Bradford  W.  Palmer,  Henry  K.  Loomis. 

1852.- B.  W.  Palmer,  David  Parks,  W.  L.  Dickinson. 

1853.— Wm.  W.  Crosby,  Noah  Atwater,  L.  P.  Bishop. 

1854. — Newman  Bishop,  Jr.,  B.  W.  Palmer,  Wm.  L.  Dickinson. 

1855. — Simeon  Malloi-y.  Sheldon  Brownson,  Stanton  S.  Clark. 

1856. — Simeon  Mallory,  Benjamin  Bennet,  Joseph  Osborn. 

1857. — Newman  Bishop,  A.  J.  Biadley,  Horace  Parks. 

1858. — Newman  Bishop,  A.  J.  Bradley,  Stanton  S.  Clark. 

1859. — Roland  Parks,  Benjamin  Bennet,  Dexter  Parks. 

I860.— N.  D.  Parks,  Wm.  Holmes,  F.  H.  Bishop. 

1861.— Nelson  D.  Parks,  Henry  A.  Gould,  Edwin  A.  Russell. 

1862.— Nelson  D.  Parks,  Allen  J.  Mallory,  Horace  Heath. 

1863.— Nelson  D.  Parks,  Dexter  Parks,  Edwin  A.  Russell. 

1864.- Roland  Parks,  Dexter  Parks,  Dwight  S.  Bronson. 

1865.— Roland  Parks,  E.  A.  Russell,  Wm.  Pomeroy. 

1866-67. — N.  D.  Parks,  Simeon  Mallory,  Lyman  ShurtlefT. 

1868.— N.  D.  Parks,  Simeon  Mallory,  A.  II.  Lewis. 

1869.— N.  D.  Parks,  Simeon  Slallory,  Wm.  Holmes. 

1870.— Simeon  Mallory,  Horace  Parks,  Wm.  Holmes. 

1871.- H.  Parks,  Wm.  Holmes,  Marvin  Wright. 

1872-3.— Horace  Parks,  Wm.  Holmes,  Robert  Pitcher. 

1874.— Horace  Parks,  Roland  Parks,  Wilbur  O.  Merrill. 

1875.— Horace  Parks,  George  T.  Bryant,  Leonard  P.  Palmer. 

1876.— Horace  Parks,  F.  E.  Bushnell,  Wm.  Holmes. 

1877.— Horace  Parks,  F.  E.  Bushnell,  Roland  Parks. 

1878.- F.  E.  Bushnell,  Dexter  Parks,  L.  B.  Palmer. 

TOWN    CLERKS. 

The  first  report  of  a  town-meeting,  as  gleaned  from  the  rec- 
ords, is  dated  April,  1804.  There  were  records  of  earlier  date, 
but  they  are  not  in  existence.  Beginning  at  1804,  the  town 
clerks  were : 

Levi  Chapman,  1804-6;  Isaac  Palmer,  1806-11;  Dudley  Williams,  1811-12; 
Isaac  Palmer,  1812-18 ;  Dudley  Williams,  1818-20 ;  Isaac  Palmer,  1820-26 ;  Reuben 
Bradley,  1826-27;  Reuben  Palmer,  1827-31;   Linus  Dickinson,  1831-33;  Jere. 


HISTORY  OF   HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


1099 


Bishop,  1833-34 ;  John  Dickinson,  1834-37  ;  Zucliariiih  Diuldnson,  1837-30  ;  Jus. 
Bishop,  1830-11;  John  Dickinson,  1841-43 ;  Wm.  D.  Mallory,  1843-45;  KciliUid 
Parks,  lS4ij-47 ;  Lncius  P.  liisliop,  1847^9 ;  Nelson  D.  Parks,  184S-51 ;  Justin  E. 
Loomis,  1851-53;  H.  L.  Gricllcy,  1863-54;  J.  \V.  Gibbs,  1854-55;  Josepli  Griillcy, 
1855-58;  J.  W.  Gibbs,  1858-50 ;  H.  Parks,  1850-01;  Roland  Parks,  1861-f.5 ;  Jo- 
seph Hutchinson,  1865-60 ;  N.  D.  Parks,  1866-67 ;  Howall  Parks,  1867-70  ;  8.  F. 
Itoot,  1870-71;  K.  W.  Parks,  1871-72:  H.  L.  Goodrich,  1872-73;  J.  B.  Smith, 
1873-74;  E.  E.  Gibbs,  1874-75;  George  T".  Brjant,  1875-76;  H.  L.  Goodrich, 
1876-70. 

REPRESENTATIVES    AT    THE    GENERAL    COURT. 

No  mention  is  made  in  the  records  of  tlie  election  of  a  rep- 
resentative previous  to  1827,  in  wliicli  year  Capt.  John  Gould 
was  chosen,  and  after  him  the  folUiwing: 

Abel  Tnttle,  Jr.,  Reuben  Palmer  (Mr.  Palmer  being  charged  not  to  oppose 
[in  1829]  the  building  of  the  railroad  from  Boston  to  Albany,  if  built  without 
expense  to  the  State),  Roland  Parks,  Chauncey  M.  Morse,  Justin  Loomis,  Jere. 
Bishop,  Benjamin  Beunet,  James  Bishop,  John  Dickinson,  Daniel  Fry,  Hi-adford 
"W.  Palmer,  Frederick  Sackett,  Newman  Bishop,  Gardner  S.  Burbank,  Henry  K. 
Loomis,  Nelson  D.  Parks. 

This  list  closes  with  the  year  1857,  when  Russell  became  a 
part  of  the  Eleventh  Representative  District. 

VILtAGES. 

The  only  village  in  the  town  is  the  village  of  Ru.ssell,  a 
station  on  the  Boston  and  Albany  Railroad,  and  located  on 
the  Westileld  River,  where  the  stream  receives  the  waters  of 
Black's  Brook,  from  which  the  village  derives  its  water-power. 
Here  are  two  churches,  the  town-hall,  an  excellent  district 
school,  liotel,  post-office,  two  stores,  and  several  small  manu- 
factories. A  large  tannery  established  here  some  years  ago 
was  recently  destroyed  by  tire,  but  is  likely  to  be  restored 
shortly.  The  village  numbers  about  200  inhabitants,  and  in 
the  summer  and  autumn  seasons  gains  considerable  business 
from  the  large  influx  of  visitors  who  tarrj'  there  en  route  to 
the  mountains  of  Blandford  and  Montgomery. 

There  are  two  small  settlements  on  the  Westiield  River, 
near  Russell  village,  one  two  miles  south,  at  the  Jessup  & 
Laflin  paper-mill,  and  one  two  miles  northwest,  at  the  Chapin 
&  Gould  paper-mill.  These  settlements  are  peopled  by  the 
employes  of  the  mills,  and  include  an  aggregate  population 
of  about  200. 

CHURCHES. 

The  town  records  are  silent  upon  ecclesiastical  matters, 
and  the  inference  is  therefore  that,  unlike  most  Massachusetts 
towns,  Russell  left  the  consideration  of  church  affairs  exclu- 
sively to  church  societies.  An  early  record  says  that  "  The 
religious  covenant  and  articles  of  faith  and  practice  of  the 
Second  Baptist  Church  in  Westiield,  begun  June  6,  1786,  now 
under  the  care  of  Elder  Ebenezer  Stowe,"  were  adopted  by 
the  First  Baptist  Church  of  Russell  shortly  after  the  date  just 
mentioned,  and  upon  the  organization  of  that  body.  A  meet- 
ing-house was  built  in  1792  in  the  village  of  Russell,  and  after 
a  somewhat  precarious  existence  the  church  was  dissolved 
about  the  year  1811.  In  1816  the  church  was  revived, 
and  that  year  ordained  as  its  first  pastor  Rev.  Asa  Todd,  who 
was  succeeded,  in  182-5,  by  Rev.  Amos  Clark,  among  whose 
successors  were  Revs.  Mr.  Childs,  J.  M.  Whipple,  J.  M. 
Phillips,  George  Gunn,  M.  H.  Rising,  Lester  Williams,  and 
J.  C.  Carpenter.  The  meeting-house  erected  by  the  first  so- 
ciety was  used  hy  the  new  church  until  1820,  when  it  was  de- 
stroyed by  fire.  A  new  one  was  built  in  1826,  and  in  1853 
this  latter  was  replaced  by  the  present  neat  and  substantial 
structure,  at  a  cost  of  about  §2400.  The  pastor  now  in  charge 
is  Rev.  J.  B.  Ashley. 

The  first  Congregational  Church  of  which  any  note  is  made 
was  organized  Nov.  1,  1800,  by  Rev.  Joseph  Badger,  of  Bland- 
ford.  It  had  then  15  members,  but  did  not  seem  to  prosper 
during  the  subsequent  thirty  years  of  its  existence.  It  was 
eventually  dissolved  in  1830. 

The  Congregationalists  and  Methodists  built  a  church  in 
conjunction  near  the  centre  of  the  town,  about  1820,  and  used 
it  in  common,  under  the  name  of  the  Union  Society.     The 


foundations  of  this  structure,  which  was  torn  down  in  1830, 
are  still  to  be  seen. 

After  the  dissolution  of  the  Union  Society,  in  1830,  the 
Methodists  of  Kussell  had  no  regular  place  of  worship  until 
1869,  when  the  present  society  was  formed,  and  a  very  neat 
church  building  erected  in  the  village  of  Russell.  Rev.  N.  J. 
Merrill  was  the  first  pastor.  The  present  pastor  is  Rev.  S. 
Coles.  The  congregation  numbers  70  members.  The  two 
churches  here  noted  are  the  only  imes  in  the  town. 

BURIAL-PLACES. 

The  village  of  Russell  contains  a  trimly-kept  and  hand- 
somely-embellished burying-ground,  but  the  early  tombstones 
are  few  in  number,  and  those  do  not  date  beyond  1794.  More 
ancient  graves  there  probably  are,  but  their  location  is  un- 
known. Of  the  old  tombstones,  reference  is  made  here  to  that 
of  Maj.  Ebenezer  Whiting,  who  died  in  1794;  Mary,  "ami- 
able consort  of  Deacon  Titus  Doolittle,"  who  died  in  1798; 
Reuben  Parks,  1803;  Lowell  Thomas,  1811;  Jane,  his  wife, 
1803;  Hager  Warner,  1813;  John  Dickinson,  in  1830,  aged 
ninety-three;  Dorothy,  his  wife,  1815;  Titus  Doolittle,  1818; 
and  Jonah  Mallory,  in  1816. 

Another  burial-place  is  found  near  the  centre  of  the  town, 
at  Russell  Pond,  and  here  it  is  likely  the  first  interments  were 
made  in  the  town.  Except,  however,  a  tombstone  recording 
the  death  of  a  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Thankful  Looinis,  in 
1793,  none  of  earlier  date  than  1802  are  found.  In  that  year 
Mehitable  Hazard  was  buried  ;  Enoch  Stiles,  in  1805 ;  Matilda 
Williams,  in  the  same  year;  Juanna  Williams,  in  1804,  aged 
seventy-three;  and  Bethiah  Ward,  in  1812. 

SCHOOLS. 

The  first  reference  made  in  the  existing  town  records  to 
educational  matters  occurs  under  date  of  1804,  when  |130 
were  raised  for  the  support  of  schools.  In  1805  the  appro- 
priation for  schooling  was  reduced  to  §100,  and  at  this  time 
there  were  two  school-houses  in  the  town, — one  at  the  cen- 
tre, near  Robert  Hazard's  house,  and  one  on  the  mountain, 
in  the  southern  section.  The  records  do  not  mention  the  first 
school-teacher,  but,  in  1807,  Miss  Lindscy  taught,  and  a  Miss 
Sherman  taught  in  1808.  The  Miss  Lindsey  mentioned  be- 
came Mrs.  Dickinson  shortly  after  1807,  who  is  still  living  in 
Russell  village. 

In  1810  what  is  known  as  the  South  River  school  district 
was  divided  into  two  districts,  and  it  was  agreed  that  one-half 
the  money  assessed  should  be  schooled  out  to  the  east  side, 
with  the  privilege  given  to  the  west-side  people  to  send  their 
children  to  school  there  as  long  as  the  assessed  money  held 
out. 

There  were,  in  1878,  five  school  districts  in  the  town,  with 
the  same  number  of  schools.  The  average  attendance  at  all 
the  schools  was  85,  and  the  amount  expended  for  their  support 
in  1877  was-§868. 

INDUSTRIES. 

Ao-awam  River,  which  flows  through  Russell,  furnishes  ad- 
mirable water-power  at  this  point,  but  it  is  utilized  by  only  two 
manufacturing  establishments,  which  are,  however,  models  of 
their  kind,  and  enterprises,  moreover,  of  considerable  magni- 
tude. One  of  these  is  the  Jessup  &  Laflin  Paper  Company, 
whose  mills  are  located  two  miles  southeast  of  the  village  of 
Ru-ssell,  at  Salmon  Falls.  The  buildings,  which  are  very  ex- 
tensive, are  constructed  of  brick,  and  appointed  with  the  most 
valuable  and  improved  machinery  required  in  the  making  of 
fine  paper,  to  the  production  of  which  these  mills  are  devoted; 
A  capital  of  upward  of  §250,000  is  invested  in  the  enterprise, 
and  paper  to  the  value  of  about  §175,000  is  produced  annually. 
About  100  men  and  women  are  employed,  and  these  are  for 
the  most  part  provided  with  homes  in  a  large  board! ng-hous^ 
erected  by  the  company  near  the  mills. 

The  Chapin  and  Gould  paper-mills  are  located   about   two 


1100 


HISTOllY   OF  THE   CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


miles  northwest  of  Russell  village,  and  are  likewise  engaged 
in  the  nuuuifacture  of  fine  paper.  ■  About  100  persons  arc  em- 
ployed, and  the  daily  yield  of  paper  is  about  4500  pounds. 
The  lirm  was  organized  in  Ajiril,  1858,  and  began  operations 
in  a  mill  erected  upon  the  present  location  in  that  year.  This 
mill  was  destroyed  by  tire  in  1870,  and  at  once  replaced  by 
the  present  mills,  of  much  larger  capacity  than  the  lirst. 

The  other  manufactures  of  the  town  are  railway-ties  and 
lumber,  but  those  industries  are  limited  in  yield.  There  are 
about  seventy-five  farms  in  the  town,  but  the  agricultural  pro- 
ducts are  all  consumed  at  home. 


The  value  of  manufactures  in  1875,  according  to  State  re- 
ports, was  $170,600,  and  of  agricultural  products,  |34,248. 
The  total  valuation  of  the  town  in  1878  was  $398,052,  of 
which  $283,041  was  in  real  estate.  The  total  tax — State, 
county,  and  town — was  $4185.85,  or  at  a  rate  of  ,0105.  The 
debt  of  the  town,  March  1,  1878,  was  $7510. 

MILITARY. 
Russell's  war  record. 
Here  will  be  found  the  names  of  those  who  enlisted  from 
Kussell  in  the  war  of  the  Rebellion: 


Jubn  Williston,  loth  Mass. 
Gideon  Wiilhice,  10th  Mass. 
Jerry  W.  Bishop,  15th  Mass. 
A.  J.  Braiiley,  15th  Mass. 
\Vm.  S.  Chapman,  15th  Mass. 
Orteiiias  Chapman,  15tli  Mase. 
Calvin  Dustin,lotIi  Mnas. 
Morgan  Cooley,  15th  Msias. 
Sitincy  Shnrtk'IT,  15th  Mass. 
Alfred  B.  Heath,  15th  Mass. 
Geo.  Lindsey,  27th  Mass. 
Jolin  M.  Bennett,  27th  Mass. 
Geo.  H.  Bemis,  27th  Mass. 
Jnhiis  Thrall,  27th  Mass. 
James  Piirkcr,  27th  Mass. 
Chai  lea  Willey,  27th  Mass, 
Asa  Brown,  3lst  Muss. 


Nelson  Bennett,  31st  Mass. 
"Wm.  S.  Knox,  31st  Mass. 
John  Crane,  tilst  Mass. 
James  P.  Chapman,  34th  Mass. 
James  Hogan,  34th  Mass. 
Augnstus  Plant,  34th  Mass. 
Francis  Parks,  51th  Mjtss. 
Ezra  Tobia.*!,  54th  Mass. 
?am'I  P.Storey,  54th  Mass. 
Edwin  Pendleton,  Ist  H.  Art. 
Tlios.  E.  Pendleton,  let  U.  Art. 
Lyman  Holmes,  1st  H.  Art. 
Henry  M.  Knux,  Ist  IL  Art. 
Morgan  Stannar,  1st  H.  Art. 

Trueman  H.  Sweathmd,  25th  Co.,  H.  Art.  (unat- 
tached). 
William  Thomas,  2d  Cav. 


Thomas  Colligan,  llth  Mass. 
George  Carson,  llth  Mass. 
James  Leslie,  5Sth  Mass. 
Horace  Heath,  46th  Mass. 
Morgan  Stannard,  4Gth  Mass. 
Oliver  Granger,  4Gth  Mass. 
Israel  Perkins,  46th  Mass. 
Hiram  E.  Williston,  46th  Mass. 
John  C.  King,  46th  Mass. 
Benjamin  Haynes,  46th  Mass. 
Philip  H.  Hjilsapple,  4Gth  Mass, 
George  Gloss,  46th  Mass. 
TurrisD.  Ondertlonk,  Naval  service, 
John  D.  Waldron,  Navy. 
Wm.  H.  Schenck,  Navy. 
Tlieo.  Mitchell,  6l3t  Mass. 
Wm.  A.  Stearns,  unknown. 


