USA > Massachusetts > Franklin County > Northfield > History of the town of Northfield, Massachusetts : for 150 years, with an account of the prior occupation of the territory by the Squakheags : and with family genealogies > Part 1
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MOCCE LXXVIII
BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY
Thomas Hason.
A
HISTORY
OF THE
TOWN OF NORTHFIELD,
MASSACHUSETTS,
FOR [ 50 YEARS,
WITH AN ACCOUNT OF THE PRIOR OCCUPATION OF THE TERRITORY BY THE SQUAKHEAGS :
AND WITH
FAMILY GENEALOGIES.
J. H. TEMPLE AND GEORGE SHELDON. BY
ALBANY, N. Y. : JOEL MUNSELL, 82 STATE ST. 1875.
Soz Su Ry F74
Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1875, By J. H. TEMPLE and GEORGE SHELDON, In the office of the Librarian of Congress.
. N96T2 Copy 3
PREFACE.
In offering the annals of the ancient town of Northfield to her citizens, and to that class of the public who take an interest in the preservation of the local memorials of New England, it is necessary to state the sources whence the materials here embodied have been obtained.
The field of these researches is to a great extent new ground. No full and connected account has been published of the events which transpired in this part of the Connecticut valley during King Philip's war, nor of the subsequent struggles with the savages up to the close of the war of 1722-26. The histories of the two succeed- ing French and Indian wars are more full, but are defective in dates, and in details of local skirmishes.
Almost nothing has been known of the antecedent Indian occupa- tion, or of the first attempts made by the whites to gain a foothold here.
The writers of this volume have thus from necessity had to depend mainly on manuscript documents. The sources of information have been : 1. The Town and Church Records. The Book of Records kept by the two committees, 1685-90, and 1713-23, is in a good state of preservation. The first volume of Town Records, 1723- 1766, is lost. The Church Records, 1718-49, are lost ; and all the historical portions of the book kept by Rev. Messrs. Hubbard, Allen and Mason have been purposely cut out and destroyed. The book of births, marriages and deaths, and the later volumes of Town Records are extant. 2. The County Records, embracing the County Recorder's Book at Hatfield, and the Court and Probate Records, and the Registry of Deeds of the old county of Hampshire, now preserved at Springfield and Northampton. 3. The State Archives. The materials for an account of the Indian occupation ; of the set- tlement of 1673-5 ; of the details of military and other expeditions,
iv
Preface.
and of colonial plans and politics, have been gathered from the voluminous Letters of the Pynchons, the Stoddards, Partridge, the Willards, Hinsdale, Dwight, Kellogg, Seth Field, and others ; from reports of committees ; from petitions, muster-rolls, and the General Court Records, severally preserved in the office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth. 4. The Williams Papers, in the library of the Massachusetts Historical Society were kindly offered for examination, and have supplied documents not elsewhere found. 5. Family Papers. Although most of the valuable collections of old family papers have been sold to the rag-collectors, or have perished by fire and waste, yet the files still preserved by Capt. Henry Alexander, by the descendants of Lieut. Eliezur Wright, of Capt. [Calvin Stearns, and Capt. Samuel Merriman ; and the account-books of Ebenezer Field, Moses Field, and Jona. Belding, have been of essential service. The collection of town papers left by Capt. Richard Colton ; and the abundant stores of information relating to the topography of the north part of the original Northfield territory, collected by A. H. Washburn, Esq., of Vernon, Vt., have contributed to the complete- ness of our narrative. 6. Doolittle's Narrative. This rare tract has been the basis of the account of events detailed in chapter VIII. [See Appendix. ] 7. The memories of aged persons, natives of Northfield, have been freely drawn upon. Francis Lyman, Dea. Phinehas Field, Timothy Field, Mrs. Polly (Dickinson) Holton, Mrs. Lydia (Doo- little) Everett, Mark Woodard, Lewis Taylor, of Hinsdale, N. H., . and John Stebbins, of Vernon, Vt., have furnished facts and incidents to explain and illustrate the records, and have given pictures of social life and character, possible to be duplicated from no other source. 8. Tradition. All matters of unsupported ; tradition have been so designated in the text. But oral narrative has a special province, and is important to the historian in confirming and elucidating recorded facts, and suggesting solutions of contradictory reports, and pointing out lines of investigation. Many stories handed down from the fathers are evident exaggerations, with but a grain of truth ; some reminiscences of real life have received recent additions, to suit the views of interested parties ; while many legends of personal exploit, and privation, and odd experience, treasured as " heir-looms," are controverted by authentic records, and are omitted.
