iSBOBmiSmBi^xamiattaBamtmtnmwimTvmtanMnmz
University of
Massachusetts
Amherst
I B R
R Y
''Our County and Its People'*
*'#ur Countp anti Its people
tt
A History 0/
HAMPDEN COUNTY
Massachusetts
editor
Alfred Minot Copeland
President of Connecticut Valley Historical Society and President of
Springfield Geological Club
Polume ^m
The Century Memorial Publishing Company
1902
Copyrighted 1902
BY
Alfred Minot Copel.vnd
JL1BRARY_
UNWERSITY OF
MASSA^HJSEHS
AMHERSl MASS.
To
Marcus Perrin Knowlton
ONE OF HAMPDEN COUNTY'S
MOST HONORED SONS
This volume is respectfully
2Df dicated
to
C3^
CD
ALFRED M. COPELAND
President of the Connecticut Valley Historical Society &
President of Springfield Geological Club
Sluti)or!S
JAMES CARRUTHERS GREENOUGH, LL. D., WILLIAM ORR,
JAMES L. BOWEN, MARSHAL CALKINS, A.M., M.T)., ETHAN
BROOKS, HENRY L. HINES, ALFRED M. COPELAND, LYMAN N.
CLARK, CHARLES L. YOUNG, LEWIS C. ALDRICH, ORRIN P.
ALLEN, GEORGE E. FULLER, M.D., JOHN H. CARMICHAEL, M.D.
LOUIS TESSON
(OHitore
CHARLES L. GARDNER, EDWIN L. KIRTLAND
FREDERICK W. CHAPIN, M.D.
GEORGE S. STEBBINS, M.D., CHARLES P. HOOKER, M.D.
THEODORE F. BRECK, M.D.
"Preface
A SEARCH of the catalogues and the shelves in the
large public libraries of Boston discloses the fact
that the eastern counties of Massachusetts are pro-
vided with good separate histories, while our own Hamp-
den County, as important from a commercial point of view
and far more historic than many of those east of us, can-
not boast anything of a general historical character worthy
of mention.
In preparing this work it has been the chief aim to
present to the citizens of this county a reliable and care-
fully prepared historical record; a work that shall properly
reflect the men and the times in all generations of the past ;
a work that shall be free from the objectionable features
that too often bring honest history into disrepute; and a
work of which our people may feel proud rather than one
for which we are called upon to apologize.
Feeling the actual need of such a work, I undertook
to stand as chief controlling editor of a comprehensive
three-volume history of Hampden county, to be called
" Our County and Its People," and to this end have di-
rected my best energies until the task is finally completed.
The public will judge, and judge justly, if this work has
been well done. It has been no easy task to find men in
the different towns of the county properly qualified and
willing to write the local town histories. To some extent
we have found such men, and their work has been well
done. It is extremely difficult to obtain every important
fact touching the history of towns that within the last
X PREFACE
tifty years have not only lost many of their most impor-
tant citizens and with them valuable historic facts of which
no records have been left, but whose places are now occu-
])ied by people not of their kin, and in no way interested
in the town's former inhabitants. In preparing the present
work we have earnestly endeavored to obtain all the im-
portant local facts, and to make the histories of the differ-
ent towns as complete as possible.
We made earnest effort, and with fairly good results,
to obtain brief ancestral records of all families identified
with the history and the development of Hampden county.
There was, for the most part a generous response to our
effort in this respect; and we present a reasonably full,
but not so complete a record as was hoped.
A. M. C.
Contents
CHAPTER I
GEOLOGY OF HAMPDEN COUNTY
CHAPTER II
DISCOVERY AND OCCUPATION
Early European Discoveries in America — The French in Canada —
The Dutch in New York — The English in Virginia — The Puri-
tans in New England — Three European Powers Claim Sover-
eignty over the Territory Comprising Massachusetts — Over-
throw of the Dutch in the Netherlands — Struggle for Suprem-
acy between the French and the English — End of the French
Dominion 14
CHAPTER III
THE INDIANS
French and Jesuit Influence Among the Indians — The New England
Missionaries — Location and Probable Origin of the New Eng-
land Tribes — The Connecticut River Indians — Their Habits
and Characteristics — Efforts to Establish Education and
Christianity Among the Tribes — Dutch Settlers sell them Guns
and Rum 20
CHAPTER IV
COLONIZATION AND SETTLEMENT
English Colonization and Settlement in America — The Plymouth
and London Companies — Landing of the Pilgrims — Distress in
the Colony — Massasoit's Generosity — Accessions to the Colony
— Plantations Founded in the Connecticut Valley — The Colony
at Agawam — Springfield Founded — Independent Government
for the Connecticut River Plantations — Springfield returns to
Massachusetts Jurisdiction — Four Counties Incorporated —
Springfield not Included 27
xii CONTENrS
CHAPTER V
STRUGGLES WITH THE INDIANS
Dissensions among the Colonists' — Beginning of the Indian Troubles
— The Pequot War — Narragansetts Allied to the English —
Destruction of the Pequots — An Era of Peace and Prosperity —
Militia Companies formed in the Valley — Construction of Forti-
fied Houses — Fort Pynchon — Events preceding King Philip's
War — The Outbreak — Nipmuck Treachery at Brookfield. The
War in the Connecticut Valley — Burning of Springfield — West-
field twice Attacked — The Affair at Longmeadow — Decisive Ac-
tion by the Colonies — Indians Driven from the Valley — Death
of King Philip— End of the War 38
CHAPTER VI
COLONIAL WARS
From the close of King Phillip's War to the End of the French
Dominion — Indians ask to be Restored to their Former Pos-
sessions in the Connecticut Valley — King William's War —
Indian Depredations of the Frontier — Queen Anne's War —
Treaty of Utrecht — Trouble with the Abenaquis — Father
Rasle and Woronoak — War again Declared Between England
and France — Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle — War Resumed — The
Hampshire County Regiment at Lake George — Troops Assem-
bled at Springfield — End of the War — Treaty of Paris 57
CHAPTER VII
WAR OF THE REVOLUTION 69
CHAPTER VIII
THE INSURRECTION OF 1786-7— THE SHAYS REBELLION 86
CHAPTER IX
THE WAR OF 1812-1815 100
CHAPTER X
COUNTY ORGANIZATION 108
CHAPTER XT
HAMPDEN COUNTY CIVIL LIST 124
CONTENTS xiii
CHAPTER XII
INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS 152
CHAPTER XIII
INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS— RAILROADS 175
CHAPTER XIV
CONNECTICUT RIVER NAVIGATION 188
CHAPTER XV
HAMPDEN COUNTY IN THE WAR OF 1861-1865 198
CHAPTER XVI
EDUCATION IN HAMPDEN COUNTY ,. . . 232
CHAPTER XVII
STATE NORMAL SCHOOL, WESTFIELD 264
CHAPTER XVIII
THE HAMPDEN BENCH AND BAR 293
CHAPTER XIX
THE MEDICAL PROFESSION 338
CHAPTER XX
THE DENTAL PROFESSION 390
CHAPTER XXI
THE PRESS OF HAMPDEN COUNTY— ITS HISTORY AND
DEVELOPMENT 416
CHAPTER XXII
FREE MASONRY AND ODD FELLOWSHIP 464
CHAPTER XXIII
AGRICULTURE OF HAMPDEN COUNTY 499
Illustrations
FoKT Pynchon 42
A Relic of the Revolution 80
Entrance to LT. S. Arimory Grounds 82
United States Watershops 84
Outline Map of Hampden County 107
The First Court House 113
Court Square, Springfield 118
The Second Court House 120
Hampden County Court House 122
The Boston Stone 153
Boston and Albany Stage Coach 160
Old South Holyoke Ferry 162
The Old Toll Bridge 167
Chicopee Bridge 169
Willimansett Bridge 172
Old B. & A. Crossing, Looking North 176
Old B. & A. Crossing, Looking South 179
The Arch, B. & A. Crossing 182
A Connecticut River View 193
G. A. R. Building, Springfield 199
Brig.-Gen. Horace C. Lee, Portrait 227
First Normal School Building, 1846 276
Normal School Building, 1860 281
Normal School Building, 1869 284
Present Normal School BmLDiNO 287
Chief Justice Reuben Atwater Chapman, Portrait 307
George Ashmin, Portrait 315
Oliver B. Morris, Portrait 317
WiLLiAir B. Calhoun, Portrait 319
William G. Bates, Portrait 321
xvi ILL USTRA TIONS
Col. William S. Shurtleff, Portrait 326
Gov. George D. Robinson, Portrait 330
Dr. William Tully, Portrait 353
Dr. Thaddeus K. DeWolf, Portrait 366
Dr. Henry R. Vaille, Portrait 368
Dr. George W. Swazey, Portrait 383
Flavius Searle, D. D. S., Portrait 397
First Home of Springfield Republican 426
Samuel Bowles, Portrait 429
JosiAH Gilbert Holland, Portrait 431
Ci^RK W. Bryan, Portrait 436
Henry M. Burt, Portrait 440
Phineas L. Buell, Portrait 447
Daniel Reynolds, Portrait 478
George W. Ray, Portrait 480
Eliphalet Trask, Portrait 486
CHAPTER I
GEOLOGY OF HAMPDEN COUNTY
BY WILLIAM ORR
Any consideration of the geography of Hampden county
must give a large place to the marked physiographic differences
between the highland and lowland areas. In Hampden county
the valley of the Connecticut has an average width of fifteen
miles. The valley is bounded on east and west by steep escarp-
ments, the boundaries of an upland plateau with an elevation of
eight hundred to nine hundred feet above the valley floor and of
twelve hundred feet above the sea.
Very striking are the contrasts between the highlands and
the lowlands. In the valley there is formed a deep, rich, alluvial
soil, which gives a basis for a prosperous farming industry.
The ground is level and easily tilled. In some parts of the low-
land there is an accumulation of sand and gravel, and on these
tracts cultivation is restricted to pasturage and forest growth.
The streams in the lowland are of slow current and meandering
course. By reason of the large volume of water, these streams
are important sources of power, Avhere there is any fall in their
channel. Communication is easy between the valley towns. As
a result of these physiographic conditions, the important centers
of commerce, manufactures, and, in a large measure, of agricul-
ture, are found in the valley lowland. A survey of the history of
Hampden county will show that Springfield, in the geographical
center of the valley, was the first settlement, and next in order
came the cluster of towns and cities that now surround Spring-
field. The hill towns were settled at later dates.
The upland country may be described in general terms as a
dissected plateau. On the west it extends from the border of the
1-1 ( 1 )
OVR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
Connecticut valley to the hills of the Berkshires. The elevation
is from one thousand to twelve hundred feet above the sea. Allu-
vial soil is found occasionally in places, where the material car-
ried down the hillsides by rain accumulates. Where the forest
growth has prevailed for a long time there is formed a thick
layer of vegetable mould, that constitutes a valuable soil. In
the open country the soil is variable in quality, but does not as a
rule approach the high grade alluvium of the valley. Unremit-
ting industry and careful attention to detail are needed to win
success in farming. The valleys are canyon-like in character,
with steep sides and with slight development of river or flood
plains. Bowlders, large and small, fill up the beds of the streams
and mountain brooks and heighten the picturesque quality of the
region. The channel slopes are steep, often abrupt, and valuable
water powers abound. The main highways follow the larger
valleys, while to reach the higher levels one must struggle up the
hard and severe grades of the mountain roads.
A way for the principal railroad of the region, the Boston
and Albany, has been provided by the valley of the Westfield river.
It is by this valley that communication is established from the
Connecticut river lowlands to the valley of the Housatonic. The
drainage system has not been perfectly developed by reason of
the comparative youth of the main rivers and their tributaries.
As a result there are considerable areas of bogs and swamps on
certain of the upland plateaus. But little connection can be
traced between the character and structure of the rocks and the
erosion of the region. The valleys are for the most part trans-
verse and the general trend of the drainage is towards the south-
east. A somewhat important longitudinal valley is that which
extends northward from Huntington, but this is situated for the
most part in Hampshire county.
The western highlands contain valuable deposits of minerals
and extensive quarries of building stone. A most noted mineral
is the emery found at Chester. Kaolin, quartz, felspar and soap-
stone are found in Blandford. At Mundale in the town of West-
field a quarry of a verd antique marble has been opened, and is
yielding an ornamental stone of excellent quality.
( 2 )
GEOLOGY
The pursuits of the people on the uplands are in the main
agriculture, including grazing, lumbering and general farming.
There are a number of small factories located on the streams
where Avater power is found. The development of mineral re-
sources is another industry of importance. In the summer time
the hill country is a favorite resort for city people, by reason of
the clear, cool air, pure water, and attractive scenery.
Eastward of the Connecticut valley is another plateau region
that extends into Worcester county. This plateau is in most re-
spects like that to the westward. The elevation is not so great and
the plan of the valley systems is in some respects much simpler.
The main drainage channel is the Chicopee river, which corre-
sponds to the Westfield river in the western plateau. There is
a finely developed longitudinal valley, which follows the course
•of Swift river and is continued through Palmer and Monson.
An accumulation of glacial material at Palmer has caused a
diversion of the Swift river to the west, but the valley opens
southward to the waters of the AVillimantic river.
Along the valley of the Chicopee river run the tracks of the
Boston and Albany railway, and this road constitutes the main
avenue of communication with the east. In the longitudinal
valley of Palmer and IMonson, way has been found for the New
London Northern railroad. The eastern plateau is more accessi-
ble and less rugged in character than the western, and settle-
ments are larger and manufacturing developed on a more im-
portant scale. There are several towns of large size, as Palmer
and ]\Ionson. ]\Iany of the towns possess extensive water power
and good railroad facilities. Farming suffers from the difficul-
ties of a rocky country, where the ground abounds in stones and
bowlders, and the soil is only moderately fertile. Extensive
quarries are at Monson, where a high grade of building stone,
known as Monson granite, is found.
It will be clear from this sketch of the general features of
Hampden county that its physical geography and geology may
be discussed in relation to three comparatively distinct districts;
the western highlands, the valley lowlands, and the eastern high-
lands. This paper will deal with the present conditions and with
( 3 )
OVR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
the processes by which this development of the region has been
attained.
The underlying rocks of the western highlands consist of
ancient crystalline schists, qiiartzites, gneiss with beds of ani-
phibolite, serpentine, emery and magnetite. The older forma-
tions are to the westward, where on the borders of the county
there are found exposures of the Becket gneiss. This rock is
now regarded as Lower Cambrian in age. In the township of
Tolland the Becket gneiss is wrapped around a rock of still
earlier age — the "Washington gneiss. The latter formation is
pre-Cambrian, or Algonkian.
The Washington gneiss is rusty in color, by reason of the de-
composition of its iron bearing minerals, as hornblende and pyr-
rhotite. It is composed in the main of quartz and biotite mica.
Graphite is found in all the exposures and a blue quartz, which
often gives the rock a beautiful color. In the town of Washing-
ton there is a graphite mine in this rock. The rock may be
studied to advantage on the line of the railroad from Becket east
towards the Middlefield line. The change to the Becket gneiss
may also be seen at this point. The Becket gneiss is light grey
in color, fine grained and composed of but few minerals. The
gray color is caused by the biotite mica, as the felspar and quartz
are colorless. Some of the Becket gneiss is a coarse conglomer-
ate, other exposures are thin-fissile, while again it is a fine grained
granitoid- gneiss — a most excellent quarry stone. It is quarried
at Middlefield and in Becket and is suitable for construction and
monumental work. On the east side of the Connecticut river, the
Monson gneiss is the correlative of the Becket gneiss.
The Lower Silurian rocks of the western uplands are the
Hoosac schist, the Kowe schist, the Chester amphibolites with
emery and serpentine, the Savoy schist and the Hawley schist.
Exposures of all these rocks may be found in the Avestern part of
Chester. The oldest rock of these formations— the Hoosac schist
— is hydrated and is greasy in feeling, and in some cases contains
garnets. There are two kinds of mica, muscovite and biotite, and
the quartz grains are often cemented by crystals of albite. It is
technically knoAvn as an albitic-sericite schist.
( 4 )
GEOLOGY
The Kowe schist may be seen to good advantage on the Ches-
ter-Becket road westward from Chester. It is a coarse, sericitic
schist, soft and greasy, and often is quartzose in character and of
firm texture. Professor Emerson estimates that the thickness of
this rock series is about seven thousand feet.
In connection with the valuable emery deposits at Chester
there are found beds of amphibolite and of serpentine. The
amphibolite is a dark green rock, and has on its eastern border
extensive deposits of serpentine and soapstone or steatite. The
emery and magnetite of Chester are closely associated with the
hornblende schist or amphibolite, w'hile in Blandford, Osborn's
soapstone quarry is found in the same connection.
The Chester emery bed was first workea as a magnetite de-
posit, but in 1864 it was found that emery occurred in connection
with the magnetite, and since that time a great amount of the ore
has been obtained. Emery is of great value in the mechanical
arts, because of its hardness and abrasive qualities. The Chester
emery is of excellent quality.
After the band of Chester amphibolite, there comes next in
order the Savoy schist. In Chester this formation is from one to
two miles wide, but in Blandford and Russell it reaches a breadth
of seven miles. It is a muscovite schist, with hydrated mica.
It is light grey in color, and is soapy in feeling. The Hawley
schist— the uppermost member of the lower Silurian series, is
scarcely represented in Hampden county. It is a sericitic schist
and in the northern part of the state contains beds of iron and
manganese ores.
Under the head of upper Silurian rocks, there are placed the
Goshen and Conway schists. The Goshen schist is found in
Chester and Russell. The rock is dark colored by reason of
graphite, and contains garnets. The Conway schists are much
corrugated, and are called spangled schists, from the fact that
the crystals of biotite mica show shining cleavage surfaces on 'a
section across the grain of the rock. Beds of this rock occur in
the northeast part of the town of Montgomery. Along the east-
ern border of the upland area there are found outcrops of an
igneous rock of carboniferous age. It is known as the Williams-
( 5 )
orn COUNTY and its people
burg granite. This rock is a coarse miiscovite-biotite granite,
A great mushroom-like mass of this rock can be seen on Mount
Tekoa in Montgomery. The rounded dome of granite can be
seen in sharp contrast with the darker schists.
The Devonian period is not represented by any rocks in the
area of Hampden county and there are no deposits of cretaceous
age.
All the rocks of the western highlands are much altered by
heat, pressure and chemical action from their original condition.
The old layers have been either changed in direction by folding
or else entirely destroyed and their place taken by a cleavage
structure. The dip of the strata is nearly vertical, while the
direction in which the strata run is approximately north and
south. All the rocks of the highland country are of a much
greater age than those of the valley lowland.
The eastern highlands present a similar succession of forma-
tions as those just described for the western hill country. In some
cases the rock characters are not exactly the same as in the corre-
sponding formation on the west of the river. There is, more-
over, a certain parallelism of strata that is w-orthy of note, and a
close relation between erosion and the nature of the underlying
rock. On the hillside above the village of Wilbraham there is
found a good example of Conway schist. This formation ex-
tends from the state line to a point about two miles north of the
Chicopee river in Ludlow. The rock is coarse, light gray, and
abounds in muscovite. As a result of the pressure along the
eastern edge of the valley, the rock is crumpled and silicitied.
Along the crest of Wilbraham mountain there are found numer-
ous bands of hornblende, of the same age as the Chester amphibo-
lite. This hornblende is fissile and splits into thin layers. The
surface shows a black, satiny appearance by reason of the inter-
lacing needles of hornblende crj^stals. A small outcrop of Savoy
schist is found in the south part of the town of Hampden. It is
known as whetstone schist, and is a gray rock of granular struc-
ture, abounding in quartzite. To the east of the schist of Wil-
braham the country rock for a distance of six miles is composed
of the Becket gneiss, locally known as the Monson granite.
( 6 )
GEOLOGY
Then comes a succession of several formations, each repre-
sented by long narrow outcrops. By reason of the upfolding of
the rocks and subsequent erosion, the succession of strata from
west to east is as follows : Chester amphibolite, Savoy schist,
and Conway schist as the center of the series; then in reverse
order, Savoy schist, Chester amphibolite and Rowe schist. The
rock which constitutes the bottom and sides of the valley from
Palmer through Monson is composed of the "Monson
granite"— the equivalent of the Becket gneiss, and it
is in this outcrop that the well known quarries are located. The
stone found at this point is of excellent quality and has been used
in the construction of many noted buildings. The traveller who
goes eastward from the Monson rock passes in order over Chester
amphibolite, the Brimfield schist, an equivalent of the Conway
schist, the Savoy schist, and then over another series of out-crops
of the Brimfield schist. In connection with the Monson
granite there are several dikes of an intrusive black trap rock of
igneous origin, while in Brimfield there is found the Coy's Hill
granitite, a coarse porphyritic biotite granite. Another igneous
rock of carboniferous age is the BelchertoAvn tonalite, a great
block of which is thrust over the boundary line of Ludlow and
Palmer. Tonalite is a granitoid rock, containing quartz, plagio-
clase, felspar and hornblende.
In character, dip, strike and structure, the rocks of the east-
ern highlands bear a close resemblance to those of the west, and a
close correlation has been established between the two. Both
series have been subject to similar agencies, physical and chemi-
cal, and the original rock materials have been subjected to like
metamorphosis.
In the valley lowland, rocks of a much more recent formation
than those of the hills are found. The layers are but little
changed from a horizontal position, and the amount of folding
and crushing has been very slight. All the rocks can be classified
as sandstone, though there are differences in composition and
structure that make possible rough distinctions. The rock on the
eastern and western borders is known as the Sugar Loaf sand-
stone. It is coarse in structure, and abounds in felspar, and is
( 7 )
QUE COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
composed of angular granite debris cemented together. Outside
of this deposit there occurs in AA'ilbraham and Hampden a por-
tion of the Mt. Toby conglomerate, Avhere the rock is composed of
very coarse angular fragments of slate. Adjoining the area of
Sugar Loaf sandstone, is found the Longmeadow sandstone, a
reddish broAvn stone, very fine grained. This rock often shows
the imprint of tracks of ancient animals, mud cracks, ripple
marks and rain drops. The central part of the valley is occupied
by the Chicopee shale, which is very fine grained, red and black
in color, and composed of sand and clay.
As a result of earth movements the layers of sandstone have
been slightly displaced. The tilting has given the formation a
slight dip towards the east. This direction may be easily seen
where the upper surfaces of ledges are exposed, as in the quarries
at East Longmeadow and also on the banks of the Chicopee
river. This sandstone extends from near the north line of the
state to the shores of Long Island sound. It proves an excellent
building stone, and there are extensive quarries at East Long-
meadow. Data obtained from borings for artesian wells and
from other sources indicate that the entire deposit of sandstone
is from three thousand to ten thousand feet in thickness. In
certain localities the layers of sandstone show interesting traces
of the ancient life of the region. Slabs have been found with
the imprints of the feet of animals that were probably akin to the
reptiles and amphibians of the present day. In other cases there
are the traces of insects, impressions by waves and ripples, mud
cracks caused by the drying of the deposits, and rain drop im-
pressions made by passing showers on the plastic material. Ed-
ward Hitchcock, professor of geology in Amherst college, and
afterwards president of that institution, made an extensive col-
lection of those impressions and embodied the results of his
investigation in his Keport on Ichnology, published in 1858.
While the general surface of the valley is level, there is one
notable exception to this rule in the ridge of hills associated
with ]Mounts Tom and Holyoke. In Hampden county these ridges
pass through the western part of Holyoke, AVest Springfield and
Agawam. The structure can be well studied on the line of the
( 8 )
GEOLOGY
Boston and Albany railroad between Mittineague and Westfield.
Two distinct ridges may be seen. There is a cutting through the
eastern and lower ridge just west of the station of Tatham. The
rock is igneous in origin and is known as the Holyoke diabase.
It is dark gray in color, compact and crystalline. A columnar
structure is apparent at places, and there is no evidence of bed-
ding. Some of the rock is porous and spongy in character and
often the cavities are filled with quartz and calcite. At the west
end of the cutting the trap diabase will be seen resting on the
upper surface of sandstone. Some three-quarters of a mile to
the west is another and higher ridge of the trap rock. In this
there has been opened a large quarry. The rock is valuable as a
material for macadamizing roads. In the walls of the quarry
the columnar arrangement of the material is well developed.
These two ridges are the result of successive outflows of lava,
during the period of the deposition of the sandstone. In all
probability the lava flowed over the muddy bottom of the estuaiy
and was then covered by additional layers of mud and sand.
These in time hardened into stone and then there was a second
and smaller flow of lava. This in turn was covered by sand-
stone. As a result of the tilting and faulting of the region, and
etching out by subsequent erosion, the trap ridges now stand out
in bold relief above the floor of sandstone. On the southern
slopes of Mount Tom and Mount Holyoke there are remains of
distinct volcanic action ; beds of tufa, and lava plugs, the re-
mains of ancient volcanos have been mapped by the students of
the geology of the region.
It mustbe understood that the rock formations as described in
this paper are the foundation for surface materials as soil, sand,
gravel and clay. Throughout the upland country these super-
ficial deposits can be traced very directly to glacier action. They
consist of coarse sand and gravels, and there is no evidence of
stratification, nor sorting of the bowlders or pebbles. The rock
fragments are not rounded or polished, but are in form sub-angu-
lar. Often the fields and pasture land are covered with great
bowlders. The ledges of the country rock are in many places
smoothed and scratched by the action of the moving ice sheets.
( 9 ) .
01 R COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
In the valleys, great masses of this glacial debris have been
Avashed down by streams and by heavy rains. The thickness of
the glacial deposit or drift varies ^vith localities. It is some-
times piled np in rounded hills, known as drumlins, and again
occurs as long ridges of gravel— called esker. McCarthy's hill
in East Longmeadow is a good example of a drumlin, while a fine
esker is to be seen in Monson, east of the village and near the line
of railroad.
Under the surface drift there is found, more particularly in
the wider valleys, a compact deposit of unstratified clays, sands
and rock fragments, knoAvn as bowlder clay or till. In the broad
valley of the Connecticut, the action of river and lake have
largely rearranged the glacial material. At the close of the ice
age extensive lake systems were formed and out of these there
were washed by rivers deposits of stratified clays and sands, as
delta formations. It is on such a delta that Springfield is situ-
ated. The fertile and alluvial meadows are the result of river
action in shaping and molding the materials deposited in the
glacial lakes.
In studyingthe geological evolution of the region of Hampden
county, attention must be first paid to the problem of the upland
country. Originally the materials of the rocks of this country
nnist have been deposited as sands, clays and limestone in waters
of sea, bay, or ocean. Then by pressure these deposits were
folded and faulted until mountains of considerable height were
formed. But as soon as the rock materials were exposed to the
action of air and water, those latter agents began their work of
leveling down the country. In time this process of denudation
reduced the region to a base level, near sea level, and there was
thus produced a peneplain of denudation. This peneplain is
supposed to have been the result of atmospheric agencies, rather
than of wave or sea action.
After reduction to near sea level, the region Avas raised again,
and as a result of this elevation and tilting the streams were once
again given a definite slope, and then work of erosion was re-
sumed. The comparatively even sky line of the hill country is
an evidence of the peneplain, while the deep, narrow valleys and
( 10 )
GEOLOGY
the frequent rapids and cataracts in the streams show that the
drainage system is of recent and imperfect development. For
the same reason, the brooks and rivers abound in water power
facilities.
The Connecticut valley is much different in topographical
features from the valleys in the upland country. It presents
evidences of mature development in its broad river plain, and its
gently sloping sides. It has none of the canyon-like character of
the valley of the Westfield river. The explanation of these dif-
ferences, however, is not so much one of age as of the conditions
of rock and structure.
At some time, long before the development of the peneplain,
the area of the valley lowland was subjected to a marked depres-
sion in level. As a result^ the waters of the sea covered the crys-
talline rocks and a broad, shallow estuary was formed. In tliis
estuary deposits of mud and sand were made. These deposits
were coarsest along the eastern and w^estern slopes of the bay,
where the currents and tides were strongest, and these materials
when consolidated formed the present Sugar Loaf sandstone and
Mt. Toby conglomerate. Towards the center of the basin tiner
materials were laid down and became in time the Longmeadow
sandstone and Chicopee shale. In such an estuary the tides are
very high and when there was low Avater, extensive mud and
sand flats w^ere exposed. There was thus given an opportunity
for impressions of various kinds to be made on the fresh surface.
As the mud dried and hardened these were preserved under the
layer of deposit made by the waters when the mud banks were
next covered. The completed result was a very deep bed of
sandstone rock.
In connection with the deposit of sandstone came the period
of volcanic activity, which gave rise to the ridges of Mounts Tom
and Holyoke. These trap ridges extend to Long Island sound,
and constitute a most striking feature of the valley scenery. The
outflow of trap occurred from certain fissures in the muddy bot-
tom of the estuary. When the first and greatest flow occurred,
the trap rolled slowly westward under the waters of the estuary
and then cooled and hardened. More sandstone was deposited
( 11 )
OVR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
and then came a second flow, the material for the lesser ridge.
The deposit of sandstone ceased with the general uplifting and
tilting of the region and a period of erosion began.
Under this process the sandstones yielded rapidly because of
their loose structure and lack of power to resist the weather.
The trap and the older crystalline rocks yielded but slowly to the
erosive agencies, and so the general level of the Connecticut
valley was cut down below that of the rocks to the east and west.
The trap ridges also resisted the erosion and so gained a clear
relief against the level of the sandstone.
At a much later period there came a change in climate and
arctic conditions prevailed in New England. Snow and ice
accumulated until the country was covered with a glacier mass,
like that which at present rests on Greenland. This ice mass
moved in a general southerly direction in the Connecticut valley.
It continued the work of erosion and scratched, scarred, smoothed
or crumbled into fragments the rocks over which it passed. The
drift material left by the glacier is found widely distributed
over the face of the country. Bowlders and pebbles with the
marks of glacial action abound, and often the ledges from which
these bowlders were torn are many miles to the northward.
With another change of climate, a rise in temperature, the ice
melted and the glacial sheet retreated. This disappearance of
the ice was not rapid or continuous. There were times when the
glacier front halted or even resumed its advance. In the deeper
valleys long lobes of ice were extended southward. By reason
of the melting of the ice and the damming up of the natural
drainage channels, extensive lake formations were formed in
Western Massachusetts. In the valley, the Springfield lake
extended from Mount Holyoke on the north to IMiddletown,
Conn., on the south. Its westward boundary was the ridge of
Mount Tom, and on the east it washed the lower slopes of the
Wilbraham hills. There was a smaller lake in the basin east of
Wilbraham mountain, and the plain of Westfield was covered by
the waters of a lake that extended from north of the Holyoke
range.
In such quiet, land-locked bodies of water, there was abundant
( 12 )
GEOLOGY
opportunity for extensive deposits, and the streams from north,
east and west carried into these lakes, sands, gravels and tine silt.
The central and deeper water contained finer material. Such
was the formation of the clays, that now constitute the east bank
of the river. Coarser materials were found near the outlets of
rivers, as for example the gravels in the vicinity of Indian Or-
chard. The Chicopee river built up in the Springfield lake a
great delta of clay covered with sands. These deposits are strat-
ified, and in this respect present a striking contrast to the glacial
drift.
After the lakes were filled with these materials, sands, clays
and gravels, the river began to develop the present drainage
system of the lowland. The Connecticut river as it made a
pendulum-like motion from east to west, at the same time cut
down through the lacustrine deposits. In this way there were
formed the fine terraces which add so much to the beauty of
Springfield. The Chicopee river was pushed northward by the
delta formation. Thus, through the action of the main stream
and its tributaries, the valley has attained its present contour.
Now the river is engaged in two kinds of work. It is at certain
places tearing down the banks, while a short distance away it is
building alluvial plains like the meadows of Agawam.
In geological history, the sandstones of the valley are placed
in the Triassic period, the drift in the Glacial epoch, the clays
and sand are of the Champlain period, and the cutting down of
the river through the clays and sands occurred in the Terrace
period.
Note — Any one who wishes to make an exhaustive study of the geology of
this region is referred to the elaborate monograph of Professor B. K. Emerson of
Amherst. This work is entitled Geology of Old Hampshire county, Massachu-
setts, and is volume XXIX of the monographs of the United States geological
survey. Much use has been made of this monograph in the preparation of this
chapter.
( 13 )
CHAPTER II
DISCOVERY AND OCCUPATION
Early European Discoveries in America — The French in Canada
—The Dutch in Neiv York— The English in Virginia— The
Puritans in Neiv England— Three European Powers Claim
Sovereignty over the Territory coynprising Massachusetts —
Overthrow of the Dutch in the Netherlands— Struggle for
Supremacy hetiveen the French and English— End of the
French Dominion.
In 1492, Christopher Columbus, a Genoese, sailing under the
flag of Spain, made his wonderful discoveries in the Western
hemisphere. This event in history always has been referred to
as the discover}^ of America, yet the first Europeans to visit the
continent were Scandinavians, who colonized Iceland A. D., 875,
Greenland in 983, and about the year 1000 had cruised south-
ward as far as the Massachusetts coast.
Following close upon the discoveries of Columbus and other
■early explorers, various foreign powers fitted out fleets and
commissioned navigators to establish colonies in the new country.
In 1508 Aubert discovered the St. Lawrence river ; and in 1524,
Francis I, king of France, sent Jean Verrazzani on a voyage of
■exploration to the new world. He entered a harbor, supposed to
have been that of New York, where he remained fifteen days.
This Gallic explorer cruised along the coast more than 2,100
miles, sailing as far north as Labrador, and giving to the whole
region the name of "New France"— a name by which the French
possessions in America were afterward known during the domin-
ion of that power.
( 14 )
DISCOVERY AND OCdPATlON
In 1534 the French king sent Jacques Cartier to the country.
He made two voyages and ascended the St. Lawrence as far as
Montreal. The next year he again visited the region with a fleet,
which brought a number of the French nobility, all filled with
high hopes and bearing the blessings of the church. This party
was determined upon the colonization of the country, but after a
winter of extreme suffering on the Isle of Orleans they aban-
doned their scheme and returned to France ; and as a beginning
of the long list of needless and shameful betrayals, treacheries
and other abuses to which the too confiding natives were sub-
jected, Cartier inveigled into his vessel the Indian chief who had
been his generous host and bore him with several others into
hopeless captivity and final death.
In 1540 Cartier again visited the scene of his former explora-
tions, and was accompanied by Jean Francis de Roberval, the
latter holding a king's commission as governor-general and being
vested with plenary powers of vice-royalty. The results of this
voyage, however, were no more satisfactory than those of their
predecessor, and no further attempts were made in the same
direction until 1598, when New France, particularly its Canadian
portion, was made a place of banishment for French convicts ;
but even this scheme failed, and it remained for private enter-
prise, stimulated by the hope of gain, to make the first successful
effort toward the colonization of the country.
The real discoverer and founder of a permanent colony
in New France was Samuel de Champlain, who. in 1608, having
counseled his patrons that the banks of the St. Lawrence was the
most favorable site for founding a new empire, was sent to the
country and founded Quebec. To satisfy his love for explora-
tion Champlain united with the Canadian Indians and marched
into the country southward, which the latter had described to
him. The result was the discovery of the lake which bears his
name, the invasion of the Iroquois country and a conflict between
the Algonquins (aided by Champlain) and a portion of the con-
federacy, in which the latter lost two of their chiefs who fell by
the hands of Champlain himself.
Thus was signalized the first hostile meeting between the white
man and the Indian. Low as the latter may have been found in
( 15 )
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
the scale of intelligence and humanity, and terrible as were many
of the subsequent deeds of the Indians, it cannot be claimed that
their early treatment at the hands of the whites could foster in
the savage breast any other than feelings of bitterest hostility.
Champlain's declaration, "I had put four balls into my arque-
bus," is a vivid testimony of how little mercy the Indians thence-
forth were to receive from the pale-faced race which was event-
ually to drive them from their domain. It was an age, however,
in Avhich might was appealed to as right more frequently than in
later years, and the planting of the lowly banner of the cross
was often preceded by bloody conquest. However, it is in the
light of the prevailing custom of the old world in Champlain's
time that we must view his ready hostility to the Indian. Soon
after 1622 a member of the Weymouth colony in New England,
either in absolute need or in a spirit of wantonness, stole from the
Indians of the region, and in so doing incurred the hatred of the
savages for all the whites of the plantation, who narrowly escaped
a fearful slaughter at their hands.
In 1609, a few weeks after the battle between Champlain
and the Iroquois, Henry Hudson, a navigator in the service of
the Dutch East India company, anchored his ship (the Half-
INIoon) at the mouth of the river which now bears his name. He
met the savages and was hospitably received by them ; but before
his departure he subjected them to an experimental knowledge
of the effects of intoxicating liquor— an experience perhaps more
baneful in its results than that inflicted by Champlain with his
murderous weapon.
Hudson ascended the river to a point within a hundred
miles of that reached by Champlain, then returned to Europe
and, through the information he had gained, soon afterward
established a Dutch colony, for which a charter was granted in
1614, naming the region "New Netherland." The same year
the Dutch built a fort on Manhattan Island, and another the
next year, called Fort Orange, on the site of Albany. In 1621
the Dutch West India company was formed and took possession
of New Amsterdam and the Netherlands, and in 1626 the terri-
tory was made a province of Holland. Under its charter the
( 16 )
DISCOVERY AND OCCUPATION
company laid claim to the region of the Connecticut valley, and
made explorations in that locality previous to 1630. Three years
later the Dutch built a fortification on the bank of the river at
"Dutch Point" (site of Hartford), and made some feeble at-
tempts to control the valley and its settlement against the Puritan
colonists of New England. For fifteen years the Dutch remained
at peace with the Indians, but the unwise action of Governor
Kieft provoked hostilities that continued with little cessation
during the remainder of the Dutch dominion.
Meanwhile, in 1607, the English had made their first perma-
nent settlement at Jamestown, Virginia, and in 1620 had planted
their historic colony at Plymouth Kock.^ These two colonies
became the successful rivals of all others in that strife which
finally left them masters of the entire country.
On the discoveries and colonizations thus briefly noted, three
great European poAvers based claims to at least a part of the
territory embraced in the state of Massachusetts ; first, England,
by reason of the discovery of John Cabot, who sailed under a
commission from Henry VII, and in 1497 reached the sterile
coast of Labrador, also that made in the following year by his son
Sebastian, who explored the same coast from New Foundland to
Florida, claiming territory eleven degrees in width and extend-
ing Avestward indefinitely ; second, France, which from the dis-
coveries of Verrazzani claimed a portion of the Atlantic coast,
and also (under the title of New France) an almost boundless
region westward; and third, Holland, Avhich based on Hudson's
discoveries a claim to the entire country from Cape Cod to the
southern shore of DelaAvare Bay. (If Ave picture a triangle AA-ith
angles at Montreal, Ncav York and Plymouth, the central point
of the figure thus formed Avill be found in the region of the Con-
necticut A^alley in Massachusetts, for the possession of Avhich these
poAvers AA'ere contending.)
^In 1620 James I, of England, issued a charter to the Duke of Lenox, Mar-
quis of Buckingham, and others, styling them the "Grand Council of Plymouth for
planting and governing Xew England in America." This patent granted to them
the territory between the 40th and 48th degrees of north latitude. The territory
granted, which had previously been called North AMrginia, now received the name
of New England, by royal authority. From this patent were derived all the sub-
sequent grants of the several parts of the territory. — Willard.
3-1
( 17 )
OVR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
The Dutch became the temporary occupants of a portion of
the region under consideration, but their dominion was of brief
duration. Indian hostilities were provoked through the unwise
jjolicy of Governor Kieft, whose official career was continued
about ten years, he being superseded by Peter Stuy\'esant in
1649. His equitable policy harmonized the Indians so far as
the Dutch themselves were concerned, but his subordinates occa-
sionally attempted to incite the Connecticut Indians against the
New England colonists and their western plantations, but with-
out serious effect. The Dutch had become thrifty by trading
guns and rum to the Indians in exchange for furs, and thus the
latter were supplied with doubly destructive weapons.
However, in March, 1664, Charles II, of England, conveyed
to his brother James, duke of York, all the country from the
River St. Croix to the Kennebec in Maine, together with all the
land from the Avest bank of the Connecticut river to the east side
of DelaAvare bay. The duke sent an English squadron to secure
the gift, and in September of the same year Governor Stuyvesant
capitulated, being constrained to that course by the Dutch col-
onists, who preferred peace with the same privileges accorded to
the English settlers rather than a prolonged and probably fruit-
less contest. The English changed the name of New Amsterdam
to New York, and thus ended the Dutch dominion in America.
For many years previous to the overthrow of the Dutch in
America, and for nearly a century afterward, the English and
French were rival powers, each struggling for the mastery on
both sides of the Atlantic ; and with each succeeding outbreak of
war in the mother countries there were renewed hostilities in
their American colonies. King William's war, about the close
of the seventeenth centurj', was the first of these events that
seriously involved the New England plantations. In 1702, on
the accession of Anne to the throne as successor to King William,
what was known as Queen Anne's war was soon begun; and it
was continued until the treaty of Utrecht, April 11, 1713. While
the powers were nominally at peace for many years afterward,
each was constantly strengthening its possessions and using every
endeavor to establish an alliance with the Indians, all prepara-
( 18 )
DISCOVERY AND OCCUPATION
tory to the final struggle, which must come in order to settle the
question of supremacy on this side of the Atlantic. Fortunately
for the united colonies of New England, they had by this time
effectually quieted the Indians within their own jurisdiction, and
when at length the contest was begun they had only to contend
against the French and the Canadian Indians.
In March, 1744, war again was declared between Great
Britain and France, and the New York and New England colonies
united in an expedition against the French stronghold of Louis-
burg, in Canada, which capitulated in the following year. The
contest was continued until 1748, when the ineffectual treaty of
Aix-la-Chapelle temporarily put an end to hostilities. In the
meantime, while nominally at peace, both sides were preparing
for a renewal of the contest. At the suggestion of Massachusetts
delegates to a convention at Albany, a plan for a union of all the
English colonies in America was taken into consideration. The
suggestion was favorably received and the fertile brain of Benja-
min Franklin prepared the plan that finally was adopted. It
was the forerunner of our federal constitution ; but the colonial
assemblies rejected it, deeming that it encroached on their liber-
ties, while the home government rejected it on the ground that
it granted too much power to the people of the colonies.
The concluding war between Great Britain and France, so
far as related to their American colonies, was begun in 1756 and
continued with great vigor until the fall of Quebec in September,
1759, although a formal peace was not established until 1763,
when, on February 10, the treaty of Paris was signed, whereby
France ceded to Great Britain all her possessions in Canada.
( 19 )
CHAPTER III
THE INDIANS
French and Jesuit Influence among ike Indians— The New Eng-
land Missionaries— Location and Prohahle Origin of the Neiu
England Indian Tribes— The Connecticxd Fiver Indians-
Tit eir Habits and Characteristics— Efforts to Establish Educa-
tion and Christianity among the Tribes— Dutch Settlers sell
Them Guns and Rum.
When Champlain opened the way for the French dominion
in America the task of planting Christianity among the Indians
was assigned to the Jesuits (a name derived from the Society of
Jesus, founded by Ignatius Loyola, A. D. 1539), but while their
primary object was to spread the gospel, their secondary and
hardly less important purpose was to extend the dominion of
France. In 1629 an English fleet sailed up the St. Lawrence
river and captured Quebec, but upon the conclusion of a treaty of
Peace in 1636, Canada was restored to King Louis. In less than
three years from that time no less than fifteen Jesuit missionaries
were laboring among the Indians in the region of the provinces of
Massachusetts and New York, and in extending their line of
possessions the French established strongholds within the limits
of the present states of New Hampshire, Vermont and New York,
and there is evidence tending to show that the Jesuit fathers
carried their Avork into the Connecticut valley within the bound-
aries of this state.
At length, however, French aggression and Jesuit influence
became intolerable to the English, especially in New York, and
about 1700 the colonial legislature of that province passed an
( 20 )
TEE INDIANS
unjustifiable act expelling every Jesuit missionary, on pain of
death. The act was not fully obeyed, yet it had the effect to
retard French encroachments in certain localities, while the spir-
itual welfare of the Indians did not seriously suffer through the
absence of a guiding hand.
In later years the Jesuit fathers were followed by the faith-
ful NcAv England missionaries, who labored first for the conver-
sion of savages within their own territory, and afterward carried
their work into the country of the Iroquois and the Delawares.
Among these workers were such noble men^ as Henry Barclay,
John Ogilvie. Timothy Woodbridge, Gideon Hawley, Eleazer
Wheelock, Samuel Kirkland, Bishop Hobart, Eleazer Williams,
Talbot, Spencer, Dan Barnes (Methodist), and others of less
distinction, all of whom labored faithfully but with varied suc-
cess for the conversion of the Indians. All, however, were forced
to admit that their efforts as a whole were unsatisfactory and dis-
couraging; and even subsequent and more systematic attempts
to establish Christianity and education among the Indians, while
yielding results perhaps sufficient to justify their prosecution,
have constantly met with the most discouraging obstacles.
The Indians of the Connecticut valley, while perhaps more
peaceful than their western neighbors, the Iroquois, or their
Canadian ancestors— for they undoubtedly were of Algonquin
or Huron ancestry — possessed substantially the same native
traits and characteristics, and there is little indication that any
of them were ever inclined to improve upon the condition in
which they were found by the Europeans. They were chiefly
attached to their warrior and hunter life, and devoted nearly all
their energies to the lower forms of gratification and enjoyment.
Their dwellings, even among the more stationary tribes, were
rude, their food coarse and poor, and their domestic habits and
surroundings unclean and barbarous. Their dress was ordina-
rily the skins of animals until the advent of the whites, and was
primitive in character. Their women were degraded into mere
iJohn Eliot and Thomas Hooker were early missionary workers among the
Indian tribes, and Eliot, who was known as the "Apostle to the Indians," trans-
lated the Bible into their language. Their missionary work was contemporary
with that of the Jesuits.
{ 21 )
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
beasts of burden, and Avhile they believed in a Supreme being,
they were powerfully swayed by superstition, incantations, med-
icine men, dreams and visions, and their feasts were exhibitions
of debauchery and gluttony.
Such, according to the writer's sincere belief, are some of the
more prominent characteristics of the race encountered by the
Puritan fathers of New England when they landed on the shores
of Cape Cod and sought to establish for themselves a home in a
new and unknown land. Although more peaceful than most of
the tribes of other localities, the Indians of the Atlantic coast in
New England were not less fierce when aroused to anger or when
inspired to deeds of savagery through wantonness and instinctive
hatred of the pale-faced race. Champlain first welcomed the
Indians with a volley of bullets, a policy that was pursued by
nearly all his civilized successors. It is not denied that the
Indians possessed redeeming characteristics, but they were so
strongly dominated by their barbarous manner of life and savage
traits that years of faithful missionary labor among them was
productive of little real benefit.
And whatever is true of any one nation of Indians in this
respect is true of nearly all others. To the English the Mohi-
cans Avere knoAvn as a peaceful, friendly and domestic people,
yet nearly all early efforts for their conversion to Christianity
were unsatisfactory. No strong controlling influence for good
Avas obtained among any of the tribes previous to the time of Sir
AVilliam Johnson (the first superintendent of Indian affairs in
America), and even then it is doubtful whether they were not
moved more by the power of purchase than by love of right.
Kegarding the origin of the New England Indians, no relia-
ble authority expresses a positive opinion. Unlike the Iroquois
of New^ York, or the DelaAvares of Pennsylvania and the south,
the savages living east of the Hudson had no ancestral traditions,
yet some writers are inclined to the belief that the tribes scat-
tered along the coast were of Delaware or Lenni Lenape (mean-
ing Original People) origin, and that they separated from the
parent body and crossed over the river into the country to the
eastward previous to the formation of the Iroquois league, or the
( 22 )
THE INDIANS
confederacy known in history as the Five Nations. The Iroquois
and the Lenni Lenapes Avere for centuries avowed enemies, and
in the early part of the seventeenth century the former made
war upon and subjugated the latter, and ever afterward were
their acknowledged masters ; but it does not appear that the
vengeful Iroquois ever waged war against the tribes along the
New England coast or sought to bring them into subjection. Nor
were they in any respect considered allies of the Iroquois, but
appear to have been regarded as a neutral people, who warred
only among themselves previous to the advent of the whites.
When the region comprising New England was first explored
by the colonists the Indian tribes were located and known about
as follows : In the lower Housatonic country were the Pedunks,
while to the northward, between the Housatonic mountains and
the Berkshire hills, dwelt the Stockbridge Indians, so-called, but
presumably an offshoot from the most eastern body of the Mo-
hawks, although their real origin, like that of the Pedunks, is
quite in doubt, notwithstanding the opinions of various writers.
The Pequots (sometimes called Pequods) occupied the lower
Connecticut valley and the territory immediately eastward. In
Rhode Island were the Narragansetts, one of the most numerous
and untamable tribes in the New England region, while north of
them and in the order named were the Pokanockets, the Nip-
mucks, the Massachusetts and the Pawtuckets. With the excep-
tion of the Pedunks, the Stockbridges and the Nipmucks, the
tribes inhabiting the coast were claimed to be of Lenni Lenape
descent, while those of New Hampshire and Maine undoubtedly
were of Abenakis, or Abenaquie, origin, and whose ancestors
came from the lower St. Lawrence regions of Canada. The
Mohicans, famed in song and story, one of the exceptionally
friendly tribes, dwelt, during the latter part of the seventeenth
century, in northern Connecticut, east of the river of that name.
The Connecticut river Indians, especially those who inhab-
ited the valley north of the country of the Pequots, probably
were of Algonquin (Canadian) ancestry, but the time of their
emigration from their northern possessions cannot now be deter-
mined. Their habits and customs, Avhile not wholly unlike those
( 23 )
OVR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
who occupied other portions of New England, were much the
same as of the Canadian Indians, yet by long association and
intermarriages with the dusky inhabitants of the coast region
they adopted the mode of life of the latter. In the earlj- wars
with the colonists they fled toward the Canadas when pursued,
and they likewise joined with the Canadian Indians when the
latter invaded the frontier settlements of the whites. They
never were allies of the Mohawks, as some authorities have stated,
but occasionally were visited with the vengeance of the latter,
who were for centuries at deadly enmity with the Algonquins
and their allies.
Of the tribes in the valley none were numerically strong,
and they generally took names suited to the locality in Avhich
the}' lived. Their dialect was the same and to the whites they
were known as separate bands of the" same nation. On the site
of Springfield there were the Agawams, whose tribal name is
preserved in a flourishing town ; at ATestfield, in a region con-
tiguous to the river valley, were the Woronokes : at Northampton
and Hadley were the Nonotucks ; at Deerfield were the Pocom-
tucks ; at Northfield were the Squakheags : at Brookfield, east of
the valley proper, were the Quaboags ; at Windsor were the
Massacoes, and at Charlestown were the INIishawams.
These Indians at best were a lawless, treacherous and un-
trustworthy horde, and never during all their long intercourse
with the whites did they secure the absolute confidence of the
latter. The Puritans and their immediate followers treated
them with the greatest consideration, and in the treaties for the
purchase of their lands they were satisfied with the compensation
offered ; and in many cases where lands were acquired from them
the actual consideration frequently was more than doubled by
subsequent gifts.
As a matter of fact the natives regarded the laud as of little
value to themselves and readily parted with their title for a few
strings of wampum, a number of hatchets and an assortment of
blankets, trinkets and other notions that most struck the savage
fancy. In no case were they deceived into parting with their
possessions, and no unfair means were resorted to by the colonists
( 24 )
THE IXDIANS
to accomplish that end. The period of treachery and deceit on
the part of the whites in extinguishing Indian titles was much
later than that of which we write, and in the history of the early
settlement in the Connecticut valley the much vaunted claim, put
forth by some chroniclers of contemporary events, that "little
importance should be attached to treaties in which the untutored
savages were pitted again intelligent Europeans," is of no effect,
as it had no foundation in fact. In the Massachusetts province
"justice and the faith and restraints of treaties" were not
"subordinate to the lusts of power and expediency."
William Pynchon and his followers, who came into the Con-
necticut valley in 1636 and founded a plantation on the site of
Springfield, purchased land from the Agawams, and in addition
to the price paid they clothed, fed and warmed the natives, and
sought by every means to establish friendly relations with them ;
but at the same time they prudently constructed a fort of suffi-
cient strength to assure a safe refuge for all the settlers within
the plantation ; and in later years, when the settlement had in-
creased in numbers, two other stockade fortresses were added as
a means of still further security against Indian attacks. Subse-
quent events proved the wisdom of this precaution, for the settle-
ment at Springfield was attacked, the buildings plundered and
burned, the lands laid waste, and a ruthless slaughter of the in-
habitants was only prevented by the defensive strength of Fort
Pynchon. And when plantations were extended up and down
the valley and into the interior regions east and w^est of the river,
the pioneers first provided a strong stockade fort for the common
protection of their families. In course of time each of these
settlements was attacked and suffered loss of life and property
at the hands of the savages. These attacks, while perhaps not
provoked by the Connecticut river Indians, were nevertheless
participated in by them, and their professed friendship for the
whites counted for nothing.
In justice, however, to the Indian tribes of the Connecticut
valley it may be said that for many years they maintained friend-
ly relations with the whites and that frequently they lent succor
to distressed settlements ; and occasions are not wanting in which
( 25 )
OVR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
some of the friendly tribes took up arms and fought battles as
allies of the colonists against a dusky foe.
After the advent of the Avhite man the highest aim of the
Indian was the ownership of a gun and ammunition, and a free
license to indulge his appetite for liquor. The English colonists
used every possible means to keep these instruments of death
from the natives, and the general court enacted stringent laws to
prevent the traffic ; and while these laws Avere generally obeyed
they were occasionally violated even in the New England colonies.
The Dutch in the Netherlands became rich in trading guns and
gin to the Indians in exchange for furs, and previous to the over-
throw of their power in America, they furnished these double
weapons of destruction to the Connecticut Indians for the very
purpose of inciting the latter against the New Englanders. It
Avas, hoAvever, a pernicious practice, steadily adhered to, and
resulted disastrously to the American colonists. iThe Indian
loved liquor next to life itself, and in a drunken condition he
kncAV no restraint AvhateA'er. But be it said to the enduring
honor of the English colonists that they opposed this unholy
traffic Avith every knoAvn means of legislation, severe penalties
and moral influence.
Having thus referred at some length in preceding chapters
to the contests of European nations for supremacy in America,
and also to the tribal names, location and something of the life
and traits of the Indians aa'Iio Avere the original possessors of the
territory in Ncav England, it is proper that the succeeding chap-
ter be devoted to a brief narrative of the events of planting col-
onies and extending settlements in the region.
( 26 )
CHAPTER IV
COLONIZATION AND SETTLEMENT
English Colonization and Settlement in America — Tlie Plymouth
and London Companies — Landing of the Pilgrims — Distress
in the Colony — Massasoit's Generosity — Accessions to the Col-
ony— Plantations Founded in the Connecticut Valley — The
Colony at Agawam— Springfield F ounded— Independent Gov-
ernment for Connecticut River Plantations — Springfield re-
turns to Massachusetts Jurisdiction — Four Counties Incorpor-
ated—Springfield not Included.
In 1606, James I, of England, di\dded his possessions in
America, between degrees 34 and 45, north latitude, into two
parts and granted them, the south part to the London company,
and the north part to the Plymouth company, the territory of the
latter extending from the 38th to the 45th parallel, and from the
Atlantic to the Pacific ocean. In the same year the Plymouth
company fitted out a vessel for the purpose of sending a party to
colonize their lands, but the ship fell into the hands of the Span-
iards who then were at war with England.
In 1607 the London company made a successful attempt at
founding a colony in America. A fleet of three ships Avith one
hundred and five men was sent to the country and established a
permanent settlement at Jamestown, Virginia. In the same year
the Plymouth company sent Admiral Gilbert with a party of one
hundred planters, under instructions to establish a colony within
the boundaries of the company's grant, to make improvements
and prepare the way for future colonization and settlement of the
region. This party touched the coast of Maine near the mouth
( 27 )
OUB COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
of the Kennebec, where forty-five men were landed and began
the construction of a storehouse. Captain George Popham was
their president, or commander, and directed the work of improve-
ment. The others, however, soon became discouraged, aban-
doned the scheme and returned to England. Those who re-
mained suffered greatly from the severities of the winter, and, to
add to their misfortunes, the storehouse was destroyed by fire,
their president died, and early in the next year the survivors re-
turned to England. Thus ended the first attempt to found a
colony in New England, and no further effort in the same direc-
tion was made for a period of twelve years.
In 1602 a little band of dissenters from the tenets and exac-
tions of the church of Rome left their homes in the south part of
England and took up an abode in Leyden, Avhere, under the lead-
ership of John Robinson, they dwelt and worshipped after their
own ideas of duty and christian humility. In England they had
suffered all manner of religious persecution, and had exiled
themselves from it, but in Holland they found themselves and
their youth exposed to unwholesome and contaminating moral
influences hardly less dangerous than those from which they pre-
viously had hoped to escape. They, therefore, resolved to flee
from Europe and establish a new home in America, where they
might worship and live in the light of their own religious convic-
tions. The resolution to depart was adopted in 1619, and on
September 6, 1620, a band of one hundred devout Puritans set
sail from Southampton in the Mayflower, bound for the English
settlement in Virginia, in the territory of the London company.
However, through the ignorance or treachery^ (probably the
^According to Hutchinson's narrative, tlie Dutcli endeavored to persuade the
Pilgrims to join the West India colony at New Amsterdam, but they preferred to
settle in Virginia, and made application for a land patent in that region, which
was refused. In order to assure the London company that they were able to
found and maintain their colony the Pilgrims offered the declaration "that they
were well weaned from the delicate milk of the mother country, and enured to the
difficulties of a strange land ; that they were knit together in a strict and sacred
bond, by virtue of which they held themselves bound to take good care of each
other, and of the whole ; that it was not with them as with other men, whom
small things could discourage, or small discontents cause to wish themselves
home again." Hutchinson also says the Pilgrims intended to land near the
mouth of the Hudson river, but that the Dutch had bribed their pilot, who car-
ried them much farther north.
( 28 )
COLONIZATIOX AND SETTLEMENT
latter) of the master of the vessel, on November 9, of the same
year, the Puritans (Pilgrims, they were more aptly called, having
made the pilgrimage from England to Holland and thence to
America) fonnd themselves at anchor off the bleak and barren
coast of Cape Cod, within the territory of the Plymouth company
and hundreds of miles from the English settlement in Virginia,
where they had hoped to land.
Disappointed, but not wholly disheartened, the Pilgrims
determined to land and brave the severities of approaching win-
ter in the desolate region, surrounded with a race of savages
whose strength and temper they kneAV not. Before leaving the
ship they entered into a solemn compact to combine themselves
together in a civil body politic, "for our better ordering and
preservation ; and by virtue hereof to enact, constitute and frame
such just laws, ordinances, constitutions and offices as from time
to time shall be most meet and convenient for the general good of
the colony; unto which we promise all due submission and obe-
dience. ' '
It was a simple yet effective contract and was steadfastly
observed by all the Pilgrim fathers, also by many of their Puri-
tan followers, and was the cornerstone of the constitution of the
commonwealth of Massachusetts in later years. John Carver
was chosen governor of the colony, and on November 21, the
Pilgrims left their ship and knelt on Plymouth Rock. They
named the place New Plymouth, in allusion to Plymouth, in Eng-
land.
During the winter which followed the landing of the Pil-
grims the members of the brave band suffered untold hardships
from the severity of weather, lack of proper clothing and food,
from sickness and death. Their leader and governor, John Carver,
was one of fifty-five who died from sickness and exposure ; and
when in distress and almost utter starvation the survivors were
reduced to the greatest extremity, their sufferings M^ere unex-
pectedly relieved by the generous assistance of Massasoit, sachem
of the Pokanokets, or AYampanoags, who gave them food and
succor, and who indeed proved as steadfast in his friendship as
his son, King Philip, in later years proved merciless and devilish
in his enmity.
( 29 )
OVR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
Notwithstanding the vicissitudes which attended the first
year of life in the Plymouth colony, frequent accessions were
made to the number of settlers, and in 1622, upon the arrival of
the half hundred and more men brought from England by Mr.
Weston, the London merchant, the latter soon branched out from
the parent colony and founded a plantation at Weymouth. This
party, from all historical accounts, was less conscientious than
many of its predecessors, and soon became involved in a contro-
versy with the Indians Avhich threatened the safety of all the New
England colonists of whatever creed. It was the first breach of
faith and propriety on the part of the New Englanders, and was
inexcusable, even on the ground of dire necessity.
In 1624 a settlement was made at Cape Ann, and in 1628 a
colony of more than two hundred persons was planted at Salem,
where also the second church in New England was established.
From this time settlement increased rapidly, and within the next
two years colonies were founded at Charlestown, Dorchester,
Roxbury and Boston. In 1629 the government of the Plymouth
colony, which previously had been administered in England,
was, through the grace of his majesty. King Charles, and the
address of John Winthrop, transferred to New England. An
election of officers was ordered, and in 1630 Governor AVinthrop
and his deputy, Thomas Dudley (chosen to succeed John Hum-
frey, the original deputy), came over from England in a numer-
ous fleet. The first general court was assembled in Boston, where
the freemen attended in person. They builded better than they
knew, and in that informal attempt to establish a government
for a scattered handful of colonists, they in fact laid the found-
ation for one of the most stable and enlightened systems of state
government known to the history of America.
The transfer of the seat of government of the New England
colonies had the effect to increase the tide of emigration from the
mother country to such an extent that the ero^\Ta began to devise
measures to prevent further loss of home population, but without
material results. Almost every month witnessed the arrival of
fresh shiploads of immigrants, while still other vessels brought
cattle and merchandise. At length the settled localities along
( 30 )
COLONIZATION AND SETTLEMENT
the coast began to show evidence of overcrowding, and many of
the more determined planters turned their faces toward the
interior portions of the country, in the direction of the river
^'Quoneticut" (Long Kiver), as known to the Indians who first
■described that fertile region to the whites.
Having thus laid the foundation for civilized white settle-
ment in the Connecticut valley, it can hardly be considered with-
in tlie scope of our present work to refer at greater length to the
outspreading of the home colonies in the north and south regions
of New England, or to the founding of plantations that led to
the establishment of colonies and the subsequent states of Connec-
ticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Maine, or to the various
■causes that led to the division of the mother colonies and the form-
ation of new ones ; but rather we may more properly direct atten-
tion to the events which led to the establishment of plantations in
the Connecticut valley, to the creation of a new county under the
name of Hampshire, to the settlement and civil organization of
that jurisdiction, and to the trials and hardships and ultimate
•successes of the inhabitants within its boundaries.
According to the opinion of the best chroniclers of New
England history, the vast region of country known as the
Connecticut valley in Massachusetts and Connecticut became
known to the white settlers of the eastern plantations about the
year 1631, through information furnished them by the Indians,
who for years had roamed undisturbed throughout the country
east of the Hudson river. The Dutch, however, were first in the
locality, according to reliable authority, about 1614, five years
after their colony had been established on Manhattan Island.
They were traders, buying from the natives large quantities of
furs, and as their possessions, as claimed under Hudson's dis-
coveries, extended east to Cape Cod, it was only natural that they
■should barter with the inhabitants of the valley, where beaver
were known to abound. Yet the Dutch made no attempt to
occupy the land previous to the advent of the English in that
locality, information of which was conveyed to them by the
Indians, who had more regard for them than for the English, as
the former supplied them with guns and rum while the latter
( 31 )
OVB COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
could not do so under penalty of the rigid laws of the general
court.
In the latter part of 1633 two settlers of the Dorchester
colony visited the Connecticut valley, and found one of the
grandest regions that ever awaited the approach of civilization ;
with climate and soil diversified by the most remote extremes, a
wilderness of beauty and fertility ready to be transformed into a
productive agricultural settlement.
The Dorchester explorers, the advance guard of civilization
in the valley, were hospitably received by the Indians in their
village. On the cleared flat lands bordering on the river w^ere
plenty of evidences of cultivation, and growing crops of corn
and hemp were found in the vicinity. The river was well
stocked with fish of large size and excellent quality, and the
surrounding forests abounded in valuable game and fur-bearing
animals.
In the same year a party from the Plymouth colony explored
the country between their plantation and the Connecticut, touch-
ing the latter where now stands AA^indsor. Here William Holmes,
a trader, built a cabin and inclosed it within a stockade, and then
began traffic with the natives. In the same year and just before
the visit of the Plymouth party, the Dutch from the Netherlands
constructed a rude earthworks at the place called "Dutch Point"
(now Hartford), for the ostensible purpose of disputing the right
of the New Englanders in the vicinity, or their right to passage
up and down the river. But the opposition of the Dutch did
not prove a serious menace to the peace and safety of the settlers
from the eastern colonies, and was soon withdrawn. ,
In 1634 many of the planters in New England took steps
tOAvard founding new settlements in the Connecticut valley, and
to that end sent out prospecting parties to explore the region,
select favorable sites and negotiate terms of purchase with the
Indians. In the meantime those who thus proposed to branch out
from the parent colonies presented their petitions to the general
court for permission to remove. The only point in doubt in the
minds of the governing authorities was whether the proposed new
region of settlement was within the jurisdiction of Massachusetts.
( 33 )
COLONIZATION AND SETTLEMENT
Bay, and when consent was finally given the settlers were espe-
cially enjoined not to remove beyond the boundaries or jurisdic-
tion of the general court.
In 1635, the request of the petitioners having been granted,
the tide of emigration set AvestAvard, and in the same year several
new plantations were founded in the valley. The Dorchester
people settled at Windsor, the Watertown people at Wethers-
field, the Cambridge people at Hartford, and the Roxbury people
at AgaAvam, or, by their removal soon afterward to the east side
of the river, at Springfield. It is with the latter colony and its
subsequent branches and offshoots in the region now called
Hampden county that Ave have particularly to deal in this Avork.
AVithin fifteen years after the landing of the Pilgrims no
less than fourteen permanent colonies had been founded in the
province of Massachusetts Bay, Avhile nearly as many more were
scattered throughout the territory noAv comprising the states of
NeAv Hampshire, Maine, Rhode Island and Connecticut.
In 1634 a number of men in authority and several planters
of the Roxbury colony determined to found a ncAv settlement on
the banks of the Connecticut river, and preparatory to that end,
according to the opinion of reliable Avriters, William Pynchon
(one of the original founders of Roxbury and the founder in fact
of Springfield), Henry Smith, son-in-law of Pynchon, and Jehu
Burr, visited the region and made a selection of lands upon Avhich
to begin improvements. In the folloAAdng year John Cable and
John AVoodruff Avere sent to the place and erected a house on the
Avest side of the Connecticut, south of AgaA\^am river, and in the
tOAvn Avhicli noAV bears the latter name. AfterAvard, hoAvever,
having been informed by the Indians that the lands in the
"Agawam meadoAv" Avere subject to overflow from the river, the
site of the plantation Avas changed to the east side of the Con-
necticut, Avhere a ncAv house Avas erected.
In the early spring of 1636, Mr. Pynchon and his associates
sent their goods and effects in Governor AA^inthrop's vessel, the
"Blessing of the Bay," which sailed from Boston, April 26, to
the mouth of the Connecticut river, and thence up that stream to
the site of the proposed plantation. . The pioneers themselves set
3-1
( 33 )
OVR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
out on foot and early in May reached their destination. On the
14th of that month they entered into an agreement regarding the
disposition and allotment of the land and their future conduct
in the plantation. The signers of the compact were AYilliam
Pynchon, Nath. ]\Iitehell Henrj' Smith, Jehu Burr, William
Blake, Edmund Wood, Thomas Utford and John Clark. On
July 15, a treaty of purchase was made with the Indians, the
conveyance bearing the names or symbols of thirteen chiefs and
sachems. The grantees named were William Pynchon, Henry
Smith and Jehu Burr and their associates.
Thus was founded the first permanent white settlement in
the Connecticut valley in Massachusetts, or in old Hampshire
county, an event antedating the incorporation of the county itself
by sixteen years, and antedating the creation of Hampden county
by more than a century and three-fourths. But this was only the
beginning of development and settlement in the region, for not-
withstanding the serious Indian troubles which began the very
next year, a steady stream of settlers was pouring into the
valley, and the plantation at Springfield soon began to enlarge
and extend into other localities, until at length it became territori-
ally almost a principality. Under the authority of the general
court, Mr. Pynchon was clothed with judicial powers, and a mag-
istrate's court was maintained in the plantation until the incor-
poration of Hampshire county in 1662, when a more formal
system of local government was established.
As a matter of fact the general court granted permission to
plant new colonies in the Connecticut valley only after consider-
able hesitation, as the region in question then was supposed to be
beyond the jurisdiction of the Massachusetts Bay province. On
this point Mr. Hutchinson's history furnishes an interesting
statement of conditions of settlement in the valley, and from his
narrative we quote as follows:
"This year also [1641] the plantation at Springfield, upon
the Connecticut river, returned to the jurisdiction of the ]\Iassa-
chusetts. In the year 1636, as has been observed, the towns or
settlements on Connecticut river began. The inhabitants of the
towns of Roxbury, Dorchester, Cambridge and Watertown, in
( 34 )
COLOMZATION AND SETTLE3IENT
the Massachusetts, laid the foundation of the colony of Connecti-
cut. Mr. AYilliam Pynchon, being the principal person among
those from Koxbury who had pitched upon a place higher up the
river than the rest, called by the Indians Agawam, he changed
the name to Springfield. (At first they called the new settle-
ments by the names of the towns they had left in the Bay.) His
mansion house was at a town of that name in England, near to
Chelmsford, in Essex. Those from Dorchester pitched upon a
place below, called by the Indians Mattaneaug or Cushankamaug.
Mr. Ludlow was the principal person who removed with them.
Mr. AVarham, their minister, and the whole church followed the
next year. They called their settlement Windsor. The Cam-
bridge people, with Mr. Hooker and Mr. Stone, their ministers,
and jNIr. Haynes, who the year before had been governor at their
head, were seated next below at a place called Suckiang, which
they changed into Hartford, the place of INIr. Stone's nativity in
England. ' '
"A few miles below there was another tract of interval land
called by the Indians Pauquiang, which those of Hartford in-
tended to have included in their settlement; but a few of the
Watertown people were too quick for them. They gave it the
name of Wethersfield. The commission which they took from
the Massachusetts was of a pretty extraordinary nature. The
preamble to it acknowledges that the lands which they intended
to take possession of were without the commouM-ealth and body
of the Massachusetts, and that certain noble personages in Eng-
land, by virtue of a patent, challenged the jurisdiction there ; but
their minds not being known as to a form of government, and
there being a necessity that some authority should be established,
they therefore appointed Koger Ludlow, Esq., William Pynchon,
Esq., John Steele, William Swaine, Henry Smith, William
Phelps, William Westwood and Andre^v Warner, with full power
and authority to hear and determine between party and party, to
inflict corporal punishment, imprisonment and fines, and to make
and decree orders for the present as shall be necessary for the
plantation, relative to trading, planting, building, military disci-
pline and defensive war, if need require, and to convene the in-
( 35 )
OVR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
habitants in general court if it should be thought meet; the com-
mission to continue no longer than one year, and to be recalled if
a form of government could be agreed upon between the noble
personages, the inhabitants, and the commonwealth of the Massa-
chusetts."
''There would be no accounting for this stretch of power,"
says Mr. Hutchinson, "were it not for a principle at that time
generally received [accepted], and which upon a question was
determined some years after by the general court, some of the
members dissenting, that the oath of fidelity to the commonwealth
was binding even though the person should no longer reside with-
in the limits."
"Notwithstanding this commission, they soon after entered
into an agreement or combination by virtue of which they called
themselves a body politic, formed and established by mutual
consent, and framed such laws and constitutions as they thought
necessary ; the most material point in which they differed from
the Massachusetts was the not making membership of their
churches necessary to freedom in the civil government or the
holding of any offices therein. Upon the petition of Mr. Pynchon
and others to revive them again, an order passed asserting the
court's right, and a commission was granted to Mr. Pynchon to
hold courts there, from whose judgments an appeal lay to the
court of assistants."
Thus it appears that the inhabitants of the Connecticut river
plantations considered themselves not a part of the jurisdiction
of the Massachusetts Bay province, but rather an independent
body politic, created for the purpose of self-government and self-
defense. This association was known as the ' ' Colony of Connec-
ticut," and the plantation at Springfield for several years was
treated as a part of it, although Mr. Pynchon 's people had no
desire to separate themselves from the government of Massachu-
setts.^ This condition prevailed, and was at times the occasion
'The question whether Agawam, or Springfield, was within the jurisdiction
of Massachusetts or Connecticut probably was first raised when John Winthrop
and others built Saybrook fort at the mouth of the Connecticut and attempted to
collect toll from all vessels that passed the fort, going up or down the river.
( 36 )
COLONIZATION AND SETTLEMENT
of spirited controversy, for several years, when existing differ-
ences were adjusted and the colonies of Plymouth, Massachusetts.
Connecticut and New Haven confederated together "for their
common protection and mutual benefit," under the name of the
' ' United Colonies of New England. ' '
In 1643 the general colony of Massachusetts was divided
into four counties— Essex, Middlesex, Suffolk and Norfolk— each
having certain towns as its component elements ; but in the
designation of these towns by name no mention was made of
Springfield, although it was first mentioned as a town and recog-
nized as a jurisdiction having that character in 1641, the year of
the return to Massachusetts authority. It is possible, however,
from the fact, as Mr. Hutchinson states, that the Connecticut
river towns first took the names of the mother towns from which
came their pioneers, and that Springfield may have been regarded
as a part of Roxbury, although many arguments may be pre-
sented to oppose this theory. It is said, however, that the name
Agawam was changed to Springfield at a general meeting of the
planters held April 14, 1640.
The Connecticut towns reluctantly submitted to the exactions, fearing that other-
wise they might be disturbed in their possessions ; but the colony at Springfield
refused to pay, and when the Connecticut authorities attempted to force payment
the town appealed to the Massachusetts general court for protection. This un-
doubtedly was the so-called "Return of Springfield to the Massachusetts." As a
matter of fact Mr. Pynchon's planters did not share in the opinion that their
town was within the jurisdiction of the colony of Connecticut, although the latter
so believed, and even the Massachusetts general court had doubt on the subject.
In the belief that the region was within Connecticut, that people purchased
Woronoco and founded a plantation there, although several of the Springflelders
were interested in the enterprise. In later years Massachusetts and Connecticut
became involved in a serious dispute regarding the right of sovereignty over the
region, but under an order of the general court in 1647. Woronoco, including
portions of Suflield. Westfleld and Southwick, were declared to be a part of the
town of Springfield, and "liable to pay charges therein."
{ 37 )
CHAPTER V
STRUGGLES WITH THE INDIANS
Dissensions Among the Colonists — Beginning of Indian Troubles
— The Pequot War—Narragansetts Allied to the English-
Destruction of the Pequots—An Era of Peace and Prosperity
—Militia Companies Formed in the Valley— Construction of
Fortified Houses— Fort Pynchon— Events Preceding King
Philip's War— The Outbreak— Nipmuck Treachery at Brook-
field— The ^Var in the Connecticut Valley— Burning of Spring-
field—W est field Tivice Attacked— The A fair at Longmeadow
—Decisive Action by the Colonies— Indians Driven from tlie
Valley— Death of King Philip— End of the War.
The year 1636 was doubly eventful in the history of the New
England colonies. Strifes and dissensions of a religious char-
acter disturbed the peace and well being of the colonists and led
to divisions of sentiment in the settled plantations and the estab-
lishment of new ones by the dissenters. No longer did the peo-
ple feel themselves bound by the strict rules and observances of
the Pilgrim fathers and their equally zealous Puritan followers,
but framing new laws for civil and religious government among
themselves, they withdrew from the parent bodies and estab-
lished plantations in other localities. Although the Connecti-
cut river plantations were established in this year, their settlers
were not moved by the considerations mentioned, yet in those
colonies church membership was not a condition precedent to the
full privileges of citizenship— suffrage and eligibility to public
office. Indeed, the little independent body of colonists who
dared brave the dangers and hardships of life in the Connecticut
( 38 )
STRUGGLES V^ITE THE INDIANS
valley were peculiarly exempted from the disturbing influences
that threatened the peace of the eastern plantations, yet they
were engaged in a struggle not less important to themselves and
to the future Avelfare of the United Colonies— a struggle to plant
and maintain civil government on the western frontier of New
England, in a region inhabited by various Indian tribes, whose
professions of peace were accepted with suspicion and a loaded
weapon within convenient reach.
In addition to the differences which led to a division of the
eastern colonies and the consequent weakening of their defensive
strength during the year, the inhabitants found just cause for
still greater alarm in the hostile attitude of the Pequot Indians,
Avhose domain in the southeastern part of Connecticut had not
then been invaded by the onward march of civilized settlement;
nevertheless, prowling bands of the tribe secretly attacked de-
fenseless localities, intercepted traders and travellers by land and
by water and ruthlessly put to the tomahawk whomsoever of the
whites that came in their way ; and none were spared, neither men,
Avomen nor children.^ On account of the disturbances within
their colonies the whites were powerless to send an expedition
against the Pequots in 1636, but preparations were made for a
combined colonial campaign in the following year.
The Pequots were a numerous, powerful tribe, and under
Sassacus, their chief, many atrocities were to be laid at their
door. Their warriors were divided between two palisaded
strongholds, and each sheltered and abetted the murdering bauds
of the other. For years they were the avowed enemies of the
Narragansetts, yet in their mad frenzy to exterminate the whites,
they proposed an alliance with that people. The offer was re-
fused, and true to their enmity, the Narragansetts sent a deputa-
tion to the Massachusetts colony and made an alliance with the
English against the Pequots ; and while they scrupulously ob-
served all the provisions of the treaty until after the destruction
of the Pequots, they afterward, through jealousy alone, became
Un the spring of 1G37 a party of Pequots Invaded the Connecticut valley in
the vicinity of Wethersfield, killed nine men and carried two women into cap-
tivity.
( 39 )
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
insolent and attempted to provoke hostilities with the whites.
Their time, in turn, came in due season, and they too were made
to feel the vengeance of the American colonist.
In 1637 a campaign of destruction was planned against the
Pequots, in which the Massachusetts, Plymouth and Connecticut
colonies agreed to send a combined force against the offending
savages, and in which they were promised the aid of the Narra-
gansetts and some of the more friendly Connecticut river tribes.
Through some miscalculation the INIassachusetts men were tardy
in their movements, and Captain JNIason, of the Connecticut
troops, fearing if he delayed that his uncertain Indian allies
might attribute his action to cowardice, bravely pushed forward
with less than one hundred men and crushed the Pequots in their
stronghold on the Mystic river, killing, as some accounts say,
between five hundred and six hundred of them, with a loss of
but two of his own men. Most of his Xarragansett allies became
frightened and fled, but such as remained hung about the place
and slaughtered the few Pequots who escaped jNIason's deadly
assault. Following up this victory, the English next assaulted
the other Pequot fortress with like result, and so completely were
the Indians beaten that of those who escaped few would ever
afterward admit Pequot relationship.
This was the first actual conflict between the New England
colonists and the Indians, and it was a visitation of retributive
justice that had a salutary- effect upon the other tribes of the
region ; and many years passed before the colonists were again
called upon to inflict similar punishment in other localities.
Some writers, who knew little of the provocation that called for
the extermination of the Pequots, and still less of the true In-
dian character, charged the colonists with unwarranted cruelty
during the war : but with the colonists it was simply a question
whether they and their families should be put to the knife and
the tomahaw^k, or whether the Indians should first feel the weight
of the white man's strength in war. On either side it was bound
to be a war of extermination. The Pequots had suffered no
affront at the hands of the whites, nor had their lands been taken
without their consent and just consideration paid. A spirit of
( 40 )
STRUGGLES WITH THE INDIANS
malice and mere wantonness prompted hostilities on their part,
and their punishment was as just as it was severe.
In the Pequot war a levy was made for seven men from the
Agawam plantation to take part in the campaign, but from all
accounts obtainable the.y were not furnished, chiefly from the
fact that the settlement could not safely provide that number.
The plantation was also assessed 86 pounds, 16 shillings, for the
expenses of the expedition, which was paid, although at consid-
erable sacrifice on the part of some of the planters. In Con-
necticut a winter of severe suffering followed the war, and Cap-
tain Mason, the hero of the campaign, visited the Indian settle-
ments in the vicinity of Pocomtuck (Deerfield) and purchased
from the natives fifty canoe loads of corn for the relief of the
people of his colony. Mr. Pynchon had been asked to provide
this relief from his plantation, but the little colony itself was in
dire extremity at the time.
The close of the Pequot war was followed by an era of pros-
perity in the New England colonies, and nowhere was there made
more rapid strides in advancement and development than in the
fertile Connecticut valley. For several years Springfield was
the chief center of trade and population, and as settlement in-
creased the lands in the vicinity were taken up and soon fine
farms existed in place of heavy forest growths of former times.
In the course of a few years plantations were established at
AVoronoco ("Westfield), Masacksick (Longmeadow), Freshwater
(Enfield, Conn.), and also on the famous Chicopee Plain, on the
west bank of the river above Springfield. Farther up were the
flourishing plantations of Hadley, Northampton, Hatfield,
Greenfield, Deerfield (Pocomtuck) and Northfield, the latter the
most northerly settlement in the valley at that time. When
Hampshire county was created in 1662 it is estimated that about
1,500 whites were settled in the valley, and that the Indians in
the same region numbered about 400 or 500. Generally they
Avere friendly, yet at times the genius of Mr. Pynchon was taxed
to maintain good order and prevent complications through de-
mands for arrests from the authorities of the eastern settlements.
While harmony thus prevailed for a period of nearly two-
( 41 )
STRUGGLES WITH THE INDIANS
score years, it was only the calm that preceded the storm; but
the settlers had profited by the lesson of the Pequot war and
made preparation for any future outbreak; yet they could not
guard against surprise or sudden attack from a dusky foe. In
1639 the Springfield authorities provided for the organization
of a militia force by the adoption of the following regulation:
"It is ordered that the exercise of trayning shall be prac-
tised one day in every month ; and if occasion doe sometimes
hinder, then the like space of tyme shall be observed another
tyme, though it be two days after one another. And whosoever
shall absent himself without lawful excuse shall forfeit twelve
pence, and all above fifteen years of age shall be counted for sol-
diers, and the tyme to begin, the first thursday in December
next." Henry Smith was appointed sergeant of the company,
with authority to appoint a corporal.
Each settled locality in the valley was provided with a mili-
tary company under similar regulations, and each also caused
a fortified house to be built for the protection of the settlers and
their families in case of attack. Springfield had three such
places, one of which, strongly constructed of brick, was built by
Mr. Pynchon in 1660 and remained standing until 1831. For
almost two centuries it withstood the ravages of time and the
elements, and on at least one occasion it also successfully with-
stood an Indian attack. Fort Pynchon stood at the corner of
what now is Main and Fort streets, the latter name always hav-
ing been preserved in memory of the old historic structure. The
Springfield Fire and INIarine Insurance company's building
(the "Fort building") stands on the site once occupied by the
old fort.
The organization of defensive military forces and the con-
struction of fortified houses in the valley was accomplished none
too soon, although the work was begun within ten years after the
annihilation of the Pequots. After the organization of Hamp-
shire county, Capt. John Pynchon was placed in command of the
Springfield company, and also was commissioned major of the
"Hampshire Horse," the latter a troop of mounted riflemen
drawn from all parts of the county. The entire military forces
( 43 )
OVR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
of the valley in 1671 numbered probably four hundred effective
men, but they were much scattered throughout the settled locali-
ties, and were not sufficiently strong in any single place to suc-
cessfully withstand the desperate attacks of King Philip's horde
of savages in the war Avhich soon devastated the region.
Soon after the Pequot war the Narragansetts, who had been
the allies of the English during that brief struggle, became in-
solent and showed a disposition to provoke enmity with their late
friends. Their chief, Miantonomo, who had behaved with com-
parative decency in former years, now had become jealous of the
English, and particularly of Uncas and his Mohegan brothers,
the latter being exceedingly friendly with the whites and in
great favor among them. But notwithstanding the crafty wiles
and petty outrages of the disgruntled chief, the English man-
aged to keep peace with his people until 1646, when they planned
to visit upon them such punishment as overtook the Pequots.
However, before this plan Avas carried out the Indians were awed
into subjection, surrendering their arms and agreeing upon a
peace Avhich Avas afterward generally observed.
The Wampanoags, who, with the Narragansetts, inhabited
the southeast country of New England, and who occupied a high
place in Indian councils, were at this time under Massasoit, their
chief (whose memory is perpetuated in the name of Springfield's
leading hotel). He pledged his people in peace Avith the col-
onists in 1621, and was faithful to his promise to the year of his
death, 1662. He left two sons Alexander and Philip, the former
of whom succeeded his father as chief, but died the same year.
Philip then became chief, or sachem (accounts differ as to his
office, the sachem being supreme in the civil councils of the tribe
and the chief commanding in time of battle), and from that
time until his death he schemed to undo all the good his father
had done, and to surpass in outrage and inhuman slaughter all
the chiefs of tribes in the New England colonies. In this re-
spect he was successful, and he involved the colonies in a war
which continued two years and which cost the whites hundreds
of lives in battle and massacre, Avhile during the same period the
Indian loss amounted to thousands of lives of warriors, women
( 44 )
STRUGGLES WITH THE INDIANS
and children. With craftiness Avorthy of a higher pnrpose King
Philip drew to his standard nearly every tribe in the colonies and
waged a warfare that taxed the strength and resources of the
United Colonies ; and when at last he fell it was by the hand of
one of his own savage followers, whose brother he had slain in
passion for suggesting that peace be again established with the
English.
King Philip phinged heedlessly into the war, and while he
had spent several years in spreading the seed of dissension among
the tribes of New England, he was not prepared for the contest
when it came. By some mischance a converted Indian found
temporary lodgment with Philip's people, and discovered that
while they were proclaiming friendship with the English, they
nevertheless were secretly planning their destruction. This was
reported to the planters at Natick, and for that offense the
"praying" Indian was killed at Philip's command. The Ply-
mouth colonists arrested and hanged the murderers, who hap-
pened to be three of Philip's warriors, which so enraged the
chief that he was no longer able to restrain himself and plunged
into the war in June, 1675, by attacking Kehoboth and Swanzey.
But he was so closely pursued by the Massachusetts militia that
after a series of secret attacks and sudden retreats, the latter part
of July found his forces in the vicinity of Brookfield, approach-
ing and threatening the Connecticut valley, where the Indians
generally flocked to his aid, although almost to the very hour of
their departure they professed friendship for the whites. The
prospect of blood and plunder was too much for their weak na-
tures to resist, and true to savage instincts they allied themselves
to Philip's cause and waged a bitter war against the settlers who
had been their chief support for nearly a score of years.
After the treacherous^ attack upon and burning of Brook-
^The Nipmucks, who occupied tlie central portion of Massachusetts, made the
direct attack on Brookfield, although they were aided by a part of Philip's men
and some of the Connecticut river Indians. The Nipmucks had promised to meet
a party of Massachusetts ofiBcers and troops at Brookfield and discuss a treaty
with them, but on the appointed day not an Indian appeared in the town. The
party went out to meet them in their own territory, where they were drawn into
an ambuscade and frightfully slaughtered.
( 45 )
OVR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
field (Quaboag), the affair covering a period of several days and
■costing many lives, Philip's force was compelled to seek shelter
in the forests and swamps in the direction of the Connecticut
river. News of the attack was sent into the valley and Spring-
field's company, under Lieutenant Cooper, accompanied by
thirty Hartford militia and a number of professedly friendly
Indians, marched to the relief of the besieged settlement. But
before they arrived the attacking party had retired. In a few
•days after the disaster at Brookfield, Philip's men attacked Deer-
field, burning a number of houses, and on the next day killed
several men at Northfield. On September 3 a force of thirty-
six men under Captain Beers, designed for the garrison at North-
field, were attacked, and twenty of them, including Captain
Beers, were killed. Just two weeks later followed the fearful
slaughter at Bloody Brook, one of the most lamentable events of
its character in early NeAV England history. Philip 's men had
now overcome every opposing body of whites and the whole lower
Connecticut valley was virtually laid open to the ravages of his
merciless horde.
When the ncAvs of these attacks was communicated to
•colonial authorities of Massachusetts and Connecticut, prompt
measures Avere taken to defeat the purpose of the savages, but
instead of at once increasing the defensive force of the valley by
men from the east, they made the unfortunate mistake of calling
upon the companies of the towns in the valley to relieve each
-other, thus leaving some of them unprotected against a secret at-
tack. A mistake of this character resulted in the burning of
Springfield, with a loss of several lives and a large amount of
property.
Early in October the news reached Springfield that a con-
siderable body of Indians had appeared in the vicinity of Hadley
with evident design to attack the town, whereupon Major Pyn-
chon and his force of forty-five of the strongest young men of
Springfield hastened to reinforce the garrison at that place. Thus
Springfield, on the night of October 4, was wholly at the mercy
of a savage horde who were only waiting a favorable moment for
.•attack. For some weeks the Springfield Indians had been rest-
( 46 )
STRUGGLES WITH THE INDIANS
ive and all their movements indicated ill feeling toward the
whites. They were sullen and morose, and instead of mingling
with the settlers, as had been their habit for years, they kept in
the vicinity of their fort in the south part of the town ; and while
Major Pynchon's little company was marching Avith all speed to
the relief of Hadley, the treacherous Spring-field Indians were
harboring King Philip's savages within their fort and only wait-
ing to strike the defenceless settlement unawares.
However, b}^ mere chance the scheme M^as discovered before
the attack was made. In the family of a Windsor settler named
Wolcott lived Toto, a friendly Indian, who disclosed the plot to
the family, and the latter at once dispatched a messenger to
Springfield with the news. Word was quickly sent to Major
Pynchou, and in the meantime the inhabitants removed their
families and some of their effects to the fortified houses. The
young men of the settlement were with the militia at Hadley. and
only a few men of more advanced years remained at home.
Among the latter were Thomas INliller, Deacon Samuel Chapin,
one of the magistrates, Jonathan Burt, the town clerk, and Lieu-
tenant Cooper, the latter also beyond the middle age, but who
recently had led the Springfield company to the relief of Brook-
field. Kev. Mr. Glover, the minister, also was with the settlers.
All through this long October night the inhabitants of
Spring-field kept a ceaseless watch for the dreaded savages, but
the morning daAvned without a sign of the enemy. The settlers
felt in a measure reassured and at last began to hope that the
rumor was false. Rev. Mr. Glover even returned with his library
to his own house, having previously kept it at Major Pynchon's
for safety. At length the fear of an attack began to pass away,
and to satisfy themselves as to the truth of the report spread
abroad. Lieutenant Cooper and Thomas Miller mounted their
horses and rode off in the direction of the Indian fort. They
passed beyond the settled portion of the town and as they entered
a piece of woods a little north of ]\Iill river, both were shot by a
concealed enemy, INIiller falling dead from his horse, and Cooper
having a mortal wound. He nevertheless struggled to his feet,
remounted his horse and rode swiftly back into the town, where
he died near the entrance to the nearest fort.
( 47 )
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE'
"The Indians then burst upon the town with great fury.^
Unable to gratify their thirst 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 num-
ber 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 bams M^ere in flames. The house of correction was de-
stroyed. INIajor Pynehon's corn mill and saw mill were burned
and in general the corn and hay in store for the coming winter
were consumed. Besides Cooper and INIiller, one Avoman, Pente-
cost 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, Edward 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. The beleaguered people looked
out guardedly from the windows and loop-holes of the fortified
houses and saw the Indians whom they had known familiarly for
years as neighbors and friends— to whom they had done no
wrong — ruthlessly apply the torch to their dwellings, and con-
sign them, with their furniture, their stores of food, and all the
little provisions they had made for the comfort of their families
during the approaching winter, to a remorseless destruction."
"In this diabolical work the Springfield Indians, some forty
in number, were not a whit behind the strangers, whom they had
admitted to their fort. Indeed, first and foremost in this work,
'the ringleader in word and deed', was "Wequogan,^ the chief
sachem of the Springfield Indians. Another chief, well known
to our people, while actively engaged in this mischief, loudly
^We quote freely from Henry Morris's narrative on tbe burning of Spring-
field, that being one of tlie most reliable accounts extant.
■-Wequogan is believed to have been killed near Pedham during the latter
part of King Philip's war. He was one of three Indians who in 1674 sold to
Elizur Holyoke and others, "for the use and behoof of the town, a tract of land
bounded northerly by 'Chickuppe' river, southerly by the Scantic and Freshwater
rivers, and extending from the foot of Wilbraham mountains on the east as far as
Five Mile pond on the west." In the sale of 1674 Wequogan is mentioned as
formerly called Wrutherna, but probably was not the Indian of that name who
signed the deed to Pynchon in 16.'i6 ; but he may have been his son. — Morris.
( 48 )
STRUGGLES WITH THE INDIANS
proclaimed to them that he Avas the one who had burned Qiiaboag,
and would serve them the same way. ' '
Several of the Indians who participated in the burning of
Springfield were shot by the besieged people from their fortified
houses, but the larger part of them escaped injury and took away
all the plunder they could carry. They disappeared as suddenly
as they had come, and their subsequent encampment at Indian
Orchard was not known to the whites for some time. While
they were busy with their work of destruction Major Treat and
his company of Connecticut militia appeared on the west side of
the river, having learned of the attack and made a forced march
from Westfield. Not being able to cross the river, they were
of little real service, yet their presence in the neighborhood had
the effect to deter the Indians from a combined attack on any of
the fortified houses.
About the middle of the afternoon, October 5, Major Pyn-
chon's men came hastily into the town, tired and worn with their
rapid movements, yet the murderous horde of savages fled be-
fore their approach and sought safety in the densely wooded
regions south of the settlement. But what a scene of desola-
tion greeted the returned men as they approached the town from
the north, for the ruins of fifty-seven buildings were still smoul-
dering and not a single house north of Major Pynchon's was
standing, except that of William Branch. "Between Pynchon's
house and the meeting house, the house of Kev. Mr. Glover, John
Hitchcock, John Stewart and several others were burned, as were
their barns. A few houses were standing about the meeting
house, or the present Elm street. From the house of Thomas
INIerrick, a little below where West State street now is, down to
the two garrison houses at the lower end of Main street, all were
destroyed. In one of those garrison houses lay the body of Lieut.
Thomas Cooper." He was a carpenter by trade, and built the
first meeting house here in 1645 ; was deputy to the general court
in 1668, and appears to have possessed considerable knowledge
of surgery.
According to reliable authority it is believed that the whole
number of Indians engaged in the destruction of Springfield was
4-1
( 49 )
OVB COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
about six hundred, of which number two hundred and seventy
were King- Philip 's savages and the remainder Avere Connecticut
river and other Massachusetts Indians.
In describing the situation of the town after the burning,
Holland says: "The inhabitants were thus left houseless and
almost penniless. There were no mills to grind their corn, or to
saw stuft's for new dwellings, and in deep discouragement they
came near abandoning the settlement and leaving their estates
as the settlers at the north had done. Major Pynchon was much
disheartened ; the accumulations of a lifetime had been swept
away, and it is not unlikely that the graceless return which the
Indians had made for all his kindness had an effect upon hisi
mind. His were the buildings destroyed previous to the gen-
eral conflagration. He felt, too, the weight of responsibility that
was upon him in his position as the leading man of the town.
Mr. Glover, the minister, lost one of the most valuable private
libraries that New England then contained."
Major Pynchon unquestionably was the greatest loser b.y the
disaster, and his sentiments and feelings are pretty well de-
scribed in the following extract from his letter to Governor
Leverett, written from Springfield three days after the burning
of the town: "Our people are under great discouragement —
talk of leaving: the place. We need your orders and direction
about it. If it be deserted how wofully do we yield to and en-
courage our insolent enemy, and how doth it make way for the
giving up of all the towns above. If it be held it must be by
strength and many soldiers, and how to have provision — I mean
bread — for want of a mill, is difficult. The soldiers here already
complain on that account, although we have flesh enough. And
this very strait — I mean no meal, will drive many of our inhabit-
ants away, especially those that have no corn, and many of them
no houses, which fills and throngs up every room of those that
have, together with the soldiers now (which yet we cannot be
without) increasing our numbers, so that indeed it is very un-
comfortable living here, and for my own particular, it would be
far better for me to go away, because here I have not anything
left — I mean no corn, neither Indian nor English, and no means
( 50 )
STRUGGLES WITH THE INDIANS
to keep one beast here ; nor can I have release in this town be-
cause so many are destitute. But I resolve to attend to what
God calls me to, and to stick to it as long as I can, and though I
have such great loss to my comforts, yet to do what I can for de-
fending the place. I hope God will make up in himself what is
wanting in the creature, to me and to us all."
As is unmistakably indicated by the tenor of Mr. Pynchon's
letter, the people of Springfield were indeed reduced to great
extremity as the result of the attack, and many of the settlers
seriously contemplated a removal to the better protected towns
in the east part of the province. The disasters in the upper
part of the valley, followed by that at Springfield, filled the peo-
ple of Northampton and Hadley with great apprehension, for in
the order of things those towns probably would next suffer ; and
now with Major Pynchon resigned from the militia command,
the settlers had no one person upon whom they could lean for
advice. Capt. Samuel Appleton succeeded to the command of
the Massachusetts troops in this region, and established himself
at Hadley. Captain Seeley with the Connecticut men was at
Northampton, but not being in supreme command in the absence
of Major Treat, he declined to co-operate with the Massachusetts
militia. Later on the Connecticut authorities corrected this
blunder and sent ]\Iajor Treat with a force sufficient to garrison
and protect Northampton.
On October 19, while the commanders of the detached forces
in the valley were arranging defensive plans. King Philip's
warrioi-s, some seven or eight hundred strong, surprised Hat-
field, then defended by Captains Moseley and Poole. The at-
tack was well planned, but evidently the Indians miscalculated
the defense of the place, for they were repulsed with loss in every
quarter ; and on the arrival of Captain Appleton from Hadley
they Avere utterly routed and put to flight. This was the first
severe punishment administered to Philip during the year, and it
had the effect to change his plans for the wdnter ; and instead of
remaining in the valley he soon afterward betook himself, with
his Wampanoag warriors, to the Narragansett country, where
he remained in comparative quiet several months, although he
( 51 )
OVR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
was at one time reported to be in the vicinity of Albany with sev-
eral hundred braves. Had this been true the ]Mohawks would
have saved New England the expense of a campaign in the year
1676.
Notwithstanding the withdrawal of Philip 's forces from the
valley about the first of November, the region was by no means
pacified, nor were the settlers at all secure in their homes, for
the river Indians were implacable, mean and perfectly devilish
in their treatment of the whites throughout the winter months.
Soon after the attack on Hatfield several settlers engaged in
harvesting corn near Northampton were surprised by a party of
Indians and barely escaped with their lives ; and before Major
Treat could organize a pursuit the savages had burned several
buildings and made a safe retreat into the forests. A few days
later the grist mill was attacked, but w^as saved by a party of
soldiers kept there for its protection.
During the winter, which, providentially, was exception-
ally mild, AVestfield was twice attacked by marauding bands;
first, soon after the affair at Northampton, when ]Mr. Granger,
a planter, was wounded, and the dwelling of Mr. Cornish and the
house and barns of John Sacket were burned, with their con-
tents. About the same time three young men of Springfield,
one a son of Mr. Gumbleton and the others sons of Mr. Brooks,
went out to examine some iron ore lands owned by ]\Ir. Pynchon,
and were killed. In this manner depredations were continued
all through the winter, and the people of Springfield were almost
daily alarmed by the reports of Indians in the vicinity. They
had thought to abandon the settlement, but Avere strictly enjoined
not to do so by an order of the general court.
During the more severe winter months the Indians were
comparatively quiet, but when spring approached they resumed
their depredations. In the meantime the colonial authorities
had organized a powerful force to crush the savages in their
eastern strongholds. For this expedition Massachusetts fur-
nished 527 men, commanded by INIajor Samuel Appleton ; Con-
necticut furnished 315 men under Major Treat, and Plymouth
furnished 158 men under Governor Winslow, who also was to
( 52 )
STRUGGLES WITH THE INDIANS
serve as commander-in-chief. The details of the expedition are
not necessary to this chapter, and it is sufficient to state that as
its result seven hundred Indians were killed outright, three hun-
dred were mortally wounded, while hundreds of others, men,
squaws and papooses, perished in the flames of their burning-
wigwams. The colonists lost about two hundred men in battles,
and a few others who died from exposure. It was a terrible pun-
ishment, however, for the Indians, yet severe as it was. King
Philip's power was not broken. Of his warriors who escaped
some fled to the Nipmucks while others found refuge in the wig-
wams of the Connecticut river Indians in the vicinity of Spring-
field, Deerfield and Northfield, where Philip had faithful allies.
In the latter part of March, 1676, the people of Long-
meadow, having all through the winter been deprived of the
privilege of attending worship in their meeting house, deter-
mined to visit the sanctuary in Springfield, four miles distant.
On Sunday morning, March 26, they set out under a strong and
apparently determined guard; but when in the vicinity of Pe-
cowsic brook a party of eight Indians surprised them, routed
the guard and attacked the unprotected people, killing John
Keep, his wife and child, wounding others, and making captives
of two women and two children.
About the same time the settlement at "Westfield was sub-
jected to a second visit from the Indians, but upon the first indi-
cations of their presence in the vicinity a party of a dozen deter-
mined armed men went out and drove them from the place, kill-
ing and wounding a number of them and losing only two of their
own men— Moses Cook, a planter, and one of the soldiers of the
garrison.
The severe punishment inflicted on the Indians in the east-
ern part of the colonies during the winter had the effect to
change the seat of subsequent events from that region to the val-
ley of the Connecticut, and early in the spring Springfield,
Northampton, Hadley and Hatfield became important points of
operations. The Indians, however, were early on the move, and
about the middle of March made a furious attack upon North-
ampton, following it two weeks later with a similar assault upon
( 53 )
OVR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
Hatfield, the latter without injurious results except to them-
selves. They then returned to Northampton, but passed with-
out an attack, and next turned up at Westfield, as has been men-
tioned.
These marauding depredations were continued at frequent
intervals by small bands of Indians, and at length the Massachu-
setts council suggested that the smaller plantations consolidate
with those of greater strength for the general security of all.
Thus Longmeadow and Westfield were urged to unite with
Springfield until the troublous period should have passed. Long-
meadow, by reason of its recent visitation, had no objection to
the plan, but Westfield with a spirit of determination and inde-
pendence that has ever characterized its people in all generations,
repudiated the suggestion to leave a strongly defended plantation
for one of less strength and without habitations or means of sup-
port even for its own people. Isaac Phelps, David Ashley and
Josiah Dewey acted for the town in this matter, and their coun-
cils were aided by the advice of Mr. Taylor,^ their minister ; and
with such art did these worthies address themselves to the coun-
cil that their argument prevailed and there was no consolidation
of towns. On the contrary, a defensive force of one hundred
and eighty men was granted the locality.
Soon after the beginning of operations in 1676 the Indians
established themselves in camp in the vicinity of Deerfield, and
with Philip in command they regarded themselves able to resist
any force the English were likely to send against them. From
this point small bands made sudden assaults on the frontier set-
tlements, burning buildings and driving off cattle. About this
time it was learned from an Indian who was captured near Chico-
pee (three others being killed at the time) by Captain Samuel
'In a letter to the council Mr. Taylor sets forth several reasons why the
Westfield people cannot remove from their town, one of his arguments being as
follows : "We are altogether incapacitated for any removal, by reason of the
awful hand of God upon us, in personal visitations, for there came a soldier sick
of bloody flux, and, dying amongst us. in Capt. Cook's family, hath infested the
family therewith, insomuch that he hath lost a son by it. his wife lies at the
point of death, his youngest son is very weak of it, and he himself is almost
brought to bed by it, and there is another family in the house hath it."
( 54 )
STRUGGLES WITH THE INDIANS
Holyoke 's men, that the whole number of Indians in the camp in
the upper valley Avas 3,000, of whom 1,000 were warriors, chiefly
Narragansetts, Nipmucks and Quaboags, with some river In-
dians, but that there were no foreigners (MohaAvks) among
them. He said that they were poorly supplied with clothing
and food, but had an abundance of ammunition and plenty of
guns which they had bought from the Dutch traders.
On May 18 Captains Turner and Holyoke, with one hundred
and eighty men from Springfield, Northampton and Hadley,
made a rapid forced march and attacked the Indian encampment
on Fall river, causing a loss to the savages of more than three
hundred in killed and drowned, besides the destruction of their
wigwams and fishing grounds. Soon afterw^ard, however, as
the victors were returning to Hatfield, they were set upon and
harassed along the entire march by the thoroughly maddened
red men. Captain Turner was killed and the command de-
volved upon Captain Holyoke, who in fact was the hero of the
expedition, and whose coolness and skill alone saved the little
body of English from total annihilation. As it was thirty-eight
men were lost.
The attack upon the Indians at the Falls, while unfortunate
in its final results to the English, Avas terribly disastrous to the
Indians, as it broke up the fisheries Avhich Avere their chief de-
pendence for food. In retaliation Philip invaded Hatfield, but
in so doing he encountered a body of tAventy-five soldiers, Avho
punished him severely and drove his savages from the town Avith
a loss of tAventy-five redskins — one for each man in the Hadley
company.
At length the Massachusetts and Connecticut authorities
healed their differences and determined to clear the country of
the murderous horde of savages Avho had caused such Avidespread
desolation, and to that end planned a formidable expedition
against them. Connecticut agreed to and did send to join the
Massachusetts forces an efficient body of tAA'O hundred and fifty
troops and tAA'o hundred Mohegan AA^arriors. Under command
of Major Talcott this force SAA^ept up the Connecticut valley,
clearing the region of every hostile Indian along the line of
( 55 )
OVR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
march ; and he arrived at Hadley^ just as the garrison had re-
pulsed a determined attack by Philip's men. This defeat, to-
gether with the timely arrival of Talcott, was the beginning of
the end of Indian depredations in this region, either bj' King
Philip's warriors or his Connecticut river allies. The com-
bined colonial forces with their Mohegan allies cleared the region
of its skulking enemies, and after Talcott 's men had pursued a
part of them into the Narragansett country and still others into
the Housatonie valley, all that lived of the once murderous horde
sought refuge with their ancestors in Canada.
Philip struggled on for a time, but at last fell by the hand
of one of his own warriors. He was killed August 12, 1676. The
victorious English cleared the eastern portion of the colonies of
Indians, which work continued until the spring of 1678.
The most reliable authorities estimate that during King
Philip 's war the United Colonies lost one-eleventh of their entire
militia forces and about the same proportion of all the build-
ings. The Indian loss during the same time is estimated at more
than 5,000, of both sexes.
^An interesting fact of general history was disclosed in connection with the
attack on Hadley. At one time the Indians had pierced the palisades and gained
the Interior of a house, but were beaten bacli after a desperate struggle. The
defenders showed some sign of weakening and were in a state of confusion, when
suddenly there appeared in their midst a stranger, who at once assumed com-
mand, encouraged the soldiers and directed efforts which resulted in success for
the defenders of the place. Subsequently the fact was disclosed that the stranger
was Goffe, one of the judges who condemned to death Charles I. of England, and
who. having escaped from England in 1660. afterward lived in exile in America.
For twelve years preceding the time of the attack on Hadley. Goffe and his
father-in-law. named Whalley. had been members of Mr. Russell's family. Mr.
Russell was the minister at Hadley.
56
CHAPTER VI
COLONIAL WARS
From the Close of King Pliilip^s War to tJie End of the French
Dominion — Indians Ask to he Restored to their Former Posses-
sions in the Connecticut Valley — Ki)tg William's War— Indian
Depredations of the Frontier — Queen Anne's War — Treaty of
Vtrecht — Trouble witli tlie Ahenaquis — Fattier Basle and Wor-
onoak—War Again Declared Between England and France —
Treaty of Aix-la-ChapeUe — War Resumed — Tlie Hampshire
County Regiment at Lake George — Troops Assembled at
Springfield— End of the War— Treaty of Paris.
Although the Indians were driven from their former haunts
in the valley as the result of their alliance with King Philip, they
nevertheless were reluctant to remain permanently away from
their favorite fishing grounds. When they left they found
refuge in Canada and placed themselves under the protection
of the French. Occasionally during the early part of the fol-
lowing year, under French instigation, war parties made incur-
sions into the regions of Vermont and New Hampshire, and in
September a force of about fifty of them attacked Hatfield and
Deerfield, and even made a demonstration against the mill at
Hadley. In the upper valley country they killed a number of
persons and made captives of others, carrying the latter to Can-
ada.
Notwithstanding these atrocities, the uncivilized vagabonds
soon afterward presented themselves to the English and asked
that they again might occupy their possessions along the Con-
necticut. Only three years before they had formed an alliance
( 57 )
OVR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
with a falling power (King Philip) and by their unpardonable
treachery they had forfeited all claims to consideration at the
hands of the English, yet now they asked to be admitted to the
benefits of peace. The English treated them with a far greater
moderation than they deserved, and sent Major Treat to nego-
tiate terms with them, or, rather, to tell them what they might
do and Avhat would be expected of them. First, they must sub-
ject themselves to English laws as did the English people ; they
must restore to the English any captives they had taken to Can-
ada or elsewhere. Then they were at liberty to reoccupy the
land formerly possessed by them, with the privileges accorded to
the whites.
In a way the Indians accepted the terms imposed upon them
(INIajor Treat was entirely fair but was very firm with them) and
did return a part of the captives (the others were ransomed by
a party of whites who went to Canada and purchased their re-
lease), but the idea of living strictly in accordance with the laws
of order which bound the white man was so repugnant to the sav-
ages that they soon left the region and took up their abode near
the Canada border.
After the withdraAval of the Indians the settlers in the val-
ley returned to their lands, restored the buildings and devoted
themselves to the peaceful arts of agriculture and trade. For
a period of ten years they thus lived in undisturbed quiet, and
during that time they prospered as never before. Hampshire
county now had become one of the important civil divisions of
Massachusetts, and in population, resources and productions it
ranked with the best regions of New England.
In 1688, upon the abdication of James II., and the accession
of William and Mary to the British throne, England and France
almost at once engaged in what has been known in history as
King William's Avar, a struggle that re-echoed throughout the
American colonies. The French in Canada now were aided by
the Indians who had been driven from New England, and the
savages themselves required but little persuasion to induce them
to wage Avar against their recent conquerors, especially as the
French officers offered a bounty for each English scalp and eacli
English captive.
( 58 )
COLONIAL WARS
Once more therefore the New Englanders were called upon
to defend their northern frontier against a wily foe. New York
then had become a thoroughly English province, and shared with
her sister colonies on the east the vicissitudes of war with com-
bined French and Indian enemies; but New York, unlike New
England, had the assistance of the powerful Iroquois confeder-
acy, whose warriors hated not only the French but also the In-
dians who were their allies. On the other hand, the New Eng-
landers relied for the defense of their frontier upon the sturdy
planters, and it was a confidence worthily bestowed.
In Massachusetts the upper Connecticut valley was the most
exposed region, and one that required the strongest defensive
force. For this purpose the southern toAms of Hampshire
county were called upon to contribute almost the entire strength
of their militia. Brookfield was invaded in 1692, and in the
next year Deerfield and Northfield again were scenes of strife
and bloodshed. The depredations in these and other localities,
while of small importance in general warfare, had the effect to
keep the frontier in a state of constant disorder, and the lower
towns were more or less affected by the events. In December,
1697, the treaty of Ryswick put an end to the war between
France and England, but in the colonies the Indians persevered
in their depredations for several months.
In 1702, after five years of peace, King AVilliam died and
Queen Anne entered upon her reign. In the very same year
what is known as "Queen Anne's war" was begun, involving
alike the mother countries and their colonies on this side of the
Atlantic ; and again the bloodhounds of death were let loose on
the Massachusetts border. In February, 1704, a party of
French and Indians under Hertel de Rouville surprised Deer-
field, killed forty-seven persons and made prisoners of more
than one hundred others. Having plundered the town and
burned the buildings, the French returned to Canada ^^dth the
captives. Determined to allow the frontier no respite, the
French and Indians harassed the eastern quarter of New Eng-
land throughout the entire summer. In 1705 and 1706, while
nea^'ly all the militiamen were away on duty, the savages ven-
( 59 )
OVR COUXTY AXD ITS PEOPLE
tiired down the valley to their old resorts in the vicinity of North-
ampton andHadley, where they committed small depredations.
They even went over into Westfield, and in the north part of
Springfield they wounded Samuel Chapin. In July, 1708, they
attacked the house of Lieutenant Wright at Skipmuck, in Spring-
field, and killed three persons— ]\Ir. Wright, the senior, and two
soldiers, Aaron Parsons and Barijah Hubbard. Two children
were wounded, one of them dying soon afterward ; and Henry
Wright's wife was carried away captive.
These, however, were only the minor incidents of the war,
the heavier contests being waged in other parts of the colonies or
in the Canadas. In 1701 the Iroquois made a treaty of peace
with the French and their Indian allies, and in their territory
they proved an impenetrable barrier between Queen Anne's
army and the English in New York. Therefore the French di-
rected their entire force against New England. Expeditions
followed one another in quick succession, and as the English had
no savage allies, they suffered most. The contest was waged
with varying results, the greater disasters falling upon the Eng-
lish through the failure of their elaborately planned expeditions
against the Canadas. No less than four attempts at mobiliza-
tion of troops were made for the subjugation of the French
strongholds, but through some misfortune each proved a failure.
In the meantime the French and Indians were flitting from place
to place along the frontier, frequently making an incursion into
the Connecticut valley, killing, burning and plundering as they
went. They kept the English on the defensive, but would not
give battle without an advantage on their side. However, in
1713, the treaty of Utrecht^ ended the war in the old country and
soon afterward hostilities ceased in America.
After the end of Queen Anne's war the Connecticut valley
in INIassachusetts was virtually exempted from serious disturb-
ances until about the beginning of the final struggle for suprem-
'This treaty "serured the I'rotestant succession to the throne : also the sep-
aration of the French and Spanish crowns, the destruction of Dunkirk, the
enlargement of British colonies in America, and a full satisfaction from France
of the claims of the allied kingdoms. Hritain, Holland and Germany."