HOLLAND. 


GEOGRAPHICAL. 

Thb  town  of  Holland  is  situated  in  the  southeast  corner  of 
Hampden  County.  On  the  north  it  is  bounded  by  Brimfield, 
of  which  it  formerly  constituted  a  part.  Wales  bounds  it  on 
the  west,  and  together  with  it  formed  the  district  of  .South 
Brimfield  in  1762.  On  the  south  is  located  the  town  of 
Union,  in  Connecticut.  Sturbridge,  in  Worcester  County, 
forms  its  eastern  boundary. 

NATURAL   FEATURES. 

The  physical  characteristics  of  the  town  are  similar  to 
those  of  Brimfield  and  Wales.  Numerous  small  mountains 
diversify  the  landscape,  their  slopes  diversified  with  alternate 
timber-lots  and  farming-lands  of  fairly-productive  qualities. 
The  soil  is  generally  sandy,  with  occasional  areas  of  clayey 
loam,  which  yield  the  cereals  readily  when  properly  culti- 
vated, and  which  seem  especially  adapted  to  the  growth  of 
grass.  Rattlesnake  Mountain,  situated  in  the  western  part  of 
the  town,  near  the  Wales  line,  is  a  prominent  landmark. 
Blodgett  or  Williams'  Mountain  lies  just  north  of  it,  and 
marks  the  locality  where  the  earliest  settlements  were  made. 
Blake  Hill  is  situated  on  the  northeastern  border  of  the  town. 

Holland — formerly  called  Kesioge — Pond  is  a  handsome 
body  of  water,  located  in  the  northern  part,  and  comprises  an 
ai'ea  of  about  80  acres.  Partridge  Pond,  comprising  about  4 
acres,  formerly  existed  just  south  of  the  centre  of  the  town, 
but  has  now  been  included  in  and  covered  by  the  Hamilton 
Reservoir,  which  was  constructed  in  1862  by  the  Hamilton 
Woolen  Company,  of  Southbridge,  who  dammed  the  Quinne- 
baug  River  about  a  mile  southeast  of  Holland  Pond.  The 
object  in  view  was  to  afford  a  water-supply  for  the  company's 
mills  at  Southbridge.  It  has  also  been  utilized  by  mills  at 
Fiskdale.  It  is  nearly  three  miles  long,  and  has  an  average 
width  of  from  60  to  80  rods.  The  reservoir  is  said  never  to 
have  properly  fulfilled  the  purpose  designed.  Considerable 
valuable  hind  has  been  damaged  by  it,  causing  much  trouble. 


The  Quinnebaug  River  enters  the  town  at  the  south,  pars- 
ing through  the  reservoir  and  Holland  Pond,  and  thence 
north  into  Brimfield  and  Sturbridge. 

Several  small  streams  traverse  various  sections  of  the  town, 
being  mostly  tributaries  to  the  reservoir. 

EARLY    SETTLEMENT. 
Much  that  relates  to  the  early  settlement  of  the  town  will 
be  found  in  the  histories  of  Brimfield  and  Wales. 

Probably  the  first  person  who  made  a  settlement  in  that 
section  of  Brimfield  now  included  in  the  town  of  Holland 
was  Joseph  Blodgett,  who  was  one  of  the  original  propri- 
etors of  Brimfield,  and  filled  many  important  town  and  church 
offices  in  that  town  and  the  district  of  South  Brimfield.  He 
was  a  surveyor,  and  the  early  records  of  Brimfield  contain 
many  references  to  his  work.  He  was  the  father  of  Jonas 
Blodgett,  who  was  the  last  clerk  and  surveyor  of  the  pro- 
prietors of  Brimfield,  and  who  died  in  1839,  at  the  age  of 
ninety-five.  He  resided  in  Holland  near  the  Frost  place,  ad- 
joining the  Wales  line. 

Blodgett  made  his  residence,  as  early  as  1727,  on  the  South 
Meadow  road,  a  little  south  of  Calvin  Policy's,  and  near  the 
hill  which  bears  his  name.  In  the  division  of  the  lots  con- 
firmed by  the  General  Court  to  the  original  settlers  in  1732, 
Joseph  Blodgett  drew  "  Lott  67."  His  son,  Joseph  Blodgett, 
Jr.,  also  lived  near  Calvin  Polley's,  and  other  sons  lived  in 
that  vicinity.  Representatives  of  the  Blodgett  family  have 
continued  to  reside  in  Holland  ever  since. 

Soon  after  Blodgett  made  his  settlement  came  Enoch  Hides, 
John  Webber,  John  Bishop,  Robert  Brown,  Ebcnezer  Wallis, 
and  Jonathan  Brown. 

Henry  and  Trenance  Webber  settled  in  Holland  about  1730. 
They  were  from  the  State  of  Rhode  Island.  Frank  Webber, 
a  lad  of  fourteen,  came  with  them.  He  remained  in  Holland 
until  he  attained  the  age  of  twenty-flve,  when  he  went  to  sea 
and  was  never  afterward  heard  from,  and  left  no  known  de- 
scendants.    Reuben    and  Trenance   Webber  descended  from 


HISTOEY   OF  HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


1101 


Henry,  and  made  the  earliest  settlement  about  the  time  of  the 
Kevolution,  on  what  is  known  as  the  "  old  Webber  place," 
near  the  present  residence  of  Wm.  A.  and  Dwight  E.  Webber, 
who  are  descended  from  Reuben. 

David  W^allis  came  from  Woodstock,  Conn.,  about  1755, 
and  located  where  William  S.  Wallis  now  resides.  The  tim- 
bers of  the  original  house  which  he  erected  at  that  place  are  in 
the  building  still  standing.  It  is  probably  the  oldest  house  in 
town.  David  Wallis  was  a  blacksmith  by  trade,  and  followed 
that  occupation,  together  with  farming.  When  in  Woodstock, 
he  owned  four  slaves.  One  of  these,  Samuel  Deering,  he  took 
with  him  to  Holland,  and  he  lived  to  be  one  hundred  years  of 
age.  "  Sam"  had  an  excellent  idea  of  the  land  in  Holland, 
but  always  complained  that  the  people  there  did  not  treat  him 
with  proper  respect.  The  sons  of  David  Wallis  were  Thomas, 
Jonathan,  William,  John,  and  David.  Jonathan  followed  the 
occupation  of  a  blacksmith.  Thomas  became  a  practitioner 
of  medicine,  and  was  one  of  the  early  physicians  of  Holland. 
AVilliam  and  John  engaged  in  farming. 

The  son  David  never  came  to  Holland,  but  /lis  son  David 
settled  there  in  1758,  when  a  mere  child,  grew  up  with  his 
grandfather,  and  served  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  He  after- 
ward engaged  in  farming,  married  Percis  Rosbrook  on  May  8, 
1782,  and  established  his  residence  where  Horace  Wallis  now 
lives.  He  had  ten  children,  nine  of  whom  lived  to  be  over 
sixty-eight  years  of  age.  The  oldest  was  eighty-three.  Three 
are  now  living.  Horace  Wallis,  at  the  age  of  eight}"-three, 
still  resides  in  the  old  homestead,  and  retains  in  a  remarkable 
degree  his  faculties  of  mind  and  body.  His  memory  of  events 
long  passed  is  wonderful,  and  we  are  indebted  to  him  for  many 
interesting  particulars  relating  to  the  early  history  of  the  town. 
Percis  Cutler,  a  sister,  seventy-eight  years  of  age,  still  resides 
in  Holland.  All  but  one  of  these  children  have  engaged  in 
school-teaching  more  or  less.  David,  another  of  the  children, 
removed  to  Tioga  County,  in  the  State  of  New  York,  and  was 
clerk  of  the  courts  of  that  county  for  nine  years.  He  left  a 
large  number  of  descendants  there.  The  fourth  generation  of 
the  Wallis  family,  who  are  descended  from  the  third  David, 
are  now  residing  on  his  old  homestead. 

William  S.  Wallis,  who  occupies  the  original  Wallis  home- 
stead, is  descended  from  John  Wallis.  He  is  engaged  in 
farming,  and  is  a  man  of  prominence  in  the  town. 

James  Marcy  came  from  Woodstock,  Conn.,  about  1767, 
and  located  a  mile  southwest  of  the  present  hotel,  on  a  large 
farm.  His  children  were  James,  Elisha,  Uriah,  David,  Job, 
Sarah,  and  Betsey.  Sarah  and  Job  removed  to  New  York 
State,  and  Betsey  to  Woodstock,  Conn.  James  located  in  the 
southwest  part  of  the  town,  and  engaged  in  farming.  His 
son,  Loren,  resides  in  the  south  part  of  the  town,  and  pursues 
the  same  avocation.  Elisha,  at  the  advanced  age  of  ninety- 
six,  lives  in  the  west  part  of  the  town,  about  a  mile  from  the 
centre.  He  resides  with  his  son,  Washington,  who  is  a 
farmer.  Uriah  lived  to  be  eighty-two,  and  never  married. 
David  Jlarcy,  after  building  the  present  hotel,  wherein  he 
kept  tavern  for  a  number  of  years,  moved  about  half  a  mile 
south,  on  the  HaUowell  Perrin  farm,  and  died  there  in 
December,  1860,  at  the  age  of  seventy-three.  He  married 
Sybil,  daughter  of  Hallowell  Perrin,  and  had  three  children, 
— Mary  Ann,  wife  of  Elisha  Kinney  ;  Uriah  P.,  who  engaged 
in  farming  and  lumbering,  about  a  mile  southwest  of  the 
present  tavern,  and  now  resides  in  Stafford,  Conn. ;  and  Melis- 
cent,  who  married  Horace  Kinney,  and  who  akso  resides  at 
Staftbrd. 

Benjamin  Perrin,  another  of  the  early  settlers  of  Holland, 
lived  about  a  mile  south  of  the  centre.  His  sons  were  John, 
Cyril,  and  Hallowell.  John  settled  at  Providence,  R.  I. 
Cyril  married  Huldah,  daughter  of  Ichabod  Goodell,  one  of 
the  early  settlers,  and  had  thirteen  children.  They  afterward 
removed  to  Monson.  Hallowell  Perrin  resided  a  half-mile 
south  of  the  present  tavern.     He  kept  tavern  and  engaged  in 


farming.  He  married  Sybil  Bruce  for  his  first  wife,  and  had 
Sybil,  Meliscent,  Ambrose,  and  Diana.  Sybil  became  the 
wife  of  David  Marcy  ;  Meliscent  married  Baxter  Wood ; 
Diana  married  a  Dr.  Bottom,  and  resides  in  South  Wilbra- 
ham,  now  the  town  of  Hampden.  There  are  no  descendants 
of  Perrin  now  living  in  Holland. 

Ichabod  Goodell,  another  early  resident  of  Holland,  married 
a  Webber,  and  had  four  children,  Huldah,  Polley,  Percis,  and 
Jabez.  The  latter,  when  a  young  man,  went  to  New  York 
State  to  teach  school.  He  bought  land  on  the  present  site  of 
the  city  of  Bufl'alo  for  a  dollar  and  a  quarter  an  acre,  and  be- 
came very  rich.     He  left  the  town  of  Holland  §500  in  his  will. 

Eliphalet  Janes,  the  first  clerk  of  the  district  of  Holland,  in 
1784,  resided  where  Eleazer  Moore  now  lives,  near  the  Fuller 
factory  place.  He  operated  a  saw-  and  grist-mill  there  in  the 
latter  part  of  the  last  century,  but  afterward  fell  upon  the 
district  for  support. 

William  Belknap  was  early  engaged  in  agricultural  pur- 
suits, and  resided  where  C.  B.  Drake  now  does. 

Asa  David  lived  east  of  the  reservoir.  He  filled  many  po- 
sitions of  responsibility  in  town  and  church,  and  taught  school 
a  great  deal,  besides  farming.  He  left  town  about  1793.  Jona- 
than Ballard  engaged  in  farming  near  Dana.  Freeland  Wal- 
lis, a  brother  of  Horace  Wallis,  also  occupied  this  place. 

Another  early  inhabitant  was  Reuben  Stevens,  who  lived 
where  L.  C.  Howlett  now  resides,  and  engaged  in  farming 
and  cloth  dressing. 

Nehemiah  May,  who  was  prominent  in  public  aftairs  in 
South  Brimfield  and  Holland  as  early  as  1764,  was  born  in 
Woodstock,  Conn.,  Jan.  31,  1730.  He  resided  in  the  south 
part  of  the  town,  within  half  a  mile  of  the  Connecticut  line. 
He  served  as  a  captain  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  served 
at  New  London  and  Ticonderoga. 

Ebenezer  Morris  had  a  blacksmith-shop  below  Capt.  May's, 
whose  daughter  he  married. 

Jonathan  Cram,  a  man  of  prominence  and  influence  in  the 
early  history  of  the  town,  also  resided  in  the  south  part  of  the 
town,  and  engaged  in  farming. 

Joseph  Bruce  lived  where  Lewis  C.  Howlett  now  resides, 
and  followed  farming.  He  is  said  to  have  been  eccentric  in 
some  things,  and  to  have  been  a  man  of  great  method  and 
system. 

John  Polley  lived  in  the  west  part  of  the  town,  near  the 
Wales  line,  where  he  devoted  his  attention  to  agriculture. 

Gershom  Rosebrook  lived  across  the  bridge,  east  of  the  res- 
ervoir, and  also  engaged  in  farming. 

Other  residents  of  Holland,  as  early  as  1760,  were  Hum- 
phrey Cram,  James  Frizell,  Edward,  Jacob,  Benjamin,  and 
Samuel  Webber,  Jonathan  Wallis,  John  Rosebrook,  James 
and  John  Anderson,  and  William  and  Asa  Belknap. 

One  of  the  first  stores  in  town  was  kept  by  a  man  named 
Brown,  about  1788,  on  the  spot  where  Eleazer  Moore  now  re- 
sides. Early  in  the  present  century  Alfred  Lyon  kept  a  store 
and  tavern  near  the  reservoir-dam,  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
east  of  the  meeting-house,  on  the  old  Lyon  place.  The  next 
store  was  kept  by  Isaac  Partridge,  about  half  a  mile  south  of 
the  centre  of  the  town,  on  the  Mashapanrj  road.  Elisha  Kin- 
ney is  the  present  owner  of  the  premises.  Chase  &  Ward 
next  kept  a  store,  in  1813,  in  what  formerly  was  the  old  L  on 
rear  of  the  present  tavern.  Luther  Brown  succeeded  him  as 
proprietor.  Dr.  Josiah  Converse  next  kept  a  store  where 
Prank  E.  Kinney  now  resides.  Sewell  Glazier  followed  next 
in  the  same  place.  Clement  B.  Drake  kept  store  there  as  late 
as  1848.  About  1850,  Elisha  Kinney  had  a  store  in  the  same 
place  for  several  years. 

In  1847,  Willard  Weld  kept  a  store  in  a  building  which 
was  opposite  to  where  the  blacksmith-shop  now  stands. 

Stores  were  also  kept  in  the  old  part  of  the  village,  near  the 
Fuller  factory.  Orlando  Anderson  did  business  there  about 
1833,  and  enjoyed  an  enviable  reputation  for  honesty  and  fair- 


1102 


HISTORY   OP  THE  CONNECTICUT   VALLEY. 


dealing.  Lynn  &  Co.  were  his  successors  in  the  same  place. 
About  1848,  Jonathan  Sykes  had  a  store  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  road,  above  the  bridge.  John  Carpenter  kept  a  store 
there  in  18(10,  which  was  the  last  one  the  town  has  had. 

It  appears  from  the  records  of  the  town  that  David  Bugbee 
kept  a  tavern  as  early  as  1784,  about  half  a  mile  west  of  the 
pre.seiit  one,  where  Wm.  Lillie  now  resides.  The  tavern  of 
Alfred  Lyon  has  already  been  referred  to.  Hollowell  Perrin 
also  kept  one  south  of  the  Sybil  Marcy  place. 

In  1812-13,  David  Marcy  erected  the  Holland  Hotel,  and 
commenced  the  business  of  inn-keeping,  which  he  pursued  for 
two  years.  He  then  disposed  of  it  to  John  Webber,  who  kept 
it  for  several  years.  Mr.  Bridgham  followed  next  for  a  time. 
In  1820  it  was  kept  by  Allen  Tiffany.  Mr.  Harris  succeeded 
for  one  year.  Then  Luther  Brown,  Eldridge  G.  Fuller,  Ba.x- 
ter  Wood,  and  a  man  named  Benson  followed  in  turn.  In 
183B  it  passed  into  the  hands  of  Elisha  Kinney,  who  has  kept 
it  continuously  since,  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  the  public. 
Mr.  Kinney  also  devotes  some  time  to  agricultural  pursuits. 

The  earliest  road  laid  out  in  Holland  was  in  1731,  when  the 
old  road  to  Union  and  Woodstock,  Conn.,  commonly  called 
the  South  Meadow  road,  was  established.  It  passes  from 
Brimfield  through  portions  of  Wales  and  Holland. 

