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George Washington Statue at West Point By Henry Kirke Brown of Leyden
HISTORY OF LEYDEN MASSACHUSETTS
1676 - 1959
By William Tyler Arms * With the Collaboration of Masha E. Arms
The Enterprise and Journal Orange, Massachusetts 1959
Copyright, 1959 by William T. Arms All rights reserved.
PREFACE 1247318
This book attempts a new approach in local history writing. Its purpose is to create a readable tale by weaving a colorful local story into a background of basic American history.
We have endeavored, for instance, to draw the local pic- ture 200 years ago at the time of the British capture of Fortress Quebec, when Leyden, then a howling wilderness, began to open up. Into this picture, we introduce, one by one, the Leyden Mayflower descendants-the Bradfords, Brewsters, Fullers, Howlands-who made homes for themselves in the Ley- den hills. We tell, too, of Leyden's Dutch ties with colorful Anneke Jans, famous runaway princess of the House of Orange. Reflecting major events in the developing country, the story of Leyden then is unfolded.
Though special emphasis is given Leyden's Pilgrim fore- bears and outstanding men and women, the history also covers Leyden's natural history, including the rocks, ferns, wild flowers and birds of the area. The Leyden "Church Woods" plan is singled out as the town's particular contribution to the world of nature.
As in most New England towns, local land division was most complex, and since Leyden covered sections of three dif- ferent townships, the division into lots was extremely compli- cated. Intricacies of the partition of Leyden land are fully ex- plained, with emphasis on the 1741 Hampshire-Massachusetts survey. This line cut off valuable acreage from Leyden's northern border and resulted in the compensating "Florida Grant" on storied Mohawk Trail-some 40 miles distant!
To avoid confusion, the township as a whole is designated as "Fall Town" up to the year 1784. After this date, the name Bernardston is used to designate the eastern part of the grant; Leyden to designate the western part. Originally the entire area was known as Fall Fight Town, but with the 1784 division, two separate towns were formed. Up to and including the year 1779, East Colrain also constituted part of Fall Fight Town.
In the course of compiling even a modest town history, the work of gathering the facts is long and tedious. This book in- volved the reading of over 3,000 pages of Leyden and Bernards- ton records along with many county and state documents. While most local archives were found complete, the absence of the Old Deerfield minutes of meetings which vanished mys-
III
IV
PREFACE
teriously about 1950, proved a handicap, as early Fall Town meetings were held in Deerfield taverns.
Among the dozens of reference books consulted, particularly helpful Leyden data was found in Sheldon's History of Deer- field; Kellogg's History of Bernardston; Montgomery's Facts of American History; Temple's History of Northfield; Thompson's History of Greenfield; Willard's History of Greenfield; the Frank- lin Gazette; "Bells of Leiden Sing by Catherine Coblentz; His- tory of Montague; the Cunnabell, Brown, Newcomb and Mowry genealogies. Special maps and valuable statistical data were furnished from the Massachusetts State Archives.
The cooperation of the Greenfield Recorder-Gazette has been most helpful in publicizing the history and in encouraging united community efforts which have helped complete this book.
In the work of preparing this volume for Leyden's Sesqui- centennial, particular credit should be given the people of Ley- den for their generous support and encouragement. Mr. and Mrs. John H. Newcomb, Harold V. Campbell, Edith M. Howes and the Thomas List family have contributed particularly valu- able material for the book. Others who have given substantial support, directly or indirectly, include the late Lucy Cutler Kel- logg and Mr. and Mrs. Edwin W. Dyer, Jr. of Bernardston; Hester C. McKeage and A. N. Spruyt of Greenfield; Lucy Pratt of Wel- lesley Hills; and the late Eleanor M. Arms of Old Deerfield.
We also wish to thank Yankee Magazine for permission to reprint the Bunker Hill gun-legend story and the pioneer maple sugar tale; and Jane A. Kelly for a quotation from her poem, "Eight O'Clock at Night on Deerfield Street." Darwin D. Hine's poem, "Rain on My Old Tin Hat," is a reprint from the Mont- pelier Evening Argus.
