USA > Massachusetts > Berkshire County > Historic homes and institutions and genealogical and personal memoirs of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, Vol I > Part 1
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UNIVERSITY LIBRARY
UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AT AMHERST
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HISTORIC HOMES AND INSTITUTIONS
AND
Genealogical and Personal Memoirs
OF
BERKSHIRE COUNTY,
MASSACHUSETTS.
EDITED BY ROLLIN HILLYER COOKE,
GENEALOGIST, AUTHOR OF " PICTURESQUE BERKSHIRE COUNTY," MEMBER OF THE BERKSHIRE COUNTY HISTORICAL AND SCIENTIFIC SOCIETY, AND SECRETARY OF THE BERKSHIRE COUNTY CHAPTER, MASSACHUSETTS SOCIETY, SONS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION.
"And so it is, too, with family recollections. To have had forefathers renowned for honorable deeds, to belong by nature to those who have bravely borne their part in life and refreshed the world with mighty thoughts and healthy admiration. is a privilege which it were mean and self-willed to despise. It is as a security given for us of old, which it were falsehearted not to redeem; and in virtues bred of a noble stock, mellowed as they are by reverence, there is often a grace and ripeness wanting to self-made and brand-new excellence. Of like value to a people are heroic national traditions, giving them a determinate character to sustain among the tribes of men, making them familiar with images of great and strenuous life, and kindling them with faith in glorious possibilities." -Martineau.
ILLUSTRATED VOLUME I
NEW YORK :: CHICAGO THE LEWIS PUBLISHING CO. 1906
INTRODUCTORY.
The history of Berkshire county, civil, political and military, has been written by various authors and at various times, each succeeding writer adding a new chapter of annals, or treating his subject from a different viewpoint. Such history, however, splendid narrative that it is, is principally concerned with what has been accomplished by the people in the mass, and takes little note of individuals, except those so pre-eminent as leaders as to come under the full glare of fame.
Hence it follows that genealogical and family memoirs are of peculiar importance, including, as they do, the personal annals of those who make heroes and heroism possible-those who have marched in the ranks of progress, bearing the heat and burden of the day-por- traying the spirit which actuated them, and holding up their effort for an example to those who come afterward. As was written by Martineau: "To have forefathers renowned for honorable deeds, to belong by nature to those who have bravely borne their part in life and refreshed the world with mighty thoughts and healthy admiration, is a privilege which it were mean and self-willed to despise. It is a security given for us of old, which it were false-hearted not to redeem; and in virtues bred of a noble stock, mellowed as they are by rever- ence, there is often a grace and ripeness wanting to self-made and brand-new excellence. Of like value to a people are heroic national traditions, giving them a determined character to sustain among the tribes of inen, making them familiar with images of great and strenuous life, and kindling them with faith in glorious possibilities."
The county of Berkshire affords a peculiarly interesting field for a study of family traits, individual character and personal achieve- ments. To its soil came a sturdy people-men, and women, too, of brawn
iv
INTRODUCTORY
and brain and conscience, their hearts fervent in reverence of God and love for religious and political liberty. They came up out of great tribulations. They were of that overflow from Plymouth which trav- ersed an unbroken wilderness to make homes where were savages, and to conquer primeval nature. These pioneers builded better than they knew.
"For good is not a shapely mass of stone, Hewn by man's hand and worked by him alone. It is a seed God suffers him to sow- Others will reap, and when the harvests grow, He giveth increase through all coming years. And lets men reap in joy seed that was sown in tears."
