Gazetteer of Hampshire County, Mass., 1654-1887, Part 1

Author: Gay, W. B. (William Burton), comp
Publication date: 1886
Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y., W. B. Gay & co
Number of Pages: 824

USA > Massachusetts > Hampshire County > Gazetteer of Hampshire County, Mass., 1654-1887 > Part 1

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INTRODUCTION.

In presenting to the public the "Gazetteer and Business Directory " of Hampshire county, we desire to return our sincere thanks to all who have kindly aided in obtaining the information it contains, and rendered it possi- ble to present it in the brief space of time in which it is essential such works should be completed. Especially are our thanks due to the editors and man- agers of the county papers for the uniform kindness they have evinced in call- ing public attention to our efforts, and for essential aid in furnishing material for the work. We have also found valuable aid in the following : " History of Worthington, " J. C. Rice, 1854 and 1874; " History of Ware," William Hyde, 1847; "History of Easthampton," Rev. Payson W. Lyman, 1866, and " Historical Address" of 1876; " Doolittle's Sketches " of Belchertown, 1852; "History of Goshen," Hiram Barrus, 1881; "Hundredth Anniversary of Middlefield," 1883; "History of Huntington," Rev. J. H. Bisbee, 1876; " History of Hadley," Sylvester Judd, 1863; " History of Western Massa- chusetts," J. G. Holland ; " Gazetteer of Massachusetts," Elias Mason, 1874 ; "Gazetteer of Massachusetts," John Hayward, 1847; Barber's " Historical Collections ;" " History of the Connecticut Valley," Lewis H. Everts, 1879; " Antiquities of Northampton," Rev. Solomon Clark, 1882 ; " Atlas of Hamp- shire County," F. B. Beers & Co., 1873; "Massachusetts in the Civil War," William Shouler ; "Adjutant General's Report," and other state and county documents ; and in the various pamphlets and reports of a number of socie- ties, institutions, corporations and towns. Our thanks are also due to the clergy throughout the county, and to Rev. Payson W. Lyman, of Belcher- town ; B. S. Johnson. of Haydenville; S. B. Quigley, of Southampton, for valuable assistance in compiling the sketches of that town and of Northamp- ton ; also Sardis Chapman, of Southampton ; F. H. Judd, of Westhampton ; Rev. Joseph M. Rockwood, of Middlefield ; Rt. Rev. Bishop Huntington, of Syracuse, N. Y .; Rev. Solomon Clark, of Plainfield ; Rev. Pliny S. Boyl, of Granby ; Chandler T. Macomber, of Chesterfield ; S. G. Hubbard, of Hat- field ; Miss Mary E. Dawes, of Cummington ; Rev. G. H. Johnson, of Am- herst ; J. R. Turnbull, of Northampton, and to many others who have ren- dered valuable aid.

INTRODUCTION.

That errors have occurred in so great a number of names is probable, and that names have been omitted which should have been inserted is quite cer- tain. We can only say that we have exercised more than ordinary diligence and care in this difficult and complicated feature of book-making. Of such as feel aggrieved in consequence of errors or omissions, we beg pardon, and ask the indulgence of the reader in noting such as have been observed in the subsequent reading of the proofs and which are found corrected in the Errata.

It was designed to give a brief account of all the church and other socie- ties in the county, but owing in some cases to the negligence of those who were able to give the necessary information, and in others to the inability of any one to do so, we have been obliged to omit special notices of a few.

We would suggest that our patrons observe and become familiar with the explanations at the commencement of the Directory on page 3, part second. The names it embraces, and the information connected therewith, were ob- tained by actual canvass, and are as correct and reliable as the judgment of those from whom they were solicited renders possible. Each agent is fur- nished with a map of the town he is expected to canvass, and he is required to pass over every road and call at every dwelling and place of business in the town in order to obtain the facts from the individuals concerned whenever possible.

The margins have been left broad to enable anyone to note changes oppo- site the names.

The Advertisers we most cheerfully commend to the patronage of those under whose observation these pages may come.

