USA > Connecticut > Historic towns of the Connecticut River Valley > Part 31
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It is an interesting fact, that while the people in those days killed birds by law if they were destructive to crops, they were equally practical in protecting animals whose flesh and hides had value. That was the duty of the deer-reeve. So far as can be found from local histories of towns on the Connecticut River, south of Greenfield, this was the only town with a law regulating the hunting of game, as early as 1753.
Two months after incorporation and the election of officers, the important duty of calling a minister was taken up. The people voted, that August 16, 1753, should be observed as a day of fasting and prayer, as a preliminary to that important event. After advising with the Revs. Edwards, of Stockbridge ; Hopkins, of Sheffield, and Williams, of Long Meadow, the committee in- vited the Rev. Edward Billings to come to Greenfield as the minister of the Church. Mr. Billings accepted in what was one of the shortest letters of acceptance that had been written up to that time. It contained less than one hundred words. Mr. Bil- lings was born in Sunderland, Massachusetts, and was a graduate of Harvard. There was slight opposition to him at first, as he was a follower of the Rev. Jonathan Edwards in the matter of Church membership, as opposed to the more liberal views on the same subject maintained by the Rev. Solomon Stoddard. Mr. Billings
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was something of a politician, as well as very much of a minister, for he saw to it that the council was packed with ministers who were followers of the Rev. Jonathan Edwards, and in fairness it must be confessed, that the other side had attempted the same thing, the leader of the opposition, a Mr. Ashley, of Deerfield, taking with him a half dozen delegates who were Stoddard men. The Edwards men showed their superior political acumen by voting in council, that the voting for and against Mr. Billings should be by Churches instead of by individuals, so Mr. Ashley's delegates had no vote in the matter and Mr. Billings was ordained. The opposition seems to have accepted defeat gracefully, for Mr. Billings remained as minister of the Church up to the time of his death, a few years after his ordination. The precise date when he died is not known, but it must have been before Decem- ber, 1760, for in that year, the Rev. Bulkley Olcott was called, but did not accept.
In August, 1761, the Rev. Roger Newton was called and began his pastorate on November 18, 1761. He was born in Durham, Connecticut, and was a graduate of Harvard. He was a man of tact and wisdom, and was possessed of qualities which attracted the affections, as well as commanded respect. Although the parish was divided in respect to the Edwards and Stoddard Schools of Congregational doctrine, Mr. Newton's wisdom, for the fifty- six years of his pastorate, was such that entire harmony existed in the Church. Mr. Newton married Abigail Hall, daughter of Timothy Hall, of Middletown, Connecticut, in August, 1762. He died at the age of eighty, in 1816, and his wife's death occurred in 1805.
Mr. Newton kept a diary, not only of his daily acts, but also of his thoughts. Extracts are given because of their interest in showing that men's thoughts and acts differ but little from one century to another.
Read the Monthly Magazine for June, and several papers from the printer of New York. I found little in them either profitable or enter- taining; * * but I think there might be a great saving to the people without any injury, by diminishing the number of Printers.
This emphasizes very strongly the fact, that conditions change very little from one generation to another ; that the men of those " fine old days ", as they are now regarded, thought and did very 25
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much as men think and do now. In 1790, there were not as many publications in the entire world as are now issued in New York or London and yet, a typical, liberally educated man of 1790, was convinced that there were too many publications, just as the same type of liberally educated man knows it to be a fact in 1905. The only difference between then and now, or a thousand years ago and now, is one of comparison.
One often hears very religious persons lament "the good old days ", and especially the highly religious manner in which Thanksgiving day was observed in them, but another entry in Mr. Newton's diary dispels this fiction and shows that men and women have not changed in 115 years.
Nov. 25, 1790. Thanksgiving Day, The day spent among us as usual, in visiting and recreations.
Mr. Newton must have been a very liberal minded minister ; one of those who loved God instead of "fearing Him". Indeed his diary shows this to be a fact. On this same Thanksgiving, which was spent in the usual way, a Miss R. refused to attend the dancing party in the evening, because she thought dancing wrong. In commenting upon it Mr. Newton says:
But in my own mind I conceive of dancing being an innocent diversion in itself, though usually carried to excess and attended with unbecoming behavior.
