USA > Massachusetts > Hampden County > West Springfield > Account of the centennial celebration of the town of West Springfield, Mass. : Wednesday, March 25th, 1874 : with the historical address of Thomas E. Vermilye the poem of Mrs. Ellen P. Champion, and other facts and speeches > Part 10
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Lucina, born in 1806, remains single and resides in Rochester, N. Y.
Louis, born in 1809, resides in Rochester, N. Y., deals in flour and grain, is a Presbyterian elder, and has held various offices in the city government, and is a cor- porate member of the A. B. C. F. M.
GENEALOGY OF THE COOLEY FAMILY. Co.
The Cooleys of West Springfield descended from Benjamin Cooley, who came to Springfield in 1640, settled in " the precinct of the Long Meadow," and had a family of ten children ; the first being born July 16, 1643. His immediate posterity had
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large families. His grandson, Obadiah, Jr., and great grandson, Roger, settled in West Springfield.
Obadiah, Jr., made a purchase of land in 1730, "on the west side of the Great River," in Springfield, and in 1738, purchased of Benjamin Ball three acres of land on the bank of the river, now known as the Isaac Humiston place, where he is sup- posed to have died.
In 1748, his son, Abel, purchased of Moses Miller six acres of land on the cor- ner, opposite his father's homestead, and which, with the exception of the house lct of the late Justin Ely, sold off many years ago, still remains in the possession of his descendants. He was known as Captain Cooley, and had two sons, John and Walter.
John settled in Tatham, on the farm opposite that of Talcott A. Rogers. He had two sons, John, Jr., who died unmarried ; and Abel, who left nine children, one of whom, Maria, the widow of James Wallace, resides in her native town, and one, Rev. Henry Cooley, residing in Springfield, are his only survivors.
Walter remained on the ancestral estate, and, surviving his father, died, leaving two sons, Abel and Walter ; the former dying without issue, and the latter leaving two sons and one daughter, Sarah, who, with her mother and brother Richard, now occupies the messuage.
Roger, the great grandson of the patriarch Benjamin, before mentioned, removed from "the precinct of Longmeadow," to West Springfield, in 1759, and settled in " Pauquetuck," having bought a part of the Benjamin Smith estate, and resided thereon until his death, in 1802, at the age of 83. He served as Lieutenant in Col. John Moseley's regiment, stationed at White Plains, in the war of the Revolution, in 1776.
Roger, Jr., the sixth of his ten children, remained with his father on the estate, while his brothers went off for themselves, and he became the possessor of the prop- erty. He also served his country in the Revolutionary war, being then very young, and was on duty at the execution of Major Andre. After the war, he became a noted military man, serving several years as Colonel in the Massachusetts militia, and was an honored and worthy officer. He was twice married; his second wife, + Electa Smith, surviving him seventeen years, he having died in 1843, at the age of 83 years. He had eight children ; the youngest two, Ralph and Mary, being the only representatives in West Springfield of that branch of the Cooley family.
GENEALOGY OF THE DAY FAMILY.
The Day family, in West Springfield, are descended from ROBERT DAY, one of the first settlers of Hartford, Conn., who died in that city in 1648, aged 44. He left two sons, Thomas and John. The descendants of the latter are found in Hart- ford and Colchester, Conn., Northampton. South Hadley and Monson, Mass., Cats- kill and various towns in New York and Vermont.
The widow of Robert Day married, for her third husband, Elizur Holyoke, of Springfield, in 1658, and with this may have been connected the removal of her elder son, Thomas, to the town, where he married, the next year, Sarah, daughter of Lieutenant Thomas Cooper, and died December 27, 1711, leaving five sons, Thomas, Samuel, John, Ebenezer and Jonathan. Of these, Thomas, the oldest, re- moved to Colchester, Conn., and was the ancestor of Rev. Jeremiah Day, D. D.,
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LL.D., late President of Yale College, Hon. Thomas Day, LL.D., for many years Secretary of the State of Connecticut, and Rev. Henry N. Day, D. D., of New Haven, Conn., late professor in Western Reserve College.
