USA > Massachusetts > Hampshire County > Chesterfield > History and genealogy of the families of Chesterfield, Massachusetts; 1762-1962 > Part 1
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org.
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39
HISTORY AND GENEALOGY of the Families of
HUSSTURFIELD MASSACHUSETTS
Go 974.402 C428c 1190351
GENEALOGY COLLECTION
ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 01067 3884
0001
HISTORY
and
GENEALOGY
of the Families of
CHESTERFIELD MASSACHUSETTS
1762-1962
Published by THE TOWN OF CHESTERFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS
Printed by Gazette Printing Co., Inc. Northampton, Mass.
Compiled by THE BICENTENNIAL GENEALOGY COMMITTEE
RUTH A. BAKER, Chairman DOROTHY K. SMITH ELIZABETH S. VERSAILLES
1190351
CHESTERFIELD BEFORE ITS INCORPORATION
OUR TOWN has its roots deeper into time than the date of its in- corporation. What happened before that date and how the early inhabitants received title to lands in what is now Ches- terfield makes a very interesting study.
The original source of title to the New England soil, as in other parts of the continent, was in the English crown which claimed it on the right of discovery and possession.
There were several steps by which these titles passed from the crown to individuals in the New England Colonies. We are interested in the step known as the Colonial Grants. The right to grant land was vested in the General Court and all grants were made by that body, except in New Hampshire where the Governor was the principal figure.
The individual grants which were made by the General Courts were usually in the nature of pensions, salaries, gratui- ties or for the encouragement of some commercial enterprise.
Chesterfield was laid out to two groups of proprietors re- ceiving gratuity grants and one "equivalent grant".
First: The proprietors who received Narragansett grants to make the Narragansett townships.
Second: The proprietors who received Canada grants to make the Canada townships.
Third: To Nathaniel Coleman, who received an equiva- lent grant.
The Narragansett Townships were the townships which were granted to the officers and soldiers, their heirs and as- signs, who had fought in the Narragansett War of 1675, more familiarly known as the King Philip's War. They have their origin in the proclamation which was made to the soldiers on the eve of the war, in the name of the Governor, promising them that "if they played the man, took the fort and drove the enemy out of the Narragansett country, which is their great seat, they should have a gratuity of land besides their wages."
Several years after the successful conclusion of the War, in 1685, two petitions were filed in the General Court, praying for such a grant. A township of eight miles square was granted accordingly but it was not located and the subject was buried in obscurity for forty years.
In 1727, the promise was revived and a petition was made anew. The General Court took it up into favorable considera- tion this time and granted two townships in 1728 and five addi- tional townships in 1734.
These tracts were designated as Narragansett Township Number One, Two, Three, Four, etc .; seven in all. A part of Number Four was eventually embraced within the limits of the town of Chesterfield, though the tract was primarily laid out in New Hampshire. This grant received the name of Quabbin Territory and included the town of Greenwich, now extinct. This was insufficient to make up the six miles square needed for the proprietors of Narragansett Number Four so it was ordered "that a township of the contents of six miles square be laid out west of Hatfield (the part now Williamsburg) and ad- joining thereto and as much as should be needed be confirmed to these proprietors" (meaning No. 4).
This new township was laid out in 1739 and contained 23,040 acres exclusive of six hundred acres granted to Coleman, making 23,640 acres in all.
The conditions of this grant were that they should settle forty families in Quabbin and twenty others in the township west of Hatfield, making sixty families which was the number required to be settled in each township. A committee was ap- pointed by the General Court to oversee the laying out of the latter tract and they were empowered to admit forty other settlers in said township first giving preference to some soldiers or descendants of the soldiers engaged in the Canada expedi- tion of 1690 who served under Capt. Thomas Andrews* of Hingham, Mass.
Very similar to the Narragansett Townships, the Canada Townships were granted to the officers and soldiers and their descendants, who had served in the disastrous Canada Expedi- tion of 1690, a part of the King William's War. Following closely on the heels of the first Narragansett township grants, petitions for grants from these Canada soldiers came pouring into the General Court. It was some of these Canada soldiers who were given grants to make the forty additional families in No. 4.