We take this occasion to express the hope that the information found in the book will not prove devoid of interest and value, though we are fully con- scious that the brief description of the county the scope of the work enables us to give is by no means an exhaustive one, and can only hope that it may prove an aid to future historians, who will be the better able to do full justice to the subject.

While thanking our patrons and friends generally for the cordiality with which our efforts have been seconded, we leave the work to secure that favor which earnest endeavor ever wins from a discriminating public, hoping they will bear in mind, should errors be noted, that " he who expects a perfect work to see, expects what ne'er was, is, nor yet shall be."

W. B. GAY. M. F. ROBERTS.

PART FIRST.

GAZETTEER

-OF --

Hampshire County, Mass.,

1654-1887.

COMPILED AND EDITED BY

W. B. GAY,

AUTHOR OF SIMILAR WORKS FOR RUTLAND, ADDISON, CHITTENDEN, FRANKLIN, GRAND ISLE, LAMOILLE, ORLEANS, WINDSOR, ESSEX, CALEDONIA, AND WINDHAM COUNTIES, IN VERMONT, BERKSHIRE COUNTY, MASS., AND CHESHIRE AND GRAFTON COUNTIES, IN NEW HAMPSHIRE.

PERMANENT OFFICE, - SYRACUSE, N. Y.

" He that hath much to do, will do something wrong, and of that wrong must suffer the consequences , and if it were possible that he should always act rightly, yet when such numbers are to judge of his conduct the bad will censure and obstruct him by malevolenre, and the good sometimes by mistake."-SAM RI JOHNSON.

PUBLISHED BY W. B. GAY & Co .. SYRACUSE, N. Y.

BRARY

CON 1890

TY OF WASH N

F72 .H3G2

SYRACUSE JOURNAL COMPANY, PRINTERS AND BINDERS.

‹

GAZETTEER

HAMPSHIRE COUNTY, MASS,

CHAPTER I.

" Thou who wouldst see the lovely and the wild Mingled in harmony on Nature's face, Ascend our rocky mountains. Let thy foot Fail not with weariness, for on their tops The beauty and the majesty of earth, Spread wide beneath, shall make thee to forget The steep and toilsome way."-BRYANT.

MT. HOLYOKE AND MT. TOM NAMED-MARY PYNCHON AND ELIZUR HOLYOKE-THE OLD BAY PATH-VIEW FROM MT. HOLYOKE-SCEN- ERY-THE PILGRIMS -- SPRINGFIELD SETTLED-OLD HAMPSHIRE COUNTY INCORPORATED-AREA CURTAILED -- COUNTY DIVIDED-PRESENT AREA AND BOUNDARIES.

D O YOU see that blue mountain top at the north, just lifting itself above the intervening forests ?'" "' Yes.'"

"'Let that be Mt. Holyoke for ever !' said Mary, stretching out her hand."

"'Amen !' responded Holyoke, 'and I shall see that your authority in be- stowing the name is fully honored. But what shall be done with the lonely mountain westward of mine ? It would be unkind to leave that nameless.'"

"' Let it be named in honor of the poor pet that lies yonder,' said Mary, pointing to the grave of poor Tom.'"

"' Let it be Mt. Tom for ever !' said Holyoke.'"

And "for ever," doubtless, will these twin mountains bear the names they then received, bestowed by these two as they imbibed the intoxicating draught made up of love, youth, and the surrounding unfading beauties of

HAMPSHIRE COUNTY.

nature in the " Old Bay Path" two hundred and fifty years ago-Mary Pynchon and Elizur Holyoke .*

Let us ascend the "steep and toilsome " side of this mountain which perpetuates the pioneer's name and glance at the lovely territory of which it is the purpose of this work to treat. What a view of " mingled harmony on Nature's face " greets the eye ! The grand primeval solitudes of two hundred and fifty years since to be sure are not here ; but the works of man and the works of the Creator are most harmoniously blended, in a scene transcend- ing the powers of description or of imagination. t