The next three sons of the first Thomas, viz., Samuel, John and Eleazer, removed to West Springfield, and from them, all of the name in this town are descended, ex- cept the family of Pliny Day, who was descended from John, and died in 1846.
Among the descendants of Samuel, the second son of Thomas, who died in 1729, were his son Dea. Samuel Day, of this town, who died in 1773, Mr. Aaron Day, of New Haven, who graduated from Yale College in 1738, and was steward of that institution from 1739 to 1747, the late Mr. Aaron Day of this town, Rev. George E. Day, D. D., professor in the Divinity School of Yale College, Mr. Horace Day, sec- retary of the Board of Education, in New Haven, Conn., and Hon. Calvin Day, of Hartford, Conn.
From John Day, the third son of Thomas, who died in 1742, the families of the name in Ireland Parish are descended; also the late Heman and Hosea Day, of this town, Hon. Rowland Day, of Moravia, N. Y., who was a member of Congress from the State of New York in 1822 and again in 1832, Mr. Benjamin Day, of Springfield, lately deceased, and Hon. Charles D. Day, of Montreal, Canada, one of the judges of the Court of the Queen's Bench.
From Ebenezer, the fourth son of Thomas, is descended Mr. Julius Day, of this town, whoso sons Austin, Henry and Edmund are residents of Seymour, Ct.
Jonathan, the fifth son of Thomas, lived on the homestead in Springfield, in which place many of his descendants have resided.
In the " Genealogical Register " of the descendants of Robert Day, published in 1848 by Prof. George E. Day, of Yale College, and containing the names of nearly 2500 of the descendants of the first settler, with dates of births, marriages and deaths, it is estimated that the whole number in the direct line, up to that time, was not less than three thousand, and that the same rate of increase for another hun- dred years, would give from thirty to fifty thousand souls. Twenty-three of the name had, at that time, received a college education, nineteen at Yale, one at Dart- mouth, Williams, Amherst and Brown, respectively. Eleven had been, or were then, ministers of the Gospel, generally in the Congregational denomination. The oldest person of the name was Col. Benjamin Day, of this town, who died in the year 1808, in his ninety-eighth year. The average age of those who have become heads of families has been sixty-eight years.
GENEALOGY OF THE ELY FAMILY.
The first of the name, who came to this country, was Nathaniel Ely, who landed at Plymouth, December 25, 1626. He came to Hartford in 1636, to Springfield in 1660, and died here December 25, 1675. He left one son, Samuel.
Samuel Ely had six children, as follows : Samuel, Joseph, Jonathan, John, Mary married Mr., Colman, of Hatfield ; Ruth, married Mr. Warner, of Hadley.
John Ely, the fourth son of Samuel, was born at Springfield in 1678, and died in 1758, aged 80 years. He married Mary Bliss, daughter of Samuel Bliss, and had issue as follows : John, Reuben. Abner, Caleb, Noah, Mary, married Luke Bliss ; Rachel, married Rev. Jonathan Hubbard.
John Ely, the second, was born 1707, died 1754 Married 1733, to Eunice Col-
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ton, and had issue : John, Justin, Eunice, married Roger Newbury ; Heman, Rho- da, Amelia, married J. West.
Justin Ely, the second son of John, was born 1739, married Ruth White, 1762, died June 26, 1817, and had issue : Theodore, Anna, Justin, Heman. After the death of Ruth White, 1809, Justin Ely married Mary A. Lane.
Theodore Ely, eldest son of Justin, was born 1764, died 1837. Married Hannah Chandler 1818, and had issue : Hannah, born 1819, married Wm. Kent, of Brook- lyn, N. Y.
Justin Ely, second son of Justin, was born 1772, died 1850. Married Lucy Bar- ron 1803, and had issue : Theodore William, died in 1826; Charles, Lucy. Lucy Barron died 1808, and Justin Ely married Abigail Belden 1809, and had issue : Jus- tin, Elizabeth, died October 5, 1837.