The new material, found in papers not before accessible to the public, has intrinsic value ; and it throws a new light on many trans- actions already known. Parts of things, hitherto wanting, have been
V
Preface.
supplied. And numerous errors of fact and date, which in various ways had crept into accepted history, have been discovered and corrected.
The territory between Turner's Falls and Brattleboro has been personally explored, for the purpose of fixing upon the authenticated and the doubtful points of historic interest. To locate an action or event, is often to get the clew to its real and full meaning ; is to discover reasons and results ; is to find explanations which the facts themselves fail to furnish. Indian village sites have been examined, and careful study bestowed on all " remains," which could illustrate the ethnology of the resident tribes.
The historical data collected cover the whole of the old Squakheag country, embracing the early settlements of what is now Vernon, Vt., Hinsdale and Winchester, N. H., as well as Northfield. And while the greatest labor has been expended on the early memorials of the township, its first struggles, and failures, and successes ; and exhaust- ive research has been directed to the wars with the Indians and their allies the French ; nothing of a later date has been omitted, which has real value in elucidating the civil, ecclesiastical, educational, and industrial interests of the town. The war records of the American Revolution will be found to be substantially complete. The names of the men called out in 1814, are given ; and a full list is inserted, of the enlisted and drafted men sent from Northfield to put down the rebellion of 1861-5.
Official documents and family papers are usually printed in full. Journals, and letters, and muster-rolls, and military orders, often have more than a local value. They help to solve some personal or political mystery, and supply missing links in chains of evidence, the importance of which the discoverer only half comprehends. Abridg- ment is too often mutilation.
This work is not intended to be an exhaustive account of cotem- poraneous events in New England, nor in Massachusetts, nor yet in the old county of Hampshire. Its exact scope is indicated by its title. Mr. Sylvester Judd has published a full, and (with singularly few exceptions) reliable history of old Hadley, covering the territory originally held by the Norwottocks ; and Mr. George Sheldon is collecting materials for a history of the Pacomptocks and the Deer- field settlement.
As a frontier town till some years after the close of Father Ralle's war, Northfield was a strategic point of great importance ; and though
vi
Preface.
covered, after 1724, by Fort Dummer, was, till the peace of 1763, the scene of surprises, and bloody conflicts. Around it centered a series of events whose bearing and consequences have not been well understood.
It is the hope of the authors that these pages furnish sufficient facts to enable the careful student to understand how civilized life here came in contact with and finally displaced savage life ; how and why, after two unsuccessful attempts, the whites held permanent possession of the place ; and then pushed on up the Connecticut valley. For Northfield was the entrance gate to the settlements as high up as Charlestown, N. H. If heroes and heroines now and then appear on the stage, it is because the times and circumstances, and their own characters, made them such.
In the preparation of the Family Genealogies, besides the sources already named, family bibles, family registers, and inscriptions on grave-stones have been copied. And where irreconcilable contra- dictions occur in the records, a solution has been sought by reference to the specifications on enlistment rolls, guardianship papers, wills, deeds, and authentic collateral facts. The result of exhaustive research has often led to conclusions at variance with family tradition, and with published genealogies. But no dates and lines of descent have been adopted, without what appeared to be reliable evidence of accuracy.
To the custodians of the records in the public offices of what was the old county of Hampshire ; to the clerks of the several towns where researches were made ; to the many kind friends in Northfield, and the descendants of her scattered families ; as well as to their fellow-toilers in the field of historical investigation, who have aided and encouraged them in this undertaking ; especially to Miss Mary T. Stratton, whose assistance in copying papers and gathering inform- ation has been indefatigable - the authors hereby tender grateful thanks.
Josiah Howard Temple Purge Sheldon -
CORRECTIONS AND ADDITIONS.
Page 8, 13th line from bottom, for saw, read grist ; same line, after by, insert Aaron Morgan ; and add, Lyman Gilbert, Sen., built the saw-mill now standing. In the line below, erase half a mile, and insert two miles.
Page 10, 4th and 5th lines from bottom, erase 4th of July, and insert last of August. Page 22, 3d line from bottom, after by, insert Capt. Elisha Hunt, whose heirs told to.