An entry of December 19, 1792, shows that spirit of helpful- ness ; of community of interests ; of all living for one and one for all, that was a striking characteristic of New England. The home of Eliel Gilbert was burnt to the foundations that winter and within a few hours voluntary subscriptions, for himself and his . family, amounted to fioo. This is but a specific instance of the kind of great-heartedness that obtained, from one end of the Con- necticut Valley to the other ; all over New England, for that mat- ter. When it is remembered that very few families in the smaller settlements had more than enough for themselves; that they were generally poor in everything except the nobler qualities; the sacri- fice necessary for the raising of a sum of fioo in a hamlet of less than sixty families and at a time when, in proportion to the entire population of New England, there were fewer fam- ilies which possessed a dollar in cash than now possess one hun- dred, may be appreciated.
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The change of sentiment in America in regard to Russia, since ninety-nine years ago, is shown by the entry of February 24, 1806.
In the evening read the New York Herald and was glad to find that it confirmed that victory turned in favor of the Russians, in that great battle of the 2d, 3d and 4th of Dec. last.
From the earliest days, Greenfield was in a territory that was harassed by hostile Indians. Many of the inhabitants were killed and at all times the dread of Indians was ever present. The women were provided with loaded muskets, and by practicing they acquired considerable skill with them, as more than one Indian found to be a fact. This frequency of trouble from Indians may have been caused by the fact, that the site and neighborhood of Greenfield had been the resort of Indians, for a longer time than the Indians had traditions reaching back to. In the first place, Greenfield was at the northern end of the great meadows which extended south to Mounts Tom and Holyoke; it was also at the southern end of a series of very high hills, and near the junction of the Green, Deerfield and Connecticut Rivers, which abounded in shad and salmon, while the meadows and hills were alive with game which furnished food and valuable fur-pelts. It was a sort of " Happy Hunting Ground " for the Indians before death.
On account of the familiarity of the men with Indian warfare, they were dead-shots and fearless. Hence, when the war for In- dependence occurred, they were entirely ready and glad to offer their lives, their courage and their markmanship to the Cause.
The response of the men of Greenfield (and the women too) to the call that was sent forth over the American Colonies by the first shot fired at Lexington, has been so quaintly and stirringly told by David Willard, who wrote seventy years ago, that it is given here.
It was immediately proposed that Thomas Loveland, the drummer, should take a station on the horse-block, under an elm at the south side of the common, and beat the long roll for volunteers. It was accordingly done, and sounded far and wide among the woods and fields. The officers of the company, Captain E. Wells, Lieutenant Allen, and Ensign J. Sever- ance were there, but stood aloof, dissuading from the adventure as savoring of treason and rebellion against the Government. They had not made up their minds to join the patriot cause. (As a matter of fact there were hundreds of militia officers holding royal commissions, who held aloof at first, not because they lacked patriotism or courage, but because they feared by their example to urge the people into rebellion. But after the people
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had chosen a war of rebellion rather than submit to injustice and tyranny, many of these officers gave full sway to their suppressed patriotism and became rebels.) But the long roll of Thomas Loveland had done its work. There was an overwhelming majority for the contest. We can sce their eager, anxious, determined countenances, and significant. animated ges- tures. The cautious advice of their respected and beloved officers, hitherto listened to with respect, and obediently followed, was now no more re- garded than the passing breezc, or the twittering of the swallow, or the crickets' nightly song. Upon the first beating of the long roll, first and foremost stood out, that hardy, industrious and bold yeoman, Benjamin Hastings, a William Wallace in intrepidity and determined bravery. Who so daring as to come next and risk the halter? It were difficult to say; the whole mass was in motion -X-
* * -X- The assembled townsmen vol- untecred alinost to a man. The long roll of Tom Loveland and the ex- ample of Hastings, were electric and contagious.