Heman Ely, youngest son of Justin the first, was born 1775, married, 1818, Celia Belden, and moved to Elyria, Ohio, where he died, and where his descendants still reside.
Charles Ely, second son of Justin, 2d, was born 1805, married Harriet Kent, and had issue : Louise, Leicester, Harriet. After the death of Harriet Kent, Charles Ely married Eliza Upham, and had issue : Eliza, Charles.
Lucy Barron Ely, daughter of Justin, the 2d, married Dr. Chauncey Belden, and had issue : Theodore, Elizabeth, married Dr. Stephen Bowles ; Herbert.
Justin Ely, youngest son of Justin the 2d, was born 1813, married Nancy H. Lathrop 1854. She died in 1866, and he married Abby French in 1870, and resides in Chicago, Il1.
Homer, Fredric and Cotton Ely, (sons of Cotton, the son of Nathaniel, 3d,) lo- cated in Ashleyville, on or near the paternal homestead, married three sisters, daughters of Lieut. Ruggles Kent, reared families, and were valued members of society. Homer and Cotton have recently died, the latter since the Centennial cele- bration.
James P. Ely, who married Mercy Smith, is the son of Nathan, born 1779; the son of Nathan, born 1759; the son of Samuel, born about 1730; the son of Samuel, born about 1680; the son of Samuel, the only son of Nathaniel the first settler.
Joel Ely, the son of Samuel, married Thankful Leonard, and lived on the com- mon, the spot now occupied by Mrs. Sarah Foster. Their children were, Richard who died in early manhood ; Sibyl wife of Dan. Taylor who removed to Turin, N. Y., in 1802 ; Joel ; Abishai ; Thankful, wife of Silas Bannister ; Abigail, wife of John Wood; Ruhaima, wife of Daniel Wood. These last three removed to Windsor, Vt., about 1800.
GENEALOGY OF THE LATHROP FAMILY.
Dr. Joseph Lathrop, the eminent pastor of the West Springfield church, was the only son of Solomon, the son of Joseph, the son of Samuel, the son of Rev. John Lathrop, second pastor of an independent Congregational church in London, Eng- land. The first Joseph came to this country and settled in Scituate, Mass., in 1634, afterward in Barnstable, where he died in 1653.
Solomon, son of the second Joseph, born 1706, married Martha Perkins, (Todd,) 1729, died 1733. Their children were Martha, who died young, and Joseph.
Joseph, born 1731, married Elizabeth Dwight, of Hatfield, 1759, ordained in West
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Springfield August 25, 1756, died December 31, 1820, in the 90th year of his age, and sixty-fifth of his ministry. His children were, Solomon, born 1760, died 1787 ; Seth, born 1762, died 1831 ; Joseph, born 1765, died 1831 ; Samuel, born 1772, died 1846 ; Dwight, born 1780, died 1818.
Seth second son of Rev. Dr. Joseph, married Anne Abbott, of Windsor, Ct., 1787, and had issue : Betsey, born 1788, married Rev. Elisha Andrews; Solomon, born 1790, died 1862 ; Edward, born 1792, died 1863.
Joseph, third son of Rev. Dr. Joseph, married Rowena Wells, of Ellington, Ct., 1790, settled in Wilbraham, and had issue: Joseph, born 1791, died 1833; Wells, born 1795, died 1871; Paoli, born 1797, died 1872; Seth, born 1799, died 1834; Rowena, born 1803, died 1853 ; Ralph, born 1807, died 1838.
Samuel, fourth son of Rev. Dr. Joseph, married Mary McCrackan, of New Ha- ven, Ct., 1797, and had issue : Nancy H., born 1800, died 1866, married Justin Ely ; Samuel, born 1801, died 1825 ; Mary, born 1802, died 1837, second wife of Rev. Dr. Sprague ; William M., born 1806, resides in Newton Mass., John, born 1809; Sarah M., born 1811 ; Elizabeth D., born 1813, died 1874, married H. Romeyn Ver- milye ; Joseph, born 1815, resides in St. Louis, Mo. ; Henrietta B., born 1817, third wife of Rev. Dr. Sprague; Martha P., born 1819, married Rev. Dr. Wood.
