USA > Massachusetts > Hampshire County > Northampton > An address, delivered at Northampton, Mass. : on the evening of October 29, 1854, in commemoration of the close of the second century since the settlement of the town > Part 6
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On the lot thus purchased and thus given to the Inhabitants of the county there is now standing an old town hall, between the court house and the pub- lic high road, respecting which old building the County Commissioners, at their session in June 1853, passed the following order :- " It is now ordered by the county commissioners, that the license heretofore granted to the town of Northampton to erect a town hall upon the county lands in said town be and the same is hereby revoked-and that the said town be ordered to re- move the said town hall from said lands within two months from June 16th, A. D. 1853."
SLAVERY, P. 42.
It is a fact, which need not be concealed, that president Edwards was a slaveholder, as were also Mr. Stoddard and many good men in New England, who lived before the discussions concerning liberty and human rights at the period of the American Revolution. Mr. E.'s first slave was Rose, who prob- ably was given as a servant to his wife at the time of his marriage; but she was at last a free woman, and her husband was Joab a tanner and freeman at Stockbridge. She was the mother of Titus and Tamar: the daughter was free, but Titus was a slave. In the appraisal of Mr. E.'s estate in 1759, " a negro boy, named Titns," is estimated at thirty pounds. Even he, however, was afterwards free and lived on the Van Schaack estate in Pittsfield. In the course of time Timothy Edwards of Stockbridge, the son of the president, gave to Titus a farmi at Tioga, were he died.
If the father was a slaveholder, the son, Dr. Jonathan Edwards of New Ha- ven, who lived through the revolution, was among the earliest and the boldest to assert the rights of human nature. He preached a sermon in 1791 on the Injustice of the Slave Trade and Slavery, in which he says, " To hold a slave, who has a right to his liberty, is not only a real crime, but a very great one. You will not deny, that liberty is more valnable than property ; and that it is a greater sin to deprive a man of his whole liberty during his life, than to de- prive him of his whole property ; or that man-stealing is a greater crime than robbery. Nor will you deny, that to hold in slavery a man, who was stolen, is substantially the same crime, as to steal him." "But methinks I hear some
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say, I have bought my negro ; I have paid a large sum for him ; I eannot lose this sum, and therefore I cannot manumit him. Alas! this is hitting the nail on the head. This brings into view the true cause, which makes it so difficult to convince men of what is right in this case." As to the common objection, so acceptable to the consciences of slaveholders, that to liberate the slaves would be unsafe to society, he answers, that it has been found otherwise; that the time and method of bestowing freedom could be regulated by law, and that various measures of security could be adopted; that a sense of gratitude would tend more than the indignant feeling of oppression to the public safety ; and that, after all, the claims of duty are not to be turned aside by the fear of harm in consequence of doing right. When this sermon was preached, two States had totally abolished slavery ; and Dr. E. had such confidence in the progress of light, that he ventured this prediction-" if we judge of the future by the past, within fifty years from this time it will be as shameful for a man to hold a negro slave, as to be guilty of common robbery or theft." Though fifty ycars have passed, the day of universal freedom in, America has not arrived ; yet it will come, as certainly as the principles of the gospel are destined to triumph.
Our southern presbyterian brethren, who deem it right to hold slaves, would do well to ponder the words of the General Assembly of their church in 1818,-still authoritative-" We consider the voluntary enslaving of one part of the human race by another as a gross violation of the most precious and sa- cred rights of human nature; as utterly inconsistent with the law of God, which requires us to love our neighbor as ourselves; and as totally irrecon- cilable with the spirit and principles of the gospel of Christ, which enjoin, that " all things whatsoever ye would, that men should do to you, do ye even so to them."
NUMBER OF INHABITANTS.
In 1662 about 300; in 1679 perhaps 600; in 1790 only 1628 ; in 1800- 2190; in 1810-2631; in 1820-2854; in 1830-3613; in 1840-3750; in 1850-5278.
The incorporation of three other towns from old Northampton and the emi- grations to the west are to be taken into view.
ADMISSIONS TO THE CHURCHI.