The various histories of Western Massachusetts and Hampshire County, in speaking of the Coleman Grant, make such statements as "It has not beeen ascertained how Cole- man's grant of 600 acres originated." Knowing that there must
* From the History of Hingham: Capt. Andrews was one of the twenty- one Captains appointed for duty with Sir Wm. Phips in his attempt at a reduction of Canada. He died of smallpox soon after the return to Boston. A stone in the Old Granary Burying Ground marks his last resting place.
have been some good reason for this grant, search was made in hopes of finding the reason.
Early Hampshire County included all land west of the Con- necticut River, and Springfield and Northampton took turns at being the shire city so early county records are in Springfield.
In the Hall of Records in that city was found the following:
"Know all men by these presents that whereas we, John Stoddard and Ebenezer Pomeroy of Northampton and Thomas Ingersole of Westfield on March 26, 1736 were by the General Court or Assembly of ye Province aforesaid specially authorized and commisionated amongst other things to Pur- chase lands of ye Proprietors of Upper Housatonnock (so called). In order to accomodate ye Indians and to give equiva- lents therefor in some of ye unappropriated lands of the Prov- ince to ye Proprietors of whom they should purchase land of as by ye order of ye said General Court or assembly. Reference to ye same being had will appear. Now, we the said John Stod- dard, Ebenezer Pomeroy and Thomas Ingersole by virtue of said commission and authority to us granted, have purchased a right of land in upper Housatonnock Township of Capt. Nath'l Colman of Hatfield in the County and Province afore- said, of the quantity of Four Hundred Acres. Now we ye sd Stoddard, Pomeroy and Ingersole, a committee as aforesaid have agreed with ye said Nath'l Colman to give him as an equivalent from ye government for we aforesaid right, 600 acres lying west of Hatfield Township lying on ye East Branch of Westfield River at a place called ye Long Pond beginning at a hemlock tree marked N. C. Thence running North Two Hun- dred Perch, etc. (measurements given).
Now we the said John Stoddard, Ebenezer Pomeroy and Thomas Ingersole by virtue of ye said Commission to us we do hereby give, grant and Convey and Confirm unto the sd Na- thaniel Coleman to him, his heirs or assigns forever. To have and To hold possess and enjoy ye before granted premises, with all ye Priviledges and appurtenances thereunto belonging to him, his heirs and or assigns, etc. .... provided the afore- said land don't fall within the township of Hatfield. In witness and whereof we have set our hands and seals this 24th day of May in the eleventh year of George ye Second, King and A. D. 1738."
This was the reason why, in 1738, Nathaniel Coleman of Hatfield, in exchange for land owned in Upper Housatonic (now Stockbridge), was given these 600 acres of land in what is now
Chesterfield but at that time was in "the unappropriated lands of the Province".
Capt. Nat'l. Coleman of Hatfield died intestate, but in the inventory of his estate is listed this grant which is another proof that he was its owner. The item reads-"the equivalent land for a Housatonuck right that lyes west of Hatfield" and was valued at 60£-0-0.
Why were these proprietors of Upper Housatonic asked to give up their lands in what is now Stockbridge "to accomodate the Indians" ?
In 1724 by act of the General Court of the Province, two townships called, at first, Upper and Lower Housatonic Town- ships, were ordered to be laid out and not long after were al- lotted to some sixty persons who had petitioned for the terri- tory. The land had been previously purchased of the Indians, except a tract-a reservation for themselves-of about 1,600 acres along the boundary line between the two townships. They seem, however, not to have gathered in a body on the reserva- tion when, in 1734, a new aspect was given to their affairs.
Ebenezer Miller of West Springfield who appears to have been acquainted with the condition of these Indians and was thereby prompted to do them good, "interviewed" the Rev. Samuel Hopkins, his pastor, stated their case and succeeded in awakening his active interest in their behalf. The latter com- municated with Col. John Stoddard of Northampton and with Rev. Dr. Stephen Williams of Longmeadow and from the co- operative benevolence of this trio of Christian philanthropists, good works proceeded.