Dwight, fifth son of Rev. Dr. Joseph, married Lora Stebbins in 1806, and had issue. Frances, born 1806; Dwight, born 1808 ; Henry, born 1811 ; Jere, born 1816.
GENEALOGY OF THE PARSONS FAMILY.
Joseph and Benjamin Parsons were early in the Springfield settlement. Joseph removed to Northampton in 1655. The court records of that town show, that at a court holden in March, 1662, he testified that he was a witness to a deed of the lands at Springfield, and a bargain between the Indians and Mr. William Pynchon, dated July 15th, 1636, " for 18 fathoms of wampom, 18 coates, 18 hatchets, 18 hoes and 18 knives." This included all the land now known as Springfield, West Spring- field, Agawam, Holyoke, Chicopee, Wilbraham and Longmeadow.
Benjamin Parsons remained at Springfield, was a deacon of the church, and chief actor in its formation. He died August 24, 1689, leaving nine children.
Ebenezer Parsons, son of Benjamin, was a prominent man in West Springfield, and for fifty-two years a deacon of the church. He died September 23, 1752, aged 84. He had nine children. His tombstone still stands in the " old burying ground." Jonathan Parsons, grandson of Ebenezer, married Mary, daughter of Dea. Joseph Merrick, of West Springfield. He died May 2, 1810, aged 75, and owned the prop- erty on the south side of the Park. The house was taken down in 1872.
Jonathan Parsons, son of Jonathan and Mary, purchased his father's estate, mar- ried Graty, daughter of Elias Leonard, of Feeding Hills, was an active man in pub- lic affairs, an extensive farmer and dealer in farm stock. He died December 6, 1827, and had twelve children.
Edward Parsons, son of Jonathan and Graty, still occupies the homestead that has been in his family for about one hundred and fifty years. He has represented the town and county in the State Senate and House of Representatives. The town is indebted to him for suggesting, arranging and completing the Park, in front of the Town Hall, that previous to 1866, had been an open common.
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GENEALOGY OF THE ROGERS FAMILY.
Henry Rogers, born 1733, who was killed by the overturning of a load of wood in 1795, and is buried in the town-house cemetery, lived on the bank of Connecticut river just south of the house now owned by William Fox. His children were Caroline, who married Solomon Ashley and died in 1864; Mahla, who married Hosea Bliss and died 1821 ; and Asa, who died 1838. Asa had nine children, one of whom, Theodore B., lives in Wethersfield, Ct., and is a representative man ; a wagon-maker by trade, and inventor by nature, and the builder of the first railroad car in North Carolina.
Abner, the famous drummer and village blacksmith, who removed to Black River, N. Y., was another branch of the Rogers family. Talcott A., the son of Ely, a thrifty farmer, is still another branch, and the only known resident of that name in town.
GENEALOGY OF THE SMITH FAMILY.
Among the Smiths who came to New England, was a family of four brothers and one sister, as early as 1630, ten years after the landing of the Pilgrims. Mary Smith, the sister, married William Partridge of Hartford, but removed to Hadley, where she remained through life. Christopher lived in Northampton and died childless. Simon seems not to have left any trace of his whereabouts, and his place of abode is not now known. Joseph settled in Hartford and had a family of fifteen children, whose descendants cannot be missed at the present day in that vicinity. The fourth brother, William, was married at Hartford in August, 1644, to Elizabeth Standley, and after residing in Wethersfield and Middletown, settled in Farmington Ct., where he died in January, 1670, leaving nine children.