The  first  physician  who  practiced  in  Holland  was  Dr.  Thomas 
Wallis,  a  native  of  the  town,  wlio  practiced  there  as  early  as' 
1786.  He  continued  in  practice  a  great  many  years,  also  filling 
numerous  town  offices.  His  first  residence  was  in  the  south 
part  of  the  town,  but  he  subsequently  occupied  the  place  where 
William  S.  Wallis  now  lives.  Dr.  Setli  Smith  was  another 
practitioner  of  medicine  early  in  the  present  century.  About 
1812,  Dr.  Ichabod  Hyde,  Dr.  David  B.  Dean,  and  Dr.  Joshua 
Richardson  were  in  practice  in  the  town.  Dr.  Chileab  B. 
Merrick  followed,  then  Dr.  Josiah  Converse,  and  finally  Dr. 
Abial  Bottom,  who  was  the  last  regular  physician  the  town 
has  had.  Dr.  Bottom  is  at  present  in  practice  in  South  Wil- 
braham,  or  Hampden. 

ORGANIZATION. 

As  early  as  17(50  a  petition  was  presented  to  the  town  of 
Brimfield  from  the  southeast  part  of  that  town,  including 
Holland,  part  of  Wales,  and  part  of  Brimfield,  to  be  set  oft' 
as  a  district.  The  west  line  of  the  district  petitioned  for  was 
the  present  town  line  of  Holland.  The  reason  assigned  in  the 
petition  was  the  inconvenience  of  attending  meeting  on  the 
Sabbath.  Though  the  signers  failed  in  their  petition,  they 
began  to  hold  meetings  in  that  part  of  the  district,  and  to  pro- 
cure preaching  they  sought  assistance  from  the  town.  On 
Nov.  16,  1761,  the  town  of  Brimfield  "voted  to  give  y=  sou- 
east  part  of  y^  town  three  pounds,  ten  shillings,  to  help  them 
Hire  preaching." 

Sept.  18,  1762,  the  district  of  South  Brimfield,  including 
Wales  and  Holland,  was  set  off  by  an  act  of  the  General  Court. 
This  territory  remained  under  one  municipal  government  until 
July  5,  1783,  when,  owing  to  frequent  contention  between  the 
inhabitants  of  the  east  and  west  parishes,  which  have  been  re- 
ferred to  at  length  in  the  history  of  the  town  of  Wales,  the 
district  of  Holland  was  created.  The  new  district  was  endowed 
with  all  the  rights  and  prerogatives  of  a  town,  except  that  of 
corporate  representation  in  the  Legislature.  In  this  respect 
they  were  to  unite  with  Wales,  which  had  in  the  mean  time, 
under  a  general  act  of  the  Legislature,  been  erected  into  a 
town,  still  retaining  the  name  ef  South  Brimfield.  The  name 
of  Holland  was  bestowed  on  the  new  district  in  honor  of  Lord 
Holland,  better  known  as  Charles  James  Fox,  an  eloquent  ad- 
vocate on  the  side  of  the  people  of  this  country  in  the  Parlia- 
mentary contests  which  preceded  the  recognition  of  American 
Independence.  The  district  of  Holland,  as  set  off,  constituted 
the  southern  portion  of  the  "three-mile  addition"  which  was 
made  to  Brimfield  in  1714.* 

*  See  history  of  Brimfield. 


The  original  warrant  under  which  the  organization  of 
the  district  of  Brimfield  was  eft'ected  was  i.ssued  by  Abner 
Morgan,  justice  of  the  peace,  and  directed  to  Joseph  Bruce. 
The  first  meeting  of  the  district  occurred  on  July  24,  1783. 
Joseph  Bruce  was  chosen  Moderator,  Nehemiah  May,  Jonas 
Blodgett,  and  Alfred  Lyon,  Selectmen,  and  Jonathan  Wallis, 
Treasurer. 

In  Feb.  18,  1784,  a  number  of  inhabitants  of  Sturbridge 
were  received  as  citizens  of  Holland,  with  full  rights,  in  re- 
sponse to  a  petition  presented  by  them  to  that  effect.  On 
March  1st  of  the  same  year  £20  were  appropriated  for  schooling 
and  £60  for  the  Rev.  Wm.  Reeves,  the  first  minister.  The 
first  road  authorized  by  the  district,  a  mere  bridle-road,  was 
also  created. 

On  Sept.  2,  1789,  the  old  antagonism  between  Holland  and 
Wales  manifested  itself  in  the  vote  of  the  district  of  Holland 
to  petition  the  General  Court  to  be  annexed  to  Brimfield  in 
the  choice  of  a  representative,  instead  of  to  South  Brimfield. 
John  Brown,  Dr.  Thomas  Wallis,  and  William  Belknap  were 
appointed  a  committee  to  prepare  such  a  petition. 

On  Nov.  5,  1792,  the  district  voted  "  not  to  receive  the  small- 
pox by  inoculation,  or  any  other  way,  if  it  can  be  avoided." 
Also  that  "Dr.  Thomas  Wallis  should  not  receive  or  suffer 
any  person  or  persons  to  come  into  his  house  to  have  the 
small-pox  under  any  pretense  whatever,  as  the  selectmen  had 
forbid  him  taking  in  or  harboring  any  person  or  persons  to 
have  the  small-pox  before  this  meeting." 

The  training  of  the  vocal  organs  of  the  young  was  evidently 
early  attended  to  in  Holland,  for  on  Oct.  1,  1794,  the  district 
voted  "to  hire  a  singing-master  to  instruct  the  youth  in 
psalmody." 

On  March  6,  1797,  a  committee  of  five  was  chosen  to  build 
a  pound  on  the  plain.  One  had  previously  been  kept  by  Ed- 
ward Webber.  The  new  pound  was  to  be  located  on  the 
northwest  corner  of  the  common,  was  to  be  30  feet  square, 
built  of  chestnut  or  oak,  and  to  cost  £i  15.5.  It  probably 
stood  not  far  from  the  site  of  the  present  one. 

On  Jan.  28,  1801,  the  district  voted  to  "raise  seventeen 
dollars  to  pay  Mr.  Benjamin  reves  for  teatching  asinging 
schooll  this  season." 

The  practice  of  disposing  of  the  poor  by  public  auction  was 
early  in  vogue.  On  April  6,  1801,  it  was  voted  "  to  set  up 
the  Boarding  &  Clothing  &  keeping  of  Ruth  Swinnerton 
for  one  year,  exclusive  of  Doctring,  at  the  lowist  Bidder." 

On  April  2.5,  1803,  $10  was  raised  as  a  bounty  for  killing 
crows  and  blackbirds,  ten  cents  being  allowed  for  a  crow,  and 
the  same  sum  for  a  dozen  blackbirds.  The  recognition  by  the 
inhabitants  of  the  proverbial  cunning  of  the  crow  was  thus 
early  recorded. 

For  those  who  performed  labor  upon  the  roads  of  the  dis- 
trict from  six  to  ten  cents  an  hour  for  a  man  were  the  prevail- 
ing rates  for  a  long  time. 

May  14,  1808. — 'V^oted  to  exchange  some  of  the  common 
with  Capt.  Church  for  some  of  his  land,  and  "to  give  him 
$0  to  boot,  which  he  agrees  to  lay  out  in  repairing  the  meet- 
ing-house, or  to  give  it  to  the  town  for  that  purpose."  On 
Sept.  9,  1808,  the  town  voted  to  cause  a  petition  to  be  framed, 
similar  to  that  of  Boston,  against  the  embargo,  and  to  cause 
it  to  be  sent  to  the  President. 

Jan.  10,  1810,  it  was  voted  to  give  the  land  belonging  to 
the  district  which  laid  north  of  the  pound,  exclusive  of  enough 
for  the  pound,  together  with  the  land  .south  of  the  turnpike 
as  far  as  the  road  leading  to  Andrew  Webber's  house  in  a 
westerly  direction,  to  Luther  Carter,  provided  he  builds  or 
causes  to  be  built  a  house,  30  by  40  feet,  for  a  tavern.  On 
July  11,  1812,  it  was  voted  to  draft  resolutions  relative  to  an 
alliance  with  France,  and  a  delegate  was  chosen  to  attend  the 
convention  at  Northampton  on  July  14th  to  petition  the  Presi- 
dent and  Congress  to  avert  war  and  restore  peace. 

One  of  the  great  evils  of  the  day  seems  to  have  been  elope- 


HISTOKY   OP   HAMPDEN   COUNTy. 


1103 


ment,  for,  on  July  13,  1813,  John  Hinds  and  wife,  Ezelviel 
Hinds  and  Mrs.  Hill  were  bid  off  to  John  "Webber,  "to  jiro- 
vide  for  them  and  use  their  labor,"  but  the  town  was  "to 
indemnify  him  from  anj-  inconvenience  or  trouble  that  may 
arise  from  elopement.  Imprisonment,  or  Debts  contracted  by 
them." 

In  1821  the  district  voted  strongly  against  the  proposed 
amendments  to  the  State  constitution. 

The  principal  officers  of  the  town  have  been  : 

SELECTMEN. 

1783. — Neliemiah  May,  Jonas  Blodgett,  Alfrcil  Lyon. 

1784. — Wni.  Belknap,  Daniel  Burnet,  Jonathan  Cram. 

1785. — Jonas  Blodgett,  Daniel  Burnet,  Nehcniiah  May. 

1786. — Joseph  Bruce,  Daniel  Buruet,  "Wm.  Belknap. 

1787. — Jonas  Blodgett,  Asa  Dana,  Wm.  Belknap. 

1788.— David  Wallis,  Asa  Dana,  Wm.  Belknap. 

1789.— David  Wallis,  Asa  Dana,  John  PoUey. 

1790. — Wm.  Belknap,  Alfred  Lyon,  John  Brown. 

1791-93.— Wm.  Belknap,  Asa  Dana,  David  Wallis. 

1794. — Alfred  Lyon,  Icbabod  Goodell,  David  Wallis. 

1795. — Alfred  Lyon,  Wm.  Belknap,  David  Wallis. 

1796. — Joseph  Bruce,  John  Policy,  Hallovveil  Perriu. 

1797-98.— David  Wallis,  John  Polley,  Wm.  Belknap. 

1799. — David  Wallis,  Gershum  Roshrook,  Kinaldo  Webber. 

1800. — Wm.  Belknap,  Ichabod  Goodell,  Rinaldo  Webber. 

1801.— David  Wallis,  Ichabod  Goodell,  Jonathan  Ballard. 

1802. — David  Fay,  Ichabod  Goodell,  Ebenezer  Morris. 

1803. — Jacob  Tbomps<ui,  Ichabod  Goodell,  Pibenezer  Morris. 

1804. — .Jacob  Thompson,  Ichabod  Goodell,  Kinaldo  Webber. 

1805. — Jacob  Thompson,  John  Polley,  David  Wallis. 

1806-7.— Zerial  May,  John  Polley,  David  Wallis. 

1808. — Ebenezer  Morris,  Ezra  Allen,  Ezra  Webber. 

1809. — Ebenezer  Morris,  Jacob  Thompson,  Samuel  Webber. 

1810. — David  Wallis,  John  Weaver,  Ezra  Webber. 

1811. — Edward  Blodgett,  James  A.  Lynn,  Wm.  Putnam. 

1812. — Edward  Blodgett,  James  A.  Lynn,  Reuben  Stevens. 

1813. — Edward  Blodgett,  Ezra  Webber,  Leonard  Morris. 

1814. — Cyril  Pcrrin,  James  A.  Perrin,  Edward  Blodgett. 

1815. — John  Weaver,  David  Wallis,  Ezra  Allen. 

1816. — John  Weaver,  Edward  Blodgett,  Ezra  Webber. 

1817. — Benjamin  Church,  Freeland  Wallis,  John  Wallis. 

1818. — Samuel  Webber,  Freeland  Wallis,  Reuben  Stevens. 

1819-20.— Samuel  Webber,  Elbridge  G.  Fuller-,  David  B.  Dean. 

1821. — Samuel  Webber,  Freeland  Wallis,  David  B.  Dean. 

1822. — Benjamin  Church,  Freeland  Wallis,  David  B.  Dean. 

1823. — Isaac  Partridge,  Freeland  Wallis,  John  Wallis. 

1824-2">. — David  B.  Dean,  Freeland  Wallis,  Benjamin  Church. 

1826. — Adolphus  Webber,  Freeland  Wallis,  Loring  Webber. 

1827. — Reuben  Stevens,  David  B.  Dean,  Loring  Webber. 

1828. — Leonard  M.  Morris,  John  Wallis,  Baxter  Wood. 

1829-31.— Freeland  Wallis,  David  B.  Dean,  Willard  Weld. 

1832. — Adolphus  Webber,    Loring  Webber,  Willard  Weld. 

1833.— Willard  Weld,  Adolphus  Webber,  Elbridge  G.  Fuller. 

1834. — Freeman  Wallis,  Adolphus  Webber,  Lyman  Gould. 

1835.— Freeland  Wallis,  Willard  Weld,  David  B.  Dean. 

1836. — Freeland  Wallis,  Lyman  Gould,  Gilbert  Rosbrook. 

1837._Willard  Weld,  Horace  Wallis,  Isaac  W.  Wood. 

1838.— Willard  Weld,  Horace  Wallis,  Freeland  Wallis. 

1839.— Willard  Weld,  Levans  McFarlin,  Freeland  Wallis. 

1840. — Adoli>hus  Webber,  Horace  Wallis,  Grosvenor  May. 

1841. — Adolphus  Webber,  David  B.  Dean,  WaiTen  A.  AVallis. 

1842.— Freeland  Wallis,  David  B.  Dean,  Harrison  Allen. 

1843.— Adolphus  Webber,  Willard  Weld,  Uriah  P.  Marcy. 

1844. — David  B.  Dean,  Adolphus  Webber,  Ilarrisou  Allen. 

1845. — Freeland  Wallis,  Nehemiah  Underwood,  Eleazer  Moore. 

1846. — William  A.  Webber,  Nehemiah  Undenvood,  Harrison  Alien. 

1847.— John  Wallis,  Stephen  C.  Weld,  John  B.  Gould. 

1848-49.— William  A.  Webber,  Warreu  A.  Wallis,  William  Frizell. 

1850. — Nehemiah  Underwood,  Uriah  P.  Marcy,  John  P.  Gould. 

1851. — Benjamin  F.  Wilson,  Alvin  Goodell,  John  Wallis. 

1862. — Eleazer  Moore,  Warron  A.  Wallis,  John  Wallis. 

1853.— William  A.  Webber,  Nehemiah  Underwood,  Boswcll  A.  Blodgett. 

1854.— William  A.  Webber,  Nehemiah  Underwood,  Uriah  P.  Marcy. 

1855. — Alvin  Goodell,  Eleazer  Moore,  George  L.  Webber. 

1856-67.— William  A.  Webber,  Warren  A.  Wallis,  Clement  B.  Drake. 

1858. — William  A.  Webber,  Harrison  Allen,  William  H.  Harris. 

1859. — Warren  A.  Wallis,  George  L.  Webber,  Eleazer  Moore. 

I860.— Ferdinand  L.  Burley,  Clement  B.  Drake,  William  H.  Harris. 

1861.— Ferdinand  L.  Burley,  William  A.  Webber,  Warren  A.  Wallis. 

1862.— Ferdinand  L.  Burley,  G.  L.  Webber,  W.  A.  Wallis. 

1863.— William  A.  Webber,  Horace  Wallis,  R.  A.  Blodgett. 

1864.— Ferdinand  L.  Burley,  Uriah  P.  Marcy,  J.  Ballard. 

1866.— William  A.  Webber,  C.  B.  Drake,  J.  A.  Webber. 

1866-70.— William  A.  Webber,  C.  B.  Drake,  U.  P.  Marcy. 


1871-72.— F.  B.  Blodgett,  H.  Allen,  U.  P.  Marcy. 
1873.— C.  B.  Drake,  V.  B.  Drake,  William  S.  Wallis. 
1874— William  A  Webber,  F.  B.  Blodgett,  R.  A.  Blodgett. 
1S75.— William  A.  Webber,  F.  B.  Blodgett,  William  S.  Wallis. 
1876.— Uriah  P.  Marcy,  F.  B.  Blodgett,  Frank  Wight. 
1877-78.— William  A.  Webber,  F.  B.  Blodgett,  Henry  Vinton. 

TOWN    CLERKS. 

1783-86,  Eliphalet  Janes;  1786-89,  Wm.  Belknap;  1789,  David  Wallis;  1790- 
94,  Wm.  Belknap;  1794-98,  Asa  Dana;  1798-1803,  Jonathan  Ballard;  1803, 
David  WaUis;  1804-9,  Ezra  Webber;  1809,  .Tames  A.  Lyon;  1810,  Ezra  Webber  ; 
1811-13,  James  A.  Lynn;  1814,  Reuben  Stevens;  181.5-19,  Freeland  Wallis; 
1819-23,  David  B.  Dean;  1823,  Luther  Brown;  1824,  David  B.  Dean;  1825-27, 
Freeland  Wallis;  1828,  John  Wallis;  1829-33,  Samuel  Frizell ;  1833-30,  Freeland 
Wallis;  1836,  Elbridge  G.  Fuller;  1837,  John  Dixon;  1838-41,  John  Wallis; 
1S41-42,  John  Dixon  ;  1842^6,  Wm.  A.  Wallis  ;  1846,  Warren  A.  Wallis  ;1847- 
53,  Wm.  A.  Bobbins;  la53-55,  Warren  A.  Wallis;  1855-62,  Freeman  B.  Blod- 
gett; 1862-65,  Francis  Wight;  1865-73,  Frank  E.  Kiuney  ;  1873,  Freeman  B. 
Blodgett ;  1874-79,  Frank  E.  Kinney. 