Simple and clean in their lives, as were these early settlers, the homes which they builded were humble. but they were the seat of all the virtues that constitute ideal manhood and womanhood. The cour- age, fortitude and activity displayed by these hardy pioneers was most remarkable, and, when the struggle for national independence came. the sons and daughters of their illustrious sires were not wanting in patriotism and devotion, freely sacrificing comfort, life and property. that they might bequeath to the generations that should follow them a free liberal government " of the people, by the people, and for the people." These founders of the olden time gave a pregnant interpre- tation to the words of Bishop Berkeley: "Westward the course of empire takes its way," for from them came an overflow which was destined to continue until it reached the far-off Pacific-men and women to carry forth and perpetuate that plain, sturdy personal char- acter of manhood and womanhood for which New England people have gained so large a degree of renown. Wherever the New Eng-
INTRODUCTORY
lander has planted his home. there the church and the school house are found as monuments of his personality. Nor is this all. He prides himself in thrift, and the reward that comes as the fruit of honest toil and endeavor. and, wherever placed, has proved a power for ideal citizenship and good government-for that righteousness which exalteth a nation.
In each generation, and at every stage of progress, the people of Berkshire county have had the service of men of the loftiest char- acter and highest capability, in arms, in the arts of peace, in states- manship, in affairs and in letters. It is to connect the active progres- sive men of the present generation with their illustrious ancestry, that the present volumes were undertaken, in the conviction that
" It is indeed a blessing when the virtues Of noble races are hereditary, And do derive themselves from the imitation Of virtuous ancestors."
The honorable ancestry which belongs to the people of Berkshire county is a noble heritage, and the story of its achievements is a sacred trust committed to its descendants, upon whom devolves the perpetua- tion of their record. History is constantly making, and that of yes- terday and today is as important in its place as that of the centuries past. Throughout the county are those who are memorialized in these pages, through whose sagacity, determination and philanthropy states and communities have been benefited in material ways, and in religious, educational and political affairs-in all that stands for progress and improvement.
It was the consensus of opinion of the gentlemen, well informed
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INTRODUCTORY
and loyal to the memories of the past, who were consulted with refer- ence to the matter, that the editorial supervision of Mr. Rollin H. Cooke in the preparation and completion of the material for these pages would insure the best results attainable in these deeply interest- ing channels, through his long and active identification with historical and patriotic societies, his unflagging industry in the pursuit of general information drawn at first hands from court and church archives and family records throughout the county, and that ample experience in their tabulation for practical use which afforded him a widely known pre-eminence. His work was performed with conscientious thorough- ness, but he was not permitted to witness its completion. It is to be said, however, that what he so auspiciously began could not have been brought to its conclusion save as a result of labors after the plans which he formulated. Further, none of the subjects upon which his heart was deeply set has been omitted or neglected. It is a matter of peculiar interest that he penned, in addition to biographical ma- terial, the narratives (in this work) of the Berkshire Agricultural So- ciety, the Berkshire Historical Society, and the Berkshire County Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, he being secretary and registrar of the latter body when he wrote it. These narratives have been somewhat extended by other hands to bring them down to a later date. Among those to whom credit is due is W. G. Harding, in relation to the Berkshire Historical and Scientific Society, and Joseph E. Peirson, of the Berkshire County Chapter, Sons of the American Revolution. The publishers also acknowledge their obligations for like information to Harlan H. Ballard, librarian of the Berkshire Athenaeum and Museum; Mrs. J. P. Goodrich, of the Fort Massachusetts Histori- cal Society; Mrs. Hattie Cooley Stevenson, of Peace Party Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution; and Dr. John Bascom, of the
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INTRODUCTORY
Greylock Reservation Commission. As sources of information the pub- lishers gratefully acknowledge their obligations to Eugene Bouton's " History of Berkshire County," and to that by Charles J. Palmer. They are also thankfully indebted to the proprietors of the Pittsfield Eagle and the authorities of Williams College for various illustrations, and to W. H. Lyon, of Pittsfield, for portraits of prominent citizens represented in this work.
The founding of Williams College, the vicissitudes of its progress and its widely useful achievements-a history abounding in picturesque incidents as well as in events of world-wide importance-these have been appreciatively written of in this work by Mr. Leverett W. Spring, who brings to his task genuine enthusiasm and accurate knowledge.