( 60 )
COLONIAL WABS
acy in America between Great Britain and France. Yet on the
northern frontier all was not peace and quiet during this com-
paratively long period. In 1722 troubles arose between the
Massachusetts and Ncav Hampshire colonists on the one side, and
the Abenaquis Indians on the other side. The latter, as is men-
tioned in an earlier chapter, were of Canadian ancestry, and
were allied to the French throughout the dominion of that power
in America ; and from their country east and north of the Merri-
mac river, they were a constant source of annoyance to the Eng-
lish towns in eastern Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Treaty
provisions had no binding effect on the Indians, and if they chose
to make Avar against the English it was not a matter of much con-
cern to the French king, even if one of his missionary represent-
atives was the force that instigated the savages against the Eng-
lish. This priest was Father Sebastian Rasle, whose principal
mission was on the Kennebec river, although in the journeyings
of the Jesuit fathers in the province of New York the surname
is found among the missionaries in the Iroquois country.
While Father Rasle was chiefly instrumental in opposing
the Indians against the English colonists during the troublous
period from 1722 to 1726, the real leader of the savages was the
chief Woronoak, who formerly dwelt on the Agawam branch of
AVestfiekP river and probably within the limits of the present
town of AVestfield, the Indian name of which is Woronoco. When
the supposedly friendly Connecticut river Indians joined them-
selves to King Philip, the red men living at Woronoco were of
the recreant number, and they afterward took part in all the dis-
tressing events enacted in the valley in later years ; and it is be-
lieved that the chief Woronoco, or AVoronoak, had a hand in the
burning of Springfield and in the subsequent attacks upon West-
^Many writers and map makers have given to tliis stream tlie name "Aga-
wam" river, in allusion to the early Indian occupants of the locality. Agawam
in the Indian tongue means lowland or marshland, and is descriptive of the char-
acter of the land near the mouth of the stream. The Indian village in the locality
also was called Agawam, and from this combination of incidents the river has
mistakenly been called by that name. The stream in fact is Westfield river and
is so known outside of West Springfield. It is proper, however, to refer to that
portion of the stream in the town of West Springfield as the Agawam part of the
river.
( 61 )
OVR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
field. On being driven from the valley his people occupied lands
on the Missisquoi bay and river, on the Canada border and well
under the protection of the French, yet sufficiently near the Eng-
lish frontier to cause the colonists constant trouble.
AVoronoco also was known as "Gray Loek,"^ so called, it is
claimed, in allusion to his hoary head, but we are not aware that
the bloodthirsty old savage is entitled to special veneration on
that account. During the period referred to, the Indians under
Gray Lock, or Woronoak, made frequent raids along the northern
frontier and on one or two occasions stole down the Connecticut
valley to the region of their former abode in Springfield and
Westfield. To oppose their incursions Fort Dummer was built
in 1724, on the site of Brattleboro, Vt., and strong garrisons were
posted at Deerfield and Northfield. In December, 1725, a treaty
was made with the eastern Indians, the same being ratified in
August, 1726.
In 1744, after twenty years of actual peace, war again was
declared between England and France. In the years following
the treaty of Kyswick, notwithstanding the troubles incident to
the so-called "Father Rasle" uprising, all the colonies rapidly
increased in population and industrial importance, and settle-
ments had been extended to the extreme western part of INIassa-
chusetts. It is estimated that during the thirty years following
Queen Anne's war the inhabitants in western Massachusetts in-
creased more than threefold. In 1748 the English colonies in
America contained more than a million inhabitants, and the
French had only about sixty thousand.
AAHien the powers again had recourse to arms the eastern
colonies were compelled to extend their line of defenses west-
ward to the west boundary of INIassachusetts. Accordingly,
Fort Massachusetts was built at Hoosae (now Adams) ; Fort
Shirley was built in the town of Heath, and Fort Pelham was
built in Rowe, both in Hampshire county. Another small fort
was built about the same time in Blandford, both for the protec-
'This name, more frequently rendered "Greylock." is still preserved in Massa-
ohusett's history, and is applied to the highest mountain peali in the state. Grey-
lock in northwestern Berkshire county.
( 62 )
COLONIAL ^¥AR8
tion of the settlers and as a convenient resting place for troops
and travelers journeying between the Hudson and Connecticut
rivers. These forts, in addition to Fort Dummer, were designed
to afford ample protection to the frontier. Five hundred addi-
tional men were raised to garrison them, of which number two
hundred were assigned to the western part of the colony. Cap-
tain Williams had command of the garrisons, and Col. John Stod-
<lard, of Northampton, had command of the Hampshire county
regiment, whose duty was to guard the frontier against the enemy
in general, and especially against the Indians who swarmed in
the regions of Vermont. In the early part of the war the sav-
ages made many threatening demonstrations on the borders but
were careful to avoid open conflict with the colonial troops, for
evidently they had become aware that the latter were hunting
them with trained dogs, and also that a bounty of thirty pounds
was offered by the province for every Indian scalp.
In 1744 and '45 the war waged most bitterly in the pro-
vinces of New York and Pennsylvania and the west, and at first
the French were generally victorious. In 1746 the strife ex-
tended into New England, and on August 20 Fort Massachusetts
fell before the attack of jNlarquis de Yaudreuil. It was bravely
defended by Sergeant John Hawks and twenty-three men, who
Tield out twenty-eight hours awaiting expected reinforcements.
Soon afterward another raid was made in the vicinity of Deer-
field by a party of Yaudreuil's Indians, who could not resist the
temptation to attack and injure their former friends in the val-
ley. In 1747 Fort iNIassaehusetts was rebuilt. In 1748 Cap-
tain Humphrey Hobbs, with a number of Springfield men, and
Lieutenant Alexander, with men from Northfield, were sent to
garrison Fort Shirley, and while en route the party (forty-two
men all told) was attacked by three hundred Indians, command-
ed by a half-breed chief named Saekett (supposed to be the son
of a white man captured at AVestfield), but after a battle of four
liours the savages retired with considerable loss.
In 1748 the treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle temporarily put an end
to hostilities, but left unsettled all questions in dispute between
the contending powers,. while the fortresses of Louisburg and
( 63 )
OVR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
Crown Point were returned to the French without a protest. The
treaty, however, did not immediately stop Indian depredations,
but before the end of the summer peace again reigned along the
frontier.
The contest from 1744 to 1748 had for its important object
the possession of the Mississippi valley, which the English
claimed as an extension of their coast discoveries and settlements,
and the French by right of occupancy, their forts already ex-
tending from Canada to Louisiana, and forming "a bow, of
which the English colonies were the string".
The war was resumed in 1755, although the formal declara-
tion was not made until the following year. The necessity for
united action on the part of the English colonies was now too ap-
parent to be overlooked, but old differences tended to prevent
harmony in action. Under the advice of the British ministry
a convention of delegates from all the colonial assemblies was
held in Albany, June 14, 1754. One ob.ject of the convention
was to secure a continued alliance with the powerful Six Na-
tions (Avho now began to show decided leanings toward the
French), and the other and equally important object was to per-
fect plans for a decisive campaign against the French in their
own strongholds.
Four expeditions were planned : the first to eft'ect the reduc-
tion of Nova Scotia ; the second, to recover the Ohio valley ; the
third, to expel the French from Fort Niagara and then form a
junction with the Ohio expedition, and the fourth, to capture
Crown Point. The first of these expeditions was entirely suc-
cessful; the second, under Braddock, was (chiefly through his
own folly) disastrous in the extreme; the third, under General
Shirley, was also unsuccessful; and the fourth, while successful
in the main, was a dearly bought victory for the Hampshire
county troops.
The command of the army designed for the reduction of
Crown Point and the invasion of Canada was entrusted to Brig.
Gen. AYilliam Johnson, who was raised from the rank of colonel
for that purpose. The strength of the force was 5,000 men, of
whom about one-fifth comprised the Hampshire county regiment
( 64 )
COLONIAL ^YAR8
under Colonel Williams.^ In the latter part of August the
army reached Fort Edward and Lake George, and there en-
camped to await reinforcements and also to construct boats to
carry them to Crown Point by water. On September 8, having
learned that the enemy were in the vicinity and approaching in
force under Baron Dieskau, Colonel Williams' Hampshire
county regiment and about two hundred Mohawk warriors were
sent out to intercept him ; but the wily Frenchman, having dis-
covered the hosts of the English, hastily formed an ambuscade,
into which the latter unsuspectingly Avalked at a point within
three and one-half miles from Johnson's camp. The English
and Mohawks were attacked so suddenly and fiercely that they
were thrown into the greatest confusion and fled back to the
main army. Their position was of the worst possible character,
and precipitate retreat alone saved them from utter destruction.
The French attempted to follow up this temporary advantage by
attacking the main army, but the result was disastrous to the
K'olonial Ephraim Williams was one of tlie bravest and most capable officers
in the colonial service during the later French and English wars. In the year
preceding he had been appointed to command the line of fortifications stretching
across tlie frontier of Massachusetts, and in 1754 he was commissioned by Gover-
nor Shirley to command the Hampshire county troops in the campaign against
Crown Point and the Canadas. Holland says : "Before he left Albany, in the
campaign that proved fatal to him, he made his will, in which, after assigning to
several of his relatives and friends appropriate bequests, he directed 'that the
remainder of his land should be sold, at the discretion of his executors, within
five years after an established peace ; and that the interest of moneys arising
from the sale, and also the interest on his notes and bonds, should be applied to
the support of a free school in a township west of Fort Massachusetts (the local-
ity of his old command) forever; providing that said township fall within Massa-
chusetts, upon running the line between Massachusetts and New York, and pro-
vided the said township when incorporated, shall be called Williamstown.' On
this basis arose Williams college, one of the noblest and most useful literary insti-
tutions of New England."
Col. Israel Williams, of Hatfield, had previously commanded the northern
regiment of Hampshire county, and it was he who proposed to the Massachusetts
council the abandonment of some of the old forts on the frontier and the estab-
lishment of a new and complete line of smaller fortifications, stretching across
the northern and western frontiers. With slight changes his plans were adopted,
and when the works were completed Hampshire county was well protected
against Indian incursions. Capt. Ephraim Williams had command of the old
line of forts and also was commissioned, with the rank of major, to command the
new series ; but he was subsequently relieved by Governor Shirley and commis-
sioned colonel of the Hampshire county regiment that took part in the cam-
paign against Crown Point and Canada.
5-1
( 65 )
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
brave Dieskau, who was wounded and taken prisoner, while his
army in turn was seriously beaten. But of all the troops en-
gaged in this battle the Hampshire county contingent suffered
most heavily, having lost forty-six men killed and twenty-four
wounded. The entire English loss was 216 killed and twenty-
four wounded. The Hampshire officers killed were Colonel
Williams, Major Noah Ashley, Capts. Moses Porter, Jonathan
Ingersol and Elisha Hawley, Lieuts. Daniel Pomeroy, Simon
Cobb and Nathaniel Burt (of LongmeadoAv), and Ensigns John
Stratton and Reuben Wait.
Three principal campaigns were planned for 1756 ; one
against Fort Niagara, a second against Fort Du Quesne, and the
third against Crown Point, with the ultimate intention of pos-
sessing the Champlain valley and the strongholds of the French
in Canada. But notwithstanding the elaborate character of
these campaigns no substantial gains were made by the English
during the year, while the French were active everywhere. The
Hampshire county troops were on the frontier, but the Indians
scarcely penetrated the country beyond the cordon of forts es-
tablished two years before by Colonel Williams.
In 1757 the campaign was arranged by the English in pro-
portions equal to that of the previous year, and similar results
were achieved. The war in America now had assumed an inter-
national character on both sides, and the leading military men
of the colonies had no voice in the councils and very little to do
except to obey the orders issued by the inefficient otficers sent by
the crown ; and knowing nothing of the Indian character and the
savage method of warfare, these orders almost invariably were
wrong and resulted disastrously to the colonists.
The principal campaign of the year was that designed to
oppose the progress of Montcalm, who held the Champlain val-
ley and threatened the English posts to the southward, in the
valleys of the Hudson and Connecticut rivers. But instead of
taking the aggressive, the English acted on the defensive. Mont-
calm laid siege to Fort William Henry, and after a stout resist-
ance Colonel Monroe was forced to surrender, although only
fifteen miles away lay General Webb (at Fort Edward) with
( 66 )
COLONIAL WARS
4,000 effective men. It was the rank cowardice of Webb that
lost both of these strong posts when he possessed the men and
means to achieve a signal victory over the French ; but as the
result of his contemptible action southeastern New York and all
of New England was practically laid open to the enemy.
Although the campaign of the previous year had been one
of disaster to the English, that very fact seemed to infuse a little
spirit into the ministry through that gifted statesman, William
Pitt. A million and a half of people inhabited the British colo-
nies, and an army of some 50,000 men was subject to the com-
mand of Abercrombie. Commercial intercourse with the mother
country was almost untrammeled, and there seemed no sufficient
reason why the French power should not have been extinguished
in one grand movement. The predominance of the English,
however, was considerably impaired by the fact that the French
had gained stronger influence with the Indians, and the Canadian
population was more concentrated, while above all, the French
cause was under command of by far the most able and brilliant
men. In the language of a contemporary, "Britain had sent to
her colonies effete generals, bankrupt nobles and debauched para-
sites of the court ; France selected her functionaries from the
wisest, noblest and best of her people, and therefore her colonial
interests were usually directed with sagacity. ' '
The English had supposed that Montcalm would follow up
his victories by invading the province of Massachusetts, and
therefore took immediate steps to oppose his progress. To this
end Governor Pownal ordered a large body of militia and all the
cavalry of the province to Spring-field, to be placed at the disposal
of Sir William Pepperell, lieutenant-general of the province, a
new and unknown officer and the holder of a rank previously
unknown in the colony.. But Sir William was an officer of the
crown, and was supposed to be more than able to cope with the
enemy under Montcalm, whose advance was expected during the
season. A regiment of artillery was ordered to be raised and to
rendezvous at the same place, and previous to this time Spring-
field was designated as a depository for a large quantity of muni-
tions of war, military stores and provisions.
( 67 )
OVR COUyiY AND ITS PEOPLE
In relation to the events of local importance in connection
with the latter part of the French and English war, Mr. Holland
says : ' ' Sir William was ordered, in case of the advance of the
enemy, to have the Avheels struck off all the wagons west of the
Connecticut, to drive in the cattle and horses, and to make a
stand on the east side. The similar order, given eighty years
before, for the inhabitants of the west side to repair to the east,
will show how comparatively slow and painful had been the prog-
ress of settlement during this long and disturbed period. The
garrisons at Foi-t Massachusetts and West Hoosac Avere strength-
ened, and preparations made in every quarter for defense against
a foe which never came. When it was found that ]\Iontcalm
was content with the advantages he had gained, and had retired
to Ticonderoga and Crown Point, the troops were recalled, and
the usual garrisons reduced to their ordinary force. From this
time until the surrender of the Canadian province to Great Brit-
ain in 1760, no events of special interest occurred in the western
part of the Massachusetts colony, except the closing acts of In-
dian hostility that took place on the 20th and 21st of March,
1758."
The domination of France in America was ended by the fall
of Quebec, September 18, 1759, thus leaving the English masters
of all Canada, for the surrender of Vaudreuil on September 8,
of the next year, was an inevitable result. Although hostilities
between the two nations had now ceased, a formal peace was not
established until 1763, when, on February 10, the treaty of
Paris was signed, by Avhich France ceded to Great Britain all her
possessions in Canada.
( 68 )
CHAPTER VII
WAR OF THE REVOLUTION
The years immediately preceding the revolution were filled
with important events connected with the history of Hampshire
county; and in no part of the entire region of western Massa-
chusetts was there shown more determined loyalty to the cause
for which the American colonists Avere contending than in that
part of the mother territory which was afterward set off to form
Hampden county.
The political situation in Hampshire county during the
revolution, and indeed for several years previous, was novel and
interesting, since it included influences politically antagonistic,
while socially there was no unfriendliness among the pioneers.
They had stood together, shoulder to shoulder, in many a hard
fought battle with the savages whom in earlier years they had
fed, warmed and clothed, and now their interests were too nearly
identical to admit of serious division on the question of loyalty
to the crown or loyalty to the cause of the American colonists.
Undoubtedly there existed in the Connecticut valley a diversity
of sentiment as to the rights of the British ministry and the obli-
gations of the colonists, but there was no feeling that at any time
took the form of organized opposition to the strong measures
adopted by the Americans in resisting the unjust burdens sought
to be put upon them by the mother country. A careful examina-
tion of the political sentiment in the valley at the time referred
to leads to the conclusion that the patriots were very strongly in
the majority, and if there were a few scattered "loyalists" in
the region, they were exceedingly timid in expressing their views.
In other words, the "Tory" element of population in Hampshire
( 69 )
OVB COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
county at the beginning of or during the war for independence
was too weak to be a factor in any circle of public affairs.
The taxation to Avhich the colonists were subjected by the
mother country really began almost as far back as the time of
the overthrow of the Dutch power in America, for it seems to
have been the king's determination to make them self-supporting
even from the beginning. At the close of the last French war
the burden of debt was very heavy on Great Britain, but it
chietiy was created by the wars in which she had engaged on her
own side of the Atlantic. That portion, however, incurred by
the wars on this continent she proposed to be paid by the colo-
nies, notwithstanding the great increase of her domain through
these wars.
The time at length arrived when tame submission to British
imposition could no longer be endured. The colonists them-
selves were heavily burdened with the expenses of the French
wars, which resulted so favorably to England, yet almost before
the smoke of the battles had cleared away the ministry began de-
vising plans to tax them without their consent. In 1764 a proposi-
tion was submitted to the house of commons for raising a reve-
nue in the colonies by the sale of stamps, and a bill to that effect
was passed in March, 1765. It was bitterly denounced in the
colonies, especially in New York and Boston, and the "Sons of
Liberty" were organized to oppose the obnoxious law. So great
was the popular indignation that parliament finally repealed the
act, but this was done more to satisfy English tradesmen than
to relieve a distressed people ; and in its place were enacted other
equally oppressive laws, one of which required the colonies to
pay for maintaining a British army in New York city.
In 1767 a bill was passed by parliament imposing a duty on
tea, glass, lead, paper and painter's colors imported by the colo-
nies. This renewed the opposition, and in the following year
the Massachusetts assembly addressed a circular letter to the sis-
ter colonies soliciting their aid in defense of the common liberties.
More retaliation followed, for the British ministry was so wrath-
ful that a letter was sent to each of the colonial governors for-
bidding their assemblies to correspond with INIassachusetts. This
( 70 )
WAR OF THE REVOLUTION
mandate, however, was ignored and most of the assemblies ac-
companied their disobedience with declarations of inherent rights
together with denunciations of parliament, and the people gen-
erally sustained their representatives in their action.
Meanwhile the duties had been removed from all articles ex-
cept tea, and for a time colonial afit'airs moved more smoothly.
The East India company, conscious of the injustice in placing a
duty on tea, tried to have the latter removed, but in vain, for the
ministry still boasted its right to tax the colonies ; and to enforce
the British claim, in 17G8 General Gage with a thousand troops
was stationed in Boston. The soldiers of the crown openly in-
sulted peaceful citizens, made arrests on specious pretexts, and in
every way tried to overawe the populace Avith the show of force.
A little later on two other regiments and seven armed vessels
sailed into the harbor, and even then the spirit of liberty would
not be restrained, for when three ships laden with dutiable tea
anchored in the harbor, there followed the event which has ever
been known as the ' ' Boston Tea Party. ' ' In retaliation for this
bold defiance the ministry closed the port of Boston against all
commerce— an outrage which awoke national indignation. Pub-
lic meetings were held to consider the common grievances, and
among the plans suggested for mutual protection was the assem-
bling of a colonial congress.
The "Continental Congress" was held in Philadelphia in
September, 1774, and having adopted a declaration of rights, it
added a petition to the king and an appeal to the people of Great
Britain and Canada. The delegates from Massachusetts were
James Boudoine, Thomas Gushing, Samuel Adams, John Adams
and Robert Treat Paine. The congress first expressed approval
of what had been done by the people of Boston and Massachu-
setts, "warmly exhorted them to persevere in the cause of free-
dom, and voted that contributions should be made for them in
all the provinces."
"The inclinations of the people were in exact accordance
with the decision of the congress. The inhabitants of Boston
were supplied by contributions from all quarters. Even those
who by their station seemed likely to derive advantage from the
( 71 )
OVE COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
cessation of their trade were most forward to relieve them in
their distress. The people of Marblehead offered them the use
of their hai'bor, Avharves and warehouses free of expense. Every
one who could procure arms was diligent in learning their use."
"Complete unanimity, howevei', did not exist. Some of the
late emigrants on whom England had bestowed offices, and many
who feared her power, clung to her authority and declared them-
selves her adherents. Whigs and Tories were the distinguishing
names of the parties. The former favored the cause of the colo-
nists : the latter that of Great Britain. ' '^
In Boston, which city was the center of interest and patriot-
ism in the early years of the revolution, there was little of the
tory element and influence, although the soldiers of the king were
on every hand. There the people were either "loyalists" or
"patriots."
General Gage, who also was governor under appointment of
the crown, having a large number of red coats quartered on Bos-
ton common and elsewhere in the city, thought prudent to fortify
the 'narrow strip of land which connected the city with the main-
land ; and he also took f orcil)le possession of a quantity of pow-
der, ammunition and other military stores collected by the pro-
vincials at Cambridge and Charlestown.
In the latter part of September a call was made for a meet-
ing of the provincial assembly, but almost immediately the gov-
ernor forbade the sitting; but despite the executive injunction
the representatives met at Salem, and after waiting a day for the
governor's arrival (as a matter of form only) they declared
themselves a "provincial congress," electing John Hancock presi-
dent and assuming charge of the governmental affairs of the col-
ony. The delegates adjourned to Concord, and on reassembling
the congress resolved, "that for the defense of the province a
military force to consist of one-fourth of the militia should be or-
ganized and stand ready to march at a minute's warning." Thus
originated that remarkable body of Massachusetts soldiery
known as "Minute Men." Before the adjournment of the con-
'Willard's "Republic of America."
( 72 )
WAR OF THE REVOLUTION
■gress a committee of safety was appointed to act when the gen-
eral body was not in session.
Soon after the worlc of the provincial congress began to as-
sume definite form in tlie organization of means of defense, Gen-
•eral Gage was informed that the colonists had collected a number
of field pieces at Salem, and sent a body of soliders to take them,
in the name of the king; but it appears that the assertion of the
crown's authority had not the awe-inspiring effect of former
years, and when the soldiers were advanced to a bridge which
they must cross, the little provincial army had removed the
^'draw," hence the king's soldiers were compelled to return to
Boston without having accomplished their purpose.
Gage's next order to his troops was more eventful, for it pre-
•cipitated the revolution ; a struggle which in the order of things
must come, though neither side was fully prepared for it at the
time. However, in a defensive warfare the Americans had been
taught by a century and more of almost constant strife^ to be pre-
pared for any emergency that might arise.
In April, 1775, having been informed that the Americans
had collected a large quantity of ammunition and military stores
at Concord, General Gage sent Colonel Smith and Major Pitcairn
with eight hundred British soldiers to seize and destroy what-
ever the ' ' rebels ' ' had deposited there. Concord was about twenty
miles distant from Boston. The British were directed to "pro-
ceed with the utmost expedition and with all possible secrecy,"
their commander evidently having in mind the failure that at-
"^In commenting on the character and condition of the inhabitants of the
Connecticut valley at the close of the last French and English war. Holland
truthfully and aptly says : "Prom the first settlement at Springfield until the
conquest of Canada in 1760, a series of one hundred and twenty-four years had
passed away, and by far the larger part of this time the inhabitants of the terri-
tory embraced in old Hampshire had been exposed to the dangers, the fears, the
toils and trials of Indian wars or border depredations. Children had been born,
Tiad grown up to manhood, and descended 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 groan
of the dying, drunk tlie blood of the dead, or served as the scene of toils made
•doubly toilsome by the apprehension of danger that never slept."
( 73 )
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
tended the raid on the Salem supply of stores. But notwith-
standing the stringency of the order, the provincials were pre-
pared to receive the soldiers of the king on their arrival at Lex-
ington, five miles from Concord, on the morning of the 18th of
April. The British found the militia drawn up on the parade
(common) ready to receive them. The advance line of regulars
approached Avithin musket shot, when Major Pitcairn rode forward
and exclaimed ' ' Disperse, you rebels ; throw doAvn your arms and
disperse. ' ' But the order not being obeyed immediately, he dis-
charged his pistol and commanded his men to fire. They did
fire and eight men were killed. The militia then dispersed, but
the firing continued. The British troops proceeded to Concord
and took possession of the stores deposited there.
Thus was begun the Avar for independence — the American
revolution, as known in the history of nations ; a struggle Avhich.
continued for years and ultimately resulted in the establishment
of a new system of government on the Avestern continent, a free-
and independent republic, thenceforth to be knoAvn and recog-
nized among the poAvers of the earth as the United States of
America.
After the British had completed their Avork of destruction at
Concord and begun the return march to Boston, the provincials
folloAved them closely on all sides, attacking them so savagely"
that the triumphant march of the victors became a disorderly re-
treat. At Lexington the British Avere reinforced by nine hundred
men under Lord Percy, still on cA^ery side they received a galling,
killing fire, until they reached the heights of Bunker Hill and
camped for the night under the protection of a British man of
Avar that lay in the bay. The loss to the British in the first bat-
tle of the revolution Avas tAvo hundred and seA'enty-three men,.
Avhile the provincials lost eighty-eight men.
Almost before the echoes of Lexington's guns had died aAvay,
mounted couriers Avere speeding across the country to the remote-
tOAvns of Massachusetts, sounding the alarm in every locality and
calling the minute men into immediate action. On April 19 the
neAvs reached Springfield and Northampton and other settlements
in the valley, and on the morning of the 20th the militia of every"
town Avere marching tOAvard Boston on the old "Bay road."
( 74 )
WAR OF THE REVOLUTION
The original order left by the courier in Springfield has
been preserved among the papers in the city clerk's office, and
reads as follows :
"Watertown, Wednesday Morning, 10 o'clock.
"To all friends of American liberty: Be it known that
this morning before break of day a brigade consisting of about
1,000 or 1,200 men landed at Phips farm in Cambridge and
marched to Lexington, where they found a company of our col-
ony militia in arms ; upon whom they fired without any provoca-
tion and killed six and wounded four others. By an express this
moment from Boston we find another brigade are now on their
march from Boston, supposed to be about 1,000.
"The bearer, Mr. Isaac Russell, (is) charged to alarm the
country quite to Connecticut, and all persons are desired to fur-
nish him with such horses a.s they may be needed.
' ' I have spoken with several persons who have seen the dead
and w'ounded.
"Pray let the delegates from this colony to Connecticut see
this.
"They know
"J, Palmer
"One of the Com. of S y
"Col. Foster is one of the delegates
"A true Coppy"
In the old county of Hampshire the call to arms found the
militia^ prepared for the emergency, and the tidings of battle
occasioned little surprise. In the early summer of 1774 county
^The Hampshire county minute men who mai'ched to Boston on the occasion
of the Lexington alarm, having enlisted for eight months, were there reorganized
and served in different regiments. Col. Timothy Danielson, of Brimfield, had
command of one regiment, in which were Gl men from Springfield under Capt.
Gideon Burt, 1st Lieut. Walter Pynchon and lid Lieut. Aaron Steel. Westfleld
sent a full company of 70 men — and all Westfleld men — under Capt. Warham
Parks and Lieuts. John Shepard and Richard Falley. W'est Springfield sent 53
men under Capt. Enoch Chapin, 1st Lieut. Samuel Flower and 2d Lieut. Lulse
Day. Blandford and Murrayfleld sent a company of 3G men under Capt. John
Ferguson. Granville furnished 60 men under Capt. Lebbeus Ball and 1st Lieut.
Lemuel Bancroft of Southwick. Besides Col. Danielson, the other regimental
oflBcers were Lieut.-Col. William Shepard, of Westfleld, and Major David Lom-
bard.
( 75 )
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
congresses were assembled in Northampton and Springfield, and
the people almost to a man declared themselves on the side of the
colonists. Delegates were sent to the provincial congress that
disputed the authority of Governor Gage, and in accordance with
the recommendation of that body, every town in the county or-
ganized and equipped its company of minute men, and nearly
all appropriated money for the purchase of powder and lead.
On September 22 and 23 (1774) a convention of the com-
mittees of safety from each town in the county, except Charle-
mont and Southwick, was held in Northampton, "to consult
upon measures to be taken in this time of general distress in the
province," etc. Timothy Danielson, of Brimfield, Avas chosen
chairman and Ebenezer Hunt, jr., of Northampton, clerk of the
convention. After a somewhat prolonged discussion, a com-
mittee of nine reported a series of resolutions similar to those
adopted by other county congresses, which were passed.
"In substance the resolutions were," says Holland, "that
the county did not intend to withdraw from allegiance to the
king ; that the charter of the province ought to be kept inviolate,
and that the inhabitants had not violated it; that the subversive
acts of the British parliament, being before the continental con-
gress, they would not act with regard to them ; that the acts of
Governor Gage were destructive of their rights, and that it was
doubtful whether he was the constitutional governor, and
whether his acts ought to be of any validity, ' ' etc.
The leading events of the revolution took place outside the
limits of Hampshire county, and not once during the period of
the war was hostile foot set on its soil. Still, in the war the
county played an important part, and Springfield was a central
point of operations. The town was an appointed rendezvous
for troops, an important military depot, and at one period can-
non were made there. On the order of General Gates, General
Mattoon came from Amherst with a number of men and took the
cannon to Saratoga, and they were used with telling effect in
that memorable battle in 1777, when the British received their
first decisive check at the hands of the Americans.
AVithin ten days after the call to arms nearly 20,000 minute
men were assembled in the vicinity of Boston, but General Gage
( 76 )
WAR OF THE -REVOLUTION
had so fortified his position that an attack was useless, while, on
the other hand, the British force was too Aveak to attack the
Americans. Gradually a part of the latter withdrew and at-
tached themselves to other commands, while still others, whose
immediate service was not required, returned to their homes.
iNIany of them were again called into service in June following,
when the Americans established a fortified camp on Breed's hill,
thereby hoping to prevent Gage from threatened invasion of the
province ; and there Avere Hampshire men in the battle which
was fought on the morning of June 17, when the British went
out in force to dislodge the Americans from their position on the
hill. At length they were compelled to retire, but not until
they had twice repulsed the enemy and their own ammunition
was exhausted. In the battle — always known as "Bunker Hill"
—the Americans lost 450 and the British 1,050 men. General
AYarren was killed, yet Colonel Prescott was the real commander
of the provincials during the fight. These officers had been
elected by the troops, and thus far no recognized military system
was established. The men fought independently, but they
fought viciously, and every onward step of the enemy was made
at the cost of many men.
On June 15, 1775, two days before the battle of Bunker
Hill, the continental congress appointed George AVashinglon
commander-in-chief of the American army. Soon afterward he
visited Boston to take command of the troops in that locality;
and on the journey thither he passed through Springfield, tak-
ing the "Boston road," and resting under the protecting
branches of the "Washington elm," in the town of Palmer.
Arrived at Boston, AYashington found about 14,000 minute
men, patriots every one, willing to fight under his leadership, but
unfortunately they had no knowledge of military methods and
discipline. On June 25 the general court ordered that 5,000
men be raised in this province, and of the number Hampshire
county's quota was 754. Springfield was required to furnish
forty-four, Brimfield seventeen, "Wilbraham twenty-four. West
Springfield forty-eight, and Westfield thirty-one men. The
troops raised in the county, comprising just a battalion, were in-
( 77 )
OUR COUNTY AXD ITS PEOPLE
tended for service in Canada and on the northern frontier, and
they were offered a bounty of seven pounds each. During the
first winter in the northern region their sufferings were terrible
and the people at home were taxed to their utmost capacity to
provide them with proper clothing and blankets. In January,
1776, an order of the general court reciuired that three hundred
blankets be furnished by the county, Springfield's portion being
twelve, Wilbraham's six, and Westfield's thirty-two.
In April, 1777, two battalions of 750 men each were ordered
raised in Hampshire county, for two months' service at Ticon-
deroga. On February 5 a convention of the committees of
safety of the several towns of the county was held at Northamp-
ton "for the purpose of taking into consideration the suffering
condition of the northern army," and in order to furnish imme-
diate relief to the men from old Hampshire, the supplies wei-e
at once forwarded, ' ' not doubting that the general court will ap-
prove thereof," as the proceedings recite.
Next to the sufferings of the troops the committees' greatest
anxiety was the annoying attitude of the tories of the county,
who had taken hope and courage through the success of the Brit-
ish in the contest thus far waged. Addressing their grievances
to the general court, the committees say : ' ' Ever since our army
retreated from New York, and the inhumane ravage of the Brit-
ish troops in the Jersies, our inimical brethren have appeared
Avith an insulting air, and have exerted themselves to intimidate
weak minds by threatening speeches, saying that the day was
over with us."
"Their reflections on the General Court, openly declaring
that our Honorable Court of this State had made acts that were
unjust, respecting the last raised recruits, declaring that the
committees or selectmen dare as well be damned as to draught
them for the army, and that, if they were draughted, they would
rather fight against our own men than against our enemies."
Notwithstanding the seriousness of this charge on the part
of the zealous committees, the general court seems not to have
taken cognizance of the matter, but to have left the patriots to
work out their punishment upon the offenders in due course of
( 78 )
WAF OF THE REVOLUTION
time ; and the day of reckoning did come and righteous retribu-
tion was visited on all British sympathizers who dare not openly
fight for the king through fear of losing their property by con-
fiscation. It appears not to have been the policy of Massachu-
setts to take away the lands and chattels of those who differed
with the Americans during the revolution, but in other states,
particularly in New York, large estates were forfeited, and were
sold to raise means to prosecute the war.
In April, 1778, two thousand men were required to be raised
to fill up the fifteen continental battalions which the state had
furnished, the Hampshire quota being 242 men; and a fine oP
twenty pounds was imposed as a penalty upon those who refused
to go. ( In this way the general court got its first fling at the
Tories.) The term of service was nine months, each man being
allowed six pence a mile for traveling and $6 for a blanket. On
the same day another order called for 1,300 men for service on
North (Hudson) river, this county being required to send 182
men. Later on 199 more men were called for from the county
to serve in Ehode Island, but afterward this order was modified,
and 100 men from the south part of the county were sent to
Rhode Island, and the remainder joined Gen. John Stark in Al-
bany.
In June, 1779, an order was issued for 102 men from Hamp-
shire county to serve in Rhode Island until the following Janu-
ary, and to be paid sixteen pounds per month in addition to the
regular continental pay. At the same time 2,000 more men were
ordered to be raised to fill up the ranks of the fifteen continental
battalions of the state. The troops raised under this call were
to rendezvous at Springfield, and Justin Ely was to care for and
turn them over to the officers sent to receive them. The term
of service was nine months, and the penalty for refusing to serve
was forty-five pounds. Of this number of men 228 were re-
quired from this county. In October following 450 more men
were asked from loyal old Hampshire, to serve in co-operation
with the French allies of the Americans. The penalty for re-
fusing to obey this call was fifty pounds. The men received as
pay sixteen pounds per month in addition to regular pay, and
( 79 )
o
WAR OF THE REVOLUTION
also received a bounty of thirty pounds from the towns from
which they enlisted.
In addition to the many men called for by the military au-
thorities, old Hampshire county was asked to contribute clothing
for the use of the men in the field. In 1778 a general order was
issued calling for sheets, shoes and stockings for the army, and
AVilliam Scott, of Palmer, was apopinted collecting agent for the
county. In 1779 another call for clothing was made, and the
practice was continued throughout the period of the war.
These supplies were furnished willingly, although the inhab-
itants were seriously burdened with expenses growing out of the
contest. Mr. Holland describes them as an "immense draught
upon the physical resources of AVestern Massachusetts, in con-
nection with the other sections of the state and country." "So
weak," writes he, "became the towns after two or three years
had passed away, so necessary was it to remain at home for the
maintenance of wives and children, that many of these requisi-
tions were not complied with, the draughted men paying their
fines and refusing to leave their homes. It is recorded in a jour-
nal kept by the minister in Westfield, at that time, that when, on
the 13th of May, 1778, a requisition was made for men from that
town 'Noah Cobley and Paul Noble went, and David Fowler,
Roger Bagg, Enoch Holcomb, Joseph Dewey, Simeon Stiles,
Jacob Noble, Benjamin Sexton, John Moxley, Martin Root,
Stephen Fowler, Eli Granger, Roger Noble and Daniel Fowler
paid their fines."
Although the contest between Great Britain and her former
American colonies was virtually at an end in 1780, a formal peace
was not established until the treaty of Paris was signed, Septem-
ber 3, 1783. The closing years of the struggle found Great Brit-
ain in actual conflict Avith several European powers, yet she suc-
ceeded in resisting them and kept reinforcing her American
armies with fresh supplies of troops. At length, however, all
hope of subduing her rebellious subjects had vanished, and the
English people clamored loudly for a discontinuance of the war.
Soon afterward the house of commons voted "that they should
consider as enemies to his majesty and their country, all who
6-1
( 81 )
o
cc
WAR OF THE REVOLUTION
should advise or attempt a further prosecution of offensive war
on the continent of America."
THE UNITED STATES ARMORY.
The establishment of a national armory or gun works at
Springfield had its inception in an act of congress passed in 1776,
by which the suggestion was made that Massachusetts construct
an armory at Brookfield for manufacture of arms, cartridges and
other munitions of war. It had been the first intention of Gen-
eral AVashington to found the works at Hartford, but on the rep-
resentation of Col. David Mason to General Knox that Spring-
field was a more suitable location, the act finally designated that
town as the site of the establishment. Colonel Mason had served
as an artillery officer in the last French and English war, and he,
under the committee of safety of JNIassachusetts, collected at
Salem the cannon and military stores which the British in 1775
sought to capture. In 1776 several cannon were cast in Spring-
field, and gave excellent service during the next year in the bat-
tle at Saratoga. Colonel Mason was placed in charge of the
works at Springfield, and under his direction was founded that
which has proved one of the most extensive labor employing in-
dustries in New England.
In treating of the early history of the armory one authority
says: "Before and at the time of the adoption of the constitu-
tion of the United States, there were standing in the town of
Springfield, on land owned by the town, divers buildings erected
and occupied by the United States as arsenals, in which they then
had, and always since have had, large quantities of guns and
other military stores ; and one building erected by them as a pow^-
der magazine."
On April 2, 1794, congress passed an act authorizing the
erection and maintenance of arsenals and magazines for military
purposes ; and in accordance with the act, on June 22, 1795, land
on Mill river was purchased by the secretary of state, in trust
for the United States. On May 14, 1798, congress authorized
the president to lease or purchase land for the erection of foun-
dries for the manufacture of cannon and armories for the con-
( 83 )
o
WAR OF THE REVOLUTION
struction of small arms. On June 25, 1798, a law of this com-
monwealth gave consent that the United States purchase land in
Springfield, not exceeding 640 acres in extent, "for the sole pur-
pose of erecting forts, magazines, arsenals and other needful
buildings."
The armory was established in 1794, and in the next year
the manufacture of arms was begun. The first land purchase
on INIill river was made in 1793, and in that location the forgings
for arms were made. A second tract on the river was acquired
in 1798. The committee to superintend the transfer of title to
the government comprised George Bliss, John Hooker and Wil-
liam Ely. The upper watershops were built in 1809. The tract
know^n as "Federal square" was purchased in 1812,
By various purchases under the acts and proceedings men-
tioned in preceding paragraphs the government became owner
of a considerable tract of land in the town of Springfield, much
of which is now very valuable. In the early years of the past
century the old training ground, on which the first armory build-
ings w^ere erected, was outside the business and residence district
of Springfield, but with constant municipal growth the entire
region was subsequently built up. Much good has come to the
town from this institution, although the inhabitants of West
Springfield protested against a proposition to erect the shops in
that town, on the ground that the expected presence of a soldier
element in that locality would have a demoralizing tendency
upon the youth and otherwise disturb the well-being of the com-
munity.
Since the works began operations no large bodies of troops
have been quartered there, while at times several thousand me-
chanics have been employed in the manufacture of arms and am-
munition. The old magazine, which was built in a piece of
woods, at one time was regarded as a menace to the safety of the
locality, was removed in 1846, and a public street was laid out
over its site.
It cannot be considered within the proper scope of the pres-
ent chapter to follow in detail the history of the armory, its
buildings and properties, yet in the growth of Springfield as a
( 85 )
OVR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
city it has been a factor for good for more than a century. The
number of employees has varied Avith the requirements of the
government. At times during the war of 1861-65 as many as
3,500 men were employed, and in 1866 the number of muskets
made reached the extraordinary sum of almost 277,000. In 1795
only 275 guns were made, and only forty men were employed.
In 1811, just before the second war with Great Britain, the num-
ber increased to more than 12,000. About the time of the war
with ]\Iexico there was another period of increased activity, and
again, at the outbreak of the war with Spain, the works Avere run
with a full complement of men. The north shops and the west
arsenal were burned in 1824,
CHAPTER VIII.
THE INSURRECTION OF 1786-87— THE SHAYS REBELLION
"The history^ of the insurrection in Massachusetts— com-
monly called the 'Shays rebellion'— is interesting as the record
of the only serious attempt ever made against the authority of
the state government. The insurrection having first taken an
organized form in the Connecticut valley, and having here met
its final overthrow, the preservation of local facts concerning it
is expressly within the province of this society."
"The insurrection was the result of a condition of things
now popularly known as 'hard times.' It did not originate so
much in disaffection toward the state government as in an un-
controllable impulse of a distressed people to seek relief in some
way, or any way. The long and burdensome war- of the revo-
K'ompiled from William L. Smith's historical address, published in Conn.
Val. Hist. Society's collections.
=At the close of the war the state debt amounted to more than 1.300,000
pounds, and there was due the Massachusetts officers and soldiers not less than
2.50.000 pounds, while the proportion of the federal debt for which the state was
responsible was at least 1,500,000 pounds. Every town was also in debt for
supplies it had furnished its soldiers. — Holland.
( 86 )
THE SHAYS REBELLION
lution had just been brought to a close. The country was im-
poverished. The continental paper money had become worth-
less, and no substitute for it had been provided. There w^as no
trade, no demand for labor, no way in which the value of prop-
erty of any kind could be measured. Under the barbarous laws
then in force, the jails were becoming filled with prisoners whose
only offense was their inability to pay their debts. Men who
had nothing to do but to talk about their grievances and dis-
tresses Avere excited to turbulence, and local disturbances were
frequent and serious. The authorities were too often in sym-
pathy with the offenders against the law, and guilty parties went
unpunished. The state constitution, adopted in 1780, was
viewed with disfavor by a large minority of the people, and was
not regarded as securely established. The constitution of the
United States had not then been framed, and all existing govern-
ment was merely experimental."
"There was at that time no law for the equitable distribu-
tion of a debtor's property among his creditors. The executions
of the creditors were levied in the order in Avhich their attach-
ments were made, and each creditor was satisfied in his turn un-
til all were paid, or the debtor's estate was exhausted. A man
whose credit was suspected found his property covered by at-
tachments at once, and in the condition of things then existing
a very slight circumstance excited suspicion. Litigation became
general. The state was showered with executions, and large
amounts of property were sold, for almost nothing, to satisfy
them. In the unreasoning excitement of the time, the courts,
lawyers and sheriflPs were denounced in the wildest terms as the
promoters of the suffering that men were inflicting upon each
other. A cry arose that the courts ought to be abolished.
Threats were made that the courts should not be allowed to sit,
that no more suits should be entered and no more executions
issued. It Avas such a wild clamor as this that led to the first
overt act in resistance to the laAvf ul authority. ' '
"There was no general insurrection until the summer of
1786, but as early as 1783 a bold attempt Avas made at Spring-
field to break up the session of the court of common pleas. The
( 87 )
01 R COrXTY AXD ITS PEOPLE
'IMassaehusetts Gazette and General Advertiser,' then printed in
Springfield, of May 27, gives this account of it : ' On Tuesday
last, being the day on which the general sessions of the peace and
the court of common pleas opened in this town, a banditti, col-
lected from the obscure corners of the county, composed of men
of the most infamous character, to the amount of about sixty in
number, met in this town to prevent the sitting of the court.
. . . They showed no disposition to attack the courts in the
forenoon; at two o'clock they met at a public house
in the town, and resolved themselves to be a convention of the
county, met together for the purpose of redressing grievances ;
after having passed several important resolves they adjourned
their convention to the elm tree near the court house ; when the
bell rang for the court, they, in hostile parade, armed wath white
bludgeons cut for that purpose, marched before the door of the
court house, and when the court, headed by the sheriff, came to
the door, with insolence opposed their entrance ; the sheriff, in
mild tones of persuasion, addressing them as gentlemen, desired
them to make way. His civility was repaid with outrage, and an
action soon commenced ; happily there was a collection of people
friendly to the government present, and the mob was repulsed
with broken heads. A number of them were instantly taken
and connnitted to prison ; after which, by a regular procedure,
they were brought before the court of sessions for examination,
and were bound to appear before the supreme court.' "
"The court house then stood on the east side of ]\Iain street,
directly opposite JMeeting-house lane, which has since become Elm
street. Its site is now occupied by Sanford street. The elm
tree under which the rioters held their 'convention' stood on the
east side of Main street, and two or three rods south of the court
house. ' '
"The legislature of 1786 was elected at a time of great ex-
citement. Many of the men who had hitherto been entrusted
with the responsibilities of legislation, and were prominent in the
service of the state, were superseded by inexperienced and, in
many cases, by utterly unfit persons. Patriots of the revolu-
tion, whose eloquence had aroused the spirit that carried the
( 88 )
THE SHAYS REBELLION
country triumphantly through the war of independence, were de-
feated as candidates merely because they happened to be lawyers.
When the legislature assembled various visionary schemes were
brought forward, among them a proposition that the state should
go into the business of manufacturing paper money. . . .
The legislature proceeded deliberately, influenced no doubt by
the conservative sentiment of Boston, and finally rejected the
proposition; and the senate stood firmly in the way of other dan-
gerous schemes. Thereupon there arose a new clamor. It was
declared that the senate should be abolished and that the legisla-
ture should not continue to hold its sessions at Boston ; and the
agitators proceeded to supplement their declamations by formal
organization."
' ' On the 28th of August delegates from fifty towns in Hamp-
shire county met in convention at Hatfield and held a session of
three days. . . . The paper money party was in strong
force. The men who 'had fought for liberty and meant to have
it, ' were there : and liberty, as they understood it. was defined by
one of their leaders in a speech at West Springfield. Liberty,
he said, 'is for every man to do as he pleases, and to make other
folks do as you please to have them. ' ' '
"The convention solemnly voted 'that this meeting is con-
stitutional,' and issued a declaration of its purposes. . . .
They wanted, among various other things, a revisal of the state
constitution, the abolition of the senate and of the court of com-
mon pleas, and more paper money. The convention called upon
other counties to organize, and took care to go through the form
of advising the people to abstain from all mobs and unlawful as-
semblies. ' '
' ' The events of the next few days furnished a practical con-
struction of the convention's declaration against mobs and un-
lawful assemblies. The last Tuesday of August was the day
fixed by law for the term of the court of common pleas at North-
ampton. Some 1,500 men took possession of the court house,
and prevented the sitting of the court. The term was not held,
and the men who did not intend to pay their debts celebrated a
victory over the law. ' '
( 89 )
OVR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
' ' The governor issued a proclamation, calling the legislature
to meet in special session on the 27th of September. The
proclamation was an incentive to still greater activity on the part
of the insurgents. On the other hand, the supporters of the
government felt the increased necessity of making a stand
against insurrection. The law required the supreme judicial
court to sit at Springfield on the fourth Tuesday of September,
The insurgents, who had not hitherto interfered with this court,
declared that the term should not be held. At that time the
grand juries reported to the supreme court, and the insurgent
leaders knew that if the grand jury assembled and did its duty,
they would be indicted for treason. The friends of law and
order declared that the court should be protected in any event,
and at whatever cost."
"Gen. AVilliam Shepard, of Westfield, who had served with
distinction through the war of the revolution, and had been a
member of the continental congress and a trusted officer of Gen-
eral Washington, was appointed to command such forces as could
be raised for the protection of the court. Shays,^ the leader of
the insurgents, had held a commission in the continental army,
and was conspicuous for his personal bravery at Bunker Hill
and Stony Point, and was present at the surrender of Burgoyne.
Revolutionary experiences were still fresh and almost every man
in the community was accustomed, in some degree, to the use of
arms and military drill. It was well understood that neither
'Daniel Shaj-s was born in Hopkinton, Middlesex county, in 1747. He after-
ward lived in Great Barrington and subsequently removed to I'elham. He en-
tered the army in 177."), and in 177t) was appointed lieutenant in Col. Varnum"s
regiment. He was detached on recruiting service and came to Massachusetts,
where he was abundantly successful : but he was ambitious of rank and of money,
and his easy success as recruiting officer suggested a plan for his advancement.
He enlisted a company whose engagement to serve was based on the condition,
that he should be the captain. He took the men to West Point and when they
were about to be apportioned to the commands where they were most needed, the
conditions of the enlistment were made known. The officers remonstrated, but
the army needed the men, hence the unsoldierly demands were complied with.
He was promised a captain's commission, and received it in 1771*. In 1780 he
was discharged from service. "He was bound to the insurrectionary movement
by no tie of principle, no active conviction of right, no controlling motive of love
for the public good." After the insurrection was crushed, and he had been par-
doned. Shays lived in M.-issachusetts for a time and then removed to Sparta,
N. Y., where he died in 1825.
( 90 )
THE SHAYS REBELLION
party -would give way to the other, and there was hardly ground
for hope that a bloody collision would be averted."
"General Shepard succeeded in collecting about 600 militia
and volunteers, and anticipated the plans of the insurgents by
taking possession of the court house. On the appointed day the
court was opened, Chief Justice Gushing and Justices Sargeant,
Sewall and Sumner being present, and Shays appeared at the
head of a force largely superior in numbers to General Shep-
ard's, but his men were not as well armed as were the militia.
The insurgents were disconcerted at finding the militia in pos-
session of the court house, and some of them insisted on making
an immediate attack. The leaders were more prudent. They
knew that the government troops were well armed, and they were
especially disgusted with the bark of a small cannon, which they
called the 'government's puppy.' They offered to withdraw if
the judges would agree that no other than the ordinary criminal
business of the term should be taken up. The judges replied
in substance that they had a public duty to discharge and would
attend to such business as should properly come before them.
But by the time this answer was received the insurgent leaders
were indifferent as to the action of the court, for they were satis-
fied that the grand jury could not be got together and that there
would be no trials. They saw that their main purpose would
be accomplished without fighting."
"Shays had his headquarters on or near Ferry lane (Cy-
press street) and a tavern that stood on the southeasterly cor-
ner of the present Main and Sargent streets was a favorite ren-
dezvous of the insurgents."
"The inhabitants of Springfield were beginning to feel some
relief from their anxiety, when a new commotion was seen in the
camp of the insurgents. It was rumored among them that the
militia had determined that they should not be permitted to
march past the court house. . . . But the rumor, however
it originated, aroused the fighting qualities of the insurgents.
They notified General Shepard that they would march past the
court house fortliAvith ; and they did so in military order and
with loaded muskets. . . . The militia could not be tempted
( 91 )
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
to accept a mere challenge or invite a battle. But some of the
militia were so impressed with the numbers and bearing of the
insurgents that they deserted their colors and enlisted under
Shays."
"The rebels had accomplished all they intended, and more;
but success had crazed them. The rank and file were clamorous
for a fight, and Shays sent a message to General Shepard de-
manding a surrender of the court house. General Shepard did
not deem the possession of the court house worth fighting for, the
court having adjourned, and moved his forces to the federal
arsenal, where there was valuable property that required protec-
tion."
"Toward the close of the session (legislative) acts were
passed authorizing the governor and council to imprison without
bail such persons as they deemed dangerous to the public safety,
and providing that persons indicted for treason might be tried
in any county. But these measures were qualified by an offer
of free pardon to such of the insurgents as should take the oath
of allegiance before the first of January. An address to the
people was voted, as had been suggested by the Springfield town
meeting, but they did not provide money to meet the expenses
of dealing successfully with the insurrection."
"The failure of the legislature to adopt energetic measures
gave new" courage to the insurgents. . . . The war upon the
courts was persistently maintained. In December Shays made
another raid upon Springfield, and forcibly prevented the ses-
sion of the court of common pleas. A letter from Springfield to
the Boston Chronicle, under date of December 27, gives this ac-
count of the proceeding:
" 'There is a stagnation of almost every kind of business
among us by reason of the tumults which are so prevalent here.
Yesterday we had another visit from the mobility; about 350
men marched in hostile array, with drums beating, and took pos-
session of the court house, commanded by Shays, Day and
Grover, in order to prevent the sitting of the court of common
pleas, which by law was to have been held here at that time. This
they effected, as there was no opposition on the part of the gov-
( 93 )
THE SHAYS REBELLION
erniiieut. It was not possible for the court (as they were sur-
rounded by an armed force and a guard placed at the door of
the room in which the judges were met) to proceed to do business.
They therefore informed a committee who were chosen by the
insurgents to wait on them that they would not attempt to open
the court. After which, about dark the insurgents left the
town.'"
"Information of this last exploit of Shays was not received
by the governor until the first of January. The news was re-
ceived at Boston with surprise and alarm. Springfield had been
regarded as the government stronghold in the western part of the
state, and an uncontested insurgent success had not been ex-
pected at that point. At the same time an attack upon Boston
was threatened, and there were indications that a part of the
population of that town were ready for revolt. Disturbances,
too, were occurring in other states. In New Hampshire an armed
mob surrounded the legislature, demanding the enactment of a
paper money law. There were well grounded apprehensions
that general anarchy Avould be the barren sequence of all the
magnificent achievements of the continental armies."
"The governor and members of the executive council were
capable and resolute men, but they were powerless. They did
not have at their command the means of sustaining even a single
regiment in the field. The emergency was finally met by some
of the capitalists and business men of Boston, who realized the
danger to which their interests would be exposed by a revolution,
and came forw^ard with an offer of a loan to the state, trusting
to future legislation for their reimbursement. Their offer was
accepted and there was at once a change in the condition of af-
fairs. Orders were issued for the raising and equipment of
4,500 men. . . . Shays and his council had been in delibera-
tion over two distinct plans of operation. The more reckless
of the leaders advised an attack upon Boston for the purpose of
releasing two of their number who had been arrested and were
held in jail. Others advised that the attack on Boston be de-
layed until after the seizure of the continental arsenal at Spring-
field, with its store of war material, and this plan was the one
adopted. ' '
( 93 )
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
"The Hampshire county quota of 1,200 men were ordered
to assemble at Springfield, and General Shepard was placed in
command. The eastern militia were sent to Roxbury, whence
they were to march to Worcester and there joined with the force
raised in Worcester county. The chief command was given to
Gen. Benjamin Lincoln, an accomplished officer of the revolu-
tionary war. Governor Bowdoin's orders to General Lincoln
required him to protect the court of common pleas at the Janu-
ary term at Worcester, and left his further movements against
the insurgents to his own discretion. ' '
"General Shepard again anticipated the movements of
Shays. Acting under the authority of the secretary of war, he
took possession of the arsenal. General Lincoln reached Wor-
cester on the 22d of January, after a three days' march from
Eoxbury through the deep snow of midwinter. The court was
opened and proceeded with the business of the term. Order was
restored at Worcester, and, substantially, at all points in the
state east of that place. The insurgents were concentrating
their strength in the western counties, and it was understood on
all hands that the issue was to be tried and determined at Spring-
field."
"The positions of the several armed forces on the evening
of January 24 were as follows : General Shepard Avas posted
at the arsenal with about 1,000 men. Shays had just reached
Wilbraham on his march from Rutland. A part of Lincoln's
command was less than two days' march in the rear of Shays.
Luke Day, an insurgent leader, was at West Springfield with
about 400 men and boys, well armed and well drilled. There
was a good ice bridge at the time, so that he was within easy
reach of the arsenal. Eli Parsons, a Berkshire leader, was in
the north parish of Springfield (now Chicopee) with about 400
men. The total insurgent force was about double that of Gen-
eral Shepard."
"The inhabitants of Springfield, except such as were within
the immediate protection of General Shepard, were kept in con-
stant alarm. Respectable citizens were seized in their own
houses and taken to Day's camp in West Springfield, where they
( 94 )
THE SHAYS REBELLION
were kept under guard as hostages and for purposes of retalia-
tion. ]\Ien were not sure whether their near neighbors were
friends or foes, and unprotected homes were exposed to outrage
and plunder. Upon the receipt of the news that Shays had
reached Wilbraham, most of the women and children who had
mieans of conveyance fled from that town."
' ' On his arrival at Wilbraham, Shays sent a message to Day,
informing him that he intended to attack the arsenal on the 25th.
Day replied by letter that he could not move on that day but
would join in the attack on the 26th. Day's messenger was ar-
rested and his letter, instead of going to Shays, went to General
Shepard. On the 25th Shays moved upon Springfield, expect-
ing the co-operation of Day and Parsons. Even if he had re-
ceived Day's letter he could not have delayed his attack. His
only chance of success was in seizing the arsenal before General
Lincoln could come up."
"At that time none of the buildings now standing on the
arsenal grounds had been erected. There were two wooden
buildings, built for barracks and for storage on the brow of the
hill looking to the north, on or near the site of the present store-
house. There was a private dwelling house on the site of the
present middle arsenal, and it was to this house that the dead
and wounded insurgents were carried. East of that point there
were no buildings except the powder magazine, that stood in a
then remote spot in the woods. Magazine street has since been
located over its site. The present armory square was the pub-
lic training field. There Avere not then any gun shops on the
arsenal grounds. If there was one in the town at tlie time, it
Avas in Ferry lane, where the government gun work was origin-
.ally done in Springfield. ' '
"When Shays left Wilbraham on the morning of the 25th,
Asaph King, a deputy sherifi:', started on horseback to give in-
formation to General Shepard. He was obliged to avoid the
highways, and made his way across the fields, through snow
drifts and over fences, and is said to have accomplished the dis-
tance in forty-five minutes. This was the first exact informa-
tion received by General Shepard of the approach of Shays : and
( 95 )
OVE COrSTY AXD ITS PEOPLE
he proceeded to make ready for his fitting reception. His men
were stationed near the barracks, and his cannon were planted
on the brow of the hill commanding the approach by the Bos-
ton road. A part of his force was posted in Main street, at the
point now crossed by the Boston and Albany railroad, for the-
pnrpose of holding Day in check in case he should attempt to
come to the aid of Shays. A considerable mob collected at that
point, but did not attempt an attack upon the militia."
"It was toward the close of the short winter day that the
insurgents were seen from the arsenal making their toilsome
march through the snow on the Boston road. They were in the
best of spirits ; every attempt they had hitherto made had suc-
ceeded, but it was not an unprotected court house they were now
intending to occupy. Shays was entirely confident. Some of
his old army comrades Avent out to meet him, and advised him to-
keep out of the range of General Shepard's guns, and to aban-
don his treason. He received them pleasantly, told them he
was sure of success, and Avas inclined to be jocose. He did not
know his own men. ' '
' ' There Avas not any battle. The only firing Avas on the gov-
ernment side, and there Avas but little of that. Only one shot
seems to have been fired in genuine earnest, and that AA-as folloAA'ed
by a panic among the insurgents, and a flight. The official re-
port of the firm but kind-hearted General Shepard to the gov-
ernor, gives us reliable history. It is as folloAA's :
" 'Springfield, January 26, 1787.
" 'Sir: — The unhappy time has come in AA-hich aa'C have been
obliged to shed blood. Shays, Avho Avas at the head of about
1,200 men, marched yesterday afternoon about four o'clock
tOAA-ards the public buildings, in battle array. He marched his
men in an open column by platoons. I sent several times, by
one of my aids and tAA^o other gentlemen, Capts. Buffington and
AVoodbridge, to him to knoAv Avhat he Avas after, or what he
AA-anted. His reply Avas, he AA-anted barracks, barracks he Avould
have, and stores. The ansAA'er Avas he must purchase them dear,
if he had them. He still proceeded on his march until he ap-
proached within 250 yards of the arsenal. He then made a halt.
( 96 )
THE SHAYS REBELLION
I immediately sent Major Lyman, one of my aids, and Capt. Buf-
fington, to inform him not to move his troops any nearer the
arsenal on his peril, as I -was stationed here by order of your ex-
cellency and the secretary of war, for the defense of the publick
property ; in case he did, I should surely fire on him and his men.
A Mr. Wheeler, who appeared to be one of Shays' aids, met Mr.
Lyman, after he had delivered my orders, in the most peremptory
manner, and made answer, that that was all he wanted. Shays
immediately put his troops in motion and marched rapidly near
one hundred yards. I then order ^lajor Stephens, who com-
manded the artillery, to fire upon them; he accordingly did.
The first two shot he endeavored to over-shoot them, in the hope
that they would have taken warning, without firing among them,
but it had no effect on them. Maj. Stephens then directed his shot
through the center of his column. The fourth or fifth shot put
the whole column in the utmost confusion. Shays made an
attempt to display his column, but in vain. We had one howit,
AA'hieh was loaded with grape-shot, which, when fired, gave them
great uneasiness. Had I been disposed to destroy them, I might
have charged upon their rear and flanks with my infantry and
the two field pieces, and could have killed the greater part of his
whole army within twenty-five minutes. There was not a single
musket fired on either side. ' '
' ' I found three men dead on the spot, and one wounded, who
is since dead. One of our artillerymen, by inattention, was
badly wounded. Three muskets were taken up with the dead,
which were deeply loaded. I enclose to your excellency a copy
of the paper^ sent to me last evening. I have received no rein-
^The paper referred to in General Shepard's report is as follows :
"Headquarters, West Springfield,
"January 25, 1787.
"The body of the people assembled in arms, adhering to the tlrst principles
in nature, self-preservation, do. in the most peremptory manner, demand,
"1. That the troops in Springfield lay down their arms.
"2. That their arms be deposited in the public stores, under the care of
the proper officers, to be returned to the owners at the termination of the pres-
ent contest.
"3. That the troops return to their homes on parole.
"To the commanding officer at Springfield, January 25, 1787,
"Luke Day,
"Captain Commandant of this division."
(On the back) "By Col. Eli Parsons."
7-1 ( 97 )
OVR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
forcements yet, and expect to be attacked this day by their whole
force combined. I am, sir, with great respect.
" 'Your Excellencies most obedient humble servant,
" 'William Shepard.'
" 'His Excellency, James Bowdoin, Esq.'
"The lives so foolishly thrown away before the arsenal were
those of Ezekiel Root, and Ariel Webster, of Gill, Jabez Spicer,
of Leyden, and John Hunter, of Shelburne. In the evening
Shays sent a flag of truce, requesting that the bodies of five of
his men killed before the arsenal be returned to him. General
Shepard's rather grim reply was, that he covild not furnish him
at that time with five insurgents, as he had but four, and one of
them was not quite dead, but that if Shays would attack the
arsenal again he would furnish him as many dead rebels as he
should desire."
"Shays retreated on the night of the 25th to 'Chapin's tav-
ern,' five miles east of the town. The next day he joined Par-
sons' force at Chicopee, 200 of his men deserting by the way. A
bold dash on the morning of the 27th might possibly have helped
him ; but he had lost the only opportunity there was remaining
to him. At noon on that day a part of General Lincoln's army,
consisting of three regiments of infantry, three companies of ar-
tillery and a body of cavalry, reached Springfield. After a rest
of one hour, the Lincoln infantry and artillery crossed the river
for the purpose of seizing Day and his party. At the same time
General Shepard moved up the river on the east bank, and the
cavalry went up the river on the ice to prevent a junction of
Day and Shays. There was no inclination to fight among the
insurgents, who retired as the militia advanced, their number
lessening by desertions as they went. The pursuit was vigor-
ously maintained until the insurgent leaders were captured or
driven from the state, but several months elapsed before quiet
was entirely restored."
"Shays and Parsons abandoned Chicopee on the approach
of General Shepard's army and fled north through South Had-
ley (where his men plundered several houses, taking from one
resident two ])arrels of rum) and Amherst, and thence the leader
( 98 )
THE SHAYS REBELLION
made his way to his own house in Pelham, leaving many of his
former followers to work out their own salvation as best they
could. His army, however, had now d^\'indled to about 200
men. At Pelham he attempted to reorganize his force, but soon
afterward he changed base and appeared in Petersham, in
Worcester county. Here he was surprised by Lincoln and
barely escaped capture. He fled to New Hampshire, and his
followers scattered in that state, also in Vermont and New
York."
Captain Luke Day^, "commandant" of the West Spring-
field division of the insurgent army, had posted a guard in the
ferry house in that town, and upon the approach of Lincoln's
men they fled, after having made a little show of resistance. The
infantry then marched up "Shad lane," through the settled
part of the town, but the cohorts of Day then were in swift re-
treat up the river toward Southampton, many of them in their
fiight throwing away guns and blankets and whatever might im-
pede their progress. They did not stop until they reached
Northampton, and there only over night. Their greatest anxiety
was to get beyond the bounds of the state without falling into the
liands of the militia.
^Luke Day was born in West Springfield, July 25, 1743, and was the son of
worthy and well-to-do parents. He entered the revolutionary service early and
-was a lieutenant in Captain Chapin"s company of minute men who marched to
Boston upon the Lexington alarm. But Day was a demagogue and was much
given to speech maliing and bluster ; his tongue was his most formidable
weapon. He talked wildly of "spilling the last drop of blood that ran in his
veins," but upon the approach of Lincoln's men upon his quarters in West
Springfield, he neither attempted nor encouraged resistance. After his defeat
Day fled to New York, and on returning to this state he was arrested and held
in jail in Boston. On his own application his case was transferred to Hamp-
shire county for trial, but under the general amnesty extended to insurgents he
was pardoned. He then returned to West Springfield and died in the town in
1801.
( 99 )
CHAPTER IX.
THE WAR OF 1812-1815
During the five years immediately preceding the war of
1812-15 the whole country was in a state of nominal peace, but
still there was gathering in the political horizon a dark cloud
which increased until it boded another foreign war. In the
revolutionary struggle America contended for independence and
won that precious boon ; in 1812-15 she fought to maintain that
independence on which British aggression had insolently tres-
passed.
The United States had honorably observed the provisions of
the treaty made with Great Britain at the close of the revolution.
There had been maintained, too, a strict neutrality during the
progress of the Napoleonic wars when every consideration of
gratitude should have induced an alliance against the mother
country. For several years the aggressive acts of the British
had been a subject of anxiety and regret to all Americans and
had created bitter indignation throughout the country. The
embargo laid by congress in 1807 upon our shipping (as a meas-
ure of safety) was found so injurious to commercial interests
that it was repealed, and the non-intercourse act was passed in
its stead.
In April, 1809, the British minister in Washington opened
negotiations for the adjustment of existing difficulties, and con-
sented to a withdrawal of the obnoxious ** orders in council," so
far as they affected the United States, on condition that the non-
intercourse act be repealed. This was agreed to, and the presi-
dent issued a proclamation announcing that on the 10th of June
trade with Great Britain might be resumed. The British gov-
( 100 )
THE WAR OF 1812-15
ernment, however, refused to ratify the proceedings and re-
called her minister, upon which the non-intercourse act again
went into operation.
The most odious and oppressive of all British aggressions
was the claim made of "right to search," in pursuance of which
British cruisers stopped American vessels on the ocean and seized
such of their crews as were suspected to be subjects of the king,
forcing them into their own service. This claim led to outrages
to which no true American could submit, and the only choice left
to the nation was war or disgraceful humiliation.
On June 12, 1812, President Madison sent a confidential
message to congress, in which he recapitulated the long list of
British aggressions and declared it the duty of congress to con-
sider whether the American people should longer passively sub-
mit to open insult ; but at the same time he cautioned the house
to avoid entanglements vcith other powers that then w^ere hostile
to Great Britain.
The result of the message and the deliberation of congress
was a formal declaration of war on the 19th of June, 1812, but
the measure was not unanimously sustained or even approved in
all parts of the Middle and New England states. The oppo-
nents held that the country was not prepared for war and asked
for further negotiations. They also met the denunciations of
the ruling party (the American or democratic party — for it went
by both names, and included many republicans) against the Brit-
ish with bitter attacks upon Napoleon, whom they accused the
majority with favoring. The war party (variously denomi-
nated by the opposition as "Screaming War Hawks" and "Blue
Lights") was led by Henry Clay, and the opponents (Federal-
ists, otherwise called the "Peace party") by John Randolph,
both men of distinguished ability, and the giants of congress at
that time.
"In Massachusetts," says ]\Ir. Holland's history, "the war
became the theme of pulpit denunciation, the subject of consider-
ation and condemnation in town meetings, and the target full of
quivers of resolutions from the taut-strung bows of conventions.
Berkshire was somewhat more democratic than the river region,
( 101 )
OVR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
but the latter was very thoroughly federal, and hated the war
with entire heartiness. . . . Immediately after the declara-
tion of war nearly all the towns in AVestern Massachusetts pos-
sessing federal majorities, passed resolutions condemning it and,
by concert of action, the towns of the three river counties in legal
town meetings, appointed delegates to a grand convention to be
holden at Northampton on the 14th of July, 1812, to consult
upon the war. Accordingly on that day delegates from fifty-
seven towns in the three counties assembled at the Northampton
court house. In fifty-three of these towns the delegates were
regularly appointed, and appeared with certificates of their re-
spective town clerks, while the remaining four sent represent-
atives of federal minorities."
The delegates, so far as they represented towns forming a
part of Hampden county, were as follows : John Hooker,
Chauncey Brewer, Justin Lombard, Joseph Pease, Springfield ;
Jedediah Smith, Alanson Knox, Blandford; Amos Hamilton,
Alpheus Converse, Palmer ; David Curtis, Granville ; Deodatus
Dutton, Monson ; Darius Munger, South Brimfield ; Kobert Ses-
sions, Aaron Woodward, Wilbraham ; EdAvard Taylor, Montgom-
ery^; John Polley, Holland; Eleazer Slocum, Tolland. Pelatiah
Bliss and Timothy Burbank were irregular delegates from West
Springfield, in sympathy with the convention, but represent-
atives of a town whose majority favored the prosecution of the
war.
"In all," says Holland, "there were eighty-eight delegates,
composed of the best and most influential citizens in the three
counties, many of Avhom were in high civil and military office.
The convention organized by the choice of John Hooker of
Springfield for president, and Isaac C. Bates of Northampton
for secretary. The proceedings were opened Avith prayer by
Rev. Mr. AYilliams of Northampton. An address to the people,
previously issued by the anti-Avar minority in congress, Avas then
read, Avhen Elijah H. Mills, Ephraim Williams, LcAvis Strong,
Samuel Hills, Joseph Lyman, Ezra Starkweather, John Hooker,
Samuel C. Allen and Samuel F. Dickinson AA'ere appointed a
committee to report in regard to the proper action of the con-
( 102 )
THE ^^AR OF 1812-15
ventiou coucerning public affairs, after which the convention
adjourned until the 15th. On that day the committee reported
that it was expedient to present a respectful memorial to the
president of the United States, praying that commissioners
might be forthwith appointed to negotiate a peace with Great
Britain, ''upon safe and honorable terms," and a memorial to
that effect was therewith submitted, with a series of resolutions
for the consideration of the convention. The committee also re-
ported that it was expedient to appoint four delegates from each
county, to meet in state convention, provided the measure should
be adopted in other parts of the commonwealth, and also, that
committees of safety and correspondence be appointed in each
county, and that it be recommended to each town to choose simi-
lar committees in its corporate capacity. The entire report,
with a few amendments of the memorial, was adopted, and the
committees recommended were appointed. The following were
chosen delegates to the state convention :
//a »(pf/e>(,— William Shepard, George Bliss, Samuel Lath-
rop and Amos Hamilton.
Hampsliire,— Joseph Lyman, Eli P. Ashmun, William Bod-
man and Samuel F. Dickinson.
Fra)iJilin,—~Ephraim AVilliams, Richard E. Newcomb, Rufus
Graves and Roger Leavitt.
The committees of safety and correspondence were, for
Hampden, Jacob Bliss, John Hooker, Oliver B. Morris and Jona-
than DAvight, Jr. ; for Hampshire, Jonathan H. Lyman, Lewis
Strong, Isaac C. Bates and William Edwards ; and for Franklin,
Jonathan Leavitt, Samuel Wells, Elijah Alvord, 2d, and George
Grennell, Jr.
"At the time of holding this convention Caleb Strong of
Northampton was governor of Massachusetts. That the memo-
rial and resolutions adopted represented his views is to be pre-
sumed—a presumption receiving additional force from the fact
that his son, Lewis Strong, w'as a member of the committee that
reported them, and had the credit of being the able author of the
memorial."
The memorial agreed upon and adopted by the convention
( 103 )
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
was a long, solemn and formidable document, and ably reviewed
the political situation in the country, and especially in New Eng-
land, at the time, from a purely federalist standpoint. Accord-
ing to its declarations the convention represented a constituency
of 80,000 persons, and while not so stated in the proceedings, the
very center of that constituency was in the Connecticut valley
and the region adjoining it on the east. The resolutions adopted
were even more radical than the memorial, and declared the war
to be "neither just, necessary nor expedient."
In February, 1812, four months before the formal declara-
tion of war, congress passed an act providing for the organiza-
tion of 25,000 men for an army, and in April following 100,000
of the nation's enrolled militia was called upon for active serv-
ice. These calls for troops aroused the federalist ire and pro-
voked the unusual expressions of the Northampton convention in
the final resolution adopted by that body, viz. :
"That, although we do not consider ourselves bound, volun-
tarily, to aid in the prosecution of an offensive war, which we be-
lieve to be neither just, necessary nor expedient, we will submit,
like good citizens, to the requisitions of the constitution, and
promptly repel all hostile attacks upon our country. That, col-
lecting fortitude from the perils of the crisis, and appealing to
the searcher of hearts for the purity of our motives, w^e will exert
ourselves, by all constitutional means, to avert the dangers which
surround us ; and that, while we discountenance all forcible oppo-
sition to the laws, we will expose ourselves to every hazard and
every sacrifice to prevent a ruinous alliance with the tyrant of
France, to restore a speedy, just and honorable peace, to pre-
serve inviolate the Union of States, in the true spirit of the con-
stitution, and to perpetuate the safety, honor and liberties of our
country. ' '
Notwithstanding the protestations of loyalty on the part of
the memorialists, at heart they had little sympathy and no en-
couragement whatever for the cause for which the federal gov-
ernment was contending, and in fact opposed all measures for
the prosecution of the war. Governor Strong declined to fur-
nish the quota of troops called for by the government, which
( 104 )
THE ^S\A.E OF 1812-15
action raised a serious question as to the relations^ of Massachu-
setts and the federal union.
None of the Massachusetts militia were called into service
until September, 1814, when the British, havin"- taken possession
of Castine, on the Penobscot river and within the INIassachusetts
jurisdiction, a general invasion of the region was greatly feared.
Then— and only then— the governor took decisive action and
made a requisition for troops to be assembled at Boston. It was
not the governor's purpose, however,- to send his military forces
against the British, but rather to repel any invasion of the terri-
tory of the commonwealth, as the United States troops then had
been withdrawn from the coast.
Two regiments of infantry were sent from old Hampshire
county, one from the northern towns under Col. Thomas Longly,
of Hawley, and the other from the southern towns under Col.
Enos Foot, of Southwick. The county also furnished a regi-
ment of artillery, in which was an entire company from Spring-
field under Capt. Quartus Stebbins. Among the oi^cers of rank
from the county was Brig.-Gen. Jacob Bliss of Springfield. The
troops left the valley about the middle of October, the Spring-
field artillery taking its departure on a Sunday morning, fresh
from the spiritual admonitions of Rev. Dr. Osgood. On arrival
at Boston the men were stationed at Dorchester, where they en-
camped about forty days and then returned to their homes. Thus
ended what was known at the time in democratic circles as "Gov.
Strong's war."
In December, 1814, the famous Hartford convention was as-
sembled, comprising twelve delegates appointed by the Massa-
chusetts legislature, seven by the Connecticut legislature, four
'The governor's refusal involved grave questions "touching the power of the
federal government to call out the militia of the states, to decide on the exigency
for calling them into service, and to place them in command of United States
officers after they were called out. In all these points Gov. Strong was op-
posed to the president and was supported in his position by the written opinion
of the Supreme court of the state; and thus, the federal party, the strongest at
first in the advocacy of the concentration of power in the federal head, became
the first to oppose what was deemed a usurpation of the rights of the state. The
governor did not believe that the mere act of declaring war on the part of the
president of the United States gave him any right to call the militia of the sev-
eral states into service." — Holland.
( 105 )
OVR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
from Rhode Island, two from New Hampshire and one from Ver-
mont. George Bliss of Springfield and Joseph Lyman of North-
ampton were the delegates from Western Massachusetts. The
proceedings of the convention need no review in this "work, yet it
may be said that the principal recommendations of that distin-
guished body were soon afterward embodied in a law of con-
gress.^
In relation to the events of the second war with Great Brit-
ain little need be said in these pages. The general results of the
struggle are Avritten in the conflicts of Lake Erie, the repulse of
the invaders on the Delaware, the painful and humiliating scenes
of the Chesapeake, the invasion of New York and the attempt to
control the Hudson river and Lake Champlain. The story is
further told in the brilliant victory at Plattsburg, the capture of
Niagara and Oswego, the battles of Black Rock, Lundy's Lane,
Sackett's Harbor, closing with the glorious defense of New^ Or-
leans. Above all, however, Avere the masterly exploits of our
navy, whose victory over the British cruisers gave the enemy a
most serious view of American prowess. Peace, however, came
at last and the treaty was ratified February 15, 1815.
^"The recommendations of the convention were that the states talje meas-
ures to protect their citizens from 'forcible draughts, conscriptions or impress-
ments, not authorized by the constitution of the United States,' and that an
earnest application be made to the general government, requesting its consent to
some arrangement whereby the states separately, or in concert, might assume
upon themselves the defense of their territory against the enemy ; and that a
reasonable portion of the taxes collected within the state might be appropriated
to that object. The law passed by congress three weeks afterward, authorized
and required the president to 'receive into the service of the United States any
corps of troops which may have been, or may be, raised, organized and officered
under the authority of any of the states, to be employed in the state raising the
same, or an adjoining state, and not elseichcrc except with the consent of the
executive of the state raising the same.' " — Holland.
( 106 )
r ^^
r^^ ^7n///frj,;/^^
CHAPTER X
COUNTY ORGANIZATION
Previous to the creation of Hampshire county the region of
country included within that jurisdiction as originally estab-
lished was not a part of any civil division of the jNIassachusetts
Bay, and there appears not to have been need for the exercise of
civil authority in the locality. The settlers, few in number, yet
firmly united by bands of kinship, church fellowship and mutual-
interest, required no law to govern their actions, and such petty
differences as did arise among them were readily settled by the
magisterial officers appointed by the general court. However,
during the first quarter of a century of civilized white occupancy
in the region referred to the number of settlers was so increased,
and the plantations were so widely extended, that the organiza-
tion of a new county in this part of the colony became necessary.
The three original towns comprising Hampshire county were
known as Springfield, Northampton and Hadley, neither of
which at the time of its creation, or recognition as a town, was
measured by definite bounds. Springfield in itself was a vast
territory, and in the history of Hampshire and Hampden coun-
ties it has been a veritable mother of towns.
According to established records, Springfield originally was
common land called Agawam, and became a town in the colony,
June 2, 1641. The district called "Woronoco" (afterward
Westfield) was annexed in 1647, and did not become a town until
1669.
Northampton, the second division in seniority and extent in
Hampshire county, was common land called "Nonotuck" pre-
vious to its settlement by the whites in 1653. Three years later
( 108 )
COUNTY ORGANIZATION
it -was organized as a town in the colony, but previous to 1662 it
was not a part of any county jurisdiction.
Hadley was settled in 1659, and in May, 1661, the plantation
was organized as a town.
In the early part of 1662 a committee was appointed by the
town of Springfield, "concerning settling the towns in this west-
ern portion of the colony into the form of a new county," and
on May 7, of the same year, the general court passed the follow-
ing act:
"Forasmuch as the inhabitants of this jurisdiction are much
encreased, so that now they are planted farre into the country
vpon Conecticott Riuer, who by reason of their remotenes cannot
conveniently be annexed to any of the eountyes already settled,
& that publicke affaires may with more facility be transacted
according to lawes heere established, it is ordered by this Court
& authority thereof, that henceforth Springfeild, Northampton,
and Hadley shall be & hereby are constituted as a county, the
bounds or Ijmitts on the south to be the south Ijne of the pattent,
the extent of other bounds to be full thirty miles distant from
any or either of the foresajd tounes, & w^hat tounes or villages
soeuer shall hereafter be erected within the foresajd precincts to
be & belong to the sajd county ; and further, that the sajd county
shall be called Hampshire, & shall haue and enjoy the libertjes
& priviledges of any other county ; & that Springfeild shall be
the shire toune there, & the Courts to be kept one time at Spring-
feild & another time at Northampton; the like order to be ob-
served for their shire meetings, that is to say, one yeere at one
toune, & the next yeare at the other, from time to tjme. And it
is further ordered, that all the inhabitants of that shire shall pay
their publicke rates to the countrey in fatt catle, or young catle,
such as are fit to be putt off, that so no vnnecessary damage be put
on the country; & in case they make payment in corne, then to
be made at such prises as the lawe doe comonly passe amongst
themselves, any other former or annuall orders referring to the
prises of corne notwithstanding."
From this it may be seen that the county extended south to
the north line of Connecticut, and east and west from the towns
( 109 )
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
mentioned a distance of thirty miles, or an entire width of sixty
miles. The north boundary, also, was indefinite and evidently
was intended to be governed by the thirty mile limit northward
from Northampton, as the north boundary of the colony then was
uncertain. It may be said, however, that the above description
is based on the assumption that the words, "the extent of the
other boundaries to be full thirty miles distant from any or
either of the foresaid tounes, " refers to the settled portions of
each of them in the immediate vicinity of the Connecticut river,
and not the remote boundaries of those towns as understood un-
der the purchase from the Indians.
After the passage of the act it became necessary for the peo-
ple to make some provision for the conduct of affairs of the new
county, and for that purpose Capt. John Pynchon, Henry
Clarke, Capt. Aaron Cooke, Lieut. David Milton and Elizur Hol-
yoke were chosen a committee. On April 2, 1663, the committee
"Agreed and determined that the beginning of the year for the
shire meetings of this county shall be on the first day of March
yearly : And that the shire meetings shall be each other year
at Springfield, and each other year at Northampton, in a constant
course. And all our shire meetings this year to be at Northamp-
ton; Springfield having had them last year." Also they agreed
that the commissioner chosen in March yearly by the shire com-
missioner to carry the votes of nomination of magistrates to Bos-
ton, ' ' shall have allowed him by the county thirty shillings, to be
paid by the county treasurer : the rest of his charges he is to bear
himself ; and that no man be thereby overburthened, it is deter-
mined that there be a change yearly of the persons to carry the
votes, except for necessity of eonveniencey they shall see cause
to act otherwise."
Having made the necessary provision for the government of
the new county, the commissioners also provided a place in
Springfield and Northampton for holding courts. Previous to
this time William and John Pynchon had served in the capacity
of magistrate, the latter succeeding the former, and the proceed-
ings conducted by them were held in the Pynchon mansion, or
fort, as more commonly known. A short time before the crea-
( no )
COUNTY ORGANIZATION
tion of the county JNIr. Pynchon had erected a large brick man-
sion, which served the purpose of a dwelling-, court house, and
also as a defensive fortress : and in the attack upon and burning
of Springfield in 1675 it furnished ample protection to the in-
habitants. Indeed, so far as we have reliable information on
the subject. Fort Pynchon was the usual place for holding ses-
sions of court for many years, although on extraordinary occa-
sions the magistrates assembled in the "ordinary," as the tav-
ern of the town was then called.
On May 25, 1659, the general court provided for the estab-
lishment of courts and the conduct thereof, and on the organiza-
tion of the county the magistrates previously appointed were
continued in office. They were Capt. John Pynchon, Lieut. Eli-
zur Holyoke and Samuel Chapin, who were clothed with "full
power and authority to govern the inhabitants of Springfield,
and to hear and determine all cases and offences, both civil and
criminal, that shall not reach life, limb or banishment ; provided
it shall and may be lawful for any party to appeal to the court
of assistants at Boston, so as they prosecute the same to the order
of this court ; provided also that their trials may be by the oaths
of six men, if twelve cannot be had for that service, and that
Northampton be referred to Springfield in reference to county
courts, which courts shall be kept, one on the last Tuesday in the
first month, and the other on the last Tuesday in September,
yearly, at Springfield, unless the commissioners aforesaid shall
see just cause to keep one of them at Northampton ; and the two
courts to be kept at Springfield or Northampton, as aforesaid,
shall in all respects have the powers and privileges of any county
court till this court shall see cause otherwise to determine ; pro-
vided they shall not warn above fower [four] jurymen from
Northampton to Springfield, or from Springfield to Northamp-
ton," etc.
Under the authority of the act just mentioned a term of
court was held in Springfield, March 27, 1660, two years before
the county was created, and was conducted by the magistrates
mentioned. Among the jurors present Avere Thomas Cooper,
George Colton, Benjamin Cooley, Thomas Stebbins, Jonathan
( 111 )
01 B COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
Biirt, John Diirableton, Thomas Gilbert, Benjamin Parsons and
Samnel Marshfield, of Springfield, some of whose surnames are
still preserved in Hampden county. After the organization of
the county, courts were held more systematically, and in accord-
ance with the provisions of the general court.
Although Springfield was designated the shire town of
Hampshire county by the act, sixty years passed before a court
house in fact was built. Northampton had a town house as
early as 1661, and the building was subsequently occupied for
court purposes. Springfield was the older settlement, though
perhaps no greater in population than its neighboring plantation
on the north, yet the strong men, the men of influence and
wealth, were identified with the development of the older tow^n.
In 1661 Mr. Pynchon had begun the erection of a "house of
correction," a less dignified name for which is "a common gaol,"
and in 1668 the building Avas completed. It stood on what now
is Maple street. The building was burned by the Indians in
1675, and Avas replaced in 1677 with a more substantial struc-
ture^, at an expense of about 50 pounds. Simon Lobdell was
its keeper — the first jailer. No steps were taken in the matter
of erecting a court house at the shire town until November 29,
1721, w'hen it was A'oted to build a structure for that purpose,
"provided our neighboring towns, viz.: Westfield, Suffield, En-
field and Brookfield, be assisting in doeing of it. ' '
The town of Springfield offered to pay one-half of the cost
of the building, and sent Capt. Luke Hitchcock, Joseph Willis-
ton and John Worthington as emissaries to the towns mentioned
to see what they would do in the matter of assistance. The re-
'The second house of correction and county jail stood on the west side of
Main street, on the site of the Union house of later years. The jailer's dwell-
ing adjoined it on the north and extended a few feet into what is now Bliss
street. This was the jail in which, in 1770. William Shaw, of Palmer, killed
a fellow prisoner named Edward East ; and for the crime Shaw was hanged on
December 13 of the same year. The gallows stood on the hill, about where the
armory now stands. It was a public execution, and on the occasion Rev. Moses
Baldwin of Palmer, preached to the assembled throng, using as his text, "There-
fore the ungodly shall not stand in judgment." The period of usefulness of the
old jail was about 120 years. After the removal of the seat of justice of
Hampshire county to Northampton, in 1749, the jail property and buildings
were sold.
( 112 )
COUNTY ORGANIZATION
suit of their visit is not shown in the records, still, on December
26 Springfield voted that "the said court house shall be fourty
foot long, thirty foot wide, and seventeen foot stud." It was
also voted that the persons mentioned "be a committee to make
provision for and effect the building and finishing of the court
house," and to determine its location. The sum of 20 pounds
was authorized to be drawn from the town treasury for a build-
ing fund.
It appears, however, that the adjoining towns failed to give
The First Court House
favorable ear to the request of Springfield, and that town be-
came involved in a spirited controversy in regard to the build-
ing. In September, 1722, it was voted that a committee be
chosen "to consider of and propose some method or way to com-
pose the differences that have bin or may arise about the court
house, & to make report of their proposals to the town." , . .
"Voted, that Lieut. Ephraim Colton, Peletiah Bliss, Increase
Sikes, Captain John Merick, Lieut. Joseph Cooley, Samuel Day,
Deacon Joseph Ely, Ensign John Miller, Ensign James Merrick
& Jonathan AVorthington to be the said committee."
8-1
( 113 )
OVB COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
At a subsequent meeting the committee reported a plan "to
compose the differences" and at the same time to raise the means
necessary to complete the building. It was determined to sell
public land on the west side of the river "as to advance the sum
of thirty pounds," and enough on the east side to realize forty
pounds ; and if a sufficient sum was not then provided to draw the
remaining sum from the treasury. It is evident that the treas-
ury was called upon, for in 1724 it was voted (but afterward
rescinded) 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. ' '
The first court house in Springfield, to which reference is
made in preceding paragraphs, stood on the east side of Main
street on land subsequently taken for Sanford street, and ex-
tended into Main street a little beyond its present east line. The
building was completed in 1723, and in December of that year
Samuel Day, Ephraim Colton and Thomas Horton were ap-
pointed to examine the accounts of the building committee. On
January 7, 1724, the report of the examining committee was ac-
cepted by the town.
The old first court house in Springfield was an institution of
Hampshire county from the year of its erection until 1812— four
score years and ten— yet occupancy for its original purpose
ceased Adth the year 1794, when, for the convenience of the in-
habitants of the county generally, Northampton was made the
shire town, and all public records and properties were trans-
ferred to that place. Then the old court house lost its useful-
ness for a time, and for the next twenty years was occupied for
various purposes, chiefly as a town hall. However, in 1812, on
the creation of Hampden county, the building again was occupied
as a house of justice, and so continued until the completion of a
more commodious structure in 1822, In later years the old
pioneer building was again used for town purposes, then was
sold to the parish of the Congregational society. Subsequently
it passed through various ownerships and, like an unprofitable
tenant, was moved about from place to place, and finally became
unsightly and crippled with age. Now it exists only as a mem-
ory.
( 114 )
COUNTY ORGANIZATION
The removal of the seat of justice from Springfield to
Northampton was not favored by the people living in the south
part of the county, and naturally they complained against the
change as being injurious to their interests. But they submitted
to the loss, yielding to the principle of "the greatest good to the
greatest number." There was no necessity for a two-shire
county, with the expense of supporting institutions in both, and
if continued the northern towns were entitled to the same privi-
leges as were those in the south part, hence the change was a
necessity. Still, the temporary loss of the southern towns re-
sulted in ultimate gain, for in less than twenty years Hampshire
county was divided. On June 24, 1811, the northern portion
of the territory was set off to form Franklin county, and on Feb-
ruary 25, 1812, the mother county again was divided and Hamp-
den county was created.
"An act for dividing the county of Hampshire and erecting
and forming the southerly part thereof into a separate county
by the name of Hampden. ' '
Sec. I. Be it enacted, &c. : "That the county of Hamp-
shire be and hereby is divided, and the following towns in the
southerly part thereof be, and hereby are erected and formed
into a county by the name of Hampden, that is to say : Spring-
field, Longmeadow, Wilbraham, Monson, Holland, Brimfield,
South Brimfield, Palmer, Ludlow, West Springfield, Westfield,
Montgomery, Russell, Blandford, Granville, Southwick, Tolland
and Chester, of which Springfield shall be the shire town; and
that all that part of said county of Hampshire included within
the boundaries of the towns before mentioned shall be deemed
and taken to compose the said county of Hampden. And the in-
habitants of the said county of Hampden shall have, use, exercise
and enjoy all such powers, rights, privileges and immunities as
by the constitution and laws of this commonwealth other counties
within the same have, use, exercise and enjoy."
The creating act provided for the organization of the county
and the administration of its affairs, "from and after the 1st day
of August, 1812." But it appears that Governor Gerry, with
something more than commendable promptness, on May 20 ap-
( 115 )
OVR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
pointed Samuel Fowler judge of probate, and on the 23d like-
wise appointed Jonathan Smith, jun., sherift' of the county. This
action at once awoke great commotion in political circles in
Springfield, and resulted in quo icarranto proceedings that called
for the best efforts of "Master" George Bliss, representing the
solicitor-general, and the learned Ueorge Ashmun, for the ap-
pointees. This proceeding, however, was mere political by-play,
for at the time the democrats and the federalists were arrayed in
bitter political strife. Sheriff Smith was continued in office un-
til 1814, but in 1813 Judge Fowler was enjoined from further
service in official capacity. This was the first local victory of
the federalists over the democrats of Hampden county.
In 1812, the year in which Hampden county was created,
Hampshire county was represented in the state senate by Abner
Brown, Ezra Starkweather, Jonathan Leavitt and Joshua Green.
The towns comprising the region set off' to form the new county
were represented in the house as follows : Springfield, by Moses
Chapin, Jacob Bliss, Oliver B. Morris, Edmund Dwight; Long-
meadow, Ethan Ely; Wilbraham, Walter Stebbins, Abel Bliss,
jun.; Monson, Edy Whittaker, Stephen Warriner; Holland,
represented jointly wdth South Brimfield; Brimfield, Stephen
Pynchon, Philemon Warren: South Brimfield, Royal AYales;
Palmer, Jesse King ; Ludlow, Sherwood Beebe ; West Springfield,
Jonathan Smith, Charles Ball, Timothy Horton, Elias Leonard ;
Westfield, Jedediah Taylor, Benjamin Hastings; Montgomery,
Aaron Parks ; Russell, not represented ; Blandf ord, Samuel
Knox ; Granville, Israel Parsons, John Phelps ; Southwick, Reu-
ben Clark, Shubel Stiles ; Tolland, not represented ; Chester, Syl-
vester Emmons.
While the act of the legislature made necessary provision
for the administration of affairs of the county, it remained for
the people to settle their accounts with the mother territory, and
also to provide a suitable place for holding courts and offices for
county officials, for now Hampden county was a jurisdiction of
considerable importance, having more than 25,000 population,
whereas at the time of the removal of the seat of justice to North-
ampton the towns comprising the county had barely 20,000 inhab-
( 116 )
COUNTY ORGANIZATION
itants. In 1790 Springfield's population was 1,574, and in 1810
had increased to 2,767, then being larger than Northampton.
On the organization of the county no definite provision was
made for a building in which to hold courts or to transact county
business, and it is believed that for a time the old court house
again was brought into service, and that on occasion the town
house was occupied for that purpose. However, in the course
of a few years the court of sessions, the power of the county at
the time, determined to build a new court house, but the ques-
tion of location provoked so much discussion that nothing was
done for a year or two. Public sentiment was divided on the
question, and tradition has it that the church society also divided
over the subject.
The matter was agitated as early as 1818, and that is all
that was accomplished during that and the next year. One
strong element of the townsfolk advocated the "D wight" loca-
tion on State street, while another equally strong contingent
favored a location on Main street, on "Meeting-house square."
This location finally was selected. But it appears that action
was taken none too soon, for in 1820 the court of sessions re-
tained Samuel Lathrop to appear before the Supreme judicial
court to answer an information filed against the court of sessions
for neglect of duty, in delaying the erection of the court house
and other county buildings. Just what became of this matter
is not discussed on the records, but it is probable that the ener-
getic action of the court of sessions about that time satisfied the
attorney-general that the body was disposed to act in good faith.
At the same sitting (March, 1820) the court (Heman Day, of
West Springfield, Amos Hamilton, of Palmer, and Stephen Pyn-
chon, of Brimfield) appointed John Phelps, Enos Foot, Samuel
Lathrop, Jonathan Dwiglit, jun., Joel Norcross, Amos Hamilton
and Daniel Collins a commission to consider the propriety of
erecting county buildings.
The important matter to be considered was the location of
the building, whether on State street or on Meeting-house square.
The latter site was favored by many of the prominent men of the
town, who agreed among themselves to purchase a considerable
( 117 )
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COUNTY ORGANIZATION
tract of land and donate to the county a sufficient area for the
buildings and also for a public square. The remaining part
of the purchase they proposed to sell for business purposes, hop-
ing the increased value of the lots Avould more than compensate
them for the parcels donated; and in the light of subsequent
events connected with the rapid growth of the immediate locality
it is probable that the proprietors made a good investment.
The subscribers^ to the purchasing fund (with the sum in-
vested by each) were as follows : Edward Pynchon, $800 ; Dan-
iel 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,
$600 ; Solomon Warriner, $200 ; Sylvester Clark, $50 ; Elisha Ed-
wards, $50 ; Samuel Ostrander, $100 ; Japhet Chapin, $100 ; Dan-
iel C. Brewer, $150 ; Dr. John Stone, $100 ; Moses Howe, $100
Alex. 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; Israel E. Trask,
$300.
The committee charged with the selection of a site evidently
acted promptly, for in December, 1820, the court ordered that
the court house be erected and completed with reasonable dis-
patch, on the "Parsons or Sheldon lot, near to and fronting and
ranging with the Rev. Mr. Osgood's meeting house, so-called."
It was also ordered that the ground in front of the proposed site
be cleared of its buildings and be made a public common, agree-
able to the plan made by Mr. Damon, and that the proprietors
convey to the county the "square," the court house lot, and a
strip on the east side of the latter four rods wide to be used as a
'In addition to those who participated in the speculative investment, a num-
ber of other worthy citizens offered to donate toward the court house building
and site fund on Main street without the expectation of returns from the sale
of adjoining lots. These proposed donors were Dr. Joshua Frost, !?i;50 ; Jonas
Coolidge, $100; Edward Bliss, ?20 ; A. G. Tannatt, .?20 ; Francis Bliss, $i:0 ;
Daniel Lombard, $100 ; Robert W. Bowhill, $20 ; Jacob Bliss, $20 ; Roswell Lom-
bard. $20; James Chapin, $20; Roger Adams, $20; Ebenezer Tucker, $75 ; Oliver
B. Morris, $30 ; George Blake, ?20.
( 119 )
OVR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
public street. George Bliss and John Ingersoll were appointed
to see that these provisions were carried into effect as the pro-
prietors had promised.
The first Hampden county court house was built in 1821,
under the supervision of Jonathan Dwight, jun., John Phelps
and Daniel Bontecou, and cost $8,375. It was— and is— of brick,
48 by 62 feet on the ground and two stories high ' ' 31 feet to the
eaves." It was the house of justice of the county more than half
a century, and was in all respects a substantial and suitable
structure until the business of the shire became too large for its
The Second Court House, built 1821
further occupancy. In 1851 it was enlarged by the addition of a
rear extension— temporary improvement— but in less than twenty
years more there came a strong demand for a new, modern and
more commodious court house, a structure which in a measure
should reflect something of the growth and importance of the
county among the civil divisions of the commonwealth ; and when
at last this consummation was reached, the old building^ was sold
'The old bell which hung in the belfry, and which assembled the court, and
also in early days alarmed the people in case of fire, was "tumbled" from Its
( vzo )
COUNTY ORGANIZATION
and put to other uses, first as a business institute and later as a
home for Oddfellowship in Springfield. It still stands and is
an enduring monument to the memory of the old Hampden bar.
The third— the present — Hampden county court house was
authorized by an act of the legislature passed March 3, 1871, and
was erected between that time and 1874, during the term of office
of county commissioners William M. Lewis of Blandford, George
R. Townsley of Springfield, and James S. Loomis of Palmer. For
the purposes of the building a site on the south side of Elm street
was purchased at a total cost of $75,716.37. The structure itself
cost $214,068.93, and the interior furnishings the additional sum
of $14,757.99. The building in size is 90 feet by 160 feet on its
foundations, and is constructed of native stone from the Monson
quarries, sometimes called "Monson granite." The court house
is one of the largest and most pretentious public buildings in
Western INIassachusetts. In appearance and architectural de-
sign it is attractive to the eye and symmetrical in its proportions.
In 1813 the county purchased an acre and a half of land on
State street for the purpose of erecting thei-eon a "gaol and
house of correction," and Jonathan Smith, jr., Jonathan
Dwight, jr., and Daniel Lombard were appointed a committee to
procure plans and make a contract for the erection of the build-
ing, "subject to the further order of the court." This commit-
tee reported in favor of a stone building, 18 by 30 feet in size, and
two stories high, at an estimated cost of about $3,633. Appa-
rently something was wrong with the proceedings, for soon after-
ward Jonathan DAvight, jr., Oliver B. Morris and John Phelps
were called on by the court to estimate the cost of a jail build-
ing. This committee reported the probable cost at $5,283, and
the report was accepted ; and having performed its duty the com-
mittee was discharged, and another like body, comprising Jona-
than Dwight, jr., William Sheldon and Heman Day, was chosen
hangings in September, 1879. Tradition says tlie bell was once in use on a
British man-of-war and was captured by the Americans during the revolution.
An Inscription on the bell read. "Thomas Lester of London, made 1742." It
was purchased for $100 in 1821 by John C. Phelps, Jonathan Dwight and Dan-
iel Bonteceau, and replaced the bell bought for $30 in 181."i by George Bliss and
Oliver B. Morris.
( 131 )
Hampden County Court House
COUNTY ORGANIZATION
to procure plans and make a contract for the work. It was
through the efforts of this committee that the land on State street
was purchased, at a cost of $500. Then, still another committee
— CTCorge Blake, William Sheldon and John Phelps— super-
intended the work of construction ; and when the building was
finally completed in 1814 (cost, $14,164) Heman Day, William
Ely and George Bliss Avere asked to establish the jail limits.
Thus Hampden county, after much needless trouble and
detail, was provided with a reasonably secure jail and house of
correction. But in later years, beginning about 1830, the build-
ing was the occasion of much discussion and the frequent outlay
of money in extensions, repairs and modifications, until the
county, as a means of economy, security and public benefit,
determined to abandon the old structure and erect a new jail and
house of correction.
The first "gaoler" in the old building on State street was
Col. Ebenezer Russell, who served in that capacity until 1825,
when he became proprietor of the "Old Hampden Coffee House,"
Avhich stood where the Smith & Murray store is now. Col, Har-
vey Chapin was the next jailer, and was followed, in succession,
by Maj. William H. Foster and Noah H. Clark, the latter taking
office in 1840.
The extreme penalty of the law was inflicted on three pris-
oners in the old county jail ; first, Alexander Desmarteau, who
was hanged April 26, 1861, for the outrage and murder of an
eight year old girl ; second, Albert H. Smith, June 27, 1873, for
the murder of Charles D. Sackett; and third, Joseph B. Loomis,
who was hanged IMarch 8, 1883, for the murder of David Levett
while riding with him through the Agawam covered bridge.
The old jail was abandoned February 17, 1887. The prop-
erty was sold by the county to the city, and the site is now in part
occupied by the splendid new high school building on State street.
The act authorizing the construction of the present jail and
house of correction on York street, in Springfield, was passed by
the legislature in 1884. The county commissioners purchased
several parcels of land on the street mentioned, at a cost of
$15,100. The contract for construction Avas awarded to Creesey
( 123 )
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
& Noyes, of Boston, who erected the buildings after the plans of
D. H. & A. B. Tower, at a total cost of $178,000. The entire cost
of land, buildings, interior construction and furnishings was
$266,953.94.
The buildings are of native stone, quarried in the county,
and are as complete as modern architecture and sanitary methods
can devise. In all their appointments the jail and house of cor-
rection are a credit to the county and also to the commissioners
(Leonard Clark, of Springfield, Lewis E. Eoot, of Westfield, and
Henry A. Chase, of Holyoke), who were charged with the respon-
sibilitv of the work.
CHAPTER XI
HAMPDEN COUNTY CIVIL LIST
Having in the preceding chapter devoted considerable atten-
tion to the organization of the county and to a descriptive history
of its several public buildings and properties, it is proper in the
present connection to furnish a record of the men w^ho have been
entrusted with the administrative affairs of the county and also
of those who have represented the county in the state government.
Glover?! or— George Dexter Robinson, 1884-87.
Lieutenant-Governors— 'Eiliphalet Trask, 1858-61; William
H. Haile, 1890-93.
Secretary of the Commonwealtli—\^\\\\?ivci. B. Calhoun,
1848-51.
Treasurer and Receiver-General— ^Qnvj M. Phillips, 1894-
95, resigned April 12, 1895; Edward S. Bradford, 1900- — .
Auditor of Acco«?«fs— Charles R. Ladd, 1879-91.
Senator in Congress— lsa.aQ C. Bates, 1840-45.
Representatives in Congress— 'Elij^la. Hunt Mills, 1815-19
(14th and 15th congresses) ; Samuel Lathrop, 1821-27 (16th,
17th, 18th and 19th congresses) ; Isaac C. Bates, 1827-35 (20th,
( 124 )
CIVIL LIST
21st, 22d and 23d congresses) ; William B. Calhoun, 1835-43
24th, 25th, 26th and 27th congresses) ; Osmyn Baker, 1843-45
(28th congress) ; George Ashmun, 1845-51 (29th, 30th and 31st
congresses) ; Henry Morris, 1855-57 (34th congress) ; Calvin C.
Chaffee, 1857-59 (35th congress) ; Charles Delano, 1859-63 (36th
and 37th congresses) ; Chester W. Chapin, 1875-77 (44th con-
gress) ; George D. Robinson, 1877-83, resigned in 1883 to be gov-
ernor (45th, 46th and 47th congresses) ; William Whiting, 1883-
89 (48th, 49th and 50th congresses) ; Frederick H. Gillett, 1893-
1901 (53d, 54th, 55th and 56th congresses, and re-elected for
another term).
Elijah Hunt Mills was not directly a Hampden representa-
tive, but was so closely identitied Avith the civil and political
history of the county that his name is worthy of mention here.
Presidents of tlie /^enaie— Samuel Lathrop, 1829-30, resigned
1830 ; George Bliss, 1835, to fill vacancy ; William B. Calhoun,
1846-47.
Senators— J onaihan Smith, jr., 1813 ; Thomas Dwight, 1814;
Samuel Lathrop, S. C. Allen, Elijah Hunt Mills (representing
the Hampden district, Hampden, Hampshire and Franklin coun-
ties), 1815; Ezra Starweather, Samuel Lathrop, Elijah Paine,
1816; Ezra Starkweather, Samuel Lathrop, Elijah Paine,
Ephraim Williams, 1817 ; Samuel Lathrop, Samuel Porter, Elihu
Hoyt, Peter Bryant, 1818 ; Samuel Lathrop, Elihu Hoyt, Jona-
than H. Lyman, Jonathan Dwight, jr., 1819 ; Elihu Hoyt, Jona-
than H. Lyman, Jonathan Dwight, jr., Thomas Longly, 1820 ;
Jonathan H. Lyman, Jonathan DAvight, jr., Thomas Longly,
Mark Doolittle, 1821 ; Elihu Hoyt, Jonathan DAvight, jr., Mark
Doolittle, Alanson Knox, 1822 ; Jonathan DAA'ight, jr., James
FoAA'ler, 1823; James FoAvler, John Mills, 1824; James FoAvler,
John Mills, 1825 ; John Mills, Justice Willard, 1826 ; John Mills,
Joshua Frost, 1827; John Mills, Jonathan Dwight, jr., 1828;
James FoAvler, Samuel Lathrop, 1829, 1830 and 1831 ; Enos Foot,
John Wiles, 1832 ; Patrick Boise, James Byers, 1833 and 1834 ;
George Bliss, Abel Bliss, 1835 ; Orren Sage, Harvey Chapin, 1836
and 1837; George Ashmun, Reuben Boies, jr., 1838 and 1839;
Asa Lincoln, Matthew Ives, jr., 1840 ; AVilliam G. Bates, William
( 125 )
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
Child, 1841 ; John JNIills, Reuben Champion, 1842 ; Asa Lincoln,
Reuben Champion, 1843; Joseph M, Forward, Jehiel Abbott,
1844 : Jehiel Abbott, Charles Stearns, 1845 ; William B. Calhoun,
Forbes Kyle, 1846 and 1847; Edward Parsons, AYillis Phelps,
1848 ; Edward Parsons, Aaron King, 1849 ; Aaron King, James
Cooley, 1850: Erasmus D. Beach, David Mosely, 1851; Calvin
Torrey, Amasa Holeomb, 1852 ; George Dwight, Edward B. Gil-
lett, 1853 ; James Holland, Joseph L. Reynolds, 1854 ; William 0.
Fletcher, Gilbert Pillsbury, 1855 ; Hiram C. Brown, Benning
Leavitt, 1856; Gad 0. Bliss, Matthew D. Field, 1857; Aaron
Bagg, George Walker, 1858 and 1859 ; Timothy W, Carter, Gor-
don M. Fisk, 1860 and 1861; Milton B. Whitney, James M.
Thompson, 1862; Milton B. Whitney, George Dwight, 1863;
AYilliam B. C. Pearsons, Thomas L. Chapman, 1864; Thomas
Kneil, Henry Alexander, jr., 1865 and 1866 ; Henry Alexander,
Hinsdale Smith, 1867 ; Henry Alexander, Henry Fuller, 1868 ;
Charles R. Ladd, George S. Taylor, 1869 ; Charles R. Ladd, W.
W. Jenness, 1870 ; Timothy A. Packard, George M. Stearns, 1871 ;
William L. Smith, Reuben Noble, 1872; Timothy F. Packard,
William Whiting, 1873; E. Howard Lathrop, Henry Fuller,
1874; Henry S. Hyde, Henry Fuller, 1875; Tilley Haynes,
George D. Robinson, 1876 ; Tilley Haynes, Henry C. Ewing, 1877 ;
Charles L. Gardner, Henry C. Ewing, 1878 ; Charles L. Gardner,
A. C. Woodworth, 1879 ; Marcus P. Knowlton, Emerson Gaylord,
1880 and 1881; William H. Haile, Charles A. Corser, 1882;
William H. Haile, Dexter B. Hitchcock, 1883 ; William R. Ses-
sions, Albert C. Woodworth, 1884; AVilliam R. Sessions, James
R. Dunbar, 1885 ; Henry M. Phillips, James R. Dunbar, 1886 ;
Henry M. Phillips, Levi Perkins, 1887 ; Charles C. Spellman,
Levi Perkins, 1888 ; Edwin D. INIetcalf , George W. Gibson, 1889 ;
EdAvin D. Metcalf , Oscar Ely, 1890 ; Frank E. Carpenter, AYill-
iam Provin, 1891; Charles C. Merritt, William Provin, 1892;
Solomon F. Cushman, AVilliam P. Buckley, 1893 ; Edwin F. Ly-
ford, William P. Buckley, 1894 ; Edward S. Bradford, Marciene
H. Whitcomb, 1895 ; Edward S. Bradford, William A. Chase,
1896 ; Edward S. Bradford, Dwight H. Ives, 1897 ; William W.
Leach, William B. Mahoney, 1898 : Thomas W. Kenefick, George
( 12G )
CIVIL LIST
N. Tyner, 1899 ; Thomas W. Keuefiek, William B. Mahoney, 1900 ;
John F. Marsh, Charles A. Corser, 1901.
Members of House of Representatives— 1^1^— ^^r'ln^fieldi,
Moses Chapin, Edmund Dwight, AVilliam Sheldon ; Westfield,
Benjamin Hastings, Frederick Fowler, Azariah Mosely; Brim-
field, Stephen Pynchon, Philomel AVarren ; Blandford, Alanson
Knox, Solomon Noble ; Palmer, Jesse King ; Granville, John
Phelps, Asa Seymour; Monson, Abner Brown, Stephen Warri-
ner ; South Brimfield, William Putnam ; AYilbraham, not repre-
sented ; Chester, Sylvester Emmons, John N. Parmenter ; South-
wick, Keuben Clark, Shubael Stiles; West Springfield, Charles
Ball, James Kent, John Porter, Horace Flower; Ludlow, Ely
Fuller; Montgomery, Aaron Parks; Longmeadow, Ethan Ely;
Russell, none ; Tolland, Thomas Hamilton ; Holland, unites with
South Brimfield.
1814— Springfield, Moses Chapin, Oliver B. Morris, Edmund
Dwight ; W^estfield, Benjamin Hastings, Frederick Fowler,
Azariah Mosely; Brimfield, Stephen Pynchon, Alexander Ses-
sions ; Blandford, Alanson Knox, Alexander Wilson ; Palmer, Al-
pheus Converse; Granville, David Curtis, Israel Parsons; Mon-
son, Abner Brown, Jesse Ives; South Brimfield, Royal Wales;
Wilbraham, Joseph Lathrop, William Clark; Chester, Sylvester
Emmons; Southwick, Enos Foot, Shubael Stiles; West Spring-
field, Elias Leonard, James Kent, John Porter, Luke Parsons;
Ludlow, Ely Fuller ; Montgomery, none ; Longmeadow, Calvin
Burt ; Russell, none ; Tolland, Thomas Hamilton ; Holland, unites
with South Brimfield.
1815 — Springfield, Joseph Pease, Samuel Orne, Edmund
Bliss ; Westfield, Benjamin Hastings, Frederick Fowler, Azariah
Mosely ; Brimfield, Stephen Pynchon, Alexander Sessions ;
Blandford, Alanson Knox, Andrew Wilson; Palmer, Alpheus
Converse ; Granville, David Curtis, James Barlow ; Monson, Ab-
ner Brown, Jesse Ives; South Brimfield, John Weaver; Wilbra-
ham, Joseph Lathrop, Robert Sessions ; Chester, Asahel Wright ;
Southwick, Doras Stiles; West Springfield, Jonathan Smith, jr.,
David Morlej% Luke Parsons, Gad Warriner; Ludlow, Ely Ful-
ler; ]\Iontgomery, none; Longmeadow, Calvin Burt; Russell,
( 137 )
OLE COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
none; Tolland, Perez Marshall; Holland, nnites with South
Brimfield.