Acknowledgments also are due the Louisiana State Uni- versity, West Point Museum, the New England Historic Genea- logical Society and the American Association for State and Local History.
W. T. A. Leyden, Massachusetts June 10th 1959
Table of Contents
Introduction to Leyden 1
Highlights of Leyden's History Geography and Location Leyden and the Mayflower Pilgrims
Chapter I-Early Leyden History-1676-1740 The Falls Fight Pioneer Leyden Lots Early Maps
6
Chapter II-First Settlement Period-1741-1759 14
Early Bradford-Newcomb Settlements King George's War Last French and Indian War
Chapter III-Second Settlement Period-1760-1774 29
Early Maple Sugaring The "Florida Grant" The Colrain "Gore" Early Schools
Chapter IV-The Revolutionary Period-1775-1783 48
The Bunker Hill Gun Story
Yorker Controversies 1781 Leyden Census The Buckland Tragedy
Chapter V-The Post-War Years-1784-1790 70
Leyden as a District The Hessian Story Shays' Rebellion The 1790 Leyden Census
Chapter VI-The Dorrilite Years-1790-1808 88
The Dorril Story Story of Dr. John L. Riddell Leyden's Incorporation
Chapter VII-Leyden's First "Half Century" as a Township-1809-1860 99
"Bidding Off" the Poor Early Life of H. K. Brown Leyden Residents 100 years ago Leyden in the Civil War
V
VI
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter VIII-Leyden-1861 Through World War I 116
The Bernardston Centennial Later Life of Henry K. Brown Leyden Physicians The Leyden Centennial
The Leyden Library World War I Veterans
Chapter IX-Leyden-1919-1945 134
Leyden in the Jazz Age The Post Office History History of the Leyden Church Leyden in World War II
Chapter X-Leyden-1945 to the Present 146
The Farm Picture-Old and New
History of Leyden Schools
Leyden Stores, Taverns and Mills in Review
Old Leyden Houses-and New
Chapter XI-Leyden's Natural History Leyden's Rocks and Ferns Wild Flowers and Shrubs
159
Wild Birds
Indians Trees and "Church Woods"
Arts and Crafts
Chapter XII-Genealogical Section 178
Leyden Residents Today Old Leyden Families Cemeteries Conclusion
About the Compilers of this Book 208
Maps and Illustrations
Master Map of Leyden
Front Endpapers
George Washington Statue at West Point By Henry Kirke Brown of Leyden
Frontispiece
The Brewster-Hastings House Pastel by Masha Arms
41
Earliest Known Map of Leyden - 1794 85
Newcomb's 1831 Map of Leyden 107
Beers' 1871 Map of Leyden
121
The "Gay Nineties" Concert Poster 125
Robertson Memorial Library
131
Leyden Meeting House 137
From a sketch by the Rev. R. K. Rust
Chapin Farm, Beaver Meadow, 1875 148
157
The Newcomb Homestead - East Leyden From a water color by Marion Towner
West Leyden Pastoral Scene 196
Photograph by John H. Vondell
VII
Introduction To Leyden
The Town of Leyden, Massachusetts, named for the Pilgrim sanctuary in Leyden, Holland, lies within a southeasterly spur of the Green Mountains and from its highest hills may be seen over thirty-five mountain peaks rising in Vermont, New Hamp- shire, the Berkshires, the Holyoke Range and in the foothills of the White Mountains. In the western part of Leyden-from Gates Hill-a splendid view of the Green Mountains and summits of the Taconic Range unfold. From the eastern slopes of the town one of the finest panoramas in New England spreads far and away in undulating ridges toward the sea, and it is readily understood why the pioneer settlers named one of Leyden's early highways-Eden Trail. From the summit of this trail in early May and August the sun rises, like a golden torch, direct- ly over the peak of famed Monadnock Mountain.