The first 18 years, 76 Dr. Tucker's ministry, 3 y'rs, 222
Mr. Stoddard's ministry, 56 y'rs, 630
Dr. Spencer's,
3 236
Mr. Edwards' 23
495 Dr. Penney's 66
2 108
Mr. Hooker's 66
23
409 Dr. Wiley's 66
7
145
Mr. Williams' 66
46 66 921 Mr. Swift's 66
6
66 108
3350
There being no record of some years, the number received into the first church may be reekoned at 3400 or 3500.
REVIVALS : REMARKABLE CHURCH HARVESTS.
Under Mr. Stoddard's ministry in the years 1679, 1683, 1690, 1712, 1718. Under Mr. Edwards in 1727, 1734, 1735, 1740, 1741. Under Mr. Hooker in 1754, 1756, 1762, 1763, 1770, 1774. Under Mr. Williams in 1779, 1782, 1789, 1790, 1800, 1806, 1807, 1816, especially 1819 ; under Mr. Tucker in 1825, 1826, 1827; under Mr. Spencer in 1830, 1831 ; under Mr. Penney in 1834 ; under Mr. Wiley in 1840 and 1842 .- The largest numbers added to the
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church in any one year since the time of Mr. Edwards were 49 in 1754, 65 in 1762, 55 in 1763, 35 in 1770, 55 in 1779, 48 in 1789, 88 in 1806, 72 in 1816, 177 in 1819, 117 in 1826, 164 in 1831, 96 in 1834, 46 in 1840, 44 in 1842. The number of living members was 76 in 1677, 96 in 1706, 620 in 1736, 728 in 1832; in this year many were dismissed in order to constitute the Edwards church ;- there were 515 in 1843.
CHURCHES AND MINISTERS.
The primitive church was founded in 1661. The ministers have been as follows :
E. Mather,
1658-1669 M. Tucker, D. D.,
1824-1827
S. Stoddard, 1672-1729
I. S. Spencer, D. D., 1828-1832
J. Edwards, 1727-1750 J. Penney, D. D., 1833-1835
J. Hooker,
1754-1777 C. Wiley, D. D., 1837-1845
S. Williams,
1778-1834 E. Y. Swift, 1845-1852 J. P. Cleaveland, D. D., 1853-
Dr. Spencer of Brooklyn has died since this Address was delivered. The other ministers in the last column are yet among the living.
1825 .- The Unitarian church formed. The ministers have been E. B. Hall, O. Stearns, J. S. Dwight, R. Ellis, W. Silsbee.
1826 .- The Episcopal church formed. The ministers, G. Griswold, J. Muenscher, W. Chaderton, D. Devens, O. Clark, H. Burroughs, J. P. Hub- bard.
1828 .- The Baptist church formed. The pastors, B. Willard, A. Brown, W. M. Doolittle, H. D. Doolittle, D. M. Crane.
1832 .- The Edwards church formed. The pastors, J. Todd, D. D., J. Mitchell, E. P. Rogers, D. D., G. E. Day, D. D., G. Hall.
1843 .- Methodist Episcopal church organized. The ministers, W. Ward, M. Dwight, W. B. Bagnall, C. Baker, J. M. Mowry, T. Marcy, D. Waite, W. C. High.
1845 .- About this time a Catholic church was built.
DEATHS,
At the age of 90 and upwards in the last half-century :
Deceased.
Age. Deceased.
Age.
1804. Wid. Rebecca Phelps, Daniel Clark,
93 1841. Mrs. Catharine Gleason, 90
92 Reuben Pelton, 92
1806. Wid. Sarah Baker,
98 1842. Mary Wyer, 93
1809. Wid. Mary Rust,
95 Phebe Clark, 93
1812. Wid. Hannah Wright,
98 1844. Gershom Randall, 97
1813. Wid. Jemima Warner, Wid. Hannah Clark,
1815. Mrs. Elis. Edwards,
Wid. Esther Wright,
1827. Solomon Stoddard,
1834. Sam. Bakeman, (black,)
101 1853. Jacob Osborn,
92
1839. Mrs. Martha Wright, 94 95
1854. Wid. Elisabeth Wright,
98
Mrs. Barley,
91 Wid. Olive Dickinson, 90
95 1846. Elisabeth Earle, 90
90 1849. Wid. Sarah French, 90
93 1851. Wid. Eunice Wright, 91 98 66 Simeon Clapp, 92
About one hundred and forty persons have died since 1800 aged between 80 and 90 years. Widow Abigail Phelps Alvord d. Aug. 26, 1756, aged 102. Peter Princely still lives, aged 108.