Page 126, middle of page, for July 14, read July 15.
Page 179, 7th line, after by, insert the son of.
Page 234, 4th line, for Daniel read David.
Page 241, 17th line from bottom, for Thomas read Robert.
Page 283, 5th line from bottom, erase '55, and insert '68.
Page 319, 3d column, 6th line, for Eleazer read Ebenezer.
Page 358, 10th line, for Ebenr. read Eber.
The names of the minute men, given on pp. 323-4, were copied from the original roll, found among the Wright Papers, an attested copy of which, sworn to by Capt. Wright, is in the office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth.
EXPLANATIONS.
Abbreviations .- b. for born ; bro. for brother; d. for died ; k. for killed ; m. for mar- ried ; and other well known contractions are used. As also Conc. for Concord ; Dfd. for Deerfield ; Enfd. for Enfield ; Fram. for Framingham; Had. for Hadley; Hfd. for Hatfield ; Nfd. for Northfield; Nhn. for Northampton ; Spg. for Springfield ; Sud. for Sudbury ; Suff. for Suffield ; Wfd. for Westfield ; Wind. for Windsor ; Worc. for Worcester.
Old and New Style .- All dates, prior to 1752, are understood to be in conformity with old style, then in use.
Double Dating .- The custom which prevailed in former times, of double-dating events which transpired between January 1, and March 25, has been retained in some instances ; but usually the true date is given ; i. e., the year is considered as beginning January 1.
,
HISTORY OF NORTHFIELD.
INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER.
BOUNDARIES - NATURAL FEATURES OF THE TERRITORY - NAMES AND DESCRIP- TION OF MOUNTAINS, BROOKS, MEADOWS, PLAINS, AND OTHER OBJECTS OF SPECIAL INTEREST. .
N the absence of a map of the town, a brief account of the topography of Northfield is inserted in this place, to save the frequent use of foot-notes and explanations. This outline covers the original township, as granted by the General court in 1672, and the additional grant of 1685. The design is to give the name and relative position of all the more pro- minent natural features of the territory, so that the points and bounds mentioned in Indian deeds and early records, and in the first English allotments and subsequent transfers, may be readily understood. In some cases, localities that have a special historic interest are described in full - anticipating in part the course of the narrative. The Indian names, when known, and the names first affixed to a place, or object, by the whites, are scrupulously preserved, and are commonly adopted as the proper designation. Modern changes are indicated, in order that younger as well as older readers may have no difficulty in under- standing the references in the body of the work.
The Indian name of the territory comprised in the original grants to the Northfield settlers was, according to Gookin, Suckquakege; ac- cording to Elder William Janes, Wissquawquegue. The two modes of spelling evidently represent the same word, either as pronounced by two different chiefs, or as the two hearers estimated the pecu- liar power of letters to represent vocal sounds.
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2
History of Northfield.
Of course the only way by which the whites got the Indian name- words, was by the ear. And the formation of their syllabic sounds in the larynx, with the lips but slightly open, rendered the talk of the red men specially obscure. And this obscurity was in- creased by the fact that our people were ignorant of the etymology, and to a great extent of the meaning of native terms. The result was, great diversity and some confusion in writing Indian geographical names. No two writers of that early time spell these words alike: and it is sometimes almost impossible, in the varieties of orthography, to recognize the identity of a name.
The name of our town is spelled in deeds and official documents, no less than nine different ways. Had the scribes of that day com - prehended the historic importance of these aboriginal words, they would have been at more pains to get the exact native enunciation, and would have adopted some uniform method of spelling the Eng- lish substitute.
The term Suckquakege, however, was not applied by the natives to the country at large, but to the fishing-places near Cooper's Point, and so to the village or clusters of wigwams in that immediate neigh- borhood. Their lower village, situated at the southerly end of the present Northfield street, was known as Squenatock, or Quanatock, so called from the falls on Miller's brook, around which they lived.
The English name Northfield was chosen only because the planta- tion was then the northernmost settlement on the Connecticut river.
The territory purchased of the Indians was about eight miles in extent north and south, by twelve miles in width, six miles on each side of the river. But this purchase was not coincident with the present town bounds. No deed from the Indian owners of lands south of Squenatock has been discovered; and it is believed that no warranted rights were acquired in the tract south of this point by the whites.