In the annals of history, Leyden has much to its credit. Through her rocky woods, the Deerfield captives, one hundred and fifty strong, trekked with their French and Indian captors on a memorable March day in 1704. Here it was the first white child born in Vermont territory came to settle; and here the mother of "Milwaukee Harriet" was reared. It was in these hills that the guns at Bunker Hill were heard, and Minute Men, some of whom had seen service in the French and Indian wars, dropped their tools of the field to shoulder muskets under cap- tains of the Minute Man companies. Following the Revolution, rebel "Yorkers," were driven pell-mell into Leyden by lusty fol- lowers of Vermont's great patriot, Ethan Allen. Into the Leyden sanctuary, too, came the hard-pressed men who had fought under Daniel Shays. From these hills men went forth to battle the British foe a second time. Down through the years, in fact, Leyden has been represented in all the major battles of the nation.
Nor is Leyden wanting in colorful and prominent citizens. Into the sanctuary of the Leyden hills came Jason Parmenter, famed Shays' follower, saved from an unjust sentence by a last- minute reprieve. William Dorril, one-time fighter under Bur- goyne, founded in Leyden one of the strangest religious sects of early American times. From the western limits of the town emerged John L. Riddell, outstanding inventor and pioneer in theoretical space travel-the man who foresaw 20th Century rockets to the moon, Venus and Mars.
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INTRODUCTION TO LEYDEN
Perhaps most famous of all Leyden's men was Henry Kirke Brown, American sculptor and artist. Today, Brown's huge statues of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln stand firmly in the public parks of New York, West Point and in the nation's Capital.
Through her distinguished service in the nursing field, the sculptor's niece, Ellen L. Brown, now in her 96th year, has added her name to the roster of Leyden's outstanding citizens. Maude Miner Hadden, world peace leader, also is a native of Leyden.
The pioneer American names of Brewster, Coolidge, Frank- lin and Bradford also enter into Leyden's history, as does the name of Anneke Janse, runaway Dutch princess, closely allied with Leyden's namesake town in Holland. As the history un- folds, her story with the stories of Leyden's other notables will be fully developed.
Location: Leyden is located in Franklin County, ten miles west of the Connecticut River. Its northern boundary is contigu- ous with the State of Vermont; its western bounds follow the course of the Green River; southward lies the industrial town of Greenfield; and on the east is the parent town of Bernardston. Leyden is 107 miles northwest of Boston, and 60 miles east of Albany via the famous Mohawk Trail. The average distance from the north to the south boundary of the town is five miles; the length of the south line is one mile, and of the north line, three miles. The shape of the town, viewed inversely, is similar to that of the State of Vermont.
Topography: Leyden is a town of Silurian-age hills, with narrow, fertile valleys interspersed. One historian wrote that, unlike Rome, Leyden was founded, not on seven, but on twenty- seven hills! The highest of these points is Frizzell Hill, 1315 feet above sea level; the lowest point in town is only 230 feet eleva- tion. This is near the spot on Green River where Eunice Wil- liams, a Deerfield captive of 1704, was cruelly slain while en route to Canada.
Geography: Beginning at the eastern approaches to the town, at a point on the Leyden map marked "Couch Brook," between the Cunnabell and Burk Forts, a road follows the brook westward to the top of Frizzell Hill. West of this hill is Beaver Meadow which is surrounded on three sides by protecting hill- ocks. This valley, site of the first Leyden settlement, is fed by a large brook which flows into Shattuck's millstream. Another brook has its source atop Frizzell Hill. Its water is a reddish
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INTRODUCTION TO LEYDEN
color at the source, due to iron deposits nearby; but the stream clears as its waters tumble downhill and many waterfalls of exquisite beauty are formed on smooth argillite ledges. Near the old Eden Trail, at the southeast approaches to Leyden, a number of fine trout streams flow in areas so remote that one waterfall, reported by Harold S. Pratt to be 25 to 30 feet in height, has been located by only half a dozen persons. The site is at the headwaters of Mill Brook, famous as the route of the night-marching "Falls Fight" men of 1676-a story to be recounted later.