We have no captain to lead us to avenge the blood of our slaughtered brethren. Who shall it be? Benjamin Hastings, said one; Benjamin Hastings, said every one. It was by such a spirit as actuated this indi- vidual that the most glorious revolution recorded in history was accom- plished. *
* * Daybreak of the morning ensuing found them on their march to Cambridge. Stouter hearts never buckled on a knapsack or a broad sword, or handled a musket, or fought at Thermopyla. No braver men fought at Bunker Hill, at Bennington, at Yorktown. How could hireling Hessians expect to conquer such a people, contending for their homes, liberty, wives, children and friends? They had mothers who sat up through the night to fry nut-cakes for the wants of their husbands and sons on the march, and to run bullets to be used to destroy their enemies; mothers who practiscd firing at marks and watched the forts in Indian wars, with a gun on one side and a spinning-wheel on the other, while their men-folks were putting the sickle to the harvest. They [the mothers] were not of the, don't meddle with that gun Billy, stock. The officers who declined going to Cambridge were among the first in respect- ability and esteem in the town. No one thought of passing Captain Wells without uncovering his head in token of respect. But he and others thought it madness to attempt, in the then feeble state, impoverished means and small population of the colonies, to resist the soldiers of the mother coun- try. They did not, however, lose the respect and confidence of their townsmen.
When Sergeant Benjamin Hastings was chosen as the captain of the company, he did the same thing that John Fitch, the in- ventor of the steamboat, did at about the same time, down in New Jersey. Sergeant Hastings refused to take command of the com- pany because that office belonged, by right of experience and title, to Captain Timothy Childs, who had commanded a company of militia for several years. So Hastings was made lieutenant and
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Aaron Denio, ensign. Another company was a little later formed with Captain Agrippa Wells in command. Captain "Grip", as he was called, was a hot patriot. On an occasion when he was asked to have a cup of the hated tea, he replied: "No, I would ' rather drink my children's heart blood ".
The Rev. Mr. Newton was inclined to be loyal to the King, but his tact and wisdom prevented him from doing or saying anything to mar the harmony in his parish. At the same time, he was anxious that the people should hear something of the British side of the argument. That this might be accomplished in an undemonstrative manner, he exchanged with Mr. Ashley, the minister of the Deerfield Church, who was a Tory. The sermon was too much for his Greenfield auditors. After the morn- ing service the people met and appointed Benjamin Hastings, Samuel Hinsdale, David Smead, and Daniel Nash, a committee to take action in regard to Mr. Ashley's sermon. The action which they took was to nail up the door of the meeting-house.
The people gathered about the church in time for the afternoon service. When Mr. Ashley approached to enter the church, Mr. Hinsdale bumped up against him. Mr. Ashley remonstrated with him for " rebuking an elder ". "Elder, elder ", said Hinsdale, "if you had not said you were an elder I would have thought you were poison sumach ".
Mr. Ashley, later, preached a sermon in his own Church, in Deerfield, in regard to the probable fate of the souls of those who fell at Lexington. Sometime in the week, two of his patriotic parishioners nailed up the entrance to the pulpit. Mr. Ashley re- quested one of the deacons, who was a blacksmith, to get his hammer and break it open. The deacon replied that he did not use his hammer on the Sabbath. Finally an ax was procured and the pulpit door was broken open, but the people had shown their patriotic spirit.
There were a few towns in New England which suffered more from the expense of the Revolution than others, and Greenfield was one of them, probably, because it was remote from the mar- kets, or larger settlements. Such towns as had manufactories, or were near enough to the centers of trade to dispose of their cattle, hogs and farm products, were not so greatly depressed, financially, as were those situated as was Greenfield. But the patriotism of
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the people of Greenfield was not lessened by their sufferings. They furnished their portion of money, provisions and clothing, as promptly as possible and always cheerfully, so far as the Govern- ment or its representatives knew. In September, 1777, when Gates called for all possible reinforcements, without delay, (the ready response to which resulted in Burgoyne's surrender ) the men of Greenfield left their ripe grain to rot where it stood ; some did not even delay to find the members of their families to bid them good bye or, in one or two instances, to be present at the burial of their dead. With such patriotism it seems almost laugh- able, that between sixty and seventy men, nearly all of whom had fought in the patriot armies, should, but a few years later, actually rebel under arms, against the government they had sacrificed so much to establish. This was in Shays' Rebellion of 1787, which was hatched in the river-towns of Massachusetts. But with the exception of a few ambitious, unscrupulous men who hoped to gain wealth or political power, the rank and file of Shays' army never ceased to be good, patriotic, although for a brief time mis- guided, citizens. The brief period in which they seemed to have done so was but a period of acute hysteria. Much of the agita- tion took place in the neighborhood of Greenfield.