Mr. Ruskin has formulated the law that, "that country is always the most beautiful which is made up of the most curves." He then applies this law in his ideal description or characterization of the "picturesque blue country " of England; that is, a country having a blue distance of mountains. Let us see if this description will not fit the view from Mt. Holyoke : "Its first and most distinctive peculiarity," he says, "is its grace ; it is all undulation and variety of line, one curve passing into another with the most exquisite softness, rolling away into faint and far outlines of various depths and decis- ion, yet none hard or harsh; and, in all probability, rounded off in the near ground into mossy forms of partially wooded hill, shaded downward into winding dingles or cliffy ravines, each form melting imperceptably into the next, without an edge or angle. Every line is volupt- uous, floating and waving in its form ; deep, rich and exquisitely soft in its color ; drowsy in its effect, like slow, wild music; letting the eye repose upon it, as on a wreath of cloud, without one feature of harshness to hurt, or of contrast to awaken."

Surely, Mr. Ruskin might have said this of Hampshire county as seen from Holyoke or the Eyrie ! Except for the green stretch of "meadows" that border the Connecticut, what a labyrinth of interlacing curves is presented. Not a harsh or ungraceful line is to be seen. Even the Connecticut bends to Nature's sweet mood with broad, sweeping curves or lace-like loops, often " flowing several miles to travel one," till lost as a wavy, silver thread in the blue distance. Even the countless brooks which swell its tide forget not to assume the same luxurious, sinuous course. Upon either hand, the cultivated

* This version, from Holland's Bay Path, may have emanated purely from the poet's brain, but unlike many traditions, equally unreliable, it has the merit of beauty ; for in his History of Western Massachusetts, he says : " The most probable account of the manner in which these mountains received their names is to the effect that, some five or six years after the settlement of Springfield, a company of the planters went northward to explore the country. One party, headed by Elizur Holyoke, went up the east side of the river, and another, headed by Rowland Thomas, went up on the west side. The parties arriving abreast, at the narrow place in the river below Hockanum, at what is now called Rock ferry, Holyoke and Thomas held a conversation with one another across the river, and each, then and there, gave his own name to the mountain at whose foot he stood. The name of Holyoke remains uncorrupted and without abbreviation, while Mt. Thomas has been curtailed to simple and homely Mt. Tom."

+ In the earlier editions of Webster's Dictionary the view from Mt. Holyoke is cited as a practical illustration in defining the word " picturesque."

HAMPSHIRE COUNTY.

knolls, wooded hills and grassy slopes have been carefully carved by the glacier hand. Even the shadows, the passing cloud-flecks and the dim, blue mountains in the distance reproduce again and again Hogarth's "line of beauty." Variety, the most marvelous, but without confusion, forbids the sense to tire. Colors, the richest, softest and most delicate, charm the eye, and vary with the ever-changing conditions of the atmosphere. Fertile farms and frequent villages imbue the scene with the warmth of generous life ; while over all hangs the subdued grandeur which may well have pervaded the souls of the great and good men who have made this territory their home since that bright day when Elizur Holyoke and Mary Pynchon talked of love beneath the shadows of the "Old Bay Path," two hundred and fifty years ago.

But let us turn back over the "Old Bay Path," adown the vista of faded years, and hastily glance at the links in the strong chain that unites us with that little band whose bended knees devoutly pressed old Plymouth's frozen shore on that dreary December day in 1620-that band who had braved per- secution and the rigors of a winter sea that they "might walk with God and with one another in the enjoyment of the ordinances of God, according to the Primitive fashion," and now, on this dreary 2Ist of December, began their stern fight with the elements, with famine, and with a savage foe, to found one of the greatest nations upon which the sun has ever shone. A God- fearing, law-loving, fearless, industrious people were this little Puritan band, the " noblest men that ever founded a nation." Of their many trials in those early days it is not necessary to speak-they are familiar to all. Accessions to the new settlement were soon made, other colonies were established, and it was not long before emigration began its steady march towards the West, a march that even now, though more than two and a half centuries have inter- vened, is not ended. Cotton Mather quaintly speaks of these times as follows :--.