1816 — Springfield, Edmund Dwight, Joseph Pease, Edmund
Bliss; Westfield, Benjamin Hastings, Azariah Mosely, William
Blair ; Brimfield, Stephen Pynchon, Israel E. Trask ; Blandford,
Alanson Knox, Isaac Lloyd; Palmer, Jesse King; Granville,
David Curtis, James Cooley ; Mouson, Abner Brown ; South
Brimfield, James L. Wales ; AVilbraham, Joseph Lathrop, Robert
Sessions; Chester, Sylvester Emmons; Southwick, Doras Stiles;
West Springfield, Jonathan Smith, Charles Ball, Gad Warriner,
Alfred Flower; Ludlow, Eli Fuller; Montgomery, none; Long-
meadow, Alexander Field ; Russell, none ; Tolland, Perez Mar-
shall ; Holland unites with South Brimfield.
1817— Springfield, William Ely, Moses Chapin, Jonathan
D wight, Justin Lombard; Westfield, Benj. Hastings, William
Blair, James Fowler; Brimfield, Alexander Sessions, Solomon
Hoar; Blandford, Isaac Lloyd, David Boies 2d; Palmer, Amos
Hamilton ; Granville, James Cooley, Perry Babcock ; Monson,
Abner Brown, William Clark ; South Brimfield, James L. Wales ;
Wilbraliam, Robert Sessions, Moses Burt; Chester, John Ellis;
Southwick, Enos Foote ; West Springfield, Jonathan Smith,
Charles Ball, Alfred Flower, David Hastings ; Ludlow, Ely Ful-
ler ; Montgomery, none ; Longmeadow, Alexander Field ; Russell,
none ; Tolland, none ; Holland unites with South Brimfield,
1818— Springfield, Jacob Bliss; AVestfield, Azariah Mosely;
Brimfield, Alexander Sessions ; Blandford, Abner Gibbs ; Palmer,
Amos Hamilton ; Granville, James Cooley, Perry Babooek ; ]Mon-
son, Stephen Warriner ; South Brimfield, John Weaver ; Wilbra-
ham, Robert Sessions ; Chester, none ; Southwick, Enos Foote ;
West Springfield, Jonathan Smith ; Ludlow, none ; Montgomery,
none ; Longmeadow, none ; Russell, none ; Tolland, none ; Holland
unites with South Brimfield.
1819— Springfield, Jacob Bliss ; Westfield, David King, Wil-
liam Blair ; Brimfield, Stephen Pynchon ; Blandford, Abner
Gibbs ; Palmer, James Stebbins ; Granville, James Cooley, Reu-
ben Hills ; Monson, Deodatus Dutton ; South Brimfield, none ;
AVilbrahara, none; Chester, Daniel Collins; Southwick, Gideon
( 128 )
CIVIL LIST
Stiles ; West Spring:tiel{l, Jonathan Smith ; Ludlow, none ; Mont-
gomery, none ; Longmeadow, Joseph W. Cooley ; Russell, none,
Tolland, none, Holland, none.
1820— Springtield, Jacob Bliss; AVestfield, none; Brimfield,
Stephen Pynehon ; Blandford, Abner Gibbs ; Palmer, none ;
Granville, James Cooley, Reuben Hills; Monson, Deodatus But-
ton ; South Brimfield and Holland, Timothy Fenton ; AVilbraham,
none ; Chester, none ; Southwick, Gideon Stiles ; AVest Springfield,
Jonathan Smith ; Ludlow, none ; Montgomery, none ; Long-
meadow, Joseph AV. Cooley ; Russell, none ; Tolland, none.
1821 — Springfield, Daniel Bonteeeau; AA^estfield, AA^illiam
Atwater ; Brimfield, Stephen Pynehon ; Blandford, none ; Palmer,
James Stebbins; Granville, Francis Stebbins, James Barlow;
Monson, Abraham Haskell ; South Brimfield and Holland, none ;
AA^ilbraham, Abel Bliss, jr. ; Chester, AA^illiam AA^ade ; Southwick,
Joseph Forward; AA'est Springfield, Charles Ball; Ludlow, none;
jMontgomery, none ; Longmeadow, none ; Russell, none ; Tolland,
none.
1822— Springfield, George Bliss; AA'estfield, James Fowler;
Brimfield, Stephen Pynehon ; Blandford, David Blair, jr. ;
Palmer, none; Granville, Joel Root; Monson, Abijah Newell;
South Brimfield, Samuel AA^ebber ; AVilbraham, none ; Chester,
Horace Smith ; Southwick, Joseph Forward ; AA^est Springfield,
Caleb Rice ; Ludlow, none ; Montgomery, none ; Longmeadow,
Oliver Bliss ; Russell, none ; Holland, none ; Tolland, Henry Ham-
ilton.
1823— Springfield, Thomas Dickman ; AA^estfield, none;
Brimfield, Stephen Pynehon ; Blandford, none ; Palmer, Clark
AIcjNIaster ; Granville, Francis Stebbins ; Monson, none ; South
Brimfield, Alfred Needham ; AA^ilbraham, none ; Chester, none ;
Southwick, Joseph Forward ; AA^est Springfield, Luke Parsons ;
Ludlow, none ; jMontgomery, none ; Longmeadow, none ; Russell,
none ; Holland, none ; Tolland, Henry Hamilton.
1824— Springfield, Justice AA^illard ; AA^estfield, Elijah
Arnold, Alfred Stearns ; Brimfield, John AA^yles ; Blandford,
Alanson Knox ; Palmer, none ; Granville, Jesse Root ; Monson,
Luther Carter ; South Brimfield, none ; AA^ilbraham, none ; Ches-
9-1 ( 129 )
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
ter, Horace Smith; Soiitluvick, Ciideon Stiles; West Springfield,
Luke Parsons. Jonathan E. Ferre, Alfred Flower, Daniel Mer-
rick : Ludlow, none ; INIontgomery, Oren Parks ; Longmeadow,
none : Kiissell, none : Holland and South Brimfield, Alvin Need-
ham : Tolland, Samuel Hamilton.
1825— Springfield. Solomon Hatch. Jesse Pendleton: "West-
field. Elijah Arnold : Brimfield, none : Blaudford, David Blair,
jr.; Palmer, John Frink ; Granville, Francis Stebbins; Monson.
none : South Brimfield, none ; AVilbraham, Abel Bliss ; Chester,
Asa Wilcox, Sylvester Emmons ; Southwdck, Gideon Stiles ;
West Springfield, Caleb Rice, Luther Frink; Ludlow, none;
Montgomery, none; Longmeadow, none; Holland, none; Tolland,
Samuel Appleton.
1826— Springfield, William B. Calhoun; Westfield, none;
Brimfield, John AVyles ; Blandf ord, Reuben Boies, jr. ; Palmer,
none ; Granville, James Cooley ; Monson, Jonathan Torrey : South
Brimfield, none ; Wilbraham, none ; Chester, none ; Southwick,
none; West Springfield, Caleb Rice; Ludlow, none; Montgomery,
none ; Longmeadow, none ; Russell, none ; Holland, none ; Tolland,
none.
1827 — Springfield, George Bliss, Jonathan Dwight. jr.. Jesse
Pendleton, William B. Calhoun, William H. Foster; AVestfield.
Aaron Sibley, David Wright, Charles Douglas; Brimfield, none:
Blandford, Reuben Boies, jr.; Palmer, Asa Ward: Granville,
Hezekiah Robinson ; Monson, Luther Carter ; South Brimfield,
none : Wilbraham, Abel Bliss, Dudley B. Post ; Chester, none ;
Southwick. Gideon Stiles ; M^est Springfield, Caleb Rice ; hnd-
low, none ; INIontgomery, none : LongmeadoAv, Elijah Colton ;
Russell, none ; Holland, Leonard M. Morris : Tolland, none.
1828— Springfield, George Bliss, jr.. William B. Calhoun.
William Child, AVilliam H. Foster, Jesse Pendleton, David Rice,
Simon Sanborn ; AA'estfield, Charles Douglas, Matthew Ives,
Aaron Sibley : Brimfield, Lewis Williams : Blandford, Reuben
Boies, jr.; Palmer, none; Granville, Jonathan D. Bancroft; Mon-
son. Benjamin Fuller; South Brimfield and Holland, Bela Tif-
fany; Wilbraham, Abel Bliss, Robert Sessions; Chester. Isaac
Whipple : Southwick. Thaddeus Foote. Joseph INI. Forward ;
( 130 )
CIVIL LIST
West Springfield, Albert Flower, James Kent, John Street, Nor-
mand "NVarriner; Liullow, Kli Fuller: Montgomery, none; Long-
meadow, Seth Taylor: Rnssell, John Gould: Tolland, Henry
Bliss.
1829— Springfield, George Bliss, jr., William B. Calhoun,
William Child, William H. Foster, Frederick A. Packard, Jesse
Pendleton. Simon Sanborn : Westfield, Jesse Farnham : Brim-
field, Lewis Williams : Blandford, Israel Cannon, Alanson Knox ;
Palmer, Daniel King: Granville, Patrick Boise; Monson, Jona-
than Torrey : Wales, none : Wilbraham, Luther Brewer : Chester,
Forbes Kyle: Southwiek, Joseph M. Forward: West Springfield,
Caleb Rice ; Ludlow, none : INIontgomery, Moses Parks ; Long-
meadow. Seth Taylor: Russell, Abel Tuttle, jr.; Holland and
South Brimfield, none ; Tolland, Henry Bliss.
1830— Springfield, William B. Calhoun, Ithamar Goodman,
William H. Foster. Charles Howard, Jesse Pendleton, William
Rice, Eleazer Williams: Westfield, Henry Douglas, Jesse Far-
num, Eli B. Hamilton; Brimfield, Oliver Blair, John Wyles;
Blandford, Reuben Boies, jr. : Palmer, John Sedgwick ; Granville,
James Cooley: Monson, Jonathan Torrey; Wilbraham, Luther
Brewer, Jacob B. Merrick; Chester, Isaac B. Whipple; South-
wick, Joseph M. Forward, Gideon Stiles : West Springfield, Reu-
I)en Champion, jr., AVarren Chapin, Robert Ely, Spencer Flower;
Ludlow, Alexander McLean: Montgomery, Benjamin Phillips,
jr.: Longmeadow, Seth Taylor: Russell, Reuben Palmer; Wales
and Holland, John Wallis : Tolland, Launcelot Granger.
1831— Blandford, Orrin Sage ; Brimfield, John Wyles: Ches-
ter, Forbes Kyle : Granville, Patrick Boise : Longmeadow, Elisha
Burnham; Ludlow, Aaron J. Miller; Montgomery, John Crow;
Palmer, Cyrus Knox; Russell, John Gould; Southwiek, Levi W.
Humphreys, Abraham Rising, jr.: Springfield, William B. Cal-
houn, William Child, Jesse Pendleton, Silas Stedman, Eleazer
Williams : Tolland, Launcelot Granger ; Wales and Holland,
Charles Gardner: Westfield, Joseph Avery, Henry Douglas,
Henry Fowler: West Springfield, Henry Ely, Lewis Warriner;
Wilbraham, William S. Burt.
1832— Blandford, Lyman Gibbs, David Parks; Brimfield,
Issacher Brown, Festus Foster ; Chester, AVilliam Shepard ; Gran-
( 131 )
OVR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
ville, Patrick Boise, Samuel Root; Longmeadow, Seth Taylor;
Ludlow, Theodore Sikes; Monson, Benjamin Fuller; Montgom-
ery, Oren Parks; Palmer, Joseph Lee; Russell, Roland Parks;
Southwick, Amasa Holeomb ; Springfield, George Bliss, William
Child, Jonas Coolidge, AVilliam B. Calhoun, Silas Stedman ; Tol-
land, Noah Shepard; AYales and Holland, Elbridge G. Fuller;
"Westfield, Elias Cadwell, Frederick Fowler, jr., Matthew Ives,
jr. ; AYest Springfield, Linus Bagg, "Warren Chapin, Henry
Phelan, Lewis Warriner ; Wilbraham, Abraham Avery, Sylvanus
Stebbins.
1833— Blandford, Leicester E. Gibbs, Justin AYilcox ; Brim-
field, Royal AYales, Solomon Hoar ; Chester, AYilliam Shepard ;
Granville, Elisha Seymour, Noah Cooley; Longmeadow, Seth
Taylor; Ludlow, Theodore Sykes; Monson, Carlton Squire, Oli-
ver McKinstry ; IVlontgomery, Oren Parks ; Palmer, Daniel King ;
Russell, Chauncey AA^. Morse ; SoutliAvick, Amasa Holeomb ;
Springfield, George Ashmun, George Bliss, Thomas Bond, AYil-
liam B. Calhoun, Jonas Coolidge, Joseph Pease, Charles Pack-
ard ; Tolland, Roger Harrison ; AA'ales and Holland, Alfred Need-
ham; AA'estfield, Frederick FoAvler, jr., Lewis Fowler, Matthew
Ives, jr.; AVest Springfield, Linus Bagg, Henry Phelan, Asa B.
AA^hitman ; AYilbraham, Abraham Avery, AA^illiam S. Burt.
1834 — Blandford, Logan Crosby, Orrin Sage; Brimfield,
Julius Buel, Marquis Converse ; Chester, Forbes Kyle, Thomas
F. Plunkett ; Granville, Denison Parsons, Samuel Root; Long-
meadow, Seth Taylor ; Ludlow, Theodore Sikes ; Monson, none ;
Montgomery, Oren Parks ; Palmer, Robert Hitchcock ; Russell,
John Gould; Southwick, Abraham Rising, jr.; Springfield, AVal-
ter H. Bowdoin, Joel Brown, AA^illiam B. Calhoun, Benjamin Day,
Eldad Goodman, Joseph Pease, Charles Stearns, AA^alter Warri-
ner; Tolland, Roger Harrison; AA^ales and Holland, Elbridge G.
Fuller ; AA^estfield, Asahel Bush, Lewis Fowler, Norman T. Leon-
ard; AA^est Springfield, Hosea Day, Henry Ely, Josiah Johnson,
Lewns AA^arriner ; AYilbraham, Stephen Stebbins.
1835— Blandford, Kilborn Bates, Milton Boies; Brimfield,
Abner Brown, Festus Foster ; Chester, Lewis Collins, Thomas F.
Plunkett ; Granville, Noah Cooley, Elijah Seymour ; Long-
( 132 )
CIVIL LIST
meadow, Oliver Bliss ; Ludlow, Theodore Sikes ; IMonson, Oliver
McKinstry, Carlton Sqiiier; Montgomery, Oren Parks; Palmer,
Cyrus Knox; Russell, Justin Loomis; Southwiek, Elisha Steer;
Springfield, George Ashmun, Walter H. Bowdoin, Joel Brown,
William Child, Orange Chapin, Eldad Goodman, Wells South-
worth, Walter Warriner; Tolland, Roger Harrison; Wales and
Holland, Alfred Needham : Westfield, Asahel Bush, Harvey
Champion, Chauncey Pease : West Springfield, Hosea Day, Ben-
jamin Leonard, Heber jNIiller, Seth Parsons; Wilbraham, Abra-
ham Avery, Stephen Stebbins.
1836— Blandford, Curtis Hall, Russell A. Wilson ; Brimfield,
Festus Foster, Linus Hoar: Chester, Lewis Collins, William
Henrj'; Granville, Alpheus Bancroft, Dennison Parsons; Long-
meadow, Purges Salisbury: Ludlow, Theodore Sikes ; Monson,
AVelcome Converse; Montgomery, Ransom Clark; Palmer, Alonzo
V. Blanchard, Emelius Bond; Rl^ssell, Chauncey W. Moi-se;
Southwiek, Robert Forward ; Springfield, George Ashmun, Lem-
uel W. Blake, Orange Chapin, William Child, Joel IMiller, Rich-
ard D. Morris, Wells Southworth, Charles Stearns, Samuel B.
Spooner, Samuel A. Stebbins: Tolland, Archibald AVright; Wales
and Holland. John S. Smith; Westfield, Harvey Champion,
Thomas Loomis, Chauncey Pease ; West Springfield, Amasa Ains-
worth, Reuben Champion, Dwight Leonard, Samuel Noble ; Wil-
braham, William Knight, Walter Stebbins.
1837— Blandford, Adam Blair, David Collins; Brimfield,
Royal Wales, John M. Warren : Chester, William Henry ; Gran-
ville, Levi Parsons, Elijah Seymour; Longmeadow, Burgess
Salisbury; Ludlow. Joseph Bucklin : Monson, Welcome Converse,
Hiram Newton : Montgomery, Oren Parks : Palmer, Sylvester
Parks, John Ward ; Russell, John Gould ; Southwiek, Robert For-
ward ; Springfield, David Bemis, Samuel Bowles, Chauncey Cha-
pin, Alpheus Nettleton, Samuel H. Stebbins, Stephen C. Bemis,
Austin Chapin 2d, Joel Miller, Edmund Palmer, Daniel W. Wil-
lard: Tolland, Archibald Wright: Wales and Holland, Lyman
Gould ; Westfield, Elias Cadwell, Thomas Loomis, Joseph Hedges,
Lucius Wright : West Springfield, Linus Bagg, Josiah Johnson,
Luther Frink, Lewis Warriner; Wilbraham, William Knight,
Walter Stebbins.
( 133 )
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
1838— BlandfortI, Samuel S. Day; Brimfield, John AV. Bliss
Chester, Forbes Kyle; Granville, Elijah Seymour; Holland
none; Longmeadow, Elijah Colton; Ludlow, Joseph Bueklin
Mouson, Lucius F. Newton ; INIontgoraery, William Squier
Palmer, Abel Calkins, Marble H. Terrill ; Russell, Jere Bishop
Southwick, Warren Byington ; Springfield, Luke Bemis, jr., Wil-
liam Dwight, Josiah Hooker, Alpheus Nettleton, Samuel H. Steb-
bins, Daniel W. Willard ; Tolland, none ; Wales, none ; Westfield,
Joseph Hedges, Matthew Ives, jr. ; West Springfield, Pelatiah
Ely, Samuel Noble ; AYilbraham, Walter Stebbins, William Wood.
1839— Blandford, none ; Brimfield, Samuel Tarbell, Abner
Hitchcock ; Chester, William Shepard ; Granville, Francis Pee-
bles; Holland, none; Longmeadow, Calvin Burt; Ludlow, none;
Monson, Horatio Lyon, Calvin Munn; Montgomery, Oren Parks;
Palmer, William Blanchard, James Gamwell ; Russell, Benj Ben-
nett; Southwick, iNIoses Loomis, Elisha Steer; Springfield, George
Bliss, Elijah Blake, Orange Chapin, William Child, Charles
M'Clallan, Sylvester Taylor; Tolland, George AV. Granger;
AVales, Absolom Gardner; AA'^estfield, Joseph Arnold, Asa B.
AYhitman, Lucius AV right ; AVest Springfield, Edwin H. Ball,
Josiah Johnson ; AVilbraham, Jesse AV, Rice, AA^illiam V. Sessions.
1840 — Blandford, Simeon AA^. Loring; Brimfield, Penuel
Parker ; Chester, Joshua Stevens ; Granville, Jonathan B. Ban-
croft ; Holland, none ; Longmeadow, Gad O. Bliss ; Ludlow, Den-
nis Knowlton ; Monson, Hiram Newton ; Montgomery, Noah Shel-
don ; Palmer, Franklin Alorgan, Asa Shumway ; Russell, James
Bishop ; Southwick, AVarren Byington ; Springfield, none ; Tol-
land, Leonard Cowles ; AVales, James C. Royce ; AVestfield, Joseph
Arnold, Asa B. AA'hitman ; AVest Springfield, Spencer Flower,
Lyman AVhitman, Lester AVilliams; AVilbraham, John Carpen-
ter, Stephen Stebbins.
1841— Blandford, Horatio G. Lewis; Brimfield, Ebenezer
AVilliams; Chester, Thomas S. Wade; Granville, Aaron L. Cur-
tis; Holland, Horace AA^allis ; Longmeadow, Gad 0. Bliss; Lud-
low, none; Monson, none; Montgomery, Ransom Clark; Palmer,
Olney Gofif; Russell, Roland Parks; Southwick, Samuel S.
Fowler; Springfield, George Ashmun, AVilliam Cadwell, Francis
( 134 )
CIVIL LIST
M. Carew, AVilliam D\vight, Silas iNIosman ; Tolland, Chester
Chapman; Wales, Luther Parker; Westfield, Jonah L. Gross,
David Moseley: West Spring-field, Riifiis S. Payne, Lester Wil-
liams ; Wilbraham, John Newell.
1842— Blandford, AVatson E. Boise; Brimfield, no choice;
Chester, Xored Elder ; Granville, James Root ; Holland, Willard
Weld ; Longmeadow, Ethan Taylor ; Ludlow, Dennis Knowlton ;
Monson, none ; Montgomery, Noah Sheldon; Palmer, John Ward;
Russell, John Dickinson; Southwick, Phineas W. Stevens;
Springfield, none ; Tolland, Oliver E, Slocum ; Wales, voted not
to send ; West Springfield, Jonah L. Gross, David Moseley ; Wil-
braham, Marcius Cady.
18-43— Blandford, Edwin Ely; Brimfield, Augustus
Wheeler; Chester, Nored Elder; Granville, William C. Dunham;
Holland, none; Longmeadow, Ethan Taylor; Ludlow, Dennis
Knowlton ; Monson, William Puffer ; Montgomery, Charles C.
Bell; Palmer, Abel Calkins; Russell, Daniel Fiye; Southwick,
Elisha Booth; Springfield, none; Tolland, Aurelius Fowler;
AVales, James Foskit; AVestfield, Norman T. Leonard, Dennis
Hedge; West Springfield, Aaron Bagg, Lucien M. Ufford; Wil-
braham, John Carpenter.
1844— Blandford, Leverett Sackett ; Brimfield, none; Ches-
ter, Hector Campbell ; Granville, Henry Clark ; Holland, none ;
Longmeadow, Calvin Burt ; Ludlow, Dennis Knowlton ; Monson,
none; Montgomery, Amos S. Wheeler; Palmer, Gilbert Barber;
Russell, Jere W. Bishop ; Southwick, Gideon Stiles ; Springfield,
Harvey Danks; Tolland, none; Wales, Cornelius Miller; West-
field, S. R. B. Lewis, Georg-e Sackett; West Springfield, Isaac
Roberts, Asa Clark ; Wilbraham, Samuel Beebe.
1845— Blandford, Sharon Bradley; Brimfield, Orson Sher-
man ; Chester, Hector Campbell ; Granville, none ; Tolland, none ;
Longmeadow, Jacob Colton, jr.; Ludlow, Artemas H. AVhitney;
Monson, Sanmel AVhitney : Montgomery, none ; Palmer, Alonzo
V. Blanchard; Russell, Frederic Sackett; Southwick, Chandler
Holcomb ; Springfield, Edmund Freeman ; Tolland, none ; Wales,
none; AA^estfield, Hiram Harrison, Oliver Moseley; AVest Spring-
field, none ; AVilbraham, none.
( 135 )
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
1846— Blandford, Vincent S. Bradley; Brimfield, George
Puffer; Chester, none; Granville, Levi Brown; Holland, none;
Longmeadow, Lorin Burt ; Ludlow, Artemus H. Whitney ; Mon-
son, none ; Alontgomery, none ; Palmer, Lambert Allen ; Russell,
Newman Bishop, jr. ; Southwick, none; Springfield, Walter War-
riner. Henry Morris, Joseph B. McCune, George Dwight, Rob-
ert G. Marsh: Tolland, none; Wales, Absalom Gardner; AVest-
field, Hiram Fox, Chauncey Coltou ; West Springfield, none ;
Wilbraham, none.
1847 — Blandford, none; Brimfield, none; Chester, none:
Granville, Joseph F. Miner ; Holland, Elbridge G. Fuller : Long-
meadoAV, Loren Burt : Ludlow, Artemus H. AVhitney : Monson,
none; Montgomery, none; Palmer, Alonzo V. Blanchard: Russell,
none; Southwick, Almon H. Barker; Springfield, Henry Morris,
Walter Warriner, George Dwight, Timothy W. Carter, Alfred
White ; Tolland, none : AVales, none : AVestfield, Hiram A. Beebe,
Royal Fowler; West Springfield, Edward Parsons, Hervey
Cliapin ; Wilbraham, none.
1848— Blandford, none ; Brimfield, Alured Homer ; Chester,
none; Granville, Carlos Gibbons; Holland, none; Longmeadow,
Alford Cooley: Ludlow, Eli M. Smith: Monson, William N.
Flynt ; Montgomery, none ; Palmer, Calvin Torrey : Russell,
none; Southwick, Eli L. Morse; Springfield, William DAvight,
Timothy W. Carter, Titus Amidon, Joseph D. Decreet, Silas
Mosman, jr.; Tolland, Henry A. Bills; Wales, none; Westfield,
Israel Sackett, Josiah S. Knowles ; West Springfield, none ; Wil-
braham, John Smith.
1849-Blandford, Amos G. Bowker; Brimfield, Philip G.
Hubbard ; Chester, none ; Chicopee, none ; Granville, William
Hall ; Holland, none ; Longmeadow, Alford Cooley : Ludlow, Alva
Sikes ; Monson, none ; Montgomery, Elisha P. Parks : Palmer,
Jacob B. Merrick ; Russell, none ; Southwick, none : Springfield,
Frederick A. Barton, Lester Dickinson, Joseph C. Pynchon, Wil-
liam Stowe, John Wells ; Tolland, none : Wales, none ; Westfield,
Daniel D. Erving, Hiram Hull ; West Springfield, Lyman Allen,
Daniel G. White ; Wilbraham, none.
1850— Blandford, Albert Knox; Brimfield, none; Chester,
William Campbell; Chicopee, none; Granville, Charles F. Bates;
( 130 )
CIVIL LIST
Holland, none ; Holyoke, none ; Longmeadow, Burgess Salisbury ;
Ludlow, none ; Monson, none ; IMontgomery, none : Palmer, John
D. Blanchard ; Russell, Gardner S. Burbank ; Southwick, Carmi
Shurtleff : Springfield, Thomas J. Shepard, "William W. Boying-
ton, Lester Dickinson ; Tolland, none ; Wales, none ; Westfield,
Matthew Ives, George H. IMosely: West Springfield, Lester Wil-
liams; Wilbraham, none.
1851— Blandford, Justin Wilson; Brimfield, none; Chester,
Aurelius C. Root: Chieopee, Giles S. Chapin, Alpheus Nettleton,
John Wells ; Granville, Vincent Holeomb ; Holland, none ; Hol-
yoke, Alexander Day ; Longmeadow, Burgess Salisbury ; Ludlow,
none; Monson, none; Montgomeiy, William Squier; Palmer.
Joseph Brown 2d : Russell, Roland Parks ; SoutliAvick, John Hol-
eomb ; Springfield, Henry Adams, John INIills, Edward F. Mose-
ley, Thomas AV. Mason : Tolland, William E. Barnes ; Wales, Ash-
ley Squier : Westfield, James Noble ; West Springfield, Daniel G.
AYhite; Wilbraham, Roderick S. Merrick.
1852— Blandford, Chauneey S. Brown; Brimfield, John
Prouty: Chester, Samuel Henry; Chieopee, Jonathan R. Childs,
James K. Fletcher, Alpheus Nettleton; Granville, AVilliam W.
Bacon ; Holland, none : Holyoke, George C. Ewing ; Long-
meadow, Dimond Colton ; Ludlow, none; Monson, Rufus S. Fay;
Montgomery, none; Palmer, Amos C. Billings; Russell, Henry
K. Loomis: Southwick, Abel Steer; Springfield, Titus Amadon,
Ephraim W. Bond, Joel Brown, Andrew Huntington : Tolland,
none : Wales, Warren Shaw ; Westfield, James Holland ; West
Springfield, Harvey Wolcott ; Wilbraham, Solomon C. Spellman.
1853-Blandford, William B. Miller: Brimfield, none; Ches-
ter, Daniel Fry ; Chieopee, Edmund B. Haskell, Charles R. Ladd,
Samuel A. Shackford: Granville, Horace H. Parsons; Holland,
Harris Cutler ; Holyoke, none : Longmeadow, Dimond Colton ;
Ludlow, none : Monson, none : Montgomery, Aaron P. Parks ;
Palmer, Enos Calkins : Russell, Nelson D. Parks : Southwick,
Moses White : Spring-field, George Bliss, Theodore Stebbins, Nel-
son Tyler : Tolland, none ; Wales, Jonathan G. Royce ; Westfield,
Luke Bush ; West Springfield, Edward Southworth, Wilbraham,
none.
( 137 )
OVR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
185-1— Blaiidford, Samuel E. Lloyd; Brimfield, Henry F.
BroAvn ; Chester, Kliziir D. Cook : Chicopee, Charles R. Ladd,
Loman A. Moody, Samuel A. Shackford ; (xraiiville, none ; Hol-
land, William A. AVebber ; Holyoke, none ; Longmeadow, Oliver
Dwight ; Ludlow, John P. Hubbard; Monson, AVilliam H. Brad-
way; Montgomery, none; Palmer, Cilbert Barker; Russell, none;
Southwick, Hiram S. Hollister ; Springfield, none ; Tolland, Hi-
ram C. Brown ; Wales, none ; Westfield, Henry Fuller ; AVest
Springfield, Edward Southworth ; Wilbraham, Philip P. Potter.
1855— Agawam, none; Blandford, none; Brimfield, Paul AV.
Paige ; Chester, Otis Taylor ; Chicopee, Guy Davenport, Loman
A. Aloody, Erastus Stebbins; Granville, James P. Cooley; Hol-
land, none; Holyoke, Arba C. Slater; LongmeadoAv, Rial Strick-
land; Ludlow, Jere Miller; Monson, Nelson T. Rogers; Montgom-
ery, none; Palmer, Elijah G. Alurdock ; Russell, none ; Southwick,
Heman Laflin ; Springfield, AVilliam Bodortha, Alanson Hawley,
AVm. Foster, Thomas AV. Mason ; Tolland, Hiram C. Brown ;
AVales, Eli.jah Shaw ; AA^estfield, Derrick N. Goff ; AVest Spring-
field, Samuel D. AA^arriner ; AVilbraham, John AV. Langdon.
1856— Agawam, none; Blandford, Ralsa Taggart; Brimfield,
Alfred ]\L Converse ; Chester, none ; Chicopee, Sylvester Allen,
Jonathan Jones, John H. Smith ; Granville, none ; Holland, none ;
Holyoke, Joshua Gray; Longmeadow, Stephen T. Colton; Lud-
low, Elisha T. Parsons; Monson, V^'illiam B. Converse; Mont-
gomery, none; Palmer, Alonzo N. Dewey; Russell, none; South-
Avick, none; Springfield, Horatio N. Case, AVilliam Grossman,
AVillis Phelps, Henry Pomeroy ; Tolland, none ; AVales, none ;
AVestfield, Nathaniel Chapin ; AVest Springfield, Jonathan AV.
Freeland ; AVilbraham, John Baldwin.
1857— Agawam, none ; Blandford, James C. Hinsdale ; Brim-
field, Oilman Noyes ; Chester, Samuel Stebbins ; Chicopee, LeA\is
M. Ferry, John H. Smith John AVells ; Granville, none ; Holland,
none; Holyoke, Alfred AVhite ; Longmeadow, Stephen T. Col-
ton ; Ludlow, Elisha T. Parsons; Alonson, Albert Norcross; Alont-
gomery, none; Palmer, Sylvanus G. Shaw-; Russell, none; South-
Avick. none ; Springfield, John H. Fuller, Daniel L, Harris,
Eliphalet Trask, Henry Vose ; Tolland, none ; AVales, none ; AVest-
( 138 )
CIVIL LIST
field, James Holland; West Springfield, Jonathan 0. Mosely;
Wilbrahani, John B. Morris.
1858— 1st District (Brimfield, Monson, Holland, Wales),
John W. Foster of Monson; 2d district (Palmer), Solomon A.
Fay of Palmer; 3d district (Wilbraham, Longmeadow), Rod-
erick Burt of Wilbraham ; 4th district (Springfield, wards 1 and
2), Marvin Chapin of Springfield; 5th district (wards 3 and 4),
Henry Vose ; 6th district (wards 5, 6, 7, 8), Hiram Q. Sanderson
of Springfield; 7th district (Chicopee, Ludlow), George H. Chap-
man, James Reuny, both of Chicopee; 8th district (Holyoke,
West Springfield), Elbridge G. Pierce of Holyoke; 9th district
(Agawam, Southwick, Granville), Andrew J. Marvin of South-
wick; 10th district (Westfield), George Green; 11th district,
(Chester, Blandford, Montgomery, Tolland, Russell), Charles
W. Knox of Chester.
1859— 1st dist., Paul W. Paige of Brimfield ; 2d dist., Henry
Seism of Palmer; 3d dist., Randolph Stebbins of Longmeadow;
4th dist., Joseph Stone of Springfield ; 5th dist., Philo F. Wil-
cox of Springfield; 6th dist., Otis A. Seamans of Springfield; 7th
dist., George M. Stearns of Chicopee and Albert Fuller of Lud-
loAv ; 8th dist., George L. Wright of West Springfield ; 9th dist.,
Elisha T. Miner of Granville ; 10th dist., Addison Gage of West-
field ; 11th dist., David Cannon of Chester.
1860— 1st dist., David F. Parker of Wales; 2d dist., John
Clough of Palmer ; 3d dist., W^illiam P. Spellman of Wilbraham ;
4th dist., Richard Bliss of Springfield; 5th dist., Daniel Gay of
Springfield ; 6th dist., Ezra Kimberly of Springfield ; 7th dist.,
Joseph B. McCune and George S. Taylor of Chicopee ; 8th dist.,
William B. C. Pearsons of Holyoke ; 9th dist., James H, Ferre of
Agawam; 10th dist., Jasper Raymond Rand of Westfield; 11th
dist., Addison M. Bradley of Russell.
1861 — 1st dist., William N. Flynt of Monson; 2d dist., Solo-
mon R. LaAvrence of Palmer; 3d dist., Roderick H. Burnham of
Longmeadow ; 4th dist., William B. Calhoun of Springfield ; 5th
dist., Simeon Newell of Springfield ; 6th dist., Oliver B. Bannon
of Springfield ; 7th dist., George S. Taylor, James M. Smith of
Chicopee ; 8th dist., Nathan Loomis of West Springfield ; 9th dist.,
( 139 )
OVB COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
Theron Rockwell of Southwick: 10th dist., David INI. Chace of
ATestfield ; 11th dist., Samuel Hamilton of Tolland.
1862— 1st dist., William A. Bobbins of Holland; 2d dist.,
Stephen G.Newton of Palmer; 3d dist., Joseph MeGregory of Wil-
braham : 4th dist., Theodore Stebbins, died, succeeded by AVilliam
B. Calhoun of Springfield ; 5th dist., William L. Smith of Spring-
field : 6th dist., Nathaniel Howard of Springfield; 7th dist.,
Phineas Stedman of Chicopee, Hezekiah Root of Ludlow; 8th
dist., Thomas H. Kelt of Holyoke ; 9th dist., Reuben De Witt of
Agawam ; 10th dist., Lewis Rufus Norton of Westfield ; 11th dist.,
Edward M. Taylor of INIontgomery,
1863— 1st dist., Newton S. Hubbard of Brimfield; 2d dist.,
James S. Loomis of Palmer ; 3d dist., Luther Markham of Long-
meadow: 4th dist., Eliphalet Trask of Springfield; 5th dist.,
Daniel L. Harris of Springfield ; 6th dist., Harvey E. Moseley of
Springfield; 7th dist., James M. Smith, AA^'illiam Thayer of Chico-
pee; 8th dist., Richard Pettee of Holyoke; 9th dist., Samuel
Flower of Agawam ; 10th dist., Henry J. Bush of Westfield ; 11th
dist., William M. Lewis of Blandford.
1864— 1st dist., Timothy F. Packard of IMonson : 2d dist.,
Jacob Stever of Palmer; 3d dist., Walter Hitchcock of Wilbra-
ham; 4th dist., Warren C. Sturtevant of Springfield; 5th dist.,
Daniel L. Harris of Springfield; 6th dist., Titus Amadou of
Springfield; 7th dist., INIoses W. Chapin and Lafayette Temple
of Chicopee : 8th dist., Nathan Loomis of West Springfield ; 9th
dist., John Boyle of Southwick: 10th dist., Thomas Kneil of
Westfield : 11th dist., Roland Parks of Russell.
1865— 1st dist., Elijah Shaw of AVales ; 2d dist., David Knox
of Palmer; 3d dist., D. Erskine Burbank of Longmeadow; 4th
dist., Horace J. Chapin of Springfield ; 5th dist., Charles A. Win-
chester of Springfield : 6th dist., Lewis H. Taylor of Springfield :
7th dist, John Wells of Chicopee and Jacob S. Eaton of Ludlow :
8th dist... Simeon Miller of Holyoke : 9th dist., Cyrus Bell of Aga-
wam ; 10th dist., Henry J. Bush of AYestfield : 11th dist., Jarvis
W. Gibbs of Russell.
1866— 1st dist., James B. Brown of Brimfield; 2d dist., Eph-
raim G.Bates of Palmer ; 3d dist., John M. Merrick of Wilbraham ;
( 140 )
CIVIL LIST
•1th dist., Horace J. Chapiu of Spriiigrtield ; 5th dist., Charles A.
Winchester of Springfield ; 6th dist., Pliny Wood of Springfield ;
7th dist., Emerson Gaylord, George H. Knapp of Chicopee; 8th
dist., Justin L. Worthy of AVest Springfield ; 9th dist., Edward
K. Bordotha of Agawam ; 10th dist., James G. Gladwin of AYest-
field ; 11th dist., Elizur D. Moore of Tolland.
1867 — 1st dist., George A. Converse of Alonson ; 2d dist.,
James G. Allen of Palmer ; 3d dist., B. C. English, Thomas W.
AA^ason of Springfield ; 4th dist., Daniel L. Harris of Springfield ;
5th dist., Titus Amadon of Springfield ; 6th dist., Edwin H. Ball
of Holyoke and Enoch V. B. Holcomb of Chicopee ; 7th dist.,
Abel H. Calkins of Longnieadow and Joseph Bedortha of Aga-
Avam ; 8th dist., Charles Dickerman of AA^estfield ; 9th dist., Beri-
jah H. Kagwin of ]\Iontgomery.
1868— 1st dist., Joel B. AVilliams of Monson ; 2d dist., Wil-
liam R. Sessions of AA'ilbraham ; 3d dist., Charles L. Shaw and
Tilly Haynes of Springfield ; 4th dist., George Walker of Spring-
field ; 5th dist., John Severson of Springfield ; 6th dist., Edwin
H. Snow of Chicopee and Ezra H. Flagg of Holyoke ; 7th dist.,
Ralph S. Brown of Granville and Charles A. Fox of West Spring-
field ; 8th dist., AA'illiam G. Bates of AA^estfield ; 9th dist., Thad-
deiis K. De AA^olf of Chester.
1869— 1st dist., Ferdinand L. Braley of Wales; 2d dist.,
Joseph Vaill, died and succeeded by Lyman Dimock of Palmer ;
3d dist., Tilly Haynes and Emerson AVright of Springfield ; 4th
dist., Horace Smith of Springfield ; 5th dist., AA'^illiam AA^. Ama-
don of Springfield; 6th dist., S. H. AA^alker of Holyoke and
Jerome AVells of Chicopee ; 7th dist., AA^illiam Alelcher of AA^est
Springfield and Edwin Gilbert of South\\dck ; 8th dist., Samuel
Horton of AA^estfield ; 9th dist., Franklin C. Knox of Blandford.
1870— 1st dist., Samuel AA^ Brown of Brimfield ; 2d dist., Ira
G. Potter of Wilbraham ; 3d dist., Emerson Wright and Justin
M. Cooley of Springfield ; 4th dist., Daniel L. Harris of Spring-
field ; 5th dist., David Powers of Springfield ; 6th dist., Lewis M.
Ferris of Chicopee and Henry A. Pratt of Holyoke; 7th dist.,
Lester AA^illiams of AVest Springfield and Larone Hills of Long-
meadow ; 8th dist., Samuel Horton of W^estfield ; 9th dist.. Dex-
ter Parks of Russell.
( 141 )
OVR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
1871 — 1st dist., George L. AVebber of Holland; 2d dist.,
Ebenezer Brown of Palmer ; 3d dist., Emerson Wright and Jus-
tin M. Cooley of Springfield : 4tli dist., Gurdon Bill of Spring-
field ; 5th dist., Joseph M. Hall of Springfield : 6th dist., Charles
A. Corser of Holyoke and Henry H. Harris of Chicopee ; 7th dist.,
G. C. S. Southworth of AYest Springfield and Silas Noble of Gran-
ville : 8th dist., Alexander MeKenzie of Westfield : 9th dist., La-
fayette Granger of Tolland.
1872— 1st dist.. Rice S. Mnnn of Monson ; 2d dist., Ephraim
Allen of Wilbraham ; 3d dist.. James Parker and John W. Phelps
of Springfield ; 4th dist., W. C. Sturtevant of Springfield ; 5th
dist., C. C. Merritt of Springfield ; 6th dist., George Arms of
Chicopee (resigned, succeeded by Roswell P. Crafts) and Reuben
Sikes of Ludlow ; 7th dist., Ralph Perry of Agawam and Ansel
H. Ward of West Springfield : 8th dist., Lewis R. Norton of West-
field ; 9th dist., Timothy Keefe of Chester.
1873— 1st dist., Thomas J. Morgan of Brimfield; 2d dist.,
James B. Shaw of Palmer: 3d dist., Charles R. Ladcl and H. M.
French of Springfield : 4th dist., A. L. Soule of Springfield ; 5th
dist., Henry W. Phelps of Springfield ; 6th dist., Edward W.
Chapin of Holyoke and William R. Kentfield of Chicopee; 7th
dist., Oliver Woleott of Longmeadow and Aaron Bagg of West
Springfield; 8th dist., Lewis R. Norton of Westfield; 9th dist..
Francis W. Clark of Montgomery.
1874— 1st dist., Julius M. Lyon of Wales: 2d dist., Francis
E. Clark of Wilbraham; 3d dist., E. E. Gray and Charles L.
Shaw of Springfield ; 4th dist.. Smith R. Phillips of Springfield :
5th dist., Henry W. Phelps of Springfield ; 6th dist., George D.
Robinson of Chicopee and Allen Higginbottom of Holyoke ; 7th
dist., E. H. Seymour and Rufus Smith of Granville; 8th dist.,
Reuben Noble of Westfield : 9th dist., Enos W. Boise of Bland-
ford.
1875— 1st dist., Daniel G. Green of Monson; 2d dist.,
Charles L. Gardner of Palmer; 3d dist., Charles L. ShaAV and T.
D. Beach of Springfield ; 4th dist., James Abbe of Springfield :
5th dist., Alfred M. Copeland of Springfield ; 6th dist., Jacob W.
Davis of Holyoke and S. A. Jacobs of Chicopee : 7th dist., Emer-
( 142 )
CIVIL LIST
son Geer of West Spring-field and Samuel Flower of Agawam ;
8th dist., Reuben Noble of Westfield ; 9th dist., Edward E. Gibbs
of Russell.
1876— 1st dist., Rice M. Reynolds of Monson; 2d dist.,
Charles L. Gardner of Palmer ; 3d dist., Stephen E. Seymour and
Charles W. Richards of Springfield ; 4th dist., James Abbe of
Springfield; 5th dist., Chris. C. Merritt of Springfield; 6th dist.,
Edwin L. Kirtland of Holyoke and Charles A. Taylor of Chico-
pee ; 7th dist., John j\I. Gibbs of Granville and Thomas F. Cordis
of Longmeadow ; 8th dist., Reuben Noble of Westfield ; 9th dist.,
George W. Granger of Tolland.
1877— 1st dist.. Rice M. Reynolds of Monson; 2d dist., Hor-
ace M. Sessions of Wilbraham ; 3d dist., AVarren S. Bragg of Chic-
opee : 4th dist., Charles W. Richards and Ephraim A. Perkins of
Springfield ; 5th dist., Leonard Clark of Springfield ; 6th dist.,
Theodore AV. Ellis of Springfield; 7th dist., John C. Perry of
Spring-field ; 8th dist., John H. Wright of Holyoke ; 9th dist.,
James H. Newton of Holyoke; 10th dist., Francis S. Eggleston
of "Westfield and Stephen H. Bodurtha of Agawam; 11th dist.,
George N. Cone of Chester.
1878— 1st dist., Pliny F. Spaulding of Brimfield ; 2d dist,
Timothy D. Potter of Palmer ; 3d dist., James P. Kelly of Chico-
pee ; 4th dist., William Pynchon and Theodore Beach of Spring-
field ; 5th dist., Leonard Clark of Springfield ; 6th dist., Rawson
Hathaway of Springfield ; 7th dist., Marcus P. Knowiton of
Springfield; 8th dist., John H. Wright of Holyoke; 9th dist., E.
P. Bartholomew of West Springfield: 10th dist., Joseph G. Noble
of Westfield and Henry S. Stiles of Montgomery ; 11th dist., Ed-
win Gilbert of Southwick.
1879— 1st dist., William J. Ricketts of Monson; 2d dist.,
Benjamin F. Burr of Ludlow; 3d dist., Frank M. Horton of
Chicopee ; 4th dist., AVilliam Pynchon and Jonathan E. Shipman
of Springfield ; 5th dist., Charles R. Ladd of Springfield ; 6th
dist., Eleazer S. Beebe of Longmeadow ; 7th dist., Elisha B. May-
nard of Springfield; 8th dist., Thomas L. Keough of Holyoke;
9th dist., Joseph Murray of Holyoke ; 10th dist., Merritt J. Van
Deusen and James H. Bryan of AVestfield ; 11th dist., Ethan D.
Dickinson of Granville.
( U3 )
OVB COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
1880— 1st dist., John C. Burley of Wales; 2d dist., Joseph
F. Holbrook of Palmer; 3d dist., Dwight L. Shaw of Chicopee ;
4th dist., Hinsdale Smith and Jonathan E. Shipman of Spring-
field ; 5th dist., Edwin D, Metcalf of Springfield ; 6th dist., Henry
M. Phillips of Springfield ; 7th dist., C. C. Merritt of Springfield ;
8th dist., jNlichael J. Teahan of Holyoke ; 9th dist., John Delaney
of Holyoke ; 10th dist., Merritt Van Deusen of Westfield and J.
Henry Chnrehill of Agawam ; 11th dist., Samuel A. Bartholmew
of Blandford.
1881— 1st dist., Solomon F. Ciishman of Monson; 2d dist.,
Channeey E. Peck of Wilbraham ; 3d dist., John Goodwin of
Chicopee ; 4th dist., Josiah Bumstead and Hubert M. Coney of
Springfield ; 5th dist., Edwin D. Metcalf of Springfield ; 6th dist.,
Henry M. Phillips of Springfield ; 7th dist., Chris. C. Merritt of
Springfield ; 8th dist., John H. Wright of Holyoke ; 9th dist.. Ash-
ton E. Hemphill of Holyoke; 10th dist., Edward C. Carpenter
and John W. Colton of AVestfield ; 11th dist., George F. Bryant
of Russell.
1882— 1st dist., William L. Webber of Holland; 2d dist.,
\Yilliam Holbrook of Palmer; 3d dist., Frank H. Morton of
Chicopee; 4th dist., Theodore D. Beach and AVilson Eddy of
Springfield; 5th dist., George P. Stebbins of Springfield; 6th
dist., Joseph Scott of Springfield ; 7th dist., John L. Rice, re-
signed and succeeded by Edward H. Lathrop of Springfield; 8th
dist., John H. Wright of Holyoke; 9th dist., Isaac B. LoAvell of
West Springfield ; 10th dist., Edward C. Carpenter and John W.
Colton of Westfield ; 11th dist., Homer P. Twining of Tolland.
1883— 1st dist, Solomon F. Cushman of Monson; 2d dist.,
AVarren D. Fuller of Ludlow ; 3d dist., Ansel F. AVildes of Chico-
pee ; 4th dist., John Olmstead and Theodore D. Beach of Spring-
field ; 5th dist., John B. Stebbins of Springfield ; 6th dist., Charles
F. Newell of Longmeadow ; 7th dist., Charles Fuller of Spring-
field ; 8th dist., Jeremiah J. Donahue, deceased and succeeded by
John H. Wright of Holyoke; 9th dist., A, Higginbottom of Hol-
yoke; 10th dist., AVilliam H. Whitney of AVestfield and Ed^Ain
Leonard 2d of Agawam ; 11th dist., Charles H. Knox of Chester.
1884— 1st dist., Lucius A. Cutler of Brimfield ; 2d dist., Oren
B. Smith of Palmer ; 3d dist., Erastus Stebbins of Chicopee ; 4th
( 144 )
CIVIL LIST
clist., Charles W. Kichards and Frank E. Carpenter of Spring-
field ; 5th dist., Frank E. Winter of Springfield ; 6th dist., Ed-
mmid P. Kendriek of Springfield ; 7th dist., Nathaniel Howard
of Springfield ; 8th dist., John H. Wright of Holyoke ; 9th dist.,
Wilbert T. Dean of Holyoke ; 10th dist., Charles N. Oakes and
Eber A. Eggleston of Westfield ; 11th dist., Edwin Gilbert of
Southwick.
1885— 1st dist., Wilson M. Tucker of Monson ; 2d dist.,
Moses H. Warren of Hampden ; 3d dist., Matthew Ryan of Chico-
pee ; 4th dist., Charles AV. Richards and Charles C. Smith of
Springfield ; 5th dist, William F. Cook of Springfield ; 6th dist.,
Edmund P. Kendriek of Springfield ; 7th dist., Edwin S. Stacy
of Springfield ; 8th dist., John H. Wright of Holj-oke ; 9th dist.,
Ashton E. Hemphill of Holyoke ; 10th dist., Charles N. Oakes and
Eber A. Eggleston of AVestfield ; 11th dist., Marshall V. Stowe of
Granville.
1886— 1st dist., Alvin A. Hubbard of Wales; 2d dist., Ste-
phen S. Taft of Palmer ; 3d dist., MatthcAv Ryan of Chieopee ; 4th
dist., Charles C. Smith and John L. Knight of Springfield; 5th
dist, William F. Cook of Springfield ; 6th dist., John S. Sander-
son of Springfield ; 7th dist., Edward H. Lathrop of Springfield ;
8th dist., Jeremiah J. Keane of Holyoke ; 9th dist., Levi Perkins
of Holyoke ; 10th dist., William H. Whitney and William Provin
of Westfield ; 11th dist., Henry K. Herrick of Blandford.
1887— 1st dist., Seth N. Bennett of Agawam ; 2d dist, Wil-
liam Provin and William H. Foote of Westfield; 3d dist., Dwight
(). Judd of Holyoke; 4th dist, Jeremiah J. Keane of Holyoke;
5tli dist., Norris R. AVood of Chieopee ; 6th dist., John L. Knight
and George W. Miller of Springfield ; 7th dist., Charles C. Spell-
man of Springfield ; 8th dist., Fred A. Judd and John S. Ander-
son of Springfield ; 9th dist., John Brockbank of Monson ; 10th
dist, Stephen S. Taft of Palmer.
1888-lst dist., Charles H. Knox of Chester; 2d dist.,
Charles Fay Shepard and William Provin of AVestfield ; 3d dist.,
Reuben AA^inchester of Holyoke ; 4th dist., Jeremiah J. Keane of
Holyoke ; 5th dist., George AV. Gibson of Chieopee ; 6th dist, AVil-
liam F. Ferry and Ethan C. Robinson of Springfield ; 7th dist.,
10-1 ( 145 )
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
A. Olin Brooks of Springfield; 8th dist., Charles A. Call and
Charles H. Bennett of Spring-field; 9th dist., Henry Clark of
"NYilbraham : lOtli dist., Charles F. Grosvenor of Ludlow.
1889— 1st dist., John B. Ripley of Granville: 2d dist., Oren
B. Parks and Robert B. Crane of Westfield ; 3d dist., John Hil-
dreth of Holyoke : 4th dist., Jeremiah J. Keane of Holyoke ; 5th
dist., George D. Eldredge of Chieopee; 6th dist., William F.
Ferry and Hiram B. Lane of Springfield : 7th dist., A. Olin
Brooks of Springfield : 8th dist., Charles A. Call and Charles H.
Bennett of Springfield ; 9th dist., Lurin J. Potter of Long-
meadow ; 10th dist., William W. Leach of Palmer.
1890— 1st dist., DAvight H. Hollister of Southwick; 2d dist,
Oren B. Parks and Robert B. Crane of AVestfield ; 3d dist., John
Hildreth of Holyoke ; 4th dist., William P. Buckley of Holyoke ;
5th dist., George D. Eldredge of Chieopee : 6th dist., George W,
Miller and Hiram B. Lane of Springfield ; 7th dist, John McFeth-
ries of Springfield; 8th dist., Herman Buckholz and Charles H.
Bennett of Springfield ; 9th dist, Carlos M. Gage of Monson ;
lOtli dist., Horace H. Sanders of Palmer.
1891— 1st dist., James W. Knox of Blandford : 2d dist.,
James A. Lakin of Westfield and Ethan Brooks of West Spring-
field : 3d dist., James Ramage of Holyoke : 4th dist., William P.
Buckley of Holyoke ; 5th dist., Eugene 0 'Neil of Chieopee ; 6th
dist, Frederick H. Gillett and Hiram B. Lane of Springfield ;
7th dist, John ]McFethries of Springfield; 8th dist., Herman
Buckholz and Henry S. Dickinson of Springfield : 9th dist., Her-
bert A. McFarland of Wales ; lOth dist., H. E. AY. Clark of
Palmer.
1892— 1st dist, Erastus D. Larkin of Tolland; 2d dist..
James A. Lakin and Henry W. Ashley of Westfield ; 3d dist.,
Richard G. Kilduff of Holyoke ; 4th dist, William P. Buckley of
Holyoke; 5th dist., Eugene J. O'Neil of Chieopee; 6th dist,
Frederick H. Gillett and John W. Adams of Springfield; 7th
dist., Edwin F. Lyford of Springfield: 8th dist., John A. Dris-
coll and Edward S. Brewer of Springfield; 9th dist, Sumner
Smith of Hampden ; 10th dist., Hiram E. W. Clark of Palmer.
1893— 1st dist., William H. Granger of Agawam; 2d dist,
Arthur S. Kneil and Henry W. Ashley of Westfield; 3d dist,
( 146 )
CIVIL LIST
Frank L. Buck of Holyoke ; 4th dist., Roger P. Donahue of Hol-
yoke; 5th dist., Eugene J. O'Neil of Chieopee; 6th dist., Ralph
W. Ellis and John W. Adams of Springfield; 7th dist., Edwin
F. Lyford of Springfield ; 8th dist., Stephen C. Warriner and
Edward S. Brewer of Springfield : 9th dist., Alvin A. Gage of
Monson ; 10th dist., Edward C. Fuller of Ludlow.
1894— 1st dist., Clayton D. Smith of Chester; 2d dist., Henry
C. Bliss of West Springfield and Arthur S. Kneil of Westfield ;
3d dist., Dwight H. Ives of Holyoke ; 4th dist., Eugene Finn of
Holyoke ; 5th dist., Alexander Grant of Chieopee ; 6tli dist.,
Henry F. Sampson and Joseph L. Shipley of Springfield ; 7th
dist., Edward S. Bradford of Springfield ; 8th dist., Benj. C. Har-
vey and Stephen C. Warriner of Springfield; 9th dist., Jason
Butler of Wilbraham ; 10th dist., Henry G. Loomis of Palmer.
1895 — 1st dist., Silas B. Root of Granville; 2d dist., Henry
C. Bliss of West Springfield, and William H. Foote of Westfield ;
3d dist., Dwight H. Ives of Holyoke ; 4th dist., John F. Sheehan,
of Holyoke: 5th dist., Alexander Grant of Chieopee; 6th dist.,
Lyman H. Perkins and George W. Turner of Springfield ; 7th
dist., Charles L. Young of Springfield: 8th dist., Benj. C. Har-
vey and Stephen C. Warriner of Springfield ; 9th dist., J. Mar-
shall Burt of East Longmeadow ; 10th dist., Horace E. AVallis of
Holland.
1896-lst dist., Calvin S. Miller of Southwick; 2d dist., S.
Augustus Allen and Henry M. Van Deusen of Westfield; 3d
dist., Patrick J. Kennedy of Holyoke ; 4th dist., John F. Sheehan
of Holyoke : 5th dist., Henry J. Boyd of Chieopee ; 6th dist.,
George E. Fuller and Willmore B. Stone of Springfield; 7th
dist., Charles L. Young of Springfield; 8th dist., Benjamin C.
Harvey and Francis R. Richmond of Springfield ; 9th dist.,
Charles AY. King of Monson : 10th dist., Thomas W, Kenefick of
Palmer.
1897— 1st dist., Thomas W. Kenefick of Palmer: 2d dist.,
William H. Porter of Agawam : 3d dist., George F. Fuller and
Willmore B. Stone of Spring-field ; 4th dist., Henry H. Bosworth
and Albert T. Folsom of Springfield : 5th dist., Charles E. Hoag
of Springfield : 6th dist., Henry J. Boyd of Chieopee ; 7th dist.,
( 147 )
OVR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
Thomas J. Dooling and John F. Sheehan of Holyoke ; 8th dist.,
Patrick J. Kennedy of. Holyoke ; 9th dist., Andrew Campbell of
Westfield and Frank P. Sargent of AYest Springfield.
1898— 1st dist., Thomas W. Kenefick of Palmer; 2d dist.,
Arthur D. King of Ludlow ; 3d dist., George F. Fuller and Will-
more B. Stone of Springfield ; 4th dist., Henry H. Bosworth and
Albert T. Folsom of Springfield; 5th dist., Charles E. Hoag of
Springfield ; 6th dist., Daniel J. Driscoll 2d of Chicopee ; 7th
dist., Thomas J. Dooling and John F. Sheehan of Holyoke ; 8th
dist., Ashton E. Hemphill of Holyoke; 9th dist., S. Augustus
Allen and Andrew Campbell of "Westfield.
1899— 1st dist., Nelson A. Bugbee of Monson ; 2d dist., Cal-
vin S. Miller of Southwiek ; 3d dist., Lewis D. Robinson and
AVillmore B. Stone of Springfield; 4th dist., Albert T. Folsom
and Herbert C. Puffer of Springfield; 5th dist., Edward M. Lom-
bard of Springfield ; 6th dist., Daniel J. Driscoll of Chicopee ;
7th dist., Thomas J. Dillon and Thomas J. Dooling of Holyoke ;
8th dist., AA^illiam E. Judd of Holyoke ; 9th dist., Andrew Camp-
bell and Frank S. Dewey, jr., of Westfield.
1900— 1st dist.. Nelson A. Bugbee of Monson; 2d dist.,
Charles C. Beebe of Wilbraham; 3d dist., Lewis D. Robinson
and Willmore B. Stone of Springfield ; 4th dist., John F. Marsh
and William S. Warriner of Springfield ; 5th dist., Benjamin C.
Harvey of Springfield ; 6th dist., Daniel J. Driscoll of Chicopee ;
7th dist., Thomas J. Dooling and Thomas J. Dillon of Holyoke ;
8th dist., Augustus AY. Esleeck of Holyoke ; 9th dist., Frank S.
Dewey, jr., of Westfield, and George H. Hapgood of Chester.
1901 — 1st dist., Joseph H. Loudon of AYales; 2d dist.,
Joseph AYelch of Granville ; 3d dist., Eugene C. Gardner and
Alexander C. Methven of Springfield ; 4th dist., Fordis C. Par-
ker and AA^illiam S. AA^'arriner of Springfield ; 5th dist., Fred A.
Bearse of Springfield ; 6th dist., Bernard F. INIitchell of Chico-
pee ; 7th dist., Edward D. Bunyan and Thomas J. Dillon of Hol-
yoke : 8th dist., John F. Chase of Holyoke ; 9th dist., Frank S.
Dewey and Harold P. Moseley of AA'estfield.
Speakers of the i^ouse- AYilliam B. Calhoun, 1828-34;
George Ashmun, 1841 ; George Bliss, 1853.
( 148 )
CIVIL LIST
Clerks of the House — William Stowe, 1854, and 1857-61.
Chief Justice, Supreme Judicial Court — Reuben Atwater
Chapman, 1868-73.
Justices of the Supreme Judicial Court — Reuben Atwater
Chapman, 1860, appointed Chief Justice, 1868, died 1873 ; John
Wells, 1866-75, died 1875; Augustus Lord Soule, 1877-81, re-
signed, died 1887 ; Marcus Perrin Knowlton, appointed 1887, still
in office.
Justices of the Court of Common Pleas — (Court established
1820 and abolished in 1859), David Cummins, 1828-44, resigned,
died 1855 ; Henry Morris, 1855-59, died 1888.
Justices of the Superior Court — Henry Yose, 1859-69; Mar-
cus Perrin Knowlton, 1881-87, appointed to Supreme Judicial
Court; Justin Dewey, 1886-1900; James Robert Dunbar, 1888-
98; Elisha Burr Maynard, 1891— still in office.
Justices of tlie Court of Sessions'^ — Samuel Fowler, 1812-13;
Gideon Burt. 1812-13 ; Isaac Coit, 1812-13 ; Joshua Frost, 1812-
13; Abel Bliss, 1812-13; Abner Brown, 1813-19; Heman Day,
1813-28 ; Ethan Ely, 1813-14 ; AVilliam Ely, 1814-18 ; Amos Ham-
ilton, 1819-20 ; Stephen Pynchon, 1819-23 ; Sylvester Emmons,
1819-25 ; James Stebbins, 1823-28 ; Joseph ForAvard, 1826-28.
Judges of Prohate- — Samuel Fowler, 1812 ; John Hooker,
1813 ; Oliver B. Morris, 1829.
Judges of Prohate and Insolvency — John Wells, 1858-63 ;
William S. Shurtleff, 1863-96 ; Charles L. Long, 1896— now in
office.
Judge of Insolvency — John INI. Stebbins, 1856-59.
Registers of Prolate"-— ^^Wlmm Blair, 1812-13: Oliver B.
Morris, 1813-29; Justice Willard, 1829-51; William L. Smith,
1851-53; Henry Smith, 1853-55; Charles A. Winchester, 1855-
57; Charles R. Ladd, 1857-59.
Registers of Prolate and Insolvency — William S. Shurtleff,
1859-63 ; Samuel B. Spooner, 1863-1901 and now in office.
iThis court originally was the administrative power of the county, and as
such had control of the public properties. It passed out of existence in 1828.
^Col. John Pynchon, of Springfield, was appointed judge of probate of Hamp-
shire county in 1692.
^John Pynchon was register of probate from 1703 to 1729.
( 149 )
OVR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
Registers of Insolvency— Charles A. Winchester, 1856-57;
William S. Shurtlefie, 1857-59.
Police Court of Springfield, Justices — James H. Morton,
1850-76 ; Gideon Wells, 1876-89 ; Henry W. Bosworth, 1889-1901.
Special Justices— Charles A. Winchester, Edward Morris,
Samuel B. Spooner, Alfred M. Copeland, Henry AV. Bos-
worth, Charles L. Long, EdAvin F. Lyford.
Police Court of Chicopee, J'^s^jces— Mortimer D. AVhitaker,
1855-63 ; Edwin O. Carter, 1863-81 ; Loranus E. Hitchcock, 1881-
1901.
Special Justices — Jonathan R. Childs, George S. Taylor,
Edwin 0. Carter, Charles Sherman, Charles H. Williams,
Simon G. Southworth, Luther White, William W. McClench,
James H. Loomis.
Police Court of Holyoke, Justices— Joseipli P, Buckland,
1871-77 ; William B. C. Pearsons, 1877-98 ; Edward W. Chapin,
1898-1901.
Special Justices— Yorter F. Underwood, AVilliam B, C.
Pearsons, Edward W, Chapin, Harris L. Sherman, William
Slattery, Jabes W. Carney, John Hildreth, Robert A. Allyn.
District Court of Eastern Hampden, Justices— James G.
Allen, 1872-79; George Robinson, 1879-98; William W. Leach,
1898-1901.
Special Justices — George Robinson, Ira G. Potter, Henry
F. Brown, James B. Shaw, George H. Newton, Herbert A.
McFarland.
Distinct Court of Western Hampden, Justices — Homer B.
Stevens, 1886-1901.
Special Justices— H. B. Lewis, Henry Fuller, AYillis S.
Kellogg, Alfred F. Lilley.
District Attor^ieys- {Frexious to 1832 this office was known
as ''County Attorney," the incumbent then representing the
county, but afterward being an officer of a district.^ Hampden
county forms a part of the western district of Massachusetts). —
Oliver B. Morris, 1812 ; George Bliss, 1812-17 ; Samuel Lathrop,
^Names of Hampden county incumbents only are given.
( 150 )
CIVIL LIST
1817-21; Oliver B. Morris, 1821-32; William G. Bates, 1853;
Edward B. Gillett, 1857-72 ; George M. Stearns, 1872-74 ; N. A.
Leonard, 1874-75 ; E. HoAvard Lathrop, 1875-78 ; N. A. Leonard,
1878-81 ; Charles L. Gardner, 1882-1901, now in office.
Clerks of the Court^ (and ex-officio county clerks)— John
Ingersoll, 1812-41; Richard Bliss, 1841-52; George B. Morris,
1852-72 ; Robert 0. Morris, 1872-1901, and now in office.
;S^/ien7/s— Jonathan Smith, jr., 1812-14; John Phelps, 1814-
31 ; Caleb Rice, 1831-51 ; Justin Wilson, 1851-53 ; Patrick Boise,
1853-55; Nathaniel Cutler, 1855-57; Robert G. Marsh, 1857-60;
Frederick Bush, 1860-69; A. M. Bradley, 1869-78; Hiram Q.
Sanderson, 1878-87 ; Simon Brooks, 1887-93 ; Embury P. Clark,
1893-1902, now in office.
County Treasurer-— Fidwavd Pynchon, 1812-30; David
Paine, 1830-35 ; George Colton, 1835-38 ; William Rice, 1838-56 ;
Norman Norton, 1856-59 ; Charles R. Ladd, 1859-67 ; M. Wells
Bridge, 1867-1891; William C. Marsh, 1891-1894; M. Wells
Bridge, 1894, still in office.
Eegisters of Deeds— Edward Pynchon, 1812-30; David
Paine, 1830-31 ; William Rice, 1831-58 ; James E. Russell, 1858-
1893 ; James Russell Wells, January, 1893, now in office.
County Commissioners— Caleb Rice, 1828-31; Joel Norcross,
1828-35; Reuben Boies, jr., 1828-35; William Bliss, 1831-35;
James W. Crooks, 1835-38; Gideon Stiles, 1835-38; Cyrus Knox,
1835-38; John Ward, 1838-44; Patrick Boise, 1841-44; Forbes
Kyle, 1841-44; Willis Phelps, 1844-47; Samuel Root, 1844-50;
Austin Fuller, 1844-47 ; Penning Leavitt, 1847-50 ; John McCray,
1847-50; Norman T. Leonard, 1850-53; William V. Sessions,
1850-53 ; Melvin Copeland, 1850-53 ; William B. Calhoun, 1853-
55 ; Alured Homer, 1853-57 ; George C. Gibbs, 1853-56 ; Francis
Brewer, 1855-58 ; Henry Fuller, 1856-59 ; Henry F. Brown, 1857-
60 ; Nelson D. Parks, 1858-64 ; Henry Charles, 1859-62 ; Henry
^Elizur Holyoke, of Springfield, was clerk of courts of Hampshire county
from September, 1660, to 1676; John Holyoke from 1678 to 1693, and John Pyn-
chon from Dec. 1693, to 1735.
^John Pynchon was treasurer of Hampshire county until 1681, and again
for several years after 1689. William Pynchon was treasurer from about 1796
to 1808, and Edward Pynchon from 1808 to Nov. 1812.
( 151 )
OVR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
Fuller, 1860-63; Benning Leavitt, 1862-65; Daniel G. Potter,
1863-69 : Charles C. Wright, 1864-67 : Ambrose N. Merrick, 1865-
68 ; William jNI. Lewis, 1867-76 ; Phiueas Stedman, 1867-71 ; Ran-
dolph Stebbins, 1869-71 ; George R. Townsley, 1871-74 ; James S.
Loomis, 1871-74 ; Lawson Sibley, 1873-76 ; John 0. Donnell.
1874-77 ; L. F. Thayer, 1875-78 ; N. S. Hubbard, 1876-79 ; Leon-
ard Chase, 1877-80 ; EdAvin Chase, 1878-81 ; Lewis F. Root, 1879-
82 : Leonard Chase, 1880-83 ; Henry A. Chase, 1881-84 ; Lewis F.
Root, 1882-85 : Leonard Clark, 1883-86 ; Henry A. Chase, 1884-
87; Lewis F. Root, 1885-88; Leonard Clark, 1886-89; Ansel F.
Wilde, 1887-90 ; Lewis F. Root, 1888-91 : Leonard Clark, 1889-
92 : Harvey D. Bagg, 1890-93 ; Lewds F. Root, 1891-94 ; Leonard
Clark, 1892-95 ; Harvey D. Bagg, 1893-96 ; William H. Brainerd,
1894-97 ; James M. Sickman, 1894-96 ; Timothy M. Brown, 1895-
98; James M. Sickman, 1896-99; William H. Brainerd, 1897-
1900; Joel M. Hendrick, 1898-1901; James M. Sickman, 1899-
1902 ; William H. Brainerd, 1900-03 ; Joel M. Hendrick, 1901-04.
CHAPTER XII
INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS
Throughout the long period of more than a century and a
half after the earliest settlements in the Connecticut valley no
attempt was made to establish a thoroughfare of travel and
transportation between the thickly settled localities of Eastern
Massachusetts and the rapidly growing towns in the western part
of the province. The pioneers who made the first settlement on
the site of Springfield are said to have availed themselves of two
means of travel — land and water.
According to established tradition, Mr. Pynchon's company
sent their goods from the Roxbury plantation to Agawam in
Governor Winthrop's sailing vessel, by way of the ocean. Long
Island sound and the Connecticut river, while the adventurous
( 155i )
The Boston Stone, a historic landmark in Benton Park, Springfield
History ascribes the erection of this stone to Joseph Wait, a merchant of Brook-
tield, who lost his way In a blinding snowstorm and wandered out of the
traveled path of the Boston Road. That other travelers should not be like-
wise beset Mr. Wait erected the stone in 1763.
OVR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
pioneers themselves crossed the country on foot, following the
Indian trail that led through the Nipmuck country direct to their
place of destination. Thus, the Indian trail, which was only a
well beaten path through the forests, became the first route of
travel betAveen the Connecticut valley and the home settlements.
In the course of a few years increasing westward emigration
required better facilities for transportation of goods, and the
trail was widened to allow the passage of wagons. Then it took
the name of the "Bay path," in allusion to its eastern terminus,
and so continued to be known until a few years before the revo-
lution, when the more dignified name of "Boston road" was
given to it.
But notwithstanding its prominence as a route of travel the
Boston road was hardly more than a narrow wagon path until
after the close of the revolution, and as late as 1763 Joseph Wait,
a Brookfield merchant, lost his way just on the outskirts of the
Springfield settlement, at a point now almost in the center of the
city. Soon after this event Mr. Wait, who appears to have been
something of a philanthropist, set up a substantial guide post by
the wayside for the benefit of Avayf arers in later years ; and the
stone still stands, having been carefully preserved through all
subsequent years as an interesting relic of early days.
Under the colonial rule, and indeed until after the close of
the revolution and the adoption of the constitution of the com-
monwealth, no steps were taken to establish routes of travel in the
state, but soon after the suppression of Shays' insurrection the
legislature was besieged with applications for charters for turn-
pike companies, to be laid out chiefly in western Massachusetts.
These companies generally were numbered in the order of incor-
poration.
The First Massachusetts turnpike corporation, the first of
the companies whose line of road was laid out in whole or in part
in this county, was chartered by the legislature June 11, 1796,
and named as incorporators a formidable array of persons.
Many of these proprietors were Palmer men, hence the names of
all of them may properly be given here : Levi Pease, Ephraim
Mower, Nathaniel Gorham, Moses Bliss, Thomas DA\nght, Jona-
( 154 )
INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS
than Dwiglit, Dwight Foster, John Hastings, David Sexton, Sam-
uel Fowler, Ebenezer Hunt, Daniel Goulding, Samuel Henshaw,
John Hooker, Erastus Lyman, Joseph Lyman, Levi Lincoln,
Pliny Merrick, Ebenezer Mattoon, Charles Phelps, Nathaniel
Paine, Warham Parks, Benjamin Prescott, William Shepard,
Levi Shepard, Simeon Strong, Phineas Upham, Samuel Ward,
John Williams, Samuel Flagg and Salem Town. This company
was authorized to construct and maintain a toll road,^ at least
three rods wide, from Western Bridge, in Worcester county, to
the ''county road" near Scott's tavern in Palmer.
The Eighth Massachusetts turnpike corporation was char-
tered February 24, 1800, and was authorized to construct and
operate a toll road, "beginning on the line between Westfield
and Russell, in the road near Westfield river, on the south side
thereof, thence to run by said river through Russell and Bland-
ford to Falley 's store ; thence by the west branch through Bland-
ford and Chester to the house of Elias Leonard ; thence by the
commonly called 'Government road' into Becket."
In the tOA^Tis of Blandford, Russell and Chester this road
was a higlnvay of great importance, in which the entire region
apparently was interested, if the number of incorporators may
be taken as an index of public sentiment. They were Joseph
Stebbins, James S. Dwight, George Bliss, Zebina Stebbins, Alex-
ander Bliss, William Smith, Jeremiah Woodsworth, John Cald-
well, John Morgan, Joseph Hart, Christopher Leffingwell, Justin
Ely, Peletiah Bliss, Jeremiah Stebbins, Jonathan Smith, Samuel
Master, Warham Parks, William Shepard, James Taylor, Zach-
^The reader of course will understand that all turnpike road companies were
incorporated for business purposes, and that the hope of financial gain was the
motive of the proprietors rather than the development of the country through
which the road was intended to be laid out. The laws regulating companies
of this character authorized the opening and maintenance of toll roads and the
erection of toll-houses and gates at certain distances. At each toll-house was
a gate-keeper, whose duty was to collect tolls from each traveler over the road.
The fares authorized to be charged were regulated by statute, and were sub-
stantially the same with each company. The "rates of toll" charged by the 1st
Mass. turnpike company were as follows: For every curricle, 16 cts ; every
chaise, chair or other carriage drawn by one horse. 12 cts and 5 mills ; every
sleigh drawn by two horses, 6 cts, and by more than two horses, 2 cts for each
horse ; "oxen horses'' and neat cattle, led or driven, one cent and five mills.
( 155 )
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
ariah Bush, Ashbel Eager, Adnah Sacket, Israel Ashley, Noah
Phelps, Titus Doolittle, Reuben Parks, Daniel Falley, David
Mack, James Gilnian, Oliver Bush, Elias Leonard, James Harris.
Hiram Messenger, Henry Vanschaak, Moses Rigsbee, Azariah
Eggleston, Seth Lathrop, Silas King, William Pynchon, Samuel
Lyman, Horace White, Heman Day, John Hooker, John Inger-
soll, Elijah Bates, William King and Samuel Fowler.
The Eleventh Massachusetts turnpike corporation was char-
tered June 19, 1801, and was another prominent thoroughfare of
travel during the early years of the nineteenth century. Its
incorporators numbered more than fifty men of the territory
through which it was laid out, and if local tradition be true the
road had an interesting early history, both in this and Berkshire
county. It began on the Connecticut line, at the northern ter-
minus of a turnpike built by a company of that state, and ran
through the east parish of Granville to Blandford meeting house :
thence through the "towTi street" of Blandford, by the usual
"Pittsfield road," so called, into Becket, and there united with
the road built by the Eighth turnpike company. The act pro-
vided that the company be organized, and its officers elected, at
the house of Solomon Noble, "innholder," in Blandford.
The Thirteenth turnpike corporation was chartered June 19,
1801, and its projectors were by the act authorized to build a toll
road from the Connecticut line, near Holmes' mill, to the meeting
house in the middle parish in Granville, and thence to the west-
erly part of Loudon, in Berkshire county. The company was
organized at the house of Linus Bates, in Granville, in August,
1801.
The Chester turnpike corporation, whose road was a well
known thoroughfare of travel about a century ago, was chartered
May 5, 1803. Under the act the company was authorized to
build and maintain a toll road "from the forks of the road in
Partridgefield west parish, a few rods west of the new meeting
house there, to the Middlefield meeting house ; thence to Chester
• meeting house." and thence to Parley Crook's in Chester, near
the west branch of Westfield river.
The Sixteenth Massachusetts turnpike corporation was char-
tered February 14, 1803, with authority to construct and main-
( 156 )
INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS
tain a toll road from the west line of West Springfield (Agawam
parish), about seventy rods west of Moses Hays' dwelling house
in Southwick, west to Edmund Barlow's dwelling house in
Granville ; and thence into Berkshire county.
The Springfield and Longmeadow turnpike corporation was
chartered March 7, 1804, and Avas one of the first roads of its
character leading out of Springfield. It began at the south end
of Main street, near the dwelling house of Major Jacob Bliss, and
run thence "by the nearest and most convenient route through
the town of Longmeadow," to the Connecticut line.
The incorporators of the company were numerous and in-
eluded many of the foremost men of both towns. As shown by
the creating act, they were Nathaniel Ely, Jonathan Dwight,
James Dwight, William Ely, Jacob Bliss, Daniel Lombard, Will-
iam Pynchon, Chauncey Brewer, Eleazer AYilliams, Thomas Wil-
liston, Thomas Bates, Eichard AVool worth, Moses Field, jr.,
Josiah Cooley, Lewis White, Gideon Bush, Elihu Colton, Demas
Colton, Nathaniel Burt, Seth Steele, John Cooley 2d, Calvin
Burt, Joshua Frost, John Cooley, Alexander Field, Samuel Col-
ton, Oliver Blanchard, Ethan Ely, Gideon Colton, jr., David
Burt, Samuel Keep, Noah Bliss, Samuel Keep, jr.. Gains Bliss,
Hezekiah Hale, Israel Colton, William Colton, Hanum Cooley
and Ebenezer Bliss.
The Petersham and Monson turnpike was another of the
once famous highways of eastern Hampden county, although
comparatively little of the road was laid out in our eastern towns.
The company was incorporated Febiiiary 29, 1804, and built a
turnpike road from the Fifth Massachusetts company's road in
Athol through that town, also through Petersham, Greenwich,
Dana, Ware, Palmer and jNIonson, to connect with a turnpike in
Stafford.
The Blandford and Russell turnpike company was incor-
porated March 16, 1805, and included among its stockholders
probably a majority of the substantial men of those towns. At
least the long list of names of incorporators would seem to indi--
cate that nearly the whole region had an interest in the con-
struction of the road. The latter was to be laid out not less than
( 157 )
OVR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
four rods wide, and to extend from the dwelling house of Stephen
Saeket in Westtield through Russell to the dwelling house of
Solomon Noble in Blandford.
The incorporators of the company were Samuel Knox, Jacob
Almy, Israel Ashley, William Ashley, Stephen Ashley, Eli P.
Ashmun, James Babeock, Ebenezer Bartlett, jr., Elijah Bates,
Aaron Beard, Adam, Reuben, Asa and James Blair, Reuben,
Samuel, Samuel 2d, William, David 2d, and David Boies, Joseph
W. Brewster, Zadock Brown, Joseph Bull, Moses A. Bunnel,
Perry Button, Robert Cannon, Martin Cannon, Chandler Carter,
Levi Chapman, Samuel Chapman, Thomas James Douglas.
Joseph B. Elmore, William Ferguson, Medad Fowler, Ephraim,
Samuel C. and Nathan Gibbs, Erastus Grant, John Hamilton,
Benjamin Hastings, James and Robert Hazard, Benjamin
Henry, Enoch Holcomb, jr., John Ingersoll, Elijah, John and
William Knox, Jared W, Knowlton, Jacob Lounds, Isaac and
James Lloyd, James Moore, Jacob Morse, Israel Mosely, Solo-
mon Noble, Jonathan Osborn, Gad Palmer, Squire Palmer, Ab-
ner Pease, Ezra and Stephen Saeket, Jonathan Shepard, Solo-
mon Stewart, jr., AVilliam Stewart, Benjamin Taggart, John
Watson, Paul and Barnabas Whitney, Andrew and John Wil-
son, Amos Witter and Oliver Weller.
Among the other turnpike companies worthy of mention in
this connection, there may be recalled the Granville corporation,
chartered June 20, 1809 ; the Granville and Tolland corporation,
chartered June 13, 1814 ; the Wilbraham corporation, chartered
June 16, 1820, for the purpose of building a toll road from the
west end of the First Massachusetts company's road through
Wilbraham and a part of Longmeadow to the Connecticut line,
the incorporators being Abel Bliss, jr., AVilliam Clark, Aaron
Woodward, John Adams, jr., Ebenezer R. Warner, ]\Ioses Burt,
Pynchon Bliss and John Glover; the Chester turnpike corpora-
tion, once a notable company, chartered February 14, 1822, to
build a road from the west end of AYalton bridge, "upon the
present road of the Eighth Massachusetts turnpike corporation,
to the foot of Becket mountain, about one-half mile west of the
dwelling house of Uriah Ferre, in Chester, thence by the new
( 158 )
INTERNAL IMPEOVEMENTS
road to Becket turnpike," the incorporators being Titus Doo-
little, Daniel Collins, Thomas Fry and Origen A. Perkins; the
Tolland and Otis turnpike company, chartered June 18, 1825 ;
and the Hampden and Berkshire company, chartered March 3,
1826, to build a road from the house of John Mallory, jr., in
Eussell, on the best course to the village of Blandford and thence
in the best course to the Becket turnpike.
The old toll road system of early days, were it now in opera-
tion, would be regarded as a nuisance and a detriment to public
interests ; but three-quarters of a century ago, and less, that sys-
tem was the direct means of great benefit to the whole country
in extending settlement into new localities and giving a per-
manent value to thousands of acres of land previously inaccessi-
ble to settlers. The toll roads of old Hampshire and new Hamp-
den counties were as important in their day as the steam rail-
roads of the present time, and to the farmers and their interests,
the former were far more valuable. After this system of main
arteries of travel was in full operation, the several towns took
upon themselves the task of laying out lateral or cross roads, and
thus even the most remote lands were made available. At length,
however, when the agricultural lands were all occupied, and
when other and more modern means of travel had been provided,
the old system became unpopular and soon afterward the gates
were removed.
Following close upon the opening of the toll roads across the
state there came a new era of progress and prosperitj' in the his-
tory of Hampden county. As early as about the year 1818 a
line of stages and transportation wagons for passengers and mer-
chandise began running on the Boston road ]>etween ihe capital
city of Massachusetts and Albany ; and within the next score of
years at least half a dozen lines of stages were operating
throughout the state. This was the most prosperous era in the
annals of the towns of Massachusetts, and one in which every
branch or calling in business life was fostered and made better.
From 1820 until the advent of the railroad every farmer found
a ready market for all the products of the soil. Good prices pre-
vailed and money was plenty; and in the general distribution of
( 159 )
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CQ
+J
INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS
cash the farmer received his full share. This can hardly be
said of auy period during the last half century. In those days
the farmer was indeed thriftless who did not pay for his lands
and "lay by" at least a small store of wealth for the future com-
fort of his family.
Again, during the first quarter of the nineteenth century,
the towns of Massachusetts were contributing their population
to southern and western New York and also to Ohio, and
throughout that period down to about 1845 the warm months of
every year witnessed a constant stream of travel across the state
from east to west, and it is doubtful if there was any ten miles
of the old Boston road that had not its wayside tavern where re-
freshment and good cheer were offered to the traveller. And
what is true of the Boston road is also true of nearly all the other
turnpike roads. During that period Springfield was an impor-
tant center of travel and trade, and the scenes of activity' around
the old Hampden cotfee house and the other hostelries of the
town furnished topics of discussion in every circle of domestic
life. Business Avas active, money was plenty and prosperity pre-
vailed on every hand. Of a truth it may be said that the era
of the stage coach was one of greater progress in the history of
the toMTis of this state than all others of earlier years. During
that era the resources of the towns were developed to their full-
est extent and the foundations of thousands of fortunes were
laid.
Fcrries.~T)\\Y\\\g, the period of the turnpike road companies
and the stage lines two prominent factors in connection there-
with contributed to the Avelfare of Springfield. The first and
perhaps the most prominent of these was the old Boston road,
which formed part of a continuous line of travel between Bos-
ton and Albany, and which was in fact the route most used by
travellers between those points. The other factor referred to
was the early and (for the time) ample means afforded for cross-
ing the Connecticut river. As early as 1674 the town of Spring-
field authorized Anthony Dorchester to operate a ferry across
the river below the mouth of the Agawam, as commonly known,
and in compensation for his service the worthy ferryman was
11-1 ( 161 )
INTERNAL IMPRO YEMEN TS
allowed to charge eight pence for each horse and man, two pence
for each foot traveller, and three pence for each trooper on train-
ing days. From that time a ferry was maintained across the
river, and as settlement increased on the west side, a second ferry
was established farther up the stream.
In 1683, at the suggestion of the general court, a second
ferry was considered by the selectmen of Springfield, and at a
town meeting held in February it was voted that the ''selectmen
should discourse with any person for the keeping of a ferry over
the Great River, and, having found such a one, to make report
thereof to the town." At that time the selectmen were Deacon
Jonathan Burt, Henry Chapin, John Hitchcock, Samuel Ball
and John Holyoke, while Daniel Denton served in the capacity
of town clerk. In the following year the town voted to establish
a ferry at John Dorchester's place, to be kept by him, and in
addition to the tolls charged, he should be exempt from military
training: and it seems that the shrewd settler, in addition to his
tolls, asked the right to sell liquors, but whether the request was
granted the records are silent.
In 1718 the town voted a tax for the purpose of establishing
a free ferry across the river, and appointed John Worthington,
Joseph Williston and Joseph Merrick to provide for the same.
In 1727 the ferry at the "upper wharf e" was let to John Hug-
gins for a term of five years. In 1728 the ferry at the mouth
of the Agawam was made permanent. In 1749 a ferry was au-
thorized at the "middle wharfe, '' and at the same time it was
voted that Josiah Dwiglit, Daniel Parsons, George Pynchon and
Jacob White "may have liberty to set up a vessel at the middle
wharfe in said town." This undoubtedly was the first attempt
to navigate a sailing vessel for ferry purposes on the Connecti-
cut river.
The ferries to which allusion is made in preceding para-
graphs probably were located in the vicinity of the North End
Isridge, or the "upper wharfe," the foot of Ferry or Cypress
street, the "middle wharfe," and the South End bridge or
"lower wharfe," respectively. The upper and lower ferries
•were maintained many years, and were a great convenience to
( 163 )
OVB COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
travelers in those localities; but the needs of the inhabitants liv-
ing near the center of business and population in the town re-
quired more ample facilities for communication with the west
side of the river, hence in the early part of the nineteenth cen-
tury the middle ferry gave way to a bridge— one of the pioneer
structures of its kind in the Connecticut valley. As late, how-
ever, as 1831 Hiram Jones was authorized to keep a ferry at
Chicopee, a locality which had not the benefits of a bridge across
the river until within a comparatively recent date.
Bridycs.—\\ hen, in 1786, the construction of a bridge across
the Connecticut river was first proposed the suggestion was re-
ceived Avith ridicule, and the feat was declared by the wiseacres
as impossible to be accomplished. At that time bridges were
not unknoAvn in the valley, but they were few in number, and
were confined to the smaller streams. As early as 1782 the gen-
eral court authorized a lottery enterprise in aid of a bridge over
the Chicopee, on the line of road betAveen Springfield and Had-
ley, another across the Agawam part of Westfield river, in West-
field, and a third across Westfield river at Weller's mills, in the
town of AYestfield. In 1800 the town was authorized to build
a bridge over Westfield "Great river," near Park's mills. In
1816 both Palmer and Westfield petitioned the court of sessions
for aid from the public funds in the construction of bridges in
those toAvns.
Even at that comparatively recent date the construction of
bridges over small streams was regarded as a doubtful under-
taking, and the erection of a bridge across a river so great as the
Connecticut Avas looked upon as an impossible feat. In March,
1792, an incorporated company Avas formed for the purpose of
constructing a bridge over the Connecticut between the towns of
Greenfield and Montague, in the north part of Hampshire
county, and three j'ears later another company Avas chartered
for the same purpose.
Although the proposition to bridge the river Avithin the limits
of Hampden county Avas first made in 1786, no efifective steps in
that direction Avere taken until 1803, AA'hen, on February 22, the
legislature passed "An act for incorporating certain persons for
( 164 )
IXTERXA L IMPRO YEMENIS
the purpose of building a bridge over Connecticut river, and for
supporting the same;" the effective portion of which act was as
follows :
"Whereas a bridge over Connecticut river, between the
towns of Springfield and West Springfield, in the county of
Hampshire, would be of public convenience; and whereas John
Hooker and others have presented a petition to this court pray-
ing for liberty to build the same, and to be incorporated for that
purpose : ' '
"Be it enacted," etc., "That John Hooker, George Bliss,
Joseph Williams, Samuel Fowler, William Sheldon, Jonathan
Dwight, Thomas Dwight, James Scutt Dwight, William Smith,
William Pynchon, Jonathan Smith, jr., Jere Stebbins, Seth
Lathrop, Samuel Lathrop, Justin Ely, jr., Solomon Stebbins,
Peletiah Bliss, Reuben Sikes, Thaddeus Leavitt, Jacob Bliss,
Alexander Bliss, Zebina Stebbins, George Blake, Justin Lom-
bard and Eleazer Williams, with such other persons as already
have associated, or may hereafter associate with them, be, and
they are hereby made and constituted a corporation and body
politic, by the name of The Proprietors of the Springfield
Bridge."
The company was authorized to build a bridge across the
Connecticut at any point between the "the mouth of the Aga-
wam river and the mouth of Plain brook, so called."
In accordance Avith the authority of the act the company at
once began the work of construction, and on October 30, 1805,
the Springfield bridge was completed and opened for traffic. It
was one of the most notable structures of its kind in the country,
and its completion was one of the first successful attempts to
bridge the river at any point throughout its entire length from
Northern Vermont and New Hampshire to Long Island sound.
This pioneer bridge was 1,234 feet long, forty feet above low
water, and cost $36,270. It comprised six spans, or arches, sup-
ported by two abutments and five piers. Thirty rods above the
bridge the company caused two "ice-breaks" to be built in the
river to protect the main structure.
The formal opening was an occasion of joyous celebration
in Springfield and its sister town across the river; and a salute
( 165 )
01 R COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
of seveutcen guns tliree times repeated from each end of the
bridge was one of the events of the day (Rev. Joseph A. Lath-
rop's sermon from Isaiah 45:18, specially prepared for the occa-
sion, Avas another), and the citizens marched through the streets
in honor of the company's achievement.
The folloAving description of the Springfield bridge is taken
from Henry Brewer's Federal Spy, the article being printed
in 1805, viz. :
"This bridge is so constructed with frames upon each pier
connected by long timbers with the arches, that the traveller
passes over nearly the whole extent of it on an elevated plane,
affording a vieAV of extensive landscapes in which are blended
well-cultivated fields, pleasant villages, rivers, meadows, lofty
mountains, and indeed a wildness and variety in the beauties of
nature which is highly gratifying to the eye."
Notwithstanding the favorable circumstances which at-
tended the construction of the Springfield bridge, the structure
itself was short lived, and in its destruction the "knoAving ones"
found verification of their predictions, therefore breathed more
freely and in a measure felt compensated for the great loss the
public had sustained. (3n Jul.y 19, 1814, the bridge fell into
the river and Avas demolished. It Avas an unfortunate eA'ent and
Avas regarded as a public calamity, for the bridge had come to
be regarded as an indispensable convenience to travel between
Boston and Albany. The cause of its destruction is said to have
been the heavily loaded army Avagons used during the Avar of
1812, but the main fault lay in the unnecessarily heavy Aveight
of the bridge itself. In a measure its construction Avas an ex-
periment, the builders having no precedent to guide them and
only their oavu imperfect knoAAdedge of bridge engineering for
the regulation of their Avork. Had the bridge been only half
as lieaA'y, it probably Avould not have fallen.
The loss of the first bridge, hoAveA'er, did not discourage the
company, although the purses of the stockholders had been
drained in its construction. They at once set about rebuilding,
and in Jainiary, 1815, the legislature passed an act authorizing
the company to raise a fund of ^^20,000 by lottery. This Avas
( 166 )
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OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
done, and on October 1. 1816. a new bridge was opened for
travel. It cost about $22,000.
In ]\Iarch, 1818, the second bridge was swept away by high
water, only the abutments and two piers on the west side surviv-
ing the flood. This second loss, following so close upon the
first, Avas a heavy blow to the company, but evidently the man-
agement was not disheartened. Again, however, they had re-
course to the legislature, and by an act passed February 18, 1819.
the ''managers of the Springfield bridge lottery" were directed
to continue their drawings until they had raised the sura author-
ized by the act of 1813 ; and the act further authorized the man-
agers to "draw one class by which they may raise $10,000 for
the benefit of the company, ' ' on condition that the company give
a bond to rebuild the bridge within one year from June 1, 1819.
Agreeable to the provisions of the act, and availing itself of
the lottery enterprise, the company built a third bridge — the old
covered bridge that still spans the river at the foot of Bridge
street. It was completed in the early part of 1820, and its sub-
sequent long life w^as a real disappointment to those who fore-
told the fate of the first bridge ; for it outlived them all, and sur-
vived the ravages of time and flood and fire, even to the present
day. More than four score years the structure has accommo-
dated travel between Springfield and the thickly settled towns
across the river, and for many years it was the only bridge over
the Connecticut within the limits of Hampden county. AYithin
the last twenty-five years the structure frequently has been
strengthened in the hope that its use might be continued, but vir-
tually it is condemned and for some twenty yeare the people
have been clamorous for a new bridge on its site.
The covered bridge was built at a cost of $25,000. It is
1,287 feet long, twenty-eight feet above low water, and eighteen
feet wide. The side walk was added in 1878. It was main-
tained as a toll bridge until 1873, when it was taken by commis-
sioners appointed under the act to abolish the tolP system. It
^The act of incorporation authorized rates of toll as follows : Foot pas-
sengers. 3 cts. ; horse and rider. 7 cts. ; horse and chaise, chair or sulky, 16 cts. ;
coach, chariot, phaeton or other four-wheeled carriage for passengers. 33 cts. ;
( 168 )
OVR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
was purchased for iii:?0,00(), of wliieli the county paid $15,000,
West Springfield, $4,000, Springfield, $10,000, and Agawam,
$1,000. Since that time it has been maintained as a free bridge,
tlie county paying one-half, Springfield one-third and West
Springfield one-sixth of the expense.
The Chicopee bridge, so called, but formerly known as the
Cabot and West Spring-field bridge, dates its history from the
year 1846, when, on March 27, the Cabot and West Springfield
bridge company was incorporated. The bridge itself was built
in 1848-49, and was maintained as a toll bridge until purchased
and made free in 1872. The original founders of the enterprise
were Eobert E. Bemis, Veranus Chapin, Aaron Ashley, Horace
Smith and their associates, who were authorized to build and
maintain a toll bridge across the Connecticut at Ashley's ferry,
so called, or between that point and Jones' ferry, as the county
commissioners should determine.
When taken and made a free bridge in 1872 the company
received $36,000, one-half of which was paid by the county at
large, one-third by Chicopee, and one-sixth by West Springfield.
The subsequent cost of maintenance has been paid by Chicopee,
two-thirds, and West Springfield one-third.
The Agawam bridge company was incorporated June 4,
1856, by Lyman Whitman, Thomas Kirkland, Henry Fuller,
Henry Sikes, Luther Loomis, Henry Wolcott, Charles G. Rice,
Elijah Bliss, J. R. Cooley, Horace Cutler and their associates,
for the purpose of building and maintaining a toll bridge across
the Connecticut between the city of Springfield and the town of
Agawam, "at or near the present ferry," as stated in the act;
but notwithstanding the efforts put forth by the company, the
bridge was not built by the original proprietors. The legislature
frequently extended the time for completion, and finally, in
1873, an act of the general court authorized the construction of
a free bridge at that point. Even then six more years passed
before the work was accomplished and the people of Agawam
were given direct communication with the county seat.
curricle, 25 cts. ; horse and sleigh drawn by one horse, 10 cts.. and if drawn by
more than one horse, 12M; cts.; neat cattle, 3 cts.; sheep or swine, 1 cent.
( 170 )
IMERXAL niPFOVEMEXTS
The South End bridge, successor to the proposed Agawam
bridge, was built in 1879, at a cost of $116,188 ; of which sum the
county paid $11,000, Springfield, $75,522, and Agawam, $29,666.
The expense of maintenance is borne by Springfield and Aga-
wam, the former paying eighty-five per cent, and the latter fif-
teen per cent, of the cost.
The Holyoke and South Hadley Falls bi'idge company^ was
incorporated April 27, 1865, by Alonzo Bardwell, S. S. Chase,
Stephen Holman and others, to build and maintain a toll bridge
between Holyoke and South Hadley Falls in Hampshire county.
In 1870 an act of the legislature authorized the county commis-
sioners of Hampshire and Hampden counties to lay out a high-
Avay and construct a free bridge between these places, and in
May following authority was granted to contract with the Con-
necticut river railroad company for the use of its bridge for
traffic. In 1872 the bridge was made free. In 1873 a new Hol-
yoke and South Hadley bridge was built at a total cost of $162,-
780. Of this sum Hampden county paid $35,500, Holyoke,
$85,780, Hampshire county, $17,500, South Hadley, $15,000,
Belchertown, $3,500, and Granby, $5,500. For subsequent
maintenance Holyoke has paid eighty per cent, and South Had-
ley twenty per cent.
The present Holyoke and South Hadley bridge was built in
1890, and cost $169,300. This expense was apportioned as fol-
lows : Hampden county, $50,060 ; Chicopee, $2,500 ; Holyoke,
$85,615; Hampshire county, $17,770; South Hadley, $9,355;
Belchertown, $1,500; Granby, $2,500.
The North End bridge in Springfield, one of the most sub-
stantial structures of its kind in the Connecticut valley, and an
honor to any municipality, was built in 1878, and cost $170,904.
Of this amount West Springfield paid $25,780, and Springfield,
$145,124. In maintenance Springfield contributes eighty-five
per cent, and AVest Springfield fifteen per cent.
^The original Holyoke and South Hadley Falls bridge company was incor-
porated April 24, 1850, by Alonzo Bardwell, Charles Peck, James H. Clapp and
others, and was authorized to build and maintain a toll bridge across the Con-
necticut for a period of sixty years after the bridge was opened for traffic.
( 171 )
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INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS
The Willimansett bridge, an original structure, was built
in 1893, and cost $178,326.69. Of this amount the county at
large paid $20,000, Chicopee, $52,775.56, and Holyoke, $105,-
551.13.
From what is stated in preceding paragraphs it will be seen
that the county, and the towns charged with the cost, have paid
(or are to pay) for bridges now in use across the Connecticut
river, the principal sum of $790,873.69, divided as follows:
Hampden county, $149,560 ; Chicopee, $60,275.56 ; West Spring-
field, $35,780; Springfield, $230,646; Agawam, $30,666; Hol-
yoke, $276,946.13.
Canals.— Boon after 1790 the subject of artificial waterways
on the Connecticut river for transportation purposes was first
discussed in business and legislative circles in Massachusetts,
and in 1792 an act of the general court incorporated ' ' The Pro-
prietors of the Locks and Canals on the Connecticut River."
The incorporators and prime movers of the then gigantic under-
taking were chiefly resident in Hampshire county, but the com-
pany included a number of prominent men in what afterward
was Hampden county, among them being John Worthington,
Samuel Lyman, Jonathan Dwight, John Hooker and William
Smith, of Springfield, Samuel Fowler of Westfield, and Justin
Ely, of West Springfield. The object of the company Avas to
construct canals around the falls at South Hadley, thus opening
the Connecticut as a navigable waterway for rafts and boats of
light burthen.
Although the managers of the enterprise worked diligently
to accomplish the task of building a canal around both the lower
and the upper falls, they found the undertaking far more diffi-
cult and expensive than was at first expected, therefore the ori-
ginal company contented itself with building only the lower
canal, Avhile a new corporation, created by the legislature in 1794,
undertook the work of constructing a canal around the upper
falls, or rapids.
However, the entire undertaking was greater than was con-
templated by either company, and the work was retarded by
many embarrassing obstacles; but at last, after several years,
( 173 )
OLE' COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
the canals were substantially completed and put in operation,
although they never met with the success they really deserved.
It was not only a new undertaking, but a pioneer enterprise in
the country, and one in which the projectors had no precedent
to follow-.
The Hampshire and Hampden canal was more particularly
a local enterprise, and one in which the substantial men of "West-
field were deeply interested. The Hampshire and Hampden
canal company was incorporated February 4, 1823, and was
authorized to build and maintain a canal from Northampton to
the Connecticut state line, passing through the towns of North-
ampton, Easthampton and Southampton in Hampshire county
and Westfield and Southwick in Hampden county. The incor-
porators were Samuel Hinckley, Ebenezer Hunt, Ferdinand H.
Wright, Isaac Damon, Eliphalet Williams, Samuel Fowler, Eli-
jah Bates, William Atwater, Enos Foote, John Mills, Heman
Laflin and their associates.
Under its charter the company was authorized "to locate,
construct and fully complete a navigable canal, with locks, tow-
paths, basins, wharves, dams, embankments, toll houses, and
other necessary appendages, ' ' between the points previously' men-
tioned, "with pow'cr to employ and use as reservoirs or feeders,
the different ponds, rivers and stream of water, near or over
which said canal may pass, and also to save the floods and other
waters of the ponds, rivers and streams, so used as aforesaid, and
said corporation shall have power to connect with said canal, by
feeders or by navigable canals, any and all said ponds, rivers,
streams and reservoirs."
The company was allowed ten years in which to complete
the canal, and on February 20, 1832, the time was extended to
January 1, 1835. The work was finished as far as Westfield
soon after 1830, and to Northampton in 1834. About this time,
however, the company was in financial straits, and in April,
1836, an act of the legislature incorporated the New Haven and
Northampton canal company, which succeeded by purchase and
absorption to the rights, privileges and franchises of the older
company. By this consolidation a continuous line of canal
( 174 )
RAILBOADS
under a single management was in operation between New
Haven and Northampton. In its time it was regarded as a re-
markable waterway, from which great good accrued to the towns
of AVestfield and Southwick,
This once famous avenue of travel and transportation was
kept in operation until about 18-17, when overpowering railroad
competition compelled a suspension of business. It is still fondly
remembered by many citizens of AYestfield and Southwick, and
traces of it are yet discernible in several localities. It crossed
Westfield river on a wooden aqueduct on stone piers, and about
a quarter of a mile above Salmon Falls a dam was built across
the same stream to insure a feed supply of Avater. The first
dam proved unsatisfactory and a new one was constructed just
above the falls. Traces of the feeder canal can now be seen be-
tween the railroad and the river, and in places the mason work
where the gates were built is vet visible.
CHAPTER XIII
INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS— RAILROADS
The first effective act to incorporate a railroad company,
whose line of road should pass through Hampden county, was
adopted by the legislature March 15, 1833, when Nathan Hale,
David Henshaw, George Bond, Henry Williams, Daniel Dewey,
Joshua Clapp and Eliphalet Williams were granted a charter
under the name of the Western railroad corporation, for the pur-
pose of constructing and operating a railroad from the western
terminus of the Boston and Worcester road, at Worcester, to the
New York state line on the western border of Massachusetts.
The capital stock of the company at first was limited to $2,000,-
000, and was taken by more than 2,200 subscribers. The com-
pany, however, was not fully organized until January, 1836,
when the following board of directors was chosen: John B.
( 175 )
CQ
EAlLliOADS
Wales, Edniinid Uwiglit, George Bliss, William Lawrence,
Henry Kice, John Henshaw, Francis Jackson, Josiali Quincy,
jr., and Justice Willard,
For more than forty years previous to this act of incorpora-
tion the capitalists of eastern Massachusetts had been looking
anxiously for more direct and rapid means of communication
with the western portion of the state than Avas afforded by the
transportation wagons and stages doing business on the estab-
lished turnpike roads, and as early as 1792 the "Proprietors of
the Massachusetts Canal" were incorporated for the purpose of
constructing a canal across the state from east to west; and to
this end surveys, maps and estimates were made, but beyond
these preliminary proceedings nothing was accomplished. After
this much had been done, the subject of a canal was one of dis-
cussion only until 1825, Avhen Governor Eustis recommended the
appointment of three commissioners to ascertain the practicabil-
ity of constructing a canal from Boston harbor to the Connecti-
cut river, and thence to ultimately extend the same to the Hud-
son river. In answer to this suggestion a commission was es-
tablished and several routes were examined and discussed, but
in 1826 the legislature tabled the report of the commissioners
and repealed the enabling act, which for a time put an end to the
matter, for still more rajoid means of transportation had in the
meantime been put into operation in other states and was the
subject of earnest discussion among capitalists in Boston.
In 1826 petitions were presented to the legislature asking
that the committee on roads and canals cause preliminary sur-
veys to be made for a "railway" from Boston to the Hudson
river, the same to be operated by horse power, for steam roads
then were not in existence, although such an innovation had been
suggested as possible. The next two years were spent in exam-
ining proposed routes, making surveys and discussing the ad-
visability of the undertaking, with result in a report favorable
to the enterprise. In 1828 an act of the legislature established
a "board of directors of internal improvements," comprising
nine members, and in the same year ^he New York legislature
gave further encouragement to the work by passing "an act to
12-1 ( 177 )
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
facilitate the construction of a railroad from the city of Boston
to the Hudson river," and pledged that state to continue to the
Hudson river the road proposed to be built by jVIassachusetts
from Boston to the New York line.
On June 2, 1831, the Boston and Worcester railroad cor-
poration was created by act of the legislature, with a capital of
$1,000,000, and with authority to build and maintain a railroad
from Boston to Worcester. The company was organized May
1, 1832. On March 15, 1833, the directors of the aforesaid com-
pany were further incorporated as "The Western railroad cor-
poration," with an authorized capital of not more than 20,000
shares of $100 each, for the purpose of constructing a railroad
from Worcester to the Connecticut river, at Springfield, and
thence to the westerly boundary of the state. The Boston and
Worcester company had exclusive control of the charter of the
Western company. On May 5, 1834, the New York legislature
granted a charter to the Castleton and West Stockbridge rail-
road company (the name was changed in 1836 to the Albany
and West Stockbridge railroad company) to build a railroad
from Greenbush to the Massachusetts line ; and with this action
the entire line of road was provided for, but not built. The
road from Boston to Worcester w^as completed and opened for
traffic July 4, 1835.
The construction of the Western railroad west of Worces-
ter was accomplished only after many vicissitudes. The lead-
ing spirits of tlie enterprise in Springfield were George Bliss,
Caleb Rice, AY. H. Bowdoin and Justice Willard, but notwith-
standing their strenuous efforts the people were slow to invest
their money in the undertaking, regarding its ultimate success
as doubtful. The need of a road from Worcester to Spring-
field Avas conceded, and Springfield finally awakened to that fact.
A public meeting was held in the town hall early in January.
1835, and resulted in a call for a general convention to be held
in Worcester in May following. Then the road became an as-
sured fact and the people set themselves diligently to work to
accomplish that end. Surveys were at once begun and lines
were even run in the direction of Hartford.
( 178 )
O
p
o
03
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
It has beeu said that this very fact stirred the Springfield
people to action, for the projectors of the road, on learning of
the apathy which existed in Springfield, suggested a road from
"Worcester to Albany by way of Hartford. Indeed, the Hart-
ford capitalists entered earnestly into the plan in gootl faith and
caused surveys to be made from that city to Worcester, and also
examined routes leading to the westward.
Early in June, 1836, the capital stock of the Western road
had been subscribed, upon which the company Avas organized,
with George Bliss and Justice Willard, of Springfield, members
of the board of directors. On March 16 Mr. Bliss was appointed
agent of the company. He had been one of the chief advocates
of the road from the beginning, and to his influence more than
any other man is due its construction through Springfield. Sur-
veys on the route between Worcester and Springfield were be-
gun in the spring of 1836, and early in the sunnner three parties
of surveyors were operating west of the Connecticut. Several
routes were suggested and examined, and for some time it was
quite uncertain which was the most desirable. East of the river
the work of construction was begun in 1836, and was so far com-
pleted that passenger trains were run from Boston to Spring-
field, October 1, 1839.
In the meantime work west of Springfield was jirogressing
slowly, and the funds of the company were exhausted before the
line was half built. In 1836 the legislature had been petitioned
for state aid in the establishment of the Western railroad bank,
to be operated in Boston in connection with the railroad, and
while this request was not granted, the legislature authorized
the treasurer to subscribe $1,000,000 stock in behalf of the state,
and in 1838 the state pledged its credit to the extent of $2,100,-
000 more in behalf of the enterprise. Again in 1839 the state
in the same manner contributed $1,200,000, and finally, in 1841,
gave $700,000 more with which the road was completed.
During the years 1838-40 the work of construction was
pushed vigorously, and with the contribution of money by the
state in 1841 the road was finished to the New York state line.
On May 24 the road was opened to Chester, and on October 4,
( 180 )
EAILBOADS
followiug, the entire road from the Connecticut to the state line
was ready for business. The long bridge across the river at
Springfield was finished July i, 1841, and cost $131,612.12. (The
present bridge was erected in 1872, at a cost of $262,000.) That
part of the road between Albany and the junction of the Hud-
son and Berkshire roads, at Chatham Four Corners, was com-
pleted and opened December 21, 1841, on which day trains be-
gan running between Boston and Albany, on the longest continu-
ous line of railway then in operation in the United States.
The completion of the railroad Avas an event of great impor-
tance in the history of Springfield, the central point between the
termini of the line. At that time the town had less than 11,000
inhabitants, and while the population during the next ten years
increased hardly more than 1,000, every business enterprise was
enhanced in value. When it was finally decided to build the
road through the town, and all doubts on the subject were re-
moved, there was an exciting time in real estate circles in the
locality and charges of manipulation and unfairness were made
in certain quarters ; but whatever ill feelings may have been en-
gendered, they soon gave way in the general prosperity, and
contentment prevailed in every circle of domestic life.
When completed and in operation the line of railroad be-
tween Boston and Albany was owned by three corporations, and
the division of revenue soon gave rise to difficulties, to the injury
of all concerned through loss of business. The only satisfac-
tory settlement of this condition of affairs lay in consolidation
of interests, and on December 1, 1867, the Boston and Albany
railroad company was the result. This company operated the
road until January, 1901, when, with its branches, it passed by
lease into the hands of the Central Hudson, or Vanderbilt, sys-
tem.
The Hartford and Springfield railroad corporation, now a
part of the great New York, New Haven and Hartford system,
was chartered April 5, 1839, with $300,000 capital, and author-
ity to build and maintain a railroad from Chicopee river, in the
tow^n of Springfield, to the south line of Massachusetts, there to
meet a line of road owned by a Connecticut corporation. The
( 181 )
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RAILROADS
incorporators were Charles Stearns, George Dwiglit, Stephen
0. Kussel and George Bliss, and their associates. The road was
opened in 1844, but the part north of the Western railroad was
not built. In the same year the stockholders of the Hartford
and New Haven company, a Connecticut corporation, were au-
thorized to acquire stock in the Hartford and Springfield com-
pany, which being done the name of the latter changed to New
Haven and Springfield company. In 1845 the name changed
to New Haven, Hartford and Springfield, and in 1847 to Hart-
ford and New Haven company. On April 5, 1872, the road
consolidated with other lines, upon which the corporation be-
came known as the New York, New Haven and Hartford rail-
road company.
The completion of this road opened communication with the
large cities of Connecticut— Hartford and New Haven— and
also gave Springfield direct trade with New York city as well as
indirect advantages of ocean commerce. Next to the AVestern
railroad it ranked in importance in promoting local interests,
and in later years it has been a question whether the road down
the valley has not been a more benefit to business interests in
Springfield than the old line.
The Northampton and Springfield railroad company— a
part of the now known Boston and Maine system — was incor-
porated March 1, 1842, with $400,000 capital, and with authority
to build and operate a railroad from a point within one mile of
the court house in Northampton, crossing the Connecticut river
near Mt. Holyoke and passing down the east side thereof through
Hadley, South Hadley and Springfield to meet the track of the
Hartford and Springfield road near Cabotville; or to diverge
from this line in South Hadley and pass over the ''Plain" and
Chicopee river, near the falls, and unite with the Western rail-
road east of the depot in Springfield. The incorporators named
in the act were John Clark, Samuel L. Hinckley, Stephen Brewer,
Jonathan H. Butler, Winthrop Hillyer and their associates. In
1845 the company w^as authorized to change the route of the road,
cross the Connecticut at Willimansett and to extend a branch to
Chicopee Falls.
( 183 )
01 R COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
The road was built and put in operation about 1847. It
was and is an important link in the chain of railroads through
the Connecticut valley, and has brought much trade to Spring-
field from Northampton and other localities in Hampshire and
Franklin counties. In later years the road passed through
various changes and ultimately became a part of the Boston and
Maine system.
Next in the order of incorporation was the INIt. Holyoke
railroad company, chartered by the legislature May 27, 1846,
with $200,000 capital. This road, according to the description
of its proposed route in the creating act, was to start in Hock-
anum. and thence pass through Hadley, South Hadley and a
part of the town of Springfield to a point near "Willimansett, in
what now is the town of Chicopee. Only a small part of this
road Avas located in Hampden county, and as a factor in local
history it had little importance, hence not more than a passing
allusion to it is necessary in this chapter.
The New London, Willimantic and Palmer railroad com-
pany was incorporated April 10, 1848, as a part of a line of roads
intended to extend from New London, Conn., into the upper
Connecticut valley, between Vermont and New Hampshire. The
act creating the company named Andrew W. Porter, Franklin
Newell, Elisha Converse. Sylvester Parks and AVilliam N. Flynt
as incorporators, they being the chief promoters of the enter-
prise. The capital of the company was $200,000, with which
it was proposed to build the road from Palmer through Monson
to the state line, and there unite with a road to be built to that
point by a Connecticut company. In 1847 the New London,
Willimantic and Springfield railroad company Avas incorporated
for the purpose of building a road from New London to Spring-
field, but in the next year a new act and new company changed
the route to Palmer. The road was opened in 1849-50. being
completed to Palmer September 20, of the latter year. Subse-
quently it became a part of the N. L. &. N. R. R. company's line,
and still later was operated as part of the Central Vermont sys-
tem. The New London and Northern company was chartered
in Massachusetts in 1860.