The causes which led up to the rebellion were the great expense of the Revolution ; the depreciation of money ; and the lack of even that. The expenses of the Government and of the States had to be met, and if the people could not pay their taxes their property had to be sold. It was hard, and the people would have borne the bur- den with nothing more than grumbling had it not been for Daniel Shays and a gang of lazy, ambitious leeches, who hoped to live without work by inflaming the discontent of the people in 1787, just as the walking delegates of Unions hope to accomplish the same end in 1905. But Shays and his lieutenants had the ad- vantage over the walking delegates of to-day, in that they actually took equal risks with the mobs they raised. Shays was an un- educated man, but had been a brave and patriotic officer in the Revolutionary army, and, strange as it may seem, Captain Agrippa Wells, of Greenfield, one of the finest of patriots; the same who declared that he would rather drink his children's heart's blood than a cup of the hated tea; commanded a company in Shays' rebel army.
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When General William Shepard, of Westfield, found that it was necessary to fire upon his former fellow soldiers of the War of Independence, in the grounds of the United States Armory, in Springfield, in order to bring them to their senses, Captain " Grip " . Wells stood almost alone and berated the fleeing rebels for their cowardice. When such a man as Captain Wells, who had proved his courage and love of country in the old French and Indian War and again the Revolution, joined Shays it is easy to see that the people were nearly distracted; that they were suffering from a virulent and contagious disease, that was instantly cured by General Shepard, when he turned doctor and administered the only antitoxine for the disease. As soon as the people were cured, there was no period of convalescence. They immediately arrived at full patriotic health. The men who were killed in Shays' Rebel- lion were all from the neighborhood of Greenfield. They were Ezekiel Root and Ariel Webster, of Greenfield; Jabez Spencer, of . Leyden; and John Hunter, of Shelburne. The majority of the men of Greenfield, however, were not with Shays, but were under General Shepard, in support of the Government, and in command of Captain Moses Arms.
General Lincoln, one of the commissioners appointed to offer pardon to such of the rebels as would take the oath of allegiance to the Government, went to Greenfield with 500 soldiers, where he made the inn kept by Reuben Wells his headquarters. It is a notable fact, that the two chief leaders of the rebellion, Daniel Shays, of Middlesex County, and Eli Parsons, of Berkshire County, lived and died, like that other traitor, Arnold, in poverty and disgrace. Parsons lived in a destitute condition in a hut in the woods near Bennington, Vermont, and later went to a few miles west of Utica, New York, where he was in somewhat better circumstances. Shays lived in Vermont for a while, and then moved to Sparta, New York. The same Congress that refused to reimburse that fine patriot, Daniel Bissell, "Washington's Spy," for money he had spent from his own pocket for the Gov- ernment, granted a pension to the rebel, Shays, because of his services in the Revolution.
Aaron Denio, who was elected deer-reeve and a member of the committee to secure a minister, at the time the town was incor- porated, was a typical Frenchman, with his vivacity, quick temper
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and oddities, and a most excellent and respected citizen. He was born in Canada and came to Deerfield in his youth in the company of some Indians, to visit relatives by the name of Stebbins. Aaron's quickness of intellect and his physical activity pleased his relatives so much, that they persuaded him to remain. He was secreted and when the Indians were ready to return to Canada they could not find him, and were obliged to go back without him. It is probable that they were soundly berated, if not more severely punished, for leaving the boy. Tradition has it, that these same Indians returned to Deerfield later, and committed depreda- tions in revenge for being deprived of their charge.
Denio purchased property from Joseph Allen, who moved to Bernardston, and built a house upon it which he kept as a tavern for many years. His tavern was a popular house - largely due to Denio's hospitality and vivacity - with strangers who were traveling up or down the river. It was also much patronized by the more " chummy " portion of the men of Deerfield, who enjoyed the great fire-place with its four-foot logs; the ale and flip and their pipes ; as they told stories or discussed the times. They were a jolly crowd and enjoyed stirring up their hospitable host's pe- culiarities, or playing practical jokes upon different members of the company.