His sixth child, Benjamin, was born in Farmington in 1658, and after his marriage with Ruth Loomis of Westfield, he removed to that "precinct " and established himself as a resident there, having his homestead near that of Joseph Moseley. But on the 7th of September 1688, when he was thirty years of age, he purchased of John Pynchon of Springfield, several tracts of land in West Springfield, at a place called by the Indians " Pauquetuck," where he commenced the cultivation of the rich intervale land there bordering on the Westfield river, but fearing the conse- quences of this interference with the aboriginals in the priority of occupation, he wisely, continued his home in Westfield for a year or two, cultivating his land dur- ing the summer season, and returning to Westfield every night. But after a sufficient trial of the good faith of the red-skins, he at length ventured to construct a rude kind of house or fort on the plateau at the foot of the mountain slope, which he fortified and guarded against their suspected treachery. Here he made his castle a house of en- tertainment and protection for the wayward traveler who might be overtaken by nightfall during his meanderings through this primeval forest, for the country had no highways nor roads, except the zigzag cart-path between the trees that led to the Massachusetts Bay, and known as the " Bay path."
Having outlived the feared hostility of the Indians, he was joined by other people, and to facilitate their settlement there, he constructed a saw-mill on the falls of
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" Pauquetuck" brook, the foundation timbers of his dam being still embedded in the stream, and when the mill went to decay his mill-saw was preserved and is now in the possession of his great-great-great-grandson in the city of Springfield, and is a specimen of the rude implements in use seventy years after the landing of the Pil- grims on Plymouth Rock, that period having elapsed at the time of building his mill.
He became a great land-holder, and after his death, which occurred in 1738 at the age of 80 years, his estate was distributed, according to his will, by commissioners appointed by the Judge of Probate at Northampton.
The names of Benjamin Smith's children were William ; Ruth, who married Sam- uel Taylor ; Samuel ; Elizabeth, who married Ebenezer Miller, Jr .; Rachael, who married Samuel Morgan ; Jonathan ; Job ; and Mary, who married Ebenezer Day.
Jonathan and Job were executors of their father's will, and remained on the estate, the latter occupying his father's dwelling, while Benjamin lived in a house built for him a little west of his father's house.
Jonathan had a large and stately house erected for his use just east of the brook, on a commanding eminence at the junction of two roads, having married Margaret, the only child of Samuel Ball of West Springfield Center. The names of his seven children were Jonathan ; David; Solomon ; Caleb ; Daniel ; Margaret, who married Stephen Miller ; and Simeon.
Mr. Ball having died, his second wife surviving him, it was found by his will, that he had devised his real estate, with the exception of his homestead, to the children of his daughter, and the child of his second wife by a former marriage, so that the "great swamp," as it was called, now known as Ball's swamp, with other large tracts of land, fell into the possession of the Smith family, and Jonathan, Jr. and David, the two older sons, took up their abode with their step-grandmother, and assisted in the cultivation of the farm, where Jonathan remained during his life ; but David, after the death of his father, sold out there, and removed to Pauquetuck, and occupied jointly with his brother Solomon, the house and lands situated northerly of their father's residence, subsequently purchasing his brother's interest in the same. Sol- omon resided in the neighborhood until his death ; Caleb removed to Vermont ; Daniel remained on his father's homestead; and Simeon, removing to New Leb- anon Springs, returned after the death of his wife, and remained on the old home- stead with his brother, until death. Jonathan had seven children, David had six, Solomon four, Caleb three, Daniel five, and Simeon one.
Of the descendants of Benjamin Smith, only seven households bearing the name of Smith are remaining in West Springfield. There are residing in Springfield, three, and one in Troy, N. Y. There are others whose residences in the West are not now known to the writer. One Smith family removed to Chester, one to Men- don, one to Warehouse Point, Conn., and several more to the States of New York and Vermont. Of the large estate of the first settler, all has been transferred to parties of other names, except a tract occupied by John D. Smith, in the south-west corner of the town, which has not been allowed to pass out of the Smith family. On this tract stands a stately and venerable white oak tree ; majestic in appearance, and known to be more than a century old, yet showing no signs of decay. Part of Gen. Burgoyne's army passed under it in their march from their defeat at Saratoga to Massachusetts.
The Smiths have never exhibited any propensity for contributing to the ministe- rial ranks, but many of them have been teachers of the public schools, some physi- cians, one a high sheriff, several artisans, and some statesmen, one having served his constituency several years in the Legislature, dying at Boston while in service.