( 184 )
EAILROADS
The Indian Orchard railroad company, whose line subse-
(luently became one of the branches of the Boston and Albany,
was incorporated May 1, 1849, with $50,000 capital, by Warren
Delano, jr.. Timothy W. Carter, Addison Ware and Frederick
A. Barton, "and their associates," with authority to build a rail-
road "from some convenient point on the land of the Indian Or-
chard canal company^ upon or near the southerly side of Chico-
pee river, in the town of Springfield, passing in the most con-
venient and feasible direction to the Western railroad within
said town of Springfield, uniting with said Western railroad at
a point within two miles of the 93d milestone upon said Western
railroad. ' '
The Springfield and Longmeadow railroad company, uow
known as the Springfield branch of the N. Y., N. H. & H. system,
was incorporated INIay 2. 1849, by John Mills, Marvin Chapin,
Caleb Rice, George Bliss and Willis Phelps, the latter being the
leading spirit of the enterprise. The capital stock was $150,-
000, and while the organizers unquestionably acted in perfect
good faith and by their efforts built a line of road through a fer-
tile agricultural country, later events proved that the same
should not have been opened. Under the charter the company
was authorized to build and operate a line of railroad from
"some convenient point on the Western railroad (the company
chose Springfield) southeasterly to the line of the state at the
south line of the east parish of Longmeadow." At this point
the road united with that of a Connecticut company, and was
continued southerly to Hartford. By an act passed May 26,
1869, the name was changed to Springfield and New London
railroad company.
The Amherst and Belchertown railroad company was incor-
porated May 24, 1851, by Edward Hitchcock, Itharaar Conkey,
Edward Dickinson, Myron Lawrence, Luke Sweetser and others,
for the purpose of constructing a railroad from the depot in
Palmer north to the road of the Vermont and INIassachusetts
company. In 1852 the stockholders of the New London, Willi-
'^The Indian Orchard canal company was incorporated Marcli 10. 1887. to
create a water power for manufacturing purposes in the town of Springfield.
( 185 )
OJJR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
mantic and Palmer eoiiipany were authorized to purchase stock
in the new company, which was the beginning of a process of ab-
sorption. In 1853 the road was opened from Palmer to Amherst,
and in 1860 the name of the operating company became known
as the New London and Northern. With other parts of the con-
tinuous line the Amherst and Belehertown road was subse-
quently leased to the Central Vermont company.
The Ware River railroad company was originally incorpor-
ated May 24, 1851, by Charles Stevens, Jason Gorham, William
Mixter and others, and was authorized to build and operate a
railroad from the depot on the N. L., W. & P. company in
Palmer, through and up the valley of Ware river ; thence across
to the valley of Burntshirt stream, and thence in a northeast
course to meet the Monadnock railroad on the New Hampshire
line. The capital of the company was $800,000. In 1853 the
road was leased to the connecting companies, but later on com-
plications followed and the charter practically was forfeited.
After a series of difficulties matters were adjusted and the legis-
lature revived the old charter by an act passed March 16, 1867.
Afterward the road Avas leased to the Boston and Albany com-
pany, by which it is now operated under the name of Ware river
branch.
The Hampden railroad company was incorporated May 20,
1852, with $175,000 capital, by Abner Post, James Fowler, Ira
Yeomans, jr., Matthew Ives and N. T. Leonard, and was author-
ized to build a railroad from "some convenient point near the
depot of the Western railroad in Westfield, thence on or near
the line of the canal [the old Hampshire and Hampden canal]
to the line of Connecticut at some convenient point in Granby. "
The old canal is mentioned elsewhere. As a carrier sys-
tem it passed out of existence about 1847, being compelled to sus-
pend operations by the overpoM^ering competition of the railroad
running through the Connecticut valley. In order to replace
the canal with modern means of transportation a railroad was
laid out on substantially the same course. South of Granby
the road Avas built by a Connecticut corporation. The Hamp-
den railroad was built between 1853 and 1856, but before comple-
tion it merged in the Hampshire and Hampden company.
( 186 )
RAILROADS
The Noi'tliamptou and AYestfield railroad company was in-
corporated May 22, 1852, with $200,000 capital, by Samuel Wil-
liston, John Clarke, Noah L. Strong, Ira Yeomans, jr., Alfred
L. Strong and others, and with authority to build and operate
a railroad from some point in Northampton, through that town,
also through Easthampton, Southampton and Westfield to a
point on the Western railroad in the town last mentioned.
This road was a continuation of the Hampden road by a
separate corporation. In the meantime another railroad north
of Northampton had been put in operation, and by an act of the
legislature passed May 25, 1853, the three companies, the Hamp-
shire & Hampden, the Northampton & AVesttield and the North-
ampton & Shelburne Falls, were consolidated under the name
of the Hampshire and Hampden railroad company. In 1857
this company was united with the Connecticut river road, and
still later was constituted a part of the N. Y., N. H. & H.
The Springfield and Farmington valley railroad company
was incorporated May 16, 1856, with $300,000 capital, by James
M. Blanchard, Edward Southworth, Willis Phelps, Samuel Day,
Caleb Rice and others, for the purpose of building a railroad
from the terminus of the Farmington valley road in Connecti-
cut, through Southwick, Feeding Hills, Mitteneague and West
Springfield to a point in Springfield near the Western depot.
The Holyoke and Westfield railroad company was incor-
porated June 12, 1869, by J. C. Parsons and Edwin Chase of
Holyoke, and Curtis Laflin, of Westfield, for the purpose of
building a railroad from Holyoke to Westfield for the benefit of
manufacturing interests of the former city, whose owners pre-
ferred not to be limited to a single line of railway in shipping
their products to market. The road was built in 1871 and for
years Avas operated by the New Haven & Northampton company.
It now forms a part of the N. Y., N. H. & H.
The Springfield and Athol railroad company was incorpor-
ated May 12, 1871, by Abner B. Abbe, Henry W. Phelps, Eze-
kiel Blake and others, who, with $300,000 capital, proposed to
extend the Athol and Enfield road to Springfield. On INIarch 20,
1872, the Athol & Enfield company was authorized to extend its
( 187 )
OVR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
road to the city, which action was the result of a union of inter-
ests; and in 1873 the legislature changed the name of the con-
solidated companies to Springfield, Athol and Northeastern. The
road from Barrett's Junction to Springfield was built in 1873.
The entire road is now operated as the Athol branch of the Bos-
ton & Albany.
CHAPTER XIV.
CONNECTICUT RIVER NAVIGATION
If it were possible at this day to narrate every interesting
event in connection with the numerous attempts to establish a
profitable system of navigation on the Connecticut, this chapter
would begin with the voyage of Governor AYinthrop's sailing
vessel up the river in 1636, when ^Ir. Pynehon's planters shipped
their effects from Roxbury to their future home on the site of
Springfield. How the master of the vessel ever succeeded in
safely passing the rapids and rocks and shoals in the river at
Windsor and Enfield, no chronicler of past history has been kind
enough to inform us, yet they did accomplish the task and safely
landed the cargo at its destination without unseemly delay.
Within two years after this event another of almost equal
importance took place, and likewise was successfully accom-
plished. It will be remembered that after the Pequot war the
planters living in the lower Connecticut valley were reduced to
great want, and that Captain Mason visited the plantation then
called Agawam, where dwelt Mr. Pynehon's colony, and re-
quested that he be supplied with much needed articles of food.
But unfortunately the planters had not enough food supply for
their own wants, upon which Captain IVIason proceeded up the
river to the Indian village of Pocomtuck (Deerfield), where he
bargained with the natives for an abundant supply of corn.
Having completed the purchase the grain Avas laden in fifty
canoes and the entire fleet passed down the river to the settle-
ments of the whites in the Connecticut colonies.
( 188 )
CONNECTICUT FIVER NAVIGATION
This notable event early in Massachusetts history cannot be
regarded as an attempt at river navigation on the Connecticut,
but it was a primitive beginning in that direction. The Indians
from time immemorial had used the river as an avenue of travel
betAveen the upper and loAver portions of the valley, and for a
number of years after they were forcibly driven from the region
they frequently returned to their favorite haunts and sought to
repossess the country. They loved the river and were at per-
fect ease in paddling their frail canoes over its waters, yet the
white-faced pioneer who came to till the soil naturally shrank
from the use of the river for purposes other than those actually
required of him. To him it was a stream too large for con-
venient and safe use, and it was not until the valley was well
settled that river navigation for commercial purposes was
thought of, and when the first attempts were made in this direc-
tion serious obstacles were to be removed and overcome.
That the Connecticut river never has been made generally
navigable for steam craft for commercial purposes has occasioned
considerable comment among persons not acquainted with the
history of the valley country. In early times the lumbermen of
the upper valley regions rafted logs and lumber down its waters
to market, but they did so frequently at the hazard of their lives
and property, as rafts sometimes were broken in making the falls
and rapids of Hadley and Enfield. Mr. Dewey, in his article
on "Early Navigation," informs us that as early as 1790 the
Hollanders built a canal at South Hadley Falls, and passed
boats "up and down on an inclined plane." It was a slow
process, not free from risk, and while sufficient for the time it
had not the capacity to carry large boats. According to Mr.
Dewey's description, the upAvard passage of the canal was
etfected by placing a large triangular box under the boat and
drawing it forward through the canal by means of a cable or
rope, using a horse windlass or "sweep" for power.
In this primitive fashion a boat of light draught might pass
the falls at South Hadley, and a like canal at the upper falls
allowed passage at that point. But the results as a whole were
unsatisfactory. Lower down the river, in the vicinity of En-
( 189 )
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
field, and also at AVindsor, obstructions similar to those at Had-
ley prevented the free passage of boats, and the people of Con-
necticut were slow to improve the channel for the purpose of
navigation. And here it may be said with much truth that had
that state made a determined effort to free the river from ob-
structions the stream now would be navigable for vessels of mod-
erate draught as far north as the great dam at Holyoke. It is
only within the last score or so of years that Connecticut has
taken steps to improve its harbors along Long Island sound,
while neither state nor national assistance has been asked for the
improvement of the great Connecticut river, a natural avenue
of trade and commerce far superior to many rivers of the South
upon which millions of dollars have been expended in making
them navigable.
In his reminiscences of early navigation on the river, Mr.
Dewey says: "In the early part of the present [nineteenth]
century, and before the locks and canal at Enfield were built, the
boats used for the transportation of freight were quite small. A
ten-ton boat was considered a large one at that time. These
boats, bound for Springfield, or above, were propelled, unless the
wind was favorable for sailing, by the laborious process of pol-
ing. A number of men, called fallsmen, kept themselves in
readiness at the foot of the falls, that is, Warehouse Point, to
assist in 'polling over the falls'— the boats carrying six or eight
tons. The article of rum constituted quite a proportion of the
freight in those days. ' '
"During these years of boating over Enfield falls, the 'John
Cooley boating company' was formed, consisting of John Cooley,
Hosea Day, Roderick Palmer, Henry Palmer, James Brewer
and the Messrs. Dwight, of Springfield. A few years after (in
1820), Edmund and Frederick Palmer and Roderick Ashley
joined the company, afterwards Sylvester Day and the INIessrs.
Stebbins."
"The locks and canal at Enfield Avere built in 1826. and
thereafter the freight boats began to increase in size till at last
the capacity of some of the Springfield boats reached sixty or
seventy tons. But before this time a trial of steamboating was
( 190 )
CONXECTICIT KIVER X AY WAT ION
made. A company was formed for the purpose of the naviga-
tion of the river above Hartford, and bore the name of the 'Con-
necticut river valley steamboat company.' Its members chiefly
resided in Hartford, although a few were scattered along the line
of the river. Charles Stearns, of Springfield, was a member;
also Gen. David Culver, of Lyme, N. H., who afterward became
an active partner in the boating company of 'Stockbridge, Cul-
ver & Co.' and the inventor of a number of improvements in
boating machinery. ' '
From the narrative referred to it seems that the steamboat
company continued operations only one season, running the
"Barnet, " a small side-wheeled, high-pressure boat of twenty
horse power, under Captain Nutt, master. In 1830, Colonel
Clinton, son of De Witt Clinton, ran a steamboat on the river,
and on July 4, 1832, one account says that Dr. Dean was drowned
from the "Adam Duncan." In 1831 the "John Ledyard" was
put on the river.
Steam navigation on the Connecticut dates from about 1830.
when the Barnet made her initial trip. The boat was capable
of running five miles an hour up stream, and under Pilot Roder-
ick Palmer, of West Springfield, made trips as far north as Bel-
lows Falls, Vt., but she could not ascend the rapids at Enfield.
In 1827 Thomas Blanchard, an employee at the U. S. arsenal at
Springfield, an ingenious mechanic having a knowledge of boat-
building, built the "Blanchard," a side-wheeled steamer, and
made a trial trip to Hadley in July, 1828. In September he run
the boat with an excursion party of sixtj' persons to Hartford.
According to recognized authority, Mr. Blanchard engaged
quite extensively in river navigation about this time, though
with what financial results is not definitely known. Following
his venture several other boats were put on the river, in some of
which he had an interest. One of these was the "Springfield,"
(said to have been the Blanchard, rechristened). Another was
the "Vermont," built in Springfield in 1829 for a Brattleboro
company, and which was drawn from the boat yard through
Main and Elm streets to the foot of Harvard street, where it was
launched. The "Massachusetts" was another, launched April
( 191 )
OVR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
14, 1831, a boat niiiety-six feet long and the largest craft on the
river. She Avas in service twelve years. Still another steamer
was the ''Agawani," built in Springfield by Erastns Reed, of
Longmeadow, for Frink, Chapin & Co., proprietors of the stage
line, who began carrying passengers to and from Hartford by
steamer. Then there was the '"Phoenix," a staunch boat, whose
owner's name is not recalled.
In 1831 the "Hampden" began running as a freight-towing
boat, under the proprietorship of John Cooley & Co. The ' ' Ver-
mont" began carrying passengers for Sargent & Chapin. The
"Wm. Hall" also appeared as a towing boat under the owner-
ship of the Connecticut river valley steamboat company, and
about the same time the "James Dwight" made daily round trips
between Springfield and Hartford. The "Franklin" and the
"Eagle" are also to be mentioned among the early boats on the
river during what has been termed the navigation period.^
It is quite probable that during the period in Avhich river
navigation was an established industry other boats were built
and in operation on the Connecticut, but the names of all of them
cannot be recalled at this time. The period referred to extended
from about 1828 to about 1850, when the newly built Hartford
and Springfield railroad superseded steamboating as a carrier
system just as effectually and more permanently than the latter
did the old stage lines. In later years both freight and passen-
ger boats Avere kept running Avith some attempt at regularity, but
the results from a business vieAv Avere not fully satisfactory. The
sound steamers came up the river as far as Hartford, but could
not pass Enfield in safety, and Avhen the railroad system betAveen
Springfield and New Haven Avas in complete operation there was
a rapid decline in river navigation. HoAvever, betAveen North-
^Alonzo Converse is our authority for the statement that the tirm of Cooley
& Co. at one time had as many as seven or eight transportation boats on the
river, while Converse & Co. had as many more. The firm first mentioned com-
l)rised John Cooley, Edmund Palmer, Frederick Palmer, Daniel Kly and a Mr.
Day. Converse & Co. comprised Isaac Converse, Henry Palmer, Horace Har-
mon and George Douglas. Our informant also says (and what he says may be
regarded as reliable) that both companies did a paying business on the river
until 184.">, or thereabouts, and that then they were "bought off" by the rail-
road company.
( 192 )
•? ■« 5
S: «
s *
< -s
1-13
01 R COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
ampton aud Hartford steamers for pleasure purposes have
always been run on the river.
THE SHAD FISHERIES
It is sometimes difficult to believe that a pursuit so promis-
ing of permanent substantial results could have been completely
destroyed as were the shad fisheries which were so famous in the
Connecticut river region previous to the construction of the dam
at Enfield. Every citizen of Hampden county is well aware of
the fact that shad in large quantities at one time were taken
from the river, but it is not generally understood that the estab-
lished fisheries along that stream once constituted an important
industry in the region.
Whoever has read the earlier chapters of this work has
learned that the Indians of Western Massachusetts dwelt in the
Connecticut valley chiefly on account of the multitude of sal-
mon and shad that inhabited the waters of the region, and also
that when driven from the country as a result of their own base
treachery and ingratitude, they sought again to be permitted to
return and live in the locality of their old fishing grounds. Dur-
ing King Philip's war the half-starved Avarriors who were allied
to that merciless savage were beaten back from the frontier set-
tlements and found refuge in the upper part of the province in
the region where fish did most abound. When the first whites
came into the valley to locate the sites for their proposed future
abode, they soon discovered that the waters of the Connecticut
and its principal tributaries were plentifully stocked with sal-
mon and shad — the most nutritous of table fish known at that
time— and reported the fact to the eastern planters as an argu-
ment in favor of settling a colony in the new region. And when
the settlements were founded the products of the streams were
more frequently an article of daily food than meat of either do-
mestic or wild animals.
From about 1675 to about 1845 fishing was an established
industry in Hampden county, or the region that in 1812 became
so named. At first the towns under the laws of the general
court regulated the fishing privileges in the smaller streams, and
( 194 )
COXNECTICUr FIVER NAVIGATION
in 1677 the town of Springfield voted that "Goodman" Lamb,
Joseph Crowfoot, Sergeant INIorgan, John Clarke, senior, and
Charles Ferry, "with snch others as they shall take with them,"
be granted license to fish in the Chicopee river from the falls to
the month of the stream. The town also fixed the price to be
charged for fish sold among the settlers, viz. : For fresh sal-
mon at the river, 6d., in the village Sd. For fresh shad a half
penny at the river and one penny in the village. The price of
salt (packed or preserved for later use or shipment) fish was
fixed at 12c?. for "all that shall be transported."
The Westfield river, as far up as the point called Salmon
falls, was long noted for its abundance of salmon and shad. In-
deed, Salmon falls was so named in allusion to one of these spe-
cies of fish, which once swarmed in its waters. According to
established records, in 1685 Deacon Burt, Miles Morgan, Thomas
Mirrick (Merrick) and their associates were licensed to take fish
from the waters of Agawam (Westfield) river, and also from the
€hicopee ; and in 1687 Henry Chapin was granted the privilege
of fishing in Chicopee river, "so far as Schonungonuck fal or
"bar," undoubtedly meaning the falls of Chicopee river. These
pioneer fishermen were allowed to construct "wards" for taking
fish.
Throughout the entire period of the eighteenth century, and
during the first forty years of the nineteenth, the Connecticut
river was famous for its shad fisheries. In 1793 the dam at
Turner's Falls was built, and thereafter the fish could not pass
above that barrier. About three years later a dam was con-
structed across the river at South Hadley, and afterward fishing
for the market was confined to points south of that place. The
business was prosecuted with vigor until the construction of the
dam at Enfield, which soon entirely shut off the industry in
Hampden county.
In Connecticut river the shad survived the salmon many
years, but why this was so is not satisfactorily explained by any
authority on the subject. They disappeared from the river soon
after 1800, and when about 1820 a seven-pound salmon was taken
in the net of Haynes & Durfee, at Black point, in Agawam, it
( 195 )
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
was I'egai-ded as a remarkable event and was heralded through-
out the valley as a wonderful piece of news.
In the early part of the nineteenth century and until shad
fishing was suspended. Black point and Lancton's, both on the
Agawam side of the river, were noted fishing grounds. Here
Isaac Convene carried on fishing soon after 1812, and in later
years his son, Alonzo Converse, also Isaac A. Converse (son of
Alonzo), Seth Lancton, Haynes & Durfee, Frank and James
Leonard carried on the same business. During the palmy days
of the industry an average haul of the seine would yield from
400 to 500 shad, weighing from four to five pounds each, and
w^orth in the market about ten cents apiece ; and there was always
a ready cash market for fish in Springfield, where they were
packed and shipped all over the country.
Alonzo Converse was born in Agawam in 1813, and from
boyhood until the fishing period was passed he followed that pur-
suit. He knew the river from Holyoke to Saybrook, and was
regarded as one of the best and safest pilots in the Connecticut
valley. He attributes the decline of the shad fishery to two
causes — the construction of the dam at Enfield and the un-
restricted use of gill-nets at points south of the Massachusetts
line.
The next good fishing ground above Black point was at Pe-
cowsic hollow^ between the mouth of Pecowsic brook and the
South End bridge. Here the land was owned by a Mr. Combs,
who sold the "fishing rights"^ to Mr. Converse and Mr. Lom-
bard, Opposite Pecowsic hollow, on the Agawam side of the
river, was an excellent ground known as "sucker point." This
place was fished by the owner, Mr. Wolcott, and his help. A
^Fishing rights were sold and not given to whomsoever might come. The
owner of the land had the first and absolute right to fish in the river opposite
his premises, but in case he saw fit he might sell that right to the best customer.
Usually the rights were sold to two companies (five men were necessary to haul
a seine properly), and while one company was drawing in its net with the
"catch," the other would swing its seine into the water. Fishing rights cost
from $300 to .$400 each, according to the quality of the fishing ground. Mr,
Converse paid for his two rights about $700. The fishing season began about
April 15, and closed June 1. After paying help and all other expenses a fair
season would yield the owner of a fishing right about $500.
( 196 )
CONNECTICUT lUVER NAVIGATION
little further up, still on the west side and about opposite the
foot of York street, was a reasonably fair fishing ground known
locally as "Redgill's, " where Isaac Converse owned the fishing
right. Just above the "toll bridge" (the old covered bridge
at the foot of Bridge street, in Springfield), on the city side of
the river, was "Beebe's" fishing grounds, good only for the
early part of the season. It was a part of the Stebbins
property and was fished by the owner. Jnst below the North
End bridge, on the West Springfield side, was the "Beebe fish-
ing place," a fair producer in a good season. Above Beebe's,
"under the hill," as locally described, was another good fishing
place, owned and carried on by Mr. White (probably Daniel
White). On the east side of the river, about opposite River-
dale, was the once famous "double ditch," where extensive fish-
ing operations were carried on by Ruell Cooley and Francis
Brewer and brothers. This was an exceptionally good ground,
and in one day Cooley caught 1,800 shad, which then was re-
garded as'an unusual yield. A little farther up, on the west
side, in a bend in the river, about a mile and one-half below Wil-
limansett, was a fishing place owned by one Day (probably Syl-
vester), a man eighty years old, but a famous waterman three-
quarters of a century ago. Above this point there was no fish-
ing ground of any consequence, except at South Hadley Falls,
on the east side of the river, where the fish gathered in immense
numbers vainly striving to pass over the dam. The largest
single haul made at this place was 2.000 shad.
( 1^7 )
CHAPTER XV
HAMPDEN COUNTY IN THE WAR OF 1861-65
BY JAMES L. BOWEN
The record of Massachusetts in the war for the preservation
of the Union, from 1861 to 1865, was in keeping with its proud
prestige among the states composing the nation, and one of
Avhieh all who love its good name may justly feel proud. In the
field as in legislative halls, in conflict on land and sea, as in coun-
cil chambers, the sons of the old Bay State were leaders ; while
in the blessed offices of mercj' which sought to alleviate the suf-
ferings of those dreadful years, and so far as possible to rob war
of its horrors, in Avhatever way the purpose might be advanced,
the whole people, irrespective of age, sex, or social condition,
joined Avith an exemplary energy.
Before the inauguration of Governor Andrew, January 5,
1861, the war cloud grew threatening, and thoughtful men be-
gan to despair of averting an appeal to arms. Yet so dreadful
seemed that alternative that, while nerving themselves for the
struggle should it come, the people of the state neglected no
opportunity to urge conciliation and concession, and late in the
month a petition bearing 15,000 prominent names was jsent to
the Massachusetts delegation in congress, urging conciliatory
measures. The people were ready to sanction any reasonable
sacrifice for the sake of peace, but they were not ready to see the
nation, in the building of which their fathers had borne so honor-
able a part, fall in I'uins about them. If that were to be the
alternative, they would prove that the sons were ready to sacri-
fice for the preservation as much as the ancestors for the crea-
tion. In his inaugural Governor Andrew spoke for the whole
( 198 )
Gr. A. R. Building, Court Street, Springfield
OLE COUM'Y AXD ITS PEOPLE
state when he said. "The people will forever stand by the coun-
try.'' And Adjutant-General AYilliani Schouler, in responding
to a toast in honor of Major Anderson, while the latter was be-
sieged in Fort Sumter, comprehensively and eloquently said :
"We have no boasts to make. History tells what the men of
Massachusetts have done, and they will never disgrace that his-
tory." These calm utterances of earnest men Avere typical of
the invincible purposes of the loj-al people of the commonwealth ;
they put into modest, candid words that patriotic determination
which led the soldiers of the old Bay State, hopeful and un-
shrinking, through every disaster and discouragement to final
consummation.
During the war period the state of Massachusetts furnished
for all periods of service 159,254 soldiers and sailors— a surplus
over all calls of 13,492, while at least 3,000 enlisted in organiza-
tions of other states, for which the Bay state received no credit.
Of the officers and men serving on the Massachusetts quota, 3,543
were killed in action, 1,986 died of wounds, 5,672 of disease, 1,843
in confederate prisons, while 1,026 were missing and never ac-
counted for — nearly all of whom no doubt lost their lives. In
this connection it is but simple justice to say that the men of
Massachusetts received from all quarters the highest commenda-
tion for the manliness, courage, and intelligence with which they
bore the sufferings incidental to soldier life, especially in hos-
pital ; the cheerfulness and strong rallying power manifested,
their prompt return to duty on recovery, their christian heroism
in meeting death when that became the sad alternative. Of
those who returned to their homes, it is equally gratifying to
know that their after lives gave no indication of general demoral-
ization from the associations met during their soldier days.
Where the early life gave good promise, it was generally broad-
ened and strengthened by the experience, and if there were
cases of evil habits contracted, so on the other hand there were
unquestionably genuine cases of reformation of character, quite
as marked as the reverse.
At the beginning of the year 1861 the militia force of the
state consisted of about 5,600 officers and men, comprised in nine
( 200 )
THE ^XAIl OF 1861-65
regiments, seven battalions, and thirteen nnattached companies.
Of this force only one company— Co. F, 10th Infantry, of
Springfield— was located in Hampden county, which had thus
less than one per cent, of the militia force of the state — a most
inadequate pi'oportion for a county having approximately fif-
teen per cent, of the population. But the way for improvement
was opened by action taken during the early months of the year,
looking to putting the state forces in better condition to respond
to any calls which might be made by the national government.
On the 16th of January a general order was issued by au-
thority of the governor, directing that every company be put
into efficient condition for active service if called upon. Those
who from age, physical defect, or other cause, were unable or
unwilling to serve, were to be honorably discharged, the com-
panies were to be recruited to the maxinuun number, and held
in readiness to answer any calls which might be made upon
them. In the early part of February an act passed the state
legislature authorizing the organization of "companies of artil-
lery" and "other companies," on approval of the governor and
council, all of which were to be disbanded whenever the governor
or the legislature might decide that their services were no longer
required. Under this provision some progress had been made
previous to the firing on Fort Sumter, April 12, and that event,
with the call for 75,000 militia from the loyal states for three
months' service, proved the signal for the opening of recruiting
oi¥ices in every section of the state. Hampden county was not
called upon to help in filling the militia quota, but its opportu-
nity came with the organization for the first of the three-years
regiments, and thereafter it performed nobly its part, every
town in the county furnishing men in excess of its quota.
The Tenth Infantry. — On the 8d of May, 1861, President
Lincoln called for some 40.000 volunteers for three years' ser-
vice, and on the 22d of the month tardy permission was given for
Massachusetts to furnish six regiments under that call. The
10th regiment of militia was selected as the basis for one of these
volunteer regiments, and Springfield was designated as its place
of rendezvous : so that this organization, the first to leave the
( . 201 )
OUR COUNTY AXD ITS PEOPLE
county for the theatre of Avar, may properly be regarded as a
Hampden county command, althougli but four of its ten com-
panies were organized Avithin the county limits. Three com-
panies came from Berkshire county, tAA'O from Franklin, and one
from Hampshire, and all had assembled at the camping ground
on Hampden park by the 16th of June. The Hampden county
companies consisted of E, recruited at Springfield; F, the old
company of that designation, but better knoA\n as the Spring-
field city guard ; I, composed of recruits from AVest Springfield
and Holyoke, each of AA^hich toAA'ns had undertaken to raise a
company : and K, recruited at Westfield. A company recruited
on Hampden park, Springfield, by Oliver EdAA'ards, AA^as dis-
banded, the men being assigned to other companies not filled to
the standard of ninety-eight enlisted men each, and Captain
EdAvards AA'as gi\'en the position of adjutant of the 10th. The
regiment AAas mustered into the United States ser\'ice June 21,
AA-ith the folloAving roster of officers :
Field and Staff' . — Colonel, Henry S. Briggs of Pittsfield;
lieutenant-colonel. JefTord M. Decker of LaAA^rence ; ma.jor, "Wil-
liam R. Marsh of Northampton ; surgeon, Cyrus N. Chamberlain
of Northampton: assistant surgeon, William Holbrook of
Palmer: chaplain, Frederick A. Barton of Springfield: adjutant,
OliA-er EdAvards of Springfield; quartermaster, John W. Hoav-
land of North Adams: sergeant-major, EdAA^ard K. AVilcox of
Springfield : quartermaster-sergeant, Elihu B. AVhittlesey of
Pittsfield: hospital stCAvard. Charles C. Wells of Northampton;
leader of band, William D. Hodge of North Adams: principal
musician, John L. Gaffney of Chicopee.
Line Officers. — Co. A, Great Barrington — Captani. Ralph
0. Ia'cs : first lieutenant. James L. Bacon : second lieutenant,
Henry L. Wilcox. Co. B. Johnson Grays of Adams— Captain,
Elisha Smart : first lieutenant, Samuel C. Traver : second lieu-
tenant. LcAvis W. (Joddard. Co. C, Northampton — Captain,
Joseph B. Parsons ; first lieutenant. James H. Wetherell : second
lieutenant. Flavel Shurtleff. Co. D. Pollock Guard of Pittsfield —
Captain. Thomas W. Clapp : first lieutenant, Charles Wheeler;
second lieutenant. DAvight Hubbard. Co. E — Captain, Fred
( 202 )
THE ^yAB OF 1861-65
Barton of Westfield : first lieutenant, Byron Porter of Westfield ;
second lieutenant, Wallace A. Putnam of Danvers. Co. F,
Springfield City Guard— Captain, Hosea C. Lombard; first lieu-
tenant, Hiram A. Keith; second lieutenant, Georg-e W. Bigelow.
Co. G, Greenfield Guards— Captain, Edwin E. Day; first lieu-
tenant, George Pierce ; second lieutenant, Lorenzo M. Reming-
ton. Co. H, Shelburne Falls— Captain, Ozro Miller; first lieu-
tenant. Chandler J. Woodward ; second lieutenant, Benjamin F.
Leland. Co. I— Captain, John H. Clifford of Holyoke; first
lieutenant, Joseph K. Newell of Springfield : second lieutenant,
Joseph H. Bennett of West Springfield. Co. K, Westfield—
Captain, Lucius B. AValkley: first lieutenant, David M. Chase;
second lieutenant, Edwin T. Johnson.
The regiment was reviewed by the governor on the 10th of
July, received state and national colors on the 16th, presented by
the ladies of Springfield, and on the 16th went to Medford, where
it encamped for a few days. It started for Washington on the
25th, reached that city three days later, and was incorporated in
the army of the Potomac. It remained in camp at Brightwood,
a few miles north of Washington, during the long months which
preceded the Peninsula campaign of General INIcClellan, in the
spring of 1862, being engaged in building fortifications and rou-
tine camp duties.
Its first serious engagement occurred at the battle of Fair
Oaks, May 31, 1862, where the regiment lost twenty-seven officers
and men killed and ninety-five wounded, six of the latter fatally.
Fighting most gallantly during all of the afternoon, the regiment
won high praise for its heroic conduct, which was further demon-
strated at the battle of jMalvern Hill, on the 1st of July, when
out of 400 men taken into action it lost ten killed and over sev-
enty wounded. The regiment participated in all the campaigns
of the army of the Potomac which followed, until the expiration
of its term of service, rendering especially valuable service at the
battle of Salem Church, May 3, 1863, and the battle of the Angle,
]\Iay 12, 1864. It was relieved from duty in front of Peters-
burg June 19, 1864, the re-enlisted men and recruits being trans-
ferred to the Thirty-seventh Massachusetts (q. v.), the original
( 203 )
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
members of the regiment returning to Springfield, which they
reached on the 25th. and being mustered out of service a few
daj's later.
From a total enrollment of 1,255, the reigment lost 10 offi-
cers and 124 men killed in action or died from wounds, and one
officer and 55 men died from disease, accidents, etc., making a
total of 190 deaths. It participated in the following battles and
engagements, not including minor skirmishes:
Siege of Yorktown, April 4-May 4, 1862 : Williamsburg,
May 5, 1862 ; Fair Oaks, May 31, 1862 ; Oak Grove, June 25,
1862 ; Malvern Hill, July 1, 1862 ; Marye's Heights, May 3, 1863 ;
Salem Church, May 3-4, 1863; Franklin's Crossing, June. 1863;
Gettysburg, July 2-3, 1863 ; Rappahannock Station, November 7,
1863 ; Wilderness, May 5-6, 1864 ; Operations at Mine Run, No-
vember 26-28, 1863 : Laurel Hill. May 8, 1864 ; Spottsylvania,
May 12, 1864 ; Spottsylvania Court House, May 18, 1864 : North
Anna, May 24, 1864; Hanover Town, May 28, 1864; Peake's
Station, May 30, 1864; Cold Harbor, June 1-12, 1864; Peters-
burg, June 17-19, 1864.
The Eighteenth Infantry. — The Eighteenth regiment had as
an organization no connection with Hampden county, being en-
camped at Dedham and leaving the state, only partially organ-
ized, August 20, 1861. But its colonel and several other offi-
cers, as well as forty-three of the enlisted men, were from Hamp-
den county, entitling the regiment to more than casual mention
in these pages. The officers from Hampden county were as fol-
lows :
Colonel, James Barnes of Springfield ; surgeons, David P.
Smith, of Springfield, promoted to brigade surgeon; and Wil-
liam Holbrook of Palmer ; assistant surgeon, Edwin F. Silcox of
Springfield ; second lieutenant, James D. Orne of Springfield,
promoted to first lieutenant and to captain ; second lieutenant,
John D. Tsbell of Springfield, promoted from quartermaster-
sergeant.
The i-egiment served with distinction in the army of the
Potomac. Fifth corps, and of a total enrollment of 1,365 lost 9
officers and 114 men killed oi- mortally wounded in battle, while 2
( 204 )
THE ^yAR OF 1861-65
officers and 127 men died from disease, etc., making a total death
loss of 252.
The 2\cciity-first Ijifantry. — The Twenty-first regiment was
organized at Worcester in July and August, 1861, and in addi-
tion to several commissioned officers, bore on its rolls the names
of seventy-seven enlisted men from Hampden county, making its
history of interest in this connection. Those from Hampden
county commissioned in the regiment were as follows:
Captain, John D. Prazer of Holyoke ; captain, Thomas
Francis of Palmer; first lieutenant, Wells Willard of Spring-
field ; first lieutenant, Asa E. HayAvard of Springfield ; second
lieutenant, James W. Hopkins of Springfield ; second lieutenant,
John Kelt of Holyoke; hospital steward, Frank G. Davis of
Palmer.
This regiment was the first selected for the Burnside expedi-
tion against the North Carolina coast, and it served in North
Carolina until the Ninth corps was transferred to Virginia,
where it fought at the Second Bull Run, Chantilly, Antietam,
and Fredericksburg. In February, 1863, it Avas transferred to
Burnside 's command in Kentucky, serving in that state and
Tennessee until the return of the Ninth corps to the army of the
Potomac in the spring of 1864. In the campaign under General
Grant from the AA^'ilderness to Petersburg the dwindling regi-
ment bore its full share until the 18th of August, 1864, when the
original members were mustered out, leaving a battalion of three
small companies which two months later was attached to the
Thirty-sixth Massachusetts regiment. From an enrollment of
1,435, the Twenty-first lost 11 officers and 148 men killed or mor-
tally wounded in action, and 2 officers and 89 men died from dis-
ease— a total of 250.
The Twenty-seventh Infantry.— Wiihin two months after
the departure of the Tenth regiment from the rendezvous at
Springfield, another regiment began to gather, the camping
ground being selected just east of the city's residential portion.
It covered very much the same ground, four of the companies as
organized coming from Hampden county, two each from Berk-
shire and Hampshire, one from Franklin, and one from north-
( 205 )
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
western AVorcester. The regiiiieiit was designated as the
Twenty-seventh, and by the 25th of Octobei*, 1861, had been fully
recruited, anned. equipped and nuistered, with the following ros-
ter of officers :
Field and Staf— Colonel, Horace G. Lee of Springfield;
lieutenant-colonel, Luke Lyman of Northampton ; major, Wil-
liam M. Brown of Adams; surgeon, George A. Otis of Spring-
field ; assistant surgeon, Samuel Camp of Great Harrington ;
chaplain, JNIiles Sanford of Adams ; adjutant, George W. Bart-
lett of Greenfield; quartermaster, AYilliam H. Tyler of Adams;
sergeant-major, Henry C. Dwight of Northampton; quartermas-
ter-sergeant, George M. Bowler of Adams; commissary-sergeant.
John J. Ellis of Lynn ; hospital steward, George E. Fuller of
Palmer; principal musician. Linens C. Skinner of Amherst;
leader of band, Amos Bond of Springfield.
Line Officers— Co. A— Captain, Samuel C. Vance of Indian-
apolis, Ind. ; first lieutenant, Mark H. Spaulding of Northamp-
ton ; second lieutenant, Edwin C. Clark of Northampton. Co.
B — Captain, Adin AV. Caswell of Gardner; first lieutenant,
Parker W. McManus of Davenport, la. ; second lieutenant,
Lovell H. Horton of Athol. Co. C, Greenfield— Captain. Wil-
liam A. Walker ; first lieutenant, Joseph H. Nutting ; second lieu-
tenant, William F. Barrett. Co. D — Captain, Timothy W.
Sloan of Amherst; first lieutenant, Ami R. Dennison of Am-
herst ; second lieutenant, John S. Aiteheson of Chicopee. Co.
E— Captain, Gustavus A. Fuller of Springfield; first lieutenant,
John W. Trafton of Springfield; second lieutenant, Luther J.
Bradley of Lee. Co. F— Captain, Lucius F. Thayer of West-
field; first lieutenant, John AA". Moore of Tolland; second lieu-
tenant. James H. Fowler of AA^estfield. Co. G— Captain. R.
Ripley Swift of Chicopee; first lieutenant. Peter S. Bailey of
Springfield ; second lieutenant, Frederick 0. AA^ right of North-
ampton. Co. H— Captain, AA'alter G. Bartholomew of Spring-
field ; firet lieutenant, Charles D. Sanford of Adams ; second lieu-
tenant, AVilliam H. H. Briggs of Adams. Co. I— Captain,
Henry A. Hubbard of Ludlow ; fii*st lieutenant, Edward K. Wil-
cox of Springfield ; second lieutenant. Cyrus Goodale of AAllbra-
( 206 )
THE WAR OF 1861-65
ham. Co. K. Sprinofield— Captain. Horace K. Cooley; first
lieutenant, George AVarner; second lieutenant, AV. Chapman
Hunt.
Leaving Springtield on the 2d of November, 1861, the regi-
ment went to Annapolis, Md., where it formed part of the Burn-
side expedition against North Carolina. It rendered excellent
service in the operations in that state, until October 10, 1863,
when it was transferred with its brigade to Virginia, being as-
signed during the winter to provost duty at Portsmouth and
Norfolk. At this time enough members of the regiment re-
enlisted to insure the continuance of the organization after the
expiration of the original three-years' term of enlistment. The
Twenty-seventh entered service in the spring of 1864 as a part
of General Butler's army of the James, its reports showing a
membership, including recruits, of 933 officers and men. It
took part in several minor engagements, and on the 16th of May
at Drewry's Bluff suffered a terrible disaster, losing 65 in killed
and wounded and 248, including 12 of the wounded, made pris-
oners. Being detached as part of a provisional division under
Gen. Charles Devens to join the army of the Potomac at Cold
Harbor, the Twenty-seventh took part in the murderous assault
on the Confederate lines on the morning of June 3, 1864, losing
17 killed, 65 wounded, and four taken prisoners. Of the 744
men who accompanied the colors of the regiment from Yorktown
a month previous only 83 now remained for duty, and of these
14 more were lost during the subsequent days before Cold Har-
bor. In the operations against Petersburg, up to the 18th of
June, the Twenty-seventh lost 50 officers and men in killed and
wounded, only one commissioned officer— a first lieutenant-
remaining for duty.
Those original members of the regiment who had not re-
enlisted were relieved from duty about the 20th of September,
1864, reached Springfield on the 28th, and were mustered out
the following day. The re-enlisted men and recruits still com-
posing the regiment in the field were returned to North Carolina
for duty, and under Lieutenant-Colonel Walter G. Bartholomew
remained in the service until the close of the war. On the 8th
( 207 )
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
of March, 1865, the regiment was surrounded and almost anni-
hilated at the battle of Southwest Creek, seven men only escap-
ing death or capture, 147 being made prisoners, 40 of -whom were
wounded. The captured were marched to Libby prison, where
they were paroled, and on reaching the union lines were given a
month's furlough to Massachusetts. The nucleus remaining in
the service, which by the addition of convalescents and recruits
soon came to number about thirty, remained on guard duty and
similar detail until the 26th of June, when it was mustered out
of service, returning to Readville, Mass., where the final pay-
ments were made and the TAventy-seventh regiment was for-
mally disbanded on the 19th of July.
The command had a total enrollment of 1,567, of whom 9
officers and 128 men were killed or mortally Avounded in action,
while 3 officers and 261 men died from other causes, making a
total of 401 deaths. Of this number more than 120 died in the
confederate prison pen at Andersonville, Ga. The principal
battles in which the regiment participated were as follows:
Roanoke Island, February 8, 1862 ; Newbern, March 14
1862; Goldsboro, December 17, 1862: Siege of Washington, N
C, March 30- April 16, 1863 ; Dover Road, N. C, April 28, 1863
Dunn's Farm, May 6, 1864; Walthal Junction, May 7, 1864
Arrowfield Church, May 9, 1864; Drewry's Bluff. May 16, 1864
Cold Harbor, June 2-3, 1864; Petersburg, June 15-18, 1864
Southwest Creek, March 8, 1865.
The Thirty-first Infantj^y. — The organization afterward
known as the Thirty-first Massachusetts infantry volunteers Avas
raised by Gen. Benjamin F. Butler under authority direct from
the war department at "Washington, and Avas at first designated
as the AVestern Bay State regiment. It gathered at Pittsfield,
the recruits coming from all of the western portion of the state,
AAdth many from Vermont and Ncav York. Hampden county
furnished 175 enlisted men, and the following commissioned offi-
cers:
Captain, EdAvard P. Nettleton of Chieopee, promoted to
lieutenant-colonel, and to colonel, though not mustered to the lat-
ter rank ; first lieutenant, Joseph L. Hallett of Springfield : sec-
( 208 )
THE ^yAB OF 1861-65
ond lieutenant, Frank A, Cook of Springfield, promoted to first
lieutenant ; second lieutenant, Alexander H. G. Lewis of Bland-
ford, promoted to first lieutenant; second lieutenant, Martin
M, Pulver of Springfield; second lieutenant, John Hines of
Chicopee ; second lieutenant, George B. Oaks of Holyoke, not
mustered and discharged as first sergeant.
Leaving the state on the 20th of February, 1862, the regi-
ment went to Ship Island, where the forces for General Butler's
expedition against New Orleans were being gathered, and was
the first organization to land at New Orleans on the occupation
of that city. Until the following spring the companies com-
posing the regiment were on garrison duty at various points in
and near the city. In the active operations of the spring of 1863
the regiment took some part, without being seriously engaged
until the siege of Port Hudson, in which sixty-two enlisted men
were killed or wounded. After the surrender of that strong-
hold the regiment was engaged in various excursions through the
surrounding country, but without any serious engagements.
During December, 1863, the men were mounted and trained
in cavalry tactics, and the regiment was from that time com-
monly spoken of as the Sixth Massachusetts cavalry, though its
official designation was never changed. In the Red river cam-
paign of the following spring it bore an arduous part, and in the
battle of Sabine Cross Roads, April 8, under command of Cap-
tain Nettleton, it made a gallant charge against an overwhelm-
ingly superior force of the victorious enemy, losing sixty-tAVO
men, but failing to more than temporarily check the advei-se for-
tunes of the day. In the subsequent operations in the depart-
ment the regiment was kept constantly busy, scouting, skirmish-
ing, and in guard duty, a battalion of re-enlisted men and re-
cruits remaining in the service after the expiration of the orig-
inal term of enlistment, and taking active part in the operations
against INlobile in the spring of 1865. The command was mus-
tered out of the United States service September 9, 1865.
During its service the reigment lost 52 enlisted men killed
or mortally wounded in action, and 3 officers and 150 men died
from disease and accidents, making a death loss of 205 from a
total enrollment of 1,343.
14-1 ( 209 )
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
The Thirty -fourtli Infantry. — Thh regiment was provided
for by Governor Andrew's order of May 29, 1862, which directed
that ten of the thirty companies then called for shonld be raised
in the five western counties of the state, forming a regiment to
encamp on the Agricultural grounds at Worcester. Under this
arrangement Companies D and O were practically Hampden
county organizations, as the former had ninety-eight and the
latter eighty-six enlisted men from this county, while enough
Hampden county men were scattered through the other com-
panies to raise the total to 217, in addition to the following com-
missioned officers.
Captain, CTCorge W. Thompson of Springfield; captain,
Wells Willard of Spring-field ; first lieutenant, Frederick A. Judd
of Holyoke ; first lieutenant, Charles H. Morrill of Westfield ;
second lieutenant, J. Austin Lyman of Springfield; second lieu-
tenant, Jere Horton of Westfield; second lieutenant, Alfred
Dibble of Southwick; second lieutenant, Daniel C. Wishart of
Westfield.
The Thirty-fourth left the state on the 15th of August, 1862,
and went to Washington, remaining on duty in the defenses of
that city until July 9, 1863, when it was ordered to the vicinity
of Harper's Ferry, where it remained until late in April, 1864,
making occasional excursions up the Shenandoah valley, engag-
ing in some skirmishing and occasional fighting, but was not
heavily engaged until the advance of General Siegel's forces up
the valley and the battle of New^ Market, May 15, 1864. From
that time the regiment was constantly active, suffering seriously
at the battle of Piedmont, June 5, participating in the terrible
scramble of General Hunter's forces through the mountains of
West Virginia, returning to take a heroic part in the subsequent
operations in the vallej^ during the following months, winning
great credit for its effective work at the battle of the Opequan on
the 19th of September, as well as in the later engagements in that
region. In December the regiment with its di^'ision was trans-
ferred to the scene of operations in front of Petersburg, and in
the stirring events of the spring of 1865, witnessing the over-
throw of the rebellion, it well maintained the prestige won on
( 210 )
THE ^yAR OF 1861-65
so many hard fought fields. The war ended, the remnant of the
command was mustered out of the United States service on the
15th of June, 1865. Its record is an especially honorable one
when it is borne in mind that its battle losses were nearly all sus-
tained within less than a year, and in fact much the larger por-
tion of them inside of six months. Of a total enrollment of
1,306 members, the regiment lost 7 officers and 128 enlisted men
killed or mortally wounded in action, and 2 officers and 132 men
died from disease and other causes, making a total death roll of
269.
The Thirty-sixth Infantry. — The Thirty-sixth was a
Worcester county regiment, with the exception of Company E,
which had sixty-five men from Hampden county, mostly repre-
senting the towns of Palmer and Monson, while scattered
through the other companies Avere enough Hampden county men
to bring the total up to eighty-four for the regiment, in addition
to the following officers :
Captain, Stephen C. AYarriner of Monson : first lieutenant,
Robert M. Cross of Palmer ; sergeant-major, Ostenello Wash-
burn of Holyoke ; principal musician, Lorenzo C. Strickland of
Palmer.
This regi}nent left camp at Worcester September 2, 1862,
going to Boston and thence by water to Washington, where it
was assig:ned to the Ninth corps, which it joined soon after the
battle of Antietam. It participated in the battle of Fredericks-
burg, went with its corps to Kentucky in February, 1863, rein-
forced General Grant's army before Vieksburg early in June,
after the surrender followed Johnston's army into Mississippi,
and returned to the old camp in Kentucky in August, having
suffered terribly from sickness. Thence the regiment moved
with its corps to Tennessee, returning to rejoin the army of the
Potomac in the spring of 1864, with which its fortunes were
identified from the opening' of the campaign in the Wilderness,
during the operations against Petersburg, until the close of the
war in the folloAving spring. It was mustered out of the na-
tional service June 8, 1865.
Of a total enrollment of 1,317 members, the regiment lost 6
officers and 105 men killed or mortally wounded in action, while
( 211 )
OVR COUNTY AXD ITS PEOPLE
3 officers and 160 men died of disease or accident, making a total
death roll of 274.
The Thirty-seve)ini l)if(utf)-ij. — This regiment was organ-
ized at Pittsfield, under the president's call of July 1, 1862, for
300,000 volunteers to serve for three years. It was composed
principally of men from the four western counties of the state,
Hampden county furnishing 810 enlisted men, in addition to the
folloAnng officers, commissioned at the organization of the regi-
ment, several of whom attained to higher rank:
Colonel, Oliver Edwards of Springfield; chaplain, Rev.
Frank C. Morse of Blandford; sergeant-major, Robert A. Gray
of Springfield ; principal musician, John L. Galfney of Chico-
pee. Co. A— Captain, Jarvis P. Kelley; fii-st lieutenant, Eli
T. Blackmer ; second lieutenant, Carlos C. Wellman, all of Chico-
pee. Co. D — Captain, Algernon S. Flagg of Wilbraham. Co.
F — Captain, Eugene A. Allen of Springfield. Co. H — Second
lieutenant, Andrew L. Bush of AYestfield. Co. I — Captain,
Hugh Donnelly ; first lieutenant, J. Milton Fuller ; second lieu-
tenant, Charles Phelps, all of Springfield. Co. K — First lieu-
tenant, John B. ]\Iulloy; second lieutenant, George B. Chandley,
both of Springfield.
The regiment left Pittsfield foi' the front September 7, 1862,
and after a shoil encampment on Arlington Heights joined the
army of the Potomac, then encamped in ^Maryland, a few miles
from the battlefield of Antietam. It participated in the subse-
quent movements of that army, forming a part of the Sixth
corps, until Jul}' 31, 1863, when it was ordered to New York as
one of the four select regiments for duty during the draft. This
duty was very creditably performed, and the regiment returned
to the army in October, where it served with distinction until the
close of the war. Its service was especially valuable at the bat-
tle of the Wilderness, at Spottsylvania, at the battle of the Ope-
quan, in the final assault upon Petersburg, and the battle of
Sailor's Creek. From August, 1864, it was armed with the
Spencer repeating rifle, making it a veiy formidable organization
in active service. The fighting at Sailor's Creek was hand to
hand, and rated as among the most despei'ate of the war. Four
( 212 )
THE ^yAn of laei-eo
batt]e flags were captured by the Thirty-seventh during the term
of its service, and four of its members received Congressional
medals of honor for distinguished gallantry in action.
Of a total enrollment of 1,314 members, the regiment lost 4
officers and 165 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded in
action, while 92 enlisted men died from disease, accident, or in
confederate prisons, making a total death roll of 261. The regi-
ment took part in the following battles and engagements :
Fredericksburg, December 11-15, 1862; Marye's Heights,
May 3, 1863: Salem Church, May 3-4, 1863; Franklin's Cross-
ing, June, 1863 ; Gettysburg, July 2-3, 1863 ; Rappahannock Sta-
tion, November 7, 1863 ; Mine Eun, November 30, 1863 ; Wilder-
ness, May 5-6, 1864 ; Laurel Hill, INIay 8, 1864 ; the Angle, May
12, 1864; Spottsylvania Court House, May 18, 1864; North
Anna, May 24. 1864 ; Cold Harbor, June 1-12, 1864 ; Petersburg,
June 18, 1864; Fort Stevens, July 12, 1864; Charlestown, Au-
gust 21, 1864; the Opequan, September 19, 1864; Hatcher's
Run, February 5, 1865 ; Fort Stedman, March 25, 1865 ; Fall of
Petersburg, April 2, 1865; Sailor's Creek, April 6, 1865.
The Forty-sixth Infantry. — The Forty-sixth was the most
exclusively a Hampden county organization of any regiment
sent from Massachusetts to the war. It was recruited under the
call of the president on August 4, 1862, for 300,000 recruits for
nine months' service, and the rendezvous was naturally at
Springfield. The regiment was organized largely through the
efforts of Rev. George Bowler, of Westfield, who was made its
first colonel. The several companies gathered at Camp N. P.
Banks as they became sufficiently advanced, and when filled
were mustered into the United States service — the first on Sep-
tember 24. and the last on October 22. The field and staff were
mustered on the 30th of October, the original list being as fol-
lows:
Field and Staff.— Colonel, George Bowler of Westfield;
lieutenant-colonel, William S. Shurtleff of Springfield ; major,
Lucius B. Walkley of Westfield ; surgeon, James H. Waterman
of Westfield : assistant surgeon, Thomas Gilfillan of Cumming-
ton : chaplain, George W. Gorham of Holyoke ; adjutant, James
( 213 )
OVR COUNTY AXD ITS PEOPLE
C. Smith of Chieopce; quartennaster, Henry M. INIorehouse of
Springfield ; sergeant-major, Joseph F. Field of AA^estfield ; quar-
termaster-sergeant, George B. Pierce of Holyoke ; commissary-
sergeant, Alfred J. Newton of Monson ; hospital steward, John
R. Greenleaf of Ware.
Line Officers.— Co. A, Springfield— Captain, Samuel B.
Spooner; first lieutenant, Lewis A. Tifft; second lieutenant,
Daniel J. Marsh. Co. B, Holj'oke— Captain, Daniel E. Kings-
bury ; first lieutenant, Henry Wheeler ; second lieutenant, Amos
0. Kinney. Co. C, Westfield— Captain, Andrew Campbell 2d;
first lieutenant, Joseph C. Noble ; second lieutenant, John T.
Spear. Co. D, Chicopee— Captain, Da\dd E. Grimes; first lieu-
tenant, George H. Knapp ; second lieutenant, David Bronson.
Co. E — Captain, James M. Justin of Granville; first lieutenant,
Charles U. Ely of West Springfield ; second lieutenant, Lathrop
Lee of Southwick. Co. F— Captain, Russell H. Con well of
Worthington; first lieutenant, Horace Heath of Russell; second
lieutenant, Charles Fay of Chester. Co. G— Captain, Francis
D. Lincoln of Brimfield ; first lieutenant, George H. Howe of
Monson ; second lieutenant, Julius M. Lyon of Wales. Co. H—
Captain, Francis C. Cook of Palmer; first lieutenant, William
ShaAv of Belchertown ; second lieutenant, George S. Dixon of
Monson. Co. I— Captain, William C. Leonard of Wilbraham;
first lieutenant, Reuben DeWitt of Agawam : second lieutenant,
N. Saxton Cooley of Long-meadow. Co. K — Captain, John
Avery of Westfield ; first lieutenant, Elisha C. Tower of AVorth-
ington ; second lieutenant, George M. Stewart of Wales.
Of the entire list of officers, only five came from outside the
county limits, these being from bordering Hampshire county
towns, and of the enlisted men a still larger proportion belonged
to Hampden county. Camp was broken on the 5th of Novem-
ber, the regiment going to Boston, Avhence it sailed for Newbem,
N. C, reaching that city on the 15th. It was attached to Col.
Horace C. Lee's brigade, composed of Massachusetts regiments.
Its first active service was in connection with the Goldsboro ex-
pedition, which set forth on the morning of December 11, 1862.
It supported a battery during the battle of Kinston on the 14th,
( 214 )
THE ^yAB OF 1861-65
furnished a detail of fifty sharpshooters for the light at White-
hall on the 16th, and was more closely engaged at the battle of
Goldsboro on the 17th, supporting Belger's battery during the
battle proper, and after the return of the union troops began
reinforcing the rear guard — its casualties being one man killed
and four wounded during the expedition. A march of three
days took the regiment back to its camp.
At this time Colonel Bowler, who had been too ill to com-
mand the regiment on the expedition, though he accompanied it
as far as Kinston, resigned his commission, and promotions in
regular order were conferred upon Lieutenant-Colonel Shurtleff,
Major AA^'alkley, and Captain Spooner. The operations of the
spring of 1863 developed considerable activity on the part of the
confederates, calling for corresponding alertness on the part of
the union forces. In jNIarch six companies of the I'egiment were
sent to Plymouth, on the Roanoke river, which was threatened
by a hostile force ; but they returned to Newbei*n May 8 Avithout
having been seriously engaged. On the 21st the regiment
formed part of a force engaged in an expedition to drive a body
of confederates from "Gum Swamp," eight miles from Kins-
ton, the purpose being accomplished Avithout loss on the part of
the Forty-sixth.
Companies A and I, under Major Spooner, were left at New-
bern when the regiment proper went to Plymouth, and took an
honorable part in the defense of the city. Early in May these
companies were sent to Batchelder's Creek to serve on outpost
duty under Colonel Jones of the Fifty-eighth Pennsylvania.
The place Avas attacked on the 23d of May, Colonel Jones was
killed and most of his command throAA^n into confusion, but Cap-
tain Tifft AAith his oaau company and part of Co. I held an ad-
vanced redoubt long after the rest of the union soldiers had
fallen back some tAA'o miles, until finally discovered by a recon-
noitering party and relieved. Sergeant A. S. Bryant of Co. A
AA-as made sergeant-major of the regiment and received a con-
gressional medal of honor for braA^ery on this occasion.
The command sailed for Fortress Monroe on the 24th of
June, 1863, reaching there on the 28th, and prepared for a cam-
{ 215 )
OUR COUNTY AXD ITS PEOPLE
paigu under Ueueral Dix ; but as that officer did not want troops
whose term had so nearly expired, it was suggested that the regi-
ment offer its services during Lee's invasion of the North. This
was done, and the regiment reported on the 1st of July to Gen-
eral Schenck at Baltimore. It remained on duty near the city
until the 6th, when it was ordered to Maryland Heights, served
there until the 11th, and was then ordered with its brigade to
join the army of the Potomac near Funkstown, marching
twenty-five miles in sixteen hours, almost without a rest. But
the expected battle did not take place, and when the army of the
Potomac passed into Virginia in pursuit of the retreating con-
federates, the Forty-sixth started on the homeward trip, reach-
ing Springfield July 21, and being mustered out on the 29th.
Fortunate in having but a single man killed in action, the
regiment was also favored in that but thirty-five enlisted men
died of disease, the smallest loss of life of any of the nine-months
regiments from Massachusetts with a single exception.
The Eighth Regiment Infantry.— The Eighth regiment,
M. V. M., rendered three terms of service during the war of the
rebellion— the first at the call for three-months regiments in
1861, the second for nine months in 1862-3, and the third for 100
days in 1864. Originally an Essex county organization, it was
necessary at each call to add some outside companies to bring
the regiment up to the United States standard. At the first call
the Allen Guards of Pittsfield formed one such company, and in
1862 its Co. H was made up of fifty-two men from Hampden
county— mostly from Springfield— and forty from Boston. Of
its officers, Captain George K. Davis and First Lieutenant Wil-
liam J. Landen were from Springfield. The regiment served in
the department of North Carolina, being quartered much of the
time at or near New^bern, but joined the Forty-sixth regiment
in the expedition to reinforce the army of the Potomac in July,
1863, continuing with that army until July 26, when ordered to
return to Massachusetts for muster out* which took place on the
7th of August.
In 1864 Hampden county furnished two companies for the
regiment— A and H : all of the officers being from Springfield :
( 216 )
THE MAR OF 1861-65
Co. A. — Captain, Lewis A. Tifft; first lieutenant, Gideon
Wells; second lieutenant. Chauneey Hickox. Co. H— Captain,
William J. Landen; first lieutenant, Charles L. Wood; second
lieutenant, John Thayer.
The regiment left on the 26th of July for Washington, but
stopped at Baltimore, and remained on duty in and near that
city until the expiration of its term, returning to ^Massachusetts
in time to be mustered out November 10.
The Forty-second lufaiitry. — The Forty-second regiment,
which served during the nine-months' term of 1862-3, again
entered the service in 1864 for 100 days. For this term the or-
ganization was materially changed and one company (H) from
Hampden county appeared on the roster, with these officei*s :
Captain, George H. Stewart of Springfield : first lieutenant,
Julius M. Lyon of Wales; second lieutenant, Joseph T. Spear of
Westfield.
The company was mustered July 16, 1864. the regiment was
fully organized on the 22d, and two days later sailed for W^ash-
ington. AVith headquarters at Alexandria, its time was passed
in guard and patrol duty and the escorting of supply trains to
the Shenandoah Valley, the regiment being mustered out of
service November 11, 1864.
21ie Tliird Heavy Artillery. — This regiment was organized
as such in the latter part of the year 1864, being composed of
what had theretofore been known as "Unattached companies"
of that arm of the service. Of these companies, eight had been
raised during 1868 and mustered into the LTnited States service
for garrisoning the forts on the Massachusetts coast. In the
spring of 1864 they were ordered by the secretary of war to re-
port to AYashington for duty in the city's defenses, that other
troops might be relieved to serve with the armies in the field.
Governor Andrew insisted that the companies should be given a
regimental organization, and his demand was finally complied
with, four additional companies being sent forward to complete
the organization. Of these companies, one (l) was from Hamp-
den county, entering the service with these officers, only two of
whom were Hampden county men :
( 217 )
01 R COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
Captain, John Pickering of Salem; first lieutenants, Oliver
J. Bixby and John F. E. Chamberlain, both of Springfield ; sec-
ond lieutenants, AYilliam F. Merrill of Andover and William H.
Dolliver of Gloucester. Later these were commissioned as sec-
ond lieutenants: AVilliam Holden and Charles H. Ladd of
Springfield and ]\Iorton W. Fowler of Westfield.
Company I was but nominally a part of the regiment, and
it had an experience entirely different from the other companies
of the Third, or any other organization sent from Massachusetts.
It was mustered at Springfield, February 10, 1864, being origin-
ally known as the Thirteenth unattached company of heavy artil-
lery, and was composed principally of mechanics who had been
employed in the national armory there. It was sent to Fortress
Monroe, sailing March 7, and on arrival there was at once placed
in charge of the pontoon trains of the army of the James by
Captain F. W. Farquhar, chief engineer of that department.
The work which devolved upon the men was hard and difficult,
but it was discharged in a manner to win unqualified praise.
Among the more notable service of the company was the build-
ing and maintaining of the pontoon bridges across the Appo-
mattox, connecting the armies of the James and the Potomac, the
bridges across the James river used in the frequent crossing of
the federal armies during the siege of Petersburg, the pontoon
bridge at Farmville by which the Second and Sixth corps crossed
in the pursuit of Lee's retreating army, and that across the
James at Richmond, by which all the union armies crossed on
their way to Washington after the close of the war. The com-
pany also ran captured saw mills, supplying lumber for hos-
pitals and other purposes, built wharves and roads, and per-
formed the many other duties devolving upon engineers. The
company was the last of its regiment to leave the service, being
mustered out September 26, 1865.
The Thirtieth Unattached Company Heavy Artillery.— This
company was recruited for one year's service, leaving the camp
at Gallop's Island September 26, 1864. It was almost exclu-
sively composed of Springfield men, and was thus officered :
Captain, Samuel R. Bingham of Boston ; first lieutenants,
( 218 )
THE ^YAB OF 1861-65
Morrill Prescott of Springfield and AVilliani AY. Jordan of Bos-
ton ; second lieutenant, Samuel F. Siskron of Springfield.
The company served on guard and garrison duty as directed
in the defenses of Washington, and was mustered out of service
June 16, 1865.
In addition to these organizations Avhich were more or less
closely identified with the county, Hampden was represented in
other commands by officers and men of sterling character. Many
such rendered service to the credit of other states, so that it is an
impossibility to give names or their number : those credited on
the official records of Massachusetts are as follows:
The First Infantry. — Four enlisted men.
The Second In fantry .Surgeon, Curtis E. Munn of West-
field ; hospital steward, Warren A. Root of Springfield ; fifty-one
enlisted men.
TJie Fourth Infantry — 1862-3.— Assistant surgeon, Edward
M. Norton of Blandford.
The Fifth Infantry— 1864:.— Three enlisted men.
The Sixth Infantry — 1861. — Two enlisted men.
Ttie Nintli I nf ant ry .—Fourteen enlisted men.
The Eleventh Infantry.— 'Ele\en enlisted men.
The Twelfth Infantry. — Seven enlisted men.
The Fifteenth Infantry. — C&itiam, Adoniram J. Bradley of
Russell; twenty-one enlisted men.
The Sixteenth Infantry. — Twenty-one enlisted men.
The Seventeenth Infantry. — Second lieutenant, Orrin B.
Cooley of Longmeadow ; sixty-five enlisted men (mostly trans-
ferred from Second H. A.)
The Nineteenth Infantry. — Fifty-four enlisted men.
llic Twentieth Infantry. — First-lieutenant, James O'Con-
nor of Springfield ; seventy-four enlisted men.
The Twenty-second Infantry. — Twenty-six enlisted men.
Tlie Twenty-fourth Infantry.— ¥ir?.t lieutenant. Jere Hor-
ton of TVestfield; thirty-three enlisted men.
The Twenty-fifth Infantry. — Sixteen enlisted men.
The Twenty-sixth Infantry.— Y'lwe enlisted men.
The Twenty-eighth Infantry. — Thirty-tour enlisted men.
( 219 )
OLR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
The Tn-c)i(ii-)ii)il]i lufaiitrij. — Eighteen enlisted men.
The lliirtieth I nfa)ttry. — i>e\en enlisted men.
The Thiriij-seeoid I nf an try. — Seventy-three enlisted men.
The Thivly-third l)ifa)itry. — Two enlisted men.
TJie Forty-fifth Infantry. — Two enlisted men.
The Furty-)nnth I nfa)t try.— Assistant surgeon, Albert R.
Rice of Springfield ; four enlisted men.
The Fifty-second Infantry. — Sexen enlisted men.
The Fifty-fourth Infantry. — Csiptain, Watson W. Bridge of
Springfield; seventeen enlisted men.
The Fifty-fifth Infantry. — CaiptSim, Robert J. Hamilton of
Springfield ; first lieutenant, Charles W. Mutell of Springfield ;
thirteen enlisted men.
The Fifty-sixth I nf a )i try.— Assistant surgeon, Jerome E.
Roberts of Springfield; eighteen enlisted men.
Tlie Fifty-seventh Infantry. — Assistant surgeon, Charles 0.
Carpenter of Holyoke ; captain, George H. Howe of Monson ;
second lieutenant, John Anderson of Holland ; second lieutenant,
Henry B. Fiske of Springfield : second lieutenant, George S.
Greene of Springfield; second lieutenant. Patrick Gilmore of
West Springfield ; 115 enlisted men.
The Fifty-eighth Infantry.—FAghteen enlisted men.
The Fifty-ninth Infantry.— Assistant surgeon, Edward W.
Norton of Blandf ord ; seven enlisted men.
The Sixty-first Infantry.— First lieutenant, Albert E. Dan-
iels of Agawam ; hospital steward, Austin Moody of Westfield ;
ninety enlisted men.
The First Battery Light Art iller^y. — Three enlisted men.
The Second Battery Light Artillery.— Three enlisted men.
The Fifth Battery Light Artillery. — Two enlisted men.
The Sixth Battery Light Artillery. — Thirteen enlisted men.
The Seventh Battery Light Artillery.— Fixe enlisted men.
The Ninth Battery Light Artillery.— Three enlisted men.
The Tenth Battery Light Artillery.— Three enlisted men.
The Eleventh Battery Light Artillery.— Two enlisted men.
The Tu-elfth Battery Light Artillery. Sixteen enlisted
men.
( 220 )
THE MAR OF 1861-65
The Thirteenth Battery LigJit Artillery.— 'i<lme enlisted
men.
The Fourteenth Battery Light Artillery. — y^me enlisted
men.
The Fifteenth Battery Light Artillery.— Kine enlisted men.
TJie First Heavy Artillery— Twenty-nme enlisted men.
The Seeoncl Heavy Artillery.— C-Aptam, Ira B. Sampson of
Springfield; first lieutenant, Samuel R. Bingham of Westfield;
first lieutenant, Joseph F. Field of Westfield ; first lieutenant,
Alfred H. Kinsley of Springfield; first lieutenant, Horace L.
Clark of Springfield; 282 enlisted men.
The Fourth Heavy Artillcry.-Y^x^t enlisted men.
The First Battalion Heavy J.r(i/Zer^.— Thirty-nine enlisted
men.
The Twenty -ninth Unattached Compa}ty Heavy Artillery. —
Twenty-two enlisted men.
The First CV/va/r?/. — Surgeon, James Holland of Westfield;
assistant surgeon, Oscar C. DeWolf of Chester; assistant sur-
geon, Albert R. Rice of Springfield: chaplain, George W. Gor-
ham of Holyoke ; captain, Mj^^on C. Pratt of Holyoke ; first lieu-
tenant, Alton E. Phillips of Chicopee ; second lieutenant, Hor-
ace j\I. Butler of Springfield ; second lieutenant. George Howe of
Springfield : second lieutenant, George B. Davis of Springfield ;
quartermaster-sergeant, Vashni H. Pease of Springfield ; hos-
pital steward, Henry B. Bates of Chicopee ; hospital steward,
Curtis E. ]\Iunn of Westfield; chief bugler, Timothy J. Powell
of Blandford ; sergeant-farrier, Benjamin W. Norris of Spring-
field ; 270 enlisted men.
The Second Cavalry. — Siivgeon, Oscar C. DeWolf of Ches-
ter; surgeon, Elbridge M. Johnson of Agawam; fifty-one enlisted
men.
The Third Cavalry. — First lieutenant, Henry S. Adams of
Chicopee; second lieutenant, Duett C. Clark of Westfield; thirty-
two enlisted men.
The Fr/urth Cavalry.— Second lieutenant, Heniy INI. Phil-
lips of Springfield ; ninety-seven enlisted men.
The Fifth Cavalry. — Thivty-ionr enlisted men.
( 221 )
01 R COUNTY AXD ITS PEOPLE
The Veteran Reserve Corps.— Eighty-eight enlisted men.
The Regular J. nx^.— Thirty-two enlisted men.
Other State Organizations.— Thu-ty-^xe enlisted men.
(Nearly all from the eastern towns of the county, for the First
District of Columbia Infantry.)
In addition to the above, thirteen other Massachusetts com-
mands had on their rolls one or more men each from Hampden
county, so that it will be seen that eighty Massachusetts organ-
izations had representatives from the county. This does not
take into account the very large number of those enlisting into
the troops of other states of which no returns were made to the
Massachusetts authorities. Could the number of these be even
approximately estimated it would measurably swell the already
highly creditable total.
One fact which will strike even the ca,sual reader is the very
low proportion of commissions issued to oflficers from Hampden
county. This fact may be partially explained by the small rep-
resentation of the county in the state militia at the outbreak of
the war. Other factors which must be taken into account are
the strong political and local pressure brought upon the governor
for the commissioning of ambitious aspirants in every portion of
the state and from without the confines of the commonwealth.
It is not to be supposed that the Hampden soldiei's were indiffer-
ent to the honor embodied in commissions ; but the entire history
of the war period shows first of all an intense patriotic devotion,
which was willing to waive and sacrifice deserved recognition,
rather than that the imperilled government of the nation should
fail to receive the fullest measure of matei-ial support. That
there was no lack of material for efficient commanders within
the limits of the county is shown by the admirable average main-
tained by those who received commissions. Among the general
officers in the national service during the war period there were
many whom Hampden county might .justly claim as her direct
representatives, and whose service was well worth having, as will
be seen from the foUowins' very brief sketches.
( 222 )
THE WAll OF 1861-6;
GENERAL OFFICERS
Brevet Major-Gcneral James Barnes of Springfield gradu-
ated at the military academy, West Point, in the class of 1829.
He passed a year there as assistant instrnctor, took part in the
Black Hawk expedition of 1832, and during the nullification con-
troversy soon after was stationed in Charleston hai'bor. He then
returned to AVest Point as assistant instructor, resigning after
three years' service. He became noted as civil engineer and a
builder of railroads, and was e;igaged in large business enter-
prises when the war broke out. But nothing could stand be-
tween him and the service of his country in its hour of need, and
on the 26th of July, 1861, he was conmiissioned colonel of the
Eighteenth Massachusetts infantry. He commanded his regi-
ment with great ability till after the close of the Peninsular cam-
paign, when he succeeded to the command of Martindale's brig-
ade of the Fifth corps, and, dating from November 29, 1862, was
promoted to brigadier-general of volunteers. He commanded
this brigade during the Autietam, Fredericksburg and Chancel-
lorsville campaigns, and at Gettysburg had risen to command
the First division. Fifth corps. Leading his forces to the relief
of Sickles' corps near the close of the second day's fighting, he
was wounded and did not again return to active duty in the
field. He was assigned to the command of the defenses of Nor-
folk, Va., then of St. Mary's district, and finally of the encamp-
ment of confederate prisoners at Point Lookout, Md., where he
remained until the close of the war, receiving his brevet rank of
major-general of volunteers to date from March 13, 1865. He
remained in commission till January 15, 1866, when he was mus-
tered out and returned to his home, but never regained his
health, dying there on the 12th of February, 1869.
Brevet Brigadier-General Bobert E. Clary, a native of
Springfield, was appointed from Massachusetts to the military
academy at West Point in 1823, graduating July 1.
1828, when he was commissioned a second lieutenant.
He served in various portions of the country, rising in
rank, until the opening of the rebellion found him a
( 223 )
OVli COUNTY AiXD ITS PEOPLE
staff major and chief quartermaster of the department of Utah.
His service was principally in the quartermaster's department,
and he Avas chief quartermaster of the department of West Vir-
ginia from November, 1861, to July, 1862, then of the army of
Virginia under General Pope, then of the department of the
Northwest to the 20th of March, 1863. He then served in the
quartermaster-general's office at Washington till August 24,
1864, when he Avas placed in charge of the Memphis depot, where
he remained till the close of the war. He was commissioned
lieutenant-colonel in the regular 'line April 15, 1864, colonel July
29, 1866, and was retired February 22, 1869, being over sixty-
two years of age. He was brevetted brigadier-general from the
13th of ]March, 1865, on account of faithful and meritorious ser-
vices during the rebellion.
Brigadkr-Gcneral V^'iUiam Dirlght was born at Springfield
in 1831, entered a military school at West Point, N. Y., at the
age of 15, and afterward studied at the military academy there,
which he left before graduation to enter manufacturing business.
Wlien the Avar broke out, being then at Philadelphia, he offered
his services to the government, and May 14, 1861, Avas commis-
sioned as a captain in the Fourteenth U. S. infantry. On the
organization of the Seventieth Ncav York infantry. Col. Daniel
E. Sickles, Captain Dwight Avas commissioned as second in com-
mand, and on the promotion of Sickles to brigadier Avas commis-
sioned as colonel. He led his regiment Avith great gallantry at
the battle of AA^illiamsburg, May 6, 1862, Avhere he received three
Avounds, being disabled and made prisoner, but Avas left in hos-
pital on parole. After exchange and recoA'ery he Avas made
brigadier-general of volunteers from November 29, 1862, and
soon afterAvard .joined the forces of General Banks in Louisiana.
He commanded a brigade of the Nineteenth corps in the opera-
tions against Port Hudson, and served on the commission to set-
tle the terms of surrender. At the Ped River campaign of the
succeeding spring he Avas made chief of staff to General Banks.
Accompanying that portion of his corps sent north in the sum-
mer of 1864, he commanded the First diAdsion during its opera-
tions in the Shenandoah valley, continuing in the serAdce until
( 224 )
THE MAE OF 1861-65
January 15. ISHH, Avlien he was mustered out after almost five
3'ears of highly honorable service.
Brevet Major-Gcneral Oliver Edtcards of Springfield en-
tered the service as adjutant of the Tenth infantiy, but was soon
detailed as senior aide on the staff of ( ien. Darius N. Couch, com-
manding the division, in Avhich capacity he served with distinc-
tion till early August, 1862, when he was commissioned major
and directed to organize the Thirty-seventh infantry, of which
he was made colonel. He made of his regiment one of the best
disciplined and most effective in the army of the Potomac. On
the 9th of May, 1864, he took command of his brigade, which he
led with distinction till July 6, 1864, when it was consolidated
with another brigade, of which he was made commander. AYith
this force he fought at Fort Stevens and the Opequan in the
campaign against General Early. At the latter battle he com-
manded the First division. Sixth corps, after the death of Gen-
eral Russell and the wounding of General Upton, and in recog-
nition of his services on that occasion he was made post com-
mandant at Winchester, with his brigade and some other troops
as garrison. This position he retained for some time after the
return of the Sixth corps to the army of the Potomac, and was
ofiPered by General Sheridan the position of provost marshal-
general on his staff ; but Edwards preferred the command of his
old brigade, to which, at his special request, he was returned in
February, 1865. In the assault of April 2, 1865, on the lines at
Petersburg, his brigade took an important part, being the first to
break through the confederate works, and the next morning he
received from the mayor of Petersberg the surrender of the city,
very soon after its evacuation by General Lee. For his services
at this time he received the commission of brigadier-general of
volunteers, to date from May 19, having been brevetted for his
gallantry at Opequan, and in the sharp fight at Sailor's Creek,
April 6, he Avon the brevet of major-general. He remained in
the service until January 15, 1866, when he was honorably dis-
charged.
Major-General Erasmus Doricin Keyes was a native of
Brimfield, where he was born in 1810, was appointed from Maine
15-1 ( 225 )
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
to the military academy at West Point, from which he graduated
in 1832. His service up to the outbreak of the rebellion had
been varied, and at that time he was military secretary for Gen-
eral Scott. He was commissioned colonel of the Eleventh U. S.
infantry. May 14, 1861, three days later was made brigadier-
general of volunteers, and was for a time engaged at Boston and
New York in the duties of raising, equipping and forwarding
troops. He returned to AVashington, however, in time to com-
mand a brigade at the battle of Bull Run, July 21, 1861. In
the organization of the army of the Potomac for the campaign of
1862 he was made commander of the Fourth corps, and was com-
missioned major-general of volunteers from the 5t.h of May. He
shared in the operations against Yorktown, and after the battle
of Williamsburg led the advance up the Peninsula. It was upon
his corps that the weight of the confederate attack fell at the
battle of Fair Oaks, May 31, and for his gallant part in that
action he received the brevet of brigadier-general in the regular
army. On the withdrawal of the army of the Potomac from the
Peninsula, General Keyes was left in connnand at Yorktown, and
in the temporary absence of General Dix was in command of the
department of Virginia. In July, 1863, he was placed on the
board for retiring army officei's, where he served until May 6,
1864, when he resigned his commissions and returned to civil life.
Brevet Brigadier-Generdl Ralph TV. Kirl-ham was born at
Springtield, graduated at West Point in the class of 1842, and
was commissioned second lieutenant of the Second U. S. infantry.
He served as adjutant of that regiment during the war with
Mexico, being brevetted first lieutenant and captain for gallant
conduct, and was wounded at the battle of Molino del Rey. In
the interval between the Mexican Avar and the rebellion he served
at various posts as assistant adjutant-general or quartermaster,
and in the spring of 1861 was stationed at Fort Walla Walla in
W^ashington territory with the rank of captain. He was chief
quartermaster of the department of the Pacific from August 31,
1861, to June, 1865, and of the department of California from
that time onward. He received the commission of major Feb-
ruary 26, 1863. and dating from March 13, 1865, brevets of lieu-
( 226 )
Brevet Brigadier-General Horace C. Lee
Colonel Twenty-Seventh Massar-husetts Infantry Volunteers
OVR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
tenant-colonel, colonel, and brigadier-general, '*for faithful and
meritorious services in the quartermaster's department during
the rebellion." He resigned his commission February 11, 1870.
Brevet Brigadier-General Horace C. Lee was city clerk and
treasurer of Springfield at the opening of the war, and had sev-
eral years before risen to the rank of colonel and acting brigadier
in the state militia. In August, 1861, he was offered the lieuten-
ant-colonelcy of the Twenty-first infantry, then being organized,
and on going to Boston to accept the offer was given permission
to raise one of the five regiments just authorized. He organized
the Twenty-seventh infantry, which he ably commanded until
July 4, 1862, when he took command of the brigade, leading it in
the Trenton, Tarboro and Goldsboro expeditions, and winning
praise for the able handling of his troops in repulsing General
Clingman's attack at the latter engagement. He was recom-
mended by General Foster for promotion to the rank of brigadier-
general of volunteers, but the commission was not issued on ac-
count of the large number already given to Massachusetts officers.
When General Burnside left North Carolina to take command of
the army of the Potomac, Colonel Lee was appointed provost
marshal-general of North Carolina, and later of the department
of Virginia and North Carolina, and acted in that capacity until
the office was abolished by General Butler in January, 1864. He
then served upon commissions and courts-martial till the opening
of the campaigTi in May following, when he resumed command of
his regiment, leading it at AValthal Junction, Arrowfield Church
and Drewry's Bluff. In the latter engagement he was made
prisoner with a large portion of his command, and was confined
at Libby Prison and at Macon, Ga. From the latter place he
was removed June 10, and Avith many other union officers was
placed under the fire of the federal batteries at Charleston, S. C.
Being exchanged August 2, 1864, he went north on a month's
furlough, but returned to Fortress INIunroe in time to intercept
his regiment, then under orders for North Carolina, and procured
the return to Massachusetts of those whose time was about to
expire. lie Avas mustered out with them. September 27, 1864,
and for meritorious service received a well-deserved brevet of
( 228 )
THE ^yA^i of isei-es
brigadier-general of volunteers, dating from March 13, 1865.
He served four years in the Boston custom house, and twelve
years as postmaster of Springfield, dying June 22, 1884, soon
after vacating the latter office.
THE soldier's REST
From the earliest days of the great contest the non-military
population of the county— men for any reason unable to enter
military service, women, and even children— were earnest and
zealous in their ministrations in behalf of the soldiers. Here as
elsewhere throughout the country this devotion manifested itself
in countless ways— in the preparation of comforts and conven-
iences for the soldiers as they left their homes for temporary
encampments, and as these were quitted in turn for the more
active duties of the service: in loving messages and cheering
words, mingled with material remembrances, sent to the absent
ones; in ministrations to the sick, the wounded, and the needy,
as the tide of war rolled on and filled the country with unfortu-
nates. To the people of Hampden county, and especially of
Springfield and its vicinity, the work of the latter class grew in
importance and in volume with the passing months. The geo-
graphical situation of the city was such that most of the return-
ing soldiers from Vermont, New Hampshire, central and western
Massachusetts, with not a few from northern New York, from the
eastern portion of Massachusetts and from JVlaine, went through
by train, frequently stopping for hours within the city limits.
The summer of 1863 witnessed the return from service of the
nine-months' regiments, many of their members suffering from
disease or wounds, and following the great battles of that year,
especially those of Chancellorsville and Gettysburg, the number
of wounded and otherwise disabled was immensely increased. A
commission of young men had been organized in the city in 1862,
for the purpose of sending supplies and assistance to the front.
It was officered by F. A. Brewer as president, Charles Marsh as
secretary, and Henry S. Lee as treasurer, associated with whom
were numbers of others, e(|ually devoted and earnest. In doing
the work for which the organization was effected they had ren-
( 229 )
OUR COUNTY AXD ITS PEOPLE
dered valuable service to the nation and to their friends ; hnt they
now realized that a hi-oader and grander service was demanded
of them in their own city. At all lioiirs of the day and night sick
and wounded soldiers were passing through, often sadly in need
of refreshment, care, and nursing, for which there were no ade-
quate facilities. To lealize was to act. and early in August,
1863, a small wooden building had been secured and fitted up on
Kailroad street, close to the union depot. This was very appro-
priately named "The Soldiers' Rest," and for nine or ten months
it served admirably the purpose for which it was intended. But
the terrible campaigns of 1864 filled all the hospitals of the
country to overflowing, and a vastly increased number were sent
into New England. To meet the demand thus created, a larger
building was erected, permanent attendants were secured, and a
hospital department, well equipped in every way, was provided.
Up to November, 1864, 9,243 soldiers had been cared for. There
was no slackening in the demands made upon the Rest, but the
raising of the necessary funds to carry on the work had become a
serious problem. The gift of a ciuantity of produce from some
Vermont farmers, however, suggested the idea of a fair at the
Springfield city hall. This was planned on a broad scale by a
strong committee of the leading men and women of the city, with
the wife of Gen. James Barnes as president. It was held during
four days of the week, beginning Monday, December 19, 1864,
and proved successful beyond the most sanguine expectations.
Governor Andrew and staff were present the second evening, and
enthusiasm ran high during the entire period. "When the final
footings w^ere made, it was shown that the net proceeds reached
the handsome total of about $19,000, and this by judicious invest-
ment yielded in interest and profit upward of $11,000 more. Not
all of the credit for this magnificent showing should, however, be
given to Spi-ingfield. Other comnnmities co-operated, and nearly
all of the towns of the county were represented at the fair and in
the work of the Rest, in some degree.
The unexpectedly generous result of the undertaking pro-
vided ample funds for continuing the work of the Soldiers' Rest,
which was carried on with unabated zeal dui-ing the remainder of
( 230 )
THE ^yAB OF 1861-65
the war period — fortunately but a few months— and until the
disbandment of the union armies, and the return of the soldiers
to their homes. AVhen the building was no longer required for
its original purposes, it was sold and removed to Loring street in
the same city, where quite appropriately it was adapted as a
ehurch building for one of the religious societies of colored peo-
ple, and was thus occupied for thirty years. Meantime, through
the agency of a permanent organization, the balance of the fund
w^as employed for the relief of needy soldiers and their dependent
ones, until the organization of E. K. Wilcox Post of the Grand
Army of the Republic, by which that class of work was taken up
and carried on. Up to this time it appeared that not less than
17,000 persons had been ministered to, with a total expenditure
of over $80,000.
A considerable sum still remaining in the hands of the trus-
tees, it Avas decided to invest the same in a "soldiers' lot" of gen-
erous size in the Springfield cemetery, and to mark the spot by an
appropriate monument. For the latter purpose the war depart-
ment made a donation of condemned brass cannon, but a very
satisfactory monument being purchased complete, the cannon
were used as an additional decoration for the lot, which is now
filled to almost its full capacity with the graves of those whom, as
the years have rolled on, it has given a welcome and appropriate
place of sepulture.
Thus was admirably shown by the people of Hampden coun-
ty, primarily their intense patriotic devotion, which did not
shrink from any necessary sacrifice of personal service or of
financial contribution, that "the government established by the
fathers" should not be overthrown ; and secondarily that sympa-
thy and tenderness of heart which was ready to make supplemen-
tal sacrifices, with an equal heroism and an equal devotion, in
order that so far as possible the horrors of war might be miti-
gated, the needy and the suffering be tenderly cared for, and,
when the march of life was ended, appropriate burial be insured.
Thus was the full measure of patriotic purpose, of unswerving
fidelity, of tireless consecration, given by these people, the
memory of whose noble deeds shall ever be cherished as a precious
heritage.
( 231 )
CHAPTER XVI
EDUCATION IN HAMPDEN COUNTY
BY JAMES CARRUTHERS GREENOUGH, LL. D.
The word education is used to denote two things— an end to
be gained and the means to gain it. Education, as an end, has
been defined, the realization of ideal manhood. Education, as a
means, includes all that tends to promote that end. Physical
environment and social environment are means of education as
well as the specific means employed in schools.
Hampden county, extending from the heights of the Appala-
chian system on the west, across the broad valley of the Connecti-
cut to the central highlands of the State on the east, includes
almost every variety of scenery furnishing varied conditions of
educational culture.
The dwellers among the hills on the west and on the east,
from the times of the early settlers, have been a sturdy yeomanry
of marked individuality, accustomed to reach conclusions by their
own thought, and to hold them tenaciously, as men are accus-
tomed to hold that which is their own. Gaining their livelihood
by felling the forests and working their hillside fanns. their con-
tact with nature under typical conditions of New England life
tended to make them typical New England men— men patient
and truthful in thought, courageous in action, and ever respon-
sive to moral ideals. Those reared in the country homes of the
county have maintained from generation to generation the sturdy
virtues of their ancestors, while many making homes elsewhere
have sustained by their thought and energy the worthy enter-
prises of other eomnuniities.
( 232 )
EDUCATION
The broad Connecticut valley dividing the county, with allu-
vial meadows bordered by extensive plains, gives opportunity for
easy communication. In this section the manufacturing and
allied interests seem destined more and more to eclipse the agri-
cultural, though the meadows of the Connecticut are far famed
for their productiveness and are justly styled the garden of New
England. The dominating center of this valley section is the
rapidly growing city of Springfield. The superior public schools
and other educational advantages render this city peculiarly
attractive as a place of residence, though some prefer for a home
the younger city, Chicopee, or the outlying villages of Long-
meadow, West Springfield, and Agawam. The public schools of
Springfield maintain a standard of excellence to which all other
schools in the valley aspire.
The sons and daughters of hill-town farmers have readily
availed themselves of the opportunities of the valley schools, and
no students have more merited distinction in our higher insti-
tutions, whether in the academies, or later, in the high schools
and in the State Normal school at Westfield. The recent laws of
the state have made the high schools of larger communities avail-
able to pupils from towns too small to maintain secondary schools
of high grade. Those in every part of the county may now
advance from the primary school, through all the grades of the
public schools to college or other higher institutions with well
nigh equal freedom.
In the valley section of the county, social life has received a
development under conditions more favorable than those in the
more sparsely populated sections ; but the extension of steam and
trolley lines, and the improvement of highways are so facilitating
communication, that social and educational advantages are less
and less limited by the boundaries of towns and the locality of
one's home. Towns unable alone to employ skilled superintend-
ents of schools are grouped in districts. The schools of each
district are put in charge of a superintendent in part paid by the
state. These superintendents, with the generous co-operation of
school committees, are doing much to help schools in the smaller
towns to keep pace Avith the schools of like grade in larger towns.
( 233 )
OVR COUNTY ASD ITS PEOPLE
If we study tlie l^eginiiings of tlie eoiinnon schools of our
State and county we are led to notice causes operating before the
settlement of JNIassachusetts.
The reformation under Luther transferred the authority of
deciding I'eligious questions in Protestant communities from the
church and the priesthood to the individual, as taught by the
Word of God, and enlightened by the Holy Spirit. Calvin em-
phasized this view, and urged the necessity and the religious duty
of the intellectual as well as the religious culture of all, that each
might be able to interpret the Bible for himself. Calvinism
found full expression in the earlier churches of Massachusetts.
The maintenance of public schools, our Puritan ancestors con-
sidered a religious duty. The church and the school were coun-
terparts, each of the other.
The horn book and the New England primer were the text
books of the primary or dame school, as it Avas called, in early
colonial times. This primer is a remarkable medley of the
alphabet, "easy syllables," rude rhymes setting forth Bible
events illustrated by what now seem ludicrous wood cuts, Bible
quotations, followed by verses full of solemn and direful admoni-
tions respecting death and hell, and much religious counsel. The
primer also contains that elaborate compend of theological wis-
dom—The Assembly's shorter catechism— a title in contrast
with the time spent in memorizing its statements. The boys at
suitable age were transferred to the master's or grammar school,
where those who wished could be made ready for Harvard col-
lege, by reading, spelling, Avriting. working dictated problems on
their slates, and nnich wearisome plodding in Latin grammar.
The girls, for the most part having completed their schooling
when they left the dame school, entered upon their practical
training in spinning, weaving, and other departments of house-
wifery. The public schools w^ere supervised by the ministers,
who were quite as ready to test the theological and the biblical
knowledge of the pupils as their secular knowledge. Boys had
an added motive for attending to the long doctrinal sermon on
Sunday, in the fact that the minister might visit the school on
Monday and question them about it.
( 234 )
EDUCATION
The coming into the colonies of men of different religious be-
liefs at length abated the religious zeal in the maintenance of
l)ublic schools. The Indian and the French wars exhausted
funds, which in part, at least, would in more peaceful times have
been used to strengthen the schools. Poverty seemed to furnish
some reasonable excuse for non-compliance with the statute of
16-17, requiring the maintenance of elementary, and of grammar
schools the embryo high schools of the time. Yet the school laws
were not to be i-uthlessly disregarded. Towns in our county,
as well as in other counties, were summoned to court to answer
for their delinquencies. In 1769. AVales was fined for not main-
taining a grammar school. Three years earlier, Brimfield suf-
fered a like penalty for a similar neglect.
The tendency to disregard the authority of the state led to
the decentralization of the school system. By the laws of 1789
towns were allowed to divide their areas into school districts.
While this district system seemed to be in the interest of local
government and seemed to encourage local effort, it hastened the
decline of the common school. It relieved the towns from re-
sponsibility in the conduct of the schools, and too often lodged
it in irresponsible hands. The Avork of administrative disintegra-
tion went on. In 1800, the raising of money by tax for the
support of schools was conferred upon the several districts ; in
1817, the school districts were made corporations ; and in 1827,
the whole matter of selecting and hiring teachers and the man-
agement of the schools was conferred upon the districts, save that
the town conmiittee Avas to examine candidates presented by the
prudential committees of the districts and decide the fitness of
these candidates for the position of teacher. This examination
usually occurred just before the opening of the Avinter and spring
terms of the schools, and as only those Avere examined Avho had
been selected by the committees in the several districts, the town
committee must approve the candidates, or practically close the
schools for a time. The examination Avas usually short, and
teachers of very inferior quality frequently found their Avay
into the schools. The continued decline of the connnon schools
Avas inevitable. The half century covering the period betAveen
( 235 )
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
1789 and 1839 has been termed the "Dark Age" of our common
schools.
However depressed the condition of the common schools. o\v-
ing to the poverty and disorder incident to the revolutionary war,
however culpable the neglect of the common schools, and however
unworthy of the high aims of the original founders, the people of
Massachusetts never lost sight of the true moral function of
every school. AVhen the war was over and the national govern-
ment was established under our present constitution, the people
of INIassachusetts. through their legislature by the act of 1789.
laid the educational cornerstone of the civil fabric in these
words :
"It shall be the dut}^ of the president, professors and tutors
of the University of Cambridge and of the several colleges, of all
preceptors and teachers of academies, and of all other instructors
of youth, to exert their best endeavors to impress on the minds of
children and youth committed to their care and instruction, the
principles of piety and justice, and a sacred regard to truth :
love of their country, humanity, and universal benevolence ;
sobriety, industry and frugality : chastity, moderation and tem-
perance ; and those other virtues which are the ornament of
human society and the basis upon which a republican constitu-
tion is founded; and it shall be the duty of such instructors to
endeavor to lead their pupils, as their ages and capacities will
admit, into a clear understanding of the tendency of the above-
mentioned virtues to preserve and perfect a republican consti-
tution, and secure the blessings of liberty as well as to promote
their future happiness, and also to point out to them the evil
tendencies of the opposite vices. ' '
As we have already noticed, the common schools of our county,
as well as of other parts of the state, in the second century of our
history, were unworthy of a people really prizing education and
inadequate to the needs of children, both in the quantity and the
quality of the instruction provided. Secondary schools,— tl}e
grammar schools yet remaining,— with a few worthy exceptions,
were diminishing in number and declining in excellence. 1 ho
statutes requiring their maintenance were gradual!}' so relaxed
( 236 )
EDV CATION
that early in the nineteenth century only seven towns wre re-
quired to maintain them. As in the darkness ol: the Mirldio
Ages in Europe, learning was still cherished by the clergy, so dur-
ing the eighteenth century and later, the ministers of the churches
in New England encouraged the youth in tlieir parishes to strug-
gle on toward college, and often became their private instructors
in preparatory Latin and Greek. The work of a minister in our
smaller towns was no sinecure. If he would supplement his
narrow stipend so as to provide for his family, he must till the
X>arish land ; if he would care for the people over whom he had
been settled as a pastor for life, he must not only prepare his two
Aveekly sermons, but must visit from house to house and acquaint
himself with the religious condition and progress of his people
individually ; and if he Avould be instrumental in raising up
young men who would fill the pulpits and become intellectual and
spiritual leaders, he must encourage and aid promising youth in
their endeavors to equip themselves with the learning of the
college. Country ministers were farmers, preachers, pastors and
teachers. For maintaining the standards of religion according
to their convictions, of truth as they apprehended it, and of
sound learning as they knew and loved it, we owe the early min-
isters of New England a debt of lasting gratitude.
Referring again to the low state of the common schools we may
quote the words of Rev. Dr. Cooley, so long a forceful illustration
of the value to a town of such a minister as we have attempted to
describe. He says, speaking of the condition of the schools in
1777, when he began his school life, ' ' The only school books were
Dillworth's spelling book, the primer and the Bible. The fur-
niture, as I recollect, was a chair for the master, a long hickory
and a ferule. Reading, spelling, a few of the business rules of
arithmetic, the catechism and writing legibly, was the amount of
school education for sons ; and for daughters, still less. The lux-
ury of a slate and pencil I never enjoyed till I entered college.
Previous to 1796," he adds, ''no academy existed in Western
Massachusetts, except a Avell endowed institution at Williams-
town." Alluding to his own teaching while a parish minister,
he said : "Probably as many as eight hundred have been under
( 237 )
01 R COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
my luition. and as many as sixty or seventy have entered the
ministry." Very few New h^ngland ministers had as lori"' a pas-
torate and labors as manifold as those of Dr. Cooley of Granville :
but in his life we have a type of the New England ministry.
We now notice an educational movement at first evidently
adverse to the improvement of the common school, but ultimately
an effective agency in revolutionizing it. Unable to secure for
children suitable and sufficient instruction in the common school,
parents and friends of education by private benefactions began
to found other schools.
As early as 1761, William Dummer left by will his house and
farm in Newbury, INIass., for the establishment of a free school.
In 1782 the school was incorporated under the name of Dummer
academy. This was the first school in the state that bore the
name of academy. As soon as the revolutionary struggle, with
its long years of devastation, discord and discouragement, was
over, the people of Massachusetts, like the people of Prussia,
after the downfall of Napoleon, began to legislate for the future.
They were not ignorant of the wretched condition of most of the
common schools, and by enactments provided for a broader range
of studies and a somewhat better administration. But there was
then too much poverty and too much rural conservatism to allow
of any general improvement in the schools. The district system,
with its petty politics, purblind narrowness, and penurious ap-
propriations, was destined to work its evils for another genera-
tion. Those who prized education could not then uplift the
public schools. With no little personal sacrifice, they founded
academies. In 1797, the policy of aiding towns and individuals
in establishing academies was inaugurated. A common form of
aid was a grant of state land in the District of INIaine. The co-
operation of the state accelerated the founding of academies.
Several were founded not fai' from the time of the founding of
Westfield academy, which was dedicated in 1800. Before 1840,
one hundred and twelve acts of incorporation had been enacted
by the legislature, providing for academies in eighty-eight towns.
Six academies have been located in Hampden county. Of these,
Westfield academy was the oldest, and for half a century the
( 238 )
EDUCATION
most noted. We shall speak more specifically of these academies
hereafter.
These academies secured permanent teachers of fine scholar-
ship and generous culture. They were, with very few exceptions,
men and women of earnest Christian purpose who encouraged,
and themselves engaged in distinctive religious efforts that might
have been thought out of place in a public school. If these
teachers did not introduce new and better methods of teaching,
they taught with a thoroughness not to be expected in the district
schools. AVhile special attention was given to completing the
studies of the common school, a goodly number of elective studies,
now included in high school courses, was taught. These acad-
emies furnished the connecting steps between the common school
and the college ; they re-enforced the colleges with young men
better fitted for college work, and thus gave new life to the col-
leges. The academies co-operated with the colleges in bringing
forward men whose influence was of untold value in promoting
public instruction : they nourished a sentiment in favor of better
common schools ; and they led the people to form higher ideals
of teachers, and of teaching. While it must be admitted that
academies, for a time, so centered attention upon themselves that
the common schools seemed more neglected than ever, we are
indebted to these institutions for educating men and women
whose influence and whose efforts at length secured a great
advance in the administration of public schools, and in the
methods of instruction. The first master of Dummer academy
helped to educate fifteen members of congress, two chief justices
of the Supreme court, a president of Harvard college, and sev-
eral college professors. Monson and Westfield and Wesleyan
academies, and others within the limits of Hampden county, had
a like honorable record. Academies were the training schools for
teachers of the common schools before the establishment of nor-
mal schools. Many of these teachers must have tried to intro-
duce into their schools the finer motives and the gentler methods
which they had known in the academies, in place of the rude
rigors then in vogue in district schools. Many of them lived to
see a ne^v era in the history of the common schools.
( 239 )
OUR COUNTY A.\D ITS PEOPLE
AVe have seen that the innnediate effect of the rise of aead-
eiiiies -was to center the attention of those who most appreciated
good schools upon the academies, and to withdraw from the com-
mon schools that interest and that generous support which were
essential to their welfare. Academies tended in times more dem-
ocratic even than our ovm, to separate the children of those hav-
ing a competency from the children of the poor. The former
could enjoy the advantages of an academy ; the latter were too
generally obliged to content themselves with the meagre oppor-
tunities of the common school. The passing away of the colonial
grammar schools, and the decadence, or rather lack of progress,
of the common schools, had made private schools and academies
a necessity. Their success tended to leave the common schools
uncared for. But there was a growing persuasion that the com-
mon schools Avere failing to secure the ends for which they were
established, and were unworthy of an intelligent people.
The eighth annual report of the board of education, -vATitten
by William G. Bates, of Westfield, one of the earlier mem-
bers of the board, contains a paragraph that well summarizes the
disadvantages to the common schools, arising from the mainte-
nance of private schools. We quote the paragraph :
' ' But whatever may have been the cause of the establishment
of private schools, the effect of their establishment has been most
disastrous upon the interests of common school education. By
increasing the expense of education, without proportionately
improving its quality ; by drawing off to the private schools the
best of the teachers; by depriving the common schools of their
best scholars, and thus robbing them of a bright example, the
best incentive to diligence ; by withdrawing from them the care
and sympathy of the most intelligent part of the population; by
taking away from the patrons of these private institutions the
motive to swell the amount of the appropriations for the support
of common schools ; by degrading the common school from its just
estimation in the minds of the community, to an institution
where only those are sent whose parents are too poor or too
neglectful to pay a proper regard to their condition ; by fostering
that feeling of jealousy which Avill always spring up between
( 2^0 )
EDUCATION
persons of antagonistic interests ; by instilling into the mind of
the youthful student a feeling of inferiority ; by pointing him to
a fellow student born under the laws of his country to the same
destiny, yet in the enjoyment of superior intellectual advantages ;
and by dissolving that community of feeling which should ever
be consecrated to this great cause, they have done an injury to
our common school system, which their discontinuance only can
repair.
The tirst quarter of the nineteenth century had hardly closed
ere the thick gloom that had long settled upon elementary schools,
both in Europe and America, began to yield to the dawn of a
brighter day. Pestalozzi, in Germany and in Switzerland, with
his co-laborers and pupils, and Bell and Lancaster, in England,
had begun a great movement in the educational world. To this
the friends of popular education in Massachusetts were the tirst
in America to respond. "To James Carter, of Lancaster, Mass.,"
it has been said, "belongs the honor of first attracting attention
to the decadence of the public schools, the extent of it, the cause
of it, and the remedy for it." The result of his writings, his
addresses, his work in the legislature, seconded by Gov. Edward
Everett, Josiah Quincy, and others, was the creation of a school
fund in 1834, and of a board of education in 1837. At the first
meeting of this board in June, Horace Mann was chosen secre-
tary. On the evening of the day of his appointment he made
this entry in his private journal, "Henceforth, so long as I hold
this office, I dedicate myself to the supremest welfare of man
upon earth." His work of the next twelve years proved the
genuineness of this self-dedication. Supervisor ]\Iartin has well
said of him in his valuable book, "Evolution of the Massachusetts
Public School System": "He fought the battle of educational
reform in ]\Iassachusetts through to the end, and conquered. A
pathetic indifference, hide-bound conservatism, niggardly parsi-
mony, sectarian bigotry, and political animosity surged around
him as the enemies of France surged around the white plume of
Henry of Navarre ; but he left the field so clear, that since his
day none of these reactionary forces, singly or combined, has
made any successful opposition to the on-going movements of the
cause of popular education."
16-1 ( 241 )
OVR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
Ten years before the appointment of the board of education,
Mr. Carter, in the Massachusetts legislature, came within one
vote of securing an appropriation for a school for the training
of teachers. The plan was not realized until Edmund Dwight.
belonging to a worthily honored family of Springfield, but then
a resident of Boston, employed his money and his influence to
establish normal schools. We are also indebted to j\lr. Dwight,
with others, for the development of the cotton mills of Chicopee
and Holyoke. AVell informed respecting educational affairs in
his own state and in Europe, Mr. Dwight was wisely chosen one
of the original members of the board of education. He was
keenh' aware of the need of trained teachers for the public
schools, and offered to give $10,000 for the training of teachers
in normal schools, provided the legislature would appropriate
an equal sum. By the resolves of April 19, 1838, the legislature
appropriated the additional $10,000.
The first normal schools in America were opened in 1839, —
one in Lexington and one in Barre. The latter, in 1844, found a
permanent home in AYestfield. It is a lasting honor to our coun-
ty that within its limits was the early home of the man Avhose
influence and whose munificence resulted in founding the first
state normal schools on this continent. Later, Mr. Dwight, by
the gift of $1,000, made it possible for Mr. Mann, under the
direction of the board of education, to inaugurate a system of
teachers' institutes.
The value of the Westfield and other State Normal schools—
the value of the institutes, which have been termed the "flying
artillery of the normal school," — in improving the schools of the
county and of the state can hardly be over-estimated. The
Westfield school in a few years won a national reputation. Nor-
mal schools have developed new and better methods of teaching,
nourished professional enthusiasm, led to a higher appreciation
of teaching, helped teachers to form higher ideals and through
their influence on the schools have proved that they are essential
to any well ordered system of public instruction.
So far as the public schools improved, so far there was less
need of academies. The development of manufacturing industries,
( 242 )
EDUCATION
bringing people together in villages and cities, led to the erection
of larger and more snitable school buildings, the grading of
pupils, and the permanent employment of excellent teachers.
As townsincreased in i)opulation. they became able to maintain
high schools, and they were especially disposed to do this in local-
ities where academies failed to furnish the needed opportunities
for secondary instruction. As early as 1821, the city of Boston
established a free English High school. In 1826, the legisla-
ture, which in previous sessions had seemed to care little for
secondary schools, enacted a law requiring that high schools
should be maintained in towns having five hundred families ; but
the opposition to this measure, of those interested in the pros-
perity of academies, and of several towns in which a high school
could not be located so as to easily accommodate pupils from all
parts of the town, soon secured the repeal of the effective clauses
of the law. After experiencing various vicissitudes, being re-
enacted in 1836, practically set aside in 1840. and again re-enact-
ed and improved in 1848, the high schools law, mainly as it uoav
is, became the permanent expression of the will of the people of
the commonwealth.
In 1838 there were very few high schools in the State. From
this time to 1860, fifty more were added. From 1860 to 1875,
ninety more were established. In 1900, the whole number of
high schools in the state was two hundred and sixty-one. In
twenty-three towns, academies, most of them on an early founda-
tion, serve as high schools. High schools include nearly' nine
per cent, of the school enrollment. Where academies
have yielded their place to free high schools, the academy
funds have generally been utilized to increase the efficiency of
the high school. The high schools in Hampden county are a just
source of pride to the several towns in which they are maintained.
Monson academy, in charge of a succession of principals
eminent for scholarship and rare personal qualities, and strength-
ened from time to time by the benefactions of liberal donors
living in Monson, has maintained its hold upon the community.
It still continues the noble work for which it was founded June
21, 1804. It now adds to its original functions those of a high
school for the town of jNIonson.
( 343 )
OVR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
The "Wesleyan academy at Wilbraham, strengthened by the
generous efforts of the members of the Methodist Episcopal
church, also survived the revolution in favor of public high
schools; broadening its work, adding to its equipment and in-
creasing its influence, until it has become one of the leading acad-
emies of the state.
The Hitchcock Free academy, founded at Brimfield by the
act of incorporation April 26, 1855, in the excellence of its work
has taken rank with the jNIonson and Wesleyan academies, fur-
nishing admirable high school facilities to communities beyond
the limits of Brimfield as well as to the people of that town.
The district system, Horace jNIaun and his immediate succes-
sors found one of the greatest hindrances to the improvement of
public schools. By this system the inhabitants of towns were for
many years divided into petty corporations, each having well
nigh independent management of its own school. The large
centers of population were the first to free themselves from the
evils of the system ; but in the rural sections of the state, in-
trenched in what Avas deemed the right of local government, and
defended by custom, it long seemed almost invincible. In spite
of several legislative attempts to rid the state of the system, it
was not fully abolished until 1882, though persuasion and legis-
lation had previously led all but forty-five tow^ns to adopt the
town system, by which all the schools of a town are in charge of
a town committee. This system frees from the petty feuds, the
damaging jealousies, the narrow parsimony and the selection of
teachers on the grounds of relationships and favoritisms, that
often made the district system a disgrace. Political considera-
tions may gain possession of the members of a town committee.
The committees in our county have generally been wholly free
from such debasement. The good results of the town system
are evident on every hand. Among the most obvious are the
more healthful, tasteful and suitable school buildings that have
been erected in recent years. This improvement is most marked
in agricultural communities where, under the district system,
neighborhood strifes and local jealousies too often made it easy
for penurious men to prevent the erection of needed buildings.
( 244 )
EDUCATION
When the district system was abolished, the very persons often,
who had striven to prevent the substitution of a good building for
a dilapidated one, were eager to have a new building erected at
the expense of the town. As soon as in any section of the town
an old school building was displaced by a modern one, other sec-
tions claimed a like improvement as their right.
The high school buildings recently erected in the county are
fitting expressions of the value the people of the county now
attach to the work of the highest grades in our public schools.
They show a woi'thy public spirit, and tend to impress us with the
dignity and importance of the ends for which they were erected.
The chaste elegance and substantial character of the Springfield
High school places it in the first rank of public buildings in the
state. But more important than solid and tasteful architecture
are the arrangements for the seating of pupils, for ample light,
for heating, for ventilation and for securing other conditions of
physical well being. The high schools are not yet perfect in
these matters ; but we have so far progressed in their construction
and equipment that the intellectual and moral results sought in
a course of secondary instruction, are far more easily attainable
than in the school buildings of a former generation.
If we compare the studies and the methods of the earlier
schools with those of to-day, we find that, as the simple and uni-
form mode of life of the early settlers has given place to the
more complex conditions of our present social life, the curricu-
lum of the schools has of necessity become more varied and com-
prehensive.
We have already noticed the text-books of the colonial dame
schools— the horn-book and the New England primer— and that
reading, writing, and ciphering, Avith a little geography, made up
the work of the common school. The time of keeping school in
the country schools was much less than now. It was not uncom-
mon in sparsely populated sections, to omit the school during the
winter, and farm work tended to shorten the summer term.
Some branches that now receive large attention had no place in
the schools for two centuries. Drawing was not legally allowed
in the public schools by act of the legislature until 1858, and not
( 245 )
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
until 1870 was it made a regular study. Manual training, in the
earlier schools, Avas unthousht of save what was provided for by
copy books and in pen-making from quills : but girls in their
homes were proud to become proficient in spinning, weaving and
needlework, and in solving by experience the problems of the culi-
nary art. Boys learned to board and shingle buildings, score
and hew timber, fell trees, make fences, mend harnesses, and
fashion many farm implements. They also had training in the
cultivation of crops and in the care of domestic animals.
Nature study, as a department of school work, no pupil pur-
sued, yet the objects of nature in the open country impressed the
minds of the children as they do not to-day in our more populous
districts abounding with Avorks of men. In open spaces, un-
walled by buildings, children beheld the changing forms, the
colors, the lights and shades that give such charms to the scenery
of earth and sky. They beheld the whole western horizon kind-
ling with purple and gold at time of setting sun. The wonder
of the night, stars studding the sky, the changing moon, and the
"wandering fires"— all impressed them as the phenomena of the
heavens cannot now impress children reared in the artificial ap-
pliances of cities and thickly populated districts. Though the
systematic study of plants found no place in those earlier schools,
yet the children knew the homes of the wild flowers and most of
their common names. One of their pastimes in their woodland
walks was to test each other's knowledge of the kinds of trees and
shrubs they passed. They learned the habits and haunts of birds
and of other denizens of the forest. So much as they learned of
nature, they learned in the fields where objects were seen in
their entirety and in their natural environment. What they
learned of nature they learned by their own observation, and not
by reading about what some one else had observed. What is
learned by one's own observation and experience is not easily
forgotten.
The transfer of home industries to factories, the making of
things by machinery instead of by hand, has left the home Avith-
out those opportunities for manual training and those ineentiA'es
to it that the country homes of our county once furnished.
( 246 )
EDUCATION
Manual training and gymnastic exercises are now needful to a
large proportion of pupils in our public schools. These are need-
ed in our cities and towns for training of eye and hand, for a
better appreciation of the material agencies ministering to mod-
ern life, and for the opportunity to more wisely answer the ques-
tion, ' ' To what work in life am I best adapted ? ' '
In cities where the physical environment of the child is in
large degree artificial, the objects of nature cannot stimulate his
curiosity and waken his interest as in a country home. That he
may gain clear and distinct perceptions of natural objects, so
fundamental to all subsequent knowledge gained by books pre-
senting that which is beyond the range of observation, the natural
objects, as far as may be, must be brought to him, or he must be
brought to the objects and led to study them in their native con-
ditions and surroundings.