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A FEW DEATHIS, within the last half century :
1805. Dr. Levi Shepherd, 62
1840. David S. Whitney, 52
1807. Capt. Sam. Clark, 86 Judge Samuel Hinckley. 83
1808. Maj. Daniel Pomeroy, 78 1841. Dr. Elisha Mather, 53
60
1842. John Hopkins,
72
1809. Judge Samuel Henshaw, 64 Mrs. Lydia Hopkins, 69
1812. Capt. Simeon Clapp, 83
Mrs. Ruth Tenney,
60
1813. Dr. Warhanı Mather, 49
Mrs. Martha Henshaw,
87
Noah Parsons,
84
1843. Charles Starkweather,
84
1816. Elias Lyman, 75
Col. C. Chapman,
44
1844. Charles C. Nichols, 59
67
Nathaniel Fowle,
68
Bohan Clark,
74
74
Isaac C. Bates, Sen. U. S.
65
48
Mrs. Catharine Shepherd,
62
1821. Maj. Josiah Dwight,
53
1847. Samuel Plant,
69
1824. Capt. James Diekinson,
44
Caleb J. Tenney, D. D.,
67
1825. Jonathan H. Lyman,
42
Geo. W. Talbot, 72
77
Col. John Breck, 56
Judge Joseph Lyman,
80
1828. Judge Samuel Howe, Seth Wright,
73
Mrs. Sarah J. Allen, 58
1830. Levi Lyman,
67
1849. Col. Elisha Strong,
73
1833. Asahel Pomeroy,
83 1850. Dr. Samuel B. Woodward, 63
Daniel Butler, Maj. Erastus Lyman,
65
1851. Mrs. SarahTappan Stoddard, 80 Warham Clapp, 82
73
Dr. David Hunt,
64 1854. Mrs. Sarah D. S. Walker, 46
1839. Nathan Storrs,
71 1855. Dr. Charles Walker, 52
The whole number of deaths on the records of Northampton is about 5300 ; births, 4100; marriages, 1700.
THE MOHEGAN LANGUAGE, p. 10.
Dr. Jonathan Edwards, who was perfectly acquainted with the language of the Stockbridge or Housatonnuk Indians, ealled the Mohegan, and who ex- amined its affinity to many of the northern languages of our country, and, find- ing them all-excepting that of the Mohawks or five nations-to be of a eom- mon stock, has proposed the MOHEGAN as the general name. This is better, perhaps, than any other name, which has been proposed ; better than the Al- gonkin of La Hontan, the Leni-Lenape or Delaware of Heckewelder, the Chip- peway-Delaware or Algonkin-Mohegan of Adelung, the Algonkin-Lenape of Gallatin, and the Algie of Schoolcraft. When Hudson discovered the North River, its banks were inhabited by the Mohicans or Mohegans, thus occupying the eentral, principal river of our country ; and thenee probably they spread over New England. The Indians of Stockbridge and New London were called expressly Mohegans. With one radical language there are many dia- leets, or languages, the best known of which are the Stockbridge, the Dela- ware, the Narragansett, the Massachusetts or Natick, in which Eliot's Bible is printed, the Norridgewock, and the Penobscot.
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1831. Wm. Butler, first Ed. Gaz. 67
Wid. Lucy Sage,
82
1834. Rev. Solomon Williams,
73
82 Sylvester Graham, 56
1837. Samuel Clark,
43
1848. Wid. Esther Clark, 88
1829. Elijah H. Mills, Sen. U. S. 52
76
Thomas Shepherd,
67
1817. Mrs. Sarah Strong, Mrs. Sarah Hooker,
60
1845. James Bull,
86
Margarette Dwight,
41
1819. Gov. Caleb Strong, Eli P. Ashmun, Sen. U. S. Dr. Ebenezer Hunt,
1827. Solomon Stoddard, 91
Simeon Butler,
Dr. Charles L. Seegur,
85
79 1853. Oliver Warner,
Capt. Ebenezer Lane, Dea. Josiah Clark, 87 Mrs. Mary Williams,
85
Thomas W. Shepherd, 49
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*7%
The Indian names of places were expressive ; but we know the meaning of but few of them. Mississippi means great river, from missi, great, and sippi, river. Connecticut, Quinnehticot, means long river, from quinnch, long, high, rapid. Quinnebang means long water: mashapang, great pond. Massachu- setts means high mountain, from missi, mussi, mahsag, great, and wadchu, mountain,-referring to the Blue Hills of Milton, in sight of which the Indians of Massachusetts Bay lived. As the plural was formed by adding og, ock, ug, uk or uck, the Indian people at the Bay were denoted by the word Massach- seuk, which the English expressed by 'the Massachusenks' or the Massa- chetts.
