USA > Massachusetts > Franklin County > Hawley > History of the town of Hawley, Franklin County, Massachusetts, 1771-1951, with genealogies > Part 1
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HISTORY
OF THE
TOWN OF HAWLEY
LOUISE HALE JOHNSON
Gc 974.402 H31j 1247281
M. L:
GENEALOGY COLLECTION
ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 01115 2607
HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF HAWLEY
-
LOUISE HALE JOHNSON
C
HISTORY OF THE
TOWN OF HAWLEY FRANKLIN COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS 1771-1951 WITH GENEALOGIES
WRITTEN AND COMPILED BY LOUISE HALE JOHNSON
1
1953 CHARTER OAK HOUSE MYSTIC, CONN.
Copyright 1953 by Louise Haie Johnson
Lithographed in USA by The Litho GRAPHIC PRINTING Corporation
peel - 7.50
1247281
DEDICATION
To the men and women of the pioneer period, who succeeded in over- coming the obstacles incident to the breaking of the soil and the building of the foundation of the community of Hawley, for which the people of to- day are under a lasting obligation, this history is dedicated with admir- ation by the author.
HAWLEY (Author Unknown)
High up midst rocks and nature a battlement she stands And lifts to Heaven her giant out-stretched hands.
Waked by the eagle's cry, rocked by the stormy blast, Long may she live to tell of ages past.
Earth has no purer clime, no race of men more brave, Youth, age and beauty there, but not one cringing slave.
(There was never a slave owned in Hawley. This.poem was recited by Justin B. Warriner to members of the Shaw family, who were near neigh- bors, many years ago. It was kept in the memory of Mrs. Grace F. (Shaw) King and submittedby her at the 1949 "Sons and Daughters of Hawley" re- union. The first letter of each line of this poem spells the name "Hawley".
William Giles Atkins
PREFACE
As is well known to many residents of Hawley, this is the second attempt made to embody in permanent form the history of its ancestors, their struggles to reclaim the land and establish for themselves a home and a town. The first History of Hawley was written and compiled by Mr. Wil- liam G. Atkins, a former inhabitant of the town, and published by him in 1887. In 1947 at the annual reunion of the "Sons and Daughters of Hawley" it was voted to have this history brought up to date.
It soon became evident however that such a plan would not be practical. Not only was there much interesting material to be added, but there was also much information to be incorporated. Discrepancies in some of the records also made it seem advisable to start from the beginning, using Mr. Atkins' book as a basis. By carefully verifying and adding to his notes, with careful research and close examination of the original records of both town and churches, as well as by an extensive correspondence and with much valuable assistance from interested persons, this second His -- tory of Hawley is herewith presented. It is hoped that it will be received upon its merits, as an attempted historical record. Perfection is not claim- ed for it. There are many gaps and conflictions in the records, but any apologies the writer has to offer are not for these, but for her own short- comings in carrying out this extensive and most interesting task. Where errors occur the writer asks the indulgence of the reader.
In explanation, let the following be stated:
Where no State is indicated, Massachusetts is to be understood. In the genealogies the Arabic numerals in parentheses following the names of the families indicate the numbers of the generations. When a son estab- lished his family and remained in Hawley, there will be found a Roman numeral before his name where he is recorded with his parents. This indicates his family records are to be found elsewhere, preceded by the same Roman numeral. When a son married and moved away, his re- cords are given at once. The records of a daughter marrying out of the family are to be found under the name of her husband. In instances where a daughter married away from Hawley, her records are included under the heading of the parents. In instances where information is brief through the family remained in Hawley, it has been feasible at times to include the records with those of the parents. Multiple marriages are indicated with the number written in words and parentheses after the names, thus; (first), (second).
Reference sources have included: History of Hawley, 1771-188', by Wil - liam Giles Atkins; Centennial Gazette, 1792-1892, published by Greenfield Gazette; Historical Franklin Co., Mass., 1879, by L. H. Everts; Pictu- resque Franklin, 1891, edited by C . F. Warner; A History of Western Mas- sachusetts, by Dr. Holland; Joseph Hawley, 1723-1788, Colonial Radical, by E. Francis Brown; History of the Churches and Ministers in Franklin Co. , Mass. , 18 54, by Theophilus Packard; Atlas of Franklin Co., 1871, by F. W. Beers; Leading Citizens of Franklin Co., Biographical Review, 1895.