The applications of chemistry, of physics, and of other de-
partments of natural science in different employments, now
including practical farming, even, have furnished good reasons
for introducing the study of elementary science into the public
schools. The study of the objects that belong to the pupil's
physical environment, as a means of developing his power of
observation and of cultivating his aesthetic nature, has been
found to have high educational value. Drawing, so long exclud-
ed from the public schools, is now obligatory in all. It is now
rendering an admirable service, though the patrons of the schools
do not yet fully appreciate its large practical and educational
value.
Thus new studies from time to time have been added, while
the names of the old have taken on a new significance. Arith-
metic no longer includes curious and time-exhausting puzzles,
but trends closeh^ to the requirements of the counting room and
the demands of industrial affairs. Geography is no longer a
catalogue of continents, seas, capes, bays, rivers, mountains,
states and capitals. The earth is now studied as the home of
man, and in its relations to the varied forms of human activities.
Grammar no longer employs pupils in memorizing useless forms
and in attempting unnecessary classifications ; but yields the field
{ 247 )
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
to practical lessons in language by which accuracy, facility, and
grace in oral and written composition are gained. Scientific
study of language, grammar proper, is reserved for the highest
grade of the grammar school, or more properly deferred until the
pupil reaches the secondary school.
There has been progress in the inner life of the schools, in
their aims, and in their methods, no less than in the studies pur-
sued. The purpose of the colonial schools was to impart knowl-
edge of reading, writing and the simple elements of arithmetic.
The embryo high schools gave opportunity for the scanty prep-
aration required to enter Harvard college. Grammar,
geography and history came into the common school later. To
these, in the academies, were added the elements of some of the
natural sciences, learned mostly by memorizing text-books with
occasional visible illustrations and experiments prepared and
presented by the teacher. The object here as in the common
schools was knowledge— in large degree verbal knowledge. The
laboratory method now adopted in our schools is far in advance
of former methods. Instead of the teacher performing experi-
ments in chemistry and physics in the presence of the pupils and
telling them what they see, they themselves perform the experi-
ments, observe, infer, and tell the teacher the mode of procedure
and the results. So in studying plants and minerals, the objects
of study are in the hands of the pupils, or within the range of
their observation so that they may analyze them, discover truth for
themselves and frame statements of their own ideas. Books are
no longer regarded as the primary source of ideas, nor the pupils
as passive recipients of verbal statements, made by the teacher
or furnished in printed pages.
The schools in earlier times, however, were not without good
results. Committing to memory words and sentences helped
pupils to leai-n spelling and the construction of sentences. The
weekly declamations and recitations in the academies and the
occasional exercises of a similar sort in the common school, were
means of literary culture. Modern schools have found no better
means than memorizing and suitably expressing appropriate
selections of real excellence.
( 248 )
EDUCATION
The reading' books, though often not adapted to interest the
children in the lower grades, I'endered valnable literary service
to older pupils. The reading lessons might be fragmentary^ ; but
they were often the finest selections from the most approved
authors. They were read over and over, and from them ^^•ere
largely taken the prose or the poetry to be recited during the
hours given to rhetorical exercises. The prolonged attention that
the literature of the reading books secured, making it a life-long
possession, together with the constant influence of daily readings
of the Bible, both in the home and in the school, give us reasons
for the vigorous and clear style of the letters and the curi-ent
literature of the eighteenth century. The supply of reading
was often scanty, but what there was, was for the most part
good, Omniverous and thoughtless reading, nourished by sen-
sational sheets and by books of fiction, feeble and faulty in style,
and unnatural and startling in the presentation of trivial events,
tilling the imagination with silly pictures, leaving little room and
less inclination for sober thought — such reading was not the
reading of our forefathers, neither in childhood nor in later
years ; it pertains to the intellectual idlers, the weaklings in pur-
pose, of later times.
There may have been little genuine teaching, yet there were
excellences in the schools which we may not pass unnoticed.
There was no pampering of the intellect. That which Avas to be
studied was not so diluted as to render hard study unnecessary
and enfeeble thought. If little was done to smooth the rugged
pathw^ay of knowledge, it challenged effort, evoked self-reliance,
strength and courage. If the school weeks were comparatively
few and the list of studies meagre, the pupils generally came to
school with an earnest purpose to accomplish something worthy,
and to make the most of their opportunities. The modern strife
of society and the school for the time and strength of the pupil
during the hours of evening did not then exist. The evenings
at home were seldom interrupted. They supplemented the ses-
sions of school. And when the school terms for the year were
ended, the quiet homes and secluded employments of the country,
gave abundant opportunity to think over again what had been
learned and to revive its impressions.
( 249 )
01 R COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
One of the defects of the teaching, from which we are not
wholly freed, was that descriptions of things were studied, rather
than things themselves : and yet this was less injurious to the boys
and girls of the colonial schools, because, in their daily life they
had more to do with the objects of nature than we. Another
defect was that the objects of study, whether presented in books
or otherwise, their arrangement, and the language employed,
were generally adapted to the mind of the adult rather than to
the mind of the child. The deductive order, by w^hich the mind
proceeds from general propositions and truths to specific applica-
tions and illustrations, was employed rather than the inductive,
by which the child begins with a knowledge of individual objects,
and by his own inference, comes to the general truth.
The interests of the child were not consulted. It was not
then the theory of most teachers that children should be attracted
to their school-work. On the contrary, it was believed they
would fail to gain one of the chief objects of school discipline,
unless they were daily held and habituated to the performance of
unwelcome tasks. The discipline that comes by unreserved devo-
tion to work which one enjoys Avas not appreciated. The spirit
of the kindergarten which now permeates the lower grades of our
schools was wanting.
To-day, the progressive teacher studies the nature of the child,
traces his instincts, his interests and his aversions, the ways in
which he thinks, and the steps by which he approaches knowl-
edge. The result of such study is intelligent teaching in accord
with the unfolding faculties of the child. Does a child first gain
a knowledge of objects by his own observation and experience?
Then the teacher of to-day begins the teaching of every subject
by leading the child to observe that which is to be studied, rather
than words describing it. Such teaching is in strong contrast
with the book-learning of earlier times. Does a child naturally
attend to things changing and moving sooner than to things at
rest and inactive ? Then the study of animals and plants in the
kindergarten and primary school precedes the study of minerals.
To-day the instincts of the child are consulted in planning his
work and in providing for his recreations. Is he fond of making
( 250 )
EDLCAllON
things? He is trained in drawing, moulding, and woodwork,
and by these exercises secures not only manual training but
mental culture. Mythic legends and fairy tales are furnished
for reading at the age when the imagination revels in its freedom
not yet restrained by the tests of truth. The self-activity of the
child is so directed as to lead to a natural development.
Unnatural quiet and stillness, produced by rigid restraint,
are no longer regarded the acme of school order ; it is now secured
by furnishing ample and agreeable employment in suitable
school Avork. The applications of the rod and the ferule were
once the approved means of limiting, if not of eliminating, the
hereditary perversity of the will termed by the tlieologians ''orig-
inal sin." While it is still admitted that force and physical
penalty are ultimately to be employed if school order cannot be
otherwise maintained, there is now found comparatively little
use for them in schools. In moral training, the effort now is not
to eradicate tendencies to evil by severity, but to dwarf and
Avither them by the overgrowth of noble aspirations and worthy
deeds. The modern teacher, instead of compelling by penalties
and coercing by fear, allures and leads along the paths of knowl-
edge, selecting the way so wisely and so in accord with the tastes
and the pace of children that it is far pleasanter for them to keep
company with the teacher than to stray in forbidden paths.
Once, knowledge seemed to be the ultimate aim of all school work.
To-day, powder rather than knoAvledge is the aim. The test of a
pupil's school work is not what he can repeat, but what he can
think and do.
The report of the board of education for 1899-1900 fur-
nishes some interesting statistics relative to the present condi-
tion of the public schools of the county ; 30,457 persons are re-
ported between the ages of 5 and 15 years of age, 30,011 different
persons of all ages in the public schools during the school year,
and 22,264 the average attendance ; $5,354.01 was expended for
the conveyance of pupils. The amount thus expended will
doubtless be increased as the people become more fully apprised
that money is saved, better educational appliances can be pro-
vided, and better teachers permanently employed by closing the
( 251 )
Oili COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
small schools and transporting the pupils to larger schools. In
aiding this better grouping of pupils, trolley cars are becoming
faetoi-s in educational progress.
The amount paid for teachers' wages during the year 1900
was $505,962.91. The total expenditure for the support of
public schools was $708,450.81. Of this sum, $99,489.72 was
expended for new school houses, a sum considerably less than the
expenditure for this purpose during some preceding years. If
to the amount expended as reported, we could add the annual
interest of the capital invested in school buildings and in other
school appliances, the amount expended in providing public
instruction and the amount annually expended in other ways for
education in the county, the sum might be found to approach
nearer two millions than one.
Ten high schools are reported, including the Hitchcock Free
academy and the Monson academy. The whole number of pupils
in high schools was 2,014. The attendance at high schools during
the last five years shows a ratio of increase much beyond the ratio
of increase of population. The causes for the recent rapid growth
of high schools, are, "the feeling that a higher education is
needed to cope with the present conditions of life, both social and
industrial; the increasing disposition to recognize the high school
as a natural part and continuation of public education; an
improvement in circumstances that enables parents to give their
children better advantages for a start in life; in some places, a
decrease in the demand for boys' labor in factories and mills, and
in other employments of a distinctly manual character : and
lastly, the broadening of high school courses of studies, so that
now, whatever their destination in life, young people find some-
thing in the high school that seems to meet their wants or tastes."
"We may expect that the attendance in these schools of higher
grade will increase still more rapidly as the courses in the high
schools become more elective, and more closely adapted to the
demands of active life.
The mode of providing high school instruction for pupils in
the smaller towns, who are qualified for admission to a high
school and desire to enter, is not uniform. Towns whose valua-
( 252 )
EDUCATION
tion is less than $500,000, generally avail themselves of the pro-
visions of the recent law of the state, exempting such towns from
the payment of the tuition of their pupils in attendance in high
schools of other towns and making it a charge upon the state.
In small towns, whose valuation exceeds $500,000, local pride and
sometimes economical considerations, favor the maintenance of a
school of higher grade that shall wholly, or in part, provide high
school instruction. There are many reasons why a town should
strenuously endeavor to maintain one school of higher grade,
even if unable to provide a complete high school course.
During the century that has just closed, the instruction of the
pupils in our public schools has been in large degree transferred
from men to women. In early colonial times women were not
employed as teachers, save in schools for little children, in which
the range of studies did not go beyond the Horn book and the
New England primer. The contents of the primer we have al-
ready outlined. The Horn book is described as ''a single leaf
on w^hich was printed at the beginning of the first line the form
of a cross, to show that the end of training is piety. After the
cross there followed the letters of the alphabet, the small letters
and the capitals, the vowels, syllables of two letters, and the
words, 'In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy
Ghost. Amen.' Closing with the Lord's Prayer." The sheet
was originally in England covered with a transparent sheet of
horn, hence its name.
The famous law of 1647 did not recognize women as teachers.
Every township of fifty householders w^as ordered to appoint one
in their town to teach all such children as should resort to him.
When a towai had set up a grammar school, a "master" was to
be employed to teach it. The "Dame schools," usually kept in
rooms of dwelling houses, were deemed within the province of
women Avho were to be "keepers at home."
The opinion was then general that to teach girls in school
anything beyond reading and writing and the simplest rudi-
ments of other common branches, was to waste time, for these
were all they would have occasion to use. They had no oppor-
tunity in the public schools to gain the knowledge required to
( 253 )
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
teach grades above the primary. The grammar schools were for
boys only. Boston, supposed then as now to furnish literary
models for other communities, admitted girls to the grammar
school for the first time in 1789, and for nearly half a century
thereafter they were permitted to attend only one-half of the
year — from April to October. The public sentiment seemed
quite in accord with the saying of a German philosopher, "The
home of man is the world, the world of woman her home." A
historian tells us that "the rural schools admitted the boys and
girls alike, but the instruction for the girls' was limited to lessons
in Avriting, spelling and reading."
The dedication of the building of the Westfield academy,
then the only academy in Western Massachusetts, marked the
beginning of a new era in the history of the education of the
girls in Hampden county. The limitations of their instruction
in the public schools did not obtain in academies. Whatever
was there taught, girls could study as freely as boys. As there
were no colleges for girls, they were not expected to elect prepar-
atory studies. As high schools were established, boys and girls
were admitted on equal footing. The same was true of State
Normal sehools. Now colleges are provided for women. The
methods of governing pupils have become more human, requiring
less strength of muscle— an advance for which we are indebted
mainly to the increased number of female teachers in our schools.
Owing to these conditions, and others which might be no-
ticed, the large majority of the teachers in our public schools
to-day are women. There are now more than ten times as many
women as men teaching in the public schools of the state. The
number of different male teachers employed in the public schools
of Hampden county, as officially reported for the school year end-
ing in 1900, was only 78, Avhile the number of female teachers
was 901.
In 1881 the legislature granted to women the right to vote
for school committee, thus increasing the power of women to
control the management of the public schools.
In 1874 the legislature passed an act declaring that no per-
son should be deemed ineligible to the office of school committee
( 254 )
EDUCATION
by reason of sex. From that date, and in some towns earlier,
women have served on the school committee in the towns of our
county, most acceptably. Several towns have found their need
of school supervision best supplied by the employment of women
as superintendents. The intelligent women of Hampden county
have done more than men to upbuild the public schools. They,
together with other women of the state, have been effective in
securing the teaching of temperance in the schools. The high
moral tone of the public schools of the county is largely the
result of their influence.
Edncational Institutions Not Included in the Public ScJiools.
—Every city and town in Hampden county has a free public
library; every one of these libraries aids the work of public
schools. It is an essential part of a good secondary course of
instruction to teach the student how to use a library in topical
study. Under the direction of the librarian and the teacher,
pupils in the grammar grades, even, learn how to make the
library supplement the work of the school. Following the ex-
ample of the public library of Brookline, Mass., where in 1890
a juvenile room was first provided and furnished with suitable
books, most of the libraries in the county make special provisions
for the needs and the tastes of children. Librarians and teachers
co-operate in making the library serviceable to pupils in the
schools and to youth who are continuing their studies beyond the
schools. Every progressive teacher feels that to teach the art of
reading and leave the pupil unaided in his selection to make his
way among periodicals and books is like launching one upon an
unknown sea without chart or rudder; hence the teachers more
and more feel the necessity of introducing those under their care
to good literature, and so cultivating their taste for it, that their
intellectual and moral progress after leaving school will be
assured.
Inl898,therewerel91,419volumes in the free public libraries
in the county. Large accessions have since been made. Spring-
field library alone is reported to contain upwards of 101,000
volumes. The aggregate circulation is about twice the number
of volumes.
( 255 )
OLE COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
The Hampden Comity Teachers' associatiou adopted its
present constitution May. 1856. Its annual meetings have ever
been interesting and profitable. The attendance in recent years
has been so large and the work so specialized, that it is customary
to tlivide the members, during a part of the time of each meeting,
into three sections — primary, grammar and high school. The
association includes not only teachers of every grade, but mem-
bers of school committees and others interested in public schools.
No organizations are more democratic than our teachers' associa-
tions, and none has been more earnest in kindling the aspirations
and improving the professional skill of its members. The meet-
ings of the association are held in Springfield. Before this city
was as readily reached from surrounding towns as now, the meet-
ings Avere held in different towns, in response to invitations. Its
coming was gladly heralded. Citizens opened their houses to
those in attendance and provided bountiful entertainment; the
citizens felt amply repaid in listening to the discussions and lec-
tures before the association.
A preliminary meeting of principals of high schools and
academies was held in Springfield, January 18, 1896. At the
next meeting, February 14, articles of agreement were adopted
and a club was organized under the name, "Headmasters' Club
of AYestern Massachusetts." Its object is to promote acquaint-
ance and to aid each other by discussing school questions and
plans of school work. Five or six meetings are held annually,
one of which, termed ''Ladies Day,'' is spent in visiting some
place of historical or literary interest. The earnest work
of this club is fruitful in improving the several schools in charge
of its members.
The Hitchcock Free academy was established by the citizens
of Brimfield in response to a letter received from Sanuiel Austin
Hitchcock, dated February 21. 1855. In this letter. Mr. Hitch-
cock disclosed his intention of giving $10,000 for the purpose of
endoAving a "Free (Jrammar School." In the name suggested,
he seems to have had in mind the "Grammar School" of earlier
times, whieli corresponded to our present high school. Mr.
Hitchcock donated in all $75,000. One condition of his first gift
( '^56 )
EDUCATION
was that the school should be free to all children of suitable age
and qualifications who are inhabitants of the town; a condition
of his later gift is, that, "so far as pupils from other towns can
be accommodated at the school and not deprive the children of
the town of any advantages of the same, they shall be received
upon the same terms as resident scholars."
Monson academy, incorporated in 1804, is the oldest acad-
emy in the county that, as an active and independent institution,
has survived the rise of public high schools.
Westfield academy, founded a few years earlier, was for
many years the most important aeademy in the county ; but a
generation ago, the development of free high schools led the
trustees to sell its building and grounds to the town of Westfield
for the use of the Westfield High school. The proceeds of the
sale was invested and the income is now used to aid in providing
instruction in the school.
Monson academy, like other academies in the county, has
ever been open to young ladies as well as to young men. It has
fitted a large number for college ; but a much larger number have
here completed their school education for an active life. Among
the alumni of the academy in active life previous to 1875, we
find the names of Henry L. Barnard, LL. D., the first U. S. com-
missioner of education ; W. A. Larned, professor in Yale col-
lege ; D. B. Coe, D. D., secretary of the American Missionary
society ; Richard S. Storrs, D. D., of Brooklyn, the prince of
preachers ; G. H. Gould, D. D., and S. Curtis, professors of theol-
ogy in Chicago seminary. To this period belong also one who
became a judge of the Supreme court of the United States, and
another who held a like position in the courts of Massachusetts.
Could we have the record of the alumni during later years it
would doubtless be alike honorable.
The principals of this school have included several men of
excellent scholarship. Perhaps the most eminent man in its his-
tory was Charles Hammond, who directed its activities, in all,
twenty-five years. To the people of the town, Monson academy
now ofi'ers the opportunities of a free high school.
The Wesleyan academy was first opened at Newmarket, New
Hampshire, September 1, 1817. Thus, it is the oldest literary
17-1 ( 257 )
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
institution under the especial patronage of the Methodist Epis-
copal church in America. It was opened at Wilbraham, in
November, 1825, Avith eight students. Its rapid growth was the
result of the prayerful effort and zeal of Methodist preachers,
seconded by others who have appreciated its religious character
and its sound learning. Though in its founding and mainte-
nance, it has been known as a Methodist school, it has ever been
unsectarian in its teaching, and largely patronized by those of
other denominations. It numbers among its present and former
students, over seventeen thousand persons. Some nine hundred
of these have gone from the school to college. A much larger
number have gone into school rooms as teachers. Its career has
furnished evidence of the success of co-education ; more than a
third of the students have been young women.
The education which this academy has ever aimed to secure
is broad and comprehensive, the education of body, mind and
heart. The moral and religious well-being of the students has
ever been a matter of the highest regard.
"The situation" of the school, as some one has said, "is beau-
tiful, dry and healthful. No epidemic of serious disease has
been known. A splendid supply of water is secured from springs
on the mountain above, and the farm lands sloping away toward
the Connecticut river, nine miles distant, at Springfield, give a
natural and effective drainage. The extensive grounds— for,
with farm and forest, they comprise more than two hundred acres
— afford an ample campus, set with stately trees, an easily acces-
sible athletic field, rugged foot hills for golf and rambling, and a
wide prospect of forest and rocky ridge, that has made the school-
home most attractive and inspiring."
The Smith Memorial gymnasium, recently erected at a cost
of forty-five thousand dollars, containing ample equipments and
apparatus on the first floor for young men, and on the second for
young ladies, enables the physical director to train all the stu-
dents in daily exercises adapted to secure bodily health and
graceful movement. The work of the gymnasium is well supple-
mented by outdoor exercises and games on the broad campus.
Few secondary schools furnish such opportunities for physical
culture.
( 268 )
EDUCATION
The courses of study include English, Elocution, History,
Classics, Modern Languages, Mathematics, Science and Psychol-
ogy, with which are grouped Ethics and Economics.
The studies are so combined in programs as to furnish elective
courses for those Avho are fitting for college, for those who are
fitting for technical schools, and for those who would complete
their school preparation for life, at the academy. All students
are required to avail themselves of the opportunities for physical
culture and for the study of the Bible.
Special training for business is furnished in the well-fitted
rooms of the commercial department. Special instruction is
furnished in the several departments of music and fine arts,
and special diplomas are awarded.
Rich Hall, a comparatively new building, presenting a front
of two hundred and forty feet, afi:'ords in one wing, fine rooms
for young men. and in another, for young ladies, who wish to
make their home at the school during the months of study. As
the living rooms of the faculty are in this building, they are able
to provide the students with many of the advantages of a well
ordered family, while the frequent receptions and the gatherings
•of the students in voluntary organizations, do much to add zest to
their social life.
The buildings named, together with the old academy, Fisk,
Binney and music halls, the principal's residence, the beautiful
Memorial church erected by friends of the academy, and other
l3uildings on and near the campus, give evidence of the generous
interest that supports the institution and of the wide influence it
•exerts.
In recent years more than fifty thousand dollars of endow-
ment and twenty-five thousand dollars in scholarships, have been
received. To the chapters upon the towns of Brimfield, Monson
and Wilbraham, we would refer for fuller accounts of the above
named academies.
The Westfield academy when founded was a school for a
wide section embracing all the towns of Hampden county and
towns beyond, in fact all of Western Massachusetts; but as the
people of Westfield originated it, and its history is almost insep-
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01 R COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
arable from that of the town, we shall give the detailed history of
this famous academy in connection with the history of Westfield.
The Bible Normal college, founded by Rev. David Allen
Reed, and incorporated Jan. 28, 1885, was at first named "The
School for Christian Workers." It was enlarged in 1892, and
again in 1897, when it was given its present name. This college
is interdenominational and co-educational. It is intended to hold
the same place in the training of religious teachers that normal and
other professional schools hold in the training of secular teachers.
Three courses of study are offered : 1. A course of three years,
largely elective. 2. A course of two years. 3. A course of
one year. The studies may be grouped under studies relating
to the Bible, studies relating to man, and studies relating to
teaching. The buildings of the college are located near the head
of State street in the Highlands. Arrangements are now being
made for transferring this college to Hartford and affiliating it
with the Theological seminary.
The International Y. M. C. A. Training School.— In response
to an evident need, Rev. David Allen Reed, in connection with the
School for Christian Workers, founded the International Y. M.
C. A. Training school in 1885. In 1890, yielding to the demand
of associations, it was incorporated as a separate institution under
its present name. The following year, its present site, including
thirty acres, on the borders of Massasoit lake, was purchased.
Soon a model gymnasium and athletic field were made ready, and,
in 1895, the present large and commodious building was erected.
At first young men were trained for association work by the
apprentice system ; the training of this school proves far more
efficient. The course covers three years, and aims, first, to equip
every student to be a leader in religious w^ork for boys and young
men, and second, to give him a technical knowledge of the work
he expects to undertake in the Young Men's Christian associa-
tion.
The French-American college, originated in Lowell, 1885,
in a desire to extend the light and the truth of the gospel of
Christ to Canadian-French youth. It secured land and buildings
and may be said to have been founded in Springfield in 1888.
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EDUCATION
Four years later, women were admitted, and its plan was broad-
ened to include a full college and a preparatory academical
course. While its original purpose to educate and christianize
the Canadian French is strenuously maintained, it now admits
with these, Italians, Armenians, and others, who cannot well be
cared for in ordinary American schools. The rapid increase of
foreigners in our county and in other parts of New England, it
is believed, demands such an institution, if the truths of the
gospel are to be brought home in their native tongues, to the
French and to other foreigners settling among us. It is claimed
that such a college is needed if we would make those coming
among us from other countries, enlightened and worthy citizens.
Large place is given to the study of the Bible and of the modern
languages, though the aim is to give each student, as far as may
be, the benefit of a well rounded college course, that each may be
equipped for leadership among his own people.
The Woman's hall, recently erected, one of the six buildings
now belonging to the college, is a commodious and very service-
able building. The campus and other college grounds include
five and one-half acres. The college makes some provision for
student labor and instruction in domestic economy and the
practical arts. The growth of the college has compelled expen-
ditures in excess of receipts. If it is to accomplish its beneficent
purposes, funds must be obtained for buildings, for an endow-
ment, and to meet increasing current expenses.
The Spring-field business college was established several
years ago and has trained many young men and many young
ladies for the successful discharge of the varied duties of the
counting-room. It claims a more successful patronage than any
other similar institution in Western Massachusetts.
The "Bay Path Institute," during the few years of its his-
tory, has reached a high standard of excellence. It has rapidly
gained the confidence of business men by the thoroughness of its
teaching and training, and, with its recently enlarged facilities,
confidently expects to provide for its increasing patronage.
"The Elms." a family and day school, delightfully situated
at No. 141 High street, gives opportunity by its courses of study
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OVR COUMY AND ITS PEOPLE
for primary, intermediate and hifrher instruction. The college
preparatory course covers four years, and the English depart-
ment a like period.
The iMacDnffe school is an nnsectarian school for the liberal
education of girls. Its aim is the development of a sound body
and of systematic, scholarly habits of thought. Its certificate of
qualifications admits students to Vassar and to the three women's
colleges in our state. Well rounded courses of study and train-
ing prepare those who do not enter college, for the duties of life.
The buildings of the school are on the grounds of the homestead
of the late Samuel Bowles, formerly editor of the Springfield
Republican. The equipment of this school challenges compari-
son with that of any private school for girls in the state.
The Harvard Street kindergarten, opened some ten years
ago by jNIiss Herrick, won its way when kindergartens were new
among us. It did much to pave the way for the establishment of
kindergartens as part of the present school system of Springfield.
Miss Putnam, whose work is highly appreciated, took charge of
this kindergarten September, 1895.
Any enumeration of the schools and the charitable institu-
tions that the Catholics have set up and have generously main-
tained in Hampden county, during the past thirty years, would
furnish impressive evidence of the self-denial, the religious zeal,
and the liberality of the members of the Catholic church.
Rev. Patrick Healy, who was appointed to care for the
"Parish of the Holy Name of Jesus," in 1864, seems to have been
the first to establish a parochial school in Hampden county. The
historian of the Springfield Diocese, Rev. J. J. McCoy, now in
charge of the "Parish," thus speaks of Father Healy, and of the
opening of the school : ' ' He was the pioneer of parochial school
education in this diocese. Three years after his coming, he built
the Convent of the Sacred Heart of Mary, and called thereto four
sisters of Notre Dame, to take charge of St. Joseph's school for
girls. They were Sisters Mary Albanie, Mary Rosa, Felicitas
and ]\Iagda]en of St. Joseph. Sister INIary Albanie was the
superior. Father Healy met them at Springfield, and had them
driven in a hack to Chicopee. The people of the parish were
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EDUCATION
gathered iu the church to greet them, and in the middle aisle
stood three hundred children dressed in white, who commenced,
at the entrance of the sisters, the chanting of the Litany of the
Blessed Virgin, and the singing of hymns of praise to God.
These concluded, one of their number, Miss Sarah Bowe, welcomed
the Sisters, saying: 'Permit me, dear Sisters, on behalf of my
youthful companions, who have chosen me to represent them on
this joyful occasion, to offer you from our hearts a most sincere
and cordial welcome to your new home. You come to devote
your lives to us, and we trust that in all our actions, nothing may
ever occur to cause you any regret. We beg God, dear Sisters,
to bless and strengthen your charitable undertaking, and we
sincerely hope that we may ever bless this day when we for the
first time become your obedient and devoted children.' . . .
The second of September following, the first school was opened
in the side chapel of the church. There were two hundred girls
in attendance. October 15, the Rt. Rev, Bishop Williams of
Boston, dedicated the convent chapel and schoolhouse, which
latter, at the Sisters' coming, was unfinished."
"It were hardly possible to speak of Father Healy and his
work without recalling to all who knew him the 'little superior,'
Sister Mary Albanie, who came the first days the Sisters came,
and for twenty-three years kept equal pace by his side in all the
works done for God in the parish; and who, if grateful hearts
speak the truth, though in poverty herself, from her mite fed and
clothed whole families. The general estimation of her is found
in the words of an aged and respectable lady of the parish,
spoken to the present Superior Sister Imelda of the Sacred Heart,
'The good old Superior took care of my small children while I
worked in the mill. This was done, sister dear, that the eldest,
Katie, might attend school. She would do anything for the love
of God.' "
The charming and apparently very candid history of Rev.
J. J. INIcCoy went to press in 1900. It will repay careful perusal.
To it we must refer those who would know more of the rise of the
fourteen or more parochial schools in our county. A few sta-
tistics gathered from its statements may be interesting.
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OVR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
There are nearly seven thousand pupils in the parochial
schools in Hampden county. These schools are organized to cor-
respond in grading with the public schools, and in some cases
furnish secondary instruction. These schools, with very few-
exceptions, are taught by sisters from some of the convents. The
girls in attendance largely outnumber the boys.
CHAPTER XVII
STATE NORMAL SCHOOL, WESTFIELD
BY JAMES CARRUTHERS GREENOUGH, LL. D.
The decline of the public schools previous to the revolution,
the rise of academies and other private schools in the earlier part
of the nineteenth century, resulting in the increased neglect of
the public schools, we have already noticed in the chapter on the
History of Education. The better methods of teaching employed
in some of the academies, the higher grade of teachers secured,
and the better ideals of a school which academies maintained,
rendered the need of improvement of the public schools more
apparent.
From among those educated in public schools, acad-
emies and colleges, who had informed themselves of the great
educational movement in Germany, came educational leaders,
who sought to arouse an intelligent interest in measures adapted
to improve the public schools. One evidence of their success was
the passage by the Massachusetts legislature of the act of 1826,
requiring the election, in every to-wTi. of a school committee, to
have general charge of the schools and to make annual reports to
the towns and returns to the state. The abstract of returns
presented to the legislature in 1827 was made from the returns
of 214 towns out of the 802 towns in the state. As yet the state
had devised no inducement sufficient to secure returns from all
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STATE NORMAL SCHOOL
the toAvns, and many of those received were not what were re-
quired. Not to quote from towns out of the county, the returns
from Springfield may illustrate :
"Number of children from 7 to 16 not attending school— We
are not able to make an accurate return. AYe do not kiioiv that
any abstain wholly from school, but the attendance in all the
schools is very irregular and uncertain."
The returns were sufficient to show that a large percentage
of children of school age were not in the schools, that about one-
fifth of those Avho did attend were in private schools or academies,
and that a large share of the money paid for instruction was paid
to these institutions.
CTOvernor Lincoln, in his inaugural of June 6, urged upon
the legislature the necessity of improving the public schools, and
to this end "the adoption of measures for the better qualification
of teachers of youth. ' ' The same year, James G. Carter, of Lan-
caster, presented a memorial asking the legislature to make an
appropriation in aid of a school for the professional instruction
of teachers. It has been said of Mr. Carter, that "from 1821,
when he began to publish his articles on the free schools of New
England, until the establishment of the state board of educa-
tion,''—sixteen years— "he did more than any other person, by
his writings and public addresses, to reawaken an interest in pop-
ular education and to suggest the means of improving the public
schools." A committee of the legislature reported a bill in ac-
cord with the memorial ; but it was defeated in the senate by a
majority of one. A bill favoring the establishment of a fund in
aid of schools was debated and also defeated.
In 1834 the legislature established a school fund limited at
that time to $1,000,000. In the distribution of the income of this
fund, the legislature could now furnish inducements to towns to
comply with legislative requirements. Governor Boutwell has
said that the creation of the school fund was the most important
educational measure ever adopted by the government of the com-
monwealth.
The progressive teachers of the state in the meantime were
not inactive. August 19, 1830, a body of earnest teachers, intent
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01 R COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
upon securing: better i)nblie schools, met in the representatives'
hall, Boston, adopted a constitution and organized an association ;
this was incorporated in 1831, under the title "The American
Institute of Instruction." In January, 1837, George B. Emer-
son, as chairman of the board of directors of the institute, pre-
sented a memorial to the legislature praying for the establish-
ment of one or more seminaries for the instruction of teachers.
April 14, the committee on education, to whom had been
referred so much of Governor Everett's inaugural as referred to
education, the memorial of the institute and other documents of
similar import, reported the following bill :
"Be it enacted, etc., as follows:
"Sect. 1. His excellency, the governor, wdth the advice and
consent of the council, is hereby authorized to appoint eight per-
sons, who, together with the governor and lieutenant-governor
ex-officio, shall constitute and be denominated 'The Board of
Education;' and the persons so appointed shall hold their offices
for the term of eight years."
On the 20th of April, 1837, the act was passed, and on the
27th of May following. Gov. Edward Everett appointed the fol-
lowing members of the board of education : James G. Carter,
Emerson Davis, Edmund Dwight, Horace Mann, Edward Ncav-
ton, Thomas Robbins, Jared Sparks, George Hill ; cx-officiis,
Edward Everett, governor, George Hall, lieutenant-governor.
Two of these, Emerson Davis and Edmund Dwight have insepar-
ably connected themselves with the history of Hampden county.
Dr. Davis Avas graduated from Williams college with salu-
tatory honors, was tutor in the college for one year, and later, for
several years, was its vice-president. For fourteen years he was
principal of Westfield academy, and afterwards, for thirty years,
pastor of the first Congregational church of Westfield, until the
time of his sudden death in 1866. He was the author of books,
historical and educational, was well informed respecting the pro-
gress of popular education at home and abroad, and was a man
of large common sense and withal was endowed with that judicial
temperament Avhich ever belongs to wise men. He was eminently
fitted to discharge his duties as a member of the highest educa-
tional council of the commonwealth.
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STATE NORMAL SCHOOL
]Mr. DAvight, then a resident in Boston and member of the
house of representatives, has left ns monuments of his business
talent and foresight in the large manufacturing interests he
helped to found and to fovSter in Chicopee, and in other parts of
our valley. Yet he never allowed himself to be so submerged in
business as to neglect his own personal culture or to divert his
attention from the interests of popular education. Its evolution
in Europe and in his own country he carefully traced. His gen-
erous hospitality and the social attractions of his home, as well
as his money and personal influence, were used to promote the
public weal. He belonged to an old and honored family of
Springfield. Public spirit and unsullied patriotism flowed in
his veins. He invited to his table fellow legislators of large
influence and stirred the zeal of men friendly to providing special
training to teachers as a means of uplifting the public schools.
He invited those opposed to new measures, and skilfully disarmed
their opposition. The issue, however, he saw was very doubtful ;
that with such a governor as Everett a forward movement was
possible, that postponement might delay progress for years. The
party then out of power was not in favor of certain progressive
measures. AVhether he divined that the Whig party was soon to
lose its prestige by the election of a democratic governor, we do
not know. He had done much ; he determined to add one more
inducement for the furtherance of popular education. He of-
fered $10,000, provided the state would appropriate an equal
sum, to be expended under the direction of the board of edu-
cation "for qualifying teachers." He was aware that the money
might be expended in an unsuccessful experiment; but he had the
courage of his convictions and the heroism of a true patriot. On
the 19th of April, 1838, the legislature accepted the offer of
Edmund Dwight and the founding of one or more normal schools
was so far assured. Hampden county was also honored a little
later, in 1889, by the appointment of William G. Bates, of West-
field, as a member of the board of education. He served eight
years, declining re-election, owing to the pressure of his legal
business and other duties to which he was called. He was a man
of rare intellectual ability, of large executive energy, and of
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OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
unresting devotion to the public good. To him was due the suc-
cess of many of the early measures of the board. He wrote the
eighth axinual report of the board, in which is the first official
recommendation in favor of using the Bible in the common
schools. One of his law partners has said of him : "He had fine
literary culture and a mind seasoned by familiarity with the
standard English classics and the best models of the English
tongue. ... As a writer, he melded a graceful, vigorous,
and prolific pen, showing mastery of 'English undefiled, ' evinced
by a large number of public addresses and documents and articles
for the public press." His elegant yet forceful address at the
dedication of the Normal school building at Bridgewater, Sep-
tember 3. 1846. was in every way befitting the man and the occa-
sion.
The first meeting of the board of education was held the
29th of June, 1837. The most important action of this meeting
was the choice of Horace Mann, then president of the state sen-
ate, to be the secretary of the board. The intense earnestness of
Mr. Mann, which never waned during all the years he held the
office, is shoA\Ti from the fact that in less than three months from
the time he entered upon the duties of his office, August 28, 1837,
he met in convention the friends of education in every county
save Suft'olk, examined personally, or through reliable evidence
obtained definite knowledge of, the plan and condition of eighteen
hundred school houses, and informed himself of the actual needs
of the public schools in one-half of the towns of the common-
wealth.
We have seen that the liberality of Mr. Dwight, seconded by
the action of the legislature, placed at the disposal of the board
of education $20,000 to be used for "qualifying teachers for the
common schools of Massachusetts." The mode of expending the
money was not specified, the responsibility of success or failure
was lodged with the board. The debates held are not within our
knowledge : the questions debated are left on record : "Shall the
board concentrate its efforts and expend its funds upon a single
school ? Shall it create pedagogical departments in existing
academies ? Shall the normal schools first opened be for women
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STATE NORMAL SCHOOL
alone, or for men alone, or for each in separate schools? Shall
the two be trained in the same school ? ' '
The board decided as an experiment to locate three schools,
separate from other institutions, in snch places as would accom-
modate different sections of the state, and to provide for the
education of men and of women in the same school or in separate
schools, as the sentiment of the community in which the school was
to be located and other conditions should determine. The title
Normal was applied in accordance with the usage of Prussia in
designating her schools for the special education of teachers. The
studies first in order to be pursued in the Normal schools were
those then required by law to be taught in the district schools,
viz., orthography, reading, writing, English grammar, geography
and arithmetic. "When these are thoroughly mastered," con-
tinues the official announcement, "those of a higher order will be
progressively taken." The announcement farther affirms : "Any
person wishing to remain at the school more than one year, in
order to increase his qualifications for teaching a public school,
may do so, having first obtained the consent of the principal ; and
therefore a further course of study is marked out. The whole
course, properly arranged, is as follows :
"1. Orthography, Reading, Grammar, Composition and
Rhetoric, Logic.
"2. Writing, Drawing.
"3. Arithmetic, mental and written. Algebra, Geometry,
Bookkeeping, Navigation, Surveying.
"4. Geography, ancient and modern, with Chronology, Sta-
tistics and General History.
' ' 5. Physiology.
"6. Mental Philosophy.
' ' 7. Music.
"8. Constitution and History of Massachusetts and of the
United States.
' ' 9. Natural Philosophy and Astronomy.
"10. Natural History.
"11. The principles of Piety and Morality common to all
sects of Christians.
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OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
"12. The Science and Art of Teaching ivith reference to all
the above named studies.
"A portion of the Scriptures shall be read daily in every
Normal sehool. A selection from the above course of studies will
be made for those who are to remain at the sehool but one year,
according to the particular kind of school it may be their inten-
tion to teach."
To each Normal school was to be attached "an experimental
or model school," in which pupils of the Normal school could
apply their knowledge and be trained to teach.
The board, aware that they were entering a field untried in
America hitherto, used their best endeavors to secure the right
men for principals.
Samuel P. Newman, professor of rhetoric and political econ-
omy in Bowdoin college, Brunswick, Maine, was elected principal
of the Barre school. In connection with the official notice of the
opening of the school, September 14, 1839, occurs this description
of Mr. Newman :
"Mr. Newman is already extensively known to the public as
the author of a work upon rhetoric, which is used as a text book
in many of the schools, academies and colleges of the United
States; and also of a treatise upon political economy which has
passed through many editions. We learn that he has been very
popular as professor in Bowdoin college. For several years he
officiated as president of that institution, and he is now discharg-
ing the duties of that office. Mr. Newman therefore brings to his
new station long experience, and a high and well earned reputa-
tion. We are happy farther to state that such are his general
views of the importance of improved means of education, for the
great body of the people, that he regards the office of principal of
a Normal school, as neither less dignified in its character, nor less
elevated in its objects, than that to which his life has been hith-
erto devoted— believing that any station which aims at the wel-
fare and improvement of large numbers of mankind, cannot be
less honorable or elevated than an office which, though it may give
its possessor the power of conferring higher privileges, limits
those privileges to a few."
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STATE NORMAL SCHOOL
The third Normal school, that at Bridgewater, was not
opened until a year after that at Barre. Nicholas Tillinghast, a
graduate of the U. S. i\Iilitary academy at West Point, was urged
by Mr. Mann to become its principal. After serious considera-
tion, and with great reluctance, Mr. Tillinghast decided to accept
the post. He had held command in the west and southwest for
five years, had taught natural sciences and ethics in the academy
for six years, and had resigned his place in the army "to enter"
as a teacher of a private school in Boston "upon more congenial
work." It was a tribute to the esteem in which Mr. Newman
was held that ]\Ir. Tillinghast should spend at Barre six months
in studying methods and in planning his work previous to the
opening of the Bridgewater school. It would seem that the pre-
eminence of the Westfield school, which was often recognized in
after years, was evident in its earliest years at Barre.
"Hither, as to their fountain, other stars,
Repairing, in their golden urns, draw light."
The progressive measures pushed by the tireless and invin-
cible secretary of the board of education, while animating the
zeal of the intelligent friends of popular education, excited the
opposition of those who clung to what they termed "good old
ways, ' ' and saw no need of changing the old order by introducing
"new f angled notions," as the new measures were called. A
change in the political affairs of the state gave the opposition an
opportunity.
Quite exceptional to the usual election of a whig governor
was the election of Marcus Morton, a democrat. Governor Ever-
ett retired, having served four years in succession. With unmis-
takable zeal he had co-operated with the board of education and
their ardent secretary, in establishing the Normal schools and in
promoting other progressive measures.
Horace Mann, commenting in the Common School Journal,
which at that time he edited, upon the inaugural of Governor
Morton, commends it. Its tone was not clearly opposed to the
policy of his predecessor, yet it is now easy to see that there was
material in it satisfactory to the narrow conservatives of Morton's
party. He says: "The system of free schools, which has been
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01 R COVh'TY AND ITS PEOPLE
transmitted from generation to generation, has improved in its
progress and is now in a high degree of perfection." This last
clause shows a flight of the imagination equalled only by the con-
trasted facts collated by Secretary Mann. Again, speaking of
the common schools, the governor says: "In the town and dis-
trict meetings, those little pure democracies, where our citizens
first learn the rudiments and the practical operations of free
institutions, may safely and rightly be placed the direction and
the government of these invaluable seminaries."
On the third of ]\Iarch, 1840, the committee on education
were directed by an oi-der of the house to consider the expediency
of abolishing the board of education and the Normal schools and
to report by bill or otherwise. The majority of the committee
brought in a lengthy report setting forth among other grievances
that ' ' if the Board of Education has any power, it is a dangerous
power, trenching directly upon the rights and duties of the legis-
lature ; if it has no power why continue its existence at the ex-
pense of the commonwealth ? . , , The establishment of the
board of education seems to be the commencement of a system of
centralization and monopoly of power in a few hands, contrary
in every respect to the true spirit of our democratic institutions ;
and which, unless speedily checked, may lead to unlooked-for and
dangerous results." The next point of attack was the plan of
the board to place a little library in every district. Then oc-
curred the vicM's of the committee respecting Normal schools.
' ' It appears to your committee, that every person who has himself
undergone a process of instruction must acquire by that very
process the art of instructing others. This certainly will be the
case with every person of intelligence ; if intelligence be wanting,
no system of instruction can supply its place. Considering that
our district schools are kept on an average for only three or four
months in the year, it is obviously impossible, and, perhaps, it is
not desirable, that the business of keeping these schools should
become a distinct and separate profession which the establishment
of Normal schools seems to anticipate."
After urging much more in a similar strain, the report closed
by presenting a bill entitled, "An act to Abolish the board of
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STATE NORMAL SCHOOL
education/' This act included provisions for abolishing the
Normal schools and for returning to Edmund Dwight the $10,000
he had generously given for qualifying teachers for conunon
schools. For some days the conservatives seemed sure of victory ;
but a minority report by John A. Shaw, member of the house
from Bridgewater, and Thomas A. Greene, ably supported by
documents from George B. Emerson and by other evidence of the
excellent work of the Normal schools, seems to have restored the
good sense of the legislature. The bill reported by the majority
of the connnittee was defeated by a vote of 182 to 148. Another
attempt equally hostile to the board of education and its valiant
secretary, was made in 1841 ; but it was promptly defeated by the
vote of the house. Never after did organized opposition show so
bold a front, and those who were striving for the improvement of
the public schools went forward with a firmer step.
The Noniial school at Barre suffered great loss in the death
of Principal Newman in 1842. It was not easy to find a suitable
successor and the school was suspended. Seventy-five young men
and ninety young Avomen had been connected with the school-
one hundred and sixty-five in all. The experimental stage hav-
ing passed, the board of education began to seek a permanent
home for the school more accessible to those living in western
Massachusetts than Barre. The offers of several towns were con-
sidered. Westfield had the advantage over some others towns
desiring the school, in that it was on the Western railroad.
The two men most active and influential, it seems, in bring-
ing the school to Westfield, were Rev. Emerson Davis, a member
of the board of education when it Avas first organized, and Hon.
AVilliam G. Bates, at this time a member of the board. These
men pledged money in aid of the school, and secured svibscrip-
tions from others. The Avriter recalls a conversation with Mr.
Bates, in which he said that at the close of a hot summer day
spent in the trial of cases in the court room in Springfield, he
learned that those who had the matter in immediate charge were
about to locate the school in some other toAvn than Westfield.
"Not having time," said he, "to obtain a change of linen, even, I
took the cars for Boston and staid there until it was decided that
18-1 ( 273 )
OVR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
the Normal school should be located in Westfield. ' ' What finan-
cial inducements his devotion to his town led him to make, we
know not. We may be sure, however, that the man who was then
the acknowledged leader of the Hampden bar, did not fail to
cumulate arguments with skill and to enforce them with power.
The fact that Dr. Davis was in Westfield and might be prevailed
upon to take charge of the school until a suitable principal could
be obtained, received due consideration.
The school was reopened September 4, 1844, in one of the
rooms of the Westfield academy. After one term it w^as removed
to rooms fitted up for it in the town hall building. Dr. Davis was
principal and William Clough first assistant. Twenty-three
young men and twenty-six young women were examined for
admission. ]\Ir. Clough, a graduate of Yale, and a very thorough
teacher, remained but one year. P. K. Clarke, a graduate of the
same college, and for a time a tutor in it, succeeded Mr.
Clough. Dr. Davis was in the school a part of each day: he
taught some classes and gave occasional lectures. His large ac-
quaintance with educational affairs, his practical skill and his
abounding common sense and good judgment proved of great
value to the school during this somewhat trying period in its his-
tory. During all the subsequent years of his life, the school had
no stronger or more helpful friend than Dr. Davis.
In the meantime, wdiile the school was occupying rooms in the
town hall, measures were taken to secure a suitable building.
During the year 1845 a number of public spirited gentlemen
in Boston agreed to raise $5,000 for the erection of two Normal
school buildings — one at Westfield and one at Bridgewater— on
condition that the legislature would appropriate an equal sum
for the purpose. The legislature appropriated the additional
$5,000. The $5,000 to be used in Westfield Avas increased by con-
tributions from some of the citizens of Westfield, James Fowler,
Esq., giving the lot. so that an excellent brick building was erect-
ed, while the building at Bridgewater Avas of wood. On the 19th
of August, 1846, the Bridgewater building was dedicated, ]\Ir.
Bates giving the dedicatory address. On the 3rd day of Septem-
ber following, President Humphrey of Amherst college gave the
( 274 )
STATE X0R3IAL SCHOOL
dedicatory address at the opening of the building in "Westfield.
In this address he showed the need of better qualified teachers,
the reasons for their professional education, what this includes,
and the adaptation of the normal school to accomplish it. The
closing paragraph, which we quote below, is a just tribute to those
whose money and whose personal efforts had brought the school to
Westfield and secured for it a beautiful building of the simple
Ionic order, satisfying alike to the eye of the cultured artist and
the untaught critic, because of its graceful and accurate propor-
tions.
"Citizens of Westfield, we congratulate you upon your edu-
cational enterprise and privileges. Few towns in the common-
wealth have acted upon a wiser forecast. Besides your primary
schools, with doors wide open to every child, however poor, you
have one of the oldest and most flourishing academies in the state
— not waxing and waning, as many do, but always flourishing
under able teachers and a supervision which forbids its decline.
With these high advantages you might have rested satisfied. But
when the western Normal school was to be permanently located,
you entered into an honorable competition for the additional
facilities which it would bring to your doors. Favored by your
natural advantages, and entitling yourselves by liberal subscrip-
tions to the preference, you succeeded. The school which had
been for some time suspended was brought here, and re-opened
with temporary accommodations, and now this beautiful edifice
is to receive it. Much will depend upon your co-operation with
the board and with the teachers for its prosperity. Upon your
aid in accommodating the scholars from abroad upon reasonable
terms, and guarding them against those moral dangers which so
easily beset the young, we confidently rely. You will not disap-
point this expectation. You will cherish this seminary as you do
your schools and academy. To the cause of good learning we
dedicate it. To the care and benediction of heaven we commend
it. May it more than answer the sanguine hopes of its projectors,
in furnishing teachers of a high order for many generations."
The building was sixty-two by forty feet, two stories high,
presenting an entrance at each end under high piazza roofs sup-
( 275 )
OVB COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
ported by louic cohiiims. The Normal school Avas to occupy the
secoinl story, the teachers, and pupils' desks being in the central
room about forty feet square. At each end of this room a door
opened into a recitation room. The first story Avas similar in its
arrangement of rooms and was to be occupied by the school of the
central district as an "experimental or model school." In con-
sideration of the town occupying these rooms with one of its
schools, AYestfield had appropriated $1,500 to the building fund.
David S. Kowe was appointed principal, a graduate of Bow-
doin college and a teacher of considerable experience. The whole
First Normal School Building
Dedicated September, '3, 1846
number of applicants was 55. Of these, 47 — 20 young men and
27 young women,— were admitted.
The Normal school thus fairly started on its successful career
had much to do. Its teachers and its students had all the enthu-
siasm of those who are setting out on a voyage of discovery or
entering untrodden ways on an exploring expedition. The writ-
ings of Pestalozzi and his followers were studied. Descriptions
of German schools were carefully read as they had been vividly
outlined by Horace Mann and by others who had visited these
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STATE NORMAL SCHOOL
schools. Ideals were formed, changed, improved. That the
teacher should teach, and not the text-book, was affirmed, but the
method of teaching the several studies required in the common
schools was to be wrought out. While in acquiring knowledge,
the traditional text book method was continued in the Normal
school, something sharply condemnatory of that method was for-
mulated by teachers and pupils as they prepared and presented
real teaching exercises in elementary arithmetic, geography,
natural science and language. The inventive genius of teachers
and pupils was taxed to the utmost. If some of the devices
wrought out and noted for future use were afterward found in
the district school to be more original and curious than suitable,
they excited interest and were sustained by the enthusiasm of the
teacher.
The members of the board Avere on the alert to lend to the
Normal schools the lustre of the reputation of illustrious men and
to enrich the course of study with their thoughts upon educational
and scientific themes. Guyot, the peerless geographer, author of
^'The Earth and Man," gave new, comprehensive, and profound
views of the earth ; Russell showed the power of literature w'hen
expressed in appropriate utterance. The Bible read by him took
on new and impressive meaning. Agassiz, with inexpressible
charm, led the students to discover wonders in the structure of
some tiny insect or in a panorama of language and illustration
presented his clear vision of the massive changes wrought during
the glacial age. These men, and such as these, gave dignity to the
Normal school and helped it forward.
The "Bates Homestead" was the hostel of these distin-
guished lecturers during their occasional visits, and often Mrs.
William G. Bates by evening receptions acquainted the towns-
people with eminent men whose names only had hitherto, to most
of them, been known.
The people of Westfield cared for the students of the Normal
school with the same courtesy and kindness that for nearly half a
century had distinguished their care of the students of Westfield
academy. They took them into their families and for less than
two dollars per week provided the comforts of a pleasant home.
( 277 )
OVR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
For those young ladies who were compelled to live at still cheaper
rates or forego a course at the school, simply furnished rooms
were provided in which they boarded themselves. The kindly at-
tentions of the townspeople to the students were so appreciated
that it was no uncommon thing for them to come a long way to
AVestfield, while one of the other Normal schools was near their
home. For many years the Normal school in Westfield, in num-
bers, outranked all others in the state.
I may not pass without mention the genuine interest in the
highest welfare of the students shown by the membei's of the sev-
eral churches. Mrs. Davis, wife of Dr. Davis, held weekly meet-
ings for them and other young ladies ; but she did not rely upon
collective efforts ; she became acquainted with each and led many
by her words and prayers to begin a christian life. Very many
students, during all their subsequent lives, cherished her memory
with the tenderest regard.
The period of ]\lr. Rowe's administration ended in March,
1854, when he resigned to become principal of the Irving insti-
tute, Tarrytown, N. Y. This was a tentative period. The course
of the Normal school in these years, and in many following years,
was not a way strcAvn with flowers. The friends of progressive
measures had triumphed in the legislature and Horace Mann
wrought a revolution in public sentiment, so far as it was possible
for one man to do this ; but conservative opposition, though
silenced, was ready to assert itself whenever opportunity favored.
There were not wanting teachers who felt that the establishment
of Normal schools was indeed a recognition of the importance of
teaching, but who also felt that the Normal school was criticising
and at times condemning certain modes of procedure in the public
schools. Such teachers Avere keen to detect defects in the work
of the Normal school or in the work of those there trained. The
opportunities to expose such defects were not wanting. Then
there was yet much scepticism respecting the need of any such
professional training as was proposed. It Avas said, "Every one
can teach whatever he knows." It was affirmed that one's own
school room was the only place, and actual experience the only
means for gaining wisdom and skill in the management and
( 278 )
STATE NORMAL SCHOOL
teaching of children. The value of the normal school Avas to be
proved by the excellent teaching of those who had been members
of the school. This required time. School districts had become
accustomed to look to the academies to supply their best teachers,
and from the first, academies had assumed the function of fitting
teachers for the public schools. The academies had social pres-
tige. The Normal school had its prestige to gain. In these early
years of normal schools there Avas no surplus of applicants, so
there was little opportunity to select promising candidates or to
pledge any to a full course of training.
J\Ir. William H. Wells, who succeeded J\Ir. Rowe as principal
in 1854. and resigned in 1856, to become superintendent of the
schools of Chicago, was the first to attempt to form a graduating
class in the Westfield school, and to secure official diplomas for
those who completed an authorized course of study.
Those who gathered in the Normal school were in those early
days quite diverse, in age, in ability and in acquisitions. Stu-
dents in the academy had the charm of early youth, those who
had the age and the manner of schoolma'ams and schoolmasters,
were not infrequent in the Normal school. In the more fashion-
able circles, a "normal" was sometimes a term denoting a sort of
nondescript, or suggesting one of the queer and funny folk im-
mortalized by Goldsmith in his "Deserted Village," and by Irv-
ing in his "Legend of Sleepy Hollow."
Yet in these motley gatherings of students were those who
had found in teaching what they were fitted by nature to do.
They had also found ideals of a useful and satisfying life, such
as to them was discoverable in no other employment. They
cheerfully endured hardship, grudged no toil, and labored on
with unlimited patience, if they could but gain additional knowl-
edge and skill serviceable in teaching. As one became acquainted
with these students he could but admire their devotion, and, even
if they Avere somewhat narrow in their mental vision, one could see
that it gained in intensity what it lost in breadth. These Normal
students saw, within the four walls of a district school room, the
greatest opportunities for developing true manhood and woman-
hood, for uplifting communities and for helping forward the
( 279 )
01 R COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
plans of God. To bring such together in a Normal school was
like bringing Loyola and his companions together at the Univer-
sity of Paris. It fanned to a flame an enthusiasm that could
never wane.
These earnest men and women, in a single generation by their
work in the schools of the state, proved the value of the Normal
school, disarmed opposition, and made the people of the state
willing to provide liberally for the professional equipment of
teachers.
In 1856, John W. Dickinson became principal. During his
college course. Mark Hopkins, the almost peerless teacher, had
been his instructor. Mr. Dickinson frequently visited Williams-
town and conferred with him during the years he had charge of
the school. Mr. Dickinson 's success as a teacher was in no small
degree due to President Hopkins.
Mr. Dickinson had been assistant in the school four years,
first under Mr. Rowe and afterwards under Mr. Wells. Mr.
Wells was an organizer. He had arranged the course of study
and completed the mechanism of the school, so that the way was
clear to give full attention to the principles and methods em-
ployed. In developing these he was aided by his associate teach-
ers. James C. Greenough, who had the experience of a success-
ful teacher in country district schools, in a village grammar and
high school, and as principal of the Hacker grammar school in
the city of Salem, was appointed first assistant principal. Mr.
Joseph G. Scott became second assistant in 1861. He also since
leaving the Normal school had won high approval as a teacher.
Each of these gentlemen at later dates became principal of a Nor-
mal school. Though the lady assistants were less permanent than
the assistants named, among them were some of unusual ability.
The first improvement in the work of the school consisted in
putting each study into topical form for teaching. This was
carefully done by each teacher in his own department. These
topics were arranged in the natural order, if the object was to
teach elementaiy truth, in the logical order if the object was to
teach scientific truth. The principal in the meantime was study-
ing and teaching psychology mainly in the lines of Hamilton,
( 280 )
STATE NORMAL SCHOOL
and evolving some general principles of teaching. His severely
logical mind and concise style were adapted to this work. The
essential truths of mental activity upon which all true teaching
depends are principles of teaching. The exposition and applica-
tion of these principles constitute the philosophy of teaching.
The Westfield school now began to base all its teaching on
clearly enunciated principles; this, hitherto, it is believed, had
never been attempted with like originality and thoroughness in
any normal school in the country. That the philosophy of
teaching here evolved was complete or perfect, none of its
framers would ever claim, but here was a philosophy that in one
School Building, 1860
normal school put an end to mere empirical haphazard modes of
procedure. There had been much genuine teaching of the ele-
ments of the common branches and of the objects of nature be-
fore ; but it had been mingled with, and marred by, the misuse
of books and the continued use of traditional but incorrect
methods.
Now, whether an object or a subject was the thing taught,
principles were recognized in its teaching. For instance, in
teaching a geometrical form, the form was presented to the pupil,
not words describing it ; the pupil was led to study it for himself
( 281 )
OVR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
under the guidance of the teacher, to express his ideas orally or
in Avritiug, and was then led to secure correct expressions of his
ideas, if his expressions were incorrect. In learning a general
ti-uth the method was the same. The pupil learned the specific
truths that led to it by his own observation and thought, and for
himself made inferences by which the general truth was reached,
being so guided bj^ his teacher as to proceed in proper order and
reach correct expressions of the knowledge gained.
One principle recognized in such teaching is, that mental
activity and knowledge are primarily occasioned by objects of
thought. As this principle is observed in all true teaching, such
teaching is termed objective teaching. As the principle that the
mind gains knowledge, first of the whole and then of the parts,
involving analysis, is also recognized in all true teaching, such
teaching is termed analytic teaching. Other principles that
were recognized together Avith these need not here be stated. The
Normal school at AVestfield it is believed was the first of the nor-
mal schools of our country to evolve, by the study of the human
mind, the principles embodied in the Analytic-Objective method
of teaching and apply them in teaching all objects and subjects
of a normal course. This method is often called the laboratory
method.
The tenn teaching is commonly applied to processes that are
quite unlike. It is often applied to lecturing. The lecturer
studies and presents in his own language to his pupils what he
has learned. The pupils through the lecturer's statements are
supposed to apprehend the thought of the lecturer and in subse-
quent recitation, or in examination, to utter or write it. The
danger is, that pupils will utter the words of the lecturer with-
out in their own minds apprehending his thought. The term
teaching is more properly applied to analytic-objective teaching.
Since in this teaching the principle is recognized that the mind
gains a knowledge of specific truths and by thinking of them
comes to a knowledge of general truths, the method is sometimes
called the inductive method. As the pupil by this method finds
truth for himself as he studies, it is called the heuristic method
of teaching. This name now^ seems destined to supersede the
( 282 )
STATE NORMAL SCHOOL
others. It is used in later pedagogical books. Mr. Dickinson
regarded analytic-objective teaching as the only teaching worthy
of the name ; all other teaching was but informing.
The teachers of the school entertained no antagonism to the
appropriate use of books as aids to teaching, nor to informing by
lectures. They held that if the elements and main outlines of
subjects were taught by the heuristic method, the pupil would
gain real knowledge, facility in thinking, and definite language
that would form a reliable basis for the acquisition of supple-
mentary knowledge by means of books and lectures.
The method of teaching now adopted in the school was di-
rectly opposed to the traditional method that fixed the attention
of the pupil upon verbal statements, in the acquisition of knowl-
edge. The method was revolutionary and attracted much atten-
tion. It was in accord with the progressive thought of Rous-
seau, Pestalozzi and Froebel, then but partially understood. Edu-
cators from different parts of the country visited the school. E.
A. Sheldon of the famous Oswego training school came and
studied it, claiming that by the aid of some of the followers of
Pestalozzi, he had already applied it in some of his elementary
teaching, but admitting that he had never before seen it used in
all the studies of a course, nor employed in a normal school to
habituate students to the recognition and application of the prin-
ciples of teaching. E. E. White, from Ohio, a prince of edu-
cators, in the course of an extended tour for the purpose of ac-
quainting himself with normal schools, visited the school, and
affirmed that it was one of the three normal schools in the United
States. Lowell Mason, who had earned his fame by using a
similar method in teaching music, was enthusiastic in his appre-
ciation of this heuristic method. Joseph "White, secretary of the
Board of Education, was active in introducing it into the schools
of the state, and for this purpose frequently employed teachers
of the Westfield school in the state institutes. The principal of
the Normal school at Bridgewater with some of his assistants
made a prolonged visit to Westfield, and returned to make his
school foremost in all the excellences of the method.
Enthusiastically adopted by two of the state Normal schools,
earnestly presented in the institutes, and by graduates of the nor-
( 283 )
OLE COUMY AXD ITS PEOPLE
mal schools in their teaching, the method began to be widely used.
Other events contributed to this result. In 1869, the first as-
sistant principal of the AVestfield school was selected to reopen
the Connecticut State Normal school at New Britain, and, though
he aided in selecting some competent graduates of the AVestfield
school for assistants in the Connecticut school, who, with others,
did much to introduce the method into that school and into the
other schools of the state, ]\Ir. Greenough decided to remain at
Westfield. In 1871, however, he was elected to open as principal
the Rhode Island Normal school at Providence, and secured
graduates of the Westfield school as assistants. Thus the method
was rooted in the normal schools of Rhode Island and Connecti-
School Building, 1869
cut, and by graduates of these and of the Massachusetts schools
was introduced into the state normal schools and many other
schools of Northern New England. The graduates of the West-
field school were also in demand for the Oswego Normal school,
for other schools in New York and for positions of influence in
the western states.
When Mr. Dickinson became secretary of the board of edu-
cation, in 1877, leaving INIr. Scott principal of the Westfield
school, the spread of the principles and method of analytic-
objective teaching, as Mr. Dickinson termed it, received new im-
pulse. He increased the number and the efficiency of the in-
( 284 )
STATE NOBMAL SCHOOL
stitutes and made them potent in training the teachers of the
state to a knowledge and to the practice of better methods of
teaching. It was his custom to open each institute with as clear,
concise, and simple statement of the principles of teaching as he
could frame. He then so directed the work of the other teachers,
that each lesson was an illustration of principles and of their ap-
plication in teaching. The result was that a simple, natural and
rational method of teaching was so presented that not only
teachers, but large numbers of others interested in public instruc-
tion, came to see clearly and to approve of genuine teaching, and
became enthusiastic in substituting it for the text-book work, the
talking and the lecturing, that had hitherto, under the name of
teaching, had so large a place in the schools of the state. During
the years of service of Mr. Dickinson as secretary of the board
of education, the principles and the methods of the Westfield
and other normal schools became so well understood and appre-
ciated, that additional normal schools were desired in several sec-
tions of the state. One argument used was, that the establish-
ment of additional normal schools would make them more readily
accessible to a larger number of those desiring to teach, and con-
sequently the supply of normal graduates would be increased.
Had the normal schools already established been made more
accessible by a system of mileage that would in a sense have
brought the schools to every town, making it as inexpensive for
students coming from a distance as for those living near, to at-
tend ; had the legislators by increased appropriations increased
the efficiency of the existing schools, making it possible for them
to provide more complete and advanced courses of instruction —
had this been done instead of establishing additional normal
schools, departmental teachers could have been furnished for our
larger schools, the professional instruction of teachers would
have been better accomplished, and at less expense, and the in-
terests of popular education would have been more rapidly ad-
vanced.
Some seven years before the retirement of Mr. Dickinson
from the office of secretary, early in the year 1887, Mr. Green-
ough became principal of the AVestfield school, Mr. Scott, at his
( 285 )
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
own request, repeatedly urged, being restored to his former posi-
tion, that of first assistant. A biographer of Mr. Scott has justly
said of him : "A keen and accurate scholar, and well versed in
all the departments of study, Mr. Scott's inclinations led him to
cultivate, especially, mathematics and the sciences. In the lat-
ter field, perhaps, was his success most manifest, not alone in
lifting the school out of the ordinary in the manner of his in-
struction, but also in kindling enthusiasm in his pupils.
. . . . It is certain that he strengthened the foundations of
the school, intensified its mental and moral effects on the pupils,
and carried its well-known principles to a higher perfection than
they had before reached."
When Mr. Greenough entered upon his duties as principal
of the Normal school he was aware that the time had come when
a better material equipment must be secured for the school, if
its future progress was to be assured. Hon. M. B. Whitney,
of Westfield, for several years chairman of the board of visitors.
on the part of the board of education, assisted by other mem-
bers of the board, obtained a legislative appropriation of be-
tween seven and eight thousand dollars, to be expended in im-
proving the boarding hall, erected several yeare before, during
the administration of Mr. Dickinson. During the summer of
1887 the improvements Avere made. The principal was already
urging the imperative need of a new school building. Mr.
Whitney brought this matter to the notice of the board of edu-
cation and would doubtless have secured their co-operation a
year earlier than he did, had not a fire in the Normal school
building at Framingham led the board to concentrate their
efforts in securing the Framingham school a new building.
Early in 1889 the committee on education of the house re-
ported in favor of a new school building for the Normal school
at Westfield. AA^hile the matter was pending before the com-
mittee, a meeting was held in Springfield of those who were
anxious to secure a site for the school in that city, to remove it,
and have the state erect the new building in Springfield. The
people of Westfield could but regard such a measure as a " viola-
tion of the obligation of contracts," for persons in Westfield
( 286 )
STATE NORMAL SCHOOL
had secured the establishment of the school in that town by the
expenditure both of effort and of money. The arguments for
and against changing the location were forcefully presented.
It was soon evident, however, that the school Avas to remain in
Westfield. It may be said that while no account of the remark-
able influence of the school can omit notice of the ability of its
teachers, both principals and assistants, something of its unique
power has been owing to its position. It has developed and has
done its work independent of any town or city school system.
Normal School Building, Westfield
It has been free to realize its best ideals in a community that has
cherished the school as its own.
During the hour of debate on the bill for the Westtield
school, when the bill was before the house, not a word was spoken
derogatory of the school, but members of the legislature, from
the eastern and from the middle as well as from the western sec-
tions of the state, affirmed that they knew the value of this school
to communities and to the state, by the excellent teachers they
( 287 )
OVR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
had known from the school, and that whatever the school needed,
the state should grant. It was an hour of generous recognition,
an hour of glad triumph to teachers and to the graduates es-
pecially, who had won this meed of praise. It was an hour of
unmeasured compensations and intense emotions to the writer,
who had toiled many years to upbuild the school and help its
students. The bill appropriating $150,000 unanimously passed
the house to be engrossed, and in due time received the approval
of the senate and the signature of the governor.
The new building at Westfield was dedicated with appro-
priate exercises in June, 1892. It had been occupied by the
Normal school and some departments of the training school,
some months before.
It is fitting in this connection to notice the several training
schools that have from time to time been connected with the
Normal school. The first building built for the school in West-
field had rooms on the ground floor for a "model or experimental
school. ' '
In 1856 the training school was discontinued. The chil-
dren were transferred to a new building, built by the town. For
several years after 1856 the method of practical training in the
Westfield school, was by each pupil teaching the lesson pre-
viously assigned, or some part of it, to his classmates as if they
were children for whom the lesson was prepared. Thus so
much of the recitation hour as was not given to outlining the
following lesson by topics, or by teaching or by both, was em-
ployed by the pupils in teaching. There are strong arguments
for this constant training in the art of teaching in normal
classes. It certainly produced effective teachers. It was felt,
however, that those who are to teach children should observe the
teaching of children and have some practice with them. After
some years of separation, the children of the central district in
their several grades became again connected with the Normal
school, under the name "School of Observation." This school
rendered valuable service to the Normal school and attracted
considerable attention. While Mr. Scott was principal, the con-
nection of the Normal school with the "School of Observation'*
( 288 )
STATE NORMAL SCHOOL
was again severed, and the annual appropriation made by the
legislature, supplementary to the appropriation made by the town
for this school, was discontinued.
J\Ir. Greenough, Avhom we have seen succeeded Mr. Scott as
principal early in 1887, planned to have a training school so
fully under the control of the authorities of the Normal school,
that really excellent teachers could be retained, all necessary
equipments secured, and the classes of such size and the super-
vision such as to furnish ideal opportunities for the practice
of normal students. The necessity of a training school was one
of the arguments he employed when urging the need of a new
normal school building. In this new building provision was
made for the kindergarten and for several of the lower grades,
in all, for about 150 pupils. When the new building was com-
pleted and the rooms for the training school occupied, it was evi-
dent that the training school, though eminently serviceable, was
not adequate to the needs of the Normal school. Mr. Greenough
planned to secure some of the town schools as training schools;
but to his successor was left the honor of securing the extension
of the training schools.
Mr. Greenough was principal very nearly ten years. Dur-
ing this period the course of study was reconstructed, more atten-
tion was given to strictly professional study, a training school
including the kindergarten was organized, and a system of prac-
tical training developed which was adapted to better fit the nor-
mal student for his work. The boarding hall was improved, the
attendance of the school was increased, and a new school build-
ing, admirable in its arrangements, was planned, built, and
equipped, providing physical, chemical, mineralogical, geolog-
ical, and biological laboratories. A library, sloyd room and
gymnasium, beside the elegant hall and fine recitation rooms, are
also included. Mr. Greenough retired near the beginning of
the year 1897 and Charles S. Chapin was appointed principal.
Like his predecessor, he was a college graduate, had pursued a
course of legal study and had been admitted to the bar, before
making teaching a life work. Each also had a varied and suc-
cessful experience in teaching before taking up the work of a
normal school.
19-1 ( 289 )
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
Mr. Chapiii, aided by his able and loyal corps of assistants,
accomplished much during the short period, nearly five years, he
was principal. The beantifnl and commodions building erected
by the state on the site of the old Normal school building, the
organization of this well appointed training school, its course of
study, and the reconstruction of the Normal school course of
study is largely his work. He has proved himself a successful
teacher, a good organizer, and a christian gentleman. He re-
signed his position in \Yestfield, to take charge of the Rhode
Island Normal school at Providence in September, 1901. Clar-
ence A. Brodeur, a gentleman of good scholarship and large pro-
fessional ability as teacher and superintendent of schools, was
appointed successor to Mr. Chapin.
Principals
Samuel P. Newman Sept. 4, 1839— Feb. 10. 1842.
Emerson Davis Sept. 4, 1844— Sept. 3. 1846.
David S. Row^e Sept. 3, 1846— March, 1854.
William H. Wells Aug., 1854— April, 1856.
John W. Dickinson Aug., 1856— Aug., 1877.
Joseph G. Scott Aug., 1877— Feb., 1887.
James C. Greenough Feb., 1887— Nov. 17, 1896.
Charles S. Chapin , Nov. 17, 1896— Sept., 1901.
Clarence A. Brodeur Sept., 1901—*
Assistants
Samuel C. Damon Sept. 4, 1839—
Nicholas Tillinghast
Edwin E. Bliss
Samuel A, Taylor
James S. Russell
A. R. Kent
William Clough Sept., 1844— Sept., 1845.
P. K. Clarke Sept., 1845-Sept., 1846.
Rebecca M. Pennell Oct.. 1846— July, 1849.
Lydia N. Mosely March, 1848— July, 1849.
Sylvester Scott Sept., 1849— March, 1850.
Jane E. Avery March, 1850— July, 1853.
Edw^ard G. Beckwith Aug., 1850— July, 1851.
George A. Corbin Aug., 1851— Nov., 1851.
♦Now teaching la the school.
( 290 )
STATE NORMAL SCHOOL
Almin B. Clapp Nov., 1851— July, 1852.
John W. Dickinson Aug., 1852— Aug., 1856.
Almin B. Clapp March, 1853— July, 1853.
Melissa A. Woodbury Aug., 1853— July, 1854.
Arexine G. Parsons Aug., 1854— Dec, 1856.
Eliza C. Halladay Sept., 1855— Feb., 1860.
James C. Greexough Aug., 1856— Sept., 1871.
Harriet A. AVorth Dec., 1856— March, 1857.
Dora C. Chamberlain March, 1857— July, 1860.
William B. Green Sept., 1858— Aug., 1860.
Philo M. Slocum Sept., 1860-Sept. 1861.
Emeline Parsons Sept., 1860— April, 1864.
Malvina Mitchell 1863 -Sept., 1869.
Adelaide V. Badger March, 1864-Feb., 1868.
Joseph G. Scott Nov., 1861 1877.
Feb., 1887-Feb., 1889.
Ella E. Catlin .- 1867— Sept., 1872.
Elvira Carver Feb., 1868— Sept., 1875.
Sept., 1877— Jan. 1, 1897.
Laura E. Prentice Sept., 1870— Sept., 1887.
Sarah F. Tobie Sept., 1870-Sept., 1875.
S. Ella Mole Sept., 1871— Sept., 1875.
Laura C. Harding Sept., 1872— Jan. 1, 1897.
J. Silas Diller Sept., 1873— Sept., 1877.
Alfred C. True Sept., 1875— Sept., 1882.
Nannette a. Stone Sept., 1875— Sept., 1879.
Arthur Hinds Sept., 1877— Sept., 1880.
Sara M. Kneil Sept., 1879— Sept., 1890.
Walter B. Barrows Sept., 1881— Sept., 1882.
Elmer T. Merrill Sept., 1882-Sept., 1883.
Frederick W. Staebner Sept., 1882— Aug. 1, 1896.
Frank W. Smith Sept., 1883-Sept., 1896.
A. C. Longden Sept., 1888— Jan. 1, 1897.
Frances C. Gaylord Sept., 1890— Sept., 1897.
Flora White 1893— Aug. 9, 1895.
Edith L. Cummings Sept., 1895— *
Charles B. Wilson Sept., 1896 -*
Adaline a. Knight Sept., 1896—*
AViLL S. Monroe Jan., 1897-*
Mildred L. Hunter Jan., 1897-*
*Xo\v teaching iu Ihe school.
291
OL'R COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
Teachers of Vocal Music
Asa Bark Sept., 1844— Sept., 1846.
Truman Crossett Sept., 1846— Mar., 1852.
George F. Miller :\Iar., 1852— Mar., 1858.
Asa Barr Mar., 1858-Sept., 1860.
Joseph G. Scott Sept., 1860-Sept., 1875.
Nannette a. Stone -— 1875— Sept., 1879.
Laura C. Harding Sept.. 1879- Jan. 1, 1897.
A. Louise Rogers 1897— Sept., 1898.
Sterrie a. Weaver Sept., 1898—*
Teachers of Drawing
Mrs. a. G. (Parsons) Dickinson . Sept., 1864 1877.
Nannette A. Stone Part of the year, 1875-1876.
A. Maria Spalter Sept., 1875— Sept., 1881.
Clara Wilson Sept., 1881-Sept., 1883.
Annie R. Slafter Sept., 1883-Sept., 1887.
Fanny H. Smith Sept., 1887- Jan., 1889.
Annie N. Sinclair Jan., 1889-Sept., 1894.
Edith S. Copeland Sept., 1894—*
Teachers of Penmanship
Paul W. Allen, now M. D.,
Barnstable, Mass Before 1844.
John A. Martin Mar., 1849- July, 1849.
D. F. Brown July, 1849- July, 1851.
James L. Martin Aug., 1852— Mar., 1857.
Teachers in the Training School hefore it Became a Part of the
Town System, Sept., 1900
Eunice M. Beebe Feb., 1892-*
IsABELLE W. Gladwin Sept., 1892-Sept., 1897.
E. Abbe Clark Sept., 1893-*
Jennie L. Hale Sept., 1894-Sept., 1897.
Jean R. Austin Sept., 1897-
Florence p. Axtelle Sept., 1897—*
Jennie E. Stoddard Sept., 1898—*
George S. Woodward Sept., 1899-*
Kindergarten
Louise M. Steinweg jNIarch, 1892— Sept., 1895.
Emma L. Hammond Sept., 1895—*
*Now teaching in the school.
( 292 )
CHAPTER XVIII
THE HAMPDEN BENCH AND BAR
(EDITED BY CHARLES L. GARDNER)
To property understand and fully appreciate the history of
the judiciary of any commonwealth, and the worth and attain-
ments of the magistrates and the practitioners at its bar, some,
knowledge of the origin and development of the machinery and
spirit of this branch of government is necessary. The sentiment is
commonly expressed that the judicial system of this common-
wealth is largely copied or derived from the common law of Eng-
land and slightly from the civil law of the continent. In many
respects this is true and resemblances may be traced therein.
There are certain changeless principles running through the laws
of all nations from the time of INIoses to Victoria, but a close
study of the history of the laws and judicial practice of the state
will reveal the fact that they are in a great measure an original
growth, and differ materially from the old systems of Europe.
In the early history of the colony of Massachusetts Bay the
governor was in effect the maker, interpreter and enforcer of
the law, the chief judge of the court of final resort, while his
assistants and councillors were generally his obedient followers.^
The execution of the English and colonial statutes rested Avith
U'levious to 1639 the judicial system of the colony was established with the
following courts : First, the General court, composed of the governor, deputy
governor, assistants and deputies, sitting twice in each year : second, the Court
of Assistants, or Great Quarter courts, composed of the governor, deputy gov-
ernor and assistants, sitting in Boston four times each year ; and third, the In-
ferior courts, kept by magistrates, with associates appointed by the general
court, with the risrlit of appeal from Inferior courts to the Court of Assistants,
and last appeal to the general court.
( 293 )
OVR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
him, as also did the exercise of royal authority: and it was not
until after the revolution that he ceased to contend for these
prerog:atives and to act as if the only function of the court was
to do his bidding- as servants and helpers, while the legislature
should enact only such laws as the executive should suggest and
approve.
However, let us look briefly at the present arrangement and
powers of the courts of this state, and then at the elements from
which they have grown. The whole scheme is involved in the
idea of fii"st a trial before a magistrate and jury— arbiters, re-
spectively, of law and fact— and then a review of the facts and
law by a court of last resort. To accomplish the purposes of this
scheme there has been devised and established, first, the present
Supreme judicial court, the ultimate tribunal of the state, per-
fected in its present form by the conventions of 1779 and 1780,
and taking the place of the old Superior court of judicature, with
the same jurisdiction, officers and authority. The work of the
convention was supplemented bj^ an act passed July 3, 1782,
entitled "An act to establish a Supreme judicial court within the
commonw^ealth, " to comprise one chief justice and four associ-
ates, ''the whole or any three of them to have cognizance of pleas,
real, personal, or mixed, and of all civil actions between party
and party and between the commonwealth and any of the sub-
jects thereof, whether the same do concern realty, and relate to
right of freehold, inheritance or possession ; whether the same do
concern the personalty and relate to any matter of debt, contract,
damage or personal injury ; and also mixed actions which do con-
cern the realty and personalty brought legally before the same
court by appeal, review, writ of error or otherwise; and shall
t-ake cognizance of all capital and other offenses and misdemean-
ors whatsoever of a public nature, tending either to a breach of
the peace, or the oppression of the subject, or raising of faction,
controversy or debate, to any manner of misgovernment ; and of
every crime whatsoever that is against the public good."
Under the act referred to the court was authorized to estab-
lish rules for the conduct of its business, for the admission of
( 294 )
BENCH AND BAR
attorneys,^ and the creation of barristers at law. A subsequent
act, passed in 1784, gave the court appellate jurisdiction in all
matters determined in probate courts, when properly before it
for review, and in 1786 questions of divorce and alimony were
directed to be heard and determined by its judges. In 1800 the
number of associates was increased to six, and the state was
divided into districts. In 1805 the justices were reduced to four,
and so remained until 1852, when an additional justice was au-
thorized. Since 1873 the court has comprised one chief justice
and six associate justices.
In common with all judicial officers in this commonwealth,
justices of the Supreme judicial court are appointed by the
governor, vrith the advice and consent of the council, and hold
office during good behavior. They are removable at any time
"upon the address of the general court." The legislature from
time to time has changed the jurisdiction of the justices of this
court when holding circuit terms, and in recent years there has
been a tendency to relieve it of many of its old-time cases by
transferring them to the Superior court, and thus establishing
the highest tribunal in the state as a court of appellate jurisdic-
tion only. The justices still perform circuit duties, yet the cases
presented chiefly relate to equity- and the dissolution of corpo-
rate bodies, both of Avhich might better be disposed of in the in-
^The judiciary act of 1782 gave to the Supreme judicial court authority to
create barristers at law and to regulate the admission of attorneys. The for-
mer office was one of great dignity and importance, and only men "learned in the
law" were admitted to its privileges. No barristers were "called" after 1789,
and in 1806 the court adopted a rule to the effect that "no attorney shall do the
business of a counsellor unless he shall have been made or admitted as such by
this court ;" and also, "all attorneys of this court who have been admitted three
years before the sitting of this court shall be and hereb.v are made counsellors
and are entitled to all the rights and privileges of such ;" and further, "no at-
torney or counsellor shall hereafter be admitted without a previous examina-
tion." In 1836 the distinction between attorney and counsellor was abolished.
John Worthington. who was one of the most prominent characters in early his-
tory in what is now Hampden county, was a barrister previous to 1768. Moses
Bliss and Jonathan Bliss also were barristers, but of later date in local annals.
2A Court of Chancery was established in the colony in 168.-). and its powers
and jurisdiction were vested in the County court magistrates. The act of 1682,
establishing judicatories, provided for a high Court of Chancery with power and
authority to hear and determine all matters of equity not relievable by common
law, the court to be holden by the governor or such person as he should appoint
( 295 )
OVB COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
ferior court. "INIatters of divorce" were transferred in 1887,
and jurisdiction in capital cases was likewise transferred in 1891.
All appeals from the judgment of the Superior court are deter-
mined in the Supreme judicial court.
The Su]ierior court of judicature, which passed out of exist-
ence with the adoption of the constitution, was an heirloom of the
colonial period, established under the first charter and survived
the sweeping changes of the second. The court was originally
created by an act of the colonial legislature in 1682, and com-
prised one chief justice and four other justices, with power to
hear and determine all plaints, pleas and causes to the same
extent as the English courts of King's Bench, Common Pleas and
Exchequer, except, perhaps, in the exercise of general equity
powers, which was reserved to the governor and his assistants,
as an especial prerogative, and to the Chancery court.
In subsequent years the old Superior court was subjected to
many changes, but did not lose its identity at any time. As con-
stituted under Dudley it was known as the ' ' Superior court ' ' and
comprised three judges, who were to sit three times yearly in
Boston. Under Andros, Avho came into the office in 1686, the
court was re-established under its original name, with jurisdic-
tion in civil and criminal matters. Terms of court were to be
held in all the counties, the sittings in Hampshire county to be
held alternately at Springfield and Northampton. The last ses-
sion of the court under the charter was held in 1774, and during
the period of the revolution every element of government that
smacked of royalty was thrust aside, and the affairs of the colo-
nists were entrusted to the provincial congress and the commit-
tees of safety.
Second to the Supreme judicial court in rank and jurisdic-
tion stands the Superior court, the most useful and popular
judicial body in the commonwealth, and the successor to the old
court of conniion pleas. It was established April 5, 1859, with
as chancellor, assisted by eight or more of thfe council. This act was disallowed
by the privy council, and in fact the court was very unpopular in the province,
the freemen claiming that the crown had no right to establish an equity court
In the colony.
( 296 )
BENCH AXD BAB
one chief justice and ten associates. The number of associates
was increased to eleven in 1875, to thirteen in 1888. to fifteen in
1892, and to seventeen in 1898.
Originally the Superior court had only the jurisdiction that
previously was vested in the conniion pleas, but the legislature in
later years extended and broadened its powers until it became
the chief instrumentality for the attainment and enforcement of
rights and the redress of grievances in the history of Massachu-
setts jurisprudence. In 1887 it was given exclusive jurisdiction
"in all cases of divorce and nullity or validity of marriage;" in
1891 was given jurisdiction in all capital cases, and in 1893 its
scope was further extended to include cases relating to telegraph
and telephone wires, in matters relating to corporate powers, the
maintenance and use of public buildings, the control of street
railroads, etc., all of which formerly were under the supervision
of the Supreme judicial court. Appeals from the district, police,
municipal and justices courts are determined in the Superior
court, and, in turn, appeals from the Superior court are taken to
the Supreme judicial court.
The Superior court traces its history directly to the Court
of common pleas, and through it indirectly to the old Inferior
court of common pleas, the latter having been originally estab-
lished under the name of the Inferior court in 1635-6 and more
clearly defined as to powers and jurisdiction in 1639. Appeals
lay from it to the Court of assistants, and from the latter to the
General court. In 1642 it was ordered that "all causes between
party and party shall first be tried in some inferior court," and,
accordingly, nearly all causes were first brought to issue in the
old Inferior court: hence the derivation of the broad powers of
the present Superior court.
In 1682 the general court passed "An act for the holding of
courts of justice," and established County courts or Inferior
courts of conniion pleas, with both civil and criminal sides. The
act, however, was "disallowed" because of a distinction in the
manner of appointing justices in the several counties, deeming
that it interfered Avith the prerogative of the general court. The
court went into effect in 1692. and the act of confirmation perma-
( 297 )
OVR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
nently establishing it nndei" the name of Inferior court of eoni-
nion pleas was passed Jnne 27. 1699. From that time it was the
popular tribunal of the commonwealth until abolished in favor
of the Superior court in 1859.
Next in inferiority to the Superior court are the municipal.
Police and District courts, with both civil and criminal jurisdic-
tion, and established by the legislature from time to time as the
necessities of the several counties have demanded. These courts,
which virtually are alike in poAvers and jurisdiction, are the out-
growth of the trial justices courts and the still older courts of
justices of the peace, the latter dating from the time of the
colonial government.^
By an act of the legislature passed May 3, 1850, the gover-
nor, with the advice and consent of the senate, was authorized to
appoint suitable persons in each county to be trial justices, with
the same powers and jurisdiction as justices of the peace, and to
hold office seven years. At the same time the civil and criminal
jurisdiction of justices of the peace was taken away, and when
any of them issued warrants the latter were to be made returnable
before a trial justice. However, in 1851, the act of the preceding
year Avas repealed and the old-time authority of justices of the
peace Avas restored. In 1852 the poAvers of justices of the peace,
also of justices of municipal and police courts, AA^ere extended,
and in certain cases AA'ere made concurrent AAnth the poAvers of the
common pleas, ha\'ing cognizance of cases in Avhich the damages
claimed did not exceed $100, and haA'ing authority to try civil
causes with a jury of six men Avhen the claim AA-as not less than
$20, and not more than $100.
This sj^stem of procedure in the inferior courts Avas contin-
ued until 1858, Avhen an act of the legislature authorized the
gOA'ernor to designate a suitable number of justices of the peace
in the several counties to try criminal cases, and in the next year
a further act declared the officers so appointed to be knoAA'n as
'Courts of Justices of the Peace were first provided for in tlie "Act establish-
ing judicatories and courts of justice within the province." The act was passed
Nov. 25, 1692, was disallowed by the privy council in 169.5 and was revived by
the act of 1697.
( 298 )
BENCH AND BAR
trial justices. Under the act first mentioned Hampden county
was allowed eight trial justices, chosen to suit the convenience of
the inhabitants of the county. In 1876 trial by jury in civil
actions and other proceedings in municipal, district and justices
courts was abolished, but the aggrieved party was granted the
right to appeal to the Superior court in special designated cases.
B.y an act passed in 1877 nearly all the power which then
remained in the old justices court was swept away by the legisla-
tui-e, and thenceforth its magistrates were denied authority or
jurisdiction in civil cases, or to receive complaints or to issue
warrants ; and this power was vested in the remaining trial jus-
tices, also in the municipal, district and police courts. But at
length the office even of trial justice, so far at least as concerned
Hampden county, was merged in the police and district courts
and became virtually extinct, and thereafter all justices of the
peace in any tangible condition of authority were unknown in
the annals of the law. The office was descended from the Eng-
lish office of the same name, but was far less important, and in
this state it existed under the colony, both charters and the con-
stitution. For more than two centuries it was the creature of the
statute, and at one time was a position of power and importance,
its incumbent being dignified with the title of "squire ;" but with
the loss of much of its old-time power it also lost all of its former
dignity.
In 1858 Police courts were granted concurrent jurisdiction
Math the common pleas, and in 1876 the legislature granted to
municipal, district and police courts concurrent jurisdiction with
the Superior court in special cases. All appeals from these in-
ferior courts are taken to the Superior court.
A Police court in the town of Springfield was established by
the legislature March 6, 1850. In April, 1874, the jurisdiction
of the court was extended to include the towns of Wilbraham
(originally a part of the eastern district) Agawam, Hampden
(created 1878), Longmeadow and AVest Springfield. East Long-
meadow, when made a separate town, was added to the district.
The Police court of Chicopee was established May 21, 1855.
The Police court of Holyoke was established April 8, 1871,
( 299 )
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
The District court of Eastern Hampden was established
April 29, 1872, and included within its jurisdiction the towns of
Pabner, Brimfield, Monson, Holland, Wales and Wilbraham, the
latter being transferred to the district of the Springfield Police
court in 187-4. Courts in this district are held in Palmer.
The District court of Western Hampden was established
May 6, 1886. and included within its jurisdiction the towns of
Westfield. Chester, (rranville, Southwick, Russell, Blandford,
Tolland and jNIontgomery. Courts are held in Westfield and
Chester.
Probate courts, one of which exists in each county in the
state, are courts of record and their special jurisdiction is the care
and settlement of estates and the guardianship of infants. In
Massachusetts this court traces its origin to the early colonial
period, when all matters of probate were settled in the old County
court, established in 1639 ; but the derivation of powers and prac-
tice of the Probate court in this state is from the Ecclesiastical
court of England, also from the Court of Orphan Masters, the
Prerogative court and the Court of Probates.
The County court was established previous to the incorpora-
tion of coimties in the commouAvealth. and was merely the old
Inferior court with a new name and more clearly defined powers.
It retained its jurisdiction in matters of probate throughout the
colonial period, except during the presidency of Joseph Dudley
and the governorship of Sir Edmund Andros. The former first
assumed probate jurisdiction and delegated his powers in some of
the counties to judges of his own appointment. In matters relat-
ing to estates of more than fifty pounds value Andros assumed
sole authority, but in minor estates he too delegated powers to the
judges. After Andros was deposed the old methods were re-
sumed and wei-e continued until the union of the colonies. Under
the second charter (1692) probate affairs were placed in the
hands of the governoi- and council, who claimed and exercised the
right to appoint lioth judges and registers of probate in the sev-
eral counties. In its i)resent form, with almost continuous sit-
tings, tlio Prol)ato court^ att'oi'ds a cheap and expeditious medium
'By special disi)ensation of the legislative power tlie Probate judge in each
county also is judge of the Court of Insolvency. The offices are entirely dis-
( 300 )
BENCH AND BAR
for the cave and settlement of estates and the guardianship of
infants.
The old Court of General Sessions of the peace was the third
court established in the colony, and was created in 1699, to be
held in each county by justices of the peace, who were empowered
to hear and determine ''all matters relating to the conservation
of the peace."' The court was continued under the constitution
and was not materially changed until 1807, when an act of the
legislature provided that future sessions should be held in Hamp-
shire county by one chief justice and six associates, who were to
act as the General court of sessions and not in their minor capac-
ity of justices of the peace. In 1809 the jurisdiction of the court
was transferred to the Court of common pleas, but in 1811 the
Court of sessions was revived and continued three years, when it
again was merged in the conunon pleas. The act of 1814 provid-
ed for the appointment of two persons in each county to be ses-
sion justices of the Circuit court of common pleas in their respec-
tive counties, ''to sit with the justices of the Circuit court in the
administration of all matters within their county over which the
Court of sessions had jurisdiction." From 1814 to 1819 county
affairs were administered by the Circuit court of common pleas,
and in the year last mentioned the Court of sessions was re-estab-
lished with a chief justice and two associates in each county.
The court was continued in Hampden county until 1828, when
the administration of county affairs was placed in the hands of
three county commissioners, and the old judicial body passed out
of existence.
This brief survey of the courts of this commonwealth, which
omits only those that are purely local in character, gives the read-
er some idea of the machinery provided for the use of the bench
and bar at the time of the creation of Hampshire county in 1662,
and also at the time of the organization of Hampden county, a
century and a half afterward.
In the latter part of 1635 a representation was made to the
general court, sitting at "'New Towne, " that several friends,
tinct in jurisdiction, powers, proceedings and practice, but have ttie same judge
and register. The oflBces were merged in 1858.
( 301 )
OL'K COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
neighbors and freemen, "^vith other men of quality now in Eng:-
laud, " are "resolved to transplant themselves and their estates to
the Ryver of Conectieott, there to reside and inhabite ; and that
there may be. upon occasions, some causes of difference, and also
dyvers misdemeanors, which will require a speedy redresse."
Upon this presentation the general court ordered that William
Pynchon, AYilliam Phelps and others be clothed with authority
to hear and determine in a judicial way all causes of difference
arising in the new colony ; to inflict corporal punishment or im-
prisonment ; to fine, levy and collect the same, "soe as shall be for
the peaceable and quiet ordering of the affairs of the plantation
for the space of one year."
In pursuance of its determination this devout band of our
ancestors made a settlement on the site of the city of Springfield
and there founded a colony in the year 1636. Frequent acces-
sions were made to their number and in the course of a few years
the outposts of settlement had extended up and down the valley
and westward into the regions of Woronoco or the AVest Fields —
Westfield.
Thus was founded in an unpretentious yet effective way the
crude judicial system upon which was built the more substantial
structure of later years. William Pynchon administered justice,
not the law, for the space of a dozen years and then fell into dis-
repute with the general court through the authorship of a book
which was declared to promote heretical doctrines in the colony.
The book itself was condemned and ordered burned and the
author was brought to bar to answer grave charges of disseminat-
ing false and dangerous theories.
The accused magistrate appeared in the council in 1651.
admitted the authorship of the book, and being permitted to
confer with the elders present, he persuaded them that he was
guiltless of wrong intent (although not a lawyer himself Mr.
Pynchon possessed the attributes of a successful advocate) and
removed from their minds the worst construction they had placed
upon his work : and with such logic did he prevail upon the coun-
cil that he was permitted to depart unpunished, though he was
shorn of his judicial power in the plantation and was succeeded
by his son-in-law. Henry Smith, of Springfield.
( 302 )
BENCH AND BAR
In a primitive way the pioneers of the Connecticut valley
maintained courts of justice and upheld the dignity of the law
through the early colonial period, though neither record nor tra-
dition furnishes any reliable evidence that more than informal
courts were established, and there is no record by which we may
discover whether any barristers were present at court sittings
previous to the creation of Hampshire county in 1662.
The history of the judiciary in what is now Hampden county
dates from the time of William Pynchon, yet there was no resi-
dent bar until after the second charter in 1692, the year of the
union of the colonies. Hampshire county, the original formal
jurisdiction which included within its limits the entire western
region of Massachusetts, was created May 7, 1662, the act provid-
ing that Springfield, Northampton and Hadley should form a
new county, and that courts should be held alternately in Spring-
field and Northampton. Three years later it was ordered that
county courts "be held and attested" by Capt. John Pynchon,
one of the magistrates, and that Henry Clark, Lieut. William
Clarke, Eleazer Holyoke and Lieut. Samuel Smith should assist
Captain Pynchon in "keeping the county courts."
According to established records, the first court in Spring-
field was held March 27, 1660, under the first charter, and that
august body assembled beneath the hospitable roof of William
Pynchon. The act creating Hampshire county declared Spring-
field to be the shire town, and thus it continued until 1792, when
the seat of justice was removed to Northampton. From that time
until 183 2, when Hampden county was created, Springfield was
only a center of trade in an agricultural region, but it neverthe-
less wa-s a thriving village with constantly increasing interests,
and eventually was destined to outstrip all rivals and take rank
with the important cities of New England.
In 1826 George Bliss, of the old Hampden bar, prepared a
list of lawyers of the mother county from 1786 to 1826 : and inas-
much as the list contains the names of many lawyers who were
prominent in the annals of the Hampden bar in later years, the
same is reproduced here as a valuable historical roster.
( 303 )
OLE COrXTY AXD ITS PEOPLE
''A list of the attorneys and counsellors, either admitted to
the bar in the county of Hampshire or practicing in that county
from 1786 ot 1826 : Elihu Lyman, ]\Joses Bliss, Simeon Strong,
Theodore Sedgwick, Caleb Strong. Justin Ely, John Phelps, Sam-
uel FoAvler, AVilliam Billings, John Chester Williams, Abner Mor-
gan, Edward "Walker, John Chandler Williams, Alexander Wol-
cott, Samuel Lyman, Pliny ]\Iirriek, Samuel Hinckeley, John
Hooker, Ephraim Williams, John Barrett, Samuel Mather,
George Bliss, Joseph Lyman, John Taylor, William Coleman,
Jonathan E. Porter. Simeon Strong, William Ely, John Phelps,
Eli P. Ashmun, Jonathan Levitt. Elijah Paine, Stephen Pynchon,
John Ingersoll. Solomon Stoddard. AYilliam M. Bliss, Richard E.
Newcomb, Jonathan Grout, Hezekiali W. Strong, Charles P.
Phelps, Samuel Lathrop, Elijah Bates, Solomon Vose, Jonathan
Dwight, jr., Jothan Cushman, Benjamin Parsons, Edward Eup-
ham, Jonathan Woodbridge, Joseph Proctor, Samuel Dickinson,
Phineas Ashmun, Joseph Bridgman, Sylvester Maxwell, William
Billings, Elijah H. ]Mills. Pliny Arms, Elijah Alvord. Samuel C.
Allen, Theodore Strong, Edmund DAvight, Oliver B. Morris,
Henry Barnard, Giles E. Kellogg. Charles Shepard. John Nevers,
James M. Cooley. Solomon Strong. Alvin Coe, Noah D. Mattoon,
Isaac C. Bates. Jonathan H. Lyman. John M. Gannett. Lewis
Strong, Alanson Knox, Asahel Wright. Mark Doolittle, Samuel
Orne, Hooker Leavitt. Samuel Howe, Phineas Blair, Samuel Cut-
ting, Isaac ]M. Barber, Laban Marcy, Israel Billings. Deodatus
Button. Apollos Cushman. Rodolphus Dickinson. Edward Bliss,
Daniel Shearer, Calvin Pepper, AYilliam Blair. George H. Hen-
shaAV, James Stebbins, William Ward. George Grennell, David
Willard, Horace W. Taft. John Drury. Franklin Ripley. Thomas
Power, Augustus Collins, Dyer Bancroft, Warren A. Field, Pat-
rick Boise, John Mills, John Hooker, jr., William Knight, John
Howard, Benjamin Day. Joshua X. Upham. George Bliss, jr.,
Justice AA'illard, Charles F. Bates, Solomon Lathrop, William
Bowdoin, Hophni Judd, Ithamar Conkey, Norman Smith. James
Fowler, Elisha Hubbai-d, Eli B. Hamilton. Daniel Wells. Samuel
AYells, Alfred Stearns. Caleb Rice. Jonathan A. Saxton. Freder-
ick A. Packard, Lucius Boltwood, Jonathan Eastman. Waldo
( 304 )
BENCH AND BAR
Fliut, Charles E. Forbes, Cyrus Joy, David Brigham, Aarou
Anns, Joseph P. Allen, Benjamin Brainard, Jonathan Ilartwell,
David A. Ciregg, Epaphres Clark, Benjamin Mills, Timothy C.
Cooley, John B. Cooley, Asa Olmstead, Horace Smith, Joshua
Levitt, JNlason Shaw, Elisha Mack, John H. Ashmun, Samuel F.
Lyman, Justin W. Clark, Horatio Byington, Emory Washburn,
Horatio G. Newcomb, William B. Calhoun, Josiah Hooker, Will-
iam Bliss, Erasmus Noreross, Daniel N. Deury. ^Nlyron Lawrence,
James W. Crooks, Richard E. Morris, Dan Parrish, Homer Bart-
lett, Osmyn Baker, Elijah AVilliams, Francis B. Stebbins, Norman
T. Leonard, Reuben A. Chapman, George Ashmun, Henry Chap-
man, Stephen Emory, Edward Dickinson, Andrew A. Locke."
While the foregoing list purports to be and in fact is a regis-
ter of the Hampshire bar for the time indicated, it also represents
the strength of the Hampden bar during the same period, for at
all times between the years 1786 and 1826 the region now com-
prising Hampden county was as well peopled and as fully devel-
oped as any portion of the mother county ; and while Springfield
was deprived of the honor of being even a half-shire town be-
tAA'een 1792 and 1812, it nevertheless was the most important com-
mercial center in the Connecticut valley during that brief period.
Hampden county was created by an act of the legislature,
passed February 25, 1812, the act to take effect August 1st, fol-
lowing. Thus a new and important civil division of the state was
brought into existence, and it has grown into one of the most
productive and wealthy counties of New England of the present
time. It has sent to the legislative halls of the commonwealth
and to the congress of the United States its ablest statesmen ; men
of character, men of worth, men whose mental qualities have
made them famous both in state and national history. And be it
said to their enduring memory and honor, that by far the greater
number of these worthy representatives have been taken from the
ranks of the legal profession.
Although thefirst session of the court in Springfield was held
as early as 1660 more than sixty years passed before a court house
Avas provided, thefirsthavingbeen erected in 1722-3 at the expense
of the town of Springfield. The second court house was built in
20-1 ( 305 )
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
1821, and tlie third, the present Hampden connty court house, in
1870-71. The latter was dedicated with formal ceremonies, April
28, 1874, on which occasion AVilliam G. Bates delivered an ex-
haustive historical address on the judiciary and the bar of the
county.
Hampden county as a civil division of Massachusetts is near-
ly four score and ten years old, and during that comparatively
brief period its record of progress has been remarkable ; but in no
branch of life in the region has there been developed greater
ability, mental and moral worth and integi'ity of character, than
in the ranks of the legal profession. In the past history of the
Hampden bar there has been little to condemn and much to com-
mend, and it is doubtful if any county in all this grand common-
wealth can furnish a professional record more clear and bright or
one less tarnished with unworthy practices.
As an evidence of the regard in which the Hampden bar is
held in legal circles in the state we may quote the words of one of
the justices of the Superior court residing in the eastern part of
Massachusetts, to the effect that during his experience on the
bench he found that "cases were tried better and closer in Hamp-
den county than in any other county in the state. ' '
77(6 Bench.— At the time of the creation of Hampden county
the old Superior court of judicature had passed out of existence
and in its place there had been established the Supreme judicial
court. The only representative of the county bar who attained to
the dignity of the chief justiceship of this court was Keuben At-
water Chapman, who was appointed to that high office in 1868
and served until his death in 1873.
Chief Justice Chapman Avas a native of Hampden county,
born in the town of Russell in 1801. In that remote part of the
county, where the lands then were new and undeveloped, he had
little opportunity to gain an education in the schools, for his
parents, like nearly all other settlers, were poor and dependent
on their own exertions to provide even the necessaries of domestic
life. Notwithstanding this the young man not only did succeed
in acquiring knowledge himself, but at the age of seventeen he
taught the children of the neighboi-hood in the district school.
( 306 )
Chief Justice Reuben Atwater Chapman
Born in Russell. ISept. 20, 1801. Died in Switzerland, June 28, 1873
OLE COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
Afterward he found employment as clerk in a store, and having
joined a debating society in the rnral village, his native oratorical
and argnnientative abilities tirst found root and began to develop,
and he soon became known as one of the most promising young
men in the vicinity. When he had saved a little money he began
the study of law under the instiuction of Gen. Alanson Knox, of
Blandford, and d\iriiig the course of his study period he gained
an excellent reputation through his success in justice court trials.
In 1825 he was admitted to practice and soon afterward opened
an office in Westfield. He removed to INlonson in 1827. to Ware
in 1829, and in the next year settled in Springfield and l^ecame
law partner with (leorge Ashnuni, the famed legal giant of the old
bar. In later years Mr. Chapman was associated with other
prominent lawyers, and be continued to grow in professional
strength until he became one of the leaders of the bar. But
throughout this long period of successful practice he kept up his
study of mathematics and even essayed to master the classics. In
this, too, he was successful and eventually became proficient in
French and German.
In 1860 INIr. Chapman was appointed to a seat on the bench
of the Supreme judicial court and in 1868 he became its chief
justice, succeeding in office George Tyler Bigelow.
John AVells was justice of the Supreme court of judicature
from 1866 until the year of his death, 1875. He was a graduate
of Williams college, class of 1838, and its valedictorian, from
"which we may correctly infer that he was as proficient in his colle-
giate studies as he was distinguished in later professional life.
If local tradition be true, Judge Wells possessed strong political
aspirations, and as his social and mental qualities were propor-
tionate with his legal strength, his desires generally were gratified
until he reached the goal of his ambition — a seat upon the bench
of the highest court in the state.
After his graduation at Williams, Judge Wells i-ead law with
his uncle, Daniel Wells, and afterwards finished his early legal
course in TTarvard law school. He then became professionally
associated with George ]\I. Stearns — the mighty Stearns of Chico-
pee — and still later he Avas law partner with Judge Soule of
( 308 )
BENCH AND BAR
Springfield. lie early entered the political field and in 1849-51
and again in 1857, was a member of the lower house of the gen-
eral conrt. In 1858 he Avas appointed judge of the Court of pro-
bate and insolvency. He was a delegate to the national republi-
can convention that nominated JNIr. Lincoln in 1860, and was a
Lincoln elector in 1864. In 1866 he received his greatest political
reward in an appointment to the bench of the Supreme judicial
court, the appointee of his old-time personal friend. Gov. Alexan-
der H. Bullock.
Judge Augustus Lord Soule, justice of the Supreme judicial
Court from 1877 to 1881, when he resigned, was third in the suc-
cession of Hami)den county's contribution to the bench of the
highest court. Judge Soule is remembered as one of the most
scholarly lawyers of the Hampden bar, and withal, one of the
leading corporation lawyers of New England. He also won dis-
tinction through his remarkable success in trying patent cases.
His indeed was a judicial mind^, and all his utterances, both as
lawyer and judge, always were logical and sound.
Judge Soule was born in Exeter, N. H., the son of Kiehard
Soule, who for many years was principal of Phillips Exeter acad-
emy. In this famous school Judge Soule laid the foundation foi-
his splendid legal education, but he also was a graduate of Har-
vard college, class of '46. He was admitted to the bar in Spring-
field in 1849 and began his professional career in Chicopee. He
soon returned to Springfield, where he was partner, first with
Timothy G. Pelton, later with John Wells, and finally with
Edward H. Lathrop. Judge Soule died in August, 1887.
Judge Marcus Perrin Knowlton, present justice of the Su-
preme judicial court and Hampden's latest representative in that
high office, is a native of the county, born in Wilbraham, Feb-
ruary 3, 1839, the son of INIerrick and Patima (Perrin) Knowlton.
He was educated in the old Monson academy and also in Yale
■college, where he was graduated. He then began teaching in the
union school in Norwalk, Conn., but having determined to enter
the law he began a course of study with James G.Allen of Palmer,
Later on he was a student in the office of John Wells and
Judge Soule in Springfield, and in 1862 he came to the bar.
( 309 )
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
From that time until his appointment to the bench he was en-
gaged in active and successful practice, and incidentally was a
factor in Springfield politics. In 1878 he was a representative
from Springfield in the house and in 1880 was in the senate. In
1881 he was appointed a justice of the Superior court, serving in
that capacity until 1887, when he was elevated to a seat on the
bench of the Supreme judicial court. This position he still
holds.
The Court of Common Pleas was established in 1820 and was
abolished in 1859. During the period of its history there was
appointed to the bench of this court, two representatives of the
Hampden county bar.
Judge David Cummins was appointed to the bench in 1828,
served until 1844, when he resigned, and died in 1855. Of the
personal characteristics and professional life of Judge Cummins,
little is now known beyond the meagre record of his judicial ser-
vice. He lived on Chestnut street in Springfield and some men-
tion is made of him and his dwelling place in Mrs. Warner's
history of that noted thoroughfare.
Judge Henry Morris began his judicial career on the bench
of the Common Pleas in 1854, four years before the court passed
out of existence. On retiring from the bench he resumed law
practice but gradually drifted into industrial enterprises and was
afterward an important factor in the development of Spring-
field's manufacturing resources.
Henry Morris was born in Springfield in 1814. and was the
eldest son of Judge Oliver B. Morris. He prepared for college
in Monson academy and was graduated at Amherst in 1832. He
also Avas a student in Cambridge law school, and was admitted to
practice in 1835. His subsequent professional career was a rec-
ord of continuous success, as his knowledge of law was deep and
he was generally known as a close student, a safe counsellor, a
thoroughly honest lawyer and an upright citizen. Several times
he was chairman of the Springfield board of selectmen, and was
president of the first common council of that city. In 1854 he
was elected to congress by the American party, but before taking
a seat in the federal legislature he was appointed to the bench of
( 310 )
BENCH AND BAR
the Common Pleas. He thereupon resigned the congressional
office and at once assumed the judicial function. He served four
years, and when the court was dissolved he returned to the law, as
has been mentioned. Judge Morris died in 188S.
The Superior court of the commonwealth of Massachusetts
was established in 1859 by act of the general court, and has con-
tinued to the present time. Hampden county has furnished five
incumbents of the bench of this court : Justices Henry Vose,
appointed in 1859 and died in 1869 ; Marcus Perrin Knowlton,
appointed in 1881 and advanced to the Supreme judicial court in
1887 ; Justin Dewey, appointed from Berkshire county in 1886,
removed thence to Springfield, and now deceased ; James Robert
Dunbar, appointed in 1888, resigned, and now of the Suffolk bar ;
and Elisha Burr Maynard, appointed in 1891 and still in office.
Henry Vose, one of the first members of the bench of the
Superior court after it was established, was born in Charlestown,
May 21, 1817, and was educated in Concord academy and Har-
vard college, graduating at the latter institution in 1837. After
leaving college he was private tutor in a familj^ in the w^estern
part of New York, and still later he studied law in Greenfield
with George T. Davis, and also in Springfield with Chapman &
Ashmun. He came to the bar in 1841 and practiced in Hampden
county until 1859 when he was appointed justice of the Superior
court and removed to Boston. In 1857 and 1858 he represented
Springfield in the lower house of the general court. For many
year Judge Vose was a prominent figure in Springfield legal and
political circles and was highly respected throughout the county.
He died in Boston, January 17, 1869.
Justin Dewey was one of Berkshire's contributions to the
bench of the Superior court, yet from the time of his appoint-
ment until his death in 1900 he was a resident of Springfield.
He was bom in Alford, June 12, 1836, and was a graduate of
Williams college. He read law in Great Barrington with In-
crease Sumner and was admitted to the Berkshire bar in 1860.
He was in the lower house of the legislature in 1862 and again in
1877, and was in the senate in 1879. Yet Judge Dewey never
had a taste for politics, preferring to devote his energies to the
( 311 )
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
practice of law. He was appointed justice of the Superior court
in 1886 and continued in office until his death.
James Kobert Dunbar, who was appointed to the bencli in
1888, and who, although now retired from judicial office, still re-
sides in the eastern part of the state, was born in Pittsfield,
December 23, 1847, and graduated at Williams college in 1871.
His early legal education was acquired in Harvard law school and
in the office of Milton B. AAliitney. of Westfield, and he came to
the bar in Springfield in 1847. He was active in profes,sional
circles and was a successful lawyer ; and he also was a somewhat
prominent factor in Hampden politics, representing the county in
the senate in 1885 and 1886.
Elisha Burr Maynard, present justice of the Superior court,
and a lifelong resident of this county, was born in Wilbraham,
November 21, 1842. the son of Walter and Hannah (Burr) May-
nard. He Avas educated in the public schools and also in Dart-
mouth college, graduating in 1867. He read law Avith George M.
Stearns and Marcus P. Knowlton and came to the bar in 1868.
From that time Judge Maynard has been a citizen of Springfield
and in many ways has been identified with the best interests and
history of the city. In 1879 he was a member of the lower house
of the general court, and in 1887 and 1888 was mayor of Spring-
field. He was appointed to the bench of the Superior court in
1891 and still is in office.
Having thus referred to the organization of the courts and
having recalled something of the lives and character of the magis-
trates who have adorned the bench, it is proper that there be
made some brief record of the laymen of the profession in Hamp-
den county, and particularly the members of the old bar who no
longer are living, whose life work is closed. For more than three-
quarters of a century the county has been noted for the strength
of its bar and among the vast number of practitioners who have
honored the ])rofession during that period there have been found
some of the brightest legal minds in this commonwealth. A pro-
per tribute to the memory of all of them would require a volume,
therefore in this brief chapter we must be content with the selec-
tion of a few of the more distinguished lawj^ers, those who at-
( 312 )
BEWCH AM) BAR
tained a hiuh standing in [)i'()fes.si()nal life, or wlio. having politi-
cal anil)ition gratified at the polls, won fame in the legislativ*?
halls hoth of the state and the nation.