After an agreement with the Indians, in October 1734 a man by the name of John Sergeant, a native of Newark, N. J., and a graduate of Yale, came to Housatonic and preached his first sermon to an audience of twenty Indians who were much interested. This was the beginning of the mission of Rev.John Sergeant to the Housatonic Indians, the details of which have been published in various books. In order to secure the best results for the Mission, on application by its founders to the Provincial authorities, a commission, consisting of John Stod- dard, Ebenezer Pomeroy and Thomas Ingersole, was appointed to come and consult with the Indians and, with their consent, lay off a township expressly for them where they might be gathered. This was accomplished in the spring of 1736 and a township six miles square comprising the present territory of Stockbridge and West Stockbridge was laid off and three years
later, incorporated. This was followed by a general removal of the tribe after eighteen months instruction at Great Barring- ton - from October 1734 to the spring of 1736.
It was for this cause then, that certain proprietors of land in Upper Housatonic sold their rights and were given "equiva- lents in unappropriated lands of the province, in different places", and Nathaniel Coleman of Hatfield was one of those proprietors. The map of the original lay-out of Chesterfield shows the location of the Coleman Grant. The explanation of this map as prepared by J. C. Hammond tells which part of the town was set off for the proprietors of Narraganset No. 4 and which part for the Canada proprietors.
It must be remembered that almost 65 years had elapsed since the first of these Indian Wars and that the rights to these grants had in most cases been passed on to the heirs of the soldiers. The eldest male heir had the first right and after him the eldest female heir. The list of the Soldier Grantees of the Narraganset War is published in a book entitled "Sol- diers in King Philip's War" by G. M. Bodge. No list has been found of the claimants of 1690. The History of Hingham says of the soldiers-"We know not how many." The records do say that those given grants here were the soldiers of Captain An- drew's Co. of Hingham. In one land deed recorded in Spring- field, it reads, "said grant was made in a Propriety called An- drews Town, now Chesterfield."
The names which appear on the map are those of early settlers but very few, if any, are of the families who were given the original soldier grant. The rights were often sold and the lands sold and resold before the lot was finally settled.
For example, here are three transactions concerning one right of land - (1) In a deed recorded in Springfield dated August 25, 1737, Preserved Hall of Hingham, cooper, sold for 10 pounds, current money, to Timothy Bailey of Hanover - "all that my right in ye lands granted to the officers and soldiers in the Expedition to Canada under the command of Capt. Thomas Andrews, late of Hingham, Dec'd. or that may fall to me by virtue of my being a soldier on that expedition." He sold his "right" making Timothy Bailey a proprietor. (2) On March 14, 1754, Timothy Bailey of North Yarmouth sold to Benjamin Briant of Scituate for 16 lbs. 13 shillings and 4 pence-one whole share of land in a township lying in the County of Hampshire on the west side of Hatfield granted by the General Court of this Province to Captain Andrews, his company in the Canada
Expedition in 1690, in the Right of Preserved Hall of Hingham. Timothy Bailey sold his share of land but not his right. (3) On August 23, 1754, Benjamin Bryant of Scituate gave to his son Benjamin Bryant about 400 acres of land be it more or less, lying in the County of Hampshire in a Township Granted by the General Court of this Province partly to Capt. Andrews, his company in the Canada Expedition in the year 1690. That is to say 100 acres thereof being the 29th lott, another hundred acres being the 55th lott in said Township, the rest being all that remains to be laid out in said township in the Right of Preserved Hall. All three deeds were recorded in Springfield on the same day - October 20, 1760.
A copy of the Proprietors' Records of Narraganset No. 4 or Quabbin Proprietors is in the Hampshire County Registry of Deeds in Northampton. They are records concerning Green- wich, a small part of Chesterfield and the Chesterfield Gore. They are records of the surveying of the lots, the size of the lots, the drawing of lots, the amount of taxes required by the proprietors ... the details are many.
The lots were drawn by number and at a meeting held on May 23, 1739, they "voted to proceed to draw their lots - and whoever shall draw a paper with the word Hatfield wrote upon it shall have their lots in a Tract of land west of Hatfield and adjoining thereto - To be drawn for again when the lots are layed out."