With reference to the biographical matter contained in these pages, it is to be said that in its preparation the publishers have observed the utmost care. With such a mass of material, as a matter of necessity, the work must needs be committed to various writers. If, in some cases, the sketch should be incomplete or faulty, the shortcoming is entirely ascribable to the paucity of data furnished, many families being without exact records in their family line. In all cases sketches have been submitted to the subject or to his representative, for correction or revision, and upon him, in case of question, rests the ultimate re- sponsibility.
It is believed that the present work will prove a real addition to the mass of literature concerning the people of the historic region under consideration, and that, without it, much valuable information therein contained would be irretrievably lost, owing to the passing away of many custodians of family records and the disappearance of such ma- terial.
THE PUBLISHERS.
INDEX.
Adams. John S .. 329. Andrews, Selden D., 320. Ayers, Thaddeus Z., 397. Aymar, Frederick S., 398.
Bagg, Allen H., 203. Baldwin. Earle G., 370.
Barker, George, 427.
Barker, James M .. 195. Bartlett, Oliver L., 212.
Baudouin, Clovis N., 327.
Benz, Henry C., 319. Bidwell, Orlando C., 364. Blanchard, Randall H., 243.
Boom, Augustus K., 193. Bossidy, Patrick H., 419.
Bouton, Eugene, 283. Bradley, George W., 399.
Brown, Martin M., 372.
Browne, Charles A., 287. Browne, William B., 290.
Browning. George, 368. Burlingame, Salmon. 378. Burns. James M., 350. Burns, Louis, 394. Burns, William A., 351.
Callender, Edmund E .. 173. Camp. Charles M., 244. Camp, Samuel, 244. Cavanaugh, Mortimer T., 390. Chapin, Clifford S., 345. Chesney, Cummings C., 199. Church, George, 167.
Church. John H. C., 248. Churchill, John, 302. Clapp, The Family, 190. Clark, George W., 271. Coffing, John H., 225. Coleman, William H., 308. Colt, Henry, 293.
Cock, Franklin B., 362. Cooke. Rollin H., 265. Cooper, George H., 300. Crane, James B., 97. Crane, Mary E., 98. Crane, The Family, 87.
Crane, Winthrop M., 103.
Crane, Zenas, 100. Crane, Zenas, 87.
Crane, Zenas M., 93.
Cronin, Daniel F., 391. Crosby, John C., 144.
Crowell. Harvey S., 299.
Daly. William A., 332. Dawes. Henry L., 375. Demont, William H., 406.
Desmond, Almon A .. 322.
De Vall, William J., 366.
Dodge, Edgerton E., 312.
Dowlin, Fred F., 231.
Drowne, Charles N., 315. Dumbell. Howard M., 336.
Eddy, Titus E., 344. Eells, John H., 325. Engstrom, Ernst O., 425. Enright, James J., 383. Enright. Thomas, 382.
Fahey. William A., 356.
Fallon, William H .. 385.
Feiner, Adolph, 386. Francis, Henry A., 139. Fuller, William A., 409.
Giddings, Charles. 338. Gimlich. Jacob, 281. Glentz, Harley C .. 275. Glentz, Theodore R .. 274. Goodrich. The Family. 98. Gross. William H., 297.
ix
INDEX
Hall, Almon E., 358. Hall, George E., 128. Hall, George F., 122. Hayden. Thomas H., 352. Holmes, Levi M., 354. Hubbel, George C., 377. Hubbell, Andrew L., 383. Hull, James W., III.
Jones. Edward A .. 156. Jones, Edward D. G., 152.
Kellogg, Ensign H., 221. Kelly, John F., 278. Kennedy, Alexander, 230.
MacInnes, William D., 213. Martin, Charles C., 215. Mclaughlin, Thomas H., 340. McNulty. William B., 264. Merchant. Louis A .. 310. Miller, George F., 376.