Rcnihtisce)iccs of the Old i^(/r. — Previous to about the begin-
ning of the nineteenth century the practice in the highest court
of the state was environed by the justices of that august body
with much ceremony and l)ecoming dignity, and the laymen of
the law were invested with the title of barrister. In 1768 there
were only twenty-five of these in the entire province, and one-
John Worthington— had a residence in Springfield. Subse-
quently and previous to 1789 these worthy lights of the profes-
sion were "called" by the court to be barristers, viz. : JNIoses Bliss
and Jonathan Bliss of Springfield.
In 1812, the year in which Hampden county Avas created, the
"attornies of the Supreme judicial court" in practice in the
towns of the county were as follows : Alanson Knox, Blandf ord ;
Abner Morgan, Stephen Pynchon, Brimfield; Asahel Wright,
Chester : John Phelps, (IranAnlle ; George Bliss, William Ely.
Jonathan Dwight, jr., Edmund Dwight, Oliver B. Morris, Samuel
Orne. Springfield; John Ingersoll, Elijah Bates, William Blair,
Westfield : Samuel Lathrop, West Springfield. The "attornies"
of the Court of common pleas then in practice in the county were
James M. Cooley, Granville; Deodatus Button, Monson : James
Stebbins, Palmer: p]dmund Bliss, Springfield.
John Worthington, who was more commonly known in early
local history as Colonel Worthington, Avas a native of Springfield,
born 1719. He graduated at Yale in 1740 and began the practice
of law in the shire town of Hampshire county in 1744. For
about thirty years afterward he was one of the most influential
citizens of Springfield and even was looked upon as the leader of
the people in his time. When the courts were suspended during
the revolution he retired from practice, yet he was afterward a
conspicuous figure in public affairs, with decided leanings toward
toryism during the war. He was a man of fine personal appear-
ance and his manner always was courteous and dignified. His
library of law books was the largest and best in the county at the
time. Colonel Worthington was in the lower house of the general
court in 1748. '62 and '73. He died in 1800.
( 313 )
OVR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
Jonathan Bliss, barrister, of Springfield, was for several
years an honored member of the legal profession in the county,
and Avliile he was a lawj^er of understanding he appears not to
have been especially active in political affairs. He was educated
in Cambridge and read law with Judge Trowbridge. He began
practice in Springfield in 1764, but at the outbreak of the revolu-
tion he left the country and returned to England. An unauthen-
ticated narrative says Mr. Bliss returned to Springfield in 1791
and married a daughter of Colonel Worthington,
George Bliss is to be early and prominently mentioned
among the conspicuous figures of the old bar. From the fact that
he developed and brought an unusually large number of young
men into the ranks of the profession, he became known by the
title of "Master George." He was a lawyer of many peculiari-
ties, yet withal, was possessed of good sound sense and was a man
of broad understanding, professionally and otherwise. He had
hoped for an appointment to the Common Pleas bench and being
disappointed it is said that he never would consent to practice in
that court. Mr. Bliss came to the bar in 1784 and died in 1830,
at the age of sixty-five years. He was born in 1765. George
Bliss, jr., of the Springfield bar in later years, was a son of "Mas-
ter" George Bliss.
Samuel Lathrop, fourth son of Kev. Joseph Lathrop, was
born in West Springfield in 1771, and died in 1846. He was a
graduate of Yale college in 1792, and soon afterward entered the
profession in which he acquired a standing of prominence. He
was ten years in the state senate, and president of that body in
1819 and 1820. He was in the lower house of the federal con-
gress from 1818 to 1824, and once was a candidate for the gover-
norship of Massachusetts. During the latter part of his life Mr.
Lathrop engaged chiefly in agricultural pursuits.
Isaac C. Bates is remembered as one of the most scholarly
and polished orators of the bar in his time, and had not his tastes
led him to devote much attention to agricultural pursuits he un-
doubtedly would have stood at the head of his profession in West-
ern Massachusetts. However, he seemed naturally to shrink from
the bitter legal contest, yet when once thoroughly interested in a
( 314 )
(ieorge Asliinun
A leader of the old Hampden bar
Oil: COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
case his latent power became apparent and he stood almost peer-
less as an advocate. jNlr. Bates was educated in Yale college and
was admitted to practice in the Supreme court in 1807. He
served several tiTiiis in congress, and in 18^:1-44 was in the United
States senate. On the occasion of his death his eulogist was Dan-
iel Webster, his friend and colleague.
George Ashniuii was for many years a leading member of the
Hampden bar, yet his professional career was begun in Hamp-
shire county. He was graduated at Yale college in 1823, and was
admitted to the bar at Northampton in 1830. In the course of a
few years he removed to Springfield and afterward, until his
death in 1870, he was one of the most conspicuous figures in
Hampden professional and political circles. He spent many
years in congress, in the house of representatives, and even when
not in public life his love of politics and his admiration of the
qualities of leading statesmen, led him to maintain a residence in
Washington. AA^hen in active practice at the bar Mr. Ashmun
ranked with the ablest lawyers in this state. He was well edu-
cated, too, for professional life, and in fact came from what
might properly be called a legal family. His father was Eli P.
Ashmun, one of the pioneers of the bar of Hampshire county, and
his brother was Prof. John Hooker Ashmun of Northampton,
each being a distinguished lawyer in his time.
Alanson Knox, more frequently known by reason of his con-
nection with the state militia as General Knox, came to the bar in
1810, and for many years lived and practiced in Blandford, his
native town, and in which his father, Elijah Knox, and also his
grandfather. AVilliam Knox, were pioneers. General Knox was
born in 1785. He is remembered as a good la"wyer of the old
school, and his military title added to his personal dignity and
bearing and gave him an especial standing in society. Judge
Chapman, of the Supreme judicial court, acquired his early legal
training in General Knox's office. The latter spent the last years
of his life in Ohio.
Oliver B. Aloi'i-is. who died in 1871, in his eighty-ninth year,
for many years was one of Hampden's leading citizens and prom-
inent lawyers. He was born in 1782, and was the son of Edward
( 316 )
Oliver B. Morris
Of the old Hampden Bar
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
Morris, an early settler and a patriot of the revolution. Oliver
graduated at Williams college in 1801 and read law with ''Mas-
ter ' ' George Bliss, whose daughter he subsequently married. He
came to the bar in 1804 and practiced until 1835, combining with
professional work a long service in public life. From 1809 to
1811, and again in 1813, he was representative in the general
court, and from 1813 to 1829 he was register of probate. Again,
from 1829 to 1858, he was judge of the Probate court. In the
meantime, from 1820 to 1832, he likewise served as county attor-
ney, under the old statute relating to that office. He also was a
member of the constitutional convention of 1820. Politically,
eJudge Morris originally was a federalist, later a whig and finally
a republican ; and it goes without saying that he was a prominent
figure in political circles, as his long service in official station
clearly indicates. Judge Morris was a native of South Wilbra-
ham.
John MiDs is remembered by the older members of the
Hampden bar as a lawyer of much prominence and a successful
practitioner in the inferior courts. After his removal to Spring-
field he engaged in various commercial enterprises outside of the
profession, and he had the misfortune to lose a great share of his
property. Mr. Mills was born in Sandisfield about 1790. He
read law with Judge John Phelps and was admitted to practice in
1815. He was in the senate in 1826-8.
Justice Willard, the noted special pleader, began his career
as a lawyer in 1816, and when Judge Morris was appointed judge
of probate, Mr. Willard succeeded him as register. He is re-
called as a lawyer of ability, and also as an uninteresting public
speaker, for he was too logical in his arguments to attract listen-
ers. It was he who once declared in a public assemblage that
some of his hearers would live to witness the running of a train
of cars from Springfield to Boston "between sun and sun." But
notwithstanding his peculiarities Mr. AVillard was an honored
member of the bar and a respected citizen.
Caleb Hice is recalled as one of the leading counsellors of his
time rather than as a strong trial lawyer and advocate. He was
born in 1792. mid graduated at Williams college. He read law
( 318 )
William B. Calhoun
OLR COUMY AXD ITS PEOPLE
in Westtield, with William Blair, and was admitted to practice in
1819, He settled in West Springfield, but upon his election to
the office of sheriff*, which he held from 1831 to 1851, he removed
to Springfield. He served also in both houses of the state legis-
lature and was one of the early mayors of Springfield. Mr. Rice
was a jiopular citizen and one who enjoyed the confidence of the
people. He died in 1873.
William B. Calhoun probably received his early legal train-
ing from "^Master" George Bliss; and while that schooling was
thorough and he gave much promise for future advancement in
professional life, he afterward drifted away and became absorbed
in other pursuits. It was not that he loved the law less but that
he loved politics more, hence the best of his years Avere spent in
public life, and when he finally laid aside the cares and duties of
office he retired to the quiet of his farm. He was speaker of the
jNIassachusetts house of representatives from 1828 to 1835, and
was president of the senate in 1846 and 1847. He served several
years in congress, and from 1845 to 1851 was secretary of state
for INIassachusetts. Mr. Calhoun came to the bar in 1821.
"William C4elston Bates was aptly called the "father of the
Hampden bar," for he more than anj^ of his contemporaries care-
fully watched the passing of the one and the succession of another
generation of legal lights in the county. Best of all, he remem-
bered and stored up for future use all that he witnessed in pass-
ing years, and it is by recourse to his reminiscences of the old bar
that we still know something of the character and works of those
who "served the law" three-quarters of a century ago. Mr.
Bates was born in AYestfield in 1803, and died in 1880. He grad-
uated at Yale college in 1825, and read law with his father, Elijah
Bates, and also with Mr. ]\Iills, Judge Howe and John H. Ash-
mtui. He was admitted to practice in 1828 and soon afterward
was appointed master in chancery. He was appointed a member
of the state board of education in 1839 and served eight years.
He was in the senate in 1841 : in the governor's council in 1844-
45 : district attorney in 1853, and in the house of representatives
in 1868.
Erasmus D. Beach was born in Sandisfield. He read laAV
with his uncle, John ]Mills, and came to the bar in 1823, locating
( 320 )
William Gelston Bates, Westlield
" Father and Historian of the Hampden Bar "
21-1
OVR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
in Springfield. He Avas a lawyer of much strength and had a
large practice. Among his legal associates were James W.
Crooks, AVilliam (x. Bates, Edward B. (Jillett and Ephraim W.
Bond, all of Avhom are now dead.
George M. Stearns, the brilliant pleader and able and suc-
cessful lawyer, the acknowledged leader of the Hampden bar in
his time, senior member of the well known law firm of Stearns,
Knowlton & Long, and with all his varied accomplishments an
ardent lover of good horses, was the son of a clergyman of the
Unitarian church. Mr. Stearns acquired his early legal educa-
tion in the office of Judge Wells, in Chicopee. and after his admis-
sion to the bar, in 1852. he became his law partner. He made his
home in Chicopee several years, yet his practice, and his fame as
a lawyer, extended almost throughout the state, particularly after
he joined the Springfield bar. As an advocate before the jury
Mr. Stearns was almost without a rival, and as a stump speaker
his mental resources apparently Avere boundless, his wit and
pathos at times being inimitable. He was a democrat of the old
school, yet the district attorneyship Avas about the extent of his
political holdings. His counsel, his voice and his influence were
ever at the service of his party. Mr. Stearns died in 1894.
George B. Morris, the younger son of Judge Oliver B. Mor-
ris, Avas born in Springfield in 1818. He was educated at Am-
herst college and Harvard laAA' school and was admitted to the bar
in 1840. He first practiced laAV in partnership Avith his brother,
Henry Morris, and afterAA^ards separately, Avhen he held the ofHce
of commissioner of insolvency. In 18e52 the Supreme judicial
court appointed him clerk of the courts for Hampden county. In
1856 this office AA^as made elective, and he Avas then chosen by the
people CA'ery fiA-e years until his death in 1872. Mr. Morris Avas
a quiet, retiring man, but very social Avith his intimate friends.
He AA'as an excellent laAvyer, a great reader of general literature
and Avas aa'cII informed on all subjects. William G. Bates, in
Avriting of him, said he knew of no officer to Avhom the members of
the bar Avere more justly attached, and the late Judge Gideon
Wells said of him that he Avas never knoAvn to make a mistake.
EdAvard Bates Gillett, district attorney from 1856 to 1861,
and recognized as one of the ablest lawyers of Massachusetts in
( 322 )
BENCH AND BAR
liis time, was born in St)uth Hadley Falls in August, 1817, and
died in his comfortable home in Westfield in February, 1893. His
early education was ac(iuired in the academy at South Iladley
and also that in AVestfield, and he graduated at Amherst college
in 1839. (He Avas made a trustee of that institution in 1861, and
in 1866 was honored with the degree of LL. D.) Mr. Gillett
read law with his unck\ Isaac C. Bates, later attended Harvard
hiw school and was admitted to practice in 1843. He began his
professional career in AVestfiekl and soon rose to a position of
prominence in the ranks of the profession. He became partner
with Mr. Bates, a relation which was maintained until 1852, and
Avas followed by a partnership with Ephraim L. Lincoln, who
died in 1859. His next partner was Homer B. Stevens, with
whom lie continued until 1883, when he retired from active pro-
fessional work. About the time of the organization of the re-
publican party Mr. Gillett had gained an enviable prominence as
a trial lawyer and advocate, and as an old-time whig it was only
natural that he should be looked upon as the leader of the new
party in this part of the state. He was a delegate to the first re-
publican national convention that nominated John C. Fremont,
and in 1860 he was a Lincoln elector. High political honors were
temptingly offered him, but he resisted them and contented him-
self with six years service as district attorney and a year in the
Massachusetts senate. In the former office he succeeded Henry
L. Dawes and was in turn succeeded by George ]\I. Stearns. In
speaking of Mr. Gillett 's conduct of the office Mr. Stearns once
publicly remarked that his predecessor was by far the ablest in-
cumbent of the district attorneyship that Western Massachusetts
ever had furnished. A seat in the senate of the United States
might easily have been won by him had he inclined to political in-
dulgences. In Westfield Mr. Gillett was in many ways identified
with the best interests and history of the town. He was truly
loyal to all its institutions and was honored by its people. He
Avas a member of the Y. M. C. A., the iVmerican board of missions,
and of the First church : was a director and counsel for the B. &
A. railroad company and attorney for the N. H. & N. company :
Avas president of the Hampden bank, the Westfield insurance
( 323 )
OVR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
company, the Atliena?imi, and a member of the board of trustees
of the academy fund.
Ephraim W. Bond, of the old huv firm of Beach & Bond, and
one of Springfield 's foremost lawyers and business men for many
years, was born in West Brookfield in 1821, and died in Spring-
field in 1891. In 1826 his parents removed from Brookfield to
the shire town of Hampden county, and in that city the greater
part of his business life was spent ; and during the course of his
long and active business career he was in some manner identified
with every important measure that had for its end the welfare of
Springfield and its people. At the time of his death he was presi-
dent of the Springfield Five Cents savings bank and of the city
library and a director of the Pynchon national bank. He was
one of the founders of the savings bank and outlived all of his co-
workers in establishing that institution. He was selectman be-
fore Springfield became a city, and was largely instrumental in
securing the city charter. Under the city government he served
both as councilman and alderman. He was in the house of rep-
resentatives in 1852. He was a republican though not specially
active in political affairs. Mr. Bond was educated in the Spring-
field public schools and graduated at Amherst college in 1841. He
then took a post-graduate course in Yale and afterward a law
course in Harvard law school, graduating in 1844. He came to
the bar in Springfield in 1845 and at once began practice. Six
years later he became partner with Erasmus D. Beach, which re-
lation was maintained until 1864. During that period the firm
of Beach & Bond became well known in legal circles in this state.
In 1867 the junior partner was chosen vice-president of the Mu-
tual Life insurance company, and on the death of president Caleb
Eice in 1873, he was elected his successor, thereafter being vir-
tual manager of the affairs of the company until 1886, when he
retired from active business life.
Oeorge Walker, the greater part of whose active life was de-
voted to other pursuits than the practice of law, but who never-
theless Avas a lawyer of ability as well as a banker and financier
of national prominence, was born in Peterboro, N. H.. in 1824
and died in Wa.shington, D. C, in 1888. He was a graduate of
( 324 )
BENCH AXD BAR
Dartmouth, class of 1842, and acquired his early legal education
in the office of Henry INIorris and in Harvard law school. He
was admitted to the Hampden bar in 1846 ; was in the senate in
1858 and '59, and a member of the house in 1868. After drop-
ping professional work he turned his attention to banking, and
was president of the Third national bank of Springfield. He
achieved special prominence in financial circles, and in 1865 was
sent to Europe by the national government to settle certain ques-
tions in connection with the public debt. In 1869 he again was
abroad at the request of the INIassachusetts government to trans-
act financial business, and in 1879 for a third time he visited
Europe in behalf of the general government to investigate the
subject of international bi-metallic monetary standard.
Nehemiah Allen Leonard, of the old law firm of Chapman,
Ashmun & Leonard, and of the later firm of Leonard & Wells,
district attorney in 1874-75 and again from 1878 to 1881, was
born in New Bedford in 1825, and died December 15, 1890. He
was the son of Capt. Nehemiah Leonard, who followed the sea for
many years. He was a graduate of Brown university in 1848
and came thence to Springfield to read law with Chapman, Ash-
mun & Norton, with whom he afterward was professionally asso-
ciated. He was admitted to practice in 1850 and soon became
partner with Mr. Ashmun. In later years he attained a high
standing in the profession and was recognized as one of the lead-
ing corporation lawyers of the state. So closely indeed did he
become identified with corporation practice and interests that for
several years he was counsel for the Connecticut river railroad,
and in 1880 was elected president of the company. In 1874 he
was appointed district attorney to succeed Mr. Stearns, and in
1877 he was elected to the same office. He also served six years
as councilman in Springfield and was president of the board
from 1860 to 1864.
William Steele Shnrtlefi'. register of insolvency from 1857 to
1859, register of probate from 1859 to 1868, and .judge of probate
and insolvency from 1868 to 1896, was born in Newburg. N. Y.,
in 1830, and died in Longmeadow in January. 1896. He was
the son of Roswell and Clara (Gleason) Shurtlefi:, and a
( 325 )
Colonel William S. Shurtleff
Forty-Sixth 3Iassachusetts Volunteer Infantry
BENCH AND BAR
descendant in the seventh generation of "William Shurtleff, who
came with the pilgrims in the vessel next following the May-
flower. The family came to Springfield in 1839. Judge Shurt-
leff was educated in the public schools, Williston seminary and
Yale college, but was not graduated. He studied law with George
Ashmun and in Harvard law school, and came to the bar in 1856.
Soon after he began practice he formed a partnership with Henry
Vose, and still later was partner with George Walker. In the
early part of the war of 1861-65 he entered the army, enlisting as
private in Co. A, 36th Mass. Vol. Inf., and on the organization of
the company was elected lieutenant; and on the organization of
the regimental field and staff he w^as likewise chosen lieutenant-
colonel. Three months later he was promoted colonel, by which
designation he afterward was generally known. On returning
from the service Judge Shurtleff was appointed judge of probate
and insolvency' and served in that capacity until his death. He
was a competent, faithful public official, loyal to every duty and
loyal to his friends. He was closely identified with early city
history and assisted in preparing the charter ; was a prominent
Mason ; was vice-president of the state board of public reserva-
tions ; one of the founders of the Connecticut valley historical so-
ciety and its vice-president; a member of the Massachusetts his-
torical society ; a director of the city library association ; an influ-
ential member of the G. A. K. ; a member of the Winthrop club,
and for two years vice-president of the Yale alumni association of
Western Massachusetts.
John Mills Stebbins, mayor of Springfield in 1877, and other-
wise for many years identified with the history of the city, was
born in Hinsdale, December 27, 1826, the son of Elihu and Mary
(Hooker) Stebbins. He graduated at Dartmouth college in
1848, read law with Beach & Bond and came to the bar in 1851.
William H. Haile, late president of the Hampden loan and
trust company, lieutenant-governor from 1890 to 1893, and once
the nominee of the republican party for the governorship of
Masachusetts, was born in Chesterfield, N. H., in 1833 and died
in Springfield in 1901. He fitted for college in Kimball union
academy and also in Meriden, N. H.. in an institution of similar
( 327 )
01' R COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
rank. He entered Amherst but left in his sophomore year for
Dartmouth. Avhere he was graduated in 1856. He read law in
Springfield and came to the bar in 1859. He practiced for
a time in Boston and then returned to Hinsdale to engage in
manufacturing enterprises. He was in the lower house of the
legislature in 1865-6, and again in 1871. The next year he came
to Springfield and afterward was identified with the best inter-
ests of the city, devoting his attention more closely to business
pursuits than to the practice of law. He was mayor of the city
in 1881 ; was in the senate in 1882 and '83, and lieutenant-
governor of ]\Iassachusetts from 1890 to 1893. In 1882 he was
the unsuccessful candidate of his party for the governorship.
Gideon Wells, who during his active professional career was
partner with such strong lawyers as George Ashmun and Nehe-
miah A. Leonard, and who was known in legal circles in Hamp-
den county as a learned and safe counsellor, was born in Wethers-
field. Conn., August 16, 1835, and died in Springfield in INIareh,
1898. His young life was spent on a farm, and he was educated
in the once famous East Windsor Hill school, Williston seminary
and Yale college, graduating at the latter in 1858. He then
came to Springfield and read law with Chapman & Chamberlain,
and was admitted to practice in 1860. He at once associated with
Ashmun & Leonard in the general practice of law, but soon after-
ward enlisted in Co. A, 46th Mass. Inf.. serving as first lieutenant
in that command and also in the 8th Inf. Judge Wells is remem-
bered as a good lawyer, though the latter years of his practice
were given to the affairs of the Massachusetts Mutual Life, for
which company he was general counsel. He was register in
bankruptcy from 1869 to 1876, and in the latter year he succeed-
ed Judge Morton as the head of the police court of Springfield,
holding the office until 1890. He also for several years was at-
torney for the Springfield street railway company, and for the
First, Second and Third national banks. He was a director of
the John Hancock and Third national banks, and at one time was
president of the Holyoke water power company. These special
interests occupied much of his time and naturally drew him away
from the general practice.
( 328 )
BENCH AND BAB
Timothy Manning Brown, register in bankruptcy from 1875
to 1880, city attorney for Springfield in 1879-80 and from 1881
to 1885, president of the Hampden bar association at the time of
his death, March 13, 1897, was born in AVilliamstown, INIay 8,
1838, the son of Manning Brown and a grandson of Caleb Brown,
a Rhode Island Quaker and an early settler in Cheshire. He
prepared for college at Swan's school in Williamstown, and
graduated at Williams in 1859. The next year he came to
Springfield and began the study of law with Chapman & Cham-
berlain, and came to the bar in 1862. Soon afterward he formed
a law partnership with James A. Rumrill, and about the same
time was appointed assistant assessor of internal revenue, later
being made assessor, vice Major Emerson of Pittsfield. During
his active life as a lawyer, Mr. Brown was attorney, director and
president pro tern, of the Agawam national bank, and a trustee
of the Hampden savings bank. For nine years also he served as
member of the school committee. From 1885 until his death he
was president of the Hampden bar association, and also for a time
was chairman of the board of bar examiners.
George Dexter Robinson, representative for Chieopee in the
house of the general court in 1874, state senator in 1876, repre-
sentative in the United States congress from 1877 to 1884, and
governor of Massachusetts in 1884, '85 and '86, was born in Lex-
ington, January 20, 1834, the son of Charles and Mary (Davis)
Robinson. His early education was acquired in the public
schools, Lexington academy and the Hopkins classical grammar
school in Cambridge, where he fitted for college. He graduated
at Harvard in 1856, with the degree of A. B. He then became
principal of the Chieopee high school, which position he filled
until 1865, when he began the study of law with his brother,
Charles Robinson, of Cambridge. The next year he was ad-
mitted to practice and at once started upon his professional
career in Chieopee, where he maintained a residence until the
time of his death. He soon rose to a position of prominence
among the leading lawyers of the county bar, and at the same time
time his participation in political affairs gave him a wide ac-
quaintance throughout the state. He justly deserved all the
( 329 )
/ ^' \
George Dexter Robinson
BENCH AND BAB
political honors which were awarded him, and in every public
capacity he acquitted himself with entire credit to his constitu-
ency as well as to himself. As a lawyer in active practice he was
associated as attorney of record or as senior counsel in some of
the most important civil and criminal cases ever tried in the
courts of the state, and as a republican of unquestioned integrity
of character his counsel Avas frequently sought by the leaders of
his party in the nation. In 1887 he was offered by President
Cleveland an appointment as inter-state civil service commis-
sioner, which he declined, and in 1889 he also declined President
Harrison's offered appointment as commissioner to the civilized
Indian tribes.
Thus luight these reminiscences be continued almost indefi-
nitely did the policy and scope of our chapter permit, but now
having passed the allotted space we are admonished to desist. The
successors to the old bar were equally worthy and honorable, but
many of those who entered the profession subsequent to 1850 are
still living and it is contrary to the design of our work to review
the lives of those whose career is unfinished, except as they may
have attained to positions on the bench. However, that the rec-
ord of the bar of the county may be made as complete as possible,
the writer has availed himself of county records, old newspaper
files, public and legal documents, old court calendars and, in fact,
all reliable sources of information, and has compiled therefrom
the appended chronological register of the bar. The claim is
not made that the list is in all respects perfect, or that it shows
the name of every lawyer who has practiced in the county since
1812, for many have come from other counties after admission,
and of that class no special record is kept. However, the "ros-
ter" shows for itself and may be regarded as reasonably accu-
rate, showing names of attorneys and the year in which each Avas
admitted to the bar in this county.
1812— Patrick Boise.
1813 — John Hooker, George Hinckkn', John Howard.
1814— Solomon Lathrop.
1815 — Charles F. Bates, Benjamin Day, George Bliss, jr.,
Eli B. Hamilton.
( 331 )
OVR COUXTY AXD ITS PEOPLE
1816 — Gorluim Parks.
1817 — Alfred Stearns, Caleb Rice.
1818— William B. Calhoun, John B. Cooley.
1819 — Epaphras Clark, Erasmus Norcross, Heman Stebbins,
Asa Olmstead.
1820— Josiah Hooker.
1822— William Bliss. Joel ^Miller, Richard D. Morris.
1824— William Crooks, Norman T. Leonard.
1825 — Reuben Atwater Chapman.
1827— Matthew Ives, jr.
1828 — William G. Bates. William M. Lathrop. Joseph Knox,
George Ashmun.
1829 — Chauncey B. Rising, William D wight.
1830— Francis Dwight, William Hyde.
1831 — Joseph Huntington.
1832-William Bliss, William C. Dwight.
1833— Erasmus D. Beach.
1834— Richard Bliss.
1835 — Henry Morris.
1836— H. H. Buckland, George Baylies Upham.
1837— Russell E. Dewey.
1839 -William W. Blair.
1840— George B. Morris.
1841— Henry Vose.
1842-Edward Bates Gillett.
1843 — Otis A. Seamans, Lorenzo Norton, William 0. Gor-
ham, Lorenzo D. Brown,
1845 — Allen Bangs, jr., Wellington Thompson, Ephraim W.
Bond, Lester E. Newell, Albert Clarke, William Allen, jr.
1846— P. Emory Aldrich, Thomas B. Munn, George Walker,
Bernard B. Whittemore, Lester Williams, jr., Charles C. Hay-
ward.
1847— Sanniel L. Flemming, Elbridge G. Bowdoin, James
H. Morton, Sanuiel Fowler, Edwin M. Bigelow, Charles K. Weth-
erell.
1848— Fayette Smith, Charles R. Ladd, George L. Squier,
Reuben P. Boies, Charles H. Branscomb.
( 332 )
BENCH AND BAR
1849— Joseph jNI. Cavis, William B. C. Pearsons, Augustus
L. Soule, Henry Fuller, John Munn, Edward P. Burnham.
1850— Timothy G. Pelton, Charles A. Winchester, Asahel
Bush, Franklin Crosby.
1851— Charles T. Arthur, John M. Stebbins, AVilliam How-
land, Oramel S. Senter, Nehemiah A. Leonard, James C. Hins-
dale.
1852— George M. Stearns, Martin J. Severance, James F,
Dwight, William C. Greene, George L. Frost.
1853— Milton B. Whitney, William L. Smith, James G.
Allen, John H. Thompson.
1854— John INI. Emerson, Henry B. Lewis, George 0. Ide,
James K. Mills.
1855 — Norman L. Johnson, James E. Mclntyre, Samuel J.
Ross, Alfred M. Copeland.
1856-Joel T. Rice, William S. Shurtleff, Irving Allen,
George H. Knapp.
1857— Ambrose N. Merrick, S. B. Woolworth, E. A. Warri-
ner, Edward D. Hay den.
1858— Liberty B. Dennett, Stephen E. Seymour, Frank E.
Merriman.
1859— Moses W. Chapin, Henry E. Daniels, Porter Under-
wood, William C. Ide, Benton W. Cole, William H. Halle, E.
Howard Lathrop, Homer B. Stevens.
I860- Gideon Wells.
1861— James A. Rumrill, John W. Moore, Otis P. Abererom-
bie.
1862— Timothy M. Brown, Marcus P. Knowlton, Joseph H.
Blair.
1863— Sidney Sanders, Reuben Chapman, Samuel G. Lor-
ing.
1864— William S. Greene, Edward Morris.
1865— Charles A. Beach, James C. Greenough, J. P. Buck-
land, Edward W. Chapin, Joseph Morgan.
1866 — George Dexter Robinson.
1867— George B. Morris, jr., Hugh Donnelly, Charles A.
Birnie, J. Porter, jr., Charles L. Gardner.
( 333 )
OUR COUNTY AXD ITS PEOPLE
1868— Charles C. ypellniaii. Elisha Burr Maynard, Luther
White.
1869— AYilliam B. Rogers, John W. Burgess.
1870 — Kll)ridge W. Merrell, Joseph AY. Browne, James INI.
Cochran.
1871— Albert A. Tyler, Edward Bellamy.
1872— John P. Wall, Thomas F. Riley, Harris L. Sherman,
John W. Converse, Charles L. Long, William Slattery, jr., S. S.
Taft.
1873— Robert 0. Morris, Jonathan Allen, Luther Emerson
Barnes, Frank E. Carpenter.
1874— James Robert Dunbar, Loranus E. Hitchcock, W. J.
Quinn, H. K. Hawes, Austin P. Christy, Daniel E. Webster.
1875— Joseph M. Ross, George L. Pease, Elisha P. Bartholo-
mew, Michael L. Moriarity, Harrison Hume, John L. King, Wil-
liam G. AA^hite, Thomas B. AVarren, C. A. Sherman, H. A. Bar-
tholomew.
1876— Hubert M. Coney, Charles J. Bellamy, Xeill Dumont,
Edmund P. Kendrick, John B. Vincent, jr.
1877 — Charles H. Hersey, George H. Graves, Fred H. Gil-
lett, Michael T. Foley, A. L. Murray, Patrick H. Casey, Allen
AA^ebster, AA^illiam H. Brooks.
1878— Jeremiah P. AYhalen, George Kress, AVillmore B.
Stone, Henry M. AYalradt, Charles R. Dudley, AVilliam AY. Mc-
Clench.
1879— Joseph Le Boeuf, Salem D. Charles, Charles H. Bar-
rows, Alfred R. Barker, Homer C. Strong, Cornelius J. Driscoll,
AA^illis S. Kellogg, Thomas AA^. Kenefick, L. Fred AYhitman.
1880— Charles F. Ely, John H. Flower, Francis W. Fiske,
Albert B. Clark, Langdon L. AYard, John J. Reardon, U. S. Dem-
ming, James S. Boucks, Henry C. Bliss.
1881— Frederick G. Fisher, George D. Field, James E. Dun-
leavy, Norman A. Fowler, Henry W. Ashley, Ralph AY. Ellis.
1882— Thomas C. Johnson, Arthur Kilgore, Henry Knox,
James H. Loomis. Frank A. AAHiitney, James Tierney. Edwin F.
Lyford.
1888-AA^illiam AY. Leach, James Bliss.
( 334 )
BENCH AXD BAR
188J:— Frederick H. Stebl)ins. AVarren C. French, jr., Clay-
ton D. Smith, Philip J. O'Hanlon.
1885— George S. Dexter.
1886— Emile Orphir Genest, Charles Henry Grout, John F.
Coar, Harry AV. Brighani, AValter Stevens Robinson, Patrick
James ]\Ioore.
1887— Adelard Archanibaiilt, Charles Leonard Mahoney,
Thomas Daniel O'Brien, Alfred Timothy Guyott, Addison
Loomis Green.
1888— Alfred F. Lilley, Jonathan Barnes, Benjamin Brooks,
Edward A. Barker, Samuel La Palme, Robert Mills Beach, Ar-
thur Eugene Fitch.
1889— James Davis Murray. Christopher Theodore Callahan,
AVilliam Hamilton, Richard John Morrissey, AVilliam Patrick
Hayes, Patrick Kilroy.
1890— AVallace R. Heady, Matthew S. Herbert.
1891— Milton F. Druce, Frank Eaton Carpenter, Charles
INlerriam Kirkham. Andrew J. Todd, Thomas Alphonsus Fitz
Gibbon.
1892— Arthur Howe Sherwin, Henry Hall Bosworth, Wal-
lace Wilson, Daniel M. Key, Thomas Moore Roberts, Michael
Joseph 0 'Connor, Arthur Adams Folsom, Joseph Menard.
1893— Jason W. Steele, Thomas Joseph 0 'Conner, John Hil-
dreth, Henry H. Barker, jr., John Henry Farley, Henry Amasa
King, Robert Charles Cooley.
1894— Charles Gilmore Gardner, Fred Allen Ballon, John
Francis Stapleton, jr., Robert Arthur Allyn, Denis O'Neil, jr..
Charles Wilder Bosworth, Henry Adelbert Booth, AA^allace Mur-
ray Burt. AYilliam Edwards Leonard, Patrick James Garvey,
Daniel Fred Fowler.
1895 — George Albert Bacon, James Louis Doherty, Herbert
Nelson Cross, William Albert Leary, Dexter Edgar Tilley, Wen-
dell Green Brownson, Charles Harris Beckwith, Leonard Farwell
Hardy, Henry Burt Montague, Arthur Beebe Chapin, Franklin
Arthur Morris, Fred Austin AVilson, Clarence Edward Spelman.
1896 — John Thomas Moriarity, Daniel James Stapleton,
William Arthur AlcCord, Edward A. AreClintock, Daniel M. Sul-
( 335 )
OLR COL MY AMJ ITS PEOPLE
livan, Nathan Prentice Avery, James Watson Flannery, Kobert
Chapin Parker, James John Sullivan, Edward Joseph Tierney,
Burt Harding Winn, William C. Haywood, John Henri Brown,
Fred Porter Squier, James Arthur Robeson.
1897— Harold Phelps INIoseley, William P. Buckley, Miles
Casey, Samuel jNIcWhorter, James O'Shea, Richard Francis
Twiss, Stuart Mill Robson, James Fiske Hooker.
1897 — James ODonnell, Abraham Ebenezer Snow, Thomas
J. Lynch, John McKean, James Hamilton, Scott Adams, Charles
Flagg Spellman, Clinton Gowdy, James Weston Carney, Frank
Sumner Rice, Michael John Griffin, Fred Fox Bennett.
1898— Elva Hubbard Young.
1899 — Charles L. Young, David Francis Dillon, Richard
James Talbot, Wayland Victor James, Harry Alonzo Buzzell.
1900— Harry Bancroft Putnam, Charles Spellman Bullard,
Hartley Reed Walker, AVilliam Henry Hawkins, Edward William
Beattie, jr., Robert Chester Goodale, Ernest Emery Hobson,
Freelove Quincy Ball, Arthur Stewart Anderson.
1901— Joseph Francis Carmody, Clarence JNIills Seymour,
Simon H. Kugel.
llie Hampden Bar Association, under its present form and
constitution, was organized in 1864, although an association less
formal in character and without a written record, dates back in
its history to the early years of the nineteenth century. Of the
purposes, history or traditions of the earlier organization we have
little knowledge, yet it is mentioned as a worthy institution in the
annals of the old bar.
On October 20, 1864, at a meeting of the bar held at the
court house in Springfield, the Hampden Bar association was per-
manently organized, a constitution was adopted and governing
officers were elected. The object of the organization, as set forth
in its declaration of principles, was "to establish a fair and uni-
form rate of compensation for professional services ; to discoun-
tenance and prevent the abuse of legal process by members of the
bar or by unsuitable and unqualified persons ; to ensure conform-
ity to a high standard of professional duty: and to promote a
kindly and fraternal feeling among those who are engaged in
professional conflict."
( 336 )
BENCH AM) BAR
The first officers chosen were : William G. Bates, president ;
Henry Morris, vice-president; George B. ^lorris, secretary and
treasurer ; Edward B. Gillett, George M. Stearns, Alexander L.
Soule, executive committee.
Thus launched into existence, the association entered upon a
career of usefulness under the fostering care of president Bates,
the "father" and the historian of the bar; and, unlike the ma-
jority' of organizations of its kind, the association has continued
in existence to the present time, although officers have been in-
frequently chosen and at times it has appeared that dissolution
was imminent, but upon the taking oft' of some old professional
associate the surviving members always have assembled together
to pay a last tribute of respect to the memory of him who has
been called, and having laid their friend in the grave they return
to the appointed walks of life and not infrequently say to one
another: "Well, who shall be next to go?"
The second meeting at which officers were elected was held
in March, 1877, when William G. Bates was re-elected president ;
Henry Morris, vice-president; Kobert 0. Morris, secretary and
treasurer; and Gillett. Stearns and Soule constituting the execu-
tive committee, as in 1864.
In October, 1893, another meeting for the election of officers
was held, and it may readily be seen by the changes in the offi-
ciary that the destroyer had not been idle. The new officers
were: George D. Robinson, president; Timothy M. BroA\Ti,
vice-president ; Robert 0. Morris, secretary and treasurer ; and
Edward H. Lathrop, Charles L. Long and Loranus E. Hitch-
cock, executive committee.
In November, 1896, Timothy M. Brown was chosen presi-
dent; Charles L. Gardner, vice-president; Robert 0. Morris, sec-
retary and treasurer ; and Lathrop, Long and Hitchcock, execu-
tive committee.
President Timothy ]\I. Brown died in March, 1897, upon
which vice-president Charles L. Gardner became ex-officio presi-
dent.
22-1
( 337 )
CHAPTER XIX
THE MEDICAL PROFESSION
AYlien we consider the importance and elevated character of
the science of medicine— its object, the preservation of the health
and lives, the healing of diseases, and the amelioration of the
physical and mental sufferings of our fellow human beings— its
extent embracing a knowledge of all science, it is evident that
medical education should engage the earnest attention of the en-
tire profession. The advances made in all branches of science
and especially in the science of medicine during the past century
have exceeded in extent and value those of all past ages, and it is
no longer possible to compress its vast domain within the narrow
limits of the ''seven professorships." The present age owes its
wonderful progress to experimental and scientific research.
The daAvning of medical science Avhicli now sheds its light
throughout the world began with Hippocrates nearly 2300 years
ago. He Avrote extensively, and much of his work was translated
and served as the foundation for the succeeding literature of the
profession. He relied chiefly on the healing powers of nature,
his remedies being exceedingly simple. He taught that the peo-
ple ought not to load themselves with excrements, or keep them
in too long ; and for this reason he prescribed ' * meats proper for
loosening the belly," and if these failed he directed the use of
the clysters.
Through all the centuries from the beginning of the Chris-
tian era down to the time of the discovery of the circulation of
the blood by Harvey, 1619, medicine shed but a glimmering light
in the midst of the darkness then enshrouding the world, and the
( 338 )
THE MEDICAL PROFESSION
greatest strides in the advancement of the various branches of
medical science have been made in the last one hundred years,
and most of them may be placed to the credit of the last half
century. Among the thousands of elements which comprise this
century of advancement mention will be made of but one, and
that among the first discoveries, the use of anaesthetics, which be-
numb the nerves of sensation and produce a profound yet tran-
quil state of insensibility, during which the most formidable
operation may be performed while the patient sleeps, and the sur-
geon is left to the pleasing reflection that he is causing neither
pain nor suffering.
There are to-day known to botanists over 140,000 plants, a
large proportion of which is being constantly added to our
already appalling list of ' ' new remedies. ' ' Many of these drugs
possess little, if any. real virtue, except as their sale adds to the
exchequer of some enterprising pharmacist. A drug house in
Boston recently issued a circular in which was advertised 33
syrups, 42 elixirs, 93 solid extracts, 150 varieties of sugar-coated
pills, 236 tinctures, 2-45 roots, barks, herbs, seeds and flowers, 322
fluid extracts, and 348 general drugs and chemicals. The an-
cients were not so well supplied with drugs. It was a custom
among the Babylonians to expose the sick to the view of passers-
by, in order to learn of them if they had been afflicted with a like
distemper, and by what remedies they had been cured. It was
also a custom of those days for all persons who had been sick to
put up a tablet in the temple of Esculapius. wherein they gave
an account of the remedies that had restored them to health.
Previous to the time of Hippocrates all medicine was in the hands
of the priests, and was associated with numerous superstitions,
such as s\anpathetic ointments applied to the weapon with which
a wound had been made, incantations, charms, amulets, the royal
touch for the cure of scrofula, human or horse flesh for the cure
of epilepsy, convulsions treated with human brains.
While ali this credulous superstition of early ages, born of
ignorance, existed to a vastly large extent, it has not been fully
wiped out by the generally Milvaiiced education of the present
day.
( 339 )
OUR COCMY AXD ITS PEOPLE
There is, perhaps, no department of medicine at the present
time more promising of good results than sanitary science. While
physiology and pathology are making known to us the functions
of the human body and the nature and cause of disease, sanitary
science is steadily teaching how the causes of disease may be re-
moved and health thereby secured. Progress during the com-
ing one hundred years, if only equal to that of the past, will more
than have accomplished great works in the advancement of sani-
tary science; but the accomplishment of this work calls not only
for the labor of the physician, but for the intelligent co-operation
of the people. If anything really great is to be done in the way
of sanitary improvement, and of preventing disease and death,
it must be done largely by the people themselves. This implies
that thej' must be instructed in sanitary science, must be taught
that unsanitary conditions most favor the origin of disease, how
disease is spread, and the means of its prevention. If it is true
that that knowledge is of the greatest value which teaches the
means of self-preservation, then the importance of a widespread
knowledge of how to prevent disease and premature death can-
not be overestimated.
But what can be said in these pages of the medical profes-
sion of Hampden county— a profession which has recorded so
little of its own history ? True, there are meagre data concerning
the various medical societies, the oldest dating to the year 1840,
but what can be said of the profession previous to that time, for
the city of Springfield dates its history from 1636, when William
Pynchon and his associates planted their famous colony on the
eastern bank of Connecticut river.
Previous to the act of 1781, creating the INIassachusetts Med-
ical society, there were no regulations regarding the practice of
medicine, and no special standard of excellence or education \Yns
prerequisite to admission to the ranks of the profession. During
the colonial period under the British dominion medical men were
few and there were no safeguards to protect the practice : and in-
deed, there was little need of legal strictures of any kind, as the
profession at that time was in no wise crowded and its represent-
atives were men of the highest character and reputation, and
quacks and charlatans were unknown.
( 340 )
TEE MEDICAL PROFESSION
A century and more ago physicians began practice under
many difficulties. There were few schools of medicine in the
country, and then young students could not afford the expense
necessary to qualify themselves for a profession which promised
so little pecuniary reward ; hence it was the custom of the period
for the aspirant to enter the office of some practicing physician
and read medicine two or three years, at the same time to accom-
pany his tutor in his professional visits and learn his methods of
treatment. At the end of his term the young doctor would seek
some promising field and begin practice. However, this disci-
pline served a useful purpose, giving individual strength, confi-
dence and self-reliance to the physician, and a proper respect
for his profession on the part of those with whom he was brought
into association. Frequently the doctor was chosen to places
of responsibility in public life. and. on equal footing with the
parish minister, was one of the most frequently consulted men in
his locality.
On November 18, 1781, the Massachusetts Medical society
received its charter, with broad powers and with authority to
grant licenses to practice medicine to the same extent as was con-
ferred by the legislature upon any university ; and when Harvard
college received its charter a controversy arose between that in-
stitution and the society relative to the right to grant licenses and
confer degrees. The matter was settled by compromise, yet we
understand that the legal status of the society was on a plane
with that of the university. A candidate who successfully
passed the censors' examination, without other eviaence of quali-
fication, was a licentiate and held a position similar to that in our
time obtained through the authority of the state board of medical
examiners.
Tradition says that Dr. John Sherman was one of the
earliest, if not the first, physician in what is now Hampden
county, and that he was both school teacher and doctor in Spring-
field in 1709. In 1728 Dr. John Leonard is mentioned in the
records as having received a fee from the town in payment for
medical attendance on an indigent patient. Between the years
1761 and 1783 the physicians practicing in Springfield were
( 341 )
01' R COi'XTY AMJ ITS PEOPLE
Charles Pynchon, Edward Chapin, John Yanhorn and Timothy
Cooper. To this list there should be added the name of Dr.
Chaiincey Brewei-, who lived in AVcst Springfield and practiced
in that town and in Springfield, across the river, and also of other
prominent early physicians in the outlying towns, of whom some
mention will be made in subsequent paragraphs.
During the period of fifty-nine years from 17.81 to 1840,
when the Hampden District Medical society was incorporated,
there Avere thirty-two physicians in the county who \\'ere mem-
bers of the State ]\ledical society. They were Drs. Joseph Pyn-
chon, Charles Pynchon. Joshua Frost, George Frost, M. B. Baker,
L. AY. Belden, David Bemis, Oliver Bliss, William Bridgman,
Reuben Champion, Alonzo Chapin. AY. L. Fitch, John Yanhorn,
Chauncey Brewer, Gideon Kibbe, Aaron King, S. Kingsbury,
Seth Lathrop, Jonathan Shearer. George Hooker, J. AY. Brew-
ster, Bela B. Jones, John Long, Leonard AYilliams, AY. Sheldon.
E. G. Uiford, J. G. DeChene, Lucius AYright, John Stone, J. H.
Flint and Samuel Mather. Of these physicians there Avere sev-
eral who were Avell known in public and professional life and who
had splendid abilities for the time in which they lived. They
received and imparted knowledge through office instruction and
clinical observations made by medical preceptors on private
patients. It was in this time that students are said to have
studied and driven with their teachers in medicine. Since med-
ical colleges then were in their infancy they were unable to fur-
nish excellent opportunities for personal observations on the
sick, and also were lacking in facilities for laboratory work.
Reminiscences. — Joseph Pynchon, son of Col. John Pynchon
and a descendant in the fifth generation of the founder of Spring-
field, Avas born in 1705, in the "old fort" or Pynchon residence
which stood where now is the Springfield Fire and Alarine build-
ing. He Avas educated both for the ministry and the medical
profession, and for a time devoted himself to clerical Avork, but
later to the practice of medicine in LongmeadoAV. He is recalled
as a man of high character and excellent ability, and at one time
was a member of the general court.
Charles Pynchon. brother of Joseph, Avas born in Spring-
field in 1819, in the Pynchon residence, and spent the greater part
( 342 )
THE MEDICAL PROFESSION
of his life in the town. All his biographers agree that Dr. Pyn-
chon -was a man of excellent understanding and a physician of
good repute, having a large practice, and also that many medical
students acquired their early professional training under his per-
sonal instruction. His office was on ]\Iain street, the second
house above Ferry street. In 1777 Dr. Pynchon was a surgeon
in the American army. He died Aug. 19, 1783.
Joshua Frost, one of the earliest physicians of Springfield,
Avas born in jNIaine in 1767, of English parentage. He was edu-
cated for his profession in Dartmouth college and Harvard uni-
versity, and in 1796 located in Longmeadow where he remained
a few years and then removed to Springfield. He enjoyed an
excellent reputation as a physician, and as a citizen he was hon-
ored with a seat in the state senate. Dr. Frost died in 1832.
George Frost, son of Joshua, was born in Longmeadow in
1800, and acquired his early medical education under the instruc-
tion of Dr. Nathan Smith, Avhom he accompanied in lecturing
tours. He studied medicine in Yale and also in Bowdoiu, was
graduated at the latter in 1822, and began practice in Spring-
field in 1823. He lived in the town until his death, in 1846. Dr.
Frost's wife was a daughter of Col. Roswell Lee, who for some
time was commander at Fort Griswold (New London, Conn.)
during the war of 1812-15.
Samuel W. Belden was born in 1801. He pursued scientific
and medical studies in Yale, graduated in 1826, and began his
professional career in Springfield in 1827. He became a mem-
ber of the State Medical society in 1835, and died in 1839, aged
38 years.
M. B. Baker was a graduate of Harvard in 1830, and located
in Springfield the next year. He became a member of the State
Medical society in 1836, and died in 1839, at the age of 33 years.
David Bemis became a member of the state society in 1832,
but of his early life and education we have little knowledge. He
practiced about twenty-five years in Chicopee, and died in 1852,
at the age of fifty-four years. At one time Dr. Bemis was presi-
dent of the Hampden District Medical society, and is recalled as
one of its most worthy members.
( 343 )
01' R COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
Oliver Bliss was made a member of the state society in 1822.
He practiced for several years iu Lougmeadow, and is understood
as having descended from one of the first settlers in that vicinity.
He died in 1840, aged sixty-eight years.
William Bridgman was born in 1784, and was one of the
board of organization of the Hampden District Medical society.
He is remembered as one of the leading physicians of his day in
the vicinity of the county seat. He became a member of the state
society in 1822, and died in 1864.
Reuben Champion was one of the foremost physicians of his
time, and was descended from good old revolutionary stock, his
grandfather having served as surgeon during the war, dying at
Ticonderoga in 1777. Dr. Reuben Champion acquired his early
education in the old Westfield academy, and his medical educa-
tion at Dartmouth and also in a school for medical instruction in
New York. He began practice in West Springfield in 1809, and
joined the state society in 1812. His practice covered a period
of half a century, and he died in 1865. In his practice he
adopted the ' ' tonic treatment ' ' of fever cases, a theory then much
opposed by the profession ; but he was a physician of excellent
reputation, and an upright and honored citizen. The civil list
shows that Dr. Champion served as state senator.
Alonzo Chapin appears on the roll of the state society in
1836, as a resident of Springfield, but few records of his life's
work are now obtainable. He is believed, however, to have been
descended from the ancestor of the Chapins — Deacon Samuel
Chapin, the Puritan— whose statue adorns the library park.
W. L. Fitch, of whom recollections are meager, joined the
state society in 1837. He practiced for a time in Chester Vil-
lage, now Huntington, and then removed to Springfield, where
he lived many years. He died in 1872, at the age of 69 years.
John Vanhorn was one of the old-time physicians of Spring-
field ; was born in 1726, graduated at Yale in 1749, and joined the
state society in 1785. For nearly sixty years he practiced in
West Springfield, and is said to have been a man of more than
ordinary professional prominence. He died in 1805.
Chauncey Brewer was another of the old-time physicians of
Springfield, a native of the town, born in 1743. He received his
( 344 )
THE MEDICAL PROFESSION
professional education in Yale Medical college, and is remem-
bered as a physician of exceptional strength for his time; but he
is held in especial remembrance by the profession on account of
his faithful services in the American army during the revolution.
He was a student with Dr. Charles Pynchon and began his profes-
sional career in West Springfield, removing to the east side of the
river on the death of his old preceptor and occupying an office
about where now is Cypress street. Dr. Brewer died in 1837, at
the age of 87 years. Daniel Chauucey Brewer, son of Chaun-
cey, studied for the medical profession, but soon afterward be-
came partner with Dr. Joshua Frost and carried on a drug busi-
ness in the store now occupied by the firm of H. & J. Brewer, on
Main street.
Gideon Kibbe was a highly respected physician of Wilbra-
ham, where he practiced for thirty-seven years previous to his
death, in 1859. He became a member of the state society in 1822.
Aaron King, of Palmer, became a member of the society in
1816, and died in 1861. For many years he was one of the highly
respected medical practitioners of the eastern part of the county,
and he is also remembered as having been one of the organizers,
and at one time president, of the Hampden district society. In
the latter part of his life Dr. King investigated Homoeopathy,
and is said to have approved of some of its principles and
methods.
Samuel Kingsbury was born in Tolland, Conn., in Septem-
ber. 1782. and practiced medicine in Springfield from 1810 to
"26. He became a member of the state society in 1816.
Seth Lathrop, son of Rev. Dr. Joseph Lathrop, was born in
the second parish of Springfield (West Springfield), in 1762, and
is remembered as one of the strongest as well as one of the most
thoroughly educated of the old-time physicians of the county.
His practice was extensive and successful, and he also had the
confidence and respect of the people on the east side of the river.
He was made a fellow of the state society in 1817, and continued
in membership until his death in 1831.
Jonathan Shearer, of Palmer, was boi'n in 1767, became a
member of the society in 1811, and died in 1825. His home and
( 345 )
OUR CUiXTY AM) ITS PEOPLE
office were on the Boston road, betAveen what is now Collins and
Palmer stations. He was followed in practice by his son, Marcus
Shearer, who joined the district society in 1841, and died in 1854.
George Hooker was born in 1794, and was admitted to fellow-
ship in the state society in 1821. He practiced in Longmeadow
and is remembered as a physician of good repute and a citizen
of undoubted integrity. Di". Hooker died in 1884, at the ripe age
of 90 years.
Joseph AV. Brewster, of Blandford, was made a fellow of the
state society in 1804. He died in 1849. but of his life and pro-
fessional work we have no reliable data.
Leonard Williams, of Chester, united with the society in
1822, and became a retired member in 1827. Of his professional
career little is noAV known.
Bela Barber Jones was made a fellow in 1822, and a score of
years later assisted in organizing the district society. He after-
ward removed from the state.
AVilliam Sheldon became a fellow in 1811. and died in 1817.
None of his cotemporaries are living, and there is no record of
his place of residence or the extent and character of his practice.
Edward (joodrich Uft'ord, of West Springfield and Agawam,
was born in East Windsor, Conn., in 1801, became a fellow of the
society in 1839, and died August 28, 1889. He studied medicine
with Dr. Daniel Uft'ord of AVilbraham and also with Dr. Peters
of Bolton. Conn. He received his degree from Yale and then
took a post-graduate course in Philadelphia. He practiced for
a few years in West Springfield, thence removed to South Hadley,
but returned to West Springfield and Agawam, where he gained
an enviable standing in the ranks of his profession.
Lucius Wright, once well known in medical circles in at
least three towns of Hampden county, and withal an excellent
physician of the old school, was born in 1793 and became a mem-
ber of the society in 1821. He began his professional career in
Willimansett, later practiced in Salem and Montgomery, and
finallj' located in Westfield. where he attained considerable
prominence and represented that town in the general court.
John Stone was born in Eutland, Mass., in 1763. He had
the advantages of a good elementary as well as medical educa-
( 346 )
THE MEDICAL riiOFESSlOX
tion, and in his mature life was known as one of the most genteel
and scholarly professional men in the community. He read
medicine with Dr. John Frink and began his career in Green-
field, removing thence to New York, where he remained about two
years. Returning to Greenfield, he practiced in that tow^n until
1819, and spent the next ten years in Providence. He then came
to Springfield and practiced until his death in 1838. Dr. Stone
is remembered as a successful physician and one of the few old-
time practitioners to acquire a competency. His membership
in the society dates from 1803, and his honorary degree of M. D.
was acquired from Williams college in 1824.
John Long was an early practitioner in that part of West
Springfield known as Ireland, where now is the industrial city of
Holyoke, but as to when and whence he came and of the period
of his residence there we have no reliable data. He was made
a fellow of the society in 1808.
Levi W. Humphreys, of SouthAvick, was made a fellow in
1822, and in 1840 was one of the organizers of the district society.
He died in 1850, and is remembered as a good country prac-
titioner,
Joseph Henshaw Flint, who was made a fellow of the state
society in 1822, was born in Leicester, Worcester county, April
20, 1786, and began his professional career in Petersham. Later
on he located temporarily in Northampton, and removed thence
to Springfield in 1837. Three years later he was one of the
organizers of the district society, and for several years after was
one of its most prominent members. Dr. Flint died in 1846. He
was regarded as one of the most successful physicians of the
town during his brief residence here, but his family name after-
ward came into especial prominence in the medical world through
the remarkable success of his son (by his first marriage). Dr.
Austin Flint, of New York, whose writings and lectures on med-
ical subjects have since been standard authority with the profes-
sion.
James Holland, who became a fellow in the society in 1822,
was one of the prominent early physicians in the western part of
what now is Hampden county. He was born in 1762, and ac-
( 347 )
OUR COiXTY AXD H\S PEOPLE
quired his medical education with Dr. Brewster, of Becket. He
practiced for a time in Chester village, now Huntington, and in
Worthington and located permanently in Westfield in 1815 ; and
he died in that town in 1840. Dr. Holland is recalled as a phy-
sician of far more than ordinary prominence for his time and
opportunities ; and that he loved the work of his profession is
evidenced in the fact that four of his sons became physicians, and
each of them attained an excellent standing in the community in
which he lived.
Samuel Mather was one of the pioneers of the state society,
having been made a fellow in 1783, and he also was one of the
early physicians in our county. The surname Mather always
has been associated with the best history of this region, and it is
regretted that Ave have no knowledge of the early life and career
of this old-time practitioner,
John Appleton is mentioned in the records of the state so-
ciety as a fellow thereof, and also is elsewhere mentioned as one
of the organizers of the district society and its first secretary,
1840-42.
It is not claimed in these reminiscences of early practitioners
that mention is made of all the physicians of the county for the
period indicated, for undoubtedly the actual members of the
state society were largely outnumbered by those who were not
members of that body. Indeed, many of the leading physicians
of the period are known not to have affiliated with the society,
not that they were opposed to its principles or purpose, or doubt-
ful of its permanency, but rather that they saw no immediate
benefit in such membership, hence did not avail themselves of its
privileges.
The old society, however, served a useful purpose in promot-
ing social intercourse among its fellows, and it was the first legis-
lative step in the direction of safeguarding the profession in the
state. In 1803 an amendatory act extended the powers of the
society and authorized the formation of subordinate societies, the
jurisdiction of which should be limited to counties or districts,
and which should be conducted as auxiliary to the older organiza-
tion. Members of the state society were, and still are, eligible
candidates for admission to the district societies.
( 348 )
TEE 3JED1CAL PROFESSION
For more than a century the Connecticut valley in Massachu-
setts has been noted for the strength of its medical profession, but
nowhere in the entire region has there developed greater mental
and moral worth than within the limits of our own county. From
the time of the pioneer doctor in the little hamlet of Springfield
on the bank of the Connecticut river to the beginning of the
twentieth century, throughout all the changes of two hundred
and fifty years, each succeeding generation of the profession has
been represented by men of high character, splendid mental at-
tainments and commendable ambition. Some of them have at-
tained positions of prominence in the medical world, while others
have sought and added civil and political honors to their profes-
sional achievements. But in glancing backward over the long
list of hundreds of physicians w^ho have devoted at least a part of
their lives and energies to professional pursuits in the county the
number "not approved" by their medical brethren and the gen-
eral public has been exceedingly small. To be sure, in a common-
wealth whose scheme of government is framed on broad and al-
most unlimited principles of freedom of personal action, charla-
tans occasionally have found a temporary abiding place in the
ranks of the profession, but while the legitimate practice of medi-
cine has not always been safe-guarded against the incursions of
quacks, a discriminating public has driven them from the field ;
and now even the remote possibility of a pretender is precluded
through the establishment, in 1894, of the state medical board of
registration, before whom all candidates must appear before a
license to practice will issue. All legitimate schools of medicine
now are recognized, and each applicant is subjected to rigid ex-
amination before a license is granted.
However, let us again glance back into the early years of the
last century and note briefly something of the lives, character and
works of those who attained prominence in the ranks of the pro-
fession, although none appear to have been affiliated with any
medical society.
"Tlie Drs. Holland of Westfield" was for many years a con-
cise way in which the profession generally made allusion to sev-
eral respected associates who long were prominent characters in
( 349 )
OVR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
the history, medical and otherwise, of that part of the county.
In an earlier paragraph mention is made of Dr. James Holland,
who became a member of the state society in 1822, yet none of the
worthy practitioner's sons, four of whom entered the profession,
appear to have become fellows in that body. Of these sons
Homer Holland was born in Blandford, was educated in Yale
and Berkshire Medical schools, located in Westfield and practiced
in that town and vicinity from 1842 to 1856. Eugene Holland
and William Holland, sons of Homer, likewise entered the profes-
sion, and Henry Holland, another son, has been engaged in the
drug business in Westfield more than sixty years.
Virgil Holland, second son of James, was born in 1803, and
acquired his early medical instruction from his father. He gave
promise of a splendid rise in professional work, but his career was
prematurely cut off by death in 1832.
James Holland, jr., was born in 1815, studied medicine with
his father, and was a graduate of the medical department of the
University of New York. He began practice in Westfield in
1843, and for the next half century there was no more prominent
figure than he in professional circles in western Hampden county.
He was an earnest worker, a close and careful student, and of
course he attained success, not only in professional life, but also
in the social and public aft'airs of the town. Dr. Charles Jenkins
Holland, another son of James, senior, Avas educated for the pro-
fession, and practiced in Chester Village, now Huntington ; but
he died comparatively young, at the age of 36 years.
Jeft'erson Church was a native of Middlefield, Hampshire
county, born in 1802, and in 1825 was graduated at Berkshire
Medical college. He practiced one year in Peru, Berkshire
county, and then removed to Springfield, where the best years of
his life were spent, and where he attained a standing of promi-
nence in the ranks of the profession, not alone as a practitioner
but as publisher in 1850, in association with Dr. Edgar Seeger,
of "Tully's iNtateria Medica," a work which for a long time was
regarded as standard authority. He also took an earnest interest
in public affairs and Avas known as an intense anti-slavery advo-
cate. Dr. Church died in Springfield in 1885. aged 83 years.
( 350 )
THE MEDICAL PROFESSION
Edward Seeger, eo-worker Avith Dr. Church in publishing
Dr. Tully's medical manuscripts, was born in Northampton in
1811, and was of German ancestry. He graduated at JefiPerson
Medical college in 1832, and at once located for practice in
Springfield. Thereafter he Avas a conspicuous figure in local
professional and political circles for thirty-four years, until his
death in 1866. Politically Dr. Seeger affiliated with the aboli-
tionists and free-soilers, and was one of their ablest exponents of
I)arty principles. He also was a logical writer on medical and
political subjects, and as a practitioner he had few peers in the
county seat. Dr. Seeger 's first wife was a sister of the late
Homer Foot.
W. L. Loring, a graduate of Harvard ]\Iedical school, was a
practitioner in Springfield something like five years, beginning
about 1825 : but Dr. Loring. while a man of excellent capacity,
unfortunately did not enjoy a lucrative practice, hence to re-
plenish his purse he had recourse to an unlawful expedient,
"body snatching,'' disposing of his "subjects" by sale to various
medical institutions. For this fiagrant violation of law and pro-
priety the doctor was arrested and brought to bar. tried, found
guilty and sentenced to pay a fine of .$500. Soon afterward he
removed from this locality, and thenceforth the dead in the
Springfield graveyards were permitted to rest in peace.
James Swan, a graduate of Harvard and Jefferson Medical
colleges, located in Springfield in 1834 and continued in active
practice until 1836, when he died. He was a physician of excel-
lent repute, a man of fine social qualities and a respected citizen.
Outside of professional work he was a firm advocate of temper-
ance and also was an ardent Odd Fellow.
Henry Bronson, who i)racticed a few years in West Spring-
field, came to that town directly from his medical course in Yale,
having graduated in 1827. Three years later he removed to Al-
bany, where he gained celebrity as a writer on scientific and med-
ical subjects and relinquished active practice in 1860. In 1872
he was called to a professorship in the medical department of
Yale.
Calvin AYheeler was an early practitioner in Feeding Hills
parish when that region was a part of West Springfield. He
( 351 )
OUR COLMY A.\D ITS FEOl'LE
served as surgeon in the American army during the second war
■with Great Britain, and is remembered as a good physician for his
time, although his methods at times were crude. He died in 1861.
C'liauneey Belden, who practiced in West Springfield and its
vicinity for ten years beginning in 1832, Avas a graduate of Yale
Medical school in 1829, and after leaving college he was for a time
an assistant in the Hartford retreat for insane persons. In con-
nection with professional work Dr. Belden gave special attention
to scientific studies and was regarded as a man of wide under-
standing in all professional and social circles. He removed to
South Hadley in 1842, and died there three 3'ears afterward.
Herbert C. Belden, who began practice in West Springfield in
1871, and was a graduate of the College of Physicians and Sur-
geons of New York, was a son of Chauncey Belden.
William Tully, whose portrait accompanies this brief sketch,
was one of the most distinguished medical practitioners and
scholars who ever honored the profession with a presence and
residence in this county. Yet he Avas little understood and still
less appreciated, for he lived, practiced and taught at least half a
century in advance of his time. Later on, in comparatively re-
cent years, many of the principles he advanced during the first
half of the past century have come to be recognized truths with
the world at large, and " Tully 's powders" even now are regard-
ed as a sovei'eign remedy with certain persons. Having been
given the advantages of an excellent elementary education, Will-
iam Tully began the study of medicine in 1807 under the instruc-
tion of Dr. Coggswell. of Hartford, and in the following year he
attended lectures in the medical department of Dartmouth.
Later on his attention was chiefly devoted to increasing his un-
derstanding of elementary medicine, after which he was licensed
to practice by the president and fellows of the Connecticut Medi-
cal society. In 1819 he received the honorary Yale degree of
Doctor of Medicine. In 1811 he began practice in Enfield, the
next year removed to Milford, and thence in 1816 to ]\Iiddletown.
In 1820 he published an articl^ on the "Ergot of Rye," and in
1823, in association with Dr. Thomas INIiner, he issued a volume
entitled ''Essays on Fevers and other .Medical Subjects." This
( 352 )
William Tully, M. D.
23-1
OVR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
publication called forth much comment on the part of the profes-
sion, but afterward the teachings of his work received the indorse-
ment of his medical brethren. In 1826 he removed to Albany,
N. Y., where he practiced with marked success, and at the same
time he delivered lectures in the medical school at Castleton, Ver-
mont. While in Albany he published a prize essay on " Sanguin-
aria Canadensis," a scientific and scholarly paper on indigenous
materia medica, and thereby added laurels to his wreath of fame.
In 1829 he removed to New Haven and succeeded Dr. Ives in the
chair of materia medica in Yale, at the same time continuing his
lectures in Castleton, but as his income from these sources Avas
quite small he published, in 1832, an exhaustive paper on "Nar-
cotine, and Sulphate of Morphine, ' ' which attracted much atten-
tion in medical circles.
Dr. TuUy came to Springfield in 1851, and from that time to
his death in 1859 he w^as a prominent figure, devoting himself to
active practice and also to the authorship of various works on
medical subjects. Drs. Church and Seeger published in two
large volumes his work on ''Materia Medica," and "Pharma-
cology and Therapeutics," and while his manuscripts were not
fully completed, the work was regarded as standard authority.
His knowledge of botany was extensive and also was very correct,
and he Avas an expert, almost without a rival, in organic and phar-
maceutical chemistry. With physiology and pathology he was
fully familiar, and thorough knowledge of Latin and Greek were
his special acquisitions. Dr. Noah Webster and Prof. Goodrich
depended upon his assistance in furnishing definitions in anat-
omy, physiology, medicine and botany for their dictionary publi-
cations of the period. As a man his character was superlatively
positive, often unfortunately so, for his mind was so far above
that of ordinary persons that he could not please the public,
hence he was not a popular physician with the masses. Dr.
Bronson once said of him : ' ' Sum up all his imperfections and
deduct them from his merits and there is enough left to make a
man— a whole man and a great man."
Among the other old-time medical practitioners of the coun-
ty previous to the incorporation of the district medical society,
( 354 )
THE MEDICAL PROFESSION
and none of whom were members of that body nor of the state
society, there may be remembered the names of Dr. Caswell, of
Ludlow, who enjoyed an excellent reputation as a country doc-
tor; Dr. Marcus Cady, of South Wilbraham, and his brother,
Henry Cady, of Monson, both physicians of good repute ; Dr. Me-
Kinstry, of Monson ; Dr. Johnson, of Granville ; Ezra Osborne, of
Springfield, who practiced from 1815 to 1830; Dr. Swan, who
lived and practiced on "Springfield hill," as that locality then
was known ; Samuel Belden, who was here about 1840 ; Dr. Spar-
hawk, whose period of practice was about 1820 ; Ebenezer Jones,
of West Springfield, who removed to the eastern part of the
state; Timothy Horton, a most excellent man, but who, being
wealthy, practiced for very small fees, much to the discourage-
ment of his professional associates ; Dr. Dunham, of West Spring-
field, of whom little is now known ; Edward McCrea, who settled
in Agawam in 1832, and died in 1859 ; Sumner Ives, who was
born in the ''Ireland parish" as the north part of West Spring-
field was once known, and who practiced in that locality from
1826 to 1831, when he removed to Suffield; Solomon Chapman,
who succeeded Dr. Ives in 1832, and who, in turn, was succeeded
in 1850 by Dr. Lawson Long.
In the same manner also may be mentioned the names of
Edward Strong, graduate of Harvard Medical school in 1838, who
retired from active professional work in 1845 and became associ-
ated with the department of vital statistics in Boston; Nathaniel
Downs, who settled in West Springfield in 1857 and soon after-
ward removed to the eastern part of the state ; George Filer, of
Westfield, one of the early physicians of that town, who is said
to have settled there about 1666, but who subsequently joined the
Quaker colony on Long Island ; Israel Ashley, of Westfield,
descendant of one of the colonists of Springfield, a graduate of
Yale in 1730, and one of the best physicians of his day ; William
Atwater, son of Rev. Noah Atwater of Westfield, a graduate of
Yale and a practitioner in the town previous to 1830 ; Samuel
Mather, of Westfield, who practiced about the time of the revolu-
tion ; Joshua Sumner, of Westfield, who came about the time of
the revolution and was noted for his skill in surgery; Lucius
( 355 )
OVR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
AVright, one of Westfield's most scholarly old-time physicians, a
native of Avhat now is Chieopee, and who died at the age of more
than ninety years.
Westfield, like Springfield, was noted as the abiding-place of
many old-time physicians, and in addition to those previously
mentioned we may recall the names of Dr. M. L. Robinson, one
of the few men of medicine who was born and educated in New
York state and subsequently came to practice in the locality;
Simeon Shurtleff, a native of Blandford, a pupil of Dr. Cooley's
famous school in Granville, and a graduate of Amherst : William
Orton Bell, a native of Chester and a graduate of the Berkshire
Medical school ; Ellery C. Clarke, a graduate of the University of
Vermont, and a surgeon in the army during the war of 1861-5.
In Southwick we find the names of Isaac Coit, who is said tx)
have been the first phj'sician here, and a patriot of the revolu-
tion ; Drs. Jonathan Bill, J. W. Rockwell and a Dr. Norton ; also
Levi W. Humphreys, the latter a charter member of the district
society and one of its most earnest advocates. In Granville we
find the names of Drs. Vincent Holcomb, and his son, Hubert
Holcomb, the latter an army surgeon and afterward in practice
in Blandford ; Calvin King, who succeeded Dr. Holcomb : Dr.
Barlow who removed to New York and became a convert to Homoe-
opathy; Dr. Dwight, who died about twenty-five years ago: Dr.
Johnson, who succeeded Dr. Dwight ; Dr. Jesse Bigelow, who is
said to have been the pioneer physician here. The names of Drs.
C. W. Bartlett, Edward P. Mountain and Herbert G. Rockwell
are associated with Granville history.
Up in the mountainous regions of the western part of the
county, in Chester, the profession Avas represented many years
ago by such men as Dr. David Shepard, who was here previous to
the revolution ; "William Holland and Martin Phelps, the latter
the successor of the former and a prominent figure in church and
democratic political circles: Anson Boies, a native of Blandford:
Dr. Ballard, successor to Dr. Boies, and who Avas in turn succeed-
ed by Dr. DeWolf ; Ebenezer Emmons, physician and geologist,
and later professor of chemistry in Williams college : Asahel Par-
menter, son of Deacon Parmenter and who afterward removed to
( 356 )
TEE MEDICAL PROFESSION
PeiiiLsylvaiiia : Joseph C Aljbott, who died comparatively young;
Dr. Crossett; Dr. Noah IS. Bartlett; H. S. Lucas, a physician of
more than ordinary reputation, and who combined knowledge of
geology with that of medicine ; and also Drs. Hall, Wright and
Taylor, each of whom once was in practice in that town. In
Blandford one of the very first physicians was Dr. Ashley, as
early as 17-15, and after him came Joseph W. Brewster, Silas P.
Wright and William B. Miller, the latter having removed to
Springfield about 1870.
In Wilbraham we learn from authentic sources that the phy-
sicians in earlier times were Drs. John Stearns, Gordon Percival,
Samuel F. Merrick (a revolutionary patriot), Judah Bliss (about
1800 j, Abiah Southworth, Converse Butler, Luther Brewer,
Jacob Lyman, Elisha Ladd, Gideon Kibbe, Jesse W. Rice (a much
respected and influential citizen as well as an excellent physi-
cian), Edwin Thayer, Charles Bowker, Stebbins Foskit, Marcus
Cady (in South Wilbraham), Abiel Bottom, William B. Carpen-
ter, John Goodale, Daniel Ufford, P^dwin McCray. In Wales the
succession is about as follows : James Lawrence, 1746-78 ; Dud-
ley Wade, 1779-88 ; Abel Sherman, 1783-86 ; Jeremiah Round,
1787-89 ; David Young, 1790-1802 ; Ferdinand Lethbridge, 1805-
11; Thaddeus Fairbanks, 1812-15; Daniel Tilfany, 1812-22;
Aaron Shaw, 1813-45 ; John Smith, 1815-65.
In Holland the profession was early represented by Thomas
AVallis (1786), Seth Smith, Ichabod Hyde (1812), David B.
Dean, Joshua Richardson, Chileab B. Merrick, Josiah Converse,
Abiel Bottom, Josiah G. AVallis, the latter now in practice.
The Longmeadow succession includes, among others, the
names of Charles Pynchon, Joshua Frost, Oliver Bliss, Edwin
McCray, Rial Strickland, George Hooker, Thomas L. Chapman,
R. P. Markham, Eleazer S. Beebe, John A. McKinstry.
In Monson the list includes the names of Joseph Grout and
Dr. Anderson, about 1785 ; Ede Whittaker, 1790-1840, and Eph-
raim Allen as his cotemporary; Oliver McKinstry, 1820-45;
Reuben Gardner, about 1840 : and also Drs. Ware, Cullen and
Haywood, Isaac Carpenter, Alvin Smith, Homer A. Smith, Henry
Cady, :\larshal] and David Calkins, George E. Fuller, F. AV. Ellis,
Charles W. Jackson and Harry A. Merchant.
( 357 )
OVR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
The Chicopee list of old-time physicians is somewhat imper-
fect, yet among them may be recalled the names of Amos Skeele
(1804-43), David Bemis (1832-52), J. R. Wilbur, William Jack-
son Sawin, Alvord Norfolk, George AVashington Denison (1846-
73), AYilliam George Smith.
In the Ludlow general list we find the names of Aaron John
Miller (born 1750, served during the revolution, and died 1838),
Francis Percival, Benjamin Trask (1777), Dr. AVood, Simpson
Ellis, David Lyon, Sylvester Nash, Philip Lyon, Drs. Tainton,
Sutton, Hunger and Hamilton, Estes Howe, Elijah Campbell,
AV. B. Alden, Dr. Bassett, R. G. English, AA^illiam B. Miller;
Henry M. T. Smith, Robert AA^ood, Dr. King, Benj. K. Johnson,
T. AY. Lyman.
In Palmer the list is somewhat imperfect yet from extant
records we glean the names of Jonathan Shearer, Alarcus Shearer,
Aaron King, Alanson Moody, Dr. AAliite, Dr. Barron, Dr. Cum-
mings, AA". H. Stowe, J. K. AA^arren, A. C. Downing, Amasa Davis,
Jason B. Thomas, F. AA^. Caulkins, Dr. Blair, AA^illiam AValradt,
and Silas Ruggies.
In the histories of the several towns further allusion is made
to early and present physicians. Had early legislation regarding
the profession been mandatory instead of optional in respect to
membership in the state and district societies, our record could be
more complete ; and notwithstanding the fact that the names of
hundreds of former physicians are noted in these pages, doubtless
many more are omitted owing to the absence of reliable data con-
cerning them.
In 1850 the profession in Springfield Avas well represented,
there being in practice at that time twenty-seven physicians,
representing three schools. According to the village directory of
that year, the physicians then here were Nathan Adams, Edmund
C. Allen (homoeopath), Alfred Booth, William G. Breck, WiU-
iam Bridgman, C. C. Chaffee, Jefferson Church, AYilliam H.
Cleaveland, R. G. W. English, AY. L. Fitch, Henry F. Gardner
(botanic physician), James H. Gray, Ira Hatch, J. G. Holland,
John Hooker, Charles P. Kibbe (botanic physician), Alfred
Lambert, AYarren McCray, Alexander S. AlcClean, Amos N.
( 358 )
THE MEDICAL PROFESSION
Pierce, Joseph C. Pynehon, George F. Ramsdell, Edwin Seeger,
James M. Smith, Ebenezer Snell (Springfield water cure),
George W. Swazey (homoeopath), Henry R. Vaille.
In the same year, by an act of the legislature passed April
15, the Springfield Medical school was incorporated by William
B. Calhoun, Reuben A. Chapman and James A. Smith, who with
their associates were authorized to establish and maintain a school
of medicine in the city, and also were authorized to hold real and
personal estate to the amount of $100,000, the same to be devoted
exclusively to the purposes of a medical school. This commend-
able enterprise certainly fell into proper hands, and while at the
time there was a demand for an institution of such character in
the town, certain events, in part political in their nature, made
the project undesirable, hence the subject soon afterward was
dismissed from the public mind,
HAMPDEN DISTRICT MEDICAL SOCIETY
In explanation of the absence of much that is interesting in
the early history of this organization, it may be said at the outset
that all records of its transactions previous to May 30, 1875, were
destroyed in a fire which took place on that date. The society
itself was brought into existence May 30, 1840, at a time when the
famous "log cabin" presidential campaign was at its height in
New England, and indeed throughout the land, and the journal-
istic as well as the public mind was so fully occupied with affairs
political that a minor event, such as the organization of a district
medical society, was permitted to pass without mention.
According to the regularly printed pamphlets of the organ-
ization, the Hampden District Medical society was instituted May
30, 1840, under a charter granted by the councilors of the Massa-
chusetts Medical society to Joseph H. Flint, William Bridgman,
George Hooker, Aaron King, Bela B. Jones, Reuben Champion,
John Appleton and L. W. Humphreys, each of whom is men-
tioned in an earlier part of this chapter. They were the incorpo-
rators and original members of the society, and appear to have
been its only members during the first year. Dr. Champion was
the first president, Dr. Bridgman the first vice-president, and Dr.
Appleton the first secretary and treasurer.
( 359 )
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
From the time of its incorpoi-ation to the present day the
district medical society has maintained a healthful and progres-
sive existence. The act of the legislature authorizing such organ-
izations at the hands of the state society Avas passed in 1803. but
the profession in this county was slow to avail itself of the privi-
lege oft'ered, and when that stej) was in fact taken the affairs of
the new society were placed on a permanent basis and its con-
tinued existence was fully assured. Neither the laws of the com-
monwealth nor the authority of the state society compel member-
ship on the part of physicians of any school, yet the representa-
tives of the "regular" school have availed themselves of its bene-
fits. Between 1840 and 1850 twenty-seven names, in addition to
the incorporators, were placed on the rolls, and between 1850 and
1860 fourteen other names were enrolled. During the first sixty
years of its history, the aggregate membership in the society was
more than 250 physicians, making no account of practitioners
under any other school than those usually termed "regulars."
As provided in the by-laws the district medical society con-
sists of all the fellows of the state medical society residing in
Hampden county, and none other. It is the duty of each member
to attend all the meetings of the society, "and to communicate
any instructive case that may occur in his practice, any useful
discovery that he may make in medicine or surgery or the allied
sciences, and any invention that may have practical application
in the same." In their relations with each other, Avith their
patients, the profession at large, and the public, members are
guided by the code of ethics of the iMassachusetts Medical society.
By general and proper compliance Avith these requirements the
real purposes of the state and district societies are carried out for
the Avelfare of the profession.
Since its organization in 1840 the officers (presidents, vice-
presidents, secretaries and treasurers) of the Hampden District
Medical society have been as folloAvs :
Pi'esidents — Hewhen Champion, 1840-41: Aaron King, 1841-
42 : Joseph TI. Flint, 1842-43 : David Bemis. 1843-45 : John Smith,
1845-46: William Bridgman. 1846-48: Silas P. Wright. 1848-49:
Jesse W. Rice, 1849-51 : James M. Smith, 1851-54 ; William Bridg-
( 360 )
THE MEDICAL PROFESSION
man, 1854-57 ; Nathan Adams, 1857-59 ; Alfred Lambert, 1859-60 ;
P. LeB. Stickney, 1860-62; E. G. Pierce, 1862; Cyrus Bell, 1863-
66 ■ David P. Smith, 1866-67 ; William G. Breek, 1867-69 ; A. S.
McCleau, 1869-71; V. L. Owen, 1871-72 ; Thomas L. Chapman,
1872-74: W. J. Swain, 1874-76; David Clark, 1876-77: H. G.
Stickney, 1877-78; Sanford Lawton, 1878-80: Harlow Gamwell,
1880-82: S. W. Bowles, 1882-84: George S. Stebbins, 1884-85;
A. F. Reed, 1885-86; L. F. Hnmeston, 1886-87: Theodore F.
Breck, 1887-89; S. D. Brooks, 1889-90; Frederick W. Chapin,
1890-92: G. W. Davis, 1892-93; George C. McClean, 1893-94;
Wallace H. Deane. 1894-95 ; E. E. Maryott, 1895-96 ; George E.
Fnller, 1896-97 ; J. C. Hubbard, 1897-98 ; Daniel E. Keefe, 1898-
99; William Holbrook, 1899-1900; Lorenzo Gibbs, 1900-1901;
Lawton S. Brooks, 1901 — .
Vice-Presidents— ^iWi^m Bridgman, 1840-41; T. B. Bridg-
man, 1848-49 : Thaddens K. DeWolf, 1857-58 ; Thomas L. Chap-
man, 1858-59 ; P. LeB. Stickney, 1859-60 ; D. P. Smith, 1860-61 ;
Cyrns Bell, 1862-63 ; Alfred Lambert, 1864-66 ; George G. Tucker,
1866-67 : A. S. McLean, 1867-69 : AVilliam J. Swain, 1869-70 : V.
L. Owen, 1870-71: Thomas L. Chapman, 1871-72; A. R. Rice,
1872-74 ; H. G. Stickney, 1874-76 : George S. Stebbins, 1876-77 ;
G. W. Davis, 1877-78; Harlow Gamwell, 1878-80; S. W. Bowles,
1880-82 ; George S. Stebbins, 1882-84 ; A. F. Reed, 1884-85 ; Theo-
dore F. Breck, 1885-86; G. C. McClean, 1886-87 ; J. J. O'Connor,
1887-89 : Frederick AV. Chapin, 1889-90 ; G. W. Davis, 1890-92 ;
George E. Fuller, 1892-93 ; W. H. Deane, 1893-94; E. E. Maryott,
1894-95 : George E. Fuller, 1895-96 ; William Holbrook, 1896-97 ;
Daniel E. Keefe, 1897-98: L. J. Gibbs, 1898-1900: Lawton S.
Brooks, 1900-01 ; Stephen Andrew Mahoney, 1901 — .
Secretaries and Treasurers — John Appleton, 1840-42: Will-
iam A. Davis, 1842-45 ; J. G. Holland, 1845-47 ; Thomas L. Chap-
man, 1847-49 : Alfred Lambert, 1849-54 ; William G. Breck, 1854-
56 : George A. Otis, 1856-61 : A. S. McClean, 1861-63 : William G.
Breck, 1863-64; H. G. Stickney, 1864-66; A. R. Rice, 1866-69;
George F. Jelly, 1869 ; Charles P. Kemp, 1869-71 ; George S. Steb-
bins, 1872-76; Frederick W. Chapin, 1876-80; George C. Mc-
Clean, 1880-85 : G. L. Woods, 1885-89 : J. T. Herrick, 1889-93 ;
( 361 )
OVR COUNTY AXD ITS PEOPLE
Everett A. Bates, 1893-94; A. J. Dunne, 1894-95; C. H. Calkins,
1895-96 ; AValter R. AVeiser, 1896-97 ; H. W. VanAllen, 1897-99 ;
Frederick B. S^veet, 1899-1901 ; Harry C. Martin, 1901 — .
The following chronological list shows the names of members
of the society with the year of admission and place of residence :
1840— Joseph Henshaw Flint, William Bridgman, George
Hooker, Aaron King, Bela B. Jones, Reuben Champion, John
Appleton, Levi W. Humphreys, charter members.
1841 -James H. Gray, Springfield; Thaddeus K. DeWolf,
Chester; AV. B. Alden, Ludlow; Jehiel Abbot, Westfield; Silas.
AVright, Blandf ord ; John Smith, Wales ; Marcus Shearer,
Palmer; Aaron Shaw, Wales; George Seymour, Springfield;
Jesse AV. Rice, Wilbraham; Asa Lincoln, Brimfield; Ebenezer
Knight, Brimfield ; James M. Smith, Springfield.
1842— Amasa Davis, Palmer; Artemus Bell, Feeding Hills;.
Alvin Smith, Monson.
1843 — Samuel Doolittle Brooks, Springfield.
1844— Benjamin H. Ellis, Springfield ; Cyrus Bell, Feeding-
Hills ; T. H. Stewart, Springfield.
1845— John R. AYilbur, Chicopee Falls; Henry Robert
Vaille, Springfield.
1846 — G. W. Denison, Chicopee; Thomas Luce Chapman,.
Longmeadow ; H. Champlin, AVest Springfield ; AVilliam AV. Bill-
ings, Springfield.
1847— Nathan Adams, Springfield; Pierre LeBreton Stick-
ney, Springfield.
1852-AV. 0. Bell, AVestfield.
1854— AVilliam Gilman Breck, C. C. Chaffee, David Paige
Smith, all of Springfield ; AA'illiam George Smith, Chicopee ; E. G.
Pierce, Holyoke ; AA'illiam Holbrook, Palmer.
1855— R. G. English, Springfield; A. S. McClean, Spring-
field ; George Grenville Tucker, AVestfield ; G. A. Otis, U. S. navy.
1857— James Alilton Foster, Springfield.
1858- J. T. Skinner, Springfield ; L. E. Marsh, AA^ales.
1860-L. E. White, Springfield.
1862— Alarshall Calkins, A^arillas Linus Owen. H. H. AYar-
ner, all of Springfield.
( 362 )
THE MEDICAL PROFESSION
1863 — Stephen Wallace Bowles, Springfield.
1864— Horatio Gates Stickney, Springfield.
1866— G. T. Ballard, Hampden; Theodore Frelinghuysen
Brack, Springfield ; C. F. Coleman, Springfield ; Harlow Gamwell,
AVestfield; "William Wallace Gardner, Springfield; Charles P.
Kemp, Springfield; Albert Raymond Rice, Springfield; Joseph
William Rockwell, Sonthwick; W. J. Sawin, Chicopee Falls;
James Henry AVaterman, AVestfield.
1867— E. C. Clark, Westfield ; Edgar Leroy Draper, Hol-
yoke ; James John 0 'Connor, Holyoke ; Charles F. Starkweather,
Westfield ; George Stanford Stebbins, Springfield.
1869— AA' illiam Ahern, David Clark, both of Springfield.
1870— John Hooker, Springfield ; James Raymond Brown,
Springfield ; George Washington Davis, Holyoke.
1874— Lawton Stickney Brooks, Sanford Lawton, jr.,
Stephen Franklin Pomeroy, all of Springfield; Andrew Fair-
field Reed, Holyoke.
1875— Frederick AA'ilcox Chapin, George Chester McLean, of
Springfield ; Francis Fnllam Parker, Chicopee.
1876— AA^alter Jenks Norfolk, AVestfield.
1877— Charles AVesley Bowen, AA^estfield; AA^allace Harlow
Deane, Springfield.
1878— H. U. Flagg, Mitteneague.
1879— James AVilson Hanniim, Ludlow; Charles Parker
Hooker, Springfield; Angelo Orin Squier, Springfield; EdAvin
Darius Hutchinson, AVestfield.
1880— George Dresser, Chicopee; Frederick AVarren Ellis,
Alonson ; George Ephraim Fuller, Alonson ; AVilliam Holbrook,
Palmer ; AVilliam Michael Edward Mellen, Chicopee ; M. M. Met-
vier, Holyoke.
1881-Josiah Clark Hubbard, Holyoke.
1882— Judson Worthington Hastings, Feeding Hills.
1883— John S. Bagg, Springfield; Edgar Clarence Collins,
Springfield ; Frank Holyoke, Holyoke ; Alfred C. Downing,
Palmer ; Locero Jackson Gibbs, Chicopee Falls ; Alexander
Spear McLean, Springfield,
1884— Daniel Francis Donaghue, Holyoke; AA^alter Anson
Smith, Springfield,
( 3G3 )
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
1885— Erastiis Edgar Maryott, John Morgan, James E.
Marsh, Seraph Frissell, Walter Henry Chapin, Joseph Thomas
Herrick, all of Springfield.
1886— AVilliam Henry Andrews, Ira Clark Hill, Daniel Ed-
ward Keefe, William Henry Pomeroy, all of Springfield ; Payson
Jonathan Plagg, Mitteneague.
1887 — Edwin Boardman Adams, Phebe Ann Sprague, Sarah
Mann Wilbur, Edward Hunt Gviild, all of Springfield; Joseph
H. Palardy, Holyoke ; Julia Maria Patten, Holyoke ; W. H. Dean,
Blandford ; Thomas Henry Tracy, AVestfield.
1888— Alexander John Dunne, Catherine Maloney Kennedy,
of Springfield ; Stephen Andrew IMahoney, Ella Maxfield Davis,
both of Holyoke ; Owen Copp, Monson.
1889 — Luther Halsey Gulick, Ralph Holland Seelye, Everett
Alanson Bates, all of Springfield.
1890— AVillard Crafts Crocker, Philip Kilroy, of Springfield;
Lauriston AI. Berry, Chicopee Falls.
1891 — Delia Lncretia Chapin, Edward Olin Robinson,
Springfield.
1892 — Carl Addison Allen, Holyoke; Robert Parker Marr
Ames, Springfield ; Charles AVilliam Jackson, JNIonson ; Otis
Hiland Kelsey, Springfield; Joseph Thomas Pero, Indian
Orchard; Robert Valentine Sawin, Brimfield; Edward Howran
Tierney, Holyoke; Harvey AYard VanAllen, Springfield; Fred-
erick A. A¥ard, Willimansett.
1893— AA^arren Perkins Blake, Springfield; AVilliam Howard
Bliss, Three Rivers ; AVilliam AVallace Broga, Springfield ; George
Henry Clark, Holyoke; Herbert Clark Emerson, Springfield:
Erskine Erasmus Hamilton, Springfield ; Robert Joseph Mans-
field, Springfield; Howard Eugene AVilson, Chester; AVilliam
Norwood Suter, Springfield ; George Lyman Taylor, Holyoke.
1894— AVilliam Chester Billings, Charles Henry Bowen, Dan-
iel Joseph Brown, Cheney Hosmer Calkins, AAHlliam James Chis-
holm, Charles Francis Joseph Kennedy, Belle Joanne Piatt
AVhite, AValter Rui)ert AVeiser, George Dake AVeston. all of
Springfield.
1895- George AVashington Chaml)er]ain. Springfield ; Joseph
M. Collin. Chicopee Falls; Arthur Llewellyn Damon. AVilbraham;
( 364 )
THE MEDICAL PROFESSION
Charles John Downey, Mitteneagiie ; Ernest A. Gates, Spring-
field ; Frederick Eugene Hopkins, Springfield ; Angenette Fowler
Noble, Westfield; Frederick Benoni Sweet, Springfield; Horace
Green Webber, Wilbraham.
1896— Dudley Carleton, Springfield; Edward B. Hodskins,
Springfield; James William Holland, Westfield; James S. Mc-
Laughlin, Westfield; James VanWagner Boyd, Springfield.
1897 — Orlando R. Blair, Springfield; Jesse L. Bliss, Hol-
yoke ; Ralph Carleton, Springfield ; George Healy Davis, Spring-
field; Stephen Joseph Dunn, Springfield; Richard G. Eaton,
Holyoke; Clarence E. Hewitt, Springfield; Vincent Joseph
Irwin, Springfield ; William Chase Leary, Springfield, John
Joseph McCabe, Holyoke; Henry Alvin INIerchant, Monson;
Louis A. Prefontaine, Springfield ; Abram Case Williams,
Springfield ; George L. Woods, Springfield.
1898— Jeremiah C. Anthony, Springfield; Edward W.
Brown, Springfield ; William H. Davis, Holyoke ; George Herbert
Jones, Westfield ; Edward Joseph INIahoney, Holyoke ; Homer T.
Porter, Blandford; Sidney R. JNIarvin, Springfield; John James
O'Connor, Holyoke; Joseph Henry Potts, Holyoke; Ellsw^orth F.
Ross, Wales ; Jacob Philip Schneider, Palmer ; Arthur B. Weth-
erell, Holyoke; John Nicholas Coghlan, Holyoke; Flora E. Frost,
Springfield.
1899 — Frank Henry Haskins, Charles Francis Lynch, An-
thony Leopold Brown, Harry C. Martin, Simeon James Russell,
Robert Hamilton McNair, Mortimer Joseph Stoddard, Charles R.
Chapman, George Hardy Finch, all of Springfield.
1900-Frank Rufus Searles, Springfield.
1901 — Samuel D. Miller, Three Rivers; Joseph N. Boyer,
Springfield ; Frederick S. Ward, Springfield.
Having in a preceding part of this chapter devoted some
attention to reminiscences of the older members of the profession
in the county, who -were and others who were not united with the
state society, it is proposed in closing this article to make some
special allusion to the more prominent members of the district
society whose life work is closed.
Thaddeus K. DeWolf, of Chester, was for many years re-
garded as one of the leading medical practitioners in the county,
( 365 )
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Dr. Thaddeus K. De Wolf
THE MEDICAL PROFESSION
and although a country doctor he nevertheless was frequently
called into counsel with the more widely known physicians of
the municipalities, and by them was held in high esteen. Dr.
DeWolf was born May 18, 1801, studied medicine in Northern
New York and received his degree at the Castleton Medical col-
lege. He began his career in Connecticut, and in 1832 located at
Chester Centre, where he soon built up an extensive practice.
He was identified with several medical organizations and socie-
ties, and in his own town served as member of the school commit-
tee, justice of the peace, and also was elected to the lower house
of the general court. He died in 1890, aged 89 years, then being
the senior member of the district society. His son, Oscar C.
DeWolf, also entered the profession and now is in practice in
London, England. His daughter, Sarah, married the late Dr.
Harlow Gamwell, of Westfield.
James JNIorven Smith, for twelve years the acknowledged
head of the medical profession in Hampden county and one of
the most distinguished physicians of his time in New England,
was born in Hanover, N. H., in 1806, the son of Dr. Nathan
Smith, who was an eminent physician and a medical lecturer and
author of wide repute. James M. Smith graduated at Yale,
located in Westfield in 1830, practiced in that town until 1838,
when he removed to Baltimore, Md, In 1841 he came to Spring-
field and engaged in professional work until the time of his death
in a railway disaster at Norwalk, Conn., in 1853. He is well
remembered by many of our older citizens, and recollections of
his professional life are treasured memories ^^dth them. He, in
association with Reuben A. Chapman and AVilliam B. Calhoun,
conceived the idea of establishing a medical school in Springfield,
to which reference is made in a preceding paragraph,
Henry R. Vaille was a native of Vermont, born in Marlboro
in 1809. He was graduated at "Williams college in 1835, and
soon afterward became the first (and the last) principal of the
town school in School street in Springfield, which institution was
in operation only a short time. He then turned his attention to
medicine and pursued a course of reading with Dr. Joshua Frost,
later attended the Pittsfield Medical institute, and finally fin-
( 367 )
4
A
^
1
Henry R. Vaille, M. D.
TRE MEDICAL PROFESSION
islied his uiedical education iu Paris. He began practice in
Longmeadow, but upon the death of his old preceptor he suc-
ceeded to the practice of the latter in Springfield. His profes-
sional life was abundantly successful and in his prime his prac-
tice was far greater than that of any other physician in the city.
At one time during the war of 1861-5 he was iu the service of the
Christian commission, and in the fall of 1863 he spent some time
in the hospitals at Middletown, Md., after the battles of South
Mountain and Antietam. Dr. Vaille died July 15, 1885. He is
remembered as a popular and skillful physician, thorough in
every professional work, and having an especial regard for the
interests and comfort of all with whom he was brought into asso-
ciation.
Pierre LeBreton Stickney, whose professional life in this
county was spent in the towns of West Springfield, Chicopee and
Springfield, was born in Newburyport, May 19, 1814, the son of
Capt. David and Elizabeth LeBreton Stickney. He prepared
for college in Bradford and Phillips Andover academies and
graduated at Dartmouth in 1839. His medical education was
acquired in Jefferson Medical college (Phila.), where he received
his degree in 1842. He settled in West Springfield in 1845 and
removed thence to Indiana in 1851. Three years later he re-
turned east and located in Chicopee, where he practiced with
unvarying success until 1870, when he came to Springfield, his
subsequent home. He died November 5, 1887, having spent
nearly forty 3'ears of his active professional life in this vicinity.
He was held in especial regard by the profession, to whom his
worth was fully known. On the occasion of his death the dis-
trict medical society expressed its estimate of him as "one who
ever maintained the honor and worked for the interests of legiti-
mate medicine in opposition to every form of empiricism."
John Hooker, during his active life a prominent figure in
professional, political and social circles in Springfield, was a
native of Charlton. Mass., bora January 30, 1817. His father
was a carpenter and joiner by trade, and his mother, Polly Wins-
low, was a direct descendant of Kenelmn Winslow, a Puritan
who came to America in the Mayflower in 1620. At the age of
24-1 ( 369 )
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
sixteen years John began to learn the trade of his father, but
having soon afterward determined to fit himself for the practice
of medicine, he became a student under Dr. Lamb, of Charlton.
He took his degree from the Berkshire Medical school in Pitts-
field. At the time of the "gold fever" in California he went
from Worcester to New York with the intention to sail for the
Pacific slope, and to that end procured a passage ticket. How-
ever, he suddenly changed his mind and having disposed of his
ticket at a good premium he came to Springfield and opened an
office Avhere now stands the city hall; and when that property
was sold to the city he removed to Elm street where he practiced
for ten years, until he secured the Lawton property on Maple
street, where he lived for several years. Later on he lived at No.
183 State street and remained there until his death, July 11,
1892, aged 75 years. In every sense Dr. Hooker was a self-made
man, having educated himself and worked out his own career
witho^^t other aid than his own determination and perseverance.
As a physician he was held in high esteem throughout the city,
and as a public-spirited citizen he frequently was nominated for
office. In 1870 he was a member of the board of aldermen and in
1875 was a city physician. Previous to 1870 he was a democrat,
but af tenvard he was allied to the republican party. During the
later years of his life he relinquished much of his practice to his
son, Charles P. Hooker, and gave himself to the rest and social
enjoyment of the associations of the Winthrop club.
William Oilman Breck, whose splendid, striking personality
for so many years made him an attractive figure in Springfield
social circles, and who also enjoyed the reputation of being one
of the leading physicians and surgeons in the entire Connecticut
valley region, was born in Franklin county, Vermont, in Novem-
ber, 1818, and died in Chicopee while on a professional visit to
Vicar-General Healy, on January 22, 1889. When quite young
he removed with his parents to Ohio, and acquired his elementary
education in the famous school at Oberlin, and also in Harvard
university, where he was graduated. He attended medical lec-
tures in New York city and in 1844 began his professional career
in New Orleans. Two years later he came to Springfield, and
( 370 )
THE MEDICAL PEOEESSION
for the next forty-three years was an active factor in medical and
business circles. For a time he practiced as senior partner in
the firm of Breck & Gray. During the war of 1861-65 he was
sent to the front by Governor Andrew as consulting surgeon,
and Avas present at several memorable battles. His knowledge of
medicine was thorough and as a surgeon his skill was known fai
beyond the limits of his county. For thirty years he was surgeon
for the Boston & Albany and the New York, New Haven & Hart-
ford railroad companies. But outside of his professional life
Dr. Breck Avas deeply interested in the growth and prosperity of
Springfield and was thoroughly loyal to its institutions, taking
an especial interest in the Avork of the city hospital. He also Avas
one of the pioneers in the development of Round Hill, and built
the first residence in that noAV desirable locality. An idea of the
high estimate in Avhich Dr. Breck Avas held by the people of
Springfield is furnished by the folloAving extract from the resolu-
tions adopted by the district medical society at the next meeting
after his death: "Whereas, his good counsel and especially his
leading surgical ability entitle him to a large and a lasting place
in our memory, be it resolved by the members of the Hampden
district medical society, that Ave Avill endeavor to fill this A^acancy
in our ranks by the perseverance and devotion to the profession
manifested by our deceased brother. ' '
Thomas Luce Chapman, AAdio AA^as A'irtually retired from
active professional Avork Avhen he removed from LongmeadoAV to
Springfield to live Avith his father-in-law, the late Marvin Cha-
pin, Avas born in Pittsfield in 1817, and acquired his early medi-
cal education in the Berkshire Medical institute. Through his
early association Avith Dr. Brooks he was led to enter the pro-
fession, and it Avas a fortunate choice, for he became in every
respect a competent and honorable physician, and one AA'ho en-
joyed a large practice and Avide social acquaintance. He settled
in LongmeadoAv in 1842 and for the next thirty and more years
(except a short time spent in California for the benefit of his
health) devoted his energies to professional AA'ork and to the
several other enterprises AAdth AA^hich he Avas identified. He AA-as
secretary and treasurer of the district medical society in 1847-49,
( 371 )
OrK COUMY AXD ITS PEOPLE
vice-president in 1871-72, and president in 1872-74. Dr. Chap-
man is remembered as a large-hearted and public-spirited citizen,
especiall}^ kind to the poor, and interested in all worthy charities.
The Springfield Home for Aged AVomen was founded chiefly
through his endeavors. Politically he was a republican and was
in the state senate in 1864. Dr. Chapman died August 20, 1889,
and at the next succeeding meeting of the district medical society
one of the resolutions then adopted declared: "AYhile we sub-
missively bow to the Supreme Will, we recognize the loss of one
who unselfishly gave his life to the amelioration of human suffer-
ings, and Avhose gentle virtues and manly qualities will always
live in our remembrance. ' '
Nathan Adams was for many years a familiar figure in med-
ical circles in Springfield, although the complete success of his
career as a physician was somewhat marred bj' the effects of an
unfortunate accident which impaired his general health. He
was born May 6, 1813, and was graduated from the medical de-
partment of Yale in 1836. In 1844, after six years of hospital
practice in New York, he settled in Springfield, and soon attained
a prominent standing in the ranks of the profession. In 1856 he
was elected to the common council. In 1865 an accident com-
pelled him to give up practice tempoi-arily. after which he trav-
elled extensively and lived elsewhere than in Springfield. In
1876 he returned to the city and ten years later bought the manor
house and property in Ingersoll's grove. Dr. Adams died Octo-
ber 2, 1888, while temporarily residing with his daughter in Mai'-
blehead.
Harlow Gamwell, late of AYestfield. was born in Washington,
Mass., in 1834, the son of Martin (iamwell, a patriot of the revo-
lution. Harlow acquired his early medical education in the
Berkshire Medical college, where he graduated in 1858, and
began his professional career in Huntington in 1859. In 1861
he was appointed assistant surgeon of the 2d Mass. cavalry, serv-
ing in that capacity fourteen months, when he was made surgeon
of the 5th cavalry. Just before the close of the war ill-health
compelled him to resign his commission, upon which he returned
to Huntington, and thence removed to Westfield in 1873. Here
( 372 )
THE MEDICAL PROFESSION
he afterward lived and died, his professional life having been a
complete success, while socialh^ he enjoyed the respect and es-
teem of the entire townspeople. His practice was varied and
extensive, and in whatever capacity he was called he acquitted
himself with honor. Dr. Gamwell died August 11. 1898. He
was twice married, his second wife being a daughter of Dr. Thad-
deus K. DeWolf.
Yarillas L. Owen, for many years a physician of excellent
standing in Springfield, was born in 1825, and died in 1897. He
was educated in old Chester academy and the medical depart-
ment of Harvard, graduating at the latter in 1852. He came
into medical practice well equipped for hard work. On the occa-
sion of his death the resolutions adopted by the members of the
district medical society said of Dr. Owen: "That the society of
which he was for many years a member, actively and usefully,
hereby expresses its deep sense of the loss in him of a most agree-
able companion and faithful co-worker."
David Paige Smith, son of Dr. James Morven Smith, was
born in Westfield, October 1, 1830, graduated at Yale college in
1851, and at Jefferson Medical college in 1853. With a splendid
mental equipment and the fortunate prestige of being the son of
one of the most distinguished physicians which the county ever
had known, the young doctor came into practice in the same year
in which his father was killed by accident ; and much of the prac-
tice to which he succeeded was retained by him until his depart-
ure for Europe in 1860 to still further educate himself in the
University at Edinburgh, Scotland. How^ever, at the end of a
single year he returned to Springfield and entered the service as
surgeon of the 18th Mass. infantry, only to be advanced to the
rank of brigade surgeon, and later to medical director of the
division. Returning to Springfield he engaged in active practice
until 1872, when he made another extended European tour, and
on his return in 1873 he was made professor of theory and prac-
tice in Yale medical department. In 1877 he was transferred to
the chair of surgery, and in 1878, in addition to his other duties,
he w^as appointed lecturer on medical jurisprudence. During
his active professional life Dr. Smith was vice-president of the
( 373 )
OVR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
Massachusetts Medical society, post surgeon of the U. S. armory
at Springfield, president of the board of medical examiners for
pensions, and medical director of the Massachusetts Mutual Life
Insurance company. He died December 27, 1880, and on the
following day the district medical society in special meeting,
resolved "That we desire as individuals and as a society to place
on record our appreciation of the life and character of our dead
brother; that we call to mind with gratitude his distinguished
services to the profession and community, his labors as a member
and officer of our association, and our regret at his sudden and
untimely death."
James Henry Waterman, at the time of his death medical ex-
aminer and town physician of Westfield, and one of the leading
men of his profession in western Hampden county, was born in
Ware in 1837 and came to practice in Westfield in 1860, fresh
from his graduation from the medical department of the Univer-
sity of Buffalo. In November, 1862, he was appointed surgeon
of the 46th Mass. Inf., and served in that capacity about two
years. In addition to his large medical practice Dr. W^aterman
for five years Avas engaged in the manufacture of cigars, but at
the end of that time he gave up all interests outside of profes-
sional work. He died November 23, 1887. The estimation in
which he was held by his professional associates is well shown by
the following extracts from the resolutions of the medical society
after his death: "Resolved, that in the decease of our brother
and associate the society loses one of its most efficient, active and
popular members in the vigor of his manhood and in the acme of
his professional reputation ; one whose duties were performed
with alacrity and zeal, sacrificing health and perhaps life for the
good of others, and one whose relations to the profession have
been conducive to its elevation and improvement."
George Washington Davis, of Holyoke, president of the dis-
trict medical society in 1892-93, was born in Northfield, Vermont,
INIarch 26, 1847, and died September 4, 1894. He unquestionably
was one of the most thoroughly educated physicians in that city,
and one whose life was given to study as well as to practice. He
first read medicine in his native town, and in 1866 attended lec-
( 374 )
THE MEDICAL PROFESSION
tures at the Pittsfield Medical school, later at the University of
Michigan, at Ann Arbor, and still later at Burlington, Vermont,
where he was graduated in 1868. He practiced first in Crafts-
bury, Vt., and came to Holyoke in 1871. In that city he achieved
his greatest success. He took a post-graduate course in New
York in 1876, and another in Philadelphia in 1882. In 1884 he
studied in the great universities of Germany and France.
Stephen AA^allace Bowles was born in Machias, Maine, in
1835, graduated at Williams college in 1856, and acquired his
early medical education in the College of Physicians and Sur-
geons of New York, graduating in 1859. During the war of
1861-65, he was for a time on the hospital staff in the field and
afterward served in the general hospital at Brattleboro, his whole
service covering a period of three and one-half years. He also
practiced two years in Brattleboro, a like time in Yonkers, N. Y.,
and came to Springfield in 1872. Dr. Bowles is remembered as.
a physician of excellent ability and as a citizen of upright char-
acter. He died February 13, 1895.
James John O'Connor, late of Holyoke, and one of the
brightest young lights of the profession in that city previous to
his death, was born in Springfield, October 20, 1864, and died
December 14, 1898. He was educated in the city schools and
prepared for college under private instruction. In 1884 he en-
tered the medical department of Harvard, and graduated in
1888. He then located in Holyoke and rapidly gained popular-
ity by his professional work. He practiced ten years and
achieved success, but death cut off his promising career.
William J. Sawin was a respected physician of Chicopee
Falls at the time of his death, December 3, 1877. On that occa-
sion the medical society expressed its feelings in these Avords :
''Resolved, that we, in common with those who are deprived of
his professional services, deeply regret his loss and offer to his
grief -stricken family our sincere condolence in their sudden
affliction," etc.
H. G. Stickney, president of the society in 1877-78, for many
years a respected physician of this locality, died December 5,
1878, upon which the society resolved as folloM^s: ''That in the
( 375 )
Ol'R COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
sudden death of H. Cr. Stiekuey the medical profession has sus-
tained the loss of an ardent worker, a thorough practitioner, and
a true friend to the advancement of medical science ; resolved,
that by the decease of Dr. Stickney the community has been de-
prived of an intelligent and public-spirited citizen, and society
of a kind-hearted man."
Alvin Smith, of Monson, Sanford Lawton, of Springfield,
and Cyrus Bell, of Feeding Hills, died in 1882. Each was a well
known, highly respected and competent physician in the com-
munity in which he lived and practiced. On September 12 of
that year, at a meeting of the society this serious inroad on its
membership was discussed and the following resolutions were
adopted as expressing the feelings of the members present: "Re-
solved, that this society, fully appreciating its loss in the death
of these members, would deeply impress upon the memory its
testimony to their moral and professional worth. As officers and
members they were efficient and faithful in their duties and al-
ways active in promoting and sustaining its best interests. Hon-
orable and upright in their intercourse with its fellows, they
commanded and received their confidence and friendship. As
practitioners in their professional calling each was the devoted
physician, the self-sacrificing, sympathetic and warm-hearted
friend. . . In their loss this society most freely accords its
sympathy and mingles its sorrow with their friends and the com-
munities among which they lived and labored. ' '
In September, 1887, the society adopted resolutions appro-
priate to the occasion on the death of its valued young member,
Dr. J. L. Bagg, a native of West Springfield and a descendant of
one of its pioneer families.
W. J. Tracy died October 4, 1888, and in commenting on his
professional life the society's resolution says: "AVhile we sin-
cerely deplore the death of our brother and associate, and that
he was permitted to cross to the other side with his life work so
incomplete, yet we rejoice that in so brief a time he was by his
worth and industry enabled to attain a distinguished position in
his chosen profession and in the community in which he lived."
( 376 )
THE MEDICAL PROFESSION
U. H. Flagg and Dr. Bowles died, the former in November,
1894, and the hitter in February. 1895. At a meeting held April
16, 1895, the resolution adopted by the society says: "Resolved,
that we highly appreciate the valuable services which they ten-
dered to this society and the medical profession, and that w'B
hereby express our sympathy for their relatives and families in
their severe bereavement."
Henry Charles Bowen died September 3, 1898, and the res-
olution adopted at the next meeting expresses deep regret at the
loss of a valuable fellow^ member, "who died of typhoid fever in
Cuba while serving his country as surgeon of the 2d Mass. militia
in the Spanish war,"
Erskine Erasmus Hamilton, who died in January, 1901, was
born in 1866, graduated at the College of Physicians and Sur-
geons in 1892, and was associated with medical practice in
Springfield from that time until the latter part of 1900.
Harry A. Merchant, of Monson, likewise Avas taken away by
the hand of the destroyer during the year 1901, and thereby was
extinguished the life of one who gave promise of a rapid rise in
the ranks of the profession. Dr. Merchant was a son-in-law of
Dr. George E. Fuller of Monson.
THE EASTERN HAMPDEN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION
During the latter part of 1879 three well known physicians
of the eastern towns of Hampden county— Dr. George E. Fuller
of Monson, Dr. George T. Ballard of Hampden, and Dr. W. H.
Stowe of Palmer— were accustomed to meet together about once
a month at the house of one of them and there discuss any events
of more than usual importance in their professional work which
had taken place during the preceding month ; and to give added
enjoyment to these occasions, the wives of these physicians would
accompany them, and while the discussions were being held the
ladies would prepare a supper for the social enjoyment of all
who were present.
These little informal assemblages were found so agreeable
and beneficial to the participants that on February 6, 1880, it
was resolved to effect a permanent organization under the name
( 377 )
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
of the "Doctors' Club of Eastern Hampden," to adopt a eonsti-
tion and by-laws and elect officers for the ensuing year. These
officers were as follows : Dr. George E. Fuller, president ; Dr.
George T. Ballard, vice-president; Dr. W, H. Stowe, secretary
and treasurer; Drs. George E. Fuller, George T, Ballard, W. H.
StoAve, A. 0. Squier and J. W. Hannum, directors.