The  representatives  to  the  State  Legislature  for  Holland 
have  been : 

1.  From  Wales  and  Holland  jointly, 

1783,  Nehemiah  May;  1798,  John  Polley;  1803,  Rinaldo  Webber;  1809,  Jacob 
Thompson;  1812,  William  Putnam;  1814-17,  John  Weaver ;  1821,  Sanuiel  Web- 
ber ;  1826,  Leonard  M.  Morris ;  1829,  John  Wallis  ;  1832-34,  Elbridge  O.  Fuller ; 
1837,  Lyman  Gould. 

2.  From  Holland  alone,  * 

1840,  Horace  Wallis;  1841,  Willard  Weld;  1840,  Elbridge  G.  Fuller;  1852> 
Harris  Cutler ;  1853,  William  A.  Webber. 

3.  From  First  Hampden  District, 

1862,  Williani  A.  Bobbins ;  1870,  George  L.  Webber. 

VILLAGES. 

The  collection  of  houses  in  the  northern  part  of  Holland  is 
the  nearest  approach  to  a  village  that  the  town  contains,  and 
yet  this  part  is  perhaps  noi  more  thickly  settled  than  some 
other  portions.  Here,  however,  are  to  be  found  the  hotel, 
post-office,  town-hall,  and  town  clerk's  oiBce,  the  Congrega- 
tional meeting-house,  the  pound,  and  a  blacksmith-shop 

These,  with  two  or  three  dwelling-houses,  constitute  the 
village. 

The  post-office  is  kept  in  the  hotel,  and  the  office  of  post- 
master has  been  filled  for  a  number  of  years  past  by  Frank  E. 
Kinney,  one  of  the  proprietors  of  the  hotel.  It  was  probably 
established  about  1813,  for  when  David  Marcy  erected  the 
hotel  in  that  year  he  was  appointed  postmaster,  and  is  believed 
to  have  been  the  first  one.  Mr.  Marcy  continued  for  two 
years,  and  was  succeeded  by  John  Webber,  who  still  kept  the 
office  in  the  hotel.  The  office  seems  to  have  been  filled  in 
succession  by  the  several  proprietors  of  the  hotel,  for  Elbridge 
6.  Fuller,  Baxter  Wood,  and  Elisha  Kinney  have  each  in 
turn  been  postmaster.  Mr.  Fuller  kept  the  office  at  his  fac- 
tory. The  Rev.  Benjamin  Ober  was  also  postmaster  for  a 
time,  and  kept  the  office  at  the  parsonage.  The  town  has  a 
tri-weekly  mail. 

The  nearest  railroad  stations  are  Southbridge,  nine  miles 
distant,  Warren  and  Stafford  Springs,  each  eleven,  and  Palmer 
thirteen. 

SCHOOLS. 

One  of  the  first  matters  which  received  attention  from  the 
District  of  Holland,  after  its  creation,  was  that  of  schools. 
At  the  second  regular  meeting,  held  Sept.  8,  1783,  a  commit- 
tee of  seven  was  appointed  to  divide  the  district  into  school 
districts.  On  the  22d  of  September  four  school  districts  were 
established,  namely,  the  northeast,  southeast,  southwest,  and 
northwest.  On  March  1,  1784,  X20  were  appropriated  for 
schooling,  and  this  sum  continued  to  be  raised  for  the  same 
purpose  at  each  annual  meeting  for  a  number  of  years.  On 
April  7,  1786,  a  "prudential  committee,"  consisting  of  one 
for  each  district,  was  appointed.  On  March  5,  1792,  the  ap- 
propriation for  school  purposes  was  increased  to  £'2G,  and  in 
the  following  year  it  was  increased  to  £30.     In  the  year  1794, 


*  So  far  as  the  town  records  show. 


1104 


HISTORY   OF  THE  CONNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


the  sum  was  still  further  increased  to  £40.  On  March  2,  1795, 
£110  was  voted  to  huild  and  rcjiair  school-houses,  and  a  com- 
mittee was  appointed  to  report  upon  the  number  of  houses 
needed  and  the  proper  location  for  the  same.  In  March,  1797, 
£56  was  appropriated  for  school  purposes,  and  in  the  follow- 
ing year  $500  was  raised  to  build  a  school-house  in  the  south- 
west district.  On  Jan.  27,  1800,  the  number  of  school  districts 
was  reduced  from  four  to  three, — the  northeast,  soutlieast,  and 
southwest, — each  district  to  have  an  equal  proportion  of  the 
nioney  annually  raised.  Soon  after,  two  new  school-houses 
were  ordered  built  and  the  others  repaired.  In  March,  1804, 
|200  was  apjiropriatpd  for  schools,  and  that  sum  has  since  re- 
mained, with  slight  variation,  the  amount  of  the  annual  ap- 
propriation. 

At  the  present  time  there  are  four  regular  district  schools 
in  the  town,  having  in  attendance  about  80  scholars.  The 
schools  are  reported  to  be  in  a  satisfactory  condition. 

CHURCHES. 

The  princijial  religious  organization  in  the  east  section  of 
South  Brimfield,  now  Holland,  has  always  been  the  Congre- 
gational. As  early  as  February,  1704,  the  records  of  South 
Brimfield,  deposited  at  Wales,  show  that  a  vote  was  passed, 
that  a  committee  "  attempt  to  hire  Mr.  Ezra  Reave  on  proba- 
tion, in  order  for  settlement."  Previous  to  Mr.  Reeves  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Conchelin  had  preached  for  the  denomination  for 
stated  periods. 

The  first  meeting-house  in  Holland  was  the  old  Central 
House,  which  stood  on  the  west  border  of  the  town,  near 
Rattlesnake  Mountain,  and  has  been  referred  to  at  length  in 
the  history  of  Wales.  The  ne.\t  house  stood  nearer  the  centre 
of  Holland,  about  thirty  rods  nor*i  of  Mr.  Lillie's.  This  was 
afterward  removed  to  Connecticut.  The  house  next  used  was 
erected  about  thirty  rods  east  of  the  present  one  on  the  com- 
mon. The  next  was  erected  where  the  present  one  now  stands, 
but  was  destroyed  by  lire  in  1858.  The  same  year  the  pres- 
ent one  was  built,  and  has  since  been  in  use.  The  society 
was  long  sustained  by  the  corporate  body  of  the  district,  and 
£60  annual  salary  was  voted  Mr.  Reeves  for  a  long  tinie.  On 
Juno  8,  1792,  it  was  "  voted  that  Col.  Lyon  have  liberty  to  re- 
move the  meeting-house  to  the  plain,  at  a  stake  set  up,  and 
there  finish  it,  on  condition  that  he  give  to  the  district  of  Hol- 
land a  sufficiency  of  land  on  the  plain  for  all  conveniences  of 
roads,  training-field,  and  otlier  accommodations  necessary  for 
a  meeting-house."  On  Jan.  14,  1794,  it  was  voted  that  the 
"  pulpit  be  colloured  a  good  hansome  pee-green,  dun  work- 
manlike in  the  course  of  next  summer."  Other  votes  of  the 
district  indicating  tlie  various  changes  made  in  the  meeting- 
house, and  its  diHerent  removals,  are  to  be  found  in  the  town 
records  of  Holland. 

THE   CONGREGATIONAL    CHURCH*   OF   CHRIST   IN    HOLLAND 
was  organized  Sept.  12,  1765,  at  which  time  the  confession  of 
faith  and  covenant  were  read  and  signed  by  three  members 
then  present. 

On  the  following  day  after  the  organization  of  the  church 
the  Rev.  Ezra  Reeves  was  installed  over  the  church  as  its  pas- 
tor. During  his  ministry  of  fifty-three  years  158  names  were 
entered  upon  the  roll  of  its  membership.  We  find  no  records 
of  what  churches  composed  the  council,  or  of  what  ministers 
took  part  in  the  installation  services.  So  meagre  are  the 
records  of  the  church  during  Rev.  Mr.  Reeves'  ministry,  almost 
nothing  is  furnished  of  the  internal  history,  of  its  struggles, 
or  the  refreshings  of  the  Spirit.  How  many  were  dismissed 
to  other  churches,  or  how  many  died,  or  what  was  its  mem- 
bership at  his  death,  cannot  be  ascertained  from  the  records, 
only  a  cro.ss,  indicating  all  removals,  whetlier  by  letter  or  death. 
The  following  tribute  of  respect  to  his  memory  has  been  placed 
in  the  records  of  the  church  ; 

*  By  Rev.  Solomon  Bixby. 


"  The  Rev.  Ezra  Reeves  was  born  on  Long  Islam),  Jan.  27, 1734,  gradnateil  at 
Tale  College,  New  Haven,  entered  the  marriage  state  on  sM  Long  Islaiul,  fi'om 
whence  he  removeil  with  his  family  to  Holland,  Mass.,  which  was  then  con- 
nected with  Sontli  Brimfield,  &  was  installed  overthe  chh*  &  people  of  Holland, 
Sept.  13,  1765.     Died  Apr.  28,  1»18,  in  the  85th  year  of  his  ago. 

"He  was  a  man  of  exemplary  piety,  of  an  humble  spirit,  contented  in  his 
Master's  sei'vice,  &  coveting  not  the  Wealth,  the  honor,  or  applause  of  the  world. 
Though  of  dignity  of  character,  he  was  not  raised  above  any  one  in  his  iloport- 
ment,  but  was  easy  of  approach  and  free  to  communicate,  of  a  very  social  dis- 
p<isition.  Sometimes  facetious,  but  never  suffered  himself  to  degi-ade  his 
Ministerial  character,  or  bring  a  stain  on  the  (liristian  profession.  He  iws- 
sesssed  a  great  degree  of  christian  charity,  &  was  eminently  a  peace-maker. 
As  a  preacher,  he  was  orthodox,  &  labored  hard  to  impress  the  tniths  on  the 
minds  of  his  hearera.  He  was  a  tender  &  affection.ate  parent,  a  well-wisher  to 
precious  &  immortal  souls.  He  sustained  an  unblemished  character,  so  that  his 
enemies  were  coraiielled  to  acknowledge  he  was  a  christian.  Thus  lived  &  ilied 
this  worthy  character. 

"  May  we  all  endeavor  to  cherish  his  virtues  &  live  tlie  life  of  the  riglitcous 
that  our  last  end  be  like  his." 

Whole  number  of  names  upon  the  roll,  from  its  organiza- 
tion to  the  present  time,  380  ;  present  membership,  48  ;  addi- 
tions the  past  year,  18;  average  attendance  of  Sabbath-school, 
60;  public  worship,  80. 

Pastors  since  the  death  of  Rev.  Ezra  Reeves :  Enoch  Burt, 
from  May  9,  1821,  to  March  5,  1823.  During  his  pastorate 
Rev.  Mr.  Burt  preached  one-half  of  the  time  in  South  Brim- 
field. Rev.  James  Sanford  was  pastor  from  1827  to  1843. 
During  his  ministry  the  church  became  self-supporting,  but 
some  of  the  prominent  members  leaving  town  so  weakened  the 
pecuniary  ability  of  the  church  that  Mr.  Sanford,  greatly  to 
the  regret  of  the  people,  resigned.  Rev.  Benj.  Ober  was  pastor 
from  December,  1847,  to  March,  1851.  Rev.  A.  C.  Page  was 
pastor  from  Dec.  3,  1851,  to  April  12,  1854.  Rev.  H.  R. 
Grannis  sujiplied  the  church  two  years.  Rev.  Francis  Wood 
was  pastor  six  years,  from  March,  18.56,  to  April,  1862.  From 
July  following  Ogden  Hall  supplied  two  years.  Mr.  Alden 
Southworth  was  ordained  May  3,  1805,  after  having  labored 
one  year  with  the  church.  Sermon  by  Rev.  Charles  Cham- 
berlin  ;  prayer  by  Rev.  S.  J.  Curtiss.  Dec.  9,  1868,  D.  J. 
Bliss  was  ordained  pastor  of  the  church.  Sermon  by  Rev. 
A.  E.  P.  Perkins,  of  Ware;  ordaining  prayer  by  Rev.  S.  J. 
Curtiss,  of  Union,  Conn.  Dismissed  May  3,  1874.  Rev. 
J.  C.  Pike  supplied  for  three  years.  Rev.  Solomon  Bixby 
present  pastor. 

Deacons  of  the  church  :  three  months  after  its  organization, 
Moses  Lyon  and  Humphrey  Crowe  were  chosen  deacons,  Oct. 
25,  1768 ;  James  Frizell,  May  20,  1779 ;  S.  Ballard,  Sept.  24, 
1787 ;  David  Wallis,  Sept.  4,  1794 ;  Samuel  Webber,  April 
16,  1819;  James  A.  Lynn,  March  16,  1841;  Horace  Wallis, 
May  4,  1866  ;  William  B.  Webber  and  William  H.  Harris, 
who  are  in  active  service  at  the  present  time. 

BAPTISTS. 

This  denomination  does  not  now  exist  as  an  organized  so- 
ciety, but  at  onetime  constituted  an  influential  religious  body 
in  the  town.  On  June  6,  1817,  those  persons  living  in  Hol- 
land, and  on  the  borders  of  Sturbridge,  who  were  members  of 
the  churches  in  South  Brimfield,  Sturbridge,  and  South  bridge, 
sent  to  those  churches,  and  the  one  at  Thompson,  a  letter 
stating  that  twenty  persons — ten  brotliers  and  ten  sisters — ■ 
desired  to  form  a  church,  and  asking  them  to  send  their  pas- 
tors and  two  or  more  brethren  to  sit  with  them  in  council  on 
June  25th,  at  the  house  of  Benjamin  Church,  to  consult  upon 
said  matter.  The  letter  was  signed  by  Samuel  Webber  and 
Walter  Lyon,  committee.  The  council  convened  at  the  time 
stated,  and  the  church  was  duly  organized.  The  original 
number  who  composed  the  church  was  20,  and  12  were  added 
during  the  rest  of  the  year.  On  July  12,  1817,  Samuel  Web- 
ber and  Walter  Lyon  were  chosen  deacons.  The  first  regular 
pastor  of  the  church  was  Joseph  Glazier,  who  was  ordained 
by  a  council  of  churches,  Aug.  25,  1823.  Elder  John  M. 
Hunt  was  admitted  a  member  of  the  council  the  same  day, 
and  had  the  pastoral  care  of  the  church  for  a  time. 


HISTORY   OP  HAMPDEN  COUNTY. 


1105 


Sept.  5,  1832,  Washington  Hunger  was  installed  pastor. 
The  church  was  supplied  by  John  Payne,  Linas  Austin,  and 
others  at  different  times,  but  the  records  do  not  show  that  any 
others  were  regularly  in  charge  of  the  church  besides  Mr. 
Glazier  and  Mr.  Munger.  Amos  Babcock  was  the  last  to 
preside  over  the  church. 

The  date  of  the  last  entry  contained  in  the  records  is  Aug. 
21,  1S4-5.  Between  that  time  and  IS-jO  the  society  dissolved. 
It  had  included  during  its  existence  as  a  church  212  members, 
80  probably  being  the  highest  number  connected  with  it  at 
any  one  time. 

In  1819-20  the  society  erected  a  church  building  in  the  vil- 
lage, near  the  common,  which  was  formally  dedicated  Aug. 
25,  1820.  It  was  in  size  36  by  40  feet.  Since  the  dissolution 
of  the  church  the  society  have  transferred  the  structure  to  the 
town,  under  certain  restrictions,  which  now  uses  it  a.s  a  town- 
hall,  and  occasionally  for  school  purposes. 

Subsequent  to  the  dissolution  of  the  Baptist  Society,  the 
Methodists  held  meetings  fora  time  in  Holland,  but  the  move- 
ment never  assumed  an}'  great  strength  or  importance. 

BURIAL  GROUNDS. 

The  only  p\iblic  cemetery  in  Holland  is  situated  near  the 
village  on  the  road  to  Brimfield.  Early  in  the  year  1763  the 
district  of  South  Brimfield  voted  an  "acre  of  land  for  a 
burying-place,  and  the  southeast  corner  and  north  of  John 
Bishop's  land."  The  outgrowth  is  the  present  cemetery,  en- 
larged and  improved  from  the  original.  The  principal  en- 
largements and  improvements  were  in  18.5.5  and  1860. 

Many  of  the  headstones  in  the  cemetery  are  old  and  fast 
crumbling  away.  A  number  of  the  older  graves  appear  never 
to  have  had  any  headstone.  The  stone  bearing  the  oldest  date 
is  that  of  Penuel  Perrin,  a  child  of  Benjamin  Perrin,  who 
died  Juh-  25,  1764.  Most  of  the  early  settlers  of  the  town  are 
buried  there;  among  others,  Gersham  Rosbrook,  John  Policy, 
Edward  Fay,  Abel  Allen,  Nehcmiah  May,  Benjamin  Perrin, 
and  Trenance  Webber. 

In  the  southeast  corner  of  the  town,  the  Shoals  family,  who 

formerly  lived  in  Union,  Conn.,  established  a  private  bury- 

ing-ground  of  about  an  eighth  of  an  acre,  but  it  is  now  seldom 

used. 

INDUSTRIAL  PURSUITS. 

Of  the  industrial  pursuits  of  Holland,  but  little  can  or  need 
be  said.  The  principal  occupation  of  the  inhabitants  has  been 
the  pursuit  of  agriculture,  and  so  remains  at  the  present  day, 
the  products  of  the  town  being  similar  to  those  of  Wales. 
But  little  manufacturing  has  been  done,  and  there  is  none  of 
any  importance  at  the  present  time. 