"It was not long before the Massachusetts colony was become like an hive overstocked with bees, and many of the new inhabitants entertained thoughts of swarming into plantations extended further into the country. The colony might fetch its own descriptions from the dispensations of the great God unto his ancient Israel, and say : 'O God of hosts ! thou hast brought a vine out of England ; thou hast cast out the heathen and planted it; thou pre- parest room before it, and didst cause it to take deep root, and it filled the land ; the hills were covered with the shadow of it, and the boughs thereof were like the goodly cedars ; she sent out her boughs unto the sea.' But still there was one strand wanting for the complete accommodations of the descrip- tion, to wit : she sent forth her branches unto the river, and this, therefore, is to be next attained. The fame of Connecticut river, a long, fresh, rich river, had made a little nilus of it, in the expectation of the good people about the Massachusetts bay, whereupon many of the planters, belonging especially to the towns, of Cambridge, Watertown and Roxbury, took up resolutions to travel an hundred miles westward from those towns, for a further settlement upon this famous river."

HAMPSHIRE COUNTY.

In 1631 the Connecticut first became known to the colonists, and in 1636 William Pynchon and his little band came down the "Old Bay Path" to found what is now the flourishing city of Springfield. With this event begins the authentic history of Western Massachusetts. A little over a quarter of a cen- tury later old Hampshire county was incorporated, the settlements here hav- ing increased to such an extent that this act had become necessary. The act of incorporation reads as follows :-

" Forasmuch as the inhabitants of this jurisdiction are much increased, so that now they are planted far into the country, upon Connecticut river, who by reason of their remoteness cannot conveniently be annexed to any of the counties already settled ; and that public affairs may with more facility be transacted according to laws now established ; it is ordered by the court, and authority thereof, that henceforth Springfield, Northampton and Hadley shall be, and hereby are, constituted as a county, the bounds of limits on the south to be the south line of the patent, the extent of other bounds to be fully thirty miles distant from any or either of the aforesaid towns; and what towns or villages soever shall hereafter be erected within the aforesaid limits to be and belong to the said county. And further, that the said county shall be called Hampshire, and shall have and enjoy the liberties and privileges of any other county ; that Springfield shall be the shire town there, and the courts be kept one time in Springfield and another time at Northampton ; the like order to be observed for their shire meetings, that is to say, one year at one town and the next year at the other town, from time to time. The deputies have passed this, with reference to the consent of the honored magistrates.

" 16th day of 3d month, 1662. "WILLIAM TORREY, Clericus."

It will thus be seen that Hampshire county, as first erected, although con- taining within its limits only three towns, Springfield, Northampton and Had- ley, covered nearly half of the state that then belonged to the Colony of Massa- chusetts Bay. It included the western tier of towns of what is now Worcester county, and the whole of what are now the counties of Franklin, Hampshire, Hampden and Berkshire.

This large area was retained until July 10, 1731, when the following act of the general court took effect, curtailing the territory as expressed therein :--- " Be it enacted by His Excellency the Governor, Council, and Representa- tives, in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, that the towns and places hereinafter named and expressed, that is to say, Worcester, Lancaster, Rutland, and Lunenburgh, all in the county of Middlesex ; Mendon, Woodstock, Oxford, Sutton, including Hassanamisco, Uxbridge, and the land lately granted to several petitioners of Medfield, all in the county of Suffolk; Brookfield in the county of Hampshire, and the south town laid out for the Narragansett soldiers, and all other lands lying within the said townships, with the inhabitants thereon, shall from and after the tenth day of July, which will be in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and thirty-one, be and remain one entire and distinct county by the name of Worcester, of which Worcester to be the county or shire town, and the said county to have, use and enjoy all such powers, privileges, and immunities as by law other counties within this province have and do enjoy."

HAMPSHIRE COUNTY.