It may be safely stated of the general character of the pro- prietors whom these numerous grants created, that they were either land jobbers or speculators who were interested pri- marily in their personal profit through adventurous speculation in land and secondarily in the settlement of the western fron- tier. Of the original proprietors of the Narraganset township No. 4 (of 1732) there were hardly any original proprietors left on the roll of shareholders after twenty years.
Like most of the eighteenth century proprietors these pro- prietors were speculative and non-resident. Their early meet- ings which began in 1733 were held at the house of Mr. Israel Peck in Rehoboth and later in Greenwich.
Generally speaking, the division and regulation of common and undivided lands were the main subject at all proprietors' meetings and the propriety usually dissolved itself when its land was completely divided up among its members. The last meeting recorded in Northampton of the Proprietors of Narra- ganset No. 4 was May 27, 1778.
A big missing link is - where are the records of the Cana- da Proprietors ? There is proof that their methods of dividing the land by drawing numbered lots was the same as the Narra- gansett Proprietors and their meetings are referred to in land transaction records. Only about one third of the township, the northeast corner, was set off to the No. 4 Proprietors and in 1781 part of that was incorporated into the town of Goshen. The assignment of the Canada Proprietors was about two thirds of the township - the part known as the New Hingham Pro- priety and nearly all of the town as we know it now.
So, more than a quarter of a century of time went into the work of founding a town, step by step. The General Court granted the "Rights" of land to the soldiers or their heirs and they became proprietors. The proprietors sold their land to land speculators who hoped for financial gain. The speculators in turn sold to men and women who were courageous enough to make new homes in this frontier country.
By the year 1762 enough of the land had been settled so that the settlers felt the need of town government and there- for applied to the General Court asking that the township be incorporated. On June 11, 1762, it was enacted by the Gov- ernor, Council and House of Representatives-"That the new plantation, called New Hingham lying in the County of Hamp- shire be and hereby is incorporated into a town by the name of Chesterfield with all the powers, priviledges and immunities that towns within this government have and do enjoy."
-RUTH A. BAKER
REFERENCES
Akagi, Roy Hidemichi, Ph.D., The Town Proprietors of the New England Colonies. Philadelphia, Press of the University of Pennsylvania, 1924. Bodge, George Madison, A.B., Soldiers in King Philip's War. Leominster, Mass., 1896.
Berkshire Historical and Scientific Society, Berkshire Book, Vol. I. Pitts- field, Press of the Sun Printing Co., 1892.
Taylor, Charles J., History of Great Barrington, Mass. Great Barring- ton, Clark W. Bryan & Co., 1882.
INTRODUCTION TO GENEALOGIES
The names of all families who have lived in Chesterfield during its first two houndred years are arranged in alpha- betical order. In so far as information is obtainable from vital records, private records, land deeds, and probate records, that data is included in the following order: birth, death, marriage, or intention of marriage if the marriage data is not recorded, and children. If the residence is not Chesterfield, it is stated where known. If the state is not given, Massachusetts is un- derstood. Where both husband and wife are Chesterfield resi- dents, the full data is given under the husband's name. The following abbreviations are used :
b. born
m. married
m. (int.) marriage intentions
d. died
bapt. baptized
res. residence
rem. removed
ae. aged
80-1-12 eighty years and one month and twelve days
A small numeral above and to the right of a given name denotes a generation. Where printed genealogies of any fam- ily are available, the ancestry is summarized from the first ancester known: e.g. John6 Jones, son of John3 (Peter4, Rich- ard3, Thomas2, John1) and Mary Jones, means that the first ancestor known was John1 Jones, his son, or the second genera- tion, was Thomas2, etc., and John6 was the sixth generation.
The number in parenthesis appearing after a name is the identification number of that person in the respective family.
The small star before a name means that that person is head of a family and his name appears again later in the fam- ily line.
If the variation in spelling of names and places may seem in error, it is because an effort was made to retain the spelling as in the original records. Different sources of the same record may disagree.