EARLY  MANUFACTURES. 
About  1803,  Josiah  Hobbs  had  a  tannery  in  the  southwest 
part  of  the  town,  and  continued  the  business  until  1828,  when 
he  was  succeeded  by  Jedediah  Healey,  who  carried  on  the 
business  for  a  number  of  years.  In  olden  time  cattle  were 
driven  to  the  tannery,  killed,  and  the  skin  of  the  shoulders 
139 


made  into  upper  leather,  and  of  the  butts  into  sole  leather. 
George  Haradon  subsequently  occupied  the  tannery  as  a  place 
of  residence,  and  carried  on  shoemaking  there.  It  was  de- 
stroyed by  fire  about  1866. 

Over  eighty  years  ago,  John  Paddock,  in  connection  with 
his  father,  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  iron,  about  half  a 
mile  Itelow  the  dam  of  the  present  reservoir.  Another  one 
existed  where  the  Fuller  factory  afterward  stood.  The  busi- 
ness of  nail-cutting  was  also  pursued  on  the  land  occupied 
afterward  by  C.  B.  Drake.  Powder  was  manufactured  to 
some  extent  at  the  same  place. 

About  1830,  Elbridge  G.  Fuller  erected  a  factory  east  of 
Holland  Pond,  on  the  road  from  the  village  to  East  Brimfield. 
The  article  manufactured  here  was  cotton  cloth.  The  busi- 
ness was  successful,  and  gave  employment  to  upward  of  50 
persons  for  a  number  of  years.  It  was  destroyed  by  fire 
about  1855,  and  has  not  been  rebuilt.  This  was  the  most  im- 
portant manufacturing  enterprise  that  ever  existed  in  the 
town,  and  Mr.  Fuller  was  for  years  a  man  of  prominence 
and  distinction.  His  widow  still  resides  there  at  aa  ad- 
vanced age. 

About  the  time  of  the  erection  of  the  Fuller  mill,  John  C. 
Butterworth  commenced  the  manufacture  of  cotton  batting 
in  a  building  erected  bj-  him  for  that  purpose.  Leander 
Bradd  succeeded  him  for  a  few  years.  Elbridge  G.  Fuller 
made  wicking  there  for  a  short  time.  The  building  was 
destroyed  by  tire  about  1854,  and  never  rebuilt. 

MILITARY. 

The  records  are  very  meagre  concerning  the  military  history 
of  the  town.  In  the  time  of  militia-traiaing  days  the  town  is 
said  to  have  been  active,  and  many  interesting  facts  and  inci- 
dents connected  therewith  are  narrated  by  the  oldest  residents. 
lu  the  early  wars  the  town  was  comprised  either  in  Brimfield 
or  the  district  of  South  Brimfield,  and  much  that  relates  to  its 
history  at  that  time  will  be  found  in  the  histories  of  those 
places. 

The  records  show  that  the  town  was  averse  to  the  war  of 
1812,  and  earnestly  deprecated  an  alliance  with  France. 

In  the  war  of  the  Rebellion  the  town  contributed  the  sev- 
eral quotas  of  men  that  were  called  for  by  the  national 
government,  and  was  earnest  and  patriotic  throughout  that 
memorable  contest. 

The  following  is  the  list  of  soldiers  who  went  from  the 
town  to  tiie  war  of  the  Rebellion: 

CSemeni  F.  Drake,  Charles  /.  Clapp,  Merritt  A.  Towa,  Jxilius  Rice,  Henry  W. 
Webber,  David  Clapp,  Jr.,  Benry  N.  Bennett,  Henry  M.  Moore,  Henry  M. 
"Walker,  Charles  F.  Roper,  Burnett  E.  Miller,  John  Harding,  Ja^ues  L.  Groves, 
Newton  Wallss,  Georg*  A.  Haradoa,  Josiah  B.  Halt,  Harris  C.  Wallis,  George 
Barnes,  Baxter  C  Bennett,  .\lbert  Back,  Albertns  N.  AValker^  Jafiun  Lewis, 
Johji  Franklin,  John  Anderson. 

Acknowledgments  are  due  to  Horace  Wallis,  Sr.  and  Jr.,  to 
Frank  E.  Kinney,  Elisha  Kinney,  Wm.  A.  Webber,  and 
other  citizens  for  assistance  rendered  in  compiling  this  town 
history.. 


TOLLAND. 


GEOGRAPHICAL. 

Tolland  occupies  the  extreme  southwestern  corner  of 
Hampden  County,  of  which  it  is,  too,  one  of  the  smallest 
towns.  Its  boundaries  are  the  towns  of  Blandford  and  Otis 
on  the  north,  the  Connecticut  State  line  on  the  south,  Gran- 
ville on  the  east,  and  Berkshire  County  on  the  west.  Tol- 
land has  as  yet  no  railway  eoninuinication  with  other  points, 
but  e.xpects  to  have  in  time,  since  the  projected  Lee  and 
New  Haven  Railroad  is  graded  as  far  as  this  point,  and, 
although  abandoned  through  a  forfeiture  of  charter,  is  likely 
to  be  resuscitated  and  carried  to  completion.  The  town  covers 
an  area  of  about  18,000  acres,  less  than  half  of  which  are  said 
to  be  improved. 

NATURAL  FEATURES. 

The  surface  of  the  town  is  almost  wholly  mountainous, 
although  here  and  there  are  fertile  vallej's.  The  soil  is  gen- 
erally stony,  with  small  tracts  of  clay  and  sandy  loam.  Farm- 
ington  Kiver,  a  mill-stream  of  considerable  value,  washes 
the  western  border,  and  there  are  besides  several  mountain- 
streams,  which  are  utilized  for  milling  and  other  purposes. 
Noyes'  Pond,  near  the  centre,  is  the  source  of  Hubbard's 
Kiver,  and  is  famous  as  a  line  lishing-ground,  pickerel  of 
large  size  and  excellent  quality  being  the  chief  catch.  The 
elevation  upon  which  stands  the  church  at  Tolland  Centre  is 
said  to  be  the  highest  eminence  in  the  region  lying  between 
the  Connecticut  and  Housatonic  Rivers.  Woodland  is  plen- 
tiful, and,  of  the  great  variety  of  timber,  hemlock,  oak,  ash, 
and  chestnut  are  the  most  abundant.  In  common  with  the 
mountainous  towns  of  Western  Massachusetts,  Tolland  is  rich 
in  natural  scenery  of  the  picturesquely-rugged  sort,  and  is 
much  visited  by  tourists,  especially  in  the  autumn. 

EARLY  SETTLEMENT. 

The  tract  now  known  as  Tolland  was  originally  a  portion 
of  the  town  of  Granville,  and  remained  so  up  to  the  year  1810. 
Settlements  were  made  in  this  portion  of  Granville  as  early  as 
1750,  by  Titus  Fowler,  Thomas  Twining,  David  Slocomb,  Eb- 
enezer  Harding,  Marvin  Moore,  Jabez  Rogers,  Pierce  Mar- 
shall, James  Hamilton,  Abraham  Granger,  John  Manchester, 
James  Barlow,  Samuel  Hubbard,  Moses  Gough,  David  Fowler, 
and  Robert  Thomas,  and  John  Hamilton.  A  house  built  by 
Titus  Fowler  in  1772,  supposed  to  he  the  oldest  structure  in 
the  town,  still  stands  at  Tolland  Centre  in  a  state  of  excellent 
preservation,  and  is  occupied  as  the  residence  of  Mr.  Nathan 
Slocomb.  Mr.  Slocomb  is  a  grandson  of  David  Slocomb,  one 
of  the  early  settlers,  whose  son,  Eleazer,  died  in  Tolland  some 
years  ago.  Denison  Slocomb,  now  living  in  Tolland,  is  a  son 
of  Hull  Slocomb,  whose  father  was  also  named  David.  Mrs. 
E.  O.  Harding,  a  sister  of  Denison  Slocomb,  is  living  in  Tol- 
land. These  three  are  the  only  descendants  of  David  Slocomb 
now  residing  in  the  town. 

Ebenezer  Harding  has  but  one  descendant  living  in  Tolland, 
his  grandson,  E.  O.,  whose  father,  Timothy,  died  here. 

Of  the  descendants  of  Marvin  Moore,  there  are  now  in  Tol- 
land Eleazer  D.  and  Fowler  T.  Moore. 

Jabez  Rogers  had  ten  sons  and  two  daughters,  to  wit :  Leo- 
nard, Jabez,  Samuel,  Nathaniel,  Asa,  Percy,  Russell,  Martin, 
Dwyer,  John,  Lucy,  and  Sarah.  Lucy  died  a  Mrs.  Rockwell, 
and  Sarah,  marrying  Isaac  Harding,  died  in  Granville.  John 
1106 


W.,  a  son  of  Russell,  and  grandson  of  Jabez,  lives  in  Tolland, 
as  does  Russell  S.,  a  son  of  John. 

Pierce  Marshall  had  five  sons, — Pierce,  Jr.,  George,  Sam- 
uel, Dudley,  and  Gayos  (Gains).  Those  of  the  Marshall  de- 
scendants now  residing  in  Tolland  are  Alonzo,  a  son  of  Dud- 
ley, James  L.,  a  son  of  Samuel,  and  Mrs.  Alonzo  Miller,  a 
daughter  of  Samuel. 

The  sons  of  James  Hamilton  were  John,  Robert,  Thomas, 
Henry,  James,  and  Samuel.  There  are  no  Hamiltons  in  Tol- 
land now  save  Mrs.  Daniel  Hamilton,  a  widow,  whose  hus- 
band was  a  son  of  Robert. 

Titus  Fowler,  one  of  the  pioneers,  had  six  children,  as  fol- 
lows: John,  Titus,  Jr.,  Chauncey,  Eliza,  Catherine,  and 
Hannah.  Eliza  married  Cornelius  Slocomb,  and,  removing 
to  Ohio,  died  there.  Catherine  married  Judah  Twining,  and 
died  in  Tolland.  Hannah  married  Marvin  Moore,  and  died 
in  Tolland.  None  of  the  descendants  of  John  or  Chauncey 
are  living  in  Tolland.  Amos  H.,  a  son  of  Titus,  died  in  Tol- 
land, and  left  a  widow,  who  still  lives  here.  With  her  re- 
side her  two  children,  Elbert  E.  and  Ellen. 

One  of  the  ancestors  of  the  Twinings,  now  living  in  Tol- 
land, was  Thomas,  one  of  the  earliest  settlers.  His  children 
were  William  and  Stephen,  and  three  daughters.  Of  these 
latter,  one  married  Joseph  Wolcott,  of  Sandistield,  and  died 
there;  another  married  Chauncey  Fowler,  and  died  in  Tol- 
land ;  the  third  married  a  Mr.  Graham,  and,  removing  to  the 
West,  died  there.  Stephen  removed  to  New  Haven  early  in 
life.  A  daughter  of  William  married  Joseph  Slocomb,  and 
still  lives  in  Tolland.  Two  of  her  brothers,  Alfred  and 
Stephen,  reside  in  New  York  City. 

Elijah  Twining,  a  brother  of  Thomas,  and  likewise  an  early 
settler,  had  eight  children,  as  follows :  William,  Eleazer, 
Ruth,  Lewis,  Judah,  Timoth}',  Susan,  and  Lois.  Ruth  mar- 
ried Henrj' Smith,  and  died  in  Sandisfield ;  Susan  also  died 
there,  as  Mrs.  Edward  Wolcott;  Lois  died  when  quite  young. 
Of  Eleazer's  living  descendants,  Mrs.  Abigail  Humphrey 
resides  at  New  Boston,  aged  eighty-four;  Judah  R.,  at  Hart- 
land,  Conn.,  and  Pauly,  at  Barkhanipstead,  Conn.  William, 
a  son  of  William  and  grandson  of  Elijah,  lives  at  Black  River, 
N.  Y.,  aged  eighty-eight;  Lewis,  his  brother,  resides  in  the 
West.  Mrs.  Philander  Twining,  a  widow  of  one  of  Judah's 
sons,  lives  in  New  Boston.  There  also  lives  her  son,  Nelson 
B.  Another  of  her  sons  is  Homer  P.,  the  town  clerk  of  Tol- 
land. A  daughter  of  Timoth}-  married  a  Mr.  Goodale,  went 
West,  and  died. 

Abraham  Granger  had  two  sons  and  three  daughters.  One 
of  the  daughters  married  Allen  Bidwell,  and  died  in  Tolland; 
another  married  Eleazer  Spencer,  and  died  in  Ohio  ;  the  third 
married  Nathaniel  Gaylord,  and  died  in  Hartland,  Conn. 
The  sons  were  Launcelot  and  George  W.  Mrs.  Fowler  T. 
Moore,  now  living  in  Tolland,  is  a  daughter  of  Launcelot. 
Her  brother,  Lafayette,  lives  in  Winchester,  Conn.  Her 
living  sisters  are  Mrs.  H.  C.  Brown,  of  Barkhampstead, 
Conn. ;  Mrs.  Alex.  Sheldon,  of  Jamestown,  N.  Y. ;  and  Mrs. 
Taylor,  the  wife  of  a  minister  residing  in  New  York.  George 
W.,  Jr.,  a  son  of  George  W.,  resides  in  Tolland;  his  sister, 
Mrs.  D.  H.  Mills,  lives  in  New  York  City. 

John  Manchester  has  no  living  descendants  in  Tolland. 
His   sons  were  William,  John:  Shadrach,  and  Samuel.     Sha- 


HISTORY   OF  HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


1107 


drach  lives  in  Plainficld,  Conn.;  Samuel  lives  in  Barkhamp- 
stead,  Conn. ;  AVilliam  and  John  died  in  the  West  some  years 
ago.  Of  the  daughters  of  John,  the  original,  one  married 
Mr.  Murphy,  and  died  in  Tolland,  and  another,  marrying 
Isaac  Wilcox,  removed  to  the  far  West. 

ORGANIZ.iTION. 

Tolland  is  one  of  the  newest  towns  in  Massachusetts,  and 
dates  its  existence  back  only  to  the  year  1810.  June  14th  of 
that  j'ear  it  was  incorporated  as  a  town,  after  having  been 
set  off  from  the  town  of  Granville,  of  which  the  tract  had 
always  been  a  part.  To  the  date  of  its  incorporation  it  was 
known  as  West  Granville,  or  the  third  parish  of  that  town. 
In  addition  to  the  tract  taken  from  Granville,  a  section  was 
also  taken  from  the  eastern  part  of  Sandisfleld,  in  Berkshire 
County.  The  petition  for  incorporation  was  presented  to  the 
General  Court  in  1810,  by  William  Twining,  a  resident  in 
West  Granville  village  (afterward  Tolland),  and  one  of  Gran- 
ville's representatives  at  the  court  that  year. 

Much  that  is  valuable  and  interesting  in  the  history  of  Tol- 
land has  been  lost  to  posteritj-  through  the  destruction  by  fire 
at  Northampton  of  the  town  records  covering  the  period  be- 
tween the  years  of  1810  and  1849.  The  list  of  the  persons 
who  have  served  the  town  as  selectmen  and  town-clerks,  given 
below,  dates,  therefore,  from  1849. 

SELECTMEN. 

1849. — Lucien  Ilotchkiss,  N.  E.  Siocum,  Hiram  C.  Brown. 

1850.— Wm.  E.  Barnes,  Noah  B.  Nye,  Nathan  E.  Slocum. 

ISol. — Daniel  Spring,  Noalx  B.  Nye,  Edward  L.  Tiulier. 

1S52. — George  W.  Granger,  Oliver  E  Slocum,  Fowler  T.  Moore. 

1853. — Fowler  T.  Bloore,  Leonard  Cowles,  William  Tinker. 

1854.— Fowler  T.  Moore,  O.  E.  Slocnm,  .\mos  L.  Hnll. 

1855. — Geirge  W.  Granger,  Noah  B.  Nye,  Lj'man  Twining. 

1S50.— Lyman  Twining,  Noah  B.  Nye,  Edward  L.  Tinker. 

1857. — Rnfus  Smith,  Lyman  Twining,  Philander  F.  Twining. 

1858. — P.  F.  Twining,  Hiram  C.  Brown,  Samuel  Hamilton,  Jr. 

1869.— P.  F.  Twining,  Samuel  Hamilton,  Daniel  Spring. 

I860. — Philander  F.  Twining,  Sanniel  Hamilton,  George  W.  Granger. 

1861.— Philander  F.  Twijiing,  Daniel  Spring,  Edward  L.  Tinker,  Jr. 

1862. — Hiram  C.  Brown,  Lyman  Twining,  George  W.  Granger. 

1803-64. — Philander  F.  Twining,  Lyman  Twining,  George  W.  Granger. 

1865. — George  \V.  Granger,  Philander  F.  Twining,  N.  E.  Slocum. 

1860. — George  W.  Granger,  Philander  F.  Twining,  Samuel  C.  Marshall. 

1867. — George  W.  Granger,  Noah  B.  Nye,  Nelson  B.  Twining. 

1868.— George  W.  Granger,  N.  B.  Twining,  Samuel  C.  Marehall. 

1869.— N.  B.  Twining,  Samuel  C.  Marsliall,  Charles  N.  Marshall. 

1870-71.— Lafayette  Granger,  Julius  P.  Hall,  George  L.  Marshall. 

1872-73.— Nelson  B.  Twining,  Get.rge  L.  Marshall,  F.  S.  Hale. 

1874.— George  W.  Granger,  S.  C.  Mai-shall,  W.  F.  Hale. 

1875.— Fowler  T.  Moore,  S.  C.  Marshall,  E.  D.  Larkin. 

1876-77.— George  W.  Granger,  N.  B.  Twining,  Wellington  Hale. 

1878.— George  L.  Marshall,  Julius  P.  Hall,  Fowler  T.  Moore. 