The second curtailment of the territory occurred June 30, 1761, when the. following act went into effect :--

" Be it therefore enacted by the Governor, Council, and House of Represent- atives, that the towns and plantations hereinafter mentioned, that is to say, Sheffield, Stockbridge, Egremont, New Marlborough, Poontoosack, New Fram- ingham, West Hoosack, number one, number three and number four, and all other lands included in the following limits, viz .: Beginning at the western line of Granvil, where it touches the Connecticut line, to run northerly as far as said west line of Granvil runs, thence easterly to the southwest corner of Blandford, and to run by the west line of the same town to the northeast corner thereof, from thence northerly in a direct line to the southeast corner of number four, and so running by the easterly line of said number four to the northeast corner thereof, and thence in a direct course to the southeast corner of Charlemont, and so northerly in the corner of the west line of the same town till it comes to the north bound of the province, and northerly on the line between this province and the province of New Hampshire, southerly on the Connecticut line, and on the west by the utmost limits of this province, shall from and after the thirtieth day of June, one thousand seven hundred and sixty-one, be and remain one entire and distinct county by the name of Berkshire, of which Sheffield for the present to be the county or the shire town ; and the said county to have, use and enjoy all such powers, privileges and immunities as by law other counties in this province have and do enjoy."

After Berkshire was severed, no changes in area were made for half a cen- tury. In the meantime, the county had increased its number of towns to six- ty-three. On June 24, 1811, twenty-four of these towns were set off towards forming the county of Franklin ; and during the following year, February 20, 1812, eighteen towns more were taken to form with other townships the county of Hampden. Since then two other towns have been added, Enfield and Prescott, and one township, Northampton, has advanced to the dignity of an incorporated city.

The county now-has an area of about 524 square miles, bounded north by Franklin county ; east by Worcester county ; south by Hampden county ; and west by Berkshire county. It has twenty-two towns and one city, incorporated as follows: Amherst, February 13, 1759 ; Belchertown, June 30, 1761 ; Ches- terfield, June 11, 1762 ; Cummington, June 23, 1779; Easthampton, June 17, 1785; Enfield, February 16, 1816; Goshen, May 14, 1784 ; Granby, June II, 1768; Greenwich, April 20, 1754; Hadley, May 20, 1661 ; Hatfield, May 31, 1670; Huntington, June 29, 1773 ; Middlefield, March 11, 1783 ; Pel- ham, January 15, 1742 ; Plainfield, March 16, 1785; Prescott, January 28, 1822 ; South Hadley, April 12, 1753 ; Southampton, January 5. 1753 ; Ware, November 25, 1761; Westhampton, September 29, 1778; Williamsburg, Aprll 24, 1771 ; Worthington, June 30, 1761 ; and the City of Northampton, organized as a township October 18, 1654, and as a city January 7, 1884.

HAMPSHIRE COUNTY.

*CHAPTER II.

TOPOGRAPHY-GEOLOGICAL FEATURES-CRYSTALLINE ROCKS-GNEISS- FELDSPATHIC MICA SCHIST - HORNBLENDE SCHIST - HYDRO-MICA SCHIST-CALCIFEROUS MICA SCHIST-FIBROLITE GNEISS AND SCHIST- ERUPTIVE ROCKS OF THE OLDER SERIES-GRANITE-SYENITE-MIN- ERAL VEINS-THE TRIAS-GLACIAL PERIOD-FLOOD PERIOD-THE CONNECTICUT LAKE.

T HE topography of so limited an area as the one under discussion can hardly be fruitfully examined without some reference to the larger region of which it forms a part. The salient points in the topography of Hampshire county are :--

(a.) The broad Connecticut valley, extending through its middle.

(b.) The high grounds bordering this valley on the east, which may be looked upon as the western border of the plateau of Worcester county, but deeply notched by several valleys running north and south parallel to the main valley.