The town, as granted by the General court in 1672, was eight miles long by four and a half miles wide, extending three-fourths of a mile from the river west, and three and three-fourths miles east. The north and south bounds ran E. 7º 30' N. ; the east and west bounds ran N. 1º 30' W. The outlines, however, were not regular. At the lower end, the bound on the west side of the river was a line running westerly from the mouth of Bennett's brook ; on the east side of the river the bound was a line running easterly from "the lower end of the Three Little Meadows," and so over the highest point of Beers's mountain. On the north, the bound west of the river was Broad brook; east of the river it was Ash-swamp
3
Introduction.
brook. Thus the west side territory extended about a mile further north than that on the east side. These lines remained unaltered during the First Settlement. During the Second Settlement, i. e., in 1685, on petition of the Committee, the General court added a large tract of land to the south end on the east side of the river, car- rying the line down to the mouth of Four-mile brook. And subse- quently a small addition was made to the south end on the west side of the river, carrying the line down to the north bound of old Deerfield ; so that the area of the town, after these additions, was 31,296 acres.
At the date of these grants, the province of Massachusetts was supposed or claimed to extend at least forty miles higher up the river than at present ; and actual jurisdiction was exercised as far as the north line of Charlestown, N. H. When the new province line, corresponding to the present state line, was established, by order of the king in council, in 1740, Northfield lost about four and one- half miles in width of the northerly part of her chartered territory - embracing considerable parts of the present towns of Winchester and Hinsdale in New Hampshire, and Vernon in Vermont.
In more modern times, a tract of 500 acres, known as the Pem- broke grant, lying below the mouth of Four-mile brook, has been annexed to the town ; and a portion of the west side addition has been set off to Gill. The present area of the town, including the river, is about 19,750 acres.
The town of Northfield is bounded on the east by Warwick, on the south by Erving, on the south-west by Gill, on the west by Ber- nardston, on the north by the state line which separates it from Vernon, Hinsdale and Winchester.
STREAMS .- The Connecticut River is the prominent natural feature of the town, and constitutes the base line of all topographical descrip- tion. The Indian name was Quinneh-tuk, the long river with waves, quinneb, long, tuk, water having tidal or wind-raised waves. Our name Quinneb-tuk-ut, or Connecticut, is the word the natives applied to the land bordering on the stream, and not to the stream itself. In the earliest local records it is commonly called the river, and the Great river. Its course here is mainly due south, except at the Great bend, where it nearly doubles upon itself. The average width between bank and bank is forty rods. The fall is slight, and the current sluggish, as is uniformly the case where the alluvial deposits form broad meadows. From the foot of Clary's island, there is a
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History of Northfield.
4
stretch of swift water, extending above Brattleboro'. In this distance of about seven miles the fall is thirteen feet. But as a whole, when viewed from the high banks or from the more distant mountains, the impression is that of repose and richness rather than of power, giv- ing assurance of abundant crops, rather than threatening possible devastation.
This river rises in the highlands on the northern border of New Hampshire, in latitude 45° 15', and following a southerly course, separates the states of New Hampshire and Vermont, crosses Massa- chusetts in its western part, crosses Connecticut in its central part, and enters Long Island sound in latitude 41º 16'. The tide flows up to the foot of Enfield falls, a distance of 63 miles. The entire length, including windings, is near 400 miles.
Its course in our town is about 83 miles. From the state line to the north line of Gill, it divides the town into two unequal parts ; thence south it forms the easterly bound of Gill, the whole bed of the stream adjacent belonging to Northfield.
Ashuelot River. This is the next considerable stream in old North- field. Its general course here is west by south. The name was originally written Nashue lot. The Indian word nashue, signifies, in the midst, and was applied by them to a point or angular piece of land lying between two branches of a stream or other water; ut means at. The application of the term here is plain. The natives called the triangular peninsula formed by the bend of the Connecti- cut, and touched on the east by the smaller stream, nashue-ut ; . and the settlers, without inquiring into the special meaning of the word, made it the name of the smaller stream. By omitting the initial n, and with the introduction of / before the termination. it makes a most musical appellation. The regret is that our fathers did not retain more of those apt and significant Indian names.
There are rapids on this stream at the present village of Hinsdale; but they were not improved while the territory was included in North- field.
The other streams entering the Connecticut from the east are :
Asb-swamp Brook, which was the original northern bound of the plantation ; and on which were built in later times, Hinsdell's fort, and Hinsdell's mill.