Thus launched into existence with an original membership
of five physicians, the Doctors' Club began its history with every
promise of future usefulness but without an intention on the
part of its founders to extend to jurisdictions beyond the limits
of a few^ of the eastern towns of the county. However, the good
results which followed the early meetings soon spread their influ-
ence throughout the profession, and one addition after another
gradually extended the membership west to the Connecticut and
also into the counties adjoining Hampden.
This somewhat remarkable outspreading from a little in-
formal social trio of medical men to a formal organization with
large and constantly increasing membership, necessitated a
change in the regulations, therefore, at a meeting held February
10, 1881, "censors" replaced "directors," and on March 10 of
the same year the constitution was amended by changing the
name from "Doctors' Club of Eastern Hampden" to "The East-
ern Hampden Medical Association." Still, the original social
character of the organization has been preserved even to the
present day and the "banquet" is a feature of the regular meet-
ings.
During the period of its history more than fifty practicing
physicians have become members and affixed their names to the
constitution of the club and association. In the order of senior-
ity of membership the names are as follows : Drs. George E.
Fuller, Monson ; Geo. T. Ballard, Hampden ; W. H. Stowe,
Palmer ; James W. Hannum, Ludlow ; A. 0. Squier, North Wil-
braham ; A. C. Desautels, Indian Orchard ; Noyes Barstow, In-
dian Orchard ; J. M. Foster, AA^ilbraham ; Horace G. Webber,
Wales (now Wilbraham) ; George L. Woods, Springfield; S. F.
Smith, Indian Orchard; D. H. Nutting, Chicopee Falls; A. C.
Downing, Palmer ; C. B. Newton, Stafford Springs, Conn. ; F. W.
( 378 )
THE MEDICAL riWFESSION
Ellis, Monson; L. J. Gibbs, Chicopee Falls; Geo. P, Bailey,
Bondsville ; J. B. Hyland, Palmer ; C. W. Jackson, Monson ; R,
V. Sawin, Brimfield; W. H. Bliss, North Wilbraham; L. M.
Berry, Chicopee Falls; J. P. Schneider, Palmer; H. B. Perry,
Amherst; J. T. Pero, Indian Orchard; W. N. Klemmer, Spring-
field; Leslie H. Hendee, Palmer; George P. Bell, Three Rivers;
J. M. Fay, Northampton ; George W. Rawson, Amherst ; AValter
A. Smith, Springfield; Joab Stowell, North Amherst; Walter R.
Weiser, Springfield ; George D. AVeston, Springfield ; R. E. Dick-
son, Granby ; C. F. Branch, Amherst ; P. H. Larose, Indian
Orchard; H. T. Shores, Northampton; Chas. A. Byrne, Hatfield;
Harry A. Merchant, Monson ; F. A. H. Robinson, Hinsdale ; P. J.
C. Flagg, Mittineague ; V. J. Irwin, Springfield ; Irving R.
Calkins, Springfield ; E. H. Guild, Springfield ; Louis A. Pref on-
taine, Springfield; James E. Marsh, Springfield; C. H. Calkins,
Springfield ; H. C. Martin, Longmeadow ; E. P. Ross, Wales ; C.
R. Chapman, Springfield.
The succession of officers is as follows :
Presidents: George E. Fuller, 1880-81 ; George T. Ballard,
1882-83 ; W. H. Stowe, 1884 ; J. W. Hannum, 1885 ; L. J. Gibbs,
1886 ; G. L. Woods, 1887 ; A. 0. Squier, 1888 ; H. G. Webber,
1889 ; C. W. Jackson, 1890 ; S. F. Smith, 1891 ; R. U. Sawin,
1892 ; W. H. Bliss, 1893 ; George E. Fuller, 1894 ; George T. Bal-
lard, 1895 ; L. M. Berry, 1896 ; H. B. Perry, 1897 ; L. H. Hendee,
1898 ; W. A. Smith, 1899 ; J. M. Fay, 1900 ; Walter R. Weiser,
1901.
Vice-Presidents: George T. Ballard, 1880-81 ; W. H. Stowe,
1882-83 ; J. W. Hannum, 1884 ; L. J. Gibbs, 1885 ; G. L. Woods,
1886 ; A. C. Squier, 1887 ; Horace G. Webber, 1888 ; C. W. Jack-
son, 1889 ; W. H. Bliss, 1890 ; R. V. Sawin, 1891 ; W. H. Bliss,
1892 ; F. W. Ellis, 1893 ; J. T. Pero, 1894 ; L. M. Berry, 1895-96 ;
L. H. Hendee, 1897 ; AV. A. Smith, 1898 ; G. L. AVoods, 1899 ;
AValter R. Weiser, 1900 ; G. AA^. Rawson, 1901.
Secretaries and Treasurers: AA^. H. Stowe, 1880; J. W.
Hannum, 1881-83 ; H. G. AVebber, 1884 ; G. L. A¥oods, 1885 ; J.
B. Hyland, 1886 ; C. A¥. Jackson, 1887 ; R. V. Sawin, 1888 ; G. L.
AVoods, 1889 ; J. W. Hannum, 1890 ; AV. H. Bliss, 1891 ; F. W.
( 379 )
OUR COi'M'Y AXD ITS PEOPLE
EUis, 1892 : J. T. Pero. 1893 : J. W. Hanuum, 1894 ; W. G. Web-
ber, 1895: J. W. Haimuin. 1896; George AV. Rawson, 1897-98;
Harry A. Mere'hant. 1899: I. R. Calkins, 1900; V. J. Irwin. 1901.
THE SPRINGFIELD MEDICAL CLUB
On December 13, 1892, a number of prominent physicians
perfected the formal organization of the Springfield Medical
club, the object of Avhich, according to the declaration of its con-
stitution is "the medical and social advancement of its mem-
bers.'' Little formality accompanied the preliminary work of
discussing the project. The need of such an association was
appreciated in professional circles and in due season the club
was brought into existence. It is a business organization— with
a social side— and never has encumbered itself with numerous
offices, nor burdened its officers with a multitude of duties.
Meetings are held semi-monthly with an annual mid-winter ban-
quet— a brief season of total relaxation of professional work.
The members of the club since its organization are as fol-
lows :
Frederick AV. Chapin, Walter H. Chapin, Charles P.
Hooker, George C. McClean, William H. Pomeroy, Ralph H.
Seelye, W. N. Suter (rem. to Washington, D. C, June 1, 1897),
Joseph T. Herrick, Everett A. Bates, David Clark, Philip Kilroy,
Stephen W. Bowles (d. Feb. 12, 1895), W. W. Broga, Theodore
F. Breck, Herbert C. Emerson, Henry C. Bowen (d. Santiago,
Cuba, Sept. 3, 1898), Warren P. Blake, F. E. Hopkins, Ralph
Carleton, Dudley Carleton, Frederick B. Sweet.
The officers of the club have been as follows :
Presidents: Charles P. Hooker, 1892-93; David Clark,
1894: Theodore F. Breck, 1895-96; Frederick W. Chapin,
1897-98; George C. McClean, 1899-1900; Walter H. Chapin,
1901.
Secretaries and Treasurers: Everett A. Bates. 1892-96:
Herbert C. Emerson. 1897-1901.
( 380 )
THE MEDICAL PROFESSION
HOMOEOPATHY
A learned writer has said: "All advancement comes
through persecution, and 'no cross, no crown' is applicable to
science as well as to religion.'' Christianity itself surged
through blood and fire to attain its mighty power. So, too, the
medical world has been subject to convulsion from the earliest
ages. Homoeopathy sprung into existence something more than
a century ago, discarded the settled rules of practice and as-
serted its claims to the world. Its distinguishing character-
istics, then as now, consist in the scientific employment of
medicaments according to the principles denoted by its name,
"similia similibiis curantur," or, "like is cured by like."
The principle first rendered into a practical science by
Hahnemann, the founder of the homoeopathic school, dates far
back of his time, and was even glanced at by Hippocrates ; but
it remained for Hahnemann to propound the startling dogma in
1790, while engaged in translating Cullin's Materia Medica from
English into German. The new school passed through many
wonderful and prolonged tests, trials and opposition, and event-
ually was legalized in Bohemia in 1821 : America in 1825 ; Rus-
sia in 1833 ; Austria in 1837 ; Prussia in 1843 : England in 1858 ;
and to-day is a recognized power throughout the world.
It is not the fault of homoeopathists that they and the asso-
ciations to which they belong are known by a distinctive name.
It is the fault of those Avho have refused to allow the views de-
noted by that name to be advocated, tested, and freely practiced
within the bounds of ordinary professional fellowship. Grant
to homoeopathy the same liberty which is accorded to all other
ways of thinking, however novel and unlike those ordinarily re-
ceived, and the raison d'etre of homoeopathic institutions will
have disappeared.
Homoeopathic Medical Society of Western. Massachusetts. —
On April 25, 1877, the homoeopathic physicians of Western
Massachusetts organized a society for mutual improvement, the
charter members of which were as follows : Drs. J. M. Thomp-
son of Greenfield; E. R. Morgan and Shelburn Fort of Shelburne
( 381 )
OLE COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
Falls; D. T. Vining of Conway; F. E. Bailey of Williamstown ;
A. Harvey of North Adams ; and Henry Tucker of Brattleboro.
In August following the organization Dr. George W. SAvazey and
Dr. L. McFarland of Springfield were added to the membership,
and since that year the Avork of the society has been such that
its rolls now contain the names of fifty-eight active members.
The society holds quarter-yearly meetings in Springfield, on
which occasions all branches of medical science are discussed by
the members; and the social side of these assemblages is not
without substantial benefits in the interchange of courtesies and
the extension of mutual fellowship and professional regard
among the members.
Among the members of the society past and present there
are many physicians of prominence in the ranks of homoeopathy,
and some there were who are no longer living. We may recall
such practitioners as George AY. Swazey, L. McFarland, Laura
W. Copp, AY. M. Decker, Andrew S. Oliver, George W. Bates,
Harriet A. Loring, H. E. Russegue, all of Springfield; J. U.
"Woods of Holyoke : X. W. Rand of INIonson ; J. K. Warren of
Palmer ; J. F. Hadley of Chicopee ; and S. Alvord of Chicopee
Falls.
The present members of the society, who are residents in
Hampden county, are as follows : Drs. Plumb Brown, junior,
John H. Carmichael, J. B. Comins, A. ]\I. Gushing, J. M. Gates,
H. W. Green, R. F. Hovey, S. A. Lewis, Clarice J. Parsons,
George Rhoads, H. E. Rice, 0. W. Roberts, Alice E. Rowe and
Clara J. Sw-eet, of Springfield; S. E. Fletcher, of Chicopee; G.
B. Maxwell, of Chicopee Falls : W. F. Harding and A. T. Schoon-
maker, of Westfield : J. P. Rand, of Monson ; H. R. Sackett, G. H.
Smith and Frank A. Woods, of Holyoke ; and G. H. Wilkins, of
Palmer.
Reminiscences. — Dr. George W. Swazey represented histor-
ically and medically the homoeopathic practice in Hampden
county during his professional life in Springfield. There may
have been an earlier homoeopath here, but the practice only got
character and success from him. He was a thoroughly honest
and conscientious man, persevering, faithful, studious and
( 382 )
George W. Swazey, M. D.
01 R COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
thoughtful. He believed in Avhat he \vas doing, and there was
not a grain of charlatanry in the way he did it. His life among
us was long, honorable and successful. He commanded public
respect while living, he justly received its tributes, dead.
He was born at Exeter, N. H., in 1812 ; and entered Bow-
doin college with the class of "35, but removed to Dartmouth, and
finally returned to Bowdoin to graduate in '37. He began prac-
tice as an allopath, being first settled in Newburyport, but
adopted the homoeopathic system as early as 1840 and continued
in it ever afterward. He removed to Springfield in 1844. He
stood high in his school of medicine, and received many honors
from his professional associates. He was a member of the Mas-
sachusetts Homoeopathic Medical society, and a member and one
of the foundere of the American Institute of Homoeopathy, and
held the office of president and various other positions in both
these societies. He was a contributor to the homoeopathic med-
ical journals, and quite a number of his public addresses at the
meetings of the state and national societies have been published
and widely circulated. Among these may be mentioned his ad-
dress on the ' ' Scientific Basis of Homoeopathy, ' ' delivered before
the ]\Iassachusetts Homoeopathic Medical society, and his address
before the American Institute of Homoeopathy on "The Nature
of Life, the Nature of Disease, and the Law of Cure."'
Dr. Swazey was fatally injured by falling from a dry-bridge
at Deerfield, Sept. 8, 1877.
Dr. H. A. Collins was born in South Hadley, Aug. 27, 1826.
Prepared for college at Williston seminary, entering Yale in
1847, graduating an M. D. in 1850. He practiced at Conway
three years, and then removed to Springfield. While at Yale
he became impressed by the better results obtained from homoeo-
pathic treatment in cholera and during his practice at Conway
convinced himself that the theory of Hahnemann was the more
scientific : and upon removing to Springfield he became a homeo-
pathic physician. At that time Drs. Swazey and Graves were
the practitioners of this school in the city. Dr. Graves subse-
quently removed from Springfield, Avhile Dr. Swazey remained
until his death in 1877. Dr. Collins was an unusually energetic
( 384 )
THE MEDICAL PROFESSION
man, always looking on the bright side of life. He was a man
of genins, diagnosing diesases quickly by intuition, and held a
select clientele to the time of his death in 1884. His recreation
was with his horses, in his daily ' ' rounds. ' ' He was a member
of the ^lassachusetts Homoeopathic Medical society, and the
American Institute of Homoeopathy,
The history of homoeopathy in Monson may be said to have
begun in the summer of 1871, when Dr. J. K. Warren, who had
recently located in Palmer, left an "Order Slate" at the store
of Geo. E. Grout, and began making daily calls to the village.
Previous to that time very few families in the town had any
practical knowledge of homoeopathy ; a few of the wealthy peo-
ple had employed Dr. Geo. W. Swazey of Springfield, but only
a few, and those at infrequent intervals.
Dr. Warren's advent to the town was greeted watli ridicule,
which grew into active and bitter opposition as his practice in-
creased ; but Dr. Warren was not a man easily frightened and
though for a time the only graduate of the new school between
Worcester and Springfield he held his ground and built a large
and lucrative business.
In this way Monson was supplied wdth homoeopathic treat-
ment until Feb. 15, 1879, when Dr. N, W. Rand, a student and
former associate of Dr. Warren, decided to strike out for himself
and open an office. He rented rooms in a central location and
had a good practice from the very first.
The history of homoeopathy in Monson is so largely the his-
tory of Dr. Eand that a review of the one wdthout a recital of the
other would be incomplete. Dr. Rand was the eldest son of
Thomas Prentice and Lydia Wheeler Rand and a lineal descend-
ant of Robert and Alice Rand, who came to this country from
England in 1635. He was born in Francestown, N. H., Sept.
14, 1853, and received his preliminary education in the public
schools and academy of his native town. In 1875 he began the
study of medicine under the direction of the Drs. Dearborn of
Milford, N. H., and in the fall of the same year took his first
course of medical lectures at Dartmouth college. In the winter
of 1876 he taught in his native town and the following spring
25-1 ( 385 )
OVB COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
entered the office of Dr. J. K. AVarren, of Palmer, as a student.
The next fall lie entered the medical department of Boston uni-
versity and the following year joined the senior class of the New
York Homoeopathic Medical college from which he was gradu-
ated with "honorable mention'' in the spring of 1878. In 1879
he located in INlonson, where he remained until his death. Nov.
5, 1898.
In the summer of 1883 Dr. Rand w-as married, and, in com-
pany of his wife, spent the following nine months in post-gradu-
ate study in the hospitals of Europe. His brother, Dr. J. P.
Rand, who had graduated the previous March from the New
York Homoeopathic Medical college, attended to his practice dur-
ing his absence. Upon his return the tw^o brothers ^vere asso-
ciated together until August 1, 1888, when Dr. J. P. Rand re-
moved to Worcester.
From this date until the time of his death Dr. N. W. Rand
was the only homoeopathic practitioner in Monson. He made
many friends. He had a large business and was greatly be-
loved by his patients. For twelve years he served on the school
committee and for eight of those years was its chairman. He
was always an active worker in and out of the profession. He
wrote many papers both medical and social and, together with
his brother, in 1897 published a little volume of original verse.
His professional ability and sterling integrity were quickly
recognized by his associates in practice. He was made presi-
dent of the Homoeopathic Medical societies of Worcester county
and Western Massachusetts ; vice-president and orator of the
State Homoeopathic society, and at the time of his decease was
lecturer on fevers at the Boston university school of medicine.
Upon the death of Dr. N. W. Rand, Dr. J. P. Rand returned
to Monson. Like his brother he has received various honors
from the medical profession, serving as president of the Homoeo-
pathic Medical societies of Worcester county and Western Massa-
chusetts. In 1898 he was elected president of the Massachusetts
Surgical and Gynaecological society, for two years he served as
1st vice-president of the state society and in 1897 delivered the
annual oration.
( 386 )
THE MEDICAL PROFESSION
The pioneer of homoeopathy in Palmer was Dr. Samuel
Shaw, who settled there in 1857, although Dr. King, a physician
of the old school who practiced here from 1824 to 1861, had given
some time to the study of a few homoeopathic remedies and used
them successfully.
Dr. Shaw had been a physician in Wareham, IMass., and Al-
bany, N. Y., previous to locating in Palmer. Becoming dis-
satisfied with the treatment as practiced by the old school, he
made a thorough study of homoeopathy and adopted it. He en-
joyed a large practice and the confidence of the community for
many years, till failing health obliged him to relinquish profes-
sional work.
Dr. George F. Forbes located in Palmer soon after Dr.
Shaw and remained a short time, removing to West Brookfield
where he established a large practice.
In 1870, Dr. Shaw, becoming too feeble to continue the work,
introduced Dr. J. K. Warren as his successor. The latter had
just graduated from the New York Homoeopathic medical col-
lege and hospital. He practiced in the town until 1883, and
then removed to Worcester.
Dr. G. H. Wilkins graduated from the New York Homoeo-
pathic Medical college and hospital in 1883, and soon afterwai'd
succeeded to the practice of Dr. Warren.
In Holyoke Dr. E. C. Newport was the first resident homoeo-
pathic practitioner, having located there in 1868 fresh from his
course in the New York Homoeopathic Medical college. With
brief intervals he practiced in the city until his death a few
3^ears ago.
In 1868 Drs. J. U. Woods and G. H. Smith settled and be-
gan practice in Holyoke. A few years ago Dr. Woods removed
to New Haven, but Dr. Smith remained and has since engaged
in active and successful practice. He was graduated at Belle-
Tue Hospital Medical college in 1865, located first at Tariffville,
Conn., removed thence to Illinois in 1866, and came to Holyoke
in 1868. He is an ex-mayor of the city, also an ex-member of
the school committee, and now is a member of the board of exam-
iners for pensions.
( 387 )
OVR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
Dr. H. R. Sackett, a graduate of the New York Homoeo-
pathic Medical college and hospital in 1893, settled in Holyoke
in 1894 and now is in active practice there. He is president of
the W. M. H. Medical society and a member of the Holyoke Med-
ical association.
Dr. F. A. Woods was graduated at the Hahnemann Medical
college of Philadelphia in 1893, and immediately began practice
in Holyoke, where now he is secretary of the board of health and
a member of the surgical statf of the city hospital.
In AVestfield the oldest homoeopathic physician is Dr. "Wil-
bur F. Harding, a graduate of Hahnemann INIedical college in
1857. He practiced several years in Greenfield and removed
thence to Westfield. He is a member of the state and local
homoeopathic medical societies.
Dr. A. D. Schoonmaker, also a graduate of the Hahnemann
Medical college in 1894, located in Westfield and now is in prac-
tice in that town.
Dr. Samuel Alvord, whose professional life was spent wholly
in Chicopee Falls as a seat of practice, was born in West Spring-
field and was specially educated for work as a school teacher;
but when later on he entered the ranks of the medical profession
he became one of the best exemplars of homoeopathy in the
region.
Dr. J. F. Hadley, formerly of Chicopee, and later of Walt-
ham, graduated at Boston university in 1882 and practiced in
Chicopee tAvo years.
Dr. Samuel E. Fletcher, of Chicopee, graduated from the
Boston School of Medicine in 1891, and succeeded to the prac-
tice of Dr. Bennitt who had removed to Springfield. Dr. Fletcher
is now city physician of Chicopee.
Dr. George B. Maxfield, of Chicopee Falls, is a graduate of
the Chicago Homoeopathic Medical college, class of '94. He
located in this city in 1896.
In the city of Springfield, the homoeopathic medical school
has been well represented since Dr. SAvazey's time; and among
those representatives in later years there have been many men
of high personal and professional attainments, who have won
( 388 )
TEE MEDICAL PROFESSION
for themselves positions of commanding prominence and influ-
ence in the community. A sketch of the professional career of
each of these worthy disciples of Hahnemann would give added
interest to this chapter but the policy of our work forbids. How-
ever, we may mention the names of these practitioners without
fear of transgressing any rule of propriety.
Dr. A. M. Gushing, after a splendid elementary and profes-
sional education, began his career as a physician in Bradford,
Vt., in 1856, and in subsequent years, after various removals,
finally settled in Springfield, where now he is the senior homoeo-
pathic physician.
Dr. Luke Corcoran was graduated at the New York Homoeo-
pathic Medical college and hospital in 1868, and began his pro-
fessional career in this city during that year.
Dr. John H. Carmichael began his professional career in
1873, and for three years practiced in Worcester, and upon the
death of Dr. Collins he succeeded to his practice in this city. Dr.
Carmichael is one of the most thoroughly educated and widely
known homoeopathic physicians and surgeons in Western INIassa-
chusetts.
Dr. Frank D. Maine graduated at the New York Homoeo-
pathic Medical college and hospital in 1872 and came to Spring-
field in 1894.
Dr. Lorenzo W. Cole, a graduate of the New York Homoeo-
pathic Medical college and hospital in 1873, has spent his entire
professional life in this city.
Dr. Oscar Waldo Eoberts graduated from the Boston Uni-
versity school of medicine in 1879, and practiced in Palmer and
Ware previous to his coming to Springfield in 1890.
Dr. H. E. Rice practiced in Springfield from 1883 to 1901.
Dr. Francis M. Bennitt, a graduate of Cornell university
and also of the N. Y. H. Medical college and hospital (1883)
came to Springfield in the summer of 1884.
Dr. George Rhoads, graduate of the University of Vermont
in 1884, and of Hahnemann Medical college in 1889, located in
Springfield in 1894.
( 389 )
OVR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
Dr. Plumb Brown Avas graduated at the Hahnemann Med-
ical college in Chicago in 1892, and settled in Springfield in 1895.
Dr. Alice E. Rowe, a graduate of the Boston University
school of medicine, began practice in Springfield in 1896.
Dr. Clara INI. Sweet, a graduate of the Boston University
school of medicine, began practice in Springfield in 1894.
Dr. Clarice J. Parsons, of Springfield, is a graduate of the
New York Medical college and hospital for women, class of '94.
Dr. Robert F. Hovey, a graduate of the New York Homoeo-
pathic Medical college and hospital in 1897, came to Springfield
in 1900, and associated in practice with Dr. Carmichael.
CHAPTER XX
THE DENTAL PROFESSION
BY ANDREW J. FLANAGAN, I). D. S.
The history of dentistry in Western Massachusetts in gen-
eral, and particularly in what is now Hampden county, dates
back in authentic record to about 1825. It may be well to state
in the beginning that the honest records of early practitioners of
dentistry in the United States cannot be traced back earlier than
1774. About 1800 the larger cities had a few practitioners per-
forming the then limited operations of dentistry, and as they
took apprentices and graduated the same, the smaller places in
the various connnunities began to have visits from the itinerant
or travelling practitioners. Dentistry in those early days con-
sisted mainly in the extraction of teeth and the insertion of arti-
ficial ones, made of the tusks of the elephant or hippopotamus on
a silver or gold base. The preservation of the natural leeth had
little attention, and the limited operations in filling, consisted of
either tin or soft gold foils. Extracting was by the use of the
so-called turnkey, the forceps not being brought forth until the
( 390 )
THE DENTAL PROFESSION
earlier thirties. The teeth were all hand carved and naturally
limited as to color and durability. The practice was decidedly
on the line of a trade and not of a profession. In the forties the
first college was launched in the city of Baltimore and to-day
we have in the United States alone nearly sixty acceptable and
reputable colleges teaching dentistry on the broad and advanced
lines of a learned profession. The earlier days found the men
taking students Avith a guarantee not to divulge to others any of
the secrets taught them ; the present finds secrecy past, and the
ideas, inventions and operations of true worth are free to all for
use in the amelioration of human ills. Then truly we may say,
that the higher and nobler history dates from the birth of the
first college. Dentistry was quite on a line with medicine as re-
gards student pupilage and trade secrets, for the practitioner of
medicine generally parted with his knowledge for considerations
of a money nature— and the guarantee of secrecy ; however, these
methods were the custom of the times — and custom is the un-
written law, and from the standpoint of the dominating spirit
of the times quite in keeping with the general world. What is
to-day may not be to-morrow, and the accepted of the past is not
that of the present. The present finds dentistry keeping apace
with the world's advancement. We owe much to those earlier
pioneers, who "builded better than they knew," and especially
to those advanced practitioners and thinkers who started the
early dental colleges after being denied admission to the medical
schools. The very adversity encountered was the means of
building the superstructure existing to-day ; the school wherein
was brought forth the standard of the world— American dent-
istry. It is well for the public to recognize that he of the pres-
ent who keeps methods to himself, who claims superiority over
his fellows, and labors not for humanity and the profession, has
no part in what is accepted as the standard of the present. Mod-
ern dentistry emanated from ethical men, down through the
gamut of acceptable colleges, true dental societies and advanced
dental journalism. The unethical, the charlatan, and the un-
charitable make a trade of what should be a profession. All
honor to those practitioners who labor diligently in whatever
( 391 )
OVR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
capacit}' for the advancement along true lines of our "esprit de
corps. ' '
The first dentist Avho practiced the art in Hampden county
was probably an itinerant named Dr. Appleton who advertised
in January, 1825, "as attending to the cleaning and preserving
of the teeth," and as having tooth powder for sale. At that
time he was stopping in Springfield. A thorough perusal of the
early newspapers fails to state where he came from, whether he
had medical knowledge also, or from w^hom he obtained his dental
instruction. In August, 1826, a Dr. Darrah was in Springfield
and advertised as operating in the cleaning, filling and extract-
ing of teeth : also inserting artificial teeth, claiming an ex-
perience of sixteen years, and was recommended by Dr. J. V. C,
Smith of Boston. Search has revealed the fact that Dr. Smith
was a practitioner of dentistry in connection with the practice
of medicine. AYhen Ambrose Lawrence, M. D., began the prac-
tice of dentistry in the then young city of Lowell, October 1,
1839, he found a Robert Darrah practicing dentistry there. Un-
doubtedly this Dr. Darrah was the same one who formerly vis-
ited Springfield.
Before 1830 Dr. Charles Stratton had a circuit of towns
northeast of Springfield and finally located permanently at Am-
herst about 1830. He was uncle to Dr. Chester Stratton, one
of the founders of the Connecticut Valley Dental society.
Dr. C. T. Stockwell of this city has heard from old residents
of a Dr. Liscomb of Ware who had a circuit in the twenties in
and near Springfield. The newspapers of that time fail to au-
thenticate this.
According to a Dr. Booth who wrote a series of historical
sketches for the New England Homestead in 1868, Jacob Per-
kins, jr., commenced the practice of dentistry in Springfield
about 1830. The New England Homestead was printed by
Henry Burt in Springfield and was the predecessor of our pres-
ent Springfield Homestead. The following is from an article
by Dr. Booth : Jacob Perkins, jr., got some insight into the
business from a Dr. Partridge and afterward opened an office
in his father's house, then standing on the present site of Olivet
( 392 )
THE DENTAL PROFESSION
church, about 1830 or soon afterward. He was an excellent
mechanic, making all his tools and the only practitioner of the
art at the time between Hartford and Northampton. He ever
remained one of the best operative dentists during his residence
here. His brother, Cyrus Perkins, opened an office in 1835. In
those early days pivot teeth were much used in making plates,
such work being only prosecuted under the greatest disadvan-
tages. Plates were beat or bent up by a tedious process, the
now common way of swedging— both quick and easy— being a
later invention. Artificial teeth were then carved from the
tooth of the hippopotamus on account of its hardness, and even a
set of ten teeth in one block was carved from the single specimen.
But they decayed worse than the natural human teeth. The
■earliest advertisement of Dr. Perkins I have been able to find, is
taken from the Springfield Gazette of February 6, 1833. '*Dr.
Perkins, Surgeon Dentist, respectfully informs the ladies and
gentlemen of Springfield and vicinity, that he remains in readi-
ness at his office in State Street opposite United States Armory,
to attend to those in want of his professional services. He in-
serts teeth with ease and with as little pain as the circumstnnces
of case may permit. Siliceous, metallic or incorruptible teeth
set, and other artificial teeth set in a manner not inferior to any
in the United States. Gangrene of the teeth removed, and the
decayed teeth rendered artificially sound by stopping them with
gold, which will prevent further decay. Teeth cleaned in the
best manner of salivary calculus (tartar) hence removing a bad
breath. Particular attention paid to changing of children's
teeth and irregularities prevented. Teeth extracted with perfect
safety and as little pain as the nature of the case will allow."
Dr. Perkins before taking up dentistry worked as a machin-
ist in the United States armory in Springfield. He began his
dental experience by extracting teeth for his fellow workmen,
and becoming quite expert at this part of the profession, he left
the armory and ])ranched out as a dentist. In a short time he
Avas able to do very creditable work in making plates and filling
teeth and was lai'gely patronized by the best people of the town
.and vicinity. He continued practice here for many years, but
( 393 )
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
was finally obliged to leave the city to escape arrest. He after-
ward returned and died not many years ago. After leaving
Armory hill the doctor's next office was for many years over
what is now Clough's restaurant on Main street and from there
he moved to a small building which stood on the front lawn of a
house located at what is noAV the southeast corner of Chestnut
and Linden streets. Cyrus Perkins, a brother, studied dent-
istry with Jacob and for a few years was associated with him in
practice. AVe find many of his advertisements in the papers
from 1844 to 1855. His method of announcing his services was
decidedly unusual and now would not be in harmony with the
dignity of the profession. One of his "ads." reads as follows:
"Teeth! Teeth! May 10, 1844. The subscriber has just re-
ceived, direct from the manufacturer, some of the most beautiful
incorruptible mineral teeth, which will be inserted in all the vari-
ous modes at the lowest rates, viz. : Best pivot teeth inserted on
roots of the natural teeth in the best manner and warranted to
give good satisfaction at $2.00 and $3.50. Best plate teeth in-
serted on gold plate, in the best manner and with or without col-
ored gums, $3.00, $3.50. Sets of upper teeth on atmospheric
principle with or without imitation gums, warranted to answer
most of the purposes of articulation and mastication, from $35.00
to $40.00. Eeferences from people who have used the atmos-
pheric teeth of the subscriber's make from one to five years, with
good satisfaction, can be seen at his office. All operations done
at lowest rates and in the best manner. C. Perkins, office over
J. Kendall's boot and shoe store, opposite Exchange Temperance
Hotel, Main Street."
His office was later moved to corner of Sanford and INIain
streets, over what is now Brewer's drug store, where he remained
in practice until about 1882.
Silas Bliss, Avho formerly was associated with Dr. Westcott
of Syracuse, N. Y., — a dentist of great repute— came to Spring-
field in 1840. Before coming he had an itinerant practice in
New York state and travelled principally by canal. Dr. Bliss
also had an ofifice at Wilbraham and alternated between the two
places. He rarely used gold in filling teeth, it is said, preferi-ing
{ 394 )
TEE DENTAL PROFESSION
tin. His office in Springfield was at the corner of Fort and
Main Streets. Dr. J. M. Rig'gs, of "Riggs disease" fame, be-
gan practice at Chicopee Falls— then a part of Springfield— in
1840. He then went or rather retnrned to Hartford, Ct., where
he died Nov. 11, 1855. He was at one time high school master
at Hartford. Dr. George H. White, who studied with Dr. Gun-
ning of New York city, came to Springfield in 1842. He had
practiced in New York before coming to this city, having an office
on Chambers street. After remaining here for thirteen years
he returned to New York (1855) and died in Florida, August
12, 1879. Dr. White had his office and residence on Fountain
Row directly opposite our present court square and about where
the Flint & Brickett building now stands. He was an expert
porcelain worker and while here taught many practitioners of
New England the dental art. In fact, he had what might be
termed a school of porcelain art. According to an advertise-
ment in the local papers of 1848 we find him using chloroform
for the painless extraction of teeth. We also find Dr. White
giving references from prominent people as to his ability as a
dentist. This was a practice common among our physicians of
that time. Dr. N. E. Ames came to Springfield to live in 1839,
and died only a few years ago while located on upper State
street opposite Benton park. He studied with James Weed,
M. D., of Hartford, who also practiced dentistry. Before he
opened an office in Springfield, he for twenty years regularly
visited a circuit of towns to the east of the city, beginning at
Ware. In 1859 he established a permanent office in Springfield.
He was born at Barre, Mass., Oct. 23, 1814 ; was at one time a
printer with G. & C. Merriam, the famous publishers at Spring-
field.
After leaving the Merrianis he printed a paper for a short
time in New Haven, Ct. In his earlier years the doctor was a
great lover of horses and during the time of his circuit practice
he had the reputation of owning the fastest horses on the road.
For many years he was a firm believer and worker for total ab-
stinence principles. He was a great advocate and user of chloro-
form as an anaesthetic.
( 395 )
01 R COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
Dr. Flavins Searle came to Springfield in 1839. He was
born in Sontlianipton, JNIass., April 4th, 1814. His early studies
were with reference to his entering the ministry. He taught
school at intervals and finally entered Amherst college, but,
owing to poor health did not graduate. Subsequently he en-
tered Marietta college, but his health did not permit him to con-
tinue. Later he took up the study of medicine and made a
specialty of dentistry under the tutorship of Dr. Walker of
Northampton, who was both physician and dentist. Graduat-
ing at the office of Dr. Walker he opened an office at Springfield
in 1839, but made excursions into adjoining towns for a time,
as an itinerate. An advertisement in the Springfield directory of
1851 announces him as a physician and dentist. No man who
has practiced dentistry in this part of the state was more be-
loved, respected and honored than Dr. Searle. He was an honor
to the growing profession and did much to advance it in the esti-
mation of the community. He came to be known as the "father"
of dentistry in this region, not only because of his conservatively
progressive influence, but because he was the first to open his
office and laboratory as well as his well stored mind and heart to
his fellow practitioners. These and his friendly aid and assist-
ance were always open to the call of all competitors. All of this
was fully illustrated by a remarkable tribute paid to him in
October, 1887, by the Connecticut Valley Dental society, of
which he was the principal founder and its first president, in the
celebration of the 50th anniversary of his professional life. This
was the "judgment day" for Dr. Searle, and his professional
associates, from all over the land, constituted the court of justice,
either by personal presence or personal letters. And this is not
all : the mayor of the city, representatives of medical, legal, cler-
ical and other professions, came to do him honor. In fact, he
was overwhelmed with expressions of esteem, love and congratu-
lation. On the 10th of February, 1889 — seventeen months from
this happy event— Dr. Searle died. On the occasion of his
funeral a special meeting of the Connecticut Valley Dental so-
ciety Avas called, and in a body the members followed his remains
to the grave. On this occasion a notable memorial address was
( 396 )
Flavins Searle, D. D. S.
01' R COL MY AXD ITS PEOPLE
given by (Jeorge S. ]Meri-iain, a neighbor and one of the foremost
men of the city.
Dr. Searle was the inventor of various methods and appli-
ances, but gave everything he devised as contributions to the ad-
vancement of his profession. For several years he made all his
own instruments, and in 1858, being in need of an operating
chair, he made one for himself. Of this chair he said : ' ' I
used to go to church and try to be good, but that chair would go
with me, and be working its parts together before the whole con-
gregation." Dr. Searle was a constant student in everything
that related to his profession, but more than this, he was alive to
all matters of intellectual and scientific concern, a man of
deep insight and accurate judgment, always in search of the
newest and most advanced aspects of truth in whatever realm.
It appears that one Van Horn, a cabinet-maker of West Spring-
field, made several of the Searle dental chairs and put them on
the market for sale. About 1879, Dr. Elroy F. Cross started
practice with one of these chairs, and after being discarded by
him Dr. J. Wesley Shaw obtained it, and in turn sold it to Wm.
M. Williams of dental depot fame. In May, 1888, the writer
obtained this chair, used it for more than a year and finally sold
it to a dental house of Philadelphia, Pa. It was even at this
late day a serviceable and convenient chair. Dr. Searle from
1869 to the time of his death was located in Bill's block, 342 Main
street. He had granted to him the honorary degree of D. D. S.
Dr. C. S. Hurlbut came to Springfield in 1852. He studied
with Dr. George H. White and was for a time in Cleveland, Ohio.
He started to go to Chicago, but was told at Cleveland that Chi-
cago was not large enough to support a dentist and so remained
in Cleveland for a while, after which he returned to this city.
In 1858 he attended the Baltimore Dental school, being the first
graduate of a dental institution from this part of the state. Dr.
Hurlbut early joined the Connecticut Valley Dental society and
was associated for many yeare in an active capacity on various
committees. In 1853-4 he served on the executive committee:
in 1865-6 was treasurer: in 1877-8 was 2d vice-president: in
1878-80 was 1st vice-president and in 1880-81 was president.
( 398 )
TILE DENTAL PROFESSION
The doctor served as preceptor for many practitioners and a
number of our local dentists were students under his guidance.
He died Jan. (i. 1*)()1. At the time of his death he was a mem-
ber of the Valley Disti'ict and jNIassachusetts Dental societies.
The members of the first mentioned society attended his funeral
in a body and passed resolutions relative to his worth and loss to
the profession.
Dr. Lester Noble, now of Longmeadow, but formerly in
active practice in AVashington, D. C, and afterward of Spring-
field, is the oldest dental graduate in this vicinity. He studied
with Dr. Keep of Boston, and was at one time a tutor at the Bal-
timore Dental college, from which he obtained his degree. Dr.
Keep commenced practice in Longmeadow as early and perhaps
earlier than 1840. He was employed in a spectacle factory and
"his first ''victims'' in the new art were his shopmates and their
families. However, he soon went to Boston and became one of
the most successful dentists in the country. It was in his ofifice
that the artificial dental plate was made for Dr. Parkman, who
was murdered by Prof. Webster of Harvard college. By the
testimony of Drs. Keep and Noble— then a student with Dr.
Keep — Prof. Webster was convicted of the murder. This was
the most noted murder trial of the time and in fact one of the
most noted of all history. Dr. Noble, who made the plate, was
summoned from the Baltimore Dental college— he then being a
student there — and was able to produce the metal cast upon
which the plate found among the remains of Dr. Parkman was
made. The excitement that accompanied and followed the
bringing into juxtaposition the plate and cast in the court, and
the demonstration that each was the counter-part of the other,
thus identifying the human fragments taken from the furnace
of Prof. Webster's, was dramatic in the extreme. Dr. Noble
was demonstrator of mechanical dentistry at the Baltimore col-
lege during 1851-2 and in September, 1852, arranged an associa-
tion with Dr. Maynard of Washington, which continued until
1859, when on account of poor health he was forced to give up
practice for ten years. In 1869 he opened an office in this city,
and for many years was one of our leading practitioners. He
( 399 )
OVR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
gave up active practice in 1898, and in that year the Valley Dis-
trict Dental society presented him with a memorial autograph
album and listened to a. very interesting paper of his
reminiscences during the early days of the administra-
tion of ether, for his studentship started only one month
after the first surgical operation under the influence of
ether at the Massachusetts General hospital. Thus his stu-
dentship saw the advent of air chambers, the use of anaesthesia
in surgery and the use of amalgam as a filling material. He pre-
pared a paper on "Personal Kecollections of the early use of sul-
phuric ether as an anaesthetic, ' ' which played no small part in
clearing the misty atmosphere of those early days in reference to
the real discoverer of anaesthesia. Dr. Noble is now an honor-
ary member of the ^Massachusetts and Valley District Dental
societies.
Every few years we have had some aspirant spring up with
a "painless system of dentistry." The last decade has pro-
duced its crop in this respect, and it is most interesting to here
state that the so-called "painless dentist" is rather an ancient
thing hereabouts, for about 1849 a INIr. Davis, who kept a daguer-
reotype shop on Armory hill, branched out with a painless sys-
tem. If the daguerreotype business did not produce an income
the "painless method" certainly did for a few years. His
"method" proved to be the placing of arsenic in a carious and
aching tooth until the ache had subsided and then filling over the
decay with a substance composed of mercury and silver coin
filings. It certainly was painless for the time being, but the
future developed quite another result— at least his patients in
time thought so. Similar methods have since been foisted on the
public and the results have been quite on par with those of
earlier days. A few years ago we had the so-called "Hale
Method" and history w^as again repeated. Its local sponsor soon
lost his prestige and departed for other fields. The intelligent
public are coming to understand that it is best to discriminate
between the unethical and ethical practitioners, and that the use
of large signs and the public prints to call attention to certain
questionable methods of practice are a delusion and a snare.
( 400 )
THE DENTAL PROFESSION
Dr. Jesse Porter of Chicopee, Mass., was born May 13, 1834,
in Detroit, Michigan. In 1852, he commenced a studentship of
two years with Dr. Joseph Beals of Greenfield, Mass, Dr. Beals
in the early years of the profession made a specialty of teaching
dentistry and many of the older men were taught by this con-
scientious and learned practical dentist. In 1855 he worked for
his uncle, William Lester, M. D., of South Hadley, who, although
a physician, graduate of the Berkshire Medical college, practiced
dentistry as well. Dr. Lester learned practical dentistry from
Drs. White of Northampton and Beals of Greenfield. While
with Dr. Lester, he for part of the time had an office at North
Hadley. In May, 1856, Dr. Porter came to Chicopee and has
been located there ever since. From 1856 to 1859 he made occa-
sional trips for a few days to South Hadley, Hadley and North
Hadley, often arising at 4 a. m. In 1855, Dr. N. E. Ames of
Springfield persuaded him to try two weeks with him as mechan-
ical dentist, with a view to future partnership. Dr. Ames at
this time had a circuit taking in the Brookfields, Braintree, War-
ren, AVare and Spencer. Not being in accord with Dr. Ames in
minor points. Dr. Porter decided not to form the partnership.
As showing the difference between the old and the new methods
of practice, we give an inventory of Dr. Porter's office in 1857.
A suite of two ordinary rooms at a rent of $50 per year, one room
serving for operating and waiting room and the other for labor-
atory work. In the first room were an Archer dental chair, four
common wooden chairs, a cabinet made from an old instrument
case set on a stand, two pairs of yellow cotton curtains, and on
the floor a Bockin carpet (a carpet not now in use and made of
cotton with a printed figure). The cabinet contained nine pairs
of Chevalier forceps, six ivory handled pluggers, two dozen exca-
vators, and these last included the so-called burs. The labora-
tory contained a Chevalier lathe ; an old table with a filing block
and two drawers attached for gold and silver Avork ; alcohol for
heating up cases and soldering; two blow pipes— one compound
and one mouth blow pipe, a barrel of plaster, and a few impres-
sion cups. While this may seem a meagre outfit from present
point of understanding, yet in those days it was considered quite
26-1 ( 401 )
OLE COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
extravagant, especially the Archer chair, for many used nothing
but an ordinary wooden rocker. When he came to Chicopee, sev-
eral practitioners were there. Drs. Lovejoy, Buckminster, Mor-
gan, Lawrence and Robinson, and at Chicopee Falls a Dr. Henry.
Dr. Lovejoy had two sons who were students in his office. There
was no professional exchange of ideas or courtesies, each looking
on the other as an instruder. It is interesting to record that in
August, 1859, the panic year. Dr. Porter had in fees just $16.00.
In 1859 and a little later there came to Chicopee, Dr. Pease who
had studied with Dr. Flavins Searle of Springfield : Dr. Rice
from Great Barrington : Dr. Waite and Dr. Sweet. Dr. Waite
in a few years sold his practice to Dr. A. M. Ross. There fol-
lowed Dr. Henry at the Falls, Dr. C. T. Stockwell and Dr. M. W.
Miles.
Between 1855 and 1860 there was a Dr. Nettleton. who lived
in AVest Springfield next to where the old Belden tavern stood.
He seems to have been an itinerant, fond of horses and horse
trading. He went from house to house soliciting patronage.
Traces of him have been found in Westfield, Southwick, Hunt-
ington and Chester. Along about 1860 he went to Worcester
and was permanently located there for many years. He died
there a few years ago. Westfield 's first practitioner was Dr.
Isaac Woolworth. born May 1. 1810. in Pinckney. N. Y. : grad-
uated from Fairfield college, Herkimer county. New York, in
1834. While at this college special attention was paid to medi-
cine and dentistry and during vacation time he prescribed for
persons needing medical attention and relieved the woes of those
needing dentistry by extraction and the filling of teeth. After
graduation he first practiced medicine. Late in 1834 he was in
Montreal. Canada, and paid some little attention to dentistry.
It was at this time that Montreal had its famous epidemic of
cholera and the doctor rendered valuable aid in the capacity of
physician, many times having to assist in the burying of the
dead. In 1836 he returned to the states and located in AVestfield,
at which time it was necessary to take his instruments and travel
about the country, doing work in the homes of his patients.
After a time he had established a patronage large enough to war-
( 402 )
THE DENTAL PROFESSION
rant his giving up journeying and remain at his home in AYest-
field. In 1839 he removed to Hartford, but was soon persuaded
to remove to Southbridge, Mass.. where he remained until 1842.
when he returned to AVestfield and practiced until 1857. He
then removed to Meriden. Conn., and afterward to New Haven ;
he died Feb. 14, 1879. Dr. AYoolworth was a worthy represen-
tative of liis profession and had many students, among whom
may be mentioned INIartin Tinker, Avho settled in St. Louis, Mo. ;
William Bush of Westfield, who first settled in Alabama and
afterward in Brooklyn, N. Y., where his sons practice dentistry
at the present time ; Dr. Alfred Woolworth, a brother, who prac-
ticed a number of years at North Brookfield : Anson Munger and
Henry M. Miller of AYestfield, both well and favorably known.
Dr. Woolworth was a member and a contributor by essays and
clinics to the advancement of the Connecticut Dental society : a
man of learning, of broad views and progressive ideas, enthusias-
tic in his calling, always anxious to elevate the scientific aspects
of his profession and ever ready to give others the benefit of his
years of study in medicine and dental surgery. His students
always left him to enter practice, filled with high fundamentals
and ideals from his master mind. Up to the time he practiced at
Southbridge he had done no work in artificial dentistry and see-
ing a set of teeth Avhich had been made by a Dr. Morrell of AYor-
cester, Mass., he called on him and desired instruction in the art.
As shoAving the spirit of the times, it is only necessary to state
that he was unsuccessful and had to return home and work out
the problem unaided. He invented many useful appliances for
his own use, always fashioning his instruments to suit the re-
quirements of each case. In 1870 he edited a book on dentistry
for the use and instruction of his patrons. It is a work worthy
of a place on the shelves of every dental library. Dr. Woolworth
descended from an old and honorable Massachusetts family from
whom he inherited a fondness for study and investigation, and
although living in a new and unsettled country, where educa-
tional advantages were almost unattainable— three brothers in
the family acquired a profession.
( 403 )
OLE COrXTY AND ITS PEOPLE
Dr. H. M. Miller, now living in "Westfield, but not in active
practice, Avas born in West Springfield, June 10, 1826/ He
taught school in that neighborhood for seven winters and began
the study of dentistry Avith Dr. Woolworth in 1849. On Sep-
tember 2, 1851, he commenced practice at Plymouth, but re-
turned to AYestfield in October, 1856, and has remained there
ever since, except during the year 1866. The art of carving
teeth was learned from Dr. George H. AYhite of Springfield. He
has ever been an ethical, conscientious and unselfish practitioner,
an active working member of the old Connecticut Valley society,
serving in man}' subordinate offices and its president in 1873-4.
At present he is an honorary member of the Massachusetts and
Valley District Dental societies.
Dr. E. Lincoln Clark studied dentistry in Northampton with
Dr. Woolworth of Westfield and located about 1855 in Westfield
and remained until 1860, when he left for Dubuque, Iowa, where
he is still in practice. Dr. H. W. Clapp studied with Dr. A. S.
Flagg of Whitinsville, Mass., and practiced there for a short
time. Leaving dentistry he entered the U. S. armor}- where he
Avas employed for a brief period. About 1865 he entered Dr.
H. M. Miller's office, and in a few months bought this practice.
He is still in practice in Westfield.
Dr. E. M. Goodrich, who noAv has a summer practice at Cot-
tage City and a winter one in Florida, bought the practice of Dr.
E. Lincoln Clark in 1860, but later sold it to Dr. G. A. Walkley,
a graduate of the New York College of Dentistry. Dr. AYalkley
is still in practice there.
A student of Dr. E. Lincoln Clark's named Greenwood had
an office for a short time at Chester, Mass. This was in the early
sixties.
Dr. E. D. Hutchinson, now a physician and surgeon of West-
field, also practiced dentistry in Chester in the late sixties.
The first resident dentist in Palmer was probably Dr. Joseph
Gould. He is known to have been in practice there in the early
'Dr. H. M. Miller died in Westfield. April 9. 1902. His funeral was attend-
ed by members of many dental societies. The profession lost a true member and
the people a noble representative of humanity.
( 404 )
THE DENTAL PROFESSION
sixties. He had a relative, Dr. J. M. Gould of East Douglass,
Mass., with whom he studied for a few years. After leaving
Palmer he had an office for a time in the Massasoit block in
Springfield.
Dr. A. B. Cowan of Springfield, who studied with Dr. Fla-
vins Searle, w^as the next resident practitioner in Palmer and
remained there for many years. Before taking up dentistiy he
was an expert machinist. He died some three years ago. He
was a member of the Connecticut Valley Dental society for sev-
eral years. About 1880 he had an office for a year in Spring-
field.
Dr. Cyrus W. Cross, a veteran of the civil war, was born in
Monson, July 15, 1807, and died in Palmer a few years ago. He
took up the study of dentistry (after returning from the war)
with Dr. Joseph Gould and later with Dr. J. M. Gould of East
Douglass. After completing his course he had an office for two
years in Wilbraham. He then returned to Palmer and was in
active practice up to the time of his death. He joined the Con-
necticut Valley Dental society Oct. 21, 1875, and retained a mem-
bership for several years.
The first resident practitioner in Holyoke was Dr. George
Bowers, who located there in the fifties. At one time Dr. Bowers
had a son in practice with him. He left Holyoke for Springfield,
Vermont, where he resided for many years, afterwards going to
Nashua, N. H.
Dr. Henry AYheeler was the next practitioner in Holyoke
and was in active practice in the late fifties and early sixties. He
died in Maine several years ago. He was a firm believer in
magic and hypnotism and practiced the latter to a certain extent.
Dr. D. Murlless started in the early sixties and is still in
active practice in Holyoke. He joined the Connecticut Valley
Dental society June 10, 1869, and is still a member of its succes-
sor body, the Northeastern Dental association.
Dr. H. 0. Hastings began practice in Holyoke in the late
sixties. He was a student with Dr. AYheeler. He joined the
Connecticut Valley Dental society June 17, 1873, and was a
member at time of its consoldiation. He is at present a member
( 405 )
OIK COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
of the Massachusetts and Valley District societies and is still in
practice.
Dr. Levi C. Taylor studied "with Dr. Bowers at Springfield,
Vermont, came to Holyoke, Jan. 1, 1868, and formed a partner-
ship with Dr. Hastings. The}' jointly purchased Dr. Wheeler's
practice. This partnership lasted for several months. Dr.
Tayl6r bought out Dr. Hastings and continued there until 1875,
when he went to Hartford. Dr. Taylor joined the Connecticut
Valley Dental society Oct. 23, 1868, and ever remained a true,
conscientious, progressive member. He served in many subordi-
nate offices and was its president in 1877-8.
Drs. D. H. and E. C. Smith, brothers, commenced practice in
the early seventies. On June 13, 1872, Dr. D. H. Smith was
elected to membership in the Connecticut Valley Dental society
and Dr. E. C. Smith on Oct. 3, 1874. They retained membership
but a short time. Dr. E. C. Smith is now in practice in West-
field. His brother is still in Holyoke. Dr. D. G. Haskins,
brother of Rev. P. J. Haskins, graduated from the Philadelphia
Dental college and commenced practice in the early seventies.
He joined the Connecticut Valley Dental society Oct. 24, 1872,
but held his membership only a few years. He died recently.
Dr. C. A. Brackett, now one of the best and most progressive
dentists of Newport, R. I., was in Holyoke in the early seventies
serving studentship in the office of Dr. Levi C. Taylor. He
joined the Connecticut Valley Dental society June 17, 1873.
Dr. G. S. H. Comins was in Holyoke from 1876 to 1879.
Dr. George A. Maxfield, a graduate of the University of
Pennsylvania, came to Holyoke about 1881 and is still in active
practice. Dr. Maxfield has labored industriously to elevate the
standard of professional life by active work in the various dental
societies. For many years he was secretary of the Connecticut
Valley society and it may be said that no one man has done
greater good for dentistry in an official capacity. Since the con-
solidation iTito the Northeastern he has refused its presidency. He
has read essays and given clinics before many societies. He is
an honorary member of the Vermont, New Hampshire. Delaware
and Connecticut State associations, and ex-president of the Mas-
( 406 )
THE DENTAL PROFESSION
sachusetts and a censor of the Valley District societies.. He has
been honored with membership of the board of registration in
dentistry, and at present is serving his second term as one of the
membership of five.
Dr. Pardon Hildreth Derby was born in Lowell, Mass., Dec.
5, 1827, and studied dentistry with Dr. C. S. Hurlbut, sr. In
1860 he opened an ofBce at the corner of Main and Pynchon
streets, where he remained until bnrned out by the "great fire."
Soon afterward he formed a partnership with Dr. Flavins Searle.
Dr. Derby was probably the first dentist to administer gas in
Springfield for the painless extraction of teeth. About 1860 Dr.
Colton gave a free exhibition in our city hall of the effects of
nitrous oxide gas upon individuals. Dr. Derby remembers that
the late Tilly Haynes and George R. Townsley inhaled the gas,
the result being that Mr. Haynes chased Mr. Townsley around the
platform to tlie amusement of the audience. Dr. Colton on the
same evening extracted a tooth for a person under its deeper
influence. This exhibition was a perfect success. Many practi-
tioners of the later years have been students in his office. He
was one of the charter members of the Connecticut Valley society
and remained an active and official member to the time of its
consolidation, when he joined its successor — the Northeastern.
In commenting on his career in dentistry Dr. Derby has said :
"Forty years is a long time to practice a profession, and great
improvements have been made along many lines, which enables
the practitioner to work more easily for himself and his
patients."
Dr. M. B. Renslow served a studentship with Dr. Flavins
Searle and opened an office about 1866 on Main street. Being an
expert barber and mechanic he naturally was of an inventive
turn of mind and early in his career invented a gas pressure reg-
ulator for use in the manufacture of nitrous oxide gas. In
partnership with Dr. Searle it was put on the market, but the
manufacturers soon offered the same article in metal cylin-
ders, so the usefulness of the regulator was soon at an end.
After remaining here about three years Dr. Renslow bought a
practice in Hartford where he died in the course of a few years.
( 407 )
OLE COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
It has been said that Dr. Renslow also invented a regulator for
controlling vuleanizers, but this has never been verified.
Dr. David Le Gro was born in Ogdensburgh, N. Y., ^larch
17, 1801. For many years he was employed at the United States
armory as an inspector and early in his career there extracted
teeth for his fellow laborers. He opened an office for evening
work at his home on Byers street. Up to this time his principal
attempt at dentistry had been in the line of extraction. After a
few years of such work he left the armory and began inserting
teeth. He died in Spring-field, August 24, 1878.
Dr. J. J. Anderson was born in Oswego, X. Y., March 19,
1832. He served a studentship with his relative, Dr. Le Gro,
and after a few years had passed he joined the Connecticut
Valley Dental society October 31, 1865, and a few years after-
ward graduated from the Philadelphia Dental college. Dr.
Anderson developed into a thorough, educated and ethical repre-
sentative of dentistry, and soon had a lucrative practice. For
his time and years he was one of the best representatives of the
profession. He served in many subordinate positions in the Con-
necticut Valley society and was its president in 1874-5. He died
in this city March 8, 1877. Dr. Anderson always acknowledged
obligations to the Connecticut Valley society membership in
starting him on the accepted and correct professional life. After
his death, his son, Dr. Charles L. Anderson, a graduate of the
Philadelphia Dental college, conducted the practice. He had a
successful career for a few years previous to his removal to
"Washington. D. C, where he has since practiced.
Dr. J. N. Dodge, a veteran of the civil war. studied dentistry
with his uncle. Dr. Nettleton of "Worcester, and located in Spring-
field about 1867 or '68. He was an amateur artist and sculptor
and had much artistic instinct. For many years he enjoyed a
large practice. He was the inventor of an ether inhaler which
was used locally for some time. Experimenting with ana3sthetics
brought him into a better understanding of nitrous oxide gas and
he formed a company for the manufacture and sale of "Com-
pound Oxygen." It was not successful and the doctor lost
money in the enterprise. He was a member of the Connecticut
( 408 )
THE DENTAL PROFESSION
Yalley society though never prominent in its work. He died in
this city about four years ago.
Dr. S. B. Bartholomew was born September 15, 1828, in
Hamilton, New York. He attended the common schools and Col-
gate academy where his step-father, Professor Morse, was for
many years principal. About 1847 he came to Worcester and
studied dentistry with Dr. Newton. About 1848 he opened an
office in Woonsocket, R. I., and practiced there with success for
some years. He served two terms in the Ehode Island assembly.
During the time Governor Sprague was chief executive of Rhode
Island, he served on his staff with the rank of colonel. From
1861 to 1865 he -vvas officially connected with the recruiting de-
partment of Rhode Island. At the close of the war he returned
to Worcester, bought an interest in the Gazette and for the next
few years acted in the capacity of advertising solicitor, business
manager and editor. About 1869 he sold out his newspaper
interests, and after a period of travel, came to Springfield and
opened an office in the block where now the D. H. Brigham Co. is
located. He retired from active practice in 1895. On June 16,
1870, he joined the Connecticut Valley Dental association, serv-
ing in many offices. While serving on its executive committee
he did such good work that it is even spoken of at the present
day. In the earlj^ eighties he was for three years a lecturer at
the Baltimore Dental college and presented many lectures and
clinics of a varied nature. He is remembered as a speaker of
ability and few in his day equalled him as a forceful, logical,
extemporaneous orator. He is said to have obtained his first
knowledge of elocution and oratory from Prof. Raymond of Vas-
sar college. While in this city he enjoyed a lucrative practice.
He died November 11, 1898, in Boston, and was buried in
Thompson, Conn. For many years of his life the doctor was
interested in copper mines, and at the time of his death derived
a considerable income from this source.
Dr. James E. O'Brien graduated from Springfield high
school with the class of 1879. He served a studentship of four or
five years with Dr. J. N. Dodge and afterward graduated from
the Philadelphia Dental college. About 1880 he opened an office
( 409 )
OVR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
in Fallon's block, 880 Main street, Avliere he remained for about
thirteen years, until ill health eonipclled him to give up hard
professional work. Jle was a member of the Connecticut Valley
society, though never active in its affairs.
Dr. John F. O'Neill was a graduate of our high school and
the Philadelphia Dental college. His first ofifice Avas at 357 Main
street and his last in the Fuller block. He was a member of the
Connecticut Valley, Massachusetts and Valley District societies.
He died in this city in 1897.
Ambrose J. Devereaux served a studentship Avith Dr. P. H.
Derby during 1873-4 and afterwards went to New Haven where
he died about eight years ago.
George M. Slate was a student with Dr. Lester Noble for
more than a year and graduated from the Philadelphia Dental
college. He had an office at 438 Main street in 1874-5. He soon
afterAvard left for Australia and became the foremost practition-
er in Melbourne.
Dr. Ralph Morgan, who practiced in Chicopee many years,
came from that town to Springfield and had an office for a short
time in the Massasoit House block.
Dr. Charles D. Carter spent a studentship of about two
years Avith Dr. C. S. Hvirlbut, sr., and then graduated from the
Philadelphia Dental college. In 1874 he opened an office at 162
Chestnut street, and soon had a large clientage. About 1880 he
Avas compelled to seek a more favorable climate in California
Avhere he died soon after arriving there.
NcAvton Morgan, a descendant of ]\Iiles Morgan, one of the
early settlers of Springfield, Avas born in West Springfield, Octo-
ber 25, 1840. His early life Avas the common one of the farmer's
boy of that period. His education Avas acquired in the common
and select schools and at the age of se\"enteen j^ears, terminated
in a few terms at Avhat was then known as the ' ' new ' ' academy at
VTestfield, Mass. Thinking for some time of choosing "mechan-
ics" as an avocation, the Avinter of 1858 Avas spent Avith Milton
Bradley, Avho then had a draughting school in this city. The
plans, hoAvever, did not mature satisfactorily and later he decided
to enter the ranks of dentistry. The matriculation for the study
( 410 )
TEE DENTAL PROFESSION
of this calling was on January 1, 1861, in the office of a well
known dentist in Connecticut and later for a time in the office of
Dr. C. S. Hurlbut, sr., of this city. After a few years of prac-
tice he entered the Philadelphia Dental college and graduated
with the class of 1869. Since that time he has had a continuous
practice in Springfield. On June 5, 1866, he became a member
of the Connecticut Valley Dental society and from that time to
the consolidation into the Northeastern he has been an interested
worker in the offices of chairman of the executive committee,
treasurer and president. He is now an honorary member of the
Vermont state society and an active member of the Massachusetts,
Valley District and Northeastern Dental societies. In the days
of the New England Dental Journal, Dr. INIorgan did much to
further the good work of the periodical. To the younger men
he has been a source of inspiration and help in many ways and
has always stood for the higher professional life.
Jarius Searle Hurlbut was born in West Springfield, Janu-
ary 5, 1842. At the age of ten years his parents moved to this
city and he was graduated at the high school, under Ariel Parish,
in 1860. He then went into the dental office of his brother.
Dr. C. S. Hurlbut, sr.. with whom he was associated as student
and partner until he entered the Philadelphia Dental college,
from which he was duly graduated in the class of '65. He went
west to begin practice; but, after spending a year in St. Paul,
Minn., he returned to Springfield. On June 5, 1866, he joined
the Connecticut Valley Dental society and served it in the capac-
ity of an executive officer and president. He is a member of the
Valley District and the Massachusetts Dental societies, serving
the last as president, orator, and a member of the executive com-
mittee. He also is a member of the Northeastern Dental associa-
tion, the American academy of dental science, the National Den-
tal association and the Odontological society of New York city.
On the passage of the state dental law in 1887 he was appointed
by Governor Ames a member of the board of registration and
from 1891 to 1895 he served as its president. He has also been
president of the American Association of Dental examiners. In
1893 he was a member of the International Dental congress.
( 411 )
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
Chester Twichell Stockwell was born in Ro^^alston, ]\Iass.,
Sept. 5, 1841. He attended the common and high schools of
Royalston and Winchendon, and later graduated from Eastman's
Business college of Poughkeepsie, N. Y. He engaged in com-
mercial pursuits in 1863-6 in Worcester and North Carolina. In
1867-8 he studied medicine with Dr. Saunders of Fitchburg and
afterward matriculated at one of the Philadelphia colleges. How-
ever, he soon left and went to Des INIoines, Iowa, where for two
years he served on the staff of the Iowa State Register and other
newspapers while in the west. Studied dentistry with J. Todd,
M. D., and was associated in practice with Dr. James Watts. In
1872-5 he ^tas in practice for himself and soon built up an ex-
tensive clientele. While at Des Moines he was for two years
secretary of the Iowa Central Dental society. His health fail-
ing, he was compelled to give up practice and seek a more favor-
able climate in Denver, Colorado. After a short sojourn there
he came to Springfield in 1875 and for the first year thereafter he
was associated with Dr. Lester Noble, and for the following three
years with Dr. J. Searle Hurlbut. He then went into practice
for himself, first in Bill's block, then in Dickinson's block and
still later in the Republican block, his present location. He
early joined the Connecticut Valley society and served on the
executive committee, as secretary for four years and as president
in 1879-80. He is an ex-member of the American Academy of
Dental science and of the American Dental association. He is
an active member of the IMassachusetts, Valley District and
Northeastern Dental societies, an honorary member of the
Odontological society of New York city, a corresponding member
of the Brooklyn Ethical association and an active member of the
Springfield Literary club.
A history of dentistry in Hampden county would indeed be
incomplete without some reference to events and circumstances
which have had a part in its progress and prosperity. The or-
ganization of the Connecticut Valley Dental society deserves
more than passing notice. A few of the dentists of Western Ncav
England, feeling the need of associative effort for the promotion
of the interests of dental science, assembled at the Massasoit
( 412 )
THE DENTAL PROFESSION
house on the evening of November 10, 1863, and formed the
society. A constitution and by-laws was adopted and the follow-
ing persons residing in Hampden county signed the roll : Drs.
F. Searle, N. E. Ames, P. H. Derby and C. S. Hurlbut of Spring-
field ; H. M. Miller of Westfield, Henry Wheeler of Holyoke, and
A. B. Cowan of Palmer. Dr. Searle was elected president, Dr.
Miller, treasurer and Dr. Hurlbut member of the executive com-
mittee. Annual meetings (often more frequently) were held
until 1894, when in company with the New England Dental so-
ciety the organization Avas merged into the Northeastern Dental
association. The formation of the society in 1863 was the begin-
ning of the professional association and advancement in this
region. Non-membership in the society was considered a lack
in some of the essentials of professional qualification. Its honor-
able records attest to its inestimable worth. The formation of a
study club in the early eighties under the guidance of Prof.
Mayr and the founding of the New England Journal of Dent-
istry in Springfield in 1882 with Dr. C. T. Stockwell as editor,
were two more events worthy of mention. Prof. Mayr was a
master of chemistry and bacteriology and soon made a name for
himself in the world of dental science. He is still living and
one of Chicago's most noted chemists. Another event which
aided in the advancement of the profession was the formation of
the Connecticut Valley Dental depot in this city in 1839. In
that year J. C. Parsons (late paper manufacturer of Holyoke)
sold out his drug store (located opposite court square) to C. L.
Covin. E. Biglow bought Mr. Covill out in 1845, and in 1860
AYilliam M. Williams came there to work. He served two years
as clerk and five years as a member of the firm. In 1867 Mr.
AAHlliams sold out his interest in the drug store and
buying the dental and surgical department moved it up-
stairs, where it has since been located. The Avorth and
convenience of a good dental depot can only be appre-
ciated by one in active practice. We have always been
specially favored and assisted in our efforts by Mr. Williams
and his assistant, the late Jesse Hosmer. For years this was the
only supply house in New England outside of Boston. From
( 413 )
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
1845 to 1855 we had a second supply house in the drug store of
B. K. Bliss, which stood on the corner of Bliss and ]\Iain streets.
In May, 1864, the ^Massachusetts Dental society was formed
at Boston, Mass., and incorporated in April, 1865. Dr. N. C.
Keep, formerly of Longmeadow, was its second president serving
in 1864-65-66. Dr. J. Searle Hurlbut of Springfield was the
eighth president in 1874: Dr. Flavins Searle of Springfield the
sixteenth in 1882 : Dr. George A. Maxfield of Holyoke the twenty-
eighth in 1895. To further help the good work of the state so-
ciety it was decided to divide the state into five districts
and the Valley District was formed at Springfield, Jan. 21, 1895.
The state society has an annual meeting the first week in June,
while the district meets the third jMonday of September, October,
Xovembei', December, January, February, March, April and
May. A chairman is selected at each meeting of the district to
preside for that meeting. Dr. Andrew J. Flanagan of Spring-
field has been secretary from the formation. Dr. C. S. Hurlbut,
jr., of Springfield has been treasurer for the last three years. Drs.
D. Hurlbut Allis, H. C. IMedcraft of Springfield and Eliot T.
Dickinson of Northampton, the present executive committee.
The following are members of both the JNIassachusetts and Valley
District societies. Drs. Stockwell, J. Searle Hurlbut, Morgan,
Allis, Bugbee, Baldwin, Swazey, Medcraft, Wiley, Leitch, Boyn-
ton, ]\IacDonald, Smith, Andrews, C. S. Hurlbut, jr.. J. W. Shaw.
D. C. Shaw and Flanagan of Springfield and Noble of Long-
meadow : Shaw, Saunders and Miller of Westfield ; Porter of
Chicopee ; Miles of Chicopee Falls ; Roche of Palmer : Soule of
Monson: ■Maxfield, Mitivier, O'Donnell, Hastings, O'Rielly, Bart-
lett and Scolley of Holyoke. It may be stated that the members
of these societies have a "code of ethics," and stand for intelli-
gent, conservative and higher professional life. Men who stand
for such are always eligible for membership, while those outside
these requirements are never enrolled. When a practitioner of
dentistry is not a member of his state and district society the pub-
lic can look on him with suspicion as regards professional stand-
ing. What is known as the "code of ethics" always has been
the only time guide for the profession in its dealings and asso-
ciations with the public.
( 414 )
THE DENTAL PROFESSION
In the early eighties the Massachusetts, Connecticut Valley
and New England Dental societies deemed it advisable to have
laws regulating the practice of dentistry and started plans in
various ways to bring this about. In 1887 the law was passed
and went into force. It was amended in 1900. The Massa-
chusetts board of registration in dentistry consists of five mem-
bers appointed by the governor, and we are happy to state that
it has always been free from bias and politics and ranks the equal
of any. The state examinations have done much to elevate the
standard of dentistry and words of appreciation — from the
advanced minds in the profession — have been freely showered
on the various examiners. The law has marked a distinct epoch
in the history of dentistry in Massachusetts.
The good work being accomplished by dentistry along cer-
tain lines has been recognized by our hospitals, and we find Dr,
J. Searle Hurll)ut the dental surgeon on the staff of the Spring-
field hospital and Drs. P. J. MacDonald and Andrew J. Flana-
gan, dental surgeons on the staff of the Mercy hospital in Spring-
field.
The compilation of this chapter devoted to dentistry has
been a matter of many hours of research and the following out
of many points and hints. It has seemed to me that one older
in dentistry should have undertaken the task. This not being
practical, the writer took the matter up through respect and love
for his profession — and by the wish of many of our local society
members. It has indeed seemed 'strange to me that dentistry
was not recognized as of sufficient importance in 1886 to have a
history written at the 250th anniversary of Springfield.
There may be errors — but they are those of an honest en-
deavor—and as such should be excused. It indeed would be
unjust if due credit were not given to Dr. C. T. Stockwell for the
use of many notes and facts he had prepared for the Columbian
Dental congress; to Drs. Newton Morgan, C. S. Hulburt. sr..
Jesse Porter, Lester Noble, H. 0. Hastings, H. M. Miller, all of our
local society, and Levi C. Taylor, James and Charles McManus of
the Connecticut Dental society, for manuscripts, ideas and
( 415 )
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
letters. To the Springfield Republican, Homestead, and City
library for the nse of local historical facts gained from
papers, manuscripts and books ; to AVilliam M. "Williams of our
local dental depot, and to the records of the Connecticut Valley,
Massachusetts, Northeastern and Valley District Dental societies.
CHAPTER XXI
THE PRESS OF HAMPDEN COUNTY— ITS HISTORY AND
DEVELOPMENT
WRITTEN AND ARRANGED UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF L. N. CLARK, EDITOR
OF THE WESTFIELD TIMES AND NEWS LETTER
Hampden county is old in years, and in its history has wit-
nessed the birth, more or less brief existence, and final issue of
many an ambitious paper. The newspaper graveyard of the
county is filled with young hopefuls, started to cut a figure in
tOAvn, county and the nation, but from a variety of causes,
notably the lack of money, they wavered, struggled and sank in
despair. Then there are the hundreds of more or less pretentious,
publications that have been issued by societies, schools, and
benevolent organizations, which maj" properly be noticed in the
discussion of the press of the county. And it may be gathered
from the history of the newspaper life of this, as well as of other
sections, that the ability to make a money-making affair of a
paper is by no means the gift of every man, and is beyond ques-
tion often as severe a test as could be imposed by any line of
trade or profession. It is a survival of the fittest, and of these
there is room for but a few. Fully a dozen of the towns of
Hampden county have no newspaper of local production. Some
of the publishers in the larger towns issue editions bearing head-
ings adapted to some of the aforesaid small places, but they are
merely special editions. ]\Iany attempts have been made to sup-
ply "long-felt wants" in some of the smaller places, but usually
( 416 )
THE PBES8
with very brief periods of actual existence. Thus, in towns like
Blanclford, Granville, Southwick or Longmeadow, where each of
the important city papers have paid correspondents, such papers
give the inhabitants all that could be desired or expected in the
way of local and general news; and the venturesome spirit, who
fancies he sees fame and fortune in publishing a paper in a farm-
ing community, may try the experiment only to be rudely
awakened from a dream. Not that there is not news created in
the smaller places, but the conditions are such that the village
must be content to read its items under its village name in the
newspaper of the more populous town.
The first newspapers of the county were produced slowly in
all the processes, from the wetting down of the few humble quires
of paper for the edition, through the type setting, to the laborious
press work, and even in the delivery to subscribers, some of whom
called for their papers at the office of publication, others at the
post-office, and still others were served by carrier boj^s. The
stage coach was the mode of communication between the towns
of the county, for many years, and it was considered proper to
accept as a ''news" paper one that had been off the press several
days. AA^ith the advent of the railroads that have traversed the
county in all directions, distribution became a matter of better
system, and our city dailies now reach their readers, local, and
in suburban towns in a very short time after leaving the press.
The bulletin feature is made the most of, and one gets a fore-
taste of the news at the door of all enterprising news stands
throughout this territory. With the advent, too, of the Western
railroad, news gathering began to be somewhat systematized, and
the items obtained from the trainmen, and brought in from up
and down the line, were important factors. Previous to this,
the scissors and paste-pot were mightier than the pen, and long-
winded articles, mostly reprint on general matters, temperance,
religion, etc., were the rule, with a marked absence of the pithy
items and brief paragraphs that are the life of modern journals.
An important duty devolving upon historical societies and
individuals is the careful preservation of the files that have been
handed down to us by the earlier newspaper publishers, for
27-1 (417 )
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
therein as nowhere else may be found the real and detailed his-
tory of their period of publication, the facts at first hands ; and
with the destruction of such files dies invaluable historical ma-
terial— impossible to replace— the work of pens long since laid
aside.
And none the less carefully should be guarded the time-
honored and faithful mechanical equipments or such remnants
as may be available. Theirs has been a noble mission, well car-
ried out — to enlighten the world, to stimulate thought, to spread
education— in short, to civilize and Christianize. These tools,
among the most worthy of any in the arts and crafts of men, are
worthy of unstinted room in whatever storehouse of treasures
historical the country may contain. Of the graphic features of
the press of Hampden county, it may be said that they are of
comparatively recent introduction. The "process" engravings
have opened a new field in newspaper illustration, which is not
ignored by the progressive publishers of the county, and the pub-
lic itself actually demands "pictures." The early files show
nothing in the way of cuts, save occasionally a state seal or spread
eagle worked in as part of the heading. Even the advertise-
ments, apart from an occasional small cut of a runaway boy, or
the stereotyped frame house set into every notice of real estate
for sale, were in plain type and unadorned. Gradually, how-
ever, the publishers and their clients learned that pictures
speak a universal language, and that a good illustration will in
itself tell, at a glance, a story beyond the power of columns of
type to tell, and forthwith gave cuts their proper place. On occa-
sion, a news item or story may now be fully pictured, put into the
forms, printed, and find its way into the reader's hands in an
hour from the event.
THE PRESS OP SPRINGFIELD
The first paper published in the county was the Massachu-
setts Gazette, or the General Advertiser in Springfield, in May,
1782. Babcock & Haswell were the proprietors, theirs being also
the first printing office established in the city. As was the cus-
tom with newspapers of the early days, the heading was followed
( 418 )
TEE PRESS
by a motto, reading-, in their case, as follows: '' 'Tis not in mor-
tals to command success, but we'll do more— we'll deserve it."
In 1784, two years after the starting of the paper, the firm
dissolved and both partners sought other fields, the office passing
into the hands of Brooks & Russell. On the first of January,
1785, the name of the Massachusetts Gazette was exchanged for
the Hampshire Herald and Weekly Advertiser. A few months
later Mr. Brooks withdrew from the firm, and in August, 1786,
the Herald was controlled by a new company, Stebbins & Russell.
The paper was permanently discontinued on the first of January,
1787.
T]ie Hampshire Chronicle was commenced two months later
by John Russell, the paper rising from the ruins of its predeces-
sor. The spirit of the press was not destined to remain long
dormant, and amid the. hardships of early publishing and fre-
quent suspensions, the editorial star of hope ever shone brightly,
leading to new ventures. The office of the Hampshire Chronicle
was located on Ferry street. Its equipment, like that of all the
American printing offices of its time, was modest. The crude
hand press, whose operation called for no mean degree of physical
strength, and producing, at best, an impression none too clear;
the modest assortment of Roman letter, more or less battered with
use ; the primitive method of inking the forms by means of the
large and unwieldy ink balls, were in vogue. The pioneer pub-
lisher was a man of great versatility. He was a scholar-mechanic,
a worker with brain and brawn, content, for small material com-
pensation, to guide his fellow citizens in the way of right and keep
them informed, as well as the slow means of communication
allowed, of the world 's great events as well as of the country,
state, and the town's growth and progress. In less than a year
after its initial number was issued, the Chronicle passed into the
hands of AYeld & Thomas. Their printing office stood on the
ground now occupied by the Chicopee bank near the south-east
corner of Court square. The immediate vicinity was for many
years the center of the town's printing industry. The popula-
tion was small, and Main street, then a mere residence street, bor-
dered with farms, and here and there a modest shop or store.
( 419 )
01 R COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
In December, 1790, the Chronicle appeared, bearing the im-
print of Mr. AVeld alone, and two years later the name of the
sheet was changed to the Hampshire and Berkshire Chronicle,
and, as its name might imply, purporting to be the representative
newspaper of the territory of AVestern ^Massachusetts. Follow-
ing the order of frequent changes, one year later, in 1793, the
name of Edward Gray appeared as publisher.
In 1793, the monopoly of the newspaper jfield, long enjoyed
by the Chronicle, was disturbed by the advent of the Federal Spy,
which started with the new year, James R. Hutchins being the
proprietor, he having grown up in the business under the guid-
ance of a former local journalist, Isaiah Thomas. "With the ad-
vent of an "esteemed contemporary" in the field, the Chronicle
weakened, and soon after died, its proprietor some time later con-
ducting a newspaper, the "American Intelligencer," published
over the river on the AYest Springfield side, Avhich also expired
at a tender age, after the many trials and tribulations peculiar
to struggling young journalism.
The founder of the Federal Spy left the town soon after the
paper was started, being succeeded by Messrs. John Worthington
Hooker and Francis Stebbins. In May, 1796, the firm dissolved,
and Mr. Stebbins continued as sole proprietor until September
26, 1799, Avhen he sold to Timothy Ashley, who stood at the helm
and guided the journalistic craft safely into the new century. In
1801, Mr. Henry Brewer was taken into partnership and two
years later, became sole publisher, continuing until 1806, when
he sold out to Mr. Thomas Dickman, a native of Boston, and a
man of considerable previous experience in the newspaper field.
He at once changed the name of the paper from the Federal Spy
to the Hampshire Federalist. Mr. Dickman continued the paper
until 1819, having been its proprietor continuously for some thir-
teen years, a remarkable record for those days of frequent
changes in the business.
In this connection, it may not be amiss to take a passing look
into the files of these early papers, and it may be suggested that
of all the historical treasures of the country's toA\Tis and cities,
none is more worthy of jealous care and preservation than these
( 420 )
THE PRESS
same files, giving as they do, the only detailed history of local
events available, and whose destruction would prove a most seri-
ous and irreparable loss. And it is a source of much pain to the
sincere historian to note the inadequate care given some of these
files, none too numerous at best.
Among other valuable material in the upper room of the
Chicopee library were found files of the early Springfield papers,
among them, yellowed by time, with frayed edges, and faded
print, being the fruits of the labor of editor Dickman, the Hamp-
shire Federalist. Regarded mechanically, one sees the evidences
of the old-time process of wetting the paper and the resultant
deep indentation of the types into the sheet when subjected to the
pressure of the hand press. A small, modest sheet it is, though
well up to the meagre mechanical facilities of its time. Like its
contemporaries, the country over, most of its space was given to
heralding events of foreign fields, by no means recent ; and the
"scoop" was no doubt an unknown term in the press parlance of
the Federalist. Local events were touched upon occasionally.
In the issue of Jan. 7, 1807, appears this :
"Important Item:— On Friday last, the mail stage, in
attempting to pass the Connecticut river on the ice, about
a mile below the bridge in this town, broke through. As
the sleigh, as well as the horses, were plunged in six feet
of water, it may be considered a happy circumstance that
there were but three passengers in it. They escaped their
danger without injury by jumping on the ice. Had the
stage been crowded with passengers, as is often the case,
it would have been hardly possible for those seated in the
back part of it to have saved their lives. The horses and
sleigh were got out without injury, though not without
great difficulty and risk. This breaking in happened at a
small distance from the spot where the ice gave way and
let in a cutter about three weeks ago, by which accident, a
young woman was drowned."
The paper gives an insight of the mercantile life of Spring-
field, in the first decade of the nineteenth century. Byers &
Bliss, dry goods merchants, give a list of the quaintly named fab-
( 421 )
OLE COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
rics of the time— "Swanskin, Baizes, Serges, Calimancoes,
Diirants, Bombazetts, Shaloons, Rose Blankets, Dimoties, Cam-
brics, etc., also, Irish Linens, Chambray, Crapes, Belong, Sattin,
Chintzes, and Callicoes." Groceries were also a pai't of the mer-
chandise, the list leading off conspicuously with — St. Croix RiTm,
French Brandy, Holland Gins, Sherry, Lisbon and Malaga
Wines, and winding up with the commonplace commodities of
Lump and Brown Sugar, Tea, Coffee, Tobacco, Powder, Shot,
Codfish, Pickled Salmon, 4d, 8d and lOd nails, etc.
Warriner, Bontecou & Co. advertise Muffs and Tippets.
The publisher of the Federalist, himself advertises for Cot-
ton and Linen Rags in any quantity, M'hich rags were in turn
offered to the paper dealer, as part payment for the stock sup-
plied to the printer.
The Springfield Bookstore, ' ' next door north of Justin Lom-
bard's store," advertises Books on Divinity, LaAV, Physic, His-
tory, Voyages, Travels, etc.
Daniel Lombard, P. M., advertises list of letters uncalled for,
said list including many of the names of Springfield 's represent-
ative families.
The Federalist was evidently the accepted advertising
medium of the western part of the state, as in its columns are
found the "ads" of merchants and others in the various towns
hereabouts.
Farnam & Hastings of Westfield advertise 30 barrels of
cider brandy.
The Monson Academy advertises for pupils from abroad,
stating that board may be had in good families near the academy.
Isaiah Thomas, Jr. 's Almanack for 1807 is offered for sale at
the office of the Federalist.
Wells & Bliss advertise Shoes.
J. & H. Dwight advertise Lime per cask or bushel.
Thomas Sargeant advertises AVatches, Military Feathers,
Sword Knots, Epaulets, Tassels, &c.
Justin Ely, West Springfield, offered for sale Geese
Feathers.
( 423 )
THE PRESS
E. Grant, Westfield, advertises his Cabinet Making estab-
lishment, "100 rods east of the Meeting House."
Root & Brewster sold Garden Seeds.
A. & P. Bartlett advertise Military Gnns. INIiiskets by the
chest, dozen or single.
Roswell Lombard advertises for any number of mink and
cat skins — black, brindle and gray being the colors wanted.
Silas Noble, Jr., of Blandford advertises that he has repaired
his machines and is prepared to do Wool Carding, Oiling and
Picking.
The above are given as a part of the legitimate history of the
press of this section, for it shows the general tone of the advertis-
ing columns, admittedly, at all times, a most practical and impor-
tant part in a ncAvspaper's life. Besides these, there may be
noted the calls on the part of various tradesmen for bright lads
to become indentured; and occasionally a notice of "One Cent
Reward" or "One Mill Reward" for the capture of runaway
apprentices, one being spoken of. by way of identity, as, "17
years old, black eyes, dark hair, and is very bold and saucy."
It appears that lotteries, for the promotion of causes of more
or less merit, M^ere conducted early in the century, and the pro-
prietor of the paper, Thomas Diekman, who, by the way, con-
ducted a bookstore in connection with his newspaper, also sold
lottery tickets in behalf of the Hatfield bridge.
A more important lottery advertisement was that of the
Harvard College Lottery, with 20,000 tickets at $5.00 each, giv-
ing a list of graduated prizes, from one of $15,000 to 5,572 of
$7.00 each. A paragraph of the ad reads:
' ' The managers solicit the patronage of the public in general,
and of the friends of literature and the University in particular;
and considering the object of the lottery, anticipate their liberal
assistance. It will be pleasant to reflect that by adventuring in
this lottery, they will combine the prospect of gain with the cer-
tainty of benefitting the University, and by lending their aid to
the means of education, will promote the best interests of their
country. ' '
The Federalist printed, under its heading, as a sort of
declaration of principle :
( 423 )
OVR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
"What I knoAv to be true, that I will declare — and what I
feel it to be my duty to represent, that I will have the boldness
to publish."
In its typographical make up this paper followed the style
of the time. Entire pages were set in type as large as pica ; long
primer was considered small, and brevier used in some of the no-
tices, and probably regarded as the limit of minuteness in type.
No uniformity was observed in choice of type, one class of matter
being set in anj- size type that came handy.
Publisher Dickman should not have suffered from a lack of
good "copy" for his paper, for his active life was in the early
years of the nineteenth century, when the world in both hemi-
spheres was making history in abundance ; and to his credit be it
said, the opportunities were not slighted.
Napoleon Bonaparte, in the Old World, was then exerting his
wonderful power, and an item in the Federalist states :
"A member of the American 'Legislation' at Paris is arrived
in London and confirms the report we have heard that Bona-
parte demands, peremptorily, tliat the American govenimeut
shall break with England or tcitJi France. He leaves no alter-
native."
Another item of the period states :
"A French Paragraph : — The little King of the Romans is
cutting a tooth ! His gums are without inflammation, and the
joy of the Parisians is beyond expression!!"
In our own national affairs thrilling accounts are given of
the Indian depredations in the then wild section, now knoAvn as
the thickly-populated "Middle West."
In the issue of June, 15, 1809, an editorial states:— "The
manner in which Mr. Madison has commenced his presidential
career, while it exhibits one strong point of resemblance to the
commencement of that of Jefferson, may be contrasted with it
much to the disadvantage of the latter."
In the issue of June 9, 1814, is given an account of the attack
on Oswego and the invasions and raids by the British in New
York and along the Canadian frontier.
March 9, 1815, the Federalist notes that the President will
immediately propose to Congress to declare war against Algiers.
( 424 )
THE PRESS
The issue of March 16, 1815, contains the official report of
■Commodore Decatur to the Secretary of the Navy, regarding the
work of our fleet in the naval engagements of the period.
In 1819 Mr. Dickman sold his paper to Frederick A. Pack-
ard, a lawyer, and soon after Mr. Abraham G. Tanuatt a printer
from Boston became a partner in the concern, and the firm name
was A. G. Tannatt & Co., the name of the paper being changed
to the Hampden Federalist, to accommodate the change of county
lines.
In 1818 the Hampden Patriot came into existence at the
hands of Dr. Ira Daniels. Politically the Patriot was opposed
to the Federalist. About two years after its first issue, the
Patriot passed into the hands of a company, with Justice Wil-
lard, Esq., as editor. In 1822 Mr. Tannatt left the Federal office
and became proprietor of the Patriot, which was abandoned two
years later, the material being added to the outfit of the Federal-
ist, and Mr. Tannatt again casting his lot with that paper, and
becoming joint proprietor with Mr. Packard.
Available copies of the contemporary papers, the Federalist
and the Patriot, show them to be identical in size and general
make-up save in style of heading, the former having a most ornate
letter of the Old English style for a title, while the Patriot's
heading was set in a severely plain black-face Eoman.
The name of the Federalist was changed to the Hampden
Journal, as being a name more pleasing and more in keeping with
the ideas of the publishers.
On the first of January, 1829, Mr. Tannatt bought out Mr.
Packard, and continued the Journal in his own name for six
years, until January 1, 1835, when he relinquished the establish-
ment to Mr. Packard.
The Springfield Pepuhlican, which was established on the
8th of September, 1824 by Samuel Bowles, who came to Spring-
field from Hartford, proved to be a very active competitor of the
Journal, that outgrowth of a long line of worthy journals gone
before, and eventually, after losing its hold on the field so long
enjoyed the Journal was bought by Mr. Bowles, and merged \y\\h.
the Republican, the combined issue being styled the Repuhlican
<tnd Journal.
( 425 )
OVB COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
The mechanical equipment of the printing offices of the
county, about this time, began to be improved. The inking
roller, that very simple device, which alone revolutionized the art
of printing, and made machine presses possible, was introduced,
it is said, by Mr. BoAvles, and the cumbersome and filthy ink balls,
relics of the very days of Gutenberg, the father of printing, were
laid aside.
On the 24th of February, 1830, John B. Eldridge, com-
menced the publication of the Hampden ^Vhig, a paper which
supported the administration of General Jackson. Five
years later Mr. Eldridge sold his establishment to E.
The first home of the Springfield Republican
D. Beach, a lawyer, who became editor as well as pro-
prietor. Some time after, David F. Ashley, a printer connected
with the office, became a partner, and the name of the paper hav-
ing been changed to the Hampden Post, the firm was known as
D. F. Ashley & Co., until July 1, 1843, when the establishment
was purchased by Alanson HaAvley.
On the 26th of May, 1841, Apollos Munn, a printer reared in
the offices of Springfield, and a man of much ability and activity,
commenced the publication of the Independent Democrat. The
( 426 )
THE PBESS
paper had its headquarters on the Hill, away from the accepted
center of pi-intino-, about Court square, but about two years later
having' been sold to a Dr. Ashle.y, the establishment was moved
down to Elm street, under the hospitable shade of the Court
square elms, where about a year later it was merged in the Hamp-
den Post.
jNIr. ]\Iunn, the founder of the Independent Democrat, after
an absence from Springfield of about two years, returned and
started a new paper which he called the Hampden Statesman,
which, about two years later, Avas merged in the Hampden Post,
~S\y. Munn being retained as one of the staff of the paper.
In September, 1831, the Springfield Gazette was commenced
by Callender, Kirkham & Briggs, with AVilliam Hyde, a lawyer,
as editor. The Gazette was devoted to the interests of education,
missions and temperance, and not given to politics. Later the
Gazette was changed to a Whig newspaper, and one year from
its establishment, by a change in the firm, Mr. Briggs and Josiah
Hooker, a lawyer, bought out Callender and Kirkham, and con-
tinued as joint publishers. In 1837, Josiah Taylor, a printer,
bought out Messrs. Hooker and Briggs and became publisher,
three years later being succeeded by William Stowe, who contin-
ued as editor and proprietor, until the paper was merged in the
Republican, in whose bosom, it would appear, many papers found
a final refuge after the strenuous buffeting on the sea of journal-
ism, guided by various pilots.
The Hampden Intelligencer was commenced in August, 1831,
by J. B. Clapp, and M^as discontinued after an existence of about
a year. It was anti-Masonic in its policy.
In January, 1842, Mr. Tannatt, the former publisher of the
Journal, started a temperance paper, the Hampden Washing-
tonian. This was continued for six years, when it expired for
want of support. A reference to the files shows the general
make up to be similar to Mr. Tannatt 's earlier publications. The
WasJiingtonian carried a fair quantity of advertising, its moral
tone was high, and in every way reflected credit on its editor and
on the journalism of Springfield.
The good name, ''Hampden" seems to have borne special
charm for the earlier publishers of the county, and to use a
( 427 )
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
familiar typographical phrase, was "kept standing" most of the
time.
Professional men seem to have been attracted to the field of
journalism at the county seat, and doctors, lawyers, school mas-
ters and the clergy have found time to wield the pen in moulding
thought and shaping the action of their times.
On the 1st of January, 18-47, the Bay State Weekly Courier
was commenced by Dr. J. G. Holland. The paper lived for
about six months, its editor becoming a very valuable addition to
the stall' of the Ee publican.
In 1847, The Springfield Sentinel, the outgrowth of a former
Palmer paper, was started, it being both weekly and semi-weekly.
After a period of shifting policy and ownership the Sentinel was
discontinued, and its interests sold to out-of-town parties.
THE DAILY REPUBLICAN
The Springfield Daily Republican, the first daily not only of
the city, but of the state, outside of Boston, was started on the
first of April, 1844, under discouraging circumstances, and its
first years of existence were those of rowing against the tide, but
success came in time, and the Republican stands to-day, a jour-
nal world-famous and of marked prosperity. For the first year
and a half of its existence, it was an evening paper, but was
changed to a morning issue, in 1845, and the following year was
enlarged ; and successive enlargements followed, until on the 1st
of July, 1851, it attained to seven columns to the page.
In April, 1846, a daily evening paper, the Gazette, was
started, as a competitor to the Republican. Two years later, it
was absorbed by the latter paper.
In 1850, Samuel Bowles, Jr., became associated with his
father, in the ow^nership of the Republican, which owed much to
his faithful work in the editorial management. In May, 1849,
J. G. Holland became associate editor of the Republican, becom-
ing later a partner in the establishment, which adopted the firm
title of Samuel Bowles & Co. On the 8th of September, 1851,
the elder Bowles died, and his interests in the concern were
largely purchased by Clark AV. Bryan, formerly of the Great
Barrington Courier.
( 428 )
Samuel Bowles
OUR COUNTY AXD ITS PEOPLE
The Rcpuhlican's policy of thoroughly covering its field,
which includes Western and Central New England, employing
the best reportorial talent, and editors of recognized ability, has
resulted in a large and well established circulation, resulting in
a liberal advertising patronage, the two great factors much de-
sired and none the less necessary to publishers. The literary
and art departments are in charge of Mr. Charles G. Whiting,
while Mr. Solomon B. GriliPin is editor-in-chief and is surrounded
by an efficient army of workers, all bending their best energies
towards producing a perfect newspaper. Mr. Samuel Bowles,
the efficient business manager, keeps his hand on the lever, and
an ever Avatchful eye on the details of one of the best regulated
and most systematically conducted newspaper establishments in
New England. Every department is run Avith accuracy and
clock-like precision.
In February, 1855, the weekly edition was enlarged, and
changed to a quarto form. The AVeekly is a carefully edited
summary of the news, gleaned from the daily editions, and also
enjoys a wide circulation. The Republican has, on two or three
occasions, in recent years, in issuing anniversary editions of the
weekly and daily forms of the paper, given to its readers well
written and exhaustive historical sketches of its career, having of
course, available a rich fund of material of undoubted authority,
and libera] in quantity. In these, we find interwoven the career
of Springfield's grand self-made man, the elder Samuel Bowles,
founder and maker of the Repuhlican, with the story of his
earlier life in Connecticut, the incident that called him to Spring-
field, to introduce another young man to fill a want in the news-
paper field there, and how, unexpectedly, the task fell to himself.
And from that day, September 8, 1824, when the first number
of the Eepuhlican appeared, through all the succeeding years
to the present time, its pages have recorded fully and fearlessly
the events of the city, county, and of New England generally, and
in a way that makes its files, wherever they may be stored, the
most complete and valuable history of this section extant. News-
papers have come and gone, rivalry has developed, attacks have
been, and are being made, on this .journalistic citadel of Hampden
( 430 )
Dr. Josiah Gilbert Holland
01 R COUNTY AXD ITS PEOPLE
county, but it has always stood the attacks, and stands firm, and
there is a certain "tone" in every department of the paper, not
to mention the evident completeness of its agencies of production,
that win for it the attention and consideration of all, and where
is there a town in Western New England that does not have ob-
tainable at its news stands, the famous "Hampden County
Bible?"
An effort to establish a Democratic daily was made in 1856,
when Elon Comstock came to the city, and, with ample backing,
opened a well-equipped office on Sanford street, and the Spring-
field Daily Argits started, but through inattention on the part
of the managers, it died about a year afterwards. Between the
years 1853-72, a large general printing business Avas conducted
at the Republican office. In 1872 Mr. Bowles sold out the gen-
eral printing department to his partners, Messrs. Bryan and
Tapley, and himself retained the Republican. In 1878 the
Repuhlican occupied tlie present quarters at the corner of Main
street and Harrison avenue. The equipment of the paper is
very complete for quick and thorough work, and no sooner is a
piece of machinery perfected, that facilitates the production of
a newspaper, than it is adopted and installed.
Going back to 1846, we find the Post, formerly conducted
by Mr. Hawley and sold by him to D. F. Ashley, changed to a
tri-weekly. On the 1st of June, 1848, Mr. Ashley changed the
paper from a tri-Aveekly to a daily with William L. Smith as
editor. The Post was "published every morning (except Sun-
day) in Byers' building, four doors Avest of the Post-Office, 3d
story, at $3.00 per annum," making it practically a penny daily.
Mr. William Trench leased the office of the Post on the 1st of
August, 1851, taking as partner Henry W. Dwight of Stock-
bridge. The latter retired at the end of 8 months, and Mr.
Trench relinquished his lease on the 1st of February, 1853. Mr.
Ashley again came in possession; and the following year both the
daily and Aveekly editions of the Post Avere discontinued. Mr.
Ashley still lives on Spring street, a short distance from State
street, Springfield, and among his attic treasures are the files of
the papers, turned out by him a half-century ago. There are
( 432 )
THE PRESS
also galleys of type, partly reduced to "pi," and in a remote
corner a complete form of the neAvspaper, with here and there
an empty chase and the old-fashioned wooden quoins. At one
time these relics were threatened with destruction by fire, the
edges of the files showing the signs of a severe scoi'ching, and it
would seem that while the opportunity offers, these remnants of
Springfield's early daily paper, should be safely housed and
treasured for their historic value.
The Connecticut Valley Farmer was started in May, 1853,
under the auspices of the Hampden Agricultural Society. The
paper was printed and published by Samuel Bowles & Co., at the
Eepuhlican office. The editor was Hon. "William B. Calhoun,
It was a monthly, at 50 cents a year. January 1st, 1855, it was
removed to Amherst, Avhere Prof. Nash became editor and pub-
lisher.
Abraham Tannatt, Jr., a veteran printer, who with his
brother, J. F. Tannatt, grew up in the business, following in the
footsteps of their father, one of the pioneer printers of Spring-
field, still retains a small printing office at the corner of Main
and Elm streets, over the Chicopee bank, occupying the site of
the former office of the Eepublican, on which paper he worked
at the time. Looking out upon Court Square, and up busy
Main street, with its rush of traffic, and hurrying pedestrians,
Mr. Tannatt recalls the same street, when but a mere country
road, bordered with farms, and many of the houses antedating
the K evolution.
The brothers Tannatt and Mr. Ashley, already referred to,
are among the very few men living in this section whose mem-
ories go back to the practical use of the crude hand press and
ink-ball outfits. They have seen the development of the press of
the city and county, from its earliest days, both in the editorial
and mechanical sense, with the wonderful improvements that
competition and journalistic rivalry have brought about. Con-
trast the newsgathering methods of the good old days of the
Hampshire Federalist and its immediate predecessors and succes-
sors with those in practice by the Eepublican, Union and Daily
News. Then the "news" was acceptable when three months old;
28-1 ( 433 )
01 R COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
now, events are themselves hard pressed by the active pencil of
the reporter, and the electric spark flashes the news momentarily
to the editor's desk. Then the editor's profession was of the
easy-going' sort, as were most of the industries of the time ; bnt
to-day the cry is "make haste!" "score a scoop!'' "give lis
young blood!" "away with the old!" and. above all. "get the
news on the street first!'' In the Tannatt office, now devoted
solely to job work, there are to be seen specimens of the early job
work of the city, in themselves valuable, as showing the business
life of the early days and in the form of programs, etc.. showing
the names of the social element of the time. This office is a con-
necting link between the typographical past and present, and as
every bred-in-the-bone printer loves the odor of printing ink and
paper, Mr. Tannatt. though by no means obliged to "stick to the
ease," prefers his cosy little office to the most elaborate modern
club house, and here, among the friendly leaden dies that have
voiced many a message, he passes the days congenially, meeting
friends and discussing the old and the new. The grand old elms
of Court Square were young when the first press was erected
close by their spreading branches, and for many years Elm street
and the vicinity was the "Printing House Square," and has not
yet fully outgrown the right to the title, though the spirit of the
drama and the law and commerce have usurped the territory of
the press very largely.
Mr. Tannatt. in his reminiscences of the early printere of the
county, states that $8.00 per week was considered exceptionally
good wages, and that young active printers Avere glad to get $4.00
per week. Their wages w^ere usually well guarded, and out of
their modest incomes many saved considerable sums.
The elder Tannatt, whose work in connection with Spring-
field journalism occupies such a prominent place, and who was a
contemporary of the first Samuel Bowles, was highly esteemed,
not only by those of his own craft, but by the community gen-
erally. AVhen the time came for him to lay aside the pen and
composing stick forever, it was felt that a good man had depart-
ed. In the Springfield Rcpuhlican of May 23. 1863, we read:
"The patriarch and father of Springfield journalism and
printing is dead. Abraham 0. Tannatt. our oldest editor and
( 434 )
THE PRESS
printer closed his life on Friday, at the age of 69. There are
scarcely two or three men left among us who have had, for so
long and so prominently, a place in the social business and intel-
lectual history and development of Springfield as Mr. Tannatt.
We count them upon the fingers, and it is like cutting off a finger,
indeed, to part with any one of them. ' '
Among the names more or less prominently connected with
the press of Springfield in the earlier days may be mentioned :
Babeock & Haswell, Brooks & Russell, Weld & Thomas, James R.
Hutchins, John Worthington Hooker, Francis Stebbins, Timothy
Ashley, Henry Brewer, Thomas Dickman, Frederick A. Packard,
A. G. Tannatt. Ira Daniels, Justice Willard, Wood & Lyman,
Sanuiel Bowles, John B. Eldridge, E. D. Beach, David F. Ashley,
Alanson Hawley, Apollos IMunn, Elijah Ashley, George W. Cal-
lender, Henry Kirkham, Lewis Briggs, William Hyde, Josiah
Hooker, Josiah Taylor, AYilliam Stowe, J. B. Clapp, J. G. Hol-
land, George W. INIyrick, Samuel Bowles, jr., Clark W. Bryan,
William Trench, Henry W. Dwight, William B. Brockett, Hon.
William B. Calhoun.
THE UNION
The Springfield Union was founded by Edmund Anthony of
New Bedford, January 4, 1864. and as a newspaper and expo-
nent of Republican principles it ranks as one of the leading jour-
nals of New England. It is owned by a stock company, under
the name of the Springfield Union Publishing company, and four
editions are issued, morning, evening, weekly and Sunday. The
Union circulates extensively in western New England, where it
is regarded as an able, progressive and interesting journal. Mr.
Anthony conducted the paper until December, 1865, when it
passed into the hands of the Union Printing company. During
the next few years it changed owners several times, but in 1872,
under the proprietorship of Lewis H. Taylor, it became a paying
property. It was destined, however, to remain in Mr. Taylor's
hands but a short time, for in 1872, the Clark W. Bryan company
purchased it and incorporated it with the firm's printing and
binding business. William M. Pomeroy was appointed editor.
( 435 )
Clark W. Bryan
THE PKESS
and he retained that position until jNIarch, 1881, when he was
succeeded by Joseph L. Shipley. Mr. Shipley held the position
of editor under the ownership of the Springfield Printing com-
pany, which had succeeded the Clark AV. Bryan company until
May, 1882, when he bought the property and transferred it to a
stock company, maintaining a majority interest, and assuming
the responsible management of the paper.
In April, 1890, the Union entered upon a new epoch. It
was i)urchased by the Springfield Union Publishing company,
and Albert P. Langtry, who had received a valuable training in
the school of metropolitan journalism, was installed as business
manager. Soon after he was made publisher, with John D.
Plummer as business manager. Until 1892, the Union had pub-
lished only an evening and weekly edition, but July 2 of that
year a morning edition was started, and achieved an instant suc-
cess. It supplied the popular demand for a clean, newsy morn-
ing Republican newspaper, that had at heart the business and
political interests of western New England. The Sunday Union
was established in July, 1894, chiefly as a newspaper, and with
but little attention paid to magazine features. Its growth, how-
ever, has been in keeping with that of the other editions of the
Union, and it furnishes besides the news of the world and its own
particular field, an imposing array of special articles, profusely
illustrated. The Union is a member of the Associated Press. It
employs in its editorial department twenty-five men, and its
mechanical facilities are surpassed, in point of equipment, by but
few newspapers.
The Union's first office of publication was located in the rear
of the Haynes Hotel block, and later was moved to the corner of
Main and Taylor streets, in the building now known as the City
Hotel. From there it was moved to the site of the present Hotel
Worthy, and later occupied the building on the opposite corner,
where, in 1888, occurred the disastrous and fatal fire, wherein
several of the employes lost their lives. After being repaired,
the building was occupied for a time, until the move was made
to the present quarters, a short distance down the street.
Mr. Elijah Newell, the present city clerk of Springfield, was
on the staff of the Union nearly twenty-one years, and was active
( 437 )
OVR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
in tlie dovelopnieiit of the paper. Among the more important of
the stirring events, during that time, in -which Mr. Newell per-
formed efficient reportorial work, may be mentioned the jNIill
River disaster, the famous Northampton bank robbery, the burn-
ing of the French Catholic church in Holyoke, and, notably, the
big fire in the heart of Springfield's business district, which oc-
curred in 1875, destroying forty-two buildings. Two companies
of the militia were called out, to assist the police in guarding
property, and fire companies came from many surrounding
places, including companies from as far away as Boston. The
fire started at 2 p. m. and was not under control until 6 o'clock,
and in the meantime the Union had prepared its report, illustrat-
ed with a map of the burned district, and had their paper in the
form of an extra, on the street, at 6 o'clock.
There is at present employed in the pressroom of the Union
a pressman who came to the office Avhen the paper was started by
the founder, Mr. Edmund Anthony.
A feature of the Sunday Union is the liberal and M'ell ar-
ranged matter from the various towns hereabout, prepared by
several home correspondents. The illustrated features are all
that could be desired, and are on a par Avith those of the best
metropolitan journals. The Union, unlike most papers, observes
certain holidays in the year, Avhen no issue is brought out.
THE DAILY NEWS
On February 24th, 1880, the public of Hampden county
heard for the first time on their streets the cry, '^ Penny Neivs!"
A new paper had entered the field, Avith its ambitions, aspirations
and promises, and Springfield w^as to be its home. For a few
weeks the Penny News appeared as a tri-weekly ; but as it is a
very short step from the tri-weekly to the daily, the latter form
was soon adopted, and on jNIay 13th, 1880, the paper came out as
a daily, and with the word "Daily" substituted for "Penny,"
though the price remained unchanged. It was probably the first
penny paper ever published in the county, and the novelty of the
price won it a wide circulation. Edward and Charles J. Bellamy
were the i)ulilisliers, both men of more than ordinary literary
( 438 )
THE PRESS
ability, and the foi-nier, for some eight years previous one of the
editors of the Union. Tlie first few years of the Daily News were
strenuous and the publishers found that the life of a practical
newspaper man is one by no means a bed of roses. Three years
after the birth of their own paper, another small daily, the
Dentocrat, came to tempt fate, and to solicit slices from the none
too ample loaf of journalistic patronage oft'ered by the field, but
after two and a half years the Democrat joined the legions that
have gone before, and the Daily Xcvs, still kept up the race.
Edward Bellamy, who is known the world over by his books on
socialistic and industrial topics, left the paper soon after, and his
brother, Charles J., guided its destinies single-handed, but with
marked ability, and gathering about him a staff of energetic and
intelligent young newspaper workers, put the paper on a sound
basis, realizing at length the reward of good management and
tenacity of purpose. In 1894 the publisher realized the fond
ambition of the newspaper proprietor, and saw his equipment,
thoroughly modern and of the best, housed in a building bearing
the paper's name, and the property of the concern itself. On
June 26th, 1901, the Daily News issued a supplement, in book
form, giving a history of its own conception, trials, growth and
triumphs, and detailing the growth of the city and its interests,
in the twenty-one years of the paper's life, and taking to itself,
with due modesty, a share of credit for the reforms that have
been worked in the city's public affairs, in the two decades men-
tioned. For a newspaper is always a tireless worker in the causes
that tend to the general good, and though often called upon to
stand the rebuffs and ingi^atitude of opposers and doubters, has a
reward in the final triumph and vindication of its policy.
THE HOMESTEAD
The Springfield Ilomesfeacl, a weekly illustrated paper of
local life, with suburban departments, fills the graphic needs of
journalism in the county, as perhaps no other publication does.
It is the outgrowth of the older-established New England Home-
stead, an agricultural paper regularly published from the same
office. Both the Springfield edition, and its agricultural progen-
( 439 )
Heniv M. Burt
THE PRESS
itor are ably edited, and enjoy large circulations and are influen-
tial in their respective fields. The New England Homestead was
founded in 1867 as a monthly, by Henry M. Burt, having been
started in Northampton, but soon after removed to Springfield.
Mr. Burt continued the publication for some ten years, in the
meantime engaging in other local journalistic ventures, when the
paper was bought by Messrs. Phelps and Sanderson, former
employes of the Union, Mr. Sanderson's interest being later
bought by Mr. Phelps, who established a corporation known as
the Phelps Publishing company. Fapm and Home, a sixteen-
page monthly, was begun in 1880, by this company, and attained
a wide circulation, national in extent. Other powerful agricul-
tural journals have been acquired by the Phelps Publishing com-
pany, including the Orange Judd Farmer and American Agri-
culturalist, which combined have an immense circulation, con-
stituting a large portion of the output of mail matter from the
local post-office. A large force is employed in the mechanical and
circulating departments, and the office on Worthington street is
a veritable hive of industry. The company operates its own job
printing department, for the production of the vast amount of
forms and miscellaneous small printing, incident to their pub-
lishing business.
Good Housekeeping, a magazine of domestic science, former-
ly published by the Clark W. Bryan company, is also produced
at the above office, and is widely known, and ranks with the
country's best magazines. Equipped with linotypes and rotary
presses, and other equipment in keeping, the Phelps Publishing
company's plant may be pointed out as a typographical object
lesson.
The Daily Democrat was founded in 1883, to fill the demand
of local party men for a Democratic paper. Many prominent
Democrats of western Massachusetts were included among its
stockholders. It was a one cent paper, and very active in its
field, but was discontinued after two and a half years.
The Herald of Life started in 1872, with Rev. W. N. Pile as
editor. It was the organ of a branch of the Advent faith.
At the Evangelist building, on State street, Springfield, issue
several publications of a religious nature. In 1879, S. G. Otis
( 441 )
OVR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
started the Dotncstic Jountnl, and made one of the most thorough
canvasses ever made of central and Avestern Massachusetts, start-
ing out with the avowed intention of calling at every house and
place of business, securing, as a result, in the neighborhood of
23,000 subscribers to the Domestic Jouriial. The name was later
changed to ^Vor<l and ^yorl\ and the publication made more re-
ligious in tone. The ''Christian AVorkers' Union" is interested
in the conduct of the magazine.
The French-AmerkcDi Citizen, the organ of the French-
American college, is also published from the Evangelist building,
the composition being done by the students themselves. In addi-
tion, many miscellaneous tracts are produced, and the establish-
ment may justly be termed the religious press of Hampden
county.
THE PRESS OF WESTFIELD
For tAvo centuries, Westfield, whose venturesome pioneers
had pushed the Bay Path westward to the Woronoco Valley, was
without a local newspaper, and the earliest one recorded is the
Hampden Register, Avhich received its first impression on the 18th
of February, 18'24, published by INIajor Joseph Root. It con-
tained five columns to the page, as appears to have been the usual
limitations of the papers of that period. It was Republican in
politics. Two years later Dr. Job Clark became editor. Major
Root still retaining a ])lace in the establishment. About a year
later the paper passed into the hands of V. W. Smith and John
B. Eldridge. A change of policy and editorial tone Avorked to
the detriment of the sheet, Avhich Avas followed by several changes
in ownership and management, until XoA'ember 29th, 1831, Avhen
it Avas discontinued.
The earlier printing offices of Westfield Avere located on the
"Green," the center of the town's business activities. The
editors looked from the windoAvs of their sanctums out upon the
public square, Avith its symbols of country village life — the tOAvn
pump, the public hay scales, the flag-staff, and the passing to and
fro of the modest local and suburban traffic. The initiation of
the office "devil" included the task of carrying buckets of Avater,
( 442 )
TEE PEESS
siinmier and winter, from the town pnnip and bearing the modest
edition on pnblieation day to the post-office. The files of the old
papers, somewhat incomplete, are stored in the Atheneum, musty
records of the youth of the 19th century. Their politics were
expressed in no uncertain tones; their essays and articles on
morals, agriculture, etc., elaborate and long drawn out; their
foreign news given large space, while local atfaire were almost
totally ignored. Later, when the building of the canal through
the town was commenced, and the railroads penetrated into the
town, the editors were awakened from their lethargy and "local"
news actually forced itself upon them, and was not to be ignored.
Human nature and its traits showed itself, in the way of more or
less scathing arraignments of one editor and his policy, by the
scribe of his "esteemed contemporary," and many are the ac-
knowledgments of benefits in the way of floral, fruity, or more
substantial favors, laid on the editorial table by friends of the
office.
Glancing through a copy of volume 1, No. 1, of Westfield's
first paper, the Hampden Register, issued Wednesday evening,
February 18, 1824, we find the folloAving "Prospectus," in which
the editor expresses his intention to adhere to Republican prin-
ciples, and that his paper "shall never become a vehicle for the
propagation of slander, nor an instrument to gratify personal
revenge — the period of foul recrimination and party animosity is
past, and it is believed the time has already arrived when a paper
may be conducted on principles purely national, devoted exclu-
sively to the interests of the people and not to that of party."