Miller, James F., 228. Millet, Wilfrid A., 246. Morton, William S., 416.
Nickerson, Thomas W., Jr., 276. Noxon, John F., 257.
Parker, James K., 347. Plumb, Arthur W., 305. Pomeroy, Theodore, 148.
Quackenbush, Cebra. 186.
Ramsdell. Theodore G., 238. Rice, William B., 163. Richmond, Clinton Q., 128. Roberts, Frederick A., 237. Roberts. Oscar S., 114.
Russell, Franklin W., 209. Russell, Henry R., 211. Russell, Hezekiah S., 210. Russell, John C., 171.
Russell, Parley A., 170.
Russell, Solomon L., 207.
Russell. Solomon N., 206. Russell, The Family, 204.
Sabin, Charles D., 270. Seeley. John M., 219. Slocum. Edward T .. 258.
Smith, Amos, 387. Smith, Henry M., 421.
Smith, John D., 249. Southworth, Constant, 346.
Stevenson. John M., 252. Swift, Lawrence C., 136.
Todd, John. 179. Tucker, George H., 286.
Tucker, George J., 286. Tucker, Joseph, HIS.
Warren, Francis E., 158. Waterman, Andrew J., 234. Waters, Frank M., 408. Weaser. William H .. 42.4. Welch. Thomas P., 348.
Weston, Byron. 402.
Weston, Franklin, 405.
Weston, The Family, 401. Whitaker, Valmore A., 412. White, Henry M., 422. White, John, 291. Whitlock, F. W., 381. Wilcox, Marshall, 175. Wood. Joseph H .. 131. Wood, William P., 133.
BERKSHIRE COUNTY.
HISTORICAL NARRATIVE.
As Berkshire, in the Valley of the Thames, is one of the most beautiful counties of England, so is its American namesake one of the most picturesque in all the New World. As described by Godfrey Greylock, it is a "region of hills and valleys, of lake and stream. The inexhaustible variety of its vistas is wonderful. It is marvelous in its endless series of combinations. Wherever one goes he meets a suc- cession of changes which at once charm the eye and delight the heart. For material ends, the county is rich in productive farm lands, fine water power, luxuriant timber, iron and marble." It affords a peculiarly interesting and instructive field for nearly every class of observers and students-the scientist, the historian, the antiquarian, the philosopher, the poet and the painter, and all these have gained knowledge or in- spiration within its borders.
The Berkshire region presents a wonderfully picturesque diversi- fication of mountain and valley, and scarcely can be found a viewpoint which does not command a landscape of surpassing beauty. The moun- tains have for their principal peak the world-famous Greylock. rising to an altitude of more than thirty-five hundred feet. The Hoosac range is famous for its great railroad tunnel nearly five miles in length. This and the Taconic range embrace a valley of from five to ten miles in width, with minor valleys enclosed by side spurs of the mountains. The Taconic range is crowned by Mt. Everett, rising to a height of
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BERKSHIRE COUNTY
2624 fect. Besides, there are numerous other lofty peaks which, seen from a distance, adorn the landscape, and, when surmounted, command an admirable view of valley and stream.
Grand old Greylock is made extended mention of elsewhere in this narrative. Mount Everett, in the town of Mt. Washington, in the extreme southwestern part of the county, is scarcely less famous. Indeed, at one time it was more widely known and more generally vis- ited. These two great peaks have been termed "the twin sentinels of the county." Dr. Timothy Dwight, in his " Travels in New England," wrote of Mount Everett :
" Taghconic, clad at this time in misty grandeur, partly embosomed and partly capped by clouds, particularly ornaments the landscape. Its sides are not precipitous, nor its summit angular, but it is everywhere limited by lines which are flowing and graceful. This fact has always appeared to some to sensibly diminish its magnificence; still it is a highly sublime object."