On one occasion they had agreed among themselves that they would not call for anything to drink, just to bother Denio, until he should say something about it. They talked solemnly for a long time. Finally Denio began to fidget. He walked about the room, re- arranged the furniture, the glasses and bottles on the bar, till his patience gave out, when he excitedly exclaimed : "A good fire gentlemen, a very good fire, what will you have to drink "? The shouts of laughter that greeted this question showed him that the hospitality was on him that time. It is tradition, that the lost time was made up, and that several descendants of Puritans went to their homes in anything but a Congregational frame of mind. In 1754, Mr. Denio was elected a selectman.
A famous hunter and trapper of Greenfield was James Corss, who made the shooting and trapping of wild animals, for their flesh and pelts, his business. His traps were set over a vast ter- ritory, extending north almost to the Vermont line and for several
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miles west from the Connecticut River. He made the rounds of his traps twice each week, sleeping in the woods wherever night overtook him and on special occasions, he made more extended trips after larger game. He was credited with the trapping or shooting of 900 wolves, for which the bounty, without considering the money obtained for the pelts, was a fortune in those days, {4 being paid for a wolf's scalp. Corss' home was used as a fort in times of danger from Indians. He died in 1783, at the age of ninety, and was buried in the old cemetery where his grave was marked by a stone.
Another well liked character of Greenfield was Eber Atlierton, who was as famous for his " big stories" as Corss was for his wolf-killing. The Greenfield Atherton's are descendants of the Rev. Hope Atherton, of Hatfield, who was with the army as chap- lain, in the great battle with the Indians at the Falls, in 1676. After the fight, Mr. Atherton became separated from his friends and wandered about till finally, lost and nearly famished, he of- fered to surrender to the Indians. They regarded him. as a medi- cine-man and when he approached them they fled. Mr. Atherton finally arrived at the river and following its course down, reached his home in an exhausted condition.
His descendant, Eben Atherton, was possessed of a keen sense of humor, and his "big stories " were told for his own amuse- ment. In the Revolution he was in Boston for a time. One day, he saw a man looking at the British ships through a telescope. He had never seen one before so he requested permission to look through it. When he returned to Greenfield he told his neighbors about the wonderful machine lie had seen in Boston which, when he looked through it, brought the ships so near that lie could plainly see the soldiers and sailors and hear them swear, so long as he was looking at them. But his best was a fish story. In his day shad were so numerous that they were caught in great quanti- ties. They were regarded as such a common fish that the people were ashamed to be seen with them in their possession. They were found in great numbers especially at the Falls (Turners Falls) where Eben had gone to fish. He wished to cross to the island but there was no boat, so he went to Mr. Howland's house, near the river, and borrowed a pair of snow-shoes. After tying them on
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he walked across to the island on the backs of the shad. He also said that he caught one thousand and fifteen hundred shad that dav.
Up to the advent of Colonel William Moore about 1784, who was a native of Worcester County, Massachusetts, there was little in the way of manufacturing or of commerce in Greenfield. Col- onel Moore built up a great business. Besides erecting a six-story flour inill, he had shops for making nails, potash, for coopering, for preparing ginseng, a tanyard and a slaughter house -in which 500 cattle were salted and barreled yearly, and two stores in the village. Among the men who became residents of Greenfield, through being employed by Colonel Moore, were Captain Am- brose Arms, Benjamin Swan, David and William Wait, and Col- onel Eliel Gilbert, of Brookfield; and Samuel Pierce, of Middle- town, Connecticut, who were attracted to Greenfield by the prosperity of the place due to Colonel Moore's extensive business. S. Hunt & Co. occupied the top story of Moore's mill for manu- facturing cotton, during the second war with Great Britain, in 1812. They were succeeded by Joel Parker, also in the manu- facture of cotton.
Among the many fine families who were early settlers of Green- field were the Newtons, of Durham, Connecticut. Captain Isaac Newton, a nephew of the Rev. Roger Newton, the minister of the Greenfield Church, went to that place from Durham, at the age of twenty-one. As a young man he was frank and sincere, generous and energetic. These qualities increased with advanc- ing years, and added to them were benevolence and untiring ef- forts for the relief of those in adversity and grief.
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