TOWN   CLERK.S. 

Bufus  Smith,  1849  ;  Wm.  W.  Harrison,  1850-55  ;  Samuel  Hamilton,  Jr.,  1865- 
61 ;  Rufus  Smith,  1S61 ;  Samuel  Hamilton,  1862 ;  Willi.am  H.  Harrison,  1863-73 ; 
F.  R.  Moore,  1873-76 ;  H.  P.  Twining,  1876-79. 

VILLAGES. 

The  seat  of  town  government  is  at  Tolland  Centre, 
which,  although  a  small  settlement  of  perhaps  a  score  of 
dwellings,  is  a  neatlj^-kept  and  pleasantly-located  village.  It 
occupies  the  highest  elevation  in  the  town,  and  commands  a 
broad  and  charming  view  of  a  vast  stretch  of  surrounding 
country.  There  is  a  post-office  at  the  village,  but  no  store, 
the  town-hall,  and  a  church, — the  only  one  in  the  town. 

CHURCHES. 
The  only  church  in  the  town  is  the  Congregational  Church 
at  Tolland  Centre.  The  organization  of  this  church  dates 
back  to  1795,  when  what  is  now  Tolland  was  yet  known  as 
West  Granville.  In  that  year,  or  the  year  following,  a 
church  structure  was  erected  near  where  the  present  edifice 
stands,  but  there  was  no  regularly  settled  pastor  until  in  Jan- 
uary, 1798,  when  Rev.  Roger  Harrison  was  ordained.  Be- 
sides fulfilling  the  office  of  pastor,  Mr.  Harrison  served  the 


towns  of  Granville  and  Tolland  in  various  offices  of  public 
trust.  His  pastorate  continued  from  1798  to  1822,  when  he 
was  dismissed.  He  continued,  however,  to  reside  in  Tolland 
until  his  death,  in  18.53,  at  the  age  of  eighty-four.  During 
Mr.  Harrison's  ministry  Gordon  Hall,  who  was  born  in  1784, 
in  what  is  now  Tolland,  made  a  profession  of  religion  as  a 
member  of  Mr.  Harrison's  church,  and  shortly  thereafter 
entered  college,  whence  he  went  to  India  as  an  American 
missionarj-.  He  became  distinguished  in  the  missionary  field, 
and  at  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  in  Bombay  in 
1826,  he  was  somewhat  noted  as  an  author. 

After  Mr.  Harrison's  retirement,  the  church  depended 
for  upward  of  twenty  years — until  1843 — upon  supplies.  In 
that  year  Rev.  Alonzo  Sanderson  was  ordained,  and  continued 
to  be  the  pastor  until  1852,  after  which  there  was  no  settled 
pastor  until  1853,  when  Rev.  Franklin  D.  Austin  was  called 
to  the  charge.  The  old  church  building  stood  until  1842, 
when  it  was  replaced  by  the  present  edifice.  Rev.  David 
Ogden  is  the  pastor  now  in  charge  (1879).  The  church  mem- 
bership, which  numbers  about  75,  includes  several  persons 
resident  in  adjacent  towns. 

There  is  in  the  "south  quarter"  a  Baptist  society,  which 
was  organized  in  1830,  but  it  has  never  owned  a  church  build- 
ing, nor  has  it  enjoyed  regular  worship.  Services  are  occa- 
sionally held  in  the  dwellings  of  the  members,  as  convenience 
serves. 

SCHOOLS. 

The  history  of  education  in  Tolland  presents  no  features  of 
peculiar  interest,  and  since  the  early  records  of  the  town  are 
not  in  existence,  many  incidents  connected  with  the  progress 
of  the  schools  of  Tolland  must  remain  unwritten.  The  scho- 
lastic advantages  possessed  bj*  the  inhabitants  have  been  nat- 
urally limited  in  their  scope  to  the  possession  of  common 
district  schools,  and  this  may  indeed  be  told  as  well  of  the 
generality  of  towns  in  Western  Massachusetts  occupying  the 
standard  of  population  and  wealth  vouchsafed  to  Tolland. 
The  town  has,  however,  contributed  manj'  students  to  Ameri- 
can colleges,  and  of  these  mention  could  be  made  of  not  a  few 
who  have  graduated  with  conspicuous  honors. 

Eight  school  districts,  in  1879,  contributed  to  make  schools 
easj'  of  access  to  all,  while  for  the  support  thereof  the  town 
was  called  upon  to  dispense  but  the  nominal  sum  of  .S275  for 
the  year. 

BURIAL-PLACES. 

There  are  three  public  gravej'ards  in  the  town,  but  only 
one  of  them — located  about  a  mile  east  of  Tolland  Centre — 
lays  any  claim  to  early  origin.  It  is,  moreover,  grossly  neg- 
lected, and  within  its  limits  there  are  scarcely  a  dozen  erect 
headstones.  The  rest  are  either  broken  or  fallen  to  the  earth, 
while  rank  weeds  overrunning  the  inclosure  make  it  an  un- 
sightly spot.  There  are  many  old  stones  whose  inscriptions 
have  been  utterly  eft'aced  by  time.  Of  others,  inscriptions  have 
been  transcribed  as  follows  : 

Jjsse.sjn  of  Recompense  Miller,  died  in  1777 ;  Joseph  AVhitne.v,  1783,  aged  si.\ty- 
nine ;  Lucy,  wife  of  Peter  Miller,  1776 ;  Abraham,  Jr.,  son  of  .\brahani  Granger, 
1789 ;  Alexander,  son  of  the  same,  1798  ;  Hannah,  wife  of  Elezer  Slocum,  1798  » 
Rebecca,  wife  of  Thomas  Hamilton,  1801 ;  Titus  Fowler,  1827,  aged  eighty-eight ; 
Sarah,  wife  of  George  Bidwell,  1804;  .\llou,  son  of  Isaac  Allen,  1804;  Ueury 
Hamilton,  1S17,  aged  seventy-four. 

INDUSTRIES. 
The  industries  of  Tolland  are  limited.  The  soil  is  generally 
poo»,  and,  bP3'ond  the  article  of  hay,  does  not  yield  sufficient 
to  supply  the  wants  of  the  farmers,  who  are  annually  forced  to 
purchase  grain  in  Westfield.  Tobacco  was,  some  years  ago, 
raised  to  a  considerable  extent,  but  of  that  commodity  very 
little  is  produced  now.  Generally  the  farmers  devote  their 
energies  to  the  raising  of  stock  and  the  manufacture  of  butter 
and  cheese  in  a  small  way,  the  region  afl'ording  good  grazing 
facilities.  There  is  a  small  tannery  on  the  Farniington  River, 
owned  by  Albert  Hull,  and  a  small  bedstead-factory  in  the 


1108 


HISTORY  OF  THE  CONNECTICUT  VALLEY., 


north,  operated  by  Charles  N.  Marshal),  both  establishments 
being  run  by  water-jiower.  The  distance  from  the  nearest 
market  is  about  fourteen  miles.  The  town  has  a  post-oflSce, 
but  not  a  sin;i;le  .store  within  its  limits. 

The  total  assessed  valuation  of  the  town  in  1875  was  $267,- 
330,  on  which  the  tax  was  ^410,  or  at  the  rate  of  lOi  mills  on 
the  dollar.  This  onerous  tax  is  due  largely  to  the  fact  that 
some  years  ago  the  town  is.sued  §12.5,000  in  bonds  in  aid  of  the 
projected  Lee  and  New  Haven  Railroad,  which,  after  being 
graded  as  far  as  Tolland,  was  abandoned  for  lack  of  funds, 
and  still  remains  in  that  unfinished  condition,  the  company 

!•.  Vaill  Virgil,  2"lh  Mass.  Lcnnard  Frost,  27th  Mass. 

Biinkvr  Hciir.v.airl.  Muss.  H.  W.  Soule,  ;)4lli  Mass. 

Jubn  W   Muor^,  27tli  Mass.  I       F.  C.  Ha.vs,  .■JJth  Mass. 

CUiirles  H.  Priilt,'.!':ili  Mass.  j       D.  W.  Stow,  4Ctli  Ma.S9. 
Lalii.vetle  BaUi.  2;ili  Mass.  Cli.irles  H.  Vaill,  4lilh  M.nss 

H.  W.  ChalScW,  2"tli  Mass.  Nelson  Harger,  4lllli  Mass. 

Micharl  H.iri  i^an,  2711]  Mass.  Joseph  Miller,  40111  Mas?. 

Luiher  P.  Vaill,  27th  Masa.  Henrj  Miinn,  4i;th  Mass. 

.J.ihii  F.  Wel.b.-r,  27lh  Mass.  L.  M   Miinn,  4«tli  Mass. 

Gi-orge  M.  Hale,  27lh  Mass.  I       Thomas  Hays,  341h  Mass. 


I.ynian  Mar.sliall,  2Tlli  Mass. 
■William  C.  Soule,  27t1i  Mass. 
G.  A.Wright,  27tli  Mass. 
George  Fr«>t,  27lU  Mass. 


Seymour  Howe,  4Glh  Mass. 
Mozalt  Perry,  4Glh  Mass. 
Itobert  Harvey,  -IGtIi  Mass. 
Giles  Spring,  4ntli  Mass. 


having  forfeited   its  charter.     Some   day  it   is   likely  to  be 

pushed  to  completion,  and  on  that  hope  the  Tolland  people 

base  their  expectations  of  future  increased  prosperity.     The 

dwelling-houses  in  the  town  number  about  110,  and  the  farms 

105. 

TOLLANDS   WAR   RECORD. 

Tolland  was  not  in  sympathy  with  the  declaration  of  war 
against  Great  Britain  in  1812,  and  sent  Eleazer  Slocomb  as  a 
delegate  to  the  anti-war  convention  at  Northampton. 

For  the  war  of  the  Eebellion  the  town  furnished  soldiers 
as  follows : 

Thomas  Butler,  2d  Cav. 
James  Webb,  2d  Cav. 

D.  A.  Wallace,  2a  Cav. 
Kicliolas  Lee,  2.1  Cav. 
A.  II.  Asliley,  2.1  Uav. 
George  H.  Lewis,  27th  Mass. 
Frank  Hibbert,  27th  Mass. 

F.  T.  Douglass,  4th  Mich. 

E.  W.  Evans,  4tli  Mich. 
Hugh  Polan.  2.1  H.  Art. 

G.  H.  HcLellan,  2.1  II.  Art. 
M.  E.  Perry,  27lb  Mass. 

Of   the  above,  twelve   lost   their   lives   in    the 
service. 


HAMPDEN. 


GEOGRAPHICAL. 
This  last  addition  to  the  towns  of  Hampden  County  is 
located  southeast  of  the  centre,  and  is  bounded  on  the  north 
by  Wilbraham,  on  the  east  by  Monson,  on  the  west  by  Long- 
meadow  and  Springfield,  all  in  the  same  county,  and  on  the 
south  by  the  towns  of  Somers  and  Stafibrd,  in  Connecticut. 
It  contains  about  11,281  acres  of  land. 

NATURAL  FEATURES. 

The  physical  aspects  of  the  town  are  more  rugged  than 
those  of  Wilbraham.  The  centre  of  the  town,  from  north  to 
south,  comprising  an  area  of  about  two.niiles  in  width,  is 
thickly  studded  with  lofty  hills,  which  are  frequently  called 
mountains.  Mount  Vision,  formerly  known  as  Ktittlesnake 
Peak,  marks  the  northern  limit  of  this  range  in  the  town,  and 
affords,  from  its  summit,  an  extensive  view  of  the  surround- 
ino-  country.  Pine  Mountain  and  Bald  Mountain  are  names 
given  to  two  neighboring  elevations  in  the  southeast  part  of 
the  town. 

Scantic  Brook,  a  stream  of  considerable  size  and  an  affluent 
of  the  Connecticut  Eiver,  which  it  enters  at  East  Windsor,  in 
the  State  of  Connecticut,  rises  in  the  southeastern  corner  of 
the  town,  passes  in  a  northwesterly  direction  to  its  centre,  and 
then  takes  a  southwesterly  course  down  into  Connecticut. 
The  water-power  furnished  by  this  stream  is  excellent,  and 
the  earliest  manufacturing  enterprises  of  the  old  town  of 
Wilbraham  were  undertaken  on  the  ^cantic.  Three  impor- 
tant affluents,  called  variously  First,  Second,  and  Third 
Brooks,  or  East,  West,  and  Middle  (or  Big)  Brooks,  flow 
into  the  Scantic  from  the  north,  near  the  centre  of  the  town, 
and  smaller  streams  enter  it  in  other  parts  of  the  town. 

The  soil  of  the  town  is  good,  and  renders  rich  returns  to  its 
industrious  inhabitants.  The  largest  number  of  farms  lie  in 
the  eastern  and  southeastern  sections  of  the  town,  where  the 
surface  is  more  level  and  uniform,  but  west  and  southwest  of 
the  main  road  from  Wilbraham  the  land  is  good,  and  many 
productive  farms  are  successfully  tilled.      The  mineral  and 


geological  features  of  the  town  are  not  of  special  importance, 
but  correspond  with  the  general  description  elsewhere  detailed. 

EARLY    SETTLEMENT. 

The  settlement  of  Hampden  did  not  commence  so  early  as 
that  of  Wilbraham.  Prior  to  1741  there  was  not  a  settler 
within  the  present  limits  of  the  town.  South  of  a  line  drawn 
due  east  and  west  across  the  old  town,  on  the  south  side  of  the 
Cross  farm,  there  was  not  a  house  or  cultivated  field. 

In  the  spring  of  1741,  Stephen  Stebbins  came  from  Long- 
meadow  and  settled  on  the  north  bank  of  the  Scantic,  where 
Orville  Pease  afterward  resided.  The  house  which  he  built 
was  removed  over  sixty  years  ago,  and  was  used  for  a  barn 
on  the  John  McCray  place.  Aaron  Stebbins,  a  brother,  settled 
soon  after  a  few  rods  north,  where  Kev.  Mr.  Rockwood  since 
resided.  Lewis  Langdon  settled  on  the  corner,  between  them, 
and  built  the  first  saw-mill  in  town,  in  1750.  Abner  Chapin, 
from  Cliicopee,  occupied  the  first  lot  south  of  the  Scantic, 
where  his  descendants  have  since  resided.  Lieut.  Paul  Lang- 
don, who  brought  the  first  four-wheeled  wagon  into  the  place, 
in  which  he  moved  his  worldly  goods  and  family, — first  from 
Salem,  then  from  Hopkinton,  and  lastly  from  Union, — settled 
near  the  Potash  Hill. 

On  the  east  side  of  the  mountain  was  William  King,  a  large 
land-owner,  whose  house  was  directly  in  front  of  the  present 
Congregational  Church.  William  Stacy,  from  Salem,  settled 
where  Gilbert  Stacy  afterward  resided  ;  Moses  Stebbins,  where 
Mrs.  Beriah  Smith  afterward  lived;  Comfort  Chaffee,  who 
came  from  Wales,  settled  between  them,  where  William  P. 
Chaffee,  his  great-grandson,  afterward  resided.  In  the  east, 
on  the  Scantic,  were  Henry  Badger,  from  Union  ;  Isaac  Mor- 
ris, from  Woodstock;  Benjam;n  Skinner  and  Jabez  Hendrick 
settled  on  the  Hiram  Hendrick  place;  Daniel  Carpenter,  on 
the  Carpenter  farm  ;  Ezekiel  Russell,  on  Albert  Beebe's  farm  ; 
and  Rowland  Crocker,  a  little  above.  The  Sessions  family, 
since  so  prominent  and  influential  in  the  town,  came  from 
Pomf'ret,  Conn.,  and  located  in  1781. 


SUMNER  SESSIONS. 

This  pentlt'inan  was  horn  Dec.  29, 1797, 
in  the  south  parish  of  Wilbraham,  Mass., 
now  the  town  of  Hampden. 

His  father,  Robert  Sessions,  was  born 
in  Pomfret,  Conn.,  March  15,  1752,  was 
married  to  Anna  Ruggles  (also  of  Pom- 
fret)  in  1778,  and  removed  to  Wilbraham 
about  the  year  1781.  He  was  one  of  the 
original  "Boston  Tea-Partj-,"  of  patriotic 
memory,  and  assisted  in  throwing  the  tea 
overboard.  He  was  then  a  young  man, 
employed  in  a  store  in  Boston.  Reserved 
in  the  Continental  array,  rising  to  the  rank 
of  lieutenant,  and  was  once  a  bi-arer  of 
verbal  information  to  Gen.  Washington. 

Amasa  Sessions,  grandfather  of  Sumner, 
was  a  son  of  Nathaniel  Sessions,  who  was 
born  in  Andover,  Mass.,  and  settled  in 
Pomfret  in  1704.  He  was  the  son  of  Alex- 
ander Sessions,  the  first  of  the  name  to 
come  from  England, 

Darius,  son  of  Nathaniel,  and  uncle  to 
Robert  Sessions,  was  deputy  governor  of 
Rhode  Island  at  the  heginning  of  the 
Revolution.  The  historian  Bancroft  says 
of  him:  "That,  in  the  burning  of  tlie 
Gaspc-e"  (nn  aflfair  like  the  "  Boston  Tea- 
Party"),  ''Darius  Sessions  and  Stephen 
Hopkins  weie  the  two  pillars  on  which 
the  liberty  of  Rhode  Island  depemled." 