Shattuck's Brook is a half-mile south of the old Northfield line. Daniel Shattuck built a fort on this stream previous to 1740.
Merry's-meadow Brook is a little north of the site of the old Hinsdale meeting-house, at the lover end of Merry's meadow. It marks the
-
FERGUSON ALBANY
GLEN FALLS.
5
Introduction.
1
south line of the 500 acres granted in '1732 to Governor Jonathan Belcher.
Cold Brook runs into the Ashuelot a little above its mouth. It rises from a spring in the meadow hill, but is permanent. Thomas Taylor built a house in the meadow, a few rods north of this brook, immediately after the close of the French and Indian war of 1744- 48.
Triangle Brook rises in Winchester, flows westerly into Doolittle's meadow. It enters the old channel of the Connecticut, which it fol- lows to the lower end of the meadow.
The brooks above named are north of the present state line, and consequently not now within the town limits.
Pauchaug Brook rises to the east of Staddle hill in Winchester. Its general course is south-westerly, and it empties into the Connecticut at the southerly end of Pauchaug meadow. It has several mill-sites. Aaron Burt built a grist-mill on the lower falls, as early as 1765. Thomas Page owned it afterwards, and built a saw-mill just above, when he leased the grist-mill to his son Lewis. It was afterwards owned by David Twitchell.1 " David Twitchell's upper mill pond, near Winchester line," is named in the records.
Stephen Belding built a saw-mill still higher up the brook, near his house in Winchester. This was afterwards owned by William Stebbins. Above are Brown's saw-mill, John Brown's wagon-shop, Putnam's saw-mill, and Combs's saw-mill.
Cranberry Brook, mentioned in early deeds, runs on the easterly side of Log plain, and empties into Pauchaug brook.
Second Brook rises northerly of Notch mountain, and after a westerly course unites with Pauchaug brook near its mouth. On a little branch of this stream, Captain Seth Lyman put in a dam, about 1790, not far from his dwelling house, where he set up a water- power spinning wheel. One of his daughters-in-law became so adept in its use that she could spin two threads at once, one with each hand.
Mill Brook .- This marked the north end of the town plot, as it was called, during the First and Second Settlements. The gorge through which it descends the meadow hill is one of the most romantic spots in town. The right branch of this stream rises west of Mount
I In a deed, dated November 7, 1792, Benoni Dickinson transfers to Ezekiel Webster, 6 acres and 152 rods of land lying " a little below a grist mill formerly known as Burt's mill, on Pauchauge brook, below the lower falls in sd brook, with a mill and dam and stream and privilege of flowing, as has been heretofore."
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History of Northfield.
Grace in Warwick, with 'a feeder coming down between Round mountain and Little-hemlock mountain; the left branch drains the Great-swamp lots. A grist-mill was erected on the falls of this brook in 1685, at which date it received its name, it being the common custom to call that Mill brook, on which the first mill in town was built.
The name given to this stream in the Indian deeds, was Cowas and Coassock. The Indian word kowa means, a pine, plural, koash ; ohke or ock signifies, place ; koash-ock would then mean, the pine-trees' place. Probably the natives applied the term to the ravine where the mill- sites are, which then had a large growth of pines and hemlocks. This point was the dividing line between the lands of Massemet on the south, and Nawelet on the north.
John Clary Jr. built a grist-mill on the privilege next the street, in 1685. The dam was just above the one now standing. In 1716, this privilege was purchased by Stephen Belding, who rebuilt the grist-mill, which was held by himself and sons till 1779, when it was sold to Aaron Whitney, and subsequently came into possession of John Barrett, Esq. It was bought by Ezekiel Webster, who put in a forge, with trip-hammer, etc. In 1717, Jonathan Belding, a brother of Stephen, built a saw-mill below, of which Stephen was one-half owner. April 10, 1728, Stephen Belding sells to his brother Jonathan " one-half of a saw-mill now standing on the Mill brook a little below the grist-mill on the falls of said brook and all that per- tains thereto, as also the whole privilege of the stream at that place, so that it be not prejudicial to the grist-mill above : it being under- stood that this sale includes only that side of the brook on which the saw-mill now stands." This mill was operated by Jonathan Belding, senior, and junior, during their lives - as Mr. Francis Lyman states it, "as long as the old man was able to hoist the gate." Sept. 9, 1812, he sold the site and privilege to Ezekiel Webster, for $200 ..
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