Then follows an article on the "North American Indians," with
others under the heading "Moral and Religious," then a couple
of columns of "Miscellany," which complete the first page. The
two inside pages are taken up with news from more or less remote
parts of the world, the doings of congress, the militia, etc. The
modest array of advertising includes : "William King, jr.. & Co.
Fur Caps ; C. & C. Cobb, Shoe Store : Robert Whitney, Flour,
Salt, etc.," a few local real estate advertisements, and a small
number of advertisements of Springfield concerns. The fourth
page has a half column of poetry, a story of western adventures,
( 443 )
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
and an essay on "Matrimony," besides short paragraphs on
morals, thrift, and general good conduct. In the salutatory edi-
torial, Mr. Root says, "To the Public : We, this day, present our
patrons with the first number of the Register. The establishment
of a new paper is an event of so much importance that it usually
excites some degree of interest, and the public are desirous of
knowing by what principles it is to be governed. Pub-
lic opinion is the basis upon which our government is
supported, and this opinion is very materially affected
by periodical publications, which are numerous in every
part of our country. In 1720, there was but one news-
paper published in the United States ; in 1777, there were 25, and
now, there are between 500 and 600. ... In our country,
all power being derived from the ivlwle people, it is of the
utmost importance that the source from which it flows should be
enlightened and pure. . . Our columns shall not be polluted
with the foul breath of personal pique and private and personal
slander, but while these are excluded, we shall cheerfully give
place to all information and temperate discussion upon the official
conduct and political opinions, and shall earnestly endeavor, as
w^e may deem it to be our duty, to expose and if possible, check,
every deviation from the path of political rectitude. ' ' The above
description of the initial number of the Register is given as a syn-
opsis of the journalistic style of the time. In 1826, the name of
J. Clark appears as editor. An important theme of discussion
was the slave trade, and frequent reference to the same is found
in the files of the paper. The issue of the Register dated April
2, 1828, appeared with the name of John B. Eldridge as editor.
The general character of the paper continued the same, the doings
of town and county being heralded in the easy-going way, with
the advertisements varied by notices of canal directors, stray
cattle, runaway apprentices. Academy notices, etc. Over the
heading of "Marriages" was printed a crude wood-cut of a heart,
pierced by a shaft, presumably from Cupid's bow.
With the issue of December 10, 1828, the Hampden Register,
having been re-christened the West field Register,\vith. a new man,
J. D. Huntington, as editor, this motto was added to its heading,
( 444 )
THE PRESS
"Let all the ends thou aim'st at be thy country's, thy God's, and
truth, ' ' the paper keeping on in the even tenor of its way, with a
slight variation of editorial style. A book store was conducted
by the early publishers of AYestfield, in connection with their
printing business, and school books, novels and stationery were
advertised.
Thursday evening, September 10, 1833, appeared number 1
of volume 1 of the ^yestfi€ld Journal, edited by Joseph Bull, jr.
The JournaVs predecessors had been published on Wednesdays,
while Mr. Bull saw fit to go to press one day earlier in the week.
The office of publication was in the Ives block, corner of Main
and Broad streets, on "the Green," and the building was then,
undoubtedly, Westfield's most imposing business structure, and
to-day makes no mean appearance on the square. In his saluta-
tory. Editor Bull says : ' ' To the Public : Why not a news-
paper in Westfield? Why may we not mingle our thoughts
and interchange our sentiments with the wordy throng who write,
and print, and publish, the things which are, or which may be, as
inspiration or fancy dictates ? We are not aware of any abridg-
ment of freedom, or any power of restraint, which should seal our
lips, or palsy our hands, while we have a cause to present to a
sovereign people. In truth, we think it would be no great obtru-
sion if we should presume to take our stand in the field, and we
offer to bear some small part in the labors, the sacrifices, the
honors (and if we may indulge in the humble hope), the emolu-
ments of the press." The style of the typography of the Journal
evidences the use of the same material employed on the preceding
Westfield newspapers.
Following the March 24, 1835, issue of the Westfield Journal
came the March 31, 1835, issue of the Democratic Herald, still
printed by Mr. Bull, but bearing the name of N. T. Leonard as
proprietor, and N. T. Leonard and E. Davis, editors. Temper-
ance seems to have been a favorite theme with the Herald, and the
subject is given liberal space in its succeeding issues. About a
year later, the paper was discontinued.
On the 9th of April, 1836, The Talisman made its appear-
ance. It was edited by H. B. Smith, Avho had served as an ap-
( 445 )
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
prentice in the printer's art, and who was destined to become a
leading figure in the industrial and social life of Westfield. The
Talisman, owing to a change of plans, was discontinued at the
end of three months.
In April, 1839, Calvin Torrey started the Democratic news-
paper called the Wcsfficld Spectator. In October, 1841, Dr.
William 0. Bell bought the paper, and shortly after changed its
name to the Woronoco Palladwm, continuing its publication for
about two years, when the original owner, Mr. Torrey, again
assumed control, reviving the original name of '^Spectator."
About a year later this paper died.
The late Emerson Davis, so long connected Avith the town's
educational and religious Avork, published the ScJiolar's Journal
for two years, in 1828 and 1829, during his principalship of the
Academy.
Westfield 's famous old Academy, whose graduates have gone
forth over the world, to reflect honor upon themselves and their
alma mater, was the center of publication, at different times, of
various papers of a literary and patriotic tone ; and the publish-
ing impulse lives to this day among the stiidents ; and none will
say it is not a most helpful and worthy addition to the routine of
regular school work.
In October, 1845. the Westfield Standard was started by
Hiram A. Beebe. At the end of two years, it was discontinued,
and after a short interval, was revived by J. D. Bates, who Avas
succeeded by William W. Whitman. Joseph M. Ely soon after
purchased the establishment, and continued the paper for some
three years, having as editorial associates Asahel Bush and Henry
C. Moseley. In January, 1852, Gilbert W. Cobb bought the
Standard, Avhich lived until xVugust. 1854, and on the 7th of
October of the same year, the Wide Aicake American Avas started.
to further certain political interests ; and like the other branches
of the journalistic family tree, soon decayed and fell to earth.
Henry C. INIoseley. in taking editorial charge of the Stand-
ard, the office of publication being in Hull's building, east side of
the Green, says: "Very often since the establishment of this
paper, has a noAv spirit been called to control its destinies, and so
( 446 )
Phineas L. Buell
OVR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
often has a long Prospectus been issued, accompanied by prom-
ises and pledges, too often unfulfilled and unredeemed. We
deem it unnecessary to follow in the footsteps of our illustrious
predecessors, but as we make our editorial bow to the patrons of
the Standard, we woiild assure them that so long as its columns
are under our control, they will be devoted to the advancement of
the great and glorious principles of Democracy." The same lack
of local news characterizes the Standard.
Meantime, in February, 1841, the ^Vest-field Neivs Letter had
been established by Elijah Porter, The paper was Whig in
politics, and its editor is well remembered by many still living,,
as a man having firm convictions and certain peculiarities, with a
goodly allowance of the self-confidence and faith that are indeed
important factors to success in any enterprise, Mr. Porter was
assisted in his work, for some time, in the late 40 's by a bright
young journalist, Samuel H. Davis, son of Dr. Davis, who later
took a position on the Springfield Repiihlican. In 1851, P. L.
Buell became a partner with ]\Ir. Porter, and the following year,
A, T, Dewey, was admitted to the firm, remaining about twa
years, when he left the concern. Mr. Buell, who was an able
phrenologist as well as a literary man, in more recent years was
librarian at the AYestfield Atheneum, and is pleasantly remem-
bered by the patrons of that institution, Mr. Porter went West,
and engaged in newspaper work there, and the News-Tjetter con-
tinued under varying management until merged with the Times
in 1873.
The initial issue of the West field Neivs-Letter and Farmers^
and Mechanics' Journed bore at the head of its editorial column a
banner on which was inscribed "Harrison and Better Times,"
and President Harrison's inaugural address was printed in full,
in that issue. An item also states ' ' Our paper is furnished from
the mill of Cyrus W. Field & Co, of this town," which recalls the
interesting fact that the enterprising Cyrus, destined to become
world-famous and wealthy, was at that time a part of the local
industrial life. Another item refers to a revival at "Hooppole,"
in the western part of the town, the district destined later to be
known as "AYest Parish," and eventually to bear its present more
( 448 )
THE PRESS
romantic appellation of "Mnndale." A department is devoted
to "Prices of Farmers' Produce," and the cattle market.
The business life of ^Yestfield in the year 1841 is indicated by
the Neivs Letter's ads., which bear the names of Samuel C. Smith,
dry goods, crockery, shoes, etc., east side of the Green ; Jere
Hitchcock, boots and shoes, third door east of the post-office ; John
F. Comstock, fashionable hair dresser, J. Taylor's building; Rand
& Johnson, wrapping paper; Misses Parsons & Parker, dressmak-
ers, north side of the Green ; A. G. Chadwiek & Co., diy goods,
wagons, soda biscuit, flour, fall and winter oil, etc. ; Joseph Sib-
ley, gaiter boots and slips; Samuel B. Rice & Co.'s store on the
bank of the canal, Avholesale produce, groceries, etc.; John H.
Starr, jr.. tailor, Jessup's building, west of the Park; William
Hooker, jr., flour; Lyman Lewis, hardware: and H. B. Smith,
who kept a general store on the north side of the Green, and who
throughout a long life, was closely identified with the town's
business interests, was also an advertiser in the first issue of the
Neics-Letter. As indicating the trend of local life in the early
40 's, a few extracts are made from the first year's issues of the
Neics-Lctter, whose files unfold to the reader the typical village
journalism of sixty years ago. These refer to the New Haven
and Northampton canal Avhich "offers great facilities for trans-
portation of passengers, goods, etc.;" "wood and farmers' pro-
duce wanted at the office of the editor;" notice of the death of
President Harrison, on which occasion the News-Letter appeared
in the conventional mourning garb of inverted column rules, bold
and black. Under a bold heading ' ' Postscript, ' ' the paper prints
the very indefinite but important item, "By a passenger from
AYorcester, who left this morning, we learn that it was reported
that a messenger from AA'^ashington passed through Worcester,
Monday night, with a message or an address from the President
of the United States." The above was, no doubt, considered at
the time as important as is the most consequential Associated
Press dispatch of to-day. At least, one cannot but commend the
enterprise of the editor in making the most of the matter. Fre-
quent "canal" notices appear, mth the antiquated cut of a canal
boat drawn by a couple of horses, the arrival and departure of
29-1 ( 449 )
OVR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
boats being noted, etc., etc. The canal, the then important water-
way that put Westfield in touch with the country's metropolis
and the world generally, furnished much in the way of news for
the Neivs-Letter, viz., items from up and down the country, inci-
dents and accidents connected with boating life, and occasionally
a reference to the disreputable brothels and "taverns" in the
towns along the course of the canal, to which Westfield was no
exception. The records of the Court of Common pleas in town
showed that the people of old "Westfield were but mortal, and the
sentences imposed j) roved that "the way of the transgressor is
hard." And so, on through the succeeding years, Elijah Porter
put the Woronoco Valley's life in type, with the motto, under the
paper's heading, "I come, the Herald of a noisy world — News
from all Nations lumbering at my back. ' ' And here and there may
be found spicy hits at his contemporaries, reprimands of local
misdemeanors, suggestions for local public improvements, and
the like. The editor and publisher of a country paper was not
above receiving the prosaic firewood and farm produce, in ex-
change for subscriptions, and periodical calls for the same are
printed in the columns of Mr. Porter's paper. And the historian
of to-day, who seeks material, may well turn to these files, a half-
century old, where will be found long and most interesting arti-
cles by the then "oldest inhabitants," under the heading of
'' Sketches of Westfield."
With the issue of August 19, 1871, the N civs-Letter was en-
larged. It w^as then published by P. L. Buell, and from a town
of something like 4,000 inhabitants, when the paper was started,
the population had grown to about 6,000, or one-half its present
population and the news field was considerably broadened in con-
sequence. The paper's motto had been changed to "Independent
in all things, neutral in nothing." The growth of the business
interests of the town is well indicated by the liberal advertising
patronage. With the issue of December 23, 1871, the Neivs-
Letter passed from the hands of Mr. Buell to the ownership of
Sherman Adams, who had seen his apprenticeship days on the
same paper, some twenty years previous. The editorial column
of that issue contains the valedictory address of the former, and
( 450 )
THE FEESS
the salutatory address of the latter, and the motto under the
paper's heading was changed to "For the people, with the people,
and of the people." Advertising and local items took a boom,
and the need of more space led to the frequent issuing of a sup-
plement, and with the issue of August 23, 1872, the paper was
enlarged.
The Western Haiupden Times was established in March,
1869, and the News-Letter found itself with a rival. The Times
was published by Clark & Carpenter, in jNIo rand's block. Elm
street, and was in general make-up similar to the News-Letter,
and between the two papers, the local news field was more than
ever closely culled, and a friendly editorial "spat" enlivened
matters occasionally. With the issue of April 6, 1870, the Times
passed into the hands of a new firm, Clark & Story, Mr. C. C.
Story having bought an interest in the concern, and assuming the
business management.
With the issue of Wednesday afternoon, July 8, 1874, the
two papers appeared as one, having been consolidated under the
name of the Western Hampden Times and West field News-Letter,
with Clark & Story as publishers, the Times absorbing the News-
Letter, job department and all.
In August, 1875, Sherman Adams started the Woronoco
Advertiser, a small paper of four pages, each 6x9 inches in size,
with two columns to the page. The paper was printed on a
Globe job press, with a very modest mechanical equipment, all
contained in the front room of the editor's home, where, with the
assistance of the members of his numerous family, it was issued
weekly. In a few months, the paper was doubled in size, and the
name changed to the Westfield Advertiser, and after a more or
less struggling existence of a few years, expired. Mr. Adams re-
moved to Florida, where he died.
W^estfield, in the year 1871, was passing from the village to
town improvements, and one of the great accomplishments of the
year was the bringing into use of the town's gravity system of
water supply from Montgomery. The old-time custom of ringing
all the bells in town, in case of fire, and creating virtually a panic,
by the general uproar, was drawing the attention of the people
( 451 )
OVR COUNTY AXD ITS PEOPLE
to the desirabilit}^ of a fire alarm system, and correspondents dis-
cussed the matter in various issues of the paper, though it was
many years before the system materialized.
In the issue of October 14, 1871, an account was given of the
great Chicago fire, the great news event of that year, Westfield,
in those daj's, was more or less lax in some ways, and certain
forms of mischief, now effectually kept in check, seem to have
prevailed unhampered, the town having very slight police protec-
tion. The east side of Park Square was, in the early 70 's, still
honored by the name of "Rum Row," a name which had been
applied to it in the many years of the sale of spirituous liquors.
The frequent raids of the state constables into the town, in their
quest of liquor illegally sold, were great exciting events of that
period, as many will remember. The issue of July 6, 1872, notes
the good work being done by the Westfield "Town Improvement
Association," wherein mention is made of the new "Boulevard"
just opened, now known as Western avenue. November 15, 1872,
is noted the first edition of the AA^estfield Directory, then in press.
The murder of Charles D. Sackett by Albert H. Smith, for which
the latter was condemned and executed, was a matter of intense
local interest in the early 70 's. The Normal boarding-house was
an important addition to the buildings of the town at that time.
The "hard times" of 1873 furnish the theme for many an item
for that year. Money was scarce, and the newspaper men felt
the effect along with the rest.
In the issue of the ^yestern Hampden Times and Westfield
Neivs Letter, announcing the consolidation of the two papers, we
find these words, "We cherish no feelings of exultation that a
rival has fallen. It has simply been a graceful yielding to fate."
From that time on— July 8, 1874— for several years, the Times,
as the combined papers came to be known for convenience, filled
the local field alone, not only covering it thoroughly, but also
devoting ample space to the outlying towns of Southwick, Gran-
ville, Tolland, Russell, Blandford, Montgomery, Granby, etc.,
where live correspondents have worked for the proper representa-
tion of their respective localities. Editor Clark now looks back
over nearly a half century's service with the press of this section,
( 452 )
THE PRESS
and his work is a record of the development of the interests of the
field, grown from small beginnings to recognized importance.
The ^yestfield Times and Neivs-Letter has been published for
many years at No. 11 School street, its offices being located in the
second and third stories of the Colton building. In December,
1897, the firm name was changed, a corporation being formed
under the name of the Clark & Story company. On account of
the death, October 25, 1901, of Mr. Story, who for thirty years
had had the business and mechanical management of the paper,
the company was reorganized, with L. N. Clark president and
editor-in-chief. L. N. Clark, jr.. clerk, treasurer and business
manager, and Joseph C. Duport, manager of the mechanical de-
partment and associate editor. The senior Mr. Clark commenced
his newspaper career in the office of the Gazette and Courier at
Greenfield, fifty years ago. when that paper was published by
Phelps & Eastman. He has since served on the Hampshire Ga-
zette, the Springfield Union, of which he was the first local editor,
and the Berkshire County Eagle, coming from Pittsfield to West-
field, January 1, 1869, to start the Western Hampden Times,
afterwards consolidated with the Neivs-Letter. The Times and
News Letter, the oracle of the Woronoco Valley, which has long
been an important factor in moulding public opinion in the com-
munity, and numbers in its constituency people in nearly every
state of the Union, starts auspiciously under its present manage-
ment, and is going on from prospering to prosper.
The Valley Echo, established at Huntington in February,
1885, was the first newspaper that had been published between
Westfield and Pittsfield. It was started by two Holyoke men,
V. J. Irwin and W. H. AVay, who conceived the idea that a live
local paper, free from partisan or private obligations, might be
made to pay in the Westfield river valley. The first issue was
heartily received, and the subsequent growth was very marked.
Not long after, increasing business made advisable the starting of
a separate edition at Chester, which likewise flourished. Early
in 1886, an edition was started for Westfield, and was called The
Valley Echo, while to the other two editions respectively were
given the names of the Huntington Herald and The Chester
( 453 )
OVR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
Chronicle. AYhen first actually located in AVestfield, in the fall
of 1887, the Valley Echo had quarters in the Spencer building,
corner of Elm street and Crary avenue. Here it remained until
1889, when the first floor in the Atkins block on Elm street was
leased and there the paper has since been published. Sometime
later, the basement was utilized, and during the past year, the
second floor of the block has been added, so that the concern now
has three floors. When first organized, it was known as "the
W. H. Way & Co.," and later as "The Home Newspaper Co.,"
but in 1889 it was incorporated at $10,000, and with a Massachu-
setts charter, became known as "the Home Newspaper Publishing
Co." It still continues its Huntington and Chester editions
under their respective names. The plant is now equipped with
ample room and power, and supplied with up-to-date jobbing
material and facilities. The corporation is at present organized
as follows : President, Charles M. Gardner ; secretary and treas-
urer, James H. Dickinson ; directors, C. M. Gardner, James H.
Dickinson, James A. Dakin. The policy of the paper cannot be
better expressed than in the motto that appears at the head of
the editorial column, " It is the people 's paper, and is not run in
the interests of any particular class or party. Independent and
honest, it aims to serve in the best way the greatest number. ' '
Aside from the purely local newspapers that have cultivated
the news field of the Woronoco valley, those of Springfield have,
for many years been represented by local reporters, among whom
may be mentioned J. D. Cadle, Avhose work for the Republican,
and later for the Union, has made him a recognized factor in
newspaperdom, and Edward G. Clark (eldest son of L. N. Clark),
who has been for more than a decade the daily Bepnblican's cor-
respondent in W^estfield. The large circulation of Springfield's
dalies in Westfield has been the means of deferring the publica-
tion of a local daily. A movement was made some years ago in
that direction, but the attempt was soon abandoned.
( 454 )
THE PRESS
THE PRESS OF HOLYOKE
The Hampden Freeman's first number gives these facts in
its caption : The Hampden Freeman, a family newspaper, pub-
lished every Saturda^^ at Ireland Depot (West Springfield), by
William L. Morgan & Co. ; office on Maple street, opposite the
school house ; one dollar per annum. The motto of the paper was
"Where Liberty dwells, there is my Country," and a coat of
arms, worked into the heading, bore the words, "Constitution,
Truth, Independence, People's Rights. ' ' The second issue of the
paper contains an article on "Our New City," which speaks thus
hopefully of Holyoke's prospects: "This infant giant of west-
ern INIassachusetts, destined to eclipse Lowell and other manufac-
turing places in this country, is situated upon the right bank of
the Connecticut river, about eight miles from Springfield. ' ' Then
follows a detailed account of the development of the town 's won-
derful water power, its rapidly growing population, etc. The
business section was then in the district near the dam, as the
advertisements Avill indicate. Among the first advertisers was
AY. B. C. Pearsons, attorney and counsellor at law. Much space
is given to advertisements and the general interests of Chicopee.
The issue of Saturday, March 23, 1850, of the Hampden Freeman
appears in a new dress of type, with a new heading and under
new proprietorship, Morgan & Henderson, and for the first time
does the name "Holyoke" appear in its date line, the name "Ire-
land Depot" being permanently dropped. This issue contains an
elaborate description and sectional plan of the wonderful dam,
and in its leading editorial gives its platform and principles,
stating: "To our Whig friends we offer our kindest wishes and
zealous support, and we shall sustain, as well as we may, the
principles of the great and national Whig party. We are op-
posed to the extension of slavery into the new territories, and we
are as much opposed to the policy of certain leaders at the north
Avho style themselves the Free Soil Party. . , As men, we
extend the hand of friendship to our Democratic readers (and we
have a very large number), and wish them all success in private
and personal enterprises, but as partisans, we throw the gauntlet
in their midst, and in our strength defy them."
( 455 )
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
Saturday, September 6, 1850, AYilliam L. Morgan is named
as sole proprietor.
The issue of Saturday, January 15, 1853, appeared with the
title changed to the Holyoke Freeman, with A. B. F. Hildreth as
editor, and having as a part of the heading a vignette of the
Holyoke dam and surrounding landscape, while the paper was
considerably enlarged. The new editor took occasion to say, ''As
before intimated, our course will be free, frank and independent.
In no other way can a press exercise its due influence, and com-
mand that respect to which it is entitled. A truckling, time-
serving public journal is of all things, most contemptible, and its
influence must be deprecated. Therefore, as long as we shall
have occasion to cater for the intellectual palate, we must do so,
'Unawed by influence, and Unbridled by gain.' "
The first issue of the Holyoke Weekly Mirror appeared Sat-
urday, January 7. 1854, bearing the name of A. B. F. Hildreth
as proprietor. For some time the town had been without a news-
paper, and in his leading editorial the editor states : "The Mirror
will be held up to nature, or in other words, it will seek to give a
true reflection of men and things as they shall appear from week
to week." The phenomenal growth of the town is repeatedly
referred to, and in fact, the succeeding issues of all the papers
Holyoke has ever had, teem with the subject, and very justly so,
for where else in the county has there been greater reason to harp
upon rapid and substantial growth? And where else could be
found so prolific a news field as that offered by a town, with a
growing and cosmopolitan population, with the accidents and
incidents connected with canal digging, mill building, or occa-
sional lively ''scraps" between people of different nationalities,
with the ever-present political strife? With mills rising on all
sides, like mushrooms, and the facts incident to their growth, the
town was a real news-incubator, although it must be admitted
that, like all i)apers of the period, the Mirror appeared to make
very little of the strictly local features.
With the issue of Saturday morning, November 24. 1855, the
Hoh'oke ]\firror appeared under the proprietorship of Lilley &
Pratt, who. referring to their paper, say. "From being a 'straight
( 456 )
THE PRESS
Whig' it will become an independent journal. By this, we do not
desire to have it understood that the Mirror will be a neutral
paper. By no means ! On the contrary, it will plainly and bold-
ly advocate all public measures which it shall deem essential to
the interests of the connnunity, and denounce those which may
appear to have injurious features and tendencies, without regard
to the party by which they may be originated or supported. ' '
With the issue of February 2, 1856, the editors of the Mirror
explain the adoption of a smaller form for their sheet, as follows :
"We appear before you, this week, with a smaller sheet than we
have been wont to do, and justice to our readers requires that we
explain our motive for so doing, whicli we hope, when carefully
examined will prove satisfactory to all. In the first place, the
glory and honor of publishing a large paper we care nothing
about. We publish a paper to make money, and the paper that
pays best will be best, not only for the publisher, but for the sub-
scriber. It is not the size of a paper that determines its worth,
and we are among those who believe that a little, well done, is
much better than a great deal poorly done. We have found, by
trial, that the subscription list of the Mirror, although now good,
and daily increasing, never has paid, and will not pay for the
labor bestowed upon so large a paper, and pay us besides, a fair,
living profit. What we mean now to do is, that while we shall
give you less reading matter, we shall endeavor to embrace all
the news in a more condensed form, and give choicer selections of
miscellaneous reading. AA^e wish to publish a paper that shall be
at the same time, best for our patrons and ourselves. ' '
Pratt & AVheelock succeeded Lilley & Pratt with the issue of
August 9, 1856, and in that paper Mr. Lilley makes his editorial
farewell bow. An editorial in the issue of December 5, 1857,
dwells at length on the subject of the issue between the Catholics
and Protestants of Holyoke, in the matter of the Bible in the
public schools, taking sides very firmly with the Protestants, and
winding up with a quotation from a speech of Mr. Choate :
" AVhat ! Give up the reading of the Bible in our common schools?
Never! never! as long as a piece of Plymouth Rock is left big
enough to make a gun flint out of !"
( 457 )
OUR COUNTY AND UfS PEOPLE
Myrou C. Pratt became sole owner with the issue of Novem-
ber 20,^ 1858.
The Holyoke Transcript, established in 1863, Burt & Lyman
proprietors, gives in its earlier issues the trend of Holyoke life
during the Civil war. With the first issue of their second vol-
ume, April 9, 1864, the editors say: "The year preceding the
commencement of the Transcript was perhaps among the darkest
that Holyoke has seen, and while our enterprise received liberal
encouragement, there w-ere many who looked upon it with doubt
as to its success. ' ' Thus, it will be noted, between the lines, that
Holyoke journalism was not a long, sweet dream, but severely
and strenuously practical, with the expense account spectre ever
haunting the publishers' domains.
September 24, 1864, Mr. Lyman's name appears alone as
proprietor, and in April, 1867, the paper was somewhat enlarged
and adopted a different style heading, wdth the characteristic dam
as a feature. With the dawning of the 70 's the Transcript gave
evidence of the mercantile and industrial growth of Holyoke, in
the increased and diversified advertising patronage, and the local
news columns showed marked expansion, the newer spirit having
taken hold. With the issue of February 11, 1871, the Transcript
appears with the names of Lyman & Kirtland as publishers, Mr.
E. L. Kirtland having been taken into partnership. The Tran-
script had now taken on the eight page form.
Holyoke 's first daily paper appeared October 9, 1882, in a
daily edition of the Transcript in four page form, six columns to-
the page, with Loomis & Dwight as publishers, and the growth of
the paper since that time has been continuous, keeping well up in
the journalistic procession, with modern mechanical equipment,
and able editing. January 1, 1888, Mr. Dwight became sole pro-
prietor, and has conducted the paper alone, at the stand so long
occupied by it on High street.
Since the birth of journalism in Holyoke, there have been
many new ventures in the way of newspapers, which have been
started to fill "a long felt want," or to boom the causes of this or
that political party or clique, unable otherwise to reach the publie
mind, and obtain an audience for the promulgation of certain
( 458 )
THE PRESS
ideas. These papers have ]ived for a time, sailing more or less
against the tide, but eventually have sunk, and aside from the
long established Transcript, which is itself the survivor of a long
line that has had succession from Holyoke's first paper, all have
proved short-lived.
Holyoke's other daily, the Evening Telegram, which has its
office in the Senior building on High street, was established June
11, 1898, and is a one cent democratic paper, with a modern plant.
The organizer and first editor of the Telegram was P. J. Kennedy,
and the original olBce of publication was in the Whitcomb build-
ing on Dwight street, he being succeeded by E. H. McPhee, and
he, in turn followed by George F. Jenks. During the first year
or more of its existence, the Telegram had as a rival, besides the
old-established Transcript, another young daily, the Evening
Glohe, which gave up the fight in February, 1900. On Monday
evening, June 11, 1900, the Telegram issued an anniversary num-
ber, which was fully up to the standard of such efforts, and in
which is given a revicAv of the city's progress during the few
years of the paper's existence. Like most modern papers, the
Telegram has a department devoted to the spicy paragraphing of
the events of the hour, the one in this case being headed ''Obser-
vations. ' '
AYitli the large foreign population, drawn into Holyoke by
its varied industries, it is but natural that they should have a
journal printed in their native tongue, and so we find as the
representative paper of the Germans, of whom there are 7,000, or
about one-sixth of Holyoke 's population, the New England Bund-
scliau, semi- weekly, published by the German- American Publish-
ing Co. from their office on South Main street, Holyoke, in the
center of the German population. This is the oldest paper in the
Paper City, aside from the Transcript, having been established in
July, 1882. Besides the Holyoke issue, there are editions printed
for circulation in Springfield, Rockville, and for the towns of
Berkshire county.
Another paper to share the Teutonic journalistic honors,
though on a more modest scale is Die Biene (the Bee), which has
its office on Sargeant street, within a stone's throw of the office
( 459 )
OVR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
of its contemporary above mentioned. Die Biene was established
in 1893, and has for its publisher August Lehmann. It is pub-
lished on "Wednesdays. A special edition under the heading
''Vorwarts'' (Forward), is issued for circulation in Springfield.
One finding himself in the German quarter of Holyoke, with the
tongue of the Fatherland spoken on all sides, and especially as he
sees issuing from the press the newspapers with their quaint Ger-
man characters, may readily imagine himself in the land of the
Kaiser. When Holyoke, by the enterprise of the early mill pros-
pectors, left its early state of villa gehood and merged into a man-
ufacturing community, the question of securing operatives be-
came important, and though for a time the native New England-
ers, and later, the families of the Irish laborers w^ho had been
imported to work on the dam, sufficed as "hands" in the mills, it
was not long before an exodus set in from Canada to Holyoke,
where hundreds of families have found a home and positions as
operatives in the various industries, growing up, and improving
socially, until now, the French population of the Paper City is in
itself important, and not a few among them, by thrift, and
through the opportunities offered by the rapid growth of the city,
have become wealthy. Churches, schools, benevolent societies
and clubs abound, adhering to and fostering the language and
traditions of their people.
The French press of Holyoke, like its contemporaries of
other nationalities, has had its years of varied experience. The
journals, like men, have come and gone, but for many years the
city has not been long without some form of French newspaper.
At present. La Presse, which is published from 20 Main street,
with Tesson & Carignan as editors and proprietors, is the organ
of the French-Canadian population of Holyoke, issuing as well
separate editions as follows: Le Globe, Fitchburg, Mass. ; Le Can-
adien, Somersworth and Dover, N. H. ; Le Canadien- American,
Norwich, Ct. ; Le Connecticut, Waterbury, Ct. These papers
reach a field touched by no other papers, and are therefore im-
portant factors in New England journalism.
La Presse was established as a v.'eekly in 1895, and as a semi-
weekly in 1898.
( 460 )
THE PRESS
Incidentally, it may be stated that at the office of La Fresse,
is done the mechanical work on the Holyoke Free Fress, which
caters, perhaps more than the other papers, to the so-called sensa-
tional features of Holyoke 's news field. With the German and
French papers of the city, an important task in the editorial de-
partments, is the translation of "copy," which is handed in by
advertisers and the English-writing contributors generally, into
the language of the paper, so that it may be conveniently put into
type by the compositors, who are above the ordinary of such ar-
tisans in that the multitude of special characters, accents, etc.,
peculiar to the languages, require special knowledge.
Aside from the regular business of newspaper publication, a
vast amount of general printing is done in the city, through the
requirements of its many and varied industries. Most of the
newspapers have job plants connected, and Holyoke has more
than a national reputation for the excellence of its special and
high class printing, as is attested in the world's leading typo-
graphical journals.
THE PRESS OF CHICOPEE
The first newspaper within the limits of Chicopee, was issued
in January, 1840, by Thomas D. Blossom, who came from Hing-
ham, Mass. The paper was called the CahotviUe Chronicle and
Chicopee Falls Advertiser. The paper changed hands, and was
called the Mechanics' Offering. In August, 1846, a company
composed of Messrs. Hervey Russell, Amos W. Stockwell, and
James M. Cavanaugh, purchased the paper, and changed the
name to the CahotviUe Mirror, democratic in politics. The es-
tablislunent was destroyed by fire in 1848. In November, 1849,
the subscription list was transferred to the Springfield Sentinel,
which issued it under the head of the Chicopee Mirror, until Feb.
2, 1850. The Chicopee Telegraph was first issued by J. C.
Stoever & Co., on February 11th, 1846, and was largely devoted
to agricultural and kindred topics, and in May, 1853, J. E. Childs
took the paper, and changed its name to the Chicopee Weekly
Journal, Whig in politics. Successive proprietors and editors
were David B. Potts, James C. Pratt, William G. Brown, J. C.
( 461 )
OVR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
Havens and George V. Wheelock. The paper was discontinued
Dec. 27, 1862. Mr. Havens was perhaps most prominent among
the older editors, being identified with the local life of the place,
and postmaster for a time.
The files of the Chicopee papers, preserved in the library of
that city, are a most valuable means of tracing the growth of the
place, and very interesting articles are printed, even in the earlier
issues, bearing on the history of Cabotville. The Chicopee Tele-
graph was especially well printed ; in fact, its appearance to-day,
is in a mechanical sense, far superior to the majority of modern
weekly sheets. The advertisements give a synopsis of the busi-
ness life of ''Merchants Row."
The Chicopee Journal was vigorous and outspoken in its
treatment of local affairs ; and in the issue of Sept. 2, 1854, dur-
ing the cholera epidemic, speaks of ''Additional deaths on the
'Patch,' owing to nonsensical fear, swinish filth and miserable
liquor. Most of the deaths occur on Mondays, the result of the
previous day's rum drinking. Some of the people on the
'Patch' act like double-and-twisted fools, as well as brutes, upon
the subject, entirely forsaking the sick."
As a specimen item, relating to the industries of Chicopee,
the following is given :
' ' The Ames company of Chicopee have been engaged for sev-
eral months past in manufacturing cannon, bomb-shells and
grape shot for His Most Serene Highness, Antonio Lopez de
Santa Anna. Of the last named article, two hundred tons have
been engaged, and we do not believe that the old, one-legged hum-
bug will have killed a hundred men after they are all used up."
With the decadence of some of Chicopee 's old industries,
and the shifting of population, added to its proximity to Spring-
field with an ample news service covering well the Chicopee in-
terests, journalism of a local issuance has been almost totally
abandoned there, one or two small job offices being all that re-
main to represent the printing business.
( 462 )
\
THE PBE88
THE PRESS OF PALMER
The history of journalism in Palmer exceeds half a century,
the first attempt at newspaper publishing being made by Whitte-
more & Tenney, who commenced the Palmer Sentinel in Janu-
ary, 1846, and continued it about a year, when it was removed to
Springfield. D. F. Ashley started the Palmer Times in 1847,
but it began and ended with the first number. The Palmer
Journal first appeared April 6, 1850, under the auspices of the
"Palmer Publishing Association," with Gordon M. Fiske as edi-
tor and manager. Mr. Fiske bought out the plant at the end of
the first year. He was a born journalist, and laid the founda-
tion of one of the best conducted country papers of the state. His
editorials were strong from the first, and were firm in the advo-
cacy of temperance, and anti-slavery, and on the side of reform
generally. The body of the paper was made up of good selec-
tions and general news. Personals and local news did not then,
as now, attract attention. Mr. Fiske was quite a poet, but never
published his efi^usions over his own name. In 1867, during a
prolonged session of the Legislature, he published a poem in the
Journal entitled ' ' The wife at home to her husband in the Legis-
lature," being a parody on "Father, Come Home." This was
a great hit, and was copied far and. wide, but it was not known
till years afterwards that Mr. Fiske w^as the author. In 1860
and 1861, Mr. Fiske was elected to the State Senate and later, he
held a position on the visiting committee of the Monson State
Institution. Under his management, the Journal had a wide
field of influence, and a large circulation. In 1855, A. S. Goff
was received as a partner in the Journal printing office. He
was succeeded by James McLaughlin in 1862, who was followed
a few years later by A. W. Briggs, w'ho gave place to H. J. Law-
rence in 1871. Mr. Fiske remained as editor, till his decease in
1879, when he was succeeded by his son, Charles B. Fiske, who
enlarged and added many improvements in 1883. In 1885, L. E.
Chandler was admitted into the firm, and after a few years, be-
came the editor of the paper, but the firm continues to be C. B.
Fiske & Co. The paper was again enlarged in 1891. It con-
( 4G3 )
OIR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
tinues to be one of the best made up of country papers, and has
a large circulation at home and in other states. Its local news
covers a radius of ten miles around Palmer as a center. Of late
years, it has frequently been illustrated with cuts of prominent
local men and of local scenes and incidents. It has also paid
much attention to local history, as well as passing events, which
has added much to its popularity. Its managers are wide awake
for the interests of its patrons, and spare no pains in making
each paper interesting.
The first number of the Palmer Herald appeared June 18,
1891. It was an eight page paper, published by Morse &
Cady, and was continued till January 28, 1894, when the plant
was destroyed in the burning of Holden's Opera House block, in
which it was located. The paper had obtained a good circula-
tion, and had won a fair degree of success. After the fire, its
interests were purchased by the Palmer Journal, and its publica-
tion discontinued.
The Palmer Citizen was published bi-monthly, during the
years 1895-6-7. It was edited by Kev. F. E. Jenkins, in the in-
terests of no-license, and conducted a strenuous crusade against
the liquor traffic in Palmer and surrounding towns, and created
a wide spread interest.
CHAPTER XXII
FREE MASONRY
BY HENRY L. HINES
Organized ^Masonry was introduced into Hampden county
in 1796, just sixty-three years after its introduction into Massa-
chusetts. Previous to this date, however. Masonic meetings were
held at the homes of members of the craft, or in rooms set apart
for this purpose in the public taverns. At these meetings the
lectures would be rehearsed and the brethren were undoubtedly
( 464 )
FREE MASONRY
as perfect in the Avork as were those who had the advantage of
freijuent attendance on regular and special commnnications of
lodges.
Who were the first JMasons in the county will never be
known, nor can it be learned when the pioneers first began to
assemble at the homes of the brethren or in the little npper story
rooms in the taverns, to keep alive the interest in the work of the
society. That the degrees were conferred upon the pioneers in
Boston is practically certain, although some few may have been
made Masons in New York. No records are extant that throw
light on this, however.
The early brethren never dreamed of the possibilities of the
fraternity ! The most enthusiastic Mason of the early years
could not have realized the growth which years were to bring to
the order, nor the high position it was destined to hold in the
esteem of men. Those early craftsmen believed in the teachings
of Masonry, they lived up to those teachings, and laid the found-
ation on which others should build the magnificent structure
which to-day stands a lasting monument to their wisdom and
uprightness of life.
Perhaps it may not be out of place to briefly sketch the
history of the order in this country, as a preface to the history
of its introduction and growth in the county. In 1729, twelve
years after the revival of Masonry in England, a provincial
Grand Master was appointed for New Jersey. It cannot be
leai-ned, however, that this official did anything to spread the
teachings of the order. There are extant no records of lodges
instituted by him, but he maj' have organized a number in New
Jersey and New York. If such were organized they and their
records have long since ceased to exist.
In 1783 Lord Viscount Montacute, Grand Master of Eng-
land, commisioned Henry Price of Boston, Grand Master of
America. Masonry in this country therefore really dates from
that appointment, sixteen years after the revival in England.
Worshipful Grand Master Price was a man of action and an
enthusiastic Mason. Immediately upon receiving his commis-
sion he organized St. John's Grand lodge, the first grand lodge
30-1
( 465 )
OVR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
in the country. The same year, St. John's Grand lodge granted
a charter to St. John's lodge of Boston, the first "Blue" or sub-
ordinate lodge in the state, and so far as the records show, the
first in America.
In 1752 the Grand lodge of Scotland, claiming equal juris-
diction in the new world with the Grand lodge of England,
granted a charter to St. Andrew's lodge of Boston. This lodge
worked independently of St. John's Grand lodge, to which it
owed no allegiance. In 1769, assisted by three traveling lodges
in the British army, it organized a grand lodge in Boston, which
took the name Grand lodge of Massachusetts. Joseph AYarren
was elected its first Grand Master.
The result of the new Grand lodge, claiming jurisdiction in
the state, was not what its founders had hoped for. Naturally
ill feeling was engendered between the subordinate lodges and
between the Grand lodges, and the growth of the order was ac-
cordingly retarded. After tw^enty years of rivalry the wise men
of the two Grand lodges brought about a union of the two Grand
lodges, and the Grand lodge of the Most Ancient and Honorable
Society of Free and Accepted Masons for the commonwealth of
Massachusetts was the result.
With the union came the first marked forward move-
ment of the society which has spread to every section of the
country. In many of the smaller towns it had been impossible
to form lodges for the reason that while there were enough
Masons to support a lodge, they did not all own allegiance to the
same Grand lodge, and so could not affiliate to the degree neces-
sary to organize a lodge. But with the union effected, all were
supporters of the same Grand lodge, and could then organize
lodges.
The first lodge chartered after the union of the Grand
lodges was Morning Star lodge of Worcester, whose charter
bears date of 1793. the year following the union. This was the
fourth lodge chartered in the state, there being at this time three
lodges in Boston. In 1795 Republican lodge of Greenfield was
chartered and charters were also granted to lodges in Lee and
Great Barrington.
( 466 )
FREE MASONRY
In 1796, four years after the union of the grand lodges and
sixty-three after the organization of the first Grand lodge, twelve
Masons living in and near IMonson, petitioned the Grand lodge
for a charter. The petitioners had all been raised to the sublime
degree of Master Mason in Boston, and they were the leaders in
the community in which they lived.
Paul Kevere, of immortal fame, was at the time Grand Mas-
ter of the Grand lodge and his name appears on the charter
which was granted to Thomas lodge, and which is preserved with
jealous care by the lodge. The charter, the first granted to a
lodge in Hampden county, is here given in full because of its
historic value :
CHARTER
To all the fraternity to whom these presents shall come, the
Grand Lodge of the Most Ancient and Honorable Society of
Free and Accepted Masons, for the Commonwealth of Massachu-
setts, sends greeting : Whereas, a petition has been presented to
us by Samuel Guthrie, David Young. Peter AValbridge, Heze-
kiah Fiske, Ephraim Allen, Elisha AYoodward, Amasa Stowell,
John IMoore, David Peck, Zebediah Butler, Jesse Converse and
Isaiah Blood, Jun., all Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons,
praying that they, with such others as shall hereafter join them,
may be erected and constituted a lodge of Free and Accepted
Masons, which petition, appearing to us tending to the advance-
ment of jNIasonry and good of the craft ; Know ye therefore, that
we, the Grand Lodge aforesaid, reposing special trust and confi-
dence in the prudence and fidelity of our beloved brethren above
named, have constituted and appointed, and by these presents
do constitute and appoint them, the said Samuel Guth-
rie, David Young, Peter AYalbridge, Hezekiah Fiske, Ephraim
Allen, Elisha Woodward, Amasa Stowell, John Moore, Da\ad
Peck, Zebediah Butler, Jesse Converse and Isaiah Blood, Jun., a
regular lodge of Free and Accepted INIasons, under the title and
designation of Thomas lodge, hereby giving and granting unto
them and their successors, full power and authority to convene
as Masons within the town of Monson, in the county of Hamp-
( 467 )
OLE COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
den, and commonwealth aforesaid, to receive and enter appren-
tices, pass felloAvcrafts, and raise blaster jNlasons upon the pay-
ment of such moderate compensation for the same as may be
detennined by the said lodge ; also to make choice of master,
Avarden, and other office bearers, annually or otherAvise, as they
shall see cause ; to receive and collect funds for the relief of poor
and distressed brethren, their Avidows or children, and in gen-
eral to transact all matters relating to Masonry Avhich may to
them appear to be for the good of the craft, according to the an-
cient usages and customs of Masons. And Ave do hereby require
the said constituted brethren to attend the Grand Lodge at their
quarterly communications, and other meetings by their Mastere
and Wardens, or by proxies, regularly appointed, also to keep a
fair and regular record of all their proceedings, and lay them
before the Grand Lodge Avhen required. And Ave do enjoin upon
our brethren of the said lodge, that they may be punctual in the
quarterly payments of such sums as may be assessed for the sup-
port of the Grand Lodge. That they behave themselves respect-
fully and obediently to their superiors in office, and in all other
respects conduct themseh'es as good Masons, and Ave do hereby
declare the precedence of the said lodge in the Grand Lodge and
elseAA'here to commence from the date of these presents.
In testimony Avhereof, Ave, the Grand ^Master and (4 rand
Wardens, by virtue of the poAver and authority to us committed,
haA'e hereunto set our hands, and caused the seal of the Grand
Lodge to be affixed, at Boston, this December, the thirteenth day,
Anno Domini ISIDCCLXXXXVI, and of Masonry 5796.
Paul Revere, G. M.
Samuel Dunn, D. G. M.
Isaiah Thomas. G. S. W.
Joseph Laughton, J. W.
Attest: Daniel Oliver, Grand Secretary.
Thomas lodge adopted the name of the Grand Senior War-
den, Isaiah Thomas, Avho afterAvard Avas for a number of years
Grand ^Master. He acknowledged the honor conferred upon him
by the lodge by pi'esenting to it a set of jewels for the officers,
and he also bequeathed -^100 to the lodge which was paid from
( 468 )
FREE MASONRY
his estate. Thomas lodge secured quarters in the upper rooms
of the new tavern whicli had just been completed by William
Norcross, but the lodge rooms were not dedicated until 1800.
This place of meeting was occupied by the lodge until 1835, when
the charter was surrendered. During the first two years sixty-
five were admitted to membership, but the records of the lodge
do not cover those years and it is not known how many were
made Masons and how many admitted by affiliation.
Dr. Samuel Guthrie was the first master of the lodge and he
served until 1802. The year 1819 is an interesting one to the
members of the lodge as that j^ear four clergymen, who later in
life became very prominent, were made Masons. These were
Kev. Alfred Ely and Eev. Dr. Simeon Colton of Monson, and
Eev. Dr. Hosea Ballon, 2d, and Rev. Dr. Benjamin M. Hill of
Stafford, Conn. Dr. Hill carried Masonic enthusiasm to New
Haven when he removed to that city, and he was largely instru-
mental in the organization in that city of the commandery of
Knights Templar. Dr. Colton became president of Clinton col-
lege, and Dr. Ballou became the first president of Tufts college.
Thomas lodge thrived, and from its organization up to 1835
it added 250 names to its membership roll. In that year, the
anti-Masonic feeling had become so strong in the town, many
members withdrew from the lodge from reasons of policy, and
the few faithful deemed it wise to surrender the charter. In
January, 1835, thirty members, all that remained of the member-
ship, met and sadly wound up the affairs of Thomas lodge.
The Bible and cushions were given to Rev. Dr. Ely, the
venerable chaplain, and it was voted that the jewels remain in
the possession of the officers last elected to wear them. As there
was a balance of $227.55 in the treasury, this was divided into
thirty shares, one for each member to use as a charity fund.
The charter was surrendered, the lights put out, and what was
supposed to be the last meeting of Thomas lodge was closed in
form.
But Masonry was not dead ! In 1856, the wave of opposition
to the society having subsided, ten former members of Thomas
lodge petitioned the Grand lodge to restore its charter, and per-
( 469 )
OVR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
mit it to remove to Palmer. The Grand lodge, welcoming the
revival of the spirit of Masonry, granted the petition, restored
the charter, and authorized the lodge to meet in Palmer. On
October 11, 1856, the lodge was reorganized. Joseph L. Rey-
nolds, who was master of the lodge at the time of the surrender
of the charter, headed the petition for its restoration and occu-
pied the chair in the East at the reorganization. In 1896 the
lodge celebrated its 100th birthday, the Grand lodge being
present to assist and share in its celebration.
The second lodge chartered in the county was Sylvan lodge
of Southwick, in 1807. Three years later the lodge removed to
AVest Springfield, and changed its name to Friendly Society
lodge. In West Springfield the lodge met in rooms on the second
floor of the old tavern building which stands near the western
end of the common. After its removal, for a few years the lodge
grew in membership, but several members withdrew in 1817 to
form Hampden lodge of Springfield, and from that time the
lodge lost ground. Very few members were admitted after 1817,
and w'hen the anti-Masonic sentiment became pronounced in 1838
the few members who had labored for the life of the lodge "were
forced to give up the struggle, and the charter was surrendered.
Hampden lodge of Springfield, the third lodge chartered in
the county, was the outgrowth of a feeling that there was a field
for such in the rapidly growing town. Col. Roswell Lee, com-
mandant at the United States armory, was an enthusiastic Mason
and he was instrumental in bringing about the formation of the
new lodge. The initiative was taken in 1816, a petition for a
charter was signed and forwarded to the Grand lodge, and a
dispensation was granted for work. The charter was granted
in 1817, and the first meeting under it was held March 11, 1817,
The charter members whose names appeared on the charter were
Koswell Lee, George Colton, John Hawkins, AYarren Church,
Diah Allen, John New^berry, Chester C. Chappell, Joseph Hop-
kins, Ezra Osborn, jr.. Alba Fisk, Joel Brown, John Burt, Will-
iam H. Foster and Stephen Coally, jr.
Colonel Lee was elected the first master of the lodge. Justice
Willard, senior warden, Elisha Tobey, junior warden, George
Colton, secretary, John HaAvkins, treasurer.
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FREE MASONRY
The meetings of the lodge were held in the old Hampden
house, which stood at the corner of Main and West Court streets.
Later the Carew building was erected at the southeast corner of
Main and State streets, the site of the present Masonic temple,
and to this the lodge removed, the building being erected princi-
pally for its accommodation. This was the first building in the
county and possibly in the state, erected for a Masonic home.
In 1827 the Masonic hall at the corner of State and Market
streets was completed and was occupied by the lodge and the
other Masonic bodies in the city. On May 12, 1874, the lodge
held, its first meeting in the rooms which the Masonic bodies had
fitted up in the Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance company's
building on Main street. These rooms were occupied until the
removal to the temple, the present home.
In common with other Masonic bodies in the country, Hamp-
den lodge felt the effect of the anti-Masonic sentiment, which,
beginning in 1826, grew more bitter during the following years,
until it required no little moral courage to proclaim one's self a
Mason, and in full accord with the teachings and practice of the
order. As an illustration of the effect of this sentiment, Hamp-
den lodge admitted twenty-four members in 1826, nine in 1827,
only three in 1828, one by affiliation in 1829, and one each in the
following two years. It is, therefore, little wonder that the
lodge ceased to work. For fourteen years, from 1832 to 1846,
no work w^as done. A few members met once a year, in secret,
and elected officers.
In 1834 the Grand lodge ordered that the charters of all
lodges not working be surrendered. Several of the members of
Hampden lodge favored complying with the demand of the
Grand lodge, but the majority of the faithful were of a different
opinion. At a meeting held September 17, 1834, the lodge
passed the following resolution :
"Resolved, That Ave will never consent to be deprived of our
rights and privileges, which belong to us as free citizens of a free
country, and in our opinion it is not expedient or necessary that
the Masonic charter should be surrendered and cancelled."
Some of the members held that this resolution was an act of
insubordination, and it was feared that the charter Avould be
( 471 )
01' R COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
stolen and forwarded b^- some of these to the Grand lodge.
Ocran Dickinson, one of the staunch members of the fraternity,
who was opposed to the surrender of the charter, secured posses-
sion of it and secretly placed it in the vault of one of the Spring-
field banks. The secret of its hiding place was faithfully kept
and it is donl)tful if he took any one into his confidence in the
matter.
A few faithful members held secret meetings during the
fourteen years of Masonic darkness, but these meetings were
solely to keep alive the love of each member for the order. The
time and place of meeting was known only to the few, and those
not informed supposed that Masonry was dead.
In 1846 the lodge began holding regular meetings. The
charter long hidden was brought to light and placed in the hands
of the master. With the revival came renewed life for the lodge.
Men prominent in public and business life enrolled as members
of the society. Forty-four members have been elected to the
office of master of the lodge. Of these eighteen are now living.
On the evening of March 11, 1901, the lodge celebrated its S-tth
birthday, and the occasion was graced by the presence of the
Grand lodge. Grand Master Charles T. Gallagher, on behalf of
the lodge, presented to the living pastmasters, pastmasters'
jewels. This was something unique in the history of Masonry in
the country, and an occasion long to be remembered by the mem-
bers, and by the many visitors present on the occasion.
The fourth lodge in the county was not chartered until 1848.
Anti-Masonry Avas dead. It had died a lingering death, but like
a storm it had cleared the atmosphere. Masonry had outlived
the bitter sentiment which raged against it, and was no longer
under the ban of popular condemnation. Chicopee lodge was
the fourth lodge chartered in the county.
Two years later, in 1848, Mt. Holyoke lodge was chartered.
S. K. Hutchinson, Hez Hutchins, K. S. Buss, U. AY. Quint. Sam-
uel Oliver, Samuel Flinn, Charles Mason and William Gevat
signed the petition for the charter. S. K. Hutchinson was elect-
ed the first master of the lodge. In all twenty-six brothers have
been elected to the chair. Five years ago the lodge rented quar-
( 472 )
FREE MASONRY
ters on High street i'or a term of ten years. Two floors of the
block are used for hxlge purposes. The charter bears the names
of Edward A. liaymond. (irand Master, and Charles AV. ]\Ioore.
Grand Secretary.
In 1855 a movement was set on foot for a lodge in AVestfield.
P. H. Boise, a member of ]\lt. Tom lodge, E. V. Greene, W. A.
Johnson, L. B. AYalkley, Henry Loomis, C. H. Rand, A. Camp-
bell, 2d, G. L. Laflin and John Avery, all members of Hampden
lodge, and F. Fowley. a memlxn- of Apollo lodge of Siiffield. Ct.,
petitioned for a charter, which was granted for the lodge to be
known as Mount Moriah lodge. The lodge was instituted Feb-
ruary 12, 1856. P. H. Boise was elected master. Of the ten
charter members, two, W. A. Johnson and L. B. Walkley, became
masters of the lodge. In all twenty-two members have been
elected to the chair. Since its institution the lodge has made 523
Masons and its present membership is 308. Its pleasant lodge
rooms are situated on the fifth floor of Parks block.
Thomas lodge having removed from JNIonson to Palmer at
the revival, the INIasons of Monson felt the need of a lodge more
easy of access, and in 1862 a charter was granted for Day Spring
lodge. This lodge, which has a membership of over eightj", occu-
pies the fleld formerly held by Thomas lodge, but its jurisdiction
is much smaller.
Hampden lodge of Springfield having grown with years, in
1864 a second lodge was instituted in the city. This lodge
adopted the name of Roswell Lee in honor of the first master of
Hampden lodge. Ezekiel Clarke was elected the first master.
Hampden lodge had favored the institution of the new lodge and
aided it in many ways during its first years. The lodge thus
started under the most favorable circumstances. From its start
to the present time there has been a constant acquisition of mem-
bers, until to-day it is the largest lodge in the state, its member-
ship being over 560. Twenty-two masters have presided over the
lodge. Among the treasures of the lodge is a Bible which Avas
presented to it by the late 0. H. Greenleaf. On this over seven
hundred members had been obligated at the time it was placed
in a cal)inet for preservation, a new Bible having been purchased
by active members of the lodge and presented to it in 1899.
( 473 )
OVR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
Belcher lodge of Chicopee was chartered in 1870. The same
year Rev. Dr. E. Cooke and eighteen other Masons in Wilbra-
ham Mere granted a charter for Newton lodge. Brother Cooke
was elected the first master.
The first meeting of the Masons of AVilbraham to consider
the matter of forming a lodge was held at the office of Dr. Steb-
bins Foskit, October 6, 1870. Other meetings were held there
and at the office of Rev. Dr. Edward Cooke, principal of Wes-
leyan academy. The first meeting after the dispensation w'as
held in Binney hall, one of the academy buildings, on November
2, 1870. The first meeting in the present lodge rooms was held
January 4, 1871. The charter members of the lodge were Rev.
Dr. Edward Cooke, Dr. S. Foskit, C. G. Robbins, AV. H. Day,
J. AY. Green, J. S. Morgan, E. Jones, E. B. Newell, W. F. Mor-
gan, L. J. Potter, AY. L. Collins, A. Boothby, C. M. Parker, AY. M.
Green, AY. Kent, D. A. Atchinson, H. H. Calkins, and AA^. T.
Eaton. About one-half of the charter members withdrew from
Hampden lodge of Springfield to form Newton lodge. The lodge
started Avith nineteen charter members and received by affiliation
thirteen and has made 131 Masons. The present membership is,
however, but fifty-three.
One night in 1875 there was considerable excitement in New-
ton lodge, caused by a fire in the barn of one of the charter mem-
bers, Dr. Foskit. The barn was near the lodge rooms and the
fire threatened to spread to the nearby buildings. About forty
brothers were in the hall and most of these were excused at once
and rendered efficient service in putting out the fire. After they
withdrew the lodge was regularly closed in form with only the
traditional number present.
In 1891 the Masons in Ludlow applied for a charter for a
lodge and a dispensation was granted and meetings held. In
1892 the charter was issued and the lodge instituted. It took the
name of Brigham in honor of the long time superintendent of the
Ludlow mills. Of the charter members about twenty-seven with-
drew from New^ton lodge to form Brigham. The other charter
members were members of the Springfield lodges.
The two lodges in Springfield had grown to such member-
ship that in 1894 a movement was set on foot for a third lodge
( 474 )
FREE MASONRY
and several Masons applied for a charter. This was granted and
in 1895 Springfield lodge was instituted. Harry W. Haskins,
who had been senior warden of Roswell Lee lodge, was elected
master of the new lodge. Brother Haskins is now the district
deputy grand master for the sixteenth Masonic district, receiv-
ing his appointment from the hands of the Grand Master.
The organization of Hampden lodge of Masons in Spring-
field was the signal for further advance in organized Masonry in
the county. As numerous Masons had received their Master
JNIason's degree in Boston, so several had advanced in the higher
degrees in the same city.
At a meeting of Chapter members held on September 15,
1817, it was voted to apply to the Grand chapter for a charter.
The petition for a charter met with favor in the Grand chapter
and a dispensation was issued forthwith. Morning Star chapter
was organized under this dispensation and Avorked under it until
June 29, 1818, Avhen the charter was granted. This charter, the
first issued for a chapter in Hampden county, was signed by
Andrew Sigourney, Grand High Priest of the Grand Royal Arch
chapter. The charter members were Rev. Dr. Samuel Osgood,
for many years pastor of the First Congregational church in
Springfield, Roswell Lee, commandant at the United States
armory, Warren Church, John B. Kirkham, Alexander Stocking,
Gideon Burt, jr., Arnold Jenckes, Joseph Bucklew, Thomas
Knight and AVilliam Sizer.
Dr. Osgood was elected the first high priest and held the
office two years, when he was elected chaplain, an office he filled
with zeal for a period of twenty-seven years, from 1819 to 1847.
Col. Roswell Lee was the second high priest and he served five
years with an interim of one year.
Ocran Dickenson, than whom no Mason was more zealous,
served the chapter as high priest twenty-two years, first from
1832 to 1846, in 1848, 1851, 1852, and 1853, 1857, 1858 and 1859.
Joseph Carew, the first treasurer of the chapter, served fourteen
years, and his successor in office, Charles Stearns, served sixteen
years. Thus it will be seen that in the early days of Masonry in
the county it was customary to give the officers as many terms as
( 475 )
OL'R COl'NTY AND ITS PEOPLE
they would accept, and that the workers did not drop out of har-
ness with passing the chairs.
In 1817, the first year of its life, and while working under
dispensation, the chapter conferred the degrees on twenty-six
candidates. In 1818 thirteen w'ere made Royal Arch Masons in
the chapter. From 1827 to 1847, or during the tAventy years of
Masonic trials, the chapter conferred degrees on only three can-
didates.
It was not until 1863 that the second chapter was instituted
in the county. Morning Star chapter had exclusive jurisdiction
over the capitular work in the county and when the petition for
a charter for Mount Holyoke chapter at Holyoke was referred to
the old chapter by the Grand chapter. Morning Star voted in
favor of it. Accordingly in 1865 the charter issued. The new
chapter started oft' wdth twenty-one members, and its present
membership is 210. Since its institution it has made 396 Roj^al
Arch Masons. Its first meeting was held June 13. 1865. Seven-
teen companions have been elected to preside over the chapter as
high priests.
Six years later, in 1871. Evening Star chapter was instituted
in Westfield, twenty members of Morning Star chapter with-
drawing from the mother chapter to form the new. The charter
bears the date of June 5, 1871. Only six of the charter members
are living. The present membership is 138. Since its institu-
tion the chapter has exalted 202 companions. Unity chapter was
instituted in Chicopee Falls four years later. The year follow-
ing the institution of Mount Holyoke chapter, in 1864, Hampden
chapter was instituted in Palmer.
Springfield Council Royal and Select Masons was instituted
in 1818, one year after Morning Star chapter Royal Arch
IMasons. The charter bears date of May 28, 1818, and is
signed with the name of Jeremy L. Cross, Deputy Grand
Puissant. It was issued under authority of the Northern
Masonic jurisdiction of North America at Baltimore, Md. The
charter authorized Roswell Lee to act as the first Thrice Illus-
trious Deputy Grand Master, John Newbury Illustrious Deputy
Grand Master, and Warren Church Principal Conductor of work.
( 476 )
FREE MASONRY
The council has a membership approaching 500, and has con-
ferred tlie degrees upon over 800.
Holyoke council was the second instituted in the county.
This council was organized May 27, 1873, and its charter was
granted January 7, 1874. The council started with twenty-six
charter members. George Herbert Snnth was appointed first
Thrice Illustrious Master, William Sunnier Perkins first Deputy
Master and AVilliani (Jrover first Principal Conductor. The
first two are still living. In 1895, twenty-four members with-
drew to form AVilliam Parsons council in Northampton. The
present membership is 135.
Washington council was organized in Palmer the same year
as Holyoke council. A. Brysoii was the first Thrice Illustrious
Master, and six other members have held this high position.
Springfield Commandery Knights Templar is the only coin-
mandery in the county. Its present membership is more than
six hundred and it has numbered among its members many of
the leading citizens of the county. The movement for its organi-
zation was set on foot in the fall of 1825, there being a number
of Knights in Springfield and vicinity who had received their
knighthood in New York or Boston. On February 22, 1826, the
movement took shape, and a meeting was held in the old Masonic
hall M^hich stood at the corner of Main and State streets in
Springfield, the site of the present Masonic temple. At this
meeting it was decided to petition the Grand Encampment for a
charter. A petition already prepared was thereupon signed by
Koswell Lee, Henry Dwight, Alpheus Nettleton, John B. Kirk-
ham, Abiram Morgan, Major Goodsell, Arnold Jenckes, Amasa
Holcomb and Hezekiah Cady.
Village Encampment of Greenwich, having jurisdiction ovei*
the territory in which the new encampment desired to be created,
was requested to sanction the granting of a charter and its sanc-
tion was given. In June following the charter was granted, but
for some reason, unknown to the present generation of Knights
Templar, the charter was not signed until June 19, 1830. four
years later. However, the delay in signing the charter did not
operate to the disadvantage of the new^ organization, which has
( 477 )
1
i
Daniel Reynolds
A prominent Mason from 1826 till his death. Past Commander in 1866
FREE MASONRY
always ranked as of June 19, 1826. Its relative position in order
of precedence was retained -when the change was made from en-
campments to commanderies of Knights Templar.
Henry Dwight was the first Eminent Commander of the com-
mandery or encampment. The commandery flourished until 1831,
when in common with JNIasonic bodies it felt the anti-Masonic
sentiment so strongly that it apparently abandoned work. From
January 5, 1831, until July 4, 1851, the records are blank.
In 1851, Sirs James \Y. Crooks, John B. Kirkham, Ocran Dickin-
son, Daniel Keynolds, Amos Call and James H. Call succeeded in
reviving interest in the work, and from that date in July when
the first meeting for twenty years appears to have been held, the
interest in the knightly degrees has never flagged. But it was
in 1861, when the late Judge W. S. Shurtleff was elected Emi-
nent Commander, that the commandery took up the work with
■enthusiasm, his incumbency of the high office marking an epoch
in the history of the commandery.
It was not until 1866 that the Scottish Kites degrees were
conferred in Hampden county. AYith so many enthusiastic
Masons it was but natural that several should seek for added
Masonic light in the higher degrees as conferred in the Scottish
Kites bodies. Twelve 32d degree Masons secured a dispensation
to form a lodge of Perfection and confer the fourth to fourteenth
degrees inclusive, and the first meeting under this permission
was held February 1, 1866. The following month three candi-
dates were given degrees in the body. The first Thrice Potent
Grand Master was "\V. H. Spooner. The lodge has a member-
ship of more than 200. The charter, which was dated May 18,
1866, was destroyed by the fire in the Masonic home in the Massa-
chusetts Mutual Life Insurance building in 1891,
Massasoit Council Princes of Jerusalem, which confers the
fifteenth and sixteenth ineffable degrees, was formed in Spring-
field by eight 32d degree Masons, who met in the fall of 1867 and
petitioned for a charter. The first meeting under a dispensa-
tion granted then was held January 8, 1868. The charter which
was granted by the Supreme council of the 33d degree of the
Northern jurisdiction of the United States was dated May 19,
( 479 )
(Teorge W. Ray
FREE MASONRY
1868. This was lost in the tire of February 9, 1891. The coun-
cil has been prosperous since its organization and now has over
100 members. The late Albert E. Foth was the first Most
Equitable Sovereign Prince Grand Master.
The seventeenth and eighteenth degrees of the Ancient and
Accepted Scottish Rite, N. M. J. U. S. A. are conferred in
Springfield chapter of Rose Croix. This chapter was instituted
in 1894, its charter being granted September 20 of that year. Ed-
mund P. Kendrick, a 33d degree Mason, is at the head of this
chapter.
There are in the county a large number of Masons who have
received the 32d degree, and a smaller number who have received
the high Masonic honor of the 33d degree, a degree conferred for
special zeal or signal service for the institution of Masonry, and
accordingly prized as the summit of Masonry.
In the early days of Masonry in the county the meetings
were held in the day time. Usually the full of the moon was
selected as the time of meeting, that the members who came from
a distance could have its light to guide them on their way home
after the meeting. Probably the first evening meeting was held
in Springfield, but then 9 o'clock was set as the hour for closing
the lodge and the member who lingered w'as fined, the fine going
into the treasury of the lodge.
Another old custom was the charging of a fee for attend-
ance. This method was employed to raise the funds necessary
for the support of the lodge and its charities. After the adop-
tion of the plan of annual dues, in many of the lodges visitors
were required to pay a small fee.
Under the present system regular annual dues are paid by
the members, excepting that in several of the bodies the retiring
presiding officer is made an honorary member and exempt from
future pajanent of dues. Some of the bodies also provide that
members who have for a term of thirty years paid dues shall
thereafter be exempt from payment.
The charity disbursed by the Masonic bodies is wide, but no
record of it is written, the scriptural injunction "Let not your
right hand know what the left doeth," being literally carried out
in this connection.
31-1 ( 481 )
01 R COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
A lasting inoiuinient to the society is the beautiful Masonic
temple which graces the corner of Main and State streets in
Springfield. On February 9, 1891, the rooms occupied by the
various Masonic bodies in the INIassachusetts Mutual Life Insur-
ance company building on Main street were partially destroyed
by fire. The loss included many of the records, the parapher-
nalia and other property of the bodies. The loss suggested the
idea of a Masonic temple and steps were taken at once to this end.
The estimated expense of the building was $125,000. The build-
ing cost $72,000. The corner-stone was laid by the Grand lodge
October 21, 1892. The building fronts 105 feet on Main street
and 68 feet on State street, and is five stories high. Beside two
lodge rooms, an armory, ample ante-rooms and banquet hall with
kitchen annexed, there are club rooms occupied by the Masonic
club, an organization supported by the several bodies.
ODD FELLOWSHIP'
On April 26, 1819, in the monumental city of our land, five
men gathered in the upper chamber of a tavern now known as
the "Seven Stars," and there and then with a few preliminary
arrangements the era of American Odd Fellowship had its be-
ginning. The lodge they organized was known as Washington
lodge, No. 1, with Thomas Wildey as noble grand and John
Welch as vice-grand. A charter was received Oct. 23, 1819,
from the Duke of York's lodge in the county of Lancaster, Eng-
land. On Feb. 7, 1821, a meeting of the committee of past
grands was held to consider the organization of a Grand lodge,
and Washington lodge was requested to surrender its charter.
This was done on Feb. 22, 1821, and the organization of the
Grand lodge was effected Feb. 9, 1822, with Thomas AVildey,
grand master ; John P. Entwistle, deputy grand master ; W. S.
Couth, grand warden, and John AVelch, grand secretary.
'Compiled by Charles L. Young, Past Grand Master, from records of the
order .and from data furnished by officers of subordinate lodges in Hampden
county. Col. Young's work has been largely that of collation and compilation,
and in many cases he has been supplied with meager data.
( 482 )
ODD FELLOWSHIP
The grand lodge of the United States was formed Jan. 15,
1825, from the Grand lodges of Maryland, Massachusetts, New
York and Pennsylvania, and the first officers were chosen as fol-
lows : Thomas Wildey, grand master ; John AYelch, deputy
grand master; "William Williams, grand secretary. At the an-
nual convention, April 25, 1826, the titles of officers were
changed to grand sire and deputy grand sire.
The numerical strength and condition of the order of Odd
Fellows on December 31, 1900, was as follows: Sovereign Grand
lodge, 1: Quasi Independent Grand lodges (Australasia, Den-
mark, Germany, Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland) 6;
Grand lodges, 66 ; Grand encampments, 55 ; Subordinate lodges,
12,347 ; Subordinate encampments, 2,683 ; lodge members, 944,-
372 ; encampment members, 135,209 ; Rebekah lodges, 5,605 ; Re-
bekah lodge members, 351,526. In the year 1900 there was ex-
pended for relief the aggregate sum of $8,989,063.52,
The Grand lodge of Massachusetts was instituted June 11,
1823, by Thomas Wildey, then grand master but later grand sire,
in the city of Boston. The first officers of the grand lodge were:
Daniel Hersey, grand master; Henry Solomon, deputy grand
master ; James B. Barnes, grand warden ; William Bishop, grand
secretary.
For a time prosperity seemed to come from every direction
until the legislature passed a law making it a penal offense for
any person to ' ' administer or take an oath, affirmation or obliga-
tion in the nature of an oath." The Grand lodge of the United
States, in order to assist the brethren out of these legal difficul-
ties, adopted a resolution to the effect "that so long as the law
of Massachusetts relating to illegal oaths remains in force the
lodges of Massachusetts be authorized to admit members, confer
degrees and install officers on the pledge of honor and that the
oath be dispensed with."
In 1883 the charter of the Grand lodge was reclaimed and
the subordinate lodges reported directly to the Grand lodge of
the United States. On December 23, 1841, the charter was re-
stored, the Grand lodge was re-established and the following offi-
cers were installed : Daniel Hersey, grand master ; Thomas
( 483 )
OVR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
Barr, deputy grand master ; Aaron Andrews, grand warden ; Al-
bert Guild, grand secretary and treasurer.
The present membership of the Massachusetts Grand lodge
is 52,781. There was expended for relief in 1901, $118,269.17.
Grand Encaynpment. — In Massachusetts the work of the
Encampment branch began before the ifastitution of this Grand
body, and five encampments— Massasoit, No. 1, Tri-Mount, No.
2, Menotomy, No. 3, Monomake, No. 4, and Bunker Hill, No. 5—
were working under dispensations from the Grand lodge of the
United States granted in 1843. Members of all these encamp-
ments joined in the petition for a charter for a Grand encamp-
ment in Massachusetts ; and on March 22, 1844, they met at Odd
Fellows hall, 223 Washington street, at 3 p. m., for the purpose
of institution.
Those named in the record as being present were P. C. P.
Daniel Hersey, P. C. P. Hezekiah Prince, and P. H. P. Robert L.
Bobbins of Massasoit, No. 1, P.C.P. Edward Tyler of Tri-Mount,
No. 2, P. C. P. Daniel Dodge and P. H. P. Josiah C. Waldo of
Menotomy, No. 3, P. C. P. Thomas Barr and P. H. P. James M.
Stone of Monomake, No. 4, and P. C. P. Samuel R. Slack and P.
H. P. John S. Ladd of Bunker Hill, No. 5, together with a num-
ber of R. P. D. members.
The dispensation from the Grand lodge of the United States
having been read, the R. W. D. D. G. Sire Albert Guild an-
nounced the petitioners present a legally constituted Grand en-
campment.
The following officers Avere then elected : Daniel Hersey,
grand chief patriarch; Echvard Tyler, grand high priest;
Thomas Barr, grand senior warden ; Samuel Slack, grand scribe ;
Hezekiah Prince, grand treasurer; John S. Ladd, grand junior
warden.
The grand patriarch appointed James M. Stone, grand sen-
tinel, who was installed. The Grand encampment was then
closed upon the Royal Purple degree and opened on the Grand
encampment degree, in which the members were instructed. The
meeting was then adjourned till evening, opening in the Royal
Purple degree. It was ordered that none but P. C. P.'s and P.
( 484 )
ODD FELLOWSHIP
H. P.'s be admitted to membership until further instructions
from the Grand lodge of the United States ; that the grand treas-
urer be a committee to procure the use of Odd Fellows hall; that
the subordinate encampments be requested to make up returns
of their work to date, and forward the same to the R. W. D. D. G.
sire, and that a committee of three be appointed to procure a
seal. The meeting then adjourned to March 29, and from that
date to April 23, at which meetings a constitution and by-laws
were adopted and a committee for procuring a form of charter
for subordinate encampments was appointed. Massachusetts
has subordinate encampments with a total membership of 12,000.
The Rebekah State Assembly of Massachusetts was insti-
tuted in Friendship hall. Odd Fellows building, 515 Tremont
street, Boston, Dec. 14, 1898, by Alfred S. Pinkerton, grand sire.
He was assisted by William F. Dusseault, John U. Perkins, Geo.
H. Fuller, J. Lawrence Martin, Edwin L. Pillsbury, John Cork-
hill, Austin S. Estey, William M. Webber and Harvey Clark,
There were petitioners from 84 lodges.
The first officers were: President, Mary E. Nevins; vice-
president, Esther H. Faunce; warden, Clara E. Clark; secretary,
Sarah A. Barry; treasurer, Elmina P. Brown. The appointed
officers were : Marshal, Annali L. Batchelder ; conductor, Jean-
ette Dunham ; chaplain, Elsie L. Robinson ; inside guardian,
Harriet I. Hayward ; outside guardian, Florence Hurn.
SUBORDINATE LODGES, I. 0. O. F.
Hampden Lodge, No. 27. — Hampden lodge was instituted
February 7, 1844, with Addison Ware, James Henry, James M.
Thompson, Josiah Hunt, Albert C. Cole, Thomas Hassard, jr., as
charter members, all of whom are deceased. Present member-
ship, 725. This is the oldest subordinate lodge in Springfield,
and is naturally regarded as the mother of the subordinate
lodges. During the dark days of Odd Fellowship, when the
public maligned and abused the order, when it was loss of repu-
tation and loss of business to be known as a member of any
secret society, when lodges were mobbed, if openly approved, and
members were assaulted because faithful to their convictions, it
( 485 )
Eliphalet Trask
ODD FELLOWSHIP
was then that a few of Hampden's members crept closer together
in their bond of unity, and legitimately fought the forces of per-
secution until honor was redeemed and reputation made good.
To Hampden alone belongs the honor and glory of making and
preserving Springfield a centre of Odd Fellowship.
The growth of the Order since the tide of opposition has
turned is phenomenal. Hampden's membership has been taken
from every department of business and from Springfield's best
society. Instead of being a reproach to belong to the order it is
now considered a reliable endorsement of good character, for all
the virtues that Odd Fellowship teaches are worthy of acquisi-
tion. It has done a good part in maintaining Springfield's repu-
tation as being a noted center for skill and fine work in both
ritualistic and moral Odd Fellowship.
The present elective officers of the lodge are : N. G., Alvin
E. Richmond; V. G., William F. Schrader; Sec'y., William E.
Sanderson; Treas., M. M. Kendall; F. Sec'y., George F, Amidon.
De Soto Lodge, No. 155, was instituted ]\Iarch 9, 1871, with.
seven charter members. Its membership January 1, 1902, was
626. De Soto rapidly developed skill and dexterity in manag-
ing organizations and a taste for artistic decorative work. The
lodge purchased an elegant paraphernalia and also gave its de-
gree staff almost unlimited use of the funds. At this time the
reputation of De Soto's work was extending. From some source
it had reached the Grand Master's ear that De Soto was spend-
ing her funds recklessly. He therefore notified her that he
would make her an of^cial visit on a certain date in the future.
De Soto utilized the occasion by inviting Grand Sire White, of
Rochester, N. Y., Past Grand Sire Nicholson, of Philadelphia,
Pa., Grand Representative Geary of Baltimore, Md., and other
prominent Odd Fellows to be her guests on this occasion. They
all accepted the invitation and were present to witness the work.
After the guests had complimented the lodge by their approval
of the degree work the Grand Master said he had made his visit
with the expectation of disapproving the work, but its beauty
had completely conquered his objection, and he advised De Soto
to follow the motto on their banner, "Quod Facimus, Bene Facia-
mus" (What is worth doing is worth doing well).
( 487 )
OVR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
De Soto lodge has twice been honored by the election of a
grand master from her membership, Dr. W. "W. Gardner in 1880,
and Henry Denver in 1890. She has also had one of her mem-
bers on the board of trustees of the Odd Fellows home, F. A.
Barbour having held that office since 1895, and is now superin-
tendent of that institution, having been appointed to take charge
on the first of April, 1901.
The present elective officers are : N. G., Fred H. Weston ;
V. G., E. F. AVade ; Sec, L. W. White ; Fin. Sec, N. A. Holland ;
Treas., F. R. Sistare.
Amity Lodge, No. 172, was instituted September 15, 1875.
The following were the charter members : Fred A. Burt, F. A.
Norway, H. C. Burdick, S. H. Pratt, E. R. S. Stickney, W. D.
Davis, E. F. Pratt, J. H. Lewis, 0. W. Pratt, Willard Grover, S.
C. Couch, L. D. Robinson and R. H. Parker. At the first meet-
ing of the lodge G. F. Farmer from De Soto lodge, and J. H.
Haskins, G. H. Lapham, C. H. Emerson and S. B. Sexton from
Hampden lodge, were admitted by card.
The lodge was instituted by John U. Perkins, grand master,
assisted by the board of grand officers.
The lodge began its meetings in the old Masonic hall on
State street, and in June, 1876, removed to a hall over the Third
National bank, where it remained until 1882, afterward meeting
for a time in the old hall of Hampden lodge, where De Soto lodge
still meets. When Hampden lodge furnished its new hall in the
old court house, now known as Odd Fellows' hall, Amity lodge
began to meet there, and 'still continues to occupy Odd Fellows '
hall.
The first elective officers of the lodge were : N. G., Fred A.
Norway; V. G., J. H. Haskins; Secy., J. H. Lewis; Pin. Secy.,
G. H. Farmer; Treas., L. D. Robinson. At the last meeting in
November, F. A. Norway resigned, and J. H. Haskins was elected
noble grand for the remainder of his term, this being done for
the purpose of having a representative in the Grand lodge.
William H. Mullen became a member May 9, 1877, and was
killed in December of the same year, in San Francisco, by falling
from the veranda of a hotel, and, being unknown, the body was
( 488 )
ODD FELLOWSHIP
about to be buried by the city when his traveling card from Am-
ity lodge was discovered. The lodge was notified and the re-
mains brought back to Springfield and buried with the honors
of the order.
In 1886 six members withdrew and organized Tekoa lodge at
West Springfield.
The present membership numbers 410. The officers are:
N. G., F. H. Haskins: V. G., Geo. H. Coburn ; Secy., H. E.
Corry; treasurer, W. A. Hatch.
Bay Path Lodge, No. 234.— In the autumn of 1895, a senti-
ment prevailed among a few Odd Fellows who resided in Spring-
field, "but holding membership elsewhere," that there was room
enough for another lodge in our beautiful city. Accordingly a
petition was drawn up and signed by eighteen Odd Fellows (not
one of whom was a member of either of the lodges in our city).
This petition was sent to the Grand lodge, asking for a charter,
which was duly granted. A charter list of 27 card members and
184 initiates was obtained.
The Grand Lodge officers were present March 18, 1896, and
instituted Bay Path lodge in the hall on Worthington street. The
following officers were elected and installed into their respective
offices by the grand officers : Noble Grand, George T. Allen ;
vice grand, Charles H. Graves ; R. Secy., Alonzo T. Hussey ; Fin.
Secy., Charles H. Edwards ; Treas., Ernest L. Thompson. The
harmony that existed from the time this lodge started until the
present time has been true. At the very beginning Hampden
lodge desired the new lodge to start on a foundation that would
stand, and a beautiful Holy Bible was presented to Bay Path
lodge.
Permission was granted by the Grand lodge to work the
three degrees in one evening, March 19. The first degree was
worked by Amity lodge, No. 172, with 23 men on 161 candidates,
in Hampden lodge hall. The second degree was worked by Te-
koa lodge of AYest Springfield, by 21 men on 161 candidates. The
third degree was worked by Hampden lodge on 160 candidates.
The work has been carried on by Bay Path lodge in a very credit-
able manner since its organization. During the Spanish- Amer-
( 489 )
OUK COUMY AXD ITS PEOPLE
ican war Bay Path lod^^e sent eight to the front, four out of the
number having died, viz. : Bros. Harry G. Vesper, Paul P. Ves-
per, Thomas C. Boone and Henry C. Bowen. Bay Path lodge
has lost 11 by death since its organization. The lodge changed
its location on September 1, 1899, from its Worthington street
hall to the G. A. R. ]\Iemorial building. Court street. Great in-
terest is taken by the members in the work as is evidenced by the
large numbers who attend the meetings each week. The work
is still progressing. (Ti-eat efforts are being put forth to im-
prove the work. Since coming into its new hall the brothers and
officers are more enthusiastic, and one and all are striving to gain
the topmost round of perfection.
The present membership to January 1, 1902, is over 300.
Bay Path lodge has connected with it an association, knoMm
as Bay Path Instant Relief association. It is simply for its own
members. When a brother dies, instead of waiting for a regu-
lar meeting, the treasurer immediately draws a check and pays
over to the proper persons.
The present officers are : N. G., S. L. Stanley ; V. G., B. D.
Nash ; Secy., A. T. Hussey ; Treas., AY. A. Ody ; Per. Secy., H. R.
Hooper.
Agaicam Encampment, No. 25, was instituted at Springfield
on January 6, 1847, with the following as charter members :
James M. Thompson, George W. Wilson, Addison Ware, George
Smith, William Hankerson, John F. Comstock, A. A. Upson,
John Grant, Thomas A. Lewis, Benjamin K. Bliss. Samuel D.
Holman, Jasper R. Rand, Lyman Lewis, Charles Diekerman and
Henry F. Gardner.
Of these fifteen charter members but one is now living; our
venerable and worthy brother and patriarch, George Smith.
The first elective officers installed into office were James
M. Thompson, C. P. : John F. Comstock, H. P. ; Addison Ware,
S. W. : George W. Wilson, S. ; Samuel D. Holman, T., and Wil-
liam Hankerson, J. W.
From that time until the present, the growth of Agawam eu-
campraent has been steady and continuous ; and from a member-
ship of thirty-two, at its beginning, it has at this time 415 mem-
( 490 )
ODD FELLO^ySHIP
hers ill good standing. In financial and numerical strength it
ranks the second in this jurisdiction ; while its reputation for
business inanagement and conducting its degree ^vork is second
to none.
The present officers are F. H. Cooke. C. P. : S. L. May, S.
AV. ; Geo. 0. Bartlett, J. W. ; R. B. Hopkins, H. P. ; E. E. Lean-
der, Scribe ; W. H. Potter, F. Sec : E. W. Lathrop, Treas.
Springfield Encampment, No. 82, was instituted Friday,
June 24, 1898, in Bay Path hall on Worthington street, bj' Grand
Patriarch Charles C. Fuller, assisted by the board of grand offi-
cers.
The first officers of the encampment were C. L. Young,
C. P.; C. E. Fisk, S. W. ; Clarence A. Putney, J. W. ; R. E. Pad-
dock, H. P. ; C. H. Graves, T. ; M. O. Cowles, R. S. ; J. H. For-
sythe, F. S.
After the institution, supper was served at the Cooley hotel
and in the evening under the escort of Canton Chapin the officers
repaired to Hampden lodge hall, where Agawani encampment by
special request conferred the degree upon 70 members.
On Friday, August 26, 1898, Cabot encampment of Chicopee
consolidated with Springfield encampment, the ceremony being
performed by Grand Patriarch Charles C. Fuller. Robert E.
Paddock of this encampment bears the honored distinction of be-
ing a past grand patriarch.
The present officers are : C. P., A. T. Hussey : S. W., F. T.
Morton; J. W., E. L. Thompson; H. P., R. E. Paddock; R. S.,
M. 0. Cowles : F. S., J. H. Forsythe ; T., C. H. Graves.
Canton Chapin, No. 64. — On the evening of July 18. 1895,
Canton Chapin No. 64, Patriarchs Militant, Third battalion.
Third regiment, department of IMassachusetts, was instituted by
Department Commander General Frank Merrill and staff. The
officers of the canton were mustered in by INIajor C. H. Rust, as-
sisted by Major D. Maxwell and Captain 0. G. Nutting. At the
institution of the canton Col. W. E. Sanderson was installed as
commandant, a position which he held Avith credit to himself and
honor to the canton for four successive terms.
In 1889, owing to business engagements, he refused to stand
for re-election. Under Col. Sanderson's able leadership and
( 491 )
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
wise judicious counsels the canton prospered and made itself a
power that was felt in patriarchs militant circles, ever striving to
attain all that was noblest and best in this branch of the order.
His motto was "Onward." Col. Sanderson was ably assisted
in his effort by Chevaliers C. A. Leander and G. T. Allen, who
were mustered in as lieutenant and ensign.
Canton Chapin's membership has grown steadily since its
institution and now numbers 240 Chevaliers of all ranks.
The present officers are : Commandant, A. E. Richmond :
Lieutenant, David Ross; Ensign, C. H. Cutler; Clerk, F. R.
Allen; Accountant, "VV. 0. Bartlett.
Canton Spi'ingfield, No. 23.— On February 18, 1886, Canton
Springfield, No. 10, Patriarchs Militant, was organized as a
Grand canton, containing three component parts, by General
John C. Underwood. The first officers were : Captains, F. A.
Judd, E. W. Lathrop, T, A. Allen ; Lieutenants, J. L. Strong, E.
E. Estes, C. H. Rust ; Ensigns, W. C. Fielding, C. H. Lewis, W.
H. Potter; Clerk, James S. Ritchie; Accountant, W. M. Stevens.
On June 25, 1899, the Grand canton was reduced to a can-
ton and was officered as follows : Commandant, George F. Ami-
don ; Lieutenant, Oliver G. Nutting ; Ensign, William E. Sander-
son ; Clerk, James S. Ritchie ; Accountant, William H. Potter.
The present membership is nearly 150. Several of its mem-
bers have been honored with positions of trust: Charles L.
Young, colonel of the 3d regiment ; Francis L. Hosmer, second
lieutenant, colonel of the 3d regiment ; Isaac S. Berry, major of
the 2nd Battalion of the 3d regiment.
The present officers are : Commandant, George A. Barrus ;
Lieutenant, Edward H. Biggins; Ensign, Harry W. Stacy;
Clerk, Myron O. Cowles ; Accountant, William H. Potter.
Morning Star Rehel^ah Lodge, No. 9, was instituted March 8,
1870, with 18 charter members, Grand INIaster Samuel B. Krog-
man and Grand Secretary Charles D. Cole having charge of the
ceremonies.
The first noble grand was a brother, George Smith, who
served in that office through 1870 and 1871, and was elected to
that position for the term of 1873. For seven years the chair
( 492 )
ODD FELLOWSHIP
of noble grand was filled by H. C. Burdiek, F. B. Miller, William
Smith and Harrison Johnson.
The first lady noble grand was Mrs. Harriet S. Heath, who
served two years, 1878-9. Since that time the office has been
filled by sisters.
The office of vice-grand at the time the brothers served as
noble grand was filled by sisters. The first officers of the lodge
were George Smith, N. G. ; Mary Hankerson, V. G. ; Martha A.
Lee, K. S. ; Angie K. Brown, T. ; Mary M. Lee, F. S.
Three of the charter members are living and retain member-
ship in the lodge, George Smith and H. M. Wood and wife, Mrs.
Wood being one of the past vice-grands. Some of the officers
have served for years. Sarah Fernald, elected treasurer for
term of 1872, served in that office for sixteen years. Ellen C.
Spear was elected treasurer for the term of 1889 and still holds
that position. Mary G. Merritt, P. N. G., was elected financial
secretary for term of 1888, and has been serving each succeeding
term. Jeanette Dunham, P. N. G., is serving her sixth consecu-
tive year as secretary. The lodge has been honored in having
two of its members officers of the Massachusetts Kebekah conven-
tions, sisters Harriett S. Heath and Etta G. Garfield, and sister
Jeanette M. Dunham was the first conductor of the Rebekah State
assembly. Past Grand masters Dr. W. W, Gardner and Henry
Denver were also members of the lodge, the former still retaining
his membership. The grand officers of the state have favored
the lodge many times by visitations, and in 1888 the lodge was
honored by a visit from James B. Nicholson, past grand sire.
This lodge was the first to confer the work in the beautified
and dramatized form and received and did confer the degree not
only for sister lodges but for sister jurisdictions.
The present membership of the lodge is 420. The officers
for 1902 are: Lilian E. Lee, N. G. ; Mary Kimball, V. G. ;
Jeanette M. Dunham, R. S. ; Ellen C. Spear, T. ; ]\Iary G. Merritt,
F. S.
Lucy Wehh Hayes Behel-ah Lodge, No. 126, named in allu-
sion to the wife of one of our nation's presidents, was instituted
March 27, 1894, by Louis A. Cook, grand master. The charter
( 493 )
Oi'R COi'XTY AXD ITS PEOPLE
members were David Maxwell, P. (J.; Nellie INI. Maxwell, P. X.
G.; Grace I. Maxwell, Etta G. Garfield, P. N. G. : Stedman P.
Garfield, Hannah E. AVitt, AVilliam Terry, P. G. ; Emilie M.
Terry, P. N. G. ; Frank S. Leonard, P. G. ; Emma V. Leonard,
James R. Farrel, P. G. ; Ellen Farrell, Abbie S. Nichols, P. N.
G., and Charles L. Young, P. G. M. The institution took place
in Hampden hall. On the night of the ceremony fifty-three
members were admitted. Later on the meetings were held in
Bay Path lodge hall on Worthington street, and thence moved
to Memorial hall. The first noble grand was Emilie F. Terry.
The lodge from the night of its institution has been prosperous
and its present membership is 310. Its present officers are :
N. G., Louise Dearstyne : V. G., Elizabeth White ; P. N. G., Nellie
Sparks ; Chaplain, Elizabeth Hart ; Secy., Emma V. I^eonard ;
F. S., Lilla Hodge; Treas., Alice Cooley.
Woronoco Lodge, No. 74, of Westfield, was instituted June
23, 1845. by Albert Guild, grand master, assisted by Frederick
N, Nichols as grand secretary and J. D. Kinsman as grand war-
den. The charter members were Albert Clark, Alfred A. Up-
son, Robert M. Wilson, Isaac Stevens, Samuel D. Allen, John F.
Comstock, W. S. Huntoon and Hamilton F. Ketchum. The first
officers were: N. G., Albert Clark ; V. G., Alfred Upson ; S., Ham-
ilton F. Ketchum : T.. William S. Huntoon.
At the end of the first year there were 115 applications for
membership. During the early years of the lodge history, oppo-
sition arose against Odd Fellowship, and speakers were brought
to Westfield to show the wickedness of the order. Prominent
men, such as Hon. E. B. Gillett and Rev. Mark Trafton and
others, were assailed for being members of such a bad society.
Dr. Willis of Boston, in one of his addresses said "That it would
be better for Westfield if the town were in ashes than that there
should be permitted to live and thrive such a wicked organiza-
tion." It was said that those who came to scoff remained to
pray and the candidate who was used as a tool is now and has
been a member of the lodge for the past 40 years. Rev. Mark
Trafton was elected a member of congress. Later some 26 with-
drew from this lodge and formed Westfield lodge. No. 152. The
present membership 221.
( 494 )
ODD FELLOWSHIP
Wesifield Lodge, No. 152, was instituted Feb. 3, 1870, by
Thomas C. Porter, grand master; C'orlis Wadleigh, deputy grand
master : C'has. l). Cole, grand secretary ; Charles P. Haydeu,
grand treasurer, and A. B. Plimpton, grand warden. The num-
ber of charter members was twenty-nine. The first officers were
N. G., George Atwater; V. G., Wells Noble: Sec y., M. S. Shep-
ard; Treas., George Green; Per. Sec'yv M. S. Shepard. The
lodge has been very successful and prompt in the discharge of all
its obligations. The sick have been cared for, the widow and the
orphan have had cause to remember that husband and father was
an Odd Fellow. The lodge has been honored by having one of
its members on the grand lodge suite in the person of Kobert T.
Sherman, who served as grand guardian. The present officers
are: N. G., Henry G. Provin; V. G., Fred H. Shepard; Rec.
Sec'y-7 James C. Taylor; Treas., John L. Smith; Fin. Sec'y.,
John Boyle.
Eastern Star Eehekalt Lodge, No. 63, of AVestfield, was in-
stituted Feb. 28, 1888, by Robert Tabor, grand master, assisted
by the officers of IMorning Star lodge of Springfield.
The first officers of the lodge were : N. G., Jane E. Kings-
bury; V. G., Mable Nichols; R. S., Adaline Whitaker; F. S.,
Mary J. Bamblett; T., Margaret Burgherdt.
This lodge has a handsome paraphernalia and is especially
prominent in the excellent manner in which the degrees are con-
ferred.
The present officers are : N. G., Hattie Wheaton ; V. G.,
Emma Sheldon; R. S., May Whipple; T., Susan Osborne; F. S.,
R. M. Smith.
Tekoa Lodge, No. 138, of West Springfield, was instituted
May 1, 1885, by Grand Master Henry K. Braley, with eleven
charter members. The first officers were N. G., E. C. Mann ;
V. G., Daniel Flower; Sec, E. W. Tirrell : Treas., Peter Denno.
The lodge is well known for the able manner in which it
confers the degrees ; present membership, 175.
The present officers are : N. G., Herbert H. Whitting ; V. G.,
Henry Lamont : R. S., Geo. Miranville; F. S., Merrill E.
Streeter; T., Oscar T. Rolofe.
( 495 )
OVR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
Palmer Lodge, No. 190, of Palmer, Avas instituted August 7,
1879, by Albert Fessenden, grand master, and Charles D. Cole,
grand secretary. The charter members were 18. The present
membership is 156. The lodge erected a temple and occupied
it in July, 1895.
Present officers are : Charles D. Holden, noble grand ;
Charles R. Russell, vice-grand ; George H. Bray, secretary ; J.
Wesley Williams, treasurer.
Good Cheer RehekalL Lodge, No. 60, of Palmer, was insti-
tuted Nov. 22, 1887, by Robert Tabor, grand master, assisted by
Alfred S. Pinkerton, deputy grand master, and afterwards
grand sire, also J. M. Price, Chas, D. Cole and Julius Clark.
The first officers were Sarah A. Parkhurst, noble grand;
Ellen M. Holden, vice-grand; Mary E. Robinson, rec. secretary;
Alice M. Smith, treasurer.
The lodge has been very successful and has earned for itself
a reputation in the excellence of its Avork. Thirty-one persons
were present and took the obligation at its institution. The pres-
ent membership is 146.
The present officers are Mary E. Murdock, noble grand;
Alice M. Shaw, vice-grand ; Carrie B. Reed, rec. secretary ; Ellen
M. Holden, treasurer.
Samoset Lodge, No. 160, of Chester, was instituted Septem-
ber 17, 1872, with sixteen charter members: Joseph T. Gibson,
Newton D. Prentiss, Major A. Snow, John Truscott, Lewis C. In-
galls, Joseph C. Seagers, George HoUister, Leroy A, Wilcox, Paul
R. Towne, Horace M. Wilcox, George F. Higgins, Thomas
Simons, Albert E. Mixer, George H. Hapgood, Fred S. Otis and
Thomas Hambley. The first officers Avere Joseph E. Gibson, N.
G. ; Thomas Simons, V. G. ; Horace M. Wilcox, Secy. ; Paul R.
Towne, Treas,
The lodge now numbers sixty-five members, and is in all re-
spects a representative, progressive body. The officers for 1902
are as follows : Wilbur L. Hunt, N. G. ; Edward L. Cowles, V. G. ;
George H. Hapgood, Secy. ; Leroy A. Wilcox, Treas.
MoTison Lodge, No. 210, of Monson, was instituted by Henry
Denver, grand master ; James M, Price, grand warden ; Frank E.
( 496 )
ODD FELLOWSHIP
Ladd, grand marshal ; William Parkham, grand chaplain ; J.
Lawrence Martin, grand secretary. The first officers Avere
SimonTaylor, N. G. ; Dana INI. Dnstin, V. G. ; John Crass, Sec. ;
Frank A. Bills, P. S. ; Irving L. Tefts, Treas.
The present membership of the lodge is 77. The present
officers are M. C. Howe, N. G. ; G. L. Warriner, V. G. ; D. B.
Needham, Sec. ; F. A. Bills, P. S. ; H. M. Smith, Treas.
St. J oh n 's Lodge, No. 62, of Chicopee, was instituted INIarch
10, 1845, later surrendered its charter and was reinstituted
March 8, 1870. From that time to the present the lodge has
been prosperous, having a present membership of 142.
On October 1, 1889, about 20 members withdrew from the
lodge and started a new lodge in Chicopee Falls. The lodge
gained wide fame in the splendid manner in which it has con-
ferred the initiatory degree. Harmony and sociability are the
marked characteristics of St. John's. The present officers are
George H. Burnett, N. G. ; Carl K. McCoy, V. G. ; William R.
Crompton, Sec. ; John T. Lyon, P. S. ; Alexander Grant, Treas.
Chicopee Lodge, No. 115, located at Chicopee Falls, was in-
stituted by Henry Denver, grand master, assisted by the board of
grand officers. The first officers were : N. G., James H. Loomis ;
V. G., George D. Bartlett ; R. S., Henry W. Chapin ; P. S., Henry
H. Leonard ; Treas., Russell Markham. The present member-
ship is 95.
This lodge is well known for its hospitality and is often vis-
ited because of its known fraternal greetings and good cheer.
Its present officers are : N. G., William Henry West ; V. G.,
Fred Snape ; Sec'y-, Albert H. Hatfield; Treas., Walter J.
Burby; F. Sec'y-, Frank E. Bigelow.
Holyoke Lodge, No. 134, was instituted September 27, 1849,
by Grand Master- Samuel AVells of Northampton and Alfred
]\[udge of Boston as grand secretary. A large delegation of
members was present from Springfield and Northampton. The
petitioners were Addison S. Peck, Daniel E. Emerson, William
]\Ielches, Samuel H. Batchelder, Daniel Bowdoin, Benjamin Tay-
lor, Waldo Shattuck and Abraham Cassey. William Melcher
was elected noble grand, and Addison S. Peck, vice-grand. On
33-1
( 4i'7 )
o
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
Nov. 20, 1854, the lodge surrendered its charter. On May 5,
1855, a petition was sent to the grand lodge for a return of the
charter, and the same was returned Nov. 29, 1855. Owing to
circumstances beyond control, the charter was again surrendered
Jan. 10, 1857.
On March 5, 1875, the lodge was reinstituted by S. B. Krog-
man, grand master, with J. C. Porter as grand secretary. The
officers elected were N. G., E. B. Tibbetts ; V. G., W. E. Symes ;
R. S., E. W. Burns; Treas., Sam'l Snell; F. S., J. M. Sickman.
Bro. Samuel Snell was one of the first members of the lodge
and faithfully served as treasurer for over 25 years. The lodge
appreciated his services and presented him with a veteran's
jewel. The present officers are : N. G., A. H. Rice ; V. G., G. H.
Foster ; R. S., C. S. Roberts ; Treas., Geo. R. Smith ; F. S., G. H.
Burnham.
Glemvod BeheJiah Lodge, No. 104, of Holyoke, was insti-
tuted Nov. 4, 1899, by J. B. Crawford, grand master, assisted by
Louis A. Cook, L. Lawrence Martin, Charles A. Boynton, Austin
S. Estey, Joseph York, A. E. Steele and John W. Prouty. The
first officers were N. G., Myrtie M. Frissell; V. G., Martha E.
Dickenson; Sec, Addie M. Porter; F. S., Margaret W. Sargent;
Treas., Lillie M. Perry.
The lodge has been very successful and earned for itself a
good reputation for the excellence of its degree work. Its pres-
ent membership is 165. The present officers are N. G., Hattie
E. Caswell ; V. G., Edith Foster : Sec, Florence Brainerd ; Treas.,
Lucy F. Mooney ; F. S., Lilla Cutler.
Tuscarora Encampment, No. 30, of Holyoke, was instituted
Feb. 16, 1883, by Charles N. Alexander, grand patriarch, assisted
by Grand Scribe Charles D. Cole and Grand High Priest John U.
Perkins. The first officers were C. P., J. W. Prouty : S. W., A.
S. Alden ; H. P., J. AA' . Meacham ; J. W., J. B. Whitehouse ; Secy.,
S. A. Bugbee ; Treas., M. J. Kelly.
The present membership is 73. The encampment is in good
financial condition and has earned a good reputation in confer-
ring the various degrees. The present officers are C. P., Clar-
ence A. Bridges ; H. P., George A\^. Rogers ; S. A\^., J. M. Toefifert;
( 498 )
AGBICULTUEE
J. W., Chas. W. Diistiii; Secy., Geo. B. Sargent; Treas., Chas. S.
Roberts.
Canton Holyoke, No. 65, Patriarchs Militant.— The first
meeting in the interest of forming a canton of patriarchs mili-
tant in Holyoke was held Oct. 11, 1895. After a few prelimi-
nary arrangements the meeting adjourned to Oct. 23, 1895, for
mustering.
The mustering officer was general Frank M. Merrill, and the
canton was named Canton Holyoke, No. 65. F. L. Brown was
elected the first commandant. The canton was mustered in
with twenty-five members, and though a number have been
added, death and change of residence has reduced their number
to twenty-two. The first cantonment was held Nov. 27, 1895.
Cantonments have been regularly held on the second Monday
evening of each month. The canton has been honored in hav-
ing one of its members elected to the office of major, in the person
of J. R. Mooney. Captain J. L. McKemmie is the present com-
mandant, and Chevalier C. A. Bridges, clerk.
CHAPTER XXni
AGRICULTURE OF HAMPDEN COUNTY'
The history of any county cannot be complete without an
account of its agriculture.
The distinguished ethnologist, Charles Pickering (Harvard,
1823), has maintained that "The History of the progress of man-
kind can be distinctly traced to the extension of the areas of cul-
tivated plants."
The early settlers of this section brought with them from
England the customs of that country, many of which it was
found — sometimes by sad experience — could not be applied to
the new conditions. They soon learned from the aborigines the
importance of the Indian corn crop, and copying their crude
iRy Ethan Brooks, of West Springfield.
( 499 )
OVR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
methods of cultivation, were generally suecessfnl with this as a
staple product for the support of both man and beast.
There being no market in which either to buy or to sell, these
settlers were forced to procure from the soil as far as possible
the necessaries of life. All mechanics and all professional men
Avere in a large degree farmers.
Exchange of produce was common. Meats, grains and fruits
were passed from one family to another, the like to be returned
at mutual convenience, and the village mechanic, if kept busy at
his trade, Avas paid for his services in general farm produce, and
the clergyman, the schoolmaster and the doctor saw little ready
cash.
No farm was without its tlock of sheep, and few if any were
without their fields of flax ; and the thrifty housewife and her
equally thrifty daughters could card and spin and dye and knit
and weave and cut and sew the wool and the flax into articles of
comfort and of beauty. Fruits were dried for winter use. The
long autumn evenings as a rule Avere spent in some occupation
conducive to the welfare of the family.
Beeves Avere slaughtered late in autumn, and after dividing
Avith neighbors, a goodly portion Avas ''put doAA^n" (salted) for
future use, Avhile the talloAV Avas made into candles Avhich came
to supersede the pine knot for illuminating purposes. Hides
and skins Avere taken to the village to be tanned for one-half of
the leather — the farmer's half in turn being taken to the shoe-
maker and harness-maker to be Avorked up for the needs of the
family and the farm. Sometimes the shoemaker brought his
bench to the farmer's home and made up the annual supply of
shoes, and generally the tailoress and the dressmaker came to the
home to do their Avork.
Gradually passable roads Avere Avorked and occasionally
streams Avere bridged, making possible the introduction of the
stage coach and leading to the cultivation of such crops as could
find an outlet to the country tavern— established in every toAA^n—
or to the rivc' for transportation to the seaport.
The earliest cash products of the farm Avere hemp, flax and
Avool.
( 500 )
AGRICULTURE
Large apple orchards were planted, affording an abundance
of fruit, though the choice varieties known now had not in those
early days been developed— the crop being used largely for mak-
ing cider, of which quantities were consumed in every family,
while the surplus was converted by the nearby distillery into
another article of commerce— after supplying the home demand
— cider brandy. Soon a demand came for choice beef cattle to be
driven to New York or Boston, and so the farmer raised steers
with which in their growing years to do his farm work, and
which when matured were stall fed and sold to the drover. West-
field especially was noted for its large corn cribs and corn fed
cattle.
Potatoes, which on the new lands yielded enormous crops,
were not generally used as an article of table supply, but were
largely grown for feeding stock, and it was a common practice
to construct a cellar under the barn floor where loads of this
product could be stored for winter feeding.
A factory for the manufacture of potato starch was at one
time in operation in North Blandford— the price paid for pota-
toes at the starch works being about ten or twelve cents a bushel.
With the advent of improved roads came also the establish-
ment of local manufactories, making a market for such agricul-
tural products as could be used in these establishments, as well
as for general farm produce in the homes of those employed in
these shops and mills. Wooden ware was literally "turned"
out in large quantities, and iron ore was picked up in some of the
open fields of Hampden county, notably in the Brush hill district
of West Springfield, and taken to a smelting furnace at Chicopee
Falls, then known by the Indian name of Skipmuck, to be made
into wares of domestic and local need.
The United States armory at Springfield— developed from
the germ planted during the revolution— came into substantial
existence in 1794. Thus a market was opened for general farm
produce, not only for direct family supply, but for corn to fatten
the armorers' pork, for there was often a sharp rivalry among
the veterans of the forge and the lathe as to who should slaughter
the largest pig.
( 501 )
OVB COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
The thrifty farmer of those days, schooled to the thought
that nothing should be permitted to go to waste, burned into
charcoal the wood which must needs be cleared away to admit of
growing crops, and as there was then no communication with the
great coal fields, this product was consumed in every village
blacksmith shop and in large quantities at the United States arm-
ory, while the cry of Charcoal ! charcoal ! through the streets of
the larger towns brought out the prudent housewife who secured
direct from the producer her baskets of condensed fuel.
There was little call for young men to leave the farm in
those early days, and many a family of stalwart sons tarried on
the old homestead, clearing up wood lands, digging ditches for
the drainage of low lands and laying stone walls, thus making
ready for another step in the evolution of agriculture— that of
dairying.
Farms— since subdivided— Avere large in those days, and
many acres were given to the production of rye, for which crop
lands that had been in pasture for two or three years— or since
the last crop of rye was taken otf — were "summer fallowed," that
is, plowed in the early summer and left till early autumn, then
plowed again and the grain sow^ed broad cast, as in ancient times,
and harrowed in.
This grain, when bolted at the nearby grist mill, afforded ma-
terial for a large proportion of the bread of the farmer's family.
One man in a town adjoining Springfield made a business of buy-
ing wheat and rye of the farmers, having it ground and selling
the flour from house to house in Springfield.
Sometimes, as in later years, the most ready cash market for
rye was the local distillery, while it is always a valuable stock
food, especially on the dairy farm. Buckwheat Avas groAvn as
an easily produced grain crop and as helpful in subduing new
lands ; this grain ground with corn and rye made a valuable
provender for fattening the farmer's pork. Oats for feeding
were also a common crop.
Butter making — in the hardest way, because none of the
modern methods and scientific appliances were known— was
common here, as throughout all New England, and gave a cash
( 502 )
AGEICVLTVRE
product, or at least oue that could be exchanged with the grocer
for the necessaries, and with cheese-making was long an impor-
tant industry, especially in the hill towns.
As the larger manufacturing establishments came in,
notably those of Chicopee Falls and Chicopee, in the early part
of the last century and before railroads connected these markets
Avith the outside world, large supplies of beef, pork, veal, mut-
ton and lambs, poultry and eggs, potatoes and fruits were
brought in from the surrounding country, Avhile a few nearby
farmers seized the opportunity to furnish milk and garden vege-
tables to our growing towns.
It has been stated on good authority that the first milk of-
fered for sale in Springfield was carried in a stone jug by an
Agawam farmer, who drove in front of the house of his cus-
tomer and "thumped" on the side of his plain farm wagon with
the butt of his whip to call out the woman of the house.
Westfield has long been known as the whip manufacturing
center of the world, and Holyoke came into being about the mid-
dle of the last century. West Springfield, Monson, Palmer,
Ludlow and the smaller towns have all contributed to make local
demands for the products of the farm.
AYith the building of railroads there began to come a change.
The north and west began to send produce to our growing mar-
kets, which in turn demanded more milk and more fresh supplies
of poultry, eggs, fruits and vegetables; and while hitherto the
farmer had felt obliged to grow all the grain needed to be fed
on the farm, he now found that sometimes he could buy grain if
an increased supply were needed and feeding it to his own stock
bring the fertility of the west to his own farm ; or, as one shrewd
farmer once said, "If I wanted to buy manure I would buy
corn." Tobacco for the last forty years has been a money
crop, especially in the river towns, and though giving place in
some degree to market gardening and fruit, still holds a promi-
nent place. Onions with some are a specialty. Celery was
hardly known as a market crop forty years ago ; at one time it
was claimed that celery could not be grown to the advantage of
the producer in this locality. Now with our market gardeners
( 503 )
OVR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
it is a leading crop, the consumption having increased a hundred
fold within the last ten or fifteen years.
Farm Impleynents and Machinery. — It has been well said
that before the introduction of improved implements and
machinery, "So much bread meant so much sweat." The im-
provements which have been made in this direction are perhaps
as great as in any other industry. The plow in crude form has
been an implement of husbandry from ancient days. Our New
England fathers used the wooden plow with wrought iron point
while strap iron covered the other exposed parts, and this with
the heavy drag harrow and the hand hoe were the principal tools
in cultivating the soil, while planting and sowing all kinds of
seeds was done entirely by hand ; a small harrow for first hoeing
and later a one-horse plow were run between the rows of corn
and potatoes, always followed by hand hoeing.
The sickle of ancient days seems to have held its place as the
only implement for harvesting grain till early in the last century,
when the grain cradle came into use. Mechanics and others not
generally employed on the farm were accustomed to help in har-
vesting the grain crop, an acre being considered a fair day's
work for an able man to reap and bind. (There were no re-
stricted hours in those days.)
Mowing was all done by hand, and small boys dropped their
schooling that they might spread the swaths after the mowers,
and turn and rake the hay. The horse rake seems to have been
the first labor-saving implement introduced into the hay field;
then came the mowing machine, which in some instances could
be converted into the reaper for cutting grain ; then the tedder,
doing in the field with one or two horses guided by one man the
work of twelve men turning hay by hand : along with these came
the horse-fork for unloading— a Avonderful relief to the over-
worked muscles of man.
One would need to go through the catalogue of one of our
establishments for the manufacture of agricultural implements
to be able to give a correct account of the advantages we now
have or may have over the methods of our fathers.
Dairying is no longer a burden to the farmer's home, for the
milk is either taken directly to market in cans furnished clean
( 504 )
AGRKWLTIIRE
by the dealer, or the cream gatherer takes the cream raised by
modern appliances from the milk of hundreds of cows, and
through summer's heat and winter's cold converts the same into
uniform high grade butter.
When the total abstinence wave swept over the country in
about 1840 many farmers destroyed their apple orchards as cum-
berers of the ground, not realizing that the growing markets
would soon demand the choicest varieties of fruit which the more
thrifty trees could easily have been made to produce by grafting.
Fruit growing as a specialty is receiving more and more at-
tention, as the higher grounds are found to be peculiarly adapted
to this branch of industry. In the autumn of 1900 a young and
enterprising farmer in Chester gathered and sold over $1100
worth of apples from his farm.
For generations the farmer knew no way to maintain — much
less to increase — the fertility of his grounds except by plowing
in green crops and by the application of wood ashes and the
barnyard manure of the farm. Within comparatively few years
science has come to his aid showing the needs of growing crops
and pointing out the sources of supply, directing also as to
methods of destroying insect pests and overcoming fungus and
atmospheric blight.
Our agricultural colleges and experiment stations, our
boards of agriculture, the grange, the local agricultural and hor-
ticultural societies and farmers' clubs, all tend to awaken a
desire for the possibilities within the farmer's reach.
The great variety of early and late fruits and vegetables,
with the many modern conveniences at the command of the
farmer household, do away largely with the monotony of the
early days. Still the edict stands, though in modified force,
"In the sweat of thy face shall thou eat bread until thou return
unto the ground."
( End of Vol. I )
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