Ball Mountain, nearly 1250 feet above sea level, commands a view of the Connecticut Valley as far south as Mount Holyoke. Sheldon's Hill lies northwest of Ball Mountain, and about two miles farther north is Daniel's Peak, named for Leyden's first white child.
Directly south of Beaver Meadow, divided from it by a rocky hillock, is an area which was known in olden times as "The Meadow." This flat land runs southward into "Buddington Val- ley," named for Leyden's legendary "Captain Kidd" settler. Southeastward is the famous Leyden Glen to be described in a later chapter.
A second range of hills parallels the Frizzell Hill range on the west, and it is on its summit that the present Leyden Center is situated. Still another range, farther west is the site of the Ethan Allen Highway which tied Leyden with Vermont. The crest of this range was the spot where the first Church and Tavern stood. Between ranges two and three lies colorful Brandy Brook.
Beyond range three, the land dips down to a sizable swampy area known as Peleg's Bog. Just west of this, the land slopes to evergreen-shaded Green River which is fed by such Leyden brooks as Thorn's, West Hollow, Hebard's (named for Leyden's early pastor) and Kateley's. The extreme northwest corner of the township consists of rocky upland country. Here, valuable metal ores have been mined.
Leyden, like many New England pioneer towns, was favored with high, wooded hills, fertile valleys and an abundant supply of pure water. This type of terrain was ideally suited to the early settlers who, with the Indian war whoop still ringing in their ears, took to the highest hills after the close of the French and Indian wars. Until 1800, in fact, the population of hill towns
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INTRODUCTION TO LEYDEN
outstripped that of towns more favorably located along the frontier lowlands.
Early Background History: Before taking up the actual story of Leyden, we will review briefly the story of the Pilgrims and their connection with the Dutch city for which Leyden, Massa- chusetts was named.
It may be remembered that in 1608, a small group of Eng- lish Protestants, finding they could have no peace in the British Isles because of religious persecution, fled to Holland where they hoped to find freedom of worship. The Dutch had only a few years before thrown off the Spanish yoke and welcomed those who sought freedom from tyrannical rule.
The Pilgrims settled in the Dutch university town of Leiden and there remained with their families until 1620 when because of impending war and a desire to live in an English colony, they decided to venture westward. Toward the end of July, therefore, they set sail in the Speedwell for Southampton, Eng- land where the Mayflower waited to transport them across the sea to America. William Bradford, a Mayflower passenger whose descendants settled in the Leyden of America, wrote of the Holland leave-taking:
"So they left that goodly and pleasant city which had been their resting-place near 12 years . .. for they knew that they were Pilgrims and looked not much on comforting things; but lifted up their eyes to the Heavens-their dearest Country . .. "
On September 16, 1620 the Mayflower sailed from Plymouth, England on her memorable voyage with the Reverend John Robinson, pastor of the Leiden Pilgrim flock. Nearly three months later, on a dreary December day, the Leiden Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock. Among them were two men-William Bradford and William Brewster-whose descendants helped build the first Leyden of America.
Three hundred and thirty-seven years after the arrival of Mayflower I in Plymouth, Massachusetts, the people of Leyden sent greetings to Mayflower II in Plymouth Bay. The message came "from the only community in America settled by freedom- loving Mayflower I descendants and named for the Old World Pilgrim sanctuary in Leiden, Holland."
Other Leydens in the United States: Though Leyden, Massa- chusetts, was the first town so-named in America, other "Ley-
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INTRODUCTION TO LEYDEN
dens," founded years later, are noted on the map. Port Leyden, New York was founded March 10, 1797-many years after the Bay State Leyden had been established. Though the name of New York's Leyden was given by Holland Land Company of- ficials, its early settlers came from Connecticut and Massachu- sets. The Reverend John Taylor of Deerfield, while on a mission- ary tour through the Empire State in 1802 records: "Rode to Ley- den, to Boon's Black River Settlement ... where there are about 50 families."
The midwest later produced several "Leydens" - one in Wisconsin, one in Illinois and one in North Dakota. As far as we can determine, the North Dakota Leyden, named in the late 19th Century by officials of the Grand Union Railway, is the only western Leyden to survive.