Sumner  Sessions  waa  the  sixth  son,  ami 
eleventh  child,  of  a  family  of  thirteen 
children.  One  ilied  in  infancy,  two  died 
at  the  age  of  thirty  years,  and  the  others 
lived  to  advanced  age.  Francis  left  one 
son, — F.  C,  Sessions,  now  living  at  Colum- 
bus, Ohio.  Horace  graduated  at  Hamilton 
College  and  Andover  Theological  Semin- 
ary, and  was  afterward  ordained  as  an 
evangelist,  and  went  to  Liberia,  Africa, 
as  an  agent  of  the  Colonization  Society,  to 
aid  in  the  establishment  of  a  colony  of 
colored  emigrants  from  the  New  England 
States.  He  took  the  first  printing-press  to 
that  conntry,  and  died  at  sea,  on  his  return 
trip  home,  March  4,  1826,  of  fever  con- 
tracted in  Africa. 

Robert,  Jr.,  lived  and  died  in  Wilbra- 
ham; was  an  active  member  of  the  Meth- 
odist Church,  and  was  drafted  into  the  State 


SUMNER  SESSIONS. 


Photo,  by  Moffitt. 


militia  in  the  war  of  1812.    His  bod,  H.  M. 

Sessions,  now  resides  on  bis  father's  farm. 
Another  brother  wont  to  Michigan,  and  a 
sister  to  Ohio,  when  those  States  were 
considered  the  Far  West.  One  other 
brother  and  three  sisters  passed  their 
lives  in  Wilbraham.  Rut  one  brother  and 
sister  are  now  living, — William  V.  Ses- 
sions, whose  biography  appears  elsewhere 
in  this  work,  and  Mrs.  Cyrus  Newell,  of 
Longmeadow,  Mass.,  now  in  her  ninetieth 
year. 

Mr.  Sessions  has  p:issed  the  greater  part 
of  bis  life  in  tlic  pursuit  of  agriculture, 
having  lived  for  forty-si.\  years  upon  the 
farm  which  he  now  occupies.  Having  a 
mill  privilege,  he  erected,  and  owned  for 
a  number  of  yeai-s,  the  oldest  woolen-fac- 
tory in  Wilbraham. 

He  joined  tlie  Congregational  Church  in 
1821,  and  two  years  later  was  chosen 
deacon,  an  office  which  he  still  holds.  He 
has  ever  manifested  the  utmost  fidelity  to 
the  interests  of  religion,  and  Ims  been  a 
staunch  supporter  of  the  benevolent  and 
missionary  enterprises  of  bis  day.  He 
early  identified  himself  with  the  cause  of 
the  oppressed,  assisting  in  the  organization 
of  the  Anii-Slavery  Society  of  Wilbraham 
nearly  fifty  yeai's  ago.  He  also  assisted  in 
the  organization  of  the  T<-mperance  Soci- 
ety about  the  s;ime  time,  and  has  system- 
atically abstained  from  the  use  of  all  in- 
toxicating beverages.  He  has  never  held 
any  important  public  office,  but  always 
manifested  an  interest  in  public  affairs 
and  in  tlie  welfare  of  the  country. 

In  the  year  1826,  Mr.  Sessions  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Mary  Wood,  of  Wilbra- 
ham, who  died  April  1.  1845.  The  fruits 
of  tlie  union  were  four  children, — three 
daughters  and  a  son.  Of  the  daughters, 
the  second,  Harriet  E.,  graduatecl  at  5Iount 
Holyoke  Seminary,  in  the  year  185G,  and 
is  DOW  a  teacher  in  the  same  institution; 
the  other  two,  Mary  E.  and  Frances  E., 
reside  with  their  father.  The  only  sou, 
Edward  Payson,  the  youngest  of  the  fam- 
ily, died  at  the  age  of  seven  years. 

Mr.  Sessions  married  for  his  second  wife, 
in  the  year  1846,  Martha  M.  Saxton,  of 
Wilbraham,  who  died  Sept.  1, 1850. 


jiE^ii©ii(i!fl©[i  @i?  giJ)sia[K]iiH  iii^o^ffoa,  [K]^[iiaip©i!?fl,  mik. 


The  Sessions  family  traces  its  origin  back  to  the  shores  of  England, 
and  was  first  planted  in  this  country  by  Alexander  Sessions,  the  great- 
great-grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  Fuller  details  re- 
garding the  genealogy  and  descent  of  the  family  will  be  found  in 
the  biography  of  Sumner  Sessions,  in  this  work. 

Robert  Sessions,  the  father  of  Wm.  V.  Sessions,  after  an  honorable 
service  in  fighting  for  the  liberties  of  his  country  in  the  Continental 
army,  removed  in  1781  to  the  south  parish  of  Wilbraham,  now  the 
town  of  Hampden.  He  located  upon  the  farm  now  occupied  by  Wm. 
V.  Sessions,  and  a  long  life  of  active,  systematic  labor  spent  upon  it 
made  it  one  of  the  best  in  the  town.  He  occupied  a  prominent  place 
in  society,  filling  many  offices  of  trust  and  responsibility.  He  was 
a  justice  of  the  peace  for  many  years,  town  clerk  and  treasurer  for 
twelve  years,  selectman  and  assessor  for  a  long  term  of  years,  and 
was  almost  uniformly  chosen  as  moderator  of  town  meetings.  He 
represented  the  town  of  Wilbraham  in  the  State  Legislature  for  five 
years,  and  died  in  1836,  at  the  age  of  eighty-four.  Two  of  his  older 
sons  served  in  the  army  in  the  war  of  1812. 

William  V.  Sessions,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  born  in  AVil- 
braham  (now  Hampden),  Mass.,  upon  the  farm  where  he  now  lives, 
on  Sept.  14,  1801.  He  was  the  youngest  of  a  family  of  thirteen 
children,  all  but  one  of  whom  attained  mature  years.  His  early  life 
was  passed  upon  his  father's  farm,  and  in  attendance  upon  the  common 
schools  of  his  day.  Upon  the  death  of  his  father  he  became  the 
owner  of  the  farm  upon  which  he  was  born,  and  has  resided  there 
uninterruptedly  since,  making  the  pursuit  of  agriculture  a  life-long 
study,  and  by  careful  and  judicious  management  reaping  rich  returns 
from  Mother  Earth  for  his  fidelity  to  her  requirements.  The  golden 
rule  that  leads  to  success  in  farming  enterprises  he  conceives  to  be 
the  judicious  reinvestment  of  the  profits  of  farming  upon  the  farm 
itself,  a  rule  that  has  been  followed  by  the  most  successful  agricultur- 
ists of  the  day.  While  farming  has  been  the  principal  occupation 
of  Mr.  Sessions,  he  has  yet  found  time  to  devote  his  attention  to  other 
pursuits  which  he  deemed  to  the  material  welfare  of  his  native  town. 
For  several  years  he,  in  company  with  Samuel  Beebe  and  others,  en- 
gaged in  the  manufacture  of  woolen  goods,  in  the  first  woolen-mill 
erected  in  the  town  (that  by  Sumner  Sessions,  his  brother);  but  the 
enterprise  did  not  meet  with  financial  success.  Mr.  Sessions  not 
only  succeeded  to  his  father's  plaCv?  as  a  successful  farmer,  but  also  in 
the  relation  that  he  sustained  to  society  in  general,  and  the  place 
that  ho  occupied  in  the  community  in  which  he  lived.  Throughout 
a  long,  active,  and  laborious  life  he  has  tilled  many  stations  of 
honor  and  responsibility  with  singular  fidelity,  integrity,  and  skill. 
He  has  been  selectman,  assessor^  and  justice  of  the  peace  for  many 


years,  has  represented  his  town  in  the  General  Court,  and  for  three 
years  filled  the  office  of  county  commissioner.  In  the  affairs  of  social 
life  his  services  have  also  met  with  great  demand  and  high  appreci- 
ation. He  has  frequently  acted  as  executor  of  the  wills,  and  adminis- 
trator upon  the  estates,  of  his  deceased  townsmen,  and  has  been  the 
custodian  of  the  funds  of  many  of  their  widows  and  orphan  children. 
Though  thus  burdened  with  private  responsibilities  of  great  moment, 
no  one  has  ever  suffered  the  loss  of  a  single  dollar  through  his  in- 
competency or  corruptness.  He  has  been  ever  identified  with  the 
religious  and  benevolent  enterprises  of  his  day,  a  consistent  member 
of  the  Congregational  Church  since  his  twenty-first  year,  and  now 
holds  the  office  of  deacon  of  that  church. 

On  Nov.  26,  1829,  Mr.  .Sessions  married  Lydia  Ames,  of  East 
Windsor,  Conn.,  by  whom  four  children  have  been  borne  to  him,  three 
daughters  and  one  son.  Two  of  the  daughters  died  in  childhood. 
Lydia  A.,  the  other  daughter,  was  educated  at  Mount  Holyoke  Female 
Seminary,  and,  after  teaching  there  several  years,  became  the  first 
principal  of  the  Painesville  (Ohio)  Female  Seminary.  She  retained 
this  position  for  seven  years,  establishing  the  institution  upon  a  firm 
basis,  and  receiving  the  grateful  thanks  of  its  founders  and  patrons. 
This  daughter  was  united  in  marriage,  in  1871,  with  Rev.  W.  W. 
Woodworth,  pastor  of  the  Congregational  Church  at  Berlin,  Conn. 

William  Robert  Sessions,  the  son,  since  attaining  his  majority,  has 
been  engaged  in  agricultural  enterprises  with  his  father,  and  under 
his  management  the  farm  has  been  much  improved,  stock-raising  en- 
couraged, and  a  fine  barn,  forty-four  by  one  hundred  feet,  and  three 
stories  high,  erected.  The  firm  of  Wm.  V.  &  Wm.  R.  Sessions  has  paid 
special  attention  to  the  careful  breeding  of  thoroughbred  short-horned 
cattle  for  purposes  of  butter-making.  Their  cattle  have  attained  great 
celebrity,  and  are  widely  known  in  the  Northern  and  Western  States, 
and  greatly  sought  after  in  those  sections,  large  numbers  having 
been  disposed  of  there.  Since  the  increase  of  years  has  granted  his 
father  some  respite  from  his  cares,  the  son  has  assumed  them,  and 
with  great  success.  He  was  a  selectman  of  the  town  of  Wilbraham 
most  of  the  time  for  the  past  twelve  years,  and  is  now  chairman  of 
the  board  of  selectmen  of  the  new  town  of  Hampden.  He  has  also 
represented  the  town  in  the  Legislature.  He  served  in  the  Union 
army  in  the  suppression  of  the  late  Rebellion,  and  esperitinced  the 
horrors  of  prison-life  in  Libby  Prison.  Following  the  example  of  his 
grandfather,  he  has  acted  as  moderator  of  town-meetings  every  year 
since  the  late  war  save  one,  when  he  was  absent  in  the  Legislature. 
Thus  is  the  third  generation  of  this  active  and  useful  family  still 
aiming  to  promote  the  welfare  of  its  native  town,  and  adding  wisdom 
to  its  councils. 


HISTORY  OF  HAMPDEN   COUNTY. 


1109 


Tlie  first  road  laid  out  in  this  town  was  from  "  Third 
Brook,"  so  called,  near  Miss  Experience  Stebbins',  running 
easterly  and  southerly  through  the  southeast  part  of  the  town 
to  Wales.  A  part  of  the  way  it  was  in  the  "Old  Path."* 
Paul  Langdon  was  surveyor.  The  early  roads  varied  in 
width  from  1  to  3  rods.  A  fuller  reference  to  them  will  be 
found  in  the  history  of  Wilbraham. 

Among  the  early  taverns  that  have  been  kept  in  the  town 
may  be  mentioned  one  by  William  Wood,  where  Mr.  Root 
now  lives,  about  1810.  A  man  named  Tillotson  built  a  house 
opposite  Mr.  Root's,  and  kept  hotel  for  a  few  years,  the  first 
part  of  the  present  century.  It  was  afterward  kept  by  Levi 
Plint,  Dudley  B.  Post,  and  others.  Rudolphus  Chaffee  kept 
tavern  in  both  houses  a  number  of  years.  John  McCray 
also  kept  tavern  for  ten  or  twelve  years  on  the  corner  where 
the  Allen  house,  the  only  hotel  in  the  town,  now  stands. 

William  Clark  kept  a  store  at  the  centre  the  early  part  of 
this  century.  Edward  Morris  came  next,  then  Levi  Flint  for 
a  number  of  years.  Dudley  B.  Post  was  in  trade  about  1822. 
A  man  named  Parsons  succeeded  Flint  for  a  short  time. 
Gordon  B.  Sexton  followed  next.  Bugbee  &  Co.  traded  at 
the  centre,  in  the  long  building,  now  the  Congregational  par- 
sonage, about  1835. 

Dr.  John  Goodale  is  supposed  to  have  been  the  first  physician 
who  established  himself  in  the  town.  He  lived  just  south  of 
the  centre,  and  practiced  the  early  part  of  the  present  century. 
His  descendants  still  reside  in  the  town.  Dr.  Holt  lived  at  the 
centre,  and  followed  soon  after  Dr.  Goodale.  He  died  of  ty- 
phoid fever  quite  suddenly,  about  1810.  Dr.  Daniel  TJfford 
succeeded  him,  and  practiced  for  a  number  of  years.  He  sub- 
sequently removed  from  the  town.  Dr.  Edwin  McCray 
studied  with  Dr.  Ulford,  and  practiced  for  a  short  time.  He 
removed  to  Longmeadow,  and  thence  to  Agawam,  where  he 
enjoyed  a  good  practice  until  his  death.  Dr.  Marcus  Cady 
engaged  in  practice  about  1825,  and  lived  at  the  centre  until 
his  death.  Dr.  Abial  Bottom  commenced  about  1840,  and  is 
still  in  practice,  as  is  also  his  son.  Dr.  D.  W.  Bottom.  Dr. 
George  T.  Ballard  commenced  about  1861,  and  is  still  in  prac- 
tice. 

The  only  lawyer  who  ever  practiced  in  the  town  was  Otis 
Norcross,  about  1825.  He  remained  but  two  or  three  years, 
and  lived  at  the  centre. 

ORG.\NIZ.\TIOX. 

The  inhabitants  of  the  town  of  Hampden  were  set  off  as  the 
South  Parish  of  Wilbraham  by  act  of  the  General  Court, 
June  11,  1782,  and  from  that  time  the  religious  history  of  the 
two  sections  has  been  distinct  and  separate.  The  preamble  to 
the  act  of  incorporation  indicates  the  object  of  the  division  to 
have  been  the  "greater  convenience  of  attending  the  public 
worship  of  God." 

The  division  into  parishes,  however,  does  not  seem  to  have 
allayed  the  animosities  which  had  been  engendered  by  the 
continued  rivalry  and  antagonism  which  had  existed  since 
the  first  settlement  of  the  town,  between  its  northern  and 
southern  sections.  Difference  of  opinion  upon  matters  re- 
lating to  the  government  of  the  town  continued,  and  on  Jan. 
19,  1824,  a  vote  was  taken  upon  an  article  "to  see  if  the  town 
will  petition  the  General  Court,  at  their  next  session,  to  divide 
the  town  of  Wilbraham  into  two  towns,"  buttho  proposition 
was  rejected  by  114  nays  to  67  yeas.  The  subject  was  again 
agitated  at  diflerent  times,  and  not  unfrequcntly  with  some 
degree  of  asperity. 

Finally,  on  March  28,  1878,  an  act  passed  the  Legislature 
which  established  the  town  of  Hampden,  the  territory  as- 
signed to  it  being  nearly  identical  with  the  boundaries  of  the 
South  Parish,  as  follows: 

"Beginning  at  a  stone  monument  on  the  east  line  of  the  town  of  Longmeadow, 

«  Not  the  Bay  Path. 


and  eijihteen  hundred  and  thirty-two  feet  southerly  hy  said  line  from  the  stono 
monument  marking  the  northciist  corner  of  said  town  of  Longmeadow  ;  thenco 
south  eightyK-ight  degrees  and  twenty-five  minutes  east,  fourteen  thousand  one 
hundred  and  fifty-eight  feet  to  a  stone  monument ;  thence  north  twenty.«eveil 
degrees  and  fifteen  minutes  cj\st.  three  thousand  three  hundred  and  tliirty-two 
feet  to  a  stone  monument;  tlienee  south  eighty-eight  degrees  and  twenty-five 
minutes  ea.st,  nine  thousand  eight  hundred  and  fifteen  feet  to  a  stone  monument 
on  the  west  line  of  the  town  of  Monson." 

The  first  town-meeting  of  the  new  town  was  held  in  the 
vestry  of  the  Congregational  Church,  on  April  8,  1878,  and 
was  duly  "  notified  and  warned"  by  S.  C.  Spellman,  justice  of 
the  peace.  AVilliam  R.  Sessions  was  chosen  moderator.  The 
following  persons  were  chosen  to  fill  the  principal  offices  of 
the  town :  Sumner  Smith,  Clerk  and  Treasurer ;  Wm.  R. 
Sessions,  Freeman  W.  Dickinson,  and  Patrick  E.  Wall,  Se- 
lectmen ;  S.  M.  Staunton,  Andrew  Beebe,  John  W.  Isham, 
Assessors  ;  A.  B.  Newell,  J.  N.  Isham,  and  M.  H.  Warren, 
School  Committee. 

On  April  18,  1878,  another  meeting  of  the  town  was  held, 
when  the  following  appropriations  for  the  year  were  made: 
$1000  for  schools,  $100  for  permanent  repairs  of  school-houses, 
§1000  for  paupers,  §600  for  highways  and  town  officers,  and 
§450  for  contingent  expenses. 