In 1845 Dr. Edward Hitchcock, president of Amherst College, made the ascent of the mountain, and remarked in his printed account of his trip : " It is surprising how little is known of this scenery in other parts of Massachusetts. I doubt whether nine out of ten of our intelligent citizens beyond Berkshire county are not ignorant of the existence of such a township within our limits. And even in the vicinity, very few have ever heard of the scenery of that place, which almost repays a lover of nature for a voyage across the Atlantic."
On this visit Dr. Hitchcock gave the mountain the name of Mount Everett, it having been previously known as "the Peak," or " Tagh- conick." Dr. Hitchcock's innovation was exceedingly distasteful to Dr. Orville Dewey, who protested vigorously, and he was warmly sec- onded by Miss Catherine Sedgwick, who penned the following lines :
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BERKSHIRE COUNTY
Oh, call it not Mount Everett ! Forever 'tis the Dome Of the great temple God has reared In this our Berkshire home.
And let the name the red man gave To all this mountain range So sacred be that other term Shall seem an utterance strange.
Taghconick-what that name imports- Has been but vainly guessed, As Urim let it reverence claim, Worn on that rugged breast.
Berkshire is essentially a land of lakes. They number fifty or more, and lie for the greater part in the southern portion of the county. Most widely known abroad, probably, is "The Stockbridge Bowl," the proper name of which is Lake Mahkeenac, and which was the sub- ject of a poem by Mrs. Sigourney :
" And many a son of Berkshire skies, Those men of noble birth, Though now, perchance, their roofs may rise In far, or foreign earth- Shall on this well remembered vase With thrilling bosom gaze, And o'er its mirror'd surface trace The joys of earlier days."
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BERKSHIRE COUNTY
Other lakes famous for their beauty are Pontoosuc lake, Onota lake, and Lake Buel.
None of the numerous watercourses are navigable, but the waters of several afford power for various industrial establishments. The Housatonic river pursues a meandering course of about seventy miles before its escape beyond the county bounds. It is formed by two prin- cipal streams which have their union in Pittsfield-the eastern branch, made by the rivulets from the hills of Windsor, Peru, Hinsdale, and Washington ; and the western branch, which has its fountain head near the southern border of New Ashford. The Housatonic flows southerly through Lenox, Lee and Stockbridge, along the western base of Monu- ment mountain, and thence onward into and through the state of Con- necticut, until it loses itself in Long Island.
The principal affluent of the Housatonic is Green river. Next of importance after the Housatonic is the Hoosac, flowing through Cheshire, Adams and North Adams, along the north side of Greylock, and on into Vermont. Among other streams are the Farmington, the Deerfield, and the Westfield. It is said that in the town of Peru is a house so situated upon a mountain peak that the rain from one of the sides of its roof falls into the Westfield, and that from the other side into the Housatonic.
Two striking natural curiosities are of interest to all visitors : The Natural Bridge in North Adams, and the Balanced Rock in Lanes- boro. The Natural Bridge has been formed by the action of the waters of Hudson's brook, which have worn a channel through a mass of solid marble, leaving the walls sixty feet high in some places, and a roof which forms the bridge over the chasm. Hawthorne, in his " American Note Book," likened it to "a heart that has been rent asunder by a torrent of passion." The Balanced Rock is a relic of the glacial period,
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BERKSHIRE COUNTY
brought from the far north with the great ice mass movement-an immense boulder resting upon its own pivot, and so evenly balanced that it may be readily moved with a lever.
The minerals of Berkshire have been objects of constant interest to scientists, and of great pecuniary value to land owners and manufac- turers. Professor James D. Dana, in an address on " Berkshire Geo- logy." delivered in 1885 before the Berkshire Historical Society, pro- nounced some of the rocks to be of undoubted archaean age-the oldest known, formed nearest to the time when the earth had its beginning- and identified one archaean area about seven miles east of Pittsfield, in a railroad cut a short distance north of the Hinsdale station.