Solomon served in the war with the French. David served in the Revolutionary war, his son David serving as musician in the same regiment with his father, in the
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company of Capt. Levi Ely, of West Springfield, who was killed in an encounter with the tories and Indians lying in ambush.
Simeon Smith was a scientist in his day, and during the Revolutionary war manu- factured saltpetre at Pauquetuck for government use. He also distilled New Eng- land rum for the army, using for that purpose the expressed juice of our common maize, after fermentation. His machinery is in existence to this day, at Pauquetuck.
David, Solomon and Daniel Smith, in the winter of 1766, contracted with the building committee to furnish two hundred bushels of lime, for the construction of a " brick meeting-house," in the " precinct of Longmeadow," and promptly manufac- tured the commodity ready for the builders. But one of the building committee becoming " miffed " at the conduct of the others, broke down the project of build- ing, so the lime was neither used nor paid for, resulting in a total loss to the manu- facturers.
Jonathan Smith, the seventh child of Benjamin, was born in 1697, and seems to have been the prince of Pauquetuck, being the business man of the neighborhood, and friendly adviser for all. He was a very conscientious man, and strict as a Jew- ish patriarch. No unnecessary work was allowed to be performed on his premises after the going down of the sun on Saturday, until the close of the Sabbath; and on one occasion, his son David, when a grown-up man, returned home from a hunt- ing excursion, for which he was said to be famous, after sundown on Saturday ; his father obliged him, with unshaven face, to go four miles to the old church on the common, the next day, so scrupulous was he in his observance of the Lord's day.
The ancient headstone at his grave, in " Paucatuck Cemetery," thus announces his fame :
" In memory of Mr. Jona. Smith, (The virtuous Father of a numerous offspring, to whom he gave an Example of Piety and Prudence,) who died February 9, A. D. 1772, in the 75th year of his age."
Simeon Smith came here from South Hadley, when a boy of 16 years, to learn the trade of joiner and cabinet-maker of Nathaniel Gaylord, in Tatham. During his apprenticeship, the Revolutionary war broke out, and he went into service in the army. After his return, he continued here until his death, which occurred in 1843, at the age of 90 years. His residence was in Shad Lane, where he reared a family of ten children, only two of whom are still living. It is not known that he was related to the descendants of Benjamin Smith, of Pauquetuck.
GENEALOGY OF THE STEBBINS FAMILY.
Benjamin Stebbins, who settled in West Springfield, was the son of Joseph, the son of Thomas, the son of Rowland, who was born in Suffolk County, England, 1594, sailed from Ipswich in ship Francis 1634, first settled in Roxbury, removed to Springfield 1639, and died at Northampton 1671.
Benjamin, the son of Joseph, born 1677, died 1748, married Martha Ball, and had issue : Benjamin, Francis, Martha, Miriam, Mary, Mercy.
Benjamin, 2d, born 1702, died 1783, married Mary Day, and had issue : Benjamin and Vashti.
Benjamin, 3d, born 1727, died 1803, married Sabra Lyman, and had issue : Ben- jamin, Francis, Jere, Sabra, Solomon, Edward, Lovicy, Clement, Festus; these last died in infancy.
Jere and Solomon settled in West Springfield.
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Jere Stebbins, born 1757, died 1817, married Elizabeth Brewster, and had issue : Betsey, born 1779, died 1834, married Jabez D. De Witt, of Montreal, P. Q .; Lora, born 1782, died 1860, married Dwight Lathrop; Polly, died in infancy; Pama, born 1786, died 1866, married Reuben Champion; Benjamin, born 1788, died 1819, mar- ried Maritta Parsons ; Miner, born 1791, died 1828; Polly, Francis and Maria, all died young.
Solomon, son of Benjamin 3d, born 1763, died 1813, married Mahala Day, and had issue : Sally, born 1789, died 1853 ; Charles, born 1788, died 1864; Heman, born 1791, died 1838, and was a lawyer in Brookfield ; Sabra, born 1793, died 1867, married Harry Palmer.
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