The  town  is  now  fully  organized,  and  in  a  prosperous  con- 
dition. 

VILLAGES. 

The  only  village  is  situated  at  its  geographical  centre,  on 
the  north  shore  of  the  Scantic  Brook.  It  is  ranged  along  the 
principal  road,  running  east  and  west  through  the  town.  The 
houses  are  neat  and  tasteful  in  appearance,  and  a  brisk  busi- 
ness air  pervades  the  place,  which  may  properly  be  termed  a 
manufacturing  village.  Three  woolen-mills  are  within  the 
proper  limits  of  the  village,  while  other  industrial  enterprises 
are  carried  on  near  by.  Besides  these,  the  village  contains 
Methodist,  Congregational,  and  Baptist  Churches,  and  an 
academy,  each  in  good  condition,  which  add  much  to  the 
architectural  beauty  of  the  place.  The  nearest  railroad  sta- 
tions are  at  Staftord  Springs,  Conn.,  and  North  Wilbraham. 

The  principal  stores  in  the  village  are  kept  by  Sumner 
Smith  and  Albert  F.  Ballard.  Elbridge  Yinnicke  is  also  in 
trade. 

The  post-office  was  established  about  1826,  the  first  post- 
master being  Dudley  B.  Post.  The  office  has  since  been  filled 
by  Samuel  Beebe,  S.  C.  Spellman,  William  Spellman,  Horton 
Hendrick,  and  Sullivan  M.  Staunton,  the  present  incumbent. 

The  scenery  around  the  village  is  wild  and  picturesque, 
the  hills  on  the  west  and  south  rising  to  an  elevation  of  sev- 
eral hundred  feet.  In  the  valley,  nestled  close  along  the  bank 
of  the  Scantic,  may  be  seen  the  little  village,  noisy  with  the 
hum  of  industry,  while  beyond  and  around  it  lie  the  broad 
and  well-cultivated  acres  of  the  husbandman. 

SCHOOLS. 

Much  that  relates  to  the  early  schools  of  the  town  has  been 
incorporated  in  the  history  of  Wilbraham.  Some  of  the  early 
teachers  of  the  town  were  Moses  and  Stephen  Stebbins,  Sam- 
uel Beebe,  Samuel  Henry,  Marcus  Cady,  Betsey  Sessions, 
Sally  Silcox,  and  Lydia  Ames. 

Hampden  Academy,  an  institution  that  has  acquired  a  fa- 
vorable reputation  among  the  schools  of  the  day,  was  built 
by  private  subscription  about  the  year  1844,  and  was  estab- 
lished to  supply  a  demand  for  higher  educational  facilities. 
The  first  teacher  was  Elijah  Brooks,  and  the  second  E.  J. 
Howe.  Others  have  been  Charles  Marsh  and  a  Mr.  Bliss,  the 
latter  since  a  minister.  Alonzo  B.  Newell,  an  efficient  and 
popular  instructor,  has  had  charge  of  the  school  for  a  number 
of  years  past,  which  holds  regular  sessions  at  present  only  in 
the  winter  season. 

There  are  four  school  districts  in  the  town,  with  an  average 
total  attendance  of  about  125  scholars. 


1110 


HISTORY  OF  THE   COxVNECTICUT  VALLEY. 


CHURCHES. 
CONOREQATIONAL. 

The  South  Parish  was  incorporated  June  11,  1782.  Pre- 
vious to  this,  however,  there  had  been  preaching  at  private 
residences  and  in  the  open  air.  The  first  meeting-house  was 
raised  in  June,  178.3,  and  was  placed  in  the  street  nearly  op- 
posite to  where  Mrs.  Aaron  Warren  since  resided.  For  ten 
3'ears  it  was  a  mere  shell,  rough-boarded  on  the  outside,  with 
board  windows,  and  the  timbers  &f  the  walls  and  roof  were 
all  exposed.  In  1793,  £246  15s.  were  appropriated  to  finish 
the  house  and  "see  it  glassed."  A  church  was  organized  in 
1785,  and  Rev.  Moses  Warren  was  ordained  pastor,  Sept.  3, 
1788,  when  the  church  contained  C5  members.  His  settlement 
was  £150,  and  his  salary  £.58  14.s.  ($188.33),  one-half  to  be 
paid  in  commodities,  including  24  cords  of  wood  yearly.  Un- 
successful attempts  were  made  to  remove  the  meeting-house 
out  of  the  road  in  1817,  1822,  and  1824.  In  1838  it  was  re- 
moved by  private  subscription,  and  a  bell  was  put  in,  the  first 
in  the  town.  Mr.  Warren  continued  his  ministry  until  his 
death,  Feb.  19,  1829,  in  the  seventy-second  year  of  his  age. 
He  had  baptized  478  adults  and  children.  The  subsequent 
pastors  of  the  church  have  been  Rev.  Mr.  Clarke,  Rev.  Ebe- 
nezer  R.  Wright,  Rev.  James  A.  Hazen,  ordained  Jan.  30, 
1839,  dismissed  June  22,  1847;  Rev.  Hubbard  Becbe,  installed 
April  19,  1848,  discharged  April  1,  1852;  Rev.  E.  Skinner, 
ordained  May  19,  1853,  dismissed  April  11,  1855;  Rev.  James 
C.  Houghton,  installed  April  11,  1855,  dismissed  Oct.  1,  185G  ; 
Rev.  John  Whitehill,  ordained  Dec.  11,  1861,  dismissed  May 
27,  1868 ;  Rev.  Edward  B.  Chamberlain,  ordained  March  3, 
1869,  dismissed  March  10,  1873.  The  present  pastor.  Rev. 
Edward  Payson  Root,  became  the  acting  pastor  Oct.  14,  1875, 
and  the  ordained  pastor  June  1,  1876. 

The  church  at  the  present  time  is  in  a  prosperous  and  har- 
monious condition.  The  number  of  members  is  119;  Sabbath- 
scholars,  60;  number  of  families  attending  and  contributing 
to  the  support  of  the  society,  50.  The  Sabbath-school  library 
is  small,  but  is  about  being  re-established. 

BAPTISTS. 

The  early  history  of  the  Baptist  movement,  which  finally 
resulted  in  the  establishment  of  the  present  church  in  Hamp- 
den, has  been  treated  of  in  the  history  of  the  town  of  Monson. 
At  the  time  of  the  dissolution  of  the  Monson  Society,  in  1855, 
the  strength  of  the  movement  concentrated  in  South  Wilbra- 
hara,  or  Hampden,  and  the  pastor  of  the  society,  the  Rev.  J. 
C.  Foster,  established  himself  there,  and  a  church  edifice  was 
then  erected.  The  history  of  the  church  since  that  time  has 
been  more  favorable,  and  the  following  have  served  as  pastors  ; 
Rev.  Henry  S.  Stevens,  Rev.  Moses  Curtis,  Rev.  Bailey  S. 
Morse,  and  Rev.  E.  S.  Hill.  Rev.  Charles  A.  Cook  was  then 
liired  for  a  year.  An  arrangement  was  then  effected  with  the 
Baptist  Church  at  Longmeadow,  whereby  one  pastor  should 
supply  both  societies,  and  still  continues.  Rev.  O.  R.  Hunt 
is  the  pastor.  The  present  membership  is  about  80 ;  of  Sab- 
bath-school, about  40;  with  a  Sabbath-school  library  of  300  or 
400  volumes.  The  church  building  is  in  the  centre  of  the  vil- 
lage, and  cost  about  $4500. 

METHODIST   EPISCOPAL. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  at  Hampden  (then  Wil- 
braham)  was  organized  about  1830,  by  a  number  of  persons 
who  left  various  other  churches,  though  mostly  Congrega- 
ticmalists.  A  leading  person  was  Mr.  Sessions,  a  strong  Ar- 
minian,  who  exercised  a  controlling  influence  until  the  time 
of  his  death,  in  18C1.  His  large  family  of  children  are  all 
strong  Methodists,  and  his  son,  Horace  Sessions,  has  long 
filled  the  position  occupied  by  his  father. 

This  church  has  been  kept  up  since  its  organization,  and  is 
prosperous  at  the  present  time. 

The  records  have  either  been  lost  or  are  inaccessible. 


The  present  pastor  is  Rev.  W.  Herbert  Atchinson,  and  the 
society  occupy  a  neat  and  attractive  hoiise  of  worship. 

BURIAL-GROUNDS. 

The  town  contains  two  places  of  burial.  Of  these  the  older 
is  located  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  centre,  and  com- 
prises two  or  three  acres.  It  was  laid  out  early  in  1755,  and 
the  first  person  buried  therein  was  Lydia,  a  child  of  John 
Bliss,  on  March  29,  1755.  The  oldest  monuments  now  in  the 
yard  are  those  of  Sarah,  wife  of  John  Langdon,  who  died 
July  22,  1755,  aged  twenty-one  years  ;  Lieut.  Paul  Langdon, 
who  died  Dec.  3,  1761,  in  his  sixty-ninth  year  ;  and  Stephen 
Stebbins,  who  died  Feb.  26,  1768,  in  his  fifty-seventh  year ; 
Ezekiel  Russell,  Isaac  Morris,  David  Burt,  Comfort  Chaffee, 
Capt.  Steward  Beebe,  Moses  Warren,  and  John  Bliss  are  also 
buried  there,  besides  others  of  the  earliest  settlers  of  the  town. 
The  yard  is  still  in  use,  although  the  portion  first  set  apart  as 
a  burying-ground  is  full. 

The  new  cemetery  is  eligibly  located  about  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  from  the  village,  on  the  road  to  Staftbrd.  It  was  laid 
out  in  1876,  and  contains  about  four  acres.  It  is  a  pleasant 
spot. 

INDUSTRIAL  PURSUITS. 

The  earliest  industrial  enterprises  of  the  town  of  Wilbra- 
ham  were  undertaken  in  the  south  part,  now  Hampden. 
Lewis  Langdon  erected  the  first  saw-mill  about  eighty  rods 
below  the  Hampden  Woolen-Mills,  on  the  Scantic,  in  1750. 
Abner  Badger  had  a  saw-mill  on  Third  Brook,  near  Capt. 
Chaffee's  before  1772.  About  the  time  of  the  Revolutionary 
war  Lewis  Langdon  erected  a  grist-mill,  afterward  owned  by 
Benanuel  Leach,  about  one  hundred  j'ards  below  his  saw-mill. 
David  Burt  erected  one  shortly  after  in  the  southeast  part  of 
the  town.  Another  was  also  erected  about  the  same  time  by 
Mr.  Wright,  not  far  from  the  residence  of  Benjamin  H.  Rus- 
sell (deceased),  on  Middle  or  Second  Brook.  In  the  early 
part  of  this  century,  Mr.  Bacon,  of  Brimfield,  built  a  grist- 
mill where  the  Ham]iden  Woolen-Mill  stands,  but  sold  it  soon 
after  to  Christopher  Langdon.  It  afterward  passed  through 
the  hands  of  Jacob  Wood  and  Hubbard  Arnold  into  the  pos- 
session of  William  Moseloy,  who  thoroughly  remodeled  the 
mill,  rebuilt  the  dam,  erected  a  saw-mill,  and  added  a  shingle- 
mill.  It  was  afterward  destroyed  by  fire,  and  a  wrapping- 
paper  manufactory  built  on  its  site. 

At  the  "turn  of  the  river,"  so  called,  was  the  saw-mill  of 
Capt.  Charles  Sessions,  and  after  it  fell  to  pieces  another  was 
erected  on  the  north  side  of  the  river,  where  the  Lacousic 
Woolen-Mill  now  stands,  and  to  make  place  for  which  the  saw- 
mill again  crossed  the  stream  to  the  south  side.  Meantime, 
a  saw-mill  had  been  erected  by  Caleb  Stebbins  at  his  grist- 
mill, and  David  Burt  also  erected  one  on  his  dam.  About 
1850,  Milton  Stebbins  erected  a  grist-mill  and  saw-mill  just 
south  of  the  bridge  on  the  west  side  of  the  mountain. 

Fulling-mills  and  carding-machines  were  early  erected  by 
W'alter  Burt,  near  Burt's  Mill,  and  by  Jonathan  Flint  just 
below  the  village  bridge  ;  and  Laban  Button,  near  Burt's,  had 
a  fulling-mill.  Beriah  Smith  &  Brothers,  who  bought  out 
Flint,  did  a  large  business  in  dyeing  and  dressing  cloth. 
Just  below  Smith's  was  Roper's  clover-mill,  which  was  famous 
in  its  day.  He  added  the  manufacture  of  chain  to  the  cleans- 
ing of  clover-seed. 

The  amount  of  wood  consumed  by  the  early  inhabitants 
gave  an  overplus  of  ashes  for  home  consumption,  and  Wil- 
liam King  manufactured  potash  near  the  old  meeting-house, 
and  Paul  Langdon  by  Potash  Hill. 

Mr.  West  followed  the  business  of  tanning  at  the  foot  of 
the  hill  by  the  brook  near  the  bridge.  Daniel  and  Joseph 
Chaffee  also  engaged  in  that  branch  of  industry. 

The  first  woolen-mill  in  the  town  was  built  by  Sumner 
Sessions  on  the  Scantic  in  184.5.  It  was  rented  and  operations 
commenced  by  Levi  Bradford  and  Eleazer  Scripter  in  April, 


HISTORY   OF   HAMPDEN  COUNTY. 


nil 


1846.  Business  was  commenced  with  one  set  of  macliinery 
for  the  manufacture  of  satinet.  In  April,  1847,  Mr.  Bradford 
retired  from  the  tirm,  and  Luther  E.  Sage,  William  V.  Ses- 
sions, and  Samuel  Beebe  became  partners,  and  the  firm-name 
was  changed  to  Scripter,  Sage  &  Co.  Another  set  of  ma- 
chinery was  added  by  the  new  company,  and  the  manufacture 
of  satinets,  tweeds,  cassimeres,  and  doeskins  was  carried  on 
until  January,  1850.  An  act  of  incorporation  was  then  ob- 
tained from  the  Legislature,  and  a  new  company  was  formed 
Jan.  30,  1856,  with  a  capital  of  §20,000,  under  the  name  of 
"  The  South  Wilbraham  Manufacturing  Company."  In  1862 
a  large  addition  was  made  to  the  mill  and  other  machinery 
added,  and  a  large  business  was  done  by  the  company  for  a 
number  of  years.  A  new  company  was  afterward  formed 
and  the  name  changed  to  the  Lacousic  Woolen-Mill,  which  is 
still  in  operation.  The  mill  contains  5  sets  of  machinery,  16 
looms,  furnishes  employment  to  from  75  to  80  persons,  and 
produces  about  16,000  yards  of  fancy  cassimeres  each  month. 

The  Hamjjden  Woolen-Mill  was  built  by  Eleazer  Scripter, 
about  1858  or  1859,  and  was  known  as  the  "  Ravine  "Woolen- 
Mill."  Luther  Sage  ran  the  mill  during  the  war.  It  was 
then  small,  and  he  erected  a  larger  mill  farther  down  the 
stream.  A  Mr.  Hollister  operated  the  mill  for  a  time.  It 
was  destroyed  by  fire  Feb.  8,  1878,  but,  having  been  rebuilt, 
is  now  owned  by  H.  A.  Kimball,  and  is  under  the  manage- 
ment of  L.  Reynolds,  agent.  It  is  in  size  50  by  96  feet,  and 
is  a  four-set  mill,  furnishing  employment  to  about  75  persons, 
and  producing  about  1000  yards  of  fancy  cassimeres  daily. 

Tlte  Scfiniic  Woolen-Mill  was  erected  about  1805,  by  the 
Scantic  Woolen-Mill  Company,  who  engaged  in  the  manu- 


facture of  fancy  cassimeres  until  1875.  It  then  passed  into 
the  hands  of  Judson  A.  Leonard,  who  owned  and  operated  it 
for  several  years.  In  February,  1877,  Kenworthy  Brothers 
bought  the  mill  and  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  yarn  of 
different  grades  and  qualities,  a  business  which  they  are  still 
pursuing.  It  is  a  two-set  mill,  making  about  200  pounds  a 
day,  and  employing  about  12  men.  The  cloth  machinery  is 
not  much  used. 

Mortimer  Pease  has  a  small  mill  just  above  the  Scantic 
Woolen-Mill,  which  is  used  in  preparing  the  waste  of  the 
different  woolen-mills  for  re-carding. 

The  manufacture  of  paper  was  once  carried  on  to  a  consid- 
erable extent  in  the  southeastern  part  of  the  town,  but  the 
enterprise  is  now  numbered  among  its  past  industries. 

MILITARY. 

The  military  history  of  the  town  of  Hampden  is  necessarily 
identical  with  that  of  Wilbraham.  The  south  part  of  the 
town  has  never  been  backward  in  the  manifestation  of  prac- 
tical patriotism,  and  from  its  mountains  have  gone  forth 
many  who  have  contributed  strong  hands  and  willing  hearts 
to  the  cause  of  liberty  and  union.* 

In  compiling  the  history  of  the  town  we  have  been  assisted 
by  Sumner  Smith,  William  V.  Sessions,  the  pastors  of  the 
churches,  and  other  citizens;  and  much  assistance,  of  which 
we  thankfully  availed  ourselves,  was  derived  from  the  his- 
torical address  of  Rev.  Dr.  Eufus  P.  Stebbins,  delivered  in 
1803,  upon  the  occasion  of  the  celebration  of  the  centenary 
of  the  incorporation  of  Wilbraham. 

*  See  history  of  Wilbraham. 


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