Abbreviations used are as follows:
ae., aged
n .. married
res., resides, resided
b., born
prob., probably s., son
ch., church
pub. , published
unk., unknown
d., died
rem., removed
wid. , widow
dau., daughter
The author wishes to gratefully acknowledge the ready cooperation which has been so graciously extended from all sou. ces, coming in many instances from. entire strangers. Thanks are tendered especially to Mrs. Herbert A. Holden of Hawley for her tireless enthusiasm, her determination to see a difficult job through to a successful conclusion, as well as for the abundance of inforn ation which she has gathered with painstaking effort, n uch of which is recorded in her retentive mind; to the Town Clerk, Mr. F. Deane Carter, for making the town records so conveniently available, as well as for his cheerful assistance in looking up information, books and papers; to Mr. W. W. Campbell of Northampton, for sharing his wealth of personal recollections; to Mrs. Bertha A. Clark of Ashfield, for her keen understanding and constant encouragement; to Mr. Lee A. Bronson of Ashfield for his assistance in gathering information from the Ashfield records; to Mr. Joseph H. Schaeffer of Syracuse, N. Y., for the use of his material and records, some of which are in printed forms in the Syracuse Public Library in Syracuse, N. Y. ; to those people who have so confidently placed their valuable original papers and pictures tempo- rarily in my keeping; and not least of all to my husband and children who have been ready at all times to accept compromises in their home lives that needed time for research might be found, and whose constant encour- agement has been a source of inspiration. Without all of these expressions of confidence and good will, this history might never have been completed.
Maplewood, N. J. July, 1952.
Louise Hale Johnson
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Dedication
Preface
Chapter I
Location
1
Purchase by Moses Parsons 1
Act of Incorporation
Organization of Town 2
Honorable Joseph Hawley 2
Topography
2
Streams.
3
Town Divisions. 3
Ecclesiastical Records 3
Moody Spring
4
Hatfield Equivalent 4
Early Settlers
6
First Thanksgiving
8
Chapter II
Ecclesiastical Records 9
Organization of First Church . 10
Voting Records in Regard to a Suitable Site and Type of Building. 10
Description of First Meeting House
10
Membership of First Church 12
Installation of Rev. Jonathan Grout
12
Rev. Tyler Thatcher, Second Pastor
.12
Rev. Henry Seymour, Third Pastor
13
Minutes of Ecclesiastical Council at the Installation of Rev. Seymour 13
Pastors of First Church, following Rev. Seymour 15
West Hawley Church . 15
First Sabbath School in Hawley. 16
Church Officers of West Hawley Church in 1951. 16
Members of First Church from 1816-1855 17
Chapter III Cemeteries
Map, Inscriptions, Epitaphs - Bozrah Cemetery 22
Map, Inscriptions, Epitaphs - East Hawley Cemetery. 27
Map, Inscriptions, Epitaphs - Doane Cemetery . 34
Map, Inscriptions, Epitaphs - Pudding Hollow Cemetery 47
Map, Inscriptions, Epitaphs - Hunt, or South Hawley, Cemetery. 58 Map, Inscriptions, Epitaphs - West Hill Cemetery 65
Cemetery Near the Brim Farm. .71
Chapter IV
Schools
73
Highways
77
Contents cont. Chapter IV
Post Offices 79
Medical Records 81
Stores and Hotels 81 Industries 82
Statistics
89
Town Farm 91
Town Officers, Moderators, Town Clerks, Constables 92
Selectmen
97
Representatives to General Court 100
Hawley Chronology
101
Chapter V
Revolutionary War Records 107
Civil War Records .. 107
World War II Records 110
Natives Abroad .
112
Biographical Sketches 122
Sons and Daughters of Hawley 124
Ownership of Farms - 1950 128
Identification of Cellar Holes 131
Families Residing in Hawley- 1950 132
Chapter VI
Incidents 135
Reminiscences. 137
Miscellany 146
Chapter VII
Genealogical Records
155
Chapter VIII Births, 1771-1951 317
Marriages, 1795-1951.
.351
Marriages of Hawley People in Ashfield, 1781-1860 .369
Deaths, 1827 - 1951
371
Genealogical Index.
381
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
Chapter I
Deed .
Chapter II
Boulder marking location of First Church in Hawley.