The limestone formation is a portion of the bed which extends from Long Island Sound through Connecticut and Massachusetts into Ver- mont. From this has been quarried the dark blue limestone of which the Berkshire Athenaeum was built. Marble is abundant, generally white or lightly clouded, but often blue or grey. The white marble has long been in great demand. The principal portion of the court house in Pittsfield is built of white marble from a Sheffield quarry, and the base- ment walls of a greyish marble from the same place, which also pro- vided the white marble for the completion of the National Monument in Washington City. The marble for the city hall in New York City was from West Stockbridge: that for the capitol extension in Washington City and for the city hall in Philadelphia was from Lee: and that for Girard College, in Philadelphia, was from Egremont. A quarry in Great Barrington long furnished from its quartz rock a superior fire stone which was used for many years for hearthis for iron blast furnaces. Extensive beds of white quartz sand are located in Savoy, Cheshire, Lanesboro and Washington. This sand is the purest and best in the world for glass making, and thousands of tons of it are annually
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BERKSHIRE COUNTY
shipped to leading glass works in various parts of the country. For- merly glass manufacturing was carried on in the county, but has been abandoned for economic reasons. Iron exists in considerable quanti- ties, and until recent years numerous furnaces were operated. Nearly all have now been closed, iron ore being produced more cheaply else- where. Of other minerals, kaolin, a species of clay valuable for the manufacture of pottery, is found in New Marlboro, mica and slate in West Stockbridge, and soapstone near Waheonah Falls.
Our mountains, wood-crowned, cheer the gazing eye,- Whence bursting rills in constant murmurs flow ; Health vigorous walks beneath th' untainted sky, And peace and joy our heaven-bless'd dwellings know.
Old Greylock at the north uplifts his head,
And kindly looks on Learning's vale below; And southward, Washington, of bulk outspread, O'erpeers rich plains, where winding rivers flow.
Yon Saddle-Mountain in its azure hue,
All-mingled with the thoughts and scenes of yore,
Oh, with what joy it rises to thy view, Son of Pontcosuc! at thy home once more!
So every son of Berkshire turns his eye To some old mountain-head. of much-loved form, Majestic rising in the cloudless sky,
Or turban'd thick with drapery of the storm.
-Slansas selected from a poem delivered at the Berkshire Jubilee, Aug. 22, 1844, by William Allen, D. D.
Greylock Range.
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BERKSHIRE COUNTY
GREYLOCK RESERVATION.
A large part of the magnificent mountain region of Berkshire county has been set apart by the state as the Greylock Reservation- one of three, the others being Wachusett and Mount Tom. The Grey- lock Reservation had its beginning in the effort of gentlemen throughout the county who were interested in preserving its bountiful forests from wasteful commercial destruction. North Adams and Williamstown were chiefly active in forming what was known as the Greylock Park Association, which owned four hundred acres of land on the summit. This association built the road to the summit from the north, and erected an adequate iron tower. The tolls charged were not sufficient to main- tain the road and develop the park. The mountain 'had been usually ascended from the north and the west; there was no road to Greylock from Pittsfield, and, with the exception of a few persons, was not often visited from that direction.
Greylock was taken under state charge by statute in 1898, and was further provided for by successive legislative enactments in 1900 and 1904. The original act of assembly restricted the reservation to "not to exceed ten thousand acres." Prior to January 1, 1904, the reserva- tion commission had purchased and acquired by gift about 5,483 acres. From the appropriation of 1904 about 1,374 acres are to be added, mak- ing the total area, when this purpose is carried out, 6,587 acres. It is hoped to increase the acreage from further state appropriations until the reservation will embrace about 8,216 acres. Hon. Francis W. Rockwell, of the commission, in a recently published letter, states that " the reservation may in the end include the bunch of hills in the south- easterly part of Williamstown, the northeasterly part of New Ashford, the southeasterly part of Adams, and the hills along the westerly line
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