(c.) The western highland border of the valley, which is the eastern exten- sion of the Berkshire hills, and which, in contrast with the eastern half of the county, is a more continuous body of high land, rising gradually to the western border of the county and beyond, of very irregular surface, but not notched by any north-south valleys extending, like those on the east, far beyond the borders of the county.

(d.) The " L" shaped Holyoke-Mt. Tom range, which blocks up the cen- tral valley, and which the geologist almost unconsciously expects his hearer to look upon as much younger than the valley it adorns.

From the high ground of Worcester county, on the east, there is a very rapid descent to the peculiar flat-bottomed valley which runs down through Greenwich, Enfield, and the west of Ware. On the east of this valley, in the eastern half of the town of Ware, is the only portion of the county which, in strictness, belongs topographically to the high plateau of Worcester county. West of. this first valley and very near it, so near indeed that they unite for a little way just west of the village of Enfield, is the deep, narrow valley of the west branch of Swift river, continued south of the point where the two val- leys unite by the channel-way of the Swift river proper. Next west, Jabish brook, rising in Pelham, becomes important, as it flows across Belchertown. Going west over the high ground of Belchertown and Pelham, we come on the broad valley of the Connecticut, which extends from the west line of

* Prepared by Prof. Ben K. Emerson, of Amherst College.

HAMPSHIRE COUNTY.

these towns across to a line drawn diagonally from the northeast to the south- west corner of Northampton, and continued north across Hatfield, and south across Southampton. In this broad valley Mt. Warner rises as a native, Mt. Holyoke as an immigrant of early date, while all the hills around Amherst and Northampton are comparatively late arrivals.

Farther west, a branch of the Westfield river passes as a pleasant brook across Cummington, runs in a deep cañon to West Chesterfield, and thence in a narrow valley south across Huntington to join the main stream, whose deep valley borders the county only for a short distance along the south line of Huntington and Middlefield. It is a peculiarity of this portion of the state that the main drainage trunks into the Connecticut valley lie in two pairs, opposite each other, one pair to the north and one to the south of this county-Miller's and Deerfield rivers on the north, Chicopee and Westfield rivers on the south. As the valleys of the county all run north and south, so all the drainage of the county goes north or south to these streams in order to reach the Connecticut. The exceptions are Fort river in Amherst, and Mill river and Manhan river in Northampton and Easthampton. These are small streams, heading back in only the first range of hills.

As a result of its topography, the county's western highlands have not been penetrated by railroads, while each of the deeper valleys on the east is occu- pied by a separate road.

This brief résume of the topography of the county may serve as an intro- duction to a description of its geology, and the latter must in its turn explain the main topographic features.

GEOLOGICAL FEATURES.

If we could sweep the loose material-clay, sand, gravel and hardpan - from the surface of the county, we should find the eastern and western highlands little changed. Within the limits set above to the Connecticut val- ley, however, the changes would be greater. Many of the hills around the towns of Amherst, Northampton and Easthampton-the College hill, and Castor and Pollux in Amherst, and Round and Hospital hills in Northamp- ton, for instance-would be removed to their bases, while across the Hadley and Northanıpton meadows, as far north as the Northampton bridge, the clay would be removed more than a hundred feet down, that is, to below the level of the sea. If we were to examine the rocky surface thus exposed, we should find the boundaries of the valley set above, viz .: a diagonal line across Hat- field, Northampton and Easthampton, on the west, and the west line of Pel- ham and Belchertown, on the east, to be still topographical and geological lines of primary importance. First, as bounding a valley somewhat deeper than before ; and second, as limiting approximately the area covered by coarse red and buff sandstones, out of which the great ridges of black trap (the Hol- yoke and Mt. Tom ranges) would still rise unchanged, except that their north- ern and western faces would be higher and steeper even than now.

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Gazetteer of Hampshire County, Mass., 1654-1887, Part 1

Author: Gay, W. B. (William Burton), comp Publication date: 1886 Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y., W. B. Gay & co Number of Pages: 824

Author: Gay, W. B. (William Burton), comp
Publication date: 1886
Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y., W. B. Gay & co
Number of Pages: 824