Two pictures of First Congregational Church. 11
Interior of West Hawley Church 16
Second Congregational Church. 16
Chapter III
Map of Bozrah Cemetery 9
Map of East Hawley Cemetery 28
Map of Doane Cemetery 35
Map of Pudding Hollow Cemetery 48
Map of South Hawley Cemetery 59
Map of West Hill Cemetery 66
Chapter IV
Old Brick Kiln 88
Mr. F. Deane Carter 88
Former Inn and Store 91
The Town House 91
Chapter V
War Tablet 111
Crittenden Family Secretary 111
3 Silhouettes. 118
Chapter VII
Sanderson Carter Homestead 169
Esther Wood Longley 184
Mr. Calvin Cooley . 184
Rosamond Field Cooley 184
Crittenden Homestead 189
Mr. F. Deane Carter
CHAPTER 1
In 1762, by order of the General Court, ten townships were sold at auc- tion. Among them, Hawley sold for L875, Rowe for L380, and other towns accordingly. Hawley, formerly designated as No. 7, is situated in the western part of Franklin Co. , in Massachusetts and is bounded on the north by Charlemont, on the east by Buckland and Ashfield, on the south by Ash- field and Plainfield, and on the west by Savoy. Plainfield is in Hampshire Co., and Savoy is in Berkshire Co. It is in latitude 42.5 north, and in longitude about 73° west.
No. 7 township was purchased on June 2, 1762, in Boston, by Moses Parsons for the consideration of L875. He in turn sold to other land specu- lators, but records of their ownership are not available. It is believed that none of them became actual settlers. The town was incorporated Feb. 7, 1792 and named "Hawley" in honor of the Hon. Joseph Hawley of North- ampton, and was organized the following April.
ACT OF INCORPORATION.
COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS:
In the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and ninety-two. An Act to incorporate the Plantation of Number Seven, so called, in the County of Hampshire, (this was before the division of the original County of Hamp- shire) into a Town by the name of Hawley.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, that the aforesaid Plantation, bounded north on Charlemont, east partly on Buckland and partly on Ashfield, south on Plainfield and west on the County of Berk- shire, be and hereby is incorporated into a town by the name of Hawley, with all the powers, privileges and immunities that towns within this Com - monwealth have or do enjoy.
Andbe it enacted by the authority aforesaid, that David Sexton Esq. be and hereby is empowered to issue his warrant, directed to some princi- pal inhabitant of the town of Hawley, requiring him to notify the inhabi- tants of the said town, qualified as the law directs, to assemble and meet at some suitable place in said town and choose such officer or officers as towns by law are empowered to choose at their annual meetings in the month of March or April. In the House of Representatives Feb. 1, 1792. This bill having had three several readings passed to be enacted.
DAVID COBB, Speaker.
In Senate, Feb. 6, 1792
This Bill having had two several readings passed to be enacted.
SAMUEL PHILLIPS, President.
Feb. 7, 1792. By the Governor.
Approved. JOHN HANCOCK.
The warrant to call the first meeting of the town was addressed to Ed-
2
HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF HAWLEY
mund Longley, and directed that the voters should assemble at Longley's house, April 2, 1792, to transact business and elect officers for the en- suing year. This warrant was signed by David Sexton, Justice of the Peace of Deerfield, who also served as moderator at the meeting.
The election resulted as follows: Edmund Longley, Town Clerk; Thomas King, Joseph Longley, Zebedee Wood, Amos Crittenden and Ebenezer Hall, Selectmen; Joseph Longley, Treasurer; James Parker, Constable, Zenas Bangs, Samuel Hitchcock, Zepheniah Lathrop, Assessors; David Parker, Whalen Hawks, John Burroughs, Joseph Bangs, Thomas King, 'Tithing- men; Zenas Bangs, Sealer of leather; Nathan West, Elisha Wells, Lum- ber Inspectors; Oliver Edgarton, George Eddy, Amos King, Ebenezer Burroughs, Arthur Hitchcock, Josiah Willard, David Parker, A. Rogers, John Taylor, Highway Surveyors.
Hon. Joseph Hawley for whom the town was named, was born in 1724 at Northampton, entered Yale at the age of sixteen and graduated three years afterwards. He expected to become a minister and entered a course of study at Harvard. He served as chaplain in the expedition against Louis- burg, but he gave up preaching and began to study law. He practised law in Northampton and soon attained high rank. It was not long before he earned the reputation of integrity and fair dealing. The people considered him to be a man of sterling character. He served in many town offices as well as in the State Legislature. He was an intimate friend of John Adams, James Otis and John Hancock. He was an intense patriot and was said to have been the first of the Colonists to declare publicly that "we must fight for our liberty". He was a leader of the opposition to the revivalist preach- ing of Jonathan Edwards and he was prominent in the Revolutionary strug- gle in western Massachusetts. He was also a friend of Patrick Henry of Virginia, and one historian states that it was Mr. Hawley who inspirea Patrick Henry to make his historic address. "I know not what course others take, but as for me, give me liberty or give me death. " He worked tire- lessly raising recruits for the Revolutionary Army. He was elected to the Mass. Senate but declined to serve. He was an early professor of the Chris - tian religion and served many years as deacon in the First Church of North- ampton. In his will, which is filed in the Hampshire Co. Court House, he wrote, "I will and order that my body be interred with but only ordinary decency and ceremony. " He is buried in the Bridge St . Cemetery in North- ampton. The Hawley Grammar School in that city, and Hawley St., are named in his honor.