The committee realizes that, in compiling a book of this kind and size, it is quite possible that errors have been made for which we are sorry and can only say, "We have tried."
12
FAMILIES OF CHESTERFIELD
ABBOTT FAMILY
1. JOEL FISK ABBOTT, b. in Portland, Maine, a resident of Northampton; m. (int. 10 Nov. 1854), Rosanna Kelly, b. in Bal- timore, Maryland. He was son of Elijah Abbott of Northamp- ton whose will, which is recorded in Northampton, bequeathed to his wife Lois, son Cyrus and his wife Nancy F., son Joel Fisk and his wife Rosanna, dau. Augusta C., grandson Albert Elijah who was son of George A., deceased. Children of Joel F. and Rosanna :
2. Carrie Isabell, m. Rockwell D. Bisbee (No. 75).
3. Harriet Augusta, d. in Chesterfield, 21 Sept. 1927, ae. 68-11-21.
4. George Fisk.
5. ALBERT ELIJAH ABBOTT, b. in Northampton, 27 March 1850, son of George A. and Harriet Abbott, m. 11 June 1872, Ella Miranda Harrington, b. in Springfield, 2 Nov. 1848, dau. of Royal and Miranda (Bisbee) Harrington of Worcester, and granddaughter of Rice and Silence (Adams) Harrington of West Brookfield, Mass., and Jamaica, Vt. After the death of George A. Abbott, his widow Harriet married (2) Levi H. El- well of Northampton.
ABBOTT, MOLLY, m. (int. 1 Sept. 1783), Joel Rugg of Wood- ford, Vt.
ABELL FAMILY
1. JOSHUA ABELL, son of Joshua and Rebeckah (Carpenter) Abell, came from Rehoboth about 1767, served in the Revolu- tion from Chesterfield. Most of the records of his family are in Rehoboth and Goshen. He was "of Goshen" when he died and his will is recorded in Northampton. His first wife was Elizabeth who died 29 Aug. 1774. Chesterfield records give his intentions of marriage, 23 June 1777, to Widow Ruth Manning of Woodstock, Conn. and intentions of marriage, 7 Aug. 1780, to Molly Lyon of Woodstock, Conn. Wife Ruth died 29 Aug. 1777 and wife Molly died 26 Oct. 1802. Of his twelve children, only the marriage intentions of three are recorded here:
2. Benjamin, m. (int. 20 Sept. 1779) Pearcis Bannister (No. 14).
3. Jesse, m. (int. Nov. 1795) Sally Orcutt (No. 11).
4. Mary, m. (int. 27 Jan. 1777) Cyrus Lyon.
13
FAMILIES OF CHESTERFIELD
ABERCROMBIE, ROBERT, m. 28 Jan. 1779, Elizabeth Bragg, dau. of Abial Bragg of Whately.
MILTON ADAMS FAMILY
1. MILTON' ADAMS, b. in Huntington, d. 12 Sept. 1879, ae. 89-7-22. He m. (1) (int. 19 Nov. 1812), Roxanna Cole (No. 104). She d. 1827. He m. (2) Dorcas Chapman, b. in Easthamp- ton, dau. of David and Mary Chapman. She d. 16 Dec. 1870, ae. 73-9-13. His will is recorded in Northampton. Children:
2. Teracy, m. . Niles. She d. in Williamsburg, 10 March 1884, ae. 68-8-6.
3. Amanda, m. 19 Sept. 1854, Sumner W. Stone of Worthington, son of Oren Stone (No. 23).
4. Harvey, b. 1823, d. 16 June 1895. His will is recorded in North- ampton.
*5. Lewis, b. 10 Aug. 1826.
5. LEWIS2 ADAMS (Milton1), b. 10 Aug. 1826, d. 4 Nov. 1894; m. 1 May 1850, Sarah Drake (No. 25). She d. 17 March 1909. Children :
6. Allison Marrilla, b. 28 July 1851.
7. Ada Almira, b. 10 April 1854, m. Dwight Stanton (No. 3).
WAIT ADAMS FAMILY
8. WAIT ADAMS of Norwich, m. 2 Jan. 1813, Olive Cole (No. 60). Child :
9. Ansel, b. about 1815, d. 3 Feb. 1870, ae. 55-11-0; m. Lovisa Bryant (No. 134), his half sister. One daughter, Martha J., b. 8 Dec. 1845, m. William Andrews (No. 1).