The letters 1, m, n, and r, were interchanged by different tribes. The New Haven and Windsor Indians nsed r, the Nallwottoge and Nipmuck Indians used 1; and so the Japanese pronounce r, where the Chinese pronounce l. But neither I nor r appear in the Stockbridge and Narragansett.
The following are a few words, which are the same or very much alike in different Indian dialects .- House is wigwam, or weekwam, or wikiwaum in Mo- hegan, Norridgewock, Penobscot, Algonkin, Delaware, Chippewa, and other languages .- River is scepoo, sepu, seip, seeboo, secpec, sipi in Mohegan, Na- tick, Narragansett, Norridgewock, Penobscot, Delaware, Chippewa, Algon- kin .-- Mountain is w'chu, wadchu, wudju, wauchchoo, in Mohegan, Natick, Penobscot, Delaware, Chippewa .- Shoe 'is m'kissin, mokasin, mukkaysen, mauxen in Mohegan, Penobscot, Algonkin, Chippewa, Delaware .- The sun is keesogh, kesoos, kissis, in Mohegan, Norridgewock, St. Francis, Penobscot, Chippewa. In Natick kesuk means heaven .- Winter is h'poon, papoon, pe- poon, papone in Mohegan, Natick, Narragansett, Norridgewock, Penobscot, Chippewa .- Water is nbey, nippee, nip, nabee, nipi, nepee, nippee in Mohe- gan, Natick, Narragansett, Norridgewock, Penobscot, St. Francis, Algonkin, Chippewa .- A bear is mquoh, macqua, mauquah, mukquaw in Mohegan, Al- gonqin, Chippewa, Shawnese .- Devil is mtandou, mannito, mattannit, machi- hando, matcheemanitoo in Mohegan, Natick, Penobscot, Algonkin, Chippewa, Delaware .- Wood is metooque in Mohegan, mehtug in Natick, meteek, in Al- gonkin, Chippewa .-- A girl 's peesquasoo in Mohegan, squasese in Narragan- sett, nunksqua in Natick, Penobscot, and Norridgewock .- A spirit is mannito, manitou in Mohegan, Algonkin, Chippewa .- God in Narragansett is manit- too.
JENNY LIND.
She was a benefactor of Northampton. After a residence of some months at Round Hill and after her marriage to Mr. Goldschmidt she gave in 1852 a concert in the town hall, the avails of which she beneficently appropriated, be- stowing about seven hundred dollars upon the Young Men's Institute for the purchase of Books for their library, and the remainder, two or three hundred dollars, she authorized the writer of this to distribute in certain charitics. If she was sincere in her confidential words to him-" I know, that our Savior is the only hope for resurrection, forgiveness of sins, and the only way to life and heaven. I am a poor, poor sinner-bad and wicked and in the dust- but He can help all evil, and his power is greater than my sins. I feel my nothingness-but, at the same time, I feel my faith increasing, the more my conviction of sin increases. My English is bad and unclear, but my belief in the Holy Gospel is clear as very clear water .-- God help and bless us all, and impart to us his Holy Ghost :"-if thus, in a private note of "Jenny Gold- schmidt," she uttered, as there is no reason to doubt, the sentiments of her heart, this utterance may well give a sweeter satisfaction, than the enjoyment and remembrance of her unequalled melody, for it may lead us to believe, that, while receiving the bewildering applauses of two continents, God kept her spirit humble, and that by his grace he has attuned her soul to sing the song of Redeeming Love forever.
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