Leyden Street in Plymouth, Massachusetts is perhaps one of the most appropriate Leyden "namesakes" in America.
CHAPTER I
Early History of Leyden
T he actual story of Leyden, Massachusetts begins with the march of the "Falls Fight" men against a huge encampment of Indian warriors at Peskeomskut on the Connecticut River near the present town of Turners Falls. It was mid-May in 1676, near the conclusion of King Philip's War, when this handful of colon- ists under the leadership of Captain William Turner of Boston risked all in an attempt to stem the Indian plans of an attack on the white settlements. During the previous year, the villages of Deerfield and Northfield had been completely wiped out, and "the flower of Essex," those stalwart fighters from eastern Massa- chusetts, had been annihilated in an Indian ambush at a spot in Deerfield now known as Bloody Brook.
Seeing their best hunting grounds and corn fields taken over by white men, the Indians were determined to wipe out, once and for all, the possibility of further incursions into terri- tory they considered their rightful property. But the white men were just as determined to retain a foothold in New England. So it was that one hundred and forty-five picked men set out from Hatfield, Massachusetts on a May evening in 1676, and after a hazardous trek through the woods, to the accompaniment of rain and lightning, they reached the Indian river encampment. Here, at dawn, they surprised the sleeping braves, and as a result the Indians' power to strike en masse was broken for years to come.
For his part in this "Falls Fight," each colonial soldier was awarded a share in what was to be known later as the Fall Town Grant. In the days to come, Bernardston became the eastern, and Leyden the western portion of that grant.
Among the Falls Fight soldiers, the following either settled or had descendants who settled in Leyden: Hope Atherton of Deerfield; Nathaniel Alexander of Northampton; William Armes of Deerfield; Timothy Baker of Northampton; Preserved Clapp of Northampton; Japhet Chapin of Springfield; Samuel Crow of Hadley; Joseph Crowfoot of Wethersfield; William Clark of Lebanon, Connecticut; Samuel Cunnabell of Boston; Samuel Field of Deerfield; Eleazer Hawks of Hadley; Joseph Fuller of Newton; Samuel Hunt of Tewksbury; William James of Lebanon;
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HISTORY OF LEYDEN
John Ingram of Hadley; Francis Keet of Northampton; John Lee of Westfield; John Lyman of Northampton; Henry Rogers of Springfield; William Smead of Northampton; Samuel Stebbins of Deerfield; Thomas Wells of Hadley and Deerfield.
1734: First Petition for Land Grant in Fall Town. Because of unsettled times, constant warfare, and the fear of Indians, it was not till 1734 that the following request was made to the General Court in Boston:
"A petition of Samuel Hunt of Billerica for himself and other survivors of the officers and soldiers that belonged to the com- pany of Captain Turner ... showing that the said company in 1676 engaged the Indian enemy at a place above Deerfield, and destroyed about 300 of them, and therefore praying that this Court would grant them a tract of Land above Deerfield suitable to make a Township."
On November 28, 1734, the House of Representatives replied to this petition by voting "that the prayer thereof be so far granted, as that the petitioners have leave by a surveyor and chainmen upon oath to lay out a Township of the contents of six square miles to the Northward of the Town of Deerfield, in the unappropriated lands of the province of Massachusetts, and retain a plat thereof to this Court for confirmation within 12 months, and that said Township is granted the Petitioners and such other officers and soldiers that were in said fight above Deerfield, commonly called the Falls Fight; and to the des- cendants of any of the officers and soldiers that were in said fight and are deceased . .. provided the grantees do within four years settle 60 families in said township, and have each of them a house 18 feet square, and five acres of land brought to English grass or broke up by ploughing; and also build a con- venient Meetinghouse and settle a learned Orthodox Minister among them, lay out a house lot for the first settled Minister and another for the Ministry, each of which is to draw a 70th part of said township; also a lot for the School of 100 acres, the remainder to be divided into equal parts among those that are admitted . . . '
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