"Today Hawley contains about 30 sq. miles. The original town was lar - ger. On June 3, 1803, a tract was taken from the south side to help form the town of Plainfield. The surface of the town is elevated and very much broken by high hills in the west and north. In the southeast the land is comparatively level, and here is fine farming land. West of the centre is a hill which contained a rich deposit of iron ore, which was mined to supply a furnace nearby in about 1800. This gave the name of Forge Hill, or Forge Hollow, to this locality.
3
HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF HAWLEY
The streams of the town drain north and east. Their power has been used for the manufacture of lumber, broom handles, whip butts, rakes, etc. The principal stream is Chickley's River, rising in the mountains in Berk- shire Co. , flowing east until it has taken the waters of King's Brook from the south, when it bears a northerly course to the Deerfield River in Charlemont. In years gone by this river has furnished abundant water power for sawmills, wood turning shops and tanneries. Clesson's Brook rises in the town south of the centre and flows into the town of Buckland. In the northern part of Hawley is Bozrah Brook, flowing into the Deerfield River. It flows northwest from a point east of the town road, near what was the Ed. Cobb place, being joined near the foot of th, hill by a small branchfrom the west and from here it is quite a sizable brook as it crosses the land recently owned by Robert Ogden, Stephen Wilbur, and what is known as the Hawkes place. On this brook were small powers, used to operate clothing works and shops. A record from Mrs. Pauline Simpson Anderson states that her great-great-grandfather, Zebedee Wood, who came from Bozrah Ct., had a tannery on a branch of this brook directly back of the old home which is known as the "Simpson Place". One of the industries on this brook was a wood working mill operated for several years by Charles Crittenden and Lewis Hall. For some distance this brook flows through dense woods and has been known as an excellent trout stream. At one time there was a cranberry bog on the meadow in back of the Vining place. ,The Cooley Brook is in the east part of the town, and flows from a pond which is fed by springs, on what is now known as the LaBelle place. This place was originally cleared and settled by Noah Cooley, who came to Hawley from Monson and built a shack in the hollow of this small brook.
The main divisions of the town are East Hawley and West Hawley, in which there are lesser divisions, namely Bozrah, Pudding Hollow, Fullerville, King Corner, Hallockville, West Hill, Dodge Corner, Potash Hill, and South Hawley. Bozrah, in the northern part of the town, derived its name from the place in Connecticut from which some of its first settlers came, some of whom were Zebedee Wood, Joseph Edgerton, Zephaniah Lathrop, Gershom West, Other early settlers of Bozrah included Asa Blood, Abel Parker, and later, Simeon Crittenden, Oliver and Ezekiel Edgerton and Ichabod Hawks. It included a school district. In the primi- tive days, probably before 1780, Mrs. Baker, wife of Timothy Baker, was matched against another woman, to see which would make the largest hasty pudding. Mrs. Baker made hers in a five-pail kettle, and came out triumphantly the "pudding head" of Hawley. That circumstance gave the title "Pudding Hollow" to that neighborhood, embracing school district No. 1, lying in the north part of town. Fullerville received its name from Clark W. Fuller, who established a mercantile and manufacturing busi- ness about 1855. King Corner was the southwest corner of town. In the spring of 1772 Thomas King came from Brimfield and bought 1000 acres of land for one dollar an acre. His descendants of the fourth and fifth generation remained in the neighborhood, and until the death of Warriner King in 1877, the original name of King had continuously lived there, cover -
4
HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF HAWLEY
ing a period of 105 years. Hallockville, on the Plainfield line, with an ex- tensive water power, was occupied in 1826 by Leavitt Hallock, who did a large business for about twenty years in tanning and sawing lumber. West Hill is a neighborhood in the west part of the town, being divided from King Corner by the upper waters of Chickley's river, Dodge Corner was the name given to that section in the east part of town which was settled by Silas Dodge, his decendants remaining there for several gen- generations. Potash Hill was the name formerly given to a very steep highway leading from Pudding Hollow to the Square. The name was given from the potash manufactory which was located near the road. At South Hawley a tavern was kept for many yearsby Col. Noah Joy, a prominent citizen of the town. It was a stopping place for the Boston-Albany stage, and horses were changed there. There was a post office there for several years. The site of the first business interests of the town, including the church, parsonage, store, post office, hotel and several houses, was called the "Square" or "Common". It was a slightly elevated location, consist- ing of several acres, a little east of the territorial center of the town. It was later known as "Poverty Square". Forge Hollow, later called West Hawley, received its name from being the site of a forge where iron was made in the early part of the 19th century, the ore being received from "Forge Hill", on the old road leading from West Hawley to Pudding Hol- low. The same water privilege has been used continuously, being later owned and occupied by Willis Vincent. Southeast of the center of Hawley is the highest elevation in Franklin Co., called 'Parker's Hill'. It is 2,060 feet above the sea level, and, with the exception of Greylock in Berkshire Co. , is the highest elevation in the State. A similar elevation is also in the extreme south part of the town, called "Beals' Hill". On both of these peaks signal flags were placed some years ago to assist in a U. S. topographical survey. Hallockville was named for Moses Hallock, a pastor in Plainfield for over 40 years, who lived over the Plainfield line in Hawley. His influence upon Jonas King, the missionary, who re- sided one-half mile from the Plainfield line, and attended the Hallock School in Plainfield, caused Mr. King (1) to become determined to ob- tain an education, and (2) to become a missionary.