GEORGE ADAMS FAMILY
10. GEORGE W. ADAMS, b. in Lenox, came to Chesterfield in 1872 and later went West. He was a miller and had a flouring mill in West Chesterfield. His first wife was Sarah Jane Vary, b. in Stephentown (or. Franklin), N. Y. He m. (2) in 1863, Ellen Louise Cleveland (No. 3). She d. in Chesterfield, 2 April 1922. Children by first wife :
11. George Henry, b. 27 April 1855, in Nassau, N. Y., d. 3 Feb. 1932; m. Cora Brown. He is buried in Hartford, Conn.
12. Clark Benjamin, b. 4 March 1861 in Pittsfield, d. 20 June 1932; m. Mamie Stallknecht. They had two sons b. in Jackson, Mich .:
i. Benjamin, b. 27 July 1896.
ii. Raymond, b. March 1903, d. 20 May 1959; m. Stella F. Damon (No. 211). She m. (2) Frederic Healy (No. 39).
14
FAMILIES OF CHESTERFIELD
Children by second wife:
13. Mary Brewster, b. 14 Aug. 1868 in Pittsfield; m. Gilbert Healy (No. 35).
14. Louise M., b. in Pittsfield, d. 3 Aug. 1871, ae. 0-7-10.
15. Clara Josephine, b. 29 Dec. 1872; m .. James Healy (No. 36).
16. James Garfield, b. 24 Jan. 1882 in Brooklyn, Mich .; unm.
WILLIAM HENRY ADAMS FAMILY
17. WILLIAM HENRY ADAMS (thought to be brother of George W. Adams, No. 10), b. in Pittsfield, and his wife, Martha Benton Adams, b. in Wethersfield, Conn., were admitted to the Congregational Church, 3 March 1867, from Lee. He was a miller by trade. They may have come here at an earlier date as a William Adams was highway surveyor in 1859. They re- moved to Williamsburg about 1870. He was drowned in the Mill River flood in 1874. They had a son James who removed to Minnesota and California, and a son William Henry, Jr.
William Henry Adams, Jr., b. in Greene, N. Y., d. in North- ampton, 12 Feb. 1926, ae. 63-9-29. He married Agnes A. Schmidt, b. in Orange, N. J., dau. of Gottfried Schmidt who was b. in Germany. For a time they resided in Worthington and, early in the 1900s, drove the "stage" between Worthing- ton and Williamsburg carrying mail and passengers; later re- moved to Williamsburg. They had eleven children. One son, William L. Adams, m. Madeline Viola Baxter (No. 4), and is now (1961) caretaker of Laurel Park, Northampton.
ADAMS, ELIJAH, was a physician here in 1786. He was born in Pomfret, Conn., served in the Rev. War at Bunker Hill; re- moved to Livingston Manor, N. Y.
ADKINS, LEON HENRY, b. in Whately, son of Robert E. and Lillian M. (Newton) Adkins; m. 27 July 1947, Eva Jane Sander- son, b. in Williamsburg, dau. of Donald E. and Lois (Childs) Sanderson. A son, Donald Robert, was b. 8 May 1949.
ALDERMAN, CHARLES HENRY, b. in Amherst, son of Dwight C. and Pollian M. (Avery) Alderman; m. (2) 17 June 1944, Janette Catherine Hewitt, b. in W. Orange, N. J., dau. of John and Abby Corning Otto Hewitt.
15
FAMILIES OF CHESTERFIELD
REV. JOHN WHEELOCK ALLEN FAMILY
6. REV. JOHN WHEELOCK ALLEN, minister of the Congre- gational church from 15 May 1859 to 11 May 1862. He came here soon after his second marriage, at Woodstock, Conn., to Sarah M. Briggs. Two children were born here:
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.