In the southwestern part of the town is Moody Spring, named for Mr. William Moody, on whose farm it was located. Mr. Moody died in 1850. This spring was said to possess strong medicinal properties, and it was said to be a certain specific for salt-rheum and other cutaneous diseases.
A portion of the east part of the town was known as the "Hatfield Equi- valent". This land adjustment was made previous to the purchase by Moses Parsons. It is reasonable, therefore, to conclude that that por- tion of land was not included in the purchase made by him, it being pre- viously owned by other parties. In 1759, in consideration of some ser- vices rendered, the General Court granted to Mr. Simon Broadstreet, afterward Gov. Broadstreet, 500 acres of land, and also Maj. Daniel Denison 500 acres of land, with the privilege that they might locate the same at any place west of the Conn. River, provided "that it be full six miles from the place intended for Northampton meeting house, upon a
5
HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF HAWLEY
straight line." Gov. Broadstreet had the first choice and he chose Hat- field north meadows, beginning at the north end of the street and run- ning north and west to the ponds. Maj. Denison took his north of the ponds, extending north on the river one mile, and west from the river 250 rods.
Immediately after this Hatfield, was settled and the inhabitants began to murmur about these grants. As they were not then set off from Hadley, that town induced Gov. Broadstreet to remove his claim and accept 1000 acres lying north of Major Denison's, and in addition they were to pay the Gov. L200. So after the transfer had been made they had a strip three miles long and 250 rods wide, taking all the meadow land for three miles on the river.
After Hatfield became a separate town, she felt uneasy about this pos- session of so much of her best farm lands. So she petitioned to the "Great and General Court" for some redress for her grievance and the legisla- ture, in 1744, gave them the lands lying adjacent to Huntstown, now Ashfield, in all 8064 acres as an equivalent for the lands originally granted to Broadstreet and Denison. The basis of the division of the Hatfield Equivalent was the division of the town of Hatfield in 1684. So people with large estates drew large lots, while those with small estates drew but a small proportion. "Verily to him that hath shall be given, and to him that hath not shall be taken even that which he hath. "
There were 83 recipients of this bounty, which included all the tax- payers of Hatfield at the time the grant was made, and parties who came into the town after the grant did not receive any of the land. The names of these 83 proprietors are given in the records, with the number of acres and rods given to each, together with the width of each lot, given in rods, feet and inches. The length of the lots is not given, but we con- clude they were of uniform length, and that the width was established so as to give each one the amount of land required, and preserve this uni- formity in length.
The proprietors of the grant met at Hatfield, on Mon., May 6, 1765, and the following votes were passed relative to the Hatfield Equivalent: Voted, that a way be laid out North and South through ye whole tract, half way from ye West way voted by ye town to ye West line of ye grant.
Voted, that two ways be laid by ye Committee as aforesaid from ye middle way to ye East way that runs through ye tract.
Voted, that a way be laid by said Committee Two hundred rods North of ye Northermost way voted by ye Towne, which runs East & West and from ye East line till it meet with ye West line of ye grant.
Voted, that a way be laid in some convenient place by said Committee from ye last mentioned way to run South Two hundred rods to ye way next South.
Voted, that each of ye ways agreed upon & voted at this meeting be four rods wide & so laid by ye Committee as not to divide any proprietor's lot.
Voted, by ye Proprietors, that they